Thank you so much everyone for the reviews! Part 3 is well on its way to being completed, and there's also a bonus chapter in the works, so please stick around for that!
Sokka was the first one to wake the next morning to the sound of people freaking out in the hall, wondering what kind of torture befell their missing Firelord through the night.
Well, clearly Zuko hadn't been killed because... because Sokka was inexplicably spooning with him in his room. The fireball was curled up against his chest, holding Sokka's arm captive against his heart. He was snoring softly, and Sokka could see that his mouth was hanging slightly open when he sat up to rectify the missing Firelord situation outside.
However, seeing the normally guarded man lying so innocently and so... openly, it melted something inside Sokka. Zuko looked so young on his right side. Without the scar, Sokka could have easily pegged him for sixteen.
He brushed a few hairs out of Zuko's face. The Firelord froze mid-snore, eyes snapping open. With all the grace and skill expected of the leader of the Fire Nation, he rolled over and struggled to stand as fast as he could which resulted in him falling unceremoniously to the floor with a groan.
Sokka would have barked a laugh, but his head was suddenly pounding ferociously and he wanted nothing more than for everyone to start shutting up so he could get back to sleep.
He swung his legs over the side, bracing himself for the dizziness that would greet him on his feet. He rounded the bed and helped ease his friend back into a sitting position. Sokka smirked half-heartedly. "I think half a bottle of firewhiskey is half a bottle too much for you."
Zuko glowered. "You weren't exactly charming yourself," he bit back.
"They're looking for you," Sokka blurted.
The Firelord crumpled back down onto the bed, his arm flopping over his face. "Just kill me now," he whimpered.
"I think that's what they're afraid of out there."
Sokka could hear the mute laughter despite Zuko's attempt to stifle it.
It was only minutes later when the Fire lord finally rose from his friend's bed to take care of the squawking outside the door. Sokka wasn't sure what Zuko did after he left, however, as the Water Tribe man fell back into bed to kill his terrible hangover yet again.
–
Sokka wasn't sure how he'd done it, but somehow Zuko had charmed the pants off the chief of the village despite his unexpected vacation day. It seemed that no one at all had given any notice to the fact that Sokka was running wild at the carnival despite his vow to help Zuko through his illness, and all the while with another man who greatly resembled Zuko in a terrible Earth Kingdom disguise. This was even despite the fact that the next morning the missing Zuko reappeared from Sokka's room in the very same Earth Kingdom clothes the man with Sokka had been wearing the night before. It was quite a mouthful of fallacies to over-look.
Sokka didn't know if everyone had conveniently turned a blind eye,or if no one had honestly noticed, but either way it was a serious relief to know that his plan hadn't caused Zuko any trouble.
They were on the move again too soon for Sokka to know either way, too busy packing a caravan to turn their travel up into the lush forests away from the coast.
"So where are we headed anyway?", Sokka asked after traveling so far as a few miles without anyone saying a word.
Zuko tensed just a little. "There's a small village up ahead," he said quietly, "they think she might be... in a grave."
Sokka gave a small nod. "Well let's just hope she's not. How much farther until we get there?" He was quick to change the subject, not wanting Zuko to dwell too much on why they were going there, instead trying to get him to think about the journey.
But it wasn't much longer after that. They finally came to a point where they weren't far off from the village yet it was well after dark and the soldiers were getting weary having hiked in full armor. Zuko wanted to persist, but the Captain of the squad said his men wouldn't take another step until daybreak.
So they set up camp, got a good fire going in a clearing and pulled out their rolls and stripped down most of their armor to where they could relax their weary joints. Zuko just felt tense and uneasy, and being a good friend Sokka watched the almost unreadable thoughts as they flicked across Zuko's face.
Finally, Sokka stood up and stretched. "You know, since I slept all day yesterday I've still got a bunch of energy in me. Let's just hike up there right now so you know for sure."
Zuko couldn't form words at the offer. Instead, he brought himself to his feet and tied his hair back.
The two men set out alone, in the darkness. Their path was lit by the glow of the moonlight above, but it was mostly blocked by foliage. For some reason, Sokka thought of the labyrinth in the mountain, and the story Katara told him about the glowing moss. He shivered.
"We're almost there," Zuko mumbled.
And thank god, too, Sokka thought. He had been mostly lying earlier about his level of energy, only making the offer because he had been acutely aware of his friend's suffering.
The edge of the village was made obvious by the low flicker of torches on either side of the path, and further in they could see the varying shadows of mud huts and straw roofs. Further along, the huts gave way to the continuation of the path, and in the darkness... well, neither was too decided on what was waiting for them.
