Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day of Zuko's birth was a sunny day in the middle of summer - good luck for assumed firebending children. Unfortunately, this did not apply to Zuko, as he was born sick and weak. Ursa cried as the palace healer gave her the news that her firstborn most likely would not survive past the night. He told her it was best to not name the child, lest she grows too attached. Ursa didn’t listen, she named him Zuko against their suggestion. Her child would survive, she didn’t know what she would do if he didn’t.

As per tradition, the sages inspected the child, to gauge if he would be a bender. They died all humidity from the room and held cotton mixed with shredded birch and oils. Zuko almost immediately set a small fire with his heaving breaths. The sages told them that he would be a very powerful fire bender, Ozai only scoffed at that.

“I find that hard to believe considering his current health, don’t waste anything trying to heal that boy,” he addressed the healers tending to the newborn.

“Ozai please!” Ursa pleaded. “Please! I know he will survive, just give him a chance!” She continued to beg him to reconsider as the palace healers tried to pry him from her arms. “Please, let him live! He’ll grow to be a powerful heir, I know it! Please let our son live.”

Ozai considered it. With a blank face, he eventually gave his response. “He has one week, if his health does not improve, there is no point keeping the boy alive.” as he left, Ursa’s composure completely crumbled. One week was not enough time for him to recover, her son was weak and could hardly breathe. She knew he would need at least a month to get to a healthy size.

She sobbed and held onto her child, who she would only be able to hold for one week.

Every day she spent with her son she cherished, she only spoke her adoration in soft hushed tones, as if anything any louder would cause him to shatter.

Every night she prayed he would awake the next morning and every morning she would thank Agni for listening. In the afternoons she would pray at the window facing the small pond when the sun shone into the nursery. On the 5th day, she kneeled at the window like always and prayed once again. The clouds were grey and cloudy, hinting at a summer shower the next day. When Ursa whispered her prayer, hoping for Zuko’s recovery, she noticed suddenly that the sun was shining warm light into the room.

She looked into the courtyard outside her window only to see that there was no bright sunlight anywhere but in the room. Ursa was sure this was a sign from Agni and was once again given hope for her son.

Zuko fused in his crib, awakening from his nap. She stood over him, ready to pick him up to feed him and gasped. Her son's eyes, which were once black, were now a brilliant gold.

After that day, her son was seemingly recovering from his condition overnight. He was eating more frequently, he was in less pain, and could now cry freely, when he could previously only heave for air as tears streamed down his cheeks.

When Ozai heard the news that his heir was finally healthy, he did not celebrate. He only huffed as Ursa beamed down at her son.

Zuko’s birth was finally announced to the citizens. As the fire sages prepared Zuko for the ceremony that would recognize him as the prince of the fire nation, Zuko sneezed out fire. This is not unusual for fire bender babies, other than the fact that Zuko sneezed out a large flame bigger than his own body. Not only that the fire was multicolored, then the news spread. The sages were certain this was a sign he was spirit touched by Agni, as fire benders are never able to produce anything but sparks until they are at least 3 years old, while Zuko had only been 3 weeks.

This news pleased Ozai, who before had never cared for his son. Now Ozai boasted about his son every chance he could get, convinced this was a sign from Agni that the fire nation would prosper and win the war.

__________________

“C'mon Zuzu why don’t you wanna play?” Azula yanked on Zuko's sleeve, demanding his attention.

“Maybe because every time you catch me, you try to set my shirt on fire.”

Azula grinned unabashedly, “Well, father says we should always be practicing.”

“We practice plenty already,” Zuko pointed out.

“Then why can’t you control your flame?” She said teasingly.

Zuko frowned. Azula never missed a chance to remind him of his subpar bending. He changed the subject rather than take her bait. “I’ll play, but promise not to set fire to anything?”

“But that makes it more fun Zuzu, please can we play some game where we can bend?”

Zuko huffed “Fine, but only for a bit, okay?”

