Chapter 103: Under the Lake

The letter from his Uncle arrived not a moment too soon, in Zuko's opinion. Tensions had reached breaking point in the Avatar's compound; Aang was lashing out at everyone, much as he did in the Desert; Sokka's frustration with himself made him moody and self-isolating; Toph, as independent and freedom-loving as she was, hated being in a gilded cage; and as for Katara and himself? Well, they'd reached their limit at keeping the peace.

Zuko had no clue how, exactly, Iroh had got the message to them; he woke up one morning, before dawn, ready to meditate and saw a letter addressed to 'Lee' on the kitchen table. He opened it and was surprised to find that it was written in the Royal Tongue, the language only known to Fire Nation Royalty and a handful of trusted scholars. Zuko's recollection of the language was shaky; he hadn't had cause to use it since he was thirteen.

Roughly translated, it read:

Nephew,

My associates have located your lost friend.

Beyond the Inner Wall. To the North. Lake Laogai.

Tread carefully.

Uncle.

Zuko read through it several times, to ensure that he'd translated it correctly. Lake Laogai… he'd heard of it, vaguely. A large lake that sat between Ba Sing Se's protective walls. Civilians were discouraged from going there, on the grounds of safety; from what he'd heard, the Earth Army used the area for training drills.

A lie, then. One concocted in order to ensure that no one stumbled upon the Dai Li's secret base of operations.

Zuko lost track of how long he sat at the kitchen table, staring at his Uncle's letter and thinking. That was why he was startled by Katara entering the kitchen, ready to begin preparing breakfast.

He clutched a hand to his chest, willing his heartbeat to slow down. She appeared to be doing the same.

"Zuko." She said. "I wasn't expecting you to be here. You're usually outside by now."

The Firebender glanced out of the window and saw that the sun had risen fully.

He shook his head and held up the letter. "My Uncle got in touch."

Katara frowned. "How? There are Dai Li agents surrounding this house."

Zuko smiled and shook his head. "The Dai Li are good, but my Uncle is better. Clearly."

She smirked as well and said, "Can I read it?"

He shook his head again. "You won't be able to."

He turned it over so that she could see the unfamiliar characters that covered the parchment.

"What is that?"

"The Royal Tongue." Zuko explained. "It's only taught to members of the Fire Nation Royal Family, plus a scattering of others."

Katara's eyebrows rose. "So no one else could read it except you?"

"No one in Ba Sing Se, at least."

"Wait," She said. "Your family has its own private language?"

Zuko's cheeks coloured. "We're royalty, Katara. Of course we're going to be weird."

She laughed at that. "I think 'weird' might be an understatement."

He shrugged. "True."

"So, what does it say? You know, since I can't read it."

He sighed. "Basically? My Uncle called in some help and they've found Appa. Or rather, they've found where the Dai Li are hiding, and that's where Appa will be."

Katara dropped into the chair opposite him, leaning forward. "That's great! Where is he? Aang will be ecstatic. Well, he'll be angry and then, once Appa's free, he'll be ecstatic."

Zuko shook his head, absently folding and unfolding the letter. "I don't think Aang should be involved."

"Wait, what?" Katara was shocked.

Zuko raised his eyebrow at her. "Katara, you've seen what he's been like this last week. You saw what he was like in the Desert, with the Sandbenders. I don't like what the Dai Li are doing, but I don't feel comfortable unleashing the Avatar State on them either."

"Aang wouldn't—"

"Yes, Katara, he would." Zuko said. "He has. His emotions will get the best of him and he'll lose control. Who knows the kind of damage he could cause? We can't afford to make more of an enemy of the Earth King's government than we already have. Like it or not, we need allies in this war."

Katara sighed. She wanted to keep argue, defending Aang except… She knew the Firebender was right. She didn't like it, but that didn't change the facts.

She nodded, staring down at the table. She traced the grain of the wood with her finger.

