Shattered
Chapter Twenty-Four
"You can stop pacing now, Prince Zuko." Anko didn't bother looking up from her work as she spoke. She was busy treating a burn on Sokka's arm. "Your Uncle is returning." The Prince halted mid-pace and turned towards the openings in Anko's wall. Sure enough, a short, portly form was making its way into their inner sanctuary.
"Uncle," Zuko said with a mixture of relief and ire, "What took you so long?"
"Well it's a long walk, nephew. And I wanted to make sure Admiral Zhao fully withdrew his men before I headed back."
Anko finished bandaging Sokka's arm. She rose, both Water Tribe siblings standing a little behind her. They were eying the Fire Nation General with a bit of apprehension, but Anko smiled. "I see you found the time to purloin some of my fruit, General Iroh." she said while gesturing towards some suspicious lumps protruding from the man's clothes. "I would have given you some, had you asked."
"Ah, yes, well… I didn't want to be a bother."
"I'm sure that you didn't." Anko muttered dryly.
"Enough with the fruit already! Uncle, tell us what's going on. How did you get Zhao to leave?"
Iroh hid a smile at his nephew's familiar impatience. "Well, you see Prince Zuko, it appears that due to some negligence on the part of a few of Admiral Zhao's men, the Avatar's pet lemur managed to free the Avatar himself." Iroh was instantly surrounded by three eager teenagers.
"Really! Aang escaped?" The Water Tribe girl with the large blue eyes queried.
"Momo did it? Way to go Momo!" her brother exclaimed excitedly.
"Uncle," Zuko's quiet, urgent voice broke through the other two, "Uncle, does this mean…?"
The old man shook his head in mock lament. "I'm afraid so, Prince Zuko. Your mission has been restored." He sighed. "This whole thing has been a terrible tragedy for the Fire Nation, really."
Zuko's eyes lit up. His mission restored? That meant he still had a chance to reclaim his honor, to put his world back to the way it should be. "What are we waiting for? We must leave immediately. The whole Fire Nation is probably searching for him and now Zhao has a head start…"
Iroh held up a hand, "You don't need to worry about Admiral Zhao for a while, Prince Zuko. It appears the Firelord wants an explanation for how things went so wrong. He is not pleased about this turn of events." Iroh fell silent. There was no need for Prince Zuko to know the rest. That Iroh had been unable to persuade the Firelord to give the Prince another, non-Avatar related mission to prove himself. That it had taken days of subtle manipulation to get Ozai to order him to inspect the security at the fortress in which the Avatar had been kept. Or that after the Avatar's subsequent escape, Iroh himself had to face the Firelord's suspicion and wrath. Iroh watched as his nephew smiled, as a gleam of determination lit his eyes. So different from the broken teen that had left the ship a month ago. That made it all worth while.
A slow smile curled Zuko's lips as he imagined Zhao trying to explain this to his Father. It was a very satisfying thought indeed. But it only lasted for a moment. After all, Zuko wasn't exactly on safe ground yet and this did nothing to change that. "Well, there's still no time to waste. I'm going to get my things. Be ready to leave as soon as I get back." The Prince ordered before departing at a trot, fatigue forgotten as his restored hope gave him renewed energy.
"Jerk," Sokka muttered as they watched him go.
"Never mind him, Sokka. Let's go tell Appa. This news will cheer him up." Katara grinned at her brother. They also forgot how tired they were, buoyed by sudden relief and happiness. Their feet flew lightly across the sod as they raced off towards the river, where Appa and Max had been taken.
Anko watched the teens race across her yard. So young, so full of hope. So determined that one way or another, they were going to change the world. Was this the Avatar's true power, to be so inspiring even to his enemies? Or perhaps it was just part of the Avatar's destiny to unite people. She had certainly never imagined that she would one day be peacefully standing next to a man that she had once battled against. Anko tilted her head slightly; after one hundred years of stagnation the world was finally changing and it was the younglings running across her property that would oversee this change. Two were apparently the self-appointed guardians and guides to the young Avatar and one… well Prince Zuko's path and the choices he made would most definitely affect the world. Anko allowed a hint of a smile to touch her lips. This turn of events had certainly been fortuitous for Prince Zuko, suspiciously so. She spared her former adversary a sideways glance.
"The Avatar's lemur must be a most remarkable creature." Anko commented dryly, a tiny smile tweaking up the corner of her mouth. Iroh tucked his hands into his long sleeves. His own mouth hosted a small, private smile. He made no other response, knowing that anything he did or said would be analyzed immediately and most likely accurately by the sharp-witted woman. That was Anko's true gift; the one that had earned her the nickname of "Omashu Fox", the one that had enabled her to face him across battlefields as an equal, the one that allowed her and three teenagers to hold off an Admiral and fifty of his men. Her skills as an earthbender were strong, but her ability to read a situation and all the possible scenarios that arose from it quickly and accurately was rivaled by only a few.
He glanced sideways at the taller woman. Her head was slightly cocked, her gaze distant as she watched the three retreating teenagers. Her left hand was turned so he could not see its back, as it had been, consciously or unconsciously, since his arrival on her farm. Not that it mattered; he already knew what was there. "You know," she said slowly, "we live in interesting times."
His smile widened as he too regarded the younger generation. "Yes, General Anko, we do indeed."
Prince Zuko, toting his bag of belongings, slowed from a trot to a statelier, albeit still rapidly paced walk. He checked to make sure that his sleeve covered the thin scar on his wrist, and then forced himself to stop fussing over it. He wasn't ready to explain that scar to his Uncle, not now, and possibly not ever. He approached the two adults, who were engaged in polite, casual conversation, realizing as he did so that he was probably witnessing something very odd. After all, his Uncle was a retired General and apparently Anko was too. Wouldn't that make them enemies? His Uncle's calm voice, the one that he had missed so much, reached his ears. "You still owe me a rematch, General Anko."
"Of Pai-gow?" Anko chuckled. "I believe the terms of that agreement were that the rematch would take place "if circumstances allow."
Zuko's heart jumped in his chest. A game of Pai-gow could take hours; they had to leave now, before someone else captured the Avatar, before this nightmare could repeat itself. Suddenly he noticed his Uncle was eying him with a sly smile on his face, that the man had deliberately spoken loud enough for him to overhear. He was being teased!
Anko had mercy on him. "Perhaps, someday, circumstances will allow us to have our game. You and your nephew would be welcome guests on my farm anytime." Zuko gave the earthbender a grateful smile as he joined them. He realized with a pang of sudden sadness that this was it. He was leaving and in all likelihood would never return to this small island. His smile faded away. "Well, Prince Zuko," Anko said with a friendly smile, "I cannot truly wish you success in your quest to capture the Avatar. But I do wish both you and your Uncle a safe journey."
Zuko nodded stiffly in reply, swallowing around an unexpected lump in his throat. Words failed him. "Come on, Uncle," he ordered, turning stiff-backed to walk away. Then he paused. "General Anko? …Thank you." Zuko bowed to the woman, a full respectful bow. Iroh quirked an eyebrow skyward. It was a rare spectacle indeed, for his nephew to show that much respect to anyone aside from his family. But then again, he had always considered Anko a person worthy of respect. The woman gave a slight bow in return, her hard features softening as she regarded the Fire Nation Prince. "Safe Journey, Prince Zuko," she repeated. Off in the distance, a loud roar sounded, scaring the birds from the trees. Appa was celebrating in his own way the return of the Avatar.