Heavey TW for this chapter, for abuse. Specifically, parental abuse. If this is something you can't read, skip the second part of the flashback.
"Jump?" Besu demanded, "Are? You? Insane?"
"You'll die otherwise!" the ship captain said, looking at Lu Ten. "Go, now!"
"Grab those packs," Lu Ten said, slipping seamlessly into the role of a leader, "And release the parachutes. As soon as you hit the ground...run."
"To the fight, right?" Cillia asked, buckling her parachute pack to her chest, already helping others.
"Do you wish to die?" Lu Ten asked in a strangled voice. "We should not be here. Don't worry about anything; I'll take the blame for telling you to hide. Just...run," he said, "And find the blimp when it goes down and wait there." He grabbed the closest girl to him - Suki - and pulled her to the exit door of the blimp. "Now!"
Suki halfway jumped and halfway allowed herself to be pushed by Lu Ten, and like a flower petal catching the wind, she was gone.
"Oh, spirits..." Ratana held her mouth to keep from barfing.
Lu Ten shoved everyone out in quick succession, yelling instructions to deploy the parachutes as they went. Katara did not let him shove her, but held up a hand and jumped.
The air whooshed around her and she tugged her parachute, her fingers clammy and shaking. She managed to grasp the handle and pulled hard, a popping sound echoing in her ears as the large canvas ballooned over her, jolting her quick decline into an uneven and teeter-tottering float to the ground.
As she looked up, she saw Lu Ten jump along with the rest of the crew. The blimp was losing air fast and it creaked and groaned in the sky, falling to the south. As Katara looked down, she saw the tiny town ablaze in flames that licked the darkness of the sky.
She heard arrows. She panicked, knowing there was little she could do, but her parachute was not the target. Above her, she heard Lu Ten yelp as an arrow ripped a large hole through his safety landing gear. He began to fall, hard, and Katara knew he would die if he hit the ground at that speed. As he came past, Katara reached her arms out and caught Lu Ten by his leg. The sudden weight of a whole human nearly ripped her arms from the sockets and it wasn't easy to find purchase, but she dug her fingers into his pants and let him pull her down from the sky.
They both hit the ground with a hard 'thump', faster than they probably would have liked, but it saved Lu Ten's life.
Katara's arms screamed as she let go of his leg, her limbs slumping by her side as they whimpered in agony, a white-hot fire burning up her veins.
"Katara, we have to hide," Lu Ten grabbed a knife from his vest and began cutting his parachute and Katara's away. "We need to take cover. Can you walk?"
"It's not my legs that really hurt," Katara agreed. "Aren't we going to fight? Aren't you?"
Above her, a cannon sounded that rang in her ears. She heard screaming and crying and dirt flew into her mouth.
"There's too many. Hide!" Lu Ten commanded, blasting an Equalist away that approached. "There!" He pointed to a half-sunken and nearly hidden basement door covered in rubble and debris. "Help me clear this off, quickly, before they find us," he said.
Two Equalists approached. Lu Ten grabbed the back of Katara's shirt, dragging her down into the mud. She pressed her face into the dirt, so she didn't make noise.
"This loot is killer!" one of the men said, arms full, "I think I'll be able to pay off what I owe once I pawn this."
"No shit, dude! Jackpot!" the other one said, high-fiving his friend.
Katara didn't have the time to realize that she hadn't seen any weapons on them, nor that they really seemed like they were fighting a war. It seemed like they were just causing chaos, but heck, she wasn't going to tempt those odds, because the world was still a caterwaul of other people's misery.
"Katara!" Lu Ten hissed, eyes fearful, "Kat!" He was motioning to the rubble, asking for her help to clear it. Katara bit her lip to keep from crying as she picked up rocks, her arms nearly refusing to work, until they could wriggle inside. Lu Ten pulled a piece of a door over their hiding place, masking their location unless someone really looked and saw a few footprints in the sand.
"Farther back, go," Lu Ten commanded, and Katara crawled in the dirt until she hit the back of the shelter. It was absolutely pitch black. Lu Ten made a small fire on a tiny torch and sank it into the dirt between them, the flicker of the light dancing on their faces. And as she stared at Lu Ten, a feeling she'd never experienced during a battle rose up inside of her. It was not that he was showing emotion, it was that he was showing none.
