Zuko's heart skipped a beat when he heard the name. At that moment he was torn between running towards his Uncle, and running away. None of these options seemed to be winning at the moment, and he stood frozen behind Jeong Jeong until he heard:
"Zuko? Is that you?"
The voice was trembling with emotion, and suddenly he felt a lump in his throat. Jeong Jeong stepped aside to look at the teenager, not understanding, and doing so he unveiled the man to Zuko's eyes. Uncle Iroh. There he was, standing - or rather running, as he took off towards them the moment he saw Zuko's face.
The prince squeezed his eyes shut. He could fight anyone in the world, but not Uncle. Whatever he meant to do to him, he would accept. To his utter surprise, the next thing he felt was a tight embrace.
"Oh, Nephew! I was so afraid about you! Are you alright? I've heard you were injured?" The embrace has eased and Zuko opened his eyes to see his Uncle's face, full of worry, in front of him.
"Uncle... Are you not mad at me? But-"
"Prince Zuko. Don't ever say anything like this. I could never be angry with you."
Relief washed over the teenager, and he couldn't stop tears from coming anymore.
"But I have ruined everything... They caught me freeing the Avatar, and Father wants me dead. How can you even be here?" he asked as eyes widened with realization. He frantically looked around them, but the only person he noticed was Jeong Jeong, who was standing a few steps aside awkwardly. He looked back at his uncle, taking a step back "If anyone sees you with me, you'll be branded a traitor too!"
But Iroh just shook his head with a smile. "It doesn't matter, Nephew. There was nothing left for me in our country for a long time. The day I left it with you, I knew it could be my last day there, and I never regretted it. You know that since I lost Lu Ten, I..."
"Uncle-"
"I think of you as my own." he finished, and a tear welled up in a corner of his eye as well. He moved closer to him and put his hands on Zuko's shoulders "I was so worried about you, Nephew. Tell me, are you alright?"
The prince wiped his tears, and gave a tired sigh "I'm not sure. If you're asking about that wound from stronghold, it's healing alright."
"That's good to hear." Iroh said with a visible relief, but the boy actually slumped even more.
"But... I can't return home anymore. There is no more hope for me."
The quiet tone of voice, so unlike his nephew's, scared the old firebender. He caught his shoulders again, gaining his attention "No, Zuko! You must never give in to despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road, and you surrender to your lowest instincts."
He noticed the boy frowned and was about to retort, but he continued patiently "In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength."
Whatever response Zuko had earlier, died on his lips as he stared at his uncle, not quite comprehending.
"It's all very touching, but perhaps we could go back, instead of standing here like a sore thumb?" Jeong Jeong said suddenly with a sneer. They almost forgot he was still there.
Iroh chuckled at this "Charming as always. Fine, let's go."
It wasn't long since the General had left, but Jee was getting anxious as he stared at the riverbend where Iroh disappeared from their sight on the scouting unit. He knew that this meeting was personal, but it still bothered him that the Grand Master had gone there alone. At least Master Jeong Jeong was supposed to be there too, so it took off some of his worry.
He rubbed his hands, turning back to the deck. He noted grimly that the crew was also unsettled - they knew that they were now at the point of no return. Of course, if Zuko happened not to be there, they could still return to port without being any worse off than before. But if he was - and it was very likely the case - then they would be officially supporting a fugitive from now on. If anyone found out about it, the ship would be full of traitors. Iroh didn't exactly say what the next step would be, but everyone saw a perspective of their new exiled life. On this old, rusting ship, at the run of every other ship.
Then, as he swept the deck with his gaze again, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. He strained his eyes to see better through the sun's reflection on the sea's surface, and his heart skipped a beat. A ship.
To not waste any time, he raced onto the helmsman tower to take a look through the telescope, ignoring the crewmen unsettled by his sudden rush. There he quickly took a look at the ship, confirming that it was headed their way. They didn't have much time before it reached them, and there was no way of contacting Iroh. A sweat beads appeared on Jee's forehead. They could still lie, but it would be in vain as soon as Iroh showed up with Zuko.
