I'm back! I was trying to post every two weeks but life happened and I got delayed this time (sorry!). Also my laptop has been doing this really awesome thing where it just turns off sometimes and I lose everything that wasn't saved. Yay, technology.
Thank you so very much to everyone who has followed/favorited and reviewed! The reviews absolutely melt my heart and keep me going through the writer's block and time constraints! You guys are so awesome :)
This chapter was inspired by the song 'Salt And The Sea' by The Lumineers, from their 2019 album 'III'.
I hope you enjoy and please feel free to review (please?)!
Chapter 24: Salt And The Sea
…
I'll let the darkness swallow me whole
I need to find you, need you to know
…
I'll be your friend in the daylight again
There we will be, like an old enemy
Like the salt and the sea
…
From the outside, the tavern was rather unremarkable. It loomed in the shadows of a large rock formation that jutted into the sky. The entrance was partially obscured by a dense mass of aerial roots that draped down from the ancient fig tree above, whose gnarled trunk clung to the rocky cliff face and appeared to give the tavern its frame. If not for the rounded oak door that tunneled into the cliffside between two thick tree roots and the muffled chattering from inside, the only indication of the tavern from a distance was the thin cloud of smoke that filtered through the leaves and drifted up into the night sky. The air in the dimly lit subterranean establishment was both damp and stale, murky with must, woodsmoke, and warm breath. Despite its unobtrusive outward appearance, the watering hole was bustling.
Zuko glanced at Lieutenant Jee when they had descended into the earthy structure, sidestepping to avoid a sloshing beverage wielded by a drunk man dressed in a dark cloak. This was hardly a place that the prince would expect to find a woman, however – as Jee was quick to point out – June the bounty hunter was far from what anyone would expect. Zuko followed the Lieutenant through the crowd that had gathered around the perimeter of the hazy room, heading towards whatever ruckus was occurring at the center.
"Right over here, folks!" A resounding voice drowned out the din from the center of the tavern. A man with his arms raised was gesturing to his side. "A new challenger is here to face the reigning champion! Will he have what it takes to beat her? Place your bets here!"
At the center of the commotion, a small table was occupied by a burly man with a thick brown beard, peppered with gray, who sat across from a pale woman with dark hair and heavy makeup who appeared to be in her late twenties.
"Last chance, folks! Place your bets!" The man yelled again, collecting money from patrons around him. "Alright, wagers have been placed, cups are filled… Go!" At the man's behest, the two at the table picked up their respective flagons and proceeded to guzzle the contents. After merely seconds, the woman tipped back her head and slammed the empty vessel down on the table with a victorious grin. The crown erupted in cheer as the man announced, "She's done it again! June, the undefeated champion!"
The man with the peppered beard slammed down his empty flagon and stood abruptly. "A cheat!" He declared, pointing towards her with a chubby finger. "This fraud is swindling you out of your money!" The man reached out to grab at the bag of coins, but the woman caught his wrist, pulling him over the table before flipping him onto his back to land with a heavy thud on the ground at her feet.
She proceeded to step over him and pour sake into a small porcelain cup. "Did you think I wouldn't recognize you, Jee?" She smirked at the Lieutenant at her side as she swirled the sake around. "It's been years, but I never forget a face… especially one as unpleasant as yours."
"June, it's been a very long time," Jee commented coolly.
"Not long enough, if you ask me," She muttered, taking a swig of the sake. "I can only assume your presence here means you have another tedious assignment from the Fire Nation."
"Not quite," The Lieutenant responded with a sidelong glance in Zuko's direction. "Prince Zuko here requires the assistance of your shirshu to locate his uncle, General Iroh." He gestured towards Zuko who stepped forward.
"Lieutenant Jee tells me you're the best there is," The Fire Nation prince added, though his face remained placid.
June eyed him for a moment before returning her gaze to the porcelain cup in her hand. "How sweet of him to say," She responded sarcastically, taking another drink. "But my services are far from free, you understand?"
"I'll pay whatever price you ask," Zuko replied adamantly.
The bounty hunter emptied her cup with another thoughtful swig and slammed it back on the table. "Very well, I'll meet you outside in a minute." She threw her bag of coins towards the bar, "Drinks on me!" She declared to the roar of the crowd.
Outside the tavern, Zuko waited with his arms crossed as June retrieved a large creature from the shadows of an old ficus tree. The beast was lumbering and fuzzy, mostly brown with a thick black dorsal stripe that extended from its pink snout to the tip of its tail.
"This is Nyla, my shirshu. He can smell a rat a continent away." She made the introduction, dodging the creature's tongue that shot out in greeting. "Whoa, careful there, my snuffly-wuffly," She patted the shirshu's head affectionately. "Watch out for his tongue, his saliva contains a toxin that causes temporary paralysis." The creature purred as she scratched under his chin. "Who's got something with the target's scent?"
Zuko produced Iroh's pungent sandal from the saddle bag on his rhino, holding it out for the shirshu to sniff. "I don't want him harmed," Zuko clarified, "Just located."
"I'm a bounty hunter, not an assassin," June chuckled. "Tracking people is what I do."
