Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
Chapter 21: That's Not How the Fire Nation Works
"We should land down there," Zuko suggested, pointing to a secluded section of the beach. "It's out of the way enough that people won't find us, but close enough to the town that we could go if we need to."
Nodding, Aang guided Appa down, touching down on the soft sand. As soon as they landed, Katara dropped her hands in relief, their cloud cover vanishing.
"We should probably hide Appa somewhere." Zuko pointed out. "If anyone found him, it would be obvious who we are."
Toph shifted her foot, testing the ground. "There's a rather large cave over there." She gestured. "It should be open and big enough that Appa won't get claustrophobic."
"Does anyone know what that is?" Sokka spoke up, gesturing to the sky, and causing all of them to turn around.
Flying across the sky towards them, at a compatible speed to Appa, was a white blob. As it got closer and closer, more and more features were distinguishable, until it took the unmistakable shape of a swan-dog. Zuko barely had the time to stumble backwards, his eyes widening as he realized what was going on, before Snowy slammed into him.
Toph, Katara, Aang, and Sokka dissolved into laughter, as the ex-Fire Prince was bowled over by an over-excitable swan-puppy.
"I wonder how she got here." Sokka mused.
The previous day...
"I know, I miss them too already." Hakoda whispered to Snowy, as the swan-dog whined in protest, watching the Gaang fly away on Appa. "Let's go inside."
Bursting out of his grip, Snowy ran across the deck, her wings spreading out.
"Ooh, ooh." Ty Lee grinned, bouncing up and down. "Is this normal? Is she going to do something cool?"
Hakoda's eyes widened comically. "We should probably get out of the way."
The Southern Water Tribe warriors who were on the deck jumped out of the way as Snowy hurtled down the deck, nearly smacking Maleq and Ronrin in the ankles with her large wings. Reaching the end of the deck, she flew off, heading in the direction that the Gaang had just left in.
"Well," Tokiq said, watching the swan-dog fly away. "I did tell Zuko that he made a friend for life."
Zuko shrugged. "I don't think it matters how she got here, she's here now."
"We should probably head into town." Katara suggested, looking up from their supplies. "We won't be able to go anywhere dressed the way we are, and we should get more supplies."
Zuko gently pushed Snowy off him, standing up next to Sokka. The swan-dog rolled over, gazing up at him with her tongue lolling. "Follow me and stay close. The last thing we need is someone getting caught before we've gotten disguises."
"You should probably find some way to keep Snowy here," Sokka pointed out. "Having a large, obviously Water Tribe dog, will make it just as obvious who we are, just like Appa would."
Zuko crouched down, facing Snowy who cocked her head to look at him. Behind them, Sokka and Toph stifled their laughter at Zuko having a conversation with the dog.
"You have to stay here Snowy." He told her. "It's not safe for you to come into town with us. You'll stay here with Appa and Momo, and we'll be back soon."
Snowy whined in response, but walked over to where Appa and Momo were, curling up next to the large sky bison.
"You know, I didn't think that would work." Sokka mused. "I guess you learn more every day."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Let's head into town."
Leaving the three animals to their own devices in the secluded area of the beach that they had made their camp, the five of them picked their way up the hill, Aang using his airbending to boost himself up, towards where the town was located. Stopping near a house on the outskirts of town, the Gaang ducked behind a rock, peeking out from behind it to spot the clothes hanging on a clothesline, drying.
Looking around to check that the coast was clear, Zuko motioned to his friends and the five of them ran over, grabbing outfits one at a time. Once they had all grabbed their clothes and changed, tucking their old outfits into their bags, they ducked out from behind the boulder, heading towards town.
"We shouldn't stay here long." Zuko told them, as they arrived at the edge of town. "Even though we did change clothes, someone could still recognize us."
Toph bumped his shoulder. "Lighten up Sparky, we managed to make it this far already."
"But we haven't been in the Fire Nation before." Zuko pointed out. "It's going to be more dangerous."
Aang broke away from the group, effectively silencing their conversation. "Let's get some food guys," he yelled back at them. "It's why we came here in the first place."
"He does have a point." Katara shrugged.
Zuko pointed towards the center of town. "The market is going to be in a square in the center of town. If we want food, our best bet is to go there. And if we run into trouble, we can disappear into the crowd easier."
"Leave it to me everyone." Aang said, grinning. "I used to come to the Fire Nation all the time with Kuzon. I can get us around."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "How about you listen to the one person who has actually been to the Fire Nation in the past one hundred years? I was the Prince of the Fire Nation, remember?"
"How can we forget, Sparky?" Toph asked, patting his shoulder.
Aang walked towards a man leaning up against the side of the building. "It's fine, I got this. Hey Hotman, where can I find the nearest market?"
"Continue down this street and take a right at the end, you can't miss it." The man told them, but gave Aang a weird look, while Zuko tried not to sigh loudly in the back.
Aang saluted him as they walked away. "Flameo good sir! Thank you for your help!"
"That's not even remotely correct." Zuko scolded him as soon as they were out of earshot. "I've never heard anyone say that before."
Aang stared at him, confused. "But everyone was saying that when Kuzon and I would go on trips to the Fire Nation."
"You also haven't been to the Fire Nation in one hundred years, Aang." Katara pointed out. "The slang must have changed."
Sokka chose that moment to butt in. "Let's split up. We'll be able to find what we need faster, and when everyone is done, we can meet back at the campsite."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Sokka's plan, and split into five different directions, setting off into different corners of the market.
