Avatar Book 4: Fire Nation Reborn
Chapter 1: A Simmering Disaster
~ Three years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender ~
A young man with angular features and milk chocolate skin stands alone on a crescent of ice before the flowing ocean. His eyes are as clear and blue as the sea he stood before on this cool summer night. That's not saying much as every night is a cool night in the Southern Water Tribe. He gazes upon the radiant moon, not with a sense of wonder, but with a certain wistfulness. Behind his deep blue eyes there is a great sorrow. He hears footsteps crossing the ice behind him. He does not turn around, he already knows who it is. Two soft, but firm, arms wrap around his torso in a warm embrace. A pointed chin rests across his shoulder, a gentle cheek presses against his.
"You still miss her don't you" speaks a firm but feminine voice.
The man replies, "It's not like that.. well I do.. but… I-"
"Sokka…"
The man who we know to be Sokka sighs in defeat, "I do."
Her arms tighten around him, "We all remember our first loves.
"Yeah, but you got to be with yours, Toph"
"Shut up, meathead. I was trying to make a moment here" she says feigning irritation
"You know I care about you… right?
"If I didn't I wouldn't be here on this spirits forsaken Iceberg where I'm basically completely blind."
"How did you find me?" Sokka replies with confusion clear on his face.
"You still smell like flying bison poop"
"You step in Appa's poop one time and nobody lets you live it down! What about all those times I didn't step in Appa's poop? What about those?" Sokka yells with a dead serious look on his face. Toph stares at him firmly with a blank expression. They both burst out laughing. Before their laughter can fully die down they hear a faint shout in the distance.
A man in a green and brown uniform stands atop a small mechanical boat waving his arms. The boat's gears fill the air with noise. The man yells but his voice is overwhelmed by the deafening sound of machinery.
"What!" Sokka yells. The man yells back again, still blocked by the boat's wails.
"I don't know what you're saying!" Sokka yells. "I'm trying to read his lips, but I'm not having any luck… You got any idea?" Toph stares at him blankly with dead eyes. After a few seconds Sokka catches on, "Oh yeah…blind."
"Moron," Toph says flatly.
The boat lands on the shore with the gears still whirling. The man yells inaudibly once again. Sokka yells frustrated, "I can't hear you! Your stupid boat is too loud!" Toph walks up and lays her hand on the metallic hull of the ship. The man yells once more.
Toph stands for a moment before saying, "He said that… No…NO!"
Chief Hakoda sits at one end of a long meeting table in a large igloo. Various officials fill the rest of the chairs. Hakoda looks to the aging man at the opposite end of the table, "Kota, you have served this village greatly these past three years helping us rebuild after the war. Now, it is time for that work to come to an end!
Kota seems confused, "But, Chief, you can't-"
"Actually Kota I can. The last three years have been a great time of peace and prosperity for all, but certainly for the Southern Water Tribe. Our hunts have been fruitful, we've established trade routes with nations across the world, and we've brought this village back to its former glory. But now it is time to expand! And I want you to lead our expansion into the future!"
Kota looks amazed, "Yes, of cour-"
"Dad!" Sokka yells pushing aside a fur as he enters the structure, with Toph coming in close behind him
"Sokka!" Hakoda stands up, pushing his chair behind him, and responds to his son, " It's good to have you here, but I'm in the middle of a very important-"
"Gaoling is under attack!"
"By Who?" Hakoda asks.
"A messenger from Gaoling said that a large group of fire benders have scorched a warpath across the Earth Kingdom! Gaoling is getting ready for them but they need our help!" Toph yells with a deep worry in her voice.
"Toph… I'm sorry, but we cannot help you!"
"What do you mean you can't help?" Sokka replies, "There are fire benders attacking the Earth Kingdom! Let's send some soldiers and kick their butts!"
"I'm sorry, but we are in the middle of expanding and we need every fit body we have. Furthermore, what true help can we provide? Our forces are minor in comparison to the massive Earth Kingdom Army who will be there well in advance of any aid I can send!" Hakoda says. He pauses for a moment then adds, "I'm sorry Toph, I know Gaoling is your home, and as a father I would do anything to help my son and the woman who loves him… but as Chief of this entire tribe I can not do that."
