Chapter Text
“As I have already explained to you, Avatar, your assistance is neither needed nor wanted.”
“And as we have already explained to you, Aang and I are trying to help!”
Aang smiled nervously, his body language anxious and awkward from the tension. Honestly, Aang wasn’t sure if he would rather fight “The Denied” terrorist group again than be caught in the middle of playing mediator for two women glaring at each other with enough intensity that could burn down both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. Aang watched anxiously as his lovely waterbending wife, Katara, glared furiously at Shiori, the Fire Nation Palace’s physician. The stern woman looked not much older than Zuko; about two or three years if the couple had to guess. Her short dark hair extended down past her chin in a bob-cut with a traditional Fire Nation top-knot on her head. Her physician’s uniform coral red robe with a ruby red sash, accents, and flat shoes. The deep gray eyes of the physician returned the glare to the waterbending with an equal amount of fury, refusing to back down to the Water Tribe girl’s intimidation. The twenty-five year old Avatar decided to finally step in, willing to risk the wrath of these two angry women being pointed towards him rather than let their furious exchange escalate into something worse.
“Please Miss Shiori, we just want to help Zuko-…”
“Fire Lord Zuko”, Shiori corrected sternly. Her piercing dark eyes now pointed in a glare towards the Avatar, causing the airbender to flinch. “You are in no position to address the Fire Lord with such informality inside his own palace! Friend or not, you will speak of our great leader with the highest respect!”
Aang smiled nervously, trying his best to mask the look of dismay and slight annoyance about the physician’s correction. Literally none of the other palace staff or officials threw a fit whenever the Avatar or his friends addressed the fire lord simply as “Zuko”. Not even Zuko himself seemed to care whenever Aang addressed him as such in public or private. Unfortunately for the airbender, he was desperately trying to mediate the situation so he and Katara could actually get closer to the fire lord than just a few feet past the doorway. Aang and Katara have been at the Fire Nation palace for two days trying to see Zuko. Before arriving to Caldera, they had received a message from a messenger hawk requesting the aid of both Avatar Aang and the master healer Katara as the fire lord had fallen ill and his condition was described to be worsening with each passing day. The message also explained that the fire lord himself had been the one to request their assistance, a fact that both the airbender and waterbender had tried multiple times to explain to the physician since their arrival only for their explanations to fall on deaf ears as she refused them every time. Begrudgingly, Aang decided that if he and Katara were going to get anywhere with the physician, he would have to play along with her strict demands about etiquette and try to negotiate their way into Zuko’s chambers.
“Right, sorry, Fire Lord Zuko,” Aang said, his eyes rolling to the left. Even Aang’s patience had limits, but the Avatar knew that now was not the time to lose his. “We just want to help Fire Lord Zuko! He’s our friend and we know that he is very sick. If you could just let Katara take a look at him-…”
“Fire Lord Zuko is in no condition to be receiving visitors at this time,” Shiori stated firmly, “And we do not require the assistance of an outsider.”
Katara’s glaring eyes narrowed further upon hearing the word “outsider”. The waterbending master knew exactly what that woman was implying despite the physician’s expression remaining stoic and stern. The term was not only used to imply that the Water Tribe woman didn’t belong in the Fire Nation, but also to mask the use of another set of derogatory terms to describe people from the Southern Water Tribe. “Filthy peasant”, “savage”, “scavenger”, “uncivilized”, and most recently from a few months ago “Water Child”; Katara has heard them all even before the end of the Hundred Year war. Despite having become accustomed to enduring these offensive insults, not wanting to risk inciting another war or national incident over racist remarks, Katara still felt her blood boiling at being labeled an “outsider”. Nevermind the fact that she has been one of Zuko’s closest friends for over a decade and the Fire Lord openly treated her and their friends like they were family whenever they came to visit. The waterbending master’s hands begin to shake in anger, causing the silver dishes and ceramic teapot to clink and clatter as the food tray in her hands shook in sync with her trembling hands.