Azula nodded excitedly, Zuko was the only person she could play with after all. Their father always reminded them that, as royalty, everyone else was beneath them. That’s why they were not allowed to go to the private school most nobility was sending their kids to. Instead, they only had the best tutors and teachers in the nation to visit them each morning for classes. They had no one their age to play with but each other.

But all they needed was each other anyways.

“Let’s toss each other our flames” Zuko figured this was a good enough compromise, playing but also practicing. He doubted Azula actually wanted to practice though, she likely only wanted to show off how her bending skills compared to his.

“Okay, I’ll start,” Azula created a ball of flame and sent it toward Zuko, he ‘catches’ it by diffusing the flame as it reaches his palm. He created his own flame, which is noticeably smaller and more shaky than hers. He threw it to her and they continued this game for a few minutes.

As Zuko sent his small flame towards her once again, it flickered and enlarged as it reached her. It expanded from the size of a teacup to the size of an adult turtle duck. Azula stumbled backward from the unexpected change of size. She attempted to break the flame but failed from her surprise. It burned her forearm and she screamed.

Zuko ran to her and tried to comfort her. Azula cried into his shoulder from the pain, and Zuko cried from the guilt and fear.

Ozai and Ursa ran into the garden, following the sounds of Azula's wails.

Ursa pulled the children apart from each other to assess the situation.

“Zuko, honey, what happened?” She held her sobbing daughter into her arms to comfort her.

Zuko didn’t reply, he only hiccuped and curled into himself.

Ozai didn’t have nearly the amount of patience his wife did, so he pulled Zuko from his knees. “Zuko. What. Did. You. Do.” He gritted out.

Zuko trembled from the commanding tone. “W-well me and Zula were playing a game…-hiccup- and I accidentally burned her…” his eyes teared up with renewed tears at the confession.

“So you did this, boy?!” Ozai yanked Zuko towards him by his arm. “This would have never happened, if only you learned to control your flame!”

A slap sounded across the garden.

Zuko collapsed to his knees and Azula stared wide at her father. The six-year-old had never seen their father so angry. And she knew she could never allow herself to be on the receiving side of his wrath.

__________________________

Ever since Zuko burned his sister, he noticed his father never treated him the same. He would never acknowledge Zuko's achievements, he would scold him more often, punish him more, and ignore him. Mother told him that it was because his father wanted him to be successful, after all, if you coddle a baby too much, they’ll grow lazy and spoiled. But it hurt Zuko to see his father praise his little sister and ignore him.

And despite Zuko working every day, he could still not control his flame to Azula's level. Tutor after tutor, they always ended up with that familiar face of disappointment. The prince of the fire nation, unable to bend properly, what a waste.

Zuko sometimes wished he wasn't blessed by Agni, because it didn’t help him, it didn’t allow him any shortcuts, it only ever brought more expectations. He hated how everyone looked at him, he knew Agni’s gift was wasted on him. It’s not like he asked for it. He would have much rather given his gift to Azula, who could actually live up to the image of a perfect bender, even at 7 years old, she’s learned more bending forms than he could have learned and perfected in a year.

Every time they performed what they've learned so far to grandfather, Zuko shook from the pressure, with his family's eyes all upon him without fail, he always fumbled through the movements. And every time father made sure to remind him after they leave, that weakness was not allowed in their family. Every time Zuko found himself with new bruises and burns.

“Zuko, play with me?”

He didn't turn away from his scroll, if he couln't be good at bending, the last thing he could do is be good at his other studies.

“No.”

Azula's face scrunched up, “Why not?”

“I'm not in the mood.”

“You’re never in the mood!” she stomped her foot to emphasize this. “Why?! As the princess I demand you to play with me!”

Zuko finally turned his body away from the scrolls he was reading, “Well, as prince I demand you to leave me alone.”

“You’ll never get better, if you just hide inside your room all day!”

Zuko snapped at the accusation, “I train more than you! I stay behind every day and practice for at least hours!” How could she have implied he was lazy? All he ever did nowadays was train, in hopes of eventually getting as good as his sister.

Azula stilled in the doorway, likely surprised by the sudden anger. Zuko rarely raised his voice toward his little sister. Even when Azula purposely pushed his buttons to get a reaction, he only ever ignored her or left. Zuko turned back to his desk, his shoulders hunching up to his chin.

