Embers: Chapter Ten

[masterghandalf]

This is a repost from Das_Sporking2; previous installments of this sporking may be found here.

Warning: This chapter contains discussion of bullying and abuse.



MG: Well, everyone, it’s time to continue our journey through Vathara’s Embers! Last time, Zuko recovered from his Spirit World journey, fought Jet, and discovered that he sems to have somehow become a waterbender… and the more we learn about Amaya’s mind-altering technique, the more disturbing it gets. Today, Zuko continues exploring his new life and new abilities and we meet some of Vathara’s other major OCs. Joining us today will be Zuko and Rangi!

Chapter 10

A/N: To anyone who thinks Zuko's met too many nice people lately... remember first, they don't know who he is.

Zuko: Implying they’d be less nice if they did know the real me? *beat* That figures.

Rangi: And I wouldn’t call Master “I pump people’s heads full of new thoughts and memories, without adequately explaining what I’m going to do, and oh, it’s also potentially fatal to firebenders, which I won’t check and see if you actually are” Amaya nice. Maybe we just had different standards for that in my time.

Second, some of these people may be Iroh's White Lotus contacts.

MG: ..who? Huojin? Amaya? Because, uh, no. The only one I can think of who probably was a White Lotus contact was the document forger who helped get them into the city in the first place, who is a glorified extra I don’t think we’ll ever see again.

Third, people in Ba Sing Se go to great lengths to avoid trouble. (Dai Li for troublemakers, anyone?)

MG: I mean, yeah, that’s true, but that doesn’t make them particularly fond of outsiders, either. I mostly think they’re just used to the refugees, or at least resigned to them, by this point.

And finally, remember Zuko's usual luck. When things do go wrong, they're going to go wrong catastrophically.

MG: True, but a., Vathara has an explanation for Zuko’s bad luck and why it’s a sign of him actually being special and important (I’m not kidding) and b., Vathara tends to have things going wrong for Zuko ending up in specific ways that underscore his specialness and importance. So, I’m not terribly impressed.

"So." Safely ensconced in their new apartment, Iroh poured hot water into a cup in front of his nephew. No point in wasting good tea on an experiment. "Can you show me again?"

Gentle words, that he hoped sounded casual, instead of carefully chosen. Zuko had fought so hard, so long, to master Sozin's style. To bend fire as others claimed it should be bent. Learning to follow his own instincts and experiment now - it was a delicate, delicate task.

Rangi: Oh, I get that, believe me. Sounds like how Kyoshi, for all her power, had such a hard time learning how to do subtle earthbending. Not everyone’s talents suit every style.

He tried, and failed, so many times. And with Azula, and my brother… it was never safe to fail.

Zuko: *groans* Ugh, tell me about it. And of course, every so often this story proves that Vathara really does get important things… and then she goes off onto some weird tangent that completely buries it.

Yet without failure, how can we discover anything new? And this is new. Or, perhaps, very old.

MG: Old. Very old. So old, in fact, I’m going to go ahead and start a count, though I don’t expect to get too much use out of it until later in the fic, when what’s going on with Zuko actually gets explained.

True Guardians of Balance: 1

Rangi: …okay, that’s a little ominous.

"I'm not sure," Zuko admitted. "I just - got angry." Biting his lip in concentration, he touched steaming water, and slowly lifted his hand.

Thin and sparkling, a strand of water clung to his fingertip.

Holding his breath, Iroh watched.

Water collapsed back into the cup, and Zuko hissed in frustration. Frowned. Held himself still, and deliberately breathed out, slow and easy. Dipped his fingers in a scooping motion, as if gathering a handful of flames.

A globe of water shimmered in his palm, still steaming.

He's done it. Iroh breathed freely again, spirit soaring. "Magnificent."

MG: And so we have it, folks… while it’ll still be awhile before we get the full exposition on the yaoren and what exactly is going on with them, we can now officially say – Zuko has multi-classed to waterbender.

Zuko: *buries his face in his hands*

Prince Stuko: 26

"It's just a little water, Uncle."

Rangi: *splutters* Just a little? It’s water – you shouldn’t be bending it at all! This is a big deal, actually!

"And an acorn is only a small nut," Iroh smiled. "You have proved it can be done. We will build on that." His smile turned rueful. "Tomorrow. We have both had a busy day."

Zuko tipped the globe back into his cup, staring at his dry palm. "I look like a waterbender."

Zuko: Yeah, I do look like that, don’t I. I wonder why?

"It might be best not to do that in front of the Fire Sages, true," Iroh admitted. Both the Fire Lord and the Fire Lord's heir were children of fire. No other element would suffice.

Rangi: Not to mention that if you start bending another element without being the Avatar… well, not only are people going to notice, they’re going to know something very weird and probably dangerous is happening, possibly up to and including “the banished prince got killed and replaced by some sort of spirit while he was away.” Sorry if I’m being insensitive, but your father might be the least of your worries here.

"But I doubt any of them are here. And think, nephew. Now, if you carry a waterskin, you can bend anywhere in Ba Sing Se. Without betraying yourself." He chuckled. "And as to that - you told our story perfectly."

Zuko reddened, and ducked his head. "I didn't think it would work."

Zuko: …I guess I’m lucky Vathara writes Jet as being kind of stupid, huh?

"Under other circumstances, it likely would not have," Iroh said bluntly. "You are a very poor liar, Prince Zuko. Which is nothing to be ashamed of." It was inconvenient, yes. Nearly fatal, given the viper-scorpion's nest Azulon and Ozai had made of the court and the military. But not shameful.

MG: Stick a pin in this; pretty sure it’s foreshadowing for a different revelation about Zuko we’ll be getting down the line.

"You were angry and upset, and clearly worried for my life. And those about us had every reason to wish Jet wrong, and these walls safe from even the thought of the Fire Nation."

"You mean, I didn't fool them," Zuko said grimly.

"But you did choose the right words, to allow them to fool themselves," Iroh said with great satisfaction. "It was well done." He laughed again, softly. "But take pity on your poor, elderly uncle, and do not scare me that way again."

Standing, Zuko snorted at poor and elderly. But gave him a faint, tentative smile. "I'll try."

"Ah." Iroh's eyes danced. "So you mean to find some entirely new way to terrify your uncle to death?"

"Uncle Iroh!" Zuko sputtered.

Zuko: *looks very embarrassed*

Chuckling, Iroh stood, and opened his arms.

And almost immediately regretted it, as Zuko froze in place. Too much, too soon, Iroh berated himself. He is tired, but not as unbalanced toward water as he was this morning. I cannot expect-

Gingerly, Zuko met him halfway, and hugged him back.

Zuko: …do I have to be “unbalanced towards water” to show affection to Uncle, one of the only family I ever had who was actually there for me? *beat* Of course, this version of Uncle let Amaya do… whatever she did to me, so maybe water is a bit involved.

Elemental Determinism: 14

Felling the body in his arms tremble, Iroh frowned. "What is wrong?"

"It hurts. Inside."

Rangi: Well, you did just have your brain scrambled, even if the author seems determined to not admit that’s what happened…

Iroh stiffened. "I never intended-"

"Don't. Don't let go."

Interesting. And given what Amaya had told him, of the wound to his nephew's spirit…. Iroh held on. Firmly, but not so tight Zuko could not pull free, if he wished. "If it hurts, do not take more than you can bear."

"It's a good pain." Zuko's voice was low, just above a whisper. "Like stretching a scar." A few more moments, and he had to retreat. "I'm sorry, I'm trying…."

MG: Man, this is another of those moments I’d probably really like, if it wasn’t for the context…

"No more than you can bear," Iroh said firmly. Gripped his nephew's shoulder. "I can wait. I trust you. And I know you care."

Green eyes glinted at him, fierce as gold. "I'm not going to give up, Uncle."

"I know you will not," Iroh nodded. Which is part of what worries me.

MG: …huh. This just puts me in mind of the exchange between Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru in A New Hope about Luke. “He has too much of his father in him.” “That’s what I’m afraid of.” A comparison which does make the whole thing read rather more ominously than it’s supposed to, I think…

One step at a time, the retired general reminded himself, preparing for bed. We are here, fed, housed, and relatively safe. And I will be more careful with my bending.

Zuko: Which would’ve been a lot more meaningful if we’d actually included Uncle firebending his tea…

Stations of the Canon: 22

No need to force Zuko to break his word, after all. He only needed to delay the pursuit, until summer was over. Which should be easy enough. The Avatar had a flying bison, and aid from hopeful people throughout the Earth Kingdom. Surely, now that he had found young Toph, he could hide among the mountains no Fire Nation troops would have reason to venture up, and safely learn earthbending. Why should any of them come to a city bearing the focus of Fire Nation assaults?

Rangi: I don’t know, because it’s the capital? It’s where the Earth King is? There might be lots of reasons that would draw the Avatar to the biggest city in the world which is also, as you just pointed out, currently the focus of the war that he’s trying to stop!

Outside his window, Iroh glimpsed the moon.

…Why do I even ask?

Sokka: *sticking his head in* I’ll have you know, Yue had nothing to do with us going to Ba Sing Se… not that I’d have minded if she decided to check in on us from time to time…

Moonlight itched at him, and Zuko buried his head in his pillow. Pushing and pulling and damn it, he knew there wasn't a drop of hot water left in the apartment! Why couldn't he sleep?

I need some air.

Pulling on a robe, Zuko slipped out the window and climbed up to the tiled roof. The moon danced in and out of spring clouds, shadows turning footing uncertain. But he was used to that.

The wind is worth it.

