CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
AFTER ZUKO HAD GAINED HIS UNCLE'S FORGIVENESS, Team Avatar continued with their plans to find Aang. Thanks to the Order of the White Lotus, they were able to stay in the camp until dawn and were provided with food and supplies for the fight they would be facing very soon. Sokka was still shocked that Yan had known the White Lotus prior to the full group meeting them and might even have been a bit jealous knowing that she too was trained briefly by his sword master.
When they were given lunch to eat, the group gathered in a circle around Iroh. "Uncle, you're the only other person other than the Avatar who can possibly defeat the Fire Lord. We need you to come with us. You can beat him and we'll be there to help." Zuko said as he faced his uncle who sat at the head of the group, looking down at his bowl of noodles.
"No, Zuko, it won't turn out well. Even if I did defeat Ozai ― and I don't know that I could ― it will be the wrong way to end the war. History will see it as just more senseless violence, a brother killing another brother to grab power. The only way for this war to end peacefully is for the Avatar to defeat the Fire Lord." Iroh explained to the group of teenagers.
"And then... then would you come and take your rightful place on the throne?" Zuko further asked, his brow furrowing in sadness when his uncle told him he wouldn't fight Ozai himself.
"No. Someone new must take the throne, an idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko. You may have made many mistakes, and you may have struggled and suffered, but you have always followed your own path. You restored your own honor and only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation." Iroh concluded as he glanced at Zuko. Zuko's golden eyes widened and he looked away. It took him a moment to accept his fate and nod in acceptance.
"Well, what if Aang doesn't come back?" Toph asked, the group turning to her now with concern. She was right. What if Aang doesn't come back by the time the comet arrives? What then?
"Sozin's Comet is arriving and our destinies are upon us. Aang will face the Fire Lord. When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would one day take Ba Sing Se. Only now do I see that my destiny is to take it back from the Fire Nation so the Earth Kingdom can be free again." Iroh reassured the group, his gaze lingering a bit longer on Yan as she too had the same dream as Iroh, only many years apart.
"So that's why you gathered the members of the White Lotus!" Yan smiled as she came to the conclusion as to why the White Lotus camp was so close to the Earth Kingdom city.
"Yes. Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation so that when the Fire Lord falls, you can assume the throne and restore peace and order. But Azula will be there waiting for you. You can't handle Azula alone, you'll need help." Iroh explained to Zuko who nodded.
Zuko briefly looked around the group, his gaze stopping on Yan. Although he wanted her help in fighting Azula, a part of him wanted her safe and out of the blue fire that erupted out of his raging sister. So, he looked at Katara instead. "Katara, how would you like to help me put Azula in her place?" he asked her.
Katara smirked and nodded, itching to fight Azula again. "It would be my pleasure."
"What about us? What's our destiny today?" Sokka asked Iroh, dressed in his Water Tribe uniform as he sat between Suki and Toph.
"What do you think it is?" Iroh asked with a knowing smile as he ate his noodles. Sokka hummed for a moment, quiet as he thought of a few ideas about how he and the remaining group could help out.
"I think that... even though we don't know where Aang is, we need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleet." he decided, smiling confidently.
"And that means when Aang does face the Fire Lord, we'll be right there if he needs us." Toph chimed in, Iroh nodding and smiling in approval.
After lunch, the group was preparing to leave and go their separate paths to help out Aang the best they could. Before they all went their own ways, the group shared a big hug, wishing each other good luck. Yan stopped Zuko as he began making his way to Appa to head to the Fire Nation with Katara. "Hey, wait! I just want to say, good luck and be safe. I know you and Katara can do this." she smiled.
Zuko nodded, giving Yan a rare smile. "Thank you. You stay safe as well," he repeated. The two teens stood in an awkward silence before they embraced tightly, Zuko even being so bold as to place a quick kiss on top of Yan's head. Yan stepped back briefly and placed a tender kiss on Zuko's cheek as a form of good luck and her budding affection toward him. When they finally pulled away, they held each other's hands for a bit longer before Zuko finally stepped back to head over to a waiting Katara.
Suki and Toph sat atop a green eel hound as Piandao explained to Sokka that the creature was very fast and could get them to the edge of the Earth Kingdom in no time. Yan smiled at the trio, silently wishing her friends a safe trip. Iroh stood at her side, his hands folded in the long sleeves of his robe. "Yan, I want you to go with Sokka, Suki, and Toph. They will need help with the airship fleet." he gently ordered.
