"MOM!"

Thirteen year old Zuko bolted from the bed as he found himself sobbing as he awoke.

"Zuko your awake," he heard his uncle run in the medical room.

"W-where- where are they? Where mom and where's father?!" The young teen touched the side of his head but felt the left side of his hairline was covered in a bandage. He touched down his face and felt the white wrapping around his eye.

"Zuko..." iroh sat next to him on the bed. His sweet poor nephew.

"She's dead isn't she?" Zuko sniffled looking at him. "Dad killed her..."

Iroh pulled him in a tight hug as Zuko felt the burning tears on his face. So many thoughts of the Agni kai, so many emotions since. Anger, grief, fear, pain...

"Where's father?" Zuko whispered into his shoulder.

"I banished him, to never step foot on the fire nation lands as long as he lives, hes brought shame and pain on our family, he is never allowed back," iroh told him softly holding zukos right side of his face.

"You should've killed him," Zuko gulped pushing himself away.

"Killing my own brother wouldn't have ended well to the public eye, and throwing him in a prison would've been merciful, he would've found power in it," iroh explained to him as his nephew wiped his tears quickly.

"Anywhere else he will be an equal or less to the world, as a fire nation prince," he inhaled deeply and Zukos jaw quivered feeling rage.

"I hate him," he whispered and stood up quickly.

Zuko went to storm out but iroh caught him seeing the young boy starting to fall.

"Prince Zuko you're not well, it's only been five hours, you need your rest," iroh held him up.

"I don't need sleep, I-I just need some air," he pushed himself away from his uncle as he felt light headed.

"Zuko, just know I'm always going to be here for you, I won't let you be alone," iroh smiled gently at him as his nephew looked behind him but nodded grabbing his robe.

—

"Agh!" Zuko slammed his fist into a tree with fire and rage as he stood on the shore line near the palace.

He panted falling to his knees as he dug his nails into the grass, it steamed under him and shriveled at his touch.

"How could he?" He whimpered biting his lip.

Zuko looked at the sea as he pulled his knees to his chest, he saw a ship near the bay but it was to dark to recognize it. After who knows how much time passed, heard foot steps behind him as the boy inhaled deeply.

"Uncle leave me alone," Zuko blinked away the gloss in his eye as he turned around but felt fear pierce his heart like ice.

He saw ozai behind him and stood up immediately with his shaky fists up.

"That's going to leave a scar," Ozai looked at his son emotionless.

Zuko was lost for words as he backed away from the monster, ozai had no regret in his eyes, no sympathy.

"Your not real," Zuko gulped. Ozai grabbed his chin and dug his fingers into the bottom of the bandages causing Zuko to scream in pain.

"Is that real enough for you?" He smirked.

"Uncle said your in jail!" Zuko grasped his wrist with wide eyes but his father grabbed his throat forcing Zuko to step back closer to the ledge.

"Your uncle is a merciful fool, this country will fall by his hand, and if you survive this, I'm going to hunt you down and make sure you stay dead," Ozai told him in a dark tone.

Before Zuko could fight back he was pushed back but there was no ground to catch him. His breath was caught in his throat as he gasped reaching up as the cliff was smaller and smaller until his back hit the hard waters of the ocean and the dark sea consumed him into black.

—

"He's alive!"

Zuko snapped his eyes open and hacked up water that poured from his lungs, rolling to his side and coughed harshly against wood decks.

"Get off of me!" He felt a hand touch him and punched fire in the direction.

"Yikes look at the burn on that kids face,"

"It looks gross,"

"Throw him back in the water, it'd be better than showing his face,"

Zuko sat up touching the side of his face with wide eyes, his bandages fell off. His face burned from the sting of the salty ocean on his fresh wound.

"You alrighty there lad?" A man knelt to him with a captains hat, he had dark brown hair tied back in a pony tail and a strip of grey with one white blind eye that held a scar over the top, his other eye was bright green.

"Thought you were dead," he smirked a little as Zuko panted a little from his near panic attack.

"I'm not dead?" Zuko asked confused.

"Nah, come on, you look what, ten?" The older man pulled him to his feet.

"Thirteen," he glared a little, not trusting him.

"Captain what are-" "head east, don't disturb my quarters unless we're drowning, got it?" The captain shot back at a buff man as he pulled his coat over zukos shoulders, leading him up stairs to the quarters.

