A Stitch in Time on the Loom of Fate

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

Former General Iroh of the Fire Nation Military was perplexed. He was actually a rather observant person, known as the Dragon of the West due to his skill with Firebending during his campaigns and his military prowess as a commander, choosing to hide it beneath a carefree and jovial attitude to throw off those against his views on the ongoing war, and because of this, he had noticed a peculiar change in his nephew.

Now, it was no secret that he had chosen to join his nephew Prince Zuko in his exile to care for him and keep him safe during his hunt for the Avatar. And thus, Iroh had grown accustomed to Zuko's anger and impatience, which stemmed from hurt and bitterness at his exile and the events surrounding it. But ever since they had spotted the light on the horizon and the wave of Spiritual Energy had buffeted the ship, his nephew had been acting quite different. He seemed calmer, more at peace, and, dare he say it, happier. Also, there was one other thing…

"Uncle," said Zuko as he offered a steaming cup to Iroh, snapping the former General out of his musings as he focused once more on the familiar surroundings of his quarters in the ship, "here. I tried to make it the way you like it."

"Ah, thank you," said Iroh as he accepted the cup and took a sip, his eyes widening at the taste. "This is…"

"Did I make a mistake?" asked Zuko worriedly. "Ginseng is your favorite, right?"

"Oh, it is," confirmed Iroh, "I was merely lost in thought, Prince Zuko."

Taking the steaming cup from his nephew, Iroh took a sip and smiled as he let the flavor wash over him as the tea filled him with warmth. The tea was quite good. Much better than what he would have expected from his nephew based on the impatient attitude he had displayed during the majority of his exile.

"Is something wrong?" asked Zuko, mistaking his uncle's surprise for dislike. "Did I not brew it correctly?"

"No no," Iroh reassured his nephew, "it's quite good. Thank you, Prince Zuko."

Taking another sip from his tea, Iroh took the warmth into himself to strengthen his inner fire before speaking the question on his mind.

"Prince Zuko," said Iroh, "ever since we saw the light on the horizon, you've seemed different somehow."

"Oh, really?" said Zuko sheepishly. "Well, I guess I've had a lot on my mind. After all, we're close to finding the Avatar."

Iroh nodded but his curiosity wasn't sated. "Indeed. And how do you know that he is to be found at the Southern Pole? We have been searching these waters for months now with no sign of him after all."

"It's that light, Uncle," said Zuko, "I can feel it. The Avatar is there."

Iroh frowned at his nephew's tone, perplexed by it. It lacked the anger and desperation that normally fueled his search and colored his words whenever the topic shifted towards his goals, and instead sounded like a man looking forward to greeting a long-lost friend.

"If you are sure, Prince Zuko," said Iroh, deciding to let the subject drop for the moment.

As Iroh took another sip of his tea, he glanced over at his nephew, wondering exactly what had happened to spark such a change in him.

xXsceneXx

The old cruiser continued through the frozen waters for several more days, and for Iroh, the mystery surrounding his nephew continued to grow. As they traveled, he watched Zuko take an interest in the crew's wellbeing. Helping them with day-to-day tasks, awkwardly trying to break the ice during conversations by cracking jokes, even ordering them all to take a break one night and sit around a lit brazier while they traded stories about the places they'd been before this assignment. If Iroh didn't know better, he'd think his nephew had been replaced with a lookalike that was more friendly and personable. More like his nephew had been before the loss of his mother.

The crew had been wary of this sudden shift in mood, mainly due to the previous behavior of the exiled Prince on the long voyage up to this point. But it wasn't long until his new positive attitude won them over. Soon enough, they would spend time trading stories around a burning brazier with Zuko laughing along to his crew's humorous anecdotes from their previous military assignments.

Soon enough though, the cruiser approached the location of the Southern Water Tribe, and Zuko knew that it was time to begin.

"Prepare to dock the ship and the bank," said Zuko. "Be mindful of the village walls when we prepare for disembarking."

"Sir?" questioned Lieutenant. Jee. Even with his new cheerier attitude, the prince taking consideration of another culture was quite surprising and unexpected.

"They've obviously put a lot of work into them," said Zuko. "It would be rude to just destroy them. Besides, we can disembark to inspect the settlement without tearing through them."

"As you wish, Prince Zuko," said Jee before signaling the helmsman to dock the ship away from the Village walls.

"It also might be best if we keep our true reason for being here under wraps," added Zuko. "If anyone asks, we were on patrol nearby when we spotted the light and changed course to investigate."

"Are you certain sir?" asked Jee in a confused tone, while Iroh watched this conversation from the sidelines, a curious expression on his face.

"It would be best if we didn't start an incident," said Zuko as they approached the village. "That way the tribesmen won't interfere with our mission here. In fact, let's try and avoid trouble altogether."

"If you insist, sir." Jee nodded as the ship pulled to a stop. "Lower the Prow Ramp!"

As the crew lowered the boarding ramp set into the ship's prow, Zuko looked over at the village built on the frozen tundra and schooled his expression into a stoic one, lest he give away the game before being certain his friends were back as well.

xXsceneXx

Sokka and Katara stood with Aang and several of the village's remaining adults as the Fire Nation soldiers marched off the ship. They had quickly recognized it as the one Zuko commanded during his time pursuing them. To avoid unwanted attention, Aang was wearing a hooded Water Tribe fur coat to hide his arrows and Air Nomad garb, and if anyone asked, he would claim to simply be cold.

The time displaced members of Team Avatar noted that the cruiser had opted to dock further away from the village walls, as opposed to originally where they had torn down the barriers when they dropped their ramp. Despite this change though, they still tensed as the armored Fire Nation soldiers filed out of the ship accompanied by Zuko, though something felt off about their former friend.

"Hello there," said Zuko in a regal yet polite tone, "I am Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. We were traveling through the nearby waters on a routine patrol, when we spotted the strange light and were buffeted by the wave of Spirit Energy, and diverted course to investigate. I would like to question anyone that witnessed the event in question."

Seeing that the gathered Water Tribesmen were hesitant, Zuko held up his hands in a placating manner and continued, "We do not want any incidents during our time here," he explained. "If we can proceed quickly and efficiently, then we'll be on our way."

Katara, Aang and Sokka glanced at each other as they considered this. It was obvious that Zuko wasn't the same person as when they originally met him the first time around, but how could they be sure? Eventually, they came to a decision. Aang's borrowed coat and gloves covered his Arrows quite well, and, if you let the skin color slide, he could decently pass as one of the younger members of the tribe. So, the three founding members of Team Avatar decided to take a risk.

"We witnessed the event," said Katara as she, Sokka and Aang stepped forward. "We were there when it happened."

"Katara!" exclaimed Kana in a shocked and slightly reprimanding tone.

"It's alright, Gran-Gran," said Sokka. "We know what we're doing. We'll be careful, I promise."

Kanna would have protested, but Zuko had heard them and was already signaling his men to lead the three teens onboard his ship. As the water tribe watched, the two children of their Chief and the strange boy they had recently befriended, boarded the Fire Nation Cruiser.

This would be the last time they saw them for quite some time.

To be continued…