Full Summary: "Fire Nation. Air Nation. Water Tribes. Earth Kingdom. Long ago, all four nations lived together in harmony. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked, led by my grandfather, Firelord Sozin. A hundred years have passed, and my brother and I were born as the children of the new Avatar, a firebender namedOzai, and my mom, still has to master waterbending, airbending, and earthbending. There may be some bumps in the road, but I believe that with our help, he can save the world."

—Azula during the opening narration.

Over a century has passed since the last Air Nomad Avatar passed away, and the following Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom Avatars have passed away as well. Now, it's up to the current Avatar, a firebender named Ozai, to follow the legacy of his past lives and restore balance before there isn't a world to save.

Air... Water... Earth... Fire...

Long ago, all four elemental nations lived together in perfect harmony. There were no quarrels, no fights, and no war, but that all changed when the Fire Nation, led by Fire Lord Sozin, attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them. But when the world needed them the most, they vanished. It has been said that the previous Avatars from the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom have passed away, so the new Avatar was reincarnated in the Fire Nation.

Now...

84 AG

Pants and screams of pain were filling the air of the royal birthing chamber as the young man on the bed, no older than thirty-two years old, struggled to bring his child into the world.

Finally, as soon as the royal clocks chimed at midnight, a healthy baby boy was born.

Cradled in blankets of silk, hair as black as ebony, the small bundle scrunched it's face up before it's eyes fluttered open to reveal eyes of liquid gold looking up at the person holding him with a tired smile.

"Hello, firefly. Hello, my little dragon," the man, Ozai said as he cuddled the baby close to him, who gurgled curiously before the infant started nursing.

With a knock on the door, a young woman with flowing black hair, a cold and emotionless look on her face, gracefully entered the room with piercing amber eyes.

She let her eyes train on the infant in her submissive's arms before speaking.

"Husband," the woman curtly greeted the man nursing the baby.

Snapping out of his trance, the man looked at her before his face settled into an emotionless mask.

"Dominant. Say hello to your son," he said before burping the infant.

The woman regarded the baby curiously looking at her with cold, calculating eyes, before scoffing and storming out of the room as gracefully as she came in.

Ozai stared at her in slight fear before turning his attention back to the child, who still needed a name.

Finally, a name came to mind: Zuko. While the name in most people's eyes meant failure, Ozai chose the name in honor of the dragons' determination and loyalty to their mates.

"Welcome to the world, Zuko, my little fire pearl," Ozai whispered to his newborn son, who was now fast asleep in his arms.

'I never knew what to expect on that Winter Solstice, what my destiny would be, or what my future would hold. For I am Crown Prince Zuko, son of Avatar Ozai'.

85 AG

A year has passed since the birth of Zuko, and the child had quickly become the light of everyone's life, charming his grandparents, uncle, cousin, and his mother especially.

Ozai and Zuko, mother and son, were attached at the hip; wherever one was, the other wasn't far behind. Now that Zuko could walk, he toddled after Ozai as fast as he could, often stumbling over himself, before catching up again.

Ozai really loved and cherished Zuko with all of his heart, but what the small family never told anyone was that Ozai's wife and Prince Iroh's younger sister, Princess Ursa, was cruel and abusive to her husband and son.

Whenever either of them did something that wasn't up to her standards, she would degrade them or use her bending to burn them.

But there was a reason that most of the servants favored Ozai over Ursa, he was as kind and caring as anybody could possibly be, and he saw the best in everybody.

He didn't care that he would receive nothing in return, all that mattered was that the gesture was appreciated. One day, Zuko and Ozai were at the turtleduck pond; well, Ozai was watching Zuko curiously look at the turtleducks in fond amusement.

To Ozai, it looks like the only good thing Ursa ever did was give him Zuko. "Zuko, darling, come here please. It's naptime," Ozai gently called to the toddler wandering around the garden. The bright-eyed child looked up at him and came toddling back, a small squeal escaping him as Zuko shouted, "Mama!".

When Zuko was close enough, Ozai cradled him in his arms and cuddled him for a minute before coming back inside the palace. Hopefully, he could get Zuko cleaned up, fed, and put down for a nap before Ursa caught them.

Sure, Ozai himself was a powerful bender, but his wife took her frustration out on both him and their child. It was his maternal instincts that drove Ozai to take the brunt of his wife's anger in order to protect Zuko.

It was right after he finished nursing Zuko, that Ursa stormed into the nursery with an ugly glare marring her beautiful face. She really was the granddaughter of Fire Lord Sozin. " Ozai..." there was an implied command that she did not want to be trifled with at the moment, lest somebody got hurt.

So, he just placed Zuko in the crib and exposed his neck in submission. Ursa glared at him for a few moments before stomping away, allowing Ozai to breathe a sigh of relief. For once, neither of them got hurt. He turned to Zuko and picked him up before singing a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him.

Wait a second, let me catch my breath

Remind me how it feels to hear your voice

Lips are moving, I can't hear a thing

Living life as if we had a choice

Zuko snuggled up to Ozai and his honey golden eyes started drooping as slumber slowly claimed his tiny frame. A pacifier was slipped into his mouth and he started suckling on it as his mother sang his favorite lullaby. This song always put him to sleep and after only four verses, Zuko was halfway asleep.

Anywhere, anytime, I would do anything for you ~

Anything for you

Yesterday, got away

Melodies stuck inside your head

A song in every breath

Sing me to sleep, now~

Sing me to sleep

Sing me to sleep, now~

Sing me to sleep

Finally, Zuko was sound asleep. Ozai placed his baby into the crib with a kiss on his forehead and his favorite turtleduck plush his tucked under Zuko's right arm. Ozai, with his very being, swore that he would rather die than let any harm come to his children.