Embers: Chapter Twenty-Two, Part I

[masterghandalf]

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

Warning: This post contains discussion of imperialism, abuse and racism.



MG: Well, everyone, it’s time to continue our journey through Vathara’s Embers! Last time, Azula showed up without explanation, it turned out Mai and Zuko are cousins and can’t marry for complicated reasons (despite the Maiko ship barely even being a thing in the fic so far), and Katara got captured by Zuko “for her own good” and got repeatedly lectured by various other characters for daring to think he might be the bad guy. Eeesh! Today… the Katara-bashing continues to build up steam, as Katara gets lectured even more on various topics as Vathara wants to make sure we all know what a stupid, ignorant, bigoted dummy she is. No unfortunate implications there! Joining us today will be Katara herself and Zuko. But first, an author note:

A/N: Loyalty breaking doesn't kill you instantly. Recall that Iroh was able to order a retreat, and make sure it was happening, before he collapsed.

MG: This is true, but as I’ve repeatedly pointed out already, nobody important actually dies on-page from breaking loyalty at all, which ends up making it feel less like an actual threat hanging over our main characters’ heads and more like something that only really happens to nameless extras and historical figures. It’s just one of a number of ways I feel like Vathara isn’t willing to fully engage with the implications of some of her added worldbuilding.

It's implied that firebenders have a tendency to intermarry heavily, given they consider themselves superior.

MG: Probably also true, especially considering how insular aristocratic classes tend to behave IRL.

Zuko and Mai aren't just reacting to one relative in common; they're reacting to the fact that if they have one shared branch of a family tree, they may have more unsuspected, and that could be a problem.

MG: So, they’re not so much worried about actually committing incest based on what they know, they’re worried that there’s a vague, possible off chance they might be committing incest? That’s… pretty underwhelming and makes Azula’s blackmail attempt look even more feeble. And I’m not really sure how to square this with Vathara just having stated firebenders intermarry heavily with each other, because that implies relatively close relatives are marrying each other quite a lot, and nobody’s batting an eye at it. And none of this has anything to do with the “real” reason Vathara is going to trot out for why intermarriage between descendants of sisters is bad in a few chapters.

Warning, some disturbing imagery near the end of the chapter.

MG: But thankfully we’re splitting this chapter, so we don’t have to worry about that today!



Chapter 22

-

They know. They all know, now. Grimly, Zuko looked up, braced for the hatred Jinhai's parents would rightly feel-

Except... he didn't see it. Just concern, and a bit of motherly worry on Meixiang's face.

Zuko: Right, I don’t actually have to worry about being rejected for who I am and what my father’s done to the world – only bad people don’t like me, good people (meaning people the author likes) are always so accepting and understanding! Why didn’t I ever realize that? /s

"Katara blew your cover when she woke up," Shirong shrugged, carefully casual. "I think we're mostly over the shock."

Over it? Zuko thought in disbelief. You know who I am, and you still-

Katara: *crosses her arms* Right, because everyone loves Zuko and hates me. Even though I’m pretty sure Zuko just attacked me and dragged me down here? Really?

Beware the Sugar Queen: 37

Prince Stuko: 112

"How can you say that?" Katara blazed. "Don't you know what the Fire Nation has done to the Earth Kingdom? To the whole world?"

Zuko: Which is something the real me was actually starting to realize and understand and feel responsible for, but I guess the better me doesn’t actually care about that.

"Would you stop worrying about the world for a minute?" Zuko said, exasperated. "We need to concentrate on right here, right now!"

Katara: …I think it’s kind of a big deal the Fire Nation is actively in the middle of trying to conquer Ba Sing Se, and Azula is there right now! “Right here, right now” and “the fate of the world” are kind of going together at the moment!

"Is that how you live with yourself? How you live with lying to these people?" Katara waved an angry hand at the Wens. "Just tell yourself the past doesn't matter, I'll just be someone else for a while? Well, you're not! You're a monster! And nothing you do will ever change that!"

Katara: …I don’t think I’d go that far, but then again you did just knock me out and imprison me, so I’m probably not feeling like cutting you much slack at the moment.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 38

"Says the thief!" Zuko snarled back. "Says the ignorant peasant girl who would have left me to die in a North Pole blizzard!"

MG: Oh, goody, and here’s the racism and the classism! And the implication that “being a thief” is in any way comparable to actively participating in imperialism (and Zuko’s a thief too! He’s the Blue Spirit, remember!) and that the whole “maybe leaving him to die” bit (that the Gaang didn’t actually go through with, and Katara never suggested they should!) happened in the middle of the Siege of the North, and they didn’t know he wasn’t working with Zhao!

Beware the Sugar Queen: 40

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 41

"After you kidnapped Aang-"

"I had my orders!"

MG: *flatly* Right. Because “I was just following orders!” is always such an effective defense, isn’t it? /s And of course that’s what Zuko defaults to, and not… literally anything else that might’ve been going through his head at the time.

Zuko made himself breathe. Made himself not close his fists; the fire was crackling inside him, begging to be set free... and he couldn't. He couldn't. "I've never tried to kill you!" Breathe. Breathe, damn it!

Zuko: *awkwardly* Uh, not on purpose? But I don’t think back then if you had ever died when I was trying to capture Aang, I’d have been that torn up about it? *awkward silence* Uh… sorry about that?

Katara: And I can say, coming from my end, it really didn’t make much difference – it always looked pretty serious to me! Or maybe I’m just an “ignorant peasant girl” who doesn’t know what a real fight looks like?

"Just - stop. Stop. Give me a minute, and listen. You're angry at me because I want to capture Aang? Fine. Azula wants to kill him. Would you consider that maybe, just maybe, neither of us wants that to happen?"

Zuko: I mean, they do say “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” but at the moment you don’t want Aang killed or captured, so I don’t really think that’s going to be that convincing?

"It's not going to happen," Katara said levelly. "I'm going to stop you."

It didn't make sense. He knew what he'd said. What was she hearing?

MG: *sighs* Vathara has decided Katara hates you irrationally and is refusing to listen to you, while you are being perfectly reasonable and rational. That’s what’s happening.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 41

Shirong cleared his throat. "What I think the prince is trying to say," the agent said blandly, regarding the waterbender with narrowed green eyes, "is that we're all trying not to get killed by Azula, and it might be easier if we all tried that together."

Katara: Maybe you’d have had an easier time convincing me if you hadn’t kidnapped me?

"He told you Azula's trying to kill him?" Katara said in disbelief. "Low, Zuko. That's low. Even for you. How could you say that about your sister?"

Katara: …now I’m taking Azula’s side? What!?

Beware the Sugar Queen: 42

She might have said more. Zuko couldn't hear it. She doesn't believe me. No one believes me.

Why won't anyone believe me?

MG: Uh, Zuko? It sounds like Katara is literally the only person who doesn’t believe you is Katara – everyone else is lining up to kiss your royal hind end! So I’m not sure I feel that much sympathy for your self-pity.

Fist clenched, he drove the fire and fury into stone.

Zuko: *nonplussed* Yeah, I guess I really showed that… rock.

-

"Oh dear," Iroh murmured, rounding the corner onto crackling flame and shattering crystals. Harsher words sprang to mind; he kept them off his lips with a determined effort. Unleashing some of Jeong Jeong's favorite Army curses wouldn't solve anything.

Zuko: …Uncle was in the army too? Why did he have to learn curse words from Jeong Jeong?

But it would make me feel better, Iroh admitted to himself, watching Zuko drive one more fiery punch into the cavern wall

Sokka: *from just out of sight* Take that, you rock!

Katara: *facepalms*

before the young man stopped, shaking. The Wens and Shirong were between the children and any flying fragments, Katara had water wrapped around her hands and an angry look on her face...

And his nephew was not looking at the Water Tribe girl. Deliberately.

Regarding Katara with a wary eye, Iroh moved into Zuko's field of vision, and wrapped his nephew in a hug.

"'M sorry." A bare whisper in his ear, almost a hiccup of pain. "She won't listen."

Katara: I’m sorry, maybe I’d have listened better if you hadn’t kidnapped me!

Beware the Sugar Queen: 43

Katara had done far more than that, somehow. I should not have stayed so long at the teashop, Iroh thought unhappily. He'd thought it worth the risk, to try to send warnings to the generals of the Council of Five, and listen for word on what Azula might have set in motion. And more than worth it, for what he had learned from the White Lotus of the spirit-snare his nephew was in. But nothing was worth this. "Diplomacy is not one of your better skills," Iroh said clearly.

Zuko: *running his hand through his hair* Wow; I’m kind of amazed Vathara is admitting there’s something I’m not good at!

"I will explain matters." He let go, and swung the pack he'd carried off his shoulder. "It is late, and we are all tired. Perhaps some dinner, and rest, would do us good."

"...Not hungry."

That, I doubt, Iroh thought dryly. "Then you will not mind helping the children with theirs, yes? Come; let us separate the dishes." He bent to help his nephew, but kept a steely gaze on Katara.

Not one word, little waterbender. Not one. Or I will deal with you.

Katara: Okay, so I got kidnapped and dragged down here by someone I have absolutely no reason to believe is anything other than an enemy I’ve once made common cause with at this point, and I’m the bad guy? And Iroh thinks so? Really?

