Chapter Fifteen

Stupid Games

Zuko looked at his map. Sugar Foot continued walking. He had been trying to get her to respond to a different name during the week after leaving Gaipan, but he had no luck. She seemed to have a moral opposition to responding to a one.

He rolled his map up and put it away. They were following a road that ran parallel to a river, and at the end of it should be a town he could spend the night in. So far his journey hadn't had any more complications. He had passed by Pohuai Stronghold and skirted along the western edge of the Great Divide.

He didn't have much further to go until he made it to his rendezvous point. The port that he and his uncle decided on was as close to the north pole as you could get. Uncle had been sure that Zhao would stop there to resupply and build his armada. The plan needed Zuko to get there first, a challenging feat, but Uncle was sure that Zhao would make many stops along the way.

As Sugar Foot carried on her relentless pace, a town wall appeared in the distance. It wasn't terribly formidable, but it served its purpose well enough. Zuko noticed that there didn't seem to be many soldiers stationed here, if any. He assumed that this meant that the town was either neutral or in Earth Kingdom control.

He entered the town and approached a blue clad man drawing water from a well. "Is there some place I can find lodging for the night?"

Zuko climbed off of Sugar Foot and took the reins in hand. His ostrich-horse nuzzled him affectionately and he pushed her head away. She trilled in disappointment and Zuko grit his teeth before scratching her neck. The animal became sad if he didn't pay her attention often enough. She would move slowly until he did.

The blue garbed gentleman smiled warmly at Zuko. "I'm sure Aunt Wu would let you stay with her for the night. She has plenty of room."

"Uh, I meant more like an inn. I don't want to trouble your aunt." Zuko said, and he rubbed the fuzz of hair that had grown in the past week. It had been two weeks since he'd last shaved his head, and he was unused to the growth.

"She's not my Aunt!" Laughed the man. "We just call her that. She's the town fortune teller."

Zuko looked at him skeptically. The man smiled some more, and Zuko mused that he must get sore from the expression. The man pointed to the nearby mountain, it was smoking slightly, and spoke again. "We used to send someone up the mountain to check if the volcano would erupt, but since she moved to town she's correctly predicted it every year, so we don't bother anymore."

Zuko looked up the mountain and back at the man. Were they seriously relying on a fortune teller to save them from volcanic destruction? The Fire Nation had specially trained benders to sooth volcanoes, and even then they didn't take them lightly.

"I guess I'll stay with Aunt Wu. If she has room I mean."

"Oh she does alright, she told me this morning that she was expecting someone. An important guest 'walking on candy'. I don't know exactly what that meant, but you're the only traveler to have come today!"

Zuko blinked, but followed the man. Sugar Foot remained in place, and Zuko blushed. Why did she have to have such an embarrassing name? "Come on, Sugar Foot."

The villager snickered at that and said "I guess that explains the candy."

Zuko sat in a fine waiting room. The sliding walls and doors were made from rice paper stretched between a lattice of light wood. A young girl came in and bowed to him.

"I'm Meng," She said, and then seemed to grow nervous. She peered under the hood of Zuko's cloak. "How big are your ears?"

"What? Why do you want to know that?" He asked, perplexed at the question. Meng blushed and touched her fingers together nervously. "Aunt Wu said I'd marry a man with big ears. I couldn't see yours so I thought maybe…"

Zuko looked at this girl, she had to be what? Ten years old? He shook his head. "Never mind how big they are. We're not getting married."

The girl looked slightly offended, and Zuko figured he could've been less rude. But stil, young girls asking to see his ears so they could know if they would get married was a bit ridiculous. Meng stormed off, seemingly offended. As the girl left, a door slid open and a middle aged woman came into the waiting room. She approached Zuko and bowed in greeting.

"I am Aunt Wu," She said. "I have been expecting you."

"Is that so?" Zuko said, eyeing her warily. Did she know who he was?

"Yes. I received a vision of a scarred young man with a difficult future ahead of him."

Zuko lowered his hood. If she really knew about his scar, she wouldn't react the way most people did when they first saw it. He watched her carefully, and she didn't react in the slightest. She just looked at him. In time he looked away,

"Would you like to have your fortune told?" She asked him. Zuko shook his head.

"No," He said. Zuko didn't particularly believe in fortune telling. The idea that someone could see into the future was too far-fetched for him. Even if she could, he doubted that whatever was in store for him would be any kinder than what he had already lived through.


