Far from home on a road unknown
Where the vultures circle on winds that blow
From northern skies that haunt these waking moments
-Rise Against, Long Forgotten Sons
Iromh Romjak watched the woman he considered his daughter lead the prince of the Fire Nation towards the stew pots and frowned. He had recognized the young man despite his older, rougher appearance. Romjak had good sense when it came to people, but he couldn't read the golden eyes of the disgraced prince. But in the years he had known Chizu, she had never gotten that physically close to anyone besides him and his wife.
When he and his beloved wife, now deceased, had found the girl who called herself Chizu at the edge of their forest she had been wild, feral, and heavy with child. He had noticed her eyes immediately: Water Tribe eyes. At their approach she had jumped up and assumed a bending stance, but when she motioned, nothing happened. She had let out a whimpering scream and turned to run, but his wife had calmed her down. She always had a gentle touch with the wild ones. Chizu had returned to their wooded tree-top village with them, and less than two weeks later gave birth to her golden-eyed daughter; the same golden of the prince that same girl had zoned in on at once. Suspicions raced through Romjak's mind, but for the moment he kept his peace out of curiosity.
"I noticed him too, sir." Romjak turned to see the Duke standing at his side, helmet slung low over his eyes. He looked up at his headman, and matched his frown. "What do you want to do, sir?"
Romjak stroked his beard and thought. "For the moment, nothing. Make sure the children find their parents."
"Yes, sir." The Duke scampered off.
Romjak sighed and strode off towards camp. He and his wife had founded the village, affectionately known as Tree Town, almost eight years ago. They, and other refugees from their home village, had stumbled upon the abandoned tree houses after escaping from the Fire Nation. They fortified the rotting wood, built new levels, and improved on the design of the rope bridges. People began trickling in from the woods: other villagers who's homes had been burned, refugees from the Water Tribes, even several Fire Benders who dared to disagree with the Phoenix King and his maniac daughter Fire Lord. Romjak had allowed them all in, found them jobs, turned the straggly little community into a thriving town. But the danger of discovery was ever present. Raids did happen, more often than he would have liked. The bodies had to be dumped elsewhere: it wouldn't do to have patrols keep disappearing in the same area.
His wife had been killed in a raid five years ago by a Fire bender. Romjak had held her hand as she slipped into the Spirit World, her last words still reverberating in his mind: "Protect the girl. She is our future." He knew she had been talking about Chizu, about their adoptive daughter, though he didn't know why. After she passed, Chizu had stepped up to assume the duties of village headwoman: overseeing the women's duties, organizing the food preparation, settling disputes, and mending clothes. But he could tell she wasn't content. He had seen her watching the weapons masters practice yearningly, and had wondered again what her past was. When he asked, she fell quiet and only said that she needed a way to defend herself. After watching her try to work up the courage to ask one of the masters for lessons and fail, he approached Chi Lun, the knife master, himself. Chizu had been training with him at dawn every day, despite the pain and limited motion in her hands, and had grown in skill past what Chi Lun could teach her. Romjak, a non-bender himself, couldn't have been prouder of her skill, and her drive.
As he strode into camp, he motioned for his leaders to gather people up for the village 'orientation.' Chi Lun and his other weapons instructors nodded and began ushering people towards the center of the village where a large open space lay. Romjak leaped onto a small platform and searched the gathering crowd for Chizu. He spotted her towards the back, making her way towards the center. Most of his people knew to move out of her way, but the new arrivals didn't. He could see the stress on her face as she was jostled and bumped, shrinking a little more each time. He was about to motion to Chi Lun to go to her assistance, but someone else already had.
Zuko thought the stew tasted like old hogmonkey stewed in its own juices, but the kids seemed to like it. Katara coaxed them with smiles and silly motions into eating it, pretending the spoon was a dragon and their mouths were its lair. They giggled and ate it up.
He didn't know if he should try to talk to her, apologize, stay silent. He didn't know if he should drag up their past and remind her all over again of how he had chased them across the world, betrayed her personally in Ba Sing Se only to rejoin his father and stand by as he destroyed the world. She wouldn't know that he was on his way to join them when the Avatar had been struck down before his eyes. That he had assumed her dead or captured with all the other members of the water tribe until he heard about his father's obsession. Even then, he couldn't be sure it was her.
