Wooa. I'm so sorry. To make up for this, I compounded what was going to be two chapters into one extra-long one. I don't know if that makes it better or what.
I promise that I will never leave it that long again. I won't let myself.
Also I got my inspiration back. I WANT to write. I've been writing every night for the last two weeks, something that hasn't happened since I was about eighteen. (And I'm twenty now so yes that was a while ago. I'm old, I know.)
I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. It's kind of the final 'set-up' if that makes any sense. Now, FINALLY, I can get to what I've been wanting to write about all along. A mere 160,000 words into the story.
I realised also that I wrote chapters 16/17/18 over a year ago. Which means that in story time, it's only been two nights. In real life, it's been more like eighteen months. Unfortunately, my writing reflects that a lot, I think. But I'm sure you all can get over it. I'm sure as hell not writing it again, har har.
I suppose I should shut up now and let you all read. And disclaimer etc. etc.
"Well, you look like something the cat threw up."
"Thanks." Jin muttered sullenly, arms straining to push the clothes through the chemical-laden water. "I feel pretty damn fantastic, actually."
"Really?" Lien paused as she analysed her sarcastic friend, eyes widening as they settled on Jin's injured hand. "What happened?" She gasped aloud, pulling in. "What did you do?"
"Nothing!" Jin hissed, withdrawing her hand quickly. "Look, don't draw attention, Mrs. Chan will take me off the line and Ma can't afford to go without."
"Okay, okay." Lien backed off, alarmed. She couldn't resist, however, and after a few minutes of careful stirring, she leaned in again, whispering in Jin's ear, "I heard about your brother?"
"What?" Jin jerked awkwardly, boiling water sloshing down the front of her dress. She yelped, scalded, and pulled the rapidly cooling fabric away from her skin. "Wh-Who told you?"
"Relax." Lien waved her hand. "Meilin told her brother Bolin, who's been going around with Mingzhu for months, and she told her cousin Mei, who told Jia, which is a totally bad idea, everyone knows what a gossip she is, but she kept it relatively quiet and only told her crowd at the spinners, and I ran into Liqin on the way to work, and cos she knows I work with you she told me to tell you congrats and when's the celebrations?"
"Celebrations?" Jin murmured vaguely, trying to untangle the somewhat complicated social web that Lien wove around her head. "For what?"
"Your brother, duh!" Lien blinked. "Come on, when has anyone ever escaped from the Dai Li after so long? I can't believe you didn't party last night, girl."
"Oh." Jin shook her head. "I guess I didn't... You heard other things though, right?"
"Oh yeah, that stupid rumour about the Fire Nation?" She lowered her voice for the last two syllables. Jin's stomach tightened. "No one believes that. I know they tried to drill through the Outer Wall, but the Avatar stopped him. There's no way they could ever get in. I wonder who spun that stupid story..."
"It's not a story." Jin's voice was stiff and tight. Lien stilled. "It's not just a stupid rumor..." She leaned in, very close. "The Earth Kingdom was overthrown and he fled the Palace. It's the Fire Lords daughter on the throne."
"Tch. Yeah." Lien rolled her eyes, returning to the metal vat of bubbling clothes, heavily stained fabric that required the stains to be literally cooked right out of the material.
"It's true." Jin laid her injured hand on Lien's arm. "I was there, and so was Meng." The other girl slowed her movements, turning to look her friend in the eye. "I know you don't want to believe it. I sure as anything don't want to either. But it's true, as true as anything. I don't know when they're going to actually secure the city but it's going to be soon. You have to be careful Lien, trust me."
"You can't be-"
"Serious? I am." Jin's voice shook. "Everything you heard is true and it you don't regard it, you're dead. We thought the Dai Li were bad, we don't know what we're in for." Lien's face sank, the colour of bone.
"Wh-Why were you there?" the sixteen-year-old's voice was small, and piteous. "Why you? And your brother? What... What happened?"
"Unimportant." Jin brushed the question off easily. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe the right place. But Lien, please promise me that you'll keep your head down. And my brother... You're still seeing him?" A nod. "Please, he won't listen to me. I'm only his sister. I'm only a few minutes older than him, he never pays attention to me, really. But he will listen to you if you make him. You know how he feels about the city as it is. The invasion will only make him feel worse. He'll try and rebel, and he'll end up getting killed. And Ma can't take that." Jin didn't mention herself. "It terrifies her, thinking that he'll get himself executed for trying something rebellious. And he will. Of course he will."
"He's been talking about it a lot." Lien gave the other a sidelong glance. "He said that it was the perfect time, the Avatar was back and with us. He would back up the common people. Jiro was so sure that it was the time. A lot of people were agreeing with him, too."
"I know. I heard." Jin murmured grimly. "It won't work. Revolution, I mean. Whoever takes over, will be worse. Power corrupts. It would have to be a really strong person to sit on the throne and not go mad with power."
"Yeah. Jiro said that." Lien murmured. "He said that we had to get rid of the King altogether, and establish a new order, where we elect not just the government officials, but everyone, even the person who ruled. And it's not just those in the upper and middle ring who can vote, but everyone, even women."
"He said that?" Jin was worried. "Don't tell me he's been going around the bars saying that, please." She had no idea. When it came to the social scene, Jin was starting to get a little out of touch. "People with radical ideals go missing, and Jiro already has a record."
"No way. Sheng and I make sure that he keeps his lips sealed. I don't exactly want to see him disappear either, you know." Lien's eyes lowered to the vat of steaming clothes, cheeks flushing. It was a long period of silence before she spoke again. "Do you know when it will happen? The invasion proper?"
"No idea." Jin breathed. "Depends on how close to the city they have all their tanks and forces. It could be tonight. It could be a week away. Just... Stay indoors and make sure your siblings don't wander off." Jin referred to her friends' four little sisters. "Not that I'm one to give advice. Lee knows more about this than anyone."
"Oh, right. Your little foreign boy."
"He's not foreign." Jin frowned. "He's from the Earth Kingdom, like us."
"Ha. If you're from outside the city, you may as well be from the other side of the world." Lien said. "Not knocking him, it's true. But he's been through this before, right? A lot of refugees have. Spirits, I feel worst for them. They came here to try and escape from it all and now it's happening all over again. What if they raze the city?" Her eyes were wide and fearful.
"It's too big." Jin explained. "It would be more effort than it's worth. Better to just enslave us and reap the financial benefits. I mean, look at this factory. It won't go out of business. We may end up washing the clothes of Fire nation nobility. Or they could manufacture something else I guess. Process steel, or manufacture weapons or machinery-"
"Ugh, stop it!" Lien stamped her foot. "Please!"
"All right." But Jin breathed it so lowly, that Lien didn't hear. Not wanting to further the conversation, her own resolve starting to crumble, Jin found the waterproof gloves, lead-lined that ran to the elbow, protecting her from the boiling water, and began to remove the chemically-treated cloth from the bubbling vat. It went into another metal tub, three feet high and two wide, which, when full, was pushed down the line to the girls working the cold water rinse.
I'm not deluded. Jin was adamant. I know things you don't. Aang isn't dead. Not completely. And Zuko... I'm not sure what his role is yet. He doesn't know either. But he has to do something. He's far too important to sit back and let this happen. And I know that he'll change the War, not the Avatar. At least, I hope. He won't cave in on us. Not now. Not when we need him most. I'm sure... I hope...
Maybe I am deluded. I'm building him up when I need to remember he's only human. A young, damaged human, with serious emotional problems that aren't going to go away. I'm amazed he hasn't just chucked it in yet. I would have.
Then, that's the difference. He's as stubborn as hell and doesn't let anything get him down. And, I'm jealous for that. He can go on alone, even if it's not very well. He can still do it. I just crumble and reach out blindly until someone can pull me back up. She didn't understand that her view of Zuko was idealised, that he was nowhere as whole as she imagined. He was in pieces and it was only pride that stopped him from exposing his true inner self.
She continued the menial labour quietly, perfectly happy to indulge in a little delusion.
"Mama! Mama you have to see this!"
Ugh. Why did Zuko say that he would be willing to come to this stinking, rat-infested square again? The people, the noise, the smell. It was worse, far worse, than the thickest, most crowded main street in the city. This square had nearly thirty wooden stalls crammed into the space, constructing a confusing maze of narrow walkways, where Zuko was pushed, kicked and jostled, struggling to keep his grip on the heavy sack of rice.
"In a second." Zuko pressed his sleeve over his nose as a particularly noxious scent, in the form of an extremely unwashed old man with a crutch and one leg, hobbled by. Rotting flesh. No wonder infant mortality was high and they were lucky if they lived past fifty. The man's amputated leg should have been sealed with a red-hot iron. Instead, it had been left open to putrefaction and disease, leaving the man dead in less than a month and probably infecting those who had close, regular contact with him.
"But Mama!" Chang's voice, high-pitched, barely rose above the din of the square. "It's so cute! This man has a little white monkey and it's playing a drum! You should see its ears, they're huge."