The creature inhaled Iroh's scent from the sandal then turned abruptly, pointing its snout to the northwest.
"Ok, let's do this." The bounty hunter proclaimed, vaulting into the shirshu's saddle.
…
Katara sat on top of her bed, tenderly holding Zuko's note. I won't let you go again. She read the words over and over; it was as if she could hear him saying it, a solemn promise whispered in her ear. It made her heart flutter and her stomach tighten in anticipation. She would see him again. He wasn't going to let go of her. A giddy smile crept to her lips.
He had escaped Zhao. He was safe. And he hadn't forgotten her.
They would leave the Earth Kingdom fortress that evening, according to Toph's plan, and, for the first time, she hoped that the Fire Nation prince would follow; that he would find them. She would do everything she could to convince him to join them. To be with her.
A loud noise that reverberated through the fortress wrenched her from her thoughts. The stone walls of her room shuddered with another crash. What was happening?
Rolling up the paper and gingerly tucking it into her tunic, she stood. It was the middle of the day – what could possibly be the cause of the earth-rumbling commotion? Was the fortress under attack? Strapping her water skin around her waist, she raced down the hall towards the stairwell, intent on discovering the source of the crashing sound.
The central tower of the Earth Kingdom base was decidedly quiet considering the time of day. Normally at this time, the mess hall would be buzzing with soldiers, voices echoing through the stairwell, but instead an eerie silence filled the halls. As she descended the stairs, she noticed that she hadn't encountered a single soldier on her descent. With each step she took, a visceral unease settled deeper in her stomach. Whatever was going on outside, she knew it wasn't good.
When she reached the exit, the sunlight blinding her as she crossed the threshold, her heart sank. Katara squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness of the mid-day sun, blazing down from directly overhead. Hundreds of soldiers were lined up in the square – much like how they had been upon their arrival – some mounted on ostrich horses. In the center of it all, on his hands and knees, was Aang, struggling to catch his breath.
Katara opened her mouth to yell for him, to ask what was going on, but before she could form the words, a figure came crashing down from above. When General Fong's feet made contact with the ground, the stone of the central plaza rippled outwards around him and Katara stumbled to maintain her balance.
"I've tried!" Aang shouted, finding his feet. "I've done everything you asked! I can't get into the Avatar State!"
"Men!" General Fong addressed his soldiers, appearing to ignore the airbender's pleas, "Attack the Avatar!"
Katara's breath caught in her throat.
Aang looked up to the Earth Kingdom General, his expression one of pure disbelief. "What are you doing?" Over Fong's shoulder, his gaze met Katara's and his eyes widened even further. Their eye contact lasted for only a moment before the soldiers around Aang slammed their feet to the ground, hauling large stone plates from the floor of the central square.
"I believe we are about to get results," General Fong crossed his arms.
"I'm not your enemy!" The airbender cried, his gaze shifting from the General to the soldiers surrounding him. "I won't fight you!"
Two of the stone plates came hurtling towards Aang from opposite ends of the plaza and Katara's heart stopped when they crashed together with the airbender in the middle.
Tears welled in her eyes. Had she just witnessed the death of her friend? Before she could even begin grieving, however, the plates fell to the side and Aang leapt out of the square carved in the center, a wild look of panic on his face.
"You made a promise to me, Avatar," General Fong yelled. "And I intend to have you keep it." He slammed his foot to the ground and sent another plate careening towards Aang.
At this, Katara snapped out of the shocked trance she had been in upon witnessing the scene unfold before her. "Stop!" The command ripped from her throat as she darted towards the General, coaxing water from the skin at her hip.
General Fong turned at the sound of her voice, shooting her a murderous glare over his shoulder.
"Katara, no!" Aang shouted, dodging another stone plate.
"It seems that neither of you have learned your lesson," The General's tone was sinister but eerily calm.
Katara whirled around, streaming the water into a whip ready to lash at the General, but before her attack closed the distance between them, the ground under her feet liquified. A pervasive dread permeated through her as she realized a moment too late that she had already lost – again.
…
The shirshu was relentless, bounding tirelessly through the night as the mounted rhinos of Zuko's party struggled to keep up. By the time the sun peeked through the trees on the horizon, the Komodo rhino beneath him had slowed to a saunter.
"Wait up!" He hissed impatiently to the bounty hunter ahead.
June slowed Nyla in response with a roll of her eyes. "We're not far off now," She sighed over her shoulder. "Nyla is getting jittery, which means we're close."
Lieutenant Jee rode up beside Zuko. "We're heading back in the direction of that cave," He noted before turning to June. "Are you certain your shirshu hasn't just picked up on the scent of General Iroh's things?"
"Didn't I say that Nyla can smell a rat a continent away?" She rebutted in annoyance. "Nyla and I didn't get this reputation from locating people's belongings. The target is up ahead."
With an exasperated breath, Zuko spurred on his rhino, gesturing for the Lieutenant and the soldiers behind him to follow. The tired beast below him grunted but picked up the pace.
