Searching (Zuko x OC)

Chapter 1

Quick Author's Note: I have yet to go through and edit this book, so please excuse any spelling errors (there are many). Also, for the purposes of later material I decided to age up the characters a bit. Zuko and Sora are 18 during their time on the ship and 15 when Zuko is banished. All the other character are also aged up 2 years so that I can cover more mature topics. So, if you see an age that doesn't fit that, ignore it. I still have to fix it. Thank you! I hope you enjoy.)
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My mother worked hard. She had me when she was young. My father was never around, so she had to raise me on her own. She used to tell me that it would have been impossible if not for her friend Ursa.

Ursa was Ozai's wife. They were childhood friends. Apparently they went to school together and Ursa remained her friend even after being married. Not long after she became pregnant with her first born did my mom find out about hers. She was nowhere near as happy about it though.

I was a mistake. My father never wanted kids and when he found out about me he was furious. He was from a powerful family and having a child with my mother would have brought disgrace on his family. He tried to make my mom get rid of me.

She turned to Ursa for help and thankfully was given a job at the palace, safe and far away from his reach. I was born a few months after Ursa's child, who I would come to know as Zuko.

I wasn't allowed to speak to him but I saw him around quite often. He would often walk the palace grounds with his mother. She would always greet my mother and I, but I always just bowed respectfully. It wasn't until my mother grew ill that I finally spoke to her.

"Is my mom going to be ok?" I asked timidly.

She sat down next to my mom who was fast asleep. She smiled at me but her eyes did not.

"I'm sure that she will be ok. Our palace is doing everything we can to make sure that she's taken care of," she replied.

I felt a pit grow in my stomach. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at my mom. She was so pale and she had been sleeping for almost a full day. She was never awake for more than an hour at a time. Nurses were constantly taking care of her and whispering quietly to themselves with worries expressions. I wanted to believe Ursa's words, but I knew she was dying.

She looked at me and must have understood what I was thinking. She patted her lap as a signal to join her in the chair. I listened. I sat there as she hugged me and brushed my hair with her fingers. Neither of us spoke.

This continued for about a month, but her condition only worsened. No diagnosis was ever made and she died not soon after my 10th birthday. Ursa had my stuff moved to another room after begging Ozai's father to let me stay. He agreed on the terms that I worked at the palace. Staying with the family would be my pay.

From that moment on, I was no longer a kid. I watched Prince Zuko and his sister and friends play in the courtyard while I worked. I had no free time to be a child or go to school. I woke up, did my duties, and returned to my chambers. Granted they were nicer than the other servants rooms, but that changed nothing about my status at the palace. I was a servant. Nothing more.

The only people other than Ursa that treated me like family were Uncle Iroh and the prince. Iroh welcomed me with open arms, but the prince was more reluctant. It took him almost a year until he finally warmed up to my presence. Uncle Iroh would bring me tea after hours and Zuko would occasionally join him. We even grew to become close friends. Like I said, they treated me like family.

Before I knew it, it was my 13th birthday. I had to work like any other day, but Ursa arranged for the staff to bake me a cake to celebrate anyways. But only after the day was done. I worked tirelessly until I finished all my tasks. I then decided to relax at the pond and feed the turtle ducks for awhile.