Thin Ice
"I'm not one to complain, but can't Appa fly any higher?"
"I've got an idea. Why don't we climb on your back and you can fly us to the North Pole?"
"I'd love to. Climb on, everyone. Sokka's ready for takeoff."
Katara was getting sick and tired of all the needless sniping. Since they'd had to part ways with Zuko, the mood onboard Appa's saddle had drastically changed. It felt like their little group wasn't complete anymore.
Hard to believe that one grumpy Fire Nation prince had left such a mark on their lives in such a short space of time, but that's how it was. There was too much room in the saddle now, even with the addition of a literal prince's ransom as part of their luggage.
Katara glared at the chest of treasure and wished it would somehow transform into Zuko.
"Look," she said, patience wearing thin, "we're all just a little tired and cranky because we've been flying for two days straight."
That wasn't the real problem and they all knew it.
"And for what?" Sokka whined. "We can't even find the Northern Water Tribe. There's nothing up here!"
Just then, as if the universe was desperate to prove Sokka wrong, the ice started to shift right before their eyes, sending them spiraling into the water where Appa was soon frozen in place. Several long canoes filled with grizzled men steered their way out to meet them.
"They're waterbenders!" Katara shouted, excitement shooting through her. "We found the Water Tribe!"
After establishing the fact that they were, in fact, not spies and were fellow Water Tribe people and the Avatar, the initially aggressive mood of their greeting party changed to one of warmth and hospitality. One canoe headed back straight away to inform the Northern Water Tribe's leaders of their arrival while they were escorted at a more leisurely pace.
Before long, a massive wall of pure ice and snow appeared. The symbol of the moon and ocean set above its center.
Their guides waterbent an entrance for them, leading them into a series of locks that brought them into a canal that coursed through a huge, sprawling city.
"I can't believe how many waterbenders live up here," Katara thought aloud.
"We'll find a master to teach us, no problem," said Aang.
As they were led up the canal, it was clear that news of their arrival had spread throughout the city as crowds of Water Tribe people gathered along the streets, rooftops, and bridges to watch them in amazement. Aang, the charismatic ball of joy he was, waved cheerily at everyone.
They passed luxurious manors and crystalline fountains and elaborate complexes that she'd never even dreamed were possible. Katara had never seen a real Water Tribe city in her life until now. The closest she had in the South Pole was the gathering site where the clans convened for festivals and the monthly meetings, but that was hardly comparable to the capital of the Northern Water Tribe.
"This place is beautiful," she thought aloud.
"Yeah…" Sokka said with a longing sigh. "She is."
Katara looked over at him, curious about his weird tone, and realized he was staring at a boat that had passed by them. No, not at the boat, but at the girl sitting in the boat. Katara couldn't see her face but she caught a glimpse of what, in the growing distance, seemed to be snow-white hair. Katara shook her head, certain she had just been seeing things and that the girl probably had a fur hood on. The only people with white hair Katara had ever seen were elders, and she doubted very much that Sokka would be making moon eyes at an old lady.
They eventually pulled up to a platform at the base of several flights of steps that led up to a towering palace.
Appa lugged himself out of the water, startling some of the crowd, and ambled forward. Once they'd dismounted from the saddle, Appa shook himself dry. Katara, being prepared, caught the water with her bending before it could hit her. She then helped Aang and Sokka dry off.
Oddly, though, when she glanced up, she could've sworn some of the people were staring at her. As if they were surprised that she was waterbending. Perhaps they were shocked. They probably hadn't expected there to be any waterbenders from the South Pole left after the raids.
A bitter twinge hit Katara.
They'd been sitting up here in their frozen palaces for a hundred years, leaving their sister tribe to fend for itself through countless Fire Nation attacks. As majestic and awe-inspiring as this place was, Katara couldn't forget the fact that its beauty was preserved because her people bled and died. Not that she wanted the Northern Water Tribe to have suffered, but it did seem horribly unfair that her tribe bore the brunt of the Fire Nation's purges of the waterbenders while the northerners stayed safe behind their wall, ignoring the South's cries for help.
As quickly as that harsh thought entered her head, she stifled it and put on a polite smile as someone approached, descending the long staircase to meet them as drums signaled his arrival. The newcomer was an older man, probably about her father's age. Everyone seemed to be giving him a respectful distance, lowering their heads in deference.
"It is my great honor to welcome you to the Northern Water Tribe, Avatar," he said to Aang. He gave a courteous bow to Aang, which Aang returned in kind. "I am Chief Arnook."
"It's nice to meet you," Aang replied. "I'm Aang. And these are my best friends. Katara and Sokka."
Momo flew over and landed on Aang's shoulder.
"And this is Momo and that's Appa."
"It must have been an arduous journey for you to get here," said Chief Arnook. "I assume you have come to learn waterbending."
"Yep! If you can recommend someone who'd be willing to take on two students, that'd be great."
Aang glanced over at Katara and Sokka, Chief Arnook following his gaze and then gave a nod.
"Indeed, we have an especially brilliant waterbending master in our tribe," he said. "Master Pakku is head of our tribe's official waterbending school. I am sure he would be only too happy to take on the Avatar and one of the Avatar's friends as his students."
Katara was practically buzzing with anticipation. Finally, after so long, she was going to study under a real master.
"Now, I imagine you must all be very tired after your travels," Chief Arnook continued. "I have taken the liberty of arranging a lodging house for you while you are with us. And, tonight, we will celebrate your arrival with a feast."
After arranging with Chief Arnook to have a place made for Appa in the palace stables and clarifying that Aang would need vegetarian food at the feast, they were led to a building within the palace complex. It was probably the fanciest place they had ever stayed in for any period of time; Omashu was a close second, though it lost points for the fact that they were technically prisoners during their time there.
Their new residence in the Northern Water Tribe was a spacious hut with a large pile of furs at the center of the room to serve as a sleeping area. There were thick pelt draperies covering the door and windows to keep out the cold and candles that filled the space with a warm glow. It was maybe five times as large as the tent they lived in at the South Pole.
And the attendants who showed them the way actually apologized for the place not being bigger and offered to get a waterbender to make expansions if they needed more room.
Once they were left alone to get ready for the feast, all of them collapsed in exhaustion onto the furs. Even Aang was too tired to be grossed out by the fact that he was lying on something made from an animal; normally, he would have cringed and thrown a blanket down so he wasn't touching it, but Katara realized that he was half-asleep before he even walked through the door.
And, as she closed her eyes, it briefly dawned on her that she was in much the same condition. Right before she passed out.
The next thing she knew, she was blinking awake in the dim light.
She rubbed her eyes and stood up to poke her head outside. It was evening and the sky was streaked with pale lavender and pinks with splashes of bright orange and yellow as the shadow of night chased the sun down into the horizon. The faint traces of gold within that mass of colors filled her with a sense of loss as it reminded her, painfully, of a pair of vivid, golden eyes watching from the deck of his ship as they flew away.
She jumped slightly when a hand rested on her shoulder.
"You all right?" said Sokka.
"Yeah," Katara answered. "Just a bit tired still."
Sokka raised an eyebrow at her.
"You know why we couldn't bring him with us this time, right?"
Katara heaved a sigh.
"I know."
"But it's okay to miss him." Sokka gave a shrug. "Heck, I miss the moody jerk, too."
"Aw, Sokka, you really do care about Zuko," Katara said with a teasing smirk.
"Aaaand, I'm done. No more soppy feelings stuff. It's time to get ready for the feast."
They probably should change into some clean clothes. They'd been wearing the same things for several days because it wasn't exactly easy to change while riding on the back of a flying bison. None of them had a whole lot of options for what to wear, though, as Katara and Sokka only had two sets of tunics and one parka each, while Aang only had his airbender uniform which was very worn and had more than a few spots where Katara had had to mend holes and tears for him. Since they now had a chest full of loot, they should probably spend some of it on new clothes.
They wouldn't have time tonight, though, and would have to make do with what they had.
