Ukano was certain that victory would be near. His men would be reaching the city within a few days. And with their superior power and weaponry, there was no chance the peasant city would last long. Even if the king was as mad as rumor claimed, he would not dare to resist them.
Smiling at the thought of victory, Ukano also smiled at seeing his son and heir playing on the floor of their carriage.
Tom-Tom was a delightful child, which was more than could be said for his daughter. The moody girl tended to bring down a bright and cheerful atmosphere, which was why he had agreed to give her a private carriage when she asked. Less room for her to take up with them.
"Darling, how much longer until we arrive?"
Ukano regarded Michi. "It shouldn't be too much longer now. We only need to wait-"
The carriage stopped. It stopped so suddenly that Ukano, Michi, and even Tom-Tom lurched forward. Though the baby enjoyed the motion, laying down happily on the floor.
"What in Agni's name is going on?" Ukano exclaimed. "Driver? Why have we stopped?"
Momentarily, a meek man's face popped through the curtains of the carriage. He was a lanky man with a bony face and thin mustache. And a sweaty head.
"Um, we have a visitor sir."
Ukano frowned. "A visitor? What sort of visitor could be so important as to..."
"I'm so sorry, sir. I need to go bow."
The man immediately disappeared to the other side of the curtain. Leaving a flabbergasted family inside.
"It must be someone high-ranking," Michi observed. "There would be no other reason to stop otherwise."
Even so, it was unacceptable to Ukano. He was sent by Fire Lord Ozai himself to secure Omashu and turn it into one of the jewels of the Fire Nation's conquest. No general or admiral had the right to impede his or the nation's glory.
"Wait right here," Ukano ordered as he handed Tom-Tom to Michi. He then stuck his head outside the carriage.
"Who is it? There had better be a reason for-"
Ukano's throat caught when he saw the people outside his carriage.
One was a girl with pink clothing and a long braid. Based on her looks, she was obviously a daughter of Boatao.
And the princess was right next to her.
"Princess Azula!"
Ukano immediately kneeled on the ground, his forehead touching the dirt.
"Forgive me for my disrespect, Princess Azula! I meant no offense."
"I'll take your word for it," Azula said dismissively. "Is Mai with you?"
Ukano lifted up his head. "No. She asked to have a carriage to herself. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes. You can go and get her. We need to discuss something."
"I..." Ukano was going to say something, but the princess had already taken her attention off of him. She was more focused on her nails than she was on him. He didn't have a chance to brown nose.
"At once, princess. Soldier, retrieve my daughter!"
Azula waited not so patiently for the soldiers and Ukano to come back. It took a little bit of time, but soon two soldiers were heading back to the main carriage.
And in between the two soldiers was a girl with heavy bangs and a gloomy expression. Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing Azula, but she otherwise showed no emotion. Even when she stopped in front of Azula and performed the customer bow of respect.
"Princess Azula. You honor me. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
If Ukuno had any comments to make on Mai's conduct, they died when he saw Azula hug his daughter.
"It's to see you, Mai. I've been spending too much time among incompetents."
"Understandable. But what brings you out here?" Mai asked.
"A number of reasons. All of them involving my idiot brother."
The moment he was mentioned, Mai's expression changed. It was quick and subtle, but Azula saw the quick flash of interest through her eyes. Interest laced with hope.
"Can I have some elaboration?"
Azula nodded. "Take us back to your carriage. Once this discussion is over, the three of us can start our mission."
"I'm sorry, three?" Ukano interjected. "Princess Azula, perhaps we can discuss this. My family and I are meant to be the face of the new settlement. We-"
"I'm sorry, were you given permission to speak?"
Azula's stare was as cold as it was impatient. She did not intend to waste time conversing with Ukano. She had come to pick up an ally, and nothing else. And Ukano, having survived in politics for so long, knew better than to try and press his luck.
He backed away and let the three girls go back to Mai's private carriage.
A carriage that, while well-made, was barren and lifeless. Aside from the scratch and point marks on the walls, there was no sign of anyone living there.
"Charming," Azula noted as she sat down.
"Realy? I felt like it could use more color," Ty Lee said as she studied the walls and floor.
"It was a joke, Ty Lee. Sit down."
"Oh."
The three girls sat down, with Mai across from her old friends.
"What's this about Zuko causing trouble?"
"Ty Lee, give her the letter. It will give context."
Eyebrow raised, Mai accepted the letter that Ty Lee pulled out of her pocket.
To Azula's amusement, she could see Mai's reaction to the writing through her eyes. It started off widening, given how the letter started so uncharacteristically to her brother. And as it continued and became more bewildering to read, Mai actually started to clutch the letter and read it closer to her face. Almost like she didn't believe it was real.
Azula didn't blame her. She had doubts about its validity as well.