"Did you really not know who I was the other day?" Yue asked. She and Sokka were standing on a balcony overlooking the city. It was part of the wing that served as the living quarters of the royal family. Sokka, Katara, and Aang had been given rooms on that level as a gesture of goodwill.

"Uh…" Sokka said, slightly embarrassed. He wasn't sure what to say. Should he admit that he truly hadn't known? Or should he try and play it cool and say he had, and that he had just been playing with her? He opted for the latter. He found that he liked Yue, and was hoping to hide the fact that he could be an idiot sometimes. At least, he wanted to put that discovery as far in the future as he could.

"No. I definitely knew who you were." He said, and his voice cracked. He blushed and smiled awkwardly. Yue looked at him with an eyebrow raised and her arms crossed. She could see right through his lie, and she clearly wasn't impressed. "You're a terrible liar, Sokka."

Sokka sagged. It was true, he wasn't usually good at deception. He could pull it off very well when he entered the void, but in his natural state he had no prowess. He looked at his fiance sheepishly, and she was clearly struggling not to smile at the expression.

"I… was trying not to look like an idiot." He said.

"Well, try harder next time." His sister's laughing voice came from behind him. He turned to see her and Aang walking side by side as they returned from waterbender training.

"Katara!" He said indignantly. Yue chuckled at his reaction. He turned back to her, and was a touch upset. Why was everyone ganging up on him?

"You didn't look like an idiot, I thought it was sweet." Yue said. "I was worried that you'd be arrogant or mean, but meeting you when you didn't know who I was showed me otherwise."

Sokka smiled, his mood soothed. Katara and Aang went inside and left them alone on the balcony once more. Sokka wanted to get to know her better, to learn what kind of person she was. He thought for a moment, before asking her a question. "What's your favorite thing to do?"

"I like reading poetry!" She said instantly. Sokka was surprised at the quick response. He didn't have time to reply before she continued on, "The Grand Tribal Library has an extensive collection! We have works from all over the world, even some ancient Air Nomad manuscripts! There is a book I like from the airbenders especially, but it's not just poetry, it has some philosophical texts as well! It was written by a man called Guru Laghima!"

"Really?" Sokka said, amused by the irony. To think that his future wife would like the works of a man who had mentored him in the spirit world. "I know about Laghima. He reached enlightenment and unlocked the secret of weightlessness, and lived the final years of his life without touching the ground."

Yue smiled with delight at the revelation. "You've read some of his work?"

Sokka shook his head. "No, I met him when I was in the spirit world. A couple of times actually."

Yue looked at him skeptically. "Ha ha. Very funny."

"I'm serious!"

"Okay." Yue said. She clearly didn't believe him.

"Aang!" Sokka called out. Yue blinked in surprise. Why was he calling for the Avatar? Was he trying to get him to convince her of the story? In seconds the young man walked out, his lemur wrapped around his head.

"What's up? Do you want me to perform your wedding ceremony?" He asked.

"What? No, that's not what I called you for. Besides, Yue's not old enough yet. We have to wait for her birthday next month, and probably a while after that."

Yue blinked. Sokka knew when her birthday was? She hadn't realized… who had told him?

"What day is your birthday?" Katara asked Yue, having followed Aang to see what the commotion was about. She was going to answer, but then she thought better of it. Did Sokka know the actual day, or had he just known the month? She looked at him hopefully, curious if he would answer the question.

"The nineteenth day of the second month." He said when he saw Yue looking at him. She smiled, and wondered when his birthday was. She had to ask Katara later. She felt a little shy, now that he knew hers and she couldn't say the same of him. "Anyway, since you guys are here, tell Yue that I've been in the spirit world and met Guru Laghima."

"He has in fact done so, yes." Aang said.

"Well that's… cool." Yue said. "How come you were in the spirit world?"

"Oh I… well never mind that. It's a long story and I'd rather not get into it just yet." Sokka said, looking away awkwardly. He would in time tell her about his arrangement with the Face Stealer, but he would rather wait until they got to know each other better.

"Uh.. okay. What was he like?" She asked.

"He's alright, I guess. Kind of cryptic sometimes, but he's pretty wise."

"Well, he was a Guru." She said. Sokka nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Aang and I are going to our healing lesson with Yagoda. You two have fun." Katara said, before taking Aang by the hand and dragging him away. Sokka bid them good luck before turning his attention to Yue again.

"So where is this library? I've never been to one before, so I'm kind of curious."

