0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
ducklings and hawks
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
slight warning: There be a pinch of swearing ahead me hearties!
-?-
The sun had gone down a fair while ago and all the lanterns had been lit. The garden was awash in beautiful soft light. I decided to have an explore (snoop) and see if I could find some nice older ladies to get into conversation with. In my experience, older ladies are often fountains of interesting information and more prone to gossiping. I would have better luck finding out some more strategic information if I could find some of the more motherly figures and ingratiate myself with them. I was wandering around near the drinks table (I poured myself a large juice to try and clear away the foggy-champagne feeling) when out of the corner of my eye, I saw the baby.
The next minute seemed to happen at lightning speed.
The baby was near the edge of the pond. There had been many pretty floating candles put on the water and the child was trying to reach them. I felt a surge of worry and put down my juice and started moving. I could tell what was going to happen almost before it occurred. The baby fell and there was a splash and a cry from a woman near my right. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and jumped in after the kid. I grabbed him and pulled him out of the water before he'd even been in there long enough to register what had happened. I checked him over and very subtly used my bending to make sure there was no water in his lungs.
The kid was fine. My dress was not. But that's a small price to pay.
Almost as if he wanted to prove how well his lungs worked, the baby opened his mouth and started caterwauling terribly in his surprise and fright. I shushed him and looked around for the mother. It didn't take long to spot her. She was hobbling towards me as fast as she could – blind panic on her face. I went to her and handed the baby over and she clung to him and cuddled him. And then she was crying and he was crying and I was trying to calm them both.
The fracas attracted much attention. Everyone crowded around us and began to fuss. The mother (who's name was Kia – I figured this out because everyone was saying Kia, Kia what's wrong?) said that she'd only put him down for a second and he'd wandered off and she couldn't catch up to him with her leg the way it was (it was heavily bandaged from her foot to her thigh) and the baby had fallen in and this remarkable girl saved him, she said and gestured to me.
Remarkable girl? She meant me? Go me!
I have been lauded for my heroics and much fuss has been made over me. An Older Gentleman, Kia's father, I think, bought a chair over for Kia who had been sort of hopping on her good leg. A Practical looking looking woman took the baby and handed it to the old man and helped Kia ease herself into the chair. the Old guy handed Practical the baby back and bought some extra chairs over. he gestured for me to sit down and said please sit dear girl and we will get you dried off in no time. I sat down. Practical shooed the other guests who had been crowding Kia and the baby. Move along folks, nothing to see here she said pleasantly but sternly. She said that if anybody wanted to be useful they could get us all a spot of tea and some towels for me. The General repeated this request in his booming powerful voice (please someone get some towels for this sopping wet girl!), but otherwise they should go about their business. Kia looked at Practical gratefully – they are obviously old friends.
Kia kept hugging the baby and saying over and over that she was never going to let him out of her sight again and he was a very naughty boy for wandering off and mummy was most angry at him (however she was kissing him all over his face and cuddling him while she said that, so I don't know how much of the message the baby understood.) Practical rubbed her back and said the baby was fine and her Rozin had fallen in the water all the time as a baby and he'd turned out okay. This did not appear to have the calming effect Practical thought it would because Kia's face registered alarm. (Evidently she has met Rozin previously). I thought about what Practical had said (My Rozin) and asked her if she was Rena and Rei and Rozin's mother. She was, her name was Lily and she figured I must be one of her children's new friends from Gaipan.
I told them I was and my name was Katara. Kia and her father introduced themselves to me. He was General Kazin. He did not say much, but gave me the bow of deep respect instead of just the standard greeting bow. Kia had calmed somewhat, she gushed her thanks at me.
Lily's husband came over and introduced himself. His name is Tanin. He looks a little like an older Haru without a moustache to me – but I did not say this out loud. Haru and Tanin aren't really my type, (taller, leaner, with messy black hair and slightly trouble is more my type) but they are both quite man-pretty. I could see why a girl who liked man-pretty would have been willing to leave her home and family for Tanin (when he was a younger man of course). He greeted me with mock reverence – the famous Katara! and gave me two big fluffy towels which I wrapped around myself and he then brought over one of the tables from under the tree and a stool for Kia's foot and her crutches from where she dropped them. He and Lily had a quiet whispered conversation and he kissed her cheek and left and then he came back with a big pot of tea for us and three cups and a bottle of wine for the General. (Is he going to drink that whole bottle himself?) Tanin gave Lily a gentle kiss on her forehead and politely took his leave of us. He's a good husband. I wouldn't mind having one who looks after me and my friends and brings me big pots of tea when I am older (not now, obviously).
Kia smiled at them and then looked a little sad. Lily reached for her hand and said her Kalin would have been here if he could've been. The General said he'd been able to get the extra leave approved before he retired and so Kalin should be on a passenger ship home at this moment. Kia nodded and said thanks dad quietly and bounced the baby again. The baby had quietened and stopped crying. I knew I guessed right, he was her father. Kia hugged the baby closer and said I'm okay. We've just had a bit of fright that's all, haven't we little one. The general rubbed her shoulder and said there there now, would you like me to take you home? But she smiled weakly at him and said the party had only just started and he shouldn't miss his own retirement on her account and she's be fine after a good spot of tea. Lily immediately started pouring.
