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Chapter Text

The sight of the Fire Nation emblem on the walls of Omashu upsets Zuko almost as much as it does Aang. He thought that they were almost beyond reach of the Fire Nation. That Bumi would be Aang’s earthbending teacher and that they would be able to remain in place for a bit. 

Traveling without end in sight is exhausting. 

Now it just seems as if the Fire Nation is unstoppable. An unending avalanche that might drive them even all the way to Ba Sing Se. His uncle comes to mind and not for the first time, Zuko prays that he made it out of the North safely. 

As he stares at Omashu in the distance, he wonders when they will see each other again. And whether they will be on the same side. 

It is the main reason why he is eager to move beyond the reach of the Fire Nation army. The chance that he will run into someone that recognizes him, is terrifying. The idea of meeting anyone from before is unbearable. 

The fact that they might reveal who he is to his friends, to Sokka, makes his blood run cold. 

During the past days in the Earth Kingdom, his friends have tried to be alright with his firebending. Sokka and Aang even encouraged him to use his bending. Still, the way his friends flinch as his flames run over his dao blades, makes him want to cry and scream. He knows that they do not intend on being scared of him, but he is quite sure that he will never cease being self-conscious while bending in front of them. 

It makes him hate the Fire Nation in a way that would rival Jet, if not for his sporadic bouts of homesickness. These always catch him by surprise. He would just be staring at a pond or something and then suddenly vividly remember his mother’s turtle duck pond or the corner where Azula would always scare him. 

The result is a deeply divided sentiment about the Fire Nation that sometimes feels like he is being torn apart from the inside. 

Now, as Aang stares at the gates of Omashu, Zuko has the strange urge to apologize. 

Not that he knew of the plans to take the city, but he still feels guilty for anything that has his father written all over it. 

Of course, Aang being Aang wants to attempt to save Bumi. 

As Sokka carefully suggests that Bumi might not be around anymore, Zuko knows that Aang made up his mind. 

The thought of entering the occupied city makes his stomach turn and he tries to volunteer himself to stay behind with Appa. However, the moment Sokka sees that they will have to enter through the sewage, he is adamant that Zuko should join them. 

The less said about the sewage, the better. 

At least there are no Fire Nation soldiers down there. 

Just these sucking little creatures that soon cover both him and Sokka to an uncomfortable degree. He would let a flame run to scare them of, but with the amount of gases it would be disastrous. 

Even taken over by the Fire Nation, Omashu has at least not been blown up. Zuko does not want to be the one to change that, so he grits his teeth against the disgustingness that befalls him. 

When the soldiers intercept them, Zuko has several heart attacks.

Thankfully, it is dark and the Fire Nation’s enlisted men are quite ignorant about highly contagious diseases, while Sokka is quite a convincing actor. 

As soon as the soldiers disappear in a panic, they move upward through the city. The sight of the guards with their skeleton masks brings back bad memories for Zuko and his scar aches. 

Then they hear the sound of boulders tumbling down. Right towards a small procession of Fire Nation citizens. Aang is swift to blow away both the boulders and their cover. 

Zuko whips out his dao swords and is just in time to protect himself from some small, but sharp projectiles. Then he recognizes his assailant. 

With her bangs, twin knots and of course, unmistakable scowl, she has changed a lot less than he has. His distraction is harshly punished as her next knife grazes his good cheek. 

He turns away and runs as Katara steps in behind him. 

His cheek is stinging and bleeding, but more overwhelming is the shock. 

What is Mai doing here? 

Then they sink through the ground ending up in the midst of the resistance and he has to stop thinking about her. They just might read the guilt off his face. It feels just as tangible as the steady well of blood budding from the cut on his cheek. Until Katara heals it with a swift lash of water, not saying a word. She only gives him a questioning look. It is not like him to be slow. Not for many years at least. He ignores her. 

The news that Bumi has surrendered is surprising, but somehow Zuko will not put it past the old man to be playing a different game. In a different time, Bumi might have gotten on well with his uncle. 

As they cover Omashu’s citizens in pentapox, Zuko’s mind starts wandering to Mai again. He can tell that he is being strange as Sokka keeps sending glances in his direction. 

He feels guilt creep like a spider into his stomach. It was a long time ago since he played in the Caldera courtyards with Mai. Of course, Azula was always teasing jealously that they would get married someday, but Zuko does not count the fleeting childhood moments they had as a relationship. 

Still, he is torn. The strain of keeping secrets from Sokka is bearing heavily on him. But his secrets are carefully stacked on top of one another in a way that prohibits him from speaking the truth about any of them. Explaining that he knows Mai… It will only lead to more questions that he cannot answer. 

