Story [Avatar: The Last Airbender] Guide Me Home (Ursa/Hakoda, canon compliant) COMPLETE (more art added)

A/N: This is a chaptered Ursa/Hakoda story. (That is, of course, Zuko's mother and Sokka and Katara's father.) I'm interweaving it with the events of the show and writing it so that it doesn't contradict anything in the canon of Avatar. I already have fifteen chapters completed and uploaded elsewhere, and Miana_Kenobi suggested I post it here. (It's completely her fault that I started writing this pairing.) I'll try to post one chapter a day until I'm caught up with what I already have written, and then I'll just post as I write the following chapters.

Title: Guide Me Home
Characters/Pairing: Ursa/Hakoda
Summary: They were engulfed in war and had already lost so much when circumstance pulled them together. (Eventual Ursa/Hakoda, takes place during the show, without contradicting canon.)
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Avatar is still not mine.
Huge thanks to: Rachel, Kate, Emma, Faith, Ryke, and Matt for helping me with this, whether it was helping me work out characterization, offering suggestions, helping me find information, letting me ramble, or anything else.


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Chapter One - The Innkeeper

There was a storm coming. Ursa watched the gray clouds gathering out over the ocean as she worked in her garden, pulling up weeds and plucking a few herbs here and there for use at suppertime. She had a good view of the sea, looking down a rolling hill and past the cottages of several villagers. A few boats were hurrying to get to port before they were caught in the coming gale.

"Ursa!" Len, the young girl who worked at Ursa's inn a few days a week, burst out the back door, twisting her hands in agitation.

Ursa stood, quickly tucking her herbs into her apron. "What's wrong, Len?"

"They're back! The soldiers! They aren't due for another week, at least!"

Ursa's stomach clenched, but she maintained her calm, reaching out to lay a hand on Len's arm. "I'll handle this. Please stay out here until they're gone."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

Bracing herself, Ursa walked into the inn. She could hear their voices before she had made her way to the front room, where a counter and a group of tables greeted anyone who walked inside. One of those tables was currently occupied by a married couple and their three children, and they were clearly apprehensive of the Fire Nation soldiers standing around the door.

The leader of the soldiers flicked his eyes over Ursa. "Ahh, if it isn't our generous innkeeper."

The knot in her stomach squeezed tighter. "Unfortunately, my generosity is running very low at the moment. You claimed most of my earnings three days ago." They'd taken most of her earnings that they'd been able to see, anyway. She wasn't stupid enough to keep all of her money where anyone else could find it.

"You've obviously had some business since then," the leader responded, walking toward the family who was watching the exchange with fear in their eyes. "Perhaps we should deal with your customers if you can't bear to part with the money they gave you."

The littlest child at the table whimpered, but Ursa already had her coin box out and was opening it. "That won't be necessary."

She waited, fury boiling beneath her cool composure, as they took all of the money in the box. "The Fire Nation appreciates your contribution," the lead soldier called as they kicked over one of her tables and filed out the door.

A low rumble of thunder sounded as the door closed, and Ursa let out a long breath. "Are you all right?" she asked her guests as the husband jumped up to help her right the table.

"F-fine," the young wife stuttered. "Do they?come here often?"

Ursa's fingers clenched the table. "That depends on what you consider often. The Fire Nation set up a patrol base two towns west from here about three months ago. They seem to feel it necessary to harass the nearby villages." They didn't have enough soldiers to fully control the village where she lived, but they did their best to make their presence felt. They were bullies and cowards, and there was always such deep anger in

 

I'm so happy you decided to post it over here. It gives me an excuse to reread it!

 

Hee! Thanks, Mi.

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Chapter Two - The Southern Water Tribe

"Hakoda, there's a storm coming in," Mikko called down into the hold, where Hakoda was pouring over charts and maps. "We're not far from land. Do you want to head in?"

"Where are we?" Hakoda asked.

"Looks like we recently passed Chin Village. Last time we passed this way, there were no Fire Nation patrols, but that was a while ago."

Hakoda nodded slowly, looking down at his maps again. They still had a lot of distance to cover before they reached their destination in the eastern Earth Kingdom. "Let's pull it as close to shore as we can and wait it out there."

"Right."

Hakoda listened as Mikko's footsteps took him back up to the deck, where he began calling orders to the other two ships. Their already tiny fleet had been down one ship since they left a boat behind with Bato. The plan was that he could catch back up with them once he'd recovered from his injuries. It had only been two weeks since they'd had to leave him at the abbey to rest and heal, and already Hakoda felt the loss of his second-in-command and best friend. He had known that Bato handled a lot of the legwork in preparing for missions, but with him temporarily gone, the majority of it was left to Hakoda. He was sure there was some appropriate adage for the situation. Something about being thankful for all the monkey-chicken eggs you had. Or maybe it was something about not putting all your monkey-chicken eggs in one basket? Eh, he was sure there was one about being grateful for what you had. He had been grateful, and he'd be even more grateful when Bato was better and back with them.

Rolling up his maps and charts, Hakoda tucked them into his bag and went quickly through the hold, making sure everything that might be thrown around in a storm was secure before heading up to the deck. The sky was thick with clouds, lightning flashed in the distance, and the wind was picking up.

Hakoda had weathered many storms in his lifetime, not to mention other hazards of the ocean. When he first left the South Pole, though, the ocean had been unfamiliar territory. He had been used to storms of ice and snow, blizzards that swept through and kept everyone bundled up inside. In warmer climates, he had been introduced to a whole new set of storms. He had witnessed thunder and lightning and torrential rain that could flood the decks of the ships. In some seasons there were hurricanes off the western coast of the Earth Kingdom.

"Looks like it's going to be a rough ride," Pika shouted at him from over on the second boat.

"Think you can handle it?" Hakoda called back.

"Oh, I think I can handle it. Who was it who lasted longest riding that arctic hippo all those years ago?"

"That would be Bato," Tamoru yelled over to Pika as he walked past Hakoda with a length of rope.

