masterghandalf

This is a repost from Das_Sporking2; previous installments of this sporking may be found here.

Warning: This post contains some violence and discussion of abuse.



MG: Well, everyone, it’s time to continue our journey through Vathara’s Embers! Last time, Amaya and Iroh had a date (and a run-in with Smellerbee and Longshot), learned that Zuko is a waterbender, and Amaya healed Zuko’s spirit to fix some of the damage done to him when he was made a waterbender. Today, Zuko continues his work with Jinhai and making plans with Iroh, but first we learn a bit more about spirits and the “true” purpose of the Dai Li in Embers!verse. Joining us today will be Zuko and Rangi!


Chapter 14


Note to self, Huojin thought, head still ringing from hitting the clinic wall, do not shake sleeping imperial firebenders. Bad idea.

Zuko: …because it’s not as if I was just on edge after everything I’d been through lately or anything – no, the real reason not to startle me is because I’m an Imperial Firebender. Right.

The Superior Element: 26

"H'ojin?" Lee muttered, blinking as if he couldn't figure out why, exactly, he was half-dressed with a groaning Guard at his feet. "'S middle of the night… two hours 'til dawn, easy…."

Blinking away a few stars, Huojin eyed him with disbelief. "You can't be looking at a clock."

"Who needs a clock? I know-" A jaw-cracking yawn. "Know where the sun is. Isn't. S'night. Go 'way." Eyes sliding shut, he meandered back to the cot.

MG: *shrugs* I guess it’s not unreasonable that a firebender would be able to sense the exact position of the sun even when they can’t see it (Ozai does seem to be able to tell the exact timing of the eclipse even when he’s sitting in a bunker buried deep belowground in “The Day of Black Sun, Part Two”, but iirc none of the other firebenders in that episode – Zuko and Azula included – show that kind of natural awareness, so it may be more of a very advanced master technique than something innate). OTOH, something about how this is portrayed just makes me think of the Andalites’ instinctive “internal clocks” in Animorphs that let them tell time with extreme precision; now I’m wondering what Vathara would have made of Animorphs, which I don’t believe she ever wrote for…

"Healing emergency." Face freshly washed, Amaya emerged, giving her apprentice a look of rueful sympathy. "If you've rested enough, I could use your help." She glanced at Huojin. "Are you all right?"

"Had worse," Huojin admitted. Touched the sore spot, and winced. "Remind me to throw water on him next time."

Rangi: Let’s just say that if you want to wake up a sleeping firebender and not have a very irritated firebender to deal with afterwards… that’s not how you do it.

That seemed to jerk Lee awake. Green eyes widened, guilty. "I'm sorry. Uncle always calls from the door to wake me up, don't move-"

"I'll handle it," Amaya said firmly. "Get dressed. You're coming."

Nodding, Lee grabbed his clothes from the foot of the cot, and stumbled off to the washroom.

Zuko: Knowing Amaya, I’m probably not being given a choice in the matter…

Sprawled on the next cot over, Mushi simply snored.

Amaya's cool touch washed away the pain, and Huojin picked himself off the floor. "Thanks. What are they doing here?" He didn't mean for it to sound like an accusation. Much.

"Aftereffects of Lee's drowning," Amaya said blandly. "The spirits really do have it in for that young man."

Zuko: Yeah, and who used a waterbending technique on me that nearly killed me, again? Oh, right…

"Maybe this isn't the best call to take him on," Huojin said reluctantly. "Everything's supposed to be handled…." But you could never be sure. Not with creatures like these.

"What's handled?"

Kid moves fast.

Rangi: I mean, you did trail off ominously there, Guardsman Huojin. It does raise some questions.

"Let's just say, this wasn't a regular house fire," Huojin told the firebender plainly.

"And there are reasons I treat the Dai Li, if they need me," Amaya added. "They were meant to protect the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. They still do. But protecting history means protecting ancient artifacts, and with that…."

MG: *groans* Here we go, though I’m going to give us time for a bit more of an explanation before I say more…

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 12

"Tsukumogami." Lee looked a bit more awake, feeling at his sash. "I've got salt, but I don't know anything about consoling ceremonies. That's more of a Fire Sage thing… what?" he asked at Huojin's raised brows. "They held ceremonies every solstice where I grew up. Ba Sing Se's not the only place with old things."

MG: Tsukomogami (in the context the fic uses them, referring specifically to objects or tools that have lasted for a century or more and gained sentience and their own spirit) are a real-world concept from Japanese folklore… but, having double-checked with LanWan, they are specifically Japanese and don’t really have counterparts elsewhere. Which makes the fic’s use of them in the Chinese-based Earth Kingdom – and not only that, but they serve as one of the main justifications for the Dai Li’s existence – extremely strange and frustrating, since it seems to serve no purpose other than Vathara shoving a Japanese thing into the setting for its own sake, and to prop up one of her favored factions.

"Hadn't occurred to me," the Guard said honestly. "Is that what you call ninety-nine-year spirits?"

"We have some odd words," Lee said after a moment.

MG: …because Vathara decided that the Fire Nation and only the Fire Nation should be Japan-ified, that is. OTOH, later in the fic we’ll start getting examples of the Fire Nation “court language” which is based on Sanskrit (because of Agni, presumably) so who even knows what the in-universe origin of the Fire Nation using Japanese terms is.

Sighed, and seemed to brace himself. "So Dai Li handle spirits? They must be pretty strong benders."

Rangi: *looks over at Zuko* You’re only just now realizing that? I mean, they didn’t exist in my time (I… guess Kyoshi creates them, eventually? I do not want to know any more!) but I think it was pretty clear already that they’re kind of a big deal! And not because they work with spirits.

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 13 (going ahead and giving another point here)

"And how," Huojin agreed grimly. Eyed Amaya again. "You sure you want to bring him? It's supposed to be just cleanup, but…."

"Anyone who can dodge the Ocean Spirit in a bad mood is safer than you are," Amaya replied, dryly amused. "Let's go."

Zuko: I “dodged the Ocean Spirit” because it didn’t want me; it was after Zhao, and left when it had him. Let’s be real here.

Prince Stuko: 49

I tried. Shivering slightly, Huojin led the way.

Rangi: *commiserating* Don’t worry; I was never able to keep Kyoshi out of trouble either. Zuko’s not the Avatar, but he is the main character, so… kind of similar?

"What's wrong?" Lee asked as they threaded their way through dark streets.