He prays that her being here is just a mere coincidence and that they will be able to leave soon.

Aang remains to find Bumi, but Sokka’s plan to frighten the Fire Nation soldiers into opening the gates works. Zuko is more than eager to leave the city and to avoid another confrontation with Mai. 

As he sits by the fire to eat his share of food, a warm body presses into his side. “Hey, Zu, You’ve been quiet today. Is your cheek alright?”

He turns to Sokka and nods. “Katara healed it. I should have been faster.”

“You didn’t know she was going to throw knives like that. I’ve never seen someone throw so many. And you know, with my boomerang, I’m no stranger to throwing stuff.” Sokka wraps his arm around Zuko’s shoulders. He tries not to tense up, but fails. 

“Sorry, Sokka, I’m, um, still a little on edge.”

Before Sokka can respond, Aang joins them. He is dejected as he did not manage to find Bumi. Bad news, but things escalate as the Fire Nation baby is discovered. 

Mai’s brother. 

A reunion will be unavoidable. 

One of the Earth Kingdom men makes a comment about the future of the child as a Fire Nation soldier and Zuko winces as unfortunately, it is true. Conscripts are trained young. 

To die younger than their fathers. 

Not that this child from a good, noble family will befall that fate. He will only ever stand behind his men. 

Unlike Lu Ten, who believed in equality. A weakness, as they later taught him. 

His thoughts are interrupted by the call of a messenger hawk.  

To trade a toddler for a king is strategic madness. While in his memories Mai’s father is not as strict as his own, this whole proposal makes him uneasy. 

It has to be a trick. 

But Aang is optimistic like usual. 

Zuko shakes his head. “At least let me hang back, you know, in case something goes wrong.”

He climbs to the other side of the deck. Closer to the Fire Nation party. He nearly falls to his death as he hears Mai’s raspy voice address his sister. 

His mind races. It has to be a trap. 

Azula always lies. 

Still, there is a small treacherous part of him that longs to see her face. Just to see who she has become in the long years they have been apart. 

He cannot. 

They will recognize him. 

Besides, if it comes to a fight, they will need the element of surprise. 

As Bumi rises again in his strange, metal cage, Zuko knows Aang will not hesitate to go after him. Azula shoots her blue flames and Aang blows his cover. 

She has gotten even stronger as a bender since the last time he saw her. 

Immediately, she leaves the others to chase the Avatar. 

The ultimate gift for their father. 

Zuko moves quickly past Mai and Ty Lee and lights the wood in front of them on fire by sliding across with his blade. It will not be enough, but it might buy Sokka and Katara some time. 

Especially Sokka, who has no way of fighting with the baby in his arms. 

Just as Ty Lee readies herself to jump, he raises the flames high, disappearing behind them. He has never been so glad that Azula’s friends are not benders. It did mean that he was always Azula’s only victim during their firebending classes, but now it is to his advantage.

He runs to help Sokka and they climb down, while Katara takes advantage of his quickly-spreading fire to stop Mai and Ty Lee. 

As they descend, they see Azula and Aang rapidly moving through the transport channels. Too fast for them to do anything, but it seems that Aang might be the only one who can handle her blue flames. 

Once they are on Appa, they return to Katara. For some reason, she seems unable to bend and Zuko jumps down to help her. This time he does not let himself be distracted as he blocks each throw of her knives. However, he struggles to keep Ty Lee in his eye sight and turns so suddenly that he nearly disembowels her. 

“Watch out! Not used to fighting two, swordsman?” She jumps back like the earth does not exist. 

Zuko does not hesitate to climb Appa and fly out of range of Mai’s knives. 

His heart only stops racing when Omashu is nothing but a faint spot on the horizon. 

“You were right about the trap, Zu. Those girls are crazy.”

“We need to be more careful. They are more dangerous than an army. Especially Princess Azula.”

“You know them?” Katara leans forward. “That girl did something to my bending! Kind of like the moon dying all over again. It was really strange.”

Zuko hums. “I don’t know about that, but the Fire Nation Princess is well known for her bending skills. She’s definitely better than me.”

“I don’t think she would ever train me,” Aang laughs. 

Involuntarily, Zuko shudders at the thought. “I don’t think you would want her to.”

“Aang, what did Bumi tell you?”

“That doing nothing is the core of earthbending.” Aang sighs. “That I should have an earthbending teacher who waits. Like we have time for that!”

Zuko has to admit he has a point. Azula is not the type of person to give up on anything and she usually gets her way. They can only keep flying for so long. The moment that Aang starts earthbending, they will have to go to ground. They will be sitting ducks then. 