And Katara knew what this meant.
Fear. Katara felt fear. She felt the feeling of death looming like never before, just outside their hiding spot. She usually ran into fights, in a blaze of foolheartedly foolishness, but sitting here made an emotion creep upon her, cold as the colorless faces of the dead.
"We're all going to die, just like that," Katara whimpered, feeling so small and childish. She curled into a ball the best she could, her arms looped tightly around her legs.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..." Lu Ten murmured, his expression so tightly guarded and never cracking, "Ozai's won." How was Lu Ten being so calm, Katara wondered? How was he not breaking right now? How did you take this fear that she had to be sure he was feeling too and just throw it away, leaving nothing behind?
"So, you think he's the leader of the Equalists too, huh?" Katara said dryly, unsure how to react right now.
"It's obvious, isn't it? He's gloating," Lu Ten spat.
"Why? Why this? Do you think he's going to...kill Zuko?" Katara asked, the fear growing in her mind. She tried to shift and winced hard. Lu Ten looked at her arms, red and raw.
"Can I help?" he offered.
"Are you a waterbender?" Katara asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't going to be able to lift her arms right now to heal herself.
"No, but I'm medic-trained." He unbuttoned his vest and started tearing strips off his undershirt to set her arms, using some debris as firm sticks to hold her arms straight. "May I?"
Katara nodded numbly, watching him work. He clenched his jaw, methodically wrapping her arms to prevent further damage. There was silence in the hidden basement, juxtaposed with the horrors of screaming just outside. When Lu Ten did speak, it nearly jolted her in terror.
"My uncle will do anything to win," Lu Ten finally said, "To answer your question. If that's what he deems necessary, that's what he'll do."
"Okay, sure, Ozai doesn't like to lose," Katara agreed, unsure how this was new information.
"No, Katara," Lu Ten looked almost half-deranged, cycling between laughs and sobs. "I don't think you get it. He'd do anything, undermine anyone, ruin anyone's life..." He looked her straight in the eye. "How did Zuko get his scar? And do you know why Zuko does not wear his hair long, as is traditional? "
"I...uhm.." Katara blinked at the sudden change of focus. "We were told he won in the match that chose him over you for the heir apparent. It was a sign of his true power." Katara shook her head. "I don't buy it, but I mean, that's what I know. As for his hair, he said he lost it in a spar with Azula, and she burned it away..." From Lu Ten's face, she knew that this had been a lie on Zuko's part, though she could not guess why he'd forgo tradition like this when often, tradition meant so much to him. And, logically, it had been enough time to grow it back, and yet...Zuko kept it just below his ears.
"Then you don't understand," Lu Ten said with almost a pitying smile, "How far Ozai would go, the lengths he'd go..."
"How am I supposed to know if-"
"You don't know," Lu Ten settled back, his voice not unkind but rather apologetic, "Yet. Let me explain."
And, by the light of their tiny fire, Lu Ten opened his mouth to speak.
XXX
Aang awoke to a milky, thin light passing through slates in a carriage. Though somewhere, he had a feeling that 'awoke' was generous. Moreso, his eyes opened as the world above him swam, like he was leagues under the ocean, watching everything play out far, far above him, muffled and distorted. His body was fighting, everything was off, and Aang was exhausted.
The only comfort was Ty Lee, squeezing his hand in relief.
"There you are, son. Welcome back to the land of the living."
Aang squinted. "Iroh? That you?" His voice came out rough like he'd swallowed a whole bag of rocks and cut his voice all the way down. He was on his stomach and couldn't flip. He wasn't even sure he'd just spoken actual words, or if it was a jumble of sounds.
"Water, now." Shen tipped a cup to his lips. "Oh, thank the spirits..."
"What happened to me? I hurt...everywhere..." Aang whimpered. "And I'm...I'm..." he murmured.
"I know, I know," Ty Lee whispered. "You gotta stay awake, though. Aang, stay with me, please."
Aang tried to look at her to tell her that he wanted to, of course, but his limbs would not obey him.
