Zuko's Redemption

Part Ten

The trek to the wall from the palace was long. The river carried the two some distance, but they couldn't rely on it entirely. Keeping afloat was exhausting, and no doubt the Dai Lee would start searching it for them soon. However, it was their only ticket to escape. Without Gene with them to earthbend a tunnel, the only way out of the wall would be through the part of the river that ran underground. Lei knew the exit existed because she had gathered herbs on the banks of the same river on both sides of the wall. She never dared use that exit before, but with time and lack of earthbending working against her, she would have to brave it.
A stab of worry pierced its way into her heart. She shook it away. There was no point dwelling. Gene was a strong earthbender, if anyone could hold off the Dai Lee and escape with his identity still a secret, it was Gene. He had been selected to work on the wall, meaning his earthbending was much better than average.
The longer Lei walked with Zuko's weight pressing on her, the more her muscles burned and ached. All the knocks and hits she had taken in the battle were coming into full focus. She grit her teeth and ignored them. If Zuko could keep trudging on without complaint while a giant burn marred his chest, then she could deal with a few cuts and bruises.
"We're almost there," she panted. The river seemed to have given them a fair head start; they hadn't run into any Dai Lee.
Zuko gave a weak nod but didn't reply.
"We need to get back into the river," she said once they were close enough.
Zuko shivered and nodded again. His face was ghost white. Water dropped into his eyes from his still-drenched hair.
"Hey," Lei said gently, using her hand to turn his face. "I know. I'm so sorry. We'll be able to rest soon. I promise."
"I can do it," Zuko groaned.
The sound of fast approaching footsteps drew away Lei's attention. She couldn't see them, but there was no doubt. The Dai Lee had caught up with them.
"Come on," Lei said firmly, pulling Zuko towards the river. He wheezed but didn't reply.
"Halt!" Someone shouted behind them.
Lei put on an extra spurt of speed and suddenly they were back in the river. The current instantly washed them off their feet and they were bobbing along quickly.
"Stop them!" someone shouted, but the voices were fading fast.
"We're going to have to dive soon," Lei called over the rushing current. Her grip was still locked firmly around Zuko's arm.
"We're going to have to hold our breath for a while. Whatever you do, don't breathe in the water."
She had no idea whether Zuko heard her.
An enormous splash sounded as a boulder was hurled into the river. The Dai Lee were attacking.
The wall approached quickly, growing taller and taller as they drew closer to the base.
"Dive!" Lei screamed at the last possible second as another boulder crashed down just beside them.
Lei filled her lungs with as much air as they could hold and forced herself under the water, dragging Zuko with her as she went.
Darkness surrounded her. The water swirled and rushed dangerously. Her body tried to float to the surface but she fought it. If she hit her head against the top of the cavern and lost consciousness, she would drown. Zuko was nearly a dead weight in her grip. He barely floated at all, which was probably for the best.
Just as her lungs felt like they might burst, the water flooded with light. Lei broke the surface gasping. Zuko struggled upward, coughing and hacking.
"You breathed in didn't you?" Lei asked with a giddy laugh. They did it. They were out.
Zuko coughed in answer and slumped his head against her shoulder.
"We're alive," he croaked.
Lei pushed her aching limbs to drag them ashore.
She found a shaded area right next to the water that was relatively dry. As gently as possible, she laid Zuko down on the lush grass.
"Let's see how bad this is," she muttered quietly. Lei began removing Zuko's prison tunic.
He hissed at the sensation but didn't complain.
When the burn was fully revealed, Lei had to swallow down her reaction.
It was bad. The skin around where the wound had sealed was angry and red, with bubbled boils covering the surface. The actual wound itself looked like ground meat. It was red and welted, with both clear and yellow liquids pulsing from it.
Zuko was breathing hard. Thankfully, he had closed his eyes. Even with her many years of experience, the sight turned Lei's stomach.
The worst part was the inflammation, the area around the burn had swollen, probably due to infection from the grimy floor of the cell or the used tunics they had been forced to wear in the presence of the king. Either way, the swelling would be pushing against his internal organs. If she didn't halt it now, the pressure could stop his heart.
She dug into her bag, thanking every star in the sky that Gene had been able to return it to her and it hadn't been washed away in the river.
The bandages she pulled out were entirely sodden and completely useless. She slung them over a nearby branch, hoping they would dry quickly.
She pulled out her other vials and got to work.
First, she gave Zuko a gulp of poppy milk to help with the pain. He calmed down a tad, his breathing less panicked.
Unfortunately, Lei didn't have any herbs that were specifically for burns and to get them she would have to leave Zuko here alone and defenseless. Instead, she used everything she had on hand for infection, swelling, and skin wounds.
"I'm going to get some fresh water from the river. It should help the burn. I'll be right back."
