Broken Glass [Zuko x OC!Sandbender] ~ Ch 1
Synopsis: The white lotus tasks a sand bender with guiding Prince Zuko and His uncle out of the desert Pairing: Zuko x OC!Sandbender Word Count: 2.8k
Authors Note: The show didn’t really explore sand benders that much. We really only see them steal Appa and also how the towns are set up based on the Oasis. I tried to do as much research as I can for mentions of them outside of the series, but a lot of the stuff I’m winging it or basing off my knowledge of North African tribes. For actual character design, I imagine Soraya being similar in appearance to The Hammer from Avatar Legends, but I describe the clothes to be sand-colored, like the rest of the sand benders we see in the series. This is an x OC! I think it could be read as easily as an x reader.This fic starts in the flower shop scene where Iroh is talking to the white lotus. For the sake of time, I'm gonna assume everyone already knows and remembers the plot of the series, so I don’t have to rewrite everything. This is also aged up, both Zuko and Soraya are 18.
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“You must be Zuko.”
Zuko’s head shoots up as an unknown figure closes the door behind them. The prince takes a defensive stance as he studies the stranger. She’s a woman, dressed in sand-colored tribal clothes, her face and hair covered by a scarf. All Zuko could see were her piercing green eyes lined with thick black eyeliner. He hadn’t been in the desert for long, but inferring she was a sandbender wasn't hard. She stopped walking toward him once he got into a fighting position.
“Relax, Your Highness,” she addressed him again. Zuko had half the mind to scold her mocking tone, but he was more concerned about who this girl was and what business she had knowing who he was. He silently prayed his uncle would hurry up and exit the room so they could leave this town. He wasn’t growing any fonder of the desert heat or people residing in it. Zuko stayed silent, not budging from his stance and the girl rolled her eyes as she let out a sigh. “I have no interest in fighting. The meeting is still going on huh?”
Zuko’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He dropped the fighting stance as the girl walked past him, located two cushions on the floor near the back door, and took a seat. “Who are you?” Zuko asked the girl. Her face was still covered, and although she didn’t look like she had any interest in fighting, Zuko wasn’t fond of how comfortable she was making herself. He also was confused about how she knew about the meeting.
“A friend of a friend,” She replied as she rested her back against the wall. She taps the cushion beside her, motioning for him to sit. “It’ll be a while till your uncle is done talking. I suggest you rest your legs now. Don’t know the next chance you’ll have before your journey.”
“I don’t have friends,” Zuko retorted, still not moving from his standing position. The girl shook her head again. She reached up to the corner of her eyes and pulled down the scarf to expose her face. Her skin was deeply tanned. Zuko assumed it was from exposure to the sun. Her eyes weren’t her only striking feature. He couldn’t help but notice how pretty the young woman was, but he quickly pushed the thought aside, reminding himself that she was still a stranger. She wore a soft smile as she looked at him, something he rarely saw from strangers during his travels.
“I hope you stay open to making some. Call me Soraya,” the girl said, reaching her hand out to him. It took a moment for Zuko to shake her hand, but Soraya looked patient. Like she wasn’t going to put it down until he returned the gesture. Once he did, Soraya tapped the cushion next to her again. “Sit.”
Zuko obliged begrudgingly. Soraya’s smile grew, content that he was relaxing slightly. He sat quietly with an annoyed look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Soraya studied him from the corner of her eye. This was her first time meeting a prince, let alone fire nation royalty. He wasn’t at all what she imagined. She didn’t know what she expected when she was told the banished prince of the Fire Nation was here. Maybe she had pictured something closer to the Fire Nation wanted posters that were plastered around the village. Soraya thought the buzz cut he wore now looked much better than the long ponytail that he wore in the portraits. She made note that the scar over his left eye, along with the sour expression he wore were the only things from the portrait that gave his identity away. She hoped he’d loosen up a bit, so she could see his face without the grimace. She couldn’t blame him for how defensive he acted. She had witnessed the fight that ensued in the tavern only a few hours before. If it wasn’t for the sudden announcement of their presence, she might not have realized who they were.
As much as Zuko was uncomfortable sitting beside this stranger, he was becoming more uncomfortable with the silence. He had been in the shop for much longer than this girl, and his patience was wearing thin. Soraya, on the other hand, looked completely calm. From their previous conversation, Zuko assumed she knew much more about the meeting going on inside than he did. So he decided to ask about it. “What’s going on inside that room? and what does this have to do with a Pai Sho tile?”
Zuko’s questions came out a lot more hurried than he intended. Soraya looked at him surprised to hear him speak up, but soon the smile she wore returned to her face. And why do you keep smiling at me like that? Zuko thought but didn’t dare speak it.
