"You're going to be the Fire Lord soon."

Iroh raised a brow with confusion, realising what he just heard his nephew say; he thought they were just going to be talking about his firebending training, which he had helped provide his nephew with some insight on. Even if he'd never admit it, he did struggle with his bending, at least in comparison to his prodigious sister. Why he decided to mention the fact that his ninety eight year old father was probably going to die within the year was beyond him; perhaps Zuko was already concerned with the line of succession, seeing that he was third in line to the throne, behind his father, Ozai, and Iroh himself.

"Well, yes, Nephew, I will be." he confirmed, "Fire Lord Azulon is an old man, and his health has been... better." he admitted; his father was becoming so weak that he could no longer act on his public duties- he was still sound of mind, at least as sound as a ninety-eight year old man could be.

"What will you do then... when you're the Fire Lord?"

"I will serve my country, as I was raised to do. My father has taught me many things, as has my time in The War." he admitted, before sighing, remembering his greatest lesson was not one of victory, but one of loss, "I don't want any more people to suffer, now that the Fire Nation has won the war."

"Well, we haven't won-won." Zuko raised a brow, disagreeing with his presumption, "There's still a few towns and cities outside of our control. The King of Omashu and his lackeys still hide behind their walls, just like the Earth King did."

"So they do." Iroh acknowledged; he didn't think that taking Omashu would do much, seeing that Fire Nation forces had the city surrounded on all sides, and it was nested amongst mountains, making it hard to access for both potential rebels and the armies that had been besieging it, "I don't think anyone can resist the Fire Nation for much longer. Perhaps the Northern Water Tribe, but they never partook in The War to begin with."

"What comes next for our nation? Are we going to conquer the rest of the savages?" he asked him, Iroh cringing slightly; his nephew's head was full of the lies that he himself had been taught when he was his age, and he couldn't help but pity him.

He did not want to tell him what he truly thought, out of fear of rejection; Zuko was to eventually be Fire Lord, and he wanted him to be a Fire Lord that could rule his nation nobly and respect the other nations, the ones they had already vanquished and defeated.

"If they threaten... peace, then we will do what we must. That is what I will make sure our nation has, Nephew." he told him the truth; even if his idea of peace was different to many of the other high-ranking military officials, he still knew they had the same idea at heart- the Fire Nation had to end the war, sooner rather than later.

"That is..." Zuko trailed off, looking like he was trying to find a good choice of words, "respectable, Uncle." he conceded, before his eyes narrowed, "But, do you really think we can have peace with them? They continue to resist us. Our march of progress... so we can achieve what great-grandfather Sozin envisaged."

"I don't know what he expected." the Dragon of the West conceded, "I never met the man. He died many years before I was born, but my father spoke of his feats."

"Just his feats?" Zuko asked, the Crown Prince turning his eyes away; Azulon did not like his own father, perhaps because he had been a stern and cruel man- that was the kind of person who could lead their armies to annihilate a whole group of people by association with a single individual, that being the Avatar, the man who had been missing for nearly a whole century.

"Yes." he simply nodded, before clearing his throat, not wanting to speak of things he didn't truly understand, nor wanted to, "So, Prince Zuko, do you understand what I mean when I say you must not waste your breath?"

His nephew made a slightly cringed face, before nodding, "Y-yes, Uncle." he assured him, sounding a little nervous; he was sure of himself in many areas, but his bending was not one of them, "I thank you for your wisdom. Breath is key to ensuring I will not fail in a real fight."

He raised a brow, thinking about what his nephew's words suggested, "Do you desire to fight for your nation?"

"One day, yes." he simply nodded, "I believe you are right, Uncle. Peace is what we should strive for." he added; Iroh turned his eyes away, trying to hide his unease.

Zuko's words suggested that he wanted to do what the Dragon of the West once had; to attack and subjugate innocents, under the belief that it would better their own lives.

"Are you going to train?" he asked his nephew, who nodded as he rose up to his feet.

"Yes, I need to prepare for my presentation to Father. He wants to see how my sets have progressed." he explained, his expression becoming cold, "I can't make a fool of myself."

