Zuko marched to the palace prison vehemently. He had one person in mind of who he was going to see and if anyone or thing got in his way, there was going to be trouble.

"Fire Lord?" A guard asked, "It's unsafe for you to be out at this time of night," he tried to obstruct his path. Zuko controlled himself a millisecond before he burned the ignorant guard alive, so he simply pushed him out the way.

Just a few more large paces across the bridge and he'd be in the hall of the palace's prison.

He flung the doors open and marched straight up the cell block E-23. He hung his hands on the cage's rails. The prisoner had his back turned to him.

"Firelord Zuko." It wasn't a question, even with his back to the wall.

"How'd you know it was me?" He inquired from his subordinate.

"Your smell," the man snarled.

Zuko flung is arms up in frustration. Even after practically 18 years his father had never changed!

"Ozai!" He warned. "Ozai, now is it? On a first name basis with the man who raised you? Zuko, what have you become?" He teased without a drop of humor.

"I'm above you now," he said as his arms folded across his chest. "I'm stronger than you. The Avatar took away your bending, every day you stay in this hell-hole you are rotting away to nothing. You will become no more than a shell in a few short months," Zuko growled.

"Come here to brag, have you? I would've thought better of you, my son," he mischievously snickered. "I am. I was simply stating the obvious," Zuko jabbed back at the man whose respect he no longer desired. "I came here this night to ask - no, order - demand! - something from you," Zuko paused waiting for his father's response to his sudden authority. When he didn't make a sound, Zuko continued. "YOU are going to tell me something: where is my mother!" He snarled the last word. Ozai took a deep breath and he took an eternity to exhale. "Where would the fun it that be?" He teased the fruit of his loin. Zuko was frustrated with his father not respect him: the Firelord! "Did you forget that you take orders from me now?" Zuko tried to remain calm, but inside he was just about to scream.

Ozai took a while to respond. When he did his words left Zuko stunned for a moment. "No. You're wrong. You will ALWAYS take orders from me. A 'Firelord' title means nothing to me. I created you. I live within you and I have nothing to lose. You want to send your army to torture me? Go ahead!" He threatened. Zuko's voice was caught on something. He tried to remember his uncle in times like these. He allowed his chi to flow so he could think more clearly. Then, a sudden thought came to him.

"Fine. Have it your way. But I'm a patient man and I will come back every day until I find the answer I am looking for."

"Then you are a slave to me. Enslaved by none other than love for an old man," his father hissed back at his son's threat.

"You're wrong. I have a bed and friends that visit me every day. I can walk freely about your lost palace that will never belong to you again. You are not a bender. I still am. You have no one in your life; I have 5 VERY special people in mine. But you are right about one thing: I do still love you. Does that make me weak? I don't think so. Does that mean you're better than me because you have no emotional connection to anyone? Fat chance! Because I love you, I WANT to let you go, but I'll have to see a major twist in your eyes for that to happen. You could of course start with telling me what I need to know." He promised.

Ozai's eyes widened and he immediately turned around. "You would let me go? After all I'd done to you? Your friends? Your country? You would let me live freely again?" Zuko dipped his chin to indicate a nod. Ozai thought for a while but he finally considered the possibility that maybe his son wasn't as bad as he thought, but he immediately pushed THAT from his mind.

Instead he decided to devise an ultimate plan to overthrow his son and seize the empire once more. Of course, it started with Zuko out of the way; naturally the best way to do that was to send him on a long journey: perhaps in search of his mother, perhaps not.

"I have decided to tell you what you need to know." He finally proclaimed. "Hold that thought," Zuko ordered. "Toph?" He called. When Toph entered she knew her job: test to see if Ozai was lying about whether he was giving accurate facts about his mother's location. If good liars ran in the family, Toph would metal bend the bars of the cell around the neck of the ex-Firelord until he told her the correct information, which was something she'd happily do anyway.

Toph heard his heart beat loud and clear, but Ozai realized what Zuko was doing. "Tricky, tricky, tricky," Ozai teased. "You're turning into your old man yet," Ozai knew his words would sting his first son. And he was right: he saw Zuko cringe at the proudness in his voice. Because this pleased him, Ozai told Zuko what he needed to know. "Fine," he growled. "You know the story as well as I do, so I'll spare you the minor -" "You'll tell me everything; the parts I don't know," he interrupted. Ozai's mood stiffened, he had obviously not been planning on sharing that. Nevertheless, he (almost unwillingly) nodded.

"It was during the Hundred Year War. General Iroh's son, Lu Ten, had just died from battle. I was..." he paused for a minute, "...foolish," he continued. "Tainted by power, I wanted to rule so badly, so I attempted to convince Azulon to allow me to rule in the place of Iroh, who was mentally unstable after the loss of his first son. He was... angry with me: for my insensitivity and lack of concern for my elder. He claimed that I didn't know how it felt to lose a loved one and proclaimed on that night that I was to order my first son to be killed. Foolishly, I consulted in that mother of yours, who, of course, could not abide.

"I needn't tell Azulon the news myself because your mother charged right past me and told Azulon she would not let him punish you for my selfishness and lack of sincerity. Azulon, of course, did not find your life valuable enough to protect. Frustrated that he did not listen to her reason, she came back to our room.

"I told her to forget you and to listen to Firelord Azulon, who does not like being told what to do. She was horror stricken by my reaction and devised a plan: have him banish her from the fire nation opposed to your death sent-" "He's lying," Toph declared, happily smirking that Ozai was nothing like Azula. "That's not what really happened, is it?" she demanded. "Actually, quite the contrary thought, that did happen," he teased. Toph was about to metal bend him against the wall in her rage. She calmed herself, like Aang had been teaching her to do and spoke again, "Then you're not telling us the whole truth,"

"She came into my room that night," Zuko recalled, reflecting back on it. "She said everything she had done was to protect me," Zuko held back blinding, burning tears.

Ozai did not acknowledge his son's remark. "Zuko, do you recall that Firelord Azulon died the same night that your mother was banished?" He asked innocently. Zuko nodded, unaware of what his father was implying. "This I'll tell you: your mother, knowing and accepting the penalties, committed dangerous and treacherous things that night. And well, you can put two and two together, can't you Zuko?" Ozai's smile did not reach his eyes.

Zuko wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, trying to make it look like he was adjusting his hair. "You're still not answering me!" Zuko's scream was full of the rage he had with his father for 17 years. Not only was he not telling Zuko bluntly what happened, but he was also implying the most horrifying things. He was sick of the mind games. "Where was she sent?" He demanded. Ozai's smile turned mischievous and cunning.

"Deep inside the Mushiatsui Swamp".

Zuko's eyes widened in horror.