Book Two: Earth
Chapter 7: Zuko Alone
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There in the vast universe there are paths that only must take. Not because they want to because they must.
After parting with Iroh Zuko is by himself, riding his ostrich horse through a fairly barren landscape. After walking for a bit, they arrive at a decrepit bridge over a ravine that breaks as they cross. After regaining control, they continue crossing. A little while later, Zuko smells food and spots a steak being cooked by a couple below the ridge he is walking on. He holds his stomach in hunger, and reaches for his dual dao swords, preparing himself to steal from them. However, after noticing that the woman is pregnant, he stops himself knowing it wouldn't be fair and continues on his way.
Riding through grasslands covered in large broken Earth Kingdom rocks, Zuko holds his water pouch to his lips for a drink, only to finish it off thirstily. Exhausted from his travels, his sight becoming blurry and his eyes closing slowly as he struggles to maintain consciousness. He shakes himself awake, only to close his eyes again moments later. He has a flashback of a beautiful, middle-aged woman in a cloak turning and walking away in a dark hallway. He opens his eyes but keeps his head down.
Under the hot sun, Zuko reaches a small, poor town where the buildings are mostly made of wood and seem to be poorly constructed. In the shade of the building four men dressed in green gambled with what little they had. "Come on, spider snake-eyes! "He rolls a pair of dice and they land with two fives, face-up." Ha! Ha! Yeah!" Two of the other men turn around and punch him in the stomach once each for good measure. He grunts with each punch.
Zuko rides through town and passes the soldiers. Their leader, a man name Gow, glares at him and Zuko glares back. Zuko stops, gets off of his ostrich horse and turns to a merchant at a store.
"Could I get some water, a bag of feed and something hot to eat?" he asked politely. Holds out his hand. In it are two coins.
"Not enough here for a hot meal. I can get you two bags of feed." The store owner says.
Zuko looks down, disappointed. He notices that the four Earth Kingdom men are watching him. They saw Zuko's swords and knew he was a warrior on the road. And travel warriors sometimes find themselves in more trouble than they want.
Two children hide behind the store counter, looking amused. One of them giggles and throws an egg. It hits a gambling soldier. The two boys run off as the Earth Kingdom soldier turn around, looking angry. They only see Zuko behind them, so they stand up indignantly.
"Hey! You throwing eggs at us, stranger?" Gow asked.
"No." Zuko answered.
"You see who did throw it?" Gow asked again.
"No" Zuko answered again turning to face them with one hand on his dual dao blades.
"That your favorite word, no?" The Earth kingdom soldier asked.
"Egg had to come from somewhere." Gow persisted.
The Earth Kingdom soldier laughs and Gow glares at him. At that moment, the store owner returns with Zuko's feed bags for the ostrich horse. Gow goes to the counter and grabs both bags before he can take them. He throws the bags to one of his fellow soldiers.
"Thanks for your contribution. The army appreciates your support. You better leave town. Penalty for stayin's a lot steeper than you can afford, stranger. Trust me." Gow pats his hammer at his side menacingly. The soldiers turn and leave with the bags. Gow let Zuko alone this time because he knew who through the egg, like the other times before.
"Those soldiers are supposed to protect us from the Fire Nation. But they're just a bunch of thugs." Says the store owner.
Easy come, easy go. Zuko walks toward his ostrich horse. He is about to re-mount when one of the little boys from earlier pops up from behind the animal. "Thanks for not ratting me out!" The boy called Lee says.
Zuko ignores the boy, gets on his steed and starts riding away. The boy casts him an annoyed look before brightening with an idea. He comes up from behind and grabs the reins.
"I'll take you to my house and feed your ostrich horse for you. Come on, I owe you!" The boy leads the way, pulling along the animal. Zuko held his stomach in hunger. He didn't care as long as he got something to eat.
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Lee lived with his parents on a pig farm just outside the town among mountains in the countryside. It was little wooden farmhouse with a roof that needs re-shingling. Zuko saw the several different types of hybrid pigs mumbling loudly at their approach.
"No one can ever sneak up on us." Lee informed.
"No kidding." Zuko said.