MG: Yeah, Iroh loved Zuko dearly, but he was certainly aware of his nephew’s ability to screw things up and make bad decisions, and this is absolutely one of those times. Canon!Iroh would’ve been a lot more understanding about why Katara isn’t exactly happy about this situation, I think!

Beware the Sugar Queen: 44

Whatever she saw in his face made her blanch, and step back.

Good.

MG: …he feels satisfied from scaring teenage girls. That’s the Uncle Iroh we all know and love, all right. /s

Beware the Sugar Queen: 45

Suyin took a gulp of breath, and stepped forward to lend a hand. "So... do we have rice, or noodles?"

"Noodles," Zuko muttered, shoulders slumped.

"Well come on, Jinhai hates it when noodles get cold..."

Meixiang nodded encouragement, and smiled at her youngest son before gently shoving him off Jia's way. Squeezed her husband's hand as the children took their share of dinner into the next chamber; a subtle gesture Iroh recognized from his own marriage. It'll be all right, love. Trust me.

MG: …I’m suddenly powerfully aware of a certain aspect of the fic’s hypocrisy. A few chapters ago, Toph thought Katara was bad for trying to “kiss it better” whenever Aang is distressed, but when it’s Zuko who’s upset, everyone drops what they’re doing and makes sure to center his feelings and make sure he’s feeling better. Anyone else suddenly finding that very noticeable?

Prince Stuko: 113

"Zuko," Tingzhe said levelly, before the young man could follow. "Remember, I heard you out before I made my decision. I had to hear her out as well." He gave Katara a measured look. "I think your uncle and I will have quite a bit to say to the young lady."

Beware the Sugar Queen: 46 (now Iroh and Tingzhe are ganging up on Katara)

Iroh hid a smile. Perhaps the situation is not as grave as I feared.

Though grave enough, from the way Tingzhe carefully raised stone to block the tunnel after them, thick enough that the adults would be able to speak in private, even if Zuko cupped an ear to the wall.

"You're letting your kids go off with him?" Katara said in disbelief. "You saw what he just did!"

MG: I mean, we saw what he did to Jinhai a while back and apparently the Wens are still cool with him teaching him, so… yeah, that ship sailed a long time ago.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 47

"Young lady," Tingzhe said dryly, "I've seen a great many teenage benders lose their temper. I trust him far more than I trust you."

Zuko: I mean, okay, on the one hand Tingzhe knows me and doesn’t really know Katara, so it makes sense he’d think that… but on the other hand, it’s really hard to miss that this is just what Vathara is having everyone say.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 48

There was a subtle twist of venom under the cool tone that made Iroh raise a startled brow, and eye the waterbender even more warily. "Precisely what did you say to my nephew, Miss Katara?"

"Before or after she called him a monster?" Shirong was watching Katara like a hawk-eagle. "Did you leave him to die at the North Pole?"

Katara: Oh, great, the Dai Li agent is here, too! Now I’ve got three adult, powerful benders – one of whom is someone who brainwashes people for a living – ganging up on me. Should I be flattered, or offended? And no, we didn’t leave Zuko to die at the North Pole. Sokka thought we should, but I don’t know if he’d have actually been able to go through with it. I didn’t say anything, but when Aang said we should save him we all went along with him. Just so we’re all clear on who said what!

Beware the Sugar Queen: 49

"Aang would never let that happen!" Katara glared at the Dai Li agent, obviously tempted to slap him with a water whip.

MG: Considering he’s a Dai Li agent… it’d be far less than he deserved.

"So you would have." Shirong shook his head, grim.

Katara: Again, Sokka said we should leave him, Aang said we should save him, and we went along with what Aang said without much fuss! Why is everyone acting like we did try to leave Zuko to die in the middle of a blizzard? Is Vathara blaming us for things we briefly considered but didn’t go through with now? And again, I didn’t say anything either way – why are we blaming me for that?

Beware the Sugar Queen: 50

"And you're the one teaching the Avatar waterbending? We're doomed."

Zuko: I mean, if I’d been in Katara’s position that day I’m not sure I’d have been especially merciful to me, so… maybe give it a rest?

Beware the Sugar Queen: 51

"A monster," Iroh said, very quietly. Conscious of a growing rage he had not felt in... a very long time.

One of my men was ambushed, where he expected no enemy... calm. Stay calm.

Zuko: One of his men? Uncle’s… well, my uncle. Not my commanding officer. And he’d already tried to tell me once at this point that he thought of me like a son, so… am I the only one who thinks this is kind of weird? And I’d fought Katara multiple times at this point, and my idea of keeping her “safe” was to knock her out and drag her down here, so if I wasn’t expecting her to be angry with me and think I was an enemy, I’m dumber than I’d thought.

Sokka: *snickers from out of sight*

"Well, first she accused him of lying about Azula being in the palace," Shirong said, matter of fact.

Katara: Apparently in this version I had no reason to think he was telling the truth, though?

"Then she called him a failure who couldn't even beat Kyoshi Warriors, then lying again about Azula lightning-bending, then accused him of using her to set a trap for Aang, then... well, I'd rather not go into what she said about your brother, General, and Zuko being his father's son... have I missed anything, Madam Wen?"

Katara: And seriously, no offense Zuko, but why should this version of me have trusted him? Especially when he’s really not been acting like he has our best interests at heart? Am I just supposed to know instinctively that Zuko is a good guy despite our history and me not trusting him for any reason is just me being contrary.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 52

"Not yet," Meixiang said, coolly furious.

"I see," Iroh said, still quiet. She is Water Tribe. But I had thought the Avatar would have... stay calm.

Katara: *coldly* Thought the Avatar would have what, exactly? Are you really sure you want to finish that sentence, General Iroh?

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 42

"But he didn't crack until she called him a liar for saying Azula wanted to kill him," Shirong finished. "Does Fire Lord Ozai know Princess Azula's tried to kill the crown prince?"

Zuko: …I don’t know if he knew, but I don’t think he’d have been that torn up about it, honestly.

"Insofar as I can determine, my brother has encouraged it," Iroh stated, never taking his gaze off the waterbender. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Meixiang raise a hand to cover her horror and rage, and Tingzhe draw her close for comfort. But Katara...

Katara stared back at him, unrepentant. Defiant, as if she were facing a true enemy. "Oh, come on! Even if she weren't his sister - and she is! - that doesn't make sense. Why would the Fire Lord let anyone kill his precious son?"

Katara: …okay, I didn’t know Zuko’s whole life story at this point, but I’d put together enough to know that he’d lost his honor and was trying to get it back. Vathara’s just really, really trying to make me look like a “simple rube” who doesn’t know anything about anything, isn’t she?

Beware the Sugar Queen: 53

"Because if Azula does so, she will have proven she is precisely the heir Fire Lord Ozai wishes," Iroh said in a voice like iron. "Cunning, strong, and ruthless. And loyal only to him. My brother despises Zuko for his kindness, his wish to see the Fire Nation whole and at peace, instead of eternally at war.

Zuko: Didn’t Vathara just have me admit a couple of chapters ago that I couldn’t end the war if I wanted to because somehow that would mean the end of the Fire Nation or something?

MG: And while Zuko had objected to the use of fresh recruits as bait, I certainly never got the impression that the younger Zuko already wanted to end the war – he already had a basic core of honor and decency (even Book One Zuko still showed it sometimes, though he tried to hide it under anger and bitterness) – but it took the character development he got from traveling the world and seeing the effects of the Fire Nation’s actions on the ground and on ordinary people to convince him of that. Now, maybe Iroh’s implying that Ozai had already guessed where Zuko was headed and wanted to nip it in the bud, but considering how Vathara has softened Zuko already, I’m not really inclined to be that generous.

Prince Stuko: 114

But his rule of our people is not absolute, no matter what he wishes the rest of the world to believe. If he were seen to raise his hand directly against Zuko, after failing to slay him in combat, all the great names would fear for their own heirs, and Ozai's power would be damaged.

Zuko: Uh, yeah, Dad’s power was pretty absolute, actually! I don’t know why he didn’t kill me – it’s not like I had a chance to ask him. Maybe he did think that murdering a thirteen-year-old who wasn’t fighting back would make him look weak. I used to think it was so I could have a chance to prove myself to him… but now I think he just wanted to twist the knife some more.

Yet if he allows Zuko to live... The Fire Sages are not fools. They would not choose Azula as the next Fire Lord, no matter what Ozai's will might state. Not if they had another choice.

MG: I already discussed this with Juniper Sky in the comments last time, but I’d like to reiterate – I don’t think the Fire Sages actually choose the next Fire Lord, they just officiate at the coronation? As far as we see in canon, the Fire Lord is automatically succeeded by their eldest living child (presuming that child is a firebender, per later sources) unless they explicitly specify otherwise (ie, Azulon supposedly disinheriting Iroh on his death bed). The Fire Sages’ role is strictly ceremonial (probably a holdover from the notion – I’m not sure if it’s canon anymore, but Embers uses it – that the office of the Fire Lord started out as the leader of the Fire Sages before becoming a true monarchy); at most, I’d imagine they’d be kind of like the Roman Senate during the Principate, who theoretically elected the emperor but in practice almost always just backed whoever the obvious successor was, with very rare exceptions, and only made actual meaningful decisions a couple of times.