"You nearly died, Avatar," Shen said. "Please. Don't sit up." Though he tried to brush it off, Aang could sense a deep, anguished sorrow deep within him, something that made his blood run cold.
"What... exactly... happened?" he demanded, his last word eeking out like the last creak of a wheel before it stopped moving, and there was a gentle squeeze to his hand. It took so much effort to speak, and it hurt everywhere. He wanted to stop that hurt, please.
"Zhao attacked. He nearly won. He tried to cut you open from the top of your spine to the bottom, which is why you must remain like this. The wounds were deep," Iroh said with a deep scowl. "And we were not sure you'd pull through." And though Aang wasn't sure, or perhaps did not want to be, he could have guessed the unspoken addition was 'and you still might not'.
"I told them you were stronger than all that shit, though," Toph broke in, sniffling. "Glad to see you awake, Twinkletoes."
"She was right," Ty Lee murmured, rubbing the back of his hand.
"Zhao-" Aang wheezed, each syllable like a knife down his throat.
"Is dead." Shen said in a staccato tone, "One less evil banished from the world."
"But-?" Aang picked up on the subtext.
"Dhakiya. She's gone," Ty Lee whispered, and it seemed she had no more tears to cry. There was a heaviness in the air, something no one wanted to admit out loud, no one wanted to say. "She saved your life."
The guilt immediately clawed up Aang's throat. He felt ill and shook. Another person dead for him, and for what? Did he even deserve it?
"Where are... we going?" Aang asked, "Traveling?" He wanted to ask 'why are we traveling', but that was as much as he could muster. Luckily, it seemed it was understood.
"The Swamp is compromised. We cannot remain." Shen shook his head. "We are going to the one place not under Ozai's thumb. We'll be switching to boats soon."
"S'wat...tribe." Aang breathed, slurring his words, and somewhere through the haze, a horrible thought hit him. "Put...in danger?" he demanded.
From the serious looks on Iroh and Shen's faces, it was clear they knew that this would put a target on the back of Katara's home tribe, but they were out of options. Aang struggled to get to his knees. "No, no...no..." He began to thrash, just whispering arguments, but Ty Lee and Toph kept him down.
"Aang, please, don't exert yourself like this." Ty Lee's voice was worried, and he tried to say he was fine, but the wave of darkness was already wading through his mind, sloshing against his vision.
The carriage halted. Iroh threw open the back hatch to see what the hold-up was and Aang, out of his limited view, saw Aiga hitting the side of the carriage.
"What is it?" Iroh asked, "What is so serious that we stopped?"
"Sir, I..." Aiga fumbled over her words to get her message out. "I understand now why the Equalists wanted to find me, why they asked for me and not Aang. I understand now. I saw it and I shouldn't have, but I didn't realize it until-"
"Child, calm down." Iroh placed a steady hand on her shoulder. "Now, take a breath for me," he instructed. Aiga gulped in a big breath of air.
"Exhale."
She let it go in one noisy, haggard sigh.
"Aiga, speak now. What is it?"
"I know who the leader of the Equalists is. I was meant to be killed so I couldn't tell anyone. We need to go back to the Royal Palace...now. I also know what the endgame is."
Everyone began talking at once, and he heard Aiga explain in snippets. His mind felt like the hamster-mouse wheel was desperately spinning, but the hamster-mouse had long since died, unable to snap the connection that he knew that he knew too.
Then, understanding exploded in his mind, like the Avatars had shoved down the door and were all yelling the answer to him.
Aang inhaled sharply, suddenly realizing it all at once too - (and fuck, how could he have been so blind? So oblivious?) - but it was too much. And somewhere, he knew Yangchen was warning him that he must keep his energy, be careful, but his own horrified and guilty feelings overrode everything as he pushed his arms away, bringing his body off the ground. For a second, he thought he'd done it, that he'd fought the sickness and weariness of his bones, but then his mind was swirling and he was falling.
"Aang! No! Stay awake!"
He saw everyone reach for him as his body gave out, his limbs turned to sand, and his mind rolled away with the numbness of unconsciousness.
