Fall of the White Lotus [Zutara/Taang]

9 | Halloween

Music: Welcome to Widow Woods, Two Steps From Hell

                    The arid plains of the southern Earth Kingdom were bathed in the last sunbeams of the day when a mildly curious pig chicken softly clucked as it rested its beady eyes on the three people stopped in the middle of the dusty road that led towards a dingy pig farm just outside the modest village. They were gazing at each other, a lost look in their eyes. The boy wiped the tears from his grubby face with angry movements while the young man leaned over to him, shaking his head as he quietly spoke some calming words to him. The young woman looked up from the scene and turned her head to cast a displeased glance at the farm nearby. Her braid gently swayed in the balmy wind.

The pig chicken swallowed a cluck when it met with her ice cold gaze, the animal subconsciously drawing in its neck as she quietly said something to the young man to her side. Her voice had a reassuring ring to it despite her apparent anger. After that, she walked away, stared after by the young man, who had a slightly worried expression in his amber eyes.

The small wooden house lay in the shadow of an enormous boulder made of sandstone, like the mountain spurs surrounding the modest farm. The only other building on the premises was the worn-down barn that Zuko had told Katara about. Determinedly, Katara approached the house and stepped inside, surprising the farmer and his wife.

"I think we need to have a talk," the waterbender said, and she closed the door behind her.

                    Zuko watched Katara as she hared towards the farm. He'd been on the receiving end of this frightening side of hers often enough to recognize what he silently called her protection mode. It was a character trait that Katara usually hid behind her caring nature. And although something involuntarily fluttered in his stomach at the thought that she cared for him this much, he also had to admit that his self-esteem was slightly damaged by the fact that the waterbender felt the need to protect him. He was the Fire Lord, for Agni's sake, and perfectly capable of standing up for himself. But mostly he worried about Lee's parents.

When Katara finally appeared outside with the farmer and his wife, both seemingly in good health, he suppressed a sigh in relief. Lee ran towards his parents, leaving Zuko standing by the fences.

It was this small group of people, their silhouettes dark against the setting sun, who watched as the young man straightened up and walked towards them with confident steps that were at odds with his guarded expression. The group remained silent when he stopped a small distance away.

Katara felt a stab of sorrow in her chest as he looked from one to the other, an expression of deep regret in his eyes. Finally, he clasped his hands together in Earth Kingdom fashion and bowed. 

For a moment, nobody moved. Then Gansu, a quiet, bearded man wearing his hair in the typical Earth Kingdom topknot, stepped forward. "That won't be necessary, Your Majesty," he said. "We were jumping to conclusions, and we ask for your forgiveness." 

And as Zuko looked up, he bowed to the younger man. Sela, a slender woman with pensive eyes, stood behind her husband and nodded solemnly.

But Zuko shook his head. "You had every reason to be suspicious of me... And please, call me Zuko."

This elicited an appreciative smile from Gansu, and Lee, who had been silent all this time, impatiently looked up at his father. "So, can they stay for the festival, then?"

"Of course," Gansu smiled as he ruffled his son's hair, before looking at Katara and Zuko. "We would like to invite you to the harvest festival tonight."

                    "You really didn't need to protect me," Zuko mumbled to Katara as they led their ostrich horses to the barn, following Gansu's lead.