I know I have been asking for a beta in every chapter so far and I do so once again. Chapter 5 is almost finished, it is my hope tu publish it before june-july, and I have begun writing chapter 6. Since I'm terrible with all sorts of descriptions, specially map descriptions, I recommend you to search for the Map of the World of Avatar at the AvatarWikia, which will be my basic reference.
Special thanks to TitansBalrog89 for his kind words and encouragement. Please do keep reading and reviewing and notify me of any grammar or spelling mistake.
«Que l'avenir soit un orient au lieu d'être un couchant, c'est la consolation de l'homme.»
"It is man's consolation that the future is to be a sunrise instead of a sunset."
Victor Hugo
THE BEGINNING OF A JOURNEY
The dawning sun of the Earth Kingdom was the first thing to greet Zuko that morning, once again he had been woken up by a bad dream in the middle of the night. A week had already passed since he arrived at the harbour to repair his ship and wait for an answer to his request, much to his amazement, he was not annoyed at all in the delay. He was fully aware that his father must have been very surprised receiving a request for deployment in the front lines one day and the next one receive his report from the attack against his ship followed by the news of his Agni Kai with Zhao. Even a man as impatient as Zuko understood that his father and his councillors must have had a very rough time taking a decision. Not as rough as my nights. He thought, last night he had seen it again in his dreams, the faces of the Earth Kingdom soldiers, Zhao's last desperate attempts to stop his bleeding neck and breathe, he had heard the raspy attempts to inhale being gurgled up and drowned by the blood of his own throat, he would never forget his pleading eyes swallowed in tears, they were no different than those of the soldier he had impaled; event the great commander Zhao could fear and silently beg as life slowly left his body.
Zuko shook his head, he needed to clear his mind. It was the fourth time in that cloudless dawn that he attempted to find some rest in meditation, it was very unlike him to seek stillness in his spirit out of his own volition; he usually meditated only when he absolutely needed it in order to advance in his fire bending training, but now he needed it to get through the day. Not only the lack of sleep was making grumpier than usual, but he had also been distracted, distracted enough to barely pay any mind to the affairs around him.
His uncle had been very busy trying to keep order in the harbour along with the lieutenant Wong and the board of captains. Since Zhao's death had left the whole place without a visible head and there was no one high ranking enough to replace him, it had fallen to Iroh as a member of the royal family to temporally take control of the situation; now they had to wait for Admiral Chan, the man in charge of the Eastern Fleet to send another commander to take Zhao's place or promote one of the existing captains, until then Iroh had to call the shots. Fortunately for his uncle, Lt. Wong was a very organized secretary and had kept all affairs and paperwork in order during Zhao's command so there was no real difficulty in handling it.
Zuko knew that his uncle was waiting for a chance to speak to him, but his current predicament and the attention the old general had been giving to the water tribe girl in his free time had kept him from what was most likely a severe scolding and a reprimand. The fight had been a fair one, Zuko had technically done nothing wrong, but he knew as well as his uncle that his last attack had been too savage. How do I explain what happened to him? He could hardly understand it himself, one moment he had been ready to declare over the match, the next he was standing over Zhao, with steam surrounding his fist. There had to be and explanation for his sudden vision, why had he seen those soldiers and stopped seeing the man in front of him, it had been all real enough to actually frighten him into attacking. Would uncle believe that? Zuko sighted, it mattered little in the end, he had done what he had done, despite whatever had caused him to do it, he had killed Zhao in a fair fight, even if no one could ever accuse him of anything illegal he had to take responsibility and accept all the consequences of his actions, including the nightmares.
As he rose from his meditation stance, he felt the tiredness almost pull him to the floor, his whole back and neck were sore from the hours he'd spend meditating and he felt his eyes dry from the lack of sleep. Zuko pushed aside these annoyances as he went back to his tent; there was much to do: the repairs were almost done and he knew for a fact that his uncle was just about free that day, with the exception of drinking tea with the water tribe girl; which was precisely one of the things he needed to talk about, it was high time that girl gave them an explanation for stowing away in their ship. Zuko hoped that girl wasn't going to ask them to take her back to her home, for they had no time nor means to do so; so he would prefer to know what was she planning to do now, and most importantly what was his uncle going to do about her, should she make such a request. Zuko knew the old man well enough to suspect he would do something foolish. He had been understanding enough to give her some time to recover from her encounter with Zhao and the shock of seeing a man killed in such a bloody fashion in front of her, but to him, now the girl seemed recovered enough to happily drink tea and laugh at his uncle's crazy jokes while taking walks through the camp as if it were Ember Island. Also Zuko needed to distract himself from the stares and murmurs that accompanied him whenever he went, this only seemed to bring back to his mind the whole gruesome affair with Zhao.
