Once Upon A Time
- there lived a boy and his friend and they shared hundreds of adventures, and then they lived happily ever after together -
"If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends too?"
Words of the Avatar; they mean nothing. Never mind how Zuko can't sleep, never mind how those words remain imprinted in his mind - never mind how something inside him stirs, wondering.
If we knew each other back then…
One hundred years worth of the Fire Nation searching for the Avatar, trying to find the one who could maybe put a stop to the war. And only now, in his era, does the Avatar surface. It must mean something, that Zuko is destined to reclaim his throne. That the Fire Nation will win this war and the Fire Lord Ozai will return to him his honor and pride, his titles.
It would have been easier, Zuko thinks, if the Avatar were an ancient man who had mastered every element. It would have been easier to hurt him, easier to capture him, easier in every way because in reality, the Avatar is young, younger than him. When Zuko sees him, he cannot see the supposed master of elements, though he knows better than to underestimate the Avatar. He sees a child instead, someone young enough not to care about titles and be his -
He turns over. Ridiculous, he thinks.
If we knew each other back then, do you think…
No. They could never have been friends. No matter how fondly the Avatar might recall his firebender friends, it is their destiny to fight. And Zuko will win, he is sure of it. There is so much he has to gain by capturing the Avatar that no one else is allowed to, and he must win. For the glory of the Fire Nation, he thinks, but it tastes like a lie and never passes his lips.
An airbender could never understand the power of fire. How it burns away inside his skin, how it devours so completely and utterly, how beautiful it is and how alive compared to all the other elements. Zuko cannot understand anyone who does not comprehend the meaning of fire.
If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends too?
Yes, he thinks before he can help himself, we could have been friends. But they didn't know each other a hundred years ago and this is a war, him vs. the Avatar, the world vs. the Fire Nation. There is no use on dwelling on could-have-been's, because they won't be true. They will never be true.
Maybe, he thinks, maybe we could have been friends. But we weren't and aren't. I will capture you, reclaim my rightful throne.
You are my enemy, Avatar.
Avatar: The Last Airbender does not belong to Ouvalyrin. No copyright infringement is intended.
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