Part Two
In the early afternoon, when they had finished most of their shopping, the two passed by a outpost of the Fire Nation guards that policed most every village of any size. Outside of the small building was a shaded paddock, and inside that shelter was a handful of severe-looking creatures the color of volcanic rock.
"Oh!" Sokka stopped dead in the street, captivated. "Zuko, let's go take a closer look."
The fire-bender surveyed the soldiers leaning casually around the doorframe. "I don't know," he said, reluctant to be so near, no matter how good their disguises.
The Water tribesman, however, seemed to possess none of his fear. He jerked Zuko bodily towards the rail. "Come on, it's about time you showed me something Fire Nation-y."
Without any choice, Zuko allowed himself to be drawn nearer to the snorting mounts.
"Wow." Sokka seemed fascinated by the enormous grunting animals, which he had never seen from any perspective other than fleeing prey. His keen eyes followed the scaled eye ridges and curving, yellow-grey horns.
The nearest one rumbled at Sokka, pawing restlessly, but when Zuko held out his hand the beast puffed, butting its moist nostrils against his fingers. "They can smell the fire," the fire-bender explained. "So you should stay away from them; your charm won't fool their noses."
The Southerner chuckled, audaciously stretching out a tentative digit. The kamodo rhino gnashed its teeth, lunging with a vicious twist of his muzzle so that the razor point was brought to bear. Sokka practically fell off the rail getting out of the way, laughing even as he tumbled.
They left without even receiving a passing glance from the chatting soldiers, consumed as they were with the task of staying out of the heat.
"I guess we should see what information we can dig up know," Sokka suggested, adjusting their sack.
They were passing through the central plaza at that time, and at the center of the open space a great bronze statue was situated, spouting flame like a fountain of fire. Zuko paused, bowing his head briefly. The action attracted the attention of his companion. "What's it for?" Sokka asked.
The great deity glowed in the strong midday light. Glad to be able to share something with the tribesman that he didn't know, Zuko explained, "It's to glorify Agni. Fire-benders get our power from the sun."
Sokka seemed to understand this. After all, so far as he understood, it had been the tribesman who had planned to invade the Fire Nation on the one day when the sun would not rule the sky.
Before they split up, the two boys decided to step in out of the incredible heat to get a drink. Zuko had mixed feelings about being in a tea house again; the familiar sound of china clinking together and the wafting smells brought back complicated memories of tranquility and misery.
As did the twittering girls that sat at one of the front tables.
Zuko had no idea how to be charming. He hardly knew what to say to a woman who couldn't kill him. Sokka seemed to have no such problems, however. As they passed, he flashed the pretty young women a smile that made their cheeks darken, and one fluttered her fan invitingly. But apparently the tribesman was just a flirt, because he gave a pleasant yet disinterested wave and poked Zuko toward the other side of the room.
Feeling a dark moodiness overcoming him again, Zuko was not very polite to the server who brought them their order. Glaring down at the steaming liquid, Zuko had to fight a desire to throw the cup to the floor. Certainly it could never be as good as his uncle's.
"That's quite a face, young man," a wavery voice broke through his contemplation, and he looked up into the heavily wrinkled face of their server.
Zuko wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but the tribesman kicked his shin under the table, and he muttered, "Sorry."
The server patted him on the head, and Zuko made a face. Terrific. He was being patronized by the little old tea man. "Don't look so grousy, my boy. Tea soothes the spirit, eh?" It almost sounded like something his uncle would say.
With a look of hesitation, he lifted his cup and gave it a dubious look. Well, best to at least try.
Sokka, meanwhile, had drunk his own tea all in one gulp like water and then whipped his mouth with his wrist. "Well?"
A hesitation, a wrinkled nose. Then Zuko wilted. "I miss my uncle," he said.
The expression on the tribesman's face softened. He knew Iroh, of course, and had heard even more about him from conversations they'd shared. He knew how much regret Zuko harbored about how he'd left things between them. Reaching out, he patted Zuko's arm wordlessly. It's okay.
"You ready to go?" he asked instead.
The fire-bender nodded.
The two split up after leaving the tea-shop, intending to spread out over the village and collect what intelligence they could. Honestly, Sokka was a little worried about allowing the disheartened fire-bender to wander on his own, but it couldn't be helped. Zuko would undoubtedly have been insulted by any suggestion that he needed someone to look out for him.
So Sokka meandered on his own, making small talk and wandering around the topic of recent happenings until he landed on a likely subject. It wasn't hard; people loved to gossip. Still, he found he was going to have to push a little harder. Information was big on rumor and "Water Tribe pirates" and low on news about the avatar and the war.
He breeched the subject finally with an elderly woman who he'd charmed by helping with a handful of groceries. He'd escorted her to the courtyard outside her home, and there they'd paused, chatting while people moved around them.
"Really, it's so good to see strong young men around here again," she was saying. "What with the war, nearly all the handsome lads leave to join the army. I'll be glad when there's no need for that anymore."
Sokka made a dramatic face of alarm. "Me in the army? Probably they'd throw me out in a week."
She pinched his cheek. "For what? Bad jokes? No, little one. The army never lets anyone go without shaping them for war, not even sassy farm boys like you."
