For the Love of Him -or- The Betrothal

Once again, I thank all of you who bothered to review! Reviews are the life-blood of my inspiration, so therefore the more I get, the sooner I write the next chapter! •Gives out cookies•

Also, this part is dedicated to my friends and fellow insane obsesses of Avatar, Abigail and Mattie! See? You guys don't hafta throw paper balls at me anymore! I wrote the next bit!

Disclaimer: Okay, here's the deal...I'm saving up to try to buy Avatar1 but working at minimum wage doesn't exactly rake in the cash...so for the time being, I'm sad to report that it's still Nickelodeon's.

Chapter 3- Sketches of a Past Time Part 2


On their fifth birthday, it was tradition that all the children of the Fire Nation were given an empty book, be it fancy or plain, to write in...Once long ago even Prince Zuko had had such a book and he'd often written in it, filling it with his childish thoughts and desires...As he carefully opened the book, pulling gently at the pages, almost afraid to touch it for fear it would crumble at the slightest exertion on it's bindings, one page covered in drawings tore loose and fluttered to the ground just in front of him...

It was a beautifully done work of art, obviously one worked on by one of the castle's best artists. In the center of the page there were two young children, probably seven at the very most, frozen in time. They were a boy and a girl, each balanced carefully on one foot atop a tall wooden pole which would have extended far off the bottom of the page. The girl, her long hair tied back in wavy designs, held a small ball of fire in her hands, as if she was about to toss it over to her friend. The boy had his hands up, waiting eagerly for her to pass the ball over. Obviously they were playing a traditional game of Fire-toss, a popular game among beginner fire benders. It was a sight Zuko had often seen back when he'd lived in the Fire capital. What really captured his attention about the piece was the neat, tidy writing at the bottom of the page. It read: "Prince Zuko and His Betrothed, Lady Ajuna, ages seven and six respectively."

•••

Zuko stared at the small charcoal drawing he held carefully in his hands, eyes flickering back and forth from the art itself and the faded words written below. It was most certainly him in the picture, no doubt about that. Even as a child he'd always been designated as royalty, mostly by the clothes he wore and the patterns woven into the shirt. The ones depicted in the art were a dead giveaway of his status to anyone with an understanding of such customs.

That's definitely me... he thought to himself, eyes flickering to lock onto the image of himself, traveling slowly over the face of his youth. So then that would make this... His eyes had jumped over to the girl holding the ball of fire before he looked back down at the words entailing the picture below. "My...betrothed?" His eyebrows2 furrowed down and together in confusion, casting odd shadows onto his face in the flickering candlelight. "Ajuna?" The name sounded familiar in his mouth, the way the sounds rolled off his tongue. But as hard as he thought about it, he couldn't seem to recall ever being told by anyone that he'd been betrothed. Not even his uncle had mentioned it within memory.

How can someone be betrothed and not have any knowledge of it? How could I be...He wracked his brain in a futile attempt to think of even one incident when he'd felt loved. No, I couldn't be...He shook his head sadly when none came to mind. He quickly cast the picture aside, squeezing his eyes shut to force back the sudden pain he felt. For one brief moment, something joyous and loving that he hadn't even known was in his heart had sprung to life with renewed hope, and the ache he felt when his logic crushed it beneath it's uncaring heel was almost unbearable. "There is no way anyone would ever care for me...especially in that way." Zuko's life had been filled with so much hurt, so much refusal and uncaring-ness up to that point that his mind just denied the concept of someone loving him. 'Zuko is alone...He always has been...He always will be. End of story.' was what it said. Once he'd accepted this, it was almost a physical law unto itself, impossible to change.

Zuko's shoulders sagged and he slumped down where he was sitting. His previous exhaustion seemed to return to him doubled over. "No one would love me." he sighed as he stuffed the drawing back into the book and moved it from his pillow, setting it down to the side of the futon. "Even if she did love me back then...there's no reason she would still have those feelings...especially for a dishonored and exiled prince," he scorned himself, his voice icy with shame and self-pity. That set off another round of self-berating about his defeat and Zuko spent the next good few minutes mentally arguing with himself.