Zuko was stiff as a board as they wandered quietly through the center of the village, grateful for the lack of light to alert the villagers of their presence, although the village leader was already informed of their approach.
As they stepped passed the glowing comfort of the torches and into the cold darkness, Zuko raised his hand and snapped a flame onto the tips of his fingers. Before them was just as much as they expected—rows of flimsy crosses, grave markers made in haste of the rising death tolls. This was the real result of the 100 year war. Sokka felt like he'd been punched in the chest.
Zuko moved forward, sweeping his flames in close to read the names, getting more impatient the more graves he read.
There were over a hundred graves in all, with the rickety wooden crosses in place of a proper stone grave head, and Zuko meticulously scanned each one in search of his mother's name, or even an alias she might have gone by in favor of her given name.
Sokka trailed behind, unsure of what to say as the number of likely graves dwindled down to a dozen, and then five, and then... they came to the last one, and Sokka watched Zuko tense and pull in a forced breath and hold it as he led his flame to encompass the name, and then... all at once, he watched that same tension that had built up in the last hour drain out of Zuko like his very soul was leaving him.
At the same moment, his flame fizzled out and the two men knelt in the darkness and silence for a long drawn out moment.
It wasn't her. It wasn't Ursa.
"Let's get back to camp. Graveyards give me the shivers," Sokka admitted.
Zuko looked startled for a long second, and then looked immediately guilty, shooting up to his feet. "I'm sorry," he blurted.
Sokka let a small confused smile make it's way onto his mouth. "For what?"
Zuko looked away from his friend. "I just... I feel selfish for all this," he explained, though vaguely.
"You're not. I mean, I'd do the same if... if someone told me my mom might still be alive."
"That's exactly my point," Zuko sighed in frustration. "I shouldn't have asked you to come. That's what so selfish."
Sokka shrugged. "Well, just think of it like you're getting retribution for the both of us, you know? My mom isn't with us anymore, but there's a really good chance that your's is. I'm really glad you asked me to come." Sokka offered a small smile, but it was somewhat strained. After everything else, suddenly thinking about his mother again was almost too much, and they still had to make that walk back the few miles to the soldiers' camp.
Zuko didn't say anything about the genuineness of Sokka's expression, and the two headed back the way they came. Passing through the village center they couldn't help but notice that, from this angle, it was as though most of the huts were empty. It was a feeling that haunted the two all the way back to their campsite.
By the time the sun came out, both men had barely slept longer than a few minutes at a time, yet they packed up and headed for the village as though nothing were out of the ordinary.
As it had appeared the night before, almost half of the huts in the circle were slightly disheveled, almost hollow. Only a few rather gaunt looking individuals milled about. The women were impossibly thin, the children devoid of any youthful curiosity and spirit. The village was made up of ghosts, wisps of what had once been humans, but were no longer quite human in any sense.
Only the village leader seemed to have any vitality in him, ushering Zuko and Sokka and a few soldiers into his home.
Once everyone was seated, the leader handed Zuko a map. "We did have a woman named Ursa pass through here once," he began wearily. "About... eight years ago, she came with a few other Fire nation women, though it was obvious that Ursa was the only one of the group with any kind of wealth.
"She was here for half a day, asking about how we live and how the Fire nation was treating us out here in the middle of the forests." The leader let a smile play on his weathered face, looking contented for a small moment, lost in a memory. "She was as kind as she was beautiful. She's the one who helped us build the crosses marking the deaths of our loved ones.
"It's been so long, but we'll never forget what she's done for us. I marked on that map the place she was headed. She might not be there now since it's been such a long time, but it can't hurt to ask around. Someone's likely to know something of importance."
It wasn't the ideal answer, but at least it was a start, Sokka thought.
They didn't stay very long after that. Zuko did his best to thank the village leader, leaving a good portion of their rations and promising to send relief as soon as he was able to write a letter to the Fire nation. Then they were on their way again, using the new map to navigate the unnamed villages that dotted the path through the forests.
–
The next village had just as much to say about Ursa as the last had. She'd stopped there for about half a day, doing what she could to help improve their quality of life before moving on.
But something occurred to the two men as they moved along the wide path that cut through these villages. "Do you think the Fire nation soldiers made this path?" Sokka wondered out loud.
Zuko clenched his jaw just a fraction. "It's possible. On the other side of the forest is a Fire nation outpost."