At least their new quarters came with a small room at the back where Katara could dress and tidy herself up in privacy. She used her waterbending to give herself a quick scrub down and combed the traces of dried sea salt out of her hair. She inspected her nails and smiled that the red nail dye that her bandit friends had painted on her was still mostly intact. There wasn't much she could do about the state of her parka, but it wasn't unforgivably tatty in her opinion. Not unless there were some really serious snobs at the feast.
She soon returned to the others and joined them in waiting for someone to retrieve them for the evening's festivities.
After a few minutes, Katara noticed how rumpled Aang's clothes were and tried help him brush them down so they wouldn't look so messy. Aang tensed at that and dismissed her attempts, stating that he was fine how he was. Katara blinked in surprise at that, only to pick up on the fact that there was still a lingering awkwardness between them since their argument at the Northern Air Temple.
"Aang, you know I just want to help, right?" she said.
"Yeah, I guess," was the muted response.
"If something's wrong, you need to tell me. I can't fix the problem if you won't tell me what it is."
She caught Sokka's eye and, when he realized where this talk was going, he slipped out of the hut with an, "I'm gonna go see if they're ready, yet."
Now alone in the hut, the uncomfortable atmosphere was more tangible. Aang was pouting and sitting with his back to her.
"Katara," he said after a lengthy pause. "Do you hate the Air Nomads?"
"What? Of course not!"
"But, back at the temple, you seemed so angry when I was talking about airbender traditions. You were acting like the Air Nomads were monsters."
"Aang, I'm sorry if it came across that way. I didn't mean to be so harsh. It's just…the idea of families being separated is a hard thing for me to accept…and the fact that the parents chose to give their kids away only makes it seem worse."
"But that's just how we live! If we cling to our human ties, we can never reach enlightenment. Air Nomad birthparents only wanted to do what was right for their children and give them a chance to be free."
"Except it doesn't really work."
"What do you mean?"
"You say those parents wanted to keep their kids from growing attached and getting caught up in earthly things. Does that mean there's nothing tying you to the world? That you are completely detached from everything and everyone?"
Aang went quiet as he looked at her, unspoken pain and grief dimming those normally bright eyes of his.
"Aang, I am sorry for jumping right into a tirade like that back at the temple," Katara continued. "And I am extremely sorry for everything you've lost. I'm just not experienced with Air Nomad ways and some of them feel weird to me."
"I get it," he said. "No, really, I do understand. I know the Water Tribes are all about family and kinship. I guess I just wanted more people to care about the Air Nomads the way I do."
"Aang, I don't think anyone could ever rival you in caring about the Air Nomads. They were your family. And, yeah, maybe I don't really get why they did some of the things they did, but I'm sure they loved each other and loved you."
Aang gave a small, sad smile.
"It gets a bit lonely sometimes, though," he said. "Being the last airbender. The last Air Nomad."
"It won't be forever," said Katara. "There are probably a lot of people in the world who'd be interested in learning the Air Nomad ways, like Teo and the Mechanist and the other people at the temple. They might not be airbenders, but maybe they can be Air Nomads. A new kind of Air Nomads."
Aang's smiled lightened a little.
"Besides, there might be some Air Nomad people still around."
"Really?" Aang perked up. "What makes you say that?"
"Remember when I was with the bandits? Well, there's something I forgot to mention."
She told him about Little Xia and Xingqiu and Big Xia and Mama Tshering. She told him about how Mama Tshering had talked about a comet and a festival and being hidden away in a cave by her father with someone named 'Diki.' She described how Little Xia preferred to incapacitate her enemies by hitting chi points and that she was pretty certain that she never saw anyone from that family eat meat.
"So, you think there really might be Air Nomads still in the world?" Aang said, eyes wide and brimming with hope.
"That's my guess," said Katara. "I mean, I don't know for certain. But it all seemed like too much to be coincidence."
"I guess so, but I'm not sure if those folks from the bandit gang were Air Nomads."
"What makes you say that?"
"Air Nomads are all airbenders. There were some non-bender populations around the Air Nomad territories, of course, and they did have a lot in common with us, but they weren't monks or nuns."
"There really were no non-bender Air Nomads?"
"No. The people who lived around us weren't Air Nomads. They were sort of Earth Kingdom citizens, but they didn't really act like it most of the time. I don't think they even had a single earthbender a hundred years ago."
"But, how could there be no non-benders at the temples?"
"Well, there was this one group we called the 'Outer Disciples.' They were people who weren't airbenders but wanted to follow our ways. They would visit the temples, but they weren't officially Air Nomads, either. They even invented chi-blocking to have a way to fight without killing."
"What about the children born at the temples? Surely, you had to have had at least a few non-benders born every now and then."
"All of the children born at the temples were airbenders because our culture is so focused on spirituality that we are more likely to be born with airbending. Sometimes one would even pop up among people living near the temples, but that's probably because the spiritual energy was spreading out to them."
Katara was about to refute that but then closed her mouth with a snap. The idea that an entire population had bending because they were more spiritual than other people sounded absolutely ridiculous. There were tons of spiritual non-benders and plenty of benders who couldn't care less about the spirits. If bending was reliant on spirituality, there wouldn't even be half as many firebenders in the world as there were because of the rampant death and destruction the Fire Nation was causing. It sounded very unlikely and very suspicious that no non-benders were born at the temples because the airbenders were so spiritual it gave everyone airbending.
And Katara was also certain that airbenders weren't just 'popping up' among the Air Nomads' neighbors because of their closeness to spiritual energy.
It wasn't worth it to start another argument with Aang, though. She didn't want to return to the weird tension they'd had now that things were smoothed over, but what Aang was saying simply didn't make any sense to her. She wanted very badly to make her doubts known, but instead she bit her tongue and gave Aang a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Hey, guys," Sokka called out, rushing into the room. "The feast's ready to go. Come on!"
And that was the end of the discussion.
Any further debate about what was going on with the Air Nomads and their strange lack of non-benders would have to wait for a while. For now, they had a dinner to get to and then, after a good night's rest, they would start their first day of real waterbending training. As she walked with Aang and Sokka, though, she still felt a heavy weight on her heart that their group wasn't really complete anymore.
She just hoped that Zuko was doing all right without them.
One…two…three…
"Zuko."
Four…five…six…
"Zuko…"
Seven…eight…nine…
"Prince Zuko, please, you cannot sit in your room and stare at the ceiling for the next month."
"Uncle, you made me lose count! Now I have to start over."
"What are you doing?" Uncle said.
"I'm counting the number of metal plates covering my room. Then I'm going to count the number of bolts holding them in place and multiply them by each other. Then I'm going to subtract the total from-"
"Zuko, please, go outside and get some fresh air for a little while."
He cringed at the very thought and Uncle gave him a truly unimpressed look in response.
"Uncle, I don't need any fresh air. I'm fine where I am."
"Zuko, it's not healthy for you to sit in a dark room for so long. Just go take a walk with me. It could help with your mental clarity."
"My thoughts are perfectly clear, Uncle."
His uncle continued to stare him down, not buying it for even a moment. A shame. Zuko had thought his lying skills might have improved. But Uncle still read him like an open book.
So, heaving a very put-upon sigh, Zuko hoisted himself off of his sleeping mat and threw on a heavy cloak. It was strange to realize he actually sort of missed wearing his Earth Kingdom disguise. He still had it tucked away at the bottom of his clothing chest, stashed under a pile of red and black tunics like a normal teenager might hide a smutty artbook from the prying eyes of their family. An embarrassing, dirty secret.
Except this dirty secret could get him tried for treason.
He stomped out onto the deck, ignoring how his crew was scrambling to fall into formation. When they assembled and gave him an official greeting, he walked past with a half-hearted wave and grumbled out a, "Yeah, yeah, good evening." He could feel their confusion at his total disregard for the military protocol he'd attempted so hard in the past to demand from them. He didn't care about that anymore. He just went straight to the railing and stared off at the great northern sea stretching out into the night.
He wondered what Katara, Sokka, and Aang were up to at that moment.
