Chapter Text
Zuko pet Dragon’s head as the ostrich horse slept on his lap. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected when he’d revealed his identity, but it wasn’t all… that. He’d ended their break shortly after his reveal, 20% because enough time had passed and 80% just because he wasn’t sure how to follow up after… everything.
At least it was a more comfortable walk with the mask packed away.
Once they had started walking once more, things had gone mostly back to normal. The fire nationals were even quicker to listen to him and there were, awkwardly, salutes now, but no one had reacted… negatively to working with one of the Fire Nation’s most famous traitors. Which should have been expected considering they were all willing to join Jeong Jeong, but it was still nice to know. If anything, they seemed happy that he was alive. Rezu especially found ways to be nearby which gave Zuko a chance to ask about the whole ‘grandson of Roku’ thing, which was wild (Aang could never know).
It was more than he could have hoped for from him countrymen, and it was hard to really work through how he felt about it. Sensu was acting even more aggressively like… himself, or at least he was when they were walking. Zuko didn’t see the man now, but assumed he had passed out the instant they had stopped for the night, along with most of the other earthbenders. Zuko couldn’t blame them. It had taken the rest of the day and half of the night to reach the oasis, but the moon was full and it was safer to walk at night so long as it could be done without fire, and the earthbenders naturally managed to avoid holes and rocks and other tripping hazards, so they had pressed on.
Some of the earthbenders had managed to put a protective wall up behind them to hide their forms and the low fire they’d built, and there were a few lookouts, but for the most part everyone was too exhausted and hungry to do much more than pass out.
Zuko wanted to join the sleeping soldiers, he really, really did, but… The wall rose in his periphery, any time he glanced in the direction. It was just… something. It shouldn’t have been too bad, he’d slept indoors, in canyons, and against walls. Heck, it wasn’t that much taller than Appa when you thought about it. But… just so much had happened today. Even discounting the dangerous and daring escape, he’d just revealed his full identity to hundreds of people. It was the first time he’d revealed himself at all really, unless you counted Jeong Jeong, and he’d been on Uncle’s list and had only been one person. It had been a completely different situation. Notably, it hadn’t come after he staged a a massive prison break that involved burying people and caves and…
Even when he turned away, it felt like he was hyperaware of the wall, like it was all he could focus on, looming and constricting. He didn’t want to be anywhere near it.
Which… why was he?
Zuko rose. Ahn Nee looked over at the movement. She and Shinho had volunteered for first watch, the former looking jittery and still somewhat disbelieving of their success, and the latter seeming nearly as uncertain about the wall as Zuko.
“Where are you going?” She asked, voice pitched low to avoid waking the others and the flame in her hand going out. She had been practicing the grounding techniques of the earthbenders, and her fire was burning hotter because of it. He could see it from how she held the flame so far from her face.
Zuko had done the same thing.
“You guys can take it from here. You remember the directions from the village to the clinic?” She nodded. “Good. I’m going to ride ahead. These people are going to wake up still tired, still injured, and still hungry. They won’t be able to go much further without food, not quickly at least. If I ride alone, I should be able to get to the village before the end of day tomorrow. I can send people back this way with actual supplies, maybe even some carts and wagons for transportation.” There, that sounded like actual reasons, right?
She watched him steadily for a long moment. “You won’t be coming back with them, will you?”
“No. I have my own mission.” Zuko hesitated, then added “Thank you. I couldn’t have done this- any of this- without your help.”
“I didn’t do much.”
“You helped me to have faith in my people again.” Zuko bowed, and Ahn Nee inhaled sharply. Without another word, Zuko turned back to wake his ostrich horse. He couldn't bring himself to look at her reaction.
However, when he made it to where the mount was sleeping, he was surprised to see Sensu wasn’t asleep like he’d assumed, but was sitting near Dragon with freshly re-filled water skins in hand.
“What are you doing?” Zuko asked. Sensu smirked and waved behind him to Ahn Nee.
“I’m going with you, prince-dude.”
Zuko scowled and shook his head. “No, you aren’t. Your people-“
“Will listen to the men I put in charge. Look, I’m the only one from my village in this squadron… the only one left at least.” He shook his head. “Maybe my family will listen to you, but everyone will listen to yours truly. We kinda need to move the earth under their feet, you know? I mean, prisoner rations were very specifically made to not sustain a full day of walking. This time tomorrow our stomachs growling themselves will be loud enough to send the fire army our way. The shopkeep owes me, for like a lot of stuff. Me and my friends used to race our parents’ zebra-oxen, so I know whose are the fastest and those can pull the big carts, and-.”
