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lykegenia · 7 years

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The Things We Hide Ch. 6

he Southern Water Tribe stood for a hundred years against the Fire Nation, indomitable until Sozin’s Comet tipped the balance in Fire Lord Ozai’s favour. Now, as planned, the South is decimated, Chief Hakoda is a puppet on his throne, and Princess Katara is a political prisoner held in the Fire Nation capital to ensure his good behaviour. But Ozai has little time to gloat. A vigilante masquerading as the Blue Spirit is causing unrest among the people, rebel ships still hound his navy, and right under his nose the South’s most powerful waterbender waits with the patience of ice to strike at the very heart of his empire and bring it crashing down.

Chapter 1 on AO3 Masterpost here

Words: 2001 Pairing: Zuko x Katara Chapter Summary: Tensions mount in the city as Katara and Zuko plan their next move.

Read it on AO3

Katara,

Forget Otter-Penguin Guy, you’re the crazy one. Of course I’m worried about you, but WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? I know you can hold your drink, but really, taking on that much Fire Nation rice wine would have killed most people. You must have woken up with the worst hangover, and serve you right.

Try to remember that you’re representing all of us. It’s all fun and games when you’re in that fancy house they’ve given you, but the Fire Nation will find any excuse to call us savages, and if they catch you letting loose, then we’ll all be hooked fish. Just be careful alright? Don’t make me come over there. You know how grouchy fishermen get when their catch gets interrupted, and I’m going to tell them it’s your fault.

Stay safe

Mimi

Katara looked up from the hastily scribbled letter and sighed. She reclined under the shade of the lantern tree by the pond, the writing table next to her laden with writs on Fire Nation folk stories and literature about the Spirit World. Hearing of her interest in the subject, the Fire Lady had sent many of the scrolls from her own personal collection, though few of them contained the subject she was really interested in. The Blue Spirit proved as elusive on paper as in the streets of the Caldera.

The letter from Mimi had arrived in the message satchel of a snow raven, which now sat in the upper branches of the lantern tree preening its pale feathers. She had torn into it immediately. Despite the chastising tone, the concern that shone through the messy characters tugged at the deep well of homesickness that had become a constant companion in the past few days. Grief for the lost members of her family piled on memories of her home, her mind flashing between the brilliance of the citadel in her childhood and the burnt out shell to which the Fire Lord had reduced it. Most of all, however, she ached for the feeling of water at her fingertips, sometimes so much it woke her clammy in the middle of the night, choked by her inability to feel the presence of her element. The only water in the Fire Nation pooled deep beneath the earth or had to be wrung from the air one droplet at a time.

Realising the cause of her distress, one of the friendlier guards had assured her that the increasing humidity over the past week was a sure sign the rains were due.

“And to be invited to the Fire Lord’s garden party, what an honour!” he had added. “There’ll be music, and a play, and all sorts of treats set out for you to eat. Not to mention any number of young noblemen who would love to get the chance to know you better. My Chiziro thinks highly of a certain Ruon-Jian, if I recall correctly.”

Katara smiled as she remembered the older man’s rambling. Though she knew the troop of Fire Nation guards had been placed around her residence in an attempt to keep her locked away, it became harder every day to remember they were the enemy, and not just men with stories and baby portraits and curious party tricks who were only doing their jobs.

The sooner their charade could end, the happier she would be.

In the ornate settings of the Fire Palace’s royal wing, Zuko was feeling similar trepidation, though not for the same reasons. He had received a summons.

Surreptitiously trying to adjust his collar and avoid tripping over his own feet, he followed his father’s secretary through the maze of bright, airy corridors that were the private domain of the Fire Lord. When not holding court or training with firebending instructors in the gymnasium, Ozai preferred to sit and contemplate the view of the ocean from his private terrace. From here, he could imagine the lands on foreign shores falling under Fire Nation conquest and the wealth his soldiers would bring on their return, and he could pretend his rule as boundless and bountiful as the azure waters.