And every day, the Fire Nation keeps getting more powerful. 

—

The moment they get flung from Appa by a strange tornado, Zuko knows that they are in trouble. When it appears that all his friends are nowhere to be seen, he knows that this is another example of his excellent luck. 

The dense foliage, the trees and the murky water are all so quiet that his voice does not carry for more than a couple steps. Still, he screams their names until his throat is sore and he is nearly in tears. 

For weeks, he has been so used to sitting on Appa’s back, enjoying the sight of the world below, that now he has no idea where to go. And the Earth Kingdom is huge. Not like an island where you can walk one way and reach the water. 

What if he walks straight back to Azula? 

Still he wanders through the swamp. He will never find the others again if he does not. 

Once, he thinks he hears a scream in the distance. He prays it was just an animal, but he feels even more on edge after that. The fact that it is getting dark does not help. In the dim light, he keeps thinking that he sees movement on the edge of his vision. 

However, whenever he turns his head to look there is nothing there. 

This place feels strangely magical. 

Then he sees a figure moving through the trees. With his hands gripping his swords, he steps closer. It is a figure he has not seen in years. Dressed exactly like he remembers her, in her royal red robes. 

Then she turns and her face keeps changing until she is no longer his mother, but a monster. With a scream he moves his swords to defend himself and the illusion breaks as he hits a mere tree trunk. 

This place will drive him insane. 

His past is dead. His sister is not on his side anymore. If she ever was. 

 He cannot return to the Fire Nation and definitely not to the court. 

His mother has been gone for years. 

The only people he can trust now are Aang, Katara and Sokka. He starts yelling their names again. His voice sounds small and hollow against the solid darkness. 

Then he almost gets beheaded by Sokka. “Wow!”

“Watch out!”

“Sokka?”

“Zu!” He gets hugged with unbridled enthusiasm. “I was worried about you!”

“Strange place, huh?”

Sokka gets an odd faraway stare. “Yeah…”

He tilts his head towards Zuko, still holding his hand. “I thought I saw you earlier. But I knew it wasn’t real…”

His heart starts racing. “What did you see, Sokka?”

“It was you. I knew it was you, but…” Sokka’s voice trails off. 

“You didn’t have the scar and you were dressed in red. It was very strange.”

Sokka pauses. “You were looking for your mother.”

Zuko freezes and Sokka rushes to pat his hand. “Hey, it’s alright. The swamp is clearly another Avatar spirit thing. Let’s just find Aang and Katara.”

—

They find the others at the base of a massive tree, but that word barely seems to hold enough weight for how enormous it truly is. 

Just as Sokka and Aang are about to engage in a discussion concerning the motives of said tree, the swamp monster attacks them. 

It grabs Sokka and while Zuko tries cutting its limbs, the green sludge keeps moving to fill any gaps. Helplessly, he watches it move away over the water, Sokka in hand. 

Aang and Katara try fighting the monster too, but face the same problem. Fire is itching to sprout from Zuko’s hands, but he is scared to burn Sokka. Besides, Katara is clearly in her element in this swamp as she not only frees him, but also takes large loops of water to slice the monster to bits.

It is just some guy. A skilled bender, but just a person nonetheless. It is no explanation for the harrowing visions Zuko had. 

Like they all had. 

As the guy continues talking and the sun slowly dapples through the leaves, Zuko almost forgets the fear he felt. This man reminds him of his uncle. Perhaps with a little less clothes and a bit more touched in the head by some swamp gas, but what he is saying makes just as little sense as the phrases of General Iroh. 

Time is an illusion, so is death. For a moment Zuko wonders if this means that his mother is still alive, before shaking his head. 

He cannot waste hope on the past. Nor fear on the future. 

The only thing that matters is the present. And the present is saving Appa from a bunch of strange swamp people. 

Zuko had no idea that there were waterbenders in the Earth Kingdom. Must be a relic from the old times when things between the four nations were not as clear cut. 

Maybe there are still some airbenders out there. 

Maybe his ancestors did not kill all of them. 

Chapter Text

“You’re lying.”

Zuko resists the urge to jump from his seat beside the extinguished fireplace. He thought his friends and the new girl were all sound asleep while he breathed with the embers. Thankfully, the flames burned their course hours ago or he might have thrown some her way. 

“You’re lying, Zu.” Something in her voice reminds him eerily of Azula. Perhaps it is a confidence that arises in rich girls. Or more likely, very powerful benders. “That is not your name. I can tell when people lie to me.”

