Chapter Text
Iroh’s rage is kept well-hidden beneath the kind and calm veneer he exuded.
It was a necessity as he has found himself not only traveling with children, but arguably some of the most powerful children in the world. The Avatar, his child-prodigy masters, and the future chief of the Southern Water Tribe have taken to clinging to him as if they expected him to topple any moment. While their motivation was misplaced—for Iroh was closer to slaughtering those responsible for his nephew’s capture—it was sorely appreciated.
An old man like him can only truly be restrained by the innocence of children.
They traveled together out of need at first, fighting for their lives and avoiding detection. Then, it was out of obligation. The Avatar and his friends were more than willing to risk their lives to stage a daring rescue mission for his nephew. They tried. By Agni, they tried. They infiltrated camps, scoured every Fire Nation vessel they can find, and even interrogated small patrol parties that may hold key information, but they couldn’t find Zuko’s whereabouts for them to save him.
Iroh had made it a priority among the Order of the White Lotus factions he could reach, especially the handful of members he can contact in the Fire Nation. His spies at the heart of the Caldera itself have been mobilized in full. Iroh may have been branded as a failure and a traitor, but he had once been the Crown Prince for far longer than Ozai had ruled. Even with his brother’s ruthless purging of his allies, Iroh still held power in the palace. But the information was slow and mostly unusable. Desperation gripped his heart but he cannot allow himself to fall into the habits that earned him the title ‘Dragon of the West.’
Aang and the children do not deserve to witness that.
But Iroh refused to give up. He will never give up.
When news reached them that his nephew had been brought before Ozai and imprisoned for treason, Iroh had attempted to say goodbye and leave to liberate Zuko from his brother’s clutches. The children, of course, were confused why Zuko needed to be rescued from his own father.
He was his father, after all.
Sokka had reasoned that at the very least, he would be under house arrest, and they could rescue him after they defeated the Fire Lord. They had worried Zuko would have been brought before the likes of Zhao or someone worse who aligned themselves with Azula. But what’s the worst that could happen if Zuko had been brought home to his father?
Iroh had only looked at the children sadly. Even after everything they have seen and heard of the Fire Nation, they still didn’t understand the extent of Ozai’s cruelty.
Until Iroh told them the story of a young prince valiantly trying to save his people, and was burned for it.
The story had given Aang nightmares for days and Toph had violently grounded boulders to dust. No stone was safe in the wake of her fury. Meanwhile, Katara and Sokka huddled next to each other that night and clearly tried to picture their own father committing the same atrocities on either of them.
Iroh has heard many tales about Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe.
He knows for a fact they can’t.
After that, the children understood Iroh’s frantic need to save Zuko from Ozai.
With no other recourse left to them, they turned towards Chameleon Bay and began their search for Chief Hakoda’s fleet. Gaining more allies could only help Iroh defend the children even better, particularly, because he needed to focus all of his energy on rescuing Zuko. Sokka and Katara’s father would surely not mind protecting his own children and their friends—let alone the Avatar, himself—and Iroh will finally have the opportunity to unleash his inner dragon.
During their search, they had spotted many parties of Fire Nation soldiers, carrying or towing large pieces of machinery that seemed to make one massive machine. They flew over the retreating parties without confrontation, but Iroh had advised them that it was better they avoided tempting the soldiers altogether by staying near the water, where they cannot reach them even with catapults.
“Why do you think they’re retreating?” Sokka asked somberly. He was leaning on the far end of the saddle alone, sharpening his weapons with near obsessive compulsion. He’s been like that since Zuko was taken. “And what are those things they’ve been dragging around?”
“If I had to guess, it would have to be war machines.” Iroh answered. “They were on their way to Ba Sing Se, but something had stopped their advance.”
“Zuko’s arrest?” Katara hedged. Toph perked in interest beside her.
Iroh stroked his beard in thought. “I do not think so. It may be caused by something else.”
“What else could it be?” Aang asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m happy they’re retreating but what can stop the Fire Nation from attacking the Earth Kingdom?”
Iroh’s eyes widened, realization dawning. “A royal hostage. They have Azula.”
All of the children stilled. Their eyes widened comically.
“You can’t be serious.” Toph scoffed bitterly. “You mean, after Zuko tried to save her, Azula got captured by Earth Kingdom soldiers anyway?”
