Interlude the Third
The Past
He could almost forget himself, with just the two of them together like this, and that was becoming less and less of a problem with each passing day.
Sokka held the fishing pole out and, with a practiced flick, cast the line out into the Kyoshi waters. The setting sun glistened on the bay, and the air was still warm on his bare arms. "You don't want to be moving your shoulder; you want everything to be done with the elbow and wrist." The woman beside him flicked her own pole, but the hook sailed straight downward and bounced off the rocks just a few handspans from her feet. "No, see, you took your finger off the line too late." Sokka held his own pole out so that the way he gripped it would be more visible, and wiggled his pointer finger. "And if you do it too early, it will just fly straight up into the air. You want to time it just right so that it goes flying out."
"That's not very specific- 'just right.' Of course doing it right will work." Her voice was light, and as she tugged her line back into place, she looked over to Sokka with a playful glint in her eye. "Any other helpful advice?"
Sokka found himself grinning. "Here, I may as well show you." He had taught this kind of thing before, although his sister had mainly been looking for an excuse to use her Waterbending instead of a fishing pole (although it had gone on to take several years before she managed to get that to work), and the kids in the Tribe had all preferred to spend their time in snowball fights. Deciding that a new teaching style might just be in order, Sokka put his pole down and walked over to his student. He took a position standing right behind her, snaking his arm over her shoulder to grasp the fishing people above her hand.
She leaned into his body, and it was nothing but comfortable. This was probably why the Kyoshi Warriors didn't usually teach men. One could almost believe that Sokka had done it on purpose. "Now," he said with a voice that he tried to make manly without it sounding like he was trying to make it manly, "let me keep my finger on the line, and you just keep your finger on my knuckle so that you can feel when I let go. That should work, right? Kind of like overlapping tiles on a fancy Fire Nation roof, except with fingers." Too late, he realized that mentioning the Fire Nation might not have been the best idea, and there were the same kind of roofs in the Earth Kingdom anyway, but his student didn't react. She just moved her finger over his hand as instructed.
Her body was very warm.
They cast together the line out together, and this time, the hook went sailing out over the water like a comet of fire. "There you go! Now see if you can do it on your own."
And, of course, she did. "Yes," she hissed. "Perfect!"
Sokka's own grin widened. "Nice! We'll make you Water Tribe in no time."
She turned to look at him and arched an eyebrow. "Was that a proposal? I never thought it would be on the old fishing bluff. I'm not sure if my parents would have been thrilled or horrified."
Sokka's grin immediately imploded, and his stomach caved in like a badgermole was rampaging around inside. He couldn't even begin to think up a response- couldn't figure out what he wanted the gist of his response to even be- before she decided to take mercy on him and gave him a soft pat on the cheek. "Calm down," she said, "I was just joking. I guess it's true what they say about men and commitment. I never like making assumptions about boys just because they're boys, but..." She trailed off and gave a little wink, then went back to reeling in her line.
Sokka let out a heavy breath, and then reached for his own fishing pole.
He stopped when he realized that his hands were shaking.
Standing up again, he said, "Let's pack it in for now. The boats are starting to come in to the docks, so this must be the wrong time to get any bites. Besides, we don't have bait. You can practice your casting some more when there's some actual fish to go after."
She nodded, and began de-stringing her pole with sureness and efficiency. She had taken well to the day's lessons, but for the first time, Sokka wondered why. Was it her, or was it because of what she was going through right now? Sokka resolved to never ask; even knowing if it was possible to tell would only be counter-productive. And creepy.
"...really like a good fish fry," she was saying as they walked back from the bluff. "Maybe tomorrow we can get some lemon and if we catch anything we can..."
Sokka let her talk, nodding as appropriate, and kept a surreptitious eye on her. As they neared their destination, she grew quieter, moved slower, and even blinked less. By the time they reached Suki's Home- the compound- she was moving like one of the Fire Nation's mechanical contraptions, motion without life.
Dong Min was waiting for them. Sokka loitered outside while the Mindbender got 'Suki' settled within.
When Dong Min finally returned, the sky was almost fully dark. It was a cloudy night, hiding the gaze of the Moon, and Sokka could barely make out the older man in the light spilling through the windows of Suki's Home. Dong Min hesitated right outside the door and said, "Are you confirmed for leaving tomorrow?"
