Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.
Author's Note: Wow, I finally got over 50 reviews for this! Thank you, everyone! This is just a short piece about Zuko's triumphant return to the Fire Nation.
76 Trombones
Seventy
six trombones led the big parade
With a hundred and ten cornets
close at hand
They were followed by rows and rows of the finest
virtuosos;
The cream of every famous band.
It appeared that every musician in the entire Fire Nation was a part of the parade officially welcoming Prince Zuko back home. He supposed that he should be honored, but it all felt hollow somehow. Where were all these people while he was in exile?
Perhaps that wasn't fair. After all, Zuko knew as well as anyone the iron fist with which his father had ruled his nation. If anyone had felt sympathy for Zuko, he or she probably would have felt considerable pressure to keep those feelings concealed. And Zuko had to admit that he had never been particularly good at making himself likeable, even to the people closest to him.
Seventy
six trombones caught the morning sun
With a hundred and ten
cornets right behind
There were more than a thousand reeds
springing up like weeds,
There were horns of every shape and kind
"Smile, Zuko," his uncle admonished from just behind his shoulder.
"I am smiling," Zuko insisted without moving his lips.
"You can't smile with your teeth clenched. It's a scientific fact."
Making an effort, Zuko relaxed his face, smiling and waving at the people lining the streets. In his mind, though, he was measuring the distance and time until they would finally reach the palace at the center of the city. This kind of public display was not something he was very comfortable with, though he realized he would probably have to get used to it.
There
were copper bottom tympani in horse platoons
Thundering,
thundering, all along the way
Double bell euphoniums and big
bassoons
Each bassoon having his big fat say.
The Rough Rhinos were preceding the float on which Zuko and Iroh rode. Ty Lee had rejoined the circus, and she was flipping along down the parade route in the company of the rest of her troupe. They had come back from the Earth Kingdom, there not being much call for Fire Nation performers there at the moment. Maybe, once the peace had been restored for a while, hard feelings would soften and many types of exchange could resume.
"What is the matter, Nephew?" Iroh murmured. "Isn't this what you always wanted?"
"I always wanted to come home," Zuko admitted. "It's just thatā¦something seems missing."
There
were fifty mounted cannon in the battery
Thundering, thundering,
louder than before
Clarinets of every size and trumpeters who'd
improvise
A full octave higher than the score.
A rather noisy demonstration involving a combination of firebending and cannons prevented conversation for a few moments.
"Your mother and father?" Iroh suggested delicately in response to Zuko's last comment. Zuko bit his lip. Although he had the familiar sinking feeling when he thought of his parents, their absence alone didn't explain the emptiness he had inside.
"That's part of it," he decided. "But I get the feeling there's something else."
"I have a surprise for you when we get to the palace," said Iroh in a conspiratorial tone. "Just a few more minutes, now."
Seventy
six trombones hit the counter point
While a hundred and ten
cornets played the air
To the rhythm of 'Harch Harch Harch!'
All
the kids began to march
And they're marching still, right today.
When they finally reached the palace, amid cheering and waving, Iroh ushered Zuko upstairs into a receiving room. Once inside, a pretty girl with kind, brown eyes stood to greet them. Zuko's jaw dropped as he recognized her.
"Song?" he asked in disbelief.
"Your uncle sent for me," she said simply, lowering her eyes shyly. Zuko felt a smile growing across his face, a real one this time. He finally felt like celebrating! A loud trumpet fanfare sounded outside, but Zuko hardly noticed.
"Thank you, Uncle," he whispered, but the old man had already left them alone.
--
Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.
Author's Note: I have no idea what the timing is on this, except some time after the war. I'm a little lukewarm on it, but the song doesn't give you much to work with. I suppose it could just as easily have been Mai waiting for him, but this seemed like it would be more of a shock.
Review responses:
Nuclear Kitty: Yeah, I really just took that episode as a filler one at first, but there is a little Kataang in it. I also noticed that the hat from Jet, in color and design, was sort of similar to the necklace Aang later made for Katara.
TTAvatarfan: Yes, Aang was cute in the hat, and it seemed to fit him perfectly, which indicated that it might have been too small for Jet.
Justcallmewolfy: It's true that Aang didn't really comment on Chin, but I wrote how I thought he might feel about it.
Aangs fangirl1214: Well, it's always a dilemma when you're writing fanfiction. I would have loved for him to make a confession, but that would have changed everything that happened afterward, and I was really trying for a "missing moment" that actually could have happened in the context of the show.
Kumori Doragon: Thanks. I'm starting to feel like Kataang permeates every aspect of my life.
Kimbalynn616: I'm glad the last one made you laugh, and I still have a few more songs to get through. The next one is already practically done.
Snows Of Yester-Year: Well, the next chapter will have someā¦fulfilled Kataang ahem. That's all I'm going to say about it. I do hope the creators/writers will be officially getting them together soon.
MormonMaiden: I actually kind of like Ty Lee. I've found her a sympathetic character from the time she was introduced.