His thoughts were interrupted for a second time that day by the sounding of the huge gong that was stored below deck. It rang three times now, signaling the end of the day and the changing of the guards. The prince couldn't help but yawn as the last tone faded out into the cool silence of the arctic night. I'll ask Uncle Iroh about the picture in the morning...It was probably just a mistake the artist made...maybe he can tell me about it. He nodded tiredly to himself as he turned down the sheets and got into bed. His eyelids wobbled up and down as he pulled the covers back up and he reached up to loose his hair from it's ponytail. He unwound the long red band that held it up and shook his head quickly once or twice so that it fell loosely around his ears.

As he leaned back and blew out the candle with a wave of his hand, his eyes fell once more on the tiny book that had caused him so much emotional turbulence that day. Well...maybe I won't ask Uncle about it...for a little at least...maybe I can...find out more...in...there...His eyes closed and with a final yawn Zuko slipped into a sleep littered with dreams, the likes of which he had never seen before, and for once in the last two years of his life would be peaceful.

•••

It was the light smell of flowers in bloom that first woke Zuko from a restful slumber. He yawned lazily and stretched, throwing his arms up high over his head. Large, innocent brown eyes fluttered open, and lit up with joy at what they saw. It was a glorious day in the palace of the fire lord. The large doors -they were more like huge windows- that led out onto his own private balcony had come loose in the night and a gust of warm spring air had pushed them open. From his bed the young prince could see the very tops of the trees in the royal garden, laden with light pink buds, swollen and about to bloom. Behind them, a thin mist cast a translucent veil over the snow-capped mountains that ringed the nation's capital, shielding it from invaders. Somewhere outside, a bird chirruped, twittering a happy morning tune.

Feeling a sudden need to be outside, little Zuko3 flung off the sheets and leapt out of bed, leaping to his feet at a run. "I'm going outside today! I want to see the garden!" he called out to the guards who were strategically stationed around in the shadows of the room as he dashed up to his closet, flung the door open and skipped inside. "Tell Uncle that I'm not going to training today!" his was slightly muffled by the shirt he was attempting to tug on that had somehow managed to get turned around backwards and caught on his ears.

The guards glanced around at each other and communally made a mental decision on who would speak. The elected was the soldier nearest the main door. He gulped and tried to steady himself. Young princes were always hard to deal with, especially if they had it into their head that they wanted to do something. And even more so if the said prince just so happened to be one of the best firebenders in his age group and had a reputation for setting the sleeves of whomever it was that tried to dissuade him on fire. "Y-Young Sir," he stammered, all the while mentally begging that he wouldn't suffer a fiery humiliation at the hands of a six-year-old. "Your uncle has made it clear to us that you are indeed scheduled to train today. He will be most irate if you don't-"

"I DON'T CARE!" came Zuko's vehement reply. He stormed out of the closet dressed in his favorite yukata, the one he always wore outside in the garden in case he got dirty, and with two fists full of flame. "I'm going outside and there's nothing you or Uncle can do to stop me!" he growled, attempting to be fierce...well, as fierce as a pyromaniac kindergartener could be. Either way it seemed to work as the guard fell silent and slunk back a few steps until he was barely visible in the shadows. "A-as you wish your highness..." he stammered, unconsciously reaching down to roll up his sleeves. The soldier only let his guard down when the fiery boy finally doused his ire and skipped out of the room with a huge childish smile and a little wave and a call of, "Don't forget to tell Uncle!"

Outside the room, Zuko continued skipping down the wide and twisting hallways. After continuing in this manner for a little while, he came to a halt, glanced back over his shoulder, and let loose a whoop of laughter. The soldiers were soooo easy to freak out! Everyday without fail it seemed, he could make at least one of them squirm. His reputation did most of the work for him now too. He was the infamous Prince Zuko! In the six-year-old's head, trumpets played brave battle music and people all across the land were cheering 'All hail the Great Prince Zuko, greatest firebender of all time!' and 'Look, not even the palace guards can stand up to him! He must be second only to his father!'. Zuko smiled to himself, quite pleased with the pictures floating through his head. One day he would be the best firebender...maybe even better than his father!

