Chapter Text
Deep in the heart of the Fire Nation, three figures fight. Two for survival and one for power. Water meets flames again and again and laughter echoes through the air as blue chases blue. The girl in blue fights desperately against the girl in red, both barely in their teens, the same age yet so very different. The waterbender fights desperately, both for herself and the other with her. The firebender fights with a heavy lance of one who has lost themselves in their own mind. Neither pay much attention to the third person on the field. One because she does not care and the other because she doesn't dare turn away from her opponent to check. Laying out on the arena ground where the fight began, the young man barely clings to life. His desperate attempt to save his friend cost him deeply. He can still feel the lightning coursing through his veins. He tries desperately to catch a glimpse of the continuing fight even as his sight dims. The sounds of battle slowly slip out of his grasp as the world goes out of focus, the red glow of the comet fading to black in his vision. The battle rages on beyond him, but his battle is lost. Neither girl notices as his eyes slide closed and he falls still.
High in the air, upon a metal contraption made of steel and hate, two figures cling to each other for survival. A young man, barely touching the edge of adulthood, lays on his back. One leg is broken and his arm feels wrenched as it hangs over the side, clinging to the shaking fingers of the child below him. The girl has barely begun to live, not even in her teens, but she clings to life by her fingers. If ever of them slips she's done and they both know it. The boy is out of weapons. All they can do is hold on and wait for the end. Close by, yet horribly far away, the third member of their group rushes to try and save them. The girl is barely older than the boy and desperation clings to her as she directs the machine under her in an attempt to save the others. It's a race against time and she's losing.
Atop a plateau in the Earth Kingdom two figures fight for dominance, blue light meets red in a battle of wills. Red eats away at blue, pushing it down further and further until, in a moment that takes both an eternity and the blink of an eye, blue vanishes in a wash of red. A body falls and the other laughs, victorious.
The world spins to a halt as four figures look down somberly. Somehow they seem to see all three scenes at the same time.
"The Avatar failed," one of them says. His voice sounds like a roaring bonfire and his eyes glow like embers as he looks down at the fallen boy.
"There was not enough time for him to learn," another speaks, her voice smooth, both ancient and impossibly young. Hair whiter than snow flows around her and she looks horribly sad.
"This can't be allowed," this one has the voice that almost sounds like a hurricane in full spin as he frowns "The balance is too far gone already. If he falls now it will not be fixable."
"What can be done?" the last asked evenly, her own voice sounding much like a landslide "I know he is one of your children, but his failure is what it is. Unless you have a suggestion on how to fix it?" All four of them fall silent for a long moment before the white-haired woman speaks again.
"He must be sent back," she speaks firmly, wise far beyond the years she should hold "He did not have enough time to learn what he must. So he must be given more time. It is within our power if we work together." There was a pause.
"She speaks the truth," flames crackle as he speaks, thoughtful and considering "But what chance does he have to succeed even if we send him back. He is still too young and the action may break him."
"Then send another back with him," the earth rumbled after a moment "He needs a strong foundation or he may crumble. So send back another to support him."
"We cannot send back one that lives still," the wind whispers a warning "And we cannot wait or the window will close. That leaves only one option." Another long pause.
"That may be for the best," the flames reply "He will have support from the beginning and it will lessen the immediate threat. And I admit it holds a better promise for my own lands in the end."
"Such a drastic change will alter their path," the light reminds them "But perhaps it is for the best." All four figures fall silent for a time before the man of fire nods.
"We are decided then?" A murmur of assent stirs the fabric of the world itself before four voices speak as one.
"Let it be done."
The world swirls and changes and goes black.
Aang
Cold. That was the first thing that Aang notice. It's cold, colder than he's felt in a long time. He thought he could remember hearing a couple of vague voices, but he can't remember understanding what they said. A new voice catches his attention. A voice he was very familiar with.
"Stop it!" Who is Katara talking to? And why does her voice sound off? What had he been doing? Everything felt fuzzy. He'd been fighting the Fire Lord, he was pretty sure that was it. Had he passed out afterward? He forced his eyes open with a slight groan.
"Katara what...?" his question trails off as his eyes focus. Katara is leaning over him, but everything is wrong. She looks younger and she's wearing her parka from back in the South Pole. He can see Sokka just behind her, also dressed like when he'd first met them. And they're staring at him with just as much shocked confusion as he's feeling. Sokka looks suspicious as well. And there's ice. Everywhere. His eyes shoot open wide and he sits up abruptly, forcing Katara to quickly straighten to keep him from crashing into her. "What's going on?!" he looks around, eyes wide and frantic. This scene is familiar. He knows this place. This is where he first woke up from the iceberg "Why are we here?! Where's Ozai?" He looks back at Katara, feeling like he's starting to hyperventilate. The looks that Katara and Sokka are giving him don't help. They're confused and don't seem to know what he's talking about.
"Who is Ozai?" Sokka's voice is off too, slightly younger and tinted with angry suspicion "And how do you know my sister's name?!" Aang looks between the two of them and he knows his breathing is starting to come in short, panicked breaths, but this can't be happening. They don't know who he is? He has to be dreaming.
"You," his voice breaks "You don't know who I am?" The siblings share a confused look before Katara looks back at him with a sympathetic and kind look.
"No," she tells him apologetically "I'm sorry. You seem to know my name though. Can you tell me yours." Aang sucks in a sharp breath and shakes his head.
"I'm dreaming," he says frantically, jumping to his feet. He isn't really talking to them, but Katara replies anyways.
"Hey, look," she tries soothingly, getting to her feet and putting a hand on his shoulder "You seem to be really confused, but it's ok. We'll figure it out." Behind her Sokka clutches his spear tightly, watching him warily. Aang gives a shaky laugh, but can't help but lean into her touch slightly.
"Right," he replies after a moment, forcing himself to calm his breathing "Right. I'm fine." He looks around again "Appa. I need to get Appa." He turns away from them, unable to deal with the way they're looking at him, and hurries to where Appa is still resting. "Appa, it's time to wake up," he tells his large friend. He can't even laugh when Sokka cries out in alarm at the sight of the flying bison.
"What is that?!" Aang looks back at the younger version of his warrior friend and gives a sad smile.
"This is Appa. He's my flying bison." As expected Sokka looks skeptical.
"Right," Sokka drawls, just like last time "And this is Katara, my flying sister. Though you apparently already know her name." The last part is said with a suspicious glare. Aang gives him a slightly shaky smile.
"I know it's hard to believe, flying bison have been missing for the last hundred years. They are the original airbenders and were wiped out along with the Air Nomads."
"The Air nomads?" Katara asks, visibly brightening "Are you an airbender?!" He takes a shaky breath and lets it out, turning to face them more fully. Either he's dreaming and he'll wake up soon or he has somehow gone back in time to when he first woke up from the ice. Either way, it won't hurt to just go along with things. If he has gone back in the past it would give him time to get better, do better. Because the last thing he remembers is fighting Ozai. He'd managed to capture him, he was sure of that, and he was trying to take his bending away like the lion-turtle taught him. Then...bright light and the feeling of something burning and oily seeping into his being, then nothing. Had he lost? That thought made his heart clench in his chest, but he pushes it away for now and bows to his two friends.
"My name is Aang," he tells them "And I am an airbender." He brings up his hands and summons a swirling ball of air between them. They're staring at him in shock and some excitement on Katara's part. This buys Aang some time to make a decision. In the end, it isn't much of one, not anymore. He wasn't going to hide from who he was, not again. Not if this was somehow a second chance. "But..." They're looking at him again, meeting his gaze "I'm a little more than that." He hesitates for just a moment longer before shifting his stance and bringing a small stream of water up from the ocean. He brings the water up to dance around Katara and Sokka before forming an orb in his hands "I'm the Avatar." They're gaping now and Aang is somewhat worried that he may have broken them. Suddenly Katara is lunging for him, gripping onto his hands excitedly.
"You can waterbend!" she squeals as the water he was controlling falls to the ice "Can you teach me?!"
"Katara!" Sokka objects "He might still be a fire nation spy!" Katara doesn't look impressed as she looks back at him with a glare.
"You think The Avatar is a Fire Nation spy?" she repeats in disbelief, causing him to flush slightly in embarrassment.
"Yeah, well, you never know," Sokka grumbles in reply and Aang can only let out a slightly shaky laugh.
"No Fire Nation spy here," he tries to reassure the other boy "It would kind of defeat the purpose of my duty. Since I kind of need to finish mastering the four elements and defeat Fire Lord Ozai." Sokka glares at him suspiciously for a moment longer but seems to accept his words for now. So Aang turns his attention back to Katara. "I can teach you a little," he offers "But I need to go to the North Pole soon. I'm not a master. I've mastered air and I think I'm close to mastering water. I need a lot of work on earth and fire still, fire more than earth." He grimaced. He knew it was impossible to fully master three elements in less than a year, but maybe he would have done better if he hadn't wasted so much time.
"You will?" Katara asks, clearly ecstatic "Thank you so much! I've tried to figure things out, but it's hard without a teacher." Aang nods. It would be weird to teach her, she'd been his teacher after all, but she deserved it. Not completely comfortable with interacting with his two friends that somehow no longer know him he searches for what to say next and catches sight of Appa again.
"Do you guys want a ride? Appa is too tired to fly right now, but he can at least swim us back to land."
"I am not riding that!" Sokka protests, staring at Appa in horror.
"Then I guess you can just stay here on the ice then," Katara tells him, sticking her tongue out at her brother. Aang can't help but smile at their antics as he moves to jump lightly onto Appa's saddle.
"He's completely safe, I promise," he tells Sokka, holding his hand down to help Katara up. Sokka grumbles a bit more but eventually agrees and clambers up as well. The beginning trip back to land is silent, but after they reach the shore Katara seems to shake off whatever was keeping her silent.
"So...Avatar Aang"
"Aang," he cuts her off immediately. The awed look she was giving him was bad enough, he couldn't handle her calling him that "Just Aang, please." Katara smiles at him and nods.
"Aang then. How...how did you know my name? Is it an Avatar thing?" Aang grimaces at that, looking out at the ice in front of them.
"It's...a long story," he tells her. And an unbelievable one. It would probably be best if he kept it to himself. She would be safer if she didn't leave her home. As far as he knew no one had bothered her village after Zuko left. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"Oh...alright," she sounds disappointed, but she doesn't let it keep her down for long and soon she's pestering him with questions about waterbending. He lets himself sink into that safer conversation until they reach their village. Just like last time thee whole village had come out to see what was going on. Sokka jumped down as soon as Appa had come to a stop and Katara scrambled down after him, hurrying over to her Gran-Gran. For his part Aang stays up on Appa's head, watching them with a somber expression.
"Gran-Gran!" Katara greets her grandmother happily "This is Aang," she gestures back at him and he raises a hand in greeting "He's the Avatar! He said he would teach me some waterbending!" The older woman's gaze shoots over to him.
"The Avatar huh," she hums "I see. And what does The Avatar want from us?" Aang bites back a sigh but moves to jump down, landing lightly in front of her.
"Nothing ma'am," he replies politely "I ended up here by chance. I was trapped in an iceberg after a bad storm. Katara saved me." He's not fully certain how to explain his situation, but that seems to do the trick. Kanna relaxes slightly.
"I see," she muses "Well, you're welcome here Avatar. We don't have much, but we have is yours." Aang smiles at her. He can see where Katara got some of her compassion from.
"Thank you, ma'am. I wouldn't mind somewhere to sleep for a time. I don't need any food, I have some packed on Appa."
"Food that you should save for your trip North," she points out mildly "We have enough to share." Aang shakes his head.
"Thank you, but," he flushes slightly and rubs the back of his neck "I'm a vegetarian you see. It's...it's an Air Nomad thing. I do appreciate the offer though." Her gaze is sharp and thoughtful as she takes that in.
"I see, well, we can at least provide you with a place to rest." He bows in reply, a proper Air Nomad bow.
"Thank you, ma'am," he pauses "May I ask your name?"
"Kanna," she replies somewhat shortly before turning to the rest of the Tribe "Everyone back to work. I'll get our guest settled in. You can ask him questions after he rests." They disperse without questioning and Aang can't help but note the respect she has. It's a stark contrast to how the woman in the Northern Tribe were treated when he was there. He doesn't comment on it though, simply allowing her to lead him to an igloo.
"You can rest in here," she tells him and he gives her another bow.
"Thank you Lady Kanna," he tells her before glancing behind him at Katara "Once I finish my nap I'll show you some more waterbending basics, ok?" Katara beams at that and nods.
"That sounds perfect! Thank you again!" Aang can only smile and nod before he makes his way inside. As soon as the furs fall closed behind him his smile dies too. This whole situation is a mess and he doesn't know how to fix it. If this really was a second chance, a repeat, then he would take advantage of it. He would train harder. He would keep them safe. Sinking to his knees he takes the time to shift his shirt and feel at his back. Sure enough, no lightning scar. He brings his hands back around to look at them. He had a little time before Zuko should show up. Since he wasn't wasting it penguin sledding he could take the time to try and process this a bit before teaching Katara what he could. He couldn't ask her and Sokka to come with him again. Put themselves in danger again. He would need to leave, and make sure Zuko followed him before things got too far along. Shaking his head to try and clear it he shifted into a cross-legged position and settled down to meditate. If he hadn't been hit with lightning maybe he could reach Roku. Maybe Roku could help him work this out.
Chapter Text
Zuko
A beam of blue light lit up the sky and for a moment Zuko felt a surge of desperate hope. Something like that could only be spirit related. The Avatar! But then the world tilted on its head.
A strangled gasp escaped the banished prince and he dropped to his hands and knees, one hand coming up to clutch his chest. He could hear his uncle's voice calling his name in alarm, but he had a hard time processing it. What was going on? Why didn't he hurt anymore? He desperately searches his last memories even as he feels his uncle's hands touch is back and shoulders in concern. He'd been fighting Azula. He'd been shot with her lightning while protecting Katara. He...he was pretty sure he died. He looked up at his uncle's worried face. Was this the Spirit World? But that would mean that Iroh had died too. That thought made his heart clench
"Uncle, where are we?" he managed to bring himself to ask "What happened?" There was a flash of concerned alarm on his uncle's face at that before the older man replied.
"We're near the South Pole, Prince Zuko," Iroh's tone was low and soothing "There was some sort of flash of light and you collapsed. Are you feeling well?" No, in all honesty, Zuko wasn't feeling well. He was really confused. The South Pole? Flash of light? That was how he first met Aang. He forced himself to straighten some, looking out at the water. Had he come back in time somehow? Or been granted a vision of a possible future? He didn't understand any of this. But on the off chance that this was all real he was going to make it count. He had wasted too much time last go around. He wouldn't do it now. So he forced himself to take a steadying breath and slowly let it out.
"I'm alright Uncle," he told the one man who would actually care "I'm sorry for worrying you." There was a flash of surprise on Iroh's face that honestly made Zuko feel awful. Had he been that much of a jerk that him apologizing caught his uncle by surprise? Nevermind, he already knew the answer. Refocusing, he let out a slow breath "Can you please have the crew set a course for that light?" He paused with a small frown "I'm going to go to my room for a bit. I need to sit down." Iroh really looked concerned now, but he nodded.
"Of course Prince Zuko," he agreed, moving to stand as Zuko did, keeping a hand on Zuko's arm to help steady him. Zuko flashed him a grateful smile and tried not to think too hard about the shock that caused before he turned and went below deck. He needed time to think.
He made it to his room easily enough and shut the door behind him. Taking a slow, deep breath he looked down at his hands. How much of it was real? There was one way to check. Not pausing long enough to overthink things Zuko drew upon his inner fire, upon the spark of life burning inside him, and began going through the Dancing Dragon. He's careful to keep the flames regulated so he doesn't set things on fire, but even then the flames come as easily as they had in the past, er...future? He shook his head as he straightened out of his final stance. He didn't need to draw on anger at all. He let out a slow breath. The muscle memory wasn't there, but the knowledge and skills were. And it worked. So it couldn't be just some sort of fever dream. Before he could think much more on it there was a knock on the door before it opened and his uncle poked his head in.
"Prince Zuko?" he called "May I come in?" Zuko moved to sit on the edge of his bed and nodded.
"Please do," he replied "I don't suppose you have any tea on you. Something to help with a headache?" His uncle looked very concerned at that as he stepped slightly into the room.
"I don't have any on me," his uncle admitted with a frown, which kind of surprised Zuko to be honest "But I'll go get something." With that Iroh turned and was out the door before Zuko could reply. Not that Zuko would have. Having a cup of tea with his uncle would be somewhat calming in this messed up situation. And he really did have a headache. Knowing it wouldn't take his uncle long to get the tea and come back Zuko simply let himself fall sideways onto his bed and close his eyes. He would just rest for a bit until his uncle got back.
As he had expected, it didn't take long for Iroh to get back and there was only a single knock before the door opened. Stifling a groan Zuko opened his eyes to meet his uncle's concerned gaze before pushing himself to a sitting position once more.
"Thank you, Uncle," he did his best to put the gratitude he was feeling into his words as his uncle made his way over with the steaming pot and began pouring two cups, one of which was handed to Zuko without a word. Once they both had a cup Zuko watched as Iroh placed the pot on the small table before grabbing a chair and moving to sit across from him.
"Are you alright, Nephew?" Iroh asked again, his expression creased in clear concern. Zuko took a moment to take a drink of his tea and let the warmth from it soak into him before he met his uncle's eyes and gave the other man a wry smile.
"I am," he replied "Truly. Better than I've been in a while actually." He looked down at his cup and took a moment to contemplate how to explain "I've got...a lot to tell you. And most of it seems impossible, but I swear it's true." He looked back up to meet the old man's gaze, hoping to express his sincerity through his gaze "I don't really have time to explain it all right now."
Iroh was clearly scanning Zuko's expression, for what exactly Zuko wasn't sure, but after several moments he nodded.
