Chapter 17

Zuko was already in the process of waking up before he realized he'd even gone to sleep. He reached out for Toph, but she wasn't next to him. He turned over slowly, favoring his right arm which felt burned and sore. He also felt a residual soreness in his chest.

He looked toward the window, and judging from the sun, he guessed it to be sometime in the late afternoon. Gradually little bits and pieces began to come together in his head. Somehow he'd gotten pegged by a lightning bolt. He'd died. Toph loved him. He disregarded the lesser pieces of information and decided to pursue the important item. Where was Toph?

He managed to pull himself into a sitting position, ignoring the lightheadedness that came with movement until it faded. He felt like he'd been run over by a herd of rhinos, armored rhinos. Once he made it to the door, he leaned against the wall for a moment until the room stopped spinning. Then he went out into the common room.

"You aren't supposed to be up," said Yung from his seat on the low sofa.

"Says who?" Zuko responded.

"Lady Toph," came the reply. Zuko attempted to wave off her concern, but the movement caused him to waver enough in his balance that Yung had to provide a helping hand, leading him out to the veranda and a cushioned seat.

"Where is she?" Zuko asked, fighting the nausea that the vertigo was bringing on.

"She and Su-lin went to bring back something to eat and check on the kids," Yung answered. "She didn't want to leave, but Su-lin talked her into it."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. There was a bit of wind in the air. Zuko could see the waves growing choppy in the harbor. As if he were reading Zuko's mind, Yung commented, "There's a storm coming."

Again, the two men sat quietly and watched the action of the waves and tree branches. Then Yung spoke up again. "I want to apologize for all this," he said quietly. "I know it doesn't make up for what I've done to you and your lady, but I am sorry."

Zuko nodded. "Fill me in on the details," he replied. "The last thing I can remember is going out to face Deizhoun."

Very straightforwardly, Yung described the events of the day, his voice growing a little thick as he thanked Zuko for saving Zhiang's life. "He's a good kid," Yung affirmed. "None of this was his idea. He just did what I told him to. When his mom died last year, he was so angry all the time. I think that's why he was so eager. Tracer and Stick didn't trust him, but Zhiang came through." Then Yung realized that he was bragging on what a good job Zhiang had done with the kidnapping. "But he's a good kid. He wouldn't have hurt either of you."

Zuko nodded again, then asked Yung to continue the story. Yung then described how Toph had brought the black glass tower out of the sand and summoned the volcanic earthquake when she thought Zuko was dead. "I won't lie to you," he said firmly, "it was scary there for a few minutes. I thought the island was going to go up right then."

Zuko listened carefully while Yung recounted how she'd nearly entombed the pirates as well. He turned and looked Zuko right in the eye. "Whatever you do, don't make her mad," he suggested strongly.

Yung also gave him a bit of news Zuko was very glad to hear. The two men Deizhoun had captured, known to Yung only as Stick and Tracer, had been the masterminds of the kidnapping plot. The two black marketeers had been working on the plan for months, but had enlisted the villagers to do the initial snatch because they were unknown to Chun and his security forces.

The two were supposed to take the captives into custody at a rendezvous with Yung and Zhiang, but missed it because they had been stopped and questioned by a patrol vessel searching for Zuko and Toph. Unfortunately for the two men, later on that day they were also stopped and questioned by Deizhoun, and Deizhoun's methods of interrogation proved to be more persuasive.

However, the men had told Yung that they felt certain that the patrol officer was suspicious and had pleaded all day to be allowed to take a fishing boat and escape to hide on one of the other islands in the chain. They remained convinced that the Fire Navy would show up at any time to apprehend them all. Fire Lord Iroh had called out a search that included every piece of land and every boat within ten days' sail of Lost Island. It was only a matter of time before a patrol boat showed up at Tuzai.

"And even if they don't show up," Yung continued, "we still have Deizhoun's ship. We don't have enough men to man her properly, but we could probably handle things long enough to be intercepted by the boats out looking for you."

Yung then looked up at the threatening clouds filling the sky. "We can't take the chance in this kind of weather though," he finished.

