Everything Changed (Zuko x Reader)(Conclusion to the Torn Heart trilogy)

Chapter 14

"Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked,"
That's the line.
But for me, everything changed when I found myself living in the Fire Nation capital—this time in charge of the Fire Lords palace, the Fire Lord—the man I loved. My friends settled in at the palace temporarily as we began to reimagine what our world could look like.
The war was over, and this book is at the halfway point, but this is where my story really starts.
"...or we can go into the city for barbecue,"
"If we do that, we'll have to invite Sokka or he'll throw a fit," Katara pointed out.
"Tough shit," said Toph.
We sped down the corridor, arms linked. As a servant passed us, I wheeled around, dragging with me a laughing Katara and a startled Toph, "Hey, wait up a second!"
The poor servant had to wait for us to get over our giggling as we tripped over each others feet, crashed into each other, and tried to detangle our limbs. "Do you know where Zuko is?"
"His majesty is in a meeting with the Avatar and the representatives from the Earth Kingdom, but that reminds me—he wanted to see you after lunch,"
"Can my friends come?"
"I'm afraid he wants a private audience with you, miss, but he would request all of your presence for dinner,"
"Oh, he requests our presence, does he?" Toph said in a stuffy voice, "Well, he—"
She was interrupted by me whirling her back around, "Sounds good! Thanks!"
Toph continued, "So barbecue?"

After our barbecue, I left my friends, and headed for the throne room. My footsteps echoed off the high blood red walls. A silhouette peered down at me from the throne from behind the wall of fire. I halted and gave a deep, overly flamboyant bow,
"My Lordiness, how may I serve thee?"
Zuko laughed, "Shut up."
I straightened up, laughing too, and vaulted myself up to him. The fire parted for me as I dropped into his lap. "I'll never get used to this,"
"I don't know if I will either," he pulled me up, "Come on, I have something to show you."
He led me down the corridors until we reached a chamber I've never seen before.
"Took some work but we found it and got it unlocked," Zuko began before throwing open the giant double doors.
Inside was a giant bedchamber. I had thought Zukos room was luxurious, but this room made the one we had been sharing look like a broom closer. In the center was a sunken living space with a fire pit in the center.
"This is gorgeous! How'd we just find this?"
"It was my dads,"
I halted halfway to jumping on the bed, "Ugh, no way! I'm not sleeping in your dads bed."
"I know. I'm already planning on burning all his things and buying new stuff for us,"
I smirked, "Is that why you want everyone over?"
Zuko returned the smirk, "I thought we'd have a bonfire."

"This fire is going to be giant," Aang breathed as he poured fuel on the enormous pile of clothes and bedsheets.
"I'm counting on it," said Zuko from the other end.
We had marched out to the rocky cliff side outside the city, where we wouldn't be disturbing anyone. A few servants and guards were more than happy to help haul Ozais belongings to the site to watch them burn.
Sokka was busy stabbing marshmallows with sticks, "Who's gonna want s'mores? You don't think they'll taste like silk, do you?"
"I don't know. What would silk taste like?" Toph asked, as he placed one in her waiting hand.
"No clue,"
"Okay, Aang, that should be good," Zuko said. They threw aside their cans and bent to a nearby piece of cloth each, "Light it up!"
They both lit one end of the pile with a finger. The flame licked at the soaked cloth quickly, until soon the air was filled with smoke and heavy with the heat from the giant fire.
We all laughed and roasted marshmallows together, before lapsing into silence. Zuko put his arms around me. "I'm glad you did this," I said.
"So we don't sleep in the same sheets as my dad?"
I laughed, "No, I mean...Aang didn't kill him—which I'm glad for. He's rotting in prison. But this is a way of letting him go."
"It is more cathartic than I thought it'd be," he said, resting his chin in my shoulder. He almost looked sad.
"It's okay if you're sad," I told him, "This is also a mourning."
"I'm not mourning him, necessarily, just the dad I could have had,"
Now everyone was listening.
"If things went differently, I could've been just like Azula. I wouldn't've gotten burned, I wouldn't've gotten exiled..."
"But you would've been just like Azula. You would've been cruel, you wouldn't've met us...or me,"
He managed a small smile, "I know."
But Toph butted in, "Hold up. When you said burned...you meant metaphorically, right?"
"Uh...no...literally," he pointed at his scar.
"Wait, your dad did that?" Katara asked.
"I thought that was from a training accident," Sokka added.
"What was? Did what?" Toph was asking.
I sighed in exasperation, "Zukos face is scarred."
"My dad challenged me to an Agni Kai for speaking out of turn, burned me and exiled me—Guys, this is like...old news,"
"We knew your dad was a dick, but like..."
"You thought the guy who wiped out an entire civilization and was cool with burning down...the world...was just a stand-up dad?"
"Now that you say it..." Toph began.
"So where's your dad being held?" Sokka asked, "Asking for a friend..."
"No, no, you guys are not killing him now," he insisted.
Katara laughed, "Who said anything about killing? Aang didn't want him dead and we respect that."
Toph continued, "We just want to maim the shit out of him."
"I appreciate it—and I'm a little scared of you all now—but my dad's going to die in prison. That works for me. The important thing is that I'm never going to hear the word 'Ozai' ever again."

Ta-da! I'm back!
The rest of this book will be assorted stories. I haven't read the comics, but some of these will be inspired by the few things I know about them. Hope you enjoy!
~Liz