A/N. A Zuko chapter ! I tried to write a chapter inside the Boiling Rock, from Hakoda's point of view… But it went nowhere. So, I came up with this. Next time, a Katara chapter!
Why had she done that! Mai knew that betraying Azula meant death! But still, as Zuko stepped outside the gondola at the other side of the lake, he could see the small figure fend of the guards who tried to get to the mechanism, to destroy it…
She had saved them. And… A very small part of his heart cracked. She had done that… For him. He knew Mai, perhaps even better than Azula did. And she had a softer side… Hidden beneath such a shell that most people didn't see it.
But she had done this for a reason. And his heart hoped that that reason was him… But his mind spoke another kind of language. Mai would be executed… For betraying Azula. That was how his sister was. You didn't do that. The moment she sensed weakness, Azula would crush that weakness.
And Zuko knew what Mai's betrayal would mean. The only way she would escape a death sentence would be if someone would chose to help her… But none of the guards would do that. Perhaps the warden would, but he was not there to help. No, he was being tossed inside the gondola by that prisoner, under the direction of Sokka's father.
The only person who would perhaps try and save Mai would be Ty Lee.
Please Ty Lee, you are the nicest of the whole bunch… Please save your friend. You now that she would do the same thing for you…
Casting one last look to the prisoner, sitting in its lake of lave, Zuko turned around to face the group. Sokka, still in his guard's disguise, and then there were the girl, Suki, the Chief of the Water Tribe and Chit Sang. Sokka had proven himself to be an actually… decent person. And the prince hoped that he had done the same… At least, the water tribe man seemed to respect him somewhat now. Perhaps… Perhaps the Avatar had been right. You can't just ask to be forgiven. You need to earn that forgiveness. And he had done that, right?
Helping to break into the most heavily guarded prison of the Fire Nation, the pride of the judicial system? Yeah. If that didn't earn him some trust, Zuko didn't know what would. And… He had helped to save people the Water Tribe siblings love… Perhaps even the waterbender would acknowledge that.
But how were they supposed to get further? They were on an island, in the middle of the ocean..
"My sister is on the island…" He spoke suddenly, realizing the possibility.
"Oh really? I hadn't noticed!" Sokka nearly yelled. The water tribe man had an angry red burn over his left arm, where the guard uniform had been burned away by an attack of his sister. Even the girl Suki, was holding her shoulder, where Ty Lee had punched her… That would need to be tended to…
"No, I mean, she had to come here somehow!" Zuko explained. He had never been here, but had seen maps of the place when there had been discussions where to imprison Uncle Iroh… So, he knew that the ships were normally docked on the northern part of the island.
Quickly walking over the path that led away from the gondola, the firebender saw their escape route, far away at the docks. Azula had come by Air Ship… Agni, that would be a menace to fly. And to explain to the others, when they would approach the temple in that thing, ornate with golden flames and the Fire Nation's black and red symbol on the balloon… But well, it was the only option.
"Do you think there will be guards?" Sokka came to stand beside him, apparently thinking along the same lines as he was doing.
"Don't think so. We are deep inside Fire Nation territory, and no one would even dream about attacking a ship with that flag." He nodded to the big red and golden flag at the back of the air ship. If the flag was red with black flames, it was a standard banner… But if it sported golden flames, that meant that someone of the Royal Family was on it. And no would even dare to attack that.
"We take it… And Azula will be stuck on the island, at least for a day or two…" Sokka was thinking aloud, but Zuko could only agree. The time a hawk flew to the Caldara, a ship was dispatched… Two days, at most. But it would give them enough time to reach the temple, and hide the airship.
The only downside was that he would be trapping Mai on this island, with Azula…
But… maybe… if she wasn't dead yet, her uncle could stop Azula… Just maybe.
And they needed to get away.
"Come on." He spoke through gritted teeth. It was a horrible choice, but there was only one… Only one that would mean that as many people survived as possible. And he hated to make that choice. But it was necessary.