Indeed, the sky had grown very dark by the time Toph and Su-lin entered the house, carrying a variety of baskets and dishes. They quickly deposited their items on the table, then Toph rushed the two villagers back home before the rain set in.

She went to the veranda, intending on giving Zuko a piece of her mind about being out of bed. But it was so good to see him up and awake that she decided against it. Instead she sat next to him. Without a word, he reached out to lace her fingers into his. The rain began to fall on the roof in fat noisy droplets, and the air grew cool and damp. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

She turned to Zuko, marveling again at the clarity of her sight as she watched the wind toss his hair. How many things to notice there were. She could see the eyelashes of his right eye and the curve of his jaw. She looked down his arm at the burns that had worried her, surprised to see that they were nearly faded from her view. She could only hope it meant they were healing.

"How is your arm?" she asked.

Zuko looked down and shrugged. "It's okay. Firebenders don't burn easily and heal fast when they do."

She couldn't help but think of the scar on his face. "Then--" she began, but backed away. Perhaps she didn't want to know.

He must have followed her train of thought, however, for he responded to her unanswered question. "Yeah, that one took effort—and skill. I can still see out of that eye."

She shuddered at the thought. He turned his left side away from her, as if to spare her. She reached up to his face, gently turning him back to face her. "I love you, Zuko. I love every inch of you," she assured him. "I hate what Ozai did to you, but I love every part of you. Don't ever doubt that."

The rain continued to fall steadily onto the sand and the water as he put his arm around her. They sat there nestled against each other, safe and at peace.

"What's next?" Toph asked after a bit.

"Yung thinks the Fire Navy may show up at any moment," Zuko answered. "If not, we'll take the pirate ship and head out sometime after this storm passes." As if in response, the wind picked up in intensity and a clap of thunder shook the air. Toph jumped up at the sound, intent on dragging Zuko physically into the house if she had to.

"Thunder means lightning—no more lightning for you," she explained as she tugged on him.

With a laugh, Zuko allowed her to pull him into the house. At another thunderclap, Toph threw her arms around him protectively. Just as he was about to make a smart remark about her stopping lightning, he realized that she was shaking. "Sweetie, don't worry," he murmured softly, "we're safe in here. Don't tell me you're afraid of storms."

"I am now," she answered. "But I'll try to get over it."

"We can't live in fear of what might happen," he said gently, holding her close and stroking her hair. "We just have to trust that everything will turn out okay."

"If you'd died today, that wouldn't have been okay," she whispered.

"But I didn't," he replied. He turned her face up to his. "I'm here, sweetie, and I'm going to stay here."

"You can't know that," came Toph's sad reply. "Nobody can know what's going to happen to them."

"Maybe not, but I do know this. I want to be with you for the rest of my life—however long that is. If you don't want to live in the palace, I understand. We'll give it all up and come live here. I'll learn how to fish and you can make pottery for the tourists," Zuko responded.

"Is this a proposal?" Toph asked with a smile.

Suddenly Zuko grew very nervous. "Do you want it to be?" he heard himself ask.

"What kind of answer is that?" she teased. "Are you really serious?"

Zuko pressed on before he lost his nerve. He pushed her back so he could see her face clearly, "If we got married, someday you'd have to be Fire Lady. Would you be Fire Lady if I asked you to?"

Toph took a deep breath. "If being your wife means being Fire Lady, then being my husband means being underground sometimes. Do you still want it to be a proposal?"

"If being your husband means being underground sometimes, then I'll gladly travel from here to Ba Sing Se underground," he answered with a deep breath of his own.

The rain made a drumming sound against the roof. His hands were warm on her shoulders even though the air in the room had grown cool in the storm. Her heart raced nervously. He was asking her to marry him.

"I'll be your Fire Lady, Prince Zuko," she answered quietly, then pulled herself into his chest, breathing in the scent of him, feeling the warmth of him.

He held her close and they stood there in the common room and listened to the rain, clinging to each other as if they were afraid something would part them.