Burning Chapter 8: Infiltration

“When it comes to Firebending, there are a few things you need to keep in mind,” I lectured. Holding a cob of corn loosely in my hand, steam wafted off it. “Fire is energy in its most basic form... Energy that can be used to accomplish a variety of things, but it must be treated with respect.”

Glancing around the barn, I shot a pointed look towards all of the dry hay around us. Part of me felt that this wasn’t the right place to teach Aang about Firebending, but another part that sounded suspiciously like Bumi said it was perfect since it’d force Aang to be more wary of his surroundings.

Eyes scrunched up in a look of concentration, Aang stared at his own corn cob, struggling to keep it one temperature. “I know... It’s just like the campfire we talked about last night.”

Nodding, I passed off the finished cob to Sokka who gleefully bit into it before grabbing another one. Getting Aang’s attention, I held the next one in front of him. “Don’t try to force it. Firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles. Breathe in slowly and feel the warmth pooling in your hands... There’s no need to rush.”

Breathing slowly, Aang closed his eyes.

“Not to interrupt your Jerkbending session or anything, but there kinda is a reason to rush,” Sokka said, passing his finished cob over to Appa who munched on it happily. “In case you forgot, this place is crawling with Fire Nation troops. If they discover Aang’s here, I doubt even you would be able to convince them to let us go.”

He wasn’t wrong... I still needed to get Aang to meet Roku, the Winter Solstice was just over a week away and there was still a lot of ground to cover, but there was still the prison raft to consider. Freeing those Earthbenders would go a long way to getting the Fire Nation out of these parts.

It also helped that, if they managed to reclaim these lands, the Fire Nation would have less coal to power their ships and war machines.

“I–“

Before I could finish what I wanted to say, the barn doors slammed open and a distressed Katara stepped in.

“They took him... They took Haru away!”

At that moment, several things happened. Aang, being surprised by Katara’s sudden appearance, jumped and took a deep breath, rapidly heating the cob in his hands to the point where it detonated, coating the room in chunks of hot sweet corn.

Diving for cover a little too late, Sokka landed in front of Appa who, upon seeing his corn covered state, began licking him clean.

Katara on the other hand, hadn’t taken well to the noise and, reacting on instinct, sent a whip of water across the room before pulling back at the last moment, not enough to prevent us from being sprayed, but enough that she wouldn’t seriously hurt us.

Standing in the center of it all, Aang blinked. “Um...”

“Sorry,” Katara apologized, pulling her water back into the waterskin on her hip. “I didn’t mean... They...”

Groaning as he pushed Appa’s tongue out of the way, Sokka sat up. “Easy now, take a moment to catch your breath,” He said, calming her down. “Who took Haru?”

“The Fire Nation, they came for him at midnight,” Katara answered, covering her eyes in worry. “The old man he saved turned him in. We need to help him, this is all my fault.”

“Then it’s too late to track him... Unle–Gah, do you mind?” Sokka asked, pushing Appa to the side. “I’m trying to have a serious moment here... You know what, forget it. Honō, any idea where they would take an Earthbender?”

Seeing everyone look towards me, I nodded. “There’s a metal rig just off shore where they ship captured Earthbenders. It’s often used as a shipyard where repairs are done.”

The lack of bendable material made them far easier to deal with and the distance from the shore served as a deterrent for escape. It wasn’t a nice place to end up, but compared to some of the other prisons the Fire Nation had... Yeah, it was definitely one of the better ones.

“Great, then we can go there, beat up some Firebenders and grab Haru,” Aang beamed.

While that was a plan I could get on board with, there was one big problem. “It’s not just Haru... There are others there too... More than Appa is capable of carrying.”

“Then we’ll just need to get them out some other way,” Katara stated firmly.

“How?” Sokka asked. “Better yet, how are we even gonna get there? Appa might be able to fly us, but he’s pretty noticeable, what with him being a ten ton flying magical monster made almost entirely out of fluff.”

