A/N: So I totally thought I was going to have more time to write in my second semester of law school because I know what I'm doing a little more now. Boy was I wrong!

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA.

Ursa, cont.

Here's something the history books won't tell you, reader: Lu Ten adored his uncle. Part of it was that Lu Ten was naturally eager to love everyone around him, the way most children are. Part of it was that for a few years, Lu Ten was the only child in the palace, meaning his young uncle was the closest thing he had to a peer. In any case, whenever Iroh was gone on one of his increasingly frequent military expeditions, Lu Ten satisfied his rambunctious side by trailing after his uncle and begging him for a game, for a firebending demonstration, for anything at all. This wasn't surprising, of course. What was surprising was how much Ozai returned his nephew's affection.

Autumn, 74 AG

The flame animals shimmered in the air, a delicate orange-yellow array of winged beasts vaguely resembling the dragons on Lu Ten's baby mobile. He giggled, swiping at them and crowing with delight when one dissipated into smoke just as his hand was about to connect with it. "Got one!"

"Yes, you did!" Ursa encouraged, smiling as her son toddled across the dining room in his eager pursuit of the other three fiery dragons still teasing him. On the other side of the table, Ozai watched the scene unfold with an expression anyone would consider to be patent indifference. HIs half-hidden right hand gave away his true interest in the matter: his pointer and thumb finger spread out, in sync with one of the dragons suddenly doubling in size, and Lu Ten bravely swung around to confront it. As his small fist struck out towards his enemy, Ozai's hand quickly curled into a fist as well, and a second dragon fell to Lu Ten's assault.

"Got two!" Lu Ten declared triumphantly. "Uncle Zai, I got two!"

"Yes, yes, not bad. But there's still two more there, see?" Ozai pointed with his left hand, while his right hand ducked under the table to do whatever it was that made the remaining two fire dragons loop through the air above Lu Ten's head. "How will you get those?"

"Hmmm…" This was a very perplexing question for a twenty-month-old. Lu Ten's legs splayed out as he sat to contemplate it, his eyes trained on his last two targets with adorable focus. A hint of a smile flickered across Ozai's face before he steeled it back into his usual expression: I don't care, I'm only doing this so he doesn't get bored and start harassing me or crying, I can't stand children.

The doors to the dining room swung open, breaking Lu Ten's concentration. "Daddy!"

"There's my boy!" Iroh scooped him up off the ground. "What are you up to?"

"Hunting dragons," Lu Ten said matter-of-factly, pointing at the last two flame dragons in the air just as they dissipated into smoke as well. Ozai had stood to bow to the Fire Lord.

"Those are baby ones like you, little dragon. Your father and I will teach you how to hunt the real ones when you're old enough." Azulon ruffled his grandson's hair, then nodded at Ozai and Ursa to sit. "Apologies for the delay, children. Let's eat."

It was never good when Azulon and Iroh were in the war room late at this time of year. Autumn and winter was when the Fire Nation was supposed to be in a holding pattern, not launching new offenses in the war, especially since they were on the other side of the Autumn Festival now. Iroh had missed the festival in favor of leading a major expedition in the Southern Earth Kingdom, claiming two minor kingdoms for the Fire Nation. Any other year, it wouldn't have been such a big deal, but missing Lu Ten's first Autumn Festival and his first trip to Hira'a? Now, Iroh clearly had something else important and confidential he'd been stewing over. Ursa swallowed down her irritation with her drink and watched Iroh help Lu Ten eat his porridge properly. Spoons were still hard at his age, but the Fire Lord enjoyed having his grandson at the dinner table, so Lu Ten sat in his high chair between his parents each night unless he was in a foul mood.

"Not bad, love." Iroh's thumb wiped a bit of spilled porridge from Lu Ten's chin. "How about you try closing your mouth before chewing next time?" His amber eyes sparkled with mirth, flashing up to wink at Ursa. Her troubled heart eased and fluttered in response. He was a wonderful father. He would be even more wonderful if he could be home for the whole year.

After dinner, after they'd told Lu Ten his bedtime story and he'd fallen asleep with Captain Moopotamus clutched in his tiny arms, Ursa allowed herself to voice part of her thoughts.

"When are you leaving?"

Iroh glanced up at her, still petting Lu Ten's hair. "Who said I'm going anywhere?"

