The Freedom Fighters

Chapter 12

Sen-Su sat facing the fire that now flickered in front of him. It was a cool spring night and he enjoyed listening to the creatures that were awake, making their night music. Having lost their Rough Rhino pursuers after they tumbled down the side of the cliff a few hours ago, Lang and Sen-Su were unscathed by the fall. But Lee or Zuko, what ever his name, was still unconscious. His arms where burned mildly, but other than that he would be ok.

Picking up a stick, Sen poked it into the fire letting a few sparks fly up in the air. Lang sat across from him on the other side of the blaze where he held Zuko at knifepoint. He had taken the news of Lee really being Prince Zuko quite differently than Sen had and it was for the reason of it being some kind of mistake, that allowed Lang to be content in not leaving him to die.

"You know you really don't need to do that," Sen said, motioning towards the blade pointed at their comrade's neck. Lang had also insisted on tying his hands behind his back. "If he wouldn't attack us before what makes you think he will now, anyway he's not going anywhere."

Lang remained silent, his face still hardened.

"It might just be a mistake," Sen reasoned again, "I mean what would the Prince of the Fire Nation be doing in the Earth Kingdom army? Last I heard he was hunting the Avatar." Sen pretended to look around, "Nope, no Avatar here so why are you so sure he is Prince Zuko?"

"I don't care if he is Prince Zuko or not," Lang replied coldly. "He is Fire Nation. That I am sure of. I could see it in his eyes when he attacked the Rhinos. I always suspected it before, but now it has been confirmed."

Sen-Su knew he could have been the man who protected his family. Fire Nation or not, he would do nothing until he knew for sure.

"Ok," Sen took a deep breath, "Whether he is Fire Nation or not, I believe this is the man who protected my family." He paused for a moment, "If he is the man I think he is, we won't do anything to him, but if he's not, we will report him to the Earth General back at camp. Deal?"

Lang let out a humorless chuckle, "He protected your family?" He said, "Well I had a very different run in with the Fire Nation. They killed my father. They deserve to die." He looked down at Zuko, "All of them."

Sen shook his head. He understood where Lang was coming from. It was a similar viewpoint, which most citizens of the Earth Kingdom shared. What if he had lost both, his father and brother to the Fire Nation? Sen-Su knew he would have a very different attitude towards the banished prince if that were true. However, it was not.

ATLAB

Zuko woke with his head hurting and his arms burned. He tried to remember what had happened. He recalled the Rough Rhino attack, then there was an explosion and after that nothing. No, wait he remembered something else. Mongke had said his name, his real name. Lang and Sen-Su were by his side, did they know?

He tried to sit up, but a hand pushed him back down. Looking down Zuko noticed a knife, just centimeters away from his neck. Yeah, they knew.

"Stay down, Fire Nation scum." Lang said, Zuko noticed the fierceness in his voice, as well of his own lack of mobility with his hands tied.

"Did you really save my family?" Sen-Su asked, more serenely.

"Yes," Zuko said, "I did."

"Prove it," Sen replied.

"Your brother's name is Li and your father's name is Gansu. You also live on a hybrid-pig farm." Zuko replied calmly, still noting the blade next to his throat.

"He could be lying." Lang said still not moving.

"He's not," Sen said, "He is telling the truth. Let him up Lang."

He hesitated, but reluctantly allowed the banished Prince to rise. Zuko sat up but winced at the pain in his arms and head.

"One more thing…" Sen started.

Zuko knew this was coming. He could avoid it no longer. Never forget who you are. His mother's voice rang out in his head.

"Are you really Prince Zuko?" Sen finished the question.

Zuko paused, not wanting to answer but he knew he had no choice. He took a deep breath. "Yes," he finally said, "I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

It was a risk that he knew he had to take, lying about who he truly was never got him very far. Besides, the look in Sen's eyes told the banished prince that he was willing to believe anything Zuko had to say.

A few awkward moments of silence passed before Sen-Su spoke, "So what are you doing in the Earth Kingdom army?"

"A spy, probably!" Lang said whipping out his knife.

"No!" Zuko shouted, he paused and tried to think of something. He knew they would never believe their beloved government had shanghaied someone into the army. Therefore, he decided to lie. "I was tired of the madness in the Fire Nation! My own father did this," He pointed to his scar. "I don't wish to serve him any longer, that's why I joined the army under the name of 'Lee'."

"That's horrible," Sen said, and then a faint smile crept onto his face. "Well, we welcome all the help we can get."

Lang's mouth dropped at that, but he said nothing more. He had accepted that he clearly had no say in the matter. Not yet, at least.

