Chapter Two: Scorched Earth

Aang looked down at his friend Sokka. They had been walking to where Zuko had been instructed to gather the wood from when the water tribe boy had halted their advance upon seeing the discarded basket of fire wood. It was obvious they were in the right place and while they had found the basket, Zuko was no where to be seen.

"So, did he just leave or something?" Aang asked when Sokka had been silent for some time.

"I don't think so, these tracks head off into the forest. Judging by the depth, who ever it was, was running."

"He probably got scared of actually doing some honest work for a change." Aang and Sokka both turned to look up at Katara who had followed them from the Temple. Her arms were folded and she was obviously annoyed that the guys were even bothering to look into the fire nation princes' disappearance. "He probably decided he couldn't handle it."

"I don't think so Katara, from the looks of these tracks there's at least three guys...and one giant."

"Giant?" Aang asked curiously and watched as Sokka counted four of his own strides in the stride of the man running in bare feet only. Aang was curious to see how that would look from up above and whipped up a current that could take him up into the air on his glider. Being up there gave him a clearer picture and the new view also revealed something else. "I can see smoke off in the distance."

"Where there's smoke, there's a fire bender." Sokka calmly quipped before picking up his pack and sword once more and headed deeper into the trees.

"This is stupid, he probably wanted to leave and I say, let him." Katara remained stood where she was and Aang looked to Sokka who just shrugged.

"Katara, I know you don't trust Zuko, I know you think he's just lying but, what if he really is in trouble?"

"If he was in trouble, why didn't he come back to camp?" The question was a valid one, but what Katara hadn't counted on was Sokka already knew the answer, one she wasn't prepared for.

"He's leading who ever it is AWAY from the camp." Sokka pointed into the forest with his sword, his usual easy nature no where to be seen as he adopted the strategist they had all come to know and respect. "Think about it, who ever is after him are likely to be after us too, since we're all on the run from the fire nation."

Aang looked to Katara who turned away and sighed, her long brunette hair tumbling around her shoulders on the cool evening breeze. She was silent for a moment before looking out over the forest.

"All I can say is, he better be in trouble or he's going to BE in trouble!" Aang stepped back as Katara marched by, her eyes hard and focused as she stepped into the trees.

Sokka shook his head and followed after her, Aang falling into step beside him.

"Three unknown bandits and a Giant I can handle, but Zuko is on his own when it comes to Katara." Aang had to smile at that. As much as he liked her, Katara was really scary when she wanted to be.

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Zuko knew something wasn't right long before his eyes opened. His body felt stiff and restricted, the muscles in his arms and shoulders ached, like they were being pulled to much in the wrong direction. The ground beneath him was hard and uncomfortable yet, strangely, it was also moving. All these sensations gradually brought him back to consciousness and when his eyes finally cracked open, they shut again much faster a moment later.

A strangled cry escaped his dry lips as he realised he was bound with rope, both around his torso and hands which were locked together behind his back. It explained the aches and the stiffness and the ropes about his body done little to help the injury to his chest.

He stayed still, composing himself, regulating his breathing so he didn't panic but it was clear he was in a lot of trouble. When he had opened his eyes, he had seen a brief if not blurry image of bars around him. A crude wooden cage had been fashioned from the forest he had sought to escape in, now it was his prison.

The men who had caught him were more than resourceful, they were skilled and had created a kind of prison cart to transport him to, who knows where. The motion he had detected was the cart being pulled along a bumpy, dirt road by the spear man and the one with the mask and chains.

Zuko searched his memory, trying to logically work out where they might be taking him. What was close to this particular Air Temple that was controlled by the fire nation?

"Ah, you're awake." Zuko groaned and rolled onto his back, trying to find the source of the voice now addressing him. He was hardly surprised to see the large, burly leader smirking down at him through the criss-crossing wooden bars.

"D-do you really expect a cage of wood to hold me?" Zuko tried not to show how much pain he was in, but his chest was on fire and speaking was not helping, especially when he couldn't take in a full breath due to the tightness of the ropes.

"No, but I do expect Lai'Cho and his talismans too." As the leader spoke he indicated the tall boneless man walking just behind the cart. He sneered and Zuko scowled at the large, almost toothless expression, recognising it, as it had been one of the last things he'd seen before loosing consciousness.