Yan turned to the old man and quickly shook her head. "No way. No offense, Iroh, but the last time I was in an airship, I nearly went insane with the airsickness it gave me. Besides, I will be no help in there; I can't metalbend like Toph, so I'll just be a sitting duck for any firebender. I am staying here with you and the White Lotus; I told you that I was going to take back my city from the Fire Nation, and I intend to do it." she said determinedly, her brows furrowed. Iroh chuckled softly and nodded at the teenage earthbender's strong personality, knowing that what she said was final.
"Your determination and passion are what has gotten you this far, Yan Qiang. I know that for generations to come, many young women will look to you for inspiration; your spirit will shatter many old traditions, and I know that your family would be very, very proud of the young woman you have become." Iroh smiled as he gently nudged Yan's shoulder. Yan smiled and nodded, thanking Iroh for his compliment.
"What are you going to do after all this is over?" she asked, waving goodbye to her friends who were preparing to leave.
"After I reconquer Ba Sing Se, I'm going to reconquer my tea shop and I'm going to play Pai Sho every day." he grinned as he flipped a white lotus Pai Sho tile in the air. Yan chuckled softly, exchanging glances with her friends who all nodded at each other. "Goodbye, everyone. Today, destiny is our friend. I know it."
Team Avatar bid one last goodbye to each other and the Order of the White Lotus before the eel hound carrying Sokka, Suki, and Toph ran off in the direction of the Earth Kingdom shore and Appa ― with Katara and Zuko on his back ― lifted into the air, heading straight for the Fire Nation. Yan stayed behind with the White Lotus, watching as her friends went off in different directions, different paths to help Aang save the world.
. . .
Yan practiced her bending and fighting skills excessively after her friends had left to go down their different paths. She resumed her training with the five masters as they waited for the comet to arrive, everyone in the Order of the White Lotus preparing for the fight that they knew would not be easy. As dusk fell, she sat around the campfire eating dinner when the sky was illuminated an orange-reddish color, indicating the comet was drawing closer. She looked up at the sky, wondering if her friends had reached their destinations yet.
"Although it may sound strange to say, the comet looks somewhat beautiful," she commented as the comet's arrival continued to streak the sky in shades of ember and smoldering flames. Iroh looked skyward and nodded at her observation, silently agreeing with her.
Before long, the White Lotus moved closer to the wall of the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, flags with the white lotus insignia flying high in the wind. Yan stood with Masters Pakku, Bumi, Piandao, Jeong Jeong, and Iroh as they faced the wall, determination and courage written on their faces. "Ba Sing Se, the Order of the White Lotus is here to set you free," Bumi said as he waited for the right moment to strike.
"Only once every 100 years can a firebender experience this kind of power. Yan, I have to ask you once more, are you sure you are ready for this? This will not be an easy fight." Iroh said with concern as he turned to the young woman who stood at his side.
Yan nodded confidently, cracking her knuckles and tucking her braid behind her ear. "I am more than ready, Iroh," she answered, her brows furrowing as she looked at the wall, knowing what waited on the other side.
When Iroh got her confirmation, he nodded and closed his eyes. He began taking deep inhales, feeling the power of the comet flowing through him. As he continued to inhale, flames around the group would rise and fall, showing everyone just how much the comet's power was enhancing the firebender's strength. It was during one last inhale that Iroh formed the fire into a large sphere and launched it at the wall, causing it to crumble upon impact, creating a massive hole. Bumi used his bending to force the platforms of earth the White Lotus was standing on to launch forward, Iroh using his bending to keep flying fireballs at bay. Once they reached the walls, the five masters and the teenage earthbender girl began their fight.
While Piandao, Pakku, and Jeong Jeong were taking care of the Lower Ring, Yan and Bumi decided to take on the Middle Ring. From the distance, they could see Jeong Jeong's pillars of fire that shot up into the air as he dealt with the metal tanks. Bumi and Yan took out as many tanks as they could, Yan using her lavabending to send many of the tanks back and melt them out of commission. Bumi made sure to keep her protected, bending a wall to stop incoming fireballs that came at her before launching sizable boulders at the front of the tanks to block the hatches that opened. He then shot columns of rock up from below the tanks, sending them flying into the air and crashing down on top of each other in a stack.
"Can you teach me that once we're done?" she chuckled as Bumi laughed and snorted. However, their quick joke was interrupted when a group of firebenders came marching toward them. "Go on, I'll be okay on my own!" She turned and ran, heading away from the firebenders to find cover before continuing with the assault.
As she ran, not so worried about her masters who could handle themselves, she turned a corner into a square and ran into a small group of firebenders. She wasn't given a moment to assess the situation as they launched fire at her. Using her quick thinking, she bent a wall of earth before pushing it back at them to knock them off their feet; she even utilized her lavabending for an added effect. Most of the soldiers were pushed back except for a few, catching Yan off guard. She jumped out of the way as she avoided a blast of fire coming at her, but felt the painful burn as the fire hit her in the upper thigh area.
