A/N:Thank you so much for the love you all have been giving this story. We're happy to present you a new chapter at this time. And if you feel like it, come join the discussions, or just come to hang out on our little discord server, link found on Ao3 or on my profile.
Teaser:
"He can't do this."
"Well, he just did."
Chapter 24 髄居
"The Day of Black Sun. That's your plan."
Zuko's voice was cold, calm, the eye of the storm. There was an icy rage in his expression that sent shivers down Sokka's spine faster than any blizzard. So when Zuko moved, people quickly scrambled away. He stalked over to Juoksa's desk and ripped away the notes the scribe had been working on just moments ago.
Everyone watched in shock and alarm as the neat minutes went up in flames. Blue ones, capped by deep orange-red tips that wound themselves around and from the papers. The acrid smell of smoke rolled through the still air as ashes fell to the ground.
"That," Zuko spat, "is your plan with this information", punching his words by grinding the ashes underfoot.
The men had frozen from the unexpected outburst, but the first to recover now stepped forward. Juoksa, the scrawny scribe, who had vacated his chair to get away from the fiery rage, now shot forward in an attempt to restrain him, but Zuko quickly reversed the grip and sent him tumbling into the group of men that stood there, hands raised to the ready. His gaze challenged the taller, stronger, men.
"Don't touch me!" he verbally punched each word, one by one. He knew the table was behind him and he was backed into a corner. But he wasn't afraid of them. He was pissed.
"You're crazy. You're all crazy. They'll be ready. They'll be expecting you." he continued, his words taking a steel edge, sharp as any blade, as his molten gaze settled on each of them in turn.
He grabbed behind him for more notes and threw them to the ground in front of him.
"They know you'll be coming! How can I help you if you keep something of this…" he thrust a spare finger into the pile of loose papers, "magnitude from me?"
Sokka swallowed. In quiet moments he had been wondering how sensible it was to keep this from Zuko, but his dad, his Chief, had been strictly against showing Zuko all of their hand, and Sokka had, in lots of ways, agreed. Though at the same time, he'd found himself believing Zuko that he was giving it his all. The balance hadn't seemed fair to Sokka all the time.
"Your trump card lasts for all of about seven minutes."
Zuko lifted his hands from the paper stack and let a flame break out from his hand and snuffed it out. No one spoke.
"People don't sit around and be vulnerable. Non-bending troops will be there as reinforcement. Everyone else of importance is either gonna be hiding in their bunkers or will have vacated the capital. Maybe, hopefully, the civilians will have evacuated, but who knows… That's what your plan is worth on that day. And it hinges on a measly seven minutes. That's the amount of time when the solar eclipse is total. Your plan has to be super precisely coordinated, there's no room for delays. You may, no you will, be facing bending all around before and after that."
"How do you know all of this? A Solar Eclipse?" shot out Hakoda, in the space between breaths.
"Because my peop- no. I'm done giving you information… Come find me once you've decided if you really want my help. And leave me alone if you don't."
Sokka saw Zuko's eyes skimming over people towards the exit. The firebender took a step forward and glared at Sokka, or rather at the map in Sokka's hands: The one of the palace.
"Give me that," Zuko demanded, eyes bearing down on Sokka's, sending shudders down his spine. Sokka didn't even think of resisting, caught as he was in a predator's gaze.
He turned back to the cluster of men. "The others too."
When they didn't move, he took a harsh step forward and held his hand out expectantly. The man closest to the maps scrambled and gave them to the angry firebender while keeping as much distance in between them as possible.
"Thank you." He pointedly said. "Now let me leave."
Zuko was done asking and the effect it had on people was starkly visible. The boy radiated authority and the people immediately formed a breach when he turned in the direction of the tent flap.
Everyone watched as he left the tent with fast strides, taking the maps, his visibly shared knowledge with him.
Zuko was done being nice and forthcoming. He'd now start playing their game.
00000
The yurt was cast in a long moment of silence, but it didn't take too long until Þyrnir raised his voice in protest.
"He can't do this."
"Well, he just did," Sokka replied, rolling his eyes. The men ignored him, already diving into a heated discussion.
"He agreed to this arrangement, he can't just back out because we did something he didn't like. It was perfectly reasonable to keep this from him. He is the son of the Fire Lord."
"Yeah, but who cares. We don't need him. So what if the eclipse only lasts seven minutes? We know that now. We don't need him anymore. It was way too risky to have him involved this much in the first place." Siimaktuk stated.
"Yeah, we can plan with what we have and we'll be fine. We're better than them." Aniu agreed.
"We're really not, they are winning. And Zuko, the ashbringer," Þyrnir spat the name. "took the maps. We did something he didn't like and now he's trying to cripple our planning."
"I don't think that's his intention…." Juoksa disagreed, his voice a small light of remaining support for the rogue Prince, in spite of him still rubbing his shoulder from being roughly grabbed and shoved into the masses.
"Oh no? Giving us those detailed maps, then taking them away. Hah, I bet half of the stuff written on there is false or at least off. I bet there's lots of defences inland, not just at the bay. He's just trying to mislead us. And the guy can't take a little mistrust. Mistrust which was perfectly reasonable. Ugh, I can't put up with him, he's arrogant and demanding. And that's gonna be the next Fire Lord? Woohoo, great." sarcasm laced the Elder's tone, as murmurs of agreement sounded around the tent.
"Well, then be glad that he took them away." Juoksa angrily replied. "But let me tell you as the Water Tribe's Scribe who worked alongside him, as you were refining the plan. I remember seeing other maps when we were in meetings with the Earth Kingdom Military. And what Prince Zuko has added, it matches up with what I remember… Let me also tell you, I cannot recreate those maps, and they had a compendium of useful details. I saw him contemplate about placement, precise placement; we are talking half a finger width accuracy here. A man who wanted us dead would not be this thorough. He'd try to appear confident, blasé, not caring in the slightest for us."
"He probably had tutors on how to do subterfuge."
"Have you actually talked to him?" Toph now mixed in. Hakoda would have to put a stop to it soon.
"Zuko is many things, but a liar is not one of them." Katara joined in now, a hint of a shared smile passed between the two girls.
"Well, he might as well be. He said he'd give us information, but now he took it away. He clearly broke the agreement we had with him."
It was time for Hakoda to set some things straight and put an end to this. "Zuko and I talked only about the agreement on the basis of what would happen after we win. We made no agreement on how this arrangement of sharing information would go down. He has been very forthcoming with his knowledge so far, so to say he has granted no information is foolhardy at best, you should know better Siiimaktuk, to say nothing for the rest of you."
"Yeah." Siimaktuk replied, not about to let this go, "He tricked you."
"He did not. He was very co-operative, he now initiated a renegotiation. It's well within his rights to do so."
"I don't trust that ash maker from a mile away. The blood of the Fire Lord can't be trusted. He's a manipulative, power-seeking fire-licker. Working together is impossible."
"We just showed him that he can't trust us, that's why he walked out," Aang argued back. "Not because he was planning on taking away the maps. He didn't plan any of this."
"Yeah, that distrust is on you, not him. You can't have it both ways, either we trust each other, or Zuko walking out the yurt is the least of our problems." Sokka continued Aang's point, raising his voice. "He shared everything he could think of. He has put hours into these maps. And then he finds out about us withholding some information that indeed turns out to be crucial, and he calls us out on it. He gets angry. Dad tries to take even more information out of him at the opportunity and he decides he's had enough. And why do you think that is? He thought he understood our plan, we misled him while he was doing everything he could for us to succeed. Do you have any idea what he's risking, sharing any of this? Do any of us?"
