There it is. Ba Sing Se. Like the outermost coil of a colossal stone snake, the Outer Wall loomed on the desert horizon. Katara's fingers clenched on the reins. The sight of the Impenetrable City made her skin crawl. Even though she couldn't see them from this distance, she knew the eyes of the Dai Li were there, watching.
Zuko saw Katara's reaction and winced. Ba Sing Se held bitter memories for them both, memories of things that could be forgiven but not forgotten. The last time they'd been there together, he'd no sooner gained her trust than he'd betrayed her. This time will be different, he promised himself. I'm going to make things right. Of course, there was one major problem looming over their new relationship, one that he still wasn't sure how he was going to deal with. He'd been trying to figure out a solution for days now, but without any success.
"We should stop here," he announced, pulling his ostrich horse to a halt at the crest of a dune. "The guards will see us coming if we get any closer. We'll wait for nightfall, then ride straight for the wall."
"Yes, but how are we going to get inside?" Iroh wondered, coming alongside them. "We don't have passports, and Full Moon Bay will be filled with soldiers."
"We're not going to Full Moon Bay," the scarred youth replied, dismounting.
"The only other route is the Serpent's Pass," Katara contended, "and we are not going that way." Just the thought of that gleaming green leviathan and its ear-piercing shriek made her shudder.
"We won't have to. There's an underground network beneath the city, with a secret entrance on the desert side," Zuko informed her. "Once we find the entrance, the Dai Li will guide us from there."
Right, she inwardly retorted, climbing down from her saddle, because of course we can trust the Dai Li. Zuko's alliance with them was crucial to the fate of the Earth Kingdom, but that didn't make her any less apprehensive. We'll have to keep our eyes open. That city is one giant death trap.
As if he had heard her thoughts, Zuko protectively stepped nearer. "Once we get inside, stay close to me."
"Oh, don't you worry," the waterbender tersely replied, "I won't be letting you or Iroh out of my sight."
"That's not what I meant," he amended. "I don't think we have to worry about the Dai Li attacking us."
"They murdered my friend. They stole Appa. They almost killed me and Aang!" she recounted with furor. "I know why we have to go back, but don't ask me to trust them."
"I'm not. I'm asking you to trust me." Zuko held her gaze. "I won't let anything happen to you or Uncle Iroh. I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Katara warned, although she softened a little at his sincerity.
An hour later, the three of them were crouched beneath a hastily-erected pavilion, struggling to rest during the heat of broad daylight. Katara closed her eyes, trying unsuccessfully to forget that Zuko was just behind her. It didn't help that she could feel the extra warmth from his firebender's skin, radiating behind her like another sun. Sweat dripped from her brow. She restlessly turned over to find a pair of open amber eyes, staring unabashedly into hers.
Katara sucked in a sharp breath. Had he just been lying there watching her? She felt suddenly unnerved, though she wasn't sure why. "You can't sleep, either, huh?" she whispered.
"No."
"Is it the heat?"
"I'm a firebender. Heat doesn't bother me." Zuko's golden eyes bored into her sapphire ones.
"Then what is it?"
"I don't want to go back to Ba Sing Se."
"None of us do," she agreed. "I understand."
"No. You don't. Because it's not for the reason you think." He exhaled heavily with the weight of the awful truth. "Mai is there."
Katara recoiled at the thought of the melancholy girl who'd been Azula's favorite minion. That miserable knife-thrower had beaten her more than once in a fight; the idea of facing her again was almost as bad as that of taking on the Dai Li. "What? What is she doing there?"
"When I took back the city, Mai and Ty Lee stayed. Azula lied to them and used them. But they know the truth now, and they're on our side."
She pursed her lips. Mai and Ty Lee changed sides? Had it come from anyone but Zuko, she wouldn't have believed it. This was big news; too big for him to have kept a secret all this time. He had to have had a reason for keeping it to himself - and whatever that reason was, Katara knew it couldn't be good. "So you've known this all along. Why didn't you say something before?"
"I tried to put it out of my mind," the banished prince said honestly.
"Why?" she cautiously dared, a knot forming in her stomach.
