I've started this story after revistiting a concept I've sketched out years ago but never wrote after all, since I had other things to write at the time. When I picked this up again, I thought to give it a try and write it up, especially after seeing to comics nd the Korra series, which finally gave me the needed ideas.
If you see the format you can by now see by my other works, that I've specialised in letting the canon story go in interesting directions by changing on factor, which ripples through the story. I found this gave me more freedom in my writing than other ways of doing so.
For now the prologue and this first chapter are a test. If feedback is positive, I'll write further chapters for this story.
Chapter-specific notes are always at the end of the chapter to prevent spoilers.
"I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you."
-Mai
Chapter 1: In the Beginning...
He saw them. A man riding on a dragon, another man lying on the ground while the volcano devastated everything around them. He couldn't see their faces, but felt that he should know them. In the end, the dragon-rider betrayed the other and left him to die in the inferno.
He saw a headpiece of alien design flying towards him in darkness and suddenly a gush of blood hit it. The blood screaming of a wrong that needed atonement.
A blazing, huge trail of fire filled the sky, coloring it red. Screams of terror and pain filled the air while fire and smoke blocked the view on whatever was behind it... Something horrible had happened.
The night was dark and only brightened by occasional bolts of lightning in the sky. He saw someone being hanged on a tree, the body still frozen in the final struggle. He crept closer, fearing what he could see. Suddenly the lightning illuminated the face of the hanged person and terror filled him.
It was his own face, frozen in pure terror.
...
"Ahhh! No! No..." Breathing heavily, Zuko needed some time before he realized that he was back in his bed, safe in his room in the palace. It had all been a dream. A dream that he'd thought he'd forgotten long ago.
When he'd been younger he'd been plagued by this nightmare numerous times, waking up in the middle of the night screaming and crying to the great concern of his mother. Thankfully, the nightmares had stopped after some time and he'd almost forgotten them by now. That the dream had now returned made him uneasy, even though the teenager tried to act like a man that shouldn't be bothered by such things.
Finally trying to dismiss the thought, Zuko went mechanically through his morning routine, while his thoughts wandered to today's highlight. His father was holding a war council. Many important military leaders would be present. Hopefully showing his father his interest in the affairs of the state would finally get him some well-deserved recognition.
Recognition... The common man might think his life as the Crown Prince was easy.
However, it was the exact opposite. His father had always favored Azula, mostly ignoring him when not commenting on how he felt that his son was no competition to his daughter. And everyone else mostly ignored him. Ever since this fateful day when his mother had left forever, everyone else avoided even talking about her and since he'd been always close to her, they avoided him as a part of the package.
Essentially, the tenth year of his life had also been the worst. First there came the death of his cousin, the Prince Lu Ten. He and Lu Ten had always been close, Lu Ten had treated him like the younger brother he'd never had. It had been his cousin's encouragement that had made him ask his mother if he could learn the way of the sword. For Zuko, being good at swordfighting compensated for his mediocre firebending skills, where he was always shown up by Azula. Lu Ten's death had hurt him a lot.
Then there was his uncle Iroh. Iroh had been more of a father to him than his real father had ever been. Whenever Lu Ten visited him, Iroh wasn't far and his smile was telling that he enjoyed seeing them bonding. When Lu Ten had died, Iroh had been devastated. It had been painful to seen his uncle being broken with grief. It had taken a long time, but in recent months his uncle had finally returned to his old self, although much more laid back. Whenever he had questions, he went to him. His uncle also seemed immune to his occasional fits of anger and fiery temper. Iroh was one of the two persons that were close to him.
As for the other one...a small smile crept up his features.
Ever since they'd met, Mai had shown a genuine interest in him. Not because he was the crown prince -that was the way her parents thought and the reason she was allowed to be constantly around him - but because she actually liked him. Of course it was difficult to get used to her outer shell. Mai was a very nice girl, but her parents' constant lessons on how she had to act had made Mai to guard her inner being carefully. To others she looked disinterested and even cold, but Zuko knew better. He was one of the few she'd allowed to see her real self. It was a sign of deep trust and Zuko hoped that with some guidance he could help Mai to become more open and outgoing (but not too much, he liked how she could be a real deadpan snarker).
His mood worsened once he thought about who usually hung around with Mai, not that she had much of a choice in the matter.
He didn't mind that girl Ty Lee, she was annoying as if always on a sugar high, but at least never did anything to make him dislike her. No, the real problem was his sister Azula. Ever since their mother had disappeared, Azula, sure of being protected by her father, had become unbearable. His mother's calming influence gone, Azula had made his life hell. She liked to make him - and therefore by proxy Mai - miserable, showing him up whenever possible. Perfect Azula, daddy's girl. She was better at everything. The only incident he could remember where she'd screwed up had been a year ago.
Back then Azula had finally managed to create a blue fire, something that required lots of skill as they were hotter... and more dangerous as Azula had learned seconds later the hard way when it burned her hand. She'd been forced to wear a bandage on her hand for three weeks and forbidden from doing any firebending by the doctor, something that had caused her to sulk and make herself rare. But ever since then, she more and more used blue flames, despite the grave dangers of that technique.
No, he didn't want thoughts of his sister ruin his day. After all, today would be his day. He knew that his uncle would be there as well, so gaining entrance wouldn't be the problem. He could show his father and uncle, that he was ready to had a more substantial role in the affairs of state, compensating for his lacking firebending
Nothing could go wrong.
Of course he had to run into Azula on his way. "Oh, ZuZu, I would imagine Mai is somewhere waiting for you, considering you're running this fast," she teased.
He hated it when she made fun of Mai, but right now he ha other things on his mind. "Don't waste my time, Azula. I have a council to attend to."
"You? Attend the war council?" It was clear she thought it was a joke. "Well, I won't stop you. After all, I can't wait for you to embarrass yourself in front of father and all the generals."
Zuko tried to push down the anger. She was always out to hurt him where it was especially painful. Ignoring her, he walked deeper into the palace towards the war chambers. He would show Azula that she was wrong and that there was something he was good at.
No, he not only wanted to finally gain his father's recognition, he also wanted to show off against Azula.
...some hours later...
Mai really wondered what was going on. Normally, the palace was as boring as a place could be during that time of the day. But today there were many noblemen walking towards the Agni Kai arena. That could only mean a duel; a big one at that considering she saw that it was the top crop of the VIP's entering. Yet she had no idea who it could be that were dueling.