It would not take very long before he received an answer, so he needed to leave all matters settled and prepare himself to take action as soon as he became aware of his father's wishes. If he were granted permission, he needed to plan his next course of action and decide were would they be heading next; if his request were to be denied... well, sadly prince Zuko had no plan B to work with, and it would be better for him to find one; for which, he needed his uncle's advice. So his first priority was to speak to the old man to try and clear things up, it would perhaps even give him the chance to talk frankly about his recent battle experiences, he felt right up his gut that his uncle had something to say about it, and Zuko had no patience to wait for his uncle to make up his mind about how to scold him, so it was better for Zuko to get things over with as quickly as possible so he could concentrate on thing more pressing issues.
Retired General Iroh of the Fire Nation had long since gotten used to irony, more than once he himself had used it as part of his battle strategies, so he had not been very surprised when duty called and had him temporarily assume command of a military harbour, just a few hours after refusing to return to active service as a favour to his nephew. He was more surprised by his nephew's understanding than by how quick destiny reminded him once more of its power over men's wills.
Today he had finished early with his duties, mainly signing receipts and status reports concerning the daily maintenance of the harbour, the rest he had left in capable hands of Lt. Wong. So he now intended to invite the young Miss Katara to some tea and a relaxing walk. Though he did have an earnest interest in actually enjoying every drop he could get of his favourite jasmine tea and contemplating the exotic flora that this particular coastal area had to offer, he also intended to ascertain the emotional status of the poor girl; the last couple of days she had been more at ease walking through the camp, Iroh could only begin to phantom the fear she must still feel, knowing that she was surrounded by a whole platoon of Fire Nation soldiers, not mention the twenty ships fully crewed at the docks. Many times had he seen a man killed in front of him, and he had seen the effects it could have on those unfortunate enough to witness a man's death, be it in battle, hospital or execution, and Zhao's cruel demise had been particularly gruesome even for a veteran general. Thus it was no wonder that the poor girl had spend the first nights either waking herself screaming or completely sleepless; Iroh had done his best to try and distract her with small talk and tea, his efforts had been partially successful, at least the poor girl had gotten some sleep on the private tent Zuko had given her as soon as he has cleared her status as a victim from Zhao's abuse of authority; she had recovered her appetite, and she had felt safe enough to accompany him to short walks.
Iroh sighted at the thought that the young girl's safety might become compromised if Zuko charged against her for stowing away in his ship, since he was the sole commander of that ship, the military could not formally accuse Miss Katara, for they were not an affected party. He wanted to trust enough in his nephew to simply forgive her and let this minor offence simply slip by, but that would also depend on what the girl declared when Zuko came to question her; as he was obligated by his position. At least he won't beat her. He thought as he prepared the blend and readied his teapot.
Zuko's actions during the attack and during the Agni Kai were something he also needed to address. Iroh has always known that Zuko was meant to be a soldier, just like his son had been, now the moment had come for him to try and help him, the way he couldn't help Lu Ten; and Zuko's handling of his dispute with Zhao has made it clear enough that he was already a man, a man strong enough to march into battle and apparently strong enough to kill his opponents. What Iroh had never known and still ignored, was the way to teach a man, a young and eager young man to differentiate between a necessary fight and an unnecessary one, most importantly how to treat his opponents compassionately. He partially understood Zuko's anger and indignation towards Zhao, what Iroh wanted to know was the cause of it, had it been just his pride as an insulted prince? His natural resentment towards Zhao's taunting of his most painful memory? Or was it the big bruise that even now covered almost all of Miss Katara's left cheek? depending on the answer he would learn something very important about the personality of his nephew, a young man he had followed, trained and advised for three years, a young man he had thought he knew until he had seen him cut off a man's head without any show of remorse. He was sure there was an explanation for Zuko's behaviour, for Iroh simply could not believe that his nephew was anything but a good man.
Iroh was about to call for the cook and have him prepare some biscuits to accompany the tea when he saw Zuko enter his tent, grab a chair and sit without uttering a single word, his message was evident: We need to talk.
Since the time for reflection was upon them the old general thought it particularly queer that his nephew would come to speak on his own accord, it could finally be a sign of much expected maturity. He gave a cup of tea to his nephew, served one for himself and took a seat; much to his awe Zuko actually took a very large sip, instead of simply putting his tea aside like he used to, and took a moment to breathe.
"I did not mean to kill him uncle…" Zuko paused and took much effort to remain looking at his uncle in the eyes. "It will probably sound like a cheap excuse but I myself cannot understand what happened. I remember standing over him, I remember him screaming at me to finish it and I remember preparing my punch for a blast uncle… then everything went dark, uncle, I saw shadows, soldiers fighting I saw… I saw the earth kingdom soldiers I had killed the they before, uncle, I heard them… they… they were screaming uncle, calling for me, they asked me why…" Zuko was forced to take a pause, he had run out of breath; that pause was all it took for him to realise he had undone all his meditation work from that morning; he was breathing heavily and his hand trembled along with his already spilling cup, he had not even felt the heat of the almost boiling tea flowing through his fingers. He returned to look at his uncle, the old man was clearly concerned but before he could speak Zuko continued.
