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English
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Published:
2024-01-31
Updated:
2024-02-04
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2,048
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2/?
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Hidden In Rock

Summary:

Ursa finds out her son is the avatar. Together they hide in the earth kingdom from Ozai before Zuko realizes he has to stop the fire nation.
Or
Raava leaves Aang after being frozen in ice and generations later Zuko becomes the Avatar.

Chapter 1: Avatar

Chapter Text

Aang was upset as he listened to the monks say they were gonna send him away to another temple to learn how to be the avatar! He never even wanted to BE the avatar!? Aang had flown off, and returned to his room.

Aang flew off on his pet and best friend Appa. Appa was a flying bison. A six legged giant creature with arrow patterns on their head and were part of the species of the original air benders. While flying away, Appa and Aang ended up getting caught in a storm.

Aang screamed as he and Appa tried their hardest to navigate through the storm. Unfortunately, they crashed into the ocean. The two nearly drowned. Aang, in a moment of desperation, activated the avatar state.

The avatar state is a powerful ability used to grant the avatar all the power of their past lives. However, if the avatar is killed in the avatar state, the cycle- air, water, earth, fire- will be broken. And no more avatars will ever live.

Aang ended up waterbending an air bubble around them, trapping them. This however, had severe consequences. Raava. The spirit of light. Realizing that Aang would not be able to save the world in this state, left his body and moved on in the cycle.

There was one problem though, the fire nation. They’d just destroyed the air nomads, not long after Aang left. The fire nation searched for each new avatar. Killing them young, so they would not have time to master all the elements, which would be near impossible without an air bending teacher. Both the water and earth nation avatars didn't live too long, due to this hunt. Now, the avatar is supposed to be reborn in the fire nation.

Zuko was the first born of Princess Ursa and Prince Ozai. He had a younger sister who was a prodigy in firebending, while he could barely bend at all. For a while, his family thought he was a nonbender.

Ursa protected her son, and while she would never admit it, Zuko was her favorite child. Just like Azula was Ozai’s. Ursa, however, did love both her children deeply. One morning she went to wake up her son, when she found him doing something she never thought she’d see him do… Earthbending…

“Zuko?! Dear, what are you doing?!” Ursa said, stunned. Her son was a firebender, but he could earthbend!?

“Mom! I can bend multiple elements! Isn’t this cool! Dad’s gotta be proud of me now!”

“Nonono!” Ursa stated, worried for her son. “Your father must never know of this!”

“Wh-what? Why, mom?” The 7 year old was on the verge of tears, as he looked at his mother.

“Hunny, only one person can bend multiple elements,” Ursa explained, calmly. As she guided her son to his bed to sit down and talk.

“Who?” Zuko questioned, sitting next to his mother on the silk sheets.

“The avatar…”

“Th-the enemy of the fire nation!? B-but I’m no traitor!? I’m loyal to the fire nation!!!”

“I know dear,” Ursa sighed. “But the avatar is meant to stop our glory.”

“What do I do mom?” Zuko asked, tears welling up once more.

“Stay here and do NOT bend. I will return.”

“O-ok, mom.”

Ursa left. She was already coming up with a plan. Her son was 7 and her daughter was 5. She knew he would not betray his nation. But destiny was a funny thing. She had to find a way to keep Zuko safe. She came up with a plan.

“Mira!” Ursa smiled, as she saw the servant in charge of their schedules.

“Yes, my princess?” The black haired servant bowed.

“Clear my and my son’s schedule. I’m taking him on a mother/son vacation.”

“Oh why all of a sudden, my princess?”

“Is it wrong that I wish to spend time alone with my son?” Ursa pulled out her royal persona to avoid mentioning Zuko's new… development.

“I suppose not. What of Princess Azula?”

“I will spend time with her on a different trip.”

“Are you planning on going to Ember Island?”

“I- yes! I wish to take a boat alone with my son. Set up a boat for us. I shall tell my husband and daughter about our trip myself.”

“Of course, your highness!” Mira, the maid, quickly left to prepare the boat. Ursa would not be telling Ozai, oh Agni! Please help her and her son. Ursa walked quickly back to her son’s room. Zuko stood as he saw he mother-

“Zuko, dear,” Ursa smiled, sweetly. “Pack your bags. You and I will be going on a small trip.”

“Oh ok!” Zuko hopped up. “I’ll go get Azula!”

“NO!” Zuko froze at his mother’s harsh tone. “I mean- no, dear. I was thinking about it being just you and me on this trip. I’ll take your sister on another trip.”

“Oh ok!”

“Now come on, we don’t wanna miss the boat!” Ursa packed her own bag and hurried her son to the prepared boat. Ursa smiled at the guards and shooed them away. “This is a mother/son trip. We have no need for an escort.”

“Of course my princess, but what if-”

“I said, we have NO NEED for an escort,” The Fire Lady said firmly.

“V-very well,” The guards saluted their princess and left. Ursa smiled, as she steered the boat toward Ember Island. But as soon as the main land was out of sight, she sailed away toward Earth Kingdom waters.

The fire nation would be looking for them by the week’s end. When they were supposed to return home. But they would never expect the fire nation royal family to be hiding in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko would be safe there. If even the great General Iroh couldn’t break through the walls of Ba Sing Se, then Ozai’s forces would never break through.

Ursa was once a theater actress. So acting was easy for her. She walked over to the sleeping Zuko-

“I promise you this Zuko, you will always be safe. I will make sure of it.”

