The Earth Kingdom Revisited
Chapter 5 – Song of Repentance
Unused to riding the creature, Zuko felt uncomfortable on the ostrich horse. It had been almost a year since he had ridden one and the jarring motion coupled with the speed took some getting used to. "And I have to do this for days," he griped to himself. Piandao, on the other hand, had taken to the ostrich horse like a turtleduck to water.
"This is the way to travel, Zuko," he yelled back at the lagging Fire Lord.
"Why don't you buy yourself one and bring it home with you?" Zuko suggested only partly joking.
"Maybe I will," the sword master said musingly.
An ostrich horse was a good part of the reason Zuko wanted to see Song, the young healer, and her mother. He stole theirs without a thought, after enjoying a meal at their home. Uncle Iroh had looked askance at Zuko and protested, but Zuko went ahead and took the animal anyway. Song's mention of the avatar's return made Zuko think of his lost honor and his humiliation at Azula's hands. He felt bitter and hard. "Why shouldn't I take their ostrich horse if I need it? I'm a prince. I'm entitled." Thus justifying his actions to himself, Zuko didn't give Song another thought, until much later that is. In fact, it was after his defection to the avatar and his gang, that Zuko recalled his mistreatment of Song and her mother. His cheeks had burned in shame and he promised himself to one day make it up to them. That day was here.
After about five hours of steady riding, they stopped for lunch and to feed and water the animals. The spa worker had packed them a good deal of food for the journey and Piandao and Zuko dug in.
"Everything always tastes better when you eat it outside," noted Piandao.
"Yeah, you're right," Zuko agreed as he pushed in another mouthful of rice. "I hope we make it to the village by evening. I'd like to see Song and get it over with. Not that I don't want to see her. I'm just nervous and she'll probably yell at me. Actually, Katara kind of prepared me for that possibility. She yelled at me a lot, with good reason, of course."
Piandao smiled at Zuko's babbling. "Face up to it like a man, Zuko. You'll feel better afterwards and hopefully Song will too."
"I will. Don't worry. She can yell, throw things at me, whatever she wants," the Fire Lord replied. "Are you ready to go?"
"I'm ready," Piandao said. They packed up their leftovers and jumped back on the waiting ostrich horses.
"This trip certainly beats the one Uncle and I had. We were so hungry and we had no money and didn't know how to catch any food. Well, I did manage to catch one fish. It was about the size of my middle finger."
Piandao chuckled. "There's something to be said for comfort, Zuko."
They rode quietly for a while, taking in their surroundings. As they got closer to Song's village, the countryside was peppered with small farms, growing everything from grain to cabbages. They saw the occasional farmer in his field, bent over his work. The land was fairly flat with the odd grouping of low hills densely packed with trees. It was quiet. There were no factories like in the Fire Nation. If he didn't know better, Zuko could not tell that a war had ended recently. All seemed calm and peaceful. No signs of destruction or battles marred the tranquil landscape. Zuko and Piandao rounded a bend in the path and Song's village came into sight. It was early evening, however, and Zuko, not wanting to disturb Song and her mother at their house, suggested setting up camp for the night instead.
"Certainly Zuko," Piandao stated. "Let's look for a good spot, perhaps by that stream we just passed. There's a clump of trees there as well so we'll have lots of firewood."
"Okay," Zuko agreed, turning his ostrich horse around and heading back the few hundred feet to the aforementioned stream and grouping of trees. Piandao followed. They set up their small tents, built a fire and made tea. Zuko had packed a lot of tea for their journey. Iroh's love for the beverage had finally rubbed off on his nephew. Pulling out the remainder of their leftover food from the spa, the pair ate their supper, chatting about inconsequential things. After a time, Piandao brought up the subject of Song.
"So are you going to the healing house tomorrow morning to look for the girl?" he asked Zuko.
"That's my plan, yes," the Fire Lord replied.
"All right then. Perhaps I should let you see her alone. I think your conversation will be a private one, don't you?"
"You just don't want to be around for the yelling, do you?" Zuko asked the master jokingly.
"You're right. I try to avoid yelling whenever possible."
"That's fine. I think I should talk to her alone. I don't know exactly what I'm going to say to her. Nothing I say will change the fact that I stole from her and her mother."
"No, it won't change that," agreed Piandao. "But at least you're making an effort to make reparations. Wait and see what happens. Don't worry so much."
"I guess. I just hope that Song sees it that way," Zuko mused.
"How about we spar for a bit while there's still some daylight left. I think we need to burn off some energy. We've been sitting all day."
Zuko agreed, unsheathing his sword. They sparred for about an hour, until the sun was down and darkness had descended. They crawled into their tents after the match and both were asleep quickly.