Sokka rubbed the heel of his boot against the dirt path and nodded. "Aang really wants me to come with him. This former Fire Army guy captured himself one of the colonies and will only surrender it if he gets a guaranteed happy retirement back in the Fire Nation on his own island. Aang would like me on hand to help with talking to everyone and keeping them calm, and if that doesn't work to help with the head-bashing. I don't know how much good I can really do, but..." He trailed off and finished with a shrug. He didn't care if it could be seen in the darkness or not.
"Little Ty Lee and I will make do until you return." After a moment, Dong Min added, "Unless you won't be returning." Sokka said nothing, and Dong Min took a deep breath. "There was an incident today, I presume."
And with that, the floodgates inside Sokka broke apart like an angry Waterbender was taking a temper tantrum. "Enough with the incidents! Let's just admit that she's totally into me!" Sokka let his arms drop heavily to his sides. "And yeah, I really like her, too. I don't even know how it happened. I just wanted to help her, and you know how she likes to hug people and hold their hands and stuff, so I just figured that a quick kiss was the same thing! And she just turned out to be so smart and nice and- and stuff! And I didn't even think about anything until I realized she thinks we're in love."
Dong Min's lack of response nearly enabled him to fade into the night air. Sokka kept waiting for the guy to ask the obvious question, but the former Mindbender of Ba Sing Se never pushed when he didn't have to. Sokka could easily see how the man had once been one of Ba Sing Se's most talented therapists before the Dai Li found him. Sighing, Sokka finally admitted, "Suki knows we're both in love."
Finally, Dong Min's voice sounded in the night air. "I do not feel that things are as dire as your tone paints them. Your feelings are as natural as a child who feels affection for a wounded sparrowkeet." The comparison got Sokka's teeth grinding, but as much as it felt inaccurate, he didn't feel like he could make a stand on metaphorical ice this metaphorically slippery. "Your mutual attraction has even helped the patient sink more deeply into the Suki identity. Of all the transitions I have overseen, this one has been the least stressful on the patient. But if you don't intend for this to continue, I need to work up a regime to accommodate that, and soon, since we are set to enter the final phase. I can erase this little comedy, and by the time she is ready to live as her own person, you'll never have been anything more than a friend and old ally."
Sokka turned his gaze upward, looking for the moon, but couldn't find even a hint of its light from behind the clouds. "You can really accomplish that? Just make it go completely away without hurting Suki?"
"Suki is nothing more than a construct, and I know that construct like you know your own mechanical inventions. Her mind and heart are mine to define. What is your decision?"
Sokka knew that he should. He knew it. He knew that the right thing to do would be to open his mouth, and say something that approximately came out to, "Yes," with the usual allowances for emotion-shielding wit and humor.
Instead, he said nothing.
Eventually, Dong Min spoke again in the night air. "Let me know before you leave tomorrow." And then he went inside to give Suki another one of her 'sessions.'
To make another step towards erasing Azula forever, and leave Suki in her place.
The Present
The descent of the Appa-class airship, Zuko's Fang, was smooth, and Sokka knew he should be pleased by it. After all, it had taken a full week of work at the Northern Air Temple- with the continued help of its famous Mechanist- to come up with a device that would lower the craft without releasing any of the explosive Rising Gas contained within its balloons, all small enough to fit on this more diminutive frame without unbalancing it. The thrill of that accomplishment was long in the past, though, and now Sokka couldn't push his thoughts past the reason for this trip, and the unfinished business he still had hanging over his head.
He looked out the window of the passenger compartment, and saw the sprawling city of Ba Sing Se rising up to meet him. Usually, the white stone of the Upper Ring positively glowed when viewed from above- by airship, magic flying bison, or whatever- but today a field of gray clouds extended like a horizontal wall between the sun and the land below. Ba Sing Se had a dourer, lethargic appearance without its usual shining heart, and Sokka could definitely relate. Of course, that was a very handy metaphor, what with the Earth King have been assassinated and all. Sokka turned to one of the compartment's other two occupants and said, "I forgot to ask before. Did you ever find out where this new guy came from?"
Zuko gave a heavy nod. "Long Feng did a... thorough job of purging Kuei's family after he was crowned, but someone was faster than him."
On the other side of the cabin, pressing her own face against the window opposite Sokka's, Ty Lee said, "Why would he want to kill the Earth King- er, the old Earth King's family?"
