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Zuko rises early, dons his tunic, and goes on deck for dawn meditation. Normally, when he greets the sun, he does so on the foredeck with Uncle and the other firebenders on the crew, but this ritual feels… too personal, now, after – after yesterday, and he climbs to the roof of the bridge instead. He kneels there in seiza for a long time, breathing, feeling the caress of the rising sun on and in and through his body.
Afterwards, as he descends, he sees his Uncle, who falls into step with him as he walks back along the deck. ‘Come and break fast with me in my room, Prince Zuko,’ he invites, and the words remind Zuko that he hasn’t eaten for a whole day.
Uncle closes the door of his cabin behind Zuko, and turns to face him. Then he forms the Flame with his hands and drops into a deeper bow than Zuko has seen anyone give to anyone bar the Fire Lord himself.
‘Uncle…’ says Zuko, uncomfortably.
‘You did not tell me, Prince Zuko,’ says Uncle, straightening, ‘that this was your plan.’
There’s a hint of rebuke there, and Zuko feels his face beginning to flush.
‘But… it seems you are most fortunate. Most fortunate indeed,’ he adds, raising his eyebrows with a cheeky grin. Zuko’s face feels abruptly much, much hotter.
‘How… how did you know?’ he gets out, and Uncle winks at him.
‘You have seen the portraits of Fire Lord Ryo and Princess Ukari in the palace?’
Zuko nods, nervously.
‘Did you think the halo was just for decoration?'
Zuko gapes for a moment before frantically patting at the air around his head. ‘I have a halo?’ he yelps. ‘Uncle…!’
Uncle laughs at that, free and full. ’Not presently, nephew. But while you were meditating on top of the ship, I could see you glowing. Shining, as if the sun itself were inside you.’
And that would almost sound reverent, but for the crinkle at the corner of his eye that has Zuko blushing furiously again.
‘So… so people can see…?’ he stammers. ‘Anyone can just look at me and know that, that I… that our Lord… that… Oh, don’t make me say it, Uncle!’
‘That you offered our Lord Agni your favour, and she gave you hers in return?’ says Uncle smoothly.
And if Uncle hadn’t bowed to him like that just now, Zuko might have let that slide, but in the interests of accuracy and because Uncle being Uncle is bound to find out sooner or later, but mostly because Zuko finds he doesn’t want to lie about Agni as he showed himself to him, even if he really doesn’t want to talk about it in detail, Zuko corrects him. ‘His favour,’ he says quietly, and if he could blush harder he would.
And Agni bless Uncle, for he does not say anything about ‘blasphemy’ or ‘technically illegal’ or even offer his sympathies, just a smooth apology. ‘My apologies, nephew. I should not have made assumptions. Our Lord Agni has granted you his favour. And has made you his Champion.’ He looks at him, face full of love and… awe?
And Zuko closes his eyes in relief for a second, but he can’t stay here, he can’t, not with that look on Uncle’s face, so he moves back to his previous concern. ‘But everyone can see it, when I meditate? That I… glow?’
Uncle tilts his head no, to Zuko’s relief. ‘Such things can only be seen by one who has been… similarly touched.’
The words similarly touched rattle around in Zuko’s head for a long moment.
Uncle pulls aside the edge of his robe to reveal a mark completely unlike Zuko’s own. It doesn’t make its own light, but there is a sort of sheen to it…
And while Zuko is processing that, Uncle begins in the cadence of a story. ‘Some years ago, I spent a very pleasurable evening in the company of –’
‘Uncle!’ Zuko practically yells, having finally recovered the power of speech. ‘I don’t want to know!’