4 Chapter IV: Meeting the Royal Family

Summer 92 AG (AG means 'After Genocide'. The Air Nomad genocide, to be specific.)

Below the moon, clumps of blue ether rapidly converged, forming a sphere of light a few meters wide so bright it could dwarf the sun. If one looked deep within the sphere, an unconscious fair-skinned boy possessing platinum blonde hair hovered in place.

The sphere's light pulsed before shooting towards a planet teeming with life.

Across the physical world and the spirit world, powerful and ancient spirits and creatures took note of the sphere's presence before it had even reached the planet. It intrigued them, and while most were unbothered or simply curious, a small few felt the sphere's presence and saw it as an existence that threatened the already crumbling balance of the world.

None of them knew what the sphere was, why it was here, or how it came to be. All they knew was that for now, only time would tell.

-=-

During a time where most citizens of the Fire Nation were asleep, Zuko, son of the second prince of the Fire Nation, stared at the blanket of stars in the night sky. He didn't know why he suddenly had the urge to do so, but he found it quite peaceful. The starlit sky mesmerised him, and if he tried, he could imagine certain shapes or figures by connecting stars with imaginary lines. He wasn't that knowledgeable on the subject, but it was fun using his imagination to make up some constellations.

'Wait.' Zuko narrowed his eyes at a certain star under the moon. 'Is it just me or is that star getting… bigger?'

Mystified, he peered at the star with squinted eyes, as if the act would let him zoom into it. At first, the star barely grew in size. But within moments, the star had grown to the point that it was half the moon's size. He even noticed it had suddenly become far brighter, blanketing the city in its extreme azure glow.

'Is that—It's a meteor!' Zuko concluded with panicked eyes. The meteor looked like it was going to hit their house!

Just as he stepped away from his window, a loud boom rattled his eardrums and shook the ground in an impact. An impact that sounded far less violent than he expected it to be.

"Ow!" Losing his footing due to nervousness, he tumbled to the ground and closed his eyes in fear.

Moments later, the doors to his room burst open.

"Zuko!" His mom called out with worry, and he felt a pair of comforting arms enveloping him. "It's safe now, dear. I'm here."

"Are you really that scared of an earthquake, Zuzu?" Azula taunted with crossed arms, but he noticed there was the tiniest tremor in her voice.

"I-I'm not scared!" Pulling away, Zuko stood, his cheeks tinged red like a tomato. "I was just surprised by the meteor crash."

His mom grasped his shoulders and turned him to face her. "What meteor? Zuko, where is this meteor you're talking about?"

Zuko pointed outside the window.

Frowning, his mom stood up and looked outside.

"Oh, my!" she gasped in disbelief.

"What? What's wrong, mom?"

Her eyes widened with shock and her hand rose to cover her mouth. "Zuko, that's… that's not a meteor. It's a… boy."

"Really? Let me see," Azula said, approaching the window with new curiosity.

"Wait, what? I swear I saw a meteor!" Zuko exclaimed in surprise. He attempted to reenact what he saw with wild gestures. "It was like shewww, and then bang!"

"Zuzu, stop being dumb. Mom's right. Look."

Not believing his mother and sister's words, he stepped towards the window and looked outside. It was pure destruction. Debris of their garden's back wall littered the area, and a long, deep trench had been created, reaching their pond. But when he saw what created that destruction, Zuko's mouth dropped.

A boy was in the middle of their destroyed pond, submerged in the shallow water. He looked older than them by at least a few years.

"How did a boy survive such a crash with not a scratch on him?" Azula asked with a tilt of her head.

"I don't know," his mom answered with worry in her voice. She turned around. "Come, Zuko, Azula."

While retelling the entire story to his mom, Zuko followed her with his sister just behind him, his thoughts in disarray.

-=-

As they approached the unconscious boy, Ursa finally had a closer look. The boy was somehow alive, even after crashing into their home. His stomach rose at a steady rhythm, and there didn't seem to be any injuries on his body.

'I have no doubt Ozai will not be pleased about the garden. I'll need to have the servants fix everything before he returns.'

She turned to her children. "Zuko, call for two servants to come here. Hurry."

"H-huh?" Zuko stuttered before finally processing what she said. "Okay, I'll uh, I'll be back." He ran back inside the mansion.

"Azula," she gently called out, making her daughter turn to her. Azula seemed to be fascinated by the unconscious boy's circumstance. "Stay back while I approach him. If it looks like I am in danger, run and seek help."

Azula nodded, her silence leaving room for the crickets' loud chirps.

Slowly, Ursa stepped into the shallow water of their ruined pond, ignoring how wet the bottom of her robe was becoming. When she reached the boy, she kneeled beside him and held his neck and wrist in a familiar motion.

'He really is alive, and quite healthy as well,' she mentally noted. The boy had a face that could capture the heart of any woman and the metallic sheen of his silver-like hair glinting beneath the moon's rays only enhanced his charm. 'I've never seen this hair colour before. How strange… Even his clothes and appearance are different from anything I've ever seen or heard of. Who is this boy? And where did he come from? It's certainly not every day that a young man just crashes into your garden.'

