Chapter 1
Zuko knelt down to a crying child on the passenger boat that was making its way to The Southern Watertribe.
As the young child had started crying, it's mother quickly ran over to the child to see what was the matter, Zuko gently picked up the child and started to comfort him until the mother reached over to take him, but Zuko simply said
"If you want I can look after him for a while, they say I'm good with children." Zuko's amber eyes gazed at the tried brown haired mother, who looked to be from the Earth kingdom judging from her green clothes.
"That would be very kind." The mother replied with a tired smile, as she saw how her son had immediately stopped crying the minute her entered the young man's arms.
As the mother turned around, the young unhappy looking child looked as if it was about to start crying again, so Zuko hurriedly started to tell him one of the only story's he knew off by heart.
"Water, Earth, Fire, Air- long ago the four nations lived together in harmony, then everything changed when the Fire nation attacked."
Zuko paused to see the child's green eyes looking up at him, listening to the story, but because Zuko paused the child's mouth opened as if to scream his head off. Zuko quickly curtailed that by putting his hand on the small child's face and stroked it gently as he continued
"Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them, but when- what appeared to be the good side of the world-needed him the most, he vanished. "
Zuko took the point to roll his eyes at the child, and whispered in his ear "The Fire nation I'm sure was very good." The young child giggled as he continued in not such a hushed tone
"A hundred years past and a Waterbender and her – history notes down that he's an idiot-brother found the new Avatar an Airbender named Aang." At this the child looked at him in wonder
" They travelled the world helping the young Avatar master all the elements, when the time came to defeat the Fire lord, the Avatar faced him and took away his bending. The world was saved and happy, but parts of the gang- the avatars bending teachers and friends-were not, when the war ended the Avatar took his Waterbending teacher as his girlfriend and later his wife, but she loved the Avatar's Fire bending teacher also the last Fire Lord."
Zuko's eyes widened as he noticed a small group of children were now standing near the railing listening to him tell the story
" The Fire lord in the end married his long-term girlfriend-even though he loved the Waterbender. Nearly ten years pasted, when the Fire lord was poisoned, leaving his four year old daughter to take the throne. A few months later the Waterbender died too, leaving the Avatar with two young children, seized by grief he went into the Avatar state, destroying the Earth Kingdom and Fire nation- apart from basically going against everything a monk of peace should not do, he killed thousands of people and even killed some of his own friends- the Avatar was soon killed by the Earth kingdom people, but could not be reborn because of being killed in the avatar state."
Zuko looked around as the horror stricken faces of the children down to the child in his arms who'd fallen asleep; Zuko thought that maybe for children that wasn't the best ending.
"Many people left there destroyed home to go to the Southern and Northen Watertribe, the two children that were the Avatar's and Waterbender's , were both Waterbenders and built the Southen Water Tribe into a beautiful city- or so they say- and every year more of the Earth kingdom leave their homes to come to the city, rather than stay with there still barren land." Zuko finished smiling at what he thought was a happier ending.
"Any questions?" He said asking the small crowd of children with their mouths hanging open.
"What was the Avatar's name?" A girl to Zuko's left asked
"We don't know because it was against the law to know their names after the war ended."
Zuko subconsciously touch his bracelet as he said this letting the blue stone slid between his thumb and middle finger as he answered the question
"But legends say-"
Zuko was interrupted by the mother- of the child he was carrying. Thanking him and carefully taking the sleeping child, but in doing so the child's foot got caught in the blue bracelet on his wrist.
"Oh, I'm sorry." The mother smiled apologetically, then as she looked at the intricate design asked "What a lovely bracelet. Where did you get it?"
Zuko pulled his sleeve down "It was given to me…by my mother."
Zuko swallowed thickly as his mother had died giving birth to his sister, but had wanted him to have it, since it was tradition to hand it down to the male.
"She must love you a lot." The woman smiled kindly as she shifted the sleeping child in her arms
"Yes, she did." Zuko looked into the warm brown eyes that widened with realization, as her mouth opened to what appeared to apologise he interrupted her pity by asking the child's name
"Oh, his name's Kuzon." The woman walked away only saying a hurried good bye.
Zuko was suddenly was reminded by his mother's brown eyes and her dressed in green clothes and long brown hair looking at her children as her stomach swelled with the pregnancy.
When Zuko realized he wasn't alone he looked back at the children, who had all dispersed apart from the same girl, who still wanted to ask a question.