Had they arrived safely in the North Pole? Were they welcomed in with the respect they deserved? He'd heard plenty of horror stories about the Northern Water Tribe and what they did to outsiders. Of course, he knew now that what he'd heard was pig-bullshit regurgitated by the propagandists who wanted Fire Nationals to believe the worst of the rest of the world.
Zuko barely noticed someone walk up to stand beside him.
"Something on your mind, Your Highness?" Lieutenant Jee said.
"Nothing of any importance, Lieutenant," Zuko replied.
A pause.
"Thinking about your friends?"
"What friends? I don't have friends."
"The Avatar? The Water Tribe kids?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"…Permission to speak freely, sir?"
Jee had already been speaking with freedom bordering on insubordination so much that an ordinary Fire Nation commanding officer would've had him flogged. Zuko simply heaved another sigh.
"Permission granted."
"You've changed a lot, Your Highness."
Zuko went rigid.
"I don't mean that as an insult, sir," Jee added. "But you're not the same man you were when you went missing."
"Is there a point to this little speech, Lieutenant?" said Zuko.
Jee smirked.
"All right, maybe you're not quite as different as I thought. But you've definitely changed in the time you were with those kids."
Zuko glared at him, but there was no heat behind it. Even Jee could clearly tell that Zuko wasn't actually angry. He couldn't find it in himself to be more than a bit irritated anymore and it was having a serious effect on him. His inner fire had been dwindling and it was starting to become a big source of concern.
"My relationship with the Avatar and those Water Tribe peasants is purely circumstantial," Zuko said.
"Didn't seem that way to me," said Jee. He then had the decency to remember who he was speaking to and cleared his throat. "Excuse me for saying so, sir."
"Have you finished saying your piece, Lieutenant?"
"Well, sir…"
Zuko fought the urge to groan.
"…the crew has been wondering what our plan will be going forward."
"We're going to make port for the winter."
"And after that, sir?"
"…"
How did one go about explaining to one's crew of Fire Nation veterans a plan of action that involved copious amounts of treason and dishonor? He couldn't even meet Jee's eyes for fear that the old seadog would see right through him.
"We won't be chasing the Avatar anymore, will we, sir?"
It was technically a question, but it sounded more like a statement of fact.
"I must say that I never expected such a change of direction from you."
Zuko braced himself from the inevitable scorn. He should have known Lieutenant Jee would figure it out first. Zuko might as well just throw himself overboard right then, save Jee and the rest of the crew the trouble when they decided to mutiny. What Zuko hadn't expected was for Jee to give rough laugh and clap him on the shoulder.
"Then again, I didn't expect you to become a married man so young, either."
Zuko blinked. Stared at the ocean for beat. Then turned back to Jee.
"What?"
"You didn't know, Your Highness?" said Jee. "In the Water Tribes, they use necklaces like the one you gave that girl to propose."
"…What?!"
He had to be joking. Katara never mentioned anything about that. She just told him it was her mother's necklace.
"It doesn't really matter where the necklace came from," Jee said after Zuko tried to explain. "I once met someone from the Water Tribe who said that, when a couple gets engaged, the man will fasten a necklace on his bride-to-be. The necklace is supposed to have a pendant of carved sea glass. Call me crazy, but that looked just like a Water Tribe betrothal necklace to me."
Jee paused for a moment, seeming to consider something.
"I mean, if you think about it, you also proposed to her according to Fire Nation customs."
"What are you talking about?" Zuko snapped. "I did no such thing!"
"Well, your uncle did pay her and her family a massive amount of money. To an onlooker, that might seem like a marriage payment."
It absolutely was not a marriage payment. People only made marriage payments if they needed to add an incentive to get another family to agree to a marriage. Mostly, it was used by new money families looking to join the aristocracy. The point, though, was that Zuko was a prince, he hardly needed to bribe someone into marrying him. Besides, the very concept of marriage payments was ludicrous.
Might as well bring back outdated things like dowries and bride prices while they were at it.
"…to say nothing of the fact that she kidnapped you…"
"What was that, Lieutenant?" said Zuko.
"I said that girl, her brother, and the Avatar kidnapped you."
"Yeah, and?"
"…Your Highness, you haven't spent a lot of time around the sects from the mountain regions, have you?"
"Like the Yuyan?"
"Yeah. Like the Yuyan. You do realize, your Highness, that marriage by abduction is still pretty common in the Huijin Mountains?"
"That can't be legal!" Zuko protested.
"Well…not real abductions, obviously. It's just ceremonial, these days. If someone wants to marry their sweetheart, they'll snatch 'em away."
"Katara didn't kidnap me. If anything, it was Aang and Sokka who did that."
"It's not uncommon for the future in-laws to participate. Sometimes, the family is the one doing the actual abducting if they think the couple is taking too long to get hitched."
"How do you know all this, Lieutenant?"
"My wife's from that area and her idea of proposing was to hog-monkey-tie me and toss me in the back of a wagon. And her brother kept me handcuffed to him until the ceremony so I didn't get cold feet."
Jee gave a fond laugh as he reflected on the memory.
"All in all, it really does seem like you got yourself engaged, Your Highness," he continued. "She and her family kidnapped you, then they shared tea with you and General Iroh – who gave them a whole chest of cash –, you put a betrothal necklace on her, you two even bowed to each other in front of senior members of both your families."
Zuko blinked at that. They had? He vaguely remembered giving a farewell bow to Katara and her bowing back right before she got on Appa, but he'd been more focused on the promise she'd made to him that she and the others would be back. He hadn't even noticed.
But bowing was just a sign of respect. Of course he hadn't noticed, because it was just a social nicety. He certainly hadn't meant anything more than that.
Except…what if Katara looked back on all this and thought that was what Zuko was doing?
Spirits. What if she read far more into the gestures than what he intended and assumed he was leading her on with romantic signals when that was the furthest thing from his mind? What if she thought he was some sort of perverted creep? That he was manipulating her into being in a romantic relationship with him.
The scream that tore its way out of Zuko's throat cut through the stillness of the evening like the fall of an executioner's blade.
It was definitely the grandest reception they'd ever had.
Sokka was staring ravenously at the delicious spread laid out before them. He would even grudgingly admit that the vegetarian stuff over by Aang looked pretty good. He would still stick to the meat dishes, though. He couldn't touch anything just yet, sadly, as it would be incredibly rude to start taking his fill while their host was talking.
Chief Arnook announced their arrival with considerable pomp and circumstance.
A lot more than Sokka ever expected from a Water Tribe leader. The South Pole tended to keep things short and simple, but Sokka supposed this was an important occasion, what with the Avatar being there to learn waterbending and all. Aang's welcome in Sokka's village hadn't had even a fraction of this level of grandiosness.
Was 'grandioness' actually a word? It was moments like this that made him miss Zuko.
Whenever Sokka used big words incorrectly, Zuko would get all kinds of pissed off and tell him what the correct phrasing and pronunciation were. It was a very effective learning method. A pity Sokka wouldn't have someone there to help him improve his vocabulary.
Back to the point, all this hullaballoo over Aang was actually making Sokka feel kind of inadequate. Chief Arnook was throwing a whole feast with drummers and waterbending performers and a massive steamed crab, but what had Sokka done to celebrate Aang's arrival? He'd accused him of being a spy and tossed him out of the village.
Sokka couldn't recall anyone in his village even offering Aang something to eat during the nearly whole day he'd spent with them. The very least he could've done for the kid was go out and harvest some seaweed so that Aang could have some proper veggies.
He'd have to make it up to Aang at some point. Once the war was over, they could go back to the South Pole and he'd show Aang real Southern Water Tribe hospitality. Even if he had to spend hours dredging up seaweed and winged kelp and sea grapes and all the other green glop that Katara and Gran-Gran normally forced Sokka to eat because it was good for him.
Sokka's thoughts of arranging this future vegetarian banquet for his friend came to a screeching halt, however, when a familiar vision of pure loveliness appeared. It was the girl he'd spotted earlier, back when they arrived, the one who had passed beside them in her fancy canoe.
