To Lose is to Gain (AtLA Fanfic)

Untitled Part 1

Azulon was no fool.

The Fire Lord remembered watching Ozai grow up in his older brother's shadow yet remembered the bitter looks of jealousy Ozai sent Iroh's way whenever he didn't think nobody was watching. Azulon hoped his youngest grew out of this bitter resentment, yet the obvious coveting of Iroh's birthright made quite clear Ozai never got over not being first born.

"You were lucky to be born," Azulon once told Ozai. After all, he and Iliah never expected the blessing of a second child. In the back of his mind, he remembered thinking how he could protect that child from the horrors Iroh would face being the firstborn. As such, he never pushed Ozai like he did Iroh, nor did he ever place the expectation of becoming a general on his youngest child's shoulders.

Now, he wished he had, as Ozai was spoiled.

Worse, Azulon saw the bitter resentment come out in Ozai's treatment of his two grandchildren. In truth, he didn't want to believe the rumors floating around the Fire Nation court regarding the matter. In fact, he remembered the day Zuko was born.

~A~

The smell of tea permeated the room where Azulon sat with Iroh. Mirth twinkled in the eyes of his oldest son while Lu Ten sat nearby. Azulon rarely showed any sign of emotion, yet his mouth couldn't help but twist slightly if ever briefly upon seeing the way Lu Ten fidgeted slightly. The young prince's eyes drifted towards the ceiling as he let out a sigh indicating impatience. "How much longer?"

"With time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown." Iroh poured a cup of tea to help warm their bodies during the winter months. A child being born in the Fire Nation during the winter months was a rare event as most were born during the warmer months.

Azulon watched Lu Ten turn his head and give his father an exasperated look. If he weren't the Fire Lord he would let out a loud laugh, yet Iroh did this for him. Another slight twist of the mouth threatened to escape his mouth. His eldest didn't care about pomp, which in turn pleased Azulon greatly, yet Iroh would also make a wise Fire Lord one day.

Ozai, on the other hand, didn't have the patience of his older brother, yet the young man was rash in the decisions he made regarding – well, everything. Azulon lifted the cup of tea Iroh prepared for him to his lips and took a small yet content sip of the calming drink. "Patience Prince Lu Ten. Your cousin will arrive soon."

Lu Ten's face turned slightly. The young prince let out a sigh before turning and kneeling into a bow before his grandfather. "Apologizes Fire Lord Azulon."

"There is no need to apologize. The birth of a prince, even if they are of the branch family is something to be celebrated."

"I was actually thinking..." Lu Ten stopped speaking and instead looked at the ground. A slight blush spread across the young prince's cheeks as if his thoughts embarrassed him.

A laugh escaped from Iroh's mouth. "I think my son sees this as a chance to finally have a sibling."

One of Azulon's eyebrows shot up. Iroh's wife died in childbirth, meaning Lu Ten would have no siblings, nor did he ever know his mother. In some ways, Ursa filled the hole left, but she couldn't ever fill the hole in Iroh's heart. In the back of his mind Azulon didn't bring up the idea of Ursa not surviving, but the look on the Fire Sage's face right before he bowed to the Fire Lord after the soldiers announced his approach.

"Is the baby alright?" Lu Ten's words became a tangled mess.

"Prince Zuko is quite healthy." The Fire Sage remained bowed low to the ground.

"What about Lady Ursa?" Someone needed to ask the question.

"She – she is also well."

Yet something was wrong. Iroh set his hands into his lap lightly. "There is something the matter though, isn't there?"