Toph felt the ground beneath her feet, searching for Katara inside their temporary residence in the upper ring. "There's no one else here."
"Katara is in trouble. I knew it!" Aang said as he turned to Sokka.
"Wait! Someone's at the door!" Toph gasped and smiled as she felt the familiar footsteps of the old geezer she met in the mountains. "Actually, I know who it is! It's an old friend of mine!" She walked past Sokka and Aang, and opened the door, revealing the former General Iroh behind it. "Glad to see you're okay!"
"I need your help."
Sokka and Aang took a fighting stance, shock still etched into their faces, while Toph greeted him with a smile and a wave. "You guys know each other?!" Aang looked back and forth between his friend and his enemy's uncle.
"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and some very good advice!"
Iroh lowered his head in a slight bow. "May I come in?" Toph nodded and let the old man through. He knew there was no there was no time to waste so he got straight to the point. "Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."
"She must have Katara!"
"She has captured my nephew as well."
"Then we'll work together to fight Azula and save Katara and Zuko." Aang said determinedly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Whoa there!" Sokka objected as he approached them. "You lost me at "Zuko"!"
The old man sighed. "I know how you must feel about my nephew, but believe me when I tell you there is good inside him!" He held on to the young man's shoulders, hoping to convey the sincerity in his words.
"Good inside him isn't enough! Why don't you come back when it's outside him, too? Okay?
"Katara is in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble! Working together is our best chance!" Aand joined Iroh in convincing Sokka, who only sighed and turned away.
"I brought someone along who might be able to help us." Iroh walked out once more of the house and led them to the Dai Li agent who had his hands and feet bound together. Toph earthbended the floor beneath him to set him upright and trapping him further.
Iroh pulled away the cloth covering his mouth and they agent started talking. "Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're going to overthrow the Earth King!"
"My sister, where are they keeping Katara?!"
"I-In the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se. Deep beneath the palace."
Without another word, they ran to the flying bison and headed back to the Earth Kingdom Palace.
"Why did they throw you in here?!" Katara exclaimed as she paced back and forth through the crystal catacombs. "Oh, wait! Let me guess! It's a trap! So that when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!"
Zuko frowned at her words but chose to ignore her. Nothing would happen even if he tried to explain himself. The waterbender had already made up her mind to judge him by his past.
Katara was far from finished with her tirade. "You're a terrible person, you know that?! Always following us, hunting the Avatar! Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But why do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son! Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood—"
He had it. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I don't?! How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through! Me personally!" Zuko could hear the tears in her voice as she spoke. "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."
His next words were what Katara least expected to hear from him. "I'm sorry. That's something we have in common."
"This fight is over!" Azula held the Earth King hostage, firmly gripping his shoulder in one hand, a single, menacing, blue flame shaped like a dagger in the other.
Sokka and Toph raised their arms in surrender, and Ty Lee paralyzed them both to be taken away by Dai Li agents. She shoved the king away. "Get them all out of my sight."
As they left, Long Feng entered the throne room, behind him were a number of Dai Li agents. "Now comes the part where I double cross you. Dai Li, arrest the Fire Nation princess!" But the agents made no move to obey his order. Azula's smirk grew wider the longer they stood still. "I said, arrest her! What is wrong with you?!"
"It's because they haven't made up their minds. They're waiting to see how this is going to end."
"What are you talking about?"
Azula looked down at Long Feng, much like how one views a street rat. She had learned this look from her father and she had used it plenty of times. "I can see your whole history in your eyes. You were born with nothing. So you've had to struggle, and connive, and claw your way to power." She taunted him with every word and she could feel his confidence crumbling. She savoured the feeling crushing him from the inside out. "But true power, the divine right to rule, is something you're born with."
She approached the throne and trailed her fingers over the golden armrests. "The fact is they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on this throne, and which one s going to be bowing down. But I know... And you know...." She turned around and sat on the throne, crossing one leg over the other and clutching the armrests. "Well?"
Long Feng sweated under the princess's intense gaze. He had two options: One was disobeying Azula, but not having the Dai Li to back him up, and possibly getting himself killed in the process. The other was to bow down to Azula, throwing everything he had worked for all these years, including manipulating his way to become the Earth King's most trusted advisor. And when he thought that he had mastered the craft, he was out-manipulated by a 14 year-old princess.
He closed his eyes in defeat and chose the latter. He stepped forward and bowed to Azula. "You've beaten me at my own game."
"Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player."
"I'm sorry I yelled at you before." Katara looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed about her tirade.
"It doesn't matter."
"It's just for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."
Zuko touched the scar that had long marred his face and his confidence. "My face, I see..." He had long accepted his mark, a reminder of his mistake by speaking up against a general, humiliating his father in that war chamber.
"No, no, that's not what I meant." She slowly approached him.
"It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me, the mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny." He closed his eyes as he remembered his ordeal beneath Lake Laogai. His uncle had helped him free, not only the Avatar's bison, but himself. "Even if I'll never be free of my mark..."
"Maybe you could be free from it." She whispered.
"What?"
"I have healing abilities."
"It's a scar, it can't be healed."
She pulled out a crystal vial and held it in front of him. "This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but..." Zuko closed his eyes as Katara brought her hand up to touch his scar, feeling the rough skin beneath her fingertips.
Her brain and logic told her to stay away from the enemy, but she couldn't help but wonder. Is this truly the new Zuko? Had he changed and finally seen that hunting Aang was not the right thing to do?
Before she could do or say anything further, the wall behind them exploded. The flying dust had settled revealing Aang and Iroh.
"Aang!" Katara ran hugged him tight. Iroh did the same thing and hugged his nephew. "I knew you would come!"
"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?"
"Saving you, that's what!"
That provoked him and he was ready to lunge at the airbender if it weren't for his uncle stopping him. "Zuko, it's time we talked." Iroh turned to the Avatar and his friend. "Go help your other friends! We'll catch up with you!"
Aang bowed to Iroh, grateful for his help and advice before leading Katara out of the catacombs. The waterbender gave the prince one last look before leaving with Aang.
Once they were out of earshot, Zuko began the first of his questions. "Why, uncle?"
"You're not the man you used to be Zuko. You are stronger, wiser, and freer than you have ever been." He willed his nephew to remember the few peaceful days that they had living as Mushi and Lee. "And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose." The prince closed his eyes tight, deep in thought. "It's time for you to choose good."
He was broken out of his thoughts as another explosion rocked the cave. He looked to his uncle and found him trapped by long jagged crystals, rendering him immobile. Zuko took on a fighting stance as the Dai Li and his sister entered the catacombs. "I expected this kind of treachery from uncle, but Zuko. Prince Zuko. You're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?" She raised a brow at her brother.
"Release him immediately!"
"It's not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself."
"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you!"
A frown marred her face as once again, her disgraceful uncle interrupted her. "Why don't you let him decide, uncle?" She turned back to her brother with a softened expression. "I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history. And the only way we win is together." She moved closer to Zuko. "At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have father's love. You will have everything you want!"
Zuko's fists were clenched tight as he listened to Azula's words. "My honor... Father's love... Everything I have ever wanted..."
"Zuko, I am begging you." Iroh knew that his nephew's resolve was crumbling every passing second. "Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want."
"You are free to choose." Azula waved the Dai Li away and walked in the direction where the Avatar had gone.
Zuko stood there motionless for what seemed like an eternity. Indeed, he was given choices. But to decide would mean betraying one for the other. He looked back on the days that he had enjoyed the powers and perks that came with being a Fire Nation Prince. He also remembered the day that he felt light and free as he lived as Lee, serving tea and living peacefully.
He released a shaky breath and made his decision.
As Azula stood between the Avatar and the waterbender, waiting for them to strike, a streak of bright orange and red flames flew past Aang. They all turned around to see who had sent it, and they all had mixed reactions seeing that it was Zuko.
The fight started, brother and sister against Avatar and waterbender. They exchange attacks nonstop. Fire met water, earth met lightning, air met fire. Azula singled out Katara, while Zuko focused his attacks on Aang.
Zuko continuously punched the air, sending bursts of fire in Aang's direction. The latter went high up and shielded himself with the crystals. He focused the chi in his hands and created whips in both hands. He slashed the crystals that hid the Avatar and the chase continued.
Katara had Azula trapped but Zuko managed to cut through the water that held his sister. She grunted and turned her attacks to the prince. "I thought you had changed!"
"I have changed!"
Azula ran towards the Avatar and used her firebending to increase her speed. Aang earthbended the crystals of the cave around his body into an armour, readying himself for the impact. It was too much for him and the explosion sent him flying into the air and crashing into the stone wall that collapsed upon impact.
