Chapter Twelve
Childish Things
Appa landed behind a hill near the Water Tribe fleet. It was rather small, less than ten ships in total. Sokka wondered where the rest of the warriors were, for there should have been hundreds of ships. He would have to ask his father when they met up with him.
"Why did we land here instead of closer to their camp?" Katara asked, looking at Aang quizzically. The Avatar gave her a mischievous grin before he replied.
"I think it would be funny to sneak up on them." Aang said, rubbing his hands together evilly. Katara looked at him with a surprised look on her face, but Sokka matched his friend's expression.
"That's the best idea I've ever heard!" He said, giving Aang a high five. "We'll sneak into his tent, and eat his blubbered seal jerky! He doesn't share it with anyone, so when he finds out we ate it he'll be so mad! The best part is that he won't say anything about it because he will be so happy to see us!"
Katara glared at them with exasperation. "We haven't seen Dad in years, and the first thing you want to do is steal his food?"
Sokka and Aang beamed at her, and her brother nodded furiously. Katara snorted. At least Sokka was back to normal.
"As funny as that would be, it won't work. Your father doesn't let his favorite snack leave his person, ever since a business of ferrets ate all of it last spring." An unknown voice said from beside Appa.
Team Avatar leapt into action. Aang whipped hsi staff around to point at the newcomer. Sokka drew his sword and boomerang to face the stranger and Katara bent the water from her pouch. The two Water Tribe siblings relaxed immediately when they recognized the man.
"Bato!" They cried in unison as they sheathed their weapons and ran to embrace the man. Aang relaxed as his friends rejoiced with Bato. The three of them talked for a few seconds before Katara led Bato to Aang.
"Bato, this is Aang. He's a friend of ours." She said, and Aang bowed to the older man.
"It's an honor to meet the Avatar. I hope these two haven't caused you too much trouble." Bato said with an outstretched hand. Aang took it and they shook in the fashion of the southern continent.
"No, if anything I've been the one getting them into trouble." He said with a laugh. Bato smiled.
"What are you all doing here? The last we heard you were guarding the rivers east of Ba Sing Se." Sokka said.
"Most of the fleet is still there, but how did you hear about that? We haven't sent word back home in case our letters were intercepted."
"Welllll it's a bit complicated, but we've been around a bit. Heard some things and what not. We can tell you guys all about it, but let's go see Dad first. I'm sure he'd want to hear about it." Sokka said, and Bato nodded.
"Well, if you still want to play a joke on him, it's the perfect time. He's planning your rescue from the Fire Nation, not that you need one it seems. I guess the news of your capture was just a rumor."
"No," Katara said with a grin. "They were captured alright. But we managed to rescue them yesterday."
"What?!" Bato exclaimed, "How?"
Sokka shook his head. "We'll explain everything later, let's go meet the other warriors first. Now, what kind of joke did you have in mind?"
Hakoda was pouring over a map of terrain surrounding the stronghold his son and the Avatar were allegedly being held in. Completely absorbed in his planning, the chief failed to notice the arrival of Bato and his new companions. He pointed to the river that fed the town.
"This river supplies the stronghold with fish and freshwater. Do we have a map detailing it's tributaries before this point?" He asked, without looking up.
"No, I don't think so. Katara, Sokka, do you have one?" Bato said.
Sokka shook his head while fighting his urge to snicker. Katara did the same, before speaking.
"No, but we could go back to the stronghold and get one. I'm sure they'd let us borrow a map or two."
Hakoda blinked. Go to the Fire nation and ask for a map to use to attack them? Were they being serious? This was no time for games, this was serious. They had to rescue Sokka and the Avatar.
"I don't know, Katara." Sokka said, "It doesn't seem likely that they'll give us anything since we burned down half their colony."
"Sokka has a point." Piped Aang, joining in on the fun. Chief Hakoda had yet to look up from his map. He had dark circles under his eyes. Aang assumed that the man had been focusing on his mission since he heard of his and Sokka's capture.
"Sokka's right, the Fire Nation aren't in the habit of…" Hakoda trailed off. He blinked again. He shook his head and looked up to see his children sitting beside Bato, who was trying to suppress a grin. Hakoda stood up, and looked at them in disbelief.