He motioned to the confused helmsman to follow him as he went down the ladder, calling the crew over. "Listen, everyone. We're going to have guests here, so we need a plan. The ship's coming from the harbour's direction, so it's better to assume they know we're not supposed to be here. Which is why we're gonna have to give a solid reason as to why we've docked and convince them to leave before Iroh comes back. Any questions?"
"What if they attack?" the unnerved question came.
The thought was grim, and Jee couldn't say he didn't consider it, but he needed to maintain morale for now. "If it comes to this, we'll fight back. But they won't attack without evidence. And unless they see us with the Prince, they have no evidence. Do you understand?"
Everyone gave a reluctant nod, and Jee proceeded to share the plan, as the ship was getting closer.
The three firebenders hadn't gone far yet when suddenly Zuko stopped.
"Uncle? Since you're already here, perhaps we could just go back together...? There's no need to return to the Avatar."
"You would abandon your new friends without a word?" the deserter interjected spitefully, and Zuko turned his face away.
"They are not my friends." he retorted quietly.
However Iroh looked at him with sadness "I'm afraid it's not that easy now. Zhao's monitoring all the ships in the area, including ours. But we can talk about it later." he added, motioning for him to continue moving.
"I've heard he was promoted, huh?" Jeong Jeong wondered loudly.
"That he was. He's gathered a significant part of the fleet in this area, and I have a feeling that it's not just about a search for the Avatar." Iroh said grimly.
He looked at his nephew again, and noticed a scowl at his face. That sight was so much more familiar, that it actually reminded him one more thing to do.
"Ah, Nephew. I have something of yours!" he said happily as he reached under his cloak and retrieved a set of dao swords, wrapped in cloth. On this sight Zuko's heart picked up immediately. "I kept them on me in case-"
"My daos! How did you get them?" the teenager asked, astonished, immediately reaching for the package.
Iroh quickly handed them over to him, chuckling lightly. "Well, Zhao surely likes to brag. And I know how much they mean to you."
"Thank you, Uncle." he said gratefully, and paused before adding hesitantly "I'm really going to really need them."
These words disturbed the old general, and he asked immediately "What do you mean?"
"I've lost my bending, Uncle." the man was about to say something, but Zuko continued anxiously "I mean, not completely, but I can't create any fire. It's like I-"
"Like you've lost the source of your fire...?" Iroh asked with a worried look, and Zuko was surprised how he managed to phrase it so accurately.
"Well... Yes, I think so."
"I'm afraid I know what it's about." The old man gave Jeong Jeong an odd look and sighed. "It's actually about the nature of firebending itself. You should listen too, old friend."
"I've already heard your preachings, thank you very much." The deserter scoffed in response, "I'm really amazed that you can talk this way, considering you were in the military longer than I was."
Iroh was about to retort, but Jeong Jeong added "There. We're back. If you want to play the master, you're free to take up the Avatar as well."
He quickened his pace, leaving them alone at the camp entrance. Sokka quickly noticed the arriving party, and rushed to Katara. The girl had already been watching them, recognizing the old man as Zuko's uncle.
Zuko ignored them and looked at Iroh with visible confusion "What did you mean with that, Uncle?"
Iroh sighed, turned back to him, "Prince Zuko. For these past few years, how do you think, what fueled your fire?"
"You mean..."
"The anger. The rage. You've been cast out of your home and burdened with the impossible task of finding the Avatar. And while I know that this rage helped you push forward, as your master I failed to show you that you shouldn't rely on it, and I hope you can forgive me for it."
It shocked the prince even more "Forgive you?! Uncle! I would never think-"
"Don't. I know what I should have done long time ago, but I thought you weren't ready. Zuko." he came closer to his nephew and looked him in the eye "Fire Nation's grasp of firebending is deprived. You fueled your fire with rage because that's the way they teach it nowadays. And while determination, and power of will is important for firebending, the true meaning of fire is life itself." Iroh said with a serious look on his face, and the teenager was dumbfounded.