I offered that I was a training healer in my colony, and if Kia didn't object, I could check the baby over again to make sure he was fine. Kia didn't object. She handed me the baby and I made a few faces at him (it was a boy) to introduce myself. He had bright amber eyes and big smile and cute, chubby baby hands. He wrapped his baby hand around my index finger and smiled at me happily. I baby talked at him a little, because I can't help myself around babies. Oh I always get a bit clucky around babies.
I asked his name. It's Kuzon – a family name apparently. Named for my grandfather, the General offered. I checked him over and he was perfectly fine, if a little wet. Lily got up to go get a change of baby clothes for him - she knew where Kia had put them- and Kia smiled gratefully at her again. I started saying 'who's a beautiful boy then?' to Kuzon and I told Kia that he was a beautiful baby, he had a very alert little face etc. all the normal stuff you are supposed to say about babies. I seemed to have unlocked a gushing flow of pride from Kia, who enthused about how smart he was and how advanced for his age and he was crawling so fast already and she shouldn't have brought him, but he was so young, she couldn't bear to leave him with a babysitter and she'd only put him down for a second and if I hadn't have been there- (her eyes welled up again).
Wow, she was really beating herself up about this. But I totally understood it. I worry extensively about our little family and I imagine I am going to be even more of a worry wart when I have children of my own. Babies are so fragile. We had come very close to disaster a few moments ago. But I told her the baby was fine, nothing bad had actually happened, disaster had been avoided etc. Lily came back and I handed Kuzon over and she helped Kia put him in some dry clothes. If I could bend here, I could have dried him in a second. but I was an ordinary colonial from Gaipan.
Kia visibly seemed to pull herself together and shook off her tears and said it's just this bloody leg. She gestured at the big bandage. I asked if she wouldn't mind me having a look at her leg to see if there was anything I could do to make her more comfortable. I knelt down and held her foot gently and felt over the bandage. It had been set well, by a talented physician. I used my bending to feel what was going on inside her leg.
Ooh ouch.
A very severe break near her ankle and a second just above her knee. It had happened a while ago and was starting to heal, but it must be so painful for her. She really should not be up and about and I told her so. She smiled at her dad and said she couldn't miss this for the world. I looked a little incredulously at her. If my leg was broken like this I would never leave the house (or if I did, I would demand Zuko carry me everywhere). Kia noticed the look on my face and explained to me that her dad (and lily's dad) were retiring and she had never been more proud of him and so she wasn't going to stay at home just because her leg was a little crook. A little crook is the biggest understatement of the century. Firenation people really do just carry on regardless of injury.
I asked her what had happened and she explained to me that she had been travelling with her husband Kalin. They couldn't bear to be apart normally. He was an official in Two Rivers Colony, which had been having a spot of trouble with some rebellions and uprisings. The firenation had built a rail link between Two Rivers and Oyster Bay (she and Lily exchanged a look) and she had been coming home from visiting Lily, when the train had been derailed by the most dreadful smelling bomb she had ever encountered and in the accident, her leg had been broken in two places.
After her accident, her Kalin had fawned over her and had taken all his leave at once so that he could look after her and Kuzon while she was initially recovering. I asked her where was he now, if it wasn't a rude question. Back in the colonies. He had wanted to come with her, but he had used up all his leave and couldn't get the time off and he was still in Two Rivers overseeing some troop relocation. But now her Dad had been able to get his extra leave approved and with any luck, she'd see him again soon. I tried not to look too curious, but this was exactly the sort of info we were after. I asked where the troops were relocating to as casually as I could. Kia said shrugged and said she didn't know (but in a way that made it sound like she did, she just didn't want to tell me.)
The General asked if they'd caught the earth benders who derailed the trains yet (a bit angrily). Kia said that her Kalin didn't think it was earthbenders anymore. He thought it was some water tribe warrior called the Blue Wolf. Lily scoffed and said that wasn't his real name, no woman would ever name a child blue wolf. Kia smiled in acknowledgement and said that perhaps the mother knew her baby boy was going to grow up to be the scourge of the firenation and so he needed a suitably scary name. But then she added that she thought his name was Hakoda of the Watertribe. I nearly dropped her foot in surprise (but thankfully did not) I definitely gasped out loud.
My Dad! They were talking about my Dad! I felt an initial rush of elation! Dad was okay! He was alive! He was still fighting! But this was quickly followed by a perplexing rush of guilt. Dad would have never wanted to hurt a woman with a young baby, but one of his bombs had hurt Kia.
Both the women had noticed my reaction and were looking at me. I said that I had heard of Hakoda in an attempted to explain my reaction. The general said I bet you have! And exclaimed that he was famous all up and down the colonies for starting resistance movements and his small acts but crucial acts of rebellion, like cutting off supply lines, stealing plans etc. Kalin almost doesn't want to catch him. He says the blue wolf is one bad-ass motherfu-Kia said, but paused and looked at me, coughed, then said I mean one very scary dude.
