Aftermath

A wave of exhaustion suddenly swept Zuko and the boy swayed on his feet. Pain flared in his ribs and he grimaced, but a pair of strong hands steadied him. "You're okay, there, little one," a gentle voice said, and Zuko glanced up—it was the kind master, Kanko, the only one who had stood up to the others.

"Can you walk?" Kanko asked, and Zuko managed a nod. But when he took a few steps his knees buckled, and the master caught his fall. The crowd was a flurry of noise as people tried to unpack what they had witnessed. Through the rabble, Zuko could make out the sound of ice crunching under hurried footsteps. He looked up—Peti was sprinting towards him.

"Is he okay?!"

"Broken rib," Kanko mused. "We must get him to the healing rooms."

Peti leaned down and hoisted Zuko into the air, effortlessly carrying him from the arena, Kanko not far behind. Too exhausted to protest, Zuko let himself by lulled by the rock of Peti's footsteps. He shivered in the cold. The uproar of the crowd faded and the sky was replaced by ice. He looked at his surroundings: he was in one of the tunnels that led beneath the stadium. Peti carried him into a room lined with furs and pots of melted water.

Peti gingerly set him down on the bed, and Kanko motioned for them both to stay. "I'll be right back," he assured and brushed through the doorway.

Zuko didn't reply, wincing as he clutched his ribs, breath still uneven. Peti gave him an exhausted, intensely worried look.

"Are you okay?" Zuko asked.

His cousin lifted a brow. "Am I okay?"

Kanko returned before Zuko could reply, a white-haired woman hurrying at his side. Peti moved out of the way. "Oh, you poor dear," she said sadly, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"Pakku hit him hard in the chest. He's not breathing correctly," Peti noted.

"It is very labored," the white-haired woman agreed.

"What was Pakku thinking?" Kanko snapped. "He's just a boy, Yagoda—too young for a duel."

Yagoda nodded and drew the water from the nearest basin, hovering it over Zuko's struggling chest. A sapphire glow filled the room, and the pain instantly subsided. His breathing leveled and Zuko relaxed into the furs. He could stand to have her around for longer.

"More shock than damage," she surmised, letting the water move gently beneath her hands. "You'll have a lot of bruising, young man. Not much I can do for that."

She retracted the water from his chest and let it sink once more into the basin. "There," she smiled. "All done."

Zuko had to admit he felt better, breathing now smooth and calm. "Thank you," he said, and Yagoda smiled.

"You're a very brave young man to stand up to Pakku like that," she commented. Zuko had to admit that didn't feel very brave.

At that moment, Zuko's parents burst in. His mother was in tears.

"Zuko!" she cried, burying him in a great bear hug. "Oh, thank the gods you're alright! Don't you ever do something like that again, do you hear me?!"

Zuko nodded numbly as she sobbed, stunned. "I won't, mom…"

Kanko and Yagoda moved politely out of the room, the old woman giving Zuko's father a comforting smile and a squeeze of the arm. Kanook managed a sad smile for her, but his expression quickly returned to grim tiredness. His eyes had that same look of fear Zuko had seen that day out on the ice, all those years ago. They'll take you away, and it'll destroy me, and your mother.

Zuko's stomach suddenly knotted with fear.

"Talk to me, Zuko," Palena pleaded, pulling back, gray eyes shining. "How are you feeling? Are you hurt?"

Zuko trembled, feeling very fragile. "What will happen now?" he asked nervously. "Will they take me away?"

Palena shot Kanook a fearful look. The man merely shook his head and closed the distance between them, taking Zuko and his wife in his arms. "I won't let them," he promised resolutely. "We'll get through this, together." Zuko believed him.

Someone brushed in through the doorway. A small gasp escaped Zuko, and his parents looked up to see Pakku standing before them, smiling one of his smug, satisfied smiles.

Kanook quickly stood between the master and his family. "You'll leave right now if you know what's good for you," he said darkly.

"Not a very promising start," Pakku mused. "After all, I have just offered your son the opportunity of a lifetime."

"How dare you!" Kanook growled. "How dare play this off like some sort of sick joke! Do you realize what you have done?!"

"Do you?" Pakku returned cooly.

"You've ruined our family for the sake of your—your pride! For a cheap laugh at our expense!"

"I assure you, I am not laughing," Pakku replied.

