The night had been long and loud. The next morning was no different. Sokka spent it in their hut with Katara, working on his training still. She practiced waterbending while he did, neither one being particularly happy with their success.

"Do you think I'm ever going to be a good warrior?" he asked.

Katara nodded. "You will with training."

"It's taking so long, though," he mentioned, whacking at an animal pelt.

He had gotten lucky the previous day. Had he been so bold as to attack one of the soldiers, Katara would have become an only child. Though he was not ignorant to that fact, it upset him. Hakoda was a fighter who could take on a bender and win. He at least needed to be able to take one on and survive. With the information he got from Zuko, maybe he could learn about certain weaknesses unique to firebenders.

"If you had a chance to talk with a firebender, what would you say?" he asked his sister.

The girl looked surprised by his question. "I'd probably ask why they're so evil."

"Anything else?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about talking with them. I doubt we'll be talking to these ones. They'll just try to boss us around."

Sokka neither agreed nor disagreed, but he kept thinking of what he would say. Later that day, he planned on going back to where he had seen Zuko. If he was there, they would talk. During this time, the Fire Nation prince was doing training of his own. He was in a low stance with his Dao blade, eyes locked on a man in a similar pose. When the man began to shift, Zuko was able to see his every movement. He knew where to look–the eyes. Look at an arm and you could miss a leg or vice versa. Look at the eyes and you can see it all. That was what his teacher had told him (and demonstrated when he consistently won in their spars whereas Zuko was looking everywhere else).

But that was years ago. Zuko had vastly improved and was able to parry the attacks of the master. Every once in a while, the older individual would get the upper hand, but that was due only to experience. Soon, Zuko would be even better than he was. The boy carefully watched the subtle movements of his teacher and found an opening. Agilely, he leapt to the other side of the man and stopped just before his blade pierced his face. Momentarily, the teacher's eyes were wide, then a small smile formed.

"Well done, Prince Zuko."

The younger Fire Nation citizen smiled and sheathed his weapon. They bowed to each other.

"Thank you, Master Piandao," he said.

Something changed in the master when Zuko rose back to full height. He saw a look of unhappiness on his face.

"What's wrong?"

A slight pause followed the question. "You have been one of my best students. With time, I think you would have become my best."

"Would have?" Zuko asked, feeling uneasy.

The man closed his eyes, then nodded. "Prince Ozai has requested that this be our last lesson."

"What?! He can't do that! My uncle asked you to teach me. He can't go against an order from the firelord."

"He cannot, but like you said, your uncle asked me. It was not an order. This was merely a friend helping a friend. Unfortunately, unless that changes, a direct order from the prince holds more power."

Zuko could not believe what he was hearing. He loved those lessons. He needed them. When his uncle and cousin went to join the soldiers in the war, Zuko had felt so alone. They were all he had, so the idea of them being in an entirely different nation was horrifying. That was why it was so nice when Iroh had asked his friend Piandao to teach Zuko how to use a sword, it felt like part of his uncle had stayed behind. For this to be snatched away, it was taking far more than a mere class.

"You're a sword fighting prodigy, Zuko," Piandao stated sincerely. "With or without my instructions from now on, you'll only continue to improve as long as you don't stop training."

The prince was not sure what to do. He did not want to leave, but he knew he would only continue to protest if he stayed. He could not behave in a way deemed disgraceful for someone of royal blood. Still, he felt so conflicted when all he wanted to do was plead with the swordsman to not end their sessions. Piandao could tell that he was experiencing inner turmoil over his next actions and made a decision for them.

"Take care of yourself," the man said, voice tense but not unkind.

Piandao left the training room and went to his room on the ship. He stopped when he sensed someone coming. He bowed slightly, skillfully keeping the disdain he felt from appearing on his face.

"You told him that I wanted the lessons to end," Ozai said, frowning. "You were supposed to tell him that he wasn't worth your time."

"He would not have believed that if I told him. The prince would have known it wasn't true."

"Are you trying to convince me that your disregard of my order was to my benefit?"

The swordsman could hear the other man's voice turn deadly. A dangerous look was in his eyes, but that did not faze Piandao. He was hardly one to be frightened off at the first sign of trouble.

"I was led to believe your ultimate goal was for the sessions to end. This was the best way I could think of to do that. They won't continue."

Ozai stared at him for a moment, hatred melting into dismissal. "Then, there's no need for you to be here. A small vessel will be provided for you by dawn. You will use that to return to the Fire Nation."

"The firelord asked me to stay. Though the sessions could end without it upsetting him, I doubt my absence would lead to the same result."

"Are you suggesting your presence is needed?" The prince gazed harshly upon the non-bender, then he smiled. "If you're so worried about the boy, send word to my brother and inquire if this request of his is an order or not. If it is, then you will be welcomed back with open arms. I could not oppose the orders of the firelord even if I wished to do so. I'm sure Zuko would get a lot of pleasure out of knowing you're still here. It is my duty to do what's best for him. He is my son after all."