Falling back, she crawled against a building, looking down at her thigh that burned painfully. She cried out in pain, her hands trembling as she placed them beside the burned fabric of her trousers, her skin already blistered and bloody. As the firebenders shot another blast of fire at her, she raised her fist and bent a wall of rock at the last second. She looked around desperately, her situation bleak.
"Hold on, I got you. I need a healer over here!" a woman's voice shouted. Before Yan knew it, a woman dressed in Water Tribe clothes came rushing over to her, using her waterbending and healing abilities to quickly heal her burn wound. She looked around the waterbender woman in shock as she saw citizens of Ba Sing Se rallying together and joining in on the fight.
"They're fighting back." she gasped as she watched benders and non-benders come together to finally push back against the Fire Nation. Once her wound was healed and she was able to stand, she joined in on the fight, everyone working together to clear the Middle Ring of the firebenders and the Fire Nation army.
"Keep pushing them back!" a man's voice ordered from the group, causing Yan to whip her head around and look. To her surprise, she saw both her mother and father fighting, the pair were relentless as they did everything they could to assist the Order of the White Lotus and their daughter whom they didn't know was even there. She smiled proudly and stood on top of a short building to gauge the ongoing battle from a higher viewpoint. Everything was going smoothly, the White Lotus and the citizens of Ba Sing Se working in tandem to clear the Fire Nation away and take control of the city.
A powerful blue beam of light caught her attention as she stood on the rooftop. She looked at the blue beam as it shot into the heavens from the east; although she didn't know what it was at first, she could make one guess, a guess that made her smile. "Aang." she simply muttered, tears coming to her eyes as the Hundred Year War was over and the freedom of Ba Sing Se was finally restored.
. . .
By the time dawn graced the land, Ba Sing Se was completely free from the Fire Nation, the last Fire Nation insignia burned off the palace. Yan met up with Iroh who was in his tea shop, finally back home. The second she walked through the doors, Iroh embraced her tightly, practically lifting her off her feet.
"I told you we could do it, Iroh." she smiled, hugging the old man tightly. Iroh chuckled softly and set the teenage earthbender down on her feet, nodding in agreement.
"We couldn't have done it without you and your friend's courage. Now, sit there, I'm going to brew you a cup of hibiscus tea." the old man smiled, heading to the kitchen to begin brewing tea for himself and the earthbender girl he was proud to call his friend. Yan sat down at a table and waited, smiling softly.
As she waited, an Earth Kingdom soldier hopped off an ostrich horse outside the Jasmine Dragon tea shop and entered the restaurant, holding a rolled scroll. He scanned the interior of the restaurant before spotting the girl sitting at a table. "Yan Qiang? Earth King Kuei would like to see you in his palace immediately." the soldier said in a stern voice, causing her to turn in her seat. She looked back at the kitchen where Iroh was before nodding and following the soldier outside to head to the palace.
Yan was escorted to the Earth King's palace by the soldier and led inside. She felt very out of place and was curious as to why she was called by him. When she entered the throne room, she was surprised to see the room filled with members of the Imperial Court; many of the women she passed whispered amongst themselves about her, mostly shaming her and questioning her appearance. Considering she had just finished liberating Ba Sing Se not too long ago, a change of clothes wasn't exactly on her mind.
She reached the Earth King's throne and got down on her knees, leaning forward and placing her forehead against the cold porcelain floor between her resting palms, a bow to show the utmost respect. "Yan Qiang, I have called you here because you have crimes against you brought to you by the Earth Kingdom. Your crimes include impersonating a soldier, running away from home, stealing your family's sword, lying to a commanding officer of the Earth Kingdom army, attacking many Earth Kingdom officials, and conspiring to overthrow the Earth King. Do you deny these allegations towards you?" Earth King Kuei asked as he looked down at the teenage girl.
Yan sat up and shook her head. "No, Earth King Kuei," she responded, ignoring the gossipers behind her who whispered and shook their heads in shame.
"Please, silence in the court. Now, Miss Yan Qiang, you are aware that these crimes could mean a long prison sentence or even death, yes? However, after going over these crimes and learning of how much you have helped the Earth Kingdom and assisted the Order of the White Lotus with liberating Ba Sing Se as well as assisting the Avatar with repelling the Fire Nation, I have personally come to the conclusion that all the crimes against you shall be dropped from this moment onward." the Earth King concluded. An uproar began in the court as everyone began arguing, Kuei quickly shutting it down.
