Chapter 26: the Peace Talks

Mushi opened the front door of his apartment to see Zuko with one of his more fearsome scowls. Next to him was a guide, whose fake smile barely covered her anxiety.

"Nephew! I didn't expect to see you until at least tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm not staying in that palace" Zuko spat.

His guide's face tightened into a cringe, and Mushi turned his attention to her, ignoring his obstinate nephew. "Can I offer you some refreshment?"

"No thank you, General Iroh." She bowed. "Is there anything you need, Fire Lord?"

"No" he snapped and then pushed his way into the apartment.

She raised her voice slightly to call after him, quavering only slightly, "Then I will return in the morning to escort you to the peace talks."

He growled in response.

Mushi bowed her out and turned to find his nephew slouched at the dining table.

"Were your rooms not to your liking?"

"It's her."

"Your guide?"

"No."

"The young earth bending master?"

"Jin!"

"Oh."

Zuko dropped his head into his hands. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"She was hoping that the Earth King would return or she would find a suitable substitute."

"You knew about this too!?"

Mushi sighed and crossed the room. He opened an ornate box and removed a scroll. Taking a seat at the table, he handed the scroll to his nephew. "She came here several times before the coronation. We discussed many people who could be Earth King." Zuko unrolled the scroll to find a long list of names written in Jin's thin handwriting: advisors, ministers, nobles, generals, captains, resistance members, influential merchants, his uncle's pai sho friends, professors, dignitaries, earth bending masters, the list went on and on. "She found them all unsuitable. They were inexperienced, or corrupt, or power hungry, or they did not have the people's best interest at heart."

"All of them?"

His uncle shrugged.

"But why her?"

Mushi took a deep breath. "After she killed Long Feng, she stepped out onto the palace steps to find a crowd waiting there. She raised her sword into the air and declared, 'Victory is ours.' A great cheer went up from the crowd and then a shout. 'Long live the Earth Queen!' Then like a wave, the crowd bowed before her. The people demanded that she take the throne. I think she was more terrified then than at any other moment that night."

Zuko stared at his uncle for a moment. His eyes were pleading and confused. He looked back at the list in his hands. "She was going to come with me to the Fire Nation."

"I know. She had to choose between her own happiness and the welfare of her people."

"What about my happiness?!" It came out even more childish than he had expected. He immediately hung his head in shame, but Mushi just gave him a sad, understanding smile.

"She did not come to the decision lightly."

Katara justified his absence by telling everyone that he wanted to spend the evening with his esteemed uncle, who he hadn't seen in some time. She also said that he would be back in the palace the next evening. He appreciated how she had covered for him, but was slightly annoyed anyway. He really didn't have an excuse to stay at his uncle's apartment any longer, unless he wanted to cause some sort of international incident.

The peace talks began with a large breakfast feast. From her place at a far table, Jin looked breath taking, and caused him to scowl at the mango in his hand. She took purposefully small bites and chewed each mouthful six times before taking another measured taste. Not that he was watching her or anything.

After that there was an introduction of each of the delegates, an exchange of gifts and some welcoming entertainment provided by their gracious host, the Earth Queen. She had arranged for the Dai Li to set off fireworks. This impressed Zuko for several reasons, but he kept it to himself.

They all then moved into an ornate conference hall with a large square table. The Earth Kingdom sat on one side: Jin, King Bumi, the mayor of Gaoling, General Fong, and General How. On another side sat the combined water tribes: Chief Hakoda, Chief Arnook, Master Pakku, Bato, and Hahn. Aang sat with them, looking rather out of place. Zuko wondered where Sokka and Katara were. Probably having fun somewhere. And where was their grandmother? Didn't she lead the Southern Water Tribe for the last several years?

Jin would probably have something to say about gender equality as she was the only girl in the room. Of course, he wasn't really helping anything. Zuko sat with the newly promoted General Jee, Admiral Chan, Master Piandao, and Fire Sage Shyu. He irrationally wished that Azula was with him, and then felt stupid.

They spent the morning setting the agenda. Aang apparently found this as boring as Zuko did, as he was playing with a marble under the table.

The Earth Kingdom's to do list included Fire Nation de-militarization, the return of conquered Earth Kingdom territories, and a mutual non-aggression pact. He tried not to look at Jin as she spoke in a clear, confident voice. He wanted to discuss new trade agreements and the exchange of technology. Again, he did not look at her as he made his presentation. Instead, he chose to primarily address King Bumi, which turned out to be a mistake as the man made very distracting faces. Aang wanted to talk about rebuilding the Air Temples and the Air Nomad race, and some environmental restoration (re-growing forests and cleaning rivers.) Zuko felt a tremendous gratitude towards Aang. Not only did the kid want to talk about sweet things, but he had also given him a heads up about it. The Water Tribe, on the other hand, wanted to be jerks. They wanted to re-build the Southern Water Tribe (completely acceptable) and the Northern Water Tribe (which Zuko thought was nuts as the damage done during the siege was already repaired.) They also wanted to discuss Fire Nation reparations (hinting that it would be monetary.) Then they wanted to try Fire Nation leaders for war crimes.

