Chapter Text
Ba Sing Se, Lower Ring, 100 AC
A young man made his way over a bustling market, smiling at most people, but from time-to-time muttering, grumbling to himself, while he carried an ever-growing pile of flasks, herbs and other items. He purposefully ignored his feet wanting this shopping trip to come to an end as well as some of the not so nice people giving him skeptical glances. He didn’t look particularly odd, at seventeen he was maybe a bit tall for his age, his tanned skin seemed to literally have a golden shimmer to it whenever the sunlight hit him, and his blue eyes seemed to possess a light of their own. He shrugged off every thought about those people. Maybe it was only natural, since he came to this city just a few weeks ago. Whatever the case, he was sure, with his muscular build and the two dao swords strapped to his back, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Whilst haggling with an herb-vendor, Mrs. Liu, he saw a glimpse of blue from the corner of his eyes. It couldn’t be, could it? Quickly, quicker than he had wanted, he closed the deal and went after the blue thing.
What he saw was a group of people, all teenagers except for a woman in a greenish-yellow dress. One of his eyebrows shot up, he was instantly wary of that person, and he had learned to trust his instincts. This woman was no good.
The rest of the group seemed to consist of his siblings, well, half-siblings, a boy with a blue arrow on his bald head that carried a lemur on his shoulder and a tiny girl in Earth Kingdom clothing. He didn’t need long to figure out that the bald boy was the avatar. That his siblings were travelling with him had been told to him.
Should he approach them now? No, the woman needed to be gone first. He would find out where they stayed and say hello later, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. For now, he should return to his brother, his other half-brother to be exact, who had sent him shopping.
A few meters away, Toph raised an eyebrow, mumbling, “I could’ve sworn there was somebody following us. But just now he turned away.”, which sent a little chill down Sokka’s spine, the others weren’t close enough to hear it.
Ba Sing Se, Lower Ring, 100 AC
“You’re late.”, it was a statement, said without a lot of emotion, except for the slightest hint of amusement. “What is your excuse this time?”
“Are you mad at me?”, the short-haired boy asked almost rhetorically. His brother almost never got mad at anything.
Chuckling, his brother shook his head, “Merely interested. With whom did you talk? Or did you need to help someone again?”
“Nothing of the sort, An. Far more interesting.”, he said while placing everything he bought on a table.
“Hmhm, before you tell me, did you get everything?”, it sounded doubtful.
“Of course, you know I take it very seriously when somebody asks for my help, even if it’s my brother who is too busy healing people to go shopping for said activity.”, as an answer, his brother just shrugged, so the young man continued, “Anyway, as I was haggling with Mrs. Liu, I saw something. My siblings and the avatar have arrived. I think, whatever is going to happen, it’s going to start in the next weeks, we should be watchful.”
“You want to approach them?”, it was not as much a question, they knew each other well.
“Yes, I’ve got to try. I know, they probably won’t want to see me but…”, he was cut off.
“You’re only going to get yourself hurt.”, with black eyes full of compassion An came over and laid a hand on his shoulder, he looked around first, before he turned to speak demotic, the language of their homeland, “Horus, you don’t need to do it. There are other ways. Have you forgotten what happened?”
Horus looked at the ground, his expression showing how painful the memory must be, then he closed his eyes and raised his head. His blue eyes filled with determination, he looked his brother straight in the eyes, and spoke, “Anubis, brother, I know what I’m doing. They need to know of our presence, of this place, so that if they need help, they can come here. Who knows what is going to happen and when. Thoth told us to come here and help them. Even if they hate me, they need to know to come for help if they need it. It doesn’t matter if I’m sad for a day.”
Anubis sighed, he knew this tone his brother sometimes had on him. His determination, especially to help others, couldn’t be underestimated. For a moment he was reminded of their first encounter but quickly straightened himself. That was a story for another day. “Fine. You can go there this afternoon, I’ll take you out for some tea in the evening, maybe this will make you feel better afterwards. I heard, Pao’s Tea Shop has a new tea maker, seems to make the best tea in the city, or at least in the lower ring if the rumors are true.”
