A/N Another Chapter People!

Enjoy

It was finally the day on which Lu Ten would be assassinated. Two shadows trailed the branches near the camps of the royal; silent and unnoticed. The guards who were supposed to be watching out for new threats were chatting lively, grins on their faces. Zuko berated them for ignoring their job silently in his head. Azula, however, was not so silent.

"These dunderheads," she scoffed, "They're letting two children sneak up behind them. What if we were assassins? They would have been toast. I can see them breaking a hundred protocols; they should be fired for their insolence!"

"Azula," her brother said in a slightly scolding voice, "They'll hear us"

He paused for a moment, "Although you're right. They really shouldn't ignore their job like this. It cost Lu Ten his life last time."

Azula sighed, "Even the elites don't notice us. We really have become ninjas, haven't we?"

Zuko tilted his head, amused, "At least the elites are following protocol."

"They're the only ones," Azula said from under her breath.

They stood there in the trees for a few hours, munching on Fire flake snacks, yawning and teasing each other. Even after the conversation last night, there was little to no tension between them. Azula had already come to terms with the fact that her brother was a time-travelling freak a month ago.

"So," she nudged him, "Tell me about your peasant friends."

"Zula!" hissed Zuko.

She rolled her eyes, "Fine, tell me about your friends who are most definitely not peasants"

"Well, first there's Aang, who is the Avatar…"

"Is he a cranky old dude like we read in the history books?" Azula asked, even though she already knew the answer. Her brother shook his head.

"No actually. He's a peace loving monk who refused to kill the person who wanted to destroy the world," his eyes glazed over, "At first I thought he was idealistic and naive. It was only later that I realized that idealism was exactly what that war-torn world needed."

"Oh?" Azula raised an eyebrow, "Okay, tell me about Socks"

"It's Sokka"

"Whatever"

They spent the next hour like that, Zuko filling Azula's curiosity as she listened with rapt attention. They discussed everything, and Zuko felt as if a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. He hated lying. And it was what he had been doing for the last five years. It felt good to tell the truth for once.

They never approached the topic of different world-Azula though.

"Intruders!" a gruff voice bellowed, busting them out of their conversation as they froze, rigid. They both looked down, praying that the intruders were them. Zuko followed the guard's line of sight and watched as Azula did the same.

The guard wasn't pointing at them.

He was pointing at the horizon.

They weren't the intruders.

The siblings' eyes widened. This was not a subtle assassination. It was an ambush by a huge army. Not even the elite-bodyguards stood a chance against these. Numbers would overwhelm them. They definitely didn't stand a chance.

Cursing, Zuko donned on his blue spirit mask and took out another from his bag and giving it to Azula. She eyed it with raised eyebrows and he shrugged.

"No one's going to take a bunch of kids seriously. But they might trust in spirits"

Azula nodded and put on the mask. It was the same as Zuko's, except it was red in colour and the character was wearing a melodramatic scowl instead of Zuko's malicious grin. They were already wearing their black clothing. Together, they looked nothing short of terrifying.

Lu Ten stared at the masked little people. They looked like children, midgets playing dress up, except they carried themselves like experienced warriors. They reminded him slightly of his cousins. Both way too mature for their height; he had half a mind to shoo them off. Is this what the guards meant when they said intruders?

"Are those midgets what you call intruders?" he demanded, then berated himself. He was a common soldier; he couldn't give demands like this. The blue masked one scoffed at him.

"N-no, sire. There's an army and these two just arrived and-"

He put his hand up and looked at where the guard was pointing and paled. There was no way they would defeat those many soldiers, and yet as he noticed, they were surrounded. Lu Ten took deep calming breaths. One problem at a time.

"I'll take care of the masked… um… children? You go get orders from our superiors," directed Lu Ten. He turned towards them. The red one looked at him arrogantly, hands on her hips.

"So… uh… should I fight you?" he began awkwardly. Speech had never been his strong fort. It had never been any of the family's strong fort, well, excluding Iroh. Iroh was a special case. And these two didn't seem like they held any intention of attacking.

The blue one coughed and began, in a funnily distorted voice. As if he were changing it and lowering it several octaves. It sounded vaguely familiar but Lu Ten couldn't place it.

"We are spirits," said the blue one. His voice would have been regal if it weren't distorted.