“I’m sorry Zula, but I’m just not in the mood to play with you.”

Azula didn’t reply, she shut the door and walked over to her brother. She nudged his shoulder to grab his attention. Her face was etched with stubbornness, which didn't surprise Zuko. Azula had grown up to be quite the stubborn princess, she rarely stood down. Once she had his attention, she let her face fall slightly.

“I heard father speaking to master Kunyo, he wants him to begin punishing us himself when we make mistakes.”

She held her neutral face, but Zuko could see the underlying worry. For him. And he was once again reminded that, despite Azula's new attitude and personality changes, she still cared, she still loved him, even if she didn’t show it the way she used to. All previous resentment flooded away, he could never stay mad at her for long anyways.

“I just think it would be embarrassing for the crown prince to be punished for not being good enough, it’s bad for our reputation.”

Zuko tried not to let himself get annoyed at the jab, even with the insults, Zuko saw right through his sister, so instead of continuing their usual back-and-forth insults, he grabbed her wrist and led her to join him on the ground. He grabbed two candles and placed one in front of her.

“Ok, then help me practice.”

She gave him a skeptical look before she lit her candle, her flame standing strong and tall. Zuko copied her movement and produced his own flame, smaller and more unstable than hers. They sat in silence for a while, only the sound of their twin breathing, controlling the fires, could be heard in the bedroom. Zuko found himself grateful for the peaceful moment, his sister was never one to keep quiet for too long, she always preferred to fill the silence by talking about her day and nitpicking anything the servants do. And she also hadn’t been interested in genuinely spending time with him, he worried that they had been drifting apart too fast. One moment, Azula clung to him every day and they were never separated and the next, she hardly ever spent time with him. Sometimes Zuko wondered what he’d done to deserve his sister's new animosity towards him. He wondered if it was jealousy, jealousy for his blessing and gift from Agni. He stared at his fire, small wisps of purple, green, and blue taunted him, a constant reminder of his curse disguised as a blessing. He would have given it to Azula in a heartbeat if he could have, he had no doubts she would have lived up to the role as Agni's child. All it ever did for him was paint a constant target on his back.

As they breathed, both siblings watched their flames move in time with their breaths. Azula made a point to breathe loudly whenever Zuko's fire faltered, giving him a guide to follow. They spent the hour controlling their flame's size and Zuko was surprised to find by the end of it, he had pretty good control of his fire.

______

Ever since that day, Azula would find Zuko and insist they practice together. They spent quiet evenings in the garden practicing with each other. Azula would always claim it was for Zuko's own benefit, to get better so he wouldn't embarrass himself as much. Zuko was just glad Azula was seeking him out again.

And surprisingly enough, his bending was improving. Zuko didn't want to admit to Azula that their little sessions were actually helping, because he knew he would never have the end of it. Azula already had a big ego for her age, he did not want to add to it.

Currently, they were practicing the kata they were going to present to their grandfather. Every so often, he and Azula were required to showcase their bending skills to the fire lord, to ensure the line of succession was strong. This morning when his mother told him they would join grandfather Azulon, he felt a pit of anxiety immediately form in his stomach. Zuko looked up at the sun setting, the sky full of pink and orange clouds. He wished he could enjoy the beautiful sunset, but he couldn't think of anything other than the eventual punishment he would receive from his father.

“Get your head out of the clouds Zuzu.” Azula paused mid-kata to complain at the seemingly daydreaming boy.

“There's no point, I'll slip up and father will punish me just like always.”

“So what, you give up?”

“Well, what's the point?”

“The point is that now that I am personally training you, you can't fail, because I’ll look like a bad teacher.”

Zuko only rolled his eyes. No one even knows about their training sessions, so this wouldn't reflect on Azula’s ‘teaching’ skills in any way.

“Grandfather already knows I'm a failure, so...” he trailed off.

