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Kiss of Fire	By : Spleef Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > General Views: 75165 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 34
- 35
- 36
Kiss of Fire
Chapter 35 – Startling Recollections
o0o0o0o
Late Winter, 20 Years ASC (Early March, 1121)
Katara
I lifted my chin, inhaling the sweet and cool air that blew through the Palace City. Another winter had come and gone, and I had enjoyed the slightly chilly air while people around me grumbled about how cold it was. Here, I didn't require a parka or boots, so I could hardly call it cold! I certainly welcomed the mild winters here more than the blistering heat of high summer.
I felt a small hand grasp my own and smiled, looking down to see Kuzon gazing up at me with eager golden eyes.
“Good morning, Mama.” he said, his smile cheery. He was obviously more than eager to spend the day with me, and he was wearing a dark red jacket with a golden flame pattern sewn into the rich fabric.
“Good morning to you too, Kuzon.” I replied brightly as I regarded the boy before me. “That's a lovely jacket, did you just get it?” I asked. He nodded.
“Father gave it to me. He said that he had worn it when he was my age.” the Prince replied, clearly ecstatic to have something of his father's. It gladdened me to know my husband had thought to do this, rather than have a new jacket made and the old one serving no purpose in storage.
Kuzon had celebrated his seventh birthday the month before, and this one went along with considerably better results than the sixth one. Zuko had given his presents to Kuzon himself, and the three of us had dinner together before going out for a long walk, simply enjoying one another's company as Kuzon flew his kite and led us wherever he wanted to walk. The Prince had even offered the kite string to his father, and Zuko held the string as his son instructed him on how to keep the kite aloft. The memory of the two of them bonding brought a smile to my face.
One of my servants approached us, bowing.
“Will the Lady and Prince require the palanquin today?” she asked, her head bowed. I glanced down at my son.
“Would you like to ride in my palanquin, or would you rather walk?” I left the choice to Kuzon. He wasted no time in deciding.
“Let's walk.” he said cheerfully, and I nodded.
“And where should we go today?” I asked. There was a wide number of interesting locations to go within the Palace City. Sometimes the walks were rather educational for Kuzon. He would watch how things were made or manufactured, so that he would understand that the things he enjoyed or used did not simply magically appear. I remember sitting with Kuzon as we watched the master of the woodworking house carve a chair – educational for me as well – and another time, he fed some mulberry leaves to the silkworms in the silkworm house before he watched some silk being dyed.
He paused and stared off thoughtfully and I waited patiently. When he looked pensive, he looked very much like his father when Zuko took on the same expression.
“I want to go somewhere I've never been.” he declared firmly. Even after a year and a half here, I knew there were still places that I had not yet seen.
“Then let's go look for such a place.” I said as I squeezed his hand.
The Palace City had ample points of interest to keep anyone occupied and I had spent many a hour taking walks, familiarizing myself with my home. Sometimes I still felt staggered by the sheer size of the Palace and its surroundings, all of it nestled comfortably within the top of a volcano.
After some exploration, Kuzon and I came across a courtyard off to the side of the palace. Large terra-cotta pots of several varieties of aloe and other succulents were set in ordered rows. We stopped at the edge for several moments as I studied the surroundings. It seemed to me that this place had not always been used to hold plants. There was a faded majesty to this place, as if it had been used for important occasions. The pillars that held up the crimson-shingled roofs surrounding the open space were of thick reddish-gold marble, though I could tell that this place had been stripped of any and all possible decorations, right down to the goldwork. There was a gap in the roof shingles, as if someone had climbed up there and slipped off, and I noticed some char marks along the eaves.
I noticed a servant moving along the pots, examining the plants and dirt and on occasion pouring water into a pot here and there. He seemed to be a bit older than my father, around fifty, and his graying hair was pulled back in the topknot used by so many Fire Nation men. He was so absorbed in his work that he did not take notice of me, but I felt no offense.
o0o0o
Kuzon
I was always happy to find new places to explore. And it was nice having Mama with me. My nurse was nice, but I liked being with Mama more. Ever since Father had married her, he seemed happier and was now spending more time with me, and I was happier too. If not for Mama, I would still have been stuck with my old nurse, and I would always be bored and lonely.
