The warm air meandered its way slowly from up from the coast and into the beach house. It was a pleasant day, as they always were when they were visiting Ember Island. Three-year old Zuko played in the sand on the beach, his parents Fire Prince Ozai and his wife Ursa sitting contentedly under an umbrella. Ursa held their newly-born child, Azula in her arms, looking deeply into her eyes. Azula stared straight back with a bewildered face, and then giggled from the attention.
"Isn't she beautiful," said Ursa, lifting her up to see her father.
"Absolutely gorgeous," replied Ozai. "She takes after her mother. She has your eyes, too. They sparkle like sunlight."
Zuko, occupied with his own adventures, noticed a turtle-crab scuttling along the beach. A hawk was pecking relentlessly at its shell. He ran over to the hawk, sending it squawking away where it perched on a rock. It watched Zuko, but kept a watchful eye on the turtle-crab.
"It's okay, little turtle-crab," said Zuko. "I'll keep you safe." He held the turtle-crab in his arms, then glanced over to the hawk who sat patiently perched on its rock. It looked hungry. Its eyes were sad. It was probably about to starve. Zuko then realized that by saving the turtle-crab, he was also killing the hawk. He looked back down at the turtle-crab, considering giving it back to the hawk but couldn't come to a decision. Meanwhile, the tide was inching closer with every passing wave until suddenly, he found himself lifted up by it and dragged out into the sea. Struggling to keep his head above the surface, he lost his bearings and found himself submerged under the rough waves of the open water.
"Zuko!" cried Ozai. He stumbled to his feet, kicking up sand, and jumped into the water. Zuko splashed violently in the water. Ozai swam as fast as he could out to his only son, grabbing him and swimming back to the shore. Ursa laid Azula on the towel and ran out to them, taking Zuko in her arms.
"It's okay, Zuko. You're alright"
He vomited the warm, salty water for several hours afterwards. Ursa took care of him for the rest of the day, leaving Ozai to tend to Azula. It was that day when he realized what kind of person his son would become. He would not be a leader. Leaders needed to be able to be strong, to make tough decisions. Zuko was only three, but that was the day Ozai started having doubts. Throughout his early childhood, Zuko never showed signs of being an excellent firebender like himself, and his father Azulon, the current Fire Lord. But Azula, she was a firebending prodigy. She had the spark in her eyes, the mark of a true firebender. But she could not be Fire Lord.
It was many years later, now. Many happy summers passed as they visited Ember Island, but now they were back in the palace. Ozai sat in his study, frustrated that his son had yet to demonstrate any real ability to firebend. His power was mediocre, at best. All previous Fire Lords had also learned firebending from an early age, some much earlier than the age Zuko was currently at. They were running out of time. Ursa walked in.
"What is the matter," she asked.
Ozai sighed. "He shows no sign of the spark in his eyes," said Ozai, flatly. Ursa frowned.
"That doesn't mean anything," she replied. She knew he was talking about Zuko. "I'm sure he will be an excellent firebender-"
"And what if he is not? What does that say about our family? The royal family? He is my first-born son. If he cannot master firebending, then I do not know what to do."
Ozai put his fingers between his eyes and let out a sharp gust of air from his nostrils.
"If he is not a master firebender, then there is nothing that must be done," said Ursa. "He is your son, and you should love him for who he is."
"Whether or not he is a master firebender determines who he is. If he is not, then he is not fit for the royal family."
"Why does he have to be a firebender to gain your respect? He has the makings of an excellent swordsman, you know that."
"You and I both know that all previous Fire Lords have been master firebenders. If he is to be the future Fire Lord-"
"His cousin, Lu Ten is next in line to be Fire Lord. Iroh is Azulon's first-born."
"Yes, but that does not necessarily mean-"
"Give him a chance, Ozai! For goodness sake, he is your son!" She stopped and thought for a few moments. "Have him train with Piandao, the master swordsman. He will teach Zuko the art of swordsmanship. He'll excel in that, I know it."
"...alright. We'll send him to study with Piandao for a few months."
