#zuko visits the Northern Air Temple during his banishment

[jaethecreator]

ATLA SKZ AU

pairings: minsung (forbidden lovers) hyunlix (lix fell first, hyun fell harder) binchan (rivals to lovers) seungin (childhood friends to lovers) avatar: felix (originally a waterbender) felix learns the bending of elements in this order: water, air, water again (healing), earth, fire the order felix meets the members in: seungmin and jeongin, han, chan and changbin, hyunjin and minho

airbenders: jeongin and seungmin

jeongin and seungmin were trained as monks together and are always together. they love to pull pranks on the higher ups with their airbending, and their flying air bison is def named pocchako, i dont make the rules! seungmin and jeongin both have their marks, but sadly their air temple is attacked during one of their sparring sessions and they're forced to relocate to the closest air temple. on their way, they run into felix and decide to aid him on his journey to master all of the elements instead of relocating. felix then learns airbending from them.

earthbenders: changbin and chan

changbin and chan are both earthbenders, but chan has experience with metalbending and sandbending as well. they're both generals in the earth kingdom and like to show off to each other. one day on a patrol, changbin's unit is attacked by firebenders. chan receives the distress call and leaves his post to make sure he's okay and to provide aid. however, the firebenders attacking changbin's unit were a distraction. after chan leaves his post, the earth kingdom is infiltrated. when chan arrives to changbin's unit, he sees changbin is the only one left alive. both injured, they return to the kingdom and realize they'd fallen for the fire nation's tricks. the earth kingdom deems them traitors, and banishes them. after felix has learned airbending from jeongin and seungmin and how to heal with his waterbending from han, the four of them on their way to the earth kingdom discover injured changbin and chan. they set up camp nearby the kingdom so that felix and han can nurse both generals back to health. changbin ended up with burns on his wrists, so chan bends a pair of metal braces for him to wear.

waterbenders: han and felix (prior to learning hes the avatar)

han and felix are pen pals from the northern and southern water tribe. they used to send letters to each other all the time, complaining about orders and the fire kingdom. when felix learned he was the avatar, he was whisked away to begin training, and han had no clue. felix's last letter was supposed to be sent to inform han, but the elders of the southern water tribe intercepted his letter and destroyed it, believing that hiding felix's identity and status as the avatar would help him keep a clearer mind to focus on his training.

han's waterbending is more healing focused, as he learned more with the women than the men of his tribe because they didnt believe him to be a good fighter. felix was a gifted martial artist at a young age, and so his waterbending was more combat focused than healing. later on when felix, seungmin, and jeongin visit the northern water tribe, they meet han for the first time (although han is pissed bc he thought felix died to the fire nation and mourned his death). reluctantly, han teaches felix how to use his waterbending for healing. han ended up learning bloodbending like katara at some point before felix arrives bc they manipulated his fear of the fire nation/his fear of felix's "death" against him and made him believe he needed to learn it, but remembering that time brings him great anxiety so he swears to never use it unless there's no other choice. after felix defends the northern water tribe in the avatar state (very badly because he cant control it yet) han decides to join felix, seungmin, and jeongin, because the tribe believes felix needs to be kept in check during his journey.

firebenders:

hyunjin and minho

def getting azula and zuko vibes from them. hyunjin is the younger brother and more of a show off, but minho is the older and more powerful sibling. hyunjin works as a dancer in the circus (like ty lee) because the firelord doesnt expect anything from him (;C) meanwhile minho is the firelord's apprentice and is forced to carry his bidding and prove himself time and time again. he wishes to join his brother in the circus and dance freely with his fire, but his fire is forced to be a weapon. on the way to the firenation, felix and his gaang (see what i did there) seungmin, jeongin, han, changbin, and chan, end up attending the travelling circus, which hyunjin is a part of. felix ends up falling in love with hyunjin's dance and talent, and decides he wants to learn firebending from him. however, before he can get to hyunjin after the circus performances end, hyunjin is kidnapped by a group of rebels against the firenation. they learned of his true identity as the second son of the firelord, and aim to ransom him so that the firelord will end the war. when the firelord hears of this, he cares very little about hyunjin's life. minho, however, burns with anger and defies his father's wishes in order to go save his brother. while minho travels to the location the rebels sent, felix and his gaang are also on the hunt for hyunjin. changbin and chan are EXTREMELY against it, especially after their traumatic experiences with the fire nation. han is also deeply against it, and starts having more nightmares about bloodbending and having to use it to protect felix and the others. however, seungmin and jeongin explain the teachings they received from the monks, and that a single bender is not at the faults of his nation, nor his family. reluctantly, changbin and chan give in. as the oldest, they still worry greatly about the entire group and are on high alert the whole time. meanwhile, han continues to struggle mentally. at some point, he leaves their camp and goes far away to practice his bending to clear his mind. unknowingly, minho watches from afar, mesmerized with the beauty of han's bending a while, before it starts to remind him of the beauty in hyunjin's dancing. he misses his brother, and he misses home, even if he hates their father. han ends up noticing minho first and starts freaking out, not even able to scream because hes in so much terror. minho ends up standing at a safe distance and calming him down, before being honest and introducing himself while sharing his intentions. after learning that minho just wants to save his brother and doesnt believe in continuing the war, han calms down and explains he and the gaang's intentions as well. after realizing the avatar himself AND his group of exceptional benders wants to save his brother, even though hes the second son of the firelord, minho is deeply moved. he pledges to aid them, but when han and minho return to camp, everyone is gone. realizing the rebels must've found their camp, minho and han follow their tracks to go and save everyone. OK IF ANYONE ACTUALLY LIKES THIS SHIT I MIGHT CONTINUE BECAUSE I HAVE LOTS OF IDEAS AHAHAHAHAH

[aboutiroh]

other post-canon events that are real (to me)

- After becoming Fire Lord, Zuko makes diplomatic trips to the places he visited during his banishment. He pays for the damages he caused in Kyoshi island. He personally apologizes to Song and her mother for stealing their ostrich horse and gifts them two in return. With much needed help from Katara and Suki, he sends a letter to Jin to thank her for their date and apoligize for his behavior.

- Melon Lord makes a comeback in the training program of the Kyoshi warriors. The final part of their training includes fighting Melon Lord (aka Toph and Mai have a good time being absolute menaces)

- Speaking of Toph and Mai, they actually hit it off pretty well and become close friends.

- While initially pleasantly surprised by Pakku’s arrival at the South Pole (nothing ever happens there, so it was a nice change to have a sibling tribe visit), on her wedding day Kanna comes to her senses and realizes she would rather be the last person on earth than having to spend another day with Pakku and thus runs out on her wedding. Katara supports this wholeheartedly. Sokka is sad that he can’t call Pakku granpakku anymore (important side note, he was never allowed to call him that) but is otherwise indifferent to the whole thing. Aang makes sure the wedding cake is not wasted. Toph is just glad she doesn’t have to spend more time on the South Pole. Amid the chaos, Zuko wonders whether his uncle would have a shot with Kanna.

-On a second trip to the Northern Air Temple, Aang reopens the discussion on respecting the sanctity of the temple. Sokka helps him draw out new plans that allow for further industrial development while preserving the cultural heritage. After they leave, Teo oversees the whole thing and makes sure Aang and Sokka’s plans are followed through.

