A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. There were several things that I had to research and review for this chapter.
Formatting update:
For the next couple of chapters, at least, I will use a section heading with a time stamp and location information at the start of each point of view section where a section break occurs. I also wanted to introduce this system before we have a lot of high energy movement from the group. For the overall storyline, this is the best place to do so.
The narrative of the story switches from members of the GAang to Zhao to Zuko to Iroh, etc. at points in ATLA Season 1 and in this fic. Because there are several narratives, location changes, concurrent storylines, and time skips in this chapter and later in this series, I thought for a long time about how I want to handle scene changes from now on. One thing that is lacking in the world of Avatar is a sense of time. What day is it? How long does it take to get from one place to another?
This change might be a bit jarring at first. It will most likely feel unnecessary right now. It may even pull you out of the immersion of the story for a moment, but I do have a reason for adding this mechanic when it comes to the story's continuity and understanding later events as impact one another.
The section heading format will be (Day #, Time; Location). The marked "Day" is the number of days after Season 1 Episode 8: Winter Solstice Part 2 and the destruction of Roku's temple. I am used to using both 12 and 24-hour clocks on a regular basis. I apologize in advance to anyone used to the 12-hour time system and I will use 24-hour military time.
The last part of Chapter 3 with Aang and Katara occurred around 0900 hours of "Day 1" or (Day 1, 0900 hours, 5 miles South of Shingu)
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The events in this new arch take the place of Season 1 Episode 9: The Waterbending Scroll.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. It belongs to Nickelodeon and its respectful owners.
(Day 1, 0700 hours; Shingu)
Commander Zhao strolled through the docks of Shingu at a steady, brisk pace.
Zhao gazed from ship to ship docked at the ships moored in the harbor. No one stopped him or recognized him as was dressed in plain Fire Nation clothing with a hooded cloak covering his head. It was an outfit not too uncommon on the docks this morning as winter was beginning.
Nearly four dozen vessels were in the harbor at this point. Some were being repaired, some were being loaded for transport, and many were selling their wares and other acquired "curios."
Ah. Here is the vessel that he was looking for.
The ship in question was a small galleon with three masts flying red sails. It was the flagship of the Hóng Shī pirates. The band of renegades was known throughout the region of their wide variety of weapons experts. At the base of the gangplank stood one of the pirates. He was a gangly man with a nasally voice.
"Earth Nation, Fire Nation, Water Nation, so long as bargains are your inclination, you're welcome here. Don't be shy. Come on by!" The pirate noticed Zhao approaching the ship and rushed to meet him. I can tell by your gait that you are a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. You understand the finer things in life. Perhaps I can interest you in some fine curios?" questioned the pirate.
With an accent like that, the urchin must have some roots in the Southern Lowlands near the Foggy Swamp. How... unsavory.
"At the moment, I am more interested in those bargains that you were speaking of. May I have a word with the captain of this ship?"
"Why of course! Right, this way." The pirate smiled an extended his hand towards the ship in a partial bow. Zhao ascended the gangplank and was intrigued by all of the unusual, and several valuable, relics aboard the ship. Acquiring some of them must have been no easy task. Off to one side of the room was a gold gilded casket righted in an open wooden crate. A collection of glazed terracotta vats caught his eye. The glaze had dulled over several hundred years, but the stylization and coloring were still exquisite. On the opposite side of the room, a display shelf was filled with antique, wooden medicine containers, metal helmets, and a finely carved statue of some apes species with ruby eyes. The jeweled creature appeared to stare into his very soul. It was quite...creepy. Many of these wears obviously came from one of the countless lost tombs from five eras ago. The medicine containers and other similar wares came healing huts, likely stolen. All forms of medicine are expensive these days. There is a war going on after all.
"Why, if my eyes do not deceive me, a Fire Navy Officer has boarded my boat. To what do I owe the honor" asked a man from the shadows.