Full of excitement and gusto, he went back to skipping and made a beeline for the door that led to the palace's wondrous gardens. Maybe after I look at the flowers I'll go back and train...He pondered as he set back down on two feet and leaned against the paper door, sliding it open with both hands. Uncle really will be mad if I don't go to lessons...and I won't get stronger if I just look at flowers all day...Yes, I'll see the garden and then go back to train. He nodded to himself, satisfied with his choice. He stepped through the doorway to the garden and turned to slide the door shut behind him. It made a gentle wood-on-wood clicking noise and he spun to face the first exotic flora inside the beautiful plant haven.

It was a pretty bunch of reddish flowers with little tints of yellow and purple known as 'Fire-Blooms'4 and he decided to pick some on a whim. He snapped a few stems towards the bottom and gathered two of the red blossoms together. He glanced about, looking for something to hold them together, and his eyes settled on a small silverish colored ribbon slightly pushed underneath a large prickly bush. He reached out to grab it but withdrew his hand with a yelp as one of the thorns drew blood. Still, he was determined to get at the ribbon and soon had it braided around the flowers, along with several small cuts for his trouble. "Not really anything to worry about," He shrugged and went deeper into the forest of flowers, having decided he wanted to collect some of all the new flowers.

About half an hour and almost ten different kinds of flowers later Zuko decided to stop and sit for a while by a small ember-koi5 pod nestled between another Fire-Bloom bush and the edge of the forest of Cherry Trees. He reached a hand down into the water and laughed a little when one of the fish swam up and nibbled on his fingers. He let that hand dangle in the luke-warm water for a moment more and then withdrew it and stuck the ends of the flowers in. "There...a nice drink so you don't wilt!" He laughed again as the fish returned, causing him to have to move the stems back and forth to try and avoid it. "No koi! Those are mine! Don't eat them!" he scolded the fish as he pulled the plants back out of the water. "You can't eat these...here!" He pulled up another Fire-Bloom and tossed it to the fish, which hurriedly swam up and pulled the flower down into the water. "Heh heh...strange fish...he eats flowers!" Zuko shook his head and got to his feet. He didn't want to be out too long, but he did want to see the entire garden before he went back in, and there was still a lot to go.

For a while he wandered back and forth in the small line between where the flowers were growing and where the cherry trees started, gathering a few more blooms and just looking about. Somehow he couldn't help but feel that something was missing from his bundle of flowers. After a while he made it back to the koi pond and watered the flowers again before heading into the forest of blooms. He'd never been very deep in the forest before, and though he was a little worried about getting lost, something about the way the light pink buds seemed to rustle around him with every passing breeze seemed to calm him. Little Zuko began to skip again, nodding his head back and forth, humming a nonsensical little tune he made up as he went along. It was a glorious day to be outside, and he was loving every bit of it.

At one point, he came upon a small hill with trees going right to the top. The view from there is probably the best in the whole garden! Zuko cheered as he raced up the small hillock. At the top he turned and gazed out across the sea of pinkish blossoms. In the distance the tall shape of the palace loomed up out of the flowers like one of the giant icebergs he'd read about, only red and black and much more gracefully created in his opinion. To celebrate his discovery, he set the bouquet down and looped one arm around the trunk of a tree and careened about a bit, spinning faster and faster around it until suddenly -whoosh!- he let go and toppled to the ground.

He lay there, laughing to himself, when he felt a light touch on his forehead. His eyes snapped open and he sat straight up with a jerk. A single petal floated lazily down from his head to sit beside him. The prince gasped and snatched it up. He'd caught the first falling blossom of the year! He tucked it into his pocket and leapt up with a whoop of delight. As his cry echoed around between the trees, the vibration shook even more blossoms loose and soon it was raining pink flowers all around him.

He reached up and caught a handful, pulling them close to take in the special smell only falling cherry blossoms could have. He looked around to his batch of flowers and gasped in surprise. A small twig had snapped off one of the trees somehow and had fallen right on top of his bouquet. The beautiful pinkish flowers made a startling contrast to the others, which were mostly of dark hues, reds and purples and such. Letting the gathered petals pour out between his fingers, Zuko scrambled over to his creation, bent down and scooped it and the twig up. He stuck the pink flowers in the silver ribbon and held it out to admire it. It needed a few more blooms, he decided and set it back down.