“We’ll need to show him something that will really impress him then,” Azula sported a familiar glint in her eyes, which is how Zuko knew she was ready to create some sort of chaos. She paced around him for a few seconds with a calculating expression, hands on her hips she seemingly examined him. After a few moments, she revealed her plan, “Instead of showing him the basic katas you've been working on perfecting, we should both present some more advanced ones.”

Zuko gaped at her in shock, this was not at all what he was expecting. Azula often had crazy plans and ideas, but they were usually more thought out than this.

“We have a few hours, if we start now, we can get you to learn the kata I've been working on.”

“Azula this is pointless, you know I'm horrible at fire bending, there's no way-”

“Don't play stupid brother, we both know that you've greatly improved-” she raised her hand to silence Zuko, when he opened his mouth to object, “ever since I've been helping you,” she finished with a smirk.

Zuko huffed, “Not even you can teach me advanced forms in just a few hours.”

“We’ll see.”

Hours later both children ran to the dining room. They stayed in the gardens, going over the same kata for at least 3 hours. Although Azula was never a patient person, she managed to stay calm enough to aid Zuko through the steps. And Zuko, in return, tried his absolute best to follow Azula’s movements with utmost focus. He wasn't sure why she exactly wanted or cared enough to help him impress Fire Lord Azulon. Either way, he didn't look like a gift ostrich horse in the mouth.

They arrived just a few minutes before they were considered late. Both panting and sweaty from the training, Zuko took his place beside his mother and hoped no one questioned their tardiness.

Fire Lord Azulon took his seat last and the servants immediately brought out all the dishes and served them their respective drinks. Dinner commenced, as usual, with limited conversation and a quiet atmosphere.

Afterward, grandfather led them into his throne room to speak with father and to see his and Azula’s progress in fire bending. Both children stood in front of the throne. Azula went first, performing her form with ease. Her grandfather complimented her skills with an impressed expression. Her bending was amazing for her age, after all. She gave a final bow and stepped back, so Zuko could go next.

He stepped forward, hands clenched at his sides, taking a deep breath to calm the nerves. Of course it didn't help, but he began anyway. He mentally prayed to Agni for some luck, hoping maybe his blessing would help him for once. As he moved through the form, he only slipped up a few times, other than that it was somewhat smooth. The resulting fire was surprisingly hot and strong. His fists pushed out searing hot flames, hot enough that Azulon could feel the heat from his throne. Zuko bowed once he was done and reveled at their twin shocked expressions. Once he walked back to his sister, she gave him a small nudge, her way of letting him know he did well.

Ozai’s face dropped into a scowl, eyes glaring at his son. Zuko noticed, and his confident mood instantly disappeared. Why does his father look displeased? He did great! He did so much better than usual, this is good! The prince of the fire nation is finally learning how to be a normal bender. So why is father so angry?

They were excused from the room and Zuko clutched his stomach. Newfound anxiety consumed Zuko. The siblings left for bed, once he was ready to sleep, he curled around his turtle duck stuffie. Behind him, he placed multiple pillows, they nearly made it feel like someone was holding him, keeping him safe almost. He drifted off to sleep, wondering if the reason he was able to bend so well was that Agni finally granted him some luck.

____________________

In the following weeks, Zuko went through his lessons much easier. He got fewer punishments from his tutor and moved on to bending forms more suitable for his age. The tutors took credit for Zuko's sudden improvement, but all credit should have gone to his sister. She helped him through the forms he did with his tutor that day. She gave him tips, rather than shouted to redo the kata in hopes of him magically understanding his mistake. She snarked at him all the same, but at least it was not small burns for each mistake.

Mother praised him constantly, she told him she knew he would get the hang of it. And reminded him that even through the hardships, Agni's blessing would ensure he would become a powerful fire bending master. His father on the other hand did not acknowledge his skills, he would see his father even less, now that he didn’t have to remind him how much of a failure he was.

Azula didn’t compliment him at all, she only commented about ‘It’s about time you bend properly,’ and about how awful his bending used to be. Zuko thought this was her way of showing him her affection; he wouldn’t have been surprised, since she spent so much time around father. She must have forgotten how to be nice and respectful, picking up on their father’s scornful personality.

