Disclaimer: Me? Own Avatar? Ha ha ha!

Summary: Koh the Face Stealer threatens to return and finish what he started centuries ago. New alliances will be formed, friendships will be tested, and characters will be challenged like never before.

Providence

Chapter Eight: Alliances

- - - - -

Shing's body felt drained of all energy. The power of the Kuji Kiri was unstoppable, but even if used successfully, the earthbender would be left weak and vulnerable afterwards. He was a sitting duck. He tried to bring himself to a standing position but his legs failed him, his eyes blurred.

Full of malice Chen made his way towards Shing, drawing his sword in preparation for the execution. Nothing could stop him now…nothing except an irritated Avatar. Aang swung his staff and created a gust of wind that knocked Chen to the ground. "It's over," he stated flatly. "It's time for you to retreat."

The pirate leader got back to his feet. The insolence from this little boy did nothing to curb his anger.

When Chen didn't make a move, Aang took the initiative. "Here I'll help you." The monk twirled, his hands making circling motions to build up energy, and then unleashed a large gale directed towards his opponent. Chen thrust his sword deep into the ground for purchase. When the wind hit him he clung desperately to the hilt and managed to keep from being pushed back. He pulled the blade from the ground and straightened to his full height. He was about to charge the monk, but instead his face paled and eyes widened. With a look of fear he turned and quickly fled into the forest towards the shore.

Aang blinked in surprise and then grinned from ear to ear. "Ha! Did you see that? When he realized what he was up against he ran away!"

"Uh…Aang," Katara spoke softly.

"Not that I can blame him, I mean I am the Avatar."

"Aang…"

"This turned out easier than I thought. Now we can go back to the temple with…"

"Stop babbling and turn around you idiot!" Zuko's voice interrupted.

A startled Aang turned and came face to face with what it was that made Chen retreat. Wolves. Lots of them. Large, furry creatures emerged from all sides surrounding their prey.

"That guy's attack must have disturbed their den," Sokka presumed.

"Sokka, please tell me you have a backup plan," Katara pleaded to her brother.

"Oh sure. Just turn around while I pull it out of the usual place!"

The growls grew louder as the wolves steadily approached.

"Calm down," said Iroh. "There is nothing to fear." Five pairs of eyes regarded the ex-general with doubt. Was he mad? "Skoll, I see you are doing well."

That was when Aang noticed him. A white wolf of tremendous size rose from the earth; it must have been ten times the size of a normal wolf! Its amber eyes were cold and distant as it regarded them. The other wolves stopped in their tracks. "It's huge!"

"Which one?" Sokka asked nervously. "They all look pretty big to me."

"Don't you see it? It's even bigger than Appa!"

Sokka, Katara, Zuko, and Shing looked around for this alleged super-sized wolf called Skoll. They couldn't see him, Aang realized. But why?

Iroh chuckled, "I knew you would be able to see him young Avatar." He turned to the wolf. "For the sake of my companions won't you let them see you?"

Skoll stared silently, but he must have agreed because a chorus of gasps came from the others. "What the hell is that thing?" Sokka exclaimed.

The wolf turned his indifferent eyes to the warrior. "You will show respect when addressing a spirit, human." His voice was as cold as his stare.

"S-spirit?" He felt his legs shaking nervously.

"I apologize," Iroh sensed that this meeting could go downhill very quickly. "For disturbing your home."

"I was under the impression that I was to never see you here again."

"I'm afraid circumstances have forced me to do otherwise. I warned you that the power of the Houshu may draw greedy men to your shores in search of it. Luckily, your help has once again proved advantageous and our enemy has fled. I thank you," he bowed.

Skoll didn't seem appeased by this. "Because of your recklessness our den has suffered damage."

All eyes turned to Shing. "Uh…" he stuttered. "Sorry about that." The sun-tanned skin of his face looked unnaturally pale.

"It has been so long since my wolves have had a decent meal," Skoll continued. The predators growled in agreement.

Zuko clenched his fists. This was bad. This was unreal. This was so stupid. After everything he had been through, all the training, meditation, and his relentless search for the Avatar…was this the end? He had taken on dangerous and potentially lethal missions in pursuit of his goal without fear of death before. There was no shame in a warrior's death, to fight to the very end for his nation and his beliefs. And now here he was, standing so close to the object of his hunt that he could capture him with ease, about to be eaten by wolves of his uncle's acquaintance because of the ambiguous actions of a careless pirate. What a damn stupid way to die.

The prince readied his fighting stance refusing to go down without a fight. Iroh placed a hand on his fist, gently but firmly forcing his nephew's hand down. "That won't be necessary," he whispered.

