"What do you mean you're leaving?"

Azula couldn't believe what she was hearing; well, she could believe that her friend would want to leave her household with six identical sisters, all vying for their parents' attention, but she couldn't believe that Ty Lee would leave her- not just the capital, but leave the homeland.

"I want to go to join the circus." she declared confidently, "You know I've always been good at acrobats, Zula." she argued, the Princess rolling her eyes, not amused by her idea in the slightest.

"Being good at acrobatics doesn't mean you should just run away." she crossed her arms, "How do you think your parents will react?"

"They'll eventually miscount their daughters at the dinner table and realise there's only six. Trust me, it'll take some time for them to realise it." she added, with an amused tone, though her face showed a different emotion.

Azula straightened her expression, realising that her friend had to be right; her parents were too ignorant of the differences between their daughters that it would take some time for them to realise when one of them had just disappeared. She didn't know how to respond to that, thinking of her father's own ignorance when it came to her brother; though he regularly checked up with both of their bending, it was only with Azula that he actually discussed things, whether it be day-to-day events or politics. She didn't know whether Zuko deserved the snuffing that he received from her father, but he clearly didn't like it, and he responded in turn by acting rebellious, or at least, as rebellious as a Prince could act.

"Perhaps they ought to pay more attention. Inattentiveness is a something that would get a soldier killed, but your parents seem to get away with it fine." she acknowledged, Ty Lee placing her left hand on her check.

"You're right, Zula." she agreed with her, "They're ignorant. I get that they have things to do, but they can't take any time to really pay attention to any of us."

"So, you want to go off to the circus and get some attention there?" she deduced, Ty Lee narrowing her eyes at her, her expression suggesting that she didn't agree with her judgement.

"It's not like that."

"Ty Lee, I've known you since I was five." she declared, "The only thing you complain about is your parents or your sisters taking your parent's attention, or your sisters stealing acrobatics." she listed off the most common things Ty Lee would complain about, which in and of itself was a rare thing; her friend was very cheery, and that was compared to someone like her uncle, who despite being a relatively happy and easy-going person, still had his ups and downs, bouts of melancholy.

"I..." she mumbled, looking unsure how to respond to her clear analysis of her decision, "I want to be somewhere where I can feel like I'm wanted."

"People will want to see your acrobatics." she acknowledged the fact of the matter, "You're good, though... not as good as me."

"I'd like to challenge that." she argued, "But I'm on a schedule. I need to talk to Mai as well, before I leave."

"I could give you a send off, but I think a Princess of the Fire Nation will attract more attention than it's worth." she acknowledged, excusing herself from having to follow her friend around; part of her wanted to go off with Ty Lee, and the other part told her that was the stupidest idea ever- Azula wanted adventure, and going to join Ty Lee at the circus was not the kind of adventure she wanted.

"I get that." she nodded, "You're the- uh- fourth- no, fifth most important person in the Fire Nation."

"I'd say fourth." she retorted, "I've met more nobles and generals than my brother. Plus, I got a personal audience with the Fire Sages to show off my blue firebending." she proudly declared her achievements, even if they really weren't much- she'd just achieved more than her brother, in comparison, who just sat in his room all day or talked and drank tea with their uncle, not the most productive lifestyle for a prince, in her opinion.

"Don't let your brother hear you say that." she warned, leaning in to whisper as if it were a really big deal, "He might challenge you to an Agni Kai."

"Pfft!" she scoffed, trying to hold back a laugh, "Like that's going to happen! He's nothing compared to me."

"Maybe with firebending." Ty Lee acknowledged, before narrowing her eyes at him, "But do you know where he sneaks off to?"

"Probably to see Mai."

"I know he does." she raised a finger, "But he must go to other places. Shady places." she spoke ominously, Azula shrugging her shoulders, not phased by the idea; her brother was not the kind of person to go around doing illegal, dangerous things- he was far too calm and passive for that kind of stuff.

"I believe you." she sarcastically replied, placing her hands behind her head as she leaned back onto her bed, "Any other revelations you've got for me today, Ty Lee?"