Not that she was interested in two overblown firebenders burning off each others faces, and that was for two reasons.
For one, she had never understood why people were putting so much importance on firebending. While she did see its uses, coming from a family of non-benders had made her question why benders felt so superior to anyone else. Considering how ofter Zuko was belittled for his lack in bending skill, it made her even more disgusted at how some benders thought of themselves as superior.
The other reason was that she had better things to do with Zuko. She was waiting for Zuko so that he could escort her. Ever since her parents had gotten it into their heads that she and Zuko were a perfect match - which had happened even long before Zuko's mother had vanished - she was at the palace quite often, the guards by now didn't even blink when seeing her walk in.
Good thing that she liked Zuko. Unlike all these boring sons of other nobles who either were annoyingly arrogant or snobs, Zuko - despite his position as crown prince - treated her like a friend and not as a stepping stone on the social ladder. Also, another reason why she liked him was, that in his loneliness, he was the only one who understood her reason for hiding her emotions. Sure, Zuko was a hot-head and easily angered, trying to go with the head through the wall more often than not. But once you know him, you couldn't help but to like him.
Where is he...? Mai wondered. Zuko never was late. She wondered if he'd had a run-in with Azula. Recently his sister had taken a delight in sabotaging their private life for her own amusement.
"Oh, Mai..."
Oh great, I shouldn't have thought of her... she silently groaned.
Mai knew that voice, as much as she hated to admit it. It was the bane of Zuko's existence and a constant annoyance. Mai would've told her to shove off long ago, if not for the fact that she was of the royal family and could pretty much incinerate her in seconds without breaking a sweat.
"Hello, Azula," she greeted her neutrally, erasing every emotion from her voice.
Due to social obligations put onto her by her parents, she was forced to spend time with Azula. Sometimes it ordered on torture. This was made worse by that other girl from a noble family, Ty Lee. Ty Lee always acted as if high on sugar and her hyper-activeness clashed horribly with Mai's more reserved personality. She didn't dislike Ty Lee on a personal level, the girl was simply too nice for it, but spending time with her was giving her a migraine. Yet she endured all of it stonically.
Azula was leaning against a pillar, looking as smug as ever, as if she owned the entire world. "If you are waiting for little ZuZu, you'll be in for a long wait. He's occupied."
"Occupied?" Mai didn't like the way Azula had smirked when saying that. It spelled trouble. Mai wondered what scheme Azula now had cooked up to embarrass them.
Azula's smirk deepened, when she saw that she'd hooked Mai. She knew what would happen today and she wanted Mai to witness it first hand. This hopefully would make her finally realize what a failure her brother was. It would have to added bonus of not only seeing Zuko's humiliation, but to also crush anything that was between him and Mai.
"Oh yes... My brother really got himself into deep trouble during the war council and he's about to fight because of it... Want to get in?" she offered.
Zuko...in an Agni Kai? Zuko, you stupid idiot! I want you to stay in one piece!
Mai silently nodded and Azula led her towards the arena, her presence allowing Mai to enter without trouble. It was packed with noblemen and she could see Zuko waiting for his opponent on the arena floor. Quickly following Azula, she was guided to the front row, from where she would have the best view of the upcoming battle.
She grimaced slightly when she saw that she'd be forced to sit beside Captain Zhao. An incredibly arrogant and ambitious man that creeped her out to no end. Her mood brightened when she saw General Iroh and that he'd be to her left. She'd always liked him, since he treated her well and was always supportive of Zuko.
Sitting down she got a supportive look from Iroh but didn't miss the look of grave concern, as if he knew something that she didn't. "I didn't expect you to be here, young Mai."
"I was looking for Zuko. Azula told me he's in trouble. What happened?" she finally asked.
Iroh sighed. "During the war meeting, one general made a suggestion that would have sacrificed many troops just to gain an advantage. Zuko openly said it was disgraceful to throw away the lives of our soldiers that way. Of course he was right, but it wasn't his place to say so. My brother was very angry about it and said the only way to settle this matter would be an Agni Kai. Zuko looked at the old general and said he doesn't fear anything. I have the feeling my brother plans something else..."
"And whatever happens, he deserves it. Crown prince or not, Prince Zuko is an embarrassment for the royal family. Better have that blight removed," Captain Zhao commented, smirking nastily.
"You seem to know what is about to happen, Captain Zhao," Iroh observed, not liking this at all.
The smirk became more nasty. "I don't want to ruin the surprise."
There was no time to ask, when the gong was hit and everyone went silent when Zuko's opponent entered the arena. And Mai... was shocked.
Facing Zuko was his father, Fire Lord Ozai.
Zuko also seemed to realize right at that moment that he'd screwed up big time. No way he could ever hold his own against his father! "Please father, I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" he begged.
Ozai didn't seem to care, while slowly advancing. "You will fight for your honor," Ozai demanded.
Zuko fell to his hands and knees, and started to beg for forgiveness even more. "I meant you no disrespect! I am your loyal son!"
Ozai still wasn't moved and came even closer. "Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" he demanded, seemingly starting to lose his patience.
Zuko fells all the way to the ground and declared in a last-ditch attempt to stop this madness "I won't fight you." He was crying at that point as much in desperation as in fear. Fearfully looking up, he saw his father standing directly in front of him.
Ozai's eyes were hard, while looking at his son in sheer disgust. "You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher." Suddenly his hand shot out, the palm connecting with the left side of Zuko's face and it lit up with fire.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Zuko's cries of pain filled the arena, while part of his face was burned. Then Ozai carelessly let him fall to the ground, while addressing the spectators. "In his refusal to fight, he has shown shameful weakness. He will suffer the consequences..."
Ozai went on to publically demolish Zuko, but Mai didn't hear anymore. Seeing Zuko's face getting destroyed by his own father's hand, his screams of pain, his desperation... It was as if a sword had been thrust through her heart. She just saw Zuko being carried away by the medics, before Iroh gently took her by the shoulders and led her out of the arena. She'd also seen Azula's face... the girl was actually smiling, seemingly finding this to be great entertainment.
"Young Mai, how are you holding up?" Iroh asked as soon as they'd left.
She finally shook herself out of it. "Zuko... he needs you more than anyone else... I..." It was a sign that her emotional control was crumbling when she hiccuped and shed a single tear. "I... need to go home."