"I can take you now if you want." Yue said, with a small frown. What had he meant? Didn't they have libraries in the south?

"That'd be great!' Sokka said with a smile. The two of them left the palace and headed across the city to the library.


Zuko hiked up the mountain. He had left early that morning, right as the sun began its endless trek across the sky. The small town had an admirable beauty to it when bathed in the soft clean light of morning.

He had felt the fire of the volcano through his bending, and it did not seem very restful. In fact, Zuko would have bet that without intervention the mountain would erupt. The townspeople might have thought it safe to leave it to fate, but Zuko and fate didn't get along so well. So Zuko had decided to take a look.

He wasn't particularly sure what he would do if he found the volcano ready to erupt, but he'd figure something out. He had read extensively on the theory behind a few rare firebending techniques after his mother had vanished. It was about all he could think to do to try and bridge the gap between him and Azula. She was natural, and he wasn't. She just instinctively understood the discipline.

Zuko had been envious, and in his attempts to catch up he had spent months reading dusty old scrolls on rare and complicated forms of firebending. He hadn't found any on lightning, but he had found some on others. For example, Firelord Sozin had written a treatise on the siphoning and directing of heat. He claimed to use the skill to fight a volcano, and modern volcano soothers read it regularly. He had also read the theory behind combustion bending, but the problem with those fields, with all firebending really, was that you couldn't learn it from scrolls. Not completely.

Zuko crested the lip of the caldera, and found himself filled with a grim satisfaction. The volcano was filled with furious and roiling lava. It was like a sea of fire in a hurricane. How had it not blown already?

Zuko grimaced and groaned inarticulately. He turned to race down the mountain and felt the earth shake. He stopped and his eyes widened. He didn't have time to get down to warn the village, or to escape on Sugar Foot. The mountain was going to blow in the next hour if he didn't do something.

Zuko paced around the caldera, thinking as fast as he could. He thought back to the theory behind volcano soothing. Basically, all that he had to do was channel the heat stored inside of the lava out into the air. This would cause the top layers of the volcano to cool and solidify, and the more heat he could draw the less internal pressure would be left in the mountain.

According to Sozin's On heat and Motion, heat was essentially the weakest form of fire. All firebenders could create and control heat inside their bodies, and outside with their flames. Sozin had written that a skilled enough firebender could siphon away the heat from external sources and cool an object, and redirect the energy into the air. All Zuko had to do was redirect the heat out of the volcano and into the air. How on earth was he supposed to guide energy?

An idea came to him then, and Zuko grit his teeth. He didn't know if it would work, but he had to try. It was better than old bones; better than nothing. Zuko climbed atop the caldera's edge and extended an open hand towards the lava. It was just a few feet away, right below the rim of the crater. As skilled of a firebender as he was, he could barely stand the heat. Zuko closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He took hold of the heat and guided it through his body, just as his uncle had taught him to do with lightning.

To Zuko's amazement, it was working! When he opened his eyes again he could see a thick cloud of steam forming in front of him as the condensed heat from his hand met the moisture in the air. It stretched out and began to drift down the mountainside.

He didn't know how long it would take to drain the heat of a mountain, and he didn't intend to drain it fully. It took a team of highly trained benders weeks to soothe a volcano. He didn't need for it to be soothed, just to give him enough time to warn the locals and get away. Zuko maintained his post for five minutes, and then ten. Twenty minutes passed. He turned his head towards the lava, and saw that it had receded and cooled.

He smiled, the entire caldera had returned to stone. He lowered his arms. They wouldn't move. They remained locked in place as the energy of the volcano coursed through him. Zuko's eyes widened in horror. He couldn't move, he was stuck in place as he guided the energy.

Zuko racked his brain trying to think of a solution. His uncle hadn't said anything about this, but that was probably because he had never attempted to redirect the fury of a volcano! Only Zuko could be this stupid, it was common knowledge among firebenders that it took years of special training to calm a volcano.

Zuko couldn't think of a solution. He knew that when redirecting lightning the process wasn't over until all of the electricity had left his body, but with lightning there was a lot less energy to redirect. It seemed to him that all he would be able to do was sit and wait for either the heat to be fully redirected, or wait until the energy was weak enough for him to break the process. He had played a stupid game, and now he had gotten his prize.

Zuko wondered, for perhaps the thousandth time since he discovered the Avatar, why the universe hated him.


Sokka was enthralled by a book of haiku from Ba Sing Sei. He could really get into this poetry thing, if this book was anything to go by. He was delighted by these simple yet elegant poems. To think that such beauty could be found in a mere seventeen syllables. He decided to read one allowed to Yue.