"So you gonna Tell me why someone in fire nation silks is drowning? You look damn important," the man shut the doors behind him as Zuko inhaled a shaky breath.

"I-I'm a..." Zuko stopped himself. They would kill him.

"A prince?" The man smirked a little. The fear in zukos eyes let him knew he was right.

"Got a name prince?" He asked.

"Z-Zuko," the boy was led to the couch on the side and was given a blanket instead.

"Prince Zuko, I think I heard of you, Uh the other fire lords son right?" He asked pouring a cup of a liquid Zuko didn't recognize.

"Sure," Zuko pursed his lips as he was given the cup. He took a small gulp but immediately spit it out at the taste.

"Hey that's my last bottle of whiskey, don't be spitting it out," the man patted his shoulder. "It'll warm you up,"

"So prince Zuko, who wants you dead?" Captain asked having his own cup of whiskey.

"My father," Zuko pursed his lips and drank some of the whiskey. His face was sour at the taste, shaking his head a little.

"Is he the one that gave you that nasty burn?" Captain asked looking at the boy. 

"... yes..." Zuko whispered.

"Looks fresh, what happened?" He asked finishing his cup of whiskey and went to grab a box of medical equipment.

"My father challenged me to a fire duel... a-and I couldn't do it, I was to weak to fight my father, my mother was killed because of me," Zuko felt like breaking into tears again but the man lifted the liquor to his lips and Zuko drank the rest.

"It distracts you from the pain," the captain smiled softly and sat back down with herbs and ointment and bandages.

"Your old man must be a bastard, you don't hurt a lady, much less your wife," the man shook his head as Zuko gasped when he touched his burn with the medicine.

"My wife, Zana, she just passed away a moon ago, she's the whore that gave me this," the man chuckled pointing to his blind eye.

"I'm sorry," Zuko hissed a little at the touch against his wound.

"She died in her sleep luckily, she had the flu, but she'd like you I think," he smirked at him and started wrapping the side of zukos face.

"Alright lad, where are we dropping you off? I'm a pirate but I don't want an extra mouth to feed," the man huffed after finishing with the teen and stood up.

"Please don't make me go back, my father is out to hunt me," Zuko grabbed his hand desperate almost.

"Boy you cant stay here, it's no place for a wee prince," the man shook his head at him.

"I-I can learn, Ill work hard, I just can't go back," Zuko begged to him with fear in his eyes.

"You might not have a bed to sleep on or a meal every day," the captain raised his eye brow confused.

"I have a few rules as well, you all are equals, no man is higher than a woman and no seniority, bender or non bender, you are all human on the sea, equals," the man sighed seeing Zuko wasn't going to budge.

"And if you don't work you don't eat, gotta put in your part," he nodded as Zuko gulped a little nodding back agreeing.

"Oh and Zuko, don't let a soul know of your royal blood, fire nation already has a bad rep, being a prince will get you eaten alive boy, maybe change your name even," the captain shrugged a little as Zuko looked at him.

"I got some of my wife's clothes you can barrow till the next town," the old man chuckled.

"I'm not wearing women's clothes!" He defended.

"She wore trousers, don't get your silks in a twist, she was itty bitty," the pirate laughed a little as he threw pants and a shirt with some boots.

"What's your name anyways?" Zuko asked catching the clothes that were neutral.

"The names xan, but now I'm your captain, you can stay here for the night but tomorrow you start work," xan nodded and went into a side room of the quarters leaving Zuko alone.

Zuko laid in his bed as his girlfriend laid next to him sleeping, their bodies not touching but both were topless. He looked at her back towards him as her black silky hair pooled around her pale shoulders.

"Mai it's sunrise," Zuko sat up and started to put on clothes.

"Mm how romantic," the girl rolled over.

"You know we have to get up before the crew," he rolled his shirt over himself as mai put her long sleeve on with her long skirt that had slits down the sides.

"Yea cause they don't know we're dating or anything," Mai scoffed putting her hair in two buns rolling her eyes.

"It's different when the one rule is no ones allowed in here," Zuko walked up behind her and kissed her neck gently.

"Get off, I'm not in the mood," Mai waved him off and Zuko rolled his eyes a little at her.

"Be out in two minutes, I'll see you on deck," Zuko told her walking out to make sure the ship was still intact.