“It’s a White Lotus meeting, named after the tile. You are not a member which is why I’m assuming you are sitting out here. That is as much as I can tell you, but I’m sure your uncle would be able to explain it to you more. They’re working on a plan to get you out of here safely,” Soraya responded, not sure the prince would be satisfied with the answer.
“You’re sitting out here too. Does that mean you are also not a member?” Zuko retorted, obviously annoyed with the whole situation. Soraya shook her head.
“I am, but Fung sent me out to get your passports,” She pulled out two passports from her pocket setting them on her lap. She took the opportunity to tease him, “Think he also told me to keep an eye on you, make sure you don’t burn the shop down.”
“I don’t need to be babysat!” Zuko yelled before angrily throwing his head in his hands, but it came out sounding more like a whine. Soraya laughed quietly.
“No one is babysitting you. I’m sure they’ll be done soon. Then you’ll be on your way.” Soraya heard Zuko let out a deep sigh at her response.
It took hours until the meeting was done. Zuko had fallen asleep against the wall beside Soraya. She was glad she offered him a place to sit down. She was worried if she didn’t he would have stayed standing for the rest of the night. She could have joined the meeting at any point. No one had told her she needed to keep an eye on the prince, but he intrigued her. She didn’t mind being around him. Every once in a while, she’d turn her head to look towards Zuko. She couldn’t help but study his face. He was handsome, she supposed, especially when his face wasn’t scrunched up in a scowl. He looked tired from traveling for so long. Soraya normally enjoyed talking to travelers about their journeys outside of the desert, but she could tell he needed the sleep more. So she waited the remaining hours of the night until Fung exited the door with Iroh following close behind. She stood up and offered a bow to both of them.
“It is an honor to share the presence with a Grand Lotus,” Soraya bowed deeper as she addressed Iroh. She was greeted with a big smile on the old man’s face.
“Please, child. The pleasure is all mine.”
“Soraya, have you secured the passports?” Fung asked her. She instantly brought them out of her pockets. She handed them to Fung. “I hope you have yours as well.”
Soraya looked at him confused. She was only told to get two passports. Nothing was said about why she would need one. “I do have a valid passport, but sir, I wasn’t informed that I would need one.”
The conversation seemed to have woken Zuko up. As soon as he saw Soraya talking to his uncle, he jumped up to stand alongside them. “What’s going on? Is the club meeting over?”
“Everything is taken care of. We're heading to Ba Sing Se,” Iroh responded to his nephew. Iroh and Fung Bowed to each other respectively. Iroh turned back to look at Soraya “And our new friend will be joining us.”
Soraya’s eyes widened. This hadn’t been part of the plan. She regretted her decision to not join the meeting so she could have argued against it, but she wasn’t in a place where she could deny the request. She would lead the Grand Lotus and Fire Nation prince to Ba Sing Se safely and then she would return to the desert. Fung would often task her as a navigator. Soraya knew the desert better than the back of her hand, but he had never told her to go as far as this. It wasn’t like she had anything else do to for the next few weeks, still, she wished she had time to prepare.
“Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?” Zuko questioned, “And why are we bringing her?”
The annoyance in his voice at the second question irritated the girl. Soraya did her best to keep her composure. She wasn’t about to lose her temper in front of her elders, especially not someone as important as a Grand Lotus.
“The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice a few more,” Fung replied. “Soraya knows how to navigate the desert better than anyone. She is the best Sandbender I know. She’ll get you there safely.”
“We can hide in plain site there. And it’s the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn’t break through the city,” Iroh continued with a shrug. At that moment. The bells on the front door signaled someone entering the shop. A young man approaches the group. Soraya recognizes him as another white lotus member.
“There are two men out on the street looking for our guests. You need to leave now,” He said quickly.
—
Soraya exited the flower shop, pulling two big flowerpots on a wooden wagon, thus beginning their journey to Ba Sing Se. She was looking forward to being further away from the shop because she was quickly growing tired of pulling the wagon behind her. Zuko was also not enjoying hiding in an old flower pot. After what seemed like an hour, Zuko pushed his head outside of the pot and looked over at Soraya. He could only see her back. From their lack of surroundings, he assumed they were already far into the desert.
“How much longer do we have to be in these stupid pots?” Zuko asked in an irritated tone that Soraya realized she was going to have to get used to. She turned back to look at him and stopped pulling the cart. Iroh popped his head out of his pot as well.
“If you prefer to walk, be my guest. But we’re nowhere close to your destination,” Soraya replied to the prince. Zuko pulled himself out of the pot, turning around to help Iroh out next. He immediately started walking past Soraya. She sighed, quickly burying the wagon in the sand with her bending. “Where are you going?”