After instructing a guard to escort Mai back home, Iroh rushed away to attend to Zuko. Mai managed to walk back home under her own power, and even made it back to her room, before she collapsed onto her bed in utter exhaustion. Her bottled up emotions slammed down onto her with brutal force. Everything she'd witnessed and felt in this horrible arena was coming back to her now.
It was a mercy that everything went black a few moments later.
o
Persistent knocking on her door managed to finally rouse Mai out of her troubled sleep. Looking through the window, she saw that it was already dark outside. Mai felt horrible while she slowly got up. She had obviously cried in her sleep - the one time when her emotions were not in check. as her face was full of dried tears, and her hair looked like a tangled mess, not to speak of how her dress looked like after sleeping in it. However, she no longer cared.
Unlocking the door, she came face to face with her father, who gasped when seeing his normally prestine daughter in such a state. "Mai, what...?"
Mai rudely cut him off, her control right now not existing. "What do you want?"
Finally composing himself, her father told her "You can no longer see Prince Zuko. Don't even darken our house with his name. His majesty has declared that he has brought great shame over himself and ordered him to be banished from the Fire Nation. His only way of redemption will be to catch the Avatar." His face betrayed the thought that this was impossible. "His ship leaves in two days. I want you to forget him right away."
That said, her father left her alone.
Locking the door again, Mai's emotions were in chaos. She'd witnessed an act that couldn't be topped in cruelty, and now Zuko was thrown out of the Fire Nation as well. She had to stop herself from throwing up. This was all so wrong.
In just a few hours he will be gone...forever. Mai only slowly realized what that meant. She could picture Azula erecting a mock-tombstone just to celebrate her ascension to becoming an only child.
Imagine Azula as Fire Lord. Horrible thought, she thought when bringing this to its logical conclusion.
Mai also realized what this would mean for her future. Her parents would now be hell-bent on marrying her off to some nobleman's son as fast as possible, and even would be less picky after Zuko's dishonor. She also would now be totally defenseless again Azula's cruelty, which surely would now turn to her after her main target was no longer there.
Not only Zuko's future looked bleak, but her own as well.
Thinking about it, there was only little that held her in this place. Her parents treated her like an asset for their political ascension, a resource for a political marriage to someone powerful. Azula just wanted her around for her own amusement, which often was not in Mai's interest. Ty Lee was unable to understand her at all. Everyone wanted her to be a proper, submissive girl.
No...never. It might be a rash decision, but it was time to finally take her destiny into her own hands. Even if her parents would disown her for it.
...the docks, day of Zuko's banishment...
Mai should have known.
Looking at the ship which would be perhaps Zuko's home for the rest of his days, it was clear that Ozai had moved to humiliate Zuko even further. Instead of one of the bigger, more modern warships, it was an older model just a fourth of the size of the current big warships. After all, Zuko was no Azula and Ozai wanted to clearly show his contempt. Judging by the activity at the open front bay, the dock workers were busy with loading the ship with its supplies - at least Ozai had been unable to deny Zuko the right to replenish his stocks from the Fire Navy.
She was stopped in her thoughts when she saw Zuko and Iroh approaching.
It had come as no surprise to her that Iroh had decided to join Zuko in his banishment. The man deeply cared for him and also took this as his chance to escape from the backstabbing of the court. Zuko seemed uneasy on his feet, his uncle having to steady him while he stumbled several times. Clearly painkillers were making it difficult for him to move.
Zuko had also changed alarmingly in just two days.
He had all his hair shaved off apart from his ponytail - the mark of someone who believes to be an outcast - and the left side of his face was covered in bandages. But the worst was his face. While Zuko by far wasn't an angel, Mai was deeply disturbed by the deep look of hurt and anger that twisted his features, as if something had died within him, making space for something more nasty to take its place. It reminded Mai why she felt she was making the right decision.
Seeing some big crates that would be loaded next, she quickly snuck herself and her bag in. Moments later she felt the crate being moved by the dock workers to the hold of the ship.
You won't get rid of me this easily, Zuko!
Said Zuko meanwhile had sat down on the main bridge, wanting to look as long as possible at his home through the windows, before they would leave, possibly forever. He still felt weak on his legs thanks to the painkillers he was forced to take and only now ha time to let everything sink in after the rush of the previous days.
To never return home... Even though he was fanatically holding on the idea that finding the Avatar would return everything to how it was before, deep inside he knew he'd be on a lifelong, futile quest. All of the Fire Lords had devoted years on the search to find the Avatar, but he'd never been found, most likely was dead and the circle broken. Part of him didn't want to accept this, but the hard facts were there.
No, I won't let this get me down! he swore.
And then there were the people he'd leave behind. He didn't have many people that cared for him. Some of the palace staff would surely quit after he was gone, as it was just his kind treatment of them that had made them stay. And he'd be forced to leave her behind. Perhaps it would be better this way, as Mai would not be forced to share his dishonor. He didn't care that he wouldn't see Azula again, for him that was a good thing.
Leaning on the map table, Zuko took a look at the map of the world. It was up-to-date and showed the parts of the Earth Kingdom controlled by the Fire Nation, with a darker red area at the western coast marking the colonial territories, which were part of the Fire Nation itself. If he even wanted to have success in his hunt, as dim as the chances were, he would have to make a plan. He'd start at the Western Air Temple, which was closest to the Fire Nation, then start a clockwise sweep around the Earth Kingdom to check the other three temples.
Right now it was the only thing he could do, regardless how worn out this path was.
"How are you feeling, nephew?" Iroh asked, walking up beside him. "All preparations are complete and I see that it only now seems to sink in."
Zuko looked very tired. "I want to scream they can't do this to me, but in the end it is all my fault. I just want to get out of here as quick as possible, before I even have to face a crowd seeing me off."
Iroh knew, right now Zuko was still mostly in shock, but this would soon give in to anger. "At least I was able to get a decent crew."
Zuko sighed. "Do I even want to know how you managed to get a crew to travel with an outcast for many years to come?"
Iroh looked sad. "I have cashed in many old favors. I selected men who have lost their families to the war or never had any. They won't mind probably leaving home forever, as they have nothing to return to. I also made sure that they will be loyal to you."
Zuko was moved how much his uncle did for him. "At least something. Hopefully it won't come to this. I will find the Avatar, regardless the cost."
Now it was Iroh, who sighed. "Prince Zuko, your father, grandfather and great-grandfather all searched for the Avatar and never found him. As much as I hate to say it, the chances for a quick success are very slim."
Zuko grimaced. "I don't care. I'll move over every stone, if it does help me to find him and restore my honor and allow me to return home."
