True Balance . Prince Zuko

XIII

village
thirteen
XIII

As the village came into view, Zuko slowed the giant before coming to a stop. Lelo looked around, half the buildings had been destroyed. She watched with sorrow as she envisioned the town as her village. As soon as Zuko removed himself from the rhino, she tried her best to stretch. Instead of handing her the reins, he hands them back to his uncle not even sparing her a look. The last hour of the trip Zuko had become completely rigid behind her, almost like a brick wall. She thought maybe he was just tired but now she was sure it had been something she'd done.

Seeing through a window into one of the nearest houses that hadn't been destroyed, Zuko approached the door waiting for the man to reveal himself. The man looked older with a high bun wrapped neatly on top of his head. He leaves with tired eyes as he closed the cracked door behind him. A sigh leaving his lips before raising a hand to his head until he saw the boy before him.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Zuko asked before throwing the man back through the door with a grunt. The man fell through looking up at the Prince, "Seen the avatar lately?"

Lelo looked away not wanting to observe what was going to happen, Iroh noticed and reached out to grab her arm firmly, "You shouldn't turn away..."

Lelo looked up at him with a glare, it had been the first time she had done this and, for a moment, he looked shocked, "Why? So it can reaffirm what I know about the fire nation or rather who you are? So it can remind me about every other person I have watched the fire nation beat down or haul away from me like cattle. This town is how I envision my village, torn and empty. Destroyed. I am not fire nation...If I can't prevent it, I'm not going to watch it."

Iroh eyes her for a moment, letting her words sink in. Zuko watched from afar, the man pushing himself up. His eyes wander over the ex-general and the tiny figured girl on the rhino, before Zuko could push the man back down, he avoids the prince, walking forwards in her direction, "Are you Lelo?"

She turned to observe the man, her eyes wide as he knew her name. Slowly she slips from the saddle, her feet landing delicately. A breeze rushes over her skin and she realised how cold it is. Riding with a fire nation Prince who can internally heat himself up definitely reminded her of just how cold and alone she was, "Yes...but how did you know?"

"The avatar!" growled the prince as he stalked towards the man, raising a hand to turn him around before pushing him to the ground. Lelo scrambles to his aid pushing Zuko's fist away from the man's face. Steam lifting into the air from his very skin, "Stop please!"

The man shields his face to protect himself but Lelo blocks the man from Zuko. Her eyes staring straight into his. For a moment he hesitates, questioning if this was a good idea. Before he could make a decision she holds her palms up in surrender, showing she didn't pose as a threat to him. Zuko can see now, the scraps on her hands, the blood running down her elbow. Blisters had popped on her arm from where the burn on her arm was shaped like a handprint. The skin is soft and tender. How she had stayed quiet about it, he had no idea.

"Please, let him speak, " she asked him, pleading desperately with her eyes. Where he expected her hope and determination, he only found sadness and dejection. This was the only words she would hear of her siblings. Slowly Zuko's hand fell to his side, his knuckles cracking as he releases the tension of his fist.

"How do you know my name?" she asked the man again, turning towards him and meeting his eyes. Nervously, he gazed behind her at the fire benders before moving his gaze onto her. He knew she was the girl Katara had talked about.

"Your sister, Katara and your brother, Sokka," he told her vaguely, with a sigh she looks down at her palms in the dirt. Noting that another blister had popped. The liquid sticking to the dirt.

"If they were here, that means the avatar was here." Zuko said as if thinking out loud but it was more a command, "WHERE ARE THEY GOING!?"

The Prince steps forward threateningly but Lelo immediately helps the man to his feet. Zuko's fist sits right in front of her face now as the flames rush the heat against her face, her heart hammering but despite the flinch, she stared through the steam. To look the Prince straight in his golden eyes. They were furious and unreasonable. She couldn't stop him, at least not by herself. She could hardly waterbend. She couldn't save this man and she finally she felt truely useless.

"I'm sorry," her voice was barely a whisper as she turned to look at the man, he didn't hold judgement nor disgust in his face only understanding, "I can't help you."

The man nodded, glancing at Zuko before placing a hand on her shoulder gaining her attention, "The avatar has already done that, I'm sorry we could not help you in return."

"Please," she whispered to the man, Zuko felt the fire inside him bubble like lava. Thick and boiling bursts, splattering with flame, "save your village. They would understand."

The man nodded in understanding before looking at Zuko. Anguish twisted into his every feature. Lelo thought this was when he looked the most terrifying. She couldn't believe she thought he was any part of human. He didn't care for anything besides his own honour. Lelo remained by the man as he explained the avatar is long gone. Heading for the fire nation.

Lelo didn't smile, she held no emotion as she was thrown onto the rhino in front of Zuko. He held enough heat to latch her into submission. As the rhino galloped away, she took her courage to turn around to look over Zuko and Iroh's shoulder at the man. He stood staring after them, thankful his town still stood, his hand raised in the air in thanks. Before she felt Zuko would finally punish her she turned back around. Sitting uncomfortably the whole night to the ship. Upon arrival, the guards immediately swarmed them.

Iroh was escorted to his room, following after his nephew. Lelo was thrown beside the game she had previously set up for Iroh. The dawn was coming quickly and Zuko didn't want to wait. Crew were woken up in haste and guards were marching across the deck. Her eyes looked tiredly over the earth kingdom. She would miss its beauty. It's greenness. She had fallen in love with how green and living it was. Iroh met her on the deck while Zuko stuck himself in his room with maps and his captain. Something Lelo hadn't expected was the frown present on Iroh's features.

He took a seat across from her, frowning out at the sea. She watched him without any recognition. She wasn't sure if they would catch up to her siblings and the avatar. She didn't want to know. Lelo has grown up with the terrifying memory of fire nation ships. Unbelievably fast. Running on coal and fire. She just never thought she would be on one, alive, while chasing the avatar.