Guidance (Chapter III)
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters: Zuko, Sensu, the Warden / Yi-Min, Bae
Disclaimer: Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Title: Guidance (Chapter III)
Rating: PG
Genre: General, family
Summary: While overseeing an operation to free the war prisoners, Zuko's gaze falls upon a familiar yet unrecognizable face -- the face of a man whose brother he'd saved in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko plans to meet him as an Earth Kingdom escort under another name.
Wiping his hands on his apron, the cook that had given him strange looks earlier approached Zuko's group. He wordlessly motioned for Zuko to follow. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, the Fire Lord followed suit, going below deck to see none other than the Warden himself. His back was turned to the two, though upon hearing footsteps he turned and immediately stepped toward the teenager, but not before forcing a bow out of respect. The cook was dismissed.
"Fire Lord Zuko," he started. "Might I inquire as to what you are doing here, in disguise of all the ways possible?"
The cook had suspected him.
"Overseeing the operation," said Zuko, flatly.
"But why in disguise, Your Highness?" the Warden protested.
"To ensure that everything would go smoothly even without my presence." It was a half-job explanation, but it would serve its purpose for the moment. After all, that was what he was also doing all the while tracking that Earth Kingdom citizen. Leaving his nation to seek out the identity of one man would not have done anything for anyone -- no matter how much he had thought otherwise when he'd first departed, temporarily leaving Mai and everything else.
"I humbly hope that your concerns were put to rest," the man replied. "But you must understand that this ship isn't the . . . safest place for now."
The ship was almost like a ferry. Zuko saw little potential danger from neither the former prisoners nor the people tending to the ship. Unless the Warden was speaking of something he had not been informed of.
He wanted -- needed -- an explanation. "Why?"
The Warden seemed to catch on to the Fire Lord's suspicion and his shoulders slumped, admitting his defeat and that he would have to spill the truth. The man was stalling, however, as he crossed his arms and strolled around the dark room beneath the deck. His moment of thinking lasted for another few seconds before he turned back to the boy, gesturing to the ceiling above them.
"You see, we've received threats just the week earlier," he started. "Threats to be rid of our guests. We believe that they were sent by those who do not agree with the end of the war. Rebels who long for the war to start again."
"And they plan to start with the released prisoners," finished Zuko, receiving a nod from the Warden. "Is anything being done to prevent these possible assaults?" Another nod came his way.
"We have men watching for suspicious figures." He paused to let the information sink in before he continued: "And this is why we wish to send you back to the palace, Your Highness, if you've finished your . . . investigation."
Zuko dismissed the glint in the Warden's eyes, thus ignoring the man's suspicion, and shook his head. "I'm not done."
"It could become dangerous any minute now."
"That doesn't matter. I'll leave when I see fit." And if the rebels do attack, I can find out exactly what is going on. No one bothered to tell me about this before, he added inwardly.
The Warden made another unnecessary thoughtful gesture. Then he let out a sigh, momentarily seeming to forget that it was the Fire Lord standing before him. (Not that the man cared. Zuko knew Mai's uncle still held a lingering grudge against him for breaking his record of no escapes in the Boiling Rock.) Finally the man gave in, circling the teenager until he came face to face with his guest.
"Very well, Your Majesty," he gritted, "If that is what you wish, then please feel free to return to your -- position."
Zuko turned without a word then. He promptly left the room below the deck, surfacing to the top and breathing in fresh air. The room had been dimly lit and stifling to a certain extent, and he'd longed for the wind. Before the Warden could change his mind and call him back down for any reason he returned to the group he'd originally been "assigned" to. They warmly welcomed him back, unaware of his true identity or what had just transpired right below them. Oblivious to the impending danger that was almost sure to come.
"Wonder what the cook wanted with you." One of them muttered curiously, receiving a playful punch in response from another man for his nosiness.
The second man dodged a blow as he chided the inquisitor. "That's certainly not for you to know."
