Aang had been practicing his hand-to-hand combat with Sokka and Suki when the alarm was raised.

Specifically, Sokka had been teaching him how to throw a boomerang. This had not been what he had asked for when he had asked Suki to teach him nonbending combat, but he supposed until he was a master bender he needed all the skills he could get, from all sources- including Sokka and his boomerang. Plus it made Sokka feel important, which Aang decided was reason enough on its own.

They had set up a snowman in the centre of the square and now Sokka stood behind Aang, critiquing his technique as he aimed at it. "Remember, the boomerang curves on its way to the target. You don't want to aim straight at it."

Aang concentrated, squinting at the target as he made a series of quick calculations in his head. Then, he released. The boomerang spun away to the right, then swung back around. Aang heard a thud as it connected with the back of the snowman's head, before the boomerang returned to his hand. They all watched as the snowman's head fell off and slowly rolled away.

"Good! You're getting the hang of this. Ozai will never see that coming."

Aang had picked it up pretty quickly, but being able to manipulate air he did have an advantage. Still, even with the extra combat training, he did worry about being able to defeat the Firelord. After all, he had already fought Ozai once, and that had not gone well. The result had been thousands of deaths and a city burnt, and Aang still felt incredibly guilty about it.

"Flying object approaching!" The sentry shouted. Aang was ripped out of his thoughts as he moved out of the village with Sokka and Suki in tow to have a look.

"Sokka, isn't that one of the balloons you built with the Mechanist?"

"It looks like it. But if that is the Mechanist, then why is he coming here?"

Aang did not know the answer to that himself. By now, they had been joined by Katara, who was guiding Toph by the arm. Toph had been unable to use her seismic sense since they got to the Pole, and she was not happy about it.

The balloon flew over them, before beginning to descend behind the village. Aang could see two figures in it, but he could not make out their faces.

However, he could make out the symbol on the side of the balloon- and it made his blood run cold. For emblazoned on the side of the craft was the flame symbol of the Fire Nation.

"It's a Fire Nation balloon!"

"This is why I told you revealing your identity was a bad idea!"

Sokka had indeed told him that- very loudly, and very often. Aang's protests that it was either that or Katara potentially getting stabbed by a Firebender were ignored. Now, however, it seemed that Sokka's fears of the Fire Nation coming straight for them were well founded.

As Master Pakku and a couple of northern waterbenders joined them, they made their way around the village walls to see the two occupants of the balloon dismounting. There was a man and a woman, both wearing the dress of Fire Nation nobility, and when the man turned towards them Aang gasped. He would recognise that scar anywhere.

Team Avatar readied for battle as Fire Prince Zuko approached them.

"I told you this would happen!" Sokka shouted again. "Didn't I say "Zuko will come after us again?""

Again, Sokka had indeed said this loudly and often.

Instead of drawing his swords or making any attempt to attack them though, the Prince raised his hands. "Hello, Zuko here."

Aang saw his companion, who he remembered as one of the companions of Azula, Mai, facepalm behind him.

"What do you want, Zuko?" Katara snarled. "I told you that if you approached us, approached Aang, again, I would end you. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do that."

Aang had never heard Katara make any such threats, but he let it go.

"I suppose it's a good thing that I actually come in peace this time then."

"Oh sure," Sokka shouted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let's all trust the person who hunted us all over the world."

"Look, I know what I did in the past was bad. I thought it was good at the time, but not any more. I'm here to make amends. I don't expect you to like me, or even trust me, but if you are going to defeat my father, you need my help."

"Oh, you've got this all worked out, I see. You're going to ingratiate yourself with us and then backstab us. Interesting new tactic, let's see if it works out for you."

"What? No, it's not like that at all!"

"Then why are you here?"

Mai stepped forward. "The Fire Nation knows you're alive and they are sending a massive army to attack this village. We came to warn you."

"Well, consider us warned. You can go home now," Sokka said.

"But we also saw what happened to Ba Sing Se. It made us reevaluate our priorities and ideas about who is right in this war."

"Sure."

"That's not the only reason we came here. We also came here to join you and help you defeat my father. And I also came here to teach you Firebending."

"You? Teach Aang firebending?" And Katara broke out into an uproarious laugh that lasted for 30 seconds. Aang could see Zuko becoming visibly less patient.

"And what other choice do you have? Nearly every other Firebender in the world either thinks you dead or considers you an enemy."

Aang had to admit that he made a good point. There weren't exactly Firebenders lining up to teach him.

"But if we do decide to trust you, what's to stop you betraying us?" he asked.

"Your uncle always spoke very highly of you," Pakku said, entering the conversation for the first time.

Zuko's eye widened. "Wait, you know uncle? How?"

"That would be telling. But he did say that you were a good man, but one struggling with the programming instilled in him by his father. If indeed you have overcome this, you would prove a valuable ally."

"I agree with Pakku," Toph said. "I say we give him a chance- but the first time I set foot on solid ground again I'm going to get you both to repeat your story again to see if you're lying."

"That is entirely fair enough." Zuko just sounded relieved that any of them were giving him the time of day at all.

"Fine. But don't expect me to like it". Katara growled. "I still remember what happened the last time he came here. He attacked the village and would have burned it down if Aang had not given himself up."

"He actually did burn mine," Suki agreed. "Why do we believe that he's suddenly gone good?"

"Because otherwise we wouldn't have come alone?"

"Look, we haven't got time for this," Mai interjected. "In case it escaped your attention the first time, the Fire Nation is coming to this small village and it is best that we leave."

As if on cue, ash began raining from the sky.

"Right," Pakku said. "You lot get out of here. We'll see that the villagers are evacuated to somewhere safer."

"And what do we do with them?" Suki gestured to Mai and Zuko."

"Take them with you, but let Toph see if they are lying the first chance you get if you don't trust them that much."

Zuko smiled. "Thank you, master."

Katara turned and bowed to Pakku. "Thank you for everything you've done for me and for this tribe."

Pakku smiled and bowed back. "Thank you for being such a good student. Just say goodbye to Gran Gran before you leave, Master Katara."

With that, seven people ran for Appa.