Lee takes the ostrich horse away. Zuko casts his glance to pig rooster who crows at him. A man approaches Zuko, Gansu the father of Lee. A woman peers out from behind the farmhouse, Sela the mother of Lee.
"You a friend of Lee's?" Gansu inquired his son of the stranger he brought.
Lee comes running out of the barn excitedly and grabs his father's arm. "This guy just stood up to the soldiers! By the end, he practically had them running away!"
Zuko was impressed to see some idolizing him already, even going as far to exaggerate the truth. Sela comes forward to join her husband and son, wiping her hands on a rag. "Does this guy have a name?" she asked the handsome young stranger.
"I'm ... uh ..." Zuko tried quickly to come up with a new name other than the one that Lee already had. Fortunately he didn't have to.
"He doesn't have to say who he is if he doesn't want to, Sela." Gansu said, "Anyone who can hold his own against those bully soldiers is welcome here. Those men should be ashamed to wear Earth Kingdom uniforms."
"The real soldiers are off fighting the War, like Lee's big brother Sensu. Supper's going to be ready soon. Would you like to stay?"
"I can't. I should be moving on."
The wife frowns and casts a glance at her husband. "Gansu could use some help on the barn. Why don't you two work for a while, and then we'll eat."
Zuko nods in agreement. Fair is Fair.
Zuko and Gansu working on the roof of the barn. Lee is resting on a ladder, watching them re-shingle the roof. While Gansu is doing well and working steadily, Zuko has several twisted and broken nails in front of him; although it is evident he is trying hard to do a good job.
"You don't seem like you're from around here." Lee stated upon see his fair complexion, gold eyes, facial scar and the fact that he appeared to have never worked a day in his life.
Zuko shook his head. He didn't want to talk.
"Where are you from then?" Lee asked another question.
"Far away."
"Ohhh. Where are you going?" Lee asked another question.
"Lee, give it a rest. Stop asking the man personal questions, got it?" Gansu said to his son sterny.
"Yes." Lee sighs in Disappointment and rests his head on his arm. But the child curiosity still reared its ugly head when he asked another personal: "So how'd you get that scar?"
Zuko is surprised by the question and swings down his hammer a little too hard on own his thumb and groans in pain.
"It's not nice to bother people about things they might not want to talk about. A man's past is his business." Gansu reminds his son to be courteous of his manners.
Zuko goes back to hammering as the metal ring echoes in his mind as he starts reminiscing about the past.
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Long ago when Zuko was the age of Lee, Zuko was in the Royal Gardens of the Fire Nation feeding the turtle ducks with his mother Lady Ursa.
Zuko decided to show something to his mother. "Hey Mom, want to see how Azula feeds turtle ducks?" Zuko throws the rest of the loaf of bread into the water and hits one of the baby turtle ducks. Ursa is shocked.
"Zuko! Why would you do that?" Ursa asked her son.
Zuko saw that what he just did didn't impress his mother and wondered if he hurt the turtle duckling. The turtle duckling surfaces again shaking the water from its feathers, the mother turtle duck charges forth and bites Zuko's ankle hard.
"Ow! Ow ow! Ouch!" Zuko cried out. Ursa removes the turtle duck from Zuko and gently throws her back into the pond, where she swims off with her babies with a *quack*.
"Stupid turtle duck. Why she'd do that?" Zuko pouted.
Ursa puts her arm around Zuko. "Zuko. That's what moms are like. If you mess with their babies," Ursa growls as she playfully bites behind Zuko's ear. "They're gonna bite you back!"
The two laugh in the delight that the Royal gardens gave. Later, Azula, Ty Lee and Mai are playing together in the royal yard by a man-made river and a large fountain. While Mai sits and watches under the shade of a tree, Azula does a complicated flip but messes up the ending and grunts. Ty Lee does the same flip, only she completes the ending perfectly and lands on her feet, arms proudly up in the air. Azula pushes her over and laughs.
"Ugh! Azula!" Ty Lee complained.