XXX
7 Years Ago...
"How did he find out, dad?" Lu Ten paced the floor. "I've been careful, I've been so careful. I haven't made a spectacle of myself, and I've watched. You know that I am so careful. So how?" He looked at his father. Iroh sat in Lu Ten's bedroom with a heavy, saddened expression.
"You were not careful enough, son," he said.
Lu Ten stopped, staring at him. "Are you disappointed in me, Dad?" he asked. Iroh stood, smiling warmly, engulfing Lu Ten in a comforting hug.
"Never. I know who you are and you've never done anything to make me mournful," he said, pulling back and placing his hands on Lu Ten's cheeks, "But things are going to change, Ten."
"Am I to be executed?" Lu Ten asked with a hint of bitterness.
"I would be shocked if your grandfather reacted with such a severe punishment...but I fear what he does have in store. Come," Iroh placed Lu Ten's Fire Lord pin in his hair, "You are still the Heir Apparent and you will remember that."
They walked in silence to the royal throne room. Azulon sat, wrinkled and wheezing, as they entered. Ozai was sitting there as well, a smirk curled on his face. His young children - Zuko only thirteen and Azula eleven - were beside him. From the way he grinned with glee at Lu Ten, he knew. He tried to lunge at his uncle, but Iroh held him firm.
"Is it true?" Azulon demanded, the fire around him bursting with his fury. "Answer me, child! Are the accusations of you true?"
Lu Ten raised his face up to his grandfather, knowing that the truth was already out there. His entire life, he'd tried to keep it close to his chest, but someone had leaked his secret. This was not a chance for him to lie...he was being given a small, nearly minuscule grace not to stand with pride.
"It is, Grandfather. I love men, not women," he whispered, trying not to collapse. The shudders that rang out around the throne room made him want to cry, to run back into his room and never return. He was painted as unnatural from this moment on, he knew it.
"And to think...we were going to invite all those lovely ladies here in less than a moon for your choice. You would have made a mockery of their heritage lines and spat on the very name of tradition."
"No, grandfather. I would have done my duty. Married a suitress," Lu Ten argued, though the thought of lying with a woman made him ill.
"It is of no consequence. The truth is out there." Azulon waved a lazy finger.
"Father," Ozai stood, "Now that we know about this...foul truth, I think we can all agree that Lu Ten is unfit to become the next Fire Lord. Not only has he laughed in the face of our beliefs and selfishly debased himself to craven desires, but he is also unable to bear children. How do we expect him to produce an heir when he makes such a face at imagining a woman?" Ozai said with a fake-genuine shrug. Lu Ten understood what was happening and nearly stood to punch Ozai. Ozai was trying to steal his birthright from under him!
"And perhaps this entire family line is tainted," Ozai continued. "A branch of the family tree that should be culled to save the rest of it. As we all know, my brother is already a laughing stock for failing his siege in Ba Sing Se."
"The city fell to us, Brother," Iroh said in a terse tone, "We captured the Earth Kingdom."
"But it wasn't you," Ozai mocked. "You cannot claim that, Iroh."
"You...you..." Lu Ten stuttered. "I can do it, Grandfather. I'll marry anyone you say. I'll have a thousand kids, just please, don't listen to him," Lu Ten begged.
"I am your faithful son, Father. I would not disappoint you. I have sat quietly, watching mistake after mistake while giving you two grandchildren. I-" Ozai was cut off.
Azulon raised a hand and silenced everyone in the room.
"The line of succession will go to my grandsons," Azulon said, thinking out loud. "Lu Ten is of age to take the throne anyway, and Zuko, by the time I pass, will nearly be there, if not already of age. It will not be you, Ozai, that takes over," Aulzon said. Lu Ten felt a flicker of relief and smiled at the way Ozai's shoulder rose with steam, his fury at being denied the crown.
"Zuko." Azulon turned to Lu Ten's cousin. "Do you agree with your father? Do you see your cousin as a freak of nature unfit to take the throne? Do you challenge him to a battle for the crown?"
Lu Ten looked at Zuko, so young and oh so terrified. He stared at Lu Ten, his beloved family member, and his eyes said no. But then Ozai placed a firm hand on his shoulder and Zuko's eyes filled with tears.
