Chapter 10 The Visitors

“Fire Lord Zuko”, the messenger of Kyoshi Island approached the young Fire Lord, “This message has arrived for you tonight, sir.”

Zuko yawned something that sounded like ‘thanks’ as he accepted the piece of paper. He rubbed his eyes and yawned again. His night had been tumultuous, to say the least. Three times had bad dreams woken him up, all of which were about Azula. The sages had often told him about the predictive properties of dreams and he didn’t like this omen at all. It gave him the impression that something bad was going to happen to his little sister.

“Finally awake, huh?”, a young female voice interrupted him as he wanted to remove the black ribbon from the message.

The Fire Lord turned around to see his bodyguard. “What do you mean, ‘finally’?”, Zuko asked annoyed, “The sun’s barely gone up.”

Toph shrugged. “I wouldn’t know”, she said waving her hand in front of her pale eyes, “blind, you know.” Zuko ignored her as he unrolled and read the letter. “Is something wrong?”, Toph asked as she noticed irregularities in the Fire Lord’s breath and heartbeat.

“Read for yourself”, Zuko replied in a sad tone.

“Err … I’ll take that as a yes”, the young bodyguard replied, “As I don think you ever forgot I was blind twice in a row.” There was a slight tone of reproach in her voice, even though she tried to hide it. She usually found it funny if people ‘accidentally’ forgot that she was blind. This only counted for the first time though, a second time was something she considered as plain stupidity. Nevertheless she did slightly understand it this time. The letter, whatever was in it, had clearly touched Zuko and she didn’t want to hurt her friend more than was necessary.

“I’m sorry”, Zuko apologized, “It’s a letter from my mother. … Azula …” Zuko took a deep breath while bending his head down into his hands. “She … she … she’s dying, Toph.”

“Who is?”, a confused Toph asked, “Azula or your mother?”

“Azula”, Zuko replied, “mom asks me to come as soon as possible.” He pulled himself together. “Which is exactly what we’re going to do. Could you ask captain Jee to prepare a small vessel. I’ll inform Mai and Chief Oyaji of our sudden departure.”

Informing Mai had been easier than Zuko expected. Perhaps she had finally acquiesced in the fact that the Fire Lord did care deeply for his sister. She didn’t feel like seeing Azula though. It was too soon for her to forget about the former princess’s actions. Hence it didn’t surprise Zuko that his girlfriend didn’t want to join him. He wasn’t too sure about the village chief though. When he first arrived Oyaji wasn’t too keen on seeing him; something Zuko could easily understand as he was the person who burnt his village down. Sokka and Suki had eventually managed to persuade the old man of his good intentions, but the man’s distrust never really disappeared.

“Good morning, Fire Lord Zuko”, village chief Oyaji greeted the scarred boy as he entered the council room.

“Chief Oyaji”, Zuko greeted nervously, “I apologize for dropping by unnoticed, but I just received a letter from my mother. My sister is critically ill and I’d like to see her as soon as possible. I know I had agreed to stay longer, but this really is an emergency. My men will keep on working and I …”

“Don’t worry, Fire Lord”, the old man calmed down the rattling Zuko, “You have personally helped rebuilding the village, something I doubt another king would ever do, and for that you have earned my respect. I can see now, why Sokka, Suki and Ty Lee have such great faith in you. I understand that you have to go and I know you would have stayed, if the circumstances were better.”

“Thank you”, Zuko replied, “Send my regards to Sokka, Suki and Ty Lee.”

“I will, I hope your sister will be alright”, the old man said as the Fire Lord left the room.

By the time Zuko arrived at the docks, his ship was already ready for departure. Noticing how Toph was impatiently tapping her foot at the gangway, he quickly boarded. Bandao wasn’t too far away from Kyoshi Island, the journey would probably take about a day. Nevertheless the Fire Lord knew that it was essential that they left as soon as possible, if he wanted to see his sister again, but before he got the chance to give the order to leave, he was interrupted by an all too familiar female voice. “Wait”, she yelled, “I want to come with you.” Zuko cursed between his teeth. Did Ty Lee really have to come? It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, he did, but right now her cheeriness was the last thing he needed. Nevertheless, the acrobat had been Azula’s best friend for who knew how long and they hadn’t seen each other since that fateful day at the Boiling Rock. It would only be fair to let her join, no matter how annoying she could be.

