"Prince Tadashi, the Firebending Master!"

He could be a man of unparalleled skill. Unbeatable and revered by all, a hero of the Fire Nation. Capable of producing blue flames with ease, bending lightning that would go unchallenged and able to set anything alight with his intense flames. From a young age he was gifted, amazing, envied by his peers and enlightened before even maturing into an adult. Recognised by someone as powerful as the Avatar as a true master of Firebending.

But he was no prodigy.

"Crown Prince Tadashi of the Fire Nation!"

He was certainly loved by his country, a brave man that stood for his people and pushed them on the path to greatness. No threat was too big for the prince who could protect everyone. From the moment he was born he would have been loved, cared for and taught how best to lead his people. He would have contributed in every war meeting, stood up for those that couldn't speak for themselves and been the model prince. Certainly a sight to behold.

That being said, he could never be the crown prince.

"Captain Tadashi of the Imperial Guard!"

Not one to shy away from responsibility, this amazing man was in charge of the best firebenders in the world. Leading a team of talented individuals in the protection of the royal family, the cities' aristocrats and important figures of interest. Already born into nobility, the military officials would have recognised his insight, power and talent as a Firebender. The members of his team would protect him as he protected them, forming a bond that would span their entire lifetimes.

A position that has never been taken by nobility.

"Fire Lord Tadashi!"

A name that sounded all too familiar yet was virtually unobtainable.

A soft self-inflicted slap brought the boy out of his daydream as he sighed to himself and checked his appearance in the mirror once more, adjusting his top-knot for the sixth time that afternoon. He forced himself to inspect his clothing again, making sure that he did not miss any blemish in his appearance that had to be fixed before he appeared in front of his grandfather. He had heard the news that his grandfather wanted to hold a meeting with his father and their family, but due to a servant making a career-ending mess in the throne room the meeting was postponed for an hour.

The sound of light footsteps shuffling brought him out of his obsessive trance, much to the surprise of the servant girl who had been waiting for her master to speak.

Turning to face the source of the noise, the girl immediately bowed as she was taught to, a small tremble taking over her body.

"Forgive me Prince Tadashi, I meant no disrespect."

Tadashi moved towards the young girl who spoke, a servant that had moved from the colonies to personally serve the prince. Fire Lord Azulon had given her as a birthday gift to the Prince, a consolation prize for ignoring the boy on his birthday, a day that happened to coincide with the departure of Crown Prince Iroh and the invasion force for Ba Sing Se. Tadashi leant forwards to console the young girl before pausing and withdrawing his hand, not wanting to mess up his hand or clothing.

"Don't worry about it Naoko," he chuckled, a name he thought fit too well for the girl.

Naoko raised her head and allowed a small smile to escape, her body refused to stop shaking but she let out a breath of relief that made Tadashi chuckle. The two had been in this position of master and servant for almost 2 years and she still refused to always relax when no one else was in sight. If it were any other person they would have been fed-up with her unchanging attitude, but he couldn't bring himself to ever blame her. A memory of a time he had attempted to gift the servant on her birthday came to mind. It was the first time in his life that he had been rejected by someone, although more out of embarrassment than distaste, for a person of her status to reject the call of their master would be unheard of but the combination of the thoughtful Tadashi and timid Naoko certainly broke expectations. It was also the first time that Tadashi had gotten Naoko to laugh and ever since the two would make subtle jokes about the day.

Tadashi slapped his cheeks again, chastising himself for letting his mind wander again, an action that made Naoko jump ever so slightly.

"I better hurry up before I'm late," Tadashi excused himself, quickly bounding out of the door to his room.

As he ran a few of the servants he passed spared him a few glances, quickly giving a small bow before returning to their work. The boy was used to this treatment, his reputation with the servants was a well kept secret between the lower class. Unlike Azula who was bossy and Zuko who talked with an air of ignorance, Tadashi respected the servants although he was wasn't afraid to put them in their place when they seriously stepped out of line.