"Life...? What do you mean?" Zuko asked doubtfully, and suddenly he remembered his discovery about fire. "Actually, wait, there's something-"
"MASTER!"
They all looked around for the source of the alarmed voice, and noticed one of Lin Yee's tribe members. Jeong Jeong stormed back outside of his hut immediately.
"There is trouble! Riverboats are coming this way! We tried to stop them, but they have firebenders on board!"
Zuko quickly looked around, and he noticed a few small boats sailing in their direction. Both old generals looked at each other quickly.
"Were you followed?!" Jeong Jeong yelled at Iroh, who looked mortified.
"Of course I wasn't! Who do you take me for?"
"It doesn't matter now." Jeong Jeong answered grimly, and he turned away from the Avatar, who had already rushed to them as well.
"What's going on?" the kid asked them, with big eyes.
"There is no time. I'll stop them, and you, children, should get on that bison and flee while you can." The Deserter said to Aang, and without waiting for his response, he turned to Iroh. "You two should get out of here too, before they see you."
"No." the old man responded, as he turned to his nephew with pained expression "You should go with the Avatar."
A chorus of shocked voices called out in disbelief "What?!"
The prince especially couldn't believe what he was hearing "Uncle! You-"
"There's no time, Zuko." Iroh stressed, turning to the Avatar, "I know I have no right to ask this of you, but can you take care of my nephew a little longer?"
Aang saw his distress, and he immediately nodded with a smile. Zuko was about to protest further, when first fire missiles reached them. Iroh and Jeong Jeong immediately jumped to their defence, dispersing the fire.
"Uncle, I can fight too!" the prince wasn't giving up.
The airbender however caught his arm, asking "But you still cannot firebend, can you?"
"So what?" Zuko glared at him and reached for the swords he had just retrieved. Aang recognized the determined look on his face, and announced loudly "We'll all help! If we fight together then we'll beat them for sure!"
All the sisters in the abbey have been restless this day. A small group of eager sisters have began training airbending for actual combat. They started from sparings earlier in the morning under eye of Lhamo, who was trying to assess the skills they had, and the ones they were lacking. After that they went on with light exercises.
The other women who decided not to join the training for various reasons, have been packing everything they could take with them. The letters written by prioress were already sent trough couriers who were usually stopping by on their way every few days. They were addressed to the monastery where their men were hiding in similar manner to inform them about the events of recent days and the decisions they had made in their regards. They were still waiting for the word from the Southern Water Tribe, but it was decided that if there will be no news from Bato for two days, they will deem it as refusal and leave on their own.
It was one of reasons they were keeping watch in case Bato was coming back. Another, more urgent of their worries was whether the Fire Nation devil has already sent someone after them.
Mother Superior was back in her room after overseeing the training session. She had to admit it actually went better than she expected, although she was worried that she didn't have enough skill herself to be teaching them. She was the oldest among them all, the last one who was learning directly from experienced airbenders. After that, their skills were passed down in hiding for generations, without actually being put into use. She got carried away with her thoughts when she heard a commotion outside. She quickly went out and noticed one of the sisters assigned to keeping watch.
"Lhamo! Someone's coming!"
The old nun paled slightly hearing this, but she steeled herself immediately "Soldiers or someone of ours?"
"I'm not sure. But it's definitely not Bato. She's coming from the west."
"She?" Mother Superior asked, surprised. But the girl just shrugged helplessly in response. The prioress rushed to the gate to take a look as well, with the young sister following close behind.
When she was there, she saw a lone figure in the distance. It seemed female indeed, but there was something else about her that caught Lhamo's attention.
"Could it just be a client...?" the girl asked shyly, watching the newcomer closely.
Prioress however smiled in response. "No. That's not a client. One of letters won't find its recipient, but it's not a problem."
It took another minute, but finally the newcomer arrived by the gate. The woman looked distressed, but when she looked up, the prioress ran up to her.
"Lhawu! What are you doing here?" Mother Superior asked, offering other woman a hug, which she gladly returned. Lack of response worried her, and she pulled back a little to get a better look at her "You didn't say you were coming. Did something happen?"