"Please, I know what it means when you vanish into the war room in the off season. When are you leaving?"

"I haven't decided anything yet. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Let's talk, then."

"In Lu Ten's room, with you pulling that face at me?" Without warning, Iroh scooped her up in his arms, making her squeak. "I don't think that would be very productive."

"Iroh!" She tried to scold him, but it was no use with the giggles already building in her throat.

"Just moving us somewhere more private," he smirked, nudging the door open with his shoulder. "Please make sure your cat doesn't trip me."

"He's probably in my room."

"Then we go to mine!"

Ursa laughed when he carried her over the threshold to his bedroom with all the grandeur of a husband taking a wife to bed for the first time. This sort of thing, she'd discovered, was the key to their marriage. They had to be willing to laugh and create laughter together, even at the end of the day, or the pressure of being future Fire Lord and Lady would take its toll too soon.

"Alright!" Iroh flopped backwards onto the bed, still holding her close. "Let's talk, darling."

With a bit of wiggling, she managed to situate herself so she was straddling his hips and could comfortably look down at him as they talked. "So, when are you leaving?"

"I was thinking sometime next week."

"For how long?"

"It would have to be a while," he admitted, jaw tightening. "Four months."

"Doing what?"

"The naval training I was telling you about."

"Why do you have to do it now? Why not next spring?"

"Next summer I'll have to be back with the Army. I'm a captain now, I can't just ditch my unit for my own schedule anymore."

"But leaving now for four months? The waterbenders in winter- if you run into them at night, they'll be at their peak."

"If it helps, I certainly don't plan to run into them at night," he smiled wryly. "Look, I have to learn how to face them eventually. So much of our strategy in the war relies on the Navy, I need to spend meaningful time there too."

"I know." He was right, of course. The future Fire Lord couldn't have a blind spot as large as the entire element of water.

"Dearest," he cupped her face, "I meant it when I said I wanted to talk to you first. What do you think?"

"Does it matter?"

"Don't say that. Nothing matters to me more than your opinion. Do you think I should delay this another year? Do you and Lu Ten need me more now or later?"

Iroh would stay year-round if he could, but it just wasn't an option. Ursa knew this for a fact. So, if it was a question of missing him now or later…

"Go now," she decided. "If you have to."

"Are you sure?"

"It'll be worse next year. Lu Ten will remember it more, and he'll be old enough that he might start firebending while you're away. You don't want to miss that."

"No, I don't. And I don't want you dealing with that by yourself either." His hand shifted to her scarred wrist, bringing it to his lips. "I accidentally lit Mom's clothes on fire more than once. It's probably one of the reasons we wear such loose sleeves, actually."

"You don't remember your first fire at all?"

"No, I've told you, I was too young. I've only heard about it from Father and Yuna."

Ursa knew that story: Iroh had been about two and a half years old, in a horrible mood at breakfast because he wanted a sip of his mother's tea instead of his juice, and in the ensuing tantrum he'd set the tablecloth on fire. "You would lose it over tea, wouldn't you?" she teased.

"My love, if you were a bender, your parents would have a near-identical story to tell about you and mango custard."

"How dare you."

"It's true. And Lu Ten's sweet tooth is just as bad. I won't be shocked if it's something similar that sparks his fire too."

"So keep an eye on him during meals after he turns two. Got it."

Iroh nodded, shifting onto his side, and Ursa moved to lay down with him. "It wasn't my first fire," he continued, "but after Ran and Shaw blessed me, my fire felt sort of…reborn. I remember that very well."

"I remember seeing your fire-breathing for the first time after that. It was incredible."

"Thank you, love." The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile, then dropped again. "I don't like that dragon-hunting game Ozai plays with Lu Ten. It's not what I want my son to be learning about dragons."

"But that's one of Lu Ten's favorites," Ursa immediately protested. "And it's the most attention Ozai gives him. Would you rather he ignore him?"

"Of course not." Iroh frowned, considering her points. "Can't Ozai change the animals to something else?"

"Lu Ten likes the dragons because they look like the ones on his baby mobile. Besides, you spent your whole childhood learning about dragon hunting, and you still knew the right thing to do when you faced them. I don't think Ozai's little game will turn Lu Ten into a dragon killer unless we let it. And Lu Ten probably won't remember it after a few years; if anything, he'll just remember his Uncle Zai making him happy."