"I do, grandfather," he croaked out. "I agree," he said, trying to shrink away from Ozai.
"Then it is settled. Lu Ten and Zuko will have an Agni Kai for the right to rule. Whoever wins will take my place. If it is you, Lu Ten, you will marry a woman immediately and produce an heir within the year," Azulon said sharply. "And if it is Zuko, Ozai will hold the crown after I pass, as guardian of the throne, until Zuko is of age and marries. The Sages will assure that Ozai cannot twist my power," Azulon said, more clever than anyone gave him credit for. Ozai was furious but held his tongue and posture.
"An Agni Kai...he's a child!" Iroh stood, throwing his hands out at Zuko. "I'm not saying this because I wish my son to win, I'm saying that this is cruel!"
"Zuko is thirteen, and he is capable of his own choice. He agreed," Azulon said with a half-carless shrug. "We will hold the fight two dawns from now. None of this will leave this room...not the rumors of Lu Ten, not the news...if there is even a peep-" Azulon looked everyone in the room in their eyes, "Your head will be on a spike to serve as a reminder."
OOO
"You will win easily, my prince," Atsushi said, helping Lu Ten bind his hands two days later. "Zuko is struggling with his forms and you mastered them at twelve in your classes."
"It will be an easy fight, I know," Lu Ten groaned, horrified at how unevenly matched they were. "Don't remind me."
The procession to the arena was silent. The spectators were few; the Royal Family, a handful of Fire Sages, and a few upper-circle men that his grandfather trusted. The city was none the wiser of the monumental fight that would take place, however.
Iroh was waiting for his son.
"You won't make it painful for him, will you?" Iroh asked, knowing in his heart that there was little chance Zuko would win.
"Of course not," Lu Ten said, horrified at the thought, "I will win as gently as I can."
He would not let this be taken from him. Lu Ten knew he would be a good leader; he had so many ideas to help people. Even though he romantically loved men, he loved the entire nation as though he was their father. He felt a deep passion and affection for the Fire Nation that he could only assume was the feeling a man had when he held his children for the first time. He would not let this falter his plans to bring the Fire Nation into a beautiful, peaceful, and different era, one that was not led by terror and blood, but by someone who would give up everything - even true love - for the people he led.
Lu Ten stretched in the arena, watching as his younger cousin entered, following his father. He stumbled over his own feet and there was already a sheen of sweat on his face. He seemed so young right now, a literal child. Lu Ten's heart clenched.
Azula followed, grinning widely. When she saw Lu Ten, she stuck her tongue out at him and was quickly chastised by Aunt Ursa.
Lu Ten watched as Zuko came to his side, his entire body shaking as he stripped down to his pants. His fingers tried to bind his hands, but he couldn't manage it. Ozai stood to help, but Zuko flinched away so violently that Lu Ten couldn't help but wonder. Ozai roughly pulled Zuko back to him, digging his fingers into his shoulder. Though Lu Ten couldn't see what Ozai was saying, he did see how Zuko's eyes widened and how he desperately tried not to cry, holding back tears as his cheeks reddened and his eyes filled with liquid.
Lu Ten looked away, a stone in his throat, looking to his own father. He himself felt like a child, and wished he could be consoled so simply as snuggling with his dad during a thunderstorm. But as always, Iroh came through in the way that mattered. Iroh pulled Lu Ten into a hug, shielding him, and giving Lu Ten just a moment to cry.
"Dad-"
"Whatever happens," Iroh said, "Remember how much I love you and believe you are a pure, good person."
When his dad pulled away, Lu Ten felt the absence, but it could be nothing compared to the empty feeling Zuko must feel with Ozai. Without Iroh here, assuring his son of his love, Lu Ten wasn't sure what he'd do.
Lu Ten took his side of the arena. Zuko stood, walking with his chest puffed. Faux haughtiness, excusable, to hide how afraid he was.
Azulon entered. "To the near-death. Maiming."
Lu Ten's blood went absolutely cold. He stared in horror at his grandfather as Iroh pushed to the throne.
"You cannot be serious, father! You would sacrifice one of your own grandchildren? Disfigure one entirely, a mark of their fight forever? You aren't thinking right!"