"And that's not everything uncle, I've been having trouble sleeping at night, and it's them always them, it's Zhao and those earth kingdom soldiers, they won't leave me alone." The fact that Zuko tried and failed to keep calm while he spoke, worried Iroh more than any part of his confession. It was not the first time he had seen combat fatigue, and in a certain way he was relieved by it, though it meant that there was a scar in Zuko's conscience, it also meant that he had moral qualms over his actions. He took his nephew's trembling hands and looked at him.
"Prince Zuko, what you are experiencing is called battle stress, it is not very uncommon among soldiers, specially among first time fighters. Your actions will follow you forever, you may regret them and they will perhaps haunt you, but you must accept your actions and come to terms with your conscience, you cannot let your past rule over your future."
Zuko's gaze remained vague for a moment and immediately hardened, Iroh would never know the full extent of the damage the words he had just spoken would cause to his nephew and the whole world. Pushing aside his emotions Zuko continued.
"Never mind that uncle, we have other matters to discuss, have we received any letters from the capital?".
"Not that I'm aware of prince Zuko." Answered Iroh, while he pretended to ignore Zuko's impatient and disappointed sigh, as well as his sudden change of subject.
"Keep an eye for me on that account… what about the water tribe girl? Has she told you anything regarding her intentions? Do you think she is stable enough to answer for her actions?"
"I have spoken to her several times, yes. She was kind enough to accompany me to tea during my spare time these past days, but although our conversation has focused on very casual subjects, I do infer that she had no ulterior motive for umm… stowing away. I suppose she could answer questions if asked kindly." Iroh emphasised this last part, hoping to make sure his nephew could keep his wild temper in check.
"I sure hope so. I think I'll better get done with it, after that I will require your counsel in a very important matter." Said Zuko and marched away to question the girl, Iroh continued to prepare for his tea with the young Miss Katara and prayed that his nephew would not cause any more suffering to that poor soul.
The next day, in what had become a personal routine, Zuko began his day with morning meditation once again, he needed to carefully consider the previous days' events and put his thoughts in order. Decisions had to be made, and quickly so. First was the water tribe girl, he needed to write a formal report on her situation and status, stating clearly if he was going to press charges for stowing away on his ship, and detailing her involvement, if any, on the whole Zhao affair. On this, his uncle had made him very aware of the fact that the girl's life now depended on his hands. If he told the truth and exposed the girl as a stowaway, she would be immediately arrested and placed at the disposal of the Fire Nation authorities to be tried and sentenced, which would happen, since she was guilty of course.
The girl realised that too, as he had questioned her about her motives for being in the ship, she had broken down to tears and confessed that she gad gone aboard the ship without authorisation; but when he had asked again as to her reasons —which he didn't legally have to since he needed only establish if he had reason or not to press charges— she had said that she had to leave her home and this was her only option and asked for forgiveness. With this she had unknowingly touched a soft spot in Zuko's heat, she had reminded him of himself when he had duelled his father. Both he and she had clearly been in the wrong in their respective situations, both had acknowledged their faults and asked for mercy; Zuko had gotten none.
Inhale… exhale… inhale… exhale… concentrate in your inner fire, seek its stillness. Zuko reminded himself of his uncle's instructions. As if those considerations were not enough, his nightmares had done their share in planting yet more doubts in his troubled mind. This time his dreams had become more vivid, the Earth Kingdom soldiers, the fire, Zhao, their screams, the fire, even the smell... And just when he had thought the worst was over, he found himself back in the royal arena, when he had gotten his scar, only this time it was not him that faced his father, but the water tribe girl. Just like him, she had gone to her knees and begged for forgiveness but his father has burned her just the same, only when he turned to look at the Fire Lord, Zuko discovered that he was not looking at Ozai, but at himself smiling evilly while the poor girl wailed and tried to stop the blood from gushing out of the scorched flesh of her face. Prince Zuko had awoken immediately and slept that night no more.
If he lied to save the girl, he would be committing a dishonourable and treacherous act against the Fire Nation in lying to an authority, it was against hall his principles and values, against his honour and against his sworn oaths of loyalty. But he had enough deaths on his conscience for the guilt to pursue him at every moment, he did not want to be the cause of an innocent girl's misfortunes. But she's not innocent. He told himself.
Prince Zuko was troubled enough with that affair, to which he needed to add the already delayed answer to his request, he had finally told his uncle that he had already sent the formal request and his fears about a possible denial. A possibility that he knew not if it had grown or lessened thanks to his fight with Zhao. His uncle had calmly stated that the solution would present itself eventually, an answer that irritated the prince very much, even more so because it seemed as if the old man had already predicted that Zuko would send the request and it would be denied.
