Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The beam of blinding blue light. The tremendous tremor of the prince’s boat. The returning of the avatar.

Zuko was sure of it. He felt giddy at the concept, that he was no longer chasing a fairy tale. In his three-year search for the avatar, he’d learnt a lot. How to tie a sailor’s knot, Uncles least favourite type of tea (Kalmyk), and the rest of the worlds love of the fire nation wasn’t as great as he’d been led to believe. The fire nation wanted nothing to do with him, and the rest of the world wanted nothing to do with the fire nation. But now with the Avatar so close in his grasp, he could finally restore his honour, he could finally regain respect from the world and, most importantly, his father.
Standing at the bow of the Wayni Zuko revelled in this newfound hope of completing his mission, tossing any previous doubt aside. He’d order his crew to set forth at once, but first he had to inform uncle.

He found the senile old man sitting at his pai shou board emptying the pockets of a distraught crew member. Upon Zuko’s arrival, Iroh’s triumphant demeanour softened, and he shooed the crying man out the room. He passed Zuko and shut the door behind him, leaving Zuko to glare at his uncle.

“You know Gotõ has a gambling problem,” Zuko grunted but his uncle kept his smile intact as he inspected a particularly shiny fire nation coin.

“If he never hits rock bottom, he’ll never learn to improve himself,” Iroh spoke wisely, and Zuko rolled his eyes upon the man’s sly smirk.

Remembering why he was in the room Zuko shook his head in anguish. “Whatever- I don’t care, did you see the blue light?”

“Oh, you mean the celestial lights?” Iroh mused stroking his beard, “I’m glad to see my nephew is taking such an interest in one of the many wonders of the world.”
Gesturing to the other side of the pai shou board, Iroh flashed a warm-hearted grin. “Now sit, I acquired a fresh batch of jasmine yesterday and I’d love nothing more than to drink- “

“You fool!” Zuko exclaimed, outraged to see his uncle did nothing more than chuckle at his outburst. “Can’t you see the avatar has returned?”

Iroh sighed as he began heating the tea pot in his palms. “Prince Zuko, you claimed just last Tuesday that a particularly distressed looking winged lemur was the avatar. How are you sure your hunch is correct this time around? You wouldn’t want to lead yourself and your crew into glacier ridden waters, only to face inevitable disappointment at best.”

“You don’t get it old man!” Zuko yelled as Iroh began to pour out the jasmine. “You just sit there, ridiculing me on how to capture the avatar when you’ve been nothing but a hindrance to my mission! why did you join me anyways if weren't even going to help?”

“well who else would play pai shou with me?” Iroh pondered sipping his tea. “Ugh-“
The old man grimaced placing his teacup back on its saucer. “I’m afraid our friends in Tonga weren’t being as generous as I thought. This is most definitely not jasmine.”

Zuko slammed the door to Iroh’s quarters as loud as possible on his way out, stomping his way over to the mess hall where he would most definitely find his crew. But as he stood behind the door a thought struck him. Only he had clocked the light as suspicious. Only he knew the avatar was responsible.

If he was to share this information he’d have to share the victory with his crew, even thought the capture of the avatar would fall entirely to him. The 41st were a loyal bunch, partly due to the fact that they owed him their lives- but he didn’t owe them anything. Why allow lieutenant Asano or ensign Ukita to bask in the praise of the fire lord when it should be awarded purely to Zuko himself?
Changing course, Zuko headed to his own quarters, making sure he wasn’t being followed before shutting the door behind him. Easing himself into his armour Zuko looked upon his belongings. The avatar would have a century of experience against Zuko and Zuko had never fought an air bender before. But if the old man was really hiding amongst the water tribe, he was surely a coward and a pathetic victim for Zuko’s dao swords. They would only weigh him down. He did however fetch his mother’s performance mask for sentimentality and secrecy.

If all went to plan, Zuko would be sailing back to the fire nation with sole claim towards the capture of the avatar. Smirking Zuko could already picture the look on his uncle’s face. Some “dragon of the west” he was. Celestial lights…

Zuko continued to mumble angrily to himself as he snuck of the ship. It was embarrassingly easy to Zuko’s annoyance, but he supposed with a ship containing underqualified underaged soldiers and his uncle, in the middle of the southern water tribe, the security was anything but thorough. He’d have to remember to inform his crew on their jobs here on the Wayni after he got back. Especially sub-lieutenant Botan, who believed it was acceptable to nap on duty. Stealing his compass had been a breeze.

