Book I: Water
Chapter 13: The Warlord of Gaipan
Gaipan - Ten Years After Sozin's Comet
Smellerbee's plan was to wait until dark to sneak into the town and distribute the leaflets. The gates would be closed, and guards would be on patrol, but Smellerbee's Freedom Fighters had studied their routes and found blind spots in them. They'd go in groups of two and three, spreading the leaflets throughout the town as widely as they could, and hopefully Lord Moravid's warning would inspire enough people to rise up against Jet that Smellerbee's faction would be able to take him out at last.
It struck Katara as a desperate, far-fetched plan, and she said as much to Smellerbee when Aang and Zuko had gone off with Longshot to find darker clothing for Aang to wear at night. But Smellerbee shrugged off her concern, saying they'd run out of time for better strategies. She'd been fighting Jet for years without managing to unseat him. If they couldn't do it now, the town was lost.
"Why did you want our help so badly?" Katara asked as the two of them packed the leaflets into canvas bags which would be easier to carry. "Your Freedom Fighters seem more than capable of sneaking into the town at night."
"They are," Smellerbee agreed proudly. "But I thought having a couple waterbenders along would be useful, especially if Jet's goons didn't know about it." She tied one bag closed and began packing another. "It's always good to have a few surprises up your sleeve."
"Really?" Katara tied off the bag she had filled as well, but didn't reach for another one. "That's it?"
"What do you want me to say, Katara?" Smellerbee replied, halting in her work as well. "When I find people who can help our cause, I recruit them. It's how I've kept this operation going for years." She looked down and picked at her fingernails casually. "Your Underground connections could be helpful, too."
Katara wished she could trust the younger woman as easily as she seemed to trust her. But without knowing anything more about her suspicious backer… "How did you win Lord Moravid over to your side?" she asked.
Smellerbee looked back up at her with a grin. "More easily than you," she quipped. "His mother may have been Fire Nation, but like I said, the Moravids are an old Earth Kingdom family, and he hasn't forgotten that." She went back to her task of stuffing leaflets into bags. "All I had to do was show him the opportunity to subvert the Phoenix King's rule a little, and he took it. Nominally, he was appointed by Ozai, but the governorship would have been his by right anyway, when his father died."
"And when did his father die?" Katara asked, trying to work out the timeline of how long Smellerbee had had such a well-positioned ally.
Smellerbee thought for a moment. "About a year ago," she said at last. "Right after he got married. His father had sent him south to find a wife, and he brought the girl back with him when he took the governor's seat." Smellerbee grimaced as if at an unpleasant memory. "I had hoped she might have some connections that could help us, but nobody gets to see Lady Moravid. The governor was quite insistent about that."
Katara frowned as well. That didn't paint a very cheery picture of the man they were supporting, if he kept his wife under lock and key. Even if he were truly on their side, that didn't necessarily mean he was a good person. Katara certainly knew that from experience.
Smellerbee suddenly shook her head, grinning again "Listen to me, chattering on," she said as if chiding herself, though Katara thought her girlish self-deprecating tone sounded rather affected. She fixed Katara with a knowing look. "How did you recruit your Fire Nation fellow?"
Katara blinked at her deliberately. "I don't know what you mean," she said innocently.
"Don't insult my intelligence," Smellerbee replied. "Your husband's as Water Tribe as I am, and no Earth Kingdom mother would give her son a name like Zuko." Katara mentally scolded Aang for being careless with their true names, but the younger woman laughed suddenly. "Pretty funny, you being suspicious of me for being in bed with the Fire Nation, isn't it? When you're definitely-"
"Alright," Katara cut her off, before she could take the conversation in a really inappropriate direction. "Fine. You're right. But Zuko came to our side on his own, more or less. I didn't do anything."
Smellerbee gave her a strange look. "I don't buy that for a minute," she said.
Perhaps Katara had exaggerated, but she didn't feel like going over the whole story now with this woman she barely knew. "The important thing," she insisted, "is that I know I can always count on him."
"And I know we can count on Lord Moravid," Smellerbee shot back.
