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Chapter Text

Zuko

Zuko woke up to chaos.

He had expected a storm based on the way the boat pitched to the side—they were common enough, and usually required everyone to get up and help. He dressed swiftly, emerging from his cabin and darting out into the main deck.

He only had one moment, and then a flash of blue caught his eye, and he took a horrible blow to the throat. Zuko collapsed, choking and gasping. He couldn’t fight as someone grabbed him and started dragging him away. 

Finally he managed to get a lungful of air. Zuko kicked out, sending a flames arcing over his body, towards his attacker. He got a satisfying yelp of surprise from the figure in blue, but his attack was cut short by a hit to the back of his neck, making him go limp. There were two attackers.

By the time Zuko managed to shake the ringing from his ears and the blurriness from his vision, he was bound. He looked around, startled to find the rest of the crew on the deck with him, similarly tied up. Even Uncle was tied. His hands were palm to palm, keeping him from bending. But Zuko was surprised he hadn’t tried to use his breath.

The knife at Zuko’s throat explained it. Zuko was tempted to throw himself back, try and headbutt whoever was behind him, but he could see the figure to his left, clad in blue. Two. There were probably more, if these were pirates of some kind, but he couldn’t see any at the moment. 

“Loyal little things, aren’t you. I’ll ask again, or my sister here will slit your captain’s throat. Who will tell me the movements of the Fire Lord’s Navy?”

Jee bared his teeth at the pirate. “We have no words for honorless thieves.”

The figure behind him—the pirate’s sister, apparently—made a strange humming noise. The man turned. Zuko blinked, surprised to see his youth. Strange face paint initially made him appear frightening, but underneath it he was young, probably close to Zuko’s age. Just barely reaching manhood. 

“Oh well,” the pirate sighed. “I’m sorry your crew don’t like you more, captain. You appear young. It will be a short life, serving your nation.”

“Our loyalties are none of your concern,” Zuko said. He sounded passably clear, though the end of his words might have been slurring slightly. “You lay one hand on any of my crew and you will have me to answer to.”

He snorted. “Sure. Now, do you have this under control?”

Zuko opened his mouth to answer, but heard the one behind him grunt. With that, the pirate didn’t make good on his promise to kill Zuko—instead he left the deck, heading into the ship.

The two of them seemed to be alone, with no backup. 

It was Zuko’s time to move. His hands were also firmly tied together, but he’d learned the dragon’s breath from his uncle. He shoved himself backwards, away from the knife at his throat and into the pirate. She made a startled noise, and didn’t manage to slit his throat in time. Zuko rolled free, breathing flames at her face. 

He saw the girl take a strange stance and slash her arm across her chest. Instantly, his flames were cut down by a wave of water. Waterbender pirate, then. It was hard to read her intent because of the face paint. Zuko moved quickly, going to kick out with some flames.

Unlike the few other waterbenders he’d encountered during his travels, the girl didn’t react the way he expected her to—to pull back and resettle the stance in order to bend with a proper push and pull.

Instead, she threw herself at him. Zuko didn’t move fast enough. She went through his flames, slamming into him. With a strange jerk of her hand, the water that she’d used before was around both of them—surrounding them. Zuko shoved at her, trying to push away, but she held onto him with a fierce grip. 

Zuko couldn’t breathe or kick fire, for fear of boiling himself alive. He began thrashing, the lack of oxygen making him become lightheaded. 

The waterbender’s grip changed, and she was twisting him around, wrapping her arm around his neck, her legs around his hips. She lost her grip on the water, and it splashed down around them. Zuko was too dazed to react again. 

“I didn’t say to have that much fun, Katara.”

The other pirate was back. Zuko glared at him, and then glanced back at Uncle. He frowned. Why hadn’t he acted while Zuko was distracting the waterbender?

“You two are Southern Water Tribe, aren’t you?” Uncle said. 

The waterbender’s grip tightened, and Zuko started choking at the lack of oxygen.

“How did you know that?” The male pirate was pointing something at Uncle. A strange metal and wooden contraption, that almost looked like a telescope. 

“You two have become famous. The sharks of the south. Sea witches.”

“I think I prefer sharks to witches.” The grin on his face was harsh. Zuko felt the waterbender’s grip ease slightly, and he gulped in air. 

“If you’re here for our supplies, take what you want,” Zuko said. He hated that the focus of the pirates was on his uncle. “Just leave my crew in peace.”

“And what if your crew is what we want?” The pirate turned to him. “If you have heard the stories, you know what we do to Fire Nation vessels.”

Zuko had heard the stories. But he had expected an entire fleet or at the very least, a large ship full of pirates. Not two young Water Tribe warriors. “I know what you do to active Fire Nation vessels. But I’m sure you saw inside. We are far from that. This type of vessel was decommissioned years ago. There are no weapons in our holds, only goods to be traded. If you are here for vengeance, then you are taking it out on innocent merchants, who have managed to be freed from war.”

Zuko could’ve sworn he saw uncle’s eyes twinkle from where he was sitting. He always liked to force Zuko to practice his speechmaking. Zuko had no doubt Iroh was taking notes, and later—if they were still alive—he would let Zuko know how he’d done. 

He felt the bender behind him move slightly. The way she was holding him would eventually wear down on her.

She didn’t say anything, but the way the boy nodded at her told Zuko that she must’ve communicated through some kind of look. He answered her. “He isn’t lying. There is no intel in the bridge on the navy, and everything is old. They do have armor still.”

For the first time, the waterbender spoke. “Zhao,” she rasped.

Zuko blinked. Zhao? As in Admiral Zhao? How would these pirates know about him?

The pirate shook his head. “No information on him.” 

He could feel the strain in the waterbender’s arms. She was growing weak. He could once more throw himself backwards and probably break her hold. 

Something about the way uncle was looking at him, though, made Zuko wonder whether they were going about everything the wrong way.

Uncle Iroh’s words confirmed his theory. “Why don’t we talk about this around a cup of tea?”

“We won’t have tea with the enemy,” the pirate hissed.

His uncle, calm as ever, smiled up at him. “There is no shame in trying to find common ground.” 

“We can help you find Zhao,” Zuko said.

He had the pirates’ full attention now. The strange telescope was pointed at him, and the waterbender released him. Zuko didn’t move, as she rounded where he lay, standing next to her brother. 

He hadn’t been able to get a proper look at her before. She looked possibly even younger than the other one. With blue and white face paint, wild, tangled hair scattered with beads and pieces of bone, she was probably the reason they’d been called sea witches. She looked feral. 

“You’ll give up your countryman?” The brother asked. The two sets of fierce blue eyes shouldn’t have made Zuko so terrified. 

“I have no country,” he said. It still hurt to say it aloud, but he knew the truth was ringing from his voice. From his peripheral vision, he could see the crew. He waited for signs of their discontent, being isolated from their country, but they stayed firm, glaring at the pirates.

“A truce,” the pirate said slowly. “Fine. Your captain as hostage.”

Zuko scowled. Instead of the waterbender, the other one drew close. He was Zuko’s height. The closer he got, the younger he seemed. 

“You try anything, and you are a dead man,” he promised Zuko.

Zuko couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. He submitted to the weird telescope being placed in the small of his back. The waterbender moved, beginning to untie the rest of his crew, including his uncle. Zuko half-expected them to act. It was just two young pirates. If they couldn’t handle that, then—

The cabin boy, Ako, threw himself at the waterbender the second his hands were free. He was a firebender, but a poorly trained one that uncle had just started working with. He sent a wild plume of fire towards her. The waterbender screamed as it caught her hands where they were trying to protect her face.

A loud bang made Ako stop. It had been by Zuko’s bad ear, and it was ringing, now. For a moment, he thought maybe the pirate had gone through with his threat, and Zuko was now dead, but then he saw Ako collapse with a cry, clutching at his shoulder, blood spurting between his fingers.

“I see,” the pirate growled. “A truce, huh? You Fire Nation have no honor.”

“Stand down,” Zuko said. His voice sounded strange with the ringing sound still echoing through his skull. “He’s just a boy.”

“That boy just burned my sister.”

“Enough.” Uncle’s voice brooked no argument. He was General again, with that voice. “There will be no more violence or pain. Dasi, please see to Ako’s wound. I have burn cream for your sister. Please, accompany me to the cabin, where we can discuss an accord.”

“Like I’m going to trust anything you say after—“

The waterbender spoke. “Sokka.”

It was either his name or some kind of code word. Zuko watched warily as the pirate dropped his weapon, striding away towards the bridge. 

Chapter Text

Sokka

“Katara,” Sokka hissed under his breath. “Do the glowy thing.”

His sister shook her head. Sokka growled in frustration. He shut up as they drew close to the main cabin where they’d found the captain. Sokka had already done a preliminary search, but he needed to go through some of the documents he’d grabbed.

“What blend would you prefer? Personally, I believe ginseng is a lovely option for this time of year.”

Sokka eyed the old man. He knew better than to think he was harmless. He carried himself like a firebender.

“I’ll drink whatever, as long as you take a sip first,” he said, crossing his arms.

“Here, miss. Katara, was it?” The old man had a small tub he was holding out. Katara didn’t take it. Sokka knew how cold Katara’s gaze could get and privately smirked as the old man’s smile faltered. “It’s a simple burn cream.”

Katara pointed at them to sit. Sokka smiled broadly as they both obeyed his sixteen-year-old sister. 

“So, you were gonna try to convince us, yeah? Come on, give it your best shot.”

The scarred captain straightened up. Sokka had figured him for about his own age, but in that moment he suddenly seemed older.

“I was Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. I was banished when I was thirteen years old. That is my identity, that is who I am.”

Everyone knew the story, but Sokka knew there were at least five different versions out there. He knew he should’ve kept one of those information posters. 

“You’re willing to help us take on a Fire Nation leader?”

The ex-prince’s teeth bared, but he wasn’t looking at Sokka or Katara. “That man has done horrible things in the name of the Fire Nation. I am banished, without a country or title left. I have no power. But I do have the ability to take my ship into Fire Nation outposts and ports. I could get you the information you need.”

“Why?” Sokka asked bluntly. “You would risk yourself for this information.”

“I help you, and you let my ship go in peace. My duty is first and foremost to my crew. And if, in the process, I can help stop that monster, then—“

Sokka raised an eyebrow at Katara. Her focus was set on the firebender. She noticed his intent and nodded once. She hadn’t sensed anything irregular in his heart rate, so he probably wasn’t lying.

“Let’s say we agree to this. What guarantee do we have that you won’t take the opportunity of getting to a Fire Nation outpost in turning us over?”

Uncle gestured between the two of them. 

“Both of us will be expected to greet the commanding officer upon arrival. But after the initial inspection, I can be the one to go and inquire after the information. Zuko can remain to act as your hostage, just as you are doing now.” 

They hadn’t had a lead on Zhao in months. It was risky. Sokka was thinking through the weak points, the places it could go wrong. It would be relatively easy for this crew to reveal Katara and Sokka. But they did truly seem to care about each other. The cabin boy’s attempt, and the calm reactions afterwards spoke of a crew that trusted each other. 

He looked to the only person that mattered in this decision.

Katara’s eyes were calm and sure. Sokka nodded sharply, turning to the two. “Very well.”

The logistics were the next thing to go through. It was a week-long journey to the next outpost; he drew Katara aside in the small cabin and made a plan. For all effects, Prince Zuko was their hostage, and their guarantee. He would watch the ex-prince during the day, while Katara would guard at night. 

“I’ll go explain the new heading to Jee,” Uncle said. ”I’ll leave you three to get better acquainted. I’ll get . . . Well, it’s about to be morning, isn’t it? I’ll get us an early breakfast.”

Sokka made sure to watch as the firebender left, that the thick metal door was swung wide open and latched against the wall so that it wouldn’t swing closed. 

“Don’t want to be trapped in here with me?”

Sokka didn’t like how the other guy was smirking. “You should be worried about being stuck in here with us. Or really, stuck in here with Katara.”

As usual, his serious little sister didn’t join along with Sokka’s joking. She rolled her eyes, settling down against the wall. 

“So, what, you two are gonna be around me all the time? Can I at least ask that you shower first?”

“Oh, yes, let’s play the barbarian card, so original. Like both of us don’t know exactly what your people are like. Fancy little uniforms, but rotting souls on the inside.”

“How poetic,” he said drily. “I can see this will be a fun week.”

Katara sighed from her corner, her annoyance at Sokka’s constant needling. Sokka smiled, wide and entirely fake as he addressed her unspoken complaint. “Oh, I’ll shut up, but only once you do something about your hands.”

She frowned. Sokka knew what she was thinking. She didn’t want to use up the last of her energy on healing. It was something she struggled with, ever since she’d discovered the skill existed. 

He wiggled his gun. “I’ve got it covered.”

The firebender was looking back and forth during their exchange. 

“I would swear you two are telepathic,” he muttered. “You—“

He gasped as Katara drew out her water and it began to glow as it surrounded her hands. The deep red faded to a light pink and Sokka felt himself relax. Katara sagged back against the wall. As the moon began to set, she would be feeling the drain even more—or at least, so she’d told him. He should probably ask her to heal the kid he’d shot, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. 

Sokka walked over to her, settling down on the ground next to her. She immediately slumped down onto his shoulder. 

The prince’s eyes were a little too intense on Katara. Sokka scowled at him. “Have a comment?” he challenged—albeit quietly, trying to let Katara rest. 

“Sorry,” he muttered. 

Sokka knew he should shut up, but he couldn’t help his curiosity.

“So, why were you banished?”

The man’s face shut down into a horribly angry scowl. “That’s none of your business.” 

Katara was asleep on his shoulder. It was the only thing that made him feel proud—knowing that Katara could trust him, to take care of her while she slept nearby a firebender.

Not just any firebender; the former prince of the Fire Nation.

“I’ve got my eye on you,” Sokka said. 

Chapter Text

Katara

Katara woke up to the smell of food, rich and good. She pinpointed the water sources around her before she woke up—three heartbeats. Sokka was next to her, something about his heartbeat familiar and vital to her. 

The other two . . .

The old man made Katara the most nervous. The young firebenders were hotheads, eager to prove themselves to their superiors. The older ones, were the ones with schemes, the ones who had discipline to know how to handle attacks. She and Sokka had learned through a lot of trial and error what the most dangerous elements were. 

“Some congee?” The old man was smiling, congenial. Katara grit her teeth against the hunger. She hadn’t seen him make it.