One day when they met up in the gardens as usual Azula pulled him close to ensure no one could hear her.

“We should go listen to fathers meeting,” she proposed.

“Azula, if you were too tired to practice today, you could’ve just said so,” he teased.

Her face turned red, “I am not tired!”

Her nails dug into his skin at the insult, “Zuko listen, we are going to be the heirs, we will rule one day, we should be prepared.”

Zuko’s face scrunched into a confused expression, “Azula, we are fourth and fifth in line to the throne, uncle and cousin Lu Ten are going to rule, not us.” Where did Azula get this idea from? Surely she did not think they were ever going to be on the throne, unless a terrible accident happened to their Uncle and cousin.

Azula looked annoyed, as if he was the one to forget the line of succession, not her. Instead of answering she continued, “What’s better, reading scrolls or being there for the real thing?”

“How would we even hide?”

“We hide behind the curtains and listen, trust me Zuzu, I’ve done this a hundred times.”

Zuko contemplated scolding her for doing this before, it was beneath a princess to snoop in places she shouldn’t be, but then again he was about to do it with her now. “Fine, but just this once, we can’t get caught.”

“Let’s go now, we have to hide before anyone gets there.”

Together they sneaked their way to the meeting room, ducking into rooms and behind pillars to not be seen by passing servants or council members. They reached the room and made sure to check if anyone was around to see them entering. They hid in the corner of the room, behind the decorative banners and curtains.

They whispered to each other before anyone showed up, Azula assuring him they wouldn’t get caught. Council members arrived soon after. When their father arrived, Zuko tensed, sure that somehow he would know they were there. But the meeting began as normal, with discussions of recent battle outcomes, cities recently conquered or lost, new technology to use, trade routes, and supply demands. Zuko couldn’t help but agree that this was a much better way to learn about politics and war strategies than reading from old dingy scrolls and books.

But it seemed they kept the most important news for last.

An admiral, whose name he couldn’t remember, revealed talks of the Northern Water Tribe’s plans to join the war. Several gasps were heard around the room, Zuko almost gasped if it weren’t for Azula holding her hand over his mouth. Reminding him to keep quiet, and giving him a silent promise to never forgive him if they were caught, with her glare.

Zuko couldn’t help it, the north was the only neutral nation in this war, infamous for not aiding their sister tribe during the raids. He shivered at the thought of fighting a water bender, being frozen in ice is the worst fate for a fire bender. Zuko had no doubt they would turn the war in favor of the enemy’s side. All the adults must’ve had the same thought because the table erupted into a mini panic. Ideas were being thrown out, his grandfather stayed silent with a neutral face.

“We’ll attack before they have the chance.”

“We don't have a single battalion or navy to spare.”

“We must offer them some resources then,” a council member called out.

“We don’t have much to offer, almost every material we supply is in high demand for our troops” another responded.

“I doubt they have access to wood, perhaps we can supply them.”

“That won’t work, the savages make their homes from ice.”

They argued over what they could offer the North, but it seemed like they couldn’t afford to give them anything. This shocked Zuko, all adults have always told them their Nation was rich. Richer than anyone can imagine, which was why they were trying to spread their reign to the earth kingdom, to help them. Now he was being told they couldn’t afford to pay for their neutrality? He doubted they would ask for much, from what he’s been told they are a poor nation, they lived in igloos and ate only raw meat. The only thing they had that’s valuable was their benders.

“Admiral, do you know their reasoning for breaking neutrality?” A councilman asked.

“From the information I’ve acquired, they are mostly worried that after we conquer the Earth Kingdom, we’ll come after them.”

“So we need them to trust us, give them something to ensure we won’t turn on them,” Ozai began and the table became silent.

“A marriage perhaps, I doubt they’ll accept but we don’t need to have them married, we just need to give them someone important enough they trust our word,” everyone at the table was visibly confused and unsure.

Ozai continued, “Someone of royal descent, of course the child of a lowly noble won’t be enough to gain their trust. I offer my son, he’s not important in the line of succession and my daughter Azula is far more valuable. I believe the chief's daughter is the same age is she not?”

