Chapter Text
Sokka managed to evade the guards and get out of the castle in one piece. Getting onto a boat and making it to the earth kingdom was difficult and took quite a bit of haggling, but after only losing one of the outfits Zuko had supplied, plus an agreement to work hard as a deckhand, he was stuffed aboard the Kukri with its hardened crew. They didn't give him much trouble, aside from asking what a pretty young thing like him was doing with high grade silks. They weren't suited for life on the ocean, so Sokka had to wear the training shirt for a couple days, then swap to going shirtless on the third to wash it.
He was the first off of the boat and stumbling onto the decks once they made port at the first landmass with people wearing green. The men watched him go with some confusion, though none cared enough to question the strange boy. They had only known of him for a few days and he kept to himself. Easy enough to forget and get back to work.
Sokka traded his remaining fine silks for an Earth Kingdom ensemble, as well as a few extra coins to jingle in his pocket. By weaving through nearby towns, asking around about a flying bison, helping local families here and there with odd jobs, Sokka found his belly full and path set. The rumor mill said that the Avatar had been spotted heading back from the North Pole, circling back towards the kingdom of Omashu.
Thankfully, he was able to hitch a ride on a hay farmer's wagon for half the journey and walk the trails to the city. It was at the same moment that he noticed the banners twirling in the wind that he saw a great migration of people heading out of the front gates.
As he carefully came closer, he found his sister's blue wrap dress among the greens and browns. He called out as loud as he could, uncaring of anything else around him, and wrapped her in a tight hug. She was too stunned to return it at first, but came around after a moment and wet his shoulder with her tears.
"Where have you been?" Katara asked forcefully and checked him over like their mother used to do. Sokka just laughed and wiped at his moist cheeks, unable to form the words just yet.
That night, as they gathered around the campfire with the refugees of Omashu, Sokka told his tale of how he had been snatched by Zhao's men during the siege. How he was harassed, chained, and sent off to the capitol to be interrogated by the crowned prince himself.
A few men and women nearby listened to him with interest. "How did you escape?" One asked in awe.
Sokka faltered, but caught himself before it could be considered suspicious. "I uh, beat him up with one of his training swords. Broke the chain and left during a new moon." Here, he lifted up his ankle where the golden cuff still hung. The group gasped in shock at the tangible proof, muttering about how brave and heroic he was. Sokka didn't want the praise, though, and waved it off. "Anyway, I haggled my way onto a boat and found out where you guys were headed. Easy peasy."
Katara was still crying, but smiled as well. "You're brilliant, Sokka. I'm so sorry we didn't find you." She gripped his hands in hers. "We waited as long as we could. Aang and I checked every fallen warrior to see if you were one of them. When we couldn't even find a body, Aang was convinced the Avatar state had swept you under with the firebenders."
That was… that was terrible. "Aang must have been devastated." He realized.
"Yeah. It sounds like we all had something terrible to work through." She leaned her shoulder against his, holding his hand and keeping as much contact as she could. "Somehow I knew you weren't dead. I had to keep telling myself that every day."
It haunted Sokka for the remainder of the night, even as he talked and moved and re-immersed himself in the lives of his companions. How he had been lounging in the enemy's lavish bedroom, being treated like a pet. Meanwhile, his sister and Aang had been waiting to hear that he was alive, then made the difficult decision to continue without him.
Of course, he was forgetting how stressful it was, how every day he had trouble sleeping because he was sure he would be removed from Zuko's lavish bed and brought to the dungeons for real torture, how he had worried for his sister's safety as well. How he was slowly succumbing to the idea that he might not ever see her again.
But he was here now. And she was healthy and whole. They would resume with the plan of getting Aang an earth bending teacher and defeat the Firelord.
—-----‐—---
"Wow, Sokka! Where did you learn that?!" Aang asked excitedly from where he was hanging upside down in a nearby tree.
Sokka wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Uh… I… learned it from…" He faltered. Does he say he learned it from the prince? Does he admit to Aang that he actually gained something good from the enemy?
Aang seemed to understand where his hesitation stemmed from because he righted himself, landing on his feet on the ground, and said "I think it's really amazing that you're able to do that. Taking knowledge from the other nations is important. No matter how you got that knowledge."
It did make him feel better. "Why don't you try blocking me? I'll show you some other stuff I picked up."
Katara found the boys later, devolved into a game of chase with Aang laughing as he jumped out of the way of Sokka's wild swings.
"Supper is ready." She called out, shaking her head at their antics. It was good to have her brother back.
—-----------------
It had been months since escaping the Fire Nation when Sokka saw Zuko again. It was hard to recognize him with the huge scar taking up half of his face and his long hair shorn down to the scalp. But it was him.
They had made it to BaSingSe without the help of Appa and the group was finally feeling like they were gaining some semblance of victory. Even if JooDi was weird and the king wouldn't see them for another month… they were given a big house and had the run of the town! Time to explore!
