Baoshi pushed herself away from Zuko's chest, and he struggled to hold onto her as she fought her hardest to escape, back to Avatar Lu. "Put me down."
"I'll take her," Aang said, sliding down his bison's neck. He held his arms out for the child, and Zuko shoved her into his arms. Baoshi turned her glare on Aang instead.
Lu smiled wryly at the little girl and shook her head, before turning back to Zuko seriously. "For seventy-nine years, I was the Avatar, until I died of mosquito-fly sickness. The Foggy Swamp Water Tribe flourished as never before." Zuko felt his eyes close, and he could see the swamp, and Lu's husband and children. She wove her arms back and forth, bringing vines, roots, and branches, up and down, until they wove together with the movements of her arms. They grew into floors and high walls, houses, roofs, and gates, a net of living, growing tree that made a village, built by Avatar Lu's careful hands.
"How-" Zuko breathed, and Lu squeezed his shoulder to silence him.
"When I died, a baby girl was born in a newly colonized Earth Kingdom town. the Avatar had been lost to the world since the Fire Nation had killed the Air Nomads, so when she made sparks dance around her fingers, her father took her to a local abbey, saying that he wouldn't raise a Fire Nation soldier's bastard. Then, when she began to walk, her feet left prints in the solid stone floors. The earth nuns pulled inwards, to keep the new Avatar secret from the Fire Nation authorities, but when an underground resistance rose in the town, the captain in charge of the local garrison blamed the nuns, and believed that they must have been protecting the revolutionaries. They herded the nuns and their orphaned charges into the abbey, barred the doors, and burned them all to death."
Zuko opened his mouth and turned around to gaze at the little girl in her pretty green hanbok, sitting in Aang's lap and playing with Appa's reigns. "I don't know why you're telling me any of this! If you think I'm going to feel guilty for something that happened before I was born-"
"Your job isn't to feel guilty," Avatar Lu snapped. "Your job is to fix things. I failed my destiny, and Baoshi never got the chance to find hers, but you you can achieve your destiny, and redeem our mistakes."
"No!" He pulled away from her and staggered backwards. "My destiny isn't to fight my own people! I won't do it."
The roots under him disappeared, and he fell into the shallow swamp with a splash. Lu held her hand out to him, but he didn't take it. "Then whatever the Fire Nation does to the world now will be on your head, as it is on mine."
Zuko struggled out of the mud, fuming, while behind him, Aang picked Baoshi up and pulled a marble out of his pocket for her to play with as he carried her over. He put her down on the root dome and let her run back to Avatar Lu. "You're going to have to," Aang told him, sitting down next to him on the roots. "Sozin's comet is coming back this summer, and if you don't stop them, the Fire Nation will use it to end the war for good, and then no one, not even the Avatar will be able to put things right."
"I know what my father plans to do with the comet!" Zuko hissed, shooting to his feet. "And-"
"No," Aang said softly. "You don't."
Zuko bared his teeth in a defiant grimace. "Take me back."
"Will you think about what we told you?" Aang looked back at Lu and Baoshi, sitting together against the trunk of the center tree once more. Lu nodded to him once.
Sighing, Zuko let his shoulders fall inward, the cold, horrible realization that they had all the power and he was never going to go home if they didn't want him to washing over him. He swallowed, gritted his teeth, and nodded.
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branchandroot
Laying Aang to rest at the Southern Air Temple, Part 7/7
Date: 2012-05-15 06:10 am (UTC)"I'll take her," Aang said, sliding down his bison's neck. He held his arms out for the child, and Zuko shoved her into his arms. Baoshi turned her glare on Aang instead.
Lu smiled wryly at the little girl and shook her head, before turning back to Zuko seriously. "For seventy-nine years, I was the Avatar, until I died of mosquito-fly sickness. The Foggy Swamp Water Tribe flourished as never before." Zuko felt his eyes close, and he could see the swamp, and Lu's husband and children. She wove her arms back and forth, bringing vines, roots, and branches, up and down, until they wove together with the movements of her arms. They grew into floors and high walls, houses, roofs, and gates, a net of living, growing tree that made a village, built by Avatar Lu's careful hands.
"How-" Zuko breathed, and Lu squeezed his shoulder to silence him.
"When I died, a baby girl was born in a newly colonized Earth Kingdom town. the Avatar had been lost to the world since the Fire Nation had killed the Air Nomads, so when she made sparks dance around her fingers, her father took her to a local abbey, saying that he wouldn't raise a Fire Nation soldier's bastard. Then, when she began to walk, her feet left prints in the solid stone floors. The earth nuns pulled inwards, to keep the new Avatar secret from the Fire Nation authorities, but when an underground resistance rose in the town, the captain in charge of the local garrison blamed the nuns, and believed that they must have been protecting the revolutionaries. They herded the nuns and their orphaned charges into the abbey, barred the doors, and burned them all to death."
Zuko opened his mouth and turned around to gaze at the little girl in her pretty green hanbok, sitting in Aang's lap and playing with Appa's reigns. "I don't know why you're telling me any of this! If you think I'm going to feel guilty for something that happened before I was born-"
"Your job isn't to feel guilty," Avatar Lu snapped. "Your job is to fix things. I failed my destiny, and Baoshi never got the chance to find hers, but you you can achieve your destiny, and redeem our mistakes."
"No!" He pulled away from her and staggered backwards. "My destiny isn't to fight my own people! I won't do it."
The roots under him disappeared, and he fell into the shallow swamp with a splash. Lu held her hand out to him, but he didn't take it. "Then whatever the Fire Nation does to the world now will be on your head, as it is on mine."
Zuko struggled out of the mud, fuming, while behind him, Aang picked Baoshi up and pulled a marble out of his pocket for her to play with as he carried her over. He put her down on the root dome and let her run back to Avatar Lu. "You're going to have to," Aang told him, sitting down next to him on the roots. "Sozin's comet is coming back this summer, and if you don't stop them, the Fire Nation will use it to end the war for good, and then no one, not even the Avatar will be able to put things right."
"I know what my father plans to do with the comet!" Zuko hissed, shooting to his feet. "And-"
"No," Aang said softly. "You don't."
Zuko bared his teeth in a defiant grimace. "Take me back."
"Will you think about what we told you?" Aang looked back at Lu and Baoshi, sitting together against the trunk of the center tree once more. Lu nodded to him once.
Sighing, Zuko let his shoulders fall inward, the cold, horrible realization that they had all the power and he was never going to go home if they didn't want him to washing over him. He swallowed, gritted his teeth, and nodded.