Chapter Text
It takes Sokka about a day to realize that they don't really know much about Zuko.
Of course, they know a few basic facts: that Zuko is a Firebender, was part of the army, was obsessed with the Avatar, seemed to be everywhere, and has a sister who is trying to kill him and an uncle who always followed him around.
Beyond that, they don't really know much about him. They don't know how he ended up in the army, who was stupid enough to make him captain, or why he decided to make hunting the Avatar his obsession. They don't know much about his past, what he was doing before he joined the army, or why he decided to join them now.
Sticking to the facts: Zuko appeared at the South Pole. He pursued them all the way to the North Pole, clashing with Zhao from time to time and freeing Aang from Pohuai. After the Siege of the North, he disappeared, only to reappear in the Earth Kingdom, fleeing from his own sister, who was trying to kill both him and his uncle. Then he disappeared again, only to reappear in Ba Sing Se, where his own sister threw him into the dungeons—which must have been a trap, because he joined her there shortly thereafter. He returned to the Fire Nation, only to betray them some time later and side with Aang.
And everything would be great, if only there weren't a few missing pieces in this whole story. Why was Zuko at the South Pole? What happened between the North Pole and the Earth Kingdom? Why was his sister chasing him? What was he doing in Ba Sing Se, pretending to be a tea server?
Sokka didn't really think about it—until Zuko stood before them and became part of their team, which... ugh, is still incredibly weird. Because is it normal for your enemy to become your ally in the span of a single day?
It's not normal, Sokka concludes.
And that means it's time to find out more about their local Firebender.
“So, Zuko,” Sokka says in the evening as they all sit down to dinner.
Zuko freezes, like a frightened rabbit. He looks like he wants to take his food and go back to his room. Although Aang invited him, Zuko does not eat with them, clearly keeping to himself.
“Yes?” Zuko asks.
He doesn't sit down. He holds a bowl of food in his hands and is clearly preparing for a tactical retreat so he doesn't have to eat in their company.
“I've been thinking about it, but we don't really know much about you,” Sokka says, ignoring Katara's quiet snort. “We met in the Earth Kingdom, right? Why did your sister want to kill you?”
“Ah,” Zuko's eyes still show caution, but understanding also appears in them. “Uncle and I were blamed for the failure of the mission in the North. Zhao was already dead, so the Fire Lord needed someone to blame. It fell on us. He sent Azula because she was always a good Firebender.”
With that, he turns and walks away, as if he doesn't want to be in their presence any longer.
There is silence for a moment.
“So who is Zuko, really?” Toph asks. “I thought he was just a regular Firebender who didn't like you very much. I didn't know his sister was favored by the Fire Lord.”
“His sister is definitely favored by the Fire Lord,” Sokka says irritably. “She was his guard during the Eclipse. And she's incredibly loyal, just like Zuko is. That is, was.”
“No wonder, with that name,” Katara mutters. “What else would you expect from siblings named after the Fire Prince and Princess?”
Toph tilts her head to the side.
“Wait, his sister's name is Azula? I thought only Zuko was named after, you know, Prince Zuko.”
“Their parents must have been incredibly fixated on the Fire Nation Royal Family to name not only their son but also their daughter that way,” says Katara.
“Are you sure it's a coincidence?” Toph frowns. “What if they really are–”
Sokka bursts out laughing.
“Zuko is supposed to be the Crown Prince? Our Zuko? The same Zuko who is the least noble person I've ever met in my life? Toph, Zuko is a soldier. Or rather, he used to be.”
“He had a separate mission,” adds Aang. “To capture me. I think he was quite independent from the rest of the army.”
“I bet he and Azula were part of some Special Forces or something,” says Sokka. “Because just think about it. A Fire Prince who can fight with swords? Who travels halfway across the world to capture the Avatar? Someone who's almost like a ninja with his skills? Someone who... Oh.”