Lily paused for a second and then said But you've got to respect him eh? Fighting the way he does. It's pretty bloody impressive. Kia agreed. the General asked her if she wasn't angry at the blue wolf for blowing up her train and Kia said well obviously she was very unhappy about that and of course she wouldn't invite the Blue Wolf to tea or anything, but she had a very healthy respect for him and people like him. Strangely I felt my heart glow with pride for my dad. When I was training with Master Pakku he said that one of the highest honours you can give an enemy is your respect. He used the most peculiar phrase and said that: An enemy worth the conquering is a joy to fight. I hadn't quite understood it then.
Kia asked if there was anything I could do for her leg aside from sun poppy tea and rest (which is what her physician had prescribed her). Reluctantly I said no and put her foot back gently on this little stool that Lily's husband had brought. Lily handed her little Kuzon back and he clapped happily and grabbed his mother's hair. Kia bounced him up and down on her shoulder and smiled at me and said thanks for having a look anyway. I felt a little stab of guilt. I can't mend severe broken bones yet, because I left my training with Yugoda too early. I didn't instinctively feel exactly what I should do for her. Sometimes, uncannily, I just know what to do, but in this case I didn't want to do anything in case I made it worse for her. Also, most importantly, at this party I was a simple colonial from Gapian, not a waterbending healer, so there was nothing I could do anyway.
I could have eased her pain though. I am good at that. I could have made the water flow around the breaks and made everything a bit easier for her. Oh I wanted to so badly and it was one of the hardest things to look her in the face and say I couldn't help her (wouldn't help her). It felt wrong to me. It felt like I was leaving a part of myself behind, the part of me that would never refuse help to someone who needed it. It's healing quite nicely I told her encouragingly.
Well, that's good, but enough about me Kia said briskly tell me about yourself dear girl? Where was I from, who was I travelling/staying with, How did I know everyone here?I tried to keep my answers vague and told her I was from Gaipan and me and my cousins were here staying with our other cousin, and we had all met Rena and Rei and Rozin yesterday (I nodded at Lily) and they invited us to the party – Well I am exceedingly glad they did, Kia said happily. Lily said that Rena and Rei and Rozin would not stop going on about us last night and so she had been rather keen to meet us herself. And she was glad her kids had found some friends on the island. Especially Rei, because the poor girl had been so nervous about meeting other people because of her bending. But now she'd made friends and one of them was a firebender. I always said she just needed someone to show her the basics patiently and the rest would start coming to her – Lily said fondly. Honestly after yesterday, she was so much more confident and she talked non-stop about that cousin of yours. It's more words than I've heard out of her in two years. I've half a mind to send him a fruit basket to say thanks She said with a gentle smile.
Kia asked Lily if her dad was still going to teach Rei? Now that he had retired, he was going to have lots of time on his hands. Lily said she hoped so. The General piped up that he thought General Zan was looking forward to getting to know his granddaughter a bit better and would definitely want to teach young Rei. I saw an opportunity to try and steer the conversation back to more military things, because I was still trying to find out more information. Zuko had said it was really weird that all the generals were retiring and it would be a good thing if we could find out why. So I poured myself another cup of tea and asked the General why he was retiring. He said had enough of it I suppose simply, but in a way that sounded like that wasn't the whole story.
I tried again and said that my cousin had said that it was really unusual for six generals to retire at once and looked at him questioningly. Kia said that my cousin was right and that was why they had to celebrate this auspicious occasion properly. She was still not really answering the question. Lily scoffed and said look at you two, still terrified to say a word against him, even here. The General looked a little rueful and said she'd been in the colonies too long, she'd missed Ozai's Wild Ride. My young lily, you don't understand how much fear that man inspires. Lily said that the firelord was so unforgivably rude to her father when he invited him and forbade all his cronies from coming. This party was a firelord free zone and so the general could speak freely if he wished and Ozai would never know. she said that last bit quite conspiratorially.
Apparently her father, General Zan had been letting loose every evening after a few wines and saying six years worth of frustration. I know my dad quit because he thinks Ozai is a fuc-She glanced at me and the baby, coughed and continued – pucking pastard who doesn't give a flying puck about sound strategy, good governance or the people of the firenation and he's a pucking psychopathic prick to boot.
Kia said that she thought a swear word slipped through there, smiling at her friend. Pucking psychopathic puckwit. Lily corrected happily. I was beginning to wonder if she was a little drunk as well. But she was holding it together very well.
Lily encouraged General Kazin and said Come on, you're in a firelord free zone!Get it off your chest, let us know all the juicy details. She said encouragingly. Just don't swear in front of the baby or our young friend here. Kia added as she cuddled little Kuzon. The General looked a bit unsure and then said bugger it and took a big swig of his wine and said that he thought Firelord Ozai was the WORST firelord the country had ever seen. He was a crazy, rude, violent, egotistical, narcissistic, cowardly, overbearing, selfish, stupid, had no understanding of either military or domestic policy and the General had been wanted to tell him to shove it up his arse for six long years. He gestured wildly with he wine bottle, emphasizing his points while he said all this and as soon as he got to the end of his speech he took another swig and said that it had felt good to get that off his chest.
