Book Four:
Air
Chapter Three:
The Dragon Viper
Sokka didn't hear his visitor enter the stables until the door shut. He knew who it was without looking.
"Hey, Toph."
"Where'd you get the ostrich horses from?"
"A gift. From Master Piandao and Grandmast-err... from Iroh," he stumbled through the explanation. "It won't be like flying around on Appa, but it'll do." He finished brushing out the animal's fur and started checking his tack. "We're leaving as soon as we're packed."
"You and Suki," Toph stated without a hint of emotion.
"Actually..." Sokka couldn't look at the young earthbender. "I was wondering, well, I've got three ostrich horses. I don't know how long it's going to take to find my weapons, but it'd go a lot faster if we had an earthbender who could read the terrain."
She didn't reply.
"We make a good team, Toph." He turned around, feeling hopeful. "So, wanna come?"
Whatever she might have said next was lost as Sokka realized that she wasn't alone. The red messenger hawk perched on her shoulder let out a screech in greeting and Sokka's face lit up in excitement and recognition. "Hawky!!" He resisted an overwhelming urge to rush over and hug the bird. "I always knew you didn't abandon me!"
Toph laughed weakly. "Yeah, sorry about borrowing him for so long. He's been living with my parents ever since Katara and I sent them a letter. I guess he didn't know how to find us after we moved on."
Sokka held out his arm and the hawk flew to him. "Goood Hawky. I bet you missed me!" The bird squawked in contentment as Sokka tickled the feathers on his neck. "This is perfect. You're gonna help me keep in touch with everyone while we're traveling!"
Toph scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah, you might want to figure out how it works first."
Sokka turned to his ostrich horse and pet its beak, holding his arm so the animals could see each other. "Hawky, meet Horsie."
Toph gave a blanker expression than normal. "Horsie?"
"What?"
"You really don't have any naming sense, do you?" She chuckled and came over, patting the unfortunate animal on the side.
"Hey, gimme a break. Aang named Momo after a piece of fruit."
"True."
They both laughed.
"So," he began eagerly, "what are you going to name your ostrich horse?"
"Sokka..."
Her tone was apologetic, but he ignored it. "Well, that's a funny name for an ostrich horse, but I'm not judging." He grinned at the unnamed animals, spreading his arms wide. "So which one of you lucky devils gets to have the best name ever?"
"I can't go with you."
Sokka gave up his little game, his face falling. "Why not? You're not actually going home with your parents, are you?"
"No... I'm going to stick around Ba Sing Se. The University offered me a teaching job."
Sokka frowned suspiciously. "And you said yes?"
"Not exactly, but I'll tell them tomorrow."
"Just tell 'em no," Sokka urged. "You hate Ba Sing Se. Wouldn't it be more fun out in the great wide world doing whatever we want?"
"Yeah, well... Life's not that simple." She let her bangs fall in front of her face, hiding her expression. "Besides, I'm the only known metalbender ever. The scholars and masters want to learn what I've discovered. I'll probably revolutionize earthbending, assuming they have the skills." She snorted the likelihood.
"Nobody's got skills like you've got skills," Sokka agreed, and she punched him on the arm, hard and affectionate.
Feeling the need to go, she gave a little farewell salute while he rubbed his arm. "Say hi to Boomerang and Space Sword for me, Captain."
"Hey, Toph?"
She turned away, hiding her face.
"About yesterday... We're good, right?"
She paused. "Do you really have to ask?"
His hand was warm on her shoulder as he pulled her back for a goodbye hug. Out of words, Toph could only bury her face in his tunic and hope he didn't notice the wet spots from her tears.
"Well, this is it, guys." Sokka held the reins to two of the ostrich horses while Suki led the third animal, joining them at the front of the house where their friends had gathered to say goodbye.
Katara glanced over the supplies loaded on the mounts, looking anxious. "Did you pack your coat and enough blankets?"
"It's barely even fall," he replied.
"It could get unseasonably chilly. Do you have your rain gear?"
"Yes, Katara."
"And are you sure that's enough food?"
He shrugged. "I was planning on hunting, mostly."
Katara shot Suki a questioning glance and then spun on her heels back toward the house. "I'll go pack you some more dried fruits and vegetables." She muttered to herself as she headed for the door. "Can't just eat meat all the time."
Sokka shook his head in amusement and grinned at his friends. "Sisters, am I right?"
"She's more like your mother," Mai intoned and everyone else but Ty Lee laughed at the unintentional joke. Zuko tried to explain the humor to the two Fire Nation girls while Aang came over and stood at Sokka's side.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Talk as long as you want." Sokka grinned and waved toward the house, upsetting the bird perched on his shoulder. "Something tells me Katara's going to take more than a minute to find all sorts of useless junk to pack."
Aang went on his tiptoes, whispering around the feathered obstacle. "I meant, can we talk alone?"
Sokka raised an eyebrow and shrugged at Suki. "Here, hold Hawky while Aang and I have a man-to-man."
"Man to man?" Suki smirked as she accepted the messenger hawk.
Sokka and Aang headed away from the others until they was satisfied that nobody could hear them.
"So what's on your mind?"
Aang rubbed the tips of his fingers together, fidgeting. "You know how Katara taught me waterbending?"
Sokka blinked and nodded. "Uh huh."
"And how Toph taught me earthbending? And Zuko taught me firebending?"
"Yeah?" Sokka had no idea what the young monk was getting at.
"And Monk Gyatso taught me airbending..."
"Sure, but what's your point?"
"Well, there's a lot of stuff I wanted to learn... uh, from you."
Sokka went through his list of talents in his head. "Well, you don't eat meat and I doubt you want to know how to throw a boomerang. Is this about the ladies again?"
Aang nodded with enthusiasm and then blushed, looking uncomfortable. "The only thing is I've been worried what you'd think... it's sort of complicated."
"It's not complicated," Sokka assured, surprising the airbender. "She likes you, I mean, really likes you."
"You know?" Aang's eyes widened. "And you're not mad at me?"