*shakes hobo cup* ya got any a:tla hot takes?? -flameo-motherfucker

- After the war, Toph becomes close friends with the Boulder and invites him to Sokka’s surprise birthday party. It’s the best thing that happens to him that year.

- Speaking of Sokka, he’s the only one to go to university in Ba Sing Se and hangs out at the Jasmine Dragon a lot. That’s how he becomes close friends with Iroh and gets in touch with the Order of the White Lotus

- Zuko loves to visit the tea shop whenever he can and is amused to see Sokka is popular with both old people and the student population (but mainly with old people)

- Meanwhile Katara is helping to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe, but she’ll make occasional visits to Earth Kingdom villages and cities to help them out too. She doesn’t admit it, but part of the reason why she does that is because she got used to grass and misses it now.

- Aang starts a jewelry business at some point in his life. He also adds a bakery to the list of businesses, because he absolutely makes the best pie in the world.

- While Katara and Zuko are on their live-changing fieldtrip, Sokka actually borrowed Momo for a week. No-one knows what exactly happened. Sokka refuses to answer any questions related to that adventure.

- At some point Sokka encounters Fufu Cuddly Poofs again and he follows Sokka everywhere for a solid three days. For some reason, Sokka doesn’t crave any meat during those three days.

- Ty Lee joins the Kyoshi warriors and teaches them the art of chi-blocking. The Kyoshi warriors were already well respected, but now they are the most feared group of warriors in the world.

[royaltealovingkookiness]

You know something I’ve always kinda wondered: the show seems to suggest that in Zuko’s banishment he visited all 4 air temples, so presumably that would also include the northern one that’s been occupied by Teo & his father for many years, right? Like how the hell did THAT particular misadventure go down?

Thanks for this ask. I was planning to write my headcanons on this for a while, and now you made me do it. 

AO3

Zuko peered through the telescope only seeing endless rolling blue waves. He was convinced that his new acquisition was the key to finding the Avatar. So what if it cost as much as a month’s worth of food for the crew as Lieutenant Jee pointed out rather insolently? They could live on plain rice and noodles for a month if it meant catching the Avatar earlier. Then they could just all go home and eat what they wanted.

It was kind of boring manning the telescope, but everything on this blasted ship was dull and it was up to Zuko to show these snail-sloths the meaning of dedication, discipline and hard work. So even if his eyes were watering from the glare of the sun and his back was hurting from his awkward hunched-over position, Zuko kept staring through the lense doggedly.  

Water. Sky. Fluffy clouds. More water. More sky. More fluff… Wait... He almost forgot to breathe when he spotted a black shadow moving against the blue background. It did not look like a bird; he was sure of that. And by his calculation - and he was definitely getting the hang of navigation - the shadow appeared exactly in the direction of the Northern Air Temple where they were headed.

Suddenly, the shadow was gone. Zuko wasn’t sure if he really saw it or if it was just his imagination playing tricks on him. He looked around the deck and spotted a bald man in a grease-spotted uniform working on repairing one of the hatches. Yoshi or Moshi or something like that. Iroh pestered Zuko endlessly with the importance of learning the names of each crew member, but he wasn’t planning on getting to know to these people. He was planning on going home as soon as possible.

“Hey, you!” he bellowed at the man, paying attention that his voice was as deep as possible. The sailor looked around with uncertainty, trying to see who Zuko could have been addressing. When he realized that he was the only person on deck, he walked slowly over to the prince, standing at a safe distance from him as if he was a rabid polar-dog ready to bite. “Yes, Prince Zuko?”

Zuko swallowed. Maybe he should show interest in the man. “What’s your name?”

“Specialist Yori, Prince Zuko,” he mumbled.

So he wasn’t that far. “Specialist Yori, I order you to look through the telescope and tell me what you see.”

The man gave him an amused look but if he had doubts, he kept them to himself. Squinting, he peered through the lenses. “I see the ocean. And the sky.”

“Look harder…” Zuko snapped and watched tensely as Specialist Yori looked again. There was a long pause, silence and sharp breath.  

“Well, I’ll be damned…” he said incredulously.

Zuko exhaled with relief. His eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. He really was going to go home.

-0-

“Unbelievable…” muttered Iroh as he took in the sight of the circling contraptions. From  a distance, they certainly looked like airbender gliders that he had only seen in textbook illustrations. But it couldn’t be. Everyone knew that all the airbenders were gone.

Zuko’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Uncle, you know what this means.” He was getting his hopes up, something that could only end in one way; bitter disappointment, with Iroh and the crew suffering the aftermath.

“No, I don’t know what it means and you don’t know what this means either,” he tried to caution the boy.

“We have to attack them.” Zuko put one arm on his hip and pointed with the other towards the temple. He looked about as threatening as a koala-sheep.

Iroh carefully swallowed the chuckle that was gathering in his throat. “And how do you plan to do that? Should I remind you that we have a small crew and air temples are notoriously hard to attack. That’s why Fire Lord Sozin waited until the comet.”

Zuko deflated immediately, looking less like a bossy koala-sheep and more like a young boy who had no business running a military mission. He looked at Iroh with uncertain eyes. “So what do you propose?”

Iroh pondered the question, sipping his tea pensively. He wanted to introduce the truth about the world beyond the Fire Nation to Zuko slowly, gradually. But it looked like Destiny (the fickle bitch she was, Iroh added in his mind somewhat uncharitably) decided on a crash course instead.

Maybe it was a learning opportunity. “We could go in disguise, Prince Zuko. Just the two of us.”

Zuko nodded his agreement.

-0-

The rough material of the drab, shapeless and not very clean-looking clothes that Zuko borrowed from his crew for the expedition were making his skin itch as he climbed with single-minded determination the narrow and steep path to the air temple. Iroh has fallen behind, huffing and puffing from the exertion.

Zuko looked up when he heard a beep, just above his head. It was a young boy of maybe ten years old in a strange flying contraption smiling and waving at him.

“You’re not an airbender.” Zuko couldn’t contain his disappointment.  

The boy gave him a strange look. “No. I’m Teo. The airbenders died many years ago,” he said with a sad expression, like it was a bad thing.

“But how can you fly then?”

A proud smile appeared on the boy’s face. “My dad built this for me He’s really smart, my father, he can build all kinds of great stuff. He designed everything around here.” Teo gestured towards the temple, where white puffs of smoke appeared in the sky.

Zuko felt irritation at the boy’s boasting. So what if his dad could build stuff? Zuko’s dad owned this entire place, flying chairs and smoking chimneys included. After all, it was the Fire Nation who conquered the air temples at the price of life and blood of many brave soldiers.

“And who let you come here?” Zuko asked suspiciously.

The boy just shrugged. “We’ve been living here for a long time. You have to talk to my dad if you’d like to stay. He’s in charge.”

“What do…” Zuko snapped but before he could finish his thought, Iroh appeared behind him, panting heavily.

“We’d be honoured to meet your father,” Iroh smiled at Teo.

As it turned out, despite all the boasting, Teo’s father did not cut an impressive figure. He was a short, scrawny man in an apron, like a common tea-server, squinting and blinking behind his thick glasses.

“They call me the Mechanist here. We welcome refugees like you and your son…” he bowed towards Iroh.

Zuko took a step towards the man. “We are not…” refugees and he’s not my father.

