Zuko’s master (fic snippet because I’m obsessed with the fact Zuko trained with Master Piandao)
In his lifetime, Piandao had learned to take things in stride and was rarely, if ever, caught off guard. Like sword fighting, life was often predictable, even if it didn’t think itself to be so. No matter how many curveballs the spirits or the universe threw at him, he had usually seen them coming for a while.
But not this. Definitely not this.
Prince Zuko was seven. That was really something he felt Iroh should have mentioned in his letters, perhaps as an opening paragraph. ‘Dear, Piandao, my seven year old nephew, who is seven, is interested in learning the art of the blade. He is a good student, and also seven, and I believe he would benefit greatly from your tutelage. Also, he is a literal child, and may be too small to actually pick up a sword.’
Piandao wasn’t by any means soft when it came to children, but he still didn’t feel like giving the kid his usual harsh ‘why do you want to train with me?’ speech. Sure, he’d grown up surrounded by younger children, but dealing with them seemed to be a skill he’d lost over the years.
The kid was clearly nervous, almost jumpy in a way he would never expect from royalty. Prince Lu Ten stood next to him, surprisingly cheerful despite the fact Piandao had refused to train him only a few years ago.
“Hi, Master Piandao!”
“Prince Lu Ten.”
“This is my cousin Zuko - my dad wrote to you, right?”
“Oh, yes, my prince. I was just expecting- never mind, please come in.”
It was probably his own fault for not keeping up with the current news in Caldera. He was probably the only person in the Fire Nation who didn’t know Prince Zuko was a child, and barely reached Lu Ten’s hip. The older prince seemed to be the only one completely at ease, apparently entirely unaware of the minor crisis Piandao was having. When they reached his study, he gestured for them to sit down, taking his place at his table and trying to gather his thoughts. Prince Zuko hadn’t said a word yet, but glanced around the room quickly.
“Prince Lu Ten, I did receive your father’s letter. I just didn’t realise Prince Zuko was...”
The smallest child I’ve seen in years? Basically still a toddler? Shorter than almost every sword I have?
“... so young.”
“He’s a great student, though,” Prince Lu Ten said enthusiastically. “He’s a really quick learner.”
That hadn’t exactly been his concern, but he decided not to voice it. He turned to the boy, trying to meet his eyes.
“Prince Zuko, why are you interested in studying the blade?”
He hadn’t expected the boy to look afraid when Piandao addressed him. It was quickly masked, but the sword master still noticed the slight tremor in his hands before he pressed them together in his lap.
“I’m not a good firebender,” he said after a moment. “I’m meant to be good at things because I’m a prince and I need to learn something I can do right.”
There was another brief pause. “And swords are really cool.”
“Swords are really cool,” Prince Lu Ten nodded sagely.
Piandao was developing a headache, but he found himself nodding too. “Swords are really cool.”