"Alright, that's enough." Hakoda cut in, his voice the iron of the Chief, "We're going to take a break. No one is going to bother Zuko. We need Zuko and his knowledge, there is no doubt of that, in my mind. Those maps hold crucial information that can save our lives. I will renegotiate with him when we've all calmed down a bit. Do not throw oil into the fire in the meanwhile. Just don't." he concluded, his voice stern.
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Nukilik did not know what had happened, but when the ex-Prince had stormed out and not even looked at him as he'd beelined for the windy shore, he followed him in the hopes of being able to do some damage control anyway. Nukilik stopped astonished when he saw the guy glide down into a meditation pose, every inch the noble, instead of pulling out his swords like last time.
Nukilik walked around him a bit so he could see his face and read him better. Zuko's gait had been aggressive, but he wasn't behaving the way he'd gotten to know him. Zuko barely spared him a glance before pointedly ignoring him, in an air of almost arrogance and Nukilik decided that it was better not to get any closer.
He stood back as the boy raised a hand from his lap to stare at it as it lit aflame and couldn't help but shudder. Zuko's expression was that of intense concentration as the flames started to change colour, their core shifting from orange to blue. It was a beautifully dangerous thing to bear witness to.
00000
Zuko took a calming breath and stared at the flames. He was angry, yet calm, and it was a new, unknown feeling that he was determined to take the opportunity to explore with his flame. The core of his flames had been blue back in the tent. They'd been blue!
He breathed in and out in concentration and felt for the same focus he'd had in the yurt, feeding it into the flames. The anger at what they had done had burned fiercely in him. The betrayal had stung hot. He cared about them succeeding and it had been like a scald to the face. It hadn't come as a surprise.
That had given him an edge.
He'd known why they did it. While he hadn't had the foresight to negotiate on terms of information exchange, he had been somewhat prepared for them to go about it underhandedly in some way. He had just hoped that the Avatar would at least honour fair play with his allies, and involve him. Really, he hadn't had that high of hopes though. Yet he'd cared. He wanted to see them succeed. The Gaang, the Southern Water Tribe. He wanted to see the end of the war.
He stared at the flames that licked along his fingers.
When he'd grabbed those papers, he'd wanted to make them listen. He'd been too angry, too determined, too sure of his words and actions, to be distracted by the blue tint of his flames. But he'd seen them clear as day.
What he offered them was valuable. And he wasn't willing for them to throw it in the dust and gamble with theirs, and his, life.
He could feel the force of his ki straining to come out, and breathed in. It was not the muscles that would win the war.
He was done being a puppet. He had power. He had means.
He stared at the flames and observed. The blue was there, cradling its orange brothers, but his flames didn't look like Azula's at all; he breathed out, and the flames went out with it.
00000
Hakoda did go check upon where Prince Zuko had gone, but he didn't approach. To be honest, he was glad for the reprieve. He wasn't quite ready to renegotiate on this. He really had thought he'd done the right thing. With Zuko's background and reputation for hunting the Avatar, he wasn't a very trustworthy source. But from the very beginning, Zuko's behaviour had seemed too direct, too smooth and raw at the same time. He could tell that the boy wasn't stupid. He was impulsive, yes, but he seemed well aware of the consequences which actions would bring onto him. He had been careful to monitor himself. Hakoda felt a small shudder as he thought about what that could mean to the boy's upbringing. Suppressing that particular line of thought, he redirected himself.
While the Prince's knowledge could be a great asset, it also buried danger. Hakoda's instincts didn't seem too worried anymore, however. He would let it rest for now, and think about it more before he went down to talk to the Prince. The boy was right, they did need him and his maps.
For now, Hakoda had decided he would start teaching his daughter how to defend herself.
Katara had busied herself getting fresh water to the camp and was less than pleased about the interruption, but after putting the water she'd been carrying into their big cooking pot, she did follow him anyway. She still didn't look thrilled, but Hakoda was glad she wasn't arguing and seemed to be willing to give it a try.
"So, first I'm going to teach you stances. I imagine you won't have too much trouble with this, as I've seen your waterbending and you already learned a lot about stances there. The second thing I want to start you on is basic escapes."
"Alright, what stance do you want to see." Katara sighed.
Hakoda had her copy him and then tested her by trying to push her over. Katara's stance surprised him with how firm it was. Watching her waterbend had made him think she would be more light on its feet.
"Toph taught me some things," Katara said in response to his silent question. Hakoda raised an eyebrow, as Katara looked at him in defiance, as if asking him what else he could teach. He sighed and said, "Although you have some good basics, more than I expected, you need to be prepared to fight dirty, especially if you don't have any bending. Have you ever…"
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The activity of the camp faded into the background as Nukilik's focus returned to the Prince. His breathing had sharpened back up and didn't sound like one at rest any more. Without warning, a wall of flame sprang into being around the Prince's still seated form; a rich orange; flames that were steady. Nukilik jumped back in alarm, the flames were close enough to feel the rush of heat from them. But as he watched, they contracted, their colour shifting cooler. Then they contracted out again, and in, each time the wall would get a bit smaller, and a bit cooler in colour, twisting around him in eddies and flows. At one point, he could have sworn the flames looked almost green, but that was not possible, right?
By this time, however, he could see the form of the Prince again. He was sweating, but with each breath, the flames followed. The ground where the flames had been was starting to shimmer, glow, melt. And still, the Prince breathed, and the flames with him. With visible effort on the Prince's part as far as Nukilik could see, he drew in a deep breath, and the flames shifted once more to that unearthly blue before the breath was released and they turned back to that in-between tone. Another breath and the blue returned, richer, more violent, as the eddies became a vortex, swirling beautifully deadly in the middle. On the edges, the original orange had been retained, almost like a personal touch, and spoke of intense concentration in the manoeuvre. Nukilik stood back once more as he felt a change in the air, and not a moment too soon, as the wall from the beginning returned, but its tone a shade cooler than the first time, and shorter, its movement more pronounced, as it continued its return back to the Prince, whose face was almost a grimace of concentration, distorted by the simmering heat. Nukilik called out, if this got out of hand, things could get ugly real fast.
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Hearing Nukilik's shout, Hakoda jolted up. He had been busy nursing what was going to be a sore headache. His daughter was no newbie to fighting, she knew some principles that she seemed to be able to adapt to hand-to-hand combat quite easily. Frankly, whether consciously or not, she knew more about it than he had expected either of his children to know. He'd underestimated her battle mentality. She didn't hold back just because he was her dad. She knew how to aim for a punch to hurt, and she had the speed and agility to do it.
Furthermore, she seemed determined to show him that she didn't need this training by not letting him get a hold of her in the first place. It wasn't bad, but lacked finesse and was more focused on evading than guarding, and somewhat beside the point, because this was supposed to be about teaching her what to do if she ever ended up in such a situation where she couldn't evade.
"Chief!" Nukilik's second shout was significantly closer, and somewhat out of breath.
Hakoda and Katara both paused, and Hakoda sighed. Once again, time with his children was being cut short. Nodding to Katara, he stepped towards Nukilik. It seemed, there were, once again, more immediate issues at stake.
"Chief… The Pr… The Prince." he said, each word separated by a breath. "M'afraid… it may… get out… of… hand."
"Coming." Hakoda gave Katara a gentle shoulder squeeze and started following Nukilik back to camp and to the shoreline. They jogged and he heard Katara following close behind.
They rounded the rocks they had gone behind to practise privately to see a vortex of fire. However localised it was, it was a daunting sight, that barely obscured the form of the Prince. Once more the flames had returned to a rich blue, flecked this time with more orange, Nukilik noted. Both father and daughter gasped when they saw it. They ran towards the sight, but Nukilik stopped them before getting too close.