Mentioning it seemed to put Zuko in a sour mood for the rest of the evening, and when they finally reached the next village on the map Zuko seemed to grit his teeth as he talked to the village leader, and didn't offer any other words for anyone else outside of the grizzled old man before he retired to the hut offered to him for the night.
–
It was like a wild possumgoose hunt. Every village they stopped in had seen her, sure, but it was such a long time ago, and they never had any more information than that she had moved to the next village over.
In the span of a few days, they'd stopped in every village on the path from the coast to the outpost that sat on the bank of the Great Green River, named so because many years of Earthbending the nearby mountains had revealed strange minerals that reacted in such a way with the water that it came out a brilliant emerald green.
The outpost was abandoned, but that was to be expected. The war had been officially over for half a decade and there was no real reason for soldiers to be occupying a place this deep in Earth kingdom territory.
What this also meant, however, was that they had now come to a dead end in their trail. No one around meant that there was no one there to tell them which way Ursa had gone from there, or if she'd even stopped at this outpost.
Sokka and Zuko and a few soldiers tore into the outpost, poring over records and maps, reading backlogs of soldier shift changes and attendance logs for anything out of the ordinary.
Hours into it, Sokka jumped up. "Aha!," he cried, waving a journal he'd found stashed in the very back of a drawer. He bounced over to Zuko, dropping the open journal in his lap. "It says here that a strange Fire nation woman and a few followers had passed by the outpost and headed up the river bank. Apparently, there's somewhat of a city about two days from here."
Zuko took the journal for a long moment, reading the passage about his mother over and over again before finally calling over the captain of the soldiers. "How many days until we intercept Iroh's cruise?"
The captain gave a small frown. "If we want to keep them from waiting, we'll have to leave here by daybreak tomorrow and head down stream."
Zuko frowned. He looked like he wanted to argue, but he kept his mouth shut firmly and after a long moment, he finally said, "Very well, I suppose. We'll camp here for the night and head out tomorrow."
Sokka gave Zuko a questioning look, and once Zuko dismissed the soldier, Sokka moved back in. "We're meeting Iroh?", he half-whispered.
Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, and Mai, too. We'll have to postpone our search for at least a few days."
–
Sokka didn't entirely understand the purpose of meeting Zuko's family until they were actually on the cruiser. Zuko was forced to bathe and and change into more formal vestments immediately after boarding, and Iroh had immediately taken post next to Sokka, a knowing smile on his face. "It is customary for those engaged in the Fire nation to see each other no less than once a week." Then, after a moment, he added. "I was also yearning for something more useful to do with myself. You see, Mai is not a very good opponent in the game of pai-sho. Coincidentally, would you like to play a game with me while we wait for them to finish?"
Sokka couldn't help but smirk just a little at that.
It was maybe an hour later when he truly regretted agreeing to play the old man. Sokka's knowledge of the game was juvenile at best, and even though Iroh assured him that he was "taking it easy" on him, Sokka was still losing miserably.
Sokka was ready to give up and admit defeat, but right at that moment Zuko re-emerged, squeaky clean and all done up like a doll. With his hair up in the Fire lord crown, and nearly every inch of his skin covered in deep red silks, Zuko was an entirely new creature.
When he spoke, though, it was obvious that he was still just socially awkward Zuko. "It's almost dinner," he said sheepishly. "If you want to get washed up and changed, my guard can lead you to the washroom."
Eager to escape his failure on the pai-sho board, Sokka agreed. Iroh chuckled at that and started putting the pa-sho tiles away as the younger Water tribesman headed to wash up.
The four of them regrouped in the dining hall, which was ridiculously over done even for a Fire nation ship. The table was large, but the four of them only occupied one end of it for the sake of conversation.
"So I noticed earlier that you are not wearing your warrior whalebone," Iroh started up, his eyes almost twinkling as he eyed Sokka across the table.
Sokka's hand went up to his neck at the reminder, but of course his choker wasn't there. He'd lost it so many years ago that he'd forgotten he'd even had it. "Yeah," he said sheepishly after a moment, his hands returning to his food, to the delicious, juicy, meat the chef on board had prepared for them.
"Tell me, who is the lucky girl who stole it from you?" Iroh continued. Zuko seemed to choke a little bit.
Sokka just looked at Iroh, deeply confused.
Iroh frowned at that. "You do not know the purpose of the whalebone necklace?" Sokka shook his head. Iroh looked almost saddened by this, as though Sokka's ignorance to a tradition of his own culture reflected badly on Iroh himself.
