Iroh breathed in the familiar air of the palace. It had been six months since he was last home. Six long months since he had last had a proper meal with his family. With helmet in hand, he climbed up the steps to the main foyer where his pride and joy was already waiting for him.

"Father!" Lu Ten greeted him with a bow and a smile. "It's been too long."

His growing boy had grown just that little bit taller. "I'm home, son."

It was always in the small moments like these when he wished Hua Lu were still here to see her son. He pulled Lu Ten in for a hug, propriety be damned.

"I've missed you too dad." His son hugged back. "Also sorry to say but grandpa said he had something to talk with you about."

Iroh sighed. As a decorated general he had his duty to the throne, and as a son, he also owed his father his obedience. "I don't suppose it can wait until after breakfast?"

Lu Ten shook his head. "Sorry dad, priority one order. And I'm supposed to go with you anyway."

His son pulled his helmet away from him. "Come on, let me at least do something for you."

"Fine, fine, let's see your grandfather then."

Lu Ten walked with him towards the throne room, relaxed. Which at least meant whatever his father had to tell him wasn't anything too important or urgent. On the way, he saw Raizu and Azula doing something that involved a torch, with Zuko watching the twins with a bucket of water at the ready. Always the responsible boy, he usually had his hands full keeping his younger siblings out of trouble—something Iroh didn't exactly have with his own younger brother.

"Hey you three, guess who's back?" greeted his son with a wave.

And the three children dropped what they were doing and came over, thankfully after putting out the fire they started.

"Hi uncle!" Zuko was the first to greet.

"Greetings, uncle, good to see you safe and home," Azula said.

"Glad to have you back uncle," Raizu said

"It is good to be back, have you all been good?" On second thought, perhaps that wasn't the best question. There were a few scorch marks left in mother's precious garden—something he and Ozai would have gotten in trouble for back then. His father really had mellowed out over the years.

"Err, yes uncle." Zuko was never a good liar.

"Close enough." Azula was the most trustworthy to some point.

"Nothing's blown up yet at least." And of course, Raizu did as Raizu does.

"Don't worry dad, I've been keeping an eye on their lessons as well." Lu Ten, Iroh knew, doted on his cousins the most. Too much at times, even. "And you wouldn't believe it, but Zuko can make green flames now, while Azula can make them turn blue!."

Now that was news. "That's amazing." It really was. Iroh didn't think that anyone else would— of course. The one boy who looked a bit too proud of himself said nothing but the light in his eyes shouted it out for the world to see.

"Green flames are pretty cool," Zuko said with a big smile. "Blue flames too of course."

Azula shrugged. "It's easier to make them too."

Which meant father likely had something to say about that.

"I bet you've had your hands full, son." Which was putting it lightly. "I don't suppose you also learned how to make these new flames?"

Lu Ten pouted. "Raizu said I needed your permission if he was going to tell me."

Thank Agni his nephew wasn't that clueless. "Your grandpa show you these?"

"Nah, figured it out myself, but he did tell me it wasn't possible to bend all five at once."

"There were five?" Zuko asked.

"You never told us." Azula said with a pout.

Raizu smirked. "You didn't ask."

Oh. He ruffled the boy's hair. "Well, try not to give anyone a heart attack if you can help it."

Iroh straightened himself out, now wondering just exactly what his father was about to tell him. He then excused himself and Lu Ten to be on their way and promised to eat with the whole family later. The three nodded and bid their goodbyes, going back to whatever it was they were doing, the torch in Azula's hand now with a distinct blue flame.

"I bet you also knew about the other flames," Lu Ten said with a spark in his eyes.

Iroh regarded the statement for a bit, wondering if it was safe to speak of things the royal family had wanted kept secret for almost a hundred years already. But if three children already displayed them so openly…

"Yes, I did know about them."

Lu Ten was silent for a bit. "Is it something only master benders know?"

The truth was nuch crueler. How Raizu was getting away with waving around one of the biggest secrets of the royal family was only possible with the permission of one man. "Ask me this again when we're alone later, son. I need to make sure first of what I can talk about."

"I see, it's one of those things."

Iroh breathed out. "Our family has… many things we cannot talk about freely." At least, that's what he remembered. But it seems the times have changed.

They reached the Fire Lord's chambers soon enough, and Iroh opened the doors to his father elbow deep in piles of papers and arguing loudly with a few sages and ministers. Arguing. Not ordering.

"Son, remind me again how long I've been gone."

Lu Ten gave him a look. "You were last here just six months ago?"

It felt longer than that. "I, yes."

Iroh cleared his throat, meeting his father's eyes. "I have come home, father."

He walked the short distance to just in front of the table with Lu Ten behind him, and bowed before the Fire Lord. His father then dismissed the others in the room, all of them looked tired, some even looked on the verge of tears.

"Ah, Iroh my boy," said the grumpy old man with a vigor he didn't know his father still had. "Thank you for bringing him Lu Ten."

"Of course grampa."

The Fire Lord closed the distance between them and pulled him in for a hug.

"F-father?" Who was this man in front of him and how did he replace the strongest bender he knew?

"Yes yes, I know I haven't been the most affectionate to you and your brother growing up, but it doesn't matter, I am old and not growing any younger." His father pointed him at a chair. "Sit."

There was comfort in hearing that familiar, uncompromising tone and order. He sat as told.

"Iroh, I plan to abdicate my throne early."

Something hit the floor. Iroh looked behind him and saw Lu Ten on his butt and dazed. Then his father tried helping his boy up whose knees kept giving out. Iroh would have liked to help as well but he wasn't sure he was in the right state to be useful.

So he did the next best thing. "A-are you ill father?"

It explained the sudden affection and the words that came out of the fierce—once fierce? Of the fierce Fire Lord.

His father smacked him upside the head. "No you fool, I'm the very picture of health."

The Fire Lord gave up on helping his son find his legs and instead pulled over his throne to where Iroh sat. He didn't even know that chair could be moved. Was Sozin's comet coming early? Did the Earth Kingdom somehow already find the Avatar and was already plotting their destruction?

Iroh breathed deep, and… felt his father's hand on his back, soothing him with warmth. "Yes, I've been trying to be kinder to Ozai as well, but your brother is pricklier than a boarcupine. So just sit there and let me show my affection for a bit."

The hand stroking his back was awkward and stiff and unfamiliar. It didn't help the sudden weight of the world hitting his back though.

"I haven't been a very good father or Fire Lord," his father said. "I've let the war consume me and our people for far too long. Children are born nowadays dreaming of becoming a soldier and fighting at the fronts; generations of farmers would sooner take up arms than work our lands; nobles grow fat with the spoils of war; and… our fires have been stoked with rage for far too long."

The hand on his back stopped channeling Chi. "We have become too bitter and mad as a people, and the world grows to resent us more and more. Further conquest would only lead to our faster collapse, and that's… not good for our people."

His father aged ten years for the briefest moment. "I need your help, son."