"It's real cool to watch! You know, when it's not being directed at you!" Sokka jokes as he leads his Father and girlfriend to the secluded courtyard where Aang and Zuko had been practicing all morning. "Just try to keep quiet, Zuko gets real angry when you interrupt his lessons." He whispers for effect. They round the corner silently as a small plume of flame erupts from the Avatar. With excited eyes, they settle close to the wall to observe. They're still close to the boys as the courtyard was very small but they were too immersed in their bending to notice their sudden audience.
"Good form Aang, but you need to add more force to your fire. Breathe deep and imagine the flames expanding and travelling up and over." The young prince explains to a rather nervous looking Aang. "Perhaps if you show me once more?" He asks timidly with an apologetic expression.
"Ok, stand back a bit." Within seconds of the boy's slight retreat, Zuko thrusts forward, kicking upward and over creating an immense arch of fire that lights up the courtyard. The heat is immediately overwhelming and Hakoda feels himself sweating within seconds of the blast. 'Spirits this kid is powerful!' He thinks to himself a bit apprehensively. He glances at his son who is positively beaming, a wide grin crossing his excited face.
"That was awesome, Zuko!" Aang chirps with excitement, receiving a content smile from the older boy. His courage renewed; he adds. "Ok, let me try again!" The prince takes a few steps back to give the boy room. Out of the corner of his good eye he spots the trio behind him but before he can yell at them to leave, Aang attempts the move again. Kicking up and over he produces a flame a bit bigger than his previous attempt but loses control as his leg comes down. The tail end of the flame shoots back uncontrolled, right toward the trio.
Instinctively, Hakoda dives on his son and Suki to shield them with his body, bracing himself for pain. He feels the heat of the flames on his back but nothing more. Turning slightly, he sees Zuko in front of them, separating the flames. Once the fire is dissipated, he turns furiously on them. "Sokka I told you not to sneak into our practice, it's dangerous!" His face contorts with fear and anger. "Aang is still learning to control his bending! You could've been hurt! Your Father and Suki could've been hurt! What were you thinking?!" His golden eyes glowing with rage and worry.
Deflated, Sokka meets his glare with large apologetic eyes. His voice is timid with a childlike innocence. "I…just think it's cool…I wanted to show them…what you can do…" He trails off, embarrassed that he'd wanted to show off his friend's abilities. His face flushes a slight pink and he drops his gaze to his boots.
Zuko's face dops with realization. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Next time, tell us you're there so we don't accidentally burn you alive!" He gives his friend another stern look and rounds on the young Avatar.
"I told you to focus on your control! How many times to I have to tell you? You need to balance your concentration between giving force to the flame and directing it's path!"
"I know! I'm sorry! It's just…hard to focus…and we've been doing this for hours…" Aang reels guiltily, shame all over his face.
"And you weren't practicing when I was gone." The prince crosses his arms and stares down his young pupil who shrinks ashamedly under the glare. "…well, I did…at first…a little…" he says to his feet, hands twisting nervously behind his back.
"Yeah. Toph told me." He says angrily. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose again. Eyes closed tight to fight off the headache brewing. "Let's go rest and have breakfast. Then you're doing hot squats and fire fists until I tell you to stop." He heatedly commands. Aang nods fervently, bows to his teacher and bolts toward the trio to apologize.
Hakoda is impressed by the young man's authoritative presence. He might be socially awkward but he seems to be an exceptional leader, commanding with ease judging by how quickly the Avatar himself complied without hesitation or complaint.
"Sokka, Suki, Hakoda…I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to put you in danger!" He looks pained at the thought and Hakoda smiles warmly at the boy. "It's ok Aang, we know you didn't mean any harm. We shouldn't have surprised you both." He gives his son a stern look who shrinks slightly. *****
Back in the main courtyard, Katara has already finished preparing breakfast with the help of Chit Sang, who is surprisingly a very talented cook. They serve the group around the fire and settle into their meals. "Sokka! You didn't finish the escape story!" The Duke suddenly complains.