"Not to me. But the Makapu village..." the woman replied, not daring to look her in the eye. "The volcano erupted. I should have sensed it, but I... They must have thought they were safe till the very end, I... I told them they were safe, and then I abandoned them in fear for my own life!"
The woman was crying openly, relying on her support now not to fall.
"Oh, Wu... Hush now, it's alright." Mother Superior stroked her hair calmingly.
"How can it be alright when-"
"No one was hurt in Makapu village." the prioress reassured her. Lhawu pulled back to look at her.
"What do you mean, sister?"
"The Avatar and his friends were here yesterday. They told us about what happened there. You don't have to worry, the Avatar has saved the village from lava. No one has suffered."
Wu sobbed again, but this time with the tears of relief "You have no idea how big burden you just took off my shoulders. Thank you. Thank the Avatar."
"Come on, let's head inside. I'm really happy to see you, but it's not the best time. The Avatar's visit had unfortunate consequences for us."
"What happened?" the woman asked with worry.
"I'm afraid it's a long story, but the short of it is, we need to leave the abbey. Someone from the Fire Nation found the Avatar here." Lhamo explained as she was leading her sister inside, but the woman stopped her, grabbing her arm.
"Wait, you said Avatar and his friends were here. Was there also a young man with a scar over his eye?"
"You mean Prince Zuko?" prioress asked confused.
"That was the Fire Nation Prince?!"
The old nun chuckled "Then it's a really long story, I guess."
The boats had been beached already, and a group of firebenders approached the shore, sending a barrage of fireballs their way. Iroh took a step forward, prepared to disperse them, but Jeong Jeong moved to the front next to him and created a large wall of fire in front of them, to which all Gaang (including Zuko) gasped in awe. The fireballs drowned in the flame wall as they reached it, and it seemed they were safe for a moment.
"Something's wrong." Iroh said suddenly. Jeong Jeong turned his head towards him, humming in agreement.
"That's true. It's too-"
Grumpy firebender didn't even finish his sentence, but suddenly the corner of his eye caught a burst of fire. It was too late, though. A concentrated blast of fire hit Aang in the back, sending him flying ahead. Jeong Jeong immediately cancelled his fire wall, so the kid wouldn't fall into it, and the boy sprawled on the ground in front of them.
"Aang!" Katara shrieked, throwing herself after her friend, and the rest of the group turned quickly to face the new threat.
"Well, well, well. Never in my life have I seen such a gathering of traitors! Even my old master is here, who would've guessed?"
Zhao mocked with a grin, preparing himself for another fire blast. Iroh instinctively wanted to position himself in front of Zuko, but he remembered about the enemies behind them. Their situation wasn't looking good - they were surrounded on both sides, and one quick look at the Avatar told the old man that the kid was unconscious and probably in need of medical attention.
"Take the Avatar and flee on the bison!" Iroh urged the group, turning to face the soldiers from the river bank. They were approaching carefully, and his instincts were telling him that they weren't much of a threat individually. However, they could still pose a danger to the children, especially now.
Sokka looked at the old general desperately, and quickly gave a nod. He knew that the bison whistle was currently on Aang, so he threw himself in the direction of his fallen friend.
Katara was with him already, assessing the damage. Fireball hit him in the middle of his back, leaving a nasty burn. Sokka knealed next to them, asking silently "How is he?"
His sister's eyes moved to look into his through the tears, as she whispered fearfully "I don't know."
The boy felt something clenching on his heart at that sight. "We need to get out of here." he said reaching for the whistle carefully, trying not to move Aang to much. Then he blew on it with all his might as soon as he found it, hoping that Appa was somewhere close by.
Zuko was watching them hesitantly. He wouldn't admit that he was concerned about the airbender, and he wasn't even sure if his friends would allowed him near him. Then another fireball hit close enough for the prince to feel its heat. He spun in its direction, seeing that it was blocked by Jeong Jeong.
"You think I'm gonna let them leave?" Zhao asked with a sneer.