But if Zuko should die facing the Avatar, as so many of the Fire Nation have died..." He shook his head. "Who would question who truly dealt the blow? The Avatar, after all, is also a firebender."

Zuko: …I think Uncle is really overthinking it. Sorry, Uncle. I don’t think Dad ever expected I’d find the Avatar at all; he just wanted me to humiliate myself by spending the rest of my life on a pointless search (and as Uncle once reminded me, Dad, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather all tried to find Aang and failed). I mean, sure, I doubt he’d have shed any tears if Aang had killed me – though he might have thrown me a big state funeral so he could make me a martyr; I could see him do that, trying to get some use out of me – but I don’t think he expected I’d ever find Aang at all when he gave me that mission!

"He'd do that to Aang?" Wide-eyed, Katara swallowed. "I don't care what Toph says. You're all monsters!"

Katara: *confused* Do what? That Zuko would try to attack Aang. I knew that – he’d done it a half-dozen times already! Or that Ozai would try to put Zuko in a position to be killed by Aang? Because honestly, I’d heard enough about Ozai by this point that nothing he did would surprise me. He really earned that “most evil man in the world” title.

MG: Eh, I think Vathara just wants you to look horrible for prioritizing Aang’s feelings over Zuko’s. Because how dare you not make Zuko the center of your universe, right?

Katara: *facepalms*

Beware the Sugar Queen: 54

Tingzhe tensed. "Now, see here, young lady-!"

Iroh held up a warning hand. "Professor. What we have here is a failure to understand one another's cultures."

Katara: No, what we have here is Zuko kidnapping me and me being rightly angry about that! *beat, considers what Iroh just said* Oh. This is going to be bad, isn’t it?

"A failure?" Tingzhe said, incredulous. "She just called your entire nation monstrous! And while I might say that about some of your army..."

MG: I mean, the Fire Nation has been trying their hardest to conquer the world for a century, and we can see from Hama’s and Katara’s and Sokka’s flashbacks just how devastated their village in particular has been. I certainly don’t think canon!Katara thinks everyone in the Fire Nation is always chaotic evil – her actions certainly don’t bear that out – but in a moment of genuine fury, I could see her saying something like that, with reason.

"By the standards of the Water Tribes," Iroh stated, "we are."

Katara: …why am I getting the idea that “and those standards are wrong” is what’s going unsaid here?

Zuko: *muttering* You’ve been paying attention?

Tingzhe eyed him, considering that. Shirong blinked, surprised, and settled back onto his bench to listen. Meixiang paled. "Amaya never said..."

"Amaya's got something wrong with her," Katara snapped. "Training a Fire Nation apprentice? What is she thinking? Who knows why he really helped Toph, it sure wasn't for Aang-"

MG: I mean, Amaya does have something wrong with her, namely that she’s been working with the Dai Li for Tui-and-La know how long and uses dangerous, mind-altering techniques on people without their consent, but her involvement with Zuko is the least of her problems.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 55

"Be. Quiet." Just a touch of fire's rage. The merest hint of smoke. Any more, and... well, Iroh was certain he would regret it. Later. "Amaya has learned something every Avatar was meant to learn. Something it seems Aang has not learned. Nor have you. The four nations are different. Not only in their bending, but in their culture. And most important of all, in how they define right, wrong, and responsibility."

Katara: And she’s apparently then decided she’s perfectly okay helping the Dai Li, so I don’t think I trust her judgment, thank you!

Beware the Sugar Queen: 56

"Right and wrong don't change!" Katara flung at him. "It doesn't matter who you are!"

MG: I mean… some standards of behavior are absolutely going to vary wildly from culture to culture. Other things are generally considered wrong no matter who’s doing them. Waging a war of imperialism and genocide, say. Now, only one nation represented in this room has been doing that lately… I wonder whose it is…

"Ah. But who is assigned the blame for a wrong, does change," Iroh said plainly. "And that is why you call us all monsters."

Zuko: *groans* Ugh, this is just going to be more “just following orders,” isn’t it?

"Because you are!"

"No," Iroh said firmly. "Very few of us are. Zhao, yes; my brother... Azula. But Zuko? No. My nephew is not, and has never been, a monster. Yet to you who are Water Tribe, that does not matter. In the tribe, it is the community which bears the guilt or credit for an individual's actions. When Chief Hakoda sinks a Fire Nation ship, you all have won a victory; when one of your warriors falls to a firebending soldier, you all feel shamed. And the tribe is your source of right and wrong; right is what benefits the tribe, and wrong is what harms it. So harm done to others, who stand outside the tribe, does not truly matter. Which is why the Northern Tribe saw the Ocean strike, and cheered a great victory... and never, ever, felt compassion for those struck down."

Katara: *furious* They. Attacked. Us. They killed the Moon Spirit! They were trying to conquer and destroy the entire Northern Water Tribe! And sure, Zhao was in charge, but those ships were full of soldiers who were just fine carrying out all the fighting and conquering and killing! And sure, maybe not everyone on all of those ships deserved to die, but… it’s a war. Iroh ought to know that better than anyone. Terrible things happen in war! And it’s not like everyone was jumping to dance on Fire Nation graves. Aang felt terrible about what happened, believe me. But the Water Tribes were literally fighting for our existence against an enemy who started it, and the Ocean Spirit destroyed the fleet because Zhao provoke it by killing the Moon Spirit. Are we supposed to not consider that a victory? Are we supposed to feel more sorry for the people who came to kill us and not the people they were killing? What sort of sense does that make?

MG: And yes, while Iroh doesn’t come right out and say it, the way he describes Katara’s “tribal” mentality is extremely condescending and racist. It’s also a bit rich to sneer at the Water Tribe for valuing community over all when Vathara’s Fire Nation is literally bound together by mind control, and we’ll later learn is “supposed” to exist as independent clans and fiefdoms locked in constant conflict with each other, with the centralized government being an unnatural imposition from an outside source. So, the end result is that this reads to me as both racist and hypocritical. Fun!

The Real Victims: 42

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 43

"Oh," Shirong said softly. "Spirits, no wonder he was worried it could happen again. If the haima-jiao had... oh, damn." He eyed Katara with a look of wary dread, as if calculating exactly how far he could get from her before he'd have to start tunneling through walls.

Zuko: Okay, what makes you think the haima-jiao was anywhere near powerful enough to possess Aang against his will? And wow, even the Dai Li agent is scared of Katara! *flatly* Good job, Vathara.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 57

"How can you say that?" Katara gasped. "I'm not evil! Not like the Fire Nation."

Zuko: *glancing at Katara* I mean, you’ve never tried to conquer the world or commit genocide, which puts you ahead of… about nine tenths of my family. So you’ve kind of got a point there.

"Says the young lady we have followed across the world as she lied, cheated, and stole from those she passed," Iroh said dryly.

Katara: *blankly* What, because I stole from pirates that one time – which was kind of dumb, I can admit it now – it’s just me and Fire Lord Ozai, committing wicked deeds and making the world a worse place, is that it?

Beware the Sugar Queen: 58

"The pirates stole that waterbending scroll, and you know it!" Katara planted fists on her hips. "Aang needed it."

Katara: …okay, I felt like I needed it too, but otherwise… I don’t see what’s wrong here? Did anyone think the pirates did get the scroll legitimately? The captain basically admitted he stole it to our faces!

"My nephew needs his honor," Iroh observed, looking at her askance. "Yet you do not seem to consider that reason enough for him."

Katara: *increasingly confused* Because me stealing one scroll one time from other thieves is the same thing as Zuko literally chasing Aang around the world so he could hand him over to the Fire Lord? *she looks over at Zuko* Like, no offense, but… that’s not really the same thing at all, is it?

Zuko: …none taken. And yeah, this is getting kind of weird, and Vathara is really hung up on that scroll, isn’t she?

He sighed. "But then, you would not. You consider Aang one of your tribe, even if he is an airbender... and my nephew is not of your tribe, and so an enemy."

Katara: Oh, let’s see, again, Zuko had attacked us about a half-dozen times by this point, but sure, I only thought he was an enemy because he’s “not part of the tribe.” Riiight.

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 44

"You say that like you don't think he's done anything wrong," Katara fumed.

"No!" Iroh slashed a hand across, trailing only a hint of heat-shimmer in its wake. "Never have I said that! But you would hold my nephew guilty of Ozai's crimes! And Azulon's! And Sozin's! You would hold him guilty of the decimation of your people, and the extinction of the Air Nomads! And that, he did not do!"

Katara: …I never said he did? But if he had handed Aang over to Ozai, that would’ve basically won the Fire Nation the war, so… it’s not like he wasn’t part of that, either?

Zuko: …something I ended up learning almost too late.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 59

Katara stared at him, still angry... but also confused, if wide blue eyes spoke truly. "But he's the Fire Lord's son."

"And I am the Fire Lord's brother," Iroh said levelly. "And in the Fire Nation - and yes, the Earth Kingdom as well - no young man is held guilty of what his father has done."

