The Blood of the Covenant
is an Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfiction series written by HanukoYoukai on Archive of Our Own.
In this AU, Ozai decides his toddler firstborn is such a disappointment he would be better dead. Fortunately, the assassin (and some Great Spirits) would rather see the boy growing up loved and safe.
And this is how the Southern Water Tribe winds up adopting young Kallik.
This fanfic contains the following tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Ozai. He first tried to kill the newborn Zuko for seemingly lacking the spark of a true firebender, and arranges for the boy's abduction and (failed) murder barely a year later. He's not so great to Azula either, heaping unreasonable expectations of perfection upon her. Hell, he's actually burned her for being slow on firebending lessons.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Constantly zigzagged.
- Zuko wasn't raised by some narcissistic genocidal maniac, but he nonetheless suffered from being an "ashmaker" raised in the Southern Water Tribe and was heavily impacted by his mother's murder and his father's departure for the war.
- The Fire Nation royals (minus Ozai) still mourn the prince they lost in the cradle, but Lu Ten and Azulon's survival ensured their functioning as a more-or-less close-knit familial unit for almost two decades.
- Without Zuko, Azula was left to bear the brunt of her emotionally abusive father. However, she feels quite secure in her mother, grandfather, uncle and cousin's love for her.
- Kallik still sees someone he loves struck by lightning at the abandoned village, but this time it's Katara instead of Iroh (who he still kind of hates because of the kidnapping thing). Katara's also left traumatized by being struck by Azula's lightning.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Zhao does every bad thing he does in canon in this fic, but it's implied through Lieutenant Jee that Zhao has been known to sexually assault teenage boys.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Azula actually has some standards and morals. For example, during the Omashu confrontation, she prioritizes securing Tom-Tom over chasing after Aang and Bumi like in canon.
- Adaptational Upbringing Change:
- Unlike in canon, here Zuko was abducted by the assassin Ozai had hired to kill him (as she refused to kill a baby). She eventually finds the baby a home with the Southern Water tribe. Despite the baby's obvious Fire Nation heritage, Bato and his wife happily take him in as their son, renaming him Kallik. Unlike his canon childhood, where Zuko grew up with an abusive father and sadistic little sister, Kallik was raised in a healthy environment with his cousins Sokka and Katara (both of whom stood by him even after it was revealed he could firebend).
- This happens to Azula, too, but in a downplayed example. She's still raised by her father to be a soldier/leader/master firebender, but she doesn't have her canon mommy issues due to Ursa showering her with affection due to losing her first child. As such, Azula has more morals, empathy, and is more prone to Pragmatic Villainy than in canon (which actually makes her MORE dangerous).
- Adopting the Abused: Bato, despite his hatred of the Fire Nation, instantly took in the little Fire Nation boy that ended up in the North Pole simply because he needed a living home.
- Adoption Conflict: Kallik has known his whole life that he's adopted, but he views the Southern Water Tribe as his nation and Bato as his father (with Katara and Sokka being his cousins/siblings). As such, he wants nothing to do with the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation royal family, however, disagrees, as they (especially Iroh, Lu Ten, Ursa, and Azula) want "Zuko" back and refuse to take no for an answer (until Iroh and Lu Ten realize that Kallik has every reason to hate the Fire Nation and forcing him back won't help anyone). Whenever Kallik interacts with a member of the Fire Nation royal family (Iroh and Lu Ten in the first part, Azula in the second), they refuse to acknowledge his wishes, try to hurt/arrest his family, and attempt to kidnap him.
- Amusing Injuries: Averted. Any time anyone is injured in the fic, their injuries are portrayed semi-realistically and treated seriously note . Good thing Katara learned about healing...
- Bait the Dog: Azulon shows a surprising amount of affection for Azula, but Iroh wonders whether this is genuine or if Azulon is just grooming Azula to serve him in a nicer way than Ozai.
- Bavarian Fire Drill: Kallik sneaks into and out of Aang's prison by pretending to be a guard on a mission for Iroh and Lu Ten. It works. Twice.
- Bargain with Heaven: The Great Spirits agreed to save Lu Ten's life when Iroh begged for their help, on the condition that he would stop the war and help to restore balance to the world.
