Ten years before the end of Sozin's War

Firelord Azulon reclined into a comfortable but dignified position on his beach chair.

It was not his first plan, to be here on Ember Island. Iroh had suggested it at dinner a few days before.

"It has been quite some time since we have had a vacation."

The Firelord had thought his son meant himself and Lu Ten. While Azulon himself was a tireless individual, stopping in his duties only to eat and sleep, he also knew the importance of taking time to relax every now and then. Overworking led to sloppiness and inefficiency, after all.

So he granted Iroh and Lu Ten one week at Ember Island.

"Thank you, father, but I was actually referring to the rest of the family, too."

Predictably, Ozai protested to this. However, through much persuasion from Ursa, a bit of pleading from the children (and a touch of manipulation from Azula, suspected the Firelord), and sheer stubbornness from Iroh and Lu Ten, Ozai finally agreed to take a vacation.

So he granted the six of them one week at Ember Island.

"Thank you again, father, but I was actually referring to the entire family."

If Azulon had been surprised that Iroh had included his brother, then he was now thoroughly flabbergasted at the invitation extended towards himself, and the stillness on his face was quite revealing of that fact. And the rest of the family was no less shocked than he was. If he were a less serious man, Azulon would have laughed at the befuddled expressions of his daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Oddly enough, the only one who did not look completely bamboozled was Ozai. Then again, perhaps it was not so strange. After all, he was the only other one at the table who would remember trips to the beach with Azulon.

The son of Sozin firmly stated that he did not need a vacation. Ozai claimed with a barely restrained smirk that he could not possibly enjoy himself at Ember Island unless his father was there, too. Azulon was quite sure of the veracity of that statement.

It took much persuasion from the rest of the family, with even his grandchildren piping in, but the Lord of the Fire Nation finally conceded that he may be in need of an official trip designed for relieving of stress.

"Thank you, father."

Azulon shook his head at the memory. He was here now; he might as well relax.

The old Firelord brought his thoughts back to the present, and observed his family.

His first-born son Iroh, playing with his own first-born Lu Ten in the waves of the ocean. Iroh was well-deserving of his status as first in line for the throne, with his brilliance in military strategy and tactics, and a firebender unmatched in skill by anyone save himself. The Dragon of the West had already proven himself against the Earth Kingdom with victory after victory. Soon he would return to the battlefield, and perhaps even the walls of Ba Sing Se would fall before him.

Lu Ten was like his father in many ways. He was a gifted firebender with an even more gifted mind. Azulon had few doubts that once Lu Ten went to war, he would follow in the footsteps of his forefathers in leading the Fire Nation into glory. It would not be unreasonable to assume that by the time Lu Ten took the throne, he and Iroh would have already finished taming the other nations.

But at the moment, Iroh and his son were frolicking in the tide, dunking each other beneath the waves.

Azulon's gaze moved to his other, less favored son, who was with his family on the beach closer to the ocean. He and his wife were lying down on blankets, while Zuko and Azula attempted to build palaces in the sand.

Ozai was certainly a powerful firebender, worthy of Sozin's line, but he did not have Iroh's brilliance. He could appreciate his younger son's ruthlessness to a degree, but it seemed to Azulon that Ozai took too much pleasure in cruelty. The Firelord knew well the value of making sacrifices, but a leader should make them because they were necessary, not for personal enjoyment.

Ursa could rein him in, perhaps. She was a good match for Ozai, despite her heritage. Her compassion and patience complemented her husband's cruelty and temper. While Azulon did not look upon kindness as a good quality most of the time, he knew there were rare occasions when such feelings were necessary.

"Zuzu! Look!"

His four-year-old granddaughter Azula pointed at her brother's chest. He instinctively looked down, to be rewarded with his sister's finger striking him not quite gently on the nose.

"You little…"

Zuko immediately tackled his sister. His first reaction was out of annoyance, but the anger was quickly forgotten, and the two siblings were rolling on the beach, giggling as they sought out each other's ticklish spots.

"I wish they would stop fighting," murmured Ursa to her husband.

"They're only playing," Ozai replied, "Besides, it'll be good for them in the long run, to have a little competition."

Azulon regarded his youngest grandchildren with faint but genuine interest.

Zuko concerned him. He was six years old, and had yet to firebend; most firebenders made their first flames at age five. The Firelord supposed that he could send Zuko to Master Piandao as a student. The way of the sword may be inferior to firebending, but it would be better than nothing, especially with a teacher of such renown. He would be more worried if the boy were in direct line for the throne. However, since he was not, Azulon could tolerate a nonbender in the family. Though he had to admit, the child's sheer determination endeared to him. If only certain generals of his were so tenacious.

Azulon looked at his granddaughter, still rolling in the sand with her brother. Like himself, she was a firebending prodigy. She had thrown her first fire at age three, mastered the basics in six months, and was now working on more intermediate forms. The amount of intelligence the four-year old possessed was nothing to laugh at either; her intellect was on a level twice her age, if not more. The Firelord had no doubts that she would grow up to be a brilliant military leader, surpassed only by her cousin.

Azulon's conclusions of his grandchildren were validating themselves at this moment. Azula had managed to pin her brother down and was tickling him mercilessly, demanding that he give up. Zuko refused, and kept struggling, despite her firm hold on him.