"Nope. Unless you wanted me to tell you all the cute things Mai and Zuko were doing together." she grinned at her, the Princess rolling her eyes; she would rather walk through mud barefoot than have to imagine her brother getting all lovey with a girl, especially one of her best friends.

"I wouldn't dream of it." she snickered, before straightening her expression, "No, seriously, I really wouldn't. That's just gross."


Azula rose with the sun, like any other firebender would. Her morning routine consisted of a quick meditation session in her bedroom, before she would have her servants wash her body and hair; that was all before she even considered breakfast, or the firebending training. She knew that on the ship, she needed to maintain a schedule, otherwise she would fall complacent; she was perfect, or at the very least, tried her utmost to be so, and would not stand for any kind of idling. So, as soon as her servants had attended to her daily cleaning, she immediately made her way down the hallway to the deck, where she knew her tutors would be waiting, as they did every morning. Not being firebenders, they got up a little later than her, and thus afforded Azula a little time to herself before she got into her firebending training. It was the most important part of the day and a ritual of sorts, even before she had begun sailing across the world; she had only been on the ship for two weeks, and had yet to arrive at the Western Air Temple, the closest of the four Air Temples to her home, the Fire Nation Capital. She knew, however, there'd be many months to come of the same old training, so she realised that eventually, she'd have to shake it up. Even if she wanted to be perfect and regimental, even she could become bored and frustrated by the same sets and exercises, at the same time of day, every day, for two weeks.

As she made her way down the hallway, she walked by a few sailors, guards or servants, all of whom might bow to her in respect, or stop and salute in the case of the first group; they would never address her personally, and that was a formality she didn't expect them to break. She was a Princess, and unlike her uncle, she was not one known to be social or be humoured by her lessers; she wanted them to do their jobs, and in turn, she would do hers. That distance she held between herself and the others on the ship was not out of disdain, but rather to simply keep herself focused. When she had been at school, she had had her friends, Ty Lee and Mai, but she had made friends because it was both expected of her, and advantageous on the social sphere; it was much easier to intimidate and earn the respect of the other girls when she had two near-equals by her side.

Now, she had no need for friends, and had no intention to gain them; respect was what she needed, not some kind of intimacy. If she really desired that so much, she'd go and stop by Ty Lee and her circus at some point. She'd sent Azula a few letters since she left, and thus, she had a general idea where she and the circus she'd joined were, so she knew if she felt inclined, she could go visit her. Of course, recruiting her for her journey was something she had considered, but she knew that at the very moment, it was unnecessary; Azula was going on her own journey, just as Ty Lee had gone on hers, and she had no intention of taking her from what she had taken such a leap to do- running away from home was no small feat.

When she reached the stairs that led out to the deck, she strode up them without relent, and immediately raised her hand up to block the glare of the early morning sun, which was still not very far above the eastern horizon. She turned around, and saw her two tutors sitting, awaiting her as they always did. Lo and Li smiled at her with their toothless grins, and she simply approached them, moving across the deck toward the pagoda superstructure where they were sitting.

"Princess Azula, did you have a good rest?" they asked her, the two sisters speaking at once.

"Yes, I did." she confirmed; she had gotten used to her new bed, and the waters weren't rough the night prior- she was ready to train, even if she had her doubts over the regimen, "What will we begin with?"

"Your breathing exercises." Lo began, before her sister continued on.

"We have decided they may be of use for perfecting your lightning generation."

She tried to hold back a scoff, simply raising a brow at their suggestion, "And who did you get this wisdom from, my uncle?"

"Oh, no." the two sisters shook their heads, "We have been reading Fire Lord Azulon's personal writings about firebending theory."

She crossed her arms, realising that they had been reading such documents while not granting her access, "And why wasn't I informed of these documents? I could have been reading them in my spare time instead of stupidly wasting my time meditating." she argued, trying to keep a calm voice; her tutors were not unnerved by her tone, already used to dealing with her temper.

Of course, she did get angry, but she was nothing like Zuko; the last time she had seen him get angry, she had decided she would avoid sparring him, if only to avoid the viciousness that came out with his heightened emotional state. Her brother was always the more untempered of the two, but he'd gotten better at masking her emotions; that didn't mean he was good at it, just rather that he had gone from being a bumbling, awkward Prince to a slightly more suave and stoic one.

