Departure

by PhantomChajo

(A/N: Apologies for taking so long, but Zuko just didn't want to get on the move. Thanks to Kally Lass and Pixy, both of whom have given me a lot of ideas and kept me out of author-eating plotholes. A lot of differing discussions over at the forum related to the Adrift world. Check my profile for the link since FFnet doesn't let you post links anymore.

Zuko's bracelet is made of corundum, which according to everything I have found, is the world's 2nd hardest mineral. So it can't be broken easily and only advanced master earthbenders (or Toph) can work the stone with any ease. I know a lot of people detested the movie, but if you remember the cape/cloaks Zhao and Iroh were wearing at the Northern Water Tribe city, that's sorta the design of the one Zuko has.

Searching for a fic: Don't remember the name or who the author is but the basic gist of the fic was that Zuko captured Aang at the south pole like the show and Aang escaped. He then went on to explain to his crew that the Avatar was a 12 yr old air bender who was traveling with a pair of Water Tribe siblings who were unprepared to deal with the world. He and his crew decided to secretly teach the Avatar and the WT siblings. Once the gAang figured it out they confronted Zuko about it.)

~~ ( - ) ~~

The next day dawned bright and clear, with the promise of being a great day for travel. Tayo was saddled and waiting as the last of Zuko's gear was strapped down. The prince had expressed concerns about how much she was carrying, but the stable master pointed out she was bred to carry full grown men in heavy armor into combat while wearing her own heavy armor. Quietly he accepted the parting gifts, which had already been packed to prevent him from refusing. From the head cook, spices to help liven up his meals. From Nyao Yen, a small travel kit containing various herbs, medications and bandages for any emergency that might occur (Agni forbid it). The Colonel supplied him with a tiny portable writing desk that contained blank paper, ink and brushes as a reminder to make sure he stayed in contact with his uncle at least. From Sgts. Mako and Akira, a care kit for his dao blades and an additional dagger. As expected, a packet of different teas from his uncle and well wishes from Jee, whom he had extracted promises from to take care of his uncle for him. He didn't see Iwao anywhere about which was odd, but he didn't see any of the normal Yuyan Archers either, which meant he would meet them on the road away from the fortress. Swinging up into the saddle with easy, he bid one last farewell to those in the fortress and departed into the mid-morning sun.

And Zuko was right, a half hour down the road, he was stopped by the Yuyan Archers. They had their own gifts to bestow upon him. A small hunting bow with a quiver of arrows that was just right for small game, more hair sticks that could be given as gifts or traded. The last two gift was 'from the Shadows'. The first was 'liberated from the shipment to Zhao', a hooded winter cloak made from thick koalasheep wool, lined with seaspider silk that had artic rabitfox fur draped across the shoulders and halfway down the cloak itself. It would serve him well in the deepest cold of a northern winter. The second was a simple leather cord with some charms on it. When he looked closer, he found the charms to be of a phoenix-dragon, a monkey, a pygmy puma, a sea raven, a racoon dog and a water spirit mask. He grinned as he put it on, tucking it into his shirt. He'd have to find a way to add his uncle's white lotus pai sho tile to it. He stowed away the gifts, bid a fine farewell and headed north west. Once more, it was just himself, Kasai and Tayo on the road. Free once more to either find his destiny, or make his own.

~~ ( - ) ~~

Despite his desire to avoid going through Xilin Gol again, Zuko had little choice if he wanted to convert the gold over into something more manageable to carry around in his travels and jade tablets were a lot less conspicuous than the 230 plus pounds of gold strapped to Tayo's back at the moment. He knew that there was 50 coins in a pound of gold, at least in the Fire Nation there was. Each of the 9 jade tablets he was carrying was for 2 pounds of gold or roughly 900 gold coins in total. A staggering amount in and of itself, and that was besides the coins he had left over from the gold shipment he had commandeered. He should have kept just the coins and left the ingots with his uncle, but it was too late now to turn back.

He knew the Fire Nation had two banking system. One for the military and one for the civilians, otherwise military units (including individual ships), nobles and merchants would be carrying around huge amounts of money instead of just signing for their purchases. Keeping that in mind then maybe the Earth Kingdom had something similar which he could take advantage of in his travels. At least in the larger more populated areas that is. It was less likely that small villages would have goldsmiths.

Now he was stuck though with the choice of making camp, which meant he would have to either unload everything from Tayo then reload in the morning, take the chance of not unlading since it was just one night or pushing on through to Xilin Gol and getting a room for the night, in which case he would have assistance in unloading Tayo but then there was a chance that someone would find out about the gold. He didn't fancy having to fight anyone that attempted to steal it so an overnight camp became the choice.

By early evening he was looking for potential campsites that would be far enough off the road as to not attract attention yet close enough in cause he had to leave in a hurry, it wouldn't take him long to get back on the path. Just before sunset, he found a location after spotting a small slightly overgrown path that lead off to one side of the road. It took him a few moments to figure out what he was looking at once he was in the tiny clearing, but when he did his eyes widened slightly. He knew that one of the standard protocols for any newly acquired territories was that any local shrines or temples were to be rededicated. The shrines, naturally smaller, were rededicated to patron spirits of the Fire Nation and while the larger temples were rededicated to the reverence of Agni and in more recent years the worship of the Fire Lord as the embodiment of Angi on Earth. He wasn't sure if it was a common practice amongst the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribes, but ancestral worship was still practiced to a degree in the Fire Nation. But ever since Ozai took the throne, it had been twisted into some perverse form of cult worship. Something else to be added to the myriad number of things to be dealt with once he became Fire Lord.

