Siege of the North, Part 1

It was a clear day in the Northern Water Tribe, not much activity was going on in the streets of the main city. But closer up to the palace, Master Pakku's students were about to put their skills to the test. Two Waterbenders looked really nervous while Katara and Lucy smirked at their opponents. With a circular wave of their arms, the two boys raised a glob of water from the ground and froze it before hurling towards Katara and Lucy. Katara and Lucy caught the chuck of ice before melting it and combining it with other puddles of water. Then waving it towards their fellow students, they enveloped them in the liquid before raising it and freezing it to where they couldn't move. The boys grunted as they tried to free themselves, but it was no use as to how stuck they were. 
"Nice try, Pupil Sangok, Pupil Hsu. A couple more years and you two might be ready to fight a sea sponge." Pakku criticized the two.
Master Pakku turned to his pupils before twisting his hands to melt the ice around Sangok and Hsu. The two fell to the ground with a yell before falling onto their backs. 
"Would anyone care for a rematch with Lucy and Katara?" Master Pakku walked up to his students and asked.
Most of the students looked really reluctant to try again.
"Guess that's a no." Gray said.
"They're just scared because they never stood a chance against the might of Luce and Katara." Natsu commented.
"Aye." Happy nodded.
"They're mastering Waterbending very well. I'm impressed." Kang smirked.
"So am I." Carla added.
"At this rate, Lucy will fulfill the prophecy and defeat the Fire Lord." Wendy pointed out.
"Lucy, Katara, you two have advanced more than any student I've trained." Pakku acknowledged.
"That's because they've been training hard during our quest." Erza told him.
"I can see that. You have proven that with fierce determination, passion and hard work, you can accomplish anything." Pakku complimented.
"Raw talent is not enough." He said as he gazed to one of his students. Aang was playing Momo.
"Pupil Aang!" Pakku called out. 
"Yes Master Pakku?" Aang asked as he sat up, losing focus on the Air Sphere and Momo fell onto his head.
"Care to step into the sparring circle? I figured since you've found the time to play with house pets, you must have already mastered Waterbending." Pakku dryly said.
"I wouldn't say mastered, but check this out." Aang said with a smile. 
With a circular wave of his arms, Aang was able to bend a mound of snow around him and turned himself into a snowman with a smiley face.
"Yeah. Very nice trick. That'll help defeat the Fire Lord." Gray said sarcastically.
"You have to admit it's pretty cool." Natsu replied.
"Not really." Kang told him. Master Pakku, Lucy and Katara looked at him with annoyed expressions. 
In another part of the city, Sokka and Yue were currently taking a walk on the town. She walked across a bridge while Sokka walked on the sides.
"So they don't have palaces in the Southern Water Tribe?" Yue looked to the teen from her sister tribe and asked.
"Are you kidding? I grew up on a block of ice. It's not exactly a cultural hub." Sokka said. Yue laughed, but then her face fell and he noticed this. 
"Sokka, this is wrong." Yue looked to him and said.
"Nothing's wrong. We're just walking." Sokka told her.
"I'm engaged. This makes me feel..." Yue stopped talking.
"I think I know what you need. You just need to meet my friend, Appa." Sokka said while hopping off the side of the bridge.
Sokka and Yue walked into the holding pen and Sokka walked up to Appa. Yue stood back while he looked back to her.
"Appa and I go way back. Don't we, boy?" Sokka asked. Appa responded by leaping towards him, knocking Sokka on his back and started licking his face. 
"Ah! Ah! Easy! Down boy! Agh! No! Up!" Sokka shouted trying to make Appa stop licking him and Yue giggled.
"Looks like you haven't been giving Appa enough attention." Yue said and slightly laughed while Sokka cringed after getting licked in the face. He then started to try and pull himself from underneath Appa's foot.
After Sokka got himself unstuck, he helped Princess Yue into the saddle. And after grabbing the reins and sitting in the saddle himself, Sokka held on tight. 
"So how does this work?" Princess Yue looked to him and asked.
"You holding on tight?" Sokka asked as she sits next to him.
"Yip...yip." He said with a glance to her and smirked.
With a flap of his tail, Appa and his passengers took to the air.
"Oh...my...goodness! I can't believe you do this everyday." Yue shouted. 
"Yeah. We pretty much live up here." Sokka said while stretching.