Commander Zhao turned and met the eyes of his old friend, "Captain Jiang, still 'high-risk-trading' I see." The pirate stood as cocky as always. The ever-present Secretary-Iguana-Parrot squawked at him. The blasted bird was still testy as ever with strangers. Good.
"Captain Zhao, what brings you to this part of the world?" greeted the pirate.
"It's Commander now. I have a task for you and your crew if you are up for it."
"With such a lofty position, I'm sure you can afford to make it worth my while."
"Certainly, I would never dream of cheating the man whose crew successfully escorted me to my quarry five years ago."
"Wan Shi Tong's library. I'm glad my map and crew could be of service."
"I did my homework. I first hear of your crew plundering a vast number ancient tombs. When looking for a lost, ancient library of the Earth Kingdom, the scrolls that you looted were my best bet. I was not disappointed. Further research into my findings has proven most...beneficial to me."
"Had I known it was real, I would have charged you ten times the amount you paid. Still, the scrolls that you smuggled out have made me a fortune."
Zhao straightened and clasped his hands behind his back, a neutral military poster. "As for my commission, I ask that your crew assassinate a certain young man, a teenager. He is a Firebender with a burn scar over his left eye. I believe that he is within the general area traveling with three children and an elderly man."
"Heh, Commander Zhao, I am in the business of high-risk trading. The only way to make it in this business is if you have a vast, reliable information network. After all, it would do me no go to collect all of this merchandise without any prospective buyers to sell it to. I hear gossip from around the world. A string of interesting tales has come to this harbor. Tales of the banished Prince of the Fire Nation at odds with his distant cousin, a newly decorated naval captain. I know of your vendetta against the prince. You're envious of the power that he held, of the power he may yet regain. I can get you the boys head within the day if he is spotted within a hundred miles from here in any direction. However, if my crew is to be involved in such a high profile assassination, I expect a very handsome bounty."
"Oh, I will be sure to make it worth your while," Zhao smirked.
(Day 1, 0710 hours; somewhere in the Western Sea)
"General Iroh, you have been waiting out here all night. Sir, you should come inside and rest." General Iroh and a graying officer stood on the deck of the Wani.
"Thank you, Captain Jee, for your concern. I think I will wait a bit longer. Let me know when we make port at Guăngzhōu in the Earth Kingdom. I have faith that my nephew will meet us there."
Captain Jee sighed. "Sir, would you like for the cook for brew some Jasmine tea."
Iroh gave a small smile. "Thank you, Jee. That would be much appreciated."
Captain Jee gave a bow and headed below deck. A group of crew members of all ranks was standing at the base of the stairwell leading to the ship's deck. They all gazed at Captain Jee expectantly.
Jee could feel his age coming on him. He did not care about the prince in the slightest, but he respected General Iroh. Now, crew abandoning their posts for some news on the General. He had grown on them all over the course of their time together aboard the Wani.
"Well...?" began the First Mate.
"How is he?" asked a Private.
"He is not well, I'm afraid. The kid should have been back by now. The Idiot Prince has left General Iroh deeply troubled again. This incident is the worst yet. Tell the cook to prepare General Iroh some Jasmine tea at once." The Private saluted and started towards the galley. Addressing the rest of the crew Captain Jee ordered: "To your posts, the lot of you!" The rest of the remaining observers quickly departed.
Captain Jee looked to the approaching Head Engineer. "Status report on the engine damage," Jee commanded.
The Engineer saluted before making his report. "Sir, the turbines of Engine Room 1 and all equipment of Fire Room 1 are a total loss. Several Fire Doors in Fire Room 2 were damaged and rendered inoperable. Engine Room 2 sustained little damage. However, too little heat is being produced by Fire Room 2's remaining furnaces to effectively utilize the intact engines."
Jee cursed under his breath. There was a reason why this model of ship was discontinued decades ago. The Engine Rooms and Fire Rooms of the Wani and other ships like her were too close together. One hit can leave you crippled or dead in the water.
