a flame in his heart | zuko

chapter three

You always knew that creating friendships form friendliness in your father's political alliances, so when Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee asked you to play tag with them in the royal garden, you knew your father would kill you to turn down the offer.

It started out as "I'm only going to be friends with them because my father would've wanted me to" but now they actually turned into your real friends, though you never really felt a true friendship with Azula.

But every passing day that you played with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, you began to see him more and more often. A boy who hid behind his mother like a little cub. A boy who always got embarrassed by his sister because he wanted to portray himself as strong.

You became curious, he stayed away.

But one day, neither did Azula, Mai, or Ty Lee show up in the royal garden to play, but instead you saw the very boy feeding ducks some bread in the little pond.

You sat down next to him, neither uttering a word as you both fed the little ducks. It was like that for an awful amount of time as none of you dared to look at each other's faces and only saw each other's hands feed the ducks.

His hands were pale, bony, and cold.

Hers were elegant, fragile, and warm. Full of warmth.

That's when Zuko had. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be playing with my sister and her friends?" Zuko asked.

"They're not here today. Can I play with you?" You asked.

"I don't really want to play anything... I'm not in a good mood..." Zuko said bringing his knees up to his face and covering half of his face with his arms crossed, resting on his face. He stared at the pond with a hardened gaze.

"Okay... then we don't have to play." You said going criss-crossed. "So, why are you in the bad mood?"

"Just some things my father said at dinner..." Zuko said.

"What did he say?" You asked.

"It's just him reminding me every single time that Azula is better than me. And she's not even that good she just knows more techniques than I do." Zuko said with a huff of frustration.

Zuko takes a look at you to see what your reaction to this was but he saw the look of curiosity on your face.

"I don't think that's the reason. You know a lot of people are better than you in the Fire Nation. I don't think you're upset about that." You said confidently.

Zuko's eyes widen in surprise. He didn't realize how easy he was to read. He sighs in defeats and looks down as he fidgets with his hands.

"I was trying to tell him how I mastered a new move and Azula had to bring up how she learned the move months ago. Me and her got into an argument, and father said some harsh things." Zuko said. "He said, "Azula was born lucky, and I was lucky to be born."

There was a silence as nothing but the wind filled it. Zuko looked back at you to see why you weren't responding until he saw you looking over the pond and back at the sunset while the wind blew your long back hair, and a single tear drop rolled down your eye.

"Y/N? Wait, why are you crying?" Zuko said in panic.

But that day, when you were ten years old, you realized that you were being used. All of the children of the Fire Nation were. You were being used nothing more than for war. There was no justified reason for the war either, but just to gain dictatorship and power over the other continents.

You realized that nobody was ever going to give you a choice in your nation. It's either you fight for the Fire Nation or die. You get used for war, or be thrown to the side like trash.

You realized that if you ever what free will, you wouldn't find it here.

If you ever wanted the choice to live your life the way you wanted it to be lived, you would never find it on the Fire Nation's side.

-

The Avatar ended up being on Kyoshi Island, but when Zuko and his ship got there, the Avatar escaped. After a few days, Zuko did find something useful: that water tribe girl's necklace.

But now you and Zuko have more troubles, Uncle Iroh has been kidnapped.

Zuko kept stomping all the way to horse bull (I don't know what they're called) saying stuff like "he's so stupid!" and "I knew I should've just left him!" Zuko then got onto the rhino.

"Zuko, if you keep ranting words like that, we're never going to find him." You said as you placed a hand in Zuko's as he helped you up on the bull. You straggled and got into position and put your hands around Zuko's waist. "So let's go catch them."

Zuko huffed in frustration and started moving. You both searched for awhile but couldn't find any clue where he was taken. But then something surprising occurred. The Avatar's flying bison was spotted up in the sky not to far off to where you and Zuko were.

"The Avatar." Zuko said as he turned the bull to start going after it until you put a hand on his shoulder making him look over his neck. "What?" He asked sharply.

"We're not going after the Avatar. We need to find Iroh." You said sternly.

Zuko sighs, "I knew I shouldn't have brought you along with me."

"Are you really just going to let your Uncle get kidnapped by the Earth Kingdom?" You asked.

"If it meant to capture the Avatar, then yes I will." Zuko said.

"You'll see the Avatar again. Iroh is more important right now." You said.

"No he is not!" Zuko said facing his head off into the distance where you couldn't see him. "The Avatar is right there. We cannot lose his tracks."

For some reason, Zuko felt shame and guilt. Maybe that's why he covered his face from you because there was an undeniable frown. That was then he felt your hands leave his waist and your weight get shifted off the rhino. He watched as you walked into the direction to search for Uncle Iroh.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Zuko shouted.

"I'm going to find Iroh." You said as you calmly walked.

"You're not going to find him, you're just going to get lost and then get kidnapped yourself." Zuko said.

"You don't know that. I could find him and be safe and sound." You said.

"You're crazy. You're absolutely crazy." Zuko complained. That's when you stopped in your tracks as you looked back at Zuko.

"What do you want to do?" You asked.

Zuko had a confused face. "What?"

"You choose. You can go after the Avatar, or you can help me find your Uncle." You said. "You choose. What do you think is right?"

This question seemed like it had way more depth than it portrayed. The wind billowed as your thick long black hair danced in the air while you and Zuko hold a gaze at each other. After awhile you turn your head and kept walking.

You thinking that Zuko was going to go after the Avatar, you heard galloping footsteps get closer to you. You see Zuko on the bull offering you a helping hand.

With a little bit of surprise on your face, you take his hand, it was cold and bony like how they always used to be like, and hoisted yourself up on the bull wrapping your hands around his waist.

Something inside you made you feel warm to the fact that Zuko finally made a decision for himself that didn't seem like he was being controlled by the Fire Nation.