Both of them went back to work after that, and said no more on the subject. Katara supposed she was just going to have to hope that Smellerbee's trust was not misplaced. Either way, the sooner they accomplished what she wanted, the sooner they could be on their way to the North Pole, to resume the real purpose of their mission. She hated to think that the complicated politics of this particular corner of the Earth Kingdom were not her problem - obviously the fate of Gaipan mattered to the people who lived there, and it wasn't like she didn't care - but they did have a larger objective that she couldn't lose sight of either.
When the bags were all packed, Katara went and found Zuko and Aang. While Zuko had kept his own dark blue clothes, Aang had traded his yellow shirt and orange shawl for the red and brown tunic of the Freedom Fighter's uniform. Katara wasn't sure she liked the implication of the Avatar in partisan colors, but she held her tongue, knowing it was at least more practical attire. She certainly didn't want him sneaking into the town as a bright orange target, either.
That night, Smellerbee led them around to the northern side of the town, where there was nothing but empty grassland. The Freedom Fighters had brought more of their ropes and grappling hooks, and they climbed over the wall, landing in a deserted alleyway on the other side. So far, they had seen none of Jet's men. Their reconnaissance had been good.
They split up to fan out through the city, each group on a predetermined route. Katara was allowed to stay together with Zuko and Aang, and Smellerbee did not insist on sending one of her own men with them, which Katara realized was a show of trust. They moved slowly and cautiously from shadow to shadow. They slipped the leaflets through the cracks under doors and between window shutters, but were careful not to leave any lying around in the street, lest one of Jet's people find them and realize their presence in the town.
Zuko was responsible for keeping track of the time - it was a cloudy night with neither moon nor stars visible, but he had a good internal sense of these things. "We need to start heading back," he whispered as Aang passed a leaflet under the door of a larger house towards the center of town.
"We haven't done our whole route yet," Aang protested quietly, but Katara wordlessly shook her head at him. They'd done enough. Getting left behind because they failed to make the rendezvous on time was not an appealing option. Zuko began to lead them back the way they had come, and Aang reluctantly followed.
When they were almost back at the meeting point, Zuko rounded a corner, then hastily stepped back, throwing out his arm to stop Aang from going any further. "Back," he hissed urgently, and the three of them retreated into the shadows of the alley they had come from, just as Katara saw a pair of Jet's men pass by on the broader main street.
"There's nobody here," the smaller of the two complained. He sounded young, barely older than Aang. His larger companion merely grunted in reply, looking around. Katara's heart pounded as he peered into the darkness of the alley where they were hidden. He leaned forward.
A sudden gust of wind blew down the street, and both guards shielded their eyes in surprise. Katara didn't have to look at Aang to know he was responsible. It was a risky move, but if it worked…
Something caught in the breeze smacked the younger guard in the face, and he caught hold of it. "What's that?" his companion asked as the wind subsided. Katara felt her heart beat even faster. Neither of the guards seemed interested in what might be lurking in the alley anymore, but she recognized the paper in the younger guard's hand. They'd only been spreading them all over town. They had been careful not to leave them lying in the open, but apparently not careful enough.
"Jet will want to see this," the younger guard said resolutely, and the the pair of them ran off.
There was no time to contemplate their mistake. With all of Jet's Freedom Fighters about to be alerted to the infiltration of the town, it was more urgent than ever that they regroup with Smellerbee and get out of there.
But it didn't take long for them to notice the increased presence of Jet's men hurrying about the streets. Several times they heard distant sounds of fighting, but dared not investigate. Lamps were starting to be lit in the windows of many houses as the increasing commotion woke the townspeople - not an insignificant number of whom took to the streets in violation of the curfew upon reading the messages that had been slipped under their doors. It was what they had hoped for, but it was all happening too fast, too soon.
They had to backtrack several times to avoid being seen, and when Katara heard Zuko swear under his breath, she knew they were well past the deadline for the rendezvous. "Forget about finding the others," she breathed, squeezing his hand. Their exit plan had fallen apart already, and it was time to improvise. "Let's just get out of here, and meet up with them at their hideout."
"Wait," Aang protested. "If the townspeople are going to try to overthrow Jet right now, shouldn't we stay and help them?" Before either Zuko or Katara could answer, the three of them had to press themselves into a doorway as a group of five angry men carrying torches rushed past. Three of Jet's Freedom Fighters followed.
