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Slow Heat	By : Spleef Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > General Views: 77367 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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
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Slow Heat
Chapter 6 – Reckoning
Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I wish this had instead of what had happened in the end of the season finale…ooh! Please don't forget to leave a review, they are what keep me going!
o0o0o0o
Katara
2 Months, 30 Days BSC
(Late June 1101)
I did not realize that I had fallen asleep until I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. At first, it seemed that the events of late had been nothing but a bad dream. But when I saw the Aang in this luxurious bed, I cried out softly when I realized it was now morning. I couldn’t believe that I had actually fallen asleep!
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep! I’m sorry!” I exclaimed. The hand squeezed my shoulder, and I heard my brother’s voice.
“It’s been a long night, Katara. It’s okay.”
“Okay?” I whispered, still very much disoriented as I rubbed my eyes, gazing upon unfamiliar surroundings.
“The Palace is safe. We’re safe. Azula was driven away, and.. the Dai Li actually helped us! They’re on our side!” he said. I shook my head. I remembered how the Dai Li had been with Azula in the cavern…
“I know, I know. But a lot has happened. I would have told you sooner, but you were asleep and I knew you and Aang needed your rest.”
“What happened?” I asked quickly.
“Relax, Katara. It’s okay. I’ll tell you everything, but you need to eat first.” Sokka replied, maddeningly calm. This only caused me to grow more tense.
“Tell me now!” I demanded.
“Shh, don’t yell. Aang’s sleeping.”
I quickly turned from my brother to the Aang. I scrambled to check his pulse and breathing. Both were strong. I whipped around to look at Sokka again, and he seemed more thoughtful.
“You have been through a lot haven’t you?” he asked softly. I nodded quickly.
“Okay, Katara. I will tell you what you need to know now. I didn’t mean to take you lightly before. It just feels good, knowing that we’re okay…”
“It was terrible, Sokka. Terrible.” I stated, my head slumping down. He had me in his arms before my tears fell.
“I wasn’t there, you were. But I mean it when I say that things are okay. That’s why I let you sleep. You and Aang needed it. But when you’re ready, we’ll talk about strategy and all of that. No one else knows Aang’s still alive, and Toph and I talked about it with the Earth King, and we all agreed to leave it that way, at least for now. Okay?” he asked. I nodded wearily.
“The Dai Li… Azula?” I asked.
“She disappeared during the fight. Most of the Dai Li turned on her. Turns out that she had a deal going with Long Feng, so the Earth King is setting up a talk with him this afternoon.” Sokka stated. I glanced at him, sensing there was something else.
“Iroh’s safe. So is Zuko.” Sokka stated. I narrowed my eyes as I rose from the side of the bed.
“Zuko’s not on our side!” I cried out softly. He nodded slowly.
“Right now, both of them are in custody. We were waiting for you before we started any serious talks.”
“Let’s go.”
“Not until you eat, and get dressed. The King ordered some clothes sent up for all of us. He says it’s best that we’re all rested before we start any talks. Besides, everything’s okay now. The Palace is secure.”
“We can’t just lay around and - “ I protested.
“I didn’t say that. We’re not going to waste any time. The King decided to have the talks later this afternoon. We all know how important the situation is. But we can’t just charge ahead when we’re exhausted or unable to think clearly.” Sokka stated. I said nothing for a few moments as I nodded. He was right. And for the first time, I noticed him dressed in a comfortable green shirt and pants. I looked down at my own clothing – burned, dirty, and torn. And Aang’s clothes were beyond repair.
“There’s some clothes for you in the other room, just pick out what suits you best. I picked out a few things for Aang though I said they were for myself. Toph and I are staying in this apartment too. It’s huge! Bigger than the house we were given in the Upper Ring! I can’t believe anyone lives in a place like this!”
I held back a smile. I had barely noticed my surroundings when we were escorted to this apartment. It was also dark, and I did not take the opportunity to explore the place.
“It’s also secure. It’s one of the most private apartments, well away from the Court rooms. We’ll be okay here. Come on, let’s get you something to eat. What about Aang?”
“I already fed him a bit last night. But I don’t want to leave him here alone…”
“Toph can stay here. She needs rest anyway. We'll take turns with Aang.”
