Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Kid! Hey, kid! Wake up! Are you okay, kid?”

His ears were ringing loudly, and his head pounded with his heartbeat. He found only more pain when he tried to open his eyes, as light burned his eye and stabbed his brain. Why was he awake?

“Hey, kid, are you doing alright?”

“Chong, his aura screams pain. The bandage…”

“Ope. Good spot, Lily. Kid, we’re gonna move you somewhere safer than a ditch, okay? You’re gonna be okay.”

He felt it when they lifted him. He felt like it should have been harder, since he can’t do it at all.

“There we go, kid. We’re gonna take off these bandages, see what the damage is… Hey, that rhymed! Now, don’t open this eye, alrighty? Don’t want you to get anything in there, if it’s missing!”

The man seems to think he made a joke, though Zuko didn’t understand it. The others (When were there others?) laughed with him as they distracted him from the bandages being taken off with a wet, sticky squelch. They all fall silent, whoever they are, but Zuko doesn’t have the energy to open his eyes and see why. Someone whistles.

“Welp, I’d have to say that’s a lot more than a shiner, holy shit. Alright, Moku, can you get the clean shirt that I was gonna wear to the interview today?”

‘Interview? What’s an Interview?’ he thought. He hears the sound of cloth tearing, water splashing, and something touches near his cheek, a light tap, like cloth… It must have been the shirt the man was talking about. Once the tapping under his cheekbone stops, his eye is bandaged again, with the shirt as well.

“Hey, kid, are you in any pain? We can give you something, to help, if you want. What hurts?”

‘How do you expect me to answer right now’ he angrily tried to send his thoughts out, ‘when i don’t even have the energy to blink?’
“Well, it’d make sense if your head hurt. Alright, I’m going to put something on your mouth, and when I say so, breathe in, okay? It’ll make you feel better.”

Soon after, something that feels like metal is pressed against his lips. When the signal is given, there is sudden light near Zuko’s face, and he whimpers, but breathes in as he was told. Maybe they won’t hurt him if he does what they say? It’s all he can bet on, so he breathes in until his lungs are full, and he breathes out smoke and licks of fire. Zuko can’t see it, but they jump when he breathes fire. The smoke did taste funny on the way out, though, and his head slowly stops pounding so hard he can feel it through the ground. Eventually, he gains the courage and energy to open his eye- and immediately starts to panic. Why can’t he open his- right, bandages- wait, bandages? Why- right, Father, but who?- No fire?? How are they alive? What?

“Kid, you need to breathe properly. Slow down, that’s it, now, what happened to you?”

The man in front of him was tall and thin, wearing softly colorful and flowy clothing and a big head piece. Eventually, Zuko can speak, but not without his throat spasming and causing him to cough first. Once he has control of his voice, he rasps, “My Father… I displeased him. He- he burned me, and he threw me out. Where am I?”

“Well, we’re somewhere near Omashu… I think.”

“No, no, we’re near the Desert!”

“I still think we’re near the sea.”

“...So none of you know where we are?”

“We’ll figure it out when night falls. We just follow the stars wherever they lead us, kid. Hey, what’s your name?”

“...Will you be mad?”

“Why would we?”

“...I’m Zuko.”

“Huh, well, nice to meet you, Zuko. I’m Chong, the lady here is Lily, and our dear friend, Moku. We’re traveling musicians. Hey, since you’ve been kicked out, you want to travel with us? Just while you heal, of course.”

“...Do I have a choice?”

“Always, Zuko. When you’re a nomad, all there are is choices.”
“Then yes.”

“Alrighty, then, let’s get this show on the road! Upsy-lily!”

Chong picks up Zuko and carries him while they all start walking towards the mountains.

Chapter Text

“Chong, I can walk on my own. It’s been days since I’ve walked.”

“Are you sure you can, Kid? I don’t want you to end up hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“Alright, if you say so.”

The tall musician sets Zuko down, and Lily carefully flutters around him, worried. When he stands tall and doesn’t waver, she backs off. In the few days they’ve been together, they’ve already learned that he doesn’t like to be coddled or crowded.

“Where are we even headed? I think we’ve been walking in circles.” the boy complains.

“We’re headed wherever we want to roam.That’s freedom! It doesn’t matter where we’re headed. What matters is the journey there.” the usually-quiet Moku states.

“But that doesn’t make sense! If you aren’t headed somewhere, why not just settle down somewhere?”

“Because settling down means tying yourself down, and that’s not freedom either. Freedom is doing whatever you want. If there’s somewhere you want to go, then go. If you don’t want to go somewhere, then don’t. If you don’t have somewhere you want to go, then wander.” The nomads’ philosophy was confusing to the Fire Nation boy. He was used to a strong work ethic, and they just seemed lazy. They were living off of only other people’s good will. Still, rather than potentially anger them, Zuko kept these thoughts to himself, for now. That decision was broken only a few minutes later.

“How can you live so aimlessly? It’s impossible! To have no purpose is to have no honor.”

“Honor? What does that have to do with freedom? Honor comes from the decisions you make. It can’t be given or taken away or anything like that.”

The statement made Zuko’s head spin. He had to stand still for a second, before biting back. “You’re wrong! Agni decides who does and doesn’t have honor! The Fire Lord, as His Voice on Earth, tells us of Agni’s decisions!”

The others pause, and turn around to look at him. He pants and gasps for breath, and his vision swims. He can’t look at their faces, he just can’t, so he closes his eyes as he falls. He doesn’t hear Lily’s exclamation of fear as his head hits the dirt path that was once beneath his feet.

When he wakes up, Chong is carrying him again, but the man doesn’t notice right away. In fact, the man doesn’t notice for a bit until Zuko starts hyperventilating.

“Hey, Kid, breathe. It’s alright. Propaganda got to you, too. It happens a lot to Colony Kids.”

“I’m… not… from a colony.” the burned boy pants around his gasping.

“Nah, Kid, it’s a figure of speech. It means that… one parent is from the Fire Nation, and one is from the Earth Kingdom.”

“Neither of my parents are something as dirty as Earth! How dare you infer such!”

They all stop walking at his words. Zuko feels warm against Chong’s back, too warm.

“Lily, can you check his temperature? He feels hot.”

“I’m a Firebender, of course I’m hot!”

With that, they all stop. Most Colony Kids in the Earth Kingdom can’t survive as Firebenders. Those kids tend to live Fire Nation Style in the colonies, and don’t leave to the rest of the Kingdom, or else they get attacked by the Earth Armies and held for being spies. Lily looks at Chong, mouthing that he’s far too hot, and not because of anger. They find a safe space to rest for a bit, and check under Zuko’s bandages, only to find his eye busted and oozing, and the skin inflamed and warm and bloody. He had a severe infection, and they knew he needed a healer, quickly.

“Alright, Kid, you’re right. We have a destination now. We can’t just wander and hope a healer will save you just because. Moku, can you guess where we are?”

“We should be near the Foggy Swamp. The Great Tree is in the distance.”

“And which way is The Herbalist?”

“West of the Great Tree, so… about that way?”

The shorter man pointed off into the distance, where there wasn’t a path. Destination set, they walked to the one woman that could help them, and would help for free.