Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Alright, lay down, please,” Katara instructed. “And close your eyes.”

Zuko obeyed- what choice did he have? He didn’t like Katara, but she was the only person anywhere near the Fire Nation that could heal him.

He felt her untying the bandage from around his head, and winced when the gauze brushed past his freshly-burned skin. “Can I open my eyes now?” 

“Yes, please open them.”

He did as he was told. “You have the Spirit Water from the royal vault, right?”

“Yes, I do,” Katara sighed. “This is the third time you’ve asked.”

“I just want to make sure.”

“Alright, whatever. Just hold still- and try not to blink. Ready?”

“Ready.”

Katara gently opened the flask full of Spirit Water and poured a generous amount in and around each of Zuko’s eyes.

He felt it healing him- it was a strange sensation that was hard to describe. His entire body quivered in excitement- he’d be able to see again! He had only been blind for about a day, but it already felt like forever. He was ready to get on with his life.

“Alright, I think it’s done. Blink a couple of times so the water gets out of your eyes.”

Zuko sat up, and blinked several times. He looked around, and he felt his stomach lurch. 

It didn’t work .

He tried to form words, but all he could manage was a squeak. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that the Spirit Water wouldn’t work. Surely, she just didn’t use enough.

“Zuko? What’s wrong? It… It worked, right?!”

“No,” he whispered. “I can’t see.” He turned his head in the general direction of her voice. “You have to try again! Do it! Now!” he commanded.

Katara shook her head. “I… I’m sorry, Zuko, but… less than a fourth of the amount I used on your eyes brought Aang back from death... I… I think it’s done all that it’s going to do. Maybe… maybe the nerves in your eyes were destroyed. It must not be able to regenerate things like that- it just heals what’s already there, I guess…”

Zuko felt like he was going to throw up. His stomach was churning violently. 

“Wh…  what do you mean?!” he asked, even though he knew exactly what she meant. 

“Zuko, I know this is the last thing you need to hear right now, but… I think you’re going to be blind… permanently.”

“So… So the Spirit Water didn’t do anything?! ” he wailed.

“Well, it did do something! Your face looks a lot better. I mean, your old burn scar is still the same, but the new one is much fainter now, and a lot smaller.”

“Is that supposed to be comforting?! Because it’s not! I’m already disfigured, Katara. I’ll never look good , so it doesn’t matter to me that much if I get a few more scars. However, I do care that I can’t see! ” he shrieked. 

“Zuko, please, calm down,” Katara said nervously. “I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think it is.”

“‘ Calm down?’ Are you serious?! I’ve been blinded!” He stood up, clenching his fists. “What am I supposed to do now?” he murmured. “What… what am I supposed to do?” He sank back down to the floor slowly.

“I… I can’t lead my Nation like this.”

Chapter Text

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Zuko?” Sokka whispered. “I mean... your uncle doesn’t know what’s happened to you. Me, Aang, Katara, Toph, Azula, and a few others are the only ones that know!”

“He has to find out sooner or later. I can’t just hide this from him for the rest of our lives. I don’t want to hide it from him, Sokka. He has a right to know.”

“If you say so…” Sokka sighed, then opened the door to Ba Sing Se’s most famous tea shop- The Jasmine Dragon, owned by Zuko’s uncle and the famous Dragon of the West, Iroh.

Zuko took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out. He was nervous, but didn’t let it show as Sokka took his elbow and led him to the ordering counter. 

“Hello and welcome to the Jasmine Dragon! How can I-” Iroh froze. “...Prince Zuko? Is that you?”

“Uncle,” Zuko murmured quietly. 

Iroh took another look at Zuko’s bandaged face and said, “Come. Let us go to the kitchen.” He opened up the small swinging door to the side of the counter and let them in, motioning for them to follow him. 

Once they were in the kitchen, Iroh motioned for his few employees to leave (he mostly ran the shop by himself). Once they had left, he turned to Zuko. His eyes were watering. “Zuko... what has happened to you? Are you... alright?” He gulped, afraid to ask the next question. “Can... can you see?”

Zuko held up his hand to silence Sokka before he could even speak, then stepped forward with his arms outstretched. Iroh took the cue and immediately embraced him. “...I’m so sorry, Uncle,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.” A tear slid down his cheek from behind the bandages that covered his eyes.

“What for, Zuko?” By this point, Iroh’s eyes were watering, too.

“I... it was Azula. I got hit by her lightning. I didn’t see it in time to redirect it. It’s my fault.” He reached up and slowly unwrapped the bandage to reveal cloudy eyes with zigzag scars along the edges of the pupils. Other than that, there was minimal scarring on his face, just a light trace of a burn around his right eye- disregarding what had been there for years, of course. “I’ve been blinded,” he whispered, barely audible.

Iroh inhaled sharply. “Surely you still have some vision left, though.” It sounded more like a question than a statement. 

