Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support. It means a lot. Anyway, please enjoy and review!
On the High Seas, 100 AC, a few days after the battle at Ba Sing Se
Lu Ten looked in the mirror and froze for a moment. He felt like he had seen a ghost. Looking into his own eyes he was shocked how much he looked like he did before his imprisonment. The only difference was the scar on his cheek and maybe the expression in his eyes.
After Hakoda and his men had captured a Fire Nation ship, Sokka had suggested that he should act as the captain in case they were stopped by another ship, since he, no surprise, looked the most Fire Nation -like. Sighing he had agreed and retreated to the captain's cabin. He needed the captain's armor for this theater. The firebender was surprised how well it fitted. The next step was to take care of his hairstyle and beard. He couldn't mimic a Fire Nation captain while looking like an Earth Kingdom man. By now his hands were moveable enough that he was confident about shaving himself. So, he had cut his hair shorter, binding it into a topknot and shaved much of his beard off, leaving only small sideburns. He ran a hand over his freshly shaved chin. Indeed, if somebody who knew him back then would see him, they might really think they saw a ghost.
Now dressed for the task, he went out of the captain's cabin. On his way out of the ship's interior, he stopped in front of one door. He opened it slightly with his bandaged hands and looked inside. The boy was still unconscious, but Lu Ten was relieved when his breathing had become more regularly. He smiled slightly at the peaceful sleeping Avatar and closed the door again. The fact that his cousin was responsible for the kid's almost death had put him in great misery. He asked himself over and over again if there had been something he could've done, even though he knew it was a pointless question. Lu Ten took a deep breath and went on deck.
Sokka sat there, Toph and Katara next to him, Momo playing around them. Toph was the first to recognize him, she turned around and greeted him, "Hey there, Sifu Hotman."
This caused the Water Tribe siblings to also turn towards him, they froze for a minute at the sight. Then both smiled and Sokka said, "Wow, you really do look like Fire Nation, Lu Ten."
Lu Ten raised an eyebrow, "I'm curious why that might be the case, Sokka.", he said sarcastically. Katara giggled as Lu Ten took a seat next to them, "So, what is the plan now that we're out of that bay?"
Katara spoke, "The first thing that needs to happen is that Aang wakes up. Before that we can't decide that much. By the way, Lu Ten, should I give your hands another healing session?"
Lu Ten knew how exhausted the teenage waterbender was from healing Aang, so he shook his head, "No, Katara, my hands are okay. Please focus on Aang. He needs each healing session he can get.", everyone was a bit surprised at that, but they said nothing about it.
A few weeks later
Lu Ten was standing on deck and looked over the calm ocean, Hakoda and Bato stood beside him, the two of them petting Momo. Over the last few weeks, the Water Tribe men and the Fire Nation prince had become quite good friends. He shared a lot of deep talks, especially with Hakoda, and they found that they had a lot in common. Lu Ten found that he could talk about a lot of things with the chief he couldn't possibly talk with one of the teenagers. The chief on the other hand was surprised that a Fire Nation royal could show so much sympathy and humbleness. He noticed how much Lu Ten blamed himself for Aang's fate and tried to give solace to him. It had also surprised him how young that guy actually still was. He hadn't looked like it in his Earth Kingdom attire. The beard had hidden it somewhat, but now he knew that Lu Ten was only 27. Still, he had already been through much. Seven years of imprisonment without any light had clearly taken a toll on him and the unsure fate of his wife and child nagged constantly on him. That his family was responsible for this whole war also did not help. And his cousin's betrayal of his father was only the last point on that list. Yet, he stood straight, ready to fight his own nation for the good of the world.
Suddenly they heard a noise behind them. It was a light voice, almost whispering, "Momo?". The three men turned around and smiled. Aang stood in the doorway, leaning on his staff. The lemur and the other teenagers were already on him. Slowly the men also walked over, but before they could join the group, the avatar collapsed and Katara caught him.
Lu Ten was instantly worried about the boy and fastened his pace, but Aang woke up just a few moments later. Apparently, the sudden change of environment was too much for the injured boy. His eyes widened in fear when he saw Lu Ten. The avatar shrieked back when the firebender came closer. Katara shook his shoulders while Lu Ten's worries grew. The Water Tribe girl tried to calm the airbender down, "Aang, it's ok. That's just Lu Ten, nothing to be afraid of. Just Sifu Lu Ten, remember?", the boy needed a few moments to get out of his fear's grip.
The firebender knelt down on one knee beside the boy, "Good to see you, Aang. How do you feel?", his voice was filled with compassion and sorrow.
The monk thought about it for a few moments, "Honestly, it's all a bit much at the moment. I feel a bit dizzy.", Lu Ten smiled at that. At least the boy was alive, and he was in his right mind. That was a good sign. Hope flowed through his veins, a feeling he did not have often these days.
