The girl remained silent for the most part, not giving him much time of day, though Minato proved not much better even though both came around to the idea they were assigned to be Zuko's companions.

In some ways, Zuko found this much more enjoyable than the noisiness he associated with his sister's friends, neither of whom came by recently, and Azula left him well enough alone. This tranquility allowed Zuko and his companions to watch a butterfly fluttering around the garden and immerse themselves in the beauty of the plants.

Nor did they discuss what happened, asking him questions beyond what Minato asked the day he and Hana decided they would agree to be his companions.

And then—

With Hana, he discovered she liked knowing the names of the flowers and other similar things and thus learned as much as he could regarding anything and everything they might see from the gardens they were allowed to play in, although they didn't do much play.

Minato, in turn, approached him. "May I see how your arms are doing?"

"Ah. Sure," Zuko said, holding out his arms.

"Hama did an amazing job healing the burns, but they must have been quite painful."

"They were," Zuko said. "I'm lucky, I think, that the flames didn't go farther. I overheard some of the servants suggest the fever may have been worse, or I might not have had any mobility in my arms at all, and then I'd be very useless, and I doubt—well, I still doubt they'll let me out in public."

"May I see you bend?"

Zuko's mouth opened, his first instinct to agree, wanting to connect with Minato, but then he noticed Hana flinch, and he pointed. "I don't think Hana would be comfortable with that; otherwise, I would. There's a particular reason you want to see it, right?"

"Yes," Minato said. "I've got a good reason to see your bending, so I will ask the Crown Prince if it would be possible to occupy Hana otherwise."

Zuko frowned.

"That still bothers you?"

"I like Hana, so yes." Zuko sighed. "And I don't want her to think she's being sent away because she's done something wrong because she hasn't. She just—I think she has a reason for being afraid of my firebending."

"Understood," Minato said. "But I'm sure your uncle will see she is well taken care of like he takes care of you. He is..." Minato glanced away. "Not what I expected from someone who is Fire Nation."

"Oh! Yes!" Iroh agreed. "Hana, I think she can be spoiled a little bit and treated like a princess, but for that, I'll leave her in your mother's care. I think Ursa would actually enjoy a daughter with whom she could have mother-and-daughter time."

"She doesn't—what about Azula?"

"Azula," Iroh sighed. "For starters, Azula isn't into the ways girls like to be spoiled, perhaps because your father never thought to actually treat his beautiful daughter as the princess she is. It's not that Fire Nation women can't be powerful and strong like us men, but there is also a power behind their beauty that allows them to do things men can not do, and Azula—she lacks any of that charm, which is already hurting her."

"Azula's hurt?"

"Not physically or mentally. But life is going to be harder for her, and things will make it harder for her to form friends."

"But she has Mai. And Ty Lee."

"Those are girls your father selected to be your sister's companions. They weren't given a choice."

"Like Hana and Minato."

"Yes, well, I told Hama they did have a choice, but really—their reason for not having the choice isn't though the same for your sister's companions where threats are made for them to comply. Hana and Minato do not have anywhere else to go, but if we are able to give those two a safe place and a roof over their head, among other things, I am glad."

"I see," Zuko murmured, turning his arms.

"But with your sister, she lacks the grace and charm, something you've inherited plenty from your mother."

"I'm not a girl," Zuko grimaced.

Iroh laughed. "Well, I'd say you'd inherited your charm from your cousin Lu Ten instead, but there is no direct connection, and your grandfather's charm is rough in comparison, yet should I say—well, I inherited my mother's charm!" He winked at Zuko. "And it's done me wonders."

"You're being silly now, Uncle Iroh."

"Maybe."

Zuko's mother came and took Hana away, guiding her away by the hand, yet the way Hana lit up, "It seems different."

"What?"

"The way Hana reacted now with my mother compared to the butterflies and flowers."

"I think Hana craves the affection of a mother, to be honest, just as I once craved the affection of a father."

"You don't anymore?"

"More like I gave up looking for it and now focus on surviving." Minato nodded his head. "I want to see you bend."

"It's not that good. In fact, I think it's become worse," Zuko replied. He took his stance and started moving, attempting to get the flames out, yet his arms kept locking up, or, "That's how they feel when I move them." Zuko replied. "It's not the same with my legs, though."

"Hmm," Minato said, gently taking his arms. "I asked Prince Iroh if I could observe actual firebending before I observed your movements to be sure, but the way they teach firebending and expect you to move, it involves very stiff movements, almost like ones snapping their limps into the next position. The problem is..."

Minato stopped speaking. Zuko frowned. "What is the problem?"

"With the injuries you sustained to your arm, snapping your joints like that isn't going to work, at least for the time being, though it also may be something that comes and goes as there is an ailment I've been told where the joints become inflamed and quick sharp movements are difficult, if not painful."

"But I must be able to bend," Zuko sighed. "I am, after all, the prince, and I must be a figurehead for my people."

Minato sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was afraid you would say something like that, but I think it is a matter of changing the way you bend to best suit the way your body prefers to move. I'd say now prefers to move, but I've watched you and I think you're more inclined to this kind of movement ."

"And you suggest?"

"I suggest instead of making your movements sharp," Minato demonstrated with a flick of his hand. "You instead let it flow in a smooth action like this."

Zuko observed. "And do the bending with that motion instead?"

"Yes. Care to try?"

"Right now?"

Minato nodded his head.

Zuko took a deep breath, and instead of flicking his hand to bring about a flame, he did a smooth motion and—

He fell over, startled by the result.

"That didn't feel right!"

"Meaning?" Minato asked.

"The result was different. It felt different."

"I see. Can I see what your bending would look like if you simply did what you did before? Then repeat what you did with the motion I suggested?"

Zuko nodded, snapping his wrist, resulting in a small puff of fire, but when he moved his wrist in a smooth motion, the fire didn't come out as a puff, but something far more uncontrolled, something..."

"I see that your firebending is indeed more powerful when you break away from what you've been taught."

Zuko frowned. "But that can't be. I mean. That felt—I couldn't control that, and..."

"Well, you're not used to that level of power yet, but I think it's..."

"Why did my bending suddenly look more like Azula's?" Zuko asked. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Hama told me that even among a given style, for example, ours being the ability to bend water, there are differences between each bender, a preference in the way we move and connect to our element. You, Prince Zuko, do not connect to your element in the same way your sister does."

"Yeah, but it's the wrong way to do it," Zuko muttered.

"Says who?"

"Everybody."

"Funny thing I observed when observing the firebending is one of the firebenders I observed was your uncle. And I noticed he incorporated both types of movement into his style, so if your uncle doesn't have issues with incorporating more fluid movements into his style, I don't think you should be ashamed to call this your own."

"No?"

"No, but..." Minato took a deep breath. "I want you to work on this type of firebending, and show it to Hana."

"But, I can't!" Zuko held up his hands. "I don't want to frighten her, or upset her."

Minato tilted his head. "She reacted when you started a firebending movement." He snapped his wrist out. "The sharp movement, so she may not react the same if you use a movement more akin to what us waterbenders normally use."

"Wait? This is," Zuko sighed. "Doesn't that make it worse?"

"Not so sure." Minato walked over to a fountain, snapping his wrists, resulting in the water shooting up, his eyes following, and then he snapped his hands out quickly, resulting in the ball of water striking out like a whip. "I've a personal preference to bending water like this, and it might be the Fire Nation in me that causes it, but even Hana has some of this movement in her style."

"I've not seen her bend yet," Zuko sighed. "But, I won't push her to do that, because that's not what friends do."