"Hi, Dad." Katara said, waving at him awkwardly. Sokka saw the look on his father's face and the laughter immediately left his eyes. Maybe this hadn't been the best idea, teasing their dad when he was so worked up. He scratched the back of his head and coughed. Hakoda stepped towards them and began to close the few feet that separated them. In an instant he had leapt on them both, lifting them into the air with a powerful embrace. They spun around and he was laughing joyfully with the pair of them.
"You're okay! Both of you!" He said, setting them on their feet again. "You've gotten so tall."
Hakoda smiled warmly while the warriors around him laughed and cheered. The High Chief noticed a young boy standing not too far from them, and he turned to him. "You must be the Avatar."
Aang nodded, extending a hand. "Yeah, I'm Aang. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief Hakoda."
"The pleasure is mine," Hakoda said, "This calls for a celebration. We'll have a fine meal tonight, and you can tell us all about your adventures."
Aang grimaced as he forced himself to swallow the stewed sea prunes. A hundred years ago, though it was only a matter of months to him, Water Tribe cuisine was famous the world over. Monk Gyatso had never let him try any, always saying that it was an acquired taste. Aang was now even more grateful for the man's wisdom. The food was terrible.
He went back to the seaweed noodles. Those were okay. Not good in his opinion, but bearable. He finished his food and wiped his mouth. One of the warriors offered him more, but Aang politely declined. He had enough challenges ahead of him, and he did not need to add the monstrosity of Water Tribe cooking to the list.
"You three have gotten into quite a few adventures." Hakoda said with a smile. "Helping the Avatar. Fighting Fire nation royalty, weird meetings in the spirit world, you've done quite a bit of living in the past couple of months. We knew that you had left home, and that you were traveling with the avatar, but the scope of your adventures wasn't something we'd heard."
He took out a set of rolled up papers from a bag at his side and unfurled them. Aang looked to see what they were and found a set of wanted posters for them all. He looked at them and saw that they had official monikers other than their real names.
"Why don't I get a cool nickname?" Sokka said as he crossed his arms. Aang looked at Sokka's poster. His image had been labeled by his official title in the Water Tribe. Aang was referred to as the last airbender. He read Katara's poster and his eyebrows raised. He whistled.
Sokka grabbed his sister's bounty and read it aloud. "Wanted alive: Katara the Sea Wolf. Warning: dangerous."
He passed it to Katara, before pouting and staring at his own poster. "That's just not fair."
"By order of Princess Azula, the waterbender known as Katara the Sea Wolf is to be captured alive and delivered into the custody of Princess Azula or Admiral Zhao." Katara read, smiling a little. "I guess I made her mad when we fought the other day."
"You must have." Aang said, a little conflicted by the fact that his friends were wanted now too. Would they have been in danger if he hadn't brought them with him? No, certainly not as much. Eventually they would have joined the war, that is if he couldn't stop it first.
"So what are you guys doing so far north?" Sokka asked, "When we were at the fire temple Zhao mentioned that you were guarding the rivers east of Ba Sing Se."
Hakoda put his bowl down. Bato looked away from Sokka, and the other warriors seemed to busy themselves with whatever they were doing. This did not go unnoticed by the three friends, but they didn't address it. Eventually, Hakoda spoke again.
"We were visiting our sister tribe. Chief Arnook and I negotiated a treaty for mutual support. Once we fulfill our end of the bargain, he will send some of his waterbenders to join us in the Earth Kingdom, and a smaller group will travel to the south pole."
"That's great!" Katara said. "What is our tribe going to do?"
"Our warriors and shipwrights have long been superior to theirs. We were going home to collect some of our best masters and shipwrights to share their knowledge." Hakoda said, glancing at Sokka.
"That doesn't seem like much, considering that they're joining the war again after more than eighty years." Sokka said curiously.
Hakoda sighed. "No, it's not. It's not all, either. We're merging the tribes into a single nation again."
"What? How are you going to do that?" Aang asked, confused by the idea.
"Through marriage." Hakoda said, looking at his bowl. Sokka and Katara exchanged worried looks.
"... You're gonna marry Chief Arnook?" Aang said, completely lost. His question was met with complete silence for a few seconds, before Bato burst with laughter. It wasn't long before the other warriors joined him, and even Hakoda laughed a little at the idea.
