Chapter 14: Searching for Purpose
Review Replies
Onetime: Nah fuck uldren sov me and my homies hate him.
ThermalsniperN7: Same here. I'm a Hunter, and I was out for blood back in the day… Crow is fine, though.
Dragon Emperor0: Yeah. Fuck Uldren, but leave poor Crow alone. The man's been through enough as it is.
muitotempoporsudades: Holy shit, this is so OOC it's not even funny.
ThermalsniperN7: I can't tell if this is supposed to be negative or not. I mean, we already know this story falls under that umbrella of OOC.
Dragon Emperor0: Pretty sure it's a brain dead negative review. Like seriously, of course Azula is acting differently than how she usually is in canon, it's an amnesia story, wtf were you expecting? And how she is afterwards is after a good bit of character development. She isn't going to just return to her original state because that would have made everything pointless.
muitotempoporsudades: Good morning, Lover? girl, stop. Lmao.
ThermalsniperN7: … No comment.
Dragon Emperor0: Piss off.
It was about six months or so after the peace treaty with the Icelanders was signed and the groups started moving to the four nations in droves, slowly starting to settle in where they felt most comfortable.
And as of now, the Firebrand clan, which consisted of mostly firebending Icelanders and non benders, were being inducted into the Fire National army, with Touya overseeing them in Zuko's place due to his experience with police work thanks to his father.
This was done because since the Fire Nation had a sizable army already, adding to it seemed unnecessary, so instead, Zuko opted to use them for the home guard.
Needless to say, the Vikings were just glad to be included.
"So what exactly are you trying to do here?" Touya asked Eivor as she sat over a volcanic vent and kneaded a ball of what looked like dough, before she placed a clay vessel on the vent and then placing the dough inside the vessel and placed a lid atop it.
"I'm making some bread with heat from the vent known in my culture as Rugbraud. I figure sharing something like this would be a handy thing to know for those in your army that are too far from towns, but are near these vents." Eivor explained in reply.
"Nifty." Touya hummed as he looked at the steaming bread. "Think you can teach those near boiling rock or the working scouts?" He asked.
"The Fire Nation's biggest prison? Sure." The woman nodded in reply.
"Good. Something tells me this'll be really useful for those guys." Touya nodded.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, the Windborn clan, which consisted of Air bending Vikings and their non bending kin, found new homes in the old Air Temples that hadn't been in use since Sozin wiped out the Airbenders of the nations. With some guidance from Aang, they were able to get a proper feel for them and patch up the old structures while replacing the old ones.
They were looking into building some gliders for themselves, but that was going to take some time.
"Perhaps this time, the Airbenders will not be so defenseless." Thorfinn mused as he sat down, pouring a cup full of mead for both himself and then Aang, offering him the cup. The two of them were currently in the Southern Air Temple, the sounds of construction being audible outside.
"I sure hope so. I was devastated when I found out I was the last airbender not long after Katara accidentally cracked me out of that iceberg I was in." The boy sighed as he accepted the cup.
"Aye, that kind of loss can destroy a soul if they don't have support." Thorfinn nodded solemnly, recalling the many skeletons of the late Air Nomads they had found among the dead Fire Nation soldiers that partook in the genocide campaign.
And as they spoke, many of the Windborn were busy trying to help the Air Acolytes to fix damaged areas of the temples, at least attempting to return the structures to their former glory.
(Elsewhere)
As this was going on, in the Earth Kingdom, the Earth bending clan of Vikings and their non bending kin, the Stonehouse Clan, were settling in all over the country, and even in Ba Sing Se and Omashu.
And most notably, the non bending members were teaching the citizens how to bake blood bread, preserve fish and meat by salting and drying it, how to store grain by burying it under one's houses, and most curiously of all, how to keep flies and bugs away by spraying the areas with the oils of certain fruits.
"Wow. We never thought to use anything fruit related to keep insects away." An Earth Kingdom farmer in Ba Sing Se commented as he watched flies… Well, fly above his crops but never anything beyond that or die outright.
"Citrus fruits like these lemons are poisonous to these bugs." Anvari replied while spraying a mixture of the oils and water on the man's clothing, making the gnats that were swarming him quite literally start dropping like flies.
Meanwhile, Toph was helping set up some livestock areas with her Earthbending abilities.
Namely by creating fenced pastures.
