#destinydragonfiremage

You stood behind your mother, clutching a basket of stale bread. Standing as still as possible, you held your breath in hopes to stay even stiller. But as 8 year old, your attention could only span only for so long and the strain for standing still for so long began to wear you down.

"Mother -" The sharp turn of your mother's skirts was enough to still you. "Hush child, we must stay polite and still." Your temper flared momentarily. Why did you have to stand so still while Zuko played with the turtle ducks as much as he can?! It wasn’t fair. Pouting, you crossed your arms in huff, only to be pinched by your mother shortly after. “You need to have decorum, child, if you are to be the head of the maid staff in the future like me. The palace requires us to behave and be seen a certain way. Do not think that just because you are friends with the Prince Ozai’s son that you can get away with anything. It is not proper for you to be friends with him, but since Lady Ursa has urged it so, I will honor it.” Even as a child, you could feel the tension radiating from her and it made you look up towards her. When she noticed your stare, she leaned down and whispered, “Please my child. Be diligent and show manners, if not we can in big trouble with the Prince Ozai who is not as kind as the Princess Ursa.” You nod and your eyes cast downward. When your mother initially explained what she did for the palace one night over dinner, you were elated. The palace was big and you imagined every room to be full of treasures and jewels. Your imagination ran rampant and when your mother invited you to join her one day to start your observation for servant training, you were more than excited. But nothing could have prepared you for the utter boredom it came with in following order after order, etiquette after etiquette. Luckily, you easily made friends with the Prince Ozai’s son, Zuko. It happened by chance one day. You were closely following your mother when the spell of fresh baked breakfast pastries wafted from the kitchen to the hallway. You stopped abruptly, your mother still walking down the hallway, oblivious that you were slowly tip toeing your way to the kitchens. As you got closer and closer to the kitchen door, you listened careful through it and opened the door just a bit to peek. When you saw nothing, you opened the kitchen door widely and found the pastries on a plate on top of kitchen counter. Your mouth watered as you stood right next to the counter and tried to grab one of the pastries, your short arms, however, were not long enough to reach the plate. You struggled, even going on your tip toes to see if you could reach further. As you were about to touch the plate, a gasp could be heard and it scared you, making you shriek in return and knocking over a bag of flour over and spilling all over you. the flour tasted bitter in your mouth as you cough, plumes of white powder puffed all over the air as you struggled to see through all the flour on your face. “You’re not supposed to be here! Mother!” Footsteps were heard and the next thing you knew, a fit of giggles could be heard. Finally, you wiped the last of the flour from your eyes and they widened.

Your mother was going to kick you to the spirit world.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over - your majesty!” Your mother walked into the kitchens, her eyes full of horror at the sight of you covered head to toe in flour, caught by the Lady Ursa and her son.

“It’s ok, Alina. Looks like she just wandered off and was curious. Were you just trying to get a fruit pastry? What is your name sweet child?” Ursa kneeled to your level, her arm outreached towards you.

  You glanced at your mother who still had harsh look in her eye, but nodded reluctantly. Looking at the Ursa again, you were awestruck. She was very beautiful and looked very kind. Zuko who stood next to her, looked at you with curiosity and a timid smile. Reaching over, you slip your small hand onto the queens and she shook it gently. “I’m (YN). And yes I was trying to get the pastry. I stopped by and it smelled so good. I didn’t mean to knock the flour over.”

Ursa laughed, the sound melodic and soothing to your ears. Her presence was warm and inviting and you scooted closer to her. “Such a pretty name (YN). This is my son, Zuko.”

  Zuko looked over to her and smiled widely, “Wanna split a pastry?!”

Your eyes gleamed, “Yes! I would like to share it with you, Zuko!”

Ursa and your mother exchanged looks, before your mother cracked a smile. From that day on, you and Zuko because friends.

“Come on, duckling. We’re needed inside. Let’s go.” Your mother’s voice pulls you out of your day dreaming and she opened her palm for you to take before you slip your small hand onto hers, her palm rough, but still soft. You glanced over your shoulder, catching Zuko’s eyes who waved and turned back to his mother.

 A couple of days later, you hear of General Iroh’s son’s passing while in battle.

It was devastating news. You briefly met General Iroh right before he left for Ba Sing Se. He and Ursa had sat by the gardens drinking tea while you and Zuko fed some of the turtle ducks. He seemed such a warm and kind man, even showing you fire trick that made your eyes wide and gleam with wonder. That was your first real taste of fire-bending and a small flame ignited within as you hope that one day you could fire-bend like him. 

There was nothing but warmth when Ursa, Iroh and Zuko were together. Lady Ursa was so fond of General Iroh who would often treat her son like his own. Seeing all of them together made you so happy. You remembered inviting everyone for a tea party when Iroh returned from Ba Sing Se.

But General Iroh would never return to the fire nation - not until for while.

After Lu Ten’s death - everything changed.

------------------------

You awoke to the sound of your door creaking open, a small sliver of light filtering through. Sitting up and rubbing your eyes from sleep, you mumbled, “Mother?”

“Hush, child. I have to be quick.”

Eyes scanning the dark, your eyes finally refocused on your mother’s face that was in front of you. Reaching up to cup her cheek, you noticed that it was wet - she had been crying. A chill went down your spine. Your mom rarely cried for anything - she was one the strongest people you know. For her to cry…something really bad must’ve happened. “Is everything ok?”

There was a beat of silence before she whispered quietly, “Y-yes, my love. Everything is ok. Know that I love you no matter what happens and that I will always be with you.”

You tilted your head in confused but shoved it to the back of your head when you felt your body call back for sleep. “I love you too mother. I’m tired now, can I go back to sleep?” You ask with a yawn.

She chuckled lowly, tucking a hair behind your ear. “Yes my love. I hope your dreams are filled with cake and sweetness.”

You giggle and nod tiredly, “And we’ll have a tea party with you, Lady Ursa, and Zuko.”

Your eyes flickered shut and your mother looked at you with sadness. “Yes, my love. We’ll have a lovely tea party with everyone.” She kisses your forehead, whispers a goodbye, and turns to leave the room. She glances one last time at your sleeping form before looking at the doorway where Ursa stood with tears in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry Alina...to pull you into this.”

Alina, with tears falling from her eyes, takes Ursa’s hands and kisses the knuckles, noting the trembling hands. “You do not deserve this brutality and this life, my queen. Anything for you.”

Ursa trembles, more tears spilling from her eyes. “I hope our children will be shielded from this brutality. They do not deserve it.”

They hold hands one last time and Alina whispers, “For them.”

Ursa nods, “For our children.”

---------------------

A short while after, you awoke with the strangest dream. Your mother had come to your dream and something about tea parties. Yawning and stretching, you took note of your mother’s absence in the servant’s room. Your brows furrowed, your mother would have awaken you by now with a cup of hot tea and some gook she made for breakfast, but it was eerily quiet.

  “Mother?”

Silence.

A pang of fear washes over you. Something was wrong.

You got out of bed and rushed to put on your servant’s attire, which was just a simple red dress with the fire nation emblem on the chest. You ran through the halls looking for you mother, but the palace seems to be empty. Until you ran into Zuko and Azula. Azula scared you. She wasn’t kind or warm like Zuko, if anything she always seemed to be plotting and being mean, even though she was younger than you.

“Where’s Mom?” Zuko demands.

Azula shrugs nonchalantly. “No one knows. Oh, and last night, Grandpa pass away.”

You gasp quietly, hiding behind a pillar.

“Not funny Azula! And I want my knife back, now.” Zuko makes a grab for it, but misses when Azula steps away.

She waves the knife in front of him, and taunts, “Who’s going to make me? Mom?”

With hands fisted in anger, you move from your spot from behind the pillar and say. “You better stop that Azula, give the knife back to Zuko and tell us where Queen Ursa is!”

Zuko gasps and Azula sneers with a glare. “Go back to the kitchens, servant. You do not talk to me that way - wait. You’re Alina’s daughter right?”

You tremble, “Y-yes..why?!”

  She saunters over you, twirling the knife expertly as if she wasn’t an 8 year little girl. “Rumor has it that your mother murdered our Grandpa last night. Her trial should be over by now…”

You gasped. Your mother? Poisoned the Firelord? Eyes flashing, you snarl, "You're a liar!"

Azula glances at the clock and tuts with her tongue, smiling wickedly when the Firelor’s chamber’s doors opened with guards and fire mages walking out. Some had tears in their eyes, others looked angry. “Well good timing.”

The mages talked amongst themselves and as they walk passed you, but Azula was able to tug one of the mage’s sleeve and they stopped and bowed for her. “Oh dear fire mage, you must excuse me. Can you please tell me what happened in my father’s chambers?”

The mage shook with anger. “That lowly servant scum murdered our great leader. Oh Hail Firelord Azulon Her punishment is death.”

Coldness seeped through you as you saw Zuko’s eyes widen before turning his head to look at you. The mage quietly left, shaking his head while crying for the loss of their great leader.

“I wonder what they’re going to do with you - the traitor’s daughter.” Azula slowly and purposefully towards you, like a predator hunting their prey.

“We don’t want any traitors here.”

She continued to stalk towards you, your back meeting the pillar. Even though she was younger than you, she scared you. “You will get what you deserve, traitor.”

Azula sneered before spinning the knife in her hand and plunging the knife into your chest. ---------------

You gasped, springing out of bed while you clutched your chest.

  It was just a dream.

  Cold sweat had seeped through the bedsheets and you groan, shivering in your small apartment. You felt for your chest and, although the knife felt real, it was just a dream.

Pulling your knees to your chest, you silently wept.

  After hearing your mother’s crime and her punishment, you and the rest of your family - your father and younger brother - only saw her briefly one last time in her cell before she was whisked away. The punishment for traitors was death - and her death was a cruel one. You and your family, and the rest of the nation, were forced to watch her burn at the stake, her screams of agony and pain forever etched into your memory.

Soon after, the new Firelord ordered the banishment of your family. You didn’t even have time to say goodbye to your good friend Zuko. They had ripped you from him right before you left, screaming and crying for him while Zuko couldn’t do anything. 

Azulo told him that you were being taken to another palace to be a servant. It made him sad to see his friend go without even a goodbye. He locked himself in his room, crying gently as he wished for his mother’s warmth and your soft giggles as they played. 

