A slightly inebriated Iroh intercepted them in the hallway.

"Ah, Lady Katara." Iroh hiccuped. "May I borrow my nephew for a moment?"

Zuko and Katara nodded in silent agreement that she would wait for him in his room. Zuko followed his uncle back into the Fire Lord's study where two shot glasses filled with a crimson colored liquid awaited them.

"I found this fire whiskey stashed in the very back of the cabinet. I remember hearing it was Avatar Roku's favorite, so I thought we might share a drink." Iroh handed a glass to Zuko and lifted his in the air. "To a new era of love and peace."

Zuko reciprocated feeling equally comforted and unsettled by the words from his coronation speech. The firewhiskey burned a little at first but had a smooth finish.

"It's very balanced," Iroh said. "Truly an Avatar's whiskey." The general carefully placed the bottle back in the cabinet before picking up another. "Now, this stuff here will grow hair on your chest!"

Zuko groaned and hovered a hand over his glass. "I've had enough, thanks."

"Speaking of, what's that on your chin, nephew?"

"Don't worry. I'm shaving it off tomorrow."

"Not trying to grow a hamster hawk?"

Zuko laughed as he remembered the style, a thick beard at the base of the chin with two spindly pieces growing separately from just under each nostril. "Which one of the crew members wore that?"

Iroh's belly shook as he chuckled in response. "I don't remember his name, but he always got the long pieces twisted around his chopsticks when he ate!"

"Man, that seems like ages ago." Zuko saw in Iroh's expression that they were both thinking the same thing. So much has happened since then.

Their laughter faded.

"Zuko, did I ever tell you about the time I faced the dragons?"

"No. Probably for the same reason that I never told you about the time that I did. We were both sworn to secrecy."

"Wow, Zuko, when—"

"After the eclipse. When I left the Fire Nation to join the Avatar. Aang and I both…" Zuko wasn't sure what else to say.

"What did the masters show you?" Iroh prompted.

"I saw many colors of fire. It was beautiful. To me, it meant… harmony. And then I knew for certain that it was my destiny to help Aang restore balance to the world."

Zuko waited for Iroh to say something, but the old man simply beamed at him. After a while, it started to make him feel uncomfortable. "And you, Uncle? What did the masters show you?"

Iroh cleared his throat. "A very similar message I would say. I also realized the importance of balance, but not so much in the world, but within oneself."

"That is a good lesson. Although for some reason that sounds more daunting to me that finding balance in the world," Zuko said.

"It's interesting that I got my nickname The Dragon of the West for my supposed conquering of the dragons and my aggressive war tactics. But after I visited Ran and Sha, I became more subdued, in a way. I recognized the power of quiet strength and found that humility would provide the counterbalance to keep me centered."

"I've not done a very good job at staying centered lately," Zuko confessed.

"Zuko, you have always found your own way, and I know you always will." Iroh placed a finger on his nephew's chin and tipped it toward him. "But remember you are not alone."

It was rare for Fire Nation men to show affection toward each other, and Zuko had never been hugged by his own father. There was something about Iroh's embrace that made him feel safe, respected, and loved. The burning sensation returned to his throat, and he knew what he needed to say next.

"I love you, Uncle."

"I love you, too, son." Iroh sniffed and tightened his grip. "Oh man, now you've got me crying like a baby turtle seal!"

Zuko pulled away and wiped his own wet cheeks on his sleeve. "Sorry."

Iroh laughed. "Only you would apologize in a moment like this. But hey! The real reason I brought you here was to give you an early birthday present!"

The general stuck his head out the door, exchanged words with someone, and reappeared with a box in hand. Zuko eyed the gift curiously as his uncle placed it on the desk. Zuko carefully removed the lid to reveal a bundle of black fabric. It was thin and luxuriously smooth, like silk, but not.

"It's clothes?" He examined a pair of pants and then a shirt, both solid black.

"Oh, those are just for underneath, keep going."

