A man waited at the docks as he watched a fire nation ship board on the shore as he knew of the new recruit that will be joining him from now on in the earth kingdom. He saw the boy walk off the ship in fire nation clothes as his hair was in a top knot, bandages covering half his face as he carried nothing. No belongings to keep with him as a soldier.

All the high rankings in the fire nation knew of the princes fall and ordered by the fire lord himself, no longer a prince. They all would follow their lords orders including the commander that would have him in his troops.

"Zuko," he called and the boy looked at him and walked across the wooden docks as other men around them were doing their own duties.

"Commander," the thirteen year old nodded in respect.

"Welcome to the earth kingdom boy, where's your bag?" The commander asked looking down at him confused as Zuko joined him on land.

"I didn't bring one, seemed pointless," Zuko crossed his arms. The commander could already tell this kid was going to be trouble.

"No personal belongings with?" He didn't believe him. Zuko stared at him for a moment but sighed reaching down to his boot and pulled out a knife.

"A knife?" He quirked a brow.

"It's the only thing I brought," Zuko told him softly.

"Very well, I am commander Xai, you will address me as commander or sir, is that clear boy?" Xai narrowed his eyes down at the boy. He wanted to see the prince of the fire nation swallow his pride and know his place.

"Sure,"

Xai glared now at the prince, Zuko didn't even bother raising his head as he stayed in his place.

"I don't give two shits about who you are, who you were,  you are now a soldier and will be treated like one; I for one would start learning how to take an order and how to play nice if you want to see the next day, is that clear boy?" Xai sneered down at him.

"Whatever," Zuko scoffed crossing his arms.

Xai raised his hand and backhanded the boy quickly making Zuko fall to the ground with a cry.

"I said is that clear?!" He barked but paused seeing Zuko hold his face with a shaky hand. He hit the bandages on his face.

Xai held back an apology remembering his orders, yes this was a child that was three years early to what the age requirement is to join, but he wasn't just a random child.

"Answer me boy," he stood over Zuko.

"Yes sir," Zuko whispered.

He watched the commander start walking away and quickly got to his feet to follow. The side of his face burning and itched as he held it trying to soothe the burning pain under the bandages. It was healing but he still wore the bandages for safety now going into war where there was less medical equipment.

"The troops don't know who you are kid, and they're not going too, or your going to be eaten alive by them," Xai told him as they walked through the woods.

"If anyone asks you are not from the Capitol, many men here were volunteered by the first or only man in their family, you have no parents and you have no friends, and your not thirteen," he explained harshly as Zuko listened.

"No one knows of your Agni kai, no lieutenants and no captains, only commanders, generals and admirals, how you got that scar is your decision," he glared back at the boy.

"Then what am I?" Zuko kept his eyes down with a sneer on his face.

"Your a no body, the prince of the fire nation lives in peace with servants feeding him, never leaving the palace, no one needs to know anymore than that,"

He looked back at the boy as he was quiet again, Xai pursed his lips and sighed annoyed, he looked pathetic like a turtle duck. What was he going to do with a damn child? There's a reason the age to join us 16, a preteen is weak, if they let children in then there was no way to win the war. At least he was a fire bender but from what he's heard, not a good one.

"Can You fight?" Xai asked.

"Kind of?" Zuko shrugged but that was a lie.

"Then You better learn how fast, that knife might be your only way to keep you alive," Xai scoffed shaking his head.

They approached the camp as Zuko saw young men and old men, every age group, three younger men chatted and drank by the fire together. They may be the youngest.

"Attention!" Xai barked and everyone looked at them.

"This is our new recruit, he will be joining us from now on until we're all killed on the battle grounds," Xai pushed Zuko in front of him as the boy looked up at the group of adults.

"He looks like a damn kid?"

"What are we babysitters now?"

"What's wrong with his face?"

"Why just one kid? What's wrong with it?"

"See me in my tent after the sun goes down," Xai told Zuko and left him to the troops before going into the side tent.

"Fuck," Zuko groaned a little seeing he was going to be the spot light tonight.

"Got a name runt?" A man around his twenties walked up to him and handed him a mug.

"Zuko," he took the metal mug not knowing what else to do. The man motioned him to join them by the fire.

"How old are you? Where are you from? Where's the others?" Another man looked at Zuko intrigued seeing the bandages.

