Author's Note: Some people like heroes. I like villains. Don't worry, we'll get to Aang and Zuko and the rest of the cast fairly quickly. But of all the small character changes I've made for this story, Ozai's is the largest. Or perhaps the smallest? He's the same except without the megalomania. Perhaps because he's got asthma. Pretty tough thing for a firebender.
Ozai needed something for Azula. He had a firebender's mask for his son Zuko, but he didn't dare give Ursa's daughter that present. What would she want? The stand contained an assortment of Earth Kingdom trinkets: dolls, lamps, flowers; nothing that would interest the prodigy. In the end he settled on a blank scroll.
"Far from home?" The shopkeep asked. "Would you like me to write a message?"
Ozai smirked. "If you wouldn't mind?"
The shopkeep dipped her brush in ink. "Go ahead. I'm ready."
"My dear Azula, I am sorry, but I had no choice. The voices screamed for me to do it." Ozai stopped to chuckle. "I resisted for as long as I could, but in the end there was no stopping it. It is not your fault. Take your mother and run. Please keep this a secret. You are the only one I can trust."
The shopkeeper had stopped writing halfway through.
Ozai frowned. "Is there a problem?"
"Are you… Just what are you planning?"
Ozai leaned down on the stand, so he and the shopkeep were face to face. "Do you really want to know?"
"Are you…" Sweat dripped off the shopkeep's second chin. She was a short woman, and reminded Ozai of a fat, doddering mouse-chicken. The pudgy shopkeep met his eyes. "Are you planning on killing someone?"
Brave, this one. "Why yes," Ozai drawled. "Yes I am."
He narrowed his eyes. "Now finish the note."
"I can't," the shopkeep said desperately. "There are doctors in the city who can make problems like this go away. They can make you forget. Whatever you're going through we can help. You don't have to face this alone!"
"I am well aware of Long Feng," Ozai put his hand over the shopkeep's. "His methods of controlling the populace are subtle and surprisingly effective. Still though…"
The woman started to scream.
"They reveal his weakness. True power has no need for subtlety now does it Fan?" Ozai whispered. "Am I saying your name right? Fan?"
Fan jerked her head up and down, in quick terrified motions. Some would think her a strong woman, standing up to him. Those people were fools. She was courageous, yes, but not strong. If she were truly strong she would fight back, and she would win.
"Won't you finish the note for me?" Ozai commanded sweetly, lifting her hand and revealing it unblemished.
Fan stared at her hand a moment, collected herself, and finished the note with quick, efficient brush strokes. "There, I've done what you want, now go!"
Ozai frowned.
"Please," Fan begged. "Leave me in peace."
"What do you take me for?" Ozai asked, hands on hips.
Fan quivered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Ozai beamed. "I haven't paid yet!" He flipped her a gold coin and went on his way. Excellent penmanship on the scroll. Yes, Fan must have been born with innate talent and ambition to be running a shop as a woman in the misogynistic Earth Kingdom. It was a shame she hadn't been born in the Fire Nation. Perhaps they could have molded her into something useful.
He walked through the crowded streets of Ba Sing Se. Below him were stone roads which smelled like stale alcohol, were covered in broken glass bottles, and lined with dirty homeless filth. It brought him great pride though, that he was no longer walking in excrement. He had worked long and hard to make sure that this backwards hovel had a functioning plumbing system. He would not allow Iroh's greatest military feat to be the conquest of a second rate city.
Now, he needed someone from the Earth Kingdom to deliver his precious treasures to his children. The fate of the world depended on it.
"Shh. It's okay. Shh," a mother consoled a small snivelling child.
Ozai fought to keep the scowl from his face. Crying was unsightly. Still, he knew how to handle such displays. Ozai took an instrument from a nearby stand.
"May I?" Ozai asked the standowner.
The owner gave a slight nod.
Ozai strummed the instrument to his favorite Earth Kingdom tune. "Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam."
