Chapter 26

Zuko woke, not so well-rested, which made sense since they were sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Zuko woke up first since there weren't any curtains on the windows in the living area, so the sun shone right inside. Aang woke up about fifteen minutes later, probably hearing him shuffling around, using the bathroom. It would be a long day, but Zuko felt better after speaking to Latun and Xalin last night. They had given him such a boost. He appreciated that they took the time to tell them that what he and Aang were doing wasn't going unnoticed, and they were grateful. He also felt slightly jealous of their easy, relaxed intimacy and how well they knew each other. They had been able to communicate with just a look and seemed like the kind of couple that could finish each other's sentences. Zuko thought of Izara back home and hoped she was all right.

Once he'd relieved himself and washed his hands, he left the bathroom and said good morning to Aang, who gave him a quick wave and a smile as he passed him, going to the bathroom.

Zuko got ready for the day, and Aang did the same after he emerged. They chatted idly, rehashing some of what they discussed after dinner last night so they had their game plan ready.

They'd decided that they would suggest selecting a council, and the town would elect the people that would serve on the said council. This way, they could choose the people with their best interests at heart, but each different group would be able to have their needs represented by someone who could actually make some change. It would be the most diplomatically efficient way to move forward while ensuring everyone had a way to make their concerns heard. Zuko and Aang could elect someone or discharge them from service if they were not following the mission of serving the city.

After they were ready, they headed out, getting something small for breakfast on the way to the town hall. Everyone seemed to have gathered already, and the air seemed much more relaxed than yesterday. Zuko wondered if it was partly because he and Aang felt better rather than like they were entering a battlefield before they started discussions.

"Good morning, everyone. Did you all have a good night?" Aang asked in his cheery tone.

"Thank you for coming again. We appreciate your patience and support as we try to find a solution that makes everyone happy." Zuko followed, giving them a smile as he and Aang took their seats at the front of the room.

"We have an idea that we think will benefit you all. With the town proliferating and becoming a hotspot for trade, creating a council of people to govern the city would be a good idea. These people would be elected by the populace and should come from different groups within the town to ensure everyone's needs are represented equally." Aang spoke, using his 'big boy voice' as Zuko had taken to calling it.

The townspeople chatted amongst themselves, but the chatter seemed optimistic. Some were smiling, and others nodded in understanding. Zuko and Aang glanced at each other, wondering what had changed overnight. Spotting Latun and Xalin in the crowd, smiling at them both, he briefly wondered if they had put in a good word for them. The couple noticed his gaze, and Xalin shrugged as if he didn't know anything, but Latun's expression gave it away.

Aang must have noticed and followed his gaze, looking at the men and realising they must have done something. The Avatar grinned at them, beaming happily in gratitude for their contribution. Maybe everything would be okay.

"The ultimate control of this council is under myself and the Avatar; however, we do not wish to interfere if we can avoid it. You should be perfectly capable of governing yourselves. We don't want you to feel like we are looking over your shoulder and micromanaging everything you do. We want to trust that you all have the town's best interests at heart." Zuko added, and the chatter quietened while he spoke but picked back up afterwards.

"There are a few conditions. One person may spend a maximum of four years on the council. After that, they must move on. This gives an even chance for all and ensures that someone does not gather too much power. If that were to happen somehow, the Fire Lord or I would intervene and not only remove the council member but they may also be banished from the city. Each person on the council will be responsible for specific tasks, such as managing trade, infrastructure, finances and so on. This gives everyone important duties and hopefully spreads the work fairly amongst the group." Aang continued and gestured to a piece of paper in his hand. "We will be drafting up something in writing, but if we are all agreed on this point, then the first lot of council members can be selected to start the process."

"Raise your hand if you are in agreement," Zuko asked and watched as almost all the hands in the room went up.

He noticed that the one that didn't go up was the Earth Kingdom native, who had been half the problem. The man sat crankily with his arms crossed against his chest but said nothing. Even if he wasn't happy, it seemed like everyone else was.

"Seems like we all agree," Zuko said and looked at Aang.

"Excellent. We will ask everyone to consider nominees, of which there will be twenty. The top three will become part of the council. Depending on how this implements, we can modify things later down the track, but this is a great start." Aang bounced happily in his seat, pleased that things were working out.

"Please submit your nominations by writing them on a piece of paper and putting them in a selection box that will be left in the town hall. The deadline is in two days at sunset. By then, we will be gone, and you can go from there. We will complete the paperwork today." Zuko glanced around the room. "Anything else?" He asked and continued when no one spoke. "Thank you for coming, everyone."

People got up from their chairs and toddled back to their homes and businesses in small groups, all chatting with each other as they went. Zuko and Aang shared a long look, seeing the relief on the other's faces. They were both expecting a lot more pushback and were significantly surprised that everything went far better than expected.

"I suppose we should go and thank Latun and Xalin. I think they're the reason this all worked out." Zuko suggested, and Aang nodded.

"I don't know what they did, but it was incredible," Aang said with a grin.

They both got up from their seats and headed towards the restaurant owned by the couple. It wasn't open yet, but they were inside, getting ready for the day. Zuko knocked and saw Xalin wave them inside with a cheerful grin.

"Good morning, gentlemen. How are you both?" Latun asked cheerily, popping out from behind the counter.

"Uhh, we are a little surprised, to be honest," Zuko answered them evenly.

"We are very surprised." Aang corrected.

"Things went well. What's there to be surprised about?" Xalin asked nonchalantly as he wiped some glasses.

"I was expecting things to be more like yesterday. I didn't think we would pull this together without more arguments." Zuko explained simply.

