Those who have not seen the Seige of the North Pole might be confused to some references, so here we go. Iroh mentioned loosing his son, and thinking of Zuko as his own. They never mention how his son died, or his name, so I'm taking creative license. Oh, and don't forget! Iroh was in a huge siege of the Earth Kingdom capitol city, Bai Seng Sai. (Sorry, have never seen confirmed correct spelling of that, so bear with me please.)
Know its short, more will be coming very soon!
Chap 3: Swallowed by memory
Katara collapsed to her knees, spent. It had been four hours, the fuel still wet despite the crew's best efforts to dry it out. They had been forced off course by the fog, Port Seiji being to the east. Now their course said that land was, at best estimate, ten hours away even with the engines going. The fog was less than a mile behind them and gaining fast.
The girl panted, trying to catch her breath. Iroh handed her a skein of water, and she drank it down eagerly. She tried to rise and bend some more, but Iroh put a hand on her shoulder. He didn't even put any pressure into his grip: just the weight of his hand was enough to stop her tired body from moving.
"Enough, my lady," he said gently. "You've done your best."
"We'll take it from here," Zuko said grimly as the fog move closer. "Get her below deck, uncle."
The old man nodded, taking hold of her arm and helping her stand. She walked on unsteady feet toward the iron door when suddenly—
Zuko's voice sounded, crying out sharply, "Uncle!"
Iroh whirled to help his nephew, gasping when he saw the impossible. The fog had already reached the ship's deck, and was surrounding Zuko. But what made his eyes go wide in shock was the sight of Zuko curled up on his side, both arms covering his head as he whimpered in what sounded like pain. The position made him think of the aftermath of the boy's duel with his own father, after Ozai had scarred his face. The prince wasn't moving.
"Zuko! Hold on, my boy!" Iroh pushed Katara through the door and went to go back to his nephew when the first tendrils of fog touched him----
Suddenly he was back on the plains surrounding the city of Bai Seng Sei, the hot sun beating down on him, the blood of his only child staining the ground before him.
Its your fault, its your fault, its all your fault—
"No!" he cried out. "No, I trained him the best I could, I tried to protect him"—
Your fault, your fault, your fault—
"No! Stop it! This is not real!"
The body of his son slowly rose from the ground, the dirt matting with the blood in his soft brown hair and staining his shattered armor. Where his laughing grey eyes had been were now nothing but terrible orbs of solid black. Charred armor and burned flesh moved in horrifying parody of life. He glared at his father with hate written all over his face. "You did this. You did this to me. Your own son."
"No! Shang, believe me"—
Katara stared at the kind old man as he fell to his knees, his face now a mask of shock and horror. "Lord Iroh? Iroh?"
She barely hard him mumbling something under his breath: something that sounded like pleading. She tried to catch him as he collapsed to the ground. "Lord Iroh! Please speak to me! What is going on!" She looked up as she saw the fog creeping around her, going past her as if it had a mind of its own and snaking down towards the hold. She could hear the crew beginning to scream in terror, calling out names and prayers and pleading for mercy. The panic began to infect the normally brave girl, seeping into her spirit like cold wind. "Stop it, stop it!" she screamed.
She jerked at the feel of an icy hand on her shoulder. The girl turned and found herself facing a masked man. Green eyes peered out of the skull-like mask. He wore black pants and a grey hooded tunic, making him difficult to see in the midst of the fog. "Are you alright, lady?"
"Wh-what?" She stammered. "Ye—yes, I'm fine. But you have to help the others, something's wrong"---
"The men on this ship are firebenders?"
"Huh? Y-yes. What are you doing here? What are you going to do with us? And what is this fog doing to them!"
He bowed his head in respect. "Lady, by the orders of the Empress of the Gamera, this ship is declared trespassing in her waters and is subject to the consequences thereof. We have been ordered to capture this ship and everyone on board is to be brought before the Empress in her courtyard.
"This fog is one of her many spells," he gestured to a jar strapped to his belt, the stopper off its cap. He casually flipped it shut, the fog instantly dispersing into the air. The sun began to break through, sending much needed warmth to the chilled girl. "The fog shows anyone their worst fears and nightmares, but only men. Women are immune to it." More men came up over the sides of the railing, similarly clad in black and grey with the masks on their faces. They reached out for Zuko and Iroh, ropes in hand. "We will tie them up and take the ship back to our island," the man explained.
She looked down at the simple hemp rope, glancing back up at the man in disbelief. "They'll burn right through those."
"Where we're going, this will be more than enough to hold them," he replied.
She backed away as some of the men began to approach her. "What are you going to do with me?"
"We will escort you to the palace to see the Empress. It is her standing orders that any women found in our waters are to be treated with respect and brought before Her Majesty immediately."
She slowly stood as the other men tied Iroh and Zuko together and invaded the main cabin to take control of the ship. "What will happen when we get to Gamera?"
The man shrugged, but his tone implied fear. "That is for the Empress to decide."
Katara gave him a sweet smile before assuming her fighting stance, determined to not show how little energy she had left to fight with. "I don't think I like the sound of this empress."
The man shook his head, assuming a stance of his own. "Why does everyone have to do this the hard way?"
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