Chapter 12 – Hard Truths, Soft Lies
Zuko, and Sokka (as the blue Spirit) along with other the other men of their nations/or organizations were discussing politics, with no real decisions were being made without the Earth Kingdom representatives. Aang decided to explore the outer area of Yu Dao by glider so he can keep an eye out for the Earth Kingdom army and to also figure out other things outside of this whole Yu Dao thing. Katara, Suki and Toph decided to take a walk-through town, it almost felt like their girl's day out a year and a half earlier, but these establishments weren't quite up to the standards of Ba Sing Se as a result of the Eternal Earth Enclave's actions. Katara asked Toph about her Metal-bending Academy, and Toph went on a rant about how she was forced to share the building with a fire-bender and his students, Katara already witnessed that part but the next part was rather unexpected,
"but thanks to that Yasuaki bringing a blacksmith to let my students work with less pure metals, it has made my students excel in their metal-bending than I originally anticipated. but I am also learning how to structure my classes better, and I am also teaching him to challenge his students more"
Katara eating her fruit salad just listened to her go on and on
"and now we are using that old barracks as a temporary school, though recent events have had me fighting to keep both my Fire-bending and Metal-bending students safe from any dunder heads that try to ruff them up"
Katara raised an eyebrow
"You talk like they are your children, despite that some… most of them are a couple of years older than you"
Toph takes a sip of her drink
"I'm a momma badger-mole, I won't deny that and yes all those whippersnappers… um my students have grown on me."
Katara gets a sly smirk and finished Toph's sentence with
"like fungus"
the two of them laughed for a few minutes then Toph cleared her throat
"yea, true… but let me ask you something about you"
Katara sipping on her drink
"sure thing"
Toph then got that knowing look on her face that Katara recognized as her 'don't lie to me, I will know' and she asked
"I heard from Tylee about some gossip of you and Zuko, being in a relationship?"
Katara almost choaked on her drink
"um what does she know?"
Toph shrugged and continued
"not much, she told me she saw an article depicting you and Zuko making out… she says she dismissed it as baseless gossip… but Aang's reaction to it was concerning to her"
Katara clearing her throat then asked
"what kind of reaction?"
before Toph could answer Tylee approached them and answered
"he went into the Avatar State"
Katara immediately concerned asked
"did anyone get hurt!"
Tylee shook her head
"no… can I join you?"
both Katara and Toph nodded, and Tylee looked for a chair but couldn't find any so Toph kicked the ground and made one for her. After taking her seat she explained what happened.
"yea, his eyes and tattoos did that glowing thing and he sounded like 10 people speaking at once, but there was no bending well involuntary bending that is"
Toph then asked
"um how public was this instant?"
Tylee was a little uneasy but then regained her composure
"well… it initially happened in the confines of the Earth Palace"
Katara felt a little relived but then Tylee continued
"then he ran out-side, and caused a little mayhem. But the only casualty was some cabbage merchant's Kart… but that wasn't the weird part"
Katara and Toph looked at each other then asked
"what was it then? The weird part that is"
Tylee then explained
"the next day, the news paper didn't mention anything of it, despite it happening right in front of their headquarters. They just kept publishing more of those stories on you and Zuko"
Tylee looked at with a questioning look as did Toph so Katara decided to clear things up
"ok I think I can explain that, but first let me make some things clear… yes Zuko and I are pretty much… no we are dating"
Toph maintained her standard look while Tylee was floored at the revelation
"wow, really? Ok, but how, when did this feeling start?"
Katara sighed
"well I was going to guess after I went with Zuko to the Mayor's how a week ago, Mrs. Morishita even forced me to wear a nice dress while her servants cleaned my cloths… these cloths"
Toph the smiled
"BUT…"
Tylee watched in anticipation
"but I think it really started after Zuko helped me find the man who murdered my mother"
the girls just looked at her as she continued, though she looked a little entranced like she was thinking of something or someone she liked but she gathered herself
"but as for that news article… what was it's name like the publisher"
Tylee gets her self together and thinks for a second
"lets see… gabbing grosser… grabbing grouper… Oh Grounded Gossiper"
Katara then asked
"ok and who is the reporter that made that story?"
Tylee fiddled with her ponytail nervously
"I… I don't remember. Sorry"
Katara smiled
"its fine, but anyway Zuko and I have recently found out that Ozai has connections out side of his cell"
Tylee and Toph both shocked and Katara continued
"and I had to… assemble one of his… letters and found out that he is communicating with lots of people, and that news article of me and Zuko is probably connected to that"
Suki had to ask
"what… why would he do that?"