"You will not, Nephew." he assured him, "You are a strong and capable bender. You just showed me your forms. I'm sure that your Father will see the effort you have put in." he explained, though the last bit was a lie; he didn't know if Ozai would approve, seeing that he constantly compared Zuko with his sister, who was admittedly more refined and graceful in her own bending, though it was primarily because she spent so much time, ever since she could walk, perfecting her firebending skills.

"He won't." he snarled, clenching his fists as he turned away, "He'll only see her. He only ever sees her."

"Prince Zuko." he called out to his nephew before he decided to leave, obviously self-conscious of the feeling of anger he had over his treatment, primarily because of Azula's own bending skill, "Do not let your feelings dissuade you. You are a great bender." he assured him, knowing it to be true; Zuko only needed to apply himself, and he would be just as great as the sister he so envied.

"Bending isn't the only thing I have." he admitted, sighing before he turned back to face his uncle, "That's why I want you to teach me."

"Teach you?" he raised a brow; Zuko sounded interested in a little something more than his humble advice, "What do you need to know?"

"It's not what I need to know Uncle, it's what I need to be able to do." he clarified his question, "I want to learn how to use my mind. In battle... in the war chamber. It doesn't matter where."

"I see." he raised a finger to his beard, "I can teach you, Nephew. I must warn you, however. Politics is not for the faint of heart."

"What do you take me for, Uncle?"he quipped in return, "I will be the Fire Lord one day."

"That you will." he agreed with his words, "That's why you must take your time. You cannot become the Prince you want to be in one day. You must learn to serve your country."

"I will, Uncle." he assured him, "If I come back tonight, could you tell me some more. I need to go practice my sets."

"Of course, Nephew. With a cup of jasmine tea?"

"Uh, yeah." he mumbled, "Enjoy your afternoon, Uncle." he waved to Iroh, before turning his heels, walking away in a better mood than he might have if his uncle had not intervened.

"And you too, Nephew." he smiled at Zuko, who didn't look back, though the confident strides he took suggested that his words of wisdom had helped him.

He turned around, remembering that he was sitting, enjoying a cup of tea, between meetings; his father desired him to remain on the war council, despite the fact he was practically retired from his duties as a general, even if he did remain Crown Prince. He wished he could spend more time with his nephew, but his duties called, making him wish he wasn't stuck with them any longer; after his experience in Ba Sing Se, the idea of being the Fire Lord no longer called to him as it once had, though he certainly wanted to run his nation for the sake of improving it. There was a lot of things wrong with his nation, and he wanted to fix them before he was an old man and went the way of his father.

"One day, my nephew, one day you will see a better Fire Nation."


Zuko kept his legs crossed and his eyes down as his father entered the training courtyard; Azula sat beside him, doing exactly the same, not wanting to aggrieve their father with any disrespectful glances. They were there to show their worth, as his children and heirs; the Prince knew that his sister was distracted by something that afternoon, and that gave him a small sense of reprieve. Every one of her failures was a victory for the first-born son of Ozai. He had worked hard on his forms all afternoon, after he had gotten away from his grandfather's funeral; Zuko didn't think much of his passing, seeing that nothing seemed to be any different, other than their father's mood, which had clearly deteriorated.

When he found out his father had fallen ill, he had become even harsher, something that Zuko didn't believe was possible; he was under no presupposition that his father was in a bad mood because he loved his own father. It was instead because he wasn't where he wanted to be; Prince Ozai wanted to be the Fire Lord, and despite his best efforts to woo his father, he had failed in overturning the order of succession. Zuko didn't care for his father's efforts when his grandfather was still alive, knowing that eventually, he would succeed his father, once he succeeded Iroh. Now, things were more interesting, seeing that his father obviously wanted the throne; he wanted to receive his birthright before his elder brother met his natural demise, something that Zuko already understood well. Ozai believed, perhaps always so, that he was more worthy of the throne.

"Rise, my children." he spoke to them with the same, cold commanding voice he always used; the Prince was unsure whether he'd ever heard him speak otherwise, to either his children or the servants of the palace.

His eyes moved between the two siblings as they stood before him, the piercing glare not unnerving Zuko; he could not let it get to him, despite how often it came his way. His father cleared his throat, before he gestured to the courtyard before them, where they would be free to show their forms.

