"You are not listening to me, Prince Zuko." The officer towered over him, looming like a wrathful spirit, and Zuko forced himself not to flinch down.
"I'm trying!" he yelled. He took his stance again, glaring at his teacher's stupid face. Something flashed in the man's eyes. "I'll do it again."
"What is the point?" the man sneered. "You're just going to fail again, and I will be left to explain to the Firelord why the second prince's son is a weakling and a failure."
He felt his legs step forward, and his hand thrust out at the man, the fire bursting forth into the air, and to Zuko, it felt cold, colder than the helpless rage that had fueled it.
The hand slammed into his wrist, and the man's fingers closed and tightened. He remembered what his father had said about this man when he had brought him to Zuko, how this was a master firebender, and a great veteran of the war, and Zuko should be grateful that the Firelord had pulled him away from the front lines to teach a talentless brat like him. But he wasn't grateful. he wasn't. The skin of the man's forearm was angry red, like a new sunburn, because his teacher might have been fast enough to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough to escape unscathed. Good, Zuko thought. he was glad.
His teacher Zuko's wrist in, changing its angle across his young student's body. He nudged at his legs to adjust his stance. And his hand tightened further around Zuko's wrist until it hurt. "Hold onto that anger, my prince. That is what you will need."
"Yes, Master Jeong Jeong," Zuko almost spat.
"Drill it again."
Zuko pulled his leg back and started again, and later, after he had burned away all of the fire, Zuko saw his teacher's face in his mind, and the fear that had flickered across it as he had called Zuko worthless, and he wondered at it, trying to figure out why he had looked so relieved when Zuko had almost burned him.
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branchandroot
The first time Zuko struck a Fire Nation solider in anger
Date: 2012-04-28 07:10 pm (UTC)"I'm trying!" he yelled. He took his stance again, glaring at his teacher's stupid face. Something flashed in the man's eyes. "I'll do it again."
"What is the point?" the man sneered. "You're just going to fail again, and I will be left to explain to the Firelord why the second prince's son is a weakling and a failure."
He felt his legs step forward, and his hand thrust out at the man, the fire bursting forth into the air, and to Zuko, it felt cold, colder than the helpless rage that had fueled it.
The hand slammed into his wrist, and the man's fingers closed and tightened. He remembered what his father had said about this man when he had brought him to Zuko, how this was a master firebender, and a great veteran of the war, and Zuko should be grateful that the Firelord had pulled him away from the front lines to teach a talentless brat like him. But he wasn't grateful. he wasn't. The skin of the man's forearm was angry red, like a new sunburn, because his teacher might have been fast enough to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough to escape unscathed. Good, Zuko thought. he was glad.
His teacher Zuko's wrist in, changing its angle across his young student's body. He nudged at his legs to adjust his stance. And his hand tightened further around Zuko's wrist until it hurt. "Hold onto that anger, my prince. That is what you will need."
"Yes, Master Jeong Jeong," Zuko almost spat.
"Drill it again."
Zuko pulled his leg back and started again, and later, after he had burned away all of the fire, Zuko saw his teacher's face in his mind, and the fear that had flickered across it as he had called Zuko worthless, and he wondered at it, trying to figure out why he had looked so relieved when Zuko had almost burned him.