"What's wrong?" Huojin echoed, incredulous. "Spirits, Lee. Any sane man would be heading the other way."

Rangi: Sounds like “spirits” are what’s wrong, actually…

"That just lets them hit you from behind."

Which implied Lee was both pessimistic enough to believe running wouldn't do any good, and optimistic enough to believe he could survive anyway. Ow.

Zuko: Or fatalistic enough not to care either way. Which I’ve been at some points in my life.

At least the aftermath looked quiet. An unassuming block of Lower Ring apartments, now smoke-stained and surrounded by a huddle of evacuated residents and a few nervous City Guards. You couldn't see the Dai Li moving through shadows and over rooftops, but you knew they were there.

Amaya headed for the worst of the wounded, those already being tended with herbs and poultices by some of the local non-bending healers. The looks of relief on their faces were enough to make Huojin wince.

Rangi: *snorts* I know it’s not what Vathara means, but I can’t help but read it as “if these people are relieved to see Amaya, whatever they escaped from must be really bad.”

Lee hung back a little, taking a few moments to glance over buildings and knots of people before he murmured in Amaya's ear and started setting up his firepot.

Marked the trouble spots, Huojin realized, following the firebender's gaze to suspiciously thick patches of char, and faces more angry than glad to be alive. Ready to pull out and take Amaya with you, aren't you?

Not the most professional reaction from a healer. But personally? He couldn't blame Lee one bit.

Zuko: *shrugs* Maybe not from a healer, but Huojin knows I’ve been a refugee and on the run from… something. So that makes sense.

Let's see if I can't head some of that trouble off.

Some of the would-be troublemakers just needed someone to talk to. Or talk at. He wasn't the only Guard listening and nodding politely as various people recounted their fiery encounter with an old stone lamp and a couple of theater fans gone really, really bad.

Rangi: And if you think that’s bad, you should hear some of the stories about spirits Kyoshi can tell – or inherited from Kuruk. “An old stone lamp and a couple of theater fans gone really, really bad” are nothing.

"-Flapping like a bat-raven!" the latest shocked oldster was recounting, hands up and clawing the air. "Black tears for eyes, that glowed like evil lava…."

Zuko: Oooh, not just any lava, evil lava!

Huh. Didn't sound like a fan-spirit. "I'm sure they've gotten all the spirits left in the apartments-"

"No, no, no! Not in there!" A gnarled finger jabbed two alleys over. "I saw it! Before all this happened! But no, no one listens to old Hu…."

Right. And what were the odds of four ninety-nine-year spirits loose in the same area? "I'll check it out," Huojin sighed. Traded a few words with the officer in charge, and headed down the alley. Panic tended to spread; nip this in the bud, and there'd be less chance of a riot later-

Something hooked around his throat and yanked him into the wall, hard.

Rangi: I don’t want to say “that’s what you get when you go running off after dangerous spirits by yourself,” but…

What the-?

Silky membranes whipped dust into his eyes, battered his fingers away from gripping the vice on his throat. The alley went red and black, he couldn't breathe-

Something snapped like the crack of a whip, and there was air.

Black and flapping, all right. But caught like a netted cat-owl in a translucent sphere, water leading back to….

That's not Amaya.

Lee was a firebender. Huojin knew that. He'd seen it.

Zuko: Okay, okay, I know it’s a dangerous situation, I had to act fast, probably just did the first thing that came to mind, but I’m really not doing a very good job of keeping my waterbending a secret, am I? Better hope Huojin doesn’t feel obligated to report this to his superiors, or I’ll have some explaining to do.

Just as plainly as he saw water wrapped around the teen's hands, anchoring the net holding a squealing, homicidal spirit. A black, tattered….

Huojin closed his eyes, and shook his head to rattle the image free. Peeked.

No good. Still there.

I almost got strangled to death by an umbrella.

I'm never going to live this down.

Rangi: Technically it sounds like it’s an umbrella spirit. So, not the same thing. Now, if it had been a regular umbrella that nearly killed you, that would’ve been embarrassing!

"Get help," Lee said tightly.

"No need," came a familiar voice. "We're here."

Iron chains shot out, trapping the indignant spirit with an almost cheery rattle. A familiar Dai Li dropped to the ground, hands clasped behind him as he regarded the thrashing umbrella. "You can let go now."

"Agent Shirong." Water swept back into Lee's waterskin in a flow that stuttered, like a spring freshet around a just-dropped log. "I didn't know the Dai Li handled… things like this."

"Most people would rather not think about it," Shirong shrugged.

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 14

Eyed Lee. "I don't remember that move from the scroll."

"…I kind of made it up."

Must've hit my head on the wall harder than I thought, Huojin concluded. It was the only way any of this made sense.

Zuko: Yeah, I’ve been a waterbender for all of a few weeks at most and I’m already inventing my own techniques? That’re powerful enough to capture angry spirits? I wouldn’t believe it, either.

Prince Stuko: 50

"Hmm." Even shadowed by his hat, a flicker of Shirong's surprise still showed. "Then you might want to see if you can modify it. As it is, you're using both hands…."

"So once I've got it, what do I do with it?" Lee sighed.

MG: Funnily enough, Korra actually would have an answer to the question of “what might a waterbender do with a dangerous spirit they’ve captured.” Not that Vathara could’ve known that at this point; just a kind of interesting coincidence.

"I know. I can switch off to just one, but it takes a lot of concentration. I'll ask Master Amaya… what?"

Shirong was studying him, very carefully, as fellow agents vanished with the umbrella. "You're far too calm. What kind of kamuiy have you fought before?"

Oh, this is bad, Huojin realized. No way can he tell them - and damn it, Lee's an awful liar-

"A plague spirit," Lee said quietly.

"Seriously?" Huojin croaked.

Rangi: Yeah, I remember that thing; and I’ve never run into a “plague spirit” myself, and I don’t know what Huojin’s heard, but from the name by itself you could guess it’s nasty.

"One of the scariest nights of my life." Lee started to go on, stopped, and drew a deep breath, obviously gathering his thoughts. "While Uncle and I were traveling, we came to a ranch, where the animals were sick, and…. We're not sure of all of it. This is just what we figured out after - after we found the body."

Shirong winced; the most human reaction Huojin had ever seen on a Dai Li. "A mother with child."

Zuko: *quietly* Yeah, and it was bad enough reading about it the first time… I’m not sure I want to have to go through that again.