"That's fine," Iroh's reassured him "Can you give me a short version?" Zuko paused and frowned thoughtfully.
"A short version..." he mused, fingers tapping against his cup "I'm either having a very vivid dream or my consciousness has traveled back a year in time. The last thing I remember was fighting Azula during Sozin's comet." Iroh visibly startled and Zuko can only give him a wry smile. "I know it's hard to believe. It's hard for me to believe, but so far that's all I've got." He paused before tilting his head "You did meet a pair of Masters named Ran and Shaw, yes?" Iroh is openly gaping now and Zuko laughed slightly "I met them shortly after the next solar eclipse." And didn't that sentence sound insane just in itself. He watched as his uncle gathered himself before letting out a slow breath.
"You met the Masters," it was a statement, one of almost awe "How? Why? Did I take you there?" That one sentence told Zuko that the older man was accepting his statement and he beams for a moment before it falls to a more wry smile.
"No, my firebending stopped working after I turned against my father, which made it rather hard to teach Aang, The Avatar, firebending," Iroh's eyes had gone wide again "So we decided to go check out the Sun Warrior ruins in hopes of learning more about the original firebending. Obviously, we found more than we expected."
"You were teaching The Avatar firebending?" Iroh asks to clarify and Zuko nods with a small, wry laugh.
"Yeah, not quite what I imagined I would be doing with my life, but it was the right thing to do. It is the right thing to do." He turned his eyes up to the ceiling "My father...the Fire Lord...he's completely insane. He was planning to, is planning to, burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground. Like Sozin did the Air Temples. I don't know if he has the plan yet, but that's what he was going to do. Azula had captured Ba Sing Se and the Earth Kingdom was still fighting back, so they decided that burning the whole thing to the ground was the next step." His voice was bitter, he knows it was. And a glance at his uncle told him that Iroh felt as ill about this plan as he had when he first learned about it. He doesn't look shocked though. "Like I said, there's a lot to the story. And I don't really have time to explain it all right now, but I promise, I'll tell you all of it once we have the time to do so." He watched silently as his uncle took another sip of his tea before nodding.
"What is our next step then?" Iroh asked, easily able to gauge that Zuko had at least the beginnings of a plan. After taking another drink of his tea Zuko rolled his shoulders and sat up a little straighter.
"That light came from Aang, that's the name of The Avatar. He's been trapped in an iceberg for the last hundred years and he was just released by a young waterbender named Katara. She's untrained right now, but she's a natural. Just as much of a prodigy as Azula, if not more. She can be an absolute wonder with her water once she gets some training under her belt. Her brother, Sokka, is there too. He's not a bender, but he's a warrior, the only one left in their village. He takes his responsibility very seriously. If things go as they did last time they'll all end up back at the village soon enough. Last time," he grimaced "Last time we barged into their village and threatened them. I wanted them to hand over the Avatar and was willing to frighten them into it. Aang stepped forward and offered himself up to keep them safe, but escaped our ship not long after we left, with the help of Katara and Sokka, who came after him on his flying bison, Appa. I'd rather avoid crashing into their village this time, or threatening them, if at all possible. I don't want to be their enemy." His fingers tapped absently against his cup "It will be hard, they don't trust Fire Nation, for obvious reasons, and they know we're coming. The ash our ship puts out joins with the snow and falls in what they call black snow, so they know a Fire Nation ship is nearby." Zuko paused then, frowning thoughtfully before letting his gaze shift back to his uncle. He was gratified to find that the expression on Iroh's face was that of the powerful general he once had been. The expression of a general thinking through a situation and finding possible plans. So Zuko fell quiet to let him think, taking the time to sip on his tea. He really did have a headache from everything and the tea did help.
"Perhaps we should dock our ship a good distance from the village," Iroh mused thoughtfully "And take a small group to the village. We can still say we are searching for The Avatar since we are, but to offer our services to him rather than capture him? Would he accept that?" Zuko grimaced slightly and lowered his cup.
"Aang might, yeah. He doesn't have anything against the Fire Nation, but Katara and Sokka won't take well to it. And Aang can be...flighty. So it might take a little bit of convincing to get him to agree to let us teach him, not because he doesn't want help, but because he'd rather spend time goofing off. We'll probably have to tell him about Sozin's comet and what I suspect the Fire Lord is going to do during it. He's a good kid, he just needs a reason to focus." Iroh blinked and frowned slightly.
"You say kid..." He trailed off, clearly fishing for an answer and Zuko can only grimace.
"Aang is twelve," he replied, hating the fact for what it was. He can see his own distress mirrored in his uncle's expression before Iroh grows more somber.
"A heavy burden for one so young," he says sadly and Zuko can't help but sigh and nod his agreement. They both fall quiet for a time before Iroh finished his tea and stood up "I will go inform the crew of our destination. When we land the two of us can make our way on foot. I believe that we should be able to handle any opposition we face. Especially since you mentioned they only have one warrior at the moment. Zuko nodded his agreement.
"It's just Sokka. He's good, but he's untrained. He'll be a great warrior one day, but he isn't yet." Iroh nodded his understanding before turning and heading out the door.
An hour or so later found Zuko and Iroh making their way along the icy ground towards the village. They'd opted against wearing their armor, deciding to wear rather simple if warm, Fire Nation clothes. They hoped that it might help them appear less threatening. And they didn't really need armor if there was only one half-trained warrior in the village. Zuko did notice, with some confusion, that the flare he remembered going off last time did not get set off this time. He wasn't sure what that meant. He tried to push down his uncertainty as they neared the village.
Despite the fact that they were coming from a different direction and the fact they hadn't, well, crashed their ship into the settlement, it was obvious that someone had seen them coming. Sokka was standing in the entrance to their village, war paint covering him and club in hand. Behind him, Zuko could catch sight of a couple of members of the village peering nervously out of tents. The older woman, Katara's Gran-Gran if he wasn't mistaken, was standing out in the open behind her grandson, watching them with naked fear that made Zuko's gut clench some. Katara was just behind her and to her right. Knowing that they were walking on thin ice Zuko and Iroh stopped a good way back from where Sokka was standing guard. He can see the fear on Sokka's face too, but it's mostly hidden by the sheer determination that Zuko is very aware Sokka has in spades.
Sokka didn't give them a chance to speak. As they came to a stop he charged at them with an angry yell, bringing his club up to strike. Zuko, who had left his swords back in the ship, stepped forward into the attack and swiftly gripped the club, twisting it out of the younger warrior's hands.
"We just want to talk," he told the other boy as he disarmed him, knowing that he likely wouldn't listen "I don't want to fight you." Sokka gave a wordless yell and lunged for his weapon so Zuko swept his legs out from under him before pinning him to the ground with his own club "Seriously. I don't want to fight you," he said firmly, trying to ignore the slight gasps of fear from the people just inside the walls. "I know it's hard for you to believe, but we mean no harm to you or your Tribe."
"Yeah right!" Sokka spat back and Zuko couldn't really convince himself that the hatred in the boy's eyes didn't hurt, but he pushed it down "That's all you Fire Nation scum know how to do!" Zuko bit back a groan, but thankfully another voice cut in.
"What are you here for then?" It was the older woman's voice. Kanna, he was pretty sure that was the name Sokka had told him once "Your lot has caused enough trouble for a lifetime." Zuko kept his eyes on Sokka, allowing his uncle to step forward and offer a low bow.
"I do apologize for bothering you all," Iroh said smoothly "My nephew and I are simply here looking for someone. We are under the impression that Avatar Aang is here. We wish to speak with him, that is all." There was an obvious reaction from the people visible and Katara's gaze shot over to a spot behind the wall in front of them, but before any of them could reply Aang himself stepped out from behind the wall. He was holding himself completely differently from what Zuko could remember from the first time they met. He was still young, achingly so, but he held himself with a quiet confidence that Zuko didn't remember him gaining for some time.
"You're looking for me?" Aang asked, eyes scanning over Iroh before settling on Zuko. Zuko's heart stopped for a moment as their eyes met. There was recognition there. He was sure of it. Aang knew him. But how? It was clear that Katara and Sokka didn't. His own expression must have given something away because Aang's eyes widened slightly and his guarded expression fell away.
"Zuko?" he asked uncertainly, cutting off anything Iroh was going to say in reply as he took a small step forward. Zuko straightened, releasing Sokka's club. Sokka seemed rather distracted at the moment anyway.
"Aang?" His own voice didn't sound much better than Aang's, shaky, uncertain, and fragiley hopeful "You know me? You remember?" Aang barely managed to nod before a sob broke from him and he shot across the snow to crash into Zuko's chest with the speed only an airbender could achieve. The small body crashing into him sent Zuko stumbling back slightly and knocked the wind from his lungs, but that didn't stop him from wrapping his own arms around the smaller boy. He isn't sure if the shaking is from him, Aang, or both of them, but he was well aware that they're both crying as he sank to his knees and clutched the younger boy to his chest. He can see the confusion on the members of the Water Tribe and even Sokka looked somewhat lost as he scrambled back to his feet and took a couple of steps back. Iroh looked startled, but his expression faded into one of compassion. Zuko didn't pay them any attention.
"I can't believe you're here!" Aang's voice was shaky and breaking, but understandable "Katara and Sokka don't remember anything and I thought I was going to have to do it by myself!" Zuko shook his head and held Aang a little tighter, ignoring the startled look exchanged between the two Water Tribe siblings.
"You aren't alone Aang," he said firmly "You aren't ever going to be alone again. I'm here and we'll figure things out. It's going to be alright."
Chapter Text
Aang
Aang couldn't access the Avatar state or his past lives. It didn't feel blocked, like it had after the lightning, but more like he hadn't opened his chakras yet. Which, he supposed, might make sense. He hadn't actually opened them yet. He would have to take some time to do that later. He still took a couple of hours just to meditate and try and work things out. By the time he unfolded from his meditation, he was pretty sure that he had worked out what had happened. He had failed. His attempt to take the Fire Lord's bending had backfired and he'd died. Then there had been a set of voices. He couldn't figure out what they had been saying, but those voices had been full of power, energy. Then he'd woken up in Katara's arms. This had to be the work of the spirits. He failed and they were giving him another chance, a chance to fix things. He wasn't going to waste it. He'd be more focused this time. He'd get it right. He had to. He got a distinct feeling that this do-over was a one time deal. There would be no more retries.
But for now, he had a little bit of time before he needed to leave the South Pole. Appa was still too tired to fly and Katara wanted to learn a little bit of waterbending. He wasn't going to deny her that. Especially since there was a good chance that he would be leaving her and Sokka here this time. He didn't intend to get captured by Zuko this time so there'd be no reason for them to follow and rescue him. They'd be much safer if they stayed here in their village and far away from Aang. Shaking off his morbid thoughts Aang put on a smile and made his way out of the igloo to give Katara her first real lesson in waterbending.
It didn't last of course. Soon enough the tell-tail soot-filled snow began to fall on the village, signaling the approach of Zuko's ship. The village flew into action, preparing as they could for the oncoming attack. Aang was somewhat surprised that Sokka didn't try and blame the Fire Nation's approach on him. But maybe knowing he was The Avatar made a difference to Sokka, or it could be that this time he and Katara hadn't set off the flare on the Fire Nation's ship. Either way, it was nice. Instead of being sent away, Aang found himself being bustled around, helping fortify the village. He sent Appa away to hide as they prepared. He tried to offer to be on the front line as the ship arrived, but his offer was shot down by both Sokka and Katara. Sokka because he was the warrior of their village and he would protect it and Katara because she didn't want to risk the Fire Nation knowing about him. Even now she had a good idea how bad that could be. Aang didn't argue with them. Soon enough their preparations were complete and all that was left to wait. Everyone was tense, but they did their best to keep things under control.
The time the ship should have arrived came and went and Aang found himself thrown for a loop. Why was this different? It didn't make any sense. Had the fact he didn't set off the flare change things that much? Just as the village was beginning to relax one of the children manning the wall called out an alarm. There were people approaching, not from the sea, but from behind the village. From where the wall opened up. People wearing Fire Nation clothing. Sokka scrambled down from his position on the wall and rushed to guard the only opening they'd left in the wall. A majority of the village rushed into their igloos and tents, hoping to hide out the coming confrontation. Uncertain exactly where to go, but unwilling to be too far away when things went wrong Aang took a position against the wall. From there he could hear what was happening, but he wasn't visible from outside the wall.
The Fire Nation arrived not long after that and Aang listened as Sokka charged them, only to be easily disarmed. But nothing after that made sense. That was Zuko's voice, but he didn't sound like he had when Aang had first met him. He wasn't angry or threatening. He sounded like he was trying to talk Sokka down, which made absolutely no sense. He couldn't see what was happening, but he didn't hear any fire. Katara's expression told him that Sokka was in a position that put him in danger, but nothing from Zuko's voice said that there was any real danger. Zuko was saying he didn't want to fight, which was very un-Zuko-like. Or at least un-early-Zuko-like. Then General Iroh was answering Kanna's question and Aang felt something freeze in his chest. How did Iroh know his name? That shouldn't be possible. He barely noticed Katara's gaze as he steeled his expression and stepped out into the open. They were looking for him and he wasn't going to keep hiding.
"You're looking for me?" It was hard to keep his voice even and cool, but he was pretty sure he managed it. Iroh looked about the same as he always had, though for some reason he wasn't wearing any armor. And Zuko. Zuko was staring at him. Not with the rage-filled obsession that had fueled him in the beginning. This was something else entirely. Zuko was looking at him like he had shortly after they'd gotten away from Azula. Concern, relief, affection. Aang's calm facade shattered.
"Zuko?" he couldn't keep his voice from shaking slightly as he took a small step closer to the older boy who had become a key part of their little family, even so late in the game. Zuko's eyes widened, one more than the other, and he stood up, letting Sokka go.
"Aang?" Zuko was calling his name. He wasn't calling him by his title. His voice was more fragile than Aang had ever heard him use before "You know me? You remember?" A sob of relief broke free of Aang's control and he managed to make himself nod before he lost control completely and ran to the older boy. He crashed into Zuko harder than was probably polite and he could feel how Zuko stumbled backward before catching his balance, but it didn't matter because a moment later Zuko's arms wrapped around him with the same fierce desperation that Aang was feeling. Aang buried his face into Zuko's shirt as sobs of relief shook him. He didn't know how they ended up kneeling on the ice, but that didn't matter either. Zuko was crying too, probably just as overwhelmed as Aang felt.
"I can't believe you're here!" The words escaped him before he realized he was talking, but once he started he couldn't stop "Katara and Sokka don't remember anything and I thought I was going to have to do it by myself!" He could feel Zuko tightening his arms around him, but somehow it felt easier to breathe.
"You aren't alone Aang. You aren't ever going to be alone again. I'm here and we'll figure things out. It's going to be alright." And that was exactly what Aang wanted to hear. But Zuko didn't know everything. So Aang forced himself to pull back enough to look up and meet his friend's tear-filled gaze.
"I'm sorry!" he blurted out. He could see that Zuko was going to reply, but he pressed on before he could "I failed! I was supposed to take him down and I failed! And now we have to do this all over again!" Zuko was shaking his head and shifting his arms to grip Aang's shoulders.
"You didn't fail Aang. You did your best. I should have done more to help you prepare. I-" Aang cut him off.
"No! I did! I could have killed him. I should have!" it was bitter, but it was the truth. If he'd killed the Fire Lord they wouldn't be here "You guys told me again and again, but I thought I could find some other way. I could have killed him! I had the chance, twice! And I let them slip away because I was too much of a coward to-" Zuko's hand was suddenly over his mouth and Aang was getting an up-close and personal experience with Zuko's fierce, determined gaze.
"Don't you dare say that!" Zuko's voice was closer to a growl than anything else "You are not a coward and I don't ever want to hear you talk like that again. You are one of the bravest people I know. You didn't want to compromise your beliefs. That isn't cowardness. That's strength. I'm sorry that I ever made you feel differently." He lowered his hand then and Aang's shoulders drooped.
"But I still failed," Aang pointed out, more tears leaking free "And the spirits had to step in to keep him from destroying everything else." Something shifted in Zuko's gaze, but Aang couldn't quite identify what it was.
"If you failed then I did too." What was Zuko talking about? "I had a chance to kill him too, back on the day of Black Sun." What? Aang hadn't known that. "He shot lightning at me. I could have sent it back at him. I should have, but I didn't. I couldn't make myself do it. If I had then we would still have needed to deal with Azula, but at least it would have been just one of them instead of both." Zuko grimaced then "Though I didn't do any better facing her either." Aang's expression must have shown his confusion because Zuko refocused on him to explain. "That's where I was during the comet, trying to deal with Azula. I challenged her to an Agni Kai. I was holding my own, I might have even won, but I was a fool." Zuko's voice shifted to the same bitter, self-hating tone that Aang hated hearing from him. He used it far more than he should "I taunted her. I got caught up in everything and I taunted her. Like we were kids again playing some sort of stupid game. And I got shot full of lightning for my trouble." Aang might have heard a strangled gasp at that, coming from behind him, but he barely notices it as he straightened in alarm and moved to bring his hands to Zuko's chest, checking for an injury that probably didn't exist anymore.
"What?!" his voice broke in alarm "How?! You know how to redirect lighting!" Zuko's self-deprecating half-smile was back.
"I forgot who I was dealing with. Azula doesn't care if she plays by the rules or not. She should have focused on me, it's not allowed to involve anyone else in an Agni Kai, but she didn't care. I should have known better." Only Zuko would blame himself for his sister's insane behavior "She was going to shoot Katara so I got in the way. I wasn't grounded properly or in the right position. I managed to catch it, but I couldn't redirect it, so I just. Held it, I couldn't let it get past me so I held onto it." Zuko's expression creased in remembered pain and one of his hands released Aang to move up and touch his chest, not far below his heart. Aang felt sick. "I think I managed to redirect some of it," Zuko continued as if Aang wasn't about to throw up on the ice next to him "But it wasn't enough. I couldn't move and Azula went after Katara. The last thing I remember was them fighting." He grimaced and rubbed his chest "I think I died."