Zuko shook his head, trying to remove the scroll that was still fixed to his forehead, but it was stuck fast and there was no way he could get his hands free to pull it from him.

"Who are you!" He demanded, feeling his anger grow. He hated feeling so helpless, hated loosing, especially when he had so much to do, so much he needed to atone for.

"I am Link and these are my men. You already know Lai'Cho. Lian is the one with the mask, he doesn't speak much, but I'm sure he's pleased to make your acquaintance. And then Mao, best spear man in all four nations." Both men looked back at the bound prince and Zuko just glared past the talisman right back at them before looking back to their leader Link who continued. "I have to say, I thought you would have put up more of a fight."

"Why don't you let me out and I will show just how much of a fight I can give you."

Link laughed, long and loud. "Thank you for the offer," Link finally managed to speak after recovering from the amusement of Zuko's words. "But you are going to need all your energy." Link indicated at some point in front but Zuko was still laid on his back and couldn't see. With a grunt he rolled back onto his side and pulled his knees up before continuing his roll onto them and slowly raised his head to look out at the path the road followed.

A great mountain stood before them, three peaks in total, the tallest lost amidst the clouds. The snowy tops looked perilous, steep glaciers balanced precariously on over-hanging rock. A sudden clap of thunder was enough to trigger a massive avalanche and Zuko's eyes widened as, even at this distance and in the dark, he could see a huge plume of white engulf half the mountainside.

"You must have really ticked your dad off this time, kid." Link chuckled once more before walking ahead, leaving the captive prince to stare ahead at what would be his home and finally his tomb.

Winter Fall mine.

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No matter how hard he tried, Zuko just couldn't muster enough strength or will to bring even the tiniest flame into existence. It was almost like the energy was being sucked right out of him any time he tried. It might have been his imagination playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn the creepy witch doctor who had placed the talisman on him, grew a little taller each time Zuko tried.

After an hour of concentration and focus, he was exhausted and he slumped against the bars, luckily leaning against his right side, keeping his left relatively pain free.

He looked weakly up into the sky and sighed.

Maybe this was the universes way of telling him, none of his good intentions were enough. The final slap in the face, divine retribution for all the pain and suffering he helped to cause. He was glad it was dark, for as his thought's wandered to dwell on his deepest regret, he felt tears emerge in his eyes.

He would never be able to tell his Uncle, just how sorry he was. How much he regretted his actions, how betraying him was the one thing that kept him awake at nights and on those nights he did sleep, dreams and nightmares taunted him by making him relive and remake the worst of a thousand decisions he wished he could take back.

Zuko quickly blinked back the tears and looked up just as the cart was brought to a stand-still. He almost toppled over with the sudden lack of momentum but he was able to spare himself the humiliation.

The band of men seemed to be setting up a camp and Zuko watched them silently through the bars of his cage. Link was sitting himself down on the road side while Mao and Lian started to unpack their supplies and set up a little camp. Zuko's eyes were drawn to the water pouches they each carried and guzzled greedily from, taking great pleasure in the fact that their prisoner was parched. Link grinned over at the captured prince, his lips moist from the water, droplets falling from his stubble stained chin.

"Thirsty, your highness?" Link asked, his tone full of sarcasm. Zuko just turned away and rested his head against the back of the cage. "Suit yourself."

The men continued to set up the camp, with the witch doctor Lai'Cho starting a fire. Zuko was quite confused by the means in which he done so, since during the brief battle with the band of brigands, he never once witness any kind of fire bending. Now, the boneless man weaved his hands in a mesmerising way, setting the wood and kindle ablaze.

Zuko felt unusually weak right at that very instant and it was a struggle to keep his eyes open. Through barely open eyes he watched the fire dance and lick at the night sky, as if it was trying to fly. The smoke rose, carrying with it a few stray sparks that glowed brightly before finally expiring, drifting on the heated air before vanishing in the night.

He wasn't sure how long he watched the fire, only that when his strength finally returned the roadside camp was silent and at least three of the men where asleep, only Link remained awake. He was sat, laying back casually against a tree stump, the wine pouch he had been guzzling from empty beside him. Zuko watched silently, willing the man to fall asleep and when his prayers were finally answered, Zuko set to work.

His Uncle had taught him a lot in the last three years and not all of it was fire bending. It was thanks to Iroh that he was trained in the way of the sword and stealth.