He'd always loved the wind, even though Fire Nation ships didn't need it. The wind told you about places you'd never been, lands you might never see. If you knew how to listen.

MG Kind of ironic, considering we’re going to be getting big long spiels about how air is fire’s true opposite and enemy later in the fic…

Leaning on the roof cistern, Zuko closed his eyes.

Murmurs of people, faded by distance. Music somewhere west of here; no tsungi horns, and the rhythm was different, but it was definitely supposed to be music. A drift of green and earthy scents grown too familiar over the past month; farms, inside the Outer Wall.

You'd never know there was a war out there.

Rangi: I think that’s the idea, actually.

Wind shifted, bringing faint cries of lake-gulls chasing schools of fish in the moonlight. Something tickled his hand, and Zuko snatched-

And blinked. Bison fur.

A few, thin strands. Not freshly shed, if the past few months had taught him anything. Spring fur, not winter - though length was a little hard to judge. Half the strands had been melted back, tips charred from white to smoke-brown.

You idiot.

He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe.

Zuko: I’m starting to think Uncle shouldn’t have tempted fate, because that was fast.

I warned you. I told you! She does what Father asks - she does everything perfectly, even if it means killing….

No.

Kneeling, Zuko pressed his head against the night-cool ceramic of the cistern, forcing panicked thoughts into rough order. No. The Avatar couldn't be dead. Not just because he desperately needed Aang to be alive. Because if the Avatar were dead, Fire Lord Ozai would have announced the Fire Nation's triumph to the skies.

Zuko: …why do I think Aang is dead, exactly? Wouldn’t “he’s somewhere in the city” make more sense? And how would bison fur get into Ba Sing Se if Azula killed him, anyway, unless she was in the city too and killed him here?

And Ba Sing Se would be falling, even now.

Rangi: I wouldn’t bet on that, Avatar or no Avatar. We studied Ba Sing Se’s defenses at the Academy; we pitied the soldiers who might have to try and take it. Even your uncle got turned back, didn’t he – and that was before the Avatar returned, right?

Which obviously wasn't happening. So the Avatar was alive. He had to believe that.

Zuko: …yeah, it also happened to make the most sense and be true.

Panic receding, Zuko let out a slow breath, and braced his hands on top of the cistern to stand again. Don't scare me like that again, Aang.

Aang. He'd thought of the Avatar as Aang.

MG: Which is especially interesting to me, not only in the context of the fic, but because in the show Zuko seems to reflexively think of Aang/refer to Aang as “the Avatar” even after he actually joins him in Book 3.

And he could feel the water under his hands, separated from him only by thick, fire-hardened earth. No fluttering almost-heartbeat of fire, like the steaming brew in Uncle's teapot. Just pushing, and pulling. Waiting. Aching at him.

Trying not to think, Zuko swept an arm out, hand open.

Like the moon, like the tides; like Katara facing me, angry and lethal as a host of blades….

Pulled it back.

Water erupted.

Reflexes seized hold even through shock; he skipped back, feet not even damp. Water curled on itself, following-

Stop!

The wave halted, rippling in time to his trembling, out-flung hand.

…I can feel it.

Not a warmth; not a heartbeat. Not like fire. This was the flow of blood in his veins, the ripple of a stream over his fingers. The heady rush of turning a ship into the teeth of a storm, knowing it'd take everything he had to survive - and knowing he could.

MG: …you know, my reservations about where this plotline actually ends up going and what Vathara does with it aside, as a description of someone who only knows firebending suddenly awakening as a waterbender, I rather like it.

The ache inside was easing, and that was the most frightening thing of all. Other benders might be too young to remember. He hadn't been.

Eight, and there was something I needed, and I couldn't - I couldn't figure it out. It was like being hungry and thirsty and drowning, and I couldn't get air. And I wasn't cold, but it was like cold, I had to get close to the fire, I needed it….

He'd needed fire then. Like he'd needed water now.

Rangi: Ooof. Mom identified me as a bender pretty young – I think I mentioned she’s good at that sort of thing? - so I don’t really remember, but I do remember when we thought Yun was the Avatar and everything Jianzhu put him through to try and get him to bend something other than earth – and then what Kyoshi went through after we realized she was the Avatar and always had been – I can kind of relate.

Terrified, he snapped his left hand out, fire blazing to life in his palm even as the wave collapsed.

Oh yeah. Real smart. Idiot!

He snuffed it, relieved despite his mortification at breaking cover. Whatever was wrong with him, his firebending was still intact.

It doesn't feel wrong. Just - like bending.

Zuko: I, uh, wouldn’t know, but… I guess that makes sense?

Crouching, Zuko ran a hand over wet tiles, fingertips not quite touching the roof.

Water beaded up in the moonlight, and followed.

Oh, Agni.

He should be panicking. He knew it. But rage and panic and fear for Uncle's life had seared through him so many times the past few days… there just wasn't anything left. All he felt was numb.

I can never go home again.

Oh, but it was worse than that. So very much worse.

Zuko: Yeah, I’d think this would probably make people panic, since it’s supposed to be impossible and all – like I should probably be panicking more right now, I’m taking this amazingly well.

"So this is your answer," Zuko whispered to the spirit shining overhead. "The Fire Nation destroyed the Air Nomads, and now you'll destroy us." A tear slipped down his cheek; he wiped it away. "That's what's going to happen. My father only has two heirs. And Azula's insane." Another tear; he let it fall. "When he dies, she'll inherit. And I know what she'll do. You think the war is bad now? Just wait.

MG: Again, we’ve already been over why Azula getting the throne would be bad, but I don’t think it would be as instantaneous a catastrophe as Zuko is imagining here (Azula’s evil, not stupid or incompetent). But I can’t help but notice some of the framing here – both that Zuko’s immediate concern is for how this will affect the Fire Nation as a whole, and for the portrayal of “the spirits would totally destroy the Fire Nation as retribution for the war, and also this is something that shouldn’t be allowed to happen,” which again frames consequences for the Fire Nation as the most important thing to worry about (yes, it’s Zuko’s POV and he’s biased, but still reflects the fic’s general trends).

Prince Stuko: 27

The Real Victims: 9

"And if she doesn't inherit-" Zuko swallowed hard. "Firebenders are loyal. We need it. If there's no Fire Lord, my people will tear each other apart. We won't be able to stop. And once our defenses are down, once we're at each others' throats in a civil war…." He could see it, clear as daybreak. Water Tribe ships sailing into the Fire Nation's deepest harbors. Ramps falling, unleashing earthbenders in a roar of steel and stone.

MG: And here’s another idea that we’ll be coming back to more than once during the fic – that the Fire Nation has to continue the war, or believes they do, or else they’d be left open to retribution from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes (a certain quote about Germany beginning a war in the naïve belief that they could bomb other countries and nobody would ever bomb them back comes to mind…). And it’s very ironic that Zuko would consider “no Fire Lord” to be an apocalyptic outcome, considering that it’s later going to be established that the position of Fire Lord was never meant to exist in the first place and was in fact brutally imposed on the Fire Nation from the outside (there’s a reason I’m keeping Kyoshi on the backburner as a future sporker, let’s just say…) and that the fic’s idea of a happy ending is ultimately going to involve abolishing the throne and returning the Fire Nation to a bunch of domains ruled by independent great names. So… not sure if this was meant to be ironic, or if Vathara hadn’t fully realized where she was going yet.

Elemental Determinism: 15

The Real Victims: 11
Zuko's fists clenched, and he stared up at the moon through a veil of tears. "Great plan." And he bowed, formally, vanquished to victor.

Then straightened, and glared defiance back at silver. "But we're not Air Nomads. We'll fight. We'll live." He swallowed tears. "I'm going to save them. As many as I can."

MG: Oh, goody. More victim-blaming. Just what we needed.

Detached from Reality: 7

Elemental Determinism: 16

I'm going to learn what Amaya does. All of it. And then-

Zuko: And then I can brainwash everyone into leaving the Fire Nation alone? Because that’s what Amaya “does,” from my perspective!

And then, what? Hide frightened refugees all through the Earth Kingdom? They'd be found. Hunted down. Killed.

I don't know yet. Jaw set, Zuko climbed back down off the roof. But I'll think of something.

MG: *nonplussed* Was that a 2001: A Space Odyssey (novel, not movie) reference? Probably not, but the wording is very similar to a recurring phrase from the book.

Lu Ten says I give spirits a headache. Agni, I hope he's right.

"You are ridiculously awake for this hour of morning," Amaya murmured, downing the last of her tea. And almost immediately wished she could take the words back. If Huojin was right, and she'd never had reason to doubt him yet, Lee might not know her gentle teasing for what it was.

Rangi: I have a hard time believing anything about you is “gentle,” lady.

Like a Northern chieftain's son, trying to pass as a simple Southern tribesman. It's a wonder he's managed to stay unnoticed this long.

MG: I think Vathara likes the Northern Tribe a bit more than the South or the Foggy Swamp, tbh. Part of me can’t shake the feeling it’s because they’re the only Water Tribe that is a large centralized state and has at least one big city and something like aristocracy and a royal court.

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 13

No. Not a wonder, not given what she'd seen of Lee so far. Pure, unrelenting effort, fueled by intelligence, tenacity, and the burning desire to live that marked the best of her charges.

"Firebenders rise with the sun," Lee said, studying the scroll she'd lent him as if he hadn't noticed the snap in her voice. "Polar summers are hell. No one can sleep. Polar winters - there's good reasons not to go that way."

Amaya tried not to let herself react, storing those facts away. You've been to the poles. More than once. And you're usually surrounded by firebenders. What have you been doing?

