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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 34026 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, any historical figures or events, or easily recognizable persons, places or things. I make no profit from this work of fanfiction

Chapter List
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Chapter 199
Zuko walked back into the restaurant and walked straight into the kitchens. He picked up a large serving platter and ladle before striding back into the dining hall. He banged on it several times to get everyone’s attention. Zuko chose his words carefully before speaking, “Forgive me for intruding but today is my mother’s birthday. As a dutiful son, I would like to do something in honor of her but I need your assistance.
“As you know it is tradition for a wife to ask a husband for two gifts on the day of her birth to gauge the strength of his love for her. My father catered to my mother’s whims but there is one thing she asked that my father would not grant her as it would contradict a man’s natural rights as set forth by Fire Lord Kung Shin. My father loves my mother. His devotion to her knows no end so it pained him to deny her anything. To show his regard for her he granted her an alternative that would allow her to benefit the social cause she championed while maintaining the rights of men.
“That alternative was the creation of Ursa’s House, a place where those who have provided comfort to their betters could restore themselves safely away from harm and outside interference. Most of you do not know it, but there is an Ursa’s House in each and every city, town and village of our great nation. I would like to follow in my father’s footsteps by granting my mother this wish and building the first Ursa’s House in the Earth Kingdom in this colony. If any of you would be willing to volunteer your efforts to assist me in honoring my mother, Princess Ursa, please step outside with me.”
The Pai Sho players paused their game to listen to Zuko. Fan looked at the board and sighed, “I was finally starting to beat Bong Cha. Damned fine time for that one to finally start acting like someone taught him a bit of sense.”
The engineer smiled, “I told you, I never lose leading with the Red Orchid Gambit.”
One by one the players collected their tiles and left the table. Fan walked into the kitchen while the others walked outside. It was in a sorry state after the owner was told to cook everything in sight but there were plenty leftovers; people tended to get greedy when another person was picking up the tab. The old man nodded and hummed in satisfaction.
The owner mistook Fan’s perusal and began waving his spatula and shouting, “This building and its occupants are under Prince Zuko’s protection. There are plenty of women elsewhere if you’re seeking entertainment.”
Fan moved forward with a speed he himself didn’t know he possessed and grabbed the man’s arm twisting it backwards. He bent him low pushing his face towards his own cooking fire, “People like you are why this world is such a bad place. That child is out there trying to help every woman and boy in this village but you’re too selfish to think about anyone outside your own home.
Fan stood him up; the taller and younger man shrank under his glare. The elderly cook reached out to straighten the coward’s clothing, “You will take your largest cauldron out back and put every single one of these leftovers in it. Those women that were raped and those men that were beaten will eventually get hungry. In the name of Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation, me and that boy will make for damn sure they get something delicious and nourishing.”
Sing Se and Yong had watched the entire exchange. Yong had rushed forward to help him but Sing Se shook her head. She had often heard Princess Azula’s unflattering opinion of her brother and she wanted to see if her words had merit. Thus far she was finding the prince an enigma. He had placed this house and its occupants under his protection; a deed which had saved them from being defiled in the streets or raped in their own homes like the refugees they’d traveled with and some of their neighbors, but he had broken Jin’s arm.
The old man was clearly a Fire Nation soldier but he said he was going to prepare food for the victims from earlier. It made no sense for him to do that or to say Prince Zuko wanted to help the rape victims. Sing Se nodded to Yong and stepped forward, “Excuse me sir, who is Princess Ursa?”
“Princess Ursa is the late wife of the current Fire Lord and Prince Zuko and Princess Azula’s mother. A kinder and more merciful woman never walked the face of this earth,” Fan explained reverently.
“So the day of her birth is one of significance?” Sing Se hedged.
Fan saw through her ruse, “Princess Ursa believed everyone should be afforded certain human dignities regardless of station. That idea is directly opposite of those held by most men of rank and status. They believe strongly in man’s privilege to put his penis anywhere he damn well wants regardless of the recipient’s opinion. She tried as hard as she could to make laws to protect the vulnerable but it’s difficult to fight centuries of practice and custom. There was nothing she could do to prevent the act or stop it while it was happening but she took care of them afterwards. Ursa’s House provided sanctuary, food, and medical attention. They didn’t turn away anyone who was hurting or charge them any money.”