"He is the blue spirit," The red one said. She seemed to be distorting her voice by making it higher by several octaves.

"I am the red spirit. But let's skip the informalities. Your fate says that you must live to survive another day. We will clear out the guards and provide a distraction while you escape"

Lu Ten inwardly cringed. Her words were regal and authoritative, but her high voice simply ruined everything. They were most definitely kids playing dress up. Why were they here though? Didn't they know that this place was dangerous?

"Sire, we have been given orders to retreat."

A voice said from behind him, definitely elite. Lu Ten replied, "Excellent, then let's-"

Before Lu Ten finished his sentence, one of his guards attacked him, not aiming to kill, but to maim. His eyes widened as he lost track of what he was saying. He started to raise his sword to defend. His reflexes weren't strong enough. He would lose his arms. He would-

The blue masked kid jumped an extraordinarily high jump, did a somersault mid air and kicked the scalp of the man, leaving the guard knocked out. Lu Ten was momentarily shocked, but years of military training quickly snapped him out of his trance and he looked around.

It was chaos!

The squad that he had been assigned to were all jumping at him, trying to kill him. They were all traitors! Lu Ten's expression hardened. He had been eating with these people not ten minutes ago.

Only the elite bodyguards and the masked children had prevented him from getting captured or maimed, making him wonder if they were actually on his side. He didn't have time to muse and mull things over though, since a sword had come dangerously close to slicing his head off. He narrowed his eyes and began fighting three of his soldiers at once, slicing, kicking and slashing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the masked spirits fighting as well.

He grudgingly admitted that they both were good as he took out two of his former squad members. He was now fighting the man that had informed him of the attack, the one he had met in the tent.

"You were a traitor," he growled. The soldier looked at him with haunted eyes.

"Nothing personal, your highness. But this war, it's wrong. My young girl… she...," he broke down, giving Lu Ten the opportunity to bonk his head with the hilt of his sword. The soldier crumpled to the floor, tears in his eyes. Not dead.

They ran ahead, and Lu Ten silently thanked his father for his paranoia. He thanked the spirits for his extra life. He thanked…

"Stop thanking stuff and get moving," the blue spirit said in his distorted voice. Lu Ten blinked, he hadn't been aware that he was speaking his thoughts out loud. He narrowly avoided another sword to his neck. The Blue Spirit took out the person attacking him.

"Thanks"

"I told you to stop thanking stuff!"

Lu Ten ran alongside his guards, breaking the rank of the soldiers in front of him. He wounded, and crumpled men; he might have killed some too but he didn't stop to look. The two spirits were working together in a deadly combination. The elites were holding their own as well. Lu Ten definitely wasn't dead weight. They tore through the army.

Later, in history books, this event would be described as the place where the Prince Lu Ten miraculously survived death.

Then, once they were through with the last of them, he finally saw shelter. Lu Ten saw emptiness, a chance where they could overrun them. He broke into a full speed sprin; kicking, punching, slashing and basically running on pure adrenaline. He finally-

"No!"

The familiar voice startled him and at first he couldn't place where it was from. Heart thumping in his chest, still running, he looked around. The blue spirit was running back. The red spirit had tripped and was being dragged away. A chill ran down his spine as he identified the owner of the voice.

Zuko and Azula?

He cursed at them, knowing that without them they would never have been able to escape. Still, without hesitation, he ran back, ignoring the protests of his elites who ran away. He kicked at the thumb of the person holding her. The blue spirit, or Zuko, picked her up. She was bleeding badly from the leg.

"We are the spirits and we will hold them off", Lu Ten stuck out a tongue at them. "What the hell are you two doing here? Never mind, I don't want an answer. Just go. I'll take care of-"

A soldier knocked the hilt of his sword on his head. Lu Ten crumpled to the ground. Zuko, carrying Azula piggyback style stared in horror. Mouth pressed into a firm line, he vowed to come back. He couldn't save them both. Azula was much easier to carry. He sprinted past everyone. Everything was a blur. He didn't know how he got out, but somehow, he did. It was a haze of punches and kicks. He lost his swords along the way. But somehow, they got out.

Zuko grit his teeth as he watched his cousin being dragged away.

He had failed.

They couldn't save him.