Zuko: Between this and some of what Uncle’s already let slip, it’s a miracle she’s not figured out who we really are by now…

She shouldn't want to know. She'd made it a habit, not to know about people before they came to her. But none of them had been benders.

Rangi: Wait, Amaya has never worked on a bender before? But she knew that her technique is potentially deadly to firebenders? *beat* I don’t think I want to know how she knows that.

I want to know. You've done something impossible. How?

He glanced at her warily. "I didn't think waterbenders needed to be up nights."

Hmm. You're curious too. "We don't," Amaya allowed. "I prefer to work a later day for my clients, who often must be working from dawn to twilight, with irregular times off. And for myself. I may be a master healer, but I am not the strongest waterbender by far. I take advantage of the moon, when I can, for more difficult healing."

Some of the tension eased out of Lee's shoulders. "Work around your weak points. I know."

Amaya frowned. "Your uncle thinks well of your skill."

"He's good. I'm - nowhere close." Lee didn't look up, voice quiet and steady. Not angry, as she would have expected from a young man his age, much less a young firebender. Barely even a whisper of resignation, buried in the smooth flow of fact.

We'll have to work on that.

Zuko: No. I don’t want to hear about Amaya wanting to “work” on me, and I’ve got enough people in my life trying to mold me into who they think I should be, thanks.

"So if you're not usually up this early, why are you?" Now Lee glanced up, lone brow raised.

Blunt, but not suspicious. Maybe his reflexes weren't quite as hair-trigger as Huojin feared. "I need to make a house call," Amaya answered. "And I don't want them to see me coming."

Rangi: Well. That’s not horrifying or anything, considering what she does to people who do know she’s coming.

…And perhaps Huojin was right after all, and a warrior's trained suspicions were merely held under iron control. Uncanny green fixed on her. Not the familiar leaf-green of blue on Fire Nation amber. A fierce, emerald blaze, eerie as the flames in the Earth King's palace. "You're expecting trouble," Lee said levelly.

Amaya caught her breath, and shook her head. "I'm not certain what I'm expecting." What is it about this boy? I faced down young Arnook, when I wasn't much older than he is now. And we all knew he was raised to be Chief someday.

Chief, yes. A leader of men in war, certainly; though they all hoped the Fire Nation had learned their lesson decades ago, and would never return. But Lee was more than that.

Fire is the element of power.

Even soaked in water's shadows, Lee burned.

Divine Right to Rule: 13

Prince Stuko: 28

"What's the situation?" the young man asked, impatience leaking into his voice.

"I would prefer not to tell you," Amaya said plainly. Raised a dark brow, before he could open his mouth. "Something is going on, and I have not be able to determine what. It could simply be a series of accidents. But there have been so many, these past months." She paused, deliberately. "It could be malice. Everything I know from my training, everything I know about these people, says that it can't be. But I could be wrong." She tapped a finger gently on the table. "I would like a pair of fresh eyes. In case friendship has clouded my judgment. Do you need to know more?"

He reddened a little, and ducked his head. "No, Master Amaya."

Amaya smiled quietly. Teenager, with the arrogance of the nobly born engrained into his bones… but Mushi had at least taught him manners. "Madam Meixiang is one of your people. She's married to Professor Tingzhe Wen, earthbender, archaeologist, and historian with Ba Sing Se University-"

MG: Meixiang was mentioned briefly a few chapters ago, if you’ll recall, but for a refresher, she and her husband and their children are some of the fic’s more important OCs (Tingzhe, Meixiang’s husband, is apparently based on Henry Jones Sr., though like with Huojin and Jim Gordon I don’t see much comparison with his supposed inspiration beyond sharing a job). The Wens are probably my favorites of the fic’s OCs, despite the fact that Meixiang often feels like she’s Vathara’s mouthpiece about Good Fire Nation Values, though as I’ve mentioned before I feel like about two thirds of the way through the fic the Wens kind of drop out of it, being reduced from major players to glorified extras with only a handful more scenes. We’ll talk about that more when it happens.

"Does he know?" Lee caught her look, and glanced away. "…Sorry."

It was a reasonable question. "He knows," Amaya nodded. "Not that he cares. I don't think Tingzhe pays attention to anything that happened after Avatar Kyoshi died.

Rangi: Wise man!

Meixiang has to remind him when the children's birthdays are." She chuckled, shaking her head at one memory. "When Jinhai was born, Tingzhe's students had to drag him out of the rare scrolls section of the library! He was tracking down this piece of Fire Nation correspondence from someone else who'd been researching the Avatar. Spirits only know why. I'd thought the Fire Nation worried about living Avatars, not dead ones."

MG: And stick a pin in this because oh, boy, is it coming back later, in multiple exciting ways (that happen to be tied to some of the most notorious aspects of the fic!)

No reaction. Not so much as a twitch. In fact, it was such a careful non-reaction, she was startled.

What's that about?

Zuko: ..maybe this is a subject I don’t want to talk about with someone I just met?

"They have children?" Lee asked warily.

"Four," Amaya said, rising. I have so much I want to ask you. I wish it didn't have to wait. "They don't know their mother's history. It's safer. The rest, I'll tell you on the way."

Nice house, Zuko thought, mentally comparing it to other Earth Kingdom dwellings he'd seen. Not palatial, by any stretch of the imagination. Not even really big. But the Middle Ring definitely had the Lower beat when it came to quiet style. "Why don't you live up here?"

Rangi: …yeah, that’s the general idea of the different rings. And I’m sure Amaya wants easier access to victims I mean patients.

"Most of those who need me will never leave the Lower Ring," Amaya said quietly. "If Meixiang didn't love Tingzhe, I doubt she would have left. It's hard for your relatives, trying to fit in." Blue eyes regarded him. "Are you faring well?"

I'm wanted for dereliction of duty and treason. My sister wants me dead. And the spirits have made it so the whole Fire Nation will want me dead. How do you think I'm doing? "I'll be fine," Zuko forced out. "I still have Uncle, and…."

I'm a waterbender. Despair opened up like a black pit, hungry to swallow him. I don't have anyone.

Zuko: Okay, now I’m freaking out more. Which, I mean, I assume I would, considering as far as I know this has never happened to anyone before, ever.

…No. He clung to hope, the way Uncle would have wanted him to, even when caring cut him to the bone. He said he didn't hate me. Even after he thinks - after Mom-

He's Uncle. He's not going to turn me away. He won't.

If he could only be sure.

Zuko: Oh, that hurts. I mean, I know that Uncle wouldn’t reject me – even after I betrayed him to Azula he still loved me and believed in me, though that hasn’t happened yet here – but there’s a difference between knowing something and feeling it.

"I still have Uncle," Zuko repeated quietly. "I guess - most of the people who make it here aren't that lucky."

"Some aren't, no." Amaya frowned at him a moment longer, considering something. Shook it away, and beckoned him to follow as she knocked on the front door.

"Amaya?" A middle-aged woman, impeccably dressed despite the early hour. "Oh, I'm glad you're here… why are you here?"

"I'd like you to meet my new apprentice, Lee," Amaya said briskly. "Who's hurt?"

"Suyin," Meixiang answered, stepping aside so they could enter. "It was her turn to make breakfast. I've warned her to be careful, she's just at that awkward age…."

MG: Funnily enough, the recent Avatar novel City of Echoes – mostly a retelling of the events of Books II and III from the perspective of Jin, Zuko’s date from “Tales of Ba Sing Se” also includes a character named Suyin Wen, who is Jin’s best friend. That Suyin is so completely different from Embers Suyin it’s kind of hard to imagine one could be based on the other (about all they share is being teenage girls who live in Ba Sing Se), but it’s interesting that the exact same name would wind up used in canon like that (the Avatar Wiki lists all of canon Suyin’s appearances as from the book, so I don’t think she’s meant to be a background character from the show). It’s just interesting to me, is all.

Zuko listened with half an ear, looking for anything out of place. Not that he'd know what was out of place in an Earth Kingdom professor's house. Something he'd reminded Amaya of on the way over.

But she'd asked. He had to try.

Suyin's the younger daughter, he recalled from Amaya's briefing. Thirteen, not a bender. The older sister, Jia, is a good bender, but tries to hide it - it's not ladylike here. Mostly her father trains her. She's in and out because she's a student at the university, along with her older brother, Min. He's sixteen, he is getting official training, and that's something Amaya's worried about. The Army would be one thing, but if the Dai Li want him as a recruit…he's mentioned it a few times, and the family's not handling it well.

MG: …thank you for that little infodump, Zuko.

And then there was Jinhai. Granted, he didn't know anything about normal families, but he remembered time he'd spent with Lu Ten. Teenagers and a six-year-old weren't always a good mix-

Zuko frowned, leaning closer to the painted screen half-folded by the entryway, blocking direct view of the stone stairs to the second floor. Were those spark-holes, half-hidden in the black of cat-owl feathers?

Pretty far from the kitchen for sparks. Even if they were using a hearth instead of that stove.

Rangi: I think I can guess what this means…

Yet his questing fingers came away with specks of soot, far below the height anyone would carry a candle.

Any adult, Zuko reminded himself. When you were six, you had to carry a candle. Which had been humiliating as hell, for one born of Sozin's line. He'd learned to get around without them whenever possible. He'd practiced sneaking through the dark, ever since-

MG: Hrm. This is one of those bits that in a vacuum is fine, but in this fic in particular it feels like Vathara is just laying on more of her “you need to feel sorry for Zuko” theme, very unsubtly.