Eventually the laughter died down.. Hakoda shook his head, and wiped his eyes. "I think we all needed that; it's been a long couple of weeks."
"No, I am not going to marry Arnook. I have arranged for Sokka to marry Princess Yue, Arnook's daughter." He said, looking at his son. Sokka's face paled. He was going to be married? To some strange woman he had never even met? Suki's face floated across his mind and he grit his teeth. He had hoped that if they saw each other again then maybe…
"Yue is a nice girl," Hakoda said, "She's a little younger than Sokka is. She'll be sixteen in a month or so."
At least she wasn't thirty years old or something. And she was nice, according to his father. Still, this was not something that he had ever expected. In their tribe, marriage was usually an arrangement of love. Even for the High Chief or local chieftains, it was a rarity to have a political marriage.
"You'll have to carve a betrothal necklace for her." Hakoda said, shaking Sokka from his thoughts.
"What?" He asked.
"A betrothal necklace."
"Oh, right, yeah. Sure thing, Dad." Sokka said. He stood up. "I'm tired, I think I'll turn in early."
Sokka left the group of his friends and family, and walked towards where Appa lay unsaddled. Sokka started to gather his bedroll but found that he wasn't actually all that sleepy. He shook his head and went for a walk along the shore. The waves lapped calmly along the beach, and the moon shone brightly in the cloudless sky.
It was nearly a quarter full now, and its beautiful light spilled across the foaming sea. The stars glittered in the sky like a million silver candles, shining brightly and yet sar far away he could hardly imagine it. Right now, even though he couldn't explain it, he felt like them. All alone, even though the people he cared for the most weren't far away.
He walked along the beach for a while, thinking. He climbed on top a stone large enough for a few people to sit on, and gazed at the sea. He pondered his future. He was going to marry a princess in a foreign land. It wasn't much different from his home, but all the same; it wasn't his home. When he was married, could he still travel with Aang and Katara? Or would he have to stay in the north? Maybe they would move to the south? He doubted it. Why would Arnook agree to let his daughter marry a stranger and move to the other side of the planet?
Sokka sighed and shook his head. He broke off a flat piece of stone from the rock he was sitting on and tossed it into the ocean. It skipped a few times before it was swallowed by a crashing wave. He was about to throw another when he heard someone climb up to sit beside him. Sokka glanced over his shoulder to see his dad coming to sit with him.
"I'm sorry, Sokka." He said, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Sokka jerked his head in his fathers direction. "I'm fine.. it's just, I don't know."
Sokka sighed. "I'm not a kid anymore. I've been all over the world, I've fought and bled, I've even been to the spirit world a couple times. I just- I don't want to marry a stranger. I know, it's my duty to our tribe, and I will do it. I just don't want to and that makes me feel like a kid. I'm being childish."
Hakoda took his hand from Sokka's shoulder, taking up the piece of stone his son had discarded. He tossed it, and it skipped a few times just as Sokka's had. When at last it sank beneath the waves the man spoke.
"A very wise man once said," Hakoda spoke softly, gazing out over the moonlit sea, "When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, think like a child, and reason like a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things."
Sokka looked at his father. Hakoda maintained his steady watch over the waves, not looking at Sokka as he spoke again. "Another man added to it later, saying: When I became a man I put away childish things; such as the fear of childishness, or the desire to seem very grown up."
"So you don't think I'm being childish?" Sokka asked.
"Of course not. Anyone would be upset, to find out they were going to marry a woman they had never met. Honestly, you're handling it better than I would have." The Chief said.
"Really?"
"Of course. I have loved your mother since before I understood what love is. If Arnook had been a girl then your grandfather would have arranged the same thing that I have. I surely would have run away. I could never have imagined being with anyone else. Even now…" Hakoda trailed off, and his eyes grew distant. The loss of Kya weighed on him heavily, even now, nearly a decade later.
Sokka, for his part, completely failed to notice his fathers vacant expression. The mention of his grandfather had reminded him of what Zhao had said to him in his cell.
"Zhao said that Grandpa killed his father. He promised that he won't stop chasing us until we're all wiped out."