"What is it?" Zuko said kindly bending down to meet the young girl
"Why did the Avatar burn the Fire nation so there was nothing left? Did he not like it?" Zuko tensed as the girl asked this
"No, it was because his wife was murdered by a person from Firenation." Zuko said rather stiffly, the girl paused for a minute before asking
"So there really are no firenation people left?"
"No…They are believed to be all dead." Zuko was about to turn around and make hasty retreat, but a small hand grabbed his before he walked away
"What if they are not dead?" The girl asked innocently
Zuko looked over his shoulder before answering
"The Fire nation was blamed for the beginning on the first war, many believe that a Fire nation man killed the greatest Waterbender ever to live, and never blamed the Avatar for destroying their lives, their homes…their families. They blamed the Firenation when the second war begin their blamed the Fire nation, because they were the first to start a war to ruin lives. If any Firenation are still alive after all these years, then their lives will be jeopardy and at some points they'll wish there dead."
Zuko jerked his hand out of her grasp and walked away
B.O.T.P
Zuko sat on his bed in the shared room with three other men, as he fingered his bracelet and was reminded of what she's said to him the night she'd given birth
"She wanted to talk to you." A spiteful voice stated from Zuko's bedroom door
Zuko looked up into his father's cold amber eyes as he jumped off his bed as he ran past him to his mother's room.
As he slowly opened the door to the big bedroom and descended into darkness, a familiar voice drifted quietly to him telling him to come to her.
Zuko walked silently to the bed and crept onto it.
Even in the darkness he could still see his mother's soft features smiling at him, even if she was very pale... When he had settled down next to her and the baby his mother unclasped a blue carved necklace that hung around her neck and tied it onto Zuko's wrist
"Do you know what this is Zuko?" His mother asked tiredly
When Zuko shook his head, his mother closed her eyes as she began "When I got married to your father, his mother gave me this to wear until I had my son married. She told me that when I had a son ,to call him Zuko, when I asked why she said that he was the one destined to finish what his antsier started."
She opened her eyes to see if he was listening, when she saw the widening eyes that told her that he was indeed listening she continued
"It was only on the day you were born, that she told me that her grandfather was Firelord Zuko, the last Firelord and told me the true story about his love for a waterbender-"
Zuko's mother gasped softly, then slowly lifting the baby into Zuko's arms
"When a few years ago she passed away, she told also told me that there was destined to be a reincarnation of everyone but one- I'm sorry I don't know what this means – she warned me not to have any more… children, saying it would be an undoing."
Zuko's mother smiled tightly "Well she was right; it was the undoing of me…"
She gasped again this one more sudden, her face scrunch up in pain as she quickly made Zuko swear on something, she whispered into his ear.
As he nodded a ghost smile as she exhaled her last. Zuko cried out at the realization that his mother had died.
Zuko quick shot out of the memory, he'd been six at the time and even though it was over fourteen years ago he still remembered all of it.
After his mother's death, his father had shut him out and had instead turned to his younger children. He had always been his father's least favourite, he didn't realize until a few years ago that one of the few reasons for this, was that he was the last person to talk to his mother- and by his promise to his mother was told to remain silent about their talk.
'I should have never left, I promised Azula that I would never leave her' Zuko mentally guilt tripped himself as he thought of all the things he should and could have done
'She'll be fourteen by now, I wonder how far she'll be on in firebending, she was always better than me.'
Zuko stopped messing with the stone tied to his arm as he reached up to touch his scare
Zuko's father marched over to Azula, towering over her as she apologized to him
"You will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher" their father raised his fist that held fire in his palm, Zuko looked to his younger brother that was smirking cruelly, as he looked to Azulo wide eyed he saw a scared, pleading glance that she through at Zuko, as the first of fire came down it met Zuko's flesh instead of Azula's .
Zuko shuddered; he'd been fourteen at the time that he stepped into Azula's place.
'He is no longer my father.' Zuko shouted mentally
"Ozen is no longer my father!" Zuko shouted as tears ran down his face.
AN: So, this is my first story published, and due to a very special friend she made this all possible. I really hope you all like it and please review if you do, or have any suggestions or confusions about the plot.
Kataang4eve: Thank you so, so much for being my first reviewer, and also thanks for following and favouriting my story. I'm glad you liked it so much, I hope you like this chapter too. Hope you continue to enjoy the story. :) x
ArrayePl: Thank you also for following my story. x
This story is for Zutara1267. Merry Christmas! :)
Zutarafan1992 xx