Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm sorry I didn't update for so long, but this chapter took me forever to write. Before we start with the chapter, I want to thank all of you for the ongoing support and interest for this story. Special thanks go out to Neb33 for the kind review, although I must shamefully admit that I don't speak Spanish, but fortunately, google translate could help me understand your message. As for this chapter, in the overall storyline of ATLA, we reached the Ember Island Players, so we'll sort of deal with this recap episode, but I try to keep it shorter concerning the actual play. I hope you enjoy it though. Reviews are always welcome.
Ember Island, The Fire Lord's Vacation home, 100 AC
Lu Ten watched closely as his cousin and the Avatar trained firebending in the courtyard. His expression was stern as he watched for every little flaw as they moved. The comet was approaching, and especially Aang needed to be as ready as he could to face Ozai.
As the boys finished their bending form they exhaled and looked over to him questioningly, waiting if he'd approve their doing or not. To his content, Lu Ten hadn't spotted a single flaw in their fighting stances and his stern expression changed into a proud smile as he nodded, "Good job, you two. Now go and rest a little.", he said as he handed his cousin a towel. The teenager sat down on the dry fountain in the middle of the courtyard and started wiping the sweat off his body while Aang stretched and walked away.
Lu Ten walked over and sat down next to Zuko, "You've improved quite a bit under father's guidance, Baby Cousin.", he complimented the teen.
Zuko looked up to him a bit hesitantly and smiled at him, then he looked to the ground again, as all the shame he felt for letting his uncle down in Ba Sing Se washed over him again. In an almost whispering tone he said, "Uncle is a great teacher."
Lu Ten laid a hand on his cousin's shoulder to comfort him, "Yes, he is.", and as he got aware of Zuko's mood he added, "Hey, I told you he won't be as angry at you as he probably will be on me. And if it should be that bad, I'll step in and take the hit."
Zuko's head shot up, shocked he looked at his cousin's reassuring smile. "What?", he asked flabbergasted.
The older firebender looked straight into the eyes of the banished prince, "I won't let anybody hurt you, Zuko, not even my own father. I told you, you were like a little brother to me, and you still are. And I won't stand by if somebody tries to hurt you.", his serious attitude suddenly changed, he held his hands up in a defensive gesture, "Not that I won't let you fight your own battles. I don't want to sound overprotective, but family has always been very important to me, maybe the most important thing in my entire life, and I won't watch if somebody tries to hurt any of you.", with that he ruffled through his cousin's hair and stood up, holding out a hand for Zuko. The younger boy smiled and took it and together they went over to Katara and Toph, who were relaxing on the stairs to the courtyard.
Before they could talk to them, Sokka and Suki walked up, the former holding a rolled-up piece of paper. They both looked very excited, which made Lu Ten raise an eyebrow skeptically. "You guys are not going to believe this! There's a play about us.", the Water Tribe boy exclaimed happily.
Suki added, "We were just in town, and we found this poster!", they showed them the poster, depicting Aang, Katara and Sokka, together with Zuko's scarred face as a background. Lu Ten noticed that the scar was on the wrong side. He sighed, already annoyed.
"What? How is that possible?", Katara asked somewhat between worried and curious.
"Listen to this.", Sokka started, by now reading from the poster, "They Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from the acclaimed playwright Pu-on Tim, who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar, from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."
"Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players.", Suki added.
Lu Ten and Zuko suddenly groaned unisono. While the older one murmured something to himself, Zuko said annoyedly, "My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every year!"
His cousin smiled a little, remembering how fond Zuko had been of theater when he was still a child, only to be disappointed by the Ember Island Players every year. Shrugging his shoulders he added, "Yeah, the last time I remember them putting up a somewhat decent show was before Zuko's birth."
"Sokka, do you really think, it's a good idea for us to attend a play about ourselves?", Katara asked.
"Come on, a day at the theater? This is the kind of wacky time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!", he tried to persuade them.
Lu Ten sighed, "Fine. But we all need to keep our covers. Also, you should be aware that this play is most likely full of propaganda. I don't anticipate us to win the war on the stage.", but Sokka didn't seem to listen.
As nighttime approached, they all went to the theater. Zuko wore a hooded cloak to cover his face and Aang sported a yellowish hat to cover his tattoo. They all agreed to pay a little more to have a box on the balcony all for themselves. As Lu Ten went to join Sokka and Suki in the back row, he noticed Aang wanting to sit next to Katara, but the young Avatar was blocked by Zuko. Trying to act casual, but obviously awkward, Aang pointed to the seat, "Hey, uh, I wanted to sit there.".