"Princess Azula, we apologise." her two tutors bowing their heads down in respect, "We will have the documents sent to your room as soon as we finish your training for the morning."

She didn't thank them, simply staring them down; she found them a lot harder to read than most people, though perhaps it was because they were focused, serious individuals who didn't like to let emotion play into their duties as her tutor. That was compared to her father, who despite his best acting, was a rather easy to understand person, once she had seen him shout enough at her brother, or at any servants that frustrated him; Prince Ozai was a man who desired, more than anything, perfection and excellence, not just in her, but everyone he interacted with. Her brother, on the other hand, had gotten better at masking his actual emotions over time, with his cold, uncaring glares, and constantly angry, bitter tone. Azula did note that it might have more been his disdain toward her rather than being constantly angry that brought out this unreadable 'mask' that he wore.

"Well then." she spoke up, "Are we going to start, or what?" she asked her tutors, who both straightened their postures as they stared her down.

"Please, sit down, Princess." they both spoke at the same time, Azula following their suggestion, striding a little closer to them before sitting down on the platform, just below them.

"So what do Grandfather's breathing exercises involve?" she simply asked them, her tutors remaining silent for a moment, before Lo spoke up.

"You must clear your mind, and remain focused on your breath, and through it your chi." she explained, before her sister continued.

"In being at one with your internal energies, you will have better control over your bending." she explained, before the two of them spoke in unison.

"This will allow you to master the art of lightning generation."

She nodded along, placing her hands in her lap as she took a deep breath, considering what they had told her, "First, take ten long breaths." Li clarified, the Princess closing her eyes and beginning to do just that.

Letting the air come into her lungs, she felt herself be filled, if only for a few moments, by all the air, and felt the fire in her chest grow brighter, before she let the air out, the fire dimming somewhat. Though it wasn't a literal fire, her inner fire was the closest thing to the physical manifestation of her flames that she could comprehend. It moved with her breath, and flowed with the internal movements of her body; it grew stronger as the sun rose in the sky, just like the rest of her body, and oscillated with every breath, no matter how minor and unnoticeable, she took. The morning sun wasn't as strong as that in the middle of the day, and thus, her inner fire wasn't as strong as she knew it could be. That didn't mean, however, that her breathing was any less effective. With each breath, she felt a stronger control over her inner fire; even without the emotional drive to firebend, she could feel the strength that sat there, latent, waiting to be wielded. By the tenth breath, she felt herself at one with her inner flame, and was able to easily manifest a small blue flame right in front of her, without even moving her hands; she had no need to, as the fire was not created through any form, but from her breath alone. She looked back up toward her tutors, who looked approving of her quick exercise.

Lo began with her toothless smile, "Brilliant, your highness." she commended her, "Now, you must manifest your inner fire, and wield it, without any feeling."

"Show us the pure power of your flames." the two of them spoke at once, the Princess raising her chin up.

She thought of all that drove her firebending; her desire to prove herself, to her father, to her uncle, to the Fire Nation as a whole. Not just that, but her desire to perfect herself, to become the perfect Princess; such an achievement was independent of the gazes of others, but came from her own ego, what she most desired to be. Then there was the anger that she felt; the anger she felt toward Zuko for his unnecessary disdain toward her, and his desire to get in the way of her relationships. With their father, with their uncle, and even with Mai, though she felt that might get his way with the last of those three, especially now that she was gone from the Fire Nation Capital.

She acknowledged all those thoughts, and pushed them away, thinking only of her flames, only of the strength that she held. Not for what she desired to wield it, or the authority it gave her over others; she didn't want to think of that, and she was sure her tutors didn't either. She only thought of the flame itself; the purity of it, the strength it held, even only a little blue flame in her hands. She felt the heat in her hands, and she brought them together, breathing in and out as she already had while doing the breathing exercise. She then let the flames form, without thinking to control them, simply to let them be; and they did form, quickly forming a fire in her hands, which felt so hot, yet it didn't burn her. She felt the strength, not just in the heat it gave off, but the constant, unwavering pulsations, that came with her breath.