Zuko held up a hand to silence the arguments and nodded. Less because he was actually convinced, and more because arguing like this was just wasting more time. However, before he actually woke Dragon, he had to ask- “How’d you know I was going back tonight?”
The man’s eyes flashed towards the tall wall, so fast that Zuko wouldn’t have caught it if he weren’t hyper-aware of the thing. “Your vibes were kinda off, you know?”
He had no clue what the other man was talking about, but that wasn’t exactly new. He just shook his head and went to rouse Dragon, trying to ignore the discomfort festering in his chest. Azula had always said he was easy to read, but he’d assumed that was a her thing, or a court thing, a comparison between his expressiveness and the den of fire-adders that made up the palace. Whose halls hosted people with masks so permanently etched that it would take a chisel to pry them off and reveal the faces underneath.
Turns out it was just him.
An uncomfortable truth that he could ignore when it was just Jet pushing his buttons; or Sokka and his constantly learning gaze; or Aang and his strangely intense empathy; or Katara and her motherly intuition; or- well he was proving his own point. Now he could add Sensu to the mix. The fact that he’d overheard that before his reveal some of the Fire Nation soldiers were worried he was actually a spirit helped a bit, but honestly overall he was starting to get used to people just realizing things about him.
Oh well. At least he hadn’t had to actually say any of it out loud.
The teen jumped on his ostrich-horse and pulled Sensu on behind him. With a final nod to Ahn Nee, the pair rode off into the night.
(Hi ho Dragon, away!)
“Allow me.” Aang sent a small tornado towards the Blind Bandit-whose real name was Toph apparently-‘s mug, watching as the steam blew away. There was a smattering of applause from everybody but his hopefully-future-earthbending-teacher. Aang grinned. This was going great, asking for an invitation to dinner was the best plan.
“Avatar Aang,” Toph’s mother said. “It’s an honor to have you visit us.”
Her father nodded. “In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?”
Aang hummed to beat off a victorious grin. That was the perfect in! This was almost too easy. “I’d like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer. I’m already a mater airbender, and I have teachers for water bending and fire bending, I just need to find an earth bending teacher and I should be on schedule.”
Lao chuckled and gestured to the other adult at the table. “Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land. He’s been teaching Toph since she was little.”
Wait no, that wasn’t what he wanted, but it was fine, he could make this work. “Then she must be a great earthbender! Probably good enough to teach someone else!” Suddenly a rock flew into his leg. “Ow!”
Aang glared at Toph, but the girl was just sipping her soup like nothing had happened. Hmm… maybe things weren’t going as perfect as he’d thought.
“Toph is still learning the basics.” The earthbending master said.
Then Top’s father went on about how her blindness would stop her from being a true master which… did not compute. Aang had a growing example of bruises that would prove him very wrong. Of course, the moment he started to say that, he got another bruise as a fissure hit him so hard that he fell into his soup.
The soup wasn’t even good, it was more fancy than tasty. Somewhat-kinda-mostly-on-purpose, Aang sneezed, the burst of accompanying wind sending bits of soup to cover the Beigfongs. Okay, maybe that was a bit immature, but she started it.
“What’s your problem?” Toph yelled, finally seeming like the girl from the arena again. Aang however, was too angry at this point to really care.
“What’s your problem?” He retorted, and glared at her until Katara gently led him to the living room for dessert.
Long after dessert had been served and his friends were asleep, Aang remained awake. Most of that time had been spent sulking, but as always some time hanging out with Appa helped calm Aang down and cheer him up. So the first plan didn’t work. Or, was this the second? Third if consider Bumi as plan one… it didn’t matter. They would just have to come up with something else. Never give up without fighting or something, right? If this was meant to be, it would be.
It had to be.
Aang looked up to see Toph walking into the courtyard. He hesitantly moved into a battle position, but the smaller girl just shook her head.
“Relax.” She said. “Look, I’m sorry about dinner. Let’s call a truce, okay?”
That… was more than okay. That sounded like a first step. Aang nodded. “Okay, truce.” And he followed the girl into the yard, listening with rapture as the girl described the way she used her earth bending to understand the world around her, even without sight.
