Chapter 1
Zuko trudged along the dusty road cursing to himself with every step. His shaggy hair hung over his eyes, one healthy, the other scarred, yet both had a distant look to them.
His father, his sister, his grandfather. Was there anyone in his family that wasn't psychotic? Uncle, yes, but his affinity for tea and frivolous purchases had his nephew questioning the man's sanity on more than one occasion.
Dear uncle. His father's elder brother had raised him even after his own son had died. What a difference the two men were. Fire Lord Ozai had burned and banished his own child after Zuko had spoken out against his father's edict on world domination. His face, scarred and mutilated, only served to push the ex-princeling to join the side of the Avatar.
Zuko fought on the side of the destined boy in secret disguised as the legendary Blue Spirit. The ornamental mask hid the distinctive mark across his left eye. Zuko still couldn't believe that scrawny little kid was the Avatar.
As the embodiment of the spirits before him, Zuko expected dignity in the twelve year old. The first words out of Aang's mouth had been after a heated battle was, "Hey, do you want to ride on my sky bison?"
Zuko rolled his eyes on the pathway as he reminisced. It had been half a year since he had declined the offer of an air bison flight and defeated his father and sister in battle. Aang was declared the rightful ruler of the Air Kingdom after its previous sovereign, Gyatso, and his people were brutally murdered by Fire Nation soldiers. As the last of his people and being the Avatar, there could be no one other than Aang to rebuild his country. For the Fire Nation, Iroh had assumed the position as Fire Lord, only until his exiled nephew could be found.
The ex-prince knew he could return and be welcomed back, but he wanted to rid himself of his family's demons before he could rule, to pay reparations to the Fire Nation's victims personally.
One of which loved to extol the virtues of his flying steed.
Zuko had heard of the legendary creatures, herds of them had soared through the air, but they were all but extinct now thanks to the Fire Nation. The Fire Prince remembered an old drawing from a scroll about the mythical animal. Sky bison were described as large as a house, covered with white fur and had huge, expressive faces. In fact, he could describe the struggling beast that was about to be captured by nomads in front of him to be identical to what he had read before.
He froze in place. There really was a sky bison in front of him.
The animal struggled mightily, but already several ropes bound it to the dusty road. The bison roared with fear and displeasure.
Swiftly Zuko reached for the dao swords behind him, and leaped into the air, severing the beast's bindings. He gave it a wide berth as the creature escaped, a lesson not learned by its former captors. The white furred animal knocked out the poachers nearest to it with a powerful head butt. The prince disabled one enemy with the flat of his honed blades.
The sudden rustle of movement behind him and Zuko cursed inwardly. What did Uncle always teach you? Never let your back go unprotected!
He spun around, ready to engage in his enemy, but a sudden blast of wind pushed his attacker into a stone wall, knocking the man unconscious.
"T-thanks," he stuttered to the sky bison. The creature lolled out its tongue and gave an amused snort that smelled distinctively unpleasant.
"Appa!"
A sudden shout and Zuko found himself approached by a short, bald boy dressed in yellow and orange robes. The child had materialized from above, folding a red air glider neatly into a staff. He gratefully ran over to his companion, giving the sky bison an affectionate hug.
"Aww buddy, you're ok!" The beast licked his owner with a tongue as big as the boy.
Zuko cringed in horror as the kid was covered in saliva.
"I'm Aang. Thanks for saving Appa!"
The rescuer blinked in surprise. No way. The distinctive blue tattoos, using air currents to travel. He had run into the Avatar in the middle of nowhere.
The scarred man shrugged with disinterest, "It's no big deal." He sheathed his swords, prepared to continue on his aimless journey.
"Wait!" Aang called out. "I didn't even get your name. Don't you need anything? You deserve it after saving my best friend!"
Aang gave it an affectionate rub against the beast's hairy head, "Besides Momo, Appa's the only thing I have left that reminds me of home."
Zuko winced. It was his family's history that had caused the Air Nomad genocide. If anything, he should be the one asking the Air Kingdom's sovereign what he could do for the boy.
"My name's not important," Zuko rasped. "But I could use a place to stay until I need to go."
The young boy perked up. "You're welcomed to stay in my castle. There are plenty of rooms, and if you need something to do, I'm sure I can find you a job."
With a bend of the great creature's legs, Zuko scrambled up onto Appa's saddle. Aang merely air-bent a gust of wind and landed delicately with the reins clasped in his hands. The scarred prince was always in awe at witnessing the Airbender's powers. Harnessing the currents of delicate winds was nothing like the explosion of uncontrolled fire.