MG: And it’s really not hard for me to see the subtext here of “because those are civilized nations, not like you ignorant Water Tribe barbarians.” Especially in the context of the Fire Nation clearly being Vathara’s fave, and the Earth Kingdom probably getting the next most positive (though not as positive, of course) a portrayal, and both of those are powerful, (theoretically) centralized states in a way the Water Tribes and Air Nomads aren’t (I’d actually argue that from what we see of the North it probably is closer to the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation in structure, not that I think Vathara has really thought about that because she’s too hung up on the word “tribe”). But the whole thing is just… yuck. And also, yeah, it wouldn’t be right to hold Zuko responsible for Ozai’s crimes – but he spent most of Book One trying to capture Aang for Ozai, so he’s not fully divorced from them, either.

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 45

He spread empty hands. "I know it is foreign to you. But grant us this grace, for Zuko truly did mean you well, no matter how little he explained. Grant us the honor of trying to understand."

Katara: *crosses her arms* Kind of hard to be “understanding” when you ambushed me and knocked me out, you know.

Zuko: …sorry?

"You think I don't understand?" Angry tears filled her eyes. "Do you know what this war has put me through? Me, personally? The Fire Nation took my mother from me!"

MG: …and again, I can’t help but feel like Vathara has dropped one of Katara’s canon lines into a completely different context in an attempt to make her look more petulant and childish, or at least that’s how it seems to me, at least.

Stations of the Canon: 39

A harsh loss for any child, Iroh knew. But she was the Avatar's teacher. She had to be able to look beyond her own needs, or the world was doomed.

Zuko: …I’d think Uncle, who has firsthand experience with losing someone you love to the war and being changed forever by it, might be a little bit more sympathetic to Katara than that. *he sighs* I was, at least… even if I kind of ruined it afterwards.

Katara: *smiling slightly* You came around. Eventually.

"And so has my nephew lost his mother, to Ozai's schemes," Iroh replied. "So did I lose my son, in the siege of Ba Sing Se. You are not alone in your grief. A century of war has harmed us all."

Zuko: So maybe Uncle could be a little more understanding instead of just standing there lecturing Katara some more?

"And you think the only one who's guilty is the Fire Lord?" Katara shook her head, tears still streaming. "How can you live like that? How does anybody stop a murderer, if he knows his family's not going to pay for it?" She gave him a venomous look. "Oh, that's right. You haven't!"

MG: *groans* Stick a pin in that part about family, everyone. We’re coming back to it again, and, well… there’s a certain AN we’re getting in a few chapters. I think of it as “the Saga of Fred, the Hypothetical Cannibal.” It’s… it sure is something.

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 46

"No, I have not," Iroh acknowledged. "I do not believe I could defeat Ozai. Not alone. And if I did, our people would only see a brother slaying a brother for power. And the war would go on. For true justice to be done, the Fire Lord must be defeated by someone else."

MG: Yeah, I think all this is pretty true (I’ve seen some people take issue with Iroh’s claim in the show that he doesn’t know if he could defeat Ozai, feeling he’s selling himself short, but I’m inclined to think we’re meant to take it at face value). And yes, there’s a reason why “the Avatar passing judgment on the Fire Lord” carries more weight across all the nations than “the Fire Lord’s disinherited brother kills him to reclaim the throne.” Not to mention that I don’t think Iroh wants to be a fratricide if I can avoid it.

"Justice?" Katara swiped at her tears, and straightened, looking at him. "How can you talk about justice when the war needs to stop?"

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 47 (I’m going to go ahead and give a point for Katara not drawing a connection between justice and the war stopping)

So. Mention defeating the Fire Lord, and she listens, Iroh thought wryly.

Katara: Yeah, I wonder why that is. It’s not like it was our big goal we were working towards or anything!

"Because without justice, the war will not stop. Even if the Fire Lord is dead."

Katara drew in a breath, scowling-

MG: Because Katara is a petulant child who reflexively opposes everything Iroh says because reasons, we get it, Vathara!

Beware the Sugar Queen: 60

"He's right, you know," Tingzhe said plainly. "That's what history tells us happened, when Avatar Kyoshi faced Chin the Conqueror."

"Really?" Shirong put in. Sounding only normally interested, if you didn't catch the sharpness in green eyes. "I've never known as much about that part of history as I'd like to have."

Zuko: …yeah, coming from a Dai Li agent talking to a professor who teaches controversial histories, that sounds about like when you run and don’t look back.

"No, I'd imagine that wasn't a time Long Feng encouraged his men to learn about. Not since he took power." Tingzhe clasped his hands behind him, a professor calculating how best to fit what he knew to his audience. "Avatar Aang implied that you know of Chin the Conqueror?"

"Aang got put on trial for Chin's murder," Katara said heatedly. "Avatar Kyoshi... appeared... and told us about it. But it was self-defense!"

Katara: More like defense of a whole lot of other people, because I don’t think that Chin really posed much of a threat to Kyoshi herself, but still – am I supposed to be bad for thinking it was a good thing Kyoshi killed Chin, now?

MG: Not exactly, thank the Valar for small mercies.

"Hmm." Tingzhe nodded. "But did she tell you that severing Kyoshi Island from the mainland, and Chin's death, were not enough to stop the war?"

Katara looked aside. "She... didn't have much time."

Zuko: Okay, I wasn’t there when Kyoshi… you know, appeared… but I’ve read about Chin and his war, and I thought Kyoshi’s goal right in that moment was more about stopping Chin from conquering her homeland by cutting it off from the mainland and turning it into an island? And it pretty much did stop the war, because it ended up killing Chin and scattering his army? Everything after that was pretty much just mopping up.

"Then I'll try to be brief, as well."

Meixiang smothered a laugh.

"Yes, I can be brief, from time to time," the professor said dryly, giving his wife a sidelong look. "It's not as though she's paying for the lecture...

Katara: If I was, I’d want a refund. This lecture stinks.

where was I?"

"Justice," Iroh stated, hiding his own chuckle. How many generations of students had Tingzhe fooled with that absent air? "And Chin the Conqueror."

"Ah, yes. Justice." Tingzhe nodded once. "In the Earth Kingdom, and from what I know the Fire Nation as well, justice is done not by the decisions of the tribe, but by having a system of laws, and Guards to enforce those laws. Now, the laws themselves are not always fair, given they are made by rulers like the Earth King, or the Fire Lord..."

Iroh inclined his head, admitting the point.

"But in some respects they are more fair, for they are not decided by the chieftain of the tribe and his most powerful followers gathering to state what they will do this time. They are the laws, and everyone knows them, and the consequences of breaking them." Tingzhe raised a finger, stabbing air.

MG: Okay, stopping to unpack this a bit more, but again, I can’t help but feel like we’re having a really racist and condescending comparison between the “civilized” Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation who have things like laws and guards in contrast to the “backwards” and “tribal” Water Tribes who just have chiefs and elders arbitrarily deciding things. What could be an interesting contrast between different conceptions of justice falls flat because it’s obvious which side the author is taking and tilting the scales in favor of. In-universe, it’s just another case of Vathara favoring her preferred cultures and factions; out of universe it falls right back into real-world racism, considering the respective coding of their nations (ie, the Water Tribes are heavily coded as indigenous, while the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation are both based on nations that have been imperial powers in real life, and themselves have been imperial powers in-universe, albeit the Fire Nation more recently and more effectively). Made worse is how, again, it’s being used to paint Katara as a stupid girl who doesn’t understand what’s really going on and should just shut up and listen to her betters, and I hate it. I also don’t think it really holds up when you stop to examine it, either. The individual rulings of chiefs, elders, lords, and magistrates are ultimately what cohere together into recognized precedent which is how you get eventually to formalized law codes, after all. Obviously the more personalist system Vathara depicts the Water Tribes as having has plenty of historical precedent, but I think it’s a mistake to not recognize it as something on a spectrum with the more formal legal systems she depicts the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom as having. More to the point, the Northern Water Tribe, at least, clearly lead lives heavily bounded by both law and custom (and as for the sorry and disorganized state of the South when we see it… who’s to blame for that, hmmm?). And for all Vathara trumpets the Fire Nation’s laws, the Fire Nation as she depicts it is still heavily dominated by local warlords who make and enforce their judgments by force of arms and personality (and magic loyalty), even if they’re in theory guided by laws and honor codes. So, I really don’t think they have much of a leg to stand on here, either.

TL;DR – I think this whole framing is really gross and skeevy, and doesn’t make much sense when you look at the actual cultures in question either!

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 47

"As Chin's soldiers broke laws, to follow him. Yet they could, and did, argue that the laws they broke were unfair. That events, and striving to give their families a better life, had left them no choice."

"So... what did Kyoshi do?" Katara asked warily. "If the laws are supposed to be the same for everyone - they had to be punished."

"From what I've studied, that is one of the reasons we have an Avatar," Tingzhe said plainly. "As they do not truly belong to any one nation, so they are not bound by its laws. And it's a very unwise sovereign who crosses them without good cause."

"Unfortunately, Sozin thought he had one," Iroh sighed. "I am curious as well. What did she do?"

"From my studies? One of the first things she did was to seize all Chin's records," Tingzhe said plainly. "After all, if Chin himself had reason to think a soldier had acted brutally, and just hadn't gotten around to doing something about it..." He shrugged.