"Okay, this should be big enough." She nodded, feeling the formation with her senses.
"Excellent." Valka nodded, sensing the build of them with her own seismic sense.
After Toph's work was done, a wooden gate was set up and then the livestock was set loose on the pasture to graze. It pleased the two to sense the livestock thriving like they were.
"Looks good from here." The blind girl nodded.
"Seems so." Valka nodded.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, in the South Pole, the Seaborn vikings– Waterbenders and their non-bending kin–were doing what they could to bolster the South Pole's economy since it was clear they needed help—as well as help repairing the damaged North Pole after their sacking. The second the Seaborn arrived and saw the state of things, they had decided that it would be beneficial to help them recover their lost greatness.
There was currently only one actual house in the tribe that stood out from the igloos, but given enough time, that number will grow.
Though there were also buildings being built as well by Northern tribe advisors—which Katara wasn't exactly… Enthusiastic about.
"I feel like I'm missing something." Oodaving commented as Katara looked at her sister tribesmen working with the Seaborne to build more permanent structures.
"This progress they're trying to make us undergo, it's stripping the Southern Tribe of what makes it what it is and just making it an imitation of the north." Katara stated.
"… Nonsense." The Viking responded after a moment, causing her to look at him. "Tell me, young Katara. When water goes from a stream to the ocean or from a stream to one's glass, what does it do?" He asked.
"It… Stays water?" The girl answered in a confused tone. "Why?" She asked.
"Not quite. It changes shape and properties while also not changing what it is." The man responded. "Ice is simply the rigid form of water, air is the ephemeral form, and water is its fluid state—change is the most integral part of this element." He continued. "The changes the south is now going through are much the same. The shape may now be different, but the essence is not that much different than it has been, as you can no doubt see." He added, gesturing to a group of Seaborne elders and Southern elders telling stories to the children.
"... You're right. I guess I'm just too fond of what I grew up with." Katara sighed as she took the man's wisdom in.
"And that is fine. It is important to stay grounded in the past while tending to the future. Lest we forget where we are to go." The Viking nodded.
"Right." The young waterbender nodded in agreement.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, in Ba Sing Se, Azula was meeting Jin at the Jasmine Dragon again. She had a proposal in mind for her that she'd been mulling over for a while now.
"Jin, I hope I'm not being too presumptuous, but I was curious if I could ask a favor of you." The soon to be re-crowned princess said as she sipped on her own tea, which was the Earth Kingdom Green tea blend.
"Depends on the nature of the favor." Jin stated as she sipped her own tea, specifically the Hot Blooded Nephew blend.
"I was hoping that you could become my handmaiden." Azula replied as she looked over where Iroh was at the Pai Sho table playing with one of the regulars, with Ursa Minor seated on his lap watching him with wide eyes, her small hands clapping every time he made a good move.
"Really? What for?" The Earth Kingdom girl asked in surprise at the favor.
"Because it isn't easy raising a child, especially as a royal. I could use help in doing so." The princess explained in reply. "Plus, you would be in a position to possibly become my daughter's surrogate auntie, in the event—heaven forbid—either Touya and I perish and my brother cannot provide adequate care." She added with a smile.
Jin seemed to take this in after a moment or two, sipping her tea idly before she set it down and let out a breath before responding to her friend's request.
"I'd be honored to join you as a handmaiden." She told the princess, causing her to smile.
"Thank you. I'm really happy to hear that." The blue flame user nodded.
(Timeskip)
A few weeks later, Azula could be seen being prepared for her coronation as the re-crowned Fire nation princess, with her servants doing their best to make her look presentable.
'It's hard to believe this is actually happening now.' The blue flame user thought idly as her hair was done.
Just a year ago, she was going through a similar situation to become the Fire Lord, and now was being made her previous position.
Then again, her uncle always said that when you want to start over, it's best to start back at the beginning.
Let's see if she could be a better princess this time.
(Later)
After Azula was finished being prepared, she sat in a waiting room until it was time for her to come out.
"Alright, Azula." Zuko told her as he came into the room. "It's time." He said as two Fire Sages flanked him.
"Right. Let's go." Azula nodded as she got up and followed her brother.
As the young woman made her way to her podium where she saw those she now considered family, and those she considered friends all there to watch her—and this sight left her with a strong sense of peace as she knelt down and waited.
