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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 33965 -:- 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 253
It was early afternoon when Zuko suggested they go back to the village. They still needed to acquire liver, vegetables, water, linens, not to mention bathe and take naps. This time when they passed by the garden Sokka was surrounded by refugee children. Katara was about to urge Zuko to get closer when she heard the sound of laughter and saw her brother throw up his hands.
They were close enough to hear Zhao 2 yelling, “Who plants vegetables by just throwing seeds in the air and letting plants grow where they land? That’s why we made rows!”
“Water Tribe! South Pole! Did you forget we couldn’t plant very much on our block of ice?” Sokka screamed back.
The two of them watched for a little while then Zuko urged Korhi forward. Mu was at the stables when they arrived. He took Korhi’s reins then gave them to another young Earth Kingdom child. Zuko watched as the little boy expertly groomed his pet while asking intelligent questions about her care. Mu ruffled the youngster’s hair and amidst the protests Katara realized it was a little girl who had been given a bad haircut to hide her true gender.
“I think I have just found my first apprentice,” Mu said proudly as he agitated the child again. “I’ll have to speak to our mothers and make proper arrangements but I refuse to let her talent be wasted even if it means smuggling her aboard the Ursa in my suitcase.”
The smile left Mu’s face, “Zuko, I don’t mean to be disrespectful but we should modify the Ursa House to add a Sunshine wing. It will take time to solidify the plans and I don’t want anything to happen to her in the meantime.”
Zuko’s eyes widened. Just as his mother crusaded to end sexual violence, Mu’s mother campaigned on behalf of children. The Sunshine home was combination boon granted to Mu’s Father by Azulon for his military service and a reward for supplying the best military animals and acting Fire Lady Ursa to Lady Hinata, more commonly known as Lady Sunshine, for tirelessly caring for the children of their nation - especially the children whose mothers were recovering in the sanctuaries created by the benevolence of Ursa. Many of the Ursa Houses had separate facilities for children who had been abused, neglected, were hungry or just needed a safe place.
Zuko smiled widely, “That’s a great idea. I am sure your Aunt Sunshine would be happy to that you actually were listening.”
“We are the future and leaders of our nation. What good is title and position if you lack proper direction?” Mu replied in a high pitched voice repeating a quote their mothers had often said to them.
“Speak to Yong at the restaurant and the carpenter Min-Sik. They both Earthbend and can create the building. The sooner the better,” Zuko replied thinking of Shinji and wondering how many other survivors of the Takamine Campaigns had been stationed in desolate areas with little combat to protect them from their demons as well as the other people from the ways they needed to exorcise them. The penalty for violating the sanctity of the Sunshine Home was just as gruesome as the one for violating the sanctity of an Ursa House.

Zuko and Katara acquired the necessary items and went back to the hotel. Zuko washed the meat and vegetables then picked up the knife and began chopping them. After seeing the haphazard results, Katara placed her hand over his and showed him the proper way to produce uniform sized pieces that would cook evenly. When he joked about being an invalid and that he shouldn’t have to prepare his own food Katara nudged his ankle with her foot, “You’re standing now lazy bones. Water Tribe rules, no work no food.”
“You sound like Aunt Sunshine,” Zuko laughed.
“Aunt Sunshine? Is she your mother’s sister?” Katara asked.
“No, Sunshine is Mu’s mom. Her real name is Hinata but Mu’s dad started calling her Sunshine and it stuck. She, Mai’s mom, and Su Ying, the concubine I evicted, are sisters but she’s nothing like those other two. She actually thinks about helping others instead of just helping herself. She is the one who came up with the idea of the Sunshine Homes being placed next to the Ursa Houses. She fights and advocates on behalf of children. It’s her life’s mission to ensure every child has a safe place to go to when they need one.”
“She is the oldest of the three girls but she and their older brother have a different dad than their younger siblings. I’ve seen how he favors his biological children and grandchildren over the two his wife already had. I’ve heard bits and pieces of conversations I should not have about her childhood wish and I didn’t,” Zuko admitted.
Zuko set down the knife he was using, “My Mom loved my father very much. She taught me that the act of intimacy was one of Agni’s greatest gifts and it should only be shared with a loved one. She believed that nothing should pollute the sanctity of the marriage bed. I was taught that if it weren’t for the antiquated sexist belief that a man’s strength and virility is dependent on the number of women he’s bedded, every person could find true happiness with their spouse. Mom told me that she wanted every woman to feel as precious and loved as she did with my father.
“She said the best part of being intimate with him was waking up next to him the morning. She felt there was nothing like waking up in your loved ones arms knowing you’d been held and kept safe all night and that his first smile was directed at her. My father smiles all day, but she said that first smile, when he opened his eyes and saw her was a special one reserved just for her. She didn’t think it was right for a man in lust to be able to rob a woman of that feeling. She founded the Ursa House so that women who had been forced would wake up to warmth knowing that someone cared for them.”
Zuko's voice changed and he practically growled, “Mu’s Mom founded the Sunshine Home because she knows what it is like to be a child terrified in your home and to not feel safe next to your mother."
