Chapter Text
Aiko watches Zuko look over the edge of the ship as he scans the sky. They are so close to the South Pole that the sun barely sets; it feels like an alien planet - this expanse of ice and snow. It's been weeks since they've seen a tree, and she's sick of it. She sits on the ship’s metal deck, reading a fantasy scroll, one she’s read a hundred times, but finds comfort in anyways. It details one girl - a princess, in fact - saving the world from a nasty civil war, and uniting the planet under one common banner.
She maneuvers around the scroll with only her left hand, while the right one lays still. It doesn’t bear description and is almost always gloved; she can barely twitch her fingers, anymore. There is a permanent set of bags under her eyes; her hair is long and black, pulled into a clumsy top-knot. She refused to let the crewmen do her hair this morning, leaving much to be desired in the cosmetics department.
She listens as her uncle’s heavy footsteps grow near. He stops beside her and sits down, smiling. “Would you like to play a game of Pai Sho with me?” he asks, laying the pieces across the table.
“I’m reading,” Aiko evenly states, pulling her scroll closer to her chest. It is one of ten scrolls on the ship not dedicated to counting supplies and sending messages, and as such, is a scant source of entertainment.
“Ah, sharpening your mind, I see.” Uncle turns to Zuko. “How about you, nephew? Would you care to indulge an old man?”
“No thanks, Uncle,” Zuko callously replies. He must be in a bad mood today. But when is he not? The three were silent for a while, each in their own heads. The cold bites at Aiko’s cheeks and she regrets insisting on wearing Fire Nation clothes today, despite her Uncle's suggestion to the contrary. Not that she would ever admit to it to him – she has too much pride for that. Spirits damn this barren place. She hopes that Zuko would soon realize that drifting through icebergs was useless, and they should look for the Avatar in some place warm, with nice inns.
Suddenly, Aiko is pulled out of her thoughts by the grim words of her brother. “Finally.” He whips around, pointing at the sky, a great pillar of light in the distance. “Aiko! Uncle! Do you realize what this means?”
“That I won’t get to finish my game?” Uncle asks, sipping tea.
“It means our search is about to come to an end.”
Aiko’s brows knit with confusion. “What?”
His voice rises, more passionate than she’s seen in months. “That light! It came from an incredibly powerful source; only the Avatar could be at the center of it!”
Aiko’s wild eyes follow Zuko’s finger to the brilliant pillar of light in the sky, just as it fizzles away. She rushes to stand, heart racing and mouth agape.
“Or, it’s just the celestial lights,” Uncle Iroh calmly says, gesturing at the sky with his cup. “Both of you have been down this road before. I don’t want you to get too excited over nothing. Please, sit. Join me for a cup of calming Jasmine tea.”
Aiko’s face flushes. Stupid. Uncle’s right, and now I look like a fool. We’ve been looking for three years, and we’re going to be looking for the rest of my life, or until I finally have enough of Zuko and jump off the edge of this ship. Only an idiot would be so blind as to how impossible this is.
She shoves down the urge to angrily stomp off as she listens to her brother order the crew to go towards the light. Only an idiot would.
Uncle reluctantly puts down a tile and stands; his eyebrows giving the back of Zuko’s head a fearsome look. The wind picks up and she looks up at the southern lights that now hang over the sky, allowing herself to feel the littlest bit of hope.
~
Aiko has been sitting on the deck of the ship for hours now. She’d long since finished the scroll, and is now practicing her calligraphy. Her right hand was made practically immobile, so she has to learn to write all over again. She used to be a good painter, and her mom would let Aiko practice doing her portrait. Now, her handwriting looks like chicken-pig scratch, and she can’t draw to save her life.
The sun is as low as it’ll get down here, and her eyelids are heavy. She faintly hears Uncle and Zuko talking on the top of the ship. Knowing Uncle, he’s probably trying to convince Zuko to go to sleep – and knowing Zuko, that will never happen.
She looks up at the sky, nearly dark save for the blue energy that flows and twists in the horizon. It’s only gotten colder, but Aiko wouldn’t be caught dead wearing warmer clothes. Any firebender worth their salt should be able to stand a little frost, and to wear a coat would be an admission of defeat to Uncle.
She glances up towards the top deck, where she sees both Zuko and Uncle have gone inside. Finally, she is alone.
The girl puts down her ink pen and stands, walking to the center of the deck. She centers herself and breathes deeply, as Uncle showed her. Putting her right hand behind her back, she falls into a firebending stance. Aiko begins to move swiftly, gathering momentum with her left hand and shifting on her feet to shove flame into existence. She makes a sweeping kick with one of her long legs, producing a roaring arc of fire, and struggles to balance onto the next foot.
This level of firebending was reliant on sweeping kicks and fancy footwork, with an acute understanding of rhythm. Aiko was terrible at it. Firebenders were meant to stand their ground and attack, not dance around their opponent like some flighty airbender. However, Aiko had discovered not long after recovering that she can’t bend with her right hand, because its chi is twisted and bent. The doctors said it had something to do with trauma. She’d soon realized that bending with only one good hand made her an even worse firebender, and so she has to rely on her legs to pick up the slack. It was so embarrassing . Thank the spirits Azula couldn’t see her now.
