After the war

Memories

Zuko was kneeling across from Azula on the beach of Ember Island building a sandcastle. They were almost done, remarking on how much it resembled their home with all the high towers and courtyards. Azula grinned wide and waved at their mother and father who were watching them with big proud smiles painted on their faces. "I'm gonna go find a flag for our place!" The little firebender stood up looking around for leaves and things he could stick in the top of one of the turrets.

As he was looking around, he heard Azula make a shocked noise and turned to see a larger boy with his foot where their sand palace had been. Zuko's face broke out into an angry snarl as he heard his sister start crying. "Hey! What did you do that for?" Zuko demanded at the significantly larger child stood in front of him.

"Why do you care you little shit?" Zuko recoiled at the mention of a word he didn't know.

"because we worked hard on that sand palace and you ruined it!" Zuko suddenly found himself yelling. The raising of the young Prince's voice caught his father's attention and his mother attended to Azula. She put one hand on the young girl's back and ran the other hand through her hair. Zuko's father came and scooped him up in his arms and turned to the child who had ruined his children's masterpiece.

"Do you know who we are young man?" The Firelord asked the child. The boy who now looked a lot smaller to Zuko. He shook his head. The Prince looked at the bully and thought he recognised him but couldn't quite place how he knew him.

"That one threw a stone at me! You should punish her!" the bully pointed at Azula who now cried harder and buried her face into her mother's neck.

Zuko's father looked very angry now. "I warn you boy, don't lie to me. You wouldn't want to lie to me" the Firelord took a step forward, his voice chilling and low. The boy suddenly looked very scared and Zuko watched as a man came running up to them. The young Prince recognised the man as one of his grandfather's most trusted generals, handed over to his father when Zuko's grandfather stepped down.

"Firelord Ozai, please, forgive my boy. He didn't know who he was dealing with" the General pleaded falling to his knees. The bully fell to his knees as well and both of them lay so their noses were facing the ground.

"Apologise to the Prince and Princess, boy!" Zuko's father demanded setting him down so the bully was now kneeling at the Prince's feet. Azula was placed next to Zuko as the child who had crushed their sand palace begged their forgiveness.

Zuko was only five years old, yet he knew this wasn't about his and Azula's activity being ruined, it was about the insolence such an important figure's child had shown the Prince, Princess and more importantly the Firelord. His father smiled cruelly behind him and Zuko knew the General and his son would be sent to the Boiling Rock.

"Father?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"That boy called Zuko a little shit. What does that mean?" Azula asked looking up at her mother and father's horrified faces.

"Yes, father, what does that mean?" Zuko also turned asking his parents.

"You two must never say words like those! They're mean and it does not do for the Prince and Princess to curse at people! Do you understand me?" Zuko's mother asked firmly kneeling down to look the children in the eye. Azula nodded vigorously at her mother, and Zuko followed suit.

Zuko suddenly found himself looking at the scene in the third person. He smiled sadly as he watched his mother wrap her arms around her children. He stood and watched as his father scooped the Prince and his sister up and walked back to their house that sat atop Ember Island. Zuko felt tears pricking his eyes.

The Firelord's eyes widened in shock and horror as he watched a chasm open in the floor in front of his family. He ran in front of them and threw his arms out to his side in a bid to protect them. The opening of the pit crept ever closer to his family as they walked back in fear. Zuko stayed in front of his family but they couldn't see him, he knew he couldn't protect them or do anything. He knew it wasn't really happening but that didn't stop him from screaming and crying out as he turned and watched his sister, mother, father and younger self fall into the deepest fiery pit he had ever seen.

Zuko's chest shaking sob in his dream turned into a horrified scream as he jolted awake in bed. He scrambled out of bed and ran over to his window, flinging it open and sinking down to the floor with his back to the wall. He pulled his knees into his chest and rested his head against them and let out body racking sobs.

Sokka lay awake in bed listening to Toph snoring in the room next door, he honestly didn't know how they had coped with that while they were on their adventures. He listened closer and thought he heard a noise coming from Zuko's room. He sat up and kept listening.

Sokka sat listening to Zuko mumbling and was just about to lay down and keep trying to sleep when he heard the Firelord scream. The non-bender threw his covers back and ran out of his room and arrived at Zuko's door. Sokka composed himself and opened the door, his heart breaking at the sight of his friend sat, curled up against the wall quietly sobbing. "Hey there, Hotshot. Wanna tell me what happened?" Sokka asked as he watched Zuko look up at him with tears rolling down the firebender's face.

"No..." Zuko whispered quietly. Sokka sat down next to him and put his arm over Zuko's shoulders. "Well, I'm gonna sit here for as long as you need me to" he tried to comfort his friend. It warmed Sokka to see Zuko give him a tiny little smile.

"Thank you, Sokka. You're a good friend" Zuko said quietly looking at Sokka. The non bender didn't know why the word friend made him so sad.

"That's what friends do Zuko, they comfort each other" Sokka smiled at his friend. "My butt is falling asleep wanna sit on the bed?" He asked and Zuko replied with a nod. They sat side by side on the bed and, for the second time, Sokka couldn't help but note how comfy Zuko's bed was.

"I can tell you're really stressed. I was going to tell you this in the morning, but you look like you could use a bit of good news" Sokka looked down as he twiddled his thumbs together. "Katara talked to your uncle and he said he'd look after things while we take you away from the stress of being the new Firelord and get your head screwed on right" Sokka playfully tapped Zuko's head with his knuckle and laughed when the Firelord playfully swatted his hand away.

"I guess you're right, Sokka. Where were you thinking?"

"Ember Island"

Sokka's heart soared when he watched Zuko's eyes light up at the mention of his childhood holiday destination.

"Alright, we leave at dawn!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly.

"Then I guess you'd better get some sleep"

"You too Hotshot!"

Zuko smiled at his friend begrudgingly and lay flat on his back.

"Want me to stay again?"

"What do you think?"

Sokka took that as a yes and lay next to his friend

"Goodnight Hotshot"

"Goodnight Boomerang"

Zuko turned on his side and mentally cursed Sokka for not turning to face him and wrapping his arms around him.

Sokka turned so his back was facing Zuko's and mentally cursed himself for not wrapping his arms around his friend.

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Hey lookit I updated!

For anyone actually binge reading this or following the story, I'm gonna try to update weekly instead of daily. The reason I hadn't updated for a few days was because I full on burned myself out trying to give daily updates.

Y'all know what to do with comments, make the website give this more attention! I had a mental breadown for this don't let it flop!