- Big Brother Instinct: Kallik and Sokka both have shades of this, as they've helped watch/take care of the younger members of their tribe for years. Kallik is notably good with kids.
- Big Brother Worship: Azula cannot help but feel curious towards her missing sibling, wondering how it would feel to have a brother to protect her.
- Bigotry Exception:
- The Water Tribes grow to begrudgingly accept Kallik as kin, in spite of his ashmaker origins.
- Katara muses that Jee likely is the only firebender she would consider a good man, for covering the last waterbender's survival and later helping Kallik to escape from Prince Iroh's clutches.
- Clashing Cousins: Downplayed between Lu Ten and his younger cousins, as there's no real animosity between them even if their political opinions are forcing them in opposite camps.
- Combat Hand Fan: After getting tips from the Kyoshi Warriors, Kallik starts to wield fans in order to enhance his firebending.
- Conviction by Contradiction: While questioning Lieutenant Jee about Kallik's escape, Iroh mentions Kallik tricking Jee by faking a stomachache. Jee goes along with this...except that he said that it was a headache earlier. Whoops.
- Culture Clash:
- Aang is a staunch vegetarian, so he's forced to eat a limited selection of foods when he's a guest of the hunter-gatherer Water Tribe.
- Kallik and Katara are both disgusted when they learn that the orphans of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation are often left on their own. They point out that, in the Water Tribes, orphans are taken in by the other adults, regardless of whether or not they're related.
- The ethnically Fire Nation Kallik getting a haircut horrifies Aang, Lu Ten and Iroh, since it's intended to be a badge of shame for a firebender.
- Daddy's Little Villain: Subverted, Azula loathes her father for constantly pushing her to be perfect and follows his commands merely because she knows he will punish her for disobedience.
- Death by Adaptation: Yon Rha gets his skull smashed in by Hakoda.
- Delicate and Sickly: Toddler Kallik is unable to stand the polar winter and grows weaker until his parents beg the Moon Spirit to save his life. He also faints when brought to the Southern Air Temple due to the thinning atmosphere.
- Doting Grandparent:
- Azulon positively spoils his granddaughter, attending tea parties and discussing politics with her. Iroh nonetheless wonders if the Fire Lord genuinely does love Azula as a young girl, or as a potential successor.
- Roku often tells Aang to say hello to Kallik, and grouses over his great-grandson's tendence to run into problems and danger.
- Entertainingly Wrong:
- People often leap to the conclusion that Kallik is the product of a firebender forcing himself on a civilian woman. He's nothing but furious every time it comes up.
- Because of his carved necklace and his extensive knowledge about Spirits, Yue believe Kallik is training to become his tribe's shaman. The Southern Water Tribe actually doesn't even consider it a position.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Harmony the assassin was gleeful about murdering one of the Fire Nation royals, but immediately gets cold feet when she realizes her target is a baby and does her best to find him a loving family.
- Young Jee is horrified to learn his superior Yon Rha intended to kill the last waterbender, destroying the Water Tribe's spirituality.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Ozai is so horrible and self-centered he sees his children as tools for power and advancement, and thus doesn't get why anyone would have affection for his "weak" son.
- The Evil Prince: Ozai, who else? He arranges for his infant son's murder, he relentlessly abuses his daughter, he covets his older brother's birthright, he plans to use Sozin's Comet to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground and he ultimately upgrades to a full-blown Evil Overlord by murdering his father.
- Exact Words: Roku warns Aang about "the Fire Prince" using Sozin's Comet to burn the world. Note that he doesn't say "Prince Iroh" or "Prince Lu Ten".
- Family Eye Resemblance: Much ado is made of Kallik inheriting his grandfather Azulon's bright gold eyes, as it hints at his true lineage.
- Fantastic Racism:
- Due to the sheer amount of damage and pain that the Fire Nation has caused the world, a lot of people carry an instant dislike for firebenders. Despite Kallik's insistence that he's of the Southern Water Tribe, most people don't trust him (even after his cousins and the Avatar vouch for him) until they actually see him fight against Fire Nation soldiers.
- It should be noted that the Fire Nation carries prejudices of its own, such as their disgust for the Water Tribes. They either think that they're savages with no knowledge (Lu Ten thinks that he has to explain what a comb is to Kallik), or that they should be wiped out. The even have an entire military force dedicated to capturing or killing any waterbenders in the South Pole.
