He's seven when he asks about Fire Lord Ozai.
His father about chokes on his drink and his mother regards him with a certain calculating interest.
"What about him?" She asks as her golden eyes burn into his.
"How did he die?" They were learning about the Fire Lords before Zuko today.
His mother hums thoughtfully while taking a drink of her wine. His father eyes her uncomfortably.
Midori pokes at her rice but watching with her sharp golden eyes all the same.
"Fire Lord Ozai died in a rebellion against Zuko." His father answers before his mother can speak.
Mother regards his father with the same calculating interest.
Athyer looks back and forth between the two of them.
"I thought he died in the war." Midori speaks. Her words perfectly enunciated. Voice small but strong. It reminds him of mother's.
"Dad wouldn't kill Ozai." His father has firmly refused to take a life and still to this day has yet to eat meat.
Athyer pokes at his own rice and vegetables but eyes Midori's komodo chicken. He tries to adhere to his father's ideals. It's not that he has to but he chooses to.
"No, your father chose to spare Ozai's life at the end and took his bending away instead." His mother answers with a smile.
Athyer learned early on that his mother's smile could tell so much about her thoughts.
His father watches her. They both know what's about to come next and there are times Athyer wonders why his father tries to stop her at all. Mother will do what she wants it seems.
"So how did he die?" Midori cuts in, unaware of all the tension between their parents. Or maybe she is aware of it but likes to stir the pot and see what happens. That's more likely.
"I killed him." The cold look in her eye still chills him. It's not that he is scared of his mother but he's scared for other people.
His father looks away, shaking his head.
Mother's golden eyes flicker to him and watch. Always curious. Always calculating.
"You killed your own father?" Midori asks with a sort of fascination that is peculiar in such a young child.
She nods. "He committed treason against the Crown." Mother doesn't look to Midori when she answers though. Her eyes are still firmly focused on their father.
"Which is punishable by execution." Midori promptly responds, citing a Fire Nation law he has heard all his life.
Mother does smile at her. "Yes and no one has tried to take the throne from Zuko since."
His father has recovered by this point and is sitting back in his chair, staring at her. "Azula, don't do that."
She doesn't look at him but does take another drink of wine as her eyes stare at the siblings. "They need to know these things." Her voice is calm and placating. It's a trick she picked up from their father.
Athyer looks to his father whose gray eyes are narrowed and darkened. "Not yet, they don't. They are only…"
"Children." She cuts him off with a glare. "I know."
Athyer watches tensely but Midori has a sort of glee in her eyes watching the contest between their parents.
His father draws several long deep breaths. "While you're at it, why don't you tell Athyer how he, you and Zuko nearly died killing Ozai."
Athyer's eyes widen. It's the most impatient he's ever heard his father be with his mother. Midori all but bounces in her seat in glee and Mother gives his father one of her smirks.
It's never a good thing when she does that.
Lifting her glass of wine, she nods to him. "When he's older."
He's ten when he asks about the Agni Kai.
Uncle Zuko stares at him with the same calculating look his mother does.
"Athyer, Why do you ask?" He says cautiously.
He resists the urge to fidget in the Fire Lord's presence. Zuko may be his uncle but he has a deeply ingrained sense of respect for the throne.
"I heard some people talking about it today." He's heard many stories over the years and he's not sure which of them are true and which aren't.
Zuko watches him for a bit more. "Have you asked your mother?"
Athyer shakes his head. "Dad doesn't like it when she tells me about these things."
His uncle sits back in his chair and leans his chin on his hand, considering.
"Did you ever think your dad might not like me telling you about these things?"
Athyer scrunches his face at him. "You're the Fire Lord." That should mean everything.
Zuko surprises him with a laugh. "You're dad is the Avatar."
"And?" He really misses the point about why the Fire Lord would be hesitant to cross the Avatar. "Dad can't get mad at you can he?"
A melodic laugh fills the air as his Aunt Katara comes in with a tray of snacks and drinks.