"In many Water tribes, it is traditional for a warrior to wear a necklace made of whalebone to let his tribe know that he is an eligible bachelor. It is said that the warrior must then marry the one who can distract him long enough to steal the necklace right off his neck."
"How barbaric," Mai added with a sigh, picking lightly at her food and looking mostly bored.
Iroh chuckled. "It does seem that way. I have not heard of many who have voluntarily donned the warrior whalebone in an effort to attract a wife in quite a few years."
Sokka shrugged. "My dad gave me that necklace before he went off to fight. No one's said anything about it actually meaning anything."
"Well," Iroh started after a short silence. "if you did not lose it as you think, it seems you are betrothed! Congratulations, Sokka!" Iroh could barely contain his laughter before finishing his words.
Sokka grumbled, crossed his arms, and pouted just a little. "Man, I hope not. I can't imagine marrying a complete stranger. Especially just for the sake of some stupid traditio—I mean, not like you guys!", he said sheepishly, realizing what he was saying. "You guys are... " Mai would have been glaring daggers into his head if she didn't look so overwhelmingly bored, and Zuko... well, Sokka couldn't bring himself to look at his friend, but he didn't doubt that he was also glaring.
Mai stood then. "It's been... fun," she almost snarled to say the word, "but I need to get in some target practice." With that, she disappeared down the hall, her plate barely touched.
Zuko rolled his eyes and stood as well. "I'll be back," he said, and disappeared after her.
Sokka turned to Iroh helplessly. He didn't think what he'd said was really all that offensive, but Mai had clearly taken it that way. Iroh gave him a small look. "You will have to excuse Mai. She means well, but she has been very frustrated after being stuck on this cruise with me as her only companion."
Something told him that wasn't the only problem, though he knew he didn't have the right to ask anything further.
Instead, the two men ate in amicable silence and after a few minutes passed their host had rejoined them, looking more upset than when he left.
"She locked herself in our room," he confessed, slumping down into his seat.
Sokka frowned, feeling guiltier than ever. "I'm really sorry about that. Is there anything I can do?"
Zuko shook his head. "She's... been like this, ever since we were advised to get married."
"So what's the problem. Isn't that what she wants anyway?" Though Sokka had a hard time believing Mai wanted anything at all in life.
Zuko looked away for a second. "I postponed the wedding to look for my mother. It's complicated."
Sokka thought for a moment. "Well, I guess that makes sense. She probably wants to get married, but at the same time she's trying to respect what it is that you want, too."
Iroh gave Zuko a pointed look at that, something that left Sokka a bit confused, and the Fire lord stood once again. "I'm sorry, but I'm not as hungry as I thought. I'll leave you two to continue," he said.
Once Sokka was sure Zuko was out of earshot, he turned to Iroh. "What was that about?"
Iroh raised his cup of tea to his lips and took a long sip. "It is unwise to dwell on it. Zuko and Mai have not been able to reconcile their differences in quite a while. I believe they are both merely looking for an escape."
"But... why don't they just break up?"
"It is not that easy at this time. Zuko must marry, and produce an heir, if he wishes to maintain the respect of his people. Hope has been very fragile in the Fire nation since the end of the war, and it is possible that problems may arise if Zuko decides not to marry Mai."
Sokka sighed. "Well... I guess I can see why Mai's acting like there's a bug up her ass."
Iroh almost snorted with a laugh.
–
"Well, our best bets are on Lyu Shi. We can't travel by the river, but we're only a few days away on foot," Sokka said, his attention completely immersed in the map on the table before him.
Zuko hummed in agreement. "We can get there in even less time because of the steam coach on board."
"The only problem I foresee is that Lyu Shi is very xenophobic. There is a very good chance that Ursa did not even make it into the city when she passed through here."
Sokka could see the hope drain out of Zuko's eyes just a little at that news.
Iroh put a heavy hand on his nephew's shoulder. "But the good news is that your uncle has many friends who live in Lyu Shi, and with the right outfits we can easily sneak in as Earth kingdom citizens to find out for sure if your mother was also as clever as us."
"So it's a plan, then!", Sokka said excitedly, rolling up the map.
–
Mai didn't seem pleased to see them off, but then again, Sokka had to admit that Mai didn't seem pleased to do anything. Nevertheless, the three men and a small handful of soldiers set out for Lyu Shi.
Their journey was almost a whole day, but was entirely uneventful. Zuko seemed on edge the entire time, but Sokka came to expect that from his friend where his mother was concerned. He and Iroh did their best to help time pass quickly, but Zuko was never quick to participate in their joking around, probably because of his anxiety over the whole trip.
