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Chapter Text

Sokka was torn between pulling the blanket closer around himself and pulling himself closer to the edge of the saddle. Deciding to compromise, he wrapped as much of the blanket around himself as he could as he inched to the barrier separating the inside of the saddle from the whipping void outside of it.

Hundreds of feet below him, the ocean bubbled and crashed against the rocks of the coastline. The water was a deeper blue than he had ever seen, bordering on black in some places. That gave way to a rocky valley, trees and grass and plants he had never heard of shooting by at a rapid speed that soon faded into the grey rocks of the mountains. It was almost worth the chill the altitude and speed shot into him.

Almost.

“Are you ok, Sokka?”, Aang asked. The Avatar leaned back from his perch on Appa’s head to look back at him and Katara.

Sokka shivered, sliding back into the center of the saddle. “Y-yeah”, he said. “Just… Cold.”

“It’s a Firebender thing, apparently”, Katara explained. “He gets cold really easily. He used to get sick a lot, too.”

“I guess that makes sense”, Aang said. “I had a friend, Kuzon. He wasn’t a Firebender, but he was from the Fire Nation. He constantly complained about the cold when he came to visit the Southern Air Temple.”

“You had a friend from the Fire Nation?”, Katara asked, barely able to keep the shock out of her voice. Sokka couldn’t help but agree; the words “Friend” and “Fire Nation” just didn’t go together.

Aang nodded, his smile falling somewhat. “Yeah. It was before the War, remember?”

That was perhaps the weirdest thing about Aang. He knew intellectually that he was over a hundred years old, but looking at Aang… It was just hard to place. “Right. Of course.”

The conversation petered out following that, each returning to their previous positions on the Sky Bison. Aang was always quiet when the subject came up, which was somewhat often after the past few days of heading north. He guessed it was somewhat like Sokka’s own dilemma. He knew that things had changed and the Fire Nation was now the most evil thing in the world, but he just couldn’t put it into words.

A flick of the reins made Appa rise further up into the air, cresting the tops of a few mountains. “There it is!”, Aang called, calling both Katara and Sokka towards the front of the saddle. At first, Sokka thought that it was just another mountain peak ahead of them. Then, identifiable towers and other structures jutting from the jagged rock and a winding path running through it all focused in his mind, and the full scale of the Southern Air Temple hit him.

“Welcome to the Souther…”

Aang’s excitement fell just as that scale made a lump the size of a boulder form in his gut. The Fire Nation had devastated the entire place, something of this size and complexity. A place of this size had to house hundreds, if not thousands of people, and the Fire Nation killed them all.

As Appa landed in the courtyard of one of those structures, that fact became fully apparent. Bile built up in the back of Sokka’s throat as what he had thought from a distance to be piles of snow became defined in his vision. Skeletons. A lot of skeletons.

Appa practically fell off of Appa, his grey eyes wide and watering. The bones had been left where they had fallen, laying either in clumps or individually across the stony ground. Bits of snow were piled up around them, small bits of vegetation or scraps of faded orange clothing clinging to the otherwise bleached bones. That scale that Sokka couldn’t imagine had risen massively as he kept finding new skeletons among the ruins.

Aang fell to his knees in front of one of the taller skeletons, eyes wide as he gazed on him. Sokka came up next to him, and Sokka sucked in a deep breath. The skeleton itself wasn’t that tall; what Sokka had mistaken for extra height was another, much smaller skeleton. A withered arrow was embedded in the back of the adult skeleton, while some of the smaller bones were blackened and stank of smoke.

Katara knelt down next to Aang, placing a hand on his shoulder. She spoke in a low voice, Sokka barely able to hear her over the ringing in his ears. He could see more signs of that devastation beyond just the skeletons. A few more arrows, embedded in rocks or just laying on the ground. Bits of the buildings that were chipped off or broken. Scorch marks… So many scorch marks.

Sokka could hear both Aang and Katara sobbing, a few tears falling into the snow below them. Sokka came up behind them, placing one hand on each of their shoulders. Sokka wasn’t sure if it was the cold or the desolation, but he shivered.

XXXXX

“Commander Zhao?”, the voice of his Adjutant slipped under the door to reach Zhao. He scowled, putting his pen back in his ink well before looking up.

“What is it?”, he hissed, wincing slightly as the movement made his broken ribs shift beneath his bandages.

Having grown used to not entering without explicit permission, Lieutenant Jee simply spoke louder for his superior to hear. “The 41st has started to arrive. They’re bunking down in some of our spare barracks until the rest of their supplies arrive.”

Zhao allowed himself a small smile. While Zhao was confident in his ability to bring down the Avatar, Firelord Ozai saw fit to assign him an Army unit in order to provide additional forces. Only assurances to the contrary had made the assignment of the 41st not seem to be an insult.

“Excellent”, he said, picking back up his pen. “Send for Colonel Kuzon. I’d like to speak with him before we embark.”

The clomping of boots on metal flooring signaled the retreating of the Lieutenant to go carry out his assigned order. Older than even himself, Lieutenant Jee was hardly the best officer Zhao had at his disposal. However, he had a decent relation with the common sailors, and was certainly competent in handling the basic tasks that were beneath him.

Zhao finished with his reply to the Firelord, adding to his report the arrival of the 41st Battalion. When those colony brats were all loaded up, they could set out to hunt down the Avatar. First though, he wanted to meet this infamous “Blue Spirit”.

Minutes later, there was another knock on the door. “Commander Zhao”, Lieutenant Jee said. “I have the Colonel.”

“Good. Let him in”, Zhao said.

The door swung inward as Jee stood to the side. Past him strode Colonel Kuzon, who came to a stop in front of Zhao’s desk. He pressed his hands together and bowed. Zhao smirked; while technically they were the same rank, both of their orders said that Kuzon was under Zhao’s command.

Zhao used this opportunity to take in the boy who had entered his office. He was obviously quite young, or otherwise stunted in his growth, being noticeably shorter than both himself and Lieutenant Jee. In fact, nearly everything about him was different than the two Navy Officers. His armor was grey with red and silver trim with a shorter cut to the armor. The sash that ran over said armor was the lighter red of the Army, adorned with both the rank medal for a Colonel and the mask emblem of the 41st Battalion. Said mask, blue and silver and with a fang-filled grin, was affixed to the helmet that covered his head. A striking figure, one that certainly instilled fear into the Dirt-Kissing Savages that he mostly fought.

But not in him. “Lieutenant. I would like to speak to the Colonel alone for a moment.” As his adjutant left, the Colonel rose from his bow to look at Zhao. “You understand what your orders are, Colonel?”

“I am to capture the Avatar, sir”, he said, as if he were explaining how to boil noodles.

Zhao sneered, rising to his feet. His wounds screamed in protest, but he pushed them aside. “No”, Zhao snapped, glaring at the Waterbender Trash across from him. “You are to assist ME in capturing the Avatar. As I understand it, the Firelord put you and your troops under my command.”

“Correct, sir”, Kuzon said.

“Well I suggest you understand that”, Zhao said, glaring into the unseeing eyes of the Colonel's mask. “Do you?”

“Perfectly, sir”, the Colonel said, and Zhao sat back down with the aching of still-healing wounds. At least the Colonel understood that the glory of capturing the Avatar was his, not some disgraceful brat who was only alive because he was useful.

“I’m so glad we understand one another, Colonel Kuzon”, Zhao said. “Dismissed. See to it that your men are embarked upon the ships as soon as possible. Lieutenant Jee is at your disposal if you require assistance.”

The Waterbender bowed once again, before turning and leaving the room. Zhao watched him leave, letting out a frustrated sigh as soon as the door was shut behind him. Of course, out of all the Elite formations in the Fire Nation Army he could have been assigned to help in this most vital of missions, he had to be assigned the one led by an Agni-damned Waterbender.

“No Matter”, he said to himself as he looked back down at his report to the Firelord. Specifically, the top few paragraphs detailing his proposal. “If the Firelord is wise, I won't have to worry about that aspect of him for long…”

XXXXX

Sokka had wanted to throw up so much since they’d arrived. But he just swallowed down the bile as he and Katara kept bringing skeletons up to the top of the temple.

The three of them had just sat there after finding the bodies for what felt like hours, just taking it all in. It really sank in for Aang that it had been a hundred years and that the Fire Nation had… done this to his people. Katara had brought up what to do with the dead, and Aang had managed to find the weird hammer thing that they used in Air Nomad funerals.

Apparently, they left the dead out for them to decay, then broke down the bones and scattered the dust to the winds. A hundred years of decay had done that first bit, and the bones were brittle. Even with the sheer amount of the dead, it went disturbingly quickly.

The whole time, Sokka had to bite his tongue and grit his teeth as he tried to keep himself from retching or simply passing out from fear. He couldn’t stop the shaking, however, though he brushed it off as the cold. It was cold so high up and still so far south, but not that cold.

He wasn’t related to these Monsters, Sokka thought as he caught sight of an abandoned Fire Nation helmet. He was fully Water Tribe by blood. His Firebending came from some stupid Spirit’s curse, not from his blood. He wasn’t related to the psychos who had done this and nearly destroyed the Southern Water Tribes and waged war on the entire world. He wasn’t.

He was still a Firebender. Still like the occasional skeleton clad in rusted armor they found. Still a Monster.

This particular skeleton that he was carrying up he’d found in a smaller building. Unlike before, when they’d only occasionally run into a set of Fire Nation bones, this room had been practically filled to the brim with them. The old skeleton still had strands of facial hair clinging to the bones like stubborn lichen, and its bones didn’t feel as brittle under his grip. It almost made him more sick, thinking about how maybe this guy had survived the initial assault, only to die later.

As Sokka reached the slope, Aang had just finished with another set of bones. The ancient staff was stained with some of the remaining bone dust, while a pale shimmering mist was sent flying off into the wind. Aang set the staff down, looking over at Sokka, and his eyes widened. “Gyatso…”

Sokka remembered Aaang showing them a statue of the old master as they’d come up to find the staff. Telling them how kind and how wise he was. How he was fond of Aang and Aang was fond of him. And now Sokka had brought him his bones.

He placed the skeleton on the ledge, removing the scraps of robe and the large medallion that hung around his neck. Aang just sat next to the bones of his old master, barely moving.

Katara came up. Despite the cold, sweat clung to her forehead, and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion and puffy with tears. “I… I think we got all of them. I… All I could find were Fire Nation.”

“We should lay them to rest too”, Aang said. Both Katara and Sokka once again exchanged glances at one another.

“Aang”, Sokka said. “They… they’re the ones that did this. How-”

“Sokka”, Aang snapped, and Sokka realized that the Avatar… That the boy was barely holding back tears. “It’s… It’s been a hundred years. Their spirits deserve to rest too. A-and…”

Katara softly asked, “How do they… Do that?”

“Th-they burn their Dead”, Aang said. “Cremation, I think is the word. Normally, they put the ashes in urns that they leave at a shrine. But… I think just burning them will be enough.”

Sokka bit his lip. “I’ll… I’ll get right on that, I guess.”

Sokka turned to head back down the steps towards the Fire Nation that had been piled up near the entrance to the temple. A ways down the stairs, Katara caught up to him, grabbing his arm. “Sokka, you don’t have to do this alone.”

“I… I should. You go help Aang.” Sokka squeezed her hand in turn, before continuing down the path.

Unlike the Air Nomads, who had been carefully brought up one by one, the Fire Nation bones were all piled in the middle of a small courtyard. Mostly those he’d found with Gyatso, there were less than fifty of them in total. Less than fifty… compared to the hundreds of Air Nomads that they’d found.

Loose wood and kindling was easy to come by, and soon it had been piled around the dead. Sokka lit a flame in his hands, studying it for a moment. The flames danced in the shadows that had come down around him like a thick blanket. Tui and La, he didn’t even realize how late it had gotten until darkness fell over him.

Those flickering shadows caught on the skull faceplate of one of the helmets. Darkness seemed to emanate from out of the grills and eye-sockets of the helmet, peering into his soul like a reminder. A reminder of what he held in his hand.

He grit his teeth and released the flame. It poured flame into the pile of bones and wood, which caught fire in a matter of seconds. Flames licked up around everything, melting the corroded armor and turning bone into ash. Sokka poured everything he could into the inferno, the shadows chased away under Sokka’s onslaught. Soon, he couldn’t even make out any of the fuel that formed the heart of that fire.

“Sokka?”, Aang asked. Both him and his sister stood behind him as Sokka fell to his knees. They didn’t say anything else, just coming up to him and placing their hands on his shoulders. Like he had done for them earlier, just their presence and closeness helped to ground him.

Idly, he saw something clinging to Aangs shoulder. It was small, a mix of white and black with slender limbs and massive ears. “Aang”, he said quietly, his mouth watering and his stomach grumbling. “Hold still, I think I can turn that thing on your shoulder into dinner.”

“No”, Aang said. He brought a finger up, rubbing under the thing's chin. “This is Momo. He’s a flying lemur, and he’ll be coming with us.”

Sokka and Momo just blinked at one another. “But… But Meat…”

“Here”, Katara said, handing Sokka a peach. “Momo showed Aang where they were.”

The three of them sat there in the fading light of the night and the dying bonfire. This closeness, just the three of them (and Appa and Momo, he guessed) sitting there. The day had been long and exhausting, and for once Sokka was able to ignore the cold. He had to stay there for them.

Chapter Text

If this was how the Earth Kingdom was, Sokka could get used to it.

It was far from warm, but the temperature around them was far warmer than he was used to. He was almost tempted to take off his parka in order to soak in as much sun as possible. Only brief flares of the wind were enough to stop him.

“He looks great out there”, Katara said, watching as Aang held on for dear life atop a giant fish out in the bay. While Sokka wouldn’t dream of trying something like that (the water was still freezing), he couldn’t fault Aang for wanting to have some fun after what they’d found at the Southern Air Temple. And apparently, Airbenders loved to ride giant monsters in cold water for fun.

“I mean, the fish is kinda doing all the work”, he replied. “Still, it is pretty impressive.” Katara smirked at him, while Sokka just shook his head.

As Sokka pulled a piece of seal jerky out of his satchel, he thought he saw a splash near the Elephant Koi that Aang was riding. He squinted, but didn’t see anything. He calmed down for a second, before his eyes widened. He didn’t see anything, even when there was another Elephant Koi just over there seconds ago.

“I-I think there’s something in the water!”, he yelled, putting the jerky away before pointing. Katara looked confused, before a shadow passed underneath the waves. “Aang! Get back here!”

“Aang!”, Katara called, waving her hands above her head.

Aang just seemed to stare at the two of them for a few seconds before the Elephant Koi he was atop noticed the danger. It bucked and dove under the water, sending Aang falling into the surf. He quickly bobbed back to the surface, looking around as the Elephant Koi disappeared.

He finally seemed to notice the growing shadow of the creature under the water. He sprang out of the water, sprinting across the surface of the water back towards them. Mist followed in his wake as he collapsed on the shore, panting for breath. “Well…”, he gasped before he pulled himself up. Despite the apparent danger, he was still grinning like a madman. “I guess those stories about a Sea Monster near Kyoshi Island were true.”

“You knew something like this would be in the water”, Sokka admonished. “And you still wanted to go in there!?”

“I mean, it was pretty fun”, Aang replied. “I mean, did you see me?”

“We did, Aang”, Katara said. The kid beamed, and Sokka felt his big brother instincts begin to blare an alarm. Aang’s crush on his sister was obvious, but did she…?

“Anyway”, Sokka interrupted. “Kyoshi Island is inhabited, right?”

Aang nodded, before petering off. His manic grin was replaced by a sad frown. “I mean, there were a couple of villages on the island when I was… Before… You know.”

“Hey, none of that”, Sokka said, grabbing Aang’s shoulder. The Avatar looked up at Sokka, who gave him his best big brother smile. His instincts said he needed this. “You can’t exactly change what happened. You had some fun, right?” Aang nodded. “Then we’ll take Appa and go find a village. If there isn’t one, we’ll set up camp for the night and just tell stories. This is supposed to be our little break before heading North, right?”

“Sokka’s right, Aang”, Katara said, also coming up to the boy and squeezing his hand. “Come on, let’s go-”

Before Katara could break into some sappy speech about hope, several figures shot out of the trees. Sokka grabbed his machete-club, swinging wildly as one of the figures swung in around his side. They ducked out of the way, and several impacts tore the air from his lungs.

He fell to his knees, dropping his club and wheezing out whisps of smoke. There was a brief pause before another impact to the back of his head sent him tumbling to the ground. His hands were bound in rope and something was slipped over his head.

XXXXX

When Sokka fully came back to his senses, he was once again back on his feet. He tried to move, only to feel tight ropes dig into his chest. He put more effort into his struggle, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t even make himself some wiggle room.

“Sokka?”, Katara whispered somewhere off to his side.

Sokka replied, “I’m here. What-”

“You three have some explaining to do”, someone cut in. The voice was deep and coarse; obviously the leader of whoever ambushed them.

Another voice added, “And if you don’t answer all our questions, we throw all of you to the Unagi; not just the Firebender.” That voice was female, obviously much younger. Was that the man’s daughter? Wait, did they say they were going to throw him to that sea monster!?

“S-show yourselves!”, he yelled, followed a few seconds later by the sack over his head being yanked away. Sure enough, the three of them were tied to a pole near what appeared to be a village. A man in fur-lined robes stood in front of them, surrounded by… girls.

Sokka blinked, unsure if what he was seeing was accurate. However, a closer look revealed his initial assessment to be correct. They were facing mostly girls no older than himself, with the youngest of them being around Aangs age. They wore long flowing dresses with black armor over top of them. What struck Sokka the most however was the white and red face paint they adorned, making them look like spirits with their expressionless glares.

“Who are you?”, Sokka asked, trying to regain his composure. “And where are the men that ambushed us?”

One of the girls stepped forward. “There were no men”, she snapped, drawing a curved sword and placing it at Sokka’s throat. “We ambushed you.” Sokka was incredulous at the comment, but knew better than to argue with the woman that held a sword at his throat. “Now, like I said. Explain.”

“I’m sorry”, Aang cut in quickly, drawing their attention away from him. “It’s my fault we’re here. I just wanted to ride the Elephant Koi.”

The man ignored the comment, as if riding those things was the island's main attraction. “You travel with a firebender. You must be Fire Nation spies! We have stayed out of the war for its entirety, and we intend to keep it that way.”

“No”, Katara said. “We are not Spies, and we are absolutely not with the Fire Nation! My brother… It’s just… It’s not his fault he’s a Firebender!”

“Besides”, Sokka said, flinching as the sword was brought closer to his throat. “If we were spies, wouldn’t it make sense for them to be Nonbenders? You know, so something like this doesn’t blow their cover?”

The girl seemed to consider that. “Well, good point. So, who are you?”

“Name’s Sokka”, he said, angling his head slightly towards his sister and friend. “That’s my sister Katara and Aang.”

At his name being said, Aang brightened. “Wait. This is Kyoshi Island, right?” The girl nodded, and Aang’s smile grew. “That’s great! I knew Kyoshi. Well, technically.”

“Kyoshi died two hundred years ago”, the man scowled. “You are a boy; how could you possibly know the Great Kyoshi?”

“I know her because I’m the Avatar.”

Whatever hesitancy their captors might have acquired throughout their conversation vanished at that declaration. The man snapped, “Liar! The last Avatar was an Airbender who died during Sozin’s campaign. Throw the imposter and the Firebender to the Unagi!”

The girl in front of Sokka smirked, while the others drew their clubs. No, wait; they expanded out into metal fans, the sharpened edges gleaming in the light. “Aang…”

“Right”, Aang replied, sucking in a deep breath. He let it go, a gust of wind propelling Aang free of the ropes and up the pole. The warriors stared in astonishment as Aang flipped in the air, landing near a statue of a towering woman dressed similarly to the warriors. Sokka let out a deep breath as the sword was lowered from his neck.

It was the man’s turn to blink in astonishment. “It’s… You are the Avatar…”

“Yep”, Aang said. “Now, check this out!” He pulled out a marble, suspending it in a pocket of air before spinning it really fast around his fingers. Aang had the goofiest look on his face as he did so, which only seemed to keep the warrior's attention more.

At least they weren’t fish food. That was always a plus.

XXXXX

Zuko shifted his stance, angling his left side away from his pair of opponents. The pair of firebenders shifted their stance, one angling towards his left as the other kept in his view. He took a deep breath, shifting his left foot and uncorking one of his flasks.

He lunged forward, sweeping an arm out to send the water in a wide arc. The firebender in his blind spot shot out a fireball before the stream took him in the side. The other shot out his own blast, Zuko weaving to the side to avoid the streak of heat. Another swipe separated the water into two streams, called back to him before freezing solid.

More streams of fire forced Zuko to slam one of the ice blocks into the deck, the bursts of fire bouncing off into separate directions. Swipes broke the ice off, sending chunks flying into the firebenders. One managed to duck out of the way, only for Zuko to send the second block of ice into him.

As both of his opponents lay groaning on the deck, Teruko smirked off to the side. “All good, Colonel?” Zuko just nodded.

Around the deck, a mix of cheers and groans rang intermittently among the crowd of sailors and 41st soldiers. Zuko pretended not to see the handfuls of yuan pass between a few hands as he pulled his water back into his flask. All the water either back in his flask or sloshed off the deck, he bowed to his opponents before heading towards the bridge.

The Commander’s aide was standing by the door, his gaze fixed on Zuko with a tired look. “What was all that about, sir?”

“A few of your men took an interest in me and the Major sparring”, Zuko replied, unslinging the straps of his flask and handing them to one of his men. “Two of the self-proclaimed best wanted to face me.”

“I see”, Lieutenant Jee replied. “Well, come on. The Commander says he has a lead on the Avatar.”

Zuko followed behind the older man. The interconnected hallways and staircases that lead up towards the bridge were filled with sailors and marines moving through them. They gave him and Jee as wide a berth as they could, snapping off quick salutes as they passed. Zuko noticed the brief flashes of fear that accompanied them noticing him in the faces of the navy men.

The two of them arrived at Zhao’s office, finding the door already ajar. “Come in”, the Commander said. The two entered, Jee giving Zhao his own salute while Zuko bowed. “There have been rumors of the Avatar being on Kyoshi Island. Lieutenant, take the Ryūhō and investigate. Your services would be greatly appreciated, Colonel.”

Zuko blinked, rising out of his bow to look at the Commander. Like during his first meeting, Zhao had a small, self-satisfied smirk on his face. His eyes burned like flaring coals, yet lacked the warmth that such would normally give off. It reminded Zuko far too much of General Bujing and the other officers at the War Council.

“Sir, Kyoshi Island is neutral”, Zuko said. “Unless we have confirmation, we can’t-”

“I will tell you what we can and cannot do”, Zhao said. “And I say you will take your men and, if needed, burn that Island to the ground!” Zuko stood still, taking a few breaths while Zhao seemed to study him. “You have your orders. Since this task has been given to me by the Firelord himself, consider them his orders if that makes carrying them out easier. Dismissed.”

Another salute from Jee and a bow from Zuko, and the two of them left the Commander’s office. Zuko clenched a fist, remembering those eyes. They really were similar to Bujing’s in the cold heat they seemed to exude; not even that far off in the shade of gold. Lieutenant Jee stopped him by the staircase, holding out a hand in front of him.

“Some friendly advice”, Jee said, Zuko looking up into the Lieutenant's eyes. “The Commander doesn’t like being told no. Unless it’s something really important, I suggest you don’t do anything like that in front of him.” The two locked eyes, relenting only after half a minute of continuous eye contact.

“Noted”, Zuko said, fist still clenched. “I’ll assemble some of my men and meet you on the Ryūhō.” The Lieutenant left, and Zuko let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. Zuko took several quick breaths, before beginning his descent down the conning tower.

His orders to follow Zhao came from the Firelord, true enough. As a loyal soldier and a loyal son, it was his duty to follow them. Still, he knew that look in the eyes of generals all too willing to throw men to their deaths. He might deserve it, but his men didn’t. Taking another deep breath, he exited back onto the deck, calling over Major Teruko to gather a force to go hunt the Avatar.

Chapter Text

Sokka glared at the tree, imagining that it was that Fire Nation Commander who had attacked his village. He swung his club in an arc, slamming the head of the club into the wood several times before adjusting his grip to bring the blade into alignment. After a heavy swing, he cleaved off a small branch, the blade biting into the bark.

He tried to yank it free, scowling when it failed to give way. He gripped it with both hands, pulling as hard as he could. Finally, the machete-club popped free of the tree, the effort sending Sokka tumbling onto his back.

He scowled as he lay there, a puff of smoke billowing from his mouth. “You know, this is why we use specially-made dummies and not just trees.” Looking up, he saw the painted face of a Kyoshi Warrior. From her bigger headdress and hairstyle, he recognized her as the one that had held him at swordpoint yesterday.

“Didn’t want to disturb your dance lessons”, Sokka muttered, pulling himself up. “Do you need something?”

“I…”, the girl had a mix between a glare and a frown on her face as she looked at him. Finally, she took a deep breath and gave him a small smile. “Look, I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t know you were with the Avatar.”

“It’s fine”, Sokka said, inspecting the blade of his machete. “I get it. You see a Firebender, it’s obvious to assume they’re Fire Nation.”

“I mean, you were right. It’d be kinda stupid for the Fire Nation to send benders as spies.”

“What can I say? I have good ideas.” He returned his attention to the tree. Not wanting to embarrass himself further, he stuck with using the club part of his weapon.

The Warrior stayed there, watching him swing at the tree. He tried to ignore her, running through the drills that his dad had shown him. Heavy impacts shook leaves from the tree, the rattling of branches and the strikes on the trunk sending echoes into the forest.

“What’s with the club?”, the warrior asked. “I mean, I don’t know many benders, but don’t they generally rely on their bending to fight?”

“I’m not really that good”, Sokka said, setting the club down and looking back at her. “I can’t do a whole lot with it. Besides… Well, for obvious reasons, I don’t like to use it in general.”

The girl nodded. “Uh-huh. So, you fancy yourself better than me, eh?”

Sokka stopped, flinging the machete back into its scabbard. He smiled, shrugging, “I mean, I am the best warrior in my village.”

“Right”, she said, her own smile growing. “So, why don’t you show me?”

Sokka blinked. “I… I mean, you sure?”

“If you’re so confident.”

Sokka let out a huff, replying, “Ok. You asked for it.” He began to stretch, shaking out his arms. “I never got your name, by the way.”

“Suki”, she said, leaning against another tree. “Captain of the Busan chapter of the Kyoshi Warriors. It’s Sokka, right?”

“That’s right”, Sokka said, sucking in a deep breath. “Pleasure to meet-SNEAK ATTACK!”

He rushed at Suki, a wild punch aimed towards her side. She continued to smile as she lunged forward, causing his swing to go wide. He stumbled past her, taking several steps before righting himself. He turned around as she just gave him another smirk, causing Sokka to grit his teeth.

“Come on. Surely you can beat a girl with her dance lessons”, Suki snapped out, her glare turning evil as she threw Sokka’s insult back at him.

“Alright”, Sokka said. “Demonstration over.”

He advanced on her, fists flying at her as fast as he could swing. To his shock, she either dodged or deflected all of them. Sokka tried to lash out with his leg, only for her to leap over the attack and deliver her own kick to his stomach. As he clutched the impact site, she grabbed his shoulder and arced around him, one leg out to trip him into the dirt.

He fell, a puff of smoke escaping from his lips as he gasped for air. “Again, I’m sorry for attacking you yesterday. I didn’t mean to harm a companion of the Avatar.” Sokka rolled over onto his back, the sun peeking through the trees disorientating him further as opposed to revitalizing him. “Not sorry for that though.”

Suki began to trudge down the hill back towards her village, while Sokka just gasped for air. “Wait”, he called out, pulling himself up into a sitting position. Suki had stopped, turning around to glare at him. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh? For what.”

“For underestimating you. I… My dad, the Chief? He left to go fight the Fire Nation a few years ago.” He stood, ignoring Suki’s softening look. “He told me to protect my sister. And, well my sister is dead set on going with Aang to the North Pole, so I need to protect him too. And…”

“You feel like you can’t protect them”, Suki supplied. Her eyes were still narrowed, but the rest of her face softened.

“Right.”

“You’re not terrible. You could probably handle yourself ok.”

“But I can’t be just ‘ok’. You beat me so easily, both today and yesterday. If you guys had been Fire Nation, or, or Pirates or something, we’d be screwed. I have to protect them.” He looked at her, before bowing his head. “I-I’d be honored if you’d teach me.”

Suki let her glare fully fall, examining him like an Arctic Fox-Hawk. “We don’t usually train boys. The Kyoshi Warriors are traditionally an all-female unit.”

“Please”, Sokka said, sinking back onto his knees. “Just… Give me a chance.”

Suki stepped up to him, standing before Sokka for a few moments. “Alright then”, she finally said, offering him a hand. He took it as she pulled him to his feet. “But if you’re going to train with the Kyoshi Warriors, you have to fully commit to those Traditions I mentioned.”

Sokka’s excitement was tempered slightly by the smug smile that adorned Suki’s face at the declaration. “Eh, what does that entail exactly?”

XXXXX

The dress that Suki shoved him into fit him too well for his liking. Fitting him tightly in some places and loosely in others, it was a very weird experience for him. The same went for the face paint that she applied to him. Instead of the oil-based war paint of the Southern Water Tribe, it was made of some kind of clay. It was thick and caked onto him, making him feel like he’d fallen face-first into a pile of dung.

“Lookin’ good”, Suki teases, finishing lacing up the segmented metal plates that covered the dress.

“Right”, Sokka muttered. “Because I want to feel like a Solstice Festival Roast.”

“Oh, relax.” Suki steps away from him, looking over Sokka in full Kyoshi Warrior regalia. “You should be honored. This is the kit of a warrior, trained by a Past Avatar. Each part of this uniform is symbolic of our strength and our resolve.” Sokka couldn’t help but smile at that thought. Strength and Resolve, huh?

“Hey Sokka!”, Aang’s voice called from the entryway. “Nice Dress!”

And there went his confidence. A few of the other girls in the Dojo giggled at his expression; even Suki gave him a smirk.

“Alright then”, Suki said. “Just gotta get the gloves on and we’ll get started.”

“Maybe not the gloves?”, Sokka suggested. When Suki looked at him strangely, he held up a hand and breathed deeply. A small flame appeared above his palm, drawing side-eyes from the other warriors. “I don’t use it for fighting. Not really, anyway. And, uh…” He took a step closer to Suki and whispered, “I have a bad habit of setting my mittens on fire.”

Suki chuckled, before patting him on the shoulder. “Alright then. I’ll get you some Fans, and we’ll get started.

XXXXX

Save for a few breaks to rest and eat, the rest of the day was devoted to training. Sokka’s… everything burned with exhaustion, but Suki showed no sign of slowing down, and neither would he. Most of the other Warriors had left, leaving only the two of them in the Dojo.

After nearly decapitating one of the girls when he’d let his grip on a Fan slip, Suki had pulled out one of their swords and a wrist-shield for him to practice with. Suki stuck with her Fans, folding them shut to run him through some of their drills.

“Remember, this kind of sword isn’t designed to take blocks head-on”, Suki explained while Sokka ran through the motions. “You have to deflect, otherwise the blade gets damaged. Use your enemies' blows against them, that is how we fight.”

Sokka nodded, moving his fingers around in order to grip the blade tighter. It was sorta like his Machete-club, albeit much lighter. That difference in weight through him off, but he felt like he was getting the hang of it. “Hey, I think I’m-” As he spoke, he felt himself shift his weight too far, throwing the strike off and nearly spilling himself onto the floor. “I’m ok.”

“I don’t doubt it”, Suki said. She stepped up behind him, grabbing his arm and moving the sword into a different position. “When using one hand, don’t hold it directly below the guard. You’ll actually have a bit more control holding it a little bit down.”

Sokka thanked Tui that she couldn’t see his face; it burned so much he was certain that he was blushing. “Uh… Thanks.”

“No problem”, Suki said. “Now, let’s see it again. Don’t be frustrated if you don’t get it. You’re doing well for someone who's never held a sword before.”

Sokka was definitely blushing as he tried the sequence again, the flowing movements of the slashes feeling like she had described earlier: Like an extension of himself. He could forget everything for a second and just train. All the Avatar stuff, the fact the Fire Nation was hunting them now, his firebending, all of it just was pushed to the back of his mind as he mimed fighting.

A flash of movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention. He was able to bring the small shield affixed to his arm around to block Suki’s strike just in time. She ducked under a swing with the sword, fans raised to strike at Sokka’s chin. He jumped back, another swipe forcing Suki to back off. She came in again, this time Sokka lunging to the side and trying to thrust towards her.

She parried the strike, sword and fan locked together in a bind. She brought the other fan up in another attack, with Sokka managing to block the strike. The exchange of blows had brought the two of them quite close to one another, panting breaths steaming between them.

“Not bad at all, Mr. Firebender.”

“Likewise, Ms. Kyoshi Warrior.”

They backed away from the other, unbinding their weapons before letting them hang limply at their sides. Both of them smiled at the other, the exhilaration of the brief bout slowly fading. Before either of them could say a thing, the elder Sokka had been introduced to Oyaji slammed the door open.

“Girls, come quickly! The Fire Nation has landed on our shores!”

Chapter Text

Zuko had to squint as the gangplank lowered, the sun's brilliance filling the cavernous deployment bay. His scar itched behind his mask until the glare faded. Beyond was a gentle slope leading up to a village nestled at the base of a mountain. Ringed on all sides by towering pines, the entrance was clear and, apparently, undefended.

He raised a hand, quickly lowering it in the signal of advance. Several of his men, mounted on armored Ostrich-Horses, plodded out ahead of the rest of his company, spears or firebending at the ready. The rest of his men, including Teruko, followed after him in disembarking the Cruiser.

As soon as they were free of the confines of the ship, one of his men raised a white flag. Zuko had his doubts that the Avatar was here, and wanted to avoid any… unpleasantness that might come from violating a neutrality agreement signed by Firelord Sozin himself if he could avoid it.

His men fanned out, weapons at the ready as they headed up the slope. From the archway that led into the village, a figure emerged. She was young, probably no older than himself, and dressed in a green kimono and black armor. He was struck by the similarity to the kit of his own unit, before the white facepaint and golden headdress stole that illusion away.

She seemed to be talking to another girl dressed similarly to her, before heading down the path towards them. He signaled his riders to stand down, before moving forward with Teruko and the flagbearer to meet her halfway.

She came to a stop and fixed him with a withering glare. Or, it would have, had his father not been a master of the art.

“I am Suki, Captain of the Busan chapter of the Kyoshi Warriors. Why are you here, Fire Nation?”

Zuko crossed his arms behind his back; the unofficial signal for Teruko to do the talking. “Major Teruko, 41st Battalion.” Zuko took a slight hint of satisfaction at the barely suppressed look of dread that crossed her features. “We’re here investigating rumors that the Avatar is on Kyoshi Island.”

Suki blinked before returning her face to its neutral expression. “The Avatar hasn’t been seen in nearly a hundred-”

“There has been an official proclamation from the Firelord himself”, Teruko interrupted. “The Avatar has returned, and there are rumors he has been seen here. We’re here to search for him.”

“He’s not here”, Suki bit out. The figure that she had been talking to before was now more visible, fiddling nervously with a sheathed sword.

He could tell that Teruko had a smile beneath her helmet that matched the fanged one on her mask. “Then you won’t mind us searching for him.”

“We are neutral in this war”, Suki snapped. “Your Firelord signed the treaty.”

Teruko sighed, before stepping forward. The girl stepped back, a pair of bladed fans snapping out to their full length. A few of his men readied their own weapons before Zuko held up a hand to signal them to stand down.

“Look kid”, Teruko said. “Commander Zhao, the guy we’ve been assigned to, thinks the Avatar is here. Normally, I’d tell the Navy Smokebelcher to go pound ash, but my hands are tied.”

“I feel so sorry for you.”

“Let us do our job, and we leave. It’s as simple as that.”

Suki’s serene expression was broken by a snarl. “So, what? You just walk all over us, then get it in your heads to do it again?”

Zuko was about to speak himself, before a snapping branch caught his attention. He turned to the right, seeing a streak of orange and blue darting into the village perimeter. The Avatar was supposedly an Airbender… He was here.

“Major”, he said. Suki and Teruko both looked back at him, the former in confusion and the latter in anticipation. “He’s here.”

Suki seemed to realize what had happened, and lashed out. Her fans hummed in the air, the sudden attack sending Teruko sprawling and snapping the flagpole in half. Zuko’s Dao were out of their scabbard in a second, his own attack lashing out at the Kyoshi Warrior.

His men sprang into action. The riders raced uphill towards the village, while several others moved to surround Suki. Suki flipped out of her encirclement, disengaging and racing up the hill. Teruko bellowed, “Move!” as the 41st advanced into the village.

Suki and the other warrior had disappeared from sight as Zuko and his men entered through the gate. In fact, the only people he could see were frightened villagers fleeing into their homes. Zuko shoved down a stab of guilt; they were harboring the Avatar, they weren’t just innocent villagers. He sucked in a breath and kept moving forward.

Like bolts of green lighting, Kyoshi Warriors shot out from all directions. They came down from rooftops, knocking riders off of their mounts. They came from alleyways, ducking into the groups and slashing with their metallic fans. Some even lunged out from houses, falling into melee with the 41st.

One warrior lept down from a rooftop at him, blades of her fans aimed for his neck. He raised one Dao to catch the attacks on the flat of the blade, swinging out with the other to knock her back. She brought one fan around to intercept the blow, staring into his eyes. He swung up a leg to kick her in the chest, sending her tumbling back into a building.

Suki landed next to him, fortunately on his right side. She swung with her fans, Zuko matching her blow for blow with his swords. He attempted to try to kick her as well, though she ducked back away from the blow. A flurry of slashes allowed him to gain the initiative, pushing her back towards a house.

Around him, his troops were fighting off the warriors. Those still on their mounts attempted to run down the Kyoshi Warriors, corralling them towards their comrades. The warriors were well-trained but were outnumbered at least three to one. They just had to gain the upper hand long enough to draw out the Avatar.

Something slammed into him from behind. Taking a step back, he turned his head so that his good eye could track the new threat. Another Kyoshi Warrior lunged out at him with a sword as opposed to the fans of the other warriors. The swing was strong yet clumsy, with Zuko knocking the blade from his hands.

Suki tried to come at him, fans flashing through her flurry of blows. Instead of giving ground as he had before, he met her attack head-on, trying to overpower her. He swung his blades in opposite directions, which she met with ease. Her fans slammed shut, and she twirled around. Zuko’s blades, still caught in the fan, were yanked from his hands.

Before she could recover, he ducked another slash and tackled her. She tried to force him off of her, but his superior strength could finally be put to use. A firm punch was enough to send her sprawling.

He rolled forward, retrieving his swords and rising to his feet in one fluid motion. The other Kyoshi Warrior had recovered, picking up their own sword and trying once again to attack him. She mustn’t have been very far along in her training, as it was almost laughably easy to disarm her once again. He kicked her feet out from under her and raised one Dao, planning on just knocking the warrior out.

“Stop!”, a voice called. Even muffled by coming from his left, he could hear the voice plainly over the crackle of burning houses and boots in the snow. He turned, spotting a figure near the statue of Kyoshi that stood near the village entrance. “Looking for me?”

No… No, this couldn’t be him. This couldn’t be the Avatar! If it was, then that would mean the Avatar wasn’t the haggard man older than his Grandfather. That the Avatar was…

A child. The Avatar was a child younger than his sister.

Once again, guilt knifed into him. He and his men were practically burning down some village in a neutral territory to hunt for a child. He pulled the knife out and threw it aside. This child was the Avatar. Master of all the elements and the last major threat to the Fire Nation. This was his last chance to wipe away his shame, and prove himself worthy of the honor of the Royal Family.

He sheathed his Dao, falling into a fighting stance. One hand was held in front of him at the ready, and the other lowered down towards the snow that covered the ground. The ki-The Avatar just glared at him.

He scowled, realizing that the Avatar wouldn’t strike first. “Fine”, he muttered to himself. With a sweep of his arm, he pulled water from the half-melted snow around him, taking several steps as he swung it around. The determined glower on the Avatar’s face disappeared as he sent jets of water toward him.

He ducked and weaved, using his staff to reduce what he couldn’t dodge into harmless droplets. The boy yelped as Zuko switched to firing icy darts, leaping into the air while twirling his staff around him. He landed nearby, allowing Zuko to close the gap and bring the water he kept swirling around himself down on top of the Avatar.

The boy ducked to one side, though was still swept up in the torrent as Zuko sent the funnel snaking around to hit him. The boy was sent flailing away, staff flying from his hands.

Zuko advanced on the boy, popping the cork on one of his flasks. “Hey, Mask Jerk!” Zuko turned, seeing the one Kyoshi Warrior he had disarmed rising to her feet. The armor had come loose and the makeup smeared, revealing the dark skin and brown hair of a Water Tribal… boy? “Catch!” The boy lit a flame in the palm of his hand and hurled it like a ball at Zuko.

Even as he ducked to the side, his mind raced. A member of the Water Tribe that was a Firebender? How did that even work? Recessive genes from a union from before the War? A stranded sailor intermarrying with one of the Southern Barbarians? A Southern Raider… He stopped thinking about it.

The two of them briefly analyzed one another, before the boy threw another fireball at Zuko. He was competent for someone who likely had no formal training, but he was no Azula. He pulled water around his arm, swinging it out in a whip. The boy lifted up a shield, the water splashing off it harmlessly. The second whip from his other arm slammed into the boy's gut, finally dropping the stubborn tribal.

That distraction, however, was enough for the Avatar to recover. He had grabbed a discarded pair of fans, and had used his airbending to send two of his men flying. Zuko tried to bend the snow around him to trap the boy, but he fanned downward, creating a spot where there was no snow around him. A blast of air directed his way sent Zuko tumbling back, sliding across the snowy street.

A shadow passed overhead, landing near the Avatar. Zuko tried to pull his head up, but his scar ached and his vision blurred. He pulled himself onto his knees, watching as the Avatar, the Firebender Tribal, and a silhouette dressed in blue boarded the creature. It rose into the air, heading away from the island.

A hand on his right shoulder. “Sir?” Teruko. He groaned, before rising to his feet. His legs felt like paste and his vision continued to refuse to focus, but he recovered enough to acknowledge his subordinate.

“Fall back”, he slurred. “Avatar…”

Teruko seemed to get enough from his statement, yelling to the rest of the men, “Disengage! Disengage and fall back!” The cry was repeated, and the 41st began to fall back towards their cruiser. The Kyoshi Warriors let them go, more concerned with the burning village than the retreating soldiers.

Covered by the cavalry, his men left the village behind as the crew of the ship scrambled to respond to the fleeing Avatar. A few fireballs shot out from the deck, but Zuko paid them no mind. He barely even reacted as a great beast rose from the bay, splashing foul-smelling water across the village and his battered company. He didn’t even react as the Avatar remounted his flying creature, one Zuko could now recognize as a Sky-Bison, and fled into the distance. He was trapped in his thoughts.

He’d failed. Zhao would report this to the Firelord, and he would slip further from his father’s good graces. He ground his teeth as Teruko helped him up the gangplank and into the dark hold. He wouldn’t… He couldn’t underestimate them next time.

Chapter Text

The soldiers marched them towards the Bad Chamber. Well, the Refurbished Chamber that used to be Bad, but Sokka had his doubts that it was anything good. At least none of them appeared to have put together he was a Firebender. That might get him sent to a Bad Chamber.

This day had started out so good, too! They’d slipped past a Fire Nation camp to reach the biggest city Sokka had ever seen. The gate guards at Omashu had let them in with little trouble after Aang pretended to be their grandpa. He’d even managed to find a food vendor who took water tribe money.

And then Aang convinced them to go sledding on the city's mail system.