"You're right." She said quietly. "But I don't see what alternative we have. We need to free Appa. We have to. How are we going to do that without Aang?"

"Same way I do most things." Zuko said. "With stealth."

Iroh sighed and shook his head. "I feel I made a mistake."

Sister Tin arched an eyebrow and asked, "By telling your Nephew the location of the bison?"

Iroh nodded.

Miyuki said, "Yes, that was probably an error. The boy will almost certainly attempt a jailbreak. Either alone or with that motley crew that surrounds him."

Iroh sighed again. He'd invited Sister Tin to join him for tea and Miyuki had invited herself along. The Boulder was in the Lower Ring, aiding his father in his teashop; Iroh shuddered to think of all the broken teacups the large, aggressive man was sure to break. Iroh hoped the two would find some sense of reconciliation.

Mohn had returned to his duties, choosing to leave the city entirely.

"A change is coming, Iroh." The Cabbage Merchant had said. "That is plain to see."

Iroh had nodded. "And it will be focused here."

"Precisely. Best I leave now, while I am still able to do so."

Sister Tin was staying with family in the Middle Ring, in case Iroh required any muscle, while Miyuki came and went from the Jasmine Dragon as and when she chose. Iroh had chosen not to try and dissect the Spirit's reasons.

Sister Tin gently chastised the Cat. "That was hardly polite, Miyuki."

The Cat shrugged. It was a strange action for a cat to make Iroh noted. She said, "And yet, true. The boy is prone to 'going alone', as they say."

Iroh stroked his beard, eyeing the Spirit Cat. "You have an understanding of my Nephew, one that eludes me. Where did you come by it?"

The cat smiled. "Oh, wise Dragon, I am of the Spirits. Where do we learn anything? Through the tides and the winds and the shifting of the world."

Iroh sincerely doubted that answer, but chose not to say so. Instead he said, "So I was wrong to send Zuko that letter?"

Sister Tin shook her head. "The group needed to be told. It wouldn't do for them to find out later and for us to alienate the Avatar. Best that he's an ally, not an enemy."

Miyuki drawled, "I've heard stories of the child's anger. A placid Airbender one moment, and then the rage of a Firebender the next."

Iroh nodded. "I too have heard the stories. Pakku spoke of how Aang entered the Avatar State at the North Pole and decimated the Fire Navy's fleet. It is one of many reasons I declined teaching him Fire just yet."

"He'll have to learn eventually." Sister Tin remarked. "He can't balance the world if there's imbalance within his soul."

Miyuki agreed with the nun. "The Avatar is the World Spirit. The Bridge between the physical and the spiritual. Balance begins with him."

"I am aware." Iroh said. "And I will see to it that he is taught, when the time is right."

Miyuki cocked her head to the side. "You still intend for your nephew to teach the Avatar?"

"When the time comes, Zuko will be ready. I will see to that."

Miyuki laughed. "Does he know all of your plans for him, Dragon?"

Iroh sighed but shook his head. "He does not. All things have their time."

Sister Tin frowned. "Lies, even those of omission, are seldom welcome between family members."

"I am aware of that as well." Iroh said. "Zuko and I are only just reunited, and I have no desire to overwhelm him."

"The boy is stronger than you know." Miyuki said. "His life, his experiences, they have fashioned him into a blade, one that could be wielded against the Fire Lord."

Iroh frowned at the Cat. "My Nephew is not a weapon."

"We are all of us weapons, Dragon. Tools to be wielded by destiny and the fates. Even those of us of the Spirit World have our doom. Your Nephew is approaching a crossroads in his life. That is plain to see. One direction will make the world, while the other? Well, that could break it apart."

Iroh's frown deepened, but he said nothing.

"I don't feel right about this." Katara whispered, as she and Zuko staked out the entrance to the Dai Li's headquarters under Lake Laogai. They were crouched behind a cluster of rocks, peering around them.

He nodded, eye never leaving the water. "I know. You might have mentioned it once or twice."

