Fire And Freedom (JetKo)

Broken Crown

Author's Note: This is set awkwardly, none of the events are in order with the series. Just roll with it. Oh, and Jet never dies.

"For the accounts of treason against the king I sentence you to death."

The silence that had befallen the room was shattered, ripped to a million pieces and sent down in a flurry of flames and stifling betrayal.

There were gasps, cries of astonishment. Some mother's held their children close, covering their ears, other's turned to their husbands and cried. 

The men were stoned faced. All of them knew this would happen. They knew it had been coming.

The king of the Fire Nation had just sentenced his son to death.

"Father! Please!" Zuko cried out as the hands of the guards on either side of him kept him on his knees, his right arm outstretched to his father in attempts to reach the man that was sitting upon the throne.

But there was no chance that he could reach his father, for over sixteen feet of space separated them from each other.

"Please! You can't do this!" The pale skinned male sobbed, tears beginning to stream down his face as he doubled himself over and let his forehead touch the floor.

"I'm sorry Zuko," Iroh whispered from beside him, his words dripping with emotion and hurt, "I'm so sorry."

"No," Zuko snarled through grit teeth, his frame shaking with rage as he stood slowly, all of his tears and sadness turning into a burning rage that consumed his soul, "no."

Iroh and the guards took a step back in surprise when the candles burning around them became brighter; when the fire burned hotter to the point of searing and scorching.

"I kept your secrets," the scarred teen snarled at the man that he used to call his father, "I kept your broken imperfections!"

The crowd gathered in the room began to murmur questioningly, and they only grew louder as time passed.

That was until the king rose his hand in the air to silence them.

"You know not what you speak of Zuko," the man, Ozai, stated hatefully, "you will hold your tongue in the presence of nobles."

'Touch my mouth and hold my tongue'

"And those nobles don't know about the little boy you keep in bed do they?" Zuko snarled, his hands fisted behind his back in rage when the guards restricted his arms so he couldn't lash out.

Murmurs broke out amongst the crowd, and Ozai's face reddened with rage.

"You will hold your tongue!" He yelled forcefully, banging his fist on the arm of his altar.

"I bet they dont know that it was your fault for mother's leaving!" Zuko yelled back, not in the least bit deterred by his father's anger.
"I said silence your tongue!" Ozai roared, slamming his fist down on the arm of his altar authoritatively once again.

But Zuko was never one to listen to his father.

"Why should I?" Zuko shot back, hatred making his frame rigid as rage burned behind his eyes.

'I'll never be your chosen one'

"It's not like I'm your son anymore!" Zuko screamed, tears of hurt streaming down his face as he bowed his head and became soft, "we all know you always loved Azula more than me."

The words were whispered, but they held so much hate and rage and hurt that it set the King off.

"Take him away!" Ozai roared, his face paling when he saw Zuko smiling at him in a sickeningly sweet manner.