"Uncle Zai," he muttered, rolling onto his back. "Honestly, I hope you defend me to 'Uncle Zai' as vigorously as you defend him to me."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Ursa playfully swatted him with a throw pillow. Iroh didn't know that Ozai had saved her life again during her postpartum depression, and she couldn't raise that as a point in Ozai's defense without telling Iroh that horrifying story. "Ozai playing with Lu Ten is a good thing, right? Didn't you love your aunts and uncles growing up?"

"My aunts and uncles weren't ill-adjusted teenagers."

"Come on, he's nineteen. He won't be a teenager for much longer. What'll be your excuse after that?"

Iroh sighed. "You're right. Spirits, you're right. I'm being ridiculous. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"You'll laugh."

"Maybe, but I still want to hear it."

"I feel…sort of jealous, now that he's actually starting to get along with Lu Ten. It was one thing when Lu Ten was a baby and Ozai had no interest in him. But the two of them playing, Ozai showing him firebending…For one thing, it makes me feel guilty, that I wasn't nearly as nice to Ozai when he was that age. And then it makes me wonder, what if I leave for these tours in the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe, and Lu Ten prefers Ozai to me by the time I return?"

It was no small thing for Iroh to admit jealousy of his younger brother, especially when it came to his son. Ursa curled into his side and kissed his cheek. "Iroh, did you ever love your father less when he was away?"

"No."

"Did you think Jinpa or your Grampa or anyone else was better than your father because they were around more?"

"Of course not."

"Well, if you were able to grasp that, why can't Lu Ten?"

"Hmm…" Iroh turned and kissed her. "My head knows you're right, as always, but it'll take a moment for my heart to agree."

"Jealous of your younger brother because he might be too good of an uncle," she teased. "I hate to think of how Lu Ten will treat his little siblings if this is the example you're setting."

Briefly, a frown flickered across Iroh's face, then he quickly banished it. But Ursa had seen it, and she knew her husband was hiding something.

"What?" she challenged, propping herself up on one arm.

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that."

"We don't have to talk about this tonight."

"So you can leave next week and hope I forget about it while you're away? That might work for when you eat the last of the almond cookies, but not for this. Why'd you make that face when I brought up little siblings?"

Iroh met her stare for a few minutes more, then eventually yielded. "My love, I…didn't realize you still wanted more children."

"What do you mean? We talked about this before we had Lu Ten, didn't we?"

"I know, but then we actually had Lu Ten." He sat up to match her height. "Dearest, I don't think you're realizing just how awful it was when you got sick after he was born. I…I was so scared that we'd made a terrible mistake. I was afraid I'd lose you. I don't want to risk it again."

If only Iroh knew just how close he'd come to losing her, except for Ozai's interference. "You don't know that it would happen again," Ursa said, pushing away memories of the dark times.

"It's likely to happen again, though. We have a son we love. Ozai will have his own children eventually. There's no need for you to risk it." Iroh's tone softened. "Unless you feel strongly about it."

Did she?

"Darling," he kissed her temple when she'd been quiet for a few minutes, "have I upset you?"

"No. Just thinking."

"Hm. Figures." He rested his head on her shoulder. "Your thinking face is remarkably close to your upset face."

Ursa giggled when he nosed into her ticklish neck, and then she decided to put the matter out of mind for the night.

The captain's office was kept well under Jeong Jeong, who'd made it his own in subtle ways while still respecting the tradition Jinpa had left behind. Jeong Jeong's command was evident in the slightly different inks and quills he favored, the preference for still lifes over landscape paintings, the addition of fine wines to the tea collection. But all of it was in keeping with the spirit of Jinpa's traditions, so Iroh didn't mind. Five years allowed him to miss the old captain less anyway.

"...and that's the last quarter's report," Jeong Jeong concluded.

Iroh looked back at the captain, embarrassed at having zoned out. It was all standard stuff anyway—Jeong Jeong ran the royal guard like a well-oiled machine at this point—but Iroh didn't want to seem disrespectful when he actually quite liked him. "Thank you, Captain. Anything else before I'm on my way?"

Jeong Jeong's eyes dropped uncharacteristically, and his fingers tensed around his stack of parchment slightly. "Yes, Your Highness. I wanted to inquire about your upcoming naval deployment."

