A/N: Thank you to Sharpe, Black Dragon Master, IrishDreamer4, Guest, Tertius711, BrightWatcher, Lightbrightfury, Raider, AsahixMe, devilfiredog18, CrazyPhenom, and Aquamirra for reviewing! I absolutely loved reading all your reactions to last week's reveal!
Now, y'all have had a week to digest the bombshell from the previous chapter, but Mako is still right in the middle of it. Let's see how he does.
48. Against the rules in our secret family history game
This is how the story goes.
Lord Botan and Lady Inako of Clan Keohso had two daughters: Naoki and Natsumi. As Lord Botan was also the head of the clan, this responsibility would pass to his eldest child once he died or surrendered the title.
Lord Botan — and Lady Inako, to a lesser extent — were also extremely traditional and strongly believed in the superiority of the Fire Nation. They were most displeased when Fire Lord Zuko began instituting nationwide reforms. They disdained Republic City as a 'plebeian mix of peoples' and vowed that they would never set foot there.
Naoki, however, was open-minded and curious, and as she grew up in a stable, peaceful period of Zuko's reign, she was able to see what her parents could not: that the world was changing, and they would have to adapt with it. She was also a free spirit, keen to learn and explore. Thus, when she was eighteen, against her parents' wishes, she set off for Republic City…and stayed for years.
Unfortunately for Botan and Inako, Naoki was their heir. They were prepared to overlook her extended sojourn in the city they despised — though they pressured her on every visit home to come back for good — but they were not prepared to allow her to sully her bloodline by marrying a peasant from the Earth Kingdom. When Naoki returned to Fire Fountain City to announce her engagement to San, she was given an ultimatum: end the relationship and return to the Fire Nation, or be permanently disowned from the clan.
Naoki chose love; she left Shuhon Island, never to return. Botan and Inako removed her from Clan Keohso and henceforth refused to acknowledge her very existence. Until the day he died, Botan never mentioned Naoki again; Inako expressed a small regret for the way things had unfolded only on her deathbed a scant two years ago.
In the wake of Naoki's banishment, Natsumi became the heir to Clan Keohso. She'd been fifteen when Naoki left, twenty when she was disowned; she'd not been very close to Naoki, but she nonetheless felt the absence of her sister. Unlike Naoki, Natsumi had been more sheltered and was not nearly as bold — but once she became her parents' heir and was required to become more socially and politically aware, she was exposed to more contemporary thinking and ideas. News from Republic City especially interested her, given that Naoki was somewhere there (though she never heard anything from or about her sister).
Somehow, Natsumi was able to find a happy medium between her old noble heritage and modern progress. She fulfilled her parents' expectations and married respectably by their standards, but she also talked to people and educated herself on the current state of the world. She never openly rebelled the way her sister had, but her mindset grew more similar to Naoki's than Botan's. She still placed value on Keohso's traditions and practices, but was willing to update and modify them for the contemporary period.
It was this centrist perspective that influenced the way Natsumi raised her daughter — thus enabling Sulanna's more liberal views to flourish — and the guiding policies she decided on when she inherited the leadership of Clan Keohso.
By the end of Natsumi's lengthy explanation, he is shellshocked, his mind reeling too hard to digest any more information. Bolin exhales explosively, Korra is gaping, and Asami's eyes are wide with sympathy.
"That's…quite a story, Mother." Sulanna's tone is light, but she looks as though she isn't certain which aspect of her personality she should allow free: the dignified lady, exuberant young woman, or confused daughter.
Natsumi sighs regretfully. "There was never a good time to bring it up, Sulanna. I could hardly mention it while your grandparents were alive."
Sulanna seems ready to say something else, but she catches her mother's eye and subsides with a nod. Natsumi turns back to him and Bolin.
"I know it's a lot to take in," she says apologetically. "But Mako and Bolin — you are my sister's sons. Despite whatever unpleasant business happened in the past, I am delighted to meet you." A shadow darkens her eyes. "If I'd known Naoki had children, I would have looked for you like I looked for her."
Startled into speaking, Bolin asks, "You looked for Mom?"