Hakoda collected himself, the swimmingly hot air was not helpful to his headache, but he still called out in a sharp tone, the tone of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. "Prince Zuko, stop this immediately!"
The flames flickered for a second, the tight vortex coming briefly unwound in an alarming fashion before the errant flames wound back together. Hakoda was unsure if it was a warning or if it was fatigue, so he tried again, "Prince Zuko, I hold you to your bargain, stop this immediately."
As if dowsed, the flames shut off. Only the shimmering air and the molten sand showed any indication that there had been anything of the sort mere seconds prior. The Prince rose. He turned. With five, long, quick, strides, he closed the gap between himself and Hakoda. Hakoda hadn't consciously realised it before now, but the Prince was of a height with him, and he saw those solar yellow eyes zero in on his glacial blue ones.
"You want me to uphold my bargain Chief Hakoda? When you won't uphold your own? How pathetic" Zuko said, his tone laced with royal scorn.
Katara gasped, Zuko's tone was like the first time she met the Prince, those many moons ago when he stormed their village. It was the voice of a conqueror, of a Fire Lord, not a Prince, not a boy only two years her senior, and it unnerved her to hear it once again.
For Hakoda's part, he quickly recovered, though he was as shocked as his daughter in some respects. This was not the boy he had been dealing with the past few days, this was the man of the tent who had all the cards in his hand, the peace broker, the warmonger. "We had no such bargain, Prince Zuko, and you know that, but I…"
The Prince stepped in, taking another stalking step closer. The gap between them was only a hand's reach, or a blade's, "I had always understood in the laws of war and honourable conduct, that when one side shares information pertinent to the other, in matters of intelligence, the other offers recompense by balancing with relevant information of its own."
Hakoda countered, snapping into the smallest of provided pauses "And I had understood that in war, when encountering the enemy, even one who is able to assist and offer his aid, that in the interests of both parties, information that could be dangerous to impart to the enemy, is not shared widely, to avoid… damages."
Zuko's grin turned predatorial, a malicious gaze that looked too rehearsed to have not been subjected to it before, as he countered: "Am I an enemy now, Paramount Chief Hakoda? Well, I sure shouldn't intrude on your hospitality." The Prince stood back, and took a false bow, "I had understood under all laws of men, that I had come here under the protection of the Avatar, an offer you have told me you extend again. So…" his gaze softened, if bronze could be said to revert to gold, "shall we formalise true terms, or are we going to maintain hostilities?"
Hakoda breathed an internal sigh of relief as he nodded. The tension between the pair dissipated like steam. The ground behind the Prince was losing its reddish glow, solidifying into crystalline glass.
"Shall we return to my quarters?" Hakoda asked, his hand gesturing back to his private wing in the yurt. The Prince nodded, organising the surprisingly unsinged maps which were tucked into his sash as he did so. The two Water Tribe men led on, conferring together quietly, with Zuko and Katara shortly behind them.
"What were you thinking?" Katara asked, her voice laced with worry and frustration.
"You should know by now Katara that I operate on equal terms. Your father and your people have asked much from me, and I was expected to give it to them. Without recompense, without being told of what or when these actions might be done." Zuko stated, his gaze not on her, and on the back of the two Water Tribe Warriors
"You could've hurt someone, or yourself, and you know my dad doesn't like big shows of fire, what even were you doing? And you can bend blue fire now? What?" Katara whisper-shouted.
"I could, but I didn't. As for blue fire:... Fire is about collecting the energy within, controlling it with our breath, and making it fire. That fire was as much part of me as my swords are. I was in control, and I know my limits." He stated, looking down on her.
Katara met his gaze: "Aang would have said the same thing about when he first firebent, and that did not work. I saw that errant flame, it was reckless Zuko, be glad you have friends like us and Nukilik in this camp. If Þynir had seen that, you would be deader than a tiger-seal in hunting season."
Zuko only raised an eyebrow at that, then focused on what was happening in front of them. Apparently, Hakoda was kicking out whoever had remained in the yurt. There were people streaming out of the exit, throwing angry glares at Zuko.
Both of them decided on their own that now was too delicate a time for this discussion, too many ears, so they stayed quiet as they made their way into the yurt. The curtain to Hakoda's quarters had been pulled back and Hakoda as well as Nukilik already sat waiting. There was a low table at one end of the bedroll, and on top of it, paper, ink and brush, all ready to be used. He also recognised some of Sokka's and Aang's things on the other bedrolls. It was very clearly a private room. Zuko took a small gulp and joined the pair. Katara made a move to leave, but both Zuko and Hakoda's gaze stopped her. Their eyes were expectant, serious, as if silently saying that if she wanted to be part of the meetings, she would be part of this one too.
Once everyone was seated, there was an awkward silence until Hakoda harrumphed.
"So. Let's go over what our last agreement included and let's see if we are still on the same page with that."
"Go ahead. I'm listening." Zuko's tone was neutral, eyes calculating.
"We agreed that once the war is over, under the basis that your Uncle, or potentially you, may step onto the throne: Prisoners of war shall be returned if their conduct in war based on their responsibilities is acceptable. The lands that belonged to the Water Tribes shall be returned. War loot taken during the raids shall be returned to the Water Tribe. Furthermore, the Fire Nation shall make reparations by providing supplies for us to rebuild and ensuring good trade deals. Concerning the Earth Kingdom, I will support your cause for the Fire Nation keeping the older colonies established in the Earth Kingdom, as it makes no sense to displace them."
Hakoda paused to check if Zuko was still on board with what he said. His expression was serious and closed off, but he wasn't disagreeing.
"As for the remaining time at war: as you cannot make any promises concerning Water Tribe war prisoners, and we do not have the facilities to keep any Fire Nation prisoners, we came to no conclusive agreement."
Zuko's expression shifted slightly, strengthening his impassive scowl.
"For us to succeed in freeing your country, you had agreed to provide us with information so we could form a plan, which you did and now withdraw."
"This is correct," Zuko affirmed.
"You have succeeded in illustrating how important all of your knowledge is. So I'm willing to broker for new terms."
"Good. You mentioned the old colonies only. We should talk about the new ones also. Much as I loathe to admit, they are not synergised yet. The Yu Dao success story hasn't been consistent."
"What do you suggest?"
"Let the people living there decide which nation to be a part of, or if they want to be part of none, then let them do it."
"I'd just like to point out once again, that though I can verbally support those arguments, I do not have any power in decision-making."
"Thoughts spoken by you will be much more likely to be considered even so. You are an outsider, I am worse."
Katara, just shy of interrupting, added her own thoughts on this: "You may want to bring this up with Aang as well. People usually listen to him."
"Aang has no sense of honour for upholding a deal. He isn't trustworthy."
"Aang tries hard to do what he needs to do as the Avatar, but he is just a kid."
"Then he should grow up," Zuko said, tone biting.
"How about we get back to the subject at hand?" Hakoda pointedly said.
"Right." Zuko collected himself. "Last time we didn't come to an agreement with prisoners of war. I understand your situation, but I want to try to advocate for them once again. That you are going to act swiftly with those who fight, I understand, but I ask you to reconsider killing everyone."
"Would you really rather have me hand them over to the Earth Kingdom where I do not have any control over what will be done to them?"
"I don't know. But giving up on them just seems wrong. Most of them never even wanted a military career. They are forced to one because of the war that the Fire Lord doesn't want to stop. Or they don't see any other option for their future. They wouldn't be safe, but they'd at least be alive, have some chance to survive."
"You cannot save everyone. It's a sad reality. And we cannot keep multiple prisoners. We get by with the supplies we hunt and trade for to feed all of us, but we have to be mindful. Even if we agreed to turn all prisoners over to the Earth Kingdom, we'd have to transport them, and take unnecessary detours. And for what? Them being tortured and then dying in the mines."