The King was apparently some kind of psycho, and saw through Aang’s disguise and cover story with ease. Now, he had to complete some kind of trials in order to be set free, despite protests from Katara about imprisoning the Avatar. He didn’t care, laughing it off and eating something called lettuce. It looked gross and wet and sounded suspiciously like a vegetable; it just further cemented his insanity.

Their escorts stopped, opening a section of wall with their bending. The stone slab fell away to reveal… a bedroom. It was large and sparsely decorated, but otherwise, it was a normal bedroom. There were three beds with comfy-looking blankets and pillows, with each of them heading to one and sitting down.

Aang looked around, studying the green wallpaper and stone floors. “This is… kinda nice.”

“He did say that the room was refurbished”, Katara added.

Sokka face-palmed. “You both are missing the point!”, he snapped. “We’re prisoners, and we should get out of here!”

“How?”, Aang asked. “I don’t know how to earthbend yet, and neither of you two can do it at all.” Sokka opened his mouth to reply, only to clench his jaw shut and look around the room.

He’d found a vent, but they were too small for any of them to fit into. Aang tried to squeeze Momo in so he could go get Appa, wisely pointing out that a ten-ton creature could probably help. However, even the Lemeur got stuck, and they were forced to give up.

When Katara suggested they go to sleep, Sokka wanted to protest. However, seeing how tired his sister and Aang were, he decided it was a good idea. He fell onto his own bed, sighing and kicking off his boots as he tried to get comfortable.

He tried to get some sleep; he really did! However, the sun had started becoming more consistent and more plentiful the further north they went. In most cases, he saw it was only a good thing. He had more energy than he’d ever had! The warmth made his limbs feel lighter, his body not as weighed down. Everything just felt great… except the fact that he could somehow tell the sun was still out, and that extra energy made falling asleep impossible.

And that reminder of his abnormal bending brought back to mind that masked Waterbender from Kyoshi Island. The Waterbender who was fighting them. The one that was very clearly working for the Fire Nation.

It was that part of it that Sokka couldn’t wrap his head around. Why? The Fire Nation was obviously super evil, and had done horrible things to them. They’d nearly wiped them out, for La’s sake! So why was someone who had to be Water Tribe fighting against them?

His brain tried to come up with rationalizations. Was the guy being blackmailed to protect his family? Had he been brainwashed by some super secret underground brainwashing center? There was just no way he could think about why someone like that would willingly work for them.

Sokka got up from his bed. Aang and Katara appeared to be fast asleep, while Momo had perched up on the rafters. Sokka began to pace, trying to think of what was going through that guy's head!

He must have been pacing louder than he thought, because eventually Katara raised up her head from her bed. “Sokka?”, she asked, getting up herself. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing”, Sokka said too quickly and too loudly. He froze, looking over at Aang. When the boy failed to stir, Sokka let out a breath and began to speak softer. “Sorry. Just… I’m thinking about Kyoshi Island. That waterbending guy.”

Katara’s face darkened. “Oh.” Katara hadn’t seen him firsthand, but Sokka and Aang had told her about him. She’d gone real quiet after that. “I… I thought about him too.”

“In what way?”, Sokka asked. “Like, if we can get him away from the Fire Nation, he might teach you and Aang, or why he’s-”

“The second”, Katara said. “Y-you know how the Fire Nation stole our waterbenders?” Sokka nodded. “Well, what if… one of them…”

Sokka’s eyes widened, and Katara looking away seemed to seal the deal that he had gotten at what she was thinking. The thought had never crossed his mind, but now that he thought about it, it made sense. “And… If he was raised by the Fire Nation after his mother…”

Both of them looked at the other. The horrible chill of the thought of what a member of their Tribe might have gone through that resulted in that Warrior being born. If this Colonel Kuzon guy was a war child, then it might explain why he was fighting for the Fire Nation; he was raised by those monsters that turned him evil!

He couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy if that was the case. He knew how hard it was growing up in a place where it wasn’t liked. Despite that, his tribe had adjusted and come to accept him. The Fire Nation likely wouldn’t accept someone like that, and how had that affected him?

“We don’t know that”, Sokka said.

Katara nodded, “I know. But… maybe we can help him. I mean, the Fire Nation can’t be treating him that well. If we can get him… I mean, if we can show him some of what the Fire Nation took from us…”

“Our priority is getting you and Aang a teacher”, Sokka said, coming up to his little sister. “If we can get this guy on our side, then we will and he can do it. Otherwise, we need to get to the North Pole.” Katara nodded, folding Sokka into a hug.

While nice, it made the perfect position for the soldiers to grab both of them at once and steal them away from the chamber.

When Sokka regained consciousness, the psycho had put on a hideous purple robe and told Aang about a bunch of dangerous trials he had to complete. He also attacked a weird crystal that began to grow up Sokka’s arm as the day wore on and turned into night. Aang completed the trials after a bit of clever thinking, but then was stumped when asked for the Old King's name.

Sokka thanked the Moon that this old psycho was somehow Aang’s old friend. He didn’t want to die to rock candy!

XXXXX

Beyond the walls of Omashu, Aang could see the light of fires. From the top of the Citadel, it looked like a hook that was closed in around the city. Choking it. He knew he’d see them; they’d had to slip past one of those Fire Nation camps in order to get into Omashu. Still…

It was so stark of a reminder of what had changed. When he was still at the Southern Air Temple, he had friends with all four Nations! Bumi, Kuzon, so many others he’d met in passing or only a few times. Friends all over the world. Now…?

“Thought I’d find you here”, Bumi said. The withered King had appeared seemingly from nowhere, though Aang could spot the slight disturbance in the ground from where he’d used his bending to appear. “Your friends are enjoying the Refurbished Chamber. But, I figured you wouldn’t be able to sleep.”

“No”, Aang agreed. “I, I just…” He looked out again, at those encroaching fires. He knew how far away they really were, but there were so many and he knew that they would be getting closer. “I can’t believe how much has changed.”

“Nothing looks the same after so long”, Bumi said, bending up a chair for him to fall into. “I’d know that more than anyway.” He gave a snort-laugh which quickly petered off. “You’re thinking about Kuzon, ye?”

“I… I saw the poster in the city”, Aang said. Shortly after entering the city, before they’d been caught using the Chute system in the way Bumi had shown him all those decades ago, they’d passed the Barracks. On the outside were posters of the Fire Nation officers in the region; Colonel Kuzon of the 41st was among them.

“Aye. Remakes are never as good as the Original, I’ll give you that.”

Aang gave a small smile. Bumi was always able to cheer him up. “Wh-what happened to him? Our Kuzon, I mean.”

Bumi sighed, rubbing his temple. “He… He tried, Aang. If there’s one thing he did, it was try. To stop the Genocide, to stop Sozin’s war machine, to stop… everything! It was impressive.”

Aang sat down against the railing, back to it. He couldn’t stand to look at those camps anymore. “So, he’s gone…”

“Just after Longbeard Azulon took the throne”, Bumi confirmed. “Just… wrong place wrong time. Like so much in this war.”

“I… I ran away, Bumi”, Aang admitted. He hadn’t told anyone else, not even Katara or Sokka. “That’s why I didn’t die at the Southern Air Temple wi-with G-Gyatso. They were going to send me away, so I ran.”

“You hadn’t”, Bumi said, rising and kneeling down next to Aang, “You woulda died. No doubt about it. Then, you wouldn’t be in the position to help now.”

“But how?”, Aang asked. “I don’t even know any of the other elements, or the Spirit World, and now I have to stop a war! One that’s been going on for so long and has been so horrible, and, and-”

“Aang”, Bumi said, placing a hand on his shoulder. The massive hand, wrinkly and calloused but still strong as granite, seemed to draw Aang from his spiraling thoughts. “Don’t think about that. I know you have to learn Waterbending first, but here’s an Earthbending Lesson: You have to keep going forward. You can’t fix a broken rock, you just have to bash it smaller and turn them into Rattles!”

Once again, Aang laughed. “B-but wait, couldn’t you-”

“Yes, yes, you technically could”, Bumi replied, waving a hand in front of his face while giggling and snorting. “But the philosopher who wrote that wasn’t a bender. Well, wrote the idea. I added the Rattle bit. Besides, you have already helped!”

“Really? How? I just got released.”

“Thanks to you, my officers no longer have to worry about the Blue Spirit popping out from under their beds to give them wedgies!”

The mention of the Colonel caused Aang to go slack somewhat. “Really?”

“Yeah, he’s been a real pain”, Bumi said. “Shows up out of nowhere and has been sending my Army scrambling in circles. He and his masked rejects are the reason that you can see the Fire Nation from here. With him gone, I might be able to break out a little Positive Jing!”

Aang nodded. “Hey, Bumi?”

“Yes, Aang?”

“After we get to the North Pole and me and Katara learn waterbending, I’ll need an Earthbending teacher. Could… Could you teach me?”

Bumi bent his chair back into the ground, before stepping up to and leaning on the railing. Even having seen the facade of the decrepit madman, he’d never seen Bumi look so… old. “I… I don’t think so, Aang. I’m sorry.”

“Why?”, Aang whispered. “Why not?”

“Positive Jing doesn’t mean success”, Bumi explained. “I don’t know how long I can hold out. Besides, we’re friends, Aang. I don’t think I could teach you well.”

“You being my friend is exactly why you should teach me!”, Aang protested.

“Aang, what do you know about Jing?”

Aang scowled, huffing before holding out his hand. “It’s a spiritual energy during combat. Positive is when you attack, Negative is when you retreat.”

“Indeed. Well, those are the most common two; there’s actually eighty-five”, Bumi explained, chuckling at his young friends' shocked expressions. “The third Jing is called Neutral Jing, when you do nothing at all. My own style of Earthbending relies quite heavily on Positive Jing; no one expects a rock in the crotch until it hits home! But, that also means I wouldn’t be a good earthbending teacher. You need someone who waits and listens; one who has mastered neutral jing.”

Aang nodded, but continued to scowl. “But it’s not fair! I… You’re the last person left from back then for me. And, you're talking about how you might be captured by the Fire Nation and you can’t teach me… Why?”

“I don’t know, Aang. I just don’t know.”

Aang finally let the dam burst, and tears began to stream down his face. He clutched his knees, shuddering sobs wracking through his body as Bumi wrapped an arm around Aang. He barely registered the weight of Bumi’s arm as the weight of everything else just fell upon him. He just cried and cried, faces of people he’d never see again racing through his mind.

Bumi sighed. “I… I’m sorry. I wish destiny worked that way, but it doesn’t. I won’t be the one to teach you earthbending; someone who is more masterful than myself will have to do that. But, I can’t just let you go without a friend out there to help you.” As Aang’s tears began to slow, he saw the elder king reach into a pocket. “Recently, one of Pai Sho friends has gone mobile. He travels around a lot; you might run into him. He’ll give you a lot of help.”

“A P-pai Sho friend?”

“Indeed”, Bumi said, fishing out a tile. “Show this time him, and he’ll help you out. Maybe just shelter and good company; maybe even a tutor for your steamy little friend.” Aang blinked, taking a moment to realize he was talking about Sokka. Bumi dropped it into Aang’s hand. The tile was still pure white, unpainted, and depicted a blooming lotus. “Time like this, you need all the friends you can get.”

“But, how will I know who the friend is?”, Aang questioned, studying the tile.

Bumi smiled. “Well, he’ll probably recognize you and ask if you wish to play. He favors the White Lotus gambit; do it to him as well, irritates him to no end. But, anyway, he’s a somewhat corpulent man; older, but not nearly as old as me” he said with another snort. “Answers to, uh… what was it… Ah, yes! Mushi. He answers to Mushi.”

Chapter Text

After Zuko had rejoined Zhao’s taskforce, some of his men had been put to work as lookouts, looking for any potential sign of the Avatar. One of them figured that the dented and burning Prison Rig was evidence. 

As the gangplank slammed into place on the right, two of Zhao’s Firebenders raced down the ramp to take positions on either side of it. Zhao, Zuko, and their respective subordinates followed after them. 

The places reminded Zuko far too much of some of the villages his men had captured. Structures and some of the incomplete ships were dented and bent in unnatural angles, while whatever could burn was ablaze. A few bodies of the guards littered the rig, while others were being fished out of the water by their comrades. If Zuko didn’t recognize the work of Earthebenders, he would’ve assumed a Sea Serpent had tried to snack on the rig. 

“Where is the warden!?”, Zhao snapped at the nearest guard, who snapped a salute and ran off to go find him. Zhao looked around in disgust, scowling at the obvious source of the damage. “How did a bunch of dirt-eating barbarians manage this?”

“Earthbenders are tenacious, sir”, Teruko replied, either failing to notice or ignoring Zhao’s obvious displeasure. “When something gets them going, it’s damn hard to stop them.”

“Thank you for your insight, Major”, Zhao replied, sarcasm evident even to Zuko. “Do you agree, Colonel?”

“The Major is right”, Zuko said. 

Zhao rolled his eyes, refocusing them when the Warden finally appeared. The man was soaked through, his eyes wide with terror and face white as parchment. The masks he and his men wore probably didn’t help. “Commander Zhao”, he said, bowing as low as he could without kowtowing. “I… I…”

“Save your excuses”, Zhao replied, kicking him over. Jee shot Zuko a look, warning him to stay out of it. “Tell me what happened, and maybe I can have the Colonel convince the Colonial Authorities to go easy on you. This is your one chance to save your career, warden. Tell me everything.”

The shaking man nodded, quickly going into everything about the past two days. Troops from a nearby town had gotten ahold of two unauthorized Earthebenders. As the practice was illegal outside of carefully overseen work for the Colonial Administration, they had been arrested and carted off here. One of them, a girl, had somehow broken open the coal stores and led the Earthebenders in revolt, just before they had arrived. 

“This girl”, Zhao said. “Describe her.”

“W-well. She had braided hair… S-she had skin much darker than the others, but I thought she might be from the country-”

“What was she wearing?”, Zuko asked. 

Both Zhao and the Warden looked at him. Ignoring Zhao’s annoyed glare, he focused his attention on the shaking warden. “Pardon, Colonel?”, the man sputtered. 

“The girl. What. Was. She. Wearing?”

The man thought for a moment, before he said, “We h-had all of our prisoners wear a vest to mark them out as prisoners. B-but she also was wearing a blue dress. M-maybe a necklace of some sort?”

Zhao’s eyes narrowed. The rest of his face, in contrast, slipped into a pleasant enough smile. “Thank you, Warden. Why don’t you come aboard? Lieutenant Jee, prepare the Warden some tea and let him rest.” Jee looked between his commander and the warden, before finally nodding. 

As the shaking warden was led away, Zhao turned to him and Teruko. “No doubt the Avatar’s work. You said you saw a girl on Kyoshi Island?”

“She didn’t fight, but yes”, Zuko said. 

Teruko added, “Didn’t get a good look at her, but she was definitely wearing some kind of necklace.”

“Already the Avatar disrupts the actions of our nation”, Zhao muttered. He looked back at the two of them, pointedly avoiding giving Zuko the respect of looking him in the eye. “Have your men search the rig for any sign of where they might be heading next.”

Zhao marched back up the gangplank, leaving the two Army officers looking at one another. “What, does he think they dropped their map or something?”

“Stand to, Major”, Zuko said. “We at least get to do something for once.”

“Fair enough. Beats standing around doing nothing but listening to Cho Sang cheat at Mahjong.” As she turned to go gather a few soldiers, he heard her mutter, “How can the sailors stand it?”

Zuko honestly didn’t know. Most of the time, the 41st was on the march or waiting for their next mission. Still, in those cases, nearby towns or nearby units could provide some kind of entertainment, or at least a distraction. On a cramped ship, with nothing but the same people for extended periods? If his father had seen fit to assign him to the Navy instead of the Army, he might have gone mad!

He moved through the wrecked rig, watching as the guards tried to contain the damage as much as possible. They gave him a wide berth as he went, clearly uncomfortable with his presence. He gave them no mind, only interacting with them to find the platform where the rebellion had started. 

The place was, surprisingly, only lightly damaged by the ravages of the escaping prisoners. Even if most of it had been used during the fighting, a substantial pile of coal rested in the center of the platform. Torn-off prisoner vests and broken shackles littered the platform's surface almost an inch deep in places. In the distance, Zuko could see the shrinking dot of what must be one of the ships stolen by the earthbenders. He’d have to tell Zhao; he’d want them hunted down. 

As he turned to leave, his boot bumped into something. Reaching down, he picked up a bone disc, tied to a set of blue cord. It was circular, carved with an intricate design of spirals and symbols he recognized from his waterbending scrolls. A betrothal necklace, if he wasn’t mistaken. Was the girl engaged to the half-breed Firebender?

“Doesn’t matter”, he sighed and muttered to himself. He looked in the direction of that speck, now completely vanished over the horizon. He tucked the necklace into his breastplate, turning to leave. Whatever the case, it didn’t matter. Not really. His focus was the Avatar; whatever happened with the Firebender and the girl happened.

XXXXX

Sokka knew charging the giant white and black demon-thing was a bad idea. By that time, however, it was obvious that Aang, despite his assurances to the townsfolk, couldn’t do anything to stop it. “Hey, Hei Bai!”, he yelled, throwing his boomerang. It impacted the creature and bounced off like it was made of solid iron, falling to the ground with a clatter. 

“Not my best moment”, he muttered. He drew his club and ran over to Aang. 

“Sokka! Go Back!”, the boy yelled, stepping back as Hei Bai continued to level one of the remaining huts. 

“No way. We’ll fight him together!”

“But I don’t want to fight him.”

Of course he didn’t. Sokka, on the other hand, absolutely did. This… thing had attacked a bunch of innocent people, kidnapping them and destroying their homes. Something inside of him ached, no; burned to fight back. To protect them and drive this thing away. It took concentrated effort not to light his hands and send powerful flames into the creature. 

Before Sokka could even give his bending conscious thought, a black blur shot out. The blur was a massive hand, connected to an even bigger shoulder, which in turn was attached to the snarling, eyeless visage of Hei Bai. Maybe Sokka shouldn’t have called it a thing.

It began to bound off. His club flew from his hands, falling onto the path as the creature ran into the forest. Desperate, Sokka finally let the burning need become physical in his blazing hands. He threw bolts of flame, bigger and hotter than any he had managed before, but didn’t have any effect. If anything, they only made the spirit roar and put on more speed. 

Idly, he was aware of Aang chasing after them. His glider zoomed overhead, the boy shouting, “Sokka! Grab my hand!” Sokka doused his flame, reaching up to try and pull himself free-

-And then, nothingness. 

That nothingness; that brief, overwhelming sensation that he was nowhere and everywhere at once. It lasted what could have been seconds or could have been hours, but it eventually stopped. 

Sokka found himself in ankle-deep water, surrounded by mist and bamboo. Everwhere he looked, all he saw was more of the same. He began to walk, waving a hand in front of him to try and dispel the fog, but to no avail. 

It took him some time to notice that his firebending didn’t work. Where the heck was he?

“ The Spirit World .”

Sokka blinked, whirling around as he tried to recall the stance that Suki had taken when they’d brawled hand-to-hand. Nothing was there to greet him save more bamboo and fog. “Thank you, creepy unsolicited voice. Do you know how I can get out of here?”

“ You cannot. This is a set location in the Spirit World. I can only briefly interact with you, and only through my patron’s power. ”

“Patron?”, Sokka asked, leaning against one of the sturdier sections of bamboo. “Who’s that? For that matter, who are you? I’m not really sure how all this Spirit stuff works. That’s more Aang’s thing.”

“ Indeed”, that voice said. It grew somewhat fainter, but Sokka was better able to make it out somehow. Soft with a weird flange to it. Definitely female. Kinda sounded like that officer who was at Kyoshi Island along with Colonel Kuzon. “ I have several names, as do all things. The one I am most known by is the Painted Lady. As for my Patron, I have the pleasure of serving the Great Lightbringer, Lord Agni. ”

Sokka blinked, before scowling. He may not know that much about Spirits and how they worked, but he would always be able to remember three: his tribes' benefactors, Tui and La, and the one that had cursed him: Agni. 

“Well, what does that jerk want?”, Sokka snapped, desperately wishing he could bend. Or at least had one of his weapons. “Know what, doesn’t matter. Tell him that I don’t want anything from him!”

The voice was silent. It was silent for a long time, even as a weird blue glow appeared to break up the monotonous landscape. Finally, as the glow grew nearly blinding and Sokka felt compelled to approach it, the voice said something. 

“ You cannot hide from the Light .”

XXXXX

Sokka was back at the village entrance. A few people he didn’t recognize stumbled past him, just as dazed-looking as he felt. Sokka groaned, rubbing his head. Had that other Spirit… the Painted Lady? Had that been real? Just some trick? And what did she mean by not being able to hide from the Light? 

“Sokka!”, a more familiar female voice called out. Katara slammed into him, wrapping her arms around him in one of the tightest hugs he’d ever gotten from his little sister. 

“What happened?”, he slurred, trying to pull himself free from her vice grip.

She blinked at him, releasing him but still clutching his arms. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. “You were trapped in the Spirit World for a full day.” That couldn’t be right. It barely felt like twenty minutes, maybe an hour at most! “How do you feel.”

His body then caught up with him, fully establishing to him that he had been in there for a day. “Like I need to use the bathroom.”

There was much rejoicing as the last of the people emerged from the wall of bamboo that had sprouted from the village entrance. Aang had, in the end, found some way to pacify the spirits. Funnily enough, it was the same way that Katara had pacified Aang about the burnt forest earlier. 

Key-Fon and the other villagers were more than happy to share what supplies and money they could to help them on their journey north. They were getting ready to depart, when Aang brought up what he had seen in the Spirit World, and of where he had to go to receive some kind of information from the previous Avatar.

As they set out, it wasn’t towards the North Pole; they were heading straight for the heart of the Fire Nation

Chapter Text

The sun on the Solstice seemed to burn especially bright.

Sokka rubbed his eyes as he sat up in the saddle. The sun had barely risen when it called and woke him up. Instead of tired, he felt strangely invigorated, like he could take on all comers. Even this high up, the air itself felt warmer. They must have entered Fire Nation Waters, or at least be close to it.

“Morning, Sokka”, Aang called from the head of Appa.

Sokka waved lamely, mumbling, “Hey Aang. You good?” He peeked over the side of the saddle, watching the azure of the sea passing below them at high speed so that the white of the waves melted together with the blue of the water into a single mass. 

“Yeah”, Aang said. His voice didn’t sound like it. “Just… nervous, I guess. Heading into the Fire Nation like this.”

Sokka could relate. Especially after hearing that Painted Lady in the Spirit World, his connection to the world-conquering mass-murdering jerks was all the apparent. Even then, it wasn’t like Aang, who had seen everything and everyone he loved reduced to bleached bone and scorched ruins.

“I get it”, Sokka said, smacking himself because his stupid brain was saying that he DIDN’T get it. “I mean, I think I understand. Just… we gotta find out what Roku wanted, yeah?”

“Yeah”, Aang said, eyes focused ahead. He took a moment to try and breathe, listening to his sister stir. Her groans of bleariness changed to a gasp of alarm. 

“Guys!”, she cried, pointing off the back of the saddle. Sokka crawled over to the spot next to her, gazing down behind them. Slicing through the waves came a wedge of three ships, Fire Nation Cruisers sailing at full speed. Appa managed to keep a respectable distance between them, but the flaming balls on their decks seemed to indicate that didn’t matter. 

Sure enough, the flaming orb on the first ship shot into the air, flying in an arc like the inverse of a snowball. Aang swerved Appa away from the path of the ball, it sailing past and splashing into the ocean. “Fireball!”, Katara called as the other two ships fired as well, Aang spurring Appa on to duck around the incoming paths. 

Sparks flew from one of the fireballs as it came close. Sokka snuffed it before the Bison’s fur could catch fire. 

“We gotta get out of here before they reload!”, Sokka called, considering his options. Aang had the reins of Appa, and he didn’t know if he could shoot his fire at the ships effectively. He felt the burning in his veins more powerfully than ever before, but that might be pressing it too far.

“Right”, Aang said, his voice far too halting and hesitant for Sokka’s liking. “But there’s a problem with that.” 

The Water Tribe siblings turned to the other side of the saddle, eyes going wide as what drew Aang’s attention. Emerging from the low clouds, a stretch of open ocean was broken up by twin lines of Fire Nation ships. There had to be dozens of them, the rows sailing in parallel to one another. Even from here, he could see the small blots of red that indicated the crews of those ships moving across the deck, no doubt readying weapons. 

“A Blockade!” He loved his sister, but sometimes she had a habit of stating the obvious.

Aang looked over his shoulder at the trio of pursuing ships, his eyes going wide. He cried in alarm, jerking Appa to the side and nearly throwing Katara and himself off the side. A bolt of ice like a spear shot past the beast, a rumble of alarm escaping Appa as well as the other three. Colonel Kuzon must be on one of those ships. 

“We can skirt the Blockade if we head north!”, Aang called as he swerved to avoid another dart.

Katara protested, replying, “There won’t be enough time! We’ll miss the Solstice.”

Sokka scowled, throwing a ball of fire to blunt the trajectory of another blast of ice. “I knew this was a bad idea”, he muttered. They couldn’t retreat, because they would have to skirt around those ships. Besides, if a previous Avatar wanted to reach out beyond the grave to talk to them, then it had to be important. “Well, I guess we’ll get through this together.” He pointed ahead, Aang whipping the reins in response. “Let’s run this Blockade!”

He almost immediately regretted his exclamation as a wall of Fireballs shot out of the line of ships, sailing like a net made of flame toward them. 

XXXXX

A burst of speed sent the Avatar’s Bison out of the range of Colonel Kuzon’s waterbending. Zhao scowled, not surprised that his pitiful bending proved ineffective but still upset by the lack of results. “Full speed ahead, Lieutenant”, Zhao snapped, a quick salute being received in response. “Reload!”

As the crew scrambled to reload the Catapults, the remaining ships of his taskforce opened fire. The beast swerved and ducked around the catapults, eventually sailing up into the clouds to escape the fusillade.

“Sir”, one of the crew, holding onto a Telescope, said. “Captain Dekku is asking for orders.”

“Keep shooting”, Zhao snarled. He was surrounded by incompetents and Colonial Swine! The crewman nodded, using a pair of flags to signal the order to the taskforce. 

Bolts of flame shot into the air, disappearing into the clouds. Just as Zhao feared his men might have failed again, figures began to fall out of the clouds. Zhao shoved the crewman on the telescope aside, looking into it. It was one of the Water Tribe savages, falling through the air like an icon knocked off a shrine.

Zhao grinned. That grin faded as he saw twin bursts of fire flare up from the flailing arms. At the same time, the beast flew under him, allowing the beast to catch the falling savage. “So much power”, Zhao murmured, his fist clenching. “Wasted on that mongrel.”

The beast fell towards the water, rising up swiftly as a final barrage fell upon the Avatar and his lackeys. Two fireballs came tantalizingly close to striking the Avatar. The boy himself sent a burst of air out, seeming to shatter it into dust. The savage sucked the fire from the other. The boy seemed to panic and wave it around, finally throwing it down towards the sea. The Avatar had escaped. 

“Permission to pursue, sir”, a voice drew him from his raging thoughts. Colonel Kuzon.

Zhao glared at the boy-Colonel, standing before him at perfect attention. He met the eyes behind the snarling mask, his gold boring into the bronze and blue of the half-breed Officer. “How!?”

Kuzon, to his credit, didn’t flinch. “I can move fast in water. I might be able to keep up with them.”

“Permission granted”, Zhao snarled. Instantly, the boy began to walk towards the railing of the boat, taking off and throwing pieces of his armor to his subordinate. By the time he had reached the boat, he was only in his underclothes, boots, and mask with his swords strapped to his back instead of his side. He dove off of the ship while Lieutenant Jee barked orders to the crew and sent signals to his taskforce. A dart of white water shot ahead of his flagship, slipping past the blockade and following after the slowly disappearing Avatar. 

Being forced to rely on this savage made Zhao’s blood boil. His best weapon against the Avatar was a bender of an inferior element and his pack of cowardly colonials. He hoped that the Firelord granted his request, if only so he could see this useless wastrel be reduced to being the insignificant trash he was. 

XXXXX

Sweat poured down Katara’s face as Appa landed in the small crater. Waves of heat flowed over them, delivering scouring whips of the raised temperature like arctic winds delivered waves of chill. Even Aang’s bald scalp glistened with perspiration, the Avatar having been able to weather the sweltering heat as they had gone through the earth kingdom better than her. 

Only her brother appeared unbothered by the sweltering heat. If anything, he looked excited, brimming with more energy than she’d ever seen him have. It made sense, she supposed; even if he didn’t have an ounce of Fire Nation blood in him, his bending would mean that he wouldn’t be bothered by the heat. 

“You did good, buddy”, Aang said, rubbing a hand under Appa’s chin. The bison lumbered, falling from its feet to wallow in the ashy ground.

“You must be exhausted”, Katara comforted, running her own fingers through its fur.

Sokka barked out a laugh. “Nah! I feel great! Like, better than I’ve ever felt!”

“I…” Katara paused. It was true. He was grinning, the pale light of the volcano above reflecting off his white teeth and his mismatched eyes. “I was talking to Appa, Sokka. But it’s great you’re feeling better.”

As Appa went to hide amongst the craters and crevasses of the island, the three of them emerged onto a stone path. It followed the curve of the island, ending at the towering temple on the far side. It was unlike anything she had seen thus far, angular and with a flaring roof like a hat. It was like a misshapen, diseased tooth rising out of the maw of a monster… That described the Fire Nation as a whole, come to think of it. 

Katara followed after Aang and Sokka, flicking an eye over her shoulder. The ocean shown beyond the black sand beach as far as the eye could see, flat and undisturbed. She knew that soon, though, Fire Nation ships would appear on that horizon and grow closer. Maybe the one with the Waterbender. 

She grit her teeth. She knew Sokka felt some pity for the Colonel, but all she could feel when she thought about him was bitterness. He was clearly just a weapon for the Fire Lord, one last mockery of the culture they had burned away. And yet, he was still a more accomplished bender than her. The monsters that took and took and took had taken this ‘Kuzon’ and thrown him back at them as a reminder of what they took. It hurt; it burned . 

She was so lost in her thoughts that she barely noticed the boys stop. She would have run into them without hearing Sokka’s gasp. “Hold up”, he said, wiggling his fingers. “I thought I heard something.”

“You did.”

Five figures stood between them and the main spiral staircase. They wore loose-fitting robes and strange, tall hats. They were all old, the youngest in his late fifties by Katara’s estimate. One, the oldest and with the longest beard by far, stepped forward. “We are the Fire Sages. Guardians of the Temple of the Avatar.”

Aang, oblivious to the grim expressions and wide stances, stepped around the nervous Katara and glaring Sokka. “That’s great. I’m the Avatar!”

“We know.” And with that, five simultaneous bolts of fire shot towards them. 

Sokka lept in front of Aang, holding out his hands. The blasts slammed into him, knocking him back and making his hands steam. “Sokka!”, Katara cried. Aang spun his staff, deflecting the second volley. Katara hoisted her brother to his feet, following Aang as he sprinted down into one of the halls. 

Sokka slowed, deflecting the pursuing fire and throwing his own to slow down the pursuing Sages. “Come on!”, Aang called after them, weaving through halls barren save for the golden inlay.

“Do you know where’ you’re going!”, Sokka called, following after them at a speed that surprised Katara. Her brother was always athletic, but he’d gotten winded easily in the tundra they called home. Now though? He really did look like he could take on all comers. 

“No!”, Aang replied. Typical. Even more typical, the next turn found them running head-first into a dead-end. “Wrong way!” As they turned, the youngest of the Fire Sages blocked their way out.

Sokka shuddered, flames welling up in one hand while he hefted his machete-club in the other. “Stay back!”

The Fire Sage held up his hands, his expression alarmed and movements placating. “I want to help.” He looked over his shoulder, apparently hearing the other Sages approaching. He brushed a lantern aside and shot flame into a small hole, the panel of wall sliding back to reveal a passage. “I can take you to Avatar Roku.”

Katara put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. He looked at her, his golden eye gleaming. Still, she kept her hand steady, and his fire faded. “Come quickly”, the Sage said, and they followed him inside. 

The door slammed shut behind them, Katara turning away as the rapidly moving footsteps passed. They were on a bridge of black stone, passing underneath the Temple. “My name is Shyu”, the Sage introduced himself. “Follow me.”

They followed after Shyu, Katara and Sokka taking turns to cast suspicious looks at the back of the Sage. “Why’d you help us?”, Katara eventually asked. 

Shyu sighed. “After the war started, the Fire Sages were forced to swear loyalty to the Firelord. My fellow servants, they serve him. But I never wanted to serve the Firelord. Generations of Sages before us have tended this Temple before Firelord Sozin, and I… I wished to serve the Avatar.”

They continued in silence, Katara feeling a bit better about following the Sage. He may be Fire Nation, but he wasn’t obsessed with kissing the boots of the Firelord and destroying everything. Maybe there were others like-No. Even if there weren’t it wouldn’t be enough to make up for what they did. 

Eventually, the underground passage came to an end at another paneled wall. Shyu pressed it open and it revealed a terrace of sorts. The staircase that must lead down to the entrance stood by one wall, while a massive pair of double doors stood in the center of the room. Some kind of strange apparatus was attached to the door, five draconic heads emerging from the door. “No”, Shyu said. “The sanctuary door is closed!”

“Can you open them with Firebending, like with the other door?”, Katara asked.

Shyu shook his head. “Only a fully realized Avatar alone can open the door. Otherwise, five blasts of fire are needed. And between us, there are only two Firebenders.”

“I…”, Sokka rubbed his chin, before his pensive face brightened. “I got it!” He reached into his pack, pulling out one of the flasks of oil they’d taken from the tribe. “Shyu lights this, then me and him shoot two blasts each. Boom! Firebending for four of them, fake firebending for the last!”

“This… might work”, Shyu admitted. Aang and Katara took a step back as Sokka wedged the flask into one of the dragon's heads. A piece of cord was lit by Shyu, him and Sokka sucking in deep breaths. She noticed Sokka subtly shift his stance to match Shyus. As the twine reached the sack, both of them punched off bolts of flame. 

As the smoke cleared, the door failed to budge. “No!”, Sokka cried. “I… It should have worked. I messed up.”

“No, boy”, Shyu said. “We got as close to perfect as it could have been. You are obviously untrained, but you have a good deal of control regardless. The flask just wasn’t the same as the real thing.”

The same as the real thing… “Sokka, maybe it didn’t have to.”

“What?”, all three of her companions questioned. Even Momo looked at her like she’d lost her mind. Boys .

“It didn’t work”, she said, pointing to the soot smeared around the rim of the dragon’s head. “But it looks like it did!”

The others caught on quickly. Soon, they all hid while Shyu prepared to further deceive and lie to his fellows. They’d even managed to get Momo to squeeze through the pipes. At Shyu’s call, the other Sages came running. Seeing Momo’s silhouette on the other side of the door, they all fired blasts of flame. The door opened, revealing the deception. 

Katara sprang on one of the Sages. A skilled firebender he might be, but the man was old and Katara got a good grip on his tunic. He tumbled to the ground, bony wrists held behind his back. Looking up, she saw that Shyu and Sokka had similarly incapacitated the other three sages. “Aang! Go!” 

Aang stepped around the pillar that had been his hiding place. Stepped out with his hands gripped behind his wrists and a sword around his neck. Said sword held in the hands of someone disturbingly familiar. He may lack the red armor and his grey uniform may be soaked to the bone. He even lacked his normal spikey helmet, revealing close-cut black hair done up in a military top-knot. But his swords looked the same as she’d seen on Kyoshi Island, and there was no mistaking that mocking blue mask. 

“The Avatar is coming with me”, Colonel Kuzon snapped. His voice was sounded like he’d inhaled too much smoke. He made towards the stairs as the Sage below her swung out a leg, throwing her off of him.

As the Sage tried to rise, she saw Aang blow out a puff of air. He shot out of Kuzon’s grip, darting towards the Sanctuary door. Two of the sages were attempting to close it, but Aang was fast enough. Katara saw Kuzon rise to his feet, sword fallen from his grip.

He reached for a flask of water slung over one shoulder, the water arcing out of it like an Eel-Viper emerging from the ice. It lashed out, the tendril shooting towards Aang. Katara lashed out, desperate to help her friend. By some miracle, she could feel the water that Kuzon controlled and pulled towards her. 

Only a bit of water responded to her call, Kuzon easily outclassing her. But it was enough for the whip to miss and for Aang to slip into the doors before they could close. Kuzon glared at her, and she couldn’t help but smile in triumph. Even as she was yanked back, chained against one of the pillars along with Sokka and Shyu, she kept glaring at Kuzon and grinning.

She’d won. She’d allowed Aang to get inside. She’d defied the Fire Nation and their slave Waterbender. That was all that mattered. 

XXXXX

If she hadn’t already been restrained, Zuko would have thrown her out of the window. As it was, he didn’t kill prisoners (Not again. After Saosaishi, never again), but he was still sorely tempted to do so.

This peasant. This savage had just cost him the easiest chance to grab the Avatar he might ever get! Zuko breathed in deeply, bringing the water back to his flask. It wouldn’t do him any good to lose his cool here. Besides, the Avatar was still stuck, unable to leave save through him.

He approached the Fire Sage chained up with the Water Tribe peasants. On the way, he retrieved his sword, placing it against the Sages neck. “Why did you help the Avatar?”

The man looked at Zuko solemnly, though not unafraid. He sometimes wondered what other people saw when they looked at him. At his mask. “It was the duty of the Fire Sages to serve the Avatar. It is still their duty.”

“Traitor”, Zuko snarled, pressing the blade in closer. The sage squirmed, the soft skin of his neck occasionally tapping against the blade. 

Before Zuko could decide if he would execute the sage, one of the savages spoke. “Like you’re one to talk.”

It was the boy. The Firebender. Zuko retracted his blade, stepping around the pillar to glare into the eyes of the boy. He was chained much like the Fire Sage, hands and wrists bound tightly to prevent bending. “What?”, Zuko said, his voice low and edging towards a growl. Had this peasent, this half-breed, just insulted his loyalty?

“I mean, you gotta be Tribe”, the boy said, his blue eye boring into him while the golden one flicked down to the blue garb the boy wore. “And yet, here you are. Doing the bidding of the Fire Nation. If anyone is a-”

Zuko slammed the pommel of his sword into his gut. “Don’t speak about what you don’t understand.” He glared at both the boy and what he presumed to be his betrothed (Why else would he find a Betrothal necklace where she obviously was?), and both of them glared back. 

How dare he!? He didn’t have an ounce of Water Tribe in him (How did he get his bending, then?); he was of pure Fire Nation blood. More than pure! He was of the Royal Family (His mother wasn’t; did she have Tribal blood?), the scions of the Fire Nation. How dare this savage assume he wasn’t Fire Nation. As if he were one to talk, his own traces of Fire Nation blood obvious. 

He was drawn from his seething thoughts by the pounding of boots on stairs. Several of his men sprang up onto their floor. Commander Zhao followed up shortly after, his smug smirk tolerable as it was directed at the stunned faces of the Water Tribe. 

Zuko bowed as Zhao approached. “Commander. The Avatar is inside.”

“You failed”

Zuko blinked. No, no no. Not here. He swallowed, refusing to allow his throat to close at a time like this. “He has no way out”, was all he could manage. 

“Indeed”, Zhao said. He ordered Zuko’s men to form a wall at the entrance to the chambers, ready to fire a gout of flame whenever the Avatar emerged. The ambush ready, Zhao turned his attention to the Water Tribe. “Surprised to see me?”

“A little”, the girl admitted. “Considering how bad Aang kicked your butt.”

“A minor setback”, Zhao snapped. “But now, I have not only the Avatar, but a rogue Firebender and the last Waterbender of the South.”

“Rogue?”, the boy snapped. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’m Water Tribe, buddy! I never was with you guys, so I never betrayed you. Ergo, not rogue!” Both Zhao and Zuko just looked at the boy’s smug grin; Zuko in mild astonishment, Zhao in barely concealed rage.

Zhao clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes boring into the boys. “You’re right. If you were raised properly, amongst your kind… Well, you might have learned some manners.” Zhao was seconds away from setting the boy on fire, and Zuko looked away. He couldn’t watch the boy be burned, even if he was annoying and a disgrace to the Fire Nation and… a Firebender. 

Why did he get to be one, when Zuko had been cursed with being a Waterbender? He was a Prince of the Fire Nation. He should have been a Firebender, and perhaps the savage should have been the Waterbender… Maybe then Father would have loved him.

A bright light and the crack of unseen thunder came from the sanctuary. Fortunately, Zhao hadn’t touched the boy, instead backing away to join the line of 41st Battalion Firebenders. “On my mark”, Zhao called. The soldiers tensed, coiled like springs ready to bounce outward. It was always like that before a mission, that nervous anticipation. 

Finally, the doors flung open. The cascade of fire that followed engulfed the entranceway in a nearly blinding display. When it fell, however, it did not reveal the Avatar’s charred body or even the Avatar himself. Well, in a way, it did. Instead of the tiny, bald Airbender, the spectral form of Avatar Roku stood before the assembled soldiers and sages. 

The Avatar’s expression was one of inhuman rage, which grew even deeper as a second attack was launched against him. The image raised one hand, blocking the blasts, while the ground began to shake as he raised the other. Zhao and the Sages scrambled back. 

Zuko lashed out with twin whips of compressed water, hoping to buy time for at least his men to run. They couldn’t stop this thing, this spiritual wrath that descended upon them. He could only hope to buy time.

His attacks sailed harmlessly through the form of the Traitor Avatar. He tried again and again, but each time they just missed. Roku’s expression fell on him, and Zuko froze. It was like in his first battle, where he just froze. Roku’s visage seemed to… soften, changing from uncontrolled rage to something almost resembling disappointment. What? Zuko couldn’t comprehend the change before he was thrown back, slamming against a pillar so hard that his head swam. 

His vision seemed to blur, even when someone grabbed his arms. Even though the blurs were orange and yellow and blue, it had to be his men. Who else would begin carrying him towards one of the windows, dragging him along with them in their attempt to escape the shaking of the world and the blistering heat that accompanied it? Finally, they reached an opening where they stopped. He tried to rise, to help them find an escape, when something came to land in front of them. 

When did my men get a flying Bison? , was the last thought he had before everything went fully black.

Chapter Text

Aang stole a look over his shoulder as the tower finally collapsed. It broke in half, snapping like a twig as it fell into the outpouring lava. Soon, the whole structure was consumed; if not physically by the blazing magma, then from view by the billowing smoke. Soon, the smoke and the island had grown smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared. 

“Everyone ok?”, Katara asked, panting like an overheated dog. 

Aang simply nodded, flicking his reins as Appa rose up above the clouds. He… he couldn’t think of anything else except what Avatar Roku had shown him within the temple’s inner sanctum. Sozin’s Comet, and the devastation that would surely follow its arrival.

“Hey Aang?”, Sokka piped up. When Aang twisted around on Appa’s head to look back at the saddle, he saw that Sokka had drawn his machete-club and held it poised over the unconscious form of Colonel Kuzon. “Why’d we bring this guy?”

The sun had begun to shrink below the horizon as they began to head back towards the Earth Kingdom. In the darkening sky, Kuzon’s demonic mask appeared all the creepier. He’d been dumped in such a way that his head had lulled to the side, gazing at Aang with unseeing, pitch-black eyes. Aang shuddered, before turning back to gaze ahead.

“I couldn’t leave him there”, Aang said finally. “I… I couldn’t just leave him to die. A-and when I was merged with the spirit of Avatar Roku… He… he felt familiar in some way. Like-like I knew him.”

“Rightttt”, Sokka said, shuffling around the unconscious officer to reach into one of the packs. After a bit of searching, he emerged with a length of rope. “Well, better safe than sorry.” 

Soon, Kuzon had been trussed up like a Sheep-Hog, his swords and flasks removed and placed by the head of Appa. As Sokka did so, Katara came up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What… what did Avatar Roku want to tell you?”