He took a large bite, and then scooted the bowl across the table towards them. “Not poisoned. Now, I would love to have a proper introduction. You were Katara? And . . .”

“Sokka,” her brother grunted. He dove into the food without much delay. Katara waited, watching the two of them warily. 

“I am Iroh, and you of course were introduced to Zuko.”

Iroh. Dragon of the West. Katara’s stomach clenched with fear, and she reached out with her bending, feeling the man’s blood.

Very strong. Probably impossible for her to fully seize control with bending, even during a full moon.

“I see you have heard of me,” he said. Katara grit her teeth, hating that he’d managed to read her in that way. “I know my past, the horrible things I have done. But I swear to you, on my honor, that I have turned from that path. I would not be with my nephew now otherwise.”

“Stop trying to lie to us.” Sokka took a noisy slurp of his food. “And relating to us. It doesn’t matter. Get us what we need, and we’ll honor our agreement.”

“Funny, pirates having honor.”

There was the volatile young hothead. Katara took a small spoonful of her own food. He had power, but from what she could sense of him, he wasn’t as centered. Something about the flow of his blood felt easier to control.

“Honor, from the Fire Nation. Next you’ll be telling me the Fire Lord has a pet owl-cat.”

Zuko apparently didn’t have a sense of humor. Katara wanted to smile herself, at the dark scowl on his face. 

It was a funny sensation to have around the enemy. Katara didn’t quite know how to handle it, so she looked down at her food again, taking another careful bite. 

“Your style of waterbending is very interesting, my dear.”

She stiffened, eyes snapping back onto Iroh. He was smiling, a little sheepish at her. 

“Sorry, I’m not trying to alarm you. I am only curious, where you got your technique.”

“You can shut it, old man.” Sokka put his bowl down with a loud thunk. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

“Oh?” he said mildly.

“You’re trying to figure out our weaknesses.”

“I promise you, I am not. I was thinking that your sister might benefit from some meditation techniques I could show her.”

“Yeah, right.” Sokka was fiddling with his gun. He hated when people focused on her. Katara reached over, grabbing his wrist lightly to calm him down. He met her eyes. 

“Fine,” he sighed, reading her easily. “Are you good here? I can’t stand being inside for another minute.”

She nodded. Now that she had managed to sleep a little, she was feeling strong enough that she could most likely fight off the prince and his uncle; at least long enough for Sokka to show up.

The two of them seemed surprised that he left. Katara took another bite of her congee, making a face at how cold it was getting.

“Here,” the young one said gruffly. He picked up her bowl. Katara watched as he seemed to focus on the porcelain, the congee bubbling slightly as he heated it.

Katara nodded her thanks. He pushed it across the table. He was staring at her unabashedly, and she returned the favor. He seemed to be Sokka’s age. The scar around his eye looked horrible, but from what she could tell it was mostly superficial; his eye seemed to be intact. 

“How come you don’t speak?” Zuko asked abruptly. “I heard you say something before to your brother.”

Katara’s gratitude died a swift death. She pushed away the congee and folded her arms across her chest.

“Nephew, don’t be rude.” 

“Forgive me if I don’t feel like being polite to my prison guard, Uncle,” he groused. 

“Katara,” the old man said. “Such a beautiful name.”

There had been a phase where Katara had hated Sokka’s hovering. After everything, he couldn’t even leave her for five minutes without panicking. It had taken them a long time to come to a place where they could separate, trust each other to be able to handle danger.

This situation was new, though, and frightening. Katara hadn’t been around other people for long periods of time. Especially not such a strange mix of friendliness and hostility. She would almost rather the usual spitting hate from any Fire Nation soldiers they encountered. 

“It’s time for your meditation, is it not Zuko?”

“With her watching?”

Katara watched their exchange bemusedly. It stirred up some distant memory of her father, telling Sokka to complete some chore he didn’t want to do. 

“A habit broken is like a torn sail.”

“I don’t want to hear the end of that one,” he grumbled.

Katara watched narrowly as Zuko moved from the low table, over to a desk with candles. He sat cross-legged. The candle flickers began to match the rhythm of his breathing. 

“You know,” Iroh said quietly. “I have studied many bending forms extensively, including waterbending masters. If you would like instruction, I am happy to provide.”

Apparently, it was obvious that Katara was untrained and a poor waterbender. She did her best not to grimace, keeping her face neutral. The old man bowed slightly and then left, leaving her alone with Zuko and the flickering candles.

Chapter Text

Zuko

Having a personal shadow was a strange experience. Sokka was a loud, obnoxious commentary on his life. He was the first to truly shadow Zuko, hand constantly over the strange weapon he called a gun. 

Zuko didn’t have the easiest temper to begin with, so constantly being needled was driving him insane. 

He couldn’t decide whether Katara’s presence was better or worse. On the one hand, she was silent. On the other hand, she was far more intense than her brother, and she took over her ‘watch’ at night. Sokka was sleeping in the room next to them. Katara stood in the corner watching him. She still had her face paint on, a spectral mask. Zuko hesitated taking off his shirt, before getting annoyed at the fact that he was hesitating. He was in his own room. He wouldn’t make concessions, just because his guard was female. 

“Are you really going to stand there all night?” he asked.

She nodded. 

“Great.” He took off his boots and threw himself back in the bed. “How am I supposed to sleep with you being so creepy in the corner?”

Zuko turned on his side, to face the wall, and immediately grunted in pain as his shoulder protested. It was an old injury that had been aggravated earlier when Katara had tackled him, now covered in bruises.

Katara made a strange noise as he turned back. 

“What?”

She coated her hand in water. Zuko remembered the glowing that she’d done earlier. 

The idea of her doing that to him was unnerving. 

“I don’t think . . .”

She made another sound, but it sounded more . . . casual. Almost annoyed. She gestured with her hand. 

Zuko held his breath as she got close, her water-covered hand settling on his shoulder. 

His shoulder tingled strangely, and some of the tight pain dissipated. There were still bruises but they looked . . . older. Like several days older. Zuko stared at her. Her eyes were such a bright blue. Almost other-worldly. 

“Th-thanks,” he managed. Her eyes were . . . beautiful. The world settled into his brain and made him feel dumb. He wondered what she would look like without the face paint. 

She was close enough that Zuko caught the brief moment; there was a softness in her eyes that made him want to touch her. 

The moment passed, and her eyes froze like ice. Katara backed off, pulling her water back into the skins she had on her back. She gestured imperiously to the bed. Zuko settled back down, staring at the ceiling. 

He thought sleep would elude him but the interrupted night before and the stress of dealing with everything quickly caught up to him. As usual, he woke up with the vague, unsettling remembrance of dreams. 

The waterbending girl was sitting in the corner; her eyes were closed, and he thought she might have been asleep. Zuko watched her for a long moment. The furrow in her brow made him worried she was having a nightmare as well. 

The second he shifted, her eyes snapped open. 

“Uh, morning,” he said. His voice was low with sleep. She blinked at him a few times. 

“Mor—“ she cut herself off, biting her lip.

Zuko strangely felt like celebrating. It felt like winning something, that he had gotten her to break her silence. 

“What’s the schedule going to be like?” he asked. “You’ll sleep now? Your brother will take over?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, settling in front of his desk for his usual morning meditation. 

To his surprise, the waterbender sat down on his bed, watching him. She folded her legs up underneath her, palms down on her knees.

She was copying his posture.

“What are you doing?” he asked irritably. 

She didn’t answer. Her eyes were on the candles, and Zuko sighed when he realized they had flared unsteadily with his annoyance.

He closed his eyes, refocusing on his inner fire. It was something he’d struggled with so much, early on his banishment. Too much anger, resentment . . . He had been so lost. 

It wasn’t until Sozin’s comet, that he’d finally managed to find his purpose, and his inner fire had found a steadiness.

By the time he finished his usual meditation, Zuko had managed to calm himself of the stress and rage. He opened his eyes. The waterbender was still there; her eyes were closed. She seemed like she was meditating as well, but there wasn’t any way for Zuko to see the products of her mediations.

Her breathing seemed strangely slow. Zuko cleared his throat, and she didn’t move. 

“Uh, waterbender?”

She didn’t react, and Zuko grimaced. “Waterbender, c’mon. If you’re asleep right now, I’m gonna leave.”

The slow breathing was too unnerving. Zuko reached out, tapping her on the knee.

She let out a hoarse yell, throwing herself backwards and holding her hands out to ward him away. Zuko kept his hands up. Every instinct had told him to start using his firebending, but he’d managed to quell the urge. 

“You’re okay,” he said. He wasn’t exactly sure if that was true, but it seemed like the thing to say. 

Of course it was that moment that her brother chose to enter.

“Hey! What’s going on here?”

Zuko scowled. “Nothing! Well, I don’t know. I was meditating, and I think she was too, but she freaked out.”

“Katara?” Sokka had no reservations about getting close to his sister, despite how dangerous she seemed in that moment. Zuko looked away, feeling like he was intruding at the way Sokka grabbed the sides of her face, smashing his forehead against hers. “Hey. Hey. I’m here. I’ve got you. You’re okay.” 

“Sokka,” she murmured. 

“Yeah,” he said. “You’re good.”

Zuko looked back in time to see Sokka watching him suspiciously. ”Come on, prince, we’re getting breakfast.”

Zuko frowned. “Stop telling me what to do on my own ship.”

He grinned. “Well, we’ve commandeered your ship, so that makes it ours.”

Katara whistled. Sokka looked back at her, the smirk on his face fading into something softer. He looked a lot younger without the face paint from the prior day. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll behave.”

Chapter Text

Sokka

A week was a long time to spend with strangers. For all his bravado, Sokka was desperately uncomfortable and nervous. Any slip-up, and everything would be lost. 

The first day, Zuko had obviously been trying to defer to Sokka’s presence. Now, he was stepping back into his role as captain. The disruption to their original plans apparently meant that they would risk running out of fuel, as well as not make any profit from the shipment they currently had on board.

That wasn’t Sokka’s problem, though.

The kid he’d shot the day before was watching him. Katara had already been along to heal his shoulder. Sokka kicked his feet up on the table, grinning at the boy and getting an immediate panicked look in return.

“Your sister’s abilities are impressive.” Iroh was a chatty one. Sokka instinctively wanted to like him, but was trying to keep his guard up. “Ako has mostly recovered.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sokka eyed him. “You’re a little too interested in her, actually. She can freeze your tongue off.”

“Impressive abilities, but I am curious, what has her training been like? She doesn’t appear to fight in any style I’ve ever seen.”

“None of your business.” Sokka thumbed at the barrel of his gun. “Care to tell me what your goal in this is?”

“My goal is to not let anyone else get hurt.” The old man looked more serious than Sokka had seen him yet. “And that includes you and your sister.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about us. We’re just fine.” Sokka caught sight of Zuko trying to make his escape outside the mess hall. He jumped to his feet, running after him. 

“Nice try, your majesty.”

“It’s not majesty,” he said. “Or don’t you know what banished means?”

“Doesn’t explain everything. You being willing to turn traitor. Surely there’s a chance you could be welcomed back, huh? The honored son?”

Zuko paused. Out of the corner of his eye, Sokka saw Katara hiding in the shadows of some crates. He would have to yell at her to go back to bed. 

“I used to think that,” Zuko said slowly. “It was all I could think about.” His glance towards Sokka had a darkness in it that made Sokka’s smirk fall away. “And then I saw what happened during Sozin’s comet. And I would never go back, not to the ones who would do things like that.” 

Ash. Blood. Small bodies, tossed aside like refuse.

Sokka was trapped in it, the smell in his nose again, until he felt a cold hand wrap around the back of his neck. 

He inhaled shakily. Katara’s knowing eyes were on him.

“I’m good,” he lied.

She rolled her eyes. 

Sokka tensed, realizing that the Fire Nation ex-prince was watching them. 

Zuko didn’t comment on it, head half-turned like he was giving them privacy. Some of Sokka’s distrust eased, and he cleared his throat. 

“Now, listen, I know you said there might be some difficulties making it there on the fuel we have. You mind if I take a look at things? I’m pretty handy.”

“Yeah, knock yourself out. That weapon you use, you made that?”

“Uh huh.” Sokka placed his fingers on the handle; it helped finish off the remaining terror. He stuck his tongue out at Katara. “You are supposed to be asleep! Go back to bed!”

Katara rolled her eyes. 

“I was going to go train,” Zuko said suddenly. “Do you want to spar?”

Sokka turned on his heel from where he’d started towards the engine room to find Zuko and Katara close to each other. 

“What?”

Zuko took a step back when he looked over at the expression on Sokka’s face. “I haven’t sparred against a waterbender in a while, I thought—“

“I don’t think so, buddy. Trying to figure out our weaknesses, aren’t you?”

Katara shoved him—lightly, but Sokka still reared back, feigning offense. The little quirk to the corner of her mouth made it worth him acting like a fool. One day, he’d get her laugh again. 

“Any funny business . . .” he warned.

She nudged his shoulder with her own. Sokka watched them go, eyes narrowed on the captain. It was so tempting, to grab Katara, jump off the side of the boat and use one of her little ice boats to race across the waves, back to their freedom. 

Instead, he trudged deeper into the bowels of the ship. 

The first time they’d taken down a Fire Nation vessel, Sokka had nearly blown it up. He’d been trying to work through the schematics for their system. It was powered by firebending and coal, but he had wanted to figure out if he could make a system to help Katara, so she wouldn’t be the one keeping their small vessel afloat.

From there, Sokka had opened up his world to the idea of machinery, of mechanisms beyond the knots and rope and sails he’d grown up with. He’d gone to a blacksmith, next, learning how to forge to make his own inventions. 

Zuko’s boat was old, barely patched together and going. Sokka got caught up working through the old pipes and gears, meeting up with the ship mechanic, Fuji, to exchange ideas. Hours later, he realized he hadn’t checked on Katara. He made a quick excuse to Fuji, and darted through to the training rooms.

Sokka drew up short, staring at the sight before him. 

Katara and Zuko were slinging water and fire at each other. While Katara’s familiar movements were harsh and full of energy, Zuko’s movements seemed more smooth and practiced. Sokka was a little lost when it came to magic fire and water nonsense. 

“Hold!”

The old man stopped them. Sokka bristled at the way he approached Katara. He couldn’t hear, from where he was, but he seemed to be telling her to do something.

“Hey!” he barked out. “What’s going on?”

Katara lifted her head. She seemed sweaty and tired, her face paint smeared, but her eyes were clear and unstressed. 