In their many failed attempts to gain access inside the Fire Lord’s room, the couple had tried multiple times to offer up tea with medicinal herbs to help with the “dangerously high” fever that had been mentioned as one of the symptoms of the illness that Zuko had been suffering through the past week. Unfortunately, their efforts remained fruitless as every time Shiori would deny Aang and Katara entry and reject their tea offerings for reasons being that the tea wasn’t “presentable” enough to be served to the Fire Lord or because the stern physician had already made “plenty of tea” and no use in arguing that the tea could have simply been heated up later since Shiori would counter argue that she was more than capable of making tea for the Fire Lord herself without any assistance. Whilst preparing for their latest attempt at gaining entry through tea in the palace kitchen, Aang and Katara had overheard a conversation between the head cook and other members of the kitchen staff, expressing their concerns about the Fire Lord’s inability to eat. From what the couple had gathered from their conversation, Zuko’s appetite had been declining since he had fallen ill and recently the Fire Lord hasn’t been able to keep any food down. In the past couple of days, every time the cooks prepared meals for the sick Fire Lord, the meals would be sent back with dishes that were either untouched or had very few small bites taken with an explanation that the food had upset the Fire Lord’s stomach and he would start vomiting after only a few bites. This unfortunate revelation gave the couple a new idea of offering to serve food that Zuko’s weakened stomach could easily digest (Katara couldn’t help wondering why the kitchen staff weren’t already doing so, but decided to investigate the matter further later).
So far, their plan of offering ginger tea and rice water porridge was going about as well as their previous attempts. They haven't even brought up the food when the insufferable physician started lecturing them about their help not being needed and that the Fire Lord was “not to be disturbed”. Did Shiori refusing help have something to do with her pride or honor? Katara and Aang knew how much the Fire Nation citizens valued honor and their pride, but to this degree was just borderline stubbornness if not foolishness. Steadying her trembling hands, Katara took a breath in and out to try to calm her anger and spoke.
“Shiori, I can understand that an experienced physician of your caliber might take offense to an “outside” source of help,” the waterbender began, trying her best to remain courteous despite her irritation towards the physician, “And I am confident that a well-trained and experienced medical professional such as yourself would understand that Fire Lord Zuko needs something easy to digest if his health is to improve-...”
“Oh please, spare me of your ignorance!” Shiori scorned.
The physician looked down at the tray of tea and rice water being carried by the waterbender and smacked her hand down hard onto the tray, causing it to crash down onto the floor and the contents to spill. Katara jumped back with a startled yelp to avoid the hot liquids from spilling onto her attire. Aang put an arm out in front of Katara in a protective manner, his gaze hardening at Shiori.
“What is your problem?!” Aang exclaimed lividly, “What did you do that for?! We were just trying to offer an easy meal for Zuko to eat!”
“Fire Lord Zuko,” Shiori corrected, her gaze hard and cold as she remained unfazed by the Avatar’s outburst, “And I would sooner burn myself alive than present such common fare to his majesty. What the Fire Lord needs right now is nutritious food, not peasant food!”
At that moment, Aang found it very difficult not to suppress his growing frustration at this situation. One of his best friends was lying in bed, possibly withering away and halfway to death’s door for all the Avatar knew since the frustrating physician standing in front of him and his wife denied them of any chance to see their sick friend, and he was powerless to do anything about it! For a master of the four bending elements, the Avatar knew that he had very little to no power inside the walls of the Fire Nation Palace. Apparently, since the Fire Lord had become too weak with illness to speak on his own behalf, the stern physician has been making all the decisions regarding the Fire Lord’s recovery, including who was permitted to enter the Fire Lord’s private chambers. Aang and Katara had at least expected to see people like the Fire Lord’s mother, Ursa, or even his wife, Mai, at his bedside, but in the couple of days that the couple had been trying to see Zuko, they had not seen anyone other than servants and eunuchs in the bedroom past their field of vision that wasn’t being blocked by the frustrating physician. A bigger question that plagued the couple’s minds was why wasn’t Iroh with Zuko right now? Knowing that the elderly tea maker loved and raised Zuko like a son since he was thirteen, they knew that once word had reached him about his nephew’s condition he would have promptly found the fastest possible to the Fire Nation from Ba Sing Sei to aid his sick nephew. Surely, Iroh would have been the first one informed of Zuko’s worsening condition before Aang or Katara. The thought of Iroh’s absence in Zuko’s time of need was very concerning and left both Aang and Katara with an uneasy feeling. Something wasn’t right; things are going terribly wrong and would only get worse if something wasn’t done.
“Excuse me, Miss Shiori.”
The arrival of a male servant carrying a food tray displaying a variety of different refined Fire Nation dishes broke the tension between the Avatar and the physician. Most of the dishes Aang and Katara immediately recognized as the Fire Nation cuisine that Zuko tends to eat during their dinners together. Though the food was definitely nutritious, it was also way too heavy for the Fire Lord’s weakened stomach.
“I have brought Fire Lord Zuko’s meal,” said the servant, “As requested, the kitchen staff have prepared a variety of meals that the Fire Lord favors.” The servant reaches out to hand off the tray to the physician, who accepts it promptly. “I pray Agni gives our Fire Lord strength for an immediate recovery.”
Shiori nodded. “As do I. Thank you. You are dismissed.”
The servant gave the physician a bow before exiting the room. The physician’s hardened gaze fell back onto the Avatar and the waterbender. “Excuse me,” she began, “but I must now serve the Fire Lord his meal. Clean up this mess and be on your way immediately.”
As Shiori turned to deliver the tray of food to the sick Fire Lord, Katara felt her blood boiling. She wanted to shout out in protest that what they were doing was only going to harm Zuko further and at the very least remark that Shiori can pick up the damn mess herself since she was the one who made it! So badly did the Water Tribe woman want to water whip that arrogant look off that woman’s face! Her anger then began to subside as she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, looking to see the defeated, dejected expression on her husband’s face. As angry and frustrated as they both were, Katara understood that Aang’s expression was trying to tell her that acting out of anger wouldn’t solve anything and would only make their situation worse. Sighing heavily in defeat, the waterbender bent down and started cleaning up the mess the physician made. Aang assisted his wife by picking up the cups and bowl while she waterbent the tea and rice water off the floor and back into the teapot and bowl. As they cleaned, the couple was able to catch a glance at the Fire Lord’s current state without the frustrating physician blocking their view. Despite being at a distance, Aang and Katara were still able to spot the concerning changes to Zuko’s appearance that were very different from when they last saw him. Zuko’s skin tone had become more pale and ashen in contrast to his usual porcelain skin tone. Zuko also appears to have lost a significant amount of weight as his physique despite being covered by a blanket appeared smaller and less muscular. The hollowness of Zuko’s cheeks was further proof of the Fire Lord’s weight loss as his face, once full and round, now was too sharp and shrunken in. Aang felt his heart drop to his stomach and Katara’s blood ran cold as they witnessed the depressing state their friend is in. How could anyone let the Fire Lord deteriorate to this degree?! And why wasn’t anyone doing anything to stop this lack of proper care and treatment?!
“My lord, your meal is ready,” Shiori spoke. Her voice was low and gentle; a complete contrast to the cold and stern tone of voice that Aang and Katara had often heard the physician use. “We have requested that the usual meals that you like be brought to you.”
A servant girl walked closer to the Fire Lord’s bedside, gently lifting his head up as the physician plucked a small bite of food between a pair of chopsticks.
“And Zuko can’t even lift his head anymore”, Katara thought, “just add that to the growing list of concerns…”
“Please, you must try and eat, my lord,” said Shiori.
The physician placed the tiny portion of food into the Fire Lord’s mouth. Almost immediately, Zuko began coughing and gagging, causing the servants in the room to panic and scramble about. Only the stern physician remained stoic and calm amidst the chaos.
“Oh no, not again!”
“Miss Shiori, what do we do?!”
“Grab the bucket! Fire Lord Zuko is about to throw up again! And bring the water!”
“Are you alright, Fire Lord Zuko?”
“Drink some water, Fire Lord Zuko. This will help you feel better.”
Aang and Katara stood in disbelief as they watched the scene unfold. The servants in the room were in a complete panic as they scrambled to help the Fire Lord. The servant girl who brought the bucket to the bedside had tripped over her feet when she was halfway to the Fire Lord’s bedside during the rush. The servant who brought the water practically spilled a third of it on the floor as he hastened to pour a cup for the heaving Fire Lord. Despite not rushing around and about like the other servants, the servant girl who was trying to support the Fire Lord’s head as he continued to cough uncontrollably looked frozen in fear. Her body trembled and her eyes were filled with such pitiful uncertainty. If Katara wasn’t so concerned about her friend’s health, the waterbender would have been filled with such vindication. Watching this scene unfold in front of her further proved her point that Zuko needed her help. It was clear from the frantic behavior of the servants in the room that they had no idea what they were doing. If Katara had to guess given how young the servants looked, the waterbender would assume that they are less than experienced servants. They probably either haven’t been working at the palace long or their duties used to pertain to cleaning before they were enlisted to care for their ill Fire Lord. They lacked basic knowledge for treating the sick and they found themselves having to rely on the stern physician. Speaking of Shiori, strangely the way that she remained calm and unfazed by the chaos happening around her left Katara feeling uneasy. Of course as a healer herself, Katara could reason any experienced physician would be trained to remain calm while treating a patient. However, something about the way Shiori maintained her composure just felt off. As a matter of fact, both Katara and Aang were getting bad feelings about Shiori. Despite being a physician with enough experience and skill to earn herself a spot as the Fire Nation’s royal physician, everything that she had been doing so far has done more harm than good with trying to improve the Fire Lord’s health. The couple didn’t like this! There was something terribly wrong going on!
“What are you two still doing here?!”
Aang and Katara were once again being glared down by the harsh, cold stare of Shiori, and this time she wasn’t alone. The stern physician was accompanied by two servants, both standing by her sides as they helped Shiori glare down the Avatar and his waterbender wife. Their glares weren’t as intimidating as Shiori’s, but that didn’t make the situation any less unnerving.
“If you are finished cleaning up the mess, then be on your way now!” Shiori reprimanded.
“Your presence is no longer welcome here and it is upsetting Fire Lord Zuko,” the servant girl to Shiori’s right added.
“If you refuse to leave, we will call the guards to escort you out!” the male servant to Shiori’s left warned.
“H-Hold on, please,” Aang pleaded, “Something’s very wrong with Z-...Fire Lord Zuko and he’s only going to get worse if a different course of action isn’t taken!”
“If I could just perform an examination-...” Katara tried to offer but she was interrupted as Shiori held up a hand to stop her.
“Fire Lord has already been thoroughly examined,” the stern physician argued, “The Fire Lord is simply suffering from a terribly high fever and is being treated by very capable hands. Now as I have told you both since the day of your arrival, your help is neither needed nor wanted. I do not know who would be so bold enough to forge the Fire Lord’s handwriting or stamp the letter with his official seal, but I can confirm with no uncertainty that whoever sent you the message was not Fire Lord Zuko.”
Shiori looked over her shoulder, glancing at the weakened Fire Lord who was still experiencing coughing fits while surrounded by servants who were trying to get the Fire Lord to drink more water, and then turned her attention back to the couple.
“Fire Lord Zuko hasn’t left his bed in days and is too weak to lift his head, nevermind write a correspondence,” Shiori explained, “Rest assured a thorough investigation will be conducted to find the perpetrator who forged the Fire Lord’s handwriting and wasted your time once Fire Lord Zuko has made a full recovery. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must tend to Fire Lord Zuko.”
Shiori turns to both of the servants by her side and turns back to Aang and Katara.
“Either Zhu and Lan can see to it that you are on your way out or I can call for the guards to escort you out,” the stern physician warned, “I highly suggest the latter.”
The stern physician turned away from the couple and walked back to the Fire Lord’s bedside. Without another word, Aang and Katara left the bedroom. The doors behind them slammed shut, causing the couple to jump. The Avatar let out a heavy sigh as his wife let out a loud frustrated groan.
“That woman is so infuriating!” Katara exclaimed, not caring if the stern physician could hear her from the other side or not. It had to be said!
Aang places a comforting hand on Katara’s shoulder. “I know sweetie. I know.”
The Avatar gave his wife the best reassuring smile that he could muster, despite the feeling of hopelessness that was welling up inside of him. His smile helped calm his wife’s fury as her face began to soften.
“C’mon, let's meet up with Sokka. Maybe he was able to learn more about what’s going on.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------