It was the last time you would ever see each other.

You got out of bed, sighing when your feet met the cold tile floor, moving slowly to get started on boiling some water for tea and getting a pot of gook ready - just like what your mother had always made for you.

  Years passed and when you were 13, you learned of Zuko’s banishment - the reason unknown to you. There were rumors that the Firelord had branded his own son with a mark - a mark that you knew would come from an Agni Kai. 

This only solidified your opinion towards the Fire Nation at that age - the Fire Nation was hungry for greed and power and would use fire to threaten others into submission. When you were 13, you had nothing but hate towards the nation that burned your mother and destroyed your family. 

You remembered feeling sad for him, and thought about reaching out to him by sending a messenger hawk But would he even remember you? Zuko had never once tried to make contact with you so why would you reach out to him?

But was three years ago, and now, at 16, you could hardly remember your childhood friend’s face anymore.

  The past was a nightmare to you, one where you tried not to dwell for too long. You had made peace of what happened to you and your family a while ago, but certain things still haunted you. You were still angry, sure, but you had come to understand that there was nothing that you could have done.

Zuko eyes were fixed on the horizon, his hold on the ostrich horse's reins tighten slightly as he could feel his Uncle start to lean toward one side, a tell-tale sign that he was starting to drift asleep.They've been traveling all day, making their way towards the Misty Palms Oasis, but the sudden attack from the Rough Rhinos had set them back a couple of hours. 

As the continued on their trek, Zuko started to wonder why they were going to the Misty Palms Oasis in the first place, but his Uncle had insisted. When pressing him further, all he got was some meaningless metaphor, that he was pretty sure that his Uncle made up on the spot, and some tea advice. 

The skies were starting to darken, the temperature cooling down significantly as well. Zuko looked above him at the vast expanse of the sky, the stars starting to twinkle even more. 

Zuko grunts in reply, nodding his head towards a village ahead before urgijg the ostrich horse to pick up some speed. “No - I think we still have a day and half’s worth of journey by the looks of it. We need to set up camp and get some more food.” 

Scanning the horizon once again, Zuko's gaze lands on some twinkling lights from a nearby village and he nudges his Uncle awake. Iroh jerks suddenly and clears his throat as if to cover the fact he was snoring just a second ago.

“Are we at the Misty Palms already?” Iroh asks. 

Iroh perked up at the idea of food. “Food sounds delicious right now. I could really go for some tea right now too. And music!" 

Zuko grumbled, Ugh, what now? I just want some peace and quiet. Why is it never JUST peace and quiet... 

Zuko nodded in agreement. They’ve been traveling all day under the hot sun and some needed refreshments to cool off sounded nice.  The thought of an actual bed and some real food had him urging the ostrich horse to go faster. He was tired of scavenging desert critters for food. As they got closer to the village, both Zuko and Iroh were surprised to see a crowd of people entering the village. The sound of music and cheers also started to become louder. 

They tie up their ostrich horse at nearby barn where they paid for extra feed for the poor ostrich horse. As soon as the animal was in the barn, it collapsed out of exhaustion and Zuko was glad that he could at least give the poor beast some rest. He hesitated...Did he just get sentimental over an ostrich horse? 

“Come on, Zuko. There seems to be an event going on in the village. From what I smell, there seems to be lots of tasty food as well.” Iroh wore a warm smile on his face as he rubbed his round belly in hunger. Zuko’s own stomach grumbled as if on cue, and he placed a hand over it. He looks at his uncle with a sharp nod. 

“Ok, uncle. But we should also find a place to stay for the night.” 

A group of kids ran past him, making him stumble towards a vendor who was selling hats. “Hey watch it! You’re going to flatten my them!” 

Iroh nods and turns to the village entrance where Zuko could see kids and other villagers happily run around. As they walk through the market, the sights of roasted pig chickens, roasted ducks, and much to Zuko’s disgust, roasted scorpions and beetles were also everywhere. He looked warily at the roasted critters and shivered in disgust. His Uncle, however, was happily munching away on anything he could put his hands on. The music was lively and it made Zuko almost miss home - the festivals that he used to go to, the markets that he and his Mom would visit… 

“Sorry..” 

The vendor glares at Zuko and shakes his head, pointing at the kids that had just ran past, “The event must be starting soon.” 

The vendor’s glare deepened, if that was possible. He waved a hat at their faces, “You guys foreigners or somethin’? This event is FAMOUS around these parts. Fighters from neighboring villagers train all year for this. On the second Tuesday of every month during this time of the year, these fighters go head to head at a chance to win the winning pot. Only catch is…no bending! It makes it more of even playing field, if you will. It's what we call entertainment around here. Tonight is the preliminaries so there should be lots of entertainment!” 

Zuko raises a curious brow. That definitely piqued his Uncle's interest. “Event?”

Zuko nods and thanks the vendor. Iroh looks at Zuko with excitement, his hands up in a fighting stance. “We should watch a couple of matches while we’re here, nephew. Participating in other cultures opens your mind to new opportunities and learnings!” 

Zuko couldn’t help but chuckle. "Let's go and watch then. But only a couple!... since we need to find a place tonight if we want to leave early tomorrow." 

Iroh nods in response, a gleeful expression on his face as he points at a crowd going to a large tent just outside of the market. 

Zuko would never admit it to his Uncle, but he was actually excited. It would be good to watch some entertainment. It would be a nice change of pace - traveling all day and all night, seeing nothing but sky and sand was becoming mundane. There had been already countless nights where he would just stare up at the night sky and watch the stars for entertainment. Watching sweaty people beat up each other sounded entertaining. 

The first few matches were boring, much to Zuko’s disappointment. It was either a quick match where one of the fighters would just overpower the other in strength or size, or it would drag on until the one of them collapsed in exhaustion. He thought about how easily he could defeat these any of these fighters with swing of fire bending, but then remembered that it wasn’t allowed. He grunted and crossed his arms, he thought this was going to be more exciting but all he was doing was sitting with a bunch of sweaty men who had been working under the hot sun all day. 

“Let’s go.”

-----------------------

The first few matches were boring, much to Zuko’s disappointment. It was either a quick match where one of the fighters would just overpower the other in strength or size, or it would drag on until the one of them collapsed in exhaustion. He thought about how easily he could defeat these any of these fighters with swing of fire bending, but then remembered that it wasn’t allowed. He grunted and crossed his arms, he thought this was going to be more exciting but all he was doing was sitting with a bunch of sweaty men who had been working under the hot sun all day.

The lights dimmed and the crowded began to murmur in excitement. Zuko looks around, curious at the added drama effects.

“Alright folks! This should be a good one. Introducing…your last year’s champion - the Blue Dragon!” 

The lights dimmed and the crowded began to murmur in excitement. Zuko looks around, curious at the added drama effects. 

From one end of the ring, a figure appeared and walked up to the stage, a blue dragon mask covering the fighter’s face. When the figure came into view, the crowd went wild. There were hoots and whistles all around the crowd, while others clapped. 

“And the formidable opponent - the Striking Scorpion!” 

The crowd becomes even wilder. Zuko sees more commotion at the front and notices people doubling their bets with coins.  A crowd of women at the front all swooned and fanned themselves as the Striking Scorpio flexed his arms to them, his white shirt straining against the muscles. Zuko rolls his eyes and looks over at the other fighter again, who was a lot calmer and stiller than the opponent. 

“I guess he’s the fan favorite?” Iroh whispers to Zuko who just nods in agreement. Zuko became more intrigued, this was the first fighter who wore a mask on stage and he wondered why. He strained his neck to get a good look at the him, but was completely blocked when the announcer brought out the next fighter which brought more people to their feet.

“Wait…she’s the reining champion!? How in the hog monkeys is she going to win? The Striking Scorpion’s biceps is twice as big as her head! She has no chance.” The men in front of him shook their heads while they expressed their disbelief, continuing to dismiss the Blue Dragon. 

Zuko’s eyes snapped back to look at the fighter. Wait...She?! How did he miss that? 

Under the twinkling lets of the tent, he could faintly see her but he could definitely tell that the Blue Dragon was girl. Zuko pursed his lips. Even though she was the champion, she was a lot smaller than the Scorpion. Though if Zuko knew anything, it was to never underestimate your opponent. After all, he did get beat by the young Avatar.

Suddenly, he was very interested in watching this match, his back stiffer as he sat back down. He looked over at Iroh who appeared to be swooning a lady to his right who was laughing and nodding at everything he was saying. His uncle can be such a ladies man. 

Zuko shook his head in exasperation and took a bite from his roasted pig chicken skewer, his gaze going back to the stage as the two fighters took their position as they stood on opposite sides of the ring. 

The two fighters faced each other, the Blue Dragon bowing in respect before going into a fighting stance. Immediately, Zuko takes note of the her stance. It was very similar to stance for fire-bending. The squared shoulders, strong footing. Zuko’s eyes narrow even more as he wonders if this fighter was a fire-bender. 

Interesting. 

The bell goes off and the Scorpion wastes no time by leaping high into the air with his arm drawn back, using his weight and gravity to land a hard hitting punch down to the ground where the Blue Dragon stood. Immediately, the fighters were surrounded by smoke and debris, not clear to the crowd if the Scorpion had indeed landed his punch. 

"Told ya the Blue Dragon didn't stand a chance!” The men in front of Zuko chortled with amusement as his friend smacks his own forehead in defeat.

"Yay the Scorpion!!” Suddenly someone in the crowd yelled in victory and then the crowd erupted with cheers. It soon faded, however, when the dust settled, and crowd gasps in disbelief when they realize there was nothing there. Zuko’s brows raise in question.  The Blue Dragon wasn’t there! Not even a body laid on the ground, unconscious. 

The Scorpion ignores it and continues to  shake his hands together in victory before flexing for the crowd of women at the front who all swooned. The crowd became surprisingly quiet, murmuring to each other about the Blue Dragon’s short demise. 

The crowd gasps again and points towards the corner edge of the ring. She had managed to avoid the punch altogether and was now just sitting on the ring's outer railing as if she had been there the whole time. 

"You're slow for someone who's supposed to be striking." 

Zuko choked on his piece of roasted pig chicken meat. How did she escape that?

