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"Uncle, where are we going? We're supposed to head towards the Southern Air Temple." The young man with bandages over his left face questioned fretfully as he barged into the cramped room without any notice as the plump elderly man was taking a sip at his tea. The former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, a well-respected retired Fire Nation General, Iroh remained undisturbed by the sudden uproar of his beloved nephew, also a former Prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko. It has only been a week since he was banished from his homeland and the forced to embark on a journey set by the Fire Lord Ozai to hunt down the Avatar if he wishes to return to his nation. The young man still remembered the cold send-off on the day he and his uncle left the Fire Nation. No one escorted them to the port. Not the royal palanquin, not the royal guards, not his sister…not his father. They were merely greeted by a lone boat when they reached the harbour.
"Prince Zuko, take a sit." Iroh spoke tranquilly to the young exiled prince, but the boy remained unmoved by his request as he continued to glare at his uncle. "Please, Zuko. Sit." The elderly man offered the seat next to him once again and this time, his nephew heeded with a huff of discontent.
"Would you like some jasmine tea, Zuko?" Iroh discreetly poured the tea into an empty cup and placed it before the prince. The elderly man wasn't surprised when the young man furiously slapped the teacup off the table and caused the tea to spill over the desk and floor as the cup shattered on the floor. "I don't want your stupid tea! We're supposed to search for the Avatar!"
Iroh sighed and looked sternly into his nephew's fury glare, "No, Zuko. Capturing the Avatar isn't your destiny. It never is." Under his pacific comment, Zuko slammed his fist on the table and began yelling at his uncle, "You will not deny me of my own destiny! This is the only way for me to regain my honour, my throne and my home!"
However, what the young prince did not expect was when Iroh suddenly stood up from his seat and refuted him back, "No, Zuko! I will not allow Ozai dictate your future and destiny! You will abandon this delusive path!" Zuko winced a little under his uncle's sudden outburst. For this was the first time he has witnessed his uncle losing his temper. As swiftly as he lost his temper, Iroh regained his composure in the next second and sat back down. The retired general brought his right hand into his left sleeve and from there, he took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Zuko, ushering him to read it.
Dear Iroh,
By the time you're reading this, I will be long gone. I am sorry for what happened to Lu Ten. He was a kind, fine man like you. May Agni guide his soul to the next life. I have no time to explain, but I ask only one thing from you. Please, please look after Zuko for me. Please protect my Zuko from Ozai. I know you've always love Zuko like he's your son. Please tell him the truth about his lineage and the war. Do not let him fall onto the wrong path.
Thank you,
Ursa.
Confused by what he has just read, Zuko set his eyes back to his uncle who was solemnly stroking his grey beard. "I found this letter and few other things hidden in my closet on the day I returned to the Fire Nation from my voyage." Iroh said. "Something must have happened on the day when Fire Lord Azulon passed away. Something that caused your mother to flee from the palace." He said it as he handed Zuko another piece of letter.
My beloved little sun,
If you are reading this, that would mean you're with your Uncle Iroh now. Please listen to him, my son. He is a wise man. I am truly sorry for leaving you like that my dear, but I had to. I did it to protect you from your father. I'm sorry if I have caused you so much pain and confusion in the process. But know this, Zuko. I will never stop loving you.
Remember my little sun, always follow your heart, and never ever forget who you are.
Love,
Your beloved mother, Ursa.
The young man remained silence as he tried to rationalise things. He placed a hand over his face as he vaguely remembered the night when his mother entered his room just before she mysteriously vanished the next day. He always thought it was just a dream. No one ever told him where or why his mother would disappear just like that. But now, seeing these letters written for his uncle and him were exactly his mother's handwritings...he's bewildered.
"...Why?" He managed to force it out of his mouth. "Why did you show this to me now?!" Zuko demanded an answer as he unintentionally crumpled the letter in his hand. Tears of confusion, rage and relief fell from his right eye and down towards his cheek.
"Because it is time." Iroh said it. Pausing before he continued, "We are no longer in the palace, Ozai's eyes and ears are no longer on us." The old man shifted from his position to reduce the distance between the two of them. Thoughtfully, Iroh placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Zuko, listen to me. What you did back then in the war council. It was brave of you. You have the courage to speak out when clearly what General Bujing did was wrong." The young man began to stiffen and shudder when he heard that. But Iroh didn't stop there. He continued, "The only dishonourable things that happened back there were General Bujing and Ozai's act of ruthlessness. It was cruel for Ozai to scar and banish you. No father should ever do that to his child. This scar of yours is a symbol of your bravery and righteousness." Iroh gave Zuko a fatherly hug as the boy began to cry silently.
"You are right to care for the soldiers of the 41st Division. You thought of your people's well-being. You have compassion for them, and for your nation. This is why you are so noble. You never lost your honour, Zuko. You are what the Fire Nation has lost all these years. You are what the Fire Nation need. An honourable prince." Zuko remained still in his uncle's embrace as he cried his pain out.
