Hidden Surprises
"... Shopping?" Zuko stared incredulously at his five friends, who stood in the antechamber of his rooms looking more like tourists than they had in the last three months, though they were still wearing Fire Nation clothing. In the heat of his home country, it was cooler than anything else. Aang was wearing the same hat he wore to the theater the day they had seen the Ember Island Players. Zuko's daytime guards, Ming and Damian, stood sheepishly on either side of his doorway, dressed as civilians. Apparently, they had been hesitant at first but had been coerced into playing along on the condition they still perform their duties. He had forgotten how persuasive his friends could be. "You want me to go … shopping?"
"Well yeah, Sparky!" Toph slapped his shoulder, "You've been moping around too much! You need something fun to do!"
Zuko rubbed the spot where she'd hit him, "It's just … I've never been shopping."
Sokka looked like Zuko had just murdered his pet armadillo-bear, "WHAT?! YOU'VE NEVER GONE SHOPPING?!"
"No, Sokka. I'm the Fire Lord. I haven't ever needed to go shopping … unless you count Uncle dragging me along to buy food and tea supplies in Ba Sing Se."
Katara laughed, "No, Zuko, that doesn't count. We mean real shopping, where you just go nuts and buy things you don't really need." Sokka looked hurt and held up a green and brown Earth Kingdom bag he had slung over his shoulder, "Hey, I needed this!"
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, "Listen, guys, I appreciate the offer, but I am a little busy running a nation right now, not to mention all the preparations for the South Pole. Besides, everyone knows my face here. I wouldn't be able to go anywhere without being recognized and trust me, that isn't something you want."
Aang chuckled, "Zuko, you need a break. Everything for the journey is being handled, and we'll only be gone for a few hours anyway."
Suki chimed in, "And I think I can take care of the recognition problem."
Zuko looked at her, confused, "What do you mean?"
She smiled and held up a small wooden box, "Just wait and see."
*/*/*
"What do you think is taking them so long?" Sokka sat slumped backward against a chair and kicked his legs like a little child, "I want to go, already!"
Katara sighed in annoyance. When Sokka and Suki had shown up at her door going on about buying fire-flakes for Gran-Gran, she had agreed eagerly. She needed something to do, and she could think of someone else who needed it too, though she had figured Zuko might be reluctant. She had been adamant that, if they were going to make a day of it, then Zuko was coming. Waiting for everyone to get ready, Sokka was getting gradually more and more restless.
Regardless, they had been waiting for only about half an hour, and she was starting to get tired of Sokka's petulance. "Sokka, stop. Makeup can take a little while. Remember when you put on Kyoshi paint?"
He groaned and threw his head back, "Ugh, don't remind me!"
Toph laughed, "Hold on a minute, SOKKA wore MAKEUP?! I would've paid anything to be able to see that!"
Aang smiled, "And a dress, all to impress Suki!"
Sokka looked up, "HEY, it wasn't a dress! It was a warrior's uniform!"
Toph looked smug, "The uniform worn by the Kyoshi Warriors?"
Sokka beamed, "Precisely!"
"So a dress, then?"
While the two of them debated the definition of a "dress", Aang put his arm around Katara's shoulders, "Sweetie, do you really think this is a good idea? He did have a point. There's a lot going on right now."
Katara put her hand gently on Aang's, "Yes, I really do. Zuko needs to take his mind off of everything, especially if the rumors are true about Mai."
The door to Zuko's bedchamber opened and Suki stepped into the antechamber. She cleared her throat, "Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting for the very first time, a normal average guy, who is totally not the Fire Lord; Lee!" She moved to the side dramatically with a flourish.
Zuko walked into the room awkwardly and everyone gasped. His scar was completely gone. In its place was seamless, new skin, and a left eyebrow that precisely matched his right one. Zuko had let his hair out of its topknot to cover his left ear: the only thing the makeup couldn't hide.
"Wow, Suki! You did wonderfully!" Katara exclaimed, "No one would even suspect he was Fire Lord Zuko!"
"Yeah!" said Aang, sidling up next to Zuko and nudging him in the arm, "Hello Fellow Hotman! How're you doing?"