As Zuko tried to calm down in order to decide on his future actions, he was interrupted by a solider who called blind him. "A message has arrived for you, your majesty." Zuko practically ran to him and took the sealed scroll, nervously looking at the official seal of the War Ministry of the Fire Nation and the Royal stamp of the Fire Lord. He read the official edict ten times while a bitter sweet combination of excitement, confusion and surprise stunned him, enough to actually force him to walk in search of his uncle to discuss the message with him. He needed to assimilate the news and he still had to decide the fate of the water tribe girl.
Katara was surprised when the soldier arrived that morning to bring her breakfast instead of the General Iroh, as he had done ever since she had been placed in her own tent, after the death of the commander Zhao. So for the first time since her arrival she had breakfast alone, and frankly it scared her quite a lot. Not only had she frequent nightmares about her interrogation, but she lived in uncertainty of her life and future. Would she be sent to prison? Would she be beaten or killed? The fact that she was not allowed to leave her tent without guards only made it all worse, for that gave her too much free time to think, and her thoughts always returned to her present predicament.
So far only General Iroh had constantly looked after her, the soldiers indifferent or plain rude, she was afraid of them, as she was of the prince, even if he confused her. She had left the South Pole with the only purpose of delaying him in his quest or, if the spirits were good, convincing him to end the war. He had already saved her life two times, and in each of those times he had also shown her great kindness, even now when she woke in the middle of the night after dreaming of Zhao beating her, only when she thought of the prince did her mind regain a small sense of peace, and only when she pictured his arms around her, protecting her, was she able to sleep again.
Even if she had so far seen him kill a man with great brutality and angrily firebend until his surroundings turned red, she could not picture him hurting her in any way. She grew angry with herself as she thought about the plans he had concerning the Avatar, or the invasion; because whenever she tried to convince herself that perhaps she would need to kill him, she began to feel the warmth of his hand over hers, on her feet, on her lips, and his arms gently caressing her back while she sobbed, his hands holding her chin and wiping away her tears... And her heart began to beat furiously. Innocently, she persuaded herself that it was her mind playing tricks on her because of the stress and fear she felt.
Yesterday the prince had come to question her, naturally she did not tell him the truth about her motives for following him, her conscience reminded her constantly of the fact that she had lied to a man to whom she owed her life, twice, a man that had protected her and looked after her well being. But what other choice did she have?
The prince apparently believed her, but that did not change the fact that she had committed a crime, and all for nothing. The prince would leave soon and she would be left in some prison to rot. Katara finally began to realise the fatality and the full weight of the fact that she would never return home nor see her family again. She felt stupid for trying to do something far beyond her strength, she cried until the weight of her worries tired her and put her to sleep.
She woke up from her nap when she heard some one walking in circles around her bed. It took her some time before she realised it was the prince that now stood before her. She bowed and was about to address him when he handed her out a handkerchief, and she suddenly remembered that her eyes were puffy and he cheeks were covered in dry tears.
"Thank you" she said, it appeared that was the only the think that she could ever say to him and proceeded to clean her face, a small hiss escaped her lips when she touched the bruise on her left cheek. This drew the prince's attention.
"How are you feeling? Would you like me to send for the medic?"
"No, thank you, I shall be all right." She answered and prince Zuko looked at her for for a few moments before he passed on the main subject.
"Then I would like you to read this official statement and sign it if you agree with it." The prince told her and handed her a piece of paper filled with characters alien to her, she looked at it and gazed back at the prince, a blush travelled to her already reddened cheeks and shame invaded her.
"I don't know how to read, sir..." She admitted, every second more embarrassed than the previous one, though she didn't know why, back at home no woman ever learned to read, and the men that did were very few. The prince's obvious astonishment did not help to make her feel better.
"I see, well... It's about your present situation. Since it was my ship that you entered, it befalls on me to decide whether or not you did so legally." Said the prince after a rather long pause that managed to embarrass Katara even more.
"I have given much thought about it and I think that in all fairness we are even. Twice you entered my ship, the fist time you were unconscious and had no way to refuse when my men helped me to get you and your brother on board. The second time, you came in without me being aware of it and there's also the fact that no one forbid you from doing so, since you were my guest at the time. I shall simple take it as a lack of courtesy from your part." Explained the prince, Katara was no fool, she sensed that there was something odd in the prince's account of the events that conveniently left her south of blame when it was clear that she was in the wrong. He's doing a kindness from me again, he doesn't know that my sole purpose is to boycott his plans. As if she had not enough guilt on her already, she had lied and deceived her saviour, her host, a man that had shown her nothing but kindness and saved her brother's life once and twice her own; now once again he was helping her, going to the trouble of hiding the truth of her wrongdoing, to her utter shame Katara could not bring herself to tell him the truth and confess her crimes.
"So as I said I think we are even, you will not be accused of stoawaying in my ship. Whatever your reasons for leaving your home it is not my place or concern to bother you about it. As it's also stated on the paper, you come from the Southern Water Tribe, officially conquered territory and under the jurisdiction of the Fire Nation, as a citizen you are allowed to travel freely within its territory without answering to anyone as long as you don't break the its laws. As soon as I finish the paperwork you will be released. Since you cannot sign, I will send a secretary to you to take your prints on this paper. Do you have any questions?" Said the prince as he marched to the entrance.