“My parents don’t understand. They’ve always treated me like I was helpless.”
“Is that why you became the Blind Bandit?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why stay here where you’re not happy?”
“They’re my parents. Where else am I supposed to go?”
Aang… literally did not see what she meant by that. What did parents have to do with anything? Like, none of his friends had seen their parents in years, and he’d never met his. Was that not normal? “You could come with us!”
“Yeah. You guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do, that’s the life. It’s just not my life.”
Aang was just about to say that it could be, but before he could say anything the earthbender tensed and touched the ground. “We’re being ambushed!”
Suddenly, they were in metal cages, surrounded by what looked like the entirety of the Earth Rumble fighters. The host sneered at him. “I think you kids owe me some money.”
Okay… maybe they should have left the fight club when Sokka had wanted to.
Iroh stood placidly but solidly between the young Lee and the Earth Kingdom soldiers, remaining steadfast and blocking all visual and access to the bound child. Sela had run back to the farm to get Gansu, but even at a run the farm was several minutes away. Iroh still wasn’t sure where the child had gotten the weapons, but he recognized the moves that accompanied them, as well as the mantra the boy shouted as he attacked.
Zuko would likely be proud to hear that the child had managed several blows on the seasoned soldier, no matter the trouble that it had caused. Perhaps it was no coincidence that the child shared his nephew’s moniker.
The men laughed at him. “Who do you think you are, old man? You really think you can tell us what to do?”
I think, Iroh did not say, that I am the Dragon of the West. I am the name of the nightmares that plague Earth Kingdom generals and kings. I am the one who, within young Lee’s lifetime, destroyed kingdoms ten times the size of your village and killed men of far greater skill, rank, and character than you and your cronies combined. I have made Ba Sing Se sweat and cities fall. Your life is even now only yours because I have chosen to walk a better path.
He did not say this, instead he said “It does not matter who I am. It matters who you are. You are men who present themselves as soldiers, but are not. You are bullies and freeloaders to a people already beaten down. You abuse power you have not earned over the vulnerable, especially those who should be able to depend on you. You are a dishonor to your people and a disgrace to your army.”
The lead man, Gow, scowled, but in the way of all cowards who tormented the weak, he was not willing to face the strong himself. He turned to one of his followers. “Are you gonna let this stranger stand there and insult you like this?”
The soldier attacked, spear swinging wildly in a way that showed Iroh why, exactly, he was not active duty. The retired general had no difficulty sidestepping the wild attack in a deceptively calm move, and landing a punch to the man’s gut that it sent him staggering back with struggling, gasping breaths as the wind was knocked out of him. The man stepped back with wide, terrified eyes as his attack was so easily deflected. He ran off, as was the way of a bully against one with the power to face them.
The second of Gow’s goon’s attacked, his spear held much more levelly. Iroh was not worried. This time, the general sent out a practiced hand, catching the haft of the spear as soon as it came within arm’s reach. He pushed up so that the spear went above his head instead of thrusting at his stomach, and the soldier stumbled at the surprising change of vector and lack of expected resistance. The movement brought the man closer to Iroh, bending low enough that the short firebender was able to grab his forehead and push the man to the ground from the very vulnerable place. It likewise sent the man fleeing after his compatriot. Iroh placidly folded his hands back into his sleeves, and sent Gow and his remaining follower the peaceful, benign smile that always infuriated his enemies, the one that would ensure that the men would use whatever means to wipe it off his face.
Iroh may be retired, but he was by no means a pacifist.
By now a crowd had certainly formed, with even Sela and Gansu joining the ranks, and while no one there mistook his expression for anything other than the overt passive aggression it was, it still gave the striking image of the third soldier rushing to attack an unaggressive old man. The image did not last long. With a speed that completely contradicted his appearance, Iroh lashed out with a wide-sweeping kick, landing solidly against the spear and shattering it. There was a frenzied muttering of the crowd as the tip flew into the air near them, but a subsequent lack of a cry of pain reassured Iroh that he didn’t actually hit anyone. The soldier did not seem concerned with this possibility, as he immediately fled.
