Aboard his fire nation ship, disgraced Prince Zuko along with his crew had watched the blue beam of light yesterday and set a course headed for it. Almost to their destination, another flare went up from a fire nation ship that had been stranded and now gave them an even better opportunity to accomplish what they were sent out to do.
"Uncle, did you see that?" Zuko looked through the telescope with determination rising within him. For the first time in three years, he senses a turning point in this long and grueling journey.
"No, did I miss something good?" Iroh was completely unbothered by the beam of light from earlier and had tried and failed to dissuade his nephew from getting his hopes up once again.
"Ugh! Can you take something seriously once in your life? This could finally be the break I've been waiting for and here you are sipping your stupid tea!"
Sighing, Iroh placed his tea down and grew semi serious, "I just don't want you to get your hopes up on yet another wild goose chase, Prince Zuko. I only have your best interest in mind."
"I'm telling you uncle, the flare coming from that ship was a sign!" Huffing and turning away from his uncle, he looked back through the telescope and noticed a small village along the edge of the ice. Everything just lined up so perfectly. These people must know something. He silently prayed to Agni above that this mission of his would finally and mercifully be coming to a close.
"Change course and head for that small village to the left of us!" he barked at the helmsman.
"I will capture the avatar," He started to grasp the left half of his face out of habit before stopping himself, "No matter what it takes."
Iroh looked at him worriedly, but did not comment on it. He knew his nephew wanted nothing more than to return home with his honor after being marked by the very man that was supposed to protect and love him. He joined him on this journey to protect him and while he'd done a good job of it for the past three years, he still had this feeling in his gut that Zuko was only a few steps away from seeping into the darkness this cursed family had been thrown down by Sozin all those years ago.
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, nephew. If the Avatar really is back after one hundred years, wouldn't that mean he's fully mastered the elements? Do you really think you can handle him all on your own?"
"Uncle, if the Avatar has decided to finally show himself after all these years then he should be nothing more than a brittle old man who will be ripe for the taking. He won't escape from me, I can promise you that."
In the back of Iroh's mind however, he had very serious doubts about Zuko being able to accomplish this goal of his without throwing something important to him away in return. Losing Lu Ten had already taught him one cannot gain without losing something as well. Had he continued with the siege of Ba Sing Se, he most likely would have conquered it, but...his heart and spirit were far too crushed to do much else other than grieve.
He'd protect Zuko from going down the same path as every other man in this family even if he didn't like the methods that he uses to make it so. Sacrifices in many instances cannot be avoided and he has a feeling something big is coming up in both of their futures.
No matter the cost, he'd keep his beloved nephew safe. Even if it caused him to head down a path he's not yet ready for.
"Katara, how could you do this? That was a fire nation flare you just signaled and now who knows who might've seen something that big!"
Sokka had been reading his sister the riot act since both her and Aang had stepped back into the village. They immediately told everyone what happened and suffice to say they were not pleased.
"And you!" He glared at Aang who said nothing to retort what he had been saying knowing it was his fault that the flare went off in the first place, "You are no longer welcome here."
"Sokka, you're being too unfair! It was an accident. How could anyone have known that could've happened?" She argued.
"Well maybe if you and your boyfriend were paying better attention to your surroundings then this wouldn't have happened!"
Blushing, "He's not my boyfriend! And besides, Kyojuro wouldn't kick him out for an accident so why are you making demands like this?"
"Kyo isn't here and I already know he's too kind hearted to kick a kid out of this village so I'm doing it for him. Get out, now," he ordered.
Aang looked completely disheartened, but understood this was entirely his fault. If he really brought danger to these people, then he deserves any punishment they see fit and won't argue with them about it.
Katara at this point was almost boiled over with Sokka and the tribe's unwillingness to listen to reason. She wasn't about to let Aang get run out of their home for a simple mistake. Whoever didn't like it would just have to deal with it.
"I'm not about to let you-"
"Katara, stop...it's alright. I agree with them," Aang frowned.
"What are you saying? It's not your fault, you didn't know," she tried.
"No, Sokka's right. I am the reason that the flare went off. I put everyone in danger."
Aang turned away from the village and made the trek over to where Appa had been kept. One after another the monk just seemed to mess things up and make them worse everywhere he went.
He reached out and touched Appa's snout with a somber expression covering his face, "Sorry buddy, but I think we've gotta get going."
Watching them basically kick a small child out of their village sent her nerves into overdrive. She won't take this lying down and she'd make sure everyone knew how she felt.
"Fine, if Aang has to leave because of a small mistake then I'm going with him!" She started to leave as well before her brother grabbed her arm in an attempt to help her see reason.