Huffing his way down the ladder Zuko immediately slipped on the ice and his shoulder armour popped off and fell into the icy riverbed. This was going off to a great start, Zuko thought as he attempted to glare at his shoulder plate only to see it had already descended bellow the murky depths.

With nothing but the armour on his back, the mask on his face, his fire bending and sub-lieutenant Botan’s compass, Zuko trudged across endless dunes of white, cursing like a sailor as his feet continued to sink into the snow. Hed never touched snow before and was disappointed to find how wet it was, in contrast to its fluffy appearance.

The light had come from the southwest, so Zuko’s plan was to use Botan’s compass and walk in that direction before (hopefully) stumbling across the avatar. The idea had sounded a lot more reasonable when Zuko had been on his nice warm ship but now, in the freezing tundra, Zuko found himself breathing sparks to warm him up as he questioned his rash decision. One part of Zuko felt he’d been foolish in his decision making- acting paranoid and apathetic towards his well-meaning crew. But Zuko hadn’t listened to that part of his brain since he left home leaving only the repeating mantra of reclaiming his honour. So, he could reclaim his title. So, he could go home.

It wasn’t long before Zuko fell into a calm sense of rhythm: breathe in, take a step, breathe out. He didn’t know how long he’d been walking for, since the sun behaved so much differently down in the south compared to in the fire nation, but he guessed it had to have been at least a few hours, based on how far up his trouser legs were soaked. If he hadn’t been a fire bender he would have succumbed to the cold ages ago, and despite that he could still feel his fingers beginning to go numb.
In his jolly mood Zuko didn’t notice the drop in front of him until he fell off the side of a glacier, plunging headfirst into bone-chilling water.

Now this was cold.

The cold before was a lukewarm bath compared to the sudden agony Zuko found himself in. Sharp and overwhelming the water flooded Zuko’s armour as invasively as weeds, caressing his face before tightening its grip, chilling Zuko to the very bone.

Yet still Zuko persisted, twisting and turning he released himself of his armour torturously slowly; shoes, knee guards, chest plate. Feeling the depths grip loosen, Zuko desperately kicked upwards, refusing to let the chill consume him. He would not die in water tribe territory. He would not be forgotten.

By some miracle, despite the eternity it felt like he’d spent in those unsettling waters, Zuko finally broke to the surface, and he launched himself onto solid ground, gasping and choking for air.

The glacier he lay on felt warm compared to the treacherous depths below and Zuko allowed himself a few more moments of weakness to lie there and catch his breath. He nearly died, and no one would have known. Would father of even held a funeral for him, if he’d discovered the idiotic and pointless way his son had burnt out?

As he stood up Zuko mentally reprimanded himself for his horrid thoughts and tardiness, to overlook such an obstacle was foolish and he was an embarrassment to the family name. and to disrespect his father during the act? Unforgivable.

And now he’d only gone and lost his armour, his compass and left himself vulnerable in unknown territory, for the water tribe savages to snatch him up and probably eat him or something.

No.

The avatar was close and Zuko would not fail. Squeezing the water out of his phoenix tail, Zuko readjusted his mask looking up to check for any sign of civilisation.
As Zuko saw the fire-nation ship wrecked before him, Zuko knew the universe hated him. It was a reminder of the state he could end up in should he let his guard down. One mistake now at the end could result in it being the last.

The ship had obviously been intercepted by water benders and Zuko dreaded to think about meeting the savages responsible. He felt frozen in place as he stared at the old model, so clearly out of place in this deadly hellscape. Just like him.

It was probably a bad sign that a product of war brought Zuko any comfort, but he shook that thought away, reminding himself that the war would be over once the other nations surrendered. Soon the loss of war would be overshadowed by the victory and the world could live in harmony once more.

Although true harmony was impossible now. The extinction of the air nomads had been a tragedy, but it was ultimately the air nation’s overconfidence that led to their downfall. Did they really think they could overpower the fire nation? Did they think their army could match his homelands? It made no sense that the so called pacifists had started a war in the first place, and even more so was why.

