Chapter 36

Izara had dressed lazily, still feeling stiff and sore from her injuries, but she had been told earlier by Suki and Sokka that there was a council meeting today to decide what to do with the information she had retrieved from the Supremacists. Although she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and sleep, she knew that her personal testimony might make the decision to retaliate easier. So, after she had tidied up as best she could and dressed in her full guard uniform, she left her room and walked to the council chambers.

Some of her friends tried to stop her on the way, knowing that she shouldn't be moving around, but when she explained briefly, they reluctantly let her continue. When she reached her destination, Wen was there and stared at her for a moment before rushing over to her.

"Miss Izara, you shouldn't be here. You should be resting." Wen was reserved but, under her composed expressions, had a sweet personality.

"I know, but my testimony will help. Let me go in... please." Izara pleaded with her, and Wen sighed after a moment and nodded.

They both walked up, and Wen knocked on the door and waited until the guards inside opened it for them. Izara ensured that she appeared calm and collected as all eyes in the room fell upon her, including the Fire Lord's, who widened for a moment in surprise. Katara had told her that he had barely left her side since she returned, and so far, he hadn't seen her conscious for more than a few minutes. She vaguely recalled his voice and him speaking to her occasionally and waking her to help her drink water and eat something. She had no idea how to thank him for being so kind and knew facing him would be hard. Now, he would know for sure that she wasn't just an ordinary girl, and she would have to tell him of her past. He was far too perceptive to have ever believed her when she said that she had learned to fight to survive after her parents were gone. But he must have sensed she didn't want to speak of it and let it go.

How would she convince him to trust her after telling him she used to be a mercenary? How could he keep believing in her when he discovered she would have done anything just to get paid? She had killed in cold blood if it ensured she could afford to eat. The War was brutal for everyone, and they both knew that, but some did more than others just to ensure they could live another day. Since she had quit, she wanted nothing more than to put that life behind her and hoped she would never have to rely on those skills again. Unfortunately, it was a promise that she couldn't keep to herself, but she was okay with it if it meant that she could do something good with it. Saving Kazan and serving the Fire Lord was her way of trying to redeem herself for all that she had done. She had inflicted all the betrayals, injuries and death on those who got in her way, innocent or otherwise. The memories would never leave her, and she would never be able to rid herself of the guilt and the blood off her hands, but would she really be able to redeem herself?

She would offer her resignation the next time she spoke to the Fire Lord and would abide by whatever command he gave her. So be it if he decided to put her on trial for war crimes. The Yoshikage deserved punishment. If he banished her, so be it. She would at least go to her fate, knowing she had tried to do the right thing in the end. Being tortured by the Supremacists was nothing compared to the suffering she had caused by beating herself up for so long.

After a low and stiff bow, she entered the room.

"Fire Lord. Council members. My name is Izara, and I am the guard who was captured and infiltrated the Fire Nation Supremacist camp. I would like to personally tell you everything I saw and experienced to assist you." Her voice didn't give away anything, and she purposely ignored the Fire Lord's gaze, instead glancing at each council member.

"Aren't you still injured? We heard that you were tortured." One of the council members on her right asked in confusion.

"I am not back to full health yet, but it's no problem for me to be here." She lied and guessed that they probably all knew it. She could feel a thin sheet of sweat on her brow and focused on ensuring her legs didn't give way underneath her.

"Well then. Please provide an account of what occurred." Another council member spoke up, and they all waited for her to speak.

As Izara began, every person in the room subtly leaned forward in interest to what she had to say. She spoke of the battle and her being taken captive, ensuring to omit the part where the Fire Lord had left the bunker. She told them about what information they had tried to get out of her and a brief overview of their treatment of her, just enough to make sure that they knew the ruthlessness they could show to a fellow Fire Nation citizen. It wasn't worth going into detail since she doubted they could stomach hearing it. Mostly, she didn't want Zuko to know about it. Then she told them of her escape and how she had stolen information, attempted to sabotage their war balloons, and returned to the Capital.

None of them spoke until she had finished, and she was glad when it was over. She'd felt dehydrated before starting, and her mouth and throat were parched. Knowing she would probably pass out soon, she hoped the meeting would finish and she could leave. The Fire Lord must have figured this out as he made a timely announcement, the first and only thing he had said since she had entered the room.

"I believe Lady Izara needs to rest. We will reconvene tomorrow at the same time." His words were not phrased as a request, and the council members quickly left.

The Fire Lord stayed behind, and Izara moved out of the way to let everyone pass by her. Once they were all gone and out of earshot, he turned to her abruptly.

"What the hell are you doing here? You look like you're going to pass out." His formality had all but disappeared; his tone was scolding, and his eyes were full of concern and worry.

"I needed to do my part," Izara replied softly, shrugging, unsure of what else to say.

"Do your part!?" You're still half dead!" He raised his voice, and she flinched in surprise.

He closed his eyes, dropped his chin to his chest, pressed his pointer and middle fingers to his temples and sighed. After a moment, he looked back up at her, and his anger had utterly dissipated.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you. You've done so much already. You've already sacrificed your own safety, and you could have died. You don't need to do anything else. Please… for the sake of my sanity, go and rest." His voice became softer and more pleading as he continued speaking. He gently rested a hand against her cheek, and Izara felt it was an affectionate gesture.

Not knowing what else to do, she nodded and gave him an appreciative smile. Some of the tension in his shoulders released, and he let his hand drop back to his side after a moment. They both turned towards the door simultaneously, but Izara felt some dizziness. Although it was barely noticeable, her steps were somewhat slowed as a result. Without any words, Fire Lord Zuko gently held her arm and wrapped his own around his, supporting her as they walked back towards her room.