He wasn't a very spiritual person, especially when compared to his uncle. But after everything that happened over the past year, even as non-spiritual and rooted in the real world as he was, he recognized the need to pay his respects to the spirits before they really got upset with him. He looped Tayo's reins across the saddle horn, letting the hen do as she pleased after he fished out some of his provisions from one of the bags. As a way of offerings, it wasn't very much but if he remembered all his uncle's ramblings about spirits and the sort, the intent behind the offering counted much more than the offering itself. Thanks to his keen hearing, he found an equally tiny spring near the shrine, the water pooling into a small, naturally formed, rock bowl before overflowing and disappearing into the earth again, near by was a broken, discarded earthen cup. He filled the cup then moved to stand before the shrine. Kneeling down, he broke off a piece of bread and laid it upon the overgrown altar, he added a piece of jerked meat, a slice of tea apple as well the cup of water. He bowed, hands clasp in prayer and offered a simple thanks to the spirit of the shrine for allowing him to find the clearing.

That done, he went about setting up a simple camp for the night. The best he could do for the moment was to make sure nothing was too tight and that Tayo was well fed. He apologized to her for not removing her packs by giving her head and neck a thorough scratching with the stiff bristle brush he pulled from one of the saddle bags. The hen made no fuss, didn't even seem to notice the extra weight she was still carrying, instead she just leaned into the brushing, whicker-clucking with enjoyment. She wandered about for a bit to nibble here and there, finding a few plants still a hearty green even at the start of the winter season before consuming her feed then settling for the night.

After eating his own meal, he dealt with the camp chores, falling into the routine with ease, even after almost two months of living at the fortress. He used the tiny fire as his meditation focus, causing the flames to rise and fall in sync with his breathing. At the end of his meditation, he made double sure the fire was well banked and wouldn't cause any problems through the night. He made one last check on Tayo before he settled down for the night, wrapped in a blanket with Kasai snuggled against his chest.

Morning found him in an odd position. Sometime in the night, Tayo had gotten up and moved around, as evident by the fact he was curled up against her side. She had one stubby wing extended to cover him and her head was against his back, keeping him close as well as preventing him from moving much. Kasai let out a sleepy squawk of protest at his movement, which was echoed when Tayo let out a sleepy whinny-squawk of her own. When he did try to untangle himself, he quickly found himself outnumbered. Kasai resettled, making herself even more bonelessly limp and unmanageable, and Tayo nudged him further into her side before laying her head on his thigh, covering her beak with her wing in the process. His attempts to get up proved futile so he gave in and allowed Tayo her sleep in. After all the hen was the one who was carrying everything so he needed to keep her happy and if that included being treated at times like her chick-foal then so be it.

The sun was a good handspan or more above the horizon when he finally broke camp. He'd brushed Tayo down as best he could, rechecked the straps and saddle girth to be sure nothing had tightened or loosened too much over night. Where the fire once was, cold ash and dirt was left in it's place. On the altar of the shrine lay another small offering in thanks for the use of the clearing. With one last sweep, he nodded and mounted up.

It only took a couple of hours to reach Xilin Gol. Once there he headed straight for the local goldsmith. The armed guards outside eyed him up and down as he dismounted, politely asking what business he had with the smith. He informed them that he had need to see the smith about converting some gold into an easier to carry form. The guards accepted the answer and opened the gate for him to lead his ostrich horse though. Inside the enclosed yard, there was even more guards at key points. With a military eye he saw that they were alert and knew their business. It spoke of professionalism not seen very many places. The goldsmith himself stepped out from his office to greet him, exchanging pleasantries before getting down to business.

When he left the goldsmith some time later, Tayo's load was much lighter. He had ended up keeping 8 pounds worth of gold, or about 400 gold coins in total, all stashed about in various securely hidden placed in Tayo's saddle and saddle bags as well as on himself. It was still risky to keep so much, but much less so when compared to how much he had had at the start. He was also wearing a bracelet of translucent brown stone that had three different seals engraved onto it thanks to the goldsmith who was a master earthbender. The first seal was the goldsmith's seal, which apparently was used by every goldsmith in the Earth Kingdom, thus ensuring it could be used anywhere in the Earth Kingdom without problems. The second seal was based off of Kasai, a stylized phoenix-dragon coiled around an equally stylized flame. The third seal was his, or rather his assumed name of Xue of the White Lotus Clan. The engravings were raised above the surface of the bracelet, so that it could be used just like a normal seal with ink or wax. When he signed for any purchase, not only did he have to sign, but he had to use the three seals as well. It was a system designed to prevent frivolous use. Afterall who would want to go to all that trouble just to purchase a few copper coins worth of something?

Along with the bracelet, he had new identification papers and a passport. Both of which stated he was a traveling merchant from a family in the White Lotus Clan of merchants. The family had been acting as his guardian for the last several years and all he was waiting for was the official adoption into the family. Both papers also stated that he was partially blind in his left eye due to extensive scarring thus exempting him from being conscripted into, as well as barring him from volunteering for, the army and that his 'pet' was trained to assist him. It had cost him a little extra gold for those documents, but he believed the long term investment would be well worth it, if it granted him the ability to move about the Earth Kingdom in relative freedom without too many questions being asked. His uncle claimed that the contacts he'd given him was some type of loosely connected clan of merchants, and if his uncle was going to be so secretive about what the group was all about really, then by the spirits if problems arose because of it, he could honestly claim he didn't know. It was a road traveled both ways.

As he had promised, he took the time to stop by Healer Luava's clinic and inquire about Umiko and where she was. The healer eyed him up and down a moment taking everything in with a professional ease of someone use to determining the situation on first glances. He was pointed off in the direction of the town's temple after being informed that Umiko and her elder brother were both due to be let out for the day and that he would be joining them for lunch. Obeying the implied order, he headed to the temple and waited for the day's lessons to be over. Not wishing to disturb the priest in charge of the schooling, he found a sunny spot on the low wall and took a seat. He was holding Tayo's reins to make it at least look like he had control of her when he knew perfectly well she wouldn't go anywhere without a good reason.