“You good?” he checked. 

She nodded. She looked back to the old man. He made a strange gesture, a move that swept his arms across his body.

Katara mimicked it. The water followed her, a clean wave. Katara’s water usually shivered with energy, but it seemed more . . . controlled.

“Was that good?” he asked.

Iroh smiled. “That was excellent. Your sister is much like my nephew here was. For many years, his rage fueled his bending. There is danger in that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Katara,” Sokka said sharply. 

Too little control, too much confusion. Sokka grabbed his sister’s arm, dragging her away from the firebenders.

“We should leave,” he said abruptly. “This is too dangerous.”

Katara looked up at him. Her eyes were concerned, searching and questioning. 

“Come on, Katara. You can’t tell me you don’t feel it. It’s too much that we have to trust them, too much we have to give over to them. What are we going to do if they turn on us?”

“Our best shot,” she whispered. “Sokka.”

“I know, but I can’t . . . I can’t lose you too. Please.”

“You won’t.” Katara reached up, tugging at his wolf’s tail. “If they betray us . . .”

“What?”

Her mouth curved into something a little dark. “We kill them all,” she said.

“When’s the last time I told you you were scary?” Sokka said. “Cuz I probably should say that again.” 

Chapter Text

Katara

The firebender had nightmares. 

Katara was trying to keep herself aloof. Sokka was already wired, already terrified that the Fire Nation crew was getting too close, getting attached. They attended music nights, they helped out when the ship got tangled up in some kelp. Katara could feel it too. After the initial wariness and fear faded, the crew was kind and friendly. Good men, all of them. 

Katara knew, though, how men really were. 

She kicked at Zuko’s bed. He flinched awake with a gasp, bare chest heaving. Katara looked away, crossing her arms. 

“What, tired of gawking at me?” he snapped.

Zuko had a temper like her. Katara pressed her lips shut. It was so tempting, to return his anger with some of her own. 

But she had learned long ago, it was safer to be silent.

To her surprise, she heard Zuko sigh. A candle flickered to life in the corner, warming the space. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.” 

Katara half-turned. She kept her gaze even. 

“Do you have nightmares?”

Katara took a step back. She hesitated. In the dark, it had felt safe. With the light of one candle, she felt too exposed. 

“You don’t have to answer.” Zuko sat up, shifting over to rest against the wall. “You can sit down if you like. It can’t be good for you, standing all night or sitting on the floor.”

Katara shrugged. She didn’t mind. Still . . . He looked so defeated, head hanging low in the soft candlelight. It reminded her of Sokka after he’d rescued her. 

Katara walked over silently on her bare feet, settling down next to him and drawing her knees up to her chest. She could see Zuko’s surprised glance out of the corner of her eye, but didn’t acknowledge it. 

“I’m supposed to be an adult, now. My life path has been changed. So why do I still have dreams of home? Why do I still want to prove myself, to be worthy of being Fire Lord?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. In return, Zuko rolled his eyes.

“I’m not saying that I would align myself with the Fire Nation or my father. Not ever. But I thought I was supposed to be more than captain of a broken down ship, you know? Supposed to make a difference.”

Katara reached out on instinct, the way she would for Sokka after he’d had a nightmare. Her hand hovered briefly in the air near Zuko’s face. His golden eyes were wide, but he didn’t recoil. Katara let her fingertips gently settle on the rough scar-tissue on his cheek. His heart was rabbiting. Katara tried not to focus on the beat of it, worried it would make her own adrenaline kick in. 

“Disgusting, isn’t it?” His mouth twisted down. “It’s a mark of my shame, given to me by my father.”

“Shame?” she asked. A part of her belly tightened, worried—always worried—that speaking would mean punishment. 

The only indication Zuko gave of his surprise at her voice was a slight widening of his eyes. He didn’t move, though. If anything, he pressed a little more into the touch of her fingers. Katara thought she should probably pull away, but it felt like it would break this peace between them. 

“I spoke out against a general. It was a plan that would sacrifice untrained soldiers. I know it was the right thing to do. But I . . . It was the catalyst. And when I was meant to fight for my honor, it was a fight against my father instead. And I pleaded for mercy, instead of fighting. Honorless.”

Katara slid her thumb against the marred tissue under his eye. She shook her head. 

Zuko wasn’t old. He had to have been so young, to have been punished in such a way.

Slowly, she lowered her hand. Under his gaze, it felt momentous; she drew back the cloth covering her right shoulder. 

Zuko inhaled sharply. “Y—“

The scar was perfectly hand-shaped. Katara didn’t look at it, or look at Zuko’s reaction. She stared at the candle instead. The gentle flicker of it. 

“Sometimes I wish I wasn’t a firebender,” Zuko whispered. “It can do so much wrong, so much destruction. Who did this to you?”

“Zhao.” Katara turned her head back towards him. “You are not honorless. Not like him.”

When his finger touched the edge of her scar, Katara didn’t have the control that he did. She flinched backwards, cursing her weakness. 

“S-sorry,” he whispered.

She shook her head. “No.” She was the broken one. Not him.

The moon was beginning to set. Katara felt the weakness beginning to bleed into her movements. She slumped against the wall. 

“I know it’s only been a few days,” Zuko said. “But you don’t have to watch me all the time. You can rest.”

Katara felt a smile threatening at the thought of what Sokka would say to that.

Zuko seemed to read her amusement appropriately. “Well, fine. We can meditate and then spar. No way I’m going back to sleep tonight.”

Katara hesitated. The meditation last time had thrown her so deep into her own head that she’d nearly returned to her darkest memories. She didn’t want to go back there.

“When you’re meditating, you are connecting with your element. Your chi. So I focus on the flames and my breathing. Maybe it’s not breathing, for waterbenders.”

That made sense. The first thing Katara had truly connected to with her waterbending was a heartbeat—her Gran Gran’s, as she struggled to keep her alive one winter. 

Katara nodded slowly. She pulled her knees up to sit cross-legged. Zuko reached over to his desk, bringing over a cup of water. 

“Focus on this.”

Katara pulled at the water. As always, it resisted, but she managed to pull it into a rough orb of water, hovering in the air. 

“Feel it,” Zuko urged. He had a small flame in his other hand that was matching his breathing.

To Katara’s surprise, the orb of water began to ripple as she focused on the thump and flow of blood through her heart. She lost control of it, sending it splashing onto Zuko’s lap. He jumped up with a curse. 

Katara instantly seized control of all the water she could feel around her, expecting retaliation. 

“Ugh, that’s cold. You—“ Zuko stopped moving, staring at her. “Katara?”

He didn’t seem like he was going to hurt her. Katara’s mouth froze on an apology, or maybe a plea for mercy.  

“It’s fine. You should have seen how many times I set my clothes, my bed, my drapes on fire.” Zuko smiled. It made his face look so much younger. “Uncle has the patience of a lion-turtle.”

This time, when Zuko reached out for her arm, she managed not to flinch. His fingertips were warm and gentle on her skin. “Want to try again?”

Chapter Text

Zuko

Uncle had claimed it was the adaptability of the Water Tribe, that allowed Katara and Sokka to so easily ingratiate themselves with the ship. Despite always having one of them on Zuko’s tail, they worked with the ship and the crew, not against it. Sokka had become best friends with the mechanic, Fuji, while Katara had managed to corral all the firebenders into being sparring partners with her. Both of them were good fishers, taking the ship to the best waters and doubling their catch of fish.

Zuko should hate them, resent them for taking over his ship. And yet he was left wondering what it would be like when they were gone. 

“Nephew. How are you?”

It was one of the rare times that Zuko was allowed privacy. Sokka was working on one of his strange inventions on the far end of the deck, while Zuko and Iroh had morning tea. 

“I’m fine.”

Uncle took a prolonged sip of his tea. Zuko shifted uneasily. He knew that expression on Uncle’s face. There was something that Zuko was missing, or forgetting. 

“In the last few years, nephew, you have grown so much. Three years ago, you would have lashed out at these two, fighting until many were dead or hurt.”

Zuko flinched. It had been a while since Uncle had reminded him of his old self, but it was never a pleasant reminder. When he recalled the way he’d acted, how he’d mistreated his crew, how he’d invaded innocent villages in the name of finding the Avatar . . .

“I do not say that to reprimand. But because I want you to be sure you know your purpose, here.”

“My purpose?” Zuko frowned across the deck. Sokka was tossing a boomerang with alarming accuracy. “Uncle, you know I am trying to keep my crew safe.”

“And yet, the threats are swiftly becoming allies.”

Zuko lowered his voice. “Uncle, are you saying—“

“No. I feel sorrow, for these orphans. I wish them no harm. But as we approach treason, I need you to be sure of that path. Long ago you renounced the Fire Nation. Yet we still fly under their flag, we are still, in everything but our direct actions, a part of the Fire Nation. Are you willing to give that up? To be on the run, and branded as a traitor, for these two?” Uncle Iroh asked.

It felt like one of Uncle’s philosophical debates, where Zuko always seemed to pick the wrong answer. 

He glanced out at the open ocean. “I used to only want my honor restored,” he said slowly. “But Sozin’s comet showed me how wrong that was. Aren’t I already a traitor? I’m tired of pretending, of being half of nothing.”

Uncle’s eyes gleamed. “And these Water Tribe siblings, you would fight on their side, wouldn’t you?”

“Get to the point, Uncle,” he sighed. 

“My point is that very soon we will reach the tipping point. And you will need to make a decision. If they attack a Fire Nation vessel, will you stand by idly? Help them?”

Zuko could picture Zhao, in that moment, cruel eyes on Katara. 

“I would fight for them,” he said slowly. “Is that wrong?”

“That is for you to decide. Your destiny is yours to captain.”

“Thought I already was the captain,” Zuko smirked.

Iroh poured him out more tea. “And what of the waterbender? Beautiful girl, is she not?”

Zuko stood abruptly. He glanced around on instinct, relieved to find Sokka far away. 

“Uncle, don’t even—“

“I overheard her brother mention she was fond of sweets. Maybe when we next make port—“

“Uncle,” Zuko growled. “Stop it. When we next make port, we’ll be lucky if they don’t decide to blow up our ship.”

Uncle smiled serenely. Zuko sighed, raking a hand through his shaggy hair. “Anyways, it doesn’t matter. She hates the Fire Nation and firebenders. She has no reason to—“

The slightest scuff of sound made Zuko freeze. He turned to find Katara watching him. Her feet were always bare, which made it easy for her to get around without being seen. 

“Uh, hey Katara. Did you have a nice sleep?” Zuko asked. He could see Uncle smirking out of the corner of his eye. 

She nodded silently. She lifted a hand up into a fist.

“Spar?” Zuko asked. 

The corner of her mouth pulled up slightly, enough for him to take that as an affirmative answer.

He definitely did not look back at Uncle as they left. 

Uncle had shown Katara a couple techniques and postures that had helped her gain better control over the water, instead of the uncontrolled blasts and waves that she initially used. Zuko still struggled against the unpredictability of her, but sparring was a fun challenge. 

“Uncle has taught me a few techniques for firebenders based on waterbending,” Zuko said. He settled into a ready stance across from her. “Maybe you should try that for your waterbending?”

Katara stood back, making a gesture for him to proceed. 

The move he made was a simple punch, sending a blast of fire. Katara mimicked it. 

The water didn’t move right. It seemed to want to spike, but couldn’t decide whether it was water or ice, and splashed in a sad slush. 

“Maybe open your hand?”

Katara frowned, trying the motion. It didn’t look right. Zuko stepped towards her, reaching out, and then stopped, remembering the handprint on her shoulder. 

Katara didn’t flinch away from him. 

“May I show you?” he asked quietly. 

She nodded. 

Katara’s skin was cool to the touch. Up close, he could see where her face paint was cracking. He cleared his throat, looking to her hands. Her hands were calloused, but slim, small in his grip. Zuko suddenly felt ungainly and horribly large. 

“Like this,” he said gruffly. He guided her arm through the motion. He stepped back, his own heartbeat thundering in his ears.

Katara repeated the motion. This time she created a large ice spike that followed her move. 

“You did it!”

“I did it!” Katara gazed at the ice, almost smiling. 

Zuko opened his mouth to offer more congratulations, when he saw Sokka standing motionless at the door. The boy didn’t say anything, but the calculation in his eyes made Zuko wary nonetheless. 

“Let’s try it again,” he said. 

Chapter Text

Sokka

“Is he doing anything?”

Katara paused from applying her face paint. Sokka had stopped wearing his, but she was still using hers. Sokka was glad she did. It made her appear fierce, frightening. 

She lifted one shoulder, dropped it.

“So he is doing something. You talked in front of him. You’ve talked to him before.”

Katara turned, facing him fully. Sokka could still remember the days after he’d freed her. Katara hadn’t said a word. She had been a numb, empty shell. Sokka had pushed her to do everything—drink water, eat food. He’d despaired, at times, thinking that he had lost Katara, even if she was still alive. 

And then she’d finally said his name. 

“Sokka,” she said, now. “It’s fine.”

“What’s fine?” he asked belligerently. “That you’re becoming best friends with a firebender? The son of the Fire Lord? The son of the man who razed Ba Sing Se?”

Katara shook her head. She made an aborted gesture, that showed Sokka she wasn’t sure how to express it. 

“You know we can’t trust them,” Sokka said. “Katara, don’t let him trick you.”

“You remember my nightmares?”

He froze. 

Both of them had been plagued with nightmares. It had taken months for either of them to sleep through the night. 

“Are they back?” he asked. He clenched his fists. He’d tried so hard to help his sister, to be strong and to make sure she felt safe enough that she wouldn’t have nightmares anymore. But . . .

Katara’s face softened, funny-looking because of how it was half-covered in paint. She stood, grabbing his hand. 

“Not that bad. But he had one. And we . . . I talked.”

“I’m proud of you,” Sokka said. He swallowed. It was the truth. “I’m just . . .”

“I know.” Katara’s eyes were sad. “I know.” 

He sighed. They’d started giving up their constant shifts, watching Zuko. They still swapped off night and day, but it was becoming for show.

There were only a couple more days until they reached the Fire Nation outpost.

“I’m scared they’ll betray us,” he voiced. He used to hide his fears to try and protect Katara. It had taken several bad calls, several near disasters to realize that talking to Katara was far better, even if it made him feel weak and pathetic. And she never judged him. 

“I’m scared too,” Katara said. “Time for food.”

Sokka laughed. “That’s how you always try to make me feel better, isn’t it?”

