They weren't even that close yet when Lord Arza moved.
He did not wait to dock, nor did he shout an order, nor did he pay mind to Captain Shoko's genuinely furious "Jinai, stop—!"
She dove aside, having no recourse, as an ear-splitting CRACK! rocked her teeth. Fire detonated off the aft of the Sword of Ruin—not controlled like an advanced firebending jump or hover, but a real blast that put a crack in his own deck plating. Lord Arza kicked off in a glorious arc as Shoko wrenched her body and dove away from the blast barely in time.
The fleet watched him sail overhead.
He came down heel-first in a screaming fiery kick that hit Zuko's deck like a cannon shot.
Metal boomed, with an echo slamming anyone unfortunate enough to be inside, and a ring of fire burst forth. Even with his hands up and bending against the blast, Zuko went over hard, lifting a foot over his head before slamming on his back—at least armored this time. The more distant Raven yelped and slammed down on one hip, scrambling instantly to stand, and Zuko's three firebenders were thrown brutally back against the wall. For a single instant the whole prow vanished in smoke and white-orange fire, with Raven sputtering and clawing for Arzayanagi.
When it cleared, Lord Arza was already charging through it.
Not so much as a glance at his girl.
"Lord Arza—!" Zuko choked, hopping back onto his feet, taking his most defensive stance.
"Dad, wait!" Raven shouted.
"I didn't kill—"
Arza was far past listening. His scowl, wreathed in smoke and cinder, said plainly: just DIE.
He lunged, and Zuko clocked it instantly.
Not back, but aside he dove, knowing that move from Raven's ambushes, or he might have gone down in flames right there. The wicked, hateful pair of arcs of fire shot under where his feet were, Lord Arza giving a one-two kick that blasted so high and so hot that the whole vessel was coated in waves of heat. Zuko felt the sting through armor as he bent the flames away mid-dive.
So that was how deadly a true master of Arzayan firebending was in the spear's presence—Zuko barely had time to think. It also seemed awfully hard to conceive a retort. He noticed the wall behind him had pits and streaks of molten metal from the sheer menace of the attack. It was almost awe-inspiring, until the man twisted on one foot to face him again.
Oh, spirits.
Raven was yelling something about having lost it, too far away to matter much.
Zuko backpedaled again. "Wait, you—!"
Lord Arza sprang forth, first an overhead kick sent an arc, forcing Zuko to duck, then a perfect, lightning-fast blast at his feet made him stumble back. The prince had no room to bend properly, no stance, no breath, no plan—just Raven's 'helpful hints.' He raised his arm barely in time, and the searing hot whip sliced deep into his bracer, but didn't take his face with it.
"STOP!" Raven screamed in horror.
No rage. Only fear.
Zuko was preparing to guess the madman's next move, over and over until he got it wrong and became an instant skeleton. And perhaps Raven's cry mattered, because her father didn't even bother to bend. His lips so curled he looked like an animal, and his grey eyes so fixed and pitiless it hitched Zuko's breath.
"Yooouu...." he growled like a beast, fingers clenched.
Lord Arza reached like he meant to rip the boy piece by piece with his bare hands.
Zuko thrust his palm to finally fight back despite knowing it was all for a lie, but shot only sparks at the surprise of something black and gold flashing between them. It was just in time.
Lord Arza's hands shot out—perhaps instinct, perhaps accident. Before he knew it, he was gripping the uncovered glossy black shaft of Arzayanagi. General Iroh stood there, holding it out with his hands wrapped in his sleeves, and a very wide, calming, absolutely terrified smile on his face.
A pulse of heat visibly echoed from the spear, slowly washing over everyone. It wasn't searing and exhausting, but instead brought a welcome warmth that invigorated. Whatever Arzaya was feeling in this moment, it wasn't anger, that was for sure.
Iroh slowly released his grip, and stepped back, giving a glance to Prince Zuko like: seriously back off, not sure about this.