Zuko: Yeah, because Chin was such a good judge of what was and wasn’t justified behavior? This is the same Chin who tried to overthrow the Earth King and make himself Emperor of the Earth Kingdom we’re talking about, right?

"The Avatar did many things. But one key thing she did, which Avatar Aang should think about, was try to uncover why the war happened in the first place. Who thought they had been wronged, and who believed they had something to gain. And that was one of the reasons she created the Dai Li."

MG: The thing is, the Kyoshi duology doesn’t reach Chin’s war (I have a strong suspicion we’ll eventually get more Kyoshi novels that do go that far, but we haven’t yet). But it’s pretty clear in that context that Kyoshi would eventually be aware of the causes of Chin’s rise to power because she was part of it. So, spoilers for The Rise of Kyoshi but the main villain of the first Kyoshi book is Jianzhu, one of Avatar Kuruk’s best friends turned earthbending master for Yun, the kid who has been misidentified as the next Avatar instead of Kyoshi (long story). At this time, the Earth Kingdom’s central government is extremely weak, with the Earth King really only controlling Ba Sing Se and the kingdom as a whole plagued by anarchy and whole armies of bandits. Jianzhu attempted to restore order (it’s kind of a running theme with eartbender villains that they’re all about order and stability in their own ways – Long Feng, Kuvira, Jianzhu. etc.) by playing on his status as a master earthbender, respected Earth Sage, companion of one Avatar and (supposedly) tutor to the next to become de facto regent of the Earth Kingdom, holding the whole country together with his personal web of promises, threats and blackmail. Long story short, Kyoshi, a servant girl in Jianzhu’s household at the time, finds out she’s the real Avatar, Jianzhu apparently sacrifices Yun (who was Kyoshi’s friend) to a spirit, Kyoshi ends up going on the run (with our friend, and her eventual girlfriend, Rangi!), mastering the elements, and bringing Jianzhu down (though she’s not the one to get the kill on him, as it happens…). And with Jianzhu gone, the whole web of realpolitik he’d built flies apart. So, Kyoshi herself is basically responsible for the power vacuum in the Earth Kingdom that led to Chin having the opportunity to rise somewhat later on.

Of course, this all came well after Embers and Vathara had no way to know about it. Her own take on how Chin rose, which we’ll get later on, is… different. But that’s something we’ll look at when we get to it.

And also, in the show, we absolutely learn how the war started. Sozin had imperial ambitions, seemed to be the sort of person who thought the best possible thing for the world was for him to be in charge of it, and may (I always headcanoned it, anyway, though it’s not spelled out as explicitly) have been jealous of Roku’s status as the Avatar and wanted to one-up him, or at least prove himself his equal. It’s really pretty straightforward. Vathara makes it… less straightforward, and more complicated. We’ll see whether or not that ends up feeling like she’s trying to let the Fire Nation off the hook any as we go (but you can probably guess what I think).

Katara's jaw dropped. "Avatar Kyoshi...?"

If it wouldn't have completely shattered Tingzhe's spell of words, Iroh would have hugged the man. Trust an earthbender to wait, and listen, until he found the one weak spot that would take a fortress down.

Katara: *confused* Because something one person did hundreds of years ago is enough to shatter my entire worldview? Huh?

Not that Iroh believed the teachings of Katara's childhood had been defeated so easily. But she was at least listening.

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 48 (for Katara’s stubbornness being blamed on “the teachings of her childhood,” ie her Water Tribe upbringing)

"You see, one of the reasons Chin got as far as he did, was, to be blunt, the forty-sixth Earth King himself," Tingzhe went on. "The man was a tyrant. And a bit of a brute, besides."

MG: Well, based on what the novels would eventually reveal, the real problem was that the Earth King of Kyoshi’s time was weak and that left a power vacuum (he was also arrogant and heavy-handed in his dealing with the people of Ba Sing Se specifically, but that was a separate issue). In fact, per the Kyoshi books – and I think implied in the original show – that sort of disunity seems to be a recurring problem for the Earth Kingdom; Jianzhu himself lampshades that it’s just too big to govern effectively from a single centralized point. Honestly, a point of comparison from another series I’d make to the Earth Kingdom is probably the Makabaki Empire from the Stormlight Archive. In theory, the empire is a unified polity. In practice, it’s a large array of mostly independent princedoms and republics, sharing a common language and ethnic identity but not much else. The Prime (political and religious ruler) of Azir, the largest of these states, also bears the title Emperor of the Makabaki and in theory rules the whole empire, but in practice is a ceremonial first among equals at best. I always thought the Earth Kingdom tended to operate in a somewhat similar way, with the Earth King being nominally in charge but in practice the territories outside Ba Sing Se having a lot of independence – hells, some of those places, like Omashu, have their own, entirely separate monarchies, something Jianzhu also lampshades. But this is mostly my own interpretation, and tangential to what this section is about. Moving on!

"Hey!" Shirong objected.

Zuko: …is anyone going to comment on how Shirong sems to take insults to a tyrant from centuries ago personally? Not that it surprises me.

"Divine right or no, that's what the records indicate," Tingzhe said practically. "We can only hope Kuei never takes after him... hmm. Where was I? Ah, yes. The Dai Li." He nodded. "I must admit, most of what I know about the Water Tribe is from books, or speaking with Amaya, or a few of the other waterbenders who... used to work with the fishing fleets. But I have the impression that most items you make and use do not last a full century?"

"So what's wrong with that?" Katara shrugged. "We make what we need. It doesn't have to last forever."

"My dear young lady, there's nothing wrong with that," Tingzhe replied.

Katara: Yeah, but with how condescending you’ve been this whole conversation, I’m not really feeling like cutting you much slack! Especially since you just admitted you don’t know much about the Water Tribes!

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 49

"But it means your tribes do not encounter one of the hazards more settled people often face.

Katara: *icy* The North is pretty settled if you asked me. And our village back home used to be a lot bigger and more established and fortified, too. Know what happened to it? Oh, right, the Fire Nation!

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 50

The chief of those being ninety-nine-year spirits."

"Ninety-nine what?" Katara echoed doubtfully.

"When something is used by people for a long time, it can develop a life of its own," Meixiang explained. "Sometimes they're just playful and quiet; they move when no one's watching, or make noises no one can explain. But sometimes... they can try to kill people."

Zuko: …haven’t we been over this already?

"Among his other offenses, the Earth King had encouraged the preservation of ancient artifacts without making sure there were enough ceremonies being held to placate hostile spirits," Tingzhe stated. "The peasants revolted, and destroyed many artifacts that represented the old government. By the time Kyoshi was called in... well. Eventually, there was a compromise. The Earth King agreed to allow peasants more of a voice, and Avatar Kyoshi trained a group of elite earthbenders to protect the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. Which meant, in a large part, protecting Ba Sing Se's citizens from the spirits created by that heritage."

Katara: Great. More Dai Li apologism. Just what we needed!

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 50

"I've always preferred that part of the job," Shirong said wistfully. "It may be dirty and exhausting and dangerous as walking straight into the lake serpent's jaws, but it's for our people." He sighed. "What went wrong, Professor? We only wanted to protect our city."

Zuko: *darkly* When you give people too much power, some of them – a lot of them – start abusing it. That’s what happened. And sure, you may have liked the “fighting spirits” part of the job better, but you still did the “kidnapping, brainwashing and terrorizing people” part of it too. Until you actually try to make up for what you did, I’m not letting you off that easily for it.

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 51

"This is just a guess on my part... I would say it was the assassination of the royal family, twenty years ago," Tingzhe replied. "You likely weren't an agent then-"

Katara: Oh, so the Dai Li went evil because of something that happened to them, not because of something they did, huh?

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 51

"New recruit," Shirong said simply. "I'd only been in a few months. I still have the scars." He frowned. "Though they haven't been bothering me as much, lately..."

"Whether we like it or not, the royal family is a center of spiritual power," Tingzhe informed Katara.

MG: Which Vathara is going to get a lot more mileage out of, so be prepared for that later.

Divine Right to Rule: 61

"When all but Kuei were assassinated - well, one four-year-old boy wasn't enough to hold the balance. Things... broke loose. The moon went dark. Spirits were roused. Chaos and destruction swept the streets. Personally, I am alive today because I am a strong earthbender. To fight off spirits, you either must be a strong bender or have a will so determined it verges on legend. Ba Sing Se stands today because Long Feng rescued Kuei, rallied the remnants of the Dai Li, and beat back the darkness by main force."

MG: And now we have “royals are super powerful and special just for exist” and “Long Feng’s noncanon war hero backstory” in the same paragraph! Fun!

Divine Right to Rule: 62

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 52

Silence. Iroh dared to breathe. Spirits, just let her think-

"You see? They're evil!" Katara flung up her hands. "Assassinating people. Unleashing spirits. They never change!"

"What on earth makes you think the assassins were Fire Nation?" Tingzhe said dryly.

"Because that's what they do! That's..." Katara ground to a halt, looking at the three city-dwellers. "It... wasn't them?"