Zuko shook his head slowly. “No. I can’t see a thing. I’m... I’m sorry…” by now, he was sobbing quietly. Sokka placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down, but Zuko jerked away from him and hugged his uncle even tighter.

Iroh closed his teary eyes and smiled slightly. “Sorry for what, Zuko? It’s not your fault that this happened to you.”

“But... but I might as well have lost to Azula! Technically, I won, but... she might as well have! She’s left me useless! How am I supposed to be Fire Lord now?!”

“Listen, Zuko. You are not useless. Do you think that Toph is useless?”

“No, but she can ‘see’ using her earthbending! I’m not an earthbender, so what am I supposed to do?!” he cried desperately.

“...I do not know. But I do know that you will figure something out. You are brave and intelligent, and you never give up once you set your mind to something. All you need to do is try .”

Zuko frowned. “I am trying, but I can’t think of how to use my bending to see!”

“Patience, Zuko. Give it time. It’s only been a couple of days since Ozai and Azula were defeated. It will come to you soon.”

“I hope so. I really, really hope so,” he whispered.

Chapter Text

“So, this is what you’ve become, brother? A pitiful blind boy? Oh, what a spectacular Fire Lord you’ll be.” Azula smirked. “Just so you know, I’m smiling. You know, since you can’t see and all.”

Zuko clenched his fists. “And you’re nothing more than a charred, insane prisoner that will rot in an asylum until the day you die!” he snarled viciously. 

“Ooh, I see you still have your temper. Well, I suppose it’s nice for you that you still have that, at least.” She made a pouty face. “It’s not fair that you get to be Fire Lord, Zuzu. After all, you’ve done many horrible things, yourself.”

“SHUT UP!” Zuko screamed. He quickly thrust his fists forward, shooting a small jet of fire towards the sound of her voice. “I’ve burned you once. Don’t make me do it again,” he hissed threateningly.

Azula only grinned. “See? You can’t even control yourself. Maybe you’re the one that should be in this straitjacket.” Her voice sounded triumphant. “You may think you won, Zuzu, but I broke you in that Agni Kai. And don’t you ever forget it!” She began to cackle loudly, and her laughter only increased in volume until it was unbearable. It got so loud that Zuko was forced to leave her cell to escape the noise.

He heard her cackling even once the reinforced steel door was locked behind him.

He immediately felt Aang’s hand on his shoulder. “H-how did it go?”

“...Not very well. I should have killed her while I had the chance.”

Aang smiled softly. “You did the right thing, Zuko.”

“I know I did... So why do I feel so wrong inside?”

The Avatar’s eyes narrowed “It’s because she got to you, isn’t it? What did she say?”

“...Nothing of importance.”

Chapter Text

Zuko lay in bed, stir-crazy and unable to sleep. He had nothing to do but contemplate his own thoughts, and it was slowly but surely driving him insane.

He was spiraling very quickly; his thoughts were getting worse and worse every minute.

I’m blind- worse than that, I’m useless. I can’t get around on my own, I jump at the slightest noise, and I’m completely reliant on others to take care of me. I can’t feed myself without spilling, can’t read- I can’t even see the faces of my friends, which I’ve only just gotten to know. How in the world am I supposed to be the Fire Lord? Maybe Azula is right- maybe she did break me.

He covered his face with his hands and groaned. “What am I supposed to do?”

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Zuko jerked upright and turned toward the sound. Warily, he raised his hands, ready to launch an attack. “Who is it?! Why are you here?!”

“Relax, ‘Your Royal Highness.’ It’s just me.”

He slowly lowered his hands. “...Toph?”

“Of course, silly. Who did you think it was, an assassin? The palace is very heavily guarded, do you really think that someone could get in?”

“Well, it’s always a possibility. And I’m more vulnerable than I’ve ever been.”

Toph sighed. “For now, at least, I suppose that’s true. Now, can I come in? Or do you want to talk through a door?

Zuko blinked. “Oh. Yeah, come in. Sorry.”

A moment later, he heard the doorknob turn. Toph’s footsteps got closer and closer until she was standing right next to him. 

“Oh, uh- I’m in my nightclothes. Don’t look,” Zuko stammered.

Toph just giggled. “I’m blind, dummy. Like you.”

He flinched- he didn’t like it when others mentioned his condition. “Oh. Sorry, I forget… you get around so well, it’s hard to remember sometimes.”

“Well, it’s because I’m used to it. I was born blind, so I had to learn how to get around on my own. It’ll probably be a bit harder for you.”

“Yeah…” He closed his eyes and sighed. “I just don’t know how I’ll do it.”

“Well… I can help teach you, I guess. I’ve had to learn some other techniques to get around for when I’m not standing on earth, especially for when I’m inside a building.”

“I’m sure that that’ll help, but… I’ll need to be able to defend myself on my own. And to do that, I need to figure out a way to ‘see’ with my bending.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure out something. I mean, I’ve heard your firebending skills are great.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” He smiled softly. “Thank you… for coming to talk to me. I needed it.”

