𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙽𝚒𝚗𝚎

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"Who would have thought that after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace," Iroh murmured seriously before switching to a much more playful tone. "As a tourist!"

La'kea stretched her arms out wide, almost hitting Zuko who was leaning on the railing next to her. She breathed deeply, savoring the spray of the water against the ferry boat they were on. "It feels nice to be on the open water again."

The prince resisted looking at the islander, he already knew she was glowing. "We're not tourists, we're refugees." He took a sip of stew from the bowl in his hand only to spit it back into the water furiously. "I'm sick of eating rotten food and sleeping in the dirt."

She rolled her eyes, "Shh, you're going to get us kicked off the ferry."

"I'm tired of living like this!" Zuko protested loudly, swinging his arm around to gesture at the... Well, everything.

"Aren't we all," A stranger agreed, the trio looked behind them to see a young man taking a few steps towards them. La'kea and Iroh shared a wary glance while Zuko just ignored the newcomer. "My name is Jet," He introduced himself and two younger teens with him, "And these are my freedom fighters. Smellerbee and Longshot."

She gave a curt nod back while Zuko just muttered a hello over his shoulder, the islander exchanged a smile with Iroh, at least he hadn't snapped at them to go away.

"Here's the deal," Jet began, walking closer, paying close attention to the prince. "I hear the captain is eating like a king while us refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

La'kea leaned back against the railing, staring down the freedom fighter coolly as Iroh inquired, "What kind of king is he eating like?"

Jet just glanced at the old man, "The fat, happy kind." The old man's jaw dropped.

"So what are you proposing?" She ignored Iroh's antics, hands swinging side to side leisurely off the rails.

The young man grinned, "You want to help us 'liberate' some food?"

Zuko looked down upon the food rotting in his bowl, glancing to the side at her. She turned her back to Jet, leaning towards the prince. "It's your call," She murmured, even if they got caught, she doubted they'd be thrown overboard.

He threw his bowl into the water and turned to face Jet, "We're in."

The freedom fighters smile widened.

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As night fell and the moon rose in the sky. Zuko led the way up a flight of stairs as a guard passed with soundless footsteps. She liked to think she was light on her feet, but the islander had never really needed to be stealthy before, and now it felt like she was just clunking around compared to the others near silent footfalls.

She had underestimated the Freedom Fighters, they moved quickly, silently, and efficiently. Ducking around the corner of the kitchen storage room at the top deck, Smellerbee kept a look out while Jet and Zuko flanked La'kea. Drawing a small bubble of water from her pouch, the islander forced the water into the lock and clenched her fist, freezing it and expanding the lock apart until it broke without a sound.

As she walked into the room, Jet passed her and whispered, "Nice work." He gave her a thumbs up before starting to cut down some chicken ducks. She smiled softly at the young man, enjoying the praise. Zuko's face soured slightly.

They worked to deftly gather together the food, Zuko put together several bowls of food while she uncorked vast barrels of wine and other juices and bent it into the jugs Jet held out.

"Guards coming," Smellerbee suddenly hissed, and they tied together loose strings before ducking out the room. Standing on the deck below them, Longshot fired an arrow attached to a rope into the railing. In quick secession, they all slid down the line and the archer pulled back his arrow just as a guard walked by.

La'kea took a seat next to Zuko as Jet worked to pass out the last of the meals. Iroh decided to strike up a conversation with one of the Freedom Fighters. "So, Smellerbee, that's an unusual name for a young man."

"Maybe it's because I'm not a man, I'm a girl!" She snapped, jumping to her feet and stomping away.

Iroh tried to amend his mistake, "I see, it's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!"

The islander sipped her tea slowly, "Girls don't need to be lovely." She took a couple berries from the bowl Zuko held out to her gratefully as Jet walked over and took a seat beside her.

"From what I hear, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se." The young man smiled down at her, "I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall."

"It is a magnificent sight," The retired Fire Nation general agreed.

Jet leaned towards him, "So you've been there before?"

