Chapter 4:
Stranded
Iroh and Zuko set off from the fishing port early the next morning, and began their journey to Ba Sing Se.
"We need to travel to Full Moon Bay," Zuko said as he stood before a map of the Earth Kingdom with his uncle listening intently beside him, "but we'll have to pass an Earth Kingdom military base to reach the river. We may need to travel a ways out to get around the base unnoticed, but once we pass, it will be smooth sailing to Gaipan Village where we drop off our ship and crew. Then you and I will travel on foot to the ferry station that will take us across Full Moon Bay and into Ba Sing Se."
"I doubt they will let us pass with Fire Nation passports," Iroh said, "and how do you propose we get onto the ferry without being recognized?"
"We'll have to disguise ourselves as refugees."
"And what about Ba Sing Se? Mere refugees do not have access to the middle and upper rings, and I doubt that we will find the avatar among the common people."
"It's a start," Zuko continued with a sigh, "I want to be as covert as possible, but if we can't get into the inner ring legally, we'll have to find another way."
"You have certainly thought about this," Iroh said tentatively, stroking his beard in thought. His nephew's plan was risky. They would be in enemy territory looking for an avatar that didn't exist. He thought for a moment and considered telling his nephew the truth about the avatar. "What do you plan to do once you have found the avatar?"
Upon hearing his uncle's question, Zuko paused in thought before letting out a sigh. "I don't know yet…. If we take him back to the Fire Nation, my father will probably lock him away, but if we kill him, the avatar will be reborn into the Fire Nation."
"Killing isn't something to be taken lightly, my nephew," Iroh said grimly.
"I don't plan on killing anyone," Zuko said stubbornly, "but those are our only options. We can't possibly leave the avatar in the hands of the Earth Kingdom; we'd risk the lives of our own people."
"The avatar keeps the balance of the physical world and the spiritual world," Iroh said, "that balance has been disturbed with the deaths of this long war. I cannot watch a Fire Nation child be brought up as a weapon of destruction at the hands of Fire Lord Ozai."
"If we present the avatar to my father, then we will no longer be in exile, but he may just kill him anyway. Either way, the avatar dies and reincarnates in the Fire Nation."
Iroh didn't respond. It was his fault that they were in this mess. If he had never lead the siege into Ba Sing Se, many lives, including his son and the avatar, would have been saved. His guilt had lead him to look for the new reincarnation, but Iroh had been too afraid to reveal his true intentions to his nephew.
Getting into Ba Sing Se was not only risky, but unnecessary, and Iroh would never forgive himself if Zuko were to die within the walls where he lost his son. Zuko deserved to know the truth.
"The avatar is not–"
Just as Iroh had started to speak, a large explosion shook the boat, and almost knocked him to the ground.
"What was that!" Zuko shouted as he grabbed his Dao blades and head towards the deck.
"It sounds like we are under attack!" Iroh called back, a step behind his nephew.
The ship groaned as it started to tip slightly to one side. Black smoke filled the halls from bellow deck as men ran by them, carrying repair supplies and bandages.
"What happened," Zuko demanded as one crew member passed by.
"We seem to have hit something! It blew a hole right through the hull," he exclaimed, "water's filling the lower decks!"
"What could cause such destruction?" Iroh said worriedly, but there was something more worrisome that he would have to confront as sounds of a fight emerged from outside.
Zuko tore open the door to the deck to reveal a handful of crewmen fighting a losing battle against pirates. Their small wooden ship, which had pulled up beside Zuko's own Fire Nation ship, sported three red sails and a black flag.
"Go bellow deck and tend to the ship," Zuko called to the crewmen before settling into a firebending stance, "we'll handle them ourselves."
Zuko sprung into action and confronted the closest opponent who swiftly dodged each of his blasts of fire. The man, who wore green Earth Kingdom and large loop earrings, grinned as he swung his sword at Zuko who met him in kind with his own blades.
"You don't know who you're dealing with," Zuko hissed as they circled each other in a delicate dance of swords.
"Oh I know exactly who I'm dealin' with," he laughed, "and we were offered a pretty price for getting rid of you. Don't take it too personally."
Suddenly their vision was obscured by smoke, and Zuko took only a moment to regain his bearings, remembering Iroh's teachings of patience. He could hear his uncle fight not too far away and caught the slightest sound of a blade cutting through the air.
He dove to the ground, narrowly missing the sword as it swept above his head, and kicked out toward the source, catching the man in the ankle. After hearing the pirate tumble to the ground, he turned to his next opponent, and with a deep breath, sent a powerful strike of fire their way.
