Chapter 3:
"The Avatar is dead and has abandoned this world. Everyone knows that. Why else would they have allowed the massacre of the Air Temples?"
Katara stood before Zuko, arms crossed over her chest, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. Even though her stance had gone from deadly to relaxed, Zuko didn't relax. Partially because he was still incased in ice and mostly because she still looked deadly and he knew all she had to do was bend the ice around him and he would be crushed.
"The resistance in The Fire Nation has spent years researching The Avatar. Looking for any mention of Avatar Aang and what might have happened. Recently a journal was discovered that was written by a Monk Gyatso. Apparently he was The Avatar's instructor. He writes about how The Avatar was to be sent to another temple in order to be further trained in the airbending arts. According to Monk Gyatso, Avatar Aang did not take this well and ran away."
Sokka interrupted him, "Fire Lord Sozin massacred every airbender and monk. That was the reason why. He was looking for The Avatar and when he couldn't find him he burned each temple to the ground. And to think we thought it was due to his madness. And since the Air Temples were pretty much withdrawn from the rest of the world no one ever bothered to question it. He never found him did he?"
Zuko shook his head, "Avatar Aang never appeared at another Air Temple. Because of Monk Gyatso we know Aang was traveling by air because his air bisson went missing with him. One of our scholars had a theory that Avatar Aang disappeared in transit, not in the massacres. He spent 3 years researching every weather report he could get his hands on. He finally discovered record of a massive storm that hit over the ocean the exact same day Avatar was discovered missing by Monk Gyatso. With that information he was able to calculate, with tides, and wind, that Avatar Aang may have been swept south, towards the Southern Water Tribe."
Katara froze. A man in shadow….a bright light….hope….her dream.
The ice around Zuko suddenly melted away and he dropped to the ground, stunned.
"Katara? What are you doing?" Sokka asked, completely confused.
Katara strode over and stood over Zuko, peering down at him with hard eyes. "I'm kidnapping a Prince." She looked up and glanced at Iroh, "And a dragon as well."
"What the hell?!" bellowed Sokka. "Katara, our whole mission is to cripple the Fire Nation. Let's just throw them into the ocean?"
Her eyes never left Zuko's as she responded. "What better way to cripple the Fire Nation than finding The Avatar? Especially considering we were heading down south anyway."
Sokka paused, "Wait…your dream…?"
What dream? Wondered Zuko as he continued to watch Katara…that was actually a pretty name…he saw her nod once and her brother sighed.
"Let's put it to a vote," He turned and addressed the other Water Tribe men. "Well guys, you've heard everything I have, we have two options, we can plunder this ship and leave it adrift as usual, or we can kidnap these two landlubbers and help them find The Avatar, end the war, and save the world. Which is it?"
One of the men, the tallest and muscular of the lot chuckled, "Well Chief, when you put it that way, looks like we're saving the world. What about the rest of you bastards?"
All The Water Tribe men shouted the affirmative in unison. Sokka turned back to his sister, who was still staring down at the Prince, and the Prince (to Sokka's amusement) was staring right back. "Well, Sis? What next?"
Finally, Katara tore her gaze away from Zuko and looked at her brother and her men. "Hiryu and I will escort our two prisoners to the Ice Queen. You and the boys search the ship for anything we can use for a trip down south." She turned to the captain and addressed him, "The fact that I am only taking supplies and none of the merchandise is payment for your silence. You never saw us and you never had Prince Zuko and Lord Iroh on this ship. Am I clear?"
The captain silently nodded, his left cheek red from where one of her men had backhanded him.
Katara turned, released Lord Iroh, and led both firebenders off the ship and to the Ice Queen.
Zuko knew that he had just been kidnapped by the most feared pirates on the sea. That he would be trapped, on a small boat, surrounded by people who had every reason to hate him and what he represented, and a waterbender who could kill him easily with a twitch of her finger. But, as he walked behind Katara, her stride strong and sure, her back straight and proud, and her long hair cascading down her back, power radiating off her, Zuko didn't feel afraid. If anything, for once, he felt hope.