Aang bit his cheek to prevent himself from crying out. Even with everything, he just couldn’t get the words out. It was… it was so much. By next summer, the Fire Nation would be in a position to burn down… everything. It was how they had destroyed his people, killed everyone he had ever known before being awakened by Katara and Sokka. Who knows what else they would use the power of the Comet to do?

Aang stiffened as he felt Katara wrap her arms around him. A second later, Sokka did the same. The three of them just sat there, silence reigning save for the whipping of the wind. They remained like that until they reached the shores of the Earth Kingdom. After setting up camp and Katara getting started on dinner, Aang told them. 

XXXXX

“That’s…”, Katara said, slow and horrified. “That’s crazy.”

“It fits”, Sokka snarled. Of course, that would be just like the Fire Nation, isn’t it? They can’t just content themselves with burning down half the Earth Kingdom, wiping out the Air Nomads and nearly destroying the Southern Water Tribe. They had to use some crazy, Spirit-powered Comet in order to set EVEN MORE stuff on fire. 

Aang shook his head. “It wasn’t like that. 100 years ago, the Fire Nation was like everyone else! They were a bit full of themselves, yeah, but they were passionate and driven, and…” The boy petered off, looking past the campfire to their prisoner. 

After they’d landed, Sokka had been more thorough in securing Kuzon. In addition to the bound hands, he’d used some extra rope to tie him to a tree. Afterward, he’d grown curious and, with the Colonel unable to resist or protest, had taken off his helmet. 

All three of them were stunned by what they’d found underneath. Sure, he was short and he and Katara had theorized he was about their age, but to see it was another thing. His black-brown hair, a similar shade to his own, was cut short and done up in a top-knot like other Officers they’d encountered. 

What was most startling, however, was his scar. It was a massive burn, covering the left side of his face. Some of his hair covered just how big it was, running from his hairline down to his cheek and from his ear to his eye. It was a bright red and horribly textured, like shredded meat. It was so horrible, and so obviously from a Firebender, Sokka wondered how this guy could still work for the Fire Nation. 

“So, now what?”, Aang asked. Sokka turned away from the unconscious captive and back towards the Avatar. He didn’t see the Avatar when he looked at Aang. He saw a kid. A sad, terrified kid, and he hated it. He hated a lot of things, come to think of it. 

Sokka gave it a brief thought, before shrugging. “I don’t see why things have to change. We still go north and find you a Waterbending teacher. I mean, maybe we can convince Kuzon here to, but otherwise-”

A groan. Sokka drew his boomerang, before realizing it was the stirring of their captive. Kuzon looked up from his sitting position, his amber-and-blue flecked eyes hazy and shifting around in confusion. He tugged on the ropes, his gaze turning back to them as Aang sprang up and raced in front of him. “Hey. Are you feeling ok?”

Kuzon blinked, shaking his head slightly. Finally, his good eye focused on Aang, and his face twisted into a scowl. “If you’re going to kill me, let me die on my feet.”

What?

XXXXX

Zuko glared at his captors, gritting his teeth as he surveyed the three of them. The three children. An untrained Waterbender, a barely-competent Firebender, and a literal child. And they’d captured him. The Spirits must have a strange sense of humor. 

The child looked like he’d been struck by Zuko’s statement. “W-why would we kill you?”

“I’m not going to tell you anything”, Zuko snarled.

The girl huffed, shooting her own glare at him. “So, what? You think you’re the type to just… just kill our enemies? We’re not you.”

“Then why am I here? You having me won’t get Zhao off your backs, and again, I’ll be telling you nothing.”

The question seemed to linger amongst them for several seconds. Zuko used the moment to scan the campsite they had created. A simple camp-fire, a few small one-person tents arrayed around the side opposite him. The Sky-Bison the Avatar rode was asleep beneath a large tree, the saddle and sacks attached to it rising up above the thing's head. They traveled light and could pack up quickly. Good to know for the future.

If he got out. He still didn’t understand them taking him with them. Obviously, he was their prisoner, so they must want something from him. That was the whole point of prisoners; you get something useful out of them, whether information or labor or something along those lines. 

That must be it. They wanted him to teach the Avatar Waterbending. Now he definitely wasn’t helping them. He also had to find a way out as soon as possible, lest they figure that out and decide to get rid of him.

“You… the other’s left you behind. I couldn’t leave you to die at the Temple”, the Avatar finally said. He sat down cross-legged across from Zuko, gazing into his eyes. “Besides, you didn’t have your soldiers relight the fires on Kyoshi Island or anything like that. You don’t seem that bad.”

“Of course”, Zuko said. “You’re my objective.” Spending the time to set the village back on fire after the Avatar had doused them would waste time and effort. Besides… he didn’t lead that kind of unit.

“Objective?”, the boy asked. His one golden eye caught the firelight, seeming to dance in his face.

Zuko considered if what he was telling them was information they could use in some way. They knew they were being chased, however, so it was probably fine to tell them. “The Fire Lord himself tasked my battalion with capturing the Avatar.”

“So, what?”, the girl snarled. “You’re his good little Attack Polar-Dog?” If there was ever a time he wished he could firebend, it was then. He wanted to spit flames at this girl who dared call him a dog of any kind. Once again, curse his bending, he didn’t have any water to send at the girl. “His Water Tribe slave he can use to cause even more harm?”

He settled for yelling at her. Yelling always made him feel better. “How dare you! You have no idea what you are talking about! I am no slave; I am a proud soldier of the Fire Nation! Who are you to speak like that to me, you untrained peasant!?”

The girl’s eyebrows twitched, a look of murder overcoming her. She reached for a knife on her betrothed’s belt, though the Avatar stood between them. “Stop it!” He took a deep breath, rising to his full height and leaning on his staff. “I think we’re all a bit tired and stressed from… certain events today. Why don’t we get some sleep?” He looked down at Zuko, his eyes… strange in how they looked at him. It reminded him of the way that the manifestation of Roku had looked at him, like he were an errant schoolboy. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”

Zuko didn’t dignify the Avatar with a reply. He shifted his weight, trying to find an angle where the bark didn’t dig into his back as much and his legs didn’t feel as numb. With final looks from the Avatar and his Tribal lackeys, they returned to their side of the campfire and settled into their tents. 

He couldn’t believe his luck. None of them were even watching him! It would take a bit, but he had no doubt he could break free from his bonds and escape before any of them would notice. From there, he could find a Fire Nation outpost or settlement and commandeer the garrison to capture the Avatar. Failing that, he could be returned to his unit, at the very least. 

He pushed out with his legs, attempting to raise himself up. The branch was low on the tree, almost the perfect height for them to have bound him to. Still, with a bit of-

-A low, rumbling growl. Zuko tore his eyes away from bound hands towards the encroaching darkness around the slowly dwindling fire. Finally, his eyes fell on the Sky Bison, its head raised and eyes locked squarely with Zuko’s. Big, expressive, and glaring. It appeared Zuko wouldn’t be going anywhere. At least tonight.

Chapter Text

Katara let out a sigh when Kuzon seemed to fall asleep. She’d been watching him over the slowly dying fire after Appa had growled at him. The Sky Bison himself had fallen asleep long ago, deep snoring providing a comforting rhythm that tried to coax her into sleep.

Until the other Waterbender nodded off, however, she refused to let it. She kept her eyes locked on him, fingers clenched around one of the flasks they had taken off of Kuzon after capturing him. If he noticed her observing him, he didn’t let on. Instead, he seemed to just sit and breathe, eventually slumping against the tree and falling asleep.

Before she could fall asleep herself, however, she heard the shifting of her brother’s bedroll. As he shimmied over to lay next to her, Sokka asked, “What’s your problem with Kuzon? I mean, it was your idea that he might be able to help us, remember?”

Katara did remember from their talk back in Omashu. And it was true, she had thought that about him, only having briefly seen him on Kyoshi Island. But, after the rig and some more thought, those careful thoughts had turned poisonous.

“I… He’s a Waterbender. A good one”, she said, softly and deliberately. “And yet, he’s so… Fire Nation. It’s like it’s mocking me; the Fire Nation taking something from us and throwing it back at us all wrong.”

“We’re gonna find you a teacher”, Sokka said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “If it ain’t this guy, then at the North Pole. Then, you can show the Fire Nation what a real Water Tribe Waterbender can do.” He smiled, and Katara smiled back before sleep finally took hold. 

XXXXX

( It’s dark. Clouds blanket the sky, covering up the dim stars and the new moon. It’s so dark, and Zuko can barely see. The only thing visible is torches and firebending, and the gleam of weapons reflecting their light.

They come out of that darkness. Men in wide-brimmed helmets and carrying warhammers. Earthbenders and Nonbenders, some of Omashu’s elite troops. They carve into the soldiers around him, laughing and howling like demons as they slaughter his men. Zuko wants to help, wants to lash out and protect his people. But he can’t move. He’s stuck in place, and he can’t move, and blood is pooling around his feet like snow, and-

And a figure that looks so much like him emerges from the darkness. So much like him, save scarless and with orbs of molten gold instead of eyes. “You shall learn respect”, the faceless image of his Father says, gesturing to the carnage around him. “And suffering shall be your teacher.” Twin fireballs form in each hand, and they come towards Zuko, and-)

Zuko awoke with a start, slamming his head into something. He groaned, wondering what was behind his cot that he’d hit his head on when he realized his arms were bound and he’d hit a tree. He remembered his captivity. 

“Hey, you ok?”, a voice asked. Looking up, he saw the firebender, who was wide awake and piling wood into a firepit. “That looked like it hurt.”

“I’m fine”, Zuko snapped, wincing as his head throbbed. “I’ve had worse.”

The firebender looked at him, and Zuko took the time to study him closely. Overall, he resembled the girl who had to be his fiance; Brownish skin, blue clothes, coarse hair, and a somewhat compact physique. However, he had some showings of his Fire Nation blood on him. In this case, it was a darker brown for his hair and one eye was a stark, almost blinding gold.

“What are you doing up, anyway?”, the boy asked. “I mean, I can’t stay asleep after the sun comes up, but Katara is the furthest thing from a morning person that I know.”

Zuko snorted. “A good chunk of my battalion are Firebenders. Grew up around them too. Most people in the Fire Nation are used to waking up early, even the non-benders.”

“Geez”, the boy replied, throwing a small fireball onto the wood pile. “That, uh… Yeah, that makes sense.”

Silence reigned for a few seconds, the two boys studying one another. Eventually, something that the boy had said came back to him, and his curiosity ate away at him. “Who’s Katara?”

“Oh, my sister”, the boy said, flicking his head at the girl. “I’m Sokka, by the way. We already know who you are, obviously.”

“Your sister?”, Zuko asked.

Sokka nodded, poking the fire with a stick and taking a swig from a waterskin. “Yeah. Why, who’d you think she was?”

“Your fiance or wife or something.”

The boy spewed his drink over the fire, dousing some of the flames. At the same time, smoke and small streams of fire shot out of his nose and the corners of his mouth. “My what!?”

“I’m guessing it’s her necklace that I found on the Prison Rig, so-”

“You have my necklace!?”

The others had been awoken by the savages squawking. Great. As if this couldn’t get any worse. The waterbender, Katara, practically threw herself out of her sleeping bag, a look of bloody murder on her face.

“You were the one who left it behind!”, Zuko snapped, glaring at her. “What, would you prefer I left it there? Threw it into the ocean?”

“Bigger question”, Sokka butted in, holding Katara back as he glared at Zuko. “Why did it make you think we were engaged?”

Both the Avatar and Katara seemed to stop and shudder at the idea. Zuko sighed, wondering if this was a trait common to the Water Tribes, or if they were this spastic because they were kids. “It’s a Bethrothal Necklace”, he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s given by men to women to ask for their hand in marriage. This is your culture; you should know this!”

“The Fire Nation destroyed so much of it!”, Katara spat. “The people you work for destroyed it, so we didn’t know!”

Zuko met her glare with one of his own. He would not be intimidated by this savage. Before he could utter a retort, the Avatar got between them, holding up both hands in a sign of peace.

“Why don’t we all calm down?”, he asked. “We can get started on breakfast, and then we can talk.” He looked between the two groups, looking for some sign of acquiescence. It came from the Water Tribe siblings in the form of a pair of short, clipped nods. When looking at Zuko, he simply nodded as well. “Good.”

The next few minutes were a relatively calm affair. Not necessarily silent, as the strange monkey the Avatar kept skittered through their camp, and the three children were seemingly incapable of shutting up. They talked as loudly and so often it reminded Zuko of the encampment for a whole section as opposed to three people.

Children. Children had beaten him. The might of the Fire Nation navy and one of its Elite formations had been out-maneuvered and, in some cases, outfought, by children. He sighed and hung his head in shame. Father would never restore his honor to him now.

“Are you ok?”, the Avatar asked. Looking up, he saw the boy standing in front of him, a skewer of meat and mushrooms in held in front of him. “You’re hungry, right? I mean, you eat meat, right?”

“Of course I do”, Zuko snapped. “Who doesn’t?” 

The boy gave him a guilty look, before holding the skewer closer to Zuko’s mouth. Zuko just glared at the child, who looked back. He seemed more upset by the meat than Zuko not eating. “I’m not going to eat out of your hand like a pet.”

Katara muttered something Zuko was almost certain was referring to him as one. Zuko turned his glower at her, especially as the Avatar returned to the fire and passed the skewer to Sokka. “Hey, Kuzon?”

“What is it, Avatar?”

“The funny thing is, you share the same name as a friend I had, 100 years ago.” The Avatar had been gone for 100 years? Where? How did he get free? “Back then, I had friends from every nation. Kuzon and I got into so much trouble together.” He looked at Zuko, a melancholy Zuko had only seen in old veterans twinkling in his too-young eyes. “If we had met back then, could we have been friends?”

Zuko stared at the child. The Avatar. “I… What does that matter?”, Zuko snarled, seemingly shocking the boy. “You’re a threat to the Fire Nation now. And, as an Officer in the Firelord's army, I’m duty-bound to capture you.” The boy looked away, dejected, while the two tribals glared at him.

Whatever. It was no skin off of his back what they thought of him. Only what they did with him. “Is this part of the interrogation? Like I said, I’ll tell you nothing!”

XXXXX

Aang didn’t reply. He stared into the suspicious eyes of the man - no, the teenager - who shared his old friend’s face, and saw something he didn’t recognize. Not just that his eyes, bronze with tiny spots of blue, were unlike any he’d seen before. But also that, emphasized by the glare his scar gave him, he appeared to be so full of hate. 

Hate was something that Monk Gyatso had warned him about specifically. He said that hate was the most addictive of all emotions but it was also the most destructive. It made people act irrationally, uncompromising, and… just plain mean. And that glare made those old, half-remembered lessons echo all the louder in his mind. 

“Give it a rest, Aang”, Katara said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Come on. I’ll make a quick breakfast, and we can get a move on.”

“Ok, Katara”, Aang said, trying and failing to put a bit of positiveness into his voice.

He just didn’t get it. Kuzon was a Waterbender, not a Firebender. So why was he fighting for the Fire Nation? Why was he like this? The Fire Nation had become evil, apparently, but was that enough to make other people evil? Was that just what war did to people? 

He had so many questions, and not for the first time, he wished that Monk Gyatso was here. He would know; he seemingly knew everything. 

Silence reigned across the campsite as they prepared to leave. Sokka took down the tents while Katara cooked a quick meal of fried vegetables. Kuzon just stared at them, his good eye focused specifically on Sokka. Most of his expressions looked the same, but this one looked different. Envious, maybe?

After passing out portions, the three ate, still in silence. Soon after, Katara bent water through the bowls to clean them, packing them away as Sokka yanked Kuzon off of the tree. The Colonel tried to fight back, but his bound hands and clear exhaustion meant that Sokka could overpower him easily.

With a bit of grumbling and much resistance, Kuzon was thrown onto the back of Appa. Soon, they were in the air, continuing their journey to the north.

Chapter Text

Sokka watched Aang pace back and forth across the back of Appa, still idly rolling a small ball of fire between his hands. “What exactly is eating you?”, he asked. 

“Yeah”, Katara said, giving Aang a small smile while keeping Kuzon firmly in her peripheral vision. The captive Waterbender just glared back, sitting against one of the packs and apparently trying to keep from getting sick. “If we hit a bump, you’ll go flying off. What are you thinking about?”

“It’s what Avatar Roku said”, Aang replied, throwing up his hands and looking between the Water Tribe siblings nervously. “I’m supposed to master all of the elements before the Firelord does… whatever it is he’s gonna do when the Comet comes!”

All eyes, subconsciously, went to Kuzon. He, in turn, blinked in surprise, before scowling. Man, he was good at those. “What?”

“Hey, buddy-”

“Not your buddy, Savage.”

Sokka ignored the jibe and Katara’s withering glare. “-You wouldn’t happen to know what the Firelord is gonna do with that big, firebending-enhancing comet when it comes around, eh?”

“I’ve been to one Grand War meeting in my life”, Kuzon said, barely able to keep something out of his voice. Trepidation… fear? “The 41st is a specialized unit; we’re used for tactical objectives, not strategic maneuvers. Besides, if you can’t figure out any obvious targets that Sozin’s Comet would be used to support, you’re more doomed than you think.”

Sokka could, in fact, think about what would be the most likely targets of any kind of extra-evil superpowered assault. Omashu, Ba Sing Se; maybe even the Northern Water Tribe. But, well, hearing the claims wasn’t exactly comforting. 

Especially not for Aang, who only looked more freaked out at the comment. “What am I gonna do? We’re still weeks from the North Pole, and I don’t even know where to start when it comes to Waterbending!”

“Aang, it’s ok”, Katara said, placing a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “We can find a place with a lot of water nearby, and I’ll teach you what I know.”

“Right. Thanks, Katara”, Aang said, leaning into the touch like a flower turning towards the sun. 

Sokka was briefly disturbed when his own deadpan expression matched that of Kuzon’s. However, he just smirked and elbowed the captive, turning said expression onto himself. “I mean, unless Colonel Scarface wants to give you guys some pointers.”

“I’ve already shamed myself by being captured”, Kuzon snapped. “I won’t make it worse by committing treason.”

“Fine”, Katara snapped, shooting the Colonel a look. He shot one back, and soon the two waterbenders were engaged in a fierce staring contest. 

One that Sokka, naturally, had to break up. “Alright, that’s enough you two.” At Katara’s outraged look, he patted Kuzon on the shoulder. “Mostly you. Now, how about we find you two a puddle to splash in, eh?”

XXXXX

Sokka had to admit, it was a pretty nice puddle. 

While Katara wrangled Aang into practice, Sokka took the time to secure Kuzon to another tree. He still struggled, but didn’t put up as much of a fight as Sokka would have expected. “Aww… all tuckered out?”

If looks could kill, Kuzon would have burned him to ashes. Sokka sighed, leaning back against a rock while watching him. Between the waterbending his sister and friend were performing by the river bank and Appa wallowing downriver of them, there was a small web of silence between the two of them. 

Kuzon eventually sucked in a breath, leaning against the trunk and closing his eyes. He began to breathe deeply, in and out repeatedly. “Hey, what are you doing?”

Again, that ‘I-want-to-kill-you-violently’ expression, though he didn’t open his eyes. “Meditating.”

“Oh”, Sokka replied, watching him. It looked really boring and kinda pointless.

Kuzon’s eyes shot open. Oh crap, he must’ve said that out loud. “Aren’t you a firebender?”

“I mean, yeah?”, Sokka replied. He willed fire to appear in his hand, the small flame flickering in the afternoon breeze. “Obviously. Why? Jealous?”

Sokka smirked at Kuzon’s glare. Man, that guy had scowling down to a science, didn’t he? “You-” He let out a ragged sigh; if Kuzon were a firebender, Sokka imagined a jet of flame would’ve shot out of his mouth or something. “Of course you’re untrained too.”

“Hey!” It was Sokka’s turn to scowl. He stood and glared at Kuzon, waving the hand holding the small flame as the other gestured at the captive Colonel. “I’m pretty damned good! I’ll have you know I have quite good control over this little puppy.”

Kuzon glared at him, before his mouth inverted into a sardonic grin. “You’re shirt’s on fire.”

Sokka blinked, before looking down at his clothes. Sure enough, a patch of his shirt had caught fire and was gently smoldering. Well, not so gently, as the pain of the exposed flame seemed to catch up with him as he became aware of his mistake. He yelped in alarm, tuning out Kuzon’s laugh as he dove into the river. 

Aang and Katara looked up from whatever practice they were doing to watch him emerge, smoke rising from his shoulder. Aang looked shocked, while Katara’s expression of sympathy was only barely able to suppress the frustrated glower that echoed on her face. “Are you ok, Sokka?”

He nodded to his sister, standing up and brushing his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m fine sis”, he replied. “Just tripped while getting something from Appa.”

They went back to their practice, and Sokka took a deep breath. He let it out and took another one, going through the breathing exercise that Gran-Gran had taught him just after the emergence of his bending. Slowly, he felt the flame being smothered and falling back under his control, until he felt safe enough to climb up to Appa. 

That wasn’t to say he was fine; he absolutely wasn’t. He hadn’t burned himself in years! He thought he’d had more control than that, more ability to smother the fire before it grew too powerful. What was going on with him?

He looked through the stuff on the back of Appa, taking inventory of their food and some of the extra supplies that they had accumulated. The sack of Earth Kingdom money that King Bumi had given them was almost empty, but there should be enough to buy a bit of food when they reached the next town.

Eventually, as he was rooting through one of the satchels, he found Kuzon’s gear. The twin swords and the masked helmet. He pulled the two of them out, taking particular notice of the helmet and the dark blue, snarling mask embedded into the red-painted steel.

Why was he wearing this mask? Some sort of subconscious draw to his native element, because of the coloration? Was it the only thing they had of their original heritage before the Fire Nation sunk their claws into him? It did kind of remind him of some stories about water demons Gran-Gran and his Mom told him, but-

He was pulled from that thought, quite literally, by the massive wave Aang sent sweeping into him and Appa. 

XXXXX

The sky bison looked up, briefly, and stared in the direction that the Avatar and his companions had walked. It seemed to consider something, before groaning and laying down to continue its watch over him. 

Zuko glared back, not really having anything better to do. Well, if he were free, he’d be looking for his swords and his mask. However, bound to a tree and with the massive beast looking intently at him, he could do nothing but seeth.

If the Avatar had broken his mask, then he’d make it hurt before he turned him over to Father. His swords would be fine, but the mask was made of wood instead of good-quality steel. It might’ve even cracked from the fall, and if that were the case…

He didn’t know how much time had passed before the thing looked up again. It was almost like it was hearing something, though nothing loud enough for Zuko to hear. It probably had better hearing than him, being adapted to flying at such high altitudes. It continued to look in that direction, finally standing. It shot one last, warning look at Zuko, as if daring him to escape, before taking to the air. 

Almost as soon as it disappeared from sight, Zuko began to tug at his bonds. He wasn’t about to waste time when the perfect opportunity had fallen into his lap. The firebender wasn’t that good at tying knots, though it was tight enough to hold his hands in place. If he could just wedge it open-

He caught the knot on one of the smaller branches, wiggling it into the small gap between the strands of rope. Finally, the jutting branch went in and loosened the rope. Enough wiggle room was granted so that he could call some of the water to him. With a swift flick of his wrist, the water sliced through the robe, and he was free. 

He sprang to the bank, stopping only to enter a proper stance. He whipped his arms around himself, forcing the water to part around the center of the river. As he’d hoped, his sheathed swords and helmet were resting on the bottom of the riverbed, too heavy to float away with the rest of the Avatar’s supplies. 

He quickly grabbed them, tying the swords around his belt and placing the comforting weight of his helmet back on his head. With nothing else to keep him there, he sprinted into the treeline, aiming to get as far away as possible before the Avatar returned. 

XXXXX

Despite claims to the contrary from her brother, Katara could admit when she had messed up. She was only human, after all. And this whole situation was all her fault. 

Finding the Waterbending scroll onboard the Pirate Ship had been the catalyst, though her desire to improve had grown even more after training Aang. As if it weren’t bad enough that Kuzon was a superior bender, Aang picking up what had taken her months to get right in a few minutes had been the final straw. 

When the captain told them that the scroll was being saved for a “Certain Fire Nation Colonel”, Katara knew she had to take it. They had stolen it first, so she was only taking it back. Besides, they had Kuzon as their prisoner, so it was technically going to the right person. Just without paying. 

Of course, after Appa saved them from the pursuing Pirates, they realized that Kuzon had escaped. And it had just gone downhill from there: Aang still mastered the waterwhip faster than her, and when she tried to practice independently, the Pirates had taken her prisoner. 

Now, tied to a tree and watching her brother and Aang emerge from the trees, she felt ashamed. If she had thought ahead just a bit, they wouldn’t be in this situation.

“Do you have my scroll?”, the Captain barked. 

Sokka nodded, holding the scroll up. “Let her go first.”

“You stole from me, boy”, the Captain barked, earning cries of ascent from the members of his crew that had gathered around him. “Return the scroll to me, and then I’ll let her go. Try anything and, well…” Katara couldn’t see his face, but could picture the cruel sneer as one of the Pirates placed a dagger to her throat. 

Aang snarled and tried to rush forward, but Sokka blocked him with one arm. “Alright.” He tossed the scroll into the air, flipping end over end before being snatched from the air by one of the Pirates. “Now let her go.”

“You know, it’s the darndest thing”, the Captain said. 

The Pirate that held the dagger to her neck dragged the flat of the blade against her neck. She shivered, while a piece of paper was held in front of her in the Pirates' other hand. “You happen to have an uncanny resemblance to a certain Avatar, little boy.”

Around them, more Pirates emerged. Katara thought there was more last night, but now that was confirmed as the shabbily dressed but well-armed vagabonds surrounded the two boys. “So. You come up here and take your friend's place, little Monk. Then we’ll let the two Water Tribe go.”

“I’m so sorry”, Katara cut in. “This is all my fault.”

“It’s ok, Katara”, Aang said, holding up his hands and taking a few shuffling steps forward. “It’s ok.”

“Tick-tock, tick-tock”, the Captain said. 

Aang appeared that he might go on with giving himself up to the Pirates. However, Sokka apparently had other ideas, yelling, “Get down!” Aang fell forward, collapsing to the ground as a stream of fire shot over his head. Katara yelped in surprise as the flames shot past the Pirates, who were sent scrambling out of the way.

As the Pirates either pulled themselves out of their shock or flung themselves into the river to put out their blazing clothes, Aang sprang forward. In a blur, he was at her side, rapidly untieing the ropes that bound her. He yelped and ducked, and suddenly she was free.

She lurched forward, grabbing her aching wrists, just as the Captain pulled his sword free of the tree where it had sliced the ropes holding her. As Aang flitted off, grabbing his whistle to call Appa, the Captain glowered at her. “You’ve caused me so much damn trouble, girl.”

As he lunged at her, she recalled the water whip. The move and the steps needed to pull it off properly. More than that, however, she thought back to the Fire Temple, where she had pulled the water from Kuzon’s whip. She remembered how he moved, the flow of his steps, and how his arms moved. It was different from the scroll, but the way it moved was what she tried to channel.

With a flourish, she pulled water from the river and pulled it to her. She ducked out of the way of a wild slash, flinging the water forward with the deft flick of her wrist. The whip slammed into the Captain’s chest, sending him flying back into the tree. 

“Katara, you did it!” Aang beamed at her, before yelping and ducking out of the way of another Pirate’s axe. 

Sokka kicked a Pirate in the shin, throwing a burst of fire into another one’s hair. “Great! Now get Appa here, there are too many of them!” Almost as soon as he finished, the Sky Bison landed behind him. “That works!”

Before running towards Appa, Katara rushed over to the downed Captain. She yanked the scroll from his jacket, commenting, “Thanks for the trade!” before running towards her friends. As the bison took the sky, Sokka reached down and grabbed Katara’s forearm. She was pulled aboard as they cleared the canopy, leaving the Pirates behind them.

Chapter Text

Jet’s almost as surprised as the platoon of Ashmakers when the trio walks right into the middle of their camp. As the two groups spring into action, Jet takes the time to scan the newcomers. Kids, the oldest about his age and the youngest maybe 12? They aren’t dressed like Earth Kingdom kids, and judging by their bending, they aren’t. The girl shoots out tendrils of water, the guy who looks like her brother waves around a machete, and the kid…

He sends one of the soldiers flying back while scrambling away from spears and flames. Jet had obviously heard about the return of the Avatar. Who hadn’t? Hundreds of Ashmakers, including some trumped-up pack of colonial traitors, were hunting for him. As the platoon surrounded the Avatar and his companions, Jet cupped his hands and sounded the signal to attack. 

Jet was still young and all of his Freedom Fighters were younger than him, but that didn’t mean that they were unskilled. Longshot fires pinpoint shots against the firebenders, disabling them quickly while the rest drop from the trees. Pipsqueak and The Duke dive into the large mass of the camp, while he and Smellerbee pick off the stragglers near the Avatar.

Ashmakers weren’t that tough; at least not when caught off-guard. Jet swung his hook-swords at the nearest Ashmaker, the soldier barely able to hold him off with his spear. Catching the head of the weapon, he swung the spear out of the soldiers hand and kicked him back. He ducked a wild swing from another, ramming his bladed guards into the Ashmaker’s face. 

One approached the Avatar’s companion, who raised his machete to counter the spear. Jet, however, had a wide opening and took it. He dove onto the mans back, slamming him into the ground and sending the soldier sprawling. “Hey!”, the blue-clad kid yelled. “I had him!”

“Gotta be quicker next time!”, Jet replied, flashing him his signature smirk before launching back into the fight.

Soon, the Ashmakers were routed. Like all monsters, they ran when met with righteous fury. They grabbed their wounded and those knocked out, fleeing and abandoning their camp. The camp filled with abandoned weapons, barrels, sacks and other supplies no doubt useful to keep up the good fight. 

“That was so cool!”, the Avatar cried as he approached. Outside of combat, Jet was able to get a better look at them. 

The Avatar was dressed in orange and yellow, loose-fitting and in a style he didn’t recognize. Of course, him being an Airbender, that would make sense. There were no other Airbenders, and if there were, they wouldn’t want to be seen to be Airbenders. Just another crime the Fire Nation was going to bleed for. 

The girl was between himself and the Avatar in terms of age. She was… certainly attractive with her dark skin, flowing brown hair done up in an exotic style, and flowing dress. The way she was able to manipulate water against the Firebenders was also impressive, which only made her all the more alluring. Besides his (and from her blush, hers as well) obvious attraction, that gave him some ideas…

The other boy wasn’t that notable. The same warm brown skin and blue clothing as the girl. However, something was off about him… His eyes. Ashmaker eyes. 

His swords, which had been resting casually at his sides, sprang up into a guard position. Acting on instinct, the other Freedom Fighters did the same. “Who’s he?”

The Avatar held up his hands, stepping between Jet and the Ashmaker. “Whoa whoa. There is no need for violence. This is Sokka. He’s with us.”

Jet blinked. That couldn’t be right. “He’s an Ashmaker!”

The girl stepped forward. “He’s my brother! He’s not going to hurt any of you. He’s not with the Fire Nation, has never been with the Fire Nation, and hates the Fire Nation just as much as you do.” Unlikely. “Who are you, anyway?”

Jet was tempted to brush them off. They were Water Tribe, who had been hurt super badly by the Fire Nation, and the Avatar, the one destined to destroy them! Why were they traveling with an Ashmaker? However, he kept his cool. People got attached to people, even if Ashmakers weren’t really people. Besides, the thought had fully manifested, and if he wanted it to work, he’d need them. 

“Sorry”, Jet said. He lowered his swords, signaling his Freedom Fighters to do the same. “We’re all a little bit on edge. Never met a Firebender who wasn’t trying to hurt us.” The girl's scowl faded back into that nervous smile, while the Ashmaker just kept glaring at him. Oh well, he didn’t need to convince him. Just the girl and the Avatar. 

Besides, if he played his cards right, he’d deal with him anyway. 

XXXXX

If Sokka’s instincts could talk, they’d be repeating over and over ‘I told you so’. 

That dumb Jet with his dumb wheat stalk and his dumb hair. He calmed down from his outburst too quickly, laying on the charm real quick. Not just with his flirting with his sister or the heroic comments to Aang, but even with the apologetics to Sokka. Talking about how horrible the Fire Nation was for what happened (he didn’t want to think about what Jet was implying) and how they were alike. 

It continued when they were led to their secret tree fort. That, at least, he could admit was really cool. Same with Jet taking in and protecting a bunch of kids driven from their homes by the Fire Nation. He’s able to give the creepy jerk some credit, despite what Katara says. 

Still, there are things that rub him the wrong way about the Freedom Fighter. And no, voice in his head that sounds like Katara, it’s not just the way he’s sweet on his little sister. Whenever he talks about the Fire Nation, it seems he’s looking at Sokka. The somewhat smug attitude and glow in his eyes he has when talking about fighting back against them, like he enjoys the fighting too much. The way he brushes off Sokka from joining them on one of their patrols. 

Heck, he doesn’t even need a reason! His instincts were screaming at him that something about the guy was messed up!

Katara and Aang don’t seem to see it, however. They talk about him like he’s the Avatar instead of Aang, eating up his comments about forcing the Fire Nation out of the valley. Katara in particular seems to be infatuated with him in a way that churns Sokka’s gut. He’s her brother, he has to protect her. No, he isn’t smothering her and is jealous of Jet; shut up voice of Katara!

So, on their second night staying with them, after the other two have gone to bed, he decides to follow Jet after seeing him and some of the others leaving the camp. He stalked through the underbrush, following the cart that Pipsqueak dragged behind him.

Eventually, they exited the forest and entered a section of plains near the edge of the valley. Looking down, Sokka could see the flat part of the valley with plots of farmland and even the lights of the village of Gaipan. Looking up, Sokka saw that the Freedom Fighters had stopped and were unloading barrels from the cart. What were those? Pipsqueak mentioned barrels of jelly candy; why would they be placing those by the dam? No, wait, there was another kind of jelly they took from the camp, right? … Blasting Jelly. 

“Make sure to place it just right”, Jet said, standing off to the side and letting the others place the barrels along the rim of the dam. “We want this to all blow in one go after the waterbenders fill up the dam.”

Oh, this jerk. He was crazy! Drive the Fire Nation out of the valley . He meant to drown that town! How dare he-

His hand began to smolder, and his eyes shot open. He tried to extinguish the flame, only for the flames to flare higher as his breathing picked up. No no no no; bad bending! Stupid magic, why were you doing this now when he was trying to stay hidden!? 

An arrow flew out, hitting him in the hand. Of course, at that moment the blaze chose to extinguish itself. Sokka screamed in pain, trying to yank the arrow out while keeping the flaring heat in his bending from lashing out. The wood began to smolder, and he yanked the thing out just as the Freedom Fighters reached him.

Jet shoulder-checked him into the tree that his hand had just been pinned to, before bringing one of those swords up to Sokka’s throat. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you! An Ashmaker is an Ashmaker, no matter what color they’re wearing!”

“What are you doing, Jet!?”, Sokka demanded. “Your plan is to drown the whole valley?”

“The Fire Nation will be wiped out, won’t they?”, Jet snarled. “Along with those traitors in Gaipan who just let themselves be occupied. The kids will be safe, and-”

“And the Fire Nation will come back in force after they find out you drowned a whole town!”, Sokka shot back, flames unconciously dripping from his mouth. “Then they really will burn the forest down!”

Jet drove the guard of his other sword into Sokka’s mouth. The thing was bladed, carving into the soft flesh of his cheek. Warm blood fell down his mouth, evaporating as more flames licked out from his mouth. Jet snarled, shifting his guard to simply punch Sokka in the nose.

“Tie him up with the blasting jelly”, Jet snapped, throwing Sokka to the ground in the center of them. “One more Firebender dies with Gaipan.”

“Uh, Jet…?”, Smellerbee questioned. “What about Katara and the Avatar? Won’t they-”

“We can say that he went for a walk or something”, Jet said. “We don’t need them for long; just long enough to fill the dam.”

Jet was serious. He was committed to this insane plan that would only lead to more needless death. He was going to kill Sokka, and trick the last true hope for the world and his sweet little sister into helping him commit mass murder. He had to do something!

With a roar that surprised even himself, he sprang to his feet and shot fire in every direction. Not enough to hurt them seriously, but at least enough to scatter them. He hoped, at least. Jet was hot on his heels, but Sokka only needed a brief window. He got that as he sidestepped a lunge from Pipsqueak and an arrow from Longshot, giving him a wide-open view of the dam and the cart still full of blasting jelly. He sucked in a deep breath and concentrated, briefly, on the flame. Jet tackled him from behind, but he let the fireball go. 

The last thing he knew before he lost consciousness was a loud, earth-shaking explosion.

XXXXX

Katara awoke with a start, grabbing one of Kuzon’s flasks she had taken for herself and looking around. Aang had done the same, grabbing his staff and aiming it at the door to the little room that Jet had given them in his hideout. A distant, ringing boom echoed through the trees, the branches whipping in the artificial wind of some far-off explosion. Both of them looked at one another, before running out onto the treetop platforms.

The kids began to peek out from their own treehouses, looking around. The older kids scrambled into pre-built defenses, crude spears and stolen swords gripped in hands that were far too young. “What’s going on?”, Aang asked one of them. “Are the Fire Nation attacking?”

“No idea”, the kid rasped. “I… We just heard an explosion! I think it came from the reservoir.” Both Katara and Aang looked at one another, remembering what Jet told them about the reservoir. About the Fire Nation planning to burn down the forest, and filling the reservoir might help them fight it. What if the Fire Nation were moving earlier than Jet thought?

“Come on”, Aang said, running towards where Appa had been sleeping. Katara followed on his heels, jumping onto the saddle after Aang. With a firm ‘Yip-Yip’, the sky bison took off, breaching through the canopy and racing towards the Reservoir. 

Katara’s eyes scanned the forest looking for the tell-tale signs of Fire Nation soldiers advancing on the woods. Torches below, billowing smoke, shouting commands or the lumbering of their war beasts. She saw nothing, save the flicking on of lights down in the village of Gaipan. As she scanned, worry racing through her, a sudden absence occurred to her. “Wait. Where’s Sokka?”

Aang turned to her and blinked owlishly before his face fell. “I don’t know. Maybe he went for a walk?” It sounded weak to both of them, and worry raced through them. What if Sokka was hurt or captured or… No. She wouldn’t be weak. He’d helped her escape from the Pirates despite her blunder; she’d return the favor. 

As they approached the dam, their eyes widened. A massive crater sat where the dam once was, the left-over wood ablaze. A part of the dirt had tumbled down, creating a truly mauled spot of earth. However, there were no columns of Firebenders, no blazing artillery; not even any fire save the burning dam. 

Just the scattered, unconscious bodies of the Freedom Fighters. And Jet, standing over her brother, his sword raised. 

“Jet!”, she shouted, leaping off of Appa even before it fully came to a halt on the ground. “What are you doing!?”

“He attacked us”, Jet snarled. “I was right. I’m sorry, Katara, but you can’t trust Ashmakers!”

“Don’t you even start!”, Sokka bellowed, his golden eye smoldering. “Katara! He was planting the blasting jelly! He wanted to have you fill the dam, and then blow it-”

“SHUT UP, FIREBENDER TRASH!!”, Jet yelled, raising the sword and beginning to swing downward. 

Kataras furious tears cleared, and then reacted. Water flowed from her flask, slamming into Jet’s side like a tidal wave. As the torrent of water slammed him into a tree, she tightened her grip, the water freezing against the tree. Jet struggled and strained, but the ice held firm. 

Katara ran up to her brother, grabbing ahold of her brother’s head. His face was horrible, his eyes glassy and his gaze unfocused. A jagged cut ran down his face, blood leaking from his nose as he let out rasping breaths. “I… I told you, Katara. My instincts were right.” She didn’t even have it in herself to admonish him or comment on his instincts somehow being right for once. She just didn’t care. She held him close. 

“Jet”, Aang said, slowly approaching the angry boy. “Was what Sokka said true?”

Jet jerked as far as the ice would allow, his face full of hatred. The suave, confident leader of Freedom Fighters against the Fire Nation was gone. In its place, was a snarling fiend, no different in outcome than the leering face of Zhao or the snarling mask of Colonel Kuzon. “It would have worked! If that Ashmaker had just stayed quiet or not stuck his head where it didn’t belong, we could’ve rid this valley of the Fire Nation!”

Both of them looked on in horror. “No, Jet”, Sokka said, pulling himself up. Katara rose just as quickly, helping to support her brother as he shot his own glare at Jet. “Everyone would’ve been dead. The people of Gaipan, and then you after the Fire Nation came back.”

“Traitor!”

Aang’s expression hardened. “No, Jet. You became a traitor when you stopped trying to protect people.” Katara nodded, turning away from Jet as she led Sokka back towards Appa. They boarded the sky bison, sparing one last look at the raving Jet and the other, slowly stirring Freedom Fighters, before taking off.

XXXXX

Zuko thought he was being careful. 

He had escaped from the Avatar while he was camped out on a peninsula that was crawling with Pirates. While he had arranged to purchase a waterbending scroll from the North from one, he didn’t trust the brigands as far as he could throw a Komodo-Rhino. As such, he had to progress on foot back towards Colonial territory. He stayed off the road, moved quickly and, if he absolutely had to travel in the open, hid his helmet and insignia.

In other words, he thought he was being careful. Unfortunately, the abundance of Pirates meant that there was little to no Fire Nation presence on the peninsula. And where there wasn’t Fire Nation, there was Earth Kingdom. 

The soldiers came out of nowhere while Zuko was resting. He was sitting down, cupping water to drink from a small stream, when three channels of earth shot out the trees. He lept free of the paths, twisting to pull water from the stream. He sent out a spray of mist, the thin water conforming around the trees and freezing solid with a flick of his wrist.

One of his attackers was pinned in place by the unorthodox move, struggling against the frost pinning him to a tree. Four others, however, burst out of the trees, lashing out with boulders and more tremors. Zuko moved to pull more water, however it failed to respond to his pull. He lept out of the way from another bolt, sparing a quick glance to the side to see what happened to the water. A massive block of stone, no doubt from an unseen Earthbender, had dammed the river. 

Before Zuko could draw his swords, a rock slammed into him from behind. He could feel the plates within his breastplate buckle, the impact sending him sprawling in the mud. That was all the time the Earthbenders needed, as stone cuffs came up and wrapped tightly around his wrists and ankles.

“Well well well”, a voice said. Firm hands grabbed ahold of his helmet and yanked him upward.” He caught sight of a mustached, smiling face wearing a wide-brimmed Omashu helmet. “Looks like we caught ourselves a spirit, boys. I’m sure that General Fong will be interested in having a nice chat with you.” The man pulled back his fist, before slamming it into Zukos head. 

When he awoke from unconsciousness, his hands and feet were bound behind him. He was jostled on the back of an Ostrich-horse, the beast snorting in time with the cruel laugh of its rider. “Welcome back to the realm of the living, Colonel”, the Squad Leader said. “Get comfortable.” He looked over his shoulder, grinning down at Zuko and said in a sing-song voice, “It’s a long long way to Omashu.”

Chapter Text

The soldiers didn’t remove Zuko from the Ostrich Horse when they stopped to make camp. One of the benders stamped his foot, and a pair of stone shackles wrapped themselves around his ankles. He struggled, but the awkward position dangling from the back of the beast meant he could do little but draw amused laughs from the Earth Kingdom troops. 

“This?”, one of them asked. “This is the great Blue Spirit? The bastard that took down the Hammers of Oma? Some undersized brat in a creepy mask?” That got a round of laughs from the other soldiers.

All except one of them. The squad leader, who kept on glaring at him. If looks could kill, Zuko would be dead and buried a long time ago. His previous cockiness was still there, especially in the way he slowly approached him from the small campfire the soldiers had set up. But now, there was a nervous tension there. 