"Chang, be quiet!" The woman snapped roughly, turning back to the fishmonger. Zuko waited patiently, shrinking back from the crowd, trying to breathe through his mouth. "Lee dear, here's the key, can you ta-"
"I'm on it." He almost snatched the large brass key from her outstretched hand, pushing it into her pocket. Zuko repositioned the rice so it slung over his shoulder, seizing the child's bony little wrist. "I'll see you soon." She was absorbed in her haggling with the fishmonger over a string of lean smoked fish, their dead glassy eyes reflecting the early afternoon sun and hurting Zuko's eyes.
"Lee, you have to see it." Chang implored the teenager, tugging at his hand and turning in the opposite direction. "It's not like the other monkeys, it's special. Do you have any food for it?"
"Chang, I..." Zuko sighed. "All right, okay. Whatever." He hadn't been around children much in his life, but he knew enough to let them have their way when they nagged. "Show me this white monkey." Zuko paused. White monkey? Only white monkey I've ever seen was...
"It's over here!" He pulled his hand free, his sweaty palm slipping through Zuko's fingers, pushing his way through the crowd. Zuko panted to catch up, his shoulder aching.
"Chang, no!" Zuko became exasperated. "Look, we have to go, I told your mother I would take you home! Please, I want to get..." His voice trailed off when he saw the little white lemur standing on a very worn blanket, a chain leading from his ankle, snaking three feet across the blanket into the hands of an elderly man, nearly blind, who sat cross-legged against a high stone wall. ".. home." Zuko's knees weakened. That can't be... Aang's lemur? It's not the last one left, They're rare but not extinct, it could have been the old man's for years...
"Isn't it cute?" Chang knelt beside the lemur, watching it play. "I want it... But Mama says we can't afford to keep a pet." Zuko stared intently. Damn... What was it's name? What did Aang call it? Bobby? Bobo? No, it had an M... Mimmy? Mamba? Mimi? Momo?
Momo! Zuko threw down the rice and knelt beside Chang, one hand grasping a corner of the sewn sack. "Momo?" Zuko ventured carefully. The gloomy looking lemur finally lifted its' head in recognition, and upon seeing Zuko, recognising his scent arched his back and narrowed his eyes in a hoarse kind of hiss. Startled, Chang leaped back, eyes wide.
"He doesn't like you." The child noted, misunderstanding the expression on Zuko's face. "It's okay, he's probably just shy."
"... Yeah." Zuko felt hollow. It was Aang's lemur all right – and it hated him. Of course it did. He had been there when Zuko attempted to defeat Aang, again and again. He didn't know much, if anything about lemurs, but they obviously weren't stupid. Of course he was going to pick up his scent and recognise him as an enemy. Zuko felt hollow. What could he do? The poor thing looked awful – bedraggled, nursing a cut on one leg, and a gunky-looking eye, ears drooping. He had to do something, even if it meant stealing from an ancient, half-blind beggar.
No need to be so drastic. Zuko remembered the small collection of coins hidden inside his clothing. The wages Uncle Iroh had given to him. He still had a couple of gold coins left. No doubt it would be more money than this old man had ever seen, much less possessed. True, he didn't want to spend the last of his money buying back a lemur that hated the sight of him, but he had no other option. And it'll be perfect. The others will have to accept I've changed if I've managed to rescue and look after their lemur. How could they still call me a jerk?
"Hey." Zuko raised his voice, directing his attention to the elderly beggar. "How much for the lemur?"
"Huh?" He lifted his head, and looked at the teenager, bleary-eyed. "No. Not for sale..."
"I have money." Zuko pulled his hand out of his clothing, showing the gold in his hand, which glinted very plainly in the noon sunshine. Chang's eyes widened. "You'll never get this much peddling a miserable monkey." The elderly man stared very hard at the money in Zuko's hand, his lip trembling. "Great." Zuko didn't bother hanging around, seizing the chain and thrusting one of the coins in the withered, gnarled hand. "Chang, take it." He yanked the chain free, against the young boy's chest. The old man didn't argue, or struggle, to fixated on the small fortune in his hand. Chang accepted the lemur with a squawk, unable to utter a word. "C'mon." He slung the heavy sack of rice over his shoulder, and took a firm grasp of the child. "Don't let it go." Chang clutched the squirming lemur close to his chest, arms trembling.
Zuko's hands trembled as he led the child back through the higgledy-piggeldy maze of the marketplace. He thought he saw Shan shouting at the fishmonger, gesticulating wildly, but she was swallowed up in the thick press of smelly peasants.
"Why did you do that?" Chang said breathlessly the moment they turned into a side alley. Zuko paused and leaned against the wall, taking a breather. "Where did you get the money?"
"People get paid a lot more in the Upper Ring." The sun was almost unbearably hot. "And I did it because that lemur belongs to someone very important."
"Like the Earth King?" The boy's eyes widened. "Or one of the Ministers or Generals or-"
"No, not anyone like that." Zuko cut him off quickly. Momo had grown limp in Chang's arms. Maybe he realised that the little boy wasn't out to hurt him, or maybe he'd accepted his fate. Maybe it was shock. "It's... A friend." Why didn't he say that it was the Avatar? Not to a child. He would probably go telling everyone, what four year old wouldn't? "He'd want me to look after it." He straightened up, kicked himself off the wall, straightened the sack of rice. "Come on, let's get home. I want a drink." He took Chang's hand and continued to march down the narrow side alley, hoping his sense of direction was right.
"Hey."
Meng didn't look up from the table where he crouched, one hand propping up his elbow. Jin closed the door behind her quietly, leaning against it for a moment in sheer exhaustion. She noticed the glumness of her brother and straightened herself, a frown creasing her forehead. Dai Shi, a man she hadn't seen in years, sat beside her brother, in an attempt to console him. Jin gave him a short greeting, but her attention was drawn to Meng, who looked near tears.
"What happened?" She breathed as she sat down on the other side of Meng, resting a hand on his arm. "Dai Shi, where did you go?"
"Found his old girlfriend." His voice sounded heavy. "It... Yeah. Not good. I should have done a bit of looking first. My bad."
"What? I didn't even know you had a girlfriend Meng." Her hand tightened. "You never said anything. What happened? She's not... Well, dead, is she?"
"Worse." Meng's voice shook. "Married." His head slumped into the table, arms folded underneath his face. Jin winced. "I thought about her every single damn day and she's married!" He straightened himself, face bone-white and chin trembling. "To some bloody official twice her age! She was married off to the man who had his nose furthest up Long Feng's ass and I can't-" Meng gritted his teeth, burying his palms into his eyesockets. "Fuck."
"O-Oh." Jin's ears were ringing, a violent storm of guilt thrashing in her stomach. She was at an utter loss for words. She tried to speak, string together a sentence, but only strangled fragments of words tumbled from her lips, and she shut her mouth and ducked her head, embarrassed. It wasn't just us he lost... I never even knew there was a girl...
"S'okay man." Dai Shi murmured. "Not like Mi Yin is the only girl in Ba Sing Se. You'll find someone else to-"
"I don't want someone else!" Meng shouted. He was crying. "I want her!"
"Then have her!" Jin shot back, getting excited. "Take her back, crawl into her bedroom in the middle of the night, explain everything, and spirit her away back to your hideout and-"
"Oh Jin, shut up." Meng snapped. "It's nothing like that. She doesn't even know me. Know how we met? Dai Shi, Tao and I stole the clothes from a nobleman's laundry and snuck into a garden party. We did it nearly half a dozen times before I got... Yeah. Well, I met her twice, three times. We didn't even... Ugh, I was deluding myself. It was stupid, of course it was, but we kept getting away with it and we kept going back. She probably doesn't even remember me."
"I think you impressed her." Dai Shi remarked. "You were good-looking and interesting and she swallowed all the lies you told."
"Don't remind me." Meng muttered. "I lied til my tongue was black... She thought I was studying economics and rhetoric at the university and my father was an official. If she knew that I was a peasant..."
"So what?" Jin challenged, getting riled. "Are you saying that class actually matters? That birth right matters more than personality and physical appearance? Are you saying that the son of an Emperor couldn't date a pauper?" She made sure that he was looking her in the eye.
"That's different." Meng turned away. "And He's not really an Emperor... Well, yet. Look, she's married now, so I just have to forget about it." He closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. "Look Jin, I kind of just want to be alone with Dai Shi at the moment. You don't get it. It's different. I appreciate the sympathy but it's just not helping. Please."
"Oh, all right." Jin heaved herself up with a long sigh, and dragged her aching body along the passage and into her dark little room. She'd been at the box-mangling again that day, the muscles on her arms, neck, and shoulders inflamed and throbbing, utterly weak. She planned on collapsing into her bed, maybe getting an hour or so of sleep before her mother would inevitably come home and set her to work. She wondered where Zuko was. If she was less tired, she would have gone to look for him.
As Jin slid the door closed, shuffling across the dark room with the closed skylight, her toe knocked into something big, heavy, and judging from the sound, hollow. Eyes struggling to adjust in the gloom, Jin was able to make out a vague dark shape, rectangular, squat, and wide. In confusion she reached for her stool, and mechanically put it under the skylight, stepping up and unlatching the little wooden hatch. Too tired to push it up, Jin let it hang, bathloads of sunlight filling the room and hurting her eyes.
