A Messenger in the Night

Zuko leaned against the balcony railing of his chambers, glaring out into the night. Silence hung in the air like smoke, smothering the beauty of the Fire Nation capital. The people lay asleep in their beds, unaware of the message he had just received. Zuko felt the cool breeze brush passed him. Normally, the feeling comforted him, but tonight, its touch only served to temper his anger enough to think. His fist held the sheet of paper tightly, as if he could crush the enemy simply by crushing the news of the attack. With a growl, he ignited the message and flung the ashes off of the balcony and into the gardens below.

Turning to the servant who had brought the scroll, Zuko barked, "Wake the Avatar, Ambassador Sokka, and Masters Katara and Toph. Have them meet me in the throne room immediately."

"Yes, my Lord." The servant bowed and hurried toward the door.

Zuko stopped him, "Wake my uncle also." Iroh had arrived to visit his homeland a few weeks before. Zuko was glad he happened to be here now. "His council would be appreciated." The servant bowed again and left. Sighing, Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and turned toward the flickering lights of the city laid out before him. He had known peace would not be so easy, but he hadn't expected this. He took a deep breath and went back inside to dress.

*/*/*

Katara yawned heavily. She was half-asleep, and probably looked as bad as she felt. She hated being woken in the middle of the night. Why couldn't emergencies show up in the morning, rather than at midnight? If it hadn't been for the messenger's help, she might've gotten lost on the way to the meeting, she was that tired. She yawned again and pushed aside the curtain blocking the entrance. Inside, she saw the long war table that had been placed in front of the steps, which lead up to the dais that was the Fire Lord's throne. A blazing line of fire blocked the path to the dais, providing the only light in the room. Her brother, General Iroh, and Aang were already waiting. Trust Toph to be late, she thought. Trying not to stumble from exhaustion, she walked over to Aang and slipped her arm around him, leaning her head against his.

Aang absent-mindedly pulled her into him and rubbed her back, "Hey, Sweetie."

She smiled in response, "Hey. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Nope. Not a clue. My message just said it was urgent."

"Mine too." said Sokka, "I don't like this." He eyed them disgustedly, "And seeing you two like that is making it worse."

Katara giggled, "Sokka, you and Suki go around the palace kissing and giving each other googly eyes."

"We do NOT give each other googly eyes!" Sokka's voice cracked. "Besides, you're my baby sister! It's gross!"

Iroh chuckled, "Do not worry, Sokka. Seeing young lovers together is like a bitter drink. In time, you will get used to it."

Aang smiled, but it was quickly overshadowed by worry, "Guys, whatever is going on must be important. Zuko wouldn't have called us if it wasn't."

"Don't worry, Aang", Katara squeezed his hand, "I'm sure he'll tell us soon enough."

"Hey, what's going on?" Toph asked as she entered the room.

"We aren't sure." Sokka said, "Zuko didn't tell any of us, and we just got here ourselves."

"We are waiting on him to arrive." Iroh elaborated, "I am sure we will not have to wait much longer."

The curtain was pushed aside and Zuko strode into the room, dressed in his formal robes. Katara could tell he was angry. Next to her, Aang frowned. This news could not be good. Sokka leaned into her, "I wonder what's got him all fired up." He nudged her side and raised his eyebrows to emphasize the joke, a stupid grin lighting up his face.

Toph punched his arm, "Shut up, Snoozles. This has to be serious for him to wake us in the middle of the night! Especially with the way you sleep."

Zuko marched confidently up the steps. He parted the flames before him and sat on the dais. Katara remembered the first time he had sat there among them, three months before.

"Are you sure, Aang? I feel… ridiculous. You're my friends, for Agni's sake!"

"Zuko", Aang said with a chuckle, "After all the work we went through to put you on the throne, you might as well sit on it. It is your rightful place. Take it."

Zuko had no hesitation now. He waited until all five of them had taken their seats around the war table and then began. "I just received an urgent message from Chief Hakoda. The Southern Water Tribe has been attacked."

"WHAT!?"

Katara was the first to speak, "Was anyone hurt?" She was wide-awake now.

Zuko's gaze softened slightly as he registered her alarm, "The Tribe was able to hold the attackers at bay, but they did sustain a few losses. Some of the warriors were left with serious injuries. However, before you ask, your family is fine."

Katara let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Next to her, Sokka also sighed in relief. Their family was safe, at least.