"Sir, we can only continue at Quarter Speed at best until we make port and can acquire replacement parts," replied the Head Engineer. "With your permission, I would like to send word for a holding to be reserved for dockside repair."
"Granted." Jee pursed his lips in thought. The Wani had just cleared Fire Nation waters, but there was still the risk of coming across a stray Fire Navy ship looking for them. They were still too close to the waters of the Fire Nation Proper. "Our heading for Guăngzhōu, what is our estimated time of arrival based on the engine's current condition?"
"At the rate, we're going, it will take about three days to reach Guăngzhōu. Please forgive the insolence, but wouldn't it make sense to go to Shingu for repair and then head the last sixty-five miles north to Guăngzhōu with a reliable engine? The current along the coast flows from the north, it will be almost directly against us."
"If the repairs were less extensive, I would agree. Unfortunately, Shingu has become a pirate haven over the last decade. I do not want trouble when we dock. If we were placed under attack, the ship and crew could be in trouble."
"My subordinates and I will do everything we can to see the ship docked expediently; however, minute damage to Fire Room 2's furnaces may yet make itself known and cause further delay."
"Very well, I will inform the General... after a cup of tea is brewed for his nerves." The Head Engineer saluted before departing back down the hall. Captain Jee relaxed his stance a bit and looked towards the flickering light from one of the hall's many oil lamps. Damn. He really was getting too old for this.
"I hope you return safe kid, wherever you are, for the General's sake."
(Day 1, 1100 hours, 5 miles south of Shingu)
"You guys expect me to make a plan, that's a lot of pressure!" exclaimed Sokka. After Aang had explained to Katara about the comet and his vision, the two approached Sokka for an idea of what to do next. He had been thinking of one ever since he spoke to (ranted at) Aang earlier.
Sokka sighed and massaged his forehead. His talk with Aang earlier had given him a bad migraine. He was happy that Aang had at least managed to placate Katara for the time being. "Okay. To recap, Aang just needs to master three more elements by next summer."
"I haven't even started waterbending and we are still weeks away from the North Pole!" Aang grabbed his head with both his hands. With a frustrated shout, Aang lept to his feet and started pacing.
"That just means that we need to get to the North Pole as quickly as possible. That means, no more field trips, no more riding hopping llamas or giant koi fish," Sokka shrugged.
"Aw man," replied Aang. He dropped to the ground and crossed his arms. It was such a childlike reaction that had Sokka hoping that Aang will take this Avatar stuff seriously. Probably. Most likely. Maybe.
"If you want, I can try to teach you some of the stuff I know" offered Katara.
"Really? You would do that?" asked Aang. Aang's mood swings from Happy to angsty and back to Happy were giving Sokka a whiplash.
"Sure. We even have a nice stream to practice with. The water in the river moves at a steady pace but not too fast. It's pretty easy to work with."
"Great! Let's go start now!" Aang turned to head to the river.
"Hold it!" exclaimed Sokka. "You guys are both forgetting something. We have the Angry Jerk with a Pony Tail and Shyu. What do we do about them?"
"Well, we're going to drop Zuko off right? And, Shyu's offered to come with us" replied Aang.
Sokka and Aang did talk through a lot of things earlier. Their views on Zuko was one of them. It took a long, long time, but Aang finally convinced him that they owed it to Zuko to make sure he got back to his uncle safely. They did sort of kidnap him when they came to the Earth Kingdom instead of heading for Zuko's ship.
"Look Aang, even if Shyu wants to come with us it won't be that simple. He will need to get some earth kingdom clothes. If we want to avoid a lot of the Fire Nation, then we will have to travel inland or overseas with short breaks in densely wooded areas. With either option, I don't want us to be attacked by the Earth Kingdom's army when we are out of the Fire Nation controlled territory. We need to get extra supplies in town: clothes, bedding, and medical supplies. Let's go before some of the traders' market's close for the day."
"Okay, let's..." began Katara.