The sun felt good as it soaked into the crown of his head, his shoulders, down his arms and into his back. It countered the chilly nip in the air nicely. Sprawled out on the saddle packs, Kasai was enjoying her own spot of sun as well. Closing his eyes, he listened. To the droning of the priest, the murmur of answers from those taking lessons and small bells ringing soft and musically. A deep breath in, hold, slowly let it out as he continued to listen. The scraping of broom bristles against stone paving as acolytes swept the temple grounds, the thudding clomp, lowing, and other sounds from the beasts of burden as they passed close by followed by the rumbling roll of wooden wheels on hard packed earth. Deep breath in, hold, slowly let it out as he identified what he was hearing, let some sounds fade to the background as others became sharper. There, a soft almost inaudible chiming. He marked it on his mental map of Xilin Gol for later investigation. If he was going to be a traveling merchant then it was best if he had items to sell or trade when he left.

The priest's droning had stopped. The sound of furniture being shifted around, childish voices and lots of feet moving about rapidly signaled the end of the days lessons. Those same bells he identified earlier were ringing madly as the child they belonged to escaped to freedom. A tiny smile curved his lips upward at the memories of his own escape from his tutors came to mind. A tiny gasp of surprise followed by a squeal of delight.

"Zuu-"

"Umi!" That voice, while still childishly high, belonged to a boy.

"Cho! Ggrrrrr.. Let go of me!"

The murmur of other voices as the children gathered in knots and milled about, whispering none too subtly to each other about who the stranger was.

The sound of an adult coming out, shooing the children out of his way as he approached the low gate. "Can I help you young man?" the priest asked, arms crossed.

He opened his eyes and slid off the wall to stand before the gate. Right hand fisted, knuckles flat against the palm of his left hand, left fingers pointing straight up in the air. He bowed. "Pardon me, honorable wise one, I've come at Healer Luava's behest to retrieve Umiko and her brother for lunch."

The priest eyed the young man for several moments before he turned to Umiko and her brother. "Do either of you know this person?" he asked.

"No","Yes!" came the replies. That started an apparently familiar argument between the two. Something along the lines of he was the elder therefore she had to listen to him, she countered that she was the bender, not him therefore he had to listen to her.

Apparently this was not a new argument because the priest crossed his arms, rolled his eyes and sighed, waiting on the pair to either finish or turn to him for an answer on who has to listen to who. The priest was saved by an appearance from Hoshi. "Ah, Master Hoshi, perhaps you could lend a hand," the priest said as he uncrossed his arms. "Do you know this person?" he asked.

The weaponsmaster looked at the person the priest was motioning to, raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side as she placed her hands on her him. "Why are you here? What happened this time?" she asked with exasperation.

He straightened up and shrugged. "I got kicked out finally. One direction was a good as any so thought I'd pass through on my way north and east," he replied with a lopsided smile.

The priest took another look at Zuko and frowned. "You were kicked out.. at this time of year? Of all the irresponsible…." he trailed off as he glanced down to the children still gathered about. Waving his hands he shooed them off. "Begone children, your lessons are over with for the day. Return to your families."

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of him. Won't we Umi?"

"Uh-huh!" the girl said quite enthusiastically.

The priest looked at the girl then at Zuko then back at the girl and finally back to Zuko. "Agni's grace be with you son…. (you're going to need it with her)." He nodded once to Hoshi before returning inside the Temple.

"Alright you two, time to head home. Your Papas Tonraq and Suk are suppose to have lunch ready for us." She glanced at Zuko then nodded to Tayo, "You mind?"

He glanced back at Tayo as well then shook his head. "No." Seeing how they were out of the way of any traffic, he clicked his tongue as he tugged gently in the reins. The ostrich horse obediently dropped to the ground, letting out a whuffled honk as she did. He scratched behind her ears and along her beak as Hoshi swung each of the kids up onto the saddle.

There was enough slack in the reins to allow the hen to swing her head around to investigate the two now sitting in the saddle. Umiko just giggled, reaching forward to pat the velvety soft beak. Her brother though jerked his leg backwards, eyes wide as if he expected to get bitten. A sleepy chirp from behind had the boy spinning in the saddle, coming face to snout with Kasai. A narrow tongue darted out, licking the boy from chin to hairline, another chirp then she tucked her head under a wing, returning to her nap. He made a face then turned around once more, wiping his face with his sleeve. With a heave Tayo was once more on her feet. The walk to the farm was spent in light conversations between the two adults, well teenager and adult. The two children spent the time talking between themselves about their classes and other things that only children seemed interested in.

He was puzzled as to why the fields were left bare, when at this time of year in the Fire Nation, the fields would be full of crops nearing harvest. He asked as much but Hoshi shrugged, saying it was better to ask Suk since he ran the farm and knew all the intimate details. She also gave him a look asking what was the farthest north he'd ever been. When he told her, she shook her head and informed him that there was a few things they needed to discuss with him before he left Xilin Gol.

When they reached the main house, a pair of men were standing next to Luava on the engawa which surrounded the entire 2-story structure. The shorter of the two men had the dark complexion and black hair of the Water Tribe while the taller was darker than someone of Fire Nation descent but lighter than one from the Water Tribes, with mid-range brown hair. Hoshi waved at the trio and speed up, stopping only to knock the dirt from her boots before she ascended the steps to the engawa. After quick hug to the two men and a longer one for Luava, she sat down on a bench next to the door and removed her boots. Like most traditional homes, footwear was removed before entering the house proper. Luava sent a wave his way before disappearing into the house with Hoshi.

"You must be Zuko," the shorter man said coming down the steps. "It is a pleasure to meet you finally young man, I'm Tonraq, that's Suk" he added as he paused to slip on a pair of getas. "Hoshi and Luava tolds us a lot about you." He looked up at the children with a fond smile. "Alright you two, time to come down." He reached up, easily snagging Umiko before she could launch herself out of the saddle. "Shoes, then go wash up for lunch."

"Yes papa," the girl said after giving her father a hug and a kiss on the cheek before squirming to get down. She skipped over to the other man, reaching up.