Iroh spoke up, "Nephew, if the Tribe managed to protect themselves successfully, why did Hakoda send an urgent message to you?"

The fire surrounding the dais seemed to flare briefly before Zuko replied, "Because they were attacked by three Fire Nation warships."

Silence.

"I thought all Fire Nation ships were recalled." Aang said hesitantly.

"They were."

"Then why are these ships still active?"

"I don't know. All the ships and outposts active at the end of the war were sent hawks with an order to cease fighting, and those out at sea were ordered to return to harbor. All sent responding messages saying they had done as ordered."

"It's true," said Iroh, "I read each message personally."

"Well obviously," Sokka said, matter-of-factly, "someone disobeyed orders."

"Thank you, Sokka. Your skills of deduction are astounding." Katara snapped. Of all the times for him to be an idiot. Stating the obvious didn't help anyone in this situation. "How it happened doesn't matter. We need to decide what to do now."

"It does matter!" Toph countered, "What if these aren't the only ships unaccounted for? What if this happens again?"

Aang and Zuko shared a glance. Aang sighed, "Toph is right. We need to think about how this could impact other villages elsewhere in the world. If there are any other defected ships, we need to know."

Zuko stared at the floor for a few moments, his hands clenched on his knees, "I wish I could assure you that no other ships have gone rogue, but it appears I can make no such promise." He looked up, "But I can promise you that I had nothing to do with this."

Katara was shocked. How could he think any of them were blaming him? "Zuko, we know that! No one is accusing you of anything! We just need to make sure this is stopped. No one here wants another war when we finally have peace."

His amber eyes seemed to search hers for a moment before he nodded half-heartedly, "Thank you, Katara."

Iroh cleared his throat, and all eyes turned toward him. "I suggest we take time to think about how to react to this. This is grave news, but there is little to be done about it now. With a good night's rest, I'm sure we can find a way to resolve this issue." After a moment's thought, everyone reluctantly voiced their agreement.

Zuko nodded again, "Then we can reconvene at noon tomorrow. For obvious reasons, we should keep this among ourselves." Everyone nodded.

Aang spoke, "Sokka, you may want to bring Suki to tomorrow's meeting. Kyoshi is a small place, and it's pretty close to the South Pole. She needs to be told."

Sokka nodded thoughtfully, "Agreed. I'll let her know."

Zuko stood and began walking down the steps, "Tomorrow then. Good night, everyone." He walked passed all of them and out the curtain.

Aang sighed and rose, "Good night. See you in the morning." He bent down and kissed Katara's cheek, and then followed Zuko into the hall. Toph and Sokka said goodnight and left, discussing how much they hated seeing her and Aang fawning over each other. As if that subject could wipe what she had just heard out of existence. Katara was left alone with Iroh.

Suddenly, the true weight of the news hit her. Her body seemed to deflate; she leaned her elbows on the table and put her face into her hands. She felt sick. There hadn't been a raid in years. Well, there had been the day they met Zuko, but he hadn't hurt anyone in the end. No, the last real raid on her Tribe had been when she was eight. The day her mother died. She didn't know what she would've done if she had lost Gran-Gran, her Dad, or even Master Pakku, who had only recently joined their family. She had just been starting to feel like they could live in safety. She had just been starting to feel that maybe now, they could be a real family again. How ironic that now, at the end of the war, was the time when she should be the most afraid of losing them.

Iroh, like always, seemed to know exactly how she was feeling. "Katara, I am truly sorry to hear what happened to your Tribe. I do not know how any ships could have defied orders and gotten passed our sentries."

Katara took a deep breath, "It's ok, General Iroh. I honestly don't blame you or Zuko. I just want to make sure the situation is controlled."

"I understand. Thank you for telling my nephew that. I think he places too much expectation on himself."

"He does. He was pretty angry just now."

"Yes. I hope that tomorrow he will have had a chance to clear his head."

Katara smiled weakly, "I'm sure we all will have. Good night, General Iroh."

He smiled in return, "Good night, Katara."

Katara rose and headed back to her room, her exhaustion doubled by the circumstances.