"She was just a girl," Lee said sadly. "She wasn't even my age. We found out there'd been a Fire Nation raid there, months ago, and-" He spread empty hands, helpless. "Her father said she was missing. Her brothers were going along with it."

"That'd do it." Shirong actually looked ill.

Zuko: *snapping* Funny, I’d think quietly disappearing an innocent to maintain public order and avoid shame is something the Dai Li would be pretty familiar with…

"How did you stop it?"

"Burned the ranch down," Lee shrugged.

Huojin clapped a hand to his forehead in disbelief.

"At least we hope it worked," Lee said sheepishly. "We couldn't exactly stick around. How do you prove you're not a firebender?"

…He did not just say that.

Rangi: Well, he’s already publicly shown he’s a waterbender in front of someone who probably shouldn’t know that, so tonight’s not a good night for keeping secrets, is it?

"Good point," Shirong chuckled. Turned to go, and paused. "By the way. Plague spirits are vindictive little bastards. If it didn't follow you, then it worked."

Some of the tension went out of Lee's shoulders. "Thank you," he whispered.

MG: Honestly, that makes some sense (it could’ve followed Zuko and not revealed itself yet because it’s waiting for the moment to strike, I guess, but it didn’t strike me as a particularly subtle being). And it’s definitely a reason for Zuko to be relieved after the fight he had. Though I still have to look a bit askance at the whole thing for continuing the “the Dai Li’s true purpose is to hunt spirits” issue, which we’ve only just started scratching the surface of…

"Try to stay out of trouble," Shirong advised, almost kindly. "I know you won't be able to entirely, the spirits have painted a target on your back just like the rest of us… but try not to get into any human trouble." A vicious chuckle. "It's so messy when we have to scrape people off walls."

Rangi: …from what I’ve heard about the Dai Li, they probably have to do that sometimes. *she shudders* Ugh; I’ve known daofei with that kind of sense of humor, but why are we supposed to like Shirong, again?

A rumble of earth, and he dropped out of sight.

"Showoff," Huojin grumbled. And eyed Lee uncertainly. "What… how?"

"I drowned." Lee was eyeing him right back, wary as if trying to gauge which way to run. "The Moon - did something to me. It's crazy, but it's real." He swallowed. "Amaya's going to help me train that, too."

Too? As in- "You're… both?" Huojin got out.

Zuko: Well, you knew I was a firebender already, and now I’m a waterbender, so unless you thought I lost one element and got another – which would be just as strange as having two elements at once – then yeah, I’d have to be, wouldn’t I?

"I thought Uncle would be mad," Lee said in a very small voice.

Rangi: If it was one of my relatives, I’d be more “baffled and alarmed” than “mad” because this sort of thing ought to be impossible.

"No, really?" Huojin managed. Firebender with a waterbending nephew. Ouch.

"But he's not," Lee went on, surprised.

"The clinic still standing was a clue," Huojin said dryly, rubbing his throat. Ow.

Zuko: …did he really think Uncle would’ve blown up the whole clinic? Really?

"Uncle doesn't - um. Well, he hasn't… for a while… he's retired…."

"I don't want to know what from, do I?"

Rangi: I don’t know, master firebender, obvious military background… that doesn’t necessarily say “general,” but it does narrow things down a bit, doesn’t it? I’m disappointed, Huojin – most people I met in the Earth Kingdom had me pegged as an army brat after talking to me for five minutes. I guess standards have fallen!

"No," Lee said honestly. Glanced aside, as they started walking back toward the survivors. "He should be really retired. Playing Pai Sho, like he wants… but when he got home, Father - dumped me on him. I didn't - didn't really take it well."

That sounded like an understatement. So why are you telling me this? Huojin wondered.

Zuko: Yeah, I’m wondering that, too. Huojin’s a city guard. He may like me, and he may be part Fire Nation, but he’s probably supposed to report in on anything weird or dangerous, so I’m spilling (parts of) my soul to someone who could get me arrested or worse.

"Did you do that to Amaya?" Lee asked, low and quiet. "Just - get mad at her, because she wasn't who you wanted there?"

Rangi: *crosses her arms* Oh, there’s plenty of legitimate reasons to get mad at Amaya, trust me. Remember she messed with Huojin’s mind when he was a kid? I do. That’s not the sort of thing you forgive. Remind me to tell you all about Jianzhu sometime…

Oh. Sounded like drowning had made someone think a little. "I did," Huojin admitted. "You can tell a kid 'til you're blue in the face he can't have what he wants. Doesn't make it hurt any less." He arched a paternal brow. "You could start by apologizing."

"I thought I'd start with your throat," Lee said wryly.

Huojin brushed the edge of bruises, and winced. "I can live with that."

Zuko: Let me guess, is it “I heal your throat, you don’t tell the Dai Li about what I am and what you’ve guessed about Uncle?” Because that might be a deal worth making at this point.

MG: Before we move on to the next scene, I’d like to take a moment to discuss what we’ve learned about the Dai Li’s real purpose, and why I don’t like it. We’ve already discussed how the Dai Li, with their obsession with control and order, aren’t really suited for dealing with spirits from an in-universe perspective. From an out-of-universe perspective… well, the show gives us a very good idea of what the Dai Li are about, as a brutal secret police force willing to do anything to maintain order, and who are never portrayed as anything but authoritarian and tyrannical. Supplementary materials that dive into their backstory are pretty clear as to what they’re about as well – Kyoshi created the Dai Li in response to riots in Ba Sing Se that resulted from the tyrannical-then-Earth King’s own crackdowns, to maintain stability in the city by both upholding the king’s reign while also acting as a check on his power and protecting the city as a whole from his abuses. And, over generations, being an order of powerful earthbenders with such a broad mandate, they gathered more and more power until they themselves became the true rulers of Ba Sing Se. It’s all pretty straightforward, and the whole “unaccountable authoritarian secret police are actually bad and only make the problems worse” theme comes through quite strongly, and even Kyoshi herself came to consider creating them one of her greatest mistakes. Not only giving the Dai Li an altruistic and necessary function but making it one they still do and do properly undermines that, presents the authoritarians in a much more positive light, and IMO clearly reflects Vathara’s fondness for powerful and “badass” people, cultures and organizations and Hard Men making Hard Choices for the Greater Good, and represents the fic’s overall trend of making tyrants and oppressors from canon come off in a much more positive light, while being much harsher on those characters who fight against tyranny and oppression. We’ll be coming back to this later – both in the case of the Dai Li specifically and the fic’s themes in general – but once I’ve seen it I can’t really unsee it, and I find the fic’s not-so-subtle fondness for “badass” authoritarians to be one of its more deeply troubling aspects. And I really don’t think the Dai Li, of all factions, benefit from having us shown a softer or more admirable side. They’re still the freaking Dai Li.

