Chapter Eight: Smoke Lifting From the Ground
The boy, not so unlike the prince, pulled in closer, resting his head lightly on Zuko's chest, taking comfort in the warmth.
"Thanks."
It was undeniable that he was concerned for the other teen's health. Having the tribesman fall ill during their journey would end them both, but there was a different feeling mixed in with the rationalization. But he didn't want Sokka ill. It wasn't the same "wanting" as he experienced in his quest to capture the Avatar; that was a type of desire. It was much closer, the same wanting and, perhaps caring, that he felt for his uncle when the elder was captured by earthbenders.
It was like the kiss. Necessary, he told himself as he had slid his arm around the shivering boy's shoulders, controlling his bending so heat enveloped them both. Yet he was still unsure how to reply, or to reply at all. Wearily, he ground out, "Don't get used to it."
The watertribesman made a noncommittal sound and devolved into soft snores, leaving the prince wide-awake.
Zuko had decided long ago he did not like sleeping people. It was even more unnerving when they dreamt out loud; partially because he believed he, also, might reveal some secret or feeling when he drifted off. Sokka, in particular, mumbled. Not only when he was having an obvious nightmare, but also when he was dreaming regularly. Food seemed to be a regular subject, and in the state of things, Zuko found himself unable to berate the teen for it. He, too, was beginning to feel his insides churn with hunger.
Zuko had decided long ago he didn't like to dream. Dreams weren't real; they were fantasies, which he had no time for. If he had any such dreams, they were rare. Many times it replayed in his head. It had been especially bad when he lay in the infirmary, left eye bandaged.
When his remaining eye closed, all that he saw continued to be a hand closing in. Over and over again. A single hand. And he was reminded; that was all it took to break him, he was no longer his father's son, he was now banished. It hadn't been until his Uncle Iroh found him asleep in a state of distress, weeks after, that he received help. Iroh taught him to clear his mind. Meditate. And every night, before bed, he did so. And every morning he awoke, feeling as if he'd recently closed his eyes. The feeling itself was cheated, as if he was missing something from the night before. But, it was better than waking in cold sweat.
Zuko blinked the wave of weariness back. This night, while lying under the pine tree, he hadn't cleared his mind. He couldn't, and thus, he refused to let himself sleep. So, he lay on his side and closed his eyes, keeping his mind alert.
Sokka muttered something about his mother and Zuko pulled him in closer, trying to concentrate on the sound of the other boy's breathing.
It was easy to admit that the tribesman had been the closest the prince had ever gotten to someone his age. This made it particularly difficult for the both of them. Interaction was stressed and often they found themselves walking in an awkward silence, the blue-clad teen throwing thoughts and comments about randomly.
Of course, the Idiot had to come up with someway to break the routine. This distraction came in the form of a bath, if it could be called a "bath".
Zuko had been hesitant to agree. The gritting dirt and sand in his clothes and tangles in his hair were persuasive, but he was uncomfortable with stripping down in front of the other boy. It wasn't his body. He had, many times, been dressed and undressed by servants both men and women. It was what was on his body that sent a wave of uncertainty through him.
He complied in the end. It was only fair; Sokka had gone through his ordeal at the waterfall. Zuko supposed it was his turn.
Standing in a state of undress in front of a would-be enemy. Zuko snorted at the scene in retrospection; he would have never imagined it happening to him. Ever. The feeling of exposure was overwhelming; each boy could see each other in true form, no armor, no parka. Of course, the Idiot had to stare and build the feeling.
Zuko had found himself staring back, taking in the other boy's body. Bruised ribs, smooth stomach… They were built faintly similar but years of training had sculpted Zuko, whereas Sokka was beginning to grow into his post pubescent body. It surprised him that they were nearly the same height. He wasn't sure who was taller, but had always felt he was. Zuko was beginning to doubt it.
