Chapter 1:
Strings
By: Itstehchibiness
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. Also, I apologize if there is a story like this out there in the Zutara world already! I've read quite a few Zutara fics but haven't come across one with a story like one I want to portray. Once again, I do apologize!
On with the story~!
A/N: I suck at poems. LOL
One can always infer that if strategy and power were enough, then ruling over all can be everything but a challenge. At least, this is what prince Zuko thought. Being one of the heirs to the throne of the fire nation, he is forced to do all the dirty work for his father. Being at war with all the other nations, the fire nation wants to take over all. Only being 18, still young, he knew he was destined for greatness. Donned in traditional fire nation armor, the colors of yellow, orange, and red, he was out within the middle of the sea for his next objective.
"How close are we, uncle?" Zuko was looking overboard at the front of the ship, seeing nothing but a red sunset across the horizon, but having a strange feeling that he was close to his destination.
"Oh Zuko, I don't know. I'm just an old man; with all you young people learning new ways to navigate it seems that my ways are oh so silly!" a man named Iroh spoke. He was short, definitely old in age, but with a spirit so wise one would think that he'd lived thousands of lifetimes.
"…This is why I do keep track of where we are headed myself… even though I did ask you to help previously."
"Ah well, navigation is not this man's forte!"
"I'll keep that in mind to not ask you again to help." Zuko spat.
Iroh ignored Zuko's common remark, "Also, Zuko, it seems that yesterday you decided to change course when we left port yesterday, eh? Why is this?"
"I am looking for something." Zuko lowered his voice, "I read in a book just before we left that there's this relic. I've heard that it holds great power. I think this may be useful, and I got permission to execute the action to see if it's findable. However I did not state anything about the relic, just permission to change course."
"What makes you think it's still there, Zuko? Surely others must have found this book or at least read copies and looked for it themselves?"
Zuko rubbed his forehead, "Well, this is the weird thing…" Iroh perked his ears, "It's almost as if the book came from nowhere. I woke up and right next to my bed on the nightstand was a very old, crinkled book. I've never seen it in any of our libraries, uncle."
"Intriguing. Ah! Well I am always set for adventure, let us go and look for this… so you say… 'relic'." Iroh smiled.
Zuko rolled his eyes and kept looking forward. The prince eventually closed his eyes and took a deep breath. According to where the book specified, they should be getting close. By mid nightfall, they should hit shore.
"Are you nervous?" Iroh turned his head while looking at Zuko.
"Nerves are not what I am feeling at this point. Here, look for yourself and see why I'm not nervous. Isn't it so detailed?"
Zuko took the book out of a bag that was near him, he obviously wasn't letting it out of his sight. Iroh examined the book and became wide-eyed.
"In all the books I've read in my day, I've never seen one like this…" Iroh said.
"Then you have to believe me! Open the book!"
Iroh opened up the book. He saw that it was filled with drawn-in pictures, writings in foreign languages, and even a few maps for how to find certain objects, even if most were described in such languages. There were also instructions on how to make certain potions, and it included some rare ingredients that Iroh only thought had gone extinct long ago, seeing as Iroh is a budding botanist.
At the very back of the old crinkled book, he saw instructions written in the common language that they spoke, and began reading it. It was a poem.
What do you seek, my little friend?
Is it something to guide you to the end?
Do you seek power, revenge or maybe the potential to be a king?
I hold the power that can make you go down in history.
I have chosen you and you alone for this quest.
But once you get this relic, it shall be the ultimate test.
Below this poem there is a map.
It shall lead you to an island called 'Strangers wrath'.
An odd name, yes, but it is my home.
Come, Prince Zuko, for you have powers you need to hone.
Iroh's eyes widened, the poem is saying Zuko's name? But how? The paper looks so ancient. From what Iroh can tell these pages have been in this book for years.
He kept reading.
But one thing I must tell you, you see.
The relic, that is, is very unique.
It grants you a power that no one else holds.
But, I promise, Zuko, this story will unfold.
Now I must take my leave.
The fate of the relic is up to thee.
I shall see you soon, do make haste!
This is an offer you don't want to waste.
The writing immediately ends. There's no signature or any sign of a name anywhere on the page.
"Wow. Well Zuko, I can see why you'd want to see this place… but I advise you to do be careful; it seems powerful. However I've seen many-a-prank in my day, and who knows, maybe someone is pulling your leg! " Iroh smiled.
"Uncle, I think I can handle material possessions just fine. It's just a matter of whether this relic is shelf property or not. Also, even if this 'relic' seems to be a hoax, I've noticed that this island hasn't been marked on any other map I've read. It's near the South Pole, which is weird. But nonetheless, acquiring new Fire Nation territory would be ideal."
"It just seems so strange, if it were real, why would someone pick you for this out of everyone else in the entire world? Out of all the nations?"
"I'll find this out soon enough, uncle."
Zuko and Iroh waited around for a few hours, pondering on certain questions that have been brought up through the reading. Eventually both of them heard a "land ho!" and immediately stepped outside to the front of the ship. The island looked just like something one would see daily, so why does it have such an odd name?
