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The child couldn’t have been more than six years old.
Not for the first time, Lu Ten despaired of the lack of common sense in Fire Nation soldiers, and he seethed at the thought of someone actually agreeing to order the capture of a child. The former couldn’t really be helped; the latter he intended to deal with personally.
“Yon Rha,” the young man said in as calm a tone as he could manage, “What is the meaning of this?”
Blinking, the leader of the Southern Raiders glanced between Lu Ten’s face, the Water Tribe girl curled against his chest, and back again. “A lesson for the savages, your Highness. My informant at the South Pole thought she could get away with lying to me; this is my insurance against a future occurrence.”
“By kidnapping a child?”
“The last Southern waterbender,” Yon Rha insisted. Lu Ten took a moment to make himself breathe, to keep his arms relaxed, so as to avoid terrifying the girl he held any further. “It is a tad ridiculous to imprison one so young, I understand, but this way the savages will think twice in future over trying to deceive us as to who is a waterbender and who isn’t - provided they remain truthful, they will get to keep their children.”
“I see.” Lu Ten really, really wanted to punch the smug bastard right in the nose. “Well. In that case, I think I’ll help you avoid the embarrassment of showing up at the prison gates with her, Commander.”
The older man blinked.
Sadly, he seemed to possess enough common sense not to argue when Lu Ten strode back off his ship, the Water Tribe girl still in his arms. It would’ve been immensely satisfying to have good reason to pick an argument, and possibly exacerbate the issue into an Agni Kai, so he could properly beat into Yon Rha’s head why they did not steal children.
But the girl never stopped trembling, even with her cold little nose tucked against Lu Ten’s neck, so he’d have to wait for another time.
It took a full day for the girl to start actually speaking, instead of merely nodding or shaking her head when Lu Ten asked his gentle questions. His biggest victory came just after dinner, as he bundled the child up in warm sleeping garments and tried for the third time to inquire about her name.
“Katara,” she answered in a soft rasp. “I’m Katara.”
“Thank you, Katara. I’m going to do everything I can to send you home, alright?”
“Okay.”
Unfortunately, despite being a member of the royal family, Lu Ten simply didn’t have the authority to commandeer a vessel in order to return Katara to the South Pole. Numerous obstacles presented themselves: the storm season starting up, a scarcity of ships capable of making the trip, a scarcity of sailors willing to make the trip, plus a decided non-scarcity of sanctimonious old coots blandly informing him that no, you can’t just take a potential future enemy home because she’s crying for her mother.
The final blow came in the form of a letter directly from his grandfather, which more or less ordered Lu Ten to either let the matter go, or he would arrange for the waterbender to get dropped off on a convenient iceberg. And considering Firelord Azulon was the one to originally begin the campaign to rid the South of their benders, Lu Ten didn’t exactly feel inclined to test his luck.
Informing Katara that he couldn’t take her home after all hurt worse than any injury he’d ever sustained in the field - her lower lip trembled, her wide blue eyes filled with tears, and it was so, so obvious she was doing everything she could to keep from crying while saying at least he’d tried-
There was a lot of rocking and humming in Lu Ten’s quarters that night, and he didn’t bother returning Katara to the little guest cot in the spare room, instead falling asleep with her still tucked against him on his own bed.
So. The natural first choice being sadly kicked out the porthole, Lu Ten listed his possible options going forward:
One: find a nice little boarding school willing to take Katara in, to give her a decent education to ensure any future waterbending only went towards the betterment of the Fire Nation.
Two: find a nice little colony family with the means and willingness to give the girl a home, possibly introduce her to a worthwhile trade, a future means of supporting herself honorably with or without bending involved.
Three: find a distinctly non-Fire Navy ship willing to provide passage north, so Katara could be given over to the next best thing to her own tribe, this time with sturdy walls of ice to prevent any rumors from getting back to Yon Rha, or by extension the Firelord.
...all of which hinged on finding someone Lu Ten could trust to treat Katara well as soon as his back was turned. And considering the sneers and sidelong looks aimed her way even when the little girl stood directly in his shadow, Lu Ten held deep, deep doubts he could manage such a thing.
