"Isn't this convenient, huh?"
"You're really going to complain?"
Sokka and Zuko were standing right in front of a cave in the glacier. The inside seemed temptingly quiet and calm in contrast to the snowstorm that was still raging outside. The promise of getting out from this freezing weather was enough for Zuko, and he started to walk inside. Sokka followed him hesitantly, still supported on his shoulder.
"I'm just saying, it's good that we accidentally found a perfectly good cave." the Water Tribe warrior rambled humorlessly as they went on. "Maybe Katara and Aang will find one too, wait out the storm. And then go looking for us, you know..."
The prince sighed with annoyance "They are both waterbenders. Your sister said herself that they could just build the shelter with ice if they needed."
"Yeah... Such a useful thing, this bending, right?" Sokka said smugly "You sure you couldn't do some of that jerk-bending to keep us warm?"
Zuko finally had enough, and in one sudden movement, he pulled away from him. "Do you really think I would be here if I could?!"
Sokka staggered for a lack of support, and fell backwards on the wall behind him. He frowned as he leaned against it "I don't know. You didn't really have places to be last time I checked."
The prince gritted his teeth with anger "I don't have to listen to this."
He turned away and started to go deeper into the cave.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Sokka called after him in a low voice. It should have probably warned Zuko, but he was too angry to notice it.
"Stop! There might be wild animals in this cave! Maybe even the one that attacked Appa!" the teen risked a louder tone, and finally the firebender hesitated. He knew already that the Water Tribe guy was a hunter, and what he said could be true. And as much as he'd like to think otherwise, Zuko was aware that he wouldn't be a match against a beast dangerous enough to attack a sky bison. He slowly walked back to where Sokka was and sat down by the wall opposite him without looking him in the face. The other boy seeing this just shook his head with a sigh, and lowered himself to a sitting position as well.
For a long while they sat in silence, broken only by the sound of the howling wind coming from outside. It was beginning to eat Sokka up, and eventually he said "Alright, sorry about that. I guess it kinda sucks being you."
Zuko glared at him, but said nothing. The warrior wasn't sure why, but it actually encouraged him to keep talking. "I mean you're literally wanted, and- right, you said once that your father has banished you? How does that even work?"
The prince sighed heavily but he felt compelled to answer at the same time "I disrespected him and he sent me away to regain my honor. Only then I'd be allowed to come back. At least that was before-"
"Regain your honor? You mean-"
"To capture the Avatar."
Sokka's eyes widened in realization "So that's why you were hunting Aang like a mad! But... And it was three years ago?"
The prince looked away, angered. "Great, I just needed some more pity. Is it three years already...? Still short of a few weeks, I think. Is there a point in counting anymore...?"
The firebender's silence only made Sokka freak out even more.
"But, sending away your own son for years of crazy mission over a disrespect?! That's crazy! My father would never-"
"Your father is doesn't rule a whole nation! You don't understand. He was right to punish the dishonor I brought him."
"Dishonor? What were you, like fourteen? What could you say so horrible?"
"Thirteen. And I... It's... Ughh!" the warrior's small gasp threw him off a little, as well as the need to explain something so obvious "There was a war meeting I was not even supposed to attend in the first place. Uncle brought me with him, and like an idiot, I just had to call out some old general over a strategy he suggested."
"That's it? You speak out of turn and you're out of the country? Our warriors argue with chief all the time, it's-"
"If you're going to keep interrupting-"
"Just- No, okay, fine. Go on." said Sokka, raising his hands in conciliatory gesture. Still, his expression remained rather doubtful.
"That disrespect was about to be set by an Agni Kai. It's a traditional fire duel between two benders." he explained quickly before the boy could interrupt again by asking "Of course I agreed. I thought I would fight against the general. But by disrespecting him, I disrespected the Fire Lord himself, because that was his war room."
Sokka's eyes widened "So you fought your father?"
"No! I couldn't. I got down on my knees like a damn coward! I refused to fight in a sacred duel. I brought dishonor not only to myself, but also to my father!"
It took the Water Tribe boy completely off guard. "What...? Can you even hear what you're saying, dude?! How does someone banish his own son out of the country he rules himself, over something so small like speaking out of turn?! And, refusing to fight?"
Zuko gave a frustrated sigh "You know nothing about honor!"
