Prologue: I remember

I remember hugging my knees to my chest.

I remember shutting my eyes.

I remember being afraid.

I remember looking around the cart full of men I knew from my village ... my neighbors... my father's friends... they were all here. Their green and brown eyes, now empty, no hope or will to be found in them. I remember how the men spoke about what the Fire Nation would do to them, how they would die, and how they might live, while I thought about why they would even bother taking a seven year old child. One of them- my father's closest friend- addressed me and said, "Aren't you scared?"

I shook my head no even though the truth was... I was deathly afraid, it was like a nightmare that I wanted desperately to get out of... but I had to act brave. I was told not to fear these people.

He smiled, such a sad smile, "It's all right. I'm afraid. We all are..." he motioned to the men around him. And I remember seeing the fear in all of their eyes.

That was the first time I heard anyone admit fear in my village. We were told as children that fear was our only other enemy besides the Fire Nation. If we feel fear, we were defeated even before the first battle.

But even before these men had gone into their first battle with the Fire Nation, they had been killed not of their own fear... but of the Fire Nation savages.

But yet I remember being saved.

I remember being silenced and punished as a servant.

I remember knowing a Fire Nation boy who was not a savage.
I was still afraid, but I remember a slight flicker of happiness.

Chapter 1

The young girl squinted at the parchment. The characters seemed like people frantically dancing across the page trying to tell her something. But the message wasn't getting through. Hana couldn't read what it was desperately trying to tell her. As one could see, the young girl didn't know how to read. There was no reason for that on a farm, or in the palace kitchen drying dishes and moping floors. But now, in the chambers of the Fire Nation Royals, literacy was mandatory. Of course the seven year old had no idea how she, an Earth Kingdom peasant, was promoted to such a high standard in the palace. In fact, she had no idea why she was there in the bed chambers the first place. But the thing was, Hana looked more Fire Nation than anything. With her ivory skin and ebony hair, she could even pass for a noble. But she acted Earth Kingdom: strong- willed and stubborn, refusing to bow down to anybody.

The young boy began to squint too. But instead of at a piece of parchment, it was at the young girl. Stepping closer, he was able to see her troubled face, nibbling on her bottom lip and blank eyes. He hadn't seen her before, at least not in this part of the palace. Looking at her again, she was clearly a servant, in a plain red tunic, slightly different than the ones that the chambermaids wore. She seems so… his thoughts paused in search of finding the right word, lost. He took another step, mystified at her unusual behavior. Who looks at a parchment like that? What could be on the paper that could be so hard to figure out? The child took three more steps until he was behind the girl, able to see the writing on the parchment. Leaning forward, he was able to see… "Clean," he whispered.

Startled Hana turned around, to see a pale boy standing close to her. Gripping the paper in her left hand, she gasped and said, "Yeah? What about it?" Maybe she wasn't allowed to snap at her supervisors and cooks, but this boy seemed about her age.

"That's what it says on the paper," his voice seemed calm, "Can't you read?" now it snapped just like hers.

"Does it matter?" the paper crumpled in her hand.

"Well… yeah… Shouldn't it?'

Hana shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you need help?" he asked, unsure of himself.

"With what?"

"With reading the paper you have," he pointed to the crumpled mess in her hand.

"I can read it myself," her voice got defensive, "And I don't need any help from you sav-" she was about to say savage but remembering how many times she was hit for letting it slip out, she stopped mid- word.

"Well if you could, why were you taking so long?"

"I… I was thinking, okay?"

"You can't read, can you?"

Frustrated, she turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!" he grabbed her wrist, "You're a kitchen girl aren't you? No wonder you don't know."

"So what, I was a kitchen girl."

"Well your manners are terrible. Even for a kitchen girl."

"What's that supposed to mean?" her hands clenched into fists.

"That you have bad manners. Even the kitchen riff raff know to bow when a royal addresses them."

"You're not a royal," she scoffed.

"Oh yeah?" he stepped back crossing his arms.

Hana was able to size him up, not just his face but also his clothes. She saw the armor-like shirt and pants with his pointed shoes. Gazing back up, she saw… his golden eyes. Quickly she dropped to her knees, bringing her forehead to the marble floor.

"You saw the eyes right?"

"Yes," she became quiet and timid.

"You know my whole family as them. My mom, my sister, dad, grandfather, great grandfather…"

"Okay, I get it," she hissed. Luckily he didn't hear.

"You can get up now," he smiled, "Oh, and you didn't have to do the lowly- toad thing, that's only for adult royals. You can just bow from the waist until I turn sixteen."

Rubbing her red forehead she was able to say, "I'm s-sorry, your highness…"

"You bumped your head didn't you," he laughed, "I don't think anyone has done that before. You must be really clumsy," the boy laughed again. "What's your name any way, kitchen girl?"

"Will you not call me that? I'm not even a kitchen girl anymore," her face became red.

"You're forgetting your manners again," he chided. I don't know why its so fun teasing her… but she's blushing. He smiled.

"It's Hana," she paused before speaking again, "What's yours… your highness."

"It's Zuko… Prince Zuko… just call me that, okay?"

"You mean I don't have to say 'your highness' all the time?"

"No… I thought you knew that. What's your name again?"

"Hana…" she said sighing.

"Oh! You're the girl from the colonies in the Earth Kingdom. My mom was said something about…"

"What's your mother's name?"

"You should address her as 'Your highness.' But her name is Ursa. I bet you've seen her. She was long dark hair, and my color eyes."

She remembered the night she was brought to the palace… What was that woman's name? Hana shut her eyes for a second and heard someone with dark hair and gold eyes speak to the captain at the docks. One hundred gold pieces for this child's life. And again in dark cellar, If anybody asks you where you're from, say the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. "So that was her name," she whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing…" she shook her head, "Prince Zuko?"

"Yes?"

"Can you help me read this?" Hana smoothed out the parchment and gave it to him.

"Sure," he smiled taking it.

"Well… Zuko?"

"Hm?" he didn't notice, or at least didn't mention, that she had forgotten the title Prince.

"Well…" she began again, "You're pretty nice for a Fire Nation boy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're nice."

And a smile crept onto both of their pale faces.