"Go ahead, Prince Zuko." he told his son, who did not relent, immediately striding forward, making his way to stand by the edge of the training yard.

He didn't dare look back, knowing that the mocking smirk from his sister that he would receive would anger him; he could not let his emotions control him when he was meant to be showing his firebending skill. He had to channel them, calmly as he could, into his flames, and wrestle the fire to his will. He spun his hands around, taking a deep breath to channel his inner energies; he needed to be able to show his control, his fortitude. If Zuko could not compare to his sister in power and dexterity, he had to show his own strengths.

The Prince raised his right foot up and spun it around in a leftward kick, creating a stream of fire which he then grasped with his left hand, bending it into a ball; he then thrust his left hand and foot forward, sending the fireball into the air in front of him, creating an impressive fire blast. That was a rather meagre showing of his skills, in his own opinion, and he decided to continue onward, spinning his arms around circularly, charging two bolts of fire at his fingertips. He began to move forward, spinning himself around, first letting out the flames from his right hand in a curved arc which flew out across the courtyard; he then straightened his form, sending the next arc from his left hand, cutting upward, the kind of blast that would hit a man in the chin and knock him out cold. He was somewhat disappointed he was simply showing his forms, rather than actually attacking someone, knowing that his attacks would better show their merit that way.

He raised his left leg up and kicked it out behind him, sending out a fire stream before he culled the attack, focusing instead on his right foot, which spun around as he jumped into the air, sending out another arc of flames, this time from his toe-tip. Now stepping forward with his right foot, he faced toward his father and sister; he pulled his right arm across his chest, quickly charging another fire bolt with his fingers, firing it out to his right, creating another explosive fire blast. Zuko then did the same with his left hand, creating an arc of flames, which stood stationary in front of him, like a shield, before he kicked through his own attack, which sent out embers in all directions as well as creating a fire stream; the kind of attack that would defend him on all sides. He always thought about the practical application of his forms, knowing that intense, fancy looking moves were not going to impress his father if they could not be applied.

Zuko finally moved back into a more simple fighting stance with his left foot forward and right hand on the ready; he charged a ball of fire in his right palm, slowly raising his arm up before curling it back toward his torso. After he felt the heat become intense enough between his hand and his chest, he threw his arm forward, creating a powerful bolt of flames which maintained its form as he was able to first direct it across the courtyard, before he grasped at it with his right hand, spinning around and flinging the fireball across the courtyard, causing it to strike the ground just across from him, creating a decent explosion; he wasn't fazed by his own strength, understanding what he was capable of, and simply turned to face his father, bowing down toward him.

He did not dare address Prince Ozai, who simply looked at him, with the same cold glare, before letting himself clap; only once, as that was all the praise Zuko would receive, "Your bending is up to shape, Zuko." he acknowledged, before narrowing his eyes, turning to his left, "Azula." he addressed his daughter, who seemed eager to show off her own forms, "Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes, Father. I am always ready." she assured him, her eyes turning to her brother, who immediately looked away; he didn't want to look at her, knowing that she was not deserving of his gaze; she simply stood to undermine him, and that was something the Prince could not tolerate.

He strode over to where he had been sitting before, walking right past her as they switched positions, her eyes remaining on him, obviously trying to read him; he didn't let her, not giving out a single sign of emotion. He turned around and sat down where she had, beside his father, who did not acknowledge him; he did not even glance his way, simply focusing on Azula's quick strides toward the centre of the courtyard. She turned away from them, facing in the direction of the afternoon sun, and immediately took form; her stance was steady, and her serious expression told him that she took their exhibitions just as much as he did.

She took a deep breath before she set into action, and even if he didn't want to admit it, her speed was impressive; she fluidly moved from punch to kick, from charging flames in her hands to firing them across the courtyard. Of course, he thought he was quite skilled at doing all of those things himself, though he knew that her grace with her bending was unbeatable; that wasn't even considering the fact her fire was a radiant blue instead of orange, like that of every other firebender. Zuko saw his element for what it could do, and used it- things like blue fire were meaningless, and unattainable to begin with; he had no time to show off, despite what he had just done for his father.