"How is my little sea child?" the taller man asked as he reached down, picking the girl up and swinging her around in a hug, all without missing a beat as he slid on his own pair of geta.

Umiko giggled, "Good Papa Suk!"

"That's good to hear, now do as your papa told you, there's a good girl."

The boy accepted the same treatment, though a little less enthusiastically due to the fact he was both the elder child and a boy. But even he couldn't suppress the grin on his face as he quickly removed his own shoes and dashed inside to clean up.

"Thank you, it is a honor to meet you both," Zuko said as he bowed respectfully to the pair.

"I'll show you where you can stable your ostrich horse," Suk said, gesturing to a small barn off to one side. "We keep our mounts separate from the rest of the draft animals seeing how they don't quite get along with each other."

The small building had four stalls down each side with a wide center walkway. The double doors the far end were closed while only one door at the near end was open, allowing fresh air but blocking most of the chilly breeze. In front of each stall, built into the divider wall was a lidded box which acted as a storage place for saddle and other gear. Four of the stalls were occupied currently, as evidence by the four beaked heads popping over the stall door and the whinnied-sqawks.

"Careful of the last stall down at that end," Suk said pointing out a solid black head turned their direction. Intelligent black eyes glittered as the ostrich horse studied the newcomers. "That's Tonraq's hen. She is as ill-tempered and contrary as any beast I've ever come across. She's given to nipping and biting if she doesn't like you in the least. Only let's Tonraq or Umi handle her, Cho use to but she nipped him good over during summer and he's been leery of all the ostrich horses since then. The rest of the ostrich horses are pretty tame in comparison and will let anyone handle them," Suk explained as he opened the nearest stall to the door. "Hope you don't mind that the stall is a little on the bare side at the moment."

"Not at all," Zuko replied as he guided Tayo into the stall. It was large enough the hen could turn around with ease. Inside the stall was a pair troughs one to each side, both were empty at the moment. The floor was covered in a thin layer of clean, fresh smelling straw and there was a door opposite of the stall door which, he presumed, lead out to a paddock. "I have a feeling Hoshi or Luava won't allow me to leave till in the morning at the earliest," he said a little ruefully.

Suk nodded, "That's fairly accurate for those two." He attacked a handle to a pump then pulled a lever. "There's a stopgap at the bottom of the right hand trough, let the water flow for a moment or two before closing it." Once the trough was three quarters full he stopped pumping and removed the handle before hanging it up. "Grain, sweet feed or cricket-mice?" he asked, grabbing a bucket from a stack and opening another lidded bin.

"Umm…." Zuko looked at Tayo a moment or two, "All three mixed?" he asked. "Wait… Three quarters grain, the rest sweet feed and a dozen cricket-mice on the side," he amended. "She's been carrying a heavy load since yesterday and deserves a treat." It was apparently the right choice when he saw the nod and smile on the taller man's face. A tentative plan was made to see Tayo brushed down thoroughly and her feet rechecked after lunch followed by him going through all his packs and reorganizing them (plus making sure the coins were well hidden). There was no telling what the two women had planned for him.

Suk nodded and measured out the grain and sweet feed first. "Take that," he nodded towards the bucket as he closed the one bin and moved to a canvas covered box. Once he flipped the canvas back chirping-squeeks started up followed by the beak clacking of every ostrich horse as they stuck their heads over their stall doors. Even Tayo's head perked up and over the stall door. Suk just laughed as he fished out a dozen cricket-mice from the metal cage. "When I drop these little squirmers into the trough, pour the feed over them. It gives the ostrich horses a bit of stimulus to go foraging around for the critters since they love to burrow to the bottom to try and avoid getting eaten. Not that I blame them really," he commented as he followed the boy to the stall. "Ready?"

Zuko nodded as he hefted the bucket up, ready to pour the contents into the trough as soon the cricket-mice were dropped in. He smiled a little as he watched the hen practically dance from foot to foot in anticipation of the tasty treat of cricket-mice. He knew that with her around, there would be little worry about vermin or pests coming into his campsites. He sidestepped the hen after filling the trough and slipped out of the stall. As he turned to close and latch it, he looked up in time to see one of the cricket-mice being tossed, chirp-squeaking into the air before vanishing with a snap-crunch of her beak. Shaking his head he put the bucket where indicated and followed him out of the barn and back to the house. After knocking the dust off his boots, he went up the stairs to the bench and removed them. After Suk welcomed him into the home, he gave a quick bow of respect before crossing the threshold. A quick wash up later and he was seated at the table for lunch with the entire family.

After lunch was over the children assisted Luava with cleaning up in the kitchen, when that was finished they had their own set of chores to do before dinner. Tonraq headed out to the barn to saddle his hen for his afternoon rounds of the outlying farms. Since he was better at animal healing than he was with people, his services were more veterinary orientated, though he did help during emergencies. Hoshi offered to give Zuko a hand with his hen, which he accepted, since she didn't have any more duties for the day and it was her turn to cook dinner. Suk had planned on relaxing the rest of the day, tinkering with little things here and there around the house and immediate property but one of the tenant farmers came by with some concerns. Once Suk saddled his own ostrich horse, the pair were headed out to take a look at the possible problem and see if it could be corrected before it became an issue. With the house almost empty and everyone busy, Luava was free to enjoy an afternoon dedicated to the carding, spinning and dyeing of yarns and threads she used in weaving. A hobby that Tonraq loved to tease her since it was considered 'woman's work' back in the Northern Water Tribe.

