#prdgys

they’re both older now and trying to make things right, both still fumblin their way through learning from past mistakes that they made and the ones their family had made over the last century. once he’s sure zuko is comfortable and safe at home, he tries to spend his time in the earth kingdom, traveling, as he had before, and offering a hand when he could ( as lu ten of the fire nation; there was no way to properly help if he kept hiding behind the shen mask he had worn for so long ).

so, they sit. enjoying each other’s company in comfortable silence and sipping tea. 

“ i lied to you and your brother a lot when you were little. ” he says, he doesn’t look at her, his gaze is fixated out, but he reaches up to brush back the grey hairs that hang loose. if he looks at her, he wonders if he would be able to say what it was he wanted to. “ not everything, of course. i would never lie about how much i love you or how much i want you to be happy. ” his head drops and he stares at the cup in his hand. “ i always thought i was doing the right thing. that it was my way of protecting you from the world. i thought that if i could make you happy by promising things that you wouldn’t be sad about your parents or our grandfather. ”

finally, he looks up, eyes soft. “ it doesn’t make it right or okay, but i am sorry. so sorry for ever hurting you. if i could do it again, better, i would. ”

ii. he does not beg or plead, does not want to push her to do anything she doesn’t want to, but he and his mother were planning another trip to the temples of the sun warriors. to visit family and for her to fulfill her role as priestess. and he wants azula to come with them. he knows reiko had already offered, but lu ten wants her to experience it too. it is all still new to him, the culture, their family; but it is his and he wants to share that with her.

he and his mother both think it would do her good. they were her family too, something good and soft and better than what the royal family had probably ever been.

“ it would be nice to have you there, but only if you want to make the journey. ” his fingers are weaving carefully through her hair to braid it and keep it off her shoulders and out of her face. He smiles and ties her hair off at the end. “ my mother’s brother is funny--i think you’d like him. you should see the way he teases bàba when he tries to dance. ” he finds himself chuckling at the thought.

“ does the trip sound more appealing if i promised we could make fun of my father together ? ”

iii. “ you’re not really going, are you ? ”

news spread fast; he had hoped to have the opportunity to talk to azula and zuko before they found out. the prince’s gaze softens and he takes a seat beside her. “ where did you hear that from ? ” he licks his lips and shakes his head before she can answer. it didn’t matter. “ we won’t be leaving until sometime after my birthday. that is still months away. ” five months, to be exact. his throat feels dry at the thought of the date creeping up. the great general iroh had much to plan and lu ten, too, would be wrapped up in meetings in the following months. 

their time together was already growing short.

he still feels uneasy at the thought of going but knows he must. his father and grandfather have not forced him to join the army, but he isn’t sure he can face them or his people if he stays home. his hand rests on her back and he leans his head against hers, a small smile pulling his lips up. he is sure she’s mad at him, and he only wants to make her happy, to put her at ease even when he can’t put himself at ease.

“ i’ll be back soon, before you know it, i promise. when i come home, the war will be won and we’ll have all the time in the world to spend together. ”

iv. the question takes him off guard. he isn’t sure if she’s joking ( it can be hard to tell with her, azula, too, had mastered a straight face at a young age just as he had ). had no one told her the proper order of their birthright for her to question if she would one day be fire lord ? he wasn’t sure how the thought had come to her to begin with. lu ten could not imagine azulon allowing his only granddaughter to be seen as a true heir to the throne, nor could he picture uncle ozai, or even his father allowing such a thing. It had been unheard of, even further back than sozin ( though their family history before their great-grandfather was rarely discussed in anything but whispers ). it had been so long since a girl had even been born into their family.

“ fire lord azula does have a wonderful ring to it, don’t you think? ”

he did not want to be the one to upset her, to have to explain the harsh reality that she would remain a princess and only that; that it would be his future children sons ( and grandsons and great-grandsons ) who would sit on the throne. ( a thought passes through his mind : would he allow a daughter to sit on the throne ? ). lu ten rubs his chin in thought, appearing to seriously contemplate the question before he kneels before her in one quick movement. “ all hail fire lord azula ! long may she reign; mighty and powerful ! ”

with a smile, he quickly scoops her up into his arms and stands, lifting her over his shoulders. “ i will tell grandfather at once that i have promised the position of my next-in-line to you, princess, as long as you promise me to be a fair and wise ruler. ”

v. they’re in the same position, lying flat on their stomachs, but lu ten’s legs are in the air, kicking behind him. he’s laughing and making faces for her, his baby cousin, just over two months old. the prince’s eyes flash to where ursa sits with zuko, watching over the pair, searching for approval that he was doing a good job playing with his new cousin. hands cover his eyes and he peeks out at her after a moment. her gaze doesn’t waiver---until it does. he gasps as her little face lights up and bounces to his feet. “ aunt ursa ! she smiled--she smiled at me !! ” ursa stands, clearly thrilled at the news but lu ten has stopped listening, quickly sitting on the grass again, and he pulls her into his arms with care. it’s the first time she’s smiled, for him at least.