A choked noise that Aang didn't quite name escaped his mouth before he tackled his firebending teacher into another hug, knocking them back into the ice. He could barely remember being hit by lightning himself, but he remembered how much it hurt. It had only been for a brief moment before the world went black, but it had been like no other pain he'd experienced before or after. Zuko had felt that pain too, but from the sound of it he didn't pass out or die right away. And knowing Zuko he probably tried to get up and keep fighting even though he'd just been electrocuted. Aang couldn't imagine the pain he must have been in, he didn't want to. And on top of that Zuko had died. Even if Aang had managed to beat the Fire Lord Zuko would still have been dead. Katara had used up all the spirit water on him back in Ba Sing Se. Somehow the idea of having to do things over again didn't sound as bad anymore. If he hadn't messed up he would have had to figure out how to move forward without Zuko. Possibly without some of the other too. Would Katara have survived her fight with Azula when Azula was charged by the comet? Would the others have survived whatever job they'd been doing? Aang would gladly do it all over again if they all survived to the end. They had to because Aang couldn't survive losing his family a second time.
"Perhaps we should take this conversation inside," the somewhat bemused voice of Kanna cut through the fog in Aang's mind and he suddenly remembered the fact that he and Zuko weren't alone. The way Zuko stiffened beneath him told Aang that the older boy had forgotten about their audience as well. This wasn't how he planned to explain things. He hadn't actually planned to explain things, but that was beside the point. He hesitated for a moment, but that was long enough for Zuko to tighten one arm around him before using his free arm to push them both into a sitting position. Once they were more upright Aang risked a look behind him. Kanna looked thoughtful and a little concerned. Katara's eyes were wide in shock, darting between Aang in Zuko as she clearly tried to wrap her mind around this new information. Sokka was gaping at them like the ice had just opened up beneath him and turned his entire world upsidedown. Which...might not be that far from the truth to be honest. Iroh...Iroh looked horror-struck. His breathing was slightly off, which wasn't good for a firebender Aang knew, and his overbright eyes were fixed on Zuko. Right, he'd just heard his nephew talk about dying a horribly painful death. That was probably rather hard to hear. Aang returned his attention to the woman who had cut through the fog in his mind.
"That might be a good idea," he agreed with a slightly sheepish smile. It looked like he was going to be explaining things after all. He felt it as Zuko carefully shifted and began to stand, actually taking Aang with him, before setting Aang on his feet. It would be easier to explain with someone else there. He wouldn't be doing this on his own. Kanna nodded, expression serious.
"Right, we'll use my igloo," her tone wasn't a suggestion and she turned away, clearly expecting them to obey "Katara, Sokka, come along. Everyone else," she made a shooing motion and the rest of her Tribe slowly broke away. He was pretty sure that the others were far enough back that they shouldn't have heard as much, but they were still obviously curious about what had happened. Not that Aang could blame them. Katara gave him another wide-eyed look before turning to follow her Gran-Gran. Sokka took a bit longer, clearly trying to gather his thoughts. After a short while, he did his best to school his expression into a more threatening glare and he pointed a threatening finger at the three remaining people.
"I don't know what's going on, but if any of you try anything I'll take you out!" He didn't bother waiting for a reply before he turned to storm after his sister, club gripped tightly in his hand. Aang looked back at Zuko then and he could tell that his friend was trying to collect himself, much like Aang was. So he did his best to give Zuko a reassuring smile. He was gratified to watch some of the tension leak out of the older boy's frame before his smile was returned. Zuko's smiles were rare, and very small, but they were always a blessing to see. So Aang counted that as a victory.
"We should follow them," Zuko pointed out, one hand coming up to lightly clasp Aang's shoulder "This is going to be a long conversation." Aang nodded his agreement, but his eyes darted over to where Iroh was still standing, looking rather sick by that point. Zuko followed his gaze over to his uncle and a moment later Zuko was letting go of his shoulder to move over and pull his uncle into a tight hug, probably hoping to calm him down. Wanting to give them a little privacy, Aang made his way over to the entrance of the village and settled against the wall to wait. Not that he had to wait long, it was only a couple of minutes later that Zuko and Iroh rejoined him, the General looking slightly calmer. Aang flashed Zuko another smile, relieved that the older boy was there more than he could properly express, before turning to lead them to Kanna's igloo.
Chapter Text
Zuko
Zuko couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed. He'd been so caught up in Aang that he forgot about the people around them. Some of what they talked about probably shouldn't have been shared with so many people, but it was too late now. If that wasn't bad enough then Aang drew his attention over to his uncle. Uncle looked stricken and guilt flared in Zuko's chest. He hadn't meant to tell him some of those things, at least not that way. His uncle hadn't needed to know about all of that. Biting back a sigh he moved away from Aang and over to where his uncle was staring at him, looking horrified and necessarily guilty. It wasn't like Iroh had any reason to be guilty. Once he reached the older man he didn't bother with words right away, he simply pulled his uncle into a hug, using the physical contact to help calm Iroh down. He could tell it was working even before the slightly shaking arms came up around his back.
"I'm alright Uncle," he told him quietly "As I said before, it's a long story. And a lot of it isn't nice, but we're here now and I'm not hurt. So it's fine." He could feel it as the older man took a deep, calming breath before he pulled back to nod.
"Right you are, Nephew," he agreed with a smile that was slightly shakier than normal "I do want to hear the full story sometime soon." Zuko gave a wry smile at that.
"Well, it sounds like you aren't alone in that matter. We'll likely explain at least most of it to Lady Kanna, Katara, and Sokka in the igloo." Iroh took another steadying breath before nodding.
"Of course. We should probably follow them then. It isn't polite to keep a lady waiting. Especially one as beautiful as Lady Kanna." Zuko didn't bother fighting back his amused huff at that and shook his head at his uncle's antics, earning him a startled look from the man. Unable to resist, Zuko flashed Iroh a bright, playful smile.
"Don't ever change Uncle," he told the now openly gaping man "I love you just the way you are." With that parting shot, albeit a truthful one, Zuko turned and started making his way to Aang. It amused him how long it took his uncle to collect himself and follow, but Iroh did manage to catch up before they reached the young Avatar. Thankfully Iroh was on his right side so Zuko was able to glance at him out of the corner of his eye and catch the bright expression on his uncle's face. Mission accomplished. Turning his attention back to Aang he put a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder before using his other hand to gesture forward "Lead the way?" Aang flashed him a grateful smile before making his way farther into the village. Zuko fell into step with Aang with an ease born of familiarity, walking just slightly behind him and to his right. He did notice that his uncle shifted to be at his left as well, helping cover that side in somewhat unfriendly territory, not that either of them were really expecting a fight.
Aang led them directly to a specific igloo, but even if the hadn't been guiding them Zuko was pretty sure he would have been able to make his way there. Sokka and Katara were both standing just outside of it, watching them approach. Katara looked mostly curious and somewhat awed, by this point. Sokka was still watching them with suspicion, Aang too by this point, which made Zuko feel somewhat guilty. Once they arrived Katara nodded and made her way inside. Sokka just glared at them.
"After you," the suspicious Water Tribe teen told them shortly. Aang obeyed with a slightly sheepish smile that Zuko could barely catch and Zuko gestured for his uncle to follow the boy in before going in himself. Unsurprisingly, Sokka followed them in shortly after that. Zuko was pretty sure that Sokka just wanted to make sure that he was at their back instead of the other way around, which was understandable all things considered. Once they were inside Lady Kanna gestured for them to sit. Katara moved to sit next to her grandmother and Sokka moved to sit on her other side, clearly planning to protect her if necessary. Zuko subtly indicated to Aang for him to sit on the side closer to Lady Kanna, hoping that Sokka would trust Aang at least a little more than the two firebenders in the igloo. Zuko settled down next to the young Avatar with his uncle taking the spot between him and the Water Tribe warrior.
"Now," Lady Kanna said firmly "Explain." Her eyes shifted between the three outsiders, but she seemed to notice how Iroh was looking at the younger two and so she fixed her attention on them. Zuko exchanged a look with Aang before turning his full attention to the formidable older woman.
"It's a long story," he warned them, but her expression didn't change so he continued "It's also fairly unbelievable. I'm living it and I barely believe it." He and Aang glanced at each other again before the younger boy took over.
Aang
The atmosphere in the igloo was tense, but Aang hoped that he'd be able to get through this explanation and convince them that he wasn't lying. He knew how far fetched this story was going to sound. In all honestly, he wasn't sure he would be able to sit through trying to explain it without the steady presence of the Fire Nation youth at his right. Having a friend with him, one that was sharing his experience in this, made the whole situation much more bearable.
"It is really hard to believe, but it's the truth." At Kanna's even nod Aang pressed on "Zuko and I," he gestured at the exiled prince "Seem to have been sent back from almost a year from now." Katara's eyes widened in shock at that, but Sokka didn't look impressed. Kanna simply nodded for him to continue, she almost seemed to have expected something of that sort. "The last thing I remember before waking up out on the ice with Katara and Sokka is facing down Fire Lord Ozai during the comet that is coming in a little less than a year." He grimaced and looked down "I lost and the spirits had to step in to fix things. So they sent me back." He paused and glanced at Zuko "I thought I was sent back alone until Zuko showed up."
"And do you have any proof of this claim?" Kanna asked evenly, causing Aang to frown.
"Well, nothing physical," he replied, shifting uncertainly "But I know things that I wouldn't if I hadn't come back." He paused and glanced at the two younger Water Tribe members "Katara, Sokka, and I traveled together for a long time, before." Kanna looked at him expectantly, but suddenly Aang couldn't think of anything. Luckily, Zuko came to his rescue.
"You're mother's name was Kya," Zuko's voice was quiet and almost apologetic as he looked at Sokka and Katara "She was killed by the Fire Nation six years ago. She was protecting Katara by pretending to be the last waterbender in the Southern Water Tribes." All three members of the Water Tribe tensed, but Zuko continued on "Your father's name is Hakoda and he is the chief of your Tribe. He, along with the other men of the Tribe, left to fight the Fire Nation two years ago, leaving Sokka in charge of defending the Tribe. Sokka wanted to go with him when he left, even putting on the warrior's paint, but Chief Hakoda wouldn't let him come because he wasn't an adult yet. Chief Hakoda's best friend's name is Bato." Zuko paused to take in their expressions before pressing on with facts that he knew "Katara's necklace is a betrothal necklace, but it was handed down to her from her mother, who got it from Lady Kanna," he nodded to the older woman "Who got it from a waterbending master named Pakku, from the Northern Water Tribe. From what I understand, Lady Kanna, you left the Northern Water Tribe due to their views on women." Aang straightened at that.
"Yeah! Master Pakku was really strict and kind of a grump! He didn't even want to train Katara at first. She had to go learn in the healer's hut instead," he paused and tilted his head "Though, that might have been a good thing considering how many times she saved our lives with that healing." He shook his head and got back on track "Anyways! Katara got really angry with him because he wouldn't teach her, and wouldn't let me teach her either, so she challenged him to a fight!" He grinned at the memory "He tried to just walk away but she smacked him in the back of the head with a water whip so he agreed to fight her. She lost, of course, she hadn't had any real training and Master Pakku had years of experience, but then he saw her necklace." He shook his head with another wide grin "He agreed to teach her after that." All three of the Water Tribe members were staring at them now. Katara's hand had come up to grip her necklace like a lifeline. Sokka didn't look like he wanted to believe it, but his quick glance at his Gran-Gran seemed to tell him that he had to. Kanna's eyes were wide and her breathing was slightly faster than normal. After a moment she closed her eyes to collect herself. After a long moment of silence, Kanna spoke.
"You're telling the truth," she was simply stating a fact and Sokka visibly deflated, looking somewhat lost "This is...a lot to take in." The older woman scanned around at the people in the room before fixing her gaze back on Aang "Tell us everything. If you're here to do things better then we need to know what we're working with." Aang glanced at Zuko at that and wasn't surprised to find the older boy looking at him too. Zuko must have seen the question on his face because he shrugged.
"Out of everyone I'd say Katara, Sokka, and Toph are the people who deserve to know the full story. I'd like Uncle to know as well and I don't see why Lady Kanna can't be told." Zuko frowned slightly and paused, tapping his fingers against his leg "You explain things from your end first then I'll go through my part. We should probably get as much information on the table as we can. And that includes the two of us being completely up to date on things. The more we know the better our chances are." Aang hesitated before nodding. That made sense.
"It's a really long story," he warned them, looking back at Kanna "And..." he paused and glanced at Zuko uncertainly "Some of it probably won't make much sense until we get closer to the end..."
"What he means," Zuko cut in evenly at their obviously confused expressions "Is that for the majority of the story Aang and I were not allies. I spent the majority of the next year attempting to capture him so that I would be allowed to return home to the Fire Nation. There are several points in time that paint me in a rather bad light. It wasn't until after the Solar Eclipse that I joined his group."
"But I trust him," Aang cut in quickly "Zuko did some bad things for a while, but he never actually hurt us. And he proved himself a lot after he joined us. So..." he grimaced and shrugged "Just...keep that in mind while I explain, ok?" Katara and Sokka exchanged somewhat wary looks before looking at their Gran-Gran. After a long moment, Kanna nodded.
"Very well," the older woman agreed "We will keep that in mind and allow you both to finish your stories before we make any judgments." Katara and Sokka seemed to follow her lead and nodded as well, though Sokka's was more grudging than Katara. Aang beamed at them at that.
"Thanks!" he said happily before shifting to get more comfortable on the ground. Without thinking much about it he shifted to lean against Zuko's side, getting comfortable against the older boy's warm side. He could feel Zuko stiffen slightly in surprise before he relaxed and slowly placed an arm around him. Zuko was still very unused to friendly physical contact. That's why Aang and Toph had made it their mission to help him get used to it. Aang was going to miss his partner in Zuko-cuddling crime, but he would simply have to do as much as he could on his own. Once he was comfortable Aang settled down to begin explaining his part of the story.
"For me, this all started over a hundred years ago..."
Chapter 5
Notes:
Thank you guys for your reviews. They always keep me motivated to keep writing :) I have several stories going at once, which slows me down some. Also, life gets in the way, but I'll keep cranking out chapters as I can.
On a side note, I guess this is a good time to inform you guys that this tory is very likely going to turn into a Zukaang romance (not as a major plot point, but there). So...if you don't like that kind of thing fair warning. I'm not certain that it will go down that road, but it currently feels very likely.
A couple of direct replies
Stegosaurus1412- You are probably right. Things never go easily for this lot. And messing with time always has consequences. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it goes. ;)
Oreoschocolatechip- The crew did not see any of that interaction. They stopped their ship a good distance away, out of sight of the village so as to try and keep from scaring them, and then Zuko and Iroh made their way to the village on their own.
Warning: This chapter is going to be mostly Aang explaining what happened in the show. There will be some reactions from the others of course, but it will be mostly that. Feel free to skip down below the line if you don't want to read it.
Chapter Text
Aang
"For me, this all started over a hundred years ago..." It was clear that the entire room was hanging on his words, but Aang hardly noticed as he sunk into the story himself "I was raised at the Southern Air Temple by a monk named Gyatso. He was my mentor, my teacher, and the closest thing I had to a father. He was also one of my best friends. We'd travel everywhere together and I made lots of friends in other nations. I guess that should have been my first clue. I think he was trying to prepare me for when I would have to start training in the other elements. None of the other kids my age traveled near as much as we did." He shook his head as if to dismiss his wandering thoughts "They weren't supposed to tell me that I was the Avatar until I was sixteen, but the monks sensed that there was a threat coming so they decided to tell me a little after I turned twelve. I...didn't take it well. Especially when I found out that they planned to separate me from Monk Gyatso and send me to another temple. They thought he was going too easy on me."
He grimaced and looked away at the ice wall "So I left. I ran away. I don't really know where I was going to go, just...away from them. I was angry and scared and I didn't really understand what was going on so I felt I needed to get away. I probably would have gone back soon enough." He looked down "But that's not what ended up happening. A big storm hit out of nowhere and Appa and I were caught out in it above the ocean. It was too strong and we ended up going down. If I wasn't the Avatar we probably would have drowned. The last thing I remember from back then was us getting knocked underwater by a huge wave." He jumped slightly when Zuko's arm tightened slightly, probably trying to offer reassurance. So he flashed the older boy a small smile of thanks, noting his concerned expression, before looking back at the Water Tribe people in the room.
"The next thing I knew I was waking up after Katara broke open the iceberg I was trapped in. I had no idea that a hundred years had passed by, or what had been done to my people. I was just excited to be in the South Pole and meeting new people. I wanted to play games and forget I was the Avatar. I should have made my way to the North Pole right away, I only knew airbending, nothing else, but I didn't. Instead, I hung out here for a short time. Katara and I went penguin sledding and I convinced her to go into the old fire nation ship that is trapped in the ice near here. I accidentally set off a flare, which led Zuko and his crew right to the village. When we got back I was told I needed to leave because I was distracting Katara from her chores and drawing danger to the Tribe. But Appa was still too tired to fly so we just went off to rest on a section of ice a short way away from here. That's where I spotted Zuko's ship. I really didn't understand what was going on, but I knew that the Tribe was frightened of the Fire Nation. Katara and Sokka had told me that it had been a hundred years since the war started and that no one had seen any air nomads since then, but I didn't really take it all in. But I did understand that a Fire Nation ship heading for the village was bad news. So I rushed back here. I got here in time to see Zuko threatening the people here to try and get you all to tell him where I was, but I hadn't told you guys that I was the Avatar so it wasn't going well. So I stepped in and offered to go with him if he would leave the Tribe alone. Zuko agreed."