"Skoll, I understand your position. It must be terribly hard for your wolves to find food on such a deserted island. However, I'm sure you would not want to harm the Avatar," Iroh gestured to Aang, who flushed. He waved his arms and mouthed 'don't look at me!' "After all, I'm sure the four elemental spirits would not be pleased to see their advocate dead by your orders."

Skoll looked at Aang like he was seeing him for the first time. The monk felt the color drain from his face. What was he supposed to do? He had helped calm down the spirit Hei-Bai once before, but this wolf didn't look like the understanding type. Aang suddenly realized the seriousness of his lack of knowledge about the spirits and how to defeat them…if there was a way.

But Aang's worries were put to rest when Skoll relented. "Very well," he spoke. "Now leave this island before I change my mind, and take that damn jewel with you. I refuse to play your guard dog any longer." The spirit vanished into the forest and the rest of the wolves obediently followed their master.

There was a collective sigh of relief. Shing looked rather pleased with himself, "That was pretty close, huh?"

"You fool!" Zuko grabbed the teenager by the shirt; he wanted so badly to burn that cocky smile right off his face. "You almost got us killed!"

Shing met his glare of daggers with one of his own. "I saved your life! With the way you were fighting those pirates it's a wonder you've survived this long."

"Don't play games with me you arrogant bastard! Tell me who you really are!"

There was a whistling sound of an approaching object and Zuko jumped back. A small kunai had just flown by his face and embedded itself into a nearby tree. "What was that?"

A black uniformed figure emerged from the shadows. "Watch your mouth with speaking with Master Shing."

"Yori!" Katara exclaimed. She had almost forgotten all about her.

Shing looked relieved. "It's about time. I was starting to worry about you."

"A thousand apologies for keeping you waiting, Master."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Me? Who are you?"

"I will be asking the questions here! What are you all doing here?"

"We could ask the same of you."

"Answer my question!"

"You don't have to yell."

"Shut your mouth, you filth!"

Another kunai was sent flying through the air.

"If you do that one more time…"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Calm down, both of you!"

"Wait. Who are you?"

"Quiet!" Iroh voice silenced all the others. Why did he suddenly feel like an overworked babysitter? "I think perhaps Shing should explain himself first. Is that agreeable, Prince Shing?"

"Prince?" Zuko looked at the shabby clothes of his peer. "You must be joking."

Yori took a step towards the firebender, but was abruptly stopped by her master. "It's all right," he assured her. "I think that is a very good idea, General Iroh. But I must ask…when did you realize my true identity?"

Iroh smiled. "You may try and hide behind the clothes of a peasant, but you cannot conceal the features of royalty. You look so much like your father."

Shing gave a respectful bow, "And you certainly live up to your reputation. You and my father may have been enemies, but he respected your talent. He said you were a worthy opponent and now I must agree with him, especially after your knowing how to evade the Kuji Kiri."

"I assure you, my knowledge is based on experience. After all, the spirit of Earth would not like her children to be harmed. The trees were safe from her wrath." His voice was steady despite the depressing memory that surfaced at the mention of the attack, the same attack that had inadvertently landed Lu Ten in Idzumo.

Zuko stared in disbelief at the exchange between his uncle and the fake pirate. This was wrong. Something in his gut told him this scene was wrong.

"You're the prince of Ba-Sing-Sei?" Aang asked. It would seem that Yori had told the truth after all.

"A prince, not the prince," he studied the young monk. "And you are the Avatar. I've heard many great things about you."

"What do you mean a prince?" Katara asked while Aang blushed beside her. "There is more than one?"

"My father, the King of Ba-Sing-Sei, has many wives, each one taken from a major tribe. Naturally, there are many heirs." His gaze lifted toward the cloudy sky as he tried to recall the numbers. "If I remember correctly, there are currently fifteen sons and seventeen daughters. I am the fourth crowned prince and this," he pointed to the young woman, "is my chief retainer, Yori." She bowed politely.

"Fascinating," Sokka said sarcastically. "I'm Sokka and this is Katara. Now that the introductions are out of the way how about explaining what you're up to?"

Shing ignored Sokka and gave a dazzling smile to the waterbender, who blinked confusedly in return. "Gladly. Two months ago the temple in our capital was robbed. The priest was hurt pretty badly and our sacred dagger with the Houshu implanted in the wooden hilt was taken. That knife is a part of the royal family's rite of passage. When a member of the royal family reaches the age of sixteen he or she is sent into the wilderness without food or water. The blade is our only possession. We wait, pray, and fast until we receive a vision from a spirit and this spirit will become our lifelong guide."

"Get to the point," Zuko interrupted.

"Patience," instructed Shing. "As you can imagine, this theft started quite the uproar. I won't lie and say that my father personally ordered me to recover it. I made the decision on my own, took my bodyguard, and left the city to find the thief. I eventually discovered his identity and set out to join his crew so I could get closer to the Houshu. Of course, Chen did not trust me right away. I started at the bottom of the food chain and worked my way up. I admit, I was ignorant of the true power of those jewels and when Chen insisted on stealing all four I was curious. Needless to say…"

Zuko snorted.

