Author's Note: Written for alyssialui's Gender-Swap Boot Camp Challenge over at the AtLA Fanfiction Challenges Forum. Female!Zuko named Zuka
Disclaimers: I do not own any aspects of Avatar the Last Airbender. All copyrights to to their respective companies and entities. All OCs, thoughts, and musings, when not quoted, are mine though.
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Prompt #1: Birth
Ozai stood in the dim hallway outside of the room that held his sleeping wife. The birth of his first-born had been a long and tedious one. Not only had the labor lasted 20 hard hours, but there were also multiple complications along the way. Several times, the healers thought they were going to lose both mother and child.
For as long as Ozai could remember, he was always one step behind his older brother, Prince Iroh, Firelord Azulon's favorite. Now, he at last had accomplished something before his great brother. The first female born to the Royal Family in seven generations had just greeted the day not one hour ago, and the little girl, Zuka, was Ozai's daughter. Of all the things he could bested Iroh in, it was in the most useless matter ever. Instead of a strong son and heir who could possibly help his chance in the bid for the throne, he was given a little girl who had struggle in her first greeting with Agni, arriving in the wee hours of the morning, lucky to be alive. As he looked down at the bundle in his arms, Ozai couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that had taken root within his heart.
Unaware of the dark thoughts of the man holding her, the little princess snuggled closer to the being radiating warmth and what should have been love.