The element of power against a nation whose own Avatar fled like a coward? they were fated to fail. (Zuko was not thinking about the countless skeletons he found at the air temples. He did not think about burying the skeletons with his crew. Did not even remember consoling his uncle. He rarely saw uncle so upset.)

Caught up in his thoughts Zuko hadn’t noticed how close to the ship he’d gotten, as penguin-seals flocked to him. Honking and flapping their wings to draw his attention. Zuko would complain, but they were warm and right now the prince really needed some warmth.

He knew he was getting off task. The avatar had never been so close, and hope hadn’t been this high in years, but if Zuko was wrong…. No. He couldn’t be. He wouldn’t be.
Zuko would be home soon, reclaim his honour and title as heir to the fire nation, before ending the war- it wouldn’t be long until the last few cities fell- and establishing an era of peace.

Sighing Zuko reluctantly pushed the endearing creatures off him and looked to the sky. He’d grown to look to stars more for direction after years at sea, since they were always reliable no matter where you were, but he begrudgingly realised stars were usually obsolete in broad daylight.

It was then that he heard yelling. It sounded joyous and immature, completely snapping Zuko out of whatever teenage angst he’d found himself slipping into. Snapping his head towards the source of the noise, Zuko found two children on penguin-seals racing straight towards him. One looked around the same age as his sister but unlike Azula she acted like it, her laughter an unexpected jolt to Zuko’s system. Her fits of laughter paled in comparison to the boy however, but that wasn’t what caught Zuko’s attention.

He was bald, with a blue arrow tattooed across his forehead. An air nomad? And one so close to where the blue light had shone mere hours ago? It couldn’t be the Avatar what with Zuko’s infamous luck. Right?

They clearly hadn’t seen him- to focused on ogling each other to notice him- but the penguins certainly had.

Zuko’s whole body began to squirm as he saw the creatures eye him with a purpose. Why were they so obsessed with Zuko anyways? A dip in the salty water surely wasn’t enough to-
A slimy feeling became present on Zuko’s head as he went to scratch his scalp. A great big fish lay against the horn of his mask and in the prince’s state he hadn’t even noticed it.

Zuko sighed as the penguins collided into him at the same time. This day really hadn’t gone to plan.

Chapter Text

Denali’s day had been going as usual when Aang and Katara returned with a fire nation soldier. Apparently, they’d been penguin sledding and knocked the guy over, launching him into the side of a glacier. Oh, and he was already soaking wet. Meaning possible pneumonia.

Great.

As she ushered the man into her tent, Denali pondered what luck Katara had finding a dying fire nation soldier out in in the middle of nowhere. Was it good luck, for they were able to save the man’s life? Or was it bad luck as they’d led the fire nation right into their home? Despite these conflicting opinions, Denali’s oath to preserving and aiding human life was more important, so she ignored those worries for now.

She had Aang lie him down as she concluded with a brush to the forehead, that he definitely had a fever and went to fetch a damp cloth. Katara stood by the door to the tent, glaring at the man and doing absolutely nothing to help. Denali rolled her eyes at the girl as it became clear who had fought to save the man.

“You have the morals of a healer Aang,” Denali complimented getting a flustered blush in return.

“Thank you, monk Gyatso always tells me to walk the kindest path.” Aang grinned, clearly basking in the praise.

 Denali smiled as she removed the fire nation’s top and as she did, so her smile gradually fell. Light burn scars littered the man’s back, and while they didn’t even come close to the severity of the one on his face, she dreaded what it took to burn a fire bender.

Slotting that thought away for now she turned back to the bald boy. “Mercy is a sign of strength, saving a fire nation soldier despite everything they did to your people? I admire your empathy.”

The praise had become lost on Aang as he focused on a certain part of what Denali had said. “You all keep talking about the fire nation but what did they do exactly? I’m friends with a guy from the fire nation and he’s all about love and peace.”

Katara finally spoke up from the corner. “don’t you know about the war Aang?”

And wasn’t that a stupid question to ask-

“What war?”

Not so stupid then. Tui, ok. “How long were you in that iceberg for?” she asked sucking in a breath.

“I don’t know a few weeks maybe?” he said clearly unsure before Katara placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know Aang, from the sounds of things it sounds more like you were in that iceberg for 100 years.” She reasoned slowly.