"Lee." Katara said, and he looked up from his bowl. He could have sworn he saw an eyeball a moment ago… "Lee, this is Amaru and Maki's grandfather."
Zuko looked up to see an older man with greying brown hair and wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. It was a worn face, leathery from days in the sun. He smiled down at his grandchildren as they ran to hug him. Zuko stood, a beat behind Katara. The old man looked him up and down, taking in his swords, his scar, his eyes, and extended his hand. Zuko hesitated only a moment before clasping it.
"Thank you." The man's voice was choked with emotion. "Thank you." He lifted Amaru to his shoulder and took Maki's hand in his own and walked back to rejoin the crowd. Zuko watched them go, feeling a strange sense of loss, rejection. He turned to see Katara watching him, arms crossed across her chest.
"What now?" he asked, his voice coming out hoarser than he liked.
She looked him up and down again, as if looking for a visible clue of his intentions. "What are you doing here?"
"Just passing through." Zuko muttered.
"You're not here for your father?" the question had an edge of desperation to it. Zuko felt mildly annoyed.
"No." his tone was sharp. "I told you already that he didn't send me. In case you haven't heard, I'm not exactly his favorite person."
"Were you ever?" Katara shot back, leaning forward with narrowed eyes. "I thought your sister always claimed that honor."
Zuko flinched, his hands balling into fists at his side. Honor. The word that had propelled him across the world so many years ago, that he thought his father could restore to him after he himself had taken it away. "She's always been his favorite. They think alike."
"And you don't?" Katara scoffed. "It was pretty obvious in Ba Sing Se who's side you were on."
"That was a long time ago." Zuko practically shouted. They were drawing an audience as people passed them to join the assembly. "I've changed. I woke up to the reality that my father was not motivated by the good of the world, by extending the reach of the Fire nation for the good of the people. I left," he stepped closer to her and she didn't budge. "because I'm not like them. I can't sacrifice the lives of others for a pointless power trip."
"Could have fooled me." Katara hissed. "Aang is dead, Zuko."
Again, it was like a slap to the face. "I know." He murmured, relaxing his stance. "And the Avatar hasn't been reborn yet."
Hurt flashed across Katara's face and she looked down. "When…when Azula shot Aang in the back under Ba Sing Se, she locked his chi. He lost touch with the Avatar spirit." She looked up at Zuko, her face hardening. "The Avatar isn't going to be reborn, Zuko."
Zuko didn't know what to say. It was a shock, of course, but something his Uncle had already theorized on to him. It wasn't a new idea, but definitely something he hadn't wanted confirmed.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled. He didn't want to look up and see the scorn on her face. A single apology couldn't take back years of hurt and violence. Of him not siding with her.
"It is partly your fault." Katara sighed and he looked up. Her face was thoughtful. "But I…don't blame you, not entirely." She stomped forward and stuck her finger in his face. "But that doesn't mean I trust you!"
Zuko frowned and pushed her accusatory finger out of his face. "I've changed, Katara. I'm…who I'm supposed to be. Not a Prince of the Fire Nation, not my sister's brother, not ruled by my father's opinion. I'm…just me."
"You've said that before." She hissed back at him, stepping forward. "And words are only words."
He realized how close they were standing, her nose almost touching his chin. Her arms were pulled back, as if ready to strike, but her eyes shone with hurt and confusion.
"I never realized you were that short." The words slipped out before he could stop them and he cringed inwardly. What had he just said?
"What did you just say?" she gasped, clearly taken aback.
"I mean, I know you're a girl and everything, but you're kind of…mini." He passed his hand over her head to further demonstrate his meaning.
She stood opening and closing her mouth, clearly dumbfounded.
"Mom! Mom!" Zuko let out a breath as Kaya ran up to them, breaking the tense silence. Kaya flung herself against Katara's legs, making her stumble a little bit. "Mom! Romjak is calling an assembly, we have to go." She smiled brightly up at him from around her mother's hip. "Hi Daddy!"