Zuko interrupted, "Who exactly do you want to put on trial?"

Chief Arnook had obviously spent the last six months since his daughter's death becoming an ass hole. "We propose that Fire Lord Ozai, Princess Azula, the generals who led the sieges of Ba Sing Se and the North be prosecuted."

Aang's attention had been drawn away from his marble. "But I've already dealt with Ozai. He doesn't have his bending. He's not the Fire Lord any more. He's going to be in jail for the rest of his life."

"Your compassionate solutions do not satisfy us all. We want him executed."

Hakoda looked as though this was all news to him and exchanged confused looks with Bato.

"Princess Azula is in no fit state to defend herself at the present time." If they thought they were going to make a spectacle of his incapacitated sister, then they had another thing coming.

"That is not for you to decide. We also want Fire Lords Sozin and Azulon be tried posthumously."

"What purpose would that serve?"

"It would be a statement. Need I remind you that they committed genocide against the Air Nomads?" Arnook gestured at Aang, "Or did you conveniently forget that fact in order to protect your fore-fathers?"

Zuko ground his teeth. General Jee passed him a note that said "calm down" in thick, bold letters. Admiral Chan spoke up in his place. "We do not try people posthumously in the Fire Nation, as they cannot defend themselves."

"I agree" Jin cut in. "There is little purpose in re-opening old wounds in a public display of power when it will only lead to outrage in this time of fragile peace. We will talk about reparations to the Air Nomads," she exchanged nods with Aang, "and we will discuss re-building your city. However, we will have no victor's justice and the trying and sentencing of former Fire Lord Ozai should be left to the Fire Nation."

Jin felt that that should be the end of the discussion, but Arnook sneered at her. "Of course you would side with the Fire Nation. Does no one else realize that our gracious host, the Earth Queen, is simply a puppet for Fire Lord Zuko? Together they control half the world. How is this accumulation of power any different from Ozai acting independently?"

The room was immediately filled with shouts of outrage. Bato was trying to make Arnook sit down, while Hakoda was shouting that that was not the opinion of the Southern Water Tribe. Hahn was shouting at Bato to let go of Arnook. Both Earth Kingdom generals were on their feet denying the accusations. Jin had gone pale, while next to her King Bumi whispered something in her ear and snorted. Zuko realized that he was on his feet too, shouting as General Jee tried to hold him back.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Wind rushed outward from the center of the room, throwing Zuko backward into his chair. When he was able to look at Aang again, the boy was standing in the center of the table scowling at all of them. "This is a bad way to start peace talks."

Several people had the good grace to look apologetic. Zuko was not one of those people.

King Bumi snorted again and said, "I think it's time for lunch."

Jin did not come to the banquet hall as she had "urgent business to attend to." Zuko had the urge to leave and find her and comfort her, but he also wanted to avoid her and her pretty, heart breaking face as much as possible.

None of the Water Tribe delegation was there either. They were probably off fighting it out amongst themselves. Zuko had the pleasant mental image of Hakoda punching Arnook in the stomach while Bato held him in a choke hold and Pakku pretended not to notice.

Aang didn't eat anything. He just pushed his food around and looked dejected. "For some reason I thought peace would be easier."

"We don't have that kind of luck."

Katara replaced Bato in the afternoon session. She filled Zuko in later while pacing angrily around Suki's room. Hakoda had convinced Arnook to drop it by saying that Katara was going to marry Aang (which was news to everyone but Hakoda and Bato), and did Arnook have a problem with how much power they would have? Apparently he didn't, but now he had gotten the idea that their marriage was going to be the conclusion of the peace talks. Katara had other plans, but she kept them to herself in public. In private, however, she fumed like an angry tigerdillo while Aang felt more and more embarrassed and rejected.

From then on Katara was referred to as the Water Tribe Princess, because somehow or another the Northern Tribe considered her to have taken over Yue's position. Toph was over the moon and now referred to Katara as "Ice Princess." She also renamed Zuko "Puppet boy" because if anyone was calling the shots, it was definitely Jin. He didn't care for his new name any more than Katara approved of hers, but he had to admit to himself that it was probably true.

Meanwhile Sokka was put out because no one was calling him Prince, and no one had invited him to the meeting. He wondered the palace halls kicking things and mumbling to himself.

"The meetings are so stupid! I mean, what did we accomplish after Arnook's freak out? Aang explained how he was going to make air benders magically appear and no one understood a single word. Then Aang and Zuko signed an agreement that the Fire Nation would fund and provide the labor to rebuild the Western Air temple, which they had agreed to do before we even got here! Gran Gran was right. We shouldn't have anything to do with the North."

"Well, I am glad we got that agreement signed" Zuko said, but neither Katara nor Suki were listening to him. One girl was still fuming and the other was silently making wedding plans and bidding her time until she could reasonably call maid of honor.

He left the room to look for some sanity and ended up tracking down Sokka. As two masters in the art of complaining, they had a great deal to discuss: aching injuries, stupid politicians, annoying sisters, the awfulness of Ba Sing Se, and back stabbing girlfriends. Together with General Jee they got shit-faced-drunk and passed out in Zuko's suite.