Hakoda nodded. "Yeah, he keeps reminding me whenever we cross paths. The problem is, the man's not as clever as he thinks. I've always defeated him, although we haven't fought directly many times. Usually just raids on his bases or supply lines, guerrilla warfare. General Iroh, however. That man is dangerous. He's far more formidable than his cousin."
"What? Who's his cousin?" Sokka asked, confused.
"Zhao." Hakoda said. Sokka's jaw dropped. Hakoda looked surprised. "What, didn't you know? Every time we meet he gets all pompous and struts around saying 'I shall avenge the death of my father, Prince Ozai, by stamping out the line of his killer!' He really is ridiculous; I was three, I had nothing to do with that. And the sideburns."
Sokka closed his mouth. Well, it did make a degree of sense. Zhao didn't seem overly competent as a commander, although he was a gifted firebender. If he was a member of the royal family it would explain his rise in the ranks.
Sokka decided to change the subject back to his engagement. "Going back to this Princess Yue."
"Yeah?" Hakoda said, raising an eyebrow.
"is… is she..?" Now that he had started to ask him, he felt foolish. It didn't matter. This time he was being childish.
"Is she what?"
"Is she pretty?" Sokka forced himself to say, a light blush coloring his dark skin. Hakoda only smiled. He nodded, and Sokka sagged in relief. "Well I have that going for me at least."
Hakoda laughed at that, and after a moment Sokka joined him. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.
The evening after the confrontation with Zuko, Ty Lee watched as the last of Iroh's luggage was brought aboard the ship. She was not sure how to feel about it. Azula had never gotten along with her uncle, at least not since before he laid siege to Ba Sing Se. The fact that she had invited the general to sail with them, and that Zhao had asked him to aid him in his quest to seize the Avatar and the north pole, was a bit of a surprise. Personally, Ty Lee had always thought the man was funny.
She watched her friend carefully, from across the ship. Azula looked slightly annoyed, tapping her foot as her uncle spoke to her. The general pointed to a tsungi horn, and Azula rolled her eyes and waved a hand in a vague gesture. Ty Lee couldn't make out the words, but General Iroh smiled and bowed. Ty Lee decided that she wanted to know what they were talking about, so the young acrobat leapt into a handstand and hand-walked over to them.
"...though, I'm not really sure why I am agreeing to let you have your music night. You haven't ever given me anything that I would like after all. It doesn't really seem fair." Azula said. Ty Lee hadn't heard the first part of her sentence. But she caught the end as she had come in range by then.
"What?" Iroh said in surprise. "I gave you many gifts in the palace when you were small."
Azula scoffed and waved a hand. "That hardly counts Uncle, and it stopped when you left for Ba Sing Se."
Iroh paused, and looked confused for a moment. A slight crease formed on his brow. Ty Lee flipped onto her feet and watched the two of them, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. Iroh raised a finger, and spoke again. "That is not entirely true, Princess Azula. While I did stop giving you and your brother presents when you grew older, I did send you both gifts when I broke through the wall of Ba Sing Se."
Azula glared at him. "You sent me a doll, and Zuko the dagger of the surrendering general. I didn't even like dolls."
"You didn't like it?" Iroh said, and he looked genuinely hurt. "But you loved playing with them when I left, I was sure you would have liked it better than some weapon. I sent Zuko the knife because he had always been fond of swords."
"Had I known then that you had outgrown them, I would have given you something better, something less childish." Iroh said. His words seemed to appease Azula, for her glare softened.
"It's no matter, Uncle, it was a long time ago." Azula said, and she turned to go. Iroh reached out a hand and lightly took hold of her arm.
"No, Princess Azula. I will endeavor to find a new gift to give you, to make up for my poor choice those long years ago. Even if now I can only offer wisdom, in time i shall find a suitable gift"
Azula didn't react to her uncle's words at first, she just watched his eyes carefully. She saw that he was earnest, and decided to accept his words. She thought for a second. Iroh had once journeyed into the spirit world, and he was known to have insight towards those matters. Perhaps he could shed light on the mystery of whatever it was that made Sokka so… strange?
"Very well Uncle." Azula said, returning her attention to him fully. As she did so she noticed Ty Lee, standing beside them. "There is a matter I could use the gift of your wisdom on. It concerns Ty Lee as well."