It didn't take long for Zuko to have all of Tayo's gear stripped off the hen and hung up to allow it to air out before he tackled it. Between himself and Hoshi, they had his packs neatly lined up against the exterior front wall of the stall to be taken in once he was finished. With brush in hand he gave her a good grooming, followed up with a wipe down with the oil-cloth that ensured her feathers shined. He let her out into the long paddock attached to the stall, ducking out of the way in time to avoid the cascade of hay coming from the opening above the stall. When it was all clear, he accepted the pitchfork and spread the pile of hay about even though it would probably end up piled up into a nest by later that evening. He checked the water, which was still mostly full and clean, then checked the food trough. Only a few scattered grains were left. He handed the pitchfork back up to Hoshi after looking around one more time, then let Tayo back into the stall, shutting and securing the exterior door. Stepping out of the barn, he stopped and lifted his head, basking in the warm sunlight until Hoshi joined him. A few minutes of companionable silence was shared before she clapped him on the shoulder. He nodded in response and they re-entered the barn only to come back out a few moments later, laden with the packs.

He spent most of the afternoon reorganizing his packs and ensuring the money was well hidden from curious inspection. It would take someone purposely going through every bit of it to find all the coins. He had some stashed in with his light weight summer outfits which were rolled tight and stuffed at the bottom of the bag. A small bag was tucked into the corner of his supply pack, a logical place for money to purchase said supplies. There was another slightly larger pouch of coins snuggled in with the items he planned on using to sell or trade with, again a logical spot being a merchant/trader. A good portion of the coins would find their way into the secret compartments scattered about the saddle. From the saddle pommel to the back cantle, from the front skirting to the rear panel, even a place for a few tiny items (or a couple of coins) in the stirrups. He found the first one in the pommel by accident early on, thinking it was a loose section. Inside was a simple note saying something along the lines of 'have fun finding everything'. Without disassembling the entire thing, he wasn't sure if he had located everything. He often wonder who owned the hen and the saddle before they were given to him and why there was need for so many secret hiding places.

With bag in hand, he slipped quietly through the house. A peek out one window revealed Hoshi and Luava snuggled together on the engawa, one with sewing in hand, the other stealing quick kisses. Out in the garden Cho was tending what looked to be herbs and vegetables, making faces every time he caught his mother's kissing. Not bad or hateful, just 'eeww that's gross' reaction all children seemed to have when they catch their parents kissing. Umiko was practicing by the well, giggling at her mothers and teasing her brother. She was still at the stage where to her it was 'oohh spirit-romance tale where the hero gets the love interest'. For him, it was just a simple 'umm ok, two people kissing, so what?' type of reaction. With a shake of his head, he turned and slipped out the front, grabbing his boots on the way past. Sitting down on the steps, he slid them on then crossed to the barn and slipped inside. He heaved the saddle up onto his shoulder and carried it into Tayo's stall. As predicted the hen had most of the straw piled up in one corner like a nest. He settled against the hen's side and went to work on hiding his coin.

An hour or so later, the sun was low in the west and the barn was filled with a warm, quiet twilight. The saddle was finished and set to the side. Tayo was using it as a pillow while Zuko drozd lightly against the curve of her neck, hidden from general view. The sound of men talking and the click-thud of taloned feet hitting the ground in an even beat woke him. When the barn door opened, Suk and Tonraq lead their mounts in towards their their respective stalls. Tonraq had a firm grip on his hen's reigns and was in the front, even as the black hen turned her head and kept eyeing Suk and his mount.

"I swear by the spirits, that hen of yours is plotting something evil. Either in general or against me," Suk grumbled, keeping a good length between himself and the black hen's rear. She had lashed out with her feet, either directly behind or to the sides, a few times already since he got her.

"She's not plotting… Are you baby? No… you're not evil at all, just misunderstood… yeeess that's my baby girl." The opening and closing of a stall followed by the delighted whinney-squawks from the hen in question as she was obviously being scratched in all the right places.

Zuko opened one eye lazily and surveyed his surroundings, before closing it and snuggling back against Tayo. He listened to the two men as they continued to chit-chat about this and that while removing their mount's gear. When the talking stopped he didn't think much about it, but the muffled thud of a body hitting a wall followed by a few quiet moans had him wide-eyed and wide awake. When he realized just what they were possibly doing he was blushing a fiery red in embarrassment. Twisting around he slid onto the hen's back, nudging her to stand. Once she was on her feet, he signaled her to stand still as he gathered his feet under him. He was almost able to reach the edge of the loft hole. He mentally grumbled before performing a flat footed jump upwards. His hands caught the edge and he was able to pull himself the rest of the way up. Tayo looked up over her shoulder at him then snorted as she walked forward, sticking her head over the stall door.

It only took a few moments for him to stealthily cross the loft to the loft door. He examined the loft door as well as the latch and found it to be a simple spring style latch that would relock once the door itself closed. The door was weighted to swing closed automatically unless it was held open. Opening the door, he peaked outside, first looking one way then the other before looking both up and down. The rope to the block and tackle was looped inside the loft so that was out, to the left and right was nothing but sheer surface. That left down. While the drop wasn't that bad, he'd fallen from higher as a kid, but being the front of the barn it would raise questions if he was seen. The back of the barn wouldn't be as bad but that was where the two men were. He cursed his luck, or lack of luck, and looked around once more. He spotted something in the growing shadows. Silently he crossed the loft to look at what he had spotted. It was a ladder going up to the roof apparently, but the question was, was there and external ladder going down? Climbing up to the hatch, he examined it and found there was no latch or locks, just weight preventing it from accidentally opening from the outside. If he couldn't find an exterior way down from the roof then he would go with the original plan of going out the front loft door.

Twenty minutes later, Zuko was crossing the front yard area of the house, absently brushing dirt and dust off his clothes. He had absolutely nothing against same sex couples. What he had problems with was gratuitous displays of public affection, though it could be argued that it wasn't public since it was in a privately owned barn. Just that neither person involved had bothered to check to be sure they were alone. Cho met him on the engawa as he was removing his boots. The boy took one look at his still flushed face and let out a huffed sigh of put upon suffering.