She glared at him. She was on his right side, so he could see the expression in his peripheral vision.

He sighed. "You know what would happen if everyone got involved. For one thing, there's no way we all could leave the compound without the Dai Li noticing. It was hard enough for the two of us.

"Besides, there is no way that the others could be stealthy. They're all very… loud. Even when they're not trying to be."

Katara continued to frown at him. He said, "You know I'm right."

She huffed. "I know it's stupid for us to try and break in there by ourselves. We've seen over a dozen agents enter in the last hour alone. The place will be crawling with Dai Li."

Zuko sighed. He moved away and looked towards Katara. "I'm starting to think you might be right. We should get back to the others; they'll be wondering where we went."

She nodded, smiling slightly. In the privacy of his own mind, Zuko was thinking about the mask hidden under his bed back at the compound.

They slipped away, heading back towards the city proper.

The rest of the GAang hadn't missed them. Sokka hadn't left his room, and Toph had forced Aang into an Earthbending lesson. The physical activity seemed to be improving the Avatar's mood noticeably.

"What do we tell them?" Katara asked as she started making dinner.

Zuko thought about it. "Right now… nothing. We don't know for sure that Appa is down there, and we have no way of getting him out yet."

Katara paused. "You want to lie to them?"

Zuko shook his head. "No, not lie. Just… wait a little longer. I'll head back there tonight to stake it out again, see if it's quieter once the sun is down. If it is, then tomorrow we can tell them and we can strike tomorrow night. One more day, Katara, that's all."

She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't like it."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I know you don't, but it's just one day."

She sighed again and focused on chopping vegetables.

As soon as the sun set, Zuko left the compound, dressed all in black with his swords strapped to his back. His mask was firmly in place.

He'd told Katara that he was going to stake the place out once it got dark. That was a lie, and it wasn't sitting well in his chest. Katara was his… friend. You shouldn't lie to your friends. Azula lied, Zuko didn't.

He shook his head, trying to focus on the task at hand. He'd scaled over the Inner Wall, rather than trying to convince the gate guards to let him out. Like they would; they only had earlier because Katara had batted her eyelashes at the lecherous old guard. The thought made his fists itch and his chi blaze.

He was positioned at the same spot he'd been earlier, with Katara. A lone Dai Li agent was approaching the edge of the lake. He watched as the man used his Earthbending to open the tunnel.

That's when he struck.

Zuko leapt over the rocks and darted forward, swords drawn. He got them to the agent's throat before the man could react.

"Don't move." Zuko growled in a low voice. "One twitch and you're done."

The Dai Li agent was still.

"We're going to enter the tunnel now." Zuko said. "Walk."

They shuffled forward, moving slowly so that Zuko didn't slash the agent's throat accidentally.

Once they entered, Zuko turned them around and said, "Okay. Close it up."

The man clenched his hand into a tight fist and the tunnel sealed itself.

"Good job." Zuko said, right before slamming the hilt of one of his swords into the man's skull, knocking him unconscious.

"Right then," he muttered to himself. "Time to find Appa."

Katara was sat outside, staring up at the Moon and waiting.

Zuko should be back by now. He'd told her that he'd only be gone a few hours; just long enough to get a sense of whether the place was quieter at night.

He'd been gone for almost five hours now.

Toph's voice came from behind her. "Sparky not back yet?"

Katara didn't question how the young girl knew, she just shook her head. "No, he isn't."

"You're worried." It wasn't a question.

"He said he'd only be a few hours."

Toph sat down next to the Waterbender. She said, "You knew he was going?"

Katara hesitated, but then nodded. Toph examined her with sightless eyes.

Then she stated, "You're hiding something. Spill it."

Katara sighed, glancing back towards the house to make sure that they were alone.

She said, "Iroh found Appa. Zuko's staking out the place now."

Toph's eyebrows shot into her hairline. "And you didn't tell Aang? He's gonna be pissed."