Ignoring the two he sat beside their circle, keeping some distance between them so as to not be too close. The voices were drowned out, the Warden's words instead flooding into his thoughts as Zuko reviewed the situation.
He'd expected a certain amount of the populace to act up in protest of the war's end -- the nobles and landowners who had been flourishing during it, among others -- but not in this way. If they'd complaints they would have approached the Fire Lord through political or ill-mannered means. He'd expected assassins, even. He hadn't thought about the outsiders of their nation being open to attacks. They'd no reason to, unless they were looking to start a strike.
Evidently he had not thought it through all the way. And the fact that he had not caught onto the actual movement until much later irked him. How long has this been going on for? Was the notice from a week the first threat?
Shaking his head, he noticed the first curious man looking at him. He glared back and received a chuckle in response.
"Not going to ask if you don't want me to, Lee." At least the man respected privacy when it was due. Nonetheless Zuko made a move to get up and stand by the rail when he was stopped by the former prisoner. "If it's not too much trouble, how about a cup of water?" Resisting the urge to simply walk away, he nodded.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment . . . "
There was no need to address the cook this time. Fetching a cup of water for the man, Zuko slid open the door out. Before he could leave the kitchen, however, he found himself face to face with the sole woman on the ship: the one who'd distracted him, he thought. The woman was slightly taller than him and relatively tan, garbed in average Earth Kingdom clothing made of green fabric outlined in white with perhaps too many layers to count. (She was certainly modest on the outside, for loose strands of her dark brown hair even covered the curves of her face.)
Her jade eyes stared into his gold pair. She then closed her own, successfully cutting off eye contact as she gave a small smile and moved to the side. "Pardon me."
He blinked, slightly taken back by the woman's apologetic nature. Without a word he moved forward stiffly, but not without catching another glimpse at her eyes when she reopened them. Her gaze had bore a distinct firmness that betrayed her behavior. And while that alone was off, there was something about the woman that had rubbed him the wrong way.
Zuko stood rooted to the deck, watching the woman slink away into the kitchen as he eyed her suspiciously. When she was out of sight and the door slid closed, he turned away abruptly.
- - - - - - - - - -
"See?" Sensu breathed, gesturing wildly to the retreating figure once more. "Told you he was looking at her instead of me."
"I'm more inclined to believe that I was the one doing the looking."
He straightened, casual pose thrown off, and stared up at the speaker. "He was looking back."
Yi-Min dismissed the remark, instead choosing to sit across Bae with another cup of tea in her grasp. A board was set between them, the tiles arranged neatly to be prepared for a new round. She placed the tea cup down onto the floor beside her and reached for a tile, tentatively fingering the piece she drew. Sensu watched her curiously, taking in her unusually slow movements when the woman returned the tile to its pile, her other hand fingering the rim of the steaming cup.
"I have a feeling," she began, "that something will happen soon."
The teenager held back a groan. "Do you have to say it like that? Your hunches are usually right. If not always."
Bae interjected, "That is why she's telling us, Sensu. It's considerate of Yi-Min to share her careful assumptions."
"You flatter me," she laughed dryly. "But this is hardly a well-thought out prediction compared to the previous times."
"Your predictions tend to be on the dark side. Can't you try to assume something happy? Maybe that'll make things brighter," Sensu muttered, crossing his arms. Yi-Min looked at him with a raised brow and promptly shook her head.
"That you'll meet your brother? That Bae will see his family again after all these years? The war is over, Sensu. Things are brightening on their own as we speak, thanks to the recent Fire Lord and the Avatar."
The boy slumped back against the rail, and it was evident from the look on his face that he wasn't quite convinced by her words. "The Avatar, I understand; but the Fire Lord? He's probably just a figurehead after all the Avatar's done."
"Do not let your bias against the Fire Nation cloud your judgment," Bae reprimanded sternly. "By us Fire Lord Zuko is considered a rising blessing. The rulers before him had continued to prolong the war, yet he chose to end it. Know him well before you speak ill of him." To the man's disapproval, he was thrown another protest.