Once the Avatar was incapacitated, they siblings focused their attacks on Katara, eventually defeating her as well. And just as she fell unconscious, Aang had recovered, ready to attack once more.
The Dai Li had arrived at the catacombs and they prepared their stances, ready to defend their new leader. Aang looked around. They were outnumbered. No matter how powerful he and Katara were, they were no match for Zuko, Azula and several Dai Li agents.
Guru Pathik's words came back to him in that moment.
"The only way is to let her go."
"I'm sorry, Katara." He whispered as he surrounded himself with the crystals and focused on meditating to unlock the last chakra, the thought chakra. And to fully master it, he must let Katara go.
He felt the tremendous energy surround him and he emerged from the crystals, his eyes and the arrows on his body glowing with power as he entered the Avatar State.
Zuko felt fear as he knew what the Avatar can do in this state. He was witness to this during the Seige of the North. This power could wipe out a hundred ships at once and lay waste to armies.
Just as Aang had peaked and was about to strike, Azula fired a single shot of lightning behind him. The hit brought him out of the Avatar State completely and enveloped him in excruciating pain. He finally stilled and fell from the air, lifeless.
Katara caught him before he had hit the floor and she held him in his arms, tears streaming down her face as she looked at him, the world's last hope. Her strength and resolve left her as she watched Zuko and Azula approach. "Is this the end?"
A powerful wave of flame cut them off and Iroh jumped down from his place up in the cave walls. He stood in front of Katara and Aang, shielding them from Azula and Zuko. "You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!"
As Katara carried Aang and made their escape up the waterfall, Iroh fended off the attack of the Dai Li with all his strength. Once the children were out of sight, he surrendered. The agents trapped him in crystal and he looked at Zuko one last time before closing his eyes in defeat. Not only had he been defeated in trying to change his nephew for the better, he had been defeated in thinking that he actually could.
He could only hope that it wasn't too late for the Avatar.
Chiyo looked around the harbour as they docked that evening. There were five people waiting in the docks, three women and two men holding lanterns. She wondered if one of women was the lady named Suiren.
The ramp was lowered and she took Lady Reiko's hand. She smiled and gripped the young lady's hand tight. "Don't be afraid. You are home."
They hadn't even gotten off the ramp before one of the women ran towards them. Chiyo's eyes widened. "The woman from my vision! The teacher!" The woman crashed unto her and held her tight in her arms. "Oh Chiyo! My child!" She cried as she clutched the young woman to her chest, burying her face in her shoulder. "My dear, lovely child!"
Suiren pulled away to look upon her ward's face, cupping her cheeks and inspecting her body. "W-Where you hurt?! What happened?! Are you okay?! Where were you?!"
"I-I'm okay... um... my Lady..."
"Best not shock her, Suiren." It was Quinta who spoke, laying a soft, comforting hand on her shoulder. "She has lost her memories after the accident. She barely remembers anything."
"W-what?" Her lips trembled as she gripped Chiyo's shoulders. "Do you not remember who I am, Chiyo?" As the apprentice shook her head sadly, she stumbled back, her hands shaking as she clasped them over her mouth. Another heart-wrenching sob left her body and she knelt on the ground. "This is all m-my fault... this is all my fault...!"
Reiko knelt beside her sister and took her hands. "Suiren, you are not at fault. What happened was an accident. You had no control over that."
"R-Reiko...?"
She smiled and stroke Suiren's hair to calm her down. "Even now, you are still such a crybaby... little sister..."
Chiyo approached the women. "I-I know you were my teacher. You taught me how to dance..."
That sentence made Suiren smile for the first time in many months. "Yes, child... That was me..."
"Lady Quinta also told me that you raised me... like your own daughter..." She knelt on the ground and bowed with her head parallel to the ground. "Thank you for taking care of me, Lady Suiren. I will forever be grateful for your guidance. I may no longer have memories of you, but we can replace them with new ones. I'll do my best to remember everything."
Suiren reached for the child and held her close. She was still the same, sweet Chiyo that she knew. "And I'll do everything in my power to protect you. No one will ever dare lay a finger on you. No harm shall ever come upon you. I'll make sure of it."
"I'll keep you safe. Even if it kills me."
Happy 6k views and 400+ votes ! ! ! We have successfully finished Book 2: Earth !
Onwards and upwards to Book 3: Fire ! Thank you all so much !
-TheGreatestConWoman-
is still pondering when they will meet. huehuehuehue
Let me know your thoughts!