"Katara, take a minute and think about what you're doing? Are you really gonna choose him over us?" He saw her resolve slowly crumble thinking about what she was actually attempting to do here.
"Would you abandon me and dad?"
"That was low and you know it, Sokka…" she knew that his argument while wrong in her eyes had merritt and leaving their village over something like wouldn't accomplish anything.
"But you know I'm right," he released her arm and looked at her with a thoughtful expression, "Just take a minute and cool off. You'll see I'm right about this."
She made her way over to Aang who was currently boarding Appa and almost ready to leave. "Aang, maybe there's something we can do to change their minds," she tried. "It's not fair that you have to leave because of a simple mistake. Both of us went in and yet you're the only one being punished."
"But Katara, they're right. That flare went up because I activated it because of my mistake. You just got roped up into this because I egged you into coming with me. You shouldn't have to share the blame with me for something that was truly my fault."
"Look, don't feel bad, Katara." He grinned at her and she could tell it was forced, "This is probably for the best anyway. I've gotta get to the air temple and check on everyone. It's been a hundred years since I've been gone."
She felt sick to her stomach imagining him finding a more than likely desolate temple filled with either relics of the past or much worse in its place, but unless something changed could no longer stop it from happening.
He hopped on top of Appa and gave her one last wave before beginning to walk with Appa away from her and the village. He didn't exactly know what his next move would be since Appa couldn't fly yet, but whatever it was, it'd have to be without Katara and Kyojuro.
Kyojuro…
How could he forget about him? He hopped off of Appa and ran back to the village in a frenzy alerting everyone who was still waiting there, "Has anyone seen Kyojuro?" he huffed. "I never got to say goodbye to him."
"No," Kanna broke. "The last time we saw him was when he ran off with you."
"Forgive me," he bowed towards everyone hoping they'd accept his request, "I can't leave until I say goodbye to Kyojuro. He was the first person I connected with after coming out of that iceberg and I think it'd be wrong if I didn't at least say goodbye to him."
Everybody waited and watched for either Kanna or Sokka to answer as they were more or less second in command whenever Kyojuro was indisposed and they needed to make a decision.
"No," Sokka started. "I think you've done enough damage, don't you think? You need to leave-"
"I think that's fine," Kanna interrupted.
"Gran Gran, why are you letting him stay here?" Sokka argued. "He's proven himself to be dangerous and if we wanna keep everyone safe then we have to get rid of him."
"Well I'm not so sure about that," she pondered. "If Kyojuro knew we were making his new friend leave so soon, do you think he'd agree with what's happening?" Kanna knew for a fact, Kyojuro wouldn't kick this little monk out of their home for such a mistake that anyone could've made.
"*sigh* Probably not, but still he has to leave."
"And he still may have too if Kyojuro decides to banish him from the village, but until then he is welcome to wait here until Kyojuro returns from whatever he's gotten himself into," Kanna stated with finality in her tone. Sokka and Katara knew that whenever she used that tone, then it meant the conversation was over and there was no more room for debate.
Aang didn't show it, but on the inside he was doing literal flips of joy. Being allowed to stay in this village with these people longer even if it was only temporary took his mind off the questions he had in regards to the air nomads and what has happened to them over the past one hundred years.
Before everyone could disperse back into their homes, a massive silhouette made itself visible behind the thick smog of smoke that had been building up around their village.
A fire nation ship," Katara paled.
"No, it can't be-" he heard Sokka panic. He ran off towards his house for some reason unknown to him, but felt an overall bad vibe emulating from the ship.
"Everyone get away from here!" he heard Katara shout. She was scooping up any remaining kids from the edge and was guiding them inside the tents. Aang watched as Sokka ran out of the house covered in face paint and from what he could tell, tribal gear. Sokka ran to the edge while facing off against the massive ship that showed no signs of slowing down.
"Move Sokka, you can't stop something that big!" Aang shouted to no avail.
"A warrior doesn't run in the face of adversity!" he shouted back. If he's being honest, Sokka was terrified. He'd never actually fought anyone before other than sparring sessions with Kyojuro and Katara when they were training so he had no clue whether or not it would translate into efficient combat.
The ship slowly made its way closer and closer towards their home until it bulldozed it's way into the ice which knocked Sokka back from the area he was standing on. It continued to push forward, leaving broken ice in its wake until it finally came to a stop. Aang saw Katara rush over to the women of the tribe who were all gathered alongside the other children who didn't have time to be hidden.