Honestly there is only so many of his crazy -I want to be supreme ruler of all and everyone will bow to me- speeches that a person can take. The General waxed poetic about what a great Firelord general Iroh would have been, but we all got stuck with Ozai instead. Ozai- a man who couldn't even love his own children. He sighed sadly and rubbed his daughter's shoulder and said I should have left long ago, you know. I just don't trust a man who can't even love his own children. Kia held baby Kuzon a little tighter as he said this. She inhaled sharply and said Poor Prince Zuko, what a tragic mutilation. He could've been handsome once a little sadly. The General nodded in agreement and said that poor lad very quietly.
They were talking about Zuko. My Zuko. They were saying he could've been handsome once, like it was past tense, like he wasn't handsome now. I had the most irrational thought, an anxiety deep in my tummy, that Zuko was nearby and hearing this. I knew this was impossible and he was at home with the kids, but still I became illogically worried that he'd overhear these people.
At the same time, my curiosity was completely piqued. These people knew how he had gotten his scar. All I knew was that his dad had done it, but I didn't know the why, when or how of it all. Truthfully I had been waiting for Zuko to tell me. I had always figured he would when he was ready. But we had been to the southern raiders ages ago and I still didn't know any more now than I had then. Maybe he'd never be ready to tell me. I had wanted to know since I first saw him actually and I think I have been very patient re: this. I've never really bothered him about it because he is just so sensitive about everything scar related. This wasn't the sort of information we had come to the party to find out, not at all, but that didn't mean it wasn't something I desperately wanted to know. Zuko probably didn't want me to know, otherwise he would have told me by now. I mean we talk about everything else! But I was bursting with curiosity. It had just come up randomly in conversation, it's not like I sought this out, but now that the opportunity had been presented to me, I had to take it.
What happened to Prince Zuko? Lily beat me to it. She said she heard about him getting banished, and apparently he'd brought that on himself, but Kia and the General were talking about mutilation. You didn't hear about it in the colonies? The General asked, a bit perplexed. Lily said that they only hear what Ozai wants them to hear in the colonies and all the news from home is always severely edited. I agreed with her and said I hadn't known what happened either.
The general said Oh, it'll ruin the party for you ladies, it's not a good story very gently. But Kia gave me and Llily another glance and then whispered in her father's ear (I obviously wasn't meant to overhear, but I did because I am so wily) – they're going to be living here now and Lily's sassy. If she's going to be living here now, it would probably be better that she knows what kind of man Firelord Ozai is. She isn't in the colonies anymore. Kia and her dad had another conversation with their eyes and then the general said Well, I guess it is old news to most people here anyway. Then he took another big sip of wine, cleared his throat and began.
It was three,years ago. It had been Prince Zuko's first war meeting and he'd only been such a young thing. General Buijing – Oh what an odious man- Kia interjected. Anyway, the general continued, General Buijing had put forward his usual ducklings and hawks strategy. –Ducklings and hawks? This time I interjected. Oh it's his battle strategy – he was famous for it the general said with some disdain. He started to arrange our tea set on the table while He explained. You get few division of new, untrained recruits- they're the ducklings you see – he put a cup down- to distract you enemy forces , who will hammer away at them, he put another cup down and clinked it against the first. And while they are distracted by the ducklings, your elite firebenders, they're the hawks, move in from behind he lifted up the big tea pot a little over the second cup and mimed smashing it over the first two cups and then it's all over –
The ducklings normally get absolutely slaughtered, but that's the whole point of the ducklings. There are other ways to win battles, better ways, ways that don't involve so much wasted life. But Ozai likes the Ducklings and Hawks strategy. And Lily started going on about how she thought that the duckling and hawk strategy was why they had to do a fourth round of conscription in the colonies this year (normally they only do one round of conscription a year, but this hadn't been a very good year for the firenation, despite what all the posters were saying.)
Anyway, the General continued, Prince Zuko hears about the ducklings and hawks for the first time and is suitably horrified and says this is a terrible plan, tragic waste of human life, not fair to knowingly send people to their deaths, blah blah blah. Most of us agreed with him, but it wasn't his place to speak out. General Bujing takes offense that his oh-so-brilliant-plan is being questioned by a child and the Firelord takes offense that someone has dared speak out of turn in his illustrious presence and got ridiculously angry and declared that there is only one way they can settle their differences – Agni kai! Which in itself raised a few eyebrows because, ya know, Bujing was a seasoned warrior…dueling a 12 year old kid…Then for reasons known only to Ozai himself, the morning of the Agni Kai, he takes General Bujing's place, so he can fight his own son in front of everybody.