"I-I um I'm fifteen," Zuko gulped. "I'm from the colonies but the other people from my village I think went to a different troop district, I don't really care where I go,"

"Fifteen? That's young, why are you small? What's under the bandages? Can I see?" The curious man reached over but Zuko grabbed his wrist with a glare.

"Don't fucking touch me," he hissed and the twenty year old man smirked a little.

"Behave boys, it's his first night, let him have some space," the brunette chuckled as Zuko sipped the mug but made a face at the taste.

"The doctor said I should be okay to take off the bandages in a few weeks... it was already infected before so..." Zuko trailed off holding the mug in his lap anxiously.

"What happened? Burn or cut?" He asked looking at him with light brown eyes.

"Burn, i was in an accident at home, I don't remember much," Zuko mumbled bouncing his leg.

"Ouch, sorry bout that," the man tsked a little as he nodded.

"Yea me too,"

"Well I'm Lee, I joined about four years ago, I got my ma and little sister back home," the brunette with light brown eyes smirked down at him.

"You got any siblings?" He asked gently.

"No, I have no one," Zuko lied once again.

"Can I ask you something Lee?" He gulped a little as everyone seemed to be casual at the camp.

"Sure," Lee smiled at him.

"How bad is the war? What's it like out there?" Zuko pulled his knees to his chest as he rested his chin on his knees.

"... it's pretty bad, you lose your friends, your superiors, you lose the people you trained, but in this war, no one is innocent, earth kingdom and fire nation are all cruel, but we do it for the people we love, for the country we love," Lee told him softly seeing there was no light in the boys eyes.

"Once we win this war, we'll be heroes, we'll be remembered for our fights, we'll have honor to step foot on our home land," he put a hand on zukos shoulder and the boy stiffened at the touch.

"Honor?" Zuko frowned a little.

—

"You wanted to see me commander?" Zuko peaked in the tent seeing Xai at the table with a map.

"How was the troops? Not to rough on the newbie I hope," Xai smirked as he stood up.

"They're fine," Zuko rubbed his arm.

"Come on, sit," Xai motioned him to the bench on the side and Zuko saw medical equipment.

He followed his orders and sat on the side with Xai kneeling in front of him.

"I did hear about the Agni kai, thank you," Xai took out new bandages from a bag and reached up to replace the old ones on zukos face.

Zuko moved his face away immediately but xai's other hand grabbed his hair to force him to hold still. A weak cry escaped zukos lips when Xai started to take the bandages off. 

"It's hurts, stop please," Zuko whimpered but was ignored. Cold air hit the healing skin that was exposed and watched the face Xai made when his scar was revealed.

"Thank you for standing up for my rookies, I know no one else if going to say it but it means a lot that you stood up for my troops," Xai told him softly as the boys jaw trembled under his touch.

"I'm not going to go easy on you though, your an equal to those men out there, but your still a child, a little older than my son," he sighed softly putting medicine on zukos scarred skin to help the healing.

"I'm not a child," Zuko spat looking at him but fear stopped him. He couldn't see out of his left eye.

"Yes you are," Xai snapped back.

"Commander..." he whispered.

"What boy?" Xai rolled his eyes pulling out some new bandaging.

Zuko raised his hand slowly and snapped his fingers a few times by his left ear. He looked like he was going to be sick.

"Commander I can't hear or see from my left side," a tear ran down his right cheek. Xai's eyes widen as his heart dropped.

"I can't hear or see anything from my left, I-I can't see or hear why cants I see or hear-" Xai  covered his mouth before he got to loud for the others to hear.

"Hey hey it's going to be okay, your eye is just use to being covered, it's only temporary," Xai told him calmly seeing the panic still rising in him.

"But I'm not a doctor so I don't know much more than that, it might be just weaker now from the damaged," he gulped as tears hit his hand that streamed down zukos face.

"Your one of us, soldiers look after each other," he whispered and Zuko sniffled pushing his hand away. He touched his face feeling the sensitive skin.

"Here, for the pain," Xai gave him a mug with tea inside. "And this is for everything after, an apology and a welcome," he handed him a small bottle of alcohol.

"Go play nice with the others and get some rest," Xai got up and threw a pillow and blanket at him that every recruit received.