That was a good point. Originally, Katara got herself arrested for ‘Earthbending’ but with the village’s guards thinking I was some kind of Noble, that option might not be available. That did, however, open a few other routes we could take.

“I think I might have an idea.”

...Burning...

Standing on the Fire Nation transport ship, I idly watched as a group of Earthbenders were carted on board, only to be locked below deck, far away from any chance of escape.

Katara stood at my side with a sympathetic look on her face as she unconsciously fiddled with the strap on her armour while a third person... The Sergeant in charge of this little village barely paid them any mind as he stared at me nervously.

“Are you certain about this?” He asked, glancing at the various other guards on the ship. “A prison barge doesn’t exactly seem like the place a noble should venture.”

Closing my eyes, I took a slow breath and imagined what Azula would say.

“I’m sorry, I thought you wanted to make up for how poorly you’ve mismanaged this village,” I hummed, noting how the man flinched. “But if you truly feel so uncomfortable with this, I suppose we’ll just have to leave. With all the extra time on my hands, I’ll be able to write a rather lengthy report on my time spent here.”

Wincing, the Sergeant took a step back. “I only wish to warn you of the dangers you may be facing. Earthbenders are all savages. If you turn your back to them for even a single moment, you’ll soon find a knife in it.”

If he were being honest, I would have felt a little bad for him, but I could see that he was mostly concerned for himself. A dead or injured Noble wouldn’t look good on his record... Not one bit.

“With so little earth on the prison barge, I dare say it’ll be safer than this village,” I replied. “Once I’m done here, I’ll be sure to write a glowing report on this village and how cooperative you’ve been. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a promotion for you in the near future.”

Or, well, the opposite of a promotion.

“Promotion?” The Sergeant asked almost eagerly.

Thinking for a moment, I bit back a grin as an idea suddenly came to mind. “Of course, in fact, why don’t you send a letter to the homeland first? You can tell them all about how you helped me here today, I’m certain they’ll be happy to hear it.”

That was bound to leave more than a few people confused.

“I’ll get right on it, thank you for this opportunity. Is there anything else I should mention? Your name perhaps?”

“There’s no need for that,” I waved him off. “They already know who I am.”

“Of course. I wish you luck with your endeavour.”

Hearing the ship's horn, the Sergeant gave a quick bow before making his way back onto the pier, leaving Katara and myself behind. A second horn sounded as the ship began to move, slowly at first as it manoeuvred away from the dock.

Grabbing the railing as the ship suddenly began to pick up speed, Katara sighed as her armour shifted uncomfortably.

Chuckling, I stepped behind her and helped tighten it properly.

“Thanks,” She hummed, watching as the port slowly disappeared until it was a small speck in the distance. Shooting me a curious look, she quickly turned away when she noticed I caught on.

“Anything on your mind?” I asked, tightening the straps around her shoulders.

“I suppose,” She murmured, staring straight ahead. “I just felt that you might have been a little... Mean back there. Don’t get me wrong, he probably deserves everything that’s coming his way and more, but... I don’t want it to be at the expense of the person I’ve come to know you as.”

Silently finishing up the straps, I smiled. “Thank you, Katara, I appreciate it.”

“Appreciate what?” She asked, turning around, she unconsciously reached up to readjust her armour only to find it didn’t need to be fixed. “Hey, it didn’t come loose that time.”

I nodded. “It’s not exactly your size, but it shouldn’t come loose anytime soon.”

“Huh.” Moving her arms experimentally, she smiled when everything remained in the proper place. “Thanks, that feels a lot better.” Stretching slightly, she glanced at the holding cell before turning back towards the ocean. “So, any idea on how long we’re going to be out here?”

“Probably a few hours.” I shrugged.

...Burning...

Arriving at the prison rig, I stared up at the hulking mass of metal that sat in the middle of the ocean. It was... Bigger than I’d expected... And far more occupied than I thought it would be. Several ships were docked nearby, some almost entirely empty while others had their full crew on deck.

Coming to a stop near an empty port, the ship's ramp was dropped. It didn’t take long before the prisoners were led off the ship and lined up in front of the Warden.