Katara just held her breath
"he wanted to use our relationship to provoke Aang and embarrass him, he wants Aang to fight Zuko, maybe even Kill him"
Katara stuttered a little and Suki put it together
"and the war would be started again, the Fire Nation would need a new leader to fight this war, like Azula"
Tylee looked away sadly and shook her head,
"I… I can't believe I worked for him and took pride in working for him"
she was about to get up and leave but Katara, and Suki reached for her hands and the reassured her that she was very much wanted there. Suki then wondered and asked Tylee
"oh, um what happened to that girl that Zuko use to like"
Tylee eyes lit up
"oh, you mean Mia. Well not much really, she was very quiet after the breakup"
Toph then raised an eyebrow
"you mean she wasn't already quiet?"
Tylee just shook her head
"quieter than usual, it's been four months since I set foot in the capital but were pen pals and the last I heard of her is she works at a flower shop there and that is as much as I know"
she looks down
"she doesn't talk much… it's been more than a month since our last letter"
Suki then smiled
"well, let her know that if she want's to join the Kioshi warriors for real, we have more than enough room for her. Plus, she would be a welcomed addition"
Tylee smiled
"thanks, I'll let her know… it just might take a month or so to get a reply"
Suki nodded then turned to Katara
"so, you going to talk to Aang about this relationship, right?"
Katara looks out nervously, thinking of what Tylee just revealed about Aang and she wasn't sure, not on the actual reveal but on how to, she figured that she needed help. She knew that she had to, sooner rather than later because she knew that if she or Zuko don't, one of Ozai's lackies will.
Zuko was looking for Aang, he needed to talk with him on lots of things and not just political things either, Sokka seemed to have the colonies under control and stable. he wasn't key on restoring the Fire-Nation's authority, but he wasn't going to let the Earth Kingdom take over either, so yea he and the current leaders of the colonies want to become their own nation, and Honestly Zuko wasn't opposed the idea and from what he understands neither is Aang, thus why Zuko was determined to find the Avatar (only his honor wasn't on the line this time), but he also wanted to clear up some personal things with Aang regarding Katara, He knew he couldn't risk one of Ozai's goons to tell him in a manipulative way and Aang doesn't deserve that.
looking up to find Aang on some random roof top he rounded a corner with out looking and ran into Katara, knocking her against a cabbage merchant's kart, spilling cabbages everywhere
"MY CABBAGES!"
after seeing what he had done he helps Katara to her feet and they help the merchant clean up the mess and Zuko even fixed the kart.
the merchant was a little stunned, he wasn't used to the vandals' making amends and even fixing the mess they made, even if it was an accident.
"Thank you, my lor… Fire Lord. you shouldn't have to do all this"
Zuko pounded the last nail in
"not a problem. I'm glad to help in what ever way I can… but don't forget to thank her as well"
and he points to Katara who was using her water bending to lift all the cabbages and dipping them in a fountain to wash them clean and finally placing them on the kart in their rightful place, Zuko was always amazed at how talented of a bender she is. The merchant than thanked them the two of them
"thanks again Fire Lord Zuko and Master Water-Bender Katara"
he did a light bow then checked a compartment in his kart
"but don't leave just yet, let me reward you"
Zuko and Katara tried to talk him out of it but he didn't feel right leaving their efforts with out some form of payment and gave them each a jar with shredded pickled cabbages, and cabbage rolls and he went on his way.
Zuko looked at his jar of red cabbage and Katara looked at her jar of cabbage rolls and the two of them just packed them with them as they continued to look for Aang.
"Aang! Where are you, boy he is elusive when he doesn't want to be found"
Katara looks at Zuko who was looking at the horizon in the east, she can tell he was still concerned about the Earth King, she knew that persuading King Kuei was going to be difficult, if what Ozai had to say about him is true.
she went up to Zuko and gently held his hand to get his attention
"what is your plan of action once we find Aang?"
Zuko looked at her then to her jar of cabbage rolls then back to her
"well I want to talk to him about these colonies and for the more part, giving them their own sovereignty"
Katara thought for a second
"so you, want to make them into their own country?"
Zuko nodded
"that's about the size of it. I just don't know if the Earth Kingdom will respect their sovereignty… not without a strong hand anyway"
Katara looked at him, shook her jar. She knew he was right then asked
"and the Avatar may find a way that we can have this new nation be formed and the Earth Kingdom have a sense of dignity"
Zuko smiled, she is far sharper than most of the councillors, nobles, and other political leaders of both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom.
"exactly"
Katara then wondered
"what do we do if Aang doesn't find a balanced way?"
