It had been a long three years.
While Fire Lord Zuko had reclaimed his home and his heritage, as evidenced in the black topknot and golden flame that rested upon his head, he had not reclaimed sleep or peace in the same fashion. ‘What I wouldn’t do for a cup of calming tea.’ The thought came with some humor as he took a seat in the train’s private carriage that would be leaving Ba Sing Se and heading west towards the colonies in the Hu Xin province.
A negotiation about the fate of these colonies was long overdue. The land belonged to the Earth Kingdom, but there was still a significant Fire Nation presence among its people. While Zuko was doing much to rectify the mistakes his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had made, he still could not simply uproot people on a moment’s notice.
It had to be gradual and something that wouldn’t also end in an economic devastation for the Earth Kingdom.
Which was why he was going along with Lifen, a woman he’d met in passing a few times in previous negotiations and talks with King Kuei. Those hadn’t always gotten far; threats of sending troops to the colonies was something Kuei liked to suggest as a quick alternative.
Thankfully, Aang had talked him down, and talked them into looking into things first, before making rash and violent decisions. ‘Maybe I should have just sent Iroh.’ No, Iroh well deserved his rest from all of this. This was the burden that Zuko had to shoulder…alone. No mother, no father, no sister – no uncle.
He looked up as he heard the doors to the carriage open, and put on a weary smile before rising back to his feet as he recognized the face – or, really, the hairstyle with the flowers. He wondered if she would wear that kind of style the whole time they were on this endeavor, but he wouldn’t ask.
Though, she’d have to find a lot of new flowers, if so.
‘Speak for yourself.’
He supposed his own attire might be considered a bit much – he wasn’t in anything lightweight, but his own formal garb which still retained aspects of what the Fire Nation had been in the shoulders, armored and pointed upwards a bit as they were, and the heavy robes. It certainly made him look significantly broader built than he was, even if much of it was black.
Not as slimming as some said.
“It’s good to see you, Ambassador,” he greeted, gesturing to welcome her into the carriage with his right hand, signifying the bench in front of him. “I hope your own journey was well?”
He knew she had left from those provinces to have her own meeting with the Earth Kingdom, which was why he was meeting her in Ba Sing Se, rather than right within the provinces. Zuko didn’t think this was bad – he could get caught up on things on the way, as well.
~***~
The provinces of Hu Xin were fascinating to Citra.
Although the young Sun Warrior could see the culture was majority Fire Nation, she could also see the influences of the Earth Kingdom, and the way it all blended was immensely intriguing. There were even lovers between the nations, although they seemed to be going about it in secret. These secrets, revealed the tensions that remained.
People still wore what they were, and showed it in ways. It was obvious to any who looked, despite Citra’s green eyes, that she was of the Fire Nation. She wore a red dress with gold accents as she sat on the porch of a woman in a green tunic with a brown skirt – obviously Earth Kingdom.
People still held to their loyalties, and there were reasons for it.
There was still a hierarchy of sorts, where Fire Nation citizens were at the top, and the Earth Kingdom citizens were lesser. Yet, there was mobility, fluidity, and mixing – as Citra was currently learning as she spoke with Yu, of the Earth Kingdom, who explained a bit about their culture of dance and music, and how she’d noticed it change over the years.
“Whenever anyone new from the Fire Nation would show up, they would always try to enforce rules against dancing,” the woman said, adding with a wink, “but inevitably they’d host parties and allow it, anyways.”
Citra shared in the conspiratorial smile as she jotted down her notes, learning about how fewer and fewer Fire Nation citizens ever came to stay in the colonies, and how the position of the leader became more of a family one, rather than switching out every few years. That inheritance made it easier for them to live more freely.
The conversation did come to its natural conclusion, a bit of chatter occurring afterwards on Yu’s porch while the ink dried.
“Well, I should get this back with the others,” Citra was saying, once the ink had dried and she was able to roll the scroll back up, “It was nice to meet you, Yu!”
“And a delight to meet you, Cee! I hope this will help you out.”
She nodded, “It will,” she folded the scroll under her arm and inclined her head, “Take care!” She turned from the porch to get on her way back to the hotel she was staying at. Thankfully, she had money for that sort of thing, though she was going to have to figure out an actual job at some point; this writing gig wasn’t paying her anything, but it was necessary. She had to maintain records to return back home, and she still had to wait for her companion to come through to take what she had already.
She couldn’t really send a traditional courier to a long-lost civilization.
Her chipper expression faltered some steps away from Yu’s home, and she sighed, contemplating the reality ahead of her that demanded money.