“What?” Aang whispered horrified. Denali saw tears fall from the small boy’s cheeks as he rushed out the tent. Katara was quick to follow, and the young healer was left to revel in the impossible.

“urghh…” a voice groaned from beneath her.

Left to revel in the impossible alongside a fire nation soldier. Great.

“The Avatar...” he gasped with a surprisingly raspy voice. He sounded younger than Denali would have thought. Around her age maybe? 20, 21? And why was he talking about the avatar? The legend was nothing more than a children’s fairy tale these days. All the air benders were wiped out, along with the avatar.

But not all the air benders were wiped out.

Denali whipped her head to where Aang had just left. Could it be?

Just then a familiar face made a dramatic entrance. “GRAN-GRAN SAID KATARA AND AANG BROUGHT BACK A FIRE NATION SOLDIER!” Sokka cried causing the fire nation soldier in question to cover his ears with an uneasy groan.

“Shh!” Denali scolded and Sokka offered a feeble apology, too busy staring at her patient.

“She was right! Are they stupid? Clearly the soldier’s acting sick only for him to awake in the night and fire the place up!” Sokka exclaimed miming burst of flames with his hands.

Danali sighed. Sokka was one of the most compassionate people she knew, more loyal to his people than even Gran Gran, but he was also stupidly close-minded. Hakoda had left him to keep the village safe but in doing so led Sokka to believe he was the only one who could, it angered Nanuq- the villages weaponsmith- to no end.

“sokka.” Denali interrupted the boy’s ramblings. “They launched him into a glacier.”

“Oh.” Sokka responded shortly. “Well, he’s still a threat, and we should dispose of him quickly.”

“You know my oath won’t allow me to let you do that.” Denali reminded as she calmed her patient down, before beginning to check for signs of an injury. The man’s arm was slightly deformed around the upper right forearm as well as his right thigh, with ugly swelling showing clear signs of breakage.

“you healers and your fancy-mancy pinkie promises.” Sokka grumbled crossing his arms. His annoyance dissolved however as he noticed something.

“Where are Aang and Katara anyways?” he pondered, looking around the tent as if expecting Aang or Katara to burst from behind a chair.

“They left.” Denali answered, not even sparing a glance towards Sokka as she whispered, “I think he might be the Avatar.”

Silence followed, and Denali used the opportunity to gather the material for a splint as Katara and Aang had certainly roughened the soldier up. It was only as she sat back down and began to gingerly fit the sick man’s splint over his thigh that Sokka spoke again.

“PFFT- what. Aang? No. it can’t be. But it would make sense. The avatar?” before finally- “Denali what on earth happened that would cause you to assume Aang could be the avatar, because he doesn’t seem that -uh- spirit-y to me.”

“Well.” Denali began happy to have someone to bounce her thoughts off of. “he’s an air bender.”

“Yes, that is true.” Sokka nodded encouraging Denali to continue.

“And me and Katara think he’d been stuck in that ice burg for 100 years. He didn’t know about the war Sokka! Tui and La he probably doesn’t even know that his people were genocided, or that the worlds so ridiculously up that he’s screwed by just existing-“

“Hey- hey slowww down.” Sokka soothed although he looked equally freaked out. “Your theory holds up. And this is a good thing, right? Because with the Avatar back we might be able to end the war.”

Hope was one of Sokka’s strongest attributes and Denali couldn’t help but admire it. After her brother was sent away and her sister-in-law died just a year later, hope became but a memory to Denali. Remembering she had ever been as hopeful as to see an end to the war was idiotic and she looked back on how positive she was back then with nothing but embarrassment.

But Sokka was always so confident in his positivity that good would prevail that she couldn’t fault him for it, however idealistic he may seem.

“You really think so?” Denali asked fondly, finishing off her splint with minimal squirming from her delirious patient.

“Well, we have to try.” Sokka grinned before promptly exiting the tent with a new sense of purpose. The fire nation soldier fell into an uneasy sleep beside her and Denali chuckled upon realising Sokka had forgotten his reason for being in the tent in the first place.

