masterghandalf

Chapter Seventy-Nine

We open with Zuko having awoken in a small Fire Nation-style house, staring out over a harbor where he sees both Byakko and Water Tribe ships and thinking this isn’t going to end well. A voice behind him comments that he’s up. He’s startled to recognize it and greets the speaker as Lady Karasu – he wants to know how tense the situation with the Water Tribes is right now. He can tell it’s at least somewhat tense because, gesturing out over the harbor, he can see that none of them are above the tsunami line. Karasu admits that’s the case, and they’ve tried to politely suggest the Water Tribes move on. Byakko has some leeway to trade with other lands, but this many Water Tribe “merchants” is cutting it close. At the same time, Byakko doesn’t have enough military strength on their own to make them leave. Still, Karasu says that family helps family, even if Hakoda’s reaction to meeting his long-lost kin isn’t what they hoped for. That includes Karasu’s husband. Zuko turns to look at her, and is stunned by how much she resembles Ursa, her sister – he has to fight back tears. Karasu says her husband, Amak, is keeping the children away – they all want to meet their famous cousin, but Karasu knows it takes time to pull yourself back together after channeling as much lightning as Zuko did, especially since he’d also just been tormented by a sea serpent. Zuko corrects that he’s infamous and could cause even more trouble for Byakko than the Water Tribes just by being here. Karasu says it’s their duty to pick up someone shipwrecked, and Zuko asks if they found the sea serpent’s body – he’d only though kadzhait lived in cold water. Karasu doesn’t know about kadzhait, but they have very similar creatures here at Byakko called rakko. There are several pods or tribes – the spotted ones are trustworthy, but the deep divers sometimes have a nasty sense of humor. Zuko says he noticed that, but Karasu corrects him that wasn’t a rakko anymore – it was a sea serpent, and the rakko are glad he killed it. Zuko thought creatures of water wouldn’t like someone who hurt their family, but Karasu says that they are angry and sad, but they knew what the serpent had done and wanted to do, and that what Zuko did was for the best. Even Hakoda understands, after it killed two of his men. That’s another reason why they let the Water Tribes stay – if Byakko drove them into the clutches of the sea serpent, it could have driven them mad or killed them. Killing Hakoda’s men themselves would have been kinder, even if it violated hospitality.

Zuko wants to know how much Karasu knows; all she’ll say is that they found him unconscious. Zuko thinks to himself that of all Shidan’s daughters, Karasu inherited his mental powers the most, but there’s no easy way to explain how he knows that. The only reason he does know is that he has Kuzon’s memories. Out loud, he says that he knows Karasu is a healer, and thinks she could have guessed some of what happened to him from his injuries. Karasu is more interested in what happened before he was in the water – she thinks it’s clear he fell from a great height. Zuko admits Aang is alive, and he’s with Hakoda’s daughter, who only cares about combat waterbending and never learned to shut herself off from things that might influence her through the water. Zuko explains what happened between him, Katara, Aang and the serpent. Karasu can’t understand how Aang has survived this long – she’s also disgusted that Zuko called Katara Aang’s “girlfriend,” when Aang is a hundred and twelve years old. Zuko can’t help but snicker as he realizes wanted posters must not have made it out to Byakko – he calls Aang a hundred-and-twelve year old brat, and explains about how he was frozen. Aang’s only lived twelve years, but he still hasn’t learned to think, and never thought he’d have to grow up. He thinks that if Sozin hadn’t started the war, Aang would have gotten a nasty surprise when he turned sixteen. They fall silent and Zuko turns to look out at the bay, thinking that the escaped waterbenders who settled here are doing well. Apparently, it was the White Lotus who arranged for their ship to be “lost” where Byakko could help them; apparently, Kuzon hadn’t thought it would work, but Karasu had believed in them. She helped them settle here in Lituya Bay, a place where the ocean rules. Some of the survivors died, but most of them held on and made a new life for themselves. Kuzon remembered Karasu pining after one particular waterbender; now she’s married, and Zuko wonders how it happened. Eventually, Karasu tells Zuko something she’s told her children, that once you have the power to take a life, you’re no longer a child. Zuko wants to meet his cousins and wishes that between Aang and Koh he could just rest. He thinks that he’s missed having cousins and thinks maybe someday he could bring the Wens here. Karasu, meanwhile, wants to know just how powerful Katara is, since there was ice in the water when they found Zuko. Zuko admits that wasn’t Katara…

