Dick didn't know where he was.
He'd woken up in his civilian clothes, distinctly ruffled and with his sunglasses askew. The light poured down through the leaves above him, agitating him into consciousness. He was in a forest with no specific identifiable features. His holo-glove couldn't give him the coordinates, and there was no signal so he couldn't send a message to Batman, or anyone else for that matter.
Was this like in Bialya? Had somebody wiped his memory? One look at his glove told him that there had been no great passage of time. There were only a few hours of darkness in his memory.
What had happened?
He stood up and tried to think, pacing back and forth without realizing it.
He remembered being in the Cave. The team had been watching a movie, a celebratory calm after their recent victories. He had been sitting next to Zatanna, their hands barely touching.
Something funny had happened on screen and several people laughed, and then Dick found himself waking up in the middle of the woods.
He shook his head and allowed his training to kick in, analyzing his surroundings once again. He needed to go downhill or find a river to follow, something to help him make his way out of the forest and back to civilization. He collected himself, making sure that there was nothing he was leaving behind, and then started walking downhill.
...
The river was easy enough to find, and the resort that spanned across it was even more so. The buildings were beautiful stone structures built on a wooden platform and suspended above the water, all lined with cherry blossom trees. He knew it was a resort when he saw the various relaxing activities, like people lounging in hot springs or getting massages.
Everyone was wearing loose, solidly colored robes in shades of pink and red, and most of the people had their hair done up in topknots. Dick didn't see a single person with blonde hair, though that might have been because of his position; he was hiding on top of one of the buildings, looking down at the resort from a less than convenient angle.
He'd been scoping the place out for a little under an hour, finding himself in what was at one point a locked office in hopes of digging up some information. Unfortunately he was no closer to figuring where the hell he was.
There weren't any maps or any other documents that would help him find his way home. Everything was written in Chinese, all of the people had Asian features, the clothes were elegant hybrids of different Asian cultural clothing, and the houses were built to look almost Japanese, but the people in the resort were speaking perfect English?
Dick had no idea what was going on.
He was torn from the confusing information by the sound of voices, people coming towards the office. He rushed to put the papers back in to some semblance of order before he silently jumped out the window, hiding just around the corner outside.
"We will need to prepare the finest lodgings for our new guests and get them fed and watered immediately, goodness only knows how they managed to survive on that raft for so long..." an old woman cooed. Dick heard the ruffling of the papers and more concerned conversation.
Everything they said was in perfect American English, but somehow Dick couldn't understand any of it. Someone had found a stranded prince, and he was now getting the royal treatment?
Where on earth was he that was made up of predominantly English-speaking Asian people, who were all living under a monarchy?
None of it made any sense.
...
Robin's case notes: It's been three days since I got here and the questions just keep piling up.
Wherever I am, it's not Earth. For one thing, in this place people with powers are considered normal, they're even the majority. I've seen a bunch of civilians making fire from their hands for both leisurely and practical purposes. The technology isn't as advanced as back home, but people have found their way around a lot of things with their abilities, or 'bending.'
Apparently there's also a war going on, but the people I've been watching seem pretty confident that their side is winning. I'm not sure what to make of any of it, but hopefully I'll get home before getting involved.
I've set up a temporary base in one of the empty cabins and borrowed some robes in order to blend in; I tried foraging for food, but the plants are all unfamiliar and I'm not sure what's edible and what isn't. The resort has a dining area though, and nobody questions when I grab a bite and then come back to the cabin. I'll hav—
Dick was interrupted from his writing by a slow knock on the door. He tugged his holo-glove off and threw it out of sight before approaching; who had noticed him?
It wasn't a staff member, thankfully, but a round old man with a calm smile on his face.
"Good evening, young man," he said, giving a small bow. Dick returned the gesture. "Are your parents here? I would like to invite you all to dinner; the owner of the resort– a very lovely woman– had a special meal prepared, and it would be a shame not so share it with someone." The younger swallowed, choosing his words carefully.
"They're not here right now, they went to take a walk by the beach? Or maybe in the woods... They just wanted some time alone, I think, sorry..." He rubbed one of his eyes, trying to look tired. The old man hummed thoughtfully, closing his eyes for a moment.
"Well I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you ate without them," he said, his smile becoming more jovial. "Come, come! They will have no trouble finding you later, you shouldn't be alone on a lovely night like this!"
