Who really betrayed who in Ba Sing Se?
I've noticed that when people talk about Ba Sing Se, they usually say that "it was Zuko's betrayal" or that "Zuko betrayed the GAang". The second wording was always surprising for me, especially the Gaang part.
So I started to wonder, who really betrayed who in Ba Sing Se?
First all all, there's Iroh. I don't want to talk a lot about him, because some could say that he betrayed Zuko first by working for the Avatar's case for years, and was basically using Zuko to gather information for the White Lotus. But, personally, I think that Zuko betrayed Iroh in Ba Sing Se by not siding with him, and letting him get captured by Azula. Zuko himself agrees with that, as shown in the dialogue between him and Katara before he's to enter Iroh's tent.
So yes, Zuko did betray Iroh. But did he betray the GAang?
In book 2, the Gaang consits of: Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph (and Momo and Appa). Sokka and Toph weren't in the caves, and Sokka clearly considers Zuko as an enemy while he opposes saving Zuko. Toph met Zuko one (1) time, weeks ago. So, Zuko couldn't have betrayed Sokka and Toph because they weren't there, were considering him an enemy/didn't really know him.
Did Zuko betray Aang? I don't really think that Aang was coming to the caves, hoping that Zuko will join them, and he'll become their friend, and his firebending teacher. I think Aang was just cooperating with Iroh because they had a common goal (saving Zuko and Katara). Additionally, the first moment Zuko sees Aang, he's angry and wants to attack him. So, the moment they see each other, Zuko automatically considers him as his enemy, and Aang is wary of him. Personally, I don't see this as a betrayal. Their behavior show that they're still in the "enemy" phase, and whether it'll change into "temporary allies" in unsure.
This all leads me to a conclusion: Zuko didn't betray the GAang in Ba Sing Se. If he betrayed someone, it was Katara.
And now is the question: did he?
From Katara's pov, he did. She found out they have things in common, they both were hurt by the Fire Nation. She trusted him enough to offer that she could heal his scar with the Spirit Water... And he thrown it all away, her trust and compassion, and because of him, Aang almost died, and Ba Sing Se felt.
But, the thing that bothered me in this way of thinking, is this: Zuko never promised her he would fight on their side. He never said he's ready to become traitor to his Nation, to fight against his family, and train the Avatar. They haven't even made a promise they'll try to escape together. The only person to offer anything was Katara, and that offer was never accepted. So, from Zuko's pov, he doesn't own her anything, and joining the Avatar means Big Treason, and he wasn't ready to commit to it. The "Zuko will joint the Avatar if I heal his scar" was a deal that Katara made in her mind, because Zuko himself never promised anything.
I thought about it for a while, and I reached out to the conclusion that Zuko didn't betray Katara in Ba Sing Se because he promised her nothing. But, he did betray her trust, and she probably felt deceived and used.
Then, I read this fic, which shows a completely different view of what happened in Ba Sing Se.
Based on this, Zuko's pov of what happened could be:
- he allows himself to show Katara his greatest insecurities. He trusts her enough to let her touch his scar
- she gives him hope by telling him that maybe he doesn't have to live with that scar
- then, she breaks the deal by leaving with Aang. She takes away the hope she gave to him, almost as she were laughing "I can't believe you felt for that"
- therefore, the first person to "break the deal" is Katara
And then imagine Azula telling Zuko that Katara was the one who let her knows he's in Ba Sing Se. Katara wanted to go the Earth King and tell him about Zuko and Iroh, which would possibly lead to them being tortured, imprisoned and/or killed. And Zuko knows very well that the risk of torture is high, because he did have to save Iroh from having his hands crushed (and they're now in Ba Sing Se, the same city Iroh besieged and which has maaany reasons to hate him).
Looking at this from this perspective, one could say that Katara deceived Zuko, was manipulating him from the entire beginning, used his insecurities against him, gave him hope, made an offer she never intended to fulfill, and then threw it all in his face because he was stupid enough to trust her. If I were Zuko, I would be furious.
But we know that Katara wasn't manipulative. Neither was Zuko in Ba Sing Se. I think her offer was genuine, and she really wanted to help him. But, the facts remain that:
- they never made any deals,
- Zuko never promised his help, and from his pov, they were still enemies,
- the only one person to offer anything was Katara, who left as soon she could.
Personally, I don't see Ba Sing Se as "Zuko betrayed the Gaang" scenario. I really like Zutara as a pairing, but I just cannot see Zuko's actions in Ba Sing Se as a betrayal over a deal that was never made. Because if it was, it would be Katara breaking it, so, yeah...
But, we could say that he did betray her trust, because she thought that his "I changed" meant "I'm changing sides". She probably started to think about him as a potential ally, and someone she could trust.... And everything was destroyed, because she was wrong, and he wasn't her ally.
So, I'm curious. What do you think? Who really betrayed who in Ba Sing Se?