I cannot say enough how sorry I am for taking so long with updates. Whenever I did have time to sit down and write, writer's block would creep in and I'd be stuck. That finally evaporated today. I hope this chapter is enough to make up for it.
Disclaimer: No, I still don't own ATLA.
I feel I should mention that in this story, the Gaang hadn't gone to Roku's temple. I actually forgot about it when I was writing, so I've found a new way to weave it into the story. It'll come up in a few chapters. Also, the story will start to become major AU, if it's not enough so already.
Does drinking alcohol require a warning? Cause it's going to be in this chapter.
Three weeks. For three weeks that girl had been on his ship. He'd confessed some of his late-night conversation with Katara to Iroh. He told how, looking back on what he said, he felt like he'd made a complete fool out of himself.
Then he wondered when Katara's opinion had come to mean anything to him.
"Her mother died, uncle. " Zuko said. "She was killed by one of our people. I don't understand how Katara could take it. I couldn't stand it when my mother left." He paused. "That's why she would say we were monsters. She thinks we're all monsters for killing her mother."
"Clearly that would make sense. Would you not feel hate, or some other negative emotion, towards someone who took something so important from you?" Iroh asked over his cup of tea. "She is a strong girl, despite everything. She has survived. Zuko, water looks weak but is immensely strong".
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said. Think of the ocean. At times it appears calm and harmless. When a storm comes, it is one of the fiercest and deadliest phenomenons on the planet. The people of the Water Tribes are adaptable. She learns to live with how things are in order to survive. She will be fine."
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The massive wall loomed over the plains, dominating the horizon. Before it, thousands of troops in red armor prepared for battle. A young man, barely out of his teens, stood at the head of the regiment he was leading, the gold around his collar and the unique headpiece making him stand out from his fellow soldiers. He was no ordinary fighter, but a prince of the royal bloodline.
Hours later, dust kicked up by thousands of tramping feet left the battlefield covered. Clanging of weapons filled the air and the heat of flames and pounding of boulders left soldiers shrieking in pain and fear. War was a messy, bloody business.
Several yards away from the warrior prince, who was valiantly defending his men, a man dressed in Earth Kingdom brown stood with a powerful crossbow in his hand. The weapon was of Earth Kingdom style, though the steel was superior, having actually been crafted in the Fire Nation. The man lifted the crossbow. One of his golden eyes narrowed as he aimed for his target. He was good at what he did, and rarely ever missed.
He did not this time. The bolt flew through the air and drove itself underneath the prince's arm, into an opening in his armor, and stopped lodged in his chest.
The prince gasped as he felt the fatal wound go in. He fell to the ground, staring at a sky turned the color of blood. The sound of battle faded, and for a moment, he was back at home as a child, in the peaceful garden of the palace, playing with his family.
He gasped again and uttered three, barely audible words: "I'm sorry, father."
With a finally, gasping breath, Prince Lu Ten died.
Zuko gasped himself and sat upright in bed. Cold sweat covered his face and bare, upper torso.
Where did that come from? All he knew of his cousin's death was that Lu Ten had been killed trying to breach the inner wall to take Ba Sing Se. But the dream had felt so real; it was as if he'd been standing right there when it happened.
Troubled, he flicked on the bedside oil lamp with his firebending and got out of bed. He stretched, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling.
There was no way he'd be going back to bed for a while, he knew, so he pulled out some books and flipped through them, trying to put his mind somewhere else.
The book he was currently looking at was an old history book. He'd opened it at random and read through on Sozin's attack on the Air Nomads, though it was something he'd read many times before. He was almost certain he could recite it in his sleep.
Still, as he read over the chapter, something didn't feel right. A thought, unsure of itself, kept trying to dig into his conscious. Firelord Sozin, empowered by the very comet that now bears his name, led his loyal troops against the Air Nomad armies. Zuko read.
