"Zuko!" Iroh called out to his nephew, pushing his way through the underbrush. "Look what i've found-"
He broke off, noticing how solemn his nephew was. Zuko sat beside a large tree, knees pulled into his chest, wings wrapped around himself. For once, he didn't seem to notice them.
Iroh shuffled over to Zuko, pulling his robes tighter around himself. He sat down next to him, setting down the flower that he'd found.
"Ah, I know why you're so upset. It's the anniversary, isn't it?" Iroh asked, wrapping his arm around Zuko's shoulder.
"Yeah," Zuko replied, not even bothering to pull away from his uncle. He simply sat there, staring at his feet.
"Three years, then, since you've begun your search for the Avatar," Iroh continued. Zuko scoffed, narrowing his eyes.
"Not like it matters anymore," Zuko said bitterly. Iroh's brow furrowed.
"What-"
"I'm a freak!" Zuko snapped, his wings flaring open with his burst of anger. "I can never go home-I can't even go into town, Uncle," Zuko cried, his voice raw. He turned his gaze to Iroh. It was full of pain, full of sorrow.
"I can never regain my honor now. Even if I were to capture the Avatar-I can never go home," Zuko stared down at the dirt before him. He was silent for a moment, before his wings curled tighter around him.
"Zuko-" Iroh began, sighing, only to be cut off by his nephew's shaky voice.
"I've spent the past three years trying to kidnap a kid, Uncle," he said, his voice cracking. "I thought he was some sort of godlike being-but he's just a kid."
It felt like that realization was just hitting him.
"He left me to die," Zuko whispered, his vulnerable gaze meeting Iroh's concerned eyes. "What did I have to put a kid through to get him to leave me to die in the snow? Surely there can't be honor in that."
Iroh sighed. "So what is it that you wish to do?"
Zuko huffed. "I don't know," he scoffed. "But I'm sick of hunting him. What's the point, anymore?" he laughed bitterly. His chest felt tight.
It was just one more blow, one more thing added on to the wrongness of the situation. For years, he'd been hunting the Avatar, he'd been trying to regain his honor. Now, in one fell swoop, with whatever that spirit had done to him, all of that was swept aside.
That wasn't how it was supposed to be.
"Then it is time to rest. A man needs his rest."
Iroh sighed, perusing through the shelf of tea in the small shop. He frowned-the selection was small, and he hadn't quite found what he was looking for, so instead he selected a small pouch of jasmine tea.
He walked up to the counter, and quietly paid for the tea. He thanked the shopkeeper, then left the building. Humming softly, he proceeded up a large hill, in the direction of the forest where his nephew was, well, sulking.
While he would much rather be taking up residence in one of the village's small hotels, he knew that it would be unwise to bring Zuko into the town. Even his nephew had realized that. If they weren't chased out with torches and pitchforks the moment Zuko stepped foot into town, they would still be subject to unwanted scrutiny.
As he approached the summit of the hill, Iroh turned to appreciate the view of the little ocean-side town. It was remarkable, seeing it from above.
However, a dark shape on the horizon caught his eye. He squinted-and realized, with a start, that it was an approaching Fire Nation ship.
Iroh glanced back at the forest and sighed. Zuko would want to know what was going on. He sighed again, shutting his eyes briefly, savoring the setting sun for just a moment before heading back down the path into the city.
The sun was just slipping from the sky by the time Iroh reached the dock. He patiently waited at the end of the dock, waiting to greet whatever Fire Nation official exited the boat.
He was not expecting his niece, Princess Azula, to stride elegantly down the gangplank, smirking. He smiled kindly at her, hiding his surprise.
"Well, if it isn't my dearest Uncle," Azula drawled, glancing at her nails. She gazed down at Iroh, her expression unreadable. "You've become quite the hard one to find."
"As I'm sure you're aware, I have fallen upon some unfortunate times."
