First Steps
###
Father allowed Zuko enough time to recover so he could walk under his own power to the ship Uncle had arranged. It was generous, Zuko knew, recalling dutifully memorized lessons in the history of the Firelords and Fire Nation. Many exiles had to leave straight from the Agni Kai, take ship with only what they had on.
The left side of his face was agony. He couldn't find it in himself to be grateful to Father, and he loathed himself for being even more dishonorable. Even if it was just in his head, even if no one else knew about it. He was shaming himself and Father both by not being grateful.
He hurt.
Uncle was with him. Uncle kept trying to offer his arm or grab his arm or something- Something that meant Zuko would be leaning on him.
Zuko wouldn't shame himself that way. He walked by himself. He could walk by himslf.
He almost walked by himself into a man wearing a lieutenant's uniform. Grey-haired, grey-eyed, all ashes and cinders. He scowled at Zuko, then his eyes flicked to someone in the prince's blind side.
"Lieutenant Jee! It's been some years."
Oh. Uncle.
"Sir," the lieutenant growled. It was... not very respectful.
People were supposed to respect his uncle.
Zuko couldn't follow that thought too clearly. This was the longest he'd been upright in days, and he was standing here when he needed to keep moving. He needed to get to his cabin, before he shamed himself by collapsing on deck.
The lieutenant was in his way.
'Move,' he started to demand, but he was hurting too much for it to rise above a whisper. And Uncle started talking anyway. Uncle Iroh could make his voice carry, and he seemed to know the lieutenant.
The lieutenant answered as little as possible.
That was rude, Zuko thought, before he stopped really being able to think at all except that he hurt. It was bright, and it hurt his good eye, and his other eye just hurt at all. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to make the pain go down.
"General, the boy-"
Strong arms wrapped around him before he realized he was falling, then he was all but slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of rice. He cringed later at the memory, but at the moment, all he could think of was that he hurt and at least he didn't have to stand anymore.
He blacked out.
###
Zuko woke in a royal bed in a room with metal walls. He swallowed thickly and tried to remember how he got there.
"Ah, you're awake," Uncle said kindly, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Here, have some tea."
Zuko dutifully sipped the tea. It tasted of ginseng, and it warmed his chest. It even distracted him a bit from the pain. He gritted his teeth and tried to focus on something else entirely. "That lieutenant..."
"Jee?" Uncle sounded surprised. "What about him, nephew?"
"I don't like him."
"... That is not unusual for an officer, Prince Zuko."
-End-