Zuko coughed in surprise. "Err…"
"Kaya," Katara knelt down to look at her. "This man…is not-"
"It's okay mom." Kaya said, patting her exasperated mother on the head. "You don't have to tell. I know he's my father, so you don't have to say anything." Katara groaned and tried to start again, but Kaya had already skipped away. "I'll meet you there, mom! Bye Dad!"
"I'm sorry." Katara groaned, standing up. "I don't know why she's not listening."
"It's okay." Zuko said. "I understand wanting to choose your own father."
Katara snorted. "C'mon, you have to be there for the orientation." She moved as if to grip his hand, but dropped her arm. "I guess I don't need to lead you there." She smirked at him. "I'm used to leading children around."
She turned to walk towards the gathering and he caught her shoulder. She violently flinched away and whirled on him with horror in her eyes. He stepped back, raising his hands in surrender, eyes wide.
"I'm sorry, I-"
"Don't touch me." she said, her chest heaving. It was a weird combination of a plea and a command. "Please, Zuko. Don't…don't touch me."
"I'm sorry." Zuko had a sudden feeling that he would be apologizing as long as he stayed in this village.
"Let's go."
She led the way towards where the entire village had gathered, either in the trees or on the ground among the tents. Voices cheered and shouted, limbs swayed and raised. From above, in the trees came the voices of the villagers raised in joyous songs. Newcomers were always welcome. It meant more workers, more defenses, more help. Torches had been lit along the trees and in the above homes, lighting the way through the darkening forest. Zuko saw people of all shades wearing all colors. He saw green eyes and brown eyes, and caught glimpses of gold. Once he thought he saw blue. He wondered where Katara's brother was, if he was here or dead or worse. He didn't think it'd help to ask.
He watched as Katara moved through the crowd, how the villagers moved aside and tapped others to do the same as she passed by. She passed them with small smiles and words of thanks. But as they got further in towards the front, even though they were on the outskirts, the crowd became thicker with newcomers who didn't know to move aside. He watched her flinch and twitch with each bump, each jostle. She came to a halt in a small pocket of space, panting, eyes searching restlessly for a path.
On instinct, Zuko reached out and caught her hand and held on when she tried to shake him off. She turned on him with panicked eyes and started to claw at his hand with her nails.
"Trust me." He stared her down. "Trust me, Kata-Chizu."
People around them were starting to take notice of her antics, frowns on their faces. She glanced around and licked her lips.
"Take a deep breath." He said. "And come on."
She took the breath, inhaling slowly, and nodded, gripping his hand back. He began to wind his way through the crowd, Katara on his heels. He moved people aside with a hand on their backs or shoulders, steering them from his path. Her hand gripped his tighter and tighter, making him wince. Finally, they reached the platform where Romjak stood and Zuko dropped her hand immediately. She stood still for a moment, looking at him, before nodding her head.
"Thank you, Lee." She took another deep, shaking breath, and stepped forward to join Romjak on the platform to the cheers of the villagers. The newcomers clapped along confusedly, and Zuko heard his Uncle's voice.
"Lee! Lee! Nephew!" His Uncle stood in front of the dais, waving frantically at him. Zuko walked to join him, relieved that Iroh was alright and hadn't gotten himself in trouble yet. "Lee, where have you been?"
"Just…getting something to eat." Zuko murmured, looking up at Romjak. The village headman was looking back at him; suspicion, confusion, gratitude all mixing together on his face. He gave Zuko a curt nod and began to introduce himself and Katara, as Chizu, as his daughter.
"We got assigned tents next to each other." Iroh whispered to Zuko, nudging him in the side with his elbow. "Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, great." Zuko sighed. Then he frowned. "Does that mean we're staying here, Uncle?"
"I'm tired of walking, Lee." Iroh said, completely tuning out Romjak's words. "Aren't you?"
Zuko grimaced. Of course he was tired of walking. But a simple life as a tree-dwelling peasant wasn't exactly his idea of a solution to that problem. Katara's unexpected appearance didn't exactly make this the smartest idea either. Though he was sure she'd consider it beneath her, she could betray them whenever he pissed her off too bad.
"For now, Uncle." He said, eyes fixed on Katara. Her face turned just slightly and she caught his gaze. A half-smirk crossed her face and she looked forward again. "We can stay here for now."
A.N. Sorry for the slow build, I promise it'll get more interesting soon Please review!