It was a trunk. Jin stilled, staring at the wooden carvings on the lid for a few moments before crouching down so she could study them closer. The colour was dark, cherry-wood, probably, as it was very reddish. The designs themselves were ornate, rows upon rows of severe, geometric patterns, circles and squares, inexplicably the current fashion in furniture design. The latch was very heavy, made of brass, and unlocked. She drew it carefully, and lifted the lid slowly, half-afraid of what she might find. She never once thought to respect someone's privacy and let alone, or even to go in and ask Meng who the trunk belonged to. As far as she was concerned, it had been left in her room, and she was free to examine at will.
There was a brass hinge on the trunk and the lid stood up of its own accord, hanging like an open mouth. Jin wasn't quite sure what she was expecting, but she was pleasantly surprised at what she found. A couple of richly woven blankets. A large silken cushion. Glass jars of spices, perhaps, or tea leaves. Plates and bowls in pristine white gleamed up at her. A few handsomely bound books. A Pai Sho set in a box laden with gold. Half a dozen silver spoons. A teapot painted with a couple in love under a blossoming tree, and several gold-rimmed cups to match, in a chocolate-coloured wooden box. A few sets of robes, some that looked to be for a portly old man when she held then up, and others that looked to be for a boy. A small bejewelled figurine of a bird. A scroll with the picture of a young man she hadn't seen before, surrounded in letters that were completely foreign. Jin took everything out of the trunk, holding it up to the light and examining it closely. She opened the lids of the jars and sniffed cautiously, finding them to be a range of teas, some strong and bitter, some very sweet and rich. All had their own addictive smell, and she found herself taking big sniffs of the aroma again and again. She studied the cushion closely, running her fingers over the embroidery and tracing the patterns, feeling the silk threads under her skin. She leafed through the books, struggling to pick through the narrative but failing, too many of the elegant characters alien to her. She shook out the blankets and wrapped them around herself, testing their thickness. They were very warm. Jin spent nearly half an hour examining the belongings in the tiniest detail. She had never even seen such luxuries before, let alone had the privilege to examine them at her own leisure. Her curiosity grew as she carefully stacked the belongings around her in careful piles. Who did they belong to, and why were they in her room?
Finally, she lifted a little wooden box from the bottom of the trunk. It was plain, the catch basic and without a lock. It looked like it would contain letters maybe, or jewellery. No, jewellery would be in a nicer box amongst these belongings. Nevertheless, her heart quickened a little in excitement as she slid the catch. What did the plain little box hold?
At first, when she opened it, Jin was disappointed. It looked like junk, a few scraps of paper, a brass ring, a few copper coins, spare toggles for clothing, a whetting stone, a nail, a small jar of strong-smelling cream that Jin unscrewed and sniffed cautiously, pulling a face. It smelled familiar, yet she couldn't quite place it. She rifled through the box, but could find nothing of note, until she pushed aside the junk and realised that the box itself was shallow. Very shallow. With a frown, she upended the box on the ground, getting a little careless, and with her nails managed to prise free the false bottom of the box.
Again, she faced initial disappointment. There was a heart-shaped rock, made of a black, volcanic stone. It looked like a largely natural formation, which had been smoothed and rounded at the top and tapered at the end to form a definitive point. She ran her fingers over it gently, feeling the rough, porous surface beneath her skin. It was very pretty, and looked as though it had been given to the owner of the trunk as token of love and affection. Jin set it aside, and too the piece of paper. Folded in half, it was thick, and yellowed a little. It looked as though it had been wet at some point in time, had been torn into pieces and glued back together, and was slightly warped. Jin unfolded it carefully, her breath seizing in her throat as she stared at the three figures in the picture. It was an ink drawing, soft, intimate, finely crafted and exquisite. A man standing under a tree took up the centre of the picture. He was smiling, his hand on the shoulder of a woman resting on a bamboo stool. She held an infant in her arms, a thick little thatch of black hair covering its tiny ivory forehead. She was smiling, and it seemed genuine. All three wore thick robes, even the child. Jin's eyes were drawn to the headpieces worn by the man and the woman. Made of gold, they resembled idealised flames. Her heart felt sick as she ran her fingers over the figure of the child, stomach tightening in realisation. Whose trunk it was, and whose picture this belonged to. This is Zuko.
She folded the picture quickly, and looked up, aware that she was snooping, paranoid that someone could be watching her. Of course, she was alone, but just to be sure, Jin arched her neck and looked up at the skylight. After a few moments, she slowly unfolded the battered picture, this time focusing on the face of the man. Fire Lord Ozai. It was clearly old, if the infant in the mother's arms was Zuko, and Ozai himself couldn't have been older than twenty. The artist had reconstructed his face perfectly. But although he was smiling, there was something in his brow, his eyes, that chilled her. She'd never seen someone with such cold eyes.
At least Zuko doesn't look like him. Jin let out a long breath. His face was shorter, his jaw slightly more square. If anything, he looked more like his mother. Jin frowned, drawing the picture close to her eyes. She thought that she'd seen that face before, somewhere. Probably on Zuko. Eventually, she replaced the picture and the heart-shaped rock, and pressed down the false bottom of the little box. Jin put everything back, the odds and ends in Zuko's plain box, the blankets, the jars of tea and spices, the clothes, the books. It took nearly ten minutes. Finally, Jin slid the brass latch back into place, and settled back on her haunches with a sigh.
Right, bed. She rubbed at her eyes, and straightened slowly, pushing at the kink in her back. She pushed the trunk up against the wall. Jin couldn't be bothered hanging up her clothes, so she let them puddle on the floor as she pulled them off, and flopped onto the mattress in her underwear. The day was growing hot, and she couldn't sleep without a blanket. Jin settled down with the blanket at her waist and stared at the patch of clear blue sky, thinking.
They looked so happy. Even with those horrible eyes. And young. How old were they when Zuko was born? Seventeen, eighteen? She knew that they married off girls in the upper classes pretty young, but usually the men were older. Perhaps it was different with princes. But the Earth King wasn't even married yet, just promised to a noblewoman down south who was due to come up for the wedding in Summer.
Like that was going to happen. Jin snorted. Now the city was taken, it would probably be broken off. Who would want to marry a Royal with no kingdom?
Well I... Jin could feel her cheeks growing hot. No. I'm being presumptuous. We're just kids ourselves.
And so were they. She closed her eyes, mind growing fuzzy. But I bet it wasn't by choice. Never is up there. That's something we got over those snooty bastards.
Then again, a lot of the time, it's hardly a choice for us either.
"Hey." Zuko was a little surprised to find the door already unlocked. Meng was halfway through a game of weqi with a boy his own age, a stranger to him. Meng looked up from the board and nodded a greeting to Zuko, a little taken aback by the fifty pounds of rice slung over his shoulder.
"Oh, hey Lee. This is Dai Shi. Lee, Dai Shi, Dai Shi, Lee." They both nodded, Zuko standing somewhat awkwardly, the weight of the rice hurting his shoulder. "I didn't know today was gonna be rice day." Meng said quietly, feeling stupid and guilty. "I should have helped you."
"Don't worry about it." Zuko groaned as he let it fall to floor with a thump. "No offense, but you're not exactly strong at the moment. You'd probably break your back."
"Two of us with busted backs, just what Ma needs. True." Meng's eyes widened as he finally realised the lemur squirming a little in his youngest brothers' arms. "The heck? Chang, where did you get that?"
"I bought it." Zuko dragged the rice over by the cupboards and the warped benchtop where a very limp, empty sack lay crumpled in the corner.
"Why?" Chang leaned against the door to close it and stood still, unsure of what to do. "The landlord doesn't allow pets."
"The landlord can deal with it." Zuko said flippantly, approaching Chang. "I know who it belo- Ow!" Momo bit him in the hand as he tried to reach for the chain clasped around his angle, hissing. "Dammit Momo." Zuko shook his hand, wincing.
"Why doesn't he like you?" Chang reared back slightly, afraid of getting scratched or bitten. "I thought you said it was a friends."
"I may have been exaggerating." Zuko muttered. "I can't get that thing off him if he won't let me near it. Meng, can you..."
"Haha, no." Meng snorted. "Sorry Lee, but I'm not going near that flea-ridden thing. I'm not getting a lemur bite. Wake Jin up and make her do it."
"Is Jin here?" He sounded a little overeager. Meng suppressed a smile.
"In her room, sleeping off work. She's been dozing for ages now, so go get her up or she'll never get any sleep tonight." Meng turned his gaze back to the weqi board, frowning. "Oi! Dai Shi, put that back." He had cheated, moving one of the pieces while Meng was distracted. Their playful bickering faded to a murmur as Zuko turned into the hallway, making his way along the dingy little passage and into Jin's room.