While Fire Lord Zuko had reclaimed his home and his heritage, as evidenced in the black topknot and golden flame that rested upon his head, he had not reclaimed sleep or peace in the same fashion. ‘What I wouldn’t do for a cup of calming tea.’ The thought came with some humor as he took a seat in the train’s private carriage that would be leaving Ba Sing Se and heading west towards the colonies in the Hu Xin province.
A negotiation about the fate of these colonies was long overdue. The land belonged to the Earth Kingdom, but there was still a significant Fire Nation presence among its people. While Zuko was doing much to rectify the mistakes his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had made, he still could not simply uproot people on a moment’s notice.
It had to be gradual and something that wouldn’t also end in an economic devastation for the Earth Kingdom.
Which was why he was going along with Lifen, a woman he’d met in passing a few times in previous negotiations and talks with King Kuei. Those hadn’t always gotten far; threats of sending troops to the colonies was something Kuei liked to suggest as a quick alternative.
Thankfully, Aang had talked him down, and talked them into looking into things first, before making rash and violent decisions. ‘Maybe I should have just sent Iroh.’ No, Iroh well deserved his rest from all of this. This was the burden that Zuko had to shoulder…alone. No mother, no father, no sister – no uncle.
He looked up as he heard the doors to the carriage open, and put on a weary smile before rising back to his feet as he recognized the face – or, really, the hairstyle with the flowers. He wondered if she would wear that kind of style the whole time they were on this endeavor, but he wouldn’t ask.
Though, she’d have to find a lot of new flowers, if so.
‘Speak for yourself.’
He supposed his own attire might be considered a bit much – he wasn’t in anything lightweight, but his own formal garb which still retained aspects of what the Fire Nation had been in the shoulders, armored and pointed upwards a bit as they were, and the heavy robes. It certainly made him look significantly broader built than he was, even if much of it was black.
Not as slimming as some said.
“It’s good to see you, Ambassador,” he greeted, gesturing to welcome her into the carriage with his right hand, signifying the bench in front of him. “I hope your own journey was well?”
He knew she had left from those provinces to have her own meeting with the Earth Kingdom, which was why he was meeting her in Ba Sing Se, rather than right within the provinces. Zuko didn’t think this was bad – he could get caught up on things on the way, as well.
~***~
The provinces of Hu Xin were fascinating to Citra.
Although the young Sun Warrior could see the culture was majority Fire Nation, she could also see the influences of the Earth Kingdom, and the way it all blended was immensely intriguing. There were even lovers between the nations, although they seemed to be going about it in secret. These secrets, revealed the tensions that remained.
People still wore what they were, and showed it in ways. It was obvious to any who looked, despite Citra’s green eyes, that she was of the Fire Nation. She wore a red dress with gold accents as she sat on the porch of a woman in a green tunic with a brown skirt – obviously Earth Kingdom.
People still held to their loyalties, and there were reasons for it.
There was still a hierarchy of sorts, where Fire Nation citizens were at the top, and the Earth Kingdom citizens were lesser. Yet, there was mobility, fluidity, and mixing – as Citra was currently learning as she spoke with Yu, of the Earth Kingdom, who explained a bit about their culture of dance and music, and how she’d noticed it change over the years.
“Whenever anyone new from the Fire Nation would show up, they would always try to enforce rules against dancing,” the woman said, adding with a wink, “but inevitably they’d host parties and allow it, anyways.”
Citra shared in the conspiratorial smile as she jotted down her notes, learning about how fewer and fewer Fire Nation citizens ever came to stay in the colonies, and how the position of the leader became more of a family one, rather than switching out every few years. That inheritance made it easier for them to live more freely.
The conversation did come to its natural conclusion, a bit of chatter occurring afterwards on Yu’s porch while the ink dried.
“Well, I should get this back with the others,” Citra was saying, once the ink had dried and she was able to roll the scroll back up, “It was nice to meet you, Yu!”
“And a delight to meet you, Cee! I hope this will help you out.”
She nodded, “It will,” she folded the scroll under her arm and inclined her head, “Take care!” She turned from the porch to get on her way back to the hotel she was staying at. Thankfully, she had money for that sort of thing, though she was going to have to figure out an actual job at some point; this writing gig wasn’t paying her anything, but it was necessary. She had to maintain records to return back home, and she still had to wait for her companion to come through to take what she had already.
She couldn’t really send a traditional courier to a long-lost civilization.
Her chipper expression faltered some steps away from Yu’s home, and she sighed, contemplating the reality ahead of her that demanded money.