"Someone needs to stay with Zuko" cut in Sokka.
"What?!" exclaimed Katara. "Don't you think that's a bit dangerous?"
"Not really. On his own, he could torch our stuff or arrange a lot of pitfalls or feed Appa poisoned purpleizing tongue berries! No, someone needs to watch him at all times." Sokka pulled a map from one of his packs. "The map that the villagers gave us in the village that the Hei Bai was attacking also marks the location of the territory occupied by the Fire Nation. I studied the map and we are still miles south from most of the Fire Nation's colonies. Zuko shouldn't have any allies here. He's crazy, but not stupid...I think?" Sokka hated this uncertainty. The group might be divided up no matter what he did. "Katara. You and Aang should go into town. We used up our burn ointment on Shyu. Since we are up against Firebenders, we need to replace our supply and fast. We will likely see more firefights the farther north we go and the closers we get to the front lines. The point is, I don't know anything about medicine, but you do."
"I know a bit, but not enough to tell whether the medicine is any good of not" admitted Katara.
"What about Shyu?" asked Aang.
Katara adopted a grumpy look on her face. "What about him?"
"He said that he could use his bending to treat burn patients. He may know a little about medicine for burns too" replied Aang.
Sokka had to relent to that point. Of the people here that would know about burn treatment that only included Katata, Shyu, and – maybe – Zuko. "As much as I hate to admit it, Aang's right. Between you and Shyu, we could likely get some decent medicine." Sokka put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. When the beginnings of a plan started to form in his mind, Sokka smiled and snapped his fingers. "Alright, I got it! I can go into town and get Shyu some Earth Kingdom clothing. He can change and then you and Shyu can go to the market and get medicine."
"And what are you going to be doing?" questioned Katara.
"Aang and I can stay here and watch Zuko after I return from the market. It is only five miles, so it won't take me to long to get there and back"
"I think it is just a bad idea for you and Aang to stay here with Zuko by yourselves."
"Then what do you want us to do? Bring him into town?"
"Why not?" asked Aang.
"What do you mean: 'Why not?' It just has the words BAD IDEA written all over it!" Sokka threw up his arms in frustration. "Who knows what Zuko could do if we let him loose in town?"
"Aang, I have to agree with Sokka on this one. Zuko is dangerous."
"Well, we don't even know where Zuko's Uncle is. How are we supposed to get him back to his ship?"
Sokka raised a finger and started to object, but found that he couldn't. "That's...a good point." It looks like they'll have to interrogate the Angsty Jerk with a Ponytail. Sokka glanced by the tree line to check on the jerk in question.
Zuko was lounging below against a large tree root. Sokka could tell by the way the fingers of his crossed arms were digging into his biceps that he was impatient and on high alert waiting for another chance to attack. Ever since his outburst this morning, Zuko had been quiet.
Sokka noticed that Zuko had taken off the armors' breastplates, forearm bracers, and the padded sash from around his waist. Zuko's armor must have been uncomfortable. It was weird to see him like this, somewhat unguarded.
His royal jerkiness was dressed in the clothes that he wore below his uniform: a turtle-duck neck length light burgundy shirt with an outer tunic shirt of a darker hue and pants the same color as the long-sleeved garment, and his uniform's boots. The clothes looked plane but were warm enough for the cool early winter air.
They were definitely Fire Nation clothes.
"Actually, we need a set of clothes for Zuko too."
"Why?"
"We have to go into a town with him at some point when we need to resupply. There is just too much stuff that we need to get on a regular basis for one person to carry. We went from three people who eat to five. We already have to restock on our food at least once every four days. The main thing that I am concerned with is securing enough fresh water to last us when we go a day or two without coming across a town."
"Aren't you being a bit paranoid? We aren't going to be with him for that long."