They continued for another hour or so until the sun was nearing the apex of the sky. Zuko scanned the area around them, eyeing a cloud of smoke that drifted upwards from the other side of the hill that lay before them. "There's something up ahead," He called to his party and the bounty hunter.
"We're really close now," June added, glancing down at Nyla who was pawing anxiously at the dirt.
"I think we should send a small party ahead to scout," The Lieutenant suggested. "If we're as close as June says, the smoke must be from an Earth Kingdom encampment. And they likely have General Iroh in their custody."
Zuko nodded, "Agreed. We need to figure out what we're up against before we go marching into an enemy camp. I'll go."
"Prince Zuko-"
"I said that I will go, Lieutenant," Zuko repeated, his patience wearing thin.
"But what if you are caught?"
"I won't be," He retorted, his patience wearing thin. "I'm just going to look."
Jee exhaled and nodded in defeat. "Just be careful."
Zuko dismounted and slung his dao swords over his shoulder, strapping them to his back as he climbed the grassy slope. Crouching as he reached the top, he peered over the crest of the hill and scowled at the scene before him. In the valley below was a sprawling Earth Kingdom Army camp; hundreds of white tents lined the dale, while a few dozen cookfires burned. Based on the sheer number of tents, it seemed that the camp housed an entire battalion.
Zuko cursed. Retrieving his uncle was going to be much more difficult than he had anticipated. If they were to be successful in their rescue, they would have to wait until dusk and sneak into the camp under the cover of night. He clenched his fists in attempt to quell his growing frustration. He couldn't fail his uncle again.
…
Katara growled in annoyance at herself. Had she not learned anything from her last clash with the Earth Kingdom General? How could she hope to hold her own when he was able to subdue her so effortlessly?
"Leave her alone!" Aang cried from across the square as he cleared another stone plate with a gust of wind. Upon landing, he coaxed the air around him into a swirling ball under his feet, zipping out of the way of another oncoming plate. He darted towards the General, dodging stone pillars that the soldiers pulled up from the ground below.
"Perhaps you can avoid me," General Fong called to Aang, before turning back to Katara. "But she can't."
Katara gasped when she sunk deeper, the earth below claiming both of her legs. She clawed at the ground in front of her, desperately trying to pull herself free from the grasp of the hardened stone, but her efforts were in vain.
"Stop this!" Aang pleaded, dismounting from his air-scooter to fall at the General's feet. "You have to let her go!"
"You could save her if you were in the Avatar State," General Fong admonished, his voice low and cold.
"I've been trying!" The airbender wailed helplessly, tears collecting in the corner of his eyes. "Please don't hurt her!"
The ground softened again, pulling Katara in up to her waist. "Aang, I'm sinking!" She screamed, equally helpless.
"I don't see glowing," The General's tone was almost mocking.
"Don't do this!" Aang pleaded again, reaching for the General's sleeve.
Katara struggled to breathe as the earth constrained her cashest and she was pulled deeper still, only her neck and head remained above the surface.
"Please, you don't need to do this!" Aang shrieked, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Apparently, I do." With a frown and a clench of his fist, Katara was swallowed entirely.
She screamed as the earth consumed her, stealing the breath from her lungs. She was trapped below the surface, surrounded entirely by hard, cold stone and thrust into complete darkness. Her mind started racing. Was this the end? Would this be how she dies? Her heart was hammering in her chest.
She struggled against the earth that enveloped her, her lungs burning from lack of air. As she started to feel the life slip away from her, images filled her vision; memories, dreams, passing by her as she seemed to rush towards an endless void. She saw her mother's face, a young Sokka and her father returning home from a hunt, Gran Gran smiling at her from over the cookfire as she boiled sea prunes, Aang, Sokka, and Suki, joking with each other as they drifted through the sky in Appa's saddle. Then she saw Zuko, he reached for her, enfolding her in his strong arms as she wept.
Katara… I won't let you go.
Despite the peril of her current situation, the words calmed her and she closed her eyes, nuzzling into him. Just when she was ready to give up, to submit to horror of her demise, the earth around her began to move, swirling as it carried her upwards. Her eyes shot open as she broke the surface, scrambling to find purchase, dizzied by the sudden freedom. She wheezed, choking on the air she inhaled with a shocked gasp.
She collapsed onto her stomach, coughing and heaving for air.
"You still alive, Princess?" A voice cut through the cacophony in her mind. It took her a moment to place the voice, still questioning whether she had perished in the subterranean tomb. Pushing herself up on her hands and knees, she looked up to see the blind girl, Toph, standing above her.
She tried to speak, but all that came out of her mouth was an affirmative groan.
"Good," The girl continued, "Because I might need your help." Toph turned and Katara saw just what she was referring to.
A funnel of whirling air towered over them in the center of the square and at the eye of the storm was Aang, his eyes and tattoos glowing menacingly as the tornado pulled in debris from the ground nearby. His normally peaceful expression had warped into one of pure rage. Although she had only witnessed this once before, she knew he had entered the Avatar State.
"Aang!" Katara called from her position on the ground, having sufficiently filled her lungs once more. "Aang, it's ok! I'm ok!"
"It worked!' General Fong declared triumphantly.