His good mood got a little bit tainted when he noticed that Hakoda and Katara were having an argument, almost all the aggression originating from the girl. She was obviously mad at him, an annoyed look appeared on her face as he left. She then turned to Aang and led him towards the cabins to give him another healing session, Lu Ten looking worriedly behind them. He wondered why she had acted this way. What could Hakoda have done to deserve that? The firebender rose and decided that he would speak to his friend later.
Later that day Sokka was sitting at a crate on deck, explaining to Aang everything that had happened since his unconsciousness and also, his modified invasion plan. Lu Ten only listened with half an ear, though he noticed that Katara was still angry at her dad, which still puzzled him. He already knew about the invasion plan, but he had also seen its flaws. During the planning he had told them about everything he knew about the defense mechanisms of the island, the city and the palace. Still, there was the possibility that there were new ones he didn't know of. Yet, what worried him the most about it was the relative short length of the eclipse. Only a few minutes. They would have to be exactly on time, if the plan should succeed. Also, there was the problem with the bunker. His uncle could be in the palace, which was itself not a small place, but he could also hide in the bunker beneath the city which was an outright labyrinth. With so little time, how should they find him fast enough? And there was the Azula problem, and maybe the Zuko problem. He didn't know if he would have the guts to fight his baby cousin, certainly Azula, but maybe Zuko not so much. Sokka threw his doubts out of the window. With Aang and him as "secret weapons", everything would be fine. Lu Ten sighed. Maybe the boy was right. Maybe his uncle would be proud enough to just sit in his throne room. Then again, Lu Ten thought, his uncle was not dumb by any means, he probably would rather spend a few minutes in the bunker. Anyway, he would go with them until the end. When he had held the unconscious avatar in his bandaged hands, he had sworn to himself that he would do anything to protect these kids from any further damage the best he could.
Suddenly a call echoed on board, another Fire Nation ship was seen. It headed towards them and would probably stop by. Lu Ten remembered the role he had to play and straightened himself. The teenagers and animals hid below deck and in doorframes and Hakoda and Bato put on helmets to disguise their Water Tribe hairstyles. The firebender noticed Katara holding Aang back, who apparently wanted to fight the other ship. He was by no means ready to do so though. As he was hidden securely, Lu Ten walked up to the railing, Hakoda and Bato behind him. As the other ship stopped, he opened a piece of it, so the others could lay down a bridge between the metal made ships.
Three men walked over it. Lu Ten greeted them respectfully with the traditional Fire Nation bow and smiled friendly at them. "Greetings, dear Comrades. May I ask, why you stopped us, Captain?"
The other officer was not nearly as polite, "Commander, why are you off course? All Western Fleet ships are supposed to be moving toward Ba Sing Se to support the occupation!"
Lu Ten didn't stop smiling at him, "Well, Captain, you seem to be wrongly informed. We belong to the Eastern Fleet. We were ordered to deliver some cargo to support our forces around the colonies."
"Aha,", the other officer said, "Eastern Fleet. Next time, Admiral Chan could let us know that he was sending one of his ships our way. It doesn't seem too hard to send a hawk with a note our way, does it?"
Lu Ten bowed slightly, "I'm sure, he meant no disrespect, Captain. Maybe he just forgot. The Admiral is a busy man."
"Next time, we'll send two hawks to make sure you get the message.", Hakoda added. Lu Ten thought, well, it was funny, but this kind of humor was so uncommon for Fire Nation Officers.
The other officer turned on his heel, "What did your second-in-command just say?", suddenly the tension in the air was almost touchable.
Lu Ten stepped in between the officer and Hakoda, "He meant no offense, Captain. My men's discipline is none of your concern. If you would leave this ship now, I'm sure Princess Azula hates waiting.", his voice was not raised, but the tone was so cold and the words spoken so precise, like the arrow of a Yuyan-Archer, it ran shivers down the spine of everyone else.
Hastily the three officers turned around and walked towards their ship. Just as they were on the bridge between the ships Toph heard them say, "Sir, Admiral Chan has been on leave for two months at Ember Island.", afterwards his Captain answered, "What? Why doesn't anyone ever tell me such things? Something's not right, they should've known that. I think this is a captured ship. Just stay quiet until we're safely across the ramp. Then we'll sink this ship.
Toph stood up and shouted, "They know!", Lu Ten instantly reacted and knocked all three off the bridge with a firebending kick. Then he and Hakoda quickly got rid of the ramp. Katara separated the ships with a great wave, and they took off quickly. The other ship began firing fire balls at them, to which they answered with Toph throwing boulders they had in store. On a whim, Lu Ten set some of them on fire before she would throw them at their enemies with the help of the Duke as guide.
Suddenly a shiver ran through the ship as the other crew had fired a harpoon through its bottom. Katara quickly noticed the water flowing in and turned it into ice. She then created a fog screen for coverage. A stray fireball still managed to hit the boulders Toph had been using though. The situation just got critical, Lu Ten thought. Now they were pretty much helpless. Just in that moment a giant sea serpent rose in between the ships. Luckily, it wrapped itself around the other ship, and Lu Ten and the others were able to escape. The Fire Nation Royal wiped the sweat from his forehead. He turned to Hakoda, "Well, that was close."
