"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it." - Jean De La Fontaine
Zuko felt helpless - a feeling which he particularly despised. Part of him wished that he had fled the palace with his uncle, but he didn't want to run anymore and now he was stuck with the consequences of that decision. After his defeat against Azula, he had been thrown into a crystal chamber deep beneath the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace. These catacombs were inescapable - unless you had earthbending abilities, so the real kicker was that his only hope of ever getting out of this place relied on the fact that inevitably the Avatar would have to come and rescue his girl.
While it was lucky that they had been locked up together, for obvious reasons he couldn't say it had been a pleasant experience. For starters, the waterbender was a reminder of all of his past mistakes. When he looked at her, he remembered his actions at the North Pole and when she spoke, she forced him to face reality; opening his eyes to the pain the Fire Nation had inflicted on the world.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you before." The Water Tribe girl bowed her head and folded her arms behind her back in sincerity.
It didn't help that she was so reasonable either. Why couldn't she be more like Azula? At least then he wouldn't feel so guilty.
Zuko looked away, his face unchanged. "It doesn't matter," he said calmly; she had every right to be angry.
"It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face," she admitted.
"My face? I see." Reflexively, his fingers felt for the puckered skin of his scar.
"No, no, that's-that's not what I meant," she assured, approaching Zuko.
"It's okay," he said, turning his back to the waterbender. "I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realised I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."
Zuko didn't know why he was telling her this. Perhaps it was because she was such a good listener, or because he wanted her to know that he'd changed. Either way, he felt as if wearing his heart on his sleeve was the right thing to do.
"Maybe you could be free of it." Her voice was full of hope.
Zuko's eyes widen. "What?" he asked, quickly turning to face her.
She didn't strike him as the type to make claims that she could never follow through with and when he studied her face, there was no sign of deception.
"I have healing abilities," she told him.
His heart sank. "It's a scar, it can't be healed." He looked away dejectedly - she wasn't a liar, just stupid.
Reaching inside her collar, she produced an aquamarine vial from around her neck, holding it up for him to see. Emerald light danced across the crescent moon adorning the tip of the cork.
"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but…" she trailed off.
Zuko's eyes slid shut and he allowed her to examine his mark. Her touch was gentle, soothing - a completely different side of the girl than the determined combatant he'd been exposed to during previous encounters.
"After everything I put you through, you'd do that for me?" he asked, astounded by the depths of her kindness.
"You're different… you've changed into someone worth helping," she told him candidly.
Coming from her, it meant a lot. To be looked at and not be found wanting made him feel strong, but something was missing. Kind words alone couldn't prove he was a changed man - only good deeds could do that. Taking her hand in his own, Zuko wrapped her fingers tighter around the vial and gently pushed away, not rejecting her gift, but rather postponing her offer.
"I don't deserve this. Not yet. I want to earn it," he said softly, but with raw determination.
It was the honourable thing to do. Besides, they still had to stop Azula's coup d'état. Zuko could think of plenty of better causes for the Spirit water than his scar. It could be the difference between life or death; victory or defeat for the waterbender and her allies and, while Zuko didn't care much for the fate of her team, the Water Tribe girl was starting to grow on him.
Surprise washed over her features before being replaced with a wide, earnest smile. "Fight with us," she said - less like a question and more like an order.
Could it really be that simple? Was the answer to all his problems to turn his back on the Fire Nation? On one hand, he was proud to call himself a Fire Nation Prince, but a voice in his heart - one that grew louder every day - questioned what that really meant. If he restored his honour and became the next Fire Lord, what more was there to gain than a tarnished legacy and an inheritance of a century long war?
One thing was an unshakeable truth: he could no longer fool himself into thinking this girl was the enemy.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Zuko's feet began to tremble - starting out as subtle vibrations, building to a chorus of sonorous rumbles, followed by a huge crash as the crystals lining the walls were flung across the chamber. When the dust settled, the waterbender's smooth hand left his cheek as she rushed to greet their rescuers.
"Aang!" she called, enveloping the Avatar in a warm embrace. The airbender reciprocated her show of affection, but his face contorted into a glare when he spotted Zuko.
Just as he had anticipated, the Avatar had come after his comrade, but he was surprised to see his uncle shuffle in behind the boy, making no move to apprehend him. When he spotted his nephew, Iroh threw his arms around his neck, relieved to be reunited after such a worrying separation.
