"It's almost twilight admiral, as your military consultant I must advise you to halt your attack," iroh walked into zhao's chambers as he watched through the window the fire balls that attacked the icy tribe.

"The water benders draw their power from the moon, it is nearly going to be full tonight, you should wait and resume the attack at day break," he told the admiral sternly hoping the middle aged man would listen.

"I'm well aware of the moon problem, and I am working on a solution... but for now day break it is," zhao agreed with a scowl on his face.

"Let Zuko and his team know their mission is still going, he has until sunrise till we attack again," he looked at iroh sharply.

-

"If you are fishing for an octopus my nephew you need a tightly woven net or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape," iroh walked into side room where Zuko was prepping small canoe and waited for his other men.

"I don't need your wisdom right now uncle," Zuko kept his back to him. He didn't know when marco and cho would be back, he had to stay quiet.

"I'm sorry, I just nag at you because-well ever since I lost my son..." iroh gulped a little and zukos face softened turning to him.

"You don't have to say it uncle," Zuko pursed his lips.

"I see you as my own," iroh choked a little on his voice and zukos chest tightened.

"I know uncle," he whispered.

"I regret that day letting you leave, I've never forgiven myself, I've thought about you every day, prayed to the spirits for your safety, I'm sorry prince Zuko," iroh looked up at him with glossy eyes, zukos throat burned as he looked at his uncle.

"I never blamed you," Zuko admitted quietly.

"You come back after your mission, I'm taking you home," iroh grabbed his arm desperately but Zuko shook his head.

"I can't, you know I can't," Zuko rasped but jumped when cho and marco came back in the room.

"We'll meet again," he bowed a little to him as the two men got in the canoe. "After I have the avatar,"

Zuko joined in the middle of the canoe as they started to lower it to the water as the moon was above them shining bright.

"Remember your breath of fire, it could save your lives," iroh told them quickly and Zuko looked up from the boat as marco and cho lowered it from the sides.

"Yes sir," Zuko forced himself to say.

"And put your hoods up, keep your ears warm," iroh said again in a small panic. Zuko smiled a little up at him with a nod.

They landed in the water and immediately started to paddle, not wasting any time, Zuko shivered a little and put his hood up.

"General iroh is such a nice guy, like a friendly grandpa," marco hummed a little as he sat in the back paddling.

"Yea, he seems to know you Zuko, have you met?" Cho glanced back at him suspicious.

"He knew my uncle back in the day," Zuko nodded keeping a calm voice as he paddled.

"So what's the plan?" Marco asked pulling his hood up as well, they were getting close.

"We're going into the city, we have to be careful and we don't know where the avatars going to be," Zuko stopped paddling to think clearer.

"They have to have pipes, and pipes have to come from somewhere," he looked at the wall as they got closer.

"Like omashu," marco smiled.

Zuko looked from the wall to the side where snow and ice were higher above, he frowned watching seal turtles on the side diving into a hole full of water.

"Head towards the capital of the tribe, the avatar will more than likely be with the chief or something," Zuko grabbed some of his own rope.

"What? The fuck are you thinking runt?" Cho turned around confused.

"Climb, there's no security up there, I'm going in alone," Zuko jumped out of the canoe and onto the small snow pile on the ice where the seals disappeared in. They had to come up for air somehow.

"If you don't see me by morning then go in after me, otherwise be of the right side," he explained pointing above as the two men's jaws dropped in shock.

"You're insane," marco said flatly.

"I'm just a little extreme, you want to do this right or safe?" Zuko took his hood off as some of his hair was falling in his face from the top knot.

"Safe?!" They both hissed.

"Then go back now and tell General iroh," Zuko said flatly.

"You-we- dude come on!" Cho groaned as Zuko waited for an answer.

"Right side, we'll see you there, we trust you Zuko," marco cut in and smiled a little at him.

"Good, see you there," Zuko nodded and dove into the icy water.

"That runts lost his damn mind," cho whispered wide eyes.

"When your sent on a suicidal mission you throw away your sanity," marco sighed a little and kept rowing to the glacier.

——

Seal turtles barked in the cave with little water holes all around them.

Zuko suddenly gasped for air as he broke through the water, he pulled himself out of the water and laid on his back gasping desperately for air. A shiver ran through him and turned to curl up in a ball with his hands close to his chest, he saw his nails were turning blue a little. He shuddering again and puffed a few breaths of fire against his hands to try warming up.

Everything was cold but he was breathing.

"Agni I hate the cold," he rasped pushing himself up, able to see his heavy breathes in the cold air.

"Be quiet!" He hissed at the animals behind him which their barks echoing through the cave.

They all went quiet as he walked through their group to find the next exit. Only to start making noise again once he was pass them.

Zuko walked up to a water hole in the wall as water poured out rapidly but it had to be coming from somewhere above. He sighed a little didn't have time to spare.

Climbing up the wall as he was able to kick his feet in to climb into the tunnel against the harsh current. He could hear Lee yelling at him all ready then having Xai discipline him for the stupidity. He couldn't wait to go back.

Zuko could feel the air in his lungs thinning out where it started to hurt, he grunted pulling himself out of the current and into an open water that didn't have as much movement, quickly swimming up with his hand reaching frantically.

There was a pocket of air above where he panted for a breath in the icy waters, his body burned, his lungs burned, but it was so cold. How much longer did he have to go? Zuko took a small breath and looked under the water to find another escape, it was damn near pitch black but he saw a darker shadow that looked like another tunnel in the opposite direction. He went back up to take one more deep breath before diving back in.

He kicked quickly to swim towards a light at the end of the tunnel and felt hope seeing it was close, there was ice above that blocked him. Slamming his fists against it to break but it was thick.

Zuko glared as he kept hitting the ice above but panic hit him when he accidentally gasped for air but water flooded in. He was loosing his breath as he was trapped under the ice.

Quickly putting his palms against the ice he heated his hands as hot as he could as they started to melt through the ice and he pushed his body weight up so he'd break through.

The ice cracked above him and he gasped loudly trying to get out of the water, dragging the rest of his body with out of the ice and coughed up some water as he laid on his side shivering. His soaked black hair stuck to his face and neck.

Zuko sniffed a little sitting up and saw the white city of ice in front of him as he sat in a tunnel near the River that stretched throughout the tribe.

He sighed with the cold air making him able to see every breath he stole back when he laid back trying to get rid of the dizzy feeling. He wasn't going to tell any of the guys about him almost drowning when he got back. Not a single word. He'd never hear the end of it.

Zuko wiped under his nose and pulled his hair back off him into a pony tail now, giving up on a top knot.

He had to keep going.