I took a quick bath and donned one of the soft and comfortable green robes. It was nice to wear silk, like I had when Toph and me went to the party held for the King’s bear. I had to admit, it felt nice to take a break from watching over Aang. Sokka was right, I did need a rest. Toph was already in Aang’s room, sitting near the bed in a chair, her feet planted firmly on the floor, and one of her hands was resting atop Aang's own. She looked tired, and rubbed an eye as I glanced at her.
I ate the food that had been set out on the table, barely noticing its delicious flavor. I was famished, and despite my nap, I was still tired. I had been through so much, and I peppered my brother with questions right after I took my last bite.
o0o0o0o
Zuko
It had been gratifying to lash out against my sister. I would never forget the surprise in her eyes. The fight had not been easy, and if the Dai Li had not turned against her, I would have lost.
But my sister’s luck remained with her in a way. She managed to escape, while Uncle and I were captured. And here we were, locked up in the dungeons, surrounded by metal. We could not lie about who we were – there was no doubt that the Dai Li knew who we were.
I had not spoken to Uncle since I turned against my sister. What I had done weighed heavily upon me. How my Uncle must have felt when he saw my ‘betrayal’. And now that the Avatar was dead, what was there to do? The Earth Kingdom still could try a strike against the Fire Nation, but the chance of success was not as good without an Avatar. And what would my father say when he found out the Avatar was dead? Would he go out to wipe out the Water Tribe, or wait to weed out the Avatar from what was left of them?
Uncle sat in the corner, meditating. I stared out the small window, one of my hands on the bars as I leaned my head against the metal. The hallway was bare but for a guard.
What was to become of me now? I had disappointed Uncle, and Katara… she probably hated me. I was used to having people hating me by now… but to think that she hated me… it hurt more deeply than I ever wanted to admit. Why should the feelings of a Water Tribe peasant affect me so much?
“Why do you not talk to me, nephew?” Uncle asked, breaking me from my thoughts. I remained silent, looking down at the floor in front of the door as I closed my eyes.
“I suppose you think that there is nothing to say.” he stated after I said nothing for several long moments. What could I say to my uncle? I knew that he was deeply disappointed in me. Again, I had not thought carefully, and something bad had happened for it. And this time, the consequences were too dire to fix. Ba Sing Se was back in control of the King and my sister was driven out, but the Avatar was dead. We were prisoners of the Earth Kingdom, and could be executed just for being Princes of the Fire Nation. Uncle must be so ashamed of me. He is now probably wishing he had not come with me when I was banished.
“You never actually sided with Azula, did you? It was merely a ploy?” he asked. I responded with a stiff nod.
“Are you giving me the silent treatment? I thought that was supposed to be for people who have been offended.”
I held back a sigh. I had no desire to talk. I felt worthless. Because of me, the Avatar was dead. Why wasn’t Uncle yelling at me? He had done so when he found me with the Avatar’s bison, under Lake Laogai. If anything, I deserved to be yelled at now, more than ever.
“Why don’t you just yell at me?” I spat out, still looking away from him. This ceased his queries, and I continued.
“You yelled at me before. Why not now? Why not tell me how stupid I am? How worthless my existence is? Why not point out again how I do not think things through? Tell me how ashamed you are to be my uncle!” I growled as I spun around to look down at him. He continued sitting there calmly, and this only further irritated me.
“Do you want me to do that? Yelling at you will not solve anything. The damage was done, and you are regretful of your actions.”
“Why… why in the name of Agni are you so calm? We’re prisoners of the Earth Kingdom! We probably will be executed! Are you just going to sit there and think about tea and whatever else?” I snapped, pacing the cell once. I slammed my fists against the metal walls. Even though the metal of the Earth Kingdom was not as good as ours due to their inferior smelting process, it was still more than enough to keep us confined.
Was this my end? Born as heir to the line of Agni, and to die as a disinherited prisoner of the Earth Kingdom? Uncle sat there, seemingly at peace with our fate.
“Is this what you want, Uncle?” I raged on, “You were supposed to be the Fire Lord! Things would have been better if you were! And now look at you! A poor man, locked up in the dungeon of the city that you failed to conquer! Is this to be the end of the Dragon of the West? What is wrong with you?”
I slammed my fists against the walls again, smoke escaping my nostrils and between my clenched teeth.
o0o0o0o
Katara
I sat in the King’s throne room with Toph. Sokka was now resting with Aang, and he had looked like he needed the sleep. The three of us had agreed to take turns watching over Aang.
Despite my rest, bath, and meal I was still tired, but that was to be expected with my emotional stress on top of the fighting I had done the night before. I was determined to get this meeting over with, and have plans underway as soon as possible, for we only had a season left until the comet was to make its way through the heavens.
