Prince Namjoon stared at the series of tunnels in amazement.

After the man had found him and introduced himself he had taken Namjoon to the very back of the cave, the places he had never been, where another man was waiting, this time a water bender. He was just as happy to see Namjoon as the other, bowing and givng a firm hand shake before bending a wall open.

The two explained they were looking for any wandering survivors, and had managed to find a few in the passing days since the fall of the Northern Water Tribe citadel. His father, the Chief, had a secret he had kept that was passed generation by generation. Their mausoleum was not just a place for the dead to rest, but somewhere the people of the Northern Water Tribe could go to in dire times of need. His father had woken once the Fire Nation began attacking, placing orders on the master water benders to hold off as long as they could to get as many citizens as they could out as possible.

“How many managed to get out?” Namjoon whispered, taking in the clumps of people below.

The man avoided his gaze, peering at the floor. “Not as many as we hoped.”

“How many?” Namjoon pressed.

“About a fourth.”

Namjoon staggered, leaning against the wall for strength.

“Many of the nobles did not make it," he continued. "They barricaded themselves in the palace. The Fire Nation did not bother to use words this time.”

Namjoon shook himself, getting a grip on his emotions. This was much more than he initially thought he had a few minutes ago. Namjoon thought he was alone in the world. This was a gift in disguise and he would take it as such.

“My parents?”

The water bender bowed his leave and Namjoon nodded, too distracted to give him his full thanks and greeting.

“Your father is back in bed, unable to rise since arriving.”

“The Chieftess?” Namjoon pressed, noticing how the man had avoided speaking about her.

The man stared at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck. “Her life was not given in vain. She sacrificed herself to the Fire Nation in order to get more of our people out. Thanks to her we managed to get more than a hundred more citizens to safety.”

Namjoon lost his strength, collapsing into a nearby wall and sliding down. Shards of ice pieced the back of his legs but he couldn’t manage to gather the energy it would take to move.

“I am sorry for your loss.”

Namjoon shook his head, forcing his emotions back and pushing up off the floor. He couldn’t allow himself to be riled with grief. There was a time for that, and it was not now. He had people to rule and care for, a direction for his life.

“It is no fault of yours,” he murmured. “Where is my father?”

“I will take you to him.”

They skirted the edges of the compound. Namjoon looked up to see a small hole allowing the sky to peak through and the world below to be blanketed in light. A staircase spiraled around the edges for each level that was dug into the earth while the very bottom of the miniature city was visible to all. “I must ask. No one knows what happened to you, or why you disappeared. Your second in command, Hoseok, he fought back against anyone that tried to say you deserted us. He said the Fire Nation must have captured you, because you would never leave us like that. Ever since you left he’s been running the Northern Water Tribe in your stead.”

He would have to thank Hoseok when he found him. Namjoon shivered when he realized he wasn’t even sure if his best friend was still alive to accept it.

“I was captured by the Fire Nation. I’m not sure how.” He cleared this throat, shaking his head. “I went to sleep that night and when I woke I was on a Fire Nation ship.”

“Someone must have betrayed you.”

The thought had crossed Namjoon’s mind, but he didn’t want to believe that someone close to him that he trusted would do such a thing. It was the only way someone would have been able to capture him without the guards learning of it.

“It no longer matters. I’m here now, and whoever did it is probably dead.”

“How did you get away?” He pulled open a door, the inside hall lit by candlelight.

“The Southern Water Tribe.”

He would leave it at that. He realized then he had nearly forgotten about the group of them outside. “I need a group of soldiers to go out to the nearby mountain crest. There’s a few dozen of the Southern Water Tribe that needs to be taken in.”

He would worry about the rest of their Southern brethren later. Right now, his priority was gaining control of the Northern Water Tribe and figuring out where to go from here. He assumed this couldn’t last forever. Eventually the Fire Nation would notice them hunting for food.

The man bowed, gesturing down the hall where two guards stood before a door. “He’s in there.”

Namjoon hesitated, but made the walk down there. The soldiers bowed when they greeted him, telling him it was great to have him back. That did not prepare him for the state his father was in. If he thought his father’s health was bad before he was kidnapped his father looked as if he were on death’s doorstop now.

“Father, I’m here.”

Namjoon knelt in front of his father’s bed, taking his cold hand in his own. His father grinned upon seeing who it was, giving a weak squeeze.

“I knew… you… would… come back.”

His voice was weak, and Namjoon could tell it was an exercise just for the Chief to speak. “Yeah, dad. I’m back. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me.”

“You are here… exactly… when-when you’re….” He coughed, the sound wet and filled with fluid. “Meant to be.”

Namjoon squeezed his eyes shut, clutching his father’s hand to his forehead. “I love you dad. Thank you for taking care of everyone when I couldn’t.”

The Chief’s brows furrowed, struggling to get the words out. “I was… waiting for you.”

Namjoon pulled away. “Me?”

“I knew you wou