“What in the hogmonkeys?!" The scorpion screeches. "Nobody avoids the Striking Scorpion!” The opponent ran towards the Blue Dragon as she took her stance again and when Striking Scorpion lunged forward, this time the Blue Dragon didn’t avoid it but remained rooted in her spot. When he got near, she shifted her foot to the left and she evaded his right hook. She dropped low and delivered an uppercut to the scorpion's ribcage.

It must have been some punch because now the scorpion was stumbling back and heaving, as if out of breath. He snarled at her, frustrated, and lunged at her again, his arm extending to deliver a punch. She ducked under his arm, grabbing it before spinning to get behind him and pinning his arm to his back. She used her momentum and her weight to let fall forward, bringing the Scorpion down as he lands face first onto the ground with one hand pinned behind him. 

The Scorpion groaned and yelped, trying to strike at her while pinned. He swung his free arm around, trying to grab at her and she was straining to hold him back properly. He managed to grab her arm and tugged, throwing her off a balance and making her roll forward. 

The Blue Dragon took an offensive and lunged forward. Before the Scorpion could even stand on both feet, an uppercut to his jaw sent him stumbling backwards and the crowd cheers.

The Scorpion growls, fuming at her. With renewed strength, he ran forward again, but this time, he seemed more tactical now that he realized that his opponent was playing smart. The Scorpion threw a right hook like last time, and just as he expected, the Blue Dragon shifted her weight so as to shuffle to the left, but the Scorpion quickly readjusted and swings his arm for a right hook. 

The Scorpion snarls at her. “You! No one gets to push me to ground." 

The crowd gasps as his fist lands across the cheek and she stumbled backwards, fall to one knee. The impact caused a crack on her mask and the Scorpion grins toothily. 

She barely had time to roll from her kneeling position to move before he was lunging at her again. She rolled to the side, evading a kick and flipping back to avoid another kick. It was like for few seconds - the Scorpion would continue to deliver blow after blow while the Blue Dragon continued to evade it. Zuko could feel the end of the match coming. One wrong footing, one miscalculation, and she could be off the ring. 

"Let's take a look at behind the mask!" 

Before she could flip out of the way again however, the Scorpion managed to grab hold of her foot and pulled hard. She stumbled forward right into another hook. Zuko grimaced when he heard the contact, but gasped when the crack on the mask deepened until it cracked all the way and split. The pieces falling to the ground with a clack. 

Zuko's eyes travels from the blue mask on the ground and then upwards, finally getting a look at the Blue Dragon’s face. And when he did, his eyes widens. A pair of amber eyes, just like his, gleamed under the lights of the tent. Those eyes…they were so familiar. He shook from his stupor. That was stupid. Just because she has eyes like his doesn't mean she was from fire nation or that he knew her.

The crowd goes silent. 

But it was the slight curl of your lips and the small dimple on the right cheek that had him go rigid next to Iroh. An image of a young servant girl grinning over a fruit pastry covered in flour flashes behind his eyes and he blinks back. 

His Uncle must felt his change because Iroh whispers, “Is everything ok?" 

Zuko shakes his head. It couldn't be. "She look familiar to you Uncle?" 

Iroh's gaze move from him to the now unmasked fighter. He strokes his beard, deep in thought. "Hmmm…she looks like a regular fighter to me!" Iroh laughs after some thought, but paused. "Though, her stance and movement is very similar to a fire bender. That might just be a coincidence, no?" 

Zuko's eyes narrows, he could tell Iroh knew something by the slight twinkle in his uncle’s eyes before dismissing it as a trick of light and returns his gaze back to the fighter. The prince couldn’t shake off this feeling though, like he knew her. It didn’t add up though, why would you be in the Earth Kingdom? The last time he heard of you, you were sent off to another palace to serve a high ranking general. He crossed his arms, deep in thought. 

He sees your grit your teeth, snarling at the Scorpion who was laughing and lapping up all the cheers from the crowd.

-----------------------

No, no, no, noooo! My mask...

The Scorpion was starting to make you mad. That mask took weeks to put together! "That was my favorite mask, you bozo! And now, you're going to pay." 

You run towards the Scorpion, and at the last second, you duck  and spin to the right to avoid his jab and you deliver a blow right under his left ribcage, mirroring the one you delivered earlier. 

The Scorpion huffs and gasps for air. He barely had time to avoid a kick before he scrambled away from your quick advances. 

Your opponent took a misstep as he stumbled backwards, giving you the opportunity to shuffle to your right and swing your arm for a right hook. You manage to connect your fist to his jaw as falls backwards at the impact, falling to the floor with a groan.  Smirking at your small victory, and as you scan the crowd, your eyes connect to pair of amber eyes like your own, his left eye surrounded by a scar. His eyes seem to shine under the lights and it roots you to your spot. The noise of the crowd disappears and it feels like your breath is stuck in your throat. 

It was him.

No one else has amber eyes that fierce with a scar like that. You knew of only one person who fit that description.

Zuko.

You couldn’t rip your eyes away from his, the sound of the crowd fading as you stood frozen on the ring as you stared at each other. Zuko had grown a lot from the young boy you used to know. His looks had matured and the scowl in his face was enough to tell you that things have definitely changed. But you couldn’t see passed the boy prince you used to know...the innocence in his eyes, the carefree way he would laugh. But this wasn’t him. He was different. 

The Scorpion uses your hesitance to lunge forward again, swinging for a right hook. It catches you off guard and you react too late. You could see Zuko’s eyes widen right before you saw stars. The hit makes you stumble backwards, the sound of the crowd coming back as as you taste the familiar copper tang coating your mouth. 

No more distractions. 

Wiping the blood that dribbled down your chin with the back of your hand, you narrowed your eyes at the Scorpion who was grinning smugly. 

You both lunge at each other at the same time, and at the last second, you notice that his cloth belt had become loose sometime during the fine. A smirk tugged at your lips and with a shuffle to the left and a duck to miss a swing, you did a quick maneuver with his belt and you were able to pull it free from its loops. You grabbed his wrists and spun to move behind him, tying his wrists together and pushing him forward towards the edge of the ring, letting gravity do the rest of the work. 

Without the Scorpion’s belt holding up his pants, it dropped to his ankles, and with his momentum pulling him forward, he steps on his on one of his loose pant leg and trips. Unable to steady himself without the aid of his hands, the Scorpion tumbles straight over the ring’s edge and falls over, disqualified. 

You smirk as the crowd erupts in laughter and cheers, some coins being thrown your way. You pick up your broken mask on the way down the steps, but not before catching his eyes again. 

----------------------

It had to be you. When their eyes met briefly, it was as if Zuko was transported back to when he first met you - in the kitchens with you covered in flour. You still had that annoying sideways grin that you had when you were both younger, framed by the small dimple on your right cheek. 

And now, Zuko was unable to tear his eyes away from you. He reels back at the stark contrast between that eight year old servant girl that he used to know and the girl he sees in the arena. Here you were now, standing your ground against a man twice as big as you. 

He knew that you knew that it was him. The stare down made it obvious…otherwise, you wouldn’t have hesitated like that and moved out of the way before getting punched in the face. He actually felt bad for that. 

But the way you quickly out-maneuvered the Scorpion, using nothing but a cloth belt and momentum to win the fight made him oddly proud, the feeling swelling in his chest. You were a fighter, that much he could tell. 

But question started racing through his mind.

Why were you here? Why were you fighting? Did you leave the Fire Nation on your own? What happened to your family?

“You look deep in thought, nephew.” 

Iroh’s low voice cut through Zuko’s brooding. Zuko sighed before replying, “I…I can’t be sure, but I think that fighter - the Blue Dragon - I think I know her. Her mother used to be my mother’s right hand maid so I would see her at the palace from time to time. But..I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since I was eight...” 

He looked over at his uncle who watched as you leave the arena. “I remember your friend. I remember meeting a sweet little servant girl before I left for Ba Sing Se. She invited us for her tea party, if I remember correctly. Why don’t we stop by after and say hello?" 

Zuko looks over at the arena again, just as you leave the main stage and enter a separate tent that he assumed to house all the fighters. The rest of the night was dull compared to your fight, and especially since Zuko couldn’t sit still. His thought kept going over his childhood memories, straining to remember anything he might have missed that would indicate why you were here. 

Did you defect and become an enemy of the Fire Nation? Or did you just abandon your home to live here? 

Or maybe you just...vacationing here…? Zuko shook his head, that would just be ridiculous. 

Whatever it was, he was going to find out. 

-----------------------

Tonight’s matches were finally over and you sigh with relief at the the thought of finally going home and getting some rest. Your stomach grumbles loudly and you silently hope to the Spirits that a few vendors were still open. Some meat skewers sounded amazing right now. 

As you start to unravel your wraps, you glance up just as the Scorpion enters the tent and make eye contact with you before glaring and grumbling as he walk away, embarrassed at being bested by a belt. 

As you unravel the cloth, you could already start to feel the soreness already and you already started seeing the bruises blooming over parts of your wrists and all over your knuckles. A nice warm bath would do wonders right - 

"(Yn)!" 

Just as you were finishing unraveling the last bit of cloth, you hear your name, your real name, and you stiffen. Feigning deafness you continue to haphazardly unravel the cloth, your gaze to the floor. If you don’t see him, he doesn’t see you, you amusedly thought. 

A shadow looms behind you and, with a defeated sigh, you turn with an irritated tick on your brow. It took all your willpower not to squeal when you realize how much closer Zuko actually was to you. His stare was intense, holding so much heat that your couldn't help but turn away. 

You shrugs nonchalantly and turning back to your wraps as you removed the rest before proceeding to stuff it down your small bag. “I think you got the wrong person. My name isn’t (YN).” 

“What’s your name then?” Zuko asks, quickly losing his patience. He felt anger bubbling inside him, getting hotter and hotter as each second passed. He knew you were lying. 

Zuko releases a low growl, now even more impatient and angry. His eyes narrowing dangerously as he start to feel the familiar heat in his palm igniting slightly. "Answer my question!" 

You pack the rest of your stuff away in a small bag before swinging it over your shoulders. You reply curtly, "I will if you ask me nicely." 

A defeated sigh came that didn’t come from Zuko catches your attention as you turn and look past the fuming Prince to see a familiar face. Your glare morphs into a puzzled look before a smile breaking across your face. 