"Yeah, just what kind of honor do you guys have there in the Fire Nation? Like, wouldn't raising a hand against your father be more dishonorable than apologising?"
"Agni Kai is a sacred duel, and breaking it's rules makes you lose your honor in the face of Agni."
"So the rules state you can't back away from the duel, but not to actually clarify who's it gonna be against?"
Zuko hesitated before answering, with a tad less confidence "It must have been obvious, I was just to stupid to realize it."
"Still kinda sketchy to me. You have to fight as soon as you call each other names? And you think we're savage? Besides, you've already done at least a few actually good things, so I don't see why kidnapping a kid would be the only honorable thing that you could do. Like, is your dad's word sacred too?"
"Just shut up already!" Zuko snarled, throwing a fistful of snow at him.
Usually Sokka wouldn't let anyone talk to him like that, but the firebender sounded quite defeated already, and it was a rare sight. So instead of adding more oil to the fire he just rolled his eyes in annoyance, turning to face the cave entrance. Out of the whole group he just had to be stuck with this jerk...
"Can you see anything?"
Aang's question was barely loud enough to carry over the howling blizzard, but he still was looking around nervously.
"Not really. Maybe Appa's got something?" Katara asked, patting the bison on the head. Appa grumbled quietly. Even his extraordinary hearing wasn't catching anything.
They were moving along the mountain chain for a while, trying to find the place they got scattered, and fortunately they came upon the piece of glacier that Katara had melted.
"There! That's where I crashed!" she called enthusiastically, but Aang shushed her.
"That means the owlbear is near too. We need to be careful."
She gave a serious nod. They flew closer to the place and looked around, but the snowstorm was still holding. As such, they decided to search the area below from Appa's back. They were constantly looking out not only for boys, but also for the owlbear. However, neither of them was to be found, which didn't take away from Katara's worry.
"What if they..." she turned to Aang, pale. She couldn't finish the sentence, but Aang reassured her immediately:
"Come on, it's Sokka and Zuko after all! I'm sure they are fine. Maybe they just hid somewhere from the blizzard?"
"Maybe..." the girl bit her lip nervously "Could we check at the bottom too? Just in case, you know..."
Avatar felt something squeeze his heart just thinking about it. Still he gave a small nod. "Right. Let's go."
A small urge was enough for Appa to start descending. They were still looking out for the smallest hint of the boys on their way down, but any possible traces were already lost in the snow.
Soon they found themselves at the foot of the mountain, but the only sight that greeted them were the waves crashing against the rocks. Both of them were watching it silently for a while, when Appa gave a low grumble, lowering himself even more.
"Woah, Appa! Are you ok?" Aang immediately asked with worry.
The bison gave another sound, as if he was apologetic. The airbender understood it right away. "You're exhausted...?"
Katara froze hearing this. "But we need to keep looking!"
The boy felt bad for having to disappoint her, but as much he'd like to keep looking for their friends too, he couldn't just neglect his faithful companion "I'm sorry, but Appa can't fly any longer. He really outdid himself today."
She winced as she realized that poor bison was already doing his best to aid them "You're right. I'm sorry. I just-"
"I know. Maybe I could go looking for them. But, my glider is gone, and..." Aang offered, but as he said it he started to fully comprehend the loss of his valued staff. It wasn't just a useful tool for him; it was one of the last mementos of his people too.
"No!" Katara shouted immediately, terrified "You would get lost in the blizzard as well! I can't lose you too!"
The boy swallowed heavily "I... Okay, I won't go anywhere. I'll always be there for you." he added with a slight blush, and for once he was grateful for the snow as it covered his face a little.
Katara didn't seem to find anything peculiar about his words, but they reassured her nevertheless. She looked around with more resolve, and finally pointed a finger as she noticed a convenient spot "There! I think we could bend some ice by this rock. It would protect us from the snow."
This time Appa was happy to comply as Aang directed him towards the landing spot. Together with Katara, they managed to raise a spherical wall that extended into roof, leaving only a small gap to ensure fresh air supply. The bison felt a little uncomfortable being fully enclosed, but the lack of blowing wind and snow made up for it. By the time they were done, it was almost an evening.