"After a journey of rebirth and self discovery, the woman that is my sister has changed from a path of evil and into a person that I think we can all agree that we all hardly recognize." He began, causing his sister to blush as she tried to maintain her composure. "She is not who she was before; she has become better than she was, far better." Zuko continued. "She has left her old self behind, and it is because of this, that I can happily welcome her back as a member of the royal family." He added further as he picked up his sister's old crown. "All hail Princess Azula!" He declared, placing the item on her head.
This got a round of applause and some standing ovations as Azula stood and hugged her brother, but a look of lingering guilt spread across her face as she gripped him tighter.
"Zuko… I'm sorry." She muttered.
"For what Azula? You've already apologized so many times." Zuko said as they slowly began to separate.
"When you were burned, I watched you and I was smiling. I enjoyed seeing you suffer." She told him. "I couldn't let this ceremony end without apologizing for that." She explained.
"Come here." Zuko sighed softly as he pulled his sister into another hug.
Touya, meanwhile, smiled as he clapped while holding Ursa Minor in his arms, who was happily babbling at the sight of her mother.
"That's right, sweetheart. That's your mom." He chuckled as he looked at his daughter's happy face.
(Timeskip)
Fast forward a few weeks later, and now everyone—from Team Avatar, to the Freedom Fighters, and from Azula, Mai, and Tai Lee, to Suki and the Katsuya family to the Icelanders and the Morishita family—were all in Yu Dao learning about the Earth Kingdom history.
"Do we really need this right now?" Toph questioned in a bored tone, already knowing most of what was being taught.
"Beats me." Sokka whispered back.
"I too find this rather tiresome." Eivor sighed, resting her head on her hand in boredom.
"Eivor, you can't understand our new home if you don't have the will to seek out that knowledge." Sigurd told her.
"Exactly." Katara nodded.
"As much as I hate to agree with Katara about anything, I'm afraid I have to here." Azula nodded with a sigh as she tried to listen to the lecture as much as possible. "Even if this lecture is unbearably boring." She amended as she adjusted Ursa Minor, who was sleeping in her lap. "Even my daughter thinks so." She added.
"I don't think that's fair since she falls asleep every five minutes." Touya pointed out.
"Agreed." Aang nodded.
However, while his friends and family were distracted, Zuko snapped back to attention when he heard the word family mentioned.
"Excuse me." The Fire Lord said, getting the teacher's attention. "But would you mind repeating that last part?" He questioned.
That got a sigh out of the professor, but he acquiesced.
"The Earth Kingdom believes that family is, in essence, a small family while the Earth Kingdom is a large family." The elderly man stated. "In learning to treat his family with dignity, a ruler can treat his people with dignity." He added.
This caused both Zuko and Azula to become contemplative, which got the attention of Aang, Touya and even little Ursa.
"... My father is imprisoned and my mother has been banished for years." The FIre Lord muttered. "What does that mean for my nation?" He wondered.
"That some things are beyond your control." Touya told him. "You couldn't stop your mother's banishment, and your dad… Well, you know." He added, not needing to say much of anything about Ozai.
"I'd hardly call that your fault, Zuzu." Azula told him before her expression soured. "But I also think that I certainly didn't help things for the longest time…" She muttered.
Zuko said nothing but placed a hand on her shoulder in response.
(Later)
Fast forward to that night and the royal couples were back in the palace, and much to Zuko's surprise, Jin was there waiting for them, dressed in a Fire Nation handmaiden outfit.
She would have come to the palace sooner before the coronation, but unfortunately she had obligations with her family to handle first, so here she was after the fact.
"Am I missing something here?" Zuko asked in confusion after his surprise subsided.
"Oh, I decided to hire Jin as my handmaiden." Azula explained. "She happens to be from the earth kingdom, a quarter of Ursa's lineage, she is someone I consider a friend just as much as Mai or Tai Lee, and I was in need of a handmaiden to help raise Ursa due to it becoming rather taxing on both myself and Touya." She continued.
"It's true. As much as I love our daughter." Touya nodded, tickling his daughter's chin, causing her to giggle in her mother's arms. "She can be quite the handful." He admitted.
"But did it have to be her, of all people?" Mai asked as Jin approached them and took Ursa in her arms. "I mean you could have asked Tai Lee, or even me. Besides, having her here is gonna be… Awkward." The emo girl stated, looking at Jin. "No offense." She amended.