Seconds later he found himself in a tight bear hug, “Thank you, brother!”
Ba Sing Se, Middle Ring, 100 AC, later that day
While the other members of their little group lazed around the house they were given by the Earth King, thinking about what else they could do to find Appa, or how to make the officials see reason and expedite their audience with the King, Katara began tidying up the house, mainly to keep her hands occupied. As such, she was the closest to the door as someone knocked.
Expecting that unnerving woman Joo Dee, she opened it without much thought, only to be met by someone entirely different. Instead of a middle-aged woman, there stood a young man, a teenager, just a few years older than herself. He smiled at her, his tanned skin seemed to give off a golden shine and blue eyes twinkling as he recognized her. “Hello Katara.”
He sounded friendly and not at all threatening, but the Water Tribe girl stumbled a few feet back. “Who’s he?”, the blind earthbender had also noticed the stranger, but Toph’s voice sounded distant to Katara, whose mind all of sudden was thrown a decade back.
She and Sokka had been playing just outside the village when this boy came up to them. At first, they didn’t mind much. He had tanned skin and blue eyes, so maybe he was just from another Water Tribe village. They had invited him to play along. He said his name was Horus.
In hindsight, that should’ve been their first clue that something wasn’t right with this boy. That and that he was by far not dressed for the cold weather. But back then they only noticed that when they saw him shiver. As soon as they did, they hurried him into the village, even though he claimed to be alright.
Their father had been out fishing, and to say that their mother was surprised when three children stormed into the hut way ahead of time for dinner was an understatement. Warily, she had asked who their new friend was. He greeted her friendly and maybe without realizing who she was, told her that he was her husband’s son, that he came from far away, because his mother told him to. Apparently, some deity was trying to have him killed.
At that point the children watched terrified as their mother got angry and threw the boy out. Not just out of the house, but out of the village. As they questioned her about it, she said that ‘that little demon is a punishment and a curse. You have to stay away from him.”, which left Katara and her brother confused and horrified.
When their father had returned, their parents had the worst argument the children ever witnessed. The children hadn’t understood the content much, but they understood that it was bad. But Kya had stuck to her opinion that that boy posed an indescribable high risk. Their grandmother had to break up the fight, saying that he was gone anyway. So, there was no point in keeping up the fight.
Two days later, Katara and Sokka had almost forgotten about the incident, and were again playing outside the village. Suddenly there was a little voice behind her, Horus was standing behind her. He looked visibly thinner, as he didn’t wear any sort of parka or jacket, she could count the ribs on his bare torso. He had asked to play, still smiling, but they rejected, remembering their mother’s words. Then he asked for food, holding up his empty hand pleadingly towards her. By now, the little girl’s mind was freaking out that that boy, who her mother called a demon, was not just going away. So, she shoved him, yelling at him to leave them alone.
Weakened as he was from cold and hunger, Horus tumbled backwards, and with a surprised gasp, fell into the water. The icy water of the South Pole. The children watched horrified; they knew what that meant. There was almost no chance for someone to survive that. Quickly they ran to the edge of the ice shield, but could only stare at the dark, unmoving form, sinking into the even darker depths, unreachable for them.
The scene had followed them in their nightmares ever since, even though everyone reassured them that it was an accident, and they were not at fault. And now, here he stood, clothed in the greens of the Earth Kingdom, smiling like nothing ever happened.
As she was trying to regain her composure, Katara’s gaze hardened and she stuttered, “That- That’s not possible. You should be dead. How -?”, she could feel the rest of the group slowly approaching from behind but couldn’t turn away.
Purposefully ignoring the slight hostility in her voice, Horus looked away in the friendliest way he could, “I know,”, he nodded, closing his eyes for a long moment, “Luckily, I was saved back then. And today, even the situation with my uncle has been resolved, but that is a story for another day, little sis. I know, you probably don’t want to see me, but I’ve got something important to tell you.”