"Oh, yes, I think the standard procedures for guarding the princess while I'm away should be fine-"

"Um-" Jeong Jeong cut him off, then winced at the breach in etiquette, but Iroh waved for him to continue. "Well, my prince, it's more about…me."

"You?"

"I was wondering if there was room on your ship for another soldier. For me."

Iroh tilted his head, studying Jeong Jeong in a new light. "You want to join the Navy, Captain? I didn't know that."

"It didn't seem appropriate to voice before. But now, I feel I've accomplished all I can in this position, and I still have so much of my career ahead of me…and, well, I've always dreamed of the sea. That's why I came to the capital, originally."

Iroh didn't know much of Jeong Jeong's backstory, or anything really about the man besides that he was a good captain who had been recruited by Jinpa and then saved Ursa. Then again, Jinpa and Ursa were two people whose judgment of character he trusted deeply. Jeong Jeong had definitely earned himself a promotion by this point, and although Iroh was loath to lose a royal captain who took Ursa's safety so seriously, he knew it didn't make sense to let such a capable soldier spend his entire career cooped up in the palace.

"Well," Iroh sighed, "did you have a replacement in mind among your men, or should we arrange for Agni Kai?"

Jeong Jeong had left with Iroh.

Ursa couldn't figure out what it meant. Was it really his aspiration to join the Navy, or was the White Lotus playing a bigger game? Were they watching Iroh more closely now, trying to recruit him? Did moving Jeong Jeong out of the palace mean they were going to move someone else in, or was Qin going to be the main observer of the royal family now? Maybe there was already another person, someone they'd put there after she'd quit, or someone they'd never told her about (lotus roots run wide and deep). She couldn't even ask Jeong Jeong, no, since that wall had sprung up between them after she'd quit. He was a loyal man. Ursa had just never considered the danger of that loyalty belonging to the White Lotus when she was no longer part of it.

Was it time for her to go back? Especially if she wasn't going to have another child (which, she still didn't know how she felt about that either), perhaps it made sense for her to resume her little side projects of learning more about Avatar Roku's legacy and how to restore his name. Lu Ten deserved to not be ashamed of half his family, after all.

For now though, Lu Ten was just fine. He had toddled to the back of the theater and was tugging at his bored uncle's robes in an attempt to trigger another dragon-hunting game. Lu Ten liked theater shows fine when something exciting was happening on stage, but he wasn't a fan of sitting through rehearsals with his mother.

Ozai caught her watching them. "Do I have to be here?" he called out desperately.

"Yes, I need someone to watch Lu Ten."

"They have these things called nannies for that."

"But you have so little to do, and I don't have to pay you."

Ozai grumbled something that was probably inappropriate, then noticed Lu Ten seemed to be on the verge of tears and reluctantly conjured up a dragon. "Yay!" Lu Ten cheered, immediately happy again. Had he actually been about to cry, or had he just figured out that his uncle would do anything to make sure he wouldn't?

"Okay, I'm back," Hana declared, sliding next to Ursa's seat and sipping on her cold drink. "What do you want to see next?"

"Let's do Act II, Scene III from the top, all the way through."

"Sure." Hana relayed the instruction to the troupe, and they sprang into action to reset the stage. "How's 'Uncle Zai' doing?" she whispered.

"Oh, he's great. Which may or may not have something to do with the fact that Iroh said he'll skin him if he ever makes Lu Ten cry."

"May or may not." Hana unsubtly glanced behind them, smiling at the sight of Lu Ten lunging after a flame dragon. "Nah, if you ask me, he likes being Uncle Zai just fine. He's probably just upset you're keeping him from a date."

"A date?"

"What, you don't hear these things? He's been seeing an admiral's daughter for a few weeks."

"Hana, the point of our friendships is so I can hear about these things from you. And so I don't have to watch rehearsals alone." After all these years, Ursa still couldn't bring herself to pay attention to capital gossip, even though Ozai was at the age where he would be the center of said gossip until he got married. "Which admiral?"

"Gun."

"Oh, he's a good one. Or so Iroh tells me. He's in good standing with the Fire Lord and Iroh, at least. What's the daughter like?"

"Very pretty, good with a sword, arguably too sweet for Ozai. A nonbender, but of course you've proved the royal family doesn't care about that as much these days. I think her name's Ayumi? You might've met her at the last Autumn Festival."