Aang shifted to lean more fully against his firebending friend, feeling how he was tensing beside him. "I know now that there were plenty of firebenders who would have agreed, but attacked the village anyways once they had me, but Zuko was never like that. He got me aboard his ship and we left. That might have been the end of it, but Katara and Sokka came after me on Appa. I escaped the soldiers watching me and got onto the deck around the time that they got to the ship. In the fight that came after that I ended up getting knocked into the ocean and my Avatar Spirit triggered to try and protect me. It gave us an edge and by the end of things Zuko's ship was partly buried in snow and Katara, Sokka, and I were flying away on Appa."
Aang sighed and looked away from the four people that didn't know the story that was coming, over at the wall again. "I wish I can say that we went to the North Pole then, but we didn't. Like I said, I didn't really believe what I was being told. I didn't think that Katara and Sokka were lying to me, just that they were wrong. So first we went to the Southern Air Temple, where I grew up. It was..." he grimaced and shook his head "It was bad. I found the body of Gyatso there, surrounded by the bodies of Fire Nation soldiers. Things started to settle in then and I realized that I was the last of my people."
He shook his head to try and displace the flare of grief that thinking of that moment still brought up. He didn't have time to grieve. He could do that after the war was won. "I wish I could say that we got on track after that, but we didn't. I was twelve and didn't really understand what war meant, even then. Even after seeing that it didn't sink in. It wasn't until the summer solstice that I started taking things seriously. Avatar Roku called me to a temple in the Fire Nation so he could speak with me and warn me that Sozin's comet is coming back this year. And that I had until then to master the other three elements and beat Fire Lord Ozai or he would win the war, permanently. Though it wasn't until much later that I found out exactly what that meant. The warning was enough to get us to take a more direct route to the North Pole though. We spent some time training there, but things were interrupted when the Fire Nation navy, lead by Admiral Zhao, showed up to attack the city." He could feel Zuko stiffen again at the mention of the old Admiral and reached up to put his hand on top of Zuko's. He didn't really know the history Zuko had with Zhao, but had a distinct impression that it wasn't a good one.
"Zhao had somehow gotten ahold of the information on the location of the Moon and Ocean spirits. He thought that if he killed the Moon that the Fire Nation could triumph over the Northern Water Tribe." There were obvious looks of shocked horror on every face in the room aside from Aang and Zuko.
"Hang on," Sokka cut in "He wanted to kill the moon? Is that even possible?!"
"Unfortunately, yes," Aang replied grimly "It's very possible. Because he did it." He shook his head and continued before they were able to ask any more questions "The princess there, Yue, had been given life by the moon spirit when she was very young. She sacrificed her life to bring the moon spirit back. But not before the ocean spirit took out his anger on the fire nation soldiers." He could feel the slight shudder that went through Zuko at that and he pressed more firmly against his side. He was grateful to feel Zuko tighten his grip slightly, knowing it was the older boy's attempt at reassurance. It wasn't a pleasant memory for either of them.
Aang looked over at Iroh then "General Iroh helped us out a lot during that mess, to keep Zhao from hurting the moon spirit. And he was the one who realized that Yue could help. I don't know what we would have done if he wasn't there." He shook his head again and looked back at the Water Tribe in the room "Since the ocean spirit had taken care of the remaining invasion forces all we had to do after that was clean up and help treat the injured. We stuck around for a while after that to continue training and during that time Master Paku named Katara a master waterbender and deemed her ready to continue my training as we traveled. He along with several other members of the Northern Water Tribe left about the same time as we did, saying they were going to come down here and help rebuild." He noted the surprise on Kanna's face at that, but didn't comment on it. "After that, we started trying to find me an earthbending teacher. We started off trying to contact my old friend Bumi from Omashu, but that didn't work out."
"King Bumi?" General Iroh cut in in surprise and Aang nodded.
"Yeah. I know him from back before. We were friends. But Omashu had been captured by the Fire Nation and Bumi refused to leave, saying something about needing to wait around for the right time. So we kept looking. In the end, we met a girl named Toph. She's about my age and blind, but she's probably one of the best earthbenders in the world." Zuko laughed at that.
"Don't let her hear you say that," he warned playfully before looking at the others and explaining "Toph is quite certain that she is the best earthbender in the world, period. And honestly, she might be right. She's definitely something else." Aang nodded his agreement before explaining a bit more.
"Toph may be blind, but she sees with her earthbending, probably better than most of us can see normally. She's probably one of the only reasons we survived as long as we did. She could always sense threats coming from the ground. And she could tell if people were lying. For almost anyone. The only person she couldn't get a read on was Azula." Zuko tensed again and Aang caught the sound of Iroh's sharp intake of breath. Seeing the confusion on the faces of Kanna, Sokka, and Katara he explained "Azula is the princess of the Fire Nation. She and two of her friends began hunting us around that time. They are amazing fighters and Azula isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty." He hard Zuko's bitter snort at that, but continued on "Azula was the only person that Toph couldn't get a read on if she was lying or not. No clue why."
"Azula has always been good at lying," Zuko put in bitterly "She has plenty of practice." The Water Tribe in the room looked at him in question, but Zuko waved them off "I'll explain more when Aang is finished." Sokka looked a little suspicious, but no one argued as Aang started up again.
"While we were traveling we found out about a solar eclipse that would happen later in the year. During a solar eclipse firebenders lose their bending entirely, so it was the perfect time to stage an attack. So we made our way to Ba Sing Se to try and get the Earth King's help on the attack." Aang paused before sighing "Ba Sing Se is a story in and of itself. But by the time we left it had fallen to the Fire Nation, mostly thanks to Azula. We escaped with the Earth King and met up with your dad and his ships." He nodded at Katara and Sokka to be sure they understood what he was saying and was happy to see both of them light up at that, though Sokka more than Katara "We stayed with them for a while. Azula had shot me with lightning during a fight so I had to recover. The only reason I survived was because Katara knew how to heal and had been given a vial of special water from the Northern Water Tribe."
He shuddered at the memory of the lightning hitting him and wasn't really surprised when Zuko's hand squeezed his shoulder reassuringly even though he could tell the other boy was really uncomfortable with this part of the story. He shook his head to try and clear it some "We planned an attack for the eclipse before going separate ways to finish preparing." He sighed and rubbed his face with one hand. "The invasion...didn't go well. They knew we were coming so we were never able to catch Fire Lord Ozai and in the end a majority of the troops we brought with us were captured. A small number of us escaped on Appa and fled to the Western Air Temple."
He looked at Zuko then and grinned "That's when Zuko joined us." He looked back at the others "It took a while for everyone to trust him, but I needed to learn firebending and he was our best option. By the time the comet was drawing near, we all trusted him." Sokka looked very skeptical at that, but no one interrupted as Aang's expression fell "But that's when we found out why Roku said we had to finish things before Sozin's comet." He grimaced "Ozai he." He shook his head.
"Fire Lord Ozai planned to use the comet to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground," Zuko cut in, voice dark and bitter "The fall of Ba Sing Se and Omashu had failed to break the resistance the way he had hoped it would so he decided to just decimate the entire area. Including his own colonies and where his troops were stationed." Aang didn't have to look at the others to know they were horrified at that. He knew he was, despite having heard it before.
"That-that's crazy!" Sokka cried "How-why?" He shook his head in horrified shock.
"It's barbaric!" Katara shot back, clearly furious "What kind of monster could do something like that?! And the rest of the Fire Nation was just ok with this?" Aang could hear Zuko sigh quietly before replying.
"Fire Lord Ozai is a monster," Zuko told them, voice laden with a deep kind of sadness "He is a prime example of everything wrong with the Fire Nation. I can honestly tell you that, no, most members of the Fire Nation would not be ok with that kind of plan, but there are very few who would be willing to speak out against it. The Fire Lord's will is absolute. And speaking out against him or the higher-ups in the military is very dangerous. Our people are frightened. Some agree with the war to a point, mostly because of misinformation that is being taught to our people from a very young age making it sound like we're some kind of savors to the world."
Zuko raised a hand to cut off the words that Sokka very obviously wanted to say "That's not true of course, but if you're taught it from birth and never see the world from the other side it's very easy to believe. And even if they don't believe the lies they're taught most don't dare speak out, let alone resist. Being a part of the Fire Nation military is not a voluntary thing. If you are selected to go to war you go or you are killed. If you try and fight back against the war it is very likely that your entire family will be killed as traitors to the Fire Nation." Aang shifted to wrap his arms around Zuko's waste. He could tell that explaining this was painful to the firebender.
"That's awful," Katara's voice was quieter this time and she looked both sad and horrified. Even Sokka had simmered down some, looking thoughtful. Aang waited for a moment before taking over to continue his story, not wanting to get off track for too long.
"Before we found out what Ozai was planning to do I was thinking about waiting to take him down until after the comet, I wasn't a master of the elements and thought I needed more time." He grimaced "And I was stalling. I-" He paused and looked down "I mentioned earlier that Air Nomads are vegetarians. That's because we're pacifists. We're taught that all life is sacred and that we shouldn't kill. I...I didn't want to kill Fire Lord Ozai, but none of us could think of any other way to stop him. I was panicking. I'm still kind of panicking. I thought I had found a way to get around killing him, but it didn't go well." He could practically feel Zuko's curiosity at that and he looked up at the older boy "The night I disappeared I was called out to a Lion Turtle."
Zuko's eyes widened slightly in shock at that "He taught me a way to remove someone's bending." Zuko stiffened, looking torn between shock and a muted horror "I thought that was an option I could use instead of killing him. But it was dangerous. The Lion Turtle warned me that during the process there is a chance of the other person pushing back. And I think that's what happened. I met Ozai near the edge of the Earth Kingdom. We fought and I pinned him down to try and take his bending. I think it went wrong. Then I woke up back here in the past." He watched as Zuko processed through that information, several emotions flashing across his face before he nodded his understanding. He still looked a little shocked, but otherwise understanding so Aang looked back at the others. "That's it for me. That's the whole story. I left out a lot of details of course, but we don't have time to sit and explain every little thing."
"This is a lot to take in," Kanna noted, speaking slowly and thoughtfully "And I can only imagine that the second part to this story will be equally enlightening." Her eyes flickered to Zuko at that "Perhaps we should take a break and get some food before we continue?"
"That would be very kind of you," Iroh spoke up "I can make some tea if you like." Aang was somewhat surprised when Kanna smiled at him, but he was also released.
"That sounds perfect," she agreed, moving to stand "Katara, come with me. Sokka go and check on the others." Her words left no room for questioning and both younger members of the Tribe got up to do as they were told. Sokka didn't even threaten them as he made his way out, looking deep in thought." Kanna turned her attention back to her guests "If you three don't mind waiting here we will be back shortly." Aang nodded and loosened his grip enough for Zuko to give the woman a small bow, noting that Iroh was doing the same as well. None of them spoke as the woman made her way out, followed by Katara, who looked rather shell shocked from all they'd been told.
"Well...that went well," Zuko mused quietly, earing a slightly hysterical laugh from Aang, who looked up at him to meet the small wry smile there.
"Yeah," Aang agreed "But we haven't been attacked or kicked out yet, so that's a start."
"We haven't even started my part of this mess," Zuko pointed out wryly "So there's still a chance." Aang laughed again at that before his attention was caught by the shift of Zuko's expression, moving from wry to affection. "We were worried about you," Zuko told him "When you disappeared. We couldn't figure out where you had gone. We ended up tracking down June again, but even her shirshu couldn't locate you." Aang shifted to hug him more fully, grateful to feel the firebender's arms wrap around him in return.
"I'm sorry for worrying you guys," he told his firebending master "I didn't mean to. I don't even remember leaving. I just woke up on the lion turtle's back. I think he called me there while I was still asleep."
"It's alright," Zuko told him quietly "I'm just glad that you're alright. Things didn't go like we planned, but we'll do it better this time." Aang nodded into his chest, hoping with all he had that he was right. They needed to get it right this time.
"Yeah," he said, putting as much conviction into the word as he could "We will."
Chapter 6
Notes:
For everyone concerned about the pairing of this story. I do apologize if you don't like Zukaang, but I feel that it is the way I want to go in this story. There is a small chance that I will change my mind, but it isn't likely. I can't see Aang's feelings for Katara maintaining in this timeline. This Katara is meeting a much more serious, and much more skilled Aang. She's somewhat in awe of him. She's not the same powerful young woman from before. She can still become that woman, but I don't their relationship will ever be exactly the same as it was. Zuko, on the other hand, shared a lot of Aang's experiences and they understand each other. I'm sorry if this ruins the story for you.
Fair warning, just like the last chapter most of this chapter is going to be backstory. This time from Zuko's point of view. If you don't want to read that, or the reactions of people, just skip down to below the line.
TheNiemand: Yeah. I probably should have a warning that that chapter was going to be mostly backstory...I've added a warning to the last chapter. And to this one.
Several edits made on 12/15/2021
Chapter Text
Zuko
The time it took for the three Water Tribe members to return with food was simultaneously far too long and far too short as far as Zuko was concerned. Part of him wanted to get this over with so they could start moving forward and part of him was terrified of how his part of the story would be taken. He really didn't want to fight anyone here. Or to alienate Aang from some of the people he knew meant the world to the young monk. And, if he was being honest, rejection from Katara or Sokka would hurt him a great deal as well. They had all grown quite close during the time they traveled together and both of the young members of the Water Tribe meant a great deal to him. Closing his eyes he settled into meditative breathing to calm himself while they waited for the others to return, not really paying attention to how the fire in the igloo shifted to follow his breathing pattern. Beside him, he felt Aang shift to lean against his side again and felt how the young monk's breathing settled to match his exactly.
He didn't open his eyes again until he heard people entering the igloo again. Blinking, he turned his head to look at the three people who were entering the hut once more. All three members of the Water Tribe had come to a stop just inside the small ice building and looked somewhat uneasy. Zuko wasn't sure why until he followed their gaze to the fire that was still shifting with both his and Aang's breathing. Zuko couldn't help but flush as he let go of his hold on the fire and gently shifted to gently disrupt Aang's meditation. He couldn't help the fond warmth he felt when the young airbender blinked his eyes open and looked at him in confusion.
"I think we made our hosts uncomfortable," he informed his young friend, tilting his head towards the entrance "It's probably best if we hold off on any fire mediation until we are no longer somewhere where a strange moving flame will disturb people." It was easy to see his own realization and then embarrassment cross Aang's face, but didn't comment further. Instead, he turned his attention to the three Water Tribe members who watching them warily.
"I apologize. That was rude of us. I fear I didn't fully think about how that may look to you."
Kanna gathered herself first and gave her grandchildren a nudge to get them to make their way inside the rest of the way.
"Apology accepted," the Water Tribe elder told them evenly "Though I have to admit curiosity to what you were doing. I've never seen that before."
"Mediation," Zuko replied, some of the tension leaving him as they all settled down to sit once more, placing food out on the ground. "It's something firebenders do to help control our fire. Unlike other benders, our element comes from inside us and if a firebender doesn't meditate from time to time our flames can become hard to control. When a firebender is meditating we tend to do so with an open flame, is one is available, we match our flames to it and it to our breathing. It helps balance things. We don't necessarily need a flame to meditate, but it helps." He paused before flushing and admitting "Meditation can also help anyone maintain control over their temper. I tend to use it for that reason as well." Beside him, his uncle snorted quietly and he flashed him an annoyed look "I do," he insisted "I know I didn't before, but I do now." His uncle smiled and nodded his understanding. Zuko bit back a huff before looking back at the others. Thankfully Lady Kanna just looked amused by this point. Sokka was, unsurprisingly, still wary. Katara seemed to be almost drinking up any information they said about how firebending worked. Which...made sense. Firebending wasn't waterbending, but she had never met other benders before. In her position, Zuko imagined he would be much the same.
"I see," Kanna mused thoughtfully before shaking her head and gesturing at the plates in front of them "Please, eat." She paused before looking at Aang "I apologize, we don't have anything that is without meat in it at the moment."
Aang grinned and shook his head, waving his hands in front of him as if to try and ward off the concern "It's fine! Really! I have food on Appa that I can eat later." Kanna visibly frowned but was distracted as Iroh leaned forward to offer her, and the other, a cup of tea that he had brewed while they had meditated. It wasn't long until they were all settled down to eat the food provided and sip on the tea, causing the small group to fall into a somewhat uneasy silence as they all ate.
Zuko didn't eat too much, couldn't with his stomach somewhat in knots, and well aware that Aang was sitting just next to him, unable to eat himself. So once he had eaten enough to settle his body and not seem impolite he set his cup down and folded his hands in his lap.
"I believe it is my turn to explain. Would you like me to begin while you eat?" He glanced around at the three Water Tribe in question, though he did notice his uncle looking at him in clear interest.
"Yes, go ahead," Kanna spoke for the group, clearly wanting to hear more about the situation. Zuko nodded and took a steadying breath before beginning.
"It's probably best if I explain a little backstory on our end too. It would help things make sense." He couldn't help but feel grateful for how Aang scooted slightly closer to lean into his side while Kanna nodded her content and Sokka eyed him in wary interest. "To start with you should know, my name is Zuko. As in Prince Zuko. The Fire Lord is my biological father." This got an immediate reaction from four people in the room. Kanna's eyes widened slightly before narrowing thoughtfully, Sokka gripped his boomerang, clearly debating drawing it, and Katara gasped, leaning away from him slightly. Beside them, Iroh's eyes widened ever so slightly when Zuko referred to the Fire Lord as his biological father, but the old general soon shifted his attention to the three members of the Water Tribe, wary of their reactions. Zuko made sure to keep perfectly still while they processed this and, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only maybe a minute, Kanna relaxed slightly and nodded.
"Continue." It was an order more than anything else, and Zuko was more than willing to comply, grateful for how her words caused her grandchildren to relax, even if only slightly.