Zuko got a serious face on and took a seat on a toppled statue and motioned Katara to sit next to him
"then the 100 year war is back on, with only a 1 year intermission and this era of love and peace will be looked back on as a joke"
Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose and sighed. Katara looked at him and can see that he was clearly distressed at the thought of that war starting up again then he continued
"and depending on who wins the colonies, the defeated will more than likely have a civil war"
Katara can see the dread and she looked out to the horizon
"and what of Aang and our relationship?"
Zuko got up and helped Katara to her feet
"what do you think we should do?"
Katara picking up the jar of pickled cabbage
"I don't really know… he is a very sensitive individual. You heard of him going in the Avatar state in Ba Sing Se"
Zuko nods
"yea, strange that it wasn't very destructive though, but honestly I think we should be as upfront with him as possible"
Katara was concerned about the hurt that Aang will go through, and she argued
"but what if he goes into the Avatar State?"
Zuko smiled but then went serious
"If we… you tell him strait up, I feel he might accept it. I feel that whole Avatar State reaction is that he found out through a gossip paper and feeling that we are being dishonest with him"
Katara thought back to the Ember Island players and that cringe line of her stage counterpart saying to Zuko's stage counter part saying 'he'll never find out about this' knowing that would be the wrong road, deception only leads to worse outcomes further down.
"Yes, your right. He's the Avatar but more importantly he's our friend, and he deserves our honesty"
Aang was flying around on his glider keeping an eye out for any Earth Kingdom activity, he wants to find the main Earth Kingdom army with King Kuei and his council, he hopes that he can find some sort of way to get him to meet up with Zuko and the Blue Spirit (Sokka) in a relatively neutral location and discuss the fate of the colonies.
The thing that plagues his mind the most is Katara and her supposed relationship with Zuko, it was just gossip by some news reporters, right? Just to stir up trouble, right? Zuko did say Ozai was communicating with people to do his nefarious deeds, and yes using Katara as a wedge between him and Zuko… but the thing that has Aang worried is that neither Zuko nor Katara have denied being in a relationship, to be fair Aang didn't directly ask any of them about it, but it was concerning to him. His thoughts were going to have to wait, because he found a large Earth Kingdom army massing in a small valley, about one day march from Yu Dao. The soldiers now see him but decided to not interfere with him, one even pointed to the top of a hill surrounded by a trench and rough earth walls, and he guessed that is where King Kuei and his high command, so he headed straight there.
He walked up to the Royal tent where the King and his high command were going over some battle plans, the guards tried to stop him
"halt, you can't go in there while the meeting is"
but he simply water-bent some water from an animal feed bin and froze them in place and walked in.
he came in as one of the generals was discussing the battle plans with the earth King.
"we will keep our armour corps in reserve and send the Earth-Benders in first…"
they then noticed Aang standing at the doorway with the guards on either side of him, the Earth King and his generals just looked at him and he spoke.
"Earth King Kuei, please hear me out. That is all I ask of you"
Kuei looked at his generals then told his generals and the guards to leave, at first there was murmuring but then they abided.
King Kuei then motioned Aang to take a seat and he did, and King Kuei did the same and he asked Aang
"ok, what do you want of me Avatar?"
Aang didn't know what to say at first but then he found himself
"will you at least come to the meeting just outside of Yu Dao and discuss the fate of the colonies with Zuko and the blue Spirit?"
King Kuei took a deep breath and messaged the temples of his head and then voiced his concerns
"Avatar Aang, I know you have the best intentions, and you have no bias, that is why I will go. but can you let me voice my concerns with you here now?"
Aang nodded, and King Kuei started to rant
"what do you think will happen if I just go along with Zuko's and the blue Spirit's plans to make the Colonies into their own nation state?"
Aang was shocked on how much he knew but decided to answer his question
"um… well the Earth Kingdom would get a neighbour and trade partner"
then King Kuei shook his head
"my reign over the Earth kingdom is at point of uncertainty, if the colonies were to be lost by diplomatic persuasion or military occupation, what is to stop other parts of the Earth kingdom to fallow suit, like Omashew for example or the Si Wong desert?"
Aang thought for a moment
"I would help you"
then King Kuei smiled but had a stern look on his face
"why would you help me maintain stability in those regions but allow separation here, they have no more nobler reasons the others… so why?"
Aang didn't know what to say, or on what authority
"that's a question you need to ask Fire lord Zuko and the Blue Spirit… not me"
King Kuei looked at Aang with a sense of disappointment but realized that was the best he was going to get and he pointed to a spot on the map
"ok Avatar, here is where I'm willing to have the meeting. At noon, we'll discuss what need to be discussed"
Aang picked up his glider
"thank you your majesty, and I promise that the Earth Kingdom won't get the short end of the deal"
and he left.