She was still asleep. Lying on her side with her arms stretched across the pillow and legs splayed out all over the mattress, the blanket a munched mess at the foot of the bed. The patch of sunlight had worked its way across the room, now illuminating her torso. Zuko let out a strangled noise in his throat as he closed the door, face going very red. She was wearing almost nothing, not even the thin little underdress that struggled to cover her thighs. He should have looked away. Why wasn't he looking away? Instead, he took another step towards her, hands trembling. And another. And another. He'd never seen so much of a woman before, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her breasts, her thighs, her stomach. His stomach felt as though it had melted. As he approached the bed, Zuko sank to his knees, his legs turning to jelly. Agni, she was beautiful. He didn't even realise that his hand had moved until he felt the warmth of the sun in his fingers. Zuko rested his fingers on her skin with a feather-light softness, his breath seizing in his throat. Slowly, he flattened his palm against her, and ran his hand over the curve of her body, along her thigh and into the soft arch of her stomach. Her skin wasn't as silken as he expected – he could feel the slightest fuzz of hair underneath his fingertips. He was having the most disgusting thoughts. He wants to pull of what remained of her clothes and... Zuko shuddered. It was sick. How could he want to do that to her, even for just a moment? Zuko's hand trailed up her side until he brushed her shoulder. Jin groaned at the touch, her eyelids flickering. He let out a little strangled cry in his throat as she sleepily rubbed at one of her eyes.
"Hi." Zuko murmured lamely, snatching his hands away and burying them in his sleeves. "Um... Sleep well?"
"Mmmm." Jin's eyes hadn't yet cracked open. She extended an arm blindly, fumbling around until she caught Zuko's wrist. She squeezed it affectionately, and finally opened her eyes. "What's up?"
"Um, not much." Zuko looked determinedly down at his knees. He wasn't going to ogle her, not while she was awake. "Just helped your Mum with some stuff at the market."
"Aw, aren't you sweet." Jin yawned and sat up slowly. Zuko lifted his eyes in time to see her arch her back in a magnificent stretch, her chest thrust out and back arched. He dropped his gaze almost immediately, face flushing. "Pass me my dress." Zuko mumbled and nodded in assent, fishing it out from the mass of drab cloth puddle on the floor. Jin stood up to pull it on, pausing to kiss Zuko on the top of his head, and inadvertently pushing her breasts in his face. Zuko screwed his eyes closed and held his breath, feeling light-headed.
"You okay honey?" Jin pulled on her underdress and wandered across the tiny room to put on her good clothes. Zuko coughed and nodded silently, trying to clear his whirling head. "Come on, what's wrong?"
"I just..." Zuko's tongue felt clumsy, and too large. "I'm fine." He didn't want to verbalise his thoughts. She didn't need to know of his sickening desire to violate her. He looked up, and forced a smile. "Just brooding. Anyways, I came and woke you up for a reason. You have to help me. I found Aang's lemur at the market and I ha-"
"You what?" Jin's eyes widened. "How? What is he doing here? Why didn't they take him?"
"I'm assuming he was left behind." Zuko sighed. "They were really caught up in the heat of the moment, Momo would have been the last thing on their minds. It's not that he's here that I'm worried about, it's that... He kind of knows who I am, if that makes sense. And he won't let me near him, but he's looking pretty bad."
"Ooohhh." Jin nodded. "Okay, I get it. And my brother is being lazy and won't lift a finger to help?" Zuko shrugged. "Ha. Sounds like him. 'Course I'll help." She left the skylight open, pushing at the door. "Where exactly did you find him?"
"One of the marketplaces." Zuko followed her into the living room. "Some beggar managed to get hold of him but I bought him off with my leftover wages." Jin had to smile as she saw Chang holding the lemur somewhat gingerly, arms outstretched.
"It won't bite you, Chang." She said, taking a few steps towards Momo. "Hey there little fella. You don't look so good, do you? Come here, we'll get you cleaned up." She took Momo off her brother's hands, cradling the lemur as one would a child. "Lee, can you get me a bowl of hot water with vinegar? Chang, find me some rags." She knelt down at the table. "Meng, find me some nuts or seeds or something that he can eat." With a sigh, Meng stood up, knees creaking. "Let's have a look at you..." Placated by the soft, feminine voice, Momo didn't scatter about when Jin set him down on the table, looking first at his ankle. "Okay, let's see... This lock doesn't look hard." One hand went to her hair and she extracted a pin. Inconspicuously heating up the water over the stove, Zuko watched as Jin used poked and prodded the lock with her hairpin. "Dai Shi... The pincushion over there... Chuck me the darning needle." She put it between her teeth, taking a few moments to scratch Momo behind the ears. Meng set a half-filled jar of chestnuts on the table and returned to his game, scratching his chin in thought. "There we go Momo." He reached for them greedily, cramming them in his mouth two at a time. While he was distracted, Jin manipulated the lock with her makeshift tools, and with a clunk, the manacle fell heavily on the table.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Zuko set the steaming bowl of vinegary water down before Jin, and stepped well back.
"Lock-picking? Meng taught me." She gave her older brother a nod. "It's not hard, with small locks like that, especially. The key would only have a couple of teeth." Jin took one of the scraps of cloth, steeping it in the hot water. "Do you know what you're going to do with him yet, Lee?"
"No." Zuko shook his head, arms crossed. "But I know you're not allowed pets."
"It's not like the landlord does an inspection." Jin explained. "It's just that we can't really afford to feed another mouth if we can help it, especially an animal. If you explain to Ma and Dad that it's the Avatar's lemur and you'll feed it, then I think they'll be all right with it."
"Wait, what?" Meng blinked. "The Avatar's lemur? How the spirits do you know that? And why the heck would it be here and not with them?"
"I don't know." Zuko bit his lip. "I've seen it before, and it responds to the name Momo, so it's got to be theirs. I guess in the middle of everything, they forgot about him. And anyway, what were they meant to do? They fled for their lives." And left us... Not that I didn't deserve it. "They couldn't stop and search the city for him."
"It makes sense, I g-ow!" Jin yelped as the vinegar came into contact with her wounded hand, and gritted her teeth, trying to tough out the pain. "Owwwwwww..." She shook her hand, blinking back tears. "Oh crap, that hurts!"
"Are you okay?" Zuko made to move towards her, but stopped, realising that he had to be careful with his movements around Momo.
"I'll be fine." Jin shook her hand, breathing through clenched teeth. "Just give me a second." She eventually returned to dabbing Momo's eye with the vinegar, holding the squealing lemur in place. "Um Lee, I think you're making him nervous." She looked apologetically at the teen, wincing. "It uh, might be best if you left."
"That's fine." Zuko nodded. "I was thinking that... At some point... I should probably go and speak to some friends of my Uncle."
"Will they be able to break him out?" Jin looked up from Momo. Her brow creased. Zuko gave a shrug.
"Hopefully." His voice was very small. "They'll have to do something... He can't stay where he is and I just feel so bad..."
"Lee, go talk to them." Jin said softly. "I'll look after Momo."
"You sure?"
"I suggested it, didn't I? Lee, it's killing you, I know it is. Go talk to them and see what's going on. They might have more information, too."
"All right." Zuko nodded slowly. "I won't be long."
"Take all the time you need. I know it's important to you." She gave him a smile. "Good luck."
"Thanks." He would have hugged or kissed her, but thought the better of it, owing to the lemur she was carefully dabbing at. He gave a goodbye to the others with a short nod, and slipped out of the apartment silently, trailing his fingers along the wall so he didn't stumble and fall in the darkness.
Zuko kept his eyes down and hands in his pockets as he made his way to the Dancing Monkey, doing his best to keep to side streets and away from any dodgy-looking people. He still wore his upper-ring clothes, which he intended to trade at some point, hopefully later on in the afternoon, for something a little more basic, knowing they simply made him a target, giving the illusion of wealth that he simply didn't have. And the last thing he wanted was to be spotted by the Dai Li. As far as he could tell, walking down the narrow maze of streets, no one else yet knew about who really sat on the Earth Kings throne. They still talked and laughed, haggling cheerily over produce whilst endless throngs of children jostled about at his waist, screaming. When is Azula going to announce things? Why hasn't she done anything yet? Zuko chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully, one hand drifting subconsciously to the swords at his waist. Maybe she's waiting for some physical forces. Troops and tanks and the like, so she can actually secure the city. Right now, Ba Sing Se could probably overpower the palace, if they were organized and informed enough. Who knows.
Zuko paused outside the building, the faded wooden sign of the monkey hanging above the door. Taking a breath, he first tried the door, but, finding it locked, knocked sharply on the panelling three times, held for two seconds, then knocked twice. He waited for a little more than a minute. Finally, Minsheng opened the door a crack, suspiciously. When his gaze caught the teenager, he froze, and after a moment of surprise, pulled open the door, wordlessly taking Zuko by the sleeve and yanking him inside.
"Why are you here?" He hissed as he relocked the door, Zuko straightening his clothes somewhat sulkily. "The Avatar's bison was reported leaving the city yesterday!"
"Clearly, I wasn't on it." Zuko muttered, feeling somewhat petulant at the way he was being spoken to.
