In the morning, he had almost convinced himself he had dreamed it.
Zuko had stared at the ceiling for hours, and at the Fire Nation insignia on the wall after he had made the air move in his still little room. He had stared at them unable to sleep, unable to twist away from the bitter realization that he was everything he had trained so long to fight, that his father was right, and he was no true son of the Fire Nation.
That there was no Avatar for him to find.
The last struck him like a bolt of lightning, in the middle of the night, after he had almost made it all the way to sleep. There was nothing to do now, no more clues to hunt down, no more faint traces to chase. The only acceptable, loyal thing for him to do now as to turn home and surrender himself, and hope that his father would take him at his word that he would never attack his own people and wouldn't lock him away.
But when he woke up, he convinced himself it was a dream, or midnight sun madness, or anything except real. How could it be?
The sun was already high in the sky, as Zuko walked out onto deck, the South Polar summer in full swing. "Lieutenant!"
Lieutenant Jee stopped polishing the trigger mechanism on the catapult and threw the rag down as he sauntered over. "Prince Zuko."
"How close are we to the Southern Water Tribe?" Zuko ground the words out, the need to capture the Avatar, to find him hiding out there among the icebergs was more desperate, and more panicked than usual, with the strange dream, it was a dream, it had to be a dream, still playing behind his eyes.
"We are less than a day out, sir." The lieutenant stood at attention as his eyes flicked dubiously over the ice choked water around them. "Sir, let me remind you, the Southern Raiders have been patrolling these waters for eighty years, and they haven't seen anything. They say that there haven't been any benders at all at the South Pole for eight years, much less the Avatar."
"I want to see it with my own eyes," Zuko growled, spinning on his heel to walk away. The winds picked up.
"This is a waste of time," Lieutenant Jee called after him.
Zuko whirled back around, the rising gale whistling in his ears. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jee held his ground. "The Avatar is not going to be there, and you are dragging all of us into this frozen wasteland for nothing."
"You have somewhere better to be, Lieutenant?" Zuko seethed, his voice deadly calm, and nearly inaudible over the wind.
Jee opened his mouth to speak, but the ship bucked on the choppy water, tossing them into the guardrail. They glanced at each other and ran for the open hatch. As he ran, Zuko swore he could feel the wind rising higher and higher with each step.
He practically threw himself down the stairs leading into the maze below decks. Half a dozen soldiers had made it there before them, crouching in the darkness. Grabbing the hatch, Zuko pulled it closed behind all of them as the ship made one last fearsome lurch.
The hall around them shook back and forth, rattling them like dice in a cup as huge, grinding boom ripped through the metal walls.
Then, just as suddenly as the wind had risen, everything went still.
Zuko stepped over Lieutenant Jee, who sat sprawled against the wall where the impact had tossed him. The hatch creaked open under his hand, and polar sunlight flooded in. There were no clouds, no storm, nothing bu clear sky and bitterly cold air.
On the other side of the ship, he could see his uncle and the helmsman stumbling out of the control tower, and the rest of the crew crawling out of the other hatch.
One of the crew members made his way up the steps behind the prince. "What was that?" he asked no one in particular.
"That was no storm," another man said, awestruck, face hidden behind his mask. "That was airbending."
One soldier, who had a black eye and a busted lip from the ship walls, held his hand out to the Lieutenant. "What did you say about the Avatar not being here?"
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branchandroot
Meeting Sokka and Katara, Part 1/3
Date: 2012-05-01 06:54 pm (UTC)Zuko had stared at the ceiling for hours, and at the Fire Nation insignia on the wall after he had made the air move in his still little room. He had stared at them unable to sleep, unable to twist away from the bitter realization that he was everything he had trained so long to fight, that his father was right, and he was no true son of the Fire Nation.
That there was no Avatar for him to find.
The last struck him like a bolt of lightning, in the middle of the night, after he had almost made it all the way to sleep. There was nothing to do now, no more clues to hunt down, no more faint traces to chase. The only acceptable, loyal thing for him to do now as to turn home and surrender himself, and hope that his father would take him at his word that he would never attack his own people and wouldn't lock him away.
But when he woke up, he convinced himself it was a dream, or midnight sun madness, or anything except real. How could it be?
The sun was already high in the sky, as Zuko walked out onto deck, the South Polar summer in full swing. "Lieutenant!"
Lieutenant Jee stopped polishing the trigger mechanism on the catapult and threw the rag down as he sauntered over. "Prince Zuko."
"How close are we to the Southern Water Tribe?" Zuko ground the words out, the need to capture the Avatar, to find him hiding out there among the icebergs was more desperate, and more panicked than usual, with the strange dream, it was a dream, it had to be a dream, still playing behind his eyes.
"We are less than a day out, sir." The lieutenant stood at attention as his eyes flicked dubiously over the ice choked water around them. "Sir, let me remind you, the Southern Raiders have been patrolling these waters for eighty years, and they haven't seen anything. They say that there haven't been any benders at all at the South Pole for eight years, much less the Avatar."
"I want to see it with my own eyes," Zuko growled, spinning on his heel to walk away. The winds picked up.
"This is a waste of time," Lieutenant Jee called after him.
Zuko whirled back around, the rising gale whistling in his ears. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jee held his ground. "The Avatar is not going to be there, and you are dragging all of us into this frozen wasteland for nothing."
"You have somewhere better to be, Lieutenant?" Zuko seethed, his voice deadly calm, and nearly inaudible over the wind.
Jee opened his mouth to speak, but the ship bucked on the choppy water, tossing them into the guardrail. They glanced at each other and ran for the open hatch. As he ran, Zuko swore he could feel the wind rising higher and higher with each step.
He practically threw himself down the stairs leading into the maze below decks. Half a dozen soldiers had made it there before them, crouching in the darkness. Grabbing the hatch, Zuko pulled it closed behind all of them as the ship made one last fearsome lurch.
The hall around them shook back and forth, rattling them like dice in a cup as huge, grinding boom ripped through the metal walls.
Then, just as suddenly as the wind had risen, everything went still.
Zuko stepped over Lieutenant Jee, who sat sprawled against the wall where the impact had tossed him. The hatch creaked open under his hand, and polar sunlight flooded in. There were no clouds, no storm, nothing bu clear sky and bitterly cold air.
On the other side of the ship, he could see his uncle and the helmsman stumbling out of the control tower, and the rest of the crew crawling out of the other hatch.
One of the crew members made his way up the steps behind the prince. "What was that?" he asked no one in particular.
"That was no storm," another man said, awestruck, face hidden behind his mask. "That was airbending."
One soldier, who had a black eye and a busted lip from the ship walls, held his hand out to the Lieutenant. "What did you say about the Avatar not being here?"