Zuko opened his eyes suddenly and shook the sleep from his head. Taking a deep breath he turned his thoughts back to the lake and Sokka's eyes, staring at him with an unreadable look. The look was intense, and it frightened the prince. It wasn't so much the look that he found unnerving; it was what he wanted from the look.
Acceptance.
It was what he always wanted. Acceptance from his father. Acceptance, in the form of understanding, from his uncle and crew. Now, acceptance from a weaker being - a tribesman nonetheless.
And, to his own surprise, Zuko found himself defending the tribesman, rationalizing that he had been the one who'd help avoid the firebenders, more than once. He had shown courage and, even, honor during the escape. But most of all, he was a human - like the prince - and he was another victim…
It was hard to challenge previous ideals unless thrown face-to-face with them and forced to make a decision. Like he had told Sokka in the lake, he was unsure of what to do after he got his ship. Would they make it to the port unharmed? What of the poison? How many of his men were alive - if any at all?
Zuko closed his eyes tight and concentrated on serenity. A small fire, like the lit wick of a candle, burned in his mind. He watched it flicker, flare, die, and grow hoping to find answers in the element that was once everything to him…
The sound of birds woke him. Feeling resigned, Zuko opened his eyes and stared into the golden-tinted forest just above Sokka's head. He blinked a few times as the foliage of the pines came into view, bathed yellow in the morning light. Morning, Zuko's mind repeated groggily. Another morning. It took him several moments to realize that he was pressed up against Sokka. Quickly, he let go of the other teen, shifting himself into a sitting position.
Above them a bird lifted off a branch, showering both boys with dew and collected rain. Zuko glared into the trees and, next to him, Sokka lifted himself up forcefully.
"Time already?" Sokka asked blearily, rubbing his eyes. "Do we have to move?"
"Might as well," Zuko said without hiding the sigh in his voice. He leaned over to his left, intending to push off with that arm, but a stabbing pain stopped him. He sat back down and winced, pulling his bandaged arm into his lap.
"You okay?" Sokka asked and stayed seated on his knees. Zuko gave his comment an aggravated look, to which Sokka replied, "Right, sorry. Stupid question."
"I think I need to check it," Zuko said and attempted to undo the gauze.
The process proved to be tedious as his right wrist pulled Sokka's wrist along. Finally, after the first few binds, Sokka sighed and reached for the bandaging. "Let me do it."
Zuko dropped his hands warily at the insistent look in the other teen's eyes. He knew the tribesman wouldn't dare hurt him - he was nearly sure the tribesman was afraid of hurting him in any way. This, Zuko knew was a terrible weakness and his devious side urged him to use the newfound trust against the other boy.
Having his right hand freed, Sokka worked quickly, able to unravel the material around the prince's arm and wrist. Setting the gauze and splints aside he examined the arm, making a dismayed face at he green-hued bruise where the break was assumed to be. Tentatively he looked at Zuko, as if asking for permission to check the break.
The prince nodded.
Round-ended fingers ran across pale skin. Zuko ignored the familiar touch, only shivering when Sokka stopped and applied light pressure to the discolored area. Immediately responding to Zuko's reaction, Sokka drew his hand away, muttering, "Sorry."
"I'm not an expert at this," Sokka said quickly. "But I don't think the bones are misaligned. Do you want me to tie it back up?"
"Sure."
Zuko stayed uncomfortably still as Sokka laid the splints, one on the top of his arm and another at the bottom, and began to wrap the gauze in spirals around them. He did not like accepting help from the tribesman. His debt to the boy was beginning to grow and he wasn't sure how to repay it - or whether to repay it at all.
It was much more complicated than right and wrong. There was more than one answer and opinions to match.
Zuko cursed life for being so complicated.
They followed no particular trail, but Zuko was worried about their footprints in the drying mud. Sokka hoped it would rain again that night. Large billowing clouds were gathering from the east. Sokka watched them constantly out of the corner of his eye. Reaching toward a high moon peach branch, he could see just how big the storm coming might be.
"Here." He tossed a moon peach to the prince, who caught it with his left hand and winced.