The door of the vessel opened up and a soldier with a fiery burn mark covering the left side of his face walked off the ship scowling at them alongside a small number of soldiers behind him.
They came down and met the villagers eye to eye and the air between them was one of pure fear. These were soldiers from a nation that had brought them so much misery and heartbreak. The one with the scar scowled again and it sent chills down their spine.
"Where is the Avatar?" he barked. "I know he's here, so where are you hiding him?"
He looked around and saw no signs of an old bald monk who fit the description and that only served to annoy him even more than he already was. He shot a small gust of fire forward and scattered it just enough to miss, but still strike fear into their hearts.
"Maybe I wasn't clear enough so allow me to reiterate," He walked forward and came eye to eye with Katara, "Where is the Avatar?" He formed fire sais which signified he was about to get serious with his interrogation methods.
"This will be the last time I ask nicely," he growled. Zuko in reality didn't want harm to come to them if another option presented itself. He only wanted the Avatar and if he has to break a few eggs to achieve his goal then so be it.
"And this is how you ask nicely," Katara jeered. She looked around and weighed her options with how heavily surrounded they were. She spotted Aang hiding behind a tent as she'd told him to do moments before the ship opened up and Sokka…
"Actually where the heck is he anyway?" she wondered. Kyojuro had always told them in case of a situation like this, always stick together so he could keep the amount of people he needed to protect within his grasp. Although he's missing as of now so she guesses this may not apply here.
"The last thing I need right now is sarcasm, peasant," Zuko grabbed her wrist tightly and dragged her over to where the other soldiers were, "If you want no harm to come to this girl, somebody needs to tell me where the Avatar is located.
He felt her struggle in his grasp so he tightened his grip which made her wince in pain. "Don't make me do something I regret," he looked around and saw so many frightened faces, it made him somewhat guilty, but he'd carry forth with this mission bestowed upon him. Consequences be damned.
"You let go of her!" he heard someone shout. He turned around and saw a warrior with a painted face take charge at him with what looked like a boomerang.
Turning around, Zuko shoved Katara back to the crowd and signaled his men to stand aside. This wouldn't take long. He had much to accomplish and if this fool needed to be taught a lesson then so be it.
"Let's end this quickly. Once I'm done with you, I move on to them," he finished while pointing at the crowd.
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen buddy," Sokka shot back.
Sensing this man was severely beneath him in skill, Zuko burst forward with a fire induced punch which connected straight to his face.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow" Sokka mumbled. "That hurt!"
Zuko shot a kick forward which was blocked although the impact stung quite a lot. Sokka decided to take the initiative and threw his own series of slashes hoping to cut him, but was all dodged in quick succession before having his weapon taken and discarded like nothing.
"Sokka what are you doing?" Katara shouted. "You're doing the exact opposite of what he taught you!"
"Don't you think I know that!" he shot back at her. He was trying his best here, but multitasking was extremely hard to do.
"What is she going on about?" Zuko didn't have time to think about her outburst as he now saw Sokka stop fighting back entirely as if he had given up. He slowed his breathing and his breaths became more, if he had to use a word to describe it, calmer.
Zuko threw another punch which was dodged and Sokka took the opportunity to run away seeing he would continue to get his butt kicked without warming up first.
"Fight you coward!" Zuko shot multiple small blasts of fire at him which Sokka dodged by a hair while still running around the place like an idiot. Zuko decided to shoot even more blasts of fire at him which he still managed to dodge even though it almost nicked him.
"Stop running around and fight like a man!" Zuko decided to up the ante and began shooting one continuous blast of fire at him and aimed it hoping to tag him. Sokka while still running had managed to pick up his boomerang and threw it out which Zuko dodged with ease, almost annoyed that he thought such a trivial toy would hurt him.
Sokka continued to run and run and run which angered Zuko who by all means had wasted enough time here with this fool. He'd end this game of cat and mouse in one go and finally move forward with his destiny.
"Fine, have it your way," Zuko stopped his attacks and walked over to a small child who began cowering in fear, "Either you stop running and fight…" he formed a fire sais and brought as close as he could without burning him, "This brat will pay the price for your cowardice."
"I think I've done enough running anyhow," Sokka had stopped running and was now all, but panting. Zuko didn't know what he thought he'd accomplish with that foolish show, but it was all over now.
"Now if you're done playing games, I'd like to end this pathetic attempt at a resistance you're putting up," he readied his stance focusing on him once again, "I do not have time for your games here."
"Who said anything about playing games?" Sokka answered. Zuko couldn't be sure, but while he was panting heavily, something about him seemed different.