All Sporker: *groan and facepalm*

Katara: …you know what? By this point, we’d already faced General Fong, who tried to force Aang into the Avatar State and nearly killed me trying to make it work. And the good people of Chin Village, who tried to boil Aang in oil because of something Kyoshi did. And the Dai Li and Long Feng himself, and everything going on with that. Have you stopped to consider that maybe I know Earth Kingdom people can be evil? Honestly, I’d probably have assumed Long Feng sent the assassins, setting the whole thing up so he could take control! That would’ve made sense!

Beware the Sugar Queen: 61

"The assassins were Earth Kingdom," Shirong said plainly. "From Taku. The Council retaliated by cutting off military aid... now they're gone, and the Fire Nation has Pohuai Stronghold to anchor that part of their conquest."

MG: …honestly, the ruins of Taku we saw in the show looked a lot older than twenty years. The Avatar Wiki, for its part, indicates it was sacked by the Fire Nation early in the war.

He smirked. "Your Aang's just lucky Prince Zuko managed to get him out of there in one piece. Admiral Zhao was no pushover, from the reports. And frankly, the Yu Yan archers scare half our army to death. That raid must have taken guts."

"Nice try," Katara said at last. "But I've never heard of this stronghold, and Zuko's never rescued anybody. Aang would have told us if there was good in somebody like him."

Katara: …yes, it took Aang a long time before he told us about that, and it was at the Western Air Temple, a while after this happened. But of course Vathara couldn’t resist bringing it up to make me look bad, could she?

Beware the Sugar Queen: 62

"Apparently not," Iroh murmured. Held up a hand, before she could protest further. "I do not ask that you believe us." Since you apparently will not.

Zuko: Uncle, I hate to say it, but… you’ve not done a good job convincing her. You’ve mostly just stood around lecturing her, and that doesn’t usually work so well on people!

Beware the Sugar Queen: 63

"I only ask that, when you can, you ask Avatar Aang what truly happened with Zhao, and the frozen frogs."

"I will ask him," Katara said fiercely. "But I don't think you'll like what Aang tells me."

"If he speaks the truth, it will be more than enough," Iroh said levelly. And if he does not….

Katara: I mean, it took him a while, but Aang did tell us the truth on that one! We had a hard time believing him, but he told us!

Perhaps it was only a child's confusion at being aided by an enemy.

MG: Also, don’t forget that Zuko shot a fireblast at Aang when he tried to say they could’ve been friends (and before that, as the Blue Spirit took Aang hostage himself to get them out of the fortress when he realized Zhao wanted him alive). Again, someone else did try to reach out a hand to Zuko, and he slapped it away. And Aang pretty clearly ended that whole business pretty downhearted, because part of him was already starting to wish he and Zuko could be friends and it was clear Zuko himself wasn’t interested in that at this point. But the whole context makes Zuko come across as less than a pure and upstanding hero, so we have to brush it aside and blame Aang and Katara for Just Not Getting It.

He Has Much to Learn: 66

He hoped so. It had been almost two thousand years since the White Lotus had been called on to take… drastic measures, to deal with an Avatar.

Katara: *shocked* What!?

MG: …yeah, this is going to end up being a very crucial piece of Embers’ backstory and kind of what Vathara is going to present as the point where everything started going wrong, though it’ll be a while before it gets explained fully (I’d honestly forgotten it got referenced so early, in fact). Just… stick a pin in this one, too. We will come back to it.

By all the spirits, he did not wish that responsibility to fall on his shoulders. Not with Sozin's legacy looming over him. Not with the boy truly the last of his kind. Even if his feeling was right, and the spirits truly had scattered the airbending gift in the folk of other nations to preserve the balance… Aang was the last trained airbender. Rebuilding the forms without him would take centuries.

Agni, let there be another option.

Zuko: …why does it seem like Uncle’s considering potentially murdering a kid tears him up the most because of the loss of airbending and not the, you know, murdering part? That’s not the Uncle Iroh I know!

But if the world was not so kind… he had joined his nephew's quest for more than one reason.

MG: …and stick a pin in this, too. Vathara’s characterization of Iroh has been pretty wobbly for a while, but we’re going to get to the point before too long where it’s going to take an outright nosedive.

Agni, be merciful. I would not enjoy the irony of carrying out my brother's wishes.

MG: *snarls angrily*

Still. He had always known the will of the spirits could be merciless, when mere humans upset the balance. He'd tried to shield Zuko from the worst of that cold rage, even as he had trained Zuko to seek the honor found in a balanced world.

Katara: Sometimes spirits are the problem too, you know! And they want different things! “The spirits,” collectively, aren’t some… ultimate moral authority! Part of the Avatar’s job is to keep balance between humans and spirits, not keep balance on behalf of the spirits.

Though he'd never expected to help train two elements. Which was far more unsettling than he ever wished Zuko would have to know. Not because his nephew was a waterbender... but because of what that second element implied.

Yue said the spirits themselves are uncertain what should happen. But it would seem the Moon - and Agni as well - is willing to consider some... very old options.

True Guardians of Balance: 2

Options he would never have known of, had he not asked his contacts to consult the records of the White Lotus. Very few people kept even fragments of stories of the time before there had been an Avatar.

True Guardians of Balance: 3 (yes, the implication there is correct – the yaoren are older than the Avatar and are the original form of multi-element bender, which can’t help but feel like more of Vathara shilling her creation at canon’s expense)

Iroh sighed, and shut dark thoughts away. "It is late, and we have had a busy day," he said kindly. "It would be best if we remained here, where Azula is unlikely to find us. Tomorrow, I can send you to people who can help you reach Aang. Will that suffice?"

"Just keep your nephew away from me," Katara said shortly.

Iroh smiled wryly. I doubt that will be a problem. "Dinner?"

MG: …yeah, Vathara. I can tell you’re trying to bring Iroh more in line with his canon self and soften the blow of how you’ve been characterizing and using him in this sequence. Sorry, but it’s too little, too late. And Katara, in light of recent events, is perfectly within her rights to want Zuko kept away from her.

-

Zuko felt the eyes on him as the other children ate, and tried not to shrink into a corner. "I'm sorry," he said, voice low. "I have… a really bad temper. I know that's not an excuse. I didn't mean to scare you. I just…." He looked down, ashamed. "My father, Azula… they're always in control. Always. Me, I - I lose it. Mom had to get after me, all the time…." He swallowed hard. "It's not right. What I did. But - Mom taught me, if I couldn't hang on anymore… hit something that wasn't alive. Break something. Instead of hurt somebody." He made himself eat, even if it tasted like ashes. Who knew when things would get back to normal. If they ever would.

So what's normal? a dark part of him snorted. Running for your life sure seems to be. Having someplace to go, where people even want you a little… that's not normal. You know better.

He did. That was the awful part. For a few weeks, he'd been able to… rest. To think that maybe the past didn't matter, and he could make something better of his life.

Right. Like the Fire Lord would ever let you be that lucky. Like the spirits ever would.

Focus. Eat. Survive.

And try not to feel, as dreams crumbled.

Zuko: *shifts awkwardly in his seat*

MG: …Vathara, how is it you can still keep pulling these moments of genuinely effective – and affecting – characterization off, amidst… all of this fic’s other myriad issues just getting worse and more noticeable? I do think she’s laying Zuko’s self-pity on a bit thick, but even that is in-character *glances over at Zuko* sorry, but it’s true, so it still largely works! Arg, it really is something that makes this fic so frustrating – Vathara is not a bad writer, when she puts effort into it, but dear sweet merciful Manwe, she has hangups and she just won’t let them go.

"So this is just you?" Suyin asked carefully. "Mom said so, but… Jinhai won't…?"

"What? No!" Zuko exclaimed, startled away from gloom. "No, this is just… my problem. Uncle says it runs in the family, but you know he's kind… no. Jinhai. If you want to know what to be, watch your father. He's a good man. You pay attention, you listen to him - you'll be a better person than I am. He's your father. I'm just your teacher." And the way things are going, pretty soon I won't even be that. It's not fair.

Zuko: I mean… yeah. Firebenders tend to be aggressive, because so much of firebending is about positive jin, but the temper is… something I’ve been trying to work on. But I guess Vathara couldn’t help but make it a family trait…

"But… your father's a really bad guy," Jinhai whispered, staring at his empty bowl.

"…I know that now." Zuko rinsed his own bowl, set it aside. "I guess - I've known that for a long time." Though without the Wens, without the people he'd met with Amaya, he wasn't sure he would have found the courage to admit it. How could he say what was wrong with his family when he'd never seen anything right? Just going on a feeling, a sickening dread that the way his father and sister and himself interacted was just not right….

MG: Ooof. Vathara, how is it you could write something as bad as the Katara scene and then go to something as effective as this? Though admittedly, I think Zuko clearly knew that his dynamic with Azula was toxic and her treatment of him was abusive and cruel even as a little kid. Untangling himself from his father’s web… that was the hard part.

He'd been trained to deal with facts, not feelings.

MG: …ironic, considering Zuko is a person who is intensely driven by emotion.

Mercy, pity - those were for the weak.

But Uncle's not weak. He faced Azula. He got us here. He kept me alive.