I wanted to look at the plants more. Some of the plants looked prickly, and I knew that they had to be cacti. I had seen pictures of them in one of my schoolbooks. But I had never seen or touched one and I was curious. I pulled away from Mama and went down the steps to the closest pot. This cactus looked to be made of a lot of different-sized green balls stacked together, with a white prickly fuzz all over them. I reached out, curious to see what it felt like. It had a weird little prickly feeling, but it didn't hurt.
“It feels funny, Mama. Touch it?” I asked. She smiled a little and reached with one finger to touch.
“You're right. It does feel funny.” she smiled.
“My Lady, my Prince! It is a honor to have you here! I wish I had known, so I could have prepared!” the servant watering the plants came towards us.
“Prepare what?” Mama asked. “We're not here for judgment or inspection.”
“Ah... but you're the Fire Lady and Prince! I am but a humble servant...” He bowed to both of us.
“Please, go back to what you were doing. There's no need for concern.” Mama smiled. She had such a pretty smile.
We looked at a few more of the plants. The soil in the pots were dry, and I knew that plants were supposed to be watered. I looked at the servant. He was a few pots away, carefully checking on one of the cacti.
“You're not giving these plants enough water.” I said. He looked down at me worriedly.
“Not enough water?”
“The dirt is really dry. Plants are supposed to be given water.” I replied. He bowed to me again.
“My Prince, if I may explain why the dirt is dry.” he asked.
“You may.” I replied, trying to sound as regal as my sire.
“You are right in the fact that plants are supposed to be watered. Some plants need a lot of water and that's why you find them by lakes and rivers. But these? They're succulents, my Prince. They come from the desert. If you give them too much water, they will die. That's why they're kept in these pots. The soil here is rich, and many plants like it. But there's too much water in the ground for these plants.”
“Why? I thought plants liked water.” I asked. I saw Mama smile at me a little.
“When a plant lives in the desert, it gets used to getting so little water. When you give a plant or animal something they're not used to, sometimes they get sick or even die. These plants are so used to getting so little water that they store it within themselves. If I were to cut one of these cacti, water would leak out of it. Can you imagine what would happen if I gave it so much water?” he asked.
“It'd blow up with water?” I asked. He chuckled a little.
“Not quite, but you have a good idea there. I do give them a little more water than they would get in the desert, to ensure that they grow big. But it takes care.”
“Why do we have them here?” I asked. If they belonged in the desert, why were they here?
“The juice from the aloe plants make a excellent lotion for burns and dry skin, and the cactus juice is pleasant to drink when it is fermented or mixed properly, and some of these cacti juices also make good medicine.” he explained.
“Why are they so spiky?”
“So that animals won't steal their water. In the desert it is very hard to find a open body of water, so animals have to look to other sources of water. Can you imagine trying to bite into one of these?” he asked. The first cactus I touched had a soft, prickly fuzz, but some of the others had longer and mean-looking spikes. I laughed a little.
“It wouldn't be fun.” I replied.
o0o0o
Katara
I smiled to myself as Kuzon talked with the gardener about the cacti and how they were different from the other plants that were tended to within the Palace City. The variety of aloe and cacti here were interesting to look at, and I noticed a few of the plants flowering, with exotic-colored blooms. Obviously, this man cared about his job and took it seriously. All the plants I could see were green and healthy. I had a few potted plants in my room, and wondered about adding a cactus to that array.
When Kuzon had no more questions to ask and contented himself with walking among the rows, I approached the gardener.
“This place seems to have served a different purpose a long time ago. What happened?” I asked.