Six hours later…
As Aang wandered back into the campsite, the Gaang shot up from where they were gathered around the campfire, Momo on Katara's shoulders and Snowy at Zuko's heels.
"You're okay!" Katara exclaimed, throwing her arms around Aang's shoulders.
Zuko stalked up, an angry look on his face. "Where were you? It's been six hours!"
"I may have accidentally enrolled in school." Aang explained, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
Toph blew a piece of hair out of her face. "Why would you do that? School is the worst."
"I didn't mean too! The guards caught me in the market and dragged me to school." Aang defended himself. "But I think it was a good idea and I'm going to go back tomorrow."
The entire group stared at him like he had grown two heads. "Are you crazy?" Zuko demanded. "You're the Avatar, if you get recognized, it is all over for us. Why would you continue putting yourself at risk?"
"But I learned so much valuable information today." Aang defended himself. "Information that can help us with the upcoming invasion."
Sokka stared at him. "Aang, we travel with Zuko, who grew up in the palace and knows the castle inside and out. Not to mention, he's a time traveler. He knows how the invasion went before, and how to pull it off this time. You don't need to risk getting captured for this."
"And we're running on a tight schedule, Twinkle Toes." Toph pointed out. "We don't have the time to waste having you go to school."
Aang sighed. "I suppose you all are right."
"But thanks for trying to help Aang." Katara said, smiling softly at him. "But we have other options."
Zuko turned back to the campfire, sending a few more flames at it to keep it going. "Let's eat dinner and then go to bed. We have a full day of traveling tomorrow."
The next day…
Aang settled back against Appa as the sky bison flew them over the countryside, sticking to the clouds to keep out of eyesight. Up in the saddle, Sokka pulled one of the maps out of his bag, unfolding it in his lap.
"Where are we going next?" He asked Zuko, his eyes roaming over the Fire Nation archipelago.
Zuko pointed at one of the outer islands. "We're going there. It will get us a quarter of the way to the meeting place for the invasion. And if I remember correctly, it's where you originally got your sword."
"If Snoozles already has his sword, why are we going there?" Toph asked.
Zuko turned to her. "It's a good place to give Appa a break, and the sword master is a member of the White Lotus. It would be a good idea to inform him of the invasion plans, and what happened to my uncle, if he doesn't already know."
"Sounds good to me." Aang agreed. "Appa would enjoy the break."
Sokka leaned back in the saddle. "Wake me up when we get there." He told the group, closing his eyes.
Three hours later…
"Come on Sokka, we're here." Zuko said, shaking him awake.
The other boy groaned, rolled over, and tugged his parka over himself. "Five more minutes."
Rolling his eyes, Zuko yanked the parka off of him and held it away, causing Sokka to yelp and leap up. "I'm awake, I'm awake. Just give me a minute." He mumbled.
"Yeah, sure you are." Katara said, shaking her head.
As soon as they were all up and awake, the group began to travel up the hill to the huge mansion, having left Appa and Snowy at the bottom of the hill.
"What do you think he'll be like?" Aang asked as they walked.
Katara shrugged. "I'm not sure, we'll just have to wait and see."
"Hopefully he won't be like Jeong Jeong." Sokka said, laughing.
As they reached the large door knocker, Zuko reached up and knocked against the door twice, before stepping back and waiting with the others. But when the door opened for them, the person standing on the other side was not who he had expected.
"Master Piandao?" He asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"
The sword master smiled. "Ah, Prince Zuko, it is lovely to speak with you again. I had heard you were traveling with the Avatar. And as for what I'm doing here, this is my house after all."
"How do you know each other, Zuko?" Katara asked, glancing between the two of them.
"Master Piandao was the one who taught me how to use my daos." Zuko explained. "He taught my cousin Lu Ten, and then he taught me."
Aang grinned, sticking his hand out for Piandao to shake. "Hello, my name is Aang. It is nice to meet you Master Piandao, but we did come here to talk to you for a reason."
"I assumed there was a purpose to your visit." Piandao said, nodding and closing the doors behind them. "Considering how surprised Zuko was to see me. Come sit, I'll make you some tea and then we can talk."
As he disappeared around the corner, the others turned to Zuko. "I didn't know you had a cousin, Zuko." Katara commented.
"I did." Zuko confirmed, sitting down at the table. "His name was Lu Ten and he was my uncle's son. He died in the Siege of Ba Sing Se. See, before my cousin died, my uncle was a lot more militaristic, but then he lost his son and all incentive to fight."
"There is a reason your uncle has the title, Dragon of the West." Piandao said, coming around the corner. "He was quite the military prowess back in the day. But enough of that, I know you came here for a reason."
Sokka nodded, pulling one of the invasion maps out of his bag, before diving into a full explanation of the plans for the invasion to Piandao.
The next day…
"It was really good to see you Prince Zuko." Piandao told him, before pressing a white lotus tile into his palm. "And if you need help, the white lotus tile will always help you find a friend."
Zuko smiled at his old teacher. "I'm already aware of how helpful the white lotus tile can be, but thanks for the help." He said, before waving goodbye.
"Are you okay?" Sokka asked as they walked down the hill and towards Appa. "I know that must have been hard for you."
Zuko nodded. "It was, but it was good to see him again. I only hope that wasn't the last time." He said as the mansion got smaller and smaller in the distance, his fingers carding through Snowy's fur.
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