"Iroh?" 

Zuko turns to his uncle, confused. He forgot you knew his uncle, it’s been so long. Zuko's eyes flits between you and his Uncle squinted at you before his eyes widen with recognition as a smile tugs at his Uncle’s mouth. 

"(Yn)! " You walk pass by Zuko, completely disregarding him and wrap your arms around the former general, who just laughs warmly and pats your back. He moves away to take a better look at you, “It’s been so long. You’ve gotten so big! And, dare I say, more beautiful than I remember?” 

You laugh, the carefree sound has Zuko’s chest tightening. 

Zuko’s rant was cut short when you lean over and flick his forehead, the impact causing a slight sting that makes Zuko hiss. "Can you stop acting like a brat? I said if you asked nicely I would give you my name. But you don't get to talk to me like that and expect something from me."

But as Iroh and you continued to catch up, Zuko’s anger bubbles over and he lets out a angry huff, crossing his arms across his chest. He was close to hitting his head on the wall out of frustration. “You know, you could just have just that was your name instead of ignoring my question. How dare you ignore -" 

“So what brings you guys to the middle of nowhere?” You move towards the tent’s exit, Iroh falling in step to your right as Zuko glared at both of your backs, both of you continuing to ignore him as if he wasn’t there. He could feel the anger stirring inside him and he took several deep breaths to calm down.

Glaring, you look back at Iroh who has an amused smile on his face. His gentle demeanor calms you a little, especially with Zuko’s temper flaring wildly. 

Begrudgingly, Zuko followed the two of you out of the tent where you and Iroh were still deep in conversation as you head walk towards the direction of the market. “We are on our way to the Misty Palms Oasis. I think I know someone there who can help us with our journey.” 

Zuko immediately quieted, Iroh never mentioned that to him before. Why did he say that now, especially in front of you?

Nodding your head, “That’s at least another day’s worth of journey. I hope you get some good food and ample rest tonight.” 

Iroh nudges your arm gently and your attention returns back to him. “Which reminds me… (YN), what are you doing in the middle of nowhere?” 

You glance behind you, your eyes meeting Zuko’s briefly and he feels his heart jump slightly and he immediately hates the feeling which only adds to his scowl.

Zuko perks up, noting the slight falter in your steps and the way your back stiffens for a brief second. He narrowed his eyes. Were you hiding something? 

Instead of directly answering Iroh, however, you pause mid-step, and turn to face them both. With a strained smile, you offer, “If you guys don’t have a place to stay for the night, my place is just down the street. It’s a bit small, but there should be enough room for all of us. I can make us some food? I’m starving..” 

Iroh smiles warmly at you before turning to address Zuko. “I’m sure we don’t mind, right nephew?” 

Before Zuko could interject and point out the obvious way you deflected his Uncle’s question, you dug into your small bag, smiling when you find what you were looking for. It’s been so long since you've seen Iroh and the last time you saw him, he taught you how to play his favorite game.

You opened your palm out to Iroh, whose brows rose with surprise. There in the middle of your palm was a small, wooden Lotus tile. “And then perhaps, after dinner, we can play some Pai Sho?” 

Iroh laughs, his hand on his belly. "Let's see if you've gotten any better since the last time we played.”

You know Pai Sho? …’Since the last time’ what did that mean?! Was Iroh hiding something from him? Zuko looks back and forth between you and Iroh, confused before throwing his hands up in frustration. 

“Hold up. I don’t see you or hear from you for over five years and we're all going to pretend that everything’s ok and that we’re all friends?! Why does it seem like you guys are hiding something from me? Nothing is making sense and both of you are just ignoring me!” Zuko’s eyes flash, his jaw clenching when he saw his uncle look at him with exasperation, eyes pleading him to calm down. 

You sharply turn to face Zuko, your eyes narrowing and, immediately, Zuko shrinks back under your gaze. “You need to keep your anger in check. You’re being utterly insufferable right now, and I can’t deal with it. Either calm down or take a walk.” 

Behind you, Iroh tries to keep his amusement down. No one had every stood up to Zuko the way you just did. Everyone else was just too afraid to make his nephew more hot angry so they usually just give in to whatever request he has, but you had met him straight on without even flinching. This should get interesting. 

Calm down?! 

Zuko growled - that was the last straw! He's had enough of being treated this way, his anger finally simmering over. How dare you treat him like that?! You have some nerve to talk down to the prince and for this, you needed to taught a lesson in showing respect. He felt the heat in his body rise as licks of flame started to come alive in his palm. 

“Agh! I’ve had enough of you!” Zuko draws his hand outward his hand, his palm open and ready to shoot a ball of fire. But right as he felt the fire ignite from the palm of his hand, you lunge forward and enclose your hand tightly over his. You felt the heat radiate from his palm, his fire mingling with yours as you cover his hand to smother it. Zuko's fire extinguishes almost immediately and instead, a cloud of smoke seeped through your clasped hands. 

You moved too fast for him to react and, as Zuko blinks back in surprise, just now realizing how close you were to him. He was close enough able trace to your features more thoroughly with his eyes and feel your warmth radiate off of you. He stares down at you, your amber eyes meeting his with the same fervor. 

Sneering, you whisper lowly, "Don't you dare use your fire on me." 

Zuko's eyes widen at your icy tone, it was enough make a shiver go down his spine. Gone were the days of the pastry-loving, flour covered girl that he used to imagine you as and instead, the image of you standing defiantly in front of him with enough boldness to go toe-to-toe against him replaced it. 

Finally realizing that you had just snuffed out his fire with your own hand, Zuko stutterers in disbelief, “Y-you're a fire bender?!" 

You roll your eyes in response, releasing his hand and ignoring the shock feeling in your fingertips as it brushes against his rough palm. You mumble a reply, avoiding his stare. “Yes. I learned that I could fire bend when I was ten." 

Picking up your bag from the ground, you brush off some of the excess sand and swung the bag around your shoulders. As you walk pass Iroh, who was smiling innocently as if nothing had just happened, you glance over your shoulder and meet Zuko’s heated gaze. “You coming or what? You can sleep with the desert critters for all I care.” 

Iroh’s smile wavers slightly when he sees Zuko’s scowl. Iroh places arms across his stomach and with an incline of his head, he calls his nephew over. “Come on Zuko.” 

Zuko releases a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding, a low headache starting to bloom around his temples. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he takes several deep breaths of air and recounts the last few minutes. Your fire bending surprised him, but now he understands that some of your boldness might have come from the fact you were able to learn fire bending. After all, he was taught that anger and passion was the source of energy for fire bending. 

As he watches you converse with his uncle with such ease, Zuko realizes he has more questions now than he started with, and they need to be answered. 

Silence. A bout of panic rises through his throat. Did something happen?

Zuko goes to open the front door and sighs with relief when he finds both you and his Uncle outside. The two of you were in deep concentration as you both slowly moved through fire bending forms. He leans against the door frame, crossing his arms across his chest as he watches his uncle, shirtless and already sweaty, move in unison with you. Meanwhile, you moved through the forms almost at an ease. Zuko usually hated practicing forms and drills, he didn’t have the patience for it and would rather just spar. 

“Ah, Zuko! You’re finally awake!” Iroh stops mid-form to greet him with a smile.

Zuko pushes himself from the frame and released an irritated sigh, “Why didn’t you wake me? I thought we were going to leave in the morning.”

Iroh just raises his arms at him, “Come on Zuko! Let’s watch (YN)’s last tournament and then we can travel through the night - it would be easier with the cooler air anyways!”

Zuko glances over at you, but you just gave him a shrug. You were a lot more quiet this morning and he wondered if it had something to do with what he said last night. A flash of guilt hits him, but pushes it away when you glance away before adding, “Your uncle made some jook. There’s some left overs in the kitchen…"

“Fine, Uncle. We can stay, but we will leave right after.” Iroh just nods at him before turning back to you to continue the forms. Zuko turns back to go inside your apartment, but not before catching your gaze briefly, your expression unreadable.

----------

Somewhere in the village....

“I’m telling you, b-boss, I saw them...Fire Nation criminals! I saw the the girl take them to her house. She's harboring them!" The short man wheezed as the hand on his throat tightened, hands clawing at the assailant.

“Xi, if we find out that you’re lying, you’re dead!” 

Sud loosened his grip on the Xi's neck as he collapses to the ground, coughing. Sud then whispered over to the figure next to hi, “So what’s the plan, Scorpio? If she’s harboring Fire Nation criminals, maybe she’s a fire bender. We can use it to our advantage?”

The Scorpion’s lips curl maliciously as he stroke his chin, “If she is a bender, we need to force it out of her. Sud, see if we bribe the organizer about changing some rules...”

Both men left the alley, smirking.

----------

You sat on the floor by your kitchen table as you got ready for your last fight, while Iroh sat across for you, his back against the wall, and Zuko made his sure their packs were ready to go for tonight. The blue dragon mask you previously wore to the matches laid on the table, split in half. Saddened by it, you sigh as trace your fingers over the details.

“We’ll find you another one.” Iroh seems to pick up on your demeanor and comforts with a small smile. You look up at him and nod, as Zuko sits down next to you, his packing finished. He stared the the blue mask, realizing how similar it was to his.

“It reminds me of the Blue Spirit mask I have.”

You blink at him, trying to imagine what the Blue Spirit mask would look like, before shrugging your shoulders at him, “You should show me next time you're ever around."

For a moment, Zuko forgot that after tonight, he'll be leaving you - his childhood friend - behind. He cursed at himself internally for treating you so unfairly. Years of wondering where you've been and what happened to you, and now that he found you, here he was trying to leave as soon as possible and basically spitting at your hospitality. He quickly glances over at his uncle who laughs at something you say and he wonders that maybe his uncle was right, maybe it was right for you to come along. 

Zuko chewed on his Uncle’s words from last night. Was it right for you to spend the rest of your life scraping by while you fought just to have money? Were you happy? 

His fist clenched at his predicament - part of him felt anxious about the thought of you coming along, but there was another small part of him that wondered what it would be like to have you around again. It made him feel less lonely - to have someone that he knew from his childhood who went through a somewhat-similar experience. But it was a small part of him and Zuko pushed that thought to the back of his head as he observed you as you start to wrap your hands with cloth. 