Zuko turned his head to keep his scar in the cabin's shadows, but from Sokka's vantage point it was a futile attempt. With closed eyes, the Fire Lord said, "Even if no one could counter Long Feng's influence over Kuei, there's still plenty of danger to Royal families. Kuei's father was so poorly regarded that he was assassinated by his own Council of Five, and Long Feng used that as an excuse to both seize power and make everyone who could possibly be a threat to Kuei disappear." Zuko hesitated for a moment before continuing. "The new King's mother was a cousin to Kuei's father, and supposedly a bit paranoid, so when the Dai Li made their initial play for more power in the name of saving the city, she arranged to have her son sent to Gaoling on an extended vacation. Long Feng's purge began shortly after that. Ba Sing Se was always a bit closed off from the rest of the world during the war, but that's also when Long Feng began locking it down and keeping all news from the outside completely suppressed. After his mother suffered an accident, it became clear to everyone with an interest that staying out of the city was the best course for the child."
"And now he's back," Sokka said. "The return of the King. How'd you find all that out so quickly?" He turned back to the window and looked down once more at the city. Sokka could make out the Jasmine Dragon now, and the vector of the airship's descent was very clearly meant to terminate in the place's backyard. From here, he could also make out a fuzzy white blob, with the shadow of an arrow running down its body, moving around on the Jasmine Dragon's side porch. Aang had beaten them here, then.
When Sokka glanced over at Zuko again, there was the beginning of a smile tugging one side of Zuko's lips. "Mai took charge of it. She's taken to reading my Intelligence reports for entertainment, and before I could even ask, she sent out calls for more information on the new King. It turned out that her parents had some Earth Kingdom connections that helped. If she keeps this up, I might get her an official office in the Intelligence Ministry."
Sokka nodded with appreciation, and resolved to make better friends with Mai the next time he was in the Fire Nation. Zuko shared all of his Intelligence info, of course, but it certainly couldn't hurt to have a direct line on the source. Keeping his voice even, Sokka said, "And was Mai the one who learned that S- Azula is the suspected assassin?"
"No. The invitation I received made a point of informing me of that directly and very clearly."
With that, the airship gave a shudder as it settled on the ground, and various steering and propulsion fans began winding down. Ty Lee was the first on her feet, but she smiled and motioned for Zuko to disembark first. She fell in behind him, but as she walked, she turned her head and whispered to Sokka, "You don't really think Azula did it, do you?"
Zuko glanced back at both of them as they all passed out of the airship. Of course he could hear. For his own part, Sokka gave a shrug into which he put every bit of the invisible weight on his shoulders. "I don't know. I want to think that this was just one of those... like the woman with the weird skull. A fake Azula. Imposter. Whatever. But that doesn't fit."
"How doesn't it fit? They make Azula look like the villain!" Ty Lee bobbed her head from side to side. Her hair was long enough now to sway with the motion, but Sokka remembered a time when that same movement would have sent a long braid swaying.
"Yeah, but why bother? Everyone already wants her captured or- everyone was already looking for her. It's redundant. And that's a lot of effort to go through for nothing new. But don't worry, whatever happened here, I'm sure there's a good explanation. And as awful as this all is..." Sokka looked up, scanning the unbroken field of clouds above, and thought he spotted a place where a light was trying to break through to the lands below. "We have a better idea of the shape. Hopefully, the new Earth King will be able to provide some more of that shape for me. And once we figure out the full shape, we can fill in the details and use that to stay one step ahead of the Invisible Hand."
"I can help you with that," a welcome voice sounded. By now, they were halfway across the Jasmine Dragon's yard- the Meditation Garden, as it was called by its owner and caretaker- and Sokka returned his gaze to his path to find the man in question approaching. Iroh gave a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and said, "It is good that you came here before meeting the new Earth King. I have very important news. Avatar Aang is waiting for us inside. Everyone needs to hear this."
Zuko's pace picked up immediately. "What kind of news, Uncle? Is this about Kuei's murder, or Azula?"
Iroh glanced around him, and then leaned towards his nephew. Sokka leaned in himself to order to hear Iroh's whisper: "Both. Azula was here, and she discovered what's been going on."
Sokka, of course, immediately tripped over his own feet, and only Ty Lee's quick thinking saved him from a face-full of Meditation Garden.
The Past
Sokka was jumping off the boat while it was still far away enough to make his landing on the docks a risky proposition. He managed to land with most of both of his feet on the sturdy planks, and while he didn't quite maintain his balance after he set down, windmilling his arms at Momo-class speeds managed to give him the airlift to stay upright. Having worked that all out with unusual success, Sokka was off at a run to the center of Kyoshi Island.
He had to see if Suki still remembered.
