The oasis was warm…
Many people were gathered in the sacred place. 'More than should be allowed,' the onlooker thought nastily. Down below, traitors were chatting with noble soldiers who had suffered for incompetent leaders. A snarl appeared on the hidden face while blue eyes remained emotionless.
The colors of the nations mingled on the soft green grass. The most abundant representatives were obviously from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, the blue and green greatly overshadowing the single brightness that was the Avatar. Briefly the onlooker wondered if that color was on purpose, further establishing the importance of this single being in the unsteady peace of the world. His voice and conversation were as light and jovial as the colors he wore and he flitted around the gathering, much more comfortable in his social role than he was just a few years ago.
The calm collective noise suddenly quieted and all eyes shifted towards the entrance to discover the disturbance. A few feminine gasps revealed the tall and scarred Fire Lord, looming in a long red cloak. He wore the trademark scowl of the royal family and slowly entered the glade, eyes roving over the crowd, and landing on a certain individual. With a slightly narrowed gaze he walked with more purpose to the center of the grotto, green and blue clad people parting the way like a river covered in leaves.
The Avatar met the Fire Lord's glare and it appeared he tried to make himself taller by straightening his back and pulling back his shoulders. This movement was useless however, because as the two benders met in the middle of the oasis, the Avatar was taller than the Fire Lord by quite a few inches. The firebender glared further; unhappy with the irony of having to literally look up to the young boy he had trained. The boy however soon broke into a grin and bowed low with hand over fist.
"Welcome to the Northern Water Tribe," he said formally. The red cloaked man bowed slightly. The grin did not fade on the taller bender's face as he pulled an unsuspecting Fire Lord into a hug. "It's great to see you again Sifu Hotman!" he exclaimed loudly. Warmth began to build up in the firebender, although whether from rage or embarrassment was yet to be discovered.
This outlandish action caused a commotion among the people and they began to heatedly whisper among themselves. The Fire Lord stood as still as a statue, waiting for the Avatar to dislodge himself. When the boy did, his grin was even wider. Zuko couldn't help but smile a little, but it was soon replaced with the all too familiar stoicism he was known for. They began to speak about political matters that could have waited for a more formal atmosphere, but Aang knew that his friend and teacher was nervous, and allowed the sterile politics to calm the firebender. After the episode, he noticed a familiar Dragon out of the corner of his eye approach some women from the Earth Kingdom, but stopped peering when he heard giggles arise from their little contingent and continued discussing the possibility of a second pilgrimage with the fiery leader.
Blue eyes watched the whole occurrence, and a smirked appeared unseen. Quietly, fur-lined boots left abandoned the hidden post.
--
Zuko gradually relaxed as his conversation continued with his former pupil. It had been nearly a year since the Avatar had been to the Fire Nation, and he was always welcoming of the young peacekeeper. Even in the Fire Nation, the Fire Lord detested these small gatherings, and a gathering of nobles from the other nations was nothing to ease his discomfort. The political conversation between the Avatar and his former instructor soon turned to their companions that were now strewn across the world.
Appa and Momo were currently banished to the Air Temple by their human friend. Apparently, the last time the Avatar had come to the northern city, Momo had disrupted an important meeting with an ambassador from the Earth Kingdom and Appa had scared the earthbenders on their ships.
In Omashu, Toph was helping out the Earth King and Avatar by being an informant of the feelings of the people. From her correspondence, the Earth people had calmed down and were no longer itching for revenge on the Fire Nation. In fact, the Earth Kingdom seemed pretty set in how things were going. There was more movement in Toph's dealings with her family than anything else. Being the city's Master Earthbender, even surpassing King Bumi, was not a title the Bei Fong family had been prepared to have bestowed on their blind daughter. After a few months of feuding between her parents, Toph had decided that it was best for her to stay on her own in the city, working for King Bumi in his tournaments to earn her keep.
Haru was working alongside her in the Avatar's information network. His livelihood was that of a construction worker, and he monitored the lower levels of Omashu. Toph's reports were written in his handwriting and given her literal "stamp" of approval, and he acted as a relay between her and her friends' letters. Aang informed the Fire Lord that Toph had refused to come to the northern city, claiming that she "would never be considered blind again" and Haru had also not been able to make the trip.
