Flames Of Fate (Zuko X Reader)

Chapter One: The Dancing Dragon

Zuko walked beside his mother towards the Fire Lords throne room with a look of indifference on his young face. He was dressed in the dominant colours of red and black, his hair tied up neatly, cleared from his sharp young features. His mother wore a beautiful long red and black dress, one which accentuated her height and elegance. The top portion of her hair was pinned up with a royal clip with the Fire Nation emblem engraved on it while the rest of her hair flowed down her shoulders gracefully.

He was with his mother at the pond watching her feed ducks when a servant informed them that the Fire Lord had requested an audience with them in the evening. So instead of having a quiet evening of peace with his mother they had to dress him up in his formal attire and drag him to another long boring meeting.

The Fire Lord had returned from a mysterious absence. Azula told him that their grandfather went 'dragon hunting' whilst his mother explained that he left to go to the great Fire Temple for wisdom of the great sages there, he believed the latter over the former because his sister was always trying to trick him one way or another. Such a sneaky little brat.

As they walked into the throne room, the rising seemingly eternal flames that rose to the ceiling in front of the Fire Lord's seat lapped onto their cool skins, warming it. Zuko and his mother stopped next to Azula and their father who were already there, obediently kneeling down before the Fire Lord. His Uncle Iroh was to his father's side so he couldn't greet his favourite male figure.

They were like two separate factions always split into pairs; Azula and their father, Zuko and their mother.

Zuko looked around curiously and was shocked to see almost all the important officials, generals and elders of the Fire Nation present. This must be a very important meeting to have so many important faces present in such a short notice.

"Ah finally my grandson and his mother has joined us." The Fire Lord acknowledged with approval in his voice. Zuko, who was still looking down in reverence, smiled. Fire Lord Azulon rarely even acknowledged him; he must be in a good mood. Whatever it was, Zuko was pleased.

"Let us not prolong this meeting. As-"

Fire Lord Azulon's voice droned out when Azula said quietly to him, "Dimwit you're late as usual. When is grandfather going to realize your incompetence?"

Zuko ignored his sister. She was younger than him by two years and yet she was the sharpest eleven years old you could ever come across. Sometimes she was even more intimidating than his grandfather when she wanted to be.

He let her presence sink in the background, thanking the dimly lit room with nothing but the Fire Lord's burning flames as light because it made it easier to just imagine that she wasn't there kneeling next to him and smirking dauntingly.

"-And I was successful." He heard Fire Lord Ozai raise his voice with a sick triumphant laugh that echoed off the walls. "Yes. I was successful in my search of the one object that can turn this stale war in our favour. Something that would prove our dominance over all those other pitiful Nations, the very thing that can ensure our supremacy and strengthen our hold on world domination and ABSOLUTE BLISSFUL POWER!" The Fire Lord yelled the last three words and his flames scorched the ceiling with such ferocity Zuko and almost everyone who couldn't handle the heat had to flinch back a few steps.

He felt sweat trickle down his temple and he swallowed, his fist clenched. There was something about that booming voice that brought shivers up his spine and instilled in him primal fear.

He glanced up and saw that Azula and Ozai were both smirking, the flames reflected in their eyes burned with a malignant glint in their almost identical orbs. The intense fire cast direful shadows across their faces.