Timeline: Zuko is in the fire nation, 16 years old. (Just say this is an AU where he didn’t get banished)

Zuko is in his room, a bit pissed off after the recent fire nation attack meeting with one of the generals being moronic. His grandfather assured he didn’t speak up, it wasn’t his place after all, he knows that, but he’s still pissed

he was informed recently that he’d be getting a new guard today, after the last one died of some disease or something. Honourless way to die. He hears a knock on the door, likely the new guard.

Zuko: he gets up, and goes and opens the door. “I’m assuming you’d be the new guard then?”