She would have to address the chief though. Kanna would likely have the same opinion towards a fire nation staying among them as her grandson and Denali had to dampen any paranoia before it grew too large. She would not have a patient under her care be mistreated in any way. it had been so long since Denali had been tasked with a case like this and she would not fail him due to the colour of his clothes.

Sighing, Denali finished bandaging her patients arm before gently laying him back down to rest. His fever clearly allowed him from being entirely relaxed but that was something he’d just have to fight through himself.

“That’s better isn’t it.” Denali confirmed, more to herself to her patient before attempting to stand up. She did not expect a voice to call back.

“Mother?” the man uttered vulnerably and looking at his face she found it impossible to find one of an enemy. “Where are you going?”

Denali had intended to make her way over to the chief’s tent right then and there, before instructing her nieces and nephew to head over to Sesi’s for dinner.

But it felt wrong to leave this man in a stranger’s home alone. So, she sat and held his hand lightly. “I’m not going anywhere.” She assured and she felt the poor man’s shoulders droop in relief as any worry washed itself out of him.

“I knew you’d come back.” He slurred happily and Denali squeezed his hand tighter.

They stayed like that for a while. Quiet. Content. Calm.

Only for Uppik and Lusa to make a mess of things.

“Auntieee!” Lusa moaned loudly stomping into the healer’s tent with the respect a hunter would give to a runt in a warren of fox-hares, “Uppik hit me in the head with a snowball!”

“mphhh!” Uppik defended, voice shrouded behind his thick parka. Denali was usually able to decipher what he was saying and now it wasn’t helping his case.

“Are you hurt or are your feelings hurt?” she inquired eyes focused on her sleeping patient. Luckily the ruckus hadn’t awoken him, but she wanted to keep it that way.

“Head shots aren’t allowed!” the girl yelled indignantly.

“Indoor voices, Lusa.” Denali scolded quietly causing her niece to go silent. “I have a patient.”

“Oh.” Lusa denoted bluntly before a blush crossed her face. “I suppose I was angrier at Uppik breaking the rules. It didn’t really hurt I guess.” She mumbled embarrassed.

“Thank you for being honest Lusa.” Denali smiled before turning to Uppik. “And Uppik I know your scary accuracy, what you did could have been avoided. Apologise to your sister please.”

“mphhh.” Uppik repented earnestly bringing a tear to Lusa’s eye.

“Oh, Uppik that was beautiful! Of course I forgive you!” Lusa approved giving her brother a massive hug while he (presumably) smiled just as big.

“where’s your sister?” Denali asked the children and Uppik scoffed as Lusa giggled.

“Ila went to play with Kajuk.” She grinned as Uppik’s glare only darkened. “But Uppik got grossed out at Ila being all romantic, so we left.”

Denali groaned. Ila was ten, romance did not need to be at the top of her list of priorities just yet. Her brother Hanta would have her head if he knew Denali had been letting her kiss boys while he was gone. “Go back and tell her to head to Sisu’s house for dinner. I told her to watch you guys while I was at work.” Denali ordered receiving a nod from her niece and nephew, “and tell gran-gran I’ll be heading over shortly to talk about our new patient.”

“mph?” Uppik questioned and Lusa shared the sentiment. “you’re right Uppik, where did you find this guy? He looks weird.” She asked.

“Katara and Aang crashed into him. I’m healing him up, that’s all you need to know.” Denali assured but Lusa still wasn’t satisfied.

“He’s got a bunch of red clothing. Is he from the fire nation?” the little girl asked hesitantly.

“Yes but-“

In a second Uppik went to move in front of Lusa to protect her, despite being a good few inches shorter. “mphhh!” he muffled angrily.

“Let me continue,” Denali persisted. “He is injured and alone. He won’t hurt you. I think he’s more scared than anything.”

“I got scared when I went gathering with Siku and got lost in that snowstorm.” Lusa mentioned.

“Why are you bringing that up?” Denali chuffed baffled. “You were like 3 when that happened.”

“I Dunno,” Lusa mumbled looking down to her feet. “Thought it fit.”

Denali laughed softly. “No, you’re right Lu. This man is lost just like you were yeah?”

“Does he not have daddy to find him like did?” Lusa asked horrified.

“Um- not that I’m aware of?” Denali answered and Lusas expression only twisted to look more horrified.