Zuko, if you only knew that nothing would again be as it was, Iroh thought sadly, while walking with Zuko to the outside of the command tower, where the highest-ranked officer was waiting for them. It was just a Lieutenant, since even Iroh hadn't collected enough favors to give them a proper Captain to command the ship. Another brick in the wall of humiliation.
"Lieutenant Jee, are we ready for departure?" Iroh asked.
"Yes, everything is on board, the whole crew has reported in, the machines are under steam and the rhinos are in their stables. We are ready for departure," he reported, while eying Zuko carefully.
Zuko took one last look at his home. He had expected Azula to give him a mocking sendoff, but it seemed she wasn't in the mood. Mai also wasn't present on the docks. It seemed she didn't want to be sullied by his dishonor. This was how he left home: scorned by everyone.
"The let's go. No need to overstay our welcome. Set course for the Western Air Temple. It's outside of national waters and we have to start somewhere."
Zuko remained outside, watching the coastline becoming smaller as they passed the gates of Azulon. Then, the gates vanished behind the horizon. Now, and only now did he feel the reality of it. He'd lost his home.
...a week later, Western Air Temple...
"What a stunning view..." Iroh commented, while enjoying the view from this wonderful temple that hung upside-down under a cliff, abandoned for nearly 100 years now.
"The only view I'm only interested to see is the Avatar in chains," Zuko growled, not caring in the slightest.
Iroh was very concerned with Zuko. The whole situation had sunk in after departing from the Fire Nation, and he had changed a lot for the worse. His nephew, once a teenager like many with some faults, had become hard and locked away his inner being. Right now he only radiated anger and determination. Iroh feared that if that was Zuko after only a week of banishment, how would he be after years?
"You know, I told you the Avatar hasn't been seen in 100 years. The chances of finding him here are very slim," Iroh reminded Zuko.
Zuko acted, as if he hadn't heard. "First we check each of the temples. Then we scour the world, even the most remote locations, until we find him."
They had not found much in the temple, apart from the remains ouf countless female airbenders - after all this temple was only open to females. Thnaks to being close to the Fire Nation, all remains of the soldiers had been returned home for burial, leaving the temple a giant tomb. It was a beautiful and yet so horrifying place. Even Zuko in his emotional hardening had quickly left the bone-filled inner structure, feeling unwell in the presence of so much death.
Iroh tried to put a comforting hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Prince Zuko, it's been only a week since your banishment. You should take some time to heal and rest..." He added the last thing when looking at the covered wound. The bandages would be removed in several days and he prayed that the eye was still intact.
That only helped to fuel Zuko's now ever-present rage. "What did I expect from the laziest man in the Fire Army?" Iroh shook his head in resignation, right now there wasn't any chance to appeal to his nephew there was only one person who could get through, and she wasn't here.
Zuko looked over the temple. "The only way to regain my honor is to find the Avatar... and so I will. If I have to, I will spend every day of the rest of my life hunting the Avatar. I know it's my destiny to capture him."
"You know, Prince Zuko, destiny is a funny thing. You'll never know how things will work out. But I promise you that if you keep an open mind and an open heart, you will find your own destiny some day..." he carefully told Zuko.
Zuko stayed silent, finally calming down. Maybe, Iroh hoped, there still was a chance to reason with him and stop him from sliding into the vicious circle of rage. He'd seen too many people, even good friends, giving in to the rage. They'd been changed by it until nothing remained but anger, hate and violence.
"Come, let us go back. It is obvious we won't find anything. And to be honest, I don't want to disturb the dead anymore," Iroh said further.
His rage spent for now, Zuko agreed. "Yes, let's go back. There' so much to do..."
o
Of course after the temple had been a failure, since it was as empty as their holiday home on Ember Island, it had been declared a waste of time. Zuko however wasn't angry this time. It seemed that right now he was more resigned while they boarded their ship, which was waiting for them a little off the coast. With the setting sun behind it, it almost looked beautiful.
However, Lieutenant Jee waiting for them right at the stairs was a bad sign.
"Prince Zuko, General Iroh! We have found a stowaway in the cargo hold," Jee reported, looking scandalized that something like this would happen on his ship.
"A stowaway? On my ship?" Zuko asked, clearly offended by the mere idea. "Where is that person now?"
"We put her into the brig. A girl of you age, my prince," Jee reported further, causing confusion to appear on Zuko's face.
"What's a girl doing here?" he wondered.
"Perhaps we should see the young lady in question. Surely she can enlighten us," Iroh suggested as the voice of reason. Truth to be told, he did have an idea who it could be, despite his surprise.
Jee led them into the command tower and then down the corridors under deck, until they reached the brig. "She didn't put up a fight, as if she wanted us to capture her. She only said she wants to speak with you."
"Me?" Zuko wondered. He wondered who this mysterious girl could be. Then the door opened and he stopped in his tracks when seeing who was waiting for him. "Mai?"
It was almost surreal. There stood Mai, wearing black traveling clothes, looking nonplussed at his presence. Suddenly Zuko felt so horribly ashamed that Mai saw him like this; he looked away to spare her this sight.
Obviously she didn't wanted him to do that, when she calmly said "Zuko, look at me when I speak with you."
Zuko gulped, before turning to face her, enduring her inspection of his face. Finally, he managed to overcome his reluctance to speak. "Mai... W-what are you doing here?" He hadn't expected to ever see her again, so he had had no way to prepare for her presence.
"What does it look like?" Mai knew, sometimes Zuko could be really dense.
Finally, Iroh felt that he should get things to order. "-Ahem- Prince Zuko, I think we should be more comfortable talking at a more hospitable place than the brig."
Mai couldn't help but to show a small smirk, while Zuko finally got his act together. However, she then turned serious again. "Can I use the ship's bathroom first? I haven't washed myself in a week and I've learned to appreciate a proper bathroom." She said the last thing while not trying to remember a certain bucket she'd been forced to use.
Now that she said it, Mai didn't look the cleanest, her hair looked dull and she did smell... a lot. Iroh told Zuko to show Maito the bathroom while he'd make some tea for the occasion, so that they could discuss the whole issue like civilized people. He also was glad to see how Zuko's rage had been drained away by Mai's presence.
And so it came that all of them sat at a table of the mess room half an hour later, Iroh serving them some tea, waiting for Mai to tell them how she came to be on their ship. Mai looked presentable again and even the smell was gone now.
