"My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born."


Sozin frowned as he crouched at the edge of the turtleduck pond, dipping his fingertips into the cool water. The 10-year-old prince had never been one to smile much, but his scowl was particularly intense that day, as his brother had been sequestered for yet another military tactics lesson. Sozin's hands balled into fists as he sat, neglected, condemned to the second-rate upbringing of the second-born son. A particularly unjust fate, he felt, as he was only minutes too late to claim the title of Crown Prince. But there was no room on the dais for two Fire Lords, and as the first-born twin, Kozen would be the one to ascend and rule the nation one day. Sozin stood and kicked a rock into the pond, startling the resident family of turtleducks.

"Hey now, what did those turtleducks ever do to you?" a voice chided from across the courtyard. Sozin looked up to see his twin brother striding toward him with a grin.

"I thought you had lessons?" Sozin asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice. Kozen shrugged.

"I talked them into letting me out early. I felt guilty leaving my baby brother out here all by himself." Sozin's eyes narrowed at the remark, another stinging reminder of the life that was stolen from him by his cheerful, carefree sibling. Sozin hid his bitterness behind a smile as Kozen playfully slugged him in the shoulder.

"Besides," Kozen continued, "all that military stuff doesn't really interest me. I mean, I know it's kind of important in a way to keep order, but it's not like we're at war. And I'd kinda like to keep it that way." The Crown Prince laid down on his stomach at the edge of the pond, feeding bread crumbs to the turtleducks with a blissful smile on his face. Sozin regarded his brother disapprovingly, wondering if such a passive, sensitive boy would be capable of ruling the Fire Nation properly. Resentment began bubbling up from deep inside him, but as usual, his brother managed to disarm him with his sunny disposition.

"I know!" Kozen exclaimed, turning towards Sozin. "Let's sneak out of the palace and look around the market!" Kozen took a strange delight in mingling with commoners and observing the ordinary thrum of everyday life outside the palace walls. Sozin never understood what his twin brother found so fascinating about the crushing, teeming mass of unwashed peasants, but he still preferred the illicit jaunts with his sibling to staying in the palace, alone and forgotten. Using the secret escape passage in their bedroom, a safety measure installed to allow the royal family to escape in the event of a rebellion, the cloaked boys scurried through the underground tunnel and popped out on the other side of the rear palace wall. They snuck onto the back of a cabbage cart and hitched a ride into the market.

If we weren't identical twins, I'd think one of us was adopted, Sozin mused to himself as Kozen marveled at the sights and sounds of the market. The boys pressed through the crowd, peering at the occasional stall. Kozen giggled and pointed at a stylized blue opera mask, shaping his hands into claws and making monster noises. They purchased a couple of spiced pepper cabbage wraps to snack on and argued over whether or not to free a pitiful-looking komodo chicken in a cage, obviously intended to be someone's next meal. Kozen felt sorry for the poor bird, but Sozin insisted that freeing it would hurt the merchant trying to sell it more than it would help the bird. As the sun crept down the western slope of the sky, the boys hurried back to the palace and through the passage, barely making it back to their room in time to be called to dinner.

During the meal, Sozin was bitterly reminded of his situation. His parents lavished praise on the older twin, bragging about his accomplishments to no one in particular. Kozen attempted to direct the topic of conversation to his sibling, but the Fire Lord ignored him to quiz his heir on military history and cultural traditions. Sozin picked at his meal before quietly excusing himself, his departure unnoticed by everyone except Kozen. He returned to his room to try and console his younger brother when the meal was finally over, but Sozin was in no mood to hear his platitudes.

Left alone in his room, Sozin fumed. How could someone so close to being himself be given everything in the world, while he was left with nothing? He was a spare part, a leftover, unnecessary and unwanted. Fire Nation royal families had no need for more than one child. He could run away into the jungle and no one but Kozen would notice. He could even take Kozen's place and no one but Kozen would know...

I could take his place, Sozin repeated to himself, mulling the words over. I could switch, pretend to be him... or I could TAKE his PLACE. The place that would have been mine, had I been the one born a few minutes before him... had I been an only child. I could still be an only child... if I REALLY wanted...

That night, Sozin decided to kill his twin brother.