***

It was a drizzly morning when the Fire Lord’s ship arrived at the Bandao peninsula. The weather was a perfect reflection of his mood, despite the fact that he would finally see his mother back. He had longed for this to happen for over five years now, and now that he finally was, the only thing Zuko was feeling was sadness. He only wanted to help Azula. He thought it was what she needed. He didn’t want his little sister to die. A sigh filled with melancholy escaped the Fire Lord’s mouth as he, Toph and their unexpected guest descended the ship. All of them were wearing casual, informal garments. Zuko didn’t even wear his royal headpiece. This was a family visit after all. Political symbols wouldn’t be at their place on an occasion like this.

The road was long and, thanks to the constant chattering of Ty Lee, extremely annoying. Despite Toph’s often hard-handed, or rather hard-elbowed, shushes, she just wouldn’t stop talking. Even worse was the fact that the name ‘Azula’ escaped her lips every few moments, as if there was nothing else she could talk about. It more than once gave Zuko, who tried to ignore her as much as he possibly could, the desire to kill her or at least rip her tongue out. How could she even keep talking? No one was replying. Did she like the sound of her own voice that much? Even though he had managed to control his anger outbursts since the war was over, the Fire Lord could feel that his nerves weren’t going to put up with the girl’s tattling for much longer. His snarls didn’t seem to have any effect and neither did his glares. She just kept going. The drizzly rain no longer reached Zuko. Instead a vaporous aura could be seen surrounding the scarred Fire Lord, but not even this seemed to stop her. “Look”, Zuko bluntly interrupted her, “I just found out my sister might be dying. What makes you think I even want to talk about that?”

Ty Lee immediately shut up, upon hearing the Fire Lord’s angry reaction. She curled her lower lip down as if ready to cry, but she wouldn’t go that far. “I … I’m sorry, Zuko”, she whispered apologetically, “I didn’t know.”

“Well, get your facts straight!”, Zuko yelled, turning most of the rain to steam.

The acrobat really did burst into tears this time. “I said I was sorry, OK?”, she cried.

The Fire Lord hated it when she started crying. It was the perfect way to make people feel bad about their actions. Even Azula wasn’t immune to it. But maybe he really had been a little harsh on her. Ty Lee wasn’t aware of having done any wrong, that was just who she was. “I know”, a calmed down Zuko whispered, “So am I, it’s just that … I’m going through a hard time.”

“I’m sure she’ll be alright, Zuko”, Ty Lee tried to comfort the Fire Lord. She was hardly the person to let ill-feelings towards anyone consume her, even if she was treated unjustly. “You know Azula.”

“Yeah”, Toph agreed, “You know what they say: ill weeds grow apace.”

“I hope so”, the melancholic Fire Lord replied. The rest of the trip was relatively quiet. Ty Lee seemed to have come to an understanding about the severity of Azula’s condition and the unwillingness of her companions to talk about it, something both Zuko and his young bodyguard appreciated. It was in fact the Fire Lord himself who first broke the silence, when his mother’s house had finally come into view. “Could you two wait here for now?”, he asked, “I’d like to talk to my mother alone, first.” The drizzling had already stopped a couple of minutes earlier, and even though the sky remained filled with grey clouds, the two girls agreed. Slowly the scarred young man walked towards the house. He would finally see is mother back, after all these years. If only the circumstances would have been better. He took a deep breath as he raised his right fist to knock on the door. He had to do this, no matter how hard, it was his duty. There was no use in tormenting himself by doing nothing. The sooner he knocked, the sooner his uncertainties would fade away, whether the news was good or bad. Three steady knocks landed on the wooden plank. The five seconds of silence that followed were the longest Zuko had ever experienced. His heartbeat had probably doubled by the time he heard the sound of an opening door in the distance, followed by approaching footsteps. The front door slowly opened and revealed a female stature carrying a little girl. Zuko’s eyes and mouth fell wide open in shock. This was the last thing he expected to see.