- Gene Hunting: Inverted; Kallik knows he's from the Fire Nation, but because of the devastation they've caused for his tribe, he wants nothing to do with his biological family. The Fire Nation royal family, however, namely Iroh, Lu Ten, Ursa, and Azula, want to find him and bring him back to the Fire Nation (despite Kallik wanting otherwise).
- God Is Good: Agni and La were absolutely appalled by Ozai's cruelty towards his own son and did everything they could to ensure a loving family would adopt Zuko — heck, the Sun Spirit outright hugs Kallik when they meet and gives the boy tips for improving his bending.
- Downplayed with the Autumn Lord. They are jolly and helpful for the Hei Bai incident, but their appearance is quite unsettling and they won't hesitate to unleash storms when peckish.
- Good Parents: Iroh, Bato and Kyra, Hakoda and Kya, and Ursa all qualify. Iroh remains as patient and loving here as he is in canon, practically every Water Tribe adult qualifies do to their knowing the importance of family, and Ursa is a dedicated, loving (occasionally too much) mother to Azula (which makes sense due to her first child vanishing without a trace). Downplayed with Azulon, who spends time with Azula and buys her gifts that reflect her interests (its noted that he gives her a paper dragon every year, much to her joy), but no one is certain whether this is genuine affection or if he is simply molding her into his perfect heir.
- Happily Adopted: Bato and Kyra truly adore Kallik, considering him their miracle baby. Kallik makes it clear that he loves them just as much.
- Hope Spot: Both Kallik and Yue decide to revive the Moon Spirit... but Kallik was merely touched by her, leaving Yue to sacrifice her whole lifeforce to resurrect Tui.
- I'm Not Hungry: After Kallik is kidnapped by Iroh and Lu Ten (and believes that Aang, Katara, and Sokka are dead), he refuses to eat for days (partially out of defiance and partially because he's Too Unhappy to Be Hungry). Lu Ten has to practically trick him into eating both out of worry for the kid's health and to try and earn his trust.
- I'm Taking Her Home with Me!: This is basically Iroh's reaction when he sees Kallik, already jumping to the conclusion that he's the long-lost Prince Zuko. According to Jee, he was close to doing this when he first saw Kallik firebend during the raid that killed Kyra, stating the "fire belongs with fire". Iroh and Lu Ten eventually see sense, however, as Kallik wants nothing to do with the Fire Nation after what they've done to his family and village.
- Innocently Insensitive:
- Aang candidly wonders why a Fire Nation boy is living in the Southern Water Tribe, upsetting Kallik a lot. To be fair towards Aang, he's a twelve-years-old whose information about global politics are extremely dated.
- Lu Ten operates on the assumption that people outside the Fire Nation are barbarians deprived from every civilization comfort, so he tries to explain to Kallik what a comb is. It's well-intentioned, but the younger boy nonetheless treats it as an insult.
- Toph doesn't understand (nor did anyone tell her) that Kallik is Katara's and Sokka's cousin, nor did they tell her about his... complicated backstory. She just thought he was their fire-bending friend, and makes some unintentionally nasty comments during an argument that make Kallik angry enough to yell at her to leave. When they later make up and she learns that Katara and Sokka (and now Aang) are Kallik's family, she feels awful and apologizes.
- Jerkass Gods: La has a rather violent temper and admits she doesn't care for humans since they're not marine creatures. It's downplayed as she helps Agni with guiding Zuko towards a loving family and later spares Fire Prince Lu Ten when he prostrates himself before her manifestation.
- Jerkass Realization: Iroh, when Kallik burns a comb in front of him without hurting either of them, realizes that Kallik is Water Tribe, as his calmness and control surpass that of a normal firebender. He finally realizes that it was wrong of him to try and take Kallik from his real family, especially now that he's starting to wonder if Ozai had something to do with baby Zuko's disappearance.
- The Kindnapper: Lu Ten and Iroh don't want any harm to Kallik, they merely want to reunite the lost prince with his birth family. However, Lu Ten concedes kidnapping is traumatizing no matter how nice the kidnappers.
- Law of Inverse Fertility: Bato and his wife desperately crave a child, only for their daughter to be stillborn and Kyra to be left barren from the labour. They ultimately settle with adopting Kallik.