“I’ll go tell Gran-Gran to let the sad man stay here forever and ever so he won’t be lonely anymore and then he can play with me and Uppik and Ila and Aang and everyone!” Lusa announced importantly dragging a reluctant Uppik with her.

Watching her niece and nephew leave, Denali laughed sardonically. If only it were that simple.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3:the chiefs tent

It was the next morning that Denali finally decided to pay a visit to the chief's tent. Her hands felt clammy beneath her gloves and she considered taking them off only to put them back on again as the nippy air started biting at her skin.

Kanna wasn't a cruel person, and neither was her co-chief Panik. But they had both been hurt by the fire nation and Denali feared hatred would cloud their judgement when it came to her patient.

Stepping into the chief's tent always made Denali feel small. It was bigger than the other tents, enough space for the whole village, with beautiful art and masks hung up around the room. Kanna’s and Panik’s icy expressions didn't help Denali's nerves either.

“I suppose you've come about the fugitive?” Kanna mused and upon seeing Denali's surprised expression groaned, “your niece filled me in last night.” 

“How are we meant to get rid of him quietly now?” Panik asked sharply, more to Kanna than Denali.

“Get rid of him?” Denali repeated, an uneasy feeling building in her stomach. The image of her patient broken and burned, being chucked into the icy river bed or out into a hurling snow storm made Denali feel like throwing up.

Kanna sighed. “Denali, that man is a fire nation. For all we know he could be faking his injuries and waiting for the right time to strike.”

“You know it's funny,  because that's the exact theory Sokka had.” Denali mentioned, causing Kanna to blush. “It’s easy to fall into a panic and ignore that one healer can easily disprove that theory. Because I can confirm that this “weapon of mass destruction” would be hopping around on one leg as he burnt down the village with one arm. But if you really believe he'd still be unstoppable…”

“Did you leave him alone in your tent?” Panik accused completely ignoring Denali's point, causing her to roll her eyes, annoyance beating any fear she had before entering.

“la , yes i left the delirious man with a high fever and two terribly broken bones alone in my tent, how unprofessional of me to leave his side. Oh but I have been watching him. For almost an entire day. Forgive me for thinking the two of you would care enough to be informed about the fire nation soldier in our village.” Denali snarked bitterly before looking at the steam billowing out of Panik's ears and realising she'd gone a smidge too far.

“How dare you speak to me like that. I am your superior and you will respect my authority. You act like we're the crazy ones when you're the one sticking up for a sparky.” Panik snarled, saying the last word extra viciously. She would have continued her rant if not forKanna, who placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

But Kanna wasn't looking at Panik. She was looking at Denali, with an intensity Denali wasn't sure she was allowed to look away from. 

“Have you been watching him all night?” Kanna asked softly and Denali nodded sharply, surprised to see Panik's expression softening slightly as well.

“And you want to care for him?” Kanna asked again and Denali nodded her head a second time, so sharply this time round she feared she'd pulled a muscle.

“He is my patient, and I will not have you throwing a vulnerable, sick man into the icy cold depths.” Denali ordered, although she felt her defiance melting away with no one to be angry at.

“Well when you put it like that,” Panik mumbled, “murder does seem an extreme case for a soldier who hasn't done anything.”

“Yet.” Kanna warned. “We still need to be cautious. Even if he isn't hostile, when he wakes up it will be him in enemy territory, I'd be surprised if he took that particularly well. I'll have Nanuq keep watch.”

“So he can stay?” Denali blurted hopefully, thinking back to the burns that littered the man's body and face. If he hadn't been fire nation she would have thought him a veteran, and he still could be classified as one, with such a nasty scar covering almost half his face.

Or perhaps the man was just a reckless fire bender and Denali was looking too deep into things. Perhaps.

“He can stay until he is healed.” Kanna affirmed sternly, with the confidence only a chief could wield. “Katara and the air bender left sometime last evening but I’ll have them assist you when they return.” A sigh escaped Kanna as she silently gave Denali the familiar look of pure exasperation before adding, “it is their doing that put us in this situation and now they're off gallivanting in a snow storm-”

“Chief, it's clear skies today.” Panik interrupted matter of fact but kanna brushed her off with a huff.

“ Whatever the weather, you'll have some helpers soon enough to help speed the healing process along. Tui and la, this is going to cause a divide in the village.”