"Don't feel bad, we've all caught them getting...er… involved," at this Cho's face was starting to heat as well due to embarrassment, "with each other and not paying attention to where they were. Me and Umi have caught mama Hoshi and Luava too." He awkwardly patted Zuko on the shoulder and started back into the house. "Oh, mama Hoshi said to start getting cleaned up. Dinner will be ready in an hour."

Dinner was a little on the embarrassingly awkward side until Cho and Umi started making faces at each other. It was a downhill slide from there and soon everyone was more relaxed, laughing, giggling or snickering, depending on their preference. At some point Kasai arrived, made her rounds of the table was currently enjoying being petted by Umi and Cho. Zuko just shook his head at her antics, if she wanted them to know she was much more than just a companion animal she would. The less that knew about Kasai's true intelligence the better. As dinner wound down, Kasai finally settled in Zuko's lap, enjoying the attention he lavished on her. Per traditional customs, he offered to help but was turned down because he was a guest, his presence alone brought good fortune to the household.

Zuko reasoned that by not wishing to speak in front of the kids, the adults wished to speak with him about something fairly serious. From the way Hoshi acted earlier in the afternoon on the way to the farm it had to do with his travel plans, which brought on a mental frown. His uncle had tried to direct his path, either subtly, by cajoling or by guilt, Jee had been neutral stating he only knew the sea and Col. Shinu had not like where he wanted to go but conceded the fact Zuko was his own person and needed to learn by doing. Had he been his old self a year ago, he would have stormed off after flaming them down with his anger. Now he understood that even if he did not take their advice, he could still learn something useful. So instead, he engaged Suk about the farm itself, from what was grown in the winter months to how many tenant farmers worked the fields and everything between. It reminded him that it had been some time since he heard from his own estate managers. Not like he really paid much attention before he was banished since it was all too complicated at the time. He doubted it had become any easier in the last two plus years either.

Suk, for all that he was an earthbender, admitted he was only a passible farmer and that he relied on his tenants to see that everything grew properly and there was no issues to worry about. Instead, he praised Cho's skill with growing things, said the boy had a natural way with plants even if he took after his mother by being a non-bender. He half-jokingly claimed his son could break off a piece of plant, toss it on the ground and kick some dirt over it, walk away and by the end of the season it would be a full grown plant overflowing with fruits, vegetables or flowers. If not all three! Cho was embarrassed by his father's praise of course, but he did add to the topic here and there.

With the children being herded off to bed, Hoshi asked if Zuko had a map of the Earth Kingdom. He said he had one better and went to retrieve the world map Col. Shinu had given him. When he came back, the low table was cleared so he could unroll the map. The map itself was beautifully drawn, with quite a few details not found on most maps. The colonies were marked along with every town and village down the west coast along with a good number going inland to the east. Once everyone had a chance to look at the map, Hoshi once again inquired as to what his planned path was. When he traced it out a low whistle and lots of head shaking all around was his reward.

Hoshi explained to Zuko that firebenders didn't do well in the extreme cold, especially during winter in the northern areas due to the reduced amount of sunlight. She went on telling about those that returned from such areas, shallow shells of themselves, suffering from the effect of starvation (both food and sunlight), many of whom developed psychosis as a result. At which point Luava and Tonraq joined in, recounting the tales of their grandparents and relatives during the last invasion of the Northern Water Tribe, of what happened to those Fire Nation people. Luava told of her grandfather's viciousness in recounting his part in the defense of the city. As he and other waterbenders laid traps of ice below the surface that stopped the ships, of how they used sheets of ice to rip open the hulls and forced water in only to freeze it solid, trapping everyone in ice and letting the ship sink into the icy black waters below. Or how they used that same ice to rip apart people, freezing body parts and shattering them off. Tonraq picked up the tales, of how his grandmother, her sisters and many other healers tried to help save lives. He recounted the knowledge gained, but at such high prices, of non benders surviving where firebenders withered away no matter what the healers did. The madness many suffered as the sunlight vanished, of how they burned their chi to cold dead ash fighting to escape. He described how firebenders held prisoner starved before the healers very eyes, bodies wasting away even with ample food and water provided. Zuko understood why the adults did not speak of these things before the children as he sat there shivering even with the warmth of Kasai in his arms. It was a feast of nightmares waiting to happen, and he didn't doubt he'd have his own share over the next few nights, if not much longer.

It was Suk's turn, but instead of tales, he suggested an alternate path to what Zuko wanted to travel. Instead of traveling along the northern shore with the mountains to the south of him, the earthbender traced a path between the shores of the inland sea to the south and the mountain ranges to the north. The path seemed to wind back and forth, north to south, a bit but he pointed out places where shrines and Temples with their small villages were located. It had been a long time since he heard anything about those areas he admitted. He also pointed out way stations used by the Earth Kingdom couriers on their routes throughout the kingdom. He pointed out that all of those places welcomed guest overnight at the very least. And all were within a few days of each other, a week at the most.

When Zuko pointed out the Northern Air Temple, and asked about it, Suk shook his head saying he heard from merchants and travelers coming from that direction that some Earth Kingdom refugees had taken over the temple some time in the last ten years and tended to be leery or even hostile to outsiders. Even in summer there was snow on the mountains the Air Temple was located on so perhaps it was best to try for a visit in summer. Zuko reluctantly agreed to stay away from the Northern Air Temple for now. From that point on the evening wound down till everyone was yawning. Zuko bid goodnight as he retreated to the guest room. He knew that as much as he needed it, sleep would be elusive that night.

Dawn came a little later than what Zuko was use to, but all the same it came too early. He had been right, sleep had been elusive and when he did managed to fall asleep his dreams were those of frozen nightmares. Wrapped in a blanket with Kasai curled in his arms, he welcomed the touch of sunlight as dawn broke over the horizon. Only when he heard the stirring of the rest of the household did he move from his rooftop perch.