"I am thinking perfectly fine. Whoever does not win is useless to me. Why should they be allowed to sit in my palace, eat my food, dress in my finery and use my name if they are to lose? Why should they exist as before, as though they aren't a complete failure to my image? I won't have them die, but they should wear their shame in public forever," he said. "You know the rules."
Lu Ten looked at Zuko, who was frozen stiff where he stood. When Zuko looked up at Lu Ten, he looked crushed. He must know himself that he wouldn't win. He was shaking, so afraid of how Lu Ten would harm him. How the cousin he'd always looked up to, the cousin that said he'd protect Zuko from the day he was born, would hurt him so mercilessly, even if Lu Ten tried to do it softly. He was no doubt trying to tell his brain that Lu Ten was the enemy, even if there were thousands of times when Lu Ten had picked him up off the hallways and played with him and loved him like a younger brother.
And he did; Lu Ten's affections for Zuko were unmatched, only perhaps by his love for his nation. He knew from the day Zuko came into the world that he would do anything for this child.
"Begin!"
Lu Ten played defense, allowing Zuko to try to attack him. Zuko's form was sloppy and his firebending was at half-power, likely due to how terrified he was. He was angry, all over the place, unable to land a hit on Lu Ten.
Lu Ten managed to catch Zuko by the foot as he executed a flying kick and threw him to the ground. Zuko hit the arena floor with a loud sound, a crack as his bones collided with the dusty, hard surface.
Lu Ten would not let this go on, not give Zuko false hope. He couldn't. He had to end this quickly.
As Lu Ten tried to think how to win this fight and hurt Zuko the least he saw Ozai gave a hiss of disappointment. Zuko scrambled up, sheer terror and panic clutching every fiber of his being. How he switched his look between Lu Ten and his father, trying to decide which way to go, as though both were terrible options. And then, even though Lu Ten was coming to break his spirit and win, Zuko began to crawl not toward Lu Ten, but away from Ozai.
With a startling realization, Lu Ten tensed. He realized that if he won, if Lu Ten took this victory, Ozai would kill Zuko. There was no denying it, not with the way that Ozai tracked Zuko or how his lip curled or his fingers clenched, he would kill his son for this disappointment and Azulon would turn his head the other way, feigning ignorance.
If Lu Ten took the throne, Zuko would not survive long enough for the coronation.
And there, at this moment, Lu Ten realized something. He loved Zuko more than he loved his nation, something he thought impossible. He'd turned down his own personal happiness so many times for the Fire Nation that he had thought this duty, this passion, would trump every love he had.
But that wasn't true. He loved his cousin infinitely more, and as he looked back at Iroh, he realized that his father had already seen this. Iroh had known how this would play out before Lu Ten ever took the stage. When he told Lu Ten what he'd said before the match, it wasn't in regards to his sexual orientation, rather, in regards to the fact that Lu Ten was going to let Zuko win, even if it meant putting Ozai on the throne. He was weighing the future of a nation against a single person, and Iroh forgave him before he ever made that choice.
It wasn't believable, but fuck it. He let Zuko take him down, and as he hit the training ground and feigned a hurt arm, Zuko looked down at him in shock and confusion. He was surely wondering how he'd so easily bested his older cousin, and how Lu Ten could have such a severe injury that would leave him unable to fight back. As Lu Ten moaned on the ground, he looked up at Zuko and tried to say, "Hey, it's okay...I'm letting you win". Zuko sniffled, understanding.
"Boy, finish him," Azulon hissed, and Zuko looked up, hands outstretched to rain fire on Lu Ten. His fingers shook and he stared down. Lu Ten gave a nearly imperceptible nod, and Zuko backed up. Which was not what Lu Ten was trying to encourage. He winced, but Ozai reacted publicly first.
"What?" Ozai roared, "What are you doing, you worthless little-"
"I won't fight him. I won't. I will not harm Lu Ten," Zuko announced in a strong, echoing tone. "You will have to decide between us because I will not fight like this."
"Zuko, no, please-" Lu Ten hissed from the floor. Zuko looked down at him, inhaling and shaking.
