Shhh. Shhh. Shhh. Zuko shaves his head. Short black hair falls to the ground by his feet, stark against the white snow. His head is chilled, but Zuko feels more like himself. Prince of the Fire Nation. Not a seventeen year old kid injured and practically alone at the north pole, dependant on a Water Tribe princess. He was... in his own way, thankful for the princess. He would be dead if she hadn't interfered. Maybe. Zuko probably would have been fine. He didn't need anyone. At least, that was what he told himself. Zuko runs a hand over his head, brushing off a few stray hairs. They fall to the ground. He hands the razor to Yue, who takes it without saying anything, though her eyes run over his scalp. She still says nothing.
"I should go soon." Zuko finds Yue standing outside a few hours later. "I'm nearly completely healed."
Yue is silent for a minute, staring at the horizon, and Zuko grows impatient. She speaks before he says anything. "We can go down to the city tonight and find you a kayak. We have enough food here that you can take with you — it should last you a few days."
Zuko nods. It occurs to him that he should have, perhaps, left without telling her. She could now contact her tribe to send soldiers to capture him before he could leave. Zuko still doesn't quite understand why the princess did what she did, but figures that he will be well away from her soon enough and could get back to searching for the Avatar. Zuko tries to look if he can see whatever the white-haired princess is looking at but cannot. He turns and returns to the shelter.
/
Hahn dismisses his Ice-Wolves at the end of their practice session. They limp off quickly as they can. Many were injured during the battle with the Fire Nation but that was no excuse to miss practice. Hahn had been harsher than normal that day, pre-emptively angry with his fiancée about whatever she was up to. Sneaking out of the palace had no viable excuse. She was a princess, for spirits sake. She had very little in the way of responsibilities but one of those surely would be to stay in the palace?
Confronting Yue would have to be done while she was doing the act. Otherwise she could just bat her baby blues and escape judgement. Thus, Hahn was going to find Yue that night and follow her. Yes, that was a good plan. Excellent.
/
Iroh knows that something is up. Fully rested and with a full stomach, he decides to use his firebending to fly above the forest's canopy and inspect his surroundings from a higher vantage point. With a deep exhale, he centers himself and his chi before blasting off. Brow furrowed, he discovers that he was, in fact, on very tiny island. Not the tiniest he had ever been on, but definitely miniscule. Spinning slowly in a circle, Iroh notices that there is a wake behind the island. The island is — Iroh is almost scared to think it — moving? Iroh briefly wonders if he has accidentally entered the spirit world. Frowning, Iroh surges ahead of wherever the island is moving to.
There is something sticking out of the "front" of the island, under the water. Iroh lowers himself to be closer to it. Still, he cannot see quite what it is. There is but one solution. Iroh grits his teeth and lets his fire go out. In midair, Iroh plummets. He angles himself to dive into the water, plunging into the salt-water. It stings his eyes but he keeps them open as he looks at the — lion? Lions do NOT belong underwater. Not to mention, "lions" don't exist. No hyphenation with some other creature? Absolutely not. Lungs bursting, Iroh makes his way skyward. There is soon something at his feet, lifting him up. Iroh, not that fast of a swimmer collapses on it as he breaches air. Gasping, Iroh can see clearly the creature staring at him. A lion-turtle. That must have been what the strange pattern on the island was. A shell. Iroh bows lowly, giving the lion turtle the utmost respect. Iroh did not want to offend it, especially after diving right in front of its face.
"Iroh. The Dragon of the West." The lion-turtle greets him, mouth still yet Iroh could clearly hear him.
"Lion-turtle, great spirit. I see that you have heard of my moniker."
"Yes. I am glad that it is fake," the lion-turtle intones, revealing his knowledge. Iroh eyes widen slightly before bowing his head.
"I apologize for disturbing you, I was curious about why the island — you, I suppose — was moving and wished to investigate."
"You didn't disturb me. Did you think you happened on me by chance? No, I wished to speak with you."
Iroh is surprised yet again. Why did the lion-turtle wish to speak with him? Why was the lion-turtle only now becoming interesting in human affairs?
"There is a white-haired young woman that you will meet. You must help her. She will need your knowledge of the spirit world, Iroh, Walker of Worlds."