"And why... Spirits this is a mess." Minsheng took Zuko's arm, marching him through the higgledy-piggeldy of tables and chairs, behind the bar, stacked high with glasses and cups he was in the midst of wiping, through a back door into a store room, piled nearly to the low ceiling with crates of alcohol. Minsheng brought Zuko round to the back corner, taking the metal crowbar which had seemingly been thrown thoughtlessly on the floor and wedging it in the joint of the wall, which began to roll aside with a low squeak.
"Good disguise." Zuko remarked as the sliding door was opened wide enough to receive the pair. It came out more sarcastic than he liked, causing him to wince. "Really though, it is." Minsheng gave a sound of annoyance in the base of his throat, pushing Zuko into the blackness. Instinctively, he summoned a small flame in his hand, looking confused. The steps didn't do down into some sort of basement, as he suspected, but upwards. "Why not underground?" He enquired aloud as Minsheng began to march up the stairs.
"Underground, you're surrounded by rock." Minsheng explained. "It makes the Dai Li much easier to find you, because they can trace your vibrations through the earth. That, and it's damn dark and cold. This is just another apartment that you can find in the second and third floors of the building, but it can't be accessed any other route, it's completely walled off. From the outside it looks like just another room. And there's twenty-eight apartments across four floors in this tiny building, so it's not as though they can count the rooms. It's much more secret and undetectable than any basement hideout."
"That's... ingenious." Zuko murmured as he followed the man up the second flight of stairs.
"Trial and error." Minsheng ran his hand along the wall. "A lot of trial and error. The Dai Li like to think that they've stopped all secret meetings, but the White Lotus has always remained two steps ahead."
"No one ever specified how big this thing goes." Zuko stared into the tiny flame crackling in his hand. "How many members are there, exactly?"
"No one knows," was his response. "No one person knows the identity of all its members, not even your Uncle. And it's not as though there is a register of all names. Far too dangerous. My brother and I take care of business inside Ba Sing Se, and we couldn't name twenty of our own fellow members. And that's how we like it."
"I guess." Zuko murmured. "Then how come you're taking me up here? Last time Uncle spoke with the White Lotus, I wasn't allowed in."
"This isn't White Lotus business." Minsheng turned onto the last flight of stairs. "This concerns every soul in the city. That and your Uncle trusts you. He holds you in his highest regard, you know."
"Great." Zuko groaned, his chest burning with a fresh surge of guilt. "That's... That's just great." He watched as Minsheng turned the key in the low door, the narrow hallway erupting in light as the little apartment was exposed. Zuko stepped inside carefully as he extinguished the small flame, blinking as his eyes struggled to adjust to the light.
"Look what the cat dragged in." Jing looked up from his desk in the corner of the little room, finding Zuko in the doorway. "What is he doing here Minsheng?" A tall figure, delicately sipping a cup of tea at the table, looked at the teen in confusion.
"That's what I intend to find out." He guided Zuko to the low table. "What do you take?"
"Anything that's not Jasmine." Zuko responded quickly, taking the swords from his waist before he sat down. Minsheng raised an eyebrow at the request, knowing the Jasmine was Iroh's favourite brew, but said nothing. Kuei, sitting opposite the former Prince at the square table, set down his half-filled up with a frown.
"Minsheng, who..."
"Oh, yes." The man carried the steaming post of tea from the stove, setting it before Zuko, the cup dangling from the spout. "Your Majesty, this is Prince Zuko. He's Firelord Ozai's only son, who turned traitor during the winter after killing Admiral Zhao. He and General Iroh are allies of the Avatar. Zuko, this is Kuei, the Earth King." Minsheng dispensed with the introductions in a hurry, taking his seat at the table quietly. Jing get up from his desk and followed suit, taking the fourth seat, so they formed a little ring of conspirators and collaborators at the square table.
"Pleasure to finally meet you." Zuko said warmly, extending his hand across the table to an ashen-faced Kuei. The young King did not return the favour, looking at Zuko as though he were a snake. Zuko merely sighed, and retreated, pouring out his oolong tea. "You've got a problem with me." He murmured bluntly before taking a tentative sip.
"Y-Your sister-"
"Is a psychotic monster and I haven't had anything to do with her for years." He cut over Kuei rapidly. "I was there, I know what she did. For Agni's sake, she killed Aang." Zuko set down his teacup, aware that everyone else in the room was in a state of silenced shock, three sets of wide eyes focused on him intently.
"What?" Kuei was trembling. "What do you mean killed, I don't..."
"He took a bolt of lightning to the chest." Zuko recited in a bland monotone. "Azula took him to be a goner and left him to die, but Katara managed to stop the worst with her healing. When they left me though, Aang was bad. Some organs burnt out, bleeding all over the place, irregular heartbeat... If he's still alive, it's a miracle." He took another sip of his tea, his shaking hand evident. "I thought someone would have told you by now. Haven't you heard anything?"
"Not from the palace." Jing said faintly, head in his hands. "Azula has that place locked up tight. Everything we know we heard from His Majesty. And the sighting of the bison."
"Damn." Zuko muttered. He didn't want to be the one to have to say anything, but what other option was there? "Well... I spose I better tell you what happened in more detail."
"A good idea." Minsheng agreed, casting a concerned look Kuei's way. At the news of Aang's injury and likely death, he sunk into a pale silence, looking glazed and hopeless. Zuko gave the young King a look of pity. He knew better than anyone, anyone, the pain Kuei was experiencing, having his throne seized from under him, sent into shameful exile.
"Well... It actually started two nights ago." Zuko started, pouring himself another cup of oolong. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, having some apprehension towards the often bitter tea. "When this uh, girl I've been seeing told me about her brother..."
"Azula?"
The timid voice in the doorway sent the Princess' heart racing. Her heart skipped a little, but she kept her face impassive as she turned away from the arched window, raising one eyebrow to indicate she had heard Ty Lee.
Azula was jumpy. Ty Lee saw it in an instant, noticed how her shoulders scrunched up for a second as she jumped, and her hands, folded neatly behind her back, clenched into fists. Azula, although highly skilled in the art of composure, had her tells and Ty Lee knew them all.
"I was wondering about the Earth King's bear..." The younger girl ventured as she walked into the airy room, furnished very sparsely with a few sticks of carved wooden furniture, and two large tapestries hanging on the walls. Ty Lee thought that Azula had been staring out the window, but she saw the large wall-mirror positioned against the left wall, and realised that the Princess had been sneaking cautious side-glances of herself, examining out of the corner of her eye her posture, her poise, and how she held her head. She was trying to do it now, her eyes sliding to her right, neck turned in an almost indiscriminate angle. This was bad. Something in Ty Lee's stomach turned. Azula wasn't vain – well, she was, but she wasn't the type to spend hours flattering herself in a looking-glass. She was checking up on herself, to make sure that she appeared in an outward state of calm and grace.
"What about it?" She'd been scared by something. It took a few seconds for Azula to answer, and her eyes seemed to be glazing over. She wasn't focusing on Ty Lee, she was less alert than usual. This was not good. Ty Lee turned and swing the heavy door closed, brass hinges creaking.
"Forget it." Ty Lee made sure the door was firmly shut before approaching the other girl. "Azula, what's wrong?"
"I don't know what you mea-"
"Something's up." She cut over Azula without a thought, and in shock, clapped a hand over her mouth. She'd never done something so disrespectful before. Azula had also been perturbed by the thoughtless, momentary lapse, her eyes widening. "Sorry." Ty Lee declined her head and shoulders in a slow bow. "I don't know what came over me..."
"I sent a letter to Father." Azula's voice was very quiet. The hairs on the back of Ty Lee's neck stood on end. A cold prickle trailed up her spine. She sounded so scared. "Informing him of our victory over the Earth King."
"Excellent." Ty Lee beamed. Azula nodded, eyes lowering down to the ground. Her shoulders sank a lot, and there was an odd stoop to her neck. Around Ty Lee, she didn't bother to maintain her perfect posture.
"I explained that my uncle has been arrested and captured, and will return with us to the Homeland." Azula's breathing was slow and even. "That Zuko has defected completely, and joined the Avatars allies... and that the Avatar himself is dead."
"He'll be so happy to hear that all!" Ty Lee was smiling, trying to cheer Azula up. "What's wrong with that, you've done everything your father instructed you to do!"
"... I'm not sure." Azula finally admitted. Behind her back, her nails dug into her palms. "My brother... He said that the Avatar was alive, that they saved him in time..."
"How?" Ty Lee frowned, finally recalling what Zuko had said. "He had to be bluffing Azula. I mean, lightning to the chest? No one can survive that." She added, trying to boost Azula's morale. "Even... Even if he somehow, miraculously, was revived, I don't think he could stay alive. He looked really bad, Azula. There was blood everywhere." And the smell of burned flesh. Ty Lee had never smelled it before, and even remembering the rancid stink made her skin crawl. She was trying to block it out, the image of the dying child and blood and the smell. In the pit of her stomach, it just didn't sit right with her. Wasn't there some other way to take care of him?