"You do look...worse for wear," Azula said somewhat disgustedly, glancing at him up and down. She sighed, crossing her arms.
"Where's my brother?" she asked impatiently. Iroh remained silent, prompting Azula to sigh exasperatedly. "Father wants him home. He...regrets banishing Zuko. Family has become all important to him, amid threats of assasination. He needs people around him that he can trust.
Iroh's eyes narrowed. That very much did not sound like Ozai. His brother was ruthless, merciless. He had no regrets.
Instead of voicing these concerns he simply smiled at his niece. "Zuko is currently...incapacitated."
Azula's eyes narrowed. "Zuzu's hurt?" she inquired. Her voice was full of concern, but her eyes were sharp and mocking. Iroh's eyes narrowed slightly. Azula hummed slightly, placing one hand on her hip and letting the other one fall to her side.
"Well, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if my personal guards and I accompanied you to your lodgings? They can carry Zuzu back to the ship, and we can set off for the capitol immediately, where my brother can receive the best of care."
Iroh nodded slowly. He turned away, then glanced over his shoulder, suspicious.
It was a good thing that he did-otherwise, he wouldn't have seen the bolt of lightning headed straight towards him.
Iroh whirled around, expertly catching the lightning and redirecting it at Azula's ship. It hit the deck with a clap of thunder, sending men scrambling away in every direction.
Azula glanced back at her ship-and in that instant, Iroh took off running. He whirled around a corner and down a side street, nearly running into a cart of cabbages.
"After him!" Azula yelled commandingly. "Capture the traitors!"
Iroh glanced behind himself, only to see a horde of soldiers on his tail. He shot a massive blast of flame at the cabbage cart, knocking it over and spilling the now-burning cabbages across the road.
The cabbage merchant let out a wail, curling into a ball and clutching his head with his hands. The soldiers, on the other hand, skidded to a stop at the edge of the spilled, burning cabbages. Iroh continued to run, weaving through the streets and eventually, into the forest.
He burst into the clearing where Zuko was sitting, lost in thought, likely still agonizing over the Avatar. At the sight of his panting, gasping uncle, he sprung to his feet, his eyes narrowing.
"Uncle, what's-"
"It appears," Iroh began, between breaths, "that your sister has come to arrest us."
Zuko froze. "Azula? But why-" he broke off, at a loss for words.
Iroh looked down at his feet. "I fear it may have to do with the Fire Nation's loss at the North Pole. I did everything in my power to thwart Zhao's plot to kill the moon spirit. When even that was not enough, I guided the spirit's counterpart to her destiny. I am quite responsible for our nation's defeat; she must suspect that you aided me in this."
Zuko gritted his teeth angrily. "So what do we do?"
"I-" Iroh began, only to be cut off as a large Fire Nation soldier burst out of the forest, tackling the older man. Iroh let out a grunt as he was pinned to the ground. Zuko froze, startled.
The soldier looked around the clearing. His gaze swept past Zuko, as if the teen wasn't even there. He looked down at the pinned Iroh, scowling.
"Who were you talking to, old man?" the soldier growled. Iroh stilled, his efforts to throw the man off of his back forgotten.
"My nephew!" he said, gesturing at Zuko with his chin. The guard looked up, and Zuko slid into a fighting stance.
But the soldier didn't seem to notice.
"There's no one there, you stupid old man," the soldier snarled, hoisting Iroh to his feet. "Now come on, let's-"
Zuko darted around the man and grabbed him by the helmet, hands aflame. The man let out a tortured cry as Zuko yanked him backwards, pulling him off of his uncle. The metal began to melt in Zuko's hands, and he let go, wincing. The soldier fell to the ground, cradling his head.
Iroh stumbled away from the fallen soldier, looking a little surprised. He glanced over at Zuko, meeting his nephew's narrow gaze.
"Come on," Zuko snapped, turning away from his uncle. "We have to get out of here."
Iroh nodded in agreement, and followed his nephew deeper into the forest.