His dash through the fishing village quick enough to make it nothing more than a passing blur, although he heard some giggling children that he was pretty sure were getting their amusement from him. He ran along the dirt path, barely letting the uphill bend slow him down. He had been longer than expected in the colonies, helping Aang and ensuring world peace and stuff, and he couldn't stop himself from worrying that already he was nothing more than a fuzzy memory to Suki. After all, he had kind of maybe neglected to give Dong Min an answer before he left...
He justified it to himself- in between helping Aang avert another little war- by saying that he was leaving it in the hands of Destiny. (Not that he was ever really big on Destiny.) If, by the time he got back to Kyoshi Island, Dong Min had already turned off Suki's attraction to him, then he would forget all about it and go back to living his life out in the world. It was the only way he could make himself try to do the right thing.
The green foliage whipped past Sokka as he ran, but there was an extra flash of dark green with what seemed like gold highlights, and he distinctly heard Ty Lee's voice crying out, "Go, go, go!"
Good ol' Ty Lee. Sokka couldn't tell if she was rooting for him or just playing what she thought was a game.
Suki's Home approached rapidly in Sokka's vision, and he finally allowed himself to slow down. That was easier attempted than accomplished, and Sokka's deceleration wound up being accomplished by falling forward and skidding to a stop with his shirt and face scraping along the dirt path. He didn't even let that stop him. He just hopped to his feet, and began to move towards the compound's door-
-and found Suki standing right in front of him in her full Kyoshi Warrior regalia.
"Sokka!"
He looked- truly looked- at her painted face, and his heart melted at the bright smile, at the longing in her eyes. He glanced quickly over her shoulder, and saw Dong Min hovering in the compound's doorway. The old man grinned and shrugged; he must be a romantic at heart.
Sokka silently thanked Destiny for this, and leaned forward to give Suki the kiss he wanted to give her for so long, the kiss she had earned over these last months.
The Kiss of Destiny.
The Present
Sokka's mind was still racing from Iroh's revelations when it was time for the appointment with the Earth Kingdom's newest monarch.
The impression that Sokka always had of the Earth King's throne room was Big. Big empty space, big columns, big golden badgermole statue, big silk curtains, big fancy lanterns, and a big budget for all the paints and panels and gold trim that made a big impression on anyone who didn't see it all every day. The recently crowned 53rd Earth King looked reassuring small sitting on his throne at the base of the statue. "Avatar Aang. Fire Lord Zuko. Sokka Water Tribe," The new Earth King intoned, rising from his throne. "It is my pleasure to receive you for the first of what I hope will be many friendly visits."
The trio of visitors all bowed, and then Aang took another step forward to speak for the group. "It is our pleasure and honor to be here. We're sorry for the circumstances that have made you the 53rd Earth King of Ba Sing Se, but of course you have our hopes for a long and peaceful reign. And we hope we can consider you a friend!"
"Thank you, Avatar Aang." The new Earth King stepped from the platform that sat at the feet of the giant gold badgermole statue and began the walk across the room to his guests, allowing Sokka to get a good look at the man for the first time. There was a slight resemblance to Kuei, enhanced by the fact that he seemed to be wearing robes that could have come right out of Kuei's wardrobe, but the new Earth King was more solid in his build, and his face didn't have that same softness that Kuei had retained even after his wartime travels. It was a very appropriate look, considering his next statement. "Sadly, it seems that my first responsibility is to force the world into a more peaceful state, so soon after the end of the Great War. To that end, when do you expect to be able to hand the Fire Princess over to me? It is too late to make her execution my first Royal Command, but I can't let myself become so concerned with symbolic gestures that my rule suffers for it, eh?"
Sokka, Zuko, and Aang all traded glances, and silently decided that Zuko would handle that one. Stepping forward, Zuko inclined his head and said, "I don't know if you're up to date, Your Majesty, but the manhunt for my sister is still ongoing. The last lead we had on her was in the colonies, when the bounty hunter I personally contracted to bring her in was found dead. We're still investigating if Azula had anything to do with that."
"Indeed? Then it seems that you are the ones in need of news." The Earth King clasped his hands behind his back and kept up his slow trip towards his guests. "Perhaps you haven't heard, but the 52nd Earth King died recently. Quite a few guards who were on duty that night swore by the First Mud that the assassin was a Firebender, and that her flames were blue. As such, the Princess Azula is wanted for the murder. I intend to put her to death for a huge audience; perhaps an outdoor venue. Could it be that you've heard some rumors of this?"
