Honor is a flower

I

The entire Fire Nation was kept pristine. The capital, was of course, the most impressive. Its buildings were grand, its architecture elegant, and its patrons wealthy. Of course, there were a few outliers, Lord Ozai always said that for the wealthy to flourish there had to be the poor. Fire Lord Ozai said a lot of things, however. To the majority of Fire Nation citizens, the Fire Lords' word was the end all be all.

After all, for the past 100 years, the Fire Nation had the upper hand in the world. In more recent times their reign had become supreme. Collecting high taxes on the other sovereign states, enforcing strict laws, and pushing any other benders into manual labor. Lord Ozai only thanked himself for these accomplishments. Perhaps a nod to the military, and even a slight notice of effort from Azula. However, Ozai would never give thanks to his son.

Zuko was nothing. He was nobody in his father's eyes. Simply a child bore from a mistake and raised in embarrassment. Even as a child Zuko was frowned upon by his father.

"Everything I do is wrong," a young Zuko confessed as he sat by the pond on the outskirts of his father's estate.

Anju, a little girl with dark ash-colored hair tied in intricate braids sat across from Zuko. She was from a lineage of fierce Fire Bending warriors. People were so talented that centuries ago, when Yosor reigned as Fire Lord, they were called upon to be his personal armada. From that point forward her ancestors were promised eternal wealth and power, so long as they continued to breed warriors beneficial to the royals.

"I think you're too serious," Anju replies and tosses a crumb out toward the turtle ducks.

"If your father told you that you were nothing but a weakling you would be serious too," Zuko scoffed.

"Sometimes my uncle says that to me," Anju chuckles.

Anju had shown no ability of fire bending. Her mother and father had left in disgust. A deal with Azulon to oversee sanctions in the Earth Kingdom was far better than sitting around and raising a runt. This is why she was raised by her maternal uncle and his wife. "Perhaps she's just too young," her aunt would say softly as her uncle forced her through yet another day of training. "Age is no excuse. Most children discover their abilities young," he would bite back feverishly.

Anju was no stranger to disappointment. Which is why she had become used to the constant string of insults. This also allowed her to endure Azula's concept of friendship. The princess's consistently high expectations and brazen behavior did not face Anju.

"It's not the same," Zuko spat.

Anju enjoyed spending time with Zuko. Unlike her uncle and Azula, Zuko had no expectations of her. He was too caught up in his own failures to ever criticize her own.

"What does your mother say?" Anju questions.

"Yes indeed, what does she say?" Ursa's kind voice echoed softly from behind the children.

Across the grass, Zuko's mother glided toward them. She had a soft beauty, milky skin, and long black hair which reflected the sunlight rather than absorb it. Although her eyes were entrancing, they had not that fiery claim that Azula's or Ozai's had. Zuko had eyes like his mother, bold, but never fierce.

"You say that father is just hard on me because I can become an heir to the throne one day," Zuko sighs as his mother extends her hand and beckons him.

Ursa grins and then tilts her head down to glance at Anju. "Azula is looking for you, something about a cartwheeling competition?" Ursa chuckled and pointed out toward the trio of girls awaiting her presence.

Daily, Azula would roam around the palace with an adroit smirk. Training, and then beckoning her friends when she got tired of the constant boredom of being a princess. Different from his sister, Zuko followed his mother closely. Smiling at her kindness and latching on to her warmth. Every now and then he would try to entertain Azula, sparing playfully back and forth until Azula took it too far. She always took things too far. Boasting about what a prodigy she was, looking toward Ozai rather than Ursa. Where Zuko lacked, Azula gained. This is why their sibling relationship was stinted, the warmth which Ursa radiated was lost on Azula.