Takes place pre-canon.

Main characters: Ursa, Azula

Other characters: None

Pairing(s): None


Ursa was enjoying a rare moment of peace with her daughter in the royal gardens when all of the sudden she asked "Mom? Is it true that Zuko's gonna marry Mai?"

She stopped and looked down at Azula, perplexed.

"Who told you that?" she asked, with mild concern.

"Uncle."

Ursa couldn't be sure whether or not that was true (Iroh wasn't a gossip, was he?) but decided not to press the issue. She considered her words carefully before she spoke.

"Some day, when they're older, they might get married. But... nothing's for certain, not while they're both still so young."

That was close enough to the truth. In all honesty, she wasn't privy to this sort of thing. That was Ozai's business.

"Do I have to get married, too?"

"Of course. You're the daughter of a prince and princess," she answered, without hesitation. For as much as she wanted to tell her otherwise, she knew her husband wouldn't approve of her filling his daughter's head with the notion that such things were her choice, especially when they were, well... not. "But don't worry, that won't happen until you're all grown up," she reassured. "No one gets married until they're grown up."

"Okay, well, if I have to get married..."

A pause.

"I wanna marry Daddy!" the seven-year-old declared.

Ursa laughed heartily. "Honey, you can't marry Daddy. I'm sorry."

Azula pouted. "Why not?"

"Well because, he's already married to me," she said, simply.

Even though I wish he wasn't, she thought, but didn't dare voice such a thing out loud.

"You can't be married to two people?"

"Not at the same time, no."

"Oh, so then it would be okay if..." Azula's dark eyebrows knit together as the gears turned in her young but sharp mind. "...you died?"

Ursa gasped audibly.

"Azula, we don't speak that way!"

"What way?" she asked, innocently.

Ursa pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"It's not proper or nice to talk about things that would happen if people died," she explained. "Do you understand?"

Silence for a moment.

She most certainly did not understand.

Why would Daddy talk about being Fire Lord when Grandfather dies if it wasn't okay?

"Is it only okay when grown-ups do it?" Azula finally asked.

"No, it is not okay no matter how old you are."

By the flame of Agni, what was wrong with that child?