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The day Fire lord Azulon demands the life of his grandson, there are more than just the two small pairs of eyes watching. Two others silently look at each other in horror, and an unspoken pact is made: innocent blood will not be shed tonight. Both begin preparations, one into the city and the docks, the other to her husband.
Ursa presents her plan to her husband, she is a good wife and she wishes for Ozai to have all he desires. She offers the death of his father, in exchange for the life of her son. Her husband considers, and is swayed when his wife sweetens the deal. It would be rather convenient if the boy was taken out of the way, leaving the path of succession open to his golden child. Ozai accepts greedily, and brings his wife to his room one last time before she leaves forever, taking his weakling son with her. Ursa is quiet and obedient as her husband forces himself on her, as years of practice have taught her that it will over faster that way. And remaining obedient will keep her safer longer.
That night, Ozai sleeps soundly, confident that he will awake to a blessed new world that he will rule with an iron fist. Iroh sleeps fitfully that night, hoping that he has done enough, that he has trusted the right people, that his letters will arrive in time, that They will be safe.
Ursa does not sleep.
Azulon did not have time to fear death when it came to meet him, but that was the easy part. Now, his daughter in-law is huddled in a dark dank corner of a cargo hold, hidden by crates, unbeknownst to the crew above. Her son is asleep against her side, holding their bag of meager provisions. If he is lucky, his nightmares will decrease as their distance from the palace increases.
Ursa pulls her treasures closer to her. Ozai believed her to be like an animal that has been broken in; docile, empty minded, subservient. In his mind, she was nothing before he took her, less than dirt. He does not remember that she was once a great talent of the stage, and thus does not realize that she has kept herself alive by making her life into the most convincing performance she will ever partake in. Tonight was the final curtain, and in a few hours the house lights will come on and Ozai shall learn the truth.
After all, acting is just lying. And Ursa is a very good actress.
Azula stirs in her mothers lap, unaware of the knife Ursa holds close for protection.
Yes, Ursa is very good at what she does. And she will do whatever she must to keep both of her children safe.
*********************
Hakoda wasn’t sure what to expect when his husband informed him there was a fire nation woman just outside the village, offering herself as prisoner of the tribe in exchange for sanctuary. The fact that there was any fire nation citizen in their waters that hadn’t attacked them immediately was unfathomable and unheard of. And the idea that this woman was willingly offering herself? At first he thought it must be a sick joke. But there she was, a short walk from the Earth Kingdom ship that brought her, hands bound as she kneeled on the icy ground. She was shivering, but it was hard to tell if it was from the sharp winds she was not appropriately dressed for, or from fear. Perhaps both.
In a voice that was calmer than her body suggested, the woman asked to plead her case to the tribal council (he was impressed that she was aware there was one), seeking safety for herself and her two young children. Hakoda wasn’t sure why he instantly trusted her. Maybe he had grown soft in the years since his wife had died. Maybe it was the revelation of the young children. Perhaps it was the helpless look in her eyes. A look that said there was something she feared more than the wrath of tribesmen who had every reason to hate her. Bato and the other scouts must have seen it too, for they did not question their chief when he helped her up and lead her back to the village.
With unimaginable poise and humility, the enemy stood before the tribal council and told her story. An abusive husband in a high position of power. A son he intended to kill. A daughter the mother suspected he loved too much. A brother who helped them all escape, arranged the passage south. Her husband thought that the Southern Water Tribe was too weak, all but destroyed by raids, harmless. The last place he would look for his family. She said this with no malice, no scorn, no suggestion that she believed these lies. All she wanted was the safety of her children, for them to live without fearing for their young lives. She was willing to be a slave for the tribe, or tied up as prisoner indefinitely; anything would be better than a return to her country.
After hearing this tale, the council turned to their leader, awaiting his opinion and suggested course of action. Hakoda surprised himself by hesitating. The woman was clearly more concerned about the safety of her children than her own well-being, and he knew the feeling. Knew his husband felt the same. Their own wife had made the ultimate sacrifice for their children. Not only was he a father, but the leader of the tribe. The tribe was his family, his pack. The desire to protect was in his blood. And in this moment the feeling was extending to the bold woman risking everything at the hands of her enemies. But while his gut trusted the woman’s intentions, his mind couldn’t help but suggest that there was more to the story that wasn’t being shared.