"It's a long story."
"Then you'd better start now," Katara said firmly.
Zuko sighed. "My mother and Mai's mother were friends," he explained uncomfortably. "When we were little, they used to laugh and say someday we'd grow up and get married. It was embarrassing back then, but now…"
The waterbender shook her head back and forth in disbelief. "No."
"Mai took it seriously," Zuko affirmed with a grimace.
"So she's waiting on you," Katara surmised bitterly. "She didn't change sides because Azula lied to her. She changed sides because of you. She thinks when you come back, you're going to be together." Her blood boiled with anger. How could he have kept this from her? Too upset to think straight, she fled the tent, racing past the ostrich horses and down to the bottom of the hot sand dune.
Zuko chased after her, but only after making certain their tete-a-tete hadn't woken Iroh. It hadn't, thankfully. The old man was still snoring away. "Katara, wait!"
"I can't believe you," she seethed, turning on him with surprising fury. "You've known all this time that she was waiting there for you, and you didn't say a word to me? How do you think that makes me feel?"
"I didn't know how to tell you," Zuko confessed. "I knew I had to say something, but -"
"But what? You decided to get me out here in the middle of nowhere, then spring it on me that your Fire Nation would-be girlfriend is expecting you to show up and rush into her arms?"
"It's not like that!"
"It's exactly like that!" Katara fumed.
He swore under his breath. "Try to see why I did this. We need their help. I'm going to explain things to Mai when I get there."
"Oh, and I'm sure that'll go over really well," she replied sarcastically. "'Hi, Mai. I just pretended to accept your feelings because I need you to help us fight the Fire Nation, and oh, by the way, this is my girlfriend.'" Katara scoffed. "Maybe you and Azula aren't that different after all."
"How can you say that?" he demanded. She'd really pushed his buttons now, comparing him to his crazy dead sister.
"Because you both manipulate people to get what you want, and it isn't right!"
He started to speak, then closed his mouth. She's right. We do have that in common. The truth stung, but Zuko knew he had to accept it. She'd just held up a mirror to his character, and revealed that his face wasn't the only thing that was ugly about him. An awkward silence hung heavy between them.
"You're right," he finally muttered, feeling the full consequences of his guilt. "What I did wasn't fair, to Mai or to you. If you want to go back to the Avatar and your brother, I'll understand."
Katara inwardly deliberated, her heart reeling. She folded her arms across her chest as if to protect it from further harm.
"I'm not going back," she murmured after a long pause. "I promised the Water Tribe Council and Iroh that I would represent my people in Ba Sing Se. I won't go back on my word."
"But you won't forgive me for what I did, will you?"
"I don't know if I can." Katara saw the anguish on his face and sighed. It hurt her to hurt him, even if he deserved it. "I need some time to think."
"Take all the time you need," Zuko nodded in bleak acceptance. "You should try to get some rest. We'll be leaving in a few hours."
"What about you?"
"I don't think I'll be sleeping anytime soon." And with that, Zuko walked away, climbing the last dune and fading from sight.
ooo LL ooo
Suki curled up in her tent, wide awake. The wind rustled the canvas flaps by her feet. A storm was coming. She shuddered with exhaustion, wishing she could close her eyes and rest. Unfortunately, it was getting harder for her to do that without Sokka at her side.
Earlier that day had been their third skirmish since reaching the Earth Kingdom. Because Sokka refused to believe that her wounds were fully healed, she'd reluctantly remained on Hakoda's ship for the first two battles. Today, however, she hadn't felt like being so obedient. She had stormed onto the beach, fighting alongside her sister warriors and the Water Tribe men until the Fire Nation contingent was repulsed. Once the conflict was over, she tried to talk to Sokka, but he was too angry to be rational. The Water Tribe chief's son volunteered to keep the first watch, leaving his young wife alone and uncertain.
Finally, she couldn't take the restlessness any longer. She emerged from the tent and approached the central campfire. Sokka sat stoking the flames, his face like a stone. Bato was curled up in a sleeping bag nearby, resting his allotted few hours until he took the second watch.
"We need to talk," she murmured, speaking softly so as not to wake Bato.
