Strong dialogue, an engaging story, and a balanced portrayal of Zuko- what more could anybody ask for? The main character is sympathetic without being inconsistent with the boy we see in Season 1. My favorite moment was in Chapter 11, where we learn a bit more about Ursa and Zuko's childhood. It's both heartbreaking and fitting the tone and atmosphere of the series.

This story goes into a lot of detail and explores the reality of what Zuko would have to face while banished, starting from a couple of hours after the Agni Kai. Despite the more realistic tone, it never devolves into crushing, suicidal Wangst like some Zuko-centric fics do—this is hot-tempered, Determinator, Bad Ass-in-training Zuko who will do whatever it takes to capture the Avatar. It also addresses questions like "what exactly will a fireball to the face do to one's eyesight?" and "how does no one know why Zuko was banished?" and "where is Zuko getting the resources to support himself and his crew?" It also spends a lot of time fleshing out Zuko's relationship with Iroh and goes into a little more detail regarding the Fire Nation Royal Family's dynamics and the origins of little!Maiko. It's still a pretty new fic, and the first chapter was a little shaky, but the adventures are clearly far from over, and amanda91 updates regularly and frequently.