It was just past dusk when they reached the high walls of the city, the stone veined with emerald green minerals that seemed to glow in the darkness.
Only Iroh stepped out of the coach to address the guards at the gate. Sokka watched as the older man handed them a letter, and after quite a bit of scrutiny, they finally waved him off and began the arduous task of lifting the huge stone gate with Earthbending.
Once inside the city, Iroh suddenly let out a sigh of relief. "I did not tell you this earlier, as I did not want to cause alarm, but my many friends here in the city are actually ghosts. I have met many soldiers from Lyu Shi during the course of the war, and they have told me of their special city where you cannot enter without a letter of recommendation from a local."
"So you... stole a letter from a soldier?", Sokka questioned.
Iroh frowned just a fraction. "Noo... I forged one," he confessed, his small frown turning into a little smirk.
It was at this time that Sokka really took a look at the city within the walls. It wasn't nearly as large as Ba Sing Se, but it definitely was impressive. The eerie green marbling in all the stone made it look surreal and beautiful at the same time, the streets dotted with fine statues, the houses detailed and ornate in ways only Earthbenders could decorate.
The only downside to the city was it's size. Even if Ursa was there, where would they even start to look for her?
"The only thing left to do is start combing the city for signs of your mom," Sokka said out loud.
Zuko looked at Sokka, then out the window for a moment. "I suppose we should start right here, and work our way back. Uncle?"
"That is a good plan, nephew, but I may have one better. You see, I have been told that the most active part of Lyu Shi is the local bath houses to the east. I believe it is there we must go in search of Ursa."
Sokka blanched at that. "And what? We'll have to bathe with other people?"
Zuko nearly smirked. "Does the idea of bathing with other people really turn you off that much?", he teased.
Sokka probably would have blushed if he weren't a warrior.
Iroh chuckled. "It is quite an experience to enjoy a hot bath with your friends. You might be surprised to find that you enjoy it, Sokka."
After finding a room to rent for the night, the three men made the short walk to the all hours bath houses to do some investigating.
Like the rest of the city, the walls were decked out in the same marbled stone, with entryways detailed like waterfalls. The main hall was decorated with two huge fountains signifying the men's side and the women's side respectively.
Sokka and Zuko kept close to Iroh, as Iroh had more experience than either of the two men combined, but getting in only required a few coins for towels and a basket to store their clothes.
It was amazing getting to the actual baths, a large stadium-like room with steam so thick Sokka couldn't make out the ceiling. The baths were all sectioned off with temporary walls made of wood, and Sokka could hear rough-housing and copious amounts of laughter.
"If you boys would like, perhaps later we can sample some of the local fire water," Iroh promised.
Zuko shook his head. "This is no time to play around. Someone in here might know where my mother is."
Iroh nodded, leading them deep into the maze of walls and baths, finally settling on one in particular that seemed to have quite a few drunk people milling about its edge.
The bath itself was maybe twenty feet across, but only three or four feet deep with ample stones for sitting. Sokka could see the way Iroh's eyes lit up seeing the steaming water, and the older man wasted no time dropping his towel and sinking into it with a sigh.
Zuko went next, gracefully pulling his towel from his body and slipping into the water. Sokka tried not to think about how his mouth went dry watching him, instead he removed his own towel and climbed in next to his friend.
From then on, it was Iroh that seemed to direct their mission. His personable nature made him an easy person to talk to, and with the added help of all the fire water he was ordering for his new friends, he couldn't get them to shut up.
Zuko just seemed to be brooding on his own, though he did look thankful to have his uncle with him. Sokka found that he was also very grateful, because the amazing bath was quite distracting, and he hadn't been this relaxed in such a long time.
He was almost drifting off to sleep when something warm and solid suddenly slumped against his side and startled him back awake. Thinking for half a second that maybe it was some drunk guy passed out, he turned to find it was only Zuko, who seemed to succumb to the warmth and comfort of the water faster than Sokka.
Sokka chuckled and brushed that one stubborn strand of hair away from Zuko's face, but as quick as he touched his friend he pulled his hand away. They were in public, after all. Even though these men didn't know who they were, he still somehow felt guilty for his action.
Luckily, Iroh didn't give him time to dwell, approaching them from outside of the bath, his towel already back in place. "Good news, we may have found Ursa," he said warmly. Then, looking at Zuko, he smiled softly. "It seems that my nephew has had as much as he can take." Gently patting his shoulder, Iroh said, "It is time for us to leave, nephew."