We cut to Hakoda, mending a net and watching some of the local children playing with one of the rakko. He thinks that fire and water aren’t meant to mix peacefully, and the scene bothers him. Amak, Karasu’s husband, comes over and Hakoda comments that Katara was never like that; Amak says she would have had to teach herself, and that’s hard. Hakoda says Sokka made sure Katara was never alone, but she did think she was the last Southern waterbender – why didn’t Amak and his people ever come home? Amak admits it was shame and takes time to note how disunified the southern tribes always were. They always wanted to go their own way, never being ruled by anyone, and that worked until something came along that threatened all of them. Hakoda thinks that the Avatar should never have let things get that far… then realizes that Aang was twelve when Sozin started the war, and the implications of just what he’s saying. Amak says that Hakoda’s taking it better than he did, when Karasu showed him the histories and he calculated the dates. He thinks about how much Sozin gambled on that one day, and how if any of his plan had gone wrong he’d have lost everything and history would have taken a very different course. But another reason why Amak never went back was because he had nothing to go back to. The Fire Nation killed his whole family and destroyed his village when they took him. Hakoda says his tribe would have welcomed him, but Amak says he would have poisoned everyone in the tribe with hate – especially Katara. Amak was a young man when they took him, and not a warrior, and after he and his companions saw what Hama became in order to escape, they vowed to never let the same happen to them. They all felt shamed and tainted, and then their ship went down, but Amak was too stubborn to die – and he remembers how someone fished him out of the water. He wryly comments to Hakoda to never get Karasu angry in a storm – Hakoda thinks rain makes firebenders weaker, but Amak corrects him, not Byakko firebenders. He points to the children playing with the rakko, and says they’re young and trusting, like Katara would have been. But even the rakko know their own kind can go insane and need to be put down. He reminds Hakoda about the sea serpent.

Hakoda thinks back to what the serpent left of two of his men, and how death was a mercy for them. Luckily, the swampbenders had recognized the sea-serpent’s influence and shown them how to shield themselves from the worst of it with lamp oil – Hakoda doubts he’s ever going to go anywhere without that ever again. Amak muses about how murderous the serpent was, and if it could have been human once. Hakoda is stunned, so Amak reminds him of the old story of the sea-born; Hakoda can’t recall it. Amak thinks Kanna never told him – Bato said she was from the North, where they care more about politics than old stories. They write them down, but books don’t help if no one reads them. Amak has started proper storytelling here, so his children will know the truth about things. Though he does worry – it only takes one person to betray them. Hakoda asks if he’s implying someone betrayed his tribe to the Fire Nation, and Amak reminds him they knew that Katara was a waterbender – someone told them. Hakoda refuses to not trust his tribe and tells Amak he should be ashamed, and Amak repeats that he’s tainted, or maybe broken would be a better word. Hakoda’s not a bender, so he doesn’t understand the trauma of being taken away from your element. Hakoda still doesn’t get it, and Amak says that in Byakko, they may be Fire Nation but at least they understand benders and wanted to help. Hakoda still can’t believe he married a firebender, and Amak says that only happened after Azulon murdered her grandfather. Hakoda can’t believe that Azulon would kill one of his own lords, then remembers the swampbenders telling him they’ve traded with Byakko for decades, and realizes that Byakko doesn’t support the war. Amak agrees – not only to they think it’s wrong, but if they lose enough firebenders they could lose control of Mount Shirotora, which would be bad for everyone. Most of all, Kuzon was Aang’s friend and couldn’t save him. Hakoda should never underestimate what a firebender will do to regain their honor. Hakoda admits he’s met Zuko and wonders why he’s still alive. Amak thinks he’s too stubborn to die, but Hakoda says that’s not the point – he’s Azulon’s grandson; shouldn’t Byakko be in a feud with his family? Amak says that in the Fire Nation, you can’t have a vendetta against the Fire Lord, since he’s the highest authority, and even if you could, you target the murderer, not their family. Hakoda says Zuko’s an exile, and Karasu might even do her domain a favor by killing him, with the bad luck he attracts. Amak is amused and starts singing in Water Tribe-style the family tree of Kuzon’s descendants. Kuzon’s granddaughters were Chihisen, Karasu… and Ursa. Hakoda recognizes Ursa as the name of Zuko’s mother, and Amak assures him that Zuko’s aunt has no intention of harming him, and nobody here will dare go against her by trying.