"Whatever I'm feeling is probably nothing," he thought. "I'll finish him off and move on to these savages."
What he failed to anticipate however was just how fast this boy truly was.
Sokka shot forward much faster than before and Zuko just barely had time to block. The impact moved him just a little before pushing Sokka back again. Deciding not to give him any time to breathe, Sokka threw a combination of punches that Zuko found hard to dodge or block as they hit much harder than before.
"This makes no sense!" Punches rained down as he was now being overwhelmed by the amount of power he packed behind each blow. If he stayed on the defensive any longer they'd start to get through and that would spell disaster for him.
He jumped back and attempted to reset himself and gain his composure back, Sokka on the other hand didn't let up an inch and hounded him with punches and kicks this time which left Zuko with only one other option.
He maneuvered on the ground and spin kicked fire around him forcing Sokka to jump backwards as to not get burned.
"If I don't fight seriously, he might actually beat me…" He removed his armor needing much more room to move. This clearly would take much longer than he thought.
"I don't understand what sort of trick you're using to move and punch like that, but it means nothing to me now that I'm serious. I'll show you what a true firebending master can do," Zuko growled.
In actuality what Sokka was doing was no simple trick. It was something he'd been training for the past two years to master and although still incomplete, he had a good enough grasp of the fundamentals to finally make it work for him.
Total Concentration Breathing. Kyojuro had worked with both him and Katara on how to use it, but only Sokka was able to actually use it somewhat. His breathing patterns had to be calm yet erratic in the sense that he had to force breaths out a certain way even when he was exhausted. Using it completely cold never seemed to work for him so Kyojuro figured he was the type that had to be warmed up in order to use it efficiently. It took him months to figure out a right pattern, but running to build up fatigue in his body and focusing his breaths like that worked for him as wrong as that sounded.
Kyojuro warned him that this wasn't an effective way to use them consistently, but it would have to do for now until he could get a better grasp and mastery of it.
"Sokka, I hope you know what you're doing…" Katara worried for her brother. His version of Kyojuro's technique, while powerful, was not only wrong, but could only be used in short bursts as his version was still much weaker than his.
"If things get out of hand, then I'll have to step in." She noticed Aang waving to her as if trying to signal for something. It took her a minute, but she figured out just what the little monk was attempting to do and decided she'd wait until he was ready to strike. She may not be as adept at combat as Kyojuro and Sokka, but she still had her bending and that would be more than enough to counterattack with.
Not waiting any longer, Sokka shot forward once again using his breathing which was now at full throttle. Not to be deterred from a show of strength, Zuko used his bending to maneuver Sokka and throw him into a small wall of ice which he bounded off of. Dazed from it, Sokka saw Zuko shoot a small blast of fire at him which he swiftly dodged and came forward once again.
Both men traded and dodged blows as if they could clearly see each other's movements before the other could fully connect and between the two Zuko grew frustrated that a mere peasant such as Sokka could even be able to keep up with him. He jumped in the air and spin kicked Sokka who upon being kicked, grabbed Zuko's leg and slammed him to the ground.
Hard.
Extremely hard and to the point where Zuko had almost all the wind knocked out of him.
"This is…" he couldn't even register his thought of being slammed that hard before seeing another punch coming his way. Using his fire bending to push himself backwards he caught a glimpse of his uncle who seemed very lost in thought. Whatever it was would have to wait however as Zuko had a handful to deal with as unless things drastically changed, he was not only getting outclassed, but was well on his way to losing this fight.
Iroh who was standing atop of their ship with his tea in hand looked at this fight with great confusion. His nephew was gifted in the sense that he was a knowledge sponge and could soak up techniques and tactics like nothing and if he was unable to grasp something, would train day and night until he made it his own.
He was displeased with the way this current fight was going since not only was he abandoning his teachings, he was getting into a fire fight with someone who from what he could tell, wasn't formally trained and hit far harder than Zuko. Hard to predict fighters are the most challenging to deal with, but at the same time the most vulnerable.
Sokka managed to finally get a hold of Zuko and punched him a few times in the face, stunning him even more and Sokka refused to let up either. He grabbed Zuko by his shirt and slammed him into the ground again which caused immense pain.
"Ca-can't move, how did I let this happen?" he thought. Every part of his body was on fire and sore, but he still couldn't get his mind off whatever his uncle was thinking about.
"Use your roots! Prince Zuko!" Iroh broke through.
Everybody turned to see a now upset Iroh looking down at the fight. "Is this how you planned on growing stronger and regaining your honor? If this is the best you can do then you can forget about capturing the Avatar and going home. Your journey ends here if even with all your training you are unable to defeat a single child who hits harder than you!"