Katara snuggled into Appa's fur, finally allowing herself a relieved smile as she felt the warmth of bison's body. The last time she felt that comfortable was just this morning at the Temple, and yet it felt like forever. Aang sat right next to her, and for a while they sat in comfortable silence.
Finally Katara sighed softly, and said "I don't think we've ever had a day this bad."
"Even when we had to deal with both Zuko and the pirates?" Aang suggested with a weak smile. She smiled back, clearly appreciating the attempt to improve her mood.
"Yeah. Come to think about it, it wasn't so bad." she said, touching her necklace involuntarily. That day, the sight of it infuriated her, but in the end, she was glad that it was Zuko who had found it. If it had been anyone else, it would not have been recognized and she probably would never see it again.
"Maybe one day we can say the same about today...?"
The question was really silent, and Katara leaned a little bit to look him in the face. At the first glance it was peaceful, but she could see the pained look in his eyes. It made her realize that she wasn't the only one who was worried, and that she pressured him constantly to continue the search, as if she was the only one to care. Sokka was brother, but she was the one to admit that they were Aang's family too.
"We will. We'll find them, and one day we'll laugh about it."
The room was silent with anticipation. Commanding captains only got to know a part of the plan when the orders came. Something big was coming up, but Zhao had not yet told them, which was a goal so important that it would require raising half the navy.
They had their guesses, of course. Captain Li was sure they were going to attack one of Ba Sing Se's supply routes, near the Serpent's Pass. It would explain the numbers and importance of the mission; whereas captain Su believed they were going to finally get rid of the annoying Earth Kingdom general Chang and his fleet. If they also happened to obliterate the annoying Water Tribe savages on their sneaky little boats - all the better. But the time has finally come, that much was apparent one once they received a word about a council gathering.
Eventually Zhao showed up at the doorstep, and they straightened in their places. What they didn't expect was the admiral immediately stepping aside to make place for a young girl. Initial confusion gave way to fearful curiosity as they realized who was standing in front of them. Princess Azula was widely spoken about in the Fire Nation - the younger daughter of the Fire Lord Ozai, supposedly a ruthless firebending prodigy, despite her young age. But it was the first time thay had a chance to see her outside of the Caldera City, much less outside of the country in the middle of a war room. From what they knew she was barely a year older than her brother was the day of his regretful performance at a certain different war room, not that it was a public information. But it was a topic of much speculation, often discussed even among lower-ranking soldiers. Did he attack a member of council? Or maybe he challenged the Fire Lord himself?
Whatever the reason, they had a feeling the princess wouldn't make such a mistake. She took her place at the head of the table with an impassive face. To their surprise, the one to speak first was Zhao.
"Captains of the Fire Nation." Zhao began, his voice resonant and authoritative "You have been chosen for your valor and your unwayvering loyalty to our great nation. Tomorrow, we set sail on a mission of paramount importance, one that will secure our dominance over the seas and bring glory to the Fire Nation. Our target is the Northern Water Tribe."
A stunned silence fell, as none of them expected such a bold target. There were no skirmishes with the Northern Water Tribe in many decades, since the last failed siege of Agna Qel'a. The North was a jewel of power, long coveted, but never conquered. The captains exchanged glances discretely, while the Admiral continued.
"Furthermore, we have been granted an opportunity to capture the Avatar, the worst enemy of the Fire Nation. Securing him will ensure our nation's dominance for generation's to come. He's heading to the North to find a waterbending teacher."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get him before he learns it!"
"Careful, captain."
Azula's voice cut through the air like a sharpened blade. All eyes fell on her, while she continued "The Northern Water Tribe's capital isn't some little Earth Kingdom village we can just march into, or else general Zhu Lin would have conquered it for the Fire Lord Sozin eighty five years ago."
Zhao smirked, it felt like she had taken the words out of his mouth. He could probably gain a lot from having such a connection. Dismissing the thought for now, he took the opening she left "Precisely. The Water Tribe is a great nation. There's a reason they've survived a hundred years of war. The frozen tundra is trecherous. The landscape itself is an icy fortress. We need a massive attack force."
"Such as the one we have gathered here." the princess finished the thought, giving him a nod. "Courtesy of War Minister Qin, we are also provided with war tanks adapted to move on icy surfaces. They are already being transported to the north coast, where they will be waiting for us. The victory is within our grasp."