Eventually, he gave in and wrote to his father for advice - or rather, he wrote a bland message that glossed over the situation, and painstakingly included a desperate plea for help in the margins using a special melon-berry ink that could only be seen when warmed by nearby flames. It was the one safeguard he could really use to make certain no spies or meddling agents realized how panicked the Crown Prince’s son felt over the whole mess.
In the meantime, he kept Katara close by all through the day, frowning sharply at anyone who dared to make rude remarks about ‘southern savages’ in their presence. Which, pretty much included everybody in the military base, especially the generals who passed through and the commander who ran the place. Katara, thankfully, caught on quickly to the fact Lu Ten was intent on keeping her safe in a hostile environment, and she did her best not to attract further attention.
A minnow-mouse trapped in a small cove, surrounded by predators on all sides. Or at least, that was the picture that manifested in Lu Ten’s mind.
His father didn’t write back. His father came.
Lu Ten didn’t even know to expect the man, considering General Iroh apparently commandeered a courier ship from the port closest to his current campaign, and sailed down to the southern base within a matter of days.
“I could do nothing else!” His father insisted with a wide grin, after hugging the stuffing out of Lu Ten. “When both my father and son write to me concerning the same matter, it seemed best to come and get my own interpretation of the situation.”
Lu Ten couldn’t help but wince at that. Apparently he’d caused enough of a stir to draw the Firelord’s annoyance after all, though at least the outcome seemed potentially positive.
So, he allowed his father into his chambers, where Katara sat curled up in the second chair positioned by his desk, watching with a wide, worried gaze. She clearly didn’t recognize their guest as the Dragon of the West, or Lu Ten figured there’d be more fear than mere wariness.
“Hello, little one,” his father rumbled, getting down on one knee to better look her in the eye. “My name is Iroh; I am Lu Ten’s father. Has he been treating you well?”
“Dad,” Lu Ten started to protest.
“Yes,” Katara answered, before he could go on. “He’s nice. No one else is, but- Lu Ten’s nice.”
His father hummed. “I see. And I understand he’s been trying to find a way to send you home, yes?”
“The Firelord said no.”
“Ah. Yes, that is a problem,” the older man agreed. “I will see if there is anything I might be able to do about it; otherwise, I daresay we will need to find somewhere safe for you to stay, hm?”
Lu Ten twitched, and Katara darted a panicked look in his direction. “Dad, if- if we can’t get her back to the South Pole, or the North, then- is anywhere really safe?”
Even the great General Iroh couldn’t come up with an immediate answer to that. “Perhaps my Pai Sho friends may be able to offer some ideas.”
...on the one hand, Lu Ten would take any suggestions he could get. On the other, his father’s Pai Sho friends? A bunch of elders who played games with each other one move at a time, through letters that could take weeks to reach their destination?
Things really were hopeless, weren’t they.
It turned out to be quite a shock when he learned that his father’s Pai Sho friends were not, in fact, limited to just the Fire Nation.
“King Bumi has offered her sanctuary in Omashu,” General Iroh murmured, stroking his beard as he looked over the campaign map in Lu Ten’s quarters. “And Jeong-Jeong wrote of a hidden tribe of waterbenders in the Great Swamp who could be willing to shelter the child, no matter that she comes from halfway across the world. Though Master Pakku may be our best option; I received a brief reply from him, indicating some interest and a longer letter to follow.”
Lu Ten sat on the opposite side of the table, staring at his father. An Earth Kingdom governor who styled himself an independent monarch? An infamous Fire Nation General who’d deserted two years prior? A master waterbender of the North Pole?
Golden eyes glanced up at him, and the Dragon of the West snorted. “You look as if your mind is missing, my son.”
“Missing in action, yeah,” the young man replied faintly. “Dad- why?”
“Because different cultures can create unique Pai Sho methods, and it would be a shame to miss out on learning such valuable insight.”
“Dad.”
His father chuckled, before adopting a more serious expression. “We are in a war to conquer the world, Lu Ten. To bring equality, education, and industry to all corners. But- to utterly eradicate our neighbors, to push and push until nothing at all remains of them- that would swiftly lead to a disastrous loss of balance, the likes of which we could never recover from. Even now, with the extinction of the Air Nomads, there is a lack of harmony, both here and within the Spirit World.” He rose, and came around the low table to grasp Lu Ten’s shoulder. “Not everyone understands this, my son. Not with the careful storytelling your grandfather and great-grandfather used to instigate their campaigns in the first place. But someday, when I am Fire Lord, all the world will be at peace beneath our banners, and we can begin work on truly integrating the strengths of the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes with our own.”