A while later they stopped at a Fire Nation port. Aang was still in his room, so Lu Ten and the teenagers went down to see him. Toph began, "Hey, Aang! We're going into town to find us some dinner."
The monk clutched his stomach, "Well, I'm pretty hungry. Maybe dinner's a good idea."
"Here! Tie this around your head. It will cover your arrow.", Sokka said, holding out a Fire Nation bandana.
The Avatar laid back down, "I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly!"
Lu Ten sighed inwardly, of all times he chose now to be a child and throw a tantrum. He took a step towards the boy, "Aang, come on. If you don't want to come with us that's fine, but then you'll have to make do with what's on the ship.", he hoped that the boy's hunger would win this fight for him. It did not. Katara then ushered them out to talk with Aang alone. Since she too joined them after a while without the Avatar, Lu Ten and the others knew that her efforts ended unanswered.
He knew a little restaurant in this very town from one of his deployments. It charged military personal only half the price, so, he took the bill on himself for all of them. The meal was very quiet. Everyone was brooding, the Avatar's bad mood had tainted their own mood as well. As he paid, Lu Ten saw something interesting in the back of the restaurant. There hung a portrait on the wall, some incense burning in front of it. It was a portrait of himself. His lips curled into a tiny smile, he thought, I guess I'm still popular. As to prove him right, the woman behind the counter stared at him, then at the portrait, then back at him. She was middle-aged and a bit plump. Just as he gave her the money, she grabbed his hand and pulled him down, so she could whisper in his ear, "Your Royal Highness, Prince Lu Ten, it is you, isn't it?", he smiled nervously, wanting to neglect it, wanting to point to the scar in his face, but was interrupted by her, "I knew it, you couldn't be dead. But don't worry, your secret is safe with me, I understand why you as the true heir to the throne need to conceal your identity. But rest assured, there are more people behind you than you might think."
Lu Ten blinked a few times at this. Then he smiled at the woman and bowed before her, "Thank you, Miss. I'm sure my secret rests well with you."
When they returned to their ship, Lu Ten retreated to his cabin. He laid down on the bed and thought about this day. More people would back him then he might've thought. Okay, maybe his uncle was not so great at interior politics as he was in the war efforts. If people would resort to believe in the return of a presumed dead prince, the actual living must be uncomfortable at an average at least. He wondered if people were starving without imported rice from the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation was many things, but it didn't exactly amount a great mass of land in one bit. And with many young men at war, the elder ones having returned, possibly even maimed by it, there were only a few with enough time to work on the fields.
Suddenly he was shaken from his thoughts as someone ran through the ship. Quickly he got up and out of his door, following the running person on deck. There he saw a crying Katara in her father's arms. For a moment he stared at both of them. Then he quickly looked away and went over to Bato, who stood a bit in the distance. The warrior didn't know what was going on as well, so both waited for the girl to stop crying. Inevitably Lu Ten overheard a bit of their conversation. It grew a lump in his throat. Of course, she felt hurt by her father's absence, even though she understood why he had to go. He wondered anxiously if his child would feel the same. He had never been there, not one day. Yet, I still miss you, he thought.
Later he and the others learned that Aang had taken his glider and taken off. He sighed; how should they find him now? Most likely he would drown in the ongoing storm. He thought, that kid will be the end of me.
They discussed a while if and how they should search for him. In the end, the teenagers and Lu Ten boarded Appa and went off towards the nearest islands. One of them was Crescent Island, where Avatar Roku's temple once was. Lu Ten was surprised to see it destroyed, but Sokka explained that it was the spirit of Roku himself that destroyed the temple.
Then they saw a tiny figure, laying on the black rock of the volcano. No one said anything, but they quickly flew towards it. It really was the Avatar. Lu Ten turned the boy on his back and Momo started licking his face. As the monk opened his eyes he saw the entire group around him, and their worried faces turn into smiles. Katara ran up to him and hugged him, "You're okay!", and the rest of the group joined the hug.
"What are we going to do now?", Aang asked.
Sokka answered, "We'll join my dad and the invasion force the day of the eclipse, for the rest of the time, we'll hide right under the Fire Lord's nose."
Toph added, "And you don't think that you'll get out of your training, just because you came to the Fire Nation, did you?", which made everyone chuckle.
Lu Ten then raised his bandaged hands, "And we'll proceed to firebending training level two, now with hand movements.", he said, moving his bandaged fingers quickly, earning him a jab in the left arm from Toph. "Ouch!", he exclaimed, rubbing his arms, which made everyone laugh.
Aang then noticed his destroyed glider washing up. He quickly took it and stuck it into the still flowing lava, burning it, "It's okay. It would just give away my identity, if someone was to see it.", the kid still looked very sad, so Lu Ten quietly laid a bandaged hand on his shoulder, comforting him. The Avatar looked at his firebending teacher appreciatingly and Lu Ten smiled back at him.