Yes, he knew that. But still, there was that thought…
Sozin went after the Air Nomads because he knew the Avatar would be reborn into them. He was after the Avatar. But…if he killed the Avatar, he'd just be reborn. It doesn't make sense. Sozin would've had to wipe out the entire Air Nomad, Water Tribe, and Earth Kingdom population, aside from any who might be willing to turn and follow him, but killing nearly all of the world's population? It would take years to accomplish. Sozin could've killed the Avatar in the Avatar State, but then he'd have to get close enough to the Avatar and kill him before the Avatar State could.
Zuko shook his head. He'd been raised his entire life to believe what he was taught and not question it. He was taught to command people and wield power….
Power. That was it. The Firelords wanted power. And the Avatar was the most powerful of all.
What if, crazy as it was, Sozin was not after the Avatar to kill him, but for his power? If the Firelords were going to rule the world, they'd need unimaginable power and authority. The Avatar had massive amounts of power he or she could control. But who controlled the Avatar?
That's why Sozin grew to hate Roku. He wanted the power Roku had for himself. That's why he called Roku a traitor! Sozin wanted Roku to be a loyal Fire Nation citizen, loyal to him. If the Firelords could control the Avatar, then maybe they could control the world. Pull the strings. Make the Avatar a puppet. My father wants me to capture the Avatar so he'll have him to control.
Zuko leapt out of bed. "Uncle!" he shouted. Zuko ran down the hall to his uncle's room, forgetting it was the middle of the night. "Uncle!"
When Iroh finally opened the door, Zuko hurried explained what he'd realized before rushing off down the hall again.
The door to Katara's room flew open and she sat up startled, but bleary-eyed. She looked rather pretty with her hair completely down, falling around her face. Focus, Zuko.
"Where's the Avatar? Where's he going?" he barked at her.
Katara glared at him, annoyed to have been awoken so late, or early, whichever it was.
"How am I supposed to know where he's at? I haven't seen him in the past three weeks. He's probably looking for me or headed towards the Northern Water Tribe."
Zuko nodded. "You're sure?"
"Yes!"
"Fine, that's all I need to be sure of. Goodnight."
Zuko stepped out of Katara's room, shutting the door firmly behind him. He walked a few paces down the hall, out of anyone's earshot, then motioned for Jee, who'd come out after hearing all the commotion, to follow him.
"Jee, I need you and some men to do something for me."
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It was three weeks and one day since she'd been brought onto Zuko's ship. Last night, he'd barged in on her while she was sleeping and woke her up, asking where Aang was. Like she knew. What was wrong with him?
Zuko seemed unusually calm, despite the events of last night, and greeted her almost cheerfully when she came in for breakfast. Katara resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows at him and sat down. She decided boys were just plain weird sometimes. She'd grown up with Sokka and had spent the past few months with Aang. Boys were definitely weird, and Zuko was no exception.
His voice cut in through her thoughts. "How would you like to get off this ship for a little while?"
Katara stopped spreading jam on her bread and looked up. "Are you serious?"
Zuko nodded. "We're going to stop at a colony town this afternoon. There are some things my men need to do."
"What sort of …."
"Just things, okay!"
Katara jumped. So much for Zuko being calm and cheerful, she mentally grumbled. She informed him she'd love to get off the ship for a while and settled down to breakfast.
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The Fire Nation colony was different than any other place Katara had visited. It stretched three miles along the coastline and another three miles inland. The docks were sturdy, lined in neat rows, with a variety of ships at them. The buildings were made of white limestone and stucco, with red tile roofs, along cobblestone streets. A few buildings, which Zuko informed her were important ones, such as a town hall or noble's mansion, were made with marble. Green trees and shrubs lined some of the streets. All in all, Katara was surprised to find, it was calm and pretty.
"Are all Fire Nation towns like this?" she asked Zuko as she hurried alongside him. Her legs were a little wobbly after having not been on dry land in three straight weeks. She'd nearly fallen walking down the gangplank and Zuko had to hold onto her arm so she didn't go headfirst into the water. A small, strange warmth rolled in her stomach as she felt his hand on her, but she dismissed the feeling as being uncomfortable from while at sea and nothing more.