Zuko looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die, "I look like my father."
That silenced everybody. Katara winced; he wasn't entirely wrong. Though Zuko had some features that looked closer to his mother's portrait, the resemblance to Ozai was a little uncanny.
Toph broke the tension, "Well frankly, I think you looked better with the scar!"
That sent everyone into laughing fits, and even Zuko smiled at the joke. Katara got up and took Zuko's arm confidently, "Come on, Lee. We need to teach you how to shop properly."
Together, the six friends and the two guards slipped out of the Fire Lord's chambers, through the servant's palace entrance, and into the streets of Imperial City.
*/*/*
Zuko was beginning to understand why his Uncle enjoyed shopping so much.
When Katara handed him a small pouch of money and said "Don't spend it all in one place", he asked why he needed to bother worrying about it. He had lots of money; he was the Fire Lord. Sokka got offended at that and said, "Not today, you're not! Sticking to a budget is part of the fun! That way, you can go over it!" So he accepted the money and began going from shop to shop.
Aang showed Zuko a small stall down a side street where the merchant sold kites. They came in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Aang bought one in the shape of a dragon so that he could scare Momo with it.
Sokka's favorite shops seemed to be the ones that sold accessories, or weapons, sometimes both. He picked out a new belt for his tunic and gushed to the merchant selling swords about how his master, Piandao, made the finest swords in the Fire Nation, though the merchant had seemed skeptical at best about Sokka being the man's student.
Suki and Katara enjoyed perusing the different jewelry stands, though Toph shrugged them off when she was asked to join them. Zuko pulled her aside and showed her something that could only be found in the Fire Nation: a stone called a geode. Sokka commented that it was just an ugly rock, but Toph smiled knowingly and said "Well, if you don't like it, I'm buying it!"
Even Ming and Damian were browsing, though they kept a close eye on Zuko at all times. At one point, Damian almost gave them away when a man accidentally bumped into Zuko on the street. "Be more CAREFUL!", Damian yelled, "He's Fi-"
"He's fine, Damian!" Katara had pointedly stepped in, "Right, Lee? You're fine?"
"Yeah, I'm ok," said Zuko, grinning.
Katara turned back to Damian with a strained smile, "See? It's all ok. Now, don't bother the poor man."
Despite having his guards with him, Zuko enjoyed the anonymity. He had been slightly dubious when Suki had broken open her wooden box to reveal makeup and had mixed a greenish paste together with her brush. "Green cancels out the red tones", Suki had explained, and to his surprise, his scar had melted away as she applied a second, skin-colored layer.
He had forgotten what it was like to blend into a crowd, though even in places where no one had known him as "Prince Zuko", many peoples' first reaction when they saw his face was shock and pity. Some had even bordered on disgust, though he had never let it bother him.
But this? This was entirely different. Here, in the streets without his scar, he could be Lee: a normal, average guy, who was totally not the Fire Lord. And he found himself loving every second of it. When he finally found something he wanted to buy, a small set of glass Pai Sho tiles for Uncle Iroh, there was an easiness between himself and the merchant that he had never experienced before. The man never once tried to stop himself from gawking or caught himself in his speech trying not to offend. It was refreshing. He enjoyed haggling with the man before both settled on a fair price and parted ways.
When they began to get hungry, Ming suggested a noodle shop that she loved nearby. Apparently, she had even brought the noodles fresh to the palace for Uncle Iroh as a gift: a thank-you for his recommendation as one of Zuko's private guards. The noodles were warm and spicy, and covered in turtleduck sauce.
As the afternoon heat descended on the market, the group decided to head back to the palace.
"Are you sure those fire-flakes will still be ok to eat when you get to the South?" Aang asked Sokka, shaking the paper bag, which had been folded and carefully sealed with a thin layer of glue.
Sokka snatched the bag back, "The vendor was very specific! The fire-flakes can make it to Gran-Gran so long as the bag doesn't get ripped or opened before then. So DON'T SHAKE THEM!" He carefully placed the package inside his bag.
"I don't know, Sokka." Suki entwined her arm through his and laced their fingers together, "I still think you got a bad deal. You could fill that bag entirely with flakes, but there's so much air in there!"