Shing ignored him "…I was quite shocked when I finally learned the truth. So I stayed and waited until the time was right to make my move."

"A lot of good it did," Zuko interrupted again. Something was definitely wrong with Shing's story, he was sure of it. He just couldn't put his finger on it. "Chen got away."

"He may have two of the Houshu, but so do we."

Yori reached into her uniform and brought the Houshu out into the sunlight for the others to see. They stared wide-eyed at the ruby in her hand and it practically glowed in the light. Surrounding the jewel was the wooden carving of a phoenix. It was intricately done, the obvious work of a master craftsman.

Iroh broke out in laughter with his head thrown back. "I should have known," he said once his laughter died down. "That attack wasn't meant only for the pirates."

"Are you saying," Zuko's temper was rising again with more intensity than before, "that he intentionally damaged the wolf den?"

"Of course," Shing spoke matter-of-factly. He looked at them as though it should have been obvious. "I needed a way to defeat the pirates and lure the wolves from the den. It wasn't as though Yori could have walked in and asked 'would you mind if I borrow this?'" Yori nodded her agreement.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka stared open-mouthed with a mix of awe and confusion. First Lei, then Chen, then Iroh and Zuko, and now Shing and Yori. Who else knew about the Houshu? How much competition did they have?

Zuko glared at his fellow prince. "I don't believe this! You intentionally almost got us killed!"

"But we're alive," he countered. "Chen has retreated with most of his men buried alive and we have two of the jewels. Well, once we return to the temple we will have two of the jewels."

"We?"

"Wait, wait," Sokka interrupted the firebender. "How do you know about the temple?"

Yori shot him a dirty look. Sokka returned it. "Do you honestly thing that his Majesty is that ignorant? The story of the temple is taught to even the lowliest of servants. Everyone knows it was created as a memorial to Avatar Tang and is protected by a spell to keep out those who would abuse the power within it."

Shing gave his retainer a hard stare. She caught his eye and quickly fell silent. "Anyway," the ex-pirate continued for her. "I think it's best if we all return to the temple. No offense General Iroh, but even if you got that wolf to change his mind I don't think this island will be a successful hiding place any longer. Now that Chen knows about it he'll undoubtedly return to try again."

Iroh stroked his beard pensively. "Yes, you're right. Perhaps it would be best if the Houshu remains at the temple for awhile. At least until I find another location for it."

Zuko locked gazes with his uncle. How could he even suggest an alliance with them? Did Iroh expect him to play delivery boy when the Avatar was just a few feet away from him just begging to be captured?

At first the ex-general's eyes seemed impassive. Then Zuko saw the softness behind them, a look of tired pleading. Memories flooded his mind's eye, memories of Iroh teaching him firebending for the first time and then lying to the servants about how the tapestry had been burned. He remembered the proverbs spoken over cups of tea, games of Pai Sho, and never-ending stories that were so obviously embellished. He also remembered the Agni Kai with his father and the scar on his face that served as a daily reminder of the day he lost his honor. No one had forced Iroh to go into exile with him, but his uncle had abandoned his home, his possessions, and his position in the court without a second thought. For over two years he had aided Zuko on his quest and asked for nothing in return. How could he deny his mentor's unspoken request?

Zuko tried to look at his situation from a logical point of view. If he tried to capture the Avatar now the Water Tribe brother and sister, and undoubtedly Shing and Yori, would fight him. One against five didn't sound like sensible odds. Even if he did manage to defeat them there was no other way off the island except the Avatar's flying bison.

Shing sensed the tension in the air. "Well, what do you say? Will you put aside your own personal grudges to do what needs to be done?"

"No way," Sokka spoke out. "Aang, Katara, and I are the only ones who are going to bring that Houshu back. Why should we trust them?" He pointed to Zuko and Iroh. "Or you two?" He pointed to Shing and Yori.

Zuko took a step towards the warrior. "If you think you're going to take that jewel and leave us stranded here you're sadly mistaken."

"I must agree," said Yori.

Sokka was unyielding, "If you think we're just going to forget everything you've put us through and let you come with us then you are the one who's mistaken. Do you really think we'd let you get close enough to capture Aang?"

"I think you are all forgetting who actually has the Houshu," the prince of Ba-Sing-Sei was starting to get annoyed. "Yori and I are the ones who managed to take it. It's at our discretion whether or not you join us."

"It may be in your possession now," Katara eyed the prince's retainer. "But that doesn't mean it will stay that way."

Yori's eyes narrowed.

Iroh's calm voice cut through the hostility. "I think that we are loosing perspective. Our enemy is not here. Chen is still out there."