The boy perked up. Excited by the prospect of war.
"Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home." Ozai smiled. "You'll grow up strong, won't you?"
The boy straightened his back, and gave Ozai a salute. "Yes sir!"
Ozai saluted back to him, and marched away. He drifted this way and that, letting the tides of fate guide him until his final appointment. He found himself in a dirt courtyard, watching a group of kids playing earth soccer.
Sports bored Ozai. They were a practice for war, nothing more. Still, some of the underlying themes permeated through both activities. Competition. Victory. Defeat. Strength. Weakness. The boys battled desperately for dominance on the courtyard. Their skills were quite polished, their teamwork impeccable, and they even weaved earthbending into the conflict. The ball zipped from boy to boy, until a weakling tripped and popped the ball through a window.
"Hey," somebody called from the building.
"You," Ozai pointed to the weakling. He was a tall boy, with lithe muscles. "You did this. You should admit it. The strong need not hide what they do. They fight for what they want and emerge victorious."
"When I'm through with you kids, the window won't be the only thing that's broken," the voice shouted. Ozai thought he saw the outline of a large man through the building.
The four boys stood frozen. Fools.
"The question is, are you strong?" Ozai asked.
The boys ran. A good decision. It was better for the weak to act as such.
"You!" A large muscled man said. "Where'd those dang kids go?"
"That way," Ozai pointed the man in the correct direction. The man rushed away, and Ozai shook his head. The man was already panting. The kids were going to get away. This was why it was better to acknowledge one's weaknesses. If the man had more control, he could have snuck up on the children silently and pounced when his prey was vulnerable.
He checked his watch. Almost time. He started to walk towards the wall. Towards the large, everpresent billow of ash. Hmm, perhaps a shortcut? Ozai stepped out of the arterial and into a back alley.
"You, give me all your money!" A downtrodden, middle-aged man barked.
Ozai laughed. The man knee's touched, and he was holding his knife backwards.
"I'm a deep Earth Kingdom spy," Ozai said. "I'm to assassinate a Fire Nation general."
"Wh-what are you-you talkin- talking about?" The man asked, gaze upon the rising ashes by the wall. "There is no-no war in Ba Sing Se."
Ozai followed the man's stare, and gave him the scroll and the mask, and shook his hand. "Deliver this scroll to my family. They live in the royal palace in Capital City. It contains important information which may save their lives. Otherwise they'll be tried for treason."
"Why should I?" The man asked. "You're not the boss of me!"
"Because dear Tycho," Ozai patted him on the shoulder. "If you don't I'll kill you, and all your family."
"How do you know my name?" Tycho demanded.
"You're in no position to be asking me questions," Ozai reminded him gently. "This is a mugging. Now go deliver my message. Now Tycho! Do it now!"
Tycho stumbled from Ozai, tripped, crawled, and finally ran. Ozai wondered which of the messengers he'd sent would make it. It was convenient that he'd helped Long Feng create the Dai Li. After he was dead, they would be able to erase the couriers who were unsuccessful.
Ozai skipped and whistled through Ba Sing Se. The beautiful song of war filled his ears. Houses on fire, families scurrying past him, soldiers rushing with him. It appeared that Iroh had finally done it. He'd breached the impenetrable wall. Ozai shook his head, tonight would truly be the Earth Kingdom's final tale. And perhaps, if everything went according to plan, the start of something truly extraordinary.
Ozai walked through the battlefield unnoticed. Such a beautiful thing. Men fighting for their lives. Fire and earth waged war around him, but Ozai parted the sea of destruction effortlessly. He stopped to view the initial penetration of the city's barrier. Burnt ash, rubble, and molten rock. The wall looked as if it had been attacked by a dragon. It warmed Ozai's skin.
He walked out of the city. Out of his brother's shadow. It was finally time for Ozai to fight.
A lone tree stood in a meadow of short grass. Underneath the tree stood the man that would inherit the world. A man Ozai loved as he never could his own son.
