A/N: So. This is an AU idea that's been rattling around in my head for a while, to the point where I decided to take a break from LSAT prep and finally try putting it to paper. Here's to hoping it comes out well.

I am envisioning this fic as being a bit darker than the ATLAverse since it's going to focus on adult characters at least to start, although not dark enough to merit an M rating since I really don't like blocking off my work from readers that way.

Content warnings: none for right now

Disclaimer: ATLA is not mine.

From the hand of Azulon III

Recorded on New Year's Day, 175 AG

In an examination of the Fire Nation's history, Lady Ursa's marriage into the royal family is widely regarded as the beginning of the end of the Hundred Year War, although perhaps not in the way as originally envisioned by my ancestor Azulon I. When he sought out Avatar Roku's granddaughter to be his son's bride on the advice of the Fire Sages, he hoped to create a new dynasty of rulers that would bring about the Fire Nation's unparalleled glory and long-awaited victory in the war.

While the marriage of Ursa into the royal family did indeed result in the end of the war, Azulon I failed to consider that the Avatar's deeply-ingrained duty to the world could also be passed down through a bloodline along with immense power. It is clear to even the most idle student of history that this sense of duty was present in Ursa and manifested itself greatly during her marriage to Iroh. However, the precise details of this marriage and its role in ending the Hundred Year War have become murky over the years, splintered across various recollections and distorted by clashes between traditionalist and reform perspectives on the Fire Nation's role as aggressor against the world.

Was Ursa the instigator of the war's end, or simply the motivation for her husband's choices? Was it her plan from the beginning to end the Fire Nation's violence? Was she aware of the consequences of her actions, and how they would ripple through history? These questions may never be truly answered, but they continue to capture the curiosity of scholars.

I am aware that I am in a unique position to help find these answers, for I have been blessed with easy access to the accounts recorded by several of the key players in the end of the war. While the Fire Nation has kept many of our own royal records from the time of war under lock and key, regarding them as private relics of a shameful past, enough time has passed that these accounts must be made public before the truth is transformed into a half-formed history. The story of Ursa and Iroh in all its truth must be known to fully appreciate how the war ended, and I have taken it into my own hands to present their story as honestly as possible to the world before it is too late, and I have chosen this auspicious new year as the best time to do so.

Following this letter are a series of records and accounts from members of the royal family who were familiar with Ursa and Iroh's marriage, including Ursa and Iroh themselves of course. There are also relevant testimonies from world leaders and freedom fighters such as Avatar Aang who bore witness to the couple's impact on the world. All of this is assembled in such a manner for the story to be as clear as possible, interspersed with my own musings and notes from over the years to contextualize these documents in places where I feel necessary. The story that follows is complex and deeply raw, and it transformed not only my family, but the world, irreversibly.

From the hand of Ursa

Recorded on an unknown date, 102 AG

Upon the request of many, including my husband, I have elected to chronicle the details of my life in the royal family as part of official record for future generations. I fail to see the import of my "role" in ending the war aside from the interest generated by my grandfather's identity as the previous Avatar, but nevertheless, honesty about my past can only help guide the future.

I suppose I should start at the very beginning and share how I came to be part of the royal family. I never dreamed such a thing would be possible as a girl - my parents had kept our heritage secret from me, so my life growing up was limited to being an aspiring actress in the small village of Hira'a. Even after everything that has happened, I still remember vividly the day it all changed, only a few weeks past my eighteenth birthday.

69 AG

Ursa felt lighter than air as she practically skipped home from her rehearsal with Ikem. The news was too much to bear; she wanted to call it from the rooftops for the whole world to hear rather than simply mention it to the animals she passed on the street. Ikem had asked her to marry him, and she had, of course, said yes.

It was the beginning of the next phase of her life. Approaching the end of her adolescence, she was beginning to chafe under the careful attention of her parents' home. She'd been seeing Ikem for quite some time, and while he was not the most well off man in the village, she knew the two of them together would be resourceful enough to be fine as a married couple. Maybe they could travel, like the drama troupes that came into town every so often, before finding a nice town a little closer to the coast to settle down in. Ursa had always loved the idea of growing up by the ocean, and it would be amazing to give her and Ikem's children the opportunity.

Her daydreaming was interrupted, however, when she ran into her house to tell her parents the news, only to find her mother crying on the floor with a strange relic cradled in her hands.

Ursa immediately ran to her side. "What's wrong? Where's Dad?"

"Your father's out back in the greenhouse," her mother said, wiping her tears. "With a visitor." Something about the way she said it sent a shiver down Ursa's spine. Who could be visiting them that would upset her mom like this? And what was the relic her mom was holding? It was clearly a Fire Nation hair piece of some kind, but she couldn't think of why her family would have such an expensive-looking item.

"I love you, Ursa. You know that, don't you?" Her mother cupped her face, drawing her out of her thoughts.

Ursa nodded mutely, noting that tears were brimming in her mother's eyes again. "What is it, Mom? What's happening?"

Her mother just pursed her lips. "Go find your dad and greet our visitors. They'll…explain." Her voice was choked off by a fresh wave of emotion. Ursa embraced her mother before obediently following her instructions and approaching the greenhouse with her heart in her throat.

"Daughter, show our guests the proper respect," her father called as soon as she opened the greenhouse door. She could not quite see who their guests were, though, until she moved a bit closer. At first, her mind struggled to compute the impossibility of what she was seeing, the finery of royal robes clashing with the surrounding simple greenhouse. Then, something like fear or intimidation kicked in, and she dropped to her knees in front of Fire Lord Azulon.

"Ursa, is it?" The man's sharp eyes and well-trimmed appearance clashed with the greeting in his voice. "Rise and let us have a look at you."

As she got to her feet, keeping her eyes carefully downcast, she became aware of another presence in the greenhouse aside from her father and the Fire Lord; someone not quite as imposing as Azulon, but who still carried themselves with the same noble pride. She didn't dare look at them, though, not with the Fire Lord's sharp eyes raking over her suddenly too-warm body.

"Magistrate Jinzuk, your wife has raised a daughter even more beautiful than her flowers! We've had such trouble finding Avatar Roku's descendants," he chuckled. "It's as if he wanted to keep you hidden from us!"

Startled, Ursa glanced up just long enough to see the twisted smile on the Fire Lord's face and her own father's guilty expression. Avatar Roku's descendants? Her family? As the Fire Lord continued talking, the grim truth of his words settled into her bones. There was no way the royal family was mistaken. And clearly, he had come here for something Avatar Roku would not have wanted.

"But now, clearly, the effort was worthwhile. The Fire Sages tell me that the pairing of the Avatar's granddaughter with my own son will yield a bloodline of great power, one that would help ensure my family's rule for centuries after I am gone."

Ursa was already paired to Ikem, in word and in heart, but there was no sense in saying this now, when the Fire Lord's intentions had been made clear. There was no power in the land, except apparently her long-dead grandfather, who could keep Fire Lord Azulon from achieving what he had set out to accomplish.

"Ursa, may I introduce you to Fire Prince Iroh, my firstborn son? He has a proposal for you."

It wasn't really a question, and as Ursa looked up again, Prince Iroh stepped forward. She was familiar with the man's image, having caught glimpses of it in official portraits of the royal family, but it was hard to capture flesh and blood in ink and paper. Iroh strongly resembled his late mother Lady Ilah, with the same solid stocky stature in contrast to his father's long lean build. Ursa knew the prince was a year or two older than her at most, but his stubbled chin gave him the appearance of a well-seasoned man that his guarded eyes and tight mouth did not contradict.

"Ursa," he spoke, and his voice was immediately fuller, warmer than Azulon's. "Would you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?"

From the hand of Iroh

Recorded on an unknown date, 102 AG

My dear wife has informed me that she will only record her recollections of the war and its end if I swear to do the same independently of her writings. So I shall, for I have little left to do beyond please my wife.

There is not much to share of my early years that has not already been extensively recorded in history, from the death of my mother to my unfortunate rivalry with my younger brother. Ursa's life had no such scribe to capture it though, so I suppose I will have to attempt to fill that role. My reluctant nineteen-year-old self's meeting with her, fuelled solely by my father's desires, is one of those moments that has been transformed time and time again after decades of reflection.

Iroh's sense of apprehension only grew as the royal procession approached Hira'a. Despite his familiarity with the duties required of the crown prince, he'd assumed he would have more than a year out of school to enjoy his youth before being thrust into a life of military training, court sessions and… producing heirs. He might have had that time too, if his father's spies hadn't returned a week ago with the news that they'd finally found Avatar Roku's descendants, who happened to include a granddaughter around Iroh's age.

"Don't look so grim, my boy," Azulon told him with a hint of a smile. He was practically brimming with pride, both at himself for finding Roku's family and at Iroh for taking the 'next step' in his carefully planned path to the throne. "You do want this girl to agree to marry you."

"As if she has a choice." As if I have a choice, Iroh added silently. Typically princes had their pick of the finest Fire Nation noblewomen when selecting their brides, especially crown princes like Iroh. Yet here he was, being carted off to a village girl because of some nonsense the Fire Sages had spewed. Those "spiritual guides" had lost their credibility long ago, when Sozin wiped out the last of Avatar Roku's supporters in the Fire Nation. That wouldn't stop Azulon from hearing their counsel, though, nor would the fact that his oldest son was far more familiar with the true spiritual arts.

"Young people always think choice is crucial in a marriage." Azulon shook his head. "I spent over forty years of my life dithering over choosing a wife, and all it gave me was less time with a woman I love." He smiled at Iroh in that misty-eyed way that meant he was thinking about Iroh's resemblance to Ilah again. "A prince must fulfill his duties, regardless of his own desires."

