𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 | prince zuko

¹²

Zuko sat in front of the caged cell, looking at the earthbender girl who was very far from home. "You don't understand, I had to do what I did. My country is very important to me, if I were to let the Avatar go... I needed my father to see that I am just as important to this war as Azula is." he continued to explain to someone who had no interest in listening. With a heavy sigh, Zuko scooted closer to the cell. "I don't even know why I came here, I came here to see my uncle, not a filthy dirt bender peasant like you." He was trying to get a rise out of Yan, sensing her anger the second he stepped into her cell.

"You don't think I understand the importance of your country? You're an arrogant fool; I know better than you the importance of honor and family. I left my home and fought in my country's military to stop the war your great-grandfather created." Yan finally spoke, her hands balling into fists in her lap. She turned around to face Zuko, a deep scowl on her face and anger flickering in her brown eyes. "You betrayed us for your own personal gain because you were so afraid your damn father wouldn't see you as significant. You betrayed a man who loves you and a girl who saw good in you when everyone has told her otherwise. You do not deserve your uncle's forgiveness or mine; you left us here to rot! I am warning you now, Zuko, if I see your face again, I will not hesitate to kill you. Get out."

At her threat, Zuko's jaw clenched and he looked down at his lap. He rose to his feet and exited the cell without another word, letting Yan's words sink in. 

. . .

     "Happy birthday, Yan," Iroh said from the next cell one uneventful day. Yan, who was resting against the thin sheet that acted as a bed, sat up and looked toward the gap in the ceiling with furrowed brows. Sensing her confusion, Iroh smiled amusingly. "It's May 7, is it not? It's your birthday."

Yan gasped and nodded at the sudden mention of the date. "You're right. Wow, can't believe it; I really turned eighteen in prison. Thank you for reminding me, Iroh. What have you been doing over there that I sometimes hear you at all hours of the day?" she asked with a smile. On some days, Yan would hear Iroh in his cell either clapping his hands or grunting as if he were doing something strenuous.

"You'll know in due time. For now, just enjoy your youth." Iroh replied with a small chuckle. Yan nodded, pouting her lips; she was really curious to know what he was doing. When Iroh's cell door opened, she quieted down to hear whatever conversation was happening in the cell next to hers.

"You sent this, didn't you? I found the secret history, which, by the way, should be renamed 'The History Most People Already Know'. The note said I needed to know about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end!" Zuko shouted in frustration at his uncle. Earlier that night, he had found a scroll outside his chambers that said that he needed to learn the story of his great-grandfather's death. When he spent hours in the Dragon Bone Catacombs reading about the life of his great-grandfather Sozin and his history with Avatar Roku, he came to a dead end. He knew his uncle sent the scroll, so he went to confront him about it.

"No, he wasn't. You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your father's grandfather. Your mother's grandfather was Avatar Roku." Iroh corrected Zuko, speaking to him for the first time since he and Yan were arrested.

Upon hearing this shocking news, Zuko's eyes widened. "Why are you telling me this?" he demanded, confusion consuming him.

"Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers can help you better understand the battle within yourself." Iroh continued to explain. Zuko crumbled to his knees, holding his head in his hands and gripping his hair. "Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko; it is your nature, your legacy, but there is a bright side. What happened generations ago can be resolved now. By you. Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the Fire Nation. Born in you, along with all this strife is the power to restore balance to the world."

Iroh stood up and pulled out a loose stone in the wall of his cell, retrieving a triangular object wrapped in cloth. "This is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince." Iroh uncovered what was hiding in the cloth. In his palm, he held a gold and red headpiece with two prongs on each side resembling flames.

Zuko reached through the bars of the cell and grabbed the headpiece, looking down at it as it rested coldly in his palm. He was unable to form a sentence, the truth coming back to him all at once. He continued to look at the headpiece in his hand; he wanted to say something but the sentence just wouldn't formulate. Instead, he gave one last look at his uncle before turning and exiting the cell, placing the headpiece in a pocket of his robe. Giving one last glance through the window in the door, he thought about paying Yan a visit but knew that she wouldn't be happy to see him.

When Yan heard the conversation cease and the cell door open and close, she knew Zuko had left. She was sitting under the gap in the wall and had listened to the entire conversation, her eyes widening in shock when she too learned that Avatar Roku was Zuko's great-grandfather. "It's ironic, isn't it, Iroh? Zuko just so happens to be related to Avatar Roku; he's closer to Aang than he ever imagined." she chuckled as she crossed her arms, a smile of disbelief crossing her lips at the news. If she ever got out of prison, she was definitely going to use this information against him.

Iroh chuckled in his cell and nodded in agreement at Yan's statement, smiling softly. Although they were locked in prison, he always saw the light and remained positive despite the bleakness of their situation. Without Yan, he didn't know what he would do; she reminded him of the blessings of youth and her overall personality always made him laugh. She was almost like the daughter he never had, her recklessness reminded him of his deceased son Lu Ten. 

"You remind me very much of my son. He was always mischievous and reckless like you. In a good way, of course. If you weren't here with me, I certainly would've gone insane by now. I have to thank you, Yan, for keeping this tea-loving old man sane and for always coming to the tea shop. Your energy never ceases to make me laugh or smile, no matter how bleak the situation is." Iroh smiled, placing his hand on the wall as a way of hugging her.

Yan smiled in her cell, a short chuckle passing through her lips. She looked up at the ceiling, her eyes drifting to the window that streamed sunlight into the stone room. "You're welcome, Iroh. Don't worry, we're going to get out of here soon. I just know it. And when all of this is over, we can get back to Ba Sing Se and I will engorge myself with cups of hibiscus tea. That's a promise."