Zuko jolted awake in his sleeping bag with a start as the ground shook beneath him.
Earthbenders?
"Give up! You're completely surrounded!"
His eyes widened when he whipped around and saw who had spoken. At the top of the short cliff overlooking their campsite stood a komodo rhino with a rider on its back—a ruthless-looking man whose head was almost completely shaved, save for a small patch at the top of his head, where a feather-embellished topknot braid sat.
Definitely not earthbenders.
The shaking of the ground increased in its intensity, and within seconds, the entire camp was surrounded by four more komodo rhinos, each with their own rider.
As Zuko scrambled to his feet, he saw that his friends were now fully awake as well, and assumed a defensive position.
"Colonel Mongke! What a pleasant surprise!"
Zuko's brow furrowed in confusion as his eyes darted over to Iroh, who appeared to be calmly addressing the man on the cliff.
"If you're surprised we're here, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps," the man replied, a look of disdain crossing his features.
"Uncle, you know these guys?" Zuko questioned.
"Sure," Iroh replied nonchalantly. "Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary . Each one is a different kind of weapon specialist. They are also a very capable singing group."
Zuko narrowed his eyes. What exactly was Iroh attempting to do? Talk his way out of the situation?
He glanced at Aang, Katara, and Sokka, who each appeared somewhat disheveled and groggy due to having been woken up so abruptly in the early morning. He was not certain how well any of them would be able to fight in this state.
"We're not here to give a concert," the colonel snapped in reply. "We're here to capture the Avatar, and to apprehend his traitor accomplices."
Iroh simply smiled, as if they weren't in immediate danger, and Zuko felt his stomach tighten with anxiety.
"Would you like some tea first?" Iroh asked. "I'd love some. How about you, Kahchi?" He turned around to address one of the riders surrounding the camp—a burly man with a bushy braided beard and a guan dao in hand. "I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"
"Enough stalling!" Colonel Mongke growled. "Round 'em up!"
The rider wielding a ball and chain acted first, tossing his weapon directly at Iroh. Thankfully, the former general's reflexes were quick, and he easily kicked it to the side before dodging several fire blasts from the now irritated-looking colonel above them.
"Sokka, watch out!" Zuko exclaimed as he pulled the startled warrior out of the path of three flaming arrows. He looked up to see that the ride who had fired it had the unmistakable facial tattoos of the Yuyan Archers, and he winced as he recalled the piercing pain from the forehead wound that one of them had inflicted upon him all the way back at Pohuai Stronghold.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Sokka shouted as he scrambled up into Appa's saddle.
"My scrolls!" Katara exclaimed in sudden realization just as she was about to follow her brother. As she turned back around, the rider wielding the guan dao plunged the weapon into a large tree stump, where the box of scrolls Pakku had given her sat.
"My staff!" Aang exclaimed, hopping off of Appa's head.
With sudden realization, Zuko's hand instinctively moved down to his hip, feeling nothing but the cloth of his shirt. "My swords!"
While his companions retrieved their items, Zuko made a beeline for his scabbard, which laid next to his sleeping bag. However, just as he was about to reach them, he was forced to knock back another flaming arrow. Grunting in frustration, he quickly reacted by shooting a small blast of fire directly at the archer's bowstring, rendering his weapon useless.
As he scooped up his broadswords, he heard a loud boom nearby, and saw a cloud of smoke at the edge of the forest.
Great. One of them has bombs, Zuko groaned internally as he began to run back towards Appa.
"Uncle, we're leaving!" he shouted as Iroh evaded another attack from the colonel, and the old man quickly made his way over to the bison.
As soon as everyone was in the saddle, Aang whipped the reins. "Yip yip!"
"Wait, my boomerang!" Sokka exclaimed, reaching an arm out over the saddle as they ascended.
Surely enough, Zuko spotted the weapon, still laying on the ground in the besieged camp.
"There's no time!" Katara shouted in reply, grabbing Sokka's arm to prevent him from falling off.
"Oh, I see, so there's time to get your scrolls," Sokka replied, looking distraught. "And your swords, and your staff, but no time for my boomerang?"
"That's correct!" Katara responded with an apologetic smile.
Unfortunately, Sokka's boomerang wasn't the only thing the gang had had to leave behind as a result of Colonel Mongke's ambush—they'd now lost their sleeping bags and supply of food rations. Thankfully, they still had their money, and didn't have to fly far to find the closest nearby settlement, which sat on the cliffs overlooking the South Sea.
"Uncle," Zuko muttered as the gang made their way into the town. "You seem to be familiar with that colonel… How easy do you think it'll be for him to track us?"
Iroh placed his hand on his chin, sporting a thoughtful expression. "It's hard to say. If we were indeed able to successfully throw the Rough Rhinos off of our trail, then we should be alright for a day or two… though I think we should leave the area sooner rather than later. I doubt Mongke will give up easily."
"...Fantastic," Zuko sighed.
"Sorry about your boomerang, Sokka," Aang consoled, patting the sullen warrior on the shoulder as they approached the town square, where several groups of villagers dressed in pale yellow and green robes appeared to be mingling and perusing various vendor stalls.
"Do you take Water Tribe money here?" Katara asked as they walked up to a produce stand.
"So long as it's money!" the vendor, a smiling, broad-shouldered man replied cheerily.
"I feel like I've lost part of my identity…" Sokka moaned as Katara chatted with the vendor. "Imagine if Katara lost her hair loopies. Or if Iroh lost his love for tea! Or if Zuko lost his…"
Zuko folded his arms and looked at the Water Tribe boy expectantly as the latter's eyes lingered on the left side of his face for half a second. He wasn't as sensitive about his scar these days as he once was, but he didn't exactly know how to feel about it being considered part of his identity . He'd honestly never thought about it before.
"…hotheadedness," Sokka finished quickly as Zuko narrowed his eyes with a frown. "See? Classic Zuko. Wouldn't be himself without it."
A smirk appeared on Aang's face as his gray eyes sparkled with a hint of playfulness. "True. Then I wouldn't be able to call you 'hotman' anymore, hotman."
Despite himself, Zuko couldn't help but smile in return. "Something tells me that wouldn't stop you."
"But seriously!" Sokka interjected with a groan. "Imagine if Aang lost his arrow!" He pulled up the bamboo hat Aang was wearing and pointed at his forehead.
"He's wearing that hat for a reason , Sokka," Zuko hissed, growing annoyed again as he pushed the Water Tribe boy's arm down before straightening Aang's hat again. "We can't draw too much attention to ourselves, and especially not to Aang. We just need to restock our food supplies and get out of here before the Rough Rhinos catch up to us."
"Hold on just a minute."
Zuko looked up to see that the stall vendor's smiling visage had shifted to one of confused apprehension, and he was now looking directly at Aang.
"Arrow tattoos? Are you… the Avatar? "
Zuko groaned in exasperation and pinched his nose bridge. This was exactly what he'd been worried about.
"…Yep, that's me," Aang replied, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward chuckle.
"Sorry. We don't take Water Tribe money," the vendor abruptly snipped, snatching the basket Katara had been holding out of her hands, to her astonishment. "And we're closed for the day."
With one last glare at Aang, the vendor closed his shop, leaving the gang standing there speechless.
"Excuse me?!" Katara exclaimed heatedly as soon as she had recovered from her shock, lifting a fist to bang on the now-boarded up stall. "You just said Water Tribe money was fine! Hello?!"
