The crowd that met out on in the royal gardens was much larger than the one that had been inside the room. Everyone on the palace staff was watching, including about a dozen Fire Sages who stood in a line at the front. The Head Sage held the Fire Lord’s crown in his hands; the … Continue reading
Azula lowered her head; her whole body twitching. Aang could see it even as he approached the doorway. He remembered Zuko saying that his sister was slipping, but he didn’t realize just how bad it had gotten. “Where’s the Avatar?” she demanded of the terrified servants around her. “I summoned him half a minute ago! … Continue reading
“I still can’t believe it,” Katara marveled later after Zuko and Ren managed to convince Druk to give them a lift back down to camp. “I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t seen it firsthand,” Zuko admitted. “Does this mean… Druk’s a daddy?” Sien asked, excitement in her eyes. “No, baby girl. He’s … Continue reading
Zuko awoke at dawn the next day. He could see through the crack in the tent that the sun was just barely peeking out over the horizon. There were no other sounds around him. So, was he the first one awake? Zuko shifted a bit, not wanting to wake anyone. It was strange; now that … Continue reading
“Sien, stay close now,” Ren warned a few hours later. The foliage was getting thicker by the moment and Katara could see they were approaching another rise in the rock. Sien slowed by a pace, but still insisted on taking shortcuts through shrubs and over rocks to get herself ahead, rather then trudge along with … Continue reading
Packing up was easier the next morning. Partially because Zuko and Katara knew what to expect and also because Zuko’s bloodbending was much improved now that the moon was coming out again. They were fed and on the trail in half the time, which, in turn, put Ren in a better mood. Though she was … Continue reading
Ren spent the rest of the day packing up the tent for their trip. Katara offered to help a few times, but Ren insisted she “had a system” and didn’t want them meddling in it. It left Katara more than a little frustrated to have a major crisis on their hands and not much she … Continue reading
Katara woke up early the next morning to a child’s face staring a few inches from hers. “Wah!” She startled backwards. “What are you doing?” “Momma tolds me to watch you while she was gone.” “Oh.” Katara cleared her throat. So much for her plans to leave early. After the hospitality their hostess had showed, … Continue reading
As they walked through the busy streets of the Fire Nation capital, Katara started to grow more and more concerned. There didn’t seem to be any logic behind where Zuko was walking. She let him take the lead for a while, figuring he knew these streets far better than she did, but when he only … Continue reading
Zuko swallowed, feeling the dry edges of his throat stick together. He couldn’t remember being this thirsty, not since the time he’d struck out on his own, away from Iroh. Azula knew how to deal with firebenders for sure, but she seemed pretty adept at making a waterbender just as miserable. Zuko shifted his arms … Continue reading