A red cloak with gold-colored trim covered her Water Tribe attire. Zuko had given it to her before they left the ship and insisted she keep it on. She'd pulled half of her hair up and the bottom half down, upon Zuko's request. "You'll look a little more Fire Nation this way and hopefully no one will ask questions" he had said.
"Pretty much" he said in response to the question she asked now. "Most of the towns are laid out on a grid pattern around a center, like a plaza or something. The main part of capital is built around the palace. Some places, usually in more rural areas, aren't as organized. But this town is along a coast, meaning a lot of different people come through here. It has to be set up like this so it's defendable."
They left the ship at port and moved deeper into the town. It was a beautiful afternoon, with the sun beating down and warming everything, despite it being winter. Zuko led her to the center of the town, a beautiful plaza around a stone fountain. Brightly colored booths lined the plaza with merchants behind them, selling their wares. Colored tunics, mostly in shades of red, brown, and gold, as well as some black and grey, filled Katara's vision. A gentle breeze blew in from the ocean, bringing the smell of sea salt, mixed with spices, incense, and fresh fruit. The voices of dozens of people, the sounds of animals, the noises from the bazaar, and the faint roaring of the sea, left Katara's ears ringing.
"There are so many people here" she commented to Zuko, feeling the need to half-shout to be heard.
"This is Jinxing. It was one of the first, full-Fire Nation colonies established and it's one of the largest. It's also a main trading center and naval port."
They spent the afternoon examining the market. Katara tried to ask what his men had been sent to do, but Zuko avoided the question, simply stating "they're on leave until tomorrow morning", and refusing to answer it further. He tried to explain to her how the Fire Nation's trade and economy worked, but Katara only heard half of it. He talked her into trying different samples of food, including a piece of meat so horribly spicy Katara was left gagging.
As the sun began to lower and afternoon turned into evening, they made their way back through the town, stopping at a small tavern to eat. Zuko promised not to let her get anything too spicy and suggested she try a dish made with chicken-pig and steamed sea kumquats. Katara was thrilled to discover that the kumquats were very similar to her grandmother's stewed sea prunes. She told Zuko that and he raised an eyebrow, asking what a sea prune was.
After dinner, they sat in the center plaza by the fountain, the bazaar having ended for the day. With the moon glowing down on them, the gentle rhythm of the fountain behind them, and the light from nine torches surrounding the fountain and reflecting in its waters, it was quite nice out.
Katara didn't want to go back to the ship for as long as possible. She was still trying to grasp that she'd spent the entire afternoon and evening completely alone with the Fire prince and she enjoyed herself.
Zuko sat down next to her and handed her a glass. "Thanks" she said. "What is it?"
"I just got you mango juice. You seemed to like it. I figured you wouldn't want alcohol."
"You got alcohol?"
Zuko nodded and took a swig from his glass. "It's just beer. This isn't even heavy stuff."
"But you're a kid!"
Zuko shot her a look then, clearly offended. "I'm seventeen. Technically, in the Fire Nation, one is considered an adult at sixteen, or when they marry, whichever comes first. You can drink legally at fifteen in the Fire Nation."
"That's insane. How old do you have to be to join the military then? Do they let kids in?"
Zuko looked angry at the tone of her voice. "It's our culture. And a person can enlist in the military at fifteen, or earlier if they have permission from their parents or guardian."
"So you let fifteen year old kids-people my age- go off and fight in your wars?" Katara demanded of him.
"You're expecting a boy who's what-eleven, twelve, maybe thirteen- to save the world! How is what we do so wrong when the rest of the world is expecting a child to save them all?" Zuko let out a breath, with a touch of steam, as he realized he'd been shouting. Thankfully, few people were out and hadn't heard them.
An older woman nearby, who clearly hadn't heard the topic of their conversation or chose to ignore it, smiled encouragingly at them. "Don't worry about whatever it is you're fighting over. Why, when I first met my Hujeng, Agni rest his soul, we didn't get along at all. I'm sure you and you're girlfriend can work it out."
"What?" Katara yelped, the same time Zuko shouted, "She's not my girlfriend!"