"What was that guy's problem?" Sokka sniffed with a sour look.
Aang shrugged. "Maybe he's just in a bad mood?"
"He was glaring at you like you'd just kicked a baby turtle duck," Zuko muttered. "I think it's more just than a 'bad mood'. Let's just get supplies at a different shop."
As he turned around, however, he saw that several groups of citizens in the town square were now staring in their general direction, and they appeared to be hurriedly murmuring to one another. By the looks on their faces, it seemed that they had just somehow managed to gather the negative attention of the entire village.
"Is it just me, or is everyone suddenly giving us the stink eye?" Sokka observed, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not just you. Something's off about this place," Zuko replied, voice low. "We should get out of here."
"Hello? " Katara shouted again behind them with another bang on the stall door. "I know you're in there! Answer me!"
"Katara, he's not coming back!" Sokka said, grabbing his irate sister by the wrist and prying her away from the stall with some level of difficulty. "We can find supplies somewhere else!"
"Sokka, I don't—" Katara attempted to argue before stopping short once she turned around and saw the increasing number of villagers who were now glaring at them.
"Is it true?"
From the crowd of muttering villagers stepped a skinny middle-aged man with large sideburns, a long, thin mustache, and beady, distrustful eyes. He was dressed in slightly more opulent robes compared to the rest of the villagers, and there was an air of arrogance about him.
"You are the Avatar?" the man questioned in a nasally voice.
Aang and Zuko exchanged an uneasy glance, and Zuko very slowly and discreetly shook his head. However, Aang's brow furrowed, and he took a breath.
"I am," Aang replied, stepping forward and removing his bamboo hat. "Is there something I can help you with, mister…?"
"That's mayor to you," the man interrupted snootily, his frown deepening as the murmuring of the crowd grew in intensity. "Mayor Tong of Chin Village. I suggest you leave, Avatar. You're not welcome here."
Zuko immediately felt a spark of outrage ignite within him upon hearing this callous reply, but before he could bark a heated rebuttal, Katara marched up to the man, hands on her hips.
"Not welcome? How dare you talk to Aang like that!" the waterbender exclaimed, pointing at the now baffled-looking man directly in the chest.
"How dare you talk to our esteemed mayor like that!" a villager from the crowd called out, several others echoing their agreement.
"Now hold on just a minute," Aang interjected, stepping forward with his hands raised in what was likely an attempt to calm the crowd down.
"Aah! " another villager yelped. "It's going to kill us with its awesome Avatar powers!"
"What?" Aang sputtered, looking taken aback. "No, I'm not, I…"
As he waved his arms back and forth to indicate that the villager was wrong, said villager yelped yet again and jumped back into the crowd, many of which now looked spooked as well.
The expression that appeared on the Avatar's face at seeing these villagers so fearful of him caused Zuko's heart to ache. "You people have no idea what you're talking about," he snapped. "Aang is the best person I know. Hurting people is not in his nature, much less killing them!"
"But it's in the Avatar's nature," Mayor Tong retorted with a sniff. "And we would know, considering what he did to us in his past life."
Zuko and Aang exchanged a look of befuddlement. "What do you mean?" Aang asked.
"It was Avatar Kyoshi," Tong replied matter-of-factly. "She murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great!"
Zuko turned to look at Aang again, whose expression had now shifted to one of dull shock.
"You think that I… murdered someone?"
"Aang would never do something like that!" Katara defended. "No Avatar would! And it's not fair for you all to question his honor!"
"Let's tell her what we think of the Avatar's 'honor'," another villager replied tauntingly, turning around and shaking his rear at them while blowing a raspberry sound.
Yet again, this only further kindled the fire of rage that had been steadily building within Zuko, and with a growl, he took a step forward. "Now listen here you bunch of ignorant—"
He stopped short when he felt Aang's gentle hand rest on his shoulder.
"Give me a chance to clear my name!" the airbender declared, stepping forward.
"The only way to prove your innocence is to stand trial," Tong replied airily.
"I'll gladly stand trial," Aang countered confidently.
"You'll have to follow all our rules, including paying bail."
"No problem."
"How was I supposed to know they wouldn't take Water Tribe money?"
Zuko sighed heavily and shook his head as he, his uncle, and the Water Tribe siblings approached Aang's cell, where the dejected airbender stood with his neck and wrists locked in a wooden panel. If the circumstances were different, Zuko might be inclined to find his best friend's current state amusing.
"So some people don't like you, big deal!" Sokka said breezily. "There's a whole nation of firebenders who hate you. Now let's bust you out of here!"
Zuko narrowed his eyes at the warrior. "If this weren't for your blabbermouth, Aang wouldn't be in this situation in the first place."
"Technically, Aang's the one who put himself in this situation," Sokka countered before turning to Aang again. "We could have just left, but you just had to defend your honor."
"There's nothing wrong with that!" Zuko snapped.
"Boys, please," Iroh interjected with a sigh. "This situation isn't going to be solved by arguing. What's done is done."
"I couldn't agree more, Iroh," Sokka nodded, folding his arms. "Which is why I say, again: let's bust Aang out of here!"
"I can't."
Both Zuko and Sokka looked up at Aang in confusion.
"Sure you can! A little whoosh, swish-swish, airbending slice! "
Both Katara and Zuko regarded Sokka with deadpan expressions as they watched him dramatically wave his arms around in a mimicry of airbending.
"Plus, from what I've heard about the escapades of mister Blue Spirit over here," Sokka added, slinging his arm around Zuko's shoulders. "It seems he knows a thing or two about busting you out of prison."
Zuko sighed. "He has a point. This is nothing compared to Pohuai Stronghold. I could literally pick the lock right now and nobody would notice. They didn't even bother to post guards outside your cell."
Aang did not reply, his expression remaining uncertain.
"I think what these two are trying to say," Katara began kindly. "Is that you're supposed to be out saving the world. You can't do that locked up in here."
"And don't forget about Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos," Zuko added, folding his arms. "The longer we stay here, the more we risk them finding us."
The Avatar's gaze moved to the ground, his expression uncertain.
"Aang, listen," Zuko said, his tone softening as he stepped up to the metal bars. "I probably understand more than anyone here how it feels to have your honor called into question. But you don't need to defend yourself to these people. We know who you really are. They're just ignorant jerks."
Aang bit his lip as he considered Zuko's words. "…I'm sorry, but I can't just go on with my life knowing people think I'm a murderer. I won't. "
"Well, how are we supposed to prove your innocence?" Sokka questioned, raising a skeptical brow. "This Kyoshi person may have been your 'past life' or whatever, but it's not like you remember being her, right? So it wasn't even 'you' who committed the crime."
"Try telling the mayor that," Zuko muttered.
"You know Sokka," Aang replied, a cunning look appearing on his face as the corner of his mouth tugged into a smile. "For some reason, I thought you were an expert detective."
Aang's attempt at flattery was successful, and a proud look appeared on the Water Tribe warrior's face. "Well, I guess I should be classified as such," he mused, stroking a nonexistent beard.
Katara seemed to catch on to what Aang was doing as well. "Yeah! Back home, he was famous for solving the case of the missing seal jerky."
"So… you'll help me with my case?" Aang asked.
"Fine," Sokka replied, waving his hand, though he still sported a proud expression.