Being a quiet as possible, Zuko pressed his bound hands against a sharp branch that made up the cage. It would take some time but he was sure with a little persistence, he could shave enough of the ropes to be able to break loose and then it was a simple matter of ripping the talisman from his forehead and burning the damn cage down before turning his sights on his captors. The ropes were thick and strong however and after an hour there was little change in his situation. Zuko continued, his hands sore from the ropes and the constant movement. His shoulders ached and complained with each subtle motion and he could feel the tension spreading up into his neck. His chest was no better, the gentlest movement would pull on the ropes constricting his torso and he would feel a sudden lancing pain shoot through him that would leave him breathless and shaking, but he had to keep trying.

He was starting to loose patience and a small voice in the furthest reaches of his mind told him to give up, but just as the sun was starting to rise, he felt some of the pressure around his hands give. The scarred prince felt his heart swell with joy but he couldn't for one moment allow himself to be distracted by it, he pushed the elation aside and a determined crease formed on his brow as he continued to rub the now frayed ropes against the rough wood of the cage.

Even though the sun was barely above the horizon, Zuko still felt its warmth touch him and only now did he realise how cold he had been. He was so focused on the task, that had taken him right the way through the night, that his discomfort was forgotten. But he knew as soon as he tried to run all that he had forgotten would return to work against him. He could get free, he could feel the ropes loosen more and more the longer he worked, but thanks to his injury, there was no way for him to be able to drawn in a deep enough breath to run or to bend effectively. He had to get out long before the men woke but as time slowly dripped by, his window of opportunity was quickly closing.

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Sokka took one look at the scene below them and shook his head.

He, Aang and Katara had tracked Zuko and his 'friends' all the way here and now they had finally caught up with them, they had to play it smart. They hung far back enough to avoid being detected but Sokka had to wonder, why they hadn't doubled back to hunt down the rest of them after capturing Zuko.

"Maybe they're just gathering strength, to attack in the morning?" Katara suggested as Sokka vocalised that very thought.

"I don't think so, no one who's serious about planning and making an attack like that would get wasted the night before." Sokka followed Aang down out of the tree, both landing softly and heading to where Katara knelt, keeping watch for any possible ambush from behind. "I don't think they know Zuko caught up with us yet."

"So, he didn't tell them?" Katara asked and Sokka nodded.

"As hard as it is to believe, I think he was actually going to let them take him without giving us up."

"I don't think he was going to let them take him, Sokka." Aang said, indicating the cage their newest member was trapped inside. "Look!"

Sokka and Katara both crept through the foliage to get a closer look, seeing the fire nation prince removing the ropes before pulling what looked like a scroll from his forehead. As soon as he done that however, the tallest man Sokka had ever seen in his entire life suddenly sat up and looked directly towards the cage.

"Okay, that guy is pretty creepy." Sokka said quietly, while Aang jumped over them and ran towards the camp.

"We gotta help him!" The little Avatar cried as he whipped up a air scooter and zipped across the field.

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No sooner as he got his hands free and tore the talisman from his head, than Zuko felt stronger and more focused. He glared at the crumpled scroll in his hand before setting it ablaze with an intense glare. He took in a deep a breath as he dare before punching twice at the back of the cage. Two fire-balls erupted from his knuckles, catching the wooden cage making it weak enough to be kicked through.

Zuko leapt through the fire, his right foot leading him before landing in a roll but finally free.

The witch doctor was up and upon him faster than Zuko had even considered and the noise and commotion was enough to wake the other three.

Zuko stumbled as he tried to run, but the boneless man wove through the air, his long legs and giant stride carrying him faster than anything else in existence. All the fire bender could do was duck and weave, counter-acting with flame when the opportunity presented itself but he was soon out of breath and any attempt to get it back caused him incredible pain.

His chest was hurting so much, his hands were numb, his body was stiff and sore and he was cold. He just couldn't move fast enough.

Zuko stumbled back, out of the large mans reached and ducked as a chain snapped over head. All four were awake and coming for him and he glared back at them defiantly. This time he wasn't going to be taken alive! If he was going to die, he was going to die with honour and not buried alive as a slave.