Please Agni, if she is alive, let her forgive me…
As they made their way to the airship, Zuko could feel the eyes of the others in his back. That the girl, Suki, would distrust him, he could understand… he had burned her village, after all… But he had given his soldiers orders not to harm the noncombatants… So, that would surely count for something… right?
The other, the father of Sokka… Well, that, he understood. Chief Hakoda would probably rather skin him alive. Zuko had invaded the South Pole, threatened an old lady, whom the waterbender had called grandmother… And of course, he was the embodiment of everything that had happened to the South Pole… Even if it had been his grandfather, Azulon, who had ordered the raids…
The last one, the prisoner… Well, if he had been imprisoned in this place, it had surely been for some reason. Bad or good, that, Zuko didn't know. They would have to ask. But Chit Sang didn't seem to be bothered by what happened around him, and knew how to fight… But still, the man could be a murderer, or… Or something else. They needed to know. And if there was a reason to distrust him, they should get rid of him sooner than later.
Oh look, you are beginning to think like your newfound "friends"!
No, that wasn't fair. The Avatar had been right. They had been like that because they distrusted him, with good reason. It was only normal to think like that if anyone could be a new threat to the people you loved. Zuko needed to understand that. They hadn't distrusted him purely because of him, but more because the danger he posed to them if he proofed to be a spy.
"Anyone knows how to fly that thing?" The deep voice of the Southern Water Tribe chief asked, and the prince turned around as they ran.
"I got a tour around one when it was in production. I asked how it was operated, and they showed me! I think I could do it" That was more hope than reality. Sure, he had been shown the prototype of the big airships, and they had explained how to use it… But it had been terribly boring. And Azula had kept asking questions. So, he had slipped away after a few hours.
"Why did they show you?" Chit Sang asked. Ah… yes. They had not quite explained who they were…
"Introductions later! When we are safely away from here!" Sokka yelled. Yes, that would be better. Then again, they were dragging that man into their rebellion without him having a voice in it… But it couldn't be helped. He had escaped with them, he was involved now, even if he didn't wish to be.
They reached the pier on which the airship was docked, and Zuko approached the wooden ramp that led into the belly of the vehicle. There was not a guard in sight. The crew would probably be in the guest lodge of the prison.
"The princess is coming! Everyone to their posts!" The water tribe man shouted as he ran past Zuko. That was… a stupid idea. Sure, it would make sure that they knew if there was anyone on board… But it would also make the guards strap on their weapons, or came alert…
But there was no sound whatsoever. It had worked, they were alone… Alone on Azula's airship! When they were safe, he would go to search for her room and look if there was anything that would help them, plans or something that she had been working on… Anything to give them an edge.
"Control room?" Sokka's father asked him, looking at him with those piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare right into his soul.
"At the end of the corridor, to the right." Zuko pointed. The older man grabbed his son's arm and dragged him in the direction he had just been pointed to. The prince followed them. They needed to get away as soon as possible.
When they entered the room, Zuko barely held in a groan. This didn't look like the prototype. Fuck!
"Well?" Sokka asked.
"It is different from the one I visited. We will need to figure it out." The prince could feel irritation rise in his chest. By now, the gondola would probably be ferrying guards and soldiers towards the outer edge of the crater, and if they weren't gone in the next ten minutes, they would be in for the fight of their lives.
"Well, best get to it then." The water tribe man rubbed his hands together, as if this was going to be fun! This wasn't going to be fun! This would probably take them way too long!
"Ah, a red lever! I love red levers!" Sokka just pulled it down. A horrible loud noise began to sound through the room, and only stopped as he quickly put the lever back to neutral, "Or not."
Agni safe them. They were going to die. If not by the guards, then by how Sokka was planning to understand the workings of the controls.
Zuko walked to the steering wheel. If there was one place that logically, would be used to start the engines… It would be there, right?
The steering wheel was of gilded wood and ridiculously ornate. Seriously, why did Azula need to travel in such style? She was quite capable of living rough, she had done it when chasing the Avatar! But no! Of course her ship was going to have a gilded steering wheel.
