Throne of Ashes (Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic)

Awakening

"You're awake!"

Zuko's eyes flickered, his head tilting towards his mother upon hearing her voice to see her smiling at him.

—pain—

A gasp escaped as the memories of his father's flames burning into his arms remained, yet Zuko found himself actually able to sit up, something he wasn't able to do so before the appearance of the old lady with the special waters that moved around his arms, something that felt like a dream, but as he sat up, taking in his surroundings—no longer in Lu Ten's room, he saw the old lady sitting nearby, a few feet away from her mother.

"Not a dream," Zuko said, looking down at his arms, still bandages. He stretched his arms out, wincing, not from feeling pain, but from how stiff his arms felt, but as he stretched his arms, he saw two others in the room, not looking him in the eye. His eyes blinked, then he said. "Hello."

Neither responded, both looking at the ground.

Zuko tilted his head, curious, noting one of the individuals was like him, Fire Nation, but an older youth by quite a few years, their mouth closed shut as the girl who sat next to him. She looked closer to him in age, if slightly younger, but she appeared to be the same age as him, her skin the same dark shade as the woman who in his dreams used special water to heal his arms.

His eyes blinked, his mouth opening, then he sat up straighter.

"It wasn't a dream though, was it?." Zuko drew in his breath, looking right at the girl, asking without hesitation. "Are you a waterbender?"

She didn't answer, watching him. Zuko pushed back the sheets, stiffly doing so and moved forward, across the bed, so he was closer to the girl, her face giving way the fact she didn't like him.

Zuko took another deep breath, sitting there, slightly wobbly as his arms remained stiff and awkward to move. "Again, hi. I'm a firebender. Are you a waterbender?"

No answer.

Although, that wasn't quite the case, as his mother called out his name, using the tone of voice which indicated he'd overstepped some sort of line, yet his curiosity remained. He then noticed the loops, his eyes blinking, without realizing it, his fingers reached up only for the Fire Nation boy to grab his arm, glaring at him.

Zuko tilted his head, taken aback at the action, used to the servants remaining wary of touching him, yet the young man in front of him didn't hesitate, even looking at him as the enemy.

"Zuko. Don't pull a girl's hair! That doesn't—honestly!" Ursa said.

"Sorry!" Zuko said, leaning back to sit there. "I was just thinking they were pretty. I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry. Still, are you..."

"Let's see," the woman sitting near his mother said, standing up and moving toward Zuko.

"He's impolite," the boy said. "He's supposed to be a prince."

Zuko's eyes blinked, his head tilting as the old woman gave the Fire Nation boy a cold look, a cold hand reaching out to touch his forehead.

"I don't think I want..."

"You're not being given a choice," the woman said. "And Prince Zuko still has a fever, so pardon his behavior. He is, I believe, making an honest attempt to make friends with you both."

"Wait," Zuko said, nearly toppling over. "We can..."

"No," the girl said, shaking her head. "He's Fire Nation."

The old woman sighed. "At this point, you are the only friends he's likely to have. What about the rumors?"

"What..."

"I don't," the older boy said, snapping. "Care about the rumors."

"Yes, but the two of you care about the future of our people?" the woman asked.

"What does he have to do with any of that?"

"He is the one our people want on the throne."

Zuko frowned, then said. "I think the Fire Nation would prefer my sister."

"I've met your sister," the woman said, letting out a hiss, holding a finger to his face. "And she is the last person we of the Water Tribes want on the throne, same as your father." The woman took a deep breath. "Do you remember Prince Zuko?"

"Remember?"

She motioned with her hands to his arms, which were still bandaged. Zuko lifted his arms, frowning, holding them, closing his eyes, then shook his head. "I don't..."

"Do you?"

Zuko felt the tears, something his father always claimed was a sign of weakness, and started to feel good before taking a sniff to hold them back, saying shakily. "Father. He did this."

"I'm going to unbandage your arms now."

"I don't want to see them," Zuko said, keeping his eyes closed, her hands around his arms tightly.

"You don't have to look at your arms, but they need to see them to help them make their decision regarding you," the woman said, unwrapping the bandages.

Zuko heard a gasp, his eyes opening to see the girl looking at his arms, surprised, but then he saw the scarring. He took in a deep breath. The older boy looked on, an eyebrow lifted. "His father did that to him?"

"Why?" the girl said.

"Because I'm a failure," Zuko said, his eyes blinking, looking down, realizing he'd awakened in his nightclothes and hadn't hesitated in presenting himself to either one; in that state, he moved to a different sitting position, his legs crossed. "As you can see."

"You are not a failure," the woman said, "Although you may hear some say as much, it is the very fact that what others consider to be a failure is, in reality, a strength; that is why—this boy, he isn't like the other of his ilk."

"Of my ilk?" Zuko tilted his head, looking at the boy. "Aren't you Fire Nation?"

The boy didn't answer unless one considered a deep breath, indicating he didn't wish to speak.

"It doesn't matter," Zuko said.

"Doesn't it?" the girl asked.

"It's his story for him to tell. It doesn't matter if I want to know if he doesn't want me to know," Zuko said. "Just like it doesn't matter me knowing whether you're a waterbender or not."

"She is," the woman said. "As is he."

Zuko's eyes blinked, watching the two glare at the old woman. He took a deep breath. "I see."

"Do you?" the boy took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"It still doesn't matter."

"We're enemies," the girl said.

"Why?" Zuko said.

"Because there's a war," the boy said.

"Out there. Not in here." Zuko tilted his head, remembering something, frowning. "Did you also lose someone in the war?"

"Enough of the personal questions," the boy said. "Can we possibly think about this?"

"I'm not sure you'll have much choice," the old woman said. "But I can't emphasize enough that what you're doing and staying behind are important to the Water Tribes, but there is no need to discuss any of that in front of Prince Zuko. Let's take our leave, for now, that is."

Zuko watched them leave, both of the youth glaring back at him. "What's going on? Where's Azula and father?"

Ursa tilted his head, so he looked at her. "Enough. You should still be resting. It took days for Hama to heal you, Zuko, but you won't be seeing your father or sister any time soon, but it is best not to mention their name. Yours is already too tied to their names in the eyes of the Fire Nation."

"And..."

"Just don't mention their names. You..." Ursa took a deep breath. "You'll find out soon enough, dear child."