The Earth Kingdom Revisited

Chapter 3 – Of Ships and Reminiscences

Zuko kept his eyes on Mai's fading figure. He could see her waving and raised his hand in return. The small ship rounded a corner in the harbor, though, and Mai vanished from sight. They were soon through the Great Gates of Azulon and in open water. The sea was calm and such a dark blue that it appeared almost black. Zuko leaned over the rail and stared down into the depths of the water. Prone to reflection as he was, Zuko's thoughts went to the first time he left his home in a ship. Newly burned and newly banished, his uncle Iroh the only familiar face onboard, his only desire then had been to get away as quickly as possible. The sooner he got away, the sooner he would return with the avatar and regain his honour and his place as next in line to the throne. Zuko laughed silently. If he had known what lay in store for him, the three years and a few months of struggle and defeat and utter despair, he might have just killed himself then. But no, Zuko was too stubborn to give up and in the end, the whole bitter journey was a necessary one, a journey that set him on the right path and opened his eyes to the true nature of the war, the true nature of his father and of himself.

Sensing someone approaching, Zuko shook his head in an effort to clear his thoughts. Piandao placed a hand on the young Fire Lord's shoulder. "Your uncle has told me about your tendency to brood, Zuko. How about we do a little sparring instead," he suggested.

"Hey," Zuko declared in mock offense. "I wasn't brooding. I was um, thinking deeply."

"There's a difference?" Piandao said laughing.

"Well, not really, I suppose. But being on this ship brings back a lot of memories, most of them bad."

"Then put them out of your mind, get your sword and let's practice."

"Okay, okay," Zuko agreed, Piandao's cheerfulness infecting him.

The two sparred steadily for more than an hour. The heat of the day had not set in yet and there was a cool sea breeze that dried the sweat on their skin.

"Excellent session, Zuko," Piandao said.

"Yep, it was good," he answered. "I think I'll go to my quarters for awhile, get cleaned up and maybe lie down. I didn't sleep all that well last night."

"Fine," said Piandao. "Perhaps after lunch we can have a game of Pai Sho and I will tell you more about The Order of the White Lotus."

"Sure," Zuko agreed getting visions of his Uncle Iroh. "I'd like that."

Zuko walked across the metal deck of the Fire Nation ship and headed down the stairs into the living quarters. His room was small, as were all of them, but adequate for one person. And Zuko was never one to take an excess of things with him. Stripping off his shirt in the bathroom, Zuko washed his face and upper body. He remained shirtless as the air down below was rather warm and stuffy. He lay down on the bed, face looking up at the ceiling. Closing his eyes, he drifted into jumbled thoughts. Pictures of Mai filled his mind and he smiled. He imagined her whipping out her shuriken to keep everyone at the palace in line. Then he thought of his journey ahead. Zuko was a bit apprehensive. He wondered how Song and Lee and Lee's parents would react to him. He wanted to clear the air with them, make things right somehow. Maybe that was just to make him feel better. "Probably," he muttered, half asleep now. Falling further into sleep, Zuko began to dream. Images of the Earth Kingdom flitted through his dreamscape. How many times had he cursed the place, cursed the fate that put him there? He saw the healing centre where he met Song, the girl he ultimately betrayed. He saw her home and her mother and recalled their graciousness. His sleep images drifted on to rough, rocky terrain, hot and dry. He saw himself riding through it on the stolen ostrich horse, hungrier than he had ever been. A small village came into view and with it a happy little boy who admired how Zuko didn't cower away from the Earth Kingdom soldiers. The little boy's family was gracious too. But everything changed once he proudly declared his identity as the Fire Nation prince. No one was gracious anymore. Though he had come to the little boy's aid, once Zuko was known as Fire Nation, the townspeople's hatred and fear showed. The Earth Kingdom knife he had presented the little boy was no longer wanted. Everyone watched as he rode out of town, head held high yet feeling so utterly defeated. Bathed in sweat as if he were back in that part of the Earth Kingdom, Zuko jerked awake. "Well that was refreshing," he said dryly to himself.

Deciding to meditate for awhile since sleep had done him no good, Zuko lit four candles and sat on the floor in the lotus position before the small altar in his room. He closed his eyes, concentrating. His breathing smoothed out and became deep and slow. His mind cleared. He maintained that position for half an hour before rousing himself. Feeling much better and very clear headed, Zuko went above board and looked for Piandao. The sword master was talking with one of the crewmen. Zuko waited patiently until Piandao finished and then broached the subject of lunch.