This brought careful smiles on captains' faces. They truly had a chance to be a part of history.
"This victory may be even more significant for us because we have the opportunity to erase the stain on the honor of our nation. I'm speaking of the traitor, prince Zuko. My brother." she spoke the name almost with a disgust "He's known to travel with the Avatar. His capture is not just a mission - it is personal. I will see him brought to justice."
The captains received her words with reverence but also cold respect. If she didn't hesitate to go after her own family, she might just live up to her fame.
"With these three objectives," Zhao continued with a smile "the siege of the North will not only be a military triumph but also a cleansing of our honor. We will return victorous, with the Avatar, the traitor, and the power of the Northern Water Tribe in our hands."
"He's an idiot obviously, but... What if he was right about that? Perhaps there is another way I could regain my honor in the face of Agni? Perhaps something big enough that even Father would not be able to deny it? I have no way of consulting a fire sage, but maybe, I could serve our nation in another way and show I'm not a traitor?"
The silence stretched again apparently Sokka couldn't stand it. He'd been watching the snowflakes for what felt like hours, and come to think about it - it actually seemed to be darkening outside. The wind wasn't blowing here as hard as outside the cave, but it wasn't much warmer here either - they both could still see the puffs of steam with every breath. He noticed that the firebender was rubbing his hands discretely, and he sighed.
"Alright, get your ass over here."
The question brought the prince back to the reality but he just blinked in confusion.
"What?!"
"It's too cold for these sulks. We should at least sit next to each other." Sokka explained grumpily "Has Your Majesty never heard of such a way of survival?"
Zuko got up, feigning frustration, but actually he was kind of relieved. It was the most reasonable thing to do - he just didn't want to be the one to offer it. He sat down next to the other boy, and said drily "Quit it. You know I'm not a royalty anymore."
Up close the hunter could see that the brown Earth Kingdom coat wasn't exactly suited for the polar weather, and he cursed internally his soft heart.
"We should switch our coats." he said, starting to unbutton his own.
"And why would we do that?" Zuko asked incredulously.
"Because you're going to freeze in that one, that's why."
The prince frowned at being looked down "I'm fine. I don't need anything from you."
"You're shaking like a leaf! Freezing won't make you more manly or anything." Sokka grumbled with frustration "And I'm used to such temperatures, I'll be fine with that one."
"You-"
"If we want to make it, we should both be able to move. I'm not doing this for you."
Another logical argument. Zuko couldn't argue with that, but he still felt he'd owe him for it. But he knew the Water Tribe boy could be stubborn too, so he complied. The freezing air attacked with double force the moment he took off his coat, but when he put on the furred blue one, it surprised him how well insulated it was. It became clearer how the Water Tribes were able to live in the lands with only ice and snow. He glanced at Sokka, wondering how he would make it up for him for such an unfair exchange.
The teen however didn't seem to show that it bothered him. He leaned a little bit, wincing slightly as examined his leg again with his hands, but nothing changed about it. He cleared his throat and spoke casually:
"Soo... About this firebending thing, you said you have to figure it out yourself to get it back? Any luck with that?"
"It's not that simple." the prince replied tiredly.
"We don't have anything better to do anyway."
Zuko looked at him skeptically "And you think you would be able to help with that? You're not even a bender."
"I mean..." Sokka hesitated "Okaaay, I'm not, but you had this master Jeong Jeong, and he couldn't help you either, sooo..."
The prince groaned tiredly.
"I can't believe I'm doing this..." he thought with his eyes closed, but eventually he raised his gaze on the Water Tribe boy.
"Fine."
"So? What's there to figure out?"
Zuko sighed again, as he shook his head "It's... Uncle said it was about the source of inner fire. And the true meaning of fire."
"Source of inner fire?" Sokka repeated, surprised. The prince already knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it seemed he would need to explain it to him as if to a child.
"Inner fire is like... like an energy source, or- Just imagine that firebenders literally have a fire inside them that they use to launch flames outside, ok?"
"Kinda weird, but you're all weird so it's not that surprising." the warrior responded, but seeing that the firebender was getting frustrated, he cleared his throat and asked "So, that fire needs to be fuelled too, right?"
"Exactly."
"So what do you fuel it with?"