“I figured.” She grinned. “You seem sad all the time, Zuko.”

“I am not!” he huffed angrily.

“Whatever you say, then, Your Highness.”

“I hate you, Toph.”

“I know.”

Chapter Text

“Here, take this.” Toph shoved something into Zuko’s hands.

“Um… what is it?” he asked, befuddled.

“It’s a cane- you know, the kind that blind people use. I figured that this would be a good place for you to start. Hold it in your non-dominant hand.”

“I don’t know… this doesn’t seem very helpful.” He made a face. “Are you sure this thing will work for me?”

“I’m not sure,” Toph said matter-of-factly. “That’s why I need to see you try.” She grabbed his hand and guided it into the correct position on the grip of the cane. “I used to use one of these when I was a little kid and didn’t know how to earthbend. I’m no expert, but I can still help. You swing it side to side, like this.” She gently moved the cane so that he could feel the movements. “And at the end of the arc, you tap it on the ground once. Go ahead, try it on your own.”

She gave him a few moments to try it on his own before saying, “Now, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to go walk to a random spot in this room. Every twenty seconds or so, I’ll call out to you. You’re going to follow the sound of my voice until you reach me.”

“But… we’re in the throne room! It’s massive in here!”

“So?”

“So… so there’ll be echoes, and it’ll be hard to find you! And I’ve only just started to learn how to use the cane! And… and what if I fall over?”

“Stop making excuses! If you don’t try hard, you won’t ever get good at it.”

“Can I at least have some time to try it out first? Please?” He was begging like a child.

“No, Zuko! You have to take a head-on approach to this if you want to get good fast- and your Nation is counting on you to be able to lead. That means being able to navigate by yourself.”

Without another word, Toph quickly stepped away.

“Wait! Toph! Come back!!” Zuko reached out to touch her arm, but she wasn’t there. He spun around, hoping that somehow she would be right behind him- but of course, she wasn’t there either. Sighing, he said. “Alright, you win. I’ll play your little game. But can you at least tell me more about how to use this thing?”

“Think of the cane like it’s an extension of your body,” Toph’s voice echoed. Zuko whipped his head to his right, where he thought the sound had come from, and began to slowly move in that direction. Swing, tap, step. Swing, tap, step. After every step he took, he paused, as if he was afraid that the floor would suddenly collapse below him.

“There you go, you’ve already got the hang of it! Now, do it faster, and with less hesitation.”

Her voice was a lot fainter than last time- he must be going in the wrong direction. He turned back around and started to walk- still slowly, but while hesitating less. He stepped out while he swung the cane in front of him. When his foot hit the ground, he tapped it on the floor, then immediately swung it in the other direction. Tap, step, tap, step.

“Excellent! Now, faster!” Her voice was growing closer.

More confidently now, Zuko strode forward quickly, then stopped when his cane hit something. He reached out with his free hand and felt a cool, rounded surface- a pillar. He held his cane up off the ground and slowly walked around the pillar- until he bumped into Toph, who immediately embraced him. 

“Ah! Careful, Toph, you startled me!”

She only hugged him tighter. “You’re great at this! I can’t believe you got it so quickly!”

“Why… why are you hugging me?”

“Because… because I’m proud of you. You thought you were useless, but you’ve already come so far… you’re going to be the greatest Fire Lord ever!” 

Chapter Text

He was laying in a field, smiling, looking up at the sky without a care in the world. He watched fluffy clouds go by. One of them looked like a turtleduck. Zuko smiled. He liked turtleducks. Then, suddenly, Azula stood over him. He let out a yelp of fright, and she flashed a  deranged smile. Azula was holding a baby turtleduck, and she began to squeeze on its shell. The turtleduck squealed, and Zuko jumped up and snatched it away from her- but it was too late. The animal crumbled to dust in his hands. Infuriated and frightened, he looked back to his sister. 

“Why would you do that?! It didn’t do anything to you!”

Azula only grinned. Her eye twitched, and, without a warning, she lunged at him, screaming bloody murder.

Zuko let out a yelp of surprise as he fell over. Azula quickly pinned him down. He tried to get away, but he found that no matter how much he struggled, he could not. As he squirmed, Azula’s face began to transform- until her face was no longer hers. 

Instead, it was the face of their father.

“No,” Zuko whispered. “Please, Father! I only had the Fire Nation’s best interests at heart. I’m sorry I spoke out of turn!”

“You will fight for your honor,” Ozai with Azula’s body growled.

“I meant you no disrespect! I am your loyal son,” Zuko pleaded.

“Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!” his father demanded.

His voice wavered. “I… I won’t fight you.” 

“You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher!”

Ozai clamped his hands over both of Zuko’s eyes, and fire shot out from his palms.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” Zuko screamed, sitting bolt upright in bed. 