Toph looks on with deep frustration, "Fine." She leaves the room in a hurry.
Sokka looks at her as she leaves then turns back to his father, "Her people need her, her family needs her, I need her, and I'm going." Sokka begins to leave.
Hakoda takes a deep breath and says, "One."
Sokka turns back to his father with a look of confusion on his face. The gears turn in his mind for a moment, "Which one?"
Hakoda simply responds, "Bato."
Sokka looks at him for a moment, as a smile spreads across his face, then says, "Thanks dad." Hakoda smiles back with a bit of pride in his son standing up for himself.
The messenger stands alone on the crescent of ice next to his boat. The waves gently rock it as the wind softly whistles through the air. He shivers with his arms crossed, "I hate this place." He turns his head and sees Sokka and Toph coming across the ice in his direction. He breathes a quiet sigh of relief. Sokka says, "Hey, can we ride the boat back with you?"
The Messenger responds perplexed "Yes of course! Why do you think I came here? I was supposed to bring back the greatest earthbender in history! The only metal bender to ever live!"
"Oh," Sokka replies quietly.
A massive smile spreads across Toph's face, "You hear that Captain Boomerang? The greatest Earth Bender in history? Huh, that's a pretty big notch on the belt. Huh, if you only had something like that…"
"Hey! I was the first man to take down a fire bender airship with a sword!" Sokka replies indignantly.
"Huh, that's pretty impressive, the only thing that would be more impressive would be if someone could take one down one with their bare hands… I wonder who could do that. Maybe if there were some kind of 'Metal bender" Toph replies sarcastically.
An authoritative cough comes from behind the bickering duo. They turn to see Bato standing behind them. "So, Toph, are you gonna stop insulting Sokka long enough for us to get on that boat?"
A large force of uniformed earthbenders stand atop a rock ridge. Firebender war drums beat in the distance. Plumes of smoke go on for miles behind them. An earthbender stands with a telescope mouthing numbers to himself. The woman next to him asks, "How many are there."
The man with the telescope finishes counting to himself then replies, "There's at least seventy of them that I can see!"
"Ah, a significant force but nothing we can't handle," The woman replies, "The runners have been sent out to the nearby villages for help. Even if only one sends reinforcements we should be pretty well defended."
"Yeah… But I don't know… something feels off here…" he replies looking intently.
"What do you mean," she says looking into the distance.
"Well, how did a group this small come this far?"
"Well, I'm sure that they started much bigger when they touched down at the shore and this is all they have left."
"Maybe… Something feels wrong…"
"That's the second time you've said that. What do you mean by that?"
"Well, like, maybe a third of them are wearing the typical Fire Nation uniforms we saw in the war. But the rest of them… are off. The colors are swapped and the material looks different. They're almost… glowing?"
"Glowing?"
"I don't know I just feel like this is about to go wrong…" He says lowering his telescope.
"Hello!" An echoing voice cascades around the mountain.
They look down and see a single tall gangly man in black pants and a red vest with no shirt under it. He's looking at them through a large monocle he's holding with his left hand and waving with his other hand and has a bright smile across his face. "Hello!" he yells. The two look at each other with a look of utter bewilderment then turn back to him. He looks at them expectantly for a moment. "All right then… I'll take your silence as confirmation you can hear me!" He performs an over dramatic bow. While bent over he arches his head an extreme angle up at them.
The woman says quietly, "That cannot be comfortable."
The man responds, "No, no it can't".
"My name is Urusai! Or at least that's what everyone says to me!" He looks at them expectantly once more.
"Do you think he has an extra joint in his neck?" The man asks.
"No, I think his neck may be broken." The woman responds.
"If his neck was broken he wouldn't still be standing," the man adds.
The woman considers this touching her hand to her chin, "fair point."
"I would love to continue this one sided discussion, but I was sent here with a message from the big mean firebenders back there and if I don't deliver it I'll be cooked and eaten. Humanity has long since forsaken them. But no matter, you have two courses of action set before you on this fine summer day. First and likely best, you evacuate every man, woman, and child and allow us to incinerate every inch of your village down to its foundation… then simply move on. Or, the second option, you will all be burned down to your bones, then your bones will be turned into ash. This will happen until every man, woman, and child is dead. Personally, If I had been given the option, I would pick the first one, but I'm not the one presented with this choice, you are. You have one hour." Urusai stands up from his bow, gives a gentle wave, turns around, and walks jauntily away.
