Blades and Fans

The Brother

Zuko was Kyoshi. It was still hard to believe and a lot to process. Even when they left the Mao outpost, it was still on his mind. For the first time in three years, he was part of something, he belonged to something. And now he had expectations, he had a duty, a creed. And for some reason, even with all these new things on his shoulders, he felt... lighter. It was strange to him, and he couldn't put it truly into words, but he was happy. Happy; the word itself felt foreign to him, but it was the only word that came to mind. He was banished and a scarred prince being hunted for treason by his own sister and he was happy.

"Something must be wrong with me," he mumbled to himself, letting out a soft chuckle, before wiping the sweat from his brow, and taking a gulp from his water skin. The heat became more intense as the sun beat down on them. Their journey through the Earth kingdom's barren landscape was anything but smooth. They almost had a close call when they arrived at a decrepit bridge suspended over a ravine. The bridge nearly collapsed as they tried to make their way over, several of the planks giving way as the carts rolled over them. Luckily, they all managed to make it safely across before the ropes unraveled and they plummeted to their doom.

"That was a little too close for comfort," Suki said as she peered over the edge, watching the wooden planks being smashed by the raging waters.

"Yeah, too close," Zuko nodded in agreement as he gripped his Ostrich horse's reins, patting its side to keep it calm. "Next time, I recommend we take the long way round."

Suki couldn't but turn and chuckle at him. "Oh, and why is that? Is the great Blue Spirit afraid of little heights," she teased.

"No, I just have reservations about falling to my death, it doesn't sound like a pleasant experience," Zuko retorted, earning him another giggle from the painted warrior. "No, haha it definitely doesn't."

"Speaking of things that don't sound too pleasant. Would you mind doing me a favor?" Suki asked with a sheepish grin.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"Well, thanks to your lovely gift, I found a town a few miles out east from here," Suki said with a wide smirk.

"That's good... wait, why did you say it wouldn't sound too pleasant then?" he questioned, confused.

"Well, I was wondering if you could scout ahead and check it out. See if there is a place we can stay for the night," she explained. "If not, there is another route we can take that'll be a little more direct to Ba Sing Se."

"And you want to make sure which one to take," Zuko said understandingly.

"Exactly, plus we will need to check on the refugees and make sure they're all doing alright. Especially with Ying so close to her term."

"Yeah... wait whose Ying?"

"Ying... the pregnant lady... the one you saved from that burning building back at Chong Sheng. Hahaha, wait, are you telling me this entire time, you never learned her name?" Suki definitely couldn't hold back her laugh this time, mocking the banished prince.

Zuko just groaned and rolled his eyes at her. "Anyways, you want me to go scout ahead to see if this town is good enough for tonight?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Haha yes please, if you wouldn't mind," she said with a soft smile.

"Okay, I'll be back in a few hours then. See ya, Suki,"

"See ya Blue," Suki smiled as she watched Zuko snap his reins and galloping off down the dirt road, disappearing into the haze.

As he rode on, the blazing sun rose higher in the sky, beating him down with its heat. His water skin now bone dry as he gulped what little remained, barely getting a drop to roll down his throat as the dry choked him. Luckily, it didn't take too long for the town to come into Zuko's sight. And at first glance, it wasn't promising. The buildings were decrepit and old, almost like the slightest breeze could knock them over.