"Zuzu…," the voice grasped him back to reality. His sister pointed weakly to her legs. "You… first-aid"

He shook himself out of his stupor. His sister was much more important right now. He cupped her ankles and pulled back her leggings to assess the damage.

He felt sick to his stomach. She was bleeding badly. He pressed his hand to stop the blood flow and...

"So, spirits huh?" a voice said from behind him. Zuko froze and turned back. A gruff man was looking at him suspiciously. "Last I heard spirits don't bleed."

Yes, they could help him. The elite bodyguards must have a healer. Zuko's head was dizzy, in a haze. The man in front of him was musing to himself.

"But we wouldn't have made it without you. Master would definitely be dead. As it stands now, he was only captured. He'll probably be made into a martyr. He has a few days"

He looked at them with grudging respect. "Come, Elyza can heal the red one."

Zuko spent the next day in constant worry, watching his sister grimace, cursing her for coming along in the first place. It was only when she started limping slightly and told her brother that she was feeling fine did he get the sinking feeling in his stomach.

Lu Ten had been captured. And it was his fault.

He took off both his and Azula's mask and the elite bodyguards gaped at them.

"We were saved by two ten-year olds"

"Is our age really any of your concern?!" Azula snapped. Zuko wanted to say that he was technically in his twenties. Late twenties if the time he spent in this alternate timeline counted. "And we were informed by some sources that there would be an attack. We didn't have the time to bring our army and troops."

"Our army?" the guard narrowed his eyes, "Who are you?"

At this Azula stood up straight and put the royal insignia in her bag on top of her head. She said in a regal and authoritative voice.

"I am the Princess of the Fire Nation"

The men gaped at her, disbelieving. A few recognized her face; they had been working for Iroh for a long time. Ones that recognized her fell to their knees and the others followed suit. Azula smiled, forgetting about their situation for a moment. Forgetting that their cousin had just been captured and her leg… Her brother squirmed uncomfortable beside her.

"And I'm Zuko", he said lamely, a stark contrast to her regal and authoritative voice, "I mean, Firelo- Prince Zuko. I don't uh… have the crown… because I didn't carry it but… uh…"

He gestured weakly at her. "She can prove my identity."

"He's a servant," Azula deadpanned, glaring at her brother.

The adults watched this exchange with concealed amusement. It seemed as if the Fire Nation royals were still children after all. They didn't notice a man in red robes coming towards them with a message.

"Lu Ten's going to be made a martyr in two months."

Zuko looked at the man who had delivered the message. The atmosphere had quieted; everybody had tensed, reminded of their dim situation.

"How do you know that?" demanded Zuko, his tone harsh and imposing. Azula was reminded that her awkward brother had been a Firelord in another timeline.

"We have our sources. There is an apparent traitor in the Earth Kingdom"

"Oh? And is the source trusted?"

"We received a hawk from Master Piandao yesterday stating that it was true."

Zuko's eyes widened. This was the work of the White Lotus society.

"Soldiers," he said in a warning tone.

The elites straightened up, some looked down in fear, some trembled but some kept their gaze. "I'm sure you are aware that you have failed your duties today"

"But sire, there was an army -"

"At ease soldier, I do not blame you. I saw for myself how the battle went and you all conducted yourselves admirably. However," he paused, "I do not want what transpired today to be known. I will conduct the rescue of Lu Ten myself. I assure you, I will not fail. You have my personal protection if something were to go wrong both here and upon our return to the mainland. I will give my signature as well as a royal stamp, should something happen to me. You will be cleared of all charges"

The guards stared at him, speechless. A gruff looking man with a moustache, whose eyes were dull and grave, gave his most polite bow, saying, "Sire, forgive me if I am out of place, however, we are the protectors charged with the safety of the Fire Prince. We cannot simply obey the orders of a child playing pretend -"

Azula gave the man his coldest glare. "My brother has seen and faced trials greater than you can imagine. Do you know why he was sent here?"

He shook his head.

"The Firelord, my grandfather Azulon personally tasked my brother with keeping the heir safe. This is a command, soldier, not a request"

He backed away, averting his glance. His shoulders were squared defiantly, as if he still didn't believe them. Zuko couldn't blame the man. Azula lied as easily as she breathed, her bluffs were effective; they could not be proven right by any means, but they couldn't be proven wrong either.

"Yes, my Prince. Not a word of this goes to General Iroh."