"Get back inside," one of them barked, apparently mistaking them for civilians who were merely curious about the commotion. Katara watched them carefully as they ran. They were headed in the direction of the town hall.
Aang might have a point. Katara doubted Smellerbee would be retreating now. Still, they had done what they had promised her they would do. They were under no obligation to stick around for the fight. Then again, if Smellerbee's Freedom Fighters didn't prevail, they would be right back where they'd started, with no way to get the supplies they needed to reach the North Pole.
She looked at Zuko. He nodded. "I'll stay," he said curtly. "You get Aang to safety."
Another squeeze of his hand, and then she grabbed Aang by the arm, all but dragging him down the street in the opposite direction that the men from before had gone. If the boy objected to being kept out of the fight again, he knew better than to complain about it now. Hopefully, running away from the town hall where it sounded like the mob was converging would mean they wouldn't run into much resistance.
Hope, unfortunately, was not enough, and the group of twelve or so of Jet's Freedom Fighters that they met in a small plaza on the western side of the town were apparently some of his best trained. When both Aang and Katara had been forced to their knees with their hands bound, the leader of the group inspected them carefully. "Well, well," he drawled around the stalk of grass held between his teeth, plucking at the sleeve of Aang's tunic. "Smellerbee's found herself a couple of waterbenders, has she?"
Eastern Earth Kingdom - Nine Years Earlier
After leaving Yaosai, Zuko avoided towns and settlements as much as possible. He'd learned his lesson - he was better off alone. He'd learned enough about living in the wilderness last year, when he'd been on the run from his sister, and while his skills as a hunter still left something to be desired, he was much better at trapping birds and small game, and had become good enough at foraging that he was confident in his ability to fend for himself now.
Of course, last year he'd still had his uncle with him. He'd thought things had been bad then, but now he'd give anything to go back to that. But that was a futile wish.
Now, having no one else around meant he didn't have to worry about lying or hiding who he was. No one would give him funny looks because of his scar or his eye color, no one would ask him prying questions, no one would try to attack him or drive him off. If he just left the world alone, maybe the world would leave him alone, too.
He still had nightmares, though. Mostly they were reliving the day of the comet, but sometimes the old dreams about the Agni Kai or his mother would plague him as well. When he would wake in terror, shivering, with only a thin stolen blanket between him and the cold ground, then and only then would he allow himself to think about what Kwon and Gaozu had said about his father.
Their words had raised his ire then, and the memory of them still had a similar effect. It was an anger that kept him warm on those cold nights, at least interiorly, as inexplicable as it was. His father was the one responsible for all the horrific memories that haunted his sleep, and yet his instinct was still to defend him. It was an instinct so strong that it had cost him his last chance at some semblance of safety and comfort.
Uncle Iroh had tried to warn him that he gave his father too much credit. It was Zuko's own blind devotion to Ozai, his foolish need to cry out for his father like a frightened child when he had seen him on the walls of Ba Sing Se, that had cost Iroh his life. He could see now that his uncle had been right all along. He could see how stupid he himself had been. He should hate Ozai now, should join in the Earth Kingdom elite's longing for his ignominious death.
And yet…
That feeling of indignant anger was something he could hold onto, could use to feed his inner fire. It was something he could feel that wasn't guilt or shame or worse. It was something like how he had felt in the early days of his banishment, only now there was no one to offer him calming tea or pester him with cryptic proverbs. Now the anger really was all he had.
Winter had been nearing its end when Zuko had fled from Yaosai. By the middle of spring, he had set up for himself a more or less permanent dwelling in a secluded valley in the foothills of the eastern mountains. He was far enough from any road or settlement that no one would intrude on his isolation. A stream running through the valley provided him with fresh water, though its rushing torrents subsided to a more modest trickle as spring turned to summer. It didn't take much to support one person.