He kept tabs on his uncle's location for every flame he bent, careful not to accidentally target Iroh. Although he knew that his uncle was more than capable of handling himself, Zuko didn't dare risk a mistake that could jeopardize his uncle's own fight.
However, just as the smoke began to clear, the pirates started back toward their ship in retreat.
"Let's go!" the man in green called, "we have everything we need!"
"Oh no!" Iroh said as he turned back towards the bridge. Zuko ran after him, but rather than running upstairs like his uncle, something cause his eye towards the lower decks.
Blood splattered the steps leading bellow deck, and Zuko could see crewmen slewn about the halls. As he went deeper below the deck, he saw more familiar faces among the victims and not a single sign of life.
Just as he was sure he was going to be sick, he cracked open a door to reveal a dozen barrels stacked inside the boiler room, a trail of lit gunpowder leading straight to them.
"Uncle!" He called as he bolted up the stairs, "Uncle we need to get off this ship immediately!"
He found his uncle in the bridge, and just as the barrels were set of, Zuko kicked out a window and shoved his uncle unceremoniously through it along with himself, barely missing the blast that filled room soon after.
They landed in the water disoriented and out of breath; their ship burning before them and the pirates long gone.
"Come one," Zuko said to his confused uncle, "I see land to the east, and I'll be damned if we drown out here."
…
The shore wasn't much of a shore at all but a mangrove that stretched inland from the ocean. Yet its tangled roots which reached out into the water created reasonable land for Iroh and Zuko to rest upon.
"I can't believe it's all gone," Iroh said, aghast as he dried off the airbending scroll in the morning sun.
"Uhg!" Zuko yelled in frustration. "It's all my fault, I should have known the smoke was a diversion, and now people are dead because of me!" He buried his head in his hands as he sat down on the uneven roots.
"Do not be too quick to shoulder the blame, my nephew," Iroh said grimly, "it was no coincidence that we encountered the pirates. That was a planned attack."
"Zhao," Zuko said with disgust, "he must have payed them to get rid of us."
"Even so," Iroh sighed, "there is no point dwelling on that right now. We should find a town as soon as possible since we do not have any supplies on us."
"Yeah," Zuko said bitterly before giving a glance at the scroll his uncle tended to. "Why do you have an airbending scroll anyway?"
"Oh, it's a…uh…souvenir."
"Right…so that's what was so important that you had to grab before the ship blew to pieces," Zuko said before scrutinizing Iroh's bag, "what other junk do you have in here? Don't tell me it's a Pi Sho set." There wasn't much at all within the bag besides a large hard object which Zuko withdrew with a grunt. The heavy object looked like a wad of gold to Zuko as it shawn in the sun, and if it were under different circumstances, he would have looked upon it with awe. Unfortunately, as the sat stranded, Zuko just glared at the thing with irritation. "You risked your life for a rock."
"A rock!" Iroh said start. "That is no rock, nephew!"
"What, were you planing on selling it or something," he said, examining it in the light.
"No, of course not," Iroh said as he grabbed the egg from his nephew's grasp, "this…is a dragon egg."
"A dragon egg! I thought they were extinct!" Zuko said with astonishment. "You better not be pulling my leg, uncle."
"It is true," Iroh sighed, "and I am sorry I have been hiding the truth from you all this time."
"What do you mean…"
Iroh took a breath. "I have been searching for the avatar, but not for the reasons you think." He didn't dare look at his nephew who he knew was listening with hesitation. "Sixteen years ago, when I lead the siege on Ba Sing Se, I did not just lose my son to the war but the avatar as well."
"The avatar?!" Zuko said in shock. "That can't be! Everyone knows that the avatar is hiding within the Earth Kingdom. Besides, the Fire Nation would know if the avatar was reborn."
"That is where you are wrong, my nephew. The Fire Sages do not know of the avatar, they have been corrupted by power and have lost their connection with the spirits. I burned the evidence to protect this knowledge from Fire Lord Ozai, and the Earth Kingdom would never dare admit their loss as it would leave them vulnerable to the Fire Nation. I have been searching for the new avatar ever since."
"If the avatar was reborn," Zuko said hesitantly, "wouldn't they be back in the Fire Nation?"
"No," Iroh said as he gripped the egg with rigid hands, "I have searched many, many years, and there has been no sign of the avatar. It pains me to think that maybe they have died long ago, and with the genocide of the Air Nomads, the avatar will cease to exist."
As Zuko remained silent, Iroh couldn't help but think that his only nephew would feel betrayed by his words. "I am so sorry for hiding this from you," Iroh said stiffly, "and I understand if you no longer trust me. But I want you to know that I think of you as my son, and it hurts me to know that you could have died because I was too afraid to tell you the truth."