The ship eventually docked on the shore. Zuko looked up and the night was clear, with all the stars giving much illumination. Zuko rallied up some men and his uncle to traverse with him into the forested island. As soon as Zuko started walking onto the grass, he realized his men and uncle weren't behind him.
He swiftly turned around to see what was happening, and his group of men appeared to be pushing against something. Even his uncle was pressing against it.
"What's going on?!" Zuko swiftly asked.
"Sir, there seems to be a barrier here! We can't get through!" A soldier said.
Zuko's eyes dimmed. This didn't seem good. However he hadn't travelled this far for nothing.
Zuko hurled a weak fireball at the barrier, but it only seemed to quell as soon as it hit it. Men tried to go through the barrier where the fireball hit, but no avail.
"Maybe we should have waited until the daytime where fire is stronger!" a soldier exclaimed.
"We don't have enough time; I want to be out of here by morning!" Zuko exclaimed.
"Zuko, go on." Iroh said calmly, slowly backing himself away from the barrier.
"…Fine…If I feel something is happening to me, I'll do my best to give you guys a signal. For the time being, stay near the ship. It's our only way out. Guard it with your life."
"Understood!" the soldiers said in response.
"Be careful, Zuko." Iroh warned.
Zuko readied his hands for what was potentially to come. As he stepped through the forest, the trees, the dirt and rocks seemed to shift, creating a path to where he needs to go.
This person is an earth bender? Zuko thought.
He continued walking through the forest, looking behind him every few seconds. Eventually the dark forest turned into a clearing, and right in the middle of the clearing was what looked to be like a stone hut, no bigger than a single sized room. Zuko felt a sensation within him, and had a feeling that the hut held what he needed.
Getting closer, he saw that the stone hut was covered in moss and cobwebs. Had this house been abandoned? Zuko knocked on what appeared to be a wooden door, but it swung open automatically.
"I knew you'd arrive here, Zuko. Please, have a seat."
The room was pitch black. Zuko light up the room with his hands, and saw that there was an old woman with a very crinkly face sitting down with a wooden chair holding upon her face a smile so solemn it send a chill down Zuko's spine.
He sat down on some stone, with fire still illuminating.
"Do you know why I have summoned you here, Zuko?"
Zuko quelled a flame on one of his hands and grabbed the book out of the bag he held it in.
"It's because of this book, correct? How did you get to my room? How do you know my name? And more importantly, how did you get inside my ships' fortification?"
"Ah the young, so full of questions. In due time… in due time."
Zuko dimmed his eyes suspiciously.
The woman smiled more,
"Child, I have spent my whole life guarding this relic. This island is not able to be visited by anybody due to the field I've put up. If anybody attempts to walk through it, they can try and try but always fail. When they return back to their ships and start setting sail, I've made it so they completely forget what just happened to them, and no memories of this place do they have.."
"… how do you do this?!"
"With the relic, of course. I am its current wielder. I had been entrusted with it. However, its power is draining, as my time for death is coming. It gave me a vision of you, and therefore I sent a message to you in the form of one of the only books I had, manipulating a bird to carry it, drop it into a soldiers' hands, and have the soldier sneak into your room and put it on the drawer, then I wiped his memory with a protection spell that will never wear off. As a matter of fact, this island I made completely by myself, with this power. Once it is entrusted to you and you have wielded it, this island will vanish."
"Why on earth did you use the relic only to hide it? That seems like a waste of time."
"Because when it chose me, its only power it granted to me was the power of protection and creation, but when I attempted to use it long ago, people shunned me for using it, and I was cast away. So I made this island, and have been living here ever since, and have enjoyed life here. I knew that I was capable of causing destruction with it, so I just never used it for evil gain. However, you, you desire more than just protection, I sensed. Evil gain is something you desire. But it is of no concern to me. The relic changes power as it's given to a new host; it chooses a person completely at random. Whether the power of the relic is power of which you seek, even though you have evil desires, I cannot determine."
Zuko looked at her wide-eyed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Of course Zuko is going to use it to his advantage; he was in slight disbelief that she didn't attempt to do anything with the relic for her own personal gain.
"Remember this: you and you alone can only hold this. No one else can hold it, and I would prefer you keep it hush-hush from as many people as you can. When I tried exposing its greatness to the world, like I said before, I was shunned."
The woman reached behind her neck and took off what seemed to be a necklace. She stood up slowly, and started walking towards the prince. She plopped it into Zuko's hand.
"Only just now have I been able to take it off. Once it was on me, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get it off. Choose carefully where you put it on yourself, Zuko, for it shall stay in that place forever."
Zuko brought his other hand that was lit up closer to the relic. It was small, circular in shape, but exhibited the colors of white, green, blue, and red. He assumed it represented all the nations. The colors kept changing and morphing into one another, almost like waves hitting sand.
He felt a sensation running through his body as soon as he touched it. It was almost like he wasn't able to throw it out or away, no matter how hard he tried. It was stuck there with him.
"Prince Zuko, please do be careful with this. One thing I must warn: sometimes, it may talk to you. Ignore it. It's not trying to tempt you, but yet it is almost like it has a mind of its own."