"Of course I know. The three of us spent every waking hour together for practically a year. I'd have to be blind not to notice," he paused a moment and corrected himself, "blind in the non-earthbendy way."
"And you're not mad?" Aang repeated, just to be sure.
"Aang, Aang." Sokka put his arm around the young Avatar. "As long as Katara's happy, what she does in her private life is really none of my business. And besides, we're already family. I love you," he hurried past the awkward declaration, deepening his voice and puffing out his chest, "in a brotherly and very manly way. I knew it was just a matter of time for her."
Aang threw his arm around his surrogate brother, trying to say all the things he couldn't put into words through the hug. "Thanks, Sokka."
"Don't mention it." Sokka patted him on the back and glanced at Suki and Ty Lee who were watching them and giggling. "Seriously. Don't mention it."
Katara was just finishing loading the last of the additional supplies on the pack ostrich when the two boys returned.
"Great, an extra tent and a year's supply of vegetables!" Sokka joked and his sister ignored his sarcasm, securing an extra pack in place with one quick tug.
"And some more first aid supplies in case you get a couple fishhooks stuck in your thumb again," she teased, patting the bulging bundles. "You'll thank me later."
The pack ostrich whinnied a complaint and Toph snickered, pointing at the animal. "Ok, that guy is Ostrich Sokka! He's already got the whining down."
Sokka put a comforting hand on the burdened animal's shoulder, shaking his head while the others laughed. "Don't listen to them, Sokka. They don't know how hard we have it."
"And speaking of which," Suki said, "we should really get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover."
"I miss you already, Appa," Sokka said and cast a longing look at the sky bison. Appa tromped forward and gave the warrior one last very fond farewell lick. Dripping, Sokka turned to his friends and held out his arms. "So who's next? Zuko? You look like you could use a nice, soggy Sokka hug."
He stepped toward the Fire Lord and Zuko glared. "Don't even think about it."
Sokka went for the hug anyway and everybody laughed as Zuko dodged out of the way. Sokka turned on his other friends, making a game out of it, and for a short while they all forgot they were there for goodbyes.
Sokka finally straightened up and wiped the bison slobber from his arms and face.
"Well, it's about that time." He gave his friends a lopsided grin. "So, bye everybody, I guess."
Momo jumped up on the back of Sokka's ostrich horse, prompting another round of laughter.
"Looks like Momo doesn't want to come with us and the refugee fleet, after all," Katara joked.
"Aww, it won't be so bad, buddy," Aang promised. "You, me, and Appa'll go flying every day!"
Momo turned his large green eyes from Aang to Sokka and back to Aang, finally using Sokka's head as a spring board to hop over onto the young Avatar's shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too, Momo," Sokka grumbled, checking his hair before sliding his left foot into his mount's stirrup. He hopped once and then Suki was there, boosting him up into the saddle so he could avoid putting unnecessary pressure on his injury.
Not one for long goodbyes, Sokka tossed a casual wave once he was seated. "Good luck everybody!"
"We'll send letters," Suki promised after leaping onto her own mount.
"Horsie, yip yip."
Sokka tugged the reins and the ostrich horses had turned before Zuko realized he'd forgotten something. The others called out their farewells and waved while Zuko stepped forward.
"Sokka, hold up."
The water tribe warrior turned back in the saddle, eyebrows raised.
"Here." The young Fire Lord pulled something from his belt and tossed it to his friend.
Sokka blinked at the weapon he'd snagged out of the air. "A dagger?"
Zuko pointed. "There's an inscription." Sokka drew the blade from the sheath and Zuko smirked as he guessed what was coming next.
"Made in Earth Kingdom?"
"Other side, smart guy."
Sokka shook his head in amusement and flipped the blade. "Never give up without a fight."
"It was a gift from Uncle a long time ago, but I figure you need it more than I do right now. It's good advice."
Sokka sheathed the pearl dagger with a click and a grin. "Thanks. I'll get this back to you."
"Someday," Zuko said with a smile of his own.
"Someday soon," Sokka vowed and for the first time any of them had seen, he placed his fist below his open palm, saluting Zuko in the style of the Fire Nation.
Zuko returned the salute and held it long after Sokka and Suki had disappeared down the cobbled street.
Appa bellowed and Aang went to him, burying his face in the bison's fur as he hugged him. His voice came out muffled as he said, "Me and Appa and Momo are going to miss you guys."
"This isn't the end." Zuko reminded him.
"I know." Aang pulled back, smiling at his friends. "It's just another beginning."
"This place stinks."
"We're in the sewer system. What did you expect?"
Hahn scoffed and Long Feng considered how many of their schemes and plans would fall apart if the arrogant and irritating Northern Water Tribe noble were to suffer a fatal strangulation. Just enough, he decided, to make it unfavorable.
"We'll be leaving soon enough. I just want to show you what your money's bought."
Hahn followed him down the dim corridor until they came to an imposing, metal door. Long Feng knocked twice, his stone gauntlet clanking against the iron, and the door opened inward.
Before they could step inside, a dark clad figure dropped from the ceiling, startling the warrior. Long Feng placed his hands behind his back and looked down at the hooded man kneeling before him.
"The hatchling has left the nest."
"Excellent," Long Feng replied. "Inform the Colonel that his prey is on the move."
Chains erupted from the man's arms and he disappeared back up the way he came.
Hahn still had his weapon drawn. "Who or what was that!?"
"One of many." Long Feng allowed himself a moment to enjoy the look on Hahn's face at his cryptic response. "Come."
Not bothering to make sure he was followed, Long Feng stepped into the underground chamber, past rows and rows of cages and pens. Something growled and threw itself against the bars as they passed and Hahn yelped in surprise. Long Feng smiled.
"This place is like a zoo. An evil zoo."
"Your powers of perception are staggering," Long Feng mocked. "Our contact is a man known and respected in the underworld. They call him The Beastmaster and I think even you can see why."
"So what, we're paying him to let his beasties do the job? I could have done it for free if you hadn't stopped me."