Iroh turned to face the remaining bully, slotting back to the same unconcerned pose as if Gow held no more of a threat than his cronies. Which he didn’t. Even when the man pulled his hammers out and pulled a chunk of earth out of the ground, Iroh didn’t break his position. One didn’t gain the record he had without being able to dodge earthbent rocks. Very, very well.
When he easily sidestepped the first boulder, Gow quickly sent three more in quick succession, the first two of which were easy to dodge, but the third was coming directly for his stomach, too quick to avoid. With a grimace, Iroh shifted into a position. Firebending would both reveal their position to those searching, and alienate the town, but he could not take the blow and walk away as a younger him could have.
Just as sparks began to leave his fingertips, a blur in black with a blue and white mask at his waist kicked the rock away.
Ah. His nephew always did have flare for dramatic entrances. Iroh blamed the Ember Island Players and Ursa’s loud complaining about how they could have done better.
When Zuko landed, rock pieces scattering around him, it was in a fighting-ready crouch with his swords raised. His work done, Iroh stepped back and began working to undo the knots of the child behind him. The crowd had formed something of a fighting ring at this point, similar to how Zuko described the sparring at the North Pole, though much less deliberate. Iroh wondered if there had been as much cheering and jeering at the pole, or if the ‘training’ element had stilled their tongues.
Iroh watched his nephew move with elegance and ferocity, blades flashing and body moving almost quicker than the eyes could track. Every rock shot by the man was decimated, as he stumbled back, more and more unsure.
It… was painful to watch. Iroh had heard of the years upon years of nothing but fighting that his nephew had endured. He’d heard how over half of the time had been purely martial, bending gone and with nothing but his faux blades, his fists, and his desperation to remain alive. Iroh had heard every word of his nephew’s tale, had believed every one other than those meant to downplay and reassure. He had heard. He had believed. But he hadn’t understood.
He'd thought he had. Thought that he’d seen the boy’s well-etched muscles and seamless grace, the way his firebending was leaking with the moves of one who knew how to fight and almost nothing else, and could see how that time had honed skills and moves and prowess that mere practice could never achieve.
He hadn’t. Not until now.
Iroh watched Zuko destroy rocks and avoid blows as if it was second nature, as if the movements were ingrained into his skin. He watched the boy fight without ever once reaching for his flames, not out of desire to remain hidden or conscious thought, but because he knew that his opponent didn’t need them, didn’t deserve them. He didn’t need his fire to defeat this man.
It was beautiful. It was painful. Iroh smiled at a cheering Lee, it was the only way he could prevent tears from welling into his eyes.
Some people had anger that was like a volcano, a slow gradual build up until it burst forth into something catastrophic. Some people had anger like a tornado, sudden and powerful. Toph had anger like an earthquake, always simmer beneath the surface and liable to break the earth if given it’s way. She roared and yelled from the cramped metal cage that was making her blindlostblindreallyblind, any fear completely burnt out by the heat of her fury. “You think you’re so tough?” She yelled in challenge. “Why don’t you come up here so I can snap that grin off your face?”
Xin Fu, the dirty weasel-rat-that-gave-all-other-weasel-rats-bad-names, simply said, “I’m not smiling.” As if that was the point. By the time Toph was done with him, he wouldn’t have a face at all, it didn’t matter what expression was on it.
“Toph!” Dad’s voice cried. And great, just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse.
“Here’s your money.” Twinkle-Toe’s friend said, the voice accompanied by the thud-crinkle of what was presumably a bag full of money being thrown across the arena. They released her, and Dad put an arm around her shaking shoulders. She grit her teeth, knowing that the man would read fear into the trembling. He would never realize that the shaking was for a fury that was nearly overwhelming and had no outlet
“What about Aang?” The girl yelled out.
Toph could almost hear Xin Fu’s smirk. “I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar. Now, get out of my ring.”
The earth beneath her feet whispered its secrets to Toph, showing her the moments of the other Earth Rumble fighters as they got into ready positions, intimidating moves perfected after years of fights that were just as much about looking impressive as they were about actually kicking butt.
“Go, I’ll be okay.” Aang called, but Toph could already feel the steadiness of the positions of his friends, the way they were rooted. Outclassed and outnumbered, these friends would not abandon the Avatar.
“Toph, there’s too many of them.” The girl said, though she remained as steady and loyal as the rock beneath their feet. “We need an earthbender. We need you!”
“My daughter is blind.” Dad said, his feet already poised to leave. “She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you!”