He requested a private conversation, and found his fears immediately founded. The woman had been so ready to risk everything for her children, she had immediately started disrobing, expecting Hakoda to want to take advantage of her before making a decision. The fact that she seemed even more afraid when he quickly denied her was equally concerning.
She spilled the truth with her tears. The husband was now the Fire Lord. Her children a prince and princess. She had personally killed the previous Fire Lord in cold blood, to save her son from a cruel fate. By all logic, it would be suicide to take in this family. But that decision could also mean this family’s death.
Hakoda knew he had made the right decision when Ursa led him back to the Earth Kingdom ship to collect her children. The way the ship captain leered at her, suggesting that he had insisted on some extra favors in exchange for insurance that they would have safe passage. The reaction of the children when they saw Hakoda walk in with their mother. The younger, Katara’s age, bared her teeth and held flame in her hand. The boy, appearing smaller than he expected based on the age the chief had been told, was holding a knife. Hakoda had seen many children holding knives in his life, but this hold was unlike any he had seen. This was not a child playing at hunting or fighting, nor one particularly used to real fighting and attacking. The hold and the look on the child’s face was one of someone who was used to being hurt.
His tribe had just gotten bigger, and he was prepared to protect it with his life.
****************************
Sokka was never going to forgive his father. Well, either of them, but specifically Dad. Few things had made him this angry in his short nine years of life, but bringing three people from the place that killed his mother into their home to live? Well, that quickly came to the top of the list.
He was instructed to be polite and welcoming, but how was he supposed to do that when he had to share his room with the enemy? It was utterly ridiculous. No, he didn’t care that they had nothing, he would absolutely not share his extra parka.
***************************
Hakoda thought he couldn’t get more surprised by the new members of his tribe.
He had informed Ursa that every person in the village earns their meals and needs, and she had taken the instruction to heart. Turns out that before she lived in a palace, she had lived in the countryside, and had no qualms about skinning fish and fatty seals. Her enthusiasm for the hard work of village life had earned her the respect of most of the tribe in a matter of days. Before long, it was if she had been on the ice her whole life, calling out after new friends and singing the village songs while she worked.
Azula originally had trouble adjusting to other children and her new station in life, but a few weeks into their arrival, she had learned to find enjoyment in learning some new skills. Specifically, those taught to her the village herbalist, Kustaa, who was more than happy to forgive the crimes of her ancestors if it meant he got a tiny, enthusiastic apprentice who could produce steady heat on command. The two quickly became close companions, and Hakoda was more than happy to encourage it. The herbalist had no children of his own, but had always adored them, and Azula could use some calm, positive influence in her life. Plus, Kustaa hadn’t quite been the same since his wife passed of the walking fever six winters ago. The herbalist hadn’t looked at another woman since then, and yet the chief wasn’t the only one who noticed the way Kustaa’s eyes lingered a bit longer on Ursa’s whenever she came to retrieve her daughter. One of the stipulations the council had given Ursa when agreeing to let her stay was that she must marry into the tribe within the year, to solidify her place with them. Hakoda prayed to the spirits that he wasn’t imagining the equally lingering looks Ursa was returning to Kustaa.
Zuko was having the hardest time of the three, and the longer he was with them, the more Hakoda was determined to personally put the Fire Lord six feet under the ground and away from the light of Agni. The boy scarcely left his mother’s shadow, and never spoke unless absolutely necessary, and then only in whispers. He flinched at loud noises and raised voices, and seemed to expect Hakoda or Bato to strike him at any moment. A month after the family’s arrival, Zuko had dropped a cup, which shattered on the ground. Hakoda’s head had shot up at the sudden noise, and was shocked to see the nine year old shaking on his knees, hands up to protect his face. The father moved slowly towards the boy, whose breathing was erratic and panicked. He could just make out the boy whispering apologies and promises to not “be bad anymore”. It took every ounce of self-control for Hakoda to not gather the boy up in his arms until the child stopped shaking. Instead, he did his best to speak in low tones and repeatedly vow to the child that he would never lay a hand on him. His own son watched on in silence, eyes wide with shock at the child who seemed fully prepared to be attacked for dropping a cup.
That night, Hakoda woke in his husband’s arms to the sound of muffled sobs in the great room. He wasn’t overly concerned, just sad. Ursa told them that Zuko had frequent nightmares, but that the presence of adults usually made the situation worse. So hearing these late night cries was not unfamiliar, but was still upsetting nonetheless. He was about to force himself back into sleep, when he heard whispers alongside the sobs. Perhaps Azula had gone out to comfort her brother. Before long, the sobs had stopped, and there were two whispering voices, occasionally devolving into giggles. Sleep once again claimed Hakoda faster after that.
