Flame of the Heart - Book 1 // Zuko

Chapter 14

Zuko groaned as he climbed up the ladder back onto his ship. It was dark out and he was glad that the crew was asleep and unaware of the blue masked figure sneaking back onto the ship. Flinging himself onto the ship, Zuko removed his mask just in case and slipped it under his tunic so no one would see it.

"Out for a stroll?" a voice asked from behind him.

Zuko spun around, both hands going to his sword that hung on his back, but he froze when he saw who it was. Seated on the rail of the ship with one leg dangling over the side and one on the rail, her arm draped over her knee sat Raven. She was lit up by the pale blue light of the moon, her hair completely down and not wearing her belt but just her pants and her white shirt. She looked like she had come from either getting ready for bed or she had been relaxing.

"How long have you been there?" he asked, relaxing slightly but remaining wary.

Raven smiled, turning to sit with both her legs hanging over the side, facing him, "Long enough to think we were being ambushed by a one-man army in a mask."
Zuko tensed, his hand clenching. Raven smiled at his discomfort and turned around so her back was facing him, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
Zuko relaxed at that announcement until Raven spoke again, "Why are you so set on capturing the Avatar?" she asked. "I would think you would want to help him since he is out to finish your father."
The boy paused before slowly walking over to where the girl was seated, leaning his elbows on the railing to stare out at the water, "Why would you think I have something against my father?"
The girl chuckled, causing Zuko to look at her to find the girl smiling softly at the moon, "The relationship you carry with your uncle is like that of a father and son... and from the looks of it, it is mostly because you both lost something and were able to find it again in each other. Your uncle lost his son and found that in a way he still had a son in you. In a similar way, your father let you down so you turned to your uncle who had shown you more love as a father figure than your own father did."
Zuko frowned, "How did you know this?"
"Your uncle spoke of your banishment," Raven replied in a soft voice. "Something that should never have happened to a young boy. Is that why you are hunting the Avatar?"

Zuko nodded softly before turning his eyes back on the water. Raven let out a soft sigh.

"Are you hunting him just so that your father will respect you and let you return... and get the right to the throne back or is there something else?" the girl asked.

There was a long pause during which Zuko didn't answer and Raven thought that perhaps she wouldn't get an answer until he whispered. "My honor."
Raven turned to him, a smile on her face, "You do have honor Prince Zuko."

Zuko shook his head, "No I don't. And I have the scar to prove it."

When the girl didn't speak, Zuko turned to look at her, only to see that she had climbed off the railing and was facing him with an earnest look in her eyes.

"Were you ever happy in your family without your uncle?" she asked in a soft voice.

Zuko stared at her in bewilderment until he slowly looked back at the water, "After my mother left... no."
"Then why are you trying so hard to get back?" Raven inquired. "If it is just the honor you are worried about, why do you think your uncle follows you?"
Zuko snapped his head in her direction to find the girl smiling up at him and the boy found it hard to breathe. The moonlight was reflecting in her crystal blue eyes, the smile lighting up her face and with her hair down and blowing in her face occasionally, she looked beautiful.... Like how compared to the pure white stallion, the black horse is not as beautiful but when you get the black horse alone, you think that you have never seen anything so beautiful.

"The reason your father banished you was because you did the right thing. You're nothing like your father Zuko. You're kind and thoughtful and you just wanted to do the right thing. You were banished because you were in your father's way. He knew that people would grow to love you more and that was what he feared. He feared what you could become."

Zuko just stared at the girl, too shocked by her words to even move. Raven smiled before glancing back at the water, "I have never had honor. I have been on the run for as long as I can remember. I don't care if people do not want or like me for who I am. I would rather be who I am than try to be someone I am not just to pacify people's selfish perspectives on how people should be."

Turning back to the boy, Raven gripped his arms tightly and turned him to face her fully, "You have to be true to yourself Zuko. The only ones who hate you for being true are those who are living a lie."

The girl smiled up at him before slowly reaching out toward his face. Zuko snapped out of his daze and caught her wrist just before her fingers touched his scarred face. Raven's smile seemed to fade at his rejection of her action but one thing Zuko hadn't quite learnt was that Raven never settled for a 'no'.

Coming to stand on tiptoes, Raven realized that Zuko was a good head taller than her, meaning that her standing on tiptoes did little in evening their difference in height. Placing her free hand on his shoulder, she leant over and before Zuko could stop her, she had placed a kiss on his scarred cheek.

Zuko felt a shiver run down his spine as the girl fell back on her heels softly, keeping her eyes averted.

"Scars are not a sign of shame, but a sign of bravery. It shows that you went through something but if you allow the scar to reach your soul, then it will never heal."
The girl finally lifted her eyes and smiled softly at the boy before patting his shoulder and heading back below deck. Zuko remained frozen to the spot, glad that the pale moonlight had prevented the girl from seeing his face heat up. He shook his head, trying to snap himself out of it but as he climbed down the ladder and through the door into his room... as he laid to sleep that night, he still couldn't forget his interaction with Raven.

Those who are mad at you for speaking the truth are the ones who are living a lie ~ Unknown Author