"Ever reaching shoots. Nature's beauty dwells within. Unending green life."

"That's terrible." She said, without looking up from her scroll. "What's it called?"

"It's called Bamboo, and it's not terrible." Sokka said, crossing his arms.

"Yes it is. It's a haiku: They're all terrible." She said, this time looking at him with a wry smile.

"Well then what do you think is good?" He asked, trying not to be offended. She scrunched up her nose in thought before finding the answer to his question.

"Pretty much anything that isn't a haiku."

Sokka snorted in amusement. He decided right then that he would compose a haiku to change her mind. "Alright. I've decided that I'm going to work tirelessly until I can write one that you enjoy."

Yue raised her eyebrows. "Is that so?"

"It most certainly is. Why don't you like them anyway?"

She shrugged. "It's not like I hate them. I just think it's reductive to try and sum up a thing in so few words."

"Huh. I kind of like the simplicity. I think it's elegant how they can express something beautiful in just seventeen syllables." Sokka said while rubbing his chin.

"I never thought of it that way." Yue said. She leaned back in her chair and looked into the near distance as she considered his words. Sokka watched her face as she thought, and he was sure that she would change her mind. She raised her hand and extended her finger. "You know, thinking about it now, I realize…"

Sokka beamed at her and leaned forwards, eager to hear her new opinion.

"... That I still don't like them." She said, and then laughed at Sokka's over dramatic reaction. He threw himself back in his chair and clutched his heart, before sliding to the ground.

"A more terrible blow I have never received! That one such as you would reject me so easily! My heart cannot take the strain; for how can I live when I have earned your ire?" He said as he lay on the floor. Other patrons looked at him curiously, before returning to their reading.

"That was pretty good actually." Yue said as she helped Sokka to his feet.

"Really?" He asked surprised.

"Yes, really." She said with a smile. Sokka's chest puffed out proudly. He didn't personally think it was any good, but if this was the kind of thing she liked then he would keep that in mind. He thought he could work with that, though he was surprised that she liked corny and over dramatic words like the ones he had used.

"Let's head back. It's nearly time for dinner." Yue said, before standing up. Sokka nodded in enthusiastic agreement, and they left the library to return to the palace. They had not been walking long before You spoke again.

"You said that you hadn't been to a library before. Don't they have any in the south pole?"

"Technically we do, although nobody's been to one in over thirty years." He answered. Yue stopped and looked at him in surprise. "What? Why?"

Sokka shrugged. "Well, we don't live in cities anymore. Once the Fire Nation captured our waterbenders my grandfather had them evacuated, and our tribe spread out across the continent."

Yue blinked. "So you don't have palaces in the south pole?"

"Are you kidding? I grew up in a block of ice. Because we're so close to the Fire Nation we have to spread out. Their siege engines are probably the most effective weapons they have, and if we don't congregate in large numbers the cost is too great for the Fire Nation to invade."

Sokka walked on the low wall on the side of the bridge they crossed over. When they reached the end of it, he jumped off and slid a little, but managed to keep his balance on the ice. He raised his arms triumphantly in the fashion of a gymnast, and bowed to Yue. She laughed and rolled her eyes at his antics.

"It must be hard to live there then, if you're so spread out."

Sokka shrugged and fell in step at her side. "It has its ups and downs. We're safe from the Fire Nation usually, but not always."

"What do you mean?" Yue asked him, her pale blue eyes filled with apprehension.

"There was a raid a few years ago. I don't think they knew whose village it was, if they had known that my family lived there they would've sent a larger force. They came and left so fast. It was over before we could do more than mount a defense. At first I was glad and proud that we fought them off so quickly, but that was before I knew what they had done. Who I had lost. My mother, they…" Sokka trailed off and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…" Yue began when she saw the sorrow on Sokka's face.

"It's fine, she's in a better place. I asked about her in the spirit world, and they told me that she had gone on."

"Oh, that's… I always wondered what-" Said Yue, "Well, you'll see her again one day."

Sokka nodded and wiped his eyes, hoping that she hadn't noticed the moisture. Her words gave him pause. She was right wasn't she? But why did he feel like that wasn't the case?

He again had the feeling that he had forgotten something important, but when he reached for the memory he couldn't find it. Had he hidden it away somewhere?