She made her way across the courtyard, before she would turn around, and begin sending her flames the other way. She jumped into the air, spinning around and sending a powerful stream from her feet, something that he certainly wasn't capable of; he momentarily turned his eyes toward his father, and saw his lips purse upward, approving of his sister's show of power. That made the Prince want to snarl, but he kept his lips straight; he could not show his jealousy, his weakness, in front of him.

He turned his eyes back toward his sister, hoping that at the very least, he could learn from her forms, and see how she applied herself; he desired to be a great bender, and if he had to learn from watching her, he would, no matter how much it angered him to do so. It hurt his pride, more than anything; she was two years his junior, yet, she was ahead of him in all areas of bending. He watched as she spun her hands, creating a shield of flames in front of her, which she propelled forward with a quick kick, almost in imitation of his own move only a minute earlier. He didn't think she was stealing his moves, but rather, that she had already learned the move he had used; her forms just showed him how despite his desire to make his bending as refined as possible, that there was always a better way to make one's firebending more efficient and swift in it's production.

She finished her forms by sending out a kick of flames, turning her fingers around as she dropped her foot back on the ground, before she fired out a lightning bolt from her fingertips, showing Zuko the one form he truly wanted to learn; lightning generation was both scary and beautiful at the same time, but he had lacked the mental fortitude, or at least that is what he guessed, when he found himself unable to create lightning. Seeing her generate it with her fingers made him want to achieve it even more; that was one thing he knew that would impress his father, who was for the most part tolerant, if not dismissive of his own abilities.

"Brilliant." his father smiled at her, gesturing for her to come back toward him, "Your lightning generation is even faster than last time. Soon enough you will be able to hold it to your will, just like your fire." he commended her efforts; the very fact that he spent more time to congratulate her efforts showed Zuko that she still was well and truly the one in their father's favour.

Azula approached them, and sat herself down, Ozai standing up once more, placing himself in front of them once she had sat herself beside her brother, who did not look her way; their father's indomitable glare remained on them, though he seemed to be in a slightly better mood than what he had been when he had arrived.

"I will see you both here in two day's time. I have meetings to attend to tomorrow and the day after, now that Iroh has ascended to the throne." he explained, the spite on his tongue clearly noticeable.

He was not happy about his brother's new position, and that further told Zuko that he would want to do something about it; perhaps not at once, but quickly enough, at least in considering how long Iroh was expected to reign for.

"War meetings are to be had, to consider the fate of the Earth Kingdom." he explained, the two siblings nodding, telling their father that they understood what he had said; neither of them were to be partaking in such meetings, which were probably to only have the most important officials, both civil and military in the Fire Nation in attendance.

Azula cleared her throat, and raised her chin up, telling them that she wanted to speak, "Yes, Daughter?"

"I am sorry to tell you that I will not be able to show you my progress next time." she admitted, Zuko turning his head slightly, so he could look at her face; she wasn't joking, something she wouldn't dare do when speaking to their father of all people.

"Why is that?" Ozai narrowed his eyes at her, sounding rather accusing in his tone.

He wasn't happy that she would not be attending, seeing that their regular bending exhibitions were the closest thing they had to a kind of family activity; Zuko doubted it was because he would miss her or anything of the likes, but because he could not keep an eye on her and ensure that she was up to scratch- perfect, as she always was.

"Because I will be leaving the Capital, by tonight at the earliest." she explained, Zuko trying to keep a straight face; he had no idea why she would be leaving home, at least on such short notice.

"Enlighten me on why my own daughter would leave her home so abruptly?" Ozai spoke down at her, his phrasing and tone indicative that he did not approve of such a decision.

"Because I am going to find and capture the Avatar."


Azula was not surprised by the looks of surprise on her father and brother's faces, knowing that her news was out of the blue. She had not wanted to speak of it, in case her uncle did not approve of her request; that would be shameful, so it was better not to mention anything until she had an answer, which she did. Her uncle did approve, and she would have the ship and men she desired for her journey. Zuko looked at her with an unusually confused expression; he obviously didn't see her move coming, but then again, he wasn't that smart to begin with. Being leagues ahead of illiterate commoners or foreign peasants didn't mean that he could compare to her, even if he thought himself to be just as intelligent as her. Her father, on the other hand, didn't seem confused; if anything he looked annoyed, frustrated by the turn of events; Azula had not intended to frustrate her father- if anything, she wanted to impress him with her forward-thinking. By going to find the Avatar, she would learn experience in the field in commanding a ship, and if she returned with the last airbender in tow, she would earn the adoration of the entire nation.