One gut-wrenching lurch and the sky bison and its two passengers were flying in the air.
Aang glanced over at his new companion. "Have we met before? You seem really familiar."
Zuko froze, but shook his head. "No, I'm sure I would have remembered meeting the Avatar," he lied.
The young king sighed. "Everyone always knows who I am, but I don't know who they are."
"The tattoos and the airbending are a pretty good indicator," Zuko deadpanned.
The boy merely rubbed his hand against the back of his neck.
"Yeah I guess you're right."
He took the statement in stride and with the attention of a turtle duck changed the topic of discussion.
"So what do you want to do at the castle? There's training the ostrich horses, teaching the squires, or taking inventory of the treasury."
He rattled off a typical nobleman's position, making a face at the last job. Aang himself would rather be rolling around on his air scooter with the other youths his age than that, but the duty of ruling had fallen to him.
"The kitchens," the scarred man whispered after a brief moment of silence.
The air kingdom was known to be a hub for any wayfarers. Although the Fire Nation people did not travel outside their own borders often, Zuko couldn't risk being recognized by his own kind.
The young king wrinkled his nose in confusion. "Alright, if you're sure…" It was such an odd request!
He pressed his hands together, bowing lowly in the manner of the air monks, "I, Aang, leader of the Air Nomads, promise you safe haven within my borders as long as you don't hurt anyone else. You can also have one favor, anything you ask for and I'll give it to you!"
Zuko clasped a fist against his chest, like his kinsmen did, accepting the boon.
Aang wondered why that looked so familiar.
ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA
"The kitchens?!" an astonished voice squawked out. "Are you kidding me? Look at his hands! He's never seen a rough day's work in his life. They're as white as snow!"
Zuko gave a glare at the dark-skinned water tribesman who was currently ridiculing the man right in front of him. The warrior's brown hair was pulled up into a wolf's tail and a metal boomerang hung loosely on his belt.
"But Sokka!" Aang exclaimed. "I promised him anything he wanted. He saved Appa!"
Sokka slapped an open palm against his forehead. "It doesn't mean that you can give him the keys to the kingdom, Aang. It's bad enough we get so many visitors every day."
The boy in orange robes scuffed some loose pebbles in the courtyard with his foot, "Yeah, but they make the castle feel not so lonely."
The King's steward placed a warm hand on Aang's shoulder in compassion. "I'm sorry. You're right, Aang, and you did always say you wanted to help people from the war."
Not only was the Air Temples destroyed, but they had opened their land to refugees and those who couldn't return home. Aang's generosity was truly a mark of his good heart.
Sokka glanced up at the silent man wondering what this stranger was hiding. His coloring certainly wasn't of the Water Tribe. Perhaps he was a citizen of the Earth Kingdom? Golden eyes though. There was only one nation who possessed those. Maybe he was born of a mixed pairing so often found on the borders. His Fire Nation side might have been shunned, so this stranger sought shelter at the castle.
"Alright, you can work in the kitchen, but I'll be keeping a close eye on you," the warrior cautioned.
The new addition scowled inwardly at the Water Tribesman's threatening tone, but forced out a thank you anyway.
"Hey, what do I call you anyway?" Sokka questioned as he dug into his pouch to pull out a strip of dried meat. He looked upon his find like it was the Holy Grail and lovingly devoured it with ravenous bites.
Aang jumped in, "I tried asking his name, but he wouldn't tell me." The boy straightened with concern, "You're not running away from something that could be a danger to my kingdom are you?" His grey eyes looked piercingly into the taller man's.
"No," Zuko admitted slowly. He could feel the boy's chi flaring, just as powerful as before. He truly was the Avatar.
Technically the man from the Fire Nation had run away, and the only danger that could have followed him was Ozai and Azula. However, the father and daughter pair was safely locked away on Boiling Rock.
Sokka tapped his foot on the ground in thought. "How about I call you 'Piao Shou' due to your delicate hands?"
"Shou it is!" Aang jumped in, ever enthusiastic.
The newly named Shou pinched the bridge of his nose. Heat radiated off the fire bender, unbeknownst to the other two who continued to chatter on.
Pale hands, what a degrading name!
"I saw Hawky this morning. Was he carrying a message?" Sokka adored his beloved messenger hawk, but the feeling was not mutual.
The Air King nodded, "Reports from the South. There's been some strange activity lately."
Sokka frowned. "I haven't heard from my sister in a long time. I wonder if that's why. It's not like the Southern Water Tribe to be late in their reports. Maybe I should visit her."
As Zuko was led off by a green clad Earthbender to his new duties in the kitchen, he wondered if he'd ever find a place in this strange new world.