"There's nothing to talk about," Sokka whispered back, not looking up at her.
"Yes, there is." She came and sat next to him, though he refused to meet her eye. "You're upset, and I don't know why."
"Don't you?" he sighed.
"I know you didn't want me to fight today, but I'm fine. There was no reason for me to stay behind." Suki pursed her lips. "My wounds are healed, so I can help you fight now. I thought that would make you happy!"
"Well, it doesn't!" he finally spelled out, turning around. His expression was a jumble of hurt and indignance.
"It's the Serpent's Pass all over again, isn't it?" the girl sighed. " You're trying to protect me, but I can take care of myself."
"I know you're a good fighter, Suki. You've taught me a lot," Sokka confessed. "But thinking of you out there against the Fire Nation scares me. I'm afraid of what might happen."
"Don't you think I worry about you?" she countered.
The young warrior scoffed. "It's not the same."
"Why? Because I'm a girl?"
"Because you're my wife," he clarified. "I don't want to lose you."
"I don't want to lose you, either." Suki exhaled heavily. "Sokka, I agreed to marry you because I love you, and because I thought it would bring us closer together. But ever since we left the South Pole, it's like you're a completely different person. You're angry and demanding. I know you think you're doing what's best for me, but you have to let me make my own choices."
"So, you're telling me I don't get a say in this? That if I ask you not to fight, you'll do it anyway?"
"I'm a warrior, Sokka!" she replied, spreading her hands in exasperation. "You can't expect me to stay behind while the Kyoshi Warriors fight without me!"
"You're not a Kyoshi Warrior anymore," Sokka argued. "You're a part of the Southern Water Tribe."
Suki looked as though she'd been slapped across the face. "Why can't I be both? I didn't ask you to stop being a Water Tribe warrior for me."
"Because… you just can't," he spluttered. "That's not how it works."
Infuriated, she stood. "I'm always going to be a Kyoshi Warrior, Sokka. It's a part of who I am. If you can't accept that, then maybe we shouldn't be together."
"You can't just walk away!" Sokka insisted, even though physically she was doing just that. "Suki, wait!"
She paused, but didn't turn around. Sokka came up behind her and put his palms on her shoulders.
"Is it really that easy for you to leave?" he asked more quietly. "To turn your back on a marriage we've barely started?"
"We're not married, Sokka," she reminded him, tears that he couldn't see falling from her eyes. "Not really."
His cheeks and ears flushed red. "I didn't want to rush you. I wanted to wait until we were both ready."
"I was ready, until a minute ago," Suki whispered, wiping her cheeks dry. "Good night, Sokka." She pulled away from his grip on her shoulders and ran away.
ooo LL ooo
Katara shook her head roughly, trying to stay awake. Hours of lying unhappily in the tent hadn't helped, especially now that the stars were out and she hadn't slept. Iroh had surely noticed that there was a tense undercurrent between his young friend and his nephew, but he wisely said nothing.
They'd been traveling for over an hour across the stiff-sanded terrain since night had fallen. Except for the tiniest glint of orange light emanating from Iroh's hand at the forefront of their party, it was too dark to see the way ahead. She was beginning to wonder if the Dai Li's secret entryway even existed.
"What exactly are we looking for again?" Iroh asked with a yawn. It seemed he shared her concern.
"A green eye burning in the dark shows the way inside." Zuko shrugged, frustrated that their only clue was so cryptic. "I know it sounds crazy, but that's what they said."
"Perhaps it is a riddle?" the old firebender suggested.
"Burning in the dark…" Katara's eyes widened. "Of course. Love burns brightest in the dark. It's a crystal!"
"What?" Zuko murmured.
"A green crystal. Like the ones in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se. They light up in the dark. Iroh, put out your flame."
"Right." He closed his fist to extinguish his palm-fire, leaving the trio in the dark. They let their eyes adjust for a few moments. Their ostrich horses snorted and clawed at the earth uncertainly. And then, after a minute, they saw it: a faint green glow coming from the direction of the wall.
"That's it!" Katara cried, digging in her heels. "Let's go!"