He knew his rough living was taking its toll on his clothes - the bright green of his tunic had faded to a dark khaki, and there were loose threads at the hems. On top of that, he'd somehow managed to gain a few more inches in height as his eighteenth birthday approached, and the legs of his trousers no longer stayed comfortably tucked into the tops of his boots. He knew at some point before the next winter he would have to risk venturing back into civilization to find more suitable clothing, but in the meantime he didn't spare much thought for his appearance. It wasn't like there was anyone around to see the shabby state of the former prince.
One warm night, after waking from yet another nightmare, he crawled out of his meager shelter to sit under the stars. Fists clenched, he stared up at the heavens and ran through his litany of grievances again. He had every right to be angry at the world, didn't he? His whole life, he'd only really wanted one thing, and he didn't think it had been unreasonable. What son wouldn't want...why wasn't he allowed...it couldn't be wrong, that longing for...so why had he only been punished for it, again and again?
He rubbed at his eyes with both fists - he was just tired, he was not crying. He froze, then slowly uncurled his left hand, angling it back towards his ear so it covered nearly all of his scar. Four years, five months, and three days. He knew, without even having to count. It was such a part of him now, had been for so long. He might lose everything else that tied him to his old life, but he would never be free of that.
He wondered if his father realized he was still alive. If the Avatar fell into his hands tomorrow, and Zuko could somehow make his way home to fulfill his old quest at last, what would his father say?
"Oh, Zuko," he imagined his father's disinterested voice. "You captured the Avatar? Well, your sister has captured three Avatars while you were away. At least try to keep up."
He managed a short laugh at his own absurd thought, but there wasn't much mirth in it. In one way, he knew that there was truth in that wild hypothetical scenario: not even the miraculous return of the Avatar would do him any good now.
Gaipan - Ten Years After Sozin's Comet
Distant shouts and other sounds of fighting continued, but the plaza where they were remained dark and mostly silent as the man with the stalk of grass in his mouth stared down Aang. He looked like he was about in his mid-twenties, and the rest of the Freedom Fighters who had intercepted them clearly deferred to him. Katara guessed he must be one of Jet's lieutenants. He must have been part of Jet's gang for some time, if he knew Smellerbee.
Aang, wisely, said nothing.
The rest of the Freedom Fighters seemed less concerned with their prisoners. They kept looking anxiously behind them, back towards the center of town. "Looks like they're trying to burn down the town hall," one of them observed. "Shouldn't we go do something about that?"
"The Duke can handle it," their leader replied, unconcerned. He turned his attention from Aang to Katara. "What I'd like to know is where Smellerbee found these two."
"Are you sure, Jet?" one of the other Freedom Fighters asked nervously.
The leader, apparently none other than Jet himself, glared at him. "Of course I'm sure," he snapped.
Aang gasped. "You're the warlord of Gaipan?" Katara understood his surprise. Somehow, though Smellerbee had never given them a physical description, she'd imagined an older, weathered, bitter-looking man. She'd expected a face that betrayed cynicism and greed, but this young man still had the fresh look of youthful idealism. That only made what she knew of his cruelty all the more unsettling.
"The Fire Nation calls me the warlord of Gaipan," Jet corrected Aang, his tone easy again. "That's the only type of leadership they can imagine, I guess." He shrugged dramatically, then crouched down so he was at Aang's eye level. "But I'm nobody's lord or master. I don't need any kind of title for myself. I'm just here to make sure this town stays free."
"It doesn't sound like you've been doing a very good job," Katara said, slowly drawing water from the air and even a bit of her own sweat and letting it pool in her bound hands. If she could gather enough for a small ice dagger, she could cut herself free. Aang still had his airbending up his sleeve as well. But she knew it would be better to hold off on an escape attempt until Jet's men tried to move them.
Jet cocked his head in her direction, giving her a patient smile. He did have a sort of easy charm, when he wanted to use it. Katara could see how this man was able to amass a following in spite of his brutal tactics. "I'm sure Smellerbee's told you all kinds of things about me," he drawled, removing the ridiculous stalk of grass from his teeth and twirling it between his fingers. "But I don't know why you'd trust someone who's openly working with the enemy."
"I think it's pretty clear that you're the enemy," Aang said hotly, "given all the people you've killed."