"I don't know where you get your information, Tamoru, but I beat Bato by one second!" Pika returned.

Tamoru scoffed. "Sure you did."

A loud crack of thunder drowned out anything Pika might have said in reply, and the skies opened up, dumping what could arguably have been an ocean of water down on top of them.

As predicted, it was a rough ride. They anchored close to shore, but with the driving rain and wind Hakoda only got glimpses of the land through it all. Still, when the worst of the storm finally passed and all they were left with strong gusts of wind and steady rainfall, all three ships were still floating.

"Good work, everyone!" Hakoda called out to the other ships. "Let's get to shore and we'll do damage assessment."

Night had fallen during the storm, and it was pitch black by the time they had pulled the boats up on the beach. Hakoda could just make out the landscape around the harbor. A sloping hill dotted with a few cottages led up to the silhouette of a town.

They weren't the only sailors who were looking over their ships; some smaller fishing boats had been anchored on the shore and their owners poured over them, looking to see if their boats had suffered any destruction duri

 

Chapter Three - Cast Off

The three Water Tribe ships were safely away from the shore by the time the Fire Nation soldiers reached it. Several of them shot fire toward the boats, but the flames fell short of them.

They sailed for open sea, and it wasn't until the land was a speck in the distance that Hakoda turned the sailing over to the rest of his men and brought his full attention to the woman standing silently to the side. Their prisoner was still unconscious, lying against the port side of the ship, guarded by Mikko. He was tied up with his fists and feet pointed in such a way that if he tried to firebend, he would likely catch himself on fire, and a gag was stuffed into his mouth so he couldn't breathe it at them. Despite this, they weren't going to take any chances. Maybe he'd be one of those soldiers that would sooner die than be taken prisoner.

Ursa was staring over at the firebender, her expression guarded. She was also, Hakoda noticed, cradling one hand carefully against her stomach?the same hand she had avoided using to grasp his arm when introducing herself.

Hakoda took a step toward her and her eyes flashed over to his. They were a shade that wasn't quite brown, but almost a gold color, and unlike her carefully neutral expression, her eyes shone with a mixture of pain and anger.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she replied instantly. Then she paused, glancing down at her hand. "I have a small burn," she conceded. She unfolded her hand and in the moonlight, Hakoda could see that where the palm of her hand wasn't covered in dirt, it was red and already blistering. He had seen much worse, but it had to still be painful.

"Come with me." Hakoda headed for the hold, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Ursa was following. She shot another glance over at the firebender, but went after Hakoda. He borrowed a lantern that Tamoru was holding and climbed the ladder down below deck. Ursa descended quickly, careful not to touch the rungs with her burned hand, and entered the first room with him. It was crisscrossed with hammocks for sleeping. Furs were fastened to the floors, and various boxes and supplies were bundled and tied in the corner. Barrels of fresh water were secured in another corner.

Ursa stopped in the doorway as Hakoda hung the lantern on the wall and collected a small amount of water in a bucket, some cloths, and ointment for her hand. He set it all on the floor and motioned her over.

She stepped slowly toward him, her eyes darting over to the bear pelt on the floor.

Hakoda patted its stuffed head. "He doesn't bite, I promise."

One eyebrow rose, but Ursa didn't respond as she knelt on the ground in front of the supplies. As soon as Hakoda opened the ointment, the potent smell assailed his nose and Ursa sucked in a sharp breath. "What is that?"

"For your burn," Hakoda said. "It's made from seal blubber and arctic algae. It'll fix you up in no time."

Ursa looked at the ointment dubiously, but washed and dried her muddy hands. She wrinkled her nose as she scooped some of the blubber-algae ointment out and spread it on her burn.

Hakoda held out another strip of cloth. "You should wrap that. Here." He started to reach for her hand, but she snatched it away.

"I can do it." Her voice was tense, and Hakoda rolled back on his heels and held the cloth out toward her. More quietly, she said, "Thank you." As she took the cloth and began to wrap her hand, she added, as if in explanation, "It's been a very long night. That firebender tried to kill me, my home burned down, and my friend?" Her breath hitched and she cleared her throat. "My friend is missing." She finished wrapping her hand and dropped it into her lap.

"Maybe now would be a good time to tell me what's going on."

Ursa stared down at the bucket of muddy water, her gaze distant as she nodded. She told him the events that had led up to her joining him on the boat. Hakoda listened as she described her suspicions that the man who came into her inn was a firebender, her subsequent flight and then her return to the house of her

 

Aww, Watertribe Banter. How I've missed it.


Great job, hun!

 

I've missed it too, Mi. It's so much fun to write.

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Chapter Four - Memories

Her world was broken. Shattered into so many pieces she wasn't sure she would ever be able to find them, let alone put them back together. Everything she knew?no, everything she thought she knew?had just been ripped out from under her. She was sinking beneath the surface and didn't even have time to catch her breath. Not if she wanted to save her son's life.

She stared into her husband's eyes and it was like looking into the eyes of a stranger. How had it come to this? How had he come to this? How had she come to this point without realizing just how far Ozai was willing to go for his own stake on power?

"How could you?" Ursa's voice was too quiet; she could still hardly breathe. "He's your son."

Ozai's gaze was cold, his face a hard mask. She couldn't deny that she and Ozai had grown increasingly distant over the years. She couldn't deny knowing that Ozai paid far more attention to Azula than to Zuko. She knew that Azula was the prodigy that he had always dreamed of having, that he considered Zuko a disappointment, and also knew that this had absolutely affected their marriage. There had been arguments, very early on, between Ursa and Ozai over Zuko. Ozai thought he was soft and told Ursa that she was only contributing to making him weaker. She had always defended Zuko, even though she had learned early on that keeping her silence with Ozai was often better than participating in an argument over Zuko.

But when she had heard Azula's confession to overhearing the conversation between Azulon and Ozai, she hadn't really thought that Ozai was capable of this. Not really.

Now as Ozai stared at her with those unbearably icy eyes, he spoke the words that sealed her doom. Zuko's doom. "It's for the good of the Fire Nation."