"I don't know when we will be able to get rid of the Angry Jerk. We don't know where in the world his ship is. We could be stuck with him for a while. Until then, someone might recognize that the boots and uniform's undergarments he's wearing really are a part of a Fire Nation soldier's uniform. It may raise some questions that I'm sure we don't want to answer. It would be like me walking around in my warrior's tunic or wearing my war paint. It's too recognizable to those who have worked with the military or fought against them. If we try to go to the Earth Kingdom controlled towns, we don't want people to know that Zuko is Fire Nation and attack us too. It might give Zuko an opportunity that we cannot afford. The clothes he's wearing now will be fine when we get to a Fire Nation occupied town where he will be safe."
"I just hate that we are wasting money on him."
"We still have plenty of money that King Bumi gave us. It will last us well until we get to the North Pole so it wouldn't be too much trouble. He only has the clothes that were below his armor. It'll be fine. The only hard part will be convincing the Angry Jerk to wear them."
This should be as fun as sitting through one of GranGran's lectures.
( Day 1, 1330 hours; near Shingu)
Zuko was not having a good day. "Why am I here again?" Zuko grumbled under his breath. The Avatar was literally walking five feet away from him and he couldn't do a thing about it, Fire Sage Shyu now donned Earth Kingdom clothes, and he was miles from his ship!
He lied when they attempted to interrogate him about where he was going to meet up with Uncle. If he claims that he never arranged with Uncle where to meet up, he can delay them. If he can then contact Uncle Iroh, they will be able to set up an ambush for the Avatar. There will be nowhere left to run. The only problem is the person that is walking between him and the Avatar. If Shyu can redirect his flames from yards away – he still needs to find out how Shyu did that – and create fire from any point on his body, he can render Zuko to just basic hand-to-hand combat. The Avatar who can run like the wind versus himself without bending is not a good match at all.
Zuko glanced to his left where the former sage walked between him and the Avatar. Shyu now wore light brown trousers, a no-sleeved long green tunic, and a long-sleeved light tan shirt underneath. His sleeves were pinned by dark brown bracers on his forearms. The sight of green clothes on a member of the Fire Nation, even a possible traitor, was just...wrong.
At first, Zuko vehemently denied the idea of getting a spare change of clothes when the peasants first mentioned it until Sokka noticed that his clothes were filthy with sweat and debris from the collapsing building yesterday. Worse, the peasant pointed the fact out loud in front of everyone. The entire group laughed at his embarrassment. Laughed!
He did return the insult in kind. Zuko smirked at the fact that Sokka was now nursing a black eye.
It would have been fine if not for the fact that he still had two problems. First, he had never done laundry before, so he didn't know what to do other than soak the clothes in the river. That would still leave him with no clothes until they were dry. It was embarrassing that the water tribe peasant had cleaner clothes than he did. Second, even if he did try to clean them, he would be walking around mostly naked until they dried. As confident Zuko was in his Firebending, he never attempted to clean the finer control needed for things like drying something without setting it on fire. He now was reduced to wearing black trousers, a washed-out green long-sleeved shirt, a black tunic top with brown trim and frog knots the same color as the shirt, brown shin wrappings, and a brown sash. The brown leather sandals surprisingly fit, so that was good. It still didn't change the fact that they were brown and the frog knots on the shirt were green.
Never will he admit this out-loud, but he didn't mind the clothes that the water tribe peasant had gotten for him too much. It's like Sokka still took the time to pick out something that Zuko wouldn't outright hate. The colors weren't...terrible. It still didn't change the fact that the peasants laughed at him earlier, but it made him feel a bit guilty about the black eye. Even so, all of the humiliation that Zuko had faced today left him in a foul mood. The minute they were within range of his ship the Avatar and his friends will still pay.
As they approached the town, Zuko was brought from his musings. It had...seen better days. Many of the buildings were plain with poorly patched roofs. There were so many different kinds of people! Everyone was wearing all sorts of different colors and styles of clothes. One man was holding up a begging man with a mask over his face, a would-be thief by the looks of it. In front of a food vendor, a man in red was missing his right arm and eating from a plate with chopsticks in his left. From the way he was holding them, he had not had much practice. A man dressed in blue was causing a scene by standing on a stall's counter. He was asking if anyone was "brave enough to look into this bag." The look from the apparent guards donned in blue and swords caused Zuko to look forward again. They were giving him pitying looks at his scar.
