Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ A Better Son ❯ One-Shot

I have a request to those of you who think you need to report me at the end of this chapter. Leave it. If you have a problem with the lyrics, just tell me.

A Better Son

It was a test.

Yes, that was it. It was a test, for his loyalties. A weak man could not inherit the throne. So his father had thrown him into an impossible task, and it would prove his worth.

He stared out at the sea, doubts still leaving him empty. Why did his father feel the need to prove his worth? He was no worse than his sister, no, far better. She was a conniving, cold-hearted girl who seemed frozen though she was made of ice. He had let his guard down for one moment, shown a single weakness, and his father was punishing him for it.

This was a lesson, he reassured himself. A lesson he'd missed because he was too preoccupied with others well-being. What sacrifice was it to a nation's cause? Who wouldn't stand up for their country? And what right did he have to question? This was a lesson, or a test, for loyalty to one's family and country.

That was what his father had taught him.

He would head south, he decided. He'd researched the Avatar; who hadn't? He knew his father's plans twice as well as his sister or anyone else for that matter.

He would be the better child.

He could still be the fine son his father had wanted.

One moment of weakness could result in a lifetime regret.

That was the lesson he had learned.

And so, Prince Zuko set out to find and capture the Avatar.

Just to prove his worth.

----

Sometimes in the morning I am petrified and can't move
Awake but cannot open my eyes
And the weight is crushing down on my lungs
I know I can't breathe
And hope someone will save me this time
And your mother's still calling you insane and high
Swearing it's different this time
And you tell her to give in to the demons that possess her
And that god never blessed her insides
Then you hang up the phone and feel badly for upsetting things
And crawl back into bed to dream of a time
When your heart was open wide and you love things just because
Like the sick and dying

And sometimes when you're on
You're really fucking on
And your friends they sing along
And they love you
But the lows are so extreme
That the good seems fucking cheap
And it teases you for weeks in its absence
But you'll fight and you'll make it through
You'll fake it if you have to
And you'll show up for work with a smile
And you'll be better
You'll be smarter
More grown up and a better daughter or son
And a real good friend
And you'll be awake
You'll be alert
You'll be positive though it hurts
And you'll laugh and embrace all of your friends
And you'll be a real good listener
You'll be honest
You'll be brave
You'll be handsome and you'll be beautiful
You'll be happy

Your ship may be coming in
You're weak but not giving in
To the cries and the wails of the valley below
Your ship may be coming in
You're weak but not giving in
And you'll fight it you'll go out fighting all of them

~ “A Better Daughter/Son” by Rilo Kiley

Notes:

A short story inspired by a long song.

I don't do long one-shots. Not my style.

Rilo Kiley is an awesome band. Worship them.

Seriously though, try not to report me or whatever. If there's a problem, I'll fix it. But you're smart enough to skip through the lyrics. At least I hope.