... Hi. 'Tis me again.

To cut a long story short: The whole pandemic 'situation' paired with me losing my job (because of the pandemic), my mental health took a bit of a nosedive... into the gutter. Not to worry, things are better now - I also have a new job, yay! And since it's the holiday season, I thought I'd venture back into this little story of mine.

Hope you enjoy and let's all hope that 2021 is slightly less shit.

Chapter 11: Enemy at the Gates

The approaching ship was bad. He told Hakoda as much.

"How bad?" Hakoda asked.

Zuko didn't reply. He couldn't. How do you tell someone you care about that his people - his family - were in danger.

"How bad, Lee!?"

He looked up to meet the eyes of the man who had become more than a father figure to him. The look on his face was not anger but concern. Zuko sighed in defeat.

"The ship is led by a man named Zhao. He's a commander in the Fire Nation Navy and a close associate of the Firelord."

Hakoda swore under his breath.

"Do you know why he would be coming here? He's not with the Southern Raiders. And even if he was, there's no way they could know we have a waterbender; it's just not possib-"

"It's all my fault!" Zuko felt the words explode out of him. He couldn't keep the truth hidden any longer.

"...What do you mean it's your fault?" Hakoda gave him a stern look.

"I've been lying about who I am."

The was an agonising pause. Hakoda's expression had changed, but Zuko couldn't quite figure out what that meant.

"I know," Hakoda said finally.

Not what he was expecting.

"What? You know I've been lying to you this whole time?" Zuko responded in disbelief.

"I don't know who you are, but yes, I knew you were lying to me. I understand that you are from an upper-class family, which is why I assumed you were hiding your real identity. Although now I'm guessing there's more to it than that."

Zuko deliberated on what to say next. He had to tell him everything, but he feared what would come after. He didn't want to leave this place, but he wasn't sure they'd let him stay.

"Lee, if this Zhao is truly here because of you, I need to know the truth. Please."

Here it is then.

"Everything I told you is the truth... other than my name. It isn't Lee - you probably already knew that, though. It's Zuko - I'm the crown prince of the Fire Nation."

To say Hakoda was shocked would be an understatement.

"You're the prince?! So the Firelord, he's your-"

"My father, yes. After I escaped, he most likely sent out half the army to look for me."

"Escaped? What-" The reality of the situation hit Hakoda like an avalanche. "Your face. He... your father - the Firelord... he did that."

Zuko only looked to the floor, tears sparkling in his eyes. Clearly, he was just as overwhelmed by this conversation as Hakoda was. He moved the conversation back to the threat at hand.

"Zhao - what do I need to know about him?"

It worked. Lee - Zuko, he'd need to start calling him that - no longer looked like he was going to shatter. He seemed to ponder on Hakoda's question for a moment before answering.

"He'll want to search the village - don't let him. If you can, don't allow him to get passed the docks. Even if he doesn't find me, he'll find some reason for a confrontation. He might antagonise you into a fight if he has to. I need to get out of here before he arrives."

"There's a hunting shelter a few miles into the tundra. We'll pack some supplies. I want Katara to go with you."

"Katara?"

"She's a waterbender, the last here in the south, and she's my daughter. I won't let them take her."

Zuko paused for a moment.

"Actually... Sokka should probably come too."

"Why do you say that?"

"You're the leader here. Children of leaders are good for bargaining. It's best not to let someone like Zhao anywhere near either of them."

Hakoda shuddered at the thought.

"Okay then, the three of you will leave immediately. I assume you'll fill them in on all the details on your way."

Zuko nodded.

"Right, let's do this."

"You're a PRINCE! WHAT?"

"Jeez, Sokka! Say it louder; I don't think the polar bear-dogs on the other side of the continent heard you." Katara smirked.

"Sorry! But, I mean, you've got to admit this is big information. Finding out your new friend and roommate is a prince of the nation currently trying to take over the world, is a lot to take in."

Zuko cringed at Sokka's words. As much as he was learning the truth about the Fire Nation, hearing it still caused a horrible feeling to erupt in his chest. Sokka must have noticed his discomfort as he immediately started backpedalling.