She gave him the little smile he rarely got to see. 

“Better finish your face, though, you look ridiculous.”

She shoved him over. 

The crew looked up when they entered. Sokka still couldn’t quite believe that none of them wanted to attack them. It would be so easy for just one of them to turn them in at the outpost. Sokka made his way with Katara over to where Zuko was sitting. He had two plates waiting for them. 

“Almost got cold,” he murmured. 

Jee’s voice rang out over the intercom system. “Unknown vessel approaching!”

Zuko got up, darting out of the mess hall. Sokka followed, Katara at his back. 

“Pirates,” Jee said grimly. He glanced at Katara and Sokka.

They couldn’t afford any delays now.

“We can take care of them,” he said. It would be a sure-fire way to gain trust. 

Zuko stared at him. “Why—“

“We’ve done it plenty of times.” 

Katara didn’t argue the point, backing him up as she always did.

Zuko looked between the two of them, frowning. “No, if we fight together—“

“You’ll get in the way. Let us do what we’ve already done a million times before,” Sokka interrupted. 

Zuko looked like he was going to argue more, but Sokka didn’t wait to hear him. He left the bridge; Katara followed. 

“Usual strategy,” Sokka said, “but this time we don’t have to scuttle late, we can start early.”

Katara nodded.

Their strategy was simple. Katara made a platform of ice, guiding them up to the boat. Usually, they jumped on the deck with the cover of night. The few awake were taken down as quietly as they were able to; when things got loud, Katara’s violent waterbending and Sokka’s guns took care of the rest.

Once they were done interrogating, or searching for intel on the Fire Nation, Sokka would use a canister of blasting jelly to blow a hole in the bottom of the ship, and Katara would tear it open with ice. 

The pirate vessel was easier to access. They jumped on board. Katara’s training with the firebenders paid off—she swept several of the pirates overboard in a smooth bending motion. Sokka used his boomerang first—he liked to save his guns for when things got more desperate, since it took a while to reload them with the bullets and blasting jelly capsules he’d developed. 

The pirates were both easier and harder to fight. There were no firebenders, but they were a large enough crew to boldly attack Zuko’s boat, so they were hardly unprepared. Sokka let himself get caught up in the swing of fighting. Katara was always in his peripheral awareness. 

The pirates were unpredictable. Fire Nation soldiers were all trained the same way. Sokka hadn’t realized how he’d depended on that in their attacks. When one of the pirates swung around, something glinting in his hand as he looked at Katara, Sokka realized he shouldn’t have turned down Zuko’s offer to help. He threw himself in the path of the pirate. 

The glints turned out to be small blades. Sokka fell with a gasp, his sister’s name on his lips. 

Chapter Text

Katara

Katara heard Sokka’s pain, and lost control. 

Both of them got injured regularly, living the way they did on the seas. It didn’t make it any easier, seeing each other get hurt. 

His gasp of pain was different, this time. It was a deeper, more desperate sound, and it triggered something in Katara’s mind . . . she didn’t know what she did, or who she was, but when it was over, the pirate ship was sinking into a roiling sea, while she rested on a small iceberg, Sokka clutched in her arms.  

“Sokka,” she whispered. “Sokka.”

He was unconscious. Katara nearly screamed. 

A nearby splashing made her clench her hand in a fist.

“Katara.” 

The red haze in her vision cleared; Zuko was swimming over. 

“Zuko,” she said dumbly.

“You’re okay. Can we bring the ship over? We need to get Sokka to safety.”

Katara looked back down to Sokka. He was breathing shallowly. She focused the way she did during meditation, hunting down his heartbeat. Too quick; he’d lost some blood.

“Help,” she whispered. “Please.”

The next few moments were a blur. They were brought back up to Zuko’s ship, and whisked away deeper to the infirmary. 

Zuko’s hand was warm, on her freezing one. “Katara, you need to heal Sokka.”

Katara jerked her head in a nod. The small blades were still imbedded in his flesh. 

She would have to pull them out.

“I . . .” She hesitated, hands hovering over the blades. “What if I can’t . . .”

“Just like when you meditate,” Zuko said. “Here. I’ll pull them out, and you focus on healing, alright? I know you’ve done it before.”

“Not like this. Sokka, he’s . . .” Dying. Her brother was dying.

Zuko’s hands cupped her face, pulling her gaze up to him. Fierce golden eyes pinned her down. 

“Katara. You can do this. Focus.”

He didn’t give her any moment to hesitate; he pulled out the small throwing knives. Immediately blood welled up, Sokka’s unconscious body jerking in reaction.

Blood, blood like water. Katara focused on it, pressing it back in, diving into the life force she could feel coursing through Sokka’s body. 

By the time she was done, Katara was trembling. But Sokka was breathing, his heart beating. 

“Good,” Zuko murmured. 

“Good,” Katara echoed. She tried to take a step back and her locked knees instantly gave out. She would’ve fallen to the ground if Zuko hadn’t caught her. 

“Easy, easy.”

“Sokka,” she mumbled. 

“He’ll be fine, you healed him.”

Katara tried to get her legs back underneath her, but nearly fell again. Zuko lifted her up like she was a child. Her own bruises and hits she took from the fight pressed against him, and she swallowed the sound of pain that tried to escape. 

“You need to rest, that obviously took a lot out of you.”

“No, Sokka.” She twisted in his arms. “Need to stay with him.”

“There isn’t room in here. I’ll make sure someone’s watching him. We’ll get you if he needs you.” 

Katara didn’t have the energy to fight him. She let her head fall against his chest. Zuko’s clothes were still damp from his swim in the ocean. 

Zuko had brought her to his own room, instead of the little side room that she and Sokka shared. His bed was far more comfortable than the makeshift cot. It should’ve been frightening, or alarming to be placed there, but Katara felt herself relax automatically as he settled her into it. 

“Just get some rest, Katara.” Zuko clumsily brushed her tangled hair out of her face. Katara grabbed the bottom of his tunic as he stood to leave. Her throat felt numb again, fear keeping her from speaking.

“Katara?”

She shook her head helplessly. Zuko was gentle as he pried her fingers free, only to curl his own around her hand. He sat on the edge of the bed, keeping her hand enclosed in his own. 

“Have you ever heard the tale of Oma and Shu?”

The story was a simple one. Zuko told it rather poorly, but Katara had come from a family of storytellers, so it was a tough comparison. She listened to his low voice, strangely gentle in its telling, and that mattered more than how he kept mixing up the characters and the order of the tale. 

It had been so long since Katara had trusted anyone aside from her brother . . . it was dangerous and stupid of her to do so.

Yet she found herself falling asleep as he talked. 

Chapter Text

Zuko

Zuko hadn’t properly addressed his men since their ship had been commandeered. Now, with Sokka recovering and Katara sleeping, he was alone with his crew for the first time. 

There was a weightiness and solemnity to the room as he entered, standing before them. 

Fuji was the first to break the silence. “Is Sokka okay?”

“He will recover.” Zuko naturally went into parade rest, standing before them all. 

“Them Water Tribe are fighters,” Cook said. “Didja see the way they took on those pirates?”

Zuko cleared his throat. “We have been in a unique situation for the last week. And in this moment, I need to hear from all of you. Are we willing to go against the Fire Nation? To help the Water Tribe siblings?”

“Thought we were already decided on that,” Jee said.

Zuko frowned. “I made that decision under duress, without the ability to know your feelings. You are my crew. It is my duty to serve you.”

“Begging your pardon, captain,” Ako said. “But no. You’re the captain, you make the decisions.” 

“See, even the cabin boy knows what’s what.” Cook slapped his shoulder. “We follow your lead, boy.”

Zuko said hesitantly, “even into being hunted down by the Fire Nation?”

Jee stood. He gestured widely to the room. “Zuko, every man here was banished, thrown away by the country we loved. Away from our families for years. We have no loyalty to the Fire Nation. We do have loyalty to the one man who shouldered the burden, and has led us all these years. We follow your lead.”

Zuko bowed in response and then turned to leave. He paused in the hallway, briefly overwhelmed. After starting off as a poor captain, he hadn’t expected to gain back any trust or loyalty from his crew. To be granted it now, on such a dangerous and questionable decision . . .

“Captain Zuko. We arrive at the port this evening at our current speed.”

“Very well, Jee.” 

Zuko made his way to his bunk, thoughts still whirling. He had forgotten he’d put Katara there; he paused at the doorway. She seemed to be deeply asleep. 

He had a new healthy respect for the waterbender. From the deck of the ship, he hadn’t been able to tell what happened to Sokka, except that he had fallen. What happened after that, was the most violent and terrifying display of waterbending Zuko had ever seen. He could understand, now, why Uncle was so focused on Katara’s training. If their ship had been any closer, it probably would’ve been destroyed in the fierce and horrible ice-studded whirlpool she’d made. 

Katara made a low sound in her throat, something fearful. Zuko grimaced. A nightmare. He needed to make sure she didn’t freeze the water in the pipes of the ship. 

“Katara,” he said softly. He crept a little closer. 

Her face twisted in pain. Zuko thought about kicking the bed, like she had done to him a week ago, but chose instead to touch her shoulder.

Faster than he could react, she shoved upwards, slamming him onto his back. Zuko blocked the initial blow to his face, and then grabbed at her wrists as they curled above him, scared she was about to kill him. 

“Katara, it’s me! It’s Zuko, you’re okay!”

The pain and terror on her face was evident for a moment, before it closed off. Much of her war paint had washed off. Zuko hadn’t realized how young she would look without it. How vulnerable. 

“You’re okay,” he repeated himself.

Katara tugged at the grip he had on her wrists, but not with the panic from before. Zuko released her. Now that the initial chaos was gone, he was all-too aware of the weight of Katara as she rested above him, how exposed he felt beneath her. 

“Some nightmare, huh?” he said weakly. 

Katara grunted in response, pushing herself upright. She still seemed a little out of it—weaker than usual, as she used the wall to keep herself upright. 

Zuko got up slowly from the ground. 

“Why?”

The hoarse question made him jump—he hadn’t expected Katara to speak.

“Why? Why what?”

“Why help us?” Katara’s eyes were burning. 

Zuko hesitated. “Because,” he said quietly. “It’s the right thing to do.” 

She still didn’t believe him. He could see it in her eyes. 

Zuko glanced to his desk, where the portrait of his mother rested. “When I was eleven, my mother disappeared. I think it was because of my father, and I think she did it for me. At the time, I still didn’t understand. I still thought that I could be worthy of being Fire Lord. But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill without reason, I couldn’t burn the world down for it. It’s not my mother would want. So that’s why I am what I am today. A dishonored captain of a small ship.” 

“That’s something we have in common,” Katara whispered. Zuko watched her raise her hand to her throat, a necklace there he hadn’t noticed before. “The Fire Nation took my mother away from me. Because of me.” 

Zuko straightened. “We do it for them,” he said. He heard a horn sound overhead and tried to reset his mind and focus on the task at hand. “We’re nearly at the post, you need to get your brother and take him down to the hold to hide. Uncle is there with Sokka, he’ll help you.” 

Katara didn’t say anything else, but paused at the doorway, something in her eyes that Zuko couldn’t read. 

Chapter Text

Sokka

Sokka woke up in pain, disoriented, and panicking. 

The last thing he could remember was cold ocean swallowing him, a horrible pain in his chest. 

“—tara?” he gasped. 

“Easy, young man. You shouldn’t move much.”

Sokka frowned before he even knew who he was frowning at. He recognized the voice, though. Zuko’s uncle. He lifted a strangely-heavy hand up to his chest, where the pain was the worst. 

“Don’ . . . gah.”

“Like I said. Don’t move. Here, drink this.”

Sokka had expected water, but the warmth and sharp flavor of some kind of tea met him instead. He nearly spat it out on instinct from not expecting it, but then it settled, easing nausea he didn’t even realize he had. 

“Where’s Katara?” he mumbled.

“Recovering.”

A burst of adrenaline let Sokka sit up. “What? Was she hurt? Where—“ He curled around his chest with a groan. 

“Easy, Sokka. Breathe through the pain.”

“Shut up,” he ground out. “If you don’t—“

“Katara is fine. She wore herself out, taking care of you, as well as pulling off some impressive waterbending against those pirates. You must be very proud of her.” 

Sokka subsided. He finally focused on Iroh. “Of course I am,” he said. “Now tell me the truth. Where are we going?”

“To the outpost.”

Sokka blinked. “Still?” 

“My nephew has honor, as I’m sure you have seen. He would not betray you, though you are injured and vulnerable.”

Sokka didn’t like hearing it written out like that. He shifted uncomfortably. 

“Here, lie back. You shouldn’t be up.” 

The warm hand on his back was too easy to sink into. Sokka slumped back, trying to focus on Iroh’s face.

“I don’t understand,” he complained. “You’re Fire Nation.”

“Let me tell you a story, young Sokka.” 

A hand began carding salt-crusted hair away from his face. Sokka had to close his eyes, as a sudden, visceral memory of his father doing the same nearly made heat flare behind his eyes. 

“Once, there was a firebender, an heir to the throne. He was proud of his country, and he believed in his father. His father told him that the war was good and right. That he was helping make the world better. And so he went to war, this firebender.”

Iroh’s voice went soft and rough with emotion. “And then, the firebender lost his son to a pointless battle. He was devastated. He returned home, unwilling to become what his father wanted. The only thing left to him was his young nephew. But even that, the firebender failed. He didn’t protect his nephew, and all he could do was follow him into exile.”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” Sokka said. “You’re still Fire Nation.”

“I am. But I believe in a Fire Nation that does not spread fear and war and death. I believe that someday, my nephew will take the throne and undo all of the hate from the last hundred years.”

Sokka laughed bitterly. Iroh’s hand didn’t stop its soothing motion. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“Are you two the last from your tribe, as you said? None survived?”

Sokka sighed. “I don’t know. There were warriors from our tribe, including my father. They left. They never came back, but they could be out there, alive.”

“And now you seek revenge.”

He twisted his mouth into a grimace. “Don’t tell me you’re going to give me a lecture on forgiveness, or peace.”

“No. There is no peace or forgiveness that will feel like enough, in a war like this. But I would caution you against losing yourself in it. And your sister.”

Sokka scoffed, “yeah, sure. You don’t know what he did.”

“What all monsters do during war.” Iroh sighed heavily. “It is fine, Sokka, you should rest.”

He could sense her before her entrance.

“Please don’t kill me,” he said loudly, making Iroh jump.