Chief Arnook was still talking, but all Sokka heard was, "Something, something, sixteenth birthday, something, something, Princess Yue, something, something, marrying age…something, something."
Princess Yue.
She was the manifestation of pure celestial radiance. A shining beacon of heavenly light within a world of darkness. And a bunch of other things that Sokka couldn't think up fancy words for because he didn't have Zuko there to be his personal dictionary. Stupid Zuko, never around when he was needed.
"Thank you, Father," Princess Yue said to chief Arnook. "May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us during these troubled times!"
Her voice was sweet, yet exceedingly regal, and suited her perfectly, as Sokka expected.
As she started heading in his direction, his heart thudded erratically and he quickly ate something to steady his nerves. He had the brief urge to run a hand over his hair to make sure it wasn't messy, only to dismiss that as way too obvious. His hair was fine, he'd combed it and everything before he came to the feast. But his parka was so shabby, he could literally see the edges fraying and whole chunks of the fur lining had fallen out.
Calm down, Sokka thought to himself. Just be cool and maybe she won't notice your clothes.
She sat down daintily beside him and offered a gentle smile.
"Hi, there," he said, hoping he sounded charming. "Sokka. Southern Water Tribe."
"Very nice to meet you."
There was an awkward pause as Sokka tried to think up something interesting to impress her.
"So…you're a princess? Huh. You know, back in my tribe, I'm kinda like a prince, myself."
"Ha, prince of what?" Katara interrupted.
"A lot of things. Do you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation, here."
"My apologies, Prince Sokka," she replied with a mocking bow.
Damn it, Katara. How was he meant to make a good impression if she was teasing him at every opportunity?
"So, it looks like I'm going to be in town for a while," he said, returning his attention to the magnificence that was Princess Yue. "I'm thinking…maybe we could…do an activity, together?"
"Do an activity?" She was still smiling and polite, but she also sounded confused by his suggestion.
Great. He'd already blown it. She must think Sokka was a complete idiot.
He hastily grabbed some more food from his plate and stuffed it into his mouth before he said anything else to embarrass himself.
"Very smooth," Katara said with a smirk.
Who had taught his baby sister to act like such a jerk? Really, it was terrible. If he ever found out who convinced her that being sarcastic and smug was a good idea, he would punch that person squarely on the jaw.
Time moved painfully slowly, and Sokka was struggling to find a way to continue his conversation with Princess Yue.
Smalltalk seemed like the best way to go, so he began to talk about the food. He asked her about the dishes he wasn't familiar with and what she recommended.
"Is the food up here in the north very different from what you have in the south?" Princess Yue asked.
"Definitely a lot more variety," Sokka replied, thrilled to have finally found a subject he could latch onto. "I've never seen so many different meats on offer all at once. Back home, we get one or two types a week, if the hunting or fishing is good."
Princess Yue gave him a curious look.
"Do you not have many hunting groups?"
"Since the men went off to war, Katara and I were our village's hunting group."
It was something that had worried Sokka since they left. If he and Katara were gone, their village was short their primary hunters and fishers. Most of the women and elders back home were struggling as it was and had relied heavily on Sokka and Katara to bring back food. Now that they were traveling, the village would likely have even more problems. He tried to not let that get to him.
"That must have been a heavy responsibility," said Princess Yue. "Will your people be all right without you there?"
"I'm sure they're fine," Sokka assured her. "Knowing my grandmother, she'll find a way for everyone to be fed. She's been the clan mother for decades and no one's ever gone hungry while she's in charge. Even if things get difficult, they can probably get help from one of the neighboring clans."
He cleared his throat, deciding to steer the conversation back to something more lighthearted.
"But it's nice to have Water Tribe food, again," he said. "I've been traveling so long, I've only had one Water Tribe meal since we left home."
He briefly explained his reunion with Bato and having a bowl of stewed sea prunes.
"Usually, we've either had Earth Kingdom fare or had to forage. Though, we did get to try Fire Nation food."
"Really? How did you manage that?"
"Oh, we just snuck into a Fire Nation town during a festival." He was feeling his natural charm return as she watched him with genuine fascination. "Just wanted to try something different. No big."
"What was it like?"
"The food? Pretty good. Kind of spicy, but good."
She gave a delicate laugh.
"I meant it more like…what was the town like? The people. The sights."
Sokka gave her a vivid description of his experiences in the Fire Nation colony. He told her of the dancers and magicians and theaters, of wearing masks and eating fireflakes. He related some of the stories he'd learned from Zuko…carefully omitting the fact that they'd had a firebender in their group for weeks. She seemed absolutely awed by all that he told her.
"Also, I found out about a neat Fire Nation birthday tradition," he added. "It was my sixteenth birthday not long ago and a Fire Nation person I met gave me a special bowl of noodles."
He told her about Longevity Noodles and how eating them on your birthday is supposed to be a blessing for a long life. He noticed her cheeks turned pink when he mentioned that he had turned sixteen recently, as well; he really hoped that was a sign that her mind was going in the same direction that his was.
"Well, seeing as it's my birthday today," Princess Yue said with a smile, "maybe I should have a bowl of noodles, too."
Obviously, there weren't any special, super-long, Fire Nation noodles to be had, but there were some Water Tribe seaweed noodles on offer. They were less than half the length of the ones Sokka had had, but they still looked tasty.
"I still can't believe you actually went into Fire Nation territory," Princess Yue continued. "That must have been terrifying."
"More stressful than scary," he said smoothly. He leaned over to whisper to her. "Between you and me, my sister and Aang have zero sense of self-preservation."
"Excuse me," Katara interrupted again, clearly having heard him. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Hey, I'm not the one who gets thrown into Fire Nation prisons on purpose to start riots."
"That was for a good reason, you giant-eared cretin." She had that mocking smile again, clearly enjoying dredging up the stupid insult she'd used in their fake fight.
"It sounds like you've all had some incredible adventures," Princess Yue spoke up, her tone light and amused.
"You don't even know the half of it," said Katara. "Although, I have to admit, we probably wouldn't have gotten so far without this idiot keeping us on track." She nodded toward Sokka as she said that and he wasn't sure if he should be flattered or insulted.
"So, you've been the one guiding and protecting the Avatar and your sister?" Princess Yue asked Sokka, sounding very impressed.
"Well…I…I've been doing my best," Sokka said, wishing his voice would stop cracking. "I mean, Katara and Aang are pretty capable fighters."
Princess Yue blinked in surprise at that and gave a curious glance at Katara.
"But they can get a little side-tracked, sometimes," Sokka continued. "So they need me to make the plans and organize things."
Katara rolled her eyes, but Sokka ignored her as he launched into more tales of his heroic exploits. Princess Yue seemed to be genuinely invested in his storytelling, asking him all sorts of questions about how their team solved this or that problem and escaped the dangers that chased them all the way north.
When Princess Yue eventually had to leave, it was like the light of the moon itself went out. The feast wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it was before and Sokka didn't stay longer than a few extra minutes. Aang and Katara followed him back and they all prepped for bedtime.
Well, they all collapsed back on the fur pile, at any rate.
"She's the most wonderful person in the world," Sokka thought aloud.
"Who?" said Aang.
"His new royal girlfriend," said Katara. She then affected a fake posh accent. "His Highness Prince Sokka, over here, is planning to woo the fair Princess Yue."
"Laugh all you want," said Sokka. "You're not bringing me down. She's absolutely wonderful. A majestic goddess too pure for this world."
"Sokka, you're starting to get weird. It can't be normal to fawn over someone so much."
"Like you're one to talk, Katara."
"I don't know what you could possibly mean." Her cheeks were starting to turn pink.
"Do I have to bring up Jet?"
"…Just try it. I dare you."
"Hey, it's not like he's the only guy you've gone gaga over, Katara."
"Sokka," Aang interjected. "Maybe you should drop it."
"No, go on, Sokka," said Katara. "What other guys have I ever acted crazy for?"