“Who he, Zoowa?”, the little girl asked the former princess of the Fire Nation.

“That’s our big brother Zuko, Tara”, Azula replied and smiled at the little girl. The gesture shocked Zuko even more. Who was this Azula look-alike? Surely it couldn’t be his sister.

“He odd face”, the girl, whose name was apparently Tara, dryly remarked. Zuko immediately pouted and Azula couldn’t help but chuckle. The look on his face was exactly why she wanted to open the door, while carrying her little sister. She knew the Fire Lord’s expression would be divine if he saw her with a little kid in her arms, and thanks to Tara’s remark, his reaction was even better than what she had hoped for.

“What’s so funny?”, Zuko asked in dismay.

“Nothing”, Azula replied with a fake innocence in her voice, “It’s just that, when she first met me, she said I was beautiful.” Pride filled the girl’s voice and eyes.

“I see …”, the Fire Lord said, “I’m really happy to see you’re alright, Azula.” He smiled and a small tear rolled over his right cheek. He had done the right thing after all. Azula put down their little sister, and before Zuko could say any more, she locked him in a tight embrace. The princess didn’t really know what she was doing, or even why she was doing it. It was just an instinctive reaction. She thought it was what she was supposed to do and her brother eagerly returned the hug. “I’m a bit surprised too though”, Zuko continued once they had loosened their grip on each other. Azula rolled her eyes. His reaction when she opened the door had already made that all too obvious, and telling that he was a bit surprised was an understatement, to say the least. “I thought you were critically ill, but here you are, safe and sound, still as skinny as the day I sent you, b…”

“Hey! Give me a break, will you”, an annoyed Azula interrupted.

“But”, the Fire Lord continued, “healthy nonetheless. Mom’s letter wasn’t a trick to get me here early, was it? It sure looked serious, with the tear marks and mom’s handwriting being less refined than I remember.”

“It was serious”, a middle-aged woman’s voice appeared. Zuko hadn’t heard it in many years, but the sweet and soft sound of it had never left his memory. “Hello darling”, Ursa said.

Like a little boy who had just finished his first day of school, the Fire Lord leapt towards his mother and wrapped his arms around her. “I missed you, mom”, Zuko said, while crying in his mother’s shoulder.

“I missed you too, honey”, Ursa replied unable to hold back her tears, “You’ve grown into such a fine young man. I mean, look at you.” The woman grabbed her son’s shoulders and stretched out her arms taking a step backwards. Zuko smiled, though his eyes were still wet. Sadness, and maybe even anger, filled the mother’s expression once she noticed the Fire Lord’s left eye. Ursa took her right hand off Zuko’s shoulder and reached for the scaly surface of his scarred skin. “What happened?”, she asked even though she could easily guess what, or rather who, had caused the burn.

“Just dad being dad”, Zuko replied. Anger was written all over Ursa’s face. “Don’t worry, he got what he deserved and I’ve grown used to the scar by now. It’s nothing compared to what he did to Azula, it helped me realize what kind of a man he really was, albeit with some delay.”

“I’m proud of you … both of you”, Ursa stated, “You had to endure so much, if only I could have been there to help you.”

“I know, mom”, Zuko replied, “So how have you been?”

“Pretty good, considering the circumstances”, Ursa said, “There were only two things missing from my life and both of them are standing right next to me now.” She smiled and embraced her two royal children, only to be interrupted by the protests of the jealous little girl next to her. Ursa immediately squatted down and took her youngest scion in her arms. “I’ll never let anyone take any of you away from me again.” The remark put a smile on both Zuko’s and Azula’s faces. “Maybe we could discuss further matters inside”, their mother suggested.