“That’s right”, he said, his voice hard as the stone wrapped around his feet. “This is the Blue Spirit.” He turned back to look at his men. “One of the most dangerous threats that Omashu has faced in this war. A dangerous bender we only beat through surprise and numbers. So. Stay on your guard; he is not to leave our sight for even a second.”

The soldiers chorused ascents, before turning back to their fire. The squad leader remained, however, bending down to squat in front of Zuko. His thin mustache contorted into the same sneer that his lips curled into. The light from the fire cast shadows on his face, rendering most of his features save his hard eyes and leering mouth in darkness. Zuko stared back, not willing to give this barbarian any more satisfaction. 

“My brother was at Gi Wai Zifao”, the man said, his words deliberate and slow. “You and your pack of… interlopers and traitors killed him. Killed them all.”

“It was kill or be killed on that hill”, Zuko replied. 

The man grabbed the rim of Zukos mask, pulling him forward until they were face to face. His feet strained within his boots, the leather and metal creaking under the strain. His feet felt like they were being ripped off, tightened against the inside of his boots until they were about to pop. “Kill. Or be killed. Does that help you sleep at night? Help you live with yourself after that slaughter.”

Zuko was… sympathetic to the plight of the common soldier. A reminder of that sympathy was literally burned into his face as much as it was a mark of his shame. He tried to treat Earth Kingdom prisoners well, giving them food and water and not using them as bait like certain… other officers he could think of. It wasn’t necessarily their fault; they were uneducated peasants, unable to grasp that they were fighting a losing war for leaders who didn’t care. And yet, this common soldier was making that commitment to honorable conduct very, very difficult. 

If the mask weren’t in the way, Zuko probably would’ve bit the man. “I lost over half of my men taking that hill”, he snapped. “And if I hadn’t done what I did, it would’ve been your brother taking part in a slaughter.”

The man’s look of anger, if at all possible, grew even more severe. He loomed over Zuko, and the latter began to freeze. His throat burned as the man rose to his full height, towering over Zuko. He raised up a hand, and Zuko could swear that, even though such a thing was impossible, the man’s hand sparkled with fire. In one swift motion, he brought it down on Zuko. 

Instead of a burning, searing sensation, it was the dull impact of blunt force. It made his jaw rattle and his skin chafe against the lining of his helmet, but it wasn’t the unending pain of his father’s disfigur-punishment. “Like that makes up for it, scum-sucking bastard.” Zuko wanted to reply to the challenge. To insult the soldier back, to avenge his slighted honor… to tell him that he understood what the man was feeling. Instead, Zuko couldn’t speak. His throat burned and his teeth ached, and he wanted so badly to say something; anything! And yet, no words came from him. 

The man took his silence for an insult, and hit him again. His foot jostled again, this time loosening within his boot. He could move it freely! With a little bit more movement… The soldier picked him up by the throat and the foot slipped free of its leather prison. “If I had it my way, I’d bury you upside down and leave you for the Buzzard-Wasps. Only General Fong wanting you alive for the bounty is why you’re alive. So, why don’t you make my job easier, and-”

Zuko swung his free leg into the side of the Ostrich Horse he was dangling from. The beast let out a snort of alarm, rearing up and startling the squad leader. The mount began to race forward, and Zuko shifted backward. He slammed his free foot into the stone holding his other leg, pushing off of it and allowing his other foot to slip free of his boot.

The other soldiers surged up in alarm, quickly falling into bending stances. Zuko lept out of the way of a flying rock, searching desperately for a source of water. No river, no pond, and their canteens were tightly sealed. They were all benders, so he couldn’t steal any weapons from them. His only option was to run.

Before he could try it, however, he was tackled from the side. The squad leader had recovered, forcing Zuko to the ground before he was able to fully right himself. The man's face burned with anger, calling to mind even more images of a man who had his eyes wreathed in flame. “General Fong said he wants you alive. But not unharmed. You aren’t an Ashmaker, hands crush all the same.”

Suddenly, the flames of the campfire roared. One of the benders screamed as his uniform caught fire, falling to the side and flailing in a desperate effort to put out the blaze. Arrows shot out from the treeline, striking two more of the soldiers and sending them crumbling to the ground. The comfortingly familiar sight of demonic red masks emerged from the shadows, flames and swords lashing out at the remaining benders.

One of those who emerged wasn’t wearing the ashen uniforms of his battalion; instead, he was helmetless and wore the burgundy of the Navy. He lashed out with flames, forcing the squad leader to back away from Zuko. He used the opportunity to kick the earthbender in the gut, rising to his feet as he did so. One of his soldiers tossed him a spear, and before the squad leader could rise, he drove it into the man's chest. 

“Colonel Kuzon”, Lieutenant Jee said. His form was haggard and bags surrounded his eyes, but he smiled nonetheless. “Major Teruko is waiting for you back on the Ryūhō. ”

Zuko couldn’t help but smile himself. Finally, after being captured by two of his nation's enemies, he might have the chance to wash away that shame by continuing his hunt for the Avatar. In such a short span of time, he could only go so far…

XXXXX

“You’re hired!”, the old man says. Sokka beams, turning back to shoot that smile back at his sister and Aang. “Wait a minute.” Sokka freezes, turning back to the old man. “You ain’t Fire Nation, are you?”

Sokka swallows, trying to make sure it wasn’t super obvious. “No…”

The old man glares at him, his mismatched eyes wide and accusing. After a few horrible seconds, he leans away from Sokka and shrugs. “Alright. We cast off in an hour.” With that, he walks towards the docks, still arguing with his wife.

Sokka lets out a breath he was only vaguely aware he was holding in. That was… Well, it probably wasn’t a big deal, but he was still grateful he wasn’t looked at more closely. Obviously, he’d made an effort to hide his firebending as they’d gone across the Earth Kingdom. Even if he was with the Avatar, being associated with the jerks burning down the world might be a bad look. 

After Jet, however, it became even more vital that he did so. For his own sake, if not for the ease of the group. It wasn’t like it was super easy, however. While being in the sun for long periods of time and it being so much more intense than in the south was doing wonders for him. However, at the same time, his fire had been flaring out of his control, smoke and sparks flickering from his mouth and hands whenever he got frustrated or angry or even scared. 

The Great Divide had been terrible. Especially after it was revealed that some of the tribals had kept ahold of some food. He was this close to setting them all on fire in his frustration. 

“Sokka”, Katara said, coming up next to him.

Sokka shrugged. “What? Like you said, we need the money.”

“I mean”, Katara said, looking over his shoulder at the dock. “Are you sure you want to be alone with…”

He saw the way that she looked at him, after she patched him up on Appa. Jet had cut his cheek deep, but it wasn’t that serious and probably wouldn’t even scar. Still, the incident had made his sister twitchy and protective. It made him… upset. It was supposed to be his job to look after her, not the other way around!

“It’s fine, Katara”, he replied, squeezing her hand. “I can reign my burn-y hands in for a little bit.” He smiled, eyes flicking upward. “Besides, there’s not a cloud in the sky! What could go wrong?”

XXXXX

“We were worried, Colonel. That’s all”, Major Teruko says as the cart slips through the gate of Pouhai Stronghold. After the Ryūhō met back up with the rest of Zhao’s taskforce, he was told to report to the stronghold. Strictly speaking, only he was supposed to come as per Zhao’s orders. However, after the ordeal, Major Teruko and some of the others in his command section were unwilling to leave him alone.

“Yeah”, Cho Sang said, patting Zuko’s shoulder. “We couldn’t just let our own Guardian Spirit be taken prisoner like that! I mean…” The giant of a man went somber, looking down at Zuko from his own seat. “We all owe you.”

“No you don’t”, Zuko said, perhaps a little too quickly. “Don’t think I’m not grateful. But… After Gi Wai Zifao, you’ve all paid back any debt you might owe me.”

“Even still”, Teruko said, squeezing his hand. Her eyes shown with a fondness he couldn’t quite place. Almost a reverence, as if he were still a Prince and not merely an officer. “You remember what you said to me that night, before we went up the hill? ‘Never give up without a fight’? As if we’d give you up for dead without one.” Zhaos' opinion on the matter was, perhaps wisely, left unsaid. 

Lieutenant Jee, who had remained silent throughout the entire ride, finally spoke up as he hopped out of the back of the cat. “Come on, Colonel.” He helped lead Zuko through the winding corridors of the compound, the two of them remaining silent. Finally, as they began to climb a spiral staircase leading up to the wall, he said, “Your men have a great deal of respect for you.”

“It’s…” Zuko couldn’t exactly say it was warranted. Surely his battalion would be better off led by one that actually legally possessed their honor. Still, he replied, “... been forged through adversity.”

Jee nodded. “All good ones are.”

He said nothing else as they finally came to the top of the wall, looking down on one of the inner courtyards. Below, the famous Yuyan Archers trained, bullseye after bullseye striking the distant targets. Standing in a tower, Commander Zhao and the leader of the fortress, Colonel Shinu, stood conversing. From the stiff backs and hard expressions, Zuko guessed it wasn’t the most pleasant of conversations.

Finally, Commander Zhao noticed their arrival. “Ah, Colonel Kuzon. Good of you to join us. I trust your little… excursion was eventful?”

Zuko remained silent, simply bowing to Zhao. He then did the same to Shinu, who returned the gesture as a sign of respect between Army Officers. “Colonel Kuzon”, Shinu said. “It is good to see you again.”

Zhao’s eyebrow raised as he studied the two. “You are acquainted?”

“The Yuyan and the 41st collaborated to take Fort Changyan”, Kuzon explained. He stole a glance over the wall, watching as one of the archers fired four arrows at once, striking four bullseyes. “I see your men are still as skilled.”

“Indeed”, Shinu said, his small smile shifting into a blank-expressioned glare at Zhao. “Now, since our Firelord has put you at Zhaos' disposal, perhaps you can explain to the Commander why he cannot have my archers.”

“As I said, Colonel Shinu”, Zhao said. “The archers would be invaluable in capturing the Avatar, especially as he is close by. One of my ships reported seeing him during a storm, and he must still be in the area.”

“The 41st is a more than capable-”

Zhao glared. “I want the Yuyan.”

Before Shinu or Zuko could reply, a messenger hawk shrieked and landed on the wall. Commander Zhao removed the message from the leather case, unraveling the message and looking it over. Zuko didn’t like the way that his scowl morphed into a sly smirk. “And I shall get them.” He handed the message to Shinu, who frowned at the message. “It seems the Firelord has seen fit to promote me. My request is now an order”, Admiral Zhao said. Now outranking them both, not just due to Zuko’s orders but due to legitimate rank, the only thing both men could do was bow to him.

Unseen by the assemblage of Officers, a figure in a red, Draconic mask slunk back into the shadows.

Chapter Text

Zuko was the only one in the room when the Avatar awoke. The highest tower at Pohuai stronghold was ostensibly an observation and command post, though it had been retrofitted by Zhao into a cell. The room was completely bare save for two pillars, the Avatar’s limbs connected to them by taunt chains.

He’d been in that room since the Yuyan had dragged in the Avatar. While Zuko had shared Colonel Shinu’s distaste at them being at the back-and-call of a Navy Officer, he had to admit the Yuyan had been incredibly successful. Only a few hours after being given the task, a squad of them had found and brought down the Avatar.

The Avatar was tightly secured, though Zuko wasn’t letting his guard down. The Avatar’s companions were nowhere to be found, even with most of the Yuyan still out in the field. Not to mention the boy was still incredibly powerful. With his personal honor and the honor of the Imperial family on the line, he couldn’t afford to let the Avatar out of his sight. 

The boy stirred slowly, raising his head and blinking the unconsciousness from his eyes. Finally, the boy snapped to full alertness, his grey eyes going wide at the sight of him. “Kuzon?”, he asked, panic laced in his voice. “Y-you’re ok!” Zuko’s brow furrowed; why did the Avatar care about him? “Please, you have to let me go!”

“The colonel is in no position to do anything”, Zhao’s voice echoed through the bare room as Admiral Zhao strode in, a pair of Marines and a scribe at his back. Zuko straightened, bowing to the Admiral as he strode past to examine the Avatar. “So. This is the mighty Avatar. You gave me a hard time in the South Pole and on Cresent Island. However, you couldn’t run forever. Your little game of hide and seek is finally over.”

“I’ve never run from people like you”, the Avatar spat, straining against his chains. “Let me go and I’ll fight you. Kuzon and his men too!”

“Not going to happen”, Zhao snarled. “After that embarrassment you inflicted on me in the South, I know better than to believe a word you say.” He brought back his fist and slammed it into the Avatar’s gut. He lurched forward and gasped for breath. Zuko was thankful for his mask, which allowed him to shut his eyes. What was Zhao doing? The Avatar was secured and was, technically… was a child. This wasn’t how a Fire Nation officer should act!

“Don’t worry. You won’t be killed. If that happened, you’d just reincarnate into the next stage of the cycle and we’d have to start over again”, Zhao said. Zuko had to suppress a shudder, picturing Zhao’s cruel smirk. “So, you get to remain the last Airbender for a good, long while. You’ll certainly be kept alive.” Zuko opened his eyes as Zhao moved back towards the door. “Barely.”

Zhao gestured for Zuko to follow him out of the room. Zuko spared one last look at the saddened, hung head of the Avatar, before following his CO out of the room. As the door slammed shut, Zuko turned towards Admiral Zhao. “Sir”, he said, trying to word his request carefully. “I’d like to put my own men in charge of protecting the Avatar.”

“Your request is denied”, Zhao said simply. “The garrison will be sufficient to keep the Avatar secure until my men arrive to escort the Avatar to the Sozin.” Zhao seemed to study Zuko closer than he ever had before, and Zuko was once again thankful for his mask. “Don’t tell me you’re concerned.”

“You said it yourself, sir”, Zuko said, still trying to keep himself in check. “The Avatar has escaped from our forces several times-”

“And whose fault is that?”

Zuko blinked, almost startled at the accusation. Zhao had lost the Avatar before Zuko even knew he had been found! It was as much Zhao’s failure as his own! Still, he breathed deeply and adjusted his stance. “Sir. The Avatar’s companions are still at large. I simply wish to ensure-”

It was only due to his refined instincts that he was aware of the blow incoming. Still, he could barely avoid the slap's full force against his face. The mask and the lessened power of the blow absorbed most of the impact, though the action still stunned him stock still.

“Colonel”, Zhao snarled. “The Avatar is held in the most secure fortress in the Fire Nation. Even if those water tribe peasants are out there, they cannot get in. And your men have failed time and time again to bring in the Avatar. He cannot escape, and no one is going to come for him. Prove you can follow my orders, and I might note your input in my report to the Firelord. And I understood!?”

Zuko wanted to say something besides what he was expected to say. He wanted to point out that Zhao and his naval forces had lost the Avatar almost as much as his troops. He wanted to say that just because Pohuai was strong did not mean that it was impregnable; he’d personally cracked some of the toughest forts in the Southern Earth Kingdom. He wanted to shout at the Admiral that he was an overconfident braggart who disgraced the uniform of the Fire Nation with his negligence and actions. He wanted to say all that and more, if only to alleviate the wrongness and guilt twisting like serpents in his gut. 

Instead, he merely clicked his heels together, bowed, and said, “Yes sir.”

XXXXX

As Zhao and Kuzon left the room, Aang hung his head. He couldn’t sit or even slouch properly in the chains, so he contented himself with leaning against the chains as much as he could. It ached, but not as much as the pain emanating from within his chest.

He hadn’t said anything to Sokka or Katara, but he’d been worried about Kuzon ever since he’d disappeared. Not for the reason that the siblings gave about him turning up again to hunt them, but simply that he was worried that Kuzon wouldn’t want to listen to him. To be friends. It wasn’t even for any advantage or relation to his Kuzon that he was after at this point; he felt something about the boy only a bit older than Sokka and yet commanding men in battle. Something… sad. Guilty. He didn’t know. 

The room had small windows, so Aang could only just make out the fading sunlight. By the time the sun had completely disappeared and night had taken the place of day, Aang had stopped struggling completely. The chains held tightly, and Aang’s staff was nowhere to be seen. His hands were bound in such a way that he couldn’t get out or even properly bend, only able to send out whisps of air. He was well and truly stuck. 

Something wriggled in his tunic. He glanced down, his eyes going wide at the recollection of why he was even in a position to be captured in the first place! The frozen frogs were now half-frozen, and had begun to pull themselves out of his tunic and onto the floor. “No no no no!”, he rasped, shifting in the chains but unable to do anything to keep the only way to cure his friends of their sickness hopped or dragged themselves away. 

He would have completely given up hope if it weren’t for something going on outside. The door was heavy and made of metal, so sound didn’t travel through it very well. However, straining his ears, he could make out cries of alarm and the clanking of weapons and armor. What was going on? Had his friends somehow broken in? 

The door opened just in time for a Fire Nation soldier to collapse into the room. A figure emerged from the doorway, stepping over the soldier and glancing up at Aang. That… was not one of his friends. 

The figure was slender and tall with a svelte form and bounciness to their step. They wore a tight-fitting black tunic and trousers tucked into soft shoes, all of them tightly secured in a way that acted to show off the streamlined musculature and narrow form of the figure. The only deviation from that black form was the long brown braid that hung down their back and a mask adorning their face. 

It was the mask that made Aang particularly nervous. He hadn’t had the best experience with mysterious figures wearing masks, and this mask wasn’t putting him at ease. It was large and blood red with gold and white accents, a crown of horns and white hair atop the design. Large golden eyes glared into him, while carved fangs framed the wearer's face. The lower part of their jaw was visible, revealing a slender, curving jawline contorted into a playful grin. 

Aang’s wide eyes must’ve tipped her off to his disease, as she held up a finger to her mouth and shushed him. “Keep cool, friend. I’m here to help.” She practically tumbled forward, somersaulting past the unconscious guard to emerge standing next to the pillars. She pulled a thin sliver of metal from her belt and began to work at his locks. Her fingers practically danced on the metal as she quickly picked the lock, moving onto the one attached to his leg on that side. 

She finished up that one in a similar length of time, leaping into the air to land next to the other pillar. Aang flexed his fingers and wiggled his foot, happy just to be free from his restraints. However, a paranoia that the months of travel had settled around him compelled him to look over at the girl. “Who are you?”

She looked up at him. With the gap in the mask, Aang could see her smile. “The name’s Ty Lee”, she said, just as she finished picking the final lock. “Now let’s go!”

Chapter Text

Aang followed after the girl, Ty Lee, as she led him out of his cell. He paused to look at the sprawled form of the Fire Nation guards. “Don’t worry”, she said, noticing he was looking nervously at their still forms. “They aren’t dead. Just Chi-blocked. They’ll be fine in a few hours.” That put Aang at ease, and he kept closer to her as she led him down the tower.

She slid the mask over her features as she reached the ground floor, stopping him as a small patrol passed by the corridor. Once they had disappeared around the next corner, she gestured for him to follow after her. As they arrived at an intersection, she flipped up and hooked her legs around a ceiling pillar. She pulled off a vent panel, hissing, “Come on!”, before swinging inside. Aang shot out a gust of air beneath him, hopping inside and putting the vent back in place. 

“Where are we going?”, Aang whispered, following behind Ty Lee as she led him through the vent.

“Towards the exit”, she said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Rounding a bend, they approached a sudden drop. Aang knew he had only a little bit to make himself heard before they might have to fight. “And then? I need to help my friends.”

The girl contorted herself to look back at him, the mask’s golden eyes deeply unsettling him. Still, the mask’s exposed jaw allowed him to see her smile at him. “Then we’ll help your friends.”

“Why are you helping me?”, he asked. He hated that he was so suspicious, so unable to trust in the good in people. However, after Jet and seeing the horrors that the Fire Nation had unleashed on the world, he just… couldn’t. He wanted to so much, but it just didn’t come as readily. 

“You’re the Avatar, aren’t you?”, she asked. When Aang nodded, her smile tugged at her face a little bit more. “I’m helping you because you are the Avatar. I… My friends and I are against the Firelord, same as you.”

“Your friends?”, Aang asked. “What do you mean?”

The girl paused, her smile falling slightly. Aang could almost see the wheels turning in her head, contemplating how much she should reveal. Eventually, she settled with, “Let’s just say not everyone in the Fire Nation approves of Firelord Ozai. Now come on. We need to go!” She leaned back, dropping down the shaft before Aang could get in a word edgewise.

He wasn’t actually planning on saying anything, following after Ty Lee. Excitement welled up inside of him, not just at the prospect of escaping. He was right! The Fire Nation wasn’t completely evil! That excited relief pushed him on, almost as much as the promised help with his friends. 

Summoning a gust of wind to break his fall, he found himself in an underground tunnel of sorts. Ty Lee pulled him from the ankle-deep pool of water that flowed down the tunnel onto a wide stone walkway, leading him down one of the tunnels. Reaching an intersection, grabbed a nail or dart or something that had been jammed into the stone wall, turning down the appropriate corridor.

Eventually, after several more markers and turns, they reached a metal grate on the floor. Pushing up, the grate was moved aside. The two pulled themselves up, hidden from view behind a large cart. “This is the closest exit to the walls”, Ty Lee explained, peeking out from behind the cart. “Stay quiet and stay close.”

Aang nodded, which earned him another smile. They stuck to the shadows, sprinting between shadows and ducking behind whatever they could to avoid the rounds of patrols. For such a big fort, there weren’t that many of them; in fact, Aang saw more soldiers without their helmets and weapons, laughing and drinking, than he saw ready to fight. 

They reached a section of the wall that curved in, shielded from sight by the towers and the gatehouse. Ty Lee looked up, asking, “How well can you climb?”

“I’m decent.” Geez, Ty Lee loved to smile! He kinda liked it. She stole a look over her shoulder, before backing up slightly and getting a running leap up the wall. She hit the side and flipped around, getting a handhold about halfway up and beginning to climb. Aang did the same, looking for any nearby guards, before summoning a gust of wind to propel himself up. 

Just as the two of them climbed past the parapet, the two of them froze as a bright light suddenly shined on the two of them. “Up there on the walls!” Bells began to ring and soldiers scrambled for weapons. The whole fort blazed to life, the nearest soldiers beginning to converge on the two of them. 

Ty Lee pulled a long black cylinder from her sash, yanking a wire tab on the top back. “Let’s go!”, she cried, tossing the sparking object off the wall and into a wooden building nestled against the wall. Aang followed Ty Lee in a dead sprint along the wall, ducking under the fireballs and arrows that sailed up to try and intercept them. A loud explosion echoed through the courtyard, followed by the startled cries of Komodo-Rhinos and the alarmed yells of the Fire Nation soldiers. 

Ty Lee had run into a group of soldiers on the wall, knocking their spears aside and meeting out quick, hard jabs on the soldiers. They stumbled and fell back, giving her the space to leap off of the wall into the next courtyard. Aang sent a gust of wind into another pack of soldiers before leaping off and joining her. 

They land amidst a group of soldiers from the 41st. Besides Kuzon, this is the first time Aang has seen any of them without their masked helmets. It’s weird; most of them looked Fire Nation, but a few of them look like they’re from the Earth Kingdom. In the end, it doesn’t matter, as they all draw weapons or ready firebending. Kuzon himself steps into the loose circle his men form, drawing his swords. 

Ty Lee cracks her neck before somersaulting forward, springing up to drop-kick one of the soldiers in the chest. Kuzon lunges at Aang, pulling water along the slashes of his blade after Aang dodges the swing. He moves swiftly, rolling around and dodging Aang’s bursts of air like he’s a seal-eel.

“Let’s go!”, Ty Lee yells, delivering a quick jab beneath the jaw of another soldier, which creates just enough of an opening to see the gates begin to close. Aang leaps into the air, avoiding another swing from Kuzon, before coming down and grabbing ahold of Ty Lee. As she held off the soldiers, she pulled the air into a ball, seating himself upon it and racing forward. 

Ty Lee’s shriek of alarm turned into a hearty laugh as they raced through the fort. Aang struggled to keep his hands steady, swerving around the soldiers and projectiles that came his way. Zhao himself stood in the way as the outermost gate began to grind shut, unleashing a wall of flame in a desperate effort to stall Aang’s rapid escape. Aang canceled out the airball, rolling under the burst of fire. 

Ty Lee, in turn, flipped over the top of it, landing behind the Admiral. She kept close to him, ducking around the wild swings of his blazing hands before delivering a sharp strike against the back of his head. He stumbled forward a few steps before collapsing in a heap.

Aang got to his feet as the 41st came charging into the courtyard. At the same time, the gate behind them shut with a resounding clang like a funeral bell. Aang got into a ready position next to Ty Lee, the girl’s eyes darting around and mouth twisted into a grim line. Kuzon and the officer with sideburns that Aang remembered from the South Pole came to the front, the former delivering a flourish of his blades before falling into his own ready position. 

Before Aang, Kuzon, or any of their men could make a move, Ty Lee moved. In one swift motion, she twisted Zhao to his feet, a knife she’d seemingly pulled from nowhere held to his throat. “Let us go, or we see how fast the Admiral’s aura fades.”

Aang looked at her in shock. Kuzon’s expression was impossible to read with his mask, though the way he held himself didn’t move. The other officer glared, before holding up a hand. “Open the gate!”, he cried, drawing looks from the 41st soldiers. “Open the gate!” At the repetition, the door began to open. 

After the door was open just wide enough to let them pass through, Ty Lee began to shuffle backward. She half-dragged the Admiral as quickly as she could, Aang keeping his eyes locked with the still mass of soldiers. Once they were through, Ty Lee threw the admiral past the gate and began to run, Aang following after her. Arrows shot from the walls, raining down around them, though Aang was able to use careful gusts of air to keep them from hitting either of them. As the soldiers began to pour out of the fort in pursuit, the two of them disappeared into the treeline. 

XXXXX

“Ah, finally”, Sokka slurred, leaning luxuriously against his throne. It was soft and warm and moved. Truly the perfect seat for the strongest Earthbender in the world! “That feels nice. Some damn… some good respect!”

His eyes felt heavy, drooping shut and snapping back open with ever-increasing speed. Everything was so hot, like he was being set on fire. Maybe like Kuzon with his stupid scar underneath his stupid mask with his stupid swords. Served the jerk right! So why did he feel like this? He smiled and giggled, ignoring his sister still trying to talk to the creepily large lemur, and drifted off into sleep. 

At least, he thought he did. When he closed his eyes, he was in the ruins that they’d made camp with after fishing him out of the storm. When his eyes shot open, he found himself in the clearing of a large forest. Though, it didn’t resemble any forest he’d seen. The trees shimmered strangely, the grass was too tall, and the air shimmered like oil in water. Oh, and the sun was absolutely massive. That probably should’ve drawn his attention first. 

“Where am I?”, he asked himself. He was suddenly aware of a clearness in his head, and that he’d been somewhat delirious and babbling while he was awake. Silently praying he hadn’t said anything too embarrassing, he stood up and looked around. “Hello? Anyone there?”

When no one said anything for a few seconds, he sighed. “Great. Just great. I swear, if I got kidnapped, I’m gonna-”

“ You are still with your body, my son “. 

Sokka whirled around, willing fire to appear within his hands. It didn’t come, even after he grabbed ahold of his wrist and shook his hand like a dog shaking a toy. Great, he was back in the Spirit World. “Hello? Which spirit is messing with me this time?”, he questioned, before part of what that create said caught up to him. “And who are you calling son? My dad is-”

“ Chieftain Hakoda of the Fox-Tail Tribe “. That voice said again. It was male, a deep baritone with an accent Sokka couldn’t quite place. “ I know. I see a great many things, even in the lands far from where most of my children reside. All things that bask in my light, I see “. 

From the way-to-big sun, a form began to appear. At first, Sokka thought it was two people until it became more clear from the fiery light, revealing it was actually one person with two heads and four arms. The spirit had blood-red skin, black hair bound within a pair of stupid-looking ponytails, and yellow robes wrapping around their muscular chest. All four of its eyes fell on Sokka, and he was forced to look away from the brilliant light they gave off.

Sokka put together all of the hints that the spirit’s words and appearance gave him. “Agni.” Awe turned to anger, and he gave the spirit his best glare while avoiding looking it in the eye. “So? Find some other way to screw with me?”

“ I understand you are… displeased with me and the granting of my gift “. One head bowed its head, while the other spoke. “ Few of my children have been born outside of the lands they reside within “. 

“I wonder why”, Sokka snapped. “I also wonder why I am ‘displeased’ with you after giving me the bending of the evil jerks trying to burn down the world!”

The sun didn’t speak. Sokka was somewhat proud of himself for making the literal spirit of the sun shut up. Still, that couldn’t last. “ I know “. Sokka blinked.

“Wait, you just called the Fire Nation your children”, Sokka asked. “So shouldn’t you be on their side?”

“ Fathers do not always approve of their children, for good or for ill. Fires that burn too brightly consume everything they touch; even what they come from. That is what they do now, having forgotten what Fire truly means, and inflict that mistruth upon the world “.

Sokka frowned. Some spirit nonsense that Aang might be able to make heads or tails off, but not him. “What does that even mean? What exactly does fire truly mean?”

“ I cannot say. Something freely given has no value “. Thanks, you burning jerk. That was super helpful. “ Know that I did not give you my blessing out of malice. You humans have a skewed understanding of fate, but everything happens for a reason. I leave you with just one thought: What do you use fire for? “

Well, that was a lot. Vague, too. Sokka mused for a few seconds, thinking about how he used it to set stuff on fire. For cooking, for warmth at night, for setting jerks on fire… What the heck was this creepy spirit getting at? And what did it mean that he was like this for a reason? All of those questions went unanswered, as he blinked, and darkness washed out by a misty darkness. 

XXXXX

Sokka awoke to find a frog in his mouth. After spitting it out, he saw Aang sitting by the fire, talking to some girl in black clothes and holding a red mask. He wondered how long he’d been out, and what in Tui’s name he missed.

Chapter Text

Ty Lee couldn’t help but giggle at the two water tribe siblings gag and spit out the frogs that the Avatar had put in their mouths. Apparently, that crazy herbalist the Avatar had gotten the advice from was right. Where the two of them had previously been bleary-eyed and feverish, they were now energetically wiping their tongues or letting out disgusted wretching noises.

The Avatar gave a light chuckle of his own, before springing up and heading over to the two of them. “Are you guys feeling better?”

“Yes?”, the girl said, though she didn’t sound like it. “I… Why did you put a frog in my mouth, Aang?”

“Yeah!”, the surprisingly cute boy yelled. “That was so gross!”

“It worked, didn’t it?”, she chimed in. 

Instantly, two sets of blue eyes (well, three blue eyes and one gold one) were on her. The boy’s hands began to smoke; he was a firebender! Well, given some of the rumors she had heard, that made sense. Though he didn’t appear to have that good control over it if he was letting out that much smoke. “Aang? Who is she?”

“Hi”, she said, waving and trying to appear friendly. “The name’s Ty Lee! It’s nice to meet you.”

“She helped me out, guys”, the Avatar said. Could she call him Aang? These two obviously knew him better, and so could call the Avatar by his name. What about her? “I… I got captured getting those frogs for you.”

“WHAT!?”, both of them yelled.

They scrambled out of their bedrolls, pulling the Avatar into a hug. She was desperately tempted to go join in because she loved hugs. However, given the glares that they had given her, she didn’t think that joining in without justification would be a bad idea. They were speaking too fast and speaking over one another for her to understand fully what they were saying.

“Guys, guys!”, the Avatar said, backing up and holding up his hands. “It’s ok. I’m ok! Like I said, Ty Lee helped be escape.”

The girl looked up at her, looking at her. Her aura, which had flared red after hearing the Avatar had been taken prisoner by Zhao, was now tinged with a soft, calming blue. It really suited her, and she couldn’t exactly blame her. She’d met Zhao back when he’d been a Captain at one of Azula’s parties at the Caldera, and he’d been a real creeper.

“Thank you for getting Aang out of there”, she said. “We… Just, thank you.”

“Anytime!”

The girl blinked, while the guy’s glare hadn’t lessened in the slightest and his arms remained crossed over his chest. “Why?” He saw his companions, and shrugged exaggeratedly. “Hey! It’s not every day you run into someone willing to break into a Fire Nation fortress to rescue the Avatar from a creepy mask-wearing colonel and a plain creepy admiral.”

“Oh, I’ve been keeping tabs on you guys”, she said, which just earned her more glares. Why were they doing that; she was telling them the truth! “I agreed to keep an eye on you guys for a friend of mine.”

“You mentioned that”, the Avatar said. “Something about not everyone following the Firelord?”

“You’re Fire Nation?”, the girl queried, her eyes narrowing. 

Ty Lee saw no reason to lie. That would just come back to bite her in the behind when Azula wanted to talk to them. “I mean… Yes?” 

The boy lashed out with a cool-looking bone club, which would have taken her head off if she hadn’t flipped out of the way. The boy glared at her, while the girl pulled water from a large flask on the ground. Oh, cool! Another waterbender!

“Guys!”, the Avatar cut in, coming to stand between them. “She’s on our side!”

“She’s Fire Nation”, the boy snarled, more smoke billowing out from his nose. Geez, he really didn’t have great control, did he? She’d never seen a firebender who had such poor control over their inner flame. “It’s probably some evil plan to capture you.”

“He was already captured”, Ty Lee protested. “If I wanted him to be captured, why would I have let him out!”

As the three of them began to talk, a small animal lept down from the saddle of the massive sky bison. It was small and fluffy with massive ears and big, expressive eyes. She knelt down as it began to approach her, sniffing at her hands and meeting her gaze. “Hey there little guy”, she whispered, trying her best ‘Zuko-talking-to-Turtleducks’ voice. It scrambled up her arm, the fur tickling her arm as it raced around her shoulders. She bent over, twisting herself around to smile at the creature out of the corner of her vision. 

As she looked back over at the Avatar and his friends, they had broken their little huddle and were looking at her. The Avatar giggled at his pet using her as a climbing rack, while the water tribe siblings were regarding her carefully. “So, you’re some kind of… Fire Nation rebel?”, the boy questioned. She really had to learn their names.

“I guess”, she said, rolling over and ending up back on her feet. “It’s really my friends group; she’s the leader and all that. But we’re against the Firelord, if that’s what you mean.” She reached into her sash, pulling out a small icon that Azula had given her. It was made of steel, displaying a Pheonix with its wings spread and flames coming from its talons. She offered it to the three of them, telling them, “The group is called the Grey Phoenix. We’re opposed to the reign of Firelord Ozai.”

“Never heard of you guys”, the girl said.

Ty Lee giggled. “If you’d heard of us, then the Firelord would have. And he’d probably have us all executed or something like that.” Her smile fell somewhat at the frowns they were giving her, before she simply shrugged. “The executions are part of the reason we’re around.”

“I’d imagine”, the boy said. He handed the pin back, his gaze on her still filled with suspicion. But hey; at least his hands weren’t smoking and shooting out sparks anymore! “So, now what?”

“I mean, I’m still going to be keeping an eye on you guys”, Ty Lee said. “The Firelord really wants to capture you, Avatar. Pri-My friend thinks it would be a good idea for you to keep safe for a while.”

“You could come with us!”, the Avatar suggested brightly. “There’s plenty of room on Appa, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been around someone friendly from the Fire Nation.”

Ty Lee nodded enthusiastically. It would certainly make her job to keep an eye on the Avatar if she was traveling with them directly. Plus, if they trusted her, they might be more ready to trust Azula. She knew that her friend… came on a bit strong, and having an in to the group might be useful. “Ok!”

“I… guess you can come”, the girl said.

Ty Lee flipped forward, landing perfectly in front of the girl and pulling her into a hug. “Thank you! Don’t worry, you won’t regret this, uh… I’m sorry, I don’t think the Avatar told me your names.”

“I’m Katara”, the girl replied, extracting herself from the hug. “And this is my brother Sokka.”

“I’m Ty Lee”, she said brightly, before blinking. “But I suppose you already knew that. Anyway, we might want to move before the Fire Nation Army catches up.” Agreements were sounded and the small camp was quickly packed up. This mostly involved putting out the fire and rolling up the two bedrolls the water tribe had set down to rest within. Soon, they were taking off, flying into the sky. 

Ty Lee smiled, closing her eyes and letting the wind whip her braid in the wind. Flying was so cool! It was like falling or tumbling through the air, but without the immediate risk of plummeting to injury or death below. Silence reigned between her three new traveling companions, but that was ok. They were just getting used to having someone new there, and would likely warm up to her soon. She had a good habit of ingratiating herself with others. Oh, she couldn’t wait to tell Azula and Mai about this!

XXXXX

Lieutenant-Commander Jee had served under Commander, now Admiral, Zhao for several years. He’d been posted to his squadron after the Siege of Ba Sing Se, working with and eventually directly under the ladder-climbing officer. He didn’t much care for Zhao, but he didn’t care enough to make that position widely known. So, he’d long grown used to how Zhao acted and how he got when he was mad. 

He didn’t think he’d seen him angrier than after the Avatar had escaped Pouhai. 

“I had him!”, he howled, pacing through the private office that Colonel Shinu had graciously granted him. Jee and Kuzon, wisely, stood at attention out of the range of errant flames. “Right in my grasp! Trussed up and ready to plant at the feet of the Firelord, and he’s gone!” His rant paused as he turned his attention to Colonel Kuzon. “Have your men found him!?”

“No sir”, Kuzon said quickly.

Zhao snarled, more errant flames escaping from the man's hands and nostrils. If Jee thought the man had poor control and that it reflected poorly on him, no one save him would know. “NO!?”

“All due respect, sir”, Kuzon said, his apparent patience wearing thin. “The forests around Pouhai are thick. There is not any way to create an effective cordon, and even the tracking abilities of the Yuyan are limited for someone that doesn’t need to touch the ground to move.”

“And his ally? The girl? What do you know about her?”

Kuzon sucked in a deep breath, as if smothering an inner flame he didn’t have. “Sir. If I knew anything about her, don’t you think I would tell you? As far as I, and Colonel Shinu know, she is a complete unknown!”

Finally reigning himself in, Zhao glared daggers at the waterbender. “Mind your tone, Colonel.”

Jee could feel the rage boiling from the Colonel, kept in check only by deep breaths. “Understood, sir.” He idly wondered what exactly were Kuzon’s orders that made him so able to keep his anger in check. Or what blackmail that Zhao had on him. 

Zhao turned his glance to Jee, who likewise straightened under the Admiral's scrutiny. “Send a hawk to our ships. Tell them to prepare to leave as soon as we arrive.” Zhao pushed past his subordinates, leaving the two of them facing one another. 

Jee had never really been able to form a concrete opinion of the Colonel. He was unusually short, almost resembling a teenager than an experienced officer. He led competently, yet possessed a certain naivete that he didn’t quite understand. His men respected him almost as if he were the Firelord himself; he’d had to break up several fights between the 41st and some of his sailors when the subject of his waterbending came up.

In short, Jee had confusing opinions on the Colonel. 

Kuzon let out a harsh breath that, were he a firebender, would have shot smoke everywhere. “Mind sending out a hawk to Major Teruko while you’re sending one to the taskforce?”, Kuzon asked. “I’m concerned Zhao might leave them behind.”

“Reasonable”, Jee admitted; the thought had crossed his mind. Both of them continued to stand there, as if Zhao were still in the room. “Just… The Admiral has a way of testing one’s patience.”

“I’m used to stubborn commanders”, Kuzon said. He gave a sharp salute, before quickly departing. Jee sighed, fingering a small phoenix pin in his hand. Colonel Kuzon wasn’t the only one who could hide what he truly thought. Fire Nation officers had to be good at it; with the number of psychopaths in command, especially under Firelord Ozai, it was a necessity. He let out another sign, hiding the pin deep within his uniform, and left as well.

Chapter Text

Sokka groaned, rolling over in his sleeping bag as sleep was banished from him. He opened his eyes, energy flowing over him as he forced himself to rise. Don’t get him wrong, being able to actually move and not feel like he was on the verge of passing out from lack of energy all day was certainly a nice feeling. However, at the same time, the boundless energy that the sun seemed to give him made sleeping in even a little bit almost impossible.

“Screw you, you stupid sun spirit… thingy”, Sokka murmured as he stood up fully. He yawned, the last of his grogginess disappearing like tundra mist. He looked over, seeing his sister and Aang still tucked into their sleeping bags, fast asleep. As usual, he was the only one awake. 

“Oh, hi!”, a disturbingly cheerful voice came from Sokka’s left. He yelped in alarm, balls of fire sparking to life in his hands as he dropped into a jerky stance. Well, actually it wasn’t typical. Their newest companion was awake. 

He didn’t know what to make of Ty Lee just yet. She was… confusing. Peppy, cheerful, and energetic while sharing a weird sense of humor with Aang. At the same time, she was proudly and happily Fire Nation, talking about festivals and things that were the same and different between the Fire Nation 100 years ago and now. She certainly didn’t fit with the typical image of the smug, sadistic Fire National he had in mind.

He really didn’t like that last part. Even if she was part of some ill-defined and not-very-often discussed rebellion, she was just… off, from his perspective. And he had his reasons to doubt that. She didn’t talk about her group that much, usually only speaking about their actions before going onto some other subject. Even if it wasn’t some Fire Nation trick to lure them into a false sense of security, he just didn’t trust it. 

“Oh, hi”, Sokka replied. “What are you doing awake? I thought you said you weren’t a firebender.”

“I’m not”, Ty Lee said, still annoyingly cheerful. “But one of my friends is, and so is my dad and some of the other rebels. So, I’ve gotten used to waking up at sunrise, just like them. Most of the Fire Nation has.”

Huh. Well, that would explain why everyone in the Fire Nation was so crazy. They tuckered themselves out by fighting or making stuff for those fighting all day, and then didn’t get enough sleep before being woken up early in the morning. “Right.” Well, he was up, so he might as well get started on his morning routine. 

“So, what’re you doing?”, she asked. 

“Getting a fire going”, Sokka said. He tossed the extra sticks he’d gathered for last night's fire into the makeshift pit they’d used for cooking. After they’d all been thrown in, he lit his palm and threw the flame onto the wood. It was quickly consumed, after which he turned to the woods. “Mind helping me get some firewood?”

“Sure”, she said, following him out of the small clearing they’d set up camp in. It was starting to turn into winter, and so there were plenty of fallen branches that littered the forest floor. In no time at all, he and Ty Lee had a decent collection, and returned to camp. 

After adding to the fire, he pulled a pan and a covered bowl of leftover rice from Appa’s saddle. Tossing the rice into the pan, he began to stir it around a little bit. “There’s an onion in there somewhere. Do you mind-”

“Got it”, Ty Lee said. She grabbed the onion, using her knife to quickly dice it up into crude chunks before tossing it in. “Smells good.”

“What’s with the over-enthusiastic compliments?”, Sokka asked. 

Ty Lee looked at him quizzically, as if he were a puzzle for her to solve. “I’m just trying to be friendly. Besides, cooking food always smells good.”

“Right”, Sokka said, drawing out the word. “Anyway, Katara’s a way better cook than me. I’m just up early and, you know.” He lit his palm again for emphasis. “Back home, it was… Well, cooking’s women’s work, but since I could make fire, I made myself useful.”

He stirred the rice and onions around a little bit, focusing on not burning the rice (again). Ty Lee then asked, “What’s women’s work?”

“You know, women’s work”, Sokka said, trying to keep some bitterness out of his voice. “Cooking, cleaning, sewing, that kind of thing. I… I know that’s not really fair, and that women don’t have to do that kind of thing. But it’s…”

“It’s what?”, Ty Lee asked. Sokka looked at her, before pulling the pan off of the fire. He didn’t talk, instead shoveling the rice into the four bowls for breakfast. “So, what are you gonna do now?”

“Wait for them to wake up”, Sokka said. “Should be soon.”

Ty Lee’s look was now marred by confusion, which just irritated Sokka further. What was she doing, butting into his business like this? He shrugged and opted to ignore her, grabbing a pair of chopsticks and laying into his serving of rice. “You’re not going to meditate?”, she asked.

