End of the Beginning

Chapter 4

Zuko and I said our goodbyes to Kaito as we boarded the ship before dawn. We ended up arriving just before afternoon the next day at Yu Dao. Zuko and I didn't speak much the entire time. He was completely lost in thought most of the time, sometimes things I would say were ignored by him unless I repeated what I had said.

Entering Yu Dao I noticed it was a highly developed place to still be called a colony. It was more of a city at this point. A large wall surrounded the city as Earth Kingdom people and Fire Nation citizens walked the streets. It was a lot different from the other colonies I saw before. Merchants lined the streets pulling wagons as shops bustled. Everyone watched as a voice called out a palanquin. A man jumped out with a worried expression, the mayor of Yu Dao, I signaled to the guard to let go of the girl. The guard pushed her in the man's direction.

"Kori! Where have you been?! Your mother and I were worried sick!" The man cried out holding his daughter, "Wait- Who are these men?! What are these chains?!"

"I went to go see someone about our problem, father,"

"Who?" Asked the mayor of Yu Dao.

"Him," Kori replied glaring at Zuko.

"F-Fire Lord Zuko!" The man said nervously.

"You must be Mayor Morishita," Zuko said as we walked closer,"Your daughter snuck into my home and tried to kill me!"

"Kori!" Mayor Morishita gasped.

"Someone had to do something!" Kori said defensively.

Mayor Morishita bowed down,"My sincerest apologies for my daughter's rash behavior, Fire Lord! Have mercy!"

"I should have this whole place burned down!" Zuko angrily threatened

I sighed quietly, placing a calm hand on Zuko's shoulder. If I had said anything now the people of Yu Dao would disrespect Zuko's authority. The people would wonder if Zuko really had what it takes to be their Fire Lord. I couldn't interfere in that, at least not yet.

"Why bother? The Harmony Restoration Movement will accomplish that without you having to lift a finger!" Kori yelled.

"Why can't you colonials get it through your thick skull?! The Harmony Restoration Movement is a means to peace!" Zuko defended.

"P-Peace?!" Morishita stood up and faced us,"Peace for whom?! With all due respect, your majesty, my family and I have lived on this land for generations! This city was built on our blood and sweat. We have as much a right to be here as anyone else!"

"You're Fire Nation citizens! You should live in the Fire Nation!" Zuko responded.

I sighed again, this is the feeling I felt seeing those women and children crying on those ships. It felt wrong to strip these people of the place they called home for so long.

"You're right, Fire Lord! We are Fire Nation citizens!" Mayor Morishita yelled,"And I'll tell you this, your father would never have let the Avatar and the Earth King bully him into something so obviously bad for his own nation's citizens!"

You just had to bring up Ozai didn't you?

"My father?" Zuko muttered in disgust.

He angrily threw fire at the mayor but I blocked Zuko's incoming flame with water from my waterskin. Placing my hands in between the two.

"I'm not my father!" Zuko yelled from the front of me.

"No, young man. You're not," Morishita hissed from behind me,"Fire Lord Ozai had many faults but he was never a coward. He was never a traitor,"