Long Feng took a deep breath in his frustration and regretted it. He stopped and scowled at the northerner. "A seemingly random animal attack out in the wilderness will arouse much less suspicion than an outright assault in the city. You're testing my patience again."
Hahn rubbed his neck. "Fine, we'll do it your way."
"Welcome, gentlemen."
Hahn spun toward the new voice, brandishing his club, and Long Feng resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
A slim man stepped from the shadows, unblinking eyes locked on Hahn. "A real water tribe barbarian. Fascinating."
"Shou, this is Hahn."
"Enough with the pleasantries," Hahn interrupted. "Show me your most fearsome creature."
Before Long Feng could object, the beastmaster smiled like a hungry wolf bat and led Hahn toward the back of the chamber.
"I was thinking spiders," Long Feng said, not bothering to hide his irritation. "Or maybe a rabid boarcupine or two."
He came up behind the other men and stopped, schooling his expression to hide any sign of surprise or fear at the dark intimidating beast before them.
"You have a dragon viper." He kept his tone neutral.
"The deadliest predator known to man," Shou explained to the bewildered water tribesman. "It kills for sport." His grin widened, exposing pointed, white teeth. "If you go with the dragon viper, I offer you one hundred percent success or your money back," Shou said, all business. "And I will see to it, personally."
Hahn didn't hesitate. "Done."
Zuko knew he didn't need to, but he knocked anyway. If Toph was home, she would have heard or felt him coming. The house was too quiet and Zuko reflected again on how empty the city of millions seemed now that Aang and the others were gone.
It had only been a week, but it felt much longer.
He was about to knock again when the short earthbender opened the door, looking sleepy and disheveled. She scratched her chest and seemed to shift her focus past him. "You're alone tonight."
"Nice to see you, too." He greeted in wry amusement and stepped into Team Avatar's house. "The Ember Island Players are in town and Mai and Ty Lee went to go see The Boy in the Iceberg. They wanted us to go, but..."
Zuko and Toph both shuddered at the thought.
"Apparently it has a new ending." Zuko didn't pretend to be interested.
"Yeah, no thanks." Toph stretched. "Well, I'm starved. Wanna get food?"
"Yeah." He glanced around the living quarters, taking in the dirty dishes and piles of random clothing lying on the floor. "Did housekeeping take a vacation?"
"A permanent one." Toph looked bored. "I can take care of myself."
Zuko said nothing as Toph ran her hands through her tangled hair and seeming satisfied, headed for the door.
"Actually," he said, "I was thinking we could go somewhere nice tonight. My treat."
She snorted. "You say that like I'm not loaded. My parents did just receive nobility on top of everything else."
"Well, as money is no object to either of us," he said, sketching a small bow, "I'd be honored if you'd accompany me to dinner, Lady Toph." He smirked. "Or should I call you Professor Bei Fong?"
She blew her hair out of her face. "How about neither?"
"How are things going at the University?"
"About like I expected."
Zuko winced. "That bad, huh?"
"I'd reeally rather not think about it. Can we just go eat?"
"Sure." He walked past her toward the sleeping quarters, careful to avoid the mess. "Where do you keep your nice clothes?"
She held out her arms, taking in the expanse of the living room. "Pretty much wherever they land."
Zuko stopped, scanning the disaster area. "On second thought, how about somewhere in the Middle Ring?"
Toph laughed. "Now you're talking."
A collection of rain cloaks hung by the door and even though the night sky was cloudless, Zuko took two off their hooks. He tossed one to Toph without thinking but the blind earthbender managed to catch it. She threw it around her shoulders without question and headed out the door.
It had become a nightly routine of theirs now that the gang was gone. Usually Mai and Ty Lee joined them for an evening away from politics and fame. The hooded cloaks hid their identities, allowing them to walk the streets without drawing attention.
Comfortable silence stretched between them as the Fire Lord and the world's only metalbender made their way to Zuko's favorite little bistro.
"So how'd you find this place?" Toph asked, feigning innocence.
He glanced around to make sure no one he knew popped out of the shadows or overheard their conversation. "I came here on a date once," he whispered.
Toph snickered. "I just wanted to hear you admit it. Your pulse quickens and you get all shifty whenever we come down here." She laughed as he tensed. "It's great."
"You know," he said, glancing at the menu, "for someone with your level of perception, you sure are clueless about your own self sometimes."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, what are you even doing here still?" He put the menu down and gave her a serious look he knew she couldn't see. "You should be out there with your friends."
"Are you saying we're not friends?"
"I'm saying there're other people you'd rather be with. You're not happy here. You've been pretending like you don't need anybody, but I can tell you feel like you've been abandoned."
"Wow, Zuko. Who died and made you King of Insight?"
He ignored the jibe. "So why'd you stay?"
Toph considered the question while the waitress came and Zuko ordered for the both of them. If the waitress disapproved of their cloaked appearances, she did a good job covering it.
Zuko wasn't going to let the conversation drop. "So?"
"Hey, you're all Mr. Insight. You tell me."
Zuko took a sip of his water. "You're funny, for an earthbender."
Toph folded her arms. "I take it you're not talking about my superior sense of humor."
Zuko made a fist and slowly punched it into the palm of his other hand. "Earthbending is the most direct of all the bending arts. You pride yourselves on facing things head on." He lowered his hands. "But you ran away from your parents and now you've let your friends walk away from you without a fight."
Toph smirked. "And here your perception fails."
"Is this your superior sense of humor?" Zuko cocked his eyebrow.
"Have you ever heard of neutral jin?"
Zuko raised his eyebrow higher and Toph took his silence as a cue to continue. "Sometimes, the best thing you can do in a fight or in life is to sit, listen, and wait for the right moment. My parents aren't ready to accept me for who I am, so I wait. I could try and force the issue, but that would be wasted effort."
"Ok. But that doesn't explain what you're doing in Ba Sing Se."
"I'm waiting." Toph grinned. "You didn't really expect me to tag along on one of those romantic getaways, did you?"
