Chapter 1: The Mysterious Scroll

Zuko's POV

I was about to leave the Dragonbone Catacombs, where I had found the scroll my traitorous uncle had wanted me to find. Suddenly, I saw another scroll, a few meters away from the others, that had a strange, almost faded, inscription on it. Curious, I picked it up and used the cuff of my robe to clear it.

"Do not touch: TOP SECRET INFORMATION" the sign said. Below it, a weird mark appeared, an eye with strange red things coming out of it, and a smaller circle underneath it. The handwriting on the scroll was definitely that of my father (I had seen his handwriting enough times to recognize it wherever I go), so I opened it: it might be something important. Suddenly, I heard a door open nearby. The wise Fire Nation men were back...

"I have to get out of here. They can't find me here, or they will tell Father," I thought, as I carefully put the scroll holder back where I had found it. I used my sword to make dust fly around the room in order to cover up my tracks, and left, just in time before I would have been noticed.

After confronting Uncle about my findings, I lied down on my bed and opened the scroll I had stolen from the Catacombs, taking a deep breath before starting to read it.

"August 6th

Despite being married to Ursa, I, Fire Prince Ozai, keep getting attracted to one of the maids I have working for me. There is one in particular that keeps getting my attention. a bit of a mysterious woman. For some reason she always wears a bandana around her head, even though she isn't allowed to. She insists on keeping the thing on, telling me that what is on her forehead should bother me even more. This makes me even more curious and attracted to her. One day, she found herself spending some time with me alone, while Ursa went to gather some herbs that would help with her pregnancy pains, for a few days anyway."

I sighed, already feeling this was going to be some sort of a sex manual, describing all my father's affairs with the servants. Even though I knew this could ruin his reputation as the Fire Lord, I wasn't interested in it. I scanned the rest of the scroll, and suddenly I noticed Azula's name, somewhere between the lines. I therefore decided to read the whole message, not believing what I had read. It couldn't be, and yet, it was...

"December 12th

Today maid X came to me with the news that she was pregnant. I was quite surprised, yet pleased with the news, since the doctors had said that my wife Ursa wouldn't be able to give birth to another child after that FAILURE Zuko was born. Hopefully this child will be a lot more like me, especially since lady X has..."

The last part was unfinished, as if my father had, at the last moment, decided that whatever was so special about this lady wasn't worth mentioning. I was now interested: since Ozai had written that my mother had been disabled from getting another child after my birth, that would mean that Azula couldn't be a full sister of mine. Quickly, I read on to a few months later, and indeed on the nine-month mark I saw what I wanted to know.

"September 12th

Exactly nine months after lady X announced her pregnancy, she went into labour. I called Ursa and informed her she was about to welcome her new child: the prince or princess of the Fire Nation. She got a bit mad at me when I explained to her what I had done to have another child, but it was the only option we had left. Woman X gave birth to a healthy baby girl to whom I gave the name Azula (after her grandfather), and soon came to the conclusion that this child would be a outstanding bender. She would be more fit for the throne than that little brat Zuko, who is lucky to have been born. Of course, there is the problem that lady X wants her child to grow up to be like her, so I have to get rid of her first. This can easily be done, of course, since I know her secret..."

This marked the end of the scroll. Nothing about this mysterious woman's secret or where she could be now, just that she was Azula's birth mother. However, I wondered what to do now. If I were to tell Azula about this, she was most likely going to ask about her mother, and I would be unable to help.

"I should probably tell her," I thought. "She has the right to know Father lied to her. All these years..."

I got up and put the scroll in my pocket before walking to her room, knowing I had to confront my little (half-)sister with this scroll. This mysterious scroll with information that was sure to change both our lives...forever...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And with that I end the first chapter of my new story. I hope you all liked it!

Of course Zuko felt it was his duty to tell Azula what he found out, even though the two of them aren't the best of friends. I know, from reading "The Search", that despite the fact that his sister was insane and tried to kill him multiple times Zuko DID care about her and wanted to help her.

I did my best to make this story as realistic as possible, but there is always room for improvement, so let me know your idea's in the command section

That's all for now folks! Thanks for reading and thanks chipster-roo for doing such a awesome job as a beta reader! don't forget to

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