*/*/*

Zuko marched through the curtain and down the hall, waving away his two guards Rochan and Katsu as they started to follow. He didn't think about where he was going, nor did he care; He just needed to move. He briefly considered going to the practice arena, but he decided that, without a sparring partner, bending wouldn't be enough to curb his emotions. Why did he feel this angry? He knew this might happen. This shouldn't be so surprising to him. Maybe because the attack was directed towards his friends' home? Maybe because he could have stopped it? But he couldn't have stopped it, could he? Though he had expected some form of resistance, everything they had planned for was a direct retaliation against him. An assassination attempt, or an attack on the men sent to tear down Fire Nation outposts in the other nations. Not an attack on civilians, and certainly not on the Water Tribe.

He looked up and was surprised to see himself standing in front of his old room. He hadn't been back here in a while, since the Day of Black Sun, in fact. He reached out his hand hesitantly and pushed open the door. It was just as he had left it. He went in and closed the door behind him. Slowly, he crossed to the four-poster bed in the middle of the room. He felt calm here, among his childhood. Among the memories of a time before his life had changed for the worse. Taking the royal crown out of his topknot and setting it on the nightstand, he let himself fall backward until the bed caught him. Here, he could think.

He closed his eyes. Suddenly, Katara's face flashed in front of him. The panic in her voice rang in his ears.

"Was anyone hurt?"

The South Pole was her home. Sokka's home. Their family was there. Though the reconstruction was going well, the South was still an easy target. She had every right to panic. But she shouldn't have to.

Who was he if he couldn't help his friends? Who was he if he couldn't stop his own people from terrorizing them? The title of Fire Lord meant nothing if he couldn't keep them from harm. He was only here because of them.

Absently, he placed his hand on his stomach. Through his robes, he felt nothing, but he knew the scar was there, nonetheless. He sighed.

He had nearly died to protect Katara. That day, when he had realized what Azula was about to do, he risked it all without a second thought. He sorely wished he could've protected her people from this attack, that he could've protected her from this fear.

What was the point of being in power if he couldn't protect the innocent?

The door creaked and Zuko shot to his feet in surprise. Years of training guided his body into a defensive stance automatically.

Mai slipped in through the opening and closed the door behind her. He relaxed, "Oh. Mai. It's just you."

She scoffed, "Of course it's me, silly. Were you expecting an assassin?" She smiled, "They would have to be pretty sloppy to come through the door."

Zuko shuffled, embarrassed, "You just surprised me. How did you know I was here?"

"You weren't in your chambers, so I asked your guards. When they said you had stormed off, I guessed you had to be in the gardens, or here."

It didn't surprise him that she had gone looking for him. Often, Mai would come to his chambers to be with him, at night or during the day when his duties allowed. Since his coronation, her family had been given a set of rooms in the palace due to their relationship. They were able to eat together, take walks, and, in general, meet whenever they wanted. Zuko sat back on the edge of the bed.

Mai crossed the room and sat next to him, placing her arm gently around his shoulders and taking hold of his hand with her free one, "You look upset. Is everything ok?"

"No." He debated how much he could share with her; "There was an attack today on the South Pole. It looks like we may be in for some difficulty keeping the peace."

Mai nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like you need to relax." She turned his face towards hers and kissed him gently on the lips.

Zuko kissed her back for a second, but when she began to deepen the kiss, he pulled away, "Mai, not right now-"

She interrupted, "Zuko, it's ok. Let me take your mind off of this for a few hours."

She kissed him again and he sighed. He didn't want to hurt her feelings. She was right; He needed to relax. Maybe this would help him to feel better.

Gently, he kissed her and let his kisses trail along her jawbone to her neck. She sighed and began fiddling with his robes. He stood and lifted her with him. Between kisses, she managed to undo the heavy fabric and lift it over his head, until he was left in just his light pants. She drew him to her again and he held her in a soft embrace. The fingers of one hand gently trailed through his hair and down over his chest. Then, she slipped out of his arms and turned around, lifting her hair out of the way, "Help me undo my dress?"

He smiled absently and did as she asked, slipping the soft silk down over her shoulders, her back, her waist, until it fell in a heap of red and black on the floor. She was beautiful, he thought, and he wanted her, but the feelings of anger and confusion he had felt before still lingered in the back of his mind. They buzzed around in his head, and he couldn't focus properly.

He let her slip his pants to the floor, and as she embraced him again, he pressed his body against hers until they were lying on the bed. Kissing her lovingly, he allowed himself to fall into the motion of her body beneath his, of her hands trailing over his back and through his hair, of her softly moaning his name, and her gentle cries of pleasure.

In her arms, his body relaxed, and slowly, his mind followed.