She continues for about an hour, her bending getting worse and worse. Her legs grew tired, her movements sloppy, and her footsteps heavy. Finally, she pauses, panting like an animal with sweat dripping off her forehead. She certainly isn’t cold anymore.
Only a small break. The sun won’t be down for long, and it wouldn’t be wise to run on so little sleep.
Aiko kneels and tucks her hair behind her ears. It was always getting in the way. She tries to gather herself, but it's difficult to focus with the ringing failure of her bending and writing, not to mention Zuko’s… enthusiasm for the southern lights.
From the quiet of night come footsteps. “You know, if you wanted more practice you could have just told me.”
Uncle’s voice jolts her, and she quickly stands, berating herself for being caught in such a weak position.
“Didn’t want to bother you,” she says, trying not to betray her surprise.
Uncle comes closer, examining her earlier calligraphy practice. “You are getting so much better,” he yawns. “Go to sleep, and you may find yourself even better in the morning.”
Aiko reaches her paper in a few quick strides and grabs it from his hands. “Don’t mock me Uncle, I know it’s terrible. 'You’re getting better’ is code for ‘it still looks terrible.’ If you’re going to criticize me, at least be honest about it.” She crumples the paper, sets it ablaze, and hurls it over the side of the ship, in a very mature move.
Uncle keeps his voice level. “I wasn’t talking about the writing, but your bending. Although I only caught the tail end of your practice session, I see you have been trying the more complex forms. Just know, Princess Aiko, that firebending is not about muscle but –”
“Breath, yes, I know,” Aiko interrupts, crossing her arms. “You’ve told me that a million times, and I try to listen, but, how can I breathe slowly when I’m moving so quickly; It’s a waste of time to practice the basics.”
Uncle narrows his eyes. “I am not suggesting you stop everything to do a breathing exercise, simply that you will never become the firebender you want to be if your rhythm and movements are so erratic. First, you must master your inner fire.”
“How?”
“By doing the basics. How else?”
Aiko scowls. “I’ve been doing the basics. I’m sorry if I sound like a spoiled brat, but I’m ready. I know how to firebend, I certainly know how to breathe, and I need to move on if I can ever become… become good.”
“You do sound like a spoiled brat. Listen to your Uncle Iroh and go to bed. To master firebending takes decades, so you have to start out right. Otherwise, bad habits form which will stick with you forever. Such as not sleeping!” Uncle takes Aiko’s arm and leads her inside, cheery as Aiko sulks. “Now, have I ever told you the story of the turtle-duck and the fox-hare?”
~
Aiko is ripped from her sleep from a violent banging on her door. “Aiko! We’ve found the Avatar, get out here!”
Aiko rips off her blanket and rushes to open the door, only to see Zuko standing wide-eyed and frantic, grinning from ear to ear. It’s been so long since he smiled like that.
“Get up and dressed now, a flare went up on a downed Fire Nation ship and I saw the Avatar – he really is an airbender, hiding in some village,” Zuko practically yells. His hands are pressed against her door frame, his entire body coiled, poised on the balls of his feet. His yellow eyes are alight with something that is almost passion, but the twist of his brow suggests hate. “We’re finally going to capture him and regain our honor. The war will end, and everything will be as it should be.”
A while later, Aiko meets her twin on the top deck of their metal ship just as the sun reaches the middle of the sky. Both are dressed in Fire Nation armor standing before the white landscape. “Where is he now?” Aiko asks, pressing a tired eye to their telescope.
“Do you see that cluster of igloos and huts?” Zuko points to a village made of snow and ice surrounded by a small wall. “That’s the Southern Water Tribe village, and it’s where the Avatar is hiding. Of course, the coward would come here, to the bottom of the world. Well, we found the old man anyway, and now…”
“You two will think of a thorough plan to capture one of the most legendary people in the world,” Uncle interrupts, making both flinch. God, did Uncle use to sneak up on us so much? Or did we just stop paying attention.
“We’ll adapt to whatever the Avatar throws at us,” Aiko says, composed. “We have a Fire Navy ship, a fleet of trained soldiers, and the two of us against – what – a small tribal village and a 112 year old man? Thank you for your concern, Uncle, but we don’t need it. This will be quick and easy.”
For the first time in three years, Aiko allows herself to believe what she’s saying. She just might get to go home and make things up to her father, might just get off this stupid ship and eat something other than fish, and might just be able to relax.
She hears Uncle sigh, deeply.
Their ship steams ahead, pushing through icebergs and freezing water. The village gets closer and closer, and Aiko sees just how unimpressive it was. No defenses, other than a snow wall; only a few visible buildings, and even then they hardly qualified; and it was altogether so small that, had she not used a telescope, the cluster would have escaped her vision. Is this all that’s left of the Southern Water Tribe?