Something in Ursa exploded, and she leapt at Ozai, her voice finally matching the roiling fury she felt. "He's your son!" she screamed, trying to hit him, trying to shake him, to get any sense at all out of him.

She managed to land one hand on Ozai before he grabbed her wrists and pushed her backwards. She caught herself before she fell and when she looked at Ozai again, it was to see him still glowering at her with that deadly expression. "Don't you understand?" he demanded. "This isn't about Zuko. This is about what is best for our country. Iroh is weak and he will bring our nation to its knees. We need a strong ruler, a Firelord who will not back down like my cowardly brother."

"Iroh is a great man. He's mourning his son. You're willing to throw yours away!"

"Zuko is weak, Ursa." There was that persuasive voice, the one he had always been so good at. The one that she heard more and more often coming out of Azula's mouth. He couldn't seriously think that it would work on her, could he? Not this time. "You know this. I would never sacrifice him in vain. My father?"

"Is a monster. Just like you."

His hand was so fast she didn't know it moved until after he struck her. She touched her mouth and felt blood there. There was a dreamlike unreality about the whole thing. Part of her wasn't sure how this could really be happening. How could any man agree to kill his own child? How could any man that she had ever given her love to be such a person?

"I won't let you do this." She clenched her hands into fists. "I swear that I will do whatever I have to do to protect my son. Even if it means taking him away from here." She had only taken a step away from him when he grabbed her arm and yanked her forcefully around. She froze when she saw his uplifted fist, surrounded by burning orange fire. She knew then, knew that this was real. This was happening. Her husband was a complete stranger to her. If he was willing to kill Zuko, then what was going to stop him from killing her right then and there?

She had learned self-defense for a reason, but had never expected to use it against Ozai. And as she tried to break his hold on her arm, she realized that it was in vain?he knew all her defensive move

 

Chapter Five - Intelligence Reports

It was the third time that Hakoda had been away from his children for the anniversary of Kya's death. When he had been home, it had been a day when they could share memories together, and he felt the loss of his children's presence more keenly than ever on this day. Kya's death was a reminder of so much?the pain of that day, the beauty of her life, one of the reasons he was fighting in the war, Sokka and Katara. It was a cycle of joy and pain, and one that would probably always be that way.

In light of not having Sokka and Katara, Hakoda's friends took it upon themselves to fill the void.

"It's an age-old tribal tradition," Hakoda overheard Mikko murmuring to Ursa, "to share memories of a loved one on the anniversary of their death." They were eating breakfast and preparing for the last stint of their journey. Their firebender prisoner was leaning against a nearby rock, out of earshot but within eyesight of all of them. "I remember," Mikko said to the group, "when Hakoda and Bato got stranded out on that iceberg after they crashed their canoe trying to beat the rapids."

"There was no trying about it," Hakoda put in. "We had those rapids beat. Or we would have if that iceberg hadn't gotten in the way."

"Yeah, blame it on the iceberg," Notu muttered.

Mikko laughed. "I think everyone in the village could hear Kya's rant to you when you and Bato made it back home."

"She was worried," Hakoda said with a wry smile.

"That, my friend, is an understatement."

Ronook put in his own memory. "Kya made the best stewed sea prunes in the village?but don't tell my wife I said so."

"I remember," Tamoru began, "When my little Marena was born, how panicked I was when Alla went into labor during that blizzard. I could hardly even get out of our igloo to go for help. I don't know what I would have done if Kya hadn't managed to get there. She was a life-saver."

Hakoda swallowed past the lump in his throat. He suspected that Kya was a life-saver in more ways than even he might ever fully know.

"I will always be grateful that you and Kya went with the young love and didn't waste time in having kids. It helped the rest of us figure out what we were doing when it came our turn," Ornu added.

They continued reliving memories of Kya until all the other men had shared, and then Hakoda closed his eyes, picturing Kya's laughing face. It was a dim memory. It seemed with every passing day, her face got more blurred in his mind.

It was good to hear the good memories, to share them with others who had known and loved Kya. It helped drown out the words that were so strong on this day, words he would never be able to forget as long as he lived. Old words, but the worst ones he had ever heard.

"Dad! I think Mom's in trouble! There's a man in our house!"

The sick fear that had made his stomach plummet and his heart race?he would never forget that, either. To hear those words from his daughter had been the most horrific moment of his life. At least until he saw Kya's body.

A firm hand on Hakoda's shoulder brought his eyes open. Notu was looking at him with understanding.

"I remember," Hakoda said slowly, "her laughter. Even when I made her angry or upset; even if she got sad, it was never long before she was laughing again."

"And making everyone else laugh, too," Tamoru added.

"In memory of Kya." Mikko bowed his head. "May her spirit always be at rest."

The words signaled the end of their memory sharing, and the end of breakfast. There was an unusually solemn air about the camp as they packed up and prepared to move on. Hakoda's mind was still very far away as he rolled up a tent. His thoughts were back home with his children. They would be remembering their mother in their own way. The desire to see them, to hold them and assure them, to know that they were really all right, was so strong that he almost felt sick.

He tucked the tent away and closed his eyes briefly. I miss you, Kya. It wasn't the fierce longing, agony, and misery that it had been right after she died. Just like the

 

Chapter Six - Time and Again

After returning to the room that she had been given at the Earth Kingdom base, Ursa paced around the small space, her mind full of new thoughts. From the supposed information given by the firebender to news on the Avatar and how it involved Hakoda's children.

She didn't know if she believed a word out of the firebender's mouth. Yes, his story made sense, but the drug the Earth Kingdom had used was, as she had told the general, unreliable. It had been around in the Fire Nation for years, and she was well-versed on the effects it had. She just wished that she could get some substantial information on Misaki.

And if wishes were ostrich horses we could ride into a sunset of rainbows, she thought caustically, pinching the bridge of her nose. Sighing, she sank down onto the hard rock bed and folded her hands into her opposite sleeves. The sun had long since set and the only light came in through the open windows and a door that led out to a small balcony. She missed her inn. She missed Huang. She missed the friendly faces of familiar neighbors. And the older, deeper ache of places and people she missed was only made worse by the fresh hurts.

