Throne of Ashes (Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic)

Minato and Hana

"Move."

Zuko looked at his arms, frustrated.

"Give it time, sweetheart," his mother said. "They're still recovering."

"I know," Zuko said, swallowing. He flexed his hands, then took a deep breath, remembering the instructions from his Uncle Iroh regarding not practicing any firebending yet to let his arms heal up some more.

"Work on your breathing, as that is just as important as the way you move, and that will give your body time to adjust back into moving the way you want to," his uncle said. "And also enjoy being a child, having some fun playing games with the other children."

He'd not, though, seen the other children, the two that visited him the day he woke up, but then—

"How does it feel to finally be able to leave that room of yours?"

Zuko turned his head, bowing slightly to the old woman. "Hello. Thank you for healing me."

The woman gave him a look while Zuko swallowed. He glanced away. "They'll be here soon."

"They?"

"Minato and Hana. You met them the other day," the woman said, humming. "Those are the names your uncle gave them."

"Gave them," Zuko said. "But what are their names."

"Not something you need to worry about," the old woman said. "But I and your mother will leave the three of you to become acquainted."

Zuko glanced over at his mother, watching the look of discomfort on her face. Ursa sighed, then leaned over, placing a kiss on his forehead. "You'll be fine. Uncle Iroh is nearby."

"He's not heading off to war again?"

"His heart..." Ursa started saying. "Never mind. You need not worry about politics yet, Prince Zuko. Particularly since..."

There came a pause, and then she sighed, touching his head lightly. A thought crossed his mind. "Wait. Will Azula be joining us?"

The old woman tensed. "That child?" She shook her head. "That child is as unhinged as her father, but with the rumors circulating, you need not worry about that sister of yours."

"But she's my sister," Zuko said, as a servant who led the Fire Nation youth and Water Tribe girl to the courtyard. He smiled, waving at them, only to discover neither smiled back, instead looking away. The girl looked at her feet, hands behind her back, while the boy looked to the side, one hand gripping his arm.

"And she tried to kill you," Hama said. "You can not be so forgiving, yet if you weren't..." The woman sighed. "If you weren't that forgiving, you wouldn't be who you are, would you?"

"I'm not sure what that means," Zuko stood up. He walked over to Mikoto and Hana, taking a deep breath. "You're as nervous as I am?"

"Water Tribe," the girl said, still looking at her feet.

"So?" Zuko said.

The girl took in a deep breath, letting out a huff.

Mikoto glanced over, then let out a sigh. "What Hana means is, why would you want to be friends with us?"

Zuko frowned, then tucked his arms behind his back. His head tilted. "Shouldn't I be asking the two of you that question?"

"Why?" Mikoto looked up at him, his eyes filled with defiance."

Zuko smiled, letting out a sigh as he looked at the ground as he worried the ground. "Because."

"You're the prince."