This realization silenced the youth. Anger at the pirate seemed to be the only thing they had in common. Zuko sighed. Here was his uncle being so typically … Iroh, calmly delivering a reasonable yet unwanted rationale. What was that old saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

"Well, Avatar," the ex-general continued. "What do you say?"

Aang had remained silent during the harsh debate. He was staring at the sky as the clouds slowly turned darker, a storm would be coming. All eyes turned to the Avatar, waiting for him to speak. "I'll call Appa. We'll bring the Houshu back to the temple together."

- - - - -

Chen felt completely lost. He hated that feeling. It reminded him of weakness and he refused to tolerate any weakness.

The pirate tore apart his chambers looking desperately for the Houshu. He needed them. He needed the spirit to tell him what to do next. Chen hadn't anticipated Shing's betrayal, especially after everything the teenager had done to help. The spirit should have foreseen this; somehow it should have known and warned him. It was the spirit's fault that he hadn't gotten the Fire Nation's jewel. At least that was what he told himself.

He overturned an entire chest of drawers in desperation. Where the hell were they? "Jiro!" He yelled for his subordinate.

A frightened-looking pirate entered his Captain's quarters. He looked around at the mess and immediately realized now was not a good time to ask for a pay raise. "What is it Captain?"

"Where are they?" He screamed. Chen dared anyone to cross him now. He almost wanted one of his three remaining men to have stolen them just so he could relieve some of this stress.

"You don't have them?" Jiro asked stupidly.

Chen's hand itched to draw his sword. "Of course I don't have the Houshu, you idiot! Would I be asking you where they were if I knew?"

Definitely not a good time to ask for a raise. "B-but…" he stuttered. "Didn't Shing give them to you?"

Chen felt like he was having a heart attack. Surely this man was joking. "What?"

Jiro continued on obliviously, "He came in and took them both right before you left for the island. He said you wanted to take them with you. Didn't he give them to you?"

The pirate leader's mind felt numb. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be over, not when he had come so close!

"You know, now that I think of it there's something kind of strange about that guy. Once I caught him…" Chen grabbed the pirate before he could finish and dragged him back out onto the deck towards the side of the ship.

Splash!

Chen suddenly felt a little better. He turned to his remaining two men and ordered them to get moving. He might not know the exact location of the temple, but he knew the general area where it was supposed to reside. A river would take them inland. Chen didn't care how long it would take, he would find the remaining jewels and kill that bastard Shing.

His men didn't move. "Why are just standing there?"

One of the pirates spoke, with extreme caution knowing the ice was thin. "I'm sorry Captain, but the ship won't be able to move."

Forget the heart attack; Chen was having a stroke. His mind and body felt numb. "Why?"

The pirate had never been one for religion, but right now he was praying to every spirit he could think of, and that more than made up for his years of neglect. "The oil was stored just above the holding cells of the prisoners. Somehow they managed to burn a hole in the ceiling and…"

Splash!

Chen and the waterbender were the only ones left. The Captain turned to his one and only crewman. "Get this ship moving. Now!"

He didn't even think of disobeying.

- - - - -

Author's Notes: One of my favorite things about literature is the use of foreshadowing. I always loved how authors will sometimes leave in little hints for things to come. So I've tried to copy this technique and fill my own little story with foreshadowing, like the oil Zuko discovered above his cell. Poor Chen, I almost feel sorry for him…almost.

So Shing's true identity is a prince of Ba-Sing-Sei. I hinted to it twice (well, three times if you count Yori's testimony). The first time was when Zuko awakened in his cell and talked with Shing for the first time. He told Zuko, "You and I are more alike than you think." The second time was on the boat rowing towards the island when Zuko and Shing talked about a prince's obligations.

Originally, Skoll was only going to serve as the spirit who controlled the wolves and guarded the Houshu. Now I've thought up a little legend about our cold-hearted spirit that will lead to a surprising revelation (that actually has little to do with the plot, but I like it for some reason). Want a hint? Think amber eyes. Also, he introduced Aang to an important fact, "Aang suddenly realized the seriousness of his lack of knowledge about the spirits and how to defeat them…if there was a way." This is big time foreshadowing for the finale.

I chose the Fire Nation's Houshu to be sealed in a phoenix carving for three reasons. The phoenix is a mythological firebird so I thought it would be symbolic of the Fire Nation. It can also represent resurrection, mainly Iroh's "rebirth." The death of this son and his journey to the spirit world marked the ending of an old life filled with "anger and resentment." If you recall Iroh said, "a part of me also died that day," and he eventually became the wise, good-hearted uncle we all know and love. Lastly, it is foreshadowing for upcoming revelations about Koh.

Sigh. Sorry for the exhaustingly long author's notes. I'll shut up now and let you review.