"They might survive until the Solar Eclipse."
Nukilik shifted a little and gently spoke. "I was tasked with overseeing prisoner transfers before. You don't want your people to end up there, Zuko."
"I was a prisoner and have been tortured. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to live like that, but I didn't want to die."
Nukilik nodded, a sad, almost pitying look in his eyes, and said nothing.
Katara also remembered a prison rig and its conditions all too well, even if it had been Fire Nation. And she knew that the Earth Kingdom did have mines. Mines would mean sun deprivation, probably one of the worst fates for firebenders. It would mean bad air, crippling physical work. Zuko's situation hadn't entailed any of those things as far as she knew, but in a way it had been just as bad. He knew what he was talking about. He wasn't mentioning that he'd given up at one point, but she knew there had been a time he had been beyond caring.
His simple words spoke volumes.
The way he fought with words, fought against a definite death sentence for his people upon capture, made her heart go out to them and his cause. Yes, she hated what the Fire Nation had done, but those likely to get captured, the foot soldiers, the pawns, didn't deserve to die at all. Not by the blade of her people, which would be considered a merciful death, nor being sentenced to a slow fading away in the mines, exploited until there was nothing left. It hurt to sympathise with both sides.
"You could give them a choice, Dad." She gently said, a shudder running down as she realised what she was suggesting. But it was still better than no choice at all. "a merciful death if they don't want to end up in the mines, or a chance to survive by going there."
"It doesn't solve our issues. We cannot spare the supplies, and we cannot spare the people for prison transports. It may ease the situation a bit if some choose a quick death, but most people are terrified of death."
"What would happen if you just put them somewhere where they can't harm anyone? Drop them off at an island or something."
"That would mean leaving a trail of people that may have overheard something. You never know who knows a bit Water Tribe. I certainly didn't expect the very Prince of the Fire Nation to know Water Tribe tongue. It's too dangerous."
"To be fair, I only know it because I taught myself with the help of my Uncle, so I would be able to read about the Avatar when I was searching for him." Zuko defended.
"It doesn't matter, there's too many drawbacks on our side, we can't do it unless we're already close to somewhere we can ship the prisoners to, and that would make us predictable."
"Then at least give them proper funeral rites. Or is that too much to ask for too?" Zuko bit out.
"We return the bodies to sea, which is a proper burial for the Water Tribe. I cannot offer a pyre, which is what I assume you mean, We do not have the wood to spare, nor can we offer to have a firebender perform the rites on our boats, for obvious reasons."
"Ugh," Zuko's tone became one of frustration"Yes I understand why, but please, at least light a candle to guide the soul from the body before you dump them in the ocean. Help them not to get lost till the next sunrise."
Katara could see Zuko's defeat in the way he had squared his shoulders and shifted his focus to advocating for the dead instead of the living, the way his hawkish gaze turned sombre for a split second.
"We do not have many candles to spare, but I'll try to honour that request in the future."
"This isn't a request. These are my demands. If you kill my people, the least you can do is spare a candle. If you're not willing to spare even that little to respect the dead of the Fire Nation, then I don't see the point in talking terms at all."
"Fine."
"This brings me to the next matter. Trust."
"Yes, I apologise for keeping that information from you, I only did what I thought was best for everyone, for the plan. I was wrong."
"You're still weighing me being an asset against the assumption that I'm a risk."
"If you find a way to share any of this information with your home country, and manage to bodge our attack, or even take us out before it even happens, you'd probably be welcomed back to your country with open arms."
"I doubt it. My terms of banishment were rather specific. My father isn't the forgiving type, and he did want me gone."
"You telling me that does not lay my worries to rest in the least. It's not that I distrust you, Prince Zuko. But I do have to consider the risk."
"My father, the Fire Lord, banished me, under the terms that I may return with a captured Avatar. That was three years ago…. It was also the day he gave me this!" He pointed to his face. "I'm fairly certain, nothing I can do will bring me back into his good graces."
There was an awkward silence in the room.
"If he cares that little about his own firstborn son, imagine how little he cares about his nation. So mark my words. I'm risking everything. I'm putting my knowledge and life into your hands so you have half a chance to succeed; To save not only the world but also my people."
All eyes were on him as he turned his gaze on Hakoda sharply.
"This is going to be an equal exchange. I'm done playing. My knowledge for yours. If it could affect the plan, I expect you to share it with me."
"You walked out on us, you heard one thing you didn't like and decided to set fire to Juoksa's notes. What if you change your mind again? Maybe you'll change your opinion after all and decide your chances are better elsewhere. Who knows. You're not exactly instilling me with trust."
"I am not instilling trust? When you withhold key information for our cooperation" Hakoda opened his mouth to speak, but Zuko put up his hand to stall him, "I accept your apology, but still, your hypocrisy is almost amusing. As to where I might go with this information, where can I go? I am loathed to admit it, but outside the Avatar's group, I am a walking dead man. I am sought by all of the world. Yes, that includes the Fire Nation" Zuko paused, looking at Katara, before continuing "So I say again, I have no choice, and you have no choice. I will give you all the information I can give to help you succeed in getting my Tyrant Father off the Throne, but I expect you to give me all the information required for me to do so, whether I know I need it or not. That is my offer: take it or leave it. I am willing to move past this breach of confidence, the question is, are the rest of you?"
Hakoda sighed deeply, his posture subtly shifting as he gave in. He chose his words carefully: "I am willing to move on to work with you."
"Good, next thing. I want it to be recognised that I was integral to the plan and be granted immunity for my actions in relation to the war. Due to the nature of my background and who I am, I will face backlash on every front. I want protection. Furthermore, I do want a written agreement so it will be recognised with the Earth Kingdom."
"We can do that, but I am more worried about what's going to happen to you when you enter Ba Sing Se. I don't think it's a good idea to be upfront about your involvement and identity there. As you said, you would be a person of interest and honestly, I want to keep the Earth Kingdom on a need-to-know basis, so they won't be able to take over the operation and do their own thing."
"I agree. I will have to disguise myself in some way. Anyway, now that I know a bit about the plans in the making, I also want to address some things in return. You ask for reparations to your country. The current plans will mean an extended stay and travel in my country. You are going to live off the land and the fortune of the people living there, and I do not want them to be harmed beyond the necessary. I want there to be order, and not just random looting of villages. I know I can't expect reparations the same way you'll expect them of me, but I do want this defined in our agreement, so people will be held accountable."
"Fair, I can live with that. Is there anything else?"
"No, I think I'm through, anything from your side?"
"No, I guess we can get the agreement written up then."
"Nukilik, you'll sign as a witness, Katara, you should too. Chief Hakoda, Aang should also sign this, as should your advisors. It will hold more weight that way."
"Alright, Nukilik, please get Bato, Sokka, and Þyrnir in here. Zuko, here's paper and writing utensils, please write out the agreement."
"I shall not. It's not proper for the main participants of the agreement to write down the words. And my handwriting is too recognisable in the wrong hands."
"Okay, I'll get Juoksa in here. You'll still have to sign with your name though."
"I'll swap some Kanji."
Hakoda just looked at him strangely.
"My name can be written with different characters, I intend to start using different ones from today onwards. The way my mother used to spell my name, meant Loved One. Now, I'll go by Zuikyō, the essence resides."
The essence resides. Zuko was telling him that he found his own core values treasurable and would not budge or back down. Hakoda felt his eyes crinkle into a gentle smile. He could respect that.
