Chapter 30 - The Words That Changed the Tyrant
The guard's stern, measured steps once again made a detour through the corridor leading through the palace. The courtiers and officials trying to pass through the same place turned around the moment they noticed the captain walking at the head of the wedge. Everyone had heard about her recent bad mood and were quite rightly worried that they would be stopped and questioned about everything that had happened in their lives recently. The role of the Tsar's protector was very influential, but at the same time very difficult.
Their "newcomer," who was actually Dagoth's friend in disguise, did everything she could to provoke Kioshi's entire squad: she would engage in heated debates with the squad about Kioshi's views and philosophy, denigrating and mocking the meaningless philosophical trends that exist in the world, either out of boredom or deliberately contradicting EVERY statement they made. The warriors saw this as a cruel test to weed out the weak who had not yet accepted the four dogmas.
However, there was another reason why she occupied a specific corridor and watched everyone who passed by: Captain Suyuki's gaze kept returning to a certain door, waiting for it to open sooner or later. Some of the girls in the escort believed that they were guarding the peace of their new guest, while others firmly believed that the reason lay in the romantic nature of Suyuki, who wanted to meet and chat with an old acquaintance. However, voicing such guesses aloud was considered a sophisticated way to get an extra outfit and go polish the armour of the entire garrison with fans.
"You've been wandering around the palace for several days now, are you deliberately ignoring me?" the lady asked irritably, passing a few metres from the door once again. They had spent dozens of hours under the same roof, but after that meeting with the Tsar, they hadn't even looked each other in the eye. No one answered the knock on the door, and if one of Suyuki's subordinates answered and asked him to wait or to see the Captain, he would refer to important business and slip away.
It was ugly, to say the least! So finally, pulling herself together and clenching her fists, Suuki approached the door to Dagoth's private room, knocked a couple of times, got no answer, and opened the door herself. What she saw there momentarily knocked the lady off her feet. Her old acquaintance, Dagoth, sat with a strained expression on his face, tapping his quill pen on the inkwell, while a little fox patted the national hero on the head in a supportive manner.
"What do you want?" It was clear from his expression that he was VERY unhappy about being interrupted. His train of thought had been broken, his inspiration gone. Noticing his scorching gaze, Suyuki suddenly felt guilty and apologetically tried to close the door quickly. It would have slammed shut if the metal handle hadn't frozen in one position, preventing her from pushing it back or opening the door any wider." "So it was you behind the door, Suyuki... Sorry, I was busy. Sitting behind seven locks and four walls is certainly fun and relaxing, but you can't get much work done from the Tsar's comfortable little room and office.
"So you were really working? - Her old acquaintance smiled at her fleeting question and made Suyuki blush even more.
"What do you think I was doing, hiding from you?
Leaning back, he allowed the door to swing open. The fox jumped off the table and went to put the kettle on — Kiyoshi, the head of the squad, had long been accustomed to her strange behaviour. But sitting down at the table with her old friend, she just stared questioningly at the blank sheet of paper over which he was poring. It was the first time she had ever seen Dagoth so deeply preoccupied with something. "You look like me when I was a child and they made me write an essay about the greatness of our philosophy on several sheets of paper.
"Ah, if only it were that simple~
"It's not that simple...
"Imagine that you need to use the ruler as a great warrior to destroy a deadly spirit, but first you have to win him over, because a couple of days ago, through your own fault, he lost the opportunity to take over a legendary city. And the only person you have on your side is an insecure son who can't calm his father's anxiety... although I'm just like him. Taking control of Ba Sing Se set me back five steps in my friendship with Ozai, and now, by some miracle, I have to restore it all.
"Is it really necessary?
"Unfortunately, yes. The tribes entrenched in the mountains of the Northwest are virtually impossible to reach without the right tools — they have the help of spirits, cause landslides and destroy roads, and a whole cabal has gathered there. You need airships for that, but they're hindered by the sky spirit, and Oza will have an easier time dealing with him. This is a turning point... either he sides with me or he remains an enemy.
Suyuki rested her head on her hands and stared intently at the face of the man who so passionately wanted to help someone. At that moment, Afka brought two mugs of coffee and poured thick cream into them in full view. She stirred Dagoth's cup with a spoon and pushed it closer to him.
"You hide behind military objectives, even though you don't know how children communicate with their parents," Suyuki's sharp conclusion left her friend and Afka at a loss for words. She realised she had hit the nail on the head. "I know that you, the descendants of the sand tribe, are very harsh, and instead of your mother's milk, you probably drink the blood of scorpions, but if you say that you are as clumsy in communicating with your parents as Zuko, have you never... communicated with your family?