He blinked, stopping with the rice halfway to his mouth. “What? That weird sitting thing that Aang does?”, he questioned. “Why would I do that?”

“All the firebenders that I know mediate”, Ty Lee explained. “Helps them control their inner fire.”

Sokka’s curious expression turned into a glare. “Are you saying I can’t keep my fire under control?”

“I mean”, Ty Lee said. “Your chopsticks are smoking.”

Sokka took a deep inhale, realizing that she was actually right. He yelped and threw them aside, revealing a dark char mark in the shape of his fingers along the wood. He swallowed, glaring at the utensils as if they had personally insulted his mother. In a way, they kinda had. Showing off the chaos that those that he shared an element with could do without being kept in check. 

“So, this meditation stuff can help keep me from setting everything on fire?”, he asked, eyes still glued to the chopsticks. 

Ty Lee nodded. “Yeah. You’ve got the fire right there, so just sit down and focus on it.” Sokka quirked an eyebrow, before doing what she said. He watched as Ty Lee assumed a similar position, telling him, “Now. Breathe in.” He took a deep breath, extending his thoughts out to encompass the flame. He sucked in a breath, watching the flame rise along with his inhale. “Yeah, just like that! Now, breathe out.” He did so, watching as the flame flared and fell as if collapsing in on itself. “Good. Now, keep doing it. Focus on that fire.”

Sokka nodded shakily, breathing in and breathing out in equal measure. It was… strange, how relaxing the motion was. It was remarkably similar to the breathing exercises that Gran-Gran had taught him, though those had grown less effective as his fire had grown vastly more powerful in the Earth Kingdom. It was a focusing element, like sharpening his machete-club.

After several minutes of just sitting and breathing, he realized that his eyes had fallen shut. He opened them watching as the flame still responded to his breathing. “Woah”, he murmured. 

“Sokka?”, Katara’s voice drew him away from watching the fire. She rubbed her bleary eyes, emerging from her sleeping bag and collecting her bowl of rice from its spot by the fire. “What are you doing?”

“Meditating”, he said. “Ty Lee said… Well, she said that a lot of Firebenders do it to help focus their fire or something like that.”

“Well, did it?”

“… Yeah. Yeah, it did.”

XXXXX

“Ty Lee, that doesn’t help!”, Sokka shrieked, glaring daggers at the girl. She simply giggled before popping another bean curd puff into her mouth. Katara had to stifle a giggle of her own, watching her brother fume while enjoying her own little bean puff.

She leaned back on the fine couch, just happy to be able to sit on something comfortable for a moment. Appa’s saddle was comfortable enough, but the couch in Aunt Wu’s house was soft and springy in a way she hadn’t felt since Omashu. Plus, the prospect of getting her fortune told was just an exciting prospect.

Plus, it annoyed the heck out of Sokka. Her brother looked like he was about to spew smoke out of his mouth. He was likely able to hold it in due to the meditation that Ty Lee had instructed him on that morning. He shot daggers at the Fire Nation girl, his golden eye seeming to spark in the early morning sun. 

“What?”, Ty Lee said, shrugging her shoulders. “I just said that it’s not just quackery. I mean, there usually aren’t ducks involved. They use raven-viper feathers if they’re legitimate.”

“It’s quackery because it’s fake!”, he insisted. “Look, there’s no way that burning some feathers or rubbing your palm, or, or- Or whatever could say what’s going to happen in the future!”

“I never said that”, Ty Lee said. “Fate’s malleable. It’s not what’s GOING to happen. It’s what’s most LIKELY to happen.”

“How do you know about all of this, anyway?”, Katara asked.

Ty Lee beamed. “Oh, I spent some time in a circus!”

“A circus?”, Katara questioned.

She nodded enthusiastically, standing up and cartwheeling across the room to another chair. “Yep. Clowns, animal tricks, the whole shebang. Before the Avatar returned, I came to the colonies to do a little bit of…” She stole a look at Aunt Wu’s assistant, waiting until the little girl had left the room. “A bit of recruitment for the Grey Phoenix. The circus moved around a lot, and so I could meet with a bunch of different people.”

“Why’d you wait until Ming was gone?”, Sokka asked. 

Ty Lee shook her head. “No. Az-My friend said that we should keep it on the down-low. Never know when the Firelord might have a spy nearby. Secrecy is the name of the game.”

Sokka nodded, apparently happy to be talking about something other than auras and fortune-telling. Katara was honestly just happy to have another girl on the team. Aang was super nice and she loved her brother, but they just grated on her at times. “Makes sense”, she said, trying to focus on the conversation as opposed to her own feelings. “So, what does that have to do with fortunes?”

It was amusing how Ty Lee’s face brightened while Sokka’s darkened as she steered the conversation back to the original topic. “There was one there! She taught me all about it. I loved the circus; there were so many nice people there. My aura had never been pinker!”

“And… You left to help Aang?”, Katara asked. She liked Ty Lee, but figuring out her deal was still something she wanted to do. 

“Not exactly”, Ty Lee said. “I mean, yeah. My friend recognizes that the Avatar is a big deal. Last hope to defeat the Fire Nation and all that. So, it was more to keep an eye on you guys. This? Directly helping you guys out. That wasn’t the original plan.” She reached into her sash, pulling out a small scroll. “Heck, I’ve got to send a message to her about it when we reach the next town with a hawkery.”

At that moment, Aang emerged from Aunt Wu’s office. His face was unreadable, partially excited yet masked with fear. “Ms. Katara”, Aunt Wu said, beckoning her forward. “It is your turn.” Katara smiled and stood, following the fortune reader into the next room. Even without knowing about her future love for a powerful bender, she was filled with optimism.

There was evidence of a Fire Nation rebellion! They were making steady progress to the North Pole. For the moment at least, they’d shaken off Kuzon and Zhao and the Fire Nation army. While she had felt it before, for the first time since her mother’s death, she felt truly hopeful for the future.

Chapter Text

“Bato?”

Sokka couldn’t keep the hope out of his voice. Bato had been one of the few outside of his family that didn’t treat him like he was actively on fire. His desperate hope turned to objective joy when the towering man emerged from the shadows of the trees.

“Sokka!”, he called back, his eyes widening further as he saw his sister stir in her sleeping bag. “Katara! It’s so good to see the both of you!” He practically lunged forward, gathering the two of them in a big hug. “You’ve gotten so big!”

Aang and Ty Lee rose as well, smiles on their face at a friendly face for once. The fire had died down to embers, and when Sokka offered to reignite it, Bato’s face grew cold. “No, no. That’s alright”, he said, shifting his shoulder. Sokka averted his gaze from the burn just as Bato put a false smile over his discomfort. “I’ve been staying at a nearby Abby. Follow me; we can get some proper rest there.”

Of course he’d be uncomfortable with his bending now. Instead of just being him and the occasional raiding party, Firebenders were now everyday enemies for him. He’d seen it used as a weapon instead of just being used by some stupid kid to light cooking fires. Firebending out here was a weapon of monsters; monsters that had hurt him. It made perfect sense why he put Bato on edge!

Still, he was almost able to ignore that as they were led up a winding path towards the convent. Bato wanted to know almost everything, trading the information of back home for stories about what their father had been up to at sea. Sokka beamed as Bato brought up one of his favorite stories about his father just as they arrived at the entrance.

“Mother Superior!”, Bato called as a wrinkled woman approached them. “This is Katara and Sokka. Hakoda’s children, like I told you about!” He pressed them forward, Sokka throwing up a small wave to the old woman. She smiled back at him, bowing at the waist slightly. “They’ve been traveling with the Avatar and…” He turned back to Ty Lee, a curious twist to his brow. “I’m sorry; I didn’t get your name.”

“Bato”, Sokka said, turning to the bouncy girl. “This is Ty Lee, she’s a-”

“-friend”, Ty Lee interrupted. “Aang here was in a spot of trouble, and I helped him out of it!” Her smile was infectious, throwing Sokka off for a moment until he realized something. She didn’t want him to know she was Fire Nation. It made sense, honestly.

“Right”, Sokka said, ignoring the quizzical look Katara was giving him. “She’s a friend.”

“Any friend of Hakoda’s children is a friend of mine”, Bato said, holding out a hand for her to shake. “Come on. I’ve got some Water Tribe food cooking!”

Bato led the group into a small room off of the main cloister where a fire burned low around a few tables. He brought in bowls of Five-Flavor Soup and Sea Prunes. Actual Sea Prunes! Sokka was so excited he practically choked on the delicacy as he shoveled them into his mouth. Aang and Ty Lee tried them, but… Well, having iron stomachs was apparently something the Water Tribes had over the Fire Nation. Who knew?

“You’re looking better, Sokka”, Bato commented after sharing a story about taking a Fire Nation ship. “I haven’t seen you this energetic since that time you ate all that Earth Kingdom candy Killik brought back from Whale Tail.”

“It’s warmer here”, Sokka explained, swallowing another heavenly mouthful of Sea Prune. “More sun, too. Makes me feel all energized.”

“Not to that extent”, Katara interceded. “Don’t worry. He won’t be burning anything down on accident.” But he might. Sokka’s face fell after that. He still might; even with the meditation that Ty Lee had instructed him in, his fire was still flaring out of his control at times. He’d avoided doing it in a town so far, but there had been a few close calls. Makapu had nearly driven him to skip the volcano and burn down the town himself, but Aang had managed to reign him in. 

“Good”, Bato said, a tired sort of relief in his voice. The conversation then drifted over towards Katara’s necklace, still missing after all those weeks since the Prison Rig. About the Fire Nation stealing things from them: Mom, Katara’s necklace. She even brought up Kuzon, which alarmed Bato at the thought of a Waterbender serving the Firelrod.

At some point, Aang had gotten up and left, with Ty Lee following after him. Bato comforted Katara, talking about how she was still so much like their mother despite everything. “You too, Sokka.”

That pulled him out of his thoughts, turning to the soft, comforting gaze of his pseudo-uncle. “Bato, I-”

“None of that”, Bato said. None of what? “Don’t think I didn’t see that look. I know what I did, and I’m sorry.”

“I get it”, Sokka said. “I’m-”

“Water Tribe”, Bato said. “Not Fire Nation. A Firebender, but not Fire Nation.” He put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing tightly. “Hakoda’d kill me if I let you think that you were lesser or anything like that because you bend flames. You aren’t an Ashmaker, and I’ll fight anyone who calls you that.” Bato smiled, and Sokka couldn’t help but smile back. 

XXXXX

“Whatcha got there?”, Ty Lee asked. 

Aang jumped at her sudden appearance, his hands flying behind his back as he attempted to hide the map from her. He plastered a hasty grin on his face, saying, “Hey. Ty Lee. Uh… Nothing?”

“It looked like something”, Ty Lee insisted. “That nun seemed like it was something, at least.”

“Were you eavesdropping?”, Aang asked, desperate to keep his anger out of his voice. He shouldn’t be feeling like this; he was supposed to be an Air Nomad! Fear and envy like this weren’t something he should be feeling! 

Ty Lee shook her head. “No”, she said. “Your aura is just… off. Ripply around the edge. You’re scared about something.” She crouched down, her wide smile dropping into something smaller and more personal. “What’s wrong, Aang?”

He sighed, hanging his head and falling onto the beach sand. His arms fell in front of him, the map offered up to Ty Lee. “It’s a map to their dad.”

Ty Lee examined it, her smile fully falling away into a frown. “So?”

“So they’re going to want to go with him!”, Aang cried. “They’re going to go with Bato and… and leave me. I’ll be alone.” Again. Everything he had learned about the Water Tribes, both from Monk Gyatso as well as Sokka and Katara, told him that they cared about their close family. Both of them were dedicated to each other, they expressed an intense amount of concern for their Grandmother; even Kuzon cared about his troops. Family over everything… Even him. 

“Do you think that little of them?”

That statement drew his attention. His head shot up as he stared into Ty Lee’s eyes. She sat down next to him, folding the map up neatly and placing her mask on top of it. “What does that mean?”, Aang asked. 

“I mean, do you really think they’d just leave you out to dry like jerky?”, she asked. “Now, of all times. It’s only a few weeks to the North Pole. They just don’t seem like the type.”

“How do you know?”, Aang asked. “And don’t say their auras. I… I’m sorry, but I still don’t get that.”

Ty Lee nodded, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping them up in her arms. She stared at the lapping surf, her grey eyes trailing over the wet sand they left in their retreat that was then swallowed by the returning water. In the sunlight, they had practically sparkled, but in the low light of the moon, they looked… sad. “My friend. The one I told that leads the Grey Phoenix.”

“Yeah?”

“She… wasn’t always the best friend.”

Aang blinked, cocking his head. “Wait. I thought you said she was your best friend.”

“I mean, she is”, Ty Lee said, a small smile returning to her face. “But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been mean in the past. Self-centered, enjoyed tricking others… a bit of a brat. She’s still my friend, but she can be pretty mean sometimes.”

Aang nodded slowly. “Ok.” He held out his hand for Momo to clamber up it, letting his friend rest on his shoulder. “What does that have to do with them leaving me?”

“I’m getting there”, Ty Lee said. “She had an older brother. He was a non-bender, and her father didn’t like him that much. She was close to her father, so he told her she shouldn’t like him either. But she didn’t. The two of them… Well, they weren’t thick as thieves, but they were closer than anyone else I’ve seen. They shared almost everything, watching out for one another. It was… so sweet.” She looked at him, the spark in her eye no longer sad but nonetheless gleaming. “You and them remind me of them. The kind of friends - of family - that stick by one another.”

That… Aang smiled as well. “Oh. Cool.” He looked over Ty Lee, looking at the corner of the map he could see peaking out from beneath her dragon mask. “Wh-what happened to the brother?”

Ty Lee’s smile fell once again. “He died”, she said. “He challenged the Firelord, and paid the price for it.” She looked out at the waves. “It’s why she founded the Grey Phoenix.”

Aang stared at her in raw horror. Another evil of the Fire Nation was laid bare before him, and yet this one was different. Everything else that he’d seen had been large-scale, impersonal evils inflicted on others. The imprisoning of Earthbenders, the burning of forests and villages, even the destruction of the Air Temples. This was a personal evil inflicted on one of their own. “I’m sorry.”

“We… We weren’t that close”, Ty Lee said. “And she tried to hide how much it hurt her. But she couldn’t hide her aura.”

“I… I know you don’t want to talk about your friend”, Aang said. “But… What was her brother’s name?”

Ty Lee pondered that for a moment, idly playing with her ponytail. “Zuko. His name was Zuko.”

“Zuko”, Aang said softly, rolling the name around in his mouth. He’d keep the name in mind whenever he saw an evil of the Fire Nation. Someone who was just a person, who stood up to evil and was slain for it. Someone more recent than his Kuzon that he could look to as a good example of a good person from the Fire Nation. 

Ty Lee somersaulted backward, flipping onto her feet and leaning forward. “Come one. Let’s go give Sokka and Katara the map”, she said, offering Aang her hand. He took it, pulling the map to his hand with a gust of wind. “Besides”, she continued. “Even if they do decide to go, you’ll still have me. But, I wouldn’t worry. They’re not the type.”

XXXXX

“What the hell are they doing?”, Major Teruko muttered, passing a telescope to Zuko. He took it, gazing down into the small bay as a ship wove back and forth amongst the towering rocks. Just as the ship shot clear of the formation, it heaved hard to port, dipping back into the forest of boulders. 

“Who cares?”, their… new hire said. The mercenary leaned forward atop her beast, gazing down into the bay. “Nyla’s pointing at that ship. Must be where your girlfriend is, Colonel.”

Zuko took a deep breath, mentally suppressing the urge to strangle the Mercenary. After she found a stowaway aboard Lieutenant Jee’s ship, he’d been struck by inspiration. If her Shirshu beast could track down anything, he could use the girl’s necklace to find her, and thus the Avatar. 

He hadn’t counted on June being even more annoying than Azula.

Teruko shot the smirking woman a glare before slipping back on her helmet. “Right. Come on.”

Zuko tossed the telescope back to Teruko as he mounted the ostrich horse. “Cho Sang”, he whispered to the man in question. “Send a hawk to Lieutenant Jee. Tell him of our location.” He flicked the reins, following after June as she whipped her beast into a gallop.

Following closely behind her, his men raced along the forest path down the slope. He held up a hand, signaling them to halt as the ship grounded itself on the beach. The two water tribe siblings, along with a third tribal, hopped out of the boat, excited exclamations reaching them in the woods. Behind them came, the Avatar and the girl in the Dragon mask exited. Zuko tried to catch sight of her face, though she was angled away from him. No matter. 

He gave a few quick signals, his men rapidly complying with the nonverbal commands. Several split off to flank around, while others dismounted and readied bows. Drawing his swords, he led the rest of them as well as June out onto the beach. 

The Avatar and his team scrambled back in alarm as the ostrich-horses and June’s shirshu rushed out of the undergrowth, racing towards them. The firebender boy lept forward, his hands smoking and flung a wall of fire at Zuko. Jerking his reins to the side, he wove around the flame and flipped off of his mount, swinging down towards the boy. He ducked back, pulling out a machete-club and lunging forward. 

His firebending was crude but powerful; his skill with arms was crude and unskilled. Shifting around a spurt of fire, Zuko struck, disarming him with a flick of his wrist and rearing back for a thrust. He was stopped by a whip of salt water, slamming into his wrist and disarming him with a harsh crack like cresting waves. Turning to the side, he saw the girl, her face a mask of rage and the whip pulled back to her side.

He smirked beneath a mask. So, this was who stole the scroll he’d arranged to buy. No matter; she had talent, but was still untrained. He twisted underneath another whip, sweeping his arm back and pulling a wave from the sea to rise even higher and crash into the back of the girl. She screamed as the water slammed into her and crushed her into the sand. 

At the same time, the other girl turned to face him after disabling one of his men. She had slipped on her mask, denying him a view of her face. She ducked under another one of his soldiers attempting to run her down, flipping around and driving a hand into his neck. He cried out and tumbled from the saddle, crashing into the sand as his beast squawked in alarm and sprinted away.

She rolled to her feet, facing him and drawing a knife. The two spent a moment facing one another down, cut off as the shirshu lashed out with its tongue. The girl was able to take a shaking step forward before collapsing, completely paralyzed. Zuko shuddered slightly, disturbed by the thought of being so vulnerable, before the wounded savage lunged at him with the firebenders discarded club.

He was definitely a more experienced fighter, able to put up a much better fight even when wounded. He went down under the shirshu’s tongue as well, the grinning June pinning him beneath the beast for good measure. “Bato!”, the boy yelled, having to be held back from rushing them by the other two. Flames spilled from his mouth and hands, even as the Avatar raced back almost faster than the eye could track, easily outmaneuvering the cordon as they sped up towards the monastery on the distant hill. 

“Well, that could’ve gone better”, June snarked, smirking down at the captive water tribe man. “Still, not like it’s hard to figure out where they went from here.”

“Just get ready to move”, Zuko snapped. 

June’s smirk only deepened. “So you do speak.” Zuko just glared at her, retrieving his swords in the process. “Alright, alright”, she said, holding her hands up in mock surrender.

Leaving behind two men to guard the paralyzed girl and warrior, remounting his ostrich-horse before leading the charge up the hill. At the entrance to the monastery, he paused long enough for Teruko to force the door open, then led the cavalry into the… empty courtyard? Where were the nuns? Where was the Avatar?

The answer to both questions was answered when the nuns appeared from the walls, dumping large vats full of a smoky pink liquid down into the courtyard. An overwhelming scent of every kind of flower Zuko knew and some that he didn’t fill the courtyard, forcing him to bring a hand up underneath his mask to block his nose. His men fared no better, while their ostrich-horses bucked and chirped erratically. 

The shirshu, however, reacted the worst of all. It threw June off of its back, its paralytic tongue flying out in erratic swings as it writhed and moaned, pawing at its nose. Zuko was bucked from his own mount, falling back and stumbling to his feet just in time for that tongue to fly forward and slammed into his back.

He crumpled instantly, his armor clanging against the flagstones. The impact jarred his helmet to the side, forcing the mask out of alignment and partially obscuring his view. Try as hard as he could, he simply couldn’t move. His whole body refused to respond to his desire to get up and run, wanting more than anything to move. Zuko’s vision swam as he saw shapes moving through the pale pink mist. One shape slammed down next to him, pulling something from his sash and saying something before disappearing. 

Zuko couldn’t hear him. He couldn’t hear anything save boots on the flagstones and the roaring of the beast. It sounded all too similar to the roaring of blood in his ears when his father stamped fire onto his face. The shapes in the mist appeared in the wide-brimmed helmets of Omashu soldiers, while the pounding grew ever louder. He couldn’t even close his eyes, forced to watch as everything became blurry and he couldn’t see anything and everything was too loud and-

“Sir!”, Teruko’s voice called out, but he couldn’t see her! Where was she!? His helmet was forced into place, finally allowing him to see again. His one good eye saw the Avatar’s bison fly overhead, but for the moment he didn’t care. “Sir! Can you hear me!?” Zuko couldn’t nod or even groan, instead blinking as fast as he could. Teruko’s masked face finally appeared in the right slot of his mask as she tilted her head, allowing him to see the deep breath she let out. “I’ve got you, sir.”

Zuko let out his own breath, trying just to breathe. He… Well, he wasn’t safe, considering he was in hostile territory. But he was alive. He had his men. The Avatar could run, but he couldn’t run forever with the 41st at his back. He was hoisted onto the back of an ostrich horse, the ringing in his ears breaking just enough to allow for him to hear Teruko dropping a sack of money at the side of a paralyzed June. She then mounted the beast and rode off, leaving the monastery behind them.

Zuko breathed. He focused, forcing through the pain and the fear and the roaring in his ears. He breathed for the full hour before the paralysis wore off. He continued to breathe as Lieutenant Jee arrived with his ship and went off in chase of the fleeing Avatar. To suppress the twisting of his gut and the twisting beneath his scar, he breathed.

Chapter Text

“Ok, seriously!”, Sokka yelled, throwing his hands in the air as he jumped off of Appa. He patted his shoulder, still practically feeling the smoldering flame that had fallen on it. Katara followed after him, likewise swiping ash from her clothes. “What is wrong with that guy?”

Aang shrugged, remaining seated on the back of the bison as he looked out at sea. Fortunately, the ship that had been chasing after them was nowhere to be seen. This meant that Kuzon and his band of masked psychos were also behind them, though knowing how stubborn that guy was, not very far and not for long. 

Ty Lee slid down Appa’s tail, giggling before springing up onto her feet. “He’s probably just a die-hard.”

“Die-hard?”, Aang asked.

Ty Lee nodded, pulling a bag from the saddle. “Yeah. Just someone who is really dedicated to their orders. ‘Told to jump, ask how high’ type thing.”

“Yeah, that makes sense”, Sokka muttered. He and Katara shared a look before turning away and contemplating their pursuer in silence. He supposed that, if he was really kidnapped or taken from his mother or whatever and raised in the Fire Nation, him being that kind of guy made sense. It wasn’t easy for him growing up as a Firebender, and most people had grown to tolerate him over time! Kuzon’d have to be a die-hard or he would’ve likely been abused to the Spirit Realm and back. 

“You two get camp set up”, Sokka said. “Me and Katara will go see if we can find some berries or something.”

“Have fun!”, both Aang and Ty Lee called, waving as if the two of them were departing on a long trip. Katara smiled and waved back, while Sokka just rolled his eyes and began to trudge into the woods. Katara followed on his heels, giggling at his muttering of there now being two of them. 

XXXXX

Aang smiled warmly as Ty Lee performed another flip while retrieving some of their camping supplies from Appa. “Alright, I got the firewood”, he said, using his airbending to throw the bundle of sticks onto the ground between them. “Now we just wait for Sokka to get back to light it.”

“Why wait?”, Ty Lee asked. 

Aang’s eyes widened, asking, “Are you a firebender?”

Ty Lee tittered, setting the last of the bedrolls down next to the slumbering sky bison. “Nah”, she said, reaching into the pockets of her baggy trousers and retrieving a pair of spark rocks. “Just prepared.”

“Ah”, Aang said, sitting down across from her as she struck the rocks together. He rubbed the back of his head, his smile turning to one of embarrassment. “Right. We just usually rely on Sokka for that.”

“Makes sense”, Ty Lee said, finally getting a spark to fall on the tinder. “It’s really convenient, isn’t it?”

“Yeah”, Aang said. “It’s… It reminds me of when I used to go camping with Kuzon.” He blinked before realizing that the Kuzon she would be familiar with would be the masked waterbender. “Not-I meant my Kuzon. He was my friend from a hundred years ago.”

“That’s so cool”, Ty Lee said. “Having known someone from a hundred years ago, I mean.”

“It’s…”, Aang said, swallowing. His throat was suddenly super dry and he hung his head. Even though Ty Lee wasn’t intending to do that, she’d dredged up a lot of things he hadn’t really… He stopped when he saw Ty Lee looking at him. “It’s…”

“Sorry”, she said. “I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s ok”, he replied. “It’s ok.” The two of them sat in silence, watching the fire crackle and spit sparks. Aang was lost in the shroud of his thoughts, trying to make sense of them all. Some many conflicting things, especially, since Ty Lee had brought it up, the disconnect between what he knew about the Fire Nation and what it had become under the Firelords.

He was stirred from his thoughts by flickering shadows. He looked up into the sky, realizing that as he’d been thinking, the sun had completely set and it was now entering into night. “They’ve been gone a long time, haven’t they?” Ty Lee looked up from where she was poking the fair, both of them sharing a look of slowly dawning realization. “Oh no.”

XXXXX

Sokka groaned, blinking rapidly as he fought to steady himself. He tried to reach out to touch something, only for his hands to not respond to his commands. That forced his eyes open all the way. He jerked his head around, glancing over his shoulder to see both of his hands bound behind his back with metal wire.

He looked back around ahead of him, eyes going wide as he realized he was in the middle of a Fire Nation camp. A large fire roared in the middle of it, a couple of small plucked birds roasting on a spit over it. Several soldiers in ash-grey uniforms lounged around it, chatting amiably or drinking from tin cups. Three tents were pitched around the fire, while an equal number of ostrich-horses to the soldiers were hitched to a few nearby trees. If it was possible, his eyes widened at the sight of familiar, red-masked helmets sitting amongst the saddlebags and weapons of the soldiers.

“Sokka?”, Katara asked, groggily sitting up next to him. Like himself, his little sister had her hands bound with wire. She looked up as well, shock gracing her features as she sat the situation they were in. “Where- What-”

“Well, well, well,” a voice drawled. Twisting their heads, they saw another soldier stand up next to them. It took Sokka a moment to realize the soldier was a woman, her long hair tied into a high ponytail. She grinned noncommittally at them, her expression making the jagged scar across her cheek twist into a cavernous pit. “Look who’s awake.”

Her declaration drew the attention of the other soldiers, who began to jeer and taunt the two water tribe siblings. Kataras face contorted into a snarl, struggling to stand. However, instead, she pitched forward and fell on her face, earning more howling laughs from the 41st soldiers. Sokka looked over to see that their legs were also bound with wire.

“Pipe down!”, the woman yelled, shutting up the soldiers save for a few soft calls “Yes, Major”. She then looked down at the two of them, her smiling face still making her trench-like scar ripple. “After the Avatar’s little stunt at Pouhai, we couldn’t take any chances. Nothing personal.”

“Right”, Sokka groused. “Like we would take being kidnapped by some crazy Fire Nation lady well.”

The woman shrugged and sat back down, pulling a knife out from her boot. “Not kidnapping.” Sokka shot her an unimpressed glare, earning an annoyed sign from the apparent Major. “You kidnap civilians. You take combatants prisoner. Since you’re traveling with the Avatar, you’re classified as combatants.”

“Like it matters”, Katara said, finally able to pull herself off of the ground.

The woman shrugged. “Fair enough. Just military semantics.” She pulled a small stone from her belt and began to sharpen the blade. Sokka leaned forward a little bit to examine it and was surprised to see that the handle was wrapped in green leather, completely lacking any red adornment. Probably some kind of trophy she took from an Earth Kingdom soldier or ruined village or something. 

“Nice knife”, he said. 

The Major looked up and shrugged. “Thank’s. Was my dad's.”

Wait, what? “Your dads?”, he blurted. Maybe he took it as a trophy from some Earth Kingdom soldier or ruined village, then gave it to his psycho daughter.

“Yeah. Family heirloom”, she said. “Supposedly a gift from Earth King Chin, but I doubt it.”

“A gift from the Earth King?”, Sokka questioned. The Major nodded, only adding to his confusion. “But you’re a Fire Nation officer?” Sokka didn’t know all that much about history outside of that of his tribe, but obviously there was a time before the war. Had the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation been on such good terms that the giving of things like knives was common?

“I’m from the Colonies, kid”, the Major said. “Hell, most of the battalion is.”

“The Colonies?”, Katara questioned. They’d both heard of them, of course. The Fire Nation had conquered a bunch of land along the Earth Kingdom coast, then brought in their own people to settle and kick out all the Earth Benders. Haru’s village had been a part of one such colony. Ok, now it made sense. The Major’s family had taken the knife, which was given to some Earth Kingdom officer by their King, after conquering the colonies. Made perfect sense. 

“Yeah”, the Major said. “Yu Dao, specifically. My dad’s of Earth Kingdom stock.” Nevermind! What the heck!? “Gave it to me when I enlisted.”

“Y-you’re Earth Kingdom?”, Sokka asked, almost disbelievingly. If he hadn’t seen and fought Kuzon plenty of times before, he wouldn’t have guessed the Fire Nation employed soldiers from outside their element. Certainly would’ve fit with the whole “Fire Supremacy” schtick that Zhao had going for him. 

The Major’s eyes narrowed. “I’m Fire Nation.” They opened slightly, her expression relaxing as she went back to sharpening her knife. “My Mom’s from Home Islands. Moved to Yu Dao, met Dad, had me and a few brothers, all that junk.”

“Of course”, Katara muttered under her breath. “Just like that Kuzon prick. The Fire Nation corrupts everything.”

The Major’s sharpening stone scrapped extra hard against the blade, sending several sparks shooting onto the ground. The Major’s smile fell and, if looks could kill, Katara would be dead and buried a thousand times over. “You can insult me, my family, and my country all you want. But you don’t talk shit about the Colonel in my presence.”

“What?”, Sokka stammered, unsure what brought this on but suddenly very scared.

Katara, however, failed to pick up on the implied threat. “Why should I?”, she snarled, shuffling forward on her knees despite Sokka desperately trying to get in her way. “I’m telling the truth! You betrayed your element, fighting for the Nation that wants to take over the world, and for what!? The same goes for your ‘Colonel’. Just another Fire Nation slave too brainwashed to realize they’re working for the bad guys!”

The Major, in one fluid motion, stood and stomped over to them. She lashed out with her knee, striking Katara just below the chin and sending her tumbling to the ground. Sokka fell onto his hands, wincing as the wires dug into the gaps between his fingers. He would’ve tried bending, only stopping himself out of worry he might burn himself before the wire melted. 

As he looked up, he saw all of the soldiers glaring at the two of them. Their conversations had halted and their jovial expressions were replaced with utter contempt. As Sokka watched them, he noticed a detail that hadn’t come to his attention before: A single red stripe that ran down the soldier’s breastplates. All of them had it, save for the young-looking soldier turning the spit, though his expression was just as murderous.

The Major put her knife away, then halted Katara to her feet. “Maybe know what you’re flinging mud at before you do so”, she snapped. She threw Katara down at her feet, pressing the sole of her boot against Katara’s back. 

“What are you talking about?”, Sokka cut in. “The Fire Nation doesn’t exactly like Waterbenders. Why are you defending him so much? Even if you’re from the colonies or whatever, shouldn’t you hate him?”

“Agni take me, of course not”, the Major said. She splayed her hand to the crowd of soldiers. “Everyone here owes the Colonel our lives. Save for Anzo there, we’ve been with him since the beginning.”

“Beginning?”, Sokka questioned.

The Major’s grin returned. She turned to the other soldiers, making some kind of sign with her hand that made them relax and return to their meal prep, although they were all still quiet. “Alright”, she said, sitting back down. “Alright. Storytime, Savages. Yeah. I, almost everyone here, and the 41st as a whole owe everything to Colonel Kuzon.”

XXXXX

The first time Lieutenant Teruko saw Kuzon, it was when he arrived. It wasn’t all too notable an occurrence, especially in the past couple of days. Carts had been coming and going, dropping off and taking away supplies and troops. All in all, it had been a hectic few days; especially since their first deployment was in only a few weeks. 

The only reason she saw his arrival was because she had been assigned by Colonel Taoza to help the Quartermaster in managing the arriving cargo. The boy had slipped off of the cart almost as soon as it ground to a halt, giving a too-perfect bow to the driver before heading into camp. 

Teruko just gaped for a solid thirty seconds as the kid moved. He had to be a kid, being shorter by far than anyone else in the Division. He was wearing a uniform that was a bit too big for him, his face concealed beneath a Firebenders helmet, and carrying a rucksack that was definitely too big for him. “Oi, kid!”, she called, shoving a basket of rice into one of her subordinate’s hands before taking off after him. He turned around to face her, looking up to meet her gaze. “What are you doing here?”

“I-I’ve been assigned here”, he said quietly. His voice was raspy and scratchy, as if he’d spent the past few days inhaling smoke. He fumbled with the belt holding his armor in place, eventually pulling out a slip of paper.

Taking it, Teruko’s eyes widened. Sure enough, these were transfer orders assigning this guy to the 41st Colonial Division. His name was apparently Kuzon, a seventeen-year-old mixed kid who had been a last-minute addition. Kuzon fidgeted, holding out a hand to take the orders back.

Teruko obliged, folding the paper back up and handing it to Kuzon. “Sorry about that. You’re just pretty short for seventeen, is all.”

“Right”, Kuzon murmured, shifting the straps of his rucksack.

Teruko shrugged. “Welcome to the 41st, for what it’s worth.” She gave the kid a sloppy bow, watching with mild surprise as he bowed back with court-perfect posture. Just who was this kid?

That question was on the minds of almost everyone in the Division over the next few days. Especially when he started showing up for training, his firebender helmet firmly in place even though it quickly became apparent he wasn’t a Firebender. Instead, he went through the same drills as the rest of them, though he was seemingly struggling to use the standard issue glaive they were all equipped with. He learned everybody’s names and talked about their lives, though clammed up about his own and didn’t interact with anyone beyond that.

Rumors and theories were aplenty. Some thought that he had committed some kind of crime, and had been assigned to them as a punishment. A few of the guys thought he was the disgraced son of a noble, once again transferred to the 41st as some kind of punishment. Li from Rayati posited that he was some kind of child soldier, while Li from Zen Hao thought he was assigned to them simply to be killed off. The wildest theory came from Cho Sang, who put forward the theory that Kuzon was actually Prince Zuko, who had been disgraced after challenging the Firelord to an Agni Kai and sent to them to redeem himself.

Teruko didn’t care too much for the mumbling of her subordinates. Not through the out-and-out dismissal that her noble-born fellow officers did so. She was the only commissioned officer in the whole Division who was actually from the Colonies; of course she would care about what her fellow colonial brats would say. She was more focused on preparing for their first deployment, especially after their Cavalry and Artillery detachments were reassigned. It was almost like General Bujing was expecting them to die, and she had to make sure they got out alive!

XXXXX

“Sir”, a voice whispered. “Sir!” Teruko’s eyes blinked open, the restless sleep she had fallen into easily broken by light shaking. “Sir. It’s Kuzon.” That fully banished her drowsiness, shooting bolt upright and turning to glare at Cho Sang.

“What about him?”, she asked, looking past him out of the door of the junior officer’s tent.

“He’s gone!”, Cho Sang whisper-yelled. “I couldn’t sleep, and saw him. He pulled out this theater mask or something, pulled out these swords from his pack, and left!”

“What?”, Lieutenant Enzo growled, sliding off of his bunk. The other junior officers were likewise stirring, drawn from their attempts at sleep by the soft speaking. “I knew that brat was trouble. Deserting the night of our first assignment.”

“That… that doesn’t seem like Kuzon”, Teruko said. It really didn’t. Kuzon was perhaps the most dedicated soldier Teruko had ever seen. Even if he was physically at a disadvantage due to his lack of strength, he still performed the drills as well as he could. He trained harder, longer, and more thoroughly than anyone in the Division. To just desert… it made no sense. “Which way did he go?”

“Straight east”, Cho Sang said. His expression fell, eyes bulging in his face as he realized what was going on.

Lieutenant Doja shook his head. “Stupid brat. He’s heading right towards the Earth Kingdom lines. What in Agni’s name is he thinking?” The ripples of realization spread out from Cho Sang until it reached the other officers, where they began to exchange looks between themselves and frown. “No way. He plans to take on a whole brigade by himself? Why?”

“He must know something”, Enzo said.

Teruko swallowed, though it did nothing to clear her desert-dry throat. “The Cavalry and the Artillery.” All eyes fell on her, and she continued. “Our auxiliary detachments were reassigned, but we were sent ahead anyway. Standard procedure is to always have those contingents with a Division-sized unit. If they were taken away and we didn’t get replacements-”

Cho Sang interrupted, “We have been honored with Martyrdom.”

The looks turned to full-on arguments among the assembled officers. Teruko tuned out the conversations, turning to Cho Sang. “Wake the platoon. Maybe even get the Captain up. Just… get them ready to move.”

“What are you thinking?”, Doja asked, an eyebrow raised in suspicion. “You’re not planning to desert, are you?”

“Of course not”, Teruko snapped. “But Kuzon obviously knows something. If he’s gone off towards our objective, maybe he even has a plan. Better to figure that out than wait until morning and march to our deaths.” With that, she threw on her brigandine, grabbed her helmet, and slipped out of the tent.

Cho Sang had indeed woken up the entire company, Captain Lee agreeing with her assessment of the situation and agreeing to go find Kuzon. As members of their company had been posted as sentries, it was relatively simple to slip out of camp and march into the woods that divided it from Gi Wai Zifao Hill.

It was halfway through that forest that they found Kuzon. True to Cho Sang’s description, the firebender helmet that Kuzon had worn the entire time he’d been with the 41st had been exchanged for a blue theater mask displaying a grinning demon. The fact it was just a mask revealed his shaved head, completely bald save for a Phoenix tail. His red uniform had been stained with soot to darken it, while a pair of expensive-looking Dao and a pair of large waterskins had been strapped to his back. 

“Kuzon”, Teruko called. Kuzon whipped around, a hand coming up to his swords until he realized it was her. 

He just stared at her in undisguised astonishment, especially when the rest of her platoon emerged from the undergrowth. “L-li-lieutenant”, he stammered. “Wh-what are y-you d-doing he-here?”

“I think that’d be a better question for you”, Captain Lee said as he came to the front of the formation. “What do you think you're doing?”

Kuzon hung his head, falling to his knees. “S-sir”, he said, his voice heavy like his throat was closing. “Bait. We…”

“We’re bait?”, Lee asked. Kuzon just nodded, head still hung as if ashamed. “General Bujing has honored us with becoming Martyrs in order to allow for other units to dislodge the Earth Kingdom forces?” Another nod. “You got it in your head to try and fight the Earth Army alone?” A shake of his head. Captain Lee pondered the reply for a moment, before looking back down at the shaking Kuzon. “You wanted to give us a chance. Kill as many as possible before dying yourself?” A nod. 

Teruko barely restrained herself from pulling Kuzon into a hug. He was apparently only a year younger than her and half of their company, but he had been burdened with the knowledge of what was going to happen to him. He had surely told the Colonel, and he’d done nothing. Kuzon, meanwhile, had planned to go on a suicide run in order to give them some kind of chance to make it out alive.

“Sir”, Teruko whispered to Captain Lee. “What do we do?” The Captain looked back at her, then down at the crestfallen Kuzon. A silent understanding passed between them, a realization of what had to be done.

As they shared a look, more troops piled up around them. She saw Lieutenants Enzo and Doja, as well as their captains and the rest of their forces. A wave of torches raced through the forest, hidden from view only by the thick canopy they were passing under. Captain Lee looked back at Kuzon, then knelt down next to him. Being on the same level as him seemed to make Kuzon relax, his breathing regulated and his posture relaxing. “Now”, Lee said, placing a comforting hand on Kuzon’s shoulder. “Do you actually have a plan?”

XXXXX

Apparently, Kuzon could move silent as a vole-mouse when he wanted to. The only reason anyone saw him that night was because no one could sleep. That had been the crux of his plan; to slip into the Earth Kingdom base, then kill as many officers and Earthbenders as he could before being caught. Now, the plan was much the same, albeit now with over half the Divison instead of just himself. 

At first, the plan had gone well enough. The torches had been doused, uniforms stained with mud and ash and whatever else they could to obscure the bright red, while anything white or gold had been abandoned in the woods. Then, after moving as silently as possible through the woods and halfway up the hill, they’d reached the rim of the Earth Kingdom defenses.

Kuzon had moved, almost effortlessly scaling the wall while the 41st waited. After he had made it up the side, he disappeared for a concerningly long amount of time. After several minutes, just as the officers started to get antsy, Kuzon reappeared, throwing down a length of rope to the soldiers below.

The 41st moved quickly to the base of the wall and began to scale it, throwing up grappling hooks wherever Kuzon hadn’t lowered a rope. As the soldiers began to climb over the top and into the interior, someone saw them. Gongs began to blare and soldiers were roused from their sleep. Stealth abandoned, the 41st broke into the base however they could and lashed out at whatever they could. 

In a word, it was Chaos. Even when caught off-guard, the Omashu forces they faced were veterans whereas the 41st were on their first deployment. Earthbenders struck back with boulders and pit traps, cutting gaps into the formation. The nonbending soldiers could easily match anyone in the 41st, and for a moment, it looked like they might still be overwhelmed and slaughtered.

That was, until Kuzon sheathed his swords and opened his flasks. He began to waterbend, whips of water swinging out in seemingly random patterns that carved through the enemy soldiers. Apparently, some of those rumors had been true after all.

Teruko didn’t have any time to consider those thoughts, however. She slammed a ball of fire into an Earthbender’s face, watching him stumble back and clutch his face while screaming in agony. Another one charged her, stamping his foot just as she turned to face him. A rock spike shot out of the ground, and for a brief second she saw the spike tear through her skull and kill her instantly. Instead, she just managed to duck to the side, feeling it carve a burning trench into the side of his face. She kicked out as she raced forward, a wave of flame hitting the soldier in the chest as she tackled him. 

Both tumbled in the mud-and-blood-slicked earth. Too close to strike with her fire, she pulled her knife from her boot. The soldier caught the strike, trying to jerk the blade away from her. She snarled, bringing her other hand away and slamming her wrist into the pommel. The extra momentum drove the blade through his throat, staining the man’s beard with bright crimson blood.

She lunged to her feet, just dodging out of the way of a hammer swing. She lit a flame in her palm, driving it into the man’s neck as he fell on top of her. He screamed and screamed until she drove the blade into her temple. He went slack atop her, forcing her to wrestle his corpse off of him.

As she did so and finally forced herself to her feet, she realized that things had quieted down. As opposed to what felt like hours of the desperate cries of battle, now an eerie silence fell upon the hilltop. Looking around, she saw other members of the 41st standing around numbly. All of them were stained with all manner of detritus, eyes wide and weapons hanging limply at their sides. The only figures still standing in green were a few terrified soldiers on their knees, hands held behind their heads and casting terrified glances at the soldiers around them.

Then, she saw Kuzon. He was standing at the crest of the hill, one sword held at his side smeared with blood while the water swirling around his hand fell to the ground. Kuzon cast a look around the shattered fortress, his legs quivering and his masked face cast in shadows. Behind him, the sun rose, surrounding him in a golden halo like the old stories of Agni-blessed heroes.

