Titles have never been my strong point.
Zuko recalled the day Katara had told him about the baby. His surprise had quickly been replaced with delight as the Fire Lord twirled his Fire Lady in a joyous circle. Later that night as he held her, she'd confided that she had the strangest feeling that the child she carried would be a fire bender. Perhaps it was a mother's intuition, or perhaps it was a result of her healing powers. Either way Zuko couldn't shake the feeling that she was right. And it scared him. So many of the fire benders in his family line had been horrible people – his great-grandfather, his grandfather, his father, and his sister. He didn't want the family curse to be passed on.
"Your other great-grandfather was Avatar Roku!" Katara had reminded him, "And your uncle is one of the most kind-hearted people I know." He was only somewhat comforted.
"Look what I did! I was almost a horrible person too! I could have killed Aang," he refuted sorrowfully. "Fire benders can be so hotheaded."
"But look who you became," She softly continued before he could go on. "You've completely turned the Fire Nation around. You're kind – and brave – and thoughtful – and honorable," She pressed kisses on his cheeks, lips and the tip of his nose as she spoke. "I couldn't ask for more if our child turned out like you." Zuko kissed his Fire Lady slowly and tenderly.
"Thank you, Katara." He whispered against her hair. He couldn't deny the worry that niggled in the back of his mind, but he decided that any child who was any portion Katara couldn't possibly turn out bad.
As their daughter grew, it became clear that Katara's prediction was correct. Soon after the day the girl sneezed and set the table-cloth on fire, Zuko and Katara decided it was finally time to begin her training.
Five year old Ursa blinked up at him, wide gold-flecked eyes completely trusting. They stood in the courtyard of the palace, just the Fire Lord and his daughter, with a very pregnant Katara watching in the wings, a soft smile on her lips.
"Ursa," he began carefully, trying to decide how best to explain in a way she would understand, "Fire can be very powerful, and very dangerous. That's why it's so important that you learn to control it. There are many different places and emotions your fire can come from. It's important that you make sure it's coming from the right ones." He remembered too well his own struggle and the transformation it had taken to reform the channels. The girl wasn't following completely, but he knew she understood enough. A glance from Katara told him that that was all Ursa needed in that particular vein for the moment. She would understand better when she was older.
"First, I'm going to teach you some special moves. This is called the dancing dragon," Zuko began.
"Like Druk!" Ursa giggled, familiar with the Fire Lord's new friend, a gift from the sun warriors. Zuko chuckled.
"Yes, like Druk. Watch," He demonstrated the first form. "Try it without bending." Ursa followed along somewhat sloppily.
"This is a fun dance!" Her eyes sparkled.
"It's not-" Zuko began before catching a stern glance from Katara. "It is, isn't it?" He grinned at his daughter. Now was not the time for technicalities. He showed her the first few moves and carefully guided her as she copied them. "You're a natural," he pulled his daughter into his arms, kissing her soft cheeks. He didn't know how he could have ever feared that this wide eyed child would become evil.
"Come on," He carried Ursa over to Katara, "I'm ready to have lunch with my two favorite girls." He pressed a quick kiss on Katara's cheek before they walked together into the palace.
The tradition of practicing in the courtyard continued. Years later a fifteen year old Ursa's intelligent golden eyes followed her father carefully as he spoke to her about a new skill: lightning generation. How he wished Iroh could be here to teach her. He still didn't know if she had the skill, but if so he wasn't quite sure how to help her develop it. He'd never been able to lighting bend. He told her what he could.
"Lighting generation is a special subset of fire bending. Only a few fire benders can do it. Uncle Iroh could. I want to see if you can as well." The elderly man had promised he'd teach Ursa about lighting bending, but a sudden illness robbed him of the chance. Zuko tried his best to recall his uncle's words. "Lightning generation requires you to have complete peace of mind. To empty yourself of all emotion and focus solely on the bending. An extreme amount of energy is created and it is deadly." That was one point he had been adamant on making. He had even considered not introducing his daughter to the skill, but Katara was right. She needed to know.
"I wish I could say more. Do you – Do you want to try it?" He almost hoped she'd refuse, but she nodded.
"Yes." She responded solemnly. "If I do it – where should I direct it?" She was smart and she was careful. Two important traits for a fire bender to have.
"Well," Zuko hadn't considered that question. He'd been too focused on hoping that she had inherited his lack of the skill. "I suppose try to direct it at the sky. I can direct it, but I think it's best if you try it that way." He watched as his daughter closed her eyes, took a series of slow breaths, and then opened them. She pointed two fingers towards the sky and for a moment she morphed before him into Azula. He jumped back a step as a weak bolt of lightning shot into the sky and fizzled to nothing.
"Dad, I did it!" She was clearly incredibly proud of herself. Zuko was more shocked than proud. The image of Azula was still fresh in his mind, and it took him a few moments to remember that his beloved daughter stood before him and not his sister.
"Yes," he quickly pulled his daughter into his arms. "Congratulations. You're officially more skilled than your old Dad," He said with a wry grin. "I'm proud of you," He managed, and he was. It would take some getting used to, but it was time he dropped this association between fire bending and evil. If his own sweet daughter could do it, there was no way it could be bad.
"Dad, I'll never be more skilled than you. There are still a thousand moves you can do that I can't. Besides, I don't even know when I'll use lighting bending," She added carefully, "I don't want to hurt anyone." Any remaining doubts disintegrated at his daughter's words and he pulled her to him again. She was clearly a little confused at the sudden show of affection, but didn't question it as she put her arms around him and squeezed back.