Kanook suddenly lunged, but was held back at the last minute by Palena, who drew her husband to her side and glared venomously at Pakku. "Not a step closer," she warned.

"Know your place, woman!" Pakku hissed.

"You have taken away my only son's life and replaced it with one of shame, one were he will be ostracized for something he cannot control," she snarled. "You had no right to do that. You had no right to condemn him to the life we've tried so long to protect him from. Those people out there, our tribe—how do you think they'll see him now?"

Pakku practically rolled his eyes. "If you'll just let me explain—,"

"There's nothing to explain," Palena shot back. "If you ever come near our son again, we won't be responsible for our actions."

Zuko gaped at his mother. He had never seen his parents like this—not ever. His parents, who took extra coins with them wherever they walked to give to the poor, who paid their servants more generously than any other noblemen in the tribe. Zuko looked at the floor, his eyes and throat burning. His mother was right. He was a criminal now. The Firebender.

"What I did was for his own good," Pakku defended. "It's no longer a festering secret that will grow. Everyone knows, and he's only a boy. It's hard to take out your anger on such a young child. They can learn to accept him in time, as he grows older, stronger. Now, we have a chance to mold him to our needs! With your son of our side in the war effort, he could become the greatest and most secret weapon we have! You saw how powerful he was, and that was only with second hand training. Imagine how powerful he'll be when I teach him, when I train him to become a fearsome bender! To not only properly harness his power, but control it! Now, he has a future! Think of the possibilities I've given him!"

Pakku stood back, crossing his arms. "And I have to say, you didn't make it easy for me, either," he added indignantly.

"That was not your call to make," Palena snapped. "It was not your right to out him! He'll live his life in fear!"

"As if he wasn't before!" Pakku spat back. "As if you never went to sleep afraid that one day everyone would find out; that he'd never able to live a full, normal life! Well, I've got news for you, dearie: his life will never be normal! He's a firebender in the Northern Water Tribe, and we are at war with his kind! He will never have the life you wanted for him!"

Palena took a staggering step back, as if she had been struck. Pakku calmed, restraining his anger. "But, with time, we can still give Zuko a good life. We have the chance to make him into something great. He can still serve his tribe: he can earn his place amongst us. The gods have given him, a child of the north, incredible power, and it is not our place to question them. What is our place, however, is deciding how we use them. Do we hide this gift? Or do we nuture and share it?"

"But you saw the crowd," Kanook injected, taking a step forward. "They're terrified of him. They want my son gone."

Pakku shrugged and grinned. "Well, I'm afraid I'm not the one to help with public relations. That will be the job of the Chief."

"The Chief?" Zuko repeated, and his family looked amongst themselves in confusion.

However, more people suddenly barged through the door—it was Noktul and Asiaka. They rushed forward to protect Peti, Noktul grabbing for his son. "Come away, Peti," he urged, throwing Zuko a nervous look. "This isn't your place."

Peti wrested himself from their grasps. "I'll do no such thing!" he said defiantly.

"Do not be stupid, boy! He's not of your blood," Asiaka hissed. "You have already dishonored us with your lies!"

"Don't risk you future over this," Noktul begged. "Please, son, it's not worth it."

Peti scoffed, incredulous, and took a few steps back. "Do you even hear yourselves? You're so quick to turn on him. Your nephew; an innocent child! A little firebending and he's a monster, just like that? You're such cowards!"

Asiaka suddenly lashed out, cracking Peti across the face with her bare hand. Zuko flinched, grabbing a hold of his mother's parka.

Peti glared defiantly at his mother, massaging his sore cheek. Asiaka took a moment to gather herself. "That was a warning," she threatened. "This is not the life you were meant for. You are throwing everything away on this—this abomination!"

"NO!" Peti shouted, and the stern woman recoiled in shock. "I'm so sick and tired of your attempts to turn me into a spoiled, selfish, spineless brat! You've always had these deluded visions of grandeur for me, but has it ever occurred to you for even a second that I might want to think for myself?!"

Zuko's stomach churned and he clutched it. All this arguing was making him sick. His father took a step forward, scowling at Asiaka. "My son," he rumbled, "is not an abomination. You need to leave."

