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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 291
The journey away from Taku was made at remarkable speed. Iroh did not realize how fast they had gone until they emerged far away from the city; much farther than he expected. He recognized the landscape and jokingly offered to carry Toph the rest of the way to a friend’s home. He realized how badly she was affected when she leaned onto his body without protest. She was still trembling when they made it to the home of a longtime friend. Black curtains hung to signify it was in mourning.
Iroh wasn’t surprised to see the current ruler of the Forbidden Realm had already made it home.
Iroh carried Toph to the stables knowing it contained a bathhouse, beds, pots which doubled as dippers for the well, and an edible mixture of grains inside the feed bin. He laid Toph on one of the bunks intending on making a meal for them but her small fist clenched in his tunic convinced him to stay. He settled next to her, holding her small body next to his and began stroking her back. Lu Ten had been this size the last time he left home alone. By the time he returned home, the little boy he’d entrusted to his younger brother and sister-in-law had become a man intent on following Ozai’s footsteps in choosing his own woman - a single woman, worthy enough to bed and bear children, but lacking the necessary criteria to become Fire Lady and mother of a nation.
Iroh’s heavy exhalation disturbed the wild strays protruding from Toph’s bun and he gently ran a hand over her head to smooth them down. He closed his eyes, wishing that instead of this sweet dear child clinging to him that it was his own son. That somehow he could relive that day and feel Lu Ten next to him, feel his exhalations against his chest and as his son snored gently in his ears. His heart clenched and his lips turned wryly, reliving that day would do him no good. He was a different man than he was then. He’d always enjoyed the time spent with Lu Ten but his outlook on fatherhood was different.
He loved Lu Ten, loved Lu Ten with every fiber of his being, was far prouder of his son that he ever was of his own achievements but it was because he considered Lu Ten his greatest achievement. Lu Ten was proof of his own power and Tenko’s death meant the power he’d passed onto his son was too great for her to bear. It was foolish now that he thought about it. Foolish to believe his son was worthy because of what he’d gifted to him. Lu Ten was worthy because he was his; that precious little boy with his mother’s smile was worthy simply because he existed.
Iroh held Toph closer, allowing her hairs to tickle his nostrils; back then he’d been just as foolish as this child’s parents still were. Children were meant to be loved, held, appreciated, protected, and loved with every ounce of your being because they simply were. His arrogance and ideals had cost him his son. Those same mistakes would not cost him this little girl he’d come to love like a daughter. He blinked feeling the tears accumulate in his eyes as he realized without the loss of his son he never would have learned what it truly meant to be a father. Lu Ten’s death had been a far too painful lesson to learn. Somehow, he would find a way to hold onto Toph and together they would retrieve Zuko – his lost son.

Jeong Jeong woke early. He kissed his wife on the forehead a habit he’d picked up over the years then kneeled at the side of the bed and kissed her right foot; something he did the moment she agreed to be his. It was quite the scandal -the highest ranking member of the Fire Nation survivors bowing to an Earth Kingdom woman and kissing her feet. But those were extraordinary circumstances; the land they conquered, the so called Forbidden Realm had reared its head and shown exactly why it was called forbidden. No one knew where the disease came from or why singing ground hogs had gone silent but they learned. The disease inflamed the tissues of the throat making speech, swallowing, talking difficult until it became too painful to eat or breathe. Death was a mercy at that point. His wife, fresh from the Fire Nation and still weak from giving birth had gone fast; Bhumika’s husband and child had lingered.
He’d survived, so had his son, so had she. His child needed milk and she had it. He thought nothing of bowing and kissing the feet of the woman whose own loss meant his child would survive. Love came later, much later. People assumed he’d taken manly rights over her body the moment she agreed to carry his name and nurse his child but it wasn’t until the four year old began asking for a brother or sister that she sat in his lap one day after dinner and confessed she’d missed the feel of a man inside her. She’d borne him three children, two survived to adulthood and he couldn’t have shouldered the loss of their daughter without her. He couldn’t have shouldered any of this without her.
He caressed her face and went down stairs and like every morning he was home, Jeong Jeong prepared breakfast. He finished his meal leaving his wife’s slightly underdone meal beneath a plate on the stove top and went outside to check on the animals. He wasn’t expecting to see the true leader of his nation and holder of his allegiance curled up on a spare bunk his wife kept for travelers. He moved closer to his old friend taking a look at the body pressed to his side and commented, “Isn’t she a little young? Your sperm should have been dried up by the time she was formed.”
Iroh was awake and had been awake for a while by the time Jeong Jeong ambled in. The former admiral was another old academy friend; even as a teenager Jeong Jeong was the only one of their crew who thought Iroh’s indulgence in pleasures of the flesh was excessive.
The Fire Nation prince laughed, “She’s not mine, at least not by blood, and if the visit to Mahnaz a few weeks ago proved anything, the well is still working.”
“Found that devil have you? Should have known,” sighed Jeong Jeong as rolled his eyes and for the second time that morning began cooking breakfast.