“Ill try to keep him away from the others.” Denali assured, “especially Kissimi.”

A sombre atmosphere entered the room at the mention of that name and Kanna nodded. “Yes, I do believe that to be wise.”

The mention of the air bender had Denali remembering her hunch from the day before. She could be wrong but… no. No Denali was definitely right.

“I think Aang might be the Avatar.” she mused, staring straight at Kanna to see how she’d react. As expected the elderly woman's eyebrows shot up before an unsure smile spread across her thin lips.

“That certainly changes things.” Kanna remarked awestruck going quiet for a moment, probably to process the miracle. It had been almost a day for Denali and she still couldn't comprehend the Avatar being real. After all this time she thought of the Avatar the same way she thought of the spirits- all powerful and otherworldly. But Aang was kind, and it was really throwing Denali off.

“Thank you Denali, you've been a great help.” Kanna dismissed, temporarily pulling herself out of her stupor. Denali nodded before calmly walking out of the chief's tent, feeling a lot more at ease than when she had walked in.

Her breath visible in the air brought her further comfort as she processed the fact that she had just advocated for a fire nation. Her enemy. The reason her brother was at war and had left her with 2 nieces, 1 nephew and a sickening wife. The reason for this hundred year war.

The thought was ridiculous and Denali quickly shook it away. One soldier did not account for the nation as a whole. He wasn't the fire lord.

Deep in thought Denali didn't notice a familiar face approaching, until Sokka poked her in the head.

“Ok so how are we disposing of the enemy?” Sokka asked curiously and Denali almost face palmed. He had clearly not correctly gathered how that meeting had gone. “Spear, club or ooo- boomerang bonanza!”

“Boomerang what?” Denali began before shaking her head. “ Doesn't matter, we're not killing him you psycho. We're gonna heal him up and send him on his way.”

“Oh yeah.” Sokka shot sarcastically, “back on his merry way to tell the fire nation all about our location so they can seek revenge for hurting one their own. Great idea Denali.”

“I mean I'd rather he stayed.” Denali mumbled.

“You’re kidding, right?” Sokka asserted, laugh hollow, “a fire nation soldier living with the"savages "? I think he'd kill himself before we could. I don't think he'd be able to last more than a week without silk sheets and whatever fancy stuff the fire nation sells their children for.”

Denali wanted to quip back about the burns. Wanted to tell Sokka he was being prejudiced and hadn't thought about why this man was so close to death in the first place.

But it felt wrong sharing private information about a stranger Denali had found herself in this parasocial relationship with. He hadn't even woken yet but she was there for every delirious whisper, every call for his mother, his uncle and, even once, for a sister.

So she kept quiet and instead gave Sokka the most disapproving look she could manage, one her sister-in-law had taught her, known as the mumma bear stare.

Sokka's aggravation soon turned to unease as Denali crossed her arms with that murderous look in her eye. “I said this to Gran-Gran and I'll say it to you.” Denali stated. “That man right now is my patient and is therefore under my protection. It is my job to help anyone that is sent my way. Anyone.”

“And it's my job to keep us all safe.” Sokka groaned. “I think this is stupid, and exactly the chance to do the job dad gifted me.” 

“But, you can be scary and I might be acting a tad paranoid. So ill stick to watching him like a hawk-peasant.”

“Great! You can help me pour broth down his throat when I get back.” Denali smiled wickedly, getting Sokka to squirm.

“Hey i didnt say anything about extra chores!” he pleaded. “On second thought I'm pretty sure Katara wanted me like 10 minutes ago, bye!”

The boy was off, even before Denali could tell him his excuse was clearly fake as his sister had been out of the village for almost half a day.

The next step for Denali would be to find her nieces and nephew and thank Sesi and Karmik senselessly for watching them before most definitely asking them to look after them until her patient at least woke up.

Denali really hated having to dump her responsibilities on other people but she knew Sesi would appreciate the extra hands for gutting the fish for dinner.

She should then talk to Ivalu about sewing the man some clothes as once he awoke he wouldn't be able to go outside in red without causing mass panic. Additionally Denali should probably ask for a new parka for Ila as well who had been growing seemingly an inch a day.

Sighing, Denali set off to run her errands, lamenting on the responsibilities of the town healer.