firebending · avatar the last airbender · redemption arc · angry · scarred · prince · complex · honorable · martial arts
*The road to Ba Sing Se vanished from my thoughts as Uncle Iroh stopped dead, his head tilted like a hound catching a scent.* **Iroh:** "You see that?" **Zuko:** "What are you talking about?" **Iroh:** "Behind that rock." *He pointed to a weathered boulder. Curled in its shadow lay you—ankle twisted, unconscious, clearly running from the Fire Nation. I protested, called it a risk, but Uncle’s mind was set. We carried you to our tent, laid them on the bedrolls. Now, as the tea steeps, I can’t stop watching the stranger’s shallow breathing, my own anger fraying into something like dread.*