My apologies for the delay, I've been ill for the past couple of weeks, so I haven't been writing because what I could put out wouldn't be as good. So I've been watching Taskmaster Australia instead, but I'm back now. Happy Commonwealth Day and St Patrick's Day for the days I missed.

Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: The second funniest character? The first is Sokka, presumably, so the second is... Aang, I think. He certainly has his moments.

Zigzagdoublezee: Yes, Fukashi Sato is a member of that Sato family, an ancestor of Asami Sato. Considering a lot of the characters from LoK may not necessarily exist in this timeline, I thought it would be nice to bring in a Sato at least.

As Always, Please Review!

It did not take them long to find the trail of dust kicked up by the retreating wagons, clearly visible as it was from their vantage point atop Gembul.

Rinzen had hold of the reins, and he directed the sky-bison to keep a safe distance from the retreating rebels or bandits or whatever they were. Yue was sure the rebels could see them, if they cared to look, but she didn't particularly care. Stealth was not the objective here. In fact, the knowledge they were being followed would send a message to these people.

To those they had kidnapped, it would be a message of hope.

To those who had kidnapped them, it would be a warning.

Finally, the wagons drew up, and a rider on an ostrich-horse began to ride back towards them, a white flag fashioned out of a piece of cloth tied to a stick in his hands. He was a stocky man in the uniform of a light cavalryman, a sword at his hip and a scowl on his face. There was, however, one detail that worried Yue; the front of his leather armour, where the symbol of the earth king usually was, was roughly painted over. Gembul dived towards him and landed in front of him.

"What do you want?" He demanded.

Yue looked down at him for a moment, considering.

"You've taken hostages," she observed. "Earth Kingdom hostages."

"What about it?" The man leaned back in his saddle, seeming perfectly nonchalant about that fact. If he knew Yue was the Avatar, he seemed entirely unbothered about that too.

"Well, let them go!" Katara prompted.

"No, we need them," the man said. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try us," Suki scowled.

"Who do you work for?" Rinzen asked quickly, before the man could answer Suki.

"The Earth King, and his Kingdom," the man replied. "In the best way we can."

"I mean specifically," Rinzen clarified. "Do you have a leader?"

"Well, we have the Stonemason."

Sokka frowned.

"Well, good for you, but we weren't asking about a Stonemason."

"No, not a stonemason," the man sighed, rolling his eyes. "THE Stonemason. It's his name. His codename, anyway."

"Why?"

"Why do you think?" The man said in a tone which indicated he thought they were stupid for asking the question. "He was a stonemason before all this began!"

"What's a stonemason?" Yue asked.

Now the man was definitely looking at her like she was stupid.

"What sort of question is that? How do you not know-" he cut himself off. "He carved stone."

"Oh," Yue looked down, the man's attitude having made her feel sheepish. "Well, I grew up in a city made of ice. Not many stonemasons in the North Pole."

Still, that wasn't what was important right now.

"If you're working for the Earth Kingdom, why did you attack an Earth Kingdom village?"

"Supplies," the man shrugged. "We can't protect these people with nothing to eat."

"You have a strange definition of the word protect," Yue observed.

"We do what we can," the man retorted. "This is war, we must make hard choices. Now why are you following us?"

"Because we want to see the hostages released," Taiyo spoke for the first time. Then he looked at Yue.

"We do want that, right?"

"We do," Yue confirmed. "Let them go."

"I don't have the authority to do that," the man replied. "Only the Stonemason does."

A moment later, his hand crept up to the handle of the sword at his hip.

"And no heroics either," he warned. "You are massively outnumbered.

"That's never stopped us before," Sokka called down defiantly, but Yue stopped him. These people might just try to kill the hostages to stop them from rescuing them if this escalated into a fight.

"Alright," she told the man. "In that case, we would like to speak to this Stonemason."

"Why should we let you? You attacked us back there."

Uh-" Yue faltered, not having expected the challenge. But fortunately, Taiyo was faster.

"Because this is the Avatar," he said, gesturing to her. "Surely you recognise her."

The man considered for a moment. He looked at her, seemed to satisfy himself that she was who the earthbender had said she was. Then he sighed, and nodded.

"You make a good point," he admitted. "I am sure he would be fascinated to meet you. But we must be careful. There are Fire Nation troops in these parts."

Yue knew this all too well, having met one, no, having been saved by one in the village. That Sato was after these people too, she knew, although she suspected his motives were not an altruistic concern for the well-being of any Earth Kingdom hostages they might hold.

"We know," Sokka nodded. "We ran into one just after you'd left."

"You did?" The man looked at them suspiciously.

"Just a scout," Yue explained. "They didn't stay long."

"And you didn't kill him?"

Yue exchanged worried glances with her group. What did he even want them to say here?

"I mean..."

"Do you know where he went?" The man asked.

"No," Yue replied. "We were more interested in you than in chasing one firebender."

"Where there is one firebender, more will inevitably follow," the man warned. "And they bring misery with them."

"You don't have to tell me," Yue agreed. "We all have reasons to hate the Fire Nation."

"I should hope so," the man wheeled his Ostrich-horse around. "Very well. I'll take you to see the Stonemason."

He turned in his saddle to look at them.

"But no funny business. You may be the Avatar, but that won't matter to us if you try anything stupid."

"We understand," Suki said. "You can count on us."

The Ostrich-horse began to trot away. Yue looked at the cart containing the hostages again. She didn't like doing nothing to try to help them, but she told herself that she was helping them, using words instead of force.

"Come on then!" The man gestured to them. "Time is of the essence, and we're not far away."

Yue watched him go, and then Gembul leapt into the air again.