The lady went silent for a moment. "Ah, I feel so free, without this burden."
"It's a burden? What you're telling me is making it seem like it is! I thought it was just going to be a stone or something for minimal use for power! Not something that determines its power by chance!"
"Which is why I lured you like I did. I was lured basically the same way, with words knowing of my desires. But whom lured me is of no importance. The relic told me of your desires, thus how I got to know you."
"How on earth can a relic do that?!"
"I don't have the answer to that, prince." The lady started coughing, "I've spent many years pondering on its history, trying to find any information I can, but there is none." She was coughing more.
"Well… seeing as it does have the potential for power, I guess I'll keep it." He snorted.
"Prince, do me a favor, and do not put on the relic until you have left on your ship. You will not forget your visit here but I want to ensure that everybody else does. This will be good for yours and my sake. They will have forgotten as soon as you've passed the barrier, and their minds wiped clean when you begin to utilize it."
Zuko pondered for a moment, "Consider it done."
"Your uncle Iroh will forget that you gave him the book to read, and the book will become ash as soon as you leave."
Zuko was a little taken aback by the fact that she knew his uncle's name, but shrugged it off. He looked at the relic for a few moments, the lady went silent, and she then spoke softly but assuredly a few moments later.
"Zuko, my time to pass on has come, I ask you to leave."
"I was just about to leave, anyway."
"Very well. I wish for your life to be lived prosperously."
Suddenly Zuko's flames died out and he immediately ran outside, gaining a considerable distance away from the stone hut. When he turned around the stone hut was gone, vanished. He held the necklace in his hand, pondering on everything that had happened.
He reached back to the ship and saw that no one was outside of it. He climbed aboard and ordered for takeoff. When they were back at sea, sailing to their next destination, people were conversing with Zuko as almost nothing had happened at all. He made no replies to peoples' inquiries about other such things and immediately retired to his room.
He lay on his bed holding the necklace above his head.
"Maybe I could have this fashioned into a ring or something…"
Zuko's hands immediately closed without his will and he immediately reopened them to find that it transformed itself into a ring.
"Wow." He uttered.
"What can I do so I am able to wear this on my body for the rest of my life, yet keep it hidden… hmm." Zuko pondered on what he wore consistently.
"Well, I do wear belts in abundance with my outfits, why not a belt buckle?"
Zuko's hands immediately clasped again and re-opened, revealing a gold belt-buckle with a little dot inside the middle.
"No, that's not a good idea… I won't be able to take off the belt so I am able to bathe and whatnot…"
Zuko shuddered for a moment, but realized that there was only one thing he could do to keep from people questioning in abundance; but it will keep it hidden.
"An earring."
Once again his hands closed and immediately popped out was a small earring. Zuko sighed, he didn't like excess jewelry, but it was the only way for him to keep it hidden somehow and eventually figure out its true power to him.
Zuko took the clasp that came with the small earring and held the earring close to the tip of his cartilage. The earring immediately pierced through causing Zuko to let out a tiny yelp of pain, with the clasp floating from his hand to the back of the earring to hold it in place.
"Ow!" he put his hand to his ear.
Zuko stood up and walked around his room for a few moments, trying to quell the pain. After some time, the pain subsided and he went over to the mirror to look at himself. He moved his grown hair out of the way and saw that it was securely in place, morphing colors like it was when he first looked at it. He saw a little blood from his ear, and wiped it off with a cloth. He sighed and then let go of his short, shaggy hair and let it flow over his ear.
"I don't feel any different. I don't understand this relic, it seems useless! Oh well, I might as well get some shuteye before dawn, it's the least I can do. Maybe its powers will activate in the morning."
As Zuko's eyes finally fell into a deep sleep when he went to bed, he dreamed of a certain phrase being repeated over and over.
"Manipulate, manipulate, choose only one person and their fate will change!"
When Zuko woke up, he realized it was morning, and that chant came back to his memory. He was confused, but couldn't make much of it. His pondering was stopped short by someone knocking on his door.
"What is it?!" Zuko asked.
"My Prince, we are almost to the Southern Water Tribe! I suggest you get ready!"
"Understood."
With that, Zuko immediately donned his armor, and took a breath in hopes of realizing the power of the relic, for he may need it when they touch foot on Southern Water Tribe territory.
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Hehehehehe, Zuko HAS AN EARRRINGGG! Please don't kill me. Please? Pretty please. Its small! Not noticeable! Promise! Promise… haha ANYWAY!
A/N: Chapter over! I hope you liked it. yes I know, no zutara yet but you have to get out of the way the necessary first! I promise there will be zutara! Lol. I love this pairing. What do you think of the idea? I have lots of plans for it.
Please review! I welcome anything!
PLEASE NOTE that even though this is set in the Avatar universe it is somewhat AU in the fact that 'the avatar' isn't centric for this.
Anyway, I am off to write more! I am busy with college so it may be put on hiatus, but nonetheless, I hope to update as much as possible!
Thanks guys! Love you all :D
Itstehchibiness