- Lesser of Two Evils: None of the Gaang members (minus Toph) are ready to trust Iroh or Lu Ten yet, but when faced with Azula, they decide that it's better to tolerate the banished princes than fight the angry princess.
- Lima Syndrome: Lu Ten feels increasingly guilty about keeping Kallik imprisoned, and isn't as distressed as his uncle or any of their officers when he eventually escapes.
- Locked into Strangeness: Children blessed by the Moon Spirit are left with Mystical White Hair. Kallik has a streak of similar white hair as his mark.
- Manipulative Bastard:
- Lu Ten weaponizes his Nice Guy disposition to learn more about Kallik's life in the South Pole and make the younger boy more at ease around him. He later admits to his father that he feels bad about this.
- Azula might be even more dangerous than her canon self, playing upon her uncle and cousin's affection to lure them into a trap and realizing she doesn't need to terrify Ty Lee for her assistance when it's so much less of a hassle to politely ask.
- Make It Look Like a Struggle: Jee allows Kallik to punch him as hard as he can so Iroh, Lu Ten, and the other guards will believe that Kallik broke out on his own. Kallik thanks him before decking him.
- Mugging the Monster: Azula's attempt to capture her uncle, cousin, biological brother, and the Avatar in one go ends disastrously when she (after hitting Katara with lightning) makes Aang angry enough to send him into the Avatar state. We don't see what he did, but it was terrifying enough to send Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee running away screaming.
- Mundane Solution: Rather than have a big, noisy breakout like in canon, here Aang and Kallik merely sneak out of the stronghold by putting on stolen Fire Nation armor and acting like soldiers so they can just walk out the door.
- Mundane Utility: Kallik mainly uses his firebending for activities such as laundry drying or fish smoking. Iroh has developed a way to firebend his tea and is teaching it to Lu Ten.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Chapter sixteen of Book 2 shows that Iroh has come to sincerely regret his actions when he first met Kallik, as he recognizes that Kallik (even if he is Zuko) wants nothing to do with him and will likely never trust him. He tells Toph that he hopes Kallik can forgive him, but wouldn't blame the teen if he never did.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Jee saved Kallik at the South Pole when he decided not to report the Water Tribe firebender to his superior officer, and does it again when he helps the teen break out of the ship. Both are revealed when Iroh questions him, and Jee is sent to prison.
- Nothing Is Scarier: Zhao, Iroh, and Lu Ten briefly discuss how the Fire Nation has some sort of process that can determine a person's lineage (most likely for determining royal blood). All Lu Ten knows about the test is that Ursa had to go through it before her marriage to Ozai, and that when she left the room she was distraught. Whatever the test involves, it is not pleasant. Kallik was lucky he escaped when he did...
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Azula zaps Katara with lightning, which of course pisses off Aang enough that he goes into the Avatar State. Toph is the viewpoint character so we don't get to see what exactly happens, but it's enough to drive off Azula and her posse (it's heavily implied that he blew them out of the area).
- Otherworldly and Sexually Ambiguous: Great Spirits are rather meh about having a fixed gender and sexuality, with the Autumn Lord (using they pronouns) as the most prominent example. It's actively exploited by the Northern Water Tribe to whitewash Tui and La's lesbian relationship into a more conventional heterosexual romance, arguing that none can be sure about La being female.
- Parental Sexuality Squick: When Iroh comments on bounty-hunter June's beauty, a disgusted Lu Ten immediately forbids him to ogle women young enough to be his daughter.
- Parents as People:
- A lot of this among the Fire Nation royals. Iroh isn't blind to his father's power hunger while Fire Lord Azulon considers his firstborn hopelessly soft and far too indulgent towards the other nations, even if their relationship is mostly loving and respectful. Ursa genuinely cares for her daughter, but cannot help slipping into My Beloved Smother after losing Zuko. And Lu Ten won't hesitate to call his father out for his Manipulative Bastard habits.
- The Water Tribe cousins feel rather resentful towards their fathers for leaving them behind while they went at war, prompting a tense discussion between Kallik and Bato when they're reunited.
- Princeling Rivalry: A very one-sided between Iroh and Ozai, who always coveted his older brother's position as the Crown Prince. Iroh feels genuinely hurt when he understands Ozai would send assassins after him and steal his birthright.