"I don't want to be the Fire Lord, Lu Ten, and I don't want to hurt you," he whispered in a pitiful voice. "Hurt me. I never wanted to be the Fire Lord, I've never wished to be in your place."
"No!"
"You must finish the Agni Kai," Azlon demanded, slamming his fists repeatedly on his throne.
"I will not!" Zuko yelled, spinning, protecting Lu Ten.
"How dare you!" Ozai threw down his robes, stalking onto the arena stage despite the people yelling at him to leave. "You are a disgrace to my name! You have dishonored this family one too many times! You should have never been born!" Ozai thundered, shoving Zuko to the side, "I will finish this for my family line. We are strong and take what is ours!"
Lu Ten tried to stand up, knowing that Ozai might kill him too, but the dirt made it difficult.
"No!" Zuko threw all his weight at his father, dislodging Ozai's stance and sending him off-balance, giving Lu Ten enough time to throw himself off the arena stage. "Stop it!"
"How dare you?" Ozai said. Zuko seemed to realize the ramifications of his actions, as though at that moment his body had not been connected to his brain. He squealed, trying to turn but Ozai grasped Zuko's ponytail and dragged him across the arena.
"Zuko-" Ursa yelled, but Ozai threw a finger at her.
"Shut up, or else! This is between Zuko, my failure of a son, and me!" Ozai threw Zuko to the ground. Iroh and Lu Ten tried to jump into the ring but Ozai lit the ground around them in flames, making it impossible to pass. This fire, fueled by something evil and dark, burned Lu Ten as he tried to pass through.
"I concede my title!" Lu Ten yelled, trying to break through the sounds of Ozai's screaming and Zuko's frantic begging. "I renounce my claim on the throne!"
"You-" Azulon began to say, but coughed. "The Agni Kai must be finished."
"Sir, if he gives up his claim, he has witnesses. It is done," a sage said, looking at Lu Ten. "Do you swear on your life to drop your place in line?"
"I do," Lu Ten said. "I am no longer the heir apparent. Zuko is," he pleaded, hoping it would work.
"Ozai, it's done!" Ursa yelled, pacing at the fire, unable to get in. "Stop this!" Azula followed her mother, though her expression was hard to read. Fear? Unsureness? Worry? Excitement? Nothing showed on her young face.
"It is not!" Ozai argued. "My...son..." He spat the word like it was unbelievable to him. "Is arrogant, foolish, worthless, scrawny, and I have been far too lenient with him for too long! He deserves to know what happens when he intervenes in matters he does not understand or refuses to honor tradition or his elders!"
Before anyone could do anything, Ozai dragged Zuko to lay on his back in front of him and flashed his palm. The light from the fire was near-blinding and Lu Ten did not see what was happening, only heard the horrible, horrible scream of Zuko's punishment and inhaled the stench of burning flesh.
XXX
Katara bit back bile, staring at Lu Ten as he finished. She could not even form words to express how violated she felt even just hearing this story, how she wanted to cry a million years for Zuko. She reached up to touch her own long hair, trying to imagine Ozai dragging her across the ground by grasping at it, and then burning her in the most gruesome way.
She dropped her fingers away from her braids, feeling ill.
"After that, everyone in the room was sworn to secrecy," Lu Ten finished, looking ten years aged. "The truth about my sexual preferences were never to be whispered, nor how Zuko truly got his scar. They said that I gave it to him in the fight, but he still came out on top. Every time I look at it, I just remember how I failed to protect him."
"Lu Ten, you...you couldn't have stopped Ozai."
"No, in this you are right," Lu Ten agreed with a furious scowl. "He is a monster of a man. No father should treat his son like this. But now you understand how depraved Ozai is, how he feels like the right to rule is his and he must win, even at the sacrifice of Zuko."
Katara's head felt fuzzy, and she felt like she was on the verge of fainting. "Zuko never told me."
Lu Ten's eyes were sympathetic. "How could he, Princess? How could he speak of such unholy, indescribable evil? He was just a child, I would not be shocked if he has more or less repressed it from his mind. And even if he hasn't, it shows no ill light on you, it is not because he does not care for you...perhaps it is because he cares so much. To burden you with this truth may be too far for him."