“...you really mean that?”
“Yes. It is why I maintain conversations with masters across the world that do not have to do with the war, and also why I feel willing to help return Katara to her people.” Iroh smiled. “They will become part of our empire soon enough regardless.”
When the time came, Katara held onto Lu Ten as tightly as her little arms could manage, sniffling back tears even as she smiled. “Thank you. For everything.”
“The least I could do,” he murmured back, pressing a brief kiss to the top of her head. “Now you go learn how to be a strong waterbender, and keep sending your letters through Master Pakku, alright? Someday, I promise, I’m going to make good on taking you home to the South.”
One more intense squeeze, and then Katara reluctantly let go of him. Down by the shoreline, visible only by the light of the moon overhead, a pair of Northern Water Tribe warriors waited. From what Lu Ten could see of their faces, the men looked wary, anxious. Considering their Master Pakku stood a few paces away idly chatting with the Dragon of the West, Lu Ten couldn’t really blame them.
He led Katara over to the old men, and fought back a smile of approval when she carefully bowed to Pakku. He nodded back, looking her up and down with a stiff expression.
A few minutes later, the man created a big ice floe to serve as a vessel, and propelled it off into the dark waters. Lu Ten stared after it as long as he could, one hand raised in answer to Katara’s goodbye wave.
He finally lowered the limb when his father hummed. “I think, my son, that you might benefit from a transfer of active duty - perhaps a rotating tour of our northernmost colonies and military outposts.”
In a year’s time, his father would begin the long anticipated campaign to capture the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se. Lu Ten had expected to accompany him, possibly even lead a few divisions. But now... “Yeah. That sounds good. Reports of discontent in the ranks and all - might do them some good to have a royal firebender pop in for surprise inspections.”
“Precisely.”
Several years later...
Lu Ten swore, barely managing to duck the spear swiping towards his head. The woman on the other end snarled back, kicking at him, then pulling the weapon around for a swift thrust and twist, which almost succeeded in landing a hit between two of his armor plates.
To make matters worse, the boy fighting alongside her ducked back in, wielding a nasty looking club with the intent of smashing Lu Ten’s kneecaps. Very aware that he’d stupidly gone off alone to a remote part of the beach where no one would hear or see the fight, Lu Ten reluctantly upped his game.
He brought out his fire, keeping it contained to small, intense blasts, meant more to force his assailants back and buy him a little breathing room. Which did work, for all of three seconds. Then the boy threw a boomerang at him, costing Lu Ten valuable time in order to dodge it both going out and coming back. The woman got in close again, snapping the weighted end of her spear towards his face.
Growling, Lu Ten copied his father’s famous technique, and blasted a cone of flames from his mouth. The Breath of Fire, which thankfully forced her to retreat. But the bald kid who appeared out of nowhere just flipped right over Lu Ten’s attack, and kicked him in the side of the head.
Things became... fuzzy, after that.
The next time that Lu Ten blinked and could actually see the rocks in front of him, the sun had dropped at least three degrees in the sky. Shifting in place, he found his arms and legs to be securely bound, plus a loop of rope around his neck - loose enough to breathe, for the moment, but that would probably change if he tried to spit fire again.
Argh.
Carefully, the young man rolled over onto his arms and back, then eased into an upright position. He immediately found the tip of a sadly familiar spear pointing at his nose.
“Not one move, firebender,” the woman above him ordered. “You’re going to sit there, and answer my questions, and maybe you’ll get to live.”
“Alright,” Lu Ten agreed warily. “But I might not know the information you’re after.”
“You should. We know you’re a member of the Fire Lord’s family-” Uh-oh. “-and that you used to be stationed in the south. So tell me,” she hissed, kneeling down to get in his face. “Where does your Nation keep the waterbenders you stole from us?”
...okay, not what Lu Ten expected.
He blinked, more than a little taken aback. “But we haven’t-” And just like that, it felt like he actually did get hit in the head by a boomerang. “Wait. Wait, you’re- you’re from the Southern Tribe?”