As they rode nearer, they saw that the Dai Li's 'eye' was actually a series of crystals patterned in the shape of a pointed oval on the Outer Wall. The three travelers dismounted and approached cautiously. A slanted arch like a doorway had been cut into the stone, cleverly hiding the crystals' light from the walkway far above, but it led nowhere. For all intents and purposes, the place seemed to be nothing more than a grand hole carved into the wall.
"No. This can't be right!" Zuko panicked, sliding his fingers along the crevices. "There has to be some mistake."
"You think we're going to find another 'green eye burning in the dark' further down the wall?" Katara retorted. "This is it. It has to be."
The firebender gave a frustrated sigh. "Maybe there's something else we have to do."
Iroh rubbed his chin. "Did the Dai Li give you any other instructions?"
"No! They just said the eye would show the way inside," the banished prince reiterated with annoyance. Groaning, he slammed his fists against the stone.
"Wait a minute," Iroh thought aloud. "They said the eye would show the way in, not that it marked the way in."
"You're right!" Katara agreed. "The eye looks down there." She pointed at the ground. "Help me brush away the sand."
The trio got busy scooping away handfuls of desert from just beyond the foundation of the Outer Wall. After a few minutes, their work paid off - the round edge of a massive coverstone came into their green-tinged view. They were still scattering sand when Zuko felt something cool and smooth fit firmly beneath his palm. He was still registering the strange sensation of pressing down on what must be another crystal when suddenly the ground fell out from under them. The three shrieked as they fell into darkness, the stars immediately shut off overhead by the rough-scraped turning of the round stone that had just been underneath them.
"Ouch!" Iroh yelped as they hit bottom.
"What happened?" Katara muttered, also sounding pained.
"I think that was the door we were looking for," Zuko mumbled, lighting his palm-fire and staring up at the now-enclosed ceiling. "I felt something catch under my hand just before we fell."
"Nice of the Dai Li to mention it was a trap door," Katara fussed, standing and brushing off her clothes. "What great friends you have!"
Zuko accepted the barb in silence, knowing she was still mad. He couldn't blame her for that.
The waterbender helped Iroh to his feet while Zuko got up and took a look around. The fall had taken them into a nondescript, low-roofed chamber which branched out like a honeycomb into four identical-looking directions. The banished prince scowled.
"What's wrong?" Katara asked.
"I thought somebody was supposed to be here," Zuko replied, "to guide us in."
"This doesn't look like a place where anyone could stay for very long," she reasoned. "If someone is waiting on us, they're somewhere else, closeby - maybe down one of those tunnels."
"But what happens if we go down the wrong one? They all look the same. We could very easily get lost," Iroh argued.
"The Dai Li expect me to return this way at night," Zuko recalled aloud. "They'll have to send someone here in the morning, to see if I've come. I think the best thing for us to do is wait."
"What if no one comes?" Katara whispered, asking the question the other two would never have voiced aloud.
"They'll come," the young firebender said, with slightly more assurance than he felt. "Our ostrich horses are still up there. Someone will see them, and the Dai Li will know we're here."
"In the meantime, I suggest we all get some rest," Iroh offered. "There is nothing more we can do tonight."
Neither Katara nor Zuko opposed the idea. Both were more road-weary and soul-wounded than they would have confessed to the other, and this last part of the adventure had left them sore and discouraged. Iroh propped himself against one of the curved walls and promptly nodded off, while Katara walked a slight distance from Zuko and curled up facing away from him. Sighing, the scarred young man accepted that it would probably be a long time before she let him get close again. He sank onto the floor and pulled his knees to his chest, closing his eyes in the hopes that he could drift off to sleep.
ooo LL ooo
Author's Note: Strike of the drama llama! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter finished and posted. Lots of unforeseen factors played into that, one of which was, I'm ashamed to say, lack of motivation. It's been really, really hard for me to get psyched about writing fanfic lately, and it's kind of upsetting because I used to love it more than anything. Expect another long wait for the next chapter - sorry, but at least I'm telling you up front! - because it's taking me so much longer to get inspired to write these days. Thanks to all my loyal readers. Much love! - LL