"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher!"

Searing pain, worse than anything he'd ever felt, ripped an anguished scream from Prince Zuko's throat. His father's flame bit deep into his skin. He slapped his hands to his face, burning them on his searing skin.

"Are you angry, Zuko? Will you face me now?"

Fire Lord Ozai's words rang in Zuko's ears, barely registering. He couldn't speak, couldn't move, could only hide his face and wish the pain away.

He didn't even notice the first kick. The second and third, however, registered in the back of his mind. His father's foot connecting hard with Zuko's ribs.

"If you won't face me, then admit defeat!" Ozai roared as he kicked his son, curled up in the foetal position at his feet. "Face me or admit defeat!"

Shouts came from the crowd watching the Agni Kai. A girl's cold laughter rang out loudly.

"Zu-Zu's lucky. Dad went easy on him. If it had been me, I'd have gone in for the kill."

"Say it!" Ozai shouted. "Say: I am weak and worthless and defeated!"

Another kick, this time to the left side of Zuko's head. When his father's foot connected with the painful burned skin, an animalistic scream was torn from Zuko's throat. The world faded to black for a moment.

...

Ozai, as well as most of the audience, were gone when Zuko came to a few minutes later.

He wished he'd stayed unconscious.

The pain hadn't faded at all. If anything, it was worse. Tears streamed uncontrollably from his right eye. His breath was ragged and he was curled into a tight ball on the stage of the Agni Kai.

The feel of someone's touch on his shoulder made him jump.

"It's alright, Prince Zuko. I'm going to take you to the infirmary."

The pain blurred Zuko's sight in his good eye, but he could tell that he was looking up into the face of his Uncle Iroh.

With surprisingly strong arms, Iroh lifted his nephew up and held him tightly against his chest.

Zuko hated to be held, hated to feel helpless. He wanted to scream at his uncle to put him down, to leave him alone, to let him die. But he still couldn't seem to find his voice, and instead slipped back into unconsciousness.

...

When Zuko woke up again, he could tell that he had been out for much longer than a few minutes. He was lying in a bed. A quick glance around revealed it to be the royal infirmary, where he'd been many times before, when Azula had played too rough.

They'd obviously given him something to numb the pain. He felt groggy and sluggish. The pain had hardly been dulled, though. He reached up and gingerly touched the left side of his face. It was entirely swathed in bandages.

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't touch, Prince Zuko," Uncle Iroh chastised, gently pulling Zuko's hands away from the wound.

His mind foggy from the drugs, it took Zuko a few seconds to focus on his Uncle's face and give him the cruellest glare he could muster with his good eye.

"Where's Fa… Ozai?" Zuko hissed. His voice was back.

Iroh hesitated for a moment, then said, "I don't think he wants to see you right now."

Gritting his teeth, Zuko sat up, then swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"No, you should stay in bed, Prince Z-!" Iroh started, but Zuko cut him off.

"Leave me alone! I have business with Ozai, not you!" Zuko shouted.

He teetered a few steps across the room, unsteady because of the drugs and the throbbing pain in his side and face.

"Uncle Iroh's right," a feminine voice called from the doorway. "Dad doesn't want to see your face. And I can't blame him. You look ridiculous with those bandages! Of course, it'll be even worse when they come off and you have a horrible sc-"

"Azula," Zuko growled, clenching his fists as he glared at his sister.

Princess Azula smiled, arms crossed as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Dad's so disgusted by you that he doesn't even want you at the palace anymore," Azula continued.

"What are you talking about, Azula?" Zuko snapped.

"Azula, your brother needs to rest now. We can tell him later," Iroh said, nervously glancing from brother to sister.

"Tell me what?"

"You're banished, Zuko. Exiled. Dad revoked your birthright and banished you from the palace. You're not even really a prince anymore, Zu-Zu."

Zuko stared at his sister. In the back of his foggy mind, a mantra from his childhood played. Azula always lies. Azula always lies. Azula always lies…

"Thanks, Zu-Zu!" Azula called happily over her shoulder as she skipped out of the room. "Now I just need to get rid of Dad, and I'm Fire Lord!"

Zuko whirled around to face his uncle.

"Is that true?"

"Well, you know, Azula likes to exaggerate…"

Zuko reached out and roughly grabbed the front of Iroh's shirt.

"Am I banished?" he roared.

"…Yes," Iroh admitted.

Zuko reeled back and fell onto the bed, his good eye wide with shock.

"There's one condition, though!" Iroh added quickly. "Your father said you can return to the Fire Nation and reclaim your right to the throne if you can find the Avatar."

"The what?" Zuko asked.

"The Avatar. I'm sure you learned about him in your history lessons. Master of all four elements, who can supposedly put an end to the Fire Nation's conquests."

Zuko bowed his head and rubbed his right temple. His head was a blurry mess and the excruciating burn on his face became more and more unbearable with each passing minute.

He did remember hearing of the Avatar, though.

"Didn't he disappear almost a hundred years ago? How am I supposed to find him?" Zuko demanded.

"I don't know," Iroh declared bluntly. "I'll help you with whatever plan you come up with, though."

"What?"

"You father was… kind… enough to let you have one ship and a small crew to help you look for the Avatar. I have decided to join that crew."

"I don't need your help!" Zuko shouted, his head snapping up. "I don't need a babysitter! I can do this on my own!"

"I'm not coming for your sake," Iroh said quickly. "The Dragon of the West has just gotten a bit bored sitting around here at the palace. And between you and me, I think my brother would be happy to see me gone, too."

Zuko didn't believe his uncle's excuses for a minute, but the medication was wearing off and the pain was making it hard to speak again. Instead, he rose to his feet, his fists clenched tightly.

"We don't have to leave right away," Iroh assured his nephew. "We can wait until your wounds have healed a bit…"

"I'm leaving right now. The ship and crew better be ready," Zuko hissed, his voice low. "I'm not going to wait around for my wounds to heal. I'll find the Avatar and be back at the palace before these bandages come off."