Her mind was empty, and she closed her eyes once more, standing up slowly as she drew her hands out; she could feel the flames moving around freely, and she held her grip on them, letting them flow around and out freely for a few moments, before she turned around, directing all of her strength into a fire stream; she hadn't expected it to be so potent and bright as she fired up above the deck. She smiled at what she had created, simply glad that she was still capable, without even thinking about it. Perhaps it was the confidence she held in her bending that could drive it so strong, without any other thought; she didn't know, and Azula decided not to press on it.

"Good, good." both her tutors commended her, "That was quite impressive."

Lo began to speak alone, "Now you ought to begin your practice."

"Going straight to lightning is not recommended, so we have some build-up exercises ready." Li added, the Princess turning around to face them, surprised by their caution.

Perhaps Azula had underestimated her grandfather's firebending, or at least, the thought and preparation he put into his techniques; he was an old man, but at some point, he must have been a young Prince, not too different to her.

She turned around once more, "Then, what do I start with?" she simply asked them, her two tutors looking at each other.

"We thought you ought to take the last set you learned." they clarified, the Princess nodding; she had been working on said set, which was rather simple in her eyes, though it required some complex moves.

She would have to bend her flames around and charge them, as the set required her to fire them; the interesting part was that she would have bend with her feet. Though Azula thought she was fully capable of bending via her feet, she knew that she had less control and power than with her hands or her mouth even, having made good use of fire breath. Of course, it was in less sets and forms than her feet and hands were, but she still learned it, as it was an effective and practical technique to use; by using fire breath, she could, in a potential scenario where she might have her hands bound, firebend with her full strength, and even in situations where she had her hands to use, it could be used to channel a fire stream to both intimidate and strike her opponents. She shook her head, knowing that she was putting too much thought into thinking about such a scenario and not into her set. She needed to show her tutors that she had perfected it, as otherwise, she would not be able to move onto better sets, nor work on her lightning-bending, as she desired to.

Taking her stance, she imagined what the resulting set would look like, where the flames would be sent out and exactly how many breaths it would take her to achieve it. Azula began the set by bending a circle of flames to charge two fireballs in her fists, before she began to move forward, volleying the fireballs as if she were trying to strike an opponent, or potentially, a line of them. With each breath she found her fire growing more intense, and instead of directing that strength into the bolts of fire she was sending out, she readied herself for the main move of the set. First, she raised her right leg and spun it around, sending out a wave of flames aiming to strike across the deck from her at approximately her own height; in a real fight, that would knock a number of enemies right in their heads, blinding them from her next move. She then leapt forward, jumping into the air and front flipping as she charged two jets of fire at her soles, which increased the velocity with which she spun, before she channelled all her strength into her feet as she sent out a massive fire blast from her feet. It soared across the deck and struck the pointed bow of the ship, which made the deck creak as she landed back on it.

Azula smirked, confident as ever in her bending skills; without even asking her tutors, she immediately moved to the form she had been preparing herself to do, placing her hands across each other, her fingers on her hips as she began to manipulate her chi, slowly and carefully moving her fingers up in a circular arc. She then stepped forward with her left foot and spun her hands around once more, her fingers charging sparks between them, proof that she was able and ready to achieve it. Finally, she stepped forward with her right foot, and thrust her hand forward, channelling the energy in her body into that one point, which allowed her to create a lightning bolt. The bright and near deafening attack shot out immediately, up into the sky above the deck.

"Brilliant work, Princess Azula." Lo commended her efforts, before her sister spoke up.

"There is just one hair out of place." Li added, gesturing to her forehead; Azula immediately took note of the loose strand of hair and groaned with frustration, though she made sure to be quiet enough to not be noticed by her tutors.

She pulled the hair back into place and looked back their way; she would perfect her lightning generation, knowing it was the one tool she knew would be vital in a one-on-one fight with the master of the elements, once she found him.

"But does it work? I'm not looking to impress the Avatar, I want to defeat him." she retorted, her tutors taken aback by her response.

"You can always be faster, more ruthless." Lo acknowledged, her sister raising a finger to her chin.

"You are capable, you simply need to make sure you are faster than him."

"Nobody has seen the Avatar in a hundred years, how can you be sure I'm not as fast as a hundred year old man."