Dick searched the old man's face, thinking of all of the things that could go wrong... And overall, the benefits outnumbered the consequences.
He was walking down towards the main building and listening as the man— Iroh, apparently— talked about random things, while Dick nodded and hummed at appropriate intervals. If anything, he might learn more about where he was... Well, more than he would have learned holed up in some cabin.
...
Iroh was more important than he let on. Staff members and guests alike would bow deeply when they saw him, giving him only the best things; he got the best seat at the head of the long dining table; he got only the most finely prepared food, ten times the quality of what they normally served; he told everyone about his cabin, which was a convenient distance from all desirable locations, including the forest, the cliffside stairs that led to the beach, and the resort itself. Dick was at least fairly certain that this was due to his position, whatever it may have been. Everyone referred to him as General Iroh, but Dick thought he must have been more than that to garner such respect.
He had been invited to sit to Iroh's left and was helping himself to a healthy serving of roast duck. Iroh himself was regaling the rest of the guests with tales from his home, in particular trying to get a reaction from the boy sitting to his right.
The boy sitting opposite of Dick had immediately caught his attention. The staff treated him with the same respect as they did Iroh, but it was much more hesitant. It seemed for good reason; the boy was the textbook definition of a moody teenager, snapping at anyone who approached him and refusing to participate in any of the stories, instead choosing to brood as far away from the crowd as Iroh would allow.
He would learn later in the evening that the young man was called Zuko and that he was Iroh's nephew, and the prince of one of their world's major powers.
"He has been through quite a lot in his life," the older man told him as they walked back to their respective cabins. "But things are beginning to improve, and that is all I can hope for."
The first thing Dick had noticed about Prince Zuko— and probably the first thing that most people noticed— was the scar that spanned across his left eye, stretching back to his ear in a distinct flame-like shape. Dick avoided looking at is as much as he could; he didn't want to be on the moody prince's radar.
...
The boy was unusual, to say the least, and he most definitely wasn't telling the whole truth. But Iroh knew he had no ill intentions, and continued to humor him.
...
Apparently spending large amounts of time with Iroh put Dick on the prince's radar. Dick noticed Zuko watching them more and more as he talked to Iroh, always from a distance and always turning away quickly when he was caught.
Dick only spent more time with Iroh for two reasons; firstly, he was very generous with information, always willing to tell a story; secondly, he was a very interesting man.
They had been in Iroh's cabin drinking tea and playing a game with carved tiles that the older man had shown him, when Iroh finally confronted him.
"Your parents are not really with you, are they?" Iroh asked, the serene smile never leaving his face. Dick froze.
"Wha– of, of course they're here! What are you even saying?!" He'd been caught off guard, and the damage had already been done. Iroh didn't look up, he only hummed thoughtfully and took another drink of his tea.
"Pardon my weariness, Dick, my sleep was disturbed last night. Did you notice the thunder as well?" He had. It was especially strange because the sky had been clear, and there was no other indication of foul weather. Dick had simply written it off as heat lightning, or some other natural phenomena that was unique to this new planet.
He nodded. Iroh suddenly looked very grim.
"Hmm... I fear that we, are no longer safe here." Perfect timing, thunder rolled outside their window. Both men looked up at the sky, worry lining their faces.
...
The source of Iroh's concern became very apparent later that afternoon.
Iroh had asked for Dick's company down by the beach, and together they combed the shore for sea shells while the older man recounted an old story about dragons. Zuko had begrudgingly attended, refusing to collect shells but listening to his uncle's yarn nonetheless. They had been out for no more than fifteen minutes when Iroh invited Dick back for lunch, giving Zuko a pointed look as he said that "a meal is always better when shared with friends." Zuko just grunted.
"Look at these magnificent shells!" he said, pouring them out of his bag and picking up a particularly pretty one. "I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come."
Dick followed Zuko inside, eyes skirting around the cabin; a force of habit, but certainly a useful one. He instantly noticed the figure sitting in the darkened corner, and he made to reach for the utility belt he'd hidden under his robes. The stranger must have noticed his face as well, because they stiffened and rose from their seat. If Iroh saw any of the exchange, he pretended not to.
"We don't need any more useless things," Zuko hissed, finally losing his patience. "You forget, we have to carry everything ourselves now."
"Hello, Brother. Uncle."