"Alright," Zuko sighed. "I guess if we're doing this, first we need to figure out—"
"—when exactly the crime happened!" Sokka interjected, holding up an index finger.
Zuko regarded Sokka with a deadpan expression again. "That's what I was just about to say."
"Who's the detective here, Zuko?" Sokka replied, clearing his throat before continuing. "We should go talk to the mayor."
Zuko fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Lead the way, then, detective."
"Thank you," Sokka replied with a cordial nod. "But first, I'm going to need some new props. "
Zuko took a deep breath to calm his rising levels of annoyance, and glanced at Aang, who simply smirked and gave him a shrug.
"This is the crime scene," Mayor Tong indicated as Zuko, Iroh, and the Water Tribe siblings followed him to the edge of the cliff, where a small indentation could be seen in a patch of dirt. "This is the footprint of Avatar Kyoshi. It was three hundred sixty-eight years ago this past spring that she emerged from the temple and struck down Chin the Great," he continued, his voice and mannerisms almost comically somber. "After that tragic day, we built this statue to immortalize our great leader. Feel free to appreciate it."
While the mayor departed, Zuko's lip curled as he studied the statue of the Earth Kingdom man. His stance and expression were proud, his fist in the air, and he wore what looked to be high-ranking Earth Kingdom military regalia. He reminded Zuko of several self-righteous noblemen that he'd known back in Royal Caldera City.
"Hmm…" Sokka hummed as he flitted back and forth between the temple to the statue.
Somehow, he'd managed to find a vendor who actually did accept Water Tribe money, and had promptly bought himself a futou hat and a monocle with multiple lenses.
Zuko thought he looked absolutely ridiculous, but he knew it would be a waste of time to comment on the fact. Right now, he just wanted to get Aang out of jail so they could be on their way.
"This temple and this statue were cut from the same stone," Sokka observed, adjusting the lenses of his monocle as he studied each. "And we know the statue was built after Chin died."
"So if they were built at the same time, that means—" Katara began.
"Shh! I wanna solve it!" Sokka interrupted with a frown before taking a deep breath. " That means… Kyoshi never set foot in this temple!"
Katara shook her head. "That's a big hole in the mayor's story, but it's not enough to prove Aang's innocence."
"Got any other ideas?" Zuko asked, folding his arms.
Sokka's brow furrowed in uncertainty. "Well… Um…"
"Look, every second we waste, the more danger we put Aang and this village in," Zuko interjected. "What would really be helpful is to get access to information about what happened from a historical record. And preferably one from outside Chin Village, since all of those are going to be biased."
"But where should we look?" Katara asked, her brow furrowing in concern. "Are there any other nearby villages that might have a different account of what happened?"
"Uncle?" Zuko asked, turning to Iroh, who had thankfully already produced his map.
After studying it for a moment, the old man's eyebrows rose, seemingly in surprise.
"Well, as luck would have it—it seems Kyoshi Island is only about a half-hour's bison ride south of here."
Zuko gripped Appa's reins tightly as they flew over the forests of Kyoshi Island, his stomach tied in knots. It had been nearly two whole years since he'd last been here, but the memory of what had happened still burned fresh in his mind. Would the villagers welcome him and Iroh back, especially without Aang there?
As they flew over the village, he heard the loud toll of the bell, and his body tensed even more. When he looked down at the settlement, he could see a crowd of people in blue gathering and pointing at the sky.
He landed Appa in front of the wooden Kyoshi statue, and, unsurprisingly, once the villagers began to realize that Aang was nowhere to be seen, the air of excitement quickly turned to one of clear apprehension and uncertainty.
Zuko took a deep breath and forced himself to put on a smile, though he wasn't sure how genuine it came across. The reactions of the villagers so far seemed to indicate that it was likely not going to be much help. As he dismounted, several of them gasped and took a step backwards, and he felt a twist of guilt in his chest.
"Um, hello!" Zuko began with an awkward wave. "I'm–"
"You're that firebender boy!" a villager interjected fearfully.
"He's more than that: he's the Prince of the Fire Nation!" another villager added.
"Well, uh, yes, but I'm not–"
"Where's Aangy?" a little girl pouted, stomping her foot. "I wanted to see Aangy!"
"He's– well, he's unable to–"
"Yeah, where is the Avatar?" yet another villager demanded. "And why do you have his bison?"
As the anxious and increasingly hostile murmuring grew louder, Zuko found himself feeling overwhelmed, unable to get a word in edgewise to explain the situation. This was exactly what he'd feared was going to happen. His heart began to beat faster, and he felt his chest begin to grow tight with a mixture of increasing anxiety and guilt.
"What's going on here?"
Zuko looked up to see Chief Oyaji pushing his way through the crowd. When his gaze met Zuko's, he stopped in his tracks, eyes widening.
"...Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, was it?" he murmured carefully, his gaze darting up to Iroh and the Water Tribe siblings in Appa's saddle. "I see you've brought your uncle and two new outsiders. Yet I do not see the Avatar himself."
"Um, yes!" Zuko answered quickly. "You see, that's actually why we're here. Aang needs your help."
Oyaji blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"He's currently in prison in Chin Village on the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom," Iroh spoke up from behind him, and Zuko turned to see that he had dismounted. "He's been accused of a crime he supposedly committed in a past life."
"In prison? " Oyaji repeated confusedly. "If that's true… What could we possibly do to help?"
"Well, you see, sir," Katara interjected politely as she, Iroh, and Sokka walked up next to Zuko. "The Mayor of Chin claims that Avatar Kyoshi committed the crime there over three hundred years ago."
"They say she murdered their leader," Sokka added.
A baffled and offended look immediately appeared on the chief's face. "Kyoshi?! That's crazy talk!"
"Are we really going to trust these outsiders?" another villager demanded. "It's awfully convenient that the Avatar isn't here to confirm what they say is true. How do we know he didn't capture the Avatar and steal his bison?"
"I swear to you, my uncle and I aren't with the Fire Nation anymore," Zuko quickly replied. "We're fully on the Avatar's side now!"
"It's true," Katara vouched. "They helped save our village in the Southern Water Tribe from a Fire Nation attack. They're not your enemies."
Several of the villagers blinked in surprise upon hearing this, though the murmurs did not completely die down.
"I think we should listen to them."
Zuko's eyes widened in surprise as he scanned the crowd of villagers to look for the source of their defender. He spotted a girl around his age with short, chin-length auburn hair dressed in blue attire like many of the other villagers, and her left arm appeared to be in a sling.
For some reason, the girl seemed vaguely familiar. He hadn't spoken to any of the island residents other than Oyaji the last time they'd been there, though…
"Suki," Oyaji began apprehensively. "Are you sure?"
It was then that Zuko realized why the girl looked familiar: the last time he was here, he hadn't seen her without her makeup before, but he was fairly certain she was the young leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. The girl's bright blue eyes moved to meet Zuko's own, though the look in them was not necessarily a friendly one. He recalled those same bright blue eyes glaring at him after they had been captured on the beach nearly two years ago.
"He may be a firebender and the son of the Fire Lord, but he did help the Avatar stop those soldiers from destroying the village two years ago," Suki replied, hands on her hips.
"If I remember correctly, didn't he set one of the houses on fire?" a balding middle-aged villager with a long mustache argued, shooting Zuko a dirty look.