Sokka resisted the urge to shake his head at Zuko. He knew- he knew that Zuko wanted to keep playing dumb, but Earth King wasn't exactly being subtle about how he felt about that. Fortunately, Aang chose that moment to interject again. "Actually, Your Earthiness, we do have some information for you about all of this. Sokka, how about you go over it all for us?" Aang glanced back over at him with a big smile. "You've been researching everything a lot more intensely than the rest of us. I bet you've figured out twice as much as me and Zuko."
Sokka smiled back with gratitude. "Thank you, Aang. I'll do my best, but-" he looked over at the Earth King- "a lot of this is going to sound really weird."
The Earth King finally came to a halt an arm's length from the rest of the group, and nodded at Sokka. "Within the last week, I went from being a forgotten expatriate of Ba Sing Se to the Monarch of the entire Earth Kingdom. I'm willing to stretch my imagination."
"Fair enough." Sokka cleared his throat. "One of our agents- we can't tell you who, for reasons that will be pretty obvious in a second, but this person is very reliable- anyway, this agent has been in contact with Azula. She's given her side of the story, and it matches up with information I've been collecting independently. Where to begin? All right, you know all those troubles we've been having in the colonies? Kuei's murder was a part of that bigger picture, and we were in regular contact with him about all it. An 'Invisible Hand' has been affecting things in a way that looks like the world's longest string of bad luck; believe me, I know bad luck, and even for me it takes a break every now and then. This mastermind lured Azula into a trap and brainwashed her into assassinating Kuei. The one who's really responsible is a jerk named Long Feng."
The Earth King stood a little taller at that, and his voice went down an octave to take on a scarily deep quality. "One might think speaking that name is meant to distract me from the Fire Princess. I'm sure Fire Lord Zuko knows how tempting a chance to avenge a mother would be."
Zuko's fists rose, but Aang was quick to step in front of him and say, "Actually, we're not sure where Zuko's mother is and we think she's alive, but that's something separate."
Sokka took up the thread with, "This actually fits with everything I've been looking at for the past... well, since the war ended. There's all the bandits, rebels, and fighting in the colonies. Someone broke ex-Fire Lord Ozai free and sent him Azula's way on Kyoshi Island. After that, I discovered that Dong Min- yeah, you know that name, too- was kidnapped from a home it took me a month and all my resources across the world to find. Our agent has passed on Azula's account of how she was lured into Long Feng's base and brainwashed Dai Li-style to come here and do the man's dirty work for him. And I've been tripping over evidence that our Invisible Hand has something of an Azula obsession. Zuko has custody of the body of a woman whose skull was altered in some way, and she has a strangely strong resemblance to Azula." Sokka couldn't help but think that Long Feng wasn't the only one with a fixation on Azula, but wisely chose not to say that. "If Long Feng is our Invisible Hand, it all adds up."
The Earth King was very quiet as began his slow walk again, this time in a loose circle that let him gaze over his vast throne room. His eyes traveled over the columns, the paneled walls, the sculptures, and all the other decorations that stood as a symbol of the undying wealth of the Earth Kingdom. Sokka waited patiently for the King to finish and hoped that Zuko wouldn't explode.
Finally, the Earth King spoke. "You said that you couldn't name your agent. You think Long Feng has corrupted this palace, and naming your agent would be a risk? And if Long Feng freed Ozai, his reach extends to the Fire Nation as well. This is quite a bit to believe of a man who was last seen playing toady to Azula and was forced to flee into the wilderness when she betrayed him."
Aang nodded. "Yeah, but most of the Dai Li just disappeared by the end of the war. The agents Azula brought to the Fire Nation were never heard from again after she banished them, and when the White Lotus was freeing Ba Sing Se, a lot of the Dai Li here ran away. We were lucky they didn't destroy anything when they left, but Long Feng himself and his personal library both vanished without a clue. It would have been hard, but he could have had enough to rebuild."
"Yes, I suppose you speak truth, Avatar Aang." The Earth King shrugged. "And in any event, I know who your agent is. I considered having General Iroh arrested for helping Azula escape, but I thought it would get us off on the wrong foot."
Zuko immediately pushed past Sokka and raised a finger at the Earth King, growling, "You will not make one move against my Uncle or I will-"
That's when Sokka and Aang caught Zuko's shoulders and stopped him from doing anything that would plunge the entire world back into a century-long war.
