Zuko's Redemption

Part Nine

The courtroom was much larger than Zuko thought was necessary.
Considering there were only three judges, one of which was a bear, the room didn't need to be as large as the rock gardens back home in the fire nation.
Zuko had seen how crowded and cramped the slums of Ba Sing Se were. He had lived in them, fought in them, and traversed them under the light of the moon.
Seeing so much wasted space made him angry.
He was forced to his knees in the center of the room. Lei was shoved down to kneel beside him.
He tried not to think about the fact that he would not see her again outside of this stupidly large room. She would go back to her apothecary and he would be executed here.
Zuko wondered if the leader of the Dai Lee would have his head sent in a box to be presented to his father back home. It was something the firelord would have done if the roles were reversed.
Zuko supposed it wouldn't really be his problem at that point.
"Prince Zuko!" The leader of the Dai Lee had to nearly shout to be heard from his position at the head of the room. "You are being tried for the murder of an entire Dai Lee squadron and conspiring to overtake Ba Sing Se. How do you plead?"
Zuko took a deep breath to steady himself. His chest stung and burned. The rough fabric of the prison tunic he had been provided chafed wickedly against his tender flesh.
"Guilty," he proclaimed. Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko saw Lei flinch. Until that moment there was still the smallest breath of a chance he might escape with his life. Now it was gone.
"I'm guilty of another crime as well," Zuko continued. "This girl beside me was my hostage."
Lei hung her head but remained silent.
The leader of the Dai Lee and the king allowed him to speak, no doubt expecting this confession from the story Gene had told them.
"After I was injured in the battle with the Dai Lee, I forced her to take me to her apothecary. I made her hide me and heal me, and then, when I was well enough to travel, I forced her to take me to the wall."
"You didn't drag the girl in chains," the leader of the Dai Lee said cooly. "How did you force her?"
"Even injured I could still firebend," Zuko said evenly. "Every time she attempted to turn me in, I would threaten to burn her to death and turn her beloved apothecary to cinders. She wouldn't dare risk her own life and the lives of the others she cared for."
Lei's jaw clenched against his lies and her eyes were shut tight. Still, she made no argument.
"Young lady," the leader of the Dai Lee addressed her. "Is this true?"
Lei swallowed harshly. She caught Zuko's eye for a moment as she turned to face the judges.
"Yes."
"Very well," the leader said. "Release her."
Two of the Dai Lee came forward and helped her to her feet. They removed the rock bindings from her wrists and marched her to a pair of doors in the wall where Gene was waiting.
Zuko caught her eyes one last time; beautiful and blue and full of tears; then the door closed behind her, and she disappeared forever.
Zuko released the breath he had been holding. The hard part was over. Now he just had to die.
"Prince Zuko," the king spoke for the first time. "The council finds you guilty of murder, conspiracy, and kidnapping. You are sentenced to immediate execution."
Zuko closed his eyes and hung his head as members of the Dai Lee stepped forward.
Some instinct in him screamed to fight back, but he knew it was useless. Even against far fewer Dai Lee he had only barely won the battle. Now, shivering in pain and exhausted, he didn't stand a chance. Besides, if he escaped, they might interrogate or torture Lei for any information she might have about him. The truth could come out and then she would die anyway.
No. Zuko had no choice but to accept his impending death.
At least he had experienced his first kiss before he died. He wished he could have had more firsts with Lei. He wished he had been able to see his uncle one last time. He wished he hadn't wasted his life chasing a destiny he had just recently realized he didn't even want.
The ground beneath him rumbled, and suddenly a circle of earth and stone encased him.
Shrouded in pitch darkness, he allowed the tears he had been holding back to slip down his cheeks.
Was he to be crushed to death inside the earth? It seemed fitting for an earth kingdom execution.
Zuko waited, but nothing happened.
Zuko blinked in confusion. Some sort of muffled commotion could be heard beyond the walls of his dirt prison. Zuko shuffled forward and pressed his ear to the wall, ignoring the reignition of burning pain in his abdomen the movement produced.
He heard steel ringing and distinct sounds of pained grunts.
Without warning, a portion of the small prison collapsed and Zuko was forced to blink into the sudden light.
Lei was there, a smear of blood across her face, sword at the ready and panting hard.
"Hurry!" she said, extending a hand to him. "Gene can't hold them off forever."
Zuko used a burst of fire to destroy the rock restraints and took her hand. Standing hurt worse than shuffling had, but he ignored it in favor of surveying the battlefield.
The king and his bear had disappeared, but the remaining Dai Lee soldiers were trying to fight through the waves of earth Gene sent their way.
"Gene!" Lei yelled to him as she slid beneath Zuko's arm to support him.
"Go!" he called back. For some reason he had a mask of rock surrounding his face. Perhaps to hide his identity so he could return home without being branded a traitor. Lei had mentioned that his mother relied on him. "I'll hold them off! And you," he whipped about to glare at Zuko. "If anything happens to her, I'll kill you."
Zuko had to lean heavily on Lei as they ran to the opposite wall. She cut through the paper with her sword and they pressed forward.
"How in the world did you convince him to help you?" Zuko asked breathlessly. He wasn't surprised that Lei had done something so stupid and brave, but he had gotten the distinct impression that Gene hated him.
"He will never admit it," Lei panted as she hacked through another paper wall, causing the group of noble women behind it to scream and flee, "but he admired your willingness to die for me."
"Halt!"
Three normal palace guards appeared in front of them.
Zuko clenched his fists, but Lei shook her head at him.
"I swear if you get in one more fight I will tie you up myself."
She slid out from under his arm, leaving him to lean against the wall instead as she charged the guards. They drew their swords to meet her, but they were no match. Zuko couldn't help the proud smirk that split his face when he recognized a few of the moves he had taught her.
She returned to his side and eased him away from the wall.
"Not bad," he hissed, trying to ignore the burning that was just getting worse the more he was jostled.
"We're almost there," she reported.
"Lei—" Zuko said when he realized they were running straight down a dead end.
"Halt!" More palace guards surged behind them.
"Lei!" Zuko said with a bit more urgency.
They reached the wall but there was nowhere to go.
"Out the window!" Lei said, bending down as though to heft him out herself.
Zuko peered out. A few stories below there was a fast moving river.
"Are you sure—"
"Halt in the name of the king!" one of the soldiers shouted as they closed in.
"Do you trust me?" Lei asked wildly. Her eyes were blown with adrenalin. She was covered in sweat and still panting hard. Flecks of blood covered her face and arms.
"I do."
Together, they jumped out the window.