In the morning, there were several strange sights waiting for Hakoda in the great room. The first, was the presence of a roaring fire in the central pit. Normally, the fire died out during the night, and was nothing but embers to be rekindled in the morning, but today it flickered happily and warmly. The next surprise was the two small children huddled closely together next to the fire, arms and legs tangled together. To Hakoda’s absolutely shock, it was not Azula who had gone out to comfort Zuko, but his own son. Sokka had been nothing but just short of nasty to the newcomers, only giving Ursa respect after threats from Kanna. Azula knew how to give the sass right back, but Zuko had suffered too much abuse to fight back, making him an easy target. Now suddenly, here both boys were, wrapped up together like polardog littermates. He couldn’t be sure what had brought on this change, but Hakoda couldn’t help but smile and run a soft hand over both heads.
The chief almost didn’t notice the final surprise of the morning. Looking back at the fire, he noticed that it wasn’t flickering naturally. In fact, it seemed as if it was moving in a steady pattern, growing smaller and larger at regular intervals, as if it was breathing. And this breathing seemed to match with the breathing of the small Fire nation boy.
Huh, Hakoda thought to himself. Fire bending never seemed so docile and gentle. Maybe there was something more to be learned from their enemies than just raid schedules.
Everything changed between the two boys, and the rest of the family by extension, after that night, with Zuko slowly beginning to come out of his shell. Sokka and Zuko were inseparable, and could be found running through the village and getting up to regular child-like mischief. Zuko even started going with his sister to Kustaa’s home to learn the ways of healing with the scarce plants of the arctic. In the months that followed, none were surprised to see Ursa spending more time with the kind herbalist who doted on her children, and were even less surprised to see the woman wearing a gorgeous betrothal necklace a few weeks before their first anniversary in the tribe. In due time, Zuko and Azula were busy with a new baby sister, and it was hard to imagine a time before the family had been part of the village. With the exception of the occasional firebending, nothing separated the children from any of the others, and Hakoda’s world was briefly at peace.
****************************
Zuko had told himself that he wasn’t going to cry, but he could feel a few tears slip as one of the village elders placed the mark of manhood on his forehead. He chanced a look to Sokka who was receiving his own mark, his best friend’s face steeled neutral, but he knew that anger was stewing under the surface.
It just wasn’t fair. Zuko was just a few months shy of his fourteenth birthday, and his step-father, his dad, had been helping him practice for his ice dodging challenge. A challenge that he would not be able to complete, after years of anticipation, thanks to the bastard, his father. All the true men of the village were leaving soon with others from around the south to join the Earth Kingdom forces. The only ones too young to go but old enough to protect the rest of the village were Sokka and Zuko, so they were being given an honorary ceremony to establish them as full adults of the tribe. At only barely thirteen, Sokka would be acting chief, with Zuko as his second. They may be getting the status and responsibilities of adults, but both knew that it wasn’t truly real, and it may be years before things could be made right. If any of their dads even came back to see it.
Zuko could feel himself shaking in his ceremonial robes his mother had rushed to finish ahead of schedule, but it wasn’t from the biting cold. He was scared, he was angry, but most of all he was strangely guilty. This war wasn’t his fault, but he still felt the weight of his ancestor’s actions on his shoulders. In another world, he would be crown prince. Not that anyone outside of his family knew that, not even Sokka. The death of even one of his fellow tribesmen as they aided the Earth Kingdom would weigh on his heart for the rest of his life. As unfair as it all was, the very least he could do to make amends was to pledge his life in protection of those who would be left behind.
The elders performed the final rites, and both boys stood before the cheering village. Zuko took a deep breath and took another glance to Sokka. He was met with Sokka’s face staring back, eyes filled with the same fear and anger that Zuko felt. But the eyes held something else too, something that tugged on Zuko’s heart, something like deep trust and affection. After a moment of hesitation, Zuko held out his hand to his friend’s. Some of the sadness in Sokka’s eye’s melted at the sight, and he reached out to Zuko, interlocking their fingers with a small smile.
Some of Zuko’s anxiety dissipated at the motion, a strange heat blooming in his chest as the sound of cheering voices died down in his mind.