All the lingering heat and flame from Lord Arza's fury were snuffed out across the deck—even the glowing edges of the crack on his own closing vessel cooled in but a breath.
All that was left was the sound of waves slapping the cruiser, and the Sword of Ruin slicing beside it, and then gasps from everyone who had held their breath. Captain Shoko was leaning over the railing above to look down like a hawk, waiting to plunge sword first onto any hapless assassin, but nothing came.
Lord Arza stood frozen there with Arzayanagi in his hand and his mouth slightly open for a good long while, and nobody moved but for Zuko, who ever so slowly took a step back at Iroh's ceaseless insistence.
Raven was the first with enough suicidal confidence to inch closer. One tiny step, then bigger; she was slow as a cat near a sleeping polar bear dog. If this somehow ignited again, she was banking very hard on Arzaya not wanting her own heir turned into a collateral skeleton.
Lord Arza's eyes unfocused by a hair.
"But—" he said.
Silence as he chewed his lip.
"He—"
His jaw tightened. He flicked a glare at Zuko, and tilted his head with a surprised jerk.
"My Lady…?" He uttered in horror, and lost the will to meet the boy's gaze. Whatever answer only he could hear hit him hard enough to empty his face out, then drain all the rage from his posture. For a breath, Lord Arza looked honestly shaken to his core. "Mmm..." he acknowledged, and swallowed. "I shall obey, Lady Arzaya," he grumbled like he really, really, really didn't want to.
Zuko's firebenders were somehow brave enough to hurry up beside him, ready to fight, but no one could have ever predicted what happened next.
Lord Arza turned, deliberately slowly, like he was putting it off. He faced Zuko, and forced himself to keep eye contact, even if it involved a generous amount of twitching. Then, with the sort of stiffness one uses to march off to detention, he held Arzayanagi out to him.
Zuko just stared. Up at the spearhead, blinding bright in the sun. Back down at Lord Arza, who looked equal parts ready to scream or throw himself overboard.
Raven hurried up to Zuko, right in his face with a look. She gave a single savage nod up to the golden spearhead: the fuck else are you gonna do, huh?!
Zuko let out a breath, not allowing his head to loll weakly aside even though it wanted to, and expecting nothing good to come of this. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the smooth haft, Lord Arza's sprang free in a hurry, making Zuko's heart jolt. He expected some scream of rage in his head, some burst of fire that would end him, or something much worse that a mere mortal wouldn't think to do to him.
But the supposed goddess did not speak.
And Lord Arza bowed.
Not quick, not curt or mocking, but proper, low and fit for a prince. He didn't save a single inch for his pride, though it visibly hurt him.
Zuko couldn't believe it. It might not have meant much to a peasant or a foreigner, but Lord Arza did not fucking bow like that to the Fire Lord, much less a banished prince. It was deliberate. Public. With hundreds of Arzayan eyes watching through spyglass or with naked eyes, Lord Arza had willingly bestowed the proof of his own power to a member of the deeply hated royal family. Every line of the man's face looked ready to jump up and cut the boy.
Zuko's mouth fell open well before vexation rushed forth.
"What is this, you maniac?!" he shouted, loud, rude, and perfectly fearless. "ExPLAIN!"
Lord Arza didn't simply lower further. He lowered all the way. It wasn't a 'my liege' bow—it was more like a conquered lord paying tribute. The man was fuming with waves of heat, but took deep breath after deep breath, as if needing to clear the smoke before he could speak. When he finally did, it was flat, dry, and squeezed out bit by bit through clenched teeth.
"Our Lady… recognizes you… Crown Prince Zuko, as the most worthy bearer of Arzayanagi." And like he had to swallow bile back down, his neck clenched, and he took one more breath before evenly but despairingly saying, "And… the Arzayan people pledge our lives to taking back your throne."
Zuko could only wobble there, expressionless. He definitely misheard that. He looked over at Iroh.
Why was Uncle looking stunned like a wriggling fish smacked still on the kitchen counter? Surely he didn't also hear that, that crazy thing he must have misheard. In fact, he distinctly had the look about him like he expected Arzaya to merely explain things.
