Lord of Fire

CHAPTER 3: WILL OF PRINCE ZUKO

The fire nation soldiers cuffed the young avatar on the orders of Zuko.

“Set a course for the Fire Nation!!” He added as they returned aboard the ship.

“Aang, why are you doing this!?” The voice of a certain Katara boomed across the frozen landscape.

“Everything will be fine Katara, just take care of Appa for me!” Aang assured her.

Aang disappeared into the black ship as it closed its front back up. The villagers felt a sense of relief and guilt.

No one was more of this feeling than the native warrior who went by the name of Sokka.

As the ship left for the shores of the village he looked up on it with remorse.

Even after the way he treated him, the kid just saved the lives of everyone he cared about.

“Avatar Aang huh?” He thought out loud. “I guess I can't let you die on my behalf kid.”

***

The Avatar had been captured. He sat locked in robes infront of the Prince. In a secure chamber in the ship.

Silence filled the chamber as they both stared at each other. Neither willing to succumb to the other. Like a battle that was brewing before the actual fighting.

Suddenly Zuko smiled at the young avatar.

“I have wanted to meet you ever since I was just a brat,” he began. “The Avatar, the only person in the world capable of bending all four elements was nothing but a small naive kid.”

Aang silently watched Zuko speak his mind.

“You have greatly disappointed my expectations Aang, I expected a badass but seeing you now, I can see you’re just a kid.”

Seeing his words not getting through to the Avatar, Zuko simply smiled and stood up to live the Avatar.

Carrying the glider staff he stood at the exit.

“This will be with me, good luck with your escape kid!”

He knocked double tapped on the door to signal the guards. The giant metal door cranked open. A trio of guards stood ready for orders.

“Take him to the boiler room,” he ordered to returned to his chamber.

---

[ZUKO POV]

A few minutes have passed since my one sided talk with Aang. I'm waiting for him to make his escape and come looking for his staff.

It will prove to be a great test of my current abilities. Since I won’t meet Zhao for a while I can test myself with him.

I have yet to make up my mind on what exactly I am going to do in this strange world. Do I follow the plot as in the original series or just do my own thing?

It’s quite the thinker. If I wanted to take over someone I wished it was Aang and not Zuko. I'm only limited to firebending and maybe lightning in this body.

“Prince Zuko the Avatar has escaped!!” a loud panicking voice suddenly called me. “Hhsfhghhgh!!” Suddenly there’s a loud thud sound on the door.

I turn to the noise and there he stands by the door. The soldier is passed out unconsciously on the floor.

“So you came?” I asked him with a menacing voice.

“I want my staff back!” He demanded with a bit of a base in his voice.

I pointed to the staff just lying plainly on my desk for all to see. I was planning on taking a short nap before he escaped but I guess he was in a hurry.

“All you have to do is take it,” I said. “After you have defeated me!”

My ki build up quickly and I felt the fire coursing through my body waiting to burst out.

The temperature of the room increases exponentially that it felt like I was in a furnace. I calmly took a fighting pose as he looked for signs of a weakness.

“You will  find it impossible to defeat me at your current level!” I warned.

First I punched a massive blast of flames from my left palm. As expected he dodged quite easily but I wasn't done. Two more fire punches with a flurry of flames and he's forced to use his bending to disperse the flames from him.

Just like in the original series, he's a pacifistic naive fool. You don't deserve to be the Avatar!

He dodged each of my attacks or simply avoided it using his bending. For a good five minutes I barraged him with flames yet he dodged or redirected them all.

“You will not beat my father and stop the war if you do not attack Avatar!” My annoyance at his pacifism enraged me. I felt my Ki raging more than ever as if it was endless for some reason.

I took a moment and when I suddenly thought of something. I remember how Zuko used to use his Ki and for some reason the amount is immense. It almost feels unlimited.

For starters Zuko never felt his Ki as much as I do right now. For him it was like something just beyond his touch.

“I only came for the staff,” Aang suddenly interrupted my train of thought. “Now that I have it I can get off the ship.”

“Damn it!!” For some reason his taunting annoyed me.

I chased after him. Following him through every turn. He's a quick little fellow I can barely keep up.

I throw forward a pair of fingers and shoot a stream of flames but he easily diverted them with that staff of his.

His ease of avoiding it stops me from running for a moment. In that brief moment he’s already flying out the ship.

“Not so fast Avatar!” I said and dive straight for him with an extra boost of flames from my feet.

I land on top of him ahd we immediately start tumbling midair.

“We will both land in the water!” He pleads desperately.

“Not both, only you!” I answer and launch him into the cold water.

I land safely on the deck of the ship.

“Aang!” A feminine voice suddenly called from behind me.

I see Katara screaming for him by the side of the ship. Behind her are a few of my soldiers frozen in place.

“Aang! Aang! AAAAANG!!” Damn her voice is loud.

Holy Shit! I remember what happens next! Damn it all!

As I am expecting her he comes with a massive wave of water treading behind him. He lands on the ship. His eyes and tattoos are glowing as expected.

“Surround him now!” I quickly order for some reason. I freeze with expectation and watch him bend that massive amount of water around him.

It is a sight to behold! The magnificence of my own men being blown away by the water. Oh shit!

Even I get knocked off the ship and into the water. Oh God! It’s so freaking cold! I struggle to keep myself afloat. I never learnt how to swim but almost instinctively I swim back to the ship.

I climb back up by the chain hanging from the side of the ship. A hand reaches out and I instantly know it’s Uncle Iroh.

I reach for his hand and he pulls me up. As soon as he reached the deck I looked for the Avatar and his cohorts.

“In the sky!” One of the soldiers pointed out.

Looking up I saw them climbing atop the flying bison.

“Let's shoot them down!” I said to my uncle.

In almost perfect synchrony we took a pose of drawing in our breath. With a twist of the arms we collected the momentum needed. Pointing up through the fingers we released a massive blur of flames headed straight for the Avatar and his cohorts.

Just like in the animated series Aang jumped down from his bison. He intercepted the flames with a massive blast of wind emphasissd by his glider staff.

The directed aura of fire hit a cliff of snow that collapsed onto the ship and burying it halfway into the side of the iceberg.

With an uncharacteristic smile Aang glided back on to his bison and they flew off into the horizon.

---

[3RD POV]

Back on the ship, Prince Zuko fumed at his failure to capture the Avatar. This wasn't the rage of Victor but the will of the original owner of the body.

Its will was still strong even though he was now a different person.

“Great news for the Fire Nation,” began Iroh. “The greatest threat to the Fire Nation is just a boy!”

“Look at what that brat just did to our ship!” Zuko hastily pointed to the predicament his ship was now in.

“As soon as you are done thawing them out, follow them!” He ordered to his men before fuming off to his chambers.

---

A little while later. Prince Zuko sat alone in his chamber. In the lotus position he sat and meditated. Trying to control the urge he felt, the will of Zuko that was leaking out of him unconsciously.

He calmed his mind and focused on feeling the suddenly prevalent Ki he felt all over his body. Judging by the memories he was suddenly leaps and bounds better at feeling Ki and how it enhanced his connection to the element of Fire.

“I see you noticed my gift!” Suddenly a voice interrupted his focus.

From the black of space his vision suddenly shifted to what appeared to be a swamp. Filled with vines and muddy patches. The green mixed in with the muddy brown and yellow of the ground.

Amidst all that stood a peculiar creature. It hovered above the swamp like a ghost.