A/N: Holidays are over. New Years resolution is to post something at least once a week, and to finish this.

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"Move faster!"

"More fire."

"More fire. More fire!"

"Pathetic!"

Zuko bit his lower lip as he moved through the forms as instructed. They had been out there since before the sun began to rise. He had been awoken that morning rather intensely with the ridged general screaming at him to get up. It had been frightening the first time he had been awoken to a strange man screaming and dragging him from his bed. They were a week into their training, yet Zuko didn't feel any less threatened by the large man.

"I've seen newborns bend better than this!"

General Reiji continued to scream at the child from the side lines. He stood tall, and firm with shoulders as broad as could be. A thick black beard sharpened his chiseled face. Deep honey eyes rested in narrowed slits. The military uniform he wore heightened his foreboding stance. He was not a man to be challenged.

"Wrong! Restart the form!"

Zuko did as instructed. He wanted to argue, but one did not do so against General Reiji. He had learned that lesson from the first back hand he had received. Moving through the advanced form, Zuko took care to match every step. He felt the confidence begin to build into him as he progressed through the moves. Fire danced around him in soft warm waves. For a moment, he felt like he had really begun to advance.

"Pathetic!"

Zuko's balance faltered at the scream. The fire in his palms dispersed into the air. He stumbled, thankfully not falling on his face. Righting himself, Zuko turned towards the man, a sharp wind moving with him. His anger boiled over him in a rage. "What did I do wrong this time!"

Reiji's frown deepened. Darkness rested in his gaze. "If I have to still explain to you then you aren't learning."

"Then how am I supposed to learn?" A wisp of fire danced out of Zuko's teeth as he stood his ground. He had been training with this general everyday for the last week. From sunrise to noon. He was exhausted. Sore. And done with being screamed at for every mistake he made. And every mistake he didn't make. "You aren't teaching me anything!"

General Reiji marched towards him without a word. He looked calm and collected, aside from the shade in his eyes. He towered over Zuko.

"I'm not teaching you; you say?" The lack of emotion in the man's voice was more unnerving than all his screaming. He was used to the yelling; not so much this composed tone. "Then what have I been doing this last week? Wasting my time? Seeing as you have learned nothing, I will agree that my time has indeed been wasted here."

The fury in Zuko didn't lessen as the man looked down upon him. He was the first one to always tear himself down and reflect on his flaws. But he could at least count on himself to also be aware of his achievements and progressed. General Reiji seemed to only care about the young Avatar's flaw.

"That's not fair."

"I don't care." Reiji's gaze shifted as the ground under his feet rocked for a moment. It settled quickly, his focus turning back to the fuming child. His voice was low and harsh. "Your progression is not good enough. You do not have the luxury of wasting time to learn. You are the Avatar. And in being such, you have a responsibility to your learning. To your nation. I don't have the time to cater to your precious little feelings. I will not stand for you to be an indolent brat."

"That is enough." A female voice cut through the argument. Ursa crossed the training arena, setting a hand on her son's shoulder, and placing herself between the two. The air around them lightened. "I believe training to be done for the day."

"With all do respect my lady," Reiji bowed at the waist slightly, "you do not have the authority to make that call."

"It's a call I am making either way." Ursa continued to stare the man down before he unhappily relented. Bowing completely, he left with a quick step and a sharp glint to his gaze.

Zuko refused to look where the general disappeared to. His mother kept a grip on his shoulder and began to steer him from the courtyard and into the palace.

"Why did you do that?" Zuko asked in a quiet voice.

"I will not have anyone speak to me son in such a way," Ursa replied. "No matter who it is. Now, tell me what you two were arguing about."

"I'm not improving fast enough."

"You seem to be doing just so. Haven't you progressed two forms in just the last week?"

Zuko crossed his arms, still walking beside his mother. They had skirted along the side of the palace, and were now nearing the dragon catacombs. "It's not good enough. I have to learn faster."

Ursa stopped, turning herself to face her son. She gathered her skirts so she could kneel before him. "Tell me why. Why do you have to learn so fast? Why do you have to push yourself like this."

"Father wants me to," Zuko answered without hesitation. The words tasted sour in his mouth.

"And why does he want that?"

"I'm the Avatar. I have a responsibility."

Ursa ran a hand down the side of Zuko's face. "You're still a child, Zuko. I'm not allowing you to be shipped off to fight anytime soon. Avatar or not, you're still a kid. There's no reason for you to push yourself so hard. Or tear yourself down so easily."

Zuko looked away, frowning at a dragon station a short way off. His mother's words danced through his ears. As did his father's prior. Ursa seemed to sense the confrontation within her so. She stood, reaching for his hand. Zuko took it, allowing her to guide him further. He was surprised when they came upon the last golden doors to the catacombs. There was normally a guard stationed near the door, but he was gone now.

Ursa nodded to the door. "Would you mind?"

Zuko nodded, slipping his hand from his mother's. He stepped up to the door, exhaling deeply as he raised a hand. Placing it palm flat on the cold golden surface, he pushed a burst of hot flames outwards, allowing it to sink into the latch. It clicked at his firebending. The door creaked open slowly.

"Why are we here mother?" Zuko asked, peering into the deep halls. The flame he had lit danced through the walls, lighting the torches on it.

Ursa smiled at him, motioning to follow her. He did so without further question. They hadn't entered into the section where the skulls of the slain dragons rested and Zuko was thankful for that. He had been down there only once before with Azula. He didn't want to go near there again. No, thankfully they were merely near the vault of old records. It wasn't a place his father had ever allowed him to be in.