Sokka was torn from his thoughts when Yue took his arm and leaned against him. Sokka looked down at her in surprise. She blushed slightly when she met his eyes, and looked away quickly. She made to let go of him, thinking that maybe she had overstepped by showing affection so soon. He had only been in the city for a few days, but she really liked this boy. She wanted him to like her too, and after the day they had spent together she thought he did.

They were going to get married no matter what, but she hoped that they would have a real relationship, not just a political one. His look of surprise when she had taken his arm while they walked made her think maybe she was wrong, or maybe he wasn't ready just yet. Why had she done it now after he had told her what he had? She was so stupid, she couldn't read the situation. He was sad, he didn't need her to…

"I'm sorry," She said in a small voice. "I should've…" She should have what? Yue wasn't sure what she was about to say, but it didn't seem to matter, for Sokka took her arm and pulled her close to him again. A wide smile broke across her face.

"Don't be sorry, I was hoping that we could hold hands or something." He said, with that adorable crooked smile of his. Yue laughed before she asked him, "Is that the activity you wanted to do?"

"I just wanted to see you again, I didn't really have any plans in mind." He said, and Yue smiled dumbly. When Sokka saw the silly grin on her face he laughed softly.

"So, will you tell me about how you were captured by the Fire Nation princess?"


Zuko's muscle's burned. His back ached. He had been stuck in this position for hours, and only now that the sun had set did the stream of heat begin to wane. Zuko sagged in relief. He had siphoned so much heat away from the volcano that it had affected the weather, causing thick dark clouds to roll down the mountain and into the village. He wondered if the locals had noticed, or if they just brushed it off as fog.

Zuko concentrated with all his might, and finally managed to end the process of soothing the volcano. He let his arms drop. He fell to his knees, panting. He wasn't about to do that again anytime soon, he was sure. He looked towards the volcano, and to his surprise found that there was no heat left to emanate from the mountain. He closed his eyes and tried to feel for the fire that had burned within the earth but could feel none, as if he had fully soothed the thing.

That was impossible. It should have taken a team of highly trained firebender weeks to do. But, whether possible or not, Zuko couldn't sense anything from it. Perhaps this application of his uncle's technique was far more efficient than he had assumed. Zuko stood tall, feeling surprisingly pleased with himself. What he had done was incredibly stupid, no doubt about that, but he had managed to save this village.

Zuko turned and headed back down the mountain, exhausted though he was, he wasn't about to sleep up there. He slowly, painfully, made his way down the peak. The climb down took twice as long as the one coming up. He moved gingerly down the path, stopping often to rest his screaming legs. Despite his fatigue he pressed on, hoping that Aunt Wu would let him stay another night despite the late hour of his arrival.

After what felt like hours, Zuko finally made it back to the village. He staggered towards the well, hoping to soothe his thirst. He turned the crank, and when the bucket came up he drank deeply, sloshing water down his body. He sat against the well on the ground. He closed his eyes for a moment, and fell fast asleep.

Zuo awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window. He sat up. How had he gotten here? He had been at the well, hadn't he? He stood and stretched his sore muscles. Zuko was in exemplary shape, but spending hours stuck in a bendig stance wasn't part of his training regime. His thighs burned with every movement, but he forced himself to his feet. He found that he had been partially undressed, and his clothes were neatly folded.

Unfolding his clothes, he found that they bore scorch marks from his labors the previous day. He hadn't noticed before, or thought to look, but there were long burns stretching along the path that he had directed the heat of the volcano. Zuko inspected his body, but didn't find any marks on it. The heat must have affected his clothes while he had been protected by his bending.

He had to get new clothes, then. Traveling in these would arouse suspicion. He got up and put on his ruined shirt. He wasn't about to go around half naked to buy new clothing, so for the time being he would have to make do. He had lost an entire day, and he would have to push hard to make up for the lost time. Stepping out into the hallway, he recognised Aunt Wu's parlor. Had she been the one to bring him here?

"Good morning." Aunt Wu said, as she entered the hallway. Zuko bowed and greeted her in turn. He turned to go so that he might purchase new clothes for his journey, but he stopped when she spoke once more.

"You stopped the volcano." The woman said, and the banished prince turned to face her. "You knew it would erupt?"

The fortune teller nodded. "When I foresaw your arrival, my vision showed that you would calm the mountain. I know who you are, Prince Zuko."

Zuko stiffened. She knew his identity? Zuko was afraid of being recognized. He had a rather memorable appearance after all, but he didn't think that his description would be circulated to even the remote areas he was traveling through.