Ty Lee jumped slightly at being dragged into whatever Azula had planned. Iroh glanced at her, and nodded. "Of course, Niece. But for the dispensing of proper wisdom, tea is required."
Ty Lee smiled and Azula rolled her eyes. "Don't you ever get sick of tea uncle?"
Iroh scowled. "Sick of tea? That's like getting sick of breathing!"
Ty Lee laughed, and Azula shook her head. "As you wish Uncle, I'll have tea delivered to my quarters."
Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were sipping tea in Azula's quarters. She sipped idly, and her uncle drained his cup swiftly. He poured himself another, and Ty Lee did the same.
"So, what is this matter you wished to hear my wisdom on?" Iroh siad, placing his cup on the low table that had been brought in. Azula paused, wondering if it was truly wise to trust her uncle. It was true that her father had taken his advice in his warmeetings, and the general was highly esteemed throughout the Fire Nation, but Azula was hesitant to confide in the man. All the same, there was a shortage of advisors on this expedition.
"There was something strange about the First Son." Azula said, "I noticed it when Admiral Zhao was interrogating him. At first I thought he was putting on an act to throw us off, but then Ty Lee said she saw it too. She's always claimed to see people's auras, and when she met Sokka…"
"When I was fighting the waterbender," The chi blocker said, "He managed to paralyze my arm. I mean, that's really not all that strange. But when I looked at him his aura stretched across the ground behind him like a shadow, and it moved by itself like it was alive. It looked like he wasn't fully human, like some evil spirit had grabbed onto him somehow."
Iroh nodded slowly. He had heard of people being touched by spirits before, and it was supposed to have an effect on their chi, but this seemed… dangerous. It was fortunate that this young woman could see in the spirit world, even if she didn't know that was what she was doing. It was odd though; that she had the ability but couldn't see quite how unstable his niece was. Considering how much time the two had spent together, it was understandable. If she had always had her third eye open then it might seem normal to her, or perhaps she couldn't see quite as clearly as he could.
"When we first captured him and the Avatar," Azula continued, "When we brought him into the light." Ty Lee's eyes widened as she remembered, and she added her observation to the conversation. "I remember. No matter where we shone the lantern his face was always half in shadow. Even when it was right in front of the lantern."
Iroh stopped sipping his tea. He had just taken up his cup again, and this news had given him pause. He replaced it on the table. He looked at the two of them carefully. This development was more troubling than he had originally thought. He knew of some spirits whose bond could cast their champion in shadow, and none of them were kind.
"Did either of you touch him?" He asked. Azula's friend nodded. "Was he cold?"
"Yeah, he was freezing! Like really, really cold. Mai said she would've thought him dead if he wasn't breathing." Ty Lee said. Iroh paled, and his reaction did not go unnoticed. Azula eyed him carefully. "Well? Out with it Uncle. What seems to be the problem?"
"I cannot say for certain. There are a few spirits who can have those effects on a mortal should they make a pact with one. The ocean spirit is one. Another is Kuraokami, the winter spirit. And…" He trailed off before saying the last name. He shook his head. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"
Azula looked at her uncle. Why had he refrained from naming others? Was he hiding something? "And what? Uncle, finish your names. I have no patience for dawdling. Out with it."
"Very well. Though I would prefer not to speak his name, I will honor your request." Iroh said, and lit all the candles throughout the room with a wave of his hand. Azula watched her uncle skeptically at this. Really, she thought, there was no need for his theatrics. "The last spirit that I know of who's bond might do this is Koh, the Face Stealer."
Azula looked at him skeptically. "Really Uncle, such theatrics? Are they truly necessary?"
"Perhaps not, Princess Azula, but the spirits are not to be taken lightly. Especially not him. Now, I cannot say for sure if the Avatar's friend has made a spirit pact, or even if he has ever been to the spirit world. Both are unlikely. Now, as I said before, is there anymore that you can tell me?"
Azula thought for a moment, not sure if she wanted to reveal anything more. But if an enemy had made a pact with a spirit…
"He knew when I was lying." She said, "The moment the words left my mouth, he accused me of telling a lie."