"None taken." Jin shrugged, unperturbed as she nuzzled her nose against Ursa's.
"Mai, you and Zuko already have enough on your plate as it is, Tai Lee is charged with her Kyoshi Warrior duties, and I've already imposed on you enough when we were working to hunt down the Avatar." Azula told her. "I thought this was the better alternative." She added.
"Well… That is true." Zuko admitted with a sigh. "It never hurts to have more hands to take care of Ursa Minor." He added.
"And it keeps her out of danger." Touya chimed in.
"With that said." Azula nodded, turning to Jin. "Jin, I trust that we can leave the rest to you, then?" She asked.
"You can." The woman nodded in reply.
The princess smiled as she and Touya kissed their daughter on the forehead good night before they all retired to bed.
"You seem pretty good at handling little kids." Mai noted as they left for their rooms, being an older sister herself, she was able to notice this.
"I credit that with experience from both my younger siblings." Touya replied, recalling when he had to help Tamari and Sho.
"Yeah, that reminds me, how old are they exactly?" Zuko questioned, realizing that he never did ask but felt the urge to, considering that they were now going to be an aunt and uncle at such a young age.
"Let's see, Temari is about ten so about five years my junior and Sho is three so about twelve years my junior." The redhead replied.
"Guess I never noticed that." Zuko nodded.
"Same here, oddly enough." Mai commented, wondering why she never paid attention before shrugging.
The two separated soon after without much word after that and went to bed.
It had been a pretty long day.
(Timeskip)
It was the next day and Aang and the gang all arrived on Appa to pick up Zuko, Azula and Touya from the capital so they could start their search for Ursa (the older).
"Zuko, your friends are here!" Iroh called since he was waiting for the group to arrive.
"Zuko!" Aang smiled as he and the others hopped down from Appa. "It's been too long." He beamed, giving a respectful bow to the Fire Lord.
"Aang, it's only been a week." The young monarch pointed out with a slight chuckle.
"You forget that for him, that's basically a century…" Azula drawled as she strode past her brother, causing Katara to roll her eyes.
"Part of his goofy charm, I imagine?" Eivor questioned with a chuckle.
"So far as I'm aware." Touya shrugged.
"Hey!" The Air Nomad yelped indignantly.
"Real Fire tongued, this one." Sokka nodded with a snicker.
As they left, Iroh looked around and shook his head.
"To think I once wanted to live in a place that's so dreary…" The Dragon of the West sighed.
"I certainly understand what you mean…" Tai Lee nodded as she looked around.
As she said this though, Iroh suddenly plucked a weapon from a guard's hand and handed him a glass of tea in its stead right as Jin arrived to let Ursa Minor get some sun.
"That's it!" He exclaimed. "I know exactly what my first decree as interim Fire Lord shall be: Establishing a national tea appreciation day!" He smiled with a jolly laugh.
Ursa Minor seemed confused before looking up at Jin, who shrugged.
"That's Mr. Iroh for you. One second contemplative, happy the next." She shrugged.
(Later)
The group was now flying through the sky on Appa, making small talk to pass the time.
"So what's this place we're going to, exactly? Hira'a?" Touya questioned.
"It's our mother's old hometown. If we want to look for her, that's a good place to start." Azula explained for herself and Zuko.
"Sounds doable." Eivor nodded as she looked at the ground as it passed below them.
"I was just thinking about how this is kinda like old times." Sokka hummed as he sharpened his sword.
"Except now we have Azula and Eivor in place of Toph." Aang nodded.
"What, nothing to say about me?" Touya questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"You're good people." The Air Nomad responded.
"Ha ha, very funny." Azula drawled with an eye roll.
Sokka turned to Aang, about to say something, but was immediately startled by the suddenly angry look on the Avatar's face as he seemed to glare at the world.
"Aang, why are you suddenly so angry?!" He yelped, getting the attention of the others.
"I'm not sure, but I can feel a powerful spirit's presence—and I think it's affecting me, including my face!" The boy replied.
"How close is it?" Eivor questioned, looking at the ground for anything.
"I think I can hazard a guess." Azula stated, pointing down at the ground as she looked over the edge of the saddle, causing the others to do the same.
Just below them was a massive, glowing blue wolf, whose chest seemed to have a sort of face-like marking on it.