Iroh interrupted again, before Zuko had a chance to finish. “My nephew and I are simply tired travellers who wanted to marvel at the architecture of this wondrous place. My nephew is a great enthusiast of ancient buildings.”

The Mechanist took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking between Iroh and Zuko like he wasn’t quite buying this cover-story. Zuko couldn’t blame him. It was a really bad one. Clearly, Uncle was not great at improvisation.

“But surely we can offer you some tea,” the Mechanist noted.

An overjoyed smile appeared on Iroh’s face at the mention of his favourite beverage. “Tea indeed would be wonderful. Such a long climb makes me thirsty.”

“On the way down, you can just use the elevator we built,” Teo laughed.

“Well, while I make the pot ready, why don’t you show …” the Mechanist pointed at Zuko “our young guest around.”

Teo spun around in his chair and turning the wheels, he moved towards the temple. Now watching more closely, Zuko realized for the first time that the boy’s legs were weak and small. He couldn’t walk.

That didn’t seem to bother Teo though, who wheeled himself up the ramp at neckbreaking speed and kept chattering cheerfully, pointing out clever design details to Zuko.

“You see how the hot air powers everything?”

“And the chair?” Zuko asked.

“That too. My dad said if he couldn’t give me back my legs, at least he could give me wings.”

The obvious love in Teo’s voice pierced at Zuko’s heart. His hand went involuntarily to the scorched skin under his eye. This boy was broken, and still his father wanted him to have wings. What did Zuko’s father give him? ( A scar, that’s what, a treacherous voice inside Zuko hissed violently ). Zuko froze with fear. Thoughts like that were unacceptable. It was not Father’s fault that he was weak and brought shame to the family. He was given a just punishment and it was up to him to prove himself to be a loyal and worthy son. If he could only capture the Avatar, he would have his father’s love back.  

Teo was luckily oblivious to Zuko’s inner storm. He parked his chair in front of a wall full of colourful paintings. “Look at these. The airbenders.” There was reverence in his voice as he looked at the drawings - monks in yellow and orange robes, flying and smiling as lazy sky bison looked on calmly, like big furry clouds. They didn’t look as bloodthirsty and violent like Zuko’s tutors at school made them out to be. Then again, owl-cats looked like cute creatures until their claws came out. It didn’t matter. Air-bender paintings were not going to give him any answers.

“But did you meet any real airbenders?” Zuko asked impatiently.

“No, they are all gone, unfortunately. They would have been amazing.”

Zuko stepped in front of Teo and crouched down. “But have you heard something about the Avatar?” he whispered. “He would be an airbender. A very old man.”

Teo shook his head. “Nobody has heard of the Avatar for many years. But some say that he will return to save the world one day. Why are you looking for him?”

“Only he can give me back something I lost. And only then can I go back to my father,” Zuko replied.

Teo looked at him with compassion. Zuko scowled. He was the fire prince. How dare a peasant in a wheel-chair feel pit for him? Teo just flashed a toothy smile at Zuko. “Hey, if you want to see something cool, I can show you dad’s newest ideas. There are some crazy things there.” And he took off.

Zuko wandered back to the main court where the tea-pot was already steaming.

“Good timing, Nephew. The tea is ready,” Iroh waved at him with a content expression. Of course, leave it to Uncle. All he cared about was his stupid tea.

Teo also appeared, his hands full of schematics and drawings that he proceeded to dump on the ground next to Zuko.

“Dad’s going to build a real bathhouse. I’m trying to talk him into a slide,” he laughed enthusiastically. The Mechanist gave him a fond smile and ruffled his hair gently.

Their easy rapport pierced through Zuko again as he tried to search his memory for a playful moment of his hair being ruffled like that by his father. But the hand always belonged to someone else. To mother, to Lu Ten, to Iroh. It was childish and ridiculous. So what if Ozai didn’t behave like some Earth Kingdom peasant? Zuko picked up one of the drawings at random and stared at the lines, but they didn’t mean anything to him. Iroh leaned closer to the design, humming and rubbing his chin in an annoying way.

“This looks familiar,” Iroh pointed to the sketch that looked like a caterpillar-snake, giving a shrewd look the Mechanist.

“It’s just a useless doodle,” the other man snatched the scroll quickly and squinted over his glasses at Iroh more suspiciously. “Where did you say you were travelling to?”

Iroh smiled back innocently. “As the saying goes, it’s the journey that matters, not the destination. Thank you for the tea. It was certainly one I’ve never tasted before.” That was code-word for Iroh disliking the drink. He stood up heavily and poked Zuko in the ribs.  “Nephew, thank these people for their kindness.”

Zuko clamped his jaw tight. He didn’t like Iroh treating him like a child without manners. (Then you should stop behaving like a child without manners) Still, he had to play his role. He bowed stiffly to the Mechanist without saying a word.

“I hope you’ll find what you’re looking for,” Teo waved at him. “Safe travels.”

“You too. I mean you’re obviously not travelling. But… anyway.” Zuko stammered. Awkward. He quickly turned around and stepped into the elevator.

The Mechanist was right. The descent much shorter.

-0-

When Iroh entered the main cabin in search of a partner for a light game of pai sho before bedtime, he found Zuko with a paintbrush and a scroll, forming his symbols with great care.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m writing a report about our search. If Father knew about these people, he could help them,” Zuko replied without looking up.

“They seemed fine to me,” Iroh noted carefully.

“But they are not supposed to be there…” Zuko protested. “Don’t you think Father should know that? In any case, I run this search operation,” he added coldly looking very much like a young Ozai. A chill ran through Iroh’s veins.

“Of course, Prince Zuko. I’ll send for a hawk,” Iroh said pacifying, giving out instructions quietly.

When Zuko finished writing, he rolled up the scroll with great care and placed it in the little case tied to the bird’s left foot.

“I’m going to bed,” he said with a haunted look in his eyes. Iroh understood that look by now. It meant “don’t come close.”

“Good night, Prince Zuko. I’ll send off the bird personally.”

Iroh climbed up to the deck with the hawk. He stared into the dark sky, pondering what was the right thing to do. The moon and the stars looked back at him impassively. The only answer he ever got was silence. Which was preferable to the ghosts that whispered and screamed in his soul, demanding answers, begging for a meaning.

“I’d better take this,” Iroh said quietly, taking the scroll off of the leg of the bird. He held it in his hand for a moment. General Kichiro was making quite the career out of running whatever side-deal he had with these people, passing off the Mechanists inventions as his own ideas. He was a weasel. But Iroh did not have the slightest doubt that if Ozai knew about them, they would be worse off. Thinking of his brother, he felt almost uncontrollable anger rise in his chest. Iroh exhaled, the flame of his rage consuming the letter, keeping the secret of the Mechanist and his son safe, for now.

The messenger hawk blinked at Iroh in confusion. He rubbed the birds neck gently. “Go, be free, if you can.”

The bird didn’t move, only gave Iroh another long blink.

“You can’t, can you?” Iroh sighed. “None of us can.” Maybe together with the airbenders, the Fire Nation also killed freedom. Iroh took the bird and carried it back down to the belly of the ship, hooking the leather leash around its feet once more. The bird let out a sharp screech of relief.

[the-turtleduck-pond]

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to shut this thought up so here it goes.

What happened to the bodies of all the other Air Nomads? We see one. Just one body and it’s Monk Gyatso’s. He’s surrounded by the corpses of Fire Nation soldiers as well.