Another memory surfaced as he raced passed the palace guards, a time when one of the new cooks had snuck into Azula's room and stolen one of her golden bracelets only to run into the young girl who was busy giving her friends their 20th tour of the palace. At the time Azula had only begun learning to fire bend, so when she tried to bend at the thief he quickly avoided the small tufts of orange fire and sprinted out running straight into Tadashi and Zuko. Mai and Ty Lee quickly running to hide behind the two brothers who tried to stand in an intimidating way as boys of their age would. Both boys stared at the thief for minutes on end while Azula glared at the man, Ty Lee cowered behind Zuko and Mai tried to contain the excited grin on her face.

Before he knew it Zuko had called out for help.

Instead of running to go and find their mother like Zuko did or shout obscenities in frustration like Azula, Tadashi confronted the thief and had managed to hold his own against the intruder, much to young female firebender's delight. The bout between the young man and the prince lasted for minutes yet Tadashi felt his breath grow heavier every second. The thief, who was clearly a non-bender, would swipe and kick at the young prince who dodged as nimbly as he could, using a footing technique he learnt by watching Ty Lee. As the palace guards could be heard approaching the thief grew desperate and brought out a dagger, knowing it in the direction of Azula who was taken by surprise.

The fight didn't last much longer after that.

That encounter had been the first time that Azula truly acknowledged Tadashi as one of her elder brothers. Their mother had shouted at Tadashi for being reckless and not waiting for the palace guards, his father had spoken to him briefly for the first time in many weeks, telling him that he did a great service for his country by saving Azula. All he had to show for it was a scar on his hand, where he had accidentally caught the blade with his hand. Of course Azula came to see him as soon as the palace physicians finished bandaging the wound, she poked and made fun of Tadashi's foolishness but he could see the faint traces of recognition in her voice and that made it all worth it.

Of course, that was a long time ago.

"No, it means Uncle's a quitter and a loser." Tadashi recognised the voice as Azula's, so he approached the scene quietly whilst his siblings talked.

"What are you talking about? Uncle's not a quitter!" Zuko protested angrily.

"Oh yes he is! He found out his son died and he just fell apart! A real general would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground, not lose the battle and come home crying."

That news shocked Tadashi. Although Uncle Iroh had never given him special attention, Lu Ten was always a welcome face, had always spoken words of encouragement and was one of the few people that he could call a friend. Tadashi closed his eyes and sighed, letting his thoughts clear before listening again to Zuko.

"How do you know what he should do? He's probably just sad his only kid is gone. Forever." Zuko pointed out.

Tadashi found himself nodding in agreement, which only seemed logical in his mind. Before anything further could be said, their mother had stepped into the hall the three were in and everyone turned to face her.

"Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon. Best clothes, hurry up!"

Zuko didn't say another word and ran towards him room, going past Tadashi but failing to see him. Azula however had decided to stick around, clearly harbouring a question as Tadashi recognised the look on his sister's face.

"Fire Lord Azulon ... Can't you just call him 'Grandfather'? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon."

That shocked Tadashi. He knew his sister could be quite the bold person but even she should know that there were limits to what a Princess could get away with.

"Young lady! Not another word!" their mother spoke angrily, her hands tightening into fists.

As Azula ran past, most likely about to order her servants to give her a new fresh of clothes she glanced to her side ever so slightly, meeting Tadashi's gaze for a mere second before she continued on her way.

"What is wrong with that-" Ursa started before catching herself, "I know you are there, Tadashi."

The boy gasped, wondering how his mother had spotted him before coming out like a caught criminal. He noticed that she gave him the same look she always saved for him, a pained smile that always his stomach ache.

"How did you know?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"A mother know these things," she replied without thinking, "but why are you dressed already?"

"Naoko," he simply stated.

"Ah," Ursa replied, that name alone enough to satisfy her question, "so you knew then?"

Tadashi was caught off-guard for a second, unable to comprehend what she meant.

"Oh, you mean what happened to cousin? No, I only learnt just a few moments ago listening to Azula."

"I see," she said. "Well, you'd better join your brother and sister, it's time to appear before Fire Lor- I mean your grandfather."

He immediately noticed the face his mother made when she corrected herself. It must have felt uncomfortable addressing his grandfather in such a way, but he couldn't understand why.

"Okay." Tadashi nodded, turning on the spot to catch up with Zuko and Azula.