Katara wasn’t sure what he meant, she had been told close to nothing back in the day about who Horus was or why her mother had reacted that way. So, she wanted to shoo him away, just close that damned door again. But before she could do so, Aang peeked over her shoulder, “Hey mister. Who are you?”
This made the young man laugh. It was infectious, happy and wholeheartedly, as if he wasn’t worrying about anything. Then he bowed slightly, a hand laid flatly above his heart, still smiling, “I am Horus of Edfu. And you must be Avatar Aang, right?”
Skeptically, Aang nodded.
“It is an honor to meet you.”, his gaze wandered to Katara, and Sokka behind her, their expressions hard, “But it seems I am not welcome here, so I will keep it short and be off. Sister,”, he turned to Katara again, “Look, I know, you’ll hardly believe anything I say.”, he sighed deeply and for the first time, his smile vanished, his expression becoming gloomy. Then he looked straight into Katara’s eyes, “But please, just listen this once. I’ll be off as soon as I’m finished. My older brother An and I are in Ba Sing Se. We were told that there will come a time when you and your friends will need our help.”, Katara opened her mouth in protest, but Horus held up a hand. He wasn’t finished yet.
“When that time comes, you’ll need to be able to find us, that’s why I’m here. We’re living at the Tao Jing Clinic in the Lower Ring. My brother’s a very good healer, he’s working there, and I’m helping where I can. So, if you need us, please don’t hesitate. Ask Master Tao for An and Yu if we’re not there.”
He sounded very serious, so much so that Katara nodded, “Fine. I doubt, I’ll need you though, I can heal as well.”
Horus’ smile returned, he chuckled briefly, “Don’t say that, An is fantastic. There’s already a rumor in the Lower Ring that he can raise the dead from the grave, though, he can’t really. But I guess, as long as you’re still only on the brink of death, he might be able to catch you. Besides, maybe you’ll need my swords, rather than his healing.”, he winked at them, “Anyway, thanks for listening. I’ll go back then.”, he bowed quickly before turning around and leaving.
Releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Katara closed the door. She looked at the rest of the group, from Sokka’s serious expression to Toph’s slight wondering and finally Aang’s unbound curiosity. She would have to explain a lot to the younger two.
Pao’s Tea Shop, Ba Sing Se, Lower Ring, 100 AC
Anubis was smiling, if ever so slightly, as he weighed the teacup in his hand. He hadn’t tasted it yet, but the smell was already great. He looked up, and his smile vanished again. His brother was staring out the window of the tea shop, a quick gaze confirmed that he was staring gloomily at nothing out in the dark. Horus hadn’t touched his tea yet.
The nineteen-year-old set his cup down, leaned back and rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically. Horus’ usual happy mood could be annoying, but seeing it disappear completely was almost worse. “Look, little brother, I don’t want to tell you, I told you so, but still, I did tell you so.”
Steel blue eyes focused on him, “It still does hurt, An. It’s not like being openly rejected is nice because you expect it.”
“Especially since you’re admired and beloved by almost everyone at home.”, Anubis continued.
“It’s not like you’re not.”, his brother retorted quickly.
“By a way smaller crowd though.”, Anubis huffed with a hint of bitterness. Then he shook his head, “Look, Birdbrain, like always, you fought bravely, but you can’t always win. If the prophecy is right, and his usually are, the time will come for them to need us. Now they can. We just have to wait.”, he leaned back in his seat, scratching his ear absentmindedly.
Horus leaned forward, taking his cup in both hands and staring down into the dark, warm liquid. “What happened to him still makes me shudder. I think it’s good that we’re here. Our people have abandoned this part of the world for too long. The whole thing is out of balance, and we’re needed to help them restore it. But I fear, this will be more complicated than you think.”
Skeptically, Anubis raised an eyebrow, “How do you know?”