"Is it always this cold in the sky?" Yue asked while trying to keep warm.
"Not when you're with someone." Sokka admitted causing her to blush.
"It's beautiful up here." Yue said.
"Yeah." Sokka said, a little nervous. The two slowly lean forward. They closed their eyes as their lips came closer to touching. But then their eyes snapped open and they backed away.
"Woo. Yeah! Ah, good times. Good times." Sokka said.
It was then they noticed black flakes started to fall with the regular snow.
"Hey look." He said.
"What's happening?" Yue asked in confusion while lots of it started to rain down. 
"Oh no." Sokka said.
Back at the Waterbending training grounds, Aang was currently laughing as he rolled around in a rut in the snow. Lucy watched him with an annoyed expression.
"Aang, maybe instead of acting like a little child, you should at least..." Lucy cut herself off when she spotted the black snow falling from the sky.
"What's happening? Why's the snow being like this?" Wendy asked. Aang stopped playing and looked up to the sky.
When they had landed, Sokka and Yue got out of Appa's saddle, Sokka picked up some of the blackened snow.
"Soot." He said.
"What?" Yue asked, confused.
"I've seen this before. Right before my village was attacked. It's soot mixed with snow." Sokka explained.
"But why?" Yue asked, not understanding why this was happening.
"It's the Fire Nation. They've closed in on the North Pole and from the looks of this stuff, I'd say there's a lot of them." Sokka looked back as he said.
On their way to the North Pole, the Fire Nation ships stayed in formation with each other as they sailed. Zhao, Iroh, Aiko, Flannery and Shasta stood on the upper deck.
"This will truly be one for the history books. Just think, centuries from now, people will study the great Admiral Zhao, who destroyed the last Water Tribe civilization. You're all lucky to watch this." Zhao said, feeling confident and smug.
"Be careful what you wish for Admiral." Iroh warned.
"Agreed. History is not always kind to it's subjects." Aiko added.
"I suppose you two speak from experience. Rest assured, this will be nothing like General Iroh's legendary failure at Ba Sing Se." Zhao said.
"Shut up!" Flannery yelled.
"Calm yourself, Flannery." Shasta advised.
"I hope not...for your sake." Iroh said.
"Tell the captains to prepare for first strike." Zhao ordered.
They moved through the corridors of the ship. 
"We'll be landing soon." Flannery said.
"Do you have a plan?" Iroh asked.
"I'm working on it, Uncle." Zuko said as he removed his mask.
The beating of drums could be heard throughout the Northern Water Tribe as everyone ran to the palace. Everyone made their way up the stairs to attend the meeting. Those joining them was Sokka as he held Princess Yue's hand. But as they neared the top of the stairs she pulled her hand in his grasp to make him stop.
"What's wrong? We have to go." Sokka asked, then gesturing to the palace said.
"No, Sokka. I can't see you anymore. Not at all." Yue said, sounding heartbroken.
"But we're just friends." Sokka reminded her.
"I wish we could just be friends, but I like you too much and it's too confusing to be around you. I'm marrying someone else." Yue admitted.
"You don't love him, do you? You don't seem to like him." Sokka said.
"But I do love my people." Yue said as she looked to the horizon.
"You're not marrying them." Sokka pointed out.
"You don't understand. I have duties to my father, my tribe. I have to do this. Goodbye, Sokka." She said, running past him.
When they got inside, everyone from the Northern Tribe either or stood in front of the stage as the moved between Yue and Pakku. 
"The day we have feared for so long has arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will not vanish from our hearts." The chief addressed everyone.
"Now as we approach the fight for our very existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us!" The chief raised his hands as he said a prayer.
"I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission." The chief said.
"Count me in!" Sokka said with determination as he stood up.
"Sokka." A worried Katara said and looked to her brother.
"Be warned, many of you will not return. Come forward to receive my mark if you accept the task." He instructed. Some of the volunteers moved forward to the chief.
Dipping his first two fingers in a bowl of red paint, the chief gently brushed a bowing Tribesman's forehead. The next to receive the mark was a down looking Sokka. Yue watched as Sokka bowed before her father and received the same mark on his forehead. When he was finished, Sokka then turned to the right to wait with the other volunteers. But before he stepped off the stage, he cast one last glance to Yue. They looked to each other before Sokka kept going. Yue watched him go until she turned away with her eyes closed. Fearing the worst, tears rolled from her trembling eyes as Kang comforted her.