Zuko only seemed half-awake when he stood, precariously wrapping his towel around his waist and following Sokka's lead to the changing rooms so they could dress and head back to their room.
–
Zuko and Iroh were the first awake the next morning. By the time Sokka woke up, the other two men were already dressed and having tea and breakfast. Sokka skipped the getting dressed part to get right to the breakfast part.
"So glad you could join us, Sokka," Iroh greeted. "Once you are dressed we are going to continue our investigation in the market square."
Sokka would have squealed, but... Well, let's face it, Sokka squealed like a girl at the idea of shopping. Even though he was a warrior.
Of course, Sokka was also excited for his friend. After what Iroh said the night before, Sokka was feeling uncharacteristically hopeful about everything. Zuko, too, seemed to be in better spirits than he had been the entire time Sokka had spent with him.
When they got to the actual market, Sokka was severely disappointed. He'd thought perhaps there would be weapons stores and accessories shops, but their market seemed to consist mainly of flower stands and vegetable boutiques and growing supplies. There wasn't even a meat stand to ogle.
"My informants tell me of a woman who fits Ursa's description who runs a small flower shop nearby," Iroh said, leading them as though they were children through the narrow streets and alleys that made up the market.
After a few moments, Iroh seemed to slow, glancing around occasionally. Zuko frowned. "Are we lost?", he demanded hastily.
Iroh stopped. "Perhaps," he began slowly.
Zuko looked as though he were about to huff, but he swallowed it down and contained himself behind his uncle's back. "Okay, where exactly is this stall we're looking for?"
Iroh turned to his nephew, looking almost sheepish. "My informants told me it was next to a tart shop and a spice stand, but as you can see, there is not much variety in the wares of these sellers."
Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fine, fine, how about we split up? I'll keep heading north, Sokka: you go west. Uncle... why don't you go east?" With that, Zuko stormed away.
Sokka shrugged at Iroh and went off in his own direction, having seen a particularly wonderful looking pasty stand that had something with some kind of beef and gravy filling.
Once he'd gotten his meat biscuit, he decided to get immediately to work. Though, he wasn't exactly sure why Zuko had him go alone. Sokka had never seen Ursa in person, just scroll paintings of what she looked like as the queen. He probably wouldn't recognize her. Because of that, he finally reasoned, it probably wouldn't have made a difference whether he went with Zuko or not.
Plus, this way he could stop at as many stands as he wanted. It seemed like a childish thing to do—he was supposed to be looking for Ursa. In fact, the only reason Zuko had invited him along was because he felt that Sokka would be able to help him find his mother. He tried to forget that part, though, and so tried not to acknowledge that he was definitely being selfish right now.
–
After walking around for such a long time, and alone at that, Sokka was slightly annoyed and, loathe to admit it, rather lost somewhere deep in an apparently labyrinthine market. It wasn't exactly the size that was making things difficult, but the further in he went, the more abnormal the shops and stalls became, and somehow he'd ended up in what could only be described as a shanty town. It also didn't help that nearly all the stores looked the same and only seemed to sell the same kinds of things.
Stumped, he sat on the lip of a fountain, looking down the varying paths that lead away. In a moment, he decided, he'd have to get up and find someone personable enough to ask for directions.
However, before he could stand a woman approached him. In the back of his head he tried to determine if she was Ursa, but... there was something about her that said lifelong poverty, and that would have been the last thing he expected to see in Ursa.
"Excuse me, young man, I've seen you wandering around the market place, and I was wondering if you'd like a little help."
Sokka sighed, brought himself to his feet and found the fact that he was taller than her felt awkward in some way. "Yeah, I came with my friend, and we're staying near the front gates of the city," he admitted, but was too much of a warrior to admit that he had absolutely no idea where he was.
The woman nodded, put her hand gently on Sokka's shoulder. "Well, come with me. You look a little tired. Are you in a hurry to get back?"
Sokka shook his head and the woman smiled brightly. "Good, good. My name is Bai Lian," she offered.
"I'm Sokka.", the Water tribesman said in return, and the older woman led him through the market to a small tea shop for some tea and conversation.
It was approaching dusk by the time they were both ready to part ways. Working through the mostly closed markets, Sokka realized that this was the first time in a long time that he was able to just freely talk about whatever was on his mind, and something occurred to him.
It was also the first time he freely let himself think about what he'd been putting off in his mind ever since he heard from Zuko.
"So, can I tell you about something?"
Bai Lian nodded. "I always find that, if something is bothering me, it helps me work things out to say it out loud to someone else."