Bato, Sokka, Toph, and the messenger sit on the boat in the open ocean. The boat is absolutely thunderous. Sokka leans over to the messenger and loudly says, "So... uhhh... what's your name?"
The Messenger looks at him, "What?"
"What's your name!"
"I can't understand you!"
"What's your name!"
Bato looks over and shouts at Sokka, "Why are you yelling at The Messenger? What did he do?"
Sokka turns to Bato and yells, "What?"
Bato yells, "What did he do!?"
Sokka yells, "You step in flying bison poo one time!"
Toph shakes her head and says at a calm moderate volume, "Morons."
All three turn to her and yell, "What?"
On the outskirts of Gaoling, battle has begun. The Earthbenders stand on the higher ground throwing rocks and boulders at the on coming Firebenders who seem to be deftly blocking the attacks as they march closer and closer.
"Do you understand you're mission, Private Ling"
"Yes... Yes, sir." Private Ling, a tall, lanky man with the early signs of facial hair replies to his commanding officer. He stands in a small tent with a cot on his left side and a desk on his right. The commanding officer gives him an annoyed look that signals him to leave. Ling pulls in a deep, worried breath before ducking out of the tent.
The moment he hits the outside he's exposed to the carnage of battle. Blasts of fire fly through the air. The ground quakes and trembles as chunks of earth rise in retaliation. Lines of green laden soldiers are spread across the top of the cliff face. Ling takes a quick look over the side at the Fire Nation forces. They walk at a moderate but unflinching pace as if nothing in the world will stop them from heading towards their goal. Ling stares wide eyed for a moment before remembering his mission.
He sprints down the incline toward the village, away from the erupting battle. Raining fire scorches the earth around him as he surges forward with every ounce of his being. Sweat pours down his face. It was the middle of winter just a moment ago and now he feels as if he's in the dead of summer. He hears the screams of his fallen comrades behind him. He feels the temptation to look back but he manages to resist.
Ling darts down the streets of Gaoling. The town is eerily empty. And as he gets farther away from the battle, eerily quiet. As he runs Ling notices various personal items in various states of disarray scattered across the streets, left behind by the families who were too desperate to escape to notice or care about their lost belongings.
Suddenly an ominous noise grows closer and closer from the battle behind him. A sound he is all too familiar with. The sound of fire, of burning... of death! He finally succumbs to the urge and turns his head back. For just a brief fraction of a second he sees a giant slab of molten rock pass over him. His brain yells for him to stop running but his body doesn't quite catch up in time. The rock collides with the street in front of him. Chunks of dirt and wood fly through the air. The blast sends Ling flying backwards into the ground. Ling skids across dirt and rock scraping the skin all across his arms and back. He breathes coughing up smoke before quietly saying to himself, "Of all the messengers in the Kingdom, why did it have to be me." Ling pulls himself up slowly aching with pain and soldiers on ahead, cutting down the craterless street to his side.
Finally Ling's eyes rest on his goal: the towering, lavish walls of the Bei Fong estate. A single armored guard stands at the ornately produced wooden doors that have been infused with gold. He looks tired, his hair has long gone gray, and his beard seems to have never once been groomed. "Stop!" The grizzled man yells.
Ling skids to a halt in front of the guard and says, "I have an important message to deliver to Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong."
"They say no," the aged man adds.
"What? You don't even know the question yet!" Ling responds baffled.
"They say no."
Ling stares at him for a moment trying to process the current events. A light sparks in eyes as he remembers a previous encounter. "Tao?"
"How do you know my name!"
"My… Dad told me about you. He served with you in the Earth Kingdom Army!"
"Really?" he adds seemingly unconvinced.
"At the battle of Omashu"
"Oh… wait… which battle of Omashu?"
"You know… the third one!" Ling adds.
"Oh… well none of the men in the fourth would have a kid your age," he says giving a harsh stare.
"Well… he was in the third. He was medium height, brown eyes, short dark hair… made treebark origami… he was a second lieutenant…"
"Jinzin?"
"Yes! Jinzin!"
"He was a good man Jinzin! He saved my life. I never figured out how he made that origami though..."