There was something behind his words which laced them with a threat. As the firelord's friend, Piandao knew the threat was not meant for him. After a moment, he bowed his head slightly.

"My apologies if I seemed irreverent, Prince Ozai. I will miss the lessons, but if this is what you request, then I will abide by it."

The royal turned and left the swordsman, satisfied in a job well done. If he had cared, he might have felt the spiteful glare burning two holes in the back of his head. Ozai walked to the training room. He wanted to see Zuko's reaction to the discovery. It would be fun seeing his frustration and disappointment. His smug smirk fell when he entered the room and saw no one. There was no sign of the prince anywhere. Snarling, he left. He could think of better ways to spend his time anyway. Surely, Azula was doing something remarkable.

After Piandao had left, Zuko had not waited long to do the same. He knew his father would be on his way to see him, then Azula would follow not far behind to gloat. Instead of waiting for them, he decided to leave the ship and go see if he could find Sokka. He glanced around and was a little surprised at what he saw. A lot had been done the previous night. The ships had been emptied of people and a lot of new settlements had already been made. Zuko noticed something else, though. Some of the soldiers were going in and out of huts, and some of the members of the Water Tribe were making shelters. The prince watched in mild confusion before he realized what had happened. He looked around for Sokka and did not find him. From what he could see, he did not blame the other boy for not being outside. The only members of the tribe who were out there were those who had been forced out.

"He's too young to be out in the cold like this," Zuko heard someone say.

The voice was a woman's and she appeared to be a mother. She was clutching a baby close to her and glaring up at the admiral from the snow. Zhao just sneered at her.

"You'll leave so that our soldiers can stay here until a proper home is made. They are your soldiers now too."

"They'll never be my soldiers. I hope you all freeze to death."

Rage flashed across Zhao's face and fire lit up in his hands. Zuko felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. He had never seen firebending be used on someone before outside of a spar. There, people could fight back and return the attack. With this, it would just be an execution. Zuko knew his words would mean nothing beyond his father finding out about his involvement, but he could not just let an innocent mother and her child get killed.

"Admiral Zhao," Hakoda said, catching the leader's attention.

Zuko stopped, realizing he had been walking towards the scene. Perhaps, he no longer had a reason to intervene. He could see how this exchange went. The admiral glared at the chief.

"You interrupted an important moment of teaching respect."

"It looked like I interrupted a moment of cruelty," the father said evenly. "The baby is too young to be out in the cold for long."

"Then, maybe you peasants should stop having them out here in the frigid temperatures. You could've saved us a lot of time if you had just gone extinct a while ago."

Hearing the admiral's words, Zuko internally cringed at having called the people peasants the last day. It had been how he felt, but it suddenly seemed so callous. If it made him like Zhao, that was not something he wanted. The man looked positively murderous and Hakoda did not back down.

"I doubt your firelord or prince would appreciate you taking it upon yourself to execute people when the goal seems to be having us serve the Fire Nation. Of course, I suppose you could believe your sudden plans are better than those made by your superiors."

With wide eyes, Zhao glanced around at the soldiers who had gathered. They turned slightly to each other and he could tell they were talking. If word got out–even if it was only a rumor–that could be enough to seal his fate. Begrudgingly, he stopped using firebending and just glared at the chief.

"You should thank Prince Ozai and Firelord Iroh for their ever-present mercy. If not for that, this entire pathetic tribe would be burned to the ground. There wouldn't even be any snow left."

The soldier walked away, but Hakoda was glad he had won this small battle. When Zhao was gone, the mother got up and sincerely thanked him. Zuko watched the scene for a few moments before continuing his search for Sokka.

"That must've been the chief," he thought. "Maybe he isn't such a weak leader if he's able to protect his people in these conditions. Since all the waterbenders are gone, that means he's a non-bender and was still willing to stand up to Zhao even after he saw the fire in his hands."

As he looked for the Water Tribe boy, Sokka was becoming increasingly frustrated by the sounds of soldiers crunching on the snow in their heavy boots. It sounded like a lot of them were going in one particular direction. If he could peek out of the hut, he could see. Trying to not draw attention from his sister who was preparing dinner again, Sokka looked outside. All throughout the night, soldiers had been keeping guard by the ships, ensuring that no tribesman approached them. His eyes widened as he saw more Fire Nation soldiers were joining the guards.

"If they're all going over there," he thought, "they could raid our supplies and take them."

Sokka glanced back at Katara. By this point, she had noticed that his attention had moved outside.

"What's going on?" she asked, getting worried.

"Don't worry about it," he said, having given up on trying to inconspicuously look out this time.

"That doesn't work like you think it does."

Sokka did not hear what she said because his entire focus was on the soldiers. They were lighting fire in their hands. The next sound he heard were his own footsteps as he ran towards the vessels. He wanted to reach them in time, but he was too slow. Fire reflected in his eyes as the ships were set aflame. Sokka felt his heart sink. All their weapons, all the warriors' supplies…gone. Part of him wanted to run into the ships and get whatever was salvageable. That part was outvoted by reason. From his side, Sokka sensed someone coming.

