Zuko recapped recent events. It was definitely a long story. And a lot to take in. I was surprised at how blatant and transparent he was being, but when he finished talking, I realized why. He wasn't going to be able to come back to the fire nation ever again, if not for a long time. After he left, I probably wouldn't ever see him again.
"Wow," I said, "That's..." What was I even supposed to say to that? "That's rough, buddy"? "Sorry that happened"? Those words weren't enough to express how much I wished I could help him. But what was there to do?
"Can I help you? At all? Do you need money or food? I don't have a lot, but anything I can do..."
"Well, I can't imagine anything that can be done. Unless you know of some way for me to magically obtain firebending, I'm afraid there's nothing anyone can do," he said with a sarcastic, and slightly defeated, tone.
"Well... I don't know. You can stay here as long as you need to, though. Make yourself at home," I said.
"Thank you. Really, Sokka. I appreciate it, but I'm afraid if I stay too long we'll both get in trouble. I'll probably stay the night, if that's okay? And then be on my way tomorrow." Zuko said.
"But where will you go?" I asked. I walked over to my bookshelf, scanning the spines for... There! I pulled the thin book from the shelf. It was a book of maps, slightly outdated, albeit, but mostly the same. I flipped open to the world map, searching for someplace Zuko could go.
"What are you looking at?" Zuko asked. He walked over to the shelf and peered at the book over my shoulder. "I have no clue where I'll go, Sokka. Some stupid old map isn't gonna show me a safe place to travel to," He protested. He went to lean against the shelf, but his elbow knocked an old book of water tribe legends off of it's place on the shelf. It hit the ground with a loud, dull, thump.
Zuko cursed under his breath and picked up the book. He flipped through it while I continued to scan the map.
"Hey, Sokka..." He said, tapping my shoulder. I turned around to look at him, but his eyes were glued to the page.
"Yeah?"
"Is there any truth to these stories?" He asked, looking up.
"Oh. Well, maybe. They're just legends, but all legends come from somewhere, I guess. Why?"
"This one, this legend about a lion turtle?" Zuko said, pointing to the page. An illustration of a large creature was in the upper corner, a paragraph below it read:
"The lion turtle is the oldest known creature in the world. They have the ability to grant elemental control to an individual. These creatures stray from populated areas, opting to explore uninhabited oceans. These creatures gave the first benders their powers."
"Zuko, I don't-"
"It's worth a try, right? I've got nothing else to go off of! What else am I supposed to do?" Zuko exclaimed.
"Well, where would you even start? They're in the ocean! How are you going to get a boat? How are you going to know where to go? I'm not trying to discourage you or anything, but... It's just an old legend, Zuko."
"You said 'anything you can do to help,.' This is what you can do. Help me figure out where to go from here. I have something. Something that might help me. Please, Sokka." Zuko looked helpless. His usual composure, completely out the window. Sokka sighed.
"Okay, fine. I'll help you do research. But if we don't find anything soon, you think of a different idea, okay?"
"Yes, of course, that's fine. Thank you, Sokka. Thank you so much." Zuko smiled, a glint of newfound hope in his eye.
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AN: sorry for not updating in months but ANYWAYS! the ah... historic accuracy...? is going to be VERY off. It's called an alternate universe for a reason, folks. I am taking CRUMBS from the original story and trying to turn it into a fanfic. Bear with me, here. And hey! If you're reading this, even after months of inactivity, thank you so much!! I appreciate you sticking around and I will try to do better with updating. <3 MUCH LOVE!!!! also I took 3 seconds and one Grammarly check to proofread this lol sorry if there are mistakes
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The Prince and the Servant (Zukka) (Discontinued)
FanfictionSokka was captured by Fire Nation soldiers when they invaded his village. He got away from the soldiers, but only after they had left his village. He had no way to return to his home, so he's been living in the Fire Nation ever since. Zuko is kept h...