"No! - I mean, not that you're part of that. You're our friend; you wouldn't hurt us - I'm not saying that all other Fire Nation-"

"Sokka, just stop talking before you say anything worse!" Katara interjected.

Both boys looked relieved. Neither really wanted to know where Sokka was going with that. Zuko just wanted to get as far away from that topic as possible.

"So what was it like being a prince? Did you live in a big castle?" Katara continued.

"I grew up in the Royal Palace. It was actually kind of lonely. We couldn't go outside of the palace grounds very often, and we always had to be escorted by guards. It's hard to make friends when you can't leave your house."

"That's sad. The entire village helped raise us, especially after our mom...", she broke eye contact as her words faded.

"I guess that's something we have in common. My mom - she didn't... you know... she just... disappeared. After that, it was just me, Azula and my father. And Uncle Iroh, of course."

Uncle. Zuko hadn't thought about him in a while. It was easier not to think about him, mostly since he wasn't sure what happened after he escaped the palace.

"Who's Azula?" Sokka asked.

"My little sister."

"You have a sister too? Is she as annoying as this one?"

Sokka was proud of that comment for an entire two seconds before he found himself being pelted by clumps of snow. For an entire two seconds, Sokka forgot his sister was a waterbender with a short temper.

"Ouch! Aah! Sorry! Ahh! I'm sorry!" Sokka yelped as he ran away from the floating projectiles. He screeched as one hit him in the back of the neck. "Eeeaaugh! Katara! I have brain freeze now!" He sulked, pressing a palm to his forehead.

"That's not how brain freeze works, Sokka!" Katara laughed. "look, the hunting cabin is up ahead."

Zuko and Sokka looked to where she was pointing. The cabin was small, and it looked a bit unsteady. It had clearly been built many years ago. It looked damp, and since nobody had used it in a while, a large snowbank had built up from the snow that would fall off the cabin's roof. Once they'd dug out around the door, they opened it and went inside.

Unlike previous events, the Fire Nation vessel didn't enter their docks. Instead, two smaller boats approached carrying a dozen or so men in each. They were all dressed in the usual Fire Nation regalia, and all but a few wearing the soulless, skull-like faceplates.

Hakoda, along with a large group of hunters, stood at the docks watching the boats row in. Most of the village was there watching, but most stood quite a distance back. A few of the older women had stayed behind at the village to look after the children.

A man in a more decorated uniform got off one of the boats, soldiers flanking him. Hakoda assumed this must be the commander that Zuko had told him about. The man walked in a confident stride towards him with a menacing grin on his face. One look at his expression sent a cold shiver up Hakoda's spine.

"What is your business here?" Hakoda tried to erase any expression from his face. His warriors flanked him either side, a wall of strength between their people and their would-be invaders.

"My name is Zhao, commander in the Fire Nation Navy. No need to fret, we have no interest in harming any of you. I'm here on business pertinent to the Firelord."

"The people of the Southern Water Tribe have no interest in the business of the Firelord."

Zhao's smirk turned downwards briefly before his eyes gleamed, thrilled by Hakoda's antagonism. He motioned to the soldier on his left, who handed him a rolled piece of parchment.

"We're looking for someone - two someones actually."

The first thing Zuko noticed was the lack of damp on the inside of the cabin. Unlike the igloos back a the village, this building was made of wood and stone. Since it was much further out of the village, it was built with materials that required less maintenance. The interior, while small and lacking in furniture and decor, was dry and cosy.

"There should be spare pelts in here somewhere. We should find them so we can avoid having to build a fire. We don't want to draw any attention to our location," Sokka said as he began looking around the cabin.

"I'll help," Katara said. "We should settle in for the night; the sun's just starting to set."

It wasn't long before the trio were huddled together under the pelts. The cabin was quite large for the three of them, so they'd decided against making separate beds in an effort to keep warm. While the two water tribe siblings settled into sleep, Zuko lay awake haunted by thoughts of Zhao.

Like many of the Fire Nation's ranking officers, the commander had always been ambitious and power-hungry, but there was something inherently evil about Zhao. Zuko used to get a horrid chill in his neck whenever he saw him in the palace. And he would never forget the look in Zhao's eyes as his father's flaming fist-

"Are you okay?"