He took a deep breath but his voice still hadn't leveled when he resumed speaking, "That’s how Mu met the Zhao twins."
"Everyone in our nation is educated by the government. There are free public schools in walking distance of every village where the compulsory lessons, reading, writing, mathematics, history and civics are taught. There are also semi-private schools like the Royal Fire Academy where entrance is earned based on test scores. Everyone in the nation is welcome to take the test for free but enrollment is dictated by scoring ranges. Tuition is based on a percentage of family earnings. If a family has more than one child in the same school a portion of the subsequent children’s fees are used for scholarships. The same is true of families whose income exceeds the standard", Zuko shook his head and smiled wryly, “I’m the prince but was two points away from being barred from the Royal Academy even though the excess of my parent’s income would support fifteen scholarship students.”
“They would have barred you?” Katara asked skeptically.
“Uhm-hum” Zuko nodded, “Our educational system is part of the godhead granted to Grandmother Ilah. She knew her position as Fire Lady was largely based on luck.
“Grandfather Khan is the son of a friend of Great-Grandfather Soizin. Even though he was the youngest son and illegitmate he was his father’s favorite. He was chosen to lead a squad during the raid on the Eastern Air Temple because his father’s dying wish was that Soizin look after him. His older brothers had already squandered most of the family money so he thought it would be best to set him on a path for a lucrative military career.
“Our marriage system destroys families Katara. Grandfather Khan was the only child of the woman his father loved and wanted to marry. His step-mother knew this. Her children picked up on her feelings and their father’s favoritism so he was resented. The military gave Grandfather Khan a place to belong and people who appreciated him. His comrades became his family. His troops knew of his devotion and they were close knit. He took all of his soldiers home to meet his family and he went home to meet all of theirs. He also sent them home to meet each others to strengthen their sense of family. Their protectiveness of each other made his soldiers our nation's finest. His troops did well in all their campaigns and had the lowest casualty rate among squadrons. It’s a record he still holds.
“When Grandfather Azulon entered the military Great-Grandfather Soizin placed under his command. Grandfather Khan spoke highly of his children and often said his daughter had the voice of a songbird. No one believed him because he said the division’s worst cook had an interesting method of seasoning. Because of the way he grew up he knew that words had the power to hurt people so he often used creative phrases to kindly express negative things. Grandfather Azulon didn’t know he spoke the truth,” Zuko smiled sadly, “After hearing Akesato sing I can believe that Grandfather took her away from everything she loved so she could sing for him. He was a fan of music and a lifelong patron of the Ember Island Musical Theatre. He paid for their current auditorium and many of their instruments out of his personal coffers. He established an endowment to support them for the next 200 years. His love of music was passed down to Uncle Iroh. We had music night on the Albatross every Thursday.”
Zuko shook his head forcing away sad thoughts about the way he treated his uncle, “As I was saying, there was a visiting opera singer who captivated Grandfather Azulon during one of their shows but Great-Grandfather Sozin him called away before he could search for her. When Grandfather Azulon visited Grandfather Khan at his home he learned the mystery opera singer on Ember Island was his youngest daughter Ilah. Grandfather Azulon immediately asked for her hand in marriage the moment he recognized her.
“The sages disproved and so did Grandfather Khan but Grandfather Soizin’s last living concubine, Kokoro, liked Ilah as well as Azulon. She was able to trick the sages into helping her find proof in Grandmother Ilah’s ancestry to show she was fit for the throne by telling them she was looking for proof she wasn’t.
Zuko touched the ring on Katara’s finger, “A potential royal consort must have at least six generations of nobility in her ancestry on both sides or one royal to be considered for the crown. Race, ethnicity, nationality doesn’t matter so long as it is there and can be proven. Fire Lord Irohulon had 100 daughters with his concubines but it was commonly known he slept with almost every female he encountered. It is often joked he is the true father of the Fire Nation and rumored to have sired over 1,000 daughters. Some of the women he thought were attractive but others were homely like Nini but appeared strong enough to give him a son. Their names were recorded in case they gave birth to a male child but otherwise forgotten
"Concubine Kokoro knew this and hoped to find proof that Grandmother Ilah was among Irohulon’s lost descendants. The island she lived on was once a popular spot for recreational fishing. The sport declined during Kozulon’s reign and the island they lived on fell out of fashion. There were no further brushes with royalty or nobility. An acolyte sage who had not learned the stipulations of being a royal consort found proof that Grandmother Ilah’s matrilineal line is descended from one of those unions. All of her ancestors were common with the exception of that one encounter. It was enough to make her eligible to marry Grandfather Azulon but distant enough to bear his children. She was also engaged by proxy to another man so she still had her purity when she met him. Her fiancée was happy to accept Grandfather’s offer to pay the fines for breaching the agreement. He was in love with the servant who served as her proxy and was not looking forward to marrying her. Grandfather’s offer gave him the finances he needed to marry his true love, cut all ties to his family, and move to the colonies.