Her voice is shrill and too loud in the quiet night air and he nervously glances at Sokka and the others. “Shh, please be quiet.” There is a tinge of desperation to his voice and she smiles in a way that makes him feel like prey in a tiger penguin’s claws. 

“I’m right! Your heartbeat is all over the place.” Her unseeing eyes stare at him. “Why are you lying to Twinkletoes and the others?”

Zuko’s first impulse is to object. To argue that that is not precisely what he has been doing, even though this blind girl has seen it clearly. “I’m not! I didn’t-” He sighs. “I have been Zu to them for years. I have been Zu for years. I like being Zu…”

“But you’re not. You’re a firebender. I could feel it from far. But they know that.”

“I told them when we left the North Pole. I could not keep it a secret anymore.”

“And yet, here you are. Still lying. Still keeping secrets.” She sits besides him, bare feet firmly planted on the ground. “If they didn’t kill you for being a firebender, what else do you need to hide?”

Zuko hides his face in his arms. “Everything.”

“Tell me.”

He looks at her. “You never told your parents that you were actually a great earthbender, because they liked to see you as a helpless, little girl. And you? You let them live in that illusion.”

She opens her mouth to no doubt retort with something sharp and scathing. “No, let me finish. You did that, because you care for them. I- I care for Sokka. And Katara. They, the Southern Water Tribe, I owe them my life. And I’m scared that if I tell them… anything- about me- about where I came from… That things will change. And I really don’t want things to change.”

She nods thoughtfully and for a moment, Zuko thinks that he is in the clear. That her curiosity is satisfied. “But what’s so special about you? I mean, aside from the peaceful firebender stuff, you seem pretty standard for a teenager, Sparky.”

He sighs. Just like Azula, she will push until she gets her way. “My f-father is an important man in the Fire Nation. He thinks I’m dead. The real me, not Zu. I thought- for a long time, that I could just pretend that I came from nowhere. That nothing happened before Hakoda- that is Sokka’s dad- found me on the ice. Then we found Aang and we left the South Pole. Old faces that knew me before are coming back. People who knew me once as Zuko.”

His throat is dry when he forces out the next words. “As Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.” 

He cannot bear to look at her. Then a tiny hand grabs his arm and squeezes slightly too tightly like she had forgotten he is made of flesh, not stone. “They said the Firelord himself killed him.”

“He tried.”

—

They might have spoken about it again. She might have tried to convince him to tell the others. However, it soon became clear that the addition of a new person to their little group was not as easy as it seemed. 

Toph aligned with her element in a way that Zuko had rarely seen before. Truly as unmovable and stubborn as a rock. 

Part of it was the way she was raised. With a shock, Zuko would recognize little bits of his younger self in her manners. In another life, he might have been like her. Accustomed to servants to the extent that causes one to forget how much work is being done to eat and sleep. 

Lonely in a way that living with others and being cared for by others is something wholly new and unusual. He also recognizes the need to always prove that you can do everything, even when you do not need to. He was like that in the early days after his injury, before Hakoda explained to him the workings of the tribe. 

Of community. 

Something Toph never had before. Just like him. 

It was only a matter of time before Katara would explode. 

Zuko should have said something, explained it to her like Hakoda explained the way of the Southern Water Tribe to him. 

But he was too late and now Katara feels bad and Aang is awkward between the two. 

“She just needs some time.” Sokka softly bumps his shoulder as he sees the way Zuko is looking at Toph in her little stone tent. “You got used to us too, after all.”

“Don’t remind me, I was awful in the beginning.”

“I will never forget how you tried to hunt on your own and we had to save you from that polar bear-dog.” Sokka kisses him. “You were so eager to prove yourself.”

“Yeah, yes, I was.” Zuko tries to laugh without thinking about all the things he wants to forget. It sounds shrill and harsh to his ears. He hopes Sokka does not notice. 

They place their sleeping rolls beside one another and he knows that Sokka will be huddling close to his warmth when they sleep. He should tell him. 

But it is too easy to just hold him in his arms and let sleep find them. 

Not too long, unfortunately, as Toph wakes them with the alarming message that they are being chased. It is hard to tell by what, in the night sky, but the dark cloud reminds Zuko of the Fire Nation ships that laid siege to the North Pole. 

They are all tired and he does not have much trust in their fighting chances without sleep. 

The moment Appa lands, he wants nothing more than to quickly unpack and go back to sleep again. However, sleep seems far away as Katara and Toph get embroiled in another argument. 

When Aang intervenes, he gets a full load of Katara’s rage and Zuko winces. 

“Let’s unload while they finish up.” Sokka gently pushes him towards Appa. 

Just as he is about to fall asleep, the argument unfolds again and between Katara’s yelling and Toph’s earthbending replies, there is no rest to be found. 