Azulon would know better than anyone - he had assumed the role of Fire Lord at the age of only twenty. He would have had no time for all the things Iroh wished for, traveling the world and learning its wisdom. But he had not been in Iroh's specific predicament either. "You did get to choose Mom though."

"I did," he conceded. "But I only delayed the decision with my pride. It was suggested that my father wished for me to marry a woman from her family shortly after I ascended the throne, and I refused to take the advice for over a decade. Yet after I had my fun as a young king and began conducting my own research into suitable wives, I ended up coming back to her family over and over again. My father was right, in the end."

"But if you'd married right after you became Fire Lord, you wouldn't have married Mom. She would have been a child then."

Azulon raised an eyebrow. "And what would it have mattered? I would have simply come to love one of her older sisters or cousins just as deeply as I loved her, and fathered children just as clever and powerful as you." He flexed and squeezed his hands in his lap, no doubt fighting off some old battle pain. "You play with the pai sho tiles you are dealt, son. I am happy Ilah was my wife in this life, but I know I could have built a good life with another woman too. Marriage, especially for our family, is not about a soulmate or the one correct choice. It is about working together to create something bigger and better than your individual selves. Life will be easier for you and this young woman if you both learn that sooner rather than later."

Iroh grunted, turning over his father's words in his mind like a well-worn stone. Did having a choice matter? At the end of the day, his wife's main role would be to bear his children and preside over the palace's domestic matters once he became Fire Lord. This village girl would need a little extra training on royal life, but her allegedly being the Avatar's granddaughter would balance that out with the powerful heirs she was meant to produce. And outside of matters of spirituality, his father had never steered him wrong before.

"It appears we've arrived." Azulon glanced out the window with a dignified grimace. "I hope she doesn't live in one of these pig-chicken infested houses. The smell won't be pleasant on the return journey."

There were some pig-chickens to contend with at the magistrate's house, but not enough for the smell to be unbearable. "My daughter is out at the moment, honorable Fire Lord," the magistrate said from his kowtow. "She should be returning soon for dinner."

"Then we will wait," Azulon said without missing a beat. "My son and I would love to see more of how Avatar Roku's daughter and granddaughter have been living."

Iroh glanced at the trembling form of the magistrate's wife, still bent over in her bow next to her husband. Roku's daughter. Iroh wondered what her father must have told her of the royal family to make her want to hide away from them for so long.

"If it will please you, my lord, my wife keeps a lovely greenhouse."

There were certainly lovelier gardens than this in the Fire Nation capital, but Iroh couldn't begrudge a small town its achievements considering its limitations. The magistrate, to his credit, kept his cool better than many town officials who'd encountered far lower-ranking Fire Nation royals than Iroh's father - he blathered a good bit about town affairs and the state of the war, but for the most part, deferred to Azulon's questions about his daughter. Her name was Ursa, Iroh learned, and she was an actress with the town's troupe currently rehearsing a production of "Love Amongst The Dragons."

"Perhaps she can bring some local flavor to the capital's theatre scene," the Fire Lord suggested with a smile. "I know I'm getting tired of having to sail to Ember Island every time I want to see a half-decent show."

Iroh only grunted, watching how the magistrate's eyes kept nervously flicking over to him. He could see the anxieties written plainly all over the man's face: was Iroh as calculating as his father, or was he warm like his mother? Was he every inch the mighty soldier the palace claimed he was? And was this future ruler of the land going to treat Ursa well? Iroh couldn't find it in himself to offer the man reassurance; he had no intention of mistreating the woman, but he wasn't exactly in a romantic mood either.

Perhaps that would be the thread that tied him and his future wife together: mutual reluctance.

A noise from the greenhouse's entrance caught the attention of the men gathered inside. "Daughter," called the magistrate, "show our guests the proper respect."

Ursa fell into a bow, but as Azulon bade her to stand, Iroh got a proper look at her. She was beautiful to be sure, with a sweet, if pale, oval face and thick, dark hair falling to her shoulders. She was also clearly frightened, though she was maintaining her composure well, no doubt a result of her work as an actress. The palace ladies would have no trouble teaching her the grace and elegance required of her new life.

Iroh snapped back to attention as his father said his name. ""Ursa, may I introduce you to Fire Prince Iroh, my firstborn son? He has a proposal for you."

Ah yes, time for the "proposal" providing the illusion of consent over this whole affair. Iroh stepped forward, attempting to guide his face into a more neutral expression - unlike his bride-to-be, he had no proclivity to disguise his thoughts and feelings. "Ursa," he said simply, "would you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?"

Neither of them had any real choice, of course.

A/N: Feels like a good place to call it. I'm anticipating this being more of a slow-burn royal drama type thing, but I don't like to post more than 3,000 ish words at a time either. We'll see if that changes. Let me know if you're liking this setup so far! Only time will tell where the AU leads.

~Bobbi