"That was an accident, I swear!" Zuko replied, lowering his gaze guiltily. "I was dumb and reckless back then. I didn't ever think about what I was doing… All I thought about was what I wanted, and I never considered how my actions would hurt others."
For the first time since they had landed, his words were met with silence.
"I'm genuinely sorry for the damage I caused," he said as he bowed deeply, his fist pressed into his palm. "I'm not the same person I was when you last saw me. And that's all thanks to Aang. He's…"
How could he describe how much the Avatar meant to him? It seemed no words could encapsulate it.
"He's… my best friend. He's important to me, just as he's important to all of you. And all I want is for him to be safe and out of that prison."
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see his uncle standing at his side.
"My nephew speaks the truth. We're here for Aang's sake," Iroh stated. "We ask nothing else of you but your help."
When Zuko looked back at the crowd, he saw that not only both Oyaji and Suki, but many other villagers as well no longer bore the same degree of hostility and distrust in their eyes.
"So Aang's really in trouble?" Suki asked, her expression shifting to one of concern.
Zuko nodded. "We need to prove Avatar Kyoshi's innocence."
"If that's the case," Oyaji replied. "I'll take you to her shrine. Maybe something there will help you clear her name. "
"Hey…" Zuko began awkwardly as he and his companions followed Suki and Oyaji up the path leading to Kyoshi's shrine. It was a much different route from the path he had initially taken—albeit by accident—when he'd last been here. "Uh, thanks for believing me back there. I know I don't deserve your trust after what happened the last time we were here."
A small smile appeared on Suki's face, and she shrugged. "I don't know what you were going through, but even back then, I could tell Aang cared about you and your uncle a lot. And I can see now that you seem to care about him a lot, too."
"I– we do," Zuko replied with an emphatic nod. "So… did you… uh, get to know him a bit when we were last here?"
Suki gave a small chuckle in reply. "If you're trying to find out if I was a member of his little fan club, I was not. I did show him around the dojo though, and taught him a bit of history about the Kyoshi Warriors, plus some of our combat moves."
Zuko nodded in reply, and tried to ignore the tiny twinge of jealousy he felt in his chest as he imagined Aang training with the pretty girl. "Speaking of, where are the other Kyoshi Warriors?" he asked. "Were they in the crowd dressed in normal clothes, too?"
"Well, actually, after you guys left, it got me thinking," Suki replied. "I realized that we'd been living in isolation for too long. Several of my sisters agreed, and we all ended up deciding that our skills would be better suited aiding the war effort on the mainland."
"You left the island?" Zuko said, his brow rising in surprise.
Suki nodded. "The return of the Avatar gave us a sense of hope that we hadn't felt in a long time, and we wanted to make a difference."
"Aang did the exact same thing for us and our people," Katara interjected with a smile as she walked up next to Suki on the opposite side. "I'm Katara, by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Katara," Suki replied, returning the girl's smile.
"So, you're a warrior?" Katara asked curiously, clasping her hands behind her back.
"You know, I'm a warrior too," Sokka interrupted before Suki could reply, shoving himself between his sister and the other girl. "Some might say one of, if not the most skilled warrior in my entire village."
Katara immediately sighed and rolled her eyes. "...And this is my brother, Sokka."
"A warrior? I thought you were a detective," Zuko quipped, his eyes moving up to Sokka's hat.
The Water Tribe boy suddenly seemed to remember he still had the hat and monocle on, and quickly removed them with an embarrassed look before shooting a brief glare at Zuko.
"I can be more than one thing," the warrior replied defensively, his voice cracking, and he cleared his throat before turning back to Suki. "Maybe I could teach you a thing or two sometime. I'm pretty good with a sword and machete."
"That's… nice of you to offer," Suki replied with a look of slight amusement. "But I've been training pretty diligently since I was eight, so I'm not sure there's much you could teach me that I don't already know."
"Are you the only female warrior, or are there others?" Katara asked, ignoring her now somewhat frustrated-looking brother as he slunk back to walk next to Zuko.
"The Kyoshi Warriors are an all-female guard, actually," Suki replied with a grin. "I'm their leader."
Katara's eyes seemed to grow brighter as she listened to Suki's response, while Sokka's wide eyes blinked in shock. "You're all girls?"
"For most of history, yes. Though there have been people of other genders in our ranks before, so being a girl isn't a strict requirement," Suki answered, her back straightening proudly as she looked up at the canopy of trees above. "The first of us were trained by Avatar Kyoshi herself."
"Wow," Katara breathed in awe. "That's amazing!"
"You said you and your brother are from the Southern Water Tribe, right?" Suki asked, cocking her head to the side. "We used to trade with them up until a few decades after the War started, but I don't know much about the culture. Are female warriors not common there?"
Katara shook her head sadly. "There are some… but it's definitely not common. In the North, they wouldn't even let you fight at all if you're a woman, and if you were a waterbender, you'd only be allowed to learn how to heal."
"What?! " Suki scoffed with an incredulous look. "That's ridiculous!"
"That's what I said!" Katara agreed, folding her arms.
"So you've been to the Northern Water Tribe?"
"We traveled to Agna Qel'a at the end of last year so that Aang and Katara could find a waterbending teacher," Zuko explained. "Katara taught the old man who refused to train her a serious lesson, though. I'm pretty sure she single-handedly made a huge cultural change by impressing him enough to get him to agree to teach her. Now she's Aang's waterbending master."
Suki stopped in her tracks for a moment, and now it was her turn to sport an expression of awe. "Woah, seriously? "
A look of bashfulness appeared on Katara's face as she pulled her braid over her shoulder and began to tug at it. "I mean, I'm not an elite warrior or anything like you… But I'd say I'm pretty decent at waterbending."
"That's an understatement," Zuko murmured under his breath.
Suki laughed and shook her head. "Katara, you're a waterbending master, and you're training the Avatar? It sounds to me like you're more than just 'decent'. Don't sell yourself short."
"Oh," Katara replied, blinking in surprise as she clutched her braid in her hands, a flattered smile appearing on her lips. "Thank you."
"Ahem," Sokka coughed loudly. "You know, I think it's pretty cool how girls can be warriors too. My own sword master was actually a girl."
Suki's brow furrowed slightly as she briefly glanced at Sokka. "That's… nice?"
"He's come a long way, actually," Katara said with a smirk. "Before he met his master, he used to go on and on about all the things boys could do that girls couldn't. Which included fighting."
"Hey, in my defense, I didn't know any better back then," Sokka replied with a frown. "But I do now!"
"That is true," Katara nodded with a shrug. "But for future reference, I wouldn't go around bragging about how 'open-minded' you are about girls being warriors. Not everyone is as... understanding as me and Suki."
As the waterbender and and Kyoshi Warrior shared a knowing glance, Sokka looked back and forth between them in confusion.
"So… back to my original question," Zuko asked as they continued onward up the path. "You said you left for the mainland? But you're back on the island now."
Suki nodded, and Zuko could see her smile slowly disappear as her shoulders slumped slightly. "My sisters are still on the continent. I got a pretty bad shoulder injury after a skirmish with a group of Fire Nation soldiers a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, I was the only one who was seriously injured, but my sisters practically forced me to come back since we were so close to the southern coast anyway. I'm supposed to meet back up with them at some point once I'm healed…" She moved the elbow of her arm that was in the sling awkwardly. "But who knows how long that will take."
"Oh!" Katara vocalized. "I think I can help you with that."