Zuko and Ursa walk by together nearby. Mai sees them, smiles, turns away and blushes pink as the sakura trees in full bloom. Azula notices her obvious crush, and turns to Ty Lee with a plot in mind. Whispering in Ty Lee's ear as she giggled. Azula toward her mother and Zuko to make scarring request. "Mom! Can you make Zuko play with us? We need equal teams to play a game!"
"I am not cart-wheeling." Zuko denied.
Azula rolls her eyes. "You won't have to. Cart-wheeling's not a game, dum-dum."
"I don't care. I don't want to play with you!" Zuko denied his sisters again.
"We are brother and sister. It's important for us to spend time together! Don't you think so, Mom?" Azula shoots her mother an innocent smile.
Places her hands on Zuko's shoulder. "Yes, darling, I think it's a good idea to play with your sister. Go on now, just for a little while." Ursa ruffles his hair before walking away, with Zuko glaring at his sister.
Azula reaches for an apple on the tree that Mai was under earlier. Mai, now standing in front of the fountain, is still while Azula places the apple on her head. "Here's the way it goes. Now what you do is, try to knock the apple off the other person's head, like this. " Azula shots a small jet of flame to the apple with her firebending and knowingly sets it on fire.
Zuko is shocked and runs forward toward Mai, who screams as Zuko approaches her. He slams into her and the both of them fall into the fountain, with Zuko lying on top of Mai's stomach. Both seem very shocked and embarrassed. Azula starts laughing at them. "See, I told you it would work!" she told Ty Lee.
"Aww, they're so cute together!" Ty Lee said.
Even from a young age Azula took great delight in the game of manipulation of the other people to do whatever for her amusement. And Ty Lee was always there behind Ty Lee to enjoy it with her.
Zuko gets up angrily and leaves the fountain. Mai stands up as well, infuriated. "You two are such ... ugh!"
At that moment, Ursa comes from the house with a scroll of paper in her hand. "I was just coming to get you. Uncle Iroh sent us a letter from the war-front … You're soaking wet?" she asked.
Zuko stomps past her, leaving small puddles behind him as he goes. "Girls are crazy!" he shouted in frustration.
General Iroh wrote to his niece and nephew about the progress of the war and his well being:
"If the city is as magnificent as its wall, Ba Sing Se must be something to behold. I hope you all may see it someday, if Dante doesn't burn it to the ground first! HA HA HA!"
The children are laughing at the joke as well. Ursa continues down the letter. "Until then, enjoy these gifts."
Two servants in white come up, and Zuko runs to meet them. Ursa sits and continues reading. "For Zuko, a pearl dagger from the general who surrendered when we broke through the Outer Wall. Note the inscription and the superior craftsmanship."
Zuko picks up the dagger admiringly, unsheathes it and reads the inscription: "Never give up without a fight."
Ursa reads for the next present. "And for Azula, a new friend. She wears the latest fashion for Earth Kingdom girls.
As Ursa reads, Azula picks up her present. It is a doll wearing green. She picks it up by the head with disgust, making sounds and sticking out her tongue. "If Uncle doesn't make it back from war, then Dad will be next in line for Fire Lord, wouldn't he?" she asked.
"Azula, we don't speak that way. It would be awful if Uncle Iroh didn't return. And besides, Fire Lord Azulon is a picture of health." Ursa reminded her daughter of her manners.
"How would you like it if cousin Lu Ten wanted Dad to die?" Zuko asked her sister to see how it felt. She ignored it of course.
"I still think our dad would make a much better Fire Lord than His Royal Tea-Loving Kookiness." She said and sets the doll's head on fire.
Even from a young age Zuko was grateful because his mother taught him so and Azula was ambitious because her father taught her so.
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Night has fallen, and Lee's parents offer the barn to Zuko for him to sleep in. Zuko is sleeping on a pile of hay inside the barn. A door opens and Lee comes sneaking in. He takes the Dual Dao swords, but nearly stops when Zuko makes a sound in his sleep. Nevertheless, Lee walks out of the barn with the swords and closes the squeaky door. Zuko's eyes pop open for there was a thief in the night.
A large sunflower garden, where Lee is practicing with the swords. He jumps around and chops off several sunflower heads. He starts stabbing a nearby dead tree trunk repeatedly, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and breathes heavily in the effort.