"I think I'm in love," Sokka blurted, almost surprised himself by the words he had yet to even think in his head, and hearing his own voice say it had his heart pounding to suddenly think it.
Bai Lian nearly giggled with delight. "Congratulations, my friend!"
Sokka frowned just a fraction. "There's a problem, though," he said slowly.
Bai Lian's smile faded. "I'm sorry, what's keeping you apart?"
"Well... it's just that... I mean, he... " Sokka squeaked, covered his mouth. "Well, that... that's the problem. Also, he's engaged. It's tough." The thought made him feel like he'd been punched in the gut. Yeah, if he were in love with Zuko it wouldn't matter for a second. Iroh had said himself that Zuko needed to marry Mai for the sake of the world.
Bai Lian gasped. "Oh, sweetheart, you look so miserable! Is there anything you can do?"
Sokka wanted to sneer, wanted to say 'if I want to cause civil unrest, sure', but he kept his mouth shut on that. Instead, he found himself saying, "not that I can think of."
"Well," she began slowly, "you just have to remember that love, being pure and beautiful, will overcome any adversity, and if you two are really meant for each other things will work out in the end."
"What if... what if we aren't meant to be?", Sokka questioned, his mouth going dry at the prospect.
She patted his arm. "Then there's someone else still out there for you," she supplied, and Sokka tried to be comforted by the idea.
He didn't have long to dwell on it, however, as just seeing Zuko had the ideas flying from his mind as fast as lightning. Still, he gave his friend a smile. "Zuko! There you-"
"Mom?" Zuko interrupted, running at Bai Lian and wrapping his arms around her. "Mom, it's you!"
Sokka looked up at Bai Lian, noting the momentary shock and then the overwhelming joy that made her face light up. "Wha—bu—but she... you... Ursa?"
Iroh clapped Sokka on the shoulder. "Good work, my boy! You are an excellent tracker to have found her so quickly!"
Sokka watched as the mother and son embraced for a long moment, Ursa was crying, and Sokka could see the tears welling up in Zuko's eyes. He might have been the mighty Fire lord, but even Sokka had to admit that if anyone was given a second chance like Zuko it would make them cry just a little, too.
It was a long moment before either of the two seemed to realize they weren't alone and they turned on Sokka, both pulling him into the middle of a Fire nation royalty sandwich, lavishing him with gratitude.
Over Zuko's shoulder, he could see that Iroh was laughing at him.
After everyone was hugged and smothered with embarrassing affection, Ursa offered to take the three of them in for a little more comfort, and so they returned to their rented room and gathered their belongings and followed the former Fire nation princess back to her modest stone cabin.
"Shall I make a little supper for you gentlemen?", Ursa offered as soon as everyone was inside her home.
Unsurprisingly, all three men agreed that would be a good idea.
–
Zuko wasn't away from his mother for longer than a few minutes at a time, and the two stayed up well into the night catching up on what happened. Sokka listened mostly, unwilling to interrupt the rekindling of their mother-son bond. It also afforded him the opportunity to hear more details about Zuko's adolescence.
It wasn't until Zuko explained that he was now engaged, too, that it seemed to dawn on Ursa just who Sokka was talking about earlier. And suddenly, just knowing that he'd confessed feelings he himself wasn't even willing to admit to Zuko's mother had Sokka feeling strange inside.
When Iroh began nodding off and Ursa offered to show them to their beds, Sokka used it as a means to escape the awkwardness he felt growing the more Ursa looked at him in that knowing way. He figured sleep would be a welcome remedy.
But Sokka's dreams were plagued by hot heat, by fire in the tips of sharp, pale, fingers as they raked over his body, and all this, the pleasure in the act, turned into pain as sharp fingers convulsed into the sharp talons of a huge flaming dragon that lifted him up and began crushing him in its massive jaws like it was ready to swallow him up.
Sokka could feel warm breath across his face.
It was well after sunrise before Sokka finally woke. He could hear the muffled sounds of conversation from the main room of the house as well as the sound of Iroh snoring steadily on the other side of the room. He figured he hadn't slept long if Iroh was still asleep and Zuko and Ursa were still talking, but he knew he wouldn't be able to lay down again. He just felt too uneasy for that.
After a few minutes he finally sat up, rubbed his face and fixed his hair back into place before heading out to Zuko and Ursa.
"You didn't sleep long," Ursa greeted with a smile.
Zuko looked up at Sokka before averting his gaze back to his mother. "He's probably just excited to finally get to go home," he said.
