Freedom

Chapter 48: The Moon and the Stars

When the moon hung high in the sky that night, with the stars glistening in its wake, the young benders and nonbenders alike laid in their beds sleeping, except for one. His amber eyes stayed trained on the sky ahead and the town below. The people had already drawn back their lanterns for the evening and the town was encased in a shield of darkness, the only light coming from the few street lanterns that hung above the houses.

It had been a long day and his eyes begged for sleep, but his mind was whirling with the days ahead. He knew he needed his sleep for what was to come but he couldn't bring himself to fall into the blissful relaxation he so desperately craved.

Instead, his eyes stayed trained on the moon that hung overhead and the stars that reflected against it.

He leaned back against an old tree, it's branches crumbling from its age. He felt the bark scratch at his back and creak beneath his weight. He folded his hands over his stomach, feeling it rise and fall with every breath. His lips hummed a familiar tune, one he hadn't heard in a long time but was present in his thoughts.

When he closed his eyes, he could picture his Uncle singing the familiar hymn. On the dark lonely nights in the prison, he would sit in his cell and sing the tune, thinking of his Uncle and pretending it was him singing. Some of the guards probably assumed he had gone mad. But every part of his brain was working as he sang that beautiful chorus, remembering the moments his Uncle would sing it to him and his mother would watch with a gleam of smile on her face. His mind would work to remember the features of her face and the way his Uncle's goatee would wiggle as he laughed. He never wanted to forget it, even if he never saw it again.

But he never wanted to lose hope. He prayed to Agni for miracles, expecting none to arrive but hoping just the same. He never expected his miracle to arrive in someone and not something.

His eyes drew closed again and his mouth turned up into a smile.

Zuko, you know where this is heading don't you?

He could hear his Uncle's voice in his head. Even Zuko would have to be blind to not see it; the way his knees trembled when she walked by, the way his breath hitched in his chest whenever she would laugh.

But this was supposed to be easy, like lulling yourself to sleep. He was supposed to be young and feel the flutter in his heart, and not feel the punch in his gut. This was hard. There was chaos in his mind and far too much chaos in the world for flowers to bloom.

He knew they still would. Even though winter felt long and unbearable, spring would still come, no matter how long the cold ushered it away. Flowers would bloom again.

Sunrise pushes away the moon; it pushes away the stars, but that doesn't mean that night won't come again. The sun will shine and light up the world, and even when night falls, the moon and stars will light up the night sky.

Zuko chuckled aloud to himself. Even his Uncle's analogies in his mind made little to no sense.

"Something funny?"

Zuko turned to see her chestnut curls gleaming in the moon's sweet gaze. Her ocean blue eyes sparkled against the stars. And her rosy lips were turned up in a graceful smile.

He shook his head, "No no... just lost in my thoughts I guess..."

"May I join you?" Katara asked politely, twiddling her fingers in front of her, "I wouldn't want to disturb your thoughts"

He smiled, resisting the urge to let out another laugh. Little did she know that most of his thoughts were about her these days. If they weren't directly, he could always relate them back to her.