When Mai was done, her eyes did not revert to their original stony disinterest. They were confused and determined.
"I need an explanation. Now."
"So do we," Azula explained. "The dum-dum sent me that letter years ago. The only reason I didn't burn it or feed it to the turtleducks is that I have no idea what to make of it."
Mai raised a brow. "A letter concerns you?"
"A letter that I can't properly decipher. I don't know if Zuko is honestly giving up his claim, or if the esteemed general Iroh wrote this letter to throw me off my game."
Mai agreed, the latter seemed more plausible than the former. Zuko was many things, but a quitter wasn't one of them.
"Is this why we're looking for Zuko now?"
"Officially, no. The dum-dum hasn't contacted the palace in years. Not even to claim any finances he is entitled to. And father wants to make sure that Zuko hasn't suddenly turned traitor. Of somehow gotten himself killed."
Mai frowned. "What happens if he did die?"
"Then we'll have to drag the body back to Caldera and tend to it properly. Zuko is a dum-dum, but he's a royal dum-dum. He'll get that treatment at least."
"Oh," Mai said, truly hoping that wouldn't come to pass. But she made sure not to show any outward concern. "And if he's just doing what he was ordered to?"
"Hunting airbenders? If we find one, we'll lessen the burden and take a few out for him. He'll be so indebted to me that he might actually give me the right to the throne in person."
In any case, she would see Zuko again. The one person who let her be herself. The one who didn't ask her to just follow orders or to be emotionless. She could see him again.
Which was certainly better than being stuck with her own family.
"When do we leave?"
Elsewhere...
Zuko scratched Druk's neck while he, Uncle, and Toph tried to plan out how they should proceed. They had set up camp and a fire. Now they just needed a strategy.
"Your father is paying bounty hunters to search for you. That does not bode well."
"I can't believe he would do that," Toph said. "I've run away before, and all he did was send the servants. Why would he... why would he go this far?"
"Your disappearance occurred the same night he lost two ostrich horses," Iroh reminded. "It is possible he sensed a connection between the events. Just not the correct one."
"But what do we do about the bounty hunters?" Zuko interjected. "Even if they don't get Toph, they will be an annoyance while trying to move. It's hard to plan a trip when people keep attacking."
"Especially if they find another prize to covet," Iroh said forebodingly. When his companions did not understand, he elaborated. "Zuko is an avatar. Handing him to the Fire Nation would bring the captor gold beyond measure. Not to mention Druk."
Zuko's eyes widened as his grip on his dragon instinctively tightened. He knew exactly what would happen to Druk if a hunter caught him. Especially with how young he was. He would make a glorious prize for any hunter or firebender.
"He's still growing uncle. Hiding him won't be easy."
"Once he reaches full maturity, it is those who will seek him that I will pity," Iroh said with a degree of amusement. "But until then, you are right nephew. He is vulnerable. Unfortunately, having him stay behind and hide in the forests is the best solution I can think of."
"What about tunnels?" Toph suggested. "There's tons of them across the Earth Kingdom. And you know they're big."
That wasn't a bad idea. Tunnels would give them cover. And if they were large enough, they would allow Druk to travel with them.
But they weren't a perfect solution, as Iroh explained.
"Zuko and I are firebenders. While he might be fine after days under the earth due to his other bending skills, I would have my fire weakened. And in these dangerous times, a weak fire would spell doom."
Toph frowned. "Do we have any other ideas?"
Zuko, who hadn't suggested anything until now, had one.
"Any of you think disguises could work?"
Iroh stroked his beard. "They would have to be good disguises. Especially if we want to enter towns without resembling any wanted posters."
Posters...
As soon as Iroh said the word, an idea popped into Zuko's mind. Reaching into the bag he had tied to his ostrich horse, he pulled out the same wanted posters Iroh had mentioned.
"I think... I think I have an idea."
Iroh and Toph both turned to him.
"Does it involve anything blowing up?" Toph asked.
"No. I don't think so," Zuko answered, uncertain. After everything that had happened to him, random explosions seemed like they were always a possibility.
"So there's a chance," Toph said hopefully.
"What is your plan, nephew?" Iroh asked. And Zuko explained.
The Next Morning...
Zuko kinda felt bad about this plan. Not enough to not go through with it. But he did feel bad enough to leave two coins on the porch.
He was already robbing the clothes washer. He might as well give them a small handout.
Himself, Toph, and his uncle all jumped over the fence just before the sun rose. The cleaner didn't have any sort of guard animal so it was easy for the three of them to browse through and find new clothes.
Zuko, not wanting to stay in rags the entire trip, was glad for a change.
Given the nature of their travels, they all made sure to get different potential outfits. Once they all felt like they had enough, they jumped over the fence again and made their way back to the campsite.