00000
It took forever until the written agreement was worded to both their liking. Hakoda was fairly sure that Zuko wasn't trying to fuck them over in any way, but Zuko had insisted in it being written in trade language, and requested rewording things in a very specific way several times.
Þyrnir further made the process difficult by making a fuss over every agreement Zuko had enforced. It got to the point where Zuko decided he had enough.
"This is an agreement between me and the Chief. It is done and what you're doing is disrespecting the Chief's directive. Do you trust your Chief?"
"Yes, but I don't trust you."
"Þyrnir, enough," Hakoda had said, tone final.
Everyone present did eventually give their signature in the end. In Þyrnir's case very begrudgingly, in Aang's case, with a wide smile towards Zuko. Bato had read through the agreement one final time and subtly nodded towards Hakoda in approval.
After everyone had signed, Zuko stood and bowed slightly, then pulled the maps from his tunic. "Here."
In return, Hakoda handed Zuko his copy of the treaty. A confident smile graced his face.
00000
They took another break after that. In that interval, Zuko went back to Kavrak to ensure he knew what he was doing and to explain step by step on how to train the birds. Zuko felt that it was his duty to ensure that Kavrak would succeed on his own. Nukilik joined them and listened attentively. His continuous presence was comforting, and it would be good to have another person knowledgeable about this.
Way too soon, they all got called back to the yurt.
00000
The yurt was just as stuffy, and the glares towards Zuko, as ever, intense. Zuko returned them in kind, he wasn't up for their judgement. He stepped forward, back straight.
"Paramount Chief Hakoda and I have come to an agreement. I won't apologise for my outburst, but I'm willing to move past what has happened. I do want you to succeed."
He could see several downturned lips at his words. No one spoke.
"As I have gathered, you are planning to invade the Fire Nation Capital on the Day of Black Sun. It's an important event for firebenders. As it is clearly a moment of vulnerability for firebenders, the estimated dates and times are taught to everyone, so they can prepare and know what's coming, they were drilled into me; it's my duty as a Prince to know when my country is vulnerable. The Fire Nation will be prepared for your attack. And your advantage lasts all of about seven minutes. I don't think it's a good idea."
"I get where you're coming from Zuko." Sokka replied. "But we need every advantage we can get."
"There will be additional ground troops."
There were several unhelpful comments thrown into the ground by some of the men but Zuko and Sokka just ignored them.
"How much can be done in those seven minutes?"
"Depends on where you start out with, but timing everyone this precisely in an invasion is next to impossible. The only positive about this plan may be that the Fire Lord will most likely be located in the bunkers. But as to getting in there, good luck."
"The plan is that only we, Aang, Katara, Toph and I, would go in to confront the Fire Lord…" Sokka looked as if he wanted to add something else but thought the better of it. "... The Invasion will be there to secure the Capital in the meanwhile."
"I see. Just to be realistic, you'll be facing more opposition during the Day of Black Sun but that additional manpower won't be firebending troops, it will be ground troops. I think if you manage to infiltrate and sneak into Caldera City, then it should work, as long as you manage to take control of the gate. But they have a double gate with measures to keep that from happening. With earthbenders you might have a chance though. Unroot the metal structure and so on."
"We'll see. Would they hold back the ground troops until those seven minutes?" Sokka asked.
"Possibly, I don't know for certain. They're probably going to be located in Caldera City, however, to protect the Fire Lord when he needs it."
"I still think it's our best shot. We don't know how well Aang will have mastered the other elements till then, we just need to get down there on time, and we can fly in directly to the royal palace, we don't have to get through the city first. With your knowledge of those bunkers, we can make it."
"I may remember the entrance, but I don't know if I remember where the Fire Lord's chambers will be in there. We were drilled on how to get down to the royal chambers and so on, but the Fire Lord had separate rooms he could go to... You'll still have to search about seven rooms once you get down there, and some of them are pretty big."
"Hmm. We just will have to get there early enough. Which parts of the invasion do you think will hold up with firebending involved."
"I think getting on land early with boats, especially if you can actually get them to safely dive and stay hidden that way, is a good idea. Travelling inland will bear its own risks, but the Fire Nation won't expect it. Travelling will take time, it can wear you down if you're not well-organised, but if you can get close enough, and rest there for a couple of days. you can go into battle while still being fresh. The question would be, can you get close enough to Fūrinkazan for it to be beneficial?"
Zuko waved towards the maps.
"The strategy also heavily depends on how many men you work with. And well, once the Harbour realises that Fūrinkazan, Caldera City in trade, is under fire, you need to prevent them from coming to their aid. Getting control of that gate is important. You'll have to be efficient and flexible."
"What about those bunkers?" Hakoda spoke up. Zuko's mention of this had caught his interest just hours before, and Zuko kept glossing over this. "Where are they? Are there only bunkers for the Royal household, or will everyone be hiding in their own bunkers?"
"There are the Royal ones, but I think there are Noble families that have built their own bunkers, but they'll probably be significantly less deep than the Royal ones. Honestly, I don't really know. It's not like I ever went to any noble houses and checked out their cellars."
"Alright, let's focus on the bunkers on the royal grounds. How secure are they? Do they have any traps?"
"I don't think they do. But it might be that some traps get installed after the royal family has entered it for protection. They're generally very secure though, the rooms themselves are covered in sheet metal, to prevent earthbenders from just breaking in."
"How thick are those sheets?" Toph spoke up.
"I don't know. I'd say probably a fingertip width or so, from what I've seen. Maybe more."
"Rivets or folds to keep things together?"
"I don't know? They might have welded it."
"What's welding?" Tulimak asked.
"Probably some fancy firebending thing." Siimaktuk spat.
"Let's focus on the bigger picture first." Hakoda brought them back to focus. "How do we best get people into the city?"
"You'll probably have to rely on earthbenders and nighttime to get close. Or if you're lucky, the weather will send you a fog, but it's uncommon around Caldera City."
"Yeah, we can't wait for the weather." Aniu agreed.
"We can manipulate the weather," Aang said. "We've done it before."
"A solar eclipse only happens on a new moon. You need to save your strength for the actual break-in, and I'm not sure you can create a weather phenomenon big enough for it not to stick out like a sore thumb. Cause it would make it really easy to locate you, and the Fire Nation knows that some benders can influence the weather. Be smart about how you use your bending."
"That's for us to decide, and who knows, maybe the weather will favour our mission after all."
Hakoda agreed with Zuko here: "We shouldn't rely on it. We need a plan that is as solid as it can be with the terrain and defences we will have to penetrate."
"What about delays?" Sokka said, becoming more unsure about the Eclipse plan by the minute. "We could wait for favourable weather conditions and attack with that?"
"They're rather uncommon. Favourable weather conditions would mean fog. Or rain, but usually rain means thunderstorms, and you don't want to be attacking while that is going on."
"Delays won't solve the issue," Hakoda said. "The firebenders will be distracted by the impending eclipse. It's still our best shot. We will need scouts for the rest. And best would be if we had a way to get some eyes into the city."
"Yeh, 'cause we wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb in there," Siimaktuk argued.
"Any ideas?" Tulimak demanded.
The meeting finally fell into chatter, the men tired of holding themselves back. Hakoda let them discuss for a few minutes, before gathering their attention once more to go through their ideas, most of which were only semi-usable. Kidnapping a servant's relatives, may not be the best approach to recruit a spy, and sending someone in as a jester was too obvious and would put them into the spotlight, which wasn't good for sneaking, let alone if Ozai would even entertain such notions.
When they started going in circles, heavily discussing probabilities with Zuko, without a real basis to work with, Hakoda intervened again. They needed to get to a consensus on the rough ideas first, and then refine and alter them in a second step.