"You can?" Suki asked with a puzzled look. "How?"
"I'm a healer," Katara replied. "But not just an ordinary one. I can use waterbending to help heal you more quickly, if you'd like."
"Really? That would be great!" Suki beamed. "Thank you!"
Before anyone could speak further, Oyaji's voice sounded from up ahead of them, and Zuko looked up to see that he and Iroh had stopped at the top of the hill.
"Come on, kids! The shrine's just ahead."
"This temple was converted into a shrine to Kyoshi," Oyaji stated as they entered the small building. "The clerics tell us these relics are still connected to her spirit."
Zuko couldn't help but feel a sense of deja-vu wash over him as he listened to the old chief's words.
"Fascinating!" Iroh breathed as he crouched down next to the table that displayed the Avatar's headdress.
"This is her kimono," Oyaji said, gesturing towards the green robes hanging on the wall.
"She had exquisite taste," Katara complemented as she reached out a hand to lift up the front of the garment.
"Please don't touch!" Oyaji requested politely, and Katara immediately let go of the fabric with a guilty look before looking down and noticing the boots on the floor in front of the kimono.
"These were her boots?" Katara exclaimed in surprise. "Her feet must have been enormous!"
"Biggest of any Avatar," Oyaji replied proudly, causing Zuko to be hit with yet another wave of deja-vu.
"Wait a minute… big feet? Little footprint?" Katara murmured as her eyes seemed to slowly widen in realization. "There's no way –"
"Ahem," Sokka interrupted loudly, clearing his throat. It seemed he had gotten over his earlier embarrassment and returned to wearing his props. "Hat and monocle? These things mean anything to you?" he said out of the corner of his mouth.
"You're right," Katara replied sarcastically, bowing her head and gesturing towards her brother. "I'm sorry. Please."
Looking satisfied, Sokka stood up straight again, and a smile appeared on his face as his eyes darted over to Suki for a moment, who appeared to be holding back a laugh. "Aha!" he exclaimed, pointing at the boots dramatically. "There's no way Kyoshi could have made that footprint. And therefore there is nothing linking her to the crime scene."
"Brilliant, Sokka," Katara sighed, while Suki audibly chuckled—whether at Sokka's exaggerations or at Katara's sarcastic responses, he couldn't tell.
While the rest of his companions continued to peruse Kyoshi's items, Zuko's eyes searched for a different relic. When he found it, he immediately made his way over to the display.
There it was. The headpiece of Rangi of Sei'naka, the Fire Nation woman who had been, according to Oyaji, the love of Avatar Kyoshi's life.
The mere concept had seemed immoral and traitorous to him nearly two years ago, but now… Now, he found himself relating to this woman who had lived centuries before he was born. He didn't know anything about her aside from her relationship to the Avatar, but he could only imagine how much she must have loved Kyoshi, and how she probably would have done anything to protect her. Just like he would with Aang.
A clattering sound caused him to turn back around, and he saw that Sokka seemed to have knocked one of the golden fans on display to the ground. The other he held in his hands, studying it with his monocle.
"Please also refrain from touching the fans ," Oyaji pleaded.
"These fans…" Sokka murmured as he stretched the fan open and closed, ignoring the chief. "What did she use these for?"
"They were her weapons," Suki replied, a mixed look of annoyance and slight amusement on her face as she swiftly removed the fan out of the Water Tribe boy's hand using her uninjured arm. "My sisters and I use them in combat as well."
"Weapons? " Sokka snorted. "How can a fan help you in a fight? Except by cooling you off if you get overheated."
"They have many uses," Suki replied coolly, gracefully whipping it open before carefully returning it to its place on the display table. "Avatar Kyoshi used them to create powerful airbending attacks. We use them in conjunction with our defensive fighting style, and sometimes as projectiles."
"Defensive fighting style?" Sokka repeated, seemingly only just realizing he'd knocked off the other fan, bending over to pick it up.
"Our first line of action in any altercation. It's all about turning your opponent's own force against them." Suki explained as she took the other fan from him and placed it next to the first. "We have katanas for if things get ugly, but if a fight can be solved without violence, it's better for everyone."
"That makes sense considering the Kyoshi Warriors were trained by an Avatar," Katara said. "The Avatar is meant to keep the peace first and foremost, and only uses violence when there's no other choice."
"Wait a second," Zuko wondered aloud, Katara's words triggering a realization for him. "Could that be what this whole situation with this Chin the Great guy is about? What if Kyoshi had no other choice but to kill him if he was a genuinely bad person, and those villagers don't know the truth?
"I didn't even think of that... but you could be right," Katara nodded.
"Maybe it's like what the Royal Family's done in the Fire Nation," Zuko continued, pacing back and forth. "I'm willing to bet the scholars who were loyal to Chin made sure that his records portrayed him in a positive light, even after his death. Not only that, but they've villainized the Avatar, just like the Fire Nation has."
"Excellent inference, Prince Zuko" Iroh praised, nodding thoughtfully. "However, as I'm sure you already know, it may not be so easy to convince the villagers that this is the case, even if it is true. We would need—"
"We would need proof, " Sokka interrupted loudly again, adjusting his monocle. "Records of the events of the battle, perhaps?"
"I'm afraid we don't have anything like that… I'm sorry," Oyaji replied, looking apologetic. "If the battle had taken place on Kyoshi Island, then maybe, but not for a battle on the mainland. Kyoshi fought in many battles in her lifetime."
"Hmm…" Katara hummed, her hand on her chin as she surveyed the room. "Chief Oyaji, you said these relics are still connected to her spirit?"
"That's correct."
"Then… what would happen if another Avatar, say… wore her clothes and makeup?"
Oyaji's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"You seriously want Aang to play dress-up?" Sokka snorted, arching an eyebrow. "How's that supposed to help?"
"I don't know!" Katara replied defensively. "I just thought that maybe wearing her stuff might trigger something."
"Your sister has a point, Sokka," Iroh said. "It may be possible to call upon the spirit of Avatar Kyoshi through Aang so she can give her own testimony about what happened. Then we might find out the truth."
"Uncle, are you sure that's the best way to go about this?" Zuko asked reluctantly. "If it doesn't work…"
"Do we really have any other options right now?" Katara asked.
"We have the temple and statue stone, plus the footprint!" Sokka chimed in.
"And do you think that's gonna be enough to convince the mayor?" Katara questioned, hands on her hips.
Sokka bit his lip. "Well… I suppose I do believe in the power of stuff."
"Chief Oyaji?" Iroh asked, looking up at the bushy-haired man, who appeared hesitant.
"Come on, Oyaji," Suki urged. "We have a chance to help the Avatar. If we don't do this, we'd be dishonoring Kyoshi's spirit."
This statement seemed to get through to the chief. "Well, of course we wouldn't want that…" he sighed. "Fine. You can take her relics with you. But please be careful with them."
"We will. I promise," Katara reassured with a smile.
"You didn't have to come with us, you know," Zuko called out to Suki over his shoulder as the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom appeared on the horizon ahead of him.
"Who else is going to help Aang put on all of Kyoshi's gear correctly?" Suki shouted in reply, patting the large burlap sack next to her, which contained the relics. "Besides, I'd like to say hi."
Zuko sighed heavily as he turned back around. He hoped to the spirits that this plan of Katara's and Iroh's was actually going to work. If it didn't… Well, he didn't care what Aang had to say. He would bust him out of that prison, and they would get out of that miserable village.