"Fire Lord Azulon's notes also spoke of the Avatar." Lo and Li spoke in unison, the Princess narrowing her eyes at them.

"Do you mean he was theorising how to slay him?" she asked them, her tutors looking at each other, before shaking their heads.

"No, your highness. He had learned from his father, Fire Lord Sozin, how he himself had killed the previous Avatar." Li clarified, her sister continuing along from her.

"He couldn't." she admitted bluntly, "He had to wait for a volcanic eruption to do the job for him. He prevented the Avatar's escape, but he could not kill the man himself."

"I don't think I have any volcanoes waiting to throw the Avatar into." she acknowledged the fact of the matter, "Also, I don't intend to kill him. Only disable and imprison. He is an enemy of the Fire Nation, but I do not intend to just do away with his life. That would simply lead to the next Avatar being born in the Water Tribes, would it not?"

Her tutors nodded in confirmation, before she turned away from them, "So Grandfather's wisdom won't be very helpful here. He never found the Avatar, and I don't think he wanted to." she declared, her tutors looking at her with surprised expressions; she knew that they knew her grandfather personally, so they were obviously taken aback by her claim.

"Fire Lord Azulon spent years looking for the Avatar during his youth, but did not succeed." Li clarified.

"Do not mistake his failure for complacency." her sister warned the Princess, who almost scoffed, amused by their suggestion; they did not know the pressure she was under to achieve her goal, even if she had gone about it willingly.

"Failure and complacency are one and the same."


Standing in front of the door that led into his Uncle's personal study, Prince Zuko eyed the guards that stood there, intently protecting their Fire Lord; they obviously knew he was there to speak with his uncle, and he tried his best to give off as calm and uninvolved a look as possible. He didn't want to seem like he was angry, because he was not; that didn't mean he was in a good mood, however, and the Prince desired to speak with his uncle because of that. He did not want his uncle to bear the brunt of his lamentations, but instead, simply desired to work around his problem; his problem being his very father, Prince Ozai, and his forceful words and disinterest in letting his son and heir partake in any duties befitting of his rank. He had grown more frustrated since his sister had departed, coming to realise that she was less of a problem than he had first assumed; the real issue was his father's preconceptions of Zuko.

"Are you going to let me speak to my uncle?" he simply asked the guards, whose expressions were masked by their intimidating helmets.

"The Fire Lord is busy dealing with financial reports from across the country. He asked to not be disturbed, my Prince." one of them explained, Zuko raising a finger to his forehead, frustrated by the fact of the matter; it was half way between sunrise and midday, and knowing his uncle's schedule well enough, he knew there was a brilliant excuse to get him out of his office, or at the very least, let his nephew inside.

"Could you simply relay that I wanted to have some morning tea with him?" he requested, the guards momentarily glancing toward each other before one of them knocked on the door.

"Yes?" he heard his uncle's voice, before the guard pushed the door ajar.

"Prince Zuko is here. He wants to have tea." he explained, Zuko immediately hearing his uncle stand up from his chair, which made a cringeworthy sound as it was shunted away from the desk.

"That's brilliant news." his uncle acknowledged with a hearty, appreciative voice, before the door was fully opened, revealing him to Zuko; seeing his uncle wearing the flowing, yet intimidating robes of the Fire Lord was truly something odd, though he had gotten used to it over the past few weeks, "Did you want to have some morning tea with me, Nephew?"

He nodded, bowing slightly to his uncle, knowing that he ought to give the proper deference to the man who was now the Fire Lord, "Yes, Uncle. I would be honoured if I could join you."

"No need to be so formal, Prince Zuko. Lighten up." Iroh smiled at him, striding over toward him, before glancing at his guards, "My nephew and I will be going to the tea room. You may guard from outside, but I'd prefer to sit with my nephew alone."

"Of course, your majesty." both of the guards acknowledging him with a bow; the Fire Lord strode past them, and his nephew followed in suit, knowing that he shouldn't keep him waiting. The two of them walked down the dim hallway, heading in the direction of the better lit areas of the palace. The tea rooms were next to a garden, and was one of the nicer places to sit in the palace.