Katara had thousands, she was very grateful but the guilt in her heart was already too much to bear, she barely had the strength to ask. "What will become of me?"
"That's up to you to decide, you are a free citizen. The secretary will also give you a passport, you are completely free to go where you will." Said the prince as he left the tent.
Katara sat in her bed completely stunned, they were letting her go. She had always imagined the Fire Nation citizens as bloodthirsty savages who cared for nothing but the suffering of others, yet with the exception of the dead commander, not one of the many Fire Nation men she had met had done her any harm. Half an hour latter the secretary a man dressed in large red robes with a blue embroiding came and told her more or less the same that the prince had told her, he had had her thumb covered in ink and pressed against some documents, at last he had given her a small book-like document, barely the size of her palm binded in leather with a Fire Nation seal on the cover, the rest were characters that she could not understand. The man was clearly angry, he had been rather rude in his manner and in the way he addressed her, right before he left he had told her something that shattered her already wounded heart.
"It's all your fault you know, that the commander's dead. Had you simply told him you were a guest, he would have left you alone and the prince would have been forced to bloody his hands on your account. Better yet had you not been on that ship none of this would have happened, now there's a poor widow weeping at home and an innocent girl who will never see her father again. Not to mention the trouble you've put on the prince. I hope you die regretting it all." By the time the secretary was done, she was covered in tears yet again, sobbing uncontrollably.
Katara felt worse than scum, in addition to her many crimes, she now had a dead man on her conscience, she had destroyed a family, a Fire Nation family, just the way they had destroyed hers. There had been a time when she had wished that pain upon all of the Fire Nation, but now she was weeping for the family of the very man who had beaten her and almost whipped her. It would take Katara many years to realise that her kind and understanding heart could be as much a blessing as it was then a course.
When prince Zuko was given his old war cruiser he had cursed the old thing and wished he would leave it as soon as possible, now after three years and after a journey throughout almost all the know world he was finally leaving it. As decreed by his father and the war council, he was no longer in possession of the ship, it would be sent back to the Fire Nation to be dismantled and its pieces melted to be used once again to fabricate another new ship.
He had been stripped of command from his personal troops, most of them would be reallocated within the army or navy somewhere else, his uncle had wasted no time in writing them letters of recommendation and sending suggestions to the War Ministry as to where their abilities might be best employed. The old helmsman and the cook were to be licentiated and sent to their homes to enjoy the benefits of retirement, if they had any home to go back at all.
Zuko sighted as he saw his old ship get lost on the horizon, leaving him on this lonely the harbour on the eastern coast of the Earth Kingdom. He still didn't know if he was happy for all of it, he had finally gotten rid of the ship, but he was now to be left alone again, just like when his mother had left him. With the decree granting him permission to assist the invading forces and explore enemy territory in search of the Avatar, there had come also a simple, obvious and bothersome condition. He had to enlist in the army and follow the normal procedure, that meant that he was to travel, on his own and by his own means, as a private citizen to a designated army post, where he would be examined in all pertinent military subjects, combat skills, and whatever other subjects a member of the nobility was needed to know; if found lacking he would remain there until the designated committee gave its approval. As soon as he got approved he would receive an official certification and a ceremony would be held at the nearest temple of Agni, that recognized him as a fully trained and educated member of the nobility, which would allow him to go up on the ranks as he proved himself. After which he would be officially enlisted with the rank of mayor and be put at the disposal of a suitable officer, normally a general or an admiral, who would assign him a series or missions or work before putting him in charge of his own platoon and from then on it was a simply military life. In Zuko's case the difference was that he would be put under the command of an officer in charge of the invading forces, and would be given preferential treatment should he request to choose his base of operations, as long as he asked for a place close to the front lines.
As if all this was not bothersome enough, they had also saw fit to deprive him from his uncle's company and counsel. Even if Zuko understood that this was needed, because the whole purpose of these trials was to ensure that he was a competent officer on his own and needed no one to fulfil his duty, he couldn't help but be frustrated at the difficult odds that were placed before him, with the sole intention to aggravate him. They could have waited until he arrived to a close harbour before taking his men and his ship, instead he now had to travel across the Earth Kingdom just to reach the Pohuai Stronghold, the military base were he had been assigned. He would receive no military aid whatsoever from his nation, as a private citizen the only thing he had at his disposal were the roads and normal authorities.
Zuko wondered how much his father still resented him, if he had blatantly ignored the fact that the normal procedure had in mind a citizen that lived in the Fire Nation and would travel through his own country and receive hospitality from the villages in which he passed until he arrived at closely located military encampment. He had already discussed a possible route with his uncle, his best option was to keep close to the coast and travel north.
