This is the new, improved chapter 2! Thanks for staying with me!
The communal fire-pit in the ship's galley was full and blazing bright that night, as Zuko's tiny ship glided gracefully through the ice field at the south pole. Zuko and Aang were both asleep in front of the fire, out of their wet clothes and wrapped in thick wool blankets. Some of the crew men were still warming up, too, including the captain. Uncle was on a bench, humming to himself contentedly. Things were going to change for the better.
"General Iroh," the captain said. "I see you're glad that we're one step closer to going home."
"Well, it's not so much about going home," Uncle replied. "I'm just glad that we've done what we've set out to do, and that my nephew will finally have done his duty to his country. I suppose I'm happy for his sake."
"Sure, me too," the captain answered. "He did seem in a remarkably better mood this evening. He's usually so grouchy. Do you think that finally having the Avatar in his sights is what's changed him?"
"Yes, I do," Uncle said. "And it's going to be nice to have Aang around, not just because things are going to get interesting at last, but because it'll be nice for Zuko to have someone his age on board. They might even entertain each other."
"Don't count on it," the captain remarked. "The kid would rather be shut up in his room all day, brooding away in the dark."
Uncle smiled mysteriously. "I'm not so sure, captain. Maybe you wouldn't know, because maybe you've never invited him outside."
"Well, what's he gonna do? Boss us around, as usual, I suppose."
"You'd be surprised. Zuko was not always a troubled, disrespectful boy. He does have the capacity to be sensitive and kind. He just hasn't had any reason to be good in a long time."
"And that's where the Aang comes in."
"Perhaps," Uncle answered. "I can sense that Aang is a good spirit, and I hope that will inspire Zuko to start to improve himself. Maybe Zuko can learn something from him."
The captain snorted. "Not likely," he grumbled, and rolled over in front of the fire to go back to sleep.
Aang could not sleep. He wasn't surprised, though. He had just been asleep for a long time - at least three years, as far as he knew. He didn't need to rest right now. Instead, he lay down by the fire and feigned sleep. He wanted to hear what Uncle and the captain had to say.
Zuko hadn't seemed grouchy at all. Maybe the captain was biased against him. Aang knew that he had an odd effect on people, like the monks, both young and old, at the Southern Air Temple. He made children behave just by looking at them. He made the elders feel more at ease - one had even claimed that when Aang was in the room, his bad knee didn't feel nearly as creaky as usual.
But on the other hand, he was not a miracle medicine. That was one part of being the Avatar that Aang didn't like. People judged him before they even knew him. Just because they had heard of him, they expected the Avatar to be some sort of savior. Sometimes, Aang felt lost in his own identity.
Zuko's head was tilted off to one side as he slept, so only half his pillow was taken. Aang lifted his head up and moved the pillow so his head was all on it. Zuko barely seemed to notice.
"That's unusual," Uncle remarked. Aang jumped when the old man spoke. "Sorry," Uncle apologized. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
"That's okay," Aang answered. "But what's unusual?"
"Zuko is normally a very light sleeper. Usually, he would not have been able to fall asleep here in the galley. It's very hard for him to get a good night's rest, but tonight, it seems easy."
"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Aang said dully.
"What do you mean by that?" Uncle asked kindly.
"Oh, er...nothing," Aang tried to cover. "Maybe the moon's in a good spot tonight or something."
"Maybe," Uncle replied. "So, I hear you were trapped in an iceberg by a sea serpent."
"Yep. Sure was."
"You were a long way from the Southern Air Temple to be flying alone."
"Yeah."
"What were you doing so near the South Pole?"
"I was actually trying to run away," Aang admitted, drawing his knees up to his chin and staring into the fire. "Things weren't going so great at the temple. The monks were starting to come down really hard on me, and my friends were all turning away from me. I didn't want to live that life anymore."
"Do you want to tell me why?" Uncle inquired. "Maybe there's something I can do to help."
"No. I don't think you can help me," Aang replied.
Uncle leaned in and said softly in Aang's ear, "I know you're the Avatar."