“Just a minute, mom”, Zuko replied, “That would be kind of rude towards my companions.” He pointed at the two girls he had left to wait about twenty paces behind him. “I’ve brought someone to see you, Azula”, he said to his sister, “She insisted.” The princess held her head oblique in confusion. Who would want to see her? Zuko turned around and motioned and yelled for the two girls to come. “I’d like you to meet Toph”, he said to his family as the blind girl arrived, “She’s my bodyguard.”

Ursa watched the blind girl sceptically. “Isn’t she a bit sm…”

“Believe me”, Zuko interrupted her, “She’s the best bodyguard, someone could wish for. … And I suppose you both know T…”

“Azula!”, Ty Lee exclaimed while wrapping herself around the former Fire Nation princess in a strangling hug. “It’s so good to see you again. How have you been? I thought you were dying.” The acrobat was as happy and energetic as she always had been. Her excited chattering didn’t even allow for a single breath to be taken in between.

“Well”, Azula muttered, “If you don’t loosen your grip, I still might.” Ty Lee’s hug was indeed too tight for comfort, but the princess was more than happy to see her former best friend again and to learn that she actually wanted to see her again too.

“Oh”, Ty Lee said while immediately loosening her grip, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be”, Azula replied, “I should be sorry. I never treated you like a friend.”

“It’s OK, Azula”, the acrobat reassured her, “So … what happened? I heard you were sick, but you look alright.”

“She woke up yesterday, but let’s discuss these matters inside”, Ursa interrupted, “It’s a bit chilly out here, don’t you think?”

A sudden heavy shock, accompanied by a loud peal, sent scarred Azula flying towards the nose of the ship. Using the balustrades she had just slammed into, she got back to her feet. “What was that!?”, she asked, but no one answered. “Zuko?” No reaction. What was going on here? Just a moment ago, she had been talking to unscarred Zuko, and now he was nowhere to be seen. Where could he have gone? Would the shock have thrown him overboard? She bent over the balustrade and looked down. Surprisingly enough she did not see water, all she saw was sand. Sand surrounded the entire ship for miles, as if the entire ocean had suddenly dried out. She jumped off board to find her brother. He had to tell her what the next step was. She had finally reached land, but there was nothing here. This was nothing but a huge desert. There had to be more. What was the meaning of this? The ship disappeared the moment she had left it, but there was still no sign of the unscarred Zuko. He seemed to have vanished. “Zuko?”, scarred Azula yelled in panic, “Where are you?”

“You don’t need him anymore”, a voice emerged behind her, “He only accompanied you to guide you through the choosing process, but now you have made your choice.” The voice was right, she had indeed made her choice. Slowly, scarred Azula turned around to see her mother. “I’m proud of you, honey”, she said, “You chose for a life of love and happiness, and I’ll do anything to give it to you.” Ursa opened her arms towards her daughter. “I love you, Azula.” A tingling feeling filled the right half of scarred Azula’s face. When she reached for it, the scar was gone. She leapt towards her mother, who closed her arms around her. Returning the hug, she said: …

“I love you too, mom”, Azula said as she opened her eyes. Sparks of hope immediately banished Ursa’s sadness, and instinctively she took her daughter’s temperature. The fever was gone. She couldn’t believe it. Could it be true? Was the nightmare over? She pulled her right hand away from Azula’s forehead and lay her left hand on it instead, but she wasn’t mistaking. Azula’s temperature had gone back to normal. Crying tears of joy, she wrapped her arms around her daughter. The nightmare was over. After ten long days and being on the verge  of death, Azula had left the battlefield victorious.

“When healer Dai Fu arrived that same day”, Ursa told on, “He confirmed that she was cured. Nevertheless he gave me the advice to keep her in bed for the rest of the day, to let her body recover from the illness and resume its normal functions. Right now, the only inconvenience left is that her stomach needs to slowly habituate to bigger meals again. She’ll be as good as new within a week, I think. Won’t you, honey?” Azula smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that”, Zuko responded, smiling faintly. He took a sip from the tea his mother had served her guests. “Maybe we should proceed to the official matters”, the Fire Lord continued, “I know the initial idea was to let mom persuade me of Azula’s mental progress, but I think I’ve seen enough.”