Zuko had no idea why the designers made the palace so dark, forcing the interior to be lit by torches throughout. He considered perhaps his ancestor, Fire Lord Sozin, might have made it like so to use his bending more intimidatingly, as he could probably bend the torches inside to threaten his subjects. His grandfather had liked to do just that on his throne, driving fear into the hearts of his own grandchildren with his cold voice and piercing glare, that was only made more intimidating by the flames around him. The Prince was sure that his far more amicable uncle would do nothing of the sort, and was glad those times were behind him; though he didn't think everyone ought to be as kind as his uncle, he knew that it was better to be kind than to be a cold, unforgiving Fire Lord. He was certain that was what his father would be if he ever took the throne.

They quickly made their way to the tea-room, Zuko raising his hand to readjust his eyes to the light, before he sat himself down beside his uncle, who had decided to sit in front of the table usually reserved for his Pai Sho games. He wondered if he wanted to play, though the Prince was sure he wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Would you like a game, Prince Zuko? I'm sure it would be fun." he suggested, Zuko shaking his head, not wanting to embarrass himself like that.

"I'd prefer not to, Uncle. You're unmatched when it comes to Pai Sho."

His uncle raised a brow, "Hmph, then perhaps I should teach you. Pai Sho is an interesting game, Nephew. It has many secrets and wisdoms; you only need to look in the right places, and they can reveal themselves." he gestured his hands across the table, the Prince sighing, knowing that he had things to attend to, even if he didn't want to disappoint him.

"Maybe another time. I just wanted to share a cup of tea with you." he admitted, Iroh nodding with a small pout, obviously disappointed he didn't accept his offer.

"That is fine." he raised his hand, gesturing for a servant to come over to them, "Two cups of ginseng tea, please."

"Of course, your majesty." the servant bowed to him, before quickly making their way out of the room to retrieve their tea.

"So..." Iroh turned his gaze back toward his nephew, "Why did you come to ask for tea? You usually only do that if you have something to ask of me." he observed, the Prince's eyes darting down; he didn't want to seem insincere, as he genuinely did want to spend time with his uncle.

"You're right." he conceded, "I am sorry, Uncle. I would not have asked to speak with you if there was another choice."

The Fire Lord straightened his posture, crossing his arms in the process; the look on his uncle's face had shifted. Moments earlier, he was jovial, but not, he was the Dragon of the West, the man who had conquered Ba Sing Se and practically ended the Hundred Year War, "I see." he raised his left hand to his goatee, "This has to do with my brother, does it?"

"Yes." he conceded, "I didn't want to address this matter in public. Father has people everywhere, as you probably already know."

"Of course." Iroh nodded, his eyes showing the concern, however calm, he had with his brother, "My brother has always been one for intrigue over the battlefield. I would commend it, if the intrigue was working in my favour."

"He doesn't want me attending war meetings, or meeting ministers. Father continues to refuse me my rightful role. I'm sixteen, Uncle. I'm not a little boy anymore, but he continues to treat me as if I can't serve my country."

"I know, Nephew." the Fire Lord let out an exasperated sigh, "I will speak with Ozai about this."

"Please don't tell him I came to you." Zuko spoke up, forcing himself to speak; he couldn't put himself in danger, even if he wanted to do his duties as badly as he did, "He'll... well, I don't know what he'll do, but he won't take it well."

"I know. I won't, I'll simply recommend to him that you ought to step up as his heir. You are third in line to the throne, Zuko. One day, you will be the Fire Lord." he acknowledged, "But, may I ask, why has this become an issue now? Your father hasn't exactly been forthcoming with you for many years now."

"Azula isn't here." he simply stated the fact of the matter, "I am my father's only child present in the court. I should be where she was." he added, knowing that without Azula around, he was the only one who could step into her boots.

"Your sister's absence... it may be hard on your father. He mightn't have wanted her to leave."

"Of course he didn't." Zuko snarled, turning away as he tried to mask his annoyance; his sister unrightfully earned their father's respect, while he toiled away, trying to learn and achieve what he could- it was unfair, and now, he couldn't stand for it.

"I will speak to him, I assure you, Nephew. But this isn't Azula's fault. She is simply doing the same as you are. She seeks to serve, and I let her go on her journey."