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 16 (a couple of more points for the whole situation)

-

Uncle,

I'm sorry for being angry with you. Because you were there, and Mom wasn't. Because Father made it clear I wasn't worth his time, and she was. Because of a lot of things.

I'm going to try to do better.

Zuko: Gah. Why is it that despite all of Vathara’s problems, she sometimes, somehow manages to hit pretty much exactly things I might feel, or wish I could’ve said?

MG: Because it’s what makes the rest of the fic so frustrating and infuriating, knowing the writer can produce genuinely good stuff but has lots of fixations, hangups and opinions that get in her way?

You're probably going to have to thump it into my head a few more times, though. Family temper. Reckless. That whole mess.

Going out with Amaya to visit some villages near the Outer Wall. Will be back.

Rangi: Okay, okay. Amaya is one healer who lives in the Outer Ring of Ba Sing Se – which is huge, by the way – and, per her own words, isn’t even a very good healer. But she not only tends to people in her own neighborhood and the secret Fire Nation community she’s “helping,” but she also gets called in to work on the Earth King’s own beloved pet, sometimes tends to the Dai Li, and villages in the city’s outskirts too? Is this woman just the only qualified healer in Ba Sing Se or what? Which is scary enough when you think about it.

…And don't tell Huojin, but it's really hard to save somebody when you're trying not to giggle. Rabid umbrella-spirit. Heh.

Zuko: …it’s not really that funny, though?

-Lee.

Rereading the note in a lull between customers, Iroh smiled. Folded it away, and turned back to his tea.

-

Shifting his weight in the apple tree as it swayed in the wind, Zuko looked over the green patchwork of fields and villages inside the Outer Wall. "You could lose small islands out here."

Zuko: Yeah, I’ve seen maps. The Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se covers a measurable chunk of the northeastern Earth Kingdom – it’s practically a whole country by itself!

"Can you see my Fluffykins?" called up from below.

Zuko eyed the fluffy white creature cleaning itself in a cleft of thinner branches, just out of safe arm's reach. "I see her."

"Well?"

"If I get her, she's not going to be happy," Zuko warned.

Rangi: *snorts* Okay, the Fire Lord’s son has been reduced to literally getting pets out of trees. Meaning no disrespect, but that is kind of funny.

"Just get her down, please!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Zuko muttered. Gathered water, and threw.

The squalling wet white tornado hit a compost pile, and shredded leaves flew.

Zuko: That was easier than I thought it’d be.

-

Even as a waterbender, he's a born firebender, Amaya thought, wryly amused as she helped clean the last of the scratches on those who'd volunteered to catch the city woman's pet. Never work around a problem when you can cut right through it.

Zuko: I mean, I’ve been a waterbender for a few weeks and a firebender for my whole life, so that’s not surprising.

Ah well. No one had gotten worse than scratches, and Fluffykins was back with her owner, who'd already left to catch the train, after cooing over her still-damp kitty and gratefully dispensing a small sum of coins to everyone who'd helped.

"So what's a city cat doing all the way out here?" Zuko asked, frowning as he checked over one of the wide-eyed farm children.

Good question, Amaya realized. And glanced covertly at her apprentice. You always know when something's out of place, don't you? Good habit.

Zuko: …because it takes being unusually observant to notice that a woman who clearly lives in the city because she just went back there with her pet somehow lost her pet really far away from her home? Wasn’t that sort of… obvious?

"Some crazy young earthbender from the Upper Ring," the headman's wife, Wu, said with a disapproving scowl. She waved a hand, indicating vaguely north and west. "Carved up some of the fields outside the Inner Wall for a zoo, of all things. They say there was a stampede of animals a few days ago - everything in the city!"

He Has Much to Learn: 18 (of course it’s Aang’s fault; not giving a Stations of the Canon point though because I don’t think this strains credibility too badly)

Which unleashed a flood of gossip and speculation; what were the Inner Ring nobles thinking, who was going to feed the city if this caught on, how much had the farmers been compensated more than they admitted they had, did this mean the generals were going to move the Outer Wall outward again, and did that mean the war was going well, or…?

Zuko, Amaya was startled to notice, paid careful attention to all of it.

And why are you surprised? the healer asked herself after a little thought. No few of these people are Fire Nation; he can see that as well as they can see him. If he and Mushi are planning… that impossible thing they're planning… of course he needs to know what they're worried about.

Rangi: And it’s also kind of funny seeing Amaya being wrong, because we know why you’re really interested in this story, don’t we? *she shoots Zuko a grin*

An attention to detail she'd never have expected of someone Zuko's age. Tested by the spirits or not.

Prince Stuko: 51 (because we’ve clearly got to stop and take note of how unusual and skilled this makes Zuko)

They're really planning to do it. Evacuate their people. Create a sanctuary, outside of Ba Sing Se.

Rangi: Okay, it was kind of funny, now it’s just annoying that Amaya drew exactly the wrong conclusion from Zuko’s reaction, but still gets to be right anyway.

I've looked after my hidden folk so long….

Zuko: “Looked after” here having the meaning of “messed with their minds without proper warning or permission.” We know what you get up to!

But being a healer meant you did what was best for your patients. Not what you wanted.

Zuko and Rangi: *both firebenders scoff loudly*

Amaya braced herself, and got through the morning of seeing to those who didn't have the time or strength to come into the Lower Ring. And waited until they were on the train back to murmur, "Do you think you'll be able to send word back to the city, once you're all safe?"

Zuko raised that lone brow and gave her a smirk that reminded her of his uncle. "You want to just hear about it? Or do you want to help make it?"

Zuko: …and of course I figure out that Amaya’s onto me without needing any more explanation, and of course I want her to help me. Which I guess means we’re going to be seeing a lot more of her…

MG: *cheerfully* Amaya’s going to be a major character for the rest of the fic! So yes, we’d better be getting used to her!

Zuko: *groans loudly and facepalms*

-

"I don't want to!"

