Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thank you all for the continuing interest and support for this story. Since I haven't got any negative reviews about Ming being off-screen, I'll proceed as I intended originally. We'll get a little bit of notice of her though. Speaking of which, reviews would be very appreciated. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
A Spa in a Fire Nation Colony, Northern Earth Kingdom, 100 AC
Zuko walked among the big cherry trees for what felt like the thousandth time. Memories plagued him and feelings of shame and guilt played unwelcomed additions. Earlier this day he had spent some time with his uncle, but he couldn't stand the man right now. How could he not be worried? How could he just laze around?
And to make matters even worse, today was his anniversary. Three years ago, he had been scarred and banished, separated from his young wife and left out at sea with a tiny war ship and a small crew. They're all dead now. The thought hammered through his head once in a while. Everyone in that fleet was most likely dead, since nearly all the ships were destroyed. He sighed, at least Ming wasn't there. So, she's alive, just out of reach. He took out the pendant she made for him three years ago and brushed his thumb over the dragon motive. The banished prince wondered if she would keep up with her tradition of shaving off her hair. He hoped she didn't, even though it was a symbol for her devotion, he preferred the times when it had been long.
Hopefully they treated her honorably back in the homeland. After all, she hadn't done anything wrong, neither had she been banished. Still there was a doubt in his mind that his father would care enough for his daughter-in-law to provide for her, especially now that her father was dead. For a long moment he closed his eyes and closed his fist around the pendant, whispering, "You have to be alright, please, Qing Qing."
But to get to her he had to catch the Avatar. He wondered how he was supposed to do that, now that his ship and crew were gone. His father wouldn't provide him with a new one, that much was sure. The more time passed, the more difficult everything got. Had he had a clear direction, north, to predict the Avatar on his search for a waterbending master, that was now much more unclear. The Earth Kingdom was vast. The boy could look anywhere for a master.
As he looked up, he saw his uncle heading towards their rooms, a bag that was most likely filled with seashells in hand. Sighing he followed the old man. They greeted each other silently as they continued their way, Iroh smiling happily. When they reached the unlit room, his uncle emptied the bag, that really was full of seashells, on a table and started to examine them in the little bit of light that reached them through the window. "Look at these magnificent shells! I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come."
This was enough for Zuko. He couldn't hold his temper down anymore, "We don't need any more useless things! You forget, we have to carry everything ourselves now!", he raised his voice a bit.
Suddenly they noticed a figure in the shadow. A chilly, yet familiar voice spoke, "Hello brother, Uncle."
Both men froze for a moment. If Zuko thought his day couldn't get worse, he had been wrong. Angrily he took a step towards his sister, "What are you doing here?"
Nonchalantly Azula examined one of the seashells, "In my country, we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions. Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"
Through gritted teeth he replied, "Don't call me that!"
Upset, but much calmer his uncle intervened before anything could escalate, "To what do we owe this honor?"
Azula stood up and walked towards her brother, her voice calm and collected as her demeanor, "Hmm… must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point. I've come with a message from home. Father has changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He has heard of plans to overthrow him, treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust. Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home. Especially now that you're becoming a father yourself.", she paused briefly as her brother just stared at her, shock evident in wide, amber eyes. "Oh, you didn't know? My bad. Congratulations, I guess.", she paused again, Zuko was still not moving an inch, much more annoyed the princess asked, "Did you hear me? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news."
Iroh had been for a moment as silent as his nephew. He thought for a moment if she was lying. Then his mind went back to Ming's health, the discussion they had about it. Thinking about it he wondered how he had been that blind. It would all fit as symptoms of a pregnancy. He wondered if the girl had known herself before they left for the North Pole. Then he noticed his nephew still standing there, not moving, still in shock, so he intervened again, "I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment."
Furiously the princess turned to her uncle, "Don't interrupt, Uncle!", then she continued in her calm tone towards her brother, "I still haven't heard my thank you. I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way."
Still not believing what he had heard Zuko looked at her, "Father regrets? He… wants me back? And Ming…"
"I can see you need time to take this in. I'll come to call on you tomorrow. I hope you won't let your wife down, last time I saw her she missed you very much and from what I've heard, it's not good for a pregnant person to be too stressed. Good evening.", and with that Azula left the two men to themselves.
Zuko let himself fall into the next chair. He ran a hand over his face. If the news about his father came as a surprise, the news about Ming's pregnancy hit him like a wrecking ball. He couldn't believe he should be that lucky, after three years he finally got to go home, have his place at his father's side, his country, his throne, and most importantly, his wife back. And on top of that they were going to have a child. His mind began to circle around that, he could picture Ming smiling at him. She had always wanted kids, and although it may be a bit early, she would be happy about it, no doubt. He wondered if that was what softened his father's heart, if Ming was the very reason he was allowed back home. Ming and the child. Their child. He closed his eyes for a long moment, smiling. Then he abruptly stood up and started to pack his belongings. Happily, he said, "We're going home! After three long years, it's unbelievable!"
Iroh stared out of the window, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "It is unbelievable. I have never known my brother to regret anything."