The soldiers that surrounded them braced themselves against the gale, endeavoring to keep their feet grounded. An ostrich horse screeched as it was dragged backwards and whipped up into the whirlwind.
Forgetting the fear and dismay that had consumed her only moments ago, Katara found her footing, slowly pushing herself up to stand. "It's the Avatar State," She muttered to no one in particular.
"The what now?" Toph asked.
The wind was steadily picking up, increasing in strength and speed with each passing second.
"We need to try calm him down," Katara instructed. "But I don't think I can even get close."
"The power is so immense," General Fong noted, grinning in awe at the airbender. "Once the Avatar State has been mastered, the Fire Nation will be no match for us!"
Katara scowled at the Earth Kingdom General, not understanding how he could be so pleased; it was clear Aang had no control over his body. She called her friend's name again but got no response.
"How do we calm him down?" Toph yelled over the whistling wind.
"I- I don't know," Katara gritted her teeth. "I've only seen him like this once before. Last time, he attacked a bunch of Fire Nation soldiers and then collapsed."
"So, what? We wait it out?"
Rubble was being pulled into the tornado, swirling around Aang before it careened outwards, smashing into the outer wall and crashing through the rooves of some of the buildings along the perimeter. General Fong watched, his triumphant expression warping into one of trepidation as the outer wall of the fortress began to crumble under the impact.
"I don't think so… at this rate it looks like he's going to destroy the fortress. He's not himself." She glanced over at the soldiers. "We have to stop him before anyone gets hurt."
"Can you bend, Princess?"
"I don't have any water," Katara cursed. The contents of her waterskin had been lost when she had tried to attack the General.
"That's not a problem," Toph responded, slamming her foot to the ground and rotating. The earth in front of them rumbled and cracked as a metal pipe broke through the surface, spilling water out into puddle on the ground.
Katara stifled her amazement at the girl's resourcefulness and coaxed the water up around her. "Do you think you can get close to him?"
"What do I do when I'm close?"
"If you can't calm him down, maybe try to subdue him?"
"And you?"
"I'm going to try mitigate the damage."
With a terse nod, the blind girl threw her forearm up into the air as a slab of stone erupted from the ground before her. Throwing her fist down, the rock molded around her body, covering her small frame in a thick layer of hard stone. The earth reverberated under her feet with each step she took towards the rotating tower of wind.
"Stay back!" Katara yelled at the soldiers. "Help me prevent anything from hitting the buildings!" Without a word, the soldiers followed her command, falling back towards the perimeter of the wall.
Katara took off running along the periphery, making her way towards the infirmary. If the roof collapsed, countless injured soldiers would surely be crushed. The water trailed behind her, forming a wave that glided over the uneven ground. Luckily, the infirmary had yet to sustain any significant damage, but it was only a matter of time before one of the boulders was hurled in that direction.
As the thought left her mind, a rock twice the size of her flew from the twisting funnel of air, heading straight for the infirmary. She cursed through her teeth as she spun, sending the wave forwards. Katara threw her hands into the air and the water rose to meet the projectile, catching it mid-air. With its momentum lost to the wave, the rock crashed down in front of the infirmary, smashing the steps that led to the entrance.
In her stone armor, Toph firmly planted her feet to the ground as she cautiously entered the tornado, straining against the force of the swirling wind. Then she disappeared from sight, swallowed by the dusty tempest.
Katara breathed a sigh of relief as she redirected another rock away from the infirmary, sending it hurtling towards the wall. A number of Earth Kingdom soldiers now stood by her side, raising earth to intercept the flying rubble that was threatening to pummel the infirmary and armory.
"Stay inside!" A female voice called from behind. Despite the chaos that surrounded her, Katara recognized the voice. It was Wen. She started to turn towards the infirmary but before she could speak, a deafening whoosh drowned out all sound and she was thrown backwards with a force that knocked the air from her lungs. Her back collided violently with a hard surface and everything went black.
…
"Prince Zuko," Lieutenant Jee addressed him as he approached the group. "What did you see?"
"You were right. There's an Earth Kingdom army camp on the other side of this hill," Zuko answered with a scowl. "There's likely four-hundred troops stationed there, maybe five-hundred."
The other soldiers in his party exchanged an uneasy glance amongst themselves before shifting their gaze to their feet, awaiting orders.
"Perhaps a smaller unit encountered General Iroh in the woods and brought him here," The Lieutenant pondered aloud.
"Well, according to Nyla, the target is close," June added, examining her nails. "My work here is done."
"No, it's not," Zuko refuted, bile creeping into his tone.
"Look kid, I did what you asked."
The Fire Nation prince bristled at the bounty hunter's barb; had she really just called him kid? He reached into his pocket, brushing the pad of his thumb over the blue pendant that resided there. It was a habit he had recently picked up. Something about the necklace calmed him, as if Katara herself was there, under his fingertips.
"You paid me to locate the target. I found him for you. You did not pay me to help you storm an Earth Kingdom encampment."
"You said your shirshu's tongue contains a paralysis toxin, right?" Zuko clenched his fist around the necklace, ignoring June's insistence that her job had been completed.