"Do not worry, I have no intentions of selling you out. I read your fortune while you were asleep, and I know that your future is too important to let harm befall you."

What did that mean? His future was too important to- Wait, he had specifically refused to have his fortune read, he did not want to know what the future might hold. He would rather wait and see. His eyebrows furrowed, and he clenched his jaw. "I said I didn't want my fortune told."

"And I'm not telling you. Surely you already knew what I had said? Or did you think that your future was unimportant? I don't need to remind you of who you are, surely."

Zuko scowled. Yes, he had known that already. He was heir to the Dragon Throne, and he was hunting the Avatar. He had never assumed otherwise, but why was this woman telling him he was too important to be harmed? Was she loyal to the Fire Nation? Or did she think that he was the best chance for peace? He had already vowed to end the war when he became firelord, but that was decades away. His father was only in his early forties, and Azulon and Sozin had both lived for more than a century.

"I have prepared new clothes for your journey, and more supplies for you and your ostrich-horse." Aunt Wu said, bowing slightly. Zuko's anger abated slightly. She didn't have to do that, but she had gone out of her way to help him. He was grateful. "Thank you."

"I also sent a message to your uncle, to tell him of your whereabouts."

Zuko gaped at her. How did this random fortune teller in the middle of nowhere have the means to contact his uncle? Why would she? Did she know him somehow?

Aunt Wu must have read Zuko's confusion, for she laughed. "I've met the general a time or two, we've played pai sho together on occasion. Here, I'm sure he'd want you to have this."

She handed him a pai sho tile, the lotus. Zuko raised an eyebrow skeptically. Despite his confusion, he was sure that Uncle would want him to take this. He shrugged, and left the fortune teller.

Zuko changed into his new clothes and donned his cloak, putting his hood up. He walked to the stable and saddled Sugar Foot. He mounted the animal and as he started their journey once more, a group of villagers snickered at him. Why were they doing that? What was so funny? Had Aunt Wu given him a shirt with an odd pattern? He looked down and saw that it was a simple brown like his previous one. Well, whatever they were laughing at it didn't matter. He had just saved their entire town, and the ungrateful peasants were laughing at him. Typical.

"Let's go, Sugar Foot." He said, and the mystery of what the villagers thought comical was solved. Upon hearing the name of his steed, the bystanders guffawed with laughter. Zuko blushed and raced out of town.


Admiral Zhao smiled to himself as he sat in his private quarters. His plan was working rather well. Zuko had been officially disowned and branded a traitor. He had gained Azula's trust. The fact that Iroh had begun to counsel her was an unexpected boon. That would make matters much easier when the time came.

He suspected that the Avatar had already taken refuge among the northern Water Tribe, and he had sent a message to his ally in Agna Qel'a. Soon he would receive the man's reply. His order had placed operatives in the inner circle's of government of the three great societies. The Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, and the Northern Water Tribe. There had been some in the Southern Water Tribe, but the Southern Fox had found them out after the woman revealed the location of the last waterbender. The raid to kill the waterbender had failed somehow, as the girl still lived.

How had their spy not known that she was the daughter of Hakoda? Maybe she had but chose not to reveal the identity of whose family she was. It hardly mattered now, all of their line had left the south pole, and Zhao knew where they would be. The First Son had been engaged to the Northern Princess, and his father would soon join him in the north. It was too bad for him, that when he got there he would find the Fire Nation had conquered the north and taken his children from him.

After Zhao conquered the north, he would be held as a legendary figure in the Fire Nation. With Zuko thrown out, all he had to do was remove Azula and Iroh. He would be next in line for Firelord, and then Ozai would have a little accident. When he became Firelord, true freedom would be brought to the world. Vaatu would be freed, and the world along with him.

Author's Note.

Hey all, I hope that you like this update.

I'm going back to work on Monday since I've recovered from covid and can speak without getting winded. I can stand and walk around for more than five minute now too, so that's good.

It might be a while until the next update. I won't have as much freedom as I've had, and I'm going to spend the near future re-writing and tightening up the early chapters. In addition to that, I think I'm going to change the name to something that doesn't imply that this is solely a Sokka fic, so don't get confused if you get an alert to a story you don't recognize.

I personally feel that I've gotten remarkably better since I started this in August, so I want to go back and improve the early chapters. Make things less clunky, come up with better analogies, make foreshadowing more obvious and edit out some things I noticed I write alot. (He blinked, this is ridiculous, etc.)