"Right. As I was saying, the Fire Lord is my biological father. My mother's name was Princess Ursa. She would have been Fire Lady, but she went missing just before Father became Fire Lord," at their slightly confused looks he grimaced "I don't know if she's still alive or not. I always assumed she had died, because I couldn't think of any other reason that she would just vanish, and it isn't...uncommon for people in the Fire Nation Palace to be 'vanished' if they displease the Fire Lord or other high ranking nobles. But during the next eclipse, the Fire Lord told me that he had banished her after she killed his father, the last Fire Lord." There was some horror there now so Zuko quickly pressed on to explain "It was just after Ba Sing Se and my cousin, Lu Ten, Uncle's only son, had died." He gave his uncle a quick, apologetic look before pressing on "Father had approached Grandfather, suggesting that it would be best that he take the throne next instead of Uncle since Uncle no longer hand any children and Father had two. Grandfather was...unhappy about this. I don't know exactly what happened,
but later Azula, my sister, came to my room to tell me that Father was going to kill me. Apparently, Grandfather had told him that he would need to feel what it was like to lose his firstborn son. So he could understand Uncle's pain. I didn't really believe her, or at least I didn't want to, Azula has a tendency for telling lies to cause distress. But she also uses the truth, if it works better for her."
He shrugged, looking away from the three sets of wide eyes that were staring at him, fixing his gaze on the ice wall. "But Mother overheard her and drug her out of the room. The last time I saw Mother was the middle of that next night. She woke me up in the middle of the night, to say goodbye I think. I didn't really understand it at the time. The next morning we were informed that Mother was gone and that Grandfather had died, seemingly of natural causes, leaving in his will that Father was to become the Next Fire Lord. During the next eclipse Fire Lord Ozai told me that Mother came to him to beg for my life, offering to make him Fire Lord in exchange. He agreed but banished her afterward. I don't know if that was true though. He may have just been stalling for time so I wouldn't leave before the eclipse ended so he could shoot lightning at me. I don't think he knew I could redirect it."
He glanced back at them and flushed at their expressions. Horror, but not at him, for him. That was...embarrassing, but also probably a good thing. They weren't seeing him as the enemy right now. He forced himself to continue. "Anyways. That's how he became Fire Lord. Later, when I was thirteen, I convinced Uncle to let me into a war meeting room. I wanted to prove I could be a good heir, wanted to make my Father proud of me. Azula was always the better bender, more like him in every way. Father prefers her. So I wanted to prove that I could be a good heir in other ways." He grimaced, old anger rising in his mind and he fixed a glare on the wall again "It was a meeting of high generals, discussing the war. One general spoke up about a plan. A plan to use the 41st division to fight against a very powerful section of the Earth Kingdom Army," He clenched his fists in his lap, fighting to control his temper "but the 41st division was a training division. A group of young men who were supposed to mostly patrol already claimed territories, learn the ropes of being soldiers. Not hardened warriors supposed to fight on the front lines." He looked at them now, not aware that his eyes were hard, like golden flint "They weren't supposed to win. They were to be bait, left to be slaughtered while more seasoned troops came around from behind and took out the Earth Kingdom soldiers in a surprise attack." There was that horror again, but stronger now. He was grateful to see it. To see that they understood how awful that plan was. Uncle just looked sad.
"I waited, foolishly expecting the Fire Lord to object to this plan," he smiled then, a sharp-edged, bitter thing "But he didn't. So I did. I think some part of me thought he would be proud of me for standing up for our soldiers, but mostly I just couldn't believe that they would even think of treating our soldiers that way. Men and women risking their lives for our nation, only to have those lives carelessly thrown away by those they were serving for. It was wrong. I spoke out, calling the plan wrong and dishonorable. The Fire Lord... wasn't pleased." His anger drained some then and he looked away, swallowing hard as he prepared himself to explain what came next. Even Aang didn't know this story and he could feel the young monk's curiosity, and worry, from how he was tense against his side, pressing firmly against him in silent support.
"It was declared that I would fight an Agni Kai, a one on one fight. The loser either loses their life or their honor, which for many of our people is worse than losing your life. I thought," he grimaced, but forced himself to keep talking, "I thought I would be fighting against the general that I had spoken against. I agreed. I thought I could beat him. I wasn't the best firebender, but he was old and out of practice. No problem. Except," He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not really surprised to feel a set of slim arms wrapping around him in comfort. Raising one hand to touch Aang's slim shoulders in thanks he continued without opening his eyes "Except it wasn't the general that was fighting. When I turned around in the ring I found the Fire Lord there. I had spoken out in his meeting so it was him I had disrespected. I-" He cut off and grit his teeth for a moment, taking a slow breath and letting it out "I knew I couldn't beat him, couldn't fight him, so I got down on my knees. I begged him for forgiveness. I hadn't meant to offend him. I was his loyal son and only wanted what was best for the Nation. I begged for mercy."
A bitter laugh escaped him then "That was stupid of me. The Fire Lord doesn't know what mercy is, nor does he care. He declared my refusal to fight cowardness and said I would need to learn a lesson." He jumped when he felt a steady, familiar hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see that his uncle had shifted over to offer support as well, regarding him with warm, sad eyes. A quick glance around showed that the three Water Tribe members were, if anything, more horrified than before, but clearly waiting to hear what came next. On his other side, Aang was pressed against him, shaking slightly. The poor kid. Even with everything he had seen so far he was still so innocent to how the world was. Zuko shook his head and let out a shaky breath before focusing on Aang. It was easier to tell Aang for some reason, perhaps it was because Aang deserved to know why he had chased him as long as he had.
"He burned my face," he explained quietly, watching how Aang's eyes got impossibly wider and filled with tears (and ignoring the choked gasps from the others in the room) "I don't remember much after that, but I woke up weeks later on a ship heading out of Fire Nation waters. It was only then that I was informed that I had been banished for disobedience and cowardness. I would only be allowed to return to the Fire Nation if I returned with the Avatar in chains." Understanding dawned on Aang's expression then, which was much better than heartbreaking horror.
"That's why you were chasing us around like that?!" Aang's voice was a hoarse whisper more than anything else "Because that was the only way you could go home?" Zuko gave a wry smile and nodded, relaxing some as they moved away from the hardest part of the story. "But-but, I'd been missing for over a hundred years!" Oh Aang. Zuko shook his head.
"I wasn't supposed to succeed. I didn't accept that then, but I know it now. He just wanted me gone. I'm sure he would have gotten around to disinheriting me eventually and naming Azula his heir. But at the time I convinced myself that it was some sort of test. That I had failed somehow and needed to prove myself worthy of him again." He shrugged "It was foolish, but I was young and stupid. I wanted him to approve of me. Wanted him to care about me like he seemed to care about Azula." Aang gave a choked sob and darted closer to wrap his arms more firmly around Zuko, pressing a wet face into his shoulder. Zuko couldn't help the small, fond smile that came to his face as he wrapped his arms around the young monk who was now basically in his lap. Letting Aang have time to compose himself he looked over at the others in the room. Uncle still looked sad, but also a little proud, giving him a small nod when he looked over. Kanna's expression had hardened some, but Zuko got the distinct impression that the dark look wasn't directed at him, something he was distinctly grateful for. Sokka mostly looked sick, though it was slowly shifting to a wave of low burning anger as he gripped his boomerang once more, looking more like the young warrior that Zuko had fought against, and with, so many times. Katara's expression...was honestly kind of scary. It was somewhat reminiscent of the look she had given him when she had threatened him back at the Eastern Air Temple, but thankfully it wasn't aimed at him this time.
"No offense Princy, but your father is kind of a monster," of course it was Sokka who broke the silence. Zuko gave him a wry smile at that and nodded.
"He is," he agreed simply "But I didn't tell you that so you would feel sorry for me. I just wanted you to...understand a little better why I did things the way I did. I...wasn't in a good place a long time after that. And I did many things I shouldn't have done. Things I'm not proud of." The group slowly settled down as Kanna nodded.
"Thank you, Prince Zuko," Kanna replied after visibly gathering herself "We will keep that in mind." Zuko nodded his thanks before settling down some himself, though he kept his arms around Aang, who seemed fully content to stay curled against him for now.
"Right, well the main part of our story starts about three years from then, today actually, though it didn't go the way today did. I traced the blue light that was released when Aang was woken up back to this village. We," he grimaced, rather embarrassed and ashamed of his younger self's behavior "We crashed our ship into your village, knocking over your wall and tower and barging right in. In the end, Aang promised to go with us without fighting if we promised to leave your village alone. So we did. We took Aang and left, heading back for the Fire Nation. Of course, Aang didn't stay docile and captive for long." He looked down, giving the young airbender a fond, amused look. He broke free of his bonds shortly after we had left your village and tried to escape. He probably wouldn't have made it, at least not right away, but Katara and Sokka showed up on Appa. They'd decided to come after him to help since he'd given himself up to protect your village."
He looked back up at them with a somewhat somber smile "From what Sokka told me they never got to go back to the village after that. As far as I know, everything was still fine here, and several members of the Northern Water Tribe even promised to come down here and help after these three left there, but they never found the time to go back down and check on things themselves. They kept moving around, trying to get Aang to the Northern Water Tribe, and later to find an earthbending master and then to avoid my sister and her friends. For the majority of that time, my crew and I chased them around the world, doing our best to capture Aang so I could take him back to the Fire Nation. We chased them until Zhao, Commander right now, Admiral then, was given full authority over the hunt for the Avatar. He took my crew and hired pirates to blow my ship up. Uncle and I had to sneak aboard one of Zhao's ships."
He grimaced, knowing they wouldn't really like what was coming next, but at least Aang was relaxing some. "Zhao was following Aang, Katara, and Sokka to the Northern Water Tribe, both to try and capture Aang and because Zhao believed that it was his destiny to destroy the moon spirit and take down the Northern Water Tribe." There was that horror again. They'd heard it before, but it was still a lot for these people to take in. Understandably. Taking in their expressions he nodded before continuing on.
"As Aang said, there are...embodiments of the Ocean and Moon spirits at the Northern Water Tribe. They guard them. Keep them safe. But Zhao somehow found out about them. He invaded and used the invasion to sneak to where the spirits live. He," Zuko scowled, noting a similarly dark look on Iroh's face "He managed to kill the moon spirit, but there was a girl there, the Princess, who had been gifted life by the moon spirit at birth. She gave the life back. I don't really understand it, but I think she became a part of the moon? Or something?" he shook his head "I don't know, but the moon came back. And the ocean," he tightened his hold on Aang, feeling how the young boy stiffened. "The ocean used Aang to take down the Fire Nation Navy, flushing them all out of the city and shoving their ships far away. Uncle and I escaped on a raft and floated until we reached land again, Earth Kingdom land." They didn't really need to know how they had almost died of dehydration before the rain had come, or how they had almost starved since neither of them really knew how to fish. It had been a bad time, but they had survived. And Aang didn't need anything else to feel guilty for.
"After that things were...weird. We didn't have a ship anymore, or a crew, or anything, so we couldn't easily continue chasing down Aang. So we just," he shrugged "Tried to blend in, become refugees. There were plenty to blend in with. And people didn't really question things, especially when they saw this," he gestured vaguely at his face with one hand. "We ran into Azula after a while, she was hunting us too, apparently, the Fire Lord had labeled us traitors because Uncle fought against Zhao when Zhao attacked the moon." He shrugged but mostly we just...traveled." He would explain more of the details later, with Uncle and maybe Aang. They weren't necessary now "Eventually we got to Ba Sing Se and just...went in with the other refugees. It was...weird really. We got hired on at a tea shop for a while before some rich guy decided he really liked the way Uncle made his tea and gave us a bunch of money so Uncle could open his own shop in the upper rings."
He grimaced. They were getting to the part where he did something monumentally stupid, worse than anything else he had done. "Aang was there too, along with Sokka, Katara, and his new earthbending teacher, Toph. Aang mentioned her earlier. She's a little, blind twelve-year-old girl, but she's also one of the best earthbenders I've ever met. Probably the best. She ended up inventing metal bending. She's kind of amazing really." He shook his head to dismiss his ramblings "Anyways. They were all there. looking for Appa I think?" he paused and looked down at Aang who nodded and looked up.
"Appa had been taken by some sandbenders while we were in the desert," Aang explained "So we were looking for him, but also trying to convince the Earth King to help us in the attack during the eclipse." Zuko nodded his understanding before looking back at the others.
"So they were there, but apparently my sister and her friends, Mai and Ty Lee, had also managed to get into the city. They actually managed to get to the Earth King and capture him, taking over Ba Sing Se. Azula called Uncle and I to the palace under the guise of wanting Uncle to serve tea to the Earth King. When we realized what was going on Uncle fled, thinking I would follow, but I was stupid and stayed to try and fight her. We had been running from her for so long and I was tired of it. But they overpowered me and threw me in one of the cells below the city." He shuddered "They have this whole...thing beneath Ba Sing Se. Most of it is really creepy."
He shook his head again, he was getting off track. "I was there for a little while, not sure how long, but then they threw Katara in with me. I still don't understand what they hoped to accomplish with that. Maybe Azula hoped we'd kill each other off? I don't know. But I was tired and I didn't want to fight and Katara was wary and upset, but we..." he shrugged "We talked about our mothers really. It settled things between us some. For a short while."
He grimaced and looked away, fixing his gaze on the wall again "Katara she..." he wasn't sure if it was worth mentioning, but he was hoping to try and explain his behavior after this mess "She had been given a vial of water from the oasis where the Moon and Ocean stay. It has a great deal of healing power. And Katara was a master healer as well as a master waterbender. She offered to use it to heal my scar. But we were interrupted before she could do so. Uncle and Aang arrived and she just...left. I don't blame her really. I was till her enemy and that water was special. Plus it really was a good idea to try and get out of those caves as soon as possible. But...at the time. It hurt. More than I really understood. I thought I could be free of the mark that he had given me. The mark that is the first thing that anyone sees when they look at me. And she left like her offer had meant nothing."
His expression shifted then, becoming more bitter "And then Azula showed up. She captured Uncle and offered me the one thing I wanted more than anything outside of what had just been taken away. She offered a chance to go home. If I would just work beside her she could convince Father to take me back as a hero who had helped capture Ba Sing Se. And she would speak to Father about staying Uncle's execution. Life imprisonment wasn't good, but it was better than being dead. Uncle tried to talk me out of it, but I was a mess. And a stupid, naive child who hoped that things would all be ok once I could go home. So I followed her. And I fought for her." His arms tightened around the boy who was still in his lap, remembering how small he had looked as he fell. He could feel how Aang was trembling slightly as well, likely remembering the pain. "I fought for her and she managed to shoot Aang with lightning. Lighting that, unless you know how to redirect it, kills. Uncle showed up to help them and Katara managed to take Aang and escape out the hole the lightning made, meeting up with their friends and the Earth King and fleeing the city. She used the oasis water then, saving Aang's life, but it was months before he was really aware again. Uncle was taken captive again, he let them capture him I think."
He couldn't look at his uncle now, or the Water Tribe members, keeping his gaze fixed on the wall. He knew his uncle had forgiven him before, but he had still turned against the one person who had stood by him through everything. "I went back to the Fire Nation with Azula and she told the Fire Lord that I had killed the Avatar, so I was welcomed back. Of course, Azula had ulterior motives in wanting me home. It was easier to keep Father happy with someone else there who is worse than you at everything. Plus she wasn't completely certain that Aang was dead and wanted someone else to take the fall if he wasn't." He shrugged slightly "Things were ok at first I guess. Weird, but ok. I could barely remember how to be a prince in a palace anymore and I found myself hating some of the things I used to love. I knew things that other people there didn't know, or didn't care about. And then," he looked over at them now and was surprised to see that no one seemed to really be angry with him. Kanna almost seemed...pitying? Which was...annoying, but better than anger at this moment.
"Then I was invited to a war meeting," he noticed how they cringed at that and couldn't help the slightly wry smile that slipped onto his face, "I think it was a test. To see if I'd learned to hold my tongue. Apparently, the Fire Lord had a new plan. Since the capture of Ba Sing Se hadn't caused the Earth Kingdom to give in then the Fire Lord had decided that their next option was to simply burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground." There was that horror again. And he could only nod to confirm what they had heard "They were going to use the upcoming comet to level the Earth Kingdom, much like they used it to wipe out the Airbenders one hundred years ago. I was horrified, but I had learned my lesson. I kept still and silent. I was a perfectly obedient son. And I hated every minute of it. That was when I finally realized that I couldn't keep trying to convince myself that the Fire Nation was somehow in the right. That they knew what they were doing. There was no way to justify this plan. Just like there was no way to justify the genocide of the Air Nomads. It just was wrong, and evil."
Sokka was nodding in agreement and Katara just looked ill again, but none of them looked like they were going to interrupt so Zuko continued on. "I waited for the eclipse and went to confront the Fire Lord. I needed to get some things off my chest I guess. Say some things to him. And the eclipse was the best time to do so. Of course, he managed to trick me into staying until the eclipse ended, but I escaped in the explosion the lightning had caused. I tried to go and get Uncle out, but he had already escaped on his own. So I did the only thing I could think of to do next." He gave a wry, amused smile at that "I started hunting for the Avatar." That earned him a quiet laugh from Aang then, which he counted as a victory. "The Eastern Air Temple wasn't far from the capital so I went there first and did happen to find them."
He flushed a bit then "Naturally they weren't exactly...happy to see me. But we eventually started working things out. It helped that Toph can tell if someone is lying, and Aang really did need to learn firebending. But it still took a long while for everyone to trust me. Toph did first, mostly because she hadn't really had any bad interactions with me I think. Plus she could feel that I was telling the truth. Aang and I figured things out after that when we traveled to the ruins of the people who had first learned firebendering from the dragons, the Sun Warriors. Sokka and I worked things out when we went and broke his father and the head of the Kyoshi warriors out of prison." He almost called Suki Sokka's girlfriend but caught himself at the last moment. It would probably be better to let that one play out. "Katara and I...had the most trouble. Katara had trusted me back in Ba Sing Se, after we talked. So it was harder for her to trust me again. We did end up figuring things out though." He left out how there. That trip had been a lot more personal. He'd tell her later if she wanted to know.