"Uncle?" Lu Ten asked. "Why have you called me out here?"
"Lu Ten," Ozai said. "I know it has been difficult being the son of The Last Dragon, but you have met and exceeded my expectations. I have always been proud of you."
"Yes," Lu Ten said. "It has been. Thank you uncle."
"I have taught you everything I know about firebending," Ozai smiled tenderly.
"Have?" Lu Ten asked sadly. "I will always need your guidance uncle."
"You've completed every task I have ever given you," Ozai said. "Training you has been more fulfilling than you can possibly imagine. You have given my life purpose. Thank you nephew."
"Why are you speaking like this?" Lu Ten asked. "Do you think you're just a teacher to me? When I was eight and wet my bed, you were the one who… When mother died, and father was fighting in some battle, it was you who… You've always… You must know uncle, you're like a… like a…"
"I know," Ozai said softly. "And I see you as my brother's son."
Lu Ten shrank. He didn't understand Ozai's childhood. The lack of strength that Ozai could never overcome. Zuko was Ozai's son. A reflection of his own weakness. Despicable. He could never compare to the brilliance of Lu Ten.
"You have great skill, great strength, but still lack one thing," Ozai said. "Your father has never been able to overcome this hurdle. Accomplish this final task, and you can be the greatest bender the world has ever seen. Do you understand what you must do?"
Lu Ten shook his head, eyes misted. "No… Not… Not this… I can't do it. I won't do it uncle!"
Ozai wiped away Lu Ten's tears. "Yes you can. You are stronger than you know."
"I love you Lu Ten. It is time for you to prove your worth." Ozai got into a fighting stance. He was the weakest firebender ever born into the royal family. Lu Ten had defeated far, far stronger opponents, but this fight would be challenging in a different way. To win, Lu Ten would have to throw away his humanity. "Now kill me nephew. For I will try to kill you."
Lu Ten set his stance through trembling fists.
Wonderful.
Ozai blinked. Who had said that?
Lu Ten looked around, sighed, and stiffened his posture.
Ozai would have to be aggressive. Perhaps his flames were weak, perhaps they were pathetic, but his true limitation was his heart. The Cardiac Kid indeed, he could not fight for more than two minutes before it gave out.
Lu Ten glared at Ozai, back straight and determined. His nephew refused to strike first.
So Ozai did. He drew breath, and launched an attack with everything he could muster, drawing strength from the depths of his heart and soul. A feeble orange flame, barely visible, flickered towards Lu Ten. The boy blocked it with a flip of his coat, turning Ozai's fire slap away as if it were a petulant child.
Ozai panted. Darkness crept into the corners of his vision. He had put the entirety of his being into that blast. He could not muster another, but the grass had caught fire.
"Uncle," Lu Ten begged. "Reconsider. I don't want to kill you."
Ozai directed the grass fire towards Lu Ten. Manipulating the flame was easy for him. He had plenty of control, just no strength.
Fierce red flames exploded from Lu Ten, overpowering the brush fire. Ozai held out his hands and split the attack, catching and preserving a small amount of his nephew's power.
Lu Ten's lip quivered. Fury. Rage. Lu Ten roared. The dragon was finally awakened.
Ozai sent the last of his nephew's attack back at him.
Lu Ten dodged with a sway of his back, and sent a fireball at Ozai with a quick counter.
Ozai ducked for cover, and rolled away from a stream of fire. He hopped to his feet, and found a burst of flame upon him. He chopped it with his arms, slashing the strike in two. Ozai's shoulders burned from the heat.
Lu Ten launched a barrage of fire strikes, so powerful that Ozai could not block them. Ozai danced away from one strike, jumped over the next, and redirected another, but Lu Ten showed no signs of stopping and Ozai's heart was pounding out of control. He stepped into a fireball, and pushed it back at its sender.
Lu Ten dismissed the counter casually redirecting it into the ground.
Ozai panted heavily. