The Flying Boar

The end of Java and Re Yan's story (100-103AG). Lin Beifong and Bolin arrive in Gaoling and are greeted by a mob of protestor. While there, she finds her ancestor's journal.

“The war lasted for a couple months after the Siege of the North occurred. Avatar Aang began his earth bending training under Toph Beifong. My uncle and I were fugitives for helping Aang during the siege and hid in Ba Sing Se. My sister infiltrated the city and with my help the Earth Kingdom capital fell. In redemption, I helped Aang learn fire bending. Together, we ended the war by defeating my sister and my father. My uncle and The Order of the White Lotus liberated Ba Sing Se. My father was put in prison while my sister in a psychiatric ward. As the new Fire Lord, the pressures of the crown were enormous. I constantly turned to my father and uncle for advice; the aftermath of war was more than I could handle alone. Aang and I tried to undue a hundred years of war but the effects are everlasting. Some lived in harmony while intolerance grew elsewhere. The line that separated the nations was gone and the general masses became globally aware of each nation’s pasts, cultures and actions. Many families including yours, Teraria have firebender and earthbender ancestors…a mother from one nation and a father from another. Re Yan was from the Fire Nation but she married Haru of the Earth Kingdom. Both were training under Toph to become metalbenders. They had your grandfather, Ganrok.

Re Yan was reunited with her mother, Java at my uncle’s teashop in Ba Singe Se: The Jasmine Dragon. I thought Jasmine was my uncle’s favorite tea but I found out that he named it after Java’s mother. My uncle suggested that Re Yan train under King Bumi or Toph while advising Java to let go of her regrets and sorrow. She still loved my uncle but he knew she loved my father more. She visited my father while he was I prison.”

 

                Java arrives at the Fire Nation capital at the same time Ursa and her new family pay a visit to Zuko and her old family. Zuko, Azula, Aang Katara and Sokka found her in her hometown of Hira’a. A spirit had taken away her memories of her life in the capital and gave her a new face. She and Ikem had a daughter, Kiyi. When Zuko found out what his mother did, he and Ikem convinced her to regain her memories and her original face. She shared her life story with Zuko and promised to visit him with her family a few times a year. This was one of those days.

                Azula had run off after finding her mother and no one knows where she went. Now, Zuko eats dinner with his mother, Ikem, his half-sister and Java. After they finish eating Ikem helps Kiyi get ready for bed while Zuko, Ursa and Java talk in the courtyard. Zuko notices his mother’s eyes focus on the prison.

“Will you go see him?” he asks her.

“No. I have nothing to say to him.” She looks away from the prison.

“Well, I do. Zuko, please take me to him.”

“If that is what you really want, Java. Follow me then.” Zuko and Java head to the prison while Ursa joins Ikem and Kiyi during a bedtime story. At the prison, he tells Java to wait in the hallway while he enters his chamber first. Ozai is leaning against a side wall. Only half of his body is exposed Zuko.

“Mother and her family are here in the capital. She refuses to see you.”

“That is no surprise.”

“If I was her, I wouldn’t either after all that you put her through.”

“She told you everything, didn’t she?”

“She did.”

“And you hate me more than you did before, correct?” He says as he turns his head to face Zuko.

“If you hadn’t done what you did, I wouldn’t be where I am now and you wouldn’t be where you should be, behind bars. I don’t hate you or resent you. I resent the family we were born into and I hate the pressure it placed on both of us. It took me a long time to figure out who I am and who to trust and love. I think it is time you figured that out too, father. I didn’t have to convince her to come see you.”

Zuko walks out the chamber as Ozai stands up and walks towards the bars of his cell. From the hallway, Java enters the chamber. Ozai is surprised to see her here. She stands a little ways away as Ozai stands in the middle of his cell now.

“Why have you come, Java?” She stands in silence with her eyes to the floor. She doesn’t know how to respond. “After twenty-four years, now you acknowledge my existence again. The wound from twenty-four years ago hasn’t healed, Java. My heart is still broken. That is why your life has been nothing but pain and suffering. You are the reason why your son and Zhao are dead. Lu Ten and Re Yan should have never been born. You weren’t much of a mother to either of them anyways. None of this would have happened if you stayed with me.” He turns his back to her. She looks up at him with tear in her eyes.

“I know I wasn’t a good mother or wife. I never connected with Lu Ten or Re Yan on a deeper level. I let their fathers raise them in the very world I hated. I know I was selfish in trying to run away from a world I was born and married into it. But I’m glad all of it happened. Losing Zhao allowed Re Yan to have her own life away from war and not in fear of her father. Losing Lu Ten helped Iroh see that the war was doing more harm than good. It helped me see what is important in life, who I love and care about most.” She grips onto the bars of his cell. “Losing them was a blessing in disguise. Things can be how it should have been and I want to start over with you. I love you, Ozai. I have since the first time you walked, right into my arms.” Ozai turns around and places his hands over hers.

“After all I have done, I don’t deserve your love. I don’t deserve happiness. I don’t know what either is. I chose to spite Ursa by treating my son as if he was Ikem’s, considered disposing him and scared him. I killed my father, banished my wife, stripped my brother of his birthright and turned my daughter into a monster…I never loved any of them. All I wanted was power and glory and used those around me to get it. And yet, you and my son are here. I am proud of him and I wouldn’t change a thing. If we were together, I would have never had Zuko and I would have never been saved from my obsession.” He takes his hands off hers and falls to his knees. “I am responsible for thousands of lives lost. I will live in this cell for the rest of my life. Leave, let me go, Java and I will let you go. Re Yan needs her mother.”

She kneels down, reaches into her pocket and pulls out a baby picture. “Everyone deserves love and second chances…the both of us do. I know you love me, Ozai and I will always think about you no matter where I am. Ozai, look at me.” He turns around and she holds up the baby picture. “Is that me?” “He looks just like you. His name is Luzon; he’s four years old now. I named him after my son and your father. Their untimely deaths brought us back together briefly. Although I was held captive at the time, I know he was conceived with love. I wanted us to be a family, but I know that cannot be. He won’t have a father and I accept that. Promise me that you will forgive yourself and I will forgive myself. I’ll be seeing you again soon. I don’t think I’ll ever bring him here though.” She places her hand on his cheek now and wipes away a single tear that escaped his eye. She stands back up and leaves the chamber. “Thank you, Zuko. I think I can finally move on.”                     “Java was never a good liar, I knew she was hurting. All she ever wanted was a family and to live a simple life. I heard their whole conversation. I could see that my father was beginning to realize the devastation our nation has caused not only to other nations but to ours as well. He took responsibility for his actions and was accepting of the consequences. I didn’t want Luzon to grow up without a father; good or bad the boy needed his father in his life. The next day, Java was heading back to the Earth Kingdom to live near Toph’s metalbending school. Before she left the palace, I asked her to wait in the garden until I returned. With Aang’s approval, I let my father out of prison. I told him to go to Java, change his identity, live in the Earth Kingdom with her, and raise their son better than he raised Azula or I- better than Zhao raised Re Yan and better than Iroh raised Lu Ten. That was the first time in my life that my father hugged me. Java cut his hair and he wore casual clothes for the first time in his life. Aang offered to train Java to become an airbender at one of the air temples, but Java was in her late forties at this point and planned on not being away from her family for an extended period of time.  We all hoped that another airbender would show up down the line and from that day on, I’ve been keeping tabs on my family. When my father, Luzon and Java left the Fire Nation in 104AG, they settled down in a small village near Yu Dao, the fire nation colony that inspired the development of Republic City, to be near the Beifong Metalbending Academy. My half-brother is the famous Luzon, architect of Republic City.”

               

“Really? I had no clue, grandfather. Why have you never mentioned him before?”

“He grew up with Re Yan in the colonies while I was here. The first time I met him was when they constructed the statue of me to stand in front of Central Station. My father had never revealed his identity to his son so he never knew about Azula or I.”

“That’s understandable. Have you been keeping an eye on his descendants?” Teraria wonders.

“Unfortunately, he lost contact with his daughter and I don’t know where his family is. All in know is that he lives in Ba Sing Se and reopened my uncle’s teashop. My father eventually told Luzon who he was when I visited the tea shop. Funny thing is, Luzon knew because Re Yan told him; it made sense to him why he loved tea so much…he’s just like our uncle.”

“Then we shall find them! There might be more airbenders or duel benders out there, waiting to be discovered. Let’s go to Ba Sing Se, Mako. We should start there.”

“Very well, I shall have a plane fly you there.”

“Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko. I hope we can find his daughter and her family.” She hugs him feeling that it is okay because he is family.

“I hope you can find more airbenders and the airbender ancestor of our family.” Mako bows and General Iroh escorts them to the landing strip where a plane awaits them.

“I’ll inform your father that you are heading to Ba Sing Se. I need to return to my duties, are you okay with Mako as being your only escort?”

“Yes, thank you for all your help, General Iroh.” He waves to them as they take off.

                Meanwhile, Lin and Bolin make it to Gaoling. As they arrive, there is a protest going on and the streets are flooded with people. The former Beifong mansion is now the town hall and the walled in area was expanded to have land for the elite’s houses. Earth and Metal benders surround the wall on all sides. Mobs of non-benders surround the wall as a small cluster of benders are on the other side of it. Their leader is an earth bender named Wen Noven. She and her family are all earth benders. Lin and Bolin make their way to the wall.

“We are earthbenders, we seek refuge.” Lin informs one of the guards as she metal bends another guard’s armor.