"Once all of this stuff with Aang is resolved, I can work on healing your arm," he heard Katara say. "It may take a couple of days of sessions for it to heal fully, but I'd be happy to help."
"Thanks, Katara," Suki replied warmly. "I'd really appreciate that."
They arrived back at Chin Village within minutes, landing next to the jailhouse. As they walked into the hallway leading to Aang's cell, Zuko heard other voices echoing from the same direction.
"...You just gotta hang in there, buddy," one gruff yet friendly-sounding voice said.
"You think so?" Aang's familiar voice replied.
"Sure," the first voice said.
"Yeah," a second voice agreed.
"You're a catch," a third voice agreed.
"I don't know…"
"Hey, you're smart, handsome, funny, and not to mention you're the Avatar!"
Zuko frowned as he attempted to make sense of this strange conversation, and picked up his pace.
When he came to a stop across from the cell, he saw Aang sitting in a circle with three other people, presumably other prisoners. Aang quickly spotted Zuko, and his face immediately lit up, causing Zuko's chest to tingle with warmth.
"Zuko!" Aang sighed in relief as he pushed himself to his feet and jogged over to the cell bars. "You're back! Did you guys manage to find some proof that'll clear my name?"
"Well… kind of," Zuko replied with a sigh. "Katara and Iroh managed to think of something that might be helpful…"
He moved to the side to reveal the rest of his companions.
"Suki? " Aang gasped, doing a double take as the Kyoshi Warrior stepped forward with a grin.
"Hi, Aang," Suki replied brightly. "It's good to see you again. You've gotten a lot taller since I last saw you."
"Well, it has been nearly two years. I was bound to have a growth spurt at some point," Aang shrugged with a crooked grin. "What are you doing here?"
Katara stepped forward as well and exchanged a nod with Iroh, who carried the large burlap sack.
"Suki is going to transform you into Avatar Kyoshi."
"Everyone loved Chin the Great because he was so great. Then the Avatar showed up and killed him," Mayor Tong declared dramatically in front of the crowd of villagers sitting in the Chin amphitheater, with whom Zuko, Suki, Iroh, and the Water Tribe siblings sat. "And that's how it happened."
As the haughty man departed the floor with his head held high, a guard with a low-pitched, monotonous voice spoke next. "The accused will now present its argument."
Zuko's fists tightened at his sides upon hearing Aang being referred to as "it", but forced himself to remain seated.
From next to him, Katara jumped to her feet and made her way over to stand in front of Aang. "Mayor Tong, before Aang speaks, I'd like for the court to hear another testimony," she stated confidently.
Tong wrinkled his nose in what looked to be mixed annoyance and confusion, and scoffed. "I've already told you, it's just me and the accused . You can't call any witnesses!"
"This isn't just any witness," Katara replied, her tone suspenseful as she gestured towards the granite temple behind her. "I'm going to call... Avatar Kyoshi herself!"
Zuko's eyes widened as he watched Aang emerge from the temple, fully clad in Avatar Kyoshi's armor, his face painted to look exactly like that of the Kyoshi Warriors. While the armor was clearly baggy and oversized, the red and white face paint somehow made the airbender's features appear more striking, in a way. As Zuko stared at the airbender, he felt his ears begin to grow warm, his heart fluttering in his chest.
"I really hope this works," Sokka muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "Because I didn't have a whole lot of time to brief him on his defense if it doesn't."
"It will. We just need to be patient," Katara replied quietly, sitting back down next to Suki, who looked to be tapping her knees with her fingertips with nervous anticipation as she watched Aang. "Wearing all of her stuff has to trigger something.
"If Avatar Kyoshi really does appear…" Suki murmured, tapping her knees with her fingertips with nervous anticipation as she watched Aang. "Spirits, I don't know if I'm emotionally prepared."
"What is this absurdity?" Mayor Tong demanded.
"Please, if you could just wait one more second, I'm sure Kyoshi will be here!" Katara called out over her shoulder before turning back around, placing her hands on Momo's head as he sat in her lap.
Zuko bit his lower lip as his gaze moved back to Aang, who continued to stand in place as several more awkward moments passed. Eventually, he raised one of the golden fans to his face and waved it. "Hey, everybody! Avatar Kyoshi, here!" he mumbled in a high-pitched voice.
"This is a mockery of Chin Law!" Tong cried out with a look of disgust.
"Ahem! " Katara said, hopping to her feet again with a nervous look. "It seems Kyoshi is… running late. So Aang will give his defense first."
"I will?" Aang questioned in surprise. "I mean... yes!"
"You can do it, Aang," Sokka whispered. "Just remember the evidence!"
"Right… evidence," Aang repeated hesitantly as he adjusted Kyoshi's headdress. "Ladies and gentlemen... I'm about to tell you what really happened. And I will prove it with facts. Fact number one…"
"The footprint," Sokka mouthed, pointing to his shoes.
"Oh, yeah," Aang replied, nodding slowly. "You see... I have very large feet." He lifted up one of his legs and gestured to the oversized boot. "Furthermore... your… temple… matches your statue. So, there you have it! I'm not guilty!"
Zuko pressed the heel of his palm into his forehead with a silent groan.
"This is ridiculous!" Mayor Tong scoffed dismissively, standing back up and marching over to Aang, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "For the murder of Chin the Great, this court finds the Avatar–"
Suddenly, the calm blue of the late afternoon sky faded to a dull brown color, and from Aang's feet, a tornado of what looked to be dirt and earth formed, producing fierce winds. From the tornado, a shadow began to make its way over the entire crowd, covering them in darkness, while Mayor Tong cowered in terror. The tornado grew, completely engulfing Aang's body before abruptly disappearing.
However, the person who now stood behind the mayor was no longer Aang. In his place stood an extremely tall, intimidating, yet beautiful woman, her head bowed.
"I killed Chin the Conqueror," Avatar Kyoshi stated, her voice reverberating throughout the amphitheater. "A horrible tyrant, Chin was expanding his army to all corners of the continent. When they came to the neck of the peninsula where we lived, he demanded our immediate surrender."
Zuko felt chills run down his spine as he listened to the Avatar speak, her mere presence both terrifying and awe-inspiring. His suspicions had been correct: Chin had been a despicable man, so of course Kyoshi had opposed him, being the Avatar.
"I warned him that I would not sit passively while he took our home. But he did not back down. On that day, we split from the mainland."
Zuko did a double take as he processed Kyoshi's words. So the Avatar's final confrontation with Chin had resulted in the creation of Kyoshi Island itself?
He glanced at Suki and saw that tears were streaming down her face, and her expression was reverential. To her, he imagined this must seem like being visited by a deity. And in a way, he supposed the Avatar was. He could not fathom the amount of raw power it would take for even a hundred earthbenders to move such a large piece of land such a great distance. For just one person to have done so reminded him of just how powerful a fully realized Avatar could be.
"Did you know about this?" Zuko whispered to the Kyoshi Warrior. "About how Kyoshi Island was created?"
"No," Suki breathed, her voice shaky.
At last, Kyoshi lifted her head, her dark green eyes surveying the crowd of villagers with a piercing gaze before they moved to where Zuko and his companions were sitting, softening as they landed on Suki.
"I created Kyoshi Island so that my people could be safe from invaders."