"You're holding them wrong."
Zuko had silently approached Lee from behind. Lee falls backward in surprise and gets back up, ashamed, and holds out the swords to Zuko. Zuko could scold Lee but considering the boy was eager to learn he decided to teach him something about the dual Dao swords.
"Keep in mind, these are dual swords. Two halves of a single weapon. Don't think of them as separate, 'cause they're not. They're just two different parts of the same whole."
Zuko swings around the swords carefully, demonstrating his skill. He cuts off some sunflower heads, turns around, and hands the swords back to Lee to try. Lee is a little more careful this time, and a little less awkward with the swords. He turns to Zuko once he is done his mini demonstration. Zuko smiles kindly for the boy shows promise. Lee smiles back and laughs. They begin walking away from the sunflower patch together, side by side under the full moon.
"I think you'd really like my brother Sensu. He used to show me stuff like this all the time." Lee said.
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The morning came and Zuko mounts his ostrich horse again, ready to leave the hospitable family. Gansu, Sela and Lee have all come to see Zuko off.
Reaches up and offers Zuko a package. "Here. This ought to get you through a few meals."
Zuko is just about to grab the package when he looks up and notices a cloud of dust in the distance. It is Gow and his cronies riding in on ostrich horses.
"What do you think they want?"Gansu asked.
"Trouble." Zuko answered.
Gow and his crew ride toward the pig farm. The animals squeal, clearly irritated at their arrival. The Earth Kingdom soldiers stop right in front of Gansu's family and Zuko.
"What do you want, Gow?"
"Just thought someone ought to tell you that your son's battalion got captured. You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with their last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?" Gow asked his fellow soldiers.
One of the cronies answered after spitting on the ground. "Dressed 'em up in Fire Nation uniforms and put 'em on the front line unarmed, the way I heard it. Then they just watched."
"You watch your mouth!" Gansu snapped angrily.
Gow rides forward a little more toward Gansu when Zuko goes in between them, interfering. Gow and Zuko glare at each other.
"Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs?" He asked before turning around his ostrich horse and all four soldiers ride away, kicking up a cloud of dust behind them.
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Zuko remembered the day cousin Lu'Ten lost his life in battle. Ursa sits in front of the fountain when a messenger in white approaches her with a scroll. She opens and reads it before standing up and crying. She turns to young Zuko and Azula.
"Iroh has lost his son. Your cousin Lu Ten did not survive the battle." Ursa informed.
Zuko was shocked and sad at the news, while Azula didn't seem to react at all. The news was sudden and the two didn't know what to think.
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"What's going to happen to my brother?" Lee asked.
"I'm going to the front. I'm going to find Sensu and bring him back." Gansu said.
He and Sela walk away from Zuko, with Sela crying desperately. Lee runs toward Zuko. "When my dad goes ... will you stay?"
"No. I need to move on." He said.
He realized sorrow in which the War has done in taking the lives of not only the Homeland but that of the Middle-Kingdoms. He could at least give something to that was a sign of the enduring human spirit. Zuko reaches behind him and takes out a sheathed dagger. He bends down and gives it to Lee. "Here. I want you to have this. Read the inscription."
Lee takes it with a faint smile. He unsheathes the dagger. "Made in Earth Kingdom."
"The other one." Zuko clarifies.
Lee turned the dagger on the other side and reads it. "Never give up without a fight." With that, Zuko rides away from Lee. Lee runs after him for a little bit, but stops shortly afterward. It was time for Zuko to move on.
::
When Zuko received that dagger from Iroh he couldn't stop playing with it. For it was by far the coolest gift he had gotten from anyone.
"You waste all your time playing with knives. You're not even good!" Azula commented with jealousy.
"Put an apple on your head and we'll find out how good I am!" Zuko said wanting show her how good he was.
"By the way, Uncle's coming home." Azula past on the news she was told to her brother.
"Does that mean ... we won the War?"Zuko asked.
"No, it means Uncle's a quitter and a loser." She said.
"What are you talking about? Uncle's not a quitter!" Zuko raised his voice not wanting to believe any of it.