"Once," Iroh looked to the side, picking his words carefully. "When I was a... different man." La'kea set down her teacup, for her it was hard to imagine the old man as anything other than kind and wise. But he was once a war mongering Fire Nation general, next in line to be Fire Lord.

"I've done some things in my past I'm not proud of," Jet admitted ashamedly, piquing her interest. "That's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se: For a new beginning, a second chance."

"That's very noble of you," Iroh praised as he glanced at his nephew purposefully. "I believe that people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances."

You've become their weapon. La'kea shook her head, trying to rid herself of Oliana's voice.

Later that night, after everyone had eaten, the refugees settled down to sleep. Some slept directly on the floor, others were lucky enough to have a bedroll with them.

She laid on her back atop the bedroll, too hot to get inside the sleeping bag. With the ships light out, she had a clear view of the dark night sky and it's endless bright stars. Watching the sky jewels, it was a disappointment to realize she only recognized a few of them. The islander rubbed her wrists gently, trying to touch her fingertips to her thumb.

"Can't sleep?" Zuko murmured beside her, rolling onto his side towards her.

La'kea exhaled slowly, although she was tired, she knew who awaited her in her dreams and wasn't in the mood to face her. "Not really."

He was silent for a beat, "What do you think of Jet?"

The sudden odd question perturbed her but she thought on it. "He's... Nice. Seems like an honest person."

The prince just hummed in response, finally voicing the thought that's been gnawing at him for a while. "Why are you putting up with this? Having to be on the run, traveling through the Earth Kingdom. You could have stolen a boat and sailed back to your island long ago."

She blinked rapidly, taken aback. "I-," How did she tell him that she couldn't just sail back to her home. Or that she didn't want to leave the prince. "Zuko... You're my friend."

It wasn't a direct answer, and he rolled onto his back, staring up at the sky. "Right..."

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Standing at the bow of the ferry, Zuko stared at the fog the ship was moving through steadily, it would be only moments now before Ba Sing Se was in reach.

"You know," Jet walked up behind him, "As soon as I saw your scar I knew who you were." The prince immediately became guarded, searching discreetly for where La'kea was nearby. "You're an outcast, like me," The young man assuaged the prince's tension. "And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's back. Because no one else will."

The Freedom Fighter was wrong, Zuko looked over his shoulder to see the islander giggling at something his uncle said, some people did have his back. "I've realized lately that being on your own isn't always the best path."

The great wall of Ba Sing Se suddenly loomed through the fog. "Wow," La'kea said from beside him, startling the prince with her sudden appearance. "You didn't tell me how big it is."

"I mentioned it multiple times," Zuko sighed exasperatedly.

"Still," Her neck craned as she leaned back to take it all in. "That's a very big wall."

Jet laughed, gently bumping the side of his fist against her shoulder as he slid past her. "I'll see you guys on the other side."

Zuko watched with a frown as she waved at the other boy with a soft smile, a smile that she had directed at him more than anyone else. Their conversation last night flickered through his mind, she had made it clear they were just friends.

"What're you thinking about?" She questioned innocently, leaning backwards against the railing looking up at him.

"Ba Sing Se," He lied. "No one has been inside for over a hundred years."

"At least we know it's safe," La'kea said idly, her hand absentmindedly patting the large knot she had kept her hair in since they became fugitives. "I can't wait to find a proper bath, maybe they'll have an actual comb."

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, and he walked over to her side against the railing as the ferry pulled into the port of Ba Sing Se.

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"So Mr. Lee, Miss Oli, and Mr... Um, Mushy, is it?" The lady checking their passports scrutinized them closely. La'kea stifled a yawn, they had waited in line for hours after disembarking the ferry, and no wonder it took them so long if the people working here were so slow.

"It's pronounced 'Moo-shee,'" Iroh corrected politely.

The woman narrowed her eyes, "You tellin' me how to do my job?"

"Uh, no," The old man hastily covered for his mistake, leaning against the booth with a sly look. "But may I just say that you're like a flower in bloom. Your beauty is intoxicating."

