When the sun was up, it was time to train.
Ursa learned that lesson when she was young.
She also learned that if she hid, her mother would have a harder time finding her.
She didn't like bending outside; not where everyone could see.
So she hid in her father's closet. Her mother didn't go in there; not really, so she knew it would be safe.
Her father's closet was huge. He never spent much time in it, she thought. He always seemed to take exactly what he needed from the front, and walk away. All though, there was one time she remembered, when he had gone to get something from deep inside. Some sort of scroll or something. Was it a mask? She couldn't remember.
The back wall of the closet was lined in shelves. At the top there was a pair of masks. She squinted to see a little clearer. She couldn't make out the expressions designed on them, but they definitely seemed familiar. She stretched a hand up, frowning when she realized they were much too high up to actually reach.
She looked around, and acknowledged two facts:
There were several shelves leading up to the masks.
She was very small, and thus very light.
Together, these meant one thing:
She could climb up.
She grabbed hold of the highest shelf she could reach, and pulled her legs up to the shelf just below it. Sure enough, it held her weight. She stood, then pulled herself to the next shelf. And the next shelf. And the next.
Finally, she was sitting on the top shelf, with the pair of masks in her hands.
One was red and gold. The other was silver and blue. They reminded her of her mother and father, though she couldn't say why. She turned the blue one to her face. She thought the color would go the best with her eyes, considering only she had her mother's blue eyes out of three of them. But she was also the palest of them, with light golden skin. Still, the mask looked too big on her face
She wondered if it would look better on Kya, who had their father's golden eyes, his long nose, and his thin lips; but paired with their mother's curvier build, dark skin, and dark brown waves. She knew with certainty it wouldn't look good on Iroh, who was almost a copy of their father except with wider eyes and skin slightly darker than her own.
Ursa frowned, and held the red and gold one up. She realized she liked it much more, even if it didn't go with her eyes. She grinned at herself, even if she couldn't see her mouth in the reflection.
"Someone has a knack for climbing."
Ursa jumped in surprise. She leaned too far to the edge, and if it were not for her father, who rushed to snatch her into his arms, she would have fallen all the way to the floor. She flushed with embarrassment as he lifted the mask from her face.
Her father was, in her opinion, the most handsome man in the world. His eyes were the gold of a rising sun, and his hair was long, dark and sleek. His figure was tall and lean, but muscled even through his loose red and gold clothing. Even with the scar on his face, she thought no other man could compare to his beauty. But she was also spiteful with envy. She wished she looked more like him. Her hair had a bit of his sleekness, but was dark brown rather than black, and her eyes were wide and blue. All she seemed to have from him was her thin figure, but even he was tall.
"Might I ask what you are doing here, on the top shelf of my closet, instead of outside practicing bending with your mother?"
Ursa frowned, and her nose twitched.
"She was getting worried. We've been looking around for almost an hour," her father added.
She crossed her arms. "Maybe I don't want to bend stupid water."
He turned his head at her, and she looked at his scarred eye, which always remained the same despite his reaction. She usually looked there when he was angry so she didn't have to see his angry eyebrow. But he wasn't angry. He seemed calm; patient even.
"What's wrong with water?" he asked.
"Well aside from it being useless, it's always moving!" she shouted.
He raised his eyebrow.
"And fire doesn't always move?"
She waited before answering. "It's simpler."
"It's hard to contain," he said plainly, "I'm sure water requires some control, but it doesn't have to be as contained. Fire is all about containment and restraint."
"I'm good at that!" she insisted, though he smiled, looking from her to the many possessions knocked off the shelves when she climbed it. She crossed her arms again.
"I wish I was a firebender. Then you could train me. Then I wouldn't have to train separately from Kya and Iroh."
He set her down on the floor, and she sat down and continued pouting.
"You know, they're waiting for me right now," he said. She didn't respond. "They'd love to train with your mother. They dislike firebending quite a bit."
"Then how come they always brag about how much better fire is?" Ursa demanded, "What can I even say about water? It's cool and icy and-and we live in the fire nation! That shouldn't mix. Why should I bend water if I'm born in the fire nation?"
He sat down next to her. "You're a waterbender because your mother is a waterbender."
"But why? Why would you marry a waterbender? Why do I have to be a waterbender if I'm your daughter…"
"Because you're also her daughter," he snapped, "and Ursa, we marry because we love someone, not for the purpose of having children of only a certain type of bending."
She continued facing away from him, so he scooped her up, and set her on his lap. She giggled; she liked it when he picked her up. It made her feel like she was flying. Then she remembered she was mad at him, and continued pouting.
"How about I tell you a story?" he said, and she snuck a look at him.
"Maybe," she replied, "but it has to be a good one."
"Fair," he replied, "but when I finish, you have to go outside and train with your mother."
She scrunched up her nose.
"Fine. But on one condition."
He waited.
"It has to be one you haven't told Kya and Iroh before. So no war stories. We've heard them from you, and mother, and from Uncle Sokka and Aunt Toph, and Uncle Aang."
He frowned for a moment, then smiled. "Alright. Deal. There is one very good story I haven't told them before. I'll tell you first."
He took the masks from the floor.
"It's the story of the masks. Do you want to hold one?"
She snatched the red and gold one. He smiled. "You ready?"
She nodded.
It was a rainy morning. To most people, that was a bad omen for the approaching day. But not to him. He smiled.
"You're going to ruin your hair," Uncle Iroh called, concerned.
"It's just rain," Zuko assured, pressing his hand to his head.
"What about your outfit?" Uncle Iroh countered.
Zuko looked down at his clothes. Neat red and black apparel, adorned with gold. He decided Uncle Iroh had a point, and stepped back inside.
"Yeah, just water. She can just bend it off him if it bothers her," Sokka replied, from inside.
"Is that what Toph does to you?" Zuko teased.
Sokka's face heated for a moment, before he held a finger up knowingly. "Usually, she bends earth on me. So, no."
Sokka was dressed in dark blue. His long hair was pulled neatly back. There was no trace of the disorganized and frantic person Zuko had taken to Ba Sing Se all those years ago. Zuko looked at Uncle Iroh, who was beaming at him with the biggest smile he had in awhile. His hair, always grey, had finally begun to transition to white. He still looked vibrant and wise in dark green and yellow, except today he also wore a red pin.
"Sorry, I'm late. I got distracted," Aang said, as he moved into the room. He hadn't changed much. The air of youth never left him, though he continued to look and grow much wiser. He wore his normal yellow and red, but in a more formal way. He smiled at Zuko, and despite everything, it was a genuine smile. Zuko knew, as he was sure the others did, it was only out of genuine happiness for Zuko; not because of what the day marked.
When they had begun planning the wedding, Zuko knew he wanted Aang to be there, but he also knew Aang had every right not to come. He and Katara decided to tell him first; telling him they understood if he didn't want to come, if it would be too hard. Aang, of course, being Aang, was repulsed at the suggestion. There was no reason he would ever miss something so important to two people so important to him.
"It's alright. I'm glad you're here," Zuko replied, smiling back.
Regardless of the good feelings between the two, there was no avoiding the awkwardness at moments like this.
"I'm going to go check on Katara. You know, make sure she isn't out in the rain either." Sokka said, breaking the silence as he squeezed out the door. Uncle Iroh pulled a comb from his sleeve, and stood behind Zuko, fussing over his hair while Aang laughed at Zuko's attempts at escape.