Aang and Lucy sat on one of the fence posts as they gazed out into the horizon. The chief came up to them.
"The stillness before battle is unbearable. Such a quiet dread." The chief said as he gazed out into the horizon with them. Katara, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy and Ray then join them.
"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked my people. I'm going to make a difference this time." Aang said. He regretted not being there for them.
"You're not alone. I'll help you." Lucy told him.
Then standing up in their spot, Aang, the chief and the others looked out to the distance as they were ready.
Later that day, all those able to fight stood on the outer wall of the city. The Water Tribe soldiers held spears and had their faces covered while they took their places along the wall. They see something appearing in the horizon and saw something bright coming from it. Their eyes widened as they recognized it. A flaming boulder flew straight at the wall.
"FIREBALL!" Natsu shouted. The fireball hit the wall and sent screaming soldiers flying back.
"Filthy Fire Nation! Aang!" Lucy called out.
"Yeah!" Aang said. The two climb onto Appa.
"Yip yip!" Appa took to the sky and headed towards the Fire Navy fleet.
"Is everyone okay?" Kang asked the warriors who got back to their feet and nod.
Some of the snow began to melt as Ray emerged.
Erza came across Sokka's arm sticking out of the snow and pulled him free.
"Thank you Erza. Where's Katara?" Sokka asked. Katara bent the snow to free herself from a snow pile.
"Good. Everyone's okay." Gray said.
"But look!" Wendy pointed at two fireballs flying overhead.
"Man this is annoying. Hope Luce and Aang do something about it." Natsu stated.
"They will. I'm sure of it." Erza reassured him.
Appa growled as he flew closer to the Fire Nation ships. Aang gave a flick of the reins to go faster and Appa obliged with a flick of his tail.
The ship launched two more fireballs from it's deck.
"We'll take it from here, boy." Aang said.
Aang and Lucy then jumped off the bison's head, divebombed and Aang opened his glider in midfall.
They avoided the fire blasts that came their way and landed on the deck. Aang closed his glider with a spin. Then with a horizontal wave, Aang and Lucy sent the Firebenders flying back. While most of them were blown a few good feet back, a few of them were able to stay on their feet and came running back up with flames in their palms. Aang took a defensive stance.
Aang ran over to a catapult where the working soldiers looked to him coming. They moved to stop him, but the Airbender jumped over their heads and landed on the arm of the catapult. The soldiers picked up a hammer and started to carefully make their way up the arm. The soldier closest to Aang readied his hammer and tried to hit Aang with it, but he was able to back away with a shout. On the last swing, Aang cartwheeled away allowing Lucy to kick the soldier and knock him down. She then jumped onto the part that connected the arm to the base. 
Landing in the middle they looked to both sides as two more soldiers with hammers came at the two with their weapons raised. One soldier brought his hammer down and Aang and Lucy stepped out of the way, causing the soldier to damage the catapult a little. They backed away with a yell before looking back to see the other soldier with his hammer above his head. Aang and Lucy jumped out of the way and that soldier's hammer struck the catapult part. Both soldiers then tried to swing at the Airbenders, but they jumped out of the way as their hammers landed. Then with a large strike against the machine from the Airbenders, the air blasts caused the entire thing to implode. All the Fire Nation soldiers shouted as they fell with it. Aang and Lucy landed on the deck and then headed to their next target.
Aang ran up to the last catapult and picked up a hammer. 
Sticking the handle where the chains were connected, he smiled as his plan was working. Lucy summoned Taurus and the two engaged a soldier who sent fire at the pair. She released a air blast that not only knocked the soldier overboard, but caused the hammer to fire. But instead of releasing its load at the enemy, the catapult's arm slammed into the deck of the ship and broke apart. The result of Aang's plan left a large hole in the deck where the catapult hit it.
Two operators chase after them, but Taurus stands in their way and knocks the two down. 
Aang and Lucy place their hands on a lever, and were quickly able to cause the catapult to release. They jumped off as the catapult ripped the other from the deck and flung it and the unfortunate soldiers across the deck. Both of them had large grins at the excellent job they were doing.
Aang and Lucy quickly came upon the last catapult of the ship. But their lack of company didn't go unnoticed by one of the ship's workers. The man gave a smirk as he readied his own special hammers.