Brilliance and determination. If the two children could learn to work together, they would form an unstoppable team. Azulon imagined how the Fire Nation might be once Lu Ten was a general, and had Zuko and Azula as his lieutenants. Azula's brilliance would augment her cousin's already formidable genius, and Zuko's tenacity would ensure that those plans would succeed. The present Firelord did not foresee any chance of defeat in his country's future.

"Azula, play nice with your brother," Lu Ten chided cheerfully as he walked back onto the shore.

"Not my fault if he can't beat me," Azula chirped, and finally gave her brother respite by stopping her hands.

"She cheats!" gasped Zuko, able to catch his breath at last.

"Can't you two at least try to get along?" asked Lu Ten in exasperation.

Zuko and Azula blinked at their older cousin. And then they looked at each other. And grinned. Before Lu Ten could react, brother and sister tackled him to the ground. They rummaged their hands across their cousin's bare torso, trying to find the right spot to send him into giggles.

"Now wait a minute!" yelled Lu Ten as he felt two sets of small hands beginning to work at his ticklish areas.

"You asked for it!" they chimed in unison, and continued their assault.

Lu Ten would only take this lying down in the literal sense. He immediately counterattacked, one hand for each of his cousins, and the three began a tickling struggle for dominance.

Ozai rolled his eyes at the scene, and noticed his elder brother also returning from his dip in the ocean.

"I suppose you're enjoying yourself," he noted.

"Immensely," grinned Iroh, "You should also go for a swim; it is not good to lie on the beach all day."

"I'm fine, thank you very much," grumbled Ozai, "I'm not in the mood to flail around in the ocean like a dying fish."

"You didn't always mind," said Iroh cheekily.

"I was younger then. I've grown up."

"You have not truly grown up until you know how to enjoy yourself."

"Must you always act like a wise sage?"

"I'm not that old yet. Maybe in a few years. Today, however…"

Despite being much shorter than his younger brother, Iroh managed to pick up Ozai, throw him over his shoulder, and carry him towards the waves.

"What do you think you're doing? Put me down this instant, you teabending kook! Ursa, you're not helping!"

"Not helping" was a bit of an understatement. The sight of the short, stocky Iroh carrying his taller brother was so comical it had Ursa rolling on her sides in laughter, clutching at her ribs in the hopes that they would not break in her fit of hysterics.

"Iroh, I mean it! Return me to shore at once!"

Ozai kicked and squirmed all that it was worth, but Iroh kept a firm grip on his brother, and dropped him into the water after a satisfactory distance.

"You'll pay for that!" promised Ozai as soon as he broke the surface.

"You wanted me to put you down," grinned Iroh, "You failed to specify where."

Ozai just dove for his brother in a fit of rage. But like his son only minutes ago, he could not retain that anger for more than a few seconds. Before long, he laughed as he found himself enjoying the watery wrestling match with his brother.

The Firelord watched the scene from his chair. His sons romped in the waves, while his daughter-in-law finally recovered from her laughing session, her chest still heaving as she took deep breaths. His grandchildren were wrestling on the beach, the two children trying to find a way to pin down their teenage cousin.

He could not stop himself. Azulon smiled.

Author's Note: This story came to me as I was thinking about what Zuko said in "Ember Island Players," about how the last time his family came to Ember Island was when they were happy, and that hadn't happened "in a very long time." He was probably just referring to his immediate family, but I hope there was one moment where the entire family found true happiness with each other. I've seen other authors do this before, but I've never seen them include Azulon.

Azulon: we only saw him in one episode and were not left with a good impression. Ordering the death of his grandson? Not exemplary performance. However, it has been theorized by certain fanfiction writers (namely Vathara, author of the epic "Embers") that Azulon did not intend for Ozai to kill his son, but rather have Iroh adopt Zuko as his own. It would be a wiser decision; Azulon keeps the heir he wants, Iroh has a son, and Ozai is punished for his over-eagerness for the throne by losing his first-born. It is probable that Ozai deliberately misunderstood his father's intentions (if true), so he may rid himself of a boy he thought as a failure.

Avatar wiki stated that Azulon was a harsh but capable leader, who was ruthless even to his own people. However, that does not necessarily mean that he was sadistic. He strikes me as a Pragmatic Villain, who will kill you if it suits his purpose, but let you live if it'll suit his purpose better. An example of this is his policy toward the Water Tribe. Sozin saw it fit to wipe out all the Air Nomads, in order to kill the Avatar. Azulon showed a bit more "restraint," choosing only to capture, and later kill, the waterbenders, instead of the entire Tribe (granted, all the Air Nomads were benders, but still).

It was mentioned by the Avatar writers that Ozai and Ursa did have a happy marriage at first, but it deteriorated as time passed and Ozai became more obsessed with power.

The title of the story comes from an episode of my favorite TV series "Babylon 5," where the character Kosh is giving "lessons" to Captain Sheridan. In one of these lessons, Kosh instructs Sheridan to go down this dark hole. When Sheridan asks what is down there, Kosh replies, "One moment of perfect beauty." Given what we know will happen years down the road, a moment like this one, where even Azulon and Ozai enjoy spending time with their family, could be described well by Kosh's line.