"Zuko, Azula, it's time to leave now!"
Zuko hears his mother's voice drift up from the docks to the grassy hill he and his sister are waiting on.
"Finally," Azula grumbles as she rips apart an orange wildflower. "I was starting to think we'd never leave."
Zuko throws a glare her way. "It's only been five minutes. Mom and Dad are just trying to make sure we have everything we'll need for our vacation."
"Whatever," Azula sneers as she punches her brother's arm.
"Ow!"
"Oh, Zuzu. Stop being such a baby!" she calls as she runs down the hill toward the docks, her black hair flying behind her.
With a heavy sigh, Zuko follows his sister. As he reaches Ursa's side, his earlier grumpiness is replaced with excitement. She had that effect on people; she could brighten the mood just by walking into the room, and make someone's day just by smiling.
It had been nearly a year since the Royal Family had stayed at their beach house on Ember Island, and they were meeting Zuko's uncle Iroh, and Iroh's son, Lu Ten, at the beach house later in the afternoon. Zuko couldn't wait to see his relatives when they arrived. Iroh and Lu Ten had been away for nearly six months now, fighting in the war against the other nations. Within the Royal Family, there was always a constant, nagging worry that each time they saw their relatives it would be the last. Zuko's uncle and cousin made sure to always keep the family updated and informed of their whereabouts in letters, but it never seemed to be enough to put the family at ease.
"All right kids, get onto the boat," their mother tells them gently.
Zuko and Azula climb on board, squealing with excitement to finally be off on their adventure.
"Calm down, children," Ozai tells them gruffly from where he stands at the front of the boat. His tone is harsh, but underneath there is an underlying tone of amusement. Even Ozai can't help but be excited for Ember Island. After Ursa climbs on, he signals to the crew, and the boat lurches forward on the blue waters and heads out to sea.
"Hold on to the railing, kids," Ursa tells Zuko and Azula.
They each grab hold of the railing and hold on tight as the boat sways and tilts with the waves. As the vessel heads farther from shore, the wind picks up and catches in the sails. The boat moves with remarkable speed as they make their way toward Ember Island, and all the adventures that await them there.
After the boat comes to a stop, the crew jumps onto the docks to tie the long ropes attached to the vessel's railings.
"Make sure they're tight," Ozai orders them with a disapproving look at the knots they've tied.
"Yes, sir!" they all say in unison.
After checking and re-checking the knots, the crew proceeds to hauling the Royal Family's luggage and personal belongings up the path to their beach house, while Ozai, Ursa, Zuko, and Azula stay at the docks and wait for Iroh and Lu Ten to arrive. The children sit at the edge of the dock, while Ozai and Ursa stand behind them, holding hands. By the time the sun is high in the sky, Iroh and Lu Ten's ship is nearing the docks and floating up next to the other boat.
"Uncle Iroh! Lu Ten!" Zuko calls as he stands up and waves.
"Hello, Zuko!" Lu Ten calls down to his cousin.
Iroh waves to his Zuko and calls, "Greetings, nephew! It's good to see you again."
Iroh's crew ties his ship to the dock, then steps aside as he and his son make their way toward their relatives. They all exchange many greetings and hugs, then head up to the beach house to get settled in. As they walk inside, they can instantly smell the jasmine tea that is heating over the fire in the center of the room. There are two long, dark red sofas along the far wall, with a mahogany wood table that is low to the ground in front of them. There is a door on the right side of the room, which leads to the dining area, and a door on the left side of the room, which leads to the hallway that branches off into the bedrooms. The adults and Lu Ten sit down on the sofas, making themselves comfortable while Zuko and Azula bounce around the room.
"Mom, can we go swimming with Lu Ten?" Azula probes.
"Lu Ten just got here, I'm sure he doesn't want to go swimming right now," Ursa tells her daughter.
"Pleeaase?" Azula pleads, batting her eyelashes at Ursa.
Ursa looks at Lu Ten, who smiles and nods.
After a moment, Ursa gives in and says, "All right, you can go."
Azula and Zuko squeal with excitement, throwing open the door leading to the hallway so they can change into their swimming clothes.
"But be careful! Lu Ten is in charge," their mother calls after them.
"Okay!" they both reply, and their giggles of excitement fade down the hall.
"Look out! Here I come!" Lu Ten hollers as he wades through the water toward Zuko and Azula. "I'm going to get you!"
He grabs at Zuko as he tries to run away, then throws him over his shoulder and tickles him.
"Hey! St- stop it! Put me down!" Zuko squeals in between his giggles.
Lu Ten laughs as he tosses Zuko into the water, making water splash everywhere. After a few seconds, Zuko bobs up to the surface.
"That was mean!" he tries to look serious, but a huge grin is spreading on his face.
"You told me to put you down, so I did," his older cousin replies with a smirk on his face.