Katara made a hissing sound. Sokka peeled his eyes open. He reached over to Iroh, clinging to him dramatically. 

“Save me, Iroh!”

Katara twisted something around her fingers—one of the blades that he’d been hit with. She lunged, stabbing it into his pillow.

“Understood,” Sokka said.

Iroh sighed. “Children.” 

Chapter Text

Katara

Their arrival at the outpost was strangely anticlimactic. Katara sat next to Sokka in a crate. Everything was muffled and quiet. Sokka, when he was awake, was vibrating with nerves, hand twitching on his gun. He was still exhausted enough from his injury to pass out, though. Katara had to pinch him awake when he started snoring. 

“Whaddaya need to come down here for?”

Ako’s voice. Katara felt Sokka tense next to her. She knew he was still worried about being betrayed by the crew. Given that he’d shot Ako, it wasn’t that much of a stretch for him to worry.

Katara knew of a weak point in the hull, that she could stab through with ice. If they were going to be betrayed, she could take them all down. 

“Yeah, just our usual cargo. Looking to buy some fabric from the Earth Kingdom? I’ve got a lovely shade of puce here.”

The voices began to fade away. Katara pressed her hand on Sokka’s chest, letting the steady beat of his heart soothe her. The ocean was moving around them. 

The crack of their crate being opened nearly made her jump out of her skin.

“Katara? Sokka? Coast is clear, we’re heading out now.” Fuji peered over the edge. “I’m sure you heard the engine going.”

It took both of them to get Sokka out of the crate, still weak from his injuries. Katara remained silent. She had spoken around Zuko, but none of the rest of the crew. Her fear was still trembling under her skin, controlling her. 

“Wha—where are we going?” Sokka asked. 

“Captain said to bring you up top.”

Sokka’s hand briefly clutched at Katara’s arm. 

She tilted her head, knowing his unspoken question. The boat was moving through the water, she could feel it. If they were being turned over, they would not be leaving port.

Zuko was pacing, as they emerged into the sunlight. Iroh was sitting next to him at the chairs they often used for bonfire nights, while the rest of the crew milling around at their normal duties. 

“No discovery of you two,” Iroh said with a congenial smile. “And well, some interesting news from the outpost.”

“Oh?” Sokka hobbled over to the chair next to Iroh. Katara narrowed her eyes in consideration of her brother. Something had eased, in his bearing. He was trusting them. 

“Zhao is with a large fleet,” Zuko said. He didn’t stop pacing. “He’s heading to the North Pole.”

“A large fleet,” Sokka repeated. He looked up, meeting Katara’s gaze. “Like an army?”

Katara felt her stomach drop. They had hunted Zhao for so long. But they would have to give up. There was no way they would be able to take on a Fire Nation army.

“I never understood, why the Fire Lord didn’t want to take out the Northern Water Tribe during Sozin’s comet,” Iroh mused. “But perhaps resources were spread too thin, trying to take on the Earth Kingdom, a closer and more valuable target. But now his attention has turned to them.”

“We need to warn them,” Zuko said. “They’ll be wiped out.” 

Iroh nodded. “Right. Well, we can make our way there directly. Save the Northern Water Tribe.”

The rage that always simmered under Katara’s ribs began to burn brighter. The two of them continued to discuss timing, plans to beat the Fire Nation up to the North. Like it didn’t matter, that Zhao would continue to wreak havoc. Like it didn’t matter, that the Northern Water Tribe had done nothing for them. Sokka was silent at her side. 

It burst out of her. 

All of them stopped talking at Katara’s hoarse voice. It was too loud, but she couldn’t regulate it.  

“Where was the Northern Water Tribe, when our benders were being taken?” 

The rest of the crew had stopped moving on the periphery of her vision, but Katara couldn’t stop talking, rage twisting her heart into ash. 

“Where was the Northern Water Tribe, when our village was destroyed, the children slaughtered?”

“Katara . . .” Sokka’s voice was a bare whisper.

“Where was the Northern Water Tribe when my mother was murdered?” 

Zuko inhaled sharply. Katara turned on her heel. None of them dared to say anything, and she walked away, to the empty bow of the ship, where she could stare into the ocean.

She had half-expected Sokka to follow, and to have to shove him away. 

Instead, she found Zuko at her side. She flinched back from him. 

Zuko was silent for a long moment before he spoke, slow and deliberate. “I know you probably don’t want me here. A reminder of the people who took everything from you. But I also know how much it hurts—grief in your heart. And I remember hiding away, to be alone. But every time, all I wanted was to not be alone. That’s . . . that’s all.” 

Katara felt the fight leave her bones. The burning rage was doused by sadness. 

“I don’t want them to die,” she said. “I’m just so angry, I can’t . . .”

Zuko nodded. “I know what that feels like.”

“How could they let us suffer?” Katara whispered.

“Uncle told me before that darkness would reign because of the light hiding under a teacup. Or, well, something like that. That’s why . . . that’s why I know I want to do something, now.” 

She couldn’t speak again, not now. But she slowly shifted, until her shoulder was resting against the firebender’s arm. 

Chapter Text

Zuko

Time seemed to fly by as they made their way up to the North. Sokka and Katara became integral for their travel, Katara using her waterbending to speed them along, Sokka with a genius for fixing whatever broke. Their plan was simple; they would try to beat Zhao’s fleet up to the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka, Katara, and Zuko would take a small skiff into the tribe, since they probably would attack their Fire Nation vessel on sight. Hopefully, they would be able to meet up with Uncle later.

There was a thrill in having purpose again, even as the cold began to pervade the air.

Amid the excitement, was fear. He would have to leave Uncle. He hadn’t left him since he was thirteen years old. 

“Maybe we could take the ship in,” Zuko said. He looked around, at the crew dragging a haul of fish on board. “It’s such a long journey, only for you to turn around and try and make harbor nearby.”

“We’ve gone over this,” Uncle said calmly. “The chances that the Northern Water Tribe will attack are high. Even if we go in with a white flag of peace. And there is also the chance that they could take the crew, which is why you wanted to go in alone.”

Zuko made a face. “Ugh, I know.” 

“Don’t worry, nephew. The homing bat-pigeon will always find its way.”

His ship was his home, now. Zuko tapped absently at the metal edge, staring out as an iceberg began to fill horizon. 

“Last chance to back out,” Sokka said. The suddenness of his voice made Zuko jump. “Still want to go through with it?”

“Do you?” he returned.

Sokka grinned casually, but the tension in his shoulder spoke more of the truth. “Worse case scenario, they try to kill us, huh? Oh, and if anyone asks, this is just a sailing instrument.” He patted the gun on his hip.

“Sure,” Zuko said drily. “They’ll buy that. Is your sister—“

“Katara’s fishing.” 

Zuko turned, realizing that one of the figures was Katara. She had put on a red tunic, which made her blend into the crew. 

“I know she didn’t want . . .”

Sokka grunted. “We were all frustrated with the Northern Water Tribe. When Katara was . . . when she was recovering, I would complain a lot about them. Less triggering than talking about the Fire Nation. It’s all tied up together in her head. And mine too, to be honest.”

Zuko nodded. “Well, if she wants to stay with the crew, she can. I know my uncle will take good care of her.”

Sokka snorted. “Yeah, you go tell Katara that she has to stay behind, see how that goes.”

“Well, we have one more night. Make sure you both are ready.”

“Of course.” Sokka nodded, pulling his hair back into the ponytail he seemed to prefer. Zuko ran his own hand through his shaggy hair. Somedays he wanted to grow it longer, have his topknot again. 

Before long, they were lowering one of the small rafts into the water, his uncle watching and waving cheerily from the deck. Zuko glanced at Sokka and Katara. Both of them were back in their war paint, faces set and grim. 

Sokka saluted sloppily. “Here’s to being heroes,” he said. 

Their entrance into the Water Tribe was not reassuring. Almost immediately their boat was frozen in solid ice as two small boats filled with waterbenders took them hostage. At least they weren’t physically restrained, but Zuko knew without a doubt that there was nothing he or Sokka or Katara could do if the Water Tribe decided that they were threats.

He let Sokka do the talking, focusing instead on learning the layout as they were marched through the city. Katara was a silent presence at his side. He kept checking on her out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn’t tell from her expression or her body language what she was thinking. 

They were shuffled in front of a council, in an intimidating palace room. Nothing like facing the Fire Lord with flames in front for the throne though. Zuko took up a parade rest stance, examining his opponents. Mostly older men. The chief of them seemed to be a hardened man, lines of his face speaking of the stress of leadership. Behind him was a strange, veiled figure. 

“State your identities and purpose,” the man said clearly.

“Are you chief here?” Sokka asked.

The man stood, blue eyes flashing. “I am Chief Arnook. Speak, or you will be thrown into prison.”

Sokka straightened up, stepping out in front of Zuko and Katara.

“I am Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe. Son of Chief Hakoda. This is my sister, Katara. And this is the banished prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko.” 

At the last sentence, the room instantly became charged. Zuko didn’t allow himself to change his posture, but he saw the way several of their waterbender escorts stepped closer, hands hovering and ready to bend. 

“You bring a firebender into the heart of our nation,” Arnook said. “Tell me why I should not lock you away now for this treachery.”

Sokka’s mouth twisted. “We did not come here to threaten you. We came to warn you of the Fire Nation. We learned that they are amassing an army to attack, and will be on your doorstep soon.”

Another older man stood. “What kind of plot is this? These three are clearly spies, or trying to manipulate us for their own gain. Who says they are actually even Water Tribe? And to bring a firebender here—the prince? What kind of nonsense is this?” 

“Listen to me,” Sokka said. His voice was sharp and strong. Zuko watched as a few of the elders above them opened their mouths to speak, but a horrible cracking sound hid their protests. The ice was splitting under Katara’s feet. 

“In a week, the Fire Nation will arrive,” Sokka said. “Even if you execute us, I will know of it from the Spirit World. And I will watch, as you come to know some of our suffering. As your city walls melt under the fire. As your warriors are dragged away, screaming. As your children burn into ash, and your women are raped.” 

It was horrific and truthful poetry, but none of the elders seemed to take it to heart.

“Enough of this,” Arnook said. “You need to tell the truth, or we will be forced to restrain you.”

Chapter Text

Sokka

Their attempt to deliver their warning was going terribly. Sokka felt like screaming, throwing something at these stupid old men who had ignored the war for so long. 

The more he talked, the less they seemed to believe him. 

It happened in a blur. Sokka was focused on Chief Arnook, and just barely noticed movement from the corner of his eye. And then it was too late. 

One of the waterbenders who had escorted them in had grabbed Katara. The cuffs he’d been hiding behind his back were snapped onto Katara’s wrists.

The sound she let out was a horrible, echoing sound that chilled Sokka to his core. He hadn’t heard that sound since Zhao’s boat. Both Sokka and Zuko were forced to dive away as the ice under their feet cracked and spiked upwards. 

Several waterbenders tried to approach. Sokka yelled out a strangled warning as they used their combined bending to send a wave towards Katara. 

Katara whirled on it, kicking with a sweeping move. Water followed her, a rough kick that pushed through the waterbender’s attack. Her tied-together arms moved wildly, one slash breaking through a column and making the entire hall rumble. 

Next to him, Zuko shifted into a crouch, like he was getting ready to jump forward. Another wave of spiked ice flew outwards, nearly catching some of the waterbender but for a wall of ice that was drawn upwards just in time. 

Before Sokka could move, the veiled figure from behind Chief Arnook jumped forward. Sokka screamed out a warning to Katara, but he was too late. 

The figure batted aside Katara’s wild attacks like they were nothing. The water might have followed Katara, but the veiled bender seemed to be one with it, motions smooth and flowing. Before Sokka even had time to blink, Katara was exposed. Sokka pulled out his gun, but hesitated, scared he would hit Katara with his shot. 

The chaos stopped. Sokka watched, terrified, as the bender held water up to Katara’s temples. Katara had stopped moving, eyes staring. The water was glowing, like when Katara used her healing abilities. 

The possibilities were terrifying. Could this bender manipulate the fluid in someone’s brain? Was Katara being killed as they were standing there?

“I’ve got you.” The voice was soft, female. “I’m so sorry, Katara.” 

All of the water being bent was released. Sokka and Zuko rushed forward the second the ice spikes melted back into the floor, pulling Katara away from the veiled figure. Sokka pushed Katara into Zuko’s arms, standing in front of them both with his gun raised and pointed at the mysterious bender.

“Who the hell are you? And what did you just do to my sister?”

“I listened to her.” The veil was tossed back. A white-haired young woman met Sokka’s scowl with a calm expression. “And she confirmed you were telling the truth.” She turned to the row of elders. All of them were standing, a few looked like they had been on the verge of running away. “We prepare for war. And these are now our guests.”

Whoever the girl was, she had authority. None of the elders said anything to fight her. 

“Princess Yue, what are you proposing we do with the firebender?”

Cool blue eyes raked over Zuko. Sokka tensed, ready to defend him. Zuko turned slightly to shield Katara, gaining Sokka’s further approval. 

The princess spoke up, though. “He has risked betraying his own country to help us. We will trust him. Now ready the defenses. I will see to the main wall. And Father—“ 

Here, there was a crack in the girl’s authority as her gaze hesitated on Chief Arnook. 

“We will discuss,” Arnook said. There was something else in his voice. Sokka frowned. The council began to disperse, leaving the three of them standing with the girl.

“I am sorry I was not more open upon your arrival. My father is very protective of me.” Princess Yue extended her forearm—Sokka folded his arms across his chest, unwilling to make friends with this bender. 

“What did you do to Katara?”

Princess Yue hesitated slightly. “I—I am a waterbender. With waterbending, there are aspects that are still a mystery, such as healing. I have learned ways to follow those healing pathways to the mind. Especially . . . especially broken minds.”

“What gave you any right to invade Katara’s mind?” Sokka demanded. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, it was just . . . it was the fastest way to reach her, I thought.”

Sokka sneered. “Sure, just like you sat back when they tried to lock Katara up. Don’t pretend like you’re on our side, here. Just give us the truth. Now that you’ve heard our warning, what are you going to do with us?”

At that, Yue’s shoulders straightened. “The Northern Water Tribe is strong, but not strong enough. It will fall, unless a diversion is created. I will be that diversion.”

Zuko spoke up for the first time. “You? Why would the Fire Nation care about you?”

“I will . . . We will speak more on this later. For now, you will be shown to quarters. I’m sure you are hungry and tired, are you not?”