“His Majesty’s mood is calm today, Prince Zuko,” the herald stated as they approached the last partition. “Try not to ruin it.”

Zuko nodded his thanks as the herald scurried away, squaring his shoulders as he faced up to the door, determined not to be lulled into a false sense of security. The Fire Lord being ‘calm’ never meant much. The man took delight in being unpredictable, the better to keep his ministers on their toes and in fear of him, and it had taken Zuko a long time to realise just how calculated his father’s outbursts were.

“I am told that the harbour master is already organising a workforce to reopen the port,” Ozai barked, before Zuko could even open his mouth to offer a greeting. “How soon do you estimate the wreckage will be moved?”

At least the discussion of official reports could be considered neutral ground. Zuko crossed the room to where his father knelt by the bonsai, pruning shears in hand, taking as much time as he dared to perform the proper obeisance. He let his eyes linger on the thin, shadowed line that cut across Ozai’s left cheek, a scar received during the Southern conquest. Some might have considered it a battle trophy, others an attractive addition to an otherwise flawless face, but Zuko knew the Fire Lord himself detested it as a sign of weakness, a reminder that even at the height of his powers with Sozin’s Comet fuelling his fire, he was still a creature of flesh and blood, capable of bleeding. It was a shame the waterbender who had struck the blow had lost their life for the honour.

“The two fetched up on the walls can be salvaged within a week, though the damage to the port wall will make this more difficult,” Zuko said, lifting his head from his koutou. “There is still some confusion about how to reach the Yakaze.”

The Fire Lord’s mouth twitched. “There are ships waiting to be resupplied.”

“The labour crews are working as fast as they can, and I have redirected the most urgent cases to other ports. Aside from the loss of the troop ships themselves, our plans for the Earth Kingdom have not been affected.”

His fingers curled as he waited for his father’s response, intimidated by the silence despite his attempts to remain calm. Details from reports flashed through his mind as he tried to anticipate what information he would need to counter whatever was said next, determined not to make a fool of himself as he so often seemed to do.

Of course, that attitude failed to take into account Ozai’s desire to make his son feel foolish.

“How was this act of sabotage permitted to happen?” the Fire Lord asked eventually, his gaze idly fixed on the bonsai in front of him. He found a leaf out of place and snipped it off with his scissors. “It was clearly the work of some barbarian malcontent, and if the culprit is not found, others will become bolder. Decisive action must be taken. An example must be made, Zuko, and quickly.”

Enough decisive actions had been announced in the war room for Zuko to understand the Fire Lord’s meaning. A nation that kept control of its citizens through fear could not afford the visage of absolute power to slip even for a second, and if it took a less than honest application of the law to reaffirm that power, then it must be done for the greater good of all. Anarchy led to riots in the streets. Anarchy had killed General Iroh.

“I understand, Father,” Zuko said, touching his head back to the floor, his face carefully blank.

Ozai clipped another stray leaf from his bonsai. “What precautions are being taken?”

The Crown Prince straightened. In this, at least, he could impress. “An embargo has been placed on all foreign ships at anchor in the capital,” he stated. “In addition, until further notice the city guard is checking everyone entering and leaving the city.”

“Perhaps you are not completely useless, then,” came the offhand reply. “I will be watching your progress closely, Zuko.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Azula believes you are not equal to this responsibility, but I have vouched for you. For your own sake, I hope you find the motivation to prove your sister wrong.”

Zuko swallowed. “Yes, Father.”

“You are dismissed.”

Back in his room, Zuko allowed himself to breathe. In some ways, it was worse when the Fire Lord was calm – anger he knew how to deal with, it was straightforward and could be deflected with submission and flattery, but soft words were intended to trip, and Zuko had always been poor at recognising when he was falling into a trap. He always worried that his activities as the Blue Spirit had been found out, and someone was only waiting for an accidental confession to clap him in irons and haul him out for public execution.