Natsumi nods. "I was in Republic City once, many years ago. I asked discreetly at the police station and was informed of hers and her husband's passing." She looks pained. "It…wasn't a pleasant experience."
It was even less pleasant to watch it happen, whispers a dark voice in his mind.
"The police did not have records that Naoki had children, so I didn't know you existed," Natsumi continues. "I wasn't aware, either, that Iroh would be accompanied by friends form Republic City." She flicks a pointed glance at Iroh — whose expression becomes mildly rueful, but otherwise remains impassive — and then looks directly at him. "But when you walked in today, Mako, looking so much like Naoki — and with that scarf…I began to wonder."
He's been told before that he strongly resembles his mother, so he supposes it isn't surprising that Natsumi would have noticed. "My scarf?" he questions.
Natsumi smiles slightly. "Textiles is a big industry on Shuhon Island. That particular scarf —" She gestures at the fabric in question. "— was designed and manufactured here, and exported to other regions. Your mother bought one of the first models to be made in Fire Fountain City. The last time she came back home, she told us she'd given it to her fiancé as an engagement present."
He inhales sharply, thinking of the scarf he'd surrendered to Grandma. A small part of him wonders if he could possibly claim it back, but is instantly shot down by his more rational side.
"Mako gave Dad's scarf to Grandma," says Bolin. "Uh…I mean, Grandma from our dad's side."
There's a beat of silence, and it becomes clear that no one quite knows what to say. He's also acutely aware of Korra, Asami, and Iroh sort of just hanging around, trying not to intrude on this peculiar family reunion.
Sulanna leans over to whisper something in her mother's ear; Natsumi turns thoughtful.
"Mako, Bolin," she addresses them, "would you join me and Sulanna for tea later? We should get to know each other in a more casual, private setting."
He trades a glance with Bolin, who nods, and cautiously answers for both of them. "That would be good, thank you." It feels incomplete not adding some form of address — but Natsumi already asked him not to use her title, he doesn't feel comfortable using her name now that he knows she's his aunt, and it's way too early to start calling her 'Aunt'.
Natsumi's smile is more genuine this time. "Splendid. I'll have my staff show you to your rooms, and you can unwind there before tea. Iroh, I trust you'll forgive me for not paying too much attention to you today."
"Naturally." Iroh inclines his head graciously. "I'm sure you have much to discuss with your family."
Two women in uniform emerge from behind a large fern and politely usher them out, leading the guests through the elegant interior of the manor.
He barely pays attention to where they're going. Once they're shown to the corridor where their rooms are located, he excuses himself and asks to speak to Iroh privately. As soon as they are behind closed doors, he whirls on the prince.
"You knew."
"I suspected," Iroh corrected. "I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong, but as we kept striking out with the Naokis on the outer islands, I became more and more certain."
"How?" he demands.
Iroh sighs. "I know every member of the leading family of each noble clan. I have to, as Crown Prince. Until very recently, I thought Lady Natsumi Keohso was an only child. When we found a Naoki Keohso in the census, I realised that she was Natsumi's older sister — the family relationships are obvious if you know how the census is organised," he explains. "So I checked the 145 census, and Naoki Keohso was conspicuously absent from that one — that's when I started wondering if she might possibly be your mother. When I met Sulanna in Garnet, I took the opportunity to ask if she knew about an aunt. She didn't, and we had a long discussion about that."
"That's what you spent all night talking about?" He is incredulous. "I thought you two were hitting it off!"
"What, romantically?" Iroh shakes his head, momentarily sidetracked. "Sulanna is a lot of fun, and a good friend — but she isn't my type." He pauses to recall his train of thought. "Anyway, we concluded that there could only be only two possibilities for why neither of us had ever known Naoki existed: either she died before the 145 census, or she'd been disowned."
"She couldn't have just moved away?" he asks, intrigued despite himself.