Sokka wondered how much the prince really hurt. Judging from the bruises, the other teen wasn't letting on how bad his injuries were. It was impressive, Sokka admitted, that Zuko had not ever asked for a break or showed great pain during their hikes. Sokka also figured it was alright to be impressed by the prince; he was accomplished for is age.
A thin smile spread over his lips. If Katara could see him now… Sharing breakfast with a firebender. Biting into the peach, he pondered on his friends, wondering just where the hell they were. North Pole probably. Where they should be.
He looked over at his silent companion and their eyes locked. Raising a discrete eyebrow, Zuko asked, "What?"
"Nothing. Just thinking about my sister," Sokka said, turning back to the path, making sure to walk along the roots and not in the mud. "She would never believe this… I mean, you and me. Not killing each other."
"Oh." It was a common response to one of Sokka's many comments. The tribesman interpreted it as "whatever"; it usually was thrown at him when his comment or opinion wasn't wanted.
"I have a sister, too," Zuko said after throwing the peach seed into the undergrowth.
"Really?" Sokka wasn't sure where the conversation was going. The prince seldom voluntarily revealed anything about his family life. "Younger or older?"
"Younger, about your age, actually," Zuko said and steadied himself on a root. His eyes were fixed on the path. "Her name Azula."
"Sounds pretty," Sokka said and Zuko gave a dry laugh in response. Sokka, surprised, nearly tripped. "What? Is she horrendously ugly or something?"
"Quite the contrary," Zuko said. "She's considered beautiful, but it's skin deep."
"Oh. A real bitch, huh?"
"That's one way to put it."
Sokka smiled. It was weird speaking openly to the prince like this. It was almost normal, like he was talking to another villager or even a quieter, more secretive version of Aang. Still, hoping the prince would continue, he asked, "What's she done anyway?"
This time Zuko met his eyes and held the gaze. "To put it lightly, she's sadistic. Powerful. Evil. And always lies. She… she hates me." The last words were a bit slurred as Zuko missed a step and slipped. Half a footprint landed in mud between the roots and Zuko smeared it with the toe of his boot.
"Shit. That's pretty messed up." Sokka wasn't sure what to say. His family, although divided by geographical barriers and mortality, had always been loving and supportive. He could hardly imagine hating Katara or her hating him. "Why does she…? I mean, if it's okay for me to ask."
"It's fine," Zuko said and continued with his eyes on the path. It seemed to be easier to talk that way. "Without my banishment, she would never become what she's always wanted to be - Queen of the Fire Nation." Sokka noticed the prince's head drop a fraction as he continued. "She hates me for being older, being the heir, being weaker than her and hating her back… it's a fucking mess. But now that I'm banished, she can take the throne after our father relinquishes it - whether it be resignation or death.
"When we were young, she'd always tell me I would be ignored in compariosn to her - the rightful heir." The dry laugh came again and Sokka stayed quiet. "In the end I guess the problem solved itself: I was banished after all. I'm the forgotten one, now."
The silence gnawed away at Sokka and he found himself staring at the ground also. "So that's why you've been chasing us? To save your throne."
"The task was assigned to me after banishment," Zuko said. "If I successfully capture the Avatar, then I regain my honor, throne, and nation. So, yes, to save my throne… even if it is selfish."
"It's not," Sokka said abruptly. "Not when you look at it from your point of view. It's just that, well, the Avatar is supposed to help the entire world, not just one nation."
"Helping the Fire Nation would help the world… Eventually, my father will harness the power of Sozen's comet. Not even the Avatar could stop him." Zuko's monotonous voice turned suddenly bitter. "If I am able to regain the throne, I could rule after my father, rebuild what he destroys. It's all I can hope for if the Avatar does not defeat him."
"So you'll spend your life cleaning up your father's mess?" Sokka asked incredulously. "What's selfish is assuming that the fate of your nation, or the world, is only on your shoulders. What happens if your father decides he likes your sister better? It'll all be in vain and you'd probably be dead."