"Thank you, Earth King Kuei. For now, I wish to return to my family after being away for so long." Yan grinned as she rose to her feet. The Earth King nodded and smiled, bidding the young woman goodbye as she turned and left, not before she stuck her tongue out at a few concubines that continued to talk their shit about her.
Going home was something Yan had been wanting to do ever since she got herself involved in the Hundred Year War. However, as she approached her family home, her father's sword clutched tightly in her fists ― she had managed to finally find it ― she grew very nervous. She didn't know how her parents would react to her sudden homecoming. Pushing aside her nerves and swallowing a lump in her throat, she approached the gate of the back garden and opened it. When she entered the garden, she spotted her father sitting on a bench in front of a small pond where miniature elephant koi fish swam around. Stopping behind the bench, she took in a silent breath for additional courage and stepped around it to cross into her father's line of sight.
"Yan!" Fengge gasped when he saw his daughter cross into his vision, his amber eyes growing wide. He hadn't seen his daughter in a year, he and his wife had believed she was dead. Seeing her now was such a great surprise.
Yan dropped to her knees, presenting her father's sword to him. "Father, I've returned your sword to you. I was wrong to take it and run away, and I am sorry for shaming you and Māmā." she apologized, refusing to gaze at him as she placed the sword in his hands. Fengge looked down at the sword in his lap, glancing at his daughter before he tossed the sword aside, surprising the girl garbed in green. When he joined her in the grass, he threw his arms around her shoulders in a tight hug.
"You could never shame me or your mother, my child. If anything, you have shown great strength; you have brought nothing but honor to our family. I should be the one apologizing for ever doubting you and your abilities; you are my daughter and I love you more than anything in this world. We've missed you terribly." he confessed, his voice trembling as tears came to his eyes. Yan's brown eyes filled with tears and she hugged her father tightly.
"I've missed you too, Bàba," she whispered, burying her head in his shoulder. It wasn't long until her mother and even her shirshu joined in on the family hug, everyone back together again.
. . .
When the afternoon came, Team Avatar reunited in the Jasmine Dragon after being separated for a little bit. Sokka had a bandage wrapped around his leg and walked with a crutch, no doubt an injury he sustained from fighting on the airships. Appa and Xian lay outside of the tea shop, listening to Iroh playing a tsungi horn. Zuko served everyone tea as they relaxed peacefully.
"Zuko, stop moving! I'm trying to capture the moment. I wanted to do a painting so we always remember the good times together." Sokka smiled as he looked up and down from a sheet of parchment. Katara approached her brother with a smile.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Sokka." she cooed, glancing down at the picture and quickly frowning. "Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?"
"Those are your hair loopies!" the older brother argued. The group stepped toward the Water Tribe warrior and crowded him to get a look at the picture.
"Why did you draw me in a dress with bubbles around me?" Yan asked next with a raised brow as she looked at the sloppy picture, trying to stifle her laughter.
"That's the robe you were wearing when we met you! And those aren't bubbles, they're rocks!" Sokka yelled as he smeared a bit of ink on the parchment.
"At least you don't look like a boarcupine. My hair is not that spiky."
"I look like a man."
"And why did you paint me firebending?"
"I thought it looked more exciting that way. Oh, you think you can do a better job, Momo?"
After Toph declared everyone looked perfect ― a frequent joke she made about her blindness ― the group shared a laugh, Aang and Katara stepping outside to head to the upper balcony. Yan smiled and stepped outside briefly to feed Xian a bit of raw steak while he waited for his owner. Zuko approached her with a smile as he watched her.
"Sorry I couldn't make it to your Fire Lord coronation, I was a bit tied up here." she smiled bashfully as she and Zuko stood outside the tea shop and engaged in a small conversation. Who would've thought in a million years that they would've developed such a bond?
"It's okay, it was very quick anyway. So... what are you going to do now that the war is over and everything is back to how it was?" he asked as he rocked on his heels, hoping her answer would be the same as the one that he had planned in his head.
Yan thought about it for a moment before humming in thought. "Knowing me, I'm most likely going to stay here in Ba Sing Se with your uncle and fix up some more things around here. I will definitely be riding on my shirshu through the Agrarian Zone again and cause my form of trouble." she chuckled.
Silence befell the two as they looked down at the ground awkwardly. "Well... I guess this is goodbye then." Zuko sighed, saddened that he probably won't be seeing her again. He was the new Fire Lord, which meant he would be tremendously busy now.
Yan shook her head and held out her hand. "No, not goodbye. We'll see each other again; this is just a 'see you later'." she smiled. Zuko smiled and shook her hand before he was pulled into a hug. The pair hugged, silently bidding each other goodbye as the sun set over Ba Sing Se.