They both start giggling, and are soon doubled over in laughter. Azula, angry from not being included in the action, stomps over with her hands on her hips.
"Hey," she mutters with a scowl on her face, but Zuko and Lu Ten can't hear her over their hysteric laughter. Azula flushes red with rage, then screams, "Zuko! Look out! There's a catgator in the water!"
Zuko immediately stops laughing, and frantically splashes toward shore with a horrified look on his face. As he reaches shallow water, he slows and looks behind him, then he comes to a stop. He's panting heavily, his eyes glistening with forming tears that he is fighting to hold back.
"Azula! Why did you do that?!" He sniffles. "I thought you were being serious!"
Now it's Azula's turn to laugh; she's doubled over, and laughing so hard she can't catch her breath.
"Zuzu, you idiot! Catgators live in swamps, not in the ocean!" she cackles, clutching her sides.
Lu Ten looks at her in disapproval. "That wasn't funny Azula. You really scared Zuko."
She glares at him and snarls, "He's just being a big baby. I didn't do anything wrong!"
Zuko looks one more time at Azula, his tears flowing freely now, then frowns and walks up to the shore. Sullenly, he grabs his towel, then heads up to the beach house. A few moments pass before Ursa's voice can be heard from where Azula and Lu Ten stand in the water.
"Azula! Get in here!" her anger can be heard in her voice.
Azula mutters something under her breath and stomps onto shore, snatching her towel from where it lays on the sand. As she storms up the beach house, Lu Ten follows a ways behind her, not wanting to get too close to his vicious cousin. It is a common occurrence for Azula to ruin some part of their family vacation, so after all these years, Lu Ten has come to expect her attitude issues. The only question he always has is when it will happen. Nevertheless, he treats her with love and respect as any cousin should; his father will accept nothing else from the son he adores so much. As he turns the knob to the front door, he can hear angry voices inside.
"…talked about this before, Azula. You need to treat your brother with more respect." Ursa scolds her daughter. She has seemingly never-ending patience, but it is being tested by her youngest child.
"They weren't including me in their game!" Azula whines.
Lu Ten enters the room to see Iroh and Ozai seated on the couch with scowls on their faces, and Ursa standing in front of Azula, who has her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Zuko is nowhere to be seen, but Lu Ten thinks he hears quiet sniffles from the young boy's room.
"That does not give you any right to scare Zuko. If you didn't feel included, then you should have simply said so. The way you approached the problem was rude, and quite frankly, immature," Ursa admonishes.
Azula opens her mouth to reply, but quickly snaps it shut when Ozai slowly rises to his feet.
"Be careful how you speak to your mother, girl. You will respect her, and your brother, as well," Ozai's deep voice resonates through the room.
Azula's mouth hangs open in shock. Father always sides with me! She recovers from her shock quickly, although she is fuming inside. "Y-yes, father," she mutters, bowing slightly. Her eyes burn a bright gold, almost as if they are on fire.
There is a tense silence over the room, obvious in the clenched jaws and hostile eyes. Iroh stands up and clears his throat, in an apparent attempt to break the silence that hangs like a blanket over the room. He is saved from saying something by one of the cooks that came with Iroh on the trip, who walks into the room and bows to the people who occupy the space.
"Dinner is ready, sir," he informs Iroh.
"Excellent! I'm starving," the plump man claps his hands excitedly. "Come on everyone, let's go eat!" He waddles out the door toward the dining pavilion outside, where their evening meal will be eaten.
Ursa sighs and rests her hand on Ozai's arm for a moment, before she heads to Zuko's room. She opens the door slowly, and sees her son sitting on his large, canopied bed. He has his knees pulled up to his chest, and he is no longer crying, but his eyes are still red and he sniffles slightly.
"Hi, mom," he says weakly, the corners of his mouth turning up into a small smile.
She smiles down at him, adoration warming her golden eyes. Ursa sits down on the bed next to him, and puts her arms around him. He hugs her tightly, his tiny hands clasping together behind her back. His love for his mother knows no bounds, and he knows that she feels the same about him.
"I love you, mom," he whispers, squeezing her tighter.
"I love you too, sweetie," she says as she holds Zuko.
"We'll be together, always, and nothing can keep us apart," he murmurs.
Ursa glows with pride at this beautiful boy, her beautiful boy, and says, "That's right. Together, forever and always."
They hold each other for some time, before Ursa pulls away and says gently, "Dinner is ready. Are you hungry?"
Zuko grins and nods, and right on cue, his stomach growls loudly. Ursa pokes his belly and they both giggle, then they walk outside to the dining pavilion, where the others are waiting. Everyone takes their seats, Ozai and Iroh at the heads of the table, with the rest of the family spread out in between. The cooks bring out the evening meal, which consists of roast duck, spiced tea, and cabbage. As the family digs in, murmurs of approval ripple through the room.