"Are you ready to eat, Piandao. We can have something brought up here to the deck."

"That would be good, Zuko," he replied.

Zuko spoke with one of the deckhands who then quickly went down to the galley in search of whatever the cook had prepared for lunch. He returned shortly with a tray containing tea, rice, spiced chickenpig and vegetables. It smelled wonderful and Zuko was suddenly ravenous. He tucked into the meal and finished quickly. Piandao had a smirk on his face. "Now you remind me of Sokka. That boy certainly loves his food," he said affectionately.

"Yes, he does," Zuko agreed, smiling. He and Sokka had formed quite a bond during their time at The Boiling Rock prison. That was the start of a close friendship that Zuko valued very highly. Zuko never had the opportunity to form friendships before he joined Aang and his group. For three years he was searching for the avatar and then came his exile in The Earth Kingdom. Opportunities for friendship with another boy his age were few and far between when he was a young prince at the Fire Nation palace. He attended school for a few years but was always too introverted, too shy to fit in with the other boys. He wasn't as confident and commanding as his little sister, Azula. She practically forced people to be her "friends". For a good many of his years at home, Zuko felt like the younger brother instead of the older one. But that was then, and he had friends now, wonderful friends. He had come into his own. He had finally become the person he was always meant to be.

"Zuko, Zuko," called Piandao, snapping his fingers in front of the young man's face. "Where did your mind go?"

"Oh, sorry, Piandao," Zuko replied. "I was actually thinking about Sokka and what a good friend he is."

"He's a good man," Piandao stated.

"Are you finished your lunch yet? Are you ready to destroy me in a game of Pai Sho?" Zuko asked the sword master.

"Give me a few more minutes," Piandao replied.

"Okay, I'll go get the board and set the game up," Zuko said, jumping up and walking below deck to retrieve the Pai Sho game. He returned a few minutes later. Piandao had finished eating and was awaiting the game. While Zuko set up the board and the pieces, Piandao began to talk.

"The Order of the White Lotus has existed for almost a thousand years, Zuko. Even then, when peace presided around the four nations, those people who wanted to promote the ideas of beauty and philosophy rather than the ideas of competition and conflict, gathered together for healthy discussions about art, music and faith. The founding member was a man named Qian Ma. He came from the Earth Kingdom and was a renowned philosopher. Mr. Quian enjoyed the company of others who wanted to preserve free thought and free speech and the ideals of beauty and truth. Eventually, he decided give his little group a name. Since the members often played Pai Sho, they chose to use the powerful white lotus tile as inspiration for their name. And so The Order of the White Lotus was born."

"Hmmm," replied Zuko, listening intently but also trying to plan out his first move. He finally moved the Boat tile five spaces.

"Do you know why they chose the White Lotus tile to represent their group, Zuko?"

"The White Lotus may form a harmony with any other flower, be it yours or that of your opponent," Zuko answered promptly.

"Precisley," agreed Piandao. "The White Lotus is symbolic of harmony both within you and between you and others." The sword master moved his Jasmine tile three spaces.

The young Fire Lord's brow was furrowed in thought. He was never a great fan of Pai Sho. It required too much forward thinking and he had never been patient enough for that. He was improving, though, both at Pai Sho and thinking ahead in his own life. He made his move.

Piandao continued speaking. "The Order continued to expand. At first it was just discussion but after a time, the Order gave aid to those fellow members who were in trouble or persecuted for any reason. When the war began just over one hundred years ago, The Order of the White Lotus performed small acts of rebellion against the Fire Nation and its leaders' desires for conquest. They fought to preserve the ways of all the nations. Your paternal ancestors, beginning with Sozin, all attempted to snuff out other cultures. They felt that the Fire Nation ways were the best and everyone should follow them." Piandao gently stroked his beard and moved a Rhododendron tile.

The game and the lesson on The Order of the White Lotus lasted for another two hours. Piandao won, but Zuko had at least made a game of it.

"I usually lose much more quickly," Zuko quipped.

"I've played many, many games of Pai Sho in my time, Zuko. You have not. Like anything, the game takes practice."

"I've been meaning to ask, how do you find new members for the Order of the White Lotus?" Zuko inquired.

"Well," Piandao replied, "if any of us older fellows run into someone we think would be a good candidate we give him a white lotus tile. Usually the person asks about it. We fill them in a little bit. If he or she shows more curiosity we tell them more. We can usually tell who will make an excellent member. We're pretty good judges of character."

