Will You Join Me?
When Sokka finally stirred, everything was cold and white.
Was he dead?
No, why was he feeling ice right now? His eyes shot open when he felt the sharp chill of ice.
Was he back home? Was this the South Pole? Where was Katara?
Where was Zuko?
“Oh good, you’re finally awake,” a familiar voice said; it was his sister.
“Where are we?” He mumbled.
“The Northern Water Tribe,” she answered casually as she walked over to empty her pack.
“When—“
“You were asleep,” she continued, “I showed them the lotus tile and thank the spirits, they let us in.”
“Oh,” he said simply.
He felt hollow, like something was missing. Cold and empty.
“Are you still thinking about Zuko?” She questioned, a look of worry on her face.
That question felt like a stab to the gut, but he didn’t answer.
“Let’s just get settled in.”
Katara stood there for a moment, before deciding to give her brother space and continue unpacking.
He felt weird settling in somewhere again. Strangely enough, the ship was just starting to feel like home. Like somewhere he belonged.
Maybe that was because of Zu—
—Nope nope don’t think about him, it's time to move on.
He instead let his mind remain empty in the silence.
........................................
The next week on the ship seemed to drag as they passed by the white tundra.
Zuko wanted nothing more than to get out of here, in this damned place that only reminded him of Sokka.
He ran his hand over his head, catching it on the newly forming stubble. Normally he’d shave it every day to keep a clean look, but he wasn’t giving up on it in the last few days.
It was pointless.
His uncle nearly startled him as he walked up behind him with a cup of tea. The warmth and aroma of it was actually quite pleasant.
“How are you nephew?” He asked kindly.
He almost didn’t even feel like answering, because the honest answer wasn’t the right one, but his uncle’s tone was too kind not to.
“I’m fine, thank you,” he answered, far off in thought.
Iroh didn’t seem to believe him, so he patted his shoulder softly,
“It is ok to not be ok.”
He felt his old tempter coming back, his defense mechanism, and he turned so abruptly that his uncle nearly spilled his tea.
“I am fine!” He gritted as he marched off to his room.
Back he was on this stupid boat, by himself, no real, reachable purpose.
What was he doing with his life? What was he here for?
He didn’t have much time to contemplate this, because the ship reached its first port to stop at.
The earth was a dimming orange rather than icy white, so it was clear that they were in the outskirts of the Earth Kingdom. He dragged himself off the boat so he could at least get some break from the ocean, to hopefully reset and go back on and not feel so damn broken. He avoided his uncle at any possible chance.
He felt his stomach loudly growl, and he asked himself when the last time he ate was?
Sokka would make sure he ate.
He shook his head free of the thoughts, heading inside a dining establishment. The smell was immaculate, and his mouth watered for a moment, before a voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Well, I didn’t expect to see you here, Prince Zuko.”
Fuck.
Fuck his life.
It was Zhao.
FUCKING Admiral Zhao.
As if things couldn’t get worse.
He didn’t even turn around, just balled up his fists and squeezed until he winched at the feeling.
“What do you want Zhao?”
He could hear him chuckle behind him, his shadow looming over his shoulder.
“Not in a good mood today, are we?” He leered. He could feel the mere inches that separated him and the older man.
Zuko wouldn’t admit that his heart beat in his chest at the lack of space, and wanted nothing more than to run back to the ship.
His stomach twisted at the thought of their last one on one encounter, the feeling of Zhao’s hand still on his thigh.
Thank the spirits for Sokka that night, ‘cause it could have gone so much worse.
He takes a step forward and whips around to glare daggers at him, but it’s difficult when the admiral is looking down at him in such a condescending manner.
The firebenders locked eyes for a moment longer, before Zhao smiled, which sent chills down the teen’s back.
“You know, Prince Zuko, we didn’t get a proper end to our last conversation at the dinner party.”
He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms so he didn’t use his hands to strangle the walking piece of shit standing in front of him.
He scowled, “what do you want from me?”
The admiral looked like he thought for a moment on what to say, like he contemplated speaking the truth but decided otherwise.
“All I desire is your partnership in my invasion.”
Invasion?
OH SHIT THE INVASION.
He mentally punched himself for forgetting such an important thing.
The invasion of the Northern Water Tribe.
Where he had just dropped Katara and Sokka at.
Where he was sure there were civilians living there peacefully, only to be disrupted by Zhao.