"I don't remember, honestly. The younger girls all blend together more and more each year."
"I'm sure we do once you're an old married mom."

"I'm twenty-three!" Ursa squawked, swatting her laughing friend. "You'll be that age in only two years."

"But I'll still never be as old as you."

The rehearsal commenced on stage, with drumming music and elaborate ribbon choreography marking the battle between phoenixes and dragons that was the highlight of this scene. Ribbon fights were Lu Ten's favorite part of theater; predictably, he waddled back over to Ursa and crawled into her lap to watch.

"When will you be old enough to be on stage, little dragon?" Hana teased, pinching his adorable cheek. Lu Ten laughed, grabbing her hand. It was good that he and Hana got along too. For a while, Ursa had worried motherhood meant her friendship with Hana was over, but she'd come with a smile and gifts for Lu Ten as soon as Ursa had invited her to meet him. Now, if only she could find some friends for Lu Ten too…everyone wanted their babies to be friends with the future Fire Lord, of course, but how could she know which of those children would actually be true friends, the way Korzu and Piandao were to Iroh?

On stage, the grand climax of the fight was underway. Red, orange, yellow ribbons swirled dramatically as the last phoenix and the last dragon flung all their might at each other, amidst intense drumming and lofty speeches of the power of fire. Delighted by the scene, Lu Ten clapped his hands together.

Sparks shot out.

"Oh!" Hana gasped, confirming it hadn't just been Ursa's imagination.

"Mommy, look!" His little hands clapped again, and a full-fledged flame erupted from them this time. Ursa, holding him in her lap as she was, froze. Why is there fire so soon, oh spirits, oh don't let him burn himself and don't let him burn me-

Thankfully, Hana was a bender, and she leaned over to help Lu Ten control his fire. "Wow, Lu Ten, look at that-"

"Hana, don't."

Hana flinched at Ozai's command, but retreated obediently. Then Ozai was sitting at Ursa's other side, and Lu Ten eagerly turned his attention to him.

"Uncle, look!"

"Yes, very good. Isn't it good, Mom?" Ozai raised his eyebrows at her, and she remembered she was supposed to be parenting her son during a critical moment.

"It's so good, sweetheart." The words stumbled over themselves, finding their way out of her month through anxiety about the prophecy and stress about her firebending toddler and it's too soon it's too soon Iroh was supposed to be here- "What a bright fire you've made! Daddy will be so happy to see it when he's back."

"Yes, he will," Ozai agreed. "Lu Ten, can you put the fire out?"

"Yeah." As soon as he said the word, the fire was gone, and Ursa breathed an uneasy sigh.

"Very good. Listen, now. You should never, ever make a fire unless your dad says you can. Okay?"

"Oh. Why?"

"Don't you know, little dragon? Your dad's a dragon himself, The Dragon of the West. He's the best firebender in the world. He'll teach you how to be like him. But if you go around firebending without him, you won't learn properly."

"Oh." Lu Ten squinted. "You can't teach?"

A rare genuine smile curved Ozai's lips. "No, I can't. I'm not as good as your dad. But if he says I can help when he gets back, maybe I'll show you some things then."

"Okay." Lu Ten accepted this without further inquiry, turning back to the stage.

"Thanks," Ursa whispered. "I had no clue what to do. It's so early."

Ozai shrugged. "I kind of figured something like this would happen. Iroh was a prodigy, and this one's supposed to be even more advanced than him."

"Do you think he'll actually be able to control it until Iroh gets back?"

"Probably, unless he gets worked up about something. Did you see the way he made that flame? It wasn't a fiery outburst: he was focused on it, trying to mimic the fire on stage. Completely intentional. I bet he's been trying to mimic Iroh and I for a while and finally figured it out."

Like many things about Lu Ten, it was too advanced for a boy that wasn't even two years old yet. Was this extraordinary ability part of the prophecy? Did he need this power for his destiny?

"Uncle," Lu Ten whined when the fight scene ended, bored once more and trying to get out of Ursa's lap so he could play.

"Do you mind?" Ursa whispered.

"Like I have a choice." Ozai let his nephew crawl over, and he had something resembling a fond glint in his eye as they resumed the dragon hunting game.

A/N: Shorter chapter at this point just so I can get it out there. Yes Ozai actually liking Lu Ten when they were both younger is my headcanon y'all can fucking deal with it!

~Bobbi