Chapter Text

Yue

Yue was shaking, even hours later. She could still feel the girl’s mind, Katara’s mind. She knew she could have subdued the girl with her waterbending, but for the feeling in her heart that she would do even more damage—the reason the girl had panicked was because of a restraint, after all.

She hadn’t expected that, though. The pure terror, the old wounds festering, eating at Katara’s soul. 

“Yue, are you even listening to me?”

Her mother’s sharp gaze was on her. Yue sighed, running a hand over her face. She tugged the veil back into place. “I don’t know what you expect me to say,” she said. “I acted as I should have.”

“You revealed yourself to strangers! No matter what their story, you should be more responsible than that. As the Avatar . . .”

“As the Avatar, I should be establishing peace in the world! Not hiding here!” 

Her mother’s shock was not deserved, and Yue threw back her shoulders. 

“We have given you liberty to learn how to waterbend. To turn down the arranged marriages. But that does not mean you have the right to be foolish and risk everything your father, everything the entire tribe has done to protect you!”

“Yes, Mother.” When it seemed like she was about to launch into a lecture, Yue stood. “I have to go,” she lied. “Tell Father I’ll meet him in an hour above the council chambers.”

With that, she left.

Yue made her way through the streets, heart troubled, mind lost. She was distinctive in the tribe due to her white hair and the elaborate hairstyles her mother used to mark her status. 

It was easy enough to pull her hood up and become more natural, the thick fur hiding the color of her hair so no one stopped her on her way. 

The strangers had been put in rooms that weren’t quite prison—but did have heavy guard activity in a circle. Citizens and workers alike continued to walk through unencumbered, but everyone knew what the presence of the guards meant.  Yue walked through unstopped, though from the gleam in Cupun’s eye, he would pass on that she had been there. From there, she quietly entered the lower rooms. Above her, she could hear pacing, and the muttering of conversation.

Again, her mind went to Katara. For her to feel so much pain . . . It was enough to tempt Yue to do what she swore she never would, to wipe those memories away, try and heal the old pain.

As most of the Tribe’s houses were, none of them had proper doorways. The bricks of ice were dampened by layers of dried kelp and stone on the inside, and then furs on top of that to keep out the cold. Thick cloth hung in place of a door, allowing Yue to walk up silently, and peer through the edge.

The firebender was pacing in a tight circle. Katara sat, almost unnaturally still, near the window. Yue drew back as she turned her head, gaze directly pointed at her position by the door.

She didn’t say anything, though.

The loud one, Sokka, was also sitting, but surrounded by his strange-looking tools, cleaning them. 

They were so lost. Broken. Yue desperately wanted to search Sokka’s mind, learn if it had the same patterns as his sister’s, figure out what that darkness was that she had barely touched.

Yue realized nearly too late that they were talking of their next plan, and sending the firebender out to find her. She darted away, making her way quickly to the council chambers. She had to speak to her father before telling them what she thought. 

“Yue! Where did you go!?”

She dragged her father into the room, glancing around to make sure there weren’t any guards or conniving elders nearby.

“Father, I’ve been planning. I think—“

“You acted foolishly, revealing yourself to strangers. They are dangerous, Yue.”

“I know, but they could help!” Yue gestured helplessly. “Father, if the Fire Nation is finally truly attacking us, nothing will keep us properly safe.”

“You’re not ready,” he said, storm gathering on his brow. “Yue, you are barely an adult.”

“It doesn’t matter. I am the Avatar. It’s my responsibility to bring balance to the world, isn’t it?”

“That doesn’t mean that you can do it,” he said. Yue felt the sting of his words and turned her head away, biting her lip. 

“The Fire Nation will be attacking. I will try to reach the spirits, draw on their strength for the initial battle, and then lead them away to follow me so they leave the tribe alone.”

“Foolishness,” her father growled.

Yue turned on him, snapping, “if I don’t do this, we lose everything!”

It’s too dangerous, you aren’t ready, yet!”

“And when will I be ready? When our nation has burned down around us, and nothing remains? It’s a good plan, Father!”

“I will not lose my only daughter!”

Chapter Text

Katara

Katara wasn’t sure where her terror and rage had gone, but it felt strangely muted. Yue had done something to her. Briefly changed her. She wasn’t sure whether she should be upset that something had been done to her, or if she should be grateful that Yue had stopped her from destroying everything around her. 

Sokka and Zuko were watching her closely. Zuko had been pacing ever since they were shown to their rooms. Katara wrapped her arms around herself, settling one palm against the ridges of her scar underneath her sleeve.

“Look, we need to figure out what to do next. Should we just try to escape? We’ve given our warning. It’s not like the three of us will be able to make a difference in a big fight. A war. I don’t want to die here.” Sokka was pacing. 

“I don’t disagree,” Zuko said slowly. “But maybe they can help Katara.”

Sokka stiffened, whirling on Zuko. “By what, brainwashing her? Is that what you think you—“

“No! Waterbending! She could learn here, if they manage to survive the attack.”

Sokka scowled. “And we trust that they’ll be able to survive?”

Zuko frowned. “I don’t know. The Fire Nation has always feared water, its natural opposite. But I don’t quite know why they let the North be, while chipping away at the South. There must be some reason.”

When Katara closed her eyes, she could feel it. “Power,” she murmured.

“What?”

She pointed vaguely in the direction, opening her eyes to find Sokka and Zuko worriedly watching her. She made a face. “I’m not crazy. I can feel it. There’s a power here, in my waterbending. It’s why I—“ she dropped her gaze. “I lost control so easily.”

“It’s okay,” Sokka said softly. “They shouldn’t have done that to you.”

“So what do you want to do?” Zuko asked. She saw out of the corner of his eye, the way his hand began to reach towards her, before he curbed it back to his side. “Do you want to help them fight? Or leave?”

The burning desire to destroy Zhao was etched into her heart. Katara tried to look past it, glancing out the window of their room to see the magnificent structures of ice. A part of her still resented it; they had lived for so long in relative peace, while the South had been razed. 

As she watched, two kids ran past, shouting at each other. One did a little gesture, slapping the other with water. Immediately, an older woman ran up, grabbing the waterbender by the ear and scolding him thoroughly. 

“We should help,” she said. She closed her eyes. “I don’t want to be the last waterbender in the world.” There was a heartbeat outside the door, but it didn’t matter. Nothing they were saying needed to be a secret. They needed the tribe to trust them. 

Sokka sighed. “I was afraid you would say that. Alright, so we need to figure out what the Fire Nation knows. Do you think they’ve figured out a way to fight the extra power the North has? Why attack them now?”

Zuko hummed thoughtfully. “Zhao is a brute, but he’s a cunning one. He is more ambitious than anyone aside from my father and sister. If I had to guess, he’ll try to use the fleet as a diversion; sneak in to do damage otherwise.”

“Right. So we need to figure out what the power source is and protect it from him.” Sokka rubbed at his chin. There were a few hairs growing there, and he’d started to pretend he could grow a beard, to Katara’s endless amusement. “Katara, do you think you could get the princess to talk to you?”

She wanted to say yes, an urge welling up to feel that peace in her head again. 

“No,” Zuko said sharply. “We don’t know what she did to Katara. We shouldn’t let her near again.” 

“Royal to royal,” Sokka said. “Alright. You should see what you can find out.”

Zuko began to walk to the door but stopped when he was abreast of Katara. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked. His golden eyes pinned her down, raking over her like he could see into her mind. “If she did something to you, we can burn this place to the ground and never look back.”

“I’m okay,” Katara managed, throat thick. It almost felt like the usual fear, but different. Warm. “Promise.”

“Good.” Zuko’s eyes lingered one more beat before he disappeared. 

“Huh.” Sokka was watching. “Interesting.”

“Shut up,” Katara said. She shifted uncomfortably. “I feel weird.”

“How weird?”

“I dunno.” Katara touched her temples, where Yue had held the water. “Do you think . . . Do you think I can learn? To do that?”

“Mind control, huh? Guess I better watch out when I ask you to wash my socks.”

Katara smiled. Sokka always knew how to cheer her up. 

“Come on. They didn’t say we had to stay here. Let’s go find the training grounds.” 

Chapter Text

Zuko

Ever since Katara had been attacked—stopped, whatever that waterbender had done—Zuko’s adrenaline had been running high. Even as they had been set aside in rooms, able to debrief and relax, it hadn’t left him, a constant buzz that finally he had to move or go crazy, striding out into the icy streets and frightening all of the Water Tribe citizens he walked past. Eventually, that adrenaline stopped blinding him, and he began to walk more purposefully. He very obviously stuck out amongst the white and blue-clad Water Tribe people; he ducked into more alleyways made of ice and began to disappear. 

Since being exiled, Zuko had battled with frustration; not being able to fight, to change anything. He’d often donned a mask, using it as a disguise at various ports to get into alleyway brawls, or sneak around Fire Nation outposts to get what he needed. He couldn’t wear the mask now, but he was able to climb his way to the upper story of their palace. 

Raised voices guided his way. Zuko slid into an empty room next to the argument, hunkering against the wall to listen. 

“—we lose everything!”

“It’s too dangerous, you aren’t ready yet!”

“And when will I be ready? When our nation has burned down around us, and nothing remains? It’s a good plan, Father!”

“I will not lose my only daughter!”

Silence fell. Zuko waited, hearing one set of footsteps stomp out of the door and down the hall.

The wall he was leaning against suddenly turned into snow, sending him sprawling.

Princess Yue looked down on him with eyebrows arched. “That’s one way to gain our trust, isn’t it?”

“Why should I fight for your trust, when you don’t have mine?” Zuko got up slowly, trying to appear unthreatening. “You mess with my—“ he cut off on the word ‘friend’ and reworded it carefully. “You do something to Katara’s mind, you speak in riddles. What’s up here that the Fire Nation fears so much?”

Yue’s clear blue eyes searched his. “Why do you help us?” she asked. “Is there no way you can regain your citizenship, your throne?”

Zuko shook his head sharply. “I lost my honor, and was banished. The only condition set that I could ever return was arbitrary and pointless.”

“What was the condition?”

Zuko shrugged. “Find the Avatar. That was the only way. But it doesn’t matter, because—“

“So if you find the Avatar, you can return home?”

“Well, that was the condition, but—“

“I am the Avatar.”

Zuko froze. The words were like a punch to the gut. “You’re lying,” he said woodenly. But there was no lie on the princess’ face. 

“I am. Whoever the old Avatar was, he must have died. I was born. I was supposed to die, but was blessed by the Moon Spirit, Tui. And then I found out—“ Yue did a little twisting motion with her hand, and Zuko felt a gust of wind wash over his face. 

All the hopes and dreams he’d held for so long as a teenager burned in his heart. Zuko closed his eyes. 

“So, now you know. You can drag me back to your father, regain your place on the throne. What is he calling himself, now, the Phoenix King?”

Comet overhead, making Zuko feel strong, too strong. Burned up, skeletal hand clawing in the dirt while the child continued to scream. Katara, held down by a firebender and her shoulder being burned. 

Zuko opened his eyes. “I am not a fool,” he said quietly. “You may not believe me, because I am sure you are more than powerful enough to beat me here and now, but even if I had the option to take you to my father, I would not do it.”

“Why?” she demanded.

“Because I don’t believe in a world that must burn for pointless glory.” 

“I believe you.” Yue offered him her forearm. Zuko awkwardly grabbed her wrist, not sure what she was offering. She laughed, clasping his arm and completing the gesture. “Zuko of the Fire Nation. Let’s begin. Tell me what you can about the Fire Nation vessels, and how they will attack.”

Zuko opened his mouth and then paused. “No, wait. First tell me what you did to Katara.”

Yue smiled. “You care for her. How romantic.”

Zuko froze. “I . . . Well, it’s not like . . . No.”

Yue laughed. “Never mind. Now to explain it more, think of the mind as a part of the body. How do we heal? We follow the pathways our chi guide us through, as Tui, the moon spirit, taught us long ago. I followed those same pathways, and learned how to guide a mind to healing. I don’t use it a lot—it was an extreme circumstance, and I will not do it again, not without Katara’s permission. Is she upset?”

Zuko shook her head. “No. But her brother is.”

Yue nodded. “Quite so. Now are you satisfied?”

“I suppose.”

“We should strategize. I think—“

They were interrupted by a loud cry outside the door. Zuko jumped backwards as the wall of ice coalesced in front of his face, separating him from Yue. 

“Princess!”

“Yes?”

“The strangers, they’re at the training grounds causing trouble. Pakku asked for your presence.”

Zuko groaned and darted away. Hopefully he could stop the trouble before it began.

Chapter Text

Sokka

Sokka snarled, “you let me up now you old geezer! How dare you talk to Katara that way, you—“

“Sokka!” Zuko was running up, quickly taking in the scene. Sokka, trapped in a column of ice, Katara, surrounded by several waterbenders who were in fighting postures. “What happened?”

“This sexist idiot won’t train Katara! Says it’s because she’s a girl!”

The old geezer spoke up drily. “She proved herself earlier today. Her hysteria only cements the fact that she does not need to be learning waterbending combat. She should go to the healing tents, to learn there.”

Sokka grinned at the way all the waterbenders jumped back as Zuko huffed out an angry breath of flames. “Of all the—“

“Enough!”

Sokka’s smile dropped. He scowled at the princess, unveiled as she approached. “Pakku, release them. Please follow me. And you will be training her, as soon as I am done with her.”

Sokka didn’t like the sound of that. “Hey, what does that mean?” he demanded. 

“Sokka, shut up and come on,” Zuko urged. He’d already collected Katara, almost herding her along like a mother goose-hen with a newborn chick, keeping himself between her and the other waterbenders. “We can trust her.”

“Trust her,” he scoffed. He followed, shivering from being incased in ice, hand on his gun. 

Yue whirled on him. Sokka instinctively went into a defensive posture. 

“You may not trust me,” she said. “But can I trust you? You act like a pirate, but do you have honor? Are you truly here to see the war end, to see the Fire Nation’s defeat?”

“We went over this already, lady,” Sokka snapped. “Why else would we show up here, risking our lives and being subjected to this?”

“Then follow me. This is the Spirit Oasis. Home to the moon and ocean spirits.”

Sokka always had a peripheral awareness of his sister, and to see her relax the moment they entered the oasis was . . . convincing. Katara never relaxed, not fully.

“Spirit Oasis,” he repeated dubiously. He looked around the green and lush area, in a dome of ice. “Huh.”