When the conversation turned towards Suki, their voices dropped. Although a small passion had lit between her and Sokka, the rise to Wolf Chief had demanded sacrifices from the couple. This resulted in feuds and not long after the first pilgrimage of the Avatar, Suki had returned to Kyoshi Island. Once she set foot on solid earth again, she had been revered as a great Kyoshi warrior, and taken a small contingent of women with her to spread the Kyoshi message, eventually settling in Ba Sing Se. From her studio there, she also remained in contact with the Avatar and let him know of the happenings of the Dai Li.
Zuko revealed that Tai Li had gone back to the circus. With Azula no longer breathing down her neck, she was free to tumble to her heart's content, but more importantly keep the morale of the Fire Nation high. Mai had grown bored with Zuko as his duties of Fire Lord kept him impossibly busy and their low profile relationship had soon had an amiable split. She was now in charge of the Boiling Rock, with the passing of her uncle.
As the Fire Lord finished the reports on the Fire Nation women, a boisterous Wolf Chief joined in their conversation. He did not attempt to hug Zuko, but gave him a proper welcoming through a firm handshake. "It's great to see you guys again," his deep voice said. "Feels like it's been forever since we've all seen each other." The two men nodded, one with a wide grin, the other with a small smile. "Thanks for running the ceremony Aang," Sokka said, putting his hand on the tall Avatar's shoulder. "And thanks for being here Zuko." A hand was placed on the Fire Lord's shoulder. "I'm glad that we have friends here to celebrate with us. It's a great moment in Water Tribe history."
Although his words were ones of happiness, his tone was far from it. The warrior looked almost sad, and his smile was gone. After some prompting from Aang, Sokka confessed, "I really don't like Hahn. He talks to Katara like she's stupid and I know it bothers her. She would never go through this if there wasn't council pressure on her," he said darkly. The Avatar nodded solemnly.
Zuko began to realize how little of the situation he knew. All he knew was that a moody waterbender had nearly begged him to put his entire country on hold for a week so that he could stop by her room, get shoved in a closet, and then get dismissed without a second glance. What was going on to make Sokka so glum, and even Aang less than cheerful?
Sokka suddenly looked up, his face switching from glum to almost angry. Zuko looked in the direction of his friend's angry glare and could feel the urge to frown himself. The object of repulsion had changed from the normal water tribe parka to a longer, simpler blue robe. A wolf pelt was draped over his shoulders, denoting prestigious class. The robe was lined in snow-white fur and as he moved, matching boots appeared from under the simple robe. The figure caused many of the conversations to pause and would have been considered impressive, if the Fire Lord, Wolf Chief, and Avatar hadn't taken such note of his smirk.
It wasn't until Hahn had taken it upon himself to join the three leaders that the chief and the Avatar noticed that despite the decorative wolf and patriotic colors, Hahn and Zuko's robes were nearly identical.
"Aang," he said, bowing low, "it is an honor to have you here today. Thank you for residing over the ceremony."
"Hey," Sokka nearly interrupted, "you are to address him by his proper title. 'The Avatar' will suffice."
"I'm so sorry for my slip of the tongue," he said oily. "Perhaps I've been spending too much time with Katara." He bowed low to the Avatar, keeping his eyes on the now smoldering Wolf Chief. "Please forgive me Avatar, I meant no offense."
Zuko was almost wary that his friend would spontaneously learn firebending just to decimate the pathetic man before them. Sokka's jaw was clenched, the muscles of his neck were strained, and his fists were nearly shaking. Although Aang did not show his annoyance, the Fire Lord could see it in his eyes. "So Katara speaks of me often?" the Avatar asked cautiously, trying to divert the direction of the conversation.
"She holds you in very high regard, sir." Hahn straightened and turned towards the enraged Wolf Chief. "We speak of many things…intimately."
Aang and Zuko were able to read Sokka's pounce before he left the ground. They caught him as he struggled to get his hands on the other water tribesman. "How dare you talk about my sister like that!" he yelled.
"I can talk about my wife however I please," Hahn said inspecting his fingernails, while keeping his eyes on the snarling wolf of a man.
"She is not your wife yet!" Sokka exclaimed.
Zuko could feel his eyes widen and his grip loosen at his latest discovery. Katara was getting…married? This was unexpected, to say the least. Aang noticed the change in the Fire Lord's expression and calmly demanded Sokka to calm down. Hahn was accompanied with growled threats as Pakku entered the clearing, signifying that the ceremony was about to start.