The woman simply chuckled and smiled as she walked away.
Katara huffed in annoyance and pulled the cloak around her tighter as she stalked away.
"Where are you going?" Zuko shouted after her.
"Away from you for a while! I'll meet back here later." Of course, it crossed her mind that she could just run away from him- but she had no idea where in the world she was, literally, aside from some Fire Nation colony on the edge of the Earth Kingdom. Plus, the ship was headed north towards the Northern Water Tribe, and it was possible she'd have a better chance of seeing Aang and Sokka again if she stayed on it. She glanced over her shoulder. Zuko had made no move to chase after her, and was sitting on the edge of the fountain, glass in hand.
Zuko could be such a pain. She just prayed she didn't come back to find him drunk, or worse. She was not helping him back to the ship if that happened.
She paused to see where she was and found herself outside what appeared to be some sort of restaurant. She pushed the heavy door aside and went it. Despite being dimly lit, it had a cheerful atmosphere to it, and it was away from the damp ocean breeze. Katara settled herself at a small table in the corner and gave a coin to the waitress in exchange for a drink. Maybe I'll learn something about the Fire Nation that will be useful.
She was lucky, because no sooner than the thought crossed her mind, she heard a man's voice.
"Poor kid. Scarred by his own dad."
Katara's eyes pricked. Who scarred their own child?
Another voice entered her hearing. "Yeah, Ozai's losing it. I mean, what sane, non-evil person burns their own son?"
"Like I said, poor Prince Zuko."
Katara had to actually sit on her hands to stop herself from putting one over her mouth. Zuko was the kid they were talking about! She thought about the horrible red mark that ran over the left side of Zuko's face. She never dared even bring it up because she could guess without asking it would probably be a painful topic.
The first voice she heard was speaking again. "I heard rumor's Ozai's going to leave the throne to Azula. Agni help us if that happens."
"If that happens, I'll stay right here in the Earth Kingdom. The princess is far worse than any of them, I've heard."
"Be quiet you two! That's treasonous talk." This was a new voice, weak and mouse-like, thought it could have simply been because they were trying to whisper. "The Firelord and his family are good people who are just trying to improve the world!"
The other men were laughing now. "You're so naïve. You really believe all that propaganda. The Firelord's trying to take over the world!"
There are people who don't like the Firelord! Katara thought with excitement. If there were more people out there like this, maybe we could get their help.
Katara tried to hear more from the men, but they'd steered their conversation over to some gambling game. Figuring she'd get nothing useful out of that, she finished her drink and left. But the man's words about Zuko's own father scarring him left her frightened. Who did that, especially to a child? She considered asking him about it, but figured he'd probably not want to talk about it. After all, it hadn't been mentioned once during her time with him. He'd believe she was pitying him, even though she really was, and he'd shut down.
Though Zuko had had a bit of alcohol tonight, and possibly more after she left…
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"I'm sorry about last night" was the first thing Zuko said to her the next morning. He hadn't seemed drunk when she returned to him, but neither one of them spoke on the way back to the ship or for the rest of the evening, except to exchange curt goodnights.
"I letting you go back to the Avatar" was the next thing he said.
Katara's jaw nearly dropped.
Zuko went on. "Actually, I was hoping you'd do something for me. I want you to give him a letter."
"A letter?"
"Yes, you know, words on a piece of paper addressed to one person? I want to offer him a truce."
Katara couldn't believe her ears. "Were you drunk last night and it's still just leftover?"
He smiled. "No. At least I don't think so. I'm actually thinking more clearly than I have in a while."
"So what's in the letter?"
"You'll find out. Basically, the Avatar trusts you. And you've spent some time around me. I want you to try and convince him to make a truce with me. I'll offer him my protection against Zhao and help him."
Katara wasn't sure she understood as Zuko explained what he wanted from her. She chewed the inside of her cheek. "I don't know…"
"Please Katara" Zuko said softly. He laid one hand on hers and when she looked him in the eyes, they softened to a warm golden-brown. "Please trust me. I need you to do this."