The Earth King finished up his meeting but then one of his generals made a suggestion
"My lord, we maybe able to have more leverage with Fire Lord Zuko if we had something more to bring to the table"
King Kuei looked at General How
"what do you mean?"
General How then made a bold suggestion
"if we apprehended Iroh, then we would be able to…"
but King Kuei interrupted him
"that is out of the question, I know Zuko views him as his father but I will not use the man who liberated Ba Sing Se as a bargaining chip. We cant afford to have the White Lotus as a potential enemy as well"
then General Fong spoke up
"then what of another family member?"
King Kuei looked at him with confusion
"he doesn't have any that we have immediate access to, his father Ozai is in prison, his sister Azula in an asylum, both are probably not coming out any time soon"
then General Fong continued
"we'll my Lord, a little bird has told me that Fire Lord Zuko is desperately in search of his mother, he spends his every waking moment looking for any leads. He will be more persuadable if we were able to provide her to him"
King Kuei was a little unsettled but was also intrigued
"but we don't have his mother, no one knows where she is other than Ozai and he isn't talking"
the General then laughed
"who says we don't?"
he then signaled someone in the corner and two Dia Li agents came in with a woman
"your majesty, this is our bargaining chip! say hello Ju… Ursa"
the woman just simply bowed
"I am honored to accept his invitation"
The Earth King wasn't sure on this but he did feel desperate enough to go along with this plan
In a tent in the far corner of the encampment, General Fong entered and had a discussion with a man in a hooded robe.
"we'll he has accepted our little plan, the bargaining chip is ready to use"
the hooded man then asked
"and he has no objections to this?"
the General smiled
"no, he only had a few questions, but we managed to convince this Judee to believe she is Lady Ursa. Fire lord Zuko will bend over backwards to get his dear mother back"
the Hooded man takes his hood off to reveal Long Fang
"yes, and if things go according to plan, we'll get 4 birds with one stone. We can't afford to mess this up"
Long Fang then looked at General Fong
"do we have any more information from our little bird"
General Fong pulled out a scroll
"lets see"
-The Earth king may make a useful martyr. kill him, using fire, lighting or Yuyan archer arrows.
-Kill the Blue Spirit by any means necessary.
-this is the final order, keep silent and Destroy this message.
General Fong looked at it in shock
"what treachery is this! I'm not going to…"
but then a stone dagger shot from Long Fang's hand and into General Fong's thought, killing him but stopped any bleeding,
"Bird number one"
he then started to take his armour off and putt it on then two Dia Li agents came in
"what should we do with him?"
Long Feng then spoke but sounding like Fong as he shaved his facial hair
"nothing yet, I just need to there"
and Long Fang looked at his reflection
"perfect"
he then looked at Fong
"dispose of him, but make sure no one finds the remains"
the two Dia Li agents then left with the body
Everyone was at town hall waiting for Aang's arrival, Sokka talking with Yasuaki about battle plans and what the next move should be, Suki and her Kioshi warriors were basically the police force with Toph as a helper (her metal bending is quite useful for detaining criminals), Katara was at the local infirmary healing anyone and everyone who was injured, or I'll, Tylee was pretty much her nurse and would chee-block people who were in too much pain and thrashing around.
Zuko was about to head for the Fire Nation Encampment when he saw Aang approaching from the Horizon and he landed in front of him
"so, did you make any progress?"
Aang very happily said
"Yes sir Sifu Hotman"
Zuko letting out a major sigh in relief
"good job Avatar Aang…"
Aang rubbed the back of his head
"it wasn't much, just set up the meeting, I'll tell Sokka and the others"
and he quickly left.
Zuko quietly left to the infirmary to find Katara, if there was a quiet time to tell Aang of their relationship this is it.
Aang left town hall after informing Sokk and Yasuaki of where and when this meeting is. It did feel good to know that they were making progress on this peace deal, and maybe they can put this whole political hiccup behind them.
then he found Katara who was giving a jar of something that looked like cabbage rolls to a young child, she eventually noticed him, and she approached him, and they hugged for a moment 'oh how missed her'. Aang smiled at her
"yea its been one heck of a week"
Katara was standing in front of him holding her arm nervously but not looking at him
"Aang… there is something I need to tell you"
But Aang started to tell her about, his week, from when he found Tylee wondering the Earth kingdom, (He decided to leave the nightmares he was having and his journeys to the spirit world) the Avatar fan club, and the slower than molasses bureaucracy of the Earth Kingdom. Katara just stood there and listened to him, she didn't have the heart to break it to him especially at such a sensitive time like this.