Summer 99 AG
Agna Qel'a, Walls

Zuko

Yue had chosen the worst place possible to go after hearing the news of my departure. I had nothing against high places themselves or anything against flying in general but the sight that high walls like this one give…well let's just say that I'm not fond of falling.

I found her overlooking the ocean, her feet dangling in the air as she looked at the approaching sunset, apart from some sentries on the lookouts we were alone and since the sentries were quite the distance away, we could talk without interruption and without hiding anything.

The sound of my feet against the ground drew her gaze but as soon as she saw me, she looked away, sighing. I sat next to her while trying to think on how to open the conversation.

"Yue, I…I'm sorry" apologizing was my best bet here at least as an opening move "I should have told you myself"

She responded without looking at me "You should have, you could also stay one more day"

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it briefly when she didn't say anything more "You know I can't do that, one day would quickly turn into two and then more. I have family waiting for me to come back, to know that I'm safe"

Finally, she turned to me, and I saw the tears she tried to hide from me. The dark satisfaction I felt in my heart at the clear evidence of her love for me was not comforting enough as we locked eyes. My hand cupped her face, and I wiped a few stay tears with my thumb.

She leaned into my touch and exhaled deeply, Yue moved my hand from her cheek to her mouth and briefly kissed my knuckles "We could send a messenger…i… I don't want you to leave me, not when I can't follow you"

I kissed her after that, something that I hoped would lessen the blow for what I was about to say.

"I have something to tell you…something important that may cause you to hate me"

"I could never hate you; you could be Koh the face stealer in disguise, and I would have still fallen in love with you, you make me feel alive Zuko" she looked at the ocean beneath us and continued "I've been living a borrowed life and many times I felt as if I was not really living, you changed that"

Yue brushed her lips against mine for a second before kissing me "I feel alive even if I'm only thinking of you and when I'm with you the weight of my life is nothing at all"

This is what I've looked for all my life, love, unconditional and never-ending, it only made my desire to have more of it from different people an even more terrible thing but a heart as dark as mine would have it no other way, that is why I was chosen to be a contractor after all.

"I love you Yue" the words meant nothing to me, but it seemed that the world shined brighter in her eyes as she heard them "And you deserve the truth"

"My name is Zuko and I'm the crown prince of the Fire Nation" the confusion in her face lasted only for a second before she laughed at me, not a sad laugh or a desperate one, a happy laugh.

"You silly man, I could never hate you for something like that" the hand that I had taken when I first sat down was still holding hers and this time it was she who squeezed "I knew there was something more about you and you always seemed to be laughing when I was addressed as 'princess Yue'"

"So, you have to go back huh, I guess we were meant to be, but we were never meant to be together" we looked on as the sun fell "will you remember me?"

It was my turn to laugh now "Now you are the one being silly, I will never forget you and you are insane if you think that I'm not coming back for you once I've delt with the problems at home"

Our eyes met once more and this time neither of us looked away as we made our promise.

"I will always love you Zuko and I will wait for the day where we can be together" we had one last kiss before she went back to make sure there would be no misunderstandings from her actions.

Once I was alone again, I gave a silent thanks to those beings who made this possible and left the walls, those medical texts and scrolls weren't going to steal themselves after all.


Agna Qel'a, Mechanist's workshop

"Well, my prince, we're ready to leave" the man said as he cleaned a cog that didn't seem to belong anywhere. "We are leaving, right?"

"Of course we're leaving, why are you asking that?" I was looking at a particularly striking black coat made from the pelt of a wolf that I was one hundred percent going to steel.

For a moment I wondered what the OG Zuko would say to such dishonorable actions but then I remembered that the guy stole lots of shit, for all his talks about honor Zuko sure changed his mind quickly when things didn't go his way.

"Rumors abound that you have become infatuated with the princess of the tribe, I even heard that her fiancée is looking for you to request a duel"

"That's…interesting but that still doesn't answer my question, none of that makes me want to stay"

"You have been seen to frequent the presence of the princess and if what I'm seeing on your back is correct you recently engaged in carnal relations with someone, her reaction to the news combined with what I see now make a clearer image of your relationship"

Curse observant old men and my lack of care when I'm changing "…we are very close yes, but I have a war to stop, even if I have feelings for her there are still many things that need my attention"

He looked closely at my face as if he could actually read the truth in it, he was seemingly satisfied with what he saw before he stopped again and looked at me intently once more "you are not going to kidnap her right, because I would prefer not having icicles being thrown at me after spending such a nice time her"

Perhaps I'm being too friendly if he thinks he can make comments like that, then again, I like people who are smart and not afraid to speak their minds, curse my need for intelligent company.
"Have no fear my friend, she is staying but I will come back for her once the war is over"

It was at this moment that I remembered why I was here; I needed a distraction, and I was hoping to use the mechanist as it.

"You said the balloon was ready right" at his nod I continued "Why don't you go and offer the court the unique opportunity to fly while I take care of some things on the side and make sure Yue is the first one to fly in it, she needs to cheer up a bit more and that could help"

"You want a distraction"

"You understand me, good, make sure to take your time especially with the old lady Yagoda, I need to, hm, liberate some knowledge from her place"

We stepped out of his place and called the important to one of the open spaces in front of the palace.