The Earth King regarded it all calmly. "Come, now. A ship visits Ba Sing Se's port for a single day, and after it leaves one of the soldiers is found unconscious and stripped of his uniform? And that ship just happened to be carrying cargo it bought from the Jasmine Dragon? If the City Watch didn't have to scrounge up and hire some kind of ship whenever it needs to perform its duties on the water, they would have pursued as soon as they figured it out. As it is, the ship- named The Hidden Gem, in case Iroh didn't tell you- got away before a response could be mustered. Iroh's involvement was obvious, though. It was the first matter brought to my attention after I was crowned."
Zuko was still glaring at the King. "That doesn't say what you intend to do."
"Ah, arresting Iroh would likely be too much trouble." The Earth King waved a hand and turned away from Zuko. "He is hereby under house arrest, and cannot leave the Upper Ring under pain of death, though. For now, he can serve as my hostage, in a manner. If the situation ends agreeably, he can continue his life as Mushi, after a stern warning about what Ba Sing Se expects of its special guests."
Zuko spoke the question that immediately popped into Sokka's mind as well: "And how would we able to end things agreeably?"
"The search for the Princess Azula will be entirely turned over to the Earth Kingdom. We will be allowed to send as many soldiers into the colonies as necessary to apprehend her. And we will execute her publicly with the Fire Lord and the Avatar's approval."
Aang and Zuko were about to object, but Sokka held out a hand to silence them. When they settled down, Sokka let go of Zuko, stepped up to the Earth King, and smiled. "Thank you for opening up negotiations. Now, what concessions will you give us for finding Long Feng for you and turning him over for execution? I'm the only one with any idea how to hunt him, right now."
The Earth King actually smiled back at him. "I never said I believed your wild story about Long Feng's global conspiracy."
"Doesn't matter. Long Feng's crimes are at least as bad as Azula's. Even if he wasn't responsible, he's still a criminal who Ba Sing Se would love to see receive justice. Plus, you were the one who brought up what he did to your mother. And once we have him, we can prove that he used Azula as his tool to get Kuei. What'll you give us for him?"
"What do you want?"
Sokka turned and motioned to Aang and Zuko. They both considered, and Aang eventually said, "You can't invade the colonies. We would appreciate your cooperation in looking for Azula, and we might have to work together soon to bring peace over there, but sending in your armies will just start a war with the people who live there."
"And," Zuko practically grunted, "we wouldn't want any borders accidentally shifting with your armies crawling all over the place."
Sokka held back a sigh. He would have liked to try to get the Earth King off the hunt for Azula completely, since his soldiers would have been the least likely to try to treat Azula well, but that was probably a lost cause.
The Earth King nodded his agreement. "Fine, with one exception. I want leave for a limited operation. I want to let the full fury of the Earth Kingdom to fall on Long Feng's base, even if it's not still in use. You can provide the location?"
"The Chubang Mountains. We can provide some vague directions. Azula didn't know the precise location."
"That will be good enough. We are more than capable of rooting out a hidden sanctuary in a mountain. Regarding the other major matter, I must still demand that the Fire Princess will be turned over to me. My people are howling for her blood, and if I don't deliver, my position will be weakened." Sokka started to open his mouth, but the Earth King immediately cut him off with, "This is not negotiable. Iroh chose to let her escape once already, and it was her hand that ended the life of the 52nd Earth King." He paused, and gave a small sigh. "However, I can agree to merely imprison her until a trial can be conducted, and I will wait to see if you can produce Long Feng or proof of his involvement. And the trial will be conducted by a tribunal, one from Ba Sing Se, one from the Fire Nation, and one from... oh, let's say Kyoshi Island. It will be a trial of Azula's full crimes against the world. This scheme to give her a new identity was a failure, and it's time to do what should have been done in the first place."
The three young men all traded looks and Sokka could immediately see that he was the minority opinion here. Aang didn't really want to agree with the Earth King, but he would because that would preserve world peace, and the King's request was reasonable. Zuko likewise had misgivings, but he had already resigned himself to the fact that Azula couldn't be saved, and by agreeing he would save Iroh. Sokka knew he would be overruled, but as usual, he had a plan in place. Nodding with a conviction he didn't really feel, he turned back to the Earth King and said, "Agreed."
"Excellent. I will have my scribe draw up the agreement for you signatures. Not that I don't trust you, but this will help to placate everyone who thinks they can tell their new outsider Earth King what to do. Is there anything I can provide to help resolve things quickly?"