Jinhai is six.

Suyin got burned.

Sparks where there shouldn't be.

No. Couldn't be. This was an earthbender's family.

Zuko: …and his wife is Fire Nation. Like, this version of me does know that when people from different nations have kids, they can wind up being benders of either element (or neither), right?

Eyes narrowed, Zuko started searching.

"What are you looking for?"

Suyin, arm healed but dark green eyes wary as her mother and Amaya talked, Meixiang rescuing the breakfast rice from scorching. Young as she was, Suyin still gave him a considering look that oddly reminded him of Lieutenant Jee after the storm.

MG: Hello, not-so-subtle foreshadowing about which of these kids takes after her Fire Nation side…

"I'll know it when I see it," Zuko said levelly, crouching to view the house from more of a six-year-old's height. I just hope I don't see it.

There. A patch of wall slightly paler than the rest. One regular, rectangular stripe, as if the scroll painting beside it had been moved just a little over….

Lifting painted paper aside, he stared at small, blackened fingerprints.

Damn.

Rangi: Called it!

"If you don't know what you're looking for, how will you know if you find it?" Suyin smiled bravely, hand on his arm. "Have you had anything to eat yet? We've got some great peanut sauce-"

"Suyin," Zuko said quietly, "where's Jinhai?"

She recovered well, he'd give her that. "Just here, a few minutes ago - he's always a pest in the kitchen, he knows he's supposed to wait until the meal's ready…." She looked into his eyes, and swallowed hard.

"He was there," Zuko went on, still quiet. "When you were burned."

"I - got distracted." She faced him squarely, a mother turtle-duck in front of her brood. "It was an accident."

You know. And if she knew about her brother, what didn't she know?

Zuko: …lots of things, probably?

"Accidents can get worse, if someone doesn't know what they're doing," Zuko said plainly. Kept his hands from trembling by an effort of will. The more people who know, the more danger we're in. But these are my people. Even if they don't know it. "Suyin. I can help."

MG: So, here we have a bit of Zuko’s sense of noblesse oblige applied to something other than keeping Azula off the throne. On the one hand, as an example of Zuko starting to take his responsibilities more seriously and grappling with what being a prince really means, it’s pretty solid stuff… on the other hand, part of me does kind of have to side-eye how he seems to automatically consider people of Fire Nation heritage to be his subjects and under his protection, especially coupled with how loyalty works. So I’m kind of 50/50 on bits like this.

Divine Right to Rule: 14

Suyin sucked in a startled breath, and her mother's attention jerked toward them. "What's going on?" Meixiang asked.

"I would like to know that as well," Amaya said evenly. "Lee?"

"Master Amaya." Zuko didn't try to soften the grim look on his face. "We have a problem."

Rangi: From where I’m sitting you’ve got lots of problems, and Amaya’s one of them.

"Where is he?" rang down the stairs. Young, male, and ticked off.

An unintelligible groan echoed down to them. Jia, Zuko guessed, from the half-heard maledictions on idiot older brothers who didn't know when to keep their voices down.

"Don't cover for him, Jia! Not for this!" Half-shaved, university uniform thrown on, Min brandished a ribbon-tied sheaf of scrawled-on paper, now liberally splashed with fresh ink. Stones cracked under his feet as he stomped downstairs, sliding askew. "My class notes! Do you know how long it's going to take to rewrite these?"

Do you know how long it's going to take to put those steps back to rights? Zuko thought wryly, hand against his waterskin to warm it. Facing an upset earthbender without firebending and without his dao was not on his list of fun things to do today.

Rangi: Zuko, please tell me you wouldn’t have used bending and/or deadly weapons on a civilian teenager, ticked off earthbender or no.

Zuko: …hopefully not unless he attacked me first?

"Min, the stairs!" Meixiang said sharply.

"Slag the stairs! He does not get out of it this time-" Min stopped short, finally getting a good look at Zuko's face. "Who are you?"

"I'm with her," Zuko said levelly, nodding toward Amaya as he took in the temper, the way upheaved stones were tilted at odd angles instead of directional, and the lack of balanced stance. Trained, but not experienced. Just keep calm, and keep your head. He turned back to Suyin. "He's probably scared too. I know what that's like." Twice over. Somebody really hates me.

Suyin paled a little, but nodded. "What are you going to do?"

Zuko tried to smile. It probably wasn't reassuring. "First, we get the accidents to stop."

Zuko: …okay, I know I’m avoiding saying what’s happening outright for security reasons, but that sounds more like I’m going to be housetraining this kid than teaching him firebending – which I didn’t sign up for!

"Accidents?" Min's eyes narrowed, and he stomped toward the kitchen, a wave of one hand yanking up the trapdoor that led down to the root cellar. "All right, brat. No more nice big brother."

You're going to corner a- Oh, you idiot!

Zuko moved, quick enough to catch the trapdoor before it fell back into place. The thin layer of stone on top of wood yanked down with more than its own weight; apparently Min didn't want to be interrupted.

Rangi: Well, he sounds lovely. Reminds me of some of those kids in Yokoya who used to torment Kyoshi when she was that age. Not very pleasant.

MG: I do think Min’s arc ends up being decently interesting, but for our first taste of him… yeah, he’s a pretty one-note bully right now (why the Dai Li are apparently interested in a kid who clearly has zero subtlety, I’m less sure on).

Exhale, and push.

Stone and wood shattered.

…Oops.

He leapt through the opening down the stairs, in time to see Min yank a tearstained, brown-haired boy out from behind pottery jars of rice.

"Let me go!" Jinhai squirmed, twisting his arm around. "I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

"Hiding's not going to do you any good," Min said grimly. Gripped the collar of the boy's robe, and gave it a tooth-rattling shake. "I'm going to do what Dad should have done weeks ago."

Rangi: Okay, this is where I’d probably throw tact to the wind and deck him.

Zuko: Considering he’s kind of talking like my dad, or at least like Zhao… I can get behind that.

No!

Jinhai flung up hands in front of his face, and sparks flew.

Landing on the cellar floor in a crouch, Zuko swept his hands out to deflect, then pushed flattened palms down.

Every spark winked out.

Rangi: Thank you, Zuko. That was getting ugly.

Zuko: In this case, the real me and this version of me agree on something. I don’t like petty little bullies like this.

Min had dropped the boy, and was backing away from him with a look of pure horror. "You - you're-"

Looking up at his older brother, Jinhai crumbled into fresh tears.

"Jerk," Zuko ground out. Stepped around Min in one fluid motion, and caught Jinhai before he could scramble away. "It's okay. Shh." He held on tight, rubbing the boy's shaking back. The way Ursa had, years ago. "Just breathe. It's going to be all right."

"Who're you?" Jinhai sniffled.

"I'm Lee," Zuko answered. "Amaya's apprentice. Let's go talk to your Mom, okay? I'm sure she wants to know everyone's all right."

MG: There are going to be some… questionable moments in this subplot, mostly revolving around Vathara’s take on Fire Nation Values (and just who the Wens turn out to be related to – don’t forget this fic has a nobility fetish) but a lot of the moments where we just have Zuko as a teacher, trying to reach a scared and confused kid and help him master his abilities when no one else can? I genuinely like a lot of those.

"All right?" Min sputtered. "He's a- a-"

"Firebender," Suyin said bluntly. "Took you long enough to figure it out."

"You knew?"

Rangi: I mean, on the one hand, I’m guessing Min isn’t aware of his heritage, so a firebender cropping up in an Earth Kingdom family like that wouldn’t be something you’d expect… but on the other hand, weird little fires keep getting started without apparent reason? Only so many explanations for that.

Leaving his apparently capable ally behind to distract Min, Zuko carried Jinhai upstairs and handed him off to a pale Meixiang. With difficulty. The boy did not seem to want to let go. "He's not hurt," Zuko reported. "But he needs to learn control. Or people are going to see things Suyin can't cover up."

Jinhai buried his face in his mother's robes. "I didn't mean to."

"I know, sweetheart," Meixiang said quietly. "You haven't done anything wrong. Mommy's just… surprised." She looked between Zuko and Amaya. "He's six!"

"It happens, sometimes," Zuko shrugged. And bit back, I was eight. Prince Zuko's late firebending was still afloat in the currents of vicious noble gossip, even if it wasn't nearly as juicy as his scar. No point leaving clues around for Azula.

Zuko: …if Azula can pick gossip that specific out of a city the size of Ba Sing Se, she’s better than I thought she was, which is saying something. And I guess I’m just… assuming the Wens would go running off to tell people something like that, even though it would probably result in them getting asked a lot of awkward questions too?

"How the hell did it happen at all?" Min stalked up the basement stairs, Suyin rolling her eyes in his wake.

"Min Wen, you watch your language!" Meixiang ordered. "That sort of thing may be passable among the young idiots at the university, but it is not proper in this house!"

"…Sorry, Mom." Min only looked abashed for a moment. "But how? We're citizens of Ba Sing Se! Dad's an earthbender!"

"And Mom's a refugee from the war," Suyin said bluntly. "Figure it out, Min."

Meixiang stared at her daughter. "You know?"

"Jia helped me put it together," Suyin said shyly. "You don't talk about outside much, and when you do, you always say you were from far away. You know a lot of people who look like Lee. And once things started happening around Jinhai…." She shrugged.

Rangi: On the one hand, smart girl. She might make a good cadet, with the right training. On the other hand, was Min the only person in the household who didn’t know Meixiang is Fire Nation? Awkward.

"But you can't be," Min said, stunned. "Not one of them."