She stared out through the door to the balcony; she could make out the shapes of trees and mountains in the light of the moon and stars. What now? General Ling was going to want an answer from her. If she proved to him that she could call out earthbenders, then he wanted her to work with Hakoda and see if she could help find more firebenders in the underground. There were so many problems with that. Yes, she had been fighting against the Fire Nation for years now, but she had been doing it subtly. She had been avoiding, as much as possible, exposure to anyone from the Fire Nation. To anyone who might recognize her.

She'd had more than one moment of panic since the Fire Nation patrols had started coming through Huang. Every time firebenders had stepped into her inn, she had been afraid that one of the soldiers would recognize her. She hadn't exactly led an inconspicuous life within the Fire Nation. Granted, most people probably didn't expect her to be tromping around the Earth Kingdom wearing their clothes and with their hairstyles. And since leaving the Fire Nation, she had never been so grateful that her father had given her the name Ursa. It was an Earth Kingdom name, and before he died, he had told her that she had been given such a name to remind her that the four nations were meant to be joined hand in hand. If she'd had a Fire Nation name, she would have had to go by a false identity in the Earth Kingdom. It had been a comfort that she could at least still be Ursa, and at the time she had been banished, anything familiar had been a significant comfort to her.

She had always been careful, though. What General Ling was asking of her would send her out looking for firebenders. Yet?could she really say no? The Water Tribe would continue carrying out their task, and she had the ability to offer them help that they wouldn't find from a whole lot of people.

With another sigh, she lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. It had been a very long week and all she wanted to do was sleep and not think about anything, but all she could do was think.

Her thoughts moved onto the Avatar. His reappearance was significant to the whole world, but for her, it held even more meaning. It was not well-known?in fact, it was something that not even her own children knew?that her grandfather had been Avatar Roku. Ursa had very fuzzy details about his life and death. She remembered her father telling her about her heritage before he died, remembered that he had talked about betrayal, and she wished that she could remember more. She wished she had thought to pursue the matter more deeply when she had been in the Fire Nation.

Her parents had both died when she was four, and she had been taken in and raised by her mother's sister, who had done her best to avoid any of Ursa's questions about her heritage. It had been as though sh

 

D: I forgot all about this part! Ahh!

Great job, hun!

 

Thanks again, Mi!

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Chapter Seven - Crossing Paths

Ursa had never seen the town of Gaoling, and her first view of it was not ideal. The firebender who had her prisoner shoved her quickly down the hill that led to town. It had only been a ten minute walk from the army base, and Ursa's hopes that someone would come to help had grown slimmer with each passing moment. She didn't know why she should expect help. Her life was one that always demanded self-sufficiency. Even the Water Tribe recently coming to her rescue had been far from ordinary.

"Do you really think you'll be able to carry on normally back at the army base? Don't you think someone will suspect if I just disappear?" Ursa asked quietly as they walked, expecting to be told to shut up. Maybe being far enough away from the army base made her captor more confident, because he answered.

"No, I don't. From what I can tell, you're a big unknown to all of these people. The Water Tribe and the soldiers don't really know what you would do or how you would act. So you wanted to go to Gaoling and quietly disappear. They'll never know, and you won't be able to point me out as a firebender."

Ursa clenched her teeth. He was right. He could take her wherever he wanted and return to the base; he could weave a story of lies and no one would have reason to doubt him. "The Fire Nation will lose."

"Against an Earth Kingdom who can't even recognize a firebender in their midst? Against an Avatar who's a kid? I think you chose the wrong side. I guess we know who your son inherited his weakness from, don't we?"

Ursa sucked in a sharp breath before she could stop herself. It had been five years since she'd heard any news about her children, and she desperately wanted to know what this man meant by Zuko's weakness. She kept quiet, waiting to see if he would continue.

"You should have just kept your nose out of?"

There was a loud rumbling noise directly behind Ursa, and a shout from the firebender, but the yell was no longer near her. Ursa cautiously turned her head and saw that a huge chunk of earth had jutted out of the ground and had propelled the firebender back through the air.

Her gaze darted around for the earthbender who had helped her as her mind screamed at her to run. She had barely taken a step, however, when the ground opened underneath her. She dropped down and landed painfully, unable to use her hands to brace her fall. Then the earth sealed above her, leaving her in complete darkness.

Coughing and struggling to her feet, Ursa smacked headfirst into a wall. At least the room or tunnel or wherever she was had enough space that she could stand straight without hitting her head.

"I thought you could use some help."

Ursa jumped at the sudden voice in the dark. She turned slowly toward the person who had spoken. "Thank you."

"Just be glad I was walking under you at the right time." The voice was very high and young?a child. Ursa was fairly sure that it was a girl.

Ursa was starting to breathe more easily as she accepted that she was, for the moment, safe again. All of the being in danger, out of danger, back in danger of the past days was frustrating and frightening, and surreal at times. She kept trying to focus on what she had to do next, just to keep herself going. And right now, she had to get back to the army base, and fast. She had to warn General Ling. The implications of what had just happened to her were enormous.

Despite all the heavy thoughts and emotions weighing on her, she heard herself asking, as if from somewhere very far away, "How did you know I needed help if you didn't see me?"

For some reason, that brought a short laugh from the girl. "I heard you talking. You sounded scared, and besides, your big friend sounded like a bully. I don't like bullies. And your heart was beating really fast."

Ursa wasn't sure how to respond to that. She didn't even know what a child would be doing wandering around underground in the middle of the night, or how she could know that Ursa's heart had been beating fast, and

 

Toph! Oh man I forgot that Toph saves the day!

 

Toph is great.

Happy Christmas!

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Chapter Eight - A Slippery Slope

General Ling and his soldiers had been unable to find their "Captain Gan," which meant that whoever Gan really worked for would now know that Ursa had been aiding the Earth Kingdom and could uncover firebenders.