Toph let out a burst of laughter, "The bag's not the only thing full of air! Suki's right, Sokka! You got conned!"
"That's so they don't go stale or break! You have to give them a cushion!"
"Well if there's one thing I know about air," Aang stated, "It does make a good cushion!"
As the others kept chatting about their various purchases, Katara and Zuko found themselves together at the back of the procession. Katara turned to him with a smile, "How about you, Lee? Did you find anything interesting?"
He pulled out the box of glass Pai Sho tiles. Each one was delicately placed in a silk-lined niche, with the tile's design intricately lifted from its face so one could feel them, instead of just being painted on. "Just these for Uncle. He's got a traveling set that he normally uses, but I thought he'd enjoy something special to keep in the palace."
"That's beautiful! I'm sure he'll love it."
Zuko gently placed the box back in his pack, "Thank you, by the way. For talking the others into bringing me." He gestured towards his face, "And for asking Suki to do this"
Katara's smile turned playful, "Why, Lee, I don't know what you're talking about." She sped up to catch up with the others.
Zuko chuckled contentedly.
"Um, My L- … Lee", Ming gently placed her hand on his shoulder, "I'm not sure we should be here right now."
"What do you mean?" Confused, Zuko searched his surroundings. The crowd had gotten unusually thick, and it seemed like the center of attention was a small dais that had been erected at a crossroads. "It's only a show going on. I'm sure the people will clear out when it's over."
Damian cleared his throat, "With all due respect, sir, it's not the crowd that we're concerned about. It's the show the crowd is watching."
As they came within earshot, Zuko began to understand their hesitation.
A man was standing on top of the dais. Several other people were standing in front of the makeshift stage handing out flyers, and more seemed to be scattered throughout the throng, hyping up the onlookers and relaying the man's message to those in the farthest corners.
Zuko hurried to catch up with the group, but they had already stopped at the far side of the street, just close enough to hear. Nearby, some city guards were taking notice of the gathering and were beginning to establish a perimeter for crowd control.
The man on the dais spoke fervently, "The so-called Fire Lord is squandering our precious resources! Why should we be giving our money and our food to Earth Kingdom scum who can't even take care of themselves? Without our guidance, these people cannot even survive! Without the Colonies to establish a steady workforce, and our soldiers to keep order, they waste our aid on gambling and vices!"
"Zuko", Aang said quietly as he caught up to them, "Should we leave?"
Zuko hesitated, but then he shook his head, "Not yet. This is the first I'm hearing of this, and as much as I might not like what they're saying, they have a right to speak."
Sokka handed him a flyer, "Here. I picked this up."
The flyer was a small pamphlet with the word "Crucible" written in large calligraphy at the top. Flipping through it briefly, Zuko found it was broken up into several sections summarizing the man's talking points.
The man continued: "First, we're asked to relinquish land that by all rights belongs to the Fire Nation, and then we're sending them our resources! And now, we have been informed of a small fleet of ships departing on the morrow for the Southern Water Tribe! Is Fire Lord Zuko going to give away our entire nation? How long before the conquerors become the conquered?"
Toph scoffed, "As if the other nations actually want to conquer anyone! All they ever wanted was to be left alone! We just finished fighting a war!"
"Fire Lord Zuko is merely a puppet: at the will of the Avatar and the other nations! He is only on the throne because they put him there! A true Fire Lord would speak for his people, and not subject them to such abuse from outsiders! He would be a guiding hand to his nation, like his forebears! Speak loudly, citizens! Let him know our voice will not be silenced!"
The crowd cheered vehemently.
Katara put her hand on Zuko's arm, "We should go."
Zuko nodded.
*/*/*
Katara couldn't believe what she was hearing. Surely, the people listening to this man couldn't really believe the things in the pamphlet. But the man on the dias wasn't just being tolerated; There were several times that cheers rang out unhindered, and those who weren't actively cheering were still listening attentively. Even still, more bystanders trickled in by the minute, expanding the borders of assembly well out into the streets.
Making their way through the horde of bodies was challenging. In the end, Sokka took the lead, with him and Suki holding Toph's hands so she didn't get confused amidst the mass of movement.