"Uncle…" Zuko was surprised to hear his uncle berate him like this as he'd never seen him this upset before.
"You've always been at a disadvantage and never had the upper hand in most situations, but did that keep you down? No! You struggled and clawed and fought your way through them so don't let today be the end of your journey. You can rise higher and higher if you just focus, Prince Zuko!"
Zuko thought back to his sister Azula who was better than him at everything, the Agni Kai three years ago, losing his mother to circumstances out of his control and everything else the universe just seemed to throw at him.
He stood back up and took his stance once again, but this time with a much clearer focus at hand. So what if he was outmatched physically? He'd simply adapt and evolve right here and now if that's what it took to beat him and overcome this wall in front of him.
Sokka ran forward and tried to punch him, but Zuko calmly redirected his punch and moved away from him. This was repeated again, but Sokka received an elbow to the nose as punishment for his attempt.
"I don't have much time left...I've gotta wrap things up now!" Sokka panicked.
The strain Total Concentration Breathing took on his body was taxing and he probably didn't have long until he passed out from the exhaustion that came with this technique. One last blow should end things, but why couldn't he land a punch on him.
Zuko dodged and countered every last attack he threw with a certain sturdiness that made Sokka panic even more. The only person who was being hit now was him and Zuko began to notice a change in tides. This fight would end in the next few moments and he'd be sure that the victor would be him. His uncle believed in him to win so that's what he'd do regardless of the odds.
"Why can't I hit him!" He swung over and over again to no avail and it became harder and harder to focus his breaths. He couldn't hit him and was in a very bad spot, but that wasn't the worst of his problems.
"I'm slowing down…" His muscles became tight and his eyesight grew blurry feeling himself on the verge of collapse. "I can't stop it. My body can't keep up with my technique anymore!"
Zuko didn't know why Sokka was struggling so hard to move nor did he care as he shot forward with his firebending and kneed Sokka in the face, dropping him on his butt. Sokka tried to get up, but the strain his body felt was far too great and before he knew it, Zuko was standing over him with his attack stance ready to kill him.
"You put up a good fight. But it wasn't good enough to beat me," Zuko smirked.
"I lost," Sokka lamented. Even after all that training and hard work he still came up short when it mattered most. Now this man and his soldiers would do whatever they wanted to his family and there's nothing he could do about it.
His eyes still hazy, his ears while still somewhat under the influence of his breathing techniques heard an all too familiar face and he began to laugh.
"What are you laughing for?" Zuko asked. "Can't you see, you've lost?"
"Oh yeah, big time buddy. I, myself lost here today, but…" Sokka turned to Katara and she immediately knew what he was smiling for.
"You're about to meet somebody who makes me look like an amatuer."
Before Zuko could inquire about what he was referring to, he heard snow being pushed at an alarming rate and readied himself for an ambush.
Of course there was no way in hell he expected to see a chicken headed man riding a king otter penguin headed right for him.
"Ahhhh!" Kyojuro crashed right into Zuko, barreling him into a wall of ice, knocking him out.
"What took you so long?" Sokka smiled. "I had to bust my butt to buy time for you."
"Hahaha! My timing has always been bad, so forgive me everyone." Kyojuro removed himself from the penguin and stared down numerous soldiers that were now surrounding him.
"It seems like you people failed to learn your lesson, the last time you were here…" He kneeled down and patted his new friend on the head, thanking him for the ride back to the village.
"No matter! I'll eradicate anyone who stands in the way of their safety!" He unsheathed his sword and the air around everyone grew hot. Iroh watched everything unfold from above and could tell whoever this man was, he was on a whole different level from the boy.
"Come forth if you dare, but don't be surprised when I turn you all to ash with my blade!" he boomed.
They readied themselves to rush him and Iroh jumped off the ship knowing they'd be sent to their graves if they attempted to attack him. He landed in front of Kyojuro and put his hands out in submission hoping to stop things before they go too far.
"Stop!" Iroh interrupted. "Everyone stand down! Do not engage with this man."
"Sir what are you saying, he's just one man, we can take him," a soldier argued.
"And you'd be dead before you realized what happened. I can tell from the aura he's giving off, none of you could handle this man even at his weakest. Drop your weapons if you still want to make it home in one piece," Iroh ordered.
The beaming expression Kyojuro was giving off never changed, but behind that, Iroh felt a fierce and ferocious monster hiding behind that kind smile. He'd slaughter them if they even so much as made another move towards these people.
"Ignore him, men. We can take him!" a soldier cried.
