Bitter Alliance

Act II

Chapter Three

--

I have lost track of time. I think it has been three months since the birth of the twins, but I am not sure. I am lucky to be alive. So are the children, for they are early. Song credits their lives to my will and natural healing abilities as a Waterbender. I must admit that I do not remember much about the birth of my children. I don’t think I want to remember. I have been blessed with the best of both worlds, for I have a son and a daughter.

My worries prickle the back of my eyelids and I blink rapidly, trying to prevent the flow of tears I know are sure to come. Song says it is natural. All women experience moodiness after childbirth, especially a difficult one.

I am afraid for my children. We are sitting turtle-ducks because we cannot travel in our current condition. My daughter is especially ill, needing the sunlight, even the muted rays through Sozin’s comet, to maintain her health. My nightmares have changed. Ozai finds me, stealing one of the babies and killing the other. I know not whether he can sense their presence in the world. I pray to my ancestors to protect us.

One of the babies whimpers next to my bed and I move as quickly as I can to attend to my son’s needs before he wakes his sister. I don’t need to look into the basket to see who is fussing. Iroh is like his great-uncle. He is constantly preoccupied with his next meal.

I peer into the basket and find my son wide awake and sucking on his fist. His golden eyes, so much like his father’s, follow my every move. I gather him in my arms and he grunts in anticipation. Even in happiness, I am sad and I cannot control the tears as they slide down my cheeks.

As I sit on the bed, I offer my breast to him. He latches on quickly and suckles greedily.
Just like his great-uncle, Iroh is first-born. I only hope he leads a luckier life than his namesake.

It was a long and exhausting labor. Song often teases him and calls him a cow-pig due to his hearty appetite and size. He is bigger than his sister and craves more attention than she does. I think he looks like his father, but Sokka says he looks like him. I hate to destroy my brother’s illusions, but my son looks nothing like him…Thank goodness!

Toph, in her usual blunt manner, says Iroh looks like the Boulder. But she is quick to remind me that she is blind.

I sigh contentedly as Iroh continues feeding. I play with the tuft of hair on the top of his head and think it’s strange that Kaya, who is smaller than Iroh, has a full head of hair while her brother has very little. Mimicking me, my son sighs and his eyes drift shut. Song would chastise me if she saw me feeding him again. She says he uses me as a pacifier. I don’t mind. I am just happy that I am alive to offer my son comfort.

I only hope I am ready to defend my children when the time comes.

--

Jeong Jeong attacks swiftly, throwing flames toward me that I easily break with my arms.

“Again!” he barks, assuming his original stance as he prepares to drill.

Exhaling impatiently, I prepare to block his advance. My mind drifts; taking the familiar path of self-doubt and grief that has consumed me for the past three months. I am not surprised or angry when the Firebending master breaks my root and sends my flying onto my ass.

“You must concentrate, Prince Zuko!” he growls irritably, circling me as I stand up and brush the mud from my clothes.

Try as I might, I cannot concentrate. If my soul traveled to the Spirit World tomorrow, I would rejoice. But I know I cannot do that. I cannot leave this world until I have my revenge.

Katara is dead. At least, I think she is. I have made no additional attempts to seek the core. Without it, my Firebending is weak.

I have a child somewhere in this world, possibly another. My heart aches whenever I contemplate my destiny. I long to seek the knowledge Mahari craves, but I am through being an insignificant piece on another’s Pai Sho board.

Seeing my lack of enthusiasm for the duel, Jeong Jeong throws his hands in the air and picks up his towel. “You will never defeat your father,” he states sharply, his disappointment clearly visible. “You lack the will necessary to confront Ozai.”

“I will have my revenge,” I reply softly.

Jeong Jeong scoffs, throwing his towel to the ground. “Revenge? Is that all there is to live for?” He is still spoiling for a duel. “Do you not fight for your children or their mother?”

My blood boils and my anger consumes me. I jump up and rush him, falling flat on my face as he sidesteps me. “Damn you!” I hiss. “She’s dead! How dare you speak of her! The resistance could have saved her at any time, yet Mahari waited for the prophecy to be fulfilled. She sacrificed Katara for what? Don’t say the greater good! I don’t believe in the return of the Avatar. He’s dead! I watched him die!”

The Firebender strokes his beard, his scowl deepening. “Yes, Avatar Aang is dead, but not all hope is lost. The Avatar has been reborn,” he affirms loudly, his voice echoing through the cavern.

“Have you ever heard the legend of the first Avatar?” Jeong Jeong folds his legs and sits on the ground. “Legend says that the air molded him from rock, that opposite elements put aside their differences and worked in harmony to create hope for mankind. The spirit of the planet embraced the air, welcoming it…using it to bring forth life.

“A new cycle has begun,” the Firebending master continues. “Fire and water have blended together to create hope again – the spirit of one of your ‘living’ children.”

I bridle at the reference of my children.

“Are you so consumed by guilt that you cannot see what you fight for any more?”
Jeong Jeong asks, scoring another mark against my wounded pride.

I am speechless. Words elude me. I have no idea how to answer the question because I have lost my way. What am I fighting for? I have fought to survive for so long, I do not remember. I hunted the Avatar to restore my honor. I fought to regain my throne. Now I fight for revenge?

“Instead of living for revenge, why don’t you live for your children and their mother?” Jeong Jeong’s right eye twitches as he asks the question and I suddenly realize how similar we are. Next to his silvery-gray eyes, he has two scars that look as though he was mauled by an animal.

“They are dead,” I murmur slowly, enunciating each syllable slowly.

The Firebending Master bows his head in defeat. “You should just go to your father now and pray for a quick death. You grieve over the living and it hinders your abilities.”

It takes a moment for his words to register, but then I realize that he has sought the core to get the information Mahari desires. My eyes widen with wonder as I realize they are alive. “Have you seen them? Are they well? Is Katara in pain? Are they --” The words are laced with anguish and stick in my throat.

Jeong Jeong closes his eyes and sighs. “Yes. But they are in great danger. Ozai’s hunters have scented blood. They have realized that Katara does not live by water as your father originally thought. They have broadened their search to all lands. It is only a matter of time before they are found.”

“Where are they? Why aren’t they in the caves where they can be protected?” I ask, my apprehension growing.

“I don’t know,” he replies.

“Can you help me seek the core?” I am desperate and will do anything at this point. I need to see for myself. An ever-present sense of dread tightens its grip upon me. “I need to see her. I need to warn her.”

Jeong Jeong stares at me for a moment before replying. “It will be difficult,” he murmurs. “It will take time.”

“I’ve already done it once,” I remind him desperately.

“Everything is connected, Prince Zuko,” Jeong Jeong instructs. “As your mind travels through the layers of the earth, you must not become mired in other peoples’ struggles. You must focus on Katara. Find her and the children. If you go in search of one thing, you may get lost.”

--

TBC