Eventually, they get close to the shore. It is misty over here, as if the spirits themselves didn’t want to watch what was about to happen. Good. It will give them the element of surprise.
She goes down to the edge of the ship, dressed with a Fire Nation breastplate and helmet. Her brother comes beside her, armor more ornamental and complex then her own. Hm. Maybe she should go back in and change?
“You’re not dressed properly,” Zuko scolds.
Her face burns. “I’m dressed how I want to be dressed," she snipes. "I need to be able to move freely to fight the most effectively. Also, your shoulder-pads look silly.” His scowl deepens.
As they get closer to the village, the fog becomes thicker, and, leaning over the edge of the ship, Aiko notices that their hull is cracking the ice, vibrating the water. So much for the element of surprise.
The ship continues on, failing to slow down as it approaches the edge of the ice the tribe lived on. A look of understanding dawns on Aiko’s face as her ship divides the iceberg before finally coming to a horrendous, screeching halt, having just breached their feeble wall of snow. She turns to face Zuko, only to realize that, in becoming absorbed with the movement of the ship, she has failed to notice he went below deck, presumably to meet the villagers and demand to know the location of the Avatar.
She doesn't join him - he's only going to interrogate the tiny village. She hardly thinks that this collection of savages will be much of a challenge.
~
They were a challenge. The boy in orange, with the arrow on his head, is a bizarre and unexpected opponent amongst the old women and young girls. The guards march closer to the boy, closing him in at all sides. The boy swings his staff and plums of snow fly into the air, leading Aiko to briefly freeze before, finally, jumping down the side of the ship. Her legs carry her down the metal hull, seemingly separate from her body. That's an airbending move. It has to be the Avatar.
Aiko lands beside Zuko, watching him melt the snow off his shoulders from the corner of her eye. Both deepen into firebending stances, side by side. Aiko’s body is thrumming with excitement, an emotion almost foreign after three years chasing fairy tales.
“Looking for me?” the boy asks, standing tall. But this doesn’t make any sense; he’s supposed to be over a hundred.
Zuko echoes her thoughts. “You’re the airbender? You’re the Avatar?”
“There’s no time for questions, Zuko. We have a fight to win,” Aiko says, steadying her breath.
The Avatar points his staff at them, determination written across his face. Murmurs sound behind him from the villagers as Aiko nods to Zuko. You go left and I go right.
He goes right. Fine. Fine, I can improvise.
“We've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training, meditating, and it turns out you’re just a child!” Zuko says, locking eyes with the Avatar. His face was twisted with resentment for a boy he’d just met, and it took all of Aiko’s willpower to not look the same. She instead creeps behind the airbender, trying to analyze the way his attention shifts from his two attackers.
A good warrior is under control. I will not fall into the same traps as before; my emotions won't get in the way.
The Avatar comes out of his stance, tilting his head towards Zuko. “Well, you’re both just teenagers.”
Here’s my chance. A momentary lapse in attention – perfect.
Everything else falls away as Aiko swings her leg in a roundhouse kick, creating a mediocre arc of flame. The Avatar yelps, whipping around to spin his staff, diffusing the fire. He leaps back from his position in-between the twins, visibly struggling to keep up with their barrage of fire. He moves and evades, circling them, stopping before the villagers. One strong blast from Zuko makes it past the Avatar, brushing against the water tribe. Aiko sees the airbender pause, looking back at those behind him. He turns back, defeat evident in his eyes. Some part of her feels a vindictive rush of satisfaction at seeing him so weak.
“If I go with you two, will you promise to leave these people alone?” He asks, now with an edge to his voice.
There is a moment’s pause, as if the world was taking a breath.
Aiko watches Zuko out of the corner of her eye, waiting for his decision. He pulls out of his stance, nodding once, moving to step back.
“Wait!” Aiko holds out a hand to the Avatar, gaze not leaving him. “My brother and I should discuss this,” she hisses, marching over to Zuko to pull him close. “This could be a trap. For all we know, he will get aboard our ship and destroy it from the inside. You and I need to tread very, very, carefully. No mistakes can be made,” she whispers to him.
Her brother wretches his arm out of her grasp. “You think I don’t know that? I can handle him.”
“You mean we can handle him.”
“Whatever.”
“Uh, guys?” The Avatar. He seems hesitant to speak. Good. “Am I coming with or not?”
“I – sure. Yes,” Aiko says, trying her best to sound like a leader, motioning her soldiers to put him in cuffs. She turned on her heel to follow him, doing her best to ignore Zuko’s glare.
From behind, Aiko hears one of the water tribe girls cry out, “No Aang, don’t do this!”
“Don’t worry Katara. It’ll all be okay,” the Avatar, Aang, answers, smiling. “Take care of Appa for me before I get back!” Soon, his smile is lost in the shadow of Aiko’s ship.
She watches the villagers deflate, despair evident, and feels… something in the pit of her stomach. Dismissing it, she follows her brother into the bowels of her ship.
“Set a course for the Fire Nation,” he commands. “We’re going home.”