Zuko grasped harder daos' handles in his hands.
"Time for a rematch"
He dashed towards admiral, only to be stopped brutally by Jeong Jeong tackling him on the ground.
"What do you think you're doing, boy?!" the old man yelled, and Zuko struggled to free himself.
"Let me go!"
Iroh spared them a panicked look. However, he couldn't join Jeong Jeong because the soldiers decided to use this distraction to attack, and he had to cover the Avatar and his friends from getting hit.
Nephew, don't!" he warned, hoping he could persuade the stubborn boy "You have to go with the Avatar! We'll hold them off with Jeong Jeong until you all get out of here safely."
"You'd be wise to listen to him once." Jeong Jeong made a comment in his usual biting tone, letting go of the teenager as he launched himself to block another blast from Zhao.
Still, Zuko didn't want to hear it "No! I'm not gonna leave without you, Uncle!"
"ZUKO!" it was probably the first time Iroh intentionally raised his voice on his Nephew "I don't WANT you to stay here with me, understand? It's too dangerous!"
Sokka looked up at the man who was currently standing in front of them, defending them from the firebenders. He didn't really like Zuko, and he certainly didn't like the idea of him being with them, but he recognized in Iroh's voice the tone of sheer fear for his own family.
Suddenly, they all heard the sound they had been hoping for - a bison's roar. Appa rushed at full speed, as if he sensed something was wrong with Aang. He darted close to the ground, aiming for Zhao, and the man barely avoided him, throwing himself on the ground.
Appa didn't waste any more time on him, as he landed right next to the group. That's when Sokka made a decision.
"Zuko! Help us carry him!"
Katara gave him a confused look. She was certain that her brother would manage to carry the kid himself, but at the moment all that mattered was to get them into safety.
Zuko was badly conflicted. He never expected the Water Tribe guy to actually call him to help, but in a split second he found himself kneeling next to the Avatar. Up close he could see the burn, and he flinched at the memory of the stinging pain it brings.
Sokka had already picked Aang up by his shoulders, being careful not to touch his back. Zuko picked him up by his legs, and they stepped onto Appa's tail. Bison quickly raised it so they could carry the kid onto the saddle, and Katara quickly climbed on its head, taking the reins.
Zuko noticed what was about to happen, and quickly leaned out of the saddle "Uncle!"
"It's alright! I'll find you again, Nephew!" Iroh promised with a smile, as the flying bison rose into the air. He couldn't help a tear that appeared in his eye; however, he had to turn his head away soon.
Jeong Jeong stepped closer to his friend. "Was your plan to get rid of them and go all out, or do you have something else in mind?"
Iroh scoffed silently. "I understand that you're touched by the meeting with your former student, but we shouldn't waste time here. Our ship is waiting at the mouth of the river."
"So I guess we'll have to break through."
The prince watched as the earth moved away from them, and the only thought in his mind was whether he would see his uncle again. His remorse told him that he should have stayed with his uncle and fought, that his place was next to his uncle, not with this group. But Iroh said he didn't want him there.
Finally he tore his eyes away from the ground and looked at the boys in the saddle. Sokka looked like he was on the verge of panic, as he didn't know much about medicine.
Zuko moved a little closer to take a look. A burn like this shouldn't be life-threatening, but it could easily get infected if not treated properly.
"We should cool the burn and wrap it up" he adviced, but the other teenager didn't move, so Zuko looked up, finding his intense gaze fixed on him.
"You have healed your wound with that fire-thing, haven't you?"
Confusion hit him at first, but he realized what the warrior meant.
"It actually seemed to work this way on me, but could it be done on others?"
"Come on! Your wound was even uglier, and you were up and running just a day after!" Sokka said reproachfully, adding more calmly "I know we're not exactly on friendly terms, but Aang saved you. You should try to do the same."
"It's not that easy!" Zuko said defensively.
Katara couldn't ignore the argument anymore, and she joined Sokka in the saddle, leaving Appa to choose the path freely.