The leader of the Southern Water Tribe led his red-cloaked guest towards the pool that held the endless circle of Tui and La. Zuko followed suit as his old friend sat on a lush fur and watched his other friend approach the pool alongside Pakku and Hahn. After a few moments of whispering among them, they faced the crowd. The quiet talking among the watchers died as a low Sungi horn demanded silence. The Avatar stepped forward and gazed among the crowd before he began to speak.
"Visitors to the Northern City, I welcome you. I welcome you to partake in the joy that today brings. As long as the moon has risen and the ocean has ebbed and flowed, the tribes of the North and South have cradled our world, dividing themselves, a feat no other nation has attempted. The Air Nomads would travel in ancient times, always in a close group supporting unmoving, bound by pride of their great empire. Even the Fire Nation remains a great people of unity."
Zuko could practically feel all the eyes turn to him as the Avatar mentioned his homeland. He forced himself to look forward as the speech continued.
"Long have the Water Tribes been divided yet remained strong. Such an honorable feat can only be done by people who are strong of heart and mind. Like the ocean that bonded them from so far apart, they have remained a force to be reckoned with in our world. And today, we join in celebration at the bonding of two individuals to bring the Tribe of the Seal and the Tribe of the Wolf together."
Zuko and Sokka stared at the Avatar trying to process his words. The years had changed Aang from a confused young boy to a strong well-spoken man. Sokka was pondering over all of the water references in the speech; he was rather sensitive to such adjectives since he himself was not a bender. The fiery man sitting next to him, who was silently accompanied by his uncle not long after the speech had started, wondered why a tribe would want to be known as one of the seals.
As the man in yellow finished his proclamation, the entire oasis was silent. Someone coughed in the background. A cricket-hopper began to chirp in a corner. A man from Kyoshi, who favored the water tribe garb, began to wail his appreciation. This appreciation soon bubbled over in the form of rabid-like foam. Although extremely unorthodox, this sparked a round of applause and agreeable murmurs for the now blushing Avatar. He stepped aside and allowed the master of the Northern City to begin chanting an ancient hymn to the ice and water around them.
Suddenly, the former Wolf Chief was kneeling beside his predecessor, whispering frantically in his son's ear. Sokka's face surprisingly showed no emotion as he listened attentively. Zuko thought he could see the man's eyes harden a moment after the quiet message had been delivered, but it was gone with a simple nod of his head before he quickly and quietly got up to abandon the Fire Lord. Not wanting to seem like he was ignoring the chant, Zuko refrained from turning to see where the two warriors were going and looked forward, wondering what a water tribe marriage ceremony would be like.
--
"What do you mean she's gone?" Sokka asked quietly.
Hakoda frowned as he heard Pakku's chant come to an end. They were running out of time. "When the attendant went to escort her, she wasn't in her room. And she wasn't in her dress; it was lying discarded on the floor."
Sokka's eyes grew big. "Why is Katara missing? More importantly, why is she naked?"
Hakoda sighed as the Avatar walked into the hallway. They could see clearly into the oasis clearing and Master Pakku was waiting impatiently. "What's wrong?" Aang asked, noticing the panicked looks.
"Katara has gone missing," Hakoda said.
"And she's naked!"
Aang stared at Sokka, unsure of how to respond. Their little meeting was brought to an abrupt stop as Pakku entered and demanded to know where the bride was.
--
A line was formed all around the oasis, kept strictly in order by the harsh gaze of the grizzled waterbender. Whether to avoid a panic or possibly cause one, Zuko wasn't sure. It was apparent that the female master was missing, but did they really expect abduction? Most of the people in the line had no idea what was going on. The destination of the line was the Avatar and a small girl, sitting on a firm area of grass, where questions of seemingly innocent nature were asked. The Fire Lord and his uncle however, knew that the Avatar had picked up a particularly interesting way of detecting lies using this sarcastic girl from Gaoling.
One by one, the people were given a nod of approval and allowed to leave. Hahn was physically growing more and more irritable by the minute, barking increasingly accusing questions. Zuko's uncle was in front of him in the line and as they approached the Avatar, his uncle began to smile. And then hum. The Fire Lord was afraid that he might break out into song, but then their turn arrived.
Aang had his eyes closed but smiled a little as the dragon stepped upon the solid ground from the snow. "Welcome General Iroh." The old man bowed in return and stood calmly. Toph gave him a big hug and after a short greeting, Iroh began answering the questions freely. When he was dismissed he whispered to Zuko, "I am returning now."
