Avatar Zuko

Chapter 23

Appa flew easily over a thick swamp, the clear daylight making the ride pleasant as their group of four sat happily, just messing around being friends- something Zuko wasn't used to but was really enjoying.

“Okay, I spy with my good eye, something beginning with the letter ‘S’” Said Zuko, smiling at the thoughtful looks on his friends’ faces.

“Sokka!” Guessed Sokka excitedly, with such a bright smile that Zuko considered letting the non-bender win.

“No, sorry.” He apologised, crossing his arms as Aang and Katara kept thinking.

“Swamp?” Asked Katara, pointing over the side of Appa at the greenery below them, but again Zuko declined, shaking his head.

“Ooh, how about saddle?” Questioned Aang brightly, to which Katara and Sokka shook their heads in synchronised amusement.

“Aang, Zuko would never be dumb enough to pick the same thing you had last time.” Said Sokka, to which the Prince let out an awkward cough. “You did, didn't you?”.

Everyone began laughing, and after a few moments Zuko joined in, glad to feel safe and happy for once.

So of course, everything immediately went downhill.

Appa began to shake violently, and the group were thrown about haphazardly, before the great beast started getting dragged down into what seemed to be a tornado. Aang and Zuko shared a knowing look, before they began using all the airbending they could muster to try and unwind the stubborn twister, to no avail, and soon they were all thrown overboard to plummet on their own. The firebender fell straight towards some painfully sharp looking branches and, having had to spend the last few days healing from a knife in his leg, wasn't particularly excited to get impaled again.
So he blasted air and attempted to fall closer to the softer appearing trees, succeeding but still getting the wind knocked out of him when he finally hit the floor, though there was barely a scratch on him so at least that was something. The Prince was surrounded by roots and vines, the inside of the swamp being a good deal darker than it had seemed from up in the sky, and Zuko was forced to light one of his hands to avoid stumbling around dumbly.

He began exploring, using one of his swords to slice through any especially annoying plants (sorry, spirits), and trying to find the rest of his group. Thankfully, after a few minutes he heard distant… Laughing? Well, it was a human so he headed towards the sound, only to be met with the sight of a strange girl standing on a large log, a good way away. She had very dark hair that covered her face messily, a white dress and was stood with a… Flying boar?

“Hello?!” Zuko yelled, garnering no response other than even more laughter. Becoming annoyed, he ran towards the little girl, only for her to disappear completely.

He took a deep breath in, steadying himself and trying to convince himself that this couldn't be another bad memory or flashback or whatever uncle used to call them, because that hadn't happened in over a year and he was certain he'd never seen that girl before. He kept walking, hoping he could forget about the girl altogether.

A few hours later nightfall was approaching, and Zuko had not seen the child again, so he was feeling more confident and less like hyperventilating. Yet his friends’ location was still completely unknown, until he heard a voice.

It was definitely female and sounded familiar, hopefully Katara, but as soon as he got just a little closer the true identity behind the voice presented itself like an icy rod straight through his heart.

His mother.

Zuko turned around, knowing she'd be behind him, waiting for him to look at her.

“Hello, Zuko.” She greeted with a warm, teary smile that threatened to tear apart Zuko's heart.