"A clan heir cannot simply 'move away'," Iroh refutes. "If Naoki had merely stepped down from the responsibility of leading Clan Keohso, it would have been publicly made known and freely spoken about. Though there is some stigma associated with abdicating an inherited title, it is generally not viewed with too much judgment. Disownment, on the other hand, is dishonourable and shameful, and families do their best to keep such cases quiet. Even people who knew Naoki — my mother included, I suspect — wouldn't mention her. It isn't courteous to bring up a source of such…ah, shame." Iroh says the last word somewhat apologetically.
Part of him bristles at hearing his mother referred to that way, but he waves it aside. Sixteen days in the Fire Nation has taught him that the country's upper classes operate by rigid and highly specific codes of conduct. Concepts like honour and family loyalty are greatly emphasised; Iroh is only explaining that culture.
He sighs. "I just…find it hard to believe. Bolin used to entertain far-fetched fantasies of rich royal relatives showing up to take us in off the streets…and apparently he wasn't too far off the mark." He scoffs in disbelief and scrubs a hand against his face. "Spirits, my life is turning into one of Varrick's crazy movers."
Iroh smiles wryly. "What were you expecting of your mother's family?"
"I don't know. Not this." He threads agitated fingers through his scarf. "Iroh, I don't belong in this world of nobles and riches. It doesn't feel…right."
"Come on now, we're not that bad." Iroh notices his mutinous glare and switches tactics. "Honestly, Mako, you lucked out. Natsumi and Sulanna are decent people. They have their status, but they don't have a superiority complex about it like many nobles do. And Natsumi really has helped to make Clan Keohso more progressive over the last few years. Give yourself a chance to connect with them — and don't alienate yourself based on some misguided idea that you don't belong here."
"Excuse me?"
Iroh's expression is earnest. "You don't give yourself nearly enough credit, Mako. You have enough honour and strength in you to put more than half the Fire Nation nobles to shame — and I thought that before I knew you were of Keohso stock. Natsumi and Sulanna won't care that you grew up on the streets — to them, you're family. The only person standing in your way is you. Trust me on this — you have as much right to be here as I do. More, actually, since this is your family's estate. "
The full weight of his relation to Natsumi sinks in then, and he gapes in stunned realisation.
Iroh smirks and claps him on the shoulder. "Go to tea, and get to know your family."
With that, Iroh exits the room, leaving him to ponder all the startling revelations of the last hour.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the payoff to this subplot! Next week we'll see how that family tea reunion goes.
Lyric is from the aptly named 'Family History' by Tim O'Brien. Another country song that was too perfect not to use. Personally, I feel that the juxtaposition of the twangy, cheery tune with the somewhat foreboding lyrics (not knowing or wanting to uncover family secrets) neatly encapsulates the surrealism Mako's experiencing here.
Speaking of skeletons in the closet...let me explain a little more about why Iroh and Sulanna were unaware of Naoki's existence before this. Part of it is timing - Naoki left the Fire Nation in 142 AG, the same year Iroh was born, and way before Sulanna (who is Mako's age) was born. She was subsequently disowned in 147 AG, when Iroh was only five, and still before Sulanna was born. Thereafter, she was a taboo subject never spoken about, either by her family or by anyone in the circles Iroh and Sulanna would have grown up in. I've characterised Fire Nation aristocratic culture to be a very honour-based society, drawing on inspiration from medieval Japan and my own knowledge of East Asian family practices. Believe me, in traditional Chinese families (which thankfully mine is not), no one questions parents or family elders. Filial piety and 'saving face' are big things. It's perfectly normal for the new generation to be totally unaware of the previous generation's 'shameful' history because no one will ever talk about it.
On Iroh/Sulanna - misdirect, or actual ship-sinking? Only time will tell ;)
Final fun fact: The names of Naoki's parents are very significant. 'Botan' means 'peony' in Japanese - which is super appropriate because Clan Keohso's crest is canonically a winged peony - and shares the beginning syllable 'Bo' with 'Bolin'. 'Inako' is an anagram of 'Naoki' (or maybe that should be the other way round) and shares the ending syllable 'ko' with 'Mako'. Naoki was disowned and might not have adhered to any cultural family practices, but she still gave her children the little of her heritage that she could.