Finally, Mai spoke. "I think you want to know how and why I'm here?"
"That would be a good start. We're far away from the Fire Nation." Zuko shook his head. "Mai... why did you do that? Losing everything you have."
"It started at the palace. You remember you promised to spend the afternoon with me?" Seeing Zuko's reaction, it was clear that he only now remembered. "I didn't find you, instead Azula told me that you have to face someone in a duel. And she offered me to accompany her. And I saw..."
-WHAM- Zuko slammed his fist on the table, causing the tea cups to shake. "Damn it! She knew! She did that to hurt you!"
"Prince Zuko! Please let young Mai continue and don't break my tea cups!" Iroh scolded the teenager and Zuko went silent. "Good. Mai, please continue..." Iroh said, while filling their cups.
Mai was thankful for Iroh being present to temper Zuko's anger. "I know that now... her smile should have warned me... It certainly fits with her personality to hurt everyone around herself. Zuko, I've never cried before, but that day I was very tempted to do so. Then I realized that the life I led was pretty boring and empty anyway, so I decided that I should go with you."
"Just like that?" Zuko wondered.
"What, should I've first asked a committee?" Mai sarcastically wondered, making Zuko feel stupid. "It might have been a quick decision, but I was sure of it and prepared thoroughly."
"You could have asked," Zuko protested.
"And risk being rejected because you felt too sorry for yourself? I hid away on your ship and waited until we are far away from the Fire Nation before revealing myself. You can't simply send me back, so you are stuck with me, if you want or not," she finished her explanation, now waiting for Zuko's reaction while she took a sip from Iroh's delicious tea.
Zuko shook his head. "You know that your parents will find out very soon where you went to. While I really doubt that they can send the navy after us, you can bet the first port we enter to re-stock our supplies, there will be soldiers to take you back to them."
A small smirk entered Mai's features. " Oh, they already know thanks to a letter left behind. Let this be my problem. Should I manage that they do not find me, then I think I've proven that I can manage very well to stay on board permanently ." She then crossed her arms. "Of course that depends on you allowing me to stay."
Zuko looked to his uncle for guidance, but the old man only shook his head. "This is a decision that only you can make."
Zuko felt torn. On one hand he really wanted to have Mai around, he longed for someone (besides his uncle) sharing his exile, so that he wouldn't be lonely and Mai was something he'd secretly wished for. One the other hand he really didn't want to have Mai being disowned by her parents and having her to endure an exile that wasn't hers in the first place. Then it hit him that he hadn't paid attention. Mai had pretty much stated that she was willing to accept all this, just to be with him.
Now he felt guilty. How could he deny her, after she'd already made these sacrifices? "All right... You can stay... Mai, you can be damn convincing... I only hope you won't regret your decision."
Mai looked pleased (for her standards). "Don't worry... I know I won't."
Iroh then shook his head after watching the whole exchange between the teenagers. "I must warn you. All these days at sea are very dull. Hope you have a high boredom tolerance or buy lots of books to bridge all the empty time."
Mai grimaced. She hadn't thought of that.
...some days later...
Zuko winced when the ships's doctor slowly removed the bandages from the left side of his face. It wasn't so much the pain but the fact that Mai and Iroh were watching. They'd see his disfigured face, the result of his stupidity. He could only imagine the horror on their faces, although Iroh had already seen the wound when it was still fresh. He thankfully didn't remember this.
He tried very hard to think of other things while the bandages were slowly peeled off.
The last days had been very unusual for the crew. They had to get used to a girl now living together with them on the ship. It would take time, especially if said girl wasn't the usual stuck-up nobility. Mai had gained their respect right away by demonstrating her fighting and knife-throwing skills, which even with her only being 12 years old were already considerable. That, and they were grateful for her managing the unthinkable: calming down the otherwise always foul-mooded Prince Zuko.
But things weren't easy for Mai either. The room she'd moved in, by 'coincidence' the one next to Zuko's room thanks to Iroh, was quite empty and still needed a personal touch. She needed lots of stuff in the next port as well, including some feminine articles that Zuko wanted to forget as fast as possible. Iroh had commented she was a little young for these and she'd countered that better now than forgetting them until it would been long until the next port.
She also had to get used to life at sea. Hiding herself in the cargo hold was different from being on deck. The first time she had been there, she'd become sick from watching the motion of the sea and thrown up her breakfast on one unfortunate crewman. Even though she was trying to hide it, she'd been very embarrassed about this incident.
She did also have some trouble to adjust to life on the ship, which was very different from the life she'd lived up to now. At first she'd tried to hide it, but finally she'd told Iroh that she was bored and was in desperate need of something to do, regardless what. Iroh had suggested that honing her skill together with others would be a good idea. Mai didn't seem to know if she should do that and hadn't made a decision yet.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when the final bandage came off.
It felt so strange to have the scar tissue being exposed to the air. Carefully, he tried to open his left eye and it worked... partially. He was unable to fully open it, but at least he was still able to see with it without problems and have unobscured depth vision. He then looked to the others to see how they are reaction to this.
Iroh's and Mai's reactions were difficult to interpret. Iroh was obviously trying to hold his emotions in check, yet he looked sad. Mai was trying to hide behind her mask, but her concern was undeniable. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. "Mirror! I want to see how bad it is!"
The ship's doctor handed him a mirror and Zuko looked at what was left of the left side of his face... It looked horrible. The burn scar totally ruined his once good looks. He looked like a freakshow. Setting down the mirror, he closed his eyes and a tear escaped him.
"I look like a freak..."
Zuko felt like sinking into the ground, when suddenly he felt someone holding his hands. Opening his eyes, he saw Mai looking sternly at him. "Mai...?"
"Zuko..." Mai told him in her no-nonsense voice. "You are no freak. You might think different, but for me you are still the good-looking young Fire Prince who managed to lighten up my life. So don't you dare to sell yourself short!... Or I'll beat some sense into you!"
Zuko blinked. Mai still thought that he look good? "Uh... really?"
"Yes, stupid. Others might not see beyond the scar, but they are idiots to do so. It doesn't matter to me. So let me spell it out for you: You. Are. Not. Ugly."
Suddenly the whole thing didn't look as bad as Zuko had feared at first.
Iroh couldn't help himself and smiled a little. After all the deep injuries Zuko had went through recently in body as in mind, this was the first step to heal them. He didn't even want to imagine what would have happened to Zuko, had Mai not run away from home. He surely would have brooded over his perceived failures and become reclusive, short-tempered and easy to anger. Young Mai was very good at dousing these flames with her direct no-nonsense way.