"Uncle," Zuko said as Iroh felt a hand on his shoulder, "it's alright, I understand."
"You do? You are not mad that have been lying to you for all these years?"
"Okay," Zuko said with a sigh and a slight smile, "I'm a little mad, but that's not going to change anything. I trust you more than I have trusted anyone else, and I'm glad you finally told me the truth."
"Who are you, and have you done with my nephew?"
"I try to be nice," Zuko said with groan, "and now you're looking at me like I'm turtle-duck with two heads."
"Trust me," Iroh laughed, "the turdle-duck is the more likely."
"Uncle!"
"None of this will matter if we don't get out of here," Iroh said as he placed the egg back his bag, "I am not sure what there is we could possibly eat around here, so we should head out before the day is up." He picked up the scroll and examined the damage, the ink had smudged from the water, but Iroh was still able to make out the characters and illustrations with relative ease. He shrugged and placed it back with the egg before turning back to his nephew who was no longer besides him but gazing off into the trees.
"I saw someone in there," Zuko said tentatively without looking back at his uncle. For the first time since they got there, Iroh looked between the trunks and branches that tangled into the darkness behind him. He felt some strange energy within that he hadn't noticed until then.
"I would not go in there, prince Zuko," Iroh said, "I cannot guarantee that we will make it out safely." Yet his words were lost on his nephew who suddenly took off into the trees. "Zuko!" Iroh called as he got up to follow him, cursing as he struggled to keep up with his young nephew.
He ran through the trees, trying to keep his eyes on Zuko, but as he went farther, the trees became more dense, and the leaves blotted out the sunlight leaving him in the dark. The smell of rotten wood reeked as the mangrove became a swamp, trapping shallow water between the tangled roots and leaving perfect breading grounds for insects which Iroh swatted away from his face.
It was then that he realized he lost sight of his nephew, but as he was about to call out, he saw a familiar figure between the trees.
"Oh, Zuko, I thought I lost you," he called out as he ran towards them, but as he grabbed their shoulder, he realized it was not his nephew at all. It was not Zuko who turned to look at him but his son, Lu Ten.
…
Zuko ran through the swamp, his boots filling with the foul water as he chased the figure through the trees. He felt like he was running for hours, and while he struggled through the swamp, she was quick through the branches far ahead of him, and moved with unnatural grace through the tangled roots of the trees. Just as he thought that he lost her, the trees parted into a clearing with only a colossal tree stretching into the sky above him.
There she stood, dressed in Water Tribe fur pelts, her eyes glowing blue against the red setting sky as she stood atop the roots of the great tree. Beside her stood a large animal whose fur was white like the snow that Zuko saw during his travels away from the intense heat of the Fire Nation.
Before Zuko could snap out of his awe, she opened her mouth and spoke with a warped voice. "Go to the Southern Air Temple. He is the only one who can restore the avatar state." And with that she disappeared right before his eyes.
He stood in shock, and wondered briefly if he was dreaming, his musing were cut short however when a familiar voice called out to him.
"Zuko!" Iroh called as he sat within a canoe with people Zuko could only describe as bizarre. "Do not go running off on your own. I would never have you if these nice locals did not give me a ride."
"Uh, sorry uncle," Zuko said hesitantly as he scrutinized the 'nice locals' in their strange…leafy attire.
"Yeah," one laughed from his canoe, "wouldn't want ya to be eaten by a wild catgater or somethin'."
"…Right," Zuko said with a frown.
"Why don't you and yer uncle come with us back to our village," another one said who somehow seemed a tad more intelligent then the last. "It'll get pretty dangerous out here during the night."
Zuko hesitantly climbed into the canoe beside his uncle who pulled him into an embrace. "Do not scare me like that, Zuko," he said with a frown.
"Sorry uncle," he mumbled before looking around the canoe, "how are we supposed to get there anyway, they don't have any paddles."
"Paddles?" the first man said, "what're paddles? We just use our arms, see?" He started to wave his arms in a pinwheel motion, and before Zuko could make a remark of that being the dumbest thing he heard all day, the boat shot forward with tremendous speed.
Zuko tried to ignore his uncle chuckle as he grabbed him in a death grip as they sped through the trees. "They're waterbenders," he said with astonishment, "waterbenders living in a swamp."
"That's right," said the man behind them, "he's Tho and I'm Due, we're waterbenders of the Foggy Swamp Tribe." Due smiled back at them dumbly before turning back to his bending. "What bring ya here anyway? Not many people hang around these parts."
"We were stranded," Iroh said bleakly, "a group of pirates attacked our ship, and we ended up on the shores of this swamp."
"Pirates, eh? Don't get much of those around here."