"I know you respect her, but believe me, she cannot be trusted, Uncle." he spoke up, speaking his mind as bluntly as he could with him; he didn't know what Azula intended, but she must have had some plan to do with capturing the Avatar- what it was, he couldn't be sure, "She's trying to capture the Avatar for what, exactly? She's fourth in line for the throne."

"I will make my own judgements on the character of your sister." he spoke sternly to Zuko, which was not comforting in the slightest; if Iroh liked his sister well enough, then there was a chance she could usurp his position in the line of succession, "I believe she is simply preparing herself for higher roles. Perhaps she seeks to become a General, like I was."

"Why can't I have that?" he asked him simply, the Fire Lord's eyes widening.

"You can... Prince Zuko, if you want to serve your country in... that manner, you can do it." he assured him, though his tone was uneasy; he was thinking about Lu Ten, and Zuko hated himself for forcing those memories up- his uncle had suffered much, and the young Prince had much to learn.

"I'm sorry, Uncle. I didn't mean you remind you of that." he apologised, "I simply want to do what I know- what I know I was born to do."

"You're sounding a lot like your sister when you phrase it like that."

"She thinks she's favoured by destiny or something like that." he mumbled, remembering the cocky speeches she liked to give, to either their father or to him, about just that, "I doubt it. I want to make my own destiny, Uncle."

"I'm glad that you think that, Prince Zuko. That is something that takes courage." he commended him, making the Prince smile, glad that his uncle thought he had some virtues that were worthy of praise.

"Is courage all it takes?"

"Perhaps some wit is required as well." he chuckled, "But you have that too, my nephew." he assured him, before turning around, glancing to the servant who was bringing in the tray of ginseng tea.

"Ginseng tea, your majesty." the servant knelt down, placing the tray in front of them, before pouring them each a cup.

"Thank you." Zuko nodded, and his uncle did the same; the servant removed the cups and pot from the tray, leaving it there for the two royals to refill their cups, if need be.

Once the servant walked on out of the tea-room, he turned to face Iroh, wondering what he ought to say; he didn't know if there was anything else he needed to. His uncle believed in him, and even if that hadn't helped in the past, with him on the throne, it seemed like it might come more in handy.

"You are kinder than most people, Uncle." he complimented him, "I am glad to have you here to help me."

For some reason, those words seemed to reach his uncle like the morning sun rising above the horizon; the beaming smile he made toward him wasn't exactly surprising, but his hand reaching across the table to hold his own was. He stared his nephew down, appreciative of what he had said, before gesturing toward his cup.

"Drink up, Prince Zuko." he suggested, Zuko grasping the cup and raising it to his lips, before he sipped from it; the tea tasted fine and warmed his chest, making the Prince feel as if his chi itself was being replenished.

"This is good tea." he noted, his uncle raising his chest up as he grinned at him.

"Of course it is. It's my favourite." his uncle proudly declared, before placing his hands down on the table, "Are you sure you don't want to play Pai Sho?" he asked him, the Prince turning his eyes away; now that he had gotten what he wanted, he guessed that he could spare some time- it wasn't like he was doing much, anyway.

"I have a feeling I'm going to walk away in a bad mood." he noted, his uncle raising a finger up.

"You can learn from failure, Nephew. How do you think I became such a good player?" he asked him rhetorically, which interested Zuko, who had thought his uncle was practically unbeatable- it made sense, of course, that he had once not been as good as he currently was.

"Who beat you?"

"Countless people. My father, my comrades in the war, even random strangers I've met on my travels. But most people aren't as dedicated as I am- I always come out on top at the end."

"Resolve." the Prince mumbled, "Resolve is the way to victory."

"And an open mind is the path to wisdom, which is another way to victory." he countered Zuko's near proverbial comment.

"Can you teach me how to play better?" he asked his uncle, who gave him a curt nod, before he narrowed his glare.

"Yes, but you need to be patient. I know you tend to get frustrated easily." he commented on a part of the young Prince's personality that he honestly wished he could dispense with; he made a small chuckle, before he raised his cup up to his lips, so he could smell the calming tea- perhaps it would help quell his frustrations.

"I'll have to learn that too."