"You gave a tile to Sokka, didn't you? Will he become a member?"

"I think he might, once he settles down a bit," Piandao answered.

"Good," Zuko stated. "He'll be a great member."

"Perhaps one day you too might join, Zuko."

"I would be honoured. But, I haven't received a tile yet."

"Ah, there's that," Piandao said smiling. "It just so happens that I have one for you right here." Piandao handed Zuko the tile. The Fire Lord's eyes lit up. He reached for it hesitantly. "Are you certain, Piandao?" he asked.

"I do not hand out these tiles lightly, Zuko. Take it. We would all be honoured if you were to become a member one day soon."

"Thank you. I am humbled by your faith in me" Zuko held the tile in his hand and rubbed it softly. He recalled his uncle losing such a tile months ago and the stop at a port so he could buy another one. All the while, the white lotus tile had been in his uncle's sleeve. Zuko had angrily thrown it into the river. He shook his head. He was filled with so much anger then.

"I think it's time for this older man to have a little afternoon nap. I will see you later, probably at dinner time."

"Alright," replied Zuko.

Piandao stood up and walked off down the deck. Zuko picked up the Pai Sho board and followed him. He decided to write a brief letter to Mai and send it off with one of the two messenger hawks they had onboard. Once in his quarters, he got scroll and ink ready and began to write.

Dear Mai,

It's well after midday on the first day of our journey. I miss you already.

The seas are calm and it's not as hot as in the Fire Nation. We're making good time and should reach our port in another 3 days at most. I'm kind of nervous about seeing these people again. I still think that it's a good idea, though.

Piandao and I sparred the morning away and I got a lesson on The Order of the White Lotus this afternoon.

I thought about you quite a few times today and pictured you threatening everyone with your knives to keep them in line. All the ministers and officials had better treat you well or else……well I don't know what I would do, but I would do something. I'm sure that you're handling things brilliantly.

Write back when you can.

I love you, Mai.

Zuko

Finished the letter, Zuko let the ink dry for a few minutes and then rolled up the scroll. He left his quarters and walked to the deck once again. A small messenger hawk tower sat off to one side of the ship. Zuko put his arm out, and a hawk perched there, waiting patiently for Zuko to place his letter in the carrying pouch. The bird flew off gracefully and Zuko watched it, smiling. Soon his letter would be in Mai's hands.

The young man passed the rest of the afternoon reading a few very crucial treaties that he had brought along with him. He did not want to abandon his Fire Lord duties completely. It was soon time for dinner. Piandao emerged from below deck rubbing his eyes.

"Looks like you had a good nap," observed Zuko.

"Yes, nothing beats an afternoon nap, especially when you're older. One day, my young friend, one day you'll know," Piandao stated, winking broadly.

"Hey, I feel like taking naps now, especially after a morning of incredibly dull meetings with argumentative and uncooperative representative from all nations fighting amongst themselves. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it," Zuko moaned.

"Ah, the joys of being a leader," Piandao replied. "That's why you have to enjoy the good side of being Fire Lord."

"I suppose so," Zuko agreed.

They enjoyed their dinner and tea, eating it slowly and talking all the while. Zuko thought about how lucky he was to have good people like Piandao in his life. How things had changed for the young Fire Lord.

As the sun set and the moon rose, Zuko stood at the rails watching the sea and thinking again about the days ahead. He went to bed quite late and slept solidly until sunrise. No dreams disturbed his sleep this time.

The next few days passed in much the same fashion. He and Piandao established a routine of sparring and talk and Pai Sho. Zuko wrote a letter to Mai every evening. On the afternoon of the fourth day, he received one from her.

Dear Zuko,

Ha, ha at me threatening everyone with my knives. Well, I would if I had to, but everyone's been behaving very well. The few meetings I had to run went well. All the important details are recorded for you to read when you get home.

I'm glad your trip is going well so far. You'll probably be close to that spa you mentioned when you get this letter. Don't get too many massages.

I miss you, Zuko. I've been sleeping in your bed (our bed) like I said I would. It's just not the same, though. Come home safely.

Love,

Mai

"Sir," a crewman stated. "We're approaching the Earth Kingdom port of Han Yui. We should make land in about an hour's time."

"Thank you," Zuko replied, folding up Mai's letter and tucking it into the fold of his light robe. He walked to the bow of the ship and stared into the horizon, waiting for land to appear.