"You mean besides Jet?" Sokka snapped back.
Katara reached over to try and swat him upside the head, but Sokka managed to dodge.
"With how you were throwing yourself at Zuko back at the bandit camp, should I start addressing you as 'Princess-Consort of the Fire Nation'?"
"Sokka!"
Katara's face was bright red now, but he noticed that she hadn't denied it and seemed more flustered than angry. It was Aang, strangely enough, who looked like he might actually hit Sokka with an airblast.
"Hey, don't get mad at me," Sokka told them. "You're the one who claimed Zuko for your husband in front of all your bandit buddies, Katara."
"She was just kidding, Sokka," Aang snapped. "She didn't even know what she was saying. There's no way she'd ever be interested in Zuko."
Katara pointedly looked away, her blush burning even brighter.
Great. Perfect. Just what Sokka needed to be dealing with when he could be spending his time composing poetry for the magnificence that was Princess Yue.
"Let's just get some rest," said Katara. "Aang, you and I have to get up early for waterbending classes tomorrow."
Sokka gave a relieved breath and curled up in his own little corner of the fur pile. The matter was resolved, at least for the moment. Things would probably get more complicated once they reunited with Zuko and resumed traveling. Hopefully, by then, the emotional nonsense would be sorted out and they could carry on like normal people. As much as Sokka missed Zuko, his presence would only make the Aang and Katara situation more uncomfortable and strained.
It was for the best if Zuko stayed far, far away from the Northern Water Tribe.
He had to get to the Northern Water Tribe.
He had to explain himself to Katara. He had to make things clear.
It wouldn't be easy to sneak in, but since when had Zuko's life ever been easy? And, spirits damn it, this was important.
Zuko paced up and down his room like a caged animal, frantically thinking over how he was going to get to the North Pole and sort out this whole mess. That's if anyone even allowed Zuko to get a word in before they started pummeling him. And there was no telling what would happen if news of this got out. And it would, he was certain of that.
He hadn't completely let go of the possibility that Jee was just messing with his head. Taking advantage of Zuko's less angry and aggressive mindset to get a little payback for nearly three years of being bossed around by a teenager. Zuko didn't really care about that; his crew deserved a chance to get back at him for acting like an arrogant, obnoxious jerk in the past. But whether Jee was telling the truth about Zuko accidentally proposing to Katara or not didn't matter.
Jee could laugh all he wanted about this, but if word got around – and it inevitably would – that Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation had proposed to a waterbender…
His father might just go right ahead and declare open season on the Water Tribe. After all, a Fire Nation royal 'sullying themself' with a person of 'lesser heritage' wasn't mere treason but a declaration of war. It wouldn't even be the first time. After all, Fire Lord Sozin had started his anti-airbender propaganda not long after his sister had supposedly been 'brainwashed' into a 'radical Air Nomad cult.'
And then there was what Sozin did to one of his own children.
Back during the beginning of the war, the heir to the throne had been Crown Princess Mosha – Zuko's grandfather, Azulon, had actually been very far down the succession list. But then Princess Mosha had gotten romantically involved with a peasant from one of the Earth Kingdom colonies. Sozin not only had her executed, he slaughtered every man, woman, and child in the hometown of her lover.
If any hint of Zuko potentially being in a romantic relationship with Katara got out, whether or not it was true, Ozai would use it as an excuse to exterminate the Water Tribes.
Zuko couldn't live with himself if that happened.
No. What he had to do was get to the North Pole, explain what happened, hope his friends would understand his colossal misunderstanding, and they could come up with a plan in which any allegations of Zuko and Katara being together would be deemed impossible so there would be no reason to declare war. Maybe they could take him prisoner again. They could claim Zuko had tried to trick Katara into helping him by making a fake proposal, but she saw through him and lured him into a trap.
Zuko messed things up enough that his father would definitely believe that. He wasn't too thrilled by the idea of everyone thinking he was an asshole who played with a girl's feelings to try and capture her friend, but it was better than allowing a genocide over the suggestion of the Crown Prince falling in love with a waterbender.
The creaking of the door to his room shook him from his growing anxiety attack.
"I told you, I'm not playing the tsungi-horn," he told his uncle. Zuko knew he sounded ruder than he intended but he was not in a fit state to talk to anyone.
There was another Music Night. Zuko had heard them up on deck, but he was not in any mood to hang about or join in. Without Aang, Katara, and Sokka, he didn't think he could stomach the experience.
"No, it's about our plans," his uncle said. "There's a bit of a problem."
As Zuko turned around to ask what was wrong, his answer immediately presented itself in the form of Zhao's infuriating smirk.
"I'm taking your crew," he said simply.
"WHAT?!"
"I've recruited them for a little expedition to the North Pole."
"Uncle, is that true?"
"I'm afraid so," Uncle said gravely. "He's taking everyone. Even the cook," he added with a little sob into his sleeve.
"Sorry you won't be there to watch me capture the Avatar," said Zhao. "But I can't have you getting in my way again."
Zuko made to lunge for Zhao, but Uncle Iroh held him back.
The insults he could deal with, but stealing his crew was beyond the limit. Those were his men and under his charge. Some of them were completely unsuited to regular active duty. Only he knew how to work with them; and, even then, they had only really started to listen to him pretty recently. And no matter how rough and insubordinate his crew could be, they were still his people and Zhao had no right to take them away.
Besides that, something else caught his attention.
A little expedition to the North Pole.
Zhao knew where Aang was. There was going to be an invasion. It seemed that Zuko's worries about the Water Tribes being eradicated for his unintended proposal were the least of his problems. An invasion was already in the works.
If Uncle would just let him go, he could grab Zhao and…do something. Lock him up, maybe? Keep him from leading his invasion. Something.
That was when Zhao walked over to the dual daos on the wall and panic instantly shot up Zuko's spine. Zhao reached for one of the swords and began to examine it.
"I didn't know you were skilled with broadswords, Prince Zuko."
"I'm not," he replied, cringing at the nervous crack in his voice. "They're antiques. Just decorative."
His hands were getting sweaty as Zhao inspected the edge of the blade.
Idiot! He should have sharpened those things and treated the wear and tear they'd gotten in his recent adventures. There was no way Zhao, as an experienced soldier, couldn't tell that those things had been used in combat in the last month.
"Have you heard of the Blue Spirit, General Iroh?"
"Just rumors. I don't think he is real."
"He's real, all right." He handed the sword to Uncle Iroh, but his gaze was still fixed on Zuko. "He's a criminal, and an enemy of the Fire Nation. But I have a feeling justice will catch up with him soon."
He knows.
"General Iroh, the offer to join my mission still stands, if you change your mind."
With that, Zhao strutted out of Zuko's quarters, shutting the door with a loud, ominous clang.
No matter how many assurances Uncle gave him following that exchange, Zuko knew he was done for. It was only a matter of time before Zhao got some kind of evidence to accuse him. There was no way that Zhao would let Zuko's actions as the Blue Spirit slide. He was going to hound him relentlessly until he got what he wanted.
Zuko had to leave. There was no other option now.
Already, the wheels were turning for how he would arrange his escape. The only path left open to him was the Northern Water Tribe. He would find some way inside, get to his friends, plead his case, and tell them about the impending invasion. Maybe they'd ignore his horrendous gaff with the unintentional proposal long enough to listen to what he had to say.
He could only hope that Katara wasn't furious with him. Spirits save any poor soul who was stupid enough to get in that situation.
Katara was furious.
As she stomped away from the training grounds, she kept throwing glares over her shoulder at Master Pakku. The arrogant dismissal of her abilities based solely on the fact that she was a girl was enough to make her think almost fondly of Sokka's behavior prior to their stay on Kyoshi Island. At least Sokka had been acting out of concern rather than just because he was a jerk.
I don't want to heal. I want to fight!
The words she'd shouted in righteous fury kept echoing in her mind.