Katara's mind flashed back to what the man had said about Zuko and his scar. "Okay."
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Two men in Fire Nation Navy uniforms sat at a table in the corner, partially hidden from a particular bald boy and his Water Tribe friend, but still within earshot. Some people gave them nervous glances, but this was an open port and people from all over came here. It seemed, for once, luck was on their side, as the Avatar just happened to stop here as well.
One man took a swig of his beer and set the tankard back down. "Not bad, but not as strong as Fire Nation whiskey."
"Yeah, what I wouldn't give for some of that now."
"Or anything from the Fire Nation really. The weather, the food, the women…"
"Speaking of women," his companion replied, purposefully raising his voice to carry to the table nearby, "I hear the prince has himself of pretty little waterbender on board. Found her somewhere-Makapu? I can't pronounce the dang Earth Kingdom names."
A gasp came from the nearby table. The men, with their faces turned away, grinned.
"I heard the same. I know he was looking for the Avatar, but I'd say she's good enough instead. She's supposedly a sweet-looking little thing, though maybe a bit feisty."
Laughter carried over. "She's nothing the prince can't handle."
The men continued their conversation as the two boys hunched over their table and spoke to one another.
"Did you hear that Sokka?"
"Yeah. It means that the Fire Nation has my sister."
"I bet if we check the ships out the dock, we can find which one she's on and bust her out."
"It could be a trap, but if it means a chance to save Katara, we have to try."
Jee joined the men sitting at the table. "Good work, men. The prince will be pleased."
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Zuko and Katara were on the deck of the ship the following morning. Katara had just tucked her treasured waterbending scroll in her shirt along with the letter for Aang, having finished looking over the move she wanted to try.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hands, calling the water to follow. A thrill went through her as it obeyed. She moved her body like the scroll had shown her and-
"Ow!" The water had just wacked her in the face.
Zuko snickered and Katara shot him a look.
"Don't laugh at me!" She waved her hand and a splash of water smacked Zuko in the face as well. Zuko sputtered for a moment, then bent down into a fighting stance, flame in one hand, signaling her to do the same with the other.
Katara smiled. Zuko was far better at sparring then her, but he'd gone easy enough on her, when they tried a few times in the past. She was feeling more confident in her abilities and had even learned a few new tricks.
She raised water to block any flame Zuko sent at her, but the attack never came.
Zuko felt it before he ever saw where it came from. A powerful gust of wind sent him sprawling over and slamming into the metal door that led to the hull of the ship. He fell to the deck floor, stunned, and gasped air back into his lungs.
He heard Katara shout, but it wasn't his name. Aang she said. It was the Avatar.
There was more shouting and scuffling noises, but Zuko wasn't able to comprehend it. As he managed to stagger to his feet he wondered if he had hit his head when he made contact with the door.
He shook his head to clear it and looked around the deck. Katara was gone. The deck looked pretty much the same it had a moment ago, only now the waterbender wasn't on it.
As he looked up, he could see the outline of the bison as it flew away. They'd taken her back. The Avatar had taken her from him.
He had a strange déjà vu feeling, like when he saw the Avatar fly away the first time at the South Pole. Only this was different. Sadder, lonelier somehow. And yet, his plan was going perfectly.
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After several minutes of flying on Appa, Katara was finally released from her brother and Aang's grasps'.
"It sure took you guys long enough to find me. I was starting to think I'd been abandoned. "
"We would never-" Aang started to protest.
Katara smiled reassuringly. "Aang, I was kidding."
"Oh." The airbender said. "We'll we were looking for you. But then we saw that the volcano at Aunt Wu's was going to erupt. We had to save the village.
Sokka interrupted excitedly. "And you'll never guess who we saw after that!"
"Who?"
"Bato!" Sokka shouted. "He was at an abbey. He was going to meet up with Dad and the others and I wanted to go with him, but of course we had to find you first."