Turning back to the tree he'd spun around on, he grinned and jumped up to catch a hold onto one of it's lower branches. He hung there a moment and then swung his legs up and hooked them around another branch. He pulled himself up to a seated position in the tree and peered around in wonder. It was like being inside a dome of pink flowers! His grin widened and he set about gathering a few more blossom covered branches. Every time he snapped one off the tree he dropped it and let it flutter down to the ground. Soon he had a grand total of nine more twigs piled up below him.

Smiling triumphantly, he swung down to the ground, landing easily at the base of the tree. He let himself fall into a seated position and pulled his flowers over into his lap. Picking up his humming from where he'd left off, he began to stick the twigs into the bouquet at strategic points. Finally satisfied with his flowers, he set off back towards the palace at a light jog. "I'll put these in a nice place in my room," he told no one in particular. "They'll make it lots nicer!" He smiled to himself again, full of childish enthusiasm. Getting to see the cherry trees bloom was well worth the scolding he knew lay before him when he met up with his uncle.

He was so happy in fact, that he barely saw someone step out from behind one of the cherry trees in time to bring himself to a halt. He skidded to a stop, leaving wide swathes in the petals where he'd dragged his feet and stood staring at his feet for a few moments, letting his breathing slow back to normal. Undoubtedly it was one of the guards who'd been sent to fetch him for lessons. "I know, I know..." he muttered unhappily to his feet. "I'll head back to the palace right no-"

"Why are you looking at your feet?" A sweet and light voice interrupted him. Later, when Zuko tried to describe it, he would find it nigh unto impossible. His eyes shot up in surprise and he found himself face to face with a young girl, possibly even younger than himself. Stunned to suddenly find himself almost nose to nose with someone he didn't know, he leapt back and struck a defensive pose. The girl laughed, a gentle bubbly sound, and she raised a hand to cover it. She was wearing a pink kimono-styled garment with a flowery pattern, Zuko noticed, just a few shades darker then the petals floating down around her. She tilted her head to one side with a little smile. "You're funny!" she laughed again. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she stopped and took a closer look at Zuko.

He backed up a step, uncomfortable with a girl, albeit a very pretty girl... he thought, getting so close. The little girl gasped suddenly, her cheeks flaring red, and quickly bowed, her long black hair tumbling over her shoulders. "I'm sorry Prince Zuko!" she exclaimed while still bowed, speaking to her feet. "I didn't realize it was you. If I had I most certainly wouldn't have laughed at you! Please forgive me!" she begged him, her soft voice quivering a little.

For some reason the sound of her in such a state of distress upset Zuko and he silently moved closer, reaching out to push her back into standing position. When she still averted her eyes, he smiled and ducked around so she was facing him again. "It's okay. I came out here so I wouldn't be bowed to anyways. It gets so boring!" He smiled, trying to cheer her up. It was true, usually he couldn't stand everyone bowing to him. Yes, he was a prince and he did deserve it he supposed, but people were always so formal with him and no one would ever think to laugh at him, even when he tried to be funny. It made things awfully boring he thought. The girl's reaction to him was a nice change of pace. "Maybe we could be friends," he offered. "Then it'd be fine for you to laugh at me, and you wouldn't have to bow anymore."

He waited patiently while the girl seemed to think it over. She twiddled her thumbs a few times and shifted from foot to foot with a ponderous look on her face. "Well..." she seemed uncertain.

"Really, it'll be fun!" Zuko encouraged her. "We could...oh, I don't know...look at the flowers together or play with the koi," he suggested a few things he thought she might like to do. He certainly liked the flowers and the koi and so he naturally assumed that she would too.

"Oh...alright then...Friends!" The girl finally agreed, nodding with a little smile returning to her face. She clapped her hands together and then reached out and took hold of one of Zuko's, clasping it between her two smaller hands. "My name is Ajuna. You're the first friend I've met here in the capital," She smiled a bit more, tilting her head to one side with a little giggle. "We just moved here from one of the outer cities," she explained. "So I haven't really met anyone yet."

