Description: What if Zuko had been banished when he was ten? What if when he was banished his father planned to get rid of him - for good? Sent to find the Avatar to regain his honor, Zuko is attacked by his own crew. Taken pity by one man, he is saved by the help of the spirits and sent to a place where he could heal. This is his story, being raised by the chief of the Southern Water Tribe.
I will try to update whenever I can. School is almost out for me and I hopefully will be getting a job here soon. Please read, favorite, follow, and review. I love hearing what you have to say.
Prologue:
"Please, Father! I only had the fire nation's best interest at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" Zuko begged to his father, terrified of what will happen.
Zuko stared as his father approached him. A sinister smirk and a malicious look in his eyes. He looked down upon his son, a sadistic glint flickering like fire in his eyes. This was the perfect moment he had been waiting for. This weak, pathetic boy would finally be getting it and in front of the whole fire nation. Now it was just to finish this show of power.
"You will fight for your honor," he stated, the crowd watching in anticipation.
They stood on a stage for the Agni Kai. Torches burned brightly illuminating the two figures. Seating surrounds the stage was full. Everyone who was important had been invited to watch this fire show. Red, gold, and black were the only colors to decorate the room making it look dark by the light of the torches. The tension was so high that the people in the stands held their breaths. What was their fire lord planing on doing to his only son?
Zuko knelt on the ground, bowing as he begs, "I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son."
Zuko hoped that somewhere in his heart his father wouldn't fight him. He was only ten and didn't know any better, but he did know that what the general had been planning was wrong. He may have be ten, but he wasn't an idiot. You can thank his lessons for that. Never in this whole time did he notice the plotting and malevolent look his father was giving him; as if he had been given the perfect opportunity.
In fact Zuko had given him the perfect opportunity. It was time for the first born, useless son of his to disappear and his better stronger daughter to take his place. A cruel grin appears on his face.
"Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" Ozai commanded, walking closer to his son.
"I won't fight you," Zuko stated, lowering his head as Ozai stops in front of him. Zuko knew it was no use. His father wasn't a merciful person even to the closest person to him. Tears stream down his face as he slowly brought up his face to look at his father. Fear flashed through him as his father looked down upon him with a smile of such pure evil it sent shivers down his back.
"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher," Ozai said, creating a fire in his hand.
The burning was so horrible and he screamed. His father lets his hand rest on Zuko's face, burning the skin around his eye. Zuko's screams of pain fill the whole arena and a certain girl relished in the sound of agony. This was what she'd been training for, what her father has been preparing her for, what she was born for. To take her brother's place.
Ozai pulled his hand back; his son dropping to the floor clutching his face. Ozai, not even flinching or showing any remorse, signaled for a servant to take his son away. Zuko laid on the ground, having passed out from the pain. He could see his weak brother leaving, pushing his way through the stands and towards where his son was being taken. Ozai scoffed internally, his brother was no longer a problem, but his son still was and that needed to be taken care off.
In his throneroom, Ozai summoned a few not so good soldiers that had been dishonorably discharged. These were the kind of people he could use to make his plan work well for his benefit. Not only could he send his son away, but he could make him disappear forever and improve what the people thought of him. Giving them his orders he sent them and a not yet recovered Zuko.
Practically thrown into the brig, Zuko laid unceremoniously on the ground, still in pain. His wound not even wrapped properly by the people supposed to work under him. Pain was all he felt when the crew dragged him up on deck later that next day. They were away from the fire nation and could get started on what the Fire Lord had ordered them to do. Beating him up every way possible, the young exiled prince lay bruised, cut, and broken on the floor. All the men laughed and go back below for a drink, leaving the prince unceremoniously on the ground. One man stayed though. He, with great care, picked up the damaged prince and brings him back to the brig. The man tries to treat the cuts and bruises where they wouldn't be noticed by the other men.
This man felt pity to the broken prince as he takes in his beaten form. The young prince had earned his respect when he stood up to the general. His own younger brother a part of the 41st division and would be soon walking to his death.
As the days continued the man would treat and even share some of his own rations as they sailed farther and farther away from the fire nation. Each day got worse and worse for Zuko though, even with the man trying to help him. More battered and broken after each day ended than the one before. He soon lost track of the days as they blended into one long stream of beatings. At one point one took it too far and his leg was twisted until it snapped in two. Zuko's screams of pain were drowned out by the laughter of the cruel men.
That night the kind man took action. He knew they were very far from the Fire Nation. In fact the heat that was always around the Fire Nation had turned freezing cold. Ozai had ordered them to wait until close to the Water Tribe before disposing of his son.
Lifting the small boy up, he set him in one of the lifeboats hanging on the side of the metal ship. The small metal boat bobs gently on the water once the man lowered it down. Zuko lay at the bottom, only the torn cloths on his back and the dirty bandages on his face. His hair a greasy, tangled mess, falling out of his pony tail.
His cloths were only briefly changed once he was taken to the infirmary, before he was taken to the ship by order of his father. The cloths were the same he wore everyday, a long shirt, short sleeved shirt, vest, pants and boots. Both shirts and vest had been cut through and blood ruined the soft cloth. His pants were the same and one boot was twisted in an angle that was unnatural, showing his leg was broken.
Groaning as the boat rocked by the waves taking him away from the metal ship that was supposed to carry him to regain his honor. He looked up at the sky, dark and only the moon out. Zuko prayed to any spirit that could be looking down at him to take pity on him, to take him away from the pain, to a place where he could actually be loved and not second best or unwanted. Zuko then passed out once again from the pain, not caring where he ended up or if he lived.
The moon spirit and ocean spirit look down upon the poor boy gifted by the sun. Seeing how cruelly he had been treated and how he had been abandoned by those he cared about, the two spirits took pity on him. The moon spirit keeping him alive and the ocean spirit willing the waves to take him south where a fleet of boats anchored at the edge of their own territory. This fleet of boats, the same people who the spirits had gifted long ago. The small boat went unnoticed to the southern tribe men, until it was closer.
A young watchman look over the waters for any signs of the fire nation. Recently that year the fire nation had attacked and many suffered the loss of a loved one, even the chief lost his beloved wife. He personally lost his eldest brother, who died trying to protect their mother. The young boy barely eighteen spent up to this point training with his other older brother to seek vengeance in the fire nation, but being a watchman made him jumpy and to be honest scared.
When the mental boat comes into his view, he sounds the alarm not noticing there was no other incoming ships. Many water tribe men file out of their hammocks half asleep but ready to fight. It is once everyone is on deck that they saw it is only a single lifeboat. .
"Bring it closer!" orders the chief Hakoda.
Using grappling ropes to drag it closer. Two men drop down into the boat and shocked to see the only person in it is a boy too young to be on his own, beaten and wounded.
"Chief," Bato calls to Hakoda. "It's a young fire nation boy, and he's wounded badly."
Suspicious, but concerned for the boy Hakoda orders his men to take the boy below deck to the medical bay for treatment. Once he is awake and some what better he will interrogate why a young fire nation boy is out on his own and so close to water tribe territory.
I will also be putting up some of my other stories from my quotev account on here as well as vice versa. My user name on there is Jayden Parker so no worries of that account copying my stories. I will also put that on the first chapter of this story on there.