It was custom for siblings to enter the Fire Lord's chamber from eldest to youngest. Tadashi didn't need a reason for his family to pay any less attention to him, so it was a rule he followed at every possibility.

The Fire Lord's chambers was warm, but not the comfortable kind that Iroh's held. This was a much harsher and fanatical flame that could lash out at any moment. The meeting started as all other meetings normally did. Their father would exchange pleasantries with the Fire Lord whilst he in turn would ask short and quick questions about their upbringing. When their father questioned Zuko about the exploits of their great grandfather, Tadashi noticed the small smirk that grew on Azula's face and the grimace that their mother held.

For the moment Zuko seemed to be holding his own, barely able to answer the questions but still showing that he was knowledgeable on the subject.

"And how was it Great-Grandfather Sozin managed to win the Battle of Han Tui?" their father asked, his voice revealing that he was already bored of this proceeding.

Azula's smirk widened even more as Zuko struggled to answer. Tadashi wanted to speak out, having learnt about the battle in great detail but was beaten to the punch by Azula who spoke in that tone that clearly displayed a sense of superiority.

"Because even though his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated his advantages. The enemy was downwind and there was a drought. Their defences burned to a crisp in minutes."

Tadashi nodded in agreement, meeting eyes with Azula for a split-second who seemed delighted by the proud smirk he gave her.

"Correct, my dear. Now, would you show Grandfather the new moves you demonstrated to me?" their father spoke once more, clearly giving Azula her cue to stand up.

What proceeded was a form of firebending that was meant to be performed by those nearer to Zuko's age. She spun in several promising twists, throwing fire as if it was second nature and going through the forms of advanced techniques that Zuko had just started learning. The entire routine finished with a graceful flare, evident by the proud smile on their father's face.

"She's a true prodigy! Just like her grandfather for whom she's named."

Once again Tadashi had to agree; for such a young girl, Azula was certainly talented. On her way back to her siblings she grinned happily in Tadashi's direction before smirking towards Zuko, who had watched the whole procession with amazement.

"You'll never catch up…." Tadashi heard her whisper.

"Tadashi, you were not present at the last meeting due to your broken leg. Perhaps you shouldn't demonstrate anything today?"

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The double meaning of his father's words weren't lost on Tadashi. It was true that he missed the last meeting that happened over two months ago by fracturing his leg in a firebending experiment he conducted with Azula. It was the first time that Azula had gotten reprimanded by their father for acting dangerously, which surprised even their mother.

However, the words their father spoke today meant something completely different. If he were to make a fool of himself in front of their grandfather, than he would certainly regret it. However Tadashi was ready, he had spent that last year practicing in secret, and constantly studying the archives the palace contained on bending to prove to his family that he could be useful. This was something he had to do.

"I'm ready!" He stood up dramatically, earning a look of surprise from their father. Ozai didn't say another word, yet watched intently.

Tadashi felt the gaze of his grandfather and managed to resist the urge to quiver. This was his moment and no one was going to take it away from him. He walked over to the spot where Azula had stood moments before and took a deep breath to push away any concerns that popped into his mind. He started in a similar fashion to his sister, arms brought inwards, then outwards, falling into the stance that he had practiced hundreds of times alone.

Without looking he could feel the gaze of everyone in the room as he brought his hands to release the first fireball. The rising tension, expectation and most important of all attention on him was more than enough to raise the boy's spirits.

However as he punched out the rather large ball of dark grey smoke there was no doubt that everyone was shocked. Tadashi continued, producing enough smoke to make a ring around his body, the display was certainly unique in the sense that no self-respecting Firebender would be proud of their ability to make smoke and not fire but Tadashi continued regardless. He could feel the temper of his father rising and just before he knew he would call out in anger he performed his second trick of the little performance he put on.

The smoke suddenly ignited. Rapidly and in all directions a ring of orange and red flames seemed to explode from the smoke, Tadashi directing the heat with small and precise manoeuvres. He was too busy concentrating on his form but could tell that the trick had done its job and surprised his family completely. From there he went into a routine of creating gusts of smoke, turning and simultaneously creating another gust as he ignited the one behind him. To those observing him, it seemed like he had a shield of fire protecting his back at all times.