His mother lead him into the vault. Without instruction, Zuko reached out, sending a spark of flames dancing through the laza rocks embedded in a series of marble pathways. The fire caught, snaking its way through the contained field as the vault was illuminated. The ceiling was low, but that didn't stop the shelves full of scrolls from stretching towards it. The walls were made with dull marble, golden emblems jutting from the stone. A single golden dragon was erected in the center of the room. It smelled of stale air and old leather.

"Wow," Zuko whispered. His eyes scanned the collection of tombs eager to see what was inside the pages.

"I brought you down here to show you something." Ursa crossed the room, heading straight for a shelf near the far left corner. Zuko followed at her heels, gaze lingering on the golden statue in the middle of the hall. Sharp red gems rested in its eye sockets. The gaze seemed to follow him as the passed around it.

"Show me what?" Asked Zuko. His bony fingers reached out to stroke the binding of a series of books they passed. He didn't know when he would be allowed into this hall next, and wanted to savor every moment of it.

Ursa stopped at a shelf that looked no different than those surrounding it. A finger trailed along the leather spines until she reached the one she wanted. Pulling it out, a small cloud of dust settled into its place. She smiled as she dusted the cover off. That smile grew wider as she looked at her son. She gave him the book. "This is for you."

Zuko took it, marveling at the etchings in the leather. A highly detailed flame was etched into the surface. "The Life and Legacy of Avatar Roku."

Young golden eyes shifted onto his mother in question. "Why are you giving me this?"

"There's a great deal of your lineage that you have not been told about. On your father's and grandfather's request, it was to be kept from you and your sister. But it's something you deserve to know. Especially given how the legacy has passed onto you. Now, what can you tell me about your great grandfather?"

"Fire Lord Sozin?"

"You're other grandfather. You have family on my side as well." Her gaze shifted onto the book in his hands, before resting once more on her son. The confusion on Zuko's face just grew as he searched his mothers face for the answer.

"You never talk about your family."

"It was part of the agreement when I married your father." She pressed a hand on Zuko's back as she lead him towards one of the walls. A cushioned bench welcomed them as the sat upon it. Zuko kept the book in his hand as he continued to look at his mother.

"I was still a fairly young women when Fire Lord Azulon arrived at my parents house to inform me that I was to wed his youngest son. There was no warning. I met your father that day, and I found myself married to him by the end of the week. It was a shock. We were from a fairly small island. My mother was a florist. My father a pig-chicken farmer. I worked in the local theater trope. We were not a particularly wealthy family. And we didn't have a line of nobility to marvel at. But there was something in my linage that your grandfather sought."

Ursa let off with a soft sigh. There was a sadness to her eyes as if she were remembering a particularity painful memory. The corner of her mouth was set in a forced smile. "Fire Lord Azulon was searching for a way in which to guarantee the future of his nation. He consulted with the Fire Sages and was informed that there was foretelling of his line producing a very powerful bender. One that would ensure the survival and thriving of the Fire Nation long after he was gone from the throne. All he had to do was merge his line, with that of the last Fire Nation Avatar."

Zuko's gaze narrowed at the declaration. She could see the gears working in his head as he looked down at the book in his hands. The name seemed to shine up from the leather. Zuko's hands began to shack.

"Fire Lord Sozin was your father's grandfather. Mine was Avatar Roku's."

The shacking in Zuko's hands moved into his shoulders. He wanted to look up at his mother, but found his gaze unable to be removed from the book. Ursa rested a hand on his shoulders and it snapped Zuko from his daze. He slid away, looking his mother in the eye.

"I'm… Roku… He's…" Something inside Zuko near the truth behind her words. Part of him had already embraced the information, like he had always known it. He just needed to hear the words. A familiar warmth was upon him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"It's something you deserve to know. it's your linage. You're blood. You have a right to know. And I am hoping that knowing this, will help you find your footing from here on."

Zuko looked off. Ursa slide from the bench, and knelt before her son. She rested a hand softly against his cheek to guide his gaze to her. "When I look at you, my son, I see so much potential. I see so much raw power and determination. But I also see your softness. Your quiet resolve. Your heart. Your compassion. I look at you and can't help but to be proud of what I see. And I want nothing more than for you to see all the greatness I see in you. I am hoping, that knowing your linage will help you from here on. That knowing where you come from will help you decide the Avatar you wish to be. Not the one anyone else pushes onto you."

Zuko's gaze lowered onto the book. "Why didn't grandfather want me to know about Roku?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. But as I have told you, I am trusting you to keep this knowledge to yourself."

"Does Uncle know?"

"He does."

Zuko nodded. "I don't..."

"You don't what?" Ursa asked softly. Zuko had locked up, his thoughts guarded. "Honey, talk to me. Tell me what's on your mind."

Zuko took a deep breath, setting the book aside. "Do you regret marring father?"

Ursa was taken aback by the statement. Her breath caught and a tear formed in the corner of her eyes. She drew her son in, resting her chin on top his soft hair. "No. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have had you or your sister. There is nothing in this world I wouldn't do for the two of you."

She felt Zuko nod against her robes. His hands were wrapped in the soft silk woven fabric. Deep breathes rattled his torso as the information tore at his understanding. The flames lightening the vault flicked and continued to burn around them, casting a soft glow upon the arching marble walls.