Chapter 6

"There wasn't another snow suit," Zuko spoke once he shut the door to Lizz's quarters.

"What do you mean?" Lizz asked, "I can still go can't I?"

"They'll spot you right away without one!" Zuko exclaimed, "So no, you can't come with me." He started to turn back to the door but Lizz grabbed his shoulder, turning him back around. She ignored the sore pain from her own shoulder as she did so.

"Can you at least get me near the wall?" she asked. Zuko looked at her as he pondered the thought. "Please Zuko…" she pleaded, "I can't take one more day on this ship! All I have to do is have the Water Tribe see me. I can say I'm a Water Tribe girl that was captured. My blue eyes and my burned shoulder will be proof." Zuko looked down at her.

"If you get caught I'm not coming to your rescue," he snapped before grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the room.

A few minutes later Zuko got a long rope and started to wrap it up to put in the white boat that would carry both of them to the wall. Lizz stood off to the side and let Zuko get ready at his own pace. Suddenly the door swung open and Iroh slipped in, quickly closing the door behind him. "If you're fishing for an octopus, my nephew," Iroh told Zuko, "You need a tightly woven net, or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape." Zuko stopped fiddling with the rope.

"I don't need your wisdom right now, Uncle," Zuko spoke in a semi-soft tone. Lizz kept quiet and watched.

"I'm sorry," Iroh choked as he walked a little closer to his only nephew, "I just nag you because...well ever since I lost my son..." Iroh looked away as Zuko looked down.

"Uncle... you don't have to say it..." Zuko said to him.

"I think of you as my own," Iroh told him, saying the words Zuko already knew he would speak. Zuko turned to face him.

"I know, Uncle. We'll meet again," Zuko assured him right before bowing respectfully. The moment Zuko straightened up Iroh gave him a hug. Zuko looked surprised for just a moment before giving patting his uncle's back a little. He then quickly pulled away. "After I have the Avatar," Zuko added right before he climbed into the boat.

Zuko looked over at Lizz, who had stayed out of sight as he and his uncle had said their good byes. "Are you coming or not?" he snapped.

"Of course," She answered walking over. Iroh looked at her surprised.

"Lizz! You'll be seen right away in those clothes!" Iroh exclaimed. Lizz smiled.

"That's my plan," she said. Iroh opened his mouth to speak but he quickly realized her thoughts and shut it again. He smiled and set a hand on her uninjured shoulder.

"You're a smart girl. Take care," Iroh told her. Lizz smiled and put her hand over Iroh's.

"Thank you for everything Iroh," she said. Iroh nodded.

"You're welcome, my dear."

Zuko let out a heavy sigh. "Come on," he told Lizz, motioning towards the boat he was standing in. Lizz glanced at the one person nitch.

"But how will I-"

"Just step in and hold on tight," He interrupted her. Lizz glanced at Iroh one last time before stepping in the boat. She gingerly wrapped her arms around Zuko's waist. She sighed, hating every second.

"Remember your breath of fire, Zuko. It could save your life out there!" Iroh called as Zuko let the boat go down towards the water a bit.

"I will," he called back. Iroh then peeked over the edge of the ship.

"And put your hood up! Keep your ears warm!" He called down. Lizz smiled a bit at Iroh's worry.

They touched the water and Zuko called back up, "I'll be fine!" She let go of Zuko's waist as he unhooked the ropes from the small boat. She glanced up at Iroh's worried face. She gave a reassuring smile up at him and he gave her a small smile back.

The moment Zuko unhooked the last rope the boat jerked a bit. Lizz lost her balance, starting to fall into the ice cold water. Her arms flailed for anything to grab to keep her in the boat. When she finally knew she would surely fall, a strong hand grabbed her wrist. She looked up from the water to see Zuko. He narrowed his fiery amber eyes. "Try to be quiet," he told her roughly. He helped her get her balance in the boat again, not letting go of her wrist. She glanced down at his hand then at his face. He then realized he hadn't let go and quickly released her arm.

"Keep your feet here," Zuko explained motioning to the nitch in the boat where the passenger sat, "And sit on the edge. Hold on once we start moving. I don't want you to make a splash as you fall in the water. You'll get us both killed."

As he sat down in the nitch and she sat like he told her, she asked, "So what am I suppose to hold on to?" Zuko turned to glare back at her.

"The boat," he snapped back.

"There's nothing to hold on to back here!" she said sharply. Zuko let a heavy sigh. He grabbed her right arm and yanked it forward so it was wrapped over his shoulder. Her own shoulder screamed in pain at the sudden movement. All the gentleness he had used to help her earlier was now gone. "Idiot," she hissed in his ear as she wrapped her other arm around him as well. He started to silently paddle through the water.

"I don't like this as much as you but it's better than getting killed," he hissed back.

"Your right, I do hate this. But I also hate it when someone yanks my injured arm." She hissed with just as much venom as he did. She felt his shoulders relax a bit.

"Sorry..." he whispered. She glanced at his face, but all she could see was his white hood.

A few minutes later Zuko paddled to the glacier that was attached to the wall of the Northern Water Tribe. She glanced up and saw in the moon light a few guards posted. Zuko quickly hopped out and the boat shook. Lizz held onto the sides of the boat as best she could as it did so. "Never been on a small boat before?" Zuko whispered as he gently grabbed her arm and helped her out.

"A long time ago," she answered him softly, suddenly remembering when she was five. Her father wanted to go fishing and brought Lizz along since he didn't have a son. She had fallen off the small fishing boat into the pond. She screamed and screamed before her father could pull her out. Ever since them she has been afraid of smaller boats. She bit her lip to keep from tearing up at the mention of her father. These past few weeks she had tried not to think about her parents. She didn't want to break down in a place like Zhao's ship.

"You sure you really want to do this?" Zuko asked in a strangely soft tone. Lizz nodded. He glanced up at the wall. Suddenly he grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a block of ice big enough to hide both of them. He peeked around the ice then looked back at her. "There's no way I can get in..." He told her, "So I need to find another way–" He suddenly spotted something past her. As he stared behind her she noticed there were squeals of turtle seals echoing off the ice. She turned around. "Where are they going?" Zuko asked as the turtle seals slipped into a pond of water. He walked over and Lizz followed. He looked down and waited for a few seconds. "They're coming up for air somewhere," he added thoughtfully. He pulled down the cloth over his nose and mouth. He started to take a deep breath, but Lizz quickly grabbed his arm and he stopped. He looked down at her. "What?" he asked surprisingly not harsh.

Lizz took a deep breath and said quietly, "Be careful, Zuko." Zuko blinked in surprised.

"You too..." he mumbled quietly, looking away. She knew exactly how everything would turn out...but she couldn't help but remember the image of Zuko trekking through the snow with Aang on his back. She couldn't help but worry...

Worry? Why would she be worried about Zuko of all people? Lizz let go of Zuko's arm. He looked down at her and added, "Try not to do too much with that shoulder for a while. Also keep it out of the cold wind–" Suddenly Zuko stopped short, realizing what he was doing. "It's not like I'm worried or anything," he mumbled again looking away. Before Lizz could say another word, Zuko took a deep breath and plunged into the icy water.

"Good bye Zuko..." she whispered as his form was quickly eaten by the shadows in the water as he swam down. She bit her lip. Why didn't she just stay with Zuko? She could still follow him now, but would she have enough endurance to trek through all that water and ice? Why did she try so hard to escape that ship just so she could find Aang? Did she really need to find the Avatar?