"A time it was and what a time it was, it was,
A time of innocence, a time of confidences
Long ago it must be, I have a photograph
Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you…"
-Bookends by Simon and Garfunkle
Zuko was in an odd room of the palace, in which things had been stored. Things that were meant to be forgotten, while his father had ruled, things Fire Lord Ozai had wanted to push away as though they no longer existed. There were documents here, from Fire Lord Sozin's time, of Sozin and Roku's friendship before it turned sour. There were still some of Zuko's belongings here, shoved in here after he'd abandoned his family to help train the Avatar and fight alongside him. And, far in the back, he found what he was looking for.
His mother's belongings.
There wasn't much. A fine dress of hers, that Zuko was sure still smelled of her. He touched the smooth silk, and unable to help himself, he pulled the sleeve up to his face and inhaled. Yes, the scent was still there, though faint; jasmine. She'd smelled of jasmine.
There was also an old comb, and laying over a small chest that once had held his mother's jewelry, was a portrait of her. Zuko stared at the portrait for a moment. It laid at an odd angle, so he could only just make out her features. He only faintly remembered what she looked like now, it'd been so long since he'd last seen her, close to ten years, maybe.
Carefully, not wanting to tear the paper, he picked it up, and studied it. It was her. He knew it was her, even if he could not picture her face easily anymore. And though he couldn't recall her face well, he still remembered her.
He remembered how lovely she was, how kind and warm, back before everything went downhill. He'd felt so safe then, with Ursa around. It was the last time he'd felt truly safe. She'd been the world to him, his one friend. She'd played with him and cared for him- perhaps, the only family member to do so besides Uncle Iroh.
Zuko did not realize he was so close to tears until his breath started coming in ragged. He bit his lip, to try and hold them back. A Fire Lord did not cry.
But it was hard not to, staring at the portrait of his long gone mother.
It had been confirmed, just a day or two ago, that his mother was, in fact, dead. In her banishment, she'd been sent to the Earth Kingdom. And, only a few years back, it'd been discovered by the town she'd been staying in, who she was; the banished wife of the Fire Lord.
With all the animosity held towards the Fire Nation, it was no surprise that she'd been killed.
His mother was gone. His mother, who had sacrificed everything she had to save her son, was dead.
A single tear managed to escape, and he felt it roll down over his badly scarred, deformed cheek. Zuko lightly touched the dimpled, leathered flesh, and for a moment, was almost happy that his mother would never see him. It would break her heart to see such a mark he had to bear for the rest of his life.
Wiping the tear away, and swallowing hard, Zuko carefully returned the portrait to where it had been before. It would stay in here, with what few other of her belongings he still had. He could not bear to look at her beautiful face every day.
Taking a moment to compose himself, Zuko breathed deeply, and then left the room and her portrait behind.
….Was anyone else sorely disappointed in the fact that nothing came up about what happened to his mom? I mean, seriously, what a fucking cliffhanger at the end of the series.
Please leave constructive criticisms.