[untitled]

Chapter 3

           

            “We’re going to need to find a town to restock in soon.” Katara said as she looked into the last of the food bags. The others sat empty in Appa’s saddle.

            Sokka pulled out a rolled up map out of his bag and spread it out on the ground as everyone gathered around it. “Here’s where we’re camping right here, and there should be a town a few miles north.” Sokka said, pointing to both spots consecutively. “And it doesn’t appear to be under Fire Nation control, so no one should be on the lookout for us.”

            Katara stood up. “Well, I’m heading there then. Anyone want to come with me?”

            “I will, Katara!” Aang volunteered enthusiastically, flying over.

            “We will come along as well.” Iroh said, grabbing a somewhat surprised Zuko by the wrist and pulling him along with him. “I need to buy more tea.”

            Katara looked at the obviously-being-dragged-against-his-will Zuko, but smiled anyway. “Great. Let’s go.”

--

            “Uncle, I don’t see why I had to come along on this ridiculous shopping trip of yours.” Zuko grumbled as Iroh compared two different tea boxes.

            “Hm…”

            “Are you even listening to me?” Zuko asked, glaring at the old man.

            Iroh looked over at him, blinking. “I’m sorry, did you say something?” Zuko’s eye twitched and he turned and walked off. “Wait, I was only teasing!” Iroh called futilely. Zuko was already too far away to hear or care.

            The ex-prince sighed as he walked through the bustling town, glancing halfheartedly though the numerous stands as he passed them. “I don’t see why Uncle had to drag me along.” He muttered. He continued wandering until he finally exited the market into a less busy part of the town. Zuko let out a sigh of relief as he saw that the streets were nearly deserted and that he would have room to breathe again.

            His relief was cut short, though, as he turned a corner and saw a flash of red clothes and the shine of armor. Fire Nation.

            It was impossible- there wasn’t a Fire Nation outpost for a few miles, and there were closer towns than this. Unless someone had followed them, or saw them. Zuko’s eyes widened as he took off after the person in red. If they had been following Appa, then they would head back to report- and he couldn’t let that happen.

            After a five minute chase after glimpses of color, Zuko found himself facing a dead-end alleyway… that was completely empty.

            If, of course, you didn’t count the red velvet bag pinned to the back wall with a knife of some sort. Zuko stepped into the alley’s mouth cautiously. For all he knew, this could’ve been a trap. When he made it to the back wall unscathed, he reached up and pulled the knife out of the wall, catching the bag. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the weapon; it was one of Mai’s. Well, at least he knew he wasn’t crazy now. He pulled off the piece of paper wrapped around the handle and unrolled it; it was a map. There was a large red ‘X’ near the northeast corner, due west from the site of the Northern Water Tribe. Flipping the map, he found delicate script that he recognized as Azula’s, in the bottom corner.

            ‘See you soon, Zuzu.’

            He scoffed. How stupid did Azula think he was? Deciding it best not to answer that question, he tucked the map and dagger into his pocket before undoing the bag’s tie strings, opening it slowly before shaking its contents out on the ground.

            He was mildly surprised to not find an explosive or some kind of poison inside. Instead, what fell out was a small square of folded paper and what appeared to be pieces of stone. Picking up the paper, Zuko unfolded it to find another note from his sister.

            ‘Hello brother. I knew you would be too curious to resist taking a peek inside my little gift. And no, it isn’t poisoned. I need you ALIVE to take back to father.’ Zuko’s eyes narrowed as he read this. ‘I also knew that you’d need a reason of some sort to come to me, so consider this your incentive. If you’re confused still, here’s a hint: add water.’             Rereading the words, Zuko glanced from the note to the grey pieces of… whatever before setting the paper down on the ground beside him. Zuko pulled the flask off of his belt, uncorked it and, hesitantly (he still wasn’t sure if this was going to explode or not), poured it on the stone shards.

            Their granite color was quickly replaced by bright bursts of color that shimmered enchantingly across the slivers. Zuko’s eyes widened and he snatched the note back up, flipping it over. There was more writing on the back.

            ‘Amazing how a sonate shell can look like rock, isn’t it? Come to the spot marked on the map within three days, Zuko, or that shell won’t be all that’s broken. Bring the Avatar and uncle. I don’t care about the rest, but if you want to avoid several needless deaths, I wouldn’t drag them along.’

            Zuko clenched his fist around the note, blazing fury burning behind his eyelids. Azula had sunk so low that she was resorting to kidnapping. But it could’ve just been a bluff, a lie, like when she had told him that Ozai was going to take him back. Of course it was a bluff. It had to be.