The small voice of Katara next to him saved him from the flashback.

"What?" he replied, still in a daze.

"I can practically hear the thoughts churning in your head. It's about the ship, isn't it? This guy... he's dangerous?" her voice turned sheepish.

Zuko only nodded.

"Well, don't worry, my dad will handle him. He was named chief because he's the best warrior around. He'll keep us all safe."

Her confidence made Zuko smile. It was nice to see how much she looked up to her father.

"How are you so calm about all of this? He asked. " I told you I'm the son of your enemy and yet you're so unfazed by it. Why?"

"If you were bad, you would have tried to hurt us. But you haven't. You've been so nice, and you've helped. Why should I hate you just because your dad is a bad guy? It's not your fault."

"Thanks, Katara."

"You're welcome. Now go to sleep." She said just as a loud, snotty snore came from her brother.

They both giggled quietly.

The two soldiers flanking Commander Zhao both held up scrolls of wanted posters. One was undeniably Zuko, even without the scar. The other was of an older gentleman which Hakoda was almost sure was the uncle that Zuko had mentioned.

"Prince Zuko and General Iroh," Zhao began. " Three months ago, the two of them disappeared from the Fire Nation capital. It is believed that the General has kidnapped the young prince as a plot against his brother, the Firelord. Have you seen either of them here in the south or anywhere on your travels?"

Hakoda looked around. Most of the village was here - including all of the soldiers. And they had all just become privy to Zuko's true identity. There was a long moment of silence as they all processed the situation.

"We haven't seen them."

The voice came from behind Hakoda. When he turned to look, he found Imani approaching the front of the crowd. He turned back to Zhao, who was now looking very sceptical.

"What she says is true. We have never seen that man or the boy - here or anywhere else for that matter." Hakoda said.

"Are you sure?" Zhao asked. "If you don't mind, my men and I would like to take a look around? Just to be sure, of course."

"No, you can't," Hakoda turned to find Bato walking to his side as he spoke. The other men all did the same; even Tokra had appeared with them. Imani and some of the other villagers stood at his other side, a wall of southern solidarity. "As our chief said, we've never seen these people you are looking for. Do we look like the kind of people who would shelter Fire Nation fugitives?"

Zhao looked rather flustered. He'd gotten nowhere with words, and he would be severely outnumbered in a fight, so he had no choice but to leave. The entire village stood to watch until the ship was out of sight. When it was gone, Hakoda turned to face Imani.

"Thank you for what you did; I don't know how I can repay you for helping me," he said.

"There's nothing to repay. I don't care who he is, Hakoda. That boy saved Tali's life. That makes him family; there's no other word for it."

"She's right Hakoda," Bato said. "He's not been here long, but he's one of us now. And we protect each other. Now let's get those kids and bring them home. "

"How are you not cold? It's freezing in here," Sokka shivered.

"I think it's a firebender thing. We're able to raise our core temperature to fight off the cold."

"That's so cool!" Katara cried. "I wonder if there is anything cool things waterbenders can do?"

"Probably. There are lots of unique skills among firebenders."

The sound of the door opening abruptly ended Their conversation. Hakoda, Bato and a few of the other water tribe warriors entered the cabin.

"Dad, you're here! Does this mean they left?" Sokka asked.

"Yes, they're gone." Hakoda looked over at Zuko nervously.

"Was I right?" Zuko asked. "Was he looking for me?"

"Yes, you and your uncle."

"Wait - my uncle? Why was he looking for my uncle?"

"They seem to be working on the theory that your uncle has kidnapped you," Bato said.

"So my uncle left too? But why didn't he come with me?"

Hakoda glanced at his children and then back to Zuko. He understood.

"To protect you. Because he loves you."

I can't tell if that ending is good or not. I just really wasn't sure how to end it, but that could be because it's 2 am. Anyway, there it is.

This chapter was fun, I enjoyed revealing the truth to everyone. And I brought Iroh back in again as I felt like I was neglecting him.

Thanks for reading. Bye for now