10. WE STAY A WEEK WITH THE BUDDING INVASION ARMY. It turns out that they were only a day's ride by Appa along the shore. When we arrive, there are only a few hundred, mostly Water Tribe warriors led, I'm told, by Katara's father, an impressively tough-looking man named Hakoda. The similarities between him and Sokka are striking, almost unreal. Hakoda is basically just Sokka with about twenty extra years or so. He's brawnier, sure, and carries himself with a confidant authority that only age and experience can bring, but his eyes have the same sparkle that his son's on, and his jokes are just as lame and, as I soon learn, his appetite is just as comically large.

The family's reunion is everything one could ever hope for in such an occasion. Sokka and Katara all but leap off Appa's back, running full steam down the beach, leaping into their father's arms. There are tears of joy and laughter and kisses all around. The son and the father almost crush each other, and Hakoda lifts his daughter up and swings her round-and-round. It really is a sight to see, a true, genuine, heartfelt hope spot.

Toph and I hang back, watching. I'm narrating the scene for her when she huffs, mutters, "So sweet you'll get a fucking tooth ache," before stomping off. I don't blame her. From what I've gathered, Toph's family life was anything but sweet or pleasant, and even if she did want to see her parents again, it'd be impossible. And as for me, well…

The less said, the better. I just did my best to be happy for my friends.

Our self-imposed separation didn't last long. Katara comes back, grabs us both by the hand, drags us over to where her father stands. Hakoda is very warm and polite to Toph, trotting out all of his courtesies, which causes Toph to roll her eyes and ask him, politely, to please cut the bullshit. Hakoda blinks in confusion, then breaks into a hysterical laugh that's so much like Sokka's that it's almost spooky. Friendly pats and hair ruffles fly around, and then, finally, Hakoda turns to me.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't get a little awkward. His eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down, his face hard, his expression cold and unreadable. More of the men were wandering over from the camp. A dozen or so replays of the first greetings were played out in miniature, embraces for Sokka and Katara, friendly pats for the curious little earthbender, and then…well…

Barely concealed hatred would not, I think, be too strong a phrase to use.

"I know you, don't I." It's not a question, more like a low growl from the back of the chief's throat. I try not to feel awkward, flustered, flummoxed, but it's hard not to. What, exactly, does one say in such a situation? Fuck if I know. Meeting the father of two people you once hunted and whose wife was murdered by your people isn't exactly something covered in Fire Nation Royalty Etiquette Classes.

I decide on the somewhat direct tack, coughing into my hand and trying to adopt a blank face. I look straight into Chief Hakoda's eyes; it's the only way to block out the couple dozen warriors gathering at that moment to glare at me.

"Well, not personally, I imagine…" I wince. The words sound lame, even by my rather low standards. "But…umm…you see…"

An arm slips through mine, pulls me tight against the owner. Somehow, I keep my eyes from going wide as saucers.

"This, Daddy, is Zuko. He saved us in Ba Sing Se, and he's our friend now." I'm sure she's smiling that sweet little smile of hers, I just know she is, I can hear it in her voice, and I know that she's trying to help, trying as hard as she possibly can. She's trying to say, to show, that I'm a friend, that I can be trusted,. I'm sure her face says, See, Daddy? I like him, so you can, too!

In that moment, the biggest thought in my head was wonder how Katara, the smartest person I've ever known, could be so…well…silly. This is brought home to me as I watch Hakoda's eyes actually grow narrower, his face harder, his manner more threatening. He looked from me, to Katara, back to me, back to Katara, and I'm fairly certain that my doom would be at hand if not for the fact that Sokka – of all people – saves the day.

"Yup, that's Zuko," he says, throwing a manly arm around my shoulders in a very manly way. "Sure, he was once the heir to the Fire Nation throne, but since he's been in exile for the past, oh…four years, well…we can't really hold that against him, now, can we?"

The chief's eyes widen a little, and all seem to take a step back, curious musing slowly replacing veiled hatred on their faces. "Exile?" Hakoda mumbles, stroking his bearded chin. "Is that so?"

"You bet!" Sokka continues. I've never been so thankful for that flippant manner of his. "And let's not forget the high treason."

Hakoda's eyes fly a little wider. "Treason?"

"Perhaps," Katara says, a smile as wide as the world on her face, "we should explain."

Hakoda nods. "Yes…explain. That…that would be…nice…"

Explanations take place in a crowded tent, stuff and hot, filled with the smoke from the men's pipes. They listened, quietly, as Sokka and Katara take turns filling in the gaps in the general knowledge of their adventures, during which I learn things even I hadn't known. A decent amount of time is taken up explaining that I'd never been much of a villain (much to my chagrin), which segues nicely into Katara telling about the Crystal Catacombs. She tells the whole story, how we'd been thrown in together, how Azula had caught Aang with a lightning bold, how I'd pretended to throw in with my sister, how I'd been told to deliver the killing blow to the prostrate Avatar…

I close my eyes at this, close my ears. I don't want to think about it, don't want to recall, don't want to relive how I'd hurt my sister.

If only father had been there…

It would've been easier then…

Memories form, brief and fleeting.

The whip cracks…

Screams, shouts, confusion…

The rocks fall…

I run…

Hakoda's gravelly voice snaps me out of it.

"So, Zuko, why? Why did you do it?"

I open my eyes, look around. The tent is dead silent. All I can hear is the lapping of the waves outside and the soft burning of tobacco in the pipes. All eyes are on me, and every one seems to be holding their breath. Is there a right answer? I can't help but wonder. My life has been nothing but a succession of wrong answers, wrong steps, wrong decisions.

Well, I opened this door, took this path, looking for some damn answers. Time to find one.

"Because it was the right thing to do. Because I was tired of being on the wrong side."

The breath goes out of the room. Hakoda nods, smiles. I watch the smile ripple through his men. A pipe is passed into my hand, and a bottle of something that smells just utterly vile. I puff the pipe, take a pull of the bottle. It tastes exactly as vile as it smells, but I swallow without gagging. Men beat me on my back, grinning, laughing. Toph asks for a taste of the bottle, eliciting raucous cheers. Sokka grins madly as he smacks my back and calls me buddy. I look for Katara. I smile. She smiles back.

Well, there's one answer, at least.

Hey, look, it's Hakoda! And plot! And shit starting to happen!

I was actually thinking about working this chapter into the next one, but then I decided, Fuck it, I really like this bit. I just like the way the siblings interact with their father, and Hakoda's reaction. He's not being a dick of an over-protective father, he's just super fucking confused, and it's easy to see how his brain starts making some very strange leaps of deduction. I really dislike how it's a fanfic trope to just write Hakoda as this stereotypical sitcom dad, not least because it's because of the existence of those dads that I hate most sitcoms.

Point being, it's a nice, light moment in the narrative. Plus, a major theme of this story is that Zuko is out for answers. Every time he finds one, it's worth mentioning. And it wasn't like the gathering army was just going to let this random-ass firebender wander around the camp anyways, you know?

That's all. In the next chapter, we discuss strategy, an army gathers, we glimpse some old friends, and prepare for a leap across a continent. Woo!