Azula beg to differ. "Oh yes he is! He found out his son died and he just fell apart! A real general would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground, not lose the battle and come home crying."
"How do you know what he should do? He's probably just sad his only kid is gone. Forever." Zuko tried to make Azula it from Iroh's point of view. Azula understood that much; in her mind if Iroh love his son then he would have remained to avenge his son's death.
Ursa appears in the doorway. "Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon. Best clothes, hurry up!"
Zuko runs past Ursa quickly to get ready, while Azula walks rather slowly. "Fire Lord Azulon ... can't you just call him 'Grandfather'? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon."
"Young lady! Not another word!" Ursa warned her daughter to watch her tongue. Azula runs past her mother and leaves. "What is wrong with that child?" Ursa asked herself.
The Fire Lord's chamber was a large room with many columns and a wall of fire in front of the Fire Lord's throne. Ozai, Ursa, Zuko, and Azula are all sitting on the floor some distance back from Fire Lord Azulon. Ozai what the audience before his father to that of a showcase for what he wanted offer his father.
"And how was it Great-Grandfather Sozin managed to win the Battle of Han Tui?" Ozai asked his children another question to show their knowledge of their family history.
"Great-Grandfather won ... because ..." Zuko began but was searching for the answer.
"Because even though his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated his advantages. The enemy was downwind and there was a drought. Their defenses burned to a crisp in minutes." Azula finished for her brother.
Ozai was pleased. "Correct, my dear. Now, would you show Grandfather the new moves you demonstrated to me?"
Azula stands up and moves forward. She begins with some circular motions, warms herself up, and firebends. Ozai smiles. Azula does many fairly complicated moves with ease, and Zuko watches her in amazement. He had to admit when Azula does firebending it was a work of art. She finishes off her routine with a jump and a powerful fire blast toward the throne, before landing on her feet gracefully. Azulon was indifferent.
"She's a true prodigy! Just like her grandfather for whom she's named." Ozai praised his daughter, not to mention his favorite.
Azula back down, and looks at Zuko out of the corner of her eye. "You'll never catch up ..."
Zuko stands up angrily. He will show her. "I'd like to demonstrate what I've been learning." He announced to his grandfather.
Ozai frowns at this news. Zuko starts off well, doing the same circular motions as Azula earlier. He manages to produce a small fire blast, which does not impress Fire Lord Azulon but he likes his grandson's spirit. When he tries to create another one, he falls. He gets back up, panting heavily, and tries again, only to fall harder. Ursa gets up worriedly and approaches Zuko to comfort him.
"I failed." He said.
"No. I loved watching you. That's who you are, Zuko. Someone who keeps fighting even though it's hard." She reminded him.
Fire Lord Azulon knew Zuko had the true spirit of the Fire Nation his heart. As Ozai he sensed something else to this showcase an ulterior motive.
"Prince Ozai, why are you wasting my time with this pomp? Just tell me what you want. Everyone else, go!" commanded the Fire Lord.
Ursa, Zuko and Azula start walking out of the throne room; however, Azula pulls Zuko off to the side just before they exit. The children hide in the curtains at the back of the room. The two stop where the curtains open and peek back out at the throne room.
Prince Ozai got right down to business with his beloved father. "Father, you must have realized as I have, that with Lu Ten gone, Iroh's bloodline has ended. After his son's death, my brother abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se, and who knows when he will return home. But I am here, Father, and my children are alive."
"Say what it is you want!"Azulon said want his son to get to the point.
Ozai bowed his face tot the floor. "Father, revoke Iroh's birthright. I am your humble servant, here to serve you and our nation. Use me."
Azulon growled upon hearing this poison coming of his sons tongue. "You DARE suggest I betray Iroh? My first born? Directly after the demise of his only beloved son? I think Iroh has suffered enough! But you ... your punishment has scarcely BEGUN!"
Azulon's anger causes the flames around him to grow. A wave of energy surged from the throne causing Zuko to be frightened and run away from behind the curtain as Azula watches with an evil smile on her face.
Zuko tried to take an nap and forget about all that happen. He suddenly looks up, alarmed. Azula is standing in his doorway, arms crossed. She looks amused.