"That one?" He asked as Sokka joined him, pointing to a big red button. It seemed rather…Well, threatening.
"Only one way to find out!" And that idiot pushed the button.
It could have been the one to drop bombs! It could be the self-destruction button! It could have been anything! Zuko lifted a hand to slap the man next to him on the back of the head, but before he could do anything, he heard the roaring of engines.
"See! Sometimes you just need to try all the buttons!" Sokka grinned at him, punching his shoulder in rather blind earthbender kind of way. Rubbing the sore spot where the Water Tribe man had hit him, Zuko tried to withhold his grumbling.
Sure.
"Good, get us away from this place. The scouting ship took you an hour. I guess you have three minutes now." Hakoda called from the door, where he had been standing with Suki and the other prisoner.
Scouting ship?
"What does he mean?" Zuko asked, too confused to realize that they should not be talking about this now.
"Oh, we took a ship to disguise ourselves as Fire Nation after Ba Sing Se. I had to learn how to steer it in an hour as not to arouse suspicion." Sokka explained, as he was pulling a lever and paying attention to the results.
But… That was a whole job! In the navy… There was seriously a whole education program to steer ships! One reason being that the modern battleships were so complicated to navigate. In case a ship was taken, no one could even use it without a specific training! How had he figured that out?
"Alright…" Zuko sighed, not even ready to understand all that. Sokka was way too intelligent for his own good. He acted as an idiot, but Zuko rather suspected that the only reason he had not managed to capture the Avatar before was standing right in front of him.
The airship groaned as it lifted off from the pier. Agni, this was dangerous. But it was their only choice… As they slowly gained altitude, Zuko nearly longed bac to the flight on the Sky Bison. Sure, Appa was smelly and was way too affectionate… But at least he didn't make it seem like flying was dangerous. But now that they were in such a cumbersome ship, Zuko realized that a smaller, nimbler contraption was the safer bet when it came to flying.
"See? No big deal!" Sokka turned around, grinning, but from the windows behind the man, Zuko could see that the nose of the airship began to dip towards the water.
"Eyes in front!" Suki yelled, and the water tribe man turned around as quickly as possible, managing to get the ship back on a horizontal position. Agni, they were really going to die, weren't they?
After a few minutes of silence, leaving Sokka to his own devices, figuring out the ways of steering the enormous ship, Zuko dared to take a few steps. He slowly walked towards the door, where the others were still standing.
"I think we need to explain who we are." The firebender spoke, looking the prisoner Chit Sang in the eyes.
"Weird people. That's for sure. But alright, let's hear it." The big man shrugged as if he couldn't care less, but Zuko saw the quick sly look. Yeah, this man was not as brutish and dumb as you could imagine by looking at him.
"Well, I'm Prince Zuko, formerly the Crown Prince. That there," He pointed a thumb to the water tribe man at the steering wheel, "Is Sokka of the Water Tribe."
Chit Sang's eyes widened, but the prince saw the man's gaze fix on the scar. Yeah. Of course. That was such an easily identifiable trait that going somewhere incognito was not possible for him, except if he hid the scar very well. Meaning, that he was always recognized.
"Prince Zuko… Sure. Why not." The man shrugged again, but once more, the interest was clear.
"And I'm Suki, but you knew that already! You pushed me out of the way a few days ago at the line for food." The Kyoshi Warrior smiled, waving awkwardly. Agni, were all the friends of these people bumbling messes?
But then again, so was he.
"And I'm Chief Hakoda, of the Southern Water Tribe." The older tanned man spoke kindly, extending a hand. Chit Sang didn't take it. Zuko thought he knew why. Ever since birth, he had heard stories about the savagery of the Water Tribes, that they raided the ships that patrolled the waters, to keep those savages outside of the civilized world…
Of course, now, he knew better. It had been to keep the savages inside their own miserable conditions. But Chit Sang didn't know that. And he was probably trying to figure out what to think about these people. On the one hand, he had heard the stories of the propaganda… But here, there were two people, intelligent people at that, who had helped him escape the Boiling Rock…
"I'm guessing we won't be returning to the Fire Nation?" The former prisoner spoke instead, as Hakoda dropped his hand.