That knowledge made Ursa's choice for her. She couldn't sit back and go into hiding. It wouldn't matter if she did?the Fire Nation would still believe she was working against them. Her best hope was to do everything she could to help discover the source of these firebender spies, or to find out if there even was one source. Gan had said he knew someone who would have use for a traitor, and though Ursa did not mention the traitor bit, she did tell General Ling that Gan had been taking her to someone.

Ursa and the Water Tribe remained at the army base for four more days. The firebender prisoner still in custody was questioned numerous times, but gave very little useful information. The information he did give was extremely dubious. Under the influence of the red spider-fly venom drug, he repeated the name of a town several times. It was thin information, and could have been nothing. It could have been a lie he was chanting to himself or he could have been hallucinating. Still, General Ling confirmed he knew of a member of the underground in this town, and that it would be best to check on the situation.

"I would send a message to an Earth Kingdom base that's closer to the town and have them look into it, but if this is something relevant to the investigation, I don't want to alert any spies that may be in our ranks. You and your tribe, Chief Hakoda, I know I can trust," General Ling said. "This information could be nothing, but it's all we have and if you think it's worth looking into, I would appreciate your assistance. If nothing else, there's bound to be a lot of Fire Nation activity. This town is up north, and we are fairly sure that the Avatar is traveling somewhere in that vicinity."

Ursa watched Hakoda stiffen at this news and was certain he was thinking of his children.

"Another intelligence report came in," Ling continued. "The Avatar was recently seen in a market. There's a fisherman who claims the Avatar saved him during a storm. And wherever the Avatar is, there is bound to be Fire Nation pursuing him. So even if you are unable to find any further leads on these spies in our army and network, you will surely find other tasks in store for your warriors, Chief Hakoda." He turned to Ursa at this point. "However, if this lead on the spies in the Earth Kingdom goes nowhere and the Water Tribe ends up needing to change tactics, it may not be safe for you, Lady Ursa."

Ursa wondered if Ling realized how ridiculous that statement was. "Tell me, General Ling, where is it safe? I've been undercover for the Earth Kingdom for years now, and I've yet to find somewhere in this world that has ever stayed safe for me. I think I'll take my chances." She looked quickly at Hakoda. "If you still agree to take me. I may not be much of a fighter, but I'm very good at blending in."

Hakoda nodded. "I believe that. And yes, your knowledge and experience would be very helpful, particularly if we do run into Fire Nation spies."

The journey to their destination was supposed to be two weeks of sailing, give or take a few days depending on the weather. It was there that they would rendezvous with the missing and much talked about Bato. Hakoda had sent him a message from the army base with a map to the rendezvous point.

Even though the Water Tribe men were nothing but kind and welcoming, Ursa felt out of place, like she was intruding on their normality. They were a group of men who hadn't been in the regular company of a woman for a long time, and she wondered how much she might be inconveniencing them.

She got to know some of them a little better than others?it seemed that all three ships had a set group of warriors on board, and as she was back on the same ship, she was again with the same group of men. This d

 

Great story! I'll be keeping an eye out for it!

 

Thank you, G_Anakin!

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Chapter Nine - One Step Forward

The cove where Hakoda and his men landed was sheltered among walls of rocky cliffs. It was secluded?the local village was far up a hill and through the thick woods that dominated the area, but that worked well to make the Water Tribe less conspicuous.

Bato's boat was already pulled up on shore at the rendezvous point when the rest of the Water Tribe arrived mid-afternoon, and Bato was standing on the beach, hand held up in greeting. As they docked, the air was full of shouts of greeting.

"It's good to see you in one piece." Hakoda grinned and clasped Bato's arm. Bato's previously injured arm was red and scarred, but looked far better than it had when Hakoda had last seen him.

"And it's good to see you haven't sunk the fleet while I've been gone," Bato returned. "I have some welcome news for you, Hakoda. I met up with Sokka and Katara."

Hakoda listened in relief as Bato filled him in on his reunion with Sokka and Katara and his meeting of the Avatar. "He's very young and he has a lot to learn, but he has the best people helping him."

While Hakoda was overjoyed to have such recent news of his children, he couldn't help but feel sadness that he hadn't been the one to see them, to take Sokka ice (well, in this case, rock) dodging, to see that they were as grown up as Bato said. He was, however, grateful that they'd had Bato to give them news and to raise their spirits. Quietly, he told Bato, "Thank you."

Bato nodded. "So what trouble have you been getting into while I've been gone?" he asked loudly, addressing all the men.

They exchanged glances, and Bato looked at Hakoda. "That bad?"

"I think you should meet Ursa," Hakoda replied.

The next little while was spent introducing Ursa to Bato and explaining everything that had happened since leaving him at the abbey. While Bato was being filled in on the situation, some of the men were busy transferring supplies to Bato's ship. The warriors who had been on his boat before would be moving back to it, so things would be a little less crowded.

As everything was being rearranged, Bato pulled Hakoda to the side. His eyes flickered over to Ursa, who was standing out of the way of the men moving things around. "I have to say, this is one development I didn't expect. I realize that you have all been through a lot with this woman over the past weeks, but I haven't had the chance to get to know her. What can you tell me about her?"

Hakoda would have been surprised if Bato didn't question Ursa's presence. Bato had always been the voice of reason and caution, even during their troublemaking escapades at the South Pole. Of course, in those days, his "voice of reason" had been making sure that the rope they had was actually strong enough to lasso the arctic hippo. As Hakoda's second in command, he and Hakoda normally discussed any major decisions.

Hakoda glanced over at Ursa, then back at Bato. "She's a woman who's lost everything in her life."

"You have to understand that some of this situation looks very circumstantial when you just step into it," Bato said.

"Are you worried that she's one of these Fire Nation spies whose purpose was to infiltrate the Water Tribe?" Hakoda asked.

"The thought did cross my mind, but I knew if it had crossed mine after just hearing about what's been going on, then it had undoubtedly crossed yours. And since she's still here, I know you trust her at least enough to not be a spy for the Fire Nation."