Zuko blinked. "Wait. Everybody knows about Sokka and Suki, but Katara and Aang? They're together?"
Toph laughed. "I thought I was the blind one."
"He's like twelve!"
"Thirteen," Toph corrected and then frowned as though she'd been insulted. "People don't stay twelve forever. I'm not sure what'll happen, but they're giving it a go and I say power to 'em."
The waitress brought their appetizers and Toph didn't hesitate, digging in like a half starved street urchin. Zuko was about to try and snag a few bites when a familiar bored voice carried over the background noise.
"There he is. In the cloak."
Zuko turned while Toph spoke through a mouthful of food. "Oh yeah, your girlfriend is here with company."
Mai pointed in their direction and a royal courier rushed to their table, dropping to one knee and holding out a sealed scroll. People stopped what they were doing and stared.
"Fire Lord Zuko, you've received an urgent summons from your advisors in the Fire Nation!"
A whispered murmur spread through the evening crowd as Zuko took the scroll without a word. The messenger stood, bowed, and hurried off. Mai came to his side, her hands tucked away inside her sleeves, and he shot her a look of minor irritation before pocketing the scroll.
"Thanks for that."
She lifted her shoulders in an imperceptible shrug. "Hey, you think I liked getting dragged out of the play to come deliver your mail? We were just watching your escape from the Boiling Rock." She paused, considering. "I was almost enjoying myself."
"Where's Ty Lee?"
Mai frowned. "Enjoying herself."
Toph shoved as many appetizers in her mouth as she could, grabbed the rest, and got to her feet. "'Ets go."
Zuko dropped ten gold pieces for the meal they hadn't eaten and the disruption his presence had caused. Everyone was still staring and whispering so he took his hood down and gave a brief nod to the diners. "Please enjoy your meals."
Zuko checked the scroll as they walked to Mai's waiting carriage.
"What's it say?" Toph asked as the footman lowered an extra step for her.
"In short?" Zuko said, irritation plain in his voice. He waited until they were safely inside the moving carriage. "They want me home. They don't say why."
"They can't just summon you with no reason." Mai knew she was right. "You're the Fire Lord. Not some child."
"Do you want to explain that to them?" Zuko turned to his girlfriend.
Mai gave one of her rare smiles, a malicious glint in her eyes. "Gladly."
The night was young, the breeze was cool, and fresh meat sizzled over open flame. Sokka took a deep breath and sighed in contentment, prodding the campfire with a stick.
"Nice work out there, Mr. Hunter." Suki finished gutting the second rabbit fox and tossed the extra bits to Hawky. The three ostrich horses had been fed, watered, and brushed, and the camp was all set up. There was nothing left to the evening except for dinner, chatting, and a good night's sleep in the cozy two person tent.
Suki glanced at Sokka and felt her cheeks warming as she thought of a few other activities that might pass their time. Things had been nice enough in Ba Sing Se, but out in the wildness, Sokka was almost a completely different person.
And they were finally alone, with no obligations and no distractions.
He grinned at her, not seeming to notice her blush. "Did you see me run that guy down?" He pointed his stick at the remains of the rabbit fox in her hand. He'd named the pair of them Dinner and Breakfast. "Man truly is the top of the food chain."
"It was impressive," she said, careful not to stroke his ego too much. "I take it the leg's feeling better?"
"It's doing great." He patted the top of his knee twice for emphasis. "Everything's great. I wish things could stay like this forever."
"I'm in no hurry to get back," Suki said with a coy smile. "We somehow managed to find time to enjoy ourselves during the war, but I can honestly say I've never felt this free or happy in my whole life."
Sokka pulled out one of his maps and held it above the fire, giving her his best roguish smile. "Maybe we'll just get lost out here?"
The ends of the parchment started to blacken.
"Um, Sokka?"
She watched as he realized his precious map was burning. He yelped and tried to put out the flames by waving the map in the air and when that failed he reacted without thinking and stuck it in their drinking water. She hid her smile as he attempted to dry it off, muttering under his breath the entire time.
"How much longer on Dinner?"
He spread the map over their firewood stack to dry and checked the meat. "A while. Why?"
Suki got to her feet and hung Breakfast from the meat rack, cleaning her hands when she was done. It was time to add another nightly routine to the mix. She tossed him his practice sword. "Think fast."
He barely had a grip on the wooden weapon before she lunged with her own. She would have hit him, but quick reflexes sent him rolling back off his log, out of harm's way.
He brandished the wooden blade, rising from his knee. His gaze was focused, but he was still grinning. "You're quite the taskmaster, you know that?"
She smiled in determination, edging toward him. "You asked for it."
"I did," he acknowledged and went on the offensive. Their styles were different but compatible. She brought her curved blade around and deflected his attack, the sharp crack of wood echoing through the night.
They dodged and parried, taking the fight away from their camp. He still favored his left leg but Suki didn't hold back. "Don't watch the tip of my blade," she said, offering advice as they fought. Sokka had come a long way since they'd first met, but his formal sword training had been limited to one or two intense days with Piandao.
"It's hard not to," he admitted. "I mean, that's where the danger's coming from."
Suki feinted and stepped in, breaking his stance. She shoved her hand under his chin and lifted his leg with her own, toppling him to the ground. He stared cross eyed at the wooden blade as she pointed it in his face.
"There are always other dangers."
He should have surrendered, but Sokka never did and Suki knew she should have anticipated it as he lashed out with his foot, kicking her hand away. He was on his feet faster than she'd expected, pressing the attack. Using his superior strength to his advantage, he pushed her back, keeping her on the defensive. She dropped down, aiming a sweeping kick at his legs but he jumped back out of her range, counterattacking without a moment's hesitation.
They were sweating and panting as the fight intensified, and Suki blocked a blow that sent a tingle up her arms, rattling her teeth. Sensing an opening, he caught her wrist and twisted. Her blade dropped to the ground as he locked her arm behind her back. He crossed his arm over her chest, holding her close.