Then Toph senses the thing that chases them again. It really does have a Fire Nation feel to it, with a great plume of black smoke. 

They go further, despite Appa’s tired grunts. They pass over Earth Kingdom mountain peaks and vast dark forests below. It must be far enough. 

Appa collapses and so does Zuko as he tries to block out any sound of the arguments from his good ear. 

“They’re back! I can feel it with my own feet.”

Zuko moves to fold his sleeping bag again as Aang suggests facing them. "They might be friendly!"

“Always the optimist,” mutters Sokka. 

“This feels like the Fire Nation.” It is quiet after Zuko speaks. He feels the weight of his own words reflected on the panicked faces of the others. 

Before they can leave, the machine opens and spews out Azula and her friends, riding Fire lizards. It is too late. They have no choice, but to face and fight them. 

With nerves twisting in his stomach, Zuko unsheathes his swords. There is no Blue Spirit mask to hide behind or shadows to move in. He wonders if Azula will kill him before or after she recognizes him. 

Toph immediately proves her value in battle as she turns the entire landscape against them, raising a wall to stop them. A short-lived victory as blue lightning spouts from Azula’s finger tips. 

“We need to go!” 

A blue blast blazes past them as they fly away. 

“Can you do that? With lightning?” Sokka looks at him with fear in his eyes. That look tears straight through his heart, but he understands it. 

Lightning is terrifying.

Zuko shakes his head. “Only the most powerful benders can. The Princess…”

Toph coughs and Zuko needs to resist the urge to strangle her. “I still think we could have taken them.”

Katara shakes her head. “That princess with her lightning and the girl with her knifes are bad enough, but the other one is the one that really scares me. Last time, she did something that took my bending away. You don’t know anything about that, do you?”

Zuko shrugs. “It is never something I heard off in the Fire Nation, but it is not something they would teach a bender. We’ll have to be careful.”

Katara suggests that they should just keep flying, but as Appa groans, Zuko cannot help wondering how long they will manage to keep going. While Sokka laments the rising sun, Zuko actually feels slightly more awake as the warmth seeps into his skin.

The blissful feeling of Agni greeting him does not last long as Appa crashes to the earth. As Sokka lays out his bedroll, Zuko finds himself searching the horizon for a wisp of black smoke. Perhaps there is enough time to build some traps. However, when he turns to ask Toph, she is in yet another continuation of her fight with Katara.

To make matters worse, she pulls a full hand from Appa’s coat and manages to get Aang angry, which is a first for Zuko. He has seen the Avatar sad and frustrated, but never angry. Even against the meanest Fire Nation soldiers. 

Like Zhao. 

Before Zuko knows it, Toph has left the clearing. 

She will not be back. 

Too stubborn. 

“She might be right, Aang,” Zuko starts carefully. “Appa’s fur would make a good trail.”

Aang ignores him, instead lamenting over Toph’s departure. Also Katara is remorseful and the two of them bring up apologies that they should offer her. 

“Okay, but- what about the tank and the girls that are following us?” 

“I’m with Sokka. Toph will be fine, but we won’t be if we don’t come up with a plan.” Zuko glances again at the treeline. 

—

Honestly, Zuko would have preferred a plan that did not smell like wet fur. However, as big wads of hair are floating downstream, it does seem to be working. He just hopes it will be fast enough to avoid confronting Azula. 

He resists the urge to object to Aang leaving. There is something about the idea of Azula that leads him to abandon all reason in favor of his own fears. A fake trail is a good idea. 

Splitting up? 

Not great, but unavoidable.

Of course, Azula did not fall for it. Mai and Ty Lee catch up with them in no time on their Fire lizards. 

Poor Appa is exhausted. 

At least Katara has enough water to manipulate on the river banks. 

He draws his dao swords and tries to work together with Katara to protect her as she bends the water. Then he hears Sokka grunt and rushes to his aid. Ty Lee’s eyes widen as he starts using his blades in earnest.

“Zuko?” He slices through her braid in response. 

Katara has been pinned to a tree by Mai’s blades and Zuko is quick to position himself in front of her and Sokka. He breathes deeply and lets the flames run over his swords. 

“Come one step closer and I’ll make you burn.”

“Zuko?” Mai raises her eyebrows and steps back. “They said you were dead!”

“You know them?”

“Who is Zuko?”

Before Zuko can start screaming in frustration at his collapsing secret, Appa throws Mai and Ty Lee into the river. 

“It’s a long story,” he mutters as he helps Sokka settle on Appa’s back. “We should find Aang before Azula kills him.”