"No." Sokka spoke up, cheerfully.
"Actually, where are we going?" The Water Tribe chief asked, as he walked towards his son.
"The Western Air Temple. We had to hide somewhere, didn't we?"
Zuko saw the frown on the older man's face. What was that? He didn't seem too happy about that place.
"The… Air… Temple…" Chit Sang spoke softly beside him, shaking his head, "A children's story. Those things don't exist."
Zuko saw how Suki looked at the former prisoner with a confused look. In the Fire Nation, it had been a popular children's bedtime story to tell about the bad Air Degenerate, living in their castles in the clouds.
"They do. And they are safe." The firebender explained quickly.
"Sure. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when this nightmare is over, please." With that the man walked away, shaking his head. As a metal door fell close behind the prisoner, Zuko felt how Suki walked past him to the two Water Tribe men at the front of the room.
"Oh, tell me about the others! How are the others?" The Kyoshi Warrior sounded so happy, and the prince could understand that. Escaping whatever Azula had done to her? And finding her friends in the process? That would be such a good thing…
"Oh, Toph is the same as always, punching and joking and teasing." Zuko's ears perched up at the explanation. This was for the first time that he wasn't excluded from such things… Before, they had clearly not wanted him to know too much about them, but apparently, Sokka felt comfortable enough around him to talk about such trivial things. Had he… maybe earned some trust?
"Of course, I didn't expect her to change. How about Aang and Katara, still acting as if nothing is happening?" Suki laughed at that, but Zuko saw the quick from Sokka.
Stop talking, now!
Ah… So, he wasn't trusted that much.
"You know, Aang told me he loves her." Zuko couldn't help it. He was getting rather tired of being excluded from these talks, more so because he wasn't stupid. Anyone with eyes could see that those two loved each other.
"He did?" Sokka's eyes squinted towards him, "What did he say? The exact phrasing please."
Ah, proof. Of course. There needed to be proof before the water tribe man would trust his word.
"He warned that if she was threatened, he would throw caution in the wind and do anything to save her." The airbender had indeed told him that. Zuko hadn't liked it, because it meant that there was a weakness that his sister would and could exploit for her own benefit… But he had understood. Anything for the people you love.
"Sounds like Aang…" Hakoda said softly, and the prince heard the resignation in his voice. Ah. So there was a man who was not at all happy with that information. Finally, someone sensible!
"Do you promise not to tell them I talked about this?" Sokka asked him, with an intense gaze. Zuko nodded. Yeah, he was not stupid. He was not going to walk up to the waterbender, asking how she and the Avatar got together.
"Well… Those two have been together since at least a month, but I suspect it has been longer than that." The water tribe man spoke.
"I knew it!" Suki nearly yelled, triumphantly punching the air before wincing at the sudden movement of her shoulder, "I mean… Anyone with eyes and ears could have seen that. Please tell me that you didn't meddle in their affairs! I know you, you would have done that!" Zuko didn't how that sounded. On the one hand, it sounded teasing and lovingly… On the other hand, it could have been a mother scolding her child.
Those two had something weird going on, hadn't they?
"I didn't! I never meddled in it! He did!" Sokka pointed his finger to his father. Zuko nearly flinched. How stupid would you be to say that to your parent? But… To his utter surprise, Hakoda just laughed.
"I did! But Katara beat it out of me. Literally."
Wait, they had beat their father? How, in Agni's name… Well, he could understand. Of course they didn't have the same relationship with their father as he did with his.
"You are both idiots then. Just leave them be. They figured it out on their own apparently. So, no need to meddle. Spirits, this is just great!" The Kyoshi Warrior smiled. Zuko saw that she was genuinely happy to hear it.
"But there is just one catch." Sokka sighed, "Azula. She got in the way during the invasion."