Zuko hated pity.
Sokka, Katara, and Shyu went from shop to shop getting what they needed. They reviewed the practicality of everything they bought. The Avatar's companions weren't total idiots after all.
The Avatar was.
He had the attention span of a Butterfly Sparrow, flitting from place to place. He was also highly impulsive.
"I couldn't say no to this whistle," said Aang when Katara asked what he was playing with. It was a whistle shaped like a Sky Bison.
Of. Course.
Though why someone would make Sky Bison whistles was beyond him.
Shyu was just...odd. He and one of the shopkeepers acted like they were speaking a foreign language that only they could understand. Like Uncle, he randomly talked about Pai Sho and flowers. Were all old people weird like that? If so, he was not looking forward to that. At least Shyu was not obsessed with hot leaf juice.
After a few minutes, the group came to the stores that were selling medical supplies. Aang and Sokka waited outside while Katara and Shyu did their shopping.
Sokka turned to him. "All right. Now, we can go to the post office across the street and you can send a letter sent out to your uncle"
"Hey, genius. I already told you that I don't know where he is" retorted Zuko.
"Yeah, I know. However, the last vendor told me that his place has Blood Hawks. They can track a person for hundreds of miles" informed Sokka.
"Wow, that's amazing!" said Aang.
"Like that is going to help. I don't have anything with Uncle's scent on it" Zuko remarked.
"No, but we have you!" Sokka proudly proclaimed.
"Huh?" He may have to reconsider how intelligent Sokka actually is. He is making no sense.
"We can have the hawk track your scent back to your ship and then your Uncle will find the letter. It's perfect" Sokka explained.
"Nice thinking Sokka" cheered Aang.
Uh oh. This was not good.
"Would that even work?" Zuko replied.
They can't know where I'm going to meet Uncle. I need to ambush them when their guard is down.
"Wouldn't the hawk just come straight to me?" asked Zuko.
"It might, but if we send it off again once it has come to you, it will go to the next place with your strongest scent" replied Sokka.
"My ship." Zuko felt that the universe must hate him.
Sokka and Aang started to walk past Zuko and towards the mail post. He had to think of something quickly. Zuko started to turn and took a half of a step forward.
"Sok—"
Zuko would have said more, but at that moment he was too stunned. The tip of an arrow was protruding through his left bicep.
( Day 1, 1442 hours; Shingu)
As Sokka hear Zuko beginning to address him, he heard a tearing sound behind him. Zuko made a choking sound.
Sokka and Aang whirled to face the prince. The first thing he saw was the arrow sticking out of Zuko's arm. The second was the archer crouched on the roof behind Zuko with a second arrow already knocked.
Zuko was stock still. He looked like he was in too much shock from the injury to even breathe!
"Get down!" cried Sokka. He tackled Zuko to the ground just as the archer loosed the arrow from his bow. The boys fell to the ground in a tangled heap of limbs. Zuko let out a scream from jarring the arrow in his injured arm.
Knocking Zuko to the ground might have been extremely painful for Zuko, but Sokka moved not a moment too soon. The steel fletching from the arrow had still passed so near the prince's face that a thin ribbon of blood trickled down the unscarred portion of Zuko's left cheek. The arrow pierced deeply into the ground a few feet away. That was intended to be a kill shot.
Aang was already on the move riding on an air scooter riding towards the shooter. Aang bent a gust of wind at the archer that cause the archer to lose his footing. It looked like Aang would dispatch the guy pretty quickly until a whip with a weight on the end sailed through the air towards Aang. He quickly bent a sphere of air around himself, knocking the projectile to the side. Four men appeared from around the neighboring buildings.