Iroh shook his head. "As, uh, interesting as that may be it doesn't really help. It could have been a lucky guess, or he might be a people person. It could be any number of things."
"When we first captured him, his body looked empty, as if he had left and gone someplace else." Ty Lee cut in, and she shrugged when she spoke. "Other than that I don't really know."
Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully. If what Ty Lee said was true, then the boy had gone into the spirit world. He had hoped that perhaps it had been a trick of the light, and the boy was cold because of hypothermia or something. This was not good. The spirit bound were unpredictable.
"Was he wounded in the escape? Was he cut at all?" Iroh asked, hoping that he could at least rule out one possibility. Had he bonded with the Face Stealer, then nearly any blade to cut him would be stained black. It wasn't a strong hope, but he was short on options at the moment. True, he did not wish for the war to continue. But he and Zuko had planned to infiltrate Zhao's fleet when he eventually sailed north, and if Zuko had to face the Avatar and a spirit champion he doubted it would go well.
"No. He was too fast, none of our soldiers could lay a hand on him. He and the Avatar defeated Admiral Zhao, and then confronted me when I bested Zuko. The waterbender called me a monster and.." Azula stopped herself from finishing the thought. She did not need to share all the little details did she? "And they escaped when the Avatar's bison incapacitated me."
"I see." Iroh said, before he picked up and drank the last of his tea. "I will have to look at his aura for myself to know for certain. Anything I say now could turn out to be false, but I will say this: be careful of him. He might be more dangerous than he appears."
Azula nodded. This had been a waste of time, all that her uncle had told her was that he didn't know anything for certain, and things she had already guessed herself. She was about to send her uncle and friend away when Ty Lee spoke once more.
"You can see auras too?" She asked, surprised. Azula looked over at her friend. She had up until recently assumed that all her friend's talk of auras was nonsense, and when she had agreed about Sokka she had begun to think that maybe there was more to it than she had given credit.
"Yes, technically, but the more accurate term is chi. Aura is just the…" Iroh waved a hand around vaguely, "overall feel of a person's spirit. Chi is life energy that flows through the body. It looks different for every person, as I'm sure you know. I don't open my third eye very often anymore, mostly just when I want to see what kind of person someone is."
Azula rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm sure you too will enjoy the finer points of whatever you're talking about, but you will talk about it somewhere else. I appreciate your wisdom, uncle, but now I'm tired and ready for bed."
Azula ushered them out the door, and Iroh picked up the teapot to bring with him. Azula flagged down a pair of soldiers and had them remove the table. After they had departed she allowed a pair of servants to remove her armor. She did not always rely on them to do so, but it was so much more enjoyable to be waited on than to do things herself. She ordered them to draw her a bath, and once it was ready she enjoyed a leisurely soak. She let the hot water soothe her worries. She would capture the Avatar, and her brother. And that stupid Water Tribe prince who had said she wasn't a monster. Why had she even started to mention that to Iroh? It was silly, she had to stop worrying about such childish things.
She pondered the conversation Ty Lee and Iroh had. He had said that with the third eye you can see someone's spirit, and learn what kind of person they are. She thought back to the previous day, when Zhao was speaking to Sokka. She had thought that Sokka was searching for something in the Admiral, and she didn't understand what it was. Then when their eyes had met, and the void inside of him had filled, he seemed sad. As if whatever he had seen there had upset him somehow. Looking back, had she seen pity in those eyes? Surely not. How could he pity her? She had everything.
Even if he had the third eye, it didn't mean much did it? Although… If Iroh had spoken the truth and it did let you see what kind of person someone was, then it would help one thing make sense. Sokka had declared that she was not a monster, he checked. He had seen her with his third eye, and he didn't seem to think…
Azula huffed and got out of the tub. She dried herself by raising her temperature through firebending. She was determined to go to sleep that instant and not dwell on things that didn't matter. She was going to capture her brother, and the Avatar, and his Water Tribe friends too. She decided that she was going to shoot Sokka full of lightning for no reason other than she felt like it.
Author's note:
The words Hakoda says to Sokka by the sea are a quote from Saint Paul, Corinthians 13:11. The man who added onto it much later was C.S. Lewis. I wish I was wise enough to come up with something like that on my own, but I'm not. At least, not yet.