Noktul reluctantly tried to keep the peace. "Brother—,"

Kanook silenced him with a look. Noktul's features knit into a glower and he pulled his wife back towards the door. At the last moment, he glanced back at Peti. "Stay with them, and think about your actions. When you've realized what you've done, come home." With that, they left.

"Peti…" Zuko said meekly. "Those are your parents. I'm not—,"

Peti was looking pale, but held up his hand to stop the firebender. "I'll be fine."

"As touching as all this family drama is, we still have important matters to attend to," Pakku declared. He peeked out the doorway, snapping his fingers at one of the guards. "You: tell the Chief we're ready for him."

Palena nervously looked to Kanook, slipping her hands in his. "You don't think he'll banish—,"

Kanook shook his head. "He's not heartless. His daughter's the same age as Zuko."

"But…but public pressure…"

"We'll pressure him harder," Peti says. "Uncle Kanook's on the council: it'll look bad to dishonor a nobleman's family."

"But we've been lying to the tribe," Palena argued, chewing her lip. "I don't know how much honor we have to spare."

"I could tell them you didn't know," Zuko offered, but his father shook his head and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"No, son," he said. "From now on, we must be truthful. We'll need them on our side. Think very carefully before you speak, but don't lie. We won't let anything happen to you."

At that moment, the drapings of the doorway parted, revealing the stoic, hard-faced Chief Arnook. Everyone in the room respectfully bowed, including Zuko, who wormed his way off the bed. His hands trembled as he saluted him. He'd only ever seen the Chief from afar, at official events or celebrations. He had never before been old enough to have a private audience. Until now. His palms itched, the heat welling inside him.

Arnook nodded to Kanook and Palena. "I would like to state how sorry I am for how things have gone today," he began. "I realize that Master Pakku should have handled things better."

"Thank you, sir," Kanook said.

Pakku scowled, embarrassed. "Yes, but—,"

"Pakku, you brought me here today with the claim that you had something incredible for me to see. Incredible yes, but unbelievable, also." He turned to Zuko and eyed him. The firebender shrunk under his penetrating gaze. "How do we know that you are truly of our tribe?"

The room felt cold and quiet. "He's our son," Palena pleaded quietly. "I have raised him since the day he was born."

"Let him speak for himself," Arnook commanded, leveling his gaze with Zuko's. The firebender felt all eyes on him, but he didn't know what to say in his own defense.

"I…" he stammered, swallowing. Mustering his courage, he tried again. "I am loyal to my tribe," he stated. "This is my family, these are my parents. I love them. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just… I just want to be normal."

Zuko held his hands together, nervous, struck by the truth of his statement. There was a pleasure in firebending: it was an extension of himself, just as much a part of him as waterbending was to Peti. But despite this, a part of him had always prayed to the gods to take it away from him, ever since that horrible, dark, fiery night. Prayed to take this curse from him, and make him normal. And if he couldn't be normal, then he desperately wanted to be a waterbender.

But he could never be a waterbender.

Arnook gazed at him steadily, softening after a moment. "Then I believe you, Zuko," he acquiesced, and Zuko's parents swayed with relief. Zuko released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "The safest thing for all involved is for him to be trained, properly. I will do all that I can to assuage the public of their concerns, but for now, it would be wise to lie low. My personal guard will help protect you in the interim, and Master Pakku will do what he can to smooth this over. He will also agree to take on Peti as an apprentice once more."

"I what?" Pakku repeated, aghast.

Peti looked shocked. "Thank you, sir, but...what if I don't want to be trained by a child-dueling ass?"

Arnook laughed. "I can understand that. But you earned the right, and it was revoked unfairly. Besides, I would have thought you'd enjoy having the opportunity to pay him back."

Peti's expression changed, his eyes flickering over to his cousin. After a moment, he nodded. "Good point," he said.

"I will meet with the council this evening to discuss the matter further," Arnook announced. "You shall hear from us within the next few days."

"…So I'm not banished?" Zuko asked hopefully.

Arnook met his gaze and smiled kindly. "No, my boy," he assured. "But this is still far from over. We have a long journey ahead of us."

A/N: So... Long time no see is a bit of an understatement, hey? What a cliffhanger to leave you guys with on the last chapter. Thank you everyone who private messaged me, reviewed, followed, faved and practically begged for me to keep the story going. It's truly flattering, and I apologize for the long wait. Hope you enjoyed!