“Grandmother Ilah fully acknowledged the string of events which changed her fortune. She believed that sometimes a chance encounter somewhere along the line was all that was needed to set the wheels of destiny in motion. She designed the exam based school system based on that principle. If a child failed regardless of parentage, lineage or wealth then the school he tested into was the place Agni wanted him. If a poor child whose parents couldn’t afford to hire tutors scored high enough to get into the best school in the nation it was a sign from Agni they were designed to do great things with their life and better our people. No one, not even the sages or Fire Lord can change the entrance results it as it means they are circumventing the will of Agni.”
“So yes, Katara they would have barred me.” Zuko smiled sadly, “I don’t know if my childhood would have been more miserable or I would have had peace because Father would have banished me sooner.”
Zuko inhaled then resumed his narration, “As I was saying Zhao 1 and 2 had come over to take the entrance exams to determine which school they would go to. They tanked the practice exams since they wanted to go back home to the colonies. Zhao lost it when he saw their test scores. The asshole you saw on the battlefield was an even worse asshole at home.”
Zuko’s voice grew low but Katara heard him say, “Zhao makes me almost grateful to be Ozai’s son. There was only one time Father’s attack was physical.”
“Zhao was furious that day. Their normally docile mother waylaid him and told them to run. A farmer spotted them near the red light district and assumed they’d been sold into a brothel. He picked them up and dumped them on grounds of the local Sunshine House. They were there two days and no one came looking for them.”
“Mu’s family lands are on that island. They were in town to pick up a new study guide for Mu and just happened to visit that particular house. The Zhao twins recognized the text book Mu was trying to shove in the refuse bin and offered to help him get rid of it. He didn’t need a formal education to work with animals. All he needed was what his paternal family members taught him. Zhao showed up around the same time Sunshine realized what Mu had done and everyone learned that the two unfortunate orphans were actually someone’s runaway kids. Zhao was reading them the riot act over running away and their abysmal test scores while Aunt Sunshine was doing the same to Mu for attempting to discard study guides.
“Lady Zhao was the one to realize those three idiots shared a collective brain. Mu is good with biology and science, 2 is good with language, spelling and grammar, 1 is good with logic and math. Sunshine took those two in so they could study with Mu away from their father’s influence. She brought them with her when they came to their home in the capital for the social season. They couldn’t play until each one could explain what they learned from the other,” Zuko laughed softly, “Mom even got in on the act; I couldn’t play with them either. She drilled me on what I learned from them and I had to teach them courtly protocol and manners.”
“After Mom died when things got rough Sunshine would storm the palace, pick me up and tell Father that she was taking me. If he had any objection he had three seconds to voice them and if she didn’t agree poison ivy would find its way into his laundry. I had to do chores when I stayed with them. The first time I pulled the ‘I’m the prince and royalty doesn’t do dishes’ routine she didn’t argue. She just served me my next meal on the same dirty plates from the last one. I learned to wash dishes after that.”
Zuko laughed again, “Trust me you don’t want to eat dessert on a plate that last had cabbage and onions.”
“She did the same thing for Mu’s wife Quanli. Even in a family that includes Ty Lee, Quanli is considered hyperactive. Wei, Mu’s older brother and Meili, the third oldest, were in love. It was luck that Meili didn’t have a marriage arrangement in place and Mu’s family doesn’t believe in them. At the time Meili only had two younger sisters. Since Meili was older, unmarried and fast enough to keep up with her she had become Quanli’s primary caregiver. Then she got married and their mother got pregnant again. Quanli was a mess.
“Aunt Sunshine offered to take her back to their house, not the one in the capital, but the one in their territories, with all the trees and animals. Quanli thought her parents were trying to get rid of her since she overheard Aunt Sunshine saying she’d always wanted a daughter so she ran away. She said the old lady could have her if she caught her. They spent a full day outside playing cat and mouse. Sunshine would leave food and drinks where Quanli could find it and showed her which plants were edible and which ones weren’t safe. She made a tent and slept outside that night knowing a little girl would be frightened to sleep in the woods alone. When Quanli showed up scared Sunshine called a time out until after they had breakfast.
“Quanli packed her bag three days later and said she was moving in with the fun lady. After Yanli was born and her mother regained her strength Quanli refused to go back. The two families made an arrangement she would spend the school year and holidays with her parents but summers and festivals with Mu’s family. She and Mu grew up like brother and sister and fought worse than two hogmonkeys over a single ash banana. We were all surprised when the two of them announced they were getting married.”

Zuko’s words about Mu’s mother filtered in one ear and back out without sticking in her mind. It was occupied with what he had his mother taught him about the intimate act. It was similar to what she had been taught about the sanctity of Tui and La’s union. It didn’t make sense he could be taught that by his mother and still do those things to her.

Kain: My condolences on the death of your laptop. You are absolutely right. Katara is hanging on by a thread and she knows it. She’s completely aware Zuko is the one holding both ends of it and she doesn’t want this nice Zuko with his kind words to lull her into a false sense of security.
Prompts…hmmm…not making any promises but we’ll see if the plot bunnies decide to breed
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Borealis: A Zutara Story