Chapter Text
Zuko woke up, his head pounding as he sat up. His eyesight was blurry, but he could see the steel room surrounding him. His left ear was buzzing and he was suddenly rushed with memories.
Speaking up in a war room. Agreeing to an Agni Kai. Seeing his father in front of him, kneeling, begging for mercy. Pain.
Now he was here. He rubbed his hand on his forehead, a reflex to simultaneously push back his hair and hopefully ease his horrible headache at the same time. He found no hair.
What that could mean…he knew he hadn’t agreed to fight, and he was on a ship, he could tell from the salty smell wafting into the room. If his head was really shaven…the prince of the Fire Nation could never cut his hair. It symbolized honor, and nobility, something a prince should have without question. But if his hair wasn’t there…he couldn’t be the prince anymore. The realization hit him hard, like an earthbender bending a boulder towards him.
He was dishonored.
He was pulled from these disturbing thoughts as he heard voices from outside of his room. An unfamiliar, deep voice and one that sounded familiar.
Uncle.
He sat up, almost blacking out as dark spots danced in his vision. Never give up without a fight, a small voice said in the back of his hand. But he had given up without a fight. He wouldn’t again.
Fighting the urge to throw up, he stumbled towards the door and opened it with a grunt. Uncle and a man with graying hair. “Prince Zuko! You shouldn’t be up,” Uncle said, rushing towards him. He wouldn’t admit it, but he needed the help staying up. “You need rest. Get back in bed, I’ll bring some calming jasmine tea.”
Zuko looked back at the other man, who was now in a bow. He noticed it was not low enough for royalty. Just another reminder of his failure.
“Liutenant Jee, sir,” he said, hands placed in the symbol of the flame. Zuko said, in a raspy voice, “Rise.” He hadn’t really ever felt comfortable with people bowing at him. He wouldn’t have to worry about it, now that he wasn’t a prince anymore, if the open sea surrounding them was any clue.
Uncle came back with a tray of tea, leading Zuko back to his bed while saying what were probably calming words, but the ringing in his ears had gotten much louder.
He felt better when he wasn’t standing, but he couldn’t take the moment to relax without confirming what he didn’t really want to know, but he knew he had to eventually. “Uncle? What…happened?”
Uncle winced slightly, clearly hoping he wouldn’t ask that yet, but said, “I’m sorry to tell you this, Prince Zuko, but you have been…banished.”
“Banished?” He couldn’t comprehend that. In the back of his mind, he knew it had to be true, but…no, no this couldn’t be happening! “But…I didn’t fight him…I didn’t do anything that would make him mad…Did I?”
Uncle winced before saying, “My brother saw your actions as disrespectful. He declared that your unwillingness to fight was a sign of weakness, and banished you until…”
“Until what, Uncle?”
“Until you find the Avatar and bring him back to the Fire Nation in chains.”
Zuko knew the Avatar hadn’t been heard of since Avatar Roku, but he wouldn’t let that stop. He couldn’t give up without a fight again. “I will find the Avatar and regain my honor,” he pledged, knowing it was his destiny.
“Prince Zuko–”
“No, Uncle! He’s the only way I can go home. I will find and capture him.” With his newfound purpose, he started plotting a course for the closest air temple. The Avatar had to be an airbender, that was the next reincarnation in the cycle.
At the Southern Air Temple, a sole airbender sat in a meditative position, but they were unconscious, along with an air bison nearby. The bones of the previous Avatar, Asta, lay nearby, necklace adorning her bones, the Avatar who couldn’t save himself and instead decided to save her friend with her remaining power.
After a week of sailing, the Wanyi arrived at the Western Air temple, likely the last place remotely in the Fire Nation before notice of Zuko’s banishment reached the far edges of the powerful nation.
While the crew were being given a chance to explore a Fire Nation market once more, because they would be coming with him, Zuko and Iroh traveled down the cliff to the temple on the cliffs below.
“What a stunning view,” Uncle marveled.
“The only view I’m interested in seeing is the Avatar in chains,” Zuko replied, keeping his uncle on the task they had set out to complete.
“You know, the Avatar hasn’t been seen for a hundred years. The chances of finding him here are very slim.”
Ignoring this, Zuko said, “First we’ll check each of the Air Temples. Then we’ll scour the world, searching even the most remote locations until we find him.”
“Prince Zuko, it’s only been a week since your banishment. You should take some time to heal, and to rest.”
Zuko did not want to hear that. He had told his uncle again and again over the past week that he would find the Avatar, and he still didn’t believe in him. “What else would I expect from the laziest man in the Fire Nation?” he seethed. Uncle sighed, but he needed to remind him of why they were here. “The only way to regain my honor is the Avatar. So I will,” he declared.
“Let’s go,” he said, walking towards the stairs carved into the cliffside towards the inside of the temple. “We need to search the whole temple in the next couple of days.”
Uncle followed, finally, and they started touring the temple one room at a time. They didn’t see any signs of life until they reached a hallway near the main entrance.
