To Lose or to Gain: Iroh's Child (AtlA Fanfic)

Changes

The time finally came.

Zuko found himself taking a deep breath when Lady Akira came into the room. He sat in a kneeling position at the front end of the bed with his hands clutching his knees. In some ways, he felt as if he were back where he was when the servants first brought him to the room, yet this time his uncle was there and the only servant was Lady Akira.

"We've not yet trained any male servants for this task due to the fact it is not yet common knowledge. As such, I hope you can bear with me for a day, esteemed Prince Zuko." This was the answer she gave to why she needed to be in the room with him, helping him with something Iroh actually taught him.

Apparently dressing for things such as events that engaged the public to the degree of today's ceremony was a completely different level of dressage.

"Don't worry. I'll carefully explain what I am doing when I am doing it, but your uncle will be with you. That's why he's already dressed in his full regalia. One look at the regalia made Zuko's mouth twist slightly into a pout; the entire thing looked uncomfortable.

"You'll do fine." Iroh reached out and ruffled the top of Zuko's head. Take a deep breath when you need to."

"We're supposed to stay perfectly still when the public eye is on us."

"That..." Iroh took a deep sigh. "Don't overthink things. Just be yourself."

"I guess." Zuko glanced at the ground, knowing full well he would need to face his father simply so the family might save face for what Prince Ozai did. He also knew he would be with the man for a short period of time. He heard Lady Akira say something, yet didn't hear exactly what she said.

When she finished, she grabbed onto his shoulders without messing up his clothing and looked him in the eye. "Good luck esteemed Prince Zuko. You will do fine."

Zuko's golden eyes looked her right in the eye, but somehow he managed to say, "thank you."

Iroh gently took his hand and Zuko followed him out, yet realized he'd moved from the foot of the bed to a standing position as Lady Akira helped him out. He took a deep breath and held onto it as they drew closer to the balcony where the royal family presented themselves to the Fire Nation.

He'd never seen the place before, not even for the ceremony for Lu Ten's death. He wasn't even sure if there was one, or if he was simply too young.

He stood with Iroh waiting for everyone to start into the ceremony which would occur in front of the people, yet briefly, in his mind he didn't understand why this needed to do, this, yet he knew the answer was simple; they were the royal family. His lips twisted, his mind wondering if he would present himself well.

"Do you remember what you're to say and when you're supposed to say it?"

Zuko glanced up at his uncle in fright. They'd gone over the details in the morning, yet there was the fear of messing up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his grandfather appear, but he looked down at him while keeping an emotionless look on his face. Despite the man telling him he could do no wrong - that he'd even lost his temper at Iroh in his youth - he still felt as if he might fail.

Then, Azulon's mouth twisted slightly at the corner ever so briefly. "You'll be fine Esteemed Prince Zuko."

"I don't think I remember what I was supposed to say."

"How about instead of thinking about what you're supposed to say you think about what we don't want you to say?" Azulon watched Zuko shuffle his feet. "Zuko, if indeed you mess up with the words you use today and reveal the fact Ozai committed a great grievance - I personally doubt you would - I will not hold it against you, but I will find a way to fix the situation. Simply be yourself."

Zuko's eye darted to Iroh, remembering he'd said something similar. "Okay."

His eyes drifted around, but his eyes finally caught sight of his mother. His mouth fluttered into a grin, yet he found himself glancing away. He still couldn't remember the proper etiquette regarding words for today despite the fact he wanted to. He also knew...

"Zuko."

Zuko's head darted up, but he saw Ursa smile as she held out her hand for him to take. He walked over and took her hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Azula glare at him. He took a deep breath, watching his grandfather step forward first when announced. Then, Iroh followed, Ozai and then his mother.

"Traitor."

Zuko's eyes darted over to Azula. He knew she was trying to rial him up, but he hoped the look on his face when he left didn't make him look like an idiot in front of the entire Fire Nation. When they called his name out, he took a deep breath and walked out onto the balcony. He then knelt beside his parents as expected, waiting for the announcement which came after Azula came out.

"As you know, the Fire Nation has faced a great loss with the death of the Esteemed Prince Lu Ten, the son of Crown Prince Iroh, my beloved son. He is now faced with having no heir. As such, my son, Prince Ozai has offered a solution."

Zuko knew this was a lie. Ozai didn't come up with the plan; instead, he insisted he should be the one to take the throne when Azulon died. Instead, the man said, "I, Prince Ozai, am sacrificing my own son, my own firstborn, so that my brother, the Crown Prince will once again have an heir."

Then came Zuko's turn. At first, the words froze on his tongue. "I, Prince Zuko, will become the son of Crown Prince Iroh and the younger brother of the deceased Esteemed Prince Lu Ten."

Except, the second part wasn't part of what he was supposed to say. Iroh went with the flow. "I, Crown Prince Iroh accept Prince Zuko as my heir, but also as the younger brother of my beloved Prince Lu Ten."

"I, Fire Lord Azulon accept the gift my son, Prince Ozai has given, but extend the role of crown mother to Princess Ursa and allow her to retain her role as mother figure to the Esteemed Prince Zuko in return."

Zuko's eyes drifted towards the ground as the royal family left the balcony in the reverse order. Azula didn't let him leave without saying, "you made a fool of yourself ZuZu."

Zuko stood up and left, but stopped walking when Iroh clapped a hand on his shoulder. He saw his grandfather watching, smiling. "I messed up."

"What you said - that will appeal to the people, but also help shape the image we want for you Zuko."

Zuko's golden eyes blinked, watching his grandfather leave. In the back of his young mind he thought politics horribly confusing.