She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, "Yes, I did say that. But you seem to be missing the point-"
"Name your price and I will pay it," He interrupted her, his brow furrowed in annoyance.
June scoffed. "No amount of money will convince me to charge into an Earth Kingdom military camp, especially not with a bunch of Fire Nation soldiers for company." She grabbed Nyla's reins and started to guide the beast in the direction they had come from.
"Three-thousand gold pieces."
The bounty hunter halted her shirshu and glanced back over her shoulder.
Jee's eyes widened as he interjected, "Prince Zuko, that's-"
The Fire Nation prince held up his hand to silence the Lieutenant. He didn't care that such a large sum would more than halve the contents of the strongbox in the cargo hold of his ship. Money mattered little to him, particularly after weeks of living in poverty. The safe return of his uncle was invaluable.
"On top of what you've already been paid," Zuko added.
"Four-thousand gold pieces," She countered with a smirk.
The Lieutenant opened his mouth again, ready to protest, but was quickly cut off.
"Done." The prince snarled.
"How do I know you're good for it?" The bounty hunter eyed him doubtfully. "I get that you're a prince and all, but last I heard, you had been exiled from your country."
Zuko bared his teeth, on the verge of torching the insolent woman when Lieutenant Jee stepped between them.
"I can vouch for Prince Zuko," He intervened. "The money is on his ship which is safely concealed in Bai Qi Bay. You have my word that you will be paid in full upon the completion of this task."
June's gaze met the Lieutenant's. She looked him up and down, as if sizing him up, before reluctantly complying. "You're a sour, irksome creature, Jee… But if there is one thing that I know about you, it's that your word means more to you than your own life." She turned to Zuko with a sigh. "I'll do it. What's your plan?"
…
Her whole body felt heavy, like she was made entirely of lead rather than skin and bone. A dull throbbing in her back prompted a groan to escape her throat as a pair of hands tugged at her arm, lifting her from the rubble.
"Katara! Katara, can you hear me?"
She groaned again, her head lolling back and forth.
Another pair of hands grabbed at her other arm. "She doesn't look too good," Another familiar voice pointed out, tone thick with worry as they wrapped her arm around narrow shoulders.
"Katara, it's ok now," The first voice came again. "We're back and we're going to get you and Aang out of here."
The mention of the airbender brought a whorl of memories rushing back; glowing eyes and arrow tattoos, the violent tempest that whipped at her clothes and hair, debris flying out in all directions.
"Aa-… Aang…?" She uttered, discovering her voice once more.
A relieved exhale tickled her cheek. "Yes, Aang," The second voice confirmed, clearly reassured by her responsiveness. "He's doing ok, now. He just woke up."
"You two are going to have to explain what on earth happened here," The first voice informed her and she realized belatedly that the voice belonged to her older brother. "You have to be more careful, Katara. You had me worried sick. I promised Gran Gran I'd watch your back."
"Sokka," She murmured, a dazed smile curling the corners of her lips. She had missed her older sibling. "You're… back."
"Apparently just in time, too," He grumbled. "We got word that the Kyoshi Warriors had been rescued from a Fire Nation ship and had been brought to Fong's Fortress. As soon as we found out, we came rushing back. Appa is kind of exhausted from all the flying, so we'll find somewhere to set up camp nearby."
"Is… everyone… ok?" Katara breathed. "The infirmary…"
"Luckily everyone is fine," The second voice, which she now recognized as belonging to Suki, replied. "Apparently there were only some minor injuries, nothing life threatening. So… um, did Aang… do all this?"
Katara nodded lazily. She didn't want to think about the destruction Aang had caused in the Avatar State, let alone recall the events that led up to her being knocked unconscious. Instead, she leaned on her brother and her friend for support and allowed them to half-carry, half-drag her across the central square of the crumbling military fortress. They hauled her up into Appa's saddle and laid her down among the bedrolls for comfort.
She turned onto her side with another groan and opened her eyes. For an instant, she caught Aang's gaze before he quickly turned away, a pained expression on his face.
"Aang…" Katara's voice was little more than a whisper, "You're okay."
She didn't miss the tear that slid down his cheek, despite his efforts to hide it.
"B-but you're not," His voice wavered as he tried to contain the tears that were threatening to fall from his watery eyes.
"I'm fine," She murmured, content now she was lying on her side.
"No, you're not," The airbender responded, more force in his tone now. "I hurt you."
"You didn't… do it… on purpose," She breathed. "You weren't… yourself. General Fong…-"
"General Fong didn't destroy the fortress. General Fong didn't put all those soldiers in danger. General Fong d-didn't knock you unconscious. That was all me. I-I'm sorry, Katara. I hope you never have t-to see me like that again… and I hope you can forgive me."
"That wasn't you," She forced a reassuring smile and felt herself begin to drift out of consciousness once more as her eyelids grew heavy. "So there's nothing to forgive."
The corners of Aang's lips curled ever so slightly, but the smile didn't make it to his eyes.
"I don't think I ever got your name," Sokka said from somewhere nearby.
"It's Toph."
"I invited her to come with us," Aang added, his tone still wearied and solemn.