Not wanting to leave them time to question that he quickly pressed on "We kept training after that for the most part, but shortly before the Comet arrived Aang disappeared. We couldn't find him anywhere. Not even by going to hire a tracker I'd used before. I guess that was when he was with the Lion Turtle. So instead we asked the tracker to hunt down Uncle in hopes of finding more allies for our attack. And because I assumed it would be him taking over once we took down Fire Lord Ozai." He grinned then, looking over at his uncle "We found him, and a bunch of his old friends that he had apparently been gathering up to help fight." He saw the understanding light in his uncle's eyes then and grinned wider "A bunch of old folk really, but decent fighters. Including Master Pakku from the Northern Water Tribes actually. That was kind of a weird meeting, to be honest, but productive. We took the time to plan then. Uncle was certain that Aang would show up to confront the Fire Lord on his own. He and his old friends were going to take back Ba Sing Se. After a bit of discussion, it was decided that Katara and I would go face off against Azula, and whoever else might be in the capital, while Sokka, Toph, and Suki, the head of the Kyoshi warriors, would take down the Fire Nation flying ships that they were going to use to burn down the Earth Kingdom."
"Flying ships?" Sokka repeated, sounding disbelieving. Aang sat up then, grinning as well.
"Yep!" the young airbender chirped "And you helped invent them!" Sokka's eyes went wide then and Aang nodded "Yeah. We didn't know the man was working for the Fire Nation at the time, so they wouldn't kill his people. But he didn't give them the design in the end. We fought back. But I think they found the one that crashed and used that to build the others." He shrugged "Not really sure how that all happened, but you really did have fun with the mechanic there. You guys figured out all kinds of things." Sokka sat back with a wide-eyed blink.
"Huh, well what do you know," Katara teased, nudging her brother with an elbow "I guess you do have some brains in there after all."
"Hey!" Sokka squawked, sitting up to glare at her. Zuko couldn't help but smile at their interactions, and he could feel how Aang relaxed against him as well, taking in the familiar sounds and sights. But of course, it didn't last.
"Katara! Sokka!" Kanna's voice was sharp "Now is not the time!" Both young Tribesmembers quickly straightened and resettled, somewhat sheepishly.
"Sorry Gran-Gran," Sokka's voice was repentant, but Kanna only gave a short nod before looking back at the two time-travelers.
"What next?"
Zuko shrugged slightly "Not much really. We all went our separate ways. Katara and I went to challenge Azula and I got shot full of lightning before waking up back on my ship as the blue light filled the sky from Aang coming out of the ice." Kanna hummed thoughtfully and nodded before standing and dusting the snow off of herself.
"I see. Well, clearly a lot happened in this next year. And a lot will need to happen again if the Fire Lord is to fall this time. You clearly have a long, busy time ahead of you. You can all rest here for the night unless you two need to return to your ship. We will provide you all with some supplies for your journey of course." Aang was quick to get to his feet, bowing his thanks and Zuko wasn't far behind.
"We would greatly appreciate any assistance you're willing to offer," Aang told her with some formality "But it isn't' necessary. I know supplies can be tight around here sometimes."
"Nonsense!" Lady Kanna almost sounded offended at the comment "The least we can do is provide some supplies for the Avatar and his companions as you all rush about to try and bring an end to this horrid war."
Zuko bowed as well, feeling somewhat overwhelmed "You do us great honor Lady Kanna, thank you." The woman waved away his thanks as Iroh and the two younger Tribemembers stood, the two younger members looking somewhat uncertain as her gaze swung back to them.
"Well? What are you two waiting for?" Lady Kanna asked them sharply, causing them to blink at her in confusion "Go get packing! I'm not going to do it for you! And you're going to need plenty of gear if you're going to be traveling around the world."
"But Gran-Gran!" Sokka protested, wide-eyed, but somewhat hopeful "We're supposed to stay here. And help the village."
"You will be helping the village," the elderly woman told him firmly "By ending this bloody war. And besides," her gaze swept over them both "You both have a lot of learning to do. And you can do it better out there than you can here." Katara's eyes filled with tears as she moved to hug her grandmother and Zuko couldn't help but discretely look away, but that didn't help keep him from hearing.
"Thank you Gran-Gran," even Katara's voice seemed choked "We'll get home as soon as we can."
"I know you will dear," Lady Kanna's voice was gentler now, soothing "You both take care of yourselves. And give Pakku a kick in the tush for me." Katara laughed quietly at that before she and her brother were shooed out of the igloo to get ready.
"Prince Zuko, Avatar Aang, General Iroh," Lady Kanna's voice drew their attention to her stern gaze as she glared at them "I'm trusting you three to look after my grandchildren. Keep them safe." She got three bows (one air nomad and two fire nation).
"You have our word," Aang told her solemnly, speaking for all three of them. She gave a sharp nod at that.
"Good, now off with you. Go do whatever it is you need to do before you leave. We will have things gathered here for you in the morning." They bowed again before making their way out. There Aang hesitated and glanced at Zuko uncertainly.
"You can come back to the ship with us if you want," Zuko offered, not sure what Aang wanted "Not as a prisoner this time of course. The deck should be big enough for Appa to rest too. And we have some bread and such you can eat." He was grateful to see some of the tension drain out of the younger boy at that.
"Thanks. I think I will," Aang replied, a smile lighting up his face. "I'll go get Appa!" Without another word he turned and raised off, leaving Zuko shaking his head in amusement. It was going to be a long year, but their little family was coming together again. Less broke this time. They'd be ok.
Chapter 7
Notes:
Hello all. Thank you to everyone who has been with me through this story since it started. I do apologize for the delay in chapters. Life is...well everyone reading this lived through the last couple years. You know what I'm trying to say. I had been hoping to work on several of my stories during this winter break. Last Winter break as well, actually. But things didn't work out that way. I promise I'm still alive though. And still working on this story. Just...slowly. I am working on something with a friend of mine though, to try and get us both to write a 'page' a week. Though it'll likely be rotating stories for me. Either way, hopefully, it'll help me get to writing more regularly. So you'll see more more updates around here.
Chapter Text
Zuko
Zuko wasn't entirely certain how things had developed the way they had. Not even counting the unexpected time travel itself the last several hours had been filled with a number of shocks. Though some were more pleasant than others. Finding out that Aang remembered the next year was a welcome blessing in more ways than one. The biggest being the ability to have someone else who remembered how things had gone. Someone to plan with and talk with about things that would come along, or wouldn't, as time went by. Another huge benefit was that he wouldn't have to be trying to corral a somewhat flighty and distracted young airbender who wanted to avoid his duties while trying to prepare for ending the war. It also certainly made it easier to make allies when he had the Avatar vouching for him from the start.
And, he could admit, that it was a welcome relief to have one of his friends with him. Sure Katara and Sokka were going to travel with them. And they'd probably try and get Toph later as well, but it wasn't quite the same. These people hadn't gone through what he and Aang had. They would still be close friends soon enough, he was almost certain, but still. Having Aang remember was....well it was good. A sentiment the young airbender clearly shared considering how he'd reacted to finding out Zuko remembered as well. Speaking of...
Zuko glanced to the side as he caught sight of Aapa making his way over to land on the deck of his ship, bending his knees to move with the dip of the boat caused by the extra weight. Raising a hand, he greeted his friend as Aang lept easily off the flying bison and hurried back to his side. Not that Zuko minded, just having Aang nearby made this whole mess feel a bit more...doable. A bit more possible. Together they'd figure out how to end this war for good this time. Without losing any of their little family, if he had anything to say about it. Shaking his head slightly he refocused on Aang as the avatar reached him.
"Flameo Sifu Hotman!" Aang greeted him with a bright, happy grin, earning him a groan and facepalm from Zuko.
"Aang, please!" Zuko groaned, hiding the small part of him that was honestly fond of the nickname by this point. "I haven't even started teaching you yet! And that slang is still a century out of date!"
"I know," Aang replied, a bit of mischief obvious on his face "But you're reactions are the best." Zuko blinked and looked at the younger boy.
"You're doing it on purpose!" Zuko cried accusingly, watching how a wider grin broke across that boyish face.
"Yep!" Aang popped the p, still grinning.
"Why you little-!" Zuko snarled playfully. And with that, the chase was on. They were both letting off steam to help reassure themselves that they were alive, and that the other was there, and they knew it. But neither made to point it out, or to stop their chase as bending was brought into their little game of tag that branched across the deck of the ship, over and under Appa, up to the crow's nest, and back down. Both were careful, neither wanted to hurt the other, but they needed this.
3rd Person
The crew of the Wagi got the great pleasure (and extreme confusion) of watching their prickly, angry banished prince playfully chase the boy who could only be the Avatar around the ship, yelling and laughing playfully. Like the child he actually was, instead of the angry teenager he'd been since his banishment. And that wasn't to mention the other oddities involved in that conversation. Unable to help himself, Lutenient Jee made his way over to General Iroh, taking note of the old general's expression as he did so. Iroh was watching the two boys with a warm smile that bordered on tears, but there was also a hint of sadness to him.
"General Iroh sir," Jee began uncertainly "I take it...things went well on shore?"
The old general turned to him with what Jee could only describe as a grin, but a grin that had a whole lot of different emotions layered underneath it. And Jee wasn't sure he could identify all of those emotions. Some of them were obvious. Relief and joy were definitely there, but Jee thought he caught some fear and maybe sadness. He wasn't sure.
"Quite well," Iroh agreed "Though things have...developed some. My nephew and I will need to speak with you in my room shortly, to discuss the coming changes." The man paused and glanced over at the two laughing children "Not quite yet though. When they're finished. For now, inform the crew that we'll be here for several hours still, possibly another day. And we are expecting a couple more guests. Water Tribe. They are to be treated with the utmost respect. I will be quite... disappointed if they are not."
Jee was quite certain that none of the crew would be causing even the slightest bit of disrespect towards these Water Tribe visitors. Not once he'd passed on that message. Not only was General Iroh a well-known General and extremely powerful bender, but he was also their friend. He'd traveled with them for three years now, and he'd never treated a single member of the crew like they were less than him. No one wanted to disappoint or upset him. Jee was still curious, even more so now, and he was sure his crew was as well. But the promise of answers coming soon quieted his curiosity. For now. So, with a respectful bow, he went off to fill in the rest of the crew. It wouldn't be hard to find them. Just about everyone was on, or near, the deck. Watching as their surly prince laughed and played chase with a young airbender around their ship. It was quite a sight to see.
Aang
Aang couldn’t properly express how happy he was about how things were turning out for him at the moment. Sure, going back in time had been quite the shock to start, but since he’d learned about what all had been happening while he was fighting Ozai he was actually grateful for the chance to redo things. And having Zuko with him, and able to remember as well, was a blessing he would have to spend a number of hours thanking the spirits for. Sure, he was sad that Katara and Sokka didn’t remember, but at least he had one of his family able to remember. And since it was Zuko he wouldn’t have to worry about having to fight against the other boy while fighting against his own memories of him. That would have been…hard.
It was the relief bubbling up from all these revelations was probably part of what was carrying him as he dared from one end of Zuko’s ship to the other, alternating between running away from and chasing his firebending teacher. And he was pretty sure Zuko was feeling about the same. Eventually, though, he tackled Zuko to the ground and sent them both rolling across the deck, ending up with them laying side by side on the deck out of breath and sporting wide grins. After a couple long moments to catch his breath, Aang turned to lay on his side and prop his head up on one hand, grinning at Zuko.
“That was fun,” he informed his friend, earning a huffed laugh from the older boy before Zuko pushed himself up to a sitting position, prompting Aang to do the same.
“Yeah, it was,” Zuko agreed with a smile of his own before rolling his shoulders and neck “But we should probably go talk to Uncle and Lieutenant Jee. Since we’ve now completely baffled my crew.” Aang blinked and glanced around. Zuko was right, the crew of the Wagi were all staring at the pair of them, looking completely befuddled. Though they were quick to turn away and get back to work (or at least pretend to work) when he looked their way. Aang huffed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head as he looked back at Zuko.
“Yeah, probably,” he agreed sheepishly. He hadn’t meant to confuse the crew, but at least Zuko didn’t seem upset. In fact, the older bender just seemed amused as he got to his feet and offered Aang a hand up. Aang’s sheepish smile shifted back to a smile as he took the offered hand and hopped to his feet with ease, earning him another huffed laugh from Zuko.
“Let’s go below deck,” Zuko, tilting his head towards the door of the ship “I’m sure Uncle’s already spoken to Lieutenant Jee, so they’ll join us soon.” Zuko paused before a bit of a strange combination of embarrassment and amusement crossed his face. “No chains this time.” Aang blinked in confusion at the seemingly nonsensical comment before it hit him. The last time he’d ended up going into the Wagi in chains after surrendering to protect the Southern tribe. He laughed and nudged Zuko playfully.
“Not like they held me last time,” he noted with a grin. Thankfully, the embarrassment faded from Zuko then, leaving behind just the amusement.
“True enough,” Zuko agreed, rolling his eyes with good humor “You’re as slippery as a winged eel.” Aang shrugged in reply, not bothering to fey innocence as they started inside.
“It’s not my fault no one around here knows how to hold an airbender,” he noted “and it would be pretty dumb of me not to use that to my advantage, all things considered.”
“That is true,” another voice came from behind them, causing Aang to jump some. But a quick look behind them showed it was just Iroh coming to walk below deck with them. “One should always use the advantages they have available to them when working to survive in an unknown situation.” Aang forced himself to relax from the startle as he nodded and moved so Iroh would walk more alongside them, between him and Zuko.
“I apologize for startling you,” Iroh noted with a slight dip of his head towards Aang “I fear I misjudged how focused you were on your conversation.” Aang quickly shook his head.
“It’s fine!” he reassured the old general “I should have been paying more attention.” Iroh hummed a mild reply that sounded like it bordered on disagreement, but didn’t comment further on the matter before Zuko spoke up.
“Will Lieutenant Jee be joining us?” he asked, eyes on his uncle.
“Very shortly,” Iroh agreed with an easy smile “He is speaking with the crew first, informing them of our stay here for the moment, and to expect two more guests, though not to be sure when they might arrive.” Right! Aang hadn’t thought about that. It probably wouldn’t have been the best for Katar and Sokka to arrive before the crew had been warned about them coming. That could have gone all sorts of wrong. He quickly gave Iroh a grateful smile for the older man’s forethought, earning an easy smile in reply.
“Good,” Zuko nodded. Unlike Aang, Zuko didn’t seem surprised. He was probably more used to Iroh anticipating his needs than Aang was. Which made sense, all things considered. “Shall we wait for him in your quarters, Uncle?”
“Let’s,” Iroh agreed, stepping ahead slightly to lead the way.
Chapter Text
Iroh
The walk down to the living quarters was quiet, but it was a comfortable sort of quiet. And Iroh couldn’t help but take the time to observe the two boys walking with him while he pondered on how much his word had been flipped on end in the last couple of hours.
Aang and Zuko were walking just ahead of him, footsteps slowly falling into sync. The ease of their interaction would be obvious to anyone who looked at them, but it was especially clear to someone like Iroh. Who had spent so much time over the last three years watching his nephew struggle to interact with anyone other than him and the crew (and honestly the boy had struggled with them as well, just not as badly). He was sure Jee would notice it too, especially with how alert the Lieutenant would be after that display on deck.
And when you throw in the fact that the other boy was the Avatar, someone Iroh had never truly expected to find, let alone have his nephew have any sort of positive interaction with, this went from amazing to extraordinary. If he hadn’t already gotten an explanation to it from the two boys in question Iroh was sure he would have thought he was dreaming (he still wasn’t entirely certain he wasn’t, but he was fairly sure that he didn’t have a strong enough imagination to dream up this sort of thing).
Just that morning he had been certain that if they ever came across the Avatar it would have ended in either their own deaths or the chaining up of the poor keeper of balance, yet here they were. It was a lot to take in. And that was without taking into account everything else he had learned today. To learn that Zuko would have eventually figured things out and gone to teach the young Avatar was rewarding more than Iroh could properly express, but to hear about the plan Ozai had wanted to (or would want to) put into action against the Earth Kingdom was grimly nauseating. That Zuko and the young stranger with him had traveled back in time was fascinating, but that the both of them had died to do so was something out of Iroh’s worst nightmares. And that was just the major points. It would take him some time to fully take in all of it.
He was grateful though, to be the Iroh here, learning about what had (or could have) happened instead of some version of himself (who may or may not still exist) learning that his beloved nephew had died in an Agni Kai against his sister while he was off fighting elsewhere. Perhaps that version of Iroh would be lucky enough to have died during whatever battle he had been fighting, but he doubted it. He always seemed to outlive those who mattered most to him. But that wouldn’t be what happened this time. Not if he had anything to say about it. He would do everything in his power to make sure these two boys (and their three young friends from the other nations) would survive the end of this wretched war.
And he would start laying the groundwork for that today.
Iroh brought himself back into focus as they arrived at the door to his room, doing his best not to show his surprise when Zuko moved to hold the door for him and the young Avatar.
“So,” he began as they entered the room. “Do you two have a plan on how you want to do this?”
“Not really,” Aang admitted sheepishly after sharing a glance with Zuko.
“I have the basics of one, but–” Zuko shrugged “It’s just the basics, and it’s already changed pretty drastically with Aang being able to remember as well.”
“Let’s start with that then,” Iroh decided, moving to sit next to his tea set and start up a pot. “What is your basic plan?”
“You know the bare outline of it already,” Zuko pointed out, taking a seat opposite of Iroh and ignoring how the young monk with them proceeded to flop against his side. “We have Aang with us now. With Katara and Sokka on the way. Once we’re all together we need to start towards the North Pole. The sooner we can get there the better. We’ll spend some time there so Aang and Katara can learn more waterbending, then we’ll need to move onto the Earth Kingdom to pick up Toph. That way Aang can work more on his earthbending. He and I will be working on firebending throught all of this as well. After that we take down the Fire Lord, before the comet preferably.”