Lucy looked back and saw a hammer connected by a chain coming towards them. They jump out of the way giving Taurus a opportunity to attack. The worker dodged the attack and made his way over to the two again. They landed on the side of the catapult before jumping out of the way of another hammer.
The hammers then came around the sides of the catapult. Aang was bound to the catapult. Before any real damage could be done, Lucy and Taurus knock him back as Appa grabbed him with an outstretched foot. The man screamed as Appa carried him to the side of the ship and dropped him into the ocean. The two then break Aang free.
"Thanks, guys." Aang said.
"No problem." Lucy replied. Then the ship started to rumble. They looked around to see a giant ice spike burst through the last catapult. More ice surrounded the ship as the Waterbenders had been able to get close while Lucy and Aang distracted them.
Appa then takes off with Lucy and Aang in his saddle. Their eyes widen at the sight of so many Fire Nation ships. 
"You've got to be kidding me." Aang said, sounding worried.
"You think we'll be able to take them all on?" Lucy asked.
"I don't know." Aang answered.
Back behind the Water Tribe walls, a gathering of men assembled in an armory. Chief Arnook led the council as he turned to the volunteers.
"Men, you'll be inflitrating the Fire Nation Navy. That means you'll all need one of these uniforms." He said.
A Northern Water Tribe soldier walked in wearing a set of armor that looked mostly identical to the ones that the soldiers outside the walls wore, except for the tall shoulder spikes.
The Northern soldier had a look of confidence before the sound of laughter caused him to look to the source with a frown. It turned out to be Sokka.
"What's your problem?" The soldier in the Fire Nation uniform questioned.
"Where'd you get that armor?" Ray asked. "The Fire Navy uniforms no longer look like that." 
"Of course they do. These happen to be real uniforms captured from actual Fire Navy soldiers." The soldier argued.
"When? From a hundred years ago." Erza questioned as she crossed her arms.
"Eighty-five actually." Kang informed her.
"The Fire Nation doesn't wear shoulder spikes anymore. The newer uniforms are more streamlined." Sokka informed the soldier.
"How do we know we should trust this guy? Such bold talk for a new recruit." The young man got into Sokka's face.
"You have the nerve to talk boldly as well, fool." Erza remarked.
"Who asked you?" The man questioned but Erza shot him a glare making him back off.
"I wouldn't irritate her." Sokka told him.
"Sokka is from our sister tribe, Hahn. He's a capable warrior and I value his input." Chief Arnook stepped in.
"Now then, our first objective is to determine the identity of their commanding officer." Chief Arnook looked to his warriors and said.
"His name's Admiral Zhao. We had a confrontation with him not that long ago." Ray informed the chief.
"He's a very dangerous Firebender. He's leading the invasion of this city." Erza added.
"He's middle aged, has big sideburns and a bigger temper." Sokka finished.
"I want the three of you to tell Hahn everything you know. He's leading this mission along with Kang." Chief Arnook instructed.
"Of course, sir." Erza bowed respectfully.
"Hahn, show them your respect. I expect nothing less from my future son-in-law." He ordered.
He walked away while Hahn brushed some hair back before turning to a surprised Sokka.
"Uncle, I actually wanted to talk to you about that. Are you sure it's necessary for Yue to marry him? I mean there are..." Kang was interrupted.
"Forgive me, but the engagement has already happened. Yue and Hahn will have to marry." Chief Arnook stated before he left the palace.
"Wait, Princess Yue is marrying this GUY?" Sokka questioned, pointing a finger at him.
"Yeah. What of it?" Hahn asked.
"Nothing. Congratulations." Sokka said, sounding upset.
The sun had nearly set as the day of battle had dragged on. Each of the Fire Nation ships had launched a simultaneous attack by firing a barrage of flaming rocks at the wall. The fireballs soared through the air and fell in spots close to the village, on the wall or in the water. 
"Stop those fireballs!" Pakku shouted.
One came right at them and the Waterbenders simultaneously made a push to create a pillar of ice that caught the fireball and stopped it from hitting the ground. The no longer flaming rock sizzled from it's heat being put out by the ice.
On the outskirts of the Northern Water Tribe from the observation deck of the flagship, Admiral Zhao, Iroh, Aiko, Flannery and Shasta watched as a few more fireballs flew towards the Northern Water Tribe. Aiko noticed that the sun was setting.
