So the Bison could really fly, Zuko thought. Wind whipped his hair as Appa sped through the air. Azula seemed aloof at the revelation, although on closer inspection, Zuko noticed that his sister had been gripping the saddle's edge tight enough to turn her knuckles white. Zuko chose not to comment on it, lest he get a verbal tongue lashing from her.
Appa beat his great tail against the air currents, propelling them forward. Aang turned slightly, glancing at them before facing forward again.
"What's you guys' dad like?" He asked, curiosity apparent in his voice.
"Our father?" Zuko asked aloud, glancing up at the airbender's bald head. He looked down at his feet for a moment, thinking about it. After their father left to personally lead the war effort against the Water Clan, thoughts of his father were far and few in between.
"He's a proud man," Zuko began, suddenly realizing he was at a loss for words. He left so long ago.
"He left for the war when I was 14 and Azula was 12." At Aang's questioning look, he clarified by mentioning that it was 2 years ago. "He's strict, but he cares about us." Zuko could feel Azula's eyes on him. "He's one of the most powerful firebenders in the nation," he continued, a small smile gracing his features as he looked towards the clouds.
"What about your parents?" Azula asked. The abruptness of it almost seemed as though she wanted to change the subject. "What were they like?"
Aang shrugged. "I never knew them. I grew up under my mentor, Monk Gyatso," he said. He didn't exactly sound sad, Azula noticed, but there was something akin to melancholy in his voice.
"He was my airbending Master and taught me how to make fruit pies!" He sounded a lot happier. "I guess you could say he was the closest thing I had to a Dad." He turned around again. "What about your mom?" He asked the both of them. Zuko seemed about to answer, but Azula cut him off.
"She left," Azula answered, tone short. She didn't bother elaborating, and Zuko looked at his sister from the corner of his eye, but did not add onto it.
"Maybe some other time, Aang," Zuko said, looking down. Aang sensed there was more to it than that, but he could read the mood. He didn't push it.
Thankfully, the awkward silence was short lived as they approached the town. Although it was closer to the Capital than the city that Ukano oversaw was, this settlement looked more like a village that was a distance away from the well travelled main road that could be easily spotted from their vantage point.
Aang guided Appa toward a clearing near the village. Zuko and Azula braced themselves for what they assumed would be a rough landing, but the Sky Bison landed quite gracefully on his pairs of fore legs. The only indication of their landing was a slight bump.
Aang leaped down from atop Appa's head. Zuko and Azula followed suit, a bit unsteady on their feet from being airborne so long.
"Judging from the distance, this should be our last pit stop," Zuko announced, shielding his eyes from the glaring rays of the sun. He surveyed the general direction of the Fire Nation Capital. He could see the dormant volcano containing the palace, as small as his little finger in the distance.
Ahead of the clearing was a dirt path that led into the village. The village itself was obscured from view by the line of trees encircling the settlement.
"I'm going to get some food while here," Azula said as they followed the dirt path. They still had about another few hours before they got to the palace.
"We can eat at the palace," Zuko argued, making Azula roll her eyes. She did have a point, Zuko thought, though he wouldn't admit it openly. There was still a few hours left before they reached the palace, taking into account Appa's need to rest. A grumbling sound joined their conversation, and Aang grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, that was me." He patted his stomach. "I haven't eaten in a while."
"If we'd gotten food at Uncle Ukano's, this would be a non-issue," the princess said, scuffing the tip of her boot on the ground.
Zuko sighed, remembering that he had rushed them earlier in the morning. Even his own stomach seemed to cramp in protest.
"I hate when you do that," Zuko grumbled to his sister, scratching his forehead. Azula simply shrugged, having enough mercy not to comment.
"Fine," the eldest of the group reluctantly relented, turning around. "I'm going to check on seeing if there's any updated maps. He turned back to the two. "Once Appa's rested, it should take an hour or less to get to the capital."
"Sounds good to me!" Aang nodded, and Azula pulled him along further into the settlement.
The village itself was quite modest. While it didn't have the grand buildings like the Capital, it had a comfortable atmosphere. Many of the structures were constructed of a sturdy wooden material, with sloping roofs that vaguely resembled the buildings closer to the palace.
"This place, very quaint," Azula critiqued. Her and Aang walked past several stalls advertising wares before they came to one with food.
"Are those Fire Flakes?" Aang asked, pointing at a red food that looked like berries. The vendor, a kind looking man with a beard, nodded. "The hottest in this region."