“Just an instinct.”, Horus shrugged, but Anubis knew better than to not trust his younger half-brother’s instincts. They were on point most of the time.
He sighed deeply, “Even if, we faced uncle together and won. I’m sure we can take on anything coming our way.”
“Since when do you have a positive outlook on the world?”, Horus smirked at him.
Anubis smiled as well, his brother’s good mood was returning, finally, “I usually do. But I’m not that vocal about it.”, he winked overly dramatically, making his brother laugh.
All of sudden, the Tea Shop’s door was slammed open. A young man with two hooked swords stood in the doorway, a determined expression on his face, but An and Horus both saw the familiar flicker of madness in his eyes. He pointed to the old teamaker and his nephew, “I’m tired of waiting! These two men are firebenders!”
As the two men in question just shared a look of confusion, An raised an eyebrow at them, judging their reaction, while Horus leaned a bit to the side. He’d have to turn around to look at them, but chose not to, and An saw that his brother was ready to take action if needed.
“I know they’re firebenders! I saw the old man heating his tea!”, the mad teenager exclaimed, which only added to the confusion in the tea shop.
An’s expression went blank, “He works in a tea shop.”, he commented dryly, but with a fine note of amusement as he shrugged his shoulders.
“He’s a firebender! I’m telling you!”, the teen’s swords sliced through the air in a helpless gesture. If he doesn’t watch out, he might accidentally hurt someone, An thought, shaking his head slightly.
Another man stood up and got in between the teen and the two accused men. He belonged to the city guard. Actually, An was surprised that it was not his brother standing up, that was unlike him. But Horus only buried his face in his cup, while the city guard spoke, “Drop your swords, boy. Nice and easy.”
The teen leaned to the side, focusing on the scarred teenager, “You’ll have to defend yourself. Then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do.”
He took a few, slow steps towards the tea-brewer and his nephew. Just as the city guard wanted to draw his swords, the young man went straight to face the brown-haired teen. Before anyone could do anything, he grabbed Horus’ swords off his back, making the tanned young man jump and look at him questioningly. An watched the scene with distant interest, his brother was acting out of character, saying nothing to all of that, and he did not quite get why.
His attention though was quickly diverted to the conflict in front of them, “You want a show? I’ll give you a show!”
Immediately, an intense swordfight began. Slowly and simultaneously, Horus and An stood up and took a step back to avoid being hit by any of the four swords involved. An leaned towards his brother and spoke in a low voice, “You did not want to interfere?”
“Why should I?”, Horus said while following the fight interested, but more like one would follow a horse race.
“Because that would be something I thought you’d do. Also, he took your swords. And you wouldn’t let me take them for a minute.”, An crossed his arms.
A slight grin appeared on Horus’ face, “I’d trust you with a spear or a staff at any time, but I know you’re not skilled with broadswords, brother. I can’t let you hurt yourself like that. Also, he can’t firebend in this fight, so he needs something to defend himself.”
“He really can’t?”, An raised an eyebrow skeptically.
“Well, he could, but then he would be in trouble.”, Horus shrugged, before casually ducking out of the way of a flying chair.
“Do you know who he is? I mean, who he really is?”, An whispered to his brother.
Horus weighed his head from side to side, “Nah, I don’t know that. But I know that he can, you know what. So, I bet he’d be an interesting friend to have.”
Suddenly the door swung open, and the fight was continued outside. With a wry grin An shook his head and followed his brother to keep watching.
Metal clung as the swords locked, Horus and Anubis stood close enough to hear the brown-haired teen say, “You must be getting tired of using those swords. Why don’t you go ahead and firebend at me?”, the young gods rolled their eyes simultaneously. The reason was so obvious, why even ask.
Somehow, amongst all the people, the old man had come out and now stood right next to them. He tried to end the fight, appealing to the brown-haired’s better instincts, “Please, son, you’re confused! You don’t know what you’re doing!”, but it did nothing to help.
