Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

11

"The young Prince always sought to gain his father's approval. It is something he continues to do, even now." Iroh commented. His voice was laced with pain. Another thing occurred to Keya.

"So when Zuko mentioned that he had been mean to the Avatar, he meant that he had tried to capture him? How come he's not trying to do it at this moment?" She asked. She hoped that Zuko had stopped his hunt. She didn't know what she would do if they came across the Avatar if he hadn't.

Iroh stood up and started tidying up the shed, making the space ready for the night. Keya took that as her que to help clean up as she waited for his answer. She grabbed the bowls and wiped them clean with an old rag, before wrapping them back up in their travel cloth. Both wanderers left the pot of stew on the glowing embers. Hopefully Zuko would have a warm dinner once he came back. He would probably need it.

"The Prince has his sister to thank for that, among other reasons. Hopefully he can use this journey as a way to dig deeper and find out what his true destiny is. He hasn't pursued the Avatar for a long time. For now, I don't think he even believes he still can."

Iroh didn't give any more details, but Keya didn't mind. It was a sensitive subject and the last thing she wanted to do was push her friend to tell her more than he felt comfortable doing. Yet, she felt guilty for listening to the man be so open without sharing anything herself. Keya decided to be brave for once and opened her mouth to speak.

"I never met my father. He was a soldier in the Earth Kingdom Navy. He died around five years ago, but I had never met him before. The reason that I am so hostile to fire..." Keya decided not to tell him about the situation with her mother and the Fire Nation soldiers just yet. "Well, one of the reasons at least, is that his life was taken by Fire Nation soldiers. He was a good man -or so I've heard- but I never even got to meet him."

Keya suddenly felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Iroh said nothing, but she could tell that he understood her pain. The old man just listened as she told him about her father.

"I imagine that if I'd known him... he would have been a bit like you. Or at least, that's how I hope he would have been. Perhaps he was an awful guy and I just never knew. Who knows." She shrugged sadly. Another tear escaped.

"If you are in anyway alike to your late father, then I'm sure that he was a fantastic man. And I feel touched that you feel enough trust in me to tell your story. Thank you for your kind words." After the old man had spoken, Keya enveloped him back into a bear hug. She had never told anyone about her feelings regarding her father's death. Not even her siblings. The two bonded that evening, more than either had expected. Their night ended peacefully.

In the meantime, Zuko had finally arrived at the mountain peak across the valley. By now the storm had grown in strength and the rain was pelting into him relentlessly. The young man tied his ostrich horse to a nearby tree, sheltering the creature from the harsh weather and keeping it in place at the same time.

He walked over to the edge of the cliff.

"You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it! And now I can give it BACK!" He exclaimed furiously. His face was wet from a combination of rain, sweat and tears.

The sky rumbled threateningly and a flash of lightning crackled in the distance. Zuko gazed on with an intense look in his eyes. His strong frame looked small and fragile in the large storm. There was no one there to hear him and no one there to help. He was all alone.

"Come on! Strike me!"

He yelled out into the endless heaven. Rain continued to fall heavily, soaking everything in no time. But Zuko stood there, on the edge of the cliff. The winds could have swept him off of it with the smallest amount of effort, but the boy stood nonetheless.

"You've never held back before!" He added desperately. His voice cracked as he finished his delirious speech. Never had he felt so far removed from himself, from who he was. He just wanted it all to end.

When it became clear that the storm would not succumb to his demands, Zuko finally looked sideways to his other surroundings. He was still alive. The one time he wanted to be struck by bad luck, nature held out on him. It was cruel and it hurt.

Why did he have to suffer like this?!

Without anyone there to see it, the boy broke down. Salty tears streamed over his sunken cheeks. Weeks of living in poverty had done its toll on his body, but it was nothing compared to the years of torment that his soul had suffered. From his banishment to his lack of success in this forsaken quest. Why could he never get what he wanted?! What had he done to deserve this?!

Zuko screamed.

It was unlike anything his lungs had ever let out. Right after that, he collapsed. Zuko ended up crying on his knees, begging nature to do its worst. And yet, he survived.

Minute after minute, Zuko cried and waited for his final moments to take him. It was only after he heard his ostrich horse squawk again that he was pulled out of his episode. It was no use. He had tried and asked, but he would not get his way.

It was time to go back to his uncle.

❃

A/N: Initially, I found it uncharacteristic of Iroh to tell Keya about Zuko's past. However, since he did the same thing with the ship crew in that one storm episode, I figured it wasn't too far off the mark. What do you think?

Also, Iroh and Zuko are the worst liars... even someone like Keya could figure it out LOL I <3 them