He once more offered to assist with cooking and was turned down again, but instead he was asked if he was willing to stoke the fires for the bathhouse. On his way back into the house, he was passed by all three females. Once breakfast was ready, all three females were seated at the table in what looked to be almost festive clothing. After breakfast it was the males turn. As for the breakfast dishes, they were left in a tub of water to soak until everyone returned from the Temple. Counting the days up, he wasn't sure if he had missed an important day but was assured this was just the traditional day the mixed family went to the local Temple to make offerings and donations for prayers and winter cleansing. One of the monks would be by mid-morning to see to the blessing of the property. They also assured him that he did not have to leave when the monk arrived, that his presence would be more than welcomed. Tonraq let him know the bathhouse was ready for him if he wished to use it and that they wouldn't be back till close to noon. Once they were back, everyone (including Zuko) would be going into town.

Take advantage of it he did. Zuko was once more up to his ears in steaming hot water, much hotter than any non firebender could handle, as he soaked away the cold of his dreams. Kasai had joined him at the start, but was now sitting on the edge of the tub preening her feathers dry. Taking a deep breath, he slid under the surface of the water completely and stayed there till his lungs let him know he had best surface for air. He did it a few more times before giving in with a sigh. "Alright, I admit it. You were right about how dangerous traveling the northern coast could be in winter," he said as he slicked his hair back with his hands. "Would you have still let me continue on that path?" he asked her. After a few moments thought Kasai nodded her head. "Even if I was walking straight into something dangerous?" This time he got a wobbled hand and a shrug. It took him a moment or two to figure the meaning out. "Oh so you might have let me walk into something, only if you knew we could get out of it?" he asked. She nodded once more adding a whistled chirp to accent her answer. "I see," he commented as he leaned back to rest his head against the edge of the tub.

After he finished, he dressed and cleaned up the bathhouse. Between the bathhouse and the door to the kitchen he noticed several large wooden tubs as well as what appeared to be a washer board. Setting up the tubs, he drew water from the well to fill each then also filled the urns near the kitchen door. He guessed it was part of Umi and Cho's chores to keep them filled, but he reasoned that since he was already drawing water, it wasn't that much of a problem to refill the urns. He went back inside, gathered his few pieces of clothing that needed to be washed and proceeded to do just that. Once they were clean, it was only a matter of some controlled firebending to steam them dry, then fold and pack them away. Again he found himself with little to nothing to do but wait so he settled in a sunny spot on the back engawa and musical chiming of metal rings, soft sing-song like chanting and evenly paced footsteps brought him out of his meditation. Opening one eye he watched as the monk, swathed in robes the color of earth, slowly walked by with a staff in one hand and sticks of incense in the other, making slow gentle sweeping motions with his staff. Watching the monk reminded him of the times, before his mother had vanished, when the high sages would perform their yearly cleansing of the palace. He couldn't remember seeing them any time after she disappeared though.

"Maybe that's why everything started to go so wrong at the palace, all the negative spiritual influence.…." Zuko smacked the palm of his hand against his forehead. When Kasai gave an inquisitive chirp he shook his head. "I think I was channeling Uncle just now." She made chirp-squawk in reply before sitting up and miming making tea and offering it to him. "No thank you, you can keep your hot leaf juice." He stuck his tongue out at her and grinned. He got comfortable once more and slipped into a light doze until the family returned.

The afternoon was spent in the marketplace of Xilin Gol. The children had been given enough coppers and bits to equal a single silver piece then allowed to browse the merchant stalls and buy anything they wished, as long as it did not exceed that single silver piece and it was not a pet. Zuko had somehow gotten talked into joining them and acting as their escort while the adults did their own shopping. Umiko was like every other girl her age and went for decorative hair sticks and ribbons in bright colors ranging from green to blue to red. Cho was a finicky shopper, often going back and forth between several stalls before he settled on something, usually seeds for spring planting in his small garden. Having been forced on more than one shopping excursion with his uncle, Zuko had plenty of experience spotting the difference between good merchandise and the shoddy stuff. He mentally mapped out the various stalls he wanted to visit after he made sure the children made it back to their parents. As a treat, he splurged a copper bit and got all three of them some sweet buns on the way back.

The first thing Zuko bought was a nicely made, sturdy basket to carry his purchases in. When he left, he'd leave it as a gift of thanks for allowing him to stay there. With an eye for size and weight and a thought to what might sell for higher prices elsewhere he started haggling in earnest. It was another thing he picked up from his uncle and refined while on his own, the ability to get the best deals possible without shorting either himself or the merchant. Spools of brightly colored thread and spools of plain undyed thread, quality steel needles, packets of spices and herbs (cooking and medical), a small bag of sea salt all went into his basket. He added small highly polished metal mirrors the size of his hand, ribbons of various colors, small cakes of concentrated dye that was locally made and rather inexpensive. A couple of small wind chimes were added along with a string of tiny bells that chimed oh so sweetly. A block of medium quality wax, some inexpensive blank scrolls (due to blemishes in the paper), inkstone and plain ink brushes. He stopped by the blacksmith's stall and found a set of tiny knives. When he asked about then, the senior apprentice explained they were used for carving of wood, bone and soft stone. They vanished into his basket as soon as he finished haggling. He also purchased a small traveling scale, each of the weights embossed with the official seal of the goldsmith on one side and the Earth Kingdom on the other. Small pouches of seeds made its way into the basket, all hearty varieties that could be grown almost anywhere. By the time he made his way back to the family, his basket was almost full.

An early dinner was taken in a private room at one of the local eateries instead of returning to the farm to cook. Events of the day was talked about, everyone showed off their purchases. Zuko even brought out his personal purchases, though a little reluctantly. When asked about the rest he admitted he was planning on selling or trading them during his travels. Umi 'oohed' and 'aww'ed over the ribbons and hair sticks, Cho thought he selected a good choice of seeds and the others thought he made some pretty good choices.

