Chapter Text
All of his life, Zuko was convinced that he had lived a life that was a lie. He awoke every single day as a Prince, he was waited on hand and foot, he was never allowed to go anywhere without an escort and had everything he could ever need and so much more as long as it was something money could buy.
Yes, Zuko lived a rich, spoiled life. Now, years later, he could look upon that farce of a life with utter disgust.
He had a little sister who was more talented than him and who loved to shove that fact again and again in his face. He had a mother who loved him unconditionally but abandoned him nonetheless.
He had a father who did not love him.
The day his father faced him in the Agni Kai and burned him with fire fuelled with hate and vengeance, Zuko believed that that was the day he finally grew and became a man.
How wrong he was.
It took defeating Ozai and Azula and bringing about balance between the four elements for him to learn humility as well as the difference of right from wrong. It took him standing behind what he believed in, Uncle Iroh by his side for him to find the strength that had been buried under the need for approval by his family.
Now, he was Fire Lord, ruler of the Fire Nation and he had everything imagined. Only now, what he had was everything money could not buy. For the first time in a long time, he finally felt that he could do anything and that he had the support he had always wanted. Like the vast, blue sky, he knew his potential to do good was endless.
He had friends to thank for that.