Trying to break the silence, Zuko curiously asks, “So what made you want to join the fighting ring in the first place?"

You glanced at Zuko with surprise before responding with a shrug, "I needed the money."

Zuko tilts his head at you as if urging you to continue and you elaborate, “But I also wanted to learn different fighting forms. To be frank, some of the fire bending forms can be…” You trailed off as you wrack your brain for the perfect description.

“Rigid?” Zuko offers and your face lights up before nodding with agreement.

“Yes! Rigid…fire bending forms can sometimes be restrictive. It's all about control and showing strength so it doesn’t allow for much flexibility, not unlike water or air bending.” You finish wrapping main hand before starting the other, grumbling when you fumble awkwardly with the other. 

“Here…let me.” Zuko offers as he takes the cloth from your fingers and grabs your wrist, not sure what prompted him to help and ignoring the rising temperature of his cheems. Unbeknownst to you or Zuko, Iroh smiled behind his tea cup as he listened.

You look up at him with curiosity, trying to quell the flutter in your stomach as he holds your wrist gently, his callous hands bought against your skin.  While Zuko wraps your wrist, he says with a nod,”I think I can understand. Sometimes you can’t think about how your form looks when someone’s attacking you.”

You couldn’t concentrate on the words he was saying; you were too occupied watching Zuko wrap your hand. As he wrapped your hand slowly and almost delicately, his fingertips would brunch against the inside of your wrist and palm, your skin tingling where he touched. 

Clearing your throat, you nod in agreement as you glance up at Zuko who catches your gaze briefly and looks away back to your hand with a blush. “Forms can only do so much. Don’t get me wrong - the basics are fundamental to master, but sometimes it’s good to look beyond just fire bending teachings to learn, you know?”

You rambled as you watch Zuko finish wrapping your hand and tying it securely. You flexed your hand around, testing the tightness and support before nodding with satisfaction. Zuko blushes when you suddenly grab the sleeve of shirt and say your thanks, your eyes genuine. Iroh continues to smile behind his tea cup.

A smirk spreads across your face as you stand up and ready to leave for the tournament, “Alright, let’s do this.” 

Zuko just rolls his eyes at you, a smirk tugging at his own lips.

----------

You cursed - not only were you surrounded, you were backed into the edge of the ring. One step backwards and you would be out of the ring - disqualified. Glaring at the three opponents in front of you, they smirked with as they inched closer to you. 

When you had arrived earlier that evening for the last rounds of the tournament, they quickly announced the change of rules in the “spirit of the competition” and for “entertainment.” You had shrugged it off when Zuko gave you concerned glance, saying that they would often change rules so it wasn’t surprising. However, you weren’t sure what that meant until you entered the ring and three opponents you previously fought walked up the stage. They looked at you with a smug expression, the Scorpion stretching his limbs to warm up and intimidate you. You glared at the ring leader who just flashed you extra coins. 

How was it the ‘Spirit of the Competition’ when it was a three-on-one match? 

“Give Up, Blue Dragon! You’re no match with us three.” The Scorpion sneered at you, his arms out ready to strike. Zuko felt tense as he watched you slowly back yourself to the edge of the ring. 

Why did they suddenly change the rules? He thought. He also found it odd that despite the rule change, you were the only fighter that had to fight more than two opponents. Either they know something or they were very adamant about not getting beat up by a girl.

“You seem worried, Zuko.” he looks over at his Uncle, who seems to be actually enjoying the match.

“Yeah, and I can tell you are too,” Zuko adds sarcastically. His uncle just bit his nails in nervousness as you dodge a punch. Zuko looks back at the ring and pushes his worries away. 

Whatever. You act so strong anyways, you could take on thee people. He bitterly thought, before glancing back at the ring with worry.

You knew that they were the the ones responsible for changing the competition rules just so they can have an unfair advantage - what a bunch of cowards. The Scorpion lunges forward and you barrel towards him, duck from his hook, and put all of your weight onto you right elbow as it connected to his shoulder. However, you had no time to react before another opponent, The Leaping Beetle (as he liked to be called) kicks high up in the air towards your head. Narrowly missing, you grab his leg and flip him to his back ducking when another kick was thrown to you. 

You tried flipping back to step away, but the Scorpion managed to grab your foot before tossing you aside. Your back hit the ring on impact and knocks the air out of you, not to mention your ankle started to throb as you pushed yourself back up, and the three opponents stood together before shouting and lunging all at once.

Zuko’s eyes widened as he realizes that you had no chance to avoid all three opponents at once and he leapt from his chair, “Watch out!” 

A blast of red fire burst out of his palms before Zuko could stop it. You see fire erupt from Zuko, shooting out to the rink as it made way to the closest enemy - the Scorpion. Your eyes widened at the flames - the Scorpion either ignored it or didn’t see the incoming flames because he continued gaze at you smugly. Even though he was your opponent, the Scorpion didn’t deserve to be burned and your frowned at your predicament.

Growling in frustration, you squared your stance and swung your arm in front of you. You feel the heat from Zuko’s fire become your own as you moved it away from the Scorpion and morphed it into a shield, Zuko’s red fire changing and transitioning into a bright purple hue as the flames. All three assailants stopped dead on their tracks as a wall of purple fire erupted, their eyes widening at the height and stepping back as they felt the heat of your fire. 

Zuko’s eyes widen at the sight of bright purple fire erupting around you as it created a wall. He had never seen fire in that color before…he wasn’t even aware that the color of fire existed. The only other person to produce a different color of fire Azula - and he thought it was she was a child prodigy. (YN) wasn’t a prodigy, was she? He turned to his Uncle who watched the fire distinguish and turn into smoke with a finger on his chin with a perplexed expression.

“Uncle…h-how?”

Iroh sighs as he wracks his brain for an explanation, “Jeong Jeong mentioned (YN)’s potential in one of his letters, saying something about her mastery of fire but I brushed it off at that time. I’ve only managed to have purple fire once, but I was still young and at my prime then! It requires a certain level of concentration and discipline to keep that fire that way.”

You felt the heat dissipate around you, not that it ever bothered you, but the look at the Scorpion’s smug smirk was enough to tell you everything you needed to know. A murmur went through the crowd as they suddenly realized that you have been a fire bender all this time. 

“You’re disqualified!” 

You glare at the Scorpion, then at the ring leader before whipping your head to look at Zuko angrily. If he hadn’t intervene, you wouldn’t have gotten disqualified in the first place.

This was the Scorpion’s plan all along. Their plan was to corner you into using your bending (how they found that out was beyond you) and get disqualified since it was “illegal” in the ring. While bending was considered illegal, changing the rules and having extra fighters on the ring at the last second seemed to be fair. 

You fumed as you felt the anger bubbling in your chest.  Your fists ignited into a flames, but instead of the purple that Zuko had just seen, it was bright red just like his. Interesting. From where he stood, he could see the anger in your facial expression, but as quickly as he saw it, it disappeared just like the flames on your hands.

The anger dissipated as quickly as it came and you felt a wave of relief wash over you. You wanted nothing else but to throw fireballs at them and teach them a lesson, but you knew that it wasn’t worth your effort. They weren’t worth your effort.

“Tch, whatever.” You shrug and spin on your heel go down the stairs and leave the rink. The three opponents looked at each with surprise. “Hey get back here! We have a fight to finish.”

“Come here you coward. Aren’t you going to fight?” The Scorpion shouts at you, fuming that you just walked off so easily.

Zuko watched, perplexed. You weren’t going to fight them? Weren’t you mad at them? They had cornered you and rigged the rules just so they could win.

You walked down the steps and shouted over your shoulder nonchalantly, “Nah, you’re not worth my time. If you can’t beat me when I don’t use my bending, how are you three supposed to beat me when I do?”

As you walked toward their direction, Zuko could see the opponents angrily talked to each other. They didn't take in account if what would happen if you surrendered. He saw the Scorpion seethe before pushing his way past the other two fighters and running towards you, angry. He left high in the air, his arm drawn to drop a punch from above.

As if sensing his retaliation, you turn quickly, as bright purple flames erupted from our hands hand as you create another fire wall for protection. The Scorpion dodged it at the last second, snarling.

"You think you're better than us just because you're Fire Nation?!"

He lunges again but this time, you were ready. You draw your arm back and used your fire to propel your arm into an uppercut punch, your fist connecting with the Scorpion's jaw with a loud crack.

The Scorpion stumbles backwards, confusion written on his face before his eyes rolls to the back of his head and falls to ground.

Zuko blinks back and tried to stifle a laugh at how easily you manage to knock a guy, twice your size, out cold. However his eyes narrow quickly when whispers from around the crowd grew noticablely.

"Fire Nation?"

"Wait - they look like the guys from the wanted poster."

"Down with the Fire Nation!"

"Uncle...we need to leave."

"Way ahead of you Zuko," Iroh was already on his feet and halfway running to you when the shouts increase. Zuko ran towards his uncle.

"Get out of our village, Ash Maker!"

"Those guys have bounties on their heads! Get them!" 

As the crowd lunges for them, a wall of purple flames erupt from the ground behind Zuko, successfully blocking the mob from getting to them. 

You over to them and grabbed Iroh by the elbow as you led through the arena. "Let's get out of here. There's another way out."

Iroh makes a path from your fire as you direct them to the exit doors. Right before you leave the area, you turn back to the and breathe deeply before swinging your arms over head as the fire dies down into small embers, the crowd finally noticing where you are as they point at you.

"Let's go!"

You ran through the market, Iroh and zuko closely following behind as you made way to your apartment. They would be here in no time. You ran between buildings and avoided the main street as you three ran towards your apartment.

When you got in front of your door, you harshly turned around at Zuko, your eyes flashing before you angrily pushed at him. Zuko’s eyes widened with surprise, not used to see your anger directed at him. 

“Why would you do that!?” You push Zuko hard at the chest.

“I had everything under control!” You shoved him again and Zuko stumbles backward at te force.

“I don’t need saving, especially from a prince!” You pushed him harder and he falls to ground with an scowl on his face. 

“You should be grateful - I saved your life.” Zuko spat.

“I got disqualified because of you.” You seethe at him, throwing your arms up in exasperation.