“Azula has always been deadly, but looking back, my network had never spoken of her. I never realized, and I never asked.” Iroh recalled with a small tinge of regret. He never even considered the possibility. He’d been so focused on his nephew that he never even considered that his niece would possibly be in danger as well. Iroh had a small, monstrous voice that purred in vindication at the irony of the situation before he stamped it down with a douse of shame. Whatever she had become, she was no older than a child herself. Zuko had loved her enough to sacrifice himself for her. Iroh should’ve done more for both of them. “We will have to know for sure. I have to arrange for my contacts to give us information.”
“Remind me again, who are your contacts, Uncle?” Sokka prodded, and he shot Iroh a piercing look. Iroh met his gaze evenly before turning away. Soon, he will allow Sokka entry into the Order. But not yet. Not when safety is an illusion, and the last hope for this world rides on whether or not they could cross an ocean long enough to reach Chief Hakoda.
.
.
.
Chameleon Bay sparkled majestically under the radiant midafternoon sun.
Three wooden ships with faded Water Tribe sails were docked proudly at its shore. Tents with intricate weaves and patterns that boasted the heritage of the Southern Water Tribe were sprawled across the sandy beach. Campfires with men milling about can be heard even from the distance of their fast approach. Appa had groaned loud enough to spook them, and the Water Tribe men scrambled for a defense before a man had steadied them and looked up, waiting for them to land.
Katara and Sokka nearly fell out of the saddle, excited and partly desperate, as they were to dismount.
No one can fully blame them. They haven’t seen their father in nearly four years.
“Sokka, Katara!” Chief Hakoda had cried out, his arms wide open for his children when Appa had landed on the sand. Sokka and Katara wasted no time to bolt out of the saddle together and tackled their father. Only Hakoda’s strength had stopped them all from toppling. The small family locked in a fierce embrace of longing and heartache.
“Dad,” Sokka whimpered, burying his face into his father’s shoulder. Katara had tears freely streaming down her face.
“Bato told me about what you were doing.” Hakoda choked out, smile nearly breaking his cheeks. Each of his calloused palm cradled the back of each of his children’s heads. “I am so proud of you both. And so scared. I never knew I could be that scared.”
“It wasn’t easy.” Katara sobbed. “It’s been hard, Dad.”
“I know, Katara.” Hakoda said. “I’m here now, and I’ll keep you safe.”
“Yeah, but we’re not done yet, Dad.” Sokka mumbled, his voice hard with resolve. His son broke away from his embrace, and turned back to their companions. Hakoda could clearly identify the Avatar. A small child younger than Katara covered in airbending tattoos, waving almost hesitantly at him. There was another child beside him. She was even smaller than the Avatar and her milky white eyes were almost hidden underneath overgrown bangs. Hakoda realized that the child was blind yet her demeanor did not betray it. She grinned in his direction like she knew what he was thinking. Then, there was an old man not far behind them. To the untrained eye, he seemed ordinary, his smile was benign, and hands tucked underneath his long, plain sleeves. But he could see the lengths the man played to appear inconspicuous. Something about him made Hakoda pause, years of experience in the battlefield sharpened his instincts to danger. He immediately knew to be wary.
“Dad, this is Aang, the Avatar.” Sokka introduced, almost subdued. Not like the exuberant boy Hakoda once remembered. Katara pulled herself together and reached for the monk, pulling him to the center of Hakoda’s attention.
“Hello, Chief Hakoda.” The Avatar—Aang—greeted. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
“The honor is mine, Avatar Aang.” Hakoda responded with a smile. He offered his arm in their customary greeting and Aang accepted it with his small hand, shy but firm. It seemed Sokka and Katara have taught him enough of their ways to know what it meant.
“Just Aang is okay. This is Toph,” Aang said, gesturing to the other child and she took that as her cue to step forward. “She’s my earthbending teacher.”
“It’s great to meet you.” Toph said, tilting her head slightly. “I see where Katara and Sokka get their confidence from. You’re really rooted in your stance.”
Before Hakoda could figure out how to ask how she knew that and why on earth did the Avatar have a blind child no older than he was as his earthbending teacher, Aang had moved on to the old man.
“And this is—” Aang was cut off by a small cough.
“May I suggest to wait for introductions after we are settled for some tea?” The old man suggested gently with a smile. “I fear we may have a long discussion ahead of us and these old bones have suffered a great deal flying for as long we have.”
He moved with deliberate steps and briefly placed a hand on the Avatar’s shoulder. The children seemed to understand the meaning of the gesture.
Tread carefully, it seems to say.
Battle ready, the children received.
“Oh, right.” Aang muttered, sheepishly scratching the back of his head but he moved to stand beside the old man. “Maybe we should go somewhere more private?”