            Opening his eyes, he began to stand up, when he saw the string, soaking wet and the color of fresh blood, tangled among the shards of broken shell. Carefully, he brushed aside the still-shimmering shell pieces and pulled the string from the pile. With it came a necklace nearly identical to his.

            Zuko scooped up the evidence and ran out of the alley, his eyes flicking around, searching for his uncle or Aang and Katara. Iroh found him first. “Zuko, there you are.” Iroh laughed, holding his basket full of an assortment of teas. Then he noticed the disturbed look on the sixteen-year-old’s face. “What’s wrong?”

            The note and necklace were held out, and Iroh read it, his expression changing from worried to shocked and finally to grave anger. “We have to tell the others.” He informed Zuko. Zuko nodded, tucking both back into his pocket. “Katara and Aang have already returned to the campsite. I stayed to look for you.”

            “Then let’s go.” Zuko said coldly, walking toward the arched gate that led in and out of the town.

--

            “So let me get this straight.” Sokka said after Iroh had explained. “We’re going all the way BACK to the Northern Tribe to find Azula, who captured this old girlfriend of Zuko’s?”

            Zuko glared at him.

            “Zuko, how can we be sure that Azula really has Aril?” Katara asked, drawing the firebender’s hair-trigger temper away from her brother.

            “Because she sent me a couple of ‘presents’ to prove it.” Zuko replied, dumping the bag out again to reveal the sonate shell pieces, bits of which were still wet and shimmering. He picked the shell necklace out of the mess before removing his own from under his shirt and clicking the two halves together. They fit perfectly. “And it was sent courtesy of Mai.” He tossed down the dagger, embedding it in the ground.

            “I think I’ve had enough of these things thrown at me to know it’s the real deal.” Sokka said, picking up and examining the weapon.

            “But we can’t just turn the three of you over to Azula.” Katara protested. “Aang, you can’t do this.”

            Aang bit his lip and bowed his head down. After a moment, he looked up at the rest of the group. “We should go. Just listen.” He said, looking at Katara. “I don’t think I can rest easy when I know that Azula is holding someone hostage, especially someone that more than one of us knows.”

            Toph scoffed. “So how are we just gonna rescue this girl? Walk up to Azula and ask real nice?”

            “No. But Katara’s right, we can’t let Azula capture us.”

            Sokka brightened slightly. “So… a good, old fashioned rescue mission?” Aang nodded.

            “You know, this is kind of ironic.” Sokka commented, standing and stretching. “Used to be that we were rescuing Aang from Zuko. Now we’re going to rescue his old girlfr-”

            A hand closed around his throat. “Call her my girlfriend again and I’ll strangle you.” Zuko hissed, releasing the teen and going take down the tents to load into Appa’s saddle.

            “Smooth move, genius.” Toph said, patting Sokka’s shoulder as she passed him. Sokka glowered at her as she snickered, grumbling as he walked over to help pack up camp.

--

            “It’s still going to take us a few days to get to the Northern Tribe.” Katara murmured as she examined the map. “Will Azula really kill Aril if we don’t get there in the next two days?”

            “I am really not sure.” Iroh confessed, looking over at Zuko. The ex-prince’s back was turned on the group, and he was staring over the edge of Appa’s saddle, as he had been for the past day.

            “She won’t.” Zuko said quietly. “Azula needs Aril to capture me. No Aril, no incentive for me to come quietly. But she’ll do everything she can to break her. Maybe not physically, but mentally and emotionally.”

            “Wow, did your sister just hate this chick or what?” Toph asked.

            Zuko felt a small smile creep across his face. “Actually, yeah. Azula felt threatened because of Aril’s natural talent for firebending. She wasn’t used to being competed with. Or ignored.” He let out a small chuckle. “Aril is Mai’s cousin, so Azula didn’t think that she would refuse her ‘friendship.’ She was furious when Aril preferred to talk to me than her.”

            “Wait a minute; this Aril girl is related to MAI- the psycho girl with the daggers?” Sokka asked.

            “Why would Mai help Azula hold her own cousin hostage?” Katara asked.

            Zuko snorted slightly. “They drifted apart after Mai was sent to the Fire Academy for Girls and met Azula.”

            “This just keeps getting better and better.” Toph muttered, closing her eyes. “So, does anyone actually have a plan on HOW to rescue her?”

            Aang grinned over at her. “Do we ever?”

            “…I’ll take that as a ‘no’.”