Tadashi could feel his breath starting to waver, he couldn't keep this up for too much longer and if he wanted to finish on a strong note he'd need to act now. Using the framework of a cross-step waltz he read about in scrolls, he brought in all the excess smoke, fire and energy around his body back into the palm of his hand. Small beads of sweat were already dropping from his forehead as he poured more energy into the sphere of fire in his hand. The fire circled in place creating a sphere the size of an apple, the smoke would cause tiny eruptions like miniature solar flares and the chi he poured into this trick would make the flames spin faster and faster, growing hotter by the second. As he had practiced many times before, Tadashi turned his hand around, throwing the ball of fire in the air at the same time. He closed his fist, not in an attempt to put the fire out but to actually condense the energy into a smaller ball. This action he had practiced the most after his smoke ignition trick and for one reason only. As the ball got as small as it dared, the remaining smoke that had settled into the innards of the sphere exploded in a violent reaction and a shower of blue embers scattered around Tadashi in a grandiose fashion.

For mere moments they boy was too shocked at his accomplishment that he almost forgot to bow to his grandfather, a mistake he quickly corrected in the astonishment his firebending created. No one spoke as Tadashi breathed heavily, trying to collect as much energy as possible to repeat his actions if asked.

"Incredible, even in your absence you have shown the drive to become a true Firebender, much like your grandfather before you." His father spoke slowly and carefully.

Although he knew that the words at the end were more for their grandfather's benefit than anyone else he couldn't help but let the words go to his head.

His father was actually proud of him.

"I see you have unlocked the art of blue fire," Fire Lord Azulon spoke in a tone that sounded wise yet frightening. "You have also utilised smoke in your bending. Usually a substance that all firebenders want to avoid creating, yet you found an application for it. Certainly impressive."

Tadashi bowed in acknowledgement, unable to see the small smirk that formed on his grandfather's lips as he already started envisioning applications of his smoke attacks for the war effort.

"Today you have shown me two promising children, Ozai. How about you eldest son? Will he show the genius of Azula or the brilliance of your second son?" Fire Lord Azulon spoke.

Tadashi couldn't help but internally wince when he wasn't called by name, but he wouldn't let anything keep him down, now when he had just accomplished a feat that not even the Fire Lord could accomplish, blue fire. Before Prince Ozai could respond to the Fire Lord's question Zuko stood up and spoke defiantly, mimicking the action Tadashi took before his performance.

"I'd like to demonstrate what I've been learning." It was clear from the way Zuko spoke that the anger he held would control his judgement, but no one challenged him.

As Tadashi returned to his place between Zuko and Azula he glanced at his parents. His father was already looking at Zuko with a frown, their mother had another pained look on her face but this one was full of worry not sadness. As he got closer to his position he could see Azula stuck between gloating towards Zuko in an attempt to bait him into a mistake and gazing towards Tadashi with eyes of pride and slight jealously.

"You won't be the only one producing blue fire," she said as Tadashi knelt next to her.

"I look forward to the day, but in the meantime I could give you pointers," he teased, earning a playful grimace from his younger sister.

Their attention was both drawn to Zuko as he reached the same spot where Tadashi and Azula had both put on interesting yet varied performances. At first Zuko started off on the right note, his footing was somewhat slow and shaky but he was sliding into the correct forms. His circular motions almost mimicked Azula's; however the pale blast of fire he created was not impressive at all. As he tried again and again it became apparent that he wouldn't stop his failing act until he got it right once, something that a prince of the fire nation should not consider doing in front of the Fire Lord. It was their mother that quickly got up and moved to console Zuko, much to the annoyance of everyone else seated.

"I failed." Zuko said, the sadness in his voice was enough to wash away the jealousy Tadashi felt towards the interaction he had with their mother.

Azula on the other hand was finding it hard to switch between a grimace at the sight of this display of affection and a grin for the failure of Zuko's performance.

"No. I loved watching you. That's who you are, Zuko. Someone who keeps fighting even though it's hard."

The words their mother spoke hit both Tadashi and Azula. Both suddenly started wondering why she would never say such a thing to them, only to Zuko who seemed to be her favourite. Tadashi's thoughts darkened even more so when he thought that even their father favoured Azula over them all, barely speaking to Tadashi and treating Zuko as if he were a failed project.