"I see… well hop on!" Sokka exclaimed. "I'm Katara's older brother, Sokka, and this is Suki."
"I- uh, maybe I'll just stay here."
"What? Why?"
"Flying isn't really my thing."
"I don't think it's anyone's thing at first. It's an acquired taste, like sea prunes," Sokka responded. "Besides, what are you going to do here?"
There was a pause. "Ok, fair enough." Toph's shrug was apparent in her tone. "But I'm sitting right in the middle. It's already bad enough that I won't be able to see anything on that thing's back."
"His name is Appa," Aang interjected, his voice distant.
"Right," Toph continued. "I'm sitting in the middle."
…
Zuko watched from his position atop the hill as the cookfires burned out and soldiers made their way to their tents for the night. It had been hours since the sun had set in the west, but Zuko was adamant about waiting. The fewer soldiers they encountered, the better.
Lieutenant Jee crouched beside him in silence, his stony gaze trained on the Earth Kingdom camp below, while the rest of the party loitered at the foot of the hill. When the last cookfire was reduced to a pile of smoking embers, he turned to the Fire Nation prince. "I think it's time."
Zuko nodded in agreement and they descended the hill.
"So, we're clear on the plan?" The Lieutenant addressed the other soldiers. "Sergeant Kudo and Corporal Deng, protect the Prince. Corporal Huo and Private Tao, bring up the rear. I shouldn't have to remind you to avoid using firebending at all costs. The last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves."
The soldiers nodded in confirmation, then turned to Zuko and the Lieutenant and bowed in respect.
"Let's go," The prince muttered, securing his dao swords on his back as he mounted the shirshu behind the bounty hunter.
"Don't get us caught," June remarked sarcastically.
Zuko glowered but didn't justify the bounty hunter's comment with a response.
In spite of the shirshu's size, it moved swiftly and silently through the tall grass.
Zuko kept one hand on his pocket during the ride, palming the outline of Katara's necklace through the silk fabric of his pants, while the other rested on the hilt of his swords. He couldn't think about what would happen if they were unable to locate his uncle. He had considered burning down the entire camp if the old General was nowhere to be found.
In front of him, June clicked her tongue at the shirshu, urging him to a stop. They lingered at the edge of the camp, waiting for the rest of the party to catch up. Once the others had arrived and the komodo rhinos had been positioned at the edge of a nearby forest in preparation for a quick escape, they crept toward the camp, swords at the ready.
A few sentries patrolled the outskirts of the encampment while others were stationed at regular intervals throughout. They narrowly avoided an encounter with the first three sentries – diving behind nearby tents as the soldiers approached and passed, unaware of the covert operation going on under their noses – before they came across the main street that traversed the camp. Two more Earth Kingdom soldiers stood guard near the entrance to a large tent, mumbling to each other over the distant hum of crickets.
"Can you believe that? Fong's Fortress is supposed to be impenetrable."
The mention of the Earth Kingdom fortress stopped Zuko in his tracks. Katara was there. What had happened? Zuko circled around the side of the tent with Sergeant Kudo and Corporal Deng at his heels, crouching low as he strained to hear the conversation.
"Fong's is impenetrable," The other soldier corrected. "The Avatar was already inside the fortress when it happened."
"But for him to destroy it like that? You'd think an impenetrable fortress could hold up to some wind."
"The Lieutenant Colonel was saying something about him being in the Avatar State. Someone must have really pissed that boy off for him to attack the fortress."
The avatar had attacked the Earth Kingdom military base? That couldn't be. Though he couldn't claim to know the airbender well, Zuko had noticed early on that the boy hardly ever attacked unless cornered and forced to do so as a means of defense. What could have happened to make him supposedly destroy the fortress?
Thoughts of Katara swirled around in his mind as his skin grew clammy and his heart thundered in his ears. Was she ok? Had she been involved in this attack? He had assumed that she would be safe once they arrived at Fong's, but the conversation between the two sentinels suggested otherwise. Zuko mentally cursed. He didn't know what he would do if anything had happened to her in his absence. The notion pulled at his heart strings.
"But to think after all that, he'd just leave? I know the Avatar is supposed to be the savior of the free world, or whatever, but that's pretty despicable."
Steeling himself against his growing sense of trepidation, Zuko threw a stone into the main street of the camp. When the sentinels fell silent and turned towards the disturbance, June guided Nyla around the opposite corner of the tent.
The Fire Nation prince clasped the hilt of his dao swords as he huddled in the shadows, waiting for the soldiers to approach. At first sight of the Earth Kingdom men, his lightning-fast reflexes kicked in as he leapt forward, knocking the first in the throat with the blunt end of his sword. The man choked, breathless, and the prince followed up with a swift push kick to his chest, knocking him over backwards. The second soldier opened his mouth to alert the camp, but the shirshu's tongue made contact with the exposed skin of his wrist and he dropped to the ground with a dull thud as Corporal Deng jumped on him, stuffing a piece of cloth in the man's mouth.
Corporal Huo and Private Tao restrained the two soldiers, dragging them out of sight, while the rest of the party followed the shirshu's nose further into the interior of the camp.