"Wait, back up. What did that bitch do, and what does it mean?" Suki spoke with such venom in her voice that firebender looked up, surprised. Of course… Azula had probably tortured and bullied this woman, and the kind of person Suki was, was very clear. Torture wouldn't break her. She would only get to hate her torturer.
"Promise not to tell the others I told you?" Sokka asked, looking from his father, to Suki and finally, to him. So… He was included in this?
They all nodded. The water tribe man turned his face back to the great expanse of water in front of them before speaking.
"Well… His sister had to ruin it." He saw Sokka gesture at him, "During the invasion, Azula threatened Katara. She told Aang what she planned to do to her, so that he would have no choice but to surrender. You see, somehow she figured out what they are to each other. Our only luck is that it seems that she hasn't told anyone else, because Zuko didn't know about Aang and Katara." Sokka sounded relieved, and sure, that was a good thing…
But Zuko's mind was racing. It sounded exactly like something his sister would do. Capture the waterbender, who would surely defend herself, but would be no match alone against a whole squadron of firebenders. The Avatar was way too dangerous to even consider capturing. He had done the exact same thing that once with the pirates. And use the waterbender as an insurance. If the Avatar wouldn't submit, she would suffer. And also, it served as insurance that once captured, the Avatar wouldn't try anything sneaky.
It was the perfect way to capture Aang.
"Then, I have bad news…" Hakoda sighed, "Azula told Ozai. He has ordered all the domestic troops to hunt down Katara. Not Aang. Not anyone else. Her. My daughter. The rest of you are to be killed. All, except Aang, who will be imprisoned by the Fire Lord to make sure that no Avatar will be able to stop the Fire Nation, even in twenty years or so."
Silence settled in the room, and sort of icy chill settled into it. That was… exactly what his father would do… Agni, that was messed up.
"You can't tell her that. You hear me?" Sokka whispered, breaking the silence.
"Son, she needs to kn-"
"No! She has already rejected the idea hiding at the North Pole. It is no use, whatever the danger, she will not leave! Those two have already enough to worry about, we don't need to add to their worries. No discussion. You hear me? You don't tell Katara, and you certainly won't tell Aang! The last time you talked to him about duty and dangers, we had to follow him the whole night, and we found him passed out on a beach. You will not say anything. When we arrive, we will act like there is nothing to worry about! They don't need this!"
Zuko could understand the feeling… but surely, it would be better to know everything, right?
"It doesn't really change anything, does it? If I understood correctly, this was already Azula's plan…" Suki suggested, but the firebender knew the difference. Sighing, he spoke up.
"There is a difference… Azula can only commend her own guards, so there were barely a hundred soldiers looking for her. If Ozai ordered the domestic troops, twenty thousand men… To try and find her. He made her the biggest target in the Fire Nation."
It was a horrible thought. Try and win the war by threatening… Horrible things to a woman, just to make sure that the one who loves her would surrender himself. But it sounded like something his father would do. Anything for power.
"There is much more… but it is not my place. I just wanted you all to know what you are getting into, now that you still have a choice. We can leave you somewhere… Dad, Suki… You don't need to be involved in this. You can save yourselves." It sounded so… definitive. As if Sokka knew they wouldn't win, and was already planning on how he was going to save as many people as he could.
"And leave my daughter, once more? No way." Hakoda shook his head.
"I'm coming too. You will need all the help you can get… And I got other things to do… Sokka."
Zuko had the feeling that the other things she wanted to do were Sokka.
Answers :
Catch22thr : Thank you so much! Sometimes, I'm afraid of not spending time on the others, but I've tried to make them develop too!
Jjsmith103 : Oh it was a tease, for sure… But I've have some chapters planned for a specific moment, and those will be much more than a tease! Exactly, there is a comic about what happens during the Boiling Rock at the Western Air Temple, but it wouldn't work for what is happening now… And it would make sense to let them argue. So, I opted for this! Now, we are going into the conflict zone, where stress and worry is going to bit them in the *ss