"What my father's doing is wrong," Zuko admitted, interlacing his fingers so his hands gripped each other. He wouldn't raise angry flame that way. Maybe a little smoke, but no fire. "But he's the Fire Lord. I can't stop him." I can't disobey my orders. Even if I want to. "All I can do is try to be like Mom, and Uncle. Help people, not hurt them."

Only Mom killed a Fire Lord.

But he didn't know that. Not for sure. And Azulon wasn't her father.

MG: FWIW, I always preferred the seemingly original intention from the show that Ursa actually was herself the assassin who personally killed Azulon, rather than the later retcon (IMO) in the comics that she just made a poison and Ozai used it. Other than that, Zuko is about to hit the breaking point of his loyalty to his father, though he’s not quite there yet, if you were worried. Though I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of how Vathara handles that when it does break.

"Except when you're punching little witches," Jia smirked. And gave him an arch glance before he could sputter. "Oh, don't look like that. She deserved it."

Katara: Oh, so even strangers know I’m just a horrible person now, I guess? *throws up her hands in disgust*

Beware the Sugar Queen: 64 (…aaand, the effective scene is ruined. Thanks, Vathara.)

"But - you don't even know-" Zuko started.

"I know enough." Jia tossed her head, upper-class haughty with just a touch of wicked humor.

MG: Because there’s nothing unfortunate at all about the (relatively) well-off big city girl sneering at the peasant girl from the backwater tribe; nothing racist or elitist there, no siree! /s

"I've seen her before, with a dozen different faces. The queen flutter-hornet, pretty as a picture. And vicious as a scorpion-viper, when she doesn't get what she wants. Only most people don't see it, because she almost always does. Sometimes by working for it; a lot of girls like that do work, hard. But most of the time? Because she's Daddy's girl, and Daddy's someone very important." Jia snorted. "She's not really a peasant, is she?"

MG: Her dad’s the chief of a tiny, isolated village in the South Pole; we don’t know how the Southern Tribe chooses its leaders in canon, but it’s clear that Sokka claiming to be a prince to try and impress Yue was treated by Katara as being pretty ridiculous, so I kind of doubt it’s strictly hereditary (which makes Sokka being the South’s chief in the flashbacks in Korra more impressive, IMO – he got there on his own merits). I always saw Sokka and Katara as closer to a small-town mayor’s kids than anything like actual nobility, and I think that’s the intended reading. And, well, Hakoda and his warriors have been gone for several years by the time the show starts – the overall vibe one gets from the siblings is very much not “children of privilege” and very much “kids who’ve been forced to grow up too fast and step into leadership roles too early because there dad’s gone and there aren’t enough adults left around to do everything.” And that’s a very different thing! And I do think it’s very rich to have Katara be described as some sort of entitled mean girl for being a chief’s daughter when Vathara won’t shut up about how amazing actual royalty are. Or maybe she just thinks Katara is getting too big for her station… urgh, yuck.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 65

"I don't know," Zuko admitted. "It's not like we ever sat down and traded family trees." He had to smirk, just a little, at the thought. "I'd be throwing fire at her, she'd be throwing ice at me… she buried me under a whole pillar of it, once. That hurt."

"See? Fair's fair," Jia nodded.

Katara: You’re kind of leaving out all the times you attacked us huh, Zuko?

Zuko: *groans and buries his face in his hands*

"Though that was after I knocked her out," Zuko shrugged.

"Um…."

"Which was after she froze me in ice," Zuko went on, trying not to grin at Jia's increasingly dubious look. It was funny. Kind of. "Which was after… well, a lot of stuff."

The two sisters traded glances. "How many times have you two been fighting?" Suyin asked.

Katara: …uh, from the South Pole to the North Pole, so, uh… months?

"Lost count," Zuko shrugged. "We chased her and her friends from the South Pole all the way north. That took a few months. It was a lot."

Another pair of glances. Jia shook her head, and stood; took a stance, and casually swept down the wall between them and the adults. "Mom!"

"Jia?" Meixiang stepped into the opening, one brow raised.

"Remember that talk you gave us about what kind of boys to drag home?" Jia jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "He's the guy you warned us about."

Zuko: *groans again and buries his face in his hands even harder*

"I didn't do anything!" Zuko protested. Trying not to look past Meixiang to Katara. Who hated him anyway, so it wasn't like it mattered… but he hadn't.

"No, of course you didn't." Meixiang smiled, bittersweet. "Sweet, deadly, and broken. Your uncle's going to have to beat them off with a stick."

MG: I mean, considering Zuko’s overall popularity with the fandom and how often he gets shipped with every female character he’s not related to (and some he is – “Zucest” was a thing back in the day, three guesses what ship that was) plus a wide array of female OCs and self inserts (he gets shipped with other guys too, of course – I remember Sokka/Zuko was considered to have a spike in popularity a few years ago – but the in-universe conversation here is about girls)… she’s not wrong.

Which made exactly no sense. Though Uncle looked amused. Never a good sign. And Tingzhe looked mildly horrified, which was even worse.

No help there, Zuko judged, and eyed Shirong. "What the heck are they talking about?"

"You don't know?" Shirong eyed Iroh in turn. "At sea since he was thirteen?"

"With very little time allowed in port," Uncle admitted.

"So, clueless," Shirong concluded.

"I very much fear he is, yes."

"He is standing right here, Uncle," Zuko said warily. "And he would like an explanation."

"Of course, nephew." Iroh folded his hands in his sleeves with suspicious serenity. "Now let me see, I am sure I have a proverb for this..."

"Never mind," Zuko winced. "I don't want to know."

Shirong's cough sounded suspiciously like, clueless.

MG: There’s also, iirc, some implication later on that dragon-children are slower to mature than actual humans, including sexually, so there may be a bit more going on with fic!Zuko’s cluelessness on this particular matter.

"Nasty cough," Zuko said wryly. Waved a hand toward a lamp tucked into a niche against the wall; a hint of gold light to liven the green glow from wall crystals. "Get over here so I can check you."

"I already-" Katara looked at him, and glanced at a no longer smiling Iroh, and shut her mouth. "...Not like you know what you're doing, anyway."

Katara: Because clearly that’s what I’d want to hear – that the person who attacked me now wants to examine me whether I want that or not. *beat* Okay, looks like he wants to examine Shirong, not me – I got confused because I responded to him. But I stand by it anyway.


Ignore idiot waterbender, Zuko told himself firmly,

Katara: Well, that’s just petty.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 66

already shaping the small flame. Standing so Katara couldn't get a good look at his eyes; with luck, the background green light had kept her from realizing there was anything different about him, or Uncle. He'd fought her enough to know she was cow-pig-headed stubborn, not stupid.

Zuko: Which sure isn’t stopping Vathara from writing her as being stupid.

See green where she knew it should be gold, and she'd start asking questions. So far she didn't know he and Lee were the same person, and he wanted to keep it that way as long as he could. You never knew when you might need another tile up your sleeve.

Katara: I mean, sure, I’d notice the colors, but I don’t think I knew enough about firebending to guess why that’s important? I mean, Azula has blue fire – I’d probably just think that making it different colors is something you can do when you’re good enough.

But that's not the real reason, is it? Zuko admitted to himself. I just... I want something she hasn't spit on. Something that's mine. Something I did right.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 67

"It's okay," he said under his breath, as Shirong braced himself. "I've done this before. You were just a little... out of it." The firebender smiled wryly. "This is just checking, not trying to patch you back together before you bleed to death. It won't hurt."

"So you say." Shirong leaned back against comforting stone, eyeing gold and green and violet with a speculative look. "I've seen those colors before... oh." He laughed, apparently surprising even himself. "Oh, that was inspired. No one would ever..." He glanced at Iroh. "Your idea?"

"My nephew's," Iroh smiled. "It has served us well."

Zuko made himself ignore the banter, the way he was ignoring angry blue eyes boring into the back of his neck. Only the fire mattered. The fire, and the wounded chi it was mending.

Move slowly, Amaya's voice murmured in memory. Quick healing is good. It's what you need on the battlefield, or with accidents that can kill in heartbeats. But once the worst is mended... slow. Go slow, and wait, and listen. Don't force wounds to heal. Let your patient's body and spirit tell you what they need.

Zuko: Rich coming from the lady who molds people into what she thinks they need whether they ask for it or not…

Zuko held healing fire against scarred skin, and waited, eyes closed. There was the fire in his hands, and there the resistance of healing wounds, like dull copper knots. And there...

That's it. That's what Shirong was talking about.

He had to be careful, wisps of fire touching gentle as a breath, or everything blurred into one flow of energies. But when he held still, and waited... Fine threads of chi led outward from Shirong's skin, subtle as spiderweb on a dewy morning; thicker, somehow more practiced, about hands and feet. The threads sank into earth and stone, rooting the Dai Li agent like a young sapling; drawing strength from earth, but frail enough that uncaring hands could tear it away. And it had been torn. Large swathes of that web trembled in the shimmer of fire; tattered and broken, scarred by spirit claws.

Benders need their element. Zuko swallowed hard, thinking of the strength he always felt around open flame. Of the sea barges for imprisoned earthbenders, and the dry cells Uncle had told him about for captured waterbenders. I'm going to be sick.

No. He was not going to throw up in front of Katara. He wasn't going to give the little idiot the satisfaction.