Zuko tried to ignore the tendrils of worry that snaked around his chest as he thought of what those soldiers had said. He knew he had to keep a clear head to focus on the mission at hand, but for all his efforts, he could not rid Katara from his mind. The water tribe girl had broken down his hard exterior and found a hole where his heart was supposed to be, before promptly filling it, settling herself in. Even during their separation, it seemed that with every passing day he longed for her more. Absentmindedly, he thumbed the pendant in his pocket.
The party silently took out six more sentinels as they navigated through the rows of tents, allowing the shirshu to take the lead. When they approached the center of the sleeping Earth Kingdom encampment, Nyla began whining and digging his claws into the soft earth. The shirshu's snout twitched, pointing towards a large pavilion, which Zuko assumed must be the Lieutenant Colonel's quarters, located at the very center of the encampment. Across the main street, a line of ostrich horses that had been tied to a long wooden post, began stirring restlessly and whickering, having apparently sensed the presence of the shirshu in the shadows.
Zuko held up his hand, halting the party. He didn't dare allow the shirshu any closer, lest the ostrich horses' commotion wake any of the Earth Kingdom officers in the surrounding tents. He turned to look at June, still mounted on her beast.
"Which tent is it?" He hissed.
The bounty hunter clicked her tongue at the shirshu and it groaned and whined in response, tossing its head before pointing its snout forwards again.
"Looks like the scent is coming from there," She whispered, gesturing towards one of the smaller tents off the main road, which had a single guard stationed at the entrance.
"You're certain?"
June nodded, opening her mouth to say something, but the prince cut her off.
"Pull the beast back, I can't have those ostrich horses waking up the whole camp," Zuko ordered under his breath, ignoring the bounty hunter's eye roll. "I'm going in on my own."
"Prince Zuko," Lieutenant Jee breathed, "I don't think that's a good idea."
"I know you don't, Lieutenant," Zuko snapped back, annoyed with the man's persistent questioning of his every move. "But as I recall, I didn't ask for your thoughts on the matter. Stay back here and wait. Be ready to make a quick escape."
The Lieutenant frowned but followed the prince's command, pulling back the other soldiers. Zuko moved on, stealthily shifting through the shadows of the encampment, making his way towards the circle of tents at the center.
A faint flickering light escaped from underneath the canopy flap of the tent that June had pointed out. He watched from a short distance away as the soldier out front paced back and forth. He hoped the shirshu's nose was correct.
Zuko ducked into the shadows and rounded the side of another tent nearby. Pausing when he reached the back end of the guarded tent that he hoped contained the old General, he knelt down and silently unsheathed his dagger, poking a hole through the canvas material. He peered through the narrow gap and suppressed a relieved sigh. In the middle of the tent knelt his uncle, his wrists bound with a heavy metal chain that tethered him to the ground. From this angle, Zuko couldn't see anyone else in the tent.
Reeling in his nerves, he pulled in a deep breath and sliced open the back of the canvas tent with quiet caution. Inside, his uncle jolted from a trancelike state, looking up in surprise as Zuko squeezed through the slit in the material. The old man's look of shock soon molded into a grateful smile as he mouthed his nephew's name.
…
Aang had hardly spoken during the journey from Fong's Fortress. He had held his knees to his chest and stared off into the distance as Sokka guided Appa north and Suki conversed with Toph. When she finally felt comfortable sitting up, Katara had tried to heal some of the damage to her shoulder and back from the impact against the hard stone wall of the infirmary. Sighed as the throbbing pain dulled slightly.
As Sokka brought Appa down to where they would set up camp for the evening, Aang finally turned to face them.
"I need to speak with Avatar Roku."
"Avatar Roku?" Sokka repeated over his shoulder from atop Appa's head. "But didn't he die over a hundred years ago?"
Aang nodded, but continued, "Back there… when I was in the Avatar State, it was like I left my body. Like I was floating away, watching myself from above." He breathed a heavy sigh, as if contemplating how to go on. "I don't know how to explain it, but I think I know how I can contact Avatar Roku, my previous life."
"What do you mean?" Katara asked.
"There was a red dragon flying above the fortress as I drifted upwards. I touched its scales and saw a vision." He looked among his friends, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "There's a crescent-shaped island with a temple on it that contains a statue of Roku. If I can make it there by the solstice, I think I can contact his spirit."
"Aang, that's great!" Katara sat up, smiling.
"Creepy, but great," Sokka added.
"The summer solstice?" Suki questioned, "But isn't that only four days away?"
Aang looked up sheepishly, "Yeah… and there's one other problem… the island is in the Fire Nation."
The rest of the gang fell silent and the smile faded from Katara's lips. Toph shifted uneasily at her side. After a moment, Sokka spoke up.
"Aang, we can't just fly into Fire Nation territory. I know this is important to you, but it's too big a risk."
"You don't understand," The airbender countered, "It was like Roku was reaching out to me, like he's trying to tell me something. I need to find out what it is." He looked over to Katara, pleading for her support.