“This used to be the old Coronation Plaza. After the War, the Fire Lord decided to have a new one built. Your husband gave me leave to turn this area into a plant nursery. I like this place, and it's a better place for these plants when the winter rains come.” He gestured to something I had noticed, rolled-up bolts of plain white fabric along the edges of the roof along with a few wooden rods. There were several upright ones around the plaza, and now I could see that these were to give the cloth support. “I just unfurl these and the water rolls off into the cisterns, or into the channel” He shrugged and added a bit of water to one of the pots.
“Why did he decide to build a new plaza? This old one certainly seems large enough.” I glanced around, looking at all the open space that was not occupied by the plants.
“I do not question my lord's will. But if I had to hazard a guess, I'd think it had to do with starting anew. You know, starting a new legacy, ending the War...” he said. I nodded. This place felt so familiar to me that it was almost eerie. I know that I had never come across this place in my wanderings, yet...
I blinked and shook my head.
“Is something the matter, my lady?” he asked.
“No.” I said quickly. He raised a eyebrow in concern. “I was thinking how nice it would be to have a cactus in my apartment. A small one, I mean. Could you pot a small cactus?” I asked. He smiled and nodded.
“It would be a pleasure, my lady. Which one would you like?” he asked. I glanced across the rows, trying to decide which one would be best.
“I think one of these plants that grow in clusters.” I said, remembering the first plant that Kuzon had noticed and touched.
“Very good, my lady. I shall have one potted for you tonight, if that satisfies you.”
“It does.” I nodded.
I wandered along the rows silently, trying to figure out why this place felt so familiar. Had I visited this place before and forgotten about it? Was there another place here in the City that had been built the same way? I gazed at the veranda that surrounded the courtyard. Along one side ran a water channel built under the floor, with metal grating above it. Such passages were strategically placed around the City to help with irrigation and bringing water to various buildings. Most were covered, but there were strategic openings or gratings at various points so they could be fed by the rains which were caught in gutters on the roofs. A servant caught dumping garbage in any of the waterways or otherwise compromising the cleanliness of the water was whipped and sent away.
I stood at the edge of the lattice, looking down at the water which flowed within the murky depths. A sensation of lightheadedness hit me and I leaned against a pillar, closing my eyes.
A Fire Nation woman with poorly-cut hair was engulfed in water, water that I had bended out of the waterway. She was clad in Fire Nation armor, and there was a manic gleam in her eyes as she tried to extricate herself out of the water. Chains found their way around her wrists, and she was bound to the metal lattice. I could feel the hate pouring out of her being, hate directed at me.
When I looked away from her, I saw Zuko lying on the ground, not moving.
I pulled away from the pillar and strode down the courtyard, feeling a tight knot in my stomach. Why was I feeling these things?
“Zuko!” Now that Azula was bound, I could give Zuko the care he needed. The wound in his chest was unpleasant, but I was determined to do what I could. Losing him was unthinkable! Without a second thought, I Bended the remaining water out of my flasks and directed them to his torso. Like I had healed Iroh, I would now heal Zuko. Drawing on the memory of what I had done for Zuko's uncle, I applied it to the man before me. The water threaded through his wounded flesh and I sought out all the burned areas. I could feel the water as it flowed along the singed flesh, cleansing and healing as I concentrated.
His heartbeat became strong, its beat steady as I repaired the worst of the damage. I now worked outward, mending the less-damaged flesh and cleaning it so it would not become infected. He opened his eyes, and I felt a hand reach out for mine.
“Katara... my love...” he murmured. I felt tears come down my face. He had thrown himself in front of his sister's lightning for me, something that truly spoke of his love for me. And now, he would be fine.
“Zu...” I whispered as I placed my hand on his now healed flesh, feeling his heartbeat. Thank the spirits. Azula would not win, she had lost, she was now chained...
A loud crackle of lightning exploded from behind me, and Zuko's eyes widened with horror. I felt a searing heat hit my back, and then there was oblivion.
I shuddered as I stood there, trying to speak. What the hell was that? A dream? A memory? I barely had time to process my thoughts before everything spun around me and I collapsed.
The last thing I remember before everything fading to black was hearing Kuzon screaming.
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Kiss of Fire