She knew that healing was an important skill, and she had been planning to get more instruction in it during her stay, but that wasn't the role she wanted to occupy for the rest of her life. She was a warrior. Maybe not with a spear or a club like her father and brother, but that drive was in her just as much as it was in them.
Her mother had seen it. Had nurtured that part of her.
Even as young as Katara had been, her mother knew that she had dreams and ambitions far beyond being a wife, a mother, and a caregiver – a role that was now merged with 'healer.' She'd never tried to stifle it. She had wanted Katara to pursue her own destiny.
But none of that mattered to pompous, egotistical, sexist blubber-heads like Pakku.
Not that Katara was going to let his attitude destroy her resolve. She was going to keep training, no matter what he said. She would practice the forms from the waterbending scroll a thousand times over and over until she could do them perfectly. She would drill herself on every move she'd learned from Zuko and from the Taihua Mountain Gang and from every instance of fighting she could remember. She would meditate on her element until she could sense it in her sleep.
Yes, she would go to the healing huts. Healing definitely had its place in battle and she would take every advantage she could get. She would learn everything about her bending that might help her or her friends in the future.
But she was doing this for herself, not for some stuck-up old windbag and his ridiculous, outdated rules.
"Hi, are you Yugoda?" Katara said, addressing the elder lady leading a junior class.
"Are you here for the healing lesson?" she replied.
She looked around at the innocent, smiling faces of the little girls.
"I guess I am."
Yugoda was a good teacher. She welcomed Katara into her class as if she'd been a student of hers for years. She gave rich and detailed descriptions of the healing process, demonstrating on a training dummy with the meridian system patterned on it. Healing, as it turned out, was as intricate an art as she expected from what she'd learned under Doctor Nuan's instruction.
And Katara appreciated what Yugoda had to teach her. Yugoda, unlike Pakku, was a master who was worthy of respect.
"Thanks for the lesson," Katara said at the conclusion of the class.
"So, who's the lucky boy?" Yugoda asked.
"Huh?"
"Your betrothal necklace. You're getting married, right?"
Katara was caught off-guard for a moment. The conversation of the previous night was still lingering in her head and being asked so suddenly about being in a relationship nearly made her start blushing again. The fact that her thoughts also instantly went to Zuko was something that left her feeling very disoriented.
Definitely very weird. It's not like Zuko was her boyfriend or anything.
But once she really processed what Yugoda said, she became even more confused. After all, since when did wearing a necklace mean someone was engaged?
"Ah, no, I don't think I'm ready for that, yet," Katara said. "My grandmother gave my mother this necklace, and my mother passed it down to me."
"I recognize this carving," Yugoda responded, eyes going wide in surprise. "I don't know why I didn't realize sooner. You're the spitting-image of Kanna."
"Wait, how do you know my Gran-Gran's name?"
"When I was about your age, I was friends with Kanna. She was born here in the Northern Tribe."
"She never told me."
"Your grandmother had an arranged marriage with a young waterbender. He carved that necklace for her."
"If Gran-Gran was engaged, why did she leave?"
"I don't know. That's always been a mystery to me. She left without saying goodbye."
Katara was positively reeling as it fully registered what Yugoda was saying.
All her life, Katara had thought her Gran-Gran was a true-blue Southern woman. She was a clan mother and a tribal elder and probably knew every person in the Southern Water Tribe by name. She was a leader and a teacher…
A half-remembered conversation came back to her, then. Katara reading seal script on an old statue in a dark temple.
I'm saying that your grandmother is probably keeping secrets from you.
Zuko had been right.
"I…it was nice to meet you," Katara said quickly. "Excuse me."
She hurried out of the healing hut, hoping that Yugoda didn't take offense to her sudden departure. Katara just needed a moment to take the reality of all this in. She ducked into a small, hidden corner behind one of the buildings and sat down. She took a few slow, steadying breaths as she processed what she'd just heard.
Gran-Gran was from the Northern Water Tribe.
She'd grown up in a world that had strictly controlled her actions because she was a woman; a place that had even denied her a say in who her own spouse would be. She'd traveled across the entire world, likely all alone, in a time of brutal warfare to reach the South Pole.
Katara was trying to reconcile the image her mind conjured up of a feisty, adventurous young lady who rejected the outdated ways of her home with the stern old woman she thought she knew. The Gran-Gran of Katara's memory had clung to southern traditions and been singularly focused on the good of the tribe and the Wolf Clan.
But she was also strong, hardy, and unafraid of getting things done, herself, if need be. She was a leader and a source of wisdom and judgement, a person who knew her opinions mattered and expected her voice to be heard. She was just and fair, and was willing to speak up when something was wrong. She had spoken to men and women as equals, even reprimanding seasoned warriors when they crossed the line.
A woman like Gran-Gran, trapped up here in the Northern Water Tribe…
No wonder she left.
"Hey, you okay, new girl?" someone said.
Katara looked up to see one of the healer students standing there. She was older than the kids Katara had just been in class with, closer to Katara's age. She had large, stormy eyes and long, thick hair that she had pulled into messy pigtail braids.
"I'm fine, just…had a bit of a shock is all," Katara replied.
The girl offered her a hand up which Katara accepted.
"Name's 'Pikatti.'"
"I'm Katara."
"Say, aren't you that Southern girl? The one who's been traveling with the Avatar?"
"Yeah, that'd be me."
Pikatti offered her a wide, friendly grin. Katara noticed she had a small chip in one of her front teeth which gave Pikatti a rather cute little quirk to her smile.
"That must be awesome! Getting to travel the world and fight firebenders. I'd give anything to get to do that."
Katara smiled back at her. It was reassuring to see that, despite the messed-up traditions of the Northern Water Tribe, there were still girls who yearned for something more. She started to walk with Pikatti for a while, telling her a bit about her travels. Pikatti listened enraptured to every word, occasionally gasping in excitement and asking for more details and information about how Katara took down her opponents in fights.
Perhaps her Gran-Gran's rebellious spirit wasn't so strange, after all.
"Ugh, why is trash like that still hanging around here?" a sharp voice cut across, interrupting their conversation.
Pikatti scowled and Katara followed her gaze over to a prim, elegant girl in a fancy parka who was flanked by several other girls who were giggling at what she said.
"Just keep walking," Pikatti said quietly.
"I don't know why they even let a peasant like her enter the healing huts," the mean girl went on, louder and clearly trying to be heard. "It's not like she has any actual talent."
"She can barely heal a tiny cut," another girl chimed in. "Why don't they just kick her out and get it over with?"
A tic flickered on Pikatti's jaw and Katara realized she was grinding her teeth.
"Are you surprised? Her family are just a bunch of illiterate fishermen. Every time she walks by, I'm worried I'm going to smell rotting fish guts."
"Ewwww," the other girls all said together.
Seeing the miserable look on Pikatti's face where, only a minute ago, there was only enthusiasm and cheer was enough to make Katara want to turn around and water-whip the snotty jerk and her cronies for making those stupid and ignorant comments. But Pikatti just took her hand and led her away before she could do anything.
"Don't," Pikatti told her. "You'll get in trouble."
"Someone needs to teach them a lesson. They can't get away with saying things like that."
"Trust me, Katara. You don't want to get on the wrong side of Nauja. She's from a very important family."
"Important? I'll bet she's never done an honest day's work in her life. She was making fun of your family for fishing. Fishing. In the Water Tribe."
"It's not exactly a high-status occupation."
"Not high…? You literally provide food for the whole tribe. How could anyone laugh at that?"
Pikatti gave a half-hearted shrug.
"It's peasant work. The only reason I'm able to stay in the upper levels of the city is because I can waterbend." She grimaced. "I'm not very good at healing, though."
"…Maybe it's because you were meant for a different type of waterbending."
Pikatti stiffened.
"I don't know what you mean," she said nervously.
"If you want to learn some waterbending moves, I could teach you-"
Pikatti slapped a hand over Katara's mouth, her expression terrified.
"Keep your voice down. Do you know what might happen if someone heard you say that?"
Katara pulled Pikatti's hand away.