He breathed heavily, his widened eyes darting around the room- but it was all dark. He held his hands up and made a small flame so that he could see. 

It was then that it finally hit him. He had known ever since the accident about a week ago that he’d gone blind, but it hadn’t truly sunk in until just now. 

He let the flame go out.

“I’m blind,” he whispered to himself. “I’ll never see again.” 

He let out a soft sob, which quickly became louder and louder and then morphed into screams of anger, but he found that he could not feel any tears flowing. He quieted, then reached up to his face and wiped his eyes. They were barely even damp. 

For some reason, this was what made him stop yelling. He let his hands fall into his lap. Zuko felt a very unpleasant mix of emotions that he never wanted to feel again. The most prominent of these were anger, fear, and shame.

The door to his chambers burst open. “Zuko!” a familiar voice cried.

He froze. “Mai?” he said in disbelief. “I… I thought you were in jail!”

She walked over to him, her footsteps barely audible. “I heard you screaming!” Mai gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are you in pain?” 

“No,” he murmured quietly. “Not that kind of pain, anyway.”

“What’s wrong, then?”

“Wait… has no one told you?”

Mai frowned. “Told me what?”

Zuko inhaled sharply. “Mai, I…” he trailed off. 

“You can say it. Whatever it is, I can take it.”

He ‘looked’ away. “I’m blind, Mai…” 

“What? What do you mean, you’re blind?”

“I mean exactly that. I can’t see a thing.”

Mai took a sharp breath in. When she didn’t say anything for a while, Zuko became concerned. 

“Mai, are you okay?”

She let out a quiet sob.

Zuko’s heart sank. She doesn’t want me anymore, he thought. I’ve never seen her cry before, over anything. She must hate me even more now that I’m blind.  “Please… don’t cry.”

“I…” She wiped her face with her sleeve, taking a deep breath in, then slowly letting it out. “How did it happen?”

“It was during my Agni Kai with Azula, to decide who was to be the Fire Lord. She burned my face with lightning. Katara tried to heal my eyes with Spirit Water from the North Pole, but it didn’t work… Well, sort of. It did heal most of the scars from my fight with Azula, but there’s still a faint scar around my right eye, I’ve been told. And, of course, the old burn is still there…” He sighed. “I was hoping that the Water could heal all of my scars, but it couldn’t even do that… I guess it doesn’t work with healed wounds.”

“Well… I still think you look handsome.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not. I’m scarred and blind.”

“Listen, Zuko.” Mai hugged him gently. “I think your scars make you look tough. Your eyes are still just as beautiful. And I don’t care that you’re blind. I love you.”

He hugged her back. “Thank you, Mai…”

“You’re welcome,” she murmured quietly.

“I… I’m sorry that I broke up with you. I felt like I didn't have any other choice. I definitely didn’t want to.”

“Does this mean you’re willing to be my boyfriend again?”

He smiled. “Only if you’re willing to be my girlfriend.”

Mai smiled back. “Deal.”

Chapter Text

“Um… are you sure this is a good idea?” Zuko whispered to Toph nervously as they walked through the market together. “I mean… people are bound to recognize me somehow. I am going to be crowned Fire Lord eventually, after all…”

“Oh, come on , Your Highness, no one’s gonna recognize you!” she hissed back. “You’re wearing a hood, and you’re wearing a cloth over your eyes, so no one will see your scars.” Toph gripped Zuko’s elbow to ensure that they were not separated. “Plus, only a few people know that you’re blind. So, with all that considered, I doubt that anyone will recognize you.”

“But-”

“No buts. People usually don’t think twice about the blind. They just pity us and then move on.”

Zuko frowned. “But I don’t want anyone to pity me!”

“Well, you’re gonna have to get used to it, buddy.” She sighed. “It’s the worst part of being blind. At least for me, it’s a lot more painful than not being able to see. But that might just be because I was born with no vision.” She began to walk faster.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” He was easily able to keep up with the brisk pace that Toph set. 

“On a lighter note… I can tell that you’ve been practicing with your cane. Your steps are much more confident and firm now.”

“Are you sure? I hadn’t really noticed,” he said.

“Of course I’m sure, dummy. I don’t lie,” Toph said proudly. “...At least, not on purpose.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m not- Hey, look out!”

“What do you mean ‘ look out?!’ I’m blind!” Zuko growled. He tried to look anyway, as if Toph telling him to would make him able to see. Of course, he still saw nothing but an abyss.

“I mean that you should pay attention to what’s in front of you!”

While she was talking, Zuko felt the tip of his cane run into something, and he stopped in his tracks. “Well, we can’t all have seismic sense, Toph,” he shot back.

“Oh! Hello, who is-” a female voice called. After a few seconds, she whispered, “Zuko!”

“Suki!” Toph said with delight. “I thought I saw you, but I wasn’t sure until now!” She hugged the warrior. “It’s good to see you here!”

