Disclaimer: the characters and places in the following work of fan-fiction are the intellectual property of Nickelodeon and, as such, they reserve the right to remove this story at their sole discretion
Author's Note: This work of fan-fiction represents the third 'episode' in my speculative version of the next season of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender', so if you have not yet read "The War Barge" and "The Battle of Chameleon Bay", you may wish to do so now or this story will make little sense. A more comprehensive explanation the intent, format, and focus for my stories can be found in the Author's Note at the end of "The Battle of Chameleon Bay" (chapter 8).
Thank you for reading. Please review and enjoy!
Iroh awoke to a slight shuffling in the dark room and chided himself for having nodded off. He had come to talk to his nephew, but the boy had been asleep when Iroh had arrived at the palace with the Avatar and the others. So he had settled himself in a chair to wait for Zuko to wake up. Hearing the noise again, he risked speaking.
"Nephew, are you awake?" he asked tentatively. There was no reply.
He again heard the noise that had roused him, and he began to feel an unexplained sensation of dread. Getting up, and with the distinct impression that something was very wrong, he slowly crossed the room to the bed. Gingerly he reached down to nudge the shoulder of his surrogate son. His hand fell away in horror as the boy rolled over, staring up at the ceiling with lifeless eyes.
"Zuko!" Iroh cried in panic, fetching desperately about to find a wound or, more importantly, some sign of life. But before he could even begin to find a cause or a glimmer of hope, he was interrupted by a cold, mocking voice breaking the stillness of the night.
"Zuzu's gone to sleep now, Uncle. But don't worry; you'll be joining him shortly."
And Iroh watched in helpless shock as his vision filled with azure fire and his ears rang with the sound of his niece's cruel laughter.
With a gasp, Iroh's eyes snapped open, revealing the faded blue fabric of the tent he slept in. Outside he could hear the sounds of the surf caressing the shore where he and the Water Tribe warriors were still camped. It was not quite dawn, but the old fire bender could sense that the sun would be rising soon.
Still rattled from his ghastly dream, but calming somewhat now that he realized it was only a dream, Iroh slipped noiselessly out of his tent. He didn't want to wake anyone, for last night had been quite an ordeal. The battle had been concluded quickly enough, but navigating the intricacies of a formal surrender from the Fire Nation Commander had kept everyone busy until the fleet finally departed well after the moon had set. Therefore, the retired general was fairly surprised to see that someone was already up.
"Awake so early, young Avatar?" the older man asked warmly.
Aang looked over and smiled weakly in return before withdrawing his gaze back to the fading embers before him. Iroh came and sat down by the fire pit as well, drawing in a steady breath and then, with nothing more than a soft exhale and an almost absent toss of his hand, brought the flames crackling to life. He set some wood onto the pile and looked at the Avatar who was regarding him with mild admiration.
"A useful benefit of fire bending," he said humorously as he began searching the area for his teapot, "is that the campfire is always ready when you want it." When Aang said nothing in reply, Iroh glanced over at him and then back to his tea supplies.
"You seem troubled," he remarked causally.
"I couldn't really sleep," Aang shrugged and Iroh noted that something in the air bender's voice seemed to echo Iroh's own hidden anxiety.
"Bad dreams?" he asked probingly.
"How'd you know?" the boy replied with genuine curiosity.
"I had one myself," Iroh grumbled ruefully in reply. They sat for a while longer in companionable silence as the old man busied himself making tea. It wasn't until Aang had been handed a cup that the boy finally spoke again.
"Do you think that…everything went…ok at the palace?"
Iroh's brow furrowed a bit, the memory of his nightmare still lingering in his mind.
"I'm sure everything is fine," he responded more confidently than he felt and was immediately glad that Toph was not awake to foil his attempt to make the Avatar feel better. Not that it really mattered, because apparently, it wasn't working anyway, and Aang answered as though Iroh had confessed his true doubts.
"Yeah, I'm worried too." And they lapsed once again into a short silence.
"You know," Iroh began cautiously with a sidelong glance, "I have to admit I am surprised at how readily you've accepted my nephew. Happy, of course, but still surprised. After the hardships he has put you through…" he paused and looked back at the fire, suddenly at a loss for words. Aang nodded, somehow putting together the unspoken questions.
"It's strange," Aang said thoughtfully, staring into the flames with his hands wrapped around his teacup, "sometimes I think that I should be mad, that I shouldn't trust him. But…I just…do. It's kind of hard to explain." And he looked over at Iroh as if trying to find the answers there.
Iroh was about to say something in return, but the sound of shifting earth diverted their attention and broke them from the moment. They turned and looked behind them to see a well rested, if slightly disheveled Toph stretching her arms up to the now paling sky.
"Do I smell tea?" she asked hopefully.
"Good morning, Toph," called Iroh cheerfully, "would you care for some?"
"I never turn down good tea," she grinned.
"Finally! Someone who appreciates a good cup of tea!" he beamed.
Once she was settled down with her steaming cup, she turned her unseeing gaze in Aang's direction.
"So, Twinkle Toes, whose butt do we have to kick today?"
"Hopefully no ones," he said with a light laugh. "I think we've earned a day off. Besides, Hakoda's men managed to get most of Appa's new saddle finished yesterday, so as soon as it's ready, we'll be heading back to Ba Sing Se."
Toph let out a frustrated groan, "We're never going to get away from that place, are we?"
The Earth King frowned with deep concern as he listened to the report from his newly appointed head of security, Captain Heng. Standing alongside the captain was Prince Zuko, and both men looked utterly exhausted.
"We tried to pursue them through the sewers, but they eluded us. As near as we can tell, they've made their way out of Ba Sing Se, but the gate guards have all been doubled and no one is being permitted to leave the city without a thorough inquiry," Heng finished.
"Very well," the King nodded gravely, hoping he didn't look as out of sorts as he felt. His hand reached out to his side habitually to pet Bosco, then slid back to his armrest when he remembered he'd left the bear with Hakoda in Chameleon Bay. He sighed in a manner not wholly befitting the ruler of the Earth Kingdom, and then quickly recovered when he realized that Zuko and Heng were still waiting to be dismissed.
"Ling!" he called, and a servant stepped forward with a bow, "please escort our royal guest" indicating Zuko with slight motion of his upturned hand, oblivious to the frown that crossed the exiled prince's face, "to a suitable chamber, and summon the Council of Five to the Throne Room." Turning back to Heng he added, "You both should get some rest. I'll see to it you are informed if anything new develops."
Bowing respectfully, the two left the chamber, Heng to his quarters in the Dai Li barracks and Zuko trailing behind the servant appointed to take him to a room. Once inside his new quarters, he all but collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to undress and noting, almost idly, that it was a much nicer room than one Azula had put him in during her brief 'reign'.
His mind spun in circles as it played through the events of the past few days; his unwanted rescue from the cell, deciding to join the Avatar, convincing the Dai Li that they were sure to be betrayed by Azula, his conversation with Aang, and the promise the Avatar made. He wondered if the boy had been able to keep his word, and he worried about his uncle's safety before finally drifting off into a fitful sleep.