"What's wrong? I know that there's a stupid rule against girls learning waterbending, but why are you scared of even talking about it?"
Pikatti glanced around to check that there was no one nearby to hear them.
"It's not just that girls can't learn waterbending, it's that there can be serious problems if we even bring up the idea of it. If you get caught practicing, they might exile you."
"But I've used waterbending and no one's done anything about it."
"It's probably because you're the Avatar's friend that no one said anything. Girls like me…we don't have that protection. If anyone saw me waterbending, the least terrible thing that could happen is getting thrown out of the healing school."
"Would that really be so bad? You clearly hate it here."
"Katara, I'm a fisherman's daughter. Me being a waterbender means I'll have a better chance of making a good marriage if I become a healer. Even a crappy healer like me can fetch a good bride price."
Bride price? That sounded horrific. Did men just pay for wives like they were buying new clothes? Katara was beginning to understand even more why her grandmother left.
"And that could help my family a lot," Pikatti continued. "But I'd lose any chance of that if I get caught using my waterbending for anything other than healing."
As she stared at Pikatti's downcast face, so filled with resignation to a life she clearly didn't want, Katara decided that something had to be done. She'd only just met Pikatti but she would not let this girl throw away her life and happiness for such nonsensical standards and expectations. Change was coming to the Northern Water Tribe if Katara had to drag it out kicking and screaming with her own hands.
And it was starting now.
"Then we'd better be sure we don't get caught."
Zuko closed the rucksack with a sharp tug.
He'd already changed into his Earth Kingdom clothes, so there wasn't much left to pack. He could hardly lug his Fire Nation armor around with him, especially if he didn't want to get caught. He had a few plain clothes in black and grey, but anything with so much as a hint of red would have to be left behind.
He traced a hand over the breastplate he'd once worn with pride.
There was no use for it, now. He was a traitor and would never put it on again. The thought didn't upset him as much as he expected. And not even half as much as it might once have.
With the threat of impending charges of treason hanging over his head, there was no turning back at this point. Zhao would come after him very soon, probably before he set out for the Northern Water Tribe. Well, Zuko wouldn't be waiting around for him. If Zhao wanted to get him, he'd have to put in at least as much effort as Zuko had once put into capturing Aang.
The only regret Zuko had was that Uncle Iroh couldn't come with him.
He would never forgive himself if Uncle got caught up in the whole mess. Uncle wasn't a traitor. He could go on living a peaceful life, maybe return to the Fire Nation and actually have a chance to enjoy his retirement instead of following Zuko on a dinky old ship. No, it was better if Uncle could be safe and stay out of the trouble Zuko was definitely going to find himself in.
He left a letter for Uncle on his bed. It explained his thoughts and feelings and all the reasons he had for abandoning his mission and his country and why his uncle needed let him tread this path alone.
Something in him knew that Uncle Iroh would understand. He'd been perfectly fine with Aang, Katara, and Sokka, had welcomed them with a smile and a cup of tea and never looked down on them or criticized Zuko for befriending them. He'd actually seemed happy about it, in fact. He wanted so badly to go and tell Uncle directly what he was doing, but he knew that he'd either try to talk Zuko out of it or insist on going with him.
Zuko refused to have it on his conscience if something bad happened to Uncle Iroh because of him and his decisions.
He was going into a very dangerous situation. On one side, he was fully declaring himself an enemy of the Fire Nation, a traitor prince who would be marked for instant execution. On the other side, he was going to be heading right into Water Tribe territory, meaning he would most likely be executed as a spy if his identity was discovered. And even if he got out of there with his friends when all was said and done, there was a whole war he was going to be an active part of.
A certainty of death on one end and potential death on the other did not make for ideal circumstances, but Zuko was going to work with what he had.
Uncle shouldn't have to be in that position. That was why it was best for him to have some plausible deniability. In Zuko's letter, he urged his uncle to claim total ignorance of the reasons for Zuko's sudden defection from the Fire Nation and to beat Zhao to the punch by declaring Zuko a traitor, himself, so that he could escape guilt by association.
If Uncle made that announcement, he wouldn't be at risk of sharing the charges. His standing in the Fire Nation wouldn't be harmed and he would be free of the dead weight that Zuko had been burdening him with.
Even telling himself that, Zuko found his hand was shaking as he set the letter on his bed.
"I'm sorry, Uncle," he said. "You'll be better off without me dragging you down."
There was one last thing he needed to do, though.
He looked into the small mirror he set on his dresser and at the stranger who met his gaze. He hadn't bothered to shave his head since returning, so he now had a notable growth of hair with his ponytail awkwardly jutting out at the back. With a solemn nod of resignation, he pulled out the knife he still kept tucked away on his person and held it up.
Never give up without a fight.
The inscription still glistened faintly in the dim light of his room. It was a strange sort of irony, that knife. A trophy of an imperialistic war, taken from the Earth Kingdom by a Fire Nation royal, was now going to sever a symbol of the bond of allegiance the Fire Nation's Crown Prince owed to his country and family.
The blade seemed to mock him as he continued to stare at it.
Slowly, hands still trembling, he raised it to the base of the tie that fixed his hair in place. Hesitating just a moment longer, he sliced cleanly through and clutched the mass of dark strands in his fist.
He set the knife down beside his letter. It had been Uncle's gift to him, but now he had to give it back. He wasn't sure if he could look at the weapon again, not now that he understood what it really meant.
So, with that done, he slung the rucksack over his shoulder and shut the door behind him.
Iroh had been trying for hours to stir his nephew from the bitter mood that had driven him to hide in his quarters, once again.
He knew there wasn't much he could do when Zuko got like this. He kept trying anyway.
He even poked his head into the room to invite him down to say his farewell to their crew. The room was a pitch-black void, not even a candle lit.
"It's a lovely night for a walk," he said into the painful silence. It was so still that it was almost as if Zuko wasn't even there. "Why don't you join me? It would clear your head."
Nothing.
"Or just stay in your room and sit in the dark. Whatever makes you happy."
He didn't want to push Zuko more than absolutely necessary. Knowing his nephew, getting too involved would only drive him deeper into his brooding. Zuko liked his space and, sometimes, just needed time to himself to process the things that happened to him, especially the bad things. Iroh wanted to go in and sit down beside Zuko and coax him into talking about what was bothering him.
Not that Iroh couldn't guess. Not only had his new friends had to leave him behind, but now Zhao had barged in and stolen their crew. Iroh was rather salty about that, himself.
But he had learned from experience that some teenagers did not react well to older people prying into their personal grievances. However well-intentioned it might be, it was oftentimes not a welcome gesture.
Even Lu Ten had…
Iroh paused and took a deep breath at the memory.
His son had once been a grumpy sixteen-year-old boy, as well. He wasn't as angry as Zuko was, and certainly had fewer reasons to be so, but Lu Ten had still had off days when he didn't want to talk to anyone or thought the world was out to get him. The last time Iroh recalled Lu Ten falling into a bad temper was when his betrothal was announced.
Fire Lord Azulon had wanted to reconfirm the allegiance of the Silver Lightning Clan, so a marriage was arranged between Lu Ten and young Lady Manami.
Lu Ten had sulked in his room for days. Iroh tried to reassure his son and convince him to return to his normal cheerful, energetic self by barging in on him every day, even when he said he wanted to be left alone. He'd then foolishly tried to reason with Lu Ten by explaining the importance of political alliances and that Iroh's own arranged marriage had turned out well. This had the unintended consequence of making his son even more upset. Lu Ten had gotten genuinely angry at him for the first time and said that Iroh cared more about politics than his own son because he hadn't done anything to get the marriage canceled. Iroh had argued back that the decision for the marriage came from Fire Lord Azulon and that there was nothing to be done about changing it.
The silent treatment Iroh had gotten from Lu Ten after that had felt agonizingly long.