"Everyone! Enough's enough. The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect one. We have some ideas, let's combine them, get to an agreement on how to roughly go about this, and then work on how to achieve it."
"I think we all agree that we'll go by land and approach Caldera City from the backside, where they don't expect it. We're going to stay hidden for as long as possible."
There were murmurs of agreement.
"Great. Next, we do need more information, we need to plan for reconnaissance info gathering. We need to do it locally, but that's gonna be something to figure out later. Can we agree on that?"
The men grunted out confirmation and Hakoda moved on to his last point.
"We'll be timing our attack to the day of the solar eclipse. We will leave the Earth Kingdom forces in the dark on the specifics of the plan for now. We'll find a way in to take over the capital while the Avatar takes care of the Fire Lord."
The men didn't cheer, they looked grim but determined. Everyone knew there were still some blanks in the plan, a fact that no one felt comfortable with.
00000
"Hey Zuko, you do have your own sleeping bag now, don't you?" Katara asked after she had followed Zuko out of the yurt to an unpopulated spot to have some space. Zuko looked at her in confusion, it had come pretty out of the blue, but set out to answer.
"Yeah, I do, why?"
"Well, I wanted to ask if you still need our Picnic blanket, if that's the case."
"Picnic blanket?"
"Yeh, your blanket."
"Oh…" Zuko said. He'd never thought where the ratty blanket had come from and what it had been used for before. He'd desperately clung to it for many nights those last few weeks, and had generally been cold despite. It explained a few things, including some weird stains that had been on it. But for those past weeks, it had been his, and his alone. It did feel weird to give it up, but he had always known it wasn't really his.
"I guess not. I can grab it for you if you want it back."
"That would be great, then I could wash it before we leave here."
Zuko nodded and beelined to Bato's tent, where he stored his belongings, quickly trying to escape the situation, the less he was around the group, the better.
He grabbed the folded blanket, which did hold a lot of sand and looked ratty in general, and took it over to where Katara and the Gaang had gathered. They fell quiet as he approached.
"Zuko, please join us," Sokka said after Zuko had handed Katara the blanket.
"I'd rather not."
Nukilik had caught up to him at this time too and was just there, and Zuko, tired as he was, really just wanted some quiet.
"Please, we'd just like to clear up some things. We won't take too much of your time."
Zuko sighed, defeated, and sat down. "What?"
"As you know, we're going to be leaving soon. By that, we mean tomorrow. We thought you should know. We're going to try talking to the Earth King and get his help, then come back here. We promised to take you with us, so we will." Sokka announced in a gentle, assuring voice. It was an assurance that they would keep their word. He didn't reply.
"I think we need to talk. Clear some things up as a group, but I don't think it's a good idea to do that here, it should be just us, and it's better for all of us to have some time to prepare for it."
Zuko stared at them dumbfounded. This was considerate, this was fair. They were giving him space and didn't just throw him into the situation entirely. While he didn't really know what they wanted to address, at least he could mentally prepare for something to come this time.
"Alright, sounds good," he said, at a loss for words, before getting up to leave. He still was mad at Toph and the group, but at this point, he was just utterly drained. Nukilik followed him like a shadow as he searched for a secluded spot.
00000
No one had bothered Zuko for the remainder of the afternoon, for which he was very glad. He knew the men had met up once more, but they had not requested his presence and he had not offered it up. Katara had started to cook the evening meal, and Zuko had joined to help, he was hungry.
What he hadn't counted on, was for Hakoda to invite him to their circle after the prep was done. He felt like he was invading a family moment. He wasn't like Aang and Toph, who were also there. He was an actual outsider. A not quite prisoner, somewhat turned ally.
Nukilik did not join them either, and Zuko knew, it was because he wasn't considered part of Hakoda's family. Which made him, Zuko, an honoured guest, if Zuko had to guess. He knew this was supposed to signal to him that he was accepted and their deal was standing, but he really could have done without. This wasn't what the Water Tribe sibling's last night with their dad should be, but to his surprise, no one was awkward about it, well, except him.
The siblings had huddled close to Hakoda on either side of him, and Zuko saw them regularly leaning against their dad for a moment or two. The Chief didn't seem to mind at all, conversation went easy. Aang and Toph equally participated, without any jealousy for the siblings.
It turned even more awkward when the meal was done and Zuko offered to take all the bowls and spoons to be washed.
"Oh, don't bother, we can do that later," Hakoda said.
Zuko felt trapped.
00000
It was sometime after the meal and Toph and Aang had just gone into a debate about some cultural principles that they had grown up on when Hakoda wrapped his arms around his children, pulling both of them close. They turned their heads to him and smiled.
"I'm glad you both came here. I'm proud of you, both of you," he murmured. Sometimes, the obvious just had to be stated, and he had so little time left until he would have to separate from his kids. Only this time, instead of leaving them behind in a believed safe place, he'd let them walk out into the world, into danger. And once more, he would not be able to protect them.
"Letting you leave tomorrow scares me. It was hard enough to leave you the first time when I believed you to be safe; there's no such comfort now."
Katara grabbed his hand and pressed it. "We understand, but we need to go. Aang needs someone to look after him." her voice was soft.
"We know what we're doing."Sokka continued. " We've managed on our own up till now, too." He grabbed Hakoda's other hand and smiled at him.
"I know. I don't want to downplay how you did, I just want you to have the best chances to survive and live your life. And I worry."
"Together with Aang, we will end this war, you won't have to worry about that anymore then."
"I know. I can't allow myself to think of all the things that could go wrong. Your visit has brought us more perspective than we had since we joined the war two years ago. You brought new ideas, a new vision, and the tools for a plan. So I really hope that your visit with the Earth King will go smoothly and we can tackle the attack."
"We'll try our best, and Ba Sing Se is safe. We have Appa, we will be there in no time."
"Well, on that, we have done refugee transports before, and they say that getting into Ba Sing Se isn't as easy as you may think. I don't know if it's a good idea to just fly into the city. They may think it's an attack and shoot you down."
"Good point, I guess we'll figure out where the refugees go before they enter the City, and see what we need to do to get in." Sokka said.
"I know where the refugees go. The place is called Full Moon Bay, but I cannot tell you where it is exactly. The refugee transports we did were when we were still active on the other side of the continent, and used to travel up the Youbu River as far as we could go, but then the refugees were on their own. I think it's at the southernmost end of the Eastern Lake though."
"We'll figure it out." Aang piped in optimistically, linking himself back into the conversation.
Hakoda was almost jealous of the good-natured positivity that the boy clung to. It had been a long long time since he last felt that way. He always prioritised staying realistic. But with this new plan, for the first time in a long time, he did feel like they had a chance to win the war.
"I know I cannot protect you. I wish I could, but you're right, I should trust you instead."
"I love you, Dad." Katara declared, smile soft and eyes twinkling.
Sokka snuggled closer and mumbled, "Me too."
Hakoda wrapped his arms around his kids closer and pressed them to his body instead of talking and they just sat there like that for a minute. His eyes were starting to water, but he didn't mind.
When Katara emerged from the embrace, there were tear marks on her face, Sokka seemed to hold them back. His kids lifted their arms a little to hug him back.
Hakoda looked ahead, trying to blink the tears away and smiled at Aang who was watching the whole thing with a happy grin, quite in contrast to Zuko, who pointedly looked away, clearly uncomfortable. As he looked, the Prince turned and left. Hakoda opened his mouth to call out, and closed it again just as quickly. A man's past was his own, the son of the Fire Lord was no different.
00000
Nukilik rejoined Zuko once he had separated from the group. Ignoring his presence, Zuko walked down to the ocean and sat at the beach, taking off his shoes and letting the water touch lap at them every once and again. The water was dark, the moon bright, nearly full and the waves reflected her in a gentle sparkle.