"Good people are where you find them, Min," Amaya said calmly. "No matter what their nation. Or their element." She turned a considering look on Zuko. "You can teach him?"

"It'll take some time. Putting fires out is trickier than starting them," Zuko said honestly. "Yes. I can."

Zuko: On the one hand, I think I’d be a lot more scared of teaching a little kid than that… but on the other hand, he doesn’t have any other options, which might be a pretty powerful motivator.

Jinhai lifted his head from his mother's embrace, just enough to give him a wide-eyed stare. "You put it out!"

"Yes, he did," Amaya smiled. Turned a serious look on Meixiang. "You should talk to your husband, and tell me what you decide. Lee is my apprentice. If he needs to train someone else as well, we'll have to work out a schedule."

"What's a firebender going to learn from a waterbender?" Min said sourly.

Rangi: *muttering* Nothing good, if you ask me.

You've never fought another element, have you? Spirits, I hope someone trains you before you do. Or you'll be toast.

Zuko: Yeah, but you should probably learn your own element first before you try to adapt techniques from another element to it, so he’s kind of got a point for that.

"Healing," Zuko said flatly. "We don't all want to kill people. Firebenders make glass. Forge steel. They do all kinds of things that aren't the war." Though the Fire Lord's orders have taken a lot of people away from even that.

Rangi: All of which have a distinct lack of – wait for it – waterbending.

It wasn't right. It was his father's will, but - it was wrong, that other nations didn't know anything of firebenders but killing.

Zuko: Which is true, but I do think it’s kind of more important to focus on the people getting killed rather than them dying not knowing about our culture!

Min pressed his palms to his forehead, as if to hold in a splitting headache. "This is crazy."

Zuko hid a smirk. Welcome to my life.

Shutting the clinic door, Lee leaned his head against the wood, just for a moment. Sighed soundlessly, and straightened. "Is that it?"

Level voice. Ready stance. You'd never know he's had a day that would work most young men into the ground. Amaya studied her apprentice. And I don't think it's an act. He doesn't hoard his strength, no - but he spends it judiciously. Carefully. Enough to see the job done, and keep moving.

Mushi said he wasn't a soldier. But Lee had the same steely discipline she'd seen in the best earthbenders off the Outer Wall.

Zuko: …okay, we get it, I’m awesome. I get that Vathara really likes talking about that.

Prince Stuko: 29

And something more. She narrowed her eyes, trying to pin it down. They're part of a unit. Always sure someone will be there for backup. To rescue them… or at least, avenge them. Lee's not like that.

For Lee, there is no backup.

Zuko: That kind of goes with the territory of being a refugee in hostile territory, yeah.

She could still see that arc of flame snapping toward her, searing orange, before Mushi had shoved it aside in smoke and rippling hot air. But she couldn't hold onto the anger anymore. Not after he'd given her everything she asked for, all day, with people who even got on her nerves, biting back what probably would have been scathing comments as professionally as a soldier on a grim but necessary detail. Not after she'd seen him with Jinhai.

Rangi: *snorts* Least you could do. We ever going to seriously reckon with how you almost killed Zuko with that technique? Ever?

I still want to know how he broke that trapdoor. He didn't bend anything. Did he?

Zuko: Please don’t tell me I’m going to become an eartbender too.

MG: You’re not, don’t worry. I think it was just a mix of strength and skill, tbh, though Vathara’s going to attribute it to a sort of weird firebending technique in a minute.

"There is one more thing I need your assistance with." Amaya pointed toward one of the waiting chairs. "Sit down."

"Why?" Lee asked warily, complying.

"I want to examine your eye."

Ah. White knuckles, carefully hidden up his sleeves. "It's a scar. You can't heal that."

Which was as close as he'd come to telling her to go to hell all day. So there is a teenage boy in there, Amaya thought, wryly amused. I was beginning to wonder.

Zuko: …I guess that’s better than everyone talking about how young I look?

"The surface, no. You'll always carry that mark. But underneath it - the body tries to heal for years. Something should still be willing to bend." She gave him a frank look. "Huojin says you are skilled with the dao. He doesn't have to tell me what a wound like that likely did to your peripheral vision. Let me see if I can do anything about that."

MG: I can’t help but think of this as a “Katara needed the Spirit Oasis water to even try to heal Zuko’s scar, but Amaya’s just better,” moment. Maybe I’m being uncharitable, but Vathara is unsubtle about her biases, and I don’t think Amaya in particular has earned the benefit of the doubt.

"…What do you need me to do?"

"Sit still, and keep your eye closed. This will prickle a bit." Hand sheathed in water, Amaya touched her fingers to ridged flesh and held them still. Waiting. Fresh wounds were obvious, a swamp-muck of disruption in the body's chi that dragged at her like quicksand. Scars were more subtle. A fine grit of sand, washing under her fingertips.

There you are.

She'd never be one of the great healers; never close a mortal wound with her patient on the brink of death. But scars didn't ask for power. They asked for skill, and patience.

MG: All of which is kind of ironic, considering all of the “Amaya is wonderful! Love Amaya!” bits we’ve already seen some of, and are going to keep seeing throughout the fic…

Bit by tiny bit, she picked at still-healing tissues, willing them to draw strength and become whole. Drove her concentration deeper, into the blood, and dug at the under-layer of the scar itself.

Sometimes you must break, in order to mend.

Delicate work. And likely more painful than a prickle. But her patient made no sound.

Leave it there.

Amaya drew her energy away from his blood, back into healing water. Passed her hand slowly over the scar, feeling grit drag at her chi as she healed the flesh anew. Held her fingers still, searching, and nodded. "That should do for tonight."

"For tonight?" Lee blinked at her as she let water glide back into a basin. "You plan to do this again."

Zuko: I’m not even sure what you’ve done to begin with!

"For at least a week. Two would be better. Slow and patient; that's the best way to handle old wounds. Remember that. No, stay there," Amaya added, before he could rise. "Sight feeds into your balance. Give yourself a little time to adjust." She gave him a patient smile. "Perhaps you could tell me exactly what you did to Meixiang's cellar door?"

"Oh." Lee reddened. "I overdid it."

"The shards of stone were a clue," Amaya said wryly. "What did you do?"

"Breathed," Lee said, deadpan. Took in her raised brow, and shifted his shoulders. "Instead of pushing it out as fire, you keep it inside. It's a little more strength, a little more speed." Another half-shrug. "It's not a big deal."

"You broke the door," Amaya pointed out.

Prince Stuko: 30

The Superior Element: 12

Red deepened. "Should have known it wouldn't be as tough as iron," Lee said, eyes down. "You should see Uncle. He can just shove, gentle as a kitten-owlet pat - and they stop skidding forty feet away."

Amaya stared.

Still looking at the floor, Lee missed it. "I try not to use it too much. You don't want to depend on it. Never know when someone might take your bending away."

"Might what?" Amaya started, aghast. "Bending is a gift from the spirits!"

Rangi: Which is a fancy way of saying “it’s a skill you’re born with and then have to practice constantly,” I guess.

MG: “Benders thinking their powers literally come from the spirits” is something of a recurring thing in this fic, actually – especially for waterbenders, IIRC.

"Which you can't use if you can't move your chi." Lee was looking at her now, confused. "Aren't there special enforcers in Ba Sing Se? People who know how to block chi?"

MG: Considering how we’re going to learn that in the fic’s Fire Nation, chi-blocking is the specific domain of a special order of enforcers for the Fire Lord, the onmitsu, who are only allowed to leave the Fire Nation under specific circumstances for security reasons (and yes, this has implications for Ty Lee and her history, we’ll get there) I have to think this is a kind of strange thing for Zuko to be asking, as if he thinks chi-blockers are just running around everywhere.

"If there were, I hope I would know about it," Amaya stated, feeling faint. "Someone can take your bending away? Forever?"

MG: Seventy-five years in the future, Amon suddenly chuckled ominously.

Lee shook his head. "Only for a few hours. Depends on how hard they hit you."

Amaya felt ill. "And you've seen this happen."

"You could say that," Lee muttered. Hand almost touching one of the key chi meridians on his side, before he forced it back down to grip his chair.

Don't react, Amaya told herself forcefully. There could still be a reasonable explanation. "Can you describe the symptoms? I'd like to know what to look for."

"Okay…."

"Lady Amaya?" Iroh set a cup of tea down before the healer trembling in his kitchen chair. "It is a bit late for Lee to be out shopping, no matter how much I do appreciate your offer to split a roast duck."

"Curfew's not for hours yet. And that license gives him the right to be out even after it, so long as he's off to a patient or heading home." Amaya cradled the cup in her hands, as if chilled. "Mushi… your nephew was sabotaged."

Zuko: *groans* Oh, I can’t wait to hear this…

Mid-sip, Iroh halted. Deliberately set his cup down. "Please explain."

"I can't believe - spirits, if that's the child your brother wants as heir, what is wrong with the man, he deserves to be flung overboard to the leopard-sharks…."

Zuko: …okay, I can’t really blame Amaya for thinking that, though she’d probably have to get in line.

Amaya stopped, and deliberately breathed out anger as a wisp of chill. "Lee's sister. She has a friend who knows this… chi-blocking?"

Ty Lee. "I know the girl you speak of, yes."

"She made this girl practice on Lee."

MG: Which I don’t recall ever even being implied to happen in the show (we certainly don’t see it in the “Zuko Alone” flashbacks, though Ty Lee only appears briefly in those) and Zuko and Ty Lee don’t seem to have any particular enmity or history in the present. But it does, in a roundabout way, feel like a weird way of shilling Zuko, actually – both in giving us yet another reason to feel sorry for him, and to establish that we’ve never seen him reach his full potential because factors beyond his control (in this case, a chi-blocker using him as a training dummy) were holding him back.