"Excuse me?" Zuko's jaw dropped, questioning whether he heard correctly.

"You heard me, Brother." she chided him, "I will find and capture the Avatar."

"Azula." her father uttered her name, his tone suggesting that he was certainly frustrated by the turn of events, "I would like to speak to you... alone." he clarified, turning his eyes to Zuko, who immediately looked back at their father with concern.

"Oh..." he mumbled, before rising to his feet, "My apologies, Father." he quickly bowed, before turning his heels, walking out of the courtyard, heading back into the palace proper, leaving her and her father alone, Azula looking up at him, trying to keep a straight face; when he got angry, she didn't know what to do other than be silent and listen.

"Did he put you up to this?" he asked her, sounding like he was trying to hold back his anger; she stiffened up, realising what he had assumed- he thought that Iroh had asked her to go find the Avatar, as if he wanted to get rid of her.

"No, he did not." she assured him, "Father, I chose to do this myself. I did not intend to dishonour you; I thought it would be a great honour to do it." she admitted honestly, hoping her father would just take her words for what they were; of all things, she didn't want to get into an argument with him about her intentions, knowing that if she got defensive, things could turn ugly, very quickly.

"I-" he began, before turning his face away from her, reorienting himself so he was looking out into the courtyard, "I thought he was trying to undermine me." he admitted, "But it seems that Iroh isn't that smart." he pursed his lips upward, before turning to face her, "You are right. It would bring great honour to you to capture the Avatar."

"I will do it, Father. If he is not dead, I will find him." she explained, Ozai raising his chin up.

"It has been a hundred years since he was seen." he acknowledged, "is there any reason why you decided to go on this journey?"

"To honour myself and my ancestors." she gave him a token line; in all honesty, she didn't really care about the latter part.

She was only concerned about fulfilling her destiny, the one she knew was set out for her from birth; anything that got her closer to the throne was something she would do, and finding a person that hadn't been seen in a hundred years was one of them.

"I am disappointed that you will no longer be here by my side. There are still things for you to learn. Bending, strategy, politics. You will need it all in the coming years." he admitted, his eyes turning down to meet her own, "You are destined for great things, my child."

"I will not take too long, Father." she reassured him, "By the coming of the comet, I will have the Avatar in my grasp."

"If he lives." Ozai added, before turning his eyes away, "I may call upon you in the coming months. If I do, you must return at once."

"I understand, Father." she bowed down toward him, knowing that his word was law; even if he wasn't the Fire Lord, she wouldn't dare oppose his will.

Her father was a man on a mission, perhaps even more so than herself; the throne was so close to his grasp, but he had yet to do anything about it. Of course, Fire Lord Azulon had only passed that night prior, and Iroh had only been enthroned a few hours before their very meeting. Her father had all the time to find a way to the throne, something she knew he would do; it was his birthright, perhaps not in the legal sense, but more so from his strength. He was the greatest firebender alive, even if he was not a prodigy like herself; he had worked for years to build up his strength, to master their art form to the point where not even their uncle could oppose him in a duel. At least, that was what she assumed; she tried to look at things at face value, but unlike her uncle, she had seen Ozai bend, and it scared her. The pure ferocity with which he moved through his forms was enough to make her shiver.

"Is there anything you needed to ask of me, before you leave?" her father broke the silence he had held over her like a weapon; her eyes moved up, meeting his sharp golden eyes, coldly staring her down- his tone suggested he had some semblance of empathy, but those eyes, they never lied.

"That you impart on me some wisdom." she decided to ask, knowing that stroking her father's ego was something that put him in a better mood.

"Mercy is the greatest weapon of the weak." he told her, before turning his heels, to leave the courtyard, "You would best remember that when you face the coward that has been hiding from us for a hundred years."

"I will not fail you." she simply bowed once more; her father's eyes momentarily looking back at her, his smirk suggesting that he approved of her deference.

"I know that you cannot."