"Did you know they were going to do this?" he asked, eyes not moving from the fire.

"No, but it doesn't surprise me," Zuko answered, also watching the flames.

The fire had grown much, it seemed as though the water itself was burning. These flames were as undying as the burning hatred in Sokka's heart.

"What made you all come here? Honestly." He turned around with a glare. "Your soldiers already raided our home and captured or killed all our waterbenders. Why didn't you just take over then? Was it all part of a plan to make us think we were safe and then force us out of our homes and take away our hope? Are we just some joke to you?"

Not diverting his eyes from the other boy's, Zuko responded. "I'm not really sure why we didn't stay last time." He paused, feeling that sympathy again. "I know why the waterbenders were taken, though."

"Why? We lost some people who meant the world to us that day "

"Because of the Avatar," he explained.

"The Avatar? What does the Avatar have to do with that? It wasn't just some power grab to take out every bender you could get your hands on?"

Zuko shook his head. "If the Avatar stays gone, there won't be any competition. With the Air Nomads gone–"

"He would've been reincarnated as a waterbender," Sokka realized.

"And the Northern Water Tribe's territory is more difficult to invade."

"I guess we aren't as impenetrable as they are. You didn't answer the question about us being jokes."

The prince sighed. "It depends who you ask. Some of my people are going to say you are, but others wouldn't."

Sokka started walking away from the ships. If he had stayed any longer, he only would have gotten more upset. Zuko could sense the rage coming off him.

"I think I saw your dad," he said. "He seems like a brave man."

"He is," Sokka said, feeling some of his anger fade as it was taken over by pride. "He's the bravest man I know. What about your dad?"

Zuko glanced at the snow. "He's tough." Before another question could be asked, he asked one of his own. "What's the family dynamic like here?"

"Normally the fathers hunt and protect the families. The sons like me learn to do that and take their place later on. As for the women, they deal with girly stuff like cooking and sewing."

Instinctively, he glanced over his shoulder to be sure neither his sister nor grandmother had heard him.

"What are families like in the Fire Nation?"

"They're pretty different from that. We don't have a reason to hunt, so husbands and sometimes wives go to work in stores unless they're nobles."

"Nobles? Are those fancy people?"

"Kind of. They basically own the businesses and land everyone else lives on. They still have to serve the royal family, though, of course."

"Of course," Sokka repeated, fighting to not sound sarcastic. As he considered it more, it began making sense. "I guess our equivalent for that would be the top warriors. They get a lot of respect and some act in leadership roles when Dad isn't available."

"Yeah, it would be sort of like that…I guess. Do you have schools here? We're pretty strict with making sure younger people get a good education."

"Kinda. What types of things do you learn?"

"We go through the history of the Fire Nation and the rest of the world, mathematics, music, and things like that. There are these buildings kids go to most days at a certain time where they learn them from professors."

"We don't have something quite like that. Normally, we learn just from our parents and the village elders. We learn all those things but not in an official place. It just happens in the moment for the most part."

An idea came to Sokka as his eyes lit up.

"What about food? We have stewed sea prunes."

"A sea prune? What's that?"

"Delicious! They can be drawn out of the ocean. Since the land isn't that fertile, we eat a lot of meat. That's my favorite. I could eat meat all day. We have squid, seal jerky, and blubber. Most of the food is boiled or stewed so that we can stay warm. We have a soup called Five-flavored soup with all this seaweed in it. It's good, but I prefer the meat. There's blood soup too."

Zuko's face scrunched some at the sound of that. "You eat blood?"

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it."

"I'll pass. We normally cook all our food until there's no blood left."

"Sounds dry to me, but if that's how you prefer it," Sokka said, shrugging.

"Do you have a lot of spices to use?"

"No, not really. Our penguin-seal sausages are really flavorful, but that's it. Your food has a lot of spices?"

"A lot. The main one we use is called Togarashi. We also roast komodo chicken and make treats like baked ash banana bread."

"I've never had an ash banana."

"It's good. You'd probably like it. Maybe you could try it sometime if you'd like."

"Not trying to poison me, are you?" Sokka asked, half joking.

Zuko did not get the lack of seriousness and frowned. "I already said I wasn't going to kill you."

"I know-I just…never mind. Maybe you could try some of the sausage one day. You could see what you think of it."

"Yeah, that could be fun."

Zuko started to think of the chefs on board. He could probably get one to bake some of the bread soon. That could lead to nice progress with this communication if Sokka felt like he was benefiting as well. He needed to head back, though. If he stayed out much longer, he would risk his sister or father finding him.

"If you're here by tomorrow morning, I'll bring you a piece of that bread. Do you want to try?"

"Sure. I could always eat."

"Then, I'll see you tomorrow."

As Zuko went away, Sokka noticed a smile on his own face. He made it go away, surprised it had existed in the first place. That was no time to be happy. The burned ships had proven that and some of his people were still out in the cold, trying to make shelters. What he was doing was not enough. He had to change tactics and do more–he had to fight even if it meant directly opposing an order from the chief.