"So are we gonna keep score, or what?" He breathed into her ear, oozing smug superiority.
Suki brought her free hand down on the pressure point above his wrist and he dropped his weapon. Before he could react, she jumped and rolled out of the arm lock, freeing her shoulder from the strain and pulling Sokka off balance. She flipped him, hard, and placed her knee on the back of his neck, twisting his arm behind him and applying just enough pressure to drive her victory home. "Suki one, Sokka zero."
"Mmph!" Face in the dirt, all he could do was tap the ground in surrender. She released him with a chuckle and he rolled onto his back, tangling her legs and pulling her down on top of him. She gasped as he switched their positions, pinning her hands above her head.
She laughed unrepentantly at the sight of him. "You're a mess."
He kissed her then, hard and passionate, sharing the dirt he'd collected, but Suki didn't mind. Dinner sizzled over the flames, forgotten.
Preparations were swift and before Zuko knew it, he was back at the Fire Nation Palace, his boots clicking against the marble floor as he hurried through familiar halls. Mai kept pace at his side but Ty Lee and Toph had remained in Ba Sing Se, along with Iroh, and Zuko found himself wishing again that he could encourage his uncle to come out of retirement.
It would have been nice to have at least one advisor he could trust without a second thought.
He stopped at the entrance to the throne room and turned to Mai, smiling with an unspoken apology. "Wait for me."
She folded her hands into her sleeves, looking unhappy as she fiddled with her hidden blades. "I'll be here if they give you any trouble."
He kissed her cheek, squared his shoulders, and pushed aside the fire emblem curtains.
His advisors and generals stood as he entered, bowing in unison as he made his way to the head of the table. "Negotiations with the Peace Council are far from complete." He knew they had to listen, so he made his disapproval clear. "What could possibly be so important that you call me back now?"
One of his aged advisors, Lee, stepped forward. "We offer our apologies, Fire Lord Zuko, but the matter is a serious one that cannot wait."
"I'm listening."
"As you well know, the title of Fire Lord has passed down your family for generation upon generation. But never before has one so young ascended the throne."
Zuko narrowed his good eye. "I hope you're not questioning my right to rule?"
Lee held up a comforting hand. "Quite the contrary, my lord. We are all excited at the prospect of your long and glorious reign. But there are certain traditions that must be upheld; certain preparations that must be made."
"Go on." Zuko didn't relax his gaze.
"Well, you see," Lee stopped short and glanced at the other gathered men who all shifted their gazes, appearing uncomfortable. Silence ensued, broken by one general's awkward cough.
Zuko couldn't take it. "What?"
Lee cowered and General Shinu stepped forward without fear to deliver their demands.
Mai wasn't expecting Zuko as he burst through the emblazoned curtains only a minute after entering.
"You look pale." She pointed out. "I mean, paler than usual."
He grabbed her hand and continued down the hall at breakneck speed. "C'mon."
"My lord!" Lee called after him, trying to catch up. "You're overreacting!"
Mai questioned him with a look but Zuko set his jaw, refusing to explain. He pulled her into a side corridor and twisted one of the elaborate dragon sconces, revealing a secret passage known only to the royal family. "Get in," he said and Mai did as she was told. The door sealed behind them, engulfing them in darkness.
Zuko was out of breath, and Mai knew the short jog had nothing to do with it. She touched his chest and felt his heart racing. "What is it, Zuko?"
"I should let you kill them, I really should." There was something almost hysterical in his tone.
"What did they say?"
Zuko laughed once, sounding not altogether sane. "Promise you won't kill me?"
She lifted her hand to his scarred cheek. "I promise."
He leaned against the wall, chuckling without amusement. "They want us to get married."
Mai lowered her hand.
"I know! Crazy, right? What are they thinking?"
"Zuko..."
He found her hand in the darkness. "You don't have to say anything. I'm not going to be pushed around. I'm the Fire Lord, after all."
"That's right. You are the Fire Lord." Mai slipped out of his grasp.
Confused, Zuko bent living flame into the palm of his hand. The light flickered, casting odd shadows on Mai's face. He couldn't read her expression. "What's wrong?"
"Is it so bad?" She kept her tone neutral. "Does the thought bother you so much?"
He straightened in surprise. "You're not... angry? I mean, you are angry, but you're not angry about them forcing us into things?"
"Why would I be? I've known for a long time what a relationship with you means. Sure, I thought we had more time to sort things out, but it's never bothered me."
Zuko put a hand on her shoulder in disbelief. "So are you saying... yes?" He whispered the last word, his unscarred eye widening earnestly.
The corner of her lip lifted and her eyes sparkled in the firelight. "Ask the question, Zuko."
He dropped to one knee, taking her hand in his own. His voice shook, but he didn't care. "Mai. Will you marry me?"
She gave him a smile that seemed to push back the darkness. "Yes."
Exhausted, exhilarated, and too keyed up to sleep, Zuko found himself pacing the floor of his bedchamber later that night. His advisors had been thrilled and the wheels were already turning. They hadn't set a date for the ceremony because Zuko refused to get married without all his friends present. The old men were being supportive of his decisions, now that his interests matched their own.
Somehow a potential disaster had turned in his favor and Zuko wondered what he'd done to deserve the course his luck had taken at last.
"Congratulations, my lord."
Zuko spun on his heels toward the unexpected voice, dropping into a fighting stance. "Who's there?"
General Shinu stepped out from the shadows, his hands held open by his side. "I mean you no harm, sir."
"Then what are you doing sneaking around my private chambers at this hour?"
"We had another reason for your urgent summons, one that could not be discussed openly before the council."
"We?" Zuko glanced to Shinu's left as Lee stepped out from his hiding place. Zuko tightened his fists. "I'm giving you five seconds to explain yourselves."
Lee clasped his shaking hands. "Please understand, my lord. We don't know who we can trust."
"Four."
Shinu took a half step in front of the older advisor, shielding him. "We've kept everything as quiet as we could, but soon the Fire Nation and the rest of the world will find out what's going on."