"Chief Arnook we want to thank you for your hospitality and all the help you and your people have provided us during the days of our stay, as thanks we would offer you to ride the balloon, to fly as the airbenders once did, I promise not to go with you and crash it again" the joke at the end did the trick and the people that once were skeptical of the apparatus soon lined up to board it.

Normally I wouldn't have been able to slip away as the crowd of people looked nothing like me but in their excitement at the possibility of flying my absence went unnoticed.

I climbed atop the houses and buildings and ran across the rooftops until I found myself close to the healers building, jumping down from the top of an adjacent building. The only witness, a boy who was probably only entering puberty, ran away.

Snorting at the apparent cowardice of the child I made my way inside carefully opening the door before looking inside. I saw some women changing the bandages of a hunter, and another feeding a child something that looked really gross, probably some herbs as medicine.

One trick I had learned from my past life was that if you carried yourself with confidence and looked as if you had something to do or looked like you worked there most people would let you be, those days I spent eating hospital food for free while I moved around with a clipboard and some empty test tubes finally were useful for more than getting free food.

Randomly grabbing some medicine and some salves I walked confidently towards the back where I knew Yagoda kept most of her scrolls, the women there looked up at me briefly but as they watched my face and the things I carried they quickly lost interest and went back to work on their patients.

Closing the door behind me, I looked for scrolls detailing the process of healing as well as those that were for more general instructions and one or two that were about treating heavy burns.

Looking for and hiding those scrolls in my person didn't take more than ten minutes, a reasonable amount of time but one that could be suspicious if they questioned me about what I was doing.

Once I was sure that nothing poked out or looked strange, I simply walked out, not slow as if to indicate I had time but not hurrying either as if I had something to hide. Once I was out the door, I let out a big sigh of relief and headed for the balloon.

While walking I came to the startling realization that some men where following me, they were almost discreet about it but I wasn't stupid and five men not in a group that were clearly trying to blend in with others just screamed 'ambush'.

In these situations running would be the best option but I wasn't an ordinary human or more accurately I wasn't human, I was a god and I wanted to know why they were following me.

Stopping at the entrance of what looked like an alley I motioned them to come, the startled looks on their faces lasted a second before scowls replaced them.

Once we all were out of view from the street, they blocked the exit and pulled out their weapons, nothing too dangerous, just some metal tubes and some staffs used for training.

"At least you know your place outsider, don't worry we won't kill you we are only going to teach you a lesson" the one who spoke was a big, bearded man that stank of alcohol "you should have gotten so familiar with the princess, Hahn sends his regards and wishes you don't return"

I loved when things went my way, I didn't even have to ask and this idiot told me everything I wanted to know. Hahn for all his posturing and pigheadedness was a man looking for power, political power, and Yue was his best bet to obtain it.

I was a clear threat to him and there is no doubt in my mind that he would have done something to Soka had he accompanied him on his mission, accidents happen in battle after all.

"You know I'm so glad that everyone is busy elsewhere and that it's still bright enough that this won't be seen" moving forward I kicked the man's legs and watched him fall, kicking his head a very satisfying crack was heard as his jaw broke before I advanced on his friends "Don't worry, this will be quick"

They didn't even have time to scream before I delivered a punch to each of their throats leaving them choking and sputtering on the ground barely able to remain conscious.

"I briefly thought of letting you live but I want to try something" with those words my hands move in a fluid motion and a mound of snow suddenly is on the head of the leader, I feel it as the heat of his body slowly melts some of it and the water quickly finds its way inside his nose.

He coughs and coughs trying to spell the liquid from his nose, but as much as he tries, as much as his body convulses and thrashes in the agony of his lungs filling with water, he can't escape his fate.

He drowns.

I turned and looked at the still shocked and barely breathing companions that followed him, they peed themselves and the acrid smell of urine in the snow assaults my nose.

"You have no honor, no courage and soon enough you will fell the same pain as he did" my legs spread, and my arms raise themselves from my waist in a sweeping motion that moves the snow around them covering their heads "I will make it faster for you"

This time I don't wait for some of the snow to melt, I directly push it inside their noses and mouths. They claw at their throats desperate for air, for relief.

They find none.

And once they all stop moving, I walk out of there not a hair out place and make my way to the war balloon, there are still many things waiting for me out there in the world and I can't keep wasting time.

The scene I walk to is not one I expected, the old man is being carried in the arms of the villagers who are telling him how smart he is, the crowd wanting their own turns.

"I'm sorry perhaps I'll come back soon, but I miss my son dearly and I think it's finally time for us to leave" his words cause them to focus on me and they start saying their goodbyes.

After one more formal goodbye from the chief and the important people at court, we finally leave the balloon rises and we move towards the walls. Once we are close enough, I see Yue there, a teary smile on her face as she mouths the words 'I love you'.

Laughing I wave at her and respond "I will come back for you"

Not long after that the moon and cold night air show us the way to further adventures.


Author note: hello my people i hope you enjoyed the chapter, a little romance and drama are good for the soul and i'm happy that the first part of the story is done, each conquest is going to be it's own sotryline and i hope that by the end they fuse in a satisfactory manner. as always i'm here to remind you about and all that cool stuff that you already know, i'm thinking about goign back and naming the chapters and i would like to know what you think. anyway i hope you have a great wednesday and that you are healthy, see you next time.
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