She bit her lip. Sokka was right; if they were caught in Fire Nation territory, their whole mission would fail. Aang still hadn't mastered waterbending and she was quite certain that the Fire Nation territory was heavily patrolled by the Navy - they were at war, after all. If Aang was captured, he would stand no chance. "I'm sorry, Aang," She sighed, "But I'm with Sokka on this one… it's just too dangerous. We'll have to find another way."
"What if there is no other way?" Aang snapped. "This could be my only chance to speak to one of my past lives! If anyone can give me advice on being the Avatar, it's Roku!"
"There's no way we're letting you go into Fire Nation territory so you can commune with the ghost of the last avatar," Sokka reiterated, more forcefully this time. Suki averted her gaze and Toph turned her face away, neither wanting to weigh in on the situation.
"We'll try to figure something out, okay?" Katara reached for the airbender's shoulder but he shrugged her off with a huff and turned away from her once more.
…
Two swift kicks were all it took to break the chains that tethered his uncle to the earth. The metal clattered as they came free and Iroh grabbed the loose ends to prevent them from jingling as he stood. A grunt outside of the tent alerted Zuko to the presence of the soldier and he gestured to the old General to sit back down, concealing the broken chains.
"What's all that racket-" The soldier started gruffly as he opened the tent flap and stepped inside. Before he could finish his sentence, Zuko grabbed his wrist and yanked him further into the tent, knocking off the man's helmet with his free hand. The Earth Kingdom soldier moved into a bending stance, preparing to attack, but Zuko was too quick for him. The prince's foot connected with the soldier's temple and the burly man went limp, crumpling to the ground.
Iroh stood once more, carefully stepping over the unconscious soldier as he followed his nephew towards the tent flap. Before Zuko could exit the tent, Iroh grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him back into a hug.
"Uncle-" Zuko started to say, cut-off by his uncle's tight embrace.
"Thank you, Zuko."
"For what? I left you back there-"
"For coming back for an old man like me," Iroh mumbled, his tone thick with emotion as he gave Zuko one final squeeze before pulling back.
"I thought that you'd be mad."
"I was only worried that you had lost your way," The old General gave his nephew a solemn smile.
Zuko's chest tightened. How could his uncle forgive him so easily? He felt his expression soften. What would the old man think when he told him about his intention to join the Avatar? That conversation would have to wait, however. "We can talk later," Zuko remarked, turning back towards the tent flap. "Let's get you out of here."
When they reconvened with the rest of the party, Zuko noticed that everyone seemed on edge, particularly the Lieutenant who appeared to be waiting for an alert to sound. Crickets continued to hum in the distance and the line of ostrich horses still nickered restlessly, but otherwise, the Earth Kingdom military camp was quiet.
"Lieutenant Jee, my old friend," Iroh smiled at the sight of the officer. "I take it that Commander Zhao didn't give you too much trouble?"
The Lieutenant's hard exterior cracked when his lip curled in greeting. "General Iroh, Dragon of the West," He bowed. "The Commander was no trouble at all. Though, I dare say his soldiers may have lost some of your Pai Sho pieces."
"Then our rematch will have to wait," Iroh sighed with another grin at his old acquaintance before turning towards June. "And who, might I ask, is this lovely lady gracing us with her presence?" He reached for her hand on Nyla's reigns.
"June, the bounty hunter," She raised a brow, pulling back her hand. "I'm going to get you out of here, but I ask that you keep your hands to yourself, old man." She shot Zuko a warning look.
"Uncle, there's no time for this. You're going to ride with June and the rest of us will follow behind." He helped his uncle into the Shirshu's saddle, before turning to hiss at June, "Get him out of here."
With a terse nod and a cautionary glance around the corner, the bounty hunter steered the shirshu around the tent and darted off down the main road. Zuko then turned to the rest of his party, crouching in the shadows. "Back the way we came," He instructed Lieutenant Jee.
When they reached the outskirts of the encampment, Zuko felt like he could finally breathe. Despite his initial doubts, they had succeeded in rescuing Iroh. His uncle stood next to the bounty hunter, muttering about something that made her chuckle and remark snidely. A strange nausea settled in his stomach then; either from his uncle's cringey attempts at flirting with the younger woman or the realization that he would soon see Katara again.
"Bounty Hunter," He addressed her, interrupting his uncle – for his own sake, Zuko figured. "We will escort you back to my ship where you will receive your payment. Though, I have one more assignment for you and your shirshu."
"What will it be, Your Highness?" The title dripped off her tongue.
The prince reached into his pocket and produced the blue necklace. In his periphery, he saw his uncle's eyes widen.
"I need you to find someone for me," The carved pendant caught what little light there was and shone in the darkness as he held it out for the shirshu to smell. "She's a waterbender and companion to the Avatar. Lead me to her."
...
So a lot happened in this chapter... I was trying not to rush things, but I really wanted to get the story moving and I'm excited to post some more Zutara scenes in the near future!
What did you think about this chapter? The introduction of June? Escape from the Earth Kingdom military? Aang's first real experience with the Avatar State? Zuko still having Katara's necklace?
I love hearing your thoughts and criticisms!
...
With love,
A Storm