Suki smiled. “It’s good to see the both of you as well. I’ve been staying with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors- the guards wouldn’t let them in the palace for some reason, so we had to find a hotel.”

“Oh, really? I had no idea! You just kinda… vanished. I’ll tell the guards to let them in with you.” Zuko smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Oh, it’s okay, really. The girls and I are fine at the hotel.”

“No, no, I insist! I don’t want you guys to have to spend any money, and besides, you deserve to stay at the palace.”

“Alright, if you say so.” Suki grinned. “I’ll tell them as soon as I get back.” She looked around them, then said, “Come on, let’s find somewhere more private to talk.” 

“There’s a side street right over there,” Toph said, pointing. “A lot less people are on it.”

“Perfect.” Suki took Zuko’s hand and led him to the side street. Toph followed.

“Oh! There’s a restaurant over there. Are you guys hungry?”

“I’m starving ,” Toph said.

“You’re always starving, Toph…” Zuko retorted.

“What about you, Zuko? Are you hungry?” The earthbender asked. 

“Uh… well… yeah.”

“Thought so.”

“Guys, stop arguing! Let’s just go sit down and order.”

The small group walked over to the restaurant, called ‘Orabu's Flavorful Fire Flakes and More!’, and sat down. 

Not a second after they had gotten settled in, Suki proclaimed, “Food’s on me.”

Zuko shook his head immediately. “No way. I’m paying.”

Suki stared at him. “No, I’m paying. Going to this restaurant was my idea.”

“Yeah, and I have more money than both of you combined,” he hissed. “ I’m paying.”

Suki didn’t press the matter further.

Toph piped up next. “So, why don’t we actually talk instead of arguing like children?”

“Oh, that’s right! I wanted to ask you how your training with Toph is going, Zuko.”

“Well… it’s not ‘training,’ exactly,” Zuko admitted. “It’s more of just her telling me what to do and me doing it. But… it’s going pretty well, actually. She’s made me several mazes out of rock, and I have to find my way out using my remaining senses. It’s… kinda fun, actually.”

“Ooh, that actually does sound kind of fun… what else have you done with her?”

Zuko laughed. “Honestly? We’ve mostly been playing games. She’s trying to teach me how to navigate, and this is really the only way she knows how to do it. Usually we play a game that’s kind of like hide-and-seek, but it’s auditory instead of visual. Another game we play is basically Pai Sho, but the tiles are all textured and the rules for movement are different. Toph says I need to learn how to feel for things rather than look for them.” 

Suki giggled. “And is any of this effective?”

“Of course it is!” Toph said indignantly. 

“It is.” Zuko assured. “Though I was skeptical at first, it’s much more effective than I thought it’d be. Especially since I’m not bored to death while doing it. I can’t focus as well when I’m bored.”

Just then, a waitress came to take their order. After she left, Suki said, “She was staring at you two, you know. Especially you, Zuko.”

“Do you think it’s because we’re blind?” Toph asked. 

“Probably…” Zuko sighed, then smiled. “Well, at least I don’t have to see people staring at me!”

Toph laughed. “Ha ha! Good one!”

Suki just sat there uncomfortably, not wanting to accidentally insult either of her friends.

A few minutes later, their food came, and they all snarfed it down. Toph and Zuko said goodbye to Suki, and she left to go tell the other Kyoshi warriors about Zuko’s offer. 

When the duo were almost back to the palace, a man wearing a mask ran up and held a knife to Zuko’s throat. “Give me all your money, you cripples, or he gets a slit throat!”

Zuko promptly punched the man in the face. 

He staggered backward, trying to regain his footing, but Toph wouldn’t let him. She quickly summoned a rock spike and drove it directly into the man’s knees, and he fell forward, screaming in pain. “My legs! Oh, my legs!”

Toph and Zuko ran over and stood over the man. “You’re lucky we’re not reporting you to the police!” Toph snarled. She planted her foot on his chest, and he wheezed in terror. 

“Please! Please don’t kill me!”

“We won’t kill you,” Zuko said softly. “We’re not that kind of people.” He lifted up his bandana to reveal his scarred face to the man. “Recognize me?”

“P-Prince Zuko? You’re… you’re blind?!”

“Go ahead, tell the authorities that two blind kids kicked your tail, and that one of them is the future Fire Lord. No one will believe you.”

“Yeah,” Toph said. “We’re all alone. That means no witnesses. Come on, Zuko. We’re done here.”

They walked away, leaving the man laying on the street, crying in pain over his broken knees.

Chapter Text

As Zuko slowly sat up, Azula’s frenzied screams echoed around him. Panting, he turned his head left and right, but he saw nothing but darkness. 

“Zuko!” He heard someone cry out, then the sound of pattering feet approached. It was Katara running towards him, he realized. He turned his head toward the sound, but he still couldn’t see her.