Zuko hated all the beating around the bush. Smoke seeped from between his fingers. "And what exactly is going on?"
Shinu dropped to one knee and Lee scrambled to the floor, touching his forehead to the ground. "We've lost track of some of our forces, sir. And we're losing more every day."
Zuko felt as though the fire inside him had been snuffed. His voice rasped. "We're not talking pirate attacks, are we?"
Shinu lifted his head and met Zuko's gaze. "Pirate attacks are on the rise, sir, but I fear it's a result of the problem, and not the cause."
"Renegades." Zuko's mouth was dry. "Deserters."
Shinu swallowed. "It may be worse. They may be organized."
"A rebellion." Zuko felt the world spin. Of course he'd had his fears, but somehow any obstacle seemed surmountable with Aang and the others at his side.
"We're bred for war," Shinu said, his voice full of apology and shame. "We need decisive action and a solid hand to guide us out of the dark."
"We need your strength, my lord," Lee pleaded.
The mantle around his shoulders and the crown on his head had never felt so heavy.
"Where do I start?"
Lee and Shinu glanced at each other and then at their young ruler. Zuko could read the doubt on their faces and he strengthened his own resolve. "You're my advisors. I'm asking for your advice."
In the same way that Mai could tell that sunlight was streaming in her windows, she knew he was there without opening her eyes. She rolled over and propped herself up on an elbow, almost smiling. "We're engaged, you don't have to sneak into my room anymore."
He sat on her couch, looking exhausted, and she knew he hadn't slept that night. There was worry on his face, and self-doubt.
She sat up in bed, drawing her knees to her chest. "I didn't think firebenders could get cold feet."
He blinked, coming out of a stupor, his eyes focusing on her face. "Mai..."
Something in the way he said her name told her that his despair had nothing to do with her. She slipped out of the sheets and was beside him in an instant, holding him. "What's wrong?"
His words tumbled out in a rush and when he explained what his advisors had suggested, she felt her blood run cold.
"You can't trust him." It was an obvious statement, but she felt the need to remind him. "You can't believe that he would help you or offer you anything more than lies."
"I know," he said without proper conviction.
"He's malicious and calculating. He's been waiting for the perfect moment to strike and he'll go straight for your weak points when he does."
"He's helpless right now..."
She knit her eyebrows together in incredulity. "Yeah, he's helpless like an injured dragon viper. You know he's just licking his wounds, planning his revenge."
"He was a man before he was a monster. Maybe his time in prison is changing him for the better?"
They both considered the thought for a moment and Mai was the first to smile.
"Just promise me you won't let him get to you." She brushed her hand back through his wayward hair.
"I promise."
"I know you're hungry. I'm hungry, too, but you don't hear me whining about it."
"Sokka?"
He turned in the saddle. "Yeah?"
"If you want to stop, just say so. Don't use Hawky like that."
He'd been chatting with the bird on his arm for five solid minutes about food. Suki saw through his clever ruse.
"Hey, I'm good to go." He pulled some jerky out of his saddlebag and tore into it. Hawky squawked in misery and he offered a half eaten bit to the bird. "You don't like people food, do ya buddy?"
"He's a hawk, not a baby," Suki pointed out. "I'm sure he can take care of himself if you'd let him."
Sokka had been reluctant to let the bird stray too far from his sight, afraid he wouldn't be able to find his way back. He gave Hawky a serious look, pointing at his beak. "If I let you go, do you promise to come back before nightfall?"
Hawky cocked his head to the side and ruffled his feathers.
"Ok, Hawky." He lifted his arm. "Find food!"
Hawky soared into the sky, giving a happy cry as he flew off over the trees. Sokka turned to grin at Suki like a proud father who'd just watched his son take the first step toward manhood.
She chuckled. "I hope we don't have to take the bird ice dodging now."
"Nah, he wouldn't be able to steer." He shoved the jerky back into his mouth, sucking on the juices. They rode on for a few minutes before he twisted in his saddle again, glancing at the laden ostrich horse bringing up their rear. "Well, looks like Sokka could use a break."
It took Suki a moment to realize he wasn't speaking in third person. "Can we please rename the pack ostrich?"
"Hey, if you've got a problem, take it up with Toph." He reined Horsie in and dismounted, popping his back and stretching his legs.
They'd been riding along a river and Sokka went to it, cupping his hands in the cool water and splashing it back over his face as Horsie drank. Sokka scrubbed his face dry with the front of his blue tunic, staring at the river when he was done.
Suki brought her own unnamed mount and Ostrich Sokka to the water, letting them join their thirsty companion. She turned to her boyfriend and imagined she could hear the gears in his head grinding. "What are you thinking?"
He scanned their surroundings, taking in the scenery. "I'm thinking... we just found the perfect spot to set up a real camp." He pointed to a clearing at the edge of the forest. "It's got everything we need and it's right about in the center of the search grid. I remember seeing that mountain," he said, pointing. "And this river is definitely the same one we were flying over when I lost them."
He closed his eyes, slipping back into memories that most people would want to forget. "I only had a moment to take it all in." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "I've got a good feeling about this place."
"That's more than enough for me." She smiled. "I'll start unpacking."
It didn't take the two of them long to unload their packs and set up the tent. Sokka left her to tend to the animals while he rushed to the river with his fishing pole. The fish were jumping and Suki wasn't all that surprised when Sokka tossed his pole aside, ran back and started digging through his gear. She found what he was looking for before he did and handed it to him.
Sokka screwed together the three piece weapon, another gift from Piandao, and jogged back to the river, shedding most of his clothing along the way. He didn't stop when he hit the water, instead diving in with a battle cry of "SPEARFISHING SLICE!"
Suki shook her head in silent wonderment and went back to her chores.
Sokka was still splashing around empty handed by the time she had a fire going but she knew better than to call him off the hunt. She was just about to start putting something together from their food rations when a dead possum chicken dropped to the ground at her feet. She looked up to find Hawky perched in a tree, feathers fluffed in pride.