Bodies were strewn everywhere, both Fire Nation and Air Army alike. There were many more Air bodies then Fire, something that didn’t sit completely right with Zuko. No, he had to search for the Avatar. But…all these people not being put to rest, their spirits still haunting the temple–something was pulling at his chest.
“Uncle,” he said to the man who was looking at the paintings on the walls. “Can you help me with something?” Instead of continuing to search for the Avatar they took a detour and took the time to cremate the bodies and set the ashes to the wind. Besides, the Avatar couldn’t be here–if they were, why would there be restless bones everywhere?
They went to the Northern Air Temple next. Before they went up to search the temple, they listened to a man’s story about his grandfather seeing Airwalkers.
“That has to be him!” Zuko said to his uncle, who was giving a few of their spare coins to the storyteller. This time with the whole crew, Zuko and Iroh climbed the mountain the temple rested upon in a days-long journey.
But when they reached the top, it wasn’t airbenders they saw–it was a group of Earth kingdom refugees. “Who are you?” a man half-bald with atrocious eyebrows asked. Zuko ignored the fact that he, too, was half bald and likely only had one eyebrow, from what he felt under the bandage.
“We’ve come to search for the Avatar,” Zuko declared, scowling at the people who were providing obstacles during his search.
“You won’t find any Avatar here,” a young boy, a few years younger than Zuko, replied. “I’ve been here for pretty much my whole life, it’s only us.”
“We’re still searching,” Zuko said. “Men!”
They proceeded to search the temple from the inside out, only finding destroyed ruins and odd innovations. That made Zuko very angry. Who were these people to destroy paintings and sculptures that could help him in his search?
After they had exhausted all opportunities for an airbender to be hiding, Zuko walked out of the temple to find Uncle talking to the strange man who seemed to be in charge. Seeing him walk over, Uncle said, “Zuko! I have sent the crew back down the mountain and was just talking with the Mechanist here.”
Zuko scowled. Of course he had sent the crew back, left them behind without backup. “Hey, uh, Zuko,” the younger boy said, rolling up to him. “I don’t know if I introduced myself, I’m Teo.”
Zuko eyed the other boy warily, stiffly nodding his head in acknowledgement.
“Do you want to go gliding with us?” he asked hesitantly, gesturing to a few friends. That wasn’t what he was expecting. (He ignored the part of himself in the back of his head that was jumping for joy he was getting to have friends. Father never approved.)
“I’ll go,” he said, trying to hide his excitement. It seemed Uncle would be talking with the Mechanist for a while yet.
He noticed they were made from light, flexible wood fastened with twine, and the wings were long strips of durable fabric, reminding him slightly of the staffs he had seen at the Western Air Temple. “The wind will carry you. It will support you, it’s something that’s even lighter than air,” the other boy–Teo–said when Zuko picked it up. “And that something takes over when you fly.
“Are you ready?” he asked, and Zuko wasn’t about to be shown up by a kid. He leaped off the edge and fell, but felt an external source take over. This must have been what Teo was talking about. He soared up, gliding around the temple, feeling the happiest he had in years, since his mother had disappeared. He felt like he was so happy he could fly, and he was. He floated up again, and laughed at gravity because he could.
When landing, he heard Teo say to him, “Wow! You’re so good at this you could be an airbender!”
He stiffened at the comparison. That feeling of freedom had long since passed. “Uncle!” he called. “We should go now.” Turning back to Teo, he said, “Thanks for showing me that. I won’t tell anyone about you being here.”
Later, Uncle said, “I’m sorry you had to leave behind your first friend.” He was too, but he needed to get back on task.
He had taken the bandage off of his eye. He could tell that it wasn’t going to get any better, unlike Uncle with his optimism. He looked into the mirror at the angry person he had become. The skin around his eye was scarred and pulled tightly into a permanent scowl.
He left his room for the deck, ignoring the whispers that followed him, walking up to Uncle.
Uncle saw him, and his usually cheerful face dropped. “Oh, Zuko…”
“Set a course for the Eastern Air Temple,” he said, relentless toward distraction.
At the Eastern Air temple, Zuko really thought he’d found the Avatar. A man in monk’s robes had led him on a chase throughout the temple, finally ending when Zuko backed him into a corner.
“The chase is over, Avatar!” he yelled, in an offensive position.
“I am no Avatar. I was a spiritual brother of the nomads, but I am no airbender,” he said, almost amused. “I was supposed to meet the Avatar here 100 years ago, but I suppose better late than never, young Avatar.”
Zuko was dumbfounded. “I can’t be the Avatar! That’s impossible!” He ignored the voice in his head reminding him that Teo said he was such a natural with a glider he could be an airbender.
“You should listen, Prince Zuko.”
“Uncle?” Uncle was standing there, a serious look on his face.
“I saw you airbending at the Northern Air Temple, no matter how unintentional it was. This wise guru is right.”
“But…How can I be the Avatar? I…I’m supposed to bring the Avatar back to the Fire Nation…” It had been six months since his banishment, but he’d never given up hope he’d find the Avatar—how ironic it was, the Avatar was right there all along.
It was him.