With a growl, Zuko launched an offensive any grand master would have been proud of. He caught hold of the chain as it snapped around his chest, resisting the urge to scream, instead he channelled the pain into his hand, sending an incredible heat through the metal links. As the masked man named Lian let go to scream at his burnt hand, Zuko kept hold of the chain, not caring his own skin was burning, he whipped the chain into a spinning offensive weapon and started walking towards the other three, weaving his body to avoid coming into contact with the heat. He could feel it though and it melted away the ice cold that had settled into his body during the night and moving became a little easier.

Try as he might, Zuko couldn't land a hit on any of them, each rogue was as slippery as a fish and they surrounded the prince, keeping enough distance to both avoid an attack but also keep on the pressure. Zuko growled out a curse, that was quickly drowned out in the roar of a powerful fountain of fire that spilled out before him, wrapping around the heated chain. He couldn't keep this up he could feel himself growing fatigued each second and the creepy witch doctor was making him nervous as he slowly reached into the pouch at his hip.

Zuko launched forward, whipping the chain of fire at the tall gangly man, only to miss and leave himself wide open to attack. Those long fingers that had slipped into the pouch come back, flicking some kind of powder into the fire bender's direction. Zuko pulled the chain back quickly, the fire catching the fine powder, making is hiss and pop and creating a pale smoke. Zuko couldn't escape the plume as it was dragged back towards him with the momentum of the chain and he felt it sting his throat and eyes.

He called out, squeezing his eyes shut to protect them but in doing so he made himself vulnerable. He could no longer control the flame and it slowly died while the chain spun into the ground, the once deadly wheel of heated metal now ground to a halt. He might have cared had he been able to see and the pain in both his eyes, throat and now chest not been so unbearable.

The prince fell to his knees, coughing hard, his lungs desperate to expel the toxin of the powder but each involuntary choke pushed his lungs further against the bruised bones of his ribcage and it was now Zuko tasted the blood. He covered his mouth, desperate for the attack to cease only for that hand to come back stained red. He looked at the dark specks, a little afraid but he quickly wiped all evidence of fear from his eyes when Link reached down and grabbed him by the front of his tunic.

The man was tall and as he stood, hoisting Zuko up with him, the fire nation boy's feet were easily three feet clear of the ground.

"That, was a stupid thing to do boy." Link ground out, his dark green eyes cold and angry. Zuko made sure he met them, keeping his own amber eyes just as cold and just as hard a look that shattered when he noticed a familiar tattooed figure come speeding towards them.

Zuko was dropped quite suddenly, Aang having charged by on his little sphere of air, sweeping Link's legs out from beneath him with his staff come glider, but Zuko was quickly snatched up once more by Lai'Cho, the tall boneless man. Zuko struggled to break free, throwing a weak punch into the man's toothless head, only for his attack to be stopped by a large hand with impossibly long fingers.

Zuko struggled on as his captor leapt out of the way of Sokka who charged at the giants legs with his sword. It was a good effort but despite the size of him, Lai'Cho was too fast. Before he knew it, Zuko was high up on a rocky ledge looking down at the battle below.

Aang had already taken out Lian and was now giving Link something to beat with those huge fists, namely the earth he was bending. Katara was now there, pulling water from her surroundings and slicing through the defences of Mao who soon lost his spear to the water bender's assault. Sokka was looking up at Zuko, searching for a way up to him before he called out to the Avatar.

"Aang, little help!" Sokka adopted a loose stance and Zuko watched wide eye'd as the water tribe warrior was launched towards them with a earth-a-pult that Aang had kindly provided. Sokka landed with a little less grace than planned, but Zuko was impressed that his plan had even worked. Clearly the guy was much more resourceful than the prince had previously given him credit for.

Sokka started to attack, swinging his sword like a master but each swipe missed the mark as Lai'Cho danced around, bending and winding like he was made of nothing but skin and muscle. Zuko felt dizzy as the movements were so fast and fluid, but despite that, he was still hurled around like a rag-doll.

Zuko struggled, trying to wriggle free of the hand holding him at his collar, looking down briefly over the edge of the rock face they were now upon. It wasn't very high but Zuko wasn't sure if he could land without further injuring himself. He was dragged back as the boneless man wove around to Sokka's rear about to attack with another of his unusual weapons, but Zuko kicked the delicate silver dart from his hand before he could launch it.