Zuko's eyes had taken on a tempered look when they met Sokka's. "What about the Avatar? He's had a hundred years and all he can do is airbend! By next summer's end, my father will be all-powerful. If the Avatar does fight him, it will be ridiculous! Like fighting a fly."
"Aang's already getting the hang of water," Sokka said defensively. "He'll definitely master earth and fire by the end of the summer."
"And I suppose you'll be the one to teach him?"
"No," Sokka said and hopped onto a far-reaching root. "We're going to the North Pole to find him a teach… Oh shit!" Sokka slipped forward, but a quick tug at the wrist pulled his back. He landed gracelessly, his behind painfully resting on an old tree trunk.
"Ouch." He dusted himself off and the prince pulled him up by the wrist.
"Good luck finding someone to teach him firebending," the prince said with a thin smirk. "Not many of my people will be willing to disobey Lord Ozai."
"Just like you, eh?" Sokka said daringly. "You don't dare disobey your father, either, do you?"
"I did once," Zuko said darkly, glaring at Sokka. "Look where it got me! Trudging through earthbender forests with some water monkey."
Sokka felt a streak of hot anger shoot through him. "Oh, yeah? What did you do anyway? Tell him the uniforms were tacky?"
"No," Zuko said in a forced voice. He moved more quickly, and Sokka was pulled forward. "I disagreed with a general's decision at my first war council. Since the general's orders were taken directly from my father, I was challenging his will. It was terribly disrespectful."
"Really," Sokka said in an unconvinced voice. "What was the order?"
"Do you remember Heika, from Zhao's ship?"
"Yeah."
"Do you remember what he said when he first met me?"
"Yeah. Two hundred something… pretty kiss ass, if you ask me."
"Well, I'm not asking for your opinion," Zuko said in the same restrained voice. "The general was ordered to send a battalion of two hundred new recruits straight into brutal earthbenders lines as a distraction. 'Fresh meat', he called them. It was suicide. I objected."
"But it happened anyway?" Sokka said in a quieter voice and dropped his head a bit. "Didn't it."
"Yes. And I was banished. I guess my efforts were for nothing." Zuko's voice had taken on the bitter chip.
"Not necessarily." Sokka shrugged. "You've got supporters; they helped us escape. Without them we would be back in that cell."
"Without me, we would never have been in that cell," Zuko said darkly. His eyes following the gnarled roots into the dimmer part of the forest.
Sokka considered the thought for a moment and found himself agreeing. "Hm. That is true. But, now that you're not with the Fire Nation you could do some real good." Sokka quickly wracked his brain as Zuko gave him a skeptical look. "Like, uh… teach Aang to firebend! You've got it mastered pretty much, don't you?"
"That's laughable," Zuko said coldly and turned away. "Even if I don't legally hold allegiance with the Fire Nation, that doesn't mean I'm ready to jump ship. I'm still loyal."
"To your father or your people?" Sokka asked, a plan forming in his mind.
"Both," Zuko said with narrowed eyes. "Is there a difference?"
"The people make a nation, the leader runs it, who's more important?" There was a twinge of hope that maybe; perhaps, in some crazy way Zuko would agree. Maybe, he didn't have to go back to being the prince's enemy.
"Both."
Sokka sighed exasperatedly and covered his face, "Could your nation function without your people? No? Could it function without your father? Yes. So, you tell me: who's more important?"
"What's your point?"
"Who are you more loyal to? Your people, right?" Zuko nodded. "Then why not do them a favor and help out Aang? It would stop the war and get your throne back. Think about it."
"I have," Zuko said slowly. "But if I leave my people now, they won't accept me back, even if I force my way onto the thrown. Honor. Allegiance. Dignity. I would never be respected. It's no way to rule."
"But you would be respected by some," Sokka said. "People like Heika and the other nations. Even the Earth Kingdom."
