Chapter 38

"Again!"

Aang tried, and failed, to suppress his groan at Master Pakku's command. The elderly waterbending master was stern and severely lacking in compassion, instructing him to go through the same forms over and over without rest until he got them right.

Aang's arms moved in serpentine motions, pushing and pulling the water so as to coax it into the shape he desired. The water flowed upwards at his command, spiralling around him in a way that reminded him of airbending.

Unlike airbending however the water was heavy, and its weight fought against his grasp with every motion. A moment's slip in concentration caused it to slip out of his control as if through a crack in a bowl.

"Concentrate!" Pakku snapped.

"I'm trying!" Aang growled back.

"Try harder!"

Aang did try. He really did. But hours of practice had worn his concentration down to a dull edge. As he repeated the motion again the water sloshed and slurred lazily, rising briefly into the air before sluggishly crashing back down again.

Aang expected more harsh words of disapproval, but all he got from Pakku was a tut of disapproval before the ageing master turned his back to him. "We're done for today." He declared, already walking away. "Perhaps tomorrow you might actually be in the mood to take this seriously."

Jerk. Aang was not usually the judgemental type, but everything Pakku had done today, from his refusal to train Katara to his strict training and heavy use of criticism, had fostered the beginnings of an intense dislike in the young nomad.

"Avatar. How was your first day of training?"

Aang looked over to see Arnook, the chief of the Northern Tribe, approaching: a gentle if not somewhat forced smile on his face. Aang bowed politely. "Chief. What brings you here?"

"It would be remiss of me not to check on my honoured guest's first day." The chief replied. Somehow Aang doubted that Katara and Sokka would receive the same courtesy, but kept that to himself. "So, how was your training?"

"Frustrating!" Aang replied, the temper he'd been keeping bottled up finally finding a way to release itself. "He was snarky, stubborn and-… and-… just plain mean!"

Arnook shot him a sympathetic smile. "My apologies, Avatar. Master Pakku is the best waterbender, and the best teacher, that the Northern Tribe has to offer. Sadly he received news that a dear friend of his passed away recently, and he has yet to find the time to grieve."

Aang's temper deflated in an instant. "Oh, I'm so sorry." He whispered, now silently regretting the attitude he'd been giving Pakku. He'd thought the waterbending master to be just a mean old man, but to realise that he was hurting stole the wind from his sails. "Were they close?"

"Very." The chief replied, a fond smile crossing his face. "Not that either of them would ever admit it. A stubborn pair, the both of them. They met years ago as young men during the height of the war, and fought each other many times across the four corners of the world."

"They fought?" Aang asked, his eyes widening in realisation. "His friend was a firebender?"

"Indeed. And a powerful one at that." Arnook answered. "They despised one another at the beginning, but neither could help but respect the other's skill and courage even when it was turned against them.

The honour and mercy they showed to one another in victory eventually created a mutual, if a little grudging, sense of kinship. When Admiral Jeong eventually expressed a desire to defect, it was Pakku who helped him survive the difficult transition."

"Jeong Jeong!" Aang cried with alarm.

Arnook looked taken aback by the sudden noise. "Yes, that was his name. Admiral Jeong Jeong: the first man to desert the Fire Nation and live."

"But- But he can't be dead!" Aang refuted. "I met him only a couple of weeks ago! He taught me a little firebending, and helped me to escape the Fire Nation!"

A pitying look crossed the chief's face. "Avatar… Jeong Jeong was killed by a Fire Nation a couple of weeks ago."

"No! No-…" Aang felt faint, a well of guilt washing up from his stomach and making him feel like throwing up. Jeong Jeong had given his life so that he could escape! "How?-…"

"Reports say that he fought Tanya, The Devil of the South Sea, in one-on-one combat." Arnook continued. "Their battle razed the forest for miles around."

An image of the golden haired girl he'd spoken to back at the stronghold flashed through Aang's mind. That Tanya! She had killed Jeong Jeong!

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way." Arnook offered sympathetically, placing a hand on Aang's shoulder. "If the rest of the Fire Nation was even half as wise as him, this war would have never started."

Aang nodded, but in truth he barely heard Arnook's words. His mind was a haze of conflicting emotions. He hadn't known Jeong Jeong for long, but the old firebender had left a lasting impression. Guilt, regret and anger wormed away inside his gut, leaving him confused as to how he was supposed to feel.

That day at the stronghold, when he had spoked with Tanya and been saved by Zuko, he had seen a glimpse of the way the world could be again if reconciliation with the Fire Nation was reached. Now, he wasn't so sure if that had just been an impossible dream after all.

...

The sun had yet to even begin rising the next morning when Zuko's ship appeared at Tanya's military camp, blending silently into the mass of other metal warships without a second glance.

With clockwork efficiency the crew members were registered and reassigned to positions across the fleet suitable for their skill sets, and within the hour Zuko's ship was no longer his own: now just one of the many hundreds of war machines that sailed on Tanya's bidding.

Zuko himself made his way straight to the command tent and barged his way in, only to find Tanya awake and in full uniform, sitting at the meeting table as if she'd been expecting him.

The smile she gave him seemed pleasant enough, but had a superior edge that made Zuko feel like he was being manipulated. "Prince Zuko." She began politely. "A pleasure as always. I trust you've come to a decision then?"

Of course he had. His presence here made it obvious enough. That Tanya insisted he say it felt to him like the kind of subtle power play he'd heard often enough from the governors his father surrounded himself with. "I have." He replied. "I'll work with you."

"Good. And General Iroh?"

A flash of guilt crossed Zuko's face. "Uncle has agreed to stay behind."

A victorious gleam shimmered in Tanya's eyes. "Excellent. He didn't take it too hard I hope?"

"He… may have needed some convincing." Zuko answered, looking down at the floor. "But he eventually saw sense."

"I'm glad to hear that." Tanya stood up and circled around the table, pulling out a seat for him. "I apologise if I've seemed harsh, but secrecy is paramount to my invasion plan.

If the water tribe hears so much as a whisper of what I'm planning, everything will be for nothing. Not even my commanders know the full picture. For this to work the only people who know everything will be you and I."

Zuko frowned, but took the offered seat. "And what exactly is this plan?"

There was no answer for a second, but just as Zuko was about to look around, Tanya's arm snaked out from close beside him and set a scroll down on the table in front of him. It was old and worn, like the kind Uncle liked to collect on their travels, but something about it filled Zuko with a sense of trepidation.

"The plan, Zuko, is to tip the very balance of the world in our favour." Tanya whispered in his ear conspiratorially, like a witch enthralling her victim with dark magic. "And it all begins with a pond, and two spirits who long ago made a very poor decision…"

...

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