Before Zuko could receive any answers - or even ask any questions, luminescent crystals grew to encase his uncle, the Avatar and his girl - locked in their embrace. Zuko assumed a fighting stance to prepare for the intruders as they had made the grave error of leaving him free of the crystal restraints. Spinning to see his sister sliding gracefully down the side of the chamber, he realised it was no mistake; knowing Azula, she had planned it all, with this moment serving as a new way to torment him.
"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle," she said distastefully. "But Zuko, Prince Zuko, you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?" she drawled.
Zuko knew she was trying to manipulate him. Whatever she wanted him to do undoubtedly would be the wrong decision, but this time, he wouldn't fall into one of her traps; he wouldn't play her mind games.
"Release him immediately," he ordered, not that he had any reason to believe she would comply.
"It's not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself."
Zuko looked from Iroh to the Avatar, his gaze finally resting on the back of the Water Tribe girl's head. He couldn't see her face, but he remembered the pure hope shining in her sapphire eyes. He would earn her kindness; he would fight for her.
"You're right, I can redeem myself," said Zuko - his voice even.
Azula's face broke into a premature triumphant smirk. The Avatar looked disappointed, but unsurprised. Only Iroh - the one person who understood him - realised the real meaning behind his words and issued a small nod of approval.
"-And it starts with taking you down!" Zuko yelled, bending fire at the Princess.
She deflected his blow, returning his strike with one of her own - an azure ball of flame barrelling towards him. He dove aside, the blast exploding against the far wall.
"Wrong answer, Brother," she chided, turning to build momentum for her next attack.
The Dai Li fell into formation, flanking Azula on both sides. They advanced, forcing Zuko to go on the defensive. Zuko dissipated her next shot, but one of the Dai Li agents' rapid counters threw him off balance and he stumbled backwards. He was outnumbered, and - as much as he hated to admit it - outmatched.
"Hey, kid," Zuko called out, panic rising. "I could really do with a bit of Avatar greatness right about now."
He was struggling to fend off his attackers alone and with his uncle out of commission, he had no choice but to seek help from the airbending master.
"I'm trying," Aang snapped.
Azula advanced again, backing Zuko against the wall and sending another burst of fire in his direction. Evasive manoeuvres were ineffective as there was nowhere left to run, but he extinguished her blast before returning her fire - quickly enough to slip through her guard and buy himself some time. Using this to his advantage, he took a short run up and used his bending to boost himself a few feet in the air. Pushing off against the wall, Zuko back flipped over Azula's head, landing behind the trio of attackers. At least he was no longer surrounded.
"It's okay, Aang. I'm here for you," said the Water Tribe girl. She was trapped in crystal with her back to the action and her arms still tightly wrapped around the Avatar.
"I know! That's the problem!" said Aang, frustrated.
Zuko fired a warning shot at Azula's feet as an attempt to stop her from advancing, but this had the opposite effect, revealing his biggest weakness: he was not prepared to kill, or even inflict any real damage on his own sister. It also showed her that he was holding back, which fanned the flames of her fury.
"Dad would be so disappointed in you," she spat venomously as she let loose, breaking his form and pinning him to the ground - her sharp nails pricking his throat.
The Avatar's girl sounded hurt, her voice rising above his weak cry of pain. "I don't understand. I-"
"Katara, I have to let you go. I'm sorry," Aang cut her off, hopefully to concentrate on bringing on the Avatar state.
An otherworldly radiance drew Azula's gaze and she paused in her assault, one arm raised in a fist, ready to give Zuko a matching pair of scars. Aang's eyes and tattoos started to glow, shedding an ethereal light across the chamber and the crystal encasing his body retreated back into the earth. Azula leapt to her feet with a vicious look in her eyes, motioning for the Dai Li agents to restrain Zuko.
Instantly recognising her stance, Zuko wrestled free of their grasp with a sudden desperation - it was now or never. Azula bent her knees and drew crackling lightning in the air with her finger tips. On instinct, Zuko grabbed her hand and channelled the energy from one arm, through his stomach and out the other, sending the streak away from Aang as he rose upwards. Azula's eyes widened, but she quickly recovered, twisting his arm around his back - his skin ignited under her scalding touch and his shoulder popped out of its socket. She pushed him to the ground, crushing his dislocated limb underfoot as she approached the Avatar.
But she was too late.
Not even Azula could hold her own against a fully realised Avatar. She didn't stand a chance.
A/N: Hello and thanks for reading. This is my first time creating a story for this site as normally I finish my books on Wattpad before publishing here, but this time, I want to make the plot more interactive, so please feel free to put forward ideas in your reviews. The italics at the top were to show where events were exactly as in the show and while other parts are similar, there will be drastic changes in future chapters... See you there!