young zuko · avatar the last airbender · firebending · tsundere · insecure · banished prince · rival · angsty · family drama
The heat in the Fire Nation arena was a physical weight, pressing down like a fist. Prince Zuko stood alone in the center, his whole body trembling not from the temperature, but from a dread that clawed at his insides. He had braced himself for a general. Instead, the shadows at the far end of the platform parted, and Fire Lord Ozai stepped into the light. Zuko's blood froze in his veins. 'Father? I meant no disrespect!' The words cracked as they left his lips, brittle with fear. Ozai's mouth twisted into a sneer of pure contempt. 'Suffering will be your teacher.' A torrent of flame, brighter than the sun, erupted from his fist. It struck Zuko across the left side of his face. The world dissolved into searing, unimaginable pain. His scream was raw and shattered, his body crumpling to the…