As soon as the kid realized he had to fight his own father, he asked for forgiveness instead. Said he was a loyal son and only had the nation's best interest at heart and what not. But Ozai really wanted to fight and the kid refused to fight him. The kid was kneeling and Ozai said something to him, said he was going to teach Prince Zuko proper respect and he–here the General shuddered – he punched the kid in the face with white fire, second hottest only to blue and the most painful. He wanted to really hurt his own son, which in itself is horrible enough, but what happened after wards really...the General balled his fist around his wine bottle and took another swig.
The kid lost consciousness pretty much straight away, which I guess is a small blessing, and General Iroh tried to go to him but Ozai wouldn't let him. Wouldn't even let the Royal physician up. Said he wasn't finished yet. Then he just stood over the kid and laughed like a maniac for ages, until everyone there, even old General Bujing, has gotten the creeps good and proper. Sent shivers up my spine, him laughing like that. Never seen anything as dreadful in my life.
Then Ozai puts the crazy cherry on top of the psycho sundae and gives this speech in which, he basically said to all of us gathered there If you disrespect me in any way, not matter how small your slight, you will meet the same fate! This is the price of disobedience, this is the price of disrespect! I will not show mercy. You have all been forewarned. And then he walked away quite calmly, like it was just another ordinary day at the palace. The general paused and looked away for a second and muttered Crazy motherpucker under his breath.
They say he went straight to his office and drew up banishment papers and signed them before the kid had even been moved to the medical wing. Told everyone it was because the kid had been weak and disrespectful and had shown that he had no honour by refusing to fight.It appeared the General had finished his story. He took another swig and apologized to me and Lily and said it wasn't a good story, but he hoped that Lily understood why people who had been in the firenation for the duration of Ozai's Wild Ride, were a bit reluctant to speak out against the man.
Lily was horrified and said that they hadn't heard anything like that in the colonies. They had heard an entirely different story which painted Ozai in a much better light. The General said she'd missed out on a lot of the recent royal scandals living in the colonies. Missed all the irregularity in Ozai's coronation. Missed lady Ursa "disappearing".Missed Princess Azula being caught shoplifting. With that family, it was always one thing after another.
I didn't say anything. I just let them talk over me. I was cold with horror. I just...oh Zuko. My poor Zuko. He never even...I had no idea...how do you even begin to recover from something like that. He never talks about how it happened and now I know and It's too terrible. I almost wish I didn't know again. I felt a wave of nausea that was rising. I didn't feel confident enough to speak. I was feeling actually a bit breathless, like I had run along way. So I stayed quiet while the ladies and the General talked around me and poured myself another tea. The cup shook ever so slightly in my hands. I had never even imagined something so horrible.
Lily still didn't understand how Ozai was Firelord and not Iroh, especially if his succession was so questionable. The General sighed and said that General Iroh was never the same after his son died. He came back from Ba Sing Se just a broken man. He could've pursued the throne more vigorously when he first came back. All the generals would have stood by him. We told him we were willing to go to the wall for him and his right to the throne. But Iroh didn't want to be firelord and he certainly didn't want to start a civil war over it, and he said he was tired of bloodshed and would much rather play pai sho with the kid and drink tea. He tutted and said honestly, if wasn't for General Iroh being so fond of Prince Zuko, Ozai wouldn't have bothered to banished the kid in the first place.
We were all a bit aghast at this statement. The general explained about his theory of Ozai's big gamble. Back in the day, basically even though Ozai was the firelord, everybody-who-was-anybody at the time, liked and listened to General Iroh more and it drove Ozai to distraction. He started firing people left, right and centre and elevating his own cronies and keeping favourites and even when he had half stacked the war council with his mates, the other half (the more intelligent, better half the general said, pointing to himself) still looked to Iroh to lead. Ozai tried to get rid of him all different ways, but Iroh's a bit too smart to "fall down the stairs" conveniently. So Ozai offered him nice positions all over the world etc but Iroh announces he'd prefer to stay at home and around the kids. Everyone thought Ozai was a bit of weak firelord at the start. He'd opted out of his national service as a young man (Royalty were given that option) and so the generals and the war council did not respect him. Ozai had the ambition, but he didn't have the presence. He didn't command respect the same way his brother or his father did.
So he needed to prove he is big and strong and tough and that he won't tolerate people disrespecting him, scare some respect out of people and get rid of Iroh. The General counted these goals on his fingers. Burning and banishing prince Zuko got him everything he wanted. The general closed his hand. He scared the shit out of us that day and no one has made a peep about his legitimacy since, everybody kowtows to him whenever he walks past and he gets his own way with everything, - because he's a crazy motherpucker and as a general rule it's better not to upset crazy motherpuckers - and Iroh chose to take early retirement and go with prince Zuko for his banishment instead of staying in the capital, leaving us all permanently stuck with Ozai as Firelord because there is no viable alternative, at least until Princess Azula turns sixteen and even still, she's a crazy motherpucker as well. He finished with a said shrug.