We cut to Zuko watching the rakko in the harbor; he thinks it’s no wonder people think they’re extinct, because who’d believe creatures like that were real? Karasu thinks that some people say the same thing about dragons. Zuko thinks the rakko aren’t like dragons, they’re too… silly. Karasu thinks Ursa was serious too, and Zuko is clearly her son – that, or he was raised by raven-wolves. Zuko says it was worse – he was mostly raised by Iroh, some marines, and a few Komodo rhinos. They talk about how Zuko became a yaoren, and whether Yue took the Fire Lord’s heir on purpose. Zuko didn’t want to follow his father, but he also didn’t want Azula to follow him. He feels that with Ursa gone, he and Azula were just pai sho tiles for the court to use, even Iroh – even now. Zuko intends to have a word about that when he gets back home. Karasu warns him to think that through before trying it and tells him to calm down about the rakko. Zuko admits he’s not good with people – even worse than Shidan. He also thinks that Hakoda has figured out Karasu is up to something. He’s been fighting the Fire Nation too long not to realize they’re always up to something. Karasu takes a moment to introduce Zuko to her children and some of the younger rakko; they keep a respectful distance, and he can see Hakoda look disapproving, but thinks that the Fire Nation don’t squash people together like the Water Tribes do, and anyone would if they threw sparks when they were stressed. He formally promises not to impose on Byakko, and Shila, Karasu’s eldest daughter, asks if he’s serious. Karasu says he grew up at court and reminds him he’s among family. Zuko tells her that they’re in danger as long as he’s here, and he also has information for Hakoda that might make him leave peacefully, even though he doesn’t want to share details. Though it pains him, he excuses himself and heads over to Hakoda, who is stunned that he turned his back on his family. Zuko says they may be his family, but he knows nothing about them. Ursa never talked about her side of the family – what Zuko and Azula didn’t know, they couldn’t tell Ozai. Now they want to trust him, but they can’t, because he’s an exile, and if Ozai’s forces catch him they’ll kill him – and anyone who harbors him. Karasu would try to protect them, but it might not be enough.