"I wouldn't judge. I don't care, he can burden me with all of it." Katara wiped her tears. "I want to know everything about him, I do. I...he...I can't believe it." In truth, she understood why he didn't want to say anything, but couldn't help but wish he'd trusted her to say. She might recognize the logic, but her emotions still flip-flopped between being fine he didn't tell her and feeling saddened.
"I would tell you not to dwell on this knowledge now, but what else does one think about at the end of the world, other than the acts of yomi?" Lu Ten whispered. He truly believed both of them would not see daylight again, as she did, and this was the first glimpse of that. It was clear he was replaying every regret he'd ever faced. Katara felt detached from time, unable to feel the same things, as she felt hers were magnified by a thousand, and this terror had just washed away to numbness. Or maybe it was the pain from her arms?
Through it all...she had to wonder...was Lu Ten wishing he'd allowed himself true love with whoever that might be, now that it all seemed like it didn't matter anyway? Was it truly better to give up on love in favor of duty, to live all this time with one piece of your soul missing?
They spent spirits-know how long down there; it was impossible to tell the passing of time due to the lack of any or all light filtering in. The only source was Lu Ten's torch. He fished a food pack out, though it tasted more like sawdust than anything edible, but forced Katara to take half.
It could have been days or maybe just a few moments, but suddenly the half-torn door was thrown off their hiding place, and light flooded in. Lu Ten protectively pushed Katara behind him, until Azula poked her head in.
"They're in here! They seem to be alive, Zuzu," she said. Her face was stained with dirt and her hair was spilling down her back, her hair ties missing.
"Katara? Lu?" Zuko called from above, "Oh, the gods are good!"
Azula helped them out. It was daytime, and the town was deserted. Katara saw just how run-down it seemed and it looked like a horrible joke that anyone could live here, but she saw vestiges of life, of people putting clothes on lines and baking bread, as though the fight here had never occurred. Or, was this a scrimmage place, and it happened so often, it was just another Tuesday?
Katara coughed at the clean air.
"The Equalists?"
"Gone. We got 'em to flee," Azula said proudly.
"Seems like it," Zuko said, "But it was weird. I guess I'm not in the mood to question."
"Could it be a trap?" Lu Ten asked wisely, tilting his head.
"I don't care. None of you should have been out here, to begin with. We're going home," Zuko said with a firm tone. Katara did a headcount...everyone that they'd come with was still alive, what luck!
As they fell into a line to reach the harbor to grab a boat back, Katara couldn't help but stare at Zuko's scar. And his short hair. And the look of distrust he wore, the one he sometimes used as a shield to protect himself. She wanted to reach out and touch his face but feared she'd break down into sobs. She lingered, so they were the last two to file onto the dock to find a boat.
Zuko saw her staring and groaned.
"He told you, huh?" he said, jerking his head back to Lu Ten. "Kat-"
"I'm so sorry."
"It happened," Zuko said tersely, "And you didn't do it. You have nothing to apologize for."
"I can. For your horrid father. I am just sorry." She didn't know what else to say.
"Don't think on it too much. It was a while ago," Zuko said, and Katara couldn't tell if he'd actually worked through it or if he refused to even broach it. Either way, she knew she couldn't push, as desperately as she wished to.
"What did the Equalists want here?" Suki demanded once they'd found a boat to take them back to the Fire Nation Capitol harbor. Zuko easily gave over gold coins and they were promised a warm breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It took a few hours for the boat master to find the provisions, but they all were given clothes and a bunk, which felt like heaven to Katara. Of course, it was all in one room, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
"What they always want," Azula said irritably, turning over and pulling the covers over her head, "Now shut up, some of us need to sleep."
Katara looked at Suki and gave a helpless shrug since no one's answer on this had ever been much of an answer at all. Zuko was already passed out, snoring, and Katara found no good reason to remain awake either. She wasn't sure what would be waiting for them at the palace and had to be ready for anything.
The next chapter will be out (tentatively) on Aug 13th. If it's not, one again default to the assumption it will be out on Aug 20th! Guesses for what they'll find back at the palace?