The Girl With Golden Hair

Chapter 11: The Siege of the North Part 1

That night the three of us devised a plan, Iroh was to accept Zhao's invitation to the North Pole, I had joined the crew too as a part of the kitchen staff. Zuko, who Zhao thought to be dead, would disguise himself as a soldier. I was laying on my bed that was cloaked in red sheets, when I heard a knock on my door. "Come in!" I told whoever was at my door, it had to be Iroh or Zuko.

It was Zuko this time who stepped into my small cabin, taking off his helmet and shutting the door behind him. He took a sigh as he leaned on the door behind him, "Uncle says that we'll be landing soon,"

"Good, I'm tired of being on this ship,"

"This will be my ship soon enough, and Zhao will pay for what he did." His tone took off the armor that sat on top of his clothing, then he laid next to me, "We'll find someone to teach you waterbending too," He turned his head, looking at me with soft eyes.

"That would be nice."

The next morning, Zhao's fleet finally made it to the Northern Water Tribe. Zuko's plan was lackluster and not fleshed out. My plan wasn't any better, which was to follow Zuko and make sure he didn't do anything stupid. As night fell, and the fleet halted their attack on the water tribe, The three of us met in Iroh's cabin, Zuko had prepared a canoe for him and I.

Iroh stopped us both before we left, "If you're fishing for an octopus, you need a tightly woven net, or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape."

I could here the eye roll in his voice, " I don't need your wisdom right now, Uncle."

"Zuko!" I scolded him, "Show your uncle more respect."

Iroh held up a hand to stop me from ranting further, "I'm sorry. I just nag because..." Iroh chocked up, "well, ever since I lost my son..."

Zuko looked down at his feet, "Uncle you don't have to say it."

"I think of you as my own." Iroh finished.

Zuko meets his eyes, "I know Uncle, we'll meet again.' Iroh brought Zuko into a tight hug, "After I have the Avatar."

"I'll take care of him Iroh, please be careful yourself." I told him. Iroh pulled me into a hug too.

"You do not have to worry about me. You are strong and capable." Iroh turned to Zuko, "Take care of her too Zuko. And remember your breath of fire. It could save your life out there." Zuko hopped into the boat, and I sat in front of him. Zuko started to lower the boat the rope contraption he managed to build.
"We will!" I tell him.

We make halfway down to the water, "And put your hood up! Keep your ears warm!"

"We'll be fine!" Zuko called up to his Uncle. Our boat made a plunk as it hit the water, and we were off, heading into the dusk covered icescape. As we paddled closer to the shore banks, Zuko paddled and I used my waterbending to control the currents, and navigate ourselves around spike of ice that jutted out of the deep ink blue water. On top of the ice wall surrounding the Northern Water tribe, guard patrolled. On almost spotted us, but an ice spike managed to obscure us long enough for the guard to move on. Zuko spoke in my ear, "Ayaka, if something happens ti me, I want you to save yourself first, do you understand?"

I turned my head to look at him, "I'm not going to just leave you if you're in danger."

"This is nonnegotiable, now do you understand?" I simply nodded my head in agreement and turned back to face the front of the canoe. We made to an ice bank directly below the wall, where a bunch of turtle seals rested. One seal woke up, and dove into a hole in the ice.

"Where are they going?" I asked.

"They're coming up for air somewhere." Zuko replied. He took a deep breath and dove into the hole, and I did the same, following him. We swam through a channel of water, to its exit, and swam toward the surface of this chamber of water. We surface in a small air pocket and caught our breaths. We submerged ourselves once more and continued through another channel of water, when we made it to the next chamber of water, however, the ice left no room for air pockets. I felt panic well up my throat, but Zuko pressed hui hand against the ice ceiling and melting a hole in the ice, first he climbed out, then help me clamper out of the hole too. "You okay?" He breathed heavily, his hands resting on my shoulders and his chest expanding with every deep breath he took.

"Yeah," i said, also trying to catch my breath again. Once we were both alright, we continued to what Zuko told me, was the North Pole, a spiritual center of the world.
We stumbled upon an oasis, a spot lush with green grass and colorful flowers. Something you would find in a desert, not the arctic. Aang was sitting in front of a koi pond, his tattoos and eyes glowed, and two girls guarded him, one was Katara and the other was a girl with thick, white hair. The girl with white hair turned to Katara, "Maybe we should get some help."

Katara shook her head, "No, he's my friend. I'm perfectly capable of protecting him."

Zuko stepped forward out of the shadow we were in, "Well aren't you a big girl now."

I gave him side eye, "Okay that's just a little weird."

Alarm crossed Katara's face, "No..."

"Yes. Hand him over and I won't have to hurt you." He commanded.

"I know I'm here to protect you, but I'm not going to let you hurt anyone either,"

"Don't get in my way," He told me before he kicked his leg out, sending flames towards Katara. Katara bended a wave of water to act a shield, blocking Zuko's attack.

"Go Katara!" I shout, earring another glare from Zuko. Zuko continued his fire blasts, until Katara drew water from the pond and sent a stream of it at Zuko, causing him to slide back meters and fall on his back.

As he stood, he grit his teeth, "I see you've learned a new trick, but I didn't come this far to lose to you. Katara shield herself from the large fireball Zuko shot at her. The shot at each other back and forth until Katara makes a direct hit, sending him back even further, and ice froze at his feet. The water slowly encircles him, before freezing and trapping him.

"You little peasant. You've found a master, haven't you?"

"That's a bit rude, to call someone a peasant isn't it?" The ice surrounding him glowed orange as he heated and melted it. He freed himself and avoided a blast of water sent by Katara. He managed to make to where Aang sat. Katara sent another blast, and Zuko hit the side of the cliff, and then froze to it. Katara then encased me in ice.

"I didn't even do anything!" I told her.

"I'm sorry, I can't trust you when your traveling with him." She turned away from me.

"I understand, maybe one day you'll understand me too."

"I'm not sure I ever will."

The night fell and past, and the sun started to illuminate to oasis. Zuko lifted his head, and began breathing steam out of nose, heating the ice surrounding his body. He broke free once more, and shot a blast of fire at Katara, she was to late to defend herself and was thrown into the gate behind her, and her limb body hit the ground. "You ruse with the moon, I rise with the sun," He told her unconscious self before grabbing the Avatar. Zuko helped free me out of my ice prison and we made our great escape to absolutely nowhere. It turns out, Zuko did not plan this far ahead.