"Aang doesn't get mad, not really." She takes her own seat and looks at him with her ocean blue eyes.
Athyer frowns. "Yeah, he does." He's seen his parents get mad at each other many times.
"Oh, he gets over it." She shrugs as she takes Zuko's hand smiling. "Remember that time you nearly burned the house down on Ember Island chasing him?"
Zuko laughs. "He got mad and blasted me out the window. I landed in the tree."
"He got over it." She smiles back at Athyer.
Aunt Katara is so different from Mother. She is warm and friendly. Mother is cold and deadly.
People really like the Fire Lady.
People are scared of the Princess.
"What about the Agni Kai?" He asks again.
The smile leaves Katara's face. "Which one?"
He blinks at her in confusion. "There was more than one?"
Zuko sighs."I don't know that I should tell you."
Katara shakes her head at him. "Then I will. Aang can try to be mad at me." It's a joke as Katara can easily disarm anyone's anger, except Mother's that is.
"The one between uncle and Ozai."
Zuko laughs again. "That was a terrible misguided attempt on my part to be a man and stand up to my father."
Katara's blue eyes are filled with love and concern as she looks at her husband.
Zuko leans forward turning the right side of his face to Athyer. A faint pink mark is all that remains of his scar. "That's how I got this and it's taken your Aunt Katara years to get it looking this good."
Athyer feels nothing but horror for the man who is his grandfather. "Your own father did that?"
"Best thing he ever did for me." Zuko nods. "Well that and banishing me to hunt for the Avatar." He gives Katara a sly smile. It's one she returns.
Athyer looks away. Akihiko often complains that his parents are too lovey dovey.
Athyer's parents have more of a tension between them. It's electric and fills a room quickly. He can't say that it's all bad because he hears people often make positive comments about how strong his parent's marriage is. That and the fact that he has two younger siblings and another on the way must attest to the fact they do like one another.
Something clicks for Athyer.
"You hunted Dad?"
Their eyes widen.
"Did they never tell you how it all began?" Katara asks in amazement.
Feeling something is out of place, he shakes his head.
His aunt settles in her chair the way she does when she is about to tell a big story.
"Your Uncle Sokka and I were fishing one day in the South Pole…."
He returns late and his father is in the living room.
"You were at Zuko's rather late." He says putting his book down.
Athyer sits beside his father but doesn't speak.
"Is something wrong?"
"During the war, you fought against Mom and Uncle." He's not asking. He knows already.
His dad sighs. "Yes, how much did they tell you?"
He gives his dad an exasperated look. "How would I know if they left something out?"
"True," he sighs again. "Yes, for a time your uncle was against us but by the end of the war he taught me Fire Bending and helped us win the war."
"I know this but what about Mom?"
His father draws in a deep breath like he does when he's not quite sure how to phrase something.
"I lost the war." She chimes in as she enters the room.
He watches as his father gives her a smile and she returns it before settling on the couch opposite of them.
"Midori and Hiro are asleep." Her hands resting on her round stomach. She looks calm and relaxed for once.
"If you lost, then why aren't you in prison?" He learned early to not waste time putting things nicely with his mother.
Her smile would make lesser men shake in fear. "I still am."
"Azula," His dad cuts in, "I told you that ended a long time ago."There is an edge of teasing in his voice.
Athyer sits up straight at this. "Wait, you were Dad's prisoner?"
His mother clicks her tongue and smiles at him. "I am the first and only prisoner of the Air Nation." It's something she seems proud of.
His dad laughs, one of those deep ones when he is really amused. "I think you called it 'war trophy.' Also, a first and only for Air Nation history." He adds to Athyer.
A look settles in his mother's eyes. "When the next little Air Bender makes her appearance, I'll put on that dress and you can take me dancing."
He looks from his mother to his father. There's that tension he feels though he isn't quite sure what it means. Slowly he stands and backs out of the room. Before he crosses the threshold to his room, he sees his father bound over the table onto the couch with his mother.
He closes the door against the sight of his parent's kissing."I'm only a child." He shakes his head.