"Yes. I suppose." Azula only sounded half-convinced. "But Ty Lee... Speak of this to no one. I was too rash when dictating the letter... The scribe asked what I should write about the Avatar and I panicked and snapped he was dead. I was furious at the stupid mans' insolence and when I recollected myself, the message had already been sent."
"Oh." Ty Lee didn't know what to say. She had never heard of Azula losing control in such a way. She didn't fully realize, however, how tightly the Avatar tied in with Azula. She had to succeed where her brother had failed, she had to prove herself to Ozai or else he would think her no better than Zuko. Perhaps Azula could have gotten together a small army after overseeing the complete invasion of Ba Sing Se, hunted the Avatar down, and killed him, or at least, made sure he was truly dead, but now the message had been sent, Azula was bound. "But... They said his heart stopped didn't they? He was bluffing. Or Lying."
"Trying to get a rise out of me." Azula turned away from Ty Lee, and faced the mirror. "If he was attempting to trick me, it was a pathetic attempt. But then." Her lip curled. "Everything he does is pathetic. That peasant girl!" She let a small snort of laughter pass through her lips. "Pathetic." Azula repeated, hammering the idea home in her mind.
"Exactly." Ty Lee blindly agreed with Azula, as she always would. Sometimes, her approval seemed cheap in its consistency, but here, Azula appreciated it. "Don't let him, or the Avatar get you down. Look at what you've done! We've tried for a hundred years to conquer the city, and thrown countless lives and resources at it, and you managed to overthrow everything with no cost! Your father is going to be so proud of you, Azula."
"I hope so." Azula was staring intently at her reflection. She raised her shoulders again, straightening her neck. "It doesn't take much to turn him against you." Ty Lee bit her lip. "Even a few words out of turn..." She shook her head. "Agni, he was stupid."
"I never thought he would turn out like this." Ty Lee said quietly. She knew who he was talking about. "He always did what he was told, kept his head down, stayed out of the way..."
"Of course he did, Father scared him stiff." Azula muttered. "He cracked. He slipped up. And he paid for it." She swallowed. Her ribs still hurt from the day before, and when she took a deep breath, a fresh stab of pain would plough into her side. They were broken, she would have to get them looked at by a doctor. Damn that stupid peasant.
"What was it you wanted, anyways?" Azula raised her voice, the finality in her tone indicating that the previous conversation was now over. For the moment, it had been swept under the rug, an ugly paranoia of the Avatar escape from the jaws of death prodding dangerously at the back of her mind. "Something about the Bear?"
"Oh, yes!" Ty Lee clapped her hands, remembering. "Well, it belonged to the Earth King and he's missing and I know all about platypus-bears from the circus and I was just wondering if-"
"You can have it?" Azula cut over her. It was well within her rights. Ty Lee faltered, and nodded earnestly. "Sure. Spoils of war, you're perfectly entitled. I've heard it's hideously rare, but it won't interest Father, he doesn't enjoy animals. Just keep the thing away from me and it's all yours."
"Thank you!" Ty Lee looked as though she were going to hug Azula, but thought the better for it, judging from her current mood. Instead, she took her leave with a low bow, and left the door open behind her, her cheery humming slowly drifting along the vaulted hallway.
Azula sighed deeply, and approached the mirror. She stared at herself, all in green, her hair done up simply and without any armour. She missed her scarlet and black robes, her headdress and her gold-edged armour and even her boots. Her eyes flickered down to her flat green shoes, lip curling in distaste.
It doesn't take much to turn him against you. Azula's forehead felt hot as she recalled her previous words. She pressed her face against the glass, feeling a little relieved. It was very cool to the touch, almost soothing. I just need to keep a lid on this. Root out those damn peasant siblings and the blind freak and get rid of them. Quietly. She cursed herself for her moment of weakness, swearing at the pig-headed scribe and marching off without eloquently rounding off the letter. The stupid Earth-Kingdom scum – but he paid dearly for his impertinence. Even so, she would get Ty Lee to transcribe her letters from now on.
Breathe in, breathe out, keep your posture straight and chin up and never give anything away in your face. Azula ticked the instructions off in her head. Everything would be fine. She could easily take care of this.
"All right." Minsheng took the sketch Kuei had drawn of the Palace, tapping the pencil stub against his chin in thought. All four leaned over the table, staring at the diagram which Minsheng laid out in the middle, pushing the tea things aside. "So you think that General Iroh would be hidden here?" He made a mark on the page. Kuei nodded. "Okay. And this is thick stone, no one can get in without earth bending. The problem is the Dai Li. This place is going to be guarded like nothing else. No one will be allowed in or out. In fact, we would have better luck arranging a disguise than breaking in, but that would be impossible. The Dai Li all know one another by face."
"How about some sort of underground assault, through the sewers?" Zuko suggested. He took the pencil and drew in a few guidelines, marking in the systematic manhole entrances. "We can sneak in undetected and then avoid a confrontation."
"How?" Jing argued. "The cells are made of metal. That whole wing is metal-plated, specifically to avoid any possible breaking in or out from earth benders. And apart from what you said about that Toph girl, I've never heard of anyone bending metal."
"Well... Okay... How many would it take to overpower the Dai Li? How many contractors could you afford?"
"Not enough." Minsheng sighed. "Nowhere near enough. You know what the premiums would be for a job like this? If it's caught, it's torture then death. It would be compare able to a years' wages for a line worker."
"Volunteers?"
"Ha." Jing shook his head. "For a Fire Nation general? In Ba Sing Se? No. And the members of the White Lotus, at least, those we know of, are not exactly in the fighting condition. You need the strength and reflexes of the young to overcome the Dai Li. And an earth bending ability that outstrips theirs, which doesn't exist."
"Well..." Zuko looked frantically at the drawing. "What about some kind of diversion? I could cause a really big distraction, down at one end of the palace, which would give a few others enough time to break out my Uncle."
"You would be captured." Minsheng said flatly. "And then sent back to the Fire Nation and face a traitors' death."
"Well, I-I don't care!" Zuko's voice caught. "I-I would rather be captured if it means that he's free!"
"Zuko, you don't mean th-"
"Yes, I do!" His head sank into violently trembling hands. "I do mean it. He's the one that deserves to be free. Not I. He's the one that always did the right thing and kept true and I am the one that made mistake after mistake. I'm still making them! The world would be better off with him and not me."
"Zuko." Minsheng spoke firmly and solemnly. "I am not going to allow you to try and trade yourself off for your Uncle. For one, do you think it would be something that he would condone? After everything he said?" Zuko was staring at the tabletop with his head in his hands, silent. "Also, you're damn important in this war and you know it. The effort that your father is going through to make sure you're captured proves it. Did you know your reward went up?"
"No." Zuko muttered. "What's it at now? Was at two hundred pounds, I remember."
"Three tons." Zuko's head jerked upwards, mouth falling open. "Yep, three tons of gold, dead or alive. He knows what a danger you are. Don't even think of throwing yourself away. We'll take care of General Iroh, when the time is right. Do you think we would let someone as important as him face execution?"
"I don't think he would be executed soon." Zuko murmured. "Dad would kill me first. In front of him. Slowly."
"Not even Ozai w-"
"Would do something that twisted?" Zuko shook his head. "Oh, he would. Trust me. I've seen first-hand what he does with people that threaten him. He made me watch, said I had to do the same thing if I wanted to rule the country some day."
"Even so," Minsheng was thoughtful. "It's going to be very, very hard to free him while he's under the eye of Azula. No one would have a chance against her. But his prison in the Fire Nation is going to be maximum security..." He sighed. "It's tough."
"I could-"
"You will do nothing." Minsheng said very firmly. "We have a contact in the palace. We'll get her to find out what General Iroh thinks. This doesn't concern you, Zuko."
"What are you talking about?" Zuko cried. "This concerns me than anyone! He's my Uncle, not yours! It's my fault he's there, I was the one that lied to him."
"Zuko, we can handle it." Minsheng's eyes flashed. "Please, calm yourself. You need to keep your head down and out of trouble. Transport for the Earth King will be here in a week, to take him to a hideout in the south. We can get you out too, easily."
"Wait." Kuei finally spoke up, his mouth set in a hard line. "I... I don't want to go to the South." Minsheng looked over at the young King in surprise. "I-I want to stay here. In Ba Sing Se."
"With all due respect, your Majesty, in the interests of your own safety-"
"Oh, hang my own safety!" Kuei broke in over the other man. "This is where I belong, where I should be! Amongst my own people, not hiding out in some estate! Especially after everything you're saying about what will happen... I cannot and will not abandon my subjects when they need me most." Kuei rested his hands on the table, his long fingers trembling. "I-I'm staying here. In the city."
"You... You do realise that you'll have to stay in the Lower Ring, don't you?" Jing pointed out. "You'll have to live like a peasant."
"I-I know." Kuei nodded. "And I'm... prepared to do that. I don't want to be bundled off and sent away where I'm no good to anyone." He took in a deep breath. "I had no idea that conditions were so bad in the Lower Ring. No one ever told me. Worse, I never even asked. I'm not going to ignore my own people any more. I can't."