"We weren't even supposed to be in her town the night her inn burned down," Hakoda answered. "I might have been suspicious if we planned to be there. And as you said, we've had time to get to know her a little?as much as she'll let us."

Bato raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Let's just say she keeps herself closed up pretty tightly, but I think we've been getting through to her here and there." Hakoda's eyes flickered over to Ursa again.

"Your instincts about people have always been very good. You've told me her situation, but what do you make of her, Hako

 

Chapter Ten - Falling Faster

Ursa yelled as someone grabbed her the instant Hakoda tugged her out the back door of the tavern. Her hand was torn out of Hakoda's grip and she struggled with the person who pinned her arms behind her back. She got a glimpse of Fire Nation uniforms, and she stilled as a sword was pointed at her by one of the soldiers.

The next thing she noticed was Hakoda, crumpled in a heap on the ground, and terror shot through her. She hadn't seen what had happened to him. Had he been stabbed? Was he dead?

Her hands were bound swiftly behind her back. "You're coming with us," the soldier holding her at sword point said. "You've been causing the Fire Nation a lot of trouble lately."

Ursa couldn't take her eyes off of Hakoda. Her fault. This was another thing that was her fault. If he was dead?

Dizzying relief swept through her when she finally saw the slight movement of his body as he breathed.

"What do we do with him?" one of the soldiers asked, prodding Hakoda with his boot.

The sword-wielding man turned and examined Hakoda. "Water Tribe. Let's bring him, too. The admiral might have use for him. Let's move!" To Ursa, he added, "If you come quietly, we won't have to kill your boyfriend."

The juvenility of that statement was ridiculous, but the threat wasn't. Even had Ursa been capable of fighting against a group of armed Fire Nation soldiers with her hands tied behind her back, she wasn't about to do something to put Hakoda's life at further risk.

What about Notu and Bato? Did they get out? Are they dead? Oh, dear spirits, let them be safe.

The next little while was a nightmare. Ursa was led to a covered wagon and shoved in the back of it. She ended up in an awkward, uncomfortable position on her side and had to struggle to sit, difficult to do when her arms were behind her. Hakoda was dumped in next to her, but she could barely make out the shape of his prone body in the darkness, let alone see if he was injured. Two soldiers jumped into the back of the wagon and sat down, their eyes on her. She met their gazes steadily, with every ounce of anger that she had. If they thought she was going to cower, they had another thing coming.

Ursa fought back her frustration and hopelessness. She didn't think that there would be any little earthbending girls running around underground to save her this time. Most of the Water Tribe was out at the cove, and Bato and Notu?

She squeezed her eyes shut as the wagon started moving swiftly down the road. She hadn't even realized how loud the sounds at the tavern were until they faded into the distance. The image of the fire in the tavern was blazing on the insides of her eyelids. That poor owner would lose his home and business, too, just as she had lost hers. Another thing to take responsibility for, another wrong that she couldn't right.

She was aware of the moment that Hakoda woke. He groaned and shifted, his shoulder bumping into her leg. Her eyes had adjusted as much as they could, and Hakoda was close enough that she could see his eyes blink slowly open and focus on her face. Then his eyes widened and he tried to move, only to discover his hands were bound. He sat up a lot faster than she had managed to.

"Stop moving, or I'll run you through." The Fire Nation soldier's voice seemed far too loud after the silence of the past while. He pointed his sword at Hakoda's nose. "Our orders were only to capture her alive."

Hakoda's voice was calm, though Ursa could see the anger simmering beneath the surface, when he quietly asked her, "Are you hurt?"

"No talking!" the soldier growled.

Ursa nodded at Hakoda. He looked around grimly, and she wished she could apologize. She knew that whatever happened next, whatever the Fire Nation did to Hakoda, it would be on her hands. He thought the Fire Nation only wanted her because she could detect firebenders. She knew better.

He was going to find out. It would be a miracle if he didn't find out where she was from, and exactly who she was. That thought terrified her almost as much as what might happe

 

Aww Hakoda's so sweet.

And Zhao-y-poo!

 

Thank you for helping me discover deeper levels to Hakoda's awesomeness, Mi. And oh, Zhao. Drowned because of his own stupidity.

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Chapter Eleven - Secrets and Spies

"Zhao." Ursa shook her head. "He's an impatient man who thinks always of his own gain. He has no restraint. What happened back in town has Zhao written all over it. He jumped at the chance to grab me, and didn't care who was in the way or if he had to be reckless to do it." She frowned. She had certainly had plenty of run-ins with Zhao back in the Fire Nation, but she had no idea how things might have changed in five years. "He?"

She stopped talking when the door to the cell opened and two soldiers came in. Hakoda rolled to his knees in front of her. If his words that he believed her hadn't been proof enough that he didn't hate her, then his protective reaction would have convinced her. She still didn't understand why he would want to protect her. She did understand, though, that trying to protect her would only get him hurt. He was dispensable to Zhao.

"You're coming with us." One of the soldiers pointed at Ursa. To Hakoda, he growled, "Back off, Water Tribe."

Ursa got to her feet and stepped around Hakoda before he could get hurt. Right now, she wasn't the one who needed protection. "I'm coming," she said calmly, even though inside, she was anything but calm.

The soldiers grabbed her arms and hustled her from the tiny room, slamming and locking the door behind them. She was taken to another room that had a desk, a chair in the middle, and a large Fire Nation tapestry hanging on the wall. Zhao was inside, waiting by the chair.

Ursa was pushed into the chair, and then the soldiers stood at attention beside her while Zhao paced back and forth in front of her like a prowling wolf-cat. "Hello again, Ursa."

She only glared at him.

"Wouldn't the Firelord be interested to know what his wife has been doing, working against him."

"I have not been Ozai's wife for five years, Zhao. Perhaps you should make sure you have your facts straight. In fact, I have never been wife to the Firelord. He divorced me before his coronation," Ursa retorted. "What do you want with me? If your plan is to use me to gain more power with Ozai?"

