Avatar: The Benders of the Light
Prologue: A Love Long Lost
Summary: A little after a month after Zuko became Fire Lord, he decides to follow a lead which could lead him to the last hole in his now perfected life: His mother. He discovers he has bitten off more than he can chew when he stumbles upon a secret older than Bending. Meanwhile, rebellions pop up in the wake of the Fire Lord's dissappearence. Surrounded on two ends by enemies, can the Gang overcome the odds once again?
Disclaimer: I barely own the computer I am writing this on, you really think I own a multi million dollar TV Show? Yeah...right...Keep dreaming.
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Zuko stared down his father, the man who raised him. The same one he had once wanted to gain's respect. Now he sat, hunched over, crippled and hollow in his cell. In the same prison, somewhere, his sister was throwing fits of rage. He wanted to leave, but he needed to know where the only person in his direct family whom still held a place in his heart was.
Ozai's mouth and eyes were locked into a scowl. "Why should I tell you? You usurped my thrown and had me put in prison."
"Because at one time, our family was happy. Because you used to love her. And because if you don't, you'll be spending the rest of your life in here and never even have a chance to smell fresh air again." Zuko tried to keep his voice even. Ever since he decided to join Aang, he'd been slowly learning to control his temper from the young, level-headed monk. He was surprised at just how good of a teacher the almost-thirteen-year-old could be. Still, a few months teaching was not quite enough to keep smoke from sizzling from his knuckles.
Ozai kept silent, trying to gauge how serious his son was. Moments passed and neither spoke, just tried to stare the other down.
Finally, Zuko lost it. He slammed his fist against the concrete wall, a wave of fire raising the room's temperature several degrees and slightly singeing the ex-firelord's frayed prison robes. "Do you think this is some sort of game?" Zuko shouted. "You've toyed with me all my life and even when I have the upper hand finally, you insist on still playing me like a fool. You have nothing to lose, father, only to gain. Tell me."
Ozai simply stared at his son. His hands dipped into his robes and he pulled out something Zuko had never seen before: a small, tarnished gold key. He churned it over in his palm once and then deposited it onto the floor, scooting it out of his cell.
Zuko leaned over and picked it up. It was surprisingly cold and had an ornate snake-like phoenix rising up its length. The head had one golden eye, which almost seemed to spark with life as he stared into it. "What on earth is this?" Zuko demanded, but his father didn't answer. Instead, his eyes were out of focus, caught in a haze Zuko had never seen on the elder's heavily-chiseled face. There was something of sadness in them and he seemed to have doubled in age within moments.
"Go." He said in a cool tone. Zuko knew that voice. It was the same, stern one the elder used many times when Zuko was growing up. What that one word really meant was "Go now or I am going to set your hair on fire, you impudent brat." It was so demanding, a part of Zuko was ready to listen to his father and leave. Now. But he needed a real answer.
Minutes went by, almost an hour, and still Ozai refused to say any more. He had even turned his back, refusing to face Zuko no matter what hissy fit the boy threw. Finally, Zuko realized without a doubt he would get no more from his father. Perhaps the real reason, the one Zuko in his remaining, pristine image of his father didn't seem to understand, was that the other was crying in his cell. Maybe not hard, rabid sobs, but just pure tears falling from amber eyes.
No one could ever know just how he really was. The real reason he was ready to take over the world. A truth, a terrible crippling secret which burned in his gut every day, every time he looked in the mirror.
What really happened to Fire Lady Ursa…
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