Sitting off to the side in the cellar, Tingzhe held his breath, glad he'd sent Suyin upstairs at the first signs of Jinhai heading toward a full-blown temper tantrum. He could see "Lee" silently counting to ten… and the royal line of Sozin wasn't exactly known for calm and even tempers.

Zuko: …I like to think I’m not just a fourth edition of Great-Grandfather, thanks. Especially after everything I went through before finally getting my head on straight.

MG: Well, get used to the comparison, because Vathara loves talking about how particular qualities (usually badass or impressive ones) are inherent in Sozin’s bloodline.

Zuko: …spirits, sometimes it really is like being back at the Academy getting harangued about the Great March of Civilization again, isn’t it? Is there going to be a test at the end of this story?

"Firebending," the young prince said levelly, sitting still, "comes from the breath, not the muscles. It took my teacher years to get that into my head, but I have a lot of bad habits. You need to start out with good ones. Fire isn't like other elements. Earth doesn't rise up and crush you; water doesn't decide to pull you down. But fire will spread, and it will try to consume everything it can. You need to control your fire. And you have to start with breathing."

MG: Not giving a point here, because this discussion of how fire is dangerous in a way the other elements generally aren’t and needs to be kept under control is basically paraphrased from Jeong Jeong in “The Deserter.”

"I won't! It's stupid and you're no fun and-"

The teenager breathed out sharply, and fire erupted.

Tingzhe forced himself to sit there, even as Jinhai yelped at the flames encircling both firebenders. He won't hurt a child. Forget his father - the boy you've seen has been patient, kind, and not someone who enjoys the sight of others in pain.

Spirits, please let me be right….

Rangi: *taken aback* Well, maybe not hurt, but it looks like you’re not above scaring a child! And I’ll hold my comments until I see how this plays out, but it’s reminding me rather a lot of a certain teacher Kyoshi and I once knew… and trust me, that’s a really bad sign.

"You can part another bender's fire with a defensive move. If you control your own fire." Zuko's voice was iron. "You want to leave this circle? Do it."

Jinhai's mouth dropped open. "But - that's not fair!"

Zuko: Yeah, it’s not, because have I actually taught Jinhai to do this? Has he practiced it? With anything like this amount of fire? Because he’s five! And this is hard and dangerous; I’d be freaking out too, in his position!

"Who ever told you bending was fair?" Zuko's voice didn't soften. "This is fire, Jinhai! Any time you bend, you're walking into a cage with a dillo-lion. A hungry, angry dillo-lion. If you don't have control, it will chew you up and spit you out!"

MG: Behold another example of one of Vathara’s bugbears – fairness is bad, and people who talk about wanting things to be fair are bad or at least being immature (unless Fire Nation honor is involved, in which case acting dishonorably is unfair, but the fic never really acknowledges the contradiction). More to the point, this is again a case of Zuko paraphrasing something from canon, in this case his own speech to Aang at the beginning of “The Firebending Masters.” But it makes me think that Vathara hasn’t thought much about the different contexts, and specifically Jinhai’s age. Aang is younger than Zuko, sure (well, if you go by the number of years they’ve actually lived), but he’s old enough to understand the meaning and long-term consequences of things. Jinhai is five, and all he knows at this point is that this is hard and he’s scared, and scaring him more isn’t going to help. So I think Vathara is going for a sort of tough love that’s sound in theory but goes a little far in practice because Zuko’s on edge himself, but I think she misses the mark (IMO, the fic is going to be sending some mixed messages here). And also, even in canon Zuko’s speech only freaked Aang out – Aang was already afraid of fire after his screw-up in “The Deserter,” he didn’t need to be told to be wary of it again. It was meeting the dragons and seeing more of the true nature of fire as an element that gave him the confidence to seriously start learning firebending again.

"Daddy…."

Clenched fists hidden in his sleeves, the professor shook his head. "When I was in training, my teacher threw an extremely large boulder at my head, son." I grant you, I was a bit older. "Lee is correct. Bending is not fair."

Rangi: …yeah, and my Mom would never say firebending is fair, either. She also wouldn’t go out of her way to terrify a little kid like this either, or sit back and let it happen (what she allowed Jianzhu to put Yun through was her greatest regret… and Yun was a lot older than Jinhai!).

Jinhai reached out to the flames, and yanked his hand back. "But he's got the fire!"

"Of course I do," Zuko said dryly. "You want the whole house to burn down? If I let go, that's exactly what will happen." Green eyes narrowed. "Fire is power, Jinhai. It's the determination to get what you want. How badly do you want to get past these flames?"

Zuko: I’m sure he wants to get out really bad, but I’m assuming a lot that a scared kid can put together “what do I want” and “how do I get it” like this!

Don't move, Tingzhe told himself grimly. Unless he's in actual danger - don't move.

Another deliberate breath, and Zuko's circle of flames shrunk inward. "How badly do you want it?"

Rangi: Okay, now I’ll say it straight out – this is really reminding me of Jianzhu, and everything he put Yun through to try and force him to bend something other than earth when he thought Yun and not Kyoshi was the Avatar. And you know what that accomplished? It didn’t turn Yun into the Avatar, but it did traumatize him, badly, and eventually he snapped, merged with a dark spirit, and went on a murder spree, starting with Jianzhu himself. Now, Zuko’s not done anything nearly as bad yet as some of the things Jianzhu did to Yun, but even so, if your idea of teaching is to scare a little kid with a ring of fire until he learns what you want him to… you’re kind of starting down the same path.

Jinhai was backing away from the flames, wide-eyed, glancing at his father as if he couldn't believe this was happening. "You're being mean!"

"You haven't seen mean yet." Zuko's voice held an edge of threat that put the hairs up on the back of Tingzhe's neck. "Jinhai. I'm tired is a reason to stop. I don't know what I'm doing is a reason to stop. I don't want to is never a reason to stop." The circle of flames flickered a little lower. "Determination. What do you want?"

Zuko: …okay, now I’m reminding myself of some of my relatives, in ways I really, really don’t like. Do I have to remind Vathara of how young this kid is? And that he’s probably not going to take anything away from this other than how scared he was and how much he hates me for it?

Fingers almost brushing flames, Jinhai pulled back, almost tripping over Zuko's knee. Looked at his father again, still stunned that Tingzhe wasn't doing anything.

Oh, how I want to. But Tingzhe arched a brow instead, the same as he would when Jinhai brought him any problem the boy needed to solve himself. And mouthed, "Think."

Jinhai blinked, and swallowed. "I want… to stop?"

The fire went out.