Cho Sang came up next to her, an Earth Kingdom Warhammer clutched tightly in one hand. He looked around, seeing the remaining soldiers of the 41st coalescing together and glancing up at the catatonic Colonel. Cho Sang’s face was blank, until it curved into a relief-filled grin. He began to chant: “41st. 41st. 41st!” Soon, the chant was taken up by the other survivors: “41st! 41st! 41st!!” Soon, when Colonel Taoza and the Division originally meant to win the battle arrived at the top of the hill, that was all they heard: “41st!! 41st!!”

XXXXX

Katara stared into the Major’s eyes. They were a dull brownish-bronze, somewhere between Zhao’s and Haru’s. Teruko shrugged, adding, “So, do you get it?”

Katara didn’t. Tui and La help her, but she didn’t. The Major and her friends had been sent to their deaths, in order to claim some hill, and she was still working for them! Why couldn’t she see she was being used as a pawn? Sure, Kuzon had saved her life, but… 

“Why’d you tell us this?”, Sokka asked, his face ashen. 

The Major shrugged. “You wanted to know about Kuzon. I don’t know that much more about him than that. I don’t need to, though.” She stood up. “Man like that? I’d follow him to Kou and back. I suggest you two get some sleep. Got a long day tomorrow.”

With that, she walked back to the fire, one of the soldiers slipping on his helmet and sitting down near them to watch the two of them. Katara stared daggers at the man, though eventually tore her gaze away from that emotionless mask, sliding against a tree and trying to sleep. However, in a cruel anticipation like the 41st all those years ago, she simply couldn’t sleep.

Chapter Text

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. After flying over the forest, that was all that Aang could see. His heart fell, but he kept looking. He twisted his hands to lower his glide closer to the ground, hoping that maybe a closer view would allow him to pick out where his friends had disappeared to.

Ever since Sokka and Katara failed to reappear after searching for food the previous evening, Ty Lee and he had been searching for them. The two of them found a few broken branches on a berry bush, along with booted footprints that Ty Lee recognized as belonging to Fire Nation soldiers. They searched all through the night, finding that the trail had disappeared, and there was no sign of them. 

Aang had found nothing in the woods and had taken to the air to try and find them. Now, with nothing apparent, he was considering turning back and meeting up with Ty Lee. However, just as he was twisting his glider, something caught his eye. 

A group of Ostrich-horses, moving at high speed through a low valley in the plain. Twisting his glider sharply in the opposite direction, he stalled briefly before a current of air picked him up and carried him in pursuit of the group. Keeping just above the clouds, he was able to make out the grey-clad figures, riding at full tilt. As well as the ones clad in blue, bound to the backs of two of the Ostrich-horses. 

The 41st had, like Sokka had figured, caught up with them. He considered just swooping down and trying to pull them from the back of the mounts. That was, until he looked up, and his face fell. 

The soldiers were riding toward a large fort surrounded by an ancient statue. The statue itself was surrounded by scaffolding and metal supports, while catapults and soldiers dominated the walls. There was no way he could get them off before they were within range, and if there were soldiers from the 41st present, then Kuzon was likely not far behind. So, as much as it pained him, he turned the glider and made his way back towards the woods. 

He found Ty Lee with Appa, the two of them sitting just within the perimeter of the forest. Any enthusiasm that the girl had when seeing Aang return vanished when he showed her the fort. “Well. That’s not good.” As if to accentuate her point, the gate slammed shut behind the returning squad.

“Come on”, Aang said, flicking open his glider. He was only stopped from leaping into the air by Ty Lee grabbing hold of his arm. 

“Woah, woah woah”, she said. “Slow your rolls. Let me handle this. There’s no sense in both of us being put at risk if I can just spring them.”

“But they’re my friends! I’m the Avatar!”, he protested. 

Ty Lee smiled sweetly. “Look, I get that. But-”

“Don’t tell me it’s because I’m the Avatar so I shouldn’t risk myself”, Aang snapped. “I’m not losing them!”

“I wasn’t going to say that, and you won’t”, Ty Lee said. “You’re right. But think of it like this: If something goes wrong, then you being able to take them by surprise gives us a better chance of getting them out, right?”

Aang opened his mouth to protest, before closing it and scowling. He didn’t like it, but had to admit that Ty Lee had a point. “Alright. But if something goes wrong-”

“You can come in and save the day like the Avatar is supposed to!” Ty Lee stood up and beamed, before saying, “Besides. I broke into Pouhai, didn’t I? This’ll be a breeze.” With that, she sprang off the ledge, sliding down the slope before breaking into a sprint towards the fort, slipping on her mask on the way. 

Aang watched as she approached, leaping between rocky outcroppings and the few scraggily bushes that peaked through the hardened soil. She rolled up to the base of the wall before practically running up it, springing from small gaps in the wall to ascend as if she were climbing stairs. At the parapet, she flipped over and landed on her feet. Before she could slip down the other side, however, a squad of soldiers raced onto the wall, surrounding her with a half-circle of spears. 

“Aw, crud.” Well, time for Plan B. 

XXXXX

Sokka was rolled off the back of the Ostrich-horse like he was a piece of cargo. The impact against the ground kicked the breath out of him, eliciting a moan of pain. He was swiftly hoisted to his feet, two soldiers grabbing one arm each and beginning to drag him through the courtyard. A series of growls and bleary threats indicated that his sister was likewise being led away from where the ostrich-horses were being returned to their stable. 

The two of them were thrown down just before a small command post of sorts, forced onto their knees. Standing atop it, gazing over the wall, was another soldier in the grey uniforms of the 41st. It took Sokka a second, but the glower his sister gave the guy and the different-shaped helmet indicated that this had to be Kuzon. The Major going past them to talk to the guy in a quiet voice simply confirmed it for him.

“Hey, let us go!”, Katara yelled, renewing her struggle against the wire bonds they were bound in. Kuzon straightened slightly, but resumed whispering with the Major. 

Sokka snarled, smoke curling from his mouth. “Hey! We’re talking to you, uh… Scar boy!” Ha, that got his attention. Wait, why were the guards backing away from him?

Kuzon took a step forward and pounced from the wall down into the courtyard. He landed on all fours just in front of him, the grinning mask suddenly appearing in his face, making Sokka balk and fall onto his back. Kuzon was on his feet almost as quickly as he’d landed, stepping around and glaring down at him. His eyes, barely visible behind his mask, glared down at him. 

The masked waterbender knelt, pressing his knee against Sokka’s chest. Ignoring Katara’s protests, Kuzon leaned forward and put more pressure into his knee, forcing smoke to pour from his mouth. Sokka’s eyes went wide, meeting the cold, utterly blank eyes beneath Kuzon’s mask in a thrashing panic to allow more air to get into his lungs.

Suddenly, Kuzon stood, and the pressure lifted. Sokka rolled onto his side, coughing and taking in rasping breaths. “Sokka, are you ok!?”, Katara cried. 

“Y-yeah”, Sokka rasped. “I’m fine.”

A group of soldiers marched down the steps along the wall, spears pressed to the back of a struggling figure. Once they reached the ground and turned towards Kuzon and them, Sokka’s heart sank as he saw that it was Ty Lee. The girl was twisting and writhing in the grip of the soldiers, nearly breaking free from one of them before a spear butt was jammed into the back of her leg. Finally, she was forced to her knees before Kuzon, while one of the soldiers bowed and said, “Colonel. We found her scaling the wall.”

“Excellent”, the Major said. “Is there any sign of the Avatar?”

“No, sir.”

The Major sighed, before nodding. “Alright then. Return to your posts and keep an eye out. The Avatar will come for-”

A streak shot between the two groups, a shockwave of dust following shortly afterward. While the soldiers coughed and sputtered from the sudden burst, the three prisoners tracked the orange and yellow blur as it weaved through the air and rolled into a dive. Aang materialized from the blur, folding up his glider back into his staff and landing in front of Kuzon. His face locked into a stern frown, he leveled the staff at Kuzon like a spear and told him, “Let my friends go!”

Kuzon glared back, drawing his swords and falling into a fighting stance. While the two of them faced off, Sokka renewed his struggle against the metal wires binding his wrists. The guards seemed to notice, however, jerking him to his feet. The 41st soldiers holding Katara and Ty Lee did likewise, beginning to back away from the Avatar and towards a deep hole near one of the guard buildings.

The last thing that Sokka saw before being thrown into the hole was a tide of soldiers, in both the reds of normal Fire Nation troops and the greys of the 41st, flooding into the courtyard to surround Aang. 

XXXXX

The Avatar blanched as his companions were thrown into one of the prison pits. With that momentary distraction, Zuko struck. Water coiled around his blades, launching in diagonal waves with a flourish of his blades. As the Avatar wasted time batting them aside with his staff, Zuko rushed in, twirling slashes that nearly took the boy down at the knees.

He leapt into the air to avoid them, twisting around and sending a strand of the spilled water towards him. He caught the lash, yanking it around him to throw back at the Avatar as he came back to earth. His men formed a loose cordon around them, weapons and flames at the ready in case the boy tried to make a run for it.

Zuko kept on the attack, whips and sweeps of water aiming to take the boy down as quickly as possible. The Avatar, meanwhile, tried to put distance between them, throwing gusts of wind and the occasional attempt at redirecting his water back at him. Zuko, however, had years of practice compared to the only few weeks of the Avatar, and was able to keep control of the currents that surrounded him. 

Finally, with a savage grin beneath his mask, one of the whips wrapped around the Avatar's leg. With a sweep of his arms, the watery lash yanked the Avatar out of the sky and onto the hard stone of the courtyard. The Avatar groaned, the air knocked out of him, as Zuko rushed forward.

He kicked away the staff and slammed a boot into the boys stomach. He suppressed a wince at the impact, as well as forcing down the guilt of hurting someone so young. He was the Avatar, and with him in his grasp, he would regain his honor. Father would have to acknowledge-

Something slammed into his helmet from his blind side, battering on the wood and metal with tiny yet persistent blows. He grunted, twisting his head to see what it was, and only got the impression of white and black fur. It wrapped around his mask, continuing to batter him, all the while screeching something awful. He dropped his swords and backed away, scrambling to get this thing off of him. 

He was only vaguely aware of shouts and curses from his men, as well as the flare of firebending and the bursts of wind from the Avatar. He was unable to focus on that, however, especially when the thing began to pull on the crest of his helmet, yanking him back and forcing him off of his feet. Finally, however, he got ahold of some part of the creature and threw it off of him. 

A… a lemur? He snarled and threw some water at it, freezing the damned pest to the ground. His good ear still ringing from the creature’s insistent chittering, he could only watch as the Avatar noticed him immobilizing his pet. The gust of wind that was sent his way did succeed in throwing him to the ground, after which he rushed through a pack of his troops and used his staff to knock the creature free.

Zuko snarled and climbed back to his feet. His ear rang, and his scar ached, but he pushed the pain aside. Calling water back to his control, he flung a barrage of icy darts at the Avatar, who ducked around them and sought shelter in the scaffolding surrounding the large statue. Zuko retrieved his swords and gave chase. 

The Avatar scrambled up the scaffolding as Zuko sent attack after attack at him. Shards of ice, whips of foaming water, and bolts of that same water were all woven around almost effortlessly. All the while, the Avatar used his airbending to put distance between them, fleeing further up the statue. Eventually, just as Zuko climbed to the top of the scaffolding, the Avatar sent a gust of air and began to twirl his staff. Zuko could only gape as the Avatar rose into the air, finally coming down as he sent a typhoon-force burst of wind at him.

Zuko stapped his swords into the wood and froze water around his legs, anchoring himself as best he could. All he could hear was the roar of the wind, his ears screaming in agony as he focused all his effort in not being thrown off of the high beams. His grip went white on his swords, and even then, he could feel his hold slipping away.

Finally, just as it seemed that he might lose his grip, the hurricane died down. The Avatar was across from him, staff held low and at the ready. He was saying something to him, but Zuko could only hear the echoing roar of the wind in his one good ear. With a snarl, he withdrew his blades and surged forward-

-Only for the scaffolding to give way beneath him. He might’ve been screaming as he tumbled down three levels of the supports, only stopping himself by grabbing ahold of one of the beams. His stomach lurched from the sudden stop, yet he swallowed down the bile in his throat and pulled himself up onto the scaffolding. 

Below, so much had gone wrong. A water tower had been knocked over, sweeping many of his soldiers and the fort's garrison off of their feet. Those that remained standing were locked in battle with the escaped prisoners, fighting through them in a loose semi-circle. 

The girl had definitely improved, swinging whips out and beating back the soldiers with waves of water. His men, thanks to sparring with him, were able to counter the girl, but her firebending brother and the masked girl were able to keep them off of her. The firebenders' attacks were clumsy but powerful, forcing the troops back while keeping the attention of the benders on him. That left them open to the whips of the waterbender or the… The familiar flurry of attacks from the other girl. 

His eyes narrowed, watching as she flipped over a guard. On the way down, she delivered a swift strike to the man’s shoulder. The trooper tumbled over, landing face-first on the stones, completely immobile. Only a faint movement indicated he was still breathing. She weaved under a sword slash from one of his men, her brown ponytail flailing behind her as she sent a flurry of blows against the man's chest.

There… there was no way. Why… why would she be here? Helping the Avatar of all people? Surely he was mistaken; surely, there were other hyper-flexible girls with braided brown hair who knew how to deliver chi-blocking strikes. And yet, even as the Avatars’ bison landed in the courtyard and the four of them boarded, the pit in Zuko’s stomach only grew deeper.

Chapter Text

“Ok, ok”, Ty Lee said, holding up her hands placatingly. “I get it. Not the right analogy for you-”

“Damn right!”, Sokka snarled, flames flicking around his hands and smoke billowing from his mouth. He blinked, realizing that he was holding a hand against one of the surrounding trees. He yelped, the flames dying down in his surprise, just in time for Katara to throw a glob of water at the tree. It hit him, but at least the fire was out!

Ty Lee lowered her hands and frowned, rubbing her chin. “Ok, so nothing involving… that.”

“Yeah”, both Sokka and Katara said at the same time. That narrowed things down to the kind of frameworks or mindsets that one needed to help control their firebending. It wasn’t her fault; she wasn’t a bender! She hadn’t had to learn these things as extensively as Azula had to. Oh, she missed her. 

Sokka sighed, rubbing his temples. He briefly turned his head, gazing at the handprint charred into the wood, before continuing to walk after them. “Sorry. I know you’re trying to help. But this just isn’t working.”

“Well, maybe someone else could explain it better”, Ty Lee shrugged. “Or, correctly for that matter.”

“Correctly?”, Aang asked. 

Sokka gaped. “You mean you weren’t even telling it right?”

“I didn’t have to take classes about that kind of stuff in school!”, she protested. “My friend did, and I helped her with her homework some times. But that stuff was for Firebenders. I-”

Momo shrieked, leaping off Aangs's head and tearing through the trees. A quick exchange of shocked expressions ended with them chasing after the wayward monkey. He’d been really jumpy after his close encounter with Colonel Kuzon, but this was completely unprompted.

They found him sitting on a news pillar at a crossroads. “Dang. We must be closer to one of the colonies than I thought.” The two water tribe siblings made weird looks at the mention of the colonies, but Ty Lee brushed it aside.

“What’s this?”, Aang asked, pulling one of the posters off of the pillar. 

“It’s a news pillar”, Ty Lee said. “There are a bunch of these posted near towns. Missives from the Governor or the Firelord, upcoming events in nearby towns, that kind of thing.”

“Fire Days Festival?”, Aang questioned. Ty Lee blinked. Oh yeah, it was around festival season, wasn’t it? “Fire Nation cultural exhibitions, including food, firebending, and theatere.” Aang looked around, his expression radiant and his aura unusually sparkly. “We should check it out!”

“Maybe not”, Sokka said, pointing to several posters higher up on the post. They were somewhat crude printings of their faces, along with the small characters below them detailing crimes and rewards for their capture. Wanted posters.

“Oh, cool”, Aang said. “They have posters of us.”

“Wanted posters”, Katara said. “We should keep moving.”

“But this is our chance to look at Firebending masters up close!”, Aang said.

“So?”, Sokka asked.

“Well, you need help keeping your bending under control”, Aang said, ignoring the indignant noises that Sokka was making. “And I need to learn firebending at some point. A close-up look at a master might help us out!”

“Plus”, Ty Lee added. “We don’t even have to worry about disguises!”

“What do you mean?”

Ty Lee beamed, flipping around and climbing up Appa’s saddle to retrieve her bag. “The Fire Days Festival is a masquerade. Everyone is going to be wearing masks! And since this is a colony, you can get away with only wearing a bit of red.” She looked up, frowning a bit. “Except for you, Aang. Sorry.”

“It’s…”, Aang sighed, clearly disgruntled. “It’s fine.”

Ty Lee gave another shrug and reached into her bag. Pushing aside the small box of toiletries and her several sets of black clothes, she finally arrived at a selection of her own outfits. Oh, it was great to be able to wear pink again! “Come on! Let’s play dress-up!”

XXXXX

Despite Ty Lee’s assurances, Sokka couldn’t help but feel anxious as they approached the village entrance. There were no guards that he could see, but the smoke in the air and the noises coming from within put him on edge. He didn’t even know how to describe them; they were like the impact of catapults, but not as loud or grating. 

Ty Lee slipped on her own mask and ducked inside the open gate. Sokka wanted to protest that there was a poster for her as well as the rest of them, but she was gone before he could. Instead, he crossed his arms, a hand going to the red cloth “stitched” to the sleeves of his tunic. As well as a blood-red sash, both he and his sister were in enough of a disguise not to draw too much attention from the colonial authorities.

Aang, meanwhile, chafed underneath some of Ty Lee’s spare clothes. “You look… good”, Sokka said, trying to refrain from giggling. “Pink looks good on you.”

“Really?”

“I mean-”

“Stop messing with him, Sokka”, Katara said, likewise crossing her arms.

Ty Lee skipped back into view, though Sokka took a moment to realize it was her. Pink certainly did look better on her than black, though it was jarring to see her in that color. “Ta-da!”, she said, presenting several colorful masks to the three of them. After donning them - and him and Aang swapping masks - the three of them walked past the threshold and into the village. 

Instantly, they were assailed by a barrage of sights, sounds, and smells. The smoke that Sokka had smelt earlier grew all the more present, as well as cooking food and nose-searing spices. Candles and lanterns cast ever-changing shadows across the stalls that lined the main street, where most of the festivities were concentrated. Music and laughter filled the air in equal measure, the whole place feeling practically… alive. 

And it wasn’t just the people, much to Sokka’s dumbfounded amazement. It was the fire.

Flames were everywhere, from the lights that dominated nearly every exposed surface to the cooking flames of the food and craft stalls to even the little popping toys that seemed to be the source of the insistent banging. Unlike the wild flames of military firebenders, these flames were controlled and joyful, like the warm fires lit in their family igloo during the long winter. His own flames seemed to abate their newfound habit of flaring out of control, falling into a steady pulsation with the blazes around him. It was… an experience.

He was suddenly yanked to the side. He turned around, a brief shock of anger shooting over him at Ty Lee, before something shot past. It was a kind of… winged sea serpent with scales made from multi-colored paper and intricately detailed horns and snout. It raced past them, a yellowish-green flame firing out of its mouth much to the delight of the surrounding crowds. Sokka just gaped while Ty Lee beamed.

“Come on!”, she said. “Let’s get something to eat, then we can check out the firebending exhibitions!”

Ty Lee wove through the crowd, leading them to one side where a few of the food vendors had set up shop. From one stall, they procured small bags filled with a kind of fried dough smothered in spices. Another one sold puffy, meat-filled dumplings, and yet another sold eel-cod on a stick, smothered in a sweet and tangy glaze. After devouring the eel-cod, he bit into one of the meat buns. 

His eyes shot open. It was good; don’t get him wrong. It contained some kind of chicken-pork and onion filling, flavored wonderfully. The dough of the bun was soft and a little chewy, providing the perfect counter to the meaty filling. But still, it was- “HOT! HOT HOT HOT!”

All three of his companions, and even the vendor laughed at his reaction. The latter actually handed him another bun, promising this one would quench the heat. He sighed after practically stuffing it into his mouth, the same meaty goodness sans the burning heat of spices helping cut the inferno within his mouth.

After that incident, they procured more (less mouth-numbingly spicy) food and continued to move through the town. On the way to the village square, they passed by a puppet show. As the current swung open, a figure in the garb of a Fire Nation noble began to fight with and bash a figure in the armor of an Earth Kingdom soldier. The children watching the show cheered, especially when the soldier's head popped off and a small flame came up from the body. 

That doused the fire out from underneath all of them. Aang’s expression fell, and Kataras hardened; even Ty Lee shifted nervously on the balls of her feet and led them away from there. It was a sobering reminder for Sokka, who had started to feel almost comfortable in the enemy town. Even if all of this stuff was cool and felt eerily calming, this was still the Fire Nation. They were still trying to take over the world and pillaging and uprooting homes. Maybe the people weren’t all that bad, but they were still the bad guys. 

Finally, they reached the village square. In front of a large building adorned with Fire Nation banners, a large brazier burned. More stalls lined the edges of the courtyard, but not nearly as many as before. Instead, the square was dominated by small stages and firebenders in a variety of costumes performing… tricks, with their firebending. 

Firebending had always been a tool for Sokka. Something to light fires or keep them going. Whether that be cooking fires, fires meant to melt snow, or fireballs thrown at the Fire Nation. But, here, was something else. One of them was shaping the fire into shapes: small animals and buildings and symbols. Another was juggling fireballs like they were regular balls, shifting around and tossing them between his legs and performing all sorts of other tricks. It wasn’t eye-opening, as he figured the land of firebenders would be able to do something neat with their bending. But it was still eye-catching. 

It wasn’t just the little gimmicks they were pulling off. It was their control. If Sokka tried to pull off some of those tricks, then he likely would’ve burned himself. Instead, the performers banked their flames and tempered them until they glowed white-hot. He held up a palm, focusing on the fire that blazed to life. He looked back at the stage as the juggler formed a new fireball in his palm, watching how he flexed his fingers and tightened them around the fire like he was cupping water to drink. Sokka did the same, enclosing the flickering flame in a cage of his fingers, and watched in amazement as the flames seemed to shrink. He wasn’t putting in any less effort, but they still reduced in intensity and size.

“Neat trick”, Ty Lee said, too loudly and too suddenly way too close to him. He yelped, the fire suddenly exploding out, forcing him to extinguish it completely.

“T-thanks”, Sokka said. “Also, never do that again.”

“No promises.” He hated that kind of smile she was giving him on Aang; Ty Lee somehow made it worse. “Hey, check it out!”

Ty Lee pointed to another stage, where a man in a flowing robe and mask similar to Ty Lee’s was hoisting someone onto the stage. With a start, Sokka realized that it was his sister, who was handed a torch and guided to a spot on the stage. Sokka attempted to surge forward, only to be stopped by Ty Lee jamming a finger into his shoulder. It shouldn’t have done all that much to stop him, but the sudden, intense pain was more than enough to stop him dead in his tracks. “Ow, ow, ow, ow!” That finger guided him back to Ty Lee’s side, where he met her soft smile with a glower. “Let me go!”

“Relax, Sokka”, Ty Lee said. “It’s just a little performance. It’s perfectly safe!” She, thankfully, removed her finger from his shoulder to point at the stage, where the performer had created a creature similar to the paper one he’d seen run through the street from burning flame. It circled out from the torch and around the stage, circling higher and higher into the air. “Oh, this is so cool!”

“Ok, I’ll admit”, Sokka said. “That is kinda awesome.” He blinked, then turned away from the performance to look at Ty Lee. “How’d you do that, anyway?”

“Do what?”

Sokka gestured to her hands. “You know. Pull me back with just the one finger.”

“Pressure points”, she explained, pointing to several spots on her shoulder and neck. “Places where the bodies' chi can be easily accessed. If you know what you’re doing, you can manipulate or even block someone’s chi. That’s what I do when I knock people out. I can show you sometime, if you want.”

“Sure, that sounds cool.” He turned back to the stage, gaping for an entirely different reason.

The dragon that had been made from the torch was gone. Standing in front of Katara was Aang, his hands held out in what had to be an airbending stance. The crowd began to boo, only worsened when he started… dancing? At least it superficially resembled a dance, though Sokka had no idea who in their right mind would dance like that in public. In the chaos, his mask had slipped off, exposing his face and the bright blue tattoo running down his face. 

“Hey, that kid’s the Avatar!” Instantly, every armored helmet in the square turned in their direction. Sometimes, Sokka really hated Aang.

“Come on!”, Sokka yelled, throwing off his own mask and grabbing Ty Lee’s wrist. He dragged her through the crowd, shooting a torrent of flames into the air to clear the path to his sister and Aang. The Guards were likewise using their firebending or spears to force their way towards them. Sokka took a quick look around, revealing they were doing so from all directions.

Suddenly, from a space behind the stage, a voice called, “Hey!” Turning, they all saw a figure in concealing black clothing gesturing them into the alley. “Come on!” With little option, Sokka ushered them forward, following after who-knows-who. 

XXXXX

The guys name was Chey, and he was awesome! He led them through the alleys and side-streets of the village, using smoke bombs to keep the garrison off of them until Appa could arrive. After that, he used more of those bombs to hit the big brazier, causing enough of a distraction for them to escape. 

When they learned he was a fire nation deserter, Aang had bombarded him with questions. Thanks to his (admittedly) short-sighted actions, they hadn’t had much time to observe the firebenders, and maybe Chey could teach them? He couldn’t, but he told them about someone who could. Jeong-Jeong, the Deserter. 

Ty Lee remained unusually quiet after hearing that name. Even after being confronted by more of Jeong-Jeong’s followers and being guided into their concealed camp, she didn’t say a word. After Chey left to go talk to Jeong-Jeong, leaving them more-or-less alone, they turned to confront their fire nation ally. 

“Ok”, Katara said. “Are you ok?”

“What do you mean?”

Aang said, “I mean… You haven’t said a word since we learned that Chey worked for Jeong-Jeong. Is something wrong?”

“Yeah”, Sokka added. “Doesn’t this guy work for your Grey Phoenix or whatever?”

“No”, Ty Lee said with a shake of her head. “He’d already deserted when Az-My friend founded the organization. He made his reasons for leaving quiet evident; he thought the Fire Nation had been corrupted and that firebending itself had driven that. In part, at least.” Ty Lee sighed, leaning against a tree. “Look, the Grey Phoenix is focused on outsting Firelord Ozai and restoring Fire Nation traditions. Jeong-Jeong… he might align ideologically, but he wouldn’t work with the Grey Phoenix.”

“Why?”, Aang asked. “I mean, if you’re all against the Firelord-”

“You told me about that Jet guy”, Ty Lee interrupted. “He was against the Fire Nation, but you were against him because of what he tried to do?”

“He tried to blow up a dam to flood a town!”, Katara said, her fists clenching at the mere mention of the boy. 

Sokka said, “But it’s an ideological thing, not methods. Right?”

“I mean, Jeong-Jeong thinks that simply hiding out in the woods doing nothing is a viable form of resistatnce, so…”, Ty Lee said. “But, yeah. Jeong-Jeong doesn’t see anything worth salvaging in the Fire Nation, while the Grey Phoenix does. If he was involved, it would just be too open to gridlock in the organization and be prone to being discovered.”

Before their discussion could continue, Chey returned. “Jeong-Jeong wants to speak to you.”

Aang beamed, hopping to his feet. “Okay, let’s-”

“Not you”, Chey said somberly. He pointed at Sokka. “Him.”

“Me?”, Sokka asked. Chey nodded, stepping around the group and heading down to one of the small tents. “Ok. I’ll… Go see what he wants.”

“Can you ask if he’ll teach me firebending?”, Aang asked. 

“Sure thing.”

Sokka trudged down the hill and entered the tent. Whatever conversation the two of them got up to lasted a good while. Ty Lee talked a little bit more about the Grey Phoenix, though her answers were somewhat avoidant and otherwise not that satisfying. It was more like she was talking about an organization from history as opposed to something actively going on. What was so serious about them that she was being so avoidant about?

Sokka returned as that conversation petered out. He had a confused look on his face, looking at his hands as he came back up the hill. “Well?”, Aang asked. 

“He said he won’t teach you”, Sokka said. Aangs face fell, while Sokka kept that same look on his face. After a moment, Aang realized it wasn’t necessarily confusion; it was more like apprehension or something closer to that. “But… he did say he’d teach me.”

Chapter Text

Sokka slipped away from the rest of his friends as the sun rose. Ty Lee was the only one who was awake, going through a few stretches and giving him an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry”, she whispered. “You’ll do fine.” He really hoped so. 

He found Jeong-Jeong standing by the river, standing on a large stone. “Good. You actually came.”

“Well, I did say I wanted some help controlling this thing”, Sokka said. “So, yeah. I came.”

Jeong-Jeong nodded, smoothing out his rough-spun robe. “Very well. Before we start, answer this: What is fire to you?”

Sokka had been asked that same question last night, though at the time he hadn’t had a very good answer. That was part of the reason that Jeong-Jeong had agreed to teach him. Now though, after giving it some thought, he answered, “It’s a tool. You know, I set stuff on fire to help my sister cook or protect them and all that.”

Narrowed eyes was the answer to his reply. “Not quite. Fire is a chaotic force, destruction incarnate. It is alive, unlike the other elements. It consumes and it spreads. That is why a firebender must have intense control, of both themselves and their element.” Sokka nodded, what Jeong-Jeong saying made a good deal of sense to him. Considering, you know. The bunch of psychos working for the Fire Nation that were burning down the Earth Kingdom. 

“So… How does one acquire this control?”, Sokka asked. 

“First things first, we shall meditate”, Jeong-Jeong said, gesturing to the center of the large stone.

“Ok”, Sokka said. “Uh, I only learned how to meditate from Ty Lee, and I don’t know if I’m doing it right. How, uh-”

A frustrated sigh came from the deserter, who fixed him with a flat stare. “Show me what you know, and I shall correct you if needed.” Sokka nodded, sitting down on the stone and falling into the cross-legged stance that Ty Lee had shown him. Jeong-Jeong hummed in contemplating, drawing Sokka’s gaze up to the master. “Eyes forward”, he snapped, Sokka’s head shooting back forward. “It is an acceptable pose. This style is more common amongst the nobility than the military or the common folk, but it is an acceptable stance.”

Sokka nodded, shifting around nervously. Wait, how did Ty Lee know how high-class Firebenders did their meditating fire-controlling thing? She hadn’t let a whole lot slip about her friend or what she did back home, but she didn’t seem like she was a noble. She didn’t have a big stick up her her keister, for one, and was way too fun-loving and all that. Hell, Kuzon acted more like what he figured the nobility in the Fire Nation to be like than Ty Lee. So, how did she know that?

That thought was forced from his head as Jeong-Jeong instructed, “Now, breathe. Firebending comes from the breath; having control of one’s breathing is essential to having control over one’s fire.” Ok, Sokka could do that. He sucked air through his nose, holding it for a moment, before breathing out his mouth. Just like Gran-Gran taught him. In, hold, out. In, hold, out. He had this.

“Do not hold it in”, Jeong-Jeong said. Ok, maybe he didn’t have it. “Focus on being consistent. Control your inner flame. Reign it in.”

“That’s what I’m-”

“Concentrate!”, Jeong-Jeong snapped. Sokka once again straightened and forced himself to stare straight ahead. He saw Katara come down to the river from their campsite, stretching and yawning. “Focus.” Ok, ok, geez. Sokka once again went back to breathing, putting aside the holding part of breathing to simply inhale and exhale. “Good. Like that. Feel the sun; its warmth and its power. The sun is the source of firebending, much like the moon is for waterbenders.” So that was why Katara loved keeping him up at night? Neat. It was stupid spirit stuff, but it was still neat.

They kept at it for a long time. Sokka sat on that stone, breathing and feeling the sun on his skin. It was… actually kind of nice. Well, when Jeong-Jeong wasn’t yelling at him about the pace of his breathing or micromanaging his stance. Still, it wasn’t that bad. Considering what Aang had told him about how he learned how to bend, he expected more spiritual junk to be involved. 

“Very good”, Jeong-Jeong said after a while. “You have surprisingly good breath control for one that is untrained.”

“My grandma taught me a few tricks to help me keep in check when I was in the south”, Sokka explained. “It isn’t as strong down there, so I was able to keep it in check.” 

Even though he couldn’t see it, he could imagine Jeong-Jeong nodding. “Indeed. Your grandmother is a wise woman.”

“Thanks?”

“Now, I shall endeavor to try something”, he said. “Stand up.” Sokka did so, happy to be off of his sore butt and stretch out his limbs. After a few moments to shake the rust from his limbs, he watched as Jeong-Jeong plucked a leaf from the air. Gripping it within two fingers, Jeong-Jeong exhaled and the center of the leaf began to smolder. “Take this leaf, and attempt to keep the flame from reaching the edge for as long as possible.”

Sokka nodded and took the leaf. Almost instantly, the fire went out, a thin trail of smoke rising into the air. Jeong-Jeong’s eyes widened, and he looked at the leaf as if he’d just burned the thing to a crisp. “What?”, he asked. “You said to prevent it from burning the edge.”

Jeong-Jeong sucked in another breath, a full-body shudder shaking him as he watch the leaf. “While keeping the fire burning.”

“Right”, Sokka said. He meant to just restart the flame, honest. Not turn the entire thing to ash. Both he and the Master blinked as the leaf curled in on itself and burned away to nothing. Jeong-Jeong nodded, his whole body way too stiff and expression hard as stone. 

“You don’t do anything halfway.”

“... Thank you?”

Jeong-Jeong just scowled. 

XXXXX

“Hey Sokka”, Aang said, walking around his friend to look him in the eye. “How’s it going?”

Sokka opened his eyes, fixing him with an annoyed glare. “Fine. I was trying to concentrate, but… Well, this is fine. Do you need something?”

“No, no”, Aang said, shaking his head. After a moment, he sat down too, looking at the small fire that Sokka had held in one hand. “What are you doing, anyway?”

“This trick that Jeong-Jeong said I should practice”, Sokka said. He held the flame up, and Aang realized it wasn’t just a fire. It was a leaf, smoldering and giving off smoke. “Apparently, I should be able to keep the thing from completely burning up. Of course-” At that moment, the whole leaf was consumed, joining a small pile of ash that sat between Sokka’s bent knees. “It’s a work in progress.”

“Seems kinda boring”, Aang commented. “I mean, where’s all the fire punches and fancy stuff like that.”

“Aang, I can do that”, Sokka said, holding up his hand and summoning an orb of fire. It crackled and flared as he rolled it between both hands like a ball, before he tossed it into the river. It kicked up the water around it, sending a billowing cloud of steam twirling into the air. “See? The problem is I set stuff on fire I don’t mean to. Often myself”, Sokka said, though the soft muttering of the last part signaled to Aang that he shouldn’t have heard that part.

“So, this helps with that?”, Aang asked.

Sokka shrugged. “Sort of. Jeong-Jeong is really dramatic about fire. ‘It’s a burning curse, and must be constrained with absolute focus. Hence, why I live in the woods with a bunch of deserters and do absolutely nothing!’” Aang giggled at Sokka’s impression of the former admiral. 

“Yeah. I tried talking to him earlier today, before you went up that hill”, Aang said. He remembered the harsh words of the deserter, his outright dismissal of Aang’s request. He was the Avatar! He had to learn how to firebend at some point; why not get started now? Besides, it looked so cool! “He’s really obsessed with stuff.”

“Apparently, his last student was Zhao.”

“Wait, really?”

“I know, right!”, Sokka said. “Again, it makes sense. That guy is just a walking inferno. He apparently sets everything on fire too. Intentionally, of course. But he doesn’t have to be THAT melodramatic about it.”

“Yeah.” A light went off behind Aangs head. “Hey, maybe you could teach me.”

“Huh?”

“You know”, Aang said, standing up and gesturing excitedly. “Show me your moves and how to firebend.”

“Woah woah woah”, Sokka protested, holding up his own hands. “I said Jeong-Jeong is overreacting when it comes to hating his own bending. That’s just weird. I’m not saying he’s necessarily wrong.”

“How?”

“Aang, the first time I bent, I nearly burnt this kid alive”, Sokka said. Aang gaped, completely stunned. He reached into the ashes, rubbing some between his fingers. “I was playing with a few of the older boys. I… I got ganged up on, and I was so angry. The fireball I created? It was so big, and it was going everywhere, and I nearly set one of the kids on fire. I managed to throw it onto the ice, but still.”

Sokka looked up, his eyes gleaming in the sunlight. The golden one seemed to glow under the suns rays, but the blue eye was covered in shadow, and appeared dark as the deep sea. “Aang. This isn’t something you can just try out. Again, I’m not onboard with Jeong-Jeong’s crazy ‘I-hate-my-own-bending’ schtick. But you need to be careful and be careful with it. Maybe learning the other types of bending first would be best.”

Aang hung his head. “M-maybe you’re right.”

Sokka stood up and put a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “Hey. When the time comes, I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“Really?”, Aang asked, perking up almost instantly.

“Yep!”, Sokka said, giving the boy a noogie. Aang giggled, while Sokka’s lips twisted into a smirk. “This guy would just drive you to doing something stupid. Old Sokka here will give you the ropes properly!” He blinked, his jubilent smile falling somewhat. “Well, as properly as I can.”

“Thanks, Sokka”, Aang said. 

From the nearby trees, Jeong-Jeong appeared. At first, Aang wasn’t sure that anything was wrong; the old man always wore a scowl. It was his rapid pace that tipped him off that something was going on. “Good. Avatar, Sokka. You must leave.”

“What’s wrong?”, Aang asked. 

Jeong-Jeong’s scowl, somehow, got even deeper. “Zhao has appeared with his Marines. My men are scattering, but they will be here soon.”

“Well, at least it’s now Kuzon”, Sokka said. “Come on, let’s find Ty Lee and Katara.”

“Wait. Zhao was your student, right?”, Aang asked. “The one that burned everything?”

“Indeed”, Jeong-Jeong said. “He was too reckless, focused solely on power and not control.” 

Aang nodded, remembering what Sokka had been talking about. He grinned. “Sokka, find Ty Lee and Katara. I’ll buy you some time.”

“Aang, that smile is never a good thing”, Sokka said. “What are you planning?”

“Like you said, Sokka. Control is important for Firebenders.” Aang bowed to Jeong-Jeong, his smile never leaving his face. “Master, perhaps I can teach Zhao this lesson.”

Chapter Text

Aang stole one last look at the distant Northern Air Temple before it was swallowed by the clouds. He smiled softly, remembering the Mechanist's promise about honoring the old temple, and being ready to help them when the time came. Sokka had made a good point about needing more allies than just Ty Lee’s friend, after all. 

Still, he couldn’t help but remember what he’d seen when they first landed at the temple. The ancient murals broken apart by pipes and caked in machine grime. Statues and sacred rooms dominated by machines or completely torn down. His culture completely built over until it didn’t look like it should. Was this how Katara and Sokka felt when they looked at Kuzon?

“Are you alright, Aang?”, Katara asked.

Aang looked back at them, a smile once again creasing his features. “Yeah. I’m alright. Just… thinking.”

“Ok”, Katara said. “We’re here if you want to talk.”

“Well, about that”, Sokka said.

Ty Lee said, “We can talk about other stuff!”

“Really, it’s fine. Thanks, though”, Aang said.

He swallowed, then looked ahead. The high mountains of the Northern Earth Kingdom passed by around and below them, their snowy peaks blocking them in from all sides but up. In the distance, he could already see the dark curve of the sea. On the other side of that sea, lay the Northern Water tribe. Their objective, after months of travel, was finally within reach.

“We’re almost there, guys”, Aang said. “Almost there.”

“Yippee!”, Ty Lee squealed. “Snow!”

“Yippee”, Sokka groaned. “Cold.”

XXXXX

Zuko stared into the depths of his coffee, eyes locked on the shimmering black pool. He honestly didn’t even know why he ordered it. He couldn’t drink it in the teahouse that he ordered it from without taking off his mask, and by the time he returned to the spot where his men were quartered, it would be cold. Frankly, it was likely just the novelty that a place like this had coffee that made him order it. 

That, or fiddling with the cup was merely some way he could take his mind off of everything.

“Colonel Kuzon”, a voice drew his vision away from the murky depths of his cup. “What is that?” Lieutenant Jee stood next to the table, a cup of tea in one hand and a scroll in the other. 

“Coffee”, Zuko said, gesturing for the Lieutenant to sit. 

He took the offer, setting down his tea and leaning forward as if to study his mask. “How is it? My old CO called it the worst thing we inherited from the colonies and an abomination.”

“It’s good”, Zuko said, swirling it around. “Tastes better than tea.”

“If you like it, why aren’t you drinking it?”, Jee asked, taking a sip of his own tea for emphasis.

Zuko sighed, leaning back in his chair and setting his cup down. “Lot to think about.”

Jee nodded, likely considering the planned operation that Admiral Zhao had informed them of. And while, yes, that was something he had put thought into, he was more thinking of another piece of information that had come up in the past few weeks.

Ty Lee, one of his sister's best friends, was traveling with the Avatar. There was no other outcome, unless it was one of her many sisters. Either way, someone close to the Royal Family was actively undermining the Fire Nation. And unlike his uncle’s betrayal, there hadn’t been any notices or decrees. No public acknowledgment of betrayal. He appeared to be the only one who knew. 

Sh-should he tell someone? He should, if he was loyal; a traitor with a confirmed identity should be rooted out and killed. But, at the same time, this was one of his sister’s friends. There had to be a reasonable explanation. Maybe this was a trick? Some ploy to get the Avatar to lower their guard? Then why wasn’t he informed?

His brain ran loops around the problem, always ending up back at the same point of only having the most basic information. Ty Lee was working against the Fire Nation. And… he didn’t want to tell anyone.

He had already shamed his father. Anything to get back in his good graces should be attempted, and exposing a traitor from a family so close to the Royal Household would be one of those. So why the hell was he hesitating?

“Yeah. I mean, now of all times”, Jee said, ignorant of Zuko’s inner dilemma.

Zuko met Jee’s eyes and slashed his hand in front of his neck. “Not in public.”

“Who the Kou’s teeth would hear us?”, Jee countered. Zuko followed his gestured hand, scanning the interior of the teahouse. Sure enough, from their table in the corner of the structure, they were isolated from most of the other patrons. The only people even remotely close to them were an old lady snoozing in the opposite corner and a fat old man humming while he nursed a pot of steaming tea. “Come on. Don’t tell me you’re on board with this.”

“I’m not”, Zuko said. “Going after the Northern Water Tribe in the winter is stupidity of the highest order. But there’s nothing we can do.”

“What do you mean?”, Jee asked. “We can lodge a protest with the Admiralty, maybe convince the Council for a delay to-”

“The orders come from the Firelord himself.”

That stunned Jee into silence. Despite his previous assurances of their privacy, he looked over his shoulder before leaning in closer. “Are you sure?”

“Zhao showed me the orders himself. I know what the Firelord’s seal looks like”, Zuko said. He leaned back, folding his arms over his chest. “We’re going after them if we want to or not.”

“Agni’s ten tongues”, Jee muttered. “How are you so calm about this?”

Oh, Zuko wasn’t in the slightest. “I’m not. I’m just used to these operations. I just hope whatever hidden advantage Zhao has is enough.”

“Yeah”, Jee agreed. “Come on. Let’s get back to the ship. Maybe we can draw up some plans so we can all get out of this alive.” 

Zuko nodded, taking his coffee and throwing it into a nearby bush. Jee eyed the move, before shrugging and downing his tea in one gulp. Zuko agreed with Jee; they had to focus on the here and now. With the Avatar surely heading to the Northern Water Tribe, he could still accomplish his objective. Father would allow him to return with the Avatar in chains. He could then talk to Azula and figure this all out. It was a good plan. It would work.

Zuko followed Lieutenant Jee, unaware of the alert and focused gaze of the fat old man watching them leave. 

XXXXX

Sokka was actually pretty happy to slip back into his heavy parka as the temperature steadily plummeted. Sure, a familiar weight of a cold sluggishness was falling over the top of him, dragging down his limbs and seeming to bank his fire. On the other hand, the physical weight of the heavy fur coat was an equally familiar weight. One that was quite nice. 

