I'll Be Your Family

Zuko Alone

Zuko had been traveling for days and was starting to regret how he left Uncle.

Not necessarily the fact that he had left him, but more so the fact that he didn't bring enough food with him. At the time, he thought Uncle would need it more than him, so he only took the bare minimum.

Now he was stuck in the sunny wasteland with only his ostrich horse and a few coins to keep him company.

Uncle always did say I never think things through, he thought grumpily.

Just as he started to worry about dying of dehydration he saw a city in the distance, settled between mountains. The city looked to be relatively untouched by the war, with people bustling around without a care.

The serenity of it was surprising to him; after all, every village he had visited so far had been war-torn and desolate. He didn't know its name or general location but was able to rule out Ba Sing Se and Omashu due to the lack of walls.

Uncle was the navigator, he would know what city it is; he tried not to dwell on that line of thought.

As he approached the city he saw that the streets were busy with people looking through the markets. The crowded nature of the streets reminded him of his home in Caldera City. He took a second to compose himself, remembering that he would never be able to return home.

Not never, just not right now, he reminded himself.

He couldn't bring himself to give up. He believed that he would one day return home, even with Azula on his trail and the Avatar seemingly out of his grasp. It was his destiny to return and rule the fire nation, he knew it.

Uncle might be fine with pandering around the Earth Kingdom for the rest of his life but I can't. I have to get back, and the Avatar is my ticket to doing that, he brooded as he walked through the busy streets.

His uncle's parting words haunted him, Even if you were able to capture the Avatar it won't solve all your problems, especially now.

He shook his head and focused on what he needed, food and money.

..........

After buying food and renting an inn for two days, it was still the middle of the afternoon. Seeing as he had the rest of the day to himself, Zuko decided to look around the city. One reason was to cure his boredom but the other was to look for wealthy houses.

I can pick a wealthier house and steal what I need for the rest of the journey.

"Get your tickets here folks! The monthly Earth Rumble match is on tonight! It's the long-awaited rematch between the Blind Bandit and the Boulder! Buy your tickets and see once and for all who's the best Earthbender in Gaoling!" An Earth Kingdom man yelled from one of the side stalls.

Zuko looked at him curiously, So this place is called Gaoling, that's good to know. But seriously, Earth Rumble? Is that like an Agni Kai, I feel like Uncle would have warned me if they had those though. Walking up to the man selling the tickets he asked him what an Earth Rumble was.

The man looked excited (whether that was for the Earth Rumble or a new customer could be anyone's guess) and replied, "You must be new here, friend. Well, let me tell you, Earth Rumble is the greatest Earthbending Tournament on this side of the Earth Kingdom! The last Earth Rumble tournament had Blind Bandit taking the belt from Boulder. They're having a rematch tonight before the big Earth Rumble VI next month. You can see it tonight for only 10 copper pieces at the mountain south of the city." He held out his hand and waited for money he was never going to get.

"Thanks for the information," Zuko said as he walked off, breaking the heart of the poor ticket seller in the process.

"An Earthbending match huh?" He muttered under his breath. I've only ever fought soldiers, so this might be a chance to see a master in action. Plus, it'll be good to see any threats in the city in case I get exposed here. I'm also bored and this is as good entertainment as any, even if Azula would consider it for peasants.

With that, Zuko decided to sneak into Earth Rumble and spend the night afterward looking for a good house to rob. He headed towards the Southern Mountain, unaware that he was about to meet the person that will change his destiny for the better.