The Fire Lord's face became puzzled. There were many times when he thought his uncle was losing his mind, but this would hardly be the best situation for such an event to occur. He stepped onto the grass and faced his former student. The Avatar took a deep breath and Zuko instinctively matched his breathing. Through their firebending training, the two masters had learned to cooperate and work together, and since all of firebending draws strength from breath, the first thing the boys had learned to do was breathe cooperatively.
The young girl decked out in green grinned as the red cloaked man stepped up. Although Toph would never grow as tall as the rest of her friends, she had become taller. However, she had not become less androgynous and if it weren't for his history with the powerful earthbender, he would not have known how to address the girl.
"Nice to finally see you Sparky," she sniggered. "I'm impressed you were able to find your way off your tiny island to socialize a little."
He smiled a little. "It's good to see you too. I assume you've been keeping busy."
"Of course," she grinned evilly. When Aang raised an eyebrow she said, "With honorable and noble acts of good will."
"Do you know where Katara is?" Aang asked simply, keeping his meditative posture and eyes closed.
"No I do not," Zuko replied.
Toph nodded.
"When was the last time you saw her?"
"A few hours ago," the firebender replied. "She was still in the palace."
The earthbender nodded again.
"Where did you see her?"
Zuko paused for a moment. It had been made very clear that Katara didn't want others to know of their meetings. "I met her in the hallway on my way to the ceremony."
Unseeing light grey eyes looked towards him. Zuko could feel their gaze penetrating his lie easily. He had never been as adept as his sister at such deception. The Fire Lord nearly gasped or sighed when the girl nodded her head.
"Very well," the tall man said, nodding. "You may go."
Before the Fire Lord could leave the oasis, the jilted man jumped in his way. "You're not getting off that easily," he exclaimed. This caused quiet gray eyes to open.
"I know this is frustrating," Aang began, "but we know he's not ly-"
"He is!" the water soldier yelled desperately. "Why else would he be here when no one knew about it! Why else would Katara send him a message to see her before the ceremony? He knows something! He has to!"
The Fire Lord was once again wondering if killing this soldier would start another world war or be considered a global service. The Avatar's eyes narrowed in frustration. Although he was a patient man, there were some things that tried it more than others. Accusing noble friends of dishonorable deeds was one of them. "Hahn," he said firmly, "You are accusing the Fire Lord of being involved in a plot to steal one of the world's most powerful waterbenders on the day of the full moon, in a palace made of ice and snow, which resides in a city surrounded by the ocean. I understand this is difficult for you, but I will not have you making ridiculous accusations against one of my closest friends. If you have no proof that he knows something, you will let him pass, or I will remove you myself."
The clearing was completely silent. All eyes were on the young Avatar and the impertinent water tribesman. Hahn attempted to stare down the threatening figure, but could not keep the cool gaze forever and turned away in fury towards Master Pakku. Aang turned from the unhappy man to the accused and gave a small nod, dismissing him.
Zuko pulled the cloak around himself tightly and quickly left before he was drawn into a fight. The guards at the gate gave him dark looks but let him through the sharp ice. The Fire Lord quickly made his way to the docks, occasionally asking a merchant for directions in the confusing city.
When he got to the shipyard he was stunned and furious to find that his ship was gone. Although he desired nothing more than to melt their precious city, he took a deep breath and began to look around the yard for something that might point to the next step. As he stood tall and stoic, clouds forming from his heated breath, he felt a tug on his cloak. He looked down to see the young boy that had captained the canoe that his uncle had insisted on using to the palace.
"If you are looking for your boat, the old man said it would be at the southern cape," the boy offered. Zuko nodded and began to walk off when he heard a cough. He turned to see the boy seemingly innocently holding out his hand. The man growled slightly and tossed a few silver coins in the boy's hand. He left quickly, despite the boy's exuberant thanking.
Once he had left the borders of the city, he noticed the thin grey cloud that pointed the direction of his ship. Normally it would have stood out very starkly, but the sun was already halfway below the horizon and the sky was darkening. He came to a large tundra plain and the smoke trail revealed the ship's location as behind an ice berg. Zuko began to notice the cold on the windy plain; Katara's gift had kept him warm in the city. He huddled into the fur lining and began his trek across the long tundra.