Still, that didn’t break up the monotony of the ice fields they passed through on their steady trek north. It all blended together; even in the south, there were small masses of rock or lounging animals or just something to break it up. Up in the North, it was all just ice and ice and water as far as the eye could see. 

“Ok, this might be something we failed to consider”, Sokka said. “Beyond the North Pole, do we actually know where the Northern Water tribe is?”

“That’s… A good point”, Katara said.

Ty Lee, chittering and rubbing her arms, said, “T-there’s supposed to be a main city. A-agna Qel’a. Sozin launched an attack on it a few years into the war, but it was repulsed by s-someone called Hahn the Icebreaker. I-it should be d-due north of Yu Dao, but I don’t know wh-where t-that is.”

“So, we have a name but no location”, Sokka said. “That’s just great.” He propped his head on his elbow, gazing out on the shimmery blue sea. There were no horns or shouts or rowing of canoes. The only noise he heard was the wind whistling by Appa and Ty Lee’s chattering teeth. “Hey, Ty Lee. Are you alright?”

“I-it’s cold!”, she said, continuing to rub at her arms. “H-how can you g-guy’s st-tand this?”

“You get used to it”, Katara said.

Sokka scooted closer to her, removing one of his heavy mittens. “Here. This should help.” He curled his fingers, closing his eyes and focusing on his heartbeat. After a moment, a small flame burned to life within his hands. Shielded from the wind by Ty Lee’s body, it flickered without obstruction, radiation warmth out across the saddle.

“Thanks”, Ty Lee said, holding out her hands around the fire.

Katara did likewise, even ditching her own mittens to feel her brother’s flames. “You’ve gotten a lot better at this, Sokka.”

“Thanks”, Sokka beamed. “Jeong-Jeong was a tool, but he knew what he was talking about.” It felt nice, warm in a weirdly nonphysical manner, to have some actual improvement with his bending. Sure, it had been there and was useful before, but this was different. It felt like he was working towards something. Something meaningful. 

And suddenly that feeling was gone. What the heck? Where did those feelings come from? He remembered his brief, potentially-a-hallucination talk with the Sun Spirit. Was this some of what it had said?

He was forced out of his head and back to the present when Appa suddenly lurched to the right. A towering spike of ice jutted out of the water in the path of where they would have flown, its sharp spikes gleaming like spears as they hurtled past. Sokka was about to yell at Aang about being distracted while flying when, ahead of them, another pillar literally shot out of the water. 

Aang once again jerked Appa out of the way, pulling at his reigns this way and that to avoid more spikes shooting out of the water around them. Left with no choice as they seemed to hem them in, Appa slammed into the water and sent up a spray around them.

“What the heck was that!?”, Ty Lee shrieked, her eyes darting around.

“Look!”, Katara called. Lifting himself off of the saddle, Sokka peered out. His eyes widened as, instead of just ice and water, boats appeared all around them. They were flat-topped and manned by stout men in purplish parkas. Instead of oars, they were powered by a bender at the back, their arms pulling in wide arcs around their bodies to propel the boats closer to them. “We found the Northern Water Tribe!”

Sokka smiled, the small fire in his hand flaring higher at he watched them approach. This was his sister tribe, one that had been nearly untouched by the war. Beyond simply completing the plan they’d left home to accomplish, this was a chance to experience-

“Firebender!”, one of the men aboard the closest boat shouted. Instantly, all of the men on that boat fell into bending stances and threw out their arms. 

Oh. So that was the reason he felt something was wrong. That was the last thought that ran through his head as a jet of water slammed him in the chest, punting him into a pillar of ice.

Chapter Text

The Northern Water Tribe was… In a word, it was amazing.

The towering walls, made from solid ice, hemmed in on two sides by towering cliffs. A massive sigil was carved into the wall, while numerous warriors patrolled the walls. They were let into the city through a dry dock of sorts, a chamber filled with water to bring them up to the level of the canals that crisscrossed the city behind the walls.

As they passed through the city, Sokka could only watch on in amazement at what he and his friends saw. The only place he’d seen more people had been in Omashu, though this was different as they were dressed in blues and purples. They traded familiar objects, wore familiar clothes and jewelry, and even spoke with accents that sounded vaguely like what people sounded like back home. It was at a truly staggering scale, like what his home could have been like without the Fire Nation raids. 

Oh, and that girl! As they were led to the palace at the center of the city, they passed by a canoe transporting a girl in a flowing purple robe. She was utterly beautiful with soft features and snow-white hair pulled up into a large braid. She drew his eye, until it was forced back to facing the front by the butt of a spear and a snarled insult. 

He probably would’ve liked the Northern Water Tribe more if he hadn’t been held prisoner as he was dragged through it at the time. Just a thought. 

Despite the protests of Aang and Katara, the warriors who found them didn’t want to take chances. He supposed it made sense, but it still hurt. They were his people! He was one of them. It was only Aang threatening to go full Avatar state on them that he was allowed to stay on Appa, though a pair of warriors also joined them on the saddle. 

After reaching the towering spire that made up the palace, Sokka hopped off of Appa. He made sure to hold his hands up as the warriors followed, making him go forward at spearpoint. Aang, Katara, and Ty Lee followed after, expressions a mix of unease and undisguised scowls.

They were led to a central room with a large, raised dais holding the council. Several elders made up most of the semi-circle, while the man in the center was much younger. “Welcome, Avatar”, the man said. “I am Chief Arnook, and I-”

“Let my friend go”, Aang said, his voice unusually harsh. “He’s not with the Fire Nation; he’s from the Southern Water Tribe, same as Katara!”

Everyone was taken aback by the aggressive stance that Aang took. Sokka hadn’t ever seen him this angry; if he wasn’t seeing things, then smoke curled from Aang’s nose as he huffed.

“Forgive me”, Arnook said, bowing his head. After raising his head, he signaled to his warriors, who backed away and removed their spears from Sokka’s back. “Master Pakku has heard from a friend of his that the Fire Nation is assembling a fleet in the Northern Colonies. My warriors and the council are on edge.”

“Already?”, Ty Lee asked. The council certainly looked on edge, exchanging looks and muttering amongst themselves.

“I trust my friend”, one of the elders said. He stood, his balding head and long goatee framing a harsh face. “They are gathering their strength. Like the chief, I must apologize for the actions of our tribesmen. Though, you must admit: Seeing a firebender would not spark acknowledgments of kin immediately, no?”

Sokka shifted, rubbing a hand on his thigh. He had a point, loathe as Sokka was to admit it. Before he could say anything, Katara cut in, “Look, this isn’t about Sokka. We… we came to the North for a waterbending teacher for Aang and myself. We-”

“You?”, Pakku asked, raising an eyebrow. “I would be honored to teach the Avatar, but women do not learn combative waterbending in the North.”

What? There was no way that could be right. Completely barring them from that? What happened when all of the men were away and they were attacked? Sokka went stiff as he realized that they didn’t have to worry about that. They were so big and had the walls and were isolated from everything that they could do it easily.

“What?”, Aang asked. “Why?”

“Women learn how to heal in the North”, Pakku explained, turning his cool gaze on Katara. “You are more than welcome to learn from Yugoda, our chief healer. But as I would be the one teaching the Avatar how to waterbend, I will not be teaching you.”

“But-but-” Ty Lee grabbed Katara’s arm, whispering something to her that made her seeth, but ultimately acquiesce. Her arms were held at her sides, hands clenched into fists. “Fine.”

“But Katara-”

Katara said, “No, Aang. This is more important for you.” She turned and glared at Pakku, who met her expression with that same damned eyebrow. “I guess I just have to be content with learning more about Waterbending from a Fire Nation officer than my own damn tribe!” With that declaration, she stormed out of the room, Ty Lee hot on her heels.

The chief’s brow furrowed. “What does she mean by that? She learned from a Firebender?”

“A waterbender named Kuzon”, Aang explained. “He works for the Fire Nation, and has been hunting us on our journey to you.”

“But what did she mean about learning-”

Sokka interrupted Pakku, “She’s the only bender in our tribe. She learned how to waterbend - properly, I mean - by stealing a scroll from him and watching him fight.”

“I see”, Pakku said. “If you can retrieve your… sister, I will have one of my warriors show you to your room.”

“You are all invited to the Full Moon celebration tonight”, Chief Arnook said. “We would be honored if you attended.”

“I’m sure you would”, Sokka said. He and Aang left the council chamber, swiftly following after his sister and Ty Lee. He stole one last look over his shoulder, aiming a glower at Pakku and Arnook. 

This was… different than when he looked at Kuzon. For Kuzon, it was unnerving to see someone bend the element of his tribe that was so dissimilar to them. So like the other Fire Nation people he’d met. For the North, it wasn’t so much the differences that unnerved Sokka. It was the similarities. 

If it had been the South that was secure and safe, would their father be like Arnook, all cold and accepting of something like this? What would Katara be like, unable to use her bending how she wanted to? …What would’ve happened to him?

XXXXX

“Katara!”, Ty Lee said, racing to catch up to her.

“I can’t believe it!”, Katara snapped, throwing her hands up. “All of that work. All of that effort. And I can’t even learn because of some stupid old man.” She fumed, her hands curling into fists. “Why’d you stop me?”

Ty Lee put a hand on her shoulder, backing away at Katara’s flinch. “Sorry”, she said. “But he was… he was getting ready to snap.”

“So?”, Katara asked. “I don’t care. And what did you mean ‘you knew’ that it wouldn’t end well?”

“I’ve…”, she said, her face falling. Like with Aang, Ty Lee so often had a smile on her face that, when her face fell into a frown, it unnerved her. “I’ve seen it. Someone facing a master like that.”

“You mean Zuko?” Aang and Sokka closed in, the four of them standing in the small courtyard.

Sokka asked, “Who?”

“My friend. The one leading the Grey Phoenix?”, Ty Lee said, earning a few hesitant nods. “She had a brother. He… stood up to the Firelord, and was killed for it.” A stab of nausea broke through the wall of anger she had erected. “Katara, I know that it was wrong for Pakku to say he wouldn’t teach you. But… you have to be careful about this.”

“How?”, Katara asked. “How exactly could I be careful when he denies me the chance to practice my bending!”

“Work around him”, Ty Lee said. “You learned pretty good from that scroll, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, borrow some here! They probably have a library you can use! You can then practice in secret somewhere!”, Ty Lee said. “Or have Aang teach you after his lessons. Or even just keep practicing on your own! Just don’t piss off the Master bender… I wasn’t close to Zuko, but I don’t want to lose another friend.”

“I’m sure it wouldn’t come to that”, Aang said quickly. “He’s a jerk, but I don’t think Pakku would-”

“I know”, Ty Lee said. “I… I just don’t want to take chances.”

Katara nodded. It was now her turn to put a comforting hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “Thank you, Ty Lee”, she said. “I… Your concern means a lot.” It really did. Aang was right; Pakku was an arrogant blowhard, but he wouldn’t kill her if she disobeyed him like that. Ty Lee, however, was also right. If she just flouted his rules, there would be consequences. For Aang or Sokka, if not just for herself. 

“Right, well, good talk”, Sokka said. “Now, I don’t know about you guys, but being dragged around by some self-important jerks made me hungry. There’s this big festival going on tonight, so wanna go get ready for that?” Katara smiled, nodding and joining the others as they were led towards the room they’d be staying in while in the North. 

XXXXX

Sokka wasn’t the biggest fan of the people in the Northern Water Tribe. They kept giving him and his sister the side-eye, especially after they were introduced to the public. Katara spent the whole time glaring at Pakku and the other waterbenders, and he was still unsure if he was planning on killing them in their sleep or trying to hyper-analyze their bending.

For him, they were looking at him as if he didn’t quite belong. Even after explaining the circumstances to the Chief and a few of the others, he was still seen as an outsider. Someone that was… not quite right. He just didn’t belong in their eyes, because he bent flames.

Still, he didn’t want to ruin this for Aang and his sister. This was important for both of them, so he shouldn’t rock the boat. He just smiled and ignored the veiled insults… Wow, this must be what Kuzon felt like. No wonder the guy was so angry all the time. 

Still, the North knew how to party. A massive blazing brazier surrounded by totems and tables of food. Floating music filled the air, highlighting the chatting and the laughter. Even Pakku and his students' little routine was enthralling, seeing how the water was moved through the air.

“Are you enjoying the festival?”, a heavenly voice asked. Sokka jumped, looking over and seeing the beautiful, white-haired girl from earlier standing next to him. Sokka took a deep sip from his drink, sputtering briefly. She giggled; it was a noise he wanted to hear again. 

“Y-yeah. I am”, Sokka said. “Sokka, of the Southern Water Tribe. I…” He remembered something during Chief Arnook’s introduction to the festival. “You’re Princess Yue, right?”

“That is right”, Yue said, bowing. “Forgive me, but… You are the firebender that Master Pakku spoke of, yes?”

“Uh, yeah”, he said. “Is… Is that a-”

“No, no”, Yue said softly. “You are still tribe.”

“If only everyone else could see it”, Sokka said. He leaned on the railing, looking down at Arnook and some of the other elders speaking.

“Indeed”, Yue said. The two of them stood there for a moment, watching everything. Sokka could feel the flaring cooking fires, calling to him and surging through his veins. He took another sip before taking another look at Yue.

Something was… off, about her. At first, he thought it was just because she was so damn beautiful. But there was something a bit off about her. When the moon showed through the clouds, he saw the moonlight sort of form a silhouette around her. As if the Moon itself was covering her.

“You see it too?”, Yue asked. Once again, he jumped from her sudden declaration. “That aura?”

“Huh?”

“This morning”, Yue said. “When… We passed one another in the canal. I saw a similar aura around you coming from the sun. You are spirit-blessed, yes?”

“Yeah. Agni”, he said.

Yue nodded, “I am as well. I was… sickly, when I was born. My father prayed to the Moon spirit, Tui. He granted me a boon, infusing some of his power into me so that I might survive.”

“Huh”, Sokka said. “Me too. Being sickly and my dad prayed to the Spirits, I mean.” Yue nodded, burrowing her hands into her sleeves. Sokka swallowed, forcing down the lingering thoughts that this was a bad idea. “So, uh… Since we’re so alike… Want to do an activity?”

Sokka blinked, before wincing at his own comment. Great. Just great. He was already doing something stupid, drawing himself closer to someone as important as a damn Princess. If Katara didn’t snap and try to kill Pakku, this would definitely get them in trouble. 

But instead of brushing him off or saying it would be a bad idea, Yue just smiled. “I think I’d like that.” Sokka couldn’t help but smile back.

Chapter Text

Behind the smile she had locked on her face, Katara was gritting her teeth. They were pressed so hard together that she initially feared that they might crack. At the moment, however, she didn’t care, simply maintaining her smiling mask as she passed the two Water Tribe warriors. Their mutterings disappeared around the corner with them, and when she looked around to see she was finally alone, she let out a tired and aggravated huff of air.

“Like a slab of spirits-damned meat”, she hissed to herself, leaning against the wall and placing her forehead in her hand.

That was how it had been since they arrived in Agna Qel’a. Rumor of her outburst at the council must’ve spread, for many of the people looked at her like she was some kind of lunatic. That certainly wasn’t helped by her being related to Sokka, who had likewise garnered a great degree of suspicion from the populace. Despite every assurance and every claim, no one saw it. With more warriors getting ready for the incoming Fire Nation forces, it was only getting worse.

The worst part was that she understood it perfectly. If Sokka hadn’t been her brother, she might’ve seen that same risk and treated him like that. She recognized it, and she hated it. She lifted her head, then sighed and shifted the satchel over her shoulder.

Reaching into them, she pulled out her prize: a waterbending scroll from the Library. Over the past few days, while Aang learned with Pakku, she had snuck into the section of the library that contained these scrolls and taking them. Normally, she wasn’t allowed to do so, coinciding with the rules against women bending. With the help of Ty Lee and Momo, however, she was able to slip them out. So long as she returned them to the library before Pakku returned, it was fine.

She unrolled the scroll, marvelling at the fine details and diagrams inked within. Flowing movements, depicting moves she would’ve never even thought of. It was a lot less sharp and aggressive than Kuzon’s and, subsequently, her style of bending, incorporating more long movements as opposed to rapid attacks. More defensive overall, too, like a lapping tide as opposed to the sharp waves of a storm. 

Still, Katara studied it closely, examining each movement that the drawn figure went through as they went through a maneuver. After several minutes, she set the scroll down and sucked in a deep breath. With a flourish of her hands, she pulled water from the ice below her, stepping forward and swinging her arms around in simulation of the move.

The water swirled around her with the wide sweeps of her arms, fingers curling to keep it contained. As the water twisted faster and faster, it churned as if going through a series of rapids. With a final twist, it went flying, sweeping the ground ahead of her in a high-pressure jet of water. 

“Well done”, a harsh voice spoke. Katara whipped around, eyes wide in surprise, as Master Pakku stepped into the room. His hands were held behind his back, eyes narrowed and face set in a grim line. “You have not only managed to defy all of our customs, you have done so by stealing from me as well. You really have outdone yourself, Miss Katara.”

“I wouldn’t have to if you would just teach me”, Katara said, standing up as straight as she could and crossing her arms. “Like I said, I learned more from-”

“From this Colonel Kuzon than you might’ve from me, yes”, Pakku said, walking around her. “The letter my friend sent also mentioned he would be involved in the coming assault. But, let me remind you, that I am not Kuzon, and you are not in the Fire Nation. What they wish to teach their collaborators is none of our business.”

“But it’s your business to keep one of your own from learning how to bend?”, Katara asked.

Pakku sighed, leaning down to pick up the scroll. He held it between them, taking a moment to examine the scroll. He then brought his other hand up from behind his back to roll it up before tucking it under his arm. “Men are warriors, Women are healers. It is the roles they are best suited for. As I said, Healer Yugoda’s lessons are open to you, and-”

“I went to them”, Katara said. “It was… informative.” It really was. She hadn’t even known that waterbending could do something like that, and suddenly, she could stitch back up wounds that would normally take months to heal. It was incredible… “But that’s not the point.”

“Oh?”, Pakku asked. “And what is the point? That you want to upend centuries-old tradition simply for one girl’s desires?” He ceased his circling, stopping and glaring at her firmly. “Convince me.”

“Huh?”

“Convince me that there is a reason I should teach you”, Pakku said. “Do not mention Kuzon, and try.”

Katara blinked, her fists unconsciously dropping as she met Pakku’s eyes. After a moment, her scowl returned as she crossed her arms. “I’m the last bender in the South.”

“Surely there will be more”, Pakku said. “Once the war is over, the North will be more than willing to support the rebuilding of the South. And that includes training any benders born around that time.”

“Why are you so dead set against-”

Pakku interrupted her, “As I said, it goes against what we teach. We are not the Fire Nation. There is a separation in our benders for a reason. Water needs strength to wield effectively, and so Men bend it. Healing is a valuable skill, and so Women bend it. It has helped us to survive.”

“You survived because the Fire Nation hasn’t decided to flatten this place yet”, Katara spat. “And what happens if the women have to defend themselves?”

“If women are in a position where they should fight, then things are already too dire to contemplate”, Pakku said. “I am still listening for a good reason, girl.”

Katara let out a groan of frustration. This stubborn jerk! She wasn’t asking him to upend the entire social order of the Northern Water Tribe. She was just asking for an exception so that she could learn.

“Well, I haven’t heard one”, Pakku said. “I would like an apology for going behind my back and defying my wishes.” Something in Katara’s head snapped.

“Like Kou I’d apologize to you!”, Katara yelled. “You stuck-up, arrogant snake-weasel of an old man!” She clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white as snow, the ice around her cracking under sheer force.

Pakku sighed, setting the scroll aside. “You appear to be so desirous of a lesson”, he said, setting the scroll down on a nearby shelf. After bending a cage of ice around it, he turned back to Katara and smirked. “Study closely.”

XXXXX

“And then Katara sent this big wave that nearly threw Pakku off his feet!”, Sokka said, unable to help gesturing excitedly. Yue giggled, a sound that made his heart stutter. “A-anyway, Pakku ultimately won. But, get this. Katara’s necklace? Apparently, he had made it for my Gran-Gran.”

“Really?”, Yue asked, genuinely interested. Sokka kept beaming, leaning against the railing of the ice bridge. Below, the main canal leading to the palace flowed, a gentle trickle of water acting as background to their conversation.

“Yeah”, Sokka said. “She ran away from an arranged marriage. Went all the way south to avoid him, during Azulon’s campaigns against Garsai, nonetheless. That gave Katara just enough leverage to get the old coot to teach her.”

Yue smiled softly, almost somberly, at the conclusion to Sokka’s story. “Good for her.”

“Katara’s the most stubborn person I know”, Sokka said. “It was only a matter of time before she got her way. I’m just surprised she had the decency to do it in private.”

“What?”, Yue asked. “Did you imagine her making some challenge in front of the council, then conducting the duel before the palace steps?”

Sokka rubbed the back of his head, unable to help from smiling. “I mean, not really. But, now that you say it out loud-”

“Yue, my dear.” Chieftain Arnook, accompanied by a young warrior, stood on the opposite end of the bridge. At their sudden appearance, Yue bowed low, Sokka following suit a moment later. “How are you?”

“I am fine, Father”, Yue said. Sokka had to suppress a frown at how she spoke. When she was around him, her voice was louder and more at ease. Maybe it was their shared connection, or maybe it was (hopefully) a shared attraction. Sokka certainly couldn’t help but have his stomach twist into knots whenever Yue spoke. But when around others, she softened and spoke almost in a whisper. “Sokka and I were merely discusing some of the adventures they took part in on the way north.”

The warrior next to the Chieftain blew air out through his teeth, his eyes flashing almost dangerously. Arnook, on the other hand, smiled. “Indeed. If you will excuse me, I would like to speak to him about similar things as well.”

“Uh, sure”, Sokka said, moving around Yue and giving her a quick wave. She returned it, smiling. Her smile was amazing; it gave him as much energy as the full force of the sun hitting him. 

He followed after the two other Water Tribe men, eventually reaching a small outcropping over another stretch of canal. “So, what did you need?”

The warrior glared at Sokka, his arms crossed. He was perhaps a little bit older than Sokka, with broad features and a nearly square jaw. “You can start by stopping getting cozy with Yue.”

“Huh?” Sokka met the guy's glare, a hand instinctively twitching. “What do you mean?”

Before anything else could be said, Arnook stepped between them. “What Hahn means is that my daughter is already betrothed. Your attempts at courting her are… admirable, but misplaced.”

“B-betrothed?”, Sokka gaped, at a loss for words. He’d seen the necklace she had been wearing before, but hadn’t thought anything of it. Sure, Katara’s necklace was technically a betrothal necklace as well, but that was just her necklace. It wasn’t anything special. 

“I… It’s not like that.” He wanted it to be so badly. “I wasn’t trying to court her or anything.” He was, or at least he was trying to. Giving her little gifts, telling her stories, making her laugh. “Honest. We’re just friends. Spirit-connected best buds and all that.”

Arnook sighed, smiling at him. “Don’t worry. You’re not in trouble.” If the look that this Hahn guy was giving him was any indication, that was a bald-faced lie. “I wanted to talk to you about… Well, firebending.”

“Oh”, Sokka said. He supposed every important person had to have a hobby. Bumi had pulling psychotic pranks, the Firelord had plotting ways to kill people; why couldn’t the Chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe be interested in different forms of bending? “What did you want to know?”

“How to fight it”, Hahn said. “Weaknesses, strengths, best strategies for benders and nonebenders. That sort of thing.”

“Hahn is correct”, Arnook said. He looked out over the canals to the city beyond. People moved across the canals and the walkways surrounding them. The whole city teamed with life, noise and the gentle lapping of water echoing above any other noise. Beyond the rows of houses and waterways stood the towering walls, the tiny silhouettes of warriors patrolling it and readying fortifications and siege weapons upon it. “We have not faced the Fire Nation for over eighty years. Not only have you faced the Fire Nation on numerous occasions, but you are also a firebender.”

“Uh, no offense”, Sokka said, holding up his hands. “But I’m not really trained. Especially not like how these guys are.”

“Simply facing fire in practice should be enough”, Hahn said. “We need every edge we can get, especially if the fleet being sent our way is as big as Master Pakku’s friend says it is.”

Hahn straightened up as the Chief shifted his gaze back to the two of them, head held low. Sokka hadn’t had a good look at the Chief, either at their first meeting or at the party a few nights ago. However, this close, he was able to see the bags under his eyes and the hard, worn look to his face. The man was stressed and tired, the fear of what was coming and the burden of having to prepare to face it obviously bearing down on him.

“Will you help us prepare?”, Arnook asked. 

Sokka shot one last glare at Hahn, who merely crossed his arms. Sokka didn’t have to do it for jerks like Hahn or Pakku. He was in a position to help people, even if they didn’t like him. It was the story of his life, really. But for his friends, for Yue, and for the chance to stick it to the Fire Nation? “Like you had to ask, sir.”

XXXXX

Zuko snapped to attention in front of Zhao, bowing slightly before the Admiral. “All of the extra equipment is secured below.”

“Excellent”, Zhao said, gazing down across the deck of his new flagship. In addition to summoning perhaps the largest fleet since the war began, Zhao had commandeered a new Sozin-class Battleship to his flagship. Zuko once again marveled at how easily his father had been willing to support Zhao’s frankly stupid plan. He mentally bit his tongue at the thought; he couldn’t go back with ideas like that in his head.

“Sir, once again I must protest the timing”, Zuko said, straightening up and coming to stand just behind Zhao. “We will doubtlessly outmatch the savages on the ocean with a fleet of this size. But, even if we outnumber them, it is winter. Their waterbenders will be even more powerful.”

“Are you saying that the mighty Fire Army can’t handle a few hundred savages with clubs and bone armor?”, Zhao asked.

Zuko gritted his teeth. This went beyond even the typical Navy arrogance. “Sir, there is a reason the Earth Kingdom doesn’t launch offensives in the Summer. They will be vastly stronger due to it being winter, not to mention a waxing moon. Added to the typical advantage to the defender, this will not be an easy task. The casualties-”

“Are expected to be within acceptable metrics”, Zhao said. “If that will be all, Colonel.”

It wasn’t. It shouldn’t be, not by a longshot. Zuko had to actively bite his tongue to keep from exploding at his commander. “You mentioned an advantage. Some secret that will tip the balance. What is it?”

“I will tell you when the time comes”, Zhao said. “Again, if that will be all, Colonel.”

Zuko understood an order when he received one. He bowed again, turning and striding across the observation deck back towards the bridge. As he walked, he was able to steal a look around the conning tower to the fleet that Zhao had assembled. Over a hundred cruisers, along with twenty transports. For the sake of his men, for the sake of his nation, he hoped it would be enough.

Chapter Text

“Ok then!” Sokka called, directing all eyes onto himself. He blinked, a sudden pressure building up in his chest. An array of eyes, belonging to hard faces ranging from barely older than him to older than his father, fell on him. Combined with the barely contained sneers some of them sported, it felt like they were boring into his very soul. Needless to say, it was a feeling he didn’t like.

He swallowed, trying to force the weight down into a position that didn’t bother him. “Ok then,” he repeated. “The Chieftain - Chief Arnook, I mean - asked me to teach you all about f-fighting the Fire Nation.”

That, at least, got some of the older men to straighten up and lessen their glares. Hahn and those closer to his age, of course, didn’t even bother hiding their contempt for him. He got it, but he was trying to help here! Once again, that pressure built up behind his ribs, accompanied this time by a strange feeling of weightlessness.

“Alright,” he said quietly. Clearing his throat, he held up his hand and summoned a fire into his palm. Choosing to ignore the startled exclamations and renewed glares, began to flex his fingers to manipulate the fire. “The Fire Nation is focused almost completely on the attack. Infantry, benders, cavalry, war machines. All of it is focused on overwhelming the enemy as quickly as possible while doing as much damage as possible. They aren’t above using dirty tricks, targeting civilians, or anything else that might allow them to get the upper hand.”

“We know this”, Hahn said. “How do we fight them?”

“You outlast them”, Sokka said. He completely opened his palm, letting the fire roar in his hand as powerfully as he could make it. “Like I said, they attack, hard and fast. But if you can hold your ground-” He clenched his hand shut, the fire snapping out. “-They’ll run out of steam. The only other option is an overwhelming counterattack-”

That was met with sudden cheers and eager chatter, especially from the younger warriors. Hahn especially looked excited at the prospect, rubbing his chin and grinning in a way that reminded Sokka way too much of Zhao. The weight he had once again managed to force down was rising back up with a vengeance.

“Hey. Hey,” He said, trying to draw attention back to himself. Finally, he lit the fire again, throwing it into the ice at his feet. The ice cracked like an egg, spitting steam and ice shards. That got their attention, tension building up amongst the assembled warriors. “Hey! Listen!”

Silence fell over the training yard. Sokka panted, a small cloud of steam and smoke swirling around him. After a moment, he sucked in a deep breath, exhaling through his nose. “As I was saying,” he said, pulling out his club and letting it hang at his side. “That kind of attack can only work if you have the element of surprise. Fire Nation troops are highly disciplined and coordinated. You can’t beat them on the attack in a straight fight.”

“Really?” Hahn asked. “How do you know all of this, anyway?”

“Because when I was traveling here with the Avatar, I’ve seen and taken part in plenty of fights against the Fire Nation,” Sokka said. “Including against one of their elite units. Simply put, without surprise, you can’t win on the attack. Especially on the massive scale the Fire Nation is going to bring down on this place, going out to meet them head-on is only going to result in you being beaten to a pulp.”

There was some grumbling amongst the warriors. Sokka understood, recalling his own desire to fight the Fire Nation head-on when he was younger. Of course, being ready to fight the enemy and seeing what they could do were two very different things. 

He’d heard the murmuring among the warriors, both before the Chief had assigned him the job of getting them ready and when he’d first entered the training yard. They were talking about glory, beating back the Fire Nation like they did eighty years ago. Heck, some of the younger warriors were talking about using the upcoming battle as a chance to woo some girls they were interested in! …They just didn’t get it. Safe behind their walls for so long, they didn’t understand. 

“Alright,” Sokka said. “How about we do something a bit more interesting, and I show you some of the tricks a Firebender might use in the battle?” Disturbingly, that earned a lot more excited looks than Sokka wanted. 

XXXXX

Yue giggled, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. “My. You have such interesting stories, Ty Lee.”

“Seriously though,” Katara said. “Six siblings? And you’re all identical?”

“Yep!” she said. “It’s… something.”

“I always wanted a sibling,” Yue said. “My mother was terribly unhealthy after she gave birth to me, and so another child was never in the cards. Still, I think that six is too much.”

“How does that even work?” Aang asked. “I mean, I heard about one of the nuns who had three babies after the spring festival, but seven? All at once?”

“My mother’s line is really healthy and close to the spirits,” Ty Lee explained. “At least, that’s what Grannie Dulma said. Beyond that? I don’t know.”

Yue chuckled again, taking another sip of her tea. She’d never really had friends her age. Oh, sure, her Father had introduced her to the daughters of other elders and important figures in the tribe alongside potential suitors. But friends like this? Who she could just sit, talk, and exchange stories with? It was novel and quite nice. 

At that moment, the door to the Avatar’s room opened and Sokka stumbled in. Yue’s smile dropped as she saw him covered in small scratches and his clothes torn. “Sokka!” Katara called, rising to her feet and helping to support her brother. “Are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m all good,” Sokka said, waving her off. “Just a bit… utterly exhausted.”

“Some fresh air would do you some good,” Aang said. He summoned a burst of air that propelled him onto his feet. “Yue, you wanna meet our other friend?”

A short walk later, Yue was confronted by the wondrous creature that was Appa. She’d never seen a creature larger than this outside of the water, and with its horns and shaggy coat, it created a striking figure. “Go ahead,” Aang said. “He doesn’t bite.” Sokka, despite his obvious exhaustion, helped her aboard the creature. 

“Hold on,” he said. “Yip-Yip!”

It took to the air like a bird, a roar echoing off the cliffs around them as they cleaved through the sky. Yue couldn’t help but laugh, her heart racing a mile a minute as she watched the city fly past her. At that moment, however, a cold wind swept through her, forcing her to shiver even around her fur-lined dress.

“Is flying always so cold?” she asked.

Sokka blushed, his eyes seeming to sparkle around the faint water crystals in the air. “Not if you’re close to someone.” He shuffled closer to her, a hand leaving the reins to fall upon her thigh. Yue did the same, wrapping a hand around his back.

“You are certainly quite warm,” she said.

Sokka laughed. “One perk of being a firebender. My sister used to use me as a heat lamp when she couldn’t sleep.” He hung his head at the statement, and Yue sensed a deep sense of loss in that statement. She knew better than to pry, merely nodding. “I…”

“Yes?” she asked. 

He opened his mouth to answer, when suddenly a snowflake fell upon his tongue. He began to hack and cough, fully letting go of the reins to wipe at his tongue. Yue’s brows furrowed, looking around to see more snow falling around them. Unusually, it was a deep grey. “What is this?”

“Oh no,” Sokka said, his eyes wide and face pale as he looked around.“

Yue looked over at Sokka, his worry sparking worry within her. “What is it? What’s wrong with the snow?”

“It’s not snow. Not fully,” he said. “It’s ash mixed in with it. This happens when Fire Nation ships sail through polar waters.” He looked past Appa, Yue following her gaze to the billowing, nearly black cloud that was coalescing over the horizon.

Chapter Text

The bombardment lasted all throughout the afternoon and well into the night. Over a hundred ships launching fireballs and shrapnel into the great wall around Agna Qel’a, some of which were intercepted by the organized squads of waterbenders. Return fire in the form of ice spikes and waves were sporadic, bouncing nearly harmlessly off of the hulls of the steel behemoths. Only the Avatar’s raw power had been able to make any headway against the fleet, but he had since retreated.

Now, the bombardment lulled into silence, hanging limply over the waters between the fleet and the wall. The warriors and waterbenders took advantage of the ceasing of the attack, patching up the wall where they could and preparing for an infantry assault. Chunks of ice floated in the bay after being broken off of the wall or shattered by the hulls of the ships. Too focused on what was in front of them, the Water Tribe didn’t pay attention to these shards in the near black water. 

It was on these shards that the 41st slowly approached. 

Zuko lay as flat as he could on the ice, a blue-white cloak thrown over him to obscure him from sight. Two others clung to the ice along with him, climbing spikes held tightly in their hands. Zuko leaned backwards, facing the fleet, using subtle movements of his hands to create a current that propelled the ice forward. Slow enough to not attract attention, but not too slow that they would miss their opening. 

As the shadow of the wall slowly fell over them, Zuko stole a look up through a gap in his cloak. He saw the lightly armored warriors scrambling across the wall, blocks of ice being brought in to shore up the walls. The benders would partially melt and seal them to the main bulk of the wall, creating a parapet and otherwise creating blocking positions. Zuko narrowed his eyes, and put a little extra power into his next movement.

Finally, the ice shard impacted the wall. His men rose up, their insulated uniforms giving only a faint rustle as they began to stick their climbing spikes into the wall. Looking around, Zuko saw that the small force he’d brought along for this mission had likewise started their ascent. Every fourth trooper carried a slung pack filled with blasting jelly, carefully tied down to prevent clanging. 

Zuko didn’t need climbing spikes; he was able to break out chunks of the wall to act as handholds for himself. Soon, he had joined his men at positions halfway up the wall just as they were beginning to stuff the blasting jelly into the gaps in the wall blown by the artillery. Other soldiers pulled out long fuses and attached them to the canisters, while the others began to climb out of the blast radius.

When the last charge was planted, Zuko drew his sword. The blade flashed in the faint moonlight, which was just enough of a signal for the rest of his soldiers. Benders lit the fuses, and the whole force began a rapid climb up the walls. Better to be at the top and able to see where the ice was breaking than be below it and leave it up to chance what might hit you.

Cries of alarm from the Water Tribe warriors reached his ears before he was fully over the wall. Blade in one hand, he swung himself over the parapet and delivered a kick to one of the warriors. The young man was sent sprawling back, nearly toppling over the opposite end of the wall. A waterbender sent a whip of ice-cold water at him, the strand cracking just inches from his face. He spun, sending a chunk of ice the size of his helmet into the man's stomach. He rose to his feet just in time to block a spear thrust, snapping the head off the shaft and sending the warrior sprawling with a follow-up slash.

At that moment, the bombs detonated. The whole wall shook, a spider-web of cracks forming all across the flooring. Both his men and the Water Tribe warriors shook, some being thrown off of their feet from the constant shaking. With a deafening roar, the wall caved in at three points, tumbling into the ocean below.

One of Zuko’s men lit a flare, a scarlet stream of misty light shooting into the air. With the rising sun at their backs, the fleet once again ground into action. Boats were lowered from the sides of the warships, while larger barges floated past them from the troop ships in the back. The catapults on the forward decks launched a fresh volley, this time flying over the wall to slam into the city beyond. Water and mist were thrown into the air, the houses blowing into pieces.

Zuko deflected another attack, skewering the warrior as a follow-up. The boy tumbled to the surface, blood pooling on the frozen platform. His scarf had fallen off from the blow, his revealing a face that could only be a little bit older than his own. The warrior… the boy began to stammer and choke before, after a few moments, going mercifully still. 

He sucked in a breath through his nose before turning away. He stared into the brightening water as the first barges landed at the breaches. The hasty defenses the Water Tribe had arranged beyond them were quickly overwhelmed by the barge's cargo of Komodo Rhino cavalry and Tundra tanks. 

As more boats landed and infantry disgorged into the breaches, Zuko and his men retreated down the walls, returning in empty boats to Zhao’s flagship. As he stared at the burning projectiles that sailed overhead, he tried not to think about that boy's face. He gritted his teeth, forcing it out of his mind by jamming his pommel into his wrist. His mind was taken up by one thought: end it quickly. End it quickly, so no one else has to die, and Zhao doesn’t have to use his hidden trick. 

XXXXX

On paper, Chieftain Arnook’s plan was perfectly sound. The Fire Nation relied on a strict chain of command to keep its war machine running. Taking out Admiral Zhao, along with any other officer they could find, would cause chaos and maybe even force them to retreat. So, when the Chieftain told him to assist in planning the operation, Sokka understood and was on board. 

That was until Hahn walked out wearing an 85-year-old uniform. One that, beyond looking completely out of place with modern Fire Nation uniforms, looked completely stupid. Despite his protests (and a scuffle with the arrogant blowhard only marrying Yue for her status), Arnook kept him on the operation. His hard look rivaled Dad's, and there was something in his eyes that made Sokka nervous.

Of course, this was all before the 41st took down the wall. Many of the warriors had abandoned the mission to go protect their city and families. So, when a small group of canoes snuck out through a tunnel in the glacial cliffs, it was Sokka, Hahn, and less than twenty other warriors.

Hahn steered his canoe towards the largest ship in the fleet, keeping low as they skirted the Fire Nation battle line. Sokka pulled out a rope as they pulled alongside the ship, tossing it up and hooking it onto the railing. A pull confirmed it was tight, but before Sokka could climb up it, Hahn shoved him back and began to climb. 

Sokka scowled, grabbing ahold of the rope just a moment after him. Before he began to climb, he stole a look at the distant city. The Fire Nation had made enough progress that the battle was out of sight. However, he could hear it. Explosions, fire, the clashing of weapons and bending in the distance. 

Somewhere beyond that battle, was Yue. Yue, who was in danger from the Fire Nation hordes. Yue, who was stuck being married to a jerk with a hard-on for a promotion. Yue, who made his heart beat like a drum and his hands go sweaty without bending. Yue, whom he had to help however he could. Sucking in a deep breath and tightening his grip on the rope, he began to climb. 

There was a flurry of activity on the deck, the sailors running back and forth to load the catapults and otherwise manage the ship. Hahn glanced back at him, yanking him behind the stack of crates he was using as cover. “Seriously?” he hissed. “Keep up, Ashmaker.”

“I’m here and not actively throwing you at the sailors,” Sokka said. “I’m not a bloody Ashmaker!”

“Just get us some uniforms.”

Sokka just grumbled, scanning the decks. The sailors would have no reason to head into the tower that had to be the bridge of the ship. An officer would attract too much attention. Marines it was; and by fortune, a pair of them were standing near a bulkhead door. He pointed, and Hahn grinned.

The old uniforms stood out like a sore thumb, but they were similar enough with the massive shoulders trimmed down that they could slip across the deck without attracting too much attention. Getting closer to the pair of marines, they tackled them from behind, arms latching around their throats tight enough to suck the breath out of them.

Sokka pulled and pulled until the marine went still. Sokka’s breath involuntarily hitched in his throat, and he brought a hand up to the man’s throat. He let out that breath as he felt a pulse from the limp man. At the same moment, Hahn yanked hard on the other marine’s head, eliciting a sickening crack. Sokka winced, while Hahn yanked the marine into cover.

Sokka did the same, quickly stripping out of the ancient armor and putting on the newer style. Fortunately, the one he had gotten was also a Firebender, so the full head helmet was something he took for himself. Hahn took up the other marine's spear, and with a brief, smoldering glance, they slipped through the bulkhead and began their ascent to the observation deck. 

XXXXX

Zuko joined Zhao on the observation deck of the Bridge, folding his arms behind his back. The Admiral leaned on the railing, a cruel grin on the man’s face as he watched the carnage. “Well done, Colonel,” he said.

Zuko remained as he was, staring ahead. From the towering height of the conning tower, they could see over the shattered wall and into the city beyond. Too far to make out specific skirmishes, but close enough for the wave of red soldiers and war machines pushing back the defenders in blue was obvious. They were making progress.

But it was slow going. The Waterbenders were able to hold their own, matching the Firebending companies in a straight-up fight. Warriors struck from the canals and houses, stalling advances and turning back potential breakthroughs. “We’re making progress, but we won’t make enough progress by nightfall,” Zuko said. “I suggest we work on fall-back points in case of an enemy counter-attack.”

“They don’t need to hold until nightfall,” Zhao said. “They just need to keep the Water Tribe’s attention.” He stood, his grin never wavering. “Prepare a strike team.”

“Who’s the target?” Zuko asked. “The Chieftain?”

“No.”

Zuko just stared at the Admiral, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. “Sir? If we’re not targeting the enemy leadership, then what-”

“The Water Tribes don’t rely on formal leadership as much as we or the Earth Kingdom do,” Zhao said, as if Zuko were a pupil he was giving a lesson to. “We kill them, then someone else would take their place. No. I have a better target in mind.”

“What exactly?” Zuko asked. 

Zhao looked at him, his grin transforming into a sneer. “Why should I tell you?”

“Because if I don’t know what the objective is, I can’t arrange the best men for the job,” Zuko said.

Zhao’s sneer remained unchanged, though he let his arms fall at his sides and return his gaze to the battle in the city. “Years ago, I discovered an ancient library filled with innumerable tomes of power. I learned many things there. Including the fact that the Spirits of the Moon and the Ocean have taken physical form, and reside within an oasis in the heart of Agna Qel’a.”

Wide-eyed shock was the only response that Zuko could muster. A… a spirit? That was Zhao’s ace in the hole, his ultimate card to be played if they couldn’t overwhelm the Northern Water Tribe through strength of arms. But that was insane. Even Father, who was normally dismissive of such things, wouldn’t risk bringing the wrath of the spirits down upon the Fire Nation like this.

“What…” Zuko said, his throat constricting. His body was rigid as a bar of steel, hands going white behind his back. This… this was madness.

“Admiral Choi!” a voice called from the entrance to the deck. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a Marine standing at the entrance, a spear at the ready. No, not a Marine. His skin was too dark, and his eyes were blue; he was a Water tribe infiltrator. “Colonel Kaolon! Prepare to meet your fate!”

He leveled his spear and charged, a sharp cry coming from his lips. It would be admirable if it wasn’t so pathetic. Still, Zuko was thankful for the opportunity to fight. It helped to clear the lump in his throat, making talking even possible for him. Maybe he could actually talk some sense into his damn commander!