Jet didn't even flinch at the accusation. "The only people I've killed have been Fire Nation, or the people who helped them," he said calmly. "I'd have thought the Avatar of all people would understand that these Fire Nation scum are a plague on the earth."
Aang blinked in surprise, and Katara tried to discreetly signal him to be quiet, but the boy paid no attention to her. "What...what makes you think I'm the Avatar?" he spluttered nervously.
"Stories are getting around," Jet replied, tapping the arrow on Aang's forehead almost playfully. Aang flinched away from his touch. "I don't let a few rumors get my people's hopes up prematurely, but I certainly keep an ear to the ground myself." He gripped Aang's chin, and Katara formed a shard of ice in her hands, and began furtively working at the ropes that bound her. But Jet only went on talking in that same calm, almost friendly manner. "These past years, I've only been doing your job while you were nowhere to be found, little Avatar."
"It's not my job to kill people," Aang protested. "It's my job to restore peace, to keep the balance between all the nations."
"Have you forgotten what the Fire Nation did to your nation?" Jet asked, his voice rising for the first time. "There's no such thing as balance in this world. Not anymore."
"I don't believe that," Aang insisted. Katara felt the first coil of rope around her wrists snap, and she wriggled her arms as subtly as she could, loosening the rest. One of Jet's Freedom Fighters still had her waterskin, but once her arms were free that wouldn't be a problem.
Jet stood, and shrugged again. "You'll learn."
Most likely he would have turned his attention back to Katara then, and might have even noticed she had nearly slipped her bonds. But she was spared by the Freedom Fighters frantically shouting their leader's name and pointing into the distance behind them. She heard a distant rushing sound of something flying through the air, and then an explosive impact. Two more blasts followed in quick succession.
"Fire Nation catapults," Jet said darkly. "I guess Smellerbee's friends are here." He reached down and hauled Aang to his feet, then shoved the boy towards one of his men, gesturing for another the take hold of Katara. She suppressed a grin seeing her guard was the same man who held her waterskin. Oh, he was going to regret that mistake.
"Take them to the west gate prison," Jet ordered the two men. "The rest of you, with me." He drew his own weapons, two hook-shaped swords. "We're going to have lots of firebenders to kill today."
He led most of his Freedom Fighters off towards the fighting, where Katara could now see the orange glow of distant flames. It looked like the town hall had been set on fire - whether by the Fire Nation attackers or the mob, she couldn't say. The two men who had been assigned to Aang and Katara dragged them away towards the west, but as soon as they were alone, Katara broke free and pulled all the water from her waterskin, making quick work of the two surprised men. She then hastily untied Aang.
"I thought Smellerbee said Lord Moravid was going to hold off the army," Aang said, watching in confusion as more fireballs were catapulted towards the town from the south.
"She did," Katara replied. "So either he lied, or he failed, or…"
"They followed us," Aang realized in dismay. "This is my fault."
"You don't know that," Katara chided him, though she had considered the possibility herself. If Jet knew the Avatar was in the colonies, so could any number of Fire Nation officials. If they'd been spotted on their flight north from the mining town… But there was no time to dwell on that now. Whatever the reason, the town was under attack, and she had to get Aang out of here. She grabbed his hand, and was about to urge him to run, when she heard hurried footsteps approaching. They ducked behind a cart that had been left in the street instead.
It was a group of Smellerbee's Freedom Fighters, their faces sooty and their uniforms singed but otherwise looking unharmed. Katara stepped out from their hiding place.
"What's going on?" she asked. The Freedom Fighters turned in surprise to see her. One of them, a young woman who had been introduced to Katara that afternoon as Lightfoot, raised a hand and pointed towards the blaze that was quickly enveloping more and more of the southern half of the town.
"Smellerbee ordered us to fall back," Lightfoot explained breathlessly. "The rest are coming."
Aang had come back out into the open as well. "Who's attacking the town?" he demanded. "Your governor was supposed to be on our side,"
"He is," Lightfoot insisted, giving Aang a frustrated look. "But even Lord Moravid can't control a man like Zhao."