Those burnt corpses in the foggy village. Jet’s dark, hurt eyes. Sokka and Katara’s tears.
That pain from his nation, the Fire Nation, and Zhao was about to reign more of it down about the world.
And he had forgotten about it.
Zuko didn’t even realize how much time went by with Zhao impatiently waiting for a reply.
“Are you going to say anything?”
It would be easy to say no and walk away. He could continue his life searching for the avatar and never have to interact with this sorry excuse of a man and......and move on.
But that would leave behind the problem he could have prevented. If he had just remembered....he could have warned them.
But that would be treason.
No, no, what should be treason is invading a peaceful nation. The Northern Water Tribe had no active conflict with the Fire Nation. There was no reason to take more lives, to sacrifice more lives for what? A vanity project for Zhao?
Or was it is Father that suggested it?
He didn’t have time to contemplate all the things he was discovering were wrong, because it was all so confusing and upsetting—
But all he knew was that he couldn’t let Zhao do this, it just wasn’t right.
So he had to be smart.
“Why not,” he answered simply, hoping the admiral couldn’t sense the hesitation.
This could be good, make Zhao think they were allies, get info, perhaps be able to warn the others in the North Pole of the upcoming attack.
Was this risky and was he missing quite a few steps? Yes.
Did he care? No.
Zhao looked completely taken aback by the prince’s answer, and also looked confused.
“Really? You actually want to work with me on the invasion.”
Zuko fluttered his eyes for a moment, trying to think of the right thing to say.
“I have nothing to lose. The avatar is not coming back, and even if they were back, I have searched far and wide and have no clues to where they might be,” he took a breath in; even his own lies held truth, and he couldn’t help how much it hurt to say them.
He continued, “If you can promise me that my father would return my honor and position through this invasion, then I accept your partnership.”
Zhao’s grin returned, except it was strangely not fake and held real joy, misplaced joy, in it.
“Alright, then I have some conditions. For one, you stay on my ship for the journey to the North Pole. Your crew is to remain on your own ship but is to be a part of the fleet. Next, this deal is final, meaning you can’t take it back once we agree.”
For the most part, these conditions were reasonable, although it didn’t exact comfort him to have to be on the same ship as Zhao for all those days but—
—he had to do it. He wasn’t going to let innocents suffer.
And definitely not Sokka and Katara.
“I agree then,” he swallowed, locking eyes with Zhao.
Those dark auburn eyes terrified him, especially with how they were twinkling with his current victory.
In the long wrong, this would not be a victory for him.
“I will see you at my ship at dusk then, Prince Zuko.”
“Alright.”
...............................
The first days in the North Pole were far from easy. For one, getting used to the icy cold again was not the most fun experience; Katara and Sokka found themselves putting aside any differences and sleeping close to one another to share body warmth.
If only Zuko were here.
One night the two were shivering, backs pressed to one another through their sleeping bags.
“Katara?”
“Y-yeah?” She said through jittering teeth.
“Do you ever t-think of Zuko? Like what he’s up to?”
The silence after the question was loud, and he almost regretted asking it.
“Yeah,” she finally answered, “probably not in the same way t-though...Definitely not shirtless like you do.”
The heat he felt in his face was enough to warm the whole duo alone, “I do not imagine him shirtless!”
Katara giggled, enjoying getting a rise out of her brother who seemed to be in a perpetually gloomy mood since his prince left him.
“Whatever you say. Now be quiet, I’m trying to get some sleep tonight.”
Sokka purposely elbowed her, then dodged her comeback, to which she responded with an angry groan.
He smirked as he shut his eyes, not even realizing this was the closest he’d come to a smile in days,
“Goodnight sister.”
..........................
By the time dusk hit, Zuko finally found his uncle on his way back to their ship, carrying a small sack of some of his belongings.
“Uncle!” He called out.
“Zuko,” his face lit up, and Zuko suddenly wanted to punch himself for being such a dick earlier.
Iroh’s face changed when he noticed something off with the young prince’s expression, which seemed far off and stressed.
“Is everything alright?”
He nodded in response, and for some reason he felt out of breath, like he didn’t know how to speak.
“Ok, I need you to listen. I am joining Zhao on his ship for the siege and our ship is supposed to follow along and—“
“What siege?”
“The siege of the north.”