They started to talk about the sorry state of the firenation but their words just washed over me now. I couldn't pay attention at all. Maybe if I had been able to listen, I would have learned something helpful but I just couldn't think about anything or anyone else but Zuko. I slowly finished my tea, but it tasted so bitter in my mouth. I had nearly dried off and their conversation was continuing without me. I could take my leave of them and get up and go home and see Zuko. That's all I wanted to do.
I thanked them profusely for the tea and their hospitality. I said that they had really put on a nice party. A flicker of sadness crossed the General's face and then it cleared and he said, yes, we may as well enjoy it while we can-
I cannot enjoy it at all. This was a lovely party, Fireflies and lanterns everywhere and nice music and everything was pretty and suddenly I couldn't enjoy it at all, because this terrible, horrible heartbreaking thing had happened to Zuko and he'd never let on at all.
Now that I knew this thing, I couldn't unknow it.
How could his father have done that to him? I wanted to go home. I wanted to go find Zuko and hold him and hug him and say that I was so sorry this had happened to him. The reasons the General had said did make some sort of sick sadistic sense, but still. There is a real darkness and craziness in Ozai that I'd never even guess at, never even thought possible.
Didn't even want to know about.
-?-
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
terribly, frightfully long and rambling authors notes. mostly about the firenation.
Lovely wonderful beautiful readers! This is a honking big chapter and if you've made it to the end of it then enormous congratulations! So this is the party chapter and this is how I think Katara would find out about how Zuko got his scar. I don't think he'd ever be able to tell her himself, so it had to be a third party. I think Zuko's really not even begun to emotionally deal with what happened, much less talk about it. I don't think he'd even feel inclined to talk about it anyway. He still thinks, deep down, that what happened somehow shames him. He hates being pitied. He doesn't like big emotional talks. In some fics he just fesses up to everything, and these fics can be great and well written, but I couldn't picture it happening in this one. I don't know, I just don't think Katara would find out from Zuko telling her. I always thought she'd find out about the scar from a third party. And that Agni Kai area is crowded, there are hundreds of third parties who saw what happened.
This chapter also fleshes out some more firenation politics/social structure and what I see as the motivations behind what Ozai did. To all my brilliant, wonderful and fabulous reviewers – mad love! Thanks you guys! Your feedback is always valued and appreciated and it makes me smile so widely to read all your comments. Reviews are the best Christmas present for me.
Happy holidays season to everyone and sorry if I've put a bit of a bummer on the festive season with this gloomy chapter. But I think that the story of how Zuko got is scar is a very sombre one and I wanted to do it justice (and also explore what firenation people thought about the whole thing). I have also introduced the K family and the mother of Rena and Rei and Rozin. Sorry If General Kazin comes off like Captain Exposition. But someone has to tell the story.
The K family, General Kazin, his daughter Kia – her husband Kalin and baby Kuzon are here to give us some exposition! Yay Exposition. I wanted to provide another look at firenation society and the K family are firenation through and through, though Kia and Kalin have spent some time in the colonies. So in my imagination Kia and Lily are old friends, probably met at school and have known each other for years. While Lily married very young during her first year of national service and went to live in the colonies, Kia probably went what was seen as the more traditional route. Did her service, came back to the firenation, married a respectable firenation dude etc. But she and Lily still kept in touch and when her husband got offered a good posting in the colonies, Kia when with him and started visiting her friend again.
What is Hakoda doing for these final few episodes? In my imagination, he's in the earthkingdom, he is without his band of manly water tribe warriors, but he has Chit Sang, Haru, Teo and the Duke. He is a clever and charismatic leader and I think he would have attracted some followers and some shenanigans and Fire Nation sabotage and rebel attacks would have been orchestrated. Hakoda, to me, in these final episodes would have been almost a one-man band version of the french resistance. His kids are fighting the war and so will he. I think he's got a bit of a reputation around the colonies and colonials have a fair bit of healthy respect for the Blue Wolf. But whenever you derail a train, people get hurt. And even though he is fighting the good fight etc, Hakoda's various attacks would have caused casualties. And one of these is Kia.
I think Kia is a bit of a daddy's girl and so we get to meet her dad, who is conveniently one of the generals who is retiring. While Lily and her father have a slightly more strained relationship (years of estrangement etc- ooh also the father of the three R's is in the firenation too, I just didn't have much cause to reference him. But I included him in this chapter for those of you wondering about his safety.) but Kia and her dad have a really good relationship and communicate very well with each other. As soon as General Kazin knows about the crazy plan, he makes sure his daughter comes home. There is a snag because her husband has used up all his leave, so daddy dearest has been pulling all his strings to get extra leave for his son-in-law.
Kia does not want to miss out on her dad's party, but she has a very young baby and she doesn't want to leave him with a babysitter and she has been severely injured. To those of you wondering regarding the age gap between the three R's and Kuzon – it is because Kia met her husband a lot later and they had difficulty conceiving. But Lily would have said it was fine to bring the baby along, we'll get you a comfy chair and we'll just chill out all night. Don't stay home like a sad panda. So Kia came, and brought her baby and she only put him down for a second – but some babies move quickly- honestly, take you eye off them for a second and they can shoot off. But all is well because Katara comes to the rescue!
