There was warmth. As Zuko rubbed his eyes, he smiled. It had been a bizarre dream and uncomfortable. Sitting up in bed, he stretched and looked around his room.
And found the metal walls.
There was no fear this time, only numb confusion. Either he had finally succumbed to the madness that seemed inherent in Sozin's line or else he had been cursed.
Zuko had no idea what he could even do next. If he acted as if this was all real, it didn't change the fact that he was a stranger here. His cousin Lu Ten was dead, his uncle retired to Ba Sing Se, and this trip had already happened in a vastly different way.
Zuko's heartbeat paused for a terrified moment.
Was Aang at the village?
He had no way of knowing how much was different and how much he should already know. Even worse, Zuko didn't know what would happen when the people of this timeline found out he didn't belong.
The door to his cabin opened and Zuko jumped. His heartbeat had returned and was fluttering wildly in his chest. He tried to still himself as his cousin stepped through the raised doorway.
"Are you feeling okay?" Lu Ten asked, hesitating just inside the room.
"What are we doing here?" Zuko blurted. He was too anxious to plan but mindful enough to realize his misstep. Luckily, Lu Ten just shook his head and laughed.
"Is the cold getting to you finally? I want to remind you that you begged Father to let you come on this expedition." He replied and shut the door. "Don't worry, we won't be staying long."
"I guess I just don't understand." Zuko mumbled.
"Are you sure you're not fevered? The cold causes our inner fire to go a little crazy." Lu Ten said and walked over. He held out a hand to check and Zuko swatted it away, not wanting this man to touch him. Lu Ten just shrugged and leaned against the wall next to his bed.
"I get it, being out of the palace is a scary thing. But trust me, this will be an easy trip. We already know there's a Waterbender here, and we have the letter from their King in the North. There won't be any trouble." He explained.
A sucking void opened up suddenly under Zuko's stomach and he found himself speechless.
They had come for Katara.
"Someone on the crew has found a wreck of an old ship. We're going to check it out and then head to the village." Lu Ten said before tapping against the wall as he pushed away. "You should get dressed and head up to the deck if you want to disembark."
Zuko only nodded and watched as Lu Ten walked back to the door, opened it, and stepped out. When the door shut behind him, Zuko shoved a fist to his mouth to keep from vomiting. Focusing on his breathing, he waited till the urge passed and then swung his legs out of bed.
He had to gather more information.
Iroh was Fire Lord, which meant Azulon was dead or incapacitated. Lu Ten had not died during the Siege of Ba Sing Se, but Zuko didn't know if that had even happened in this timeline. He had not faced his father in an Agni Kai and they were not hunting for the Avatar. But there were still many things, many vitally important things, that he still didn't know.
Most pressing was why they were looking for a Waterbender.
Zuko dressed more appropriately. Lu Ten had used the term expedition and something about a king, so he assumed it was to be more formal. When he went to tie up his hair, Zuko found his reflection to be jarring, and couldn't make eye contact. He felt like an unwilling thief, and wanted to be rid of this body.
Looking up at the face, almost coquettishly, Zuko once again touched at the unbroken skin around his eye.
He had no idea what it all meant. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.