Toph breathed sharply, as those words compounded on the fury that she could barely contain as is, as she felt the steadiness of the Avatar’s companions and the flightiness of the man who dared to doubt her. Father or no, the earthquake could no longer be contained. The plates were moving and Oma help the earth around her. “Yes, I can.” She moved back into the ring, feeling the ground welcome her as home in a way that her family grounds never could. “Let him go! I beat you all before and I’ll do it again!”
“The Boulder takes issue with that comment.”
Toph really couldn’t care less.
What felt like moments later, Toph stood in the rubble of a fight. Around her lay the slumped bodies of some of the best earthbenders in the kingdom, and within her was a calmness she had faked but seldom felt. Fury fully abated for the first time in a long while, she made her way to where her shocked father sat. “Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way. But the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender, and I'm really, really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So, now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me.”
“Of course it doesn’t change the way I feel about you, Toph.” Dad said, and Toph’s heart tentatively soared. “It’s made me realize something.”
“It has?”
“Yes. I’ve let you have far too much freedom. From now on, you’ll be cared for an guarded twenty-four hours a day.”
The problem with a soaring heart, is that when it fell, it fell from even farther. “But, Dad!”
“We’re doing this for your own good, Toph.” Mom added, already in complete agreement with the father that would make her prisoner.
“I’m sorry, Toph.” Aang said.
“I’m sorry too. Goodbye Aang.” She felt a tear slip from blank eyes. Where was that fury? How could she get it back? It would be far better than what she felt now. She despondently followed her parents, searching for the anger that had sustained her so long. It wasn’t long before she managed to coax it back, stoking it with every step towards her future cell, a life even more restricted than it had been before.
The ground beneath her feet whispered to her, secret promises of a world far greater than what she had known. By the time her parents closed the door to her room, she knew that there was only one response she could give. Moments later, she had her Blind Bandit go bag in hand, feeling the rockdust born of the arena that had imbedded itself in the weave. She touched the eave of the window, feeling the familiar motions of the household settling for the night. She whispered, “I’m sorry.” Then she was gone, running to the vibrations of a great beast the size of the biggest badger mole she’d sensed, though somehow lighter than it’s size would indicate, a creature of the air, just like its owner.
“Toph!” Aang shouted as she neared, long after she’d sensed him. “What are you doing here?”
“My dad changed his mind.” She lied. “He said I was free to travel the world.”
There was silence that she couldn’t interpretate, as the three were on the beast and she couldn’t sense their movements. When the Water Tribe guy responded, it was clear that he didn’t believe her, but she thought he understood her. “Well, we’d better get out of here, before your dad changes his mind again.”
“Good idea.”
“Don’t worry.” The boy continued. “We know all about friends with dad’s who make bad decisions.”
The girl made a dissenting noise. “Sokka, you can’t compare her dad to him.”
“My point stands.”
Toph was about to ask, but before she could make up her mind as to whether or not she actually cared, Aang spoke. “You’re going to be a great teacher, Toph.”
Oh yeah. “Speaking of which, I want to show you something.”
“Okay.” Aang said, and he must have jumped off of the bison, because she sensed the moment he touched the ground. Immediately, Toph shot a rock into his stomach, blasting the boy into a tree.
“Now we’re even. I’ll take the belt back.” She held her hand out, then fell as something slammed into her head. “Ow!”
“Sorry!” The water tribe boy said.
Toph growled into the ground. Oh, he was so going to pay for that.
Zuko spun, swords clashing as Gow struggled to pull his hammers back into his hand fast enough to block the attack. He was nowhere close. Smellerbee had been faster. His last slash brought with it the scent of iron, a spray of red, and a cry of pain. Zuko stepped back to see the man clutching the wrist of his bleeding palm with this uninjured hand while staring at him with wide, horrified eyes. It wasn’t a debilitating injury, in all honestly, it probably shouldn’t even stop the fight. No good earthbenders relied on their hands above their feet.
Gow was not a good earthbender.
The man tried to school his face into a scowl and bit out some comment he probably thought someone cared about, but the cries of the crowd completely masked it as the man scurried away. Zuko turned and sighed in relief to see Iroh had taken the time to free Lee. The child was instantly in front of the younger firebender, excitedly enthusing about the battle enough that it distracted Zuko from the odd look in his uncle’s eyes.
