Chapter 12: The Masked Man
As a rule Zuko tried to avoid bars, taverns, inns, and other dispensers of alcohol. Most that you found on the road tended to attract unscrupulous sorts, not to mention a fair number of off-duty Fire Nation soldiers, which was something to avoid when you were pretty sure that the Army was after you for desertion. Add in the fact that he was, technically, underage (even if he had been drinking since his early teens) and it was a good selection of reasons to avoid such establishments.
Yet there he was, sat in the corner of 'The Herbalist's Retreat', sipping from a mug of extremely poor quality ale.
He'd made the decision to keep his black travelling cloak on when he entered, hood up and pulled forward so that it cast his face in shadow. No one had even looked twice at him; the room was filled with men and women draped in robes, cloaks, and capes, not to mention the vast assortment of masks that could be seen, both on the tavern's walls and its clientele. Zuko had also decided not to question; he was working on the grounds that if he didn't ask about the masks, then they wouldn't question him keeping his hood up.
His eye was fixed on the men sat two tables away from him. Even out of uniform, it wasn't hard to identify them as Fire Nation soldiers. It was clear from the way they spoke to the way they acted. It was also clear that the rest of the room, all Earth Kingdom nationals, knew that they were Fire Nation and were deciding whether to do anything about it. Zuko figured most were probably waiting until the soldiers had drank a lot more of the terrible, but strong, ale that they throwing down their necks.
However it wasn't the soldiers themselves that held Zuko's attention, it was what they were saying.
"Yeah, one of my buddies is a Yuyan, real quiet but not a bad guy. He was telling me that they'd been sent out after the Avatar and that they got him."
"Seriously? The Avatar? Yeah, right. If the Avatar is even real, no way a bunch of archers took him down."
"I'm telling you, Agni's own truth, they took him down. Got him locked up in Pohuai, just up yonder. Admiral Zhao's orders, or so he said."
"Thought Zhao was a Commander?"
"Recently promoted; they sent a memo out a couple days ago."
A sigh. "It's always the bastards that reach the top."
"Ain't that the truth."
Zuko sighed himself and zoned out of the conversation as they began complaining about the unfairness of military promotion. He swirled the ale around in his mug and debated his options.
On the one hand, no one knew that he knew the Avatar was captured. He could walk away; he had a bounty lined up a few miles north and by then he wouldn't be too far from the Abbey. He could rest up there, take a little break, and then be on his way again.
Zuko considered this option. It seemed very pleasant, not to mention lucrative. The bounty was relatively substantial, for a man that would not prove difficult to capture.
Zuko sighed as he began considering option two. Sneaking past the fabled Yuyan Archers, into a heavily guarded fortress, breaking into a cell capable of holding the Avatar, and then breaking out again with the boy, all while directly under Zhao's nose.
He knew which option he preferred.
Zuko sighed again and finished the last of his ale. He dropped a couple of coins next to his empty mug and strode out of the tavern.
Damn Avatar, he cursed.
Getting into Pohuai Stronghold was surprisingly easy, Zuko found as he readjusted his mask. He liked the mask, even if it did restrict his, already limited, vision. It was almost exactly the same as one his Mom had had in her rooms at the Palace when he was a boy. Almost. His Mom's wasn't lined with armour-grade steel. The blacksmith had looked at Zuko like he was insane when he'd asked him to make the upgrade to the mask. In the end he'd just shook his head and grumbled, "It's your coin, boy."
Thankfully the 'boy' comments had mostly dried up in the last year or so. He still got them occasionally, but it was mostly from the very old and he was willing to let it go in those circumstances.
He moved through the corridors of the fortress like a shadow, blending seamlessly with the darkest corners. He made a point of snuffing out a lot of the torches with his bending, giving him more places to lurk.
He heard talking up ahead. He paused. Then peeked around the corner quickly.
Two guards stood in front of a locked, heavy door. This has to be it, Zuko thought as he readied his swords. He breathed in deeply and then released it before stepping firmly around the corner, blades brandished.
Aang sighed and let chin drop down onto his chest in defeat. He needed to get out; to save his friends, and just for his own sake. He'd tried everything though and he was still securely chained. He'd down the best Airbending he could without his arms and legs and the chains hadn't even budged.
He lifted his head to try again when he saw a figure slip into the room. Tall, slim, and dressed entirely in black, save for the blue and white grinning mask that covered their face. Then he saw the swords the figure carried and frowned; there was something about them…
He shrieked when he saw the masked man raised his blades and dart towards him.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!"
There was a screech of sheared metal and Aang felt the chains fall away easily. He looked down and saw that the stranger had cut him free and was now sliding his swords into a scabbard strapped across his back.
He motioned to Aang in a 'follow-me' gesture before going over to the door, peering out, and exiting through it. Figuring that he had little choice, Aang followed him.
Zuko had considered revealing himself to the Avatar but had decided against it. While he hadn't parted on bad terms with Aang himself, the same couldn't be said for his friends. It would be quicker, and easier, if the boy just assumed he'd been rescued by a masked stranger, a vigilante who'd decided to save him. Nothing more.
He crept through darkened hallways, Aang following close behind, so close that he'd bumped into Zuko's back on two occasions already. Each time Zuko had looked over his shoulder and glared at the boy through the mask; he wasn't sure how much of his expression filtered through the wood and steel, but he figured some of it must be as the Avatar appeared chagrined each time.