“We can probably use the eclipse again,” Aang pointed out, peering up at Zuko. “Just, better this time. Since we’ll know to watch out for Azula she shouldn’t be able to report everything back to the Fire Lord. Plus we’ll have you to help us out with the layout of things instead of wandering around lost like we did.”
“Right,” Zuko nodded. “The eclipse is a solid plan, and probably would have worked last time if we hadn’t had prior warning of it. If we can get ahold of the allies you had before along with Uncle’s allies that will give us an even better chance.”
“We should be able to,” Aang hummed thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling. “We might need to make a few stops on the way to the North Pole, and some after we get Toph, to make it happen though. Otherwise we won’t have made some of those allies.”
“We can go over a list of stops,” Zuko agreed. “We need to optimise our time, but we don’t want to miss out on making the allies we need.”
“That sounds like a good start to a plan,” Iroh noted with approval after a few beats of silence passed. “Now let’s work on some of the details. I have invited Lieutenant Jee to join us in here very shortly. So let’s start there. What all do you want to tell the crew?”
“I’m…not sure,” Zuko admitted, frowning slightly. “We were separated from them a little before the siege on the North Pole and didn’t see many of them again afterwards. So I don’t have any real knowledge on where their loyalty lies. What do you think Uncle? What would be best?”
“Hm,” Iroh hummed, rubbing his beared thoughtfully. “Well one thing I can say with certainty is that no member of this crew would ever think to betray us. Not without extreme circumstances at least. After three years in banishment none of them truly hold any loyalty to the people that banished them.”
“That’s a start.” Zuko visibly relaxed at this news. “But would they all help us in fighting against the Fire Nation? Against the Fire Lord?”
“I believe so,” Iroh reassured him.
“You believe so?” Zuko pressed, frowning. “You’re not sure?”
“Not entirely,” Iroh acknowledged. “I am sure about some of them, such as Lieutenant Jee, but there are some others that I would have to double check on before I could say with certainty.”
“Alright.” Zuko nodded, brow creased in thought. “We can always make a stop at a bordering Earth Kingdom port to allow any crew that wants out off the ship before we really get into things. We don’t need to be forcing anyone into this.”
“I quite agree.” Iroh beamed at his nephew, soaking in how the boy dipped his head in an attempt to hide his small smile and the flush on his cheeks in response. “But that will come later. For now the next question is, who all do we tell the full truth of the matter? We will have to tell them something. Your drastic behavior shift has already been noticed and has drawn a number of questions.”
“Yes, I imagine so,” Zuko huffed an embarrassed laugh, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck.
“We probably shouldn’t tell everyone about the time travel,” Aang pointed out. “Espeically since some of the crew might be leaving if they don’t want to fight with us.”
“Maybe we just tell Jee for now?” Zuko suggested, recovering enough to look up. “Since you trust him. Plus he probably knows the crew way better than I do, and differently than you do, Uncle. So maybe he can help us decide what we should tell the rest. As well as help us gague who else we might be able to trust with the true story.”
“That sounds like a good plan to me,” Aang agreed, glancing between the two of them.
“Then it sounds like we have the start of a plan,” Iroh said warmly. “The good Lieutenant should be joining us soon, so we can work more on deciding things once he–” A knock at the door cut him off, drawing a laugh from him in response. “Well would you look at that! It sounds like he’s here already!”
“I’ll get it!” Aang chirped, launching himself to his feet and starting for the door before either firebender could even think to respond. Iroh huffed another small laugh at the boy’s enthusiasm, allowing himself to share a small amused look with his nephew.
“Hi! Come on in!” Aang’s chipper voice drew Iroh’s eyes back to the doorway as the airbender stepped back to allow Jee to enter the room before shutting the door behind him. “We were just wondering when you’d get here, so you have really good timing!”
“I’m happy to be of service,” Jee told the boy, watching in interest as Aang made his way back over to drop down next to Zuko. Iroh was fairly sure that the other man didn’t mean to look quite so incredulous as he watched the young Avatar lean against their fire prince’s side, but he did all the same.
“Thank you for joining us, Lieutenant Jee,” Zuko greeted him, gamly pressing on despite the flush Iroh could see creeping up his neck. “Please join us. We have much to discuss and Uncle says you’re the main person here we can trust with this.” Iroh bit back a smile as Jee visibly straightened at Zuko’s words. This was why he believed his nephew would be so well suited for the throne. When he wasn’t being prickly he had a way with words that made the people he was talking to want to do their best.
“I will indever not to disappoint,” Jee promised, carefully taking the seat across from Aang, placing him between Iroh and Zuko in the circle.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Zuko reassured him. “Uncle is a good judge of character. And…I trust you too. You’ve never steered us wrong or given us any reason to think that you would do us harm.” And there he went again. Jee’s eyebrows went up slightly, but Iroh could tell he was touched. That was high praise coming from their prince.
“Thank you for your trust, Your Highness,” Jee bowed slightly.
“You’ve more than earned it,” Zuko told the other man firmly.
“Quite right,” Iroh agreed, nodding. “That being said, I hope you’re ready for this. My nephew and the Avatar here have quite the story.”
“I’m ready,” Jee reassured them, straightening further and turning to look at the two boys. “Just tell me what I can do to help.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Zuko told him, smiling wrily. “But to start with, do you believe in time travel?”
Notes:
Welp. It's been a while, and this chapter is quite short, but it's here! And I've already started writing the next one!
My current plan is to rotate through 3 fics. Ths one, A New Perspective, and Rifts in Time. If all goes well I'll be posting a chapter a week. Wish me luck! XD
But in all seriousness thank you to everyone who's been here for a bit for sticking with me and my really unreliable posting schedule. I love each and every one of you.
Chapter Text
Zuko
Silence fell across the room for nearly a minute as Lieutenant Jee stared at them, several playing across his face. First confusion, then suspicion, and finally an uncertain form of understanding.
“If you had asked me that this morning I most likely would have said no,” the Lieutenant said, sounding the words out carefully.
“But not now?” Zuko prompted, lips twitching up into a wry smile. He was gratified to see Lieutenant Jee’s lips twitch quirk into a similar smile in response.
“No, Your Highness,” Jee told him “Not now. No offense, sir, but your attitude has…taken a drastic shift in the last several hours. Time travel would explain that. And is far less worrisome then…some of the other theories I heard being spoken of around the ship?”
“Oh?” Uncle asked, leaning forward with amused interest. “And what other theories would that be?” The Lieutenant flushed slightly, but his voice was even when he responded.
“Some of the ones I have heard involve anything from possession to the bright light causing a…personality swap.” Zuko could feel the flush creeping up his ears as his uncle chuckled.
“All things considered those aren’t that much more far-fetched,” Aang noted, sounding close to laughter himself.
“Yeah yeah. Laugh it up.” He nudged his friend, hard enough to make him rock slightly, but not enough to push him away.
“You have to admit, you have changed a lot,” Aang told him, grinning up at him unrepentantly.
“Yes I know,” Zuko sighed, shoulders dropping slightly. “I was a jerk. You don’t have to say it.”
“Sokka did call you a jerkbender,” Aang agreed, but his smile took any of the sting out of his words. Zuko huffed a laugh.
“Well, at least I’ll get to avoid that particular nickname this time around.”
“True,” Aang laughed. “But knowing Sokka he’ll come up with something equally as bad to call you soon enough. And that’s not counting what Toph might end up calling you this time. There’s no way to know if you’ll get Sparky again.” Zuko blinked, staring at his younger friend as that sank in. Then he groaned, burying his face into his hands. He hadn’t thought of that. Sokka was prone to nicknames. And Toph was even worse. Who knows what she’d come up with if they met differently than they had last time.
“There there,” Aang soothed him, patting his shoulder. “I doubt it will be as bad as Twinkle Toes, so at least you have that!” Zuko raised his head then, glaring at the boy. With his luck, Aang had probably just jinxed him to have an even worse nickname this time around. Unsurprisingly, the Avatar’s returning grin was unrepentant. Zuko maintained his glare for several beats before forcing himself to put that thought process away and look back toward the two older men in the room. Thankfully neither one seemed upset about the derailing of the conversation. Uncle appeared fond and the Lieutenant looked too amused to be upset.
“You both came back then?” Lieutenant Jee asked once Zuko was looking back at him.
“Both of us, yes,” Zuko agreed, straightening out of his slump.
“And what about the two Water Tribe members?” Zuko didn’t need to look to know that the smile on Aang’s face had died at that question. He could feel the slight slumping in the boy’s posture from where Aang was leaning against his side. Pushing propriety to the wayside, Zuko moved to wrap an arm about the young boy’s shoulders, offering silent support.
“Not them, no,” Zuko informed him, for all the answer was probably obvious given Aang’s reaction. “They were part of our team before, but they don’t seem to have been sent back. We also had another friend, Toph. And we’ll have no way to know if she was sent back until we get to the Earth Kingdom.”
“Oh! That’s a good point!” Aang shot up, looking at Zuko in alarm. “We don’t know if she was sent back or not! And even if she wasn’t we can’t just leave her there. She was miserable!” Zuko startled slightly, turning to look at him in concern.
“Was it that bad?” Outside of a couple of comments here and there Toph had never really talked with him about her home.
“It was pretty bad,” Aang agreed, frowning. “Her parents were convinced that she was completely helpless. They did everything for her, including having her food cut up for her. And finding out that she’d been training with her earthbending and fighting in an earthbending competitions at night didn’t help. They just doubled down on things. And later they hired someone to try and capture her and take her back.”
“That’s…pretty awful.” Wow. And here Zuko had thought he’d had the monopoly on bad parents.
“Should we stop by her place on the way North then? If she remembers then we can just pick her up, if not then we can still give her the option.”
“We probably should,” Aang agreed.
“Well then.” Jee’s voice drew their attention to the Luitenant once more. “It sounds like we have at least the beginnings of a plan. You mentioned going North?”
“To the North Pole, yes,” Zuko confirmed. “Aang needs to spend more time working on his waterbending. And Katara, that’s the Water Tribe girl who will be joining us, needs a master as well. She’s got a lot of natural talent, but it needs refining. And it wouldn’t hurt to try and touch base with possible allies there as well. The more people we can have involved in our future the better off we will be.”
“I see…” Jee frowned slightly at that, but he looked more thoughtful than anything else. “And may I ask what those future plans are?”
“You may,” Zuko agreed, smiling wryly once more. “Though you may not like the answer.”
“Be that as it may, I would still like to know.” Jee’s voice was resolute and Zuko couldn’t help but respect his fortitude.
“Alright then,” Zuko sat back slightly, watching the lieutenant to try and gauge what his reaction to the coming news would be. “We hope to gather an array of allies from all three nations and then launch an attack on the Fire Nation on the day of the solar eclipse. If we do it right we should be able to take out the Fire Lord and at minimum restrain my sister. And in doing so we can finally put an end to this hundred-year war.”
“Well,” Jee began after several beats of silence. “That is a bit more well thought out than I thought it was going to be.” And Zuko could only blink at the man.
“You knew that we were going to attack the Fire Nation?” he asked once he managed to collect himself enough to speak.
“I guessed,” Jee corrected, a smug smile tugging at his lips. “Nothing else made sense considering you were teaming up with the Avatar and two members of the Southern Water Tribe.
“I…” Zuko floundered for a moment before managing to gather himself once more. “I guess that makes sense. When you put it that way it does sound pretty obvious.” A pause before; “Does that mean that the rest of the crew will likely be coming to the same conclusion.”
“Most of them, yes,” Jee confirmed.
“Do you believe any of them will be a problem for us once they figure this out?” Iroh cut in, turning to meet Jee’s gaze fully. For his part, Jee took several moments to think on that question before responding.
“I can’t be completely certain about all of them,” he admitted. “But most of them will side with us over the Fire Lord. And bringing an end to the war isn’t something that most would turn their noses up at. And besides, with Fire Lord Ozai out of the way their banishment would likely be overturned. Most of the crew would work with us just for that.”
“Fair enough,” Iroh chuckled, witting back. “Though I hope you won’t be offended if I suggest that we work to figure out who, if anyone, might end up causing trouble for us in the future before we reach our next port.”
“Of course not,” Jee agreed immediately. “I will assist in that as well.”
“What will you do if someone turns out to be a problem?” Aang asked, frowning worriedly.
“We will likely drop them off at a port with some supplies to get them started,” Zuko reassured his empathetic friend. “Though that does mean that we’ll have to keep word on what we’re doing and where we’re going pretty well quiet until we’ve finished checking the crew and docking anyone who could be a problem.”
“True,” Iroh agreed. “But that should be easy enough. We will simply inform the crew of each of our next destinations as we first start off for that place. That way there isn’t really any chance of them knowing where we would be heading next if we leave someone behind.”
“That sounds good to me.” Zuko could feel the tension leaving Aang’s body as the airbender accepted this plan.
“With that in mind,” Jee spoke up. “Where is our first destination once we leave here?” That…was a good question actually. Aang had mentioned there being some locations that he wanted to make sure they stopped at, but they hadn’t discussed where those places would be. Curious, Zuko turned to look at his friend. To his surprise, the boy looked…uncertain.
“What are you thinking, Aang?” Zuko prompted, bumping his shoulder against the younger boy slightly.
“Well…” Aang hesitated for a moment before pressing on. “It isn’t a place that we need to go, really. But if it’s possible I’d like to stop by The Southern Air Temple. Just for a short while. There’s something I need to do there before we move on.”
“I’m sure we can make that happen,” Zuko hurried to agree. He wasn’t sure what it was that Aang felt the need to do, but whatever it was had to be important. At least to Aang himself.
“You’re sure it won’t be a problem?” Aang asked, glancing between the group.
“I’m quite sure we can make it work,” Iroh reassured the boy and the compassion on his face told Zuko that his uncle had come to a similar conclusion as him.
“Then it’s settled,” Jee stated, effectively ending the discussion on the matter before Aang could ask again. “Once the two Water Tribe members arrive I will have the crew set a course for The Southern Air temple.”
“Perfect,” Iroh beamed. “And we can make further plans once we’re on our way. That way we aren’t leaving our two Water Tribe friends out of the discussion.”
“That’s probably best,” Zuko agreed.
“Now then, back to the subject of who to trust,” Iroh redirected, settling back. “Jee, is there anyone you believe should be brought into the known right now? Or should we wait until we’ve finished vetting the crew to decide?” Jee thought for a moment before shaking his head.
“It’s best that we wait,” he decided. “Just to be safe. Plus the fewer people that are in the know the less of a chance there is that the information will accidentally leak to someone we don’t want to know about things.”
“Very true, very true,” Iroh nodded before looking at Zuko and Aang. “Does that work with you both?”
“Sounds good to me!” Aang chirped. “You all know your crew better than I do.”
“I am fine with that as well,” Zuko agreed. “The less chance there is of this information getting back to the Fire Nation the better off we’ll be. We don’t need a repeat of last time.”
“Last time?” Jee repeated, frowning in concern. Zuko couldn’t help but grimace, but he stayed quiet, allowing Aang to answer that one.
“Last time they knew we were coming,” Aang admitted with a sigh. “Azula managed to sneak into Ba Sing Se and tricked the information of the plan out of us and the Earth King. So they knew we were coming before we ever got close. She ended up leading us on quite the chase during the entire eclipse, wasting our time.”
“Ah, I see,” Jee nodded. “That would be something we would do best to avoid having happen, yes.”
“That would be preferred,” Zuko agreed.
“Well then,” Iroh spoke up after several moments of silence passed. “It sounds like we have the start of a plan. It probably wouldn’t hurt if the two of you—” he gestured at Zuko and Aang “—sat down and made a list of the different places that you both went to and then a shortened list on where you both think we should plan to stop at. We can go over both lists as a group once we are on our way. Sound good?” Zuko didn’t have a problem with that so, after glancing at Aang to make sure the other boy was alright with it as well, he nodded.
“We can get on that,” he agreed.
“Just let us know when Katara and Sokka arrive!” Aang added.
“Of course,” Iroh agreed, smiling warmly at the boy before getting to his feet. “In the meantime, I believe now is as good a time as any for Lieutenant Jee and I to start checking over the crew.”
“And you’ll keep us updated on how that goes?” Zuko asked as the lieutenant got to his feet as well.
“Of course, nephew.” Iroh shifted his smile to Zuko, causing the boy to relax.
“Thank you, Uncle,” Zuko smiled back, watching the old general. “And thank you as well, Lieutenant Jee. We appreciate your help.”
“Is is my honor,” Jee replied before bowing and following Iroh out of the room.
“So,” Aang turned to look at Zuko once the door shut. “Is there paper around here? We stopped at a lot of places.”
“Yeah,” Zuko pushed himself to his feet and going over to the nearby desk to grab several sheets of paper as well as two quills. Coming back over he moved to sit next to the other boy once more, placing the paper between them before handing over one of the quills.
“Well. We might as well get started. This may take a while.”
Notes:
Well. The plan for today had been to post a "A Change in Perspective" chapter, but that story argued with me so this is what I've got instead. I will endever to watch the related episode to what I need to write for that other story and will hopefully have a chapter ready for it in two weeks. For now I hope you enjoy this one instead.
Chapter 10
Notes:
Welp. Running later is just gonna be how it goes it seems. I'm still aiming for the once a week posting, but clearly I'm not very good at it. Oh well. Here's the next chapter. Hope ya'll enjoy :D
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Aang
In the end it took close to an hour before they finished writing out their lists. And that was with neither of them bothering trying to narrow things down yet and simply bouncing things off of each other to make sure they didn’t forget anything. And they were just starting to clean up their collection of papers when one of the crew came down to inform them that a pair of Water Tribe children were approaching from the direction of the village. Grinning, Aang hurried to finish up before rushing out of the cabin with the sound of Zuko’s amused laughter following him all the way out.