This wasn't a random attack, it was an ambush!
One of the men carried a pair of sickles, another carried a spear, a third attacker carried the weighted whip, and the final attacker wielded a pudao.
Sokka began trying to haul the prince to his feet. The pain in Zuko's arm must have kicked in because the teen was not very responsive. Zuko face was contorted with pain. The prince also maintained a white-knuckled grip on the area just above the arrow. If he keeps that up, he will make the wound worse!
"Come on we've got to go!" Sokka shouted.
Sokka glanced back up to the rooftop. Aang had broken the archer's bow, so there would be no more arrows. However, the guy with the whip was now attacking Aang. One stroke of the weapon passed dangerously close to Aang and smashed some wooden tiles of the roof of the building Katara and Shyu had gone in.
"Aang! We've got to get out of here!" Unfortunately, Aang was having a tough time against three of the attackers.
Sokka had successfully hauled Zuko to his feet. Sokka then stepped forward between the ambusher and Zuko. The guy with the pudao lunged at Sokka. He was able to successfully dodge to his right.
Without a second's pause, the attacker abruptly switched targets. By pivoting on his right foot, the attacker transitioned into a low attack aimed at Zuko's legs. Zuko tried to jump back, out of harm's way. Unfortunately, Zuko's reaction time was off as he was still recovering from shock. He now bore a semi-shallow cut down his right thigh.
Sokka was in a bind. The guy was too good for him to protect himself and Zuko. Aang was holding his own against his opponents. He still hated the prince, but Zuko was too injured to fight. Sokka led, nearly dragging, Zuko by his right arm down the street. Sokka lead them through alleyways and around vending stands. Sokka and Zuko raced through the town towards the exit that would lead towards the forest. Whenever Sokka came by an object that was not too big, heavy, or nailed down, he threw it behind his towards their pursuer. Even injured, the boys were faster than the guy with the pudao. Any hit that Sokka could get in was a plus. After turning a sharp corner, Sokka dragged Zuko through the open doorway of a building. The guy with the pudao ran right past them.
They leaned up against the interior wall of the building panting heavily. After a moment, Sokka looked over at Zuko. The prince looked pretty bad. The arrow wound was bleeding freely and the leg with the gash in it had minute tremors coursing through it. Sokka did not want to leave Aang and Katara, but Zuko looked like he might pass out soon. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself to go out there again.
"Thanks," said Zuko.
"What?" Sokka almost had to do a double take. Zuko was thanking him?
Zuko was carefully studying every grain and groove in the wood floor of the shed.
"You...if you hadn't pushed me out the way...thanks."
"Oh...you're welcome. Let's get back to camp and away from these guys."
Zuko was still breathing heavy, so he only nodded. He took a few deep breaths to calm his breathing.
Sokka peered around the doorway and saw that the coast was still clear. He motioned for Zuko to follow him. They bolted out the door and down a few more streets. Finally, the village exit was in sight.
Suddenly, two new ambushers appeared from an alley near the front entrance, cutting off their path of escape.
Seriously?! Who are these guys?!
The attacker on the left carried a naginata and the attacker on the right carried two tantō short swords. Neither of their attackers had ranged weapons. Good.
The naginata was a polearm, so the weapon had more range so that one needed to be taken out first. Sokka removed the boomerang from the holster on his back to parry the long ranged weapon. Sokka threw boomerang a few feet up and to the left of the naginata's wielder.
"Ha! You're aiming's a bit off, boy" laughed the attacker.
"Nah. I don't think so," Sokka smirked as the boomerang came around and hit the guy on the back of the head. The man dropped like a ten-ton boulder. Sokka caught the boomerang but was slow to move back into a defensive stance. He didn't even have a minute to spare as the man with the tantō was rushing toward him.