Fire Lord and sword master awoke to a brilliantly sunny day. A warm breeze blew through their campsite, making the flames of the cooking fire dance gently. Once breakfast was finished, the two men dismantled their camp and rode towards the village. It was built around a small lake and consisted of a central square surrounded by several businesses housed in white buildings with brown tile roofs. There were shops, a temple and a school. The healing center was one of the most prominent buildings. A few large homes also surrounded the square, each with a small, thriving kitchen garden. Though early, quite a few people were already up and about, milling about the square, talking with neighbors and browsing through open stalls. Standing outside the healing center, Zuko hesitated. It looked quiet. Piandao had already left to look around the town so Zuko was on his own. Taking a deep breath, he walked up the short set of steps, pushed the door open and walked inside. An older woman lay on a cot while an even older woman attended to her. Zuko could see no one else.
"Do you need some help, young man?" the healer asked.
"Yes," Zuko answered. "But not with healing. I'm looking for Song. Does she still work here?"
"How do you know Song?" the old woman inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"Umm, well, I was here last year. My Uncle ate poisonous berries and had a bad rash. She treated him."
"Hmm, so why do you want to see her?" The old healer still had not turned to look at Zuko fully. She was occupied with her patient.
"I have something I want to say to her," Zuko replied, anxiously shifting from one foot to the other.
"You wouldn't be that young man, who stole her ostrich horse, would you?"
Zuko flushed deeply. Did everyone in the whole village know about his crime?
"That's me," he admitted. "I really need to speak with her."
"But does Song need to speak to you?" the healer asked, finally looking Zuko full in the face.
"I don't know, ma'am. I need to apologize for my terrible behavior and see if there's anything I can do to make up for it. Please, is she around?"
"Very well, I'll tell her you're here. She's in the back room crushing herbs."
The patient started to sit up, but the old healer quickly put a hand on her arm, forcing her back down. "I didn't say you could get up, Sun. I'll let you know when you're ready to leave."
Turning to Zuko once more, she bowed quickly in the Earth Kingdom style. "My name is Hanna," she said brusquely.
Without thinking, Zuko bowed Fire Nation style. "My name is Zuko," he said.
The old woman's eyes widened. "I didn't know you were Fire Nation. Song never mentioned that."
"My uncle and I were pretending to be refugees. It's a long story."
"I'm sure it's one we'll all want to here."
Cursing himself for his stupidity yet also glad that his secret was out, Zuko paced the room, waiting for Song to appear or not appear. After a few agonizing minutes, the door to the back room opened and Song emerged. She looked almost exactly as Zuko recalled except perhaps a little taller. Her brown hair was pulled back in the same long braid and she wore the same light pink and white robe. Her large grey eyes, however, looked at him warily instead of with the open, kind expression she had greeted Iroh and him with last year.
"Your hair is much longer," she stated flatly.
Zuko's hand went automatically to his head. "Yeah," he agreed. "Look, can we talk somewhere privately?"
"No," Song answered. "I want to stay here."
"All right," Zuko consented. "I want to apologize, first…."
"Stop," Song interjected angrily. "I don't want to hear your apology right now. I want you to tell me who you are and why you're here. Hanna says that you're Fire Nation and your name is Zuko, not Lee."
"That's right. My uncle and I were pretending to be refugees. We had to, to survive. His real name is Iroh and mine is Zuko. We had been declared traitors of the Fire Nation and were being hunted by my sister, Azula."
Song interrupted again. "Zuko and Azula; you're Fire Lord Zuko?" She gasped audibly. "We've all heard the stories of the avatar and you ending the war. He defeated your father and you became Fire Lord."
"Yes," Zuko stated simply. "But so much happened between the time I met you and the time the war finally ended."
"I want to hear it all," Song demanded. "Come sit over here. I'll bring us some tea."
Zuko obeyed, sitting down on the hard wooden bench. The sick old woman who was still in the room eyed him suspiciously. "You're the new Fire Lord?" she asked incredulously. "We heard he was young, but you're very young."
Zuko sat up straight and squared his shoulders proudly. "I'll be eighteen in late summer," he declared.
"Well in that case, forgive my insolence," the woman cackled.
Zuko frowned. "I know I'm young. But I'm working as hard as I can and doing everything possible to right the wrongs that the Fire Nation committed."
"Oh, don't worry, young man. We've heard only good things about you and the avatar and the other young people who helped defeat your father and end the war. In fact, you're all legends.
"Really," Zuko asked, grinning.
"Really," she replied.
Hanna walked back into the main room. "Sun, lay back down. You're not ready to move around yet. You'll hear the whole story, along with me and Song. Be patient."
Carrying a tray with a teapot and four cups, Song returned to the main room.
"Here's your tea," she said, handing Zuko a full cup.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "I guess I'll start somewhere near the beginning."