Tickled by her description of him, Sokka ventured to ask, "Speaking of the war, it wasn't much spoken of where I come from. We heard things, about the Avatar. What ever happened to him?"
It was as though he had poured cold water over the woman's head; her cheeks paled. Shifting her gaze around uneasily, she cautioned lowly, "Better you didn't speak like that, child."
Genuinely puzzled, the tribesman said, "I don't understand."
"We aren't supposed to speak of him, and there are ears everywhere these days. It's dangerous to talk about the Avatar –"
Even though she had rasped this at barely above a whisper, apparently it hadn't been quietly enough. From behind him, a hand lunged over Sokka's shoulder, gripping the old woman by the bodice of her dress. A harsh voice barked, "What did you say?"
The soldier must have been standing somewhere nearby and had heard the word 'avatar' in the midst of their conversation. Garbed fully in the intimidating scale-like armor of the Fire Nation forces, he shook the frail body, regardless of her age or the terror in her eyes.
Infuriated by the treatment of someone who had spoken to him so kindly, Sokka intervened. Pressing himself between the soldier and the woman, he pried his hands from her clothing and gave a firm shove.
"Leave her alone!" he demanded.
The confrontation had already begun drawing a crowd, and, alerted by the raised voices, a pair of other guards were also heading their way. Sokka felt that now was the time to leave, but the little old woman was still curled at his back, and he could feel her trembling.
The soldier soon recovered from the shock of someone daring to defy him. "Boy," he addressed Sokka. "You will get out of my way, or there will be severe consequences."
Sokka didn't allow the officer to save face. "Why? So you can bully an old woman?"
There was an almost audible intake of air from the spectators, and without warning the armored man cuffed Sokka ruthlessly across the face. "Who do you think you are?" he snarled in a rage.
Pressing his fingers to his nose, knowing that it was weeping blood, Sokka answered him, "Someone passing through. I didn't know about the rules. I didn't mean to get her in trouble. It was my fault."
This belated attempt to pacify was ineffective. There were enough people watching by this time to exacerbate any situation, and the cluster of reinforcements made the soldier even bolder. With jagged eyes, he took Sokka in from head to toe, and for the first time the tribesman felt a thrill of fear – a flickering of uncertainty that his ruse would shield his identity.
"I think you stand for a more careful interrogation," he said, and reached for Sokka's throat.
Zuko had made some progress in the quest to discover the general atmosphere of the Fire Nation. It seemed generally known that someone had attempted an assault on the capital, though most were unconcerned – surely only madmen could believe they had a chance against the forces of Fire Lord Ozai.
However, though at first the crowds had seemed unaffected, Zuko had also detected an underlining tension. The war was in everyone's mouth. No one knew for sure, but most sensed that something was happening.
Zuko stopping at a stall selling various kinds of fresh seafood. A portrait of his father was displayed prominently on the back wall, overwhelming everything within the range of its printed gaze. It was as he stood there looking up at the picture morosely that Zuko heard the commotion.
It started with raised voices, something he hardly noticed, but than came a sharp cry in a familiar voice. Zuko's head snapped around. Sokka? He was away from the booth and heading towards the noise before he'd even finished forming the thought.
Unfortunately, by the time he reached the courtyard, the damage had already been done. A solider wearing an officer's paraphernalia had Sokka firmly by throat, and he was flanked by several others of his kind.
Zuko reacted without thinking, the adrenaline that pumped through him inciting action. All he could think of was that this was what he knew of the Fire Nation – military hierarchy and command. The order was out of his throat before he had time to really consider what he was doing.
"Release him immediately," Zuko barked, marching up to the cluster of soldiers with his most authoritative tone and posture.
Only when they looked at him as though he had grown an extra head did he recall that he was no one in this place, a stranger – a farmer, if he were to follow Sokka's imagined story. Peasant. How ironic that he had always called the two Water tribe siblings that. And here he was in their position, even in his own land.
"Another mouthy brat who doesn't know who they're dealing with," the officer said, glaring at him. "I should arrest you too, just for that."
"He's not with me. Leave him alone." Sokka's eyes bore into Zuko's imploringly.
Did he really think Zuko would leave him?
The fire-bender's expression must have shown his aversion to the very notion, because the tribesman pierced him with another message. 'Prince,' he seemed to be saying. Remember who they might discover you are. Think of the consequences.
But Azula would recognize Sokka just as easily, and the fire-bender didn't want to think about what his father would do if he realized he had captured the mastermind of the Day of Black Sun. Zuko, he would probably only kill.
"Please let him go." It seemed incredible that Zuko was even able to force such humble words out of his mouth. They were slick, tacky and bitter in his throat. Zuko pleaded, "Please, he talks too much, but he's just an idiot. We were only passing through, anyway. We're leaving tonight. Please."
They weren't buying it. A hint of real fear cooled his blood, and the Zuko found himself uncertain of what he was going to do. The soldier's grip around Sokka's neck was large and very sturdy. Starting a fight here was not an option.
Salvation came from an unexpected quarter. Out of the crowd, an overloud voice blustered, "Oi, you've found them. I've been looking all over for you, boy."
