A Stitch in Time on the Loom of Fate
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.
This chapter was Beta'd by RSBCS and RavenBloom
Sokka, Katara, and Aang followed Zuko as he led them through the corridors of his cruiser until they arrived at a small room that served as an office of sorts for official business that required a more professional setting than his quarters provided. Once inside, he gestured for them to sit and turned to his guards.
"Leave us," said Zuko, "I would like to conduct this meeting in private."
Naturally, the officers objected quite vehemently, but the exiled prince silenced their concerns. "Wait outside if you must, but I would like this to be a formal meeting, not an interrogation. They are guests on our ship, not prisoners. If there is any trouble, I will call for you."
"As you wish sir," said the guards reluctantly before exiting the room, closing the door behind them.
Letting out a tired breath, Zuko sat at his desk and glanced at the three teens with an unsure expression. That they trusted him so readily, that was not something they would normally do. Especially considering everything the Fire Nation took from them. How to be sure though?
Taking a breath, Zuko decided to try something. "Hello," he said, "Zuko here."
Katara, Sokka, and Aang's eyes widened at the familiarly awkward greeting as they seemed to come to a realization.
"Zuko?" asked Katara hesitantly. "Is that you?"
Feeling an immense sense of relief sweep through them, Zuko gave his friends a warm smile. "Yeah, it's me."
"Zuko!" exclaimed Aang as he practically leaped out of his seat. "It's so good to see you! Do you know what's going on here?"
"I have no idea." Zuko sighed. "The last thing I remember is being blasted by Azula."
"Wait," said Aang in surprise, "you were fighting Azula?!"
"We were fighting an Agni Kai over the position of Fire Lord," explained Zuko.
"Wait, what?" exclaimed Aang. "Why were you fighting Azula? And how was she the Fire Lord? Wasn't Ozai the Fire Lord?"
"Oh right, you hadn't heard," said Sokka as he pounded his fist into his palm in realization. "Yeah, the King of the Jerkbenders apparently decided that Fire Lord wasn't enough of an ego boost for him and declared himself the Phoenix King. Apparently, he passed his former title off to Azula before going to burn down the Earth Kingdom."
"But still," protested Aang, "why did you fight Azula? Isn't she like, crazy strong?!"
"Well, she was looking to be more crazy than strong at the time," said Zuko, "so I figured I could take her. Besides, I brought Katara as backup."
"And good thing too," said the Waterbender, "as I was the one to take her down after she blasted you with Lightning."
"I was trying to keep her from hitting you!" protested Zuko, before they all broke down and laughed.
"We haven't laughed like this in a while," said Aang.
"Not since before we found out about the Fire Lord's plan," agreed Katara.
"So," said Sokka, "if we're all back here in the past, then what do we do now?"
"What do you mean?" Katara asked her brother in confusion.
"Well," said Sokka, "we have the chance to do everything over again, right? So why not use what we know to make sure things are done right?"
"He does have a point," said Zuko, "there are a lot of tragedies that could be avoided with foreknowledge. The Fall of Ba Sing Se for one. And the death of the Moon Spirit."
"Yeah," said Sokka somberly as he remembered Yue, his thoughts also traveling to Suki as he wondered if she was brought back as well, "and we can gather our allies a lot earlier this time too. We can end the war before the comet arrives this time."
Sokka remembered the hellfire from Sozin's Comet and the painful battle they fought to save the Earth Kingdom. This time, they wouldn't let Ozai get that far.
"So where do we go from here?" asked Katara. "No offense to you Zuko, but I doubt the rest of your crew can be trusted to help us overthrow your father."
"Maybe not them," said Zuko, "but I definitely think we should tell my uncle. He's one of the smartest people I know and a Firebending Master, not to mention a Grand Lotus. I think we can trust him."
"How though?" asked Aang. "I mean it's not like we can invite him over for tea and just go, 'by the way, we're your nephew's friends from the future' or something."
"I might have an idea or two," said Zuko, "just leave it to me."
"Ok then," said Sokka, "the only thing left is what to do now. If we're going to be traveling together, then we'll need to find a way to keep suspicion off of us while we find our friends."
"I think I have an idea," said Zuko as he rose from his seat, "just play along."
Walking over to the door, Zuko knocked twice on the metal surface, causing the guards to slide the door open and look inside. "Prince Zuko?"
"Inform the crew," said Zuko, "we're to set sail for Crescent Island. I would like these three brought to the Fire Sages to see if they can discover more about the strange Spirit Wave."
"But sir?" asked one guard. "What about your search for the Avatar."
"The Avatar is closely tied to the Spirit World," said Zuko, "I believe discerning the true nature of the Spirit Wave will draw the Avatar to us."
"As you command," said the guard before turning towards his comrade, "Ren, inform the helmsmen. I'll escort these three to secure quarters."
"No," cut off Zuko, causing the guards to stop short, "these three are not our prisoners and are to be treated as guests."
"If it helps," said Sokka, thinking quickly, "we'd be happy to help out around the ship to earn our keep. I've learned a bit about Fire Nation cruisers from exploring the one near our house and my sister's an excellent cook and has medical skill from helping around the Tribe."
"And what about the kid?" asked the guard, Ren, as he pointed at Aang.
"He has great eyes," piped up Katara, "Aang could be a great lookout."
"If you wish," said the guard with a shrug, "I will show you to your quarters. Please follow me."
Zuko nodded and the guards left with his friends. Once they were on their way, Zuko headed to meet with his uncle.
It didn't take long to find Iroh, as he was looking over the guardrail of the ship as the cruiser pulled away from the frozen coast.
"Ah, Prince Zuko," said Iroh as he noticed his nephew's approach, "I noticed we are leaving. Did you find what you were looking for here?"
"You could say that," said Zuko as he moved to stand beside his uncle, "I have ordered the crew to set sail for Crescent Island."
"Is that so?" asked Iroh curiously. "But what of your search for the Avatar? What of your honor?"
"I believe that what we seek will be found if we understand what caused the Spirit Wave," said Zuko. "I'm bringing our three guests from the Water Tribe to meet with the Sages."
"I see, Prince Zuko," said Iroh as he regarded his nephew.
"Actually Uncle," said Zuko with a smile, "why don't you join us for some tea later? I'm sure they'd love to hear some of your stories."
"Well," Iroh chuckled, "I wouldn't say they were that good, but who am I to turn down an invitation for tea?"
"Great," said Zuko happily, "then I'll see you tonight, Uncle?"
"Of course, nephew," said Iroh with a warm smile.