"We know enough about him. He used to be a banished prince."
Yi-Min clicked her tongue then, interrupting the two as she raised the cooling tea to her lips and took a sip. "That's fairly common knowledge. Even then we all have different opinions of him regarding his actions.
"To some he is a savior in the form of Fire Nation. To others he is a despicable royal who turned against his father. And to you, he is merely Fire Nation." With this she faced Bae, her blank gaze never faltering. "I trust that you of all people would understand the meaning of perspective."
He nodded. "If that's what you believe, then I won't change it." This was addressed to Sensu, who muttered childishly before forcing out a defiant "yes." An unbearably silence between the three followed when the teenager stood to leave, excusing himself to momentarily leave the two as the adults shared glances with each other. There was no need to exchange words; they knew the boy well enough. Sensu was young -- he'd been forced into war at a young age and that had only served in strengthening his hatred for the nation that had started it all. They would not interfere with his stubborn mind process unless necessary.
"Another game of Pai Sho, perhaps?" she piped up after another minute passed.
"That's a sound idea, Yi-Min."
- - - - - - - - - -
Zuko was leaning on the rail, taking the opportunity to observe the sky as the ship seemed to move at a painfully slow pace. He was absentmindedly thumbing the cup in his hands, the fact that it had been asked of him to bring it forgotten. Too much was on his mind already and he had been attempting to clear his mind of the mess. He'd been organizing the newly learned information and other details, prioritizing accordingly as to what his next move would be.
The rebels would either attack or not. Until which it would be was for certain, he could not leave the former war prisoners and escorts to themselves. The number of soldiers on board were laughable when it would come to protection against a readily formed mob or experienced fighters. If the rebels were to strike they would be on the losing side.
Once the people were brought back to Ba Sing Se, Zuko decided, he would return to the palace and deal with the protesters.
Lost in his thoughts the Fire Lord failed to take proper note of the figure that strode up beside him, leaning forlornly against the ship's side.
« Chapter II x Chapter IV »
Characters: Zuko, Sensu, the Warden / Yi-Min, Bae
Disclaimer: Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Title: Guidance (Chapter III)
Rating: PG
Genre: General, family
Summary: While overseeing an operation to free the war prisoners, Zuko's gaze falls upon a familiar yet unrecognizable face -- the face of a man whose brother he'd saved in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko plans to meet him as an Earth Kingdom escort under another name.
Wiping his hands on his apron, the cook that had given him strange looks earlier approached Zuko's group. He wordlessly motioned for Zuko to follow. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, the Fire Lord followed suit, going below deck to see none other than the Warden himself. His back was turned to the two, though upon hearing footsteps he turned and immediately stepped toward the teenager, but not before forcing a bow out of respect. The cook was dismissed.
"Fire Lord Zuko," he started. "Might I inquire as to what you are doing here, in disguise of all the ways possible?"
The cook had suspected him.
"Overseeing the operation," said Zuko, flatly.
"But why in disguise, Your Highness?" the Warden protested.
"To ensure that everything would go smoothly even without my presence." It was a half-job explanation, but it would serve its purpose for the moment. After all, that was what he was also doing all the while tracking that Earth Kingdom citizen. Leaving his nation to seek out the identity of one man would not have done anything for anyone -- no matter how much he had thought otherwise when he'd first departed, temporarily leaving Mai and everything else.
"I humbly hope that your concerns were put to rest," the man replied. "But you must understand that this ship isn't the . . . safest place for now."
The ship was almost like a ferry. Zuko saw little potential danger from neither the former prisoners nor the people tending to the ship. Unless the Warden was speaking of something he had not been informed of.
He wanted -- needed -- an explanation. "Why?"
The Warden seemed to catch on to the Fire Lord's suspicion and his shoulders slumped, admitting his defeat and that he would have to spill the truth. The man was stalling, however, as he crossed his arms and strolled around the dark room beneath the deck. His moment of thinking lasted for another few seconds before he turned back to the boy, gesturing to the ceiling above them.
