"Head a course for the Fire Nation, Captain!" Azula spited towards the Captain as they sailed west towards their homeland. Azula had decided to leave the Earth Kingdom city to bring the news home to her father. Ty Lee and Mai were in charge of the city whilst she headed home. She trusted them and she knew they would do anything she said. They were left in charge of the Dai Lee, so if anyone opposed them, they would be taken out in an instance. The Dai Lee were in their control, they had full power of Ba Sing Se.
"Are you happy to return home Zuzu?"
"Don't call me that!" Zuko felt heat coming to his face as he shot a glare at his sister.
"I'll take that as a yes then," Azula smirked and turned to face the royal chair at the back of the engineer room. She sat and stared out the window at the front of the room to see nothing but blue waters. Her boredom was getting the better of her at this point, but she chose not to show it. Instead she sat upright and tight, as though she were going to strike someone down. She could sense all the men in the room were weary of her presence, but hid their faces so as not to let their emotions be seen. Zuko hadn't moved from his position since they board the ship. Azula knew exactly what he was thinking about. Her eyes narrowed and moved to where he was standing. He leaned against the side of the room and hung his head. He was thinking about their uncle, imprisoned below the ship, wasting away, but bearly being kept alive. Father will be glad to see his traitor of a brother back home in time for torture, she thought. She knew that Zuko would have nothing to do with it though. Her plan was fool proof. All she needed to do was keep him on the ship until he got home, then he would be locked away along with his uncle! Her head turned back to the view out of the window. She was tired and wanted to go and get some rest. "I'm going to my chamber, if that's OK with everyone?!" She saw everyone's shoulders relax slightly as she turned and walked out of the room. Zuko's head turned as the door slammed shut behind her. He looked around to see everyone ease at their work. He looked back to the floor, questions running through his head, "Why did I betray Uncle? Why am I helping my evil sister throw more misery and suffering to the world? Is my honour still because of my father? What if my father doesn't accept me back? …What if Katara hates me for my decision." His head became consumed of the young waterbender's glistening blue eyes. He heaved a deep sigh "I have to talk to Uncle." He pushed himself up from his position and turned to walk out the door. Walking down the corridor, he heard moans coming from the prison chambers. He quickened his pace, just fast enough to make it seem like he wasn't running. Guards stood on either side of the prison chamber door.
"I have to speak with General Iroh!"
The guard moved his head and the dark eyes of the fire nation armour looked down into Zuko's golden eyes. The guard looked towards the other, and he nodded. The guard unlocked the main door to the prison hold, and straight infront of him, was the barred entrance to Iroh's chamber. Zuko walked slowly up to the door, and looked through the small window. The bars gave his just enough space to see his uncle. Zuko gasped in horror as he looked down to his uncle. Iroh jumped slightly and saw his nephew looking down from the small window.
"Glad to see you're looking well."
"Uncle…"
His uncle gave him a weak smile. Zuko's eye's filled with tears as he tried to take his eye's off his wasted away relative. Zuko wiped his eyes with his sleeve and turned back to Iroh.
"I have to talk to you…"
"I'm listening," he smiled and struggled to stand up. Although it had only been 5 days since they left the city, Zuko noticed a huge change in his uncle's appearance. One being that his clothes were starting to fall off him, and that his hair had grown a lot since he last saw him in the caves.
"I have to talk to you about my choice…did I make the right one?"
"It's not about whether the choice you made was the right one or not, it's about whether you feel that it was for the better. Would you have rather have been with your father and Azula, so that the Fire Nation could take over the world, or would you have rather helped the Avatar?"
"But which one was the right choice uncle?"
"You decisions are not up to me. You are a free man, and you should do what is right for you."
Zuko hung his head and pressed his brow against the bars. "I don't know what to do anymore uncle." He wanted to gain his fathers love and respect, but he didn't want to se his uncle die. His mind went back to the Avatar. What would have happened if he had joined them? Would he have been accepted? Or would he have been rejected…?
His uncle was still looking back at his nephew. Zuko knew what he had to do. He turned and left to walk out. Iroh kept his eyes on Zuko until the prison door closed. He lay down on the thin blanket that had been given to him by the guards and closed his eyes.