Considering the raw expression of surprise on his uncle’s face; he guessed Zhao hadn’t mentioned this to many people.
He looked around to see if anyone was watching, then turned to whisper, “Uncle I’m going to need to to trust me here. Everything I’m doing is for the greater good.”
“What is the meaning of all this?”
It’s best that he didn’t know. He knew his uncle cared for him to some extent but he didn’t know exactly where he stood. And him not knowing could protect him in the long run.
“I’ll explain it all later, I have to go now,” he turned to go, before Iroh could really say anything, just stand there in shock.
He made it to the docking of Zhao’s ship just after the sun had hid itself beneath the horizon.
Zhao, in all his opulence, stood at the entry way, waiting for the prince.
“Ready to go, your highness?”
He had to tell himself to not visibly cringe or shutter at everything Zhao said, and instead, pretend to tolerate him.
“Let’s fucking do it.”
.............................................
“I can’t believe he won’t train me just because I’m a girl!” Katara threw her hands up, which in turn cracked the ice around them.
Sokka not too many months ago would probably agree with Master Pakku, but luckily he had his ass kicked by Suki back on Kyoshi Island that gave him some common sense.
“I’m gonna kick his stupid old ass tomorrow if it’s the last thing I do?” She went on, her fists now clenched tightly.
“Better practice before then, don’t wanna get your ass kicked,” he teased.
“Ughh,” she groaned as she stomped out the door.
He laughed to himself, before turning to look at the ice ceiling until he got bored and turned over.
His eyes slowly made their way through the room, until they landed on a small pile of stuff he had packed and hadn’t managed to touch at all since they arrived there.
Curious, he got out of his bed and made his way towards it.
He shuffled through the bag, finding some clothes, old food (free jerky!), and a book?
Oh, it was the book on sword fighting that Zuko gave him.
He must have put it in there when he first got it and forgotten about it. He felt his chest tighten as he ran his hands over the cover, remembering one of the first times he genuinely liked Zuko.
He clutched it to his chest, closing his eyes.
‘Get it together.’
“I guess I’ll have to continue practicing without you Zuko,” he said to himself quietly.
He opened up the book to a page that illustrated different sword stances, then grabbed his sword and began.
....................................
Zhao’s ship was somehow more depressing and lifeless than his own, lacking any of the personality that his crew had.
It was cleaner and newer however, and well it smelled much more pleasant. Just within the first hour he was there, he had his first meal, and he tried to pretend his stomach wasn’t screaming for joy at how good the food was in comparison.
His room was quite similar to his own on his ship, although without the stuffiness.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad?
There was a soft knock on the doorway, and Zuko quickly turned around to an unfamiliar face.
“I hope I didn’t interrupt you Prince Zuko. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Captain Kaito,” he bowed in a respectful manner, and Zuko returned the gesture.
As he leaned back up, he got a better look at the man, or....boy? It was hard to believe that the person standing in front of him was a Captain, considering how young he looked.
Actually, he looked quite similar to himself, just without the bright gold eyes and.....well....giant scar. His features were sharp too, and his skin had a sun kiss glow to it, one only of an experienced sailor.
Kaito seemed to notice the prince’s observation of himself, and he smiled,
“Before you ask, I’m 20.”
“Still pretty young to be a Captain.”
The man stiffened at the comment, before relaxing and chuckling.
“Well your Highness, I get that a lot. But I’m not the only young captain out there.”
“Right.”
The two stood opposed to one another, and Zuko couldn’t quite figure out what this guy’s deal was. Did Zhao send him? Did he want to get in a good word with the prince?
But he also noted the tiredness behind his young eyes, and how he looked almost.....anxious? No, but it seemed like he wanted to say something.
“Well, just please call for me if you need anything. Or any help whatsoever,” he finally said, and Zuko felt a bit strange at the almost desperate tone he had.
“Thank you, I will,” he replied shortly. Honestly he wished this guy would just leave.
The Captain still stood there, and for once in his FUCKING life, when he saw Zhao pop onto the doorway, he felt relief.
“How is everything going, your highness? Is my captain bothering you?” He said in a suspiciously casual tone.
Out of politeness, he shook his head no, but Zhao still turned to Kaito,
“Could you give me and the prince some privacy, Captain?” He said it so smugly Zuko now felt bad for the younger man. His amber eyes became nervous as they danced around the premise, landing anywhere but on Zhao.