"Nice save," he said to her, after watching the guards break rank and scatter around.

"I hope you know what you're doing"

Zuko nodded. "Trust me, I do. I once set a ten ton flying bison free by breaking into an Earth Kingdom prison alone, I can do it again with you and hopefully Lu Ten."

"You really need to need to tell me those adventures of yours"

"Right. Well, now you're experiencing one with me. Zula, prepare to go to Ba Sing Se"

Lu Ten was dragged off in chains not to a cell… but to a hut.

At first he had been downright offended. Did they think so little of him to put him in a structure like this? A hut which looked like it had no locks? He wasn't complaining, but he wondered if the Earth Kingdom was actually stupid. Why had his father taken so long to conquer it? They couldn't have had many brains if they were dragging a Fire Nation royal to an unguarded shack.

Then they earth bended the floor below them.

At this, Lu Ten let out an undignified squeak unbecoming of nobles. In hindsight it should have been obvious, they were earthbenders, and what better place to build a prison than underground? It was a place where fire benders could not get close to their source of energy, the Sun and a place where earth benders were surrounded by their own source of energy.

Okay, they were a lot smarter than Lu Ten had first judged. Which reminded him of a saying his father used to tell him, "Never judge tea based on its origins or colour"

"Father, all tea originates from leaves."

Iroh had beamed and said, "Exactly!"

Thinking of his father caused an ache in his heart. He briefly wondered if he would ever see him again.

Lu Ten was dragged across the caves. They were rough and illuminated with greenish-blue crystals. He frowned at the offending crystals. Red would have been a much better colour.

Then he actually thought about it, red would make the cave look even more menacing and terrifying; as if it didn't do that enough already. The greenish-blue were already unsettling and creepy, they didn't need to add the ominous blood-like feeling red crystals would provide. Suddenly, Lu Ten was glad that the crystals were blue.

As he was strapped down in a chair in his cell (a proper cell, not the hut variety), he thought of his cousins. His stupid, hot-headed dumb cousins. How had they even known about the attack? The mind boggles.

Even if he couldn't deny that those two were the ones who had gotten them out of there alive, Lu Ten had no illusions about that. Zuko and Azula had defeated almost as many enemies as Lu Ten himself. And he was one of the best fighters. Without those two, they all would have probably been captured. Still, he cursed them in his mind.

He also cursed the crew he had had; all of them, traitors. They didn't deserve to stay in the Fire Nation.

As he thought these thoughts, he couldn't help but remember the haunted look on the soldier's face before he struck him down.

He shivered involuntarily. It wasn't because of the creepy blue crystals.

The first guard that was assigned to Lu Ten's cell left with a broken nose and a bruised lip.

Understandably so in Lu Ten's opinion. He had tried to be civil when he untied his hands to give him food, but then he had made a few crude comments about his family and Lu Ten snapped.

Nobody insulted his father.

He had also mentioned something about being lucky that he had not been brainwashed and was not serving the Dai Li.

Whatever the hell did that mean?

The next person assigned to him was an old woman.

Lu Ten felt as offended as he had when he had thought that his prison would be a shack.

But there was something in her eyes. Something twinkled in her eyes, something which reminded Lu Ten of Iroh. Even her way of talking was like his father's. She wasn't mean, but patient.

"Hello young one"

"Hello," Lu Ten greeted. If she was being civil, then he could be too. She started to unchain his hands from the offending chair. He rubbed his hands when the chains fell away and stretched a bit. Lu Ten did not dare get up even if his legs were sleeping and tired. His fingers itched to have a good fight and he longed to stretch out. He reminded himself that it would be rude to hit an old woman. And he would already have no chance of escape, his escape requiring earthbenders to get out of the prison.

Lu Ten never gave up without a fight. But he knew the strategic importance of a retreat.

As if sensing his thoughts, the old woman smiled. "You can get up if you want"

Lu Ten thanked her gratefully and began to stretch himself. It had been a day and he was sore all over. They hadn't even let him sleep without the chair. Slowly, he began to do his firebending katas from the warm-up exercises. He watched the old woman carefully; worried that she would stop him.

She didn't.

Which was strange.

But then she did something even stranger.

"Would you like to spar with me, young man?"

That's when Lu Ten's world tilted upside down, especially when he was defeated by the cackling old woman.

