A Different Nation a New Code (Zutara)

Chapter Nine

•••Zuko and Katara's perspective•••
Zuko landed a ship in a small Fire Nation village. He really wanted to get to know and connect with his people.

Katara looked over at him and rose an eyebrow. She had no idea what they were doing here. She wondered what he had in mind. She had to admit the village was pretty.

Zuko turned to her. "I know this seems like a weird place to stop but I wanna get to know my people " he explained. "I want them to know I'm a good man unlike my father." He stayed quiet for a moment and thought about his father. The though of his father gave Zuko chills.

His father used to take women from villages and turn them into slaves. Yes his father was that nasty. He could never comprehend how a man could do that. Some of them were mothers, teenagers...like his sister.

On Zuko's sixteenth birthday his father had bought him a girl. Zuko refused the "gift" saying he couldn't do that to someone. That only caused his father to ridicule him more.

He could remember the conversation he had with his father quite clearly as it was one of the most ridiculous things he had ever experienced in his life, his father was mad because he didn't want a slave.

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"Zuko, I may hate you but I bought you a birthday present."his father said with a strange ring to his voice.

"Why would you buy me a present?" He asked rather confused. He glanced at his uncle who also had no clue what was going on.

"It's a girl" his father said handing over a girl to him. "I hope you like it..."

Zuko looked at her. She was just the same age as Azulo, fourteen. He narrowed his eyes. "Father. No. "

"No?" He asked turning around.

"Yeah, I said no"

"You're going to decline my birthday gift to you?!"

"A teenage girl is not a birthday gift..."

"See Zuko I try to make things right and you go ahead and ruin it. You're always ruining things" his father growled pulling the girl back in his direction.

Zuko grabbed the girl's wrist rather tightly. He did not mean to hurt her but he had to protect her. "Leave her with me." He demanded looking into his father's eyes.

His dad let go of the young girl pushing her into Zuko's chest. He caught her and narrowed his eyes.

And with that his father left.

Zuko found out what village the girl came from and brought her back. The village he was bringing Katara to today was the same one she came from. And he hoped to reunite with her. He felt it was his duty to promise the people that their women would never be taken, ever again.

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"I didn't say anything about this being a weird place to stop" Katara pointed out which was true she hadn't said anything.

Zuko was just so uncomfortable about the thing with his father and the girl, well now woman, who lived here.

He looked at her. "I guess " he said and got off the ship. Him and Katara walked out of the ship, they were greeted by the people.

The people who lived in this village were non benders and it was kept that way because that's how Zuko's father got all his women and girls. They made sure that no one could fight back. The fire nation was even mean to their people it didn't matter who you were.