Azula raised a brow. "Have you ever had Fire Flakes?" she asked, already pulling out a small pouch she carried on her.
"I remember they're a little spicy," Aang answered, scratching his chin. "It was Kuzon's -a friend of mine's- favorite," he added, a wistful smile on his face.
Azula had a knowing grin on her face as she offered a handful of fire flakes to him.
"They're definitely quite savory," she said, an innocent smile on her face as she looked away.
Aang took the offered flakes, stuffing them in his mouth, to the girl's mild surprise.
"Aang, you're not supposed to-"
"Water!" the airbender exclaimed, his face heating up and almost looking red.
Azula covered her mouth, holding in a laugh as he ran for the nearest body of water. She followed him, past the edge of the village and through the tree line. She pushed errant branches out of her way, coming into a clearing that looked similar to the one they'd left Appa in.
She was ready to berate Aang about stuffing his mouth with strange foods, but the words died in her mouth. Aang had his back to her, his attention completely focused on a large ship beached on the lake.
Or what was left of it.
The ship was massive. It was broken into two sections, it's rear half partly submerged into the water. The front end was dry, but positioned sideways. Scorch Mark's were littered all over the vessel, the interior clearly visible from the outside.
"I thought it was a fire nation ship because it was metal," Aang said to her, aware of her presence. "But it has water tribe markings."
Azula was silent as she neared Aang, examining the wrecked warship. It had a blue coat of paint that was somewhat faded with age, and a large Water Tribe insignia was plastered on the side, ironically the most undamaged part of the ship, as if it were proclaiming to the world who it's maker was.
"This thing is ancient," Azula commented. Aang turned to regard her this time.
"How do you know?"
Azula pointed to the ship. "See the frame? It's still made of wood," she explained. Aang followed her finger as she then pointed to the sails. "Water Clan ships use metal and steel now. Much like our own ships."
"Let's go check it out!" Aang proposed, his curiosity piqued.
Azula hesitated for a moment, watching the ship ruins warily. "We probably shouldn't be loitering around in there!" She followed after him. "It could be filled with traps...or something," she warned.
"To be a master firebender, you have to conquer fear," Aang said, looking back.
Azula scoffed. "I am not afraid," she shot back, pushing past him and into the ship. Aang blinked and followed closely behind into the ruins.
The ship was larger than it looked from a distance. Wood seemed to constantly be creaking, and the sound travelled everywhere, as if ghosts of the past were shuffling around in the defunct vessel. They could distinctly hear the sound of water dripping and could smell soot and ash even though the battle that took place here had to have been decades ago.
The hallway they walked through was dark and damp, and Azula decided that she wasn't a big fan of travelling.
"This place is dirty and disgusting," Azula scoffed, playing with one of the bangs of hair framing her face.
"Are all Water Clan ships this big?" Aang asked, poking at weapons they came across that were suspended on a rack. There were bone clubs, some boomerangs, and spears.
"Why? Did they use to be smaller?"
Aang nodded. "Yeah, this ship's big enough to hold three Appas!" he said, holding out his hands as if it aided his explanation. "The ones I always saw could hold just one, at most. And even those were rare."
Stepping away from the weapons, he jogged over to another room, turning a corner.
"Watch where you're going, Aang," Azula scolded, running after him. "There could still be traps here."
"Aang?" Azula said his name again when he didn't answer. She looked around, noticing they were in the bridge of the ship. From the angle the ship was wrecked, apparently they had gotten to a higher level of the craft. Looking at Aang, she noticed the remains on the ground.
"There really was a war," the airbender said, his shoulders drooping.
Aang's head was dipped, and across from him were bodies strewn about. Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation.
The presence of Earth Kingdom remains explained some of the rocks jutting into the ship at seemingly random angles, Azula observed. She stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder.
"Let's get out of here," Azula insisted and her friend nodded.
"Sorry I dragged us out here," he sighed, heading back towards the hallway they came in from. Azula didn't answer, not willing to mention that she somewhat volunteered to go in.
"No harm done, I suppose," Azula dismissed. As they began to leave, however, they both heard a distinct snapping sound, like a taut rope being cut. Irrationally, they both looked back towards the ancient skeletons, which had not moved.
"Uh-oh."
Azula rounded on Aang, who was looking down at the wall near them.
They had activated a tripwire.
wodden mechanisms along the wall set off in a chain reaction before finally, a flare launched from behind them into the sky. Even worse, the ship itself seemed to have deemed it time to begin collapsing. Wood and stone fell around them as the sudden activation of the trap destabilized part of the ship ruins.