Prince Stuko: 31

If porcelain had been in his hand, he would have shattered it.

"The odd thing is, he doesn't blame the girl at all," Amaya said softly. "His sister asked her to, called it necessary training, and she had to do it. Even if she didn't want to." Blue eyes beseeched him, desperate for it not to be true.

MG: …weirdly, if this actually did happen, I’m picturing Ty Lee trying to make it as gentle and painless as possible, being her usually bubbly, relentlessly upbeat self about it, and just managing to leave Zuko feeling even more humiliated.

Iroh winced. "That would be so, yes. The girl could not have refused her… requests. Not without dire consequences. And this girl has six sisters to think of, all of whom would have been in peril."

MG: Keep this in mind, considering the fic is going to end up completely rewriting Ty Lee’s backstory (or at least, her canonical backstory doesn’t seem to fit with what Vathara gives us at all that I can tell) before we’re through.

He forced down the anger. "How often? For how long?" How much damage did she do, that I had no chance to see?

Zuko: …great, and here we have yet another thing Dad or Azula did to me that Uncle didn’t know about. Why is Vathara so determined to come back to this, anyway?

MG: She needs someone to have your tragic history exposited at them for the audience’s benefit, and Iroh got to be the unlucky one?

"What kind of consequences, Mushi?" Amaya demanded. "What reason in the world could be enough for you and Lee to think it doesn't matter that she hurt him?"

"It matters," Iroh said bluntly. "It matters a great deal. But Lee would never have wished the girl's sisters to die for her defiance."

Azula: *sticking her head in* Oh, please. I never needed to threaten Ty Lee’s sisters to get her to do what I wanted. That’s just cliched.

Pale, Amaya fell back in her chair. "Die." She swallowed. "Lee's sister could-"

"Kill them?" Iroh finished. "All of them? Yes. She could. She has done such things." Even traveling the world, he'd kept up on news of the royal family. His Army contacts might have cringed to pass along word of Azula's actions, but they respected him enough to tell the truth. And frankly, burning down a guard for disrespect on the very steps of the palace wasn't something that could be kept quiet. "Tell me what you mean by sabotage. Lee's sister would not have had him blocked during his training. She is far too cunning for that," he finished, half to himself.

Zuko: …yeah, it would’ve been pretty obvious if I’d just be flopping bonelessly around in front of everyone because my chi wasn’t flowing right.

"Not… during his official training." Amaya kept her voice quiet, even if it shook with tears. "She'd - arrange for it to happen afterwards. Not all the time. But often enough he mentioned techniques he avoids using, because if your bending is cut off in the middle of them…." Dark fingers curled on the table, tightening into unpracticed fists. "She tortured him, Mushi. Her own brother." Blue eyes glistened, angry and aching with disappointment. "And you're not even surprised."

Iroh bowed his head, accepting the rebuke. And the guilt. "I can only say that, like my brother, she is very clever at disguising the true nature of her actions," he said quietly. "I left a shy, happy boy of eight, who was just learning to bend, and was sure his father would finally come to love him. I returned to find Lee's mother gone, his sister all but acknowledged as the true heir, and Lee himself an angry eleven-year-old whose skill was…." He couldn't say it.

MG: Double-checking the timeline, we don’t know how long Iroh vanished for between abandoning the siege and returning to the Fire Nation (this is probably when his Spirit World journey happened) but it could’ve been up to three years.

"Sabotaged." Amaya gripped her cup, horrified disbelief etched on her face. "How could his father let-?"

"I doubt he knew," Iroh said dryly.

Zuko: *muttering* Doubt he cared, more like it.

"My brother preferred her, yes, but to have Lee such a disgrace in skill? No. He would not permit that." He chuckled bitterly under his breath. "It explains many things. Why Lee improved so greatly after we left, for one." And why he has fought so hard to gain skill in moving unseen.

"You honestly believe a six-year-old girl could plan this?"

Rangi: *snorts* Depends on the six-year-old.

"Plot a course of action that would see her confirmed as heir, and Lee discarded?" Iroh said coldly. "I do. We are skilled at long-term strategies. It is in our blood. From letters Lee's mother sent me, she made this girl and her companion friends within weeks of first meeting her at school. And believe me, Lee's sister sees no need to make friends."

Azula: *from out of sight* Yes I do! When they’re useful!

MG: Also, not sure if the “our blood” here is “Fire Nation blood” or “great name blood” (or specifically “Sozin’s blood”) so I’ll give a couple of points to be on the safe side.

Divine Right to Rule: 15

Elemental Determinism: 17

He frowned, looking back on memory. "Though she could not have acted directly until Lee was nine. The girls of that family are not taught chi-blocks potent enough to stop a firebender until they are at least seven."

MG: …I don’t think we ever had any indication Ty Lee’s sisters were also chi-blockers? It seems to be a pretty rare skill (and I kind of always headcanoned that she learned it because it’s a rare and difficult skill and we know she wanted to stand out from her sisters, and I also think a fighting style that let her incapacitate people without killing them would appeal to her).

"And you're not even surprised." Anguish wracked Amaya's voice. "Tui and La, why didn't you take the boy and-" She cut herself off, hand pressed to her lips to hold back horror.

"Take a loyal firebender from his father?" Iroh said quietly. "Would that I could have." He sighed.

Zuko: *gritting his teeth* Of course, it has to come back to loyalty. And not because Dad would’ve chased us to the ends of the earth, not because he actually wanted me back but because he couldn’t bear the insult.

"If I had believed we would survive the flight - yes, I should have drugged Lee years ago, and disappeared. But we would have been hunted, to the very ends of the earth.

Zuko: See! *beat* Also, was Uncle considering just kidnapping me? Sounds like he wasn’t planning to even give me a choice – I guess I can see him being that desperate, but that does not sound like him!

I chose a slower path. And I will not regret that. Choosing to heal instead of wage war - Lee's father would never approve. He knows that. Yet he has chosen to study with you. And that is the most hopeful sign I have had in some time."

Zuko: Oh, no, not me choosing not to chase Aang into the Storm and sparing my men, or fighting the plague spirit, or warning Aang about Azula – it’s signing up with the creepy mindbender that Uncle most approves of! *beat* What did she do to him!?

Iroh folded his hands before him, regarding her gravely. "There is a secret few know, Lady Amaya. But I believe you will use it wisely. To break one's loyalty, suddenly - that is fatal. But to wear at it, slowly, and nurture another, fiercer loyalty in its place… that can be survived. Even by a firebender."

The healer sat up straight, absorbing that. "You know this."

"I do," Iroh nodded.

"You said you were loyal to Azulon."

Rangi: But, wait, didn’t General Iroh’s loyalty break suddenly, when he decided to defy his father’s wishes and break off the Siege of Ba Sing Se after his son died? Sounds pretty sudden to me!

"I was," Iroh allowed. "Until I found myself forced to choose between the Fire Lord's orders, and the lives of the men under my command." He chuckled ruefully. "I admit, it surprised me. I had not realized how deeply we were bound to each other." He shrugged. "I was fortunate. Someone realized I was ill, and why. And did not betray me." Only later had he learned what considerable skill at Pai Sho his aide Toushirou had been hiding.

Zuko: Wait, is that supposed to be when Uncle joined the White Lotus? Also, kind of funny how he manages to describe what happened without mentioning how Lu Ten died. Sure, he wouldn’t want to mention him by name, but still – that was the real moment everything changed for him!

"Lee doesn't know." It was not a question.

Rangi: I mean, clearly he knows that you broke off the siege and that you’re still here, which means you survived breaking loyalty, even if he doesn’t know all the details.

"No," Iroh admitted quietly. "Do not tell him. Lee's choice is more difficult than it is safe for you to know. If we are fortunate, circumstances will work in our favor."

"Your nephew doesn't seem to believe in luck," Amaya pointed out.

"If fate serves us so ill, then he must make his choice because it is right," Iroh said heavily.

Zuko: *bemused* What, because people with good luck don’t care about right and wrong? *beat* Actually, that would explain my sister…

"I will do all I can, to see he survives it." He favored her with a conspiratorial smile. "Though whatever you might do to give him ties to this life, instead of that which we left behind, would only help."

"You may be surprised." Some of the color had come back to her face, along with a glint of wicked humor. "He seems to be handling that on his own."

"Oh?" Iroh raised a curious brow.

A knock at the door. "I'm home," Zuko's voice filtered through, before he opened the door. Stepped through, wrapped meat in hand, and looked at them both. "Is something wrong?"

MG: …considering where Iroh and Amaya’s relationship ends up going, I’m pretty sure the “walks in on his parents having a serious talk” vibes of this bit are entirely on purpose.

"Not at all." Amaya smiled, accepting her half of the duck. "I was just telling your uncle you should have a talk about Jinhai. Good night."

"Jinhai?" Iroh asked, once she was gone.

"Jinhai Wen," Zuko sighed, adding the duck to already-simmering rice and vegetables. "His father's a professor at Ba Sing Se University. And an earthbender. So are his older brother and one of his sisters. His mother's one of us."

Us. Iroh smiled as he poured more tea to go with dinner. You have always been loyal to your people.

MG: …and also kind of making the Fire Nation sound like the Borg… which, considering loyalty is a thing, might not be that far off in this fic. *shudders*

"And?"

Zuko gave him a half-smirk. "Jinhai's six. And he gets up at dawn."

Rangi: …never heard it said that way before.