- Related in the Adaptation: Here, Bato and Hakoda are brothers-in-law since they married sisters Kya and Kyra, making their children cousins.
- Replacement Goldfish: A bit of this with Kallik, as Bato and Kyra adopted him when they were dealing with their grief over losing their daughter. However, they genuinely love each other.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Kallik gives a couple of notable ones.
- When Lu Ten is trying to buddy up with the kid who may or may not be his long-lost cousin, he asks what he can do so they can move past Kallik's distrust of him. Kallik responds that Lu Ten and Iroh left his family for dead, and that he doubts there's any way to "move past [it]".
- After Katara loses a waterbending duel to Master Pakku, Kallik reveals that Katara's desperate to learn combative bending because she's their tribe's last water-bender. He calls out Pakku and most of the Northern benders for their sexism, and the tribe as a whole for not keeping contact with the Southern tribe or trying to help them when the Fire Nation was attacking.
- The Social Darwinist: Ozai is willing to knock off his newborn son just because he doesn't meet his notion of strength.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- Lu Ten, courtesy of his father bargaining with the Spirits to let him live (with a limp) instead of taking his life.
- Downplayed with Azulon, who gets to die several years after his canon demise.
- Katara's and Sokka's mother survives the attack from the Southern Raiders, because Kallik was there and (with his newly discovered firebending) fends off Yon Rha until Hakoda can get there. She's alive and well at the South Pole while the kids travel.
- Because he never lived with the Fire Lord, Kallik doesn't have a scar on his face.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Iroh pegs Kallik as his long-lost nephew because the teenager is a younger Ozai's carbon copy, but with Azulon's eyes. Zhao and later Azula notice this right away, too, as they begin calling him Zuko shortly after they see him.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: When Aang takes his new friends to the Southern Air Temple, Kallik faints due to the altitude. Aang is horrified and quickly explains that the monks used to warn him about bringing visitors, as the thinner air can make some people sick (noting that it happened once to his friend Kuzon).
- Terrifying Rescuer: Iroh and Lu Ten were hosting Toph at the abandoned house they were using as a shelter when the rest of the Gaang came looking for her. While she doesn't see what's so wrong about the old man and his son, the rest of the Gaang freaks out (much to Toph's confusion).
- That Came Out Wrong: Iroh explains they need June to track down one young relative of his that got confused and ran away with a monk. Lu Ten is immediately mortified and clarifies this is not what the bounty hunter is thinking.
- That Man Is Dead: Kallik feels downright uneasy when people call him "Zuko", and decides he's not interested in being the boy that would have been called by this name.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Kallik is shown to be fond of dried sea prunes (a sharp contrast to Sokka's love for meat). A Running Gag is everyone else (at least everyone not from the Water Tribes) acting like they're the worst food ever.
- Tragic Stillbirth: Bato and Kyra's daughter, whom they couldn't even name because she never breathed. Made worse by the labour destroying Kyra's ability to conceive, so they were left mourning their dream of having children a whole year and only went on the road to recovery after adopting Kallik.
- Traumatic Haircut: A rather interesting example — Kallik is fine about getting his waist-length hair shortened to a more manageable shoulder-length, but Aang, Iroh and Lu Ten are horror-struck by the prospect of a firebender being shorn since people in the Fire Nation do that to criminals. Even Katara reminding Aang that Agni (the Sun Spirit himself) never kicked a fuss over Kallik cutting his hair doesn't fully appease the younger boy.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Kallik was compelled to use his firebending in a very undeniable way when Yon Rha tried to murder his aunt Kya in her home. To make it worse, it was the day his own mother was killed by the same raiders.
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child:
- Iroh is his usual laidback, goofy self, which slightly annoys Lu Ten.
- Inverted with Hakoda and Sokka. Hakoda is a serious and calm leader, while Sokka (despite having the same leadership skills as his father) is more prone to Cloudcuckoolander moments.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Kallik calls out Suki for humiliating Sokka and declares he's going to stop his lessons with her, because he doesn't want to learn from bullies. Suki takes this to heart and apologizes to the boys later.
- Would Hurt a Child: Ozai tried to kill his infant son for not being strong enough.