“-was just the coolest thing ever!”
Sometimes, the world really was a stage, with openings and opportunities so perfect that a master playwrite couldn’t do better. Those moments, were rare. Sometimes you had to create them, or seek them out. Sometimes, they fell into your lap.
Zuko crouched, preparing to point back where he came, where Sensu was struggling to convince the tired ostrich horse to plot into town, (Zuko had jumped off the instant he saw Iroh in trouble, calling for the older man to handle the mount as he sprinted to the fight) and prepared to say something like ‘want to see something even cooler?’. Before he could say a word, his awareness of flames flared in the back of his mind, and Iroh yelled out a panicked cry of “Nephew!”
Zuko reacted, grabbing Lee and pushing him behind him. Zuko shielded the earth child with his body as he blasted out a bolt of flames to collide with and halt the ball of fire that had been aimed at his back. As the flames collided and died, he pulled his blades out of their scabbards, sending flames to mingle with the metal as a team of Fire Nation warriors rode into town on rhinos.
Uncle stepped forward to stand beside his nephew, making sure attention was centered on them and not the villagers that they endangered. Zuko was somewhat aware of the sound of Lee running to his mother, but his focus was centered on the threat in front of him.
“Colonel Mongke! What a surprise to see you here, a bit far from your usual haunts.”
The man with the spark of a firebender sneered. “You know exactly why we’re here. At least assuming you didn’t let your mind go as much as the rest of you.”
Iroh rubbed his stomach slightly with a laugh. “At my age, you start to appreciate a good cup of tea and a pleasant snack.”
“You know these guys?”
“Sure. Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapon specialist. They are also a very capable singing group.”
There was a mutter from the villagers at this, and Mongke’s face went red from either shame or embarrassment.
“We’re not here to give a concert. We’re here to apprehend fugitives!”
“Perhaps we could discuss this over tea, out of town? There is no need for damage we would come to regret.”
Mongke scowled. “I think you mistook me for someone else, old man.”
Iroh frowned. “No, no, I know you are Mongke.”
“I mean that you mistook me for a fool! Round ‘em up!”
This time there was no audience. As the men attacked, the people scattered with cries of fear and panic. Zuko didn’t let it get to him, barely aware of Iroh making quick work of the man with the chain and the one with the pole, sending a rhino running and eliminating both. Zuko focused on the archer. He was good, but not as good as the Yuyan archers. He wasn’t even quite as good as Longshot. Zuko easily stopped his attack, sending a bolt of flame that set his bow to ash. Meanwhile, Mongke was focused on defeating Iroh, so focused that it was easy to come up from behind and kick him off his own mount, knocking the wind out of him as he fell to the ground.
This was the legendary fighters of his nation? Really? Though… Zuko did recognize the look of windburn on the archer’s face, and on the man with the pole there was a cut on his cheek that was eerily similar to the familiar mark of a boomerang. Zuko allowed the possibility that there was a reason why they weren’t at their best. The last Rough Rhino tossed a grenade at them, but Zuko kicked it back, shooting a fireball at the bomb and setting it off early so that it knocked the man off his rhino and rolling on the ground, but didn’t cause serious injury.
Zuko breathed deeply as he surveyed the area. Most of the attackers had been completely driven off, with one or two slumped over on the ground with their rhinos long gone. He turned his back to the group and moved to where Lee’s family were huddled, hoping to make sure the child was okay. Before he could take more than a few steps forward, Sela and Gansu stepped between them, their hands shaking as they blocked Lee.
“S-stay back.” Sela said firmly as Gansu watched Iroh seriously. Oh. Right.
Lee peeked out from behind their legs, fury and betrayal etched across his young face. “I hate you!” He cried out, eyes locked on the teen’s steaming hands.
Zuko stiffened, feeling like he was physically struck. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, telling himself that it was okay. It wasn’t okay, but… he was used to this type of not-okay. This was far from the worst reaction he’d gotten with Earth Kingdom citizens learned he was a firebender. Zuko took a few steps back, then bowed.
“I apologize for lying to you about who I was, and for allowing you to host me when I was deceiving you.” He pointed in the direction that he’d come. “A few days walk that way, you will find all remaining of Sensu’s battalion. They are hungry and many are injured. With them are people like me, Fire Nation. They will not be lying to you about who they are. I ask only that you allow them to stay and rest as they go on their way.”