"But do you know how to do it?" she asked him, and he felt like her gaze was burning a hole in him.
"I mean, theoretically..."
"So?" Sokka urged him, and Zuko snapped.
"What?! What do you want me to do, firebend at him? Even if it was safe, I can't create fire! I was using bonfire flames!"
The siblings shared a hopeless look, and Katara got up "Then all we can do is find-"
"Wait." the firebender grabbed her arm, stopping her in place "Maybe you can do it"
She gave him a confused look, and kneeled by Aang again. "How?"
"Maybe you it can be done with waterbending too. It's... Try to pass some of your energy to him through the water."
Sokka squeezed his eyes sceptically "Energy? What-"
"Wait. I think I might know what he means..." Katara said thoughtfully as she began to uncork her waterskin "Let my try."
She pulled some water out, and surrounding her hands with it, put them on Aang's wound. Then she closed her eyes in focus, and after a while her hands started to glow.
Sokka gasped at the sight, and Zuko kept staring at it with wonder.
"It's working. She's healing him... Could it be done on others with firebending too? But, touching someone with water is harmless in itself, and putting fire directly would cause burns..."
After a while she withdrew her hands, revealing the wound that had already become much paler than before.
"You did it!" Sokka cheered and Katara looked at her hands in wonder.
"I can heal...?" she smiled in delight.
Then Aang started to stir, and opened his eyes "What happened...?"
"We were going to fight those firebenders, but Zhao sneaked on us from behind and struck you with a fire blast. We had to take you and flee on Appa. Jeong Jeong and... Uh-"
"My uncle Iroh. They stayed to fight." Zuko finished quietly, looking away as a memory of the events haunted him.
"So you came with us too." Aang smiled at him, but the prince didn't react.
"Oh, and Katara discovered waterbending healing!" Sokka yelled with excitement.
"Wow, you're amazing!" the airbender beamed, and the girl blushed.
"Honestly, I probably wouldn't try it if Zuko hadn't said anything." she admitted.
The child smiled warmly, "So you've helped us again. Thanks, Zuko. See? We do make a good team!"
"Stop it." the prince hissed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I should have stayed with my uncle... He said he knows what's wrong with my firebending. What am I even doing here with you?!" he finished with a glare, making the whole Gaang shrink.
Sokka began to doubt whether he had made a good decision earlier, but then he frowned upon a thought that occurred to him.
"You're not being fair right now. Think about it. If your uncle and Jeong Jeong are so strong, they probably managed to defeat Zhao or at least get away from him. If he thought he could help you, wouldn't he just take you with him?"
Zuko wanted to retort, but what the Water Tribe guy said got him thinking as well. He looked on his daos that was lying in the saddle next to him.
"Uncle knows me, knows how good I am with swords. I wouldn't get in their way in fight, and I wouldn't slow them down in escape. Then why he wanted me to go with the Avatar...? Was that mention about the fire true meaning supposed to be all he had to say in regards to my problem...? 'Life'? What am I supposed to do with that?"
They were still waiting for his response in uncomfortable silence, and finally he admitted quietly "I think he would. Which means that I will have to figure out my problem on my own."
His change in demeanor worried Aang "Hey. Maybe we'll be able to help you with that somehow. Don't lose hope yet."
"It's-" Zuko began, but then he just sighed as he could already see where this discussion would go "Sure, whatever. Where are we going now?"
Sokka took a change of subject with relief, and he hurried to answer, "Well, the North Pole is our main goal. So we'll head north as far as we can above land, and then after a good rest, we'll start the most difficult part of the route above the ocean."
Zuko took it in thoughtfully. "Considering that the altitude is not a problem, the northernmost point of the continent is probably the Northern Air Temple. It'd be a good place to purchase some supplies for the road."
"Supplies in air temple?" Aang moved closer to him with eyes wide with shock "What do you mean? Are people still living there?!"
Zuko looked at him confused at first. But when he noticed the hope he had awakened in the kid, he immediately regretted delivering the news this way "Well, uh... The temple is inhabited, but I'm afraid you're not going to like this."