Katara pinched the bridge of her nose, tears welling up in her eyes. "I know. He'll hate us. Zuko… he thought Aang would just storm straight in and cause more problems. I… I agreed with him. You've seen how Aang's been this past week; how he was in the Desert too."

Toph nodded. "Yeah, you've got a point. Why didn't you tell the rest of us?"

Katara shook her head. "I don't know. Everyone has just been so… frustrated since Long Feng put us on lockdown. Zuko convinced me that it'd be better to be stealthy and cautious about this whole thing."

The Earthbender nodded again. She said, "You know Sparky isn't staking that place out, right? He's probably busting Appa out as we speak."

The Waterbender's eyes widened. She exclaimed, "Spirits! You're right. I was so stupid!"

She shot to her feet but Toph caught her wrist. "Chill, Sweetness. Sparky was right; we need to be calm and cautious about this. If we rush in, we might be the ones getting him into trouble with the Dai Li."

Katara nodded, sighing. "You're right. You're right. So, what do we do?"

"We go to the one man that might be able to talk some sense into Sparky."

Iroh was in the teashop kitchen; they'd closed up a couple of hours ago, but he'd yet to venture upstairs to his apartment.

He wasn't expecting visitors. He especially wasn't expecting visitors that tunnelled up through the floor.

He dropped his teacup and shifted into an offensive Firebending form, flames flickering around his fists.

"Relax, Uncle." Said a familiar voice. "It's just me and Sweetness."

Iroh dropped his stance. "Toph?"

Iroh sighed. His fears had come to pass. He muttered, "I knew it was a mistake sending Zuko that letter. I didn't see what other choice I had, though. It had to be encoded, and the only way you'd be able to read it is if I used the Royal Tongue."

Toph remarked, "Still blows my mind that your family has a secret language."

"A relic of an age long past." Iroh said. "For now, though, we must get to Lake Laogai to ensure my Nephew doesn't run into any problems."

"What about Aang and Sokka?" Katara said.

Iroh shook his head. "There is no time to waste. Besides, the Dai Li will surely notice if all of you are gone. We must try to maintain some semblance of surprise."

Toph cracked her knuckles. "Let's go bust some heads."

Zuko entered the cell and found a chained Sky Bison inside. His heart ached at the sight of Appa. While he didn't have the same closeness as Aang did, or even that Sokka and Katara had, he genuinely cared for the Bison and it hurt to see him like this.

Appa seemed… smaller, both physically and in his demeanour. Like he had been diminished. His fur was matted and filthy, and he shrunk away from the light streaming through the open cell door.

Zuko slowly removed his mask and took a careful step forward. "It's okay, Appa. It's me. I'm gonna get you back to Aang."

The Bison's head lifted up at Aang's name. His large, soulful eyes locked on Zuko's, and the Firebender's heart broke even further at the pain and the mistrust that he saw. It was a look he recognised all too well; he saw it in his own.

"Oh, Appa." He said quietly. "What did they do to you?"

He moved closer, still moving slowly and telegraphing his every action so as not to startle Appa. When he got a little closer, he stripped one of his gloves off and held his palm out towards the Bison. And then he waited, letting his hand hang in the air.

Appa eyed it, hesitant. His nose twitched as he took in Zuko's familiar scent.

He moved forward, pressing his nose to Zuko's palm. Zuko smiled sadly, and he began gently stroking the Bison's face.

"It's okay, Appa. I'm gonna get you out of these chains, okay? Then we're getting out of here."

"I don't think so." Drawled an unfamiliar voice.

Zuko turned, hands going for the hilts of his Dao swords. He saw a stranger, flanked by a pair of Dai Li agents. The man wore a smug smile as he stared at the Firebender.

"Stop right there." The stranger commanded, raising a hand. Zuko paused, eyeing the enemy Earthbenders.

The man continued, "We wouldn't want any unpleasantness happening to you, Lee, would we? Can I call you 'Lee'? Or would you prefer your true name? Prince Zuko, isn't it?"