“Earthbenders, I welcome you to my humble shipyard,” The Warden greeted. “I am your warden. I’d prefer to think of you not as prisoners, but as honoured guests and I– What is it?” He snapped as a guard stepped forward, interrupting his speech.

Watching as the guard whispered something to him, I bumped my arm against Katara who stood just a little straighter as the Warden’s gaze panned over to us.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut this short. Follow the rules and your time spent here may yet be pleasant, break them and there will be consequences,” The Warden continued. “Guards, you may take them away. Be quick about it, I will afford no dilly-dallying.”

Almost all at once, the guards bowed and began leading the prisoners off, leaving the Warden behind with us. Seeing no point in delaying, I stepped forward with Katara following closely behind. One mistake here would put us in a lot of trouble.

Aang and Sokka would probably be able to bust us out, but I’d prefer it if that wasn’t necessary to begin with.

“I was wondering when we might have the opportunity to talk. I must admit, when I saw you step onto my shipyard, I noticed you were a cut above the rest,” The Warden said jovially. “Although, I must profess that I am not entirely clear on why you are here or even which family you belong to.”

Unlike the Sergeant back in the village, the Warden wouldn’t be anywhere near as easy to intimidate, that much was painfully clear. There was, however, another easier path to getting the Warden on my side.

“Both are easily enough explained,” I hummed. “You see, my uncle heard of how well you maintained your prison and asked for me to look into it for him.”

“Your uncle?”

“The Warden for the Boiling Rock.”

I could almost hear Azula’s voice in my head. ‘The easiest way to get some people to do what you want is to appease their ego.’ Of course, at the time she’d just convinced her own hairdresser to see to me so that I wouldn’t appear like a drowned elephant rat.

Her words, not mine.

“The Boiling Rock?” The Warden breathed. “And you say that he asked you to come all the way out here?”

I nodded. “He was impressed with how you’re able to handle such a large number of Earthbenders so efficiently and hoped that I might learn something during my time here.”

Puffing out his chest, the Warden smirked, clearly pleased with himself.

I had him.

“Well, I wouldn’t be opposed to taking you under my wing, in a manner of speaking,” He said, flicking his beard. “Why, we could begin right now.”

“Actually, I was hoping that we would be allowed to take in the sights for ourselves,” I replied, gesturing towards Katara. “If there’s anything I find interesting, I’ll be able to ask you about it... It would also give you time to prepare anything you wish to impart.”

“An excellent suggestion. I’ll let my guards know that you are to be granted full access to my humble shipyard,” The Warden hummed. “We will pick this conversation up later.”

Saying my thanks, I steered Katara away while the Warden left to speak with his guards.

Upon seeing that there was no one within earshot, Katara let out a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding. “That was far more stressful than I thought it would be… For a second there, I thought he was onto u–“

“Just one moment,” The Warden called out as he marched towards us. “Thought I wouldn’t find out, did you?” He asked, staring down at us with an intense look on his face. “I forgot to ask what your name is.”

“…Lee,” I answered slowly. “And this is my guard, K–“

“No need to worry about that,” The Warden said. “I’ll leave the two of you to it then. I hope you’ll find your stay here educational.”

Waving us off, he disappeared, humming a small tune to himself, leaving Katara and myself to our own devices, only this time, a little more paranoid.

Pressing a hand to her heart, Katara took a shuddered breath as we continued navigating through the shipyard. “For a second there, I thought we were done for.” Glancing up at me, she raised a curious eyebrow. “You seem remarkably calm despite almost getting caught.”

Passing a few guards, I shrugged. “I’m used to sneaking around… I used to do it all the time back in the Fire Nation. One of my friends’ fathers really wouldn’t have approved of me. If I’d been caught, I’d probably have a scar that would put Zuko’s to shame.”

And that was being generous. If Ozai found out about me, I probably would have ended up being killed.

“That’s horrible,” Katara gasped. “Is that really so normal in the Fire Nation?”

