Finally, I update! Finally, I realize I can end the chapter where I did instead of, like, 2k words-I-haven't-written-yet later. I also realized I was being super melodramatic about the thing-that-happens-in-this-chapter. I will continue to do so. You can blame Alyce. She warned me people would be mad. Please don't ragequit, he'll milk it for all it's worth at the least.
After reading this chapter, you may wonder what possessed me to do such a thing.
I don't know, dear reader, I don't know.
Actually I do, because honestly it's just what makes sense for the story, but you may wonder anyway. Don't worry, I'll do worse before this story is over.
Trigger warning for nongraphic description of severe injuries. I'll go back and add trigger warnings to any other chapters where it's applicable when I figure out how to edit already-posted chapters.
Maybe I'll just ask Alyce.
Chapter 11: Glowy Prince
(Has Lots Of Fire)
After breakfast, Aang decides he can't put it off any longer. He has to check on Zuko. If the prince is still meditating Aang won't bother him and won't get yelled at. If he's not, he can start fixing things!
It takes longer to fly to the clearing than Aang remembers from last night. Zuko is still meditating in front of the statue, but his eyes snap open when Aang lands. "Avatar."
"Did you figure it out?" Aang asks. Zuko doesn't bother responding.
"This is all your fault," he snaps. "Now I have to go to Crescent Island."
"Why do you have to go there? Wherever there is," Aang asks. He doesn't remember it from his geography lessons, even though he mostly kind of paid attention.
"The dragon said so." Zuko stands. "Now take me to my uncle."
Lieutenant Jee, quite honestly, has no idea what to do about the possibility of Prince Zuko being the Avatar. If he takes it seriously, that is. He's not convinced he should. But rumors getting out is not something he will tolerate. The visits from Zhao and the other officers are terrible when they don't include interrogations, never mind when they do.
Which is why he's doing this.
Jee steps up to the front of the mess hall and looks around. Mostly full. The people out looking for the princes are the only ones missing, and each team has at least one senior crewman. He can brief them later.
"People. As you know, we are receiving mail today, and holding mail call when those on search-and-rescue get back. With both princes." Jee clears his throat, ignoring the nervous glances from the younger crewmembers. "We are chasing the Avatar. Till recently, that just meant infiltrating Earth Kingdom cities, intimidating small towns, and investigating anything vaguely spirit-related. Now that we've found him, strange things are happening. Strange things involving our princes."
He pauses. "If word of some of these strange things gets out, we will all not only be imprisoned and/or executed on trumped-up charges, but also have to deal with frequent visits from officers like Zhao until said imprisonment-slash-execution. Do I make myself clear?"
After a short, horrified silence, Firebender Kayao pipes up. "Yes, Sir!" She's quickly echoed by the rest of the crew. If anyone talks now, the others will take care of their punishment. No official orders- or records- necessary.
Iroh winces, grunting in pain for the eleventh time in the past minute.
"What is it?" the captain snaps, clearly fed up with the noise.
"Oh, it's no- ouch- great trouble," Iroh replies, making sure to sound pained. "The cuffs are a bit uncomfortable, but -ow!- I'm sure I can -aagh!- take it."
"You'll have to. We're not loosening the cuffs."
Iroh gapes at the younger man. "Loosen? Why would I- ow!- want them loosened? They're already- yowch!- too loose!"
"Too loose?" the captain repeats.
"Yes. They jangle around and- aagh!- bump my old wrists awfully. But -ow- I can manage. Although- yow!- I confess, when I said- ooh!- that there was no problem, I- ouch!- did not think it would get- OW!- this bad."
The man sighs, pulling his ostrich-horse to a stop. "Corporal, tighten the prisoner's handcuffs."
("Ow," Iroh adds helpfully, a pained grimace on his face, when the creature jolts to a stop.)
"But you haven't helped me yet!" the Avatar protests. "I'm not taking you back until you help!"
"I tried," Zuko says. "It didn't work. And now I have to return to the Fire Nation, violating the terms of my banishment and endangering myself and my crew."
Uncle will be fine, if he can just get him back from those soldiers. Uncle isn't banished.
(Uncle doesn't make mistakes (not like I do))
"You're banished?" the kid asks, tilting his head to the side. "Why?"
"None of your business!" Zuko snaps back. He thought the boy already knew. Most people do.
After a few seconds of silence- and the Avatar not taking Zuko to Uncle- the kid speaks again. "You know, I could take you to Crescent Island. If you came back this evening to help with the spirit problem."
Zuko considers this. He doesn't want to be indebted to the Avatar, but would he be, really? It would just be another deal, and then his crew wouldn't be in any danger, and Appa is faster than the Wani.
Would he get to ride on Appa?
"...Fine. But you have to take me on your bison."
"Ok!" The Avatar opens his glider. "Where do you want to go?"
"There's a squad of Earth Kingdom soldiers. They have my uncle. I need to find them."