They charged forward ready to take the fight to Kyojuro, but before they could advance any further, Aang leapt out from behind the wall of ice with a massive conglomerate of ice water wrapped inside a giant ball of air. He blew it forward which covered every last soldier, Iroh and Kyojuro included.
Katara, not missing a beat, used the little experience in bending she possessed to freeze them all in place solidifying them into frozen ice statues.
"Katara, what are you doing?" Sokka asked angrily. "Why would you freeze, Kyo? How is he gonna get out of that?"
"Sokka you really forget because he's so good natured, but Kyojuro's a firebender. This is nothing he can't handle," she rebutted.
And right she was as Kyojuro simply raised his body temperature using his flame breathing and the ice slowly melted, freeing him. "Great thinking, pupils! You've known each other for so little time and yet your synergy was unmatched here today!"
Aang ran up to Kyojuro with an awkward smile, "It's the least I could do since I'm part of the reason why they're here in the first place."
"Aang, we've been over this, what happened earlier was my fault too. We both should've stopped each other," Katara tried.
"Yeah, but I still feel responsible for it," Aang stated. "I'll take full responsibility for today's incident and whatever punishment, I'll accept without question."
Before Aang could answer, they heard one of the ice statues begin to thaw at a rapid pace. Iroh, already having experience with this sort of thing, had no issue at all using his firebending and heating his body up to a hotter temperature than before.
"So it seems we have a firebender on the same level as me," Iroh began. "Being able to melt this ice means that your firebending core is quite similar to that of masters."
"Earlier you advised these men to stand down knowing they'd be no match for me. Why did you do that?" Kyojuro asked.
He walked over to where Zuko was frozen and kneeled down to begin thawing him out. The others would be fine as they were much bigger and had gear on to keep them warm. Zuko would die if left frozen inside this ice for too long as he discarded his armor earlier in the fight.
"Because these men have next to no formal combat experience and would've died accomplishing nothing. They were only accompanying my nephew and I while we searched for the Avatar and unfortunately that took us to this little village."
"If you don't mind me asking, how did a firebender manage to get wrapped up in a village such as this?"
"That is something you do not need to worry about!" Kyojuro replied.
"More importantly, what are your names?"
"I am Prince Iroh, Dragon of the West and my nephew here is Prince Zuko, heir to the fire nation throne," he answered humbly.
"Zuko? Wasn't that the name of the child Agni spoke to me about?" It seemed like fate itself had brought just the person Kyojuro needed to see right to his doorstep.
"If these people failed to give you any information about this Avatar, what would you have done to them?" he asked. "Depending on the answer you give, you'll either have more time to bargain for your lives or I'll cut you down where you stand."
"None of these men have killed anyone as they are still young recruits only meant to protect my nephew's life. Prince Zuko, while intimidating, wouldn't dream of harming innocent people," Iroh tried.
"Oh yeah, then how come he straight up threatened this little boy's life!" Katara argued.
"If he really wanted to show his might, do you think that child would still be alive?" Iroh answered. "He fought that boy in a fair duel and came out on top through hard work and perseverance. He values honor more than anything else in this world and would never dream of putting innocent lives in danger if other, less violent ones presented themselves."
"Even so! You must know that stepping foot in our home cannot come without consequences," He unsheathed his sword once again and walked forward, staring Iroh down the entire time.
Iroh was a smart man who could more than likely fight his way out of here, but Zuko had been pushed to his limits by that boy from earlier and from what he could tell, this man in front of him was vastly stronger than that.
"Think Iroh, you have to keep Prince Zuko safe. Even if you have to sacrifice your life for his. Do whatever it takes. He has to survive!"
Iroh quickly kneeled down headfirst in front of Kyojuro as if to beg for forgiveness. "Allow me to apologize for my nephew's mistake in coming here. On my honor as a formal general and on my honor as a prince of the fire nation, if you spare his life, I will make sure he never returns back here."
"If that's not good enough then you can kill me in his place, just allow him and these men to leave this place alive."
Kyojuro took a moment to weigh his options as he had plenty on his mind. On one hand, this child and his soldiers barged into his home in search of Aang and attempted to kidnap him against his will. On the other hand, Agni was adamant that this child is crucial to securing a brighter future for this world and he'd trust her judgement when it came to things like this.
"Hmmm," He sheathed his sword as the air around them grew cool once again, "Raise your head, Iroh. I will not harm you, your nephew or these men."
"Kyojuro, are you crazy?" Katara exclaimed. "You shouldn't take it easy on these people just because of some old man-"
"Silence!" Kyojuro interrupted. "Let me ask you something and answer truthfully, Katara."