Realization crosses the young man's face. "You're right! Where did I leave off?" He thinks aloud, grabbing his chin. "Zuko was in the cooler breathing fire." Toph deapans. "Right, thank you Toph!" He resumes his story with great and overexaggerated detail.
As much as he loved his son, Hakoda can't keep his attention from the troubled young man across the fire. He wants to help, wants to know more about this mysterious boy. He stares at him for a moment, lost in thought. He's sitting between Toph and Aang, eating in silence, occasionally smiling or rolling his eyes at Sokka. Then the prince freezes and a blush crosses his pale cheeks. His eyes dart up to the exuberant young water tribesman. Hakoda starts as he realizes he hasn't heard a word of his son's story. "What?" Zuko asks.
"The guards took you somewhere before the riot…remember? I came to your cell and told you to meet us in the yard in one hour. Remember, I pretended to rough you up so the 6 guards outside wouldn't suspect us? Where'd they take you?" He asks, trying to bring his friend into the limelight with him. They were equally responsible for the epic rescue and Sokka wanted to share the glory.
"Oh…uh…the interrogation room." He says quietly, clearly uncomfortable with the attention.
"What? Why'd they take you there? Who interrogated you? The Warden?" Sokka's voice is a strange mixture of concern and intrigue. Hakoda notices how the prince's face flushes a deeper pink.
"Worse…Mai." He quietly mumbles to Sokka then lowers his gaze to his breakfast. "The Warden's her Uncle." He adds, answering the question that was sure to follow.
"No way!? Oh man…I'm sorry buddy! Was she mad?" The boys act as if it's a private conversation now. A few members of the group exchange confused glances, but Aang is looking at the prince with knowing and very concerned eyes.
"Mai…the girl with the knives? Why was she there?" Katara asks for the group. Her brother looks uneasy for a moment, not sure if he should share his buddy's girl troubles with everyone. Aang, however, answers for them.
"She was Zuko's girlfriend…but he had to break up with her when he left to join us." He informs Katara with a sad tone, missing the glare from the prince. The boy would surely regret that during practice.
Katara's eyebrows raise with surprise. She would have expected a secret evil meeting but not relationship drama. "Oh! ...yeah…you know…I can actually see you two together." She teases, enjoying his discomfort. "Though, I think she's a bit too pretty for you."
Chit Sang glares at her in warning and Hakoda tenses. Even if she is out of place, he would protect his daughter to his dying breath. To his surprise, the prince agrees quietly. "yeah…she is." His eyes are distant and sorrowful. Hakoda looks to his daughter, seeing shock and guilt on her face. His defeated response hurt her more than any insult could. "Zuko…I was…just kidding." She tries softly.
Sokka interrupts to continue his story. "Anyway!" He glares pointedly at Katara for insulting his buddy. "We all get out to the yard and Chit Sang masterfully starts a riot. It was the perfect distraction for our plan! But, we were on the ground level and the Warden was on the fourth floor of the tower. We needed a plan to get to him…and fast! But now there was a riot between us and the tower! While we were trying to map out our next brilliant move, Suki, the amazing warrior that she is! Ran Across the Inmates heads over the riot! She scales the side of the tower, fighting off the guards on each floor, and singlehandedly takes the Warden down, making him…our prisoner!" He beams at his girlfriend with pride as she blushes at the praise and smirks.
"With the Warden in hand we head to the platform. But it's swarming with firebending guards and they barrage us with their flaming fury! In comes our heroic and handsome Summertime Prince! He jumps in front to protect us from the fire blasts and clears our path! So, we pile into the gondola as fast as we can as Zuko pulls the lever to get us going. Looking back, I see him kick the handle in two so they can't stop us! Clever move buddy! Then he jumps the 20 feet between the platform and the gondola and catches my hand just in time!" He smiles encouragingly at Zuko, who is silently brooding on what's coming next.