"Actually, I have no need for the Firelord to know anything about you. You would surely be executed, and that would not suit my purposes. I am, however, sure that Prince Zuko would be thrilled to know you're alive."

Ursa went cold. "You leave my son out of this."

"I wish I could, but he seems to keep getting in the way no matter what I try to do. The Avatar and his friends destroyed a Fire Nation force at the Northern Air Temple and they are going to pay." Zhao's jaw tightened. "And I am going to ensure that your son stays out of my way, since he just can't seem to leave well enough alone."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Zhao looked at her in surprise. "Surely you can't be ignorant of the fact that Prince Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation three years ago?" At the stunned expression on her face, he shook his head. "How ironic. You really can be that ignorant. Allow me to explain, Ursa. Your son is a coward. A weak, desperate coward who is not fit to take his father's place. He dishonored Firelord Ozai and then he was too pathetic to hold his ground and fight like a man. And now he has been getting in my way in my attempts to capture the Avatar."

Ursa still could not find words. Zuko had been banished? For three years? Had he been living in the Earth Kingdom? All this time, and if she had only known, she could have gone looking for him. And if he was getting in Zhao's way of capturing the Avatar, did that mean he had realized how wrong their nation was? Had he joined the Earth Kingdom in their war against the Fire Nation?

This last hope was dashed when Zhao explained further. In this instance, she was glad for his lack of restraint?he liked to gloat, and as far as getting information from him, that worked in her favor. "It is a pathetic

 

"Not dreaming," she agreed. "I couldn't dream?a joke that bad."

XD God I love Hakoda.


RAN!

 

Thanks, Mi. I think Hakoda's awesomeness just increases in my mind every time I write him.

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Chapter Twelve - Thawing

Ursa was struggling to get her body and mind to work together. It was hard?her mind was clearing, but she still felt like she was pushing through a thick fog. The last clear thing she remembered was being forced to take the drug. Everything after that was blurred. She'd been stuck in dreams and delusions. She remembered pain, the sensation of burning. She still felt unbelievably hot. She remembered Hakoda's voice, a calming anchor in the storm of nightmares, but she didn't know what he had said.

Even now, as she stood bracing one hand against the wall and fighting the overwhelming weakness in her body, she was also fighting to keep her awareness. Her mind kept trying to slip back into that haze. The shadows were dragging fingers across her mind, and she shook her head, focusing as hard as she could on what was right in front of her.

She was in the holding cell, with Hakoda, an unconscious solider, and another soldier who was apparently aiding in their escape. He was a young man, probably not much older than Zuko would be, and something about him looked vaguely familiar.

"Did I?talk?" she asked hoarsely. Her words were coming out as sluggish and stilted as her mind and body felt. "Did I?tell Zhao what he wanted to know?" Her entire body was shaking, and standing on her feet was taking its toll on her. She knew that she should be afraid of what she might have said, and angry at her body's weakness, and maybe once she was completely coherent, those emotions would come. Right now, all she felt was worry and frustration. It was as though the drug had thrown a damper over everything, including her emotions.

"You didn't say anything that made sense, Lady Ursa," the young soldier assured. "I wasn't in the room, but I heard that Admiral Zhao got very upset because you were only rambling and repeating the same things over and over again. And you had a worse reaction than usual to the drug. Zhao finally just put you back in here because we were docking and he had a war meeting to attend." The soldier looked at Hakoda. "We must go now. Most of the soldiers normally on board are outside guarding the war meeting or sleeping. There's only one sentry on deck."

Ursa removed her supporting hand from the wall, took a step toward the door, and then fell face-first into the soldier. He caught her and hefted her back to her feet. Hakoda slipped an arm around her and she didn't have the energy to protest. Two more steps and she had to clutch onto the back of his shirt to keep from falling.

Their rescuer motioned them out into the corridor. He picked up a large bag and handed it to Hakoda, who slung it over his shoulder. There was also a length of rope underneath the bag, and the soldier gathered this up and cautiously led the way down the corridor.

"Wait here," the soldier whispered. He clambered up the stairs to the deck. They heard him talking to someone, and then he came back. "Come on. Hurry!'

Ursa and Hakoda followed him up the stairs, and Ursa was hit with a blast of air so cold it sucked her breath from her lungs. Suddenly her body had another reason to shiver.

It was still dark, but the horizon was tinged with the barest light. Dawn was arriving?yet another reason to be so exhausted. She hadn't slept all night.

Then Hakoda was pushing her down so they were bent over, hurrying with their rescuer to the side of the deck. She wasn't sure what the young man had said or done to the single sentry on deck, but she didn't see him anywhere. She could make out several other warships pulled up to the shore, dark shadows against the ocean.

"Hakoda, how exactly are we escaping?" Her speech was coming a little faster, though through chattering teeth, as her head continued to clear. This made it almost worse because she was that much more aware of how her body was still not cooperating.

"We have to swim to land," Hakoda whispered. Then, with worry, "Do you know how to swim?"

"Yes, but?it's col

 

Oh napkin puppets...

Nice job, hun!

 

Thanks again, Mi!

:--:--:--:--:

Chapter Thirteen - Safe Haven

Hakoda awoke to the same dismal hint of light shining through the cave entrance, and to find his hand asleep because Ursa was cutting off his circulation. Somehow she had ended up sprawled across him in her sleep. Her head was flopped on his chest, one of her arms was draped across his stomach, and his hand was pinned underneath her hip.

He debated about trying to move her, but she was warm and at least appeared to be sleeping comfortably, and she needed as much rest as she could get. Finally, he just wiggled his hand out from underneath her and let it rest against his side, opening and closing his fingers to get the blood flowing back into them. Ursa didn't even stir.

He found himself staring down at the side of her face and his stomach tightened. He was all too aware of her curves pressed against him, of her warm breath seeping through his shirt. All too aware that it had been years since the last time he had woken up with a woman this close to him. More than that, he was suddenly all too aware of something else, something that was familiar because he had experienced it before, but which was also very new and different. It had snuck in uninvited and unexpectedly, but it was there. It had been growing there for a while, soft and subtle, and he hadn't even seen it until now.