When he was nearly halfway to the berg, he felt a shift in the ground beneath him. It felt like Toph was getting ready to throw a nice large earthquake beneath him. He bent his knees and jumped high into the air as he felt the vibration suddenly increase. He landed low and turned to see several waterbenders in aggressive fighting stances. He had just barely managed to avoid being buried in an avalanche of snow that he had mistaken for an earthquake.
There was no mistake that these warriors were looking to fight now and have civilized conversation later. Zuko began to calculate whether it would be better to fight or flee. He was undoubtedly a magnificent firebender and those soldiers had not even stopped him when he was a teenager. However, he could feel the ice melt under his warming feet, which would make for deadly dancing on the ice. He had almost made his choice when he realized that his warm sun was gone and replaced by an icy cold light.
The moon was climbing in the sky, large and grey…and full. The entire plain was cast in silver light and he could feel his fire grow weaker. Zuko began to sprint for the ship. As much of a master as he was, it would be foolish to take on four waterbending soldiers under a full moon. The robe flapped open as he ran, quickly chilling his body. He heard the waterbenders behind him and wondered how many had mastered the art of moving upon the water like the girl used to.
Apparently, half of them.
Two soldiers flanked him quickly and were closing in on him quickly, no doubt to engulf him in their avalanching steeds. Before he got trapped between the rushing piles of snow, he took a deep breath and expended some of his precious heat in a stream under the one on his right. As the icy hill became unstable, the warrior atop of it lost his concentration and was forced to stop. Zuko was prepared to do the same for the one on his left, but saw the rider lose control of the element and get devoured himself.
The other two were quickly gaining on him, used to running in ice and snow rather than riding on it. The iron ship was just in sight, silhouetted against the full bright moon. He had begun to hope, but then heard the rushing sound of water come toward his head. The Fire Lord halted in mid-stride and ducked low, waiting for the water to go over to give him time to retaliate. As he stood, preparing to unwillingly unleash fire upon these soldiers, the ground began to shake again. But by the looks of the unsteady warriors, it was not of their doing.
This shaking felt much more like Toph was trying to demolish an entire village. The ground was shaking in all directions and he couldn't find the source. A large tremor brought him to a knee and he saw the warriors stumble as well. Amid the shaking he heard a large CRACK like lighting, and for a moment he looked up to the clear sky to make sure there weren't any dark clouds. But as he looked across the ice, he noticed a large crevice running towards the three benders.
The ice became increasingly unstable and large pieces began to fall from the seemingly sturdy ground. Zuko felt the ice give way under his base foot and he rolled to the side to avoid falling to the black, ice cold ocean. He saw the icy sinkholes appear just before they collapsed and kept a close watch on the ground around him while keeping an eye on the water warriors in front of him.
One of the sinkholes began to appear under the water tribesman nearest to him, and the young man was not able to get out of it in time. The Fire Lord saw the man disappear and feared briefly for the man, but noticed his gloves grasping at the edges of the sinkhole. A moment later, the man's head appeared. The other tribesman crawled over to his companion to help pull him out of the hole.
Zuko admired this brave rescue but his attention was drawn to the lightning quick split in the ground that was almost engulfing them. More specifically, it was almost engulfing the two soldiers struggling with the sinkhole. The firebender stood shakily on the moving ground, more steady than the others thanks to his experiences in the Earth Kingdom before the war. He began to run, only instead of away from his pursuers, he began running towards them. Together the two blue clad men were standing and the moment they regained stability, they were tackled by a determined firebender.
Just as quickly, the red robed figure sprinted back, barely getting on the other side of the moving crevasse. The man continued to run towards the safe haven of the iron ship, leaving behind two water tribesman looking after him. Once the Fire Lord was within a stone's throw of his ship, the ground stopped shaking, and the waterbenders decided to go back to the city.
Zuko thought as though his heart would burst as he dodged sinkholes and smaller cracks in the ground. The robe was flowing freely and wasn't keeping in the warmth that he was used to and his legs ached from the shaking ground. It wasn't until he could feel the heat from the ship that the ground stood still, but he didn't stop to appreciate the blessing until he was on the deck and had ordered the soldiers to sail.
He looked back at the hunters to see if they were prepared. A sigh of relief came as he saw that they were just as taken off guard as he had been. Zuko pulled the ruffled fur closer to regain heat as he readied for a battle that was sure to come when the entire Water Tribe pursued him.