"Just sit next to me. What's the big deal?", Zuko asked, as he backed his hood. Lu Ten wondered how his cousin could be so oblivious to the younger boy's acting.
With a defeated expression Aang said, "I was just, I wanted to… okay.", as he sat down next to the banished prince. Lu Ten chuckled.
He bowed forward, whispering in the child's ear, "Don't worry, Aang. As far as I understood it, there are going to be two pauses. You can change your seat then.", as an answer he got an unsure gaze from the young Avatar.
Then the curtains were lifted and a set depicting the icy waters of the South Pole was revealed. Two actors in a boat entered the stage. They represented Sokka and Katara, Lu Ten was pretty sure of that, although, the actress seemed older and more curvy than Katara and the actor too thin for Sokka. He raised an eyebrow at the way too cut out leg on the actress' dress. Sokka next to him seemed quite excited about his appearance on stage. That was until the dialogue started. Lu Ten chuckled as he saw how the faces of the Water Tribe siblings fell apart.
"This is pathetic! My jokes are way funnier than this!", Sokka ranted with a dramatic gesture.
"I think he's got you pegged!", Toph told him which made the boy turn first to Suki then to Lu Ten, who had to hide his laughter quickly, faking a cough as he caught the boy's hurt gaze.
The rest of the scene was far less amusing though, as it went from a monologuing and crying actress to a mockery of waterbending to crack the iceberg. Lu Ten tried to mask his annoyance, but murmured, "Oh Spirits…", from time to time to himself. As a figure escaped the split iceberg prop
he saw that Aang was portrayed by a woman and had to stop himself from laughing out as he saw the angry expression of his student before him.
As the actress then pulled a prank on Actor Sokka, Aang exploded, "I don't do that! That's not what I'm like! And I'm not a woman!"
Lu Ten laid a calming hand on the boy's shoulder, "Don't let it get to you, Aang."
Toph's comment didn't help, "Oh, they nailed you, Twinkle Toes!", she said, laughing.
Then the iceberg prop disappeared, and a Firenation Ship glided on the stage, on it an actor depicting Zuko, with the scar on the wrong side, and actor Iroh. Lu Ten stared at the stage, lost for words. His father was depicted by a small, fat man with giant sideburns and a cake in hands. For a moment he was lost for words, even more so as the scene continued. He somewhat had reckoned with his cousin treating his father badly, but he couldn't cope with how disgusting his father was portrayed as the actor began to gobble down a whole cake. From the corner of his eye, he saw that his cousin tried to vanish into his seat, obviously awkward and miserable. Sighing, he feared that at least his cousin's tone towards his father was accurately portrayed and that the teen now saw how wrong he had been. Maybe he was also aware of who sat behind him.
Up next followed smaller scenes depicting mainly the group's travels through the Earth Kingdom, Lu Ten chuckled shortly as Actor Sokka, wearing a Kyoshi warrior costume asked if his butt looked fat in the dress. He wondered if the boy really had worn such a thing, and a glance over to him and his embarrassed look seemed to confirm that. He shot Katara a questioning look as her actress stole a large scroll, earning him an apologetic look as she shrugged her shoulders.
Sighing, Lu Ten envied his father at that moment. The old man had a talent for sleeping during such things. The next scene caught his attention. The color scheme had shifted to a more reddish background. Actress Aang was tied to a platform, Actor Zuko standing in front of it. "The Avatar is mine!", he proclaimed, then asking much quieter, "Wait, who's coming?"
A man in a large mask with two swords jumped onto the stage, "I'm the Blue Spirit, the scourge of the Fire Nation, here to save the Avatar!", and really, the spirit defeated the guards and Actor Zuko, chasing him away and cut Actress Aang loose. She jumped onto the top of the mask, "My hero!", Lu Ten saw the two boys in front of him frown and shuffle a bit away from each other. He was confused, he hadn't heard of this Blue Spirit outside of 'Love amongst Dragons', so he leaned forward and whispered in his cousin's ear, "Blue Spirit? What exactly did I miss?"
Zuko smiled embarrassedly, answering, "That, sort of, was me, for some time."
Lu Ten blinked a few times, then he whispered, "At least you learned something from Piandao, I guess.", trying to ignore the next scene which showed Katara, and a boy apparently called Jet in a romantic scene which ended surprisingly unromantic with Jet wiping out a town with a water wave.
After a few slightly less important scenes, the play finally arrived at the Siege of the North. Lu Ten had only heard stories of it from the teenagers, since back then, he had still been a prisoner under lake Laogai. To his displeasure the plot mainly focused on the love story between Sokka and Princess Yue, a white-haired girl in a long, purple dress. In the end she tragically died to become the moon spirit and thus saved the world. He heard Suki laugh beside him, turning to her boyfriend she said, "You never told me you made out with a Moon Spirit."