"That works," Zuko said tiredly. "That's enough for today."

Zuko: …oh, so it was all a test to get Jinhai to say things the exact way I want him to say them? Because that makes it so much better…

Jinhai was already halfway across the cellar, skidding to a stop in front of his father with wide, hurt eyes-

Turned on his heel, and bolted up the steps.

Rangi: Yeah, who could’ve ever seen that coming?

Tingzhe sighed, heart sore. Eyed the teenager standing there, face closed and defiant, stance balanced and subtly braced.

He expects me to attack him.

Well. And what else would he think?

Zuko: Well, if Uncle had seen someone do something like that to me while he was watching and I was Jinhai’s age, I’m pretty sure he’d have been at least considering it.

"Come up to the garden," Tingzhe requested. "I think you need the sun more than Jinhai does."

Surprised and wary, Zuko followed him out.

"As one teacher to another," Tingzhe said levelly as they settled on a bench, "if you're tired enough to start losing your temper, tell your students to go home."

Rangi: …at least someone around here is talking sense. Why it took him so long, on the other hand… Also, why is Zuko so tired and stressed? Did getting the cat out of a tree take that much out of him, or is this still soon enough after the spirit fight he just didn’t get much sleep?

Zuko winced.

No stranger to proud young men, Tingzhe waited, letting the silence stretch out.

"…It wasn't supposed to be like this." Zuko glared into the tangle of a mustard bush. "I promised Uncle I'd try to think. I'm… things are better right now than they've been since - we were on a raft for three weeks with nothing! I shouldn't be angry!"

Zuko: At least Vathara is letting me admit I screwed up? More than I’d expect.

"Perhaps," Tingzhe mused. On a raft? Exiled or not, how does a young prince end up… save it for Meixiang. If she's right, we'll hear quite a story. "But if I'd been stuck on a raft three weeks, I think I might still be angry. Let alone if I'd suffered the other events you mentioned."

The unscarred eye narrowed. "When an Agni Kai's over, it's over."

Rangi: It’s supposed to be. But let me tell you – when Mom was younger, she killed one of her cousins in an Agni Kai. It was an accident, but it still haunted her reputation and her conscience for years. Just because something is supposed to be over doesn’t mean people will let it lie.

"So I've been told," Tingzhe acknowledged. And here you risk your life on the hope that you are right, and he's more like his uncle than his father. You're a sentimental old man, no doubt. "But the outcome of the duel does not change the fact that you were betrayed before it ever began."

Smoke rose from between clenched fingers. "I owed him loyalty," the teen gritted out.

Zuko: He was my father. Magic loyalty didn’t enter into it, and I hate how this story makes everything in the Fire Nation revolve around it! What happened to me wasn’t terrible because he was the Fire Lord and I was the prince, but because he was my dad and he did that to me in front of everyone who mattered just because he could!

"And as one of the Earth Kingdom, I don't pretend to understand how strong that bond is," Tingzhe said bluntly.

Both Firebenders: *mutter angrily*

The Superior Element: 27

"But my wife tells me loyalty never demands suicide. Forcing a thirteen-year-old boy to duel an unexpected, far stronger opponent - I'm not certain suicide is a strong enough term." Attempted murder comes closer. That man, I could believe it of.

MG: Kind of ironic that Vathara wants us to think loyalty doesn’t demand suicide, considering the sorts of things honor and loyalty of the non-magically-binding kind have driven people to do in real life, including, but not exclusively, in the country she’s mostly basing her version of the Fire Nation on… but anyway, something still rubs me very much the wrong way about the fic framing Ozai dueling, scarring and disowning his son as primarily a matter of loyalty, a mystical concept in the context of fic!Fire Nation culture, rather than as a dynamic of a cruel, abusive father and a son desperate to please a man who can’t be satisfied. Throwing loyalty into the mix cheapens it somehow.

"But as I said, I can't ever know," Tingzhe stated, a bit wistfully. "My wife granted me not only her hand, but part of her spirit's strength. Sometimes, I wonder if my love can ever be a fair return." He smiled sadly, and leaned back. "Meixiang would like to invite your family to a potluck, next week."

Zuko hesitated, smoke wisping away. "What's that?"

MG: Honestly, whether it’s a culture thing, a class thing, or both… I can buy Zuko has no idea what that is.

Oh dear. "Why don't we both talk to her," Tingzhe said plainly. "She can suggest a few things that aren't hard to cook, and anyway I can never keep straight how much you need to bring for this many people myself." If he even knows how to cook, the professor realized ruefully. Some of our noble children can be spectacularly useless….

MG: (Implicit) useless Earth Kingdom nobles vs. awesome Fire Nation great names ahoy! Though again, we’ll not actually be seeing much of the “useless” Earth Kingdom nobles; they’re just a rhetorical device to prop up the Fire Nation, while on-page Toph and (eventually) the Earth King get to be awesome too.

"How many people?" Zuko asked warily.

…Well, let's hope for the best.

-

"Six children, and six adults," Iroh mused, scratching notes on tattered paper with a bit of charcoal. "Hmm."

Rangi: …eh. Could be worse.

Keep it slow. Get the wrist movements right…. Zuko pulled most of the water from the pitcher with only one rippling splash, and started snaking it between his hands. "It's a bad idea."

"It's dinner, nephew. Not a surprise attack."

Zuko: It kind of is? I mean, they are using the dinner as an excuse to corner Uncle and confirm their suspicions about who we really are, right?

"Surprised me," Zuko muttered. "They can't really want me there, Uncle. I scared Jinhai."

Iroh only raised a brow. "And what did he do, to deserve being frightened?"

Zuko winced, and had to swirl a hand to keep the stream from falling. "He was being a brat." It sounded so petty.

"During training?" Iroh nodded once. "Then it was wise to correct him."

Zuko: No. I can’t believe Uncle would be so casual about it if he knew the whole story.

MG: And it’s one reason why I can’t really appreciate the fic actually acknowledging Zuko’s screw-up in the lesson because, well… everyone seems to be willing to let it slide, actually, and it doesn’t really feel like it matters.

The retired general held up a warning hand before Zuko could protest. "If you feel now that you were too harsh, watch him closely in the next lesson. You do not wish him to be afraid of you. But a little fear, in and of itself, is not always bad. Fire is dangerous. Self-control is essential. A firebender cannot act like a temperamental brat." Iroh paused, looking into memory. "No matter how much a young one might deserve to."