Both of them still were a bit to young to think of each other in romantic terms, but he was sure, he would have to be more watchful in due time, once the teenage hormones would run amok within them. After all, it wouldn't do to have a teenage pregnancy on this ship.
My dear nephew, you are just starting to explore the secrets of life, he mused.
...a week later, fire-colony port...
Exactly as I've suspected... Zuko thought, when he saw the soldiers at the dock waiting for his ship to lower the ramp.
He'd warned Mai that her parents would not tolerate her little rebellion and use their influence to get her back home as soon as possible. It wasn't something they could avoid. Now he hoped that Mai could hold word and not get caught, although he wondered how she could do this on a ship with limited hiding space.
Waiting on deck, he was approached by a fat officer and ten soldiers. It was obvious these guys never saw any combat and were just part of the police force of the colony. His crew obviously had no respect for them and Lt. Jee look at them as if they were something on the underside of his boots. He might not know much about his most senior officer, but Zuko had to admit his uncle had selected an interesting character for the job.
The officer showed him an open scroll with the orders. "Prince Zuko, we have orders from the capital. You are housing the runaway daughter from a noble house on your ship. We are under orders to get her back to her parents in the Fire Nation right away."
Zuko tried to play it cool. After his father and his generals, it was difficult to intimidate him. "Search through the entire ship if you want. I have nothing to hide."
"You can bet that we will..." He turned to his soldiers. "All right, men. Take this tin can apart! I want every rathole searched until she's found."
Zuko leaned against the boardside railing, hoping that Mai's hiding skills would prove adequate. "Tell your soldiers that if they break something, I'll make them pay for it, one way or another!" he yelled to the officer as an afterthought.
Although he'd little to say in his banishment and his authority was now quite limited, seeing the man gulp proved again that even banished royality held a certain respect. It also convinced him that this worm wouldn't make any trouble and right now was no longer worth his time. He had other issues to attend to.
Zuko then saw his uncle approaching. "Now it's up to her... I hate just standing around and this could take hours!"
Iroh wasn't surprised, Zuko had always been a little impatient. "Well, if you hate doing nothing, maybe you can make yourself useful for her. She gave me a list of the things she needs and right now we have the time. It will take them, as you said, hours to search through the entire ship."
Zuko had never liked shopping. That was one of the few things on which he agreed on with Azula. Already as a child he'd hated it when his mother had taken him along on a stroll through the high-class shops in the palace city. However, for Mai he'd make an exception. Thankfully, even if she were along, Mai wasn't the kind of girl that like window-shopping -the polar opposite of Ty Lee whose shopping antics, which Zuko had seen exactly one time, still made him shudder.
"Let me see that list..." Zuko went through the items, noting that all of it made sense and blushed when reading what some of the items were. Even being royalty didn't make him immune to the embarrassments of a teenager. "Let's get two of our men and get over with it. It's not that we have anything better to do..."
Zuko only hoped that it wouldn't be too bad.
As if he'd dared karma, Iroh suddenly had an idea. "Some of the crew are really good with instruments and we can have a regular music night! Maybe I should buy a tsungi horn! "
Zuko's eyes had widened in horror when remembering his music lessons in the palace school when hearing the word 'music night'. However, when hearing the name of the instrument, he turned sad. "Uncle Iroh! Please... no tsungi horn."
Iroh knew exactly what this reaction had brought on and he looked a little sad himself. "I know you still miss him. I remember you and Lu Ten playing the horn in a duet. Maybe by playing the horn, you can honor his memory. Maybe Mai is even interested learning from you how to use it."
"I doubt it, she once told me that the music lessons in the girl's lycaeum had bored her to death and all these girls playing their instruments wrong had hurt her ears," Zuko commented, remembering the foul mood Mai'd been in after an especially bad lesson.
"Oh, then she'll be surprised and forget these experiences, especially once she hears Lt. Jee's skill on the pipa."
Zuko by now knew, music night was a set event and he'd have to live with it.
o
Some hours later - the sun was already low on the horizon - they finally returned to their ship.
Zuko was close to cursing. While he wasn't a big shopper, his uncle was the exact opposite and needed to be kept away from all kinds of bazaars. He'd remembered this little fact too late and it had kept them for almost two hours, resulting in his uncle, after lots of window-shopping, buying a statue that looked like a cross between a fish and Komodo Rhino. Zuko really wondered why his uncle would buy such trash and what he expected it to be good for.
Everything on Mai's list got purchased, although Zuko had made Iroh buy a few things that were a little too... 'female' for his tastes. He himself had needed some things as well. Of course, the tsungi horn was unavoidable and Zuko knew, he'd soon hear it on the ship. As reluctant as he was to admit it, he did like its sound.
Of course, walking through the streets of a Fire Nation colony city had also been like running the gauntlet.
Many people were shocked when seeing the horrible scar on his face. Even many soldiers returning from the war with wounds had less prominent injuries. And of course news of his dishonor and banishment had reached the colonies. While their money was welcome, the constant whispering was proof enough that he was no exactly the most well-liked person even in the colonies.
He was actually glad to be back on his ship. At least his crew never batted an eye at his injury, even though they all knew how he'd gotten it.
Walking back on board, they saw the soldiers reporting back to their officer, handing him a scroll. The soldiers looked exhausted and one held his left leg strangely. After reading the scroll, the officer's face became red, seemingly in equal parts from anger and embarrassment. Ordering his men to get the bought stuff under deck, Zuko approached the officer, feeling that this would be good.
"Is something wrong?" he asked innocently, knowing that something indeed was wrong for the man.
The man obviously had to control himself to not scream at Zuko, proving that he felt humiliated. Wordlessly, he threw the scroll to Zuko's feet, before leaving with his men, leaving Zuko and Iroh alone. Seeing the man who'd held his leg strangely limp away, Zuko's observations was proven true.
Picking the scroll up, Zuko read it and barely managed to hold in his laughter. He read it aloud to his uncle: "Nice try, but after taking apart the ship and not finding me, it should be clear that most of the matter in your body moved from your head to your belly. I hope it doesn't move even lower. Tell my parents that they won't get me to return to them this way."
Iroh smiled. "I hope you can see what you have with that girl. She's not some damsel in distress. She's your equal, so treat her accordingly," he reminded his nephew, before also retreating under deck, most likely to admire his strange statue and take off the huge horn.