Lu Ten smiled over at them as he heard Sokka's tear-stricken answer, "Shh! I'm trying to watch!", but his smile faded as the scene suddenly changed to Actress Aang wearing a large costume of, well, whatever it was. It looked like an exaggerated, somehow messed with, koi fish. She waved a small doll depicting the late Admiral Zhao in her hand and stomped over small Fire Nation ships.
Lu Ten leaned forward, whispering to his cousin, "So, I guess, the Ocean Spirit killed Zhao.", Zuko nodded as Lu Ten added, "Serves him right. What a despicable man.", then thankfully, the first third of the play was over.
As they all settled on a flight of stairs during the intermission, Lu Ten leaned against the next wall, trying to get rid of a spreading headache. He chuckled as he heard his cousin say, "So far, this intermission is the best part of the play."
"Apparently, the playwright thinks I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes about meat all the time!", Sokka threw in, munching on a small bag of fire flakes.
Suki rolled her eyes and smiled in amusement, "Yeah, you tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics."
"I know!", the Water Tribe boy threw his hands in the air.
"At least the Sokka actor kind of looks like you. That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all!", Aang pouted angrily.
Of course, Toph had to tease him, "I don't know, you are more in touch with your feminine side than most guys."
As Aang stood up angrily, Lu Ten intervened, "Hey, Toph, cut it out. It is quite common that women play young boys. You don't need to tease him about it. It has nothing to do with him personally."
Toph crossed her arms, slightly offended by the older firebender lecturing her, "I still think that this Pu-on Tim did his research. So far, the portrayals seem pretty accurate to me."
Lu Ten rolled his eyes, "Yeah, can't wait for my appearance."
In the first seen of the second third of the play, Toph's actor was introduced. It was a tanned, tall, bulky guy, who looked hilarious wearing her hairstyle. Toph seemed to enjoy it though. Lu Ten raised an eyebrow as the guy explained that he "saw" with a sonic wave and grimaced as he screamed for a long moment loudly at the other actors.
The next scene showed Iroh and Zuko, with Zuko's actor wearing a large wig. Lu Ten leaned forward, whispering to his cousin, "What's that all about?", but Zuko just shrugged his shoulders.
Next up, the team plus Zuko and Iroh cornered an actress playing Azula against some ruins. Zuko's actor asked, "Azula, my sister, what are you doing here?"
She held both of her hands up defensively, "You caught me. Wait, what's that?", she asked, pointing into the distance, "I think it's your honor!"
"Where?", Actor Zuko asked baffled, he and everyone else looking in the direction she had pointed to, while the princess escaped through a door in the ruins.
Actress Katara asked the obvious question, "She escaped. But how?"
Zuko leaned back, whispering to his cousin, "Actually, she shot a fire blast at uncle, injuring him. In the ensuing chaos she then escaped.", Lu Ten said nothing in reply, but Zuko could watch how his cousin's expression hardened into a cold stare. If he hadn't already been angry at Azula, he definitely was now.
The next scene showed a surprisingly boring depiction of Azula trying to drill herself through the walls of Ba Sing Se. With an abrupt cut the scene changed to the insides of the city. The Jet actor jumped weirdly around the stage, ending up on the floor. The team surrounded him, Actress Aang was speaking, "No, Jet! What did they do to you?"
"Must serve Earth King! Must destroy!", he stammered as a large, hollow rock prop was thrown onto him, and the actor crawled under it.
"Did Jet just… die?", Zuko asked the others.
"You know, it was really unclear.", Sokka answered, as Lu Ten shot him a questioning look.
On stage, the Actress Aang turned around, "Wait, I think there's someone else down here! They must've been imprisoned for a really long time!"
A little prop was rolled in, depicting a cell. With some effort, the actors tried to open it, but only Actor Toph was strong enough. As it was opened, a thin man with unkempt hair, wearing some greenish rags tumbled out. "Who are you?", Actress Aang asked.
"Oh spirits…", Lu Ten whispered, burying his head in his hands.
"I'm Lu Ten, Prince of the Fire Nation. Are you here to save me, or kill me?", the Actor asked.
Actress Aang giggled, "We're here to save you, silly! Come with us, you can teach me firebending!", the Actor nodded and they left the stage together.
The next scene showed a house in Ba Sing Se, the Lu Ten actor stepped out, now wearing a Fire Nation uniform and a top knot. They had also put some make up on him. He smiled evilly, "Finally, my plan is working!", he raised a fist to the ceiling, "Soon, the world will be mine!"