Lowering his gaze to the cream floating in his glass, Dagoth sank into himself.
"Can you... help me find out which sawmills and wood processing plants have expanded significantly over the past five years?
"I think the Secret Police could easily get that information.
***
I couldn't say that my current parents had a significant influence on shaping me as a person. When I came into this world, I was already an adult, except perhaps for not having tried a couple of important things in life. Nevertheless, I was definitely attached to them, almost like friends. They protected me from my first setbacks, treated my illnesses when my little sick body seemed to be on the verge of death. They also showed me my first magic... I even wanted to just meet them and maybe introduce them to Tai Li.The Secret Police, led by Dai Li, had many connections in all circles and could easily obtain information about even the most obscure businesses in the country if they traded with anyone. Considering that Tassad had to enter a completely unfamiliar world after leaving the desert, I think he should have taken up woodworking. There were many opportunities for drying wood or even building boats. And considering my very specific requirements, it wasn't particularly difficult to find a few such places. Dai Li managed to obtain information even about the owners of these companies, their names, where they came from, who worked in the company, and so on.
Who would have thought that my goal would be so close? When Tai Li found out where we were going one evening, she was distraught and spent several hours trying to figure out what to wear. At the King's personal request, he assigned a maid to dress her quickly and beautifully, but without any pretentiousness. The outfit resembled the traditional dress of the people of the land, with a light green shirt underneath and high boots with upturned toes. Her waist was girded with a yellow belt bearing the symbol of the kingdom.
Leaving the palace, we headed along the colourful upper ring, where fir and oak trees grew everywhere, and hills and small forests occupied most of the area — not exactly a rational use of the land, which would have made Oza's nose run. When we approached a large lake, along which tall trees grew at equal distances from each other, there were not many houses left that we could approach, and only one courtyard, towering even above a large stone fence, had a large statue of a bear carved out of wood. Moreover, it was an ordinary bear, not some kind of chimera.
Tai Li tugged at my clothes excitedly, feeling more and more nauseous with every step towards the gate. But I patted her on the head reassuringly and rang the bell at the gate. In less than a minute, a young lady dressed in a maid's costume approached the gate and looked at us with interest.
"Hello! Welcome to the Sandstreet estate. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"
"Hey, is your surname... - Tai Li approached my ear after a moment's hesitation.
"Ahem, I would like to see the owners of the estate. My name is Dagoth, I...
"Oh, how could I not recognise you! - Covering her lips with her hands, the woman immediately bowed." - Hero, saviour of the capital! Please come in, I will take you to the owners' house and inform them that Dagoth himself wishes to place a business order for a wooden figure. Um... you came to place a personal order, didn't you?
"Not exactly... but I would still be happy to meet the owners of the estate," I said with a forced smile, earning a quick nod. The gate opened, and we were led along a stone pavement. Along the road stood many benches, all kinds of beautiful statues, some of which served as lamps, and bushes cut into cubes. The main thing was that everything here was done organically; it didn't feel like things had been placed here just for the sake of it. It wasn't the kind of thing you'd expect from people who had made it from nothing," I said. "Tell me, what do the owners do besides making wooden statues?
"Oh, the head of the estate owns a private furniture factory and does fine woodwork when ordinary stone cannot be used.
"Did they say anything about me?
"About the hero Dagoth? Mmm... you know, we've been unlucky lately, they've been busy, we've only heard general news about the attack. Here's the house! The woman was definitely happy to talk to me, but when she opened the door, she asked me to wait at the entrance and ran off somewhere. She returned accompanied by two not-so-young men. They had aged...
"Olivia, we told you not to let guests in late at night," a typical gruff voice made me raise the corners of my lips. The woman walking next to him looked prettier than I remembered. They saw me, stopped and frowned.
"You should take a break from your work routine, you're always working and hardly ever sleep," Olivia shook her head. "The Hero has come to visit you. Yes..."
"Dagot," said the dark-haired woman with well-groomed hair and an expensive house dress, dropping her cup of coffee. It almost shattered on the wooden floor, but the sand released from the adult man's hands quickly caught it, rose and returned to the woman's hands. Looking aged but eternally cool-headed and ready for anything, it was definitely them.
"Mom, Dad, I'm back," I said, holding Tai Li's hand and smiling knowingly, breaking the silence.
"I'll make dinner," the maid said, opening her eyes wide and slowly turning around, and then, as if she had heard the most amazing thing in the world, she shuffled off to another room.
I don't know, maybe I thought I'd have to justify my absence or explain what I'd been doing all this time — just to keep the conversation going and break the ice that might have formed between us — but Tassad spoke in a calm voice. "I thought you wouldn't dare come looking for us, 'Sand Mage'," his tone... was a little sarcastic. Strangely, I don't remember him ever teasing me like that before.
"So you knew I was safe?" At that moment, my mother came closer and hugged me with her trembling hands.
"There were so many rumours about you that we couldn't help but hear them," she said in a voice like a ringing bell. "A Sand Mage with such a rare name, who else could it be?
Despite the completely unfamiliar surroundings, I felt a moment of real homely comfort, except for the poverty I had to live with before. They had food, and they didn't take risks at work or just walking down the street; they had achieved success without me.
"Maybe you'll finally introduce your girlfriend?
My mother looked at Tai Li, who was smiling stiffly but had nevertheless overcome her nervousness and, remembering the etiquette lessons from her academy, curtsied beautifully.
"Tai Li, teacher of the Kioshi warriors and spiritually connected to Dagoth.
"...And she's brave," Tassad nodded, blushing, finally inviting us all to the table, which was already being set by a maid. Well, the rest of the conversation went as if there had been no break in our relationship for several years. We just talked about what had been happening in our lives, even though my adventures and acquaintances with Tai Li made my parents cringe.
I felt like a regular storyteller at a tavern table, sharing tales that sounded more like the epic adventures of some hero. However, in the minds of most people, that's what I really was: I survived incredible conditions, saved the Avatar, made peace, fought spirits for humanity, a real fairy tale for adventure lovers, even though my journey wasn't over yet.
As for my parents, as I had expected after thinking about my death, they couldn't stay in the desert and headed for the big cities in search of themselves.
"I tried to figure out how to rig the drying magic," Tassad said of his achievements as if they were worthless. "We started with boats, since that was the only thing I knew anything about. We just needed to earn some money to buy special wood.
"We worked together to save up our first funds, and it turned out that with such a desire to change your life, you can make it anywhere.
"Then we started making furniture together. I made it, and she came up with the designs. Around that time, I became interested in creating sculptures from wood. It turned out to be a profitable business. Stone may have been the most common material in the kingdom, but various bigwigs were willing to pay a lot of money to have wooden floors or other beautiful decorations made quickly. I skipped the whole process of preparing the wood, such as drying, and immediately smoothed it with sand — nothing complicated, and I could finish a good portion of the orders in a day.
"You are very strong, since you were able to get back on your feet even after the accident," Tai Li listened attentively. However, if she was interested in anything, it was to take revenge for my teasing about her academic days. "Are there any stories about little Dagoth?
"Oh, there are a couple of cute ones," her mother nodded. "He was afraid to leave the house and didn't even step outside the settlement while his peers were already running away from poisonous snakes," her mother swayed in place while Tai Lee looked at me slyly, as if I were a little coward.
"Yeah, I almost died there...
"But he started working earlier than the others," my father suddenly supported me. He looked at me and... winked, as if helping me look good in front of the girl. "He came to me when we were running out of food and offered to help with his magic. And now every enemy fears that very magic... Dagoth, I still can't help but ask this question. Is there any other reason you wanted to meet us besides the fact that we are your parents?
"I think I understand where that stern look comes from," Tai Li whispered.
"Yes. I want to make your lives happier," I realised that this was what every father wanted to hear from his son.
***
The idea of a peaceful dinner, familiar to most families, was something completely foreign to the royal family of the Fire Lord. Since childhood, the table had been a place to discuss only the affairs and successes of one person, followed by the failures and misfortunes of another. Such feasts brought no joy. As an adult, Zuko found it difficult to understand how it was possible to have a peaceful dinner with his father, literally alone, and not get a couple of harsh remarks from him. But now he was sitting at a table that wasn't all that long, with only a couple of dishes, a vase of red flowers and a tablecloth between him and Ozai.
Dressed in his usual home clothes, Zuko stared intently at his indifferent father, chewing his fingers under the table, trying to remember his friend's advice.
"You never invited me to dinner alone," Oza said softly. "You never liked my company.
"I think you just stopped being afraid of me. Battles for survival clear your head and get rid of the unnecessary.
"I'm glad to hear that! He even nodded in response. "You've always needed that, but now you're truly my son. And the state of our country is not the least of your concerns.
But Zuko never heard the words of pride.
"However, lately the country has been under unpleasant pressure again," Ozai tapped his fingers meaningfully on the table, "Do you know why I needed Ba Sing Se? It's a resource stronghold that could make our country independent of any power, even the Avatar couldn't bring down such influence, but Dagoth... he just took advantage of the opportunity for his own plans.