And it clicks. Iroh was right. You and Zuko were more alike that he would like to admit. Now as he watches the anger in your eyes, your face contorted with rage...you reminded him of himself. He got up from the ground, his hands up in surrender.

You sigh, as you shook your head in disbelief before you looking at the distance. With lips curled in annoyance, you look at Iroh dead straight in the eyes with a guarded expression. Iroh just looked at you with a softened, albeit pained expression. “What do you want, Iroh? What are you doing here?"

Iroh chuckles before tucking his hand into his sleeves and says nonchalantly, "I don't know what you mean."

The way you shook your head in annoyance while your eyes flashed with rage made Zuko blink in surprise. The rashlesness, the anger... It was like seeing a mirror of himself every time he blew up at his uncle. He watch you shake your head in disbelief at Iroh before you glanced his way.

He hears you release a long sigh as if releasing all that pent u panger was well, before adding, "You don’t write back to me for months, you come out of nowhere with Zuko AND with a bounty over your heads, on the run from Azula, and then you ask me to come along with you, I say no, and next day I'm getting kicked out of my village?” 

You shook your head as you pace before them, in total disbelief.

Zuko did find it rather other odd at the string of events. But could only scoff at you, “It's not like we knew you lived here. Believe me, I would have happily passed your village if it wasn’t for our ostrich horse and our low supply. We just happened to come to stop along on our way to Misty Palms. Sorry to ruin your life."

You roll your eyes in response, incredulity written on your face.

Iroh nods at you seriously before breaking into a fit of chuckles and saying, “Maybe it was destiny for us to-"

You shook your head pinching the bridge of your nose as you wagged your finger at Iroh, “No, no, no, nooo - you don't get to do that to me. You don't get to pull the 'destiny is a funny thing' on me like you used to when I was younger. I can't believe..." 

You hang your head in defeat as you trail off. Zuko couldn't believe his uncle used that same line on her. On him! 

Iroh clapped his hands together, "So will you be joining us or what?"

You look over at Zuko with a brow raised, almost as if you were asking his permission. Zuko shook his head and scowled. “Not like you have much of a choice."

"Ok - just give me few minutes then,” You say quietly as you go into your apartment to start gathering some essentials.

Zuko and Iroh stood side by side as they looked to the distance, silence coming over them. Zuko chews on his lip as he asks in a low voice. "Did you know Uncle?"

"Know what, Prince Zuko?"

Was his uncle truly going to keep playing this act? Zuko growled, “That she lived here."

There was a moment of silence before Iroh speaks softly. “No, just a gut feeling. The last letter I received from Jeong Jeong, he mentioned how (yn) had just started mastering the purple flame when she decided to travel on her own. He did mention how adament (YN) was to see the desert but I didn't know she would actually be here."

There was another pause before Iroh shrugs and says, "Like I said, destiny is a funny thing!"

Zuko groans as he slaps his palm on his forehead in exasperation, “Uncle!!"

-----------

Taglist:

You veered towards the market area, holding on to Iroh's arm that he had offered just minutes before. Zuko scowled, his mood still bitter. Along the way, you had bought some ingredients at various vendors and, while he found the shopping annoying, he couldn't help but remember the days when he would go to the markets with his mother. Looking over to you, Zuko could see the same kind of tenderness in your eyes that his mother would hold. A feeling bloomed in his chest and his eyes widened in a panic before trying to quell that feeling down.

He didn't need this now.

Meanwhile, you stole a quick glance over at Zuko, you couldn't help but feel your anxiousness rise. You chewed at your lip, you didn't mean to smother his fire like that earlier, let alone reveal that you were a fire bender...But you couldn't risk exposing yourselves as firebenders in these parts as they were often looked down upon as the enemy. You recall the first time your Firebending master did that exact same move to you whenever you got too emotional.

--------------------------------

"Discipline! You need to learn discipline. Without it, you cannot control your fire!"

Sweat dripped down your brow, the hot summer sun beating down your neck while the humidity made the air thick and heavy to breathe. Strands of hair that had fallen from your topknot stuck to your sticky skin as your muscles ached with fatigue.  You kept your form as you held the tiny leaf in your hands, focusing on the circle of fire within the leaf to prevent the fire from spreading.

A momentary slip of focus and the leaf burns through again, singeing your fingers. You yelp, waving your hand at the burn.

“Discipline! If you had discipline, your leaf would not have burned!"

For the upteenth time that day, Jeong Jeong yells at you and, with the built up frustration finally tipping over coupled with the agonizing humidity and heat, you let your frustration get the better of you.

"I'm trying!" You felt a burst of flames about to erupt from your hands but not before your Master clamped his hands over it, smothering the fire instantly.

The sensation was almost cooling as if the heat was sucked out of your hand somehow. If he was trying to calm you down, it did the opposite - you felt angry. It felt like a display of absolute power.

It was as if to say, My fire is stronger than yours.

"Ugh!" You pushed your Master back, anger flashing in your eyes. You felt the fire erupt in your hands again and spun it overheard, creating a wheel of fire, but as soon turn to faced Jeong Jeong, he was already walking back to his hut.

Puzzled, you put your fire went out and angrily yelled, “What? You afraid to fight a little girl?!"

Jeong Jeong spun around so fast, behind him a columns of fire erupted from the ground and you cower back, your own fire extinguishing.

You flinch under his stare.  Jeong Jeong had stern look on his face, the fire still roaring behind him. "Do you want to learn or not?! You need to master the art of discipline or you'll burst like that again and hurt people around you!"

You bit your lip and looked away, ashamed for letting your emotions control you.

Jeong Jeong sighed and softly said, his fire going out, "You need to be able to sort through your emotions, accept it, and let go. You cannot let it distract you from your purpose. It will hurt the people around you. Fire is life, and life is to be protected. We do not use fire for destruction."

Nodding your head in understanding and with breath of determination, you muttered, “Ok. One more time."

You grab a leaf from the ground and concentrated on making the fire, controlling it so it doesn't burn.

Life is to be protected, you repeat the line over and over as you control your breath.

You felt the heat down your back, the sun unrelenting, as Jeong Jeong looked to the distance.

--------------------------------

It's been a while since you last thought about your Master. Jeong Jeong was a hard person to like at first, but after spending months training under him, you had come to respect him.

A tug on your elbow interrupts your thoughts as your eyes met Iroh's. He always knew when you would spiral deep into your thoughts. You give a reassuring smile and glance back at Zuko to make sure he was still following.

Your eyes met his briefly and your cheeks reddened. Seeing him after so many years was unnerving, and it didn't help that he had grown to a handsome young man... Despite the scowl that constantly adorned his face.

After a few turns, you stop in front of your small apartment, turning to the other two with a timid smile, “Well this is it."

You enter inside, turning on your lanterns as you led them further in. "I'm going to start on dinner, please get comfortable."

As Zuko start slipping his shoes off, he felt your hand on elbow and he turns to give you a with a puzzled look. "If you or your uncle need to freshen up, there's a bathhouse around the back..."

You smile up at him, almost as if offering an apology for earlier. Zuko is slightly taken aback at your politeness, but nonetheless, he nods and mutters a thanks in return. Despite the mutual agreement with each other, there was a quiet tension that you could feel, and you bet that Zuko feels it too.

As you head toward your kitchen, rolling your sleeves as you leave Zuko, you could feel his gaze on your back.

--------------------------------

Zuko took up on your offer to take a quick bath. When he entered your apartment , the smell of home immediately overwhelmed his senses. He sniffed the air and wafts of toasted fire flakes had him drooling. He felt at home.

"Hey, there you are. I just finished making dinner... I figured you and your uncle miss the taste of home so I made extra spicy fire noodles."

Oh. Zuko’s stomach grumbled loudly in response. How long has it been since he's had authentic fire nation food?

Zuko's features soften when he sees his uncle comfortably situated by the table looking more comfortable than he was in the ostrich-horse and nods over at you with appreciation, and you respond with a small smile as you grab rest of the dinnerware for the table.

Even though you seemed to have eased some of the tension, you could be still feel the intensity of Zuko's gaze from across the table as you sat for dinner. It a was unnerving. Uncle Iroh acted as if nothing was wrong. You weren't sure if he knew there was tension in the air and choose to ignore it, or he was completely oblivious to it.

The three of you continue to eat in silence, the time seeming to stretch unbearably.

Zuko couldn't take it anymore, frustration building as he held his chopsticks stiffly. Both you and Iroh were sitting there so silently while you ate. How could the two of you be so calm?!

"Ugh! Can someone please tell me what's going on!?" Zuko slammed his bowl on the table, making it shake. You glared at him.

Iroh looks over his cup of tea, "I was wondering when you would start yelling."

You turn your head away to stifle your giggle.

"What’s that supposed to mean?” The prince snaps. You snicker even more. Zuko raises a brow at you, surprised to see you in a much lighter mood, before scowling and asking, "What’s so funny?"

You roll your eyes at him, and pointedly respond, “It’s funny because you’re so predictable. It was only a matter of time before you started asking questions."

Zuko glared and crossed his arms across his chest, his scowl deepening. "Ok, well its obvious you two know each other."

Rolling your eyes, you wipe your mouth before saying,”Come on Zuko! You were there when we met remember? When we were 8?"

Zuko pinches the bridges of his nose, a headache blossoming again. “You know what I meant! Why are you making this so difficult?"

You bite back, "Why can't you ask better questions then?"

"Zuko! (Yn)!" Iroh interjected and you huffed, crossing your arms.

Iroh sighs and looks at you as if asking for permission and with a small nod, he turns to his nephew and starts, “After the death of my son, I decided to travel across the nations. I came upon an earth kingdom village where I found (YN) at an orphanage. She had recently just discovered that she could fire-bend.”

Zuko looked over at you but you avoided his gaze while you absentmindedly moved your noodles around.

Iroh continued, “She lost her temper and set the orphanage on fire, but luckily I was there to help. The head of the orphanage didn’t want anything to do with her, especially since (YN) was a fire-bender. I took her with me during my travels and taught her how to control her fire. Zuko, when you were thirteen, your father, Firelord Ozai, invited me to a war meeting. I left her with another Firebending Master with intentions to return and train her again.”