The Admiral confirmed that the princess was currently nine years old, just like Zuko.

Zuko’s eyes widened, he stumbled and his back hit the wall. How could his father propose this? Give him away to the enemy nation in hopes it’ll get them on good terms with no guarantee? Azula grabbed onto his arm to keep him still enough to not draw attention. He in turn held onto her, dull nails digging into her arm.

He mentally begged for anyone to object, for someone to come up with a better plan.

Fire lord Azulon turned to face his son, his face curled into an offended frown.

“You would give your own son to the enemy Ozai?”

“I mean no disrespect your majesty, but this is the most effective way to keep the North from joining the war.”

Zuko’s eyes watered up, betrayed by his father. Silent tears dripped down his face, he muffled his hiccups in Azula’s hair.

“This would also strengthen the royal family, my son was never going to be powerful enough to be regarded as royalty or to honor our nation. We would rid ourselves of a future problem.”

No one spoke up against it, instead, they discussed finer details. How they would word the proposal, and how they would describe Zuko to seem more important. They decided to add in the fact that he was spirit blessed, hoping they would find him more desirable, considering how important and respected spirits were in water tribe culture. Zuko wasn’t surprised his ‘gift’ was once again used against him.

Eventually, everyone agreed: Zuko would be offered to the Northern Water tribe in a month.

Everyone was excused and the room was emptied until only he and Azula remained. He let out a heaving sob once they were alone, he hugged Azula so tightly he thought she would push him away. But instead, she hugged him back, he let out another sob at the rare comfort of his sister's embrace.

Slowly he regained his composure, he pulled away and wiped his face. He was sure he was red and unsightly, but he didn’t care at the moment.

“What am I going to do?”

Azula’s dejected expression hardened, “We’ll tell Uncle Iroh, he’s visiting in a week. Grandfather will listen to him, if not he can take you with him.”

Zuko didn’t point out how their Uncle would definitely not be able to take him to the earth kingdom, even alongside a general he wouldn’t be safe. But if somehow his uncle did take him, that would mean leaving behind Azula. His little sister. Without him being the family failure will his father turn to his sister? Would he begin to hurt her the way he hurt him?

He didn’t voice his worries, he knew Azula wouldn’t believe she needed Zuko there to protect her from their father, she was his favorite.

“Ok, we’ll tell Uncle.”

Unbeknownst to Azula, he began training every waking hour of the day. He was determined to convince his father he was strong and valuable enough to keep. The constant stress kept his fire unreliable, one moment it would be calm and steady, the next it would shoot up and turn so scorching hot, his fire would seem completely white. Through tears of frustration, Zuko would try again and again until he was exhausted.

Zuko still tried to be normal around his mother, but sometimes he was so worn out he would only have energy to sleep on her lap. Gentle hands would comb through his hair and tears would well up again. He was going to lose his mother, he might never feel her comforting touch again. He doubted he would be able to write to her too. She could sense his sadness most days, she would give him a pleading look and remind him ‘problems should always be shared’ in an attempt to get him to tell her the source of his uncharacteristic melancholy.

He never told her the truth, if she found out and told Ozai, who knows what would happen? He would get punished for being at the meeting in secret, and Azula might get punished too. His mother would try to prevent it and in doing so only bring danger to herself, he wasn’t stupid, he had known his father would hit his mother as well. There was only one person who could bring bruises onto the skin of Princess Ursa without repercussions.

All conversations with Azula were also stilted, their bending sessions were tense with the knowledge of Zuko's fate. After they finished, Zuko had taken to following Azula around to spend as much time with her before he left. She noticed and only complained about how clingy he was, but she didn't send him away. Unfortunately, Azula spent a lot of time around their father, sitting beside him as he spoke to generals, reading whatever scroll he just signed, and eating lunch with him. He tried to join her, so he could get a chance to speak to him, maybe even show him his recently mastered fire bending techniques. But his father didn’t give him the light of day, he had no issue hugging Azula and letting her sit in his lap while Zuko sat in the far corner waiting for an opportunity.