Raven almost crumbled to dust, but damn near shrieked herself back to life.
"Daaaad?! WhaaaAAAAT?!"
She stomped right in front of her father, spun about like she meant to take his place, and with outrage briefly stronger than self-preservation, she grabbed the shaft of Arzayanagi right below Zuko's hand.
"WHY didn't you just SAY you were going to do THAT to ME?!" she barked at the spear.
Zuko nearly dropped dead on the spot, but Arzaya wouldn't let his soul escape out of his melting face.
"R-Raven... not now!" he hissed, and didn't let go, but he ducked away from the spear like it might explode.
He actually heard Arzaya growl in a truly deific impatience, "Sit down immediately you incorrigible BRAT!"
Raven whirled her glare up at the gold geometry of the spearhead itself and shouted, "YOU'RE a brat!"
"Raven?!" Zuko whistled, his voice was so caught at her insistence to die on the spot. He tugged the spear away, but the girl was so out of her mind she actually tugged back. "Arza… er… Lady Arzaya!? I got this, no need to—damn it, stop pulling, you are a brat!"
She barely got a syllable out before Lord Arza's hand clamped on the back of her collar and yanked her clean off the weapon and her feet.
"Hey—! Aaagh! Let go!" she yowled, stumbling but flailing on instinct until her father planted her back down a safe distance away from Arzayanagi like he was putting her in timeout.
She barely started to rise up, but hitched as he moved to tower over her like a wall, putting her in shade as he made a deathly, low grumble.
"Raven. Why. Aren't. You. At. Home."
That did it.
Raven went stiff all over.
An awful lot of misbehaving over the last few… years… rushed back to her with one very fed up stare from her father.
"Uh..." she started, and he raised his brow, like 'this oughta be good'.
To perhaps quell the audacity, she gave her weakest, girliest little tone.
"Hi Dad, I... just... missed yoooou?"
Zuko instantly said, "she was trying to kill me."
He stepped up to glare down at her too, but glanced aside at the man who had just tried to kill him like he was now an old war buddy. "Obviously."
He caught the ruthless man's briefly tired eyes. Both of them were equally offended that Raven was making a scene right now of all possible moments. Good.
Raven shot him a look of pure betrayal, but it only strengthened his princely scowl. Both leaned in, deliberately, crushing her under the weight of the combined disappointment.
Raven visibly folded up like a lawn chair.
Down on her haunches on the deck and tucked in tight, shoulders up, hands in close.
"Sorry!" she squeaked. "I'll shut up!"
Lord Arza's gaze lifted from her and settled on Zuko, who was well beyond flinching, but he definitely reacted. The man asked it quietly, almost conversationally, while they still both hovered over Raven like she'd scamper off and get into trouble if they let her go.
"Do you care what I do to your sister when I get my hands on her?"
There was only the briefest pause.
Zuko let out a long breath, shut his eyes, and said, "Who?"
Lord Arza actually looked surprised. Not much. Just enough to register.
Then a huge, sharp, openly sadistic smile spread across his face, and he nodded once.
"Alright," he said. "This can work."
"Prince Zuko," Iroh cut in at once, stepping closer. There was no judgment in him, only gravity. "If you accept this—if you accept their help—this is a declaration of war against the Fire Nation, against your father!"
Zuko turned his head and looked at him. For a moment his face was unreadable, then quizzical.
"Who?" he wondered, as flat as before.
Somewhere below them, from the miserable little crouch she had compacted herself into, Raven let out a tiny, helpless titter of amusement.
It startled even her, and she clapped a hand over her mouth too late. Eyes shining strangely, she looked on the verge of either laughter or tears or maybe both, but deeply apologetic.
But they heard it. Zuko and Lord Arza snapped their glares straight down.
Raven instantly clenched and fixed her eyes to the deck again.
"Shutting up!" she blurted, hands on her head like they might cave in on her. "Shutting up!"