"Why the hell are you offering me tea? I'm your prisoner. Is this poison?"

"Not even a prisoner deserves to miss the delights that tea gives you"

"...That's what my father says"

"What?"

"Nothing!"

"Is something the matter young man?"

"...Nothing"

"You look troubled."

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm a prisoner of war in Ba Sing Se, the most fortified city of the Earth Kingdom!"

"Ah, but that would mean mental troubles young man. I am certain your days at court and gruelling teaching sessions taught you to hide your pain well. Yet your face is scrunched up and you keep sweating."

"Umm… the food didn't agree with me?"

"I can see your bruised wrists, you know"

"And here I thought you were blind."

…

…

…

"Would you like them removed for the night? I'm sure sleeping on the floor would be preferable to sleeping on the chair"

…

…

…

"If you want help, you can simply ask for it."

…

"That's what he always says"

"Who?"

"My- my father"

…

…

"Yes, I'd like it if- if the chains were removed."

…

"Thank you"

"My father loves Pai Sho as much as you do"

"The Dragon of the West?"

"Yeah, that's him"

"Isn't he on a siege to decimate Ba Sing Se?"

"That's right"

…

…

…

"Hey? Why are you doing this?"

"Because, I love Pai Sho!"

"Old hag, I'm not a child!"

"I'm sure you aren't"

"Then why do you insist on telling me bedtime stories of the Avatar each night?"

"I thought you would appreciate quenching your boredom"

"You do realize that the Avatar is the greatest threat to the Fire Nation right?"

"Yes"

"Then why do you tell me his stories, shrouding him in this unattainable, unreachable, god-like persona? You know he'll never be more than a devil to me"

…

…

…

"Would you like to meet my grandchildren, Lu Ten?"

"What?"

"Lu-Lu"

"You're the weirdest old woman I have ever met."

"Have you met any other old women?"

"No. Fine, you're the craziest person I have ever met."

"Why do you say that?"

"You brought your grandchildren inside a prison and handed them to a war criminal who you know is on the other side of the war. Also, that war criminal is the royal of another country"

"So?"

"…"

"Lu-Lu"

"Crazy hag."

"Kay-Zhee"

"Hag"

"Ag"

"I have two cousins. They are the most hot-headed, reckless human beings in the entire world"

"How old are they?"

"Seven and Eleven"

"You know… the Earth Kingdom is not as barbaric as I first thought it was."

"Oh?"

"Except for that first guard. He was as barbaric as they come."

…

…

…

"He was my son"

Lu ten sat back in the chair of doom, as he had labelled it. His fingers tapped impatiently on the armrests to which he was chained to. It was nearly time for the old hag to come and deliver his breakfast. He twitched, his arms begging to fight. When would she arrive?

It had been a month that he had been struck in this dreary place. But his imprisonment was more than bearable. In fact, Lu Ten was now convinced that stories of earthbenders crushing the hands of firebenders were just myths.

After all, the old hag was civil. She was more than civil. She was almost like Iroh in a way, patient and calm with an aura of wisdom and cheekiness surrounding her. Dare he say, if he had to pick between being imprisoned in the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom, he would choose the Earth Kingdom.

Because his talks with the old hag were actually fun.

Lu Ten heard footsteps of said-hag and waited eagerly for the walls of his prison to sink to the ground. When it finally did, he greeted her how he usually did.

"Old hag"

"Lu Ten"

He frowned a little. He looked closer at the woman and saw that instead of her usual crinkled smile, she was frowning. Her brow was furrowed and the twinkle she had seen in her eye wasn't there.

He was about to start off the conversation with a joke, before she interrupted him.

"I am sure," she said as she kept the tray of food on the floor and sauntered up to him to remove his chains, "That you have wondered why I treat you the way I treat you"

He shrugged. He had wondered and asked way too many times, but the old hag had always dodged or danced around the topic.

"I dunno. Maybe it's because earthbenders are crazy and think it's completely acceptable behaviour to let their grandkids play with the royal of the country they're at war with?"

He waited for a snarky comeback, but it never came. Instead, the woman looked at him dead in the eye. "Make no mistake, young man. The Earth Kingdom is as cruel as the Fire Nation in many ways. They are not fools and it is only the fact that I am your assigned guard that you are allowed this much freedom."