"We're halfway to freedom and the gondola stops! They've got these giant metal spikes jammed into the lines stopping us from escaping. And to make things so much more deadly…who do we see on the platform…but Azula and her chi-blocking friend! They quickly climb the lines to our gondola and Suki, Zuko and I climb on top to meet them, ready for an epic battle! Zuko and I alternate fire blasts and space sword Slice at Azula while Suki unleashes her Kyoshi Warrior fury on her friend. We're thick in battle when we hear someone scream 'Cut the Lines!' The gondola jerks violently and I'm almost thrown over the side into the boiling lake! But thank to Zuko's quick reflexes, he grabbed me just in time and pulled me back up to safety."
"The guards have this giant saw that they're using to break through the line! Azula and her friend jump onto a gondola going back to the prison and we climb back down to plan our move! Then the gondola jerks forward again…" Realization finally dawns on the young water tribesman and he looks at Zuko with sorrowful eyes. Suki and Hakoda follow his gaze and the pity they feel for the young man's situation reads on their faces, catching the groups attention. The prince, however, just stares down at the bowl in his lap biting his lip.
Swallowing hard, he continues with a softer, more solemn voice. "Mai fought off the guards and knocked the spike loose to get us moving again. Swarms of guards kept coming but she fought them all off, pinning them down and knocking them out…it was amazing! She…she saved us." Katara stares at him in shock.
"She's a very brave woman." Hakoda says firmly, watching the prince. Aang stares up at Zuko with an empathetic smile and leans his shoulder against his.
Seeing his friend's discomfort at the attention to his pain, Sokka continues. "We were running across the volcanoes ridge trying to figure out our next move when Zuko stops. He reasons that Azula must have come to the prison on Something! Looking around, he finds her royal airship on the beach. We fight off the guards and successfully stole her ship!" He laughs at the victory. "It took a few minutes to figure out how to get it airborne, but after that it was smooth air sailing!" He finishes his story and waits for the praise and awe.
"But you didn't get any meat." Toph jabs, receiving a few stifled giggles. *****
"Sokka told me I'd find you here. Do you mind if I join you?" Suki asks in a gentle tone, smiling kindly. The young prince looks up confused for a moment then nods, moving over a bit to give her more room on the ledge.
He sits crossed legged, throwing bits of stale bread to the turtleducks that have happily swam up to him, quacking gratefully. She giggles quietly at the scene; this did not seem like something the Fire Prince would do willingly.
"I never thanked you…for keeping Sokka safe." She smiles playfully. "And for helping rescue me. That was really brave."
"It's the least I could do. You were there because of my sister, right?" His voice is measured and heavy.
"Zuko…what your sister does isn't on you. But yes, she captured me and my warriors. Her and her two friends that is." She adds, trying to segue into the conversation she intended on having. Zuko freezes slightly, unsure how to respond. She waits patiently for him to collect his thoughts.
"I know it doesn't seem like it, but they're not…evil…you know. Mai and Ty Li…they never wanted to help Azula. But, no one is allowed to say 'no' to her. Especially not her 'friends'." He turns slightly to look at her, his eyes glassy with emotion.
"I believe you. Mai saved us, after all! She really is a great warrior. You know, her fighting style kinda reminds me of yours." She voices her observation, studying his face for a reaction. A slight flush of pink on his cheeks. He looks back to the cheery turtleducks and throws some more bread in.
"We trained together as kids. Being Azula's friend, she practically grew up in the palace. When I started hand to hand combat training, she thought it was cool, so she started joining me during lessons. Our Master said she'd progressed faster than any pupil he'd ever had…" He trails off fondly with a sad, longing smile and a faraway look in his eyes.
She chuckles softly. "Yeah, female warriors tend to excel rather quickly." She brags, nudging her shoulder into his. He flashes her a half smile. "Yup, you're Sokka's girlfriend alright." He teases receiving a soft laugh and a nod.
"Yup! He does brag a lot…but he also brags a lot about you, you know?" She glances at him out of the corner of her eye, catching his surprised expression.