“That depends on what you’re asking,” I hummed. “Getting burned is pretty normal, but the type of scar Zuko has… You can only get one like that as a form of punishment… Or from an accident. For him, it was the former. That, however, is a story for a different day.”

Coming to a stop in front of the gate that separated the prisoners from the rest of the shipyard, I signaled the guards to let us through. There was a moment’s delay when they talked with one another, before the gates were lifted.

Stepping through, we were met with a few curious looks, most however, turned their away and kept their gaze down at their laps, not wanting to cause any trouble that could get them thrown in isolation.

Walking through the courtyard, I was forced to speed up as Katara, having spotted Haru, headed directly towards him.

“Haru.”

Seeing the red Fire Nation armor, Haru glared up at us. “What do you… Katara? Honō? What’re you two doing here?”

Shifting guiltily, she stared at her feet. “It was my fault that you got arrested, so I… We came to rescue you,” She said, looking up. “I never meant for any of this to happen… So I’m going to make it up to you.”

“She was originally going to get herself arrested, this just seemed like the easier way to do it,” I chipped in, patting my armour. “We don’t exactly have long. If we spend too much time here, the guards could become suspicious.”

“If that’s the case, then you’ll probably need to meet my dad.” Standing up, Haru gestured for us to follow him. “He sort of runs things here... Unofficially.”

Glancing up at the walls as we made our way through the camp, I found a few guards staring our way, polearms held loosely at their side.

“Haru? Who have you brought to me this time?” An older man with a long white beard asked. “Guards? Your uniforms are a little different,” He noted. “I apologize if my son has done anything to offend you.”

“Dad... It’s nothing like that,” Haru replied. “This is Katara and that’s Honō... They’re the ones I told you about. They’ve come to help.”

“Help?”

Nodding, Katara took a step forward. “We want to help you escape. We’ve already got a plan in the–“

Holding his hand out, Haru’s dad shook his head. “I appreciate the thought, but no. It’s far too dangerous. People’s lives are at stake here. It’s better to just... Wait out this war and hope that some of us can get back home.”

“How can you say that?” Katara asked heatedly.

Coughing, I subtly gestured towards the guards that were watching the exchange from a distance, too far to hear what was going on, but close enough that they were still able to clearly see us.

“If you think the Fire Nation is planning on letting you go after the war is over, then I’ve got some bad news for you,” I began. Glancing at Katara, I sighed. “This isn’t the first time the Fire Nation’s done something like this. They once imprisoned all of the Waterbenders from the Southern Water Tribe and the results weren’t pretty. Only one survived and that’s because she escaped.”

“There’s a Southern Waterbender that’s still alive?” Katara asked.

I nodded slowly. “She is... But she’s currently hiding out in the Fire Nation.” Far out of our reach.

“That may have worked for her, but what about the rest of us? We’d be fighting an uphill battle against Firebenders without any earth... We wouldn’t even have any weapons. We’re powerless.” Shaking his head, Tyro sighed. “It would be a slaughter.”

I was hoping he’d say that. Being sure my back was to the guards on the wall, I reached into my pocket and dropped a handful of crystal rings on his lap.

“What is–“

“Jennamite, courtesy of king Bumi,” I grinned. “If you don’t have any earth, make your own. Those things grow crazy fast so you should have plenty to work with.”

Grabbing one of the rings, he gripped it tightly. “This doesn’t change the sheer number of guards we’ll be fighting... Once the Warden sees what’s happening, he’ll send his men to stamp us out.”

“It will... But it’s worth the risk,” Katara replied. “Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but it’s always right. My Gran Gran used to tell me stories about the brave Earth Kingdom and the courageous Earthbenders that guard its borders... Prove her right. Show the world that they weren’t just stories.”

Staring down at his lap, Tyro closed his eyes.

“Please,” Katara begged.

Sighing, I pulled her back. “Come, let’s leave him to his thoughts. The plan begins at Sunset... With or without your help.”

We’d already stayed long enough. Any longer and the guards might come down here themselves.

“What are you going to do?” Haru asked quietly.