"It's a mystery to us all, sir."
"I haven't talked to Jinzen since I retired, how is he? I didn't know he had a family."
"He didn't marry until after he himself retired sir. He moved to the northern Earth Kingdom and settled down with a nice young woman named Daxia, my stepmother."
"And what of your mother?"
"Young love is a wonderous thing is it not sir?"
"He never did get over Lien. The poor man never did forgive himself for leaving her to go fight in the war."
"What were we talking about?"Ling questions staring around.
"I believe you had a message for the Bei Fongs"
"Oh.. yeah. Will you let me in now."
"Well I was never able to repay your father for saving my life… so this will have to do, I suppose." Tao knocks twice on the gate and the massive doors open. Ling gives a small bow.
[Ling's father did not fight in the third battle of Omashu]
"What do you mean you're not leaving!" Ling says. The Bei Fong's stare at him condescendingly. Ling takes a breath in an attempt to calm himself. He bursts out angrily anyway, "I risked my life coming down here! I almost got crushed by a boulder. You see this cut on my face? That's not from shaving i'll tell you that!" Ling's face has turned red and he's breathing heavily. The Bei Fong's barely notice.
Lao Bei Fong responds casually, "Our family has lived here for one hundred and fifty years. I don't have any intention of leaving and letting this mansion get burned to the ground… And my wife just planted jasmine and that takes maintenance."
"I don't mean to be too disrespectful... but what are you are talking about? You are pillars of the community and you cannot die here," Ling adds still flushed.
"Normally you would be correct, but we have already sent a messenger to retrieve our daughter-"
"Who, we will remind you, is the greatest earthbender in the world," Poppy interjects, "and the only metalbender in existence."
"Toph will come, and we will be fine." Lao concludes. Ling stares at the couple for a moment taking account of the situation.
"Okay, what if she doesn't make it in time? What if one person can't handle the entire fire nation force coming here? What if the message never even got to her? I can't imagine risking my own life on those odds!" Ling responds.
"We have faith in our daughter," Poppy responds. Lao gives a quiet nod
"He did not?" a rather plain looking man standing on a dock says to the tall lanky man next to him.
"He did," the other man states. "Then the curmudgeonly old bastard-"
"Shweeeeeeeeeeeeer."
A grating, obtrusive, cacophony of noise assaults the two men's ears. "What in the spirits is that?" the tall one says to his companion.
"I have no idea," the plain one responds, "But anyway, the crazy old kook tells me-"
"Shweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!" the man is cut off again as the sound grows louder.
"That was got to be the most disgusting sound I have ever heard." The tall one comments.
"Yeah," the plain one agrees. "So anyway," he continues, "the old basard-"
"SHWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"
"WHAT?" the plain man's companion yells, struggling to be heard over the horrendous noise.
"I SAID-" the man begins to yell back before he gets interupted again. The dock begins to split apart as a ship crashes into it, flinging the two men into the water with a loud splash.
"I thought you said you could sail this thing." Toph says to the messenger as the ramp is lowered to an intact part of the dock.
"Sail, yes. Dock, no." the messenger responds.
Toph looks at the man for a second before shrugging, "Eh, close enough."
As Toph turned to get off the boat Sokka rushes past her to the edge of the ship, "Woah, cool! I mean we've seen a lot of stuff on our travels, but this place is so… diverse." There were all manner of people and shops lining either side of the street. As they walk, Sokka sees a woman selling glowflies in jars. Even in the day they shimmered with immense light. Sokka leans in closely.
"You'll go blind if you keep doing that!" Toph notes.
"Awwww," Sokka complains.
"Shut up and get a move on, since the ship is no longer an option we need to find ourselves some new rides," Bato says, overpowering the conversation.
"Oh, you mean like those?" Sokka asks, pointing down the street on the left to a man standing next to a row of ostrich horses.
The group of four was silent as they travel towards their destination. The creatures sprint across the hills of the Earth Kingdom with their feet kicking up dirt with every step. A large ploom of smoke lays in front of them as they move forward.
"That doesn't look good," Sokka says, breaking the silence, "I hope we make it in time."
"Have faith Sokka, we will." Bato responds.