To Tadashi, the kind words his mother spoke were sickening, enough to make him want to lash out, so he was thankful when the Fire Lord clicked his tongue and spoke out, clearly annoyed by the sudden turn of events.

"Prince Ozai, why are you wasting my time with this pomp? Just tell me what you want. Everyone else, go!"

At those words he was glad to leave, waiting for his mother to leave first with Zuko behind him before walking next to Azula. The young Firebender then tapped him on the shoulder and placed a finger to her lips before leaning closer and whispering in his ear.

"Time to tease Zuzu some more," she said with a playful smirk and dashed forwards grabbing Zuko and pulling him off to the side.

Tadashi thought to himself for a moment but decided against following them, he was too tired to walk normally let alone sneak around the throne room and he didn't want to risk getting all the blame if they got caught, knowing that he'd willingly take any blame off his younger sister. As he stumbled out of the throne room Tadashi tripped on something unseen and landed into his mother's arms. Ursa had turned around, sensing that there was a lack of children behind her, only to see Tadashi stumble and fall.

"Are you okay?" she asked, waving for one of the guards to call a physician.

"Just exhausted," Tadashi managed to let out, earning an inquisitive look from his mother.

"Where are your brother and sister?" she asked.

Tadashi contemplated whether to lie or not but decided against doing so. He could see that his mother would see through anything false he fed her, there was no way his skills were up to par with Azula, at least not yet.

"They decided to stick around," Tadashi mumbled.

His mother frowned, her mouth opened seemingly wanting to tell of Tadashi for letting them go but decided against it. The two stayed like that for a while, waiting for the palace physician to come.

"I'm proud of you too," she suddenly said.

Tadashi couldn't help but gasp, he had never heard those words from his mother but there was no way that she didn't mean it.

"I probably don't say this enough but I'm glad that you're here and get along well with both Zuko and Azula."

That statement made him feel guilty, it was true that his relationship with Azula was good. They would tease each other and act competitively in their firebending training. Zuko on the other hand was different. Because he spent too much time by himself or with their mother it was hard to approach him. Sure they were brothers and still talked every now and then, they didn't hate each other and often ate lunch together but their relationship seemed nothing more than a script that the two followed during their day to day lives. It was then that Tadashi made a promise to himself to spend more time with his brother, perhaps even helping him with his bending.

The palace physician arrived, an old man who seemed older than anyone else in the world yet moved with the elasticity of a teenager. He took a quick look at the young boy before anyone could even move and nodded to himself.

"Ginseng Tea and rest, not particularly in that order." He said to no one in particular, but Ursa nodded. "He must have expended a lot more energy than usual, a common ailment for firebenders in training."

The explanation seemed to be enough because without a word he turned around and left, his head twitching ever so slightly as he mumbled something to himself.

"Naoko!" Ursa called, surprised by how quick the servant stepped out of the shadows and bowed in place.

"I take it you heard then? Take Tadashi to his room, he needs some rest and when he wakes up give him some tea," she ordered then looking towards another guard, "You, help her take my son to his room."

Surprised again that day that his mother had called him her son in public he couldn't help but feel a happiness deep inside his heart. Naoko and the guard quickly moved to lift up Tadashi, allowing Ursa to stand up and walk away without another word. The three moved towards the young boy's room, trying to limit the amount of walking he had to do as they traversed up a set of stairs. When they reached the door to the room Naoko turned towards the guard and insisted she could take it from there. The guard just shrugged and bowed towards Tadashi before leaving, hoping to get back to his post before anyone questioned him why his was moving around the palace.

It was harder for Naoko to help Tadashi take off the outer layer of clothing he was wearing and into more comfortable garments. During that time the young boy had been mumbling words of joy, pride and surprise. His apparent happiness was enough to make Naoko smile, glad that her master was happy.

"I take it everything went well," she spoke softly, ensuring that no one was entering the room at that moment.

Tadashi, who was now in bed, looked up towards his servant with heavy eyes but a satisfied smile on his face before speaking.

"Yeah, it went very well." He assured her, drifting off to sleep within seconds.