“Katara? Did I win?” He groaned once she was close.

“I think so, but you’re hurt! Badly…” She knelt down next to him, uncapping the waterskin that she always kept with her. “Hold still.”

“Katara, I can’t see anything,” he whispered.

“It’s okay, just stay still and I’ll fix that. Keep your eyes open for me.” A second later, he felt the coolness of water soothing the scorched skin around his eyes. After a few seconds, though, she pulled the water back, and Zuko whined in pain. “Why’d you stop?” he croaked.

“It… it’s not working. Maybe the burns are too deep, or I’m not skilled enough…”

Zuko inhaled sharply. “Does that mean… I’m blind?” He grunted. “Ahh, it hurts…”

“No, not necessarily… Do you know if you have any Spirit Water in the palace, by any chance?”

“Actually, I think we do. Let’s go do that now,” he said insistently.

Katara shook her head. “No, you need to rest first. We all do, really. That Water isn’t going anywhere.” She looked over at Azula, who was still writhing in pain. A group of guards had gone over to her and put the fire out, and now they were putting her in handcuffs.

“What’s going on over there?” Katara called. 

“Well, since Prince Zuko was burned far less, and they were burned at the same time, we figured that he must have won,” the guard called back. “And she’s clearly too dangerous to be let free.”

Katara turned back to Zuko. “Did you hear that? You won!”

“Yippee,” he said halfheartedly, then stood up slowly. “Katara… please lead me over there. I want to talk to the guards.”

She did as he requested, and as soon as they got over there, one of the guards- presumably the leader of the group- stepped forward.

“What do you want done with her, Fire Lord Zuko?”

“Not so fast- I’m not Fire Lord yet. You can just call me Zuko.”

“Okay, Prince Zuko, what do you want us to do with her?”

He sighed and thought for a moment before responding. ‘Lock her up,” he said slowly. “At Boiling Rock.” He paused, then added, “In solitary confinement, so she can’t hurt anyone else.” 

Azula was too busy crying in pain to hear them.

“How… how badly did I hurt her?’ Zuko asked.

The guard looked down. “Well… most of her body is burned. So, pretty badly, I’d say.”

A look of guilt flashed across Zuko’s face, then was covered up by a neutral expression. “Oh. I see… Well, actually, never mind. I don’t.”

The guards’ leader squinted at him. “Prince Zuko… did she blind you?” he asked, shocked.

Zuko looked away. “...For now, yes. But don’t tell anyone , or there will be consequences,” he said, conjuring a flame in his outstretched palm.

He gulped. “Yes, sir.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Sokka limped toward Zuko, heavily leaning on a stick that he was using as a makeshift cane. “Zuko! What happened to you?!”

“I could say the same to you, Sokka. It sounds like you’re limping.”

“And you’ve got more scars on your face!”

“So?”

“So I’m worried about you, you idiot! We’re friends now!” Sokka poked Zuko with his stick. “Can you see okay?”

“Well… no,” he admitted. “I’ve been... blinded.”  Under normal circumstances, Zuko would’ve looked away so that he didn’t have to see Sokka’s shocked face, but he didn’t bother- he couldn’t see him, after all.

“What do you mean you’ve been blinded?! ” Sokka said loudly, shock evident on his face.

“Wait, what? What’s going on?” Aang walked up behind Sokka, followed by Toph. “Did you say ‘blinded?’”

“Yes,” Zuko groaned. “But it’s only temporary, until Katara can heal my eyes with Spirit Water. I’m pretty sure we’ve got some in our royal vault,” he explained.

“Are you fully blind, though? Like Toph?” He paused for a moment. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“ I don’t know! ” Zuko fumed. “I can’t see a thing!”

“Fiiiinally, someone gets it,” Toph groaned. She roughly lowered Sokka’s hand and stepped forward, towards Zuko. “Come on, Your Highness,” she said, “Let’s go have a chat.”

Toph led him to the palace gardens and sat him down on a bench. She picked a flower and handed it to him. “Feel how delicate that is?”

“Yeah? What about it?”

She sat down next to him. “That’s like your mental stability right now. To be fair, you’re always pretty volatile, but I can tell that you’re barely hanging on.”

“...Why do you say that?” he asked cautiously.

“I can feel your heartbeat. You’re very nervous.” Her voice softened. “You’re afraid that the Water won’t help, aren’t you?”

“S-So what if I am? It’ll definitely work, it brought Aang back from apparent death!” he said defensively.

“Look, all I’m trying to say is this… please, don’t get your hopes up too high.”

“...Are you suggesting that the Spirit Water won’t work?” he said incredulously. He shook his head. “Why do you say that?”

“You know how rich and influential my family is, right? Well… when I was little, my parents were desperate to find a cure for my blindness. They even paid someone a ridiculous amount of money to bring back some Spirit Water from the North Pole. And, well… it didn’t work, as you already know.” 