He didn't quite spill his nephew's tea. But perhaps he did set the teapot down a bit hastily. "A firebender? Born in Ba Sing Se?"

Rangi: It was the biggest city in the world in my time, and it’s probably only gotten bigger by yours. I’m sure he’s not the first, even if it’s deep in the Earth Kingdom – doubt Meixiang was the only Fire National to settle here and marry a local, then have kids. Cast the tiles often enough and, well, you know.

"I can teach him to put fires out," Zuko said quietly. "They saw me stop him from burning his brother by accident, they know about me. They don't know about you." He set his jaw. "But I don't know if that's fair to Jinhai."

"You will be fine," Iroh said firmly. "You have a thorough grasp of your basics. Give him a firm foundation, and all else will follow." He smiled. "So my student will become a teacher. I am pleased." He had to sigh. "And worried. An earthbender, or a waterbender - they might train in secret. A firebender…."

"Sooner or later, he's going to lose his temper," Zuko agreed grimly. "I know. I can't just abandon him!"

Rangi: I think the bigger issue is that Ba Sing Se isn’t at war with earthbenders or waterbenders. That makes the consequences of being noticed… a bit worse.

"Of course you cannot," Iroh agreed. Though your sister would. In a heartbeat.

Azula: *from out of sight* No I wouldn’t! I don’t abandon useful assets. I’d obviously kidnap him and take him with me.

"He needs to get out of Ba Sing Se," Zuko muttered.

"Ah? And to where?" Iroh pointed out. "Where can a young firebender go, and be beyond the war's reach?"

"…I don't know."

MG: And here we have the seeds of what’s going to be a major plotline spanning the whole fic, if you can believe it.

"Eat," Iroh advised. "Let us enjoy this duck,

Rangi: *baffled* Turtle-duck? Turkey-duck? Iguana-duck?

and perhaps an answer will come." It was delicious. Perhaps he could convince Lady Amaya to share another, some days from now. They were a bit cheaper that way….

Be in the moment.

Bones polished clean, Iroh leaned back in his chair, while Zuko gathered up dishes and blew a surreptitious breath of steam to warm the wash-water. "A firebender, of Ba Sing Se."

MG: …am I the only one who thinks A Firebender of Ba Sing Se sounds like the title of some sort of pulp serial novel from Korra’s time?

The retired general shook his head, amused at his own lack of foresight. "I should have considered this might be possible, once we learned of the waterbenders of the Foggy Swamp. It is within the Earth Kingdom, yet it seems they are Water Tribe. Of a sort."

MG: No, they pretty clearly are a Water Tribe, even if they’re culturally very distinct from the Northern and Southern Tribes (Katara’s shocked reaction to the swamp benders happily greeting her as “kin” aside). Seriously, what’s your deal with the Swamp tribe, Vathara? Also, is there any reason they shouldn’t be waterbenders, just because they physically live inside the boundaries of the Earth Kingdom?

"So, what? The spirits get confused in the Earth Kingdom?" Zuko's brow climbed. "Why is it strange Jinhai was born here? Plenty of firebenders are born in the colonies."

Zuko: Yeah. *gestures at his fic self and MG* what they said.

"Under the rule of the Fire Nation," Iroh said practically. "Bending is in part our spirit's way of influencing the world. And it is channeled by the philosophy of our nation. Ba Sing Se is the heart of the Earth Kingdom. Any bender born here, should be born of earth."

Rangi: I… don’t think the elements care about lines on a map, General. Besides, the Fire Nation used to be a bunch of independent islands, the Earth Kingdom is more like a loose federation headed by the Earth King than anything (at least in my time, when the Earth King barely had any authority at all outside the capital), the Air Temples were all in little enclaves in or near the other nations – is it really too complicated to say that unless weird stuff is happening people generally inherit their parents’ elemental association, and if their parents come from different nations, they stand an equal chance of getting either one?

"For once, Uncle? Your philosophers are dead wrong," Zuko said grimly, tipping dishes into hot water.

"How so?" Iroh eyed his nephew, curious.

"I mean, if it was just your philosophy, how could anybody be the Avatar?" Zuko said quickly. "He has to be born in one of the four nations."

Zuko: …the Avatar is kind of a unique case. *beat* And so is the version of me in this fic, apparently… though even this version of me only became a waterbender. I wasn’t born one.

"True," Iroh allowed. Though that was not what you were thinking of. He frowned. "But I have never heard of two elements being born in the same family…."

MG: *laughs in Korra*

He hesitated, an old rumor drifting out of memory. "Kyoshi Island."

"They have a lot of blue eyes," Zuko recalled, arms crossed as he waited for the dishes to soak. "The Southern Water Tribe trades there a lot, right?"

"For centuries. And the island is neither fully of the Earth Kingdom, nor of Water Tribe territory," Iroh said thoughtfully. "In the past, both earthbenders and waterbenders have called it home."

MG: I mean, in canon, it’s pretty clear Kyoshi Island is technically part of the Earth Kingdom (though seemingly de facto independent and neutral in the war). But yes, this is foreshadowing for some worldbuilding elements and a couple more of Vathara’s OCs (who I like better in concept than execution).

"Ba Sing Se takes in everyone, as long as you keep your head down and don't cause trouble." Zuko's eyes narrowed. "That's not what you said earth is like."

MG: *shrugs* I don’t know. We have three major earthbender villains in canon – Long Feng in the original show, Kuvira in Korra, and Jianzhu in Rise of Kyoshi. Though they’re very different in terms of personalities and MOs, they’re all about order, conformity and control in various ways. So “keep your head down, don’t cause trouble, maintain order” definitely feels like an aspect of earth… or a dark side of earth, as what Vathara calls “Sozin’s style” is a dar side of fire.

"No," Iroh said darkly. "Earth is diverse. Strong. Not rigid. Not punishing." He breathed in steam from his teacup. "So they have bought their safety with their ideals, and lost themselves."

"Because there's more than one element born here? Kyoshi Island didn't give up who they were," Zuko objected.

Zuko: Okay, I’m losing track of the point of this conversation.

"That is true," Iroh murmured, struck by the fierce glitter of green eyes. Like dragon's fire. "Nor has Lady Amaya.

Rangi: No, she just makes other people lose sight of who they are.

Nor have we. To hide in the face of overwhelming force, is not to give up. It is adaptability. Perseverance. Will." He chuckled, dryly amused. "Water, earth, and fire."

"It's not funny," Zuko said grimly. "If any element can be born here…."

Rangi: Same as anywhere! The Earth Kingdom just happens to, you know, be full of earthbenders so that’s who’s mostly having kids, and when those kids are benders, they turn out to be earthbenders too! It’s not that hard!

"Jinhai will not be the last." Iroh nodded, troubled. "And those of our people who believe themselves safely hidden, are not." He paused, seeing a sudden misery in the slump of his nephew's shoulders. "Zuko?"

"Not any element," Zuko said quietly. "There's no freedom."

And without that, air could never rest within a spirit. "No," Iroh agreed sadly. "Not here…."

Zuko: *rolls his eyes* Yeah, I wonder why there aren’t any airbenders in Ba Sing Se… oh, right, Great-Grandfather killed them all.

Rangi: …seriously, is anyone ever going to explain to me how that happened?

MG: Anyway, giving a few points for this whole conversation.

Elemental Determinism: 23

Green met green, eyes widening. "Somewhere else," Zuko breathed.

Iroh raised a brow, silently encouraging his nephew to go on. If Zuko's thoughts had followed the same path as his - it would not be following Ozai's will.

And yet, the Fire Lord has not ordered that Zuko could not do it, Iroh thought wryly. And it would help our people.

Tread carefully, nephew. Please. You walk between your loyalties, even now.

Zuko: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this was a lot easier and made a lot more sense when I was just at war with myself, and didn’t have to worry about literally dying if I sneezed on one of dad’s portraits and didn’t apologize sincerely enough or something. *beat* Okay, that was kind of a silly example, but you get what I mean!

"What if there were somewhere else to go?" Zuko said slowly. "Somewhere - not safe, nowhere's safe. But free. For everyone."

"Such a place does not exist," Iroh stated. And paused, for one heartbeat. "Yet."

MG: And here we go…

"That would be…." Zuko swallowed dryly. "A lot to pull off," he whispered.

"Hmm." Iroh stroked his beard, keeping his expression merely thoughtful. "You are trained in the movement of troops, Prince Zuko."

Rangi: Yeah, but so are you, general. And you actually have experience moving troops.

"Yes, but this is-"

"And in building field encampments, and evacuations in the face of hostile forces."

Rangi: See previous comment.

"Yes, but Uncle-"

"And in what is required both to build a new colony, and see that it flourishes." Iroh gave him a knowing smile.

Rangi: He’s also, what, sixteen? Maybe seventeen now, I don’t know? And, more to the point, has never actually done anything like this before?

Zuko winced. "You know what happened with Azula."

"I know that we had relatively little time to plan, and serious disadvantages entering the fight," Iroh said plainly. "Yet you accomplished your goal. We lived, and the Avatar survived, and Azula does not yet have him."

Zuko: Which is great, but has nothing to do with founding a colony.

"I almost lost you!"

"Then we will need to plan more carefully, this time," Iroh said firmly. "Now. What is the first piece of intelligence you need to construct such a plan?"

Zuko: To find out why the greatest living general in the Fire Nation is making me do it?

Zuko bowed his head, thinking. "A location," he said at last; uncertain, as if he couldn't believe he was saying it. "What we need to get there, how we get there, what we'll need when we reach it - all of that's going to depend on where."