With a small smile and a nod towards Suki, the former Avatar spoke no more, and as if time was moving backwards, the shadow that had initially covered the crowd began to recede. The wind seemed to move in reverse as well, and the tornado reappeared, engulfing Kyoshi as the sky returned to its original shade of blue.
When the tornado disappeared again, Aang stood in her place. Zuko bolted up from his seat and caught the airbender as he swayed on his feet, grabbing him firmly by the arms to steady him.
"So… what just happened?" Aang asked woozily.
"We did it," Zuko replied with a relieved smile. "Kyoshi appeared, and she gave her account of the story—the true story."
Aang's brow furrowed in confusion as he regained his balance and straightened himself. "Which was…?"
Zuko turned towards the crowd. "I'm assuming you all heard Avatar Kyoshi loud and clear," he declared confidently. "Chin was a tyrant who tried to take over the entire continent, no different from what the Fire Lord and Fire Nation have been attempting to do for the past century!"
The crowd, which had remained frozen and silent in terror, broke into a series of loud murmurs yet again. Mayor Tong shook his head rapidly, and his fearful demeanor was once again replaced by his usual haughtiness. "Please. You expect us to believe the words of a murderer?" he scoffed.
"Avatar Kyoshi was defending innocent people," Suki shouted abruptly, bolting upright and glaring at the mayor—who flinched in surprise—with fire in her eyes. "Her people. My people! As any Avatar should!"
"Your people…" Tong replied as he eyed her up and down condescendingly. "You would do well to hold your tongue, islander. You're clearly biased."
Suki looked absolutely livid at this point, and Zuko couldn't blame her. She took a step forward, but was stopped by Katara, who squeezed her hand, presumably to keep her from doing something reckless.
"That's pretty hypocritical of you," Katara countered, turning back to Tong. "You're the ones who have clearly gotten your history wrong for the past three hundred years."
"There are numerous accounts in our library detailing Chin the Great's accomplishments and good character," Tong argued.
"And have you ever corroborated those with records from the same time from other villages?" Iroh called out, standing up as well. "To make certain they tell the truth?"
"Why on earth would we need to do such a thing?" Tong snorted. "Of course our records tell the truth. The scholars at the time were very thorough."
"And I'm willing to bet that if those scholars hadn't written all those nice things about him, your 'great leader' would have had them executed," Suki spat. "Because he was a tyrant."
"I've heard enough," Tong barked. "We will not tolerate this slander against our great leader any longer! The Avatar confessed to the crime, and the Avatar will face justice for it! Bring out the Wheel of Punishment!"
Within seconds, two guards emerged from behind the amphitheater seats carrying a multi-paneled wheel, setting it down next to Tong. On each panel, there appeared to be crude drawings of a person, each depicting different scenarios.
Before Zuko had the chance to decipher these images, however, the mayor lifted a bony hand and yanked down on the side of the wheel, causing it to spin rapidly.
"Come on, torture machine," an excited-looking villager shouted.
"Eaten by bears!" another called out.
"Razor pit!" a third villager yelled.
Zuko gaped in horror as he listened to the crowd list off various gruesome punishments, all of which sounded as though they would almost certainly result in Aang's death.
"Looks like it's 'boiled in oil'," the monotone-voiced guard stated as the wheel slowly came to a stop on the panel depicting a drawing of a person in a boiling pot, and the crowd cheered wildly.
…This village was entirely out of its mind.
"That's it," Zuko growled, stepping in front of Aang and brandishing his broadswords. "The Avatar is leaving. Now."
A flicker of fear flashed in Mayor Tong's eyes again as Zuko's livid gaze burned into his own. "Y–you can't do that," he stuttered. "He promised he would face justice!"
"Zuko…" Aang muttered anxiously from behind him as the guards began to brandish their weapons. "I was hoping to solve this without violence."
"Aang, I'm not about to let them try to boil you in oil," Zuko hissed as the guards began to close in. "Do you have any better ideas about how to handle this?"
Before Aang could reply, a small object flew through the air seemingly from behind the amphitheater seats, landing behind them in front of the temple.
Immediately recognizing what it was, Zuko dropped his swords, wrapped his arms around Aang, and hurled them both out of the way as the bomb exploded with an ear-splitting blast, resulting in the cheers of the audience turning to screams.
The two landed into the dirt with a thud as the amphitheater filled with smoke. As Zuko lifted his head up, he saw that Aang was staring up wide-eyed from where he laid beneath him, and his heart pounded heavily in his chest.
As he scrambled to his feet, pulling Aang up with him, he was not at all surprised when he saw Colonel Mongke and two of his men at the top of the amphitheater seats atop their rhinos. It somehow felt hard to believe that they had only just encountered the mercenary gang earlier that morning—it had clearly been a long day.
"We've come to claim this village for the Fire Lord!" Mongke declared. "Now show me your leader so I may…"
As the colonel paused, the balding man with the large braided beard—Kahchi, if Zuko remembered correctly—raised his guan dao and sliced through the statue of Chin several times, causing it to crumble into rubble.
"...dethrone him," Mongke finished with a wicked grin.
"That's him over there!" one of the villagers shouted almost immediately, pointing to Mayor Tong, who yelped and ran to hide behind the Wheel of Punishment.
"You! Avatar! Do something!" he demanded, his voice high-pitched and full of panic as he peeked over the wheel.
"Gee, I'd love to help," Aang replied calmly, his tone dripping with a level of sarcasm that was surprising to Zuko. "But I'm supposed to be boiled in oil."
"Your new punishment is community service!" Tong replied, reaching over the top of the wheel to move it to the next slot, which depicted a person with a broom. "Now serve our community and get rid of those rhinos! "
A satisfied smirk appeared on Aang's painted face, and yet again, Zuko felt his heart skip a beat in his chest at the sight.
With that, the airbender leapt into the air, slipping out of Kyoshi's robes and throwing off her heavy boots before landing and making a beeline for the riders, flicking the golden fans open as he ran.
Zuko shook his head rapidly before darting into the fray after him, scooping up his broadswords along the way.
By the time the sun had set that evening, each member of the Rough Rhinos had been defeated and imprisoned in the Chin Village jail, and a courier had been sent to deliver the news to the nearest Earth Kingdom military fort. Hopefully, they would send soldiers to collect the men within the next few days.
"Those soldiers had better be quick," Zuko muttered to his uncle as they followed a humming Mayor Tong to the center of the village square, where it seemed the entire village had gathered. "I doubt this village is competent enough to keep the Rough Rhinos imprisoned here for long."
"I'm sure they'll need at least a few weeks to recover physically and emotionally from this defeat," Iroh replied with a confident smile. "Chin Village should be safe for now. I'm hopeful this means Mongke's days of terrorizing the villages of the western Earth Kingdom are over."
Zuko's eyes narrowed slightly at his uncle, though the old man didn't seem to notice. He wondered what exactly the relationship between Iroh and the cavalry group had been. Had they been under his command? Had Iroh himself personally ordered the destruction and hostile takeovers of other villages in the Earth Kingdom?
Now was obviously not the best time to ask.
"Please accept our sincerest thanks, Avatar Aang," Mayor Tong declared as they reached the center of the town square before turning around to face the crowd. "From now on, we will celebrate a new Avatar Day in honor of the day the Avatar and his friends saved us from the Rough Rhino invasion." The villagers cheered as they threw confetti into the air, while colorful fireworks sparkled in the night sky above them.