The townspeople started muttering at that, but before anyone could say anything, a familiar voice called out. “Look out!” Suddenly a chunk of rock rose from the air to cover a grenade that burst into rockdust that showered the two Fire Nation princes. Zuko whirled, but already the rocks beneath the last Rough Rhino fighter had risen to bury the man up to the neck.
The firebender wasn’t sure when the man had woken up, but he was, as was becoming usual, glad to have Sensu at his back.
Sensu grinned at Zuko and handed him the reigns for the ostrich horse. “Sorry it took me so long, this thing really doesn’t like me.”
“Probably because you call him a ‘thing’.”
Sensu laughed, but the sound was interrupted by a gasping sob. “Son?” Gansu asked. Then the three of them were rushing forward, meeting Sensu in a large embrace halfway.
Zuko stepped back as the family reunited. He met eyes with Iroh, silently communicating that he wanted to leave while they were distracted. The two men started out of the village, wordlessly agreeing not to burden the ostrich horse more by riding him.
Sensu’s voice called after them. “I’ll take care of your people. I’ll make sure they get what they need.”
“I know you will.” Zuko said, though he didn’t turn. He didn’t want to know what Lee’s expression would be, couldn’t see the hate on it again.
Neither he nor Iroh had stopped, and no one impeded them as they left the town, though if that were due to fear, shock, or something else, it was difficult to say. Iroh looked troubled as they plodded through the ground. “Nephew, I think we need to reach out to the White Lotus.”
“What? Why? Wait, why didn’t we do that days ago?”
“With the scrutiny on us, I did not want to risk revealing the White Lotus. Some flowers thrive better in the shadows rather than the sun.”
Zuko grunted. “And all flowers thrive better when they aren’t on fire.”
Iroh chuckled, then sobered. “However, it concerns me that Azula sent the Rough Rhinos after us. She is not one to delegate important tasks unless she knows that they will be performed to her level of perfection.”
“… Unless she has something more important to do.”
“Yes… and the only thing that she would consider more important than bring us in…”
“Is bringing in the Avatar. She’s going to try to capture Aang!”
Iroh nodded. “While I do believe your friends have the prowess to defeat her, if they know of your relation or see her age and underestimate her, it could be disastrous.”
“Okay, where is the closest Lotus… petal?”
Iroh chuckled but neither confirmed nor corrected the term. “We must head towards the Misty Palms Oasis of the Si Wong dessert. I can send a letter to him to expect us. We will find them, nephew. I am certain of it.”
A bead of sweat slipped down Ahn Nee’s brow. Not even firebenders could withstand the heat of a forge without being at least somewhat affected. The blacksmith of the town (technically called Hearthton, but known to the inhabitants as Iazo as one of the many bits of micro-treason) had been happy to let her regain her family’s craft, even if it wasn’t as useful as the weapons and tools his forge was usually busy making.
She pulled her first pendant out of the cast she had spent the last several days creating, the metal cool to the touch. Placing it on an anvil, she spent a good amount of time polishing the pendant, ignoring the comings and goings of the rest of the forge. When it was polished to her specification, she blasted the cold steel with as hot of a blast as she could, using the stances she’d learned from the earthbenders and the breathing she’d stolen from Prince Zuko.
(She was still kinda reeling from the fact that she had met actual royalty. She was trying not to think about it though. When she did, she worried that she looked as shocked as that poor medic had when they said he had around 20 people to smuggle out. Kid couldn’t have been more than like 15. Then again, the prince would be around16 if her math was right, so maybe that was just the way things were. Ashes and smoke, early 20’s should not feel this old.)
With the new techniques, she managed to get hotter than she ever had in her dad’s workshop, going well into the 600 degree range. When she has methodically and evenly blasted the ornament, she grabbed the tongs and dunked it in the vat of oil sitting at her side. When she pulled it out, her heat treatment had left an iridescent, color changing sheen on the bit of steel.
“Woah.” A familiar voice said behind her.
Ahn Nee turned as she wiped the sweat from her brow. “You like it?” She asked Sensu. The boy grinned.
“I love it! I’ve never seen anything like it!”
