The Prince was sleeping, he was always unconscious. Jet huffed in frustration, if the Firenation teen was going to be even a tiny bit useful he had to wake up at some point. The Prince grunted, and his eyes slowly opened. The breath taking golden eyes. Finally, Jet grumbled in his mind. Zuko tried to sit up, he hissed through his teeth in pain.

"why does the spirit world hurt so much?" the Prince muttered.

"hate to break it to you, but you're not in the spirit world" Jet spoke. The Prince turned his head to look at the freedom fighter. Gold met brown.

"but, I died. how-?" The Prince started.

"your heart stopped along with your breathing, but we got them back" Jet answered easily.

"why?"

"you have useful information on the Firenation, and we're a bit short on swordsmen"

"what-no! But!-"

"If you don't agree, then you won't have to worry about that pretty little throat anymore" Jet threatened, pressing the tip of one of his hookswords into the other teen's neck. The paler of the two turned his head to the side trying to keep the tip of the sword from digging into his flesh. "How about I show you something." Jet yanked the younger up and half dragged half carried him to the edge of the forest. Iroh was kneeling in front of a piece of parchment, a tiny box and some other small objects.

"uncle?" Zuko asked in bewilderment.

"you talk again I won't hesitate to slit that pretty little throat" Jet threatened, digging the points of his shuang gou into the other boy's neck.

"Leaves from the vine," Iroh started to sing, "falling so slow" Zuko's mouth dropped open, this was the lullaby his mother would sing to him when he was little, and this is what his uncle would sing on Lu Ten's birthday, as a tribute to his deceased son. Because he loved him so much. "like fragile tiny shells," tears were starting to run down the old man's face. "drifting in the foam" Zuko's heart ached, what he wanted more than anything was to run to his uncle and tell him that he's alright. "Little soldier boy,"

"no" Zuko whispered, his golden eyes beginning to drown in salty water. His uncle loved him, and he never treated him right, Iroh would have been better off if Zuko had died at that agni kai.

"come marching home," Iroh sang. Jet smirked, Zuko was slipping, soon he would give in. "Brave soldier boy" The floodgates opened, oceans running rampant across the scarred teen's face. "Comes marching-" the man's voice cracked with grief. The prince's breathing was ragged, his golden eyes missing their mask of defiance or anger. They were exposed and vulnerable. The scarred boy was afraid, he was miserable, he was betrayed, he was confused and lost. But most of all he was alone. The golden eyes some with self hatred and self-pity. Jet knew there was nothing that he could say that could make the young firebender feel worse. He didn't need the boy to feel worse either, he was already falling into Jet's control.

"fine" he whispered brokenly.

"hmm?" Jet hummed, wanting the other boy to elaborate.

"I'll do anything you ask" A crooked smile found its way on the freedom fighter's face. He dropped the blades from the younger's throat and stowed them on his back. Zuko collapsed and would have fallen off the branch if skilled hands had not caught him. Zuko couldn't stand on his own, he didn't care. He didn't care anymore, his life and destiny were out of his own hands and he knew that, he also knew he couldn't change that. There was no point in fighting it, and besides Zuko was -though he would never admit it- sick of fighting. There was no way he could go back home or get out of this situation so why waste the effort? Zuko exhaled. Jet carried the surrendered and half conscious Prince back to the tree houses.

Zhao smiled, he was going to recruit that bratty banished prince's crew. With that he strut onto the angry teen's ship as if he owned it, which he would soon. "Excuse me, I am recruiting all of this crew, if they desire a higher paycheck" he announced, smirking.

"This crew declines your offer" Lieutenant Jee answered, sharply.

"what?!" Zhao was never refused before.

"the honorable and brave Prince Zuko wouldn't like it" the Lieutenant replied. Zhao didn't understand, they refused a bigger pay and they were complementing the bratty Prince whom they always complained about before. What was going on?

"since when do sailors refuse a job with higher pay, Lieutenant Jee?" He questioned. The admiral wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"This crew will remain loyal to Prince Zuko and his requests"

"Where is he, anyway?" The cocky admiral asked (demanded), this crew was trying his patience.

"you there! Inform General Iroh that we have a guest, and to bring the Prince with him"

"yes sir!" The sailor nodded and ran off. Minutes passed in silence. Zhao was fuming while the lieutenant's face remained void of any emotion except seriousness.

"General Iroh, Pri-where is the Prince?!" The round old man was carrying a small ornate and intricately patterned chest. His face was grave and sad. How weak.

"I am not pleased to report my nephew's untimely death" the retired General said. His voice full of raw emotion and pure loss. The admirals eyebrows rose, he hadn't expected that.

"what happened?" Zhao asked softly, well at least what he thought was soft. Though he was shocked he was also pleased about the young man's demise.

"Prince Zuko went for an evening stroll two days ago and did not return, yesterday young travelers found us and-" the uncle stopped. Zhao knew he had lost his son, Lu Ten to the war while attempting to break down the great walls of Ba Sing Se, but he really couldn't care less.

"and what?!" The admiral was impatient and didn't care at all about the Prince, just humiliating him. And defeating him. Like the boy had done to him in that agni kai a couple of weeks ago.

"this was all they could salvage" Iroh continued, opening the lid. It was Zuko's ponytail. The silky dark and long strands were easy to recognise. The teen always had perfect hair. Zhao was relieved, that one less annoyance for him. His life would be easier without that unloved and anger filled brat. Though this could be a trick to get to the avatar quicker and with the element of surprise. But General Iroh could not have faked that grief and sorrow. It was too pure and too strong to be false. The banished Prince was dead. Which meant it might be easier to catch the avatar.

Zuko just sat there. He felt kind of numb. Maybe he's always been feeling that but covered it up with burning rage and false hope. The Prince had realised that he had always known he wouldn't catch the avatar for his father he just couldn't admit that to himself before. Because before he couldn't let himself fall apart, now there was no point in fighting anymore.

"well change your name so no one will know that you're Firenation. Hmm, what about Quan? No that doesn't suit you, Jeng? No that's too subtle, Li. You're Li, a mixed refugee and a swordsman that wears that silly theatre mask. what were you called?"

"the blue spirit"

"yeah, Li the blue spirit" Jet spoke. "Stay here" the ex-Prince nodded, there was no point in defying the others wishes anyway. Zuko sighed out a breath.