The fight went on and on, the brown-haired teen continuing to taunt the other constantly. Anubis was beginning to get bored already, when the fight was finally interrupted by two men in dark green uniforms, “Drop your weapons.”
The scarred teen immediately did so, while the other did not. He pointed at the tea brewer and his nephew, “Arrest them! They’re firebenders!”
“This poor boy is confused. We’re simple refugees.”, the old man said quickly, contradicting him.
Now the owner of the tea shop made his way through the crowd, “This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!”, he sounded much more accusing than the old man.
Horus now took a step forward, his blue eyes shining with trustworthiness, “It’s true, sir. My brother and I saw the whole thing. This crazy person attacked the finest tea maker in the city.”
Anubis smiled as the old man laughed at the compliment, “That is very sweet.”
Without much further ado, the Dai Li agents then took the screaming and kicking teen into custody. Horus seemed concerned, while Anubis expression didn’t tell of any emotion. “Do you think, we did the right thing?”, the younger one asked.
As the crowd around them began to disperse, Anubis answered, shrugging, “We hardly did anything. I don’t particularly care.”
His little brother seemed to think about it for a moment, then he turned around, “Alright, let’s get my swords back.”
Anubis raised his eyebrows at this sudden mood change as he watched Horus return to the tea shop quite happily. For a moment he just stood there, before he followed him.
Inside, the place was still a mess. Sliced furniture laid around in utter chaos as Pao and his two employees started to clean it up. Horus however, didn’t seem to mind that much as he walked straight to the younger one of them, “Hey, uhm, I’m glad that my swords were of service, but do you think I could have them back?”, he said in such a casual tone as if he was asking for another cup of tea.
Anubis saw the other teen’s eyes widen in surprise before he stammered, “Yes, sure, uh, thank you.”, the little interaction made him chuckle, as the swords finally returned to his brother’s back.
“Do you need help?”, of course that was Horus’ next question, Anubis thought. It came so naturally, that no one would say no, well, almost no one.
The scarred teen was obviously trying to find a polite way to do just that when his uncle interfered, “That would be very nice of you…”
“Yu.”, Horus introduced himself, a hand flat on his chest, “And this is my brother An.”, Anubis waved casually and began to help cleaning up the shop. The old man and his brother continued making small talk over their work and seemingly got along fine, and with now five people involved the place looked decent again in a short while. Some furniture would need to be replaced though.
Since that was something for the next day, they all ended up walking a part of their way home together. Now it was Anubis chatting with the old man while Horus and the scarred teen, Li, fell back.
“Hey, I was wondering,”, the blue-eyed teen began, “We’re all new to the city. Would you like to hang out together from time to time? Explore the city, or, we could, I don’t know, spar.”, he shrugged.
Zuko eyed him curiously, “That sounds nice, but as you’ve seen today, I don’t have a pair of dao swords of my own.”
Horus’ eyes checked the surroundings quickly, then he shrugged again, and lowered his voice, “I’m not talking about swords.”, as to prove his point, he let a small flame dance above his hand for a moment.
Zuko stared at him, mouth hanging agape, then his expression became weary, “Who exactly are you again?”
The blue-eyed teen smiled widely at him, “I told you, my name is Yu. I’m from a nomadic tribe in the Si Wong desert. My brother An and I came here, because one of the elders told us so.”
“Is your brother… Can all of your tribesmen…”, Zuko asked skeptically.
Horus chuckled, “Nah. Well, maybe I should’ve been more precise, we’re half-brothers, we have different mothers. My brother is just good at… patching people up. However, since no one was able to teach me firebending back in the tribe, it would be nice to watch someone who knows what they’re doing.”
“Uh, sure. But maybe you want to ask my uncle about that.”, Zuko was still unsure of this guy.
Horus looked at him, blue eyes pleading, “Come on, I think he’d be glad if you found some friends your age as well.”
Zuko sighed deeply, “Fine. I’ll stop by your clinic tomorrow once my shift is over.”