Zuko: He literally bolted from the room as soon as I let him go, so I’d say… yeah, he was scared of me, just a tad.

"I break things," Zuko muttered, feeling even more guilty. "He just - didn't want to breathe."

"You have not broken anything recently," Iroh stated. "Your temper will always need work to control; it is a flaw of our family, and none of us escape it.

MG: Yeah, something bugs me about presenting Zuko’s temper as just something inherent and inescapable to his bloodline rather than being, you know, something he specifically needs to work with.

But unpleasant as that is, nephew - you break things. You do not harm people.

MG: *remembers Zuko tearing into the South Pole, threatening Kanna, burning down Kyoshi Island, teaming up with brutal pirates and bounty hunters, etc.* Yeah, Zuko’s not a cruel person, but Book One Zuko in particular was definitely willing to risk a fair bit of damage to both things and people to get what he wanted, let’s be real here.

A firebender who does not control his breath will never control his fire. We both know what that leads to." He set his notes aside, and nodded at the liquid flowing with Zuko's movements. "What is that?"

"Amaya calls it streaming the water," Zuko answered, concentrating as he arced it high. For some reason, moving it over his head always threatened to make it fall apart-

Oh. Idiot. North Pole. Ice and water over your head was not good, remember?

He'd melted it then, and survived. This was just a little water. It was not going to drown him.

MG: Hmm. I do like the acknowledgment that Zuko probably has some trauma from the battle at the North Pole… but I like less that it doesn’t actually seem to be negatively impacting him and his ability to learn waterbending at all.

Rippling water steadied, and he breathed easier, looping the ribbon back down near waist level. "It's a beginner's move. Like playing with a candle."

"To learn the feel of your element, under controlled conditions," Iroh nodded. And paused. "You do not have Jinhai working with candles yet."

"No." Zuko flexed the water. Let it gather into a globe in his palm, and tossed it back into a soaring ribbon. "If he works on breathing again tomorrow, I was going to have him try the burning leaf."

Rangi: *shocked* You haven’t even gotten him working with the burning leaf exercise yet, and you still thought scaring him with a ring of fire was a good idea? *shakes her head* Your uncle is letting you off way too easy.

"Good," Iroh stated. "If he sees control directly applied, he may more clearly understand why he needs it." He raised a brow. "For a beginner's move, that looks quite useful."

"Lets you work on quantity, direction, and precision," Zuko agreed. Up and around. Can I-? Yeah, just twist that way…. Dragging fingers through the ribbon split one strand into three; he held them rippling for a few moments, then collapsed them back together.

But it'd been a long day, and he could feel the tremors that meant he was pushing too far. Gathering water together, he tipped it back into the pitcher. "I can think of a lot you can do with just this. I've already done a few things; that net I used to catch the spirit? I didn't know what I was doing, when I made it up, but it's just this in a couple different pieces. Toss water, make a globe, bring it back." Which meant he might be able to make it work one-handed after all. With practice.

"Basics," Iroh smiled. "Learn them well, and all else will follow." He raised a curious brow. "What is it like?"

Zuko frowned, reaching out to the quiet tide-pulls of water in their apartment, in the next over, on the roof. "Like walking in the surf just offshore. It pushes and pulls at you, and most of the time, that's fine; you just keep going. But if you don't pay attention, and a rogue wave comes through-" He clapped his hands together, remembering the groan of their ship's twisted metal in the midst of the typhoon.

"Fire, and the ocean," Iroh mused. "It is not safe to turn your back on either of them. But respect them, and they are powerful allies." He laughed softly. "Even beautiful, from how I have seen you bend."

MG: OTOH, this discussion from Iroh and Zuko I do genuinely like.

Oh. That was… interesting to know. He hadn't really been trying for pretty, it'd just happened that way, and… right. Think. "It feels weird," Zuko admitted. "Not in chi, Amaya fixed that. Just - being able to do both of them. Fire and water. It shouldn't work." He hesitated. "It shouldn't feel like it fits."

Zuko: And somehow I’m not surprised that apparently Amaya’s technique really did fix the issues I was having all in one go! Just like that!

"They are not as separate as one might think," Iroh said thoughtfully. "I have been told that at its core, all bending is one; that even non-benders who learn to move their chi for battle, as you are teaching Suyin, draw from the same source. More specifically… have I told you of jin?"

"All eighty-five kinds?" Zuko said warily. He did pay attention to lectures on battle strategies, even if he couldn't name them all off the top of his head.

"It is wise to know them all, but three are most important to bending," Iroh observed. "Neutral jin is the key to earthbending. The master waits, and listens, to find the exact moment to strike."

"Professor Tingzhe," Zuko realized. "He's always just… calm. Waiting. Until he knows exactly what he wants to say."

Rangi: Yep; I’ve never practiced earthbending myself, obviously, but from watching and talking to Kyoshi, Yun, even Jianzhu, that all sounds about right.

"Indeed," Iroh agreed. "I very much hope to have an opportunity to speak of bending with him. We use many similar stances, but the reasons behind them are very different. Which leads us to fire. Positive jin, advancing and attacking, is the heart of our art. As our fire is fueled by our own chi, we often cannot fight as long as other benders. So we attack first, relentlessly, to overwhelm our foes before endurance can tip the battle's scales."

Rangi: Same. The best defense is a good offense and all.

That one, Zuko knew. But he nodded and listened anyway, sure Uncle had a point. Well, mostly sure.

"Water may oppose fire, but in tactics and energy, our true opposite is airbending," Iroh went on.

MG: And Vathara is going to get a lot of mileage out of that one, once we get to the back half of the fic and move away from the worst of the Katara-bashing and more into the Aang and Air Nomads bashing.

"Negative jin, retreating and evading, are part of the philosophy of air. You have seen this chasing the Avatar. He will not stand his ground, he will not fight if he can flee; and while he is himself, and not possessed by Avatars past, he will not kill."

"The monks fought," Zuko pointed out. "I've seen the temples."

"An adult knows when to set aside ideals for reality," Iroh said practically. "If all life is sacred, so is your own life. And you should not allow it to be taken."

Rangi: That’s what Kelsang thought. He once used his airbending to whip up a typhoon to sink a pirate fleet to protect the innocent, even though he hated killing and lived with the guilt of it the rest of his life. Of course, the rest of the Southern Air Temple masters didn’t see it that way and they cast him out and struck him from the ranks of airbending masters, until Kyoshi pulled strings to get him reinstated.