He greeted her with a low, inquisitive cry and Suki pointed to the river. "He's trying to fish," she explained, feeling only a little foolish as she talked to the bird. It was one of those habits you picked up after hanging around with Sokka and Aang. Hawky flapped his wings and Suki held out her arm for him. Together, they made their way to the riverside.
She watched her errant boyfriend make one more spearing attempt before calling out to him. "Hawky caught dinner!"
Sokka surfaced, disappointed. "Haw-ky!" He made the name two distinct syllables. "I didn't let you go hunting so you could make me look bad!"
Hawky squawked and Suki grinned as an idea popped into her head. "Why don't you show Sokka how it's done? Get fish, Hawky!" She tossed him in the air and the bird made one sweeping pass before diving toward the water. After her initial surprise wore off, Suki gave in to laughter as the bird dove again and again, spearing a fish in his talons every dive.
Three salmon trout flopped helplessly on the shore before Sokka dragged himself out of the water. "Alright!" He shook his fist at the circling bird. "You win!"
"Does this mean man isn't at the top of the food chain?" Suki tried to hold back her laughter as Sokka soured. Hawky's triumphant cry echoed through the valley.
Sokka scooped up the fish, his mood lightening. "Oh well, at least there's still one thing better than catching dinner."
"Let me guess?" She smiled knowingly. "Eating it?"
The sun was low on the horizon when Sokka sunk his teeth into his first bite of flame roasted fish. He stopped halfway through, eyes widening, and Suki wondered if there was something wrong with the meat.
"Thas it!" He didn't bother pulling the fish out of his mouth. "Thas the answer!"
Suki raised her eyebrows in bewilderment. "But what's the question?"
Sokka shoved the whole fish in his mouth to free his hands, explaining something in guttural grunts and gestures that Suki couldn't make any sense of. He was going through their packs again and she didn't bother trying to guess what he was looking for. He found whatever it was and held it behind his back, his blue eyes bright with excitement and his cheeks packed with food.
"Hawky!" He whipped out a familiar angled sheath and held it toward the bird. "Find Boomerang!"
Hawky cocked his head to the side and let out a shrill squawk of acknowledgment, spreading his wings. Sokka stared dumbfounded as the bird flapped once, twice and then took to the skies, making short urgent cries.
Sokka swallowed his disbelief and his dinner in one gulp. "No way."
Suki wasn't going to deny that Hawky seemed to know what he was squawking about, but someone had to be the voice of reason. "He can't possibly know where Boomerang is."
"Maybe he spotted it while he was hunting? Hawks have amazing eyesight!" And with that, Sokka turned and ran toward the nearest ostrich horse, swinging himself up onto the animal's bare back.
"It's too late for this, Sokka." She pointed at the setting sun. "You won't even be able to see the trail!"
"You worry too much." He gave her a fearless grin and kicked Ostrich Sokka in the ribs, spurring him into an instant, frantic, gallop. He sped off toward the mountain, following Hawky's lead.
"Sokka! Wait!" He left her no choice but to chase after him.
It was so typical, one of Sokka's crazy plans that had very little chance of success, and she knew he knew it. She rode low, urging her mount to greater speeds as the trees cleared and the path inclined, dropping away on their left down into the river valley.
"Sokka, slow down!"
He laughed and snapped his reins with reckless abandon.
"This isn't a race!"
"What's that?" He called out, pretending the wind was in his ears. "You want to race?"
He kicked his mount again hugged the mountainside, glancing back to see if she was keeping up. Something he saw over her shoulder caught his eyes and they widened in surprise and fear.
"Suki!!"
She felt hot breath at her back and turned without thinking, but all she saw was a dark blur and a glimpse of tooth and claw. And then Sokka was there. It seemed impossible, but somehow he'd pulled his mount around and charged back, ramming the dark shape before it could overtake her.
The terrible shadow lashed out, knocking him and his mount backwards off the edge of the steep mountain trail.
His eyes met hers and awful realization passed between them as he fell.
Sokka knew it was bad.
He clung to the ostrich horse as though his life depended on it and something primal and instinctual in the back of his mind told him it probably did.
Time slowed and he watched Suki turn her mount, urging it down the slope as she called out his name. Whatever had attacked them was gone and Sokka marveled at the clarity of his thoughts as he fell back through the air.
That all changed with the first impact. Higher awareness fled and there was only rock and sky and rock and sky.
And then there was only sky, twisting and spinning, but definitely the sky. He spent some time searching for Yue but there was a sort of urgency in the air begging for his attention: A voice. And then a blurry face blocked his view.
It took him longer than it should have to remember her name. She looked scared so he grinned.
"Hey, Suki."
She was saying words but he only understood two or three of them. Something about a "fall" and "danger" and for some reason she thought he was "hurt".
"'m ok." There was something warm and funny tasting in his mouth, like metal.
She looked like she was about to cry, and held her hands out to touch him but she stopped short. "Sokka, you just rolled down a mountain."
It made an odd kind of sense, and helped to explain why he was lying on his back in what he imagined to be the middle of nowhere. There was a warm, heavy weight pressing against his leg and he didn't like it.
Memories started trickling back and he didn't like them either.
He hadn't rolled down the mountain, so much as bounced, his unfortunate ostrich horse taking most of the damage. "I broke my fall," he assured her, resting his hand on the unmoving animal.
She shook her head in disbelief. "How?"
"With Ostrich Sokka," he said and attempted to lift the dead animal off his pinned leg. His body howled in protest and he flashed back to the fall, reliving every painful moment of it. The agony of his freshly mended leg snapping had been the worst.
He was gasping and tasting the blood in his mouth, trying to breathe past a grinding pain on the right side of his chest. "And my leg," he continued explaining what had broken his fall. "And my ribs." He glanced at his right arm and saw a long gash streaming red. "And my arm."
Suki took his face in her hands with a gentle firmness, trying to force him to meet her eyes. "Stay with me, Sokka."