"It's almost twilight." She said.
"Admiral, as your military consultant, I must advise you to hold your attack." Iroh advised.
"You do realize that Waterbenders draw their power from the moon and it's nearly full tonight. Wait and continue to attack at daybreak." Shasta pointed out.
"Oh, I'm well aware of our moon problem and I'm working on a solution. But for now...daybreak it is." Zhao said. They soon dropped their anchors and stopped shooting their fireballs. The Fire Nation ships sat in the water patiently as the day slowly turned into night.
On the steps of the Northern Water Tribe palace, they noticed that the ships had ceased their attacks. 
"They stopped firing." Natsu said.
"Aye." Happy nodded.
"Did Lucy and Aang stop them?" Gray asked. 
They looked up to see Appa flying back. Appa landed and Aang and Lucy slid down from the bison's head with a groan.
"You're back." Katara said.
"We can't do it. We just can't." Aang said, sounding distressed.
"What happened?" Wendy asked.
"We might be able to take out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there's just too many for us to handle." Lucy admitted.
"We can't fight them all." Aang added.
"You guys have to." Natsu stated.
"Aye." Happy agreed.
"You're the Celestial Mage and the Avatar." Yue insisted.
"I'm just one kid." Aang buried his head in his arms.
"And I'm...just not as strong as any of you are." Lucy revealed her true feelings. Katara and Natsu bent down to try and comfort them.
"That's not true. You guys are strong. We'll have to find a way to deal with this problem." Gray argued.
Later that night at the main flagship, someone was preparing to disembark from the main vessel. Zuko was currently creating a canoe that would take him from the Navy ships to the outer wall of the Water Tribe. He had discarded his Fire Nation soldier disguise for a simple white outfit to help him disappear in the frozen north. As he was finishing the final few preparations on the canoe, the door behind him opened to reveal Iroh, Aiko and Flannery.
"If you're fishing for an octopus, my nephew. You need a tightly woven net, or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape." Iroh said.
"I don't need your wisdom right now, Uncle." Zuko said as he finished the preparations.
"I'm sorry. I just nag you because well...ever since I lost my son." Iroh said on the verge of tears. Flannery tried to comfort him.
"Uncle, you don't have to say it." Zuko said as his uncle turned to his left.
"I think of you as my own." Iroh finished.
"We even think of you as our only brother now." Aiko added.
"I know. We'll meet again. After I capture the Celestial Mage and the Avatar." Zuko said. The three then hugged.
"Remember your breath of fire. It could save your life." General Iroh walked to the opening and said.
"I will." Zuko said as he continued to lower himself down.
"And put your hood up. Keep your ears warm." Iroh kept going.
"I'll be fine." Zuko reassured his uncle. His boat touched the water's surface.
"I hope so." Aiko whispered.
Back behind the walls, the Water Tribe warriors were preparing weapons. 
"Let me tell you Sokka, I've courted a lot of girls, but Yue is the finest and comes with the most perks." Hahn said to Sokka.
"Perks?! What's that supposed to mean?" Kang demanded.
"I mean, Yue's nice and all, but the points I'll gain with the chief aren't bad either." Hahn said.
"You unbelievable..." Kang was cut off by Sokka.
"Princess Yue is wasted on a self-absorbed weasel like you." Sokka said bitterly.
"Whoa, hang on there. What do YOU care? You're just a rube from the Southern Tribe. What do you know of the political complexities of our life? No offense." Hahn said with a smirk. This made Kang shout in anger as he punched Hahn in the face.
"You're just a jerk without a soul! No offense!" Kang yelled.
"Why you..." Hahn growled and then charged Kang as the two began to fight.
"Hey! Get off of him!" Sokka yelled as he joined the fight.
"Enough! All of you!" Erza shouted. Chief Arnook came in between the three.
"Kang, Sokka, you're both off the mission." Sokka and Kang were in disbelief as the chief walked away.
"Alright. Fall in, men. Everybody do what I say and we'll take out this Admiral Choi in no time." Hahn said. 
"It's Admiral ZHAO!" Sokka shouted after them as the Northern warriors walked away.
