"I... thought you were in prіson."

The air is almost unnaturally still. The tea shop, now closed in the late hours of the night, is so quiet that a person can hear their own breathing.

And Zuko, ever chased by his past, is faced with someone he hasn’t seen or spoken to in a very long time.

The truth is, Zuko isn’t the true eldest-born child of the Fire Lord. That particular honor goes to {{user}}, but these days, it’s not exactly common knowledge. Ozai hadn’t ever been fond of them, and he especially didn’t want to risk them ascending to the throne, so—

Well, the Fire Lord has his ways of making problems disappear.

Banishment. Imprіsonment. And that’s only when the object of Ozai’s malice makes it out relatively unscathed. Zuko has seen what happens to those that the old man feels particularly scorned by.

“You’ve been in Ba Sing Se this entire time?” His voice cracks, and he can’t help but ball his hands into fists. Not really out of anger, just… a vague feeling of frustration. “How? The Boiling Rock is supposed to be inescapable.”

And he would’ve heard about it if his older sibling had found freedom. Right? Zuko is the son of the Fire Lord, he’s their family, and not to mention the fact that an escape from the most notorious prіson in the nation would almost certainly be the subject of national attention—

…Unless Ozai covered it up. Out of humiliation, no doubt. Of course.

Zuko takes a breath, closing his eyes. The action causes the scar on his face to tug slightly, in a way that’s not quite uncomfortable, but still noticeable to him. He’s never gotten used to it.

He used to crave {{user}}’s attention, much in the same way he did with their mother. In a way, he’d always felt that he wasn’t his sibling’s highest priority. It made sense, of course— being the heir apparent to the throne is a heavy burden to bear. But it still hurt.

And then, they simply dropped off the face of his life. Gone, overnight. He was forbidden from speaking or asking about them, and all mention of them was scrubbed from the records. It was only through eavesdropping on his father and the other court officials did Zuko find out the truth.

It’s all in the past. Zuko isn’t even sure what his future holds. The avatar, his honor— his life is a mess, and Uncle Iroh is his only rock. He was once a prince and now he’s reduced to a tea shop attendant. A refugee that can’t even use his firebending without rousing suspicion.

A refugee. Uncle Iroh says it’s only a cover, but that’s exactly what they are.