“I—“ he looked at Zuko, then back at Zhao, almost hesitant, until he reluctantly decided to leave.
Weird.
The admiral smiled at the prince, with a strangely low amount of malice.
“Is everything alright Prince Zuko?”
He tried to sound pleasant, although it made him want to punch himself.
“Yup! Everything is all good.”
Zhao hummed and continued to stand in the doorway, his body alone blocking the exit.
Zuko felt his heart pump a bit faster at the site, and he found himself looking for alternative ways to get out of the room.
And Zhao just stood there, thinking of something, clearly.
“We are having a meeting tomorrow morning discussing invasion plans. I just wanted to inform you of that.”
His head perked at that. A meeting meant he could finally get some intel on what exactly Zhao’s plan was and how he could warn the others.
How any of this was going to work out, he had absolutely no clue.
“You seem....unsettled, Prince Zuko,” Zhao announced, luckily not with suspicion but actual curiosity.
Shit, was it that obvious?
Apparently it was too obvious that he was nervous, so he couldn’t just deny it. He says something that seems realistic.
“Oh....I guess....it’s just strange. All this.....I don’t think you’ve ever really been this cordial with me,” he realized how shaky his voice must have sounded when he finished speaking.
The older man chuckled at that and took that moment to take a few steps forward, which unfortunately because of his tall stature, meant he was standing right in front of him. His shadow draped over him like a cold sheet.
“I’ll admit I’m much more polite to those who give me what I want. You don’t fuck with me, and I won’t fuck with you.”
That’s right, that was what it was always about with him. He hated Zuko because he couldn’t control him, couldn’t force him into obedience. It made his stomach twist up to think that that’s what this man in front of him thought he was doing now. Taming the wild prince to follow his will.
“Yeah well, don’t get too excited,” he added, layering it with his usual attitude to make it sound more natural.
He was glad the door was open, because if it wasn’t, he probably would suffocate with how hard Zhao was staring at him right now. Sweat practically dripped from his brow.
“I see. I think I am off to sleep tonight,” he finally relented, bowing quietly to the prince.
He returned it, forcing a small smile.
“Good night admiral.”
The admiral smirked at him before leaving and closing the door behind him.
Zuko let out a relieved sign as he heard Zhao’s footsteps echo off into the distance.
....................................
The afternoon in the North Pole was anything but normal. Katara battled Master Pakku, then lost, then discovered he was once engaged to their Gran Gran?? Sokka was starting to believe that their life was never going to truly have a normal event occur in it.
His little sister ran up to him after all this took place, hair disheveled and falling in her face.
“Did you see all that?” She exclaimed, a wonderstruck grin plastered on her cheeks.
“Yeah I was kinda standing right here the whole time,” he rolled his eyes, but in reality he was actually ridiculously proud of her. He knew mom and dad would be too if they were here.
“Excuse me,” a soft, feminine voice called out.
It was none other than Princess Yue, dropped in purple and her white hair falling against her chest in braids.
“I don’t believe we’ve had a formal conversation yet, I’m Princess Yue.”
Both siblings were stunned that the princess was even speaking to them, although more to Katara considering where her eyes laid.
“It is an honor to meet you, Princess,” Katara stated with reverence, her head bowed low.
Sokka didn’t miss the glow that came to the princess’s cheeks as his sister spoke, to which she quickly concealed with a smile.
“The honor is mine,” she said excitedly, before mellowing her expression when she saw Katara’s surprise.
“Standing up to Master Pakku like that was the single most bravest thing I’ve ever seen someone do.”
Now it was Katara’s turn to blush, and she bashfully tucked a hair behind her ear.
“T—thank you princess, that....that means a lot to hear coming from you.”
The white haired teenager giggled for a moment, before responding with elegance.
“Please, just call me Yue.”
Sokka stood there in confusion, looking in between his sister and the princess who both seemed strangely smitten with one another......just not THAT kind of smitten......right?
“My name is Sokka your Highness,” he interrupted, causing both girls to look at him at the same time.
Only Katara seemed irritated, but Yue gave him a small smile.
“Nice to meet you, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe.”
He almost laughed at the royal formality, but also found it endearing. Then again, royals were supposed to be formal.
Unless you were Prince Zuko.
“Well, I’ll allow you to get cleaned up, but I’d love to speak further another time,” Yue said, still directing it mostly at Katara.
