𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗟 | zuko

23: TALKING?

We had spent a week in Yu Dao.  It really was amazing, the way the people worked together.  And the Harmony Restoration Movement would have taken away that teamwork.  Zuko did this for his people.  For my people, too -- the people of the Earth Kingdom.

Zuko's revocation of his support for the movement had sparked small protests outside the hotel from other citizens of the Earth Kingdom.  But they didn't know what Yu Dao was really all about.

But there were more loud noises than usual today, it wasn't just people shouting.  It sounded a lot closer, as if it were right outside our room.  There was wooshing and bangs from jumping, and yelling too.

"What is that?" said Zuko, who was just finishing his hair.  He went toward the door and I followed.  Katara and Aang were there, and most of the guards were stuck in ice, frozen in place.  A guard went to attack Aang from behind, but Katara created multiple water spikes and sent them toward him, yelling, "Can't you people give it a rest?!  He just wants to talk!"

But before she could send the spikes any further, Zuko took her wrists, saying, "Katara! Stop!" and held one behind her, and one over her. She moved, but couldn't get out of his grasp.

I didn't like the way he was holding her because it almost reminded me of the day my wrist was burnt.

"Let go, Zuko!" said Katara. "You're hurting me!  Don't make me hurt you back!"

"I'm hurting you?! What are you doing to my soldiers?!  My people?!"

"Zuko, let go of Katara," I said.  "You're hurting her!"

"First, she has to agree to stop attacking my people!"

"Your soldiers attacked first!" yelled Aang, pointing at him.  "Let her go now!"

"I am the Fire Lord!  I have to protect the citizens of the Fire Nation!"

Aang inhaled, and I could see he was about to airbend.

"Zuko!" I yelled.  But before I could get there, Zuko was knocked to the ground by a gust of wind.  He stood up quickly and punched fire twice, but Aang knocked both blasts out of the air with waterbending.

"I came here to talk to you, Zuko!  As a friend!" yelled Aang.  "But you've changed!  You've forgotten what we fought for!"

The wind started to blow.  Aang's eyes and tattoos started glowing, and he rose into the air.

"Maybe Avatar Roku is right.  Maybe a promise is a promise," he said, as Zuko's eyes widened.

I went up toward Zuko and went just beside him, as the wind started to circle and we could barely stand, holding our hands up to try and shield ourselves.

"Aang! Stop!" yelled Katara. "If you enter the Avatar State in such an emotional way, you won't be able to control yourself!"

She went closer to him and held his face close to her own.  "You have to calm down," she said.  "Please, sweetie. For me."

The wind stopped.  Zuko and I fell over, but sitting.  Katara caught Aang and held him.

"I can't believe it.  I might've done something terrible without even thinking it through.  Zuko, Jin, I'm so --"

"Katara's right," interrupted Zuko, hands gesturing to tell him it was okay. "We both need to calm down.  And talk."

"Are you kidding me?" questioned Aang. "THAT'S WHAT I WANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE!" he yelled, spitting. Zuko and I turned away, and Katara looked surprised as well.

We took Aang and Katara through the city streets.

"Did you know that Yu Dao is the oldest of the colonies?" he asked them.  "Many of the Fire Nation families here immigrated over a hundred years ago when Yu Dao was just a tiny village at the bottom of a valley. Together with the Earth Kingdom people who were already here, they built all this," he said, referring to the city.  He stopped in front of a blacksmith, clanging away at a strip of metal.  

"Yu Dao now makes the finest metalwork ever produced, using both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom expertise."  We continued walking.  "That's why this is one of the richest cities in the world."

Katare stopped in front of a shoemaker, where a young Earth Kindom man was shining a Fire Nation man's shoes.  

"It doesn't seem like the Fire Nation citizens and the Earth Kingdom Citizens share equally in that wealth," she said, watching the man shine his boots.

"It's not perfect, Katara, but all the city's people, including the Earth Kingdom people, are better off now than they were a hundred years ago."

"The history lesson is great and all, but none of it matters!" exclaimed Aang.  "By betraying the Harmony Restoration Movement, you're going to start another war!"

I squeezed Zuko's hand just the slightest bit, hoping this would make him stay calm as he stopped in his tracks.  He took a breath.

"Look, Aang, when I came here a week ago, I had planned to personally enforce the removal of Yu Dao from the Earth Kingdom!  But then..."

He told them the story of the day we came here, about how the people had already built connections, about how the mayor's wife was an earthbender, and everything about that day.  

"So, we stayed," I finished.  "The Harmony Restoration Movement would destroy what the people worked so hard to create here."

"I changed my mind," continued Zuko.  "Ever since I've had my coronation, I've had trouble finding peace.  Now, I think I've finally figured out why.  I'd forgotten about my people."

Zuko turned around.  

"I know you defeated the Fire Nation, Aang, but my people still deserve respect!"

"I defeated the Fire Nation?!  You mean we defeated the Fire Lord!"

"It'd be disrespectful to take from them a life they spent generations building!  I won't let you do it!" yelled Zuko.

"Harmony requires four separate nations to balance each other out!  You can't have balance if one nation occupies another!" retorted Aang.

"Maybe Yu Dao can be an exception," suggested Katara.

"What?!" said Aang jerking around to meet her gaze.

"It's just a thought," she shrugged.

"Exceptions should be made for all the remaining colonies!  Most of them have been around for well over a century," said Zuko.

"They're older than you, Aang," I said.

"You have got to be joking.  That would make peace impossible!" Aang replied.

"Well, regardless, the Earth King needs to be a part of whatever happens next," said Katara over the both of them.  "If Aang and I can arrange a meeting, will you be there, Zuko?"

He glanced at me, and I nodded. "I'll be there," he said.

"Talking's good.  I guess," said Aang quietly.