The woman’s glare sharpened. “Yes.”
Forgive him for being slow on the uptake, considering they currently sat upon the northern coastline of the continent. But with that vital clue, Lu Ten really looked at the woman, at her grim expression and furious eyes and the desperately tight grip she maintained on her spear. “Are you looking for Katara?”
Her face spasmed. The spear blade came close enough to actually poke his nose. “Where is she, firebender?”
Rather than fear, all Lu Ten experienced was an intense rush of relief. He flopped over backwards, wheezing out a faint laugh and offering silent thanks to the spirits. “Not in a prison. Not anywhere in the Fire Nation, we smuggled her north ages ago- hey!” A gloved fist seized the top edge of his chestplate and hauled Lu Ten upright once more. This time he came nose to nose with the woman herself, pure rage filling her eyes.
“Do not,” she snarled, “Lie to me!”
“I’m not.” He didn’t yelp. He didn’t sound desperate. Lu Ten kept his expression level, kept his voice low and calm. “She’s at the North Pole. She’s safe, with a Master waterbender who promised to look after her until she’s grown. I got a letter from her not two days ago.”
The woman kept staring at him for a long moment. Highly aware that his life hung in the balance, Lu Ten didn’t say a word, didn’t let anything besides complete surety occupy his face.
A beat passed.
Then another.
And then, a shudder wracked the woman from head to toe. She let go of Lu Ten, rising to her feet and taking a few stumbling steps away. Her spear dropped to the ground, both hands coming up to press against her face, as a great, heaving sob tore itself free.
“Mom?!” The boy from earlier, the older one, also wearing Tribe clothing, came racing around a line of boulders, eyes wide and alarmed. In a split second, he took in his mother’s posture, the way she’d hunched in on herself. He went immediately furious, turning in Lu Ten’s direction and yanking a knife from his belt. “What did you tell her!”
“Sokka, stop!” Jumping over the boulders, the second kid grabbed onto the first one’s arm, more than a little alarmed himself. Distantly, Lu Ten noted the bright orange and yellow outfit, the blue arrow tattoo that identified a real live Air Nomad. But more pressingly, he focused on the name said Nomad used:
“Sokka?” He asked. “You’re Katara’s brother?”
That managed to draw both boys up short. Then the woman - Kya, Katara said her mother’s name was Kya - turned to face them, smiling through her tears. “She’s alive, Sokka; Katara is still alive.”
They ended up not killing him.
Instead, Lu Ten got his legs and neck untied, his arms shifted around to be bound in front of him and only at the wrist. That meant he could awkwardly reach inside his tunic and pull out the latest letter from Katara - the whole reason he’d come out to a deserted stretch of shore, alone, in search of total privacy. No one had ever figured out exactly what he’d done with the little Water Tribe girl, and Lu Ten intended to keep it that way. For his father’s sake, if not his own.
Kya and Sokka both poured over it, each of them silently crying, touching the parchment time and again where Katara had signed her name. That left the third member of their party to actually pay attention to Lu Ten.
Well. Third and fourth, if he included the odd little lemur creature that decided to take up residence on top of his head. It didn’t take long at all for ‘Momo’ to completely demolish Lu Ten’s top knot, presumably searching through his hair for bugs.
“It means he likes you,” young Aang offered, sitting atop the head of the group’s fifth member. The huge Sky Bison, at least, seemed content to ignore all of them in favor of taking a nap. “So- how do you know Kya’s daughter’s name?”
“I looked after her, when that idiot Yon Rha brought her back from his last raid,” Lu Ten explained, partly paying attention to his words, partly trying to shift his head enough to dislodge the furry creature sitting on top of his skull. “She spent a couple months basically living with me, until my dad found a way to send her north.”
The Avatar stayed silent for a moment. “I don’t think any of the other Fire Nation soldiers I’ve seen since waking up would have done that.”
“Yeah, well.” He couldn’t really think of anything else to say to that. Weeks of trying to shelter Katara from all the sneers and awful comments, after all. “Since you woke up from what, exactly?”
“Oh, I was frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years.”
Lu Ten pretty much forgot about the lemur at that point in favor of getting more details out of the apparently hundred and twelve year old airbender monk, who definitely had a lot to say about how much his Nation had changed over the course of a century, and not for the better.