His face, his fists, everything expressed the anger lurking within him. Like a bull seeing a tablecloth and a taunting matador.
"He became an obstacle to my power...
"Maybe you should stop whining? Power, threats... You, by the way, have agreed to a truce, which you should now abide by," Zuko said sharply, his voice drowning out even the clatter of cutlery. Even Zuko himself did not expect such harshness from himself.
"Are you forgetting again who you're talking to?" the Fire Lord asked, putting down his cutlery and wiping his lips with a napkin.
"No," his son continued just as sternly, "You never intended to keep this peace, you want to prepare for war, and Dagoth got in your way, and you have no way out, but even so, you still think only of war, how stupid! You want progress — the whole world wants it! Have you even been to Omah? I haven't either, but my friends told me how everything has changed there, how they plan to turn it into a technological stronghold. You yourself complain about how many uneducated people there are in the colonies who easily start worshipping spirits, so do something to fix it. This war is pointless, you should just join the scientific world and finally lead it forward!
"You can't possibly understand my plans," Ozai roared in response. "I will make my people happier, in my own way.
"Again with the world domination? Dagoth said one thing you won't like, but you need to hear it.
"I don't want to hear it. You've disappointed me again, son," the man said, rising from the table, kicking the chair aside, turning around, and walking proudly towards the exit.
"The seventh chakra won't make you stronger, but it will make you a better ruler! And as heir to the throne, I too will open it to become a better ruler," the sharp cry made Oza stumble. He looked at his son in complete indignation and almost laughed.
"The seventh chakra? Only weaklings and cowards strive for it. The fact that you want to awaken it is one big joke. And a very funny one, I might add. You will not become heir, don't even think about it. Besides, I have destroyed any mention of this chakra.
"What would you say if Dagoth managed to make a manual for it? Not the version you burned — this one is better," Zuko pulled a folded piece of paper from his trouser pocket and held it out on the edge of his desk. Oza stood there for a full ten seconds, wondering whether to approach and take it, but his curiosity got the better of him. Approaching, he unfolded the sheet and scanned it with his eyes, his face darkening noticeably. "The path of the chakras is suitable for those who desire prosperity. The path of the spirits is nothing more than an attempt to confine oneself.
Ozai did not say anything. He crumpled the sheet, raised it above his head with the clear intention of burning it, but, clenching his lips, simply threw it on the table. In the end, he did leave, but without conflict, slamming all the doors and terrifying the guards. Picking up the crumpled piece of paper, Zuko read the first words.
"He who understands the meaning of bonds and is free from any illusions about them — he who has something to strive for — will awaken his last chakra as soon as he finishes reading this. This is not a warning, but a promise, for there is no greater happiness in the world than to achieve your goal by breaking free from the constraints that surround you.
With every word I read, my mood rose. The fact that Dagoth managed to put it all into a couple of simple pieces of paper, rather than a whole bunch of pages with a hard cover, was the best thing he had ever read. A true magnum opus, the meaning of which was contained in a couple of simple words.
You will begin to fulfil your life's purpose only by renouncing your earthly attachments.
"So, my father will be able to make his people happier only by taking this step... You must have awakened your seventh chakra yourself, Dagoth. You have realised what you want.
***
Numerous hangars, built directly in the mountains or neatly underground next to the factories, opened giant steel gates, moving apart as if releasing an unknown beast. A multitude of strange balloons rose into the sky and covered the entire archipelago - the inhabitants of the cities froze in awe, their heads raised, watching as the procession of airships flew in a wedge towards the strange storm that had been raging for several days. At the head of this mysterious flying wonder was a special airship, different from the rest, with a nose built by the best craftsmen in the shape of a sharp-beaked bird, made of gold-painted metal. It led the platoon of flying ships straight behind it, like a whale flying in the sky.
Fishermen and soldiers who kept their ships near the sea looked fearfully at the path that this incomprehensible technology was laying, as only the best captains could sail through the storm, and therefore it was difficult to imagine what was happening there, under the clouds, towards which the wedge of this incomprehensible technological wonder was rushing. However, they all suddenly raised their hands and began to praise the miracle of their nation's engineering - surely, it would soon be written about in all the newspapers.
"May the Lord of Fire bless us," crowds gathered to see what would happen, and everyone opened their eyes in shock when a powerful stream of lightning struck the front of the airship, right there in the sky, as if burning away the evil lurking there.
On that day, for the first time in a long time, the clouds over the sea of the kingdom of fire finally receded.