"Dad's going to kill you!" she said in a sing-songy voice before her voice become serious. "Really, he is."
"Ha-ha, Azula. Nice try." Zuko said not buying it.
"Fine, don't believe me. But I heard everything. Grandfather said Dad's punishment should fit his crime." She then Imitates Azulon. "You must know the pain of losing a first-born son. By sacrificing your own!"
"Liar!"
"I'm only telling you for your own good. I know! Maybe you could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt you!"
"Stop it! You're lying! Dad would never do that to me!"
Ursa appears in the doorway of Zuko's room wondering what was all the ruckus. "Your father would never do what to you? What is going on here?"
"I don't know ..." Azula faked ignorance.
"It's time for a talk!" Ursa grabbed Azula away from Zuko's bed, and Azula follows reluctantly.
Zuko clasps the blanket tightly in his hands. "Azula always lies. Azula always lies." He chanted hoping it was all a lie, if not a bad dream.
::
"Azula always lies." Zuko muttered as he rested in a grassy field as his memory end.
Zuko hears an ostrich horse suddenly sits up and looks to see Sela riding toward him in a carriage. She is frantic and panic. "You have to help! It's Lee – the thugs from town came back as soon as Gansu left. When they ordered us to give them food, Lee pulled a knife on them! I don't even know where he got a knife! Then they took him away." Sela begins to sob. "They told me if he's old enough to fight, he's old enough to join the army. I know we barely know you, but ..."
Zuko stood up and mounts his ostrich horse. "I'll get your son back."
This was the finally straw he was going to teach those thugs a lesson once and for all that they will never forget.
::
It is sunset. Zuko is riding on his ostrich horse through a small archway that enters into the town. The people around scatter when they see him coming. Lee is tied up to a tower. He seems sad, but when he looks up to see Zuko his hope is restored.
"Hey! There he is! I told you he'd come!" Lee said.
The Earth Kingdom soldiers approach him, as does their leader, Gow. Zuko dismounts and takes off his hat, placing it on the ostrich horse. Zuko faces them seeing that part of this may also be a setup by Gow to get rid of Zuko from town.
"Let the kid go." Zuko warned them.
Gow laughs loudly, but quickly regains composure. "Who do you think you are, telling us what to do?"
"It doesn't matter who I am. But I know who you are. You're not soldiers; you're bullies. Freeloaders, abusing your power. Mostly over women and kids. You don't want Lee in your army – you're sick cowards messing with a family who's already lost one son to the war." Zuko stated.
Gow was silent before turned to one of his lackeys. "Are you gonna let this stranger stand there and insult you like this?"
The soldier runs forward, spear in hand. He goes to attack Zuko, who pulls out his sword and punches the other man in the stomach with the hilt without fully unsheathing his sword. Zuko re-sheathes his sword while the man slides backward and runs away, panting heavily in fear.
A second Earth Kingdom soldier groans and runs to attack Zuko with his spear this time. Zuko punches the spear upward to move it out of the way, grabs onto the man's forehead, and shoves him to the ground. The man gets up slowly and flees as well.
A third Earth Kingdom soldier charges toward Zuko with his spear as well. Zuko stands there, waiting, until the spear is close enough and kicks the spear right in the middle, snapping it. The spearhead, along with half of the spear, goes flying in the other direction. The soldier gasps and runs away from Zuko like the two men before him. Lee laughs in satisfaction. A crowd has gathered; Sela's worried face is one of many.
Gow steps up to the plate to fight Zuko, dual hammers against Zuko's dual swords. Gow saw his opponent was good in close quarters combat. He figured he was not a earthbender which would give him an advantage.
They draw their weapons, and Gow throws the first blow, a rock he has earthbent, and powerfully thrusts over to Zuko. Zuko deflects it readily with his swords. Gow strikes again, this time with three large rocks instead of one. He sends them over in rapid succession to Zuko, who deflects the first two easily. However, the third rock hits him in the stomach and he stumbles backward. This does not dismay him though, so he charges Gow.
"Give him a left! A left!" An old man in the crowd cheers him on.