Only after the ship had already departed, did Mai re-appear, walking on deck as if nothing was amiss at all. It seemed that fooling and humiliating the soldiers had been great for her mood, as evidenced by her rather lax way of walking. They watched the coast vanish behind the horizon and then the sea, until finally Zuko couldn't hold back any longer.
"All right, how did you do it? They took apart the whole ship and still didn't find you," he asked her.
Mai gave him a sly and very rare smile "That remains my secret. After all, you also don't tell all of your secrets... Oh, and did you notice one of the soldiers limping? He learned the hard way that it isn't wise to anger a Komodo Rhino."
Zuko had no idea how she'd managed to hide and yet observe this mishap. It seemed that he'd grossly underestimated Mai.
...almost two weeks later, Northern Air Temple...
"There is definitely something going on in that temple," Zuko exclaimed, while he, Iroh and Mai were walking up the path to the Northern Air Temple.
The ship had arrived at the coast close to the temple during the night and they were right now using the early morning hours to walk up to the temple, which thankfully was easily accessible by foot. That was when Zuko had spotted three or four things flying over the temple that definitely were not birds. Could it be airbenders that had escaped the destruction brought over them by his great-grandfather Sozin?
"Yes, and there is smoke rising as well. There must be someone living up there," Mai observed, but she was more occupied with Zuko.
The fact that someone was living in the temple had risen his hopes of finding something. A hope that she feared would be crushed. After all she'd no illusions. The Avatar had vanished 100 years ago. Finding him would be impossible and by now he would've been reborn into the Water Tribes anyway. The whole thing was just set up by Ozai to slowly bring Zuko to despair the longer the search would take.
"I doubt it's airbenders. My brother had also searched the temple during his time on the quest, and he reported no sign of airbenders," Iroh reminded them. "Still, I wonder who has taken residence in this remote location?"
"Regardless who, I think we will find out soon enough. Seems we we got a welcoming committee," Mai pointed out
Indeed, while they were close to the main gate, there was someone waiting for them. Interestingly enough, it was only one man and he didn't look like a guard, more like a civilian. He looked harmless enough, a balding, bearded man who wasn't radiating any danger. In fact, he looked a little nervous when seeing them.
"I didn't expect you until later today," he quickly said, looking nervous for a reason.
"Expect us?" Iroh wondered, acting as the spokesman for the group. "We didn't even expect anyone to live here. Perhaps you expected someone from the Fire Nation?" he then pointed out, indicating at the color of their clothes.
The man did relax a little, before ushering them in through a secret passage. "No one can see you, I'll explain inside."
Some time later found them in the man's workshop, where he offered them some tea (which Iroh, being a lover of tea, gagged on, as it tasted horrible to him) while he explained the secrecy. "I had not expected someone else from the Fire Nation coming here. Please excuse the secrecy, but I really don't want the other people here to know about this."
Now, that sounded interesting, so they listened closely.
"I know you'll ask anyway, so I'll tell you everything ight away. Everyone here calls me the Mechanist, so perhaps you can do so as well." He then started his story. "Our village got destroyed by a flood two years ago. In our search for a new home, we found this deserted temple and are changing it to our own needs. Everything went well until six months ago, when a Fire Nation army discovered our new home."
"I can already guess they were not pleased with you settling in here," Iroh observed, knowing that the air temples were forbidden areas by decree of the Fire Lord.
The Mechanist looked sad. "I pleaded with them to not attack and a man that was with them, I think he's fairly high up, offered me a deal: make plans for useful machines they can use in the war and they leave us alone. I expect him today for the monthly delivery."
None of them looked happy when hearing this. It basically was cold-hearted extortion, yet there was little they could do about it. As if on cue, a bell ringed, signaling that someone was about to arrive, making the Mechanist look nervous. "Please don't anger him."
Seconds later a trap door opened and an older man in the field armor of Fire Nation nobility arrived from a floor elevator. He looked around and then his eyes fell on Zuko, Iroh and Mai. After some moments, he snorted. "Well, well, well. What unexpected company. The disfigured and banished prince, the failure of a general an a bratty runaway. What interesting company you keep."
Zuko was grounding his teeth together, while Mai did her best to hold him back. Iroh knew the man. "War Minister Qin. I am surprised that you take such chores upon yourself."
"It is not a chore since it grants me great reward." He then turned to the Mechanist. "Well, what do you have to offer?"
"I worked especially hard on this one! Please, this grant me a longer grace period?" the Mechanist asked, offering Qin rolled-up plans.
The War Minister studied the plans. "Very good, the Fire Lord will be most interested in this weapon, once we have refined it. You have earned yourself three months of peace with this one."
"So our nation has already sunk so low to use extortion," Mai said, after observing the exchange in distaste.
"It will bring great victories to our nation and distract from the shame your companions have brought over us. The Fire Lord knows when to get rid of hopeless cases," Qin calmly said.
"My father will welcome me and restore my right to the throne once I bring him the Avatar!" Zuko finally exploded, Qin having pushed all his buttons.
"You don't really believe this yourself. The Avatar is gone for nearly 100 years and you will never return home. The people of the Fire Nation are already starting to forget you and in a few years, only few will remember your name. You will just be a footnote in the history books, an error that got corrected."
That said, Qin vanished in the floor and the trapdoor closed.
Zuko's anger, which had been burning bright just seconds ago, exhausted itself right then. Collapsing back into his chair, he looked downright depressed, since he knew these words were true, as much as he wanted to deny it. His drive to get his father's approval clashed horribly with the idea that regardless what he'd do, nothing would get him back home.
The Mechanist watched silently from the sidelines. He knew when someone was close to being broken, as several of their people had been driven over the despair horizon and he himself had been very close to it himself when his wife had died and their son got crippled for life. He'd tried to deny the truth, to find a way - any way to undo what had happened, but in the end he had to accept it and move on with life, as hard as it would be to do so.
He knew little of the internal politics of the Fire Nation, yet he did know that the young prince was slowly approaching a crossroads in his life.
...over the next few weeks...
"-Uuuuaargghh- -Yuck!-" Mai groaned, while sacrificing plenty to the sea.
Iroh looked rather guilty, while Zuko looked at him in annoyance. Finally, Iroh felt that maybe an apology was required. "I'm sorry that that happened. I bought these oysters as a really good deal in the last port. How should I have known that they were about to turn bad?"
"Uncle, that the store was selling them so cheap should have been a hint," Zuko snorted.