"Consider that I may have some possibilities in mind," Iroh said mildly.

Zuko's eyes widened. "You do?"

Iroh beamed.

MG: Oh, don’t worry. We’re going to get very used to the place where they end up settling, believe me. It’s where a lot of the volcano stuff Vathara’s been on about in the last few posts is going to come in…

Make a place to go.

Sitting in his room with a pitcher of water, Zuko lifted a hand, and let it fall, studying how water rose and fell with it. It was easier and harder than fire. Easier to move; it wanted to move, even trapped in a pitcher. Push and pull and change was part of what it was.

But if moving it was easy, knowing when you were moving it wasn't. Fire was a sword in his hands. Water was - damn, Uncle could always find the right words, why couldn't he?

MG: Again, much as I don’t care for how this plotline ends up, I do think Vathara does a pretty good job of showing a bender of one element suddenly having to adjust to another, very different element.

Frustration curled his hand in a snap of motion. Water twisted with it, over and over, the curl tightening until it collapsed in on itself and splashed back into the pitcher.

Like a net for an octopus.

Zuko: Is that a reference to what Uncle told me before I went off chasing Aang during the Siege of the North?

Staring at rippling water, Zuko considered that thought. Three years on a ship. He'd caught his own baitfish plenty of times. Using a net… and a flow of motion, that echoed what he'd seen of Katara's bending.

See your target. He marked a spot in midair. Arrange the folds. One hand to grip gently, the other poised to fling-

Coolness swept over his skin, and he almost dropped it all.

Hold! Don't look at - at the net. Look at the target. Just hold. And wait.

All the while feeling hands that were and weren't wet. Spirits, this was weird.

Rangi: …you’re not wrong.

And throw. With the little half-twist at the end that took forever to master, just enough torque to fling weighted edges wide over the unsuspecting school-

Water snapped around air like a jeweled flytrap, dragging a clear bubble back with a tug of his hands.

It worked? Incredulous, Zuko cupped the bubble in one hand, and poked it with a finger. Wet, and then dry; he'd caught his target, even if it had only been-

Splash.

Wiping droplets off his face, Zuko sighed. And started carefully sweeping his hands to gather the puddle off the floor. This is going to take some work.

Zuko: Honestly, if it had worked on the first try, I’d have been really worried. As Vathara likes to point out, things don’t work out that well for me.

An hour later, he guided a globe of dirty water into the sink, and let it flow away. Crept back into his own room, silently sliding the screen closed, and collapsed.

Got it. I think.

Water was different. Slower. Not as sharp as the motions you had to make with fire.

Like trying to write backwards.

His eyes snapped open in the darkness. Backwards? Or left-handed?

Rangi: Aren’t you the one who trained to fight with a sword in each hand? I’d think you’d be better than most people at writing with your off-hand.

The rhythm's different. Push and pull, not a heartbeat. But they both flow. Water, and the fire outside.

I can do this.

And if he could make waterbending work… then maybe, just maybe, Uncle wasn't chasing flying pigs after all.

MG: Hey, don’t judge. It’s the Avatarverse. Winged pigs could totally be a real thing… and hey, Toph’s family’s symbol is the winged boar! Though I don’t believe we ever see one of those in real life, so I’m not sure if it’s a real animal or just a symbol (note, apparently the roleplaying game mentions them as real animals that can be tamed).

Don't try to find a place for our people. There isn't one. Anywhere.

So we have to make one.

Zuko: …I appreciate the thought, but I’m not sure another kingdom builder is what our family needs.

Oh boy. This was going to be a lot more complicated than ambushing Azula and living to tell about it.

I need to make notes. A lot of notes.

…Starting tomorrow.

He was asleep almost before he finished pulling the covers up.

Rangi: Trust me, after this chapter I know the feeling.

-

A/N: Some of you have asked about Sozin's style of firebending, and why Zuko has such a problem with it.

MG: Other than Sozin’s style (I still feel like attributing it to Sozin specifically rather than a broader societal shift is a bit… off, though it’s more of a personal “I wouldn’t have done it that way” than a real criticism) is fueled by anger and rage, and while Zuko certainly has a temper, that’s not really what his deeper nature aligns with?

Here's a few plotholes for your enjoyment. Warning, some of these are spoilers...

At one point in the Avatar canon, we see an unnamed Fire Nation Avatar, in the past, summoning volcanoes to erupt. Which implies he could stop them, one hopes. We also see Kyoshi work with lava when she splits Kyoshi Island off from the mainland.

MG: This would be the guy the fandom nicknamed “Avatar Jafar” for his big shoulder-pads and tall hat; canon would eventually name him Szeto in the novels (and we’ll need to talk about his story a bit later, because it almost feels like a pointed debunking of Vathara’s Fire Nation backstory); Embers doesn’t give him much focus, but will eventually name him Hirata, and do something… rather different with him.

And yet Roku not only doesn't know his island is going to erupt, he gets killed by it.

Sometime between Kyoshi and Roku, a critical part of firebending must have been lost.

MG: This part… I genuinely don’t get it. Roku is the Avatar. In fact, he was using the Avatar State – and thereby tapping into the powers and memories of his past lives – at multiple points during the struggle with the volcano. The Avatar is the absolute last person who would lose specific bending techniques, even if the whole rest of the world forgot them. And, even setting aside that lavabending is a sub-discipline of earth rather than fire (which wasn’t confirmed yet when this was written, though it is the case that the only characters we see lavabending in the original show are Avatars… including Roku’s own spirit in, fittingly, “Avatar Roku,” which seems a further indication he hadn’t lost the technique)… I’d imagine it’s a lot easier to control a volcano you’ve made erupt than it is to stop one that erupted on its own. However, keep all of this in mind, because it’s going to end up being very important as the fic goes on.

Combine that with the creators' statement that "Fire Lord" used to mean just the head Fire Sage. But by Sozin's time it obviously doesn't; he's the crown prince, and it's hereditary.

MG: So, this was established a long, long time ago, and I’m genuinely unsure if it’s meant to still be canon. The novels, at least, will indicate that the Fire Nation monarchy is at least centuries old already by Kyoshi’s time; while we really only see Sozin and Roku’s youth in the flashbacks in “The Avatar and the Fire Lord” in the show, it definitely seems well-established and stable there, too. But, uh, Vathara is going to do something quite different with the origins of the Fire Nation monarchy and the unification of the Fire Nation, and it may be one of the most notorious WTH moments in the fic, in terms of how much of her stuff it ends up tying together…

And, when he's helping Roku with the volcano, he does not bend the lava - he bends the heat out of it to cool it.

MG: That he does!

Add to that the fact that Kyoshi created the Dai Li. And that she was Avatar for over two centuries. What else did she do?

MG: Lots of things. Stopped Chin the Conqueror, created Kyoshi Island, founded the Kyoshi Warriors… and that’s just the things we know about from the show itself! She was considered a very successful and accomplished Avatar. Alas, I really don’t think Vathara likes Kyoshi at all, because, well… saying “everything wrong with the world is Kyoshi’s fault” would be hyperbole, because there are other people pulling strings and causing problems who were around long before her time, but “a lot of what’s wrong with the world is Kyoshi’s fault” would indeed be accurate. There’s a reason I wanted to bring in Kyoshi and Rangi as sporkers for this fic.

Some answers will turn up in later chapters. To put it shortly - in this AU, the "darkest day in Fire Nation history" was during an eclipse. But the eclipse itself was the least of their problems.

MG: Yeah, that’s basically what Sokka guesses in canon – that the Eclipse was why whatever catastrophe happened to the Fire Nation on the Darkest Day was able to happen because it shut off the firebending, but the catastrophe itself was something else (something Sokka doesn’t know about, and we never learn).

As for why Zuko has problems? Remember what Iroh said a few chapters back. Zuko handles energy in a way most firebenders just don't. Not for a very long time.

MG: Hey, now he’s handling water too! Don’t sell him short! 😉

Anyway, this one was a long one, albeit not quite long enough for me to feel like splitting it. The two biggest deals are Zuko officially becoming a waterbender (for which I’ll hold off on much detailed commentary until we get more info on the yaoren and where that plotline is going, but I’ll just say now I think it’s interesting conceptually but I don’t like what Vathara does with it or how she integrates the yaoren into the setting overall) and meeting the Wens (who, like I said, are probably my favorites of Vathara’s OCs, though for the moment their personalities – bullying big brother, prissy older sister, responsible protective sister, little brother with weird abilities, long-suffering mother with her own secrets – are pretty basic. They’ll all get fleshed out later). And of course, we also had the weird revelations about Ty Lee, discussion of bending philosophy that I don’t think holds up, and our first inkling of Zuko and Iroh’s overall plans… and, alas, more Amaya. Still, after the hectic previous couple of chapters, this one is probably better overall, and is at least slower and not as wild as Zuko and Iroh settle in. Next time, Zuko makes an unexpected house call, and we meet yet another of the fic’s major OCs, who I dislike less for who he is and more for the narrative shift regarding a certain faction he represents. We’ll see you then! Our counts stand at:

Beware the Sugar Queen: 5

The Blind Bandit Wins Again: 8

The Deadly Depths: 6

Detached from Reality: 7

Divine Right to Rule: 15

Elemental Determinism: 23

He Has Much to Learn: 13

Prince Stuko: 31

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 1

The Real Victims: 11

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 14 (giving another point for the weird treatment of the Swamp tribe)

Stations of the Canon: 22

The Superior Element: 12

True Guardians of Balance: 1

The Ultimate Firebenders: 8