"You see, we've received threats just the week earlier," he started. "Threats to be rid of our guests. We believe that they were sent by those who do not agree with the end of the war. Rebels who long for the war to start again."
"And they plan to start with the released prisoners," finished Zuko, receiving a nod from the Warden. "Is anything being done to prevent these possible assaults?" Another nod came his way.
"We have men watching for suspicious figures." He paused to let the information sink in before he continued: "And this is why we wish to send you back to the palace, Your Highness, if you've finished your . . . investigation."
Zuko dismissed the glint in the Warden's eyes, thus ignoring the man's suspicion, and shook his head. "I'm not done."
"It could become dangerous any minute now."
"That doesn't matter. I'll leave when I see fit." And if the rebels do attack, I can find out exactly what is going on. No one bothered to tell me about this before, he added inwardly.
The Warden made another unnecessary thoughtful gesture. Then he let out a sigh, momentarily seeming to forget that it was the Fire Lord standing before him. (Not that the man cared. Zuko knew Mai's uncle still held a lingering grudge against him for breaking his record of no escapes in the Boiling Rock.) Finally the man gave in, circling the teenager until he came face to face with his guest.
"Very well, Your Majesty," he gritted, "If that is what you wish, then please feel free to return to your -- position."
Zuko turned without a word then. He promptly left the room below the deck, surfacing to the top and breathing in fresh air. The room had been dimly lit and stifling to a certain extent, and he'd longed for the wind. Before the Warden could change his mind and call him back down for any reason he returned to the group he'd originally been "assigned" to. They warmly welcomed him back, unaware of his true identity or what had just transpired right below them. Oblivious to the impending danger that was almost sure to come.
"Wonder what the cook wanted with you." One of them muttered curiously, receiving a playful punch in response from another man for his nosiness.
The second man dodged a blow as he chided the inquisitor. "That's certainly not for you to know."
Ignoring the two he sat beside their circle, keeping some distance between them so as to not be too close. The voices were drowned out, the Warden's words instead flooding into his thoughts as Zuko reviewed the situation.
He'd expected a certain amount of the populace to act up in protest of the war's end -- the nobles and landowners who had been flourishing during it, among others -- but not in this way. If they'd complaints they would have approached the Fire Lord through political or ill-mannered means. He'd expected assassins, even. He hadn't thought about the outsiders of their nation being open to attacks. They'd no reason to, unless they were looking to start a strike.
Evidently he had not thought it through all the way. And the fact that he had not caught onto the actual movement until much later irked him. How long has this been going on for? Was the notice from a week the first threat?
Shaking his head, he noticed the first curious man looking at him. He glared back and received a chuckle in response.
"Not going to ask if you don't want me to, Lee." At least the man respected privacy when it was due. Nonetheless Zuko made a move to get up and stand by the rail when he was stopped by the former prisoner. "If it's not too much trouble, how about a cup of water?" Resisting the urge to simply walk away, he nodded.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment . . . "
There was no need to address the cook this time. Fetching a cup of water for the man, Zuko slid open the door out. Before he could leave the kitchen, however, he found himself face to face with the sole woman on the ship: the one who'd distracted him, he thought. The woman was slightly taller than him and relatively tan, garbed in average Earth Kingdom clothing made of green fabric outlined in white with perhaps too many layers to count. (She was certainly modest on the outside, for loose strands of her dark brown hair even covered the curves of her face.)
Her jade eyes stared into his gold pair. She then closed her own, successfully cutting off eye contact as she gave a small smile and moved to the side. "Pardon me."
He blinked, slightly taken back by the woman's apologetic nature. Without a word he moved forward stiffly, but not without catching another glimpse at her eyes when she reopened them. Her gaze had bore a distinct firmness that betrayed her behavior. And while that alone was off, there was something about the woman that had rubbed him the wrong way.
Zuko stood rooted to the deck, watching the woman slink away into the kitchen as he eyed her suspiciously. When she was out of sight and the door slid closed, he turned away abruptly.