Things had gone back to normal, eventually, but only after Lu Ten had had some time to think things over on his own. He'd apologized to Iroh for being disrespectful and Iroh had just been so relieved that his son was talking to him again that he'd instantly forgotten how hurtful it was that Lu Ten had shut him out for months. Not that he blamed his son for having been upset; it was a perfectly natural reaction when such an important decision for his future was made without his input. Iroh had been much the same way when his own marriage was arranged, but that had turned out well and so he assumed it would be fine for his own son.
If Iroh had known how little time was left between them, he would have taken back every thoughtless word about duty and securing loyalty and all the other stupid, ridiculous things he'd said to his son that day. He would have insisted that Lu Ten's feelings came first and backed him up on canceling the marriage.
Even if he knew, then, how much Lu Ten and Manami grew to care for each other in the few short years before…before Lu Ten's death.
As long as his son could be happy, Iroh would've taken everything back and let him choose what he wanted.
He had failed Lu Ten. He was going to do right by Zuko.
Iroh would leave him be. He was going to respect his nephew's need for space and privacy. When Zuko was ready to talk, Iroh would be there to listen.
He smiled softly and hummed the tune to "Four Seasons" as he strolled down the gangplank. The night air was cool and crisp with a tang of the salty sea-spray. The stars were twinkling brightly overhead and the moon was large and lustrous.
So calm and peaceful. For a little while, he could imagine that all was right with the world.
BOOM!
A furious blaze shot into the sky, turning the darkness practically to daylight from the intensity of the flames. The ground trembled beneath Iroh's feet, but he was already running back towards the ship.
"ZUKO!"
All he saw was the inferno that had once been their ship. He couldn't move. He could barely even breathe. He could only stand there on the pier, watching everything burn.
"Zuko," he said again, almost a whisper.
With a frantic hope, he jumped into the water and began to search. All he found was smoldering debris.
That was where the crew found him not long after. They had only left a short while ago and hadn't gone very far before the explosion.
"General Iroh," Lieutenant Jee said. "General Iroh. Sir, are you all right?"
"Zuko…" was all he could manage to say as the men led him back onto the pier. Someone wrapped a cloak around him to shield him from the cold, but he still felt an aching chill deep in his bones.
Jee turned to the others.
"What are you all waiting for?" he snapped. "Get searching!"
Jee helped him to sit down as the men began a desperate investigation of the wreckage.
"Just wait here, sir. I'm sure…His Highness is tough. I'm sure he'll be…Just wait here."
Lieutenant Jee hurried off to join the others, but Iroh already knew in his heart that they wouldn't find anything.
Zuko was gone.
"Just wait here, General," the colonel said.
"The report should have come in by now," Iroh replied. "They should have at least sent us a signal flare."
"There were more earthbenders than we anticipated. Our troops are probably too distracted to do anything but fight."
"That's why I need to get down there with them. How can my troops trust me to lead them if I'm not there?"
"No. Your Highness, you are not in a fit state to return to the battle."
"I'll go," said Lu Ten. "Let me lead them, Father."
"You've never led the soldiers in battle before, son."
"I can do it! I'll bring down Ba Sing Se for you, Father. I'll bring you the victory you deserve."
"Just come back safely. If things get out of hand, promise me you will get out of there."
"I'll be fine, Father. Don't worry."
Lu Ten's face disappeared as he slipped his helmet into place.
"Just wait here. When you see me next, the war will be over."
An emptiness opened up inside of Iroh, then. A numb, suffocating sensation which he'd prayed he would never have to feel again. Perhaps fate had decided he hadn't sufficiently paid for his sins with the loss of one son and had decided to take another from him.
Iroh hung his head as the men continued their fruitless search. They didn't let up until dawn broke, a sickly, feverish yellow against the dull grey sky.
"Sir, we found this," Lieutenant Jee said, handing a small, thin object to him.
As Iroh took it, he recognized it immediately. It was the knife he'd sent Zuko as a gift during the siege of Ba Sing Se. His hands began to tremble and he couldn't stop them.
The last thread keeping him together had finally been severed.
Another feeling he'd try to keep buried rose to the surface and his grief gave way to rage. Iroh had tried to be a good person, to let go of the hate and anger that had shackled him in the past, but the loss of another son was too much.
He knew exactly who was responsible for this. No one else could have orchestrated this despicable act. And he would make sure that Zhao paid dearly for it.
The Dragon of the West had been awakened once more.
Author's Note: And so begins one of my favorite arcs. I actually really love the whole Northern Water Tribe plotline and I wish we got more of it in the series. There is just so much to explore here and we barely scratched the surface.
I crave more details about the whole Pakku and Kanna situation. (Also, apparently, Kanna's old friend's name is actually spelled 'Yagoda' not 'Yugoda,' but I decided to stick with the fandom-preferred spelling because that's what's used on fanfiction sites).
Katara gets to have a moment to foreshadow when she and Toph take down the mean girls in Ba Sing Se.
Zuko. My boy. My sweet summer child. My panicky little ball of nervous energy. I love you, but you never think things through. Now poor Uncle Iroh is heartbroken.
Marriage by kidnapping is actually still being practiced in this day and age. Usually, it's done as a way of avoiding dowries or bride prices. In fact, groom kidnapping has been a serious issue in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India for a while. I decided to use it for worldbuilding because the Yuyan seem to have some inspiration from Steppe cultures (specifically, Mongol and Turkic groups), which have historically practiced bride kidnapping; places like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan still have major problems with it (though it is sometimes done consensually by couples trying to avoid objections from family).
So, I decided that Yuyan and other groups I headcanon to reside in the more mountainous parts of the main island in the Fire Nation practice marriage by kidnap. Of course, being in more modern times, the 'kidnapping' is more ceremonial and done with the consent of both parties. There are probably some who still believe actual kidnapping is fine, but the Fire Nation government does not recognize them as valid marriages and treats them as hostage situations.
Bowing is an important part of traditional Chinese weddings. The couple is supposed to bow three times (once to the ancestors, once to Heaven and Earth, and once to each other). There is also sometimes a tea ceremony in which the bride serves tea to her new in-laws (though the ritual likely differs depending on circumstances).
In the spirit of Katara's feminist revolution against sexism in the North Pole, your C-drama recommendation will be something with a strong feminist quality.
"In a Class of her Own" tells the story of Xue Wen Xi, a girl from a poor family who poses as her twin brother, Xue Wen Bin, in order to earn a living by writing novels and making forgeries. By chance, she catches the attention of Feng Chen Jun, son of the prime minister, who is determined to ensure this talented "young man" gets the opportunity to better himself and help Chen Jun prove that anyone can succeed regardless of social status. Wen Xi, however, is not enthusiastic about getting strong-armed into enrolling at Yun Shang Academy and tries everything she can to get kicked out. But the lure of education and the promise of friendship with the idealistic Feng Chen Jun, the wily Yue Xuan, and the cool delinquent Lei Ze Xin draws her deeper into the charade. Her fear of discovery grows by the day, and it's only a matter of time before something goes wrong.
I know these "girl disguises as boy to go to school" plots are pretty common in C-dramas, but I quite like this one. It's simple but it never really drags, even with school being a big part of the plot. There is some mystery and a few secret plots, but nothing super outrageous, in my opinion. There's also a nice feel to the atmosphere, costumes, and sets. A lot of C-dramas can be too flashy or cartoonish, but this one has a very nice tone to it.
Lead couple is pretty good, and it's fun to watch Feng Chen Jun have a gay panic over his feelings for Xue Wen Xi. How no one picks up that she's a girl from the start is just one of those strange quirks of C-dramas. Best characters are Yue Xuan and Lei Zi Xin. Lei Zi Xin is my personal fave, though, because he comes across as a bad boy type, but he's actually just a hurt teen with daddy issues who cares deeply about things and chooses to lash out (…I wonder who that reminds me of?). Also, it's hilarious watching Lei Zi Xin and Feng Chen Jun bicker over who gets Wen Xi's attention, but more for "he's my bestie" reasons than romantic ones. It's more of a friendship triangle than a love triangle. Meanwhile, you have Yue Xuan in the background just vibing.