However, that’s the only bodies we see at any Air Temple. No other bodies in any of the four temples. Fire Nation or Air Nomad.

So what happened to them?

I find it unlikely that Sozin ordered anything done to give them a burial or anything close, so who did?

Before Aang woke up, the temples were fairly untouched (Except for the Northern, but we don’t know how long they were there).

Except during the beginning of his banishment, Zuko went and visited each temple to try and find any trace of the Avatar.

Zuko who shows that he doesn’t seem to want unnecessary pain from anyone. Who was thirteen and had a group of soldiers under his command.

I think he’s the only one who had the time, placement, and reason to do anything with the bodies of the Air Nomads.

[112aang]

Kataang Week 2021: Day 4- Bending

Hello, my lovelies, and welcome to day 4 of Kataang Week. Today’s prompt is Bending, and I actually decided to take it a different direction than most probably would. 

Words: 1,816

You can find my ff.net page here, where the entirety of my Kataang Week submissions will be, as well as my other stories.

---------------

Before getting married, Aang and Katara had talked endlessly about having children. Being the last airbender, he knew well the duty he had to his lost nation and to the world.

The world leaders had been pressuring him since he turned 16, the marrying age. By the age of 13, Aang knew that he wanted to marry Katara, and therefore would have children with her. During world leader meetings, the topic of rebuilding the Air Nation was often a popular one, and each leader felt it necessary to hold the duty over Aang’s head like a dark cloud.

At one particular meeting, after the airbender’s 16th birthday, Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe had suggested the use of surrogates for the Avatar. He argued that with the use of multiple women, many of which being nonbenders, there would be a better chance of producing an airbending child.

Upon hearing this, Aang had jumped from his seat with anger and shot down the Chief’s proposal. His usual passive attitude had vanished, and he had to be held back by Zuko. After conveying his message, the Avatar angrily stormed out of the meeting room, using his airbending to slam the door shut behind him.

Aang hadn’t told Katara much about what the world leaders said, aside from the main points. At this point, they were only still just dating, and the airbender hadn’t planned on proposing yet. Plus, he knew that in the Water Tribes, having children out of wedlock would be begging for banishment. Katara wouldn’t have been able to visit her home, and her grandmother would never get to meet her great grandchild. This was not an option, and Aang knew it.

Over the years following the meeting, the topic had come up occasionally at the round table, but was never discussed at length.

After Aang and Katara’s wedding, however, the world leaders cautiously approached the subject of rebuilding the Air Nation to both benders.

***

“Aang, Katara,” Earth King Kuei said. “Now that you have been wed, when can we expect offspring? The balance of the world depends on the restoration of the Air Nation.”

The newlywed couple looked at one another before Katara spoke.

“King Kuei, with all due respect, it really is none of your business when Aang and I have children. That goes for the rest of you as well.”

She looked around the table at the other world leaders, “we know what is expected of him, being the last airbender, but we will not have children just for the sake of rebuilding an entire nation.”

Zuko’s eyes met hers and he nodded in agreement, as did her father and King Kuei.

Chief Arnook was the only member at the table who hadn’t spoken a word, and Aang looked to him.

“Chief Arnook,” he said. “Anything you would like to say?”

The Water Tribe man glanced between the couple with an unreadable look on his face and sighed loudly.

“My proposal stands. As a married couple, you may share in having children together. But for the sake of the world, I suggest multiple surrogates to ensure the repopulation of the Air Nation.”

Katara was fuming, steam practically shooting from her ears, and Aang was no different. Before his wife could speak, he stood abruptly and pulled her to the exit.

Before leaving the meeting room, the airbender turned to the round table and gave them a look full of anguish and resentment. Katara pulled open the door and they stormed out of the room.

***

Nearly a year had passed since the meeting, and Aang and Katara had just welcomed their first-born son into the world. The waterbender had given birth at the Southern Air Temple, where they had been living, and Aang couldn’t keep a smile off of his face.

The baby’s skin was a shade darker than his father’s, but not quite as pigmented as Katara’s. His hair was a dark brown, almost black, and he had grey eyes- just like Aang.

The couple smiled at the newborn, then each other.

“He’s beautiful, Katara.”

She smiled as tears slowly fell from her eyes, before tilting her head and kissing her husband softly.

“What should we name him?”

Aang thought for a moment, before coming up with the perfect name. His best and oldest friend had passed away just a year and a half prior to his son’s birth; the name was perfect.

“How about Bumi?”

Katara pondered this name for only a second, before casting her gaze upon the child in her arms. She smiled and kissed his forehead gently, before rubbing his cheek with her thumb.

“That’s a perfect name.”

The new parents shared a gentle kiss, hopeful that maybe, the world leaders would finally get off their backs.

***

After Bumi’s 5th birthday, he had shown no signs of bending abilities, which the world leaders had taken note of. They had called a meeting with Aang and Katara to discuss the future of the Air Nation once again, to which the couple reluctantly attended.

“Avatar Aang,” King Kuei said. “Has your son displayed any signs of bending abilities since his most recent birthday?”

Katara looked at her husband, worry sketched on her face. Aang caught her eyes and smiled sadly, the same nervousness on his own face.

“No, King Kuei. He has not.”

The airbender watched as the Earth King and the other members whispered among themselves. His chest felt tight, and his stomach was turning in 100 different directions. From beside him, Katara placed her hand on his thigh reassuringly, and he started to calm down.

Chief Arnook was the next to speak, making both parents’ blood begin to boil.

“We have given you a chance to do this your way, but it seems as though it hasn’t worked in your favor.” He sighed, “we have decided that unless you wish to use surrogates, you and Master Katara must conceive another child within the next year; preferably an airbending child.”

The couple gave each other a knowing look before Katara placed a shaky hand on her lower abdomen. Zuko noticed this from his place across the table and raised his eyebrows.

“Aang, Katara,” he said, incredulously. “Is there something you two would like to share?”

The airbender smiled delicately and placed a hand over his wife’s on his leg.

“Actually,” he turned his head to face Katara. “We do; Katara is pregnant.”

The world leaders surrounding the round table perked up at the sound of this and clapped, bringing a slight blush to the couples’ cheeks.

***

Over the years, Bumi had become saddened at the fact that he was unable to bend an element. Being the first-born son of the Avatar and a world-renowned healer and master waterbender, he felt as though he was a disgrace to his parents.

One evening, at their home on Air Temple Island, Bumi was near the water’s edge with his little sister, Kya. She had just discovered her ability to waterbend, and he was as proud as he could be of her. He would often take her down to the water when their parents were busy and watch her play with her element. Their Uncle Sokka had carved a boomerang just for him, and he would throw it around for Kya to watch.

As the two siblings sat in the sand, the youngest was moving her hand in circles, creating a small whirlpool in the water. Bumi watched with slight jealousy and wondered if his parents thought he was a disgrace- a burden on their shoulders.

Aang and Katara hadn’t spoken to Bumi about bending in months, and he had begun to worry that they were ashamed of him. As the son of the Avatar, he should have been able to bend something. But alas, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t.

Bumi pulled his knees to his chest and sighed. Him and Kya had been on the beach for an hour or so and the sun was beginning to set. He stood from the ground slowly and walked over to his sister, placing a hand on her shoulder softly.

