Hello! I'm planning on making this quite a few chapters long, but I don't have a concrete plan. Im just sortof rolling with fic. So please review and if you like it, follow the story! I'll hopefully update a couple times a week.

Ten years had passed.

Exactly ten years from this day, Zuko was banished from the same nation that he now ruled over. Exactly 10 years ago, his father left him on the palace floor with a portion of his face burnt off. The past didn't bother him as much anymore; he had stopped keeping track of these types of anniversaries a long time ago. But as he sat there on the edge of his bed that morning, his mind replayed everything that had happened to him since he was thirteen years old. He could no longer ignore the irony of the situation.

The irony was that the roles had reversed. It was that he was in charge of an entire country. It was that he found himself in the same position he had desperately yearned for at thirteen years old. It was that the man that kept him from his goals no longer held any power over him. It was that the man that pushed him down for years no longer walked this earth.

The irony was that exactly ten years after Zuko's banishment, his father's body lay cold and lifeless on a prison floor.

That afternoon, he sat down at the table with a handful of people. The news of his father's death would bring mixed reactions from the citizens of the Fire Nation. Arrangements needed to be made. Iroh sat in the chair closest to Zuko, while the head of his cultural administration walked into the room. A woman sat at the end of the table, keeping track of the Fire Lord's schedule.

"Fire Lord Zuko," his cultural advisor briefly greeted as he gave him a courteous bow, then sat down at the table. He continued. "We're not certain of the reason for your… Your father's death. We believe that the likely cause is poison. I'm sorry to say that it will be difficult to find the person accountable, if that's the case."

"I'm not concerned with finding a culprit right now. I would just like to focus on whatever arrangements need to be made," Zuko softly replied with a poker face. It was true. He knew that there were many people who wanted Ozai dead. He never expected or even necessarily wanted for this to happen, yet the news didn't surprise him.

"If I may, I would suggest that we give a public announcement of former Fire Lord Ozai's death as soon as possible. It is up to you what should be done with the body, but traditionally he would be buried in the dragonbone catacombs."

Zuko sighed. He was unsure how exactly he should feel right now, so he just focused on the task at hand. "Then that's what we'll do. Please, make arrangements for a burial as soon as possible." Zuko shot a glance at his uncle, who hadn't said anything but appeared to be deep in thought.

"My Lord, excuse my interruption," the woman at the end of table softly called to Zuko then looked down at her papers. "My schedule here tells me that the Avatar and his friends are scheduled to arrive at the palace this evening as well..."

Monkey feathers. He had forgotten that they were coming. He thought about sending a messenger hawk until he realized that they were likely on Appa's back right now, making their merry way towards the Fire Nation. They wouldn't get the message. They would be coming either way.

Zuko missed them. It had been almost a year since seeing his old friends. But now was probably not the best time. It was his obligation to show respect for his deceased father, even if that same man caused him misery for most of his life. Now, a goofy bald kid and his misfit group of friends were going to fall from the sky and plop right into his palace. Great, he thought.

He took a deep breath and turned to the woman. He wore a fake smile. "Thank you for reminding me." He told her, then called out to the room. "Everyone is dismissed."

Then, it was just him and Iroh in the room.

"Uncle, have you seen Azula or my mother yet today? Do they know about…?"

"I have not had the chance to talk to them today, but I'm sure they've been told about Ozai's death."

Zuko winced the slightest bit at the words coming out of his uncle's mouth. Sure, he had woken up to the news this morning, but hearing it from his uncle somehow made it feel real.

"Do you think they're, uh…" He started. Okay?

"I'm sure your mother will be fine. She moved on from her life with your father long ago," He finished for him. "However, your sister may be a bit more… Complicated, I would imagine."

It seemed like an understatement. While Zuko was now on good terms with his sister, it had been anything but easy to get there. It had taken close to five years after the war for Azula to seem like she had at least some sense of sanity left inside of her. Even then, it wasn't much. It was only a small spark. But it was enough for their mother to beg Zuko to let her leave the mental institute. Azula had already escaped numerous times, and Ursa convinced her son that it would be better for Azula to live with family. Zuko reluctantly agreed with his mother. On the condition that she was closely monitored and immediately chi-blocked if any problems were to arise, of course.

And problems definitely did arise, not to Zuko's surprise. Over the months, however, they came less and less often. At first he thought it was an act; she seemed just like the Azula he grew up with-deceptive, intimidating, and always getting the upper hand while making it look so easy.

But as time went by, he realized. She wasn't the same. Sure, she was still bratty, annoying, and absolutely terrifying. That never changed. But she somehow seemed warmer. Sometimes, she even used her cunningness and sense of strategy to help people. It was weird. It was also nice.

And nobody knew how she was going to react to the fact that her father was murdered, which was petrifying.

"And what what about you, my nephew?" Iroh's voice brought him back to the present.

"Huh?"

"How are you feeling, Fire Lord Zuko?"

There was a short pause. At twenty-three years, Zuko was well past the angst that devoured him during his teenage years. Back then he probably would have yelled out 'I'm fine!' and stomped away.

Instead he just gave a shrug and told Iroh honestly, "I don't know. I just want to get everything over with."