"This roast duck is delicious!" Iroh exclaims, his eyes wide.
"You can say that again," Lu Ten agrees. He and his father share a love of food, although you would never guess; although Iroh is plump and round, his son is lean and muscular.
"My compliments to your cook," Ozai says with a small smile.
"Yes, this is wonderful, Iroh," Ursa chimes in.
Iroh nods his thanks and says, "I'm glad you approve. There's nothing like a good, hearty meal to brighten the mood."
Everyone nods in agreement, and before long, it's as if the earlier argument never happened. The mood is light and happy now, and everyone is chatting and smiling as they eat their meal. After a few more minutes, everyone has finished their food and the dessert of flaming fire cake is brought to the table. Everyone's grin widens as the cake is passed out, and the dessert is devoured in no time at all. Ozai calls to the servants, and the dishes are cleared away, as well as the little remains of the meal.
"Shall we head to the beach for a campfire?" Ursa inquires with a bright smile.
"Yeah!" Zuko and Azula squeal with glee, jumping up from their chairs and running out of the pavilion toward the sandy shore. The others smile and follow behind them, stopping when they hear a gasp from Iroh.
"Goodness! I almost forgot - I brought tsungi horns for campfire songs!" he exclaims, grinning from ear to ear.
Everyone groans inwardly, but has smiles plastered on their faces. Iroh chuckles, knowing how his family truly feels about his campfire songs, or "campfire carols", as Iroh likes to call them. But despite the atrocious tunes and repetitive lyrics, the songs never fail to convey many smiles and laughs from the royal members of the Fire Nation. Ozai, Ursa, and Lu Ten stroll toward the beach where Zuko and Azula wait, while Iroh retrieves his instruments from his room. Zuko and Azula have taken the liberty of collecting large stones and placing them in a circle, creating the ideal fire pit. Everyone takes a seat in a circle, Ursa and Ozai sitting close and holding hands, while their children and Lu Ten sit spread around the pit. They make sure to leave a space for Iroh, who can be seen exiting the beach house and walking toward the group with two shiny tsungi horns in his arms.
"Nephew! Care to join me in playing these fine instruments?" Iroh beams down at Zuko as he approaches group gathered around the fire pit.
"I'd love to!" Zuko exclaims, rising to his feet. Iroh hands him one tsungi horn, then they both take a seat and play a few experimental notes. Iroh leans over to his nephew and whispers something into his ear, and Zuko nods his understanding. Then they both begin to play a bouncy, energetic tune that the rest of the family can't help but dance to. Azula grabs Ursa's hand and pulls her to her feet, and they both begin to dance around in circles, giggling the whole time. Ozai smiles as he watches them, the pride he has in his daughter glowing in his eyes. In his mind, she has always been better and more acceptable than Zuko ever was, or ever would be. While his son had a softer, kinder personality, Azula had a brutal streak that had lived within her since the moment she was born. Her mother had tried to extinguish that flame in her; but Ozai fueled it constantly, trying to get his daughter to reach her full potential, no matter what the consequences may be.
As Iroh and Zuko finish their song, everyone claps and whistles in approval. Zuko and his uncle grin from ear to ear, happy to provide entertainment for their family. They count a rhythm of three beats on their knees, then dive into another lively tune. They continue to play many songs over the next few hours, and the time flies by as the Royal Family sings and dances to the animated sounds of Zuko and Iroh's instruments. The sky grows dark as night falls, and the stars that become visible twinkle and shine in the navy blue atmosphere. From the beach, every star in the night sky can be seen, whereas in the Fire Nation capital, the streets are lined with radiant lamps that shine brightly all night long and obscure most of the stars from sight. The bright pricks of light spread out across the air provide the perfect setting for the family's festivities, which continue for hours before the adults decide it's time to head in for the night.
"But I'm not tired," Zuko says when Ursa and Ozai tell him and Azula to go into the beach house and get ready for bed. He groans inwardly as his mouth betrays him by opening wide to form a huge yawn.
"Mm-hmm," Ursa says disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow. "Go on."
Zuko nods in defeat and shuffles to the beach house, his sister following a little ways behind him. When he reaches the door, he looks back to the fire and smiles as he sees his mother and father holding hands, Ursa's head resting on Ozai's shoulder. Azula turns around and follows his gaze, then rolls her eyes and pushes past him and stalks through the door. Zuko glares at her as she passes, but doesn't say anything for fear of starting another argument that their mother will have to finish. He walks into the beach house, through the dining area and into his room and flops onto his bed, too tired to change out of his clothes. After a few weak attempts to keep his heavy eyelids from closing, he gives in and sinks into a deep sleep, dreaming of catgators, his mother, and Ember Island.