For the Want of the Sun • Zuko

chapter 11: Sister, Sister

I wake to the feel of the breeze against my cheek, the sound of rushing water. I'm laying down, and whatever I'm on top of is terribly uncomfortable. It takes quite a bit of effort to open my eyes, and when I do, I'm immediately tempted to go back to sleep. Please, spirits, can I just have one normal day?

We are on a piece of wood, floating. For as far as I can see there is no land, just the icy waters streaming from the coast of the North Pole. Through the blur of my vision, I make out Iroh's large frame, sitting near the front of the...driftwood? I move to sit up, and am greeted with a bracing pain shooting through my head. I groan, opting to just lay back down.

"Iroh?" I call, and my voice grates against my throat.

I hear a soft "Oh!", and I feel him shuffle closer. I peel open my eyes to find him smiling down at me, seeming awfully cheery for the circumstances. "Y/n!" he exclaims. "Here, here, let me help you." He reaches under me, pulling me forward until I am sitting straight. A surge of dizziness overcomes me and I go to grab my head, but am stopped by a pull against my arm.

I look down to find my arm wrapped and bandaged, a makeshift sling of torn fabric supporting it against my chest. A shift of my body causes the cloth to rub against the skin, and with a hiss and a painful sting, the events of the North Pole come back to me. Zhao. Burning. Zuko. Aang. Yue. The moon.

"What happened?" I ask, my voice hoarse and reedy.

Iroh opens his mouth to speak, but the voice that comes is not his own.

"Zhao happened."

I register Zuko's presence for the first time, splayed out across from me on the wood. He pushes himself up, turning, and his face is bruised and bitter. When he meets my eyes, though, he softens. He stands and stumbles a bit as he walks over. He sits near his uncle, who watches him with tired eyes. Zuko glances at my bandaged arm. "You ok?"

I manage a grimace. "Just peachy."

"You were burned at the North Pole," Iroh says. "Do you remember?"

I lean back on my good arm, stretching my aching muscles. "Yeah, I remember. Fun time. How long was I out?"

"Almost two days. I did my best to treat your burns, but our supplies are limited. And your fingers, too. Nothing too major, just a mild case of frostbite. But any longer and there would not have been much I could do."

I lift my hand to my face, inspecting my fingers. They're a strange pale color, tinged with a bruised shade of yellow. When I tap my fingers together, I only feel a fraction of the contact that I should. But hey, at least I still have ten of them.

"Thanks a lot, Iroh."

"Of course, my dear."

I look at Zuko, who is still staring at my arm, glowering. I raise an eyebrow. "You alright, Zuko?"

He breaks his gaze away from me, glancing down. "I'm fine," he spits.

I shrug off his attitude, looking out at the open water. "So...what now?"

Iroh sits up a bit straighter. "Well, the ocean is carrying us south, so, eventually, we will reach land."

Zuko shoots him a glare. "And until then? We don't have anything! No food, no water."

Iroh smiles serenely. "Until then, we get to enjoy the beautiful scenery!"

Zuko and I share a look before he groans and throws himself back on the floor. Iroh sets off humming a happy little tune, and any other time I'd think it was endearing, but for now I follow Zuko's lead and lie down, plugging my ears and shutting my eyes.