He continued to gaze down at Ursa's sleeping face, feeling the rise and fall of her steady breathing, and he realized that it wasn't so subtle anymore. He let out a long, slow breath as he had a moment of now what? Or several moments. He ran a hand over his face. His feelings for Ursa had crossed a line from concern and care to something that made care pale in comparison. How had this happened? How could it have happened? He had never expected it. Not toward Ursa?not toward anyone?and certainly not after only having known her for such a short amount of time.

But it was there against all odds, staring him dead in the face and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

Nor, he knew, could he pursue it, even if he did finally recognize it. There was too much going on?too much he and Ursa both had to do, and even if he could think about this right now, he knew he couldn't ask it of Ursa. He thought that he might have started to gain some of her trust and that she might even consider him a friend, and that was what she needed.

He was distracted from his thoughts and revelations when his ears picked up the sound of voices in the distance. He strained to hear what was being said, but couldn't make out the words. He suspected it might be a Fire Nation patrol out searching for them, and he didn't relax until the voices faded, and then disappeared entirely. Possibly, some hunters were simply out looking for a meal, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

Ursa had slept through it all, which wasn't surprising, considering the night she'd had. He was glad she was still asleep. It gave him the time he needed to sit quietly and process what he needed to do. He was good at that?he could focus on what needed to be done and put that ahead of everything else.

By the time Ursa began to stir, he was calm with himself and with what he was doing, and very grateful for his ability to adapt quickly to situations, however strange and unexpected they might be. He couldn't shove everything he had realized about Ursa back into a neat little box, but his priorities right now were to get Ursa to safety and to find a way to get warning to the Northern Water Tribe that they were going to be attacked. Everything else would come one moment at a time.

Ursa's eyes blinked open slowly. It seemed to take her a moment to figure out where she was, but as soon as she noticed that she was lying across Hakoda, she jerked upright. Even in the dim light, he could see that her cheeks were red. "Hakoda, I?" She smoothed out her robes. "I apologize."

"There you go apologizing for things that don't need it." Hakoda stood up and stretched his arms out in front of him. "You were tired.

 

In fact, calling what he was feeling subtle would have been like calling a saber-tooth mooselion tame and cuddly.


[image=http://www.peopletopeoplealumni.com/users/8529/1/thumb_Foo%20Foo%20Cuddly%20Poops.jpg]


I love Hakoda with the kids. So cute.

Great job as always!

 

Hakoda has never had the pleasure of meeting Foo Foo.

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Chapter Fourteen - The Icebergs of Life

Ursa and Hakoda had no trouble reaching the large coastal town on the map that Ji had drawn for them, but once they arrived, they had to find either someone to take a message to the Northern Water Tribe, or someone to take them to the Northern Water Tribe. No one was willing to go that far north in their fishing boats, particularly with the possibility that they would run into a fleet of Fire Nation ships. They did provide Ursa and Hakoda with additional supplies to restock their bag, which was very generous of them.

In the end, the best they could do was find a fisherman willing to take them south through the inlet that cut through that area of land. It was the wrong direction, but it would take them to the nearest Earth Kingdom army base. The location of the base wasn't one that Hakoda recognized, but the fisherman said he knew where it was and could take them pretty close to it. Their hope was that the army base could get a warning to the Northern Water Tribe.

It was supposed to be a quick journey, two days at the most, but it didn't go according to plan. A huge storm whipped up during their first day of travel. It was the first time Ursa had ever been on a small fishing boat during a storm, and they weren't close enough to shore to land, so they had to wait it out and hope that the boat wouldn't capsize. It was a terrifying experience, and there were a few times when the thunder was crashing overhead and the lightning was flashing over the sky that Ursa wondered if they were going to make it through the storm.

They all came out of it alive, but the boat was a disaster. It almost didn't make it to shore, and there was no way the fisherman could take them anywhere else. After doing what they could to help him, Ursa and Hakoda set off on foot toward the army base.

When they finally reached the location where it was supposed to be, they found nothing. No people, no buildings. "Maybe they moved," Ursa suggested, looking around the empty stretch of land. For earthbenders, it would be nothing to take down structures and build them somewhere else.

Hakoda pulled out the map that Ran had packed for them and pointed at an area. "There's another army base here. That's the closest one I know of, if it hasn't moved." He rubbed his chin and sighed. "But it's a week's worth of traveling on foot. By then, I know we'll be too late to warn anyone. If we're not already too late." He tucked the map away and straightened, turning away from Ursa, his shoulders tense and his hands clenched into fists.

She understood his fear. As far as he knew, his children were at the North Pole, and if the Fire Nation attacked, they could be killed and the entire tribe wiped out, until all that remained was the Southern Tribe. It was beyond frustrating to have the knowledge of the danger, and to not be able to get it to the right place.

Ursa hesitated, and then reached out and touched his shoulder. He looked at her and nodded resolutely. "All we can do is keep moving," he said. "And hope."

So they pressed on. After a day, they reached a road, which made traveling more expedient. The next couple of days passed without any further hindrances. Ursa didn't find it strange traveling with Hakoda. It had its strange moments, certainly, but she had become so comfortable around him that even her moments of panic were less?those moments when she wondered what she was doing and how she could have let her guard down as much as she had with Hakoda. That week gave her some time to process her disbelief that nothing she had told him had deterred him from remaining with her.

It also gave her the chance to see expansions of the kindnesses she had already witnessed from Hakoda. Their brief day at Ji and Kyung's house had been the first time she had seen Hakoda interact with children. As she had watched him with little Yong on his lap, she had been struck with his joy and gentleness in his actions with her and she suspected she might have

 

"You are," Ursa told him, "the most perplexing man I have ever met."

"Only perplexing? Not dashing or intriguing, or maybe charming?" Hakoda grinned.


Hakoda, I love you so hard.


And yay Aang! Poor Zhaoy-Poo...

 

Great job!