While Ursa stewed in her thoughts, a rush of footsteps neared them.

"Mom, they're here," Zuko said, running towards her with two nervous male servants in tow. When the two servants stopped and saw the scene, they stared for a moment and gaped at the destroyed garden, but they quickly regained their bearings.

"Lady Ursa, Lady Azula." They addressed, bowing in respect. "How may we serve you?"

"Carry this boy inside, and place him in one of the guest rooms," she ordered, taking a step back. It wasn't as strange as it used to be to order people around. Though it did take a bit of getting used to.

Nodding, they approached the boy. One servant lifted him from his armpits and the other lifted the boy's legs. Neither showed any strain lifting the boy.

"Be careful with him," Ursa added.

"As you wish, Lady Ursa," they replied, adjusting their grips. "Shall we change him into dry clothes as well?"

Ursa nodded after some hesitation. "If you can." Sleeping inside those wet clothes could make him sick.

"Mother, shouldn't we tell father about this?" Azula asked.

Ursa gently laid her hand on her daughter's head. "In due time, my dear. Your father is currently busy with political matters in the palace and will not be returning for a few days," she said, before turning around and following her servants. "It's past your bedtime, so for now, you two should go to bed. I will take care of this matter."

-=-

Zuko watched his mother leave with frustration.

"But—" he tried to say, but Azula covered his mouth and sent him a look that held mischief.

Azula gave her mother her signature innocent smile. "Yes, mom. Zuzu and I will go to bed now. Good night."

"Good night, my dears."

Removing the hand that covered his mouth, Zuko turned to Azula, irritated. "Why'd you do that?" he whispered.

Crossing her arms, Azula sighed with exaggerated exasperation. "Because, Dumdum, you were just going to dig yourself a bigger hole and would've ended up being forced to go to your room. We can't have that now, can we?"

"You're planning something, aren't you?" Zuko asked accusingly. After all these years of knowing his sister, the one word that fit her the most was 'Mean'. "Spill it, Azula."

Azula touched the tip of her lip, her eyes looking up in thought. "Well… I was just thinking that since you and I don't plan to sleep anytime soon, why don't we go for a walk? Maybe somewhere related to a mysterious boy that crashed in our garden?"

Catching on to her implication, hesitation crossed Zuko's face. "But… mom said we should go to bed."

"Oh, please. Don't act as if you're not interested," Azula said, rolling her eyes and grabbing Zuko's hand. She led them towards the corner of the hall and took a peek. "We won't be found out if we're careful. Plus, aren't you curious about how that boy survived? Any normal person would have died in that situation. Maybe even father."

Zuko closed his eyes and debated with himself. Azula was right. He was extremely curious about the boy, but he also didn't want their mom to catch them. If their mom caught them, that meant being grounded for a week or more, and being grounded sucked.

"Come on, Zuzu," Azula urged. "If you take too long, I'll just go myself."

"Fine," Zuko glared at his sister. "But if mom catches us, I'm placing all the blame on you."

"Deal." Azula smiled at her success. It had been a while since she last convinced her brother to join her in something like this.

"Follow me and stay quiet."

-=-

Nathan regained consciousness gradually, feeling as if he had just got a great night of sleep and like he was a new man. But he immediately noticed something was off. He could undoubtedly feel something he had never felt before flowing through his body.

But before he could continue that train of thought, the voices of a man and woman discussing something caught his attention. Despite his consciousness still feeling unsteady, he could hear bits and pieces. The fact that they seemed to be close helped.

"How is…"

"The boy is the picture… health, Lady Ursa… He does not seem… no injuries…"

'Lady Ursa..? Isn't that the name of Zuko and Azula's mom?' Nathan wondered, before memories of everything that happened in the strange space between realities bombarded his mind. 'Then that means… I'm in the Avatar world… Wow! Okay, it… it actually worked! But this also means I somehow ended up in the Fire Nation. How wonderful… Damn it. I'm in hostile territory. I just hope the dramatic entrance I got didn't look like an attack. If that was the case, I should probably run as soon as possible.'

"That's good," Ursa said. "Thank you for your help. You may go now."

"I shall take my leave, then."

As soon as Nathan heard the door close, he slowly opened his eyes.

"Oh my," Ursa exclaimed in surprise to his right. "Thank goodness you're awake."

Turning his head to the side, Nathan locked eyes with one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

'Woah. I did not expect her to be this beautiful. The show didn't really do her justice.'

Nathan pushed himself upright and looked around the room with hidden awe. It definitely looked like he was in the Fire Nation. Shades of red dominated the walls and some of the furniture, along with bits of gold here and there. Ursa herself wore a maroon sleeping robe.

But the reason he was awed was because he couldn't believe how much better his vision was. If he had to compare, his old eyesight was like an old camcorder in the 2010s, and his present eyesight was like the top-of-the-line camera tech used by Nature Documentaries in 2024. Everything was just so clear and vivid, including the finest details he could spot.

"Are you feeling okay? Maybe a bit disoriented?" Ursa asked abruptly, and he shook his head in response. "I see… My name is Ursa. What is your name, young man?"