Sokka didn't have enough time to turn. Luckily, Zuko had seen the coming strike from the second attacker and punched out a blast of fire with his right arm. It was very weak, but it was enough to allow for Sokka to regain his bearings. It was now two against one. No, it was still one-on-one. Zuko got a shot off, but Sokka didn't think that they'd get that lucky a second time. Worse, it was back to one-on-one while he had to protect Zuko.
Sokka glanced toward Zuko and saw that his left arm was bleeding pretty badly. Looks like Zuko got a redshirt after all.
"This isn't good. Where are Katara and the others?" wondered Sokka.
A/N (Part 2): That evil cliff hanger...you're welcome :-)
Reflections:
Zhao and the Pirate Captain: How did Zhao even GET to Wan Shi Tong's library? Who escorted him to the Si Wong Desert across enemy territory? Omashu and Haru's village to the west were not taken over by that point! Where did he find the location of the long lost Library's location within the Earth Kingdom?
Zhao as Zuko's distant relative: Zhao was only a captain, if that, at the time of Zuko's Agni Kai. He wasn't a high ranking military official, so...why was he there? He must be a Noble to attend the Crowed Princes' Angi Kai in the royal palace. I began thinking about Zuko's history with Zhao. I realized that we never got an explanation as to why they hate each other. Zhao is power hungry, but why would he go out of his way to antagonize Zuko. It is easy to do, but there always seemed like there should have been more to it. Zhao is a Commander with many soldiers under his control. He has been promoted to Commander, yet he still feels threatened by the banished prince. He even begs a General to let him use the Yu Yan Archers to go after the Avatar. Why is he so invested in beating Zuko?
Then, I looked at a picture of Zhao at the Agni Kai on Google Images to see what expression he was making when Zuko was burned. Neutral? Excited? Triumphant? What would give me more insight into their background? I also realized for the first time that he is standing right next to Iroh and Azula...Iroh and Azula...General Iroh and Princess Azula. This is a public event in which the authority of the royal family is on display, so why isn't Iroh and Azula be surrounded by the highest ranking noblemen and military officials? How high up in nobility is Zhao?!
Now, I have a headcanon where Zhao is Zuko's jealous distant cousin (3rd or 4th) who is a little way down the line of succession (8th or 9th maybe?). It would also give an explanation as to why Zhao is so power hungry. He could think that it is unfair that he was born to a side branch of the royal family and that his line should have ruled the Fire Nation. Being so close to having the most powerful position in the world and never being able to obtain it would be infuriating to him.
Damage to Zuko's ship: I did a bit of research into the layout of coal powered steam engines for this chapter. It was interesting to see the kind of damage that a flaming bolder can do to just the right spot on an old ship. Looks like Iroh is limping to the Earth Kingdom behind the others. How was Zuko able to track them when they had to stop for repairs and when he and Iroh had to walk back to the ship? There are several things in canon that should have delayed Zuko a lot more than it did. Even including Appa resting every night. I can understand that while Aang and the others went on foot during The Great Divide, Zuko had the opportunity to catch up.
Guăngzhōu: It is a harbor town that I am placing on the peninsula about four miles to the south of the Pohuai Stronghold.
Zuko's Outfit: It is the same outfit that he wore on his date with Jin. That is as minimal green and brown of an Earth Kingdom outfit that I could think of.
Shyu's Outfit: This was a bit difficult. I had to come up with a design that would look respectable elderly earth kingdom resident that still allowed for combat. His outfit would be a green and brown version of Master Yu's black and white design.
The Pirates weapons: I switched one of the pirates from a longsword wielder into an archer. In the series, we see the pirates use a net from launchers. To capture Aang and Sokka. With the amount of close-combat fighters that are in the pirate crew, it would be nice to have at least one pirate that is proficient with a bow.
At over 5,000 words, this is the longest chapter that I have written to date. I had considered stopping after Zuko was shot. I even started Sokka's point of view for the beginning of the next chapter, but I couldn't be that cruel. Next chapter, we get to see the rest of the GAang in action!
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Until Next Time,
NinjaGhost1752