The Fearful Prince (An Avatar the Last Airbender Fan Fiction)

Chapter 1

"And then Suki ran up the wall and grabbed the warden! It was so awesome!"

"Wow! That sounds amazing!" Aang said excitedly.

Suki blushed, "It wasn't that big of a deal..."

Sokka was in the process of regaling them with the tales of their latest adventures. "She was totally amazing!"

"Well you were pretty amazing too..." she said grinning at him.

"Oh yeah?" he leaned in closer, "How amazing?"

"Very amazing..." she moved closer as well.

"Will you two get a room?!" Toph exclaimed. "Just because I can't see doesn't mean I want to hear you two making kissy faces at each other."

"Sorry..." they both blushed.

"It sounds like you guys had a big adventure." Teo smiled. "Next time you go on a field trip, let me know! I want in on the action!"

"Me too!" Haru said grinning. "I would have loved to have seen the warden's face when you grabbed him."

The Duke started laughing, "It must have been priceless!"

"I'm just glad you're back safe." Katara leaned into her father's embrace.

"I am too." He squeezed her shoulder. "We couldn't have done it without your brother. And I have to admit, that prince came in handy too."

"Yeah, Zuko was awesome!" Sokka started again, "He had to go into the cooler for an hour for one of our escape plans, but he was still able to finish the job. It was really impressive."

Aang glanced around, "Where is Zuko?"

"He was with us when we got back." Suki and the others looked around. "Where'd he go?"

"I'll go find him!" Sokka jumped up. "Suki, keep them entertained with stories of my glory!" they all laughed as he went off to find the fire bender.

~time skip~

"There you are!"

Zuko jumped, as Sokka walked into his room without warning. "Yes?"

"We were wondering where you went," Sokka informed. "I'm telling everyone about the great escape! Come join us."

"Oh um..." He looked away awkwardly, "I'm actually ok here so..."

"Nonsense!" Sokka grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room. "Come on, maybe I can get my dad to tell you some of his old fishing stories! You'll love the one about the bear-shark."

Zuko sighed but let himself get dragged away from his sanctuary.

~time skip~

"Found him!" Sokka held up Zuko's arm and made him wave to everyone.

Zuko grabbed his arm back. "Don't do that." He glanced over at Hakoda but quickly averted his eyes again, making sure to sit as far away from him as he could.

"I'd like to thank you Zuko," Katara said blushing.

He looked up at her with confusion, "For what?"

"Sokka says you played a pivotal part in rescuing my father. So, thank you." She said smiling. "I would also like to apologize. It seems I may have misjudged you. You really have changed."

"No need to apologize..." he looked down, "I don't deserve it. I've done many horrible things in my life..."

Aang put a hand on his shoulder, "But you're making up for it now. That's all that matters."

They all cheered and agreed. Once again, Zuko glanced at Hakoda. This time, he was giving him a small smile. However, Zuko quickly drew his attention back toward the ground.

Toph started shivering. "Man... it's cold down here... Can we make a fire?"

They all looked to Zuko expectedly, "Oh uh... yeah, sure..." of course the firewood had to be right behind Katara and Hakoda. Zuko walked around them and grabbed a few pieces.

"Here, let me help." Hakoda stood up and took the branches from him.

"Thanks..." Zuko murmured, barely above a whisper. He slunk back to his seat and gingerly held his hand out towards the fire. One twist of his wrist and the logs had been set aflame. Everyone went back to their previous conversations. However, Hakoda couldn't help but notice that Zuko seemed kind of nervous around him. He would have to do some investigating...

(A/N - Hey guys, thanks for reading! :) I upload on weekends, so I'll see you next week! Until then, Flamio Hotman!)