Sokka dropped the almond cake he had fished out of Iroh's basket. "Oh man, I'd forgotten about him."
Zuko turned his glare on him. "I don't want you coming. Get off my steamer."
"Nephew, who is this?" Iroh knelt down to see more closely.
"None of your business!" he shrieked. "I'm taking him to the Air Temple with me."
Katara put her hand on Zuko's arm, but he shrugged it off. "We found him at the South Pole," she supplied. "Zuko said he was an air Avatar, from a hundred years ago!"
Iroh nodded thoughtfully. "So this is the reason we came."
Zuko looked down, and then picked his head up, glaring even harder.
"The crew will be suspicious if we don't give them a reason for coming," Iroh told his nephew.
"They'll be suspicious if I keep taking the two of them off the ship with me all of the time," he hissed. Katara sighed behind him.
"We will find a story to tell them." Iroh set his basket down near the helm. "We will lay him to rest together. You don't have to do these kinds of things alone, Nephew."
But Zuko just heard that he was never going to be able to get rid of them.
~*~
The Water Tribe siblings stood with his uncle out on deck as Zuko piloted the tiny craft up the gentle lowland river, deep into the foothills of the Patola mountains, and then up into the mountains themselves. Snow dusted the sparse trees and grasses that clung to the face of the mountains around them, and Iroh pointed them out as the siblings asked. As the currant grew swifter, Zuko blasted more heat into the furnace, and watched the meltwater run down from Aang's ice bed like sweat over the floor. It was going to thaw out soon if it hadn't already. All that time packed with ice in the steamer hold.
He wondered how fast a body started to stink once it wasn't frozen.
Zuko shot another fistful of fire into the furnace, but no matter what, he couldn't make any headway. He sighed, steering close to the bank, and shoved the pin that held the anchor up out of place. It plunged downward into the pebbly river bottom. The steamer jerked in the currant as he cut the engine. "Come on, everybody out. Help me get this thing out of the water."
He jumped out onto the bank before the others could clamber overboard. Sokka grabbed the bow of the ship and almost fell into the icy river, grunting and trying to heave it out of the water all by himself.
"Sokka!" his sister yelled, "Don't be stupid, come on, we're doing it together."
Sokka shoved his lip out as Zuko and his uncle grabbed one side of the ship, and Katara stood next to Sokka to grab the other. All four of them heaved it out of the water and onto the snowy bank.
"What were you going to do if we didn't come with you again?" Katara asked snidely.
Zuko didn't bother to answer, climbing back into the steamer. When he emerged, he held Avatar Aang's limp, unfrozen body slung over his back.
Sokka gazed around at the tall, jagged peaks around them. "How are we supposed to get up there?"
"There is a trail near here that leads up to the temple," Iroh murmured. "My nephew and I have used it before. It is not an easy climb." He looked over at Zuko, halfway out of the steamer. "While you are in there, could you bring my basket?"
Zuko shot him a filthy look, and laid Aang's body down in the snow. He climbed back in and threw the basket down at his uncle's head.
"Thank you, Nephew," Iroh said pleasantly, catching it.
Zuko jumped down out of the ship and picked up the previous Avatar without looking at any of them.
The trail, when they reached it, was broken and overgrown, but wide. Iroh didn't need to tell them that the soldiers who had marched on the Air Temple a hundred years before had made it as they climbed. It was obvious from the blackened, shattered stones.
"Sooooo," Sokka started, drawing the word out. "Any idea what you're going to tell the crew yet?"
Zuko narrowed his eyes. "I'm thinking about it." But he wasn't, and he wanted to ask how he was supposed to think, carrying the body of a little boy, up to a temple full of the bones of everyone he had known. And it didn't rattle Sokka, oh no, and right then, Zuko hated him for it.
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branchandroot
Laying Aang to rest at the Southern Air Temple, Part 2/7
Date: 2012-05-15 06:03 am (UTC)Zuko turned his glare on him. "I don't want you coming. Get off my steamer."
"Nephew, who is this?" Iroh knelt down to see more closely.
"None of your business!" he shrieked. "I'm taking him to the Air Temple with me."
Katara put her hand on Zuko's arm, but he shrugged it off. "We found him at the South Pole," she supplied. "Zuko said he was an air Avatar, from a hundred years ago!"
Iroh nodded thoughtfully. "So this is the reason we came."
Zuko looked down, and then picked his head up, glaring even harder.
"The crew will be suspicious if we don't give them a reason for coming," Iroh told his nephew.
"They'll be suspicious if I keep taking the two of them off the ship with me all of the time," he hissed. Katara sighed behind him.
"We will find a story to tell them." Iroh set his basket down near the helm. "We will lay him to rest together. You don't have to do these kinds of things alone, Nephew."
But Zuko just heard that he was never going to be able to get rid of them.
~*~
The Water Tribe siblings stood with his uncle out on deck as Zuko piloted the tiny craft up the gentle lowland river, deep into the foothills of the Patola mountains, and then up into the mountains themselves. Snow dusted the sparse trees and grasses that clung to the face of the mountains around them, and Iroh pointed them out as the siblings asked. As the currant grew swifter, Zuko blasted more heat into the furnace, and watched the meltwater run down from Aang's ice bed like sweat over the floor. It was going to thaw out soon if it hadn't already. All that time packed with ice in the steamer hold.
He wondered how fast a body started to stink once it wasn't frozen.
Zuko shot another fistful of fire into the furnace, but no matter what, he couldn't make any headway. He sighed, steering close to the bank, and shoved the pin that held the anchor up out of place. It plunged downward into the pebbly river bottom. The steamer jerked in the currant as he cut the engine. "Come on, everybody out. Help me get this thing out of the water."
He jumped out onto the bank before the others could clamber overboard. Sokka grabbed the bow of the ship and almost fell into the icy river, grunting and trying to heave it out of the water all by himself.
"Sokka!" his sister yelled, "Don't be stupid, come on, we're doing it together."
Sokka shoved his lip out as Zuko and his uncle grabbed one side of the ship, and Katara stood next to Sokka to grab the other. All four of them heaved it out of the water and onto the snowy bank.
"What were you going to do if we didn't come with you again?" Katara asked snidely.
Zuko didn't bother to answer, climbing back into the steamer. When he emerged, he held Avatar Aang's limp, unfrozen body slung over his back.
Sokka gazed around at the tall, jagged peaks around them. "How are we supposed to get up there?"
"There is a trail near here that leads up to the temple," Iroh murmured. "My nephew and I have used it before. It is not an easy climb." He looked over at Zuko, halfway out of the steamer. "While you are in there, could you bring my basket?"
Zuko shot him a filthy look, and laid Aang's body down in the snow. He climbed back in and threw the basket down at his uncle's head.
"Thank you, Nephew," Iroh said pleasantly, catching it.
Zuko jumped down out of the ship and picked up the previous Avatar without looking at any of them.
The trail, when they reached it, was broken and overgrown, but wide. Iroh didn't need to tell them that the soldiers who had marched on the Air Temple a hundred years before had made it as they climbed. It was obvious from the blackened, shattered stones.
"Sooooo," Sokka started, drawing the word out. "Any idea what you're going to tell the crew yet?"
Zuko narrowed his eyes. "I'm thinking about it." But he wasn't, and he wanted to ask how he was supposed to think, carrying the body of a little boy, up to a temple full of the bones of everyone he had known. And it didn't rattle Sokka, oh no, and right then, Zuko hated him for it.