He heard Nukilik follow him in the sand and while he didn't exactly mind Nukilik, he was glad to be leaving tomorrow and finally not having a personal shadow anymore.
Wearing shoes felt kind of weird, and taking them off felt freeing in a way, he reflected. He'd been denied shoes for so long, but he was really used to walking barefoot by now, so he didn't actually mind as long as it wasn't super cold. Following societial norms was exhausting, and he knew Ba Sing Se would be full of them.
The water felt fresh, maybe he should wash up now whilst he was calm and it was quiet. Tomorrow he may not have the time, and now it was dark enough to not make his scars too obvious, he didn't need those stares. He hadn't brought his fresh pair of clothes, but he decided that that was fine, he could still change in the tent. He didn't have soap either, though. Sighing, he got up to get his stuff. Might as well wash by the stream, where he wouldn't end up with salt crusts, and less sand.
There was a designated spot for washing, downstream from where they got their drinking water from. When Zuko was done, he steamed himself off, as well as the clothes he'd freshly washed if he was already there.
While walking back, Nukilik finally initiated conversation.
"So, tomorrow?"
"Yeah, we're leaving."
"It's crazy how time flew, never thought I'd get to know the Prince of the Fire Nation, even less, that I'd honestly find myself respecting him… you."
"Uh, thanks, I guess. You have my respect as well."
"Glad to hear that. Also by the way, I know your culture doesn't understand honour the same way as mine, but the way I see it, your honour is intact."
"It doesn't matter."
"Yes it does, you actually care for people, all people. The Fire Lord seems to only care for himself,and in my opinion, he's the one without honour, not you. I just think, as you are now fully going against him, you should give yourself a bit more credit and stop believing the judgement of a man who can claim to have honour only because he's the one in power."
"I know." Zuko frowned.
"I'm gonna miss you. I'm serious. You're a good guy." Nukilik easily said, leaving Zuko feeling even more awkward.
"Uh, I'm not," he said defensively, though.
"You are a good guy," Nukilik crossed his arms, determined. "Nothing you say can change my mind." He said with a smirk.
"Ugh, I meant I'm not gonna miss you." Zuko protested which lead Nukilik to break out into laughter.
Zuko suppressed rolling his eyes and they walked back in silence. Zuko went to bed early that night and meditated on his bedroll, where he was out of sight. He'd lied, too, he would miss Nukilik and his easy going nature. It brought back memories of a time when things were very different. Times with Uncle and Lu Ten.
00000
It had been a really nice family evening, though Katara would have wished for Gran Gran to be there as well. She did find herself missing her every now and again, especially in moments like these, that she would have loved to share, and in those quiet times. She was glad that they'd been able to talk honestly about their worries, and that her Dad wasn't trying to hold them back. She knew Sokka felt the same way. They fully believed in what they were doing and knowing that they had made their Dad proud and had given him hope again, it meant the world to her.
"I like your dad," Toph said out of nowhere, from her side of the tent. "I wish I had parents like that."
Katara smiled sadly and freed her hand from the sleeping bag and held it out. Toph grabbed it and pressed it gently.
"I know it's not the same, but I think he's already kind of adopted you and Aang."
"I know, thank you." Toph smiled.
00000
By the time the sun had risen over the horizon, Aang was restless. He'd woken up a while ago and the thoughts just wouldn't stop swirling. They'd stayed at this place for less than a week, and they were supposed to be continuing their journey towards Ba Sing Se today. He didn't feel ready.
He was all for winging things on the fly, but he did feel like so much depended on it. What was he supposed to tell the Earth King? Hey Avatar Aang here, The Southern Water Tribe fleet is organising an attack on the Fire Nation in four months, please provide troops?
And then there was his own role in the whole plan. Chief Hakoda had called it 'take care of the Fire Lord' and it scared him. They'd fly in, break into the bunkers, and hopefully match the time when the sun was gone. It would be a simple thing, maybe, probably. Though the ruler would probably be guarded. Aang knew they were all expecting him to kill Ozai.
He had four months to learn the other elements still, he was getting the hang of earthbending, and maybe, they could get Zuko to teach him firebending, now that he was helping them to end the war.
Anyway, what was he supposed to tell the Earth King? Maybe he should ask Zuko for advice on that too. But not here, not today.
00000
By now, Bato was unsurprised, to see the bedroll next to him empty. He hadn't expected it to be bare, however. The sleeping bag and clothes were gone, but he'd known Zuko was ready to leave.
The Prince had made an astonishing transformation in his time here, and for some reason, it made Bato feel proud of the boy he'd gotten to know. Bato knew the boy had faced adversities that no one should ever experience, and he'd come out of them compassionate instead of spiteful and hating.
Bato got dressed and stepped outside, quickly finding the Prince with his few belongings neatly packed and piled next to him as he meditated. Bato approached and sat down a few feet beside him.
The Prince, who held a pulsating flame in his hands, threw him a glance and then proceeded to ignore him for the next five minutes. By the end of it, the flames in his hand had taken on a purplish-blue hue, before he snuffed them out and turned his head. He raised his one eyebrow in question.
"All packed up I see. How are you doing?" Bato asked.
At first, Zuko didn't seem to be up for talking, but then his eyes flicked away and he said: "Good, ready to get out of here."
"I bet," Bato replied.
They sat there for another few minutes as Bato thought about what he wanted to say. Eventually, he set out to talk:
"I hope that life will treat you better from here on out. I wish you all the best and I hope we'll meet again in the future."
Prince Zuko tipped his head and nodded. "Same to you, Bato."
"Do try to stay out of trouble in Ba Sing Se," Bato said semi-earnestly, to loosen the mood and Zuko responded.
His lips twitched as he replied: "I'll try." Before he got up to put his stuff next to Appa's saddle.
00000
The Gaang ate together, and once again, Zuko was invited to sit with them. He did so with reluctance, but he relaxed more and more at allowing himself to be quite thoroughly uninvolved in the conversation.
There was a tranquil period of time after everyone had finished up before Chief Hakoda straightened, no doubt with some news.
"So, Juoksa and I have started writing correspondence to reach out to our allies. We will send those out one by one, as they get done, then we will arrange for picking them and whatever materials we can reasonably prepare, up and bring them to the Fire Nation. We already sent off the letter for your Mechanist, Sokka."
"Great. Yeah, the faster he's on board, the faster he can try to design those diving ships."
"Yes, we have about four months until the attack, it's not a lot, but it is enough time to get ourselves in position and set up."
"Sounds good," Aang said.
"To avoid calling in another war meeting, as I'm sure everyone had enough of them by now, I have discussed how to go about getting help from the Earth Kingdom with Bato and Sokka only."
He held a hand up when Katara wanted to interrupt, no doubt feeling left out again.
"He'll brief you on what we think is best. I'm sure Zuko will have his own thoughts for you to consider as well, we just discussed what kind of information probably should not be shared, and maybe how to do it. Nothing is set in stone."
"Just be careful what you share, we don't want the Earth Kingdom to think they can walk all over us and our plans. No offence Toph, but they've tried it before." Bato urged.
"No, I get it, my parents are merchants. In trade you need to be stone, or you are shattered. Many apply the same to war, I'll bet" Toph reassured.
"I guess it's time to get packed up then," Sokka said, sadness in his voice.
00000
The whole tribe gathered around them in front of the main tent, waiting to say goodbye. Hakoda wasn't there yet, though. Toph could feel him doing something in the tent. He held something in his hand when he finally joined them outside.
When he stepped up to them, she felt Sokka's heart pounding as he straightened up.