After the moment of consolation, the former prince cleared up the mess he made while Iroh prepared another cup of tea for him. "...Why can't he love me, Uncle?" Zuko asked in dismal as he held the cup of tea with his hands, trying to let the warmth to comfort him.
"I'm sorry, Zuko. My brother, Ozai...is a man who has always been obssessed with power and control over the Fire Nation. He is someone who lacks...empathy. He is willing to sacrifice anything or anyone just to get what he wants." Iroh tried to deliver the truth as lightly as possible, but from his experience with Ozai, he found it difficult to pick to right word to soften the blow.
"He spoke to Fire Lord Azulon the day you abandoned the Siege of Ba Sing Se. He wanted grandfather to revoke your birthright..." Zuko said it sternly after he took a sip of the tea, causing Iroh to frown as he let the information sank into hia mind, "Did he now?" The elderly man shook his head disapprovingly. Even though he knew what Ozai's like, the retired general still felt hurt by betrayal of his own family member.
"Let's not talk about Ozai now. It is time for me to tell you the truth about your heritage and the war." Iroh gently brushed his beard as he set his eyes on the letter then to his nephew. "I'm sure you know the ancestors on your father's side?" Zuko replied to his question with a nod of his head. "Then do you know Fire Princess Ursa's parentage?" This surprised Zuko as he began to wonder why he never thought or asked his mother about her past or family. The prince made a bitter expression and shook his head shamefully.
"Your mother's parents, are Rina and Jinzuk," He paused to see if the boy's following him before continuing, "your grandmother, Rina. Is the daughter of Ta Min and...Avatar Roku." Zuko's eyes broadened immediately when he heard that. 'Avatar Roku...was mother's grandfather? This means he's...my great grandfather!?' Zuko looked to his uncle as though he wanted to ask something.
"Does fa...Does Fire Lord Ozai know about this?" Iroh simply shut his eyes and sighed grimly. 'No!' Zuko thought to himself. His father tried to have him hunt down someone who was once his predecessor. Upon learning this Zuko began to reject the idea of hunting the Avatar.
Iroh resumed telling Zuko the truth, "We've visited our visit to the Western Air Temple after the Fire Sages told us that the Avatar is the last Airbender." Zuko nodded in agreement. "Do you remember the lesson you were taught on how Fire Lord Sozin battled the Air Nation Army?" Iroh asked in an ambiguous way.
"Of course, I remember. The Air Nomads were gathering soldiers and they were planning to launch an at-?" Zuko raised his eyebrow when his uncle shook his head in disapproval. 'What?' The prince pondered. He answered the question correctly like how he was educated. History taught him that the Air Nomads tried to invade the Fire Nation- 'Wait...' he stopped. He remembered the time when he and his uncle scoured the air temple, looking for the clues on where the Avatar might be. The temple was damaged from the attacks of the Fire Nation. Walls and floorings were charred from the fire. But there were no signs or sights of weapons or armoury rooms in the temple. The Avatar was supposed to be an airbender, and then Fire Lord Sozin wiped out the Air Nomads. "...It was a lie?"
There never was an Air Nation Army. There was no plan of attack. Fire Lord Sozin only eliminated the Air Nomads because the next Avatar was supposed to be an airbender. The former prince widened his eyes in horror upon realising the truth. "All this time...we've been lied to. Our nation...no, no, no...This is wrong. How could we do something so horrendous..." Zuko had a hand on his head as he shook weakly in pure disbelief.
"This is why your mother entrusted you to me. You are not like the previous and the current Fire Lords. You have a heart of gold, Zuko. Your mother would never want Ozai to corrupt it." Iroh spoke as he rested his hand on the young boy's chest. "Tell me, Zuko. After learning these truths, what do you think your destiny is?"
The former prince shut his eyes and thought for a moment at his uncle's question. What the Fire Nation did to his mother was wrong. What Fire Lord Sozin did to the Air Nomads was wrong. What General Bujing and Fire Lord Ozai did to the soldiers were wrong. The Fire Nation is wrong. The Fire Lord is wrong. This war is wrong. After taking in a deep breath and a slow, long sigh. The young boy re-ipened his eye and looked at his uncle with a new determination. "...I need to find the Avatar and help him stop Fire Lord Ozai and put an end to this senseless war."
"Well said, my boy! From now on, I will teach you everything I know about firebending and the everything I've learned while I travelled the world." Iroh praised Zuko proudly as he patted the boy on his shoulder.
"...Uncle, you still haven't told me where we're actually heading." Zuko said as he finished up his tea. The retired general only smiled and he answered his nephew humbly, "We are heading towards the ancient Sun Warrior's civilization, where the first and true firebending was first taught to us mankind."
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