Before he could speak, to tell her to follow him inside, he felt a large hand on his own shoulder. Bumi turned his head to see his father smiling down at him.

“Kya, honey,” his father said. “Why don’t you head inside? Your mother is almost finished with dinner.”

His daughter smiled and nodded, before running up the path towards their home. Bumi started to turn in the same direction that his sister had gone, but Aang stopped him.

“Bumi, can we talk?”

The boy nodded and Aang led him closer to the water. He turned so that he was face to face with his son and smiled.

“Is there something wrong, dad?”

Bumi looked confused, as his father hadn’t had a small chat with him in a while. Aang would try to do things with his son as often as he could, but lately he had been pulled away for meetings more than he would have liked.

He smiled down at his son before crouching down to his level.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he said as he placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. We haven’t talked in a while, just you and me.”

Bumi was almost 12 and was quite smart for his young age. He took after Aang with his honesty, and didn’t hide anything from his parents.

The boy looked into his father’s eyes woefully and sighed.

“Actually, dad,” he began, turning his face away. “I was wondering… Do you think I will ever be able to bend?”

Aang tilted his head slightly at his son’s question, “I’m not entirely sure, Bumi. Why do you ask?”

“I hear you and mom talking sometimes. I know that the other leaders are upset that I can’t bend and… I don’t want to let you down.”

His eyes gathered with tears and Aang wiped them away, placing both hands on his son’s shoulders.

His father looked him in the eyes and said firmly, “Bumi, it doesn’t matter whether you can bend all four elements or none at all. Your mother and I love you with everything that we are, and we wouldn’t change anything about you.”

“I am so proud of everything you have accomplished so far, and it has all been without bending. You are perfect just the way you are.

Bumi’s eyes met his father’s and they smiled at each other.

“Thanks, dad.”

Aang pulled his son into a hug and held him tightly, “I love you, son. Don’t ever think that you aren’t good enough, and never let anyone tell you that you aren’t, either.”

Bumi smiled into his father’s neck and cried, thankful that his family loved him, despite not being able to bend an element.

---------------

Next up is Hurt/Comfort.

[ljf613]

Prince Zuko for the character thing?

First impression  “Hmmm.... significant-looking facial scar....... teenager leading a ship of grown men..... accompanied by a Wise Mentor Figure..... a prince? This guy’s going to be important.” 

Impression now  Hotheaded and impulsive, but kind, caring, and a really hard worker-- loyal to a fault, and never gives up. Needs a nap. 

Favorite moment  Ooh, that’s hard. Maybe the scene in “The Ember Island Players” where he’s talking with Toph? Between joining the team in “The Western Air Temple” and EIP, he’s been trying so hard to fit in, to help everyone else, but seeing him able to be so open and vulnerable with a real friend (something he’s probably never had before) is really nice. (Not to mention that his smile when Toph tells him about her talk with Iroh is so precious.) Either that or the scene in WAT where he apologizes for burning Toph’s feet. The fact that he’s able to acknowledge that he made a mistake-- that just because it was an accident doesn’t change what happened, that having power that could hurt others means being responsible for it-- is huge. It shows development. Zuko being angry, Zuko fighting, Zuko confronting those who hurt him, Zuko bonding with Iroh-- all of those are fairly predictable parts of his character, established all the way back in his very first introduction in season 1. But being able to communicate openly and honestly with friends-- that was not.  (The fact that Toph is in both of these scenes is a total coincidence, honest!) 

Idea for a story  Hmmm.... I’m already writing a couple of stories about Zuko, but something new, huh?  Maybe an amnesia/soul-swap fic where 13-116 year old Zuko wakes up in the body of post-canon Zuko? He thinks he’s still banished, that there’s still a war going on, that he needs to hunt down the Avatar-- but he’s actually Fire Lord, the war’s over, and the Avatar is his best friend.  Alternatively, it might be fun to see a story about Zuko during the three year banishment. Maybe Zuko’s tendency to chase after anything vaguely fanatastical-looking got himself and Iroh wrapped up in Spirit World Schenanigans? Maybe something about “the Blue Spirit’s: first appearance? Maybe just traveling the world and exploring, visiting the Air Temples-- did he ever meet the Airwalkers at the Northern Temple? 

Unpopular opinion  Umm, my post on Zuko’s Memory Bias did not go over as well as I’d hoped it would?  Also, I just generally think people tend to woobify Zuko a lot. He’s not this soft, helpless little angel, that’s kind of the whole point-- writing him that way does a huge disservice to his character. 

Favorite relationship  Probably Aang, Iroh, or Toph. 

Favorite headcanon  In his searching for the Avatar, Zuko did a ton of research, trying to find anything that might be helpful on his quest. Which means he’s probably the foremost expert both on Avatars, and on the Air Nomads.

[spacedust-lion]

The Fire Nation without the avatar's return.

((gifs by them))

If it weren't for Katara's outburst revealing the iceberg, Zuko would have continued scouring the world, looking for the avatar. He would've investigated every unnatural light on his path, would've visited and revisited the air temples millions of times. He would've hung around the water tribes, hoping that the avatar cycle would come to its next step, he would've trekked the Earth Kingdom with the same hopes.

Maybe he would've become exhausted of his search sooner, maybe he would've let Iroh's wisdom get to him earlier, letting him start a humble life away from the Fire Nation...

No, that's unlikely. With Sozin's comet approaching so soon, Zuko simply wouldn't have the time to let go of the love he harbors for his country, unless stripped of all the tiny conveniences he had on his ship (something that likely wouldn't happen without the avatar's appearance setting the plot in motion). By the next summer, Zuko would still wander, all for the sake of getting his father's acceptance back, of getting his right to the throne back.

It's unclear if Azula would enlist her banished brother's help, especially since he would be so insignificant in the grand scheme of things without an avatar to capture. In fact, without Iroh and Zuko becoming traitors, it's unclear if Azula herself would leave her father's side.

Would she conquer Ba Sing Se without the Gaang giving her the tools to do so? After all, before their appearance in the city, there wasn't a clear path to invading it, since the Kyoshi warriors weren't deemed friendly yet (and without the Gaang visiting Kyoshi Island earlier, the Kyoshi warriors wouldn't have been near the impenetrable city either). Though perhaps she'd be tasked with taking the city during the comet.

There wouldn't be an invasion during the Eclipse without Sokka seeking out information about it and charting a plan. It would've been just 8 minutes of mild inconvenience for the Fire Nation. Only Bumi might affect something by taking over his city, but without Aang, the Fire Nation would regain it later anyway.

During the comet, Ozai's incineration force would be the same. Though Azula would greet Ba Sing Se instead of the White Lotus. Together they'd achieve world domination.

Ozai would be crowned Phoenix King. Azula would be his Fire Lord.

Depending on his luck, Prince Zuko might become a casualty of war, incinerated by his own people. His banishment might instead extend to the entirety of the planet, as every land would become Fire Nation soil (except, maybe, the Northern pole). Or the Phoenix King would let his son chase around that mythical avatar, just for the heck of it. It's not like an avatar would be able to reverse all this damage, but it's not like he wants his elder son back either.

In the best case, of course, there's the royal family pardoning Zuko, yet not restoring his titles. But I find the chance slim.