"That's it! That's the spirit presence I'm sensing!" Aang exclaimed with wide eyes as he looked at the spirit.
"… Think we should follow it, or save that for later?" Touya asked.
"Save it for later. It's not bothering us and we don't have a reason to bother it, besides—we have a town to go to." Zuko stated.
"Sounds good to me." Aang nodded.
"Agreed." Azula nodded as well.
"I don't wanna fight a spirit, so yes please." Sokka agreed readily with a nervous look at the concept.
"A shame. I would have liked to…" Eivor sighed.
(Later)
It was later on and, after putting on some disguises as to not seem conspicuous, save perhaps Eivor and Touya since they didn't need to—the group made their way through the village of Hira'a looking for anyone they could ask about Ursa.
"Hm… Who would be a good first person to ask…?" Azula whispered as she glanced around.
"Hey, isn't that…?" Touya noted as he pointed at a stage that everyone seemed to be gathering around.
"Wow, it is! That's Love Amongst the Dragons!" Zuko exclaimed as the others approached the stage with him.
"Looks like the final scene." Azula nodded as the actors stepped through the scene with seamless choreography. "Well, at least here they're better than the performers on Ember Island." She mused idly, causing everyone—save Eivor—to visibly cringe.
"I fail to see what the issue is." The Viking mused.
"The less said about that, the better." Touya told his wife as he tried to repress the mere memory of the performers in question.
As the play finished, the crowd began to disperse, prompting Zuko to approach an elderly couple.
"Pardon me, could I ask you something?" He asked politely.
"Hmm? Oh, certainly. Are you new in town?" The man asked.
"Yes, you see, my sister and I are looking for a woman named Ursa." The scarred teen explained.
"Ursa? Wasn't she the daughter of the magistrate?" The old man hummed, getting a nod from his wife.
"I heard rumors as to why she disappeared." The man's wife nodded.
"Like what?" Touya questioned.
"Excuse me." A voice said, causing them to turn and see a man who had been wearing the Blue Spirit mask. "My name is Norin. I'm the director of the Hira'a acting troupe. Ursa used to be a member." He continued as he introduced himself.
"It's nice to meet you, sir." The Fire Lord greeted with a nod.
"Why don't you come with me? I can tell you more at my home where it's private." Norin told them.
"Lead the way." Aang nodded.
(Later)
After arriving at Norin's home, he introduces them to his wife of five years, Noriko and their daughter, Kihi. Zuko and Azula were more than happy to befriend her.
"So Ursa was one of the most famous actors in the village, right?" Aang questioned.
"Yes. She was the most famous in the troupe before she was taken away to the capitol years ago." Noriko nodded in reply. "It was before I came to town, but even I heard of her." She added.
"And what about the famous male actor, Ikem?" Azula questioned.
There was a moment of shock between the couple in question, wondering how she knew that name. After the shock passed, they regained their composure.
"Ikem was an actor, too. Ursa's boyfriend, I think." Noriko replied. "He disappeared when Ursa was taken to the capitol." She added.
"Into the forgetful valley." Norin nodded. "The heartbroken go there to forget their lives, it's a dangerous place full of spirits and other such dangers." He added.
"Forgetful Valley? What and where is it?" Eivor questioned.
"It's a forest outside the village at the bottom of the canyon." The troupe director replied.
"Must be where we saw that wolf." Touya whispered, getting a nod from Katara.
"Hm… I recall hearing that Ursa came back years later looking for Ikem. She ended up going after him in the Forgetful Valley." Noriko hummed as she recalled another detail that caused red flags to wave in the gang's heads.
"That's impossible, no one ever comes out of that forest when they enter." Norin stated.
The gang, meanwhile, all just exchanged looks at each other and nodded.
They knew exactly what they needed to do next.
Dragon Emperor0: Hey guys, sorry for waiting so long to update things. We needed to figure out how we wanted to do things next and get other stories off the ground. But don't worry, we're back.
ThermalsniperN7: We're hopping into the search for Ursa, too. We, admittedly, don't quite know what'll be different about that in this story quite yet, but hopefully it won't be too bad.
Dragon Emperor0: Well Azula not being absolutely bat shit bonkers is certainly one of them, but you're right. Meanwhile, if you guys have any ideas for anything else we could do, let us know in the reviews.
ThermalsniperN7: It never hurts to have help. Anyway, see you guys next time.