“You two may pass.” He shoots them over the wall by uplifting the ground below them. They make their way to Wen Noven to assess the situation.

“Lin Beifong, I thought I’d never met you. Your family abandoned this town decades ago. Why the sudden return?”

“The social unrest going on here and in Shu Jing is finding its way to my city. What must we do to stop this?”

“It’s out of my hands. The citizens are the ones who must decide. We benders don’t want non-benders here. Our kingdom has the highest population of non-benders. We must improve those numbers before we meet the same fate as the airbenders.”

“But this town has more non-benders than benders. How do you expect to drive them out of their homes?”

“Precisely the problem; they want us to leave.”

“Hence the huge mob outside.” Bolin concludes.

“Wen Noven, I propose we set up a council with you, Tonraq, the Earth Queen, Yao Fuu of Shu Jing and the Fire Lord. We must find a way to peacefully handle this.”

“Agreed. I have heard rumors that more and more non-benders are buying Future Industry weapons claiming they need protection from us benders.”

“But Asami is not supplying.”

“Maybe not, but,”

“But Varrick escaped prison.” Bolin reminds them.

“He may be their leader. If not he then someone who strongly believes that benders and non-benders should live apart.”

“Amon, he fled the city years ago. Has he continued his plan elsewhere?” Lin thinks about.

“Anyone who comes to mind, we can’t rule out. For now, we must disband this mob.” Lin goes outside and stands on top of the mansion and faces the mob,

“Citizens of Gaoling, please return to your homes and in the morning we shall hold a town meeting. Here, all your voices shall be heard and we shall attempt to resolve this issue.”

                Having respect for Lin Beifong due to her opposition to the treatment of non-benders during Amon’s revolution, they disband and head to their homes. The benders stay on the other side of the wall and sleep in rock tents or in the halls of town hall. Wen gives Lin and Bolin a room to sleep in.

“It was your mother’s room when she was a child. Your grandparents left some of their antiques and other belongings here. We found an underground room and stored them there.” Wen informs Lin.  She leaves and Bolin plops down on the bed.

“So this is where Toph grew up. Pretty nifty room.”

“Not her style at all.” Lin points out as she examines the room. She sees a once hidden door in the ground. “But that is definitely her style.” Lin opens the door and sees the underground room they were talking about. “Come on, Bolin. Maybe I can find some answers to the dream Teraria and I had. He gets up and follows her.

“She probably used this to sneak out.” She points out bagermole holes.

“And now they make lovely natural bookcases.” Bolin blows the dust off a book. It is a children’s book: The Tale of Two Lovers. It is the legend of Oma and Shu; two lovers who were torn apart by war. The City of Omashu was founded by Oma after Shu lost his life in the war between their two tribes. She and Shu were the first earthbenders and learned it from badgermoles. The longest raining king was Bumi who died at the ripe old age of 130. 

                Lin digs around the room and stumbles across a trunk. It is locked but that it no problem for Lin. She forces it open with metal bending. She pulls shuffles through the contents. Most are business documents. She reads the signature,

“Nena Beifong.”

“Who I that?”

“She and her husband, Ravu Beifong were the ones who established the Beifong family’s wealth and Gaoling’s prosperity. The town was in a strategic location during the war for the Fire Nation found no need to attack a town that was already secluded because of the rocky hillsides. Many families have lived in this town for generation, but when Nena came along, she caught them up with the times back then. She inspired the town to have a rich market of goods to attract commerce. The Beifong family was responsible for obtaining outside resources by making business deals with the Ba sing Se and Omashu. Ravu created the arena for earth bending tournaments; the first pro-bending arena, before the one in Republic City. Looking through her things, it seems that she had access to many other goods from the fire nation, water tribes and air temples.”

“She likes collecting artifacts I guess.” Bolin examines an airbender glider and fire nation doll. “Well, Lin you have fun looking through all this. I’m going to bed.”

“That’s fine, Bolin. You are not helping anyways.” He heads back to their room while she continues looking through her family’s things. She finds a journal buried deep inside the trunk. On the front is their family crest: The Flying Boar. She opens the journal and flips to a random page.

Fall, 59AG. Surprised I even have the energy to write down something today. I have gotten hardly any sleep since Ravu and I welcomed our son, Lao Beifong. He is getting better at sleeping through the night, but I find it hard to sleep. I worry too much, but then again my family doesn’t help me not worry. I have yet to hear back from my brothers. I was hoping they would visit, but they are busy with their own families I guess. Mother is visiting. I am glad that she is doing well. It seems that I am the only one who checks up on her though. Even though she is living with Maoi and he is supposed to be taking care of her. Why he bought her to such a cold climate, I don’t know. So frustrating. As long as I have my husband, son, mother and my health, I shouldn’t let petty things get to me.