“As I told Zuko, I was blessed by the Moon Spirit, allowed to live when I was sick after my birth. It’s why my hair is white. And as the Avatar, I—“

“The Avatar?” Sokka interrupted. He stared at her. “Um, there’s no way. You’re lying.”

Yue appeared to concentrate, hand reaching out over the ground, and a small rock flew up into her hand. 

“That . . . doesn’t prove anything,” Sokka said weakly. He didn’t like the way Katara’s eyes had lit up. It made him reflexively too happy to see her hope, and Sokka had learned not to trust in happiness. He knew, intimately, how horrible it was to see that light disappear. 

“We don’t have time for your disbelief. Follow me.” Yue strode away, demanding obedience. Sokka scowled. 

A pool in the middle of the oasis had two fish circling each other. 

“Tui and La,” Yue said. She made the water ripple by letting her hand drift over the surface. “They are our protectors. And I hope to use their strength to protect us in the battle to come.”

“You’ll reveal yourself as Avatar,” Zuko said. He sounded strangely emotional. Maybe his uncle had talked about the Avatar in the same way Sokka could remember Gran Gran telling stories. A beacon of hope.

Yue nodded, her chin sticking out. “I’m tired of hiding. I want to fight, to stop the war.”

She was a hundred years too late for that. 

“So, do you have a plan, or are you just going to announce to the Fire Nation army that you’re the Avatar and hope they surrender?”

A bit of Yue’s fierceness ebbed out of her as her shoulders slumped. “Well, I’ve communed with the spirits here often. I am hoping I can talk to them again, and beg for them to help me defeat the army.” 

“And in the meantime, while you’re ’communing,’ we burn to death,” Sokka deduced.

Zuko nudged at Sokka’s arm. “It’s better than what we thought we had, isn’t it?”

“After?” Katara murmured. “What about after?”

Yue looked around at the three of them. “After, I would beg for your help, as my escorts.”

Sokka blinked. “Escorts?”

Yue made a gesture that sent a gust of air shivering through the leaves of the small trees in the oasis. “I have mastered water, and have done my best to learn what I can of airbending through the scrolls that we have retrieved from the Northern Air Temples. I have two elements left, which I am struggling to learn. If I am to act as Avatar, I need to be able to connect with all four elements, not just two.”

“My uncle would be willing to train you in firebending,” Zuko said. “He taught me everything I know.”

Yue nodded her head in acknowledgment. “That is a good start. I imagine we will be on the run, once the Fire Nation learns of my existence. I cannot stay here.”

Sokka gestured between himself and Katara. “Why us?”

“Who better to guide me in a dangerous world than two very dangerous siblings?” Yue’s lips curved into a pretty smile that made Sokka’s chest feel strange. He saw Katara side-eye him. “You are also the last remaining heritage of your people. I feel that as the Avatar, it is partly my duty to protect you both.” 

“Like we need protecting,” Sokka grumbled.

“Avatar Yue,” Katara said. Her low voice was troubled. “I don’t want to . . . be a burden on you.”

Something passed between the two girls that Sokka couldn’t read, but ended with Katara ducking her head in a nod. Yue clapped her hands together. “Now that we’re in agreement. Sokka, if you could come with me to talk with my father and plan out our supplies and route through the ice fields. Zuko, please escort Katara to the training fields again and tell Master Pakku he is to work with Katara on the basics. If we only have a few days to prepare, then I would like all of us to be at top form.” 

“Bossy,” Sokka muttered. From the sharp look Yue gave him, he was pretty sure she heard, but she didn’t comment on it. 

Chapter Text

Yue

It had taken a lot of time, tears, and learning for Yue to get to where she was in the tribe. As a young girl, she hadn’t been taken seriously, even as she’d wanted desperately to learn waterbending. And then, when she’d found out she was the Avatar, everything had started to change.

A little piece of her wasn’t happy; she’d wanted to become a waterbender by showing her own merit. The concession that Pakku made to teach her was driven solely by her status, nothing more. When she’d tried to argue for some of her female peers to be trained, she’d been instantly shut down.

Yue didn’t abandon them. She threw herself into her healing training as well, to prove that she thought it was worthwhile. And for a while, she would gather up some of the younger girls to train in secret—at least until they’d been discovered. Yue had taken her chastisement and hadn’t fought it yet. She’d been planning to wait until she was eighteen and fully an adult. 

Now, it looked like she wouldn’t have that chance. 

War had been such a distant concept, that now that it was upon her, Yue didn’t know what to do. She knew her father and the council were working on their defenses. Her own plan felt weak. Hope that the spirits would help? Like they’d helped the world at large? Where were the spirits when the air nomads had fallen?

So lost in her thoughts, Yue nearly ran into her companion as they were walking. 

Sokka raised an eyebrow at her. He had a scar splicing through it, warping the skin slightly. Yue couldn’t help but be fascinated, wondering how he’d gotten it. 

“We need a back-up plan,” he declared. “It’s all well and good that you’re the Avatar and expect to use your magic powers to fight, but what if you can’t do it?”

Infuriating boy. He reminded Yue too much of every waterbender she’d trained with—doubting her because she was a girl. Yue drew herself upright, keeping her face placid. “I can,” she said. “And you are welcome to come up with a back-up plan.”

Sokka’s sneer made his face ugly. Yue turned away, absently noticing that the bridge was developing cracks—she fixed it with a quick move of her hand. 

“How old are you?” Sokka asked.

“You first,” she retorted.

“Nineteen.”

“Seventeen.” Yue frowned as she saw old man Hapi struggling with his nets. She walked over, quickly tugging and separating a tangled one, hefting it over her shoulder. She helped him pull it into place so he could easily get it onto his boat.

“You know your son should be helping you,” she said.

“Ah, you know that young welp. Thank you for your help, princess.”

She straightened, jolting slightly in surprise to see Sokka watching. She had forgotten he was with her.

“Come along,” she said stiffly. 

“Interesting,” he said. 

“Oh?” She braced herself for his insult. She couldn’t quite figure out why he seemed to dislike her so much.

“Taking care of your tribe. Thought you might be too fancy for that.”

Yue grit her teeth. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“No, it’s—“ His voice went a little soft, a little . . . dark. Yue turned just in time to see the way his eyes were filled with sorrow and regret. She hesitated, considering asking him. What he’d said of what happened to his tribe . . . No one should have to endure that. 

“Come on,” he said abruptly. “I want to get back to Katara, let’s get this errand done.” 

Chapter Text

Katara

They’d only walked a little ways away from the Spirit Oasis when Zuko spoke up.

“Are you okay?”

Katara twisted her hands together, jittery with something she couldn’t quite understand. “The Avatar,” she whispered. “I used to dream . . .”

“Yeah.”

Katara looked up at him, smiling. Zuko caught her look and a strange expression crossed his face. “You too, huh? I mean, it seems silly, to hope that one person could change the world, bring balance.”

“I’m . . . I’m glad you have that still,” Zuko said. “Hope, that is.”

Hope. Katara reached up to her arm before she realized what she was doing. She had thought hope had been beaten out of her long ago, and yet here it was, still shimmering in her heart. 

“You and your uncle will teach her firebending,” she said. “If she has time, maybe she can show me more.”

“Yes,” Zuko agreed. “And we’ll get started with it right now.”

Katara came to a halt, seeing the men and boys going through their forms. It was funny, she’d never thought about the differences between men and women. There were certain things she could remember her mother doing, and remember her father doing. She wished now that she had asked Gran Gran more of the reasons why she had left the Northern Water Tribe, so long ago, to travel a war-ridden world to the South. 

“Katara?”

“He didn’t want to train me,” she said. “The way they looked at me, it . . .” It flashed through her mind, the root of her discomfort.

There had been something in their eyes that reminded her of the firebenders, the way they had looked at her.

The way he had looked at her. 

Her vision was disrupted by golden eyes, one half-lidded from a horrible scar. It should have frightened her, and reminded her of him, but she didn’t pull back. 

Warm hands clasped her shoulders, one of them just missing her scar. “You don’t have to,” Zuko said softly. “You’re an excellent fighter already. Look at everything you can do. And like you said, Yue can teach you while we travel. You don’t need to deal with them.” 

Katara took a deep breath. Something in the way Zuko looked at her made her feel strong. 

“No, I can do this,” she said firmly. “I don’t know how to talk to anyone or do anything else to prepare. At least I can do this. You go help Yue and Sokka.” 

Zuko looked doubtfully behind himself. “I should stay with you. If they try something . . .”

“Then I’ll kill them,” Katara said. Zuko winced, and she amended. “I’ll beat them badly.”

Zuko’s mouth quirked in a little smile. “Deal, you crazy waterbender.”

Katara could feel his gaze on her as she strode towards the old man. Pakku. 

“You shouldn’t be here, girl.” 

She got into a low crouch, her preferred starting position for a fight. Around her, she heard laughter. 

Pakku raised an eyebrow at her. “You want to prove it? Go on, fight Hahn.” 

One of the benders stepped forward. Katara instantly catalogued his heartbeat, saw the way he held his weight.

He sent out some kind of whip made from water, slashing towards her face. Katara dodged and simultaneously rolled closer. Sokka had taught her early—get in close, and make it impossible for them to keep her away. Get them off balance. 

She didn’t have the control with water to do what she would’ve liked to—to surround Hahn’s legs with ice and make him fall over. If she were to try, Katara was pretty sure she would slice his leg off on accident. Instead, she modified what she’d done the first time she fought Zuko. Instead of incasing Hahn in water, she slammed the water in her control into his chest, sending him sprawling. Then she landed on his back, pulling back his arm in an uncomfortable hold while she held him down.

“She can’t do that! It’s cheating!”

Pakku grunted. “The princess said I am to train her, and so I will. Enough gawking, back to your exercises. Let him up, girl.”

His voice, calling her girl, in the same tone he had called her peasant scum.

“Katara,” she gritted out. She didn’t release the man under her. “My name.” 

“Right, Katara.” The disdain in his voice made Katara wish for one of Sokka’s guns. “Let’s get started with the basics.” 

Hours later, and Katara had mastered a few of the moves Pakku had shown her. Like Iroh with his lessons, he showed Katara movements that were in sync with the water, moving with it smoothly. Katara still hadn’t figured out how to control turning water to ice and back again without making a mess, but she was getting close. 

She looked up from her last move to find Zuko on the sidelines, watching intently. 

In her distraction, she missed that Pakku was still testing her, and hit her with a water whip that sent her staggering back, skidding across the ice on her side. 

“Hey! That wasn’t a fair strike!” Zuko shouted.

“She wasn’t paying, attention, she—“ Pakku’s voice stopped. Katara half-expected him to be down under Zuko’s attack, but Zuko was moving towards her instead, while Pakku was crouched over . . .

Over her necklace.

Katara let out a snarl, something low from her chest. 

“My necklace,” Pakku said.

Zuko turned on his heel. “No, that’s Katara’s,” he snapped. “Give it back to her right now or I will burn you where you stand.”

“I made this, years and years ago, for the love of my life,” Pakku said. “Kanna.”

At her grandmother’s name, fury turned to pain. Katara could still hear Gran Gran’s scream echoing in her ears. She never saw her body, as she was dragged away, but she had felt her heartbeat stop.

Zuko’s hand was gentle on her shoulders, pulling her upright. Katara blindly clutched his arm, staring past him at Pakku.

The old man suddenly seemed ancient, harsh lines drooping into years. He approached, necklace held out for Katara to take.

“Was she . . . Is she . . .”

“My grandmother,” Katara said. “Dead.”

A tear rolled down Pakku’s cheek. “I am so sorry.” 

Chapter Text

Zuko

Zuko frowned as he stared out over the city. “I feel like we’re missing something.” 

Sokka looked up from where he was sharpening a metal spike. He claimed he was going to attach it to his gun for close combat, but Zuko couldn’t see how that would work without compromising the weapon. “What, something about the Northern Water Tribe? Besides the fact that they’re fat cowards?”

“Why attack now? They must know something. Either they suspect the Avatar is here, or they know of some kind of weakness. Maybe they have some kind of weapon that takes down ice.”

“Speculating isn’t going to do us any good, is it?”

Zuko jumped back from the balcony of their room as Katara suddenly appeared in front of him. He glanced down to see she’d raised up a column of ice from the ground to get her to the height. 

“Not bad,” he commended. She didn’t smile, but he could’ve sworn her eyes brightened. 

“How did training go?” Sokka asked. 

Katara undid her wild hair from where she’d tied it up for training. “Good.” 

“Gramps not being so rude anymore?”

Katara twitched, sitting down cross-legged next to Sokka and grabbing another blade and whetstone. Zuko didn’t miss the way she leaned into Sokka, and how Sokka slumped over a little more when she did. While the siblings seemed at home in the icy terrain and with several cultural things that Zuko was lost around, they were more tense than they had been the last few weeks on his boat. 

“Not much longer,” Sokka said. He glanced back up at Zuko. “Should we have a back-up plan, if Yue’s meditation scheme doesn’t come through?”

Zuko nodded. “Take the Avatar, and run. If she’s a strong waterbender, between her and Katara we should be able to stay ahead of the Fire Nation ships. If they know that she’s with us, they’ll leave off their attack and follow us instead.” 

“Right. So we stick together during the attack.”

“Yeah.” 

Katara frowned, looking up. “Zhao,” she said “He’ll be there.”

Sokka didn’t argue the point, looking back to his knife. Zuko turned away from the balcony, coming into the room and dropping onto his knees next to Katara. “I know you want your revenge,” he said carefully. “But we’re talking about an entire army, Katara. How many ships attacked your village?”

“Two,” Sokka answered. Katara’s eyes were burning like she was a firebender, staring up at him.

“Is it worth getting a chance at Zhao, battling through hundreds of firebenders to find him? He’ll want to chase the Avatar. You can have your chance later, right? If you go after him during a battle, you could lose the ability to ever have a shot at him again.”

She nodded. There was something trusting in her gaze that made Zuko’s throat feel tight. 

Sokka cleared his throat. “Do you think the Avatar can do it?”

“Untested,” Zuko murmured. “We’ll see.”

“Yeah, I thought—“ Sokka’s voice cut off suddenly. “Katara, don’t look.”

“Black snow,” she said. It was almost sing-song. Zuko didn’t like the way her eyes were unfocused, staring past him to the balcony.