"Hang on tight!" Aang suddenly yelled, sweeping her off her legs and carried her bridal style. She shouted in protest as he leaped out of the hole above them, and Azula was disoriented by the sudden and extreme change in height.
Before she knew it, she was being gently set down on her feet by Aang and they were a fair distance from the ruins as it partially caved in. The two looked up, seeing the flare explode into a contained blue firework display.
"Warn me before you do that," Azula warned accusingly.
"I did say 'hang on'," Aang said apologetically with a shrug." Azula sucked her teeth.
Aang and Azula backtracked into the village, only to be intercepted by Zuko in the middle of the path, his arms crossed. Behind him was a hesitant crowd of villagers. A majority of them were elderly, women, and children.
"Don't we have some more time before we leave?" Azula asked him.
"Step away from him, Azula," Zuko ordered, his tone even. Azula frowned at his sudden shift in mood.
"What are you talking about?"
"That was a Water Clan flare," Zuko answered in the way of explanation. "And it just so happens to go off with the airbender here, now?"
"Zuko, you're overreacting," Azula gestured towards Aang and herself. "It was an accident! We just went exploring."
"Yeah," Aang scratched the back of his head. "Azula warned me the ship might be boobytrapped," he admitted, a downcast expression on his face. "And well, we booby-ed right into it."
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "Azula, you know better than anybody about acting on impulse. You shouldn't have gone on that ship," he gestured an open hand behind him. "Now this whole village is in danger! This area is still too close to Water Clan outposts! Most of the men left for the war. This place is defenseless."
"Please, Zuko, don't blame Azula. It was my fault."
"So, you admit it," Zuko retorted almost immediately. "You need to leave," he said, pointing in the general direction of where Appa was resting. "I need to see if there's a messenger hawk." He looked at Azula. We need to notify Uncle about the flare."
"You're making a mistake, Zuko," Azula ran a hand through her hair. "We could use his help, he's our fastest route back."
"I'm keeping my promise to father to protect you!" Zuko retorted. "He's attracting too much danger."
"He's not the enemy!" His sister nearly shouted at him. "Since we've found him, he's brought some much needed levity."
"We can't fight waterbenders with 'levity'" Zuko retorted dryly.
"You should try it some time," Aang suggested with a shrug.
"Go. Away," Zuko nearly snapped.
"Then I'm leaving with him," Azula hissed, grabbing Aang's arm. The airbender almost tripped forward from the sudden movement.
"Where do you think you're going?" Zuko asked her retreating form.
"Aang's taking me to find the Sun Warriors," she grit her teeth. Aang brightened at the mention of traveling. "I am? Great!"
Zuko ran forward to intercept them. "We have a responsibility to the Nation, Azula, we can't just leave."
Azula stopped walking, head bowed.
"Azula," Aang pulled away. "I don't want to get between you two." He faced Zuko, bowing respectfully. "Sorry for the trouble," he apologized, making his way back towards the village and to Appa.
Once Aang disappeared past the line of trees, Zuko reached towards his sister.
"Azula, I-"
She smacked her brother's hand away, glaring at him. "Happy now, dum-dum?" she asked rhetorically, eyes smoldering. "There goes my one chance at mastering firshending!" She stomped away towards the village, leaving Zuko in the field.
He felt like the bad guy here, but he shook his head, ridding those thoughts from his mind. Father had tasked him to keep her safe, and he would do that whether she appreciated it or not. He took a deep breath to focus, marching back towards the village. He needed to send a messenger hawk to the palace and prepare for an attack.
Sokka looked at the war paint in the bowl for a long moment. He blinked once, sighing, before deciding to put it away. He wasn't here to raid a village or anything like that. He just needed the Avatar. He would find him and his mission would be complete. His place as heir would be assured and things would go back to normal.
He stepped out of his room on the ship, and two attendants stood at the ready, holding his Royal Wolf Armor, ready to dress him in it. He raised his hand, instead taking the uniform from them. The attendants bowed respectfully and casted the hallway. He would put the armor on himself. Returning to the room with the attire in hand, he looked over the insignia on the chest plate. Three conjoined moons, displayed horizontally. The symbol of the Water Clan for as long as he could remember.
After securing the straps of the torso armor, he placed the wolf helmet atop his head.
A/N: I have more I wanted to add to this chapter, but decided to cut off here and just continue on next chapter.