I glanced back at him. “We’re going to kidnap the Warden.”

...Burning...

Stepping onto a platform that overlooked a large chunk of the raft, I glanced down at the prison camp before looking off towards the horizon as the sun slowly inched its way towards the ocean. It was just about time to get started.

Hopefully, Aang and Sokka had things handled on their end. Without them, this would be far more difficult.

“Ah, my young protégé,” The Warden hummed, making his way towards the railing. “I trust you’ve had an interesting day. Some of my men noticed you down in the Earthbenders camp. I hope your time there was educational.”

“It was,” I nodded slowly. “They seemed a little... Subdued.”

“I assure you that was intentional. When they first came to me, they were a savage bunch, but I’ve managed to mold them into something halfway acceptable.” He chuckled softly. “For their station, that is. Given some time, I hope to have them take on more duties.”

Clenching her hand shut, Katara’s waterskin audibly shifted as her anger grew.

“But enough about that,” The Warden continued. “A rare occasion has presented itself to us. I am playing host to a commander and he has expressed an interest in meeting with you. If I may introduce...” Gesturing towards the stairwell, a man stepped forward. “Commander Zhao.”

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! Now?! Of all times?!

“It’s an honour to make your acquaintance,” Zhao greeted. “When I heard there was a Noble on board, I knew that I had to–“

A loud metallic groan washed over us before the entire rig trembled. One of the ships had just rammed into the side. It didn’t stop there as a massive gust of wind pushed the ship further into the rig, ruining a sizable chunk.

It’s about time.

The plan was rather simple. Getting to the Warden was the easy part, keeping the guards from interfering was a little more complicated, so why deal with them at all when you could have them busy with something else.

“Those fools!” The Warden snapped. “They’re destroying my shipyard! Guards, go detain the idiot that’s in charge of that ship. Make sure that no further damage is done.”

“I’ll lend you a few men of my own,” Zhao remarked, nodding to one of his soldiers that stood nearby. “In such... Trying times, it’s best to have a little help.”

“You have my thanks,” The Warden replied, calming down, only for a large green crystal to suddenly punch a hole through the Earthbenders camp. “What now!?”

“Another formality my men will help you with,” Zhao said offhandedly. “I wish we could have met under better circumstances.”

Fighting to keep the grin off my face, I shrugged, turning towards him. “It could have been worse.”

“That it could have,” Zhao chuckled. “You seem a bit familiar, have we met bef–YOU!”

Oh, I guess he finally recognized me.

Watching as Zhao unleashed a wall of flame my way, I slid my leg back, bracing myself, only for the Warden to suddenly step in between us, stopping the flames himself.

“Commander Zhao, have you lost your mind?! Lee is one of my honoured guests... A Noble at that!”

“No he’s not,” Zhao snapped. “He’s a deserter.“

Not giving Zhao the opportunity to turn him against me, I landed several quick jabs on the Warden’s back, dropping him to the floor where he promptly hit his head and passed out.

Well... That was a lot easier than I thought it’d be. Now I just had to deal with my former captain, speaking of...

“Captain Zhao, I would like to report a stolen ship.”

With a yell, he launched another fireball my way, only this time, it was far larger.

Raising my arm, fire burned at my fingertips as I brought it down, knifing through his attack. Stepping forward, I closed my fist and punched, sending a stream of fire back, one that he managed to block.

The water whip that’d been hidden beneath it though managed to catch him by surprise and sent him stumbling back.

Bringing her arm up, Katara flicked it down once more, forming a blade of water that collided with Zhao’s form, biting through his armour before a stream of fire smashed into his chest, sending him stumbling further back.

Letting out a gasp, Zhao clutched one hand to his chest, while forming a somewhat small wall of flames in front of himself. Breathing heavily, he glared at us from across his flames. “Where’s my ship?”

He was still wondering about that?

“Well, judging by the position of the sun and the moon, I’d say... At the bottom of the ocean.”

Staring in disbelief, he threw both his hands forward and roared, unleashing a wave of flames that washed over the platform.