Pushing his way through the gathered people, a corpulent man stepped up to stand directly beside Zuko. He possessed the permanently chapped cheeks of one who spent much of his time at sea, and his yellow eyes were murky with jaundice. Swarthy, Zuko thought with emphasis as the man rubbed an unevenly shaved jaw line. It took him a moment to realize that the barrel-chested man had been bellowing at him.
"I..." he stammered.
A growl resonated from somewhere deep and came out rasping across the jowls. "Is that anyway to speak to your father?" the stranger rebuked. "I'd rattle ya, if I weren't so fond."
"These are your sons?" The soldier seemed just as surprised as Zuko himself, though he hid it much less effectively.
"Aye." The newcomer clapped his hand firmly over Zuko's clavicle. It felt like a vice, as though the adolescent's bones were thin as a birds and might easily snap if too much pressure were exerted. He cackled. "A good strong lad, my boy. Though a bit stupid." He stopped Zuko's glare with a playful clout.
"Both boys?" the officer clarified. He looked doubtfully between Zuko and Sokka, at their obvious difference in coloring.
The sturdy intruder gave a murky chuckle. "The one you've got is a little bastard, but yeah. Mother left him nigh high with me, abandoned to care for." He gestured to a space about at his knee, shaking his head mournfully. Then he cursed Sokka's 'mother,' her profession, and the bed she gave birth on quite rudely.
Red with ire and confusion, Sokka squirmed in the guard's grip. Yet when the tall man stepped up and gestured for him, the soldier turned him over and the Water tribesman exchanged one grip for another.
"They said they were passing through, bound to leave tonight." The officer made one last suspicious inquiry.
It was as though a blaze had sprung up behind the stranger's eyes. He turned to glare down at Sokka, clearly infuriated. "You stirring up that nonsense about taking off again? You ungrateful brat."
Then he stuck Sokka a viscously backhand, so unexpectedly that the boy yelped at the blow.
"And dragg'n your brother into it. As though we haven't done right by you. By the blazing sun." He turned to the officer, eyes smoldering but tone even. "This one's always trying to run. But I'll take care of him."
Seeing the belief in the soldier's eyes, Zuko edged closer to his captured friend, who was playing the part of cowed runaway very well. He still looked stunned by the rough handling.
"Come on, son," their incomprehensible rescuer called to Zuko, marching back the way he came, all while keeping his hold on Sokka's forearm. The Water tribesman had no option but to follow, and the fire-bender trailed them just as powerlessly, unwilling to abandon Sokka and with no other way out but through the ring of soldiers and spectators, watching them depart.
When they reached the side roads, the intruder spoke. "Well then, you were in quite a rut there, boys." The man sneered without breaking pace. "Lucky I was passing by and had enough...scruples to help."
Scruples. Zuko bet. More like a lack of any, to lie to those soldiers.
As though he had read Zuko's mind, the man answered, "I wouldn't be so picky. Or perhaps you'd have liked it better if I'd let them snap his neck. Better that way, right, you little whoreson?" He shook Sokka roughly, laughing in an ugly way at his own joke.
Alright, that was enough.
Zuko leapt in front of the man, forcing him to barrel him over or halt. he spread his hands. "Listen, thanks for getting us away from that situation, but we're not going any further with you." He looked at Sokka. The curve of his cheek was already swelling. "Let my friend go."
The stranger grinned like a salamander, as though he had a belly full of fire, but was cold, cold blooded. "Shall I?" he asked. "The sun is almost down, and the gates of the city are closing. You could try to get out another way, but the sentries are very touchy these days. And there is nowhere in the city that will take in such motley strangers so late. Not with the trouble you caused and a foolish story about 'passing through.' Bah. You're in a bind. You need somewhere to stay. So you'll come with me and accept my hospitality for a night. Well, your highness?"
The appellation was heart-stopping, but Zuko realized almost immediately that the man was just mocking his mannerisms. He could see it in the man's eyes – he was cruel, but uncomplicatedly so. He didn't know who Zuko was. Quiet, dangerous, he repeated, "Let go of him."
The man met his eyes and must have seen something there, because he closed his wide mouth and pursed his lips. Then he let go of Sokka with a shove. "Fine."
He was obviously waiting for a response to his offer of shelter, but Zuko didn't know how to answer him. He looked to the sallow tribesman, whose analytic blue eyes were glued to their rescuer. Sokka murmured, "We may not have any choice, Z...Zukka."
Holding his gut, the man laughed. "Have a mouth after all, do we? I had though his Lordship was in charge, but perhaps it's the bastard. Well, darkie? What do you say?"
It seemed obvious that Sokka would rather have been anywhere else on earth, but the shadows were so deep by now that they stretched over the whole of the ally. They were deep in the city, closer to the bay than the gate. Even if they hurried, they would not make it out of the village before the doors closed them in.
And they could not afford to risk more trouble, to draw more attention.
Finally, Sokka gave a deeply reserved inclination of the head. Alright.
Another cold chuckle. "I'm Raizu Li," the stranger said, and the name sounded like an ominous thunder coming out of his crooked mouth.