Eastern Earth Kingdom - Eight Years Earlier
A whole year passed since Zuko had left Yaosai. He'd risked a single trip to the nearest town at the end of the previous summer, to trade fur pelts from the small game he'd snared for new clothes, and a few other things as well - most importantly, a real steel knife to replace the makeshift stone ones he'd been using. No one had asked him any questions, but he knew better than to let that fool him into thinking he'd find any kind of safety there. Those people might have been willing to do business with a stranger, but if they knew who he was, if they knew what he was, they would hate him. The things he needed acquired, he'd hastily retreated back into the wilderness.
He made it through that winter, not in what anyone would call comfort, but well enough. He was pretty sure he had come down with a serious fever at one point, but wary of seeking any kind of help, he had merely concentrated on his inner fire to regulate his body temperature. It wasn't a technique he'd ever used while he was sick before, and it was meant to keep him from getting too cold, not too hot, but applying the same principle in reverse seemed to do the trick, and he came through the illness unscathed.
Spring inevitably arrived, and the new year - the start of Zuko's second year on his own. The stream swelled again as the snows higher up in the mountains melted. Having made it through all four seasons almost lifted his spirits a little. It certainly gave him more confidence in himself. He knew he could do this now. The nightmares hadn't stopped, and likely never would, but he had survived. He might not have anyone on his side, but he'd proved that he didn't need help from anyone. He could take care of himself. He could keep going, no matter how hard it was.
Never forget who you are, they had told him, and maybe this was it, who he was. Not someone who made all the right choices, or was gifted and accomplished like his sister, or honored and beloved like his uncle, or respected and feared like his father, but just someone who survived. Maybe that was all he needed to be.
That realization should have given him pause. Self-awareness was the key to contentment, Uncle had once told him, and he should have known contentment was too close to happiness, and the spirits were never going to let him be happy.
Summer brought with it a drought. The stream shrank to a trickle no wider than his hand, the grass dried up and turned brown and the trees started to wither. Game became scarce, and Zuko found himself going hungry and thirsty on most days. Still, he was loathe to leave the valley that had sheltered him. There were too many dangers, out there in the wider world. Too many people. Better to stay where he was, for now, and pray for rain. Eventually, it had to come.
What came instead were bandits.
He heard them first, rough voices arguing in the dry night air after he had laid down but before he had fallen asleep. He reached for his knife and gripped it tight, but didn't move. Perhaps they would simply go away on their own.
The voices came nearer. It sounded like there were three of them, debating how to split their ill-gotten spoils. They must have come out into the wilderness thinking they could avoid being caught that way, that they would find no one here.
Well, they were almost right. Zuko just about fit the definition of "no one" these days.
"Hey," the deepest of the three voices said. "I thought you said nobody lived out here."
"Yeah, what do you call that?" chimed in the second voice, higher and nasally. Zuko sat up into a crouching position, weighing his options quickly. His shelter, unimpressive as it was, was clearly man-made. Perhaps they'd take it for nothing more than a hunter's blind. Or perhaps not.
"Anybody there?" the third voice called out gruffly. Determined footsteps came pounding nearer across the dry brush, and Zuko decided not to wait to be discovered. He scrambled out of the shelter and sprang to his feet, knife held out in front of him. The short, stocky man who had been approaching halted in his tracks.
"Go away," Zuko said firmly. He didn't care who these men were or what they were doing. He wasn't looking for a fight. He just wanted to be left alone.
The stocky man's companions quickly flanked him - one tall and wiry, the other bald and missing quite a few teeth. "You know, I think we like it here," the ringleader said in his gruff voice. "Why don't you go away?" He placed one hand on the hilt of his own knife, rather larger than Zuko's, but didn't draw it. His buddies reached for weapons of their own.
The smart thing to do would have been to retreat, if they were giving him the chance. He had no reason to fight these men. But, stupidly, he didn't want to leave his valley. There wasn't anything of value here, except that for the last year it had been his. "I was here first," he said hotly. His grip on his knife tightened, and his eyes flicked between the three bandits, waiting to see who would make the first move.
Perhaps he did want to fight them, too. It had been so long since he'd been in a good fight.