Though with Iroh being a good person, there's the scenario of him committing treason to thwart his brother's plans, once he learns of them. That would put both him and his nephew in a hot spot, increasing the chances of their banishment or death sentences.

To sum all of this up, a world without Aang's return would be really, really miserable and that's just covering the impact he had surrounding the Fire Nation's military conquests and the Fire Nation's royalty. Without the avatar setting on his belated journey and bringing his gang together, by chance or circumstance, the world would remain stagnant, suffering from its endless war. From a writing standpoint, it is great that the characters had such a lasting impact on their world! That's how stories should work!

It's still depressing to think what it would be like if they didn't set on their adventure though.

[astarlightmonbebe]

in the shadow of a flame: book i recap

in honor of me finally finished chapter eight, aka the first chapter of the earth arc, i figured i would summarize what happened in book one: spirits, since it’s been almost two months since i last updated. 

anyways! if you haven’t yet read in the shadow of a flame, please check it out on ao3 - and please, don’t venture past the general premise.

the premise: an atla swap! au where ty lee is the avatar, and the rest of the fire nation gang ft yue are her partners in crime, i mean, traveling and training. our story begins with zuko on year three of his banishment, traveling near the southern pole on the wani. zuko is a nonbender, and is accompanied by his younger sister, azula, who is a master firebender and has been journeying with him for the past year. they are respectively 16 and 15. 

book one: spirits [ spoilers past this point! ]

( i ) an iceberg washes up on the wani during a storm. azula cracks it open with lightning to reveal ty lee and a sky bison (moshi). upon quickly figuring out she must be the avatar, azula and zuko discuss their plans, and decide to, instead of turning her in, they will accompany her and overthrow their father (fun and games! fathers, love your children or they will plot your murder). 

ty lee wakes up, finds out she’s been gone for a 100 years, and about the genocide. zhao’s ship comes, and he attempts to co opt their crew for the northern water tribe invasion. zuko refuses, and azula challenges zhao to an angi kai, which she wins. 

they depart from the wani and decide to journey to the northern water tribe so that ty lee can learn waterbending.

( ii ) they stop at the southern air temple and ty lee is confronted with the truth of the genocide of the air nomads/airbenders. she enters the avatar state, which azula manages to knock her out of, and there is a confrontation between her and the two fire nation siblings.

ty lee has her first firebending lesson with azula, where they deal with some emotions.

( iii ) they stop at an island for a night, where they get kidnapped by the kyoshi warriors. ty lee proves she’s the avatar, visits kyoshi’s temple, and has a visit with kyoshi’s spirit. kyoshi tells her to go to roku’s island.

however, zhao has been tailing them, and he attacks kyoshi island. ty lee connects with the unagi, but they still have to flee. 

( iv ) the gang visits roku’s island and discovers the dragons, who invite the three of them (yes, including zuko) to dance with them. azula and ty lee have firebending breakthroughs. 

ty lee visits with roku’s spirit and learns about her connection to the fire nation siblings. she continues to have a moral crisis about killing the fire lord.

zhao firebombs the island and they have to fly away on moshi again.

( v ) they stop at a neutral seaside town for supplies, but ty lee gets enticed by a merchant who promises rare artifacts, leading them right into a pirate’s lair. they get in a fair amount of trouble when ty lee tries to steal, but manage to get out before getting entirely kidnapped.

while running away from the pirates & having an argument, they have a run in with the yuu yan archers, who zhao has taken temporary control of. ty lee allows herself to be captured in a vain attempt to protect zuko and azula, leading to zuko dressing up as the blue spirit to go and rescue her. he manages to escape with ty lee, but not without getting nailed with an arrow in the shoulder (rip to zuko and his injuries). 

( vi ) when they stop in a small town, zuko gets his wound treated by a fortune teller’s apprentice (song), while azula and ty lee get some ominous fortunes from the teller. azula realizes the volcano is going to erupt, but due to the villagers not believing them, she and ty lee lavabend the volcano and have some tyzula feels.

they arrive at the north pole, where they are introduced to yue, who is a healer in training. ty lee starts to learn from pakku, and is frustrated with his misogyny, while azula is frustrated that ty lee has stopped learning firebending (for the time being) and lashes out. 

yue and zuko are kind of becoming friends, only for the fire nation to swim up.

( vii ) with the northern water tribe under seige, our core four hurry to reunite. yue leads them to the spirit oasis in the hopes that ty lee will make a spiritual breakthrough. she communes with la.

zhao sneaks into the spirit oasis and stabs azula, disrupting ty lee just as she begins to connect with la. yue, in a last ditch effort, gives her life force back to tui and kind of snaps, and ty lee is able to connect with la and push back the fire nation ships. 

tui relinquishes yue’s body, but remains in her soul, as yue is her mortal champion. pakku gives zuko spirit water for azula, and they take yue with them on moshi, knowing the water tribe will ultimately fall in a few days. azula is rejuvenated. 

in ba sing se, an unidentified man receives a missive telling him that the northern water tribe has fallen and it is time to take down ba sing se. the man is iroh, though this is only implied.

and that’s that! please check out the new chapter :) 

[katara-s-blog]

Breathing Exercises, a Zutara oneshot

Written for day two of @zutaraweek 2017! I hope you enjoy it.  Read on AO3

Summary: After two years, Zuko and Katara meet again in the South Pole, and a confrontation quickly turns into a swim in the Antarctic sea. Or, Zuko learns the difference between drowning and being underwater. Rated T.

He looks in the mirror, and finds Ozai staring back.

The faucet runs, and he cups his hands under the water. He throws the water at his face, desperate to wash off his father’s eyes, his father’s grin. In the mirror, nothing has changed, so he claws at his flawless skin. The faucet continues to run, and soon the water is up to his waist. Then his chest. His neck. He continues to claw at his face until the water in front of him starts to pink with blood, until it rises up to his eyes.

Gasping awake, Zuko reaches for his cheek. Relief washes over him as his fingers brush the plastic smoothness of his scar. His room, too large for one man, is lit with early morning light, and he focuses his attention on the soft edges of the bed, and then the doorframe, and then the tapestry. He turns his head to the right and traces the window with his eyes. I’m here, he reminds himself, I’m here. He presses his palm on his chest, feeling a scar there too, as if to still his rapid heartbeat. Too many mornings he wakes up this way, gasping, jolted awake by his ghosts. Each time he wonders how much time has to pass before he no longer feels like drowning.

It has been two years since the war ended, two years since he assumed the position as Fire Lord. It has been two years of atoning for a century of terror and atrocities. It has only been two years, Zuko thinks as he begins his day as he usually does: getting dressed, having breakfast, reviewing newly arrived letters of requests and complaints. The work is tedious, but necessary, and Zuko is determined to bring honor back to his nation. There is nothing else he’d rather do. Some days, however, or perhaps too many days, he wishes he could just breathe without thinking about what his people will eat, about what to do with the remaining colonies. He can only imagine what it must be like to not worry about things often too big for himself on a daily basis. Even before becoming Fire Lord, Zuko lived with a pressure around his neck. As a boy, he had his prodigy of a sister to constantly catch up to. He needed to prove himself as a skilled firebender, and soon enough, a worthy heir to the throne. With the latter backfiring, he lived out three years of his life in banishment, forced to capture the Avatar no one believed was even still alive. Three years at sea, surrounded on all fronts with water that never seemed to end, has trained him to resist more than just pressure. Now, as the Fire Lord during the first era of peace in a hundred years, Zuko is expected to make reparations with other nations while keeping his own stable and satisfied. He has to quell rebellions, to be vigilant of assassination attempts. He worries, too, about his sister, who, in her recovery, refuses to civilly interact with Zuko. Underneath all that, the fear that he will turn out to be just like his predecessors runs deep: every day he struggles to cope with Ozai’s legacy, with being Ozai’s legacy.

