Dragon At Heart

Chapter 26

Zuko sighed.

Or maybe our destinies are just so intertwined that it gets a bit ridiculous sometimes.

The Prince weighed his options.

The local security was sure to be swarming all over the Avatar and his gang as soon as they got their act together, so whatever he was going to do, he had to act quickly. Even though, knowing Aang and his friends, the trio wouldn't make capturing themselves too easy a task one way or the other.

The last thing I want is a big show down in the middle of the street. This is a family event. There are small children here. Even though no one here wants things to go explosive, they still might. Someone could get hurt.

Since the Prince had decided to protect Aang from being caught and the rest of the world from Aang, he couldn't do nothing when either or both options were terribly real threats. Doing nothing simply wasn't an option.

If I wish to help the Avatar to escape (again), I should put a mask on, Zuko decided.

Openly aiding an enemy of his nation on a public place wouldn't go unnoticed. Also, the Avatar would nevertrust Prince Zuko to come to his aid.

The last time I tried to give Aang some advice on what to do, the airbender ran to the opposite direction than the one I had suggested. He doesn't trust me as far as he can throw me and I can hardly blame him for that. I haven't given him much reason to trust me. Well, at least not under my own name.

Come to think of it, Zuko had saved Aang or some other member of his team surprisingly many times, even before he'd decided not to capture the monk. The Prince had just horded so many secret aliases on the way that no one could guess it had been the same guy all along.

If they knew of all the help I've given them this might go a bit easier, Zuko sighed to himself, Well, no point dwelling on that now.

Zuko moved and deviced a plan simultaneously. After making sure everyone's eyes were on what was happening on the stage, Zuko slipped to the shadow of a near-by building and pulled out the mask.

The young man quickly covered his short hair with a scarf he always kept in his pocket, pulled gloves on his hands and put the opera mask on. He also removed his robe, knowing it would only get in the way.

Most of Zuko's clothes under the robe were dark shades of red, but that couldn't be helped right now. The main point was that he was wearing relatively non-descriptive clothes that covered every inch of his skin.

The only essential part of the Blue Spirit costume still missing was the Dao.

Didn't I see some sword fight performances when we toured around earlier? I wonder if those swords were real?

In potentially dangerous performances, people sometimes used deadly looking swords that were in fact made of a rubbery kind of material and were completely harmless.

While Zuko got changed, the crowd slowly caught onto what was going on. People were realizing that Aang's little stunt wasn't part of the performance and one or two people had already recognized the airbender.

Before Zuko had time to catch the Avatar's attention, a fight erupted in the area around the stage. The security had tried to come for the kids, which quickly resulted in a tangle of airbending, explosions and smoke. Even Zuko was having hard time keeping up who was doing what and to whom in the chaos.

Suddenly, a hooded person in the crowd waved and shouted for the Avatar to follow him. A cold sweat rose on Zuko's back.

No way I'm letting the Avatar run off with some mysterious stranger, Zuko felt a burst of irrational anger rise in his chest, That guy could be a bounty hunter or working for Zhao or worse. The only mysterious stranger the Avatar is supposed run after isme.