- - - - - - - - - -
"See?" Sensu breathed, gesturing wildly to the retreating figure once more. "Told you he was looking at her instead of me."
"I'm more inclined to believe that I was the one doing the looking."
He straightened, casual pose thrown off, and stared up at the speaker. "He was looking back."
Yi-Min dismissed the remark, instead choosing to sit across Bae with another cup of tea in her grasp. A board was set between them, the tiles arranged neatly to be prepared for a new round. She placed the tea cup down onto the floor beside her and reached for a tile, tentatively fingering the piece she drew. Sensu watched her curiously, taking in her unusually slow movements when the woman returned the tile to its pile, her other hand fingering the rim of the steaming cup.
"I have a feeling," she began, "that something will happen soon."
The teenager held back a groan. "Do you have to say it like that? Your hunches are usually right. If not always."
Bae interjected, "That is why she's telling us, Sensu. It's considerate of Yi-Min to share her careful assumptions."
"You flatter me," she laughed dryly. "But this is hardly a well-thought out prediction compared to the previous times."
"Your predictions tend to be on the dark side. Can't you try to assume something happy? Maybe that'll make things brighter," Sensu muttered, crossing his arms. Yi-Min looked at him with a raised brow and promptly shook her head.
"That you'll meet your brother? That Bae will see his family again after all these years? The war is over, Sensu. Things are brightening on their own as we speak, thanks to the recent Fire Lord and the Avatar."
The boy slumped back against the rail, and it was evident from the look on his face that he wasn't quite convinced by her words. "The Avatar, I understand; but the Fire Lord? He's probably just a figurehead after all the Avatar's done."
"Do not let your bias against the Fire Nation cloud your judgment," Bae reprimanded sternly. "By us Fire Lord Zuko is considered a rising blessing. The rulers before him had continued to prolong the war, yet he chose to end it. Know him well before you speak ill of him." To the man's disapproval, he was thrown another protest.
"We know enough about him. He used to be a banished prince."
Yi-Min clicked her tongue then, interrupting the two as she raised the cooling tea to her lips and took a sip. "That's fairly common knowledge. Even then we all have different opinions of him regarding his actions.
"To some he is a savior in the form of Fire Nation. To others he is a despicable royal who turned against his father. And to you, he is merely Fire Nation." With this she faced Bae, her blank gaze never faltering. "I trust that you of all people would understand the meaning of perspective."
He nodded. "If that's what you believe, then I won't change it." This was addressed to Sensu, who muttered childishly before forcing out a defiant "yes." An unbearably silence between the three followed when the teenager stood to leave, excusing himself to momentarily leave the two as the adults shared glances with each other. There was no need to exchange words; they knew the boy well enough. Sensu was young -- he'd been forced into war at a young age and that had only served in strengthening his hatred for the nation that had started it all. They would not interfere with his stubborn mind process unless necessary.
"Another game of Pai Sho, perhaps?" she piped up after another minute passed.
"That's a sound idea, Yi-Min."
- - - - - - - - - -
Zuko was leaning on the rail, taking the opportunity to observe the sky as the ship seemed to move at a painfully slow pace. He was absentmindedly thumbing the cup in his hands, the fact that it had been asked of him to bring it forgotten. Too much was on his mind already and he had been attempting to clear his mind of the mess. He'd been organizing the newly learned information and other details, prioritizing accordingly as to what his next move would be.
The rebels would either attack or not. Until which it would be was for certain, he could not leave the former war prisoners and escorts to themselves. The number of soldiers on board were laughable when it would come to protection against a readily formed mob or experienced fighters. If the rebels were to strike they would be on the losing side.
Once the people were brought back to Ba Sing Se, Zuko decided, he would return to the palace and deal with the protesters.
Lost in his thoughts the Fire Lord failed to take proper note of the figure that strode up beside him, leaning forlornly against the ship's side.
« Chapter II x Chapter IV »