Two pairs of eyes turn toward him. Only Toph isn't looking at him, but well, that's Toph.
“What oh?” Katara asks.
Sokka bites his lip, wondering if he should say it out loud. He glances in the direction Zuko went. When he makes sure he's not there, he leans toward his friends.
“What if Zuko really is a trained assassin?” he whispers. “He's strong, I can't deny it.”
Aang gasps loudly.
“No way!” he protests immediately. “Zuko doesn't kill people! He's nice!”
“He chased us halfway around the world and burned Kyoshi Island,” Katara reminds him.
“Maybe he was trained as a spy?” Aang suggests. “You know, that's why he was able to free me from Pohuai and was in Ba Sing Se?”
Katara thinks for a moment.
“That would make sense,” she says. “He completely fooled me in Ba Sing Se. I thought he was a good person, and then he turned out to be a traitor.”
“Hey, from everything you've told me about him, he couldn't have been a traitor, because he was never on your side,” says Toph, picking the parts she likes best from her plate. “And I don't think he's a good liar. I can sense lies easily, and so far he hasn't lied since he got here.”
“Maybe he's as good a liar as Azula,” Katara hisses. “You know, the same Azula who killed Aang?”
Aang grimaces at the memory.
“But I survived in the end, didn't I?” he asks, smiling as if to comfort everyone around him. “Anyway, I don't think Zuko is a bad person. He's clearly trying to make amends for his mistakes, and we should support him.”
Katara crosses her arms over her chest.
“If he really was trained to be an assassin–”
“What if he wasn't?” asks Aang. “Zuko is here to help us. If he doesn't want to share his past, that's okay.”
“Well, he can always be Prince Zuko, Heir to the Throne,” Toph interjects.
“Don't be silly,” Sokka laughs. “Zuko, our Zuko, a Prince? That's impossible.”
Just to be clear: Sokka did plan to question Zuko about who he really is and whether he is a trained assassin.
But the next day, as if to spite him, Zuko's bending stops working.
Which isn't really a good sign when it comes to teaching the Avatar.
Fortunately, Toph suggests that they go in search of the original benders — which ends up with Aang and Zuko going on a trip. Just the two of them. Only Aang and Zuko.
Aang, whom Zuko had been actively trying to capture for months.
Zuko, who had switched sides barely two days ago.
This won't end well.
“Listen, listen, listen!” Aang announces excitedly the next evening, after a rather long presentation of the Dancing Dragon and when Zuko has decided he's had enough of their company and gone to his dungeon... ahem, room. “I know who Zuko is!”
His words catch everyone's attention, and Sokka remembers a conversation they had not long ago.
“In my opinion, Zuko really is the Prince!” “ says Aang excitedly. “When we were about to meet... um, the Masters, I can't tell you the details, but anyway, I started to panic a little because I didn't know what to expect. Zuko looked at me and then said, so incredibly seriously: ‘we are the Fire Prince and the Avatar, we can handle them’. So I think Zuko really is the Fire Prince!”
Sokka bursts out laughing.
“Aang, that was probably a joke,” he says. “Zuko was named after Prince Zuko, he's not Prince Zuko.”
“Can you imagine Zuko as Prince Zuko?” Katara asks. “You mean the Fire Prince would chase the Avatar, fight his own soldiers, and betray his own country? Zuko is just a regular soldier, not a prince. Don't try to make up a more interesting backstory for him than he actually has.”
Aang's expression clouds over.
“Do you really think Zuko isn't a Prince?” he asks.
“We can find out,” suggests Sokka.
“How?”
“Well,” Sokka smiles at him. “We just have to ask him.”
Since Zuko has made it his mission to show himself as little as possible, unless it's about teaching Aang, Sokka has to wait several hours until the jerkbender finally deigns to show up.
“Hey!” he shouts at him. “Prince Zuko!”
The words have the desired effect. Zuko turns to him with a scowl on his face.