Zuko suddenly stopped walking and tilted his head toward Sokka. His lips curled in what could have been a wistful half-smiled and Sokka nearly stopped in his tracks. He'd never seen that expression; topaz eyes were half-lidded and lips pulled back at the left side slightly. There was a sad hoping in the eyes and a forced smirk in his lips, as if to say: I really, really wish, but…
"You make it sound so easy," Zuko said softly. "As if all I have to do is join you, help the Avatar, help defeat my father, and be unconditionally welcomed back into my nation."
Sokka held the gaze. "Would you? If it were all that easy?"
Sokka watched the prince hesitate. His lips formed a half oval answer before he turned his head away and sighed. Looking up with the same wistful eyes he opened his mouth, but stopped, his eyes becoming wide with shock. The only word that escaped him was, "Sokka…!" before everything went dark.
If there had been enough time, Sokka wondered sometime later, in a dream he wouldn't remember, would he have said yes?
Sokka was sure he would have. He knew he would have.
---
Zuko was beginning to tire of waking to groggy aches and blurry, unfamiliar surroundings. He was sitting on the ground, hands bond behind him, onto a pole or tree of some kind. His left hand was laid over his right, preventing any bending. The prince shook his head and, like all the times before, the environment became painfully clear. This time, though, it consisted of two large green tents in the middle of a meadow bearing the Earth Kingdom insignia. There were chattering voices and someone shouted. Still unsteady, Zuko looked to his right, expecting Sokka to be lying unconscious next to him; but it wasn't so.
"Sokka?" the name slipped out before he could stop and he looked around for the other teen.
"Right here." The reply came from somewhere behind him and Zuko craned his neck against the pole to catch a glimpse of blue cloth.
Sokka was bound to a second pole, yards away from the prince. Zuko was able to catch a fleeting image of his back and shoulders before the muscles in his neck ached and he turned back to face the green tents.
"Where are the guards?" Zuko asked. The situation was all too familiar.
"They ran off to the shout," Sokka said and the sound of his struggling against the bonds was apparent. He sighed, defeated, and asked, "What's going to happen to us?"
"You'll most likely be tried as a Fire Nation spy," Zuko said and watched the tents ruffle in the wind. "If you're not sentenced to death, you should be able to choose between a life-long sentence of hard labor or joining the infantry without the ability to rise in rank." Then, as an after thought, he added, "If you want to live choose hard labor. In battle the Earth Nation infantry has the highest mortality rate."
There was a pause. "And you?"
"I'll be taken to Bai Sing Sei and sentenced to death." It wasn't as if he could hide the infamous scar and, although he had never participated in any famous battles, he was once the heir to the Fire Nation throne and still carried royal blood. Besides, the Bai Sing Sei bastards would probably find it amusing to send the Fire Lord his son's heart, Zuko scoffed.
"We're going to escape, right?" Sokka voice was quiet, but there was a deep yearning in it. He cared for both their safety.
"I don't know." Zuko tested his bonds. "I don't think I can get out."
"You can get me out," Sokka said. "I've been thinking about it for a while - if you could just set fire to the ropes on my wrists I could be able to break them."
"That's insane," Zuko hissed back, his eyes narrowed. "Judging by the thickness of these ropes it would take to long to burn. You'd be in excruciating pain."
"I could handle it," Sokka said frowning on Zuko's skepticism. "Besides, why should you care about my health?"
It was a fair question, Zuko thought. He didn't want to injure the other boy; it wasn't logical considering they still had to reach the port. And, like the stormy night, he felt the same caring for the darker teen.
"You're still my prisoner," Zuko said quickly, too quickly. "Besides, your screams would alert the guards before you could untie me. There will be other opportunities, just be ready."
Sokka made a sound that could have been a cough and Zuko, glancing painfully back at him, saw the other boy nod. Zuko also saw, past Sokka's shoulders, a group of Earth Kingdom soldiers moving toward them. They were led by an older man with a gray streaked beard. This man, Zuko assumed, was the captain or lieutenant in charge of the patrol. As he watched, three of the soldiers broke away, carrying another. They hurried to the farthest tent and disappeared.
