Of course. Zhao was promoted. It was only a matter of time. It was so predictable. His father was so predictable. Anyone who put any effort into hunting for the Avatar would require a lot of help, judging from recent events during which the Avatar seem to have eluded them so easily. Anyone who was hunting for the Avatar would receive all the help they needed. Anyone minus him, Prince Zuko, of course. Zhao had been promoted to Admiral so he could manipulate people even more.
The next piece of news that arrived to the ears of Prince Zuko was that the Avatar had been captured, by Zhao, with the help of the Yuyan Archers. Zuko was getting desperate. It was only a matter of time before the Avatar was delivered to his father, the Firelord. The Avatar gave Zuko hope. Once the airbender was delivered to his father, that tiny spark of hope he still had inside him would burn out. His honor, his throne, his country. They were all going to slip out of reach. He would never return to the Fire Nation. He would forever be the banished prince with the scar. Without honor. He would never be able to prove to his father that he was not worthless.
The only family member he had on his side was his Uncle Iroh. He had a feeling his mother, Princess Ursa, would support him as well, but she was nowhere to be found. There hadn't been a day that passed when Zuko had not thought of her and of the Avatar.
Images of Azula, his sister, whom he haven't seen in three years, flashed in his mind. He gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. She had always been so perfect and cunning and quick. He thanked the spirits it wasn't her who was searching for the last airbender. He would never stand a chance. A line she had uttered in the past rang in his ears, "Perhaps you could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt to you." Was that what he was going to become? A refugee in the Earth Kingdom for the rest of his life? That would definitely happen, if he let Zhao have the Avatar.
He had his Blue Spirit mask, and his duel Dao swords. His skill at those remained unknown and he preferred to keep it that way. He could free the Avatar and capture him as his own. His Uncle Iroh would not approve. He had to sneak out.
He didn't stop to think. Even if he did free the Avatar and recapture him, how was he to deliver the airbender to his father? Firelord Ozai would only accuse him of thieving from an Admiral. Well, it had always been one of his bad traits. He never stopped to think. He never thought things through.
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