She once again stuttered, once a rarity for her to do, “y-yeah I’d love to.”
“Perfect, I’ll be looking forward to it,” she said with a sequin smile, waving a delicate hand as she departed.
Katara was too stunned to speak, just stood there with a far off look as the princess disappeared from eyesight.
“Well that was weird,” Sokka finally stated.
“Yeah.....it was,” Katara replied, her voice still distant and her cheeks still red.
Ok, she might have a bit of a crush, but unlike her brother, she could admit to it despite the.......unsavory circumstances.
..........................................
The next morning Zuko got up bright and early to practice fire katas by himself on the deck of the ship. Aside from a few guards standing around, he was mostly by himself.
He breathed in, closing his eyes as he focused on his movements, the cold breeze brushing through.
He wished he had a partner to spare with. Back on his ship Sokka was an excellent opponent; what he lacked in skill he made up for with intelligence......and pretty blue eyes.
He lost focus when he thought of the boy, his stance losing its steadiness. He gripped his knees in his hands before moving to restart. But before he could, he felt a presence watching him.
It was Captain Kaito.
He seemed to notice how startled the prince was, and apologized immediately,
“Sorry I didn’t mean to frighten you, I just noticed you practicing and—“
“And decided to watch me?”
The young man blinked quietly a few times, his cheeks coloring with embarrassment.
“Well when you put it like that, it sounds weird.”
Zuko raised an eyebrow, then brushed it off.
“Anything I can help you with?”
It seemed like Kaito didn’t even register what he said, instead just looked at his fingers that he was fiddling nervously. Like he had something he wanted to say but wasn’t sure if he wanted to.
“Just.....is the Admiral treating you alright? I know he can be....”
“Unbearable? Yeah I know,” he interrupted.
“There are other words I could use to describe him,” he replied with a distance in his eyes.
He began to feel irritated at the seemingly useless nature of the conversation, sighing as he crossed his arms.
“And what would those be?”
More silence, and now Zuko was struggling to meet the Captain’s eyes.
“I—the meeting is going to be starting soon. Zhao wanted me to inform you,” he said hastily, before bowing and leaving.
The firebender stood there, stunned,
“What the fuck?” He whispered to himself.
He decided to move past the bizarre interaction, and instead began to get ready.
He looked in the mirror as he fixed his armor. The plan was simple (Sokka and Uncle always said to have a plan): get as much important information regarding the invasion, get on Zhao’s good side, warn the others.
Easy.
He entered the meeting room feeling a little nervous, but his poker face had to be perfect.
All eyes were on him as soon as he stepped through the doors, and he soon wished he was back in his room on his own ship with his uncle far from here.
“Good morning Prince Zuko,” Zhao announced with his usual sliminess. He gave a respectable smile, then noticed Kaito standing by the map set up, chewing his nail nervously.
He almost considered approaching him until Zhao got everyone’s attention to start the meeting.
Nothing interesting first, just Zhao going over pompous introductions and making crude commentary on the water tribe people.
He tuned into the conversation once Zhao began to discuss strategy.
“Essentially,” he said, standing in front of the North Pole on the map, “we are going to take a slow approach on our journey here. Drag it out until we make our first major attack when the moon is at its fullest.”
Now Zuko perked up, interested in the meaning of this strange battle tactic,
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that when water benders' powers are at their peak? Wouldn’t that be sabotaging our attack?”
Each head in the room turned towards him, and he felt his anxiety raise.
Was he about to fight another Agni Kai for speaking out?
Instead, Zhao looked pleased,
“I see you’ve been studying well, Zuko,”
He began walking around the table, getting closer to where Zuko was. He felt his heart rate pick up as he stopped, then turned his attention away from him.
“Prince Zuko brought up a wonderful point. The thing is, we can trick these waterbenders. Make them believe they have the advantage when it is us that does.”
Many in the room still looked confused, Zuko included.
The admiral looked around suspiciously, almost to make sure he wanted the right people in the room.
“During my studies in the Si Wong desert, I managed to discover the source of the waterbenders power. Two spirits that control the tides and the moon reside in the Northern Tribe. If we eliminate these, we eliminate waterbending permanently.”
There were murmurs throughout the room, surprised and doubtful alike. All Zuko could think about is that he had definitely discovered Zhao’s master plan.