"Well, well, well…" the older man was circling Sokka and staring at him with contempt. "A Water Tribe boy…" His footfalls grew louder and he approached Zuko from the right. Leaning over in a snide fashion, he smiled, "And the Fire Nation's banished Prince."
Zuko silently glowered, asking calmly, "We're quite aware of who we are. Why don't you introduce yourself?"
"Just as uncouth as the rumors say," the man said and leaned back, looking down on the prince. "Very well then, I am captain Yan Shi, Earth Kingdom guard, stationed at Bei Bian City."
"You know I am no longer of the Fire Nation. Arrest of an impartial citizen is illegal." Zuko knew it was a long shot. There wasn't much of a chance the other man would believe him - the former Fire Prince - wasn't in some way loyal to the Fire Nation. It was a chance, even if it was a lie.
Yan Shi laughed and threw his head back, hands finding his sides. "You? The prince?" He asked with a wider smirk. "And a citizen of what, may I ask? That little ship you sail around on? Ha!"
Zuko gritted his teeth, the man's laugh irking him. His right hand was beginning to spark, stinging his left. Quickly, he exhaled through his teeth, dark smoke escaping from the corner of his mouth. The captain found this amusing and widened his smirk further, placing a hand to his chin.
"Oh dear, I seem to have struck a nerve," Yan Shi mocked.
"Can you just shut up and get to the point?" Zuko asked, gritting his teeth.
"'The point?' The point would have to be: What are you doing in this forest?" Then, as an after thought he added, "Not that it will matter much. My commander will be just as glad to receive you, reasons aside. There was a particularly bad raid last year in Bei Bian and his son was killed. There hasn't been much retribution, but the Fire Lord's son should do fine."
Sokka suddenly snorted and laughed causing both Zuko and the captain to look over at him with surprise. Zuko felt the ground beneath his feet shake as the captain huffed and clenched his fists. Raising his hands, palms upward, the captain caused the poles to rise, pulling both boys to their feet. Then, with a look of deep derision, Yan Shi stomped on the ground once, spinning the pole Sokka was attached to around and pulling him up, next to Zuko.
"And, you," Yan Shi said. "Is there something you find amusing, boy?"
"Yeah," Sokka said, glaring at he older man. "You think you're so righteous, being from the Earth Kingdom and all, but you're no better than the Fire Nation!"
Zuko was surprised by the outburst, but it was true. In war, men were made into beasts, no matter which side they were on. The captain didn't seem to be pleased by the accusation. His brows furrowed and fists clenched and unclenched.
"You're far from home, tribesman," Yan Shi said in a forcedly calm voice. "Care to explain what adventures you and the prince were seeking in the woods?"
Zuko watched Sokka's face contort at the innuendo, and then, oddly, flush. Sokka glared back the best he could, but Zuko decided the tribesman had said his part and cut his oncoming defense off, "We were captured by the Commander Zhao in a raid approximately five days ago. Needless to say, we escaped."
"Fire Nation fugitives, I see." The captain pulled at his beard and looked upward. "That raid… yes, I heard about it. Disgraceful really." His eyes drifted back toward Zuko's and gazes locked. "What I can't understand is why you would run - "
"Sir!" a young ensign, judging from the used uniform, came running up to Yan Shi. Immediately he stopped and saluted the captain.
"Yes, yes," Yan Shi spat, irritated that his banter had been interrupted. "What is it?"
"The private bitten by the viper, sir, he's dying. He wishes to speak to you."
Zuko had not taken time to look closely at the soldiers who were standing near the opening to the farthest tent. They were young, new recruits form the city, probably. He doubted any of them besides the captain had much experience in the wooded terrain. The prince realized then, what had caused the scream he had awoken to.
Yan Shi's snort of distaste interrupted Zuko's thoughts. The captain shook his head and sighed. "Yes. Yes, I'll see the silly boy," he said resignedly.
