|•|W I T 卄 E R||•| Zuko X Reader ⚠SLOWBURN⚠

Screams of the Sea

⚠️THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS POTENTIALLY DISTURBING CONTENT⚠️

The little boy ran to his home, a grin on his face.

"Oka! Oka, good job!" Yue exclaimed, waving at him as he passed the block.

Oka blushed and waved at Yue as he continued on his way home. He had received a medal for being the best waterbender in all his classes.

And once he had done so... His father, Urhar, promised to work hard and recover from his ailment.

Ever since Urhar was separated from his family in the South Pole and was forced to go North to survive, his mental state had severely collapsed. It ate away at his soul, ever so slowly.

Oka reached his home and opened up the door, his smile fading.

His mother sobbed, her figure covered in shadow. She howled in sorrow, unable to even look her child in the eyes.

"...Daddy?" Oka mumbled.

He stepped forward, doing his best to put his fears aside. Father hated cowards.

"Dad–"

Oka's medal fell from his hands onto the icy ground.

"DAD!"
___________________________________________

"Your son would be a wonderful soldier."

Oka brushed a stray strand of hair out of the way, stepping away from a training dummy.

His mother, Kharok and Chief Arnook, Princess Yue's father, were having a talk.

"Your son is not only a skilled waterbender, but a skilled weapon user. He's come up with his own techniques that even impress Pakku." Arnook hummed.

"Of course he is. Ever since his father's passing, he's been determined to fight." Kharok smiled, watching her son tie his hair up and grab a blade.

"He's still a child, though." Arnook sighed, "I can't say I'm not hopeful for his improvement."

"He might be young, but he's strong. He knows a great amount of political affairs as well. Enlisting him as a soldier may be too much, after all, you plan to stay out of the war." Kharok narrowed her eyes,
     "But there must be a way to put his skills to use. There must be."

"...There is, but I'm not to sure of it." Arnook muttered, eyes fixated on the young boy.

Oka slit the dummy's throat with precision, combining the available weaponry with his waterbending attacks.

"I'm not sure..." Arnook sighed and waved his hand, "I'll make up my mind about him soon enough."

He walked away. Kharok sat down and tapped her fingers against a table. Of all the people in the North, her son was considered one of the strongest.

Hahn was a close second, he was older, but he wasn't a bender.

Then there was Pakku... Could her child be even stronger than him, somehow?

"Oka!"

Kharok peered over her shoulder to see the princess walking over to Oka. She had a cup in her hands.

"Princess Yue? What's up?" Oka said, placing his dagger down on a table.

"Oka, it's good to train, but have you even had lunch?" Yue inquired.

"I, uh..." Oka glanced to the side with an awkward expression.

"Uh huh. Here." Yue handed him the cup, "I don't want to give you anything that might get in the way of your training, so I made you a little something."