Toph was slumped back on the lowest step, staring up blankly at the ceiling and swinging one leg as she waited for the meeting to begin. The King sat in his throne, with the bear at his side. I held back a soft sigh, wiggling my shoulders and stretching out a bit, butterflies in my stomach. I did not know if I could look the man that had killed Jet squarely in the eye, but I set aside my personal feelings. There were far more important matters at stake.
I looked up as Long Feng entered, flanked by quite several members of the King’s guard. By the way his arms were held behind his back, I surmised that he was handcuffed. Firm hands on his shoulders pushed him to his knees, and he did not resist or even look resentful. His expression seemed rather placid, and I interpreted this to mean that he did not care about what was happening. He looked a little worn, though his appearance was still decent. I supposed he had been cleaned up a little before being brought here.
He did seem to register a bit of surprise upon seeing that there was only Toph and I besides the King and guards. I was silent, as was Toph. Even though the King was more comfortable with me, I knew enough of royal protocol to know that I should not speak first at occasions like this. I squared my shoulders and sat with my hands folded in my lap, but Toph remained as she was. It was amusing to see how she was so uncaring of social conventions, even though she still spoke politely and respectfully to the King.
“Greetings… your Majesty.” Long Feng stated, bowing his head and holding it down.
“Funny that you should call me Majesty, when you plotted against me.” the Earth King stated, his voice very calm.
“Your Highness… I was only doing what I thought was best. I ensured that you had a comfortable life, did I not? Your every wish has been fulfilled, and I have been keeping the city running for you. I did my best to keep the burdens from your shoulders.”
“You also lied to me. Why would you try to keep the War a secret from me?”
“I saw no reason to worry you about it. You are the authority in Ba Sing Se…” Long Feng stated. I remembered him telling us that the King was the cultural authority in Ba Sing Se. He continued, “I thought that you wanted to lead a worry-free life. Isn’t it my duty, as your servant and adviser, to keep you happy? And were you not kept happy, my lord? You never indicated that you wanted anything else, though if you did, I would have more than gladly given it to you.” he stated silkily.
I looked up at the King. His eyebrows were furrowed a little. I suppose it was hard for him, as Long Feng had been his most trusted adviser for so long. I knew little about the King’s personal life, but I understood that his father had died when he was young, and Long Feng had been his trusted guardian for the better part of the last two decades. I silently prayed that his resolve would not waver from his history with the older man. He glanced over at me, and I said nothing, but I gazed back at him fixedly. He nodded just slightly and looked back at Long Feng.
“You have indeed done that. But I do not wish for a life made from lies. How can I be a King and rule my people effectively if I do not even know what is going on?”
Long Feng did not reply immediately, and bowed his head again.
“You are most correct, your Majesty. In my haste to provide you with a comfortable life, I overlooked what was important. I humbly ask forgiveness.”
The King did not respond to that plea. Before the meeting, I had warned him that Long Feng might say honeyed things. The situation had shaken the King out of the state of mind he had been put in by Long Feng for so long. He had asked me a few questions before this meeting, and before Aang was killed, and I knew he was burning to ask me more. I knew it would take a while for him to learn to become a real King, but as long as he tried, I was certain he would succeed. He was rather learned and bookish. I hoped he would put this knowledge to good use, and he did seem to want to make a genuine effort. He really was a very nice person.
“What put it in your head that it would be a good idea to deal with the Princess of the Fire Nation herself?” the King asked Long Feng, diverting the talk to a far more pressing matter than that of forgiveness.
“It was never my intent to keep the deal. My first loyalty is to you and the Earth Kingdom, sire. When I heard that she was here, I decided to see if I could this to my – our – advantage. I had her brought to me in the dungeons and talked with her to see what her strategy was. I lent her the Dai Li and had them report to me her actions. It was my every intent to turn the tables on her at the right moment. I would never, ever turn Ba Sing Se over to the Fire Nation! I want to keep this city safe from them!”
“So you mean to tell me that even when you were imprisoned on my command, you still worked for the safety of the city?”
“And your safety as well, your Highness… My loyalty would never, ever lean towards the Fire Nation. I thought that… I might have her captured. She would have been a bargaining tool for us, something we could use against the Fire Lord…”
There was no denying that Azula would have been a valuable prize. With Zuko and Iroh out of favor, Azula was the only one to inherit. She would have been an incredible pawn to have, unless the Fire Lord saw fit to discard her as he had done his son.