"Do you trust my judgement?"
She hesitated a bit before sighing, "Of course I do, but I just want to make sure everyone stays safe from these people."
"As do I! But things aren't always black and white so sometimes we have to do the unexpected in times of uncertainty. That doesn't mean I'm letting them off the hook."
Ha! On the contrary, Prince Iroh and his men will be leaving this place, never to return, unless they want to be torn asunder by my blade!"
"Those terms are acceptable…what was your name? I heard the girl mention it, but a man as powerful as you who is sparing us deserves all the respect in the world," This man peaked his curiosity as he seemed quite young, but held wisdom beyond his years.
"My name is Kyojuro Rengoku and I am the Flame Pillar!"
"Flame Pillar?" Iroh had never heard of such a title, but then again, this was the first time he'd met a firebender that seemingly rivaled his own family's flames.
"The meaning behind the title should not concern you and more importantly, there are two conditions behind letting you leave here today."
"One, you must agree on this honor of yours to never set foot in the place again! These people have been tormented enough by the fire nation and I will not allow any more harm to come to them!"
"Two…"
"Prince Zuko must remain here with me!"
Iroh almost choked hearing such a ridiculous request. "Why? Why do you need my nephew to remain here with you!?"
"I said we'd leave this here and never return. Isn't that enough?" Iroh begged.
"Hardly! I know everything I need to know about the disgraced prince and what that truly means," Kyojuro stated. "Being honest I'm not so sure he'd be safer with you or his own family compared to staying with me anyhow."
"But he needs-"
"This is not up for debate! Either agree to my terms or face the consequences of your actions! That would include the boy as well."
Iroh found himself at a crossroads. Either he fights his way out of here which would probably end well for everyone involved and would be counterproductive in keeping Zuko safe...or he could choose the option presented to him and retreat.
Kyojuro seemed kind enough to not harm him even being his enemy and Iroh desperately needed to regroup and weigh his options. If he left here without Zuko he might be able to come back solo and sneak him away from here and avoid senseless violence.
It wasn't ideal, but he was left with only one option and he definitely hated it.
"Well, have you made up your mind?" Kyojuro interrupted his thoughts. "I do not have all day and my patience is wearing thin."
"I…" Iroh bowed his head once again in submission, "Agree to the terms you've proposed, Mr. Rengoku."
"I knew you'd see it my way! Now allow me to help thaw out these soldiers of yours so you can be on your way!"
The villagers scattered about back to their homes while Kyojuro and Iroh began to thaw out everyone who had been frozen. The only one who lay unmoving would be Prince Zuko who had no idea about the deal that had just taken place without his consent.
Zuko slowly came to still somewhat out of it, having been asleep for the past few hours. He tried to sit up, but noticed he had been bound by ropes which sent him into a panic.
"I wouldn't struggle so much if I were you," he heard a voice say. "Don't even think of using your firebending either, it would only belittle your uncle's sacrifice even more if I had to harm you for disobeying an order."
Zuko realized he was not only tied up, but now facing down his uncle and crew as they were seemingly boarding their ship about to leave him.
"What's going on? Uncle, come help me!" Zuko cried.
"I'm sorry, Prince Zuko, but I had to do this if I wanted to keep you and everyone else safe," Iroh stated. "This man drove a hard bargain," he sighed.
"Uncle, what are you talking about!? You're not just going to leave me here, right!?" Zuko was beginning to panic at the thought of being separated from his uncle and crew as they've been with him for the past three years.
"No, Prince Zuko…" he steeled his gaze knowing what had to be done next would be especially cruel. He removed a knife from his back pocket and began walking forward.
Zuko paled upon seeing his uncle walk forward with a knife and a sorrowful expression on his face. "Wa-wait, what are you doing?" he asked, nervously.
"I'm so sorry. If you can ever find it in your heart to forgive me someday it would still be soon. I'm doing this to keep you safe. Never forget that, Prince Zuko."
Iroh eventually reached Zuko and kneeled down to the boy's level. As he was tied up and seemingly colder than normal he couldn't use his bending efficiently. Whatever his uncle was about to do to him, he had no choice but to take it.
"Stop, uncle!" Iroh brought the knife forward and Zuko's heart dropped. Was he about to be killed because of today's failure. No. Not from his own uncle. He tolerated him for three years and now he's going to sever ties with him just like that.
"Please, get away from me!" he cried to no avail.