"We have to," Toph says, the hint of desperation in her tone hidden to all but Sokka. Sokka attempts to say something to make her feel better but can't get anything out, remaining utterly silent.
Many miles away, one of the greatest Fire Lords in recorded history, Lord Zuko sits in his meeting room with a variety of new fire nation council members surrounding the long ornate table. Across the wall are banners featuring the newfound logo of the Fire Nation. Two hands clasped together in unity form the foreground of this new symbol. A single flame erupts in the background forming a united fiery blaze meant to demonstrate the empowered solidarity between nations in a post-Great War world.
Virtually all prior officials in the Fire Nation government were killed or jailed during and after the conflict. These new council members look to carry the nation into a new era of peace and prosperity for all peoples. One, a small and bearded man with a battle scar across his left eye speaks up, "Now, Lord Zuko, this trade conflict between Ba Sing Se and the former northern air temple, which I believe is now known as Shanqu Cheng, and is beginning to boil over."
Zuko responds with an earned confidence, "Councilman Katsu, I believe in all confidence that applying our military force to this situation would only escalate it and jeopardize any kind of diplomatic solution. My… Uncle Iroh assures me that he can handle the situation."
One of only two older gentlemen in this council speaks up, "Lord Zuko, doesn't you're Uncle Iroh own a humble tea shop in Ba Sing Se."
Zuko smiles and responds, "The Jasmine Dragon, yes. Now, Councilman Takehiko, would that not mean he is the most knowledgeable person under our banner regarding matters of trade in and out of Ba Sing Se?"
Councilman Takehiko bows his head with a small note of frustration evident in his tone, "Yes, of course, Lord Zuko."
Zuko stands and gives a slight bow to the council. "I appreciate all the contributions each and every one of you makes towards the betterment of the United Fire Nation. Now if you will all excuse me, I have some important family matters to attend to. If I'm late to another anniversary I don't believe I will survive to our next meeting."
Katsu stands and gives his own bow before responding, "Ha, yes, your wife can get a bit… heated." Zuko stares him down with an intimidating look.
"While that's not untrue… I believe that it may be in your… best interest to refrain from making such comments about your Fire Lady." At this very moment a messenger throws open the door. She is a slightly portly woman with long black hair. "Lord Zuko, Sir"
Zuko looks on in mild bewilderment. "Yes? Akiko was it?"
"Yes, Fire Lord Sir. I have received word that the eastern shore of the Earth Kingdom has been attacked!"
"What? By who?" Zuko responds incredulously.
"The Fire Nation, sir."
Zuko's eyes widen, "What?!"
"By the spirits" Bato whispers as he look out from the cliff edge. The group stands together overlooking a large smoldering crater lined with powder white statue like figures.
Sokka looks on in shock, "Wow, that doesn't look good, how far are we from Gaoling?"
Toph's face turns sheet white and she runs. "That is Gaoling," Bato whispers to Sokka before running after Toph. Sokka takes a moment to process the information, then follows after Toph.
Toph runs past the frightened visages of these people turned statues. Each of them trapped in a final moment of absolute terror as their lives came to an abrupt and violent end. A row of these figures stand with their hands outstretched almost reaching out to Toph for help. With her earth bending abilities she can feel their shape and frame. Some of these people were almost forgotten acquaintances, others were childhood friends. All were people she failed to save.
She can feel it, the outline of her former home. She can feel the phantoms of the walls that no longer stand. The roof that now lays in pieces on the ground. The beautiful family tapestries that are now merely cinders. She feels all of this, but worst of all she feels her parents. Their faces, their wrinkles, their similarities, their differences, and all of their imperfections. The stress lines that had formed across her father's forehead. The slight crook in her mother's nose. It was all there. But now they were merely after images. Stars whose faint light still shines billions of years after they have faded from our universe. Toph feels an immense pain but she can't even bring herself to cry, she can't process all of this. Sokka looks at his love overflowing with feeling, but he doesn't know how to respond. There is no silly joke or snide comment that can help him now. He doesn't know how he can make one of the people he cares about most feel whole again. He searches for the words but finds none. Then, from the silence, Bato speaks, "I'm sorry about your family, and we may have missed it by inches, but we must avenge everyone who suffered because of our absence."
"Thank you Bato, I know what you're trying to do, but you're wrong. We weren't even close."