The harbour, from which he now prepared to set out, was a few kilometres north of the Chin village. From there he would need to go around the southern bay, through the Foggy swamp, and continue North until he reached Omashu, pass through the Kolau Mountains, and after reaching the coast again he would take a boat that would leave him in the Shun mining village, dangerously close to an Earth Kigdom fortress, which he would need to pass to get to another village called Senlin (the first officially conquered Fire Nation territory in the south), where he was to take another boat that would take him to more familiar territory, the Seedy merchants pier. From there it was some three days on foot to Harbour town, where he was to take one last boat that left him seven kilometres away from the Pohuai Stronghold.
Until he arrived to Senlin, he would be marching through enemy territory, so he had to conceal his identity and travel disguised as an Earth Kingdom peasant. Once in Fire Nation territory he would be able to use the royal edict to request hospitality and his royal ring and passport to withdraw money from a bank. But the while he was in enemy territory, he would need to survive on his own means and everything he brought with him; he would also be in constant danger from thieves and slavers.
Furthermore, to ensure he would not receive any help from his uncle, the old man had been summoned to court, with the excuse that the War Council requested his immediate advice, since it was a royal command, he could not refuse on any ground. So he had spent the whole morning at his side advising him on his imminent journey.
Zuko had begun to assemble all the items he'd need, Earth Kingdom clothing, money, documents, food, water and a couple of knives. After he had prepared everything, he had gone to inform the water tribe girl of his decision, and then he had gone to the say a final goodbye to his old ship.
His uncle would be leaving first thing in the morning, in the same ship that was to bring Zhao's appointed replacement, so prince Zuko decided that it was time to say goodbye too and perhaps even drink with him some of his tea.
Just as expected, the first thing Zuko saw as he entered his uncle's room was a teapot on the table, and his uncle in one chair at the side. Zuko sat and was about to speak when his uncle gestured him to wait.
"I have something for you prince Zuko, I meant to give this to you when you grew older, but since the time has come for us to separate, I think you should have it now, it might prove useful." Iroh said as he handed him a book, it looked very worn and handled, it stemmed to have notes on every page. As Zuko opened it he looked for a title, it had none, only an instruction that said For the crown prince. Before he could ask about it, his uncle continued.
"It was written by your great-grandfather Sozin, he gave it to his son Azulon when he marched on to take his military tests, and he gave it to me when the time came, I gave it to your cousin Lu Ten when he came of age too." The old man said before taking a sip of tea. Zuko was astonished, it contained everything from small advice in organizing and army, to reflections concerning power and administration, anecdotes and even hypothesis on battle formations and such.
"When I received it and when I gave it to your cousin, it was with a very different intention as the one I currently have... I had hoped to use it to become a competent general and a capable ruler, I hoped Lu Ten would become one too, sadly in all of this this book proved to be very effective; this book contains in its pages the whole sum and summary of the character of the royal family, all its virtues and all its defects, the traits it describes are indeed what made them all successful in their enterprises, but as you will understand one day, it's also what made them bitterly unhappy."
"What do you mean uncle?"
"I mean that I give you this book in the hope that you would study it the same way a medic studies poison, seeking understanding in order to bring about a cure; and I pray to the spirits that you don't follow the path that your forefathers and me... and my son followed."
"I still don't get it uncle, whatever could be wrong in here?" Asked Zuko as he looked through the pages and found nothing but the best advice a soldier, a commander could ask for.
"You'll understand in time prince Zuko, if the spirits are gracious to me I'll be at your side when you need me. But for now I want to give you a second gift, a final lesson from an old man that will help you archive your porpoises and perhaps reach an enlightenment on the book as well; but mainly it will help you in this journey that you are about to begin."
Zuko was at this point unable to hide his excitement, he immediately got in his feet and went to the door."Thank you uncle, let's get on with it." Right before he reached the handle his uncle stopped him.
"Wait prince Zuko!, before we can begin I must ask you to swear me an oath, otherwise the lesson is doomed to failure, I need to be sure that you will follow my instructions." Zuko looked at his uncle waiting for him tell him he was joking, he was not.
"I'm very serious prince Zuko you must swear that you will heed all of my instructions to the minimum detail." He pulled out a knife and laid it on the table. "I shall need your blood on it." Iroh's voice had suddenly become very menacing and very serious, the whole room seemed to be loosing all of its light, save that from the candle. For the first time Zuko witnessed the staunch and iron strong presence of The dragon of the West, General Iroh of the Fire Nation, instead of his uncle's typical easy going attitude.
The young prince went down on one knee and passed the knife through his hand until a line of blood began to pour. Iroh placed the candle beneath his bloodied hand, as the drops began to fall into the flame Zuko said his oath. "I Zuko, son of Ozai, prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne do solemnly vow to obey any and all commands you, Iroh son of Azulon and prince of the Fire Nation, give me on this task, I shall not rest until I've completed them to the best of my abilities or die in the attempt. This I swear in front of this my blood and in the name of Agni."