Azula instantly turned towards her brother. Her smile turned into a worried look. Did this mean he was going to lock her up again? He couldn’t do that. She had done so much, been through so much, to regain her mental health. She was cured,  she had even changed. Couldn’t he see that? It wasn’t fair. She didn’t want to go back to her cell. “You have to give mom a chance”, the former princess raised her voice, “You have to give me a chance. I have made so much progress, she knows I have. You have to listen to her.”

Zuko hadn’t expected this reply at all, but in a way it amused him. He slowly shook his head and continued talking in a gentle monotone voice. “No Azula”, he said trying to show no emotions, “I’ve made my decision.”

Azula couldn’t believe it. She wouldn’t even get a chance to defend herself. Even worse was the fact that her mother didn’t react at all upon hearing Zuko’s words. The only thing Ursa did, was put her hand on Azula’s shoulder to calm her down. Didn’t she know what was best for her daughter? Didn’t she love her, after all? She couldn’t believe it, but what else could it be. “I will not go back to jail”, Azula said coldly.

“Why would you go back to jail?”, Zuko asked. Azula looked puzzled. What else could he have in mind for her? “I just said I had made my decision, … and my decision is that you have earned your pardon.” Azula turned bright red and looked away in embarrassment. How could she have jumped to the wrong conclusion so fast. According to the others’ reaction it was quite obvious and yet she managed to think otherwise. What happened to her knowledge of human nature? What happened to her knowledge of Zuko’s nature? Shame didn’t permit her to say any more. Zuko smirked as he looked for a piece of paper in his shirt. He was hardly the person to pull someone’s leg. He simply didn’t have his uncle’s sense of humour. But when a victim presented herself on a silver platter like this, he simply couldn’t resist the urge. Nevertheless, there was a time for fun and a time for business, and the latter had just come. “Could I borrow some paper, a pen and a candle, mom?”, Zuko asked.

“Of course”, Ursa replied. She stood up and carried Tara over to her father. “Quill or brush?”, she asked as she was browsing through a nearby closet.

“A quill will do”, Zuko responded. A few moments later his mother arrived with a rolled up sheet of paper, a sharp quill, a pot of ink and a broad, red candle. The Fire Lord used his bending to light the candle and unfolded the paper. Drawn by the sound of the unfolding scroll, Azula attentively watched what her brother was doing. After repeatedly submerging the quill’s tip in the ink, he swiftly started writing. It was too small for Azula to read, at least where she was sitting, but, judging by the lay-out her brother used, it probably was something official. The Fire Lord ended his writing with his signature at the bottom of the document. Once this was done he dripped some drops of molten candle wax on the lower left corner of the piece of paper and stamped it with his seal ring. He then turned towards his sister. “Even though you obviously still have some trust issues, …” Azula’s face turned red once again. “… which I’m sure will lessen in due time, I’m really impressed with the progress you have made. Hence, as promised, you are free. However, I’d prefer it, if you didn’t get yourself involved in any kind of political or military responsibility until you reach adulthood. I know we’re losing one of the most brilliant strategists, but you need to enjoy your youth, and it’s not like we’ll need you in these days of peace.” He handed the official document over to his sister.

Azula took the piece of paper and started reading it. “I, Fire Lord Zuko”, she quietly read out, “Hereby exonerate Azula, daughter of Ursa and former Fire Lord Ozai, from all crimes committed during the reign of aforementioned Fire Lord and reinstate her rights as a Fire Nation civilian and princess, blablablabla …” Azula didn’t know what to say. She was actually free, and it was official. She had a feeling that she should shout it in happiness, but she was too timid to do so. The look on her face spoke volumes though.

“I still don’t get why you thought I’d send you back to jail though”, Zuko asked confused, “You didn’t break any laws during your stay here, did you?” Both Azula and Ursa shook their heads. Zuko nodded in approval.