XXXXX

Hahn rushed out before Sokka could stop him, exclaiming his intent to kill Zhao and Kuzon before charging at them. He didn’t even get their names right! Sokka was only just able to stop himself from running out after him. Partially out of caution, partially because he was stunned at what he had just heard Admiral Zhao say. 

The Spirits of the Moon and the Sea, given physical form in some Oasis in the city. And Zhao was planning to kill them! Was he just a lunatic?

Kuzon lashed out with a flask of water, an icy spike ripping through the armor on Hahn’s shoulder. Hahn screamed, tumbling to the deck as his spear went clattering out of his grip. Kuzon drew a sword, advancing on the downed warrior. Sokka hated the guy, but he didn’t want to see him die.

He rushed out onto the deck as if he’d been chasing him. He grabbed Hahn by his shoulders, jerking his hands behind his back and yanking him onto his feet. He wanted to say that he didn’t take any satisfaction in the wince that Hahn let out, but Gran-Gran said lying was bad.

Kuzon shot him a brief look and a tiny nod before continuing to advance. Sweat pooled behind his helmet, stinging in the bitter cold that snuck through the grills of the helmet. Before Kuzon could slit Hahn’s throat or something like that, Zhao said, “Just throw him overboard and be done with it.”

Sokka nodded, twisting Hahn around and marching him towards the exit. The wounded young man whimpered and groaned, blood falling from his shoulder like a leaky bucket. Sokka walked slowly, straining his ears to listen to what Zhao and Kuzon were saying. 

Kuzon sheathed a sword and returned to Zhao’s side, his arms splayed in a mix of placation and exasperation. “Sir. Don’t… don’t tell me you intend to kill them!”

“I intend to kill them,” Zhao said. Simply and cooly, as if he were ordering some tea. Sokka was right; the guy was crazy. “They chose to take mortal form, and they should suffer the consequences for putting themselves at risk.”

“Sir,” Kuzon said. “We-”

“Assemble your strike team, Colonel,” said Zhao, his patience obviously wearing thin. “You have one hour.” Kuzon stiffened as if he’d been struck, but didn’t say anything. Sokka scowled, unintentionally tightening his grip on Hahn. He was being told that he was supposed to kill the damn Moon, and he couldn’t even say anything!

Down the same corridors, forcing Hahn around the same turns and down the same stairs until he returned to the main deck. Stealing a look around, he leaned in closer to Hahn’s ear. “Warn them,” he whispered. “Go back to the Chief and warn them.” He then shoved Hahn, throwing him over the railing and into the water.

Sokka spent just a moment looking over the side, watching to make sure that Hahn was able to climb back into the canoe. Once he was inside and beginning to row away, Sokka let out a huff of breath. The heat from the exhale evaporated the sweat on his face and made his face flush. It drove off the biting cold, and he looked back onto the conning tower. He clenched his fist, and strode back inside. 

XXXXX

“How about some piece and quiet!?” Aang yelled, falling out of his meditation stance and glaring over his shoulder. The three girls immediately fell silent, frozen mid gesture as they locked eyes with the unusually irate monk. “Come on guys! I can hear every word you’re saying!”

“Sorry, Aang,” Ty Lee said, giving an awkward wave. 

“Yeah,” Katara said, smiling softly. “Go on. You can do it.”

Aang huffed, before turning around and falling back into his stance. The three of them remained perfectly silent, instead choosing to look around at the oasis. Yue had seen it numerous time before, but for Katara and Ty Lee, the warm water springs and abundant greenery in the middle of the frozen north was quite the novelty. 

After several moments, Aang began to go rigid. He sat up straighter and his breathing began to stagnate. Slowly, the long arrow tattoos began to glow, softly at first and then later with more and more intensity.

“Is he ok?” Yue asked. 

Katara nodded. “He’s crossed over into the Spirit World.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Ty Lee asked. “I mean, at all? This seems like a big deal.”

“It is. Unfortunately, we can’t really do anything. It’s just something Aang can do,” Katara explained.

The three of them sat in silence for a moment, staring at the Avatar as he communed with the Spirits. Despite themselves, they couldn’t help but look out past the entrance to the oasis and into the city beyond. Most of their view was blocked by the palace, but the sounds of battle had no such obstruction.

Yue hung her head, a disheartened expression washing over her. “I… I wish there was something I could do.”

“You’re helping us,” Ty Lee said. “I mean, Aang might not’ve been able to find a good place to commune with the spirits without you. Plus, Sokka wouldn’t have something worth fighting for if not for you, so there’s that.”

“What?” both Katara and Yue asked simultaneously.

“What?” Ty Lee parroted. She looked between the other two girls, before sighing and shaking her head. “Seriously? It’s obvious that Sokka likes you! His aura becomes so bright when he’s around you, it almost glows.” She cocked her head, gazing intently into Yue’s eyes. “For that matter, so does yours.” She gasped, making a show of scrambling to her feet and pointing at the princess. “You like him too, don’t you!?”

“No,” Yue said, before letting out a sigh of her own. “I mean… Yes. I do. But it doesn’t matter. I’ve been betrothed to Hahn.”

“Gran-Gran ran away from here to escape a betrhothal,” Katara said. “You don’t have to stick to it.”

“But I’m a princess,” Yue said. “I… I have a duty to my people. I am to serve them, as all leaders of the tribe are supposed to.”

“So, wait,” Ty Lee said. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but can you even become Chieftain?”

“Well, no”, Yue said. 

Ty Lee blinked owlishly. “Then, why-”

“It is how it is in the North,” Yue said. “My father has no other heirs. As I said before, I… my birth took much out of my mother, and my father had no children before me. If the stability of the tribe is to be maintained, then I must marry someone who will look after the tribe.”

“Hahn? Seriously?” Katara asked. “His idea of flirting is worse than my brothers. Seriously, he thought that stating his position within the tribe and how this other guy was his friend would be enough to get me to go out with that guy.” She shook her head, grinning savagely. “That was before they learned how good of a bender I am, of course.”

“You’re aura’s never been brighter either, Katara,” Ty Lee said. “But, seriously? You can’t become Chieftain?”

“Women aren’t… it’s simply not our role. I was never trained for it either way. I wouldn’t know what to do.” Yue sighed, removing a jewel from her hair and examining it. “I… I don’t know-”

“None of that,” Ty Lee said. She flipped over a small stream, landing in front of Yue and grabbing her face with both hands. “You’re smart, Yue. You could figure it out. I’m not saying its easy; you probably know that better than me, anyway. But it’s… If you can do something, you should do it. And the Spirits protect anyone that tries to stop you.”

“Woah,” Katara said. “That’s really good, Ty Lee.”

“Thanks!” Ty Lee beamed. “My friend really likes using that expression.”

Yue nodded, slowly growing more confident in the motion. “Alright. Alright. I’ll… once the battle is over, I shall speak with my father about it.”

At that moment, Aang’s tattoos suddenly ceased glowing. His eyes snapped open, locking on the rising full moon. “The Spirits!” he cried. He jumped to his feet, grabbing his staff and looking at the pond beyond them.

Once again, all of the girls stopped what they were doing to gaze in amazement at Aang. “What?” Katara asked. “What spirits?”

“The fish” Aang said, racing over to the pond. He gazed inside, watching the pair of koi fish. They had been an odd feature, but one that, according to Yue, had always been there. One white with a black mark and the other in inverse colors, revolving in a ceaseless dance. “They’re the Moon and the Ocean.” He looked up at the others, his expression grave. “They’re what Zhao is after. He means to kill them.”

“Very perceptive, Avatar.”

The four of them jumped in alarm as the gate leading into the oasis swung open. Ten grey-armored soldiers from the 41st entered, their assortment of weapons at the ready and red demonic masks grinning mockingly. They formed a loose semi-cirlce at the entrance to the oasis, two more appearing behind them and aiming bows down the stairs leading upward, covering their position. Outnumbered and trapped, Aang, Katara, and Ty Lee readied themselves to fight. 

From the formation of soldiers, Kuzon and Zhao strode forward. Kuzon had already drawn his swords, his posture stiff and yet his body was somehow somewhat limp. Zhao, meanwhile, stood perfectly upright, hands locked behind his back and a cheshire grin on his face. “So obvious a target, really. Such an obvious weakness. One I shall take great pride in exploiting.”

Chapter Text

Yue slipped into the back of the ring of the Avatar and his comrades, her hands clasped together tightly. Sweat tingled on her palms as she watched the grey-clad soldiers advance, their red masks greeting her with a carved snarl. The mix of spears and swords they were armed with were leveled at them, while several others ignited flames in their palms.

Admiral Zhao advanced slowly behind the wave of soldiers, the waterbending Colonel slightly ahead and to his side. “And the Avatar is here as well,” Zhao said, his cruel grin growing only wider. “Surely, this will secure my place in history. The one who brought the Northern Water Tribe to its knees and captured the Avatar.”

“Zhao, don’t do this,” Aang pleaded. “Messing with Spirits is never a good idea. Great Spirits especially.”

“Colonel Kuzon was more convincing in his protests to my plan.” The Colonel shifted the grip on his swords, holding them stiffly at his side. Zhao’s hands came out from behind his back, raising in front of him. He said, “That is to say, not at all. You will not be turning me away from my destiny.”

With that, he lashed out with a wave of fire. The soldiers scrambled out of the way of the Inferno, while Katara twisted and pulled water from the oasis to form a shield of ice. Ty Lee and Aang leapt over the top just as Kuzon swung his swords, turning the ice back into water and pulling it to him. 

Aang and Ty Lee fell amongst the soldiers, rapid fists and airbending-enhanced staff swings against swords, glaives, and fire daggers. Ty Lee danced from opponent to opponent, sharp jabs to pressure points sending the soldiers sprawling. That gave enough of an opening for Aang to break off of fighting the soldiers to focus on Zhao, meeting his flames with gusts of wind.

Yue backed away even further, nearly falling back into the koi pond. Her eyes were wide, and her head ached. Such a spiritual place, torn apart by the petty ambitions of men and the obedience of those following him. It made her almost physically ill.

Katara and Kuzon exchanged blows, trading whips and blasts of water back and forth. It was almost like the performance that Pakku and his students put on at her birthday celebration. However, it was faster-paced and more aggressive, arrows of ice and unorthodox maneuvers thrown into the mix in an attempt to catch their opponent off guard.

“Not so weak now, am I!?” Katara called, spinning around and sending a spurt of water up into the air. It slammed into Kuzon, throwing him into the air. Kuzon twisted in the air, the water turning to ice as he slid down the opposite side and lunged at Katara. She yelped and tumbled back, ducking around Kuzon’s wild swings as she attempted to gain distance. 

Ty Lee backed away from a pair of soldiers as they attempted to corner her against a pillar. Another soldier came in from the side, swinging a sword that would’ve taken her head off if she hadn’t rolled onto her knees. With a sharp uppercut to the soldier's unmentionables, she twisted and threw him over. He slammed into the other two, his sword flying out of his hand and tumbling into the grass near the water tribe princess. With an energetic cheer, she flipped head over heels, delivering firm kicks to the helmets off the two soldiers.

Aang and Zhao traded blows, Aang occasionally throwing out a taunt. Zhao’s expression grew slowly more and more furious and Aang dodged or deflected more and more of his attacks. Zhao slammed a boot into the soil, a torrent of fire shooting forward and consuming the grass as it went. Aang slammed his staff into the ground, snuffing out the flames just in time for Zhao to resume his barrage of fireballs.

“Sir!” One of the two soldiers that had remained by the entrance ran back in, exchanging his bow for a warhammer. “Enemy reinforcements!” The other soldier fired an arrow before withdrawing as well, joining the melee against Ty Lee. 

A score of Water Tribe warriors stormed up the stairs, her father at the head. Master Pakku stepped to the forefront, twisting his hands and sending pillars of water into the middle of the battle. While it knocked down many of the soldiers, it gave Zhao an opening to disengage from Aang.

Kuzon twisted around, throwing a flurry of ice darts at Pakku. The old masters' eyes narrowed at the enemy waterbender, raising a shield of ice to absorb the blows. He likewise broke away from Katara, a cut grazing her arm forcing her to back away as Kuzon moved to Zhao’s side.

Yue looked back to Zhao just as he reached her. A firm backhand sent her tumbling to the ground, her cheek stinging from the blow. Pulling a sack from his armor, he reached into the koi pond as fast as lightning and withdrew a wiggling fish. He turned, his grin triumphant, and presented it to the assemblage, a flame burning beneath it.

And as the moon turned a blood red, its light harsh and piercing, Yue screamed. 

XXXXX

How does one describe their bending being ripped away from them?

The only way that Zuko could describe it was suddenly being drained. Of energy, of blood, of everything that kept him up and moving. He only barely kept from staggering, holding up his blades in a defensive posture as his men slipped past the Avatar and came to his side. They were almost all wounded, but Zuko was the only one who was close to being incapacitated.

When Zhao had told him during their infiltration that removing the Moon Spirit from the pond would cause Waterbending to become unusable, he hadn’t known what to expect. Now that he knew, he wished that he’d thrown him into the bay and said that a stray waterbender had got him. They were cut off in the middle of the enemy city and messing with Agni-damned Spirits. It would be a miracle if they weren’t all killed.

The reinforcements came to an immediate halt, a wall of spears leveled at them but wavered as they locked eyes with Zhao. Zuko did the same, watching as the man’s eyes dilated in triumph. “I suggest you back down if you don’t want to have a fish fry on your hands.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing-”

Zhao cut off the Cheiftain with a laugh. A damn laugh. “I know exactly what I’m doing. Securing my legacy. Everyone will soon remember my name. Zhao, the man who darkened the moon. Zhao the Conqueror. Zhao the Moonslayer. Zhao… the Invincible!”

Zuko’s grip on his blades tightened, shooting a quick glance at the Admiral as he gloated. It was all a bluff. Zhao wouldn’t actually kill the Spirit. It was a trick to get him to surrender, after which he would let the fish go back into the pond. That’s what Kuzon would’ve done: use whatever leverage he had to end the fight as quickly as possible… 

He went stiff at the realization. Zhao wasn’t him. Zhao wasn’t anything like him, so why would he do anything that Zuko would? He was serious. He was deadly serious, and he planned to kill that fish. The flare attached to the small of his back seemingly began to heat up of its own accord, itching to be used.

There… there was no way that Father had approved this. He was irreverent, something that drove Uncle and Grandfather mad, but he wasn’t stupid. The Fire Nation was situated on an archipelago. If anything happened to the Moon Spirit, the ocean would swallow them all in her rage. If anything happened to the Ocean, the Moon would raise the tides and do the same. Whatever happened, Zhao would doom the Fire Nation.

As if echoing his thoughts, the Avatar said, “Zhao. Don’t. Hurting the Moon won’t just hurt the Water Tribe. It’ll hurt everyone, you included.”

“I will not be denied from my destiny by a brat,” Zhao snarled. “Now, how about you all lay down your weapons? As a start.” Zuko breathed a little easier. Zhao wasn’t insane. It… it was just a ploy.

Still, Zuko didn’t trust him, stepping back to allow him to keep an eye on him through his mask. Even as the warriors threw down their arms and the Avatar dropped his staff, Zhao kept his smug grin. “Now then…”

Zhao’s expression changed from smug gloating to shock in a matter of moments. He howled, a spike of metal protruding from his shoulder. His fire was snuffed out, his hands falling limply at his sides. Zuko’s eyes snapped wide, twisting around to gaze past the admiral. 

It was the white-haired girl. One of his men had lost their sword, and it had fallen next to the pond. That same sword was now shoved through the Admiral, entering through the gap in the side of his armor and exiting out through his collar bone. The girl was panting, her expression almost as stunned as Zhao’s. Blood oozed from the entry and exit wounds, joined a moment later by a stream of it falling out of his mouth. 

Zhao fell to his knees, dropping the bag. The girl quickly grabbed the white fish and placed it back in the pond. Neither he nor his men stopped her, focused more on the warriors that were watching, stock still, at some priestess or princess or something having just mortally wounded the Admiral. 

The moon’s light transformed back from a blood red to its typical dull white. Instantly, a rush of fluid energy like a dam breaking flowed into him. He could feel the power of his bending return, the water still contained within his flasks called to him to be used after even less than five minutes of being bound. 

Zhao fell forward onto his knees, coughing out more ichor. “No…” he rasped. “I… will not…” He began to pitch forward, his eyes fluttering open and shut. Zuko had, unfortunately, seen enough men die to know what was happening. Zhao’s body was shutting off, his spirit leaving out through the wounds in his body. He would be dead as soon as he hit the ground.

Just before he could, however, Zhao twisted. A leadened hand shot up, a whip of fire shooting from barely clasped fingers. No one was in a position to stop it. The flame lashed out, shooting past him and the white-haired girl and lashing into the pond.

And struck the black fish. 

That deep pit of dread after first hearing of the plan came back to him tenfold. Sheathing a sword, he drew the flare and sprinted forward. His men joined him, weapons leveled and flames roaring. Even with their bending restored, the water tribe combatants didn’t have an opportunity as they barreled through and past them.

Zuko held up the flare, and one of his men caught on. A spark flew from the man’s hands, and the fuse lit. Katara finally regained her wits and lashed out at him, a whip of water flying forward. His remaining sword was held up to block, parting the water around the fust. 

Just before it reached the base of the launcher, Zuko raised it into the air. A soft explosion, followed by a streak of purple shooting into the air. It burned, just visible throughout the entire city above the towering structure of the main palace. Having done all he could, he and his men ran as fast as they could. 

Zuko didn’t pray often. In hopes of getting as many out alive, he prayed now. 

XXXXX

Even as many of the warriors broke off to pursue the fleeing Fire Nation soldiers, Yue knelt down next to the koi pond. The black fish, La, writhed and spat out bubbles, thrashing in the shallows. The burn appeared only in the fact that its burnt scales were matte as opposed to glossy.

Yue was not connected directly to La, but she was the beloved of Tui. The Moon calmed the raging ocean, and the ocean allowed it to be controlled by waterbenders. They were intrinsically connected to one another. The pain in her head when Zhao had held Tui in his hands was now burning in her chest.

Katara knelt down next to Yue, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Are… are you ok?”

Yue looked up and saw that Katara, despite being so close, wasn’t looking at her. Her eyes were locked on the still form of Admiral Zhao. The would-be Moonslayer lay in a slowly growing pool of blood, a blank expression upon his face as he stared into the sky. She… she hadn’t meant to kill the man. But she couldn’t let him hurt the spirits, and… She would’ve felt sick if her chest hadn’t burned with worry for the weakening La.

“I am fine,” Yue said, brushing off Katara’s hand. “But… La. The Ocean spirit is hurt.”

Behind her, Arnook turned on Aang and Ty Lee. “That flare. What was that?”

“If I’m right,” Ty Lee said. “It’s a flare signaling a full retreat. They’re going to completely pull out and retreat to a stable position. That’s if I’m right, of course.”

The pain in her chest blossomed into a steady rage. Why were they focusing on something like that when the Ocean Spirit was dying!? “Father,” she said more forcefully to the man than she had ever spoken in her life. He turned to face her, his face a mixture of stunned and slack with worry. “We need healers. As many as possible, as powerful as possible.”

“There’s no time,” Master Pakku said, gazing numbly at La. The fish was starting to slow, its movements becoming sluggish and kicking up less water. “It… We’re too late.”

“No.”

Aang spoke, and yet it was not his voice. He looked at her, and his eyes glowed as white as the full moon above. “Preserve her, Chosen of my Light.” He turned, walking slowly towards the exit to the oasis. “I shall punish those responsible.” He walked, slowly rising into the air upon steps of moonlight.

As it reached its apex in the sky, the moon glowed as bright as the sun. Silver light suffused everything, casting long strands of light across the ground and deeper shadows in the few places it didn’t illuminate. Katara hummed, holding out her hands. “I… I’ve never felt this powerful.”

“Then help me,” Yue said. She turned to Master Pakku, fixing the stubborn old man with a withering glare. “You too. You are right. You are the nearest powerful bender. Help us heal the Ocean.”

The two benders reached down, their hands glowing that they grasped around the fish. Arnook watched on from the side, his eyes wide as the scales began to regain their shimmer. Yue reached down, pressing her hand atop that of the two benders.

She felt La. Felt the ocean. It was power, raw and untamed. And yet, La tempered that with kindness, giving gifts of fish and calm tides and safe passage. Without her, there would be no kindness to the sea. Tui could reign in its worst excesses, but the sea would forever be something untameable and unrelenting. Tui would abandon the world at the same time, his power weakening and further letting the sea rage. The two halves needed to be whole.

Tui had given her life. Given her some of his strength to keep her breathing. She would give as much as she could to preserve his beloved.

With a roar like a cresting wave, the glow abruptly cut off. The scarred scales were completely healed, and La swam back into the pond. Yue panted, feeling her body ache in time with each beat of her heart. She watched as, with a slowly calming heart and a soft smile, the two fish once again resumed their great dance. 

XXXXX

Zuko snuck into Agna Qel’a, along with himself and Zhao, with ten men. 

Li, having been struck by an ice shard in the leg, was unable to keep up. The Water tribe warriors overtook him on the staircase, and cut him down before Zuko could even turn around. 

More enemy warriors emerged from the palace, spears leveled and bending at the ready. A wave of freezing water and ice spat towards them, Zuko not managing to deflect all of it despite his best efforts. Aozosin fell to a water whip that tore out his throat. 

As he met the waterbenders blow for blow, the initial pursuers caught up to them. Joma took a spear through the back, and moments later, Daijok was thrown off of the parapet and into a canal below. Zuko didn’t see where he landed, and he didn’t surface.

Rage built in his throat, and he slammed a fist into the ground. Reaching out, he felt the water tribe warriors around him. The water that they were wielding, the water clinging to their thick clothes… The blood that ran through their veins. Zuko snarled, rising to his feet and swinging out a hand. The warriors all ceased their attacks, responding to the twisting of his fingers like puppets on strings. They twitched and writhed, in obvious pain that Zkuo found that he, for once, couldn’t connect to or care for. He simply swung down with his swords and felt each and every one of their hearts stop.

A spear flew out of nowhere and took Irasu in the chest before she could even scream. “Move!” he rasped, pointing towards the path along the outskirts they had taken to slip past the battle in the city. They ran, heedless of stealth, in a mad dash to escape whatever wrath was going to come down upon them.

And come down it did. The moon began to shine like a beacon, its radiance nearly blinding. A waterbender shot forward, swinging his hands as he skimmed the canal. A wave of icy shards followed his movement. Before he could block them and send the bender tumbling into the canal, one caught Okaim in the throat.

As Zuko and his remaining men ran, he caught sight of what else was going on through the streets and shattered buildings. The Fire Nation was in full retreat, as he’d hoped, pursued closely by empowered waterbenders. Even more than normal, the full moon granted them a level of power that could easily overpower most firebenders. In their home turf, coordinated as they were and against an enemy trying to flee? It was practically a massacre.

If only Zuko could feel that power. Instead, even as the light bathed him, he felt empty. Accusing eyes followed him, even though the only ones he could see were those of his surviving men through their helmets. Turning and looking up, he then saw him. The Avatar, bathed in an outline of moonlight like a giant koi fish, gazed right at him. He felt empty and powerless, even as more silent prayers and begging poured out of his mouth.

The water they were running alongside writhed and lashed out. It wrapped around Ukuyo’s leg, pulling her screaming into the canal. Zuko tried to grab ahold of her, but his bending didn’t respond to him like it should have. He threw off some of the strands, but the woman was pulled beneath the water before he could affect more than that.

Another waterbender appeared, a whirlpool surrounding him that he launched at them. Zuko twisted his hands, trying to stop the water. He was only able to deflect it, though he and the two men he had left were slammed into the ice wall. In desperation, he threw a discarded spear at the bender. Fortunately for him, the bender was caught off guard and fell back, impaled through the chest. 

Quickly rising to his feet, he turned to the rest of his men. Chomao lay slumped against the cliff, his head smashed open on the hard-packed ice. Zuko grabbed his shoulder, shaking the man in desperation. He… he couldn’t be dead. This man had been with him since Gi Wai Zifao, you couldn’t take him from him!

Zuko wanted to scream himself hoarse. He wanted to roar and rage and tear this whole damnable place to ruins. He stole a look up through the houses, watching the Avatar. He moved at a leisurely pace, the aura of moonlight around him carrying him slowly through the city. Uncaring of the carnage he caused, of the people he took from him. He wanted to scream, and yet he couldn’t even force himself to speak.

“Sir! Sir, we need to go!” That shook Zuko from his stupor, and he rose to his feet and raced along the canal. They passed wreckage of Tundra Tanks and the corpses of soldiers on both sides. Raid stained the ice, both blood and uniforms… far, far too much of it. He could feel the blood around him, pooling and oozing and begging to be called upon, and he wanted to be sick. He still couldn’t speak.

In the distance, they approached the breach. Sure enough, the small boat that the Strike team had used to enter the city remained where it was. He put on a burst of speed, hoping to make it there. He stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a gurgling scream behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Ru face down on the ice, a piece of iron shrapnel in his head. 

Zuko entered Agna Qel’a with ten men. He was the only one to leave it… He still couldn’t scream, and tears never came. 

XXXXX

All in all, Sokka was not having a good night. 

After he’d thrown Hahn overboard (and being unable to avoid taking satisfaction in it), he’d tried to slip back inside the conning tower to search for Zhao. Even if Hahn could warn the Chieftain, he had to try to take down Zhao. If the Admiral never left the ship, then it wouldn’t matter either way.

Unfortunately, the Admiral had left by the time that Sokka made it back up to the observation deck. He spent far too long searching for him throughout the bridge. Eventually, he spotted the Zhao, Kuzon, and a squad of 41st soldiers boarding a small motorboat and getting ready to head out. 

Before he could get to him, however, some officer schmuck had come out of seemingly nowhere and forced him to help him supplying the engine room. Sokka had moved through the box of stuff he had to bring to them as quickly as possible, but it wasn’t quick enough. He arrived back on the deck to find it empty save for the catapult crews, Zhao and the boat he took nowhere in sight. 

From there, he’d tried to escape. Commandering another boat, or even just swimming, anything that could get him back to Agna Qel’a and to his friends… and Yue. But, as if the spirits themselves were out to get him, that stupid officer and his stupid grey sideburns prevented him from leaving. Stringing him along with different tasks.

Then, the moon began to bleed! The sounds of battle had momentarily halted before quickly resuming, as the moon turned blood red. It lasted all of five minutes at most, but it was long enough for Sokka to start to fear something was wrong. Relief flooded him when the moon came back, only barely being able to avoid audibly saying anything.

That fear changed as the sea began to churn and almost writhe. It shook the boat, nearly throwing him overboard from the violent motions. He would’ve tried to use the shaking boat as an excuse to fling himself overboard, only for that cursed officer to grab hold of him.

As if that wasn’t enough, a purple flare was shot into the air from behind the palace. Apparently, that was a signal to retreat, as boats went out and began to pick up soldiers fleeing from the city. He smiled to himself, pumping a fist when he saw that no one was looking. He’d done it! They’d caught Admiral Creep and stopped the spirits from being killed, and now the Fire Nation was running scared.

That elation changed to panic as he saw a figure floating in the air. Tendrils of moonlight seemed to emanate from him, lancing down into the fleeing Fire Nation forces. The tide rose and fell, swallowing the less fortunate soldiers and slowing the withdrawal. Still, Sokka was strung along, helping the officer get ready to depart.

The figure lowered slightly, becoming close enough that Sokka could make out the small form surrounded by the massive halo. “Aang…” Sokka said, almost dropping the box of supplies.

“Aang?” the officer questioned, nearly making Sokka jump from how the man seemingly teleported behind him. The officer’s eyes narrowed, seeming to bore straight through the helmet and look him directly in the eyes. “Take off your helmet.”

“Uh, sir?” he said, trying to think of what he could do to avoid this. Or how quickly he could get off the ship before the officer attacked him, whichever came first. “Are you sure-”

“Take it off!” Sokka blindly obeyed the shouted command, removing the firebender helmet before he could even think about it. The officer’s eyes widened, before he groaned. 

“Oh, that’s just what I needed,” he said, rubbing a hand down his face. Ok, that wasn’t the reaction that Sokka had expected.

Before he could question it or jump overboard to escape, the ship shook violently. A spear of light shot down into the conning tower, seeming to shake it apart bit by bit. Another lance struck it and the whole thing crumbled like a knocked over tower of blocks. For that matter, the whole Battleship shook in much the same way.

“Aang!” Sokka called. “Hey, buddy! Stop it! At least let me get out of here!” If Aang could hear him, he gave no inclination. Instead, his hands began to move in a circle, and the water below the ship began to press against it. The ship was pushed backward, straining the engine so much he could hear the metallic grinding from the front of the ship.

He grabbed ahold of a piece of loose deck plating as the ship began to tilt backwards. Supplies he’d helped lash down, as well as ammunition for the catapults, loose scrap, and members of the crew flew past him and tumbled into the water. And still, the ship rose and tilted, threatening to capsize.

Before it did, the massive wave that had been swallowing the Fire Nation fleet rose up and crested, propelling the fleet away from Agna Qel’a. Sokka could only barely hold on as the flagship shuddered, cracked, and broke into pieces. The plating he kept ahold of bobbed and shook on the wave before it began to sink, dragging Sokka beneath the waves with it. 

He gasped and sputtered, paddling as hard as he could to breach the surface. All he succeeded in doing was putting himself in a position to be swept along with the wave, thrown out into the middle of the sea amongst the detritus of Zhao’s flagship.

Chapter Text

It should’ve been a joyous occasion, and for most, it was. The Fire Nation had been driven back from Agna Qel’a and dealt their biggest blow in a long time. Tui and La were safe. Yue was lavished with honors for saving the tribe.

And yet, for three individuals, it wasn’t. Because Sokka didn’t come back. The last person to see him had been Hahn, and that had been on the Zhao’s Flagship. The same one that Ang had torn to pieces during the Avatar State.

Katara had been nearly inconsolable, crying her eyes out after hearing from the Chieftain that he was likely dead. She still helped where she could, rebuilding homes and healing the wounded. But she barely spoke, her eyes were near constantly puffy, and the same saddened frown crossed her features at all times.

Aang wasn’t much better. He had loved being the hero before back on Kyoshi Island or Haru’s village or on the numerous other occasions when he’d helped others. Now, it just made him sick. All of the smiles and greetings and the small gifts just reminded him that it was his fault that Sokka was gone.

Slowly, the North healed. Funerals were held for the fallen warriors, including a touching memorial for Sokka. Neither of them attended. Instead, they helped, learned more from Master Pakku, and prepared to return south to the Earth Kingdom. 

“What am I going to tell dad?” Katara asked one day. She, Aang, and Ty Lee were sitting in the room that the Northern Water Tribe had given them. Ty lee just folded her clothes, looking up with a somber look at Katara. 

She shook her head. “I don’t know, Katara. I… If one of my sisters died, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“I don’t know what to do now!” Katara exclaimed, throwing out her hands and falling back onto the bed with a frustrated groan. “I… I keep expecting him to come through that door and just… say something stupid and set something on fire.”

“Probably himself,” Aang said. He hung his head at his own half-hearted joke, leaning on his staff. Even Momo clambering up his back to nuzzle his cheek wasn’t enough to spark any kind of joy within him. “I… I know I’ve said this before, but I’m so sorry, Katara.”

“It’s not your fault, Aang,” she said. 

He just looked up and shook his head. “Yes, it is. Sokka… We talked before about being ready for things. I… I wasn’t ready for the Avatar state, and I killed your brother. I hurt you… I promise, I’ll never use the Avatar State again.”

Before the conversation could meander on, a knock came at the door. “Come in,” Ty Lee called. 

Master Pakku strode in, his hands held at his sides and face furrowed. “Avatar. Lady Ty Lee… Master Katara,” he said. In the past, Katara would’ve been elated to be called a master waterbender. Now, like everything she had felt before about her tribe’s northern cousins, it just felt hollow. “I understand you are preparing to head south again.”

“I need to find an Earthebending teacher,” Aang said. “And… I’m sorry, but we can’t stay here any longer.”

“I understand fully,” Pakku said. “Before you do so, I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine. The same one who warned us about the Invasion, in fact.”

He stepped aside to reveal a short old man in faded green and brown robes. He sported a grey beard that ringed a somewhat pudgy face, the rest of his balding head covered by a bamboo hat. He smiled warmly, both hands clasped in front of a large belly. “Greetings, young Avatar,” he said, bowing slightly. “I am-”

“General Iroh!?” Ty Lee said, rising from her sitting position in stunned amazement. All eyes shifted from the old man to her, before going back to the old man.

He merely laughed at the outburst, before looking back at Ty Lee. His smile wavered for a moment, replaced by a soft grimace. “Lady Ty Lee. A pleasure as well.” Turning back to the Avatar, his smile returned. “Yes, my name is Iroh, former Prince and General of the Fire Nation. But, nowadays, I often reply to the name of Mushi.”

Aang gazed in wonder, reaching for the white Pai Sho tile he’d kept in his sash all these months. “You… You’re Bumi’s friend too.”

“Don’t you know?” Iroh asked. “All old people know one another.” He laughed, pulling out his own white lotus tile and showing it to Aang and Katara. “Now, why don’t I prepare us all some nice Jasmine tea? We have much to discuss.”

XXXXX

“I spy with my little eye, something… blue.”

“Is it the ocean?”

“No.”

“Is it the sky?”

“... Yeah.”

The officer, Jee, sighed and slumped against the makeshift raft. Sokka looked over at him, crossing his arms. “Look, we’re stuck out here. I get it’s not fun, but do you have a better idea?”

“Wait silently for someone to find us?” Jee asked.

Sokka let out a sigh of his own, raising his head to peer into the distance. From the edge of the hunk of debris they had clung to after the tsunami had thrown them out to sea all the way to the horizon, all they saw was ocean. Water, water, slightly discolored water, and foamy water, but still all just water. 

“Look, if we were going to get picked up, then we would’ve by now,” Sokka said. “The fleet’s gone. We’re just gonna have to hope that the currants bring us into shore at some point.”

“I know that,” Jee said. “I’ve been in the Navy for over thirty years. I know.”

Sokka blinked. “Wait, really? Thirty years?”

Jee nodded, reclining on the wreckage. “Yep.”

“So… How’d you join the Grey Phoenix?” Sokka asked, unconsciously gazing at the spot in the man's sash where he knew the small iron pin was located. “I thought it was mostly younger people.”

“Are you calling me old?”

“I mean… kinda? You are, what, in your sixties?”

“I’m fifty-two,” Jee said, sitting up and groaning. He pressed his hands into his back, pushing until an audible crack came from the movement. He groaned, before sitting up as best he could. “Anyway, it’s not just that. It’s basically anyone in the Fire Nation who doesn’t like Firelord Ozai. My contact with the organization is another officer who survived the purges after he took power.”

“Huh,” Sokka said. “Interesting.” Sokka looked back over the horizon, his eyes squinting against the harsh midday sun. “I spy with my little eye, something-” He froze, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes from the light and squinting even harder. 

“Kid, there’s only so many colors out here,” Jee groused, leaning around to look at him. “What are you-” He stopped, standing up and peering into the distance.

“Is that a ship?” Sokka asked.

Jee took a moment to balance himself out, before leaning forward to look at it. “It… it is!” He lifted a hand into the air, firing a burst of flames into the air. “Come on! Signal them!”

“How do we know who-”

“No offense, but you’re not the kind of company I imagined I’d have for two days straight,” Jee said. “I don’t care if it’s Pirates. Anything’s better than dying of sunstroke out here.” Sokka was unable to find fault with the logic, and so shot out his own burst of flames. 

The ship acknowledged them with a blast of a horn, beginning to approach at a rapid speed. As the ship grew closer and closer, Sokka was able to make out more details. It was smaller than any of the other warships that he’d seen, longer and narrower than them, too. A series of black and gold metallic plates guarded the prow, while the conning tower was designed like a pagoda instead of a simple tower. 

Jee paled at the sigh. “Oh crap.”

“What?” Sokka asked. “I thought you said anyone was better than nothing?”

“I did,” Jee said. “But that’s a Royal Sloop. Only members of the Royal Family use those.” It was Sokka’s turn to pale.

The ship slowed as they pulled alongside, a pair of red-armored soldiers throwing down a rope ladder to them. Despite Sokka’s and Jee’s evident concern, they grabbed hold and hoisted themselves up onto the deck. “Thanks for the rescue,” Jee said to their rescuers.

“It was my pleasure,” a hard female voice said. Emerging from a door on the tower came a girl no older than his sister. Her face was sharp, her golden eyes smoldering as she almost gazed through him rather than at him. She wore fancy gold and black armor, her hands splayed out in front of her.

Jee instantly bowed, Sokka following suit in a poor imitation a moment later. “Princess Azula,” he said, making Sokka pale. Not for the first time, he wished he’d managed to keep ahold of that helmet. “O-once again, thank you for saving us.”

“It simply wouldn’t do for loyal soldiers of the Fire Nation to be left behind,” Azula said. She turned to one of the red soldiers, nodding slightly to him. “Take the Lieutenant Commander below decks and allow him to rest.” She turned back to him, smiling softly in a way that didn’t quite manage to reach her eyes. “I expect a debrief before nightfall.”

“Yes, your Highness,” he said. He rose from the bow, his posture almost instantly stooping as he followed the soldier to an open hatch on the deck. 

The other soldier join them, leaving him along with the Fire Nation princess. She let her hands fall to her side, cocking her hip and looking him up and down. “So. Sokka, was it?”

Sokka blinked, wondering if he had heard her correctly. A moment of that same expression on her face indicated that he hadn’t, and his fingers began to unclench. “How… how do you know my name?”

She held up her hands placatingly. “Calm yourself.” She brought one around to her belt, reaching inside and pulling something out. “Through a mutual friend of ours.” Her hand opened, revealing a small iron pin of a bird splaying its wings.

Sokka’s brain practically shattered into pieces. He looked at the pin, once again wondering if he was seeing things. There… there was no way. “You… you’re the friend that Ty Lee mentioned. The one that runs the Grey Phoenix.”

“Precisely,” Azula said, looking around as she put the pin back into her belt. “But perhaps don’t mention that out loud around the crew. Now, how about you come upstairs with me.” She stepped to the side and gestured to the door, her smile never wavering. “We have much to discuss.”

XXXXX

Even before Zuko opened his eyes, everything burned. His limbs ached, his head swam through tar, and his lungs felt compressed with every inhale. Even the action of tilting his head slightly resulted in a dull agony. He hadn’t felt this way since coming down from the adrenaline high of his first battle.

The connection kick-started his brain, pulling it free from the malaise it had been trapped within. His eyes were forced open, revealing a nearly blindingly white room. No, not a room; a tent. He was in a medical cot, a blanket thrown over his lower body while everything else had been stripped away. His armor, his uniform… his mask.

Despite the pain, he rolled his head over to the side. Next to the cot was a small table, upon which his mask sat. It was leaning on a small tray, removed from the helmet, but it was different. A long, jagged crack ran through the wood, splitting apart the grin into a series of plates like the scales of a Komodo-rhino. It had been patched with gold, creating an even more unnerving visage, if such a thing were possible.

Squinting, he looked closer at the tray that was on the table. At first, after seeing a few small metal instruments on it, he assumed it was filled with surgical tools. However, looking closer revealed no sharp knives or saws used for such operations, just a few vials of different-colored ink and needles attached to a wooden handle. It almost looked like the tattooing equipment that he’d seen after some of his officers had gotten matching tattoos of their red masks.

“Ah,”  a soft, languid voice said. “You’re awake after all.”

A bony hand grabbed his chin, jerking his head to look forward. He was greeted with an old man’s face, perhaps a bit older than what his uncle should’ve been. He had a thin mustache and silvery hair pulled into a dirty bun. A patch of skin across his cheek appeared almost burned, creating an appearance like it was sticking to his jawline. Strangely enough, instead of the white apron of a surgical officer, he wore a stained and patched version of a Fire Sage’s robes.

“I was beginning to worry,” the man said, taking a step back and rubbing his chin. “Couldn’t have had you slip too close to death… That just wouldn’t do… No, not yet, not yet.”

“Who-who are you?” Zuko demanded. Fear was swelling within him. He didn’t know what had happened or how he’d gotten here. The last thing he recalled was a massive wave sweeping his boat out to see and away from the Northern Water Tribe. Now, he was alone, without his equipment or his men, and this strange old man was looking at him. At his uncovered face. 

Before full-blown panic could consume him, the flap of the tent opened. The man bowed exaggeratedly, moving out fo the way for Zuko to see his guest. Instantly, his throat closed, and speech abandoned him. 

“Hello, my son” Fath- Firelord Ozai said, looking down at him. The last time Zuko had seen him, his face had been colored by righteous disgust. Now, he was smiling pleasantly, placing a comforting hand upon Zuko’s aching shoulder. “Even though this is not how I’d imagine we’d see one another again, I cannot deny it isn’t fortuitous.”

Zuko bowed his head, unable to do anything else. All the words that he’d thought he’d say to his father once he was allowed to return home left him. He knew them, but they would simply not manifest. 

The Firelord didn’t appear bothered. “You did well, Zuko. Thanks to you, disaster was averted. You saved over half of the Northern Fleet, preventing many good soldiers from dying needlessly. Just one of many actions that is worthy of commendation.”

Zuko bowed his head even lower, practically pressing it against his chest. This action allowed him to see at least part of the reason for his aching chest. A tattoo had indeed been inked across his chest, spiralling up onto his arms. It was like a flowing river, intricately detailed and rimmed by a series of written characters he couldn’t make out. Other designs sat, incomplete, across his chest and stomach, everything from weapons to simple inky black stains as if whoever had been making them had spilled the dye.

Despite the pain and the confusion and the returning grogginess, one thought came to the forefront. Even if he desperately wanted to say something to his father, he needed to know. Working up as much nerve as he could, he finally forced his tongue to say, “My… men…”

“Your men?” Ozai asked. He frowned, before his eyebrows raised. “Ah, yes. The 41st Battalion.” The frown returned, accompanied by a short shaking of his head. “I’m afraid they took much, much higher casualties compared to the rest of the fleet."

“How…” Zuko forced out, just before his throat seemed to close up. How many of his men were dead? His heart was beating a quick march in his chest, pressing against the freshly inked markings. A desperate, animal fear overtook him, even as his father met his eyes. 

“All of them, I’m afraid.”

All of them. They were gone. The 41st, the men and women he’d kept alive and successful and alive for three long years. All of them were gone. All six hundred and twenty-five of them. It was all his fault. If he’d stopped Zhao earlier, if he had the balls to stand up to him properly instead of only offering meek protests, they’d still be alive.

“You couldn’t have done any more.” But he could have. He should have. There was always something he could have done to stop this. To fix it. “But rest assured. This will not go unavenged. You have done the Fire Nation a great service, Zuko. Do me this one last task, and I shall allow you to return home with full honors.”

Zuko nodded numbly. 

“Good” Ozai said. He gestured lightly to the old man, who grinned like a child given a new toy. “The Sage will treat you. Once you are well enough to speak again, tell him everything of your encounters with the Avatar and his companions. Spare no detail.” He turned to leave, his robe billowing behind him. He opened the flap of the tent, but stopped before leaving and looked back at Zuko. “Do not fail me, Zuko.”

Zuko nodded as the Firelord left. The old man retrieved one of the tattooing tools, staining fresh black ink on the long, barbed tool. “What is that?”

“Ah, you are already able to speak?” he questioned. “A curious condition, you have there.” He lifted up one of Zuko’s arms, studying the intricate details already tattooed into his pale flesh. “Worry not, worry not. These are simple designs. They invoke spiritual healing… Amongst other attributes…” 

The man devolved into self-indulgent giggling, before regaining control of himself and smiling. “Now, just relax, my dear Blue Spirit,” the man said, his smile unmoving. “We have much to discuss.”