"Zuko, be careful out there. I will be right here until the battle is over," Uncle said quietly to Zuko as his nephew prepared the boat to be lowered into the water. "Zuko, listen to me!"
"I am Uncle," the young prince insisted, turning around to face his uncle.
"Keep your hood up, and don't let your guard down for a minute. You have no friends here, only enemies."
"I know, I'll keep out of sight," Zuko said, gathering up a parcel filled with more clothing and food.
His wise uncle stopped him before he entered the boat. "I don't want to lose you again. Zuko, ever since I lost my son," he stopped and looked down, "I think of you as my own."
Zuko sighed, and said quietly, "I know." The two embraced and stood quietly together for a moment before the prince hopped into the boat, and began his descent into the cold water. The general looked over the side, and whispered, "Be safe, Zuko. And remember your breath of fire; it could save your life."
"I'll see you soon, Uncle," replied Zuko.
"Sing will find you, Zuko!" Uncle yelled. Zuko looked up sharply, surprised but released his boat from the ropes that attached him to the war ship, then began paddling towards the frozen country. He hid behind floating chunks of ice, and reached the shore as quickly as possible. When he arrived, he noticed another boat of similar size to his own a hundred feet or so down the shore.
Knowing he would never pass unseen if he tried to walk through the gates, the prince started to look for another way inside the city. He started trekking away from the gates, where he came across a harem of seals, some diving into a hole at the back of an ice cliff. "They have to come up for air somewhere," Zuko said to himself. Without thinking, the prince readied himself to dive into the water, unsuspecting of its temperature. It hit him like the bomb the moment he dove in. He had trouble moving his legs at first, but the struggle for air made him press on, and starting searching for an air hole. When he found one, he kicked as hard as he could and burst his head out of the water. Gasping for air and convulsively shivering, the prince crawled up onto the ice next to some seals and curled up in a ball. He couldn't move for a minute or two, but his will to find the avatar forced him to get up and start looking for a way out of his little cave into the city. His answer was another air hole, which he dove into once more, and rushed out into the last air hole, which was inside the city finally.
Zuko fell the first time he tried to stand up, and waited to warm up a bit before trying again. He blew fire and smoke over his body, in an attempt to warm himself quickly. Walking was not easy, as he stumbled or fell every couple of steps. At one point, he dropped next to the main road and just laid there, unable to move for many minutes. Zuko could feel his body tingling, his fingers and toes were freezing away.