Back outside the Water Tribe, Prince Zuko quietly rowed the canoe past an iceberg of barking seals resting on it. He had put up a mouth cover and the hood not just for protection against the elements, but for concealment as well. He looked up at the tower on the wall to see if there was any movement that could jeopardize his mission. His canoe was hidden behind an iceberg just before a guard could spot it from a tower. When he was sure that it was safe to cross, Prince Zuko kept going towards the wall. He soon came to a spot that could hide his canoe and landed it. Pulling the small boat onto the ice, Prince Zuko ran up the ice to get a look at what obstacles lay in his path Looking up to the top of the wall, he saw a number of guards with spears making their way back from the destroyed section of the wall. The sound of seal turtles barking made Prince Zuko look back to see a few diving into a hole in the ice. Looking back to the wall, an idea was coming to mind.
"Where are they going?" Zuko quietly asked himself.
Walking over to the hole he looked down into the dark waters.
"They're coming up for air somewhere." Zuko said.
Removing the mask from his mouth, Prince Zuko then took a deep breath of air. Then with a determined look, Prince Zuko jumped into the hole and swam to see where it would lead.
Back in the Northern Tribe Lucy, Aang, Katara, Natsu, Gray, Wendy and Yue looked up into the sky.
"The legends say the moon was the first Waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it would push and pull the tides, and learned how to do it themselves." Yue said.
"I've always noticed how my Waterbending is stronger at night." Katara added.
"It should also happen for me too." Lucy finished.
"Our strength comes from the Spirit of the Moon. Our life comes from the Spirit of the Ocean. They work together to keep balance." Her words got Aang thinking and his eyes widened.
"The spirits! Maybe I can find them and get their help!" Aang said.
"How can you do that?" Princess Yue asked in confusion.
"The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World. Aang can talk to them." Katara explained.
"And maybe they'll give Aang the wisdom he needs to win this fight." Lucy said.
"Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy, amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation." Aang threw in his own idea.
He looked at the others and saw that most of them did not have amused faces.
"Or wisdom. That's pretty good too." Aang said.
"But there's one problem. Last time you got to the Spirit World by accident." Wendy reminded him.
"How're ya gonna get there this time?" Natsu asked.
"I have an idea. Follow me." Princess Yue said, making them all look to her
She walked off into the palace with Aang with Momo on his shoulder. Lucy, Katara, Wendy, Natsu and Gray followed after her. They soon came to the back of the palace and were walking between two lines of giant pots. Princess Yue stopped at a little door at the end of the line.
"So, will this get me into the Spirit World?" Aang asked.
"No. You'll have to get there on your own. But I can get you into the most spiritual place in the North Pole." The princess said with a small laugh.
She opened the door to let the group through. Momo jumped onto Katara's shoulders as Aang was the first to go in and was soon gazing at the most beautiful sight in all the North Pole. It was an oasis between two walls of ice, a waterfall right behind it and it was a sight to behold. Aang gasped as he could feel the spiritual energy flowing through the place and a smile came upon his face as he might be able to pull this off.
Aang laughed as he ran across the path of ice and jumped to the oasis.
"I never thought I'd miss grass this much." He happily said.
"It's warm in here. How is that possible?" Katara asked as she felt the air.
"It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land." Yue explained.
Happy could see two koi fish swimming in a circle in the water. He plunged his hand into the water to see if he could grab one.
"Imbecile! Don't touch those!" Carla yelled.
Three shadows came up from behind. Happy looked back to see Katara, Yue and Lucy giving him disapproving glances. Happy then walked away.
"You're right, Yue. I can feel...something. It's so tranquil." Aang described what he was feeling.
Down in the depths of the ice, the sound of seal turtles barking could be heard through out the entirety of an icy cavern. Emerging from a nearby hole in the ice was Prince Zuko. He breathed heavily while regaining his breath and climbed out of the hole. He shivered as he hugged himself before taking a deep breath and released a small fireball. The sound of barking from the seal turtles broke his concentration as he sat up and looked back. 
"Be quiet!" Zuko yelled.
The seal turtles became quiet from his harsh tone. Two gave a sad bark as Prince Zuko have small push to their heads. As he walked past them, they started to bark again as he left. Prince Zuko walked through the cave and came by another source of water. Looking up he saw a small waterfall that came out of the ice and figured that it could at least led somewhere into the city. Slowly climbing up into rushing water, the Fire Nation prince soon crawled into the opening. He had a determined look as he went in deeper. 
Back in the weapon's room, Sokka was sharpening his boomerang while Kang sharpened his sword.