Zuko shivered. His eyes were unfocused. Further worry worming its way into her chest, Lei pressed her hand against his forehead.
He had a fever. Probably from the infection.
Lei growled in frustration and dug in her bag again. She didn't have anything for fever.
"And I'm going to find something for your fever," she added.
"Lei—" he moaned softly. "Be careful."
She found a blanket of lichen and threw it over him. It wasn't a perfect camouflage, but it would have to do.
Lei then quickly made her way back to the river. She removed her tunic and dunked it in the water. She beat it against a rock to clean it the best she could before pushing it as far under water as she could without being swept away by the current. It needed to be as cold as possible.
Without warning, the water around her swirled in a strange direction and washed over her in a wave.
Her cry of surprise was interrupted as her head went under. She surfaced on the bank, coughing and hacking.
"I'm sorry!" A strange female voice called. "You were so close to that undertow."
"Who's there?" Lei called. She had stupidly left her sword up where Zuko was hidden.
The strangest group of people Lei had ever seen emerged from the woods on the opposite side of the river.
A young boy in a hat much too big for him with a lemur perched on his shoulder, a girl with no shoes and milky-white eyes, a boy brandishing a boomerang, and a girl holding a swirling pool of water.
"I didn't mean to scare you!" The girl with the water said. "You were about to be pulled away, so I just reacted."
"What are you doing outside of Ba Sing Se?" The older boy asked suspiciously.
"Um—" Lei didn't know how to answer that.
"Sokka! Don't be rude," the girl with the water groaned, elbowing the boy before turning her attention back toward Lei.
"What's your name?"
"Lei."
The girl beamed.
"I'm Katara! This is Toph, Sokka, and Aang."
She gestured to the short girl, tall boy, and young boy in turn.
"You're a water bender," Lei said as evenly as she could. "Can you make ice?"
"Um," clearly whatever Katara had expected Lei to say, that wasn't it. "Yes?"
"My friend has a really bad burn," Lei explained as she stood from the muddy bank. "And a fever. He needs a cold compress to halt the inflammation."
"You don't need to worry about any of that!" The young boy said with a big toothy grin. "Katara can heal with her water bending."
Lei's eyes widened.
"Really?"
She had heard of water benders with healing abilities, but she always thought they were legends and myths. It seemed too easy when true healing took so much time, effort, and study to master.
"I'll see what I can do," Katara said humbly.
The group crossed the river on a bridge of ice and followed Lei as she returned to Zuko's hiding place.
"He's here," Lei explained as she leaned down to the blanket of lichen still keeping Zuko hidden. "I've done as much as I can with what I have. If you can heal him—"
"I'll do my best," Katara said firmly, a glint of steely determination in her eye.
Lei removed the blanket. Zuko blinked open his eyes blearily.
Katara, Aang and Sokka collectively gasped.
"What? What is it?" Toph asked, falling into a stance to mirror her companions. "Why is everyone preparing for a fight?"
"I know he looks scary," Lei said placatingly. Even without the massive wound on his chest, Zuko's old scar and natural glare could be intimidating. "But—"
"It's Zuko!" Sokka exclaimed.
Lei felt her blood run cold.
"Wait—that pathetic shivering person laying on the ground is Prince Zuko?" Toph scoffed. "I thought he'd be more impressive."
"You know him?"
"Lei—" Zuko groaned, grasping at her wrist. "That kid is the avatar."
Lei felt her eyes widen as she took in the young boy as though for the first time. She hadn't noticed the arrow marking on his hands and the hat he wore sat low enough on his brow to hide the one on his head.
Of all the people to run into.
"Wait, please!" Lei cried. "I know what he's done. But he's different now. He doesn't want to fight you anymore. He's dying and I don't know if I can save him."
Katara, Aang, and Sokka shared a look.
"Just say the word and I crush him with a rock," Toph said.
"Wait," Katara held up her hand to her sighted companions. "Why should we believe you mean us no harm?"
"I don't care about returning home anymore," Zuko struggled to say. "My father is an evil man and I've seen what his actions and my own have done to the world. I'm done fighting his war. I just want to find my uncle and spend the rest of my life in peace."
"He's telling the truth," Lei said, squeezing his hand in hers. "He had every opportunity to hurt me and escape, but he never did. He saved my life twice and was willing to be executed to ensure my safety. Whoever he was when he fought you, whoever he was before I met him is gone."
"Just say the word," Toph said, unconvinced.
"No," Aang said. He dropped his hands from in front of him. "I believe anyone can change."
"Even him?" Sokka asked disbelievingly.
"Especially him," Aang answered.
Toph shrugged and broke her stance. "On your head be it, twinkle toes."
"Katara, can you help him?" Aang asked.
Katara let her gaze linger on Zuko's wound.
"Yes."