They were shopping in the middle rings when Katara announced that she wanted to get some tea. Toph and Aang were still puttering around, so Sokka agreed to go with her. The Jasmine Dragon looked like a good place to stop and rest his feet.
Until he spotted Zuko inside.
"Katara, get down!" He hissed and yanked her behind a wall. She yelped and followed, but quickly freed herself from his grip.
"What is wrong with you?" She asked accusingly, rubbing her sore wrist.
Sokka kept his eyes trained on the prince, watching him… clear a table? What was he doing? Katara thumped him on the shoulder. "That's the guy!" He stage whispered, as if that explained everything.
"The guy." She looked unimpressed, hand on her hip. "Helpful."
"The guy!" He said again. "Prince Jerkface from the Fire Nation!"
Katara looked around the wall again at the teen in an apron taking orders. "That's the prince." By her tone, it was obvious that she definitely didn't believe him.
Sokka clenched his fists and said "I'm sure of it! I had to look at his stupid face every day for weeks!"
"You never mentioned a big burn on his face."
There was a beat of silence. "It's new."
She scoffed and headed back toward the tea shop. "Why don't we just ask him?" She mocked.
Sokka hurried after her, tugging on her sleeve. "Katara, don't-"
"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. My nephew will be with you shortly." A portly old man said kindly from the back of the shop. He ducked away into the kitchens, leaving them to find their own seats in the semi crowded room.
Katara chose a little table against the wall and started perusing the menu. Sokka continued to keep his eyes glued on the thin figure weaving through the shop. It was so far-fetched, but he was absolutely sure it was him!
"Hello, Lee here. What can I get for-" the teens teeth clack with the force of him shutting his mouth. He and Sokka stared hard, wide eyed and unable to speak or move.
Katara stared between them, comprehension dawning. "Wait, so… this is the prince?" At the mention of his title, Zuko disappeared into the kitchen doorway. Sokka and his sister got up from their table to pursue, but were stopped by the portly old man from before.
He was shorter than both of them by only an inch or so, but his demeanor was authoritative and strong. He held up a hand to stop them in their tracks. "So sorry. This is for employees only. Might I help you with something?"
"Yeah, you can start by explaining why you have a firebender working here!" Sokka exclaimed a little too loudly. A few nearby tables turned to look at what was going on.
The old man continued to put on a very calm aura. "You seem to be a little confused, my young friend. I have some excellent smelling salts in the kitchen. It will help realign your mental Chakra." He ushered them to follow, holding open the green curtain partitioner. The siblings share a glance before walking in.
Zuko was pacing the back room, running his hands through his short hair. He froze as soon as he saw the water tribe blues. Sokka crossed his arms and said "I knew it." He glanced over at Katara, looking smug. "I told you."
"Can you hold off telling me you were right until we get this sorted?" She summoned a water whip to circle Zuko's hands and force them together behind his back. "What are you doing here?"
The old man placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "There is no need for that." He motioned to the teen. "We are just here serving tea."
There's a dull glow behind Zuko before his wet hands come free. He shakes them and holds them up to allow a small bit of firebending to steam the water away. "What are you doing here?"
Sokka balked at the accusatory tone. "We are allowed to be here! You're supposed to be in Caldera, plotting the best ways to torment the rest of the world!"
Zuko flushed at this and looked away, gritting his teeth. He didn't say anything, which was enough motivation for Sokka to continue. "This is the last safe haven in the Earth Kingdom. You expect us to believe that you aren't here on some secret mission for your beloved dad?"
The old man approached cautiously, coming to stand beside the teen and partially standing between the two. "I think there is more to this than you understand. Allow me to start a pot of tea and we can discuss this."
"If you two are working together, I wouldn't be surprised if it were poisoned." Katara spit.
Zuko clenched his teeth and allowed the barest trail of smoke to escape. "My uncle would never do something like that."
"Well forgive me, prince fire-breath, if we don't believe you." Sokka snarked as he gripped the knife at his hip. He was fully prepared for a fight, though from the defeated slump of the other boy's shoulders, it didn't seem like that was going to happen.
To their surprise, Zuko huffed and stood up straight. Despite his ill-fitting brown and muddy green robes, he is a prince. "Uncle is right. There are things you don't know. At least hear us out."
Katara is unfazed and ready to attack, but Sokka surprises her by holding a hand out to stall her. He's still tense around the shoulder blades, though he doesn't look like he is going to fight.
"Alright." Sokka said tersely. "Spill. What happened after I left?"
Zuko looked like he was about ready to throw up. He couldn't meet the other boy's eyes and instead looked to his left to say "I… can't talk about it right now. Tonight, once the shop is empty."
Uncle seemed to remember that there were people out there waiting for their orders and excused himself to bustle out of the room. Katara watched the other two skeptically. "Fine. We will come tonight. If this is a trap, we won't hesitate to take you down."
They leave after making it clear that they would be on high alert until then. Zuko had to give himself another moment before returning to the outside world and bussing tables. The thought of them watching made him nervous, but he kept his head down and didn't speak for the rest of the day.