"Did you listen to Azula? Father has realized how important family is to him! He cares about me! And Ming and I are going to be parents. Maybe it's because of the child that father wants me back… Maybe I should get something for it. Ming must be so happy about this.", he trailed off, thinking about what he could buy for their baby.
His uncle ripped him out of these thoughts, "I care about you, nephew. And if Ozai wants you back, well, I think, it may not be for the reasons you imagine."
Zuko turned his back to his uncle, again, his temper got the better of him, "You don't know how my father feels about me. Especially now. You don't know anything!"
"Zuko, I only meant that in our family, things are not always what they seem.", Iroh tried to reason.
Zuko turned around sharply towards his uncle, angrily he raised his voice, "I think you are exactly what you seem! A lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who's always been jealous of his brother!", and with that he stormed out of the hut.
He continued on his way out of the spa and into the nearby village. Thankfully a few shops were still open, and his mood got better as he thought about his wife and soon to be child. He wondered what he should buy for it. Of course, he thought, it must be something that goes for a boy or a girl, he didn't want to buy a dress and the baby turned out to be a boy. He was still thinking as he reached a promising looking shop selling all kinds of equipment for infants. The owner was just about to close it for the night. Hastily, the banished prince set a foot in the shop. "Excuse me, sir,", he spoke to the elderly merchant, "I know it's late, but I need your help. I'm departing tomorrow morning and well, today I learned that I'm going to be a father, so I thought… "
The older man smiled, "You thought you should get something for the baby, eh? But let me guess, like most men you don't have a clue what to buy.", he raised an eyebrow at Zuko who immediately looked down and nodded silently. The old man let out a short laughter and gestured towards him, "Come on, my young friend, I'm sure, we'll find something."
Zuko spent about half an hour in the shop, being shown a ton of different things that would make a good present, maybe. The shop owner advised him not to take a blanket, which would've been his first guess, "Everyone will send blankets, every friend, colleague and what not. You're someone special to this child, your present should stand out.", he finally set on a small pair of boots, fitted for a child about to learn how to walk. They were of a dark reddish-brown and incredibly soft while also durable and easy to wash. On top of that they were adorned with stitched golden dragons in seemingly very high quality. "If you treat them nicely, they'll not only survive one child but many.", the shop owner told him with a smirk. Of course, they weren't that cheap, but the banished prince had other concerns than money.
Seemingly in high spirits he wandered back to the spa. He would make sure that his child would have the best childhood the world had to offer. At least a way better one than he himself had.
Later that night he dreamt, he knew he did, but it was still close to a possible reality. He found himself clad in a Fire Nation uniform, walking down the hallways of the palace. Next to him walked his father, he listened to him with a rare smile on his face. Their way led them along the side of the royal garden where the turtle-duck pond was. He could make out a little group sitting on one side of it, all clad in red with golden and black details. They walked onto the grass and the group noticed them, three heads turned towards them. He immediately recognized Ming, though she seemed to be older, maybe mid-twenties. A part of her curly black hair was bound up in a topknot with a hairpiece that fit a princess. He saw how her eyes lit up and lost himself in them and in her smile. Until he suddenly was ripped out of it as two things crashed into his legs. He looked down and saw two children grinning up at him, a boy and a girl, both wearing top knots as well, both giggling as they hugged him. "Hi Dad!", they said unisono as he pulled away, getting down on one knee and pulling both of them into one big hug again. He kissed the girl's forehead, she was a bit taller than her brother, making her giggle even more, "Hey there my little dragons.", he said. The little boy slung his arms around his neck and buried his face in his father's armor, murmuring, "I missed you, Dad.". He smiled, "I missed you too, my son.", then he looked to their mother, who sported the widest, happiest smile he had ever seen on her. Only then he noticed that she held an infant in her lap. It had curly hair, but amber eyes, and it already raised its hands towards him. The other kids had noticed it as well and broke away from the hug, "Come on, little sister, show Dad what we thought you.", the elder girl cheered. Chuckling Ming sat the toddler down on the grass. It immediately began to pull itself up into a standing position and Zuko saw that it wore small boots in a dark brownish-red color with golden dragons stitched on it. The little girl looked at her mother with eyes full of wonder and the cutest smile on her little chubby face. Ming laughed and slightly turned the infant around, slow enough that she wouldn't fall over. As the toddler saw him, she squealed delightfully and raised her outstretched arms. His first instinct was to stand up and pick her up in his arms, but he was held back by the elder girl putting her hand on his arm. His eyes grew wide as he saw what happened next. The toddler made first one careful step, then another, and suddenly three or four until she reached him. She almost fell over but stabilized herself on his leg. The little girl looked at him, awaiting praise. Smiling he picked her up and cuddled her, kissing her chubby cheeks which made her giggle and squeal. He stood up, the child still in his arms and held her a bit above his head. The girl looked at him, seemingly wondering what her father was up to, until she began squealing again when he started to throw her into the air a few times. He laughed too at the sight of the toddler throwing her little arms out in the air while the golden sun framed her. It woke him from his dream, the laughter of the infant still in his ears.