The only real hitch was when Aang had ran down another corridor, following a partially-frozen frog. Zuko had contained his sigh and just grabbed the Airbender by the neck of his robes and dragged him along the right path.
They managed to make it outside, all the way to the rope that Zuko had left for their escape, when he heard someone raise the alarm. The rope was cut as they were halfway up, sending them plummeting to the ground. Thankfully Aang had bent a comfortable landing for them both.
What followed was some of the most intense fighting Zuko had done in his life; enemies came from all directions with sword, spear, arrow, and fire. Each one he blocked, deflected, countered, or outright avoided, all while trying to keep an eye on Aang at the same time. The whole thing gave him a pounding sensation in his skull as he struggled to track everyone's movements with limited sight.
They were on their way towards the gates when Zuko heard Zhao's voice roll across the courtyard. "Close the gates!"
Aang tried bending them out, using a stolen spear as a staff, but it ended poorly, knocking the wind from Zuko and leaving his ribs bruised.
He'd kept fighting, as had Aang, but they were stupidly outnumbered and trapped inside the fortress. He watched as teams of Firebenders advanced, flaming fists raised.
Zhao's voice rang out, "The Avatar must be captured alive."
That gave Zuko an idea, albeit a poor one. He crossed his swords at Aang's throat, staring up towards Zhao with his grinning mask.
There was a long pause then Admiral Zhao ordered, "Open the gates."
The gates were opened and Zuko began backing out of them slowly, still holding his Dao to the soft skin of the Avatar's throat.
They almost made it too.
Aang noted they were halfway across the bridge when there was twanging sound and the presence at his back was suddenly gone.
He turned and saw his rescuer/kidnapper on the ground, the painted wood of his mask split to reveal grey metal and an arrow sticking out of his shoulder.
Aang hurriedly looked towards the gates and saw Firebenders charging towards him. He blew up a dust storm to hide them and was about to run off into the forest. That's when he saw it.
The stranger's mask had slipped slightly, revealing something strange. The skin was pinkish-red and crinkled looking. It almost looked like…
He pulled the mask away and gasped. It was Lee. Or, he thought grimly, Zuko. It was Zuko. That was his name.
He glanced around, not knowing what to do. Then he thought about what Zuko had said happened to deserters, and the stories that Sokka and Katara had told him made it sound even worse. He picked the older boy's swords up and clumsily stuffed them into their scabbard. He then heaved Zuko up and began using Airbending to help carry the weight and speed up his running. He headed into the forest, moving at speeds that no Firebender could hope to match.
He didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew he'd have to make sure Zuko was okay. It was only right.
Zuko awoke. That, in itself, was surprising to him. What surprised him further was the Avatar's voice.
"One of my best friends was named Kuzon. He was a Firebender, like you. We'd get into the best kinds of trouble together. I miss him. Do you think, if the War wasn't happening, that we could've been friends?"
"That sounds like it would've been nice."
Aang startled at Zuko's response. He'd been talking to the older boy's unconscious body for a while now and received no reply.
"Lee! I mean," he paused. "Zuko. I meant Zuko."
Zuko heaved out a groan as he pushed himself into a seated position against a tree.
"Lee's fine, actually. I prefer it."
Aang frowned. "Why? Surely you prefer your actual name?"
Zuko shrugged and had to bite back a scream. He'd forgot about the arrow in his shoulder. He breathed deeply, trying to reduce his pain.
Then he gasped, "Lee's safer. Lee can be from the Colonies. He could be Earth Kingdom with some Fire Nation blood in him. Lee's not a deserter. Zuko is."
He thought he saw Aang nod out of the corner of his eye. Aang's said, "I didn't know what to do. About the arrow, I mean. It seemed like a bad idea to just pull it out.
Zuko nodded. "You were right. Yuyan use barbed arrowheads. You'd have torn me to shreds and probably killed me in the process. I'd have bled out on the forest floor."
Aang's face paled and he audibly gulped. "O-okay, glad I didn't do that, then. So, what do we do?"
Zuko shook his head. "We do nothing. You need to get back to your friends and get out of here before Zhao catches up to you."
Aang's eyes widened. "Sokka and Katara! I have their medicine."
He pulled a frog out of his robe; Zuko noted that it appeared to be partially encased in ice.
Zuko stared at it and then shook his head. "I don't want to know. Anyway, you should get back to them and get out of here."
Aang stood, about to leave, when he turned back. His eyes were on the arrow sticking out of Zuko's shoulder. "I can't just leave you like this. You need help."
"It's fine. Hardly my first arrow wound. Trust me, Aang, I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing and you really don't want to see it."
Aang nodded slowly, not entirely convinced. Zuko continued, "Aang, go. Wait! Before you do, my mask?"
Aang pointed to the base of a tree. One of the arrows had pierced his shoulder, but the other had nearly split his mask in half. Zuko thanked his paranoid past self for having the foresight to armour the simple theatre mask.
Zuko nodded. "Okay, thanks. You should go, Aang. Maybe I'll… maybe I'll see you around sometime."
Aang nodded, still a little hesitantly. "Okay. Okay. Bye, Zuko! I mean, Lee! Bye."
Zuko watched as the monk took off running, moving at dizzying speeds. He then sighed and drew his dagger. What happened next was not pleasant for Zuko, not at all.