Sokka spun quickly, his sword at waist height, it sliced through the knee of Lai'Cho who stumbled from his sure footed perch. Zuko felt the man lurch, his weight carrying him over the side of the ledge they were on and he looked to Sokka who quickly closed the distance and reached out. Zuko quickly grabbed the offered hand and held on as Sokka fell, chest landing solidly against the ledge, halting their tumble. Lai'Cho had let go of Zuko as he struggled to regain his balance but fell and landed quite hard on the rocks below. While he hadn't met the same gruesome end, Zuko hadn't escape completely unscathed. Sokka had caught him, spared him a painful death, but the prince still felt the bone in his chest crunch as he impacted the rock wall, hanging there by one arm as Sokka struggled to lift him back up and over.

By the time Zuko was on solid ground again, he could barely breathe and with every pained gasp and choke, he could taste more blood. He clasped his left side barely able to hear Sokka due to the ferocity of his beating heart and the blood pumping in his ears.

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Sokka felt his shoulder pull painfully as his caught the fire bender and could only watch with some disgust and guilt as the weird bendy man fell to his death. He blocked the image out and focused on getting Zuko back up not wanting to see another vaguely human-shaped stain on the rocks below.

"Up! We! Go!" Sokka ground out each word as he slowly but surely lifted Zuko back onto the ledge. The young warrior got his breath back and looked down to check on Aang and his sister who were just finishing off the three other bandits, Aang having placed them each in a tomb of earth, leaving only their heads on display. He gave them the thumbs up before looking to Zuko, seeing him knelt, barely able to breath and clasping a point on his torso. There was a worrying trail of almost black blood, trickling from his mouth and that's when Sokka knew something was very wrong.

"Katara! I need you up here!" Sokka called out as loud as he could, hoping they both heard the urgent tone to his voice. He took hold of Zuko's shoulders and eased him back against the cliff wall behind them. "Alright, buddie. Just try to relax."

"B-buddie?" Zuko's voice was raspy and weak, but the faint smile he gave the young water tribe warrior was a sarcastic one.

"Slip of the tongue." Sokka retorted before pulling open Zuko's robe. He had no more jokes or comments for what he saw. A huge angry bruise covered almost the entire left side of his chest. It was dark, almost black, inking out into a deep red and purple shade the further to the edges it got. Zuko groaned softly and his amber eyes slid shut in an attempt to hide just how much pain he was in, while Sokka just had to look away just as Aang and Katara arrive on a pillar of rock that the young Avatar had summoned for them. Sokka saw Katara's hard angry eyes, grow wide with shock and concern and despite her deep mistrust of the fire nation prince, she didn't hesitate to begin the healing.

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As soon as the healing waters touched his burning skin, Zuko felt the relief almost instantly. He flinched and resisted the urge to pull away, especially when he could feel Katara reaching under the skin to mend the bond beneath. He bit down hard and kept his eyes screwed shut, trying to hide his pain and fear, but as the bone was pulled back and the torn muscle and tendon started to heal he couldn't hold it back any longer.

He cried out and his hands dug into the earth beneath him, trying desperately to hold onto...something, anything.

The waters pulled and washed through him, their healing touch cool and gentle for the most part, but the injury was mostly inside and there was only so much gentle the healing could be. He felt the tide pull up and out of him as Katara took a moment to rest and refocus, her resolve having crumbled when he cried out.

"This is bad," Katara said softly, a faint trace of sweat on her skin. Zuko couldn't tell whether that was from the earlier fight, or the attempt at healing him. "There's a lot of internal bleeding, I don't know if I can heal it all."

"I-it's alright..." Zuko rasped and made a quick inspection of the wound. Some of the bruising had faded already and it was clear what ever she had done had worked so far.

"I can try again but, it's going to hurt again."

Zuko met her eyes and made sure to keep his gaze steady and fearless. The last thing he wanted to do was concern her more. He had to keep quiet this time, he knew the reason she had stopped was because of his outburst and if she was to do her job properly, she needed to concentrate.

"You can do it, Katara." The Avatar said reassuringly and Zuko saw the girls eye's harden with determination once more before she called the water in her pouch to life. Zuko closed his eyes and gripped the rock and dirt beneath him, making a decided effort to breathe through the worst of the pain.

"I-I need him to be laid flat." Katara said, not pausing in her task even as Aang and Sokka both took hold of Zuko's arms and shoulders, easing him away from the rock wall and laying him flat. The young prince felt the pain increase as he was moved and tried to regulate his breathing, to keep it steady, but he could feel the cold water seep once more under the skin, flowing past the ruptured lung wall.