Zuko calmly told the tale of his burning and banishment, his hunt for the avatar, his wanderings through the Earth Kingdom and the events of Ba Sing Se. He told of his return to the Fire Nation and his realization that his father was so very wrong about everything. Finally, he spoke of his joining the avatar and his group, teaching firebending and the events of the day of Sozin's Comet.
"So, you became Fire Lord. And after six months you've come back to the Earth Kingdom. Why?" Song inquired.
"The Earth Kingdom opened my eyes, Song. I saw how war affected people like you and others. It changed me. I still wanted to go home more than anything, and to have my father's love, but I was different. "
"Not different enough to leave my ostrich horse," Song said bitingly.
"No, not different enough…not then," Zuko said, his voice thick with shame. "I saw the ostrich horse there and felt that I was entitled to take it. I was a prince. I should take what I needed. I didn't regret the decision. My uncle was ashamed of me but I didn't care. I'm so very sorry, Song. I know that I can't go back and change what I did, but is there anything I can do to help you now? Can I make things better somehow for you, for your village?"
"I don't really know, Fire Lord Zuko. I was so hurt and betrayed when I saw you take our animal."
"You saw me?" Zuko asked, amazed, his eyes wide.
"Yes, I watched you take it and ride away."
"Yet you said nothing."
"What could I say? If I had called out, would you have stopped?" the girl asked.
"No, I would have kept going," Zuko admitted.
"There, you see. What would be the point of saying anything to you?"
Zuko lowered his head and rubbed his brow in frustration.
"My friend, Piandao, is wandering around the town. Perhaps I better go find him," he finally said.
"Yes," Song replied, a slight smile curving her lips upward. "Tell him you'll be working here all day."
"What?" Zuko exclaimed.
"You asked if there was anything you could do to help. We're shorthanded today. Your help will be appreciated."
"Sure," the Fire Lord agreed. "Whatever you say, Song, what would you like me to do?"
"I've got a lot more herbs out back that need crushing. That's a good place to start."
She walked to the back room, Zuko following closely. "I want you to crush all these herbs with the mortar and pestle. When each bunch is finished, put them in these small sacks with the right label."
"I'm not sure what all of them are," Zuko confessed.
"Then consult the book over there. It's got every herb in it."
"Okay, I'll get started then."
"We break for lunch in three hours. I'll come get you when it's time."
Zuko picked up the book and began sorting through the herbs, a frown of concentration on his face. "Wait," he thought to himself. "I didn't tell Piandao what's going on."
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Around lunch time, Piandao showed up at the healing center looking for Zuko. "Are you Song?" he asked the young healer who was busy treating a new patient.
"Yes," she replied. "How do you know my name? Oh, you must be Zuko's friend."
"That's right," Piandao answered. "I take it he's still alive then?" the sword master asked jokingly.
"Yes, I've got him working in the back room. He asked if there was anything he could do to help. He's crushing up all the herbs. Now I won't have to stay late tonight and do it myself. He'll be out for lunch shortly if you want to wait for him."
"Okay, I'll sit over here on the bench." Piandao looked around the large room, taking in the beds, tables and wardrobes that seemed lacking in supplies. After a long pause he asked, "How long have you worked as a healer, Song?"
"Oh, I started training about two years ago. I always liked to fix people up. My mother and I came here as refugees about six years ago. Our farming village was raided by the Fire Nation. They took all the men away, including my father, and burned down a lot of homes. Ours was one of them. We couldn't afford to rebuild, so we wandered around, looking for work. Eventually we ended up here in Lan Chuan. When I was old enough, I started my training as a healer."
"And your father," Piandao asked gently, "do you know what happened to him?"
"No," Song replied sadly. "We're not sure. All we know is that the Fire Nation soldiers took him away. The war's over, but we haven't heard anything. How would he find us anyway?"
"I'm sorry, Song. Perhaps Zuko could look into it for you."
Her grey eyes lit up. "Do you think he could, really?"
"I don't know what he can find out, but I'm certain that he'll try his best to get information about your father. You will have to give me the name of your village and of your father."
"I will, I will," she said excitedly.
"Please, don't get your hopes up too high. I don't want you to suffer a disappointment," Piandao warned.
"I can't help it. I have to hope."
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Lunchtime arrived, and Zuko emerged bleary eyed from the back room. He saw Piandao waiting for him on the bench, a smile on his chiseled face.
"Oh good, you're here for lunch. I'm starving," Zuko declared.
"Yes, Song's gone to get the food. She'll be back shortly. Are you enjoying the work?"
"No," Zuko replied honestly. "But I'm glad to help. And I'll be helping until supper time too."
"Song told me. She also invited us to dinner at her home. I accepted for us."
Zuko groaned. "Her mother will be angry at me too."
"You should have thought of that when you took their ostrich horse, Zuko," Piandao teased.
Zuko, Song, Piandao and Hanna ate lunch together, not saying much. The old healer had eyes only for Piandao, and flirted with him shamelessly. The sword master took it all in stride, winking at Zuko and Song. Hanna and Song cleared the lunch things away when everyone finished.