MG: *sighs* Once again, I was almost liking the healing scene and the way Vathara described it, and she had to go and ruin it with more Katara-bashing.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 68

Just breathe, Zuko told himself firmly. One thing at a time. You can't change what happened. But you can fix this. Here. Now. You can give Shirong a chance.

He leaned into the flames, adding their strength to injured strands one gentle stroke at a time. Over here to nurture, and over there to draw jagged ends together and splint, and there...

Huh. That's interesting.

Some of those new, faint threads of chi weren't seeking stone. They reached up and out instead, almost as if...

Katara: *thinks back to the last few chapters, her eyes go wide* Wait, is that what I think is happening…

MG: *grimly* It is.

All Sporkers: *facepalm*

Deep in the flame, Zuko smiled. It's night. Why don't you come over here?

Wisps touched flame, and he felt Shirong start. Zuko made one more slow pass, and nodded, releasing fire and blinking his way back to the world. "Don't use the gloves unless you have to," he told the startled agent, pressing the lamp into his hands. "But move a few pebbles, once in a while. What the haima-jiao did to your chi... it's kind of like if you broke your leg. We've got it set straight, and it's healing. You don't want to put a lot of weight on it. But if you don't put a little on it... even resting, the bone won't get strong the way it should. So just be careful."

He glanced carefully over his shoulder, to see Katara watching him. Scowling. No surprise there. But behind the scowl...

She saw something she didn't expect, Zuko realized. What? She's a healer.

Katara: I mean, you were clearly trying to hide what you were doing from me, so you tell me – what might I notice that you don’t want me to?

Though he didn't really care. Just as long as she was watching him. And not Jinhai, who'd been looking at the little lamp with open longing.

We're going to have to do something about that. We can't stay down here too long. Uncle and I can take it, but Jinhai could panic. And if he does that while Katara's here - not good.

Katara: What!? He’s a little kid! I wouldn’t hurt him just for being a firebender – does Zuko think I’m no better than Jet? No better than Vathara’s Jet at that, which is just kind of insulting.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 69

Anywhere but Ba Sing Se, with anyone but Katara, he wouldn't have worried about it. But he'd tracked the Avatar's little band for months. Outside of Toph, they couldn't keep a secret to save their lives. No way was he going to put Jinhai's life in their hands.

The Blind Bandit Wins Again: 31

He Has Much to Learn: 67

Toph. Oh no. "Where are the others?" Zuko asked abruptly, looking at Katara.

"Like you care." She shot a glance at Iroh. "You said you'd keep him away from me."

Zuko: And it doesn’t look like anyone is even trying so, uh… sorry about that?

"It is a fair question," Iroh said mildly. "You do not wish to be bait to lure the Avatar, which is wise. But Azula will not hesitate to use your brother or young Toph, if she can. Are they safe?"

"Do you think I'd stay here if they weren't?" Katara challenged him.

Yes. Because you're an idiot.

Beware the Sugar Queen: 70

Zuko gritted his teeth and kept quiet while Iroh made soothing conversation. What your opponent didn't say could be the most important thing of all.

She didn't say they were safe. She doesn't know.


The tricky part was, did she not know because the Avatar's little group had been their usual feckless selves and scattered to the four winds when they thought they were safe? Or had she thought they were somewhere they'd be okay, only now she was actually putting together what it meant that Azula was in the city?

Damn it, I need to know!

Katara: Well, maybe if you weren’t constantly calling me a backwards idiot you hate, and if you hadn’t attacked me and dragged me down here, you might have a better shot at getting me to open up to you!

Zuko sat on his temper, and made himself think. No. He didn't need to know. Uncle needed to know, and Iroh was currently talking the Water Tribe girl into picking out one of the many futons Uncle's Pai Sho-playing friends had stocked this little underground house with. If anyone could get it out of her, Iroh would.

Finding his own corner, away from everyone else - no way did he want a repeat of that mess with Huojin - Zuko curled up and closed his eyes. And tried not to panic.

Azula's in the city. With Mai, and Ty Lee. And Long Feng ready to eat out of her hand.

MG: I still can’t help but think that every time Zuko seems to just know that Azula is going to come out on top against Long Feng that it feels less like a realistic prediction he’s making because he knows his sister, and more that he knows what will happen because he’s read ahead in the script.

And Amaya was still in her clinic, counting on Dai Li calculations of her usefulness to keep her away from Azula's eye.

Zuko: Right, because we needed our reminder that Amaya is a Dai Li “asset” and depends on their patronage.

Which is going to last as long as it takes for Long Feng to figure out Azula owns him, Zuko thought bleakly. Then he'll be grabbing for anyone else he can feed her, to keep her away from his throat.

Katara: Why does the idea of Azula and Amaya meeting fill me with dread?

MG: *grimly* Because it should… but maybe not for the reason you might think. I’ve mentioned before I don’t like how Vathara ends up handling Azula’s arc… and Amaya is actually going to play a role in that, down the line.

Which might take... oh, another two days. Depending on how cranky his sister was feeling.

Azula: *sticking her head in* I’ll have you know I am poised and ruthless and lethal. I am not “cranky.”

Enough time for Iroh to convince Amaya to do the smart thing, and hide. He hoped.

It's her life. It's her right to risk it for what she cares about.

Which didn't stop Zuko from wanting to knock Master Amaya out and carry her down here like a sack of potato-chokes. He'd bet almost anything Uncle was tempted. And... maybe somebody from the Water Tribe would have done that. Zuko didn't know. But they couldn't do that to her.

Katara: It wasn’t somebody form the Water Tribe who knocked me out and dragged me down here…

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 51

Step between her and her loyalty? No. No way.

He'd done what he could. Saved what, who, he could. Now Azula would do whatever she was planning, and they had to be ready. Meaning they had to have clear heads.

Which meant sleep. Oh, joy.

Haven't had nightmares for at least a few days, Zuko thought with bleak humor. Guess I'm overdue.

He needed sleep. He knew that. As surely as he knew the night was going to be one long parade of horrors.

Zuko: *muttering* It’s not like Vathara already cut out my most important dream sequence or anything…

Survive, Zuko told himself flatly. You don't have to like it. You just have to do it.

Determined, he tried to think of nothing at all.

I wonder if Mai pulled it off...

MG: Spoilers – she did. Have I mentioned that loyalty sickness mysteriously doesn’t kill off major characters?

Anyway, this half-a-chapter might as well have been subtitled “Let’s Crap on Katara,” because that’s pretty much what it entailed. We had Katara’s initial argument with Zuko, and then her confrontation with Iroh, Tingzhe and Shirong (and Meixiang was there too, I guess) and then another scene with Zuko. And all of them boiled down to the idea that Katara is a stubborn, petulant, selfish child who is horrible for not just sitting down and letting Zuko and the others explain the ways of the world to her and go along with what they say, regardless of how little reason she actually has to trust them. Worse is how this is the chapter where we really start seeing Katara’s antagonistic role get tied to her Water Tribe heritage, making it plain that her culture and upbringing are directly responsible for her (in Vathara’s eyes) bad behavior. And that would be pretty awful under ordinary circumstances, but again, when you start factoring in how the Water Tribes are an indigenous coded people who have been (especially the South, Katara’s people) victims of war and imperialism, and some of the people doing the lecturing are from the same nation that’s been doing the war and imperialism… eeesh, it’s not a pretty picture. Not helping is that all the worldbuilding Vathara does for the Water Tribes is filtered through the need to either make Katara look bad or the Fire Nation look better. It can get really uncomfortable to read, really quickly. Making it worse is that much of today’s post involves Katara, a teenage girl, being cornered and essentially browbeaten by a bunch of powerful adult men who are trying to wear her down and force her to see their point of view, the optics of which are not great! Though it’s really just one fairly early example of a trend we’ll be seeing across the fic where characters Vathara doesn’t like (usually Aang or Katara) get cornered by those she does, and can only splutter incoherently and barely get a word in edgewise as they get the “real” facts of life calmly explained to them. It gets very old, very fast.

The said thing is, as I mentioned, there are some genuinely really good moments here, especially for Zuko. They’re just… buried deep under all the awfulness. Which I think is a metaphor for how I feel about the fic as a whole. It’s not without its virtues, but that just makes it all the more frustrating how they get buried in all the blatant authorial favoritism, elitism, racism and general unfortunate implications.

In any case, that’s all for today! By the way, the good news is that by my calculations (based on the total chapters in the fic and when and where I’m planning on splitting them) with today’s installment we should be roughly a quarter of the way through this spork! *beat* Valar help us, we’re only a quarter of the way through this spork… Next time, we check in with Mai, have more Katara (great…) and learn a bit more about what Iroh is up to. We’ll see you then! Our counts stand at:

Beware the Sugar Queen: 70 (wow, this count nearly doubled this chapter, huh…)

The Blind Bandit Wins Again: 31

The Deadly Depths: 29

Detached from Reality: 12

Divine Right to Rule: 62

Elemental Determinism: 52

He Has Much to Learn: 67

Prince Stuko: 114

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 51

The Real Victims: 42

Roads to Nowhere: 1

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 51

Stations of the Canon: 39

The Superior Element: 61

True Guardians of Balance: 3

The Ultimate Firebenders: 23