Reaching the top of the ship, Aang rushed over to the side of the deck and waved excitedly at the two Water Tribe members cautiously approaching the ship. Seeing Aang, unchained and clearly fine, seemed to allow both of them to relax some and they soon arrived at the gang plank carrying their supplies.
“I never thought I’d be willingly getting on one of these things,” Sokka noted as he made his way up, eyes darting around to take in the clearly Fire Nation crew with nervous suspicion. The crew, on their part, were watching the siblings with open interest of their own.
“Come on!” Aang called, waving for them to follow him. “I’ll show you Zuko’s room and then we can figure out where you want to sleep while we travel on the ship.”
“Oh joy,” the Water Tribe boy grumbled, starting after him.
“Behave!” Katara scolded him, eyes flickering over to the soldiers nervously. To her visible relief, none of them seemed offended. More a mix of amused, confused, and intrigued. And none of them made any move to follow the small group as they made their way down the steps into the bowels of the ship. Not that Aang really expected them to.
Leading them down, Aang was unsurprised to find Zuko waiting for them not far into the ship and promptly broke into a wide smile.
“Katara and Sokka are here!” he informed the older boy.
“I see that,” Zuko replied dryly, but the boy was smiling all the same. “I hope you two didn’t have any issues getting here?”
“No, no issues,” Katara confirmed while Sokka eyed the prince silently. “It looks like things are going well here as well?”
“We’ve successfully confused my entire crew, but other than that we haven’t had any issues,” Zuko informed the girl with an amused huff.
“I can only imagine so, I’m still confused!” Sokka informed them and Aang could just picture how the older boy would have been throwing his arms up in the air if they hadn’t been full of gear. “This whole ti—”
“So my room is this way!” Zuko cut in abruptly before Sokka could finish his sentence, gesturing back deeper into the ship.
“Hey! I wasn’t done talking!” Sokka protested angrily. “Just because you know the—-”
“Sokka!” Thank the spirits Katara was always better at catching things than her brother. “Zip it! We can talk later! As in not standing in the middle of an open hallway where anyone can hear you!” If not the most subtle. Oh well. At least Sokka looked like he got the problem as well, shutting his mouth with a distinct click. And soon enough they reached Zuko’s quarters and followed the Fire Nation Prince into the sparsely-decorated room.
“Wow, talk about depressing,” Sokka snarked, scanning around the room. “I thought a prince’s room would have more…anything. Didn’t daddy Fire Lord send you money?”
“Sokka!” Katara snapped, horrified.
“We got regular funding,” Zuko admitted, not sounding bothered by the comment at all. “But it wasn’t huge and it all went into keeping the ship running, buying needed supplies, and searching for any possible hints on the Avatar. Plus when I was younger I decided to keep my room pretty bare so there wouldn’t be anything in it to distract me from my goal.”
“That really is depressing,” Sokka told Zuko, looking honestly concerned after that statement. Zuko just shrugged.
“I guess. It worked well enough for the three years we spent on the ship. And several months past that in our alternate future.”
“You really need to learn to have fun,” Sokka told the other boy firmly.
“Says the guy that spends all day teaching the kids back home how to fight,” Katara pointed out dryly.
“We still play games!” Sokka retorted.
“No, Sokka’s right,” Zuko told them, holding up both hands in a soothing motion. “I really didn’t spend any time enjoying myself at all, despite my uncle’s best efforts. I did start to try and enjoy myself more after Uncle and I ended up as refugees, and we had some fun after I joined you all after the Eclipse, but that hasn’t happened yet. And isn’t going to happen now. At least not exactly the same way.”
“I’m sure we can help you enjoy yourself while we travel together now,” Katara told him with a warm smile and Aang found himself grinning as well. It looked like Katara was already warming up to him. Good. Things would settle down much easier without the grudge against him she’d had last time.
“Definitely,” Aang agreed, turning his grin towards Zuko. “We’ve got plenty of time between training to have at least some fun.”
“Speaking of training,” Zuko turned to look at Sokka. “If you’re interested you and I can work on weapons training while Aang and Katara work on waterbending. Or you could train with some of the crew if you prefer. We have several people on deck who know how to use at least some weaponry.” Aang’s grin widened as Sokka visibly perked up.
“You know how to fight with a weapon?” the Water Tribe boy asked incredulously. “Not just with your fancy fire magic?”
“Dou swords mostly, but yes,” Zuko confirmed. “I wasn’t ever as good at bending as the rest of my family, so I ended up turning some of my attention over to weapon fighting to help me out.” Sokka’s eyes widened and Aang could have sworn that it almost looked like there were stars in them as he stared at Zuko. Then, after several beats he turned to look at Katara.
“You know what? I think I’m going to like this adventure.” Then he turned back to Zuko. “You’re not so bad, Princy.”
“Thank you?” Zuko blinked at him in confusion, causing Aang to break into giggles. Yeah. They were going to be fine.
Iroh
When Iroh made it down to attempt to locate their guests he was somewhat surprised to find them all in Zuko’s quarters. And he was even more surprised by the scene he found them in within those quarters. Instead of bunking with the rest of the crew the Avatar and two Water Tribe siblings had apparently decided to take up residence in Zuko’s quarters.
Three sleeping bags were laid out near Zuko’s bed and a variety of bags were stacked against the wall. And Zuko must not have minded, or at least given in, because when Iroh arrived all four of them were sitting in a circle in the middle of the room with an array of papers and what looked like a map spread out between them.
“Hello, Uncle,” Zuko greeted him as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him. “We were just discussing some of the places Aang and I wrote down and talking about our first stops, would you like to join us?”
“I don’t mind if I do,” Iroh agreed, making his way over to sit next to his nephew before looking over at the siblings. “Have you both been informed of the basic plan we’d decided on before your arrival, then?”
“About keeping most of what’s going on to ourselves until the crew has been checked and potential troublemakers left off?” Sokka clarified. “Yes, they told us. It sounds like a sound plan in general, though it’s not without risks.”
“You’re not wrong,” Iroh agreed, giving the boy an appraising look followed by an approving smile. “But considering our other options it seems like the best course of action available to us.”
“Yeah, killing or imprisoning any potential problem until the war ended probably wouldn’t be best,” Sokka agreed. “I imagine it wouldn’t look good to any potential allies.”
“Not to mention it’s just wrong!” Katara cut in with a fierce scowl.
“Yeah, yeah. That too,” Sokka waved a dismissive hand at his sister, causing her scowl to deepen. “But letting them go does mean we’re probably going to have some information leak out very soon after we let them off the ship. So we’ll need to get a move on quickly after that.”
“Very true,” Iroh agreed with another smile. “With that in mind, what have you four come up with?”
“We’re still going to the Southern Air Temple first,” Aang informed him. “After that we need to stop by Kioshi Islands. The Kiyoshi Warriors were important allies for us last time.”
“I still don’t believe that there’s an island full of girl warriors,” Sokka cut in with a scoff.
“Well then you’re still going to be surprised,” Zuko cut him off with enough exasperation for Iroh to know that this had been discussed several times already. “The Kiyoshi Warriors are formidable fighters.”
“But after Kiyoshi Island we’re not sure,” Aang informed Iroh. “We should probably skip Omashu, since Zuko says you have contacts that can let Bumi know I’m alive, right?”
“That’s right,” Iroh agreed with a nod. “I can get that sorted once we dock.” Aang nodded.
“Right, so we don’t need to go there, but there are a couple of other places that we stopped last time that might be good for us to stop again, but we’re not in agreement on all of them.”
“Alright then,” Iroh agreed. “How about you tell me about these locations and we can discuss it.” Aang nodded before shifting to face him more completely.
“First there was a town in the Earth Kingdom where Earthbenders were being arrested and taken onto metal ships as slaves. Last time Katara accidentally got an Earthbender named Haru arrested so then she got herself arrested and staged a prison break that freed all the prisoners. Then we came across a small village where a spirit was angered by the forest being burned down and was taking it out on the villagers. So I calmed the spirit there, letting all the captured villagers free. Then we have Jet and his Freedom Fighters, who tried to blow up a dam and kill everyone in a nearby Fire Nation occupied town. Only Sokka intervention saved the locals from all being washed away. After that there was a pair of feuding tribes that we helped get safely through a canyon. And then —”
“I think that’s enough to start,” Iroh cut the boy off with an amused and apologetic smile. “We can certainly go through everything else later, but let’s start with this for now.”
“Right,” Aang sat back with an embarrassed flush. “Sorry.”
“No apologies needed young one,” Iroh reassured him. “I appreciate you wanting to tell me everything. But, for now, can you tell me what the debate is for some of these locations?”
“It basically boils down to whether we should stop everywhere that they helped someone or not, even if helping that person doesn’t have any tactical advantage for us later and would slow us down on our journey towards the North Pole,” Zuko explained.
“I think it’s important that we stop and help people whenever we can,” Katara put forward passionately. “That’s what the Avatar is, and if we know they need help and don’t help them what does that make us?”
“It makes us practical,” Sokka shot back. In what sounded like a repeated argument. “We have a very limited amount of time before the Eclipse and we need to have Aang trained up before then if we’re going to stop this war. And stopping the war will help all of those people.”
“I see,” Iroh hummed, cutting across the clearly brewing argument. “That is a dilemma. How about we take each of these stops one at a time, alright?” He waited for a moment to make sure he had their agreement before turning towards Aang once more. “Good. Now tell me more about this first town and the prison involved.”
Notes:
Positive Quote for the Chapter: "The greatest glory in living comes not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Nelson Mandela
Chapter 11
Notes:
Yeaaah....clearly I failed at the once a week updating my stories thing. Sorry bout that. Life, family health, and muse didn't corporate. I'm back at it though, so hopefully you'll see another update to this story in July.
Also, sorry this chapter is short, this just seemed like a natural place for the chapter to end.
Chapter Text
Iroh
It took some discussion, but in the end they decided to help the captured miners as well as the spirit-plagued village, but left the Freedom Fighter’s alone after they realized that they’d only been able to try and flood the town due to Katara and Aang helping them last time. The caravan would be left to figure things out for themselves as well unless they happened to already be there when the group flew over.
That was another thing they settled on, despite the fact that they planned to work on seeing if the crew was trustworthy there were simply too many places that they needed to stop by that weren’t accessible by boat. Because of that they decided that Iroh would be staying with the ship and helping the Lieutenant vet the crew as they made their way around the Earth Kingdom and up into Northern waters. At the same time Zuko, Aang, Sokka, and Katara would be heading North by a somewhat more direct route, making the stops they needed to along the way, but never staying longer than necessary.
To help offset the lost time at the pole, the younger group promised to spend some time training every night unless something major came up to keep them from doing so. Between that and how quickly they planned to make their way North they were fairly certain that they could be prepared enough to deal with the Northern Water Tribe by the time they reached it.
“It’s settled then,” Iroh said, sitting back. “We’ll start by sailing for the Southern Air Temple and you all can fly up to do what you need to there before meeting us near Kiyoshi Island. After that you four will break away to visit Gaoling for your friend Toph and then head West to help out the mining town and that village in the burned forest.Then you will all head North, stopping by the village with the volcano to prevent disaster there, and make your way to the Northern Water Tribe. Correct?”
“That sounds right to me,” Aang nodded. “And you’ll work with your contacts to reach out to the Southern Water Tribe warriors, right?”
“I will do my best,” Iroh promised, not blind to how the two Water Tribe children fixed on him again at the question. They had been understandably relieved to hear from the young Avatar that they’d gotten to meet up with their father again in the alternate time, for all Katara did seem to hold some frustration towards the man.
“We’ll still swing by the cove you said you ran into the other warrior–” Zuko began
“Bato.” Aang cut in.
“Yes, Bato,” Zuko agreed before continuing without a blink. “We’ll stop by the cove you met Bato in last time, in case he’s there by the time we get to the area as well.”
“It sounds like we’re good to go then,” Iroh noted with a smile before pushing himself to his feet with a quiet grunt. “I will pull Jee aside to inform him of the plans for our next stops, but we should be arriving at the Southern Air Temple within a day or so.”
“Thanks Iroh!” the avatar chirped happily, followed by an array of similar sentiments from the rest that lingered with Iroh as he left the room. He really would prefer to travel with the children as they went, but in all honesty he was too memorable to travel through the Earth Kingdom with them safely. To even try he would have to take up an alias which, with several children involved, would likely be slipped on at some point, causing them a lot of trouble. So, while he didn’t like it, they had decided that it was best he remained with the ship and use their stops at ports to reach out to allies and inform them of the current overarching plan to try and attack the Fire Nation during the coming eclipse. As well as a firm insistence to keep the information close to the chest and only passing it onto people you were certain were not only trustworthy, but also who they said they were. They certainly didn’t want a repeat of the incident Aang had described of Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee pretending to be Kiyoshi Warriors to trick the Earth King.
Zuko
“Whew!” Sokka exclaimed, flopping back to lay on the ground, arms splayed out around him. “I’m glad that’s over with!”
“Me too,” Aang admitted sheepishly. “I hadn’t thought that figuring out where to go would be so complicated.”
“It was good though,” Zuko spoke up, glancing at Aang. “I’m glad we figured out most of our stops now, instead of trying to figure them out along the way.”
“I still don’t like that we’re leaving some of these people to fend for themselves,” Katara put in, frowning from where she was sitting, arms crossed in front of her.
“Katara!” Sokka moaned. “We talked about this!”
“I know, I know,” the waterbender huffed, turning to glare at the fire nation flag on the wall.
“I know it’s hard,” Zuko began, well aware that Aang was similarly conflicted. “But ending the war as quickly and efficiently as possible really is the best way to help many of these people. And countless others as well. I know it feels like we’re abandoning them, but we’re not. Not really.”
“I know,” Katara repeated, shoulders drawing up towards her ears defensively before she let out a forceful sigh and they dropped in defeat. “It’s the best thing we can do. But that doesn’t make it feel right.”
“If it helps,” Aang spoke up, looking over from where he was leaning against Zuko’s side. “I’m thinking about traveling around after the war ends. Helping settle conflicts and checking in on the people we do and don’t help. You could come with me if you like.”
“I think I’d like that,” Katara admitted, looking away from the flag to give Aang a warm smile.
“It’s a plan, then!” Aang beamed before glancing upwards, towards where Zuko’s head was above him. “You can come too, if you want, Sifu Hotman. If you’re not too busy with Fire Nation stuff.”
“We’ll have to see how things settle into place,” Zuko cautioned, well aware that things could go many different ways in how things went in replacing his father and sister from the throne. “But assuming I’m able to I’d love to come. There’s a couple of people I want to try and thank, even if they haven’t actually helped me out this time around. And probably won’t need to.”
“Oh?” Sokka asked from the floor. “And who does the Fire Nation Prince owe a debt to that he can’t pay off from the Fire Nation?”
“Exiled Prince,” Zuko pointed out, frowning at the younger warrior. “And it’s kind of a long story, but a couple of people helped me out during the time Uncle and I were living in the Earth Kingdom.”
“That sounds like the kind of story I’d like to hear,” Sokka pressed with interest.
“But only if you want to share!” Katara cut in, shooting her brother a glare.
Zuko huffed a laugh before shaking his head. “Maybe another time,” he told them. He wasn’t sure how to explain the situations surrounding his time with Lee and his family, as well as with Song. Or his decisions surrounding them. He wasn’t sure they’d understand. Heck, he wasn’t sure he understood his younger self’s reasoning, outside of desperation and depression. Not that it mattered at the moment. So, instead of getting into that, he settled on changing the subject.
“For now we should work on finishing getting you three settled. You can keep your things in here, or on Appa, whatever you prefer, just remember that we’ll be packing up to get on Appa for an extended trip once we finish at Kiyoshi Island. So don’t unpack so much that it will be hard to get everything gathered back up when we get there. Once you’ve got whatever you want set up I can give you a tour of the ship.”
“And you’re sure none of the other Fire Nation soldiers on here are gonna give us trouble?” Sokka asked him with a frown.
“They shouldn’t,” Zuko reassured the Water Tribe siblings, easily noticing that Katara was worried about the same thing. “And if any of them do cause you any trouble let me, Uncle, or Lieutenant Jee know. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Alright,” Katara agreed, though her brother didn’t look fully convinced. “We’ll do that.”
“Great!” Aang beamed at them, bouncing in place happily. “Is there anything else you want to get out before the tour?” The siblings exchanged looks before looking back at their stuff. After several beats Katara shook her head.
“I think we’re unpacked enough,” she told them. “If there’s anything else we need we can pull it out then.”
“Alright then,” Zuko agreed, dipping his head in acknowledgment before turning to start towards the door. “Let’s go do that tour, then. I’ll show you where everything is.”
It was odd, having three of his friends (or even one friend and two people he expected to become friends) with him on his ship. He’d long since left the Wagi before joining up with them last time after all. But it was also kind of nice, even if the smile he had on his face as he began showing the three of them around definitely threw his crew for a loop.
They’d manage, though. A little confusion had to be better than dealing with his younger self screaming at them on a regular basis. Especially since Uncle and Lieutenant Jee’s calm reassured them that there wasn’t anything wrong with him.
So, for the most part, he ignored the crew’s confusion as he made his way around, showing Sokka, Aang, and Katara where everything was and introducing them to the members of the crew. He had to dodge or dismiss a couple of questions along the way, but outside of that he felt the tour went well. His friends might not remember everything, but they should have the gist of it at least, and every member of the crew had now seen all three of them and knew that they were guests on the Wagi. Guests under both his and Uncle’s protection. That would hopefully prevent any possible issues between the two groups going forward.
As the tour drew to a close he allowed himself a moment of satisfaction for how things were going so far. Maybe he was being overly optimistic, but it really felt like they were on the right track to win this time. And he was excited to see what a world without war would look like.
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