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Chapter 1: Something isn't Right
Zuko rose from his troubled sleep, and walked numbly to the balcony of his room at the palace of Ba Sing Se. The sun was just beginning to break the horizon, casting a red hue on the scattering clouds. The horizon was burning red, a good omen in the Fire Nation. He only wished he felt the contentment at seeing such a display. He absently wondered what that Water Tribe girl, Katara, thought of it.
He softly scoffed at his own thoughts. He murmured, "She's of the Water Tribe. She rises with the moon, and is likely still asleep."
He dressed and proceeded down the halls to the dining hall. He found his sister, Azula, sitting in a plush chair at the head of the table going over a number of parchments. Mai was sitting to her right, fingering her knives. Ty Lee was sitting to Azula's left juggling a few pieces of fruit from a bowl on the table. He gave a small mental sigh and took the seat next to Ty Lee.
The bubbly girl glanced over and saw the dark rings about his dull eyes. She stifled the slight shiver that ran down her back as she felt the conflicted and troubled aura emanating from the young man. She had to admit that she'd felt rather sorry for him when he was banished, and now she could see how torn he was about what he'd done.
Azula looked up from one of the parchments with her usual cruel smile. She announced, "Wonderful news, the ship that will take us back to the Fire Nation, or rather to the capital as this is now a part of the Fire Nation, arrived in the harbor this morning. We will depart for home this afternoon. Minister Qin shall oversee this city and direct our forces south to complete our conquest of the continent.
"Zuzu," She smirked at his cringe from the name. "We will be taking the traitor with us for trial. Also, I have a surprise for you on board the ship."
Zuko didn't like the smile on her face.
Iroh covered his eyes at the light of the lantern held by the Dai Li agent at the door of his cell. For three days he'd been sitting there in that small room, his mind reliving every moment that had lead up to his nephew's decision. What had he done wrong for Zuko to have chosen the path he did?
He was roughly lifted by the arms, the agents deftly binding his wrists behind him. Remembering the stunt in the tearoom, one agent wrapped a stone band about Iroh's mouth. He was lead into the hallway to find a group of about ten Dai Li, all standing there with that typical impassive expression.
He was taken out of the dungeons only to find a waiting prison cart, the metal door already open. He let out a loud grunt as they threw him in. As he felt the cart begin down the cobble stone road, he couldn't help but wonder where they were taking him. They had kept him at the palace dungeons so he assumed it possible they were transferring him to the Lake Laogai facility. He also considered the prospect that he was being taken to be executed. Although he wouldn't have put it past his niece to have had him paraded about Ba Sing Se, allowing the people to throw things at him as retribution for his siege upon the city.
He was shaken from his thoughts as the cart came to a stop. The sun through the scattered clouds was refreshing as he stepped down onto the dock. His gaze fell upon the ship beside them, Azula's ship. So they were taking him back to the Fire Nation where he'd be used to further his brother's public image. He turned and saw four figures approach.
"Time to go home, Uncle." Azula said the last word as if it disgusted her. Likely, it did. She considered his regard for the other nations weakness, and if there was one thing Azula hated it was weakness.
He noted that the four were all in Fire Nation clothing once more. The three girls were wearing their standard attire, his eyes looked over to his nephew to see the young man donning a Fire Nation armor similar to his old one. Zuko was looking almost anywhere but at him. From the look on the young man's face he too was having a hard time coming to terms with what he did. Iroh couldn't help the mental chuckle. The boy was of an old and dieing breed in their nation.
In the old days, particularly before the war, people from their nation were known as wearing their hearts on their sleeves. That's not to say that they weren't disciplined and could be rather stoic, but their emotions and personalities were like the fire they controlled. They would flare at times. It had only been in the past couple centuries that the cold manipulative sort had started to become common. Besides, Zuko had never been very good at hiding his feelings, especially from people that knew him well.
Iroh was suddenly led after them up the gangplank, and pushed down the corridors to the brig below deck. It was actually rather humorously ironic to him. All these years, and more pointedly in the last few months, he'd been trying to get his nephew to accept and appreciate the other nations' cultures, like he had. Now here he was on a Fire Nation vessel, and, even though he was a prisoner, he actually felt a surge of contentment at being among his people and culture. In that moment he now thought he understood a little of what made Zuko side with Azula. A part of him wondered if those with the Avatar could understand this feeling yet he hoped they would never have to.
Zuko watched his uncle's back as he was lead to his cell. A part of himself raged harder against his control than it had been doing so constantly since the caves. He thought back to his words to the waterbender. I have changed. Had he, and if so was it the change he thought? He had originally intended to fight Azula, but he wanted them out of the way. Thus he attacked the Avatar to try and run him off. He'd not expected the boy to stay and fight. Most of their encounters had ended with the boy and his friends fleeing after a brief struggle that left him delayed from pursuing. But as he fought the boy he began to realize how much of a threat he could be. Even after everything his father had done to him, he still couldn't bring himself to let that boy kill Ozai. After all there was no other way the Fire Lord would accept defeat. Right now, Zuko could only think that he had to find a way to convince his father to stop.
"Zuko, I do wish you wouldn't bother with feeling any remorse for that traitor. Such acts do not become a Fire Nation royal." Azula said haughtily.
A sage made his way up to Azula and bowed lowly. He said, "The preparations are complete, your highness. We can proceed whenever you wish."
That smile from earlier was back on her face, and Zuko had to restrain a shudder. She said, "Come this way, Zuko. It's time for that surprise I told you about."
He slowly followed her with the sage trailing behind. He was brought to a room with six other sages standing around a circle of runes and symbols. Standing just inside the door to the room were a pair of Dai Li agents who pounced upon Zuko the moment he stepped through the door. In an instant his hands were bound followed by his feet. Soon he was glaring up at his sister from the floor in the center of the circle.
She smirked crouching in front of him, "Don't worry, Zuzu. I'm just going to ensure your loyalty. I do know how much you care for uncle, so I need to know that you'll not do anything stupid." She stood and turned to the lead sage. "Begin."
With a bow of his head, the sage took his place around the circle, holding a foot tall statue of a dragon. The seven sages were chanting in the old tongue. Zuko struggled against his binds, trying to get free, but most importantly trying to get at Azula. His anger was building quickly, but as he managed to get on his feet pain shot through his body. He let out a soul wrenching scream as an unusual tearing feeling filled his entire body. The last thing running through his mind was a surreal sensation of falling backwards and forwards at the same time.
Four pairs of eyes suddenly burst open as a terrible scream reached them although three of them were nowhere near its origin. A twelve-year-old boy sat up in the bed he was recuperating in, eyes scanning for the source. An old bearded man on a hill looked up at the sky, feeling the agony traveling on a spiritual wind. He began to fear what this meant for the coming times. A young woman, having recently fifteen, turned to the northeast. She couldn't explain what had happened. One second she was bending at the pools, and then the water fell as she was struck by pain throughout her body and a scream sounded from somewhere deep in her mind.
Iroh's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he muttered, "Something's just not right."