"Actually, yes," Sokka said. "Zuko sent a note on my behalf to Kuei, asking if he could put together some research material for me-"
"Ah, I saw that letter." The Earth King gave a wry smile. "Very prescient of you, Sokka Water Tribe, considering what Iroh must have only just passed along. Ah, but you said Dong Min went missing. Of course you would suspect the Dai Li. In any event, we've been understandably busy, but I will order those materials assembled for you immediately, and you will have unlimited access for as long as you desire. Anything else?"
"No, but we should all be ready for Long Feng's next move." Sokka passed his gaze over the others and put all his confidence into his voice, plus a little extra that he didn't really have but liked to pretend he did sometimes. "I have the shape of his plan now. He wants to unite the colonies as his own new nation. He's been using the Azula imposters to create more trouble and chaos, and now he's had Kuei assassinated. That's the signal for the next phase of his plan. He'll use that as an excuse to push for the colonies to be made into their own country. I don't know what direction it will come from, but soon you'll all be getting news of some kind. Maybe a group of colonists will petition Aang, or some of the governors will send letters floating the idea. You have to decide what you want to do about it, and come up with a way to make sure Long Feng can't use the situation to his advantage. I have my research to do, and then I'll be on the hunt, so don't count on my help. Of course, it would be nice if I could catch him and Azula before it becomes a problem, but..."
He trailed off, and everyone nodded their understanding. "Don't worry, Sokka," Aang said, "we'll be ready. For now, you'n'me'n'Zuko should make some plans, and then we'll start meeting with the Earth King tomorrow to figure the big stuff out."
"Agreed," the Earth King said. With that, he walked quickly back to his throne and sank into it with a heavy slump. "Hoo. That was exhausting. And I still have three more appointments today. You are tiring, Sokka Water Tribe, but I look forward to working with you for many years to come."
Sokka bowed alongside his friends, and offered a polite smile. "I'm just helping Zuko and Aang out today. I don't always speak for them like this. In fact, this might be the last time."
The Earth King gave a smile that had no humor in it whatsoever. "You think so, do you? Well, you're young, yet. Perhaps you don't see it. This new world order you and your friends have created? It won't let people like you and me stand on the sidelines. Look at what happened to me. Look how you've been pulled into this matter."
"Who are the people like you and me?"
"Ah, the people whose heads are filled with gears and cogs and spinning wheels. For better or for worse, we're the ones who guide the hand of fate for the next era. Let us hope that the world we create doesn't malfunction on us."
The Past
"So what's next for you? Are you going to meet up with Dad?" Katara's question was casual, but tinged with weariness from the activities of the last few days.
The whole group was gathered next to the river, loading up Appa for the long journey back to everyone's respective homes. Sokka looked back over the former Fire Nation colony they had just saved from some kind of 'Sword of the Agni Warrior' cult, at the smoke that hung over the port settlement despite the fires having all been extinguished, and held back a sigh. He turned to his sister and said, "Actually, I'm going to make a stop on Kyoshi Island-"
And just like the situation they had all just resolved, the worst case scenario suddenly exploded in an unnervingly quiet manner around Sokka. Everyone in the group came to a sudden halt in their actions, and their eyes sought him out with lights ranging from accusatory to horrified. Katara, of course, was the first to break the silence.
"Again," she hissed.
"I thought you said Dong Min had already left," Aang said.
"I bet he's sweet on Azula," chuckled Toph.
"Ty Lee is enough to handle things. Any more contact would be risky," Zuko growled.
Katara crossed her arms and threw in, "What do you even think you're doing there?"
Zuko began, "This better not-"
"Hey, hey, hey," Sokka finally broke in. "Enough! I'm not- I'm not, like, doing anything dangerous. I'm just- just visiting a friend. We spent a lot of time together, and she's actually learning how to tell good puns, and I thought I'd... yeah..."
The probing intensity never left their eyes. In the back of the group, Toph shook her head.
"All right, all right, I won't go to Kyoshi Island." Sokka shrugged with just one shoulder, like this wasn't one of the most important matters in his life right now, and grabbed a pack of food to load onto Appa. "Drop me off with Dad." Everyone finally turned their attention back to their own preparations, while Sokka began silently figuring how long it would take him to get to Kyoshi Island in a Water Tribe fishing vessel.
The Present
"A convocation in Yu Dao," Zuko said to his friends in the main dining room of the Jasmine Dragon. "Governors, colonists of 'significant influence,' and a representation of the common people will all be there to 'demand recognition of the former Fire Nation colonies as a unified nation deserving of the right to govern and defend itself.' Sokka was spot on."