Azula was confused. “Are … are you saying that you would have pardoned me anyhow?”, she asked.

“I never said that”, Zuko replied, “Our deal was that you were to stay with mom as long as you needed. If your mental headway hadn’t been sufficient, you would just have to stay under mom’s custody a bit longer.” Azula seemed to understand. “It’s unlike you to misinterpret anything, Azula, but then again, you were hardly in a healthy state of mind at the time. … Nothing of that matters anymore, though, you’re free to go wherever you want. Your room in the palace will always be yours, if you want it, though I’m sure mom would love it, if you stayed here. The choice is completely yours, princess Azula.”

Azula looked at her mother. Ursa smiled. She wanted her daughter to stay more than anything else. The same counted for Zuko, but she knew he held responsibilities towards the Fire Nation and hence could never move in with them. Nevertheless she was proud of him, for he helped return balance to the world and restored the Fire Nation’s crooked image. The reinstated princess turned her head to look at her little sister. The girl truly adored and looked up to her big sister, and Azula enjoyed the exemplary role she held towards her. Tara gave her chances no one else would have given her. Leo, lastly, was the person with whom she had had the least interaction during her stay here, but he did seem to appreciate her. He came to understand that the Fire Nation princess wasn’t as rotten as the world thought she was. This truly had become her family, a simple family of commoners. A year ago she wouldn’t have believed it herself. “I think I’ll stay here”, Azula said, “This is my home now. Thank you, your lordship.”

“Don’t call me that!”, Zuko riposted frustrated, “You’re my sister.”

“Why can’t I?”, Azula replied, “Doesn’t his lordship like being called ‘your lordship’, your lordship.” Azula’s timidity had completely vanished. Her smile clearly indicated she was enjoying herself now.

“Nevermind”, Zuko pouted in defeat, “I’m sure you made the right decision. I would have done the same thing, if I actually could. … There’s one more thing I need to tell. I’m organizing a banquet in about a month. I hope you’ll weigh at least a picul by that time, Azula.” Azula immediately sent her brother a glare. Ursa couldn’t help but smile at her children’s pun-throwing. Zuko and Azula finally acted like true siblings again and it filled her heart with happiness. “Most guests will be commoners, people who helped me during my time in exile. Uncle Iroh, the Avatar and my other friends will be there too, and of course you’re all invited as well. The invitations will be sent once I’m home.”

“It’ll be our honour to attend”, Ursa said, “And maybe our families could spend summer together too? Our old beach house at Ember Island is definitely big enough.”

“That’s a great idea”, Zuko replied enthusiastically, “I’ll have the beach house renovated as soon as possible. I’ll be looking forward to all of our family holidays. … I’m afraid I’ll have to leave now though. I still have some duties at Kyoshi Island.” All persons present stood up. The Fire Lord hugged his sister, “I’m delighted to see you’re happy, Azula, I hope you’ll never have to go through any of the things you went through again”, and his mother, “I can’t even begin to tell you how good it felt to see you again, mom, I hope to see you again soon.”

Ursa returned the hug. “Same here, Zuko”, she said, “And if you ever want to visit us, there will always be a room in our house especially for you.”

Zuko smiled as he let her go and headed for Leo. “Nice to have met you, Leo”, he said while shaking his stepfather’s hand, “And my lovely little sister of course.” He petted the girl’s head tangling her hair.

“The pleasure was all mine, your lordship”, the man replied.

“Please”, Zuko corrected him, “Just call me Zuko. After all, you are my stepfather.” The man nodded and smiled.

Ursa led her three guests to the exit. “It was nice to have met you, Toph, and it was good to see you again, Ty Lee. Have a safe trip back home. I hope we’ll meet again soon.”

“Thanks”, the threesome replied, “Bye bye.” Ursa waved at them as they left and the gesture was returned by the Fire Lord and his friends, especially by Ty Lee, who moved her arm a lot more passionately than her companions.

“Now that”, Toph suddenly exclaimed as they were walking back to their ship, “was a life-changing fieldtrip.”