"I think Hanna likes you, Piandao. Maybe you can settle down with her here or bring her back to the Fire Nation. I'm sure she would jump at the chance."
"She's a lovely woman, but I prefer them a bit younger," Piandao replied.
"Oh, how young do you prefer them?" Zuko asked a huge grin on his face. "My uncle likes to flirt with just about every woman he comes across. Are you like him?"
"Well, I'm not dead yet. A nice woman around my age would be fine."
The two healers returned to the main room. "Back to work, Fire Lord," Song commanded.
"Yes, ma'am," he answered dutifully. "I'm going."
"How will you spend the afternoon, Piandao?" Hanna inquired.
"Well," he mused. "There's a large open field just outside of town. I'll practice with my sword for awhile. It's important to stay sharp." He laughed quietly at his own pun.
The afternoon passed quickly for everyone. Song got Zuko out of the storeroom and showed him where to wash up for supper. Piandao arrived at the healing center and washed up too. Song closed the doors for the night. If anyone suffered an injury or became ill at night, they went directly to Song's home. The trio, Hanna had gone to her own home, walked briskly through the main square of the village and down a wide dirt road leading to a few houses that sat outside the village center. The air was cool and fresh, a welcome change from the stuffy back room where Zuko had spent his day. He enjoyed the feel of it in his hair and across his face. The sun was almost completely down and the sky was that deep blue of early evening scattered with a few bright stars and a shining crescent moon.
A fifteen minute walk brought them to Song's house. Zuko remembered it well. The house was a good size for just two people, open, airy, bright and clean. Song slid the door open and stepped inside, stepping out of her shoes. Zuko and Piandao followed, doing the same.
"I'm home, Mom, "she called. "And our guests are here too."
Song's mother, a handsome woman dressed all in white, emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray loaded with food. The low table was already set and Song gestured for her company to kneel down.
"So, the young man who sat at our table as a refugee last year, sits at our table as the new Fire Lord this year," she said, looking at Zuko.
Zuko bowed his head slightly. "Thank you for having us. I promise not to steal anything this time," he joked lamely.
The woman smiled. "Trust me, you won't. And you brought someone different with you."
"This is Piandao. He is a friend of mine and of my uncle's. He is an accomplished sword master and has taught me much."
Piandao and the middle-aged woman each nodded their head.
"And you are Fire Lord Zuko, friend of the avatar and a bright hope for a better future. Despite your past transgression, it's an honor to have you at our table. From what we hear, you are doing good things for the world."
"I'm trying very hard," Zuko replied modestly. "But I also hear things. Not everyone is happy with the job I'm doing."
"You can never please everyone," Song's mother replied. "I don't know anything about politics or negotiations. We have to trust our leaders to know what they're doing. Do you have good advisors, people who can help you? Running the Fire Nation and trying to heal the wounds left by such a long war is a very large responsibility for such a young man."
"I'm learning every day. And yes, I have a lot of smart people helping me. My uncle is always available for advice. I talk to representatives from the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom all the time and get their view of things. And I have a First Minister I trust greatly. Piandao, here, is also very wise."
"That's good," she stated. "I'm glad you have some help."
"The avatar, Aang, is doing amazing work too," boasted Zuko. "Just about everyone loves him."
"Yes, it's fortunate for the world that he reappeared when he did." Song's mother paused as she poured tea for everyone. "Fire Lord Zuko, it takes a strong man and a wise man to apologize for a wrongdoing, to face the people he wronged. My daughter and I thank you for coming to see us."
"You're welcome," Zuko replied, pink colouring his cheeks. "I'd like to buy you a new ostrich horse."
"Oh, we've already replaced the one you stole."
Zuko's face fell. "Then what can I do for you?"
"Well," the woman thought, "there are certain plants native to the Fire Nation that aid greatly in healing. It's been many, many years since anyone here has been able to acquire these plants. Perhaps you could look into sending us some or setting up some sort of trade for them between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. I can make you a list right now." She moved over to a desk, got a piece of parchment and some ink and began to write.
"Of course," Zuko said enthusiastically. "I'll look into it as soon as we get home. That won't be for another few weeks. Speaking of which, we should get going soon. We need to get an early start in the morning."
"I'm finished the list," the woman declared. "Here it is. Please don't lose it."
Zuko rose, taking the proffered list and Piandao followed. "Thank you very much for a lovely meal," the Fire Lord said, bowing. Song and her mother bowed in return.
"You are welcome, young Fire Lord and Master Piandao. Travel safely tomorrow."
Mother and daughter watched from the open doorway as Zuko and Piandao walked down the path towards the roadway. Zuko turned as he reached the gate and gave a quick wave. "Goodbye, Song," he called.
She smiled in return, closing the door on the night.