Stunned by this, Lu ten tried to disappear into his seat. What was that all about? The world? His? His plan? What did this Pu-on Tim make of him? Thus, he ignored the most part of the next scene, which showed a romance scene between Zuko and Katara, which obviously never happened as well, but made Aang leave angrily.
As the curtain opened again, two flags filled the background. One of the Fire Nation, in front of which stood Actress Azula, and one of the Earth Kingdom where Actor Iroh stood. In the middle stood Zuko's actor, still with the hideous wig. "Well, my brother, what's it going to be? Your nation, or a life of treachery?"
Actor Iroh winked at the audience, raising his thumb, "Choose treachery, it's more fun!", and really, the Zuko actor walked over to his uncle.
"No way!", Actress Azula reacted, appalled by what she saw.
Actor Zuko then pushed Actor Iroh from the stage and walked back to Actress Azula. "I hate you, Uncle! You smell, and I hate you for all time!"
Katara whispered to Zuko, "You didn't really say that, did you?", Lu Ten also leaned forward, interested in his answer.
"I might as well have.", the teenager answered ashamed, trying to disappear into his seat again.
Lu Ten closed his eyes for a long moment. He swallowed the anger that built up inside him and put a hand on Zuko's shoulder, "Don't worry, Baby Cousin. He's going to forgive you.", Zuko shot him a questioning look.
Then both refocused on the stage, where the battle in the crystal catacombs took place. As Actress Aang entered the Avatar State, being lifted up by a hidden rope, as Actress Azula stated dramatically, "Not if my lightning can't help it!", she threw a blue streamer at Actress Aang, who shook and screamed, obviously hit. Azula and her friends Mai and Ty Lee stood before the fallen Actress Aang, "The Avatar is no more!"
They left the stage, and just as everyone thought the scene was already over, Actor Lu Ten walked casually into the center. He smiled evilly, "Indeed, my dear cousin. Indeed.", revealing a blue streamer in his hand.
The scene changed once more, Actress Azula was seen, sitting in a private chamber, pondering, "I'm sure I didn't hit him. But he was struck by lightning."
All teenager's heads shot around to Lu Ten, whose jar dropped. "I wasn't even there.", was the only thing he whispered, before the curtains closed for the second intermission.
Lu Ten immediately went looking for Aang. The young Avatar had disappeared mid-play and they hadn't seen him since. Even though it was unlikely that something happened to him here, it was better to look for him. He finally found him on one of the balconies facing the seaside. "Hey Aang, are you alright?"
Angrier than Lu Ten had ever seen him, the airbender stared at the sea, "No, I'm not! I hate this play!", he said as he yanked the hat he wore for disguise off and threw it to the ground.
Slowly, Lu Ten walked over to it, took it and brushed the dirt off of it. Then he walked up to the boy and quietly took his tattooed hand in his, gently opening the clenching fist. Aang stared at him as he placed the hat in his hand. "Aang,", Lu Ten began with only the slightest idea of a smile on his face, "I know, this play is upsetting. It's even worse than I imagined, and my imagination was not that good to begin with. The writer seems determined to make me the true villain of the story, no matter if it holds any truth. I hope you know that I could never hurt anyone of you.", he spoke while he closed Aang's hand around the hat.
"I know, Sifu Lu Ten.", Aang smiled, but his face turned sad, "Lu Ten, can I ask you something?"
"Sure.", the firebender said reassuringly.
"Before the invasion, on top of the submarines, I kissed Katara. And I thought, that meant we were going to be together, but we're not. And, and, at the stage, she said that she loves me, but like a little brother. And I don't know what to do now and she doesn't seem to care at all.", the boy was now almost crying.
Lu Ten smiled at him, he took pity in his pupil, "Aang, love can be complicated, especially in times of war, and for teenagers even more so. You really like her, don't you?", Aang nodded enthusiastically, "Then give it time. Right now the whole situation is complicated and dangerous. We all need to focus on the outcome of it. You are both very young. There's no need to rush. After the world is safe again, we can then focus on your love life.", he winked at the twelve-years old, which managed to make him giggle. "What I mean is, don't force anything just now, it could destroy more than it would do good. And concerning this disgrace of a play,", Lu Ten sighed, "This is all breathing Ozai's propaganda through and through. Don't mistake it for the truth, it may have elements of it, but nothing more. It has no meaning to Katara's feeling as well as whatever end will be displayed.", as to strengthen his words, Lu Ten laid a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder.
The Air Nomad smiled at him, a moment later, Lu Ten found himself in a tight hug. He smiled and patted the boy's back. As Aang broke away from the hug, he straightened himself and his clothing and bowed before Lu Ten, "Thank you, Sifu."