"It's not a fistfight ..." An old woman reminds him.
"He's got a left sword, don't he?" the old man said.
Gow does the same earthbending trick as earlier; he throws three large rocks at Zuko. Zuko responds the same as before, deflecting the first two but the third one hitting him square in the abdomen. However, this time, he falls over and somersaults backward, and manages to get up, although weakened and still stumbling around. Gow smiles as he saw his opportunity.
"Look out!" The old man warned.
"Behind you!" Lee added.
Gow earthbends again in a spinning motion, but with increasingly larger rocks each time. He shoots four rocks at Zuko, who manages to destroy each, one by one. It continues this way, Gow no longer giving little recovery breaks to Zuko. Both are fighting at full force, although Zuko is so busy being defensive of the large flying rocks that he cannot become offensive to Gow. However, finally Gow creates a rockalanche and directs it at Zuko. Zuko is sent flying and lands straight on his back. Zuko has learned he is not at a level in his skills where he could fight an earthbender without using his firebending.
Zuko has a sudden flashback to the night of another unexpected sorrow. He is sleeping in his room at night when a hand gently touches his shoulder.
He awakens drowsily to see his mother dressed in a cloak. "... Mom?" he says.
"Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you." She pulls him into a hug though he was barely conscious. "Remember this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are."
This was her memento to her only son. She turns away from him with a sad smile, pulls her hood up and disappears down the dark hallway. And out of Zuko's life.
"Get up ...!" Lee was worried that this may be the end.
Gow raises his hammers to deliver the final blow. In that moment Zuko hears a familiar voice in his head that asked an interesting question: "Why do we fall?"
Zuko's eyes open. He reaches for his swords and gets up firebending, creating a hurricane of flame. Gow drops his hammers and is pushed over, and lands on his back. Zuko stands there, seething at Gow. Although unarmed, Gow stands up and raises his fists, determined to finish the fight. Zuko charges him, sending various fire blasts. Gow tries to deflect them with earthbending, but the blasts are too powerful and he is sent backward again. Rocks hit his head as he lands in with a cloud of dust.
"Who ... who are you?" Gow asked at the mercy of the firebender.
But Zuko was no ordinary firebender. "My name is Zuko. Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne."
Everyone was shocked and surprised by this news. However the old man in the crowd remembered a little detail he heard once that was left out.
"Liar! I heard of you! You're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him."
It appears word of his banishment had reached even here to this remote village. Zuko was not going to speak against that. It like many things in his life he leaded to accept not matter how much he hated it.
Zuko kneels down toward Gow, who shudders in fear. However, Zuko does nothing to harm him; he only takes Lee's dagger back. The man was coward and will be driven from the village. Zuko walks toward Lee to give it back, but Sela intervenes.
"Not a step closer." She warns him.
Zuko remembered the turtle duckling he bothered back then, and how she bit at his ankle for messing with her baby. A lesson Ursa taught him.
Zuko kneels down in front of Sela, with Lee peeking around his mother's back, offering the knife. "It's yours. You should have it."
"No! I hate you!" Lee said. He and his mother walked away leaving Zuko alone. Zuko really couldn't blame them.
Zuko has another flashback. It is early morning and he is in his bed in his room. He wakes with a start.
Zuko leaps out of bed and runs out of his room down the hallway. "Mom? Mom? Mom!"
Zuko enters a pillared room, where Azula is admiring Zuko's dagger from behind a pillar. She re-sheathes it and steps out to face Zuko.
"Where's Mom?" He asked his sister.
"No one knows. Oh, and last night, Grandpa passed away." Azula informed him of more bad news.
"Not funny, Azula! You're sick. And I want my knife back, now." Zuko tries to grab it, but misses as Azula quickly moves out of the way.
"Who's going to make me? Mom?" Azula taunted.
Zuko dashes forward and grabs his knife from Azula, who was dangling in a tantalizing manner. He runs away to keep looking. Zuko reaches the garden where his father is staring into a pond.
"Where is she?" Zuko demanded.
Ozai does not acknowledge that he has heard Zuko. Even if he knew and told him it wouldn't make Zuko happy. Today Ozai realizes the price of having a loose ill-mannered tongue.