Baldy struck first, wielding a hammer, which Zuko ducked away from. The tall one came at him next with an axe, but fell back as Zuko slashed at him with his knife. A kick from the ringleader sent him to his knees, but another swipe of his blade caught the man on the arm. He hissed in pain and drew his own knife, but Zuko had gotten back to his feet and blocked his attacks. Things went on like that for what seemed like a long time, Zuko fending off all three of them, but he could feel himself being forced further and further downstream, away from his shelter and out of the valley. He was losing ground.
Briefly, he considered firebending. He knew he could end this fight right now and leave no living witnesses, if he wanted to. But the dry brush under his feet stayed his fire. The entire valley might go up like a tinderbox if he did that, and the wildfire would quickly spread beyond his control.
A blow from the axe caught him on the shoulder, and he stumbled away, blind with pain. "Let him go," he distantly heard the ringleader of the bandits say. "That'll be a death wound. There's no one out here to help him."
Gaipan - Ten Years After Sozin's Comet
They were soon joined in the plaza by Smellerbee and the others - including, much to Katara's relief, Zuko. The cart was turned over to make part of a barricade, and paving stones pulled up to pile around it, though they all knew such a barrier would not hold off a squadron of firebenders for long. Some of the Freedom Fighters had burns, which Katara tended to but didn't full heal, not wanting to use up all her water.
Some of Jet's men had wound up with them as well. In the fight against a common enemy, the rift between the two factions had apparently seemed to be of less consequence, at least to the rank and file. They still eyed Smellerbee and her Freedom Fighters with distaste - and Smellerbee's men returned the dirty looks - but no one looked ready to risk infighting as they waited for Zhao's soldiers to fall upon them once more.
Katara knew that getting Aang to safety was an even greater priority now, but they had no idea who or what else might be lurking beyond the walls of Gaipan. Longshot was still missing - Smellerbee had sent him to do reconnaissance - and until he returned she and Zuko agreed it was best to stay put, for the time being.
But while they were still waiting for Longshot, Jet found them first. He had more of his men in tow - apparently they had decided on a strategic retreat as well. Every person in the plaza tensed as the two groups stared each other down, though none looked more nervous than those members of Jet's faction who had been caught in the company of their rivals.
"Fancy meeting you here, Smellerbee," Jet drawled, breaking the silence first. He still had both his hook-swords drawn. "You have a little spat with your Fire Nation friends? Didn't I always say they'd betray you one day?"
"Zhao has never been my friend," Smellerbee shot back. She held her own sword low, but Katara saw how her knuckles whitened. "So he can't betray me. Unlike you."
"Funny," Jet said, thought he scowl on his face suggested he found it anything but, "I remember it the other way around."
"Do you think you guys could call it a truce for now?" Aang cautiously piped up. No one else had wanted to get between the two of them, but trust the Avatar to feel the need to play peacemaker. Katara supposed that was to his credit. "Neither of you wants Zhao to destroy the town," he reminded them. "Why don't you focus on that?"
Smellerbee looked about to agree, but Jet spoke first. "I'll accept anyone here who wants to follow my lead," he declared with a sweeping gesture of the sword in his left hand, before pointing it at Smellerbee. "But not her."
Smellerbee raised the point of her own sword. "Jet," she cautioned, "stop being an idiot. Zhao's soldiers will be here any minute." As if to prove her point, a volley of arrows rained down on them. Everyone ducked for what cover they could find, though for Jet and Smellerbee standing in the middle of the plaza, that wasn't much. Two of Jet's men fell. Smellerbee's own archers quickly returned fire. But, Katara noted with dismay, Longshot was still not among them.
The first wave of fireballs followed the arrows, and the fight began in earnest. Zuko put out or redirected as many of the flames as he could while also returning fire. Aang made to move from the doorway where he and Katara had taken cover, but Katara grabbed him by the shoulders and forcibly held him in place. Freedom Fighters from both factions held the barricades - some of Jet's men were earthbenders, and hurled stones into into the advancing Fire Nation troops, while Smellerbee's archers continued to fire on them.
But if they had been able to put aside their differences, their leaders had not. Instead of taking charge of the battle, Jet had attacked Smellerbee, and the two were now fighting as intensely as only two swordsmen who knew each other well could.