Aang's eyes grew wide. "You do?" Uncle nodded. "Then why didn't you tell Zuko? Why would you let him keep looking for me if I'm already here?"
"Your identity is not my secret to keep," Uncle said sagely, "but why would you want to hide who you truly are?"
"I guess I never really wanted to be the Avatar," Aang admitted. "I mean, when people know who I am, they treat me differently. The monks at the Temple wouldn't let me play with my friends anymore, and when I did manage to get to my friends, they didn't let me play, either, because they said I had an unfair advantage over them. I couldn't even practice forms with them once the monks told me I was the Avatar. I ran away because I was sick of being treated that way."
"Why would you want to hide your gift?" Uncle asked. "You have been blessed with the power to change the world and heal even the deepest wounds."
"That's the problem! What if I don't want to change the world? What if I just want to be a normal kid?"
"There are two sides to every coin," Uncle said. "With your great blessing comes the duty to the world to keep the elements in balance."
Aang gave Uncle a grave look. "You wouldn't be saying that unless something bad happened in the time that I was gone. Whas has Fire Lord Sozin done?
Uncle was about to reply, when Zuko started to mumble in his sleep, and rolled over so the blanket fell off his shoulders. Aang took a moment to drag them back over him.
"Maybe I should tell him," Aang said. "He's gonna be so mad at me when he finds out."
"Tell him in your own time," Uncle advised. "I just want to warn you that Zuko will treat you differently if he knows. He's been looking for you for many years. But just the thought that the Avatar is finally within reach cheered him up! You've helped him already, just by being yourself."
Aang cracked a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. And I haven't been very far out in the world, but the monks said things needs a lot of fixing." The young prince came to Aang's mind. "Is it true that Zuko's usually in a bad mood?"
"Oh, you overheard me," Uncle chuckled. "Yes, he usually is. But you need to take my word that he's not a bad person. He just -"
"I know," Aang finished, "hasn't had any reason to be good in a long time." Uncle nodded. "I want to help him," Aang said, half to himself. "Nobody should have to be upset all the time."
Zuko mumbled in his sleep and rolled back over. "Uncle," he murmured. He opened his eyes. "Are you there?"
"Yes, Prince Zuko," Uncle replied. "What is it?"
"I'd like to go to my cabin," Zuko requested.
"Alright," Uncle answered. He hoisted himself up off the bench with a sigh and plodded wearily to Zuko's side. He picked Zuko up off the floor, blanket and all, with his nephew's head against his shoulder, and turned to leave the galley. "Aang," Uncle called quietly, "can you get his pillow, please?"
"Sure," Aang said. He grabbed the pillow and followed Uncle into the tower-like structure that held the cabins on the ship, and up a few flights to Zuko's room. It was decorated, plush but plain, in the typical Fire Nation colors and style. The bed was unsatisfactorily small, a twin-sized cot. "No wonder he's grouchy all the time," Aang joked, smiling apologetically.
Uncle chortled. "You know, that could be part of the reason," he remarked jovially. Uncle tucked Zuko, who was now asleep again, in bed. "Where would you like to sleep, Aang?" Uncle asked. "You could go back to the galley, or we have a few suites empty towards the top of the tower."
"I'd rather sleep in here," Aang said. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the rest of the ship yet." That was mostly true. Aang had never liked the black, metal, smoke-breathing beasts that the Fire Nation created. They were too geometric for his liking, and the noises of the ship's inner workings put him at ill ease. And he wanted to stay close to Zuko, the only person he had who was anything remotely like a friend.
"As you like," Uncle said, and he bowed slightly and made to close the door, before Aang interrupted:
"Wait!"
Uncle stuck his head back in. "Yes?"
"You're really nice to him," Aang said.
Uncle smiled broadly, as if what Aang had said had truly made him happy, but in a knowing way, too, which suggested that he had already known. "Good night," he said softly.
"Night," Aang echoed. There was nothing for it but to sit at the writing-desk in Zuko's cabin and wait the night away. But that wasn't really all that bad.
A new chapter 3 will be published soon! Thank-you!