Breathing slowly, I pressed my hands together and stabbed them forward before pulling them apart, ripping Zhao’s flames down the middle. While he had more than enough power as a Firebender, he was almost completely lacking in finesse.

Compared to the likes of Iroh and Azula, he may as well be a novice.

Having noticed the fight from below, several guards poured in through the stairwell, taking in the sight of the smouldering platform along with Katara and myself appearing as if we were standing in front of their Warden defensively.

That gave me an idea.

“Commander Zhao and his men are defecting from the Fire Nation,” I said, pointing towards the man accusingly. “He attacked the Warden and myself in an attempt to gain control of the shipyard.”

“That’s a lie,” Zhao roared, flaring his flames. “He’s the one that you should attack. He deserted the Fire Nation several months ago and has been working with the Avatar!”

While that was true, the guards didn’t know it. To them, it appeared like Zhao was the true villain here and had attempted to kill their Warden… It also didn’t help that all of this chaos started when he arrived.

Circling Zhao, the captain of the shipyard gave him one chance. “Surrender.” While another guard tended to their unconscious Warden.

They’d eventually realize he wasn’t the enemy, but until then, Zhao would have to deal with them.

Placing a hand on Katara’s shoulder, we slowly retreated to the stairwell. It was time to leave... We still needed to help the Earthbenders escape. Something that would be a lot harder with Zhao’s soldiers here.

Making our way down a few flights, there was a flash of fire that lit up the floor we’d just been standing on. It seemed Zhao had chosen not to surrender.

Reaching the main deck, the area was covered in scorch marks, broken weapons and Jennamite, although, oddly enough, there weren’t any people.

“Hey, there you guys are, I’ve been looking for you all over the place.”

“Aang,” Katara breathed a sigh of relief as he dropped down, staff in hand. “Where is everyone? Are they all alright?”

“They’re fine, everyone made it out safely, but... We kinda don’t have anywhere to go,” Aang admitted, scratching the back of his head. “They’ve been setting up blocks to keep us from leaving. We managed to capture one ship, but... There’s not enough room.”

Some would have to stay behind.

“Then we’re just gonna have to figure something out,” Katara stated firmly. “Who knows what they’ll do to them if they’re left behind.”

Since this was Zhao and he was supremely pissed off, they’d probably be killed. I did have to wonder though how they managed to block off so much of the port. The sheer area they’d have to cover would be exhausting. Zhao probably had all of his soldiers defending this rig...

Meaning his ship was probably completely unmanned.

“Um, Honō, not to be rude or anything, but what’s with the creepy laugh?” Katara asked nervously.

I was laughing? I had no idea.

“Aang, I need you to move everyone to that location,” I said, pointing off into the distance. “There should be a ship there large enough to carry everyone.” It was the only place large enough for Zhao’s ship to dock.

“You got it.” Opening his glider, he stopped for a moment. “What about you two?”

“We’ll meet you there,” Katara decided. “Go, hurry. We don’t have much time.”

“Right.” Launching himself into the air.

With no time to lose, Katara and I quickly made our way towards Zhao’s ship, passing a few Fire Nation soldiers on the way. With no one to stop us, it didn’t take long at all before we reached it.

Save for a few soldiers, the entire area was completely abandoned. You’d think Zhao would have left a few more of his men behind, but that wasn’t the case at all.

“That’s a really big ship,” Katara murmured.

“Yeah, it is,” I grinned.

It actually seemed a little bigger than the one I first stole from Zhao.

Feeling the ground rumble and the sound of fighting growing nearer, I quickly made my way up the ramp with Katara following closely behind. Stepping onto the main deck which had several carts filled with coal, I could see Aang flying towards us with the prisoners following in the distance.

Closing his glider, he spun his staff before landing softly on the metal floor nearby. “Alright, they’re on their way... Now what?”

Now... We escape.

“Make sure everyone’s on board,” I hummed, heading towards the bridge. “I’ll handle getting us out of here.”

Reaching the control room just as the first few Earthbenders began to arrive, I quickly made sure that everything was ready for us to leave.