You cleared your throat as you shifted uncomfortably under Zuko’s stare as Iroh trails off. Shifting your gaze from your noodles to Iroh, you continue for him. “But when we heard of your banishment, your Uncle decided to stay with you instead. I was angry, of course. But I insisted that he stay with you. So I continued to train under Jeong Jeong until I left.” 

Your words hung in the air after you finished and you avoided Zuko’s gaze, opting, instead, to look at your window. Iroh sighs as he places his cup of tea back onto the table. He reaches over and pats your hand with a sad smile as if apologizing for leaving you behind.

Puzzled, Zuko’s frowns when he realizes something amiss. Azula had told him that you were sent off to another palace. Mulling over the words, Zuko finally breaks the silence and asks, “An orphanage? I thought you went to some general's palace..."

Your head snapped to his and Iroh looked at Zuko with saddened eyes. You shook your head in disbelief. "You're telling me you didn't know...?"

Zuko's eyes flit from yours to Iroh's and before settling his eyes on yours to try and understand the tense atmosphere, but you had an unreadable look on your face.

His brows knitted in confusion, “Know what?"

You slam your hand on the table with frustration, seething, "Banished, Prince Zuko! My family was banished after my mom's death."

Banished?

Zuko blinked back in surprise. "What? But Azula said that - "

"That what? Tch. Azula always lies. Don't tell me you actually believed what she said? After all these years, did you even bother to ask?"

"I - I'm sorry...I-I didn't know…!"

"Whatever. I need some air." With a clipped tone, you stood up from the floor, placed, your bowl by the sink in the kitchen and walked out into the night, the door closing shut behind you.

“Uncle, why didn’t you tell me? I…I didn’t know her family was banished. I was always told that she was taken to another palace as a servant.”

Iroh shakes his head solemnly, swishing the tea in his cup. “It’s not my story to tell, Zuko. (YN) went through a very hard time - when I first found her in the orphanage, she was so angry, she had nothing but contempt for the Fire Nation. She even hated that she could fire bend, she thought that it was some sort of punishment. And she was so young when all of this happened, it took a while of her to understand and accept what happened to her and her family. She’s a lot like you in many ways, Zuko. I would encourage you to talk to her yourself."

Zuko finishes the rest of his meal silently, though he had lost his appetite quite a bit a go. His uncle had taken himself to sit by the window, playing some sort of flute he found among your things. You hadn’t come back yet so Zuko decided then to go after you.

“I’m going to go look for her.” Iroh peeks one eye over to him and goes back to playing the flute, with Zuko sighing in response. When he went outside, he felt the chill of the night air and wondered if you were ok. Pacing in front of your house, Zuko could only hope that you didn’t walk off to far.  He peeked around the apartment - no sign of you.

“Looking for someone?”

Your voice frightened him and he almost yelped in response, his hand over his to chest to try and calm his heart. He looked above him and saw you sitting on top of your roof, laughing at his expression.

“Yeah…mind if I come up there?” Zuko asks hesitantly. He saw you shrug and leaned back to watch the stars above you. As he ascended up the ladder at the left side of your apartment, he saw the wide expanse of the desert and the night sky that stretched what seemed like forever. It was breathtaking. Zuko sat tentatively next to you, making as much space as possible. When he was settled, he looked over to you, your gaze still up at the night sky.

Zuko swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry about...about your family and what happened to you. I -"

"It's ok. You don't…” You let out a sigh as you ran a hand through your hair before adding, “You don't have to apologize. It's just overwhelming and...and with you and Iroh being here, seeing you for the first times in years...I honestly don't know how to feel."

Zuko looked at you with surprise. Despite that hard exterior you seemed to put out, you easily opened up to him just like that. He felt the tension in his shoulder ease a little.

Hesitantly, Zuko says,"I feel the same. When I saw you fight in that ring, all I saw was the little kid covered in flour."

You laughed, making Zuko crack a small smile. "I can't believe you remember that. My mom was so mad at me that day."

You tuck a hair behind your ear and glanced over at him. Zuko returned your gaze and immediately regretted it. As your eyes locked, he could feel a breath catching in his throat. The way the stars reflected in your amber eyes, the moonlight basking on your skin - you were beautiful.

Reaching over, you tentatively squeezed Zuko’s hand who slightly flinched under your touch. You moved your hand away and whisper softly, "I'm sorry about what your father did to you, Zuko. No thirteen year old should ever go through that."

Zuko turns away, almost in shame, he didn’t want you see him weak. "I'll show my father. I will regain my honor as his son and show him something to be proud of."

You listened to him, your heart breaking for him. You could see why Iroh had such a soft spot for him. Zuko still had a lot to learn - and with Iroh’s guidance, you know that Zuko would come to understand the truth just like you had. Zuko was surprised that you didn’t immediately scold or lecture him, but instead, you actually looked were eager to listen.

As you lean back, your back reached the floor of your roof and you stretched your right hand above you, tracing some of the stars. As you continued to look up at the stars, you ask Zuko neutrally, "So how are you going to do that?"

Zuko cleared his throat and with determination, he replies, "I'm going to capture the Avatar and bring him to my father."

The Avatar?  How is he going to do that? Did he really think capturing the Avatar would help him regain back his honor?  You turn to look at him with a puzzled look, kneeling back on your elbows, "And then what?"

Zuko looks at you quizzically, slightly taken aback. No one's really asked him that before. His brows furrowed in confusion.

You go back to tracing the stars while Zuko remained quiet. You clear your throat, "I mean...let's say you captured the Avatar, you brought him to your father, and he gives you your honor back. So what? What's next? Is that it? You get your honor, you get a seat at the table…Are you planning to be the next Firelord and rule like your father? What is so important to you that you need to get your honor back so badly?”

The question hung in the air and Zuko chewed on his lip. He never thought about what would happen after the Avatar was captured. You were right. What was next? If he got his honor, what was next for him? He finally gets attention from his father like he always wanted? Would his father be proud like he was proud of Azula?

Zuko tore his gaze from your face and looked up at the night sky, feeling small under the vastness of the twinkling lights. “I—I don’t know. I just want to get my honor back and have my father finally be proud of me.”

You made a noise of agreement and left it at that. Zuko was really struggling with his purpose and you recalled a time when, you too, didn’t know what you were supposed to do in the world.

“So…what happened after you left the Fire Nation?” Zuko asks tentatively. Your tracing faltered and you brought your arm to your chest.

You sat back up again and slumped forward with an unreadable look in your eyes, “After my family was banished, we settled at a Earth Kingdom village. It was soon after that my father started hating the Fire Nation. Both my brother and my father didn’t cope very well with my mother death.  We were very poor and barely had any money so we all worked for scraps. Fed up, my brother left to become an Earth Kingdom soldier one day while my dad stayed behind to try and take care of me.”

You sighed as you weave a hand through your hair. “My father became really bitter and was always getting turned away from work because he was so angry all the time. When I found out that I could fire bend at ten, my father…he - “

You faltered, feeling the familiar pang of pain in your chest when you recalled the memory. Zuko felt a tugged in his chest, his gaze softening when you wiped a tear from the corner of your eyes. He had the sudden urge to scoot closer to you and comfort you, but you continued.  

“My father was livid when he found out that I could fire bend. He said I was a curse and he wanted nothing to do with me. He decided that he couldn’t take it anymore and dropped me off in an orphanage the next day. He left to go fight in the war and I haven’t heard from him or from my brother ever since.”

You had shed too many tears over your family. At this point, you had become numb to what they had done - even coming to accept it when you were still at the training under Jeong Jeong. But you could still feel the pain in your chest, the tightness in your throat, and the tears pooling in your eyes. And you just let yourself get lost in that feeling.

Zuko felt ashamed. The Fire Nation ripped everything away from you, he could understand Iroh’s words now and how his uncle recalled how thought firebending was a punishment. To have everything ripped away from you and be gifted the ability to bend fire was cruel. And here he was, trying to regain his honor and go back to the Fire Nation.

In a quieter voice, you add, “Your uncle - he saved me.”

Zuko snapped his head to look at you. “What do you mean?”

You smiled over at Zuko, your eyes shimmering with sadness in the dark, “I hated everybody at the orphanage. I was just so sad and so alone. And I was so scared and angry. I also didn’t realize that my dad was never coming back at that time. I just kept hoping and wishing he would come back. At that time, I didn’t have any control over my bending and I would sometimes feel like I would burst into flames at any second. I didn’t know how to fire bend and I was so scared that I would hurt somebody."

"One day, a kid had pulled my hair, breaking my mother’s hair clips. I got so angry that I started throwing fire balls everywhere without realizing what I was doing. Luckily, your Uncle happened to be at the same village I was in and helped evacuate the children. Your uncle found me hiding in the woods - he remembered me.”

You laughed lightly as your recalled your past with Iroh. “He is the kindest man I’ve ever known - he became the father figure I needed after my own father left me. He helped me control my fire bending...he helped me understand my abilities and I came to love firebending.”

Shaking your head, “When Iroh wrote to me about what happened to you, he expressed such sadness over your suffering. No one should go through what you did. I knew then that you needed Iroh more than I needed him and he agreed to stay. At first, I was angry...part of me felt like he was abandoning me like my father. But my new firebending teacher helped me understand.”

Zuko chewed on his lip. So his Uncle traveled with you for some time before he stayed with him to find the Avatar. Why didn’t his Uncle tell him? Why didn’t Iroh tell him you were still alive and that you were a fire bender? Why didn’t Iroh bring you with him?

“Anyways, we should get back inside. I promised your Uncle a Pai Shao game.”

You went to stand up before turning to Zuko, your finger jabbing to his chest and your eyes narrowing dangerously. “Your uncle is the best man I’ve ever met. If you ever dare to take advantage of him, I will never forgive you.”

You descended the ladder and Zuko could still feel your piercing eyes on him, your threat hanging in the air.

When you entered the apartment with Zuko tailing behind, you saw Iroh was already drifting to sleep with the instrument still in his hands. His eyes opened briefly and saw you two come in. As if he wasn’t drifting asleep just a few minutes, Iroh immediately clapped his hands excitedly.

“Ah, is it Pai Sho time?”

You shook your head. There was always time to play even if he was tired. Zuko rolled his eyes and said, “I’ll go boil some water for tea.”

You smiled over at Iroh and sat across from him, setting up the board and pulling out the lotus tile from your bag and placing it on the board.

