Prologue

"It has to be done."

Aang looked over at his long-time friend and ally, concern furrowing his brow. "Are you sure, Zuko?" he asked carefully. "There are other options, you know."

Zuko sighed, mindlessly scanning the scroll in front of him before tossing it into the growing pile of paperwork on his desk. Though the years had been kind on the new Firelord, the weight of ruling a defeated nation had taken its toll. In the unforgiving afternoon light, his naturally pale skin was so colourless it was almost translucent, and there was a haggardness in the lines of his eyes that betrayed the fact he hadn't slept well in days. "This is the only option that will ensure long-lasting peace, and you know it, Aang. You've seen the reports. You know what's at stake."

Aang made a face, but didn't argue. There was a reason why the Avatar had been tasked with brokering this alliance, after all. "I do, but I don't have to like it," he said mulishly, suddenly sounding far younger than his eighteen years. "It's not fair on you!"

The huff of air that escaped Zuko's lips was the closest he'd come to laughter all day. "Well," he replied wryly. "Not everyone can be as lucky as the Avatar. We can't all save the world and get the girl."

Aang sputtered, a tell-tale blush spreading across his cheeks. Zuko smirked. "How is Katara, by the way?" he asked. "Have you finally gotten around to proposing yet?"

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there!" Aang retorted, unconsciously stirring up the wind in embarrassed, agitated movements. He stared fixedly at the ground, voice trailing into an unintelligible mumble. "I'm just, you know, waiting for the perfect moment."

Zuko suppressed a smile. The all-powerful Avatar, reduced to a mortified, lovestruck boy because of one beautiful woman. It was almost… ironic.

"You could have someone like that in your life, too, you know." Aang said suddenly, grey eyes earnest. "You should have the ability to choose."

"I…" At Aang's words, an image of Mai rose unbidden in Zuko's mind. The young Firelord pushed it away before he could dwell on what-could-have-beens. That chapter of his life had ended a long time ago. "I have a duty to my people. To the Fire nation," he said quietly, gazing out the window that overlooked the capitol. "And Agni knows the world can't afford another war."

Aang sighed. "I thought defeating Ozai meant that the worst was over. Who would've thought that rebuilding the world and maintaining peace would be a million times harder than fighting and ending a hundred-year war?"

Reflexively, Zuko's hands curled into fists inside his sleeves. "That's why I have to do this, Aang. Thousands died for this peace and at the moment it's tenuous at best. Betraying their sacrifice with selfishness would be dishonourable." He all but spat the last word out. "Besides, even as Crown Prince, I'd always known my marriage would never be of my own choosing."

He turned to Aang, voice final, sounding every inch the Firelord he was born to be. "Tell Earth King Kuei that I accept the hand of his eldest daughter. I'll marry the Princess Ling."