Captain Kaito looked especially disturbed by these plans, so much so he stopped chewing his finger and stood,
“Admiral, this plan...this plan could be detrimental to the balance of our world as we know it. How will we be able to continue life without water? Or without the moon for that matter?”
Zhao seemed upset that Kaito had spoken against him, not to the surprise of anyone. Honestly, Zuko was happy to hear someone else speak against such an egregious plan, and he wished he could voice his opinion if it weren’t for him not trying to put attention on himself.
Hopefully Zhao wouldn’t challenge him to a duel for that.
“Our duty to our nation is to win this war. To win this war, we must eliminate the Water Tribes,” he replied fiercely.
“At what cost?!” he shouted.
Zhao’s face contorted into deep anger, and Zuko felt himself instinctively tense.
“War has costs Captain! Now, tell me, are you a man of this nation, or a traitor who deserves to rot in the bottom of the ocean?”
The room was filled with silence, both men standing off against one another. Sadly, Kaito’s more docile side took over, and he bowed his head,
“I am loyal to the Fire Nation, Admiral Zhao. I apologize.”
He chuckled dryly, and Zuko hated how victorious he looked as the younger man sat down.
The prince looked over at Kaito as he blankly stared off into space, his dark circles standing out prominently; this was definitely not his first time being put down by Zhao.
The rest of the meeting went smoothly. If anyone did disagree with the admiral, they were not brave enough to say so. It was disappointing to say the least.
Once the meeting was adjourned, Zuko wanted nothing more than to rush back to the safety and privacy of his room. Instead, Zhao decided to call him over as he almost escaped.
Damn.
“Yes Admiral?” He said as he made his way past those who were leaving the room. Kaito gave him a look as he did so before leaving the room as well.
Zhao was looking out the window, his hands behind his back. Zuko joined him.
“Are you loyal to the Fire Nation, Prince Zuko?”
His heart pound in his chest, he clenched his fists.
“Of course I am,” he replied confidently.
They stood side by side, and Zhao turned his head directly toward him. He lowered his tone,
“Are you loyal to me?”
Now Zuko really felt nervous. Why was he asking this? Was it obvious he wasn’t?
“In these circumstances, yes, I am,” his answer was less confident than his first, but it sounded mostly certain for a teenager.
Zhao seemed relatively content with this answer, walking away from the window, pacing the floor a bit. Zuko still faced the window as he fidgeted his fingers.
Suddenly, there was a presence behind him.
“Do you remember what I said about your potential?” He whispered into his ear. A chill shot down his spine, and he couldn’t move. Everything in him told him to get the hell out of there, but his body wouldn’t. He was frozen.
His voice was shaky, “umm....yes.”
Zhao hummed, still right there with his breathe against his neck,
“Good. Then you’ll know I want you by my side as we take down those waterbending savages. Admiral Zhao and Prince Zuko. We’ll both return home with honor.”
“Honor,” he repeated, almost to himself. He couldn’t deny that it sounded tempting, to finally get what he wanted after all these years. His father would praise him, his people would adore him. Azula wouldn’t hold a flame to him.
But his fantasy shattered when he thought of how he would do that with Zhao.
Not with Uncle or Sokka or Katara....Zhao.
He would never be truly happy if he gained his right to the throne back with a man as vile as Zhao, one that was practically leaning against him right now. There would be no honor in that, especially at the price of the lives of the Northern Water Tribe.
Zhao continued to breathe down his neck, and Zuko didn’t miss how heavy his breaths sounded. Ew.
“Excuse me....I think I need to get some fresh air,” he announced, hoping the older man would stop blocking him from leaving.
He only managed to turn around, staring into Zhao’s dark eyes. His pupils were......huge.
Fuck, he was terrified now.
“Right,” he finally let up, moving out of his personal space.
He quickly made his way out of the room, his heart racing so fast he thought he was going to pass out.
It disturbed him to no end how much.....interest the admiral seemed to have in him. It disturbed him even more to note how little he did to stop him, how his body let him into his space.
Whatever, he had to do whatever he could to make sure that he could stop Zhao’s plans, no matter what happened to him. As much as it grossed him out, if he fought Zhao every time he creeped him out, he would lose his trust, and everything would be lost.
All that mattered was that the others would be safe.
His nation had done enough to harm people, it was time he put an end to it.
...........................