It’s too early for this, he thinks, rubbing his temples. He closes his eyes for a moment and focuses on his breathing until he feels calmer. One day at a time. Picking up the next scroll, Zuko finds its contents pleasantly surprising. It’s an invitation to the inauguration of the Southern Water Tribe’s new town hall. As Fire Lord and friend of Sokka and Katara, who have become political leaders of their tribe themselves, Zuko had been regularly receiving updates regarding the state of the SWT. He knows that its sister tribe heavily assisted in rebuilding it, and that establishing a school for benders and non-benders alike, in order to preserve their culture, had been a priority. So too was reestablishing a political organization, a better one, since their population has been steadily increasing in the past few years. This inauguration, the letter says, is basically an opportunity for the Southern Water Tribe to present itself to the rest of the world as a political power. Having been one of the more heavily damaged nations during the Hundred Year War, the inauguration is their way of announcing that they are back on their feet, and they have invited the leaders of each nation—several from the Earth Kingdom due to its size—to witness it.

Politically, attending the inauguration would be advantageous: it would be an opportunity to meet and discuss with world leaders again, the last summit having been almost four months ago. It would also be a show of goodwill on his part as the Fire Lord: firebenders have not set foot on the South Pole in a hundred years without bringing fear and terror with them—and that includes him. The last time he was there was the same time he first saw the Avatar and terrorized the small village. He had been too busy as Fire Lord to pay a visit since then, and international conferences have so far only been held either in the Fire Nation or in the Northern Water Tribe. He had provided financial assistance, of course, but that was as far as his relationship went with the South Pole.

Personally, attending the inauguration would be a chance to see his friends again. He does not need more motivation than that.

-

A week later, Zuko sights the South Pole.

It hadn’t been too long since his last voyage. Last time, almost four months ago, the North Pole had been his destination for the biannual summit. He came with his uncle then who served as his adviser shortly before deciding he wanted to settle down and return to managing the Jasmine Dragon in Ba Sing Se. Taking this voyage reminds him of that fact, of his uncle, and the reminder is a knot in his chest. He had been happy for his uncle, he is happy for him, but he is still adjusting to not having the wise man to regularly turn to.

Attendance during the last summit was complete, with each nation-state represented, but Zuko noted that, despite his expectations, Katara was not there. She was present at the first one in Caldera, representing the SWT along with her brother, so he was surprised she wasn’t at the second summit. Sokka explained that she had projects she needed to focus on back in the South Pole, but he had the inkling that there was more to her absence than that. He didn’t pry, though. He didn’t really have a reason to.

It is for this reason, perhaps, that Zuko is incredibly excited and nervous that he is going to be seeing her this time around. They have not spoken much since the war ended, exchanging only small conversations at the first summit, and mailing each other mostly business letters sprinkled with a couple of pleasantries. He has been secretly disappointed at how their friendship turned out since then. Zuko tries not to think about it too much, but Katara was one of the few people he could confide in that he knew would empathize, not just sympathize. Their short time together in the days leading to Sozin’s Comet had been comfortable, no, more than that. Like I were at ease. Not completely, of course, as those were days of war, but in the midst of the worry and anticipation, Katara’s company put him at ease. She understood him, respected him. She saw him at his worst, and forgave him twice. He felt like a person in her presence, not the prince of the Fire Nation, not a firebending teacher. Just Zuko, the firebender.

“Hey Fire Lord,” Zuko hears from a distance, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Are you going to get down here or what?”

He notices just now that the ship has docked at the South Pole. The soldiers he traveled with are lined up by the railing, already ready to disembark. For a moment he feels embarrassed, thinking that someone probably informed him of their arrival and that he must not have heard it. He thanks his crew anyway, and makes his way down to the pier. A small group of people in Southern Water Tribe garb are waiting to greet them, and he squints through the cold air to see their faces. He immediately sees Sokka waving, and realizes it is him who must’ve called out. Beside him stands Katara, and he tries not stare. He tries not to reveal his anxiety as the cold begins to register in his body.

“I forget how cold the Poles can be,” is how he starts his greeting. Sokka laughs, drawing him into a hug.

“Says the guy who swam in Antarctic waters.” He sees Katara’s bright, smiling face before she tackles him in a tight embrace. She smells like warmth, and the sea, and her arms around his torso feel like safety. “It’s been a while.”

Pulling away, he regards how Katara has changed since he last saw her. Her face is sharper, and her blue eyes still carry the same fire he remembers. She is taller, too, and fuller.

“I, uh, we missed you at the last summit,” he says, hoping they did not notice his error.

“Yeah, well, I was busy,” Katara says with a small smile. Then, gesturing to the other people around them, she introduces them to Zuko one by one. They are officials, he learns, and he tries to remember their names. He loses them in a minute, but he maintains his composure throughout the introduction.

“You’re two days early, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up,” Sokka says as he pats Zuko’s back, pushing him further inland. Drawing his eyes away from the small group, he looks up and is awed—the South Pole is unrecognizable to him. Gone were the tents of animal hide and small fences of snow, replaced by large, intricate ice structures creating an incredible skyline. On their walk towards the old town hall, where he will be housed for the meanwhile, he learns the following: He is the first foreign dignitary to arrive, Sokka and Suki are finally engaged, and the recently renovated school is successfully operating. He and Katara do not speak the whole time, but he is hyperaware of her presence beside him.

-

After dinner, Katara invites him to take a walk.

“I’d love to.” He is telling the truth, but he doesn’t tell her how nervous she is making him.

It’s still bright out, to his confusion, and then he remembers that, half the year, the South Pole does not experience nights at all. Not being able to approximate the time based on the sunlight disconcerts him. Among other things.

“So,” he begins as they pass by the small school behind the town hall. “What were you up to at the last summit?”

Beside him, Katara remains quiet, but he doesn’t push her. They just continue walking, and Zuko pays attention to his surroundings first instead. Patterned textiles hang outside many of the ice structures. He reminds himself to ask Katara about them, but perhaps not today.

It takes a while before she speaks again. In a soft voice, she says, “I owe you an apology, Zuko.”

He stops in his tracks and faces her. She keeps her eyes down, avoiding his gaze. “Why would you owe me an apology?” Zuko asks, confused.

“Let’s keep walking,” Katara says, and he follows.

He respects her silence, but the longer she kept it, the more anxious Zuko became. He could not think of a single transgression that he could fault her for. If anything, there are many things to thank her for. So what did she mean?

They reach a quiet part in the outskirts of town, away from curious eyes. The nearest structure is a small house that does not seem to be housing anyone at the moment. Nearby, he could hear the sea, and they seem to be walking towards it. Of course she would take us to the sea, he thinks.

Then, “I shouldn’t have left you.”

Again, Zuko stops. To this, he does not have anything to say. He’d be lying if he said that it was okay that she did. He understands why, he understands both their circumstances. Katara had obligations elsewhere, and he had his. Personal and political ones. He has gone through this in his head many times. But he’d be lying if he said he was okay when she did.