“So you never did tell me how you got your hands on a lotus tile?” Iroh looked up at you, tucking his hand into his sleeves. Zuko glanced from the kitchen.

“Jeong Jeong gave it to me.” You replied.

Zuko strained, why did name sound familiar? Wait..

“Jeong Jeong? Like The Deserter? Your firebending master was the Deserter?!” Zuko looked at you with wide eyes. He had heard his father angrily spat Jeong Jeong’s name multiple times over dinner, disgracing him. Calling him a traitor, an enemy of the Fire Nation Zuko assumed that Jeong Jeong would be some sort of savage bende...

You smirked over to him. “Glad you know your history, Zuko. But yes, Jeong Jeong was my master. And a good one at that. Anyways, after a couple of years training under Jeong Jeong, I was ready to leave that swamp and go off on my own. I wanted to explore the world and see it for it was truly was. Before I left, he gave me the lotus tile in case I got into any trouble. Luckily, I haven’t had the need for it since I never really did understand what he meant by that.”

“I haven’t heard from Jeong Joeng for years now. How is the old man? Still -“

“Bitter? Yes…but still as enlightened. He taught me levels of fire bending that I never knew existed and helped me advance my training in ways that I could’ve never imagined. He really helped me control my fire bending. I could see why he was a prodigy in his younger days. Jeong Jeong also taught me about the world - it was actually the reason why I wanted to leave - he had so much to say about how the world worked and people worked.”

Zuko was intrigued and wondered what kind of advanced training you got. He would actually enjoy the chance to spar together and see your strength.

Iroh combed a hand through his beard, smiling at Zuko when he gave Iroh the teapot, the water already hot. Iroh dropped some tea leaves into the hot water and covered it back up, letting the tea steep.

Iroh placed the teapot on the table, on top of a piece of cloth as you and Iroh started your turns. You put tile after tile, a bit rusty at the game while Iroh seemed to know every move you were going to make. You looked at the board, trying to figure out Iroh’s endgame with the tiles. Zuko went to grab some tea, pouring you a cup and sliding it to your side of the table before pouring one for Iroh.

After some silence, Iroh says, “We were thinking of going to Ba Sing Se. It would be the perfect place to hide from Azula and her army…and perhaps start a tea shop!”

You were about to place a tile on the board when your hand faltered as you take a sip of the tea only to burn your tongue, “Azula is after you?”

Zuko crossed his arms. “Yes, we’re wanted by the Fire Nation. There’s a bounty on us.”

Iroh nods his head as he places more tiles on the board. “We will go to Ba Sing Se and start a new life there, as refugees! ”

Zuko grumbled, and you knew it was because he an ulterior agenda instead. You look to Iroh and ask with disbelief lacing your voice, “So you become refugees, you evade Azula and the Fire Nation…then what? Just live out your lives in hiding?”

Iroh faltered and said, “Hmm yes, that is the plan, but you and I both know how plans never work.”

You borrow your brow in concentration, placing more tiles on the board, already way behind Iroh. You shook your head even more as you reply, “No, they don’t.”

You raised your arms in defeat when Iroh places the last tile on the board  and Iroh quietly presses, “Maybe you would like to join us? I’m sure Zuko wouldn’t mind and I would love the extra company.”

Zuko snapped his head to look at his Uncle. “Uncle - why would she want to come with us? It's not like she’s running away from the Fire Nation and has a bounty like we do. Besides (YN) her own life out here.”

You sighed as you tuned out Zuko. To go back on the road with Iroh? And now Zuko? It was all overwhelming…when you settled here, you wanted peace and quiet. But as everyday passed, it seemed like something was missing - something still calling your name and you yearned to follow it. But to travel with Iroh? And especially Zuko? 

You shook your head hesitantly. “I…I don’t know, Iroh.”

Your response surprised Zuko, but Iroh seemed to have expected it. Iroh continues with a little more push in his voice, “Tell me, are you happy here (YN)? Do you see yourself living out in the desert for the rest of your life wearing a blue dragon mask and fighting to earn money?”

Zuko looked at you with a blank stare. To be honest, he wasn’t sure how he felt about you joining them. Both of you stood on shaky ground and though your conversation at the rooftop cleared some air, he could still feel some unresolved tension between the two of you.

You chewed on that question. Were you happy? You were out Fire Nation’s way - you never had to think about the Fire Nation anymore. You lived on scraps, but at least you had your freedom. You didn’t have to answer to anybody but yourself, and the only words and actions you lived by were your own. To give all of that up for something unknown - it terrified you. You had pushed down all of the past memories deep inside you, but Jeong Jeong’s words rang in your mind.

--------------------------------

Jeong Jeong looked at you with almost sadness in his eyes, as he tightened the strap of your pack on your horse. He placed an arm on your shoulder as you stood before and you looked up at him with admiration with a wide smile on your face.

You bowed slightly to him, politely, your fist meeting your palm. “Thank you for everything Master Jeong Jeong. I would never be where I am without you.”

He laughed, the sound always surprising. The corner of his eyes crinkled. “Child, in a couple of years, your fire-bending skills will be more advanced than mine when I was your age. It is truly an honor to have taught someone like you. You have come a long way and I could’t be more proud!”

You hung your head in embarrassment. “It wasn’t easy, but now, I can control my fire and I can protect the people I love, thanks to you.”

“Yes, and I will pray for the spirits for your safe travels.”

You look up at him, with tears in your eyes, your voice shaking. “To be honest, I’m scared. I just want to unpack everything and just stay here.”

He placed both hands on your shoulders and with conviction, said, “It’s alright to feel fear, but do not let it control you. It is when we embrace that fear and the unknown that we truly change and see the world for what it is.”

He reaches for you hand and places something smooth on your palm. When you opened it, you snorted when you saw the white lotus tile.

“In case you run into trouble, a game of Pai Shao and this white lotus tile will be your friend.”

You wrap your arms around his torso, and Jeong Jeong responded by tentatively patting your back. You peel yourself away from him, feeling lighter and full of courage. “Sure, Master.”

As you mounted your horse, you waved one last good bye to Jeong Jeong, and turned to face the path before you.

--------------------------------

Jeong Jeong told you not to fear anything, but looking at Zuko and then over Iroh, you realized it wasn’t fear that was holding you back. It was your past. Even though you had accepted what happened to you and your family, you weren’t sure if you could handle going down that path again.

And you knew that Zuko’s destiny is intertwined with the Fire Nation, and you weren’t sure if you wanted reopen the wounds.

After some tense silence, you shook your head, “I—I can’t.”

You could tell Iroh was disappointed, by the way his face fell. Zuko’s gaze remained stoic and unrelenting.

Bet he’s happy that I’m not tagging along…You bitterly thought.

“Iroh, I don’t know much about destiny. But I do know that mine is not with yours or Zuko’s. It seems like he has a path of his own, and I’m not sure how I fit it in all of that. Plus, I’ve accepted what happened to me, I just want to move on with my life. It seems like going down this path will only open up old wounds.”

Iroh places a hand on yours in comfort. “No need to justify your answer. I just wanted to put the offer on the table. After all, you were the one who encouraged that I go with my nephew.”

He sips his tea and turns to Zuko. “We can leave tomorrow morning for Misty Palms if you like.”

Just like that? Iroh wasn’t going to do more to convince you? Zuko was confused. He couldn’t understand why you would still want to remain here in this nothing of a village, but maybe he just didn’t know you (which was true). But to live here and continue to fight just earn a living? It wasn’t the life that he thought for you. 

After everything you went through, you deserve something better. Zuko concluded that you were just weak, but he didn't complain. At least you wouldn’t be breathing down his neck anymore...

“I have my final match tomorrow if you want to stay and watch. I can even make us a big feast with some of my earnings!” You offer to Zuko and Iroh with enthusiasm.

Zuko glared, snapping, “And why would we waste more time in this village? There’s no reason to stay.”

Ignoring his stinging words, you turn to Iroh with a sigh, “Well I’m glad I was able to see you, only if it was for a little bit. I have some extra blankets and pillows for you two.”

You stood and disappeared down the hallway. Zuko’s eyes followed you before turning to his Uncle. He was about to open up his mouth to give his Uncle an earful when a smack went up the back of his head. He flinched as he grabbed his tender head, glaring over to his uncle.

“Why are you treating our host like that? She made us dinner, gave us a place to bathe, and safe place to rest, and all you do is insult her? Where are you manners, nephew?” Iroh whispered, shaking his head with disappointment.

Zuko glared at his uncle. “Why would you invite her? It's obvious that she doesn’t want to come, Uncle.”

Iroh shook his head. “You have a lot to learn, Zuko. I know that there’s something else (YN) is yearning for. Deep down, I know inviting (YN) with us was the right thing to do. Destiny led us here, and I believe there was a reason why.”

Zuko could hear you come back and he quickly replied, “Whatever, uncle. She made her decision, we will leave in the morning…”

Iroh turned his head awa shook his head, “Come on, let’s at least stay for her final fight. Now that I know for sure that she was the Blue Dragon, I can place some bets.”

Zuko looks away before realization hit him and his head snapped back to look at his uncle. “Wait…you knew the whole time? I asked you and you said no!”

Iroh laughed, his belly shaking, “Her stance looked very familiar, but it was the mask that gave it away. It was something I gave to her during our travels. I didn’t think (YN) would still have it…”

You entered the room with a snicker, “Of course, Iroh, I kept everything during our travels."

“How come you didn’t mention that you knew where (YN) was?” Zuko asked and a tense silence followed. You placed some blankets in Iroh’s arms before turning to Zuko and almost shoving the blankets into his hands.

You looked straight at him, your amber eyes unwavering and sharp, and with a clipped tone, you reply, “Because I asked him not to.”

You turn and walk past him, bidding both of them a goodnight before entering your own room and retiring of the evening.

--------------------------------

As soon as you closed the door, a waterfall of emotions rushed through you and you had to cover your mouth with a hand to stifle the whimper. You felt the hot tears stream down your eyes as memory after memory flashed behind your eyes.

Zuko.

Ursa.

Your mother.

Azula.

The Fire Lord.

Your mom’s death.

Your father.

Your brother.

The orphanage.

Iroh.

Jeong Jeong.

And now this.