The boy takes off, swooping over Zuko's head with his hand held out. Zuko jumps, using the air to propel himself higher and catch the kid's arm. He has a vague idea what direction to go, so they fly southeastish, circling mountains till they find one with earthbenders on it.
The captain bends a huge boulder, large enough to crush Iroh, into the air.
Iroh looks up at him, genuinely worried. "You're not really going to use that huge thing, are you?"
"And why not," the captain replies, his arms trembling with the effort of holding up the rock.
"You're taking me to trial, aren't you? You can't do that if I die of blood loss." Iroh has done harder things than fake nonchalance over his own potential death. With higher stakes, too. But not for quite some time.
"...That's actually a good point." He moves the rock away from Iroh and drops it.
"Sir," one of the men hisses. "Would it really be so bad?"
"If we do that, we'll be no better than them," the captain hisses back. "Weren't you supposed to be getting bandages?"
The other man salutes stiffly and approaches one of the ostrich-horses.
The captain bends a smaller rock, still large enough to crush both Iroh's hands, out of the ground.
Taiyo and Lightning Claws emerge from the forest and start up the first small mountain in pursuit of the soldiers. Komodo rhinos are faster than horstriches, so they should catch up before too long.
Then Taiyo sees the orange dot.
It's larger than it was last time he saw it, with a darker dot right underneath. Both are quickly getting closer. Soon, Taiyo can tell the other dot is Prince Zuko. The Avatar is returning him?
How did he know Taiyo's location? Wouldn't it be easier to take the prince to the ship? Or at least put him back where he found him?
Before they get close to either Corporal Taiyo or the ground, the Avatar drops Prince Zuko.
Not returning him, then.
There's a boulder in a bent canyon with a group of soldiers, and then it rises and Zuko sees Uncle (and twists away from the Avatar, the taste of iron filling his mouth) and blood (and he's falling, the wind whistling in his ears, till it's roaring instead) and white-
There are Earth Kingdom soldiers on this mountain. One of them is even earthbending, and Aang is just about to ask Zuko if they're the right ones when Zuko pushes off him and starts falling towards the soldiers. Ugh, now Aang has to catch him again, and his arms are already sore from the other times.
Aang turns in midair, ready to swoop down, and swoops up instead, because Zuko isn't falling, he's radiating heat and a ball of fire! And his eyes are glowing!
Which is all really weird and dangerous, but also kind of cool. At least for the first five seconds. Then he starts throwing fire and it's just weird and dangerous.
Iroh's nephew really is the Avatar. He knew, but he hadn't quite believed it till Zuko descended from the sky, surrounded by flames, his eyes glowing with the light of immense power. He didn't look much like himself, really. His face was too calm, too serene and yet furious.
That too-calm face is turned away from Iroh now, Zuko sending bursts of flame towards the men who captured Iroh. The airbender, Aang, lands beside Iroh, snapping his glider closed. "What's going on?" The boy sounds panicky, his eyes wide and frightened.
"It seems my nephew is the Avatar," Iroh replies, blocking a stray gout of flame with his foot. That causes his hand to brush the rock wall behind him, sending a fresh current of pain through his already throbbing hand. "And right now he is very upset."
"I know already!" Aang says, jumping to the side to avoid a large rock. "But how is he doing that?!" He gestures to Iroh's glowing nephew and adds, somewhat unnecessarily, "The glowy flamey thing!"
The three earthbenders in the squad fall into a defensive formation, protecting the others. The Avatar is unimpressed.
Iroh raises an eyebrow, turning to look at Aang. "The glowy thing is the Avatar State, a defensive state activated when the Avatar feels threatened."
Aang's grey eyes narrow as he blocks wild flames. "So what activated it this time?"
The captain finally seems to realize he can earthbend his men to safety, as two of his men abruptly drop out of sight, a layer of stone immediately slamming into place over their heads. The sound echoes through the canyon.
Iroh gives a pained smile. "I think he saw one of those men crush my hands."
"They did what?!" Aang looks at Iroh's hands. "That's terrible!"
Another two men disappear, leaving only echoes and the captain.
Iroh looks down, too, finally allowing himself to examine his injuries. His hands are well and truly crushed, many of the bones broken, and bruises are appearing between the scratches and lacerations. Iroh winces. It always hurts more after you look at it. "Ow."
That gets his nephew's attention. Zuko's head snaps around, his glowing eyes staring unblinkingly through the flames. The captain takes the opportunity to escape, bending as quietly as he can. Zuko doesn't seem to notice. He steps forward- once, twice. On the third step he falters as the glow begins to dim, flickering. Iroh almost rushes to Zuko's side before remembering he can't catch his nephew. Zuko takes one more step, then stumbles and falls, the glow fading from his eyes.
I have decided to start a oneshot/drabble collection (1.) if Alyce is okay with it, and (2.) when either the favorites on this story catch up to the follows or this story has 100 reviews. I currently have fiveish (I don't remember exactly how many) oneshots written, so if things keep on as they have been, I'll have at least twenty by the time I start posting. Basically, until I run out of prewritten stuff, I'll update on weekends when I don't update this.