It was hard, but he locked his jaw, nostrils flaring as he sucked air through his nose and exhaled between his teeth. It hurt too much to breath deeply anyway. She wouldn't let his focus wander so he concentrated as much as he could on her face, letting the rest of the world fade away. "Ok." He inhaled, exhaled. "Ok... I'm with you."
She kept one hand where it was and sent the other probing over his chest. Even her light touch brought pain and he sucked in his breath.
"Ribs," he reminded her, his voice cracking.
"I know. I just need to see how bad it is."
"I'm gonna guess it's pretty bad." He knew there really wasn't anything funny about the situation, but he felt like laughing.
"I know it hurts." There was sympathy and a deep concern in her eyes as she wiped at the corner of his mouth with her thumb. "But you're going to be ok. You got that?"
He tried to nod, but she held his head still. And then another memory swam to the surface of his thoughts and he pushed against her hold. "Where is it? That thing?"
"Don't move, Sokka." It didn't seem to be taking her any effort to keep him down so he gave up his struggles. She kept one hand on his shoulder while she scanned the area, her other hand drifting to the katana at her waist.
"It was big." He meant to say something different, but words were failing him. "Too dangerous."
"Let me worry about that," she told him, but then something dark whipped through his field of vision and Suki was gone.
"Suki!?" He wanted to look for her but he couldn't get the abused muscles in his neck to move the way he wanted them to. In desperation, he took stock of his remaining options. He was trapped and his right arm was burning with pain so he tested the other, wincing as he tried to curl his left hand into a fist. His thumb felt broken, along with his index and middle fingers.
He wouldn't be throwing Boomerang for a while, assuming he survived long enough to actually find the curved weapon. Which brought up another uncomfortable realization:
He was unarmed.
Rocks shifted somewhere out of his view and all he could do was lie on his back and hope it was Suki. With the fear came a rush of adrenaline and his head started to clear.
It definitely wasn't Suki.
Black talons curled around the top of the dead ostrich horse and a moment later an oppressive new weight bore down on his pinned leg. He bit back a scream as the bones in his shin ground together and when he opened his eyes a heartbeat later, he found himself staring up into a pair of yellow reptilian eyes full of intelligence and malice.
A forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air. Smelling him. The dark triangular head pulled back, fanged mouth opening with a hiss, and Sokka knew he was dead.
He hated to give up, but he could barely even breathe, let alone fight. Something painful had been digging into his ribs the whole time and in his last desperate moments he realized what it was.
The metal object strapped under his tunic had probably been responsible for cracking his ribs but as he wrapped broken fingers around the hilt, he reveled in every moment of pain.
Pain meant he was still alive.
He drove Zuko's pearl dagger into the top of the beast's head as it struck, burying it all the way past the "never give up without a fight" inscription.
Suki came to to the sound of Sokka's laughter. It took her a moment to remember that things were serious and she jumped to her feet, drawing her katana. The world spun and she touched her forehead, feeling a bump.
There was no sign of the monster that had knocked her out. Suki kept her weapon drawn and headed to her injured, snickering boyfriend.
He'd somehow managed to perform rudimentary first aid and he was attempting to lever the dead ostrich horse off himself with a stick and a well-placed rock. It might have worked if he'd been able to sit up and get the proper leverage. He turned at the sound of her approach and all her fears of spinal or neck injuries were forgotten.
"Suki!" His face lit up the way she loved. "I knew you'd be ok!"
Dizzy, she dropped to her knees at his side. "What happened?"
He reached up and cupped her face with bandaged fingers, grinning. "You got your butt kicked by a big ugly snake monster."
He was teasing her. Broken, bleeding, and flat on his back, he still had his sense of humor.
She had more questions, but they could wait. Standing, she took the stick from him and shoved it under the dead mount as far as it would go, propping it against his rock. "I'm pulling you out on three." She grabbed the front of his tunic and he gripped her arm to the best of his ability, bracing his free leg against the ostrich horse. "One, two." She stepped down on the stick. "Three."
"Enngh..."
He gritted his teeth while she dragged him free and when she got a look at his leg, she was surprised he'd kept his mouth shut. His foot was twisted all the way to the side, which wouldn't have been a problem except for the fact that his knee and the rest of he leg was still facing up.
She snapped the stick in half and untied her belt, looking for anything that she could use for a splint.
"It's pretty bad?" He had his eyes closed and Suki was glad he hadn't seen it.
"I've had worse," she lied as she pulled the reins off Ostrich Sokka. "But they do say girls have a higher tolerance for pain."
He snorted a laugh and opened one eye to watch her. "How could they prove something like that?"
She knelt and placed the two sticks on either side of the break. "You think a man could handle childbirth?" She tucked her belt and the reins under his leg while she talked, hoping her words distracted him. "Last I checked you passed out just seeing it." She tied the sticks in place, making sure it was secure, but not tight.
"Yeah, yeah, I passed out," he said, sounding unconcerned. "But at least I didn't get knocked out by a snake monster." He seemed pleased with the wit of his statement but Suki knew it was just the pain affecting his thinking.
"That reminds me." She took his poorly bandaged hand next, inspecting his crooked fingers. "How are we still alive?"
"Let's just say I owe Zuko a new dagger." He sort of lifted his right arm, showing her the empty sheath he'd been holding. "So, you're going to have to help me count." He grinned, looking smug. "How many times have I outdone you this trip?"
Without warning, she set the bones in his fingers, popping them back into place.
"Owwww ow ow ow!"
She finished with his thumb and all his joking superiority dropped. "Ok, Ok! Let's just call it a tie!"
She cradled his hand and leaned forward, kissing him gently but urgently. His eyes widened, but then he went with it, lifting his head for more as she pulled away.
"That's for saving our lives," she explained, though they needed no excuse.
He held up his left hand, counting to three with broken digits. "I think you owe me a couple more of those. Let's not forget I saved your life twice tonight."
She smiled. "I'll pay you back with interest later, but right now we need to get you back to camp."
His grin faded.
Things were going to get worse before they got better, and they both knew it.