Katara felt Aang take her hand, and she was grateful for the extra guidance. Looking back, she saw Damian and Ming trying desperately to keep themselves between Zuko and the crowd. Zuko's face was a mask, with no trace of any emotions betraying him.
Well, so much for easing his worries.
Suddenly, a man crashed into her, sending a steaming bowl of noodle soup flying. Instinctively, Katara threw up her hands, and the soup hung suspended in midair before it could scald her.
The man gawked "You're … you're a …"
Katara realized instantly what had happened and dropped the soup, but it was too late.
A woman behind them took up the cry the man couldn't finish, "YOU'RE A WATERBENDER!"
Aang, Sokka, and the rest of the group froze. For a split second, the people around them went silent. Katara could make out whispers and shocked gasps being passed around.
"Did someone say a waterbender?"
"Where? I don't see any waterbenders?"
Another man pointed an accusatory finger at Katara, "THERE! THAT ONE! I SAW HER BEND THE SOUP!"
Then everything turned to chaos.
*/*/*
As the mob descended on Katara, Aang grabbed her hand and yanked, wading through the crush as fast as he could, "KATARA, RUN!"
"WATERBENDER! THERE'S A WATERBENDER HERE!"
"GET OUT OF OUR CITY, SCUM!"
"FILTHY OUTSIDER!"
Aang could barely breathe. He could feel people pushing against him, screaming and tearing at Katara. Did he dare bend here? Firebending would seriously harm many people, but any other bending would make them a bigger target.
He couldn't think; instead, he gripped Katara's hand as hard as he could.
One step at a time. Keep your eyes on the goal.
Don't lose her!
As the crowd's momentum grew, it transformed from a press of bodies into a tidal wave, sweeping away anyone in its path.
Aang found he could no longer fight through them. He made a split-second decision and released a torrent of air in front of them as they ran. The unrelenting pressure made it less effective than he had hoped, simply blowing people off their feet with nowhere else to go, adding to the panic as they stumbled and fell.
He tried again, this time rotating around them instead of directly forward, producing a small bubble of space in which he could move, but the effort was extremely taxing.
Just a bit longer! Keep going!
And then in an instant, Katara's hand was gone.
No!
From behind him, he heard Katara cry out, "AANG!"
"KATARA!" Frantically, Aang struggled to look for her as the surge of people carried him onward. He could barely move, and everywhere he looked was a rush of black, red, and gold. He couldn't see her anywhere, "KATARA, WHERE ARE YOU!"
NO, NO, NO!
A wash of light and heat burst over his head.
Short bursts of flame, carefully coordinated, began appearing at regular intervals. The Fire Nation City Guard was corralling the mob away from the shops and back down the streets leading away from the stage.
Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards the edge of the street, moving with the flow instead of against it. As the crush of bodies gradually lessened, running became much easier, until finally, they burst out through the open air of a side alley, completely clear.
Aang's heartbeat was loud in his ears, his lungs and legs burning with exertion, "Katara! I have to find her!" He began to dive back into the crowd, but someone restrained him.
"LET GO! I HAVE TO FIND HER!" Aang struggled against his assailant, though he didn't seem to be able to muster much strength.
Sokka's voice cut through his panic like a knife, "AANG, STOP!"
Aang's body went stiff. Slowly, Sokka released his grip, and the two of them sank to the ground in exhaustion.
"Katara", Aang breathed, "Sokka, I lost Katara."
"I know, Aang."
"We have to find her!"
"I barely got you out!"
"WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE HER!"
"SHE'S MY BLOODY SISTER, AANG! I KNOW!"
Suki's gentle voice was next to him, "Aang … We can't do anything. For either Katara or Zuko. They will just have to find their own way to safety."
Aang looked around, taking note of his surroundings for the first time. Sokka, Suki, and Toph all looked like they had been dragged through a blizzard. Their hair was disheveled, and their clothes were torn. Toph sat against the wall with her head in her hands. Suki looked like she had bruises forming on one of her arms. Aang didn't think he looked much better.
The four of them sat together in the alleyway in silence.