He turned unwillingly, knowing what he was going to see. The ash of Fire Nation ships mixed with snow. He had only visited the South Pole once—he’d never found the Southern Water Tribe, but he’d been trying to scout for the Avatar at the time. His ship’s engines had left a trail that made him uncomfortable, seeing the pristine landscape marred by their very presence.

“Hey, hey, hey. Katara. Katara, please, please look at me.”

Zuko turned back to find Sokka holding Katara in place by her shoulders, trying to meet her vague gaze. 

“You’re not there. It’s not happening again.”

She broke out of her panic with a shudder, hiding her face in Sokka’s shoulder. Zuko glanced away, uncomfortably aware of his intrusion.

They were further interrupted by the entryway curtain swinging open. Yue was there, elaborate hair and veil gone, dressed in simple furs. “It’s time,” she said. Her eyes swung over Sokka and Katara, and Zuko had to resist the urge to block her view by standing in front of them. When did he get so protective of these two? It wasn’t like it was his job.

“Yue,” he said, trying to distract her. “Do you have the supplies and boat ready?”

“Yes.”

“You really think you can reach the spirits?” Sokka said doubtfully. In the time that Zuko had provided, both he and Katara had stood, faces somber and set.

“I have before,” Yue said firmly. “Let’s go.”

Zuko let Sokka and Yue lead the way. He held Katara back by the smallest of touches on her elbow. She inhaled shakily.

“Katara,” he murmured. “Are you okay?”

She set her shoulders back, not looking at him. “I have to be.” 

Chapter Text

Sokka

Sokka scowled at the princess’s back. She was close to Katara’s size. Easy to take in a hand to hand fight. If he had to bet, she’d never had any true fighting training. 

The guards at the Spirit Oasis let them in with nods. Sokka grimaced in his parka as the warm air washed over them. It was going to be awkward, if they needed to fight—if the fight went outside, he’d have to get his coat back on quickly. It was not only tough in the sense of keeping him warm from the cold, but also from the thickness of the hide used to make it. At least the Northern Water Tribe hadn’t skimped on their gear. But if they fought inside the oasis, he would like freedom of movement without his coat. 

“I do not know how long it will take, or if I will be able to reach the Spirit World.” Yue turned, seeming surprised to find Sokka alone. “Where did the others go?”

“What, I’m not enough of a guard for you?” he taunted.

She didn’t rise to his bait and that was the most annoying part. 

“I put my life in your hands,” she said solemnly. She saw Zuko and Katara following slowly and nodded once to them past Sokka. Her eyes snapped back onto his before he could figure out whether to say something else or not. “Do not fail me, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe.”

She sank down next to the pool of water, cross-legged, closing her eyes. Sokka shifted uncomfortably next to her, hand on his gun. He didn’t understand any of the Spirit World mumbo-jumbo. 

“Is she . . .” Zuko was talking softly as he came up on Sokka’s left. “She’s in it?”

“I don’t know,” he returned. “I guess?”

“Mmm. Should we take turns resting?”

“I don’t know, we—“

Yue twisted around, glaring at them. “If I could get some quiet, please, I’m trying to concentrate!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Sokka held up his hands in defense. 

They took a few steps further back. Katara remained where she was, eyes intense as she stared at the pool. 

“Katara,” Sokka hissed. “You should—“

Even from their distance, both of them saw the moment Yue entered the Spirit World. Her eyes flared white, body straightening. 

“That’s weird,” Sokka muttered. 

Katara remained where she was, eyes focused on the pool. It made Sokka nervous. He didn’t dare say anything, but crept closer to the pool, reaching out to grab her arm. They remained silent, watching the princess. There were sounds, distant, crashes and screams. 

“Katara.”

Sokka jumped at the loud voice. It had come from Yue. It was her voice, but not—deeper, almost layered. 

Zuko moved towards them, brow furrowed. “Did she just—“

“Katara,” Yue said again. Her hands were outstretched. Reaching.

“I think,” Katara said, “she wants me to join her.”

“Excuse me? She did brainwash you, didn’t she? That’s crazy, why would you go to the Spirit World? You’re not the Avatar.”

Katara started tugging against his grip. “Sokka, let go.”

“Zuko, back me up here! This isn’t safe!”

“It’s not,” Zuko said slowly. “But if Katara thinks she can help . . .”

Sokka hissed under his breath, looking down at the princess. Her eyes were glowing white, eerily staring at him. He dropped to one knee in the soft grass, meeting her strange gaze with his own. 

“If anything bad happens to her in there,” he said. “I will destroy you myself.”

Katara tugged on his wolf’s tail, getting him to rise to her—she briefly pressed her forehead against his. 

She knelt down in front of Yue. She reached out, grasping Yue’s hands with her own. 

Katara’s body stiffened. Her eyes didn’t glow, but shut. Sokka had to fight the instinct to pull her back, away from Yue. 

“She’ll be okay?” he asked.

Zuko grunted, coming closer. “I know my Uncle has gone to the Spirit World before. And he’s fine, right?”

“Yeah,” Sokka said unwillingly. “Except that he’s kinda crazy.”

There was a strange sound in the distance. Like a roar, then a loud thud, followed by screams.

“Catapults,” Zuko said grimly. “The projectiles will be covered in fire, but shouldn’t be able to catch on much, given that it’s a city of ice.”

Sokka shifted, foot to foot. “I want to be out there,” he confessed. He thumbed at his gun handle. 

“I know, but I think—“

There was a loud shout from right outside the oasis, the roaring sound that Sokka associated with fire and death.

The figure that stepped through the door made his blood freeze. 

Zhao straightened, gazing around until he focused on them. “Well, what do we have here?”

Chapter Text

Yue

Yue had gone into deep meditation several times before. She’d met with her predecessor, Aang, and in the dark he’d shown her airbending, techniques to start her journey. He was the one to tell her about being the Avatar, what she should do.

It always started out so dark, with stars sparkling around her.

“Avatar Aang?” she called. In the distance, she could see Tui and La. They circled each other in an elaborate dance. Aang had warned her against interrupting them, but this time she needed their help. She started towards them, wading through the water full of stars.

“Hey, you know better than to interrupt their dance.” Aang appeared in front of her, grinning. Yue couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him. He was only twelve, when he’d become Avatar, and twelve when he’d died, though he wouldn’t tell her the circumstances, or explain why it had taken so long for the cycle to start with her.

“Avatar Aang,” she said respectfully. “I need your help, and maybe the spirits’ help.”

“Oh?” He cocked his head. He did a clever airbending move that let him rest on a spinning ball of air above the water—no matter how hard Yue tried, she couldn’t figure out how to mimic it.

“The Fire Nation, they’re attacking the Water Tribe. We need to stop them. Can you tell me how to access the Avatar state? Or get Tui and La to help?”

Aang’s carefree face tightened. “Yue, I told you. The others say you shouldn’t go into the Avatar state without being trained in the other two elements. It’s volatile, and you could do a lot of damage.”

Yue gestured. “Okay, fine. So can Tui and La help?”

Aang looked hesitantly past her at the dancing figures. “They won’t. Their dance can’t be interrupted.”

“Well, if we don’t, their earthly forms will be destroyed! The Fire Nation will destroy them!”

Aang shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe if there were two Avatars, you could mimic their dance and join in their power.”

“So can’t you . . .”

Aang shook his head. “I am a part of you, Yue, not a power in myself.”

Yue stared at them dancing. Tui, the moon, almost looked like her. A graceful woman with white hair. 

Her opposite was La, dressed in dark shades of blue and with burning blue eyes that reminded Yue of . . . 

“Katara,” she breathed. 

“Who?”

“A waterbender. What if she joins me?”

Aang made a face. “Maybe? If she has a strong enough spiritual connection.”

“It’s worth a shot. I’ll bring her back with me.”

“There’s no guarantee that if you leave you’ll be able to access the Spirit World again,” Aang reminded her. “I know last time you tried, you didn’t return until much later.”

“I’ll reach her from here,” Yue said determinedly. She stretched out her hands in the darkness, keeping her eyes open so as not to lose sight of her place in the Spirit World, but trying to feel inwards, to the beat of her heart, the connection with her own body.

“Katara,” she called. 

Aang shifted uncomfortably next to her. “Yue, if you can’t do this, you may need to leave. Need to run, so the Fire Nation doesn’t capture you.”

She couldn’t let her people die for her. Yue jutted her chin out, to fight the tremble of her bottom lip. “I have to do this.” 

The stars flickered, and then slid away into a strange, shimmering blue. Aang disappeared from her side, though Tui and La continued their dance. 

Katara crouched in front of her. In the Spirit World, she didn’t have the scars that notched her brow and her jaw. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, loops at her temple. She looked . . . younger.

“Katara,” Yue said. “You heard me.”

She flinched, gazing at her warily. “Yue. What is this?”

“I need your help.” Yue pointed to Tui and La. “They cannot be interrupted. But if we join in their dance, they may offer us help.”

Katara shifted, wrapping her arms around herself. “Why me? Shouldn’t I go get a stronger waterbender?”

“Katara.” Yue hesitated, before carefully reaching out. She touched Katara’s bare shoulder. The girl startled back, staring down at her arm and touching the skin of her own arm with reverence. “You are strong. You are so powerful. I have never felt a mind such as yours before, and when you bend, it is with a raw connection that may even surpass mine some day. You are a child of the ocean. La is your father. You can do this.” 

Katara straightened, a new light in her eyes. She reached out, clasping Yue’s forearm in the traditional Water Tribe greeting—one of the few things that had managed to remain from their joint culture after a hundred years of separation. 

Joining in the dance was like coming home. Yue naturally began following Tui’s movements, while Katara followed La’s. It was the rawest form of waterbending. Yue could have cried for how amazing it felt, how enmeshed she felt with her element. Katara faithfully followed La’s movements opposite her. 

The moment of connection came. Yue opened her eyes—Tui’s eyes—and looked down upon the world beneath her. She could see ships, spread far as the eye could see. She could see small little structures of ice. She could see herself and La circling each other in the pond, while three figures fought nearby.

“La,” she said. “Dance with me, this night?”

La answered her pull, a tsunami wave rising between the ice and the boats. Their earthly forms—human ones—stepped into the pond, protected by their circling fish. 

“As we always were,” Tai whispered. “Light and dark. Moon and ocean. Come my love, let us protect our people.” 

La was of few words—action was the only remaining option.

Chapter Text

Katara

Being attached to a spirit felt like fire coursing through her heart. Katara didn’t fight it—her will was not her own, even as she felt her body move, her legs getting wet as she dropped into water. She thought maybe her hand was clasped around Yue’s forearm still, but the next second all she felt was the icy splash of the ocean, the rage that began to build in her. 

The ocean was angry. Katara thought of what had been done to her family, done to her people, and felt La answer it. He had failed them. He had not seen. He was sorry for the people of the South.

Sorry wasn’t enough, Katara told him. Look to the ships.

The water was hers to command, with the power of the moon building up in her veins. Light and dark, the water crashed over the ships, destroying, wrecking. Screams and fire met her, but what could stop the ocean? 

Fire. Fire by the human forms, by their manifestations, still swimming in the pool. La refocused his efforts, leaving the foundering fire vessels and coalescing his power within the human. La—Katara—rose from the pool as one. Rage demanded blood—but Tui was at his side, vulnerable. Protection was paramount. La threw the interloper from their home, barricading the oasis with impenetrable ice. Katara cursed at him, wanting the blood that had been just denied her. He ignored her, focusing on Tui. 

“Hurt,” he said. He could see it. Blood in the water. 

Tui smiled shakily. “A small hurt, easily healed.”

La knew no healing. He was only able to break and destroy. But Tui was strong, and healed herself. 

Katara pulled at the connection. There was a whisper in her heart that knew La could demand she act as his host—that he could do more, in this form, than the black koi that swam around her legs. 

Tui laughed, a lighthearted sound that La listened to. She sank, into water—water pouring down her throat, water drowning . . .

A warm arm grasped her around the waist. Katara briefly fought against the grip of it, and then she realized how cold she was.

“Easy, Katara, you’re okay. Come on, open your eyes for me, won’t you? Open your eyes for me.”

Katara didn’t want to. She wanted to sink back into the darkness, thinking of the dance that La had taught her. 

But the rasping voice was insistent. Katara listened, prying open heavy eyes to find Zuko staring down at her. 

“You’re okay,” he breathed. “Come on. We’ve got to make sure that the fleet is retreating, and then leave as quickly as possible.”

“Sokka?”

She saw the way Zuko frowned, glancing to the side. “He’s . . . He’ll be okay.”

Fear brought strength back into Katara’s limbs. She shoved herself upright, pushing desperately towards her brother.

Yue was over him, face calm as she was healing him.

“He’ll be okay,” Zuko repeated. He helped her to stand. “If we get the boat ready for them, that will help more than anything else.”

Katara nodded vaguely. She stared around them. The ice dome had been remade. The turf and trees were torn and broken around her. 

“What happened?”

“I don’t even know,” Zuko said. “Yue made us a door. Here, let’s go.”

“There was a threat,” she remembered. “Someone . . . Someone attacked you.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Katara froze. La had controlled her, but she had still seen it. His face.

“Zhao,” she gasped. “He was here. He . . . is he . . .”

Zuko winced. “He was. We were fighting him, trying to protect you and Yue. He managed to get Sokka down. I was holding him, when you stepped in. Or . . . the spirit, I guess. Your eyes were pitch black, and you moved differently. You threw him out and allowed Yue to heal herself.”

“He’s still alive,” she said. She sagged in Zuko’s grip. “I wanted to kill him, but La wouldn’t.”

Sokka cried out, distracting both of them. Katara caught Zuko off guard, pulling herself free of his grip and dropping to his side. 

Yue had been working on his injury to his ribcage. The skin looked completely smooth, healed like a horrible burn was never there. Katara had never been able to heal like that.

“He is fine,” Yue said. Her face was pale. “He is healed.”

Katara met Yue’s gaze, seeing something of Tui there. She didn’t speak her thanks, but knew that Yue could read it in her eyes.

“We need to go,” Zuko said gruffly. “We can’t delay. We need to find out if Zhao got away or not.”

Sokka cursed his name. His face was guilty as he looked up to Katara. “I’m sorry. I failed.”

Katara shook her head. “We’ll get another chance,” she promised him. 

“We need to go,” Zuko insisted. He and Katara helped Sokka to stand. “It’s time, Avatar.”

Yue straightened her shoulders, gazing up at the three of them standing around her. Her gentle face split into a tired but determined smile. “Let’s do this.”