Sokka himself looked around to see if anyone was going to make a big deal out of that, but everyone- Aang, Katara, Zuko, Iroh, and Ty Lee- were all too busy cramming around the twin letters that had come for the Avatar and the Fire Lord today, just a week after his prediction. No doubt the new Earth King was reading his own copy right now. Well, that was okay, he wasn't entirely thrilled about this prediction coming true.
Katara was the first to look up. "It doesn't say anything about Long Feng."
"No," Aang said, "but he's behind it. Just like with Jet and the news about Appa. He likes to stay out of sight." The kid's usually carefree face was pinched into a grimace. "And that's a good thing to remember. We don't want the colonies to end up like Jet." Katara, too, took on an almost ill look at that, but she nodded fiercely.
Sokka gave them a moment to properly brood on that, and then brought up the matter that had been on his mind since he first read the letter. "So, when are you guys leaving?"
Zuko sighed. "I'd like to get there as soon as possible, but this convocation could go on for a while, and I can't just make daily trips from the Fire Nation to Yu Dao. I'll have to go back home and arrange things for a possible extended absence, so I should leave tomorrow."
Iroh stood up from the table. "I'm sorry, Nephew, that I am not at liberty to substitute for you back in the Fire Nation. But I will be here for any advice that you or your minsters need."
Zuko kept his gaze averted from his uncle in the same stiff way that he had been since Iroh admitted that he had helped Azula escape, but the Fire Lord did manage to say, "Thank you, Uncle," without his customary growl.
"As long as you're both going in the same direction," Sokka ventured, "could you possibly ride with Aang? I'm almost done with my list, and with Long Feng making his move, now, we're in even more of a hurry. I want to borrow the Fang so I can get around quickly. I have a lot of ground to cover with my leads."
Zuko glanced at Aang, and at a nod from the kid, gave a nod of his own to Sokka. "All right. I'll also give you the bodyguards I have here. I can pick up more in the Fire Nation, and you might need the extra help. And if you find Long Feng or Azula, try to check in somewhere and call for more help-"
"Yes, Zuko, I know how this works." Sokka gave his friend a wave. "I haven't exactly been spending all my time ice-fishing since we took out your dad."
"No," Katara muttered, "you've just been visiting Kyoshi Island." Ty Lee looked up at that and opened her mouth to say something, but Katara sighed and quickly added, "But yeah, you know what you're doing. Sorry."
Everyone but Sokka and Ty Lee left on Appa the next morning, while Sokka redoubled the pace of his research through the records that the Earth King had provided. He managed to finish up within another two days, and was on his way to Zuko's airship as soon as the ink was dry on his list. Ty Lee was waiting for Sokka at the entrance to the Jasmine Dragon, and fell into step behind him as he made his way to the Meditation Garden where their ride waited. Practically bouncing along, she said, "So where are we going first?"
"Place called Jun Zhang. It's in the Southern Earth Kingdom. You ready for that little ploy we discussed?" Ty Lee nodded as they both emerged on the Jasmine Dragon's back porch. Iroh, of course, was waiting for him, and Sokka gave him both a deep bow and a deep smile. "Hey, thanks for everything. It's always great that you let us all take over your teashop, but also for, you know... Suki."
Iroh bowed back. "I always strive to do what I feel is right. I am glad that you appreciate it. Goodbye, Sokka. Ty Lee. I wish you well."
The soldiers Zuko that had left behind were gathered at the airship now, and Sokka went straight for the commanding officer. "Captain, let's clear things up front. Do I have command of you and your unit?"
The armored Firebender shook his head. "My orders from the Fire Lord are to accompany you and render assistance, but we are not under your command."
Sokka sighed. "Okay, then. Sorry about this. Ty Lee, do your thing?"
One moment she was a pretty young lady in a pink circus outfit, and the next she was a terrifying blur that zipped from soldier to soldier and cast each one to the ground with a flurry of taps. It was a good thing she knew Firebender armor so well; Ty Lee had no trouble reducing the entire unit to paralyzed lumps before they even realized they should be defending themselves.
Sokka turned back to Iroh, and as expected found the older man gaping at him from the porch. Sokka offered a sad smile. "Zuko and I had to sign an agreement with the Earth King that we would give Azula to him if we caught her. These guys would have been obligated to enforce that in Zuko's name. This way, if I decide to break my word, I don't have to worry about anyone else."
It was Iroh's understanding nod that gave Sokka the strength to board that airship with a steady gait, Ty Lee walking confidently beside him.
TO BE CONTINUED