Chapter 2: Earth Bender

Summary:

Zuko and Ursa find a new home and meet new friends

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Zuko awoke to his mother grabbing their bags. Ursa smiled, as her son stood up tiredly-

“Mom, what’s going on?” The young prince asked. “Are we at Ember Island yet?”

“Honey, listen to me,” Ursa said, calmly. “Because you’re the avatar, we need to hide from your father.”

“Wh-why?”

“Zuko, I love you. But the avatar is a danger to the fire nation. We are gonna be staying in the earth kingdom from now on. No one can know we are a part of the fire nation or that we are royalty.”

“O-ok?” Zuko didn’t quite understand, but he trusted his mom.

“Now just… follow my lead and go along with whatever I say. Ok, dear?”

“Yes, mom.”

Ursa walked over off the ship at the edge of the river. The river was on the edge of Earth Kingdom territory. She grabbed a knife and cut her hair short. She looked at her son and gestured for her to come over to her.

Zuko did as his mother asked and she cut off his ponytail. She looked around and noticed signs pointing to an Earth Kingdom town. She and Zuko walked through the forest. She noticed clothes hanging out to dry.

She grabbed an Earth Kingdom tunic as well as pants. She also grabbed an outfit for Zuko that fit him. Together they walked into town. She didn’t have any Earth Kingdom money, so she asked around to see if anyone was hiring. An old man said there was a lady who owned a tea shop that was always looking for employees. Ursa smiled, as she thanked the man.

Zuko followed his mother quietly. He was nervous. They were among the Earth Kingdom ruffians after all. Why should he trust any of them? The young boy hid behind his mother, as she talked with the lady who called herself Ru.

“Thank you, Ru,” Ursa smiled. “For the job. My name is Shu. This is my son, Li.”

“Of course! Nice to meet you. With people constantly moving to Ba Sing Se, I’m always losing employees.”

“I see,” Ursa replied. “Why is that?”

“The fire nation took over our village not too long ago. They took away all the earth benders along with the earth benders from nearby towns.”

“Oh my!” Ursa hadn’t known her nation would imprison people without reason. “Why would they do that?”

“Because they say Earth benders are a threat to their control. Many earth benders fought back when the fire nation fire came here. If you or your son are earthbenders, I recommend keeping that hidden for your sake.”

“I see, thank you,” Ursa said, bowing. It seemed this would be their home for a while.

Ursa smiled softly, as she used spark rocks to heat a teapot. She heard the door open. She called out-

“Be right with you!” In a cheerful voice. Ursa walked in the dining room to see fire nation guards smirking- “Li, come here, dear.” It took Zuko a moment to remember that Li was him. He quickly ran over to his mother. “Can I help you?”

“We’re here for the tax money,” The guard said, firmly.

“How much?” Ursa asked. Zuko looked at his mother in shock. He was shocked his mother wouldn’t just tell them to leave. These men had no right to take from them. Zuko was about to say something, when Ursa nodded at him, silently telling him to be quiet.

The guard told Ursa the amount and Ursa opened the money box, her boss standing beside her. “Here.” Ursa handed the man the money. When the guards left, Zuko stuck his tongue out at the guards’ backs.

Zuko huffed. Those men had no right to take from this shop. They make the fire nation look bad. Zuko suddenly got an idea. They couldn’t know he was the avatar. But Maybe he could do something with his abilities that didn’t give him away.

Ursa went back to work and Zuko smiled-

“Mom, I’m going to go play outside!”

“Ok dear, but remember no Earthbending.”

“Yes mom!” Zuko left the shop and went to the lake hidden in the forest. Zuko smiled, as he saw the water. He wasn’t allowed to fire bend or earth bend. But no one said anything about water bending. Zuko knew he would have to practice if he wanted to stand a chance against fully trained guards. Zuko started by trying to push and pull the water, but he couldn’t do it. He growled, as he tried again.

A few years of practicing water bending and earth bending and he had the two elements mastered perfectly. A 16 year old Zuko was practicing his earth bending with a smirk he muttered under his breath-

“Take that Azula…”

“Hey!” Zuko jumped at the sound of a loud voice. He turned to see a girl in a water tribe outfit. Zuko panicked and ran away, earth bending a rock pile behind him. Zuko couldn’t be caught.

Katara wasn’t sure what she was expecting to see when she, her brother, and a young airbender they’d met a few months ago, ran to the sounds of loud booms. But it most certainly wasn’t a short haired, golden eyed earth bender.

The boy took off running. Clearly frightened by her shout. She ran after him, calling for her friend and brother to follow. She saw the boy run to a tea shop.

“There!” She said to Aang and Sokka. The group opened the door- “Hey! You, you’re that earth bender.”

“I- uh- don’t know what you’re talking about,” The boy responded. “I’m not a bender.”

“Yes you are. We saw you!”

“They saw you doing what!?” An older woman questioned, as the group turned to face her. She had dropped a tea cup. “I thought I said no bending, Li!”

“But why shouldn’t he bend? He has a gift!”

“Because earth bending is forbidden.”

“But Li can fight,” Katara said the boy’s name, since she heard, who she assumed was his mother, say it.

“If he does, then they will take him away. Just like the fire nation was the reason we were separated from his sister and father…”

Notes:

I'm not gonna lie, I don't like Haru. So I'll take an excuse to have Zuko in his place and have Zuko meet the team avatar early. And yes, Zuko and Ursa working in a tea shop is a reference to when Iroh and Zuko worked in a tea shop at Ba Sing Se in canon.

edit: Accidentally switched Ursa's fake name and the name of her boss my bad