Sokka sighed, slumping down at an empty seat at the table. "I wish that was the case. To be honest, I just had a nightmare," he confessed. Then he tried to think about it and shrugged. "I don't remember it, though."
"Well, that's probably for the better," Ursa said gently before slowly rising to her feet. "I suppose you boys are hungry again. I'll make you something good," she promised.
If there was one thing that could put Sokka at ease, it was good food. Of course, nothing beat the traditional Water Tribe dishes he grew up on, but Ursa was a damn fine cook, and best of all her dishes were full of delicious, tasty, meat!
It wasn't until Ursa was scooping up the final bites of her own meal when Zuko said, "So I think if we can pack your things by noon, we can be on our way home by nightfall."
Ursa froze, mid-bite, and calmly set her fork back down on the table. "Zuko..." she began wistfully, and suddenly Sokka knew something bad was about to come out of her mouth. "I cannot leave Lyu Shi."
Sokka could see the color drain out of Zuko's face. "What do you mean?" He tried to say it as calmly as possible, but he couldn't control the volume of his voice.
She looked away for a second, her expression pained. Without looking at either of the two men, she stood. "I think I should clear the table," she mumbled, reaching for Zuko's plate.
But Zuko grabbed her hand in both of his. "Please..." He sounded desperate.
Not that Sokka could blame him. This was the whole reason they had traveled this far into Earth Kingdom territory. This was the reason they had snuck into the city. Now it seemed like it was all for nothing.
"If you tell us the problem," Sokka offered, "then maybe we can help."
Zuko nodded.
Ursa's shoulders slumped and she dropped back into her chair. "It's complicated," she began. "Though... the truth is, it's actually very simple. It's the city."
"Don't tell me-"
Ursa held up her hand to silence her son. "The stone in the city is laced with a rare mineral. The Nuli mineral. Anyone who spends too long around it becomes infected, and the only cure is a special plant that grows along the river."
"We can take the plant with us then," Zuko declared.
Ursa shook her head. "It only thrives along the river. It dies everywhere else. It's impossible."
Sokka nodded. "I suppose that's why Lyu Shi doesn't allow just anyone into their city."
"That's true. Law dictates that an outsider must get special recommendation from a citizen. This is because it guarantees that any citizen who allowed an outsider to come into our city and risk getting infected would also be warned about the Nuli beforehand." She sighed, smiling ruefully. "It also guarantees that anyone stupid enough to still come anyway really deserve what they might get from visiting here."
Zuko nearly growled in frustration, and what he couldn't voice was still obvious on his face. "That can't be true! What about soldiers-"
"They only leave for a short while. They're able to take a small store of herbs, but it doesn't last quite long enough. Zuko... I would really rather not trouble you with this. I am quite content here, and even though I have missed you desperately these last many years I don't want to interfere with your work." She touched his cheek and smiled for his sake. "Your father and his father before him caused so much trouble for the whole world... and you have your hands full trying to undo all of that."
"But-"
"Just know that I'll be waiting here for you whenever you need me."
"I can at least buy you a nicer house. With servants an-and whatever else you need. I can at least make you live comfortably."
"Zuko, look at my hands," she said, presenting her palms, roughened up after years of manual labor. "These aren't the hands of a princess any longer. Honestly, have you ever really liked being waited on? Doing things for myself... it makes me happy. Not as happy as seeing you again, though. I can't tell you how much I love you, for coming to see me like this."
"My, my, judging by your intense expressions, I have missed something very important," Iroh suddenly said from across the room. The three at the table startled at the added voice.
Sokka smirked. "Yeah, you missed breakfast!"
–
It wasn't until nearly two days later when Ursa finally convinced Zuko to leave. Fearing their exposure to the Nuli, as well as Zuko's obvious absence from his throne, she did her best to coax him into returning even though she would have been just as happy keeping him with her, or going with him back to her homeland.
In the end, Ursa shared a long, sad, embrace with her son and whispered, "please write often," as she pulled away.
Then, she turned to Sokka and hugged him as well. "Do your best," she said, almost cryptically, before immediately turning to her brother-in-law to say farewell to him as well.
On the ride back to the ship, Zuko looked absolutely defeated.
"Nephew, you must not worry yourself. Your mother is alive and well, and that is much more than we had hoped for when we set out on this journey."
Zuko clenched his fists. "She's not well! If she were well we could've taken her back with us, but we obviously didn't!"
Iroh nodded. "Perhaps we should send our finest physicians to come to her aid. Perhaps they could find a cure to the infection of the Nuli mineral," he offered wisely.
End part two.