"It must be terribly humiliating," Zuko said as the captain and recruit turned away. "Spending your days training fresh meat." The last words were borrowed, but it was indeed what the recruits were. Especially if they were to run into Zhao's men.
The captain turned around and eyed Zuko warily. The prince was aware of all the eyes on him. The ensign was nervous, his eyes drifting to Zuko's scar and then away continually, his fingers tapping a jade-encrusted dagger at his belt in an unsteady rhythm. Sokka was apprehensive, as if holding his breath.
"What do you want now?" The captain asked suspiciously.
Pressing his lips together, the prince said simply, "I need to take a leek."
Sokka's face fell.
The captain slapped his face and sighed into his palm. With a wave of his hand, the pole securing Zuko was pulled into the ground, leaving the prince swaying. To the ensign he said, "You take care of this."
"Yes, sir!" The younger man didn't seem to happy with his new task, but proceeded to grab the prince by the shoulder and pull him toward the edge of the clearing.
It was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Zuko stopped and felt the ensign bump into him, accidentally. His free fingers caught the handle of the dagger as his knee rose followed by his leg, which shot out behind him in a perfect back kick to the soldier's stomach. The ensign crumbled and the dagger was twisted upward to cut at the knots.
There was shout of surprise seconds after the ensign hit the ground and Zuko heard the other men from the tent running toward him. He felt the rope slip from his wrists and turned toward his companion. Quickly he turned and sprinted the few yards to Sokka's side where he undid the knot with ease.
Sokka faced him, and in the split second it took for them to lock eyes there was a moment of thanks.
There was no need for words, both boys turned, sprinting toward the trees, where they could avoid the soldiers.
Zuko looked back, catching a brief glimpse of the captain's outraged face and the other faceless soldiers before the ground beneath his feet dropped. A surprised yelp escaped his lips as he felt himself plummeting into the crevasse one of the soldiers had created. As suddenly as it had all come, Sokka caught his upper arm and in a great burst of strength, pulled him up.
The prince scrambled to his feet and kept running, Sokka's hand now on his right wrist, near the hand that held the dagger.
And then it happened. Zuko felt himself collide with the wall of earth and the stones and roots scrap his unmarred cheek. Sokka's hand left his wrist and went to the blue-clad teen's chest, as he coughed and looked at Zuko with worried eyes.
The wall rose around them and, seemingly, into the sky. Around them, two more walls had appeared, closing them in. The earthbenders were closing in and Zuko counted the captain among the four. There was sense of utter panic as the men drew closer, so that he could see their faces and the displeased captain's face.
"There's nowhere to go, firebender," the captain said darkly, and slightly out of breath. But, Zuko knew he was wrong.
He grabbed Sokka at the left shoulder and caught a handful of blue cloth at the tribesman's waist. There was a look of surprise in the large blue eyes as Zuko spun the other boy, fast enough to break his balance, and let him go, sending him flying toward the mocking captain. Sokka's face was wide with confusion as he collided with the captain, sending the man sprawling back, into the other soldiers.
Zuko moved quickly, choosing to ignore his throbbing arm. As the earthbenders shouted in surprise, he reached the end of one wall and turned on the ball of his foot. The sprint continued alone and he reached the forest within seconds. And, despite the insatiable urge to run, his mind repeated over and over: we were so close almost moments ago.
He stumbled, crashing into the undergrowth, the meadow disappearing behind him along with the dying sun's light. The walls crashed down and he didn't listen to the shouts echoing from the sunny meadow. Instead, he concentrated on the sound of his rapid heart and a small candle in the dark. Nothing that reminded him of the fault he'd committed and, most of all, he didn't dare look back.
To Be Continued In…
Chapter Nine: Mirror Stares Back Hard
Zuko contemplates re-rescuing. Firebenders complicate the choice. And, yet, all hope is not lost.
[edited 03.15.2009]