"How perfectly noble of you." Zuko muttered. Kuei shot him a glare, thinking that he was being sarcastic. "No, really." Zuko leaned forward on the table. "Staying here rather than hiding out a nobleman's country estate. That's integrity."
"It's stupid." Minsheng stated flatly. "Zuko, don't encourage him. It's not going to happen."
"Excuse me?" Kuei's voice rose. "I am the King, not you! You can plan an escape if you want, but I am staying here with my people and nothing is going to change my mind. Nothing."
"... Fine." Minsheng stared at the both of them. "You two are insufferable. Both of you think you know best, refuse to listen to reason, and then dangle royal authority before you. You know that, right?"
"You say that like my father hasn't ever done it before." Zuko muttered. He was sick of talking. "So you're not going to do anything about my Uncle?"
"I never said that, I just said that we have to give it some time and wait to see if-"
"Right then." Zuko stood up, turning away from the others.
"Zuko!" Minsheng darted and grabbed at his elbow before he could walk away. He pulled Zuko back to face him, looking the Prince in the eye. "Don't go near the palace. Please."
"I'm not letting my Uncle down again." Zuko's voice was low. "He needs my help and I-"
"No, he doesn't." The elder man was becoming increasingly exasperated. "I am begging you, keep your head down and stay out of this! You're more important than-"
"Than what?" Zuko yanked his elbow free.
"Look." Minsheng rubbed his temples, trying a different tack. "Your Uncle doesn't want you trying to fight off your sister and father alone."
"I know." Zuko crossed his arms. "I know he wanted me to change sides the whole time, I'm not an idiot." He didn't mention that it was Jin who told him this. "But I've burned my bridges there. They're never going to let me join their side, no matter how changed I am."
"Zuko, you know who General Iroh wants on that throne?" Minsheng rested his hands on his hips. Zuko shook his head. "You."
"That's not-"
"Oh yes it is. Everything he has done these past few years is to try and get you there." Zuko's mouth was dry. "You can't honestly be surprised by this."
"He said I would never be Fire Lord." Zuko's voice was almost hoarse.
"I guess because you seem to be more motivated when someone tells you no." He turned away, and picked up the drawing of the palace, scanning it one more time. "The worst thing you can do is let yourself fall into the wrong hands, Zuko."
"But I lied to him." He was so overwhelmed, tears pushed at his eyes. "I can't just let him think that-"
"Write him a letter." Minsheng took his sleeve and led him to the desk. "Keep it short. I'll code it and get it to him."
"Really?" Minsheng nodded as he pushed Zuko down into the chair. He was willing to do anything to keep Zuko away from the palace at this point. He'd said a lot more than he should have, too. Or at least Iroh would see it that way. Personally, he didn't understand why they had to keep everything so quiet. It was Zuko's life and future they conspired about, why wasn't he to know? Maybe if he knew what Iroh had planned for him he wouldn't be so pigheaded and willing to throw himself away.
Zuko's writing was jumbled and messy, filled with spelling mistakes. It laced his fluid penmanship, and he crossed out several lines and rewrote them, trying to word his thoughts clearly. He'd written a long paragraph detailing his thoughts, cramming in the last few lines to fit it on the page. While he wrote, Jing and his brother spoke quietly over a scribbled piece of paper, and Kuei sipped his tea, mind whirling.
Finally, Zuko pulled the stub of pencil away and turned towards the table, extending his hand. Minsheng took one look at it and shook his head.
"What?"
"Too long." He said briskly. "I said short. Three sentences at the most. It's got to go in on a tiny scrap of paper. I can't smuggle in a novel like that."
"But I can't say everything in three sentences!" Zuko exclaimed. Minsheng shrugged. "That's not fair!"
"Oh, I never said it was." He spoke mildly. It was difficult to not treat him like a child at times. He had to remind himself that Zuko was only sixteen. Zuko scowled and tore the paper in half. He found another scrap, and sat with his pencil poised over the surface for a long time before writing.
Uncle.
I'm so very sorry. Nothing justifies what I did. You were always right. I'll fight my father in your name until you're free. I love you.
Until we meet again,
Zuko.
There was so much more he wanted to say. He wanted to babble on for pages about how he saw the light and how he would do anything to free him. How he wanted to fight for the Earth Kingdom and join the Avatar and lead them all to victory against his father, and how he knew that Iroh had plans for him and he understood now what that meant. How he had matured so much over the past two days and he finally knew what really was right.
But he didn't need to, really. Zuko looked over his short letter, heart pounding. His Uncle would know all that gibberish when he read it.
It was all there, between the lines.
A war meeting.
He was in a war meeting.
Sokka kept his hands clenched beneath the table so no one would see their shaking, his knees locked together. He was rigid as a board, stiff and tense with anticipation. The warriors of their tribe didn't like the long, rectangular table that was conventional in Fire Nation war ships, but they made do, three men sitting cross-legged on the table near the far end to bring in the space. Hadoka sat at the head, staring at the map whilst chewing on a thumbnail. Sokka sat at his right hand silently, unsure of what to say, if he could say anything. Was it his place to be silent? Did they want to listen to his ideas? Did he even have anything constructive to add?
"It comes down to whether or not we abandon Sokka's plan and return home, or push on through in the hopes that the Avatar recovers." Bato's voice sounded out above the concerned babble.
"We shouldn't abandon the invasion plan so quickly." Tonrak, a man five years older than Sokka and still filled with the energy and optimism of youth, spoke up. "For eight minutes, the Fire Nation will be entirely defenceless. Even their machinery will be ineffective, the ammunition is powered by their bending. How can we turn that down?"
"It is tempting." Hakoda admitted, straightening up and raising his eyes to his men. "But we have to be pragmatic. We no longer have the backing of the Earth Kingdom. The few remaining allies of the Avatar may not wish to support us if he's not there."
"They will." Sokka spoke up. All the eyes in the room turned on him. "Um," He coughed, and cleared his throat, very conscious of the collective gaze. "I know them all, too. So does Katara. They'll fight, if we ask them too. I think what they need is the opportunity to be gathered together."
"But will it be enough?" Hakoda frowned. He hated being realistic. In his heart, he shared Tonrak's view. "They may have the heart, but do they have the strength? We may have an eight minute window where they're powerless, but we have to think about the hours before and after."
"If it's planned well enough, we could do it." Sokka said confidently. "I mean..." He bent down and rifled in his backpack, looking for his maps. He found the one of the main island, detailing the Palace city and the capital, and spread it out on the surface. His hands were slick. "Apparently the whole bay can be protected by the Gates of Azulon, and no ship can pass." He traced an invisible line across the blue space.
"Helpful." Bato muttered.
"I've sent plans to the Mechanist in the Northern Air Temple." Sokka ignored him. "I'm not sure if I told you, but he and I invented the War Balloon a few months ago."
"Wait, you invented it?" Tonrak burst in. "Then why did we see one with the Fire Nation insignia flying last week?"
"It was captured." Sokka looked down, with a little shrug. "We were really outnumbered. Don't think I'm not kicking myself over it. Point is, he's a really really good inventor, and I've sent him some plans for a couple of new crafts. One is a ship that is able to be completely submerged in water. That way, we can go underneath the gate, and break on the shore completely undetected."
"And when we get to the shore?" Hakoda sat up very straight, staring at Sokka keenly.
"The second invention is similar to the tanks that are used by the Fire Nation, except these ones are powered by earthbending." Sokka was getting into it, describing the crafts he had been so thoughtfully planning. He almost forgot that everyone was staring at him. "They're heavily armoured, and are meant to withstand the bombs that the Fire Nation drops." Sokka explained.
"Do you think these will work?" Bato asked in a hushed tone. The rest of the men had fallen silent. Sokka's cheeks were growing uncomfortably pink with the attention paid on him.
"I trust the Mechanist." Sokka tried his best to sound confident. It wasn't his lack of faith in the eccentric inventor that put a quaver in his voice, it was the dozens of eyes focused on him, watching him, scrutinizing him. Now he had finished his little speech about the ships and was watching for a response, the nervousness came back.
"If you trust him, that's enough for me." Hakoda clapped his son on the shoulder. "If he can do what you say he can, then our technology could rival that of the Fire Nation. If the Avatar was healthy and we could scrape together enough people to man them, we could have chance." He bent over the map, looking deep in thought. That was a lot of 'ifs' "Two months is a long time, and a lot can happen."
"Do we really have any other option?" Bato murmured. "What else can we do, run away to the South Pole and hope that we might be ignored? They know where we are, and they've attacked us before." Hakoda tensed. "And they'll do it again. We'll be sitting ducks."
"We should take our wives and children, and migrate." Nanuk, grizzled and greying, spoke up. "Our sister tribe in the North withstood a siege of epic proportions in the winter. They are capable of defending themselves. We are not."
"It was Aang who saved the Northern tribe." Sokka spoke up, staring at the white mass of ice on the crown of the map. "He drove them back singlehandedly with the power of the Moon Spirit." His hands clenched tighter under the iron table, remembering. Yue. "But you're right." Sokka swallowed, raising his gaze. "They have a better chance than us, even though Pakku said he was going down south to rebuild." Hakoda's lip twitched in a tiny upwards smile at the name. He'd heard many stories about the arrogant warrior from his mother.