Bato look on in surprise, "What? What do you mean?"
"I mean these people died two and a half days ago. I can feel it with my bending. The soil settled days ago. And worst of all I can feel the faces of my parents. They were completely calm. No, terror, no fear, no apprehension. They believed in every inch of their face, every dent and line, every relaxed muscle, that they would be safe… that I…. would be there to save them." Toph responds with a devastated whimper.
Bato's face drops. He feels a fraction of Toph's pain. That is enough. Sokka knows her feelings. He knows that he needs to provide support. But, he cannot express the feelings, the sorrow, the pain, the loss. This only thing he can do is place his arm around her and pull her closer and hope that this is enough. Toph allows herself just a moment of weakness and sobbs into the chest of his jacket, then clutches her fists in resolve.
Toph will not respond with tears alone, she will respond in kind, with violence of her own. Whoever did this will regret this day, the day they fucked with THE Toph Beifong, the greatest earthbender, and only metal bender, to ever exist. "We're finding them, those bastards"
"They will regret the day they fucked with us, the day they fucked with Toph Beifong," Sokka says with a deep confidence.
Despite the tragedy, Toph manages a small smile and kisses Sokka firmly on the lips for knowing just the right thing to say. She begins walking powerfully in the direction that the group of footsteps and scorch marks that litter the earth and lead toward the west.
Zuko steps confidently from the meeting hall, even if he is confused by the situation at hand. He knows that whatever it is, he can solve it. He is the new Firelord. That's his duty now. He walks into the field in which his men train. They send flurries of flame into the wooden targets, but most have never felt the sensation of attacking one of their fellow man. Zuko knows this all too well. He stands in front of the mass of soldiers and walks inconspicuously towards a training dummy. He takes a breath and bows his head. You must respect your opponent even when they are made of cloth. Zuko enters a fighting stance and readies to unleash his wrath on his inanimate opponent. Zuko charges the dummy dodging imaginary blasts of water, earth, and wind. He snakes from side to side before delivering a vicious roundhouse kick to the temple of the dummy. Flames from his foot scorch across the combatant's face. He steps back quickly awaiting the next attack. By this point the crowd of soldiers has begun to notice the difference between their attempts and the fire lord's. Slowly but surely each and every soldier leaves their training post and begins to watch a master at work, but Zuko is too busy venting his frustrations, after yet another meeting, to notice the forming crowd. He fights as if his life, honor, and most importantly his family are in danger. It's almost as if Zuko never stopped fighting Aang. Zuko, now surrendering himself to his base impulses, enters a flow of combat, completely disconnected from the world around him.
When reality fades back into focus Zuko notices he's being watched. The almost one hundred men in this training field are staring right at him. There is an uncomfortable silence, that's broken by the clapping of a young recruit. This clapping spreads like a flame across the crowd until everyone is applauding. The sound is thunderous. Zuko takes a dignified bow in acknowledgement of the respect being shown then yells, "When did clapping become part of Fire Nation training?" Everyone looks confused. "Go!" Everyone disperses rapidly back to their positions. Zuko smiles to himself for a moment, then he remembers that he's about to be late.
He exits the training field and sets off onto the streets of the Fire Nation Capital, now affectionately referred to as New Roku City. The streets are heavy with foot traffic and the air smells of sizzle crisps. Zuko is right at home. The buildings are lined with a mix of Zuko's flag for the new peaceful nation and the old flag that struck fear into the hearts of millions for nearly one hundred years. Most of the passersby are too busy with their day to notice their leader walking past them, but those that do will have a story to tell once they get home. They will long tell of the day they caught a glimpse face to face, with their leader and one of the saviors of the world.
Zuko overhears a man talking to his friend and the cross nearby, "Can you believe we're forced to pay reparations for the war his family made? He's the weakest Fire Lord in history." Zuko is tempted to act on this, but decides to hold himself back. They will get used to the new order just like everyone else.
Zuko stops by an elderly vendor when the sweet aroma of Fire Nation cuisine becomes too enticing. The vendor is preparing food. "What can I get for you kid?" he asks without looking up. Zuko smirks readying himself for the rest of this, now common, interaction to play out.
"This 'kid' would like a dozen sizzle crisps, if you please."