“Don't talk to me like that,” he says irritably. “I'm not a prince.”
(Not anymore, he wants to say.
My father probably burned my name out of the line of succession, he doesn't add.)
With that, Zuko takes his swords and goes to train, clearly determined not to have to talk to anyone.
Sokka turns to Aang, Katara, and Toph with a triumphant look on his face.
“Did you hear that?” he asks. “Our Zuko isn't Prince Zuko!”
Katara makes a face full of disgust.
“He’s not our Zuko,” she objects.
Toph mumbles something thoughtfully.
“Toph?” Aang turns to her.
Toph twitches.
“He didn't lie,” the girl says. “He didn't lie, but...”
(It's as if he didn't tell the whole truth, she wants to say.)
“Never mind,” she says finally. “Well, that solves our mystery. Too bad. I was hoping Sparky would be a more interesting person.”
Trusting Zuko isn't easy, if Sokka is being honest.
But when it comes to trusting someone who was his enemy just a few days ago, and sitting idly by while his father rots in prison, Sokka chooses the former without hesitation.
Zuko had the opportunity to betray them when he was alone with Aang. Instead, the two of them returned and almost immediately focused on firebending training.
So Sokka approaches him one evening, asking where they could take the prisoners of war.
He doesn't expect Zuko to want to go with him to the prison.
The road to Boiling Rock is... awkward. That's the only way Sokka can describe it.
Neither of them speaks.
For. Too. Long.
Tui and La, Sokka has had enough.
“Pretty clouds,” he says, just to say something. Anything. Talking about the weather is a good way to start a conversation, right?
“Yeah... fluffy,” Zuko replies. And, then, “What?!”
“What? Oh, I didn't say anything. You know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons,” Sokka says immediately.
Which he probably shouldn't mention, but well, there's no way Zuko knowing about Teo and his father could hurt them, right?
Where is the Mechanic right now anyway?
“No kidding,” Zuko says without much emotion in his voice.
“Yep, a balloon... but for war.”
“If there's one thing my dad's good at, it's war,” Zuko spits out more fire.
Sokka wonders if Zuko imagines that it's him who's burning. But hey, Zuko wouldn't be treacherous enough to throw him out of the balloon or attack him here, right?
Sokka realizes that he is actually giving Zuko the perfect opportunity to betray him. Who knows if there isn't some support waiting for him in prison?
But one look at his incredibly unhappy face and the darkness lurking in his eyes is enough to change Sokka's mind. Zuko is definitely not an ally of the Fire Nation, at least judging by his reaction to the mention of his father.
“So you don't get along with your father, huh?” Sokka says, wondering what kind of person would not only name his children after the Fire Nation Royal Family, but also practically raise them amid incredibly intense propaganda.
Zuko looks at him in disbelief.
“That,” he says, “is a huge understatement.”
Sokka is silent for a moment, wondering what to do with this information.
How high up in the Fire Nation army hierarchy is his father really? Zuko's family must have some connections; maybe his father is some kind of general or something? That would explain why Zuko had his own ship and why Azula was the Fire Palace guard.
“So you don't have the best relationship,” Sokka concludes.
Zuko just stares at him. And stares.
“Last time we saw him, he tried to shoot lightning bolts at me,” he says, turning away and throwing more fire into the chimney that keeps the balloon in the air. “I think that speaks for itself.”
“Your father is a bastard,” Sokka states, trying to ignore the horror he feels at the thought that a father could try to kill his own child.
And to think that Sokka thought the Fire Lord would be at the top of the Evil Villains list. Zuko's father seems to want to fight for it.
...but no. No one can beat the Fire Lord on the Evil Villains list.
“I know that,” Zuko replies. “It's just a shame I realized it too late.”
“Well, at least you're here now?” Sokka asks, smiling at him.
“Yes, and everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I'm a traitor,” Zuko says irritably.