"Is something wrong?" The chief asked.
"Oh no, Uncle. Hahn's on that top secret mission while I'm sharpening my sword and Sokka's sharpening his boomerang." Kang said sarcastically.
"Yeah. Everything's fine." Sokka added sarcastically.
"Listen to me. I took both of you off the mission for selfish reasons. I have a new task in mind for you both." Chief Arnook said.
"What, scrub the barracks?" Sokka asked.
"I've already entrusted Kang for this task and I would like you, Sokka to help Kang protect my daughter, Princess Yue." The chief said.
"Oh...um, yeah. Sure. I can do that." Sokka said.
"It shouldn't be too hard since Yue is like a sister to me." Kang added.
Prince Zuko continued to struggle as he climbed up the tunnel as the current threatened to pull him back. His footing slipped, but he was able to keep a grip and climbed up. When he reached the top of the tunnel, Prince Zuko was able to free himself and swim up towards where he could get a breath of fresh air. He broke the surface of the water with a gasp and drew in deep breaths. Then taking a deep breath, Prince Zuko ducked his head under the water to see if there was another way out. He soon spotted a gap in the ice that looked big enough for him to squeeze through. Quickly taking a deep breath, Prince Zuko then swam for it and found it easier to swim through cause it was so spacious.
He saw a patch of light and swam right up to it, knowing that it could lead to the surface. But when he reached it, he found that the spot was frozen over. He tried to break through, but the ice above him wouldn't budge. A breath of air escaped his lips, and Prince Zuko became worried that he wouldn't be able to hold the rest for much longer. An idea quickly came to mind and he placed his palms and shoulders up against the ice. Bringing the heat through his palms, Prince Zuko was able to cause the ice above him to melt. He was able to melt a hole through the ice and when he felt his hands touch air, Prince Zuko pulled himself through the hole and laid against the sides of the tunnel he found himself in. Prince Zuko panted from the exertion and used another fire breath to warm himself.
Back at the oasis, Katara and Princess Yue looked to Aang as he sat there in a meditative position. Princess Yue was confused as nothing was happening.
"Why is he just sitting there like that?" Yue asked.
"He's meditating. He's trying to cross over into the Spirit World." Katara explained.
"It should take some concentration." Lucy said.
"Is there any way we can help?" Princess Yue asked, wanting to be useful.
"How about some quiet? Come on, guys. I can hear every word you're saying." Aang glanced back and said.
"Just meditate." Gray said. Aang resumed looking forward. He looked down into the pond to see the two Koi fish swimming around each other. Aang watched as they continued to go in a circle, and as if he fell into a trance, he felt as if the two Koi fish looked a lot like the Yin and Yang symbol. And as their dance slowed, the two looked as if they completely transformed into that very symbol. As he looked into the symbol, Aang's eyes flashed as he started to cross over.
"Is he okay?" Yue asked, sounding worried.
"He's crossing over into the Spirit World. He'll be completely fine as long as we don't move his body." Katara added.
"I'm guessing that's his way back to the physical world?" Natsu asked. Katara nodded.
"Should we get some help?" Wendy asked, worried.
"He's fine, Wendy. We're his friends. I know what he's doing." Lucy reassured her.
"She's right. All we have to do is just protect him." Katara said.
"Well, aren't you a big girl now?" A voice asked mockingly. They all looked to the source.
"No." Lucy and Katara said at the same time as they looked to the bridge on their left.
"Yes." Prince Zuko walked over and said.
"Hand them over now and I won't hurt any of you." He added.
"You're not takin' them easily!" Natsu yelled.
"Yue, run!" Lucy shouted. Yue ran off. 
Prince Zuko prepared himself as he brought an arm back before jumping and unleashing a wave of fire from his right foot. He followed up by a fireball from his fist and then another from his other hand. Lucy and Katara were able to bring up a shield of water to deflect all the fire attacks. Natsu, Gray and Wendy join in the fight against Zuko.
"I see you two learned a new trick, but I didn't come this far to lose to any of you."
Then with a quick turn, he sent a double fisted fireball at them. Katara once again raised a water wall to protect them, and made the fire blast disperse. Katara then launched another stream of water towards Zuko and it knocked him back. The Fire Nation Prince stumbled back into a large puddle of water, but Katara took advantage of this by freezing the water till it touched his feet. Then with a fierce look in her eye, Katara waved her arms in a circle to create a sphere of water to completely surround Prince Zuko. Then with a few more circular motions of her arms, Katara made the sphere freeze.