Finally, Mai was done and looked at him as if ready to do something drastic, the taste of acid and vomit in her mouth not helping her mood. "I hear you always carry a Pai-Sho stone with you?" she suddenly asked out of the blue.
"Yes, my White Lotus tile..." He pulled it out of his pocket to show her. "I had no idea that you..." -tshak!- Iroh went silent when a small throwing knife embedded itself directly into the middle of his Pai-Sho stone.
"For the future... no more oysters," Mai told him with steel in her voice, before leaving.
Iroh looked a little hurt at his damaged stone, while Zuko couldn't help but to smirk. "Well, you heard the lady. And frankly, I don't think she'll aim for the stone next time..."
o
"What in all names did you learn in combat training?" Mai asked in annoyance, while another of her strikes tapped Zuko, adding to his growing humiliation. "This is weak! You think spitting some flames gives you the advantage?"
Iroh watched the rather one-sided match with interest. It had started rather harmless with Zuko declaring during his firebending training, that with control over his bending, he'd smoke every opponent. Mai had taken offense at that, some words had flown and now they were both in a mock-duel, where one had to score as many simulated hits as possible. To Zuko's horror, when not firebending or fighting with his swords, he was at a severe disadvantage.
"When did you get this good?" he gasped, surprised.
"I'm not that good. I'm more of a thrower. It's that you are just this bad," Mai countered, while tapping him again.
Less than ten minutes later, Zuko was close to admit defeat She was simply too fast and nimble for Zuko, whose tactic was a direct frontal assault. While that worked well against a common soldier or when using firebending or swords, Mai was something different. He evasion of his clumsy attacks was really eating at his confidence and showed him, that there were things he was really bad at.
Finally Iroh felt that Mai had made her point. "Stop! That's enough, I think you showed him the error in his thinking."
Mai backed off and Zuko looked like someone had crushed his pride. Mai looked at him in annoyance. "Really, Zuko, your combat skills are mediocre at best... I won't stand for that, you'll learn how to move gracefully..." A groan from Zuko told her that he feared more hurt pride. "Oh, you big baby. Don't act like this is the end of the world."
Iroh watch them slowly walking inside. Seeing them reminded him of his own late wife. While it was an arranged marriage, she had been far from being one of these sissies often found in the court. But after each time they'd butted heads, they'd made up in the most beautiful ways. Ah, how much he missed her...
o
Zuko hated mornings, despite firebenders rising with the sun. And now he hated them even more than usual, since every time he'd slept more than a few hours, his scar would itch. It was even worse when the room was still filled with smoke form the candles. The doctor had told him the skin was still healing and that it would take some time before the itching would stop.
Urgh, couldn't happen soon enough... he complained, before getting a towel and making a beeline to the washroom to get ready for the day. Still half-asleep, he didn't pay any mind to his surroundings, walking in and trying to find the water bowl.
"Zuko, do you mind?"
OK, that voice made him wake up at once. Mai's voice in the washroom could only mean trouble. Looking around, he spotted her sitting in one of the wooden tubs, trying to look indifferent. However, that was made look absurd by the hot blush that covered her whole face and her hands covering her chest.
Now Zuko blushed as well and made a fast retreat out of the washroom.
Leaning against the wall he breathed heavy. He'd seen a lot more of Mai than he ever had before. Even though she was just close to 13 years, she'd developed nicely. Having a girl on board really was something all of them had to get used to. And maybe he would have to get used to it the most.
He waited until Mai walked out, dressed, and looked him into the eyes. "Just to make this clear: this never happened. All right?"
"Yes, Uncle Iroh would let me hear the end of it otherwise," Zuko agreed.
Mai then left without another word. Zuko knew that not only was she displeased, but she was angry with herself for openly showing her embarrassment. Mai didn't like open displays of emotion and he'd gotten used to it, although he wondered how much worse it would've gotten had she stayed under her parents' eyes for more years to come.
Perhaps he didn't even want to know.
o
Their ship was driving along the eastern coasts of the Earth Kingdom at half speed, as this would be the fastest was to reach the Eastern Air Temple, which was their next destination. On the way, Zuko spotted a heavily destroyed, huge wall very close to the coast. The wall really looked enormous, but from the looks of it, it had been destroyed long ago.
"What's this?" he asked. "Can't be the walls of Ba-Sing-Se. I know these are not as close to the sea and are intact."
"This is the former sea wall of Ba-Sing-Se." Zuko hadn't noticed Lt. Jee approaching. "This once was an extra section of the outer wall, created to secure the eastern coast close to Ba-Sing-Se. They quickly gave it up closely after the beginning of the war, when it was bombed to the ground by warships. The problem with the actual wall is, that we can't bring enough heavily weapons to destroy it as fast as these earthbenders rebuild it."
"You seem to know a lot about this?" Zuko asked.
"I studied the history of the city during the siege and thus know of these things," Jee replied, looking at the crumbled wall.
"You were in my uncle's army during the siege?" Zuko didn't know much about it, as Iroh clearly wasn't comfortable talking about it.
"Yes, he was."
Iroh had walked out to them and looked at the crumbled wall. "I went down in history as the man who breached the outer wall and stormed the agricultural zone. However, our losses became too high and I learned first hand that war is not what young people think it to be... so many lives simply thrown away."
Zuko and Jee were silent and Iroh took one last look, before leaving.
"I was there when his son got killed. It came out of nowhere. An arrow. When you hear it, it already is too late. Prince Lu Ten died in his father's arms, saying he felt sorry that he'd leave him behind." Jee shook his head. "Prince Iroh had never been the same after that day."
Zuko then was left alone.
He remembered his own grief when hearing of Lu Ten's death. Up until that point, he'd simply repeated what he'd been taught in school and what his father had told him. That the war was a good thing and would bring greatness to the Fire Nation. It took the pain of loss, before he'd learned that war was not as great as he'd imagined. It was one of the reasons why he'd spoken out at the war council.
While he would never backstab his own nation, this war had long lost its glory to him.
However, what could he do? He was just a banished, disgraced prince...
to be continued...
Next Episode: "Travels of the Banished"
Notes:
If you think Zuko and Mai or a bit OOC, remember that this Mai is younger and there not as closed-up as she was three years later. Zuko is also less angrish due to Lu Ten's influence, which had not happened in canon and already shows a serious change in the timeline.
Two of the air temples are down by now, and the next one will be most interesting to write.