“Don’t get too excited yet. I promised the first two to Shai Lee and her brother.” She chuckled, but couldn’t help the swell of pride in her work. “Dad says it used to be a really popular Fire Nation artisan technique, before firebenders were conscripted so much. It pretty much died out because its hard to get normal fire hot enough to do it without being so hot that it melts the metal. I was never strong enough as a kid to get it this hot. I’m pretty happy with it though.”
“You should be. It’s gorgeous. Not the most beautiful thing here of course but it has stiff competition.” He winked.
The others in the workspace groaned in loud, longsuffering moans. Ahn Nee was red because of the heat of the forge and no other reason. “What are you doing here anyway?” She asked as a deflection, before she could say something stupid like ‘well it’s not the most handsome thing either’ which was the first response she could think of and really a great example of why she had been single all her life.
“We lost sight of Lee for about 2 minutes, so I’m here to make sure he wasn’t in here trying to get swords again.”
The groans rose up again, but they were just as good natured as the last set. Lee already had a bit of a reputation, and they’d all only been there a week or so. She… hadn’t expected Sensu to come with them to the Iazo. She had expected him to join the throngs of soldiers talking about returning to the army and telling their tale. The Earth Kingdom didn’t conscript yet, these men had wanted to fight. Even after everything, most of them wanted to return to fighting for their kingdom and people.
It was baffling how the Fire Nation had dismissed these people as weak and spineless. It was a lie so incorrect it could be considered ludicrous.
Sensu though… he had wanted to join them. Had said that he had joined the army because he wanted to do something important, and he could feel that what they were doing, what Zuko was doing, would end up being the most important thing. She… couldn’t argue. Not when she understood exactly what he meant.
Not when she’d wanted him to join so badly.
A few others had come as well, mostly men too battle-worn or old to want to continue fighting, but without people to return to. The old man who had been good at making keys was working with some firebenders to create a kiln, try to see what kind of pottery fire and earth combined could make. Between them and Sensu’s family, there was a decent smattering of earth kingdomers in their village. It wasn’t…. perfect, not by far. But it was improving, and it already felt better than most colonies she’d been stationed at so…
“How’s he doing?” She asked, and the smile slipped from easy to rueful. She hadn’t been there, but apparently the moment Lee had stopped hugging his brother, he’d burst into tears and started running towards the direction that Zuko and his Uncle (General Iroh, near mythical figure of the Dragon of the West. Apparently, bearing the names of legends was an inherited trait) had disappeared to long before. Sensu’s whole family had felt horrible once the heat of the moment was over, apparently. She could see how easy it would be to say something you didn’t mean if you were just minding your business then suddenly a bunch of assassins burst into town and the Earth Kingdom refugees you had let into your home and trusted turned out to be ‘the enemy’. Not a great moment for rational thinking.
“Better. I think I finally got it through his rock skull that Zuko doesn’t actually think he hates him, and that he won’t hold it against him.”
The last bit was likely true, the first was not. Ahn Nee was pretty sure Sensu knew that, he’d spent even more time with the prince than her. “So you are getting better at lying.”
He looked chagrinned. “Well, don’t tell him that! I just convinced him that playing hide and explode with the firebender kids would make Zuko happy, not turn him into a hypocrite.”
Now that was true. “You still need practice then.”
“Hey! Come on, I’m great at lying! Look, I didn’t even mention that your pin isn’t the right shape.”
Ahn Nee chuckled and turned the pendant again, admiring the shimmer of the colors. That was intentional. The pin was exactly as it should be.
Weeks later, Ahn Nee’s father received a package from an Earth Kingdom colony. It was not unusual. As a prominent jewelry artisan, the man often got examples and tools from all over the world to use in his craft. He hadn’t done much work since news of his daughter’s death, but he had finished turning part of her recovered helmet into a memento for his wife and living children. It was time to get back to work, including going through his mail.
In the package, there was an ornament, to be worn as pendant or pin. It was an image of the Fire Nation’s three-flame crest, but, in perhaps a craftsman error, the rightmost flame, the one that symbolized the firstborn in some interpretations, the people of the nation in others, was much taller than it typically was. The flame rose higher than the middle flame, which meant the Firelord in all interpretations. The jewelry shone in an iridescent near-rainbow, using a technique that very very few people knew about.
He got the message.
Both of them.
He placed a mail order for several more. In addition to being worn by nearly everyone in a certain colony, the pins grew in popularity across the Fire Nation.
But only by a very specific group of people.