This story is my take on the fantastic Avatar: The Last Airbender series!

For this story, I aged up the characters because I plan to tackle a few more adult themes in the story. So Zuko is 23 at the beginning of the story and he was banished at 18. Elyrie is roughly two years younger than he is, so she is 21 at the beginning of the story. The Gaang is also older than in the original series, with Aang being 19 years old, Katara 21 and Sokka 23!

This story will follow the general story of the serie, but with an OC. I try to stay as true to the original source as possible, while focussing on both Elyrie's and Zuko's POV.

Enjoy! 😊

Prologue

82 AG

"Not fair! You cheated!" the eight year old boy yelled. He wiped the dirt from his cheek from where his face had collided with the grass. A small pebble had robbed him from his victory in the race. A very important one, he might add: racing his friend to the fountain.

A tingeling laugh filled the palace garden. A six year old girl stood on the marble stones of the fountain with a wide grin. Her auburn-coloured curls danced around when she jumped down onto the grass.

"I won, Your Highness" she said while making a mocking bow. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief as she watched him wipe the grass and dirt from his clothing.

"Only because I let you" he answered in a brooding tone. When he fell down, he hadn't hurt himself. Only his pride was bruised because he had lost again. Despite being older than she was, she was much faster.

"So I cheated and you let me?" she asked innocently, "It is my lucky day then!" Zuko groaned as he kicked the pebble away to let out some of his frustrations.

The girl pouted her lips to supress her smile. "Don't be mad." she said in a voice which was sweet as honey.

Zuko smiled back - for he couldn't stay mad at her - and gave her a soft push. She played along and let herself fall onto the grass with a giggle.

"Beaten by the Fire Lord! Totally unintentionally!" she yelled with a dramatic voice as she put the back of her hand against her forehead.

Two women were watching the pair from a distance. One of them had long raven black hair with soft golden eyes. She had her hair in the Fire Nation-style topknot. The other woman had a tanned skin with chocolate-coloured waves and eyes like the morning sky. They were both dressed in silk and mousseline, signalling their status as Fire Princess and first lady-in-waiting.

"Elyrie has my son wrapped around her little finger." the golden eyed woman observed with a loving smile as her lady-in-waiting handed her a cup of freshly brewed tea.

The other woman looked at the boy and the girl, who had begun a playful sparring match. She smiled as she saw the boy carefully blocking the girl's attacks and encouraged her to try again.

"I am glad they get along so well." she said with a smile, filled with motherly love while looking at her blue-eyed daughter.

"As am I." the Fire Nation Princess replied as she took a sip from her tea.

88 AG

"Beautifully played!" Ursa said to the ten year old girl. Placing her hands in her lap, Elyrie looked up with genuine pride, although she smiled shyly. Being complimented by the Princess of the Fire Nation wasn't something that could be taken lightly. But nevertheless, she thanked the older woman for the compliment. "Thank you, Lady Ursa." she said in her musical voice.

Ursa smiled as she patted the little girl on the head. Elyrie seemed to share her affection for music and singing, something that neither of her children had inherited, apparently. As if to prove her point, an impatient tapping sound drew her attention.

"Zuko, on the other hand, could use a bit more practice." Ursa continued, gently scolding her twelve year old son. The older boy groaned and gave her a glaring look.

"Why am I suppose to learn this?" he pouted, while tapping his fingers impatiently on the tsungi horn.

Elyrie hid her giggle behind her small hand. Zuko frowned at her and said "I still beat you in a sparring match, Lily."

Her laughter abruptly stopped. "Only because you get real training" she said indignantly, placing her little hands on her hips.

Ursa smiled at the bickering pair, wisely shaking her head.

94 AG

At the early morning hours, a small cloaked figure walked towards the ship that was located at the harbour. It was barely dawn, the sun still finding his way above the volcano. The cloacked figure, a girl of barely sixteen year old, made her way to a small Fire Nation ship. She saw the crew carrying on the luggage and necessities. The ship would soon set sail, she thought. Her eyes frantically searched the ship, looking for any sign of him.

When her eyes finally found him on the deck, she hesitated for a moment. His back was turned to her, but she recognized him even so. His raven hair was shaved except for a small ponytail, while his left eye still covered with a bandage. She repressed a shudder as she thought about how different he had looked only a few days ago. She still could not believe all this had happened.

Was it wise to call him? Would he send her away? She hadn't seen him since the Agni Kai, since it had been forbidden to visit the newly banished Prince. But this was her only chance to say goodbye to him. What did she have to lose?

"Zuko!" she yelled, her voice travelling all the way up the ship to the deck. She lowered her hood and shouted his name again, praying that he would hear her.

On the deck, Zuko turned around when he heard a painfully familiar voice call. Is she here? He looked down and saw the small figure. The rising sun glittered in her hair, illuminating the reddish shades. The colour that belonged to only one person in the Fire Nation.

"Elyrie!" he shouted as he ran to the ramp. When he had made his way down, she started running towards him. In a few seconds, she had bridged the distance between them, running as fast as her feet could carry her. She did not slow down when he came closer, but wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted herself up to be able to reach him. He was much taller than she was, so she stood on the tip of her toes. He was surprised, but only for a moment and he automatically put his arms around her waist. He pulled her closer, burying his face in her thick auburn hair. No words were said while the pair stood there.

Far too soon for his liking, she pulled back to look at him. "I'll miss you" she whispered. She had purposefully aimed to the right side of his head, so she wouldn't accidentally hurt him by touching the wound on his face.

Zuko's good eye searched her face, trying to remember every small detail. He saw that she did the very same. His heart wrenched at the thought of leaving her. For more than a decade, they had shared everything with each other. She was his friend, his tutor, his confidante.

Her sapphire eyes were filled with tears, but they didn't fall down her cheeks. It was as if she tried her hardest to prevent them from doing so.

Zuko pressed his forehead to hers. "I'll miss you too, but I will return before you know it." He said, trying to reassure her.

Elyrie smiled weakly as she closed her eyes for a moment, savouring their last moments together. She still couldn't believe she had to stay here in the Capital, while he was being banished until he had captured the Avatar. Her stomach turned again at the thought of this: the Avatar hadn't been seen for almost a hundred years.

A small tap on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. Slightly panicked, she turned around to see who had interrupted their goodbye. Where they here to escort her away? She dug her fingers deeper in Zuko's shoulders, as if she wanted to hold on to him for as long as she could.

But relief washed over her when she saw a pair of kind eyes wrinkeling as they smiled at her. "We are glad you came to see us off, dear." Iroh said warmly as Elyrie let go of Zuko to embrace him.

"Goodbye Uncle." she said to him in a quivering voice. Iroh smiled at the girl and pinched her cheek. "Goodbye, dear." He then turned to his nephew and said in a fatherly voice "Prince Zuko, we need to go now. It is almost dawn."

Zuko nodded to his Uncle and gazed back at Elyrie. Her blue eyes locked with his golden eyes and they lingered for a moment. Then, she said in a sad voice, barely more than a whisper: "Goodbye."

He lifted his hand and pushed a strand of hair out of her face. He let his hand rest for a moment against her cheek, before pulling back.

"Goodbye Lily."