 

“Maoi? One of her brothers?” Lin flips a few pages backwards.

          Spring, 53AG. Everything worked out in the end. Ravu and I have established this town’s diversity in resources and entertainment. We have rare goods from other nations that will appeal our nation. It helps that my mother and brothers are always sending me interesting stuff. The other nations really do create beautiful things…even the Fire Nation. The Beifong family will have a long lineage of prosperity and wealth. Our family crest shall pay homage to my air and earth ancestry. The Flying Boar, an earthly animal that has the wings to soar and go wherever it heart so desires. A symbol of freedom in a time of war.

 

“Now that I think about it, I didn’t know Nena had brothers. Why were they living among the Water Tribe and Fire Nation? Mother or record books never mentioned that.”  Lin flips towards the front of the journal to find childhood memories hoping to learn about her family.

 

          Summer, 33AG. I got to see my brothers today. They came for the funeral even though my father isn’t their father. This war has taken its toll on mother and me. I am still trying to come to terms with my father not being here, a man that has been in my life for eight years. It may it seem like much, but it’s been my whole lifetime. He was always there when I need him. He was my best friend, my mentor, my father. He taught me how to earthbend. He taught me how to defend myself and mother. He tried so hard to protect our village from Fire Nation soldiers. They were too much. I was happy that they were driven off, but with one gain there is a loss. He was a brave man and a great father. Rest in Peace, father. May our town forever remember the name, Goud The Brave.

 

“Goud, what a weird name. So these brothers must be her half-siblings.” Lin thinks of her half-sister, Suyin. She flips to earlier pages but less is written on them and the more illegible they become. She flips back to the middle.

 

Winter, 47AG. My brother and his son have joined my mother and me at the Southern Air Temple. His wife was taken prisoner seven years ago. Nango was only two years old at the time. I really hope he reunites with his mother one day, but war can be cruel. Somehow he has learned waterbending and airbending. None of us known waterbending, but mother is an airbender…the last one we believe. My mother had brought me here when I was younger with the hopes of finding spiritual energy to make me an airbender instead of an earthbender. The spirit must have gone to Nango instead. My mother insists that the Avatar has returned and began to train Nango to improve his airbending. I want to teach him earthbending when the time comes. My brother was hesitant on our rush to train him: if he was the Avatar the cycle is on water, so he is supposed to master that before going onto earthbending and airbending should be the last thing he learns. Mother knows he was born into the right family, though. He has all the teachers he needs, older bro can teach him firebending. Things are looking better every day and every day we are one step closer to ending this war. I say that it will be over in three years once the world knows the Avatar has returned. Although, Nango is only nine years old so it may take a little longer.

 

“Interesting. So there was someone in my family like Aria, but why? Maybe that’s why we had the same dream. I wonder why I’ve never heard of this Nango person.” Lin takes the journal back to the room and continues reading. She decides to read the last page.

 

Spring, 64AG. I can feel myself getting weaker each day. I don’t know where all my energy has gone. I am so weak that I can’t earthbend. Ravu is lying by my side. He has been taking care of me for the past couple weeks, ever since this mysterious illness came over me. This is the first time he has slept in weeks. He’s such a great husband. I love him so much. I feel bad that I have him worrying so much. I feel awful that Lao is scarred that something will happen to me. I tell him I am okay, but even a five year old knows when you’re lying. I can’t leave them; I have so much more life to live. I want to watch my son grow up. I want him to see the world and meet his family and most importantly know where he came from. I love you Lao and Ravu. I need to go to sleep now. I will see you in the morning.

 

That was the last thing Nena wrote. Lin sees writing on the back of the page in someone else’s handwriting. “74AG. It been ten years since you passed away mother. Father decided that he wanted to join you. He had the same sickness that took you away. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t want to get it too. I have ordered for our house to be rebuilt as the most spiritual and cleanest place in the Earth Kingdom. I now understand why father was overprotective. The world is a scary place, a violent place. With this new house, I will forever stay in Gaoling. My family will always be safe and healthy. Rest in Peace mother and father. 84AG. Rest in peace son. Your first breath denied in this world, may you take your first breath in the next world. You will join your grandparents and they will raise you there. Poppy, I am so sorry for marrying you into this cursed family. I hope that one day we will have a healthy child and both of us will grow old and watch the baby grow through adulthood. 88AG. We welcome a beautiful baby girl, Toph Beifong. She is healthy but she is blind. A blessing as I see it. She will be dependent on her parents and we will be right there for her always. We will all be safe in our home and together forever.” Lin closes the journal for that was the last page. She takes the journal and puts it under her pillow and goes to sleep.

Author's Note

May have to put you on hold until season 3 and 4 of The Legend of Korra is done...although I have to say what may be in store for these seasons is looking pretty spot on with the plot in my fan fiction :) When series is done I will revise to fit it perfectly!