Iroh bows lowly to show his acceptance of this task. "Great spirit, I will do so with honour. Thank you for entrusting me with this."
The lion-turtle seems pleased with this. "I fare thee well, Walker of Worlds." The lion-turtle begins to sink back down into the water. "Put the sun at your back, and you will find land — and later, the young women." With that, the lion-turtle is fully immersed into the water again, except for his island-shell. The sea comes up around Iroh and he looks around for a path of escape, his raft is by his feet so Iroh grabs it and climbs aboard as the lion-turtle's paw falls out of sight beneath Iroh. Iroh waves at the spirit, even though he cannot see it, before looking over the horizon at his new path: East.
/
Dear Prince Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe,
I hope this reaches you well. I am sure you are surprised to hear from me. I assure you, I am just as surprised that I am still alive. I will not write of exactly the circumstances that has allowed this to transpire. Perhaps at a future date will will meet again and do another activity together.
The purpose of this letter is to let you know that you do not need to feel guilt over when I saw you last. It wasn't your fault and as is surely clear by the sending of this letter, I am fine.
Hoping to meet again,
Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe
Yue rolls up the scroll and seals it with hot wax she melted with the aid of the oil lamp. She hopes that it will make it safely to Sokka. Sokka... she only knew him for a week but it was a glorious week. He was a light on her existence that made her realize how colourless she was. How much of her life was consumed by useless traditions and deference? Too much. Yue loved her people and their history, but she was coming to the conclusion that one should learn from history; not repeat it. Yue was thinking that perhaps, just perhaps, she could help her people more by wielding what political influence she had to become more than a figurehead. More than a silent, smiling princess.
"You are going to go after Aang?" Yue asks, though it isn't really a question. Zuko looks up in surprise. Yue is standing there, with a scroll clutched in her hands. Zuko stands to face her.
"Yes."
"Do you, um, do you know Sokka?" Yue asks. Zuko frowns, shaking his head. "Sokka is the water tribe man travelling with Aang."
"The boy with the boomerang?"
"Yes, that's Sokka." Yue blushes a bit. Zuko doesn't notice. "Can you give this to him, whenever you find them?"
Zuko looks down at the scroll in Yue's outsretched palm. "Sure." He takes it. He has no intention to give it to the boy, Sokka. He was going to be fighting the Avatar, regaining his honour; not passing on messages like some errand boy. Zuko takes it regardless of this. Perhaps somehow he will be able to give it to Sokka, that was his name right? Zuko still didn't know why he was hanging around the Avatar. Zuko didn't really understand a lot of things about the Avatar, but he knew that he would capture him, and restore his honour and return to his nation.
/
Hahn pulls on his mukluks. The sun is lowering in the sky and so it is time to go. He was going to find Yue, out wherever she went the last night. Hahn knows that she hadn't returned as he had gone to the palace and asked about her and had gotten a non-commital answer from Chief Arnook. Either that, or the old man was going senile.
/
Zuko and Yue pack, leaving no trace of themselves in the shelter, other than footprints and memories. Zuko takes all the food; Yue has no need for it. Shivers go down Zuko's back at the thought of leaving. The shelter had become a place of rest as well as a prison. It had become its own world; a bubble with only two occupants. Leaving now, Zuko was re-entering an uncertain world. He was supposed to be dead, after all, and he didn't know quite what to do with that. Perhaps he ought to find Iroh before the Avatar. Though, he would probably scold Zuko for not intending to bring Yue's letter to the water tribe boy, Sokka. The water tribe had such odd names.
When there is a blue cast over the land, the snowy landscape softly illuminated, the figures slip into the northern city, only the moon as their witness. And since one of them was the moon, sort of, this was a non-issue. Unfortunately, it was not to stay that way. Two eyes find them, and follow them, unbeknownst to them.
Yue leads the way through the city, sticking to the sidestreets and more covered bridges, carefully avoiding anyone going for a midnight walk. Zuko follows in her footsteps, warily watching Yue as well as every glimmer of movement. Yue leads him to one of the smaller ports of the city. There is mostly people's personal hunting kayaks tied up in the water, no locks. Yue will make sure that the owner of whichever one Zuko steals is fairly compensated, somehow.
Yue holds a kayak in place as Zuko straps his gear onto the front of the vessel. When he is done he stands and bows to Yue, slightly. A small thanks for what she has done, really, but for Zuko, it is huge. Yue bows deeply back to him.
