Chapter Four: A Somewhat Larger Discovery

"So," Iroh asked, "Do we just try to melt the icebergs one by one?"

"Kind of what we're doing right now, isn't it?" laughed Zuko. Iroh smiled.

"By the way, how did you learn the Dancing Dragon? I didn't teach it to you before everything got changed around, did I?"

"No, Aang and I learned it from a couple of dragons."

"Oh really?" Iroh asked, firing off a spurt of flame at one that was nearby. Zuko joined him, but after about half an hour, they had to agree that this one was a lost cause. Just like the fifty-seven others they had left doting the South Pole over last night and morning.

"Let's try that one over there," Zuko suggested, indicating one to the left of the ship.

"Looks good," Iroh agreed. "So, you met Ran and Shaw?"

"Yes." Zuko turned to a funnel set in the side of the ship. Lu Ten had installed an intricate system of pipes so that people could talk to each other from across the ship. Although Zuko hated to admit it, it actually worked pretty well.

"Lu Ten, we're going to try one to the left. Could you—"

"Say no more, little cousin," Lu Ten's voice echoed back at him.

Suddenly, the ship careened wildly to the right. Zuko and Iroh were knocked off of their feet. Zuko grabbed at the funnel.

"Left, Lu Ten."

"This is left!"

"No, no… Your other left."

"Are you sure? Cause I like this left a heck of a lot more."

"LU TEN!"

"Fine, fine. You need to stop taking things so seriously."

And that's when the ship reversed.

"AAGH!"

"Sorry. Wrong lever."

The comment struck Zuko as odd, but he didn't worry about it much—the ship was going forward again.

"I wish he'd stop acting like that," Zuko groaned as he stood back up.

And that's when it happened.

"Zuko? Father?" Lu Ten's voice asked.

"Yes?" asked Zuko tentatively.

"You may want to hold on to something."

"Why?" asked Iroh. Zuko dreaded the answer.

"Because I'm going to make a very fast right turn."

So of course the ship went left. And Zuko and Iroh were thrown off their feet, again.

The ship didn't quite evade the huge iceberg in front of it.

Lu Ten ran out onto the deck.

"Wow! Did you see that? We were like, ladada, and then we were like, aaah, and then—"

"Please be quiet," begged Zuko. The ship leaned against the iceberg that it had shorn the entire side off of. Lu Ten continued in whispers. "And then we were like, woo-hoo!" Zuko rolled his eyes.

Ursa and Azula followed out onto the deck. Ursa was quite warmly dressed, but she had smothered her daughter with every blanket and coat in the ship.

"You warm?" asked Zuko. Azula thought for a moment, and then nodded.

Ursa looked up at the iceberg.

"So whose idea was that?" she asked dryly.

"You see," Lu Ten began, "It was a concerted effort on the parts of—"

"There was a little trouble steering," Iroh cut him off.

"Actually, yeah. I think I may have somehow reversed the steering on the ship."

"And why is that glowing?" asked Azula.

"Why is what glowing?"

Azula pointed.

A patch on the iceberg as long as Zuko's arm was shining an eerie silver color. He touched it briefly, then drew his hand back.

"It's warm," he exclaimed.

"What?" asked Ursa.

"The ice is warm."

Lu Ten grinned. "Let's get to work," he chuckled.

"No, wait—" attempted Iroh, but Lu Ten punched a huge ball of flame at the glowing spot.

And the iceberg exploded.