"Oh! ...uh…really?" There's the awkwardness Sokka warned her about.
"Yeah, he says you're an amazing fighter, that you're really funny and cool to hang around with." She's watching him intently, enjoying the nervous and stifled excitement on the prince's face. Apparently, her boyfriend's high opinion of him meant a lot to him.
"Wow…that's…uh…really nice. Of him, I mean…and you…for uh saying it…I guess." He looks around in the pool, unsure of what he should be saying. She giggles quietly at his awkward behavior.
"…and he's only known you for a few weeks. If you're this important to Sokka already, well, I can see why Mai turned on her friend to save you. She obviously loves you a lot and when this is all over, I bet you anything, she'll be right by your side again." He looks at her in awe and she smiles warmly at him. He smiles back and with a grateful tone says, "Thank you Suki."
"Though, you might be in some hot water for kidnapping her Uncle." She teases, nudging her shoulder into his again. He laughs a bit nervously but smiles anyway, grateful for her encouragement and humor. *****
"I only have a few moments so please listen! You're going to be brought to a prison on an island closer to Caldera City tomorrow. I've pulled all the strings that I can to make sure you'll be treated well. I wish I could do more but…why… why Mai? Why did you do it?! Why did you help that traitor?!" The Warden's voice is hushed but thick with worry and frustration.
She raises her eyes from the dirty stone floor to meet her Uncle's. Her normally expressionless face has an apologetic look and her eyes glisten with tears. "I love him." Her soft voice is choked with the emotions that she's desperately trying to hide. Kneeling beside her, Ty Li sheds the tears for her friend while shaking uncontrollably.
The tough as nails Warden fights back his own tears and embraces his niece for possibly the last time, he holds her tighter at that sickening thought. Her hands are shackled behind her back so all she can do is nuzzle her head into his shoulder. "I love you, Mai." He breathes, his voice straining. Her breathing is labored with the effort of controlling her emotions. "I love you too." A whisper is all she can manage. She knew full well the consequences of her decisions, but she didn't want to hurt her Uncle and she'd never meant to drag her friend with her.
The door opens, "We're ready for them Sir." The guard reports and the Warden slowly let's go of his niece. "Very well." He says sternly to the guard who immediately steps to the side of the doorway. Wiping his face dry, the Warden gently helps Mai to her feet, the guard assisting Ty Li up behind him. They proceed to the platform towards the gondola. *****
"Hey buddy." Zuko softly strokes the giant bison's fur as the great beast nuzzles his head into the young man's chest, nearly knocking him down. The prince laughs quietly at the affectionate response. "I missed you too." He hadn't really seen Appa much since they'd gotten back from the Boiling Rock. The beast growls in response and nudges the prince so hard he has to hold onto his fur to avoid falling back.
"Woah buddy!" He chuckles and turns when he hears a deeper laugh behind him. "He really seems to like you." Hakoda observes, still smiling at the tender and humorous scene. Appa growls in agreement making the man chuckle again. Zuko steadies himself and pats the bison's side lovingly.
"We've got a complicated history, but we've grown on each other." He admits and the great beast nuzzles his chest again.
"We've all done things we're not proud of." The Chief admits knowingly, taking a few steps closer.
"That's a light way of putting it." Zuko says darkly, guilt welling in his chest again. He looks down at the stone floor as he absentmindedly strokes the bison's fur.
"Sokka's told me a bit about your…past relationship." Hakoda sees the shame in the younger man's face. He places his hands on his shoulders and squeezes gently. "Look at me Son." He slowly obeys, expecting to see rage and disgust but is met instead with a warm smile and kind eyes.
"It doesn't matter how many mistakes you've made, what matters is that you learn from them. You are not your mistakes." His gold eyes fill with grateful tears and he screws his face to hold them back.