So Zuko just hoped his Uncle would be able to help him. When he arrived it was a sunny perfect day, Zuko imagined this was a sign from Agni. They had tea in the flower garden, Uncle Iroh always insisted on having tea with each family member to catch up. The flowers provided a beautiful environment, the current jewel of the garden were the new white lily blooms.

“Prince Zuko, I've heard your bending has gotten better, did you heed my advice of perfecting the basics?” Iron asked as he poured the tea into their cups. Zuko slouched so low in his seat that the table centerpiece almost completely covered his view of his Uncle.

“I know you were always eager to learn more, but the most advanced forms still require the muscle memory of the most basic ones,” he continued.

Zuko only nodded, thoughts full of how he would tell uncle about the news. “Well actually I stopped practicing those…I’ve moved onto more advanced forms instead,” he confessed.

Iroh stared at him with wide eyes. Zuko anticipated that reaction, since the last time he'd seen his uncle  he was working on controlling his flame and doing basic katas. Iroh bursted into laughter, Zuko sipped at his ginseng tea nervously.

“I certainly was not expecting that, what firebending master made you do that?”

“Well actually” he leaned closer to whisper, “Azula has been teaching me.”

Uncle Iroh raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

Zuko smiled, insanely proud of his younger sister, “Yes, she is a better teacher than any master, other than you of course.”

“Well I’d like to congratulate you on your hard work,” he pulled out a gift wrapped in brown paper.

Zuko took it from across the table, careful not to drop the potentially fragile gift. He pulled the string holding it together away, revealing a sheathed dagger. He beamed as he unsheathed it. The dagger's handle was black with a small pearl on the top of the hilt. Bold Black writing on the blade spelled out “never give up without a fight”.

He wouldn't ruin today with bad news, for today he would have a normal day with his uncle.

_______________________

The next day proceeded as normal, he ate breakfast with his mother and sister, went to his morning classes, and spent his afternoon training in his room. When the sun was at its peak, Zuko was alone in his room. He had planned to tell uncle Iroh today, but he was in the city visiting old friends and likely playing Pai Sho.

While rereading his favorite theater scroll, Love amongst the Dragons, he was interrupted by a knock. He opened the door, expecting his sister, but was met with a maid. She was a new servant, evident by her young age and nervous stance. She bowed, “Good afternoon my Prince, I was told to alert you of Prince Lu Tens' arrival, he awaits you in the gardens.”

Zuko grinned, a surprise visit! He quickly thanked the servant and raced to the gardens. He almost knocked into several people on the way, but he couldn't help being excited, he hadn't seen his cousin in half a year. Once he reached his destination, he searched for his cousin.

“Prince Zuko,” a voice said behind him.

He turned to face his father, and his body froze.

“I wanted to speak to you Zuko.”

He didn't seem mad yet, so Zuko had no idea why he had a sudden feeling of dread. “Yes, father?”

“I want you to stop whatever it is you and Azula do every day, as matter of fact I don't want you around her at all. All you do is distract her, you're a bad influence.”

“Huh?”

“Really Zuko? Coercing your sister to spy in a war meeting?”

No.

“Wha- no- I-”

“How could you dishonor our family like that?”

“I didn't-”

“Are you lying to me Zuko?” Ozai grit out.

“Father, wait.”

Ozai didn't listen, his hand snaked around Zuko's neck. Flames burning through the skin slowly, Zuko tried pushing his arm away. He wasn't being choked but he couldn't breathe either way. Zuko’s hands created flames involuntarily, hot white flames wrapped around Ozai's arm for only a second. Ozai pulled away, outraged.

“Nonono- father I didn't mean to-“

“You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.”

Zuko couldn’t remember much after a few minutes, all he could remember was the pain and the feeling of his skin blistering under his father's touch. He couldn’t remember much of how he screamed or thrashed, he didn’t even feel his father's other hand burning his shoulder, trying to keep him in place.

And as he blacked out, he only had a faint memory of being tied up and the sound of a blade cutting through his hair.