Zuko pulled out a black tunic of a slighter thicker material that was lined with an intricate pattern of golden embroidered flames along the collar, lapel, and front trim. On each of the bottom panels, two dragons had been stitched, mirroring one another. Like Ran and Sha, he realized.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Put it on!" Iroh clapped his hands.

"N-n-now?" Zuko started to protest, but his uncle's smiling eyes made him think better of it. He removed his old sash and tunic and slipped on the new one. It was so soft and light. He could immediately tell a difference.

A glint of gold from the box caught his eye. He saw the clasp nestled in a cushion of black fabric and immediately recognized it as Iroh's crest. He ran his blistered thumb across the dragon-emblazoned medallion, and it reminded him of something. "Uncle, Lu Ten's swords…"

"They're not your size. I know."

"You do?"

"Of course. You're taller than he was at your age. I should know, I just gave a tailor your measurements! But don't worry. We'll make sure you have proper fitting swords."

I'm taller than Lu Ten? That's right. He left for the army when he was eighteen… and never came back. And now Uncle honors me by calling me "son." Zuko sighed.

"So… there's more… to your present…" Iroh urged.

"Oh, right." Zuko lifted the black cloak from the box. The same golden pattern lined the very bottom trim, but otherwise the clasp appeared to be the only ornament. It's very simple, yet still very regal.

"This is a new… Fire Lord's robe?" he asked. Iroh nodded. As Zuko shifted the cloak to put it on, he stopped short, and they both gasped. When the light caught the cloak in a certain way, it looked patterned? No, textured? There was definitely a variation in the fabric.

"Dragon scales," he whispered.

A knock at the door caused them both to jump. Iroh answered and ushered in a guard carrying a full-length mirror.

"Seriously?" Zuko fastened the clasp and looked incredulously at his uncle.

"Well, don't you want to see what it looks like on you?"

No. Not really. "Well, it feels amazing. So light weight. Loads better than the other one." Zuko reluctantly looked at the mirror and at first glance, he noted the perfect fit, everything from how it sat on his shoulders to the trim at his sides down to the length at his heels.

"What do you think?" Iroh grinned approvingly.

"It's so… different."

"Different is good."

"Yeah, but I don't want to, you know, challenge tradition."

Iroh let out an exasperated sigh. "Nephew, from what I've seen so far, you have a deep respect for tradition where it matters. War may be the Fire Nation's unfortunate history, but it does not have to be our legacy."

"I know, but I shouldn't make any changes just for the sake of change."

"Sometimes change is good. Oftentimes change is necessary. And right now, change is overdue."

"Change is also hard."

"Zuko, lighten up. We are just talking about changing your clothes."

Zuko turned and took in the full sight of himself in the mirror. The robe was amazing, in truth, it was everything he could've hoped for in new regalia. He so rarely looked in mirrors, though. After so many years of avoiding his own reflection, he just stared. It wasn't as pronounced as he remembered. Then again, this wasn't a scared thirteen-year-old looking back at him. No, he was a man, and the scar that once defined him seemed like only a shadow against the blackness of his hair and the cloak that now rested on his shoulders. What was once red and angry and painful was now just a semblance of a fading yet not forgotten past.

All of the sudden, he breathed in sharply. It was too much time in front of a mirror. Zuko looked down at his shoes and started fidgeting nervously with the hem of his tunic.

Iroh reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know what one of your greatest fears as a leader is, but I've known Ozai all his life. To compare you to him is like the difference between night and day."

Zuko stood a little taller then. He met his uncle's eyes in the mirror.

Iroh smiled at their reflection. "The dark days of the Fire Nation are over. It is the reign of Fire Lord Zuko. It is the dawn of a new era."

A/N: The End! But not really, be sure to check out the sequel, Rising Tide. It's already up along with the WIP finale and a few other companion pieces. There are a few things that happen in between when this fic ends and the next one begins (a span of about three weeks) and those are detailed in The Doctor Is In, Chapters 3-5. You don't have to follow the side story about sessions with Dr. Jung in order to keep up with events in Rising Tide. It is supplemental, but not crucial to the overall plot line, and whenever it is, it will appear in both places.