As they reentered to the rest of the group, Lu Ten was thankful that they had missed a part of the play already. He tried to ignore Sokka's hysterical laughing during the next scene. Apparently, the boy had somehow made it backstage and gave the actor playing himself a few tips. And the actor just took them. Lu Ten shook his head, but the audience seemed to appreciate.
As the scene changed to the royal palace, the group was joined by Actor Zuko, who joined them. But it was not over just then. Actors Aang, Zuko and Lu Ten appeared on stage, as well as Actress Azula on the other side. "Aang! You find the Fire Lord, we'll hold her off!", Actor Zuko yelled and Actress Aang disappeared from the stage.
"You are no longer my family. You are enemies!", the princess shouted.
The Actor playing her brother answered, "No! I am the rightful heir to the throne!"
"We'll see!", the actress said smugly as a complicated looking fight with streamers as bended fire ensued between the three. On some point the two male actors encircled Actress Azula and she was struck with a streamer in the back and sunk to the ground.
Actor Lu Ten and Actor Zuko smiled and bowed before each other. "Thank you, cousin.", Actor Zuko said.
Actor Lu Ten's smile changed into an evil grin, "Finally.", he said, before swiftly making a bending move which caused several paper flames to rise up from the ground, the last one engulfing Actor Zuko, wo also sank to the ground, screaming "Honor!", as Actor Lu Ten disappeared behind a column.
Lu Ten couldn't believe what he saw, even more so as now Actor Iroh appeared on stage. As he spotted the bodies of his nephew and niece, he ran over to them, sinking to his knees and crying. "Who did this? Who in the world could be that cruel?"
Behind him, Actor Lu Ten sneaked back onto the stage, a large dagger in hand. When he was close to his father's figure, he said, "I've waited long enough to wipe you out of the picture, you weak hedonist! You're nothing but a disgrace!", then he rammed the dagger in his father's back.
Aang knew how this must've hurt Lu Ten, who sat next to him. Thus, he reached out and grabbed the firebender's hand, squeezing it lightly. In the light coming from the stage he saw that Lu Ten's face was a shocked masked, firm and paler than he had ever seen him. For a long moment he didn't react at all, before he turned to Aang, smiled thankfully and squeezed the airbender's hand in return.
The next scene showed how Fire Lord Ozai defeated the Avatar. As the actress laid on the ground, wrapped in red silk, symbolizing her fiery death, Actor Ozai celebrated it, "The world is mine."
Suddenly, Actor Lu Ten entered the stage, "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Uncle! That throne always belonged to me!", he shot a blue streamer symbolizing lightning at Ozai, who evaded. Actor Lu Ten, obviously stunned that someone could evade his attack, was then hit by a streamer coming from Ozai. As Actor Lu Ten dramatically sank to his knees, Actor Ozai sat a foot on his body, "I told you, no one can defeat me. Not even a traitor like you! The world is now truly mine and mine alone!"
A few hours later, everyone was already sleeping, except for Zuko. He somehow couldn't, he didn't know why, but something was keeping him up. An uneasy feeling, maybe it was the aftermath of the play. Anyway, he decided, he needed some fresh air. Thus, he went outside and took a few steps towards the beach. To his surprise, he saw a lonely figure, sitting on some stones on the edge of the beach, already splashed by the waves.
Quietly he walked over. His cousin didn't seem to notice him, Lu Ten sat there like a statue. He jumped as Zuko said his name. As he turned around, Zuko saw that tears were running down Lu Ten's cheeks. Quickly, he wiped them away and smiled at his younger cousin, trying in vain for an upbeat tone, "Hey Baby Cousin, can't sleep?"
Zuko nodded and sat down next to Lu Ten, "What's wrong?", he asked.
Lu Ten shook his head, "Nothing that should concern you. All of you are still so young, you shouldn't be concerned with my sorrows. Agni, you shouldn't be fighting in this war at all."
"You're afraid of what is coming?", Zuko asked. Over the years, he had learned a lot about his cousin, what he said, and about what he not said. But he rarely saw him cry.
Lu Ten sighed, "Yes, I'm afraid, unbelievably afraid. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not afraid that something will happen to me. Things that happen to oneself are not the worst thing, it's things that happen to the ones you care about that is far worse. Especially, if you cannot protect them."
Zuko understood, even though, Lu Ten had forced himself to sound hopeful about his family, he was still afraid he could find only corpses once the war was over. Thus, he put a hand on Lu Ten's shoulder, "When everything's over, we'll find them.", he said with the most serious tone he could muster and a stern expression on his face.
Lu Ten smiled sadly, "I hope so. Thank you, Zuko."