Zuko and Azula played outside in the garden. He was nearly eleven, and Azula was nine. Zuko was happy to have a younger sister to care for. It made him feel important, like he meant something. His sister was learning firebending at an alarming rate, and his father adored her.
"Zu-zu, come on! You're not even trying!"
Zuko snapped back to attention, dodging a small fireball his sister sent flying right past his head, perhaps a little too close. He swung the stick in his right hand at her as she recovered from the momentum of her firepunch, hitting her in the side of her stomach.
"Ouch!"
Zuko stopped at once, dropping the stick to the ground. "Sorry, are you okay?"
"I think so," said Azula. Zuko put his arm on her shoulder. Suddenly she snapped back, grabbing his arm and sending him plummeting towards the ground. He landed flat on his back with a forceful grunt of air escaping from his lungs. Azula laughed.
"Ha, I can't believe you fell for that one!"
Zuko got up slowly. "That's not fair," he said. "You didn't beat me in a fair fight."
"No fight is ever fair," said Azula, tauntingly. "You have to use every opportunity to win, at all costs. That's why I always win."
"You always win because you cheat."
"But I do always win"
Zuko hated that. She always won, even in arguments, using fake and flimsy logic to bend the rules her way. "Ugh...fine. You win." He bowed before her. "Congratulations."
Ursa walked out into the garden. "Kids, your father wants to speak with you!"
"We're coming!" said Zuko. He liked his mother. She always knew what to say to him whenever he needed help. Sometimes it even seemed liked she was the only sane one in the family besides himself. They ran off towards the door, but on the way, Azula decided she would burn one of the flowers. Zuko wondered why she would want to do such a thing. Why destroy something beautiful, for no apparent reason?
"Mom!' exclaimed Zuko. "Azula is burning one of the flowers!"
"Azula! You will treat the royal gardens with respect, now come here already. You mustn't keep your father waiting."
Azula whispered to Zuko. "Tattletale..."
She manifested a tiny flame from her hands and flicked it onto Zuko's backside. He jumped up a little bit and gave her a dirty look. She just smiled back, grinning from ear to ear. There wasn't anything he could do to retaliate. If he did he would get in trouble too.
"That's enough, young lady. Go to your room and think about your actions!"
She sent Azula into the building and put her hand on Zuko's chin. "Are you okay, Zuko?"
"I just don't understand why she has to be so mean..."
Later, inside the walls of the palace, the family sat around the dinner table.
"Zuko, your father has some good news for you," said Ursa.
"Yes, we do," said Ozai.
"Is it about me beating Zu-zu once again?" asked Azula, sarcastically.
Ursa gave her a stern look. "No, and don't interrupt your father."
"It's fine, dear," said Ozai. "The real news is that we've decided to send you to train with Piandao, Zuko."
Zuko's eyes lit up. "The master swordsman?"
"I guess if you can hardly firebend, that's the next best thing," said Azula. Ursa glared at her once again and then ignored her comment.
"You'll live and train with Piandao for a few months," said Ursa. "He will teach you the way of the sword. He is the best swordsman in the history of the Fire Nation, as you know. He has never lost a single battle. He will teach you the art of swordsmanship."
Ozai added, "We expect you to take this seriously."
"I will," said Zuko. "I will make you proud."
"In the meantime, Azula," said Ozai, "you will train here, working on your firebending skills. You have shown much growth in the past few months, and you are ready to begin your mastery of the element."
Azula grinned, looking over to Zuko. She briefly stuck out her tongue.
"I'll make you more proud, daddy."
"I'd like to see that, my precious daughter."
They ate their dinner in relative silence. Zuko ate fast, excited about training with Piandao. He would finally have a chance to show his father that he was good at something. If he couldn't firebend like Azula, then he would become the best swordsman the world had ever known. Maybe then, he would bring honor to his father.
Author's Note : Updated this segment to work better grammatically, and added a few lines here and there. The next part should come out soon, and will focus on Zuko's training with Piandao. It's taking longer because I was using the comics/episodes for a lot of the dialogue and things that happened in this chapter. We don't have any information about Zuko's training with Piandao (we just know that he did), so I'm trying to work out the details on that part of the story from scratch. Thanks for reading!