It wasn't too long before they arrived at the small settlement within the swamp filled with more peculiar residents. Despite Zuko's complaints, they took up Tho's offer to stay the night with the promise that they could be dropped off at the edge of the Swamp the next morning.
"What kind people they are to give us a place to stay," Iroh said as they sat by the fire with 'diner' as Tho had called it, what it was, Zuko couldn't be sure of.
"I'd much rather leave as soon as possible," Zuko scowled as he scrutinized the giant insect skewered on his stick.
"But they are showing us such hospitality," Iroh said, "besides, the swamp is a dangerous place to be. I would not like to meet more haunted apparitions on our way out."
"You saw one too?!" Zuko said with a start, his diner stick neglected by the fire.
"The swamp shows you people you know," said a new voice as he approached Iroh and Zuko's camp fire, "it reminds you that we're still connected to those we lost. I'm Huu by the way. Heard you stumbled on into here."
"The swamp shows us?" Iroh said, "It is no wonder I felt some strange spiritual presence. There is something about this place that makes it seem alive."
"All of these trees come from the exact same source, they are all connected to the great banyan-grove tree at the centre of this swamp. That was where I gained enlightenment, under the tall branches of the great tree."
"You said that the swamp shows us people we know," Zuko said tentatively, "but I've never met the girl I saw. She told me to go to the Southern Air Temple and something about restoring the avatar state?"
"The avatar state?!" Iroh said with astonishment.
"The swamp is not limited to the past or present," Huu said, "sometimes the swamp shows you those you haven't even met yet or even those you never even realized you've met before."
"So if I haven't met her yet," Zuko said, "then maybe she's at the Southern Air Temple. Maybe she knows where to find the avatar!"
"It is certainly worth the shot," Iroh said before breaking into a smile, "if only I had known all I had to do to find the avatar was to chase visions in a foggy swamp."
…
That night, Zuko couldn't get a wink of sleep between swatting at flies and his uncle's obnoxious snoring. He couldn't help but ponder over the circumstances that lead him there in the first place and where he would go from there. When they found the avatar, would they take them to Fire Lord Ozai? He doubted it, and it wasn't like he was jumping at the chance to be reunited with his father. But if not, what were they to do?
That question continued to trouble him through the night and into the morning when he and his uncle stood at the edge of the swamp where the swamp folk dropped them off and said their goodbyes.
"Uncle…" he said, "what are we going to do with the avatar?"
Iroh paused for a moment as his nephew stared at him with bleary eyes from his restless night. He took a breath. "I want to end this war."
"Okay."
"O-okay?" Iroh said in shock.
"Well," Zuko continued, "back in the Fire Nation I've always been told about how noble and honourable the war was, and how we're doing some great service by uniting the world under one nation. But after my banishment I've realized how the only ones who have benefitted from the war is the Fire Nation. There was no honour in attacking the Air Nomads, and there is no honour in conquering the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribes. We've only been seeking more power to increase our empire, and eliminating anyone who could be a threat to our position."
"I'm starting to think that there really is something wrong with you," Iroh said with a slight smile, "did you hit your head when our ship blew up." Zuko only frowned down at his uncle, too tired to fight with him, but Iroh returned to his serious tone. "We will be traitors to our nation. Are you really willing to give up all that you've been striving for to aid the avatar in ending the war? We'd be going against your father."
"I understand, uncle," Zuko said, "but a world burned by the Fire Nation is not one that I would ever want to rule, even if I must kill my father to end this war."
Zuko looked down at his uncle who stood in silence at Zuko's grim commitment before giving him a small smile. "Besides," he said, "I've always seen you as a better father than he ever was."
It was then when Iroh realized that he hadn't been this happy since he lost his son all those years ago.
Uhg, this chapter was a pain in the ass to write. It took forever to get the pirate attack to work with how I wanted the chapter to play out, and I'm more satisfied with certain points of the chapter as apposed to others, but it works I guess.
Edit: This Author's Note was way too long. I seemed to have had the urge to babble senselessly. Here's some summed up points of what I said:
There will be no explicit relationships in this story, but their will be plenty of interactions between characters; if you choose to take any of it as romantic, that is completely up to you.
I will be bringing in some of the main cast as I will need them. This includes Toph, Sokka, and Katara, but I will not be including Suki unless I need her later. I do not plan on taking the cast to Kyoshi island because it will not progress the plot in way that will be important or useful later.
While there will be similar instances from the original show, they will be in a different context and I will not be quoting or rehashing the series to keep this story fresh and different.
Please tell me if there are any jarring grammatical or spelling errors because I tend to miss a lot even on my second or third read-throughs.