"Stay safe, Prince Zuko."
"I will," Zuko replies. Hahn eyes widen at the word "prince". He is hiding behind a stack of deep-sea cages used for catching cat-lobsters and dog-crabs, staring at Yue and whoever the other person is through a crack. "Prince Zuko." Prince of what? Whatever it was, it was not above board otherwise Yue wouldn't be hiding him.
Hahn stands up and strides out from behind his hiding place.
"What is this?!" He demands, shoulders tense. Yue spins around in surprise while Zuko assumes a fighting stance; Hahn notes it as an odd fighting stance as he settles into his own.
"Hahn?!" Yue exclaims. "What are you doing here?"
"I should be the one asking you what are you doing here?! And who is that?"
"Hahn, listen. Zuko is just a friend that is going on a fishing trip and... he just wants to beat the morning rush." Yue lies through her teeth. It isn't a great lie but there really wasn't a good one for this situation that she could have used.
"What morning rush?" Hahn asks. "Is this your lover?" He spits. Yue and Zuko both cringe at the thought.
"No!" They both yell at the same time.
"I didn't think you would let down your people like this, Yue. Especially not as a bethrothed woman," Hahn sneers. "This will make me look like a fool!"
'He's not my lover, just a friend. Can we please discuss this later?" Yue pleads with her fiancé. Zuko glances at Yue out of the corner of his eye. They were betrothed? Zuko didn't care, but it just seemed like a horrible match.
"We can discuss it with your father, all of us." Hahn advances on them."Surely, you won't lie to the chief."
Yue purses her lips. "That won't happen," she says softly. Zuko grunts in agreement. Hahn yells and charges on them. Zuko springs forwards to meet him in combat.
They fight. Shocked, Yue steps back as the two become a flurry of punches and kicks. Zuko isn't firebending and Hahn can't waterbend so hopeully the fight doesn't attract attention. Hopefully. Yue's blood pressure rises and so does her heartbeat. This isn't good, this isn't good, this isn't good. Tui rises in her and agrees. Yes, this is not good. I'll take care of this. Something shifts, and with a gasp, Yue's arms are outstretched, having torn the two fighting apart without touching them. She thinks that she has controlled the water vapour in the air. That's what it feels like. Hahn stares at her with wide eyes. He didn't she was a waterbender now. She wasn't supposed to be. Shaking, Yue steadies her breath. Zuko recovers quickly, slinking behind Yue and into the kayak. Hahn tries to lunge after him but Yue stops him with a single hand raised. Hahn fights against her but it is futile.
Zuko unties the kayak swiftly and makes his departure quicker. He glances behind him one last time before leaving the city through a small opening in the city walls that normally would be controlled by waterbenders, but since an emminent attack from the Fire nation was unlikely, it was left open for more effective use of the waterbenders energy. Rebuilding the city was top priority and they needed all benders on deck. Zuko sees Yue and her fiancé standing in the same position before he is completely in the small opening.
Once Zuko is gone, Yue releases Hahn and he rushes forwards, angrily stomping in his direction. Yue takes a deep breath. How am I going to deal with Hahn?
A/N: Let the record show that I also do NOT know how Yue is going to deal with Hahn. I just know she does... somehow.
So I think I said that people's eyes widened like a zillion times this chapter and I AM TRYING TO STOP OKAY. I'm clearly not succeeding.
Anyways, stuff happened this chapter! Zuko is gone, Yue has a mess to clean up, Hahn is horrible, and Iroh met a lion-turtle! The plot is moving people, climb aboard. I'm excited to see all that happens next. I have a general outline that I'm following, but other than that, all the little things and exactly how Zuko and Yue get from point A to point B is entirely a surprise as I'm writing it lmao. We got some mention of Sokka as well this chapter... I wonder what will happen next time he and Yue meet? Not that that will actually happen for a while but it will be fun when it does!
Other exciting thing — over 30, 000 words! I just realized. Isn't that so cool! It's so cool. So many wooooooords. I'm a chronic underwriter so this is freaking amazing. I used to not even be able to break like 500 words on a fic so this is definitely progress:)))
As always, please let me know your thoughts and if you'd like me to include anything in future chapters!