“Calm down, calm down, I don't think everyone hates you that much. Besides, once Aang wins and defeats the Fire Lord, they'll definitely look at you in a better light, right?”
“If you think the Fire Nation will just accept Aang's victory, you're wrong,” Zuko replies. “Defeating the Fire Lord is one thing. Ending the war is another.”
“So you have an idea how to end this war?”
Zuko is silent for a moment.
“I don't know,” he says after a while. “But I'll think of something.”
“Mhm. Good luck, buddy.”
Their mission becomes a little more complicated when Zuko is captured.
But at least Suki is here!
And Dad, as it turns out!
It was worth coming to Boiling Rock after all.
It's just a shame that they also meet Zuko's crazy sister, who literally tries to kill them.
But hey, they also gain two new allies, as Azula's two friends betray her at the last minute, saving their lives. They end up imprisoned, but nothing bad will happen to them... right?
Sokka wants to say it out loud, but he notices Zuko's expression and decides to remain silent.
For the next few days, Zuko is incredibly gloomy, which should come as no surprise. He looks suspiciously at Hakoda and seems to be extremely nervous—perhaps he is worried about Azula's friends who have been caught and imprisoned. Chit Sang stays close to him for some reason and sometimes even puts his arm around his shoulder, calling him Prince with amusement.
“I didn't know the Fire Nation liked to joke about their Prince so much,” Sokka mutters under his breath one evening.
Hakoda's eyes turn to where Sokka is looking.
“Well, from what I've heard, Prince Zuko is exiled,” he says. “Perhaps most people don't treat him like a god walking on earth.”
“Perhaps,” Sokka agrees.
If Zuko and Chit Sang can joke about their Prince so casually... And Zuko, their Zuko, is so stereotypical representative of the Fire Nation...
Wait.
“Prince Zuko is exiled?” Sokka asks in surprise.
“From what I've heard,” Hakoda replies. “However, I don't know the details. All I know is that he got into some kind of conflict with the Fire Lord.”
“Hmm...” Sokka ponders.
Defeating the Fire Lord is one thing. Ending the war is another, Zuko recently told him.
What will happen after they defeat the Fire Lord? Who will take the throne of the Fire Nation to ensure that the Fire Nation remains on the islands?
“Perhaps then Prince Zuko should become the Fire Lord,” Sokka mutters under his breath. He doesn't know Prince Zuko, but anyone who opposes the Fire Lord is probably a good person... right?
“Huh,” Hakoda says. “So that's the plan, huh?”
Sokka looks at him in surprise. He opens his mouth to ask for details, but at that moment, Toph decides to show Suki her metalbending, and all hell breaks loose.
A day later, Azula attacks them, forcing them to leave the Western Air Temple.
Another day later, Zuko and Katara set out to find her mother's killer.
Sokka, Toph, Aang, and Suki remain in the camp.
“Well,” Sokka says. “At least that confirms a few things.”
“Which is?” Suki raises an eyebrow.
“That our Zuko used to be in some kind of special forces. Otherwise, how would he be able to recognize my mother's killers just from their flags?”
Suki blinks.
“I thought Zuko was Prince Zuko.”
“Our Zuko isn't Prince Zuko,” Sokka says. “He was just named after him.”
“Really?”
“Suki, do you think the Fire Prince would be wandering around abandoned temples with us and running away from his own country?”
“Huh,” says Suki. “That makes some sense.”
Katara and Zuko return.
And somehow, their adventure is enough for them to reconcile. Katara forgives him for Ba Sing Se, and Zuko finally looks like he can breathe a sigh of relief.
“What now?” asks Sokka when everyone finishes celebrating the fact that Katara and Zuko have returned safely. “Does anyone have any idea where we could go?”
“Actually...” Zuko says slowly. “It may not be the best place to hide, but I don't think anyone will be there.”
“What do you mean?” Aang looks at him curiously.