Instinctively, Hakoda grabs the back of the boy's neck and draws him nearer, gently pressing their foreheads together. The prince leans into the embrace, a few tears escaping down his face. Hakoda is hesitant to draw back, innately knowing how badly the young man needs affection. After a few more moments, he finally pulls away and returns his hands to his shoulders. The young man quickly tries to dry his face discreetly then meets the man's gaze, smiling timidly.
"Let's go join the others. Dinner smells amazing!" Hakoda says, smiling warmly.*****
"I was very impressed how you and Sokka worked so seamlessly together. It seemed almost like you two had been fighting together for years! Actually, it reminded me of how Bato and I work together. We're quite a team during a battle! It's comforting to know you've got someone capable there that has your back through thick and thin." Hakoda says to the young man on his right, looking very thoughtful and proud. He'd really taken to the boy since the escape and enjoyed watching the way him and his son got along. Sokka never really had another boy his age to interact with and it was heartwarming to see how happy the firebender was making him.
"Honestly…I was surprised too." Zuko admits sheepishly.
"Yeah we make a great team buddy! Two good looking peas in a pod!" Sokka brags, draping his arm around his friend's shoulders. Suki giggles on Sokka's other side as Zuko timidly smiles at his friend.
Katara sighs with annoyance on the left of her Father. She wasn't happy that her brother had become so ridiculously affectionate with the firebender, but now her Father was practically treating him like another son! And what was he thinking? That was a Water Tribe gesture! How could he be so welcoming and loving to the crown prince of the nation that killed his wife! Didn't he know what he'd done to them? Didn't he care that the guy had hunted his children down for months on end?!
"Hey Zuko, I've been meaning to ask you. Do you know where that girl learned to chi block?" Suki asks across Sokka.
"Oh, Ty Li…she actually came up with it on her own." The young prince says, a bit of admiration in his voice.
"Seriously?" Suki asks, wide eyed and disbelieving. Even Katara's interest was piqued with this information.
"Yeah. She was always interested with chi pathways in the body. When we were kids, if she wasn't summersaulting or playing with Azula, she was reading about it. After a while, she figured out that if you press hard enough where the pathways intersect you could block the chi. At first, she could only make your limbs go numb for a minute. But after a few years she could block your bending for an hour."
"That's amazing!" Suki says exasperated.
"It was really more frustrating back then. Azula would get her to sneak up and chi block me right before my firebending lessons." He admits as laughter breaks out among the group at the thought. Encouraged by the groups' amusement, he continues.
"Of course, my mentors didn't believe me when I told them I couldn't practice because a girl took my bending. My Father was furious." Even more laughter erupts from the group and even Zuko smirks at the misfortune.
"He was right to be angry with your sister for that." Hakoda composes himself and says with a smile.
"He wasn't angry with her…he didn't believe me and Azula would just lie about it, but he always believed anything she said. She's his favorite." He whispers the last part to himself but Hakoda was close enough to hear it. He places a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiles at the boy.
"That's pretty cruel…but you've gotta admit, Zuko, it's real funny!" Suki laughs and the group falls into another fit of giggles. He smiles at her and softly chuckles along with them.
"Yeah…Ty Li always felt bad about it. She'd apologize as soon as Azula wasn't around." He says as more of an afterthought.
"Why'd she do it then?" Katara snaps, shocking Hakoda with her tone.
"Cause Azula told her to." Zuko says cautiously, surprised by her sudden reversal to a hostile manner to him. He'd thought he was making progress with her.
"So? She can make her own decisions." Her tone is filled with malice and it doesn't sit well with her Father. He stares at her with confused disapproval, brows knitted together.
The prince considers her for a moment, deciding to choose his words with care. "Not when it comes to Azula. She's demanding and cruel and the Fire Princess…she has the power to punish anyone that doesn't do what she wants when she wants. She calls them her friends but treats them like slaves. Their families wanted them to be friends with the Fire Princess to better their own status. An no one breaks off a friendship with Azula. They never had a choice." He explains darkly, feeling guilt well up again. He really hoped the two girls would be ok…wherever they'd been taken.