He squirmed uncomfortably. He did not like her tone. Although he had wondered why so many times, suddenly, he did not want to find out anymore. He had been so curious, but the woman's chilled tone said that it was a story that he did not want to hear.

The chains came off and he cracked his knuckles, picking up his tray of food and beckoning her to continue.

"Young man, I remember telling you that the man assigned to you at first was my son,"

Lu Ten nodded mutely. He remembered.

"It's hard to tell you two are related," he wryly remarked.

She shook her head.

"My son was not the man you saw that day. In fact," her eyes gained a haunted look to them, "He doesn't even remember that he is my son."

"What?" Lu Ten demanded, not liking the turn that this conversation had taken.

"The Earth Kingdom. He was brainwashed and forced to serve under them because he was a good fighter," she smiled wistfully, "I taught him everything he knows"

"Wait what? Brainwashed? What do you mean?"

The old woman looked at the Fire Prince with grave eyes, "Ba Sing Se is not the place that you imagine it is. It is not filled with armies and people ready to rebel against the Fire Nation."

Lu Ten stayed silent. She continued.

"In fact, most citizens do not know there is a war going on"

There was something, something about her tone that sent shivers up his spine. That kind of emotion sounded strange in her voice, which was usually laced with amusement or jolliness.

"There is no war in Ba Sing Se. The Dai Li, the people who captured you, are the peacekeepers of Ba Sing Se. They brainwash, they mess with minds. They can make people forget who they are, and their family too. They make people do things that they would otherwise never do"

"And your son was one of the victims," his tone was dry. Suddenly he couldn't bear to look at his food anymore. He wanted to throw up.

She nodded, and Lu Ten saw a brief flash of sadness in her eyes. He sympathised with her.

The Fire Prince sympathised with an old earth kingdom peasant hag.

What has the world come to?

"But that isn't the reason I was so nice to you," Lu Ten gaped at her. She allowed herself an amused smile. "Surely, you didn't think that my loyalties would change suddenly and I would tell bedtime stories about the Avatar to a Fire Nation prince if I didn't have a solid reason did you?"

Once again, Lu Ten gaped at her. He had been doing that a lot today.

"Did it escape your notice that I asked for the reason for that every single day?" He demanded.

"Fire Prince, I have revealed more to you tonight than most of the citizens of Ba Sing Se know about the Dai Li. It is practically treasonous for me to do this."

"That doesn't answer my question!"

The old woman sighed and muttered something like "teenagers" and "impatient". She held up her hand.

"Let me finish my story. I do think that what the Earth Kingdom is doing is wrong but," she looked at Lu Ten, "I am not in side of the Fire Nation either. What they are doing is equally immoral and wrong."

A beat. Lu Ten averted his gaze.

"Young man, I was devastated when my son was taken away. More so when he looked at me in the eye and told me that he didn't remember me," she took a deep breath, "I was confused and lost. I didn't know what to think. I had always thought that the Earth Kingdom were the "good guys", but I was proven wrong. So, I journeyed to the spirit world."

"There I met a beautiful spirit. She called herself Tui, 'The Moon Spirit'. She told me about peace and balance. She told me the good things about the Fire Nation. She taught me perspective. I spent months alongside her. And when I awakened from my meditative trance, I was malnourished and weakened. But I had never felt more enlightened"

"You, young man, have a good heart. She, the Moon Spirit told me so"

Lu Ten's mouth was opening and closing like a fish. "I won't betray my country"

"No," she agreed, "You would be helping it."

Guilt churned in his stomach for not denying the preposterous notion outright.

"Your family might not be as against you as you might think,'' the old woman said, her gaze softening, as she re-tied the chains and strapped him to the chair. "The Moon spirit told me your cousin, Prince Zuko knows something"

"What does he know?" Lu Ten demanded.

"I am not sure. She did not say. But should you agree to… support us… then you should hand over this to him"

She slipped a white lotus tile in his pockets. "She said that he would understand"

He doubted that Zuko would. His cousin had always made his desire for helping the Fire Nation known throughout the palace.

Then she left, leaving Lu Ten to sulk and contemplate all his life choices so far and the life choices he would make in the future that might or might not seal his fate forever, either betraying all of his friends and family or drowning out all his ethics and morals, killing them after seeing that the other side was in fact, not barbarians but real genuine people.

Just like your typical teenager.