Naturally YMMV on absolutely everything and feel free to disagree with me completely!
So I watched the storm a few times and had a bit of a think and this is what I came up with. What Ozai does to Zuko is pretty horrific. But I think it must be at least a little calculated, which makes it worse. I think hurting kids is one of the last taboos. It is something that is always seen as pretty much completely unacceptable across all cultures and systems of governance. Hurting kids always gets a very visceral reaction out of people and even in more brutal dictatorships, if children are going to be hurt- it is going to be behind closed doors, or in a place where people can't see them. People are always appalled by violence towards children.
The firenation is not some completely evil place and I think physical abuse of children would be frowned upon there. There is no corporal punishment in the school system after all. In the school system at least, which I think is more representative of the societal values as a whole, rather than crazy Ozai's child rearing tactics, they value their children's emotional and physical well being enough to not strike them when they are disobedient. Lets face, if they did cane in the firenation; poor, sweet, noisy, rambunctious Aang would have been getting 20 lashes before the day is through. But as it is, they just call his 'parents'.
So to me, this says that physical child abuse is a no-no in the firenation. But Ozai very publicly and permanently physically abuses Zuko. Hhhhmmmm. This has given me thoughts.
The fact Ozai disfigures, burns and then banishes Zuko says a lot about him as a person and a father, the fact that he does it very publicly and in front of a huge crowd of his Generals and the society elite says a lot about him as a firelord and a leader. By doing something so horrific, so publicly – he is sending a message to those people there. He means business. He does not have mercy. He will not hesitate to completely ruin people who go against him. Zuko has only very lightly disrespected him and in a very round-about way. I got the impression that this is something Ozai could have easily let slide. But he chooses not to. He is making an example out of Zuko, because Zuko is his son and the prince, people probably expected Ozai to go easy on him, but Ozai is very clearly demonstrating that he does not do 'going easy' on anyone.
I think Ozai hated Zuko just a little bit and was glad to see the back of him and wanted him out of sight, out of mind. Also Azula is the favourite and he needs to get rid of Zuko somehow for her to assume what Ozai sees as her rightful place: very next in line to the throne. So there is that reason. but more importantly than any family connection to Azula, I think Ozai is trying to secure his own power base.
The most emotion we see from Ozai is when he feels that he is being disobeyed. (eg the most worked up he gets is when he shouts at Zuko YOU WILL OBEY ME! in day of black sun. He snaps at Azula when she questions his judgment in making her stay at home). Obedience and respect is a huge thing with him and I reckon it is because he found it very hard to get that from people. People who have earned the respect of others, who are respectable in and of themselves, very rarely need to engage in public demonstrations of strength. But Ozai has something to prove to people.
I think people in the firenation were fully expecting Iroh to succeed Azulon and were a bit miffed to get Ozai instead, especially because the way Ozai becomes firelord is super dodgy! Sudden last minute will change and then the death of his father and his wife disappears. It looks very suspicious to anyone even playing the slightest bit of attention. I think there would have been a lot of gossip and rumours going around and probably not a lot of love or respect for Ozai as a leader. Sure there would have been lip service etc, but I think the upper-echelons, who had been fully expecting Firelord Iroh would have been a bit thrown by the whole thing. I think Iroh, being Iroh and just a bit awesome, probably inspired people with confidence regarding his leadership abilities and he has a proven record in battle, is a shrewd strategist. He is the first son, but he is also the logical choice as an heir and I think the people in the firenation fully expected him to take over.
But instead they get Ozai. I am very firmly of the belief that Ozai is rather cowardly (he only fights kids, is always hiding in his palace, never goes out into the world to properly face his enemies until the day of the comet, etc). I think that in such a militaristic and patriotic country there would be optional national service for the upper classes and mandatory conscription for the lower classes. Ozai opts out. He doesn't have a military title aside from just being the Firelord, which I guess makes him commander-in-chief by default. Iroh is a proven General, people respect him and he would have just been there, hanging about, being respected by the people, while everyone is mostly just pretending to respect Ozai.
This is going to drive Ozai bananas.
And lets face it, Ozai is a bit unhinged to begin with.
I think that historically, there have been all and sundry mad kings. Often they live out their reigns and bankrupt their countries and shake everybody up a bit. When they get disposed, there is usually a great deal of shenanigans, but often they live out their reigns and I think this is because they rule at a time when there are not many alternative rulers/heirs. But as soon as a likely heir is of age, these mad kings "fall down the stairs" etc.
The firenation is in a similar situation because they are pretty much stuck with Ozai after Zuko gets banished. Zuko and Iroh are gone and the only heir is Azula and she is quite young and also crazy. That whole thing about Ozai handing power over to Azula is a head-scratcher for me, because at 14, she is too young by anyone's standards. 16 is normally the youngest anybody rules autonomously. So I reckon Ozai was making the position of firelord superfluous and would still act as firelord/regent whilst he was "the phoenix king."
okay, I'm just going to put this out there – anybody else think Ozai has a narcissistic personality disorder? The man just makes up his own title for goodness sake!