"New Avatar Day?" Aang—who had removed the Kyoshi makeup and was now dressed in his normal clothes—questioned confusedly. "There was an old one?"
"That's right!" Tong replied with a grin. "No longer shall we burn effigies of you and your past lives in the village square each spring! Instead, at the end of each summer, we will gather together and enjoy a bowl of these."
"Burning effigies? " Zuko whispered incredulously out of the corner of his mouth as several villagers handed each of them a wooden bowl. When he looked down into his, he blinked in confusion when he saw that it was filled with what appeared to be pieces of dough. They were shaped like little people with tiny blue arrows on each "head"—clearly meant to resemble Aang.
"What is this?" Sokka asked, staring at his bowl with a skeptical expression.
"That's our new festival food!" Tong replied jovially. " Un-fried dough. May we eat it and be reminded of how, on this day, the Avatar was not boiled in oil!"
The crowd cheered, and Zuko glanced at his companions on either side reluctantly. Iroh had already begun to eat his dough and seemed to be enjoying it as if it were any other normal festival food.
"Happy Avatar Day, everyone," Katara said as she stuffed a piece of dough into her mouth with uncertainty, and Aang and Suki followed suit.
Knowing it would be rude to refuse to eat, Zuko sighed and picked up one of the squishy pieces, tossing it into his mouth and chewing slowly. Strangely, it was not as bad as he thought it would be despite the unusual texture.
"This is by far the worst town we've ever been to," Sokka muttered as he chewed. "The only reason I'm glad we stayed this long is because the universe decided to return my trusty boomerang to me," he added, patting the satchel on his hip that held said boomerang, which the warrior had recovered during the earlier fight.
"Aang, please don't tell me we have to spend the night here," Zuko pleaded under his breath as he tossed another piece of dough into his mouth. "I'd rather sleep on a bed of rocks."
"Actually, hotman, you'll be happy to know that I already talked to the mayor earlier and told him that we're flying back to Kyoshi Island tonight," Aang replied with a grin. "We need to take Suki and Avatar Kyoshi's stuff back anyway."
"True," Suki said, her mouth full of dough. "And I'm sure Chief Oyaji would be happy to restock your supplies while you're there."
"Plus, the sooner I can start on Suki's healing sessions, the better," Katara added.
"Thank the spirits ," Zuko sighed with relief, and quickly began to stuff his mouth with more pieces of dough. The sooner they finished eating, the sooner they could leave this spirits-forsaken town.
Thankfully, once they had finished their meals, it was relatively easily slip away from the festivities, and before long, they were back in the skies over the South Sea.
Iroh had fallen asleep almost as soon as they ascended, and was already snoring softly with his hands folded across his stomach. Sokka, meanwhile, was unusually quiet, leaning with his arms on top of the edge of the saddle from where he sat at the back, staring up at the nearly-full moon that was lighting their path. Zuko noticed he'd developed a habit of doing this every so often ever since they'd left Agna Qel'a, especially on nights like this when the moon was visible.
Suddenly, Suki winced as she attempted to reorient her sitting position, her right hand pressing into her left shoulder.
"Suki? What's wrong?" Katara immediately asked, her eyes filled with concern.
"I… may have strained my injury earlier today," Suki admitted with a weak smile.
Katara sighed heavily and moved to uncork her water pouch. "I know you wanted to help with the rhinos, but you should have been more careful," she chastised as she pulled the water from her pouch and placed it over Suki's upper arm and shoulder.
Zuko couldn't help but agree. While the Kyoshi Warrior hadn't brought any of her own gear with her, she was still formidable at hand-to-hand combat, and had managed to take down at least two riders despite not being able to use her left arm. However, it seemed she had pushed herself too hard.
"I wasn't about to let you get hit by that guy with the spinning ball and chain," Suki murmured as she stared wide-eyed at Katara's hands as the water began to glow. "I was just doing my duty."
"I could have handled him on my own, you know," Katara smirked slightly, shaking her head. "But… thanks. Though you really should have said something sooner if your shoulder was bothering you. Reminds me of someone else I know…"
The waterbender shot a pointed look at Zuko.
Suki chuckled, then sighed. "I admit, I'm… probably not the best at taking care of myself sometimes. Especially if someone is in danger, then logic kind of goes out the window. Which is probably what led to me having to be separated from my sisters in the first place..."
That sounds familiar, Zuko thought to himself.
"Well, hopefully once we get you into a regular healing routine for a few days, you'll be back with the other warriors before you know it," Katara said kindly, though Zuko swore he heard a hint of melancholy in her tone.
"Yeah…" Suki murmured, leaning forward with her chin propped up on her right hand. "Hopefully."
The air grew quiet again as a warm late summer breeze blew over them. Seeing as the conversation between the two girls had grown quiet, Zuko turned around and scooted his way over to the front of the saddle.
"You alright?" Zuko asked as Aang yawned heavily.
"I'm fine," the airbender replied, looking over his shoulder with a tired smile. "It's just been a long day."
"Yeah, it has," Zuko sighed in reply. "I never knew being a detective would be so exhausting."
Aang smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I appreciate you guys going to the trouble, though."
"You didn't exactly give us a choice, you know" Zuko replied, though his tone was lighthearted. "And I suppose it was kind of fun..."
Aang chuckled in reply for a moment before his smile faded.
"If I'd have known how unreasonable these people would be…" Aang began, trailing off as he turned fully around and shook his head. "...I think I still would have wanted to prove my innocence. The Avatar's innocence."
"I mean, even though we didn't exactly prove anyone's innocence… It all worked out in the end, didn't it?" Zuko replied.
"I guess…" Aang sighed, laying down on his back with his hands behind his head as he looked up at the stars. "So… what exactly did Kyoshi say again?"
"Well… She basically confessed to killing Chin," Zuko replied. "But Chin was a tyrant, and she was protecting her people."
"But did she really have to kill him?" Aang questioned, his brow furrowing.
"Aang… sometimes people like Chin don't give you any other choice," Zuko said, looking off to the side. "I know you want to believe that everyone is good at heart and capable of changing for the better…"
"You were," Aang replied, sitting back up. "I always knew it, from the first day we met."
Zuko looked back up into Aang's eyes and smiled slightly, feeling a swell of fondness in his heart. "I know. But not everyone is like me, or uncle. And when innocent lives are at stake, sometimes you have to make some tough decisions. Especially as the Avatar."
Upon hearing this, Aang's eyes lowered and his shoulders slumped. "...Right."
After a few moments of silence, the Avatar turned back around.
Zuko could tell that this subject was a sensitive one for the airbender, and this made perfect sense. Aang was an Air Nomad, the last of his people. He'd sworn an oath to never harm a living thing, but as the Avatar… This was not an oath that he could keep forever. He'd already killed thousands of Fire Navy soldiers—albeit not consciously—in Agna Qel'a. And he would likely have to kill again in the future.
"We should be getting to Kyoshi Island soon," Aang eventually said quietly, not bothering to look over his shoulder this time.
Zuko slowly lifted a hand, hovering it over Aang's shoulder. What could he say to comfort him? He couldn't lie or give him false hope. He knew his father, and he knew for a fact that there was not a speck of goodness in Ozai's entire body.
So what would Aang do when the time came to confront him?
Zuko lowered his arm and turned back around, craning his neck back to look at the starry sky.
Guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.