He smiled. "So we have come around the cycle, to water. Which balances both positive and negative jin, turning defense into attack as they use their opponents' force against them. This conserves energy, and allows them to fight for great lengths of time. But they rarely strike the first blow, and if they are too slow to turn their enemy's attack, they lose momentum."

Which could be the difference between a battle won, or lost. Zuko glanced away, thinking that through. "So I know positive, and I've fought negative…."

"And you have lived in the tide's grasp for three years," Iroh stated. "You know water, Prince Zuko. Perhaps not as one of the Water Tribes would, but you do know it. Build on that."

MG: Much as I dislike the yaoren plotline in execution, I do like this conversation overall, as a discussion of how someone who’s already a bender of one element would have to react to suddenly having another element and having to figure out how to incorporate it into their techniques.

I'm going to try. "We haven't talked about…." Zuko swallowed. "I'm not the heir. You said that wrecked a lot of your plans. Did it - what does being a waterbender do to our plan? Just because our people accept Amaya, doesn't mean they'll understand if I am."

Zuko: Since being a waterbender and a firebender without being the Avatar is supposed to be impossible, I can see why that might make people just a little bit on edge…

"It is likely some will not," Iroh said bluntly. "Yet it is also likely those are the ones we would not have been able to persuade, even if our names were clear."

You can't save them all, Zuko told himself grimly.

…I know I can't. But I wanted to try. "A lot of them aren't going to want to leave," Zuko admitted. "They already started over once."

Rangi: And I’m still not sure why they need to leave in the first place? Ba Sing Se has problems, sure, but they’re everybody’s problems – what imminent danger is the Fire Nation community actually in, exactly?

"And as you yourself know, to begin another life is never easy," Iroh nodded. "We will be asking them to leave behind the lives they have built, and cast their fate with those who have created what seems a desperate plan. And if Jinhai is the only firebender who has been born here, in all these years - they may not consider it a risk for their children." He glanced aside with a grim smile. "Though the risk may be greater than they realize, as the Fire Nation turns more attention here. I think it is not a coincidence that Jinhai was born while my siege still held."

Zuko: …yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s a coincidence. Uncle besieged Ba Sing Se for years, you’d think if that was somehow causing firebenders to be born in the city, it’d be more than one of them!

Okay, interesting to think about later, but not exactly crucial right now. "So we're only going to get people who are scared, or fed up with the Dai Li, or just out to take a risk," Zuko concluded.

"Most likely," Iroh nodded. "And such people are unlikely to balk simply because you are a waterbender.

Rangi: Though they might be more likely to question being confronted with something impossible.

I admit it might have been easier to call on our people's loyalty had we not been declared traitors, but that time is past.

Rangi: …even putting aside weird magic loyalty stuff, that makes it sound less like you’re giving people an opportunity and more like you wish you could just use your status to pull rank and make them do what you wanted.

We have both seen what waterbenders can do. You will be a great help." He sighed. "And given we are alone, and in hiding, it is a great relief to know that one of us will not be without bending during the eclipse."

Zuko winced. He'd been without his bending before, but Ty Lee had never intended to kill him. Eight minutes without it, without armed backup, when anyone with the brains to look out a window could know firebenders were helpless… not a good situation.

Zuko: Not that I didn’t end up getting some good use out of it, actually… not that I think Dad ended up being very amused.

I can't tell Jinhai. Not until it happens. Maybe the Earth Kingdom has better astronomers than I know, good enough to keep track of the heavens the way the Fire Sages do. But I doubt it.

MG: I know, I know, it’s because of the whole “firebenders draw their power from the sun” thing, but there’s still something just so… blatant about the whole “the Fire Nation obviously has the best astronomers” bit.

The Superior Element: 28

There's an eclipse every four years, somewhere. If they'd known, they would have used it sometime this last century. So they don't. And if they don't - I'm not going to make Professor Tingzhe choose between his nation and his family.

Zuko: Because clearly, nobody in the Earth Kingdon ever figured out that firebenders lose our bending in a solar eclipse (Aang told me it took Sokka about five seconds to put it together, once he had the pieces) or took advantage of it. That makes a lot more sense than “the eclipses were never timed or located right and the Earth Kingdom suffered from a big right-hand-versus-left-hand problem that might stop them from making use of the information if they had it.” Maybe Vathara just means they knew, but couldn’t do that much since they couldn’t predict it, and that’s probably the easiest takeaway, but this story has sort of conditioned me to assume the worst.

"As for specifics on how waterbending will help," Iroh smiled, "I have some ideas."

"Trade you for some on the fortifications," Zuko offered.

"Oh?" Iroh looked interested.

"We're going to have to be ready for any element," Zuko pointed out. "I have some plans for what we can do if we've got metal, or if we have to stick with just wood."

Sleep would be a while coming, but Uncle's look of approval was worth it.

MG: And so, since this is another long chapter, we’ll be splitting it again and this brings today’s section to a close! This part was another bit that’s frustrating to me, less because it’s egregiously bad in itself and more because it builds on some of the fic’s underlying problems. The spirit fight serves mostly to continue the slow buildup of the Dai Li’s “real” purpose, which contributes to Vathara’s overall whitewashing of the Dai Li, which I really, really do not like. Zuko losing his temper and scaring Jinhai is presented as a flaw, but it’s hard to really take it seriously when everyone else is so quick to brush it aside and not really consider it a big deal. And we continued to get more buildup of Zuko and Iroh’s new colony, which on the one hand is effectively going to end up being the fic’s a-plot, or a major part of it, but at this point feels like it’s just being fed to us very slowly to draw out the plotline until we’re done with the Ba Sing Se arc and can turn more attention to it. Still, we did get a few moments I thought were actually good writing, so at least there’s that? Next time, dinner party! And an AN where Vathara lays out some more of the fic’s underlying assumptions, and I take issue with them. We’ll see you then! Our counts stand at:

Beware the Sugar Queen: 6

The Blind Bandit Wins Again: 8

The Deadly Depths: 6

Detached from Reality: 7

Divine Right to Rule: 35

Elemental Determinism: 35

He Has Much to Learn: 18

Prince Stuko: 51

Protectors of our Cultural Heritage: 16

The Real Victims: 20

Simple Rubes from the Water Tribes: 21

Stations of the Canon: 22

The Superior Element: 28

True Guardians of Balance: 1

The Ultimate Firebenders: 19