Poking his head through the doorway, Sokka warily made his way closer, staring at the various controls as if they’d randomly explode. “Hey, so we’re pretty much ready to go... Are you sure you know how to work this thing?”

“I reached Kyoshi, didn’t I?”

“Fair point, but I bet you never had to deal with a bunch of angry Firebenders chasing after you.”

No, but I did sail directly through a storm.

Pushing down on the thrust, the ship pulled forward, moving a small distance away from the port before coming to a shuddered stop.

“That’s not good... We’re supposed to be moving. Why aren’t we moving?”

“Because I forgot to raise the anchor,” I replied, gesturing towards a lever.

“Oh, right... Well, why don’t we just–”

Pulling the lever, Sokka fell backwards as the ship suddenly jolted forward while pulling to the side as the anchor was still rising.

Steering away from the shipyard, the backend of the ship collided with one of the pillars supporting the structure. Letting out a metallic groan, the pillar slowly tilted to the side before finally smashing into the next one, creating a sort of domino effect that destroyed a significant portion of the rig.

Standing just on the edge of a broken platform, Zhao watched with a look of disbelief that quickly morphed into a fiery rage as reality set in. I’d just stolen another one of his ships and there was nothing he could do about it.

Watching as all the Earthbenders began cheering at the rig's destruction, I began to laugh. “Good work, Sokka. Way to show them who's boss.”

Blinking dumbly, he grinned. “Well... It’s all in a day’s–”

“By the way, I’m pretty sure we just lost our Anchor, so stopping should be fun.”

“WHAT?!”

...Burning...

Flipping through the air, Zuko let out a roar as he brought his foot down, bathing the metal floor of his ship in a small pool of flames. Seeing this, he snarled and smashed his fist into the ground, engulfing his frame in a significant amount of flames that died down almost immediately.

“WHY CAN’T I GET THIS?! I’M GETTING ALL THE MOVES RIGHT!” Zuko yelled, bringing his fist down once more. “WHY ISN’T THIS WORKING?”

Standing a short distance away, Iroh idly fanned himself as another wave of flames wafted off Zuko’s form. “The answer to your question is fairly simple. I would be willing to tell you, if you are willing to listen.”

Glaring at the deck as if it’d personally insulted him, Zuko clenched his fists shut and sat on his legs. “Well?”

“The truth is you’re simply too angry. The advanced forms of Firebending require a clear mind, but in your rush to learn, you’ve allowed frustration to replace focus.”

“But I got all the moves right?!” Zuko snapped.

Humming, Iroh snapped his fan shut. “That is true, but Firebending is more than just some simple movements. You need to feel it... You may think the basics are useless or unimportant, but they give you a solid foundation upon which you may build the rest of your skills. Come, rest for a while. You can try again later.”

“I don’t have–“

“Sir!” The captain called out. “There’s something in the distance that requires your attention.”

Curious, Iroh followed him onto the deck with Zuko stomping not too far behind. There, in the distance, they were able to see black plumes of smoke emanating from the ruined prison rig in the distance.

Using the ship's telescope, he scanned the rig, before humming softly to himself as he pulled back. “It would seem that Commander Zhao has landed himself in a bit of trouble.”

“What?!” Rushing over, Zuko grabbed the telescope. “Where is he?”

Grabbing the telescope, Iroh positioned it to the last place he saw Zhao.

“Sir, what should we do?” The captain asked.

“It could be a trap. Set sail for the next port over,” Zuko ordered, smirking as he stared at the smouldering remains of the shipyard.

“Are you certain, Zuko?” Iroh hummed. “Perhaps this is a chance for you to be the bigger person and help someone in n–“

“Why don’t we have a cup of tea... You can tell me about the different flavours there are,” Zuko suggested. “You were just telling me to take a break after all.”

Sniffling, Iroh wiped a tear from his eye. “I have been waiting for this moment for so long.” Immediately forgetting about Commander Zhao and the wrecked remains of the Fire Nation shipyard.