Iroh accepted his oath and bended the flame from the candle into Zuko's hand, thus burning his cut until the bleeding stopped. "May the pain and this scar forever remind you of the oath you've sworn this day." Then Iroh's face returned to normal and with it, the light returned to the room.
"Well then prince Zuko, allow me to explain. It is all related, your journey, the lesson and your training you see. The law forbids me and anyone from actively aiding you to get from here to Pohuai, but it is not forbidden for you to help someone to get there... see what I mean?" His uncle said as he winked malevolently.
"Now this someone that you could help to travel, must be of course someone that would help you to learn a very important aspect of yourself and of the characteristics that a leader should have if he is to be respected and obeyed, more specifically it must be someone who would incentive you to practice your bending and at the same time learn more about the Earth Kingdom and its people, that knowledge should prove vital in your future efforts." His uncle put a hand a round his shoulder and continued.
"I have found the perfect person for this task, but I must warn you, you would be very surprised and may not get along well with this person, which is precisely the point, if you manage to win this person over to your cause, it means that you have what you need to guide your nation into a brighter future. And I'm not lying when I say that you will be the one helping this person in the voyage, you can be assured that if you prove to be incapable of leading, this person will surely separate from you, never to be seen again." Zuko was beginning to have a bad feeling about it, whomever his uncle had gotten to come with him must undoubtedly be a very wise person and a magnificent bender if he was capable of helping him to accomplish all of these things, still he had sworn to obey his instructions to his very best.
"These are your orders prince Zuko, you will keep this person with you at all times, for no reason are you to separate, you are to protect and guard your companion, help him in whatever it is you are asked, answer and explain all that's asked to you, and must importantly, no matter in what way you are provoked you must not attack, insult or in any way intimidate your companion, remember that you are under oath." Prince Zuko nodded and gestured his uncle to continue, it seemed that his uncle was trying to use this chance to help him learn to control his temper, so the warrior that was to accompany would try to provoke him.
"I will be waiting for you both at Pohuai, until then you are to use all of your knowledge and ability to survive and make sure your companion arrives safely and unharmed, if possible I would be delighted if you could establish a strong friendship but it will be enough if you learn from this person all that you can and in return teach all you know. Are there any questions?"
Prince Zuko didn't know where to begin, so he started with the most obvious. "Uncle just who is this wise warrior that we are talking about? Is he a former subordinate of yours?" Iroh laughed.
"No, prince Zuko, it is not a warrior, nor a former soldier, it's someone who will teach you more about the world and about yourself that I could possibly hope for. In fact you already met her, she's waiting for us right outside." His uncle said as he opened the door. "Do you remember Katara of the Southern Water Tribe?"
It took a few moments of shock before Zuko began screaming insults at his uncle.
General Iroh looked at the fading shore one last time before going to his cabin. He waited until he could no longer distinguish the shape of his nephew waiving goodbye. He passed by the captain and invited him to play a game of Pai Sho that night. If one were to judge his emotional state based only on his happy smile, he would be badly mistaken. The old general was in fact terrified at the idea of leaving his nephew to travel alone through the Earth Kingdom, that's why he had seen Miss Katara as a gift come from the spirit world when she accepted to accompany his nephew.
Iroh understood well enough that all of this was going to happen anyway, his nephew had reached his sixteenth birthday two months ago, so he was legally a man and thus a subject to enlistment in the army, but he cursed his brother for consciously endangering Zuko by forcing him to begin at a serious disadvantage.
The day before, after Zuko received the decree that stripped him of command and summoned him to Pohuai to pass the military trials, he himself had received a royal command, summoning him to court, after an initial talk with his nephew about an itinerary, he had somehow managed to convince Zuko to pardon Miss Katara and let her of the hook this time, Zuko had agreed to twist the truth a bit and say that she had been a guest in his ship, thus ensuring her immediate liberation. When Iroh heard from the secretary that the paperwork had been done and that the girl would be escorted outside the camp and released, he had taken the whole matter on his own hands, he wanted to make sure no harm would come to her and he was indeed curious about her plans and intentions.
When Iroh entered her tent he had found her in an emotional turmoil, and it had tacked him all his effort and tact to, more or less, calm her down. Apparently she blamed herself for the death of Zhao, and felt guilty for making prince Zuko lie to protect her. Iroh had been very touched an impressed to see a person worrying about the family of a man that had beaten her. After a few cups of tea and some funny anecdotes of his to cheer her up, he had asked what she planned to do now.
It was clear that the poor girl had no plan at all, so he had offered to take her with him and look for a way to put her on a ship to the South Pole, she had thanked him and looked as if life had defeated her. Only the spirits know what came over Iroh's mind that made him think that it was a good idea to tell him about his worries in order to lift her spirits. So he had told him about the imminent voyage of his nephew and the dangers that awaited him.
