Chapter 1

He took deep and controlled breaths before he began the movement for his advanced firebending form. His movements were strong, but still had a hint of grace to them. In the past, he had let his firebending become fuelled by rage and hatred, but he had learnt to use his drive to protect his people be the force behind his movements. His desires for his people and his country were what made him get up every morning and although it was tough sometimes, he knew that he was happy. He had practised every form he knew so far, and was up to the last one. Being Fire Lord was an incredibly difficult job, but practising his bending let him forget the stress and troubles that came with the job for a while.

Zuko was 25 now, turning 26 in a few months and he had changed from his days as an angsty teenager. He finished growing after he reached 5'8" and his hair had grown significantly and now fell past his shoulder blades. But more than physically, he had changed emotionally and mentally. The angry boy he used to be had somewhat disappeared, being replaced by a mature, strong-willed but compassionate man, who was fairly wise for his age; according to his Uncle Iroh. More than likely, it was because of all his experiences that he was wiser than most at his age. Being best friends with the Avatar probably helped too. His temper had not disappeared altogether, but he had learned to use it as his strength. He had done his best to harness it for good and make it into passion, instead of anger. He was resolute in making decisions that would benefit the Fire Nation, and didn't hesitate to stand up for what he believed. Despite all of this, his moments of uncertainty and indecision were frequent. His Uncle told him that it was the sign of a good ruler, to always second-guess yourself, and take time in thinking over your options.

Things had calmed down in the world as well. He had made peace with King Kuei of the Earth Kingdom years ago and he developed a good friendship with the Water Tribes, thanks to Katara, and to Sokka, who would eventually be groomed to be the next Southern Water Tribe Chief. The Northern Tribe had helped to reestablish their southern counterpart, and they had flourished over the last few years. Aang's Air Acolytes were coming along well too, and they had started to inhabit both the Eastern and Southern Air Temples since there were so many of them now. Toph's school was doing incredibly well, and she had trained a small group of metalbenders, who were a force to be reckoned with. She would be arriving in the Capital with Aang and Katara in two weeks, who were still happily together. Sokka and Suki were also still together and the two of them were currently in the Fire Nation with the Kyoshi Warriors due to a small rebellion that had appeared in the last 6 months. Suki had been assisting with security in the palace since the war ended and Sokka used the excuse of 'diplomatic relations' so that he could come and be with her. He and Sokka had become great friends over the years, and he really enjoyed having him here. It seemed that Suki was more than happy to stay here, rather than return to Kyoshi Island, at least for now, and Sokka had come with her as a package deal.

The rebellion was being caused by a group known as the Fire Nation Supremacists who believed that the Fire Nation was superior to all other nations, even though the war was long over. They hadn't made a huge mess yet, but he was still planning to go to the front lines to where part of their faction was under siege, and meet with Colonel Uzan to see what was happening. The fighting hadn't begun yet, but Zuko had ordered his army to simply surround one of the Supremacists bases, and see what they did. He had no interest in giving the order for genocide against his own people, and hoped that they would peacefully give up after their supplies had run out. Starving them out wasn't ideal, however if they didn't give up, it was better than killing or hurting them. He wanted to avoid fighting and bloodshed at all costs.

It was dark by the time he finished practicing, and the night shift guards bowed their heads respectively as he walked back inside the palace. He always returned their nods and thanked them for their vigilance, and ensured that they were well fed and paid. They were the men and women who protected him while he slept, and he was grateful for their service. He headed straight for his chambers and asked his steward to run him a bath.

He had increased the pay of all the palace workers, the kitchen hands, cleaners, laundry workers, gardeners and the guards when he became Fire Lord, to ensure that they would be loyal to him. After a year or two, they weren't loyal because he paid them more, but because he respected them, and they respected him in return. He always endeavoured to be as kind to them as possible, and as a result he had created more jobs because more people wanted to work in the palace. They weren't scared to walk through the hall and step one foot out of line, and seemed to be enjoying their work. There were more than enough employees, which meant that no one had to slog out long hours, and they got more time to spend with their families and loved ones. The economy in the Fire Nation was better than ever, and with the increased good relations amongst the four nations, trade was better and benefited everyone.

