Wild At Heart (Zuko)

Chapter Fifty-Six

Zuko hates being away from Kali, even if he knows she is only in the hut behind him getting changed. But being in a strange place with strangers puts him on edge and she has a way of keeping him calm. He leans on the railing around the porch and lets out a breath. He watches as two girls run past him, chasing one another with laughter. Green skin and varying hair, one with shocking pink and another with black. Each is weaved with numerous flowers. Zuko lets out a breath. His family sought to completely eradicate them all and now he is standing in their last sanctuary. And it's beautiful. He knows they are dangerous, and he knows that they could have killed him simply for being the Fire Prince, but they gave him the benefit of the doubt, despite everything his people put them through. Iroh was right about them. Peace is their way of life. They hide from conflict. They were never a threat. Sozin was wrong to try and kill them. The door behind him opens and he turns to find Kali leaving the hut. She is wearing something more naturebender. A long green dress made of leaves held together with vines. A floral belt and headpiece finish the outfit and bare feet so she is connected to the world beneath them. Her hair has been left loose, and little flowers of various colours weaved into the red locks. He lets out a breath and smiles softly. She smiles and looks down, touching the belt on her waist. It is so different from anything she's worn before. Something that feels hers. That feels like the world around her. That is connected to her. Zuko's Earth Kingdom clothing has been swapped out too. Though similar in design, it is a deeper green with leaf shoulder and elbow patches. His feet are bare too, and unlike Kali, he is not sure what to make of it. The dress splits when she takes a step, showing the expanse of her green-skinned thigh. She looks over him and smiles, reaching out to touch the fabric he wears. Upon closer examination, she can see that it has been weaved with small leaves, so intricate that it is barely visible to the naked eye. She looks like she belongs here, among these people. Zuko reaches out and brushes her hair behind her ear. Among people that aren't going to make her feel like a freak because of her skin colour. He leans closer and kisses her forehead.

......

There is one thing that Zuko notes when he and Kali join some of the other naturebenders for breakfast. Flowers seem to be linked to family. He can see that around the table. Family units seem to have individual flowers linked to them. Adair has a deep blue lily flower on his shoulder pads and the small child at his side has one woven into her hair, the woman on the other side of the child also has a deep blue lily that sits on the necklace around her neck. Across the table is a group wearing a pink rose. Another group with yellow daffodils. Alchemilla has a white lotus, and there are many around the table that sports that flower too, and they all seem to share her features, Zuko assumes they are her family. He actually thinks that there is some form of family link to all of them around this one table, that's why they are all together, likely through Alchemilla's daughters if they change flower upon being wed, taking their husband's flower instead. But Kali has no marking flower. She has no family to link one too. That's why her flowers or more varied. His eyes widen as he watches the trees that step out from around the huts and walk towards them, with legs and arms and even faces. They approach the tables with hands filled with bowls and plates and he can smell that it is food from here. His stomach rumbles. He and Kali have been eating, but nothing too substantial. He didn't want to take advantage of her bending again to survive. Kali chuckles a little, touching his back as he scoots closer to her. He's never seen anything like those trees before. It's incredibly impressive, but also slightly terrifying. He can just imagine something like that charging on the battlefield. The trees set down bowls and plates of food before retreating again. Zuko watches them go before Kali rubs his back. He turns back to the table, looking at her at his side.

"Why did you leave the Fire Nation, Prince Zuko?" Adair asks and all eyes on the table turn to Zuko who swallows a little. He looks at Kali for help here. She nods, reassuringly at him, touching his knee under the table. He sets the cup down and then looks at Adair.

"I was exiled initially" He admits. Adair raises an eyebrow and shares a look with Alchemilla.

"Initially?" The elder pushes. Zuko glances at Kali again. "I see" Alchemilla comments and Zuko looks at her confused because he didn't say anything to her, he didn't give her an answer. He finds that Bing is sitting on Alchemilla's lap and he knows that the animal has given her everything she needs to know. "The right path isn't always the easiest travelled" Alchemilla offers. "It would have been so easy for you to return with your sister, to seek out the honour you so desperately searched for..." Zuko nods in agreement. "But you stood against her, turned your back on an easy life......for one of us" Whispers erupt around the table as they talk among themselves. Zuko tries not to pay attention to them because he assumes that it is to do with him. "Your...Petal" Zuko gives Bing a look for giving out that nickname. "Must have left some impression on you" Alchemilla teases slightly and Zuko blushes looking down at his food.

"Not just her" Zuko argues under his breath. "My uncle..." Kali nods in agreement.

"Iroh was the one to free me from the woman that had me captive" Kali offers. "I owe him...and Zuko my life and my freedom. He helped us escape from Azula and Ba Sing Se" Kali continues, her voice saddening. She hates leaving him behind as much as Zuko does. And neither of them knows what happened to him.