"So how do we do this?" Toph asked as her face was covered by a pile of clothes. She wouldn't even use most of it. She only grabbed things that she thought might fit. And if she could have seen the colors (why magenta?) she would have likely thrown most of them back.
"Let us find a private spot to change," Iroh suggested. "We can meet back here when we are done to discuss."
Nodding, Zuko left just as the others were. He found a spot behind some trees and started sorting through the clothes he had picked up.
The few bits of red clothing would, unfortunately, have to stick to the side. Unless he wanted to advertise his being from the Fire Nation. So he would have to look through the green and brown clothes exclusively.
It took a while to find something he liked. Not because the clothes were bad, necessarily. They just popped a little more than he liked. He preferred more subdued styles.
This is why he eventually settled on the outfit he picked. A pair of brown trousers with green lines. The shirt was dark green with brown lines. It was an average and unassuming look. Which made it perfect.
When he went back to the site, he saw Iroh and Toph already in their clothes. Iroh wasn't too different. He just had his remaining hair loose and under a hat. His clothes were just a simple green robe over a pair of green trousers.
Toph was the more eye-catching of the two. Not because of the outfit, which was just a green shirt with green leggings. She stood out because of how her hair had changed. Rather than the bun and bangs combo she usually had, Toph actually let her hair loose. And instead of bangs, she had the front of her hair pulled back with the rest.
She looked... Zuko didn't want to think girlier. Toph might hear the thought and throw a boulder at his feet.
"Your uncle suggested that I change my hair. Now be honest with me sparky. Do I look like a blushy princess?"
"Not with that mouth," Zuko answered quickly. He then added, "You look different. I'll say that."
Toph nodded. "Smart move. Now get over here."
Zuko frowned. "For what?"
"If I have to change my hair, then so do you. Now listen to your earthbending teacher before I knock the sense back into you."
Zuko wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of Toph messing with his looks. While his appearance didn't matter too much to him these days, the fact remained that Toph was blind. She was capable, but there was really no telling how she would make him look.
On the other hand, a small makeover was preferable over getting crushed or buried by boulders. So Zuko walked over and let Toph do what she wanted.
When Zuko was close enough, Toph made a small podium to stand on. She grabbed Zuko's face, which confuse him for a moment.
"Which side has the burn?"
Oh. "Left."
"Got it."
What Toph ended up doing was actually simple.
"Ok. Let's get this right here... Good."
She took most of Zuko's hair and had it cover the left side of his face. It felt like a dark curtain over Zuko's left eye.
"How is this supposed to help?"
"Uncle told me that the poster with your face had an angry kid displaying a burned face. Having you cover yours up a bit already gives a different impression."
That wasn't a bad idea. It wasn't much of a disguise, but it would make Zuko seem a little different from the wanted posters. Which would be helpful.
Druk, who had just come back from breakfast, took a look at Zuko. It stared at his new hair for just a moment. Then it stood next to him and licked his hand.
At which point Zuko was ready to move on.
"Do you think we're ready uncle?"
Iroh, who had been watching their interaction with amusement and joy, nodded at them both.
The trio, with Druk flying just behind them, made their way to the next town.
Gyatso watched in contentment as Aang played with Appa. The sky bison had grown exponentially since they had arrived. And it had another benefit as well, allowing Aang to smile again.
If Gyatso were being honest, he was concerned back when he and his pupil had returned from the air temple. Whatever he and Tenzin had spoken of left a mark on Aang, and he was afraid the young boy had lost his sense of joy.
But being with the bison seemed to wash the anxiety and worries away. Leaving Aang the happy child he was inside.
He would need to find a balance between those versions of himself soon. Aang could not help the world if he was too solemn and grave himself. And being a child would leave him too immature to cause real change.
it was a balance that Gyatso would have to spend the next stages of their journey teaching to Aang. Appa was nearly full-grown now. And soon, they would be able to move out and continue on their path to the North Pole.
Soon, they would...
"Excuse me."
Sokka walked right by Gyatso. His foot was limping, and his dress was tattered up at the skirt. His makeup was also smudged and ruined like someone had thrown water at his face before punching it.
"Don't ask Katara about water magic. Maybe tomorrow."
Sokka continued to limp away.
Soon, the group would continue their journey. And hopefully, they could stay in one piece the entire time.
This is where I will stop for now. Azula has her trio formed, and Zuko and his crew have to figure out a way to not get captured every time they go near towns or villages. Meanwhile, Aang is going to start his journey soon.
And yes, I did have Zuko go more emo than usual. It's a disguise that fits his character.
I plan to do something fun in the next chapter. Introduce a character that I admittedly almost forgot about, but will have some fun introducing into the story. If anyone wants to guess who it is, you're more than welcome to.
Anyway, please leave reviews, tell me what you think, and I will see you all next time.
Bye!