When Hakoda spoke, his voice was loud and clear, carrying out across the collection of men: "I call for The Spirits of Water, may they bear witness to these marks. For Sokka, the mark of the righteous." He moved his right hand to what he was holding and then seemed to tip Sokka's forehead.
"You want to do the right thing, are willing to face your wrongs, and stand up for the rights of others. I'm proud of you." Toph could feel Sokka's heart beating and his fidgeting to hold back from hugging his father.
Hakoda turned to Katara. "For Katara, the mark of the courageous." Again, he repeated the process of touching that thing in his hands, and then, what Toph guessed was drawing, on her forehead. "You put great thought in your actions and have succeeded where few could, to make yourself heard."
Toph felt Katara's excitement and pride palpably in the air around her.
"For Aang," Hakoda continued. "The mark of the wise". Aang remained calm as Hakoda touched his forehead. "Despite the horrors done to your people, you have not turned vengeful. You're moderate and respectful to all cultures. It's an honour to consider you part of our family and tribe."
Then, Hakoda turned to Toph and suddenly she didn't know what to expect. "For Toph, the mark of the steadfast." Toph held her breath as Hakoda's hand gently pushed her bangs behind her ears to reach her forehead, and then she felt something wet and earthy painted on her forehead. A simple straight line. The grit of the paint surprised her as Hakoda intoned in the same voice as he had for the others, "You are like the element you bend, you are willing to put everything on the line for what you believe in."
Such a nice way of summarising what she had done while here. And it all sounded so innocent and positive. So surface-level earthbender. Her instincts told her, however, that it wasn't that straightforward. Hakoda had put thought into it, this wasn't about her leaving her old life behind to teach Aang and Toph knew he was being kind with how he worded things. This was about how she'd put her relationship with Zuko on the line. Because she'd been impatient, steadfast in all the wrong ways.
"You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe" She stood there frozen, not knowing what to say, as she felt the paint set on her brow.
Had she just been adopted? What did this mean for her? Maybe she was wrong about her interpretation of Hakoda's words, she gulped.
Hakoda turned to the last member of their group and she felt Zuko's heartbeat spike as he pressed his fingers into fists.
"For Zuko," Hakoda's voice was steady. "The mark of the trusted." She felt Zuko brace himself for the forehead drawing but his breathing had a relieved quality to it.
"Your uncompromising care and willingness to protect your country from itself has earned my respect. We acknowledge you as ally and friend of the Tribe."
Zuko bowed in a formal manner, acknowledging the words in Fire Nation Tradition.
Hakoda stepped back, next to Bato. At that moment, the men started to sing and she got goosebumps. She didn't understand a word.
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Zuko found himself surrounded by strong men's voices fervent and harmonics sending shivers down his spine. The words were ancient, traditional. Zuko understood them, almost better than the colloquial speech of the now, and it filled him with a deep-set happiness that some traditions he read about were still going strong.
The song was a farewell, it was a blessing. The Tribe was sending them out and willing them to be protected.
The weirdest thing was, Zuko actually felt like he belonged, like the song was for him too. Maybe it was Nukilik, looking straight at him as he sang. Maybe it was Toph's hand that had quietly slipped into his. Maybe it was Bato's approving nod as he stood straight, smiling ever so slightly. Maybe it was the fact that he felt safe enough right now to close his eyes and let himself just enjoy.
The words were ancient, and they stirred something deep within.
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Too quick, the last harmony faded into quiet and the moment of goodbyes arrived. While the siblings were busy with their dad. Zuko found himself face to face with Bato, who nodded and shared his hand. Zuko hesitated, but Bato was patient. They shook hands in the Water Tribe fashion and Bato looked him straight into the eyes.
"Take care of yourself." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. His eyes conveyed the same message as his words, however. And that was a strange feeling.
"You too." He replied, keeping his voice steady.
Next was Nukilik, and as Zuko was already prepared for the more physical approach of handshaking, versus the bowing in the Fire Nation, he grabbed the hand right away. Only to be pulled into a hug, much to his dismay. It took everything for him not to push the young man away and grab for his sword. It would have been so easy to attack him with a knife to his gut this way and it took a whole moment for Zuko to relax a fraction and awkwardly pad Nukilik's back.
"I'm gonna miss you dude. You're truly a decent guy. I hope next time, we can hang out as friends instead of me guarding you."
Zuko, not knowing what to do at all, just nodded, still uncomfortable at the display, he awkwardly patted Nukilik's back as he waited to be released from the hug.
He was much more wary when Kinignik held out his hand, but he shook it anyway, it was a symbol of trust, it was tradition.
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Sokka and Katara had sunken into their dad's hug and none of them were willing to let go. Hakoda whispered into their ears.
"I am so glad you came here and we had these few days, even if they were stressful. I am so glad that I could see for myself how much you've grown up and you have no idea how much it scares me to let you go again now. But I know that I must. You can make a difference and I'm proud of how far you have gone. And I know your mother, may La guard her soul, would be too."
"We know Dad," Sokka said.
"Just please let me know when you have arrived in Ba Sing Se, so I know you are safe, alright?"
"Will do," Katara said.
They stayed like that for multiple moments, whispering encouragements and just being quiet at times. Hakoda finally made the move to let go, heavy-hearted.
"Alright, Kiddos. Go out there."
Katara had tears in her eyes, and Sokka was trying his hardest to hold them back. Hakoda felt his eyes water as well. He straightened and went to finally say goodbye to the other three kids.
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There weren't many people that came to say goodbye to Zuko, but the fact that some chose to do so, was a vast improvement to the animosity on the day they arrived at the camp, Zuko was glad for that. Hakoda came last. His hand was warm and strong in Zuko's hand, his grip firm.
"Take care of them all, will you?" He requested.
Zuko nodded and shook the hand. Then, everything happened fast. The Gaang climbed onto Appa and into the saddle and Zuko heard someone say "Yip Yip." And just like that, they were off, and he felt his shoulders relax, as the remaining wariness of staying at the camp finally drained out of him. He'd had no idea how tense he'd still been. Which was probably for the better. As the rest of the Gaang looked back, wistfulness in their eyes, Zuko looked ahead, his eyes set on the challenges ahead.
A/N:
Ystävä: A lot went down this chapter. Zuko called out the Water Tribe, he walked out on them, did a powermove, taking the maps, and forced them to renegotiate. The Gaang approached Zuko, but finally in a fair way. There was a fun fire show that not everyone was as fond of, and a lot of farewells, what more could you possibly want in a chapter ;)
It ended up being one of our longest, I hope you enjoyed. I'm gonna miss writing Nukilik and co. Hehe, they grew on me… oh and don't forget Bato, yeh, gonna miss them. But with this era coming to an end, it makes way to a lot of new stuff, as they're heading for Ba Sing Se now, and believe me, we got lots of thought snippets and ideas for that time. It's gonna be a blast to write.
ML8991: Yeh, woowee, a lot as Ystävä has said went down here. Honestly impressed we managed to get it all out. There were definitely parts where I didn't expect us to go this early in the story with, but it just felt right. Most notably seeing the beginning of Zuko's potential (I truly believe he is the stronger sibling, just he is more cautious with his usage), as well as how he will begin to play the game. I too have enjoyed our new OCs. From bitter Þyrnir to hopeful Nukilik, I hope that we have enriched the Southern Tribe for you. They'll be back, don't worry ;).
The road is still long, and we have many more things to cover, but our next big arc will be covering the political quagmire of friendships and of Ba Sing Se. I look forward to seeing how you guys feel about this chapter, as I am sure it'll stir up many thoughts. Thank you for your immense patience and love for the story, it gives us such inspiration to keep going with all your love. Wishing you all the very best, and look forward to seeing you all when we do :).