I think the fact that Ozai is a bit nuts is no secret in the firenation, but because it is an absolute monarchy, there is not much they can do about it. They are stuck with him. Also Ozai rules by fear and has created a climate in which people would be afraid to speak out against him. He has elevated arse-kissers and yes men and all the sorts of people who will agree with him over everything. Some of these people will no doubt agree with Ozai and share his world view (Zhao, Bujing) but I think a few of the are clever politicians and are doing what they can to get by in a new world order and if getting by means kowtowing and paying lip service to a crazy man, they are ready to get down on their knees. I have previously said that I think there would have been a fair few 'disappearances' by people who disagreed with him. Disappearances always frighten people and I think after a while, mutterings and dissatisfied rumblings would have stopped, or being muttered really quietly in the safety of ones home. Zuko's mum – she disappears and nobody knows what happened to her at all! That would be a pretty big deal! She is a very public figure, member of the royal family, wife of the crown prince and she disappears the night his father 'dies' and there is not a trace of her. I think the fact that a very public figure like Lady Ursa can vanish without a trace would have really worried people. If Ozai can make Ursa disappear, he can probably make anyone disappear.
General Kazin is a bit reluctant to say what he really thinks of Ozai, but he's been sitting on his dissatisfaction for six years! And the party is a Firelord Free Zone (I think Ozai banned all his cronies from going as well) and this is the first time the General has had a chance to say what he thinks of the firelord, in a long time. So he lets loose a little. For those of you wanting to put a name to a face, in the storm, when General Bujing announces his 'ducklings and hawks' plan– I imagine General Kazin was the guy who said but the 42nd is entirely new recruits with some indignation.
I think that while Ozai had very successfully ruled by fear for a while now, earlier on in Ozai's reign, there would have been a great deal more dissatisfied rumblings, especially from the upper echelons. I think that there is a bit of brainwashing and indoctrination and propaganda in the firenation, but that doesn't work on everyone, especially the ruling elite. I think that there were lots of people who wouldn't buy what Ozai was selling in those early days. Especially because technically, he did cheat to get the throne. It's obvious he did something sneaky! But no one knows quite how it went down. People turned to Iroh, but I think Iroh was honestly fed up and tired of bloodshed and had very little interest at that point in his life in being firelord. I think Lu Ten's death was a huge blow to him and I think I changed him greatly, especially his priorities. He doesn't want to start a civil war, he just wants to play pai sho and drink tea and mourn.
I noticed that in Zuko's various rants, when he is really upset at his uncle, he often calls his uncle lazy. I think this comes from what he overheard as a kid. After Iroh returned, I think the majority of people would have wanted him to step up and formally challenge Ozai, but his failure to do so is probably what lost him more respect than his failure in Ba Sing Se. After a while, the sympathetic 'oh his son just died, give him time and he'll come through for us '– would have changed to -'what is that lazy old man doing, just drinking tea again!' I think people were dissatisfied with Iroh's inaction, and this is where he gets the lazy moniker from.
Anyway the way I see it, Burning and Banishing Zuko was Ozai's attempt at showing what a strong tough leader he was and trying to shut up all the nay-sayers but scaring the shit out of them. It worked. he was trying to get rid of Iroh because he's pretty sure that Iroh will go with Zuko and that worked. it's a win/win for Ozai.
Another random thing I noticed from the dialogue is that while Zuko and Azula always refer to each other as brother and sister, I don't think Iroh ever refers to Ozai as 'my brother' but instead calls him by his title – the firelord. Even when he talks of killing Ozai as a brother killing a brother – he still does not use the possessive 'my'. I am not 100% sure about this actually, will have to do a re-watch, but I noticed in several scenes where it would be easier to say my brother, Iroh still says the firelord. Maybe he says brother once or twice which will shoot holes in my theory, but here it is anyway. My theory is that Iroh and Ozai have pretty much cut all ties, they no longer consider each other brothers. Maybe Iroh publicly denounced him, or maybe privately they told each other to shove it up their arses. Either way, they no longer see each other as family.
Zuko and Azula on the other hand, while they are on opposite sides of the war, have not cut any emotional ties at all, for them to still be able to affect each other the way they do. They constantly refer to each other as my brother or my sister. I am an Azula apologist after all and I want to think there's hope for her. I'd like to think that the fact that they still see each other as family (however dysfunctional their relationship) will mean that eventually they will be able to repair their relationship. (eventually- they both have a lot of crap and issues to deal with). I also think it is a nice juxtaposition that while Play!Azula says 'you are no longer my brother!' Azula at the Agni Kai says I'm sorry it has to end this way brother. I don't know if she means it or not, but still, it was just something that struck me as interesting.
Anyway, now Katara knows how Zuko got his scar and next chapter she is going to want to talk to him about it. He will not want to talk about it. At all! and there will be shenanigans and emotional conversations and cuddles.
Til then lovely readers...