The Avatar and the Fire Prince

Book 2: Water, Chapter 16: The Siege of the North, Part 2

Zuko gritted his teeth as he trudged through the thick tundra snow. As if things couldn't get any worse, a blizzard had started, and he could barely see ten feet in front of him.

I just need to get back to the city, he thought to himself as he fell to his knees, breathing heavily. But what direction is it? His legs and arms were getting extremely tired, especially so with having to carry Aang's weight with him.

Zuko looked over to his right shoulder, where Aang's head rested. The Avatar's tattoos were still glowing, but his eyes were now closed, as if he were in a deep sleep.

He'd found that carrying Aang on his back was somewhat easier than carrying him in his arms, but did not like how much it exposed the Avatar's body to the harsh elements. With a bit of awkward maneuvering, he pulled Aang's unconscious body down into his lap.

I can't see anything in this blizzard, Zuko thought anxiously, hugging the Avatar close to his chest. Aang had told him before that he used airbending to regulate his body temperature, but he obviously couldn't do that if he was unconscious. If I don't find shelter soon, we'll both freeze to death...

Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet, lifting Aang up with him in his arms, and took a step forward. Suddenly, he heard a loud crack, and his eyes widened.

Oh no.

Zuko immediately began to run forward as fast as he could as the ice behind him began to collapse with each step, hugging Aang close again to ensure he wouldn't drop him. As he glanced over his shoulder, he gasped in fear as he saw a massive cloud of snow that had been kicked up as a result of the ice caving in on itself, and desperately willed his legs to move faster.

Unfortunately, however, Zuko was not an airbender, and this was not something his legs were physically capable of doing. With a yelp, he tripped forward, and he felt himself lose his grip on Aang as he tumbled into the snow.

Feeling dizzy, cold, and disoriented, he lifted his head slowly, looking over his shoulder again to see a gaping cavern where the ice had once been behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Aang laying next to him, and scrambled over to pull the Avatar upright, brushing the snow from his head and face, which had started to turn red from the cold.

Zuko sighed heavily. Well, no going back that way. We're probably nowhere near Agna Qel'a by now.

He lifted his head, and his eyes widened again when he spotted a cave not too far ahead of them.

"Shelter," he breathed in relief as he lifted Aang into his arms again and trudged forward.

When he entered the cave, he immediately set Aang down gently against the wall. To his surprise, he spotted what looked to be a small campfire pit, and next to it sat a pile of kindling. It appeared that this cave had been used as a shelter before, possibly by hunters.

"Maybe the universe doesn't hate me after all," Zuko mused as he hurried over to the pile of sticks, silently thanking whoever had left it. Removing his right glove, he pointed two fingers at the kindling, ignited it, and returned to Aang, slumping against the wall next to him.

Suddenly, the Avatar breathed in deeply through his nose, and Zuko flinched as he felt Aang's head fall onto his shoulder. He looked down at the unconscious boy and smiled slightly, a warm feeling blooming in his chest despite how cold the rest of his body felt.

"Guess we'll be here awhile," he murmured as he slowly rested his head against Aang's, closing his eyes as the fire began to heat the cave.