Slowly, they walked back, and Izara was glad for his presence as she realised she didn't know where her room was. She'd simply marched out of it to get to the council chamber, taking no notice of where she was coming from. Seeming to notice her confusion, he answered her silent question.

"I had it set up so you would have somewhere quiet to rest on your return. I wanted to make sure you were nearby. All of your things have been moved there as well." His voice didn't give away much, but she guessed that he had been concerned that she might not have returned at all.

"Thank you for that," Izara replied, giving him another appreciative smile. Finally, he smiled back, and she was glad he wasn't angry with her, just worried. "Thank you for worrying as well. It's nice to be well taken care of."

Maybe it was because she was ready to faint at any moment, and only his strong arm was holding her up. Still, she felt like she needed to express her gratitude towards him. Not only for making sure she was well looked after now but for pulling her away from her Uncle, which stopped her from wasting away under his tyranny. She had forgotten how nice it was to feel cared about and now felt glad that she hadn't died from her injuries. Until now, she hadn't been concerned about her own life, just making sure that the Supremacists would get what they deserved and help restore peace and balance to her country. She had watched how hard Fire Lord Zuko worked to ensure his citizens were well-fed and the nation prosperous, inspiring her to do the same. In fact, he was probably the entire reason for her continued existence.

"You're welcome… and although I wish you didn't put yourself in such danger...thank you for being so brave to do what you did. Kazan told me about your past experiences, but I was still concerned."

At the mention of Kazan, her head snapped up to look at him, and she groaned quietly. She knew she would have to tell him, but she wanted to be the one to do it. Since she lied about her skills and capabilities, she wanted to make it right by telling the truth. Kazan would have done it to ensure no one misinterpreted her actions and to ease worried minds, but she still wished she had been the one to set everything straight.

"I understand why you didn't tell me, and I know you want to put it all behind you. I would prefer to forget many things I've done." He continued as they made eye contact, seeing the panic on her face. His voice revealed his regret, but it didn't make her feel better.

She stopped walking and pulled away from him to bow low, although it strained the wound on her shoulder to do so. Without rising, she spoke.

"My Lord, I would like to offer my resignation as an apology and redemption for my dishonesty. I can only hope that it will make up for what I have done, and I will follow your orders, whether by trial or banishment." She didn't move, and the silence was unbearable until she heard a strange sound coming from him.

Was he… laughing?

As she straightened up, she saw his shoulders shaking, and his hand covered his mouth as he chuckled at her sudden gesture. His other hand was up in front of him to tell her to wait a moment. She stood silently with a furrowed brow until he finally began to calm down.

"For a smart girl, you're an idiot." He said simply before retaking her arm and continuing their walk towards her room.

Although she was confused, she let herself be led by him and stood still while he opened the door and gestured for her to come inside. Katara was there, clearly panicking, and sighed with a hand over her heart in relief when she saw them both.

"Where the hell have you been? Your wounds didn't open up, did they? You can't be walking around like this!" Katara rambled until Zuko raised a hand to wave her off.

Izara was in the middle of cowering from the waterbender and being incredibly confused by Zuko's laughing fit earlier when Suki and Sokka also barged in the door, making her jump with fright.

"We can't find her!" They both said simultaneously but relaxed when they saw her.

Zuko silently led Izara over to the bed, and Katara, Suki, and Sokka just watched without making a sound. Everyone except Zuko was thoroughly confused by the atmosphere between himself and Izara. Still, she just did as she was directed and sat down on the edge of the bed. She removed her guard uniform, starting with her boots, and Zuko turned to speak to his friends.

"Would you give us a minute, please?" he asked softly. The three of them nodded and left the room without protest.

"Are you okay?" Izara asked him, her curiosity ready to kill her before her injuries did.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with his boyish smile, which made him look like a teenager. She huffed despite still being baffled by the situation. "Why on earth are you asking about me?" he quipped with a raised eyebrow.

Zuko disappeared into the bathroom momentarily, and Izara took the chance to remove the rest of her uniform, lazily dropping it onto the floor next to the bed. She left on her clothes underneath and moved back onto the bed, resting her back against the wall behind her. Zuko came out of the bathroom, carrying a small bowl and a small cloth with him.

There was a chair next to the bed, and he sat down and placed the cloth in the bowl, allowing it to soak up the water. He stared at her expectantly, and she followed his unspoken command and laid down, resting her head on the pillow. Quietly, he squeezed the excess water from the cloth and carefully folded it before moving her hair off her forehead and laying it across. It cooled her skin immediately, and she couldn't help but sigh contentedly at the feeling.

"Now, since you feel like you need to redeem yourself, how about you take up a new position instead of resigning?" He asked cryptically, and Izara raised an eyebrow in question. "I want to make you the Head of Intelligence. Your skills will be useful, and you'll be able to use them for the good of our country. Will you think about it?" He questioned quietly and waited until she nodded before he smiled.

"You aren't angry with me? I lied about who I really am. I was a spy, a mercenary and an assassin! How can you be okay with it?" Izara asked after a long silence.

Zuko shook his head, and although she felt like she should be surprised, she wasn't. Of course, he wasn't mad. He was one of the most patient people she had met. He had taught her firebending, which would have been a task in patience. His apparently fiery temper was rarely unleashed from when he'd destroyed the chairs in his office after she returned to report in. He was kind enough to invite her to work in the Palace after seeing whatever potential he thought she had. She knew he had hunted the Avatar when he was younger and probably done other things he regretted, so it shouldn't be such a shock for him to understand.

"Izara, it's okay. We've all made mistakes and done what we had to to survive. Use your abilities for a good cause if you want redemption."

She looked at him for a long moment, feeling increasingly tired the longer she was still.

Before she could say anything else, sleep called too strongly for her to resist in her weakened state, and she dozed off…