Once his steward had run the bath, Zuko dismissed him with a thank you and asked him to bring something to eat and then go home for the night. He stripped off his sweat covered clothes and hopped in the bath that was big enough for 4 of him to fit in. The hot water helped to soothe his tense muscles after training for several hours. Closing his eyes, he tried to continue his relaxation for as long as he could before the water became too cold. He could easily heat it back up, but decided against it and got out, and dried himself off. Once he was dry, he put on a pair of pants to wear to bed and sat at his small table where there was a hot meal laid out for him. He eased his hair out of its tie and let it fall over his shoulders and back.

For a moment, he just stared at his lap, eyes unfocused. It was always like this. His Uncle was in Ba Sing Se most of the time, running his shop, but visited a few times a year. His mother had decided that she wanted to return to Hira'a; the memories in the palace were too much for her to handle. Ikem and Kiyi had gone with them, and he missed them dearly, though he visited frequently. Aang and Katara visited when they could, and Toph too, but she was usually too busy running her school. Sokka and Suki were here, helping out because of the rebellion, but he wanted to make sure that they had some time to themselves. He couldn't hang off them all the time and be a third wheel. The last girlfriend he had was Mai, and she had gotten back together with Kei Lo, and they were doing well. Though he did miss her for a while, he had gotten over it a few years ago. It was more important that she was happy and he eventually realised that he missed the companionship and not her directly. Ty Lee had returned to the circus and was happy too. They were all on good terms, despite all that had happened. He hadn't seen his sister in a few months. Occasionally he would go and visit her, but it had been a while. Things had been a bit too stressful, and he didn't want to damage his current mental stability by having his sister stir him up. He didn't exactly want to leave her to rot, but sometimes he just wasn't in the right headspace to see her.

His eyes narrowed as he felt acutely aware of his loneliness. His shoulders slumped and he sat back in his chair, letting his head roll back so he stared at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. He just wanted someone that he could talk to, someone that was close by and someone he could confide in and trust. His friends and Uncle were usually too far away, and he never wanted to talk to his mother about Fire Lord stuff as he didn't want to burden her with worrying about him. His father…he wasn't interested in seeing his father or even hearing his name. He couldn't exactly confide in Azula either.

There were plenty of noble families practically throwing their daughters at him, trying to get them married into the royal family. But he had no interest in marrying for political gain, or monetary gain. He especially had no interest in marrying someone just because their family wanted them to. Some of the girls that had been presented to him didn't seem too sold on the idea, whereas others were scarily desperate to be in the same room as him. Both options were equally bad. Eventually he would have to marry as he would need an heir. He had also considered that he could adopt an heir as well, but that was years down the track. An arranged marriage or marriage for political gain was off the table though.

He didn't want anything like that. He wanted to be able to have someone who was strong, intelligent, and patient; someone who could equal out his weaknesses. His temper, though dampened, wasn't entirely gone, and having a woman who could help him keep a level head, and support him as Fire Lord would be great. But more than that, he wanted someone that he loved, who loved him back. Someone who could comfort him and he would enjoy spending time with. Something like what Katara and Aang had; they were so happy it was almost sickening. As much as Sokka complained when his sister was affectionate with Aang in front of him, he was exactly the same with Suki. He couldn't deny that he was envious of their happiness and luck in finding their soulmate so early in life.

A woman that he would be happy waking up next to was all he wanted. He had tried to keep an open mind on the matter, but he realised that he might as well wait until the right time. It wasn't like he could get out much, being the Fire Lord and all. Someone would have to come into his life eventually, right?

After a while he dragged himself to bed, and maybe he pulled one of his pillows a little closer than normal as he slept…