“My family's old summer residence,” Zuko explains. “On Ember Island. We used to go there during the summer, the climate is much milder than Caldera. But no one has been there for years... It's practically empty. Besides, none of the island's inhabitants would dare to go there.”
“Why?” Katara asks.
“Because it's my family's residence,” Zuko replies, as if that answers all possible questions. “It's big enough for each of us to have our own room. It may be dusty, but we'll manage. Besides, there's plenty of space in the courtyard for us to train. Not to mention that the beaches of Ember Island are one of the most beautiful in the Fire Nation...”
“I'm sold,” Katara says immediately.
“It would be nice to sleep under a roof,” Toph agrees.
“I'm curious to see what your house looks like, Zuko!” Aang says excitedly.
“Are you sure no one will be there?” Suki asks.
“Do you have any good food there?”
Zuko smiles slightly.
“I think you'll like it there.”
Zuko's family, as it turns out, is disgustingly rich.
Zuko wasn't exaggerating when he called the house a “residence.” It's a big building, really big. Maybe not as impressive as the Earth Palace, but big enough to make Sokka whistle under his breath.
Yes, someone here definitely comes from a good family. Who would have thought that being the General of the Fire Army would be so well paid?
Speaking of which...
“Your father isn't coming here?” Sokka asks. “You know, for some kind of sudden unplanned inspection or something?”
“I don't think so,” Zuko replies. “He's busy planning the war, and you know, destroying the rest of the world.”
“Oh.”
Suddenly, Sokka loses the urge to joke about Zuko's family.
Staying at the Zuko family residence has its pros and cons.
The pros are that they finally have a place where they can stay for a long time. They don't have to constantly travel and sleep under the open sky. They can sleep in beds, and no one is trying to kill or capture them. They have plenty of space to themselves and can finally relax.
The cons are that they are staying at Zuko's family residence. And that makes Zuko a little gloomy. Although he was the one who suggested they come here, every now and then you can see a strange emotion in his eyes that Sokka can't quite classify. But well, Sokka guesses that Zuko must feel torn—after all, their goal is to defeat the Fire Lord, and Zuko served him for a long time. Zuko's father is probably somewhere in the Fire Nation. His sister serves as a palace guard—or the Fire Lord's personal assassin, Sokka hasn't quite figured that out yet.
It would probably be easiest to ask Zuko about all this, but... well, Sokka just doesn't have the heart to do it. Zuko is already gloomy enough as he tries not to think about having to fight his family.
Time passes.
Days pass, then weeks. Everyone is starting to get used to living in Zuko's family residence.
They begin to feel safe.
They are in Fire Nation territory, but no one knows who they really are. The residence is located far from the city, so no one bothers them. They have time to themselves and are finally able to take a break from the war.
They are safe and happy.
Ember Island Plays are one of the worst works of art Sokka has ever seen in his life.
Even disregarding the fact that everyone ends up dead and the Fire Lord rules the world.
Ember Island Plays simply mixes up all the events and characters. Aang is a girl. Sokka is an idiot who only thinks about meat. Katara fall in love with everyone she sees. Toph is a macho man who is like two meters tall. Suki doesn't appear at all.
And Zuko? Zuko is a strange mixture of three people – he plays the role of Zhao, their Zuko, and Prince Zuko. Or rather, their Zuko is presented as Prince Zuko.
Which their Zuko is not. The scar is on the wrong side, duh.
Because hey, even if Prince Zuko was exiled and isn't particularly liked, they wouldn't make him such a laughing stock and show his scar on the wrong side.
Besides, the actor playing Prince Zuko has long hair. Which their Zuko doesn't have.
The result of all this: their Zuko is not Prince Zuko.
Sokka glances at their Zuko. The Firebender doesn't seem too happy with the play. But then, no one is happy with it. The play has mixed up a lot of facts.
Sokka pats him on the shoulder consolingly.
It must be annoying to be constantly compared to the Fire Prince.