Sing Se nodded, “I see. It’s odd for man to do such a thing to honor his mother; most in his position would have built a statue. Creating a safe place for women seems like the role of a daughter.”
“It does, but children are influenced by the parent they favor. You must have been living under a rock to not know that Princess Azula is not the one Fire Lord Ozai banished. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must prepare a meal to honor my country’s beloved Princess Ursa at her son’s request,” Fan said firmly putting an end to the conversation while letting the Earth woman know which sibling would be a better monarch.
He had lived long enough to know when someone was misrepresenting themselves and could spot an interrogation when put through with one. He’d bet his last drop of booze the girl in front of him wasn’t a simple refugee. He had been in and around enough battles to spot an Earthbender. Her level of confidence and surety of movement only came with great power.
Azula had control of the Dai Li now, but eventually every person reached a point in their life where there were things more important than money; he knew that young woman was no different.

Katara followed Zuko back outside. She had seen the faces of the Fire Nation soldiers when he mentioned creating the sanctuary in honor of Princess Ursa. “No one’s coming Zuko. They just raped these women why would they help them. They are monsters.”
Zuko shook his head adamantly denying the accusation, “You’re wrong, not all of them are monsters. Some of them do care. Those that don’t will do it for my mother.”
As they were arguing a large group of women walked out. Amayu was among them, “Princess Ursa came to my village once. I’ve wondered for years what would make her come to such a remote village since there weren’t any nobles or anyone important living there but now I have the answer. No one spoke about what was happening but we all knew which kids had relatives that made their lives difficult.”
A few others nodded. One of the women looked at Katara then back at Zuko. She was one of the few stewards from the Ursa who accompanied them inland as a personal servant to Azula. She spoke with a quiet lisp, “I wondered what Milady would think of the man the boy who often hid behind her skirts grew into. I think I have the answer.”
Zuko stilled; he recognized her. He had been nine when her face was burned into his memory. He didn’t know she was even onboard the Ursa. Zuko replied, “She would disown me. My mother would be far more prouder of you than she would ever be of me.”
The woman bowed and thanked Zuko for the compliment before going to offer assistance.
Katara was astounded to see more and more Fire Nation soldiers slowly to trickling out of the building. It was mostly women, but a few men came out as well. “I didn’t think they would help.”
“My people aren’t bad Katara, they just view things differently than yours do. Many of the men who did this would never have behaved in such a way if it weren’t for the leftover adrenaline from battle. I’m not excusing what they did but…” Zuko stopped. He took a deep breath, “Fire Nation military code section 8.4 states a soldier must find a way to recover his faculties after battle. Sexual release through forcible penetration is among the best methods as it offers the dual purpose of producing endorphins and subjugating captives.”
Katara’s stomach turned; the Fire Nation government recommended raping prisoners. She vaguely heard someone running towards them ask, “Prince Zuko, we have collected most of the comfort givers. Where should we put them?”
Zuko’s eyes widened. He had not thought that far ahead. “Find an empty spot near the community well, I’ll figure something out from there.”
Zuko averted his eyes from Katara as he spoke to her, “I’m going back inside the restaurant to see if they know an Earthbender.”
Katara remained silent as she followed him into the kitchens. She bit her lip and clenched her fists when Zuko calmly began speaking, “Are any of you Earthbenders or do you know of any Earthbenders? We’re trying to help those who were sexually assaulted earlier but we don’t have a place to put them. They need a place to bathe and be treated by a physician.”
Yong tilted his head towards Sing Se. It was agreed they would not reveal themselves as Dai Li agents but it shouldn’t hurt if he admitted to being an Earthbender. He had seen what the Fire Nation did to the women in his home city and what the snakeheads took as payment from those without money or valuables. It angered him to sit by and do nothing least he risk exposing himself. This was something he could do to help his people without angering Azula. It may even give him more insight into the prince.
Sing Se nodded. She too had been disgusted by what she had seen and her own impotence. She trusted Yong. He would be able to tell her if it would be worth once again switching allegiances. She licked her lips, but Yong shook his head and stepped forward, “I am an Earthbender. I used to work construction back in Ba Sing Se. I can make a shelter for the women.”