“You had no obligation to stay, Katara.”

Katara exhaled heavily and sat down on the snow. “I know. I just—you needed people, too. I didn’t know Iroh would move back to Ba Sing Se. Or that,” she pauses, “Mai would join her family back in Omashu. I’m sorry.”

That everyone left, you mean.

He sat down beside her, focusing his gaze on the horizon. “Katara, none of that’s your fault.”

“No, Zuko, I just mean”—she takes a deep breath—“that you’re my friend too. And that I didn’t treat you like one these past few years. And, I’m sorry for that.”

This time, Zuko was the one who kept quiet. Neither of them looked at each other.

“You might have noticed,” she continued, “that Aang and I aren’t, uh, together.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but I wasn’t sure if it was in my place to do so,” he replies, trying not to sound embarrassed. “Are you okay?”

Hugging her knees, she answers, “I am, I suppose. I broke up with him. This was right before the summit, so it was a big reason why I decided to stay behind, to be honest. I hated that I did, I hurt him, you know?” She sighs, turning away. “But I had to. I felt like I was losing myself along the way. I just knew that the life he needed to live as the Avatar couldn’t involve me. I was miserable, to say the least.” At that last sentence, her voice drops almost to a whisper.

Zuko was shocked. To him, and perhaps to many people, Aang and Katara were the perfect, happy couple, leading the world’s transition into an era of peace and equality. It surprised him, and made him sad, to discover she wasn’t happy at all. “I’m sorry, Katara. I didn’t know.”

She went on, “I just followed him around. I didn’t get to pursue what I wanted. I barely corresponded with my friends, even with Sokka. I barely talked to you, after everything you’ve done for me,” she trails off. “You didn’t deserve that.”

His chest keeps tightening, as though he’s about to burst. He feels consoled by the apology he didn’t know he needed, but he still doesn’t see it as her fault, or anyone’s fault. “Katara—“

“And then when Sokka got home from the summit, he told me about how you’ve been doing, all the work you’ve been doing. And then he told me Iroh was officially retiring, and in Ba Sing Se, and I couldn’t help but think of difficult it must be to be the Fire Lord and be alone.”

A pause. “I could have been there,” she says, turning her head to face him this time.

Zuko presses his lips into a line. He couldn’t articulate what he’s feeling at that moment. Everything Katara is saying is true, but he has tried not to think of it that way, that he’s alone. It shouldn’t matter, he thinks. I have my duty as Fire Lord. It was always going to be difficult. And it is.

Instead he says, “I wish I could have been there, too. Given you support when you needed it. It must’ve have taken a lot of courage to stand up for yourself when it comes to someone you care about. I get that, and I’m proud of you.”

“Now you’re just being too nice,” Katara laughs, and Zuko is relieved when the air around them becomes lighter. “But thanks, Zuko. That means a lot to me.”

He shrugs, smiling at her. “Friends should be there for each other, right?” He sighs. “I try not to think I’m alone. It makes the job much more difficult, but you’re right. It’s there. Sometimes…” He bites his lip, trying to find the words. “Sometimes I can’t breathe, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Hey,” Katara gently places her hand on his scarred cheek and tilts his face toward hers. He tries not to quiver under her touch. Her eyes are bright, glistening with concern. “I want you to know that you can talk to me, Zuko. That’s what I wanted to get at, basically. You can tell me.”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t want to hear about the failing trading policies between the Fire Nation and Omashu,” he half-joked.

“I would actually,” she corrects, her eyebrows raised. “I could even give you advice. You may be Fire Lord, but you’re not the only leader around here.” She grins playfully, and Zuko feels a weight leave his chest, replaced with something electric.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Zuko says, taking her up on her offer. “Today, I am not going to think about that.”

He feels Katara’s eyes on his face but he doesn’t return the gaze. Katara seems to understand and sighs, looking towards the horizon again. She gently places her hand on his shoulder instead, and squeezes.

“Do you want to hear a terrible idea?” Katara asks, breaking the silence.

Zuko perks an eyebrow. “What?”

Standing up, she says, “Let’s take a swim, like you once did.”

Zuko stares at her incredulously. “I barely survived the last time, and last time I was just desperate.” He laughs. “And why would I willingly subject myself to that if I could stay warm up here?”

“I don’t know, for the fun of it, come on,” Katara urges, all traces of their previous conversation washed away from her face. “I’ve only ever accidentally fallen into the water, so this’ll be a first for me. Sort of,” she smiles.

Amused, Zuko shakes his head, but agrees anyway. “Fine,” he looks up at her, locking their eyes. ��Remember that this was your idea,” he says, standing up, secretly excited by the rush of adrenaline he knows he’ll get upon falling into the frigid waters. He removes his shoes and outer robes, leaving on his tunic and pants. The wind pierces into his thin clothing like needles.

Katara, looking fierce and almost victorious, also takes off her parka, leaving on as much as Zuko did. “I will regret this in a minute.”

“I know. Let’s jump for it. Are you ready?” Zuko prompts, bracing himself. He’s not too worried about himself, knowing that he can breathe warmth through his body like last time. He’s more worried about Katara, who, despite having lived in the South Pole all her life, would probably not be resistant to the biting cold of the water.

She grabs hold of his hand, and for a second the heat between their hands is sharper than the Antarctic wind on his face, and in another, they are jumping into the ice-cold sea.

The cold registers like a shock, and his body automatically regulates its heat. Focusing on his breathing, he exerts a bit more effort to make himself warmer, until he is almost comfortably so.

“Terrible idea,” he hears Katara stutter through chattering teeth. “Terrible, terrible idea.” She’s laughing, though, as she embraces herself for warmth. Without a thought, Zuko pulls her shivering body to him, and shares his warmth with her. He laughs, too, to hide his embarrassment and awkwardness. Katara, still shaking from both the cold and her laughter, breathes a warm sigh on his shoulder and puts her arms around his body.

They stay like this for a moment, pressed up against each other as they tread in the water. Zuko feels light, as though nothing waited beyond the ice and sea. Extending all around him are just the whites and blues of water, and in his arms, Katara breathing against his skin. He runs a hand slowly down the back of her head.

“Zuko,” she looks up at him, her lips pale.

“Do you trust me?” He asks boldly, resting his hand on her cheek. She nods, then tilts her face towards Zuko’s palm, sending a rush of heat through his body. What cold, he thinks to himself.

“Hold your breath, then.” He has already been holding his, he realizes.

Her eyes, inquisitive at first, light up when she realizes what he has in mind. Slowly, then, he pulls them both underwater, holding Katara close to him, keeping her warm. In his ears, he hears the static of water. He keeps his eyes closed and focuses on their connected bodies, regulating both their heat. Katara clings to him, to his warmth, moving her hands around the plane of his back. Underwater, she is weightless and tender, and warm, despite it all. He keeps one arm around her waist, and another at the back of her neck, pressing her head gently against his chest. He feels her long hair floating behind her, and he imagines what they must look like, their bodies tangled like that. She nuzzles her face in his neck without warning, as if digging for more warmth, and did it feel like warmth. Like being at ease. Holding his breath like that, in the arms of someone he begins to realize he has always loved, he feels like he’s breathing for the first time in a long time.