"We can't leave our home." Tonrak argued. "We've lived there forever. Our ancestors are buried in its waters. It's where we belong."
"If we wish to honour our ancestors, staying in a defenceless place and condemning ourselves to death is not the way to do it." Bato echoed his conversation with Hakoda from earlier in the day. "Providing a safe place for our children to grow into warriors and defend our name in the future is more important. If the Southern and the Northern tribes banded together, we could put up a defensive front that would withstand the comet." Bato's proposition of reuniting with their cherished families and providing them with comfort and safety, hung tantalizingly in the air. Most of the men quickly forgot about the invasion plan. "I want to go home... We all want to go home. Maybe it's time to call it a day and say we've done the best we can do." The room lapsed into silence, and everyone turned to Hakoda, the decision-maker, the chief.
"Give it two weeks." After almost a minute of silent deliberation, Hakoda spoke with a note of finality. "We'll know more about the Avatar's condition then. If my daughter believes he'll be fit and ready, then we'll continue with the invasion as planned."
"And if he's not?" Sokka was very quiet. Hakoda leaned forward, biting once more on his thumbnail.
"Migration." He stood up, pushing back his chair. The meeting was finished. He knew how pained his men were. They were tired. Their wives were lonely, their children growing up. Perhaps it was time to admit defeat. Without the support of the Earth Kingdom, there was very little left they could do, save for sneak attacks at night on solitary war ships, as they had done just a few short hours ago. Maybe it was time to be pragmatic, think of themselves, their home, and try to desperately protect what they had before it was too late.
He found his daughter in the large room which had once been reserved for the captain. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed beside Aang, reading aloud from a scroll she had found amongst the papers on his writing desk. Toph lay along the foot of the bed with her arms folded behind her head.
"How did it go?" She broke off from the report and looked up as he entered. Hakoda sighed as he closed the door. Katara set the writing down, something stirring in her stomach. He looked aged. What had happened? "Dad?"
"We're not as optimistic as we used to be." Hakoda sat down on the spindly chair before the desk, resting an elbow on the surface. "They're not enthusiastic about fighting on the day of the eclipse without Aang. They don't think we can do it. And Bato mentioned admitting defeat and going back home." Hakoda closed his eyes. I told him to tell no one about what we had said... He did that because he knew everyone would agree with him...
"You can't do that!" Katara cried, standing up off the bed. "Dad, you can't just give up hope because things are hard. Where would we if we all just called it quits because it got too difficult?"
"I know, I know." Hakoda sighed. "I was an idiot for suggesting it. But Bato was desperate. Everyone is. Aang might not make it, and it's hitting everyone really hard."
"You think it's not hitting me hard?" Katara shot back, voice growing higher. "You have no idea how much I care about him, Dad!"
"That's not fair." Hakoda said softly, trying to keep his cool. After all, he had two children. "Katara, please don't shout like this, the ship isn't exactly soundproof." He swallowed, and tented his fingers, trying to think. "I said that in two weeks, we would make our decision, based on your opinion of him."
"My opinion?" Katara sat back down on the bed. Hakoda nodded.
"If you believe that he can be fighting fit in two months, we'll go ahead. Otherwise, we're going to return to our tribe and escort the wives and children up to the North Pole."
"Gran-Gran won't like that." Katara looked up, eyes flashing. Hakoda gave an odd shrug.
"I don't like it." He muttered. "But what can I say Katara? I have the two of you with me, I don't feel the same loss as the others. They want to see their wives and children again. What kind of Chief would I be if I said no?"
"One that cared about the fate of the world." Katara's eyes dropped down to her hands, her fingers twisting and turning.
"It's not that easy." Hakoda shuffled the papers around half-heartedly. "We've been fighting for so long, and we're not winning. And with the Earth Kingdom fallen and Aang in this state, they feel as though they're standing alone before the full might of the Fire Nation. And that's scary."
"They're not alone." Toph finally spoke up, her blind eyes fixed on the ceiling. "There are people everywhere who will fight to the death. A change at the top doesn't mean that the workers in the fields will feel any different. The bands of rebels throughout the woods are going to be more encouraged than ever. The Underground spreads throughout the country."
"What do you know about the Underground?" Katara turned to stare at Toph.
"Earth Rumble is hardly legal." Toph explained. "They pay massive brides to keep the authorities out of it. While I was fighting in it, I heard a few things." She shrugged, like it was normal. In regards to everything else she had done with the group over the past few months, it sort of was. "No names or locations or anything. Just a few snatches of conversation. I hear a lot of things with these ears."
"Who is going to gather all these scattered rebels together, though?" Hakoda spoke up, thinking.
"Us." Toph sat up, crossing her legs. "Why not us? We have a plan, which is better than anything else anyone has come up. We have enough friends out there to spread the message throughout the Earth Kingdom. Things would be a lot easier if we had the Earth King's army but we don't. But we have to deal with that and push on forward nevertheless."
"But if Aang's not better, we can't do anything." Katara mumbled. "You heard Dad. They're getting desperate to go home."
"You're the judge of that." Toph reminded her friend quietly. Hakoda was very still. That was true. "If you say he's ready to fight, they'll back him."
"I can't lie to them!" Katara was outraged. "I won't deceive my kinsmen!"
"Okay." Toph shrugged. "But trying to get enough rebels together without them is going to be much harder Katara. You know that. You both know that."
"I..." Katara shook her head. "I can't believe I'm even considering..."
"It's two weeks away." Hakoda stepped in tactfully. "Anything can happen by then. There's no point in speculating about it now, you'll just make yourself paranoid with crazy theories and put ideas in your head." It's already happened... But what can I expect? For all the conventions of heroism and being a warrior, we're still all only human. He stood up, pushing the chair back in. "It's late. None of us slept much last night. Get a good nights' rest, both of you." He approached Katara, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a brief hug. "Sleep well." He kissed the top of her head and left silently. Katara drew her knees up to her chest, looking very troubled.
"Why did you have to say that." Her voice was very, very small.
"Because unlike you, I'm not worried about making up a lie for the greater good." Toph rubbed at her aching eyes. "I'm gonna go get some shut-eye. You gonna stay in here?"
"Uh-huh." Katara leaned against the wall, kicking off her shoes. She watched Toph roll off the bed and into the floor. Her heart hurt. "I've been awful Toph."
"Nah." Toph shook her head. "You've been through the wringer. No one's gonna be feeling up to it after the past few days we've all had. And hey, I haven't been all sweetness either."
"I still can't believe I shouted at Sokka... And the whole thing with Zuko... I feel bad about that. I'm just so mad at him! But leaving him there with Jin... I know he deserved it but I still feel... guilty." Katara raked a hand through her hair.
"Then maybe he didn't deserve it." Toph was treading dangerous waters. Katara tensed, and her free hand curled into a first. "Look, I know you have beef with him, but that was pretty vicious. What happened Katara? It wasn't the attack, you were snapping at him long before that."
"He cost me Mum's necklace." Katara tried so hard to keep her composure, but she spilled over, her throat clenching as she tried to contain her sobs, vision blurring. "He took it and gave it to Azula... It's all I had." Toph heard the rustle of hair and clothing as she buried her head in her arms, and the harsh, gasping breath of someone trying very hard to refrain from sobbing. "I've got nothing Toph!"
"Katara..." Toph stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of what to do. She used to be as sturdy and unmovable as a mountain, but now she was cracking up under the strain. It was disturbing. For all her trivial condescension to Katara at times, Toph relied quite a lot on her stubborn fussiness. She was more of a mother than own had ever been. To see her crumble was deeply unsettling. "Um..."
"It's all right." Katara held her breath for a moment, and tried to breathe slowly. "I'll be fine. Go get some sleep."
"You sure?"
"Yes. I just need some sleep. I'm being melodramatic." Toph nodded and wished her good night with a soft murmur, padding along the metal hallway quietly. Maybe Katara had forgotten that Toph could now 'see' on metal almost as well rock, or it hadn't occurred to her that by leaning against the wall the vibrations of her heartbeat reverberated throughout the room.
Katara was lying. But then again, Toph didn't even need to sense a rapid heartbeat to know that.
I hope you guys are happy with that. I can understand if you're not. I'm trying my best to keep the characters within their portrayal on the show but it's hard, especially with characters who had little screen time and we have no glimpse of their internal state of mind. And the situation is slightly different. Hope I didn't fail too hard.
Also I'm sorry about treating Katara like I did. Personally, I thought it wasn't a patch on how she's portrayed in the later half of season three, and I tried to illustrate how and why she was in that state of mind, but I wasn't overly successful. That's okay, I made a mistake and I'll try to move on with it.
I guess this is also the end of the first 'part'. After this, there will be a small time lapse, to give the characters some time for 'recovery' before shifting onto the next phase, the juicy bits that I've been wanting to write for nearly eighteen months. Exciting.