"Nathan. Nathan Anderson." He spoke out and was immediately surprised by how much deeper his voice got.

'Holy shit, it's like my balls dropped again. I kind of sound like Yami Sukehiro.'

"Miss Ursa, would you mind telling me where I am?" Nathan asked politely.

"You are currently inside my family's mansion within the Fire Nation capital and…" Ursa paused mid-way with hesitation written on her face.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, internally worried that it might be bad news.

"I don't know if I should say this, but I suppose you should know. My son thought you were a meteor when you… crashed into our garden. Tell me, do you remember anything before coming here, Nathan?"

'Ah, so that's how I got sent here.'

Unknown to Nathan, his thoughts raced at speeds faster than any normal human as he thought about what the best backstory and explanation he could provide for himself was. He'd never been put in this kind of situation before, so he couldn't really think of a fool-proof explanation.

'I could fake amnesia. That's the most believable excuse I can come up with. I'll let her fill in the gaps herself.'

He furrowed his brows as if he was struggling to remember a memory. "I... I remember walking in the forest around my house when there was this sudden flash of blue light. The next thing I knew, I woke up in this room."

"I see…" Ursa mulled to herself. "Hmm. Would it be fine if I asked you a few more questions? You don't mind, do you?"

Nathan shook his head.

"Okay. What about where you come from or your family?" she asked.

"Where I come from..? I-I don't know." Nathan held his head in both hands and turned up his acting. "I can't remember my family either…! W-What's going on? What happened to me?!" he said, with quickening breaths.

"Hey, hey. It's okay…" Ursa grabbed his arms and gently pulled them down. She crouched and looked him in the eyes with worry on her face. "Just calmly breathe in and out. Don't worry. I'll do my best to help you figure things out."

'I feel so bad for lying to her face,' he thought to himself as he followed her instruction, feeling shame and guilt. He had never liked lying, but he felt even worse because Ursa was so kind and understanding.

"Thank you, Miss Ursa."

Ursa's lips curled up as she returned to her seat. "Miss Ursa makes me feel older than I am. Just call me Ursa. For now, try to list what you do know. Maybe your interests, hobbies, or someone else aside from your family."

Nodding, he answered. "I think I remember. I'm… a fighter. And I've fought in tournaments since I was seven."

"A fighter? Do you mean you're a bender of some kind? A firebender, perhaps?"

He shook his head. "No… I don't think I'm a bender. All I know is that I've trained in martial arts since I was a kid. Aside from that… I can't think of any other hobby or interest that I have."

"It's good that you at least remember something about yourself. What else do you remember?" she asked.

"I'm thirteen years old… and—"

"Thirteen?" she gasped in surprise before realising that she interrupted him. "I-I'm sorry. It's just that you look… older than your age. Please, continue."

"Right... I, uh, I think that's it. I really can't remember anything else now matter how hard I try," he said, clenching his hands into fists.

"Don't worry," she said, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "Like I said before, I'll do my best to help you remember more of your past. For now, I think you should stay here."

"Is… Is that really okay? I don't want to impose on you."

"Now, now, young man. It would be improper for me to kick you out when you have nowhere else to go." She shook her head.

Ursa stood up and straightened her robes. "Now, I think it's time for me to rest. It's already quite late. If you have any requests or questions, you should ask them while I'm still here."

"I do have some questions, but I don't want to hold you up any longer than I already have. I'll ask them in the morning."

"Very well. Then I will take my leave and call for a guard who will cater to any needs you may have. Good night, young Nathan."

"Good night, Miss Ursa."

'I can't believe how nice she was to me, even though I'm just a stranger.' Nathan couldn't remember the last time he experienced kindness like this.

As Ursa headed out, he heard the tiny whispers of two nervous children loud and clear.

"Mom's heading this way. Move Zuzu!"

"Hey, don't push so hard!"

Their panicked footsteps gave him some slight amusement, but he furrowed his brows in bewilderment. 'Those voices and that nickname… Zuko and Azula? They're here? I guess I should've expected that. But why are they hiding from Ursa?'

Then it hit him. 'Ohhh. It must be their bed time, huh? Maybe they've been there since the start. They've probably eavesdropped on our conversation, too. Makes me wonder what time it actually is. It also doesn't look like my stuff is anywhere in this room. I don't see my original clothes either.'

Nathan looked down at himself. His clothes had been switched for something resembling a sleeveless martial arts gi and loose shorts that tightened just below his knees.

When Ursa's footsteps receded far enough away, he heard their footsteps approach his door again. A moment later, a pair of amber gold eyes peeked past the doorframe and immediately hid after meeting his eyes.

'I might as well say hello to them while they're here.'

His lips curled up a bit, and he adjusted himself so that his legs could reach the ground. "You know, there's not much point in hiding when I already know you're there."

There was a moment of silence before he heard the shuffling of clothes and panicked whispers.

"Wait, how did he—Azula, stop pushing me!"

A young Zuko stumbled into his view and turned towards Nathan before giving an awkward wave and an equally awkward smile.

-=-

Author's Note: Thanks for reading and let me know of any spelling or grammatical mistakes you've spotted in the comments.