He turned his gaze to the antique liangdao hanging above his bed. It wasn’t the set he took out with him – they were far too brittle – but they were strong enough to hone his resolve whenever he faltered. One of the blades had obtained a scratch from some long forgotten war, and every time it caught the light it reminded him of the glare of the man who had spurred him to take up the mask in the first place. He could still recall the moment Jeong Jeong had appeared before Ozai, his back straight as he stood condemned to death. The Fire Lord had been sharp as lightning, but it was nothing against the disdain curling the old general’s lip.

What would he think now, if he could see what the Crown Prince had become? When he had broken into the prison to help Jeong Jeong’s escape, prickled into action by guilt and a perverse desire to make his father look the fool, he had expected gratitude. Instead, when the self-professed traitor had caught sight of Zuko’s face, what he received was censure.

“All this effort on one man, and what do you do for your people?” he had demanded. “What does it feel like to sit in summer gardens and eat chilled fruits while you sacrifice legions of loyal soldiers for a few small gains? I am not the one who needs your help – the ones whom you betrayed are out there, dying in your war and your factories, begging on your streets.”

The words had struck Zuko like nothing else. Before, he had kept his head down, avoiding his father’s ire like any other of his subjects, glad when his gaze fell on someone less fortunate. Kept from the ordinary citizens, he had also been kept from seeing the cracks in a system that used people like tools and then abandoned them when they wore down, or so he had told himself.

And then, under the thrill of the mask, he had seen the true suffering of the people, realised he had seen it all along and done nothing because it was easier, because, trapped under Ozai’s thumb, he was powerless to create change. Jeong Jeong had dared him to do better, so at night he became the Blue Spirit, a demon of chaos straight out of his bedtime stories, a creature of shadows who even in a few short months had become a symbol of hope and an object of fear.

Zuko ran a finger down the flat of the blade on his wall. Since the attack, the stakes of his game had risen impossibly high; the Fire Lord was out for a scapegoat, and the Blue Spirit was a nuisance – one who just happened to have been seen at the scene of the crime by an entire platoon of witnesses.

He would have to find the real saboteur before the city guard found him.

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#zutara #zutara fanfic #zuko x katara #zuko #katara #avatar: the last airbender #my writing #story: the things we hide

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arlessiar · 7 years

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Eleven questions

I’m incredibly late with answering this, but it took me a while and then the whole Kingsman SDCC thing happened in-between. So no idea if people are still interested in this, but now that I’ve written it I also want to post it. :)

I was tagged by @notbrogues @hartwin-af and @spockri

rules: 1. always post the rules. 2. answer the questions given by the person who tagged you. 3. write 11 questions of your own and tag 11 (or however many) people to answer them.

Questions by @notbrogues

1. Describe your least favourite character.

In general, the pointless love interests, the boring villains, the almighty and flawless heroes, the dumb and helpless females

(And just in case, the opposite – my favourite characters are the caring doctors, the smart geeks, and the loners, misfits and underdogs *g*)

2. A go-to comfort meal/snack/treat.

When my Mum crumbs meat or veggies to fry them she always makes a small fried bread/omelette from the rest of the eggs and breadcrumbs. She adds salt, pepper and some cheese. It’s an old Silesian tradition, my Gran always did that and we still do it today. It means home and comfort for me and I love it and I’ll defend it from every other hungry person in the house. It’s mine. My precious. Me eats it alone! *eg*

Apart from that – Avocado. Chickpeas. White chocolate. Chocolate digestives.

3. Describe a perfect vacation, with no limit on funds or how long you can stay there.

I go there quite often, but still, London. It’s been my happy place for years. And from there I’d go to Cornwall, to the Lake District, the Brecon Beacons and the Highlands. With unlimited funds I’d take my parents with me or my BFF, and we’d spend lots of time visiting all the manors and country houses!

4. Do you listen to podcasts? If so, what are you favourites?

Listened to the Three Patch Podcast in the Sherlock fandom, but only a few times. Not really my thing in general.

5. One widely accepted fanon headcanon that you just don’t agree with?

Hmm, I like most of the fanon and can live with the rest. Not so keen on Percival being Roxy’s Dad. Distantly related, yes, but I can’t imagine him as her father.