Toph was woken by the smell of food. She was still tucked against Iroh and could hear another man’s voice speaking. She woke as she always did. She rolled away from Iroh, stretched mumbled a hasty good morning, stood, scratched her ass and asked, “Where can I go pee?”
“Turn to your right, thirty normal paces then make a left,” Iroh replied.
“Mahnaz let you get away with that one?” Jeong Jeong asked shaking his head in disbelief. The demon spawn of the Kumanshi was known for taking interest in strong females and inspiring them to wreck havoc.
Iroh shrugged, “There’s a light inside Toph. She’s blind. There are some truths of the world that will always remain unknown to her.”
Jeong Jeong set down a plate in front of Iroh and one next to him, “Toph? As in missing Bei Fong? Missing Avatar’s Earthbender? And part of the reason Wen actually had the gall to show his face here?”
Iroh winced, “I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“Don’t apologize to me. Mika’s the one who had to deal with him.”
“Then I am doubly sorry.”
“You should be,” Jeong Jeong sighed heavily as he took a seat next to Iroh. After several moments he spoke, “It meant a lot to her you know. You showing up, burying her grandmother. We could have done it, but she said it felt right, having it done by you and that little girl; a relic of the past together with a symbol of the future.”
“She says you can stay as long as you want, but Iroh,” Jeong Jeong’s voice hardened. “Don’t tarry here. Bhumika is my wife and you my friend, are trouble. Wen is no longer in power. He was willing to look the other way so she and ours were able to live in peace here. I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that remains true.”
Iroh nodded and clasped Jeong Jeong’s hand, “Thank you. I wish your family no trouble. Toph was overwhelmed by Taku. I did need to speak to you, but this place was not my intent.”
Jeong Jeong nodded. He finished his chores then went back to his house. He returned a short time later with soap, clothes for Toph, clean socks for Iroh, two scrolls, and dried food for travelling. “Come back when it is time for the ground to be burned.”

Mu asked Chu-hua to stop two hours outside of New Ursa. They watered the animals with water they’d brought with, rested four hours then traveled another two and made camp in a grassier region. Katara wasn’t surprised when Chu-hua demanded that she search for water. They still had water with them but it made sense to search for a local source before using what could make the difference between life and death later while they were still so close to the desert.
Katara was able to feel a small amount of dampness then instructed the Dai Li to dig. They ended up with a small oasis a tenth of the size of those that had been made on their journey inland. Katara felt less guilty knowing it was unlikely this watering hole would be controlled by the Fire Nation. They’d passed through this point on Appa and there were no signs of Fire Nation occupation for several flight hours.
Katara was once again impressed into the Fire Nation navy and placed under the direct command of captain Mu. It would have taken too long to water the animals otherwise so she directed water into the large troughs built by the Dai Li inside the hastily created pens they’d made earlier. After the water was put in place she, Sokka, the Zhao twins and Ty Lee helped Mu and his assistants to stir what smelled like fruit juice in all of the troughs. Mu explained it was medicine. The variety of insects which thrived in the desert plains carried stronger strains of diseases than the insects which lived in only one location.
Once the animals were taken care of Katara watched what the others were doing. The Firebenders were spread out in several long wide rectangles and were burning the ground. Once the flames were lowered the Dai Li turned over the ground so the Firebenders could burn it once more.
They repeated the process several times before Katara’s curiosity got the best of her, “What are they doing?”
“The most dangerous insects live in the ground and come out at night. Humans don’t have bladders large enough to drink enough of the medicine or hold it in our bloodstream long enough for it to be effective. Burning the top layers of soil will kill any insects or other animals that can cause harm while we are sleeping,” Mu explained.
“But can’t they just crawl through the ashes?” Katara argued remembering the buzzard wasps they’d had to contend with.
“They can, but it’s unlikely. The insects are primarily hive creatures. The ones being killed are giving off a danger signal as they die as a warning to the rest of the hive. The deaths of the ones in the area we’ve burned will keep others away from the area.”
Katara accepted his explanation and watched as the Dai Li created buildings with long halls over the burned areas. Katara didn’t understand how Chu-hua was assigning sleeping areas until she realized the buildings would have communal sleeping areas with only a place to lay your mat. After seeing the things that happened in New Ursa and knowing the worst of the men from all of the divisions stationed there traveled with them it made sense for Chu-hua to assign quarters in a way that ensured the most vulnerable of her troops and those traveling with them were protected.
Dinner was simple. Fan had made sure everyone had a small supply of rice balls before they left the town so those were eaten along with vegetables and fruit. Three groups of smugglers had been eliminated but that didn’t mean there weren’t others who could be drawn to their location by the smell of cooking food.
Katara was conflicted as she settled next to Zuko. She desperately wished they’d be found but also prayed the small campfires didn’t draw the attention of Earth Kingdom fighters. It would be a massacre if they were approached by anything less than a full division of the army but the numbers needed to defeat the strong Firebenders with them meant there would be a higher chance that she, Sokka or Aang or those fleeing New Ursa would be injured. She closed her eyes completely unaware all that remained of the thousands assigned to the Northern Continental regiment were small ragtag bands like General Fongs.
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Borealis: A Zutara Story