La'kea had to duck behind Zuko and cover her mouth to stifle her laugh. The prince just gagged.

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome." She gave a flirty growl and a wink, pawing at the air with one hand. "Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

Iroh gladly took the stamped passports and turned back towards them with a broad grin. Zuko swiped the passport out of his uncle's hand, "I'm going to forget I saw that." She just took hers with a shake of the head, walking through the archway to the train that would take them through the outer wall.

After waiting who knows how long at the checkpoint line, it turned out they would have to wait even longer for a train to arrive for them.

She leaned back against a pillar next to the prince, the side of her arm pressed against his. "If I knew it would take this long I would have just opted to sneak through the wall."

Across from his nephew, Iroh chuckled, "Believe me, I tried. It's harder than you think." Just as Zuko was about to tell her to be patient he stopped, thinking of how ironic that statement coming from himself would sound. He was so distracted by how warm her arm was that he didn't notice Jet approaching until the Freedom Fighter sat directly too close to La'kea for his liking.

"So, you guys got plans once you're inside the city," He asked nonchalantly, folding his arms.

"A hot bath," She grumbled at the elbow Zuko suddenly nudged her with.

"Get your hot tea here!" They all looked over to see a man advertising to the people waiting for the train, pushing a small cart. "Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!"

Predictably, Iroh lifted his arm and waved it at the merchant, "Jasmine please!" The man obliged, handing the old man a cup fashioned from a leaf before pouring the tea into it.

The tea-lover only took one short sip before spitting it back out in disgust, shaking his head, "Ugh! Coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it. What a disgrace."

La'kea wrinkled her nose. "It might be poisoned," She commented flatly.

"Hey," Jet suddenly touched her shoulder and stood. "Can I talk to you two for a second?"

Zuko frowned, and looked down at her questioningly. The islander shrugged, but got up to follow the young man. He sighed but reluctantly got to his feet and trailed after them. Jet walked until they were out of earshot from anyone.

"We have a much better chance of making it in the city if we stick together," He began, turning to face them. "Do you wanna join the Freedom Fighters?"

She blinked, eyes widening at the surprising proposal, but Zuko answered quickly. "Thanks, but I don't think you want us in your gang."

The Freedom Fighter leaned towards the islander, thinking he'd have a better chance of convincing her. "We made a great team looting that captain's food. Think of all the good we could do for these refugees."

The prince was already starting to walk back to his uncle, she looked between him and Jet, "Sorry, but we're also refugees, we just need to get ourselves settled first." As she turned to jog after Zuko, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Iroh's steaming tea.

The prince sent her a casual glance, but she understood all the same, looking over her shoulder she saw Jet's eyes narrow as he walked away. Her stomach dropped. When she finally reached the old man Zuko slapped the teacup out of his hands.

"What're you doing firebending your tea," He hissed through his teeth. "For a wise, old man, that was a pretty stupid idea."

"And in plain sight, too." She shook her head disappointingly, and leaned towards Zuko. "Jet definitely saw it."

The prince dragged a hand over his face as his uncle stared down at his beverage tearfully. "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea but," He sniffed. "That's so sad."

La'kea just lifted a brow, "You didn't even like that tea."

After waiting another few hours, the rock train finally pulled into the station. She marveled over it for a moment, fascinated by the rock shell that held glass windows and, of course, a green roof. Even the inside was furbished with two rows of benches facing each other from each wall.

Iroh took a seat next to a couple holding a small baby swaddled. Zuko just made a grunt of acknowledgement as his uncle leaned towards the couple. "What a handsome baby."

The young woman smiled, "Thank you."

Zuko looked down at the islander distracted by the child, and then at the hand she had left sitting in her lap. An intrusive thought wiggled it's way into his mind, but he shook it off as the train lurched to a start, and after a brief moment in a dark tunnel, they emerged into the outer ring of Ba Sing Se.

La'kea stared out the window, twisting in her seat to see the sunset turning the vast farm fields orange and yellow. A look of awe fell over her face at the sight, and not looking away from her, a ghost of a smile passed over Zuko.