Zuko forces a memory of Ozai burning him down, and Amak tells him he’s still healing and needs to rest. Zuko says there’s no time. He was staying with Aang, helping him, and even when he was trying to save Katara from the sea serpent, Aang attacked him and nearly killed him. Zuko can’t even say he meant to kill him, because Aang never though it through that far at all. Hakoda can’t’ believe it, and Zuko says Aang didn’t even know the serpent was there, though he would if he’d given Zuko a chance to explain. He thought he knew who the good guys were, so he never bothered to ask questions. But Zuko, for once, must have gotten lucky. Hakoda can’t believe it, when his men couldn’t fight the serpent. Zuko’s fought water spirits before; this wasn’t a spirit, but its powers worked on the same principle. Amak mutters about Hama, and Zuko recognizes the name from Kuzon’s memories. Hakoda just wants to know about Katara;
Zuko thinks she’s probably fine, but she needs to train with some actual healers. Hakoda wants to know what happened, and Zuko explains how the sea serpent got her. He thinks Katara was fighting her, and he’d circled her with fire to break its connection, but then Aang came in, and though he saw Zuko attacking Katara. Hakoda admits he’d have thought the same until recently, but he’s learned more about spirits from the swampbenders. Zuko explains he’s been adrift at sea before, and for longer, and he thinks Sokka and Katara are okay now – but if they’re going where Zuko thinks they’re going, they might need help. And Hakoda needs help too. Zuko is proposing not just a truce, but an alliance. Hakoda gets to help his family, and Zuko gets waterbenders out of Byakko. Byakko can’t ally with the Water Tribes, but Dragons’ Wings can. Zuko knows he can’t defeat his father on his own – Ozai is one of the most powerful firebenders alive, maybe one of the most powerful ever. But sooner or later he’ll come down on Dragons’ Wings, and Zuko will need help to stop him. Aang almost killed him, but if Ozai wins and carries out Koh’s plans, that will be much worse. Amak says that the Avatar is a spirit, and if Aang broke his alliance with Zuko by attacking him, he could be in danger. Zuko doesn’t think there are any sea serpents at the Boiling Rock; Amak agrees there aren’t. He’s worried about something worse.

We end with an author note. A/N: There are a few dozen species of dolphin. Some with surprisingly limited distributions. So whether or not the species of arctic-loving kadzhait Avatar Kesuk was familiar with survives in the present of Embers, there are other walking whales. And yes, spotted - and even pink - dolphins exist. Really.
Lituya Bay is a real place on the coast of Alaska, with an interesting geological history. (See Wikipedia.) I've actually toned it down a bit for Embers.

MG’s Thoughts

This is mostly a quiet interlude after the last couple of chapters. It’s solid enough, and finally meeting some of Ursa’s family is nice, but there are still some issues I have with it. First off, Byakko has kadzhait (or rakko). By itself, that’s not so noticeable, except Byakko also has dragons. And airbenders. And fire-healers. And Water Tribe refugees. And a special volcano. And is the only Fire Nation domain to retain some independence from the Fire Lord, and… it’s just kind of a lot. It just can’t help but feel like Byakko is meant to be Vathara’s take on what the Fire Nation should be, and since the Fire Nation is her favorite nation already, Byakko ends up getting loaded down with all the cool stuff that no one else has. The rakko feel kind of out of left field, to be honest… everyone else thinks they’re extinct, but they don’t even seem to be hiding, just sort of hanging out around Byakko, and I guess nobody else ever noticed them? Even when Byakko does business with the rest of the Fire Nation and the rest of the world? For two thousand years? I just have a hard time buying that. I also think it’s kind of interesting that we make a big deal out of meeting Ursa’s sister here, when Ursa herself, despite all the buildup she’s gotten and how important she is in the fic’s backstory, even more than canon, is going to end up only appearing very briefly near the very end.

I also can’t shake the feeling that Hakoda is still being presented as backwards and parochial here compared to the “sophisticated” Fire Nation, even needing the swampbenders to explain important things to him. And I don’t think Vathara really captures the full horror of Amak’s situation – not only being captured, imprisoned and tortured, but then never being able to return home at all afterwards because he can risk infecting other Water Tribespeople (but not Fire Nationals, because of course) just by being around them. He seems remarkably well-adjusted for a guy in his position. And of course, it’s waterbenders who become dangerous if they’re too traumatized. As opposed to firebenders, who can just… bind peoples’ loyalty to them without meaning to… oh, wait… Also, I think Zuko’s telling of what happened between him, Katara and Aang is incredibly slanted. He admits that Aang had every reason to believe Zuko was trying to kill Katara when he found them… and he still thinks Aang should have sat down and tried to talk things out with him? Like, Aang was wrong, because he had incomplete information, but I really don’t get what he was supposed to have done instead, or how he was supposed to tell what Zuko was really doing. But of course, everyone else, and the fic, seems to agree with Zuko.