Rewrite, Rewind

Chapter 17


Azulon gave his second son a month before he called for the royal council and formerly annulled his marriage. Ursa was overjoyed and swore to keep up the promised visits, even if that meant they would be in danger at the palace, the least she could do was allow Azulon the comfort of his grandchildren. Ozai on the other hand destroyed his entire room and nearly set the whole palace on fire while he was at it. Ursa had full custody of her children, became the adopted daughter of the Fire Lord, which meant she kept her title as 'princess' thus enabling her to become an heiress if anything happened to Iroh, Lu Ten or Ozai. She had a monthly 'allowance' of two-hundred thousand gold coins, something that could have bought Ursa her own island with her own set of guards but that's not what she did.

Ursa acted like a real and true princess of the Fire Nation. On her home island, she bought herself a home enough for her, the twins, her parents, and a live-in doctor (Doctor Lee in this case). On that same island, she constructed an orphanage, hospital, and three basic education school buildings. With Iroh's help, Ursa was able to construct and staff four schools dedicated to at least one of each combat-types the Fire Nation was known for. She also opened up a port for merchants and had signed five-year contracts with dozens of merchant-families of the Fire Nation. Her home island became so popular she was even able to give the island an official name: Hirahara.

She turned her out-of-the-way forgotten island into a bustling port city in the span of three years.

The great level of success in the risk of helping her poorer island was greatly balanced out by Iroh's influence, old friends and eagerness to help his newfound baby sister. Soon enough there wasn't a Fire Nation Native who didn't know of Princess Ursa, the beloved daughter of Fire Lord Azulon. By now everyone knew of her official divorce of Ozai and her adoption by Azulon. Even though Ursa was busy doing her best for Hirahara Island, Ursa never forgot her promise and continued to visit Azulon for every holiday, birthday and festival.

Azulon's pride in Ursa only ever grew as more reports came to him about the changes in Hirahara Island. Ursa did more for his nation, his people, than either of his sons, did in their lifetimes; heck she did more than he did in his lifetime. Every time he saw Ursa, he could only see a gentle spring spirit, one known for grace and serenity. Azula and Zuko reminded him more of excitable lion-wolf pups, always running about laughing at almost everything.

He knew Azula was a fire bender long before the girl herself figured out that she was. Like Ozai once did, Azula found some of her lessons boring but like Iroh she understood her teacher's reasoning in teaching her less war-tactics and lethal-combat and more morality-rules.

Zuko showed himself to be a fire bender as well, but compared to his sister he was much weaker. Zuko's flames were nowhere near as hot as Azula's, whose fire was already golden-white at her young age of six years, but Zuko did show a particular skill in swordsmanship, a trait neither Ursa nor Ozai shared.


The day Azulon met Ikem and his daughter Xiulan, was about three days before the summer solstice in the royal twin's fifth year. Ikem was a gentle looking young man with watchful chocolate eyes that kept near everyone around him insight at all times. His words were careful, calculated, and sounded with enough uncertainty that Azulon knew the man felt awkward in his presence. Xiulan, however, was an excitable ball of orange curls, dancing brown eyes and a thousand endless questions punctured by giggles. Azula and Zuko insisted on staying with Xiulan, refusing to leave the slightly older girl's side even for a moment. Azula took to Xiulan's lap, pointing things out and explaining what they were, even the maids and their tasks were explained. Azulon figured half of maid-name and job description was made up just to make Xiulan giggle or smile. Zuko took the responsibility of pushing Xiulan's strange wheeled contraption, refusing to get help from anyone as he pushed her through the halls.

The only thing Azulon didn't like the visit of the strangers, it was the way Ursa looked at Ikem. It reminded him of how he used to look at Lyra and the way Ikem looked at Ursa when she wasn't looking, reminded him of how Iroh used to look at his wife. He knew during their picnic-lunch, what the visit was truly meant for. More than once Ursa had gone off to spend time with the children, leaving Ikem and Azulon alone for some very long awkward silence. By the time Ursa left them alone for the sixth time, just a few moments before dinner and with the excuse of gathering the children, Azulon had enough of the man's awkward silence and stuttering comments.

"Are you going to ask or remain a stuttering fool?" Azulon asked, Liah was at his side and she felt him squeeze his hand warningly. "What? He's as awkward a freshly born saber-tooth moose." Liah gave him the same look his wife used to give him: be nice. Not everyone has your confidence.

"Uh sir," Ikem scrambled for the satchel he's been wearing all day, refusing to remove it even as it hang awkwardly about his shoulders every time he sat. "um, uh I-I—"

"Spit it out already," Azulon grumbled as they walked.

"I would like to marry Ursa!" Azulon stopped walking to look back at Ikem. The man was bowed in half at his waist, both arms held out over his head, grasping a set of papers with shaking hands.

"…That's princess Ursa to you," Azulon narrowed his eyes at Ikem.

"Forgive me for being rude, Fire Lord Azulon," Ikem started. "But before she was a princess, she was a commoner. A commoner who was supposed to marry me but disappeared three days before our wedding day. I learned later that Prince Ozai had taken her on as his wife and she had agreed to spare my life."

"So you were her original husband," Azulon murmured. "Well, that explains the looks." He yawned as he turned and walked away, leaving the young man in his bow.

"Looks, sir?" Ikem looked up through his hair, only to see the Fire Lord and his closest maid walk through the nearest doorway. Ikem hurried to follow them, clutching his papers close as he hurried. "Um sir, these papers um—"

"Are you going to sit down or not?" Azulon asked as he took the seat Liah offered to him, she stood at his left elbow, awaiting further orders. Ikem went to speak but saw Ursa and the children entering from another section of the room, Iroh and his son were following close behind. Subdued and uncertain, Ikem stuffed his papers back into his satchel before moving to the table, pulled the chair for Ursa, settled Xiulan in and helped the twins into their seats before seeing Iroh and his sun already seated and waiting for him to do the same. When he took his seat beside Ursa, she tilted her head to the side and gave him a small question. In answer, he tugged his satchel into the small space behind himself and gave her a meek look. She let out a breath of air, an understanding look on her face, and reached for his hand under the table.

"Congratulations Princess Ursa," Azulon spoke up, halfway through their meal.

"Father?" Ursa questioned slowly in confusion.

"On your engagement," Azulon smiled at her, "I hear good things about Prince Ikem. I'm glad to see the two of you finally tying the knot."

It took Ursa's brain a total of thirty-seconds to register his words. The result was her screeching like an excited child and tackling Ikem out of his chair.

"Wait, what?" Lu Ten looked at his father in confusion.

"You've got a new uncle," Iroh said with a pleased smile.

"A new uncle?" the twins asked together, "Who?"

"Mr. Ikem of course," Azulon smiled, trying hard to ignore the giggling—laughing mess that was Ursa and Ikem.

"But that's my dad," Xiulan stated bluntly.

"That's right little princess," Azulon agreed. "Don't you think that means you now have siblings?"

"Siblings?" Xiulan questioned, cocking her head to the side.

"Sister!" the twins shouted suddenly, laughing as they launched themselves at Xiulan. It took the young girl a moment to understand but when she did, she was laughing just as loudly as the twins were.

"The family just grew," Lu Ten smiled, "and all it took was one word."

"oh it took plenty more than that," Iroh snickered, knowing the truth behind the grand reveal.

It was said that the next day, Ozai burnt his room down to ashes again. Within six months, Ursa was married to Ikem, and they were officially a couple; a couple with three children.


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