**************************
“Husband dearest.”
“Yes Bato?”
“What in the name of Tui and La are you two doing?”
Hakoda turned to look at the taller man, walking up to the snow mound that he and Kustaa were hiding behind. They were laying on their stomachs, and it was currently the herbalist’s turn with the spyglass. Before Hakoda could come up with a reasonable answer, Bato spotted the obvious sight of their attention.
“Are you guys seriously spying on our sons on their first night watch?”
“Of course we are,” Kustaa replied, not looking away from his target. “Koda bet me a sack of jerky that the boys won’t kiss up there, but I know better.”
Bato gave his husband a long suffering look and sighed, coming to sit with him. “We literally made out during our first night watch, and you expect your son not to do the same? Those two have been giving each other eyes for months.”
“Yeah, but I’m convinced it was a fluke, I think it’s going to take these two longer before either of them makes a move. They’re younger than we were.”
“You say that, but-“
“Koda you owe me jerky.”
“WHAT.”
Both Bato and Hakoda jumped to grab the spyglass from a giggling Kustaa. Bato managed to steal it first, and a smile took over his face as he watched the boys.
“Oh sweet tides, Koda, our son has his tongue down the throat of a fire bender.”
“Seriously? I told him not to lead with that, its poor manners.”
“Zuko doesn’t seem to mind, his technique is equally as bad. Were we this bad?”
“Honestly, I don’t think you two learned any technique or shame until Kya came along.” Kustaa mused, earning him two eyerolls.
Hakoda got his turn with the spyglass, and the three were quiet while he looked. After a moment, Hakoda looked back to his husband, his eyes sadder than expected.
“Do you think she would be happy?”
Bato gave him a sad smile, and took his hand. “I think…she would want Sokka to be happy. And if being with Zuko makes him happy? I think she wouldn’t care about anything else. Besides, Zu’s a good kid, very polite, I think she’d like him.”
Hakoda wiped his tearing eyes, and pulled his husband in for a soft kiss. War and fear loomed over them, but for a moment they could simply enjoy how their family was growing up before their eyes.
***************************
“Sokka.”
“Zuko I swear I can explain.”
“Last night you begged me to take the night watch for the third night in a row.”
“Yes, I know that, but-“ Sokka tried to interject.
“And I agreed on the condition that you were going to go fishing for me.”
“Correct, however-“
“Not that I would have been able to,” Zuko finally looked up from the pot he was stirring. “Since you broke my net earlier this week in trying to make one of your doodads-“
“I told you, it was an important experiment!”
Zuko adjusted the flame under his pot. “An experiment that broke my good net, so it has been relegated to a doodad. So when you set off with Katara this morning, I was looking forward to a nice catch of fish when you returned, and was in pretty great spirits, considering.”
“Right, but what happened-“
“And you had been gone for quite a while, so I figured that it must be a large catch-”
“Zuko, please-“
The fire bender looked up again sharply. “So you can imagine my surprise, when you returned not with a large catch of food for the village that you are technically in charge of-“
“We both know I barely have any power, the elder council still makes all the decisions-“
“No, you did not bring home fish, but instead a weird, bald child, who appears to be a part of a 100 year dead nation of people.”
“Yes, you see-“
“A bald child, and a giant fluffy monster that – judging from the saddle on his back- will not be for eating.”
“I swear I can explain.”
“And I would love to hear it. And then I would love for you to explain it to my sisters. Tell me, which one do you want to tell first? The one who could and would kill you with a flick of her wrist, or the five year old who has been living on meager rations for the last week?”
“You know what, this is all Katara’s fault anyway, I’m going to make her explain it.”
****************************
“Sokka?”
“Oh thank the spirits, you’re awake!”
“Are you dead too?”
“Neither of us are dead Zuko.”
“Well that’s surprising.”
“…”
“…”
“Is he dead?”
“Aang took away his bending, but the bastard’s still alive.”
“What a pacifistic jerk.”
“More opportunities for people to beat the asshole up. I know there’s a long list.”
“I guess you’re right…”
“…”
“…”
“Hey Sokka?”
“Yeah Zuko?”
“Since we lived, can we be boyfriends?”
“What, instead of just being best friends who make out with each other occasionally?”
“Exactly.”
“Yeah ok, everyone thinks we’re dating anyway.”
“Cool, I’m gonna pass out again for a bit.”
“Mind if I join you, boyfriend?”
“I would be honored.”