"So, you're telling me they were forced to chase and attack us? That they didn't want to attack and put Suki and the Kyoshi warriors in prison?!" Katara seethes, missing the disapproving scowl from Aang. "Katara." Hakoda says firmly. She knows the tone is a warning but she doesn't care. She's angry at him too!
"Yes." Zuko says sternly, staring right in her enraged eyes.
"I mean, they proved it too…at Boiling Rock. Mai saved our lives and Ty Li saved Mai by chi blocking Azula." Suki offers soothingly, hoping to deescalate the situation.
"Humans are a lot more complicated than we tend to believe. We can't know everything about a person by looking at their actions alone and we don't get to see the motivation behind it without getting to know them." Hakoda says wisely, trying to calm his daughter.
"I know that Ba Sing Se fell because of them! I know that they tried to capture us just like he did! I know he stole Mom's necklace for blackmail! I know he burned down Suki's village trying to get to Aang! I know he threatened Gran Gran the first time we met him, and I know that he betrayed me to side with his evil sister! I think I know enough about him!" She shouts at her wide-eyed Father, jabbing her finger at the shocked prince with every accusation. She slams her bowl down on the stone floor and stalks away into the dark.
"What's gotten into her?!" Sokka cries, exasperated as the group exchanges worried glances.
"should…should someone go after her?" Suki tries softly. They remain quiet and unmoving, no one willing to face the furious waterbender.
Slowly, Hakoda turns to the young man beside him. His normally perfect posture was slumped in defeat, his gold eyes staring at the stone floor with shame. "I'm sorry." He says softly to no one in particular.
Hakoda places his arm around the boy's shoulders and draws him firmly into his side. He takes a deep, steadying breath and says quietly to him. "It's ok Son." He squeezes him a little tighter before releasing him again. "I'll go talk to her." He announces as he stands.
"She's going to the pool at the end of that corridor." Toph points to her right. "Thank you Toph." Hakoda nods to the impressive little earthbender, thankful for her unique talents. *****
She stands knee deep in the pool, furiously streaming the water up and around, in all directions as fast as she can. Pouring all her anger into the stream. She was so focused that she hadn't heard the footsteps approaching.
"You've grown so much Katara." Her Father states calmly. "You really are a Master Waterbender now. I'm so proud of you."
"You're proud of me?! Don't you mean proud of Zuko and how far he's come?!" She snaps. He shakes his head affectionately. It really is remarkably easy to get the root of the problem out of her.
"So that's why you're upset? Because I've been kind to Zuko?" He asks, keeping his voice calm and soothing.
"I saw you earlier! How could you? That's a Water Tribe custom! You don't even know him!" She shouts, tears streaming down her face.
"Katara, why is it such a bad thing for me to be kind to him?"
"Because you can't trust him! I did and Aang almost died because of it! He's going to betray us again; I just know it!" Her voice chokes and she lets the stream splash back into the pool. She holds herself in a hug as her sobbing takes over. His heart breaks at the sight of his daughter in such pain. He steps into the pool and draws her into a bear hug, petting her thick hair and slowly rocking her side to side.
"I love you Katara. I love you more than anything in the world. You and your brother are everything to me. Don't you think for one minute that I would let him near you two if I believed he was a threat!" She sobs into his shoulder.
"Listen to me Katara, I'm not a sage…but I am a Father and I know a few things about children. He's not a monster. He's a complicated and conflicted young man that has been through far more pain than we know of…I can see it in his eyes, could feel it when I've hugged him. He's done plenty of bad things…yes. But he's desperately trying to do good now. He's strong but he's in pain and he needs support and love to continue being the good person that he wants to be. Please Katara, for me, be kinder to him. This…this isn't you. You're gentle, loving, and nurturing…you encourage people…you don't break them down. Please, just try…for me."
He holds her tight as she sobs into his shoulder. He can feel her slowly nod and he smiles to himself, proud of his child. *****