Zuko didn’t turn back. “We don’t need your help anymore. We can make it there on our own.”
“You don’t know where you’re going. You won’t last a day without me,” She called out to him.
“Prince Zuko, I think it is wise to listen to the young lady. She knows this land better than we do,” Iroh Chimed in. Iroh and Soraya followed after him. A few paces behind. “I’m sorry my nephew is so stubborn. We are lucky to have you with us. I hope he soon will see it too.”
Soraya sighed as they watched Zuko walking ahead. His steps were hard as he charged forward, but the force served useless against the sand. He had to fight to keep his feet from burying themselves underneath him.. She offered a smile to Iroh. “I can’t say I understand, but I am thrilled to be of service to you, Master. My father has told me a lot about you. He was the one who taught me the ways of the White Lotus.”
“There is no need for formalities, dear. Call me Iroh,” Iroh smiled back brightly. “Fung filled me in all about you and your father. I wish I had the chance to apologize directly for taking you away from him for this.”
Soraya shook her head. “He is used to me disappearing for months. I am mostly nomadic these days. Father prefers to stay with the tribe. As long as I stay in communication with Fung, he doesn’t mind so much.”
“I see,” Iroh replied. “It seems you are a wondering spirit like Zuko. You must have just as many travel adventures as we do. I am sure you two will get along great.”
“Is he… always this moody?” She was hesitant to ask, but she felt like she needed to know fully what she was getting into. She didn’t see how Iroh could be so confident. Nothing about any of their interactions made Soraya confident that he’d warm up to her. “When I walked into the shop he looked ready to fight me.”
“His position in life has not made it easy to trust those around him. He has been labeled a traitor to his whole nation and banished by his father. Patience is the most valuable thing we can give him,” Iroh sighed, watching Zuko as he walked ahead. His pace had slowed down. He no longer walked as angrily. Iroh expected the sand bender to ask more, but she showed no reaction to the mention of the Fire Nation. They had almost caught up to Zuko when Iroh brought it to question. “The White Lotus serves to transcend the boundaries between nations. We devote our lives to the study of all elements, but it is understandable to let violence influence our perceptions of each other. I am sure it is not easy for you to join us.”
Zuko now walked by his uncle’s side, Soraya walking on the opposite side of his uncle. He had only half been listening to their conversation. He didn’t know why he cared to hear what his uncle had been talking to her about. Zuko also didn’t see why she had joined them, but he was curious why she had agreed to help them. She was the first Earth Kingdom person they had come across who didn’t automatically hate them. Once a stranger realizes they were Fire Nation, all kindness shown to them would be thrown out the window. Zuko thought back to Lee, the young Earth Kingdom boy, and how quickly his feelings turned on him after learning his true identity. He expected the same from everyone. Soraya knew who he was all along. And yet, in that flower shop, she greeted him with a smile. He couldn’t figure out why. So he waited quietly for an answer to his uncle.
“I realized it was pointless long ago to swear hatred of an entire element. Fire itself is not evil. Any element has the power to be used for harm in the hands of the wrong people. The White Lotus is where I find my comfort despite the war. It keeps me grounded,” Soraya replied after a long while of silence. Eventually she pulled down her scarf to reveal her face once more. She turned her head to face Iroh and noticed she had Zuko’s attention as well. “My mother was a firebender. She was murdered for being a traitor to her Nation. I can’t hate something that was such an important part of her, but I can despise what killed her. Any traitor of the Fire Nation is a friend of mine.”
Soraya smiled as she locked eyes with Zuko, who was unable to hide the shock from his face. A month ago, he would have been offended by her last statement. Maybe even threaten to throw her in prison as soon as he returned home. Now, he didn’t think he cared. He after all was hiding from the nation he was destined to rule. He was a traitor afterall. Soraya knew that. Her words felt like both a threat and a vow of trust. He looked at Soraya as she smiled. It was the same kind smile she had shown to him in the flower shop. He couldn’t remember the last time someone looked at him so kindly. He decided it wasn’t a bad thing this time. Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to make a friend of her after all.
“Soraya,” Zuko addressed her, causing both his uncle and the girl to look at him surprised. Zuko stopped walking, turned to face them and bowed in her direction. “I’m sorry for being so rude. We are honored to have you with us on our journey.”
The sandbender stopped and watched as the boy held his bow before her. Her smile grew, causing her to quickly lift the scarf over her face to conceal her grin. Soraya didn’t waste time before returning his bow. “Thank you. The honor is all mine.”
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A.N. ch 1 was mostly set up but next chapter with have a lot more Zuko x Soraya interactions. This is my first time writing for Zuko so I'd love to hear your thoughts!!