Over the din of the fighting, Katara heard Smellerbee make another gruff appeal to Jet as their blades clashed, but he did not relent. "You allied yourself with a Fire Nation collaborator against me," he accused, pressing on his attack.
"Okay, okay, I'll stay here," Aang promised, pushing Katara's hands from his shoulders. "Shouldn't you at least try to help Smellerbee?"
But before Katara could do or say anything in reply, Smellerbee lunged sharply to her right - a risky feint that left her open to attack on her left side - then knocked Jet's feet out from under him with a low swipe of her leg. He dropped one of his swords as he fell. A stray fireball burned through the air where his head had been a moment earlier, impacting on the street behind him instead.
Smellerbee recovered and stood first. "And against Zhao," she declared, "I'd even ally myself with you." She lowered her sword, and extended her hand to her one-time friend.
Jet hesitated for a moment, but took her hand, allowed her to help him to his feet. Then he swung at her again with the sword he still held in his left hand. Smellerbee ducked out of the way, raising her own blade again, but she never got the chance to use it. Satisfied Aang really wasn't going anywhere, Katara sprang into action, catching Jet on the side of the head with a water whip that left him stunned. Smellerbee kicked his other sword out of his hand and knocked him on the head with the pommel of her sword. He fell again, unconscious.
At some point, Longshot had returned. No one had seen or heard him come. He looked from Jet's unconscious form, to Smellerbee, who wore a look of hurt and betrayal - but not surprise. "I know," she said. "But it was worth a try." The two of them dragged Jet out of the center of the plaza towards the doorway where Aang had obediently remained, shoving him unceremoniously into the empty house. Katara and Aang followed them inside.
Longshot gave Smellerbee a report of his reconnaissance using hand signs and other gestures. "That's something, then," Smellerbee said with a nod when he was done. Turning to Katara, she interpreted, "Zhao's troops came up the river from the south and they've got the east gate blocked, but the west is still clear, for now." She turned back to Longshot. "Go get Zuko."
Longshot ducked back out into the fray to follow his orders, and Smellerbee addressed Aang. "Thank you for your help, Avatar," she said sincerely. Aang looked down at his boots, as if embarrassed. "I'm not going to give up fighting for this town. But you have bigger things to do, and you need to get out of here while you still can."
"I barely even did anything," Aang protested. "And it's my fault Zhao attacked the town and ruined everything."
Smellerbee sighed, looking towards the corner where Jet was slumped, still unconscious. "This was never going to go as smoothly as we wanted it to," she admitted. "Even with Lord Moravid's help." She looked back at Aang. "But your instincts about him were good, okay? Remember that. If you find yourself in this province again and in need of an ally, he's someone you can trust."
Longshot returned, with Zuko in tow. Katara immediately grabbed her husband's hand. They weren't out of danger yet, but she knew he needed the reassurance as much as she did.
Smellerbee told Longshot to escort them out of the town through the west gate, get them back to the hideout, and see that they were adequately provisioned for their trip north. Longshot nodded, and Smellerbee was about to duck out of the house and dive back into the fray when Katara grabbed her arm. "You're sure?" she asked. "You could still use our help."
"The world could use his help a whole lot more," Smellerbee replied with a nod in Aang's direction. "Get him where he needs to be. You know what it takes to win a war, Katara."
Katara let her go, and a moment later the three of them followed Longshot out as well. The archer moved as quickly as he did silently, and they had to hurry to keep up with him, but they made it back to the Freedom Fighters' hideout without any further trouble. Longshot stuck around just long enough to see Appa's saddle fully stocked, then offered them a mere parting wave before disappearing back into the forest, no doubt to return to Smellerbee's side.
None of them spoke as Zuko took the reins and got Appa in the air. Well-rested, the bison climbed quickly, and at the back of the saddle, Aang and Katara could soon see the town of Gaipan shrinking into the distance behind them. More than half of it was lit up with yellow and orange flames.
"What will happen to them?" Aang asked softly, folding his arms on the rim of the saddle and resting his chin on top.
Katara laid one hand on his back. "I don't know," she admitted.
They flew on in silence as the sun broke over the horizon, a straight course to the north, into the barren emptiness of the burned lands.