"I... Uncle said that I used to fuel it with my anger when I was hunting the Avatar. It would mean that once I lost this target I... Didn't have enough to keep my inner fire strong enough to create flames, I guess..."
While he said it, the thought appeared in his head "But how does one fuel fire with 'life'...?"
Sokka hummed in thought.
"So... That means all we need to do is get you angry?" he asked with a smirk, giving Zuko a nudge. He immediately threw the hunter an indignant look, but Sokka was already aiming another one at him.
"Hey! Cut it out!" he yelled, pushing Sokka away.
He straightened himself back up, offended, and huffed "Just trying to help here, man!"
"If just being angry would solve this, I would be bending all the time around you."
"Hey! What-"
"It just won't cut it." Zuko continued, ignoring him "Uncle said that the fire is life. Like, what's that supposed to mean?"
Still grumpily, Sokka gave it a thought "I don't know... Maybe like that healing stuff you did? Or maybe that it can keep someone alive and warm?"
"Yeah, I know I'm useless, we have already established it. You don't need to remind me!"
The outburst wasn't really encouraging, but Sokka didn't want to give up yet. He was the idea guy after all.
"I didn't mean right now, just... uh, nevermind. Maybe it's not the right approach. What about that target you mentioned?"
"What do you mean?"
"You said you lost the target when you stopped chasing Aang."
"So? Should life be my new purpose?" Zuko asked ironically.
"Noo. More like..." warrior paused, thinking "I don't know, maybe just a different target would do for some time...?"
Zuko sighed "I already thought about it. I don't think it's going to work."
"Maybe the target wasn't fiery enough?" Sokka joked, but Zuko just glared at him in response. The firebender wasn't really a good audience for his jokes, not that he expected otherwise. With a sigh he turned to take a look outside, but it didn't look like the weather didn't change a bit.
"Okay, this might take a while." he hummed in thought "So, what did you think about? What do you want?"
Zuko laughed bitterly "What do I want? Many things. I want my honor, my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless... I want to not be freezing somewhere in the north pole, I want my fire back!" he yelled, his eyes glistened "But I can't have any of this anymore apparently."
Sokka threw a little panicked look at the deeper part of the cave, but fortunately the loud tone didn't seem to have disturbed anything.
"Well, maybe something else...?" he offered weakly "About that honor, maybe you could actually start helping people for a change! You did a good job at Makapu village. Maybe not as good as capturing a 12-year old boy, but, you know..."
The prince sit quietly for a moment. Just when Sokka thought he wasn't going to respond, he said "I don't think that playing a local hero would bring my honor back."
"Why not? If you started helping others with the ferocity with which you pursued Aang, even Zhao's troops would have a problem!"
Zuko gave him a dirty look "What's between Zhao and me is just our business, but I won't be fighting Fire Nation troops."
The warrior responded with a similar look of his own "Come on! Don't tell me you're still on the Fire Nation's side! You fought them when they attacked the air temple!"
"It was different! Just because Qin ordered his troops to act without honor, doesn't mean I'll stand against everything my country represents!"
"And what does it represent that's so wonderful?!"
"We're spreading prosperity with the rest of the world!"
"You mean all those burnt villages and forests in the Earth Kingdom? Or perhaps kidnapping or killing all waterbenders from our Water Tribe?! You think my mother was killed because you wanted to share something so badly?! WHAT DID YOU SHARE?!"
This argument hit hard, and Zuko fell silent. Eventually he said quietly "I... I don't know why it- I mean, it was probably because of the Avatar, he-" he stopped himself abruptly. It felt like excuses, and he knew it. Instead he said "It was wrong, I admit it. And I'm sorry for what happened to your Tribe. And your mother."
Sokka was flabbergasted. He expected the prince to argue, and he wanted to yell at him, but he didn't expect an apology. He cleared his throat, and said grumpily "Then perhaps not everything your nation does is so great?"
"Perhaps."
"If-" the next words got stuck in his throat when a guttural sound came from the depths of the cave. It sounded a bit like a bleating, but considering the circumstances, it was enough to make both boys' hair stand on end. Zuko jumped to his feet, earning them another strange growl from the shadows. Slowly their eyes became accustomed to the darkness, but the sight they saw was not comforting. What Sokka feared has come true - the cave was inhabited and apparently its residents came to complain about the noise.