“Thank you.”
Sing Se and Yong stared in surprise; the quiet words of appreciation had not come from the Prince. They had come from the Waterbender. She was bowing to them.
“There is no need for you to bow or thank me. I am not doing this for you. I am only doing what is right and what I can to help my people,” Yong replied coldly.
Katara heard the accusation and judgment in his voice. He too believed she had betrayed them. It was too much for her guilty conscience. If she had never run back to the palace and told Azula that she’d seen Zuko or if she had taken the time to notice the faces behind the makeup instead of assuming it was the Kyoshi Warriors those women would still be safe in Ba Sing Se.
Katara bit her lips and clamped her eyelids together in a vain attempt to stop her tears from falling. She opened her eyes and raised her head looking him dead in the eyes, “No, it’s not necessary but I thank you all the same. It’s impossible for a man to understand what that does to a woman; thank you for helping them.”
Yong’s eyes narrowed and Sing Se placed a hand on his shoulder to quiet him. She had always excelled at reading body language. The Waterbender’s arms were wrapped around herself and she was trembling. There was a quiver in her voice and tears had begun to escape from her eyes. The prince was standing stiffly beside her. He looked upset when he walked in but when the Waterbender said that he looked as though he had taken a boulder to the gut. The hand that had been reaching out to her was abruptly withdrawn. If looks could kill Yong would have dropped dead the moment he spoke to her.
“Prince Zuko, my husband will be out shortly. He needs to calm himself before he goes among women in such a fragile condition,” Sing Se declared politely as she grabbed Yong’s hand and began pulling him towards the stairway.
Zuko took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Tears were still falling from Katara’s eyes even thought she was completely silent. He wiped them away with his thumb and kissed her forehead. Only she heard the whispered, “I’m sorry.”
She turned away from him and walked out of the kitchen.

“Are you stupid? You could have blown our cover just now,” Sing Se hissed angrily once she and Yong were upstairs.
Yong hastily argued, “I’m sorry I couldn’t help it when she said that. She is supposed to be supporting the Avatar but instead she’s fucking the Fire Nation prince!”
“And I’m fucking his sister! Is my loyalty also being questioned?” Sing Se replied.
Yong’s eyes widened, “What? Wait a minute, you’re what?”
“You heard me, I’m fucking her. Princess Azula likes women; how else do you think I was able to get so close to her considering I’m Long Feng’s daughter?” Sing Se swore softly when the saw her childhood friend’s pained expression. “Yong it is for Ba Sing Se. Have your forgotten the oath you swore to become a Dai Li agent? ‘Anything to maintain the peace in my city’.”
“I meant it then and I mean it now, but you’re fucking her?” Yong pressed his lips lightly to her forehead, “It is unfair for you to sacrifice so much.”
Sing Se settled against him, “It is no great sacrifice. She is a woman, I still have my maidenhead; she is incapable of taking that precious part of me that I am saving for my husband.”
Her voice softened as she stepped away from him, “Do not press the Waterbender. She is not so lucky, Prince Zuko is male. I questioned Jin this morning on all her interactions with him. Based on the things she said I am not sure the Waterbender has betrayed anyone. She accused him of rape and he freely admitted that if she had a choice the Waterbender would still be a virgin. Jin said there was pride in his voice as he spoke of being her only man and not giving her an option.”
“But she fought alongside him!” Yong protested, “You can’t expect me to believe-“
“I am expecting you to do your duty to the people of our city!” Sing Se hissed.
Her voice softened once more, “I’m not sure what this means but you heard how she was crying for him to do something to help the other women. Those tears were not fake.”
Sing Se stepped closer to Yong and put a hand on his shoulder, “I am not saying we should trust her but for now we should watch and wait. Jin was unable to create any type of deception when I learned those things. You’ve seen what being forced does to a woman.”
Yong winced, like all male members of the Dai Li he’d been involved in the creation of Joo Dees. He knew all too well what rape did to a woman. Once altered their psyche, repeatedly over the course of time with varying degrees of violence and threats to their families…
“I do not like this, Sing. We must be careful.”
“I never said we didn’t. Go Yong, fulfill your duty to these women and report back to me with what you’ve learned.”
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Borealis: A Zutara Story