The banished prince sat for a moment on the edge of his bed. He held the pendant Ming had made for him three years ago in his hand and whispered to it, "I'm going to be with you soon, Qing Qing.", then he put it back into its place under his clothes. As he dressed himself his gaze fell on the pair of boots, he had bought the other day. Reminding himself that he didn't have much time, he hastily wrapped them in some paper and stored them securely in his clothes as well. Then he picked up his bags and headed towards Azula's docked ship.
As he descended the stone staircase, he heard someone approaching quickly from behind. His uncle's voice called out for him, "Wait! Don't leave without me!"
He turned towards the old man and sat down his bags, smiling at Iroh. Happily, he said, "Uncle! You've changed your mind!", he would never tell him, but he was sure he would've missed the retired general terribly.
"Family sticks together, right?", Iroh said, laying a hand on Zuko's shoulder, "And wouldn't it be a shame if I'm not there to welcome my first grandnephew or niece?"
Zuko's smile widened, "We're finally going home!", he said, before he resumed his descent. Still in a good mood he walked past Azula's guards and onto the ship while Iroh, unbeknownst to his nephew, eyed everything suspiciously.
On top of the ramp stood Zuko's sister, "Brother! Uncle! Welcome! I'm so glad you decided to come.", while the guards closed the way behind them.
The captain asked, "Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?"
"Set our course for home, captain.", Azula replied, still keeping up the show.
Zuko let out a hopeful sigh, "Home.", he couldn't wait to see his country again, his father, his wife.
But his hopeful thoughts were interrupted by the captain's voice, "You heard the princess! Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners home!", a second later he recognized his mistake as the princess staired at him angrily, while the two men reacted surprised, "Your Highness, I…", he stuttered.
But the man was interrupted as Zuko threw the captain off the ship as his uncle attacked the guards to free the ramp. Furiously he approached his sister, "You lied to me!"
Azula however replied smugly, "Like I've never done that before.", two guards moved in between the siblings and started attacking the banished prince. He deflected and charged towards them. He shot several fire blasts at them and then approached his sister, who was calmly standing on deck of the ship, her back turned towards him.
From behind him he heard his uncle call, "Zuko! Let's go!", but he wasn't ready for that yet. Angrily he charged at his sister, fire daggers formed around his hands. She dodged all of his attacks, seemingly with ease and then pushed him away, leaving him panting heavily.
"You know, Father blames Uncle for the loss of the North Pole, him and that idiot of a father-in-law you had. And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar! Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him? Do you really think he's softened by the projection of your little wife's pregnancy? Tell you what, as soon as this baby is born, it'll be ripped from her arms, and I will make sure it's going to learn how to be an obedient tool for its Fire Lord. Trust me, it's going to be better off without either of its parents.", his sister's voice felt like poison dripping through his ears. Angrily he yelled and charged at her again. His temper, no, his anger, his fury empowered every of his movements. He just wanted to strike that face, stop what she had just said from happening. The siblings continued to fight until Azula knocked her brother down a stairwell. As Zuko got up his vision was still slightly blurry, and he had no idea where his sister was. Then he sensed it more than he saw or heard it. There she stood, blue light coming from her fingertips, blue, electric light. She smiled at him as she aimed. He could only stare at the lightning she created. This would be his death, no doubt. For a quick moment his mind raced towards his wife and his unborn child, I'm sorry, he thought, not doubting that it would be his last thought. All Ming had asked for was that he returned, and now he would even fail at that.
Suddenly his uncle jumped in between the siblings. He took Azula's hand just as she was about to strike and redirected the lightning into a far-off cliff side. Then he kicked her off the ship and motioned for his nephew to follow him.
As they passed through the village, Zuko suddenly stopped, earning himself a questioning look from the old man. "Go on, I'll catch up. There's something important I have to do before we go.", and as his uncle raised an eyebrow at him, he added, "Nothing stupid, I promise.", the old man sighed and went on as Zuko headed towards the spa. In the lobby he quickly found the servant that had helped him earlier, "Hey!", he shouted at the young man, "You've got to help me out!", the young man raised one of his eyebrows at him. Zuko took out the small bundle containing the small boots he had previously hidden under his clothing, "Please, you've got to send this home for me. It's really important. I'll pay you well, but please make sure it reaches my wife.", the servant nodded as soon as Zuko showed him about ten gold pieces. Hastily he wrote a small card and bound it onto the package, so, the servant would know to whom he would bring it, "She's most likely somewhere in Caldera, I don't know exactly where. If anyone but her asks, you've not seen me. Understand?", the servant nodded again, and the package went into his sleeve. Relieved Zuko hurried after his uncle. At least now she would know that he knew about their child, and that he cared about both of them. Hopefully.
They ran for quite a while before they stopped at a small riverbank to catch their breaths. Both men fell to the ground, Zuko looked around, "I think we're safe here.", he pulled out a dagger, one that his uncle had gifted him a few years ago. Silently he placed it under his ponytail and with a swift movement, cut it off. Then he offered the knife to his uncle, who took it and also cut his topknot off, before handing the dagger back to his nephew. With a serious expression both men let their cut-off hair fall into the river.