The old man looks up confused. "Oh I'm so sorry Fire Lord sir, I"
"Didn't know it was me"
"Yes and…"
"You would never disrespect me in that manner normally."
"Yes and you can…"
"Take what I want for free as an apology"
"Exactly, Lord." Zuko places a few coins on the counter. The man doesn't know how to respond.
"Do you normally take this long to serve guests, or is it only when you deal with royalty?" The vendor rushes to grab a bag of sizzle crisps and hands them to the pale king.
"Have a pleasant rest of your day." Zuko begins to leave when he feels a tension pulling on his pant leg. He turns to see a young girl tugging his leg. She looks up with a great big smile.
She asks, "Can I have a crisp, please?" The vendor looks out of his booth with a look of shock.
He shouts, "Kairi, what are you doing? I told you to stop bothering customers! Especially when that customer is the Fire Lord!" he looks to Zuko and adds, "She is my young Niece, please she doesn't know any better."
Zuko squints at this young girl. He pulls outs a sizzle crisp and holds it out to her. She reaches for it, then Zuko flicks it up into the air and into his own mouth. A look of disappointment spreads across the child's face. She begins to walk away. "Catch!" Zuko tosses the bag to her. She looks down at the eleven crisps and back at him with a look of excitement. She waves at him wildly as he continues his journey home.
Zuko paces in the courtyard in front of the massive Fire Nation Palace. "How do I tell Katara Gaoling is gone? She'll want go there herself, but I can't have her running into a situation we don't know about yet… and it would ruin our anniversary… again."
"Zuko! What are you doing? Get in here!" A familiar voice yells from the background. Zuko turns to see his beautiful wife standing just inside the palace doors. Katara wears a fine long dress suited for the fire lady with the red and gold color scheme it entails. But her mother's necklace still lines her neck showing that while she may be the Fire Lady she is still a proud member of the Southern Water Tribe.
Zuko finally enters, but as he crosses the threshold Katara grabs him firmly and pulls him in. She firmly presses her soft lips against his in a passionate kiss. Zuko can barely imagine what life was like before he married Katara two years ago. Katara is everything Zuko ever wanted, a woman of great independence and strength, but also kindness. She pulls her lips from his. "So how did the meeting go?"
"Oh.. Just fine."
"Did that moron Takehiko disrespect you again?"
"He doesn't disrespect me, he just… disagrees with me. The man is old like this city and like it he cannot change in just a few years."
Katara smiles at her husband, "Are you sure you don't want me to kick his butt?"
"Hey, I never said that," Zuko replies with a laugh. Then a look of discomfort forms across his face.
"Did something else happen at that meeting?" Katara asks.
Zuko takes a deep breath to steady himself. He looks into her eyes. No, he can't keep secrets from her. "Well Katara, the thing is…"
BOOM
The doors blow off their hinges and in a blast of smoke fly across the room. Zuko pulls Katara in close as the two doors fly just inches from them on each side. The two rulers enter into fighting stances. From the smoke enters a gargantuan man in a dated fire nation officer's uniform, but with the colors shifted to a molten red rimmed in glittering gold. The man bellows in a joyous but raspy tone, "I'm hoooome!"
AN: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed chapter one of my story. Sorry there is so much set up (⋟﹏⋞) but it's needed for you guys to fully appreciate the narrative I'm trying to craft here (人◕ω◕). If your fave member of the Gaang hasn't appeared yet, don't worry they will...probably...(・ωｰ)～ .
P.S. I first thought of this story when I was reading the ATLA comic books. I personally found them underwhelming (¬_¬) and I'm just… disappointed with them. Honestly, the original show started to fall off a bit as it went along… it's not bad or anything, but then the comics really brought it down (ﾉಠдಠ)ﾉ︵┻━┻. But, I'm glad the writers got back their mojo when they introduced Legend of Korra（〜^∇^)〜, they really brought it back and made it one of my favorite shows of all time (Just below Supergirl). Anyway, I wanted to bridge the gap between the original show and Korra in a way that didn't soil the franchise like the comic books ＼(＞△＜)／.
P.S.S. Come back for Chapter 2… coming soon…-ish ʅ（´◔౪◔）ʃ. (I got a lot on my plate right now, but i'm gonna work hard to get chapter two to you ASAP) (･ω･)b