“But she was more cunning than I had thought. It was my mistake to underestimate her and I apologize for that.” Long Feng admitted.
I let out a slow breath. I wanted to see him suffer for what he had done. The image of Jet’s broken body flashed in my mind. But I forced myself to look at the bigger picture. My travels and my experiences had matured me quickly, and even though I was very emotional at times, I knew that I had to think about things rationally.
“Take him away.” the Earth King said with a wave of his hand.
“What are you going to do with me, your Highness? Have me executed for treason?” he asked. The King shook his head.
“I must consider the best course of action. You will remain in the dungeons until I make my decision.”
“As… you wish. I am sure you will make the best decision. I only regret that I was not of better service to you, and I hope that I might be given the chance to redeem myself and be worthy.” he said, bowing his head before he was escorted away.
I glanced over at Toph and gently touched her shoulder, making it look as if I was trying to brush a bit of dirt off it. She responded with a slight nod as she sat up. We had worked this out before the meeting. This subtle nod meant that Long Feng was telling the truth about his intentions and the Princess, which made me feel a little better. I was still amazed at Toph’s ability to detect lies, but would not question it. We had decided to not tell the King yet, and we of course had not decided to not tell Long Feng either, so he could lie or tell the truth as he pleased and be judged for it.
o0o0o0o
Zuko
I sat in the corner opposite my uncle, glaring at the wall before I leaned my head against the cool metal. If I was going to die, I was going to do it with dignity. My father did not want me, so I was worthless as a hostage. I hoped Azula would be too. She had killed the Avatar and failed to apprehend Uncle and I, so she had effectively failed in her mission as much as I did, if not more.
Uncle had been silent after my yelling at him. I supposed he was disappointed with me for the things I said to him. I wanted to apologize for what I had done in the caverns, and the harsh words I had just given him in this cell. But I was unable to speak. I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against the metal. Even though I wanted to die with dignity, part of me raged against my fate. I simply could not come to this end. It was not right! After all that I had been through, to come to such a bitter demise. Of course, I was not the first to suffer such a fall, nor would I be the last. But that did not make it any easier to swallow.
When a meal was brought to us, I did not touch it. I surmised it was roughly afternoon now. I suppose that the Avatar's group had already condemned me as a betrayer, and I was as good as dead to them, like the Avatar was. I had failed spectacularly. Even though I had never imagined that my sister would try to kill the Avatar, there was no doubt that things would have turned out differently if I had not attempted to execute my plan. I hoped I would at least be given the chance to pleas my case.
I barely had time to mentally abuse myself again before the door opened and several Imperial Guards looked down at us.
“The Earth King requires your presence.”
The throne room was impressive, and was even bigger than the throne room of the Fire Palace. This kind of architecture could only be accomplished by Earthbending – and by many skilled Benders at that, for I could not see how else all of this stone could be raised, and arranged so neatly. I was duly impressed by the throne, and the large stone badger-mole behind it. It was a clever piece of work, and I did not see the animal in the stone right away. I wonder what my father or grandfather would say if they saw this room. They would probably have the throne room in the Fire Palace enlarged and improved to rival this, though I rather liked the room the way it was.
I had only a few moments to take all of this in as the Guards led Uncle and I forward. I registered who had to be the Earth King, seated on his throne. He did not look that much older than I. At the same time, I took in the sight of Toph and Katara. Sokka was nowhere to be seen. Toph had her face turned in my direction, as if she was actually looking at me. Her face was expressionless, and her eyes blank – as they always were. Katara’s face told a different story.
Her eyes blazed with hostility, and I saw that her body was tense. I only met her eyes for a moment – a fleeting moment – and I could feel the rage that poured from them. The Guardsmen holding Uncle and I stopped, and we were pushed onto our knees.
Uncle greeted the Earth King with the appropriate words as if he was an honored guest, and not a prisoner who was likely to die at the King’s command. I kept my head bowed slightly, but I remained silent. My eyes slid to Katara again, and I kept my eyes on her, silently pleading for forgiveness or understanding. She was understandably angry, and as I felt her wrathful gaze on me, I felt even more ashamed.
Something in my eyes or face must have angered her even more, because she suddenly rose from her seat and before I knew it, she was hurtling towards me, her eyes gleaming with a fire that rivaled any that I could Bend.
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Slow Heat