"Maybe it was just your charming selves that got through to them," Latun suggested with a cheeky smirk.

"What did you do? Did you talk to literally everyone in town?" Zuko asked bluntly, wanting to know what happened.

Xalin shrugged casually as if he wasn't responsible for anything, but his knowing smirk indicated otherwise. He shared a warm glance with Latun.

"Sort of." Latun blurted out without thinking but laughed despite himself.

"This guy wanted to help you as much as he could. He went and spoke to some of the movers and shakers and told them what you were discussing over dinner, how hard you were working on it, and how much you both cared." Xalin said after gesturing to Latun with a tilt of his chin.

"Xalin is leaving out the part where he was with me the whole time." Latun retorted, his cheeky smirk reappearing.

"That makes sense," Aang said thoughtfully, then grinned happily. "Thank you for that. We're so happy that things have worked out." He continued, bowed low to the two men individually, and Zuko copied.

Both of them seemed embarrassed about having the Avatar and the Fire Lord bowing to them in gratitude, but neither of them was sure they could have got this up and running without their help and influence. Even their encouragement had given them a massive boost of confidence that they were doing something good. They also went and spoke to the other townspeople to help them further.

"Thank you. We are grateful for all you've done. If you ever come to the Fire Nation capital, I will ensure you have a wonderful time." Zuko said since he wasn't sure what else he could do to repay their kindness.

"We never got a chance to go on a honeymoon, Xalin. You were too excited to open the restaurant." Latun said to his husband pointedly, then laughed.

Xalin nodded thoughtfully with his hand on his chin, considering the idea.

"Don't you gentlemen have some paperwork to work on? We don't want to hold you up." Xalin said, not wanting to get rid of them but to ensure everything got sorted.

"You're right. We should let you prepare for the day too." Aang said and patted Zuko's shoulder.

Latun and Xalin bowed to the Fire Lord and Avatar while they bowed to the couple appreciatively. They said their goodbyes, left the restaurant and headed back to the guesthouse to work on the finer details for the council set-up...

Aang waved with both arms and shouted his goodbyes as they flew away on Appa. Zuko was sitting in the saddle, smiling but not so animated in his goodbyes. After the assistance of Latun and Xalin, things had worked out okay, and they could leave on schedule to head back to the Fire Nation. Considering how things had gone the first two days, they expected their return would be significantly delayed. Thankfully, their hard work hadn't gone unnoticed, and they were incredibly grateful to Latun and Xalin for their kindness and assistance. Both men were respected in their community as business owners, and their sway with the townsfolk clearly made all the difference.

Only once were the townspeople's tiny flecks of colour in the distance did Aang stop waving and yelling goodbye. Zuko rolled his eyes at the Avatar, but it was an affectionate gesture. Aang didn't notice since he'd turned his head towards their destination, which was far off in the distance. It would take them today and tomorrow at least to get back to the Capital, and Zuko was very much looking forward to returning.

Although it had been nice to get away for a bit, the stress of the trip hadn't made it altogether enjoyable. They'd not slept well for the duration, having felt like their brains couldn't stop running with thoughts about fixing things they didn't get quality rest. Zuko was excited about the prospect of sleeping in his own bed again and would definitely have an early night when they arrived.

Aside from stopping brawls from breaking out, his only thoughts focused solely on the woman guarding his Uncle back home. Aang had noticed, but they'd not had a chance to talk about it until now. As if sensing where his thoughts were taking him, Aang piped up, speaking loud enough for Zuko to hear over the wind.

"Are you going to talk to her when we get back?" Aang asked, not needing to mention names, able to figure out where Zuko's mind was.

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to scare her away." Zuko answered, raising his voice for Aang to hear.

"Why would you think you'd scare Izara away? I don't think she's easily frightened." Aang said as he turned to look over his shoulder at his friend, furrowing his brow together in confusion.

"I'm not exactly subtle at the best of times." Zuko's deadpan response made Aang snort in repressed laughter.

"You're straightforward. That's a good thing." He replied after recovering from his laughter.

"If by straightforward, you mean super intense, then yes." Zuko heard Aang laugh again and watched as he moved to the saddle since Appa knew where they were going.

"I have no doubt that she has feelings for you. I don't know what you're so worried about." Aang was showing his usual wisdom, but Zuko couldn't help but feel anxious about it.

"Of course I'm worried! Even if she feels the same, that doesn't mean she's ready for a relationship with me." He exclaimed, doing his best to be completely honest to get his concerns off his chest.

"What do you mean?" Aang frowned at him.

"Despite it being part of my everyday life, being in a relationship with the Fire Lord won't be easy," Zuko said with a sigh, having tried his best to look at it from the other side of the fence.

"Katara was fine with me being the Avatar," Aang replied, tilting his head to one side.

"Katara is a badass. And you're the Avatar. You can do whatever you want. I've got to run a whole country and quash rebellions." Zuko said with a groan, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Izara is a badass too!" Aang nudged him in the side with his elbow.

"Yeah, she is." Zuko felt himself smile, and Aang whooped in response. Even Appa grunted in response as if he agreed with Aang.

"Aw, look at that smile." Aang poked his cheek, and Zuko glared at him but wasn't able to summon any actual anger. "Why don't you just tell her how you feel and leave the rest in her hands? At least you will feel better about being honest with her."

"I'll work on it when we get back," Zuko said with yet another sigh.

"Get some sleep. We can swap in a few hours." Aang suggested and moved back up to the reins when Zuko nodded.

Shuffling down a little, he kept his arms crossed over his chest, used his pack as a makeshift pillow and tried to get some rest...