Once they were back at the farmhouse, Tonraq and Luava went off in search of something while Suk saw to the wagon and the ostrich horses. Hoshi herded the children off to bed as Zuko took his goods and started the process of packing them into the proper saddle bags. He planned on leaving in the morning, a little after breakfast if all went well. He had just finished packing the last bag and was about to place it next to the shoji when someone tapped against the frame. When he opened it, he was greeted by the site of all four adults.

"We'd like to give you some items to help on your travels," Luava said.

Zuko's eyebrow rose to his hairline in confused surprise. "You don't have to…"

Suk crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled. "You're right, we don't have to, but we want to," he returned.

"But… why?"

"Because you offer us hope, Prince Zuko," Hoshi said. "Hope that someday this war will be over."

"Before our children are drug into it," Tonraq added.

"I… thank you," Zuko said with a bow. "I will try my best."

"That's all we ask," Luava answered as she held out a stack of items. "Sorry they are not new. Tonraq's was the only set that was close to fitting you. Besides I don't think you'd want to run around in women's gear." She and Tonraq shared a knowing laugh.

Zuko took the items, motioning for them to enter. He set the items down and looked at each item. A pair of boots, thick leggings and Water Tribe style hooded coat, all in a faded gray-ish blue. "No… no that's perfect. I'd stand out a bit much as a small time traveling merchant if I wore new bright Water Tribe Blue. Especially when I am so obviously Fire Nation, or at least a by-blow. I can pass it off as having traded something for the outfit too…" They were a little longer in the leg but could be tucked up and the sleeves were also longer, coming down over the tips of his fingers if he estimated right. "Wait.. what?" He was confused now. "You mean like skirts and dresses?"

That got a laugh out of everyone. Luava shook her head with a sad smile. "No, in the Water Tribes men and women are treated unequally. Women are treated as... sub-class citizens. They have no rights, are at the mercy of their husbands or male relatives, they have little to no choice even in their marriages. A woman bender isn't even allowed to learn more than healing."

"That's… that…" Zuko shrugged. "By restricting half your population you've effectively cut your fighting force in half. Do the men know how to heal at all?" he asked. When he received a headshake no he let out a sigh of exasperation. "That's really dumb," he muttered. None of the adults disagreed with him either.

"Here, these will help as well," Hoshi said offering a smaller bundle of fabric.

Zuko took it, and slowly unwrapped the items. It was a thick soft scarf in neutral gray colors, warm mitts and several pair of equally thick, warm socks. In the middle of all the material was a small lidded pot and a medium sized vial of amber colored liquid. When he opened the pot, it contained a thick cream colored paste that smelled faintly of coconut which reminded him of trips to Ember Island as a child. The vial contained a mixture of beneficial oils to massage into his scar to help soften it over time. He thanked them all for everything as he tucked them safely away in his personal pack. They bid him a good night and left, closing the shoji after them. From his futon, Kasai let out a pleased chirp and disappeared under the blankets. He watched in amusement as the lump that was Kasai moved back and forth, side to side, in spirals and zig-zags as he undressed. Just as he was about to throw the covers back to chase her out of the futon, she emerged with an even more pleased sounding chirp. When he slid into it, it was blessedly warm without him needing to do anything.

Morning seemed to take its time in arriving and when it did, it brought with it the cold nip of a northern winter. After waking up, he listened for several long minutes but heard nothing so snuggled deeper into the blankets for some additional sleep. Sleep he knew he'd get little of if things got bad on the trails. When he woke a second time he could hear movement throughout the house. Dressing in his warmest clothes, he folded the futon and put it back in its proper place and straightened the room up afterwards. Sliding the door back, he was greeted by Umi who was just about to knock on the door frame.

"Good morning Zuko," she chirped brightly as she grabbed his hand and drug him to the main room for breakfast. "Papa Suk and Mama Hoshi will take care of your packs," she insisted as she ushered him to his seat. Once he was settled she loaded his plate up and set it before him. Half an hour later and two refills he was finally showing signs of being full. She turned to her mother with a grin "See? I told you he'd have no problems eating that much."

Luava just shook her head in disbelief then looked at Hoshi. "He's worse than you in winter." The tone was teasing.

Hoshi just shrugged as she popped the last bit of her sweet bun into her mouth. After swallowing she pointed at herself, "Non-bender," then she pointed at Zuko, "Bender. He burns off the food like nothing else in the world. Trust me, you do not want to see a starving firebender."

Tonraq came in with a loaded provision bag, which he placed next to Zuko before taking his own seat and started on his breakfast. Cho and Suk joined a few minutes later.

"Your ostrich horse is all saddled up, just need to put the packs on her and you'll be ready to go," the earthbender commented.

Zuko looked up from the provisions bag Tonraq had given him. "Thanks," he said before continuing to look through the bag. Inside was pouches of dried summer berries, dried lychee slices and a variety of nuts. There was also several larger bags containing small brownish colored balls. Even though he wasn't hungry anymore, he did sample one and was surprised. It was just like the honey-coal treats he had as a kid. Ground up dried meat, fruits and nuts all bound together with honey and given as a snack type treat for young firebenders. "Thanks!" he said again as he secured the bag closed once more.

With help from Hoshi and Suk, Zuko was able to load the packs on Tayo's saddle. Over the top went an old blanket then the heavy duty canvas tarp followed by the light weight waterproof tarp. After a final farewell to everyone, he climbed into the saddle and urged Tayo to stand. It took only a matter of moments to settle the hooded winter cloak before Kasai came winging in from the rooftop to land on the saddle horn. A light nudge with his foot and a tug of the reins, Tayo turned in the direction he wanted and started walking.

If all went well he hoped to be back by summer solstice at the earliest, fall equinox at the latest. He had a lot of ground he wanted to cover in that time so once he passed the busiest areas of foot traffic, he encouraged the hen into a fast striding-strut.

~~ ( - ) ~~

Back at Pohuai Stronghold, Prince Iroh, Jee and all the other men who pensioned out were dealing with their own preparations to depart the western coast of the Earth Kingdom and return to the Fire Nation.