“...What? Really? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“...It’s probably just because you were born blind,” Zuko assured himself.

“Maybe. But I just wanted to warn you, just in case it doesn’t work.”

“...Thanks.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

It didn’t work.

Zuko lay awake in bed. It was the day after he had been blinded- and now he knew it was permanent.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his face and groaning. He was exhausted. He hadn’t slept well the previous night, and he didn’t know how he was going to sleep at all tonight.

At least the new scar looks better, he thought. Or so I’ve been told.

Carefully, he unwrapped the gauze from around his eyes and rubbed at his eyes, as if this would help him to see something. Of course, it didn’t.

After shaking his head from side to side frantically to clear his head, Zuko stood up slowly and carefully guided himself to where his mirror was mounted on the wall. He sighed, placing his hand on the glass, not caring if he got fingerprints on it. After all, he couldn’t see himself in it anymore, so why did it matter? 

Still, he stared blankly at the mirror with his blind, cloudy eyes. 

Chapter Text

“I see that Azula finished what I started three years ago.” Ozai smiled. “Good for her. It seems that she proved to be less useless than I thought.”

“You don’t get to talk to him like that anymore,” Mai said calmly. “He’s to be Fire Lord. You’re just a prisoner.”

“I’m his father,” Ozai bit back. “I speak to him however I want!”

“No, you’re not.”

Ozai turned to Zuko. “What did you just say?” he said in a low voice.

“You may be my biological parent, but you’ve never been my father,” Zuko hissed. “My uncle is more of a father to me than you ever were.”

Ozai slowly walked over to the edge of his cell. He gripped the bars tightly. “You listen to me, and listen well,” he said, his voice dangerously quiet. “You are the most disrespectful, arrogant, idiotic person I know. You have no honor, no sense of respect for your superiors. That is why you spoke out at that meeting, and that is why I burned your face- to teach you respect. But it seems that you never learned your lesson. Why, just look at you now- oh, that’s right, you can’t . Because of your weak nature, your sister was able to get the upper hand and blind you.” He leaned forward to get even closer to Zuko. “You, son,” Ozai said mockingly, “are a pathetic, honorless, miserable blind child. ”

Zuko took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Mai put her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t listen to what he says. He’s wrong.”  

“I know, Mai.” Zuko stepped forward until he was right in front of his father, then reached up, grabbed him, and, by grabbing his beard, yanked Ozai’s face down towards his own. His father let out a grunt of surprise.

“Look me in the eye,” Zuko hissed.

“I am,” Ozai laughed.

“Well, you better keep looking. Do you see any weakness in these eyes? Do you?!”

“I can see that your pupils are scarred. So, yes, I do see weakness. Scars are a sign that you were not strong enough to win decisively.” Ozai smiled. “What was your point, again?”

“No, you’re wrong! I lived with you for thirteen years, and you don’t even know me! Because if you knew me, you’d know this: I never give up. ” Zuko yanked on his father’s beard, and he flinched. “My scars show my strength. They show that, although I’ve been knocked down, I’ve always gotten back up. That’s where true honor lies, Ozai. Honor isn’t determined by what someone else thinks of you. You determine it by your own actions. I may be blind now, but even I can see that you’re the lowest, sleaziest man on our planet- and there’s no honor in that.” He let go of his father and slowly backed off. “You burned an innocent child who only had the best interests of his Nation in mind.” Zuko turned away. “And although I’m willing to forgive that… I doubt that the Fire Nation will, when they learn how I got my scars. You and Azula will forever be used as examples of horrible leaders in the history books. I may just be a blind teenager, but you’re a disgraced leader who lost his bending to a child.”

He reached out for Mai, and she took his hand. “Come on, Mai. Let’s go. He doesn’t deserve any more of our time.” He took the lead and led his girlfriend out of the prison cell, leaving behind a shocked Ozai. The would-be Phoenix King heard the sounds of Zuko’s cane tapping slowly recede as his son left his father alone in the dungeon.

Chapter Text

“Zuko, please let me help,” Sokka begged. “You can’t do everything on your own!”

“No. I can do this by myself. I’m perfectly capable,” he said as he tripped on his travel bag and fell flat on his face.

Sokka struggled to keep a straight face, limping over to where Zuko had fallen over. “That’s rough, buddy,” he said, and at that, he burst into laughter.

“Thanks, Sokka,” Zuko groaned as he stood up. “I’m almost done packing, okay?” He shoved the clothes that he had tucked under his left arm into the bag, then navigated back over to his bed, where Sokka had laid out the clothes and things that Zuko had asked for- he couldn’t exactly find the exact clothes that he wanted by himself, after all. Picking up the last pile of tunics, he walked over to the bag and dropped them in. He then knelt down and picked the bag up by its straps, then hoisted it onto his shoulder.

