My Angel
Zuko's thoughts when Asamiya takes the throne from 'Family Moments'.
Disclaimer; Again,I don't own Avatar.
Remember Me, My Child
XxX
It was time. I stood, proud and so filled with love for her. I held my head up as I watched her take the same oath I had taken once upon a time. I saw the head fire sage lower the crown that had once been mine into the high bun at the back of her dark head, and smiled. She was nervous. Agni but I loved her. She was my baby, my first child, my beautiful fire-angel. My Asamiya. And from today, she would replace me as ruler of our Fire Nation. What had once been mine was hers, and I could almost cry when I saw the look of love and respect in the faces of the people that had come to see this moment. Oh, there were those who felt she wasn't right for the throne for many reasons, but none of them had come, and for good reasons. Katara and I might not have been as young as we once were, and I couldn't speak for Katara, but I could still beat all of those stuffy old nobles who despised my 'half-breed' family together. At once. And I would. If Katara weren't watching me like a hawk. Every time I fell sick, she would care for me, then not let me out of her sight once until I was fully recovered. I coughed, as if my body wanted to remind me that I still wasn't fully myself again. I gave her a reassuring smile, and squeezed her hand when Katara looked at me, concern filling her gaze.
"Zuko," she whispered, worried. I knew what she wanted. She wanted me to go back inside where it was warm, and there was no cooling winter breeze blowing around to chill aging skin and make us shiver. But my daughter was taking the crown. She would be Fire Queen from today onward. I would not miss this for any cold I was still getting over.
I shook my head, whispering back, "No. I'm fine, Katara. Besides, this is something I can't miss." She sighed, and squeezed my hand back, leaning her head against my shoulder. We were both almost sixty. So much had happened in our lives; I remembered that one attempt at a revolution, when my sweet Asamiya was just fifteen - she'd defied her mother to save me, and I never could forget how she'd smiled when she realized I'd be alright - traveling the world with Aang as a teenager, sitting curled in my mother's arms, falling asleep next to my wife, Katara -- the angel that saved me -- every night, and waking with her in my arms every morning, all the times I was sick, and how she stayed beside me, her on one side, Asamiya on the other, both always there, every time I would wake up. I was closest to the two of them, my wife and my first-born. Much as I didn't like that fact, it was true (I was wary of favoritism, as that was what had been one of the larger problems between me and my own father). Katara was my world, the woman who''d saved me time and again. Asamiya was my only firebending child, and I didn't know what I'd do without her. She had my uncle's -- Agni keep him safe, until I come to you both -- knack for picking up on moods, and emotions. And his love of the 'simple things' in life. Tea and music especially. Somehow, in her, it was more endearing than it had been with Uncle.
I shook my head slightly. It wasn't good to think about sad things on a happy occasion. Happy as I was with my daughter taking the throne, her marriage made me happier. She had three children already, and a fourth on the way. I was proud of her. She was everything I'd ever thought a daughter would be. Oh, her siblings were wonderful, too, but Kana was closer to Katara, being a waterbender. She was amazing, really. A master waterbender, and I was proud of her, too. Iroh, my son, seemed more like a good friend, than a son. Sokka and I had taught him to use swords, and he was a quick study. But, this was her day. And my beloved Asamiya was shining so brightly as she spoke to the people, promising a continuation of what Katara and I had started.
I saw myself in her. The way I was when I was young. So many similarities, though she looked so much like her mother. Her marriage reminded me of my own. Kyro, the son of a Fire Nation man, and an earthbender, loved her immensely. Her two younger children, Iccari, and Lu-ten, named for the 'uncle' and great-grand mother they never knew, were gentle, loving little ones, Lu-ten an earthbender like Kyro, and Iccari a firebender, like her mother. Her eldest son -- Zuko, actually; to be honest, I cried when she said that was the boy's name, and I'd held her in my arms til she fell asleep, just like the day she was born -- was a waterbender, like my Katara. She had everything anyone could ask for. Sometimes, I was mildly jealous, because her parents -- Katara and I -- loved her, and had always been beside her, and her siblings weren't maniacal and cruel. But I would always love her. Because she was mine.
Agni, but I was glad she was taking the throne now. I was tired. I had withstood the pressure for fifty years almost, and I just wanted to be Zuko again. Not 'Fire Lord', not 'Prince'. The spirits knew it was getting to be too much. It was time for me to step down, so I could honor my promise to her, and be there to help her rule as long as I could. Besides, the stress was beginning to get to me. Once, I wouldn't have admitted something like that, even to myself, but I was a different person now, thanks to Katara and my children. I wasn't as strong as I used to be, nor was I getting any younger. Lately, I'd been getting sick every winter, and it was becoming too much. I was more than ready to step down and give it up for my daughter.
I smiled broadly at her when she turned toward us all, and I wrapped my arms around her, telling her how proud I was. And then the entire family was there, and Sokka, and Aang, Toph, and Suki, and their children and grandchildren with them. We joked, Katara, Sokka, Asamiya, and I, and everyone was happy, and together. Asamiya suggested going inside for tea. What is it with my family and tea? I wondered. I asked this question, and received a smile from my eldest daughter, and we went inside, Asamiya the ruler now, not me. Not any more. Agni, but I was already proud of how she could take charge of a situation and a group. She would make a wonderful leader. And I would be there as long as possible to help her.
XxX
That's the story. I just thought it would be sweet. There's another story I'll be posting soon that involves the 'attempt at revolution' Zuko mentioned when Asamiya was a teen. Review please.