Katara knew how much seeing their father again would mean to Sokka and the chance he had given up for her. "Oh Sokka…"
"Yeah!" Aang stepped in. "And then we were at a firebending festival and met this crazy firebender named Jeong Jeong. I wanted to learn firebending from him, but he said I wasn't ready and then Zhao showed up and we had to run. And then we heard these Fire Nation guys talking about a waterbender on a Fire Nation ship and rescued you."
"I can't believe those people had you in their Fire Nation clutches this whole time. Of course they would be so low as to use you as bait. I'm glad you were fighting them."
"Actually, they didn't kidnap me. I was rescued. And the guy you blasted away is named Zuko."
"Zuko?"
"Yeah. Remember? The tall, Fire Nation guy that came to our village?"
"You mean the scary one with the scarred face?" Aang asked, almost fearfully.
"Yep."
Sokka's jaw dropped. "What?" both he and Aang gasped at the same time.
Katara nodded. "Yeah. When we were at Aunt Wu's village, I wandered away. Fire Nation soldiers attacked me and I couldn't escape. Then Zuko showed up out of nowhere and rescued me."
"It was probably just a trick so you'd see him as a good guy" Sokka said, disbelieving.
"That's what I thought at first." Katara paused, not sure how to phrase what she wanted to say next. "I've gotten to know Zuko a bit over the last few weeks. He's not as bad as I thought."
Aang's face twisted into a look she couldn't read and Sokka scoffed.
"He's Fire Nation, Katara. They're all bad."
"Um, speaking of the Fire Nation," Aang said casually, "we've got to go there."
It was Katara's turn to gasp and Sokka sighed, "No, Aang, we don't."
"Aang had some crazy dream the other night about a comet that's supposed to bring apocalyptic doom!" Sokka wiggled his fingers as he said "doom".
"I think it's a sign or something." Aang insisted. "I've got to go to Roku's temple in the Fire Nation and talk to him about it."
"Aang we can't go to the Fire Nation. One, it's too dangerous. Two, even if you did get to the temple, Avatar Roku's been dead for over a century. How could you talk with him?"
"That's what I said!" Sokka cried.
Katara ignored him and went on. "Three, I already know about the comet."
"You do?" both boys asked in wonder.
"Yeah. I…I heard some of the men on Zuko's ship talking about it." This was in fact, true. Zuko and his crew had talked about, and seemed obsessed over, some piece of space rock, she thought, until she found out why. "It's called Sozin's Comet because Firelord Sozin used it to…" she paused and looked at Aang.
"To wipe out the Air Nomads" Sokka finished for her.
She nodded. "Apparently, it can increase an individual firebender's power tenfold when it's in the Earth's atmosphere. A normal master firebender practically becomes a demigod. It's supposed to be coming soon and there are rumors Ozai's going to use it to end the war.
"Ozai?" Aang asked.
Katara nodded. "Firelord Ozai. Also, Zuko's dad."
Both Aang and Sokka make horrified faces.
"Zuko's the son of the Firelord?" Aang gasped.
"Yep. He's a prince."
Sokka reached over and put an arm around his sister. "So what else did you learn on Prince Crazy's ship?"
Katara pushed his arm away. "He's not crazy, Sokka. Actually, I think he might be a good guy."
"Were you brainwashed while you were on that ship?"
"No! Zuko asked me to give this to you." She pulled out the letter and handed it to Aang. "He wants to make a truce."
"It could be a trap." Sokka insisted.
Katara shook her head. "I don't think so. He seemed really sincere about it. I think he's realized the wrong his country's done and wants to make up for it."
Aang looked hesitant. "I'll…I'll have to think about it."
Katara breathed, reminding herself she was loyal to her tribe and wondering if aiding Zuko in any way was making her a traitor. "Well, you'd better decide soon. Because the Fire Nation Navy is sending a fleet to destroy the Northern Water Tribe."
This chapter was so much fun to write! And seeing as I wrote a majority of it today, I am quite proud of it.
If you had trouble imagining the Fire Nation town, just think of the town in "The Runaway", how it is all set up around that fountain. The town would be a smaller version of that with the ocean on one side.
Iroh's line at the beginning of the chapter, "Water looks weak…" came from one of my teachers when telling us about Daoism.