"How do you like it, Scarface?" Lucy asked. Natsu laughed at her insult.
Katara kept her stance in case Prince Zuko made another move. But the prince wasn't done as he said from inside the sphere, "You little peasants. You two found a master haven't you?" 
Prince Zuko then allowed his firebending to heat up from within the sphere. Steam surrounded it as the glow inside intensified. Then with a yell Prince Zuko caused it to explode and he jumped out from the ice. Then with a fireball, he weaved past both stinger shots and waves of fire while firing shots of his own. When he came closer and closer, Prince Zuko brought a flaming hand to where it made the girls move out of the way. He raised his hand brought down a flaming slash that was quickly dispelled by a water block from Katara.
"Just give up. You know how this fight'll end." Gray advised.
"I'm not finished yet." Lucy and Katara created another water shield to counter his attack. He turned and used a backwards kick to make them back up from the flames, but it was a distraction as Katara followed up with a wave of water. But Prince Zuko was able to get around them and reached to grab the back of the unconscious Aang's shirt.
"NO!" Lucy sent a blast of water at him. Prince Zuko was knocked all the way to the ice wall. With a few circular motions of her arms, Katara and Lucy were able to make a few waves before unleashing a wave at him. Prince Zuko was shoved up the ice wall and couldn't move as the water kept rushing past him. But Katara didn't let it go on for too long as she froze him against the ice wall. Prince Zuko didn't move as he knew he couldn't beat the Waterbenders right now, but he could be patient.
"Stay where you are punk." Natsu said.
"You lose. Now leave us alone." Lucy added.
On the wall, Master Pakku watched over the Fire Nation fleet to see what move they would try to make. The sun rose over the land as they waited to see what this day would bring.
On the Fire Nation flagship, Admiral Zhao saw this as well.
"It's daybreak at last. Let's make history." Zhao said, relieved and thrilled.
At the oasis, the sunlight was reaching behind the palace. As soon as Prince Zuko could feel its warming rays, he angrily growls as his head looks up.
He dropped down into the grass before running up to them and letting loose a huge blast of fire. Katara quickly reacted by raising a huge wall of water, but the force was enough to knock her into the wooden pillar. Prince Zuko walked over and grasped the back of Aang and Lucy's shirts.
"You rise with the moon...I rise with the sun." Zuko said.
"That's not gonna stop me from kicking your butt! LET LUCY GO, NOW!" Natsu shouted in anger as he charged at Zuko who responded by punching him in the gut, making him fall to the ground.
"NATSU!" Happy cried.
"You creep!" Gray swung a icy sword at Zuko, who let loose a blast of fire knocking him into the gate with Katara.
"Leave them alone!" Wendy retailiated, but Zuko swipes his back hand to the back of Wendy's head knocking her down.
"WENDY!" Carla yelled in concern.
"Useless. I expected better from all of you." Zuko said before dragging Lucy and Aang away.
At the wall at the ocean, a Fire Nation ship broke through the ice. When it was further in, the ship lowered the ramp to allow the soldiers to storm in. That ship was soon by another and it did the same as the first.
On the flagship, Admiral Zhao looked at the upcoming battle and was assured of his victory.
"The Water Tribe can try to resist the inevitable, but their city will fall today." 
Back at the oasis, Katara opened her eyes and regained consciousness. She then saw Natsu, Gray and Wendy waking up and she looked to where the Airbender was supposed to be, but found him missing along with Lucy.
"Aang! Lucy!" Katara yelled.
"Oh no! They were taken!" Natsu shouted.
"Darn it. How could we let that creep beat us?" Gray asked. They looked up to see Appa coming down with Erza, Ray, Sokka, Kang and Yue on board.
"What happened?" Sokka asked.
"Where's Zuko?" Erza questioned.
"He took Aang and Lucy. He took them right out from under us." Katara said, shaking her head.
"But where could they have gone?" Wendy asked worried.
Trudging through the snow with an out of body Aang and Lucy on his back. Prince Zuko fought against the oncoming snow storm as he tried to think of a way to get Aang back to the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation prince, Celestial Mage and the Avatar disappeared into the raging snowstorm as the snow covered up their tracks.