"Is Mommy Still going to love me now?"
Zuko's ears perked at his little girl, a soft frown on his face, "Why wouldn't she love you?"
The 6 year old's entire body seemed to sigh, a shoulder coming up in a shrug, "Cause of Ki."
"What does Ki have to do with mommy not loving you?"
"Ki's not a bender like we are. She's like mommy, she's even named after mommy." Her small hands were gathered in front of her, her amber eyes falling down on them. "Mommy might not like me anymore cause I'm not like her."
The Fire Lord looked from his eldest to the papers in his hands before letting them all through his fingers. "Where are you getting this from?" He spun around in his chair, facing Zarra who was standing next to him at the desk. "Did someone say something?"
She shook her head, watching her small finger tracing a nonexistent shape on her father's large desk. "No…"
"Come mer'." He reached out, scooping the girl into his arms and placing her on his lap. She cuddled against him almost instinctively, her face laying against his chest. "You know mommy loves you." He cooed, strong calloused fingers running through her auburn hair. "Just like I do."
"But it's different." She mumbled into the fabric of his robe, "We're both Fire Benders. Mommy isn't and neither is Ki."
"And yet you still love them, right?"
She nodded.
"And you know that both mommy and Ki love you." Another nod from her. "And mommy loves me, and I'm a fire bender."
"That's different." She pulled away from him, looking up at him with tears in her little cheeks. "Mommy has a little girl who can be a non bender warrior like her. She doesn't want a Fire Bender for a little girl."
Zuko sighed when he saw the girl's distraught face, running a strong finger over her small cheek. "I was so sad the day that you puffed fire for the first time."
Zarra blinked, looking at her father with hurt eyes, "W-w-what?"
"I wanted a non-bender. I wanted that for your mother. I knew that she hated being surrounded by people who were so unlike her all day and I wanted her to have something that was her own. I hoped so much that you would be a non-bender."
Her bottom lip shook, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You're mother however, wanted a Fire Bender from the day that we found out we were going to have a baby. She wanted nothing more than to have a true Fire Princess. And that day we found out, well I've never seen her so happy.
"And I was happy too. I was happy that I had a pretty little girl that would be a Fire Bender like me. Our little fire flake."
Her frown had been replaced with a large smile, her eyes lit up.
"So see… we both love the fact that you're a bender, and we would not change it for anything. Just like we're both happy Ki ins't a bender. We love you both just the way you are. Believe me?"
Zarra nodded slowly.
"Something else?"
"Why is she named after mommy and I'm not?"
Zuko could not help but chuckle, "You were too young to remember but it was your idea."
"It was?"
Zuko nodded, tucking some hair behind her small ear, "We were talking about baby names and you said that you wanted the baby to be named after mommy so she could grow up to be like her."
Zarra giggled a bit, hands going to either side of her head, "I did?"
"You did. So yes. Ki is named after mommy, just like you wanted. So see? Nothing to worry about honey." He kissed the side of her head lovingly.
Zarra wrapped her arms around her father's neck, a smile on her face, "I love you, daddy."
"I love you too, Fire Flake."