"Please!" Zuko closed his eyes awaiting the end for his failure here today, so you can imagine his surprise when Iroh didn't reach for his throat but the top of head instead. He grabbed a hold of his long single strand of hair and swiftly severed it from his head leaving a shocked and confused Zuko wondering why.
"From this day forth, I hereby banish you and brand you a traitor to your nation, Prince Zuko. You...you are no longer welcome to come home, no matter what you do."
"No, you can't do this to me, Uncle! I was so close in capturing the Avatar, I only needed a little more time-"
"Prince Zuko, use what's left of your honor and accept your punishment!" Iroh declared.
His mouth shut almost instantly and tears swelled up, but Zuko refused to let them fall.
"I held up my end of the bargain. Make sure my nephew is safe and well cared for or the wrath I'll rain down upon you would be worse than what the dragons themselves could deliver," Iroh ordered.
"Hahaha! I am a man of my word, after all! Young Zuko will be better off under my watchful eye than his father's scornful looks."
Zuko could not believe what he was hearing. Did his uncle make a deal to protect him? Is that why he said all that stuff about banishment and cutting his hair off?
"Let me go! I won't stand for this any longer!" Zuko struggled, but failed to summon any fire to his finger tips and slumped back down, still worn out from his fight with Sokka.
"There's no use in struggling anymore. The deal has been signed so to speak. Until further notice you are in my care, Young Zuko!"
"Are you insane!? Why on earth would I listen to you?" Zuko growled.
"The sin you committed was one punishable by death. Therefore! You signed away your freedom once you decided to step foot in this place!" Kyojuro answered.
"Zuko please do not make this any harder than it has to be," Iroh began. Zuko calmed down, noticing how sad his Uncle looked.
"Now then, I believe everything is settled between us! You all my retreat back to fire nation waters!"
"And remember this!" Kyojuro walked forward and met Iroh eye to eye before answering. He towered over the former general.
"Should we meet again down the road, do not be surprised if I haven't managed to sway this young man's mind about the war!"
Iroh glanced once more at his nephew who more than likely had many questions that needed to be answered, but as of now, he no longer had any say in the matter. Iroh turned to leave and boarded his ship in great distress in having to leave his nephew.
The ship boarded leaving Kyojuro, Zuko and the rest of the water tribe with each other as fate shifted once again due to his influence.
"Well I suppose we should get going," Kyojuro muttered.
Zuko was still in shock of the events that just transpired so he did the only thing he could think of.
He passed out.
"Oh? It seems like the strain from everything finally caught up to you," Kyojuro figured things would get harder for him before they got easier although how he would break the news about bringing a now disgraced and doubly banished prince along with them to the southern air temple in search of Aang's people.
It seems like things would become much harder for both of them before they became better.
After a few days of travel, Iroh and his men finally made it back to a fire nation port where they would undoubtedly have to report this incident to whoever was in charge and that person would more than likely report this to Firelord Ozai.
The ship docked and he headed off the boat only to be greeted by a small group of soldiers.
"General Iroh, welcome home!" a soldier greeted.
"Ah, you're much too kind to an old man such as myself. Just call me Iroh."
"Well, I guess I'll do that then, Iroh," a voice interrupted.
Bloodlust. The feeling that shot through him sent chills down his spine and Iroh turned his head to see just who was speaking to him.
"It's been such a long time, general. We should have a chat over that tea you enjoy so much."
Before him stood a man the world seemingly had gotten rid of, but somehow against all odds he was standing here in front of a man he despised with not a single scratch on him.
"I...I would enjoy that," Iroh lied.
"Commander Zhao."
Zhao is alive and kicking it seems. He was such a stubborn man in canon so Kyojuro really didn't think it'd be that easy to get rid of him right? Of course he doesn't know he's alive so there's that problem too.
Some of you may be confused as to what Sokka was using earlier so allow me to explain. He's using what I'd like to call, Pseudo Total Concentration Breathing and it's sort of an offshoot of the regular version. As he's not a genius like some, he was unable to go into this state normally as Kyojuro does, so to get around this, he has to get warmed up in a sense first. Once he's able to do this he's able to use the benefits of Total Concentration Breathing with some side effects as it's incomplete.
1. He can only use it for 3 minutes before his body gives out on him.
2. Until he fully masters the full version, any advanced techniques are unavailable to him.
3. If he's unable to become sufficiently warmed up, then he's as clumsy as he was in canon up until S3. Basically useless in a real fight although still somewhat smart enough to strategize.
PS: I've decided not to name the penguin so I've left it up to you guys. I definitely want him to come back so choose a name in the comments and the one I like the most will become canon to the story lol.
Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll see you guys next week!