Zuko felt a blush rising in his cheeks. For some reason he felt all warm and fuzzy when she smiled like that. He shook his head fervently, trying to clear it of the sudden haze he seemed to have suddenly stumbled into.6 "Uh...well...I'm glad that you have a friend!" he finally managed to get out, his head a bit clearer though he knew he still had slightly red cheeks. He was about to say something else- what he had no clue- when suddenly Ajuna dropped his hands and danced back a few steps, reaching into one of her deep sleeves.

"Here!" She pulled something from her pocket and held it tightly in her clasped hands so Zuko couldn't see it. "It's for you! Because you're my...friend!" she seemed unsure about the last word Zuko noted. Ah well, maybe she just wasn't used to having friends. He put out his hands, cupping them below hers and waited for her to drop whatever it was into them. With a huge grin, she let the object topple down into his outstretched hands and yanked her hands back to cover her delighted giggle.

Zuko looked down at the small thing and held it up to the light. It seemed to be a rock, like any other he'd find on the ground. What's so neat about this...he wondered as he rotated it in the sunlight. Suddenly, as he twisted it around to see the other side, a gleam of dappled red and green light fell down onto the ground. He gasped. The other side was covered in tiny crystals, all different shades of green and red. When the light hit them just right, they cast little beams of colored light onto the ground. He grinned happily and stuffed the stone into his pocket. "Thanks! It's really neat!" he laughed. "Umm..." he looked about, searching for something to give to Ajuna in return. His eyes alighted on his bouquet and he snatched it up, offering it over to her with a flourish. "Here! These are for you!"

Ajuna threw her hands up to caver her gasp of surprise. The flowers were absolutely stunning! Tentatively she reached out to take them from him, words failing her. As her hand closed around the stems, it briefly touched the prince's and he quickly drew it back, his face going red again. Why did she make his face feel so hot? And why did he feel so bubbly? He shook his head, confused about how he felt. It was definitely a nice feeling, he decided, but it was confusing too. Maybe Uncle could explain it later...Uncle!

Zuko jumped a little, looking this way and that like a startled deer. "What's wrong?" Ajuna asked, concerned for her new friend. For a moment he didn't respond and she became more and more worried. "Your high-er, Zuko...what's the matter?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He made a funny squeaking noise at the contact but then he seemed to settle down long enough to explain.

"I forgot! I have to go train with Uncle! He'll be furious that I was out so long!" he cried, trying to run back towards the palace but not wanting to just leave with no explanation. "I...I have to go," he stammered, then wished he hadn't when he saw a sad look creeping onto his friend's face. "Have the guards bring you to my room later. I have some neat things we can play with and some pet koi," he suggested, pulling away but smiling at the thought. "Just tell them I said you could go in. If they give you any trouble I'll take care of them myself!" he boasted with childish bravado that brought the smile back to Ajuna's face. She finally released him and he turned to scamper off, turning to wave at her as he disappeared around a line of trees. With a small, bubbly, contented sigh, Ajuna sank down to a seated position, waving shyly back and cradling the flowers as the dream faded into darkness.

•••

Zuko rolled over in his sleep, hugging the pillow to his head. A smile fluttered across his face and he murmured sleepily, "Ajuna."


1- Just kidding...really, I'm just kidding, so please don't sue me, okay?

2- Okay, okay, I know he's only got one real eyebrow...like with hair and stuff...but work with me, okay! You still get the idea about what I mean...And if I said 'eyebrow' then it sounds like he has a uni-brow!

3- He's about...oh say 6-ish in the dream...maybe 7...awww...Zuko as a little kid! Kawaii!

4- Fire-Blooms...yep, made 'em up...think Tiger lilies but blood red with metallic yellow and purple bits...really they'd be quite pretty if you think about it...

5- Ember-Koi...made them up too...they'd be like normal koi, but bright orange and red and slightly warm to the touch.

6- Aww...spring puppy love! So cuuute!

Nyaaa! Okay! That was a sort of confusing chapter to write! And it was a lot longer then I expected! Ah well...I know, I promised less dream sequences, but I can't help it! Aaaanywaaays...it seems that Zuko does remember Ajuna...if only a little. Maybe he'll remember more when he reads his journal, huh? Stay tuned for further developments and happy banana hunting to all!