He trembled, feeling cold and he closed his eyes again reaching for something to hold on to. His fingers wove into the soft dirt but some one took his hand and held it. Zuko opened his eyes and looked to Aang who smiled down at him. Zuko blinked back, surprised but with a nervous smile. The act of kindness had caught him completely by surprise so when Katara, pulled the water back from his body, he almost lost control and called out again. He bit it back, squeezing his eyes shut and felt his body quake.

"Just one more." Katara said softly and Zuko felt another hand land on his shoulder. He looked up, seeing Sokka nod down at him, the warriors hand squeezing reassuringly. "You're doing well, Zuko." Zuko looked back to Katara, his bright amber eyes shining with moisture but he quickly looked away when he felt his emotions starting to run away with him.

"P-please...just do it quickly!" Zuko begged, realising his tone might have been a little harsh but he honestly didn't know if he could take much more of the pain.

The young prince squeezed Aang's hand earning a little gasp of pain from the young Avatar, but the air bender just grinned down, trying to disguise the discomfort. Zuko might have noticed it all if he hadn't closed his eyes.

The water came again and this time with most of the healing done, it didn't feel as bad at the last two attempts. He tried not to resist its flow, accepting it into his body this time despite it being his opposing element. He shivered as the water was retracted once more and he laid feeling his whole body relax.

He could breathe, without the pain again and Zuko sighed softly with the relief.

"T-thank you, K-Katara." He said softly and with Aang and Sokka's help, slowly sat up. "Thank you all...I don't know what I would have done, if you hadn't come when you did."

"Don't mention it." Sokka stated giving Zuko a slap to the shoulder. Zuko flinched a little but didn't complain, instead he just pulled his robe back together and tried to stop shaking. "But who are those guys?"

"Some brigands my father sent after me."

"You shouldn't have tried to take them alone, Zuko." Aang said firmly and Zuko just look down at his hands. "You're not on your own any more, we're a family and we help each other." Aang by now had lowered the rock they were seated on to the ground.

"I-I guess I didn't want to bring you more," Zuko stood slowly, stepping out onto the field, his legs feeling weak and he quickly reached out to grab something before he fell. Luckily Sokka was there and held him steady.

"Well, we got the trouble anyway, and kicked its behind!" The young man grinned and hoisted Zuko a little more securely, holding him around the waist, while his other hand clasped hold of Zuko's left wrist. "But I can respect the fact you led them away from our camp."

"It was very brave of you to do that," Zuko looked to his right at Katara who had spoken, and while she didn't look completely pleased, she also wasn't angry. "But like Aang said, we work together here."

Zuko nodded and looked back at Link and the remaining two members of his group, suddenly realising how easily they had been able to deal with that band of bounty hunters together.

"I-I'll keep that in mind." Zuko bowed his head and with Sokka's help started walking back towards the forest. While the pain had gone from his chest he still had more discomforts that Katara couldn't help him with. He still felt cold and sore from the night being bound and exposed. Strangely his thirst had gone and he wondered if some how Katara had been responsible for that during the healing.

They walked on at a steady pace for some time, time Zuko wasn't really aware of as he was concentrating completely on putting one foot in front of the other. He hadn't realised how exhausted he was and when he thought about why, he wasn't all that surprised.

He hadn't slept properly in weeks and in the last week alone he hadn't slept at all. So much had been revealed to him and he was still struggling to accept it all. The biggest shock had been to discover that his great, great grandfather had been the last Avatar, the fire bender Roku. He glanced back at Aang and wondered if the air bender knew that, after all he was in essence his distant relations reincarnation.

"You're heavy for a skinny guy." Sokka said suddenly and Zuko looked up, realising he was leaning more and more on the guy.

"Oh, sorry..." Zuko stood up straight and attempted to walk unaided but some how ended up face first in the dirt.

"I think we should stop and let you get some rest." Sokka said as he helped peel the fallen prince out of the mud.

"N-no, I can...keep going..." Even as he spoke he knew he was fooling no one, not even himself.

"We should be safe enough here for a few hours," he heard Katara say. "I'll get some fire wood."

"Sure you don't want me to get it?" Zuko asked with a nervous smile, hoping Katara would take it as the joke he intended it to be. She just looked at him for a moment before turning to head deeper into the trees. Zuko let his head fall and wished he hadn't said a word.