"Could I go with him?" She had asked, and Iroh had literally gaped in awe, never before had any stranger tried to do a kindness for his nephew and this girl had just volunteered to share all sorts of dangers with him. A realisation came to his mind. Could it really be true?
The old general thanked her for her kind offer and asked her about her experiences so far away from home, the girl had described everything in the most careful detail, how had her meetings with prince Zuko gone, her impressions of him and her desire to accompany him. This girl did not know it, but she was in love with his nephew and Iroh was dancing in a sea of joy and happiness, a girl had abandoned her home and her family to pursue his dear nephew.
Then the most amazing thing had happened, when Iroh teased the girl by asking him what she found so attractive in his nephew he had expected her blush like a summer rose bloom, but it was by mere chance that he passed his gaze on her cup of tea when he did: the water had moved, a more careless mind would have missed it, but Iroh had seen clearly that the water had responded to her emotions.
At first she had denied it, but after assuring her of her safety and offering her to teach her waterbending, Katara had admitted being a bender, a complete neophyte searching for a teacher. Iroh decided that he would not pass this golden opportunity to have someone look after Zuko and in the process teach him the value of companionship, team work and empathy. After assuring Miss Katara that she would accompany his nephew and making all the necessary preparations for her journey, he had set himself to devise a plan to force Zuko into agreement. The poor boy had fallen for it head on.
It had taken much effort to calm him down, but he had managed to explain to Zuko that Miss Katara was a waterbender and that his mission also included the task of teaching her the basics of waterbending, luckily, Iroh always kept with himself some manuals of basic bending, for study purposes, so his nephew had everything he needed to teach her some bending and learn patience from her. Of course Zuko had not bought it for a second and wished nothing to do with it, Iroh never felt more glad of tricking a man into an oath than on that day, only the oath had forced Zuko to accept the company of Katara.
In his heart of hearts, Iroh hopped that in this journey Zuko would fall in love with the girl, and run away from the cursed life of the Fire Nation royal family, he dreamed of his nephew starting a farm deep into the Earth Kingdom safely away from his cruel father and his crazy sister, he dreamed of him having a family and living happily, surrounded with love and joy as he deserved to be. Iroh could never have imagined the pain that his actions from that day and from the next weeks would inflict upon his nephew nor the suffering and bloodshed the world would pay.
Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation had already too much in his mind to worry about his personal image, that morning he had gone to port to bid his uncle farewell, since he himself planned to leave an hour later he had returned to change in the garb that the Earth Kingdom peasants dared to call clothes. He had long ago given up on living according to fashion standards, but this was a little too much. It did not help that wherever he passed, the soldiers would stop to wish him a safe journey and give him their respects. It must have been a very ridiculous sight to see: fully armoured soldiers and officers bowing before a banished prince disguised as a peasant, especially after he had gone to fetch Katara out of her tent. The murmurs, snickers and looks they had gotten had not escaped him.
Right at the entrance he had stopped to check one last time that he had everything he needed and that Katara had not forgotten anything. When he asked if he was ready to depart she had simply nodded, the girl still was too nervous to speak unless it was absolutely necessary.
He stole one last glance in her direction only to catch her looking at an announcement pasted on a nearby post, it was a list of the payment dates for the next months, but the way Katara looked at it made it seem that the location of the Avatar was written in there. Zuko was about to say something sarcastic when he remembered. She can't read. To Zuko the mere idea of a nation that did not ensured its members could read and write was as preposterous as the burden his uncle had pinned on him.
What could I possibly learn from an uneducated peasant girl? He had to force himself took look at the scar on his right hand to stop himself from running and leaving the girl behind. He supposed that his uncle also meant to have him teach her to read as well as to "waterbend". How did he expect a firebender to teach a neophyte waterbender to bend? He sighted and got closer to the girl, he himself was the most surprised when he heard himself asking.
"Would you like to learn how to read?"
"Yes!... I mean if it is of no inconvenience to you." Said the girl as she met his eyes for the first time that morning, they were more blue than the clear ocean on a sunny day, Zuko only realised that he had been staring too long when the girl lowered her gaze in embarrassment. There was still a very noticeable bruise on her cheek, and as he saw it, Zuko's fists clenched, he had to take a large breath in order to calm his rising anger.
He pointed to the second letter of the first word in the announcement. "This is the character for the sound 'a'. It has the form of a curved eagle-snake, it is the most common character so try to memorised by tonight." Said Zuko as he took her hand and with her right index finger drew the shape of the character on her left palm. "Repeat it while we walk. Now we must hurry we've got a large day ahead." Said Zuko and he began to walk, completely missing the blush that covered Katara's cheeks.
As he took his first step out of the camp into the wilderness of the Earth Kingdom, prince Zuko clearly realised that his journey on his ship around the world was now over and that he began this new journey, the first step of his plan to conquer the world and capture the Avatar, in a way he never would have guessed... with a water tribe girl at his side.