Realizing they could do no more tonight, the Earth soldiers and the banished Prince decided to call it a night and get some sleep. Lang refused to untie Zuko's hands, but that was no problem. Prince Zuko just heated up the ropes until he was able to burst them apart. Sen stared in amazement, but Lang still held his knife as he lay down to sleep.

Sen soon followed with his heavy breathing adding to the night chorus. Zuko laid wide-awake, his earlier adventure that day should have left him worn out, but he found he just could not sleep. Images of his mother leaving still floated in his mind and the over whelming desire to return home to his father's open arms, kept him awake for most of the night.

It seemed that he only closed his eyes before the light of the morning sun awakened him. He stood up, stretched and let out a big yawn. Sen-Su and Lang still lay sleeping around the diminishing fire. The woods around him were silent, too silent. Something was wrong, Zuko stood still, listening for any kind of movement. There was a breaking of a twig and then a small round object was tossed through the air towards the banished Prince.

Realizing it was an explosive device, Zuko dove out of the way as shards flew in every direction. Picking up his swords, he stood in a defensive position.

The Rhinos? Was Zuko's immediate thought, but the enemy had yet to show himself. The Rough Rhinos would have just stormed in. Secrecy was not their style.

"Show yourself!" Zuko shouted. By this time, his companions were up with their weapons held.

A few more moments of silence passed and then still nothing happened. Zuko almost let out a sigh of relief, but that thought was too quick because a figure landed behind them. She was a blur of green as she quickly disarmed Lang and Sen-Su of their knives with her Kyoshi katana. Zuko realized that their attacker was a Kyoshi Warrior.

But why is she attacking us? Zuko got his answer when he realized they were still wearing their Fire Nation Armor.

The Warrior turned from Zuko's companions and turned to Zuko himself. She let one of her fans fly towards the banished prince. Zuko easily knocked it away and it fell to the ground with a clang.

She drew her sword and charged at the Prince with her blade held in an attack position.

"We are not Fire Nation soldiers!" Lang shouted from his injured position on the ground.

The Kyoshi Warrior stopped. Still facing Zuko, she spoke. "If you are truly not Fire Nation, then drop your swords."

Zuko did not move until he was urged by Sen-Su. "Z…Lee, just drop them!" He said, while using Zuko's Earth Kingdom name.

"Fine," Zuko said and let them fall to the ground.

The warrior of Kyoshi stood her ground. She seemed content with the outcome. Then without warning, they were surrounded by weapon carrying kids. He could not believe it, they seemed to have come from nowhere.

Most of them held make-shift spears while others held other weapons such as knives, swords, bows and arrows, plus one little boy playfully bounced an explosive device up and down in his hand.

Time passed, as they were led back to what they described as their "Hideout". The Kyoshi Warrior introduced herself as Keri and explained how she was separated from the other Kyoshi Warriors in a battle with someone who sounded remarkably like Azula.

"I don't know what happened to the others," She said shaking her head sadly, "Because I went down after this girl hit me with a bunch of quick punches and when I woke up, I woke up alone. After wandering around the woods for awhile, I came across these kids who call themselves 'Freedom Fighters'."

"So that's what a Kyoshi Warrior is doing with a bunch of orphaned kids." Lang said.

"Yes," Keri replied, "I hope to someday reunite with my fellow warriors. But for now these kids need me. I think I've taken the place of their former leader who, as far I know left to go to Ba Sing Se."

After Keri was finished talking, Sen-Su explained to her everything that had happened, including his imprisonment by the Fire Nation and rescue by the other Earth soldiers.

Zuko could not help, but worry that his true identity would be recognized by the warrior. He had not been exactly friends with the citizens of Kyoshi last time he was there. But as far as he could tell, Keri was not one of the girls who attacked him directly in his hunt for the Avatar. Anyway they all looked the same to him with all that makeup on.

He was surprised, that this warrior had escaped from Azula and her lackeys in one piece. However, if he knew Azula and he did, the other Kyoshi warriors might not have gotten off so lucky. Keri's appearance did support her story, that she did indeed have a run in with his sister, or at least another Fire Bender. Her Kyoshi uniform was ripped in various spots and the edges were scorched.

"Why did the Fire bender and her friends attack you?" Zuko surprised himself by asking.

"We were protecting the Avatar's bison," Keri said with a small amount of pride in her voice.

The Avatar!? Zuko practically screamed in his head, He was near? Zuko could barely hold in his excitement. Perhaps it was out of habit, but the banished prince once again found himself longing to return home.

Authors Note: Thanks for being patient with me, I knew what I wanted to happen, but it took me a little bit to figure out the best way to write it. Anyway, if anybody was wondering; A Katana is a sword made by the Samuri of Japan, it also appears very similar to the swords wielded by the Kyoshi Warriors in the episode "Appa's Lost Days."