6. One story/movie/song/album/piece of art that resonated with you and that you will never be able to forget?

There’s so much I could write here, but I have to make a decision, so:

Stories, movies – too many to count!

Song and album – R.E.M., Automatic for the people, “Everybody hurts”. My fav forever band, and that song saved my life during a very low phase I went through in my teens. Oh, and Jeff Buckley’s version of Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. Listening to that for the first time was a revelation.

Piece of art: My favourite picture is Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer above the sea of fog. I could stare at it for hours. Also, seeing Van Gogh’s Sunflowers for real in the National Gallery had blown my mind and I’ll go to look at it every time I’m in London.

When I was a teen there was an exhibition in my city with photographs from Nan Goldin. Our art teacher took us there and most of my classmates weren’t prepared for this rather explicit art. For me though a gate had opened, I finally understood the art of photography, and it’s been a passion of mine ever since.

7. If you have a day off, no responsibilities or pressing matters to attend to: what are you doing for the rest of the day?

Three words – Lego, AO3 and tumblr.

8. Favourite past trend that you are most nostalgic for?

I honestly never really followed trends a lot, so I’ve no idea what to say here. ^^ What I really really miss is the way they made computer games in the Nineties. Give me a good old fashioned Adventure with tricky puzzles and I’m happy.

9. What’s a hobby/skill you’ve always wanted to learn?

Playing the harp or the violin. And archery. Might still try the latter one day.

10. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

So sorry, but I have to skip this one... I don’t dream much anymore. The only thing I can say is: Hopefully still surrounded by the people who I love more than my own life.

11. What was your first fandom? First OTP? First NOTP? Any memorable experiences from those early days?

My first fandom was Star Trek, around 1991. I always blame my Dad for me becoming a geek because it was him who told me to watch TOS. :) Wrote my first story in a notebook when I was twelve, no OTP though then, it was rather Mary Sue-ish. ^^ Then we got our first computer, and I had moved on to DS9. More stories, now on computer, still no OTP but lots of h/c. Then we got internet in 1996, and I was having some sort of epiphany – there was this world-wide phenomenon called fanfiction! I was not alone! An amazing discovery! Saw my first slashfic at that time, Garak/Bashir, and I was 16 and all like ‘ewww’ and backed away from it (so that was probably my first NOTP).

Being a Tolkien fan for years I easily fell for the LOTR films later and wrote FF for that and published my first stories. Arwen/Aragorn was my first fandom OTP I guess. Saw more slashfic, Legolas/Aragorn, and I was still not convinced, but I read one. While I never shipped that pairing, slashfic in general suddenly started to look appealing. Well, and today I say “all I’ve learnt about sex, I’ve learnt from fanfic”, because those years were really educational… ;)

Next fandom was Stargate Atlantis (OTP McShep), my online fan-life started in earnest then with the Gateworld forum and LJ, then Torchwood (OTP Ianto/Jack), then Sherlock (OTP Johnlock). And here I am now, in the Kingsman fandom, with Hartwin and Merhartwin being my OTPs.

Now @hartwin-af

1. Who are your favourite artists/actors/fictional characters?

I admire Viggo Mortensen both as an actor and as an artist. And Colin Firth has been one of my favourite actors for many years. Closely followed by Chris Pine and Matt Damon. I also think Meryl Streep is a goddess.

Fav fictional characters: Aragorn, Sherlock, Mr Darcy and tons of others, among them right now Harry Hart :)

2. What are your favourite tv shows/movies?

Fav TV shows from the past: Star Trek DS9, Torchwood, MASH, SGA, Sherlock, Flying Doctors, Diagnosis Murder, Queer as folk

Recent TV shows: Agents of shield, Poldark, The Handmaid’s tale

3. What/Who do you fear?

Dying alone

4. What are you looking forward to the most?

At the moment my summer holiday and Kingsman 2.

5. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

The acceptance of ignorance you see nowadays. It’s ok to lack knowledge, but one shouldn’t be proud of it. It’s no badge of honour to boast about. There’s something you don’t know – go and look it up.

6. If you could make one thing canon in your fandom, what would it be?

DAISY UNWIN

7. Do you hoard usernames?

Nope. In fact I’m known for having the same username for decades and almost everywhere…

8. Coke or Pepsi? Tea or Coffee? KFC or McDonald’s?

If at all, Coke. Coffee, with tea being a close second. McDonald’s, but rather Burger King!

9. What would make today better?

Less humidity. Apart from that it’s been a pretty fine day. :)

10. What’s your favourite scent?

Privet when it’s in bloom.

11. What’s your proudest achievement?

Finishing my university degree (MA)

And @spockri

1) Are you a morning person or a night owl?

100% night owl

2) What is your OTP (and you can only pick 1!) and why?

Currently Hartwin. It just… happened. Love the fact that they’re so different and yet so similar, and that there’s tons of chemistry between them.

3) What is your favorite thing about Colin Firth?

His smile. Absolutely.

4) What’s your favorite book and how would you recommend it to someone who’s never heard of it?

That is in fact Atwood’s “The handmaid’s tale” and has been for years. I would recommend it as a book that’s become scarily relevant again in the light of the current political situation in the US.

5) Where is your favorite place to read?

Used to be my bed, but the older I get, the less comfortable it becomes. So today it’s my desk chair. And Parliament Hill when I’m in London.

6) What was your last impulse buy?

Clothes. I have way too many clothes… send help! Or Livia Firth, so that she can rip me a new one. Or Colin so that he can rip my clothes off… ok, wait, I need to stop.

7) What is/was your favorite subject in school?

That was English and Art

8) Are you an introvert or extrovert?

Introvert, INFJ. And an HSP.

9) Do you have any trips/vacations planned this year?

Most likely London again in August, and a short trip within Germany to visit two wonderful friends in October

10) What would you do if you saw Colin Firth walking on the other side of the street from you?

In my dreams I’d work up the courage to walk over to him and smile and say hello and ask politely for an autograph… depends on the situation though. So in reality I’d most likely try not to bother him to respect his privacy and just stare at him from afar… while silently hyperventilating

11) I probably know you because we’re both into Kingsman, so when did you first watch Kingsman and what drew you to it?

When it came out I saw many posts about it on my tumblr dash and had no idea what it’s about. Thought it must be a big thing though and decided to watch it one day, but ignored it then on tumblr in order not to spoiler myself accidentally. It was on my list for a while and I finally bought the DVD in November 2016. Watched it with my parents. Was hooked in a second. This rarely happens to me, but I liked that the movie didn’t take itself overly serious but was still believable, and that the story had no loose ends. Also, suits and Savile Row (love a man in a good suit), and Colin Firth. Sold. The rest is history.

- - - - -

Now, eleven questions from me, just in case anyone still wants to do this and isn’t sick of this meme already. :)

1) What did you want to become as a child, and what did you become?

2) If you were allowed to dress your favourite actor however you’d like, who would it be and what would she/he look like afterwards?

3) Did you ever cry while reading a book or watching a film, and if yes, when was the last time that happened and why?

4) What is your favourite piece of jewellery that you own?

5) If you could invent and play any kind of yet non-existent role in an existent movie, who would you like to be?

6) You have to share a room with a Kingsman character for one night. Who will it be and why?

7) Did you have a comfort toy as a child and if yes, what happened to it?

8) What is the colour/design of your bedclothes?

9) What was your happiest fandom moment so far?

10) The last film you saw in the cinema

11) You invite your favourite fictional character for dinner and you’re having pizza. They say it’s your choice – what kind of pizza would you order for them?

You all probably did that already, I’m sorry!!

@agentdagonet @ripgalahad @jeherion @jesspaw @londongypsy @letmecomealong @galahadthelate @solarrift @lady-mephistopheles @fideliant @deepdarkwaters

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