“Are you ready to go? Got all your things packed?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Okay, then, let’s go!” Sokka said cheerily as he grabbed Zuko’s hand roughly and led him to the door.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The decision to take the trip had been very sudden. Toph had off-handedly mentioned it to Sokka and Suki a few days ago, and since then, Sokka would not leave Zuko alone about it. 

“Come on, Zuzu, please?” He would beg. 

“You know I hate being called that, Sokka!” Zuko would snap back. 

Yesterday, though, he’d finally caved and agreed to go on what Toph called a “Life-Changing Field Trip.” Really, though, it was just an outing to check on the status of towns and cities around the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. Toph didn’t see it that way, though. 

“Oh, I’m so excited! It’s blind buddies bonding time!” she squealed once she found out that Zuko had agreed to go. 

He’d rolled his eyes. “And Sokka and Suki. We need someone who can see to steer Appa, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, them too. But it’s mostly about us.”

Aang was so happy that Zuko and Toph were getting to know each other better that he agreed to lend Appa to them. “It’ll be fun!” he’d said. “I wish I could go, but I have to go to a bunch of boring meetings with the White Lotus about how to rebuild the Earth Kingdom. You know, Avatar stuff.”

“Oh, well. Your loss,” Toph had said.

But as soon as Appa took off, Zuko immediately regretted saying ‘yes’ to this trip. He was used to having something for his eyes to focus on, but, since he was now blind, he no longer had that luxury. Without being able to see where he was going, with every turn Appa made, his stomach lurched violently. 

“Toph, how in the world do you do this without throwing up?!” He cried, then held his hands up over his mouth to keep himself from vomiting.

She just laughed. “You get used to it after a while!’ she said, smiling.

Zuko kept one hand over his mouth, and used the other to clutch at his stomach. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to get used to feeling this sick…”

“Uh, Zuko, do we need to land?” Suki asked.

“No, I’m fine,” he said stiffly and grabbed his cane almost like it was a safety blanket. “Keep going.”

“If you say so,” Sokka said, shrugging. “Appa, yip yip!”

--------------------------------------------------------------

As it turned out, Zuko did get used to riding on Appa again. How, he had no clue- but he was still incredibly relieved when they landed. “Ah, finally, solid ground!” he cheered.

“At least you’re somewhat used to not seeing- I can’t see a thing when I’m on Appa.” Toph slid down from off the flying bison’s back. 

“Well, at least you can ‘see’ at all!”

“It’s not my fault you’re not an earthbender!”

“Guys, guys! Stop fighting,” Suki interjected. “There’s no need to bicker. Come on, let’s set up camp.”

--------------------------------------------------------------

Toph helped Zuko unpack his things and set up his tent, while Sokka and Suki dealt with their own belongings. After they were done setting up, Toph walked up next to Zuko, where he sat on a small rock clutching his cane. 

“Hey… Zuko.”

“What is it, Toph?” He didn’t bother turning his head to face her. He had pretty much stopped doing that by now- he was blinded three weeks ago.

“Can I… see your face?”

Zuko was befuddled. “Huh? What do you mean?”

She sighed. “You know how I can ‘see’ by using my seismic sense, right? Well, I can’t see details. Like, at all. I can make out the general shape of a person by the way that they walk and the vibrations they make, but that’s about it. And… I’ve heard about your scars. I want to see them. So, this probably sounds really weird to you, but… may I feel your face?”

Zuko thought for a moment, then murmured, “Yeah, go ahead. Normally I don’t like people touching my face, but… I’ll make an exception for you.”

Toph took a couple of soft steps closer to him, then gently placed her hands on his cheeks.

His breath hitched in his throat, and he shuddered at her soft touch. “I didn’t know you were capable of being this gentle…”

Toph smiled. “I am when I want to be.” She carefully traced a path up to his eyes with her fingertips and felt the scars there. “Oh, wow… they weren’t kidding, this does feel pretty bad. The skin around your left eye is almost… leathery.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m really ugly, huh?”

“That’s not what I said, silly. I think that your scars make you stand out in a good way. If everyone looked the same and had perfect skin, then this world would be pretty boring.”

“Well… you’re right. But why did it have to be me? Why not… literally anyone else? And now I’m blind. I guess I’m just really unlucky.”

“Well, there are a few upsides to being blind, actually.”

“Oh, really? Like what?” he said skeptically.

She smiled. “Well, for example, you don’t need to worry about appearances. And, also… I doubt I would have gotten to know you as well if you’d remained sighted.” 

Her touch was strangely pleasing to Zuko. It grounded him in reality. When she pulled away, he jumped up and hugged her, almost instinctively. He dropped his cane as he did so. Toph squeaked, startled, but then hugged him back once the initial surprise wore off. 

“I love you, Zuko,” she whispered. “You’re like a brother to me.”

“And you’re like the sister I never really had. You’re a way better sibling to have than Azula.” A small smile crossed his face. “I’m glad you feel the same way.”