Chapter 1:

Zuko stood at the railing of their ship nervously watching the horizon for ships, his one good eye straining to spot the faintest sign of flags on the horizon. Traveling under a Fire Nation flag on the ocean was like traveling with a massive target on your back, even if you were a simple merchant ship. Since the beginning of The Great War the entire world had made it known that the Fire Nation was not welcome. If they ran across Earth Nation ships, of which there were few, they would be boarded, searched, forced to pay a "protection" fee, and made to part with the most valuable cargo; which in this case was The Crown Prince Zuko and The Dragon of the West, Lord Iroh, his uncle. Zuko did not relish being dragged to Ba Sing Se in chains to be held hostage. However, that would be a better fate than if they ran across a Water Tribe ship, of which there were MANY. Depending on the ship they had no qualms with sinking any passing Fire Nation ship, even if it was simply a merchant ship. If they were lucky and ran across a Northern Water Tribe ship then they may be allowed to sail away, due to them only being a humble merchant ship; but, if it were a Southern Water Tribe ship they were all dead.

After his father bombed the entire Southern Water Tribe to near non-existence five years ago, the few remaining survivors had banded together, and led by the Iceberg Siblings, had made it their sole mission in life to wreak havoc on all Fire Nation ships, navy and domestic.

Rumor had it that if you came across the Ice Queen, the Iceberg Siblings flag ship, and you were a Fire Nation Ship you would be boarded, incased in ice, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean where you would helplessly wait for the ice to melt and the water to rush into you lungs, drowning you before you even had the chance to swim to the surface.

"You need to stop worrying so much, nephew."

Zuko jumped and turned around to see his uncle watching him from the shade. He had a gentle smile on his face and his hands were folded over his round belly. The picture of ease.

"How is it that you aren't worry, Uncle? Sailing on a Fire Nation ship is not the best of ideas these days."

"Unfortunately, Nephew, when a Fire Nation citizen wishes to leave the Fire Nation, it must be on a Fire Nation ship. We're not visited by many foreign ships these days."

Zuko sighed and scanned the horizon one more time before turning his back and fully facing his uncle. "I'm aware of that, Uncle. However, I don't have to like it. I'll feel much better once we reach Guangzhou. I haven't heard any reports of Water Tribe ships attacking Earth Nation ships."

"This is true. However, until then, it is out of our hands, nephew. There is no need to worry yourself over things out of your control. Now, come join your old uncle in tea and a game of Pai Sho."

"Why even bother? You know I'm just going lose, again."

Iroh chuckled as he walked over to a shaded area where he had already set up for the game, "Losing is part of the game, nephew. If you never lose, you are never truly tested, and never forced to grow."

Zuko rolled his eyes behind his uncle's back. Nonetheless, he obediently followed and promptly lost, again…and again…and again. His worry was momentarily replaced by frustration for the remainder of the day. As the sun went down and his uncle declared today's lesson in Pai Sho completed, Zuko made his way down to their cabin shaking his head. There was no way he could be that bad at Pai Sho, he'd been playing with his uncle ever since the accident and he had never won a game…the old man had to be cheating, Zuko was convinced of it.

Katara couldn't sleep that night. Usually she had no problem letting the rocking motion of the sea lull her to sleep, especially on nights when Sokka was on watch and thus his snores couldn't keep her awake. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling of her cabin, she knew exactly what was keeping her awake, the anniversary of the Southern Water Tribe bombing was on the horizon. Every year, when the anniversary of that day came around, the fleet took a break from their mission and made the pilgrimage back south. Every year Katara would have to be reminded of the day her former self died. The wreckage that the Fire Nation left behind would be covered in snow, cold, still, and silent...dead.

Refusing to let her mind wander down that path she threw off the covers, pulled on some boots and shrugged into her coat. If she couldn't sleep she might as well help Sokka keep an eye on the horizon. They were in the part of the ocean where Fire Nation ships, that were attempting to avoid Northern Water Tribe ships, ventured risking the possibility of running into the Ice Queen. Who knew? They might get lucky, they were low on supplies and Katara was itching for a fight that would let her practice her waterbending skills.

She found Sokka up on the crow's nest, gently snoring as he sat with his back leaning against the mast and his feet propped on the side. Katara gave an exasperated sigh and promptly kicked his feet off the railing. Sokka jerked awake with a snort, "I wasn't asleep!"

Katara raised an eyebrow and looked down at her brother, hands on her hips, "Uh-huh, and I'm an iguana parrot. Scoot over, I couldn't sleep."

Sokka shifted his legs so Katara could maneuver around the tiny space. She settled herself with her back up against Sokka's. Both siblings sat in silence for awhile, watching each side of the horizon. It was finally Sokka, sensing his sister's unease, that broke the silence. "You know, we don't have to go back this year. We could travel to Ba Sing Se instead and finally find out if it's true what they say about the girls in Ba Sing Se."

Katara snorted, "I wouldn't trust a description that's sung by Earth Kingdom sailors when they're three sheets to the wind."

Sokka sighed in disappointment, "You're probably right. Still, a man can hope."

Katara let herself giggle at her brother's attempts to lighten the mood. She was thankful everyday that she didn't lose him that day too. She wouldn't know what she would have done if she had been alone. With this thought she sighed and addressed the real issue that was bugging her.

"We have to go back, one we're out of Artic hippo blubber, and we need more pelts, this past winter really did a number on our coats."

Sokka grained his neck and looked at his sister, an eyebrow raised, "We could easily get all of that stuff in the North. You just want to go because of that dream you keep having."

For the past month Katara had been having a reoccurring dream. She was back in the exact same spot she was the day the Fire Nation bomb fell. However, this time the bright white light didn't come from her village, it came from behind her, and standing next to her was a tall dark man, his face in shadow. This light didn't bring on a feeling of dread but hope, a feeling Katara hadn't felt since the day her Tribe was extinguished. Ever since she had been drawn to the south pole. Like someone, or something was calling her. She had to find the source of that light, this she felt absolutely certain about. Just like she knew that the shadowy figure next to her was not her brother.

Katara sighed, "I don't know how to explain it Sokka, but there is some unfinished business we need to do down south. I feel it. Maybe this is the reason we always go back. Have you ever noticed that, even when we say we 'won't go back this year,' we always find ourselves setting course for the south? Like turtle ducks every winter."

"Well," Sokka said in a chipper voice, "if that's the case we better get back post haste and find out what this unfinished business is because I really want to see those girls in Ba Sing Se."

Katara was going to shoot back a retort but something caught her eye. She grabbed the spyglass that was lying next to Sokka and pointed it towards the dark blot on the horizon. Sure enough, that dark blot took on the form of a ship, and by the shape of those sails, she knew it was a Fire Nation ship. Collapsing the spyglass, a wolfish grin spread across her face. "Better wake up the men, Sokka. There's a Fire Nation ship to raid."

Sokka let out a whoop and sounded the alarm. The ship came to life as men grabbed weapons and unfurled the sails that would quickly close the distance between them and their prey. The siblings clambered down from the crow's nest and joined their men on the deck. Both could go for a solid fight. Maybe this ship would even have a firebender on board. Katara hadn't sparred with one in a while, she needed the practice.