Hakoda threw the old man a skeptical glance, his instincts now blaring alarm bells in his ahead. There was something about this man that irked him. He can feel the answer coming to him, and Hakoda had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.
“Dad, I think you’d really prefer to have this conversation in your tent.” Sokka persuaded with that look in his eyes. Hakoda knew that look. Sokka’s I-did-something-really-stupid-but-you-wouldn’t-believe-what-just-happened look. “It’s kind of a long story.”
Hakoda sighed. He figured out the answer. It was the gold in the man’s eyes.
“I assume that this man could only be the Avatar’s firebending master.”
His men around him tensed, and suddenly grew very alert. That tends to happen whenever a firebender was in their midst.
“In a way, that is true.” the old man conceded with a small, sheepish smile. But there was something treacherous about that smile. Hakoda did not like it.
“My men and I have had plenty of run-ins with firebenders. None of them were friendly to say the least. As Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, I certainly would be remiss to allow anyone into our camp, particularly a firebender, without so much as knowing their name. Would you care to enlighten me about who you really are?” Hakoda challenged, raising an eyebrow. Though it was phrased as a question, everyone knew it was not a suggestion. He wants to know who exactly has been traveling with his children and why.
“I have a feeling this isn’t going to end well.” Sokka muttered worriedly, giving up. He stood impossibly still beside his father, waiting for the coin to drop. The old man took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“My name is Iroh, Son of Ilah and Fire Lord Azulon, once Crown Prince and General of the Fire Nation. I am the Dragon of the West.” Iroh confessed without pause even as the warriors began shouting angrily around him, reaching for their weapons.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Aang tried to appease, air fleeting around him as he readied himself to defend a wanted war criminal. “Please, stay your weapons!”
“You’re going to have to go through me before you’ll even touch a hair on Uncle’s head!” Toph threatened, sinking into a ready stance. Her scowl was something fierce and a little frightening.
“Did you really have to add the Dragon of the West part?” Sokka groaned, rubbing his temples. He was talking to General Iroh as if he was exasperated, and not at all worried about the old dragon in their camp.
“We’re asking you to listen before passing judgement.” Katara implored, hands open, trying to calm everyone down. “Whatever he did in the past, he’s not that person anymore.”
“He’s a murderer!” One of the tribesmen, Tarik, hurled with venom. The Dragon of the West did not flinch. He knew what he was.
“He’s Uncle,” Aang countered with concerned grey eyes. “He kept us safe from the Fire Nation long enough to reach you. Shouldn’t that tell you more than anything you’ve heard about him in the past?”
“Be that as it may, he is still a prince of the Fire Nation. One of their esteemed generals. That cannot be overlooked.” Another of the Tribesmen, Kirok, insisted. He was one of the youngest of their fleet, barely six years older than Sokka. He was a burly young man with intelligent, burning blue eyes. Hakoda had been eying him to be Sokka’s Second in the distant future. He stood next to Bato with fierce determination.
For the first time since the children and the prince arrived, he met his best friend’s eyes. They may have been hard, but there was temperance in that look. Caution, they seem to say.
“There seems to be more to your story than what meets the eye, General Iroh.” Hakoda observed, holding back his opinions and keeping an open mind. This dragon may be dangerous, but he was here. He came with his children and the Avatar himself will defend him if they attacked. There is a piece of this puzzle they haven’t seen yet.
“It is not a journey I would have expected myself.” The old dragon conceded with a wry smile. “But we cannot choose where our destiny takes us.”
“Chief, y-you can’t be considering harboring him here with us, are you?” Talwok, Kirok’s older brother, stammered in disbelief. “The Earth Kingdom generals would never stand for it!”
“The Avatar and his friends are vouching for the man.” Bato spoke up, clear and crisp, cutting off any other man that could retort anything else. “Sokka and Katara are the children of the Chief. It may be important to listen to what they have to say.”
They were now in the sphere of diplomacy, standing across a prince of the enemy nation and one of the most powerful benders in the world. The line of Sozin were rumored to wield lightning itself. Many would die before they would be able to subdue such a dangerous man and Hakoda will not risk his children in the line of fire. They needed to be careful on how to handle this.
“Chief Hakoda, I do not expect you to welcome me here. I know what I have done in the field of battle and I know what my nation has done to the Southern Water Tribe. I do not ask for your protection nor your friendship. I only ask that you hear what I have to propose.” Iroh offered amicably but firm.
“And what would that be?” Hakoda asked suspiciously.
“A way to defeat Firelord Ozai and restore balance to the world.” Iroh answered.