Sometime later before Azulon's funeral Zuko rest his head in sadness in the window looking out at the garden. Suddenly hand gently reaches over and touches his shoulder. Zuko turns around to it was Dante wearing his red robes of nobility with his long black in a ponytail like Zuko's. He had returned home upon hearing such turned of events.
"Are you alright, my little Prince?" Dante asked kindly.
Zuko frowned and dashed off and ran until he fell down the steps to the garden. He scrapped his knee and grabbed it in pain. Dante appeared at top of the steps and walked down to offer a helping hand. Zuko accepted it and stood up. Dante knelt down looked the young prince in the eye.
"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up. I know how you feel Zuko. I lost my mother long ago. Don't deny your pain but embrace it for is the first to step on the road of being the best of yourself." Dante said as he took young Zuko to have his knee healed.
The day of Azulon's funeral arrived. Outside the royal palace at night row upon row of people standing on the palace grounds, wearing red hooded cloaks and carrying long, victory red, rectangular flags. Dante was in the crowd up front wearing a black hooded cloak. The Red army of the Fire Nation army stood at attention as the ceremony proceeded. At the top of the steps to the palace, a Fire Sage leader dressed in red, with several other Fire Sages in white behind him. There is an elaborate coffin behind him along Zuko, Azula, and Ozai are standing to his right.
Fire Sage leader raised one arm in salute causing the vast crowd to return the salute in response. After a moment of silence the arms went down and the service began with Fire Sage leader giving a speech.
"People of Motherland, Our beloved Fire Nation, we are gave here to pay our final farewell to our beloved leader. Fire Lord Azulon. He passed due to complications to his health. But his strength and spirit shall always stride within us. Azulon. Fire Lord to our nation for twenty-three years. You were our fearless leader in the Battle of Garsai. Our matchless conqueror of the Hu Xin Provinces. You were father of Iroh, father of Ozai, husband of Ilah, now passed. Grandfather of Lu Ten, now passed. Grandfather of Zuko, and Azula. We lay you to rest."
With those words, two attendants in white Firebend Azulon's coffin, which was on a layer of wood so it burns easily. The fire reflects in Dante's eyes.
"As was your dying wish, you are now succeeded by your second son." The Fire Sage holds up the fire crown and places the fire crown in Ozai's top knot and steps away."Hail Fire Lord Ozai!" he anncounces for all to her.
Ozai stands up, and the group of mourners wearing red and holding flags all kneel down at once, as do the Fire Sages behind him and Zuko and Azula. The fire soldiers raised their arms forward saluting their new Fire Lord chanting in thunderous cadence. Dante refused to bow or salute Ozai for he knew there was a truth in the shadows and his wrath and defiance to Fire Lord Ozai began on that day and every day since. Azula is smiling wickedly at this new development. Dante Zuko looks over at her and the crowd with absolute fear in his eyes.
::
Zuko memories finally end as rides out of the Earth Kingdom village on his ostrich horse. The villagers stand in lines on either side of him with various possible weapons in their hands: a hoe, a pitchfork, a rock for throwing. They watch him leave with anger and hatred in their eyes. As Zuko passes Lee, the boy looks the other way. Zuko ignores them, and rides off into the sunset, just as alone as when he arrived.
Zuko couldn't blame them; so much was grief and destruction was done by the Fire Nation in the war they started that that the other free people of the world have devolved a fear and dread for the Fire Nation and a firebender that is as old as the wild animals of the field fearing the flame of a torch that man used to scare them off in long forgotten days of this world birth.
But what of the Fire Prince that save their village from the Gow and his thugs. The villages were grateful that much is certain. The fact they stay their hand to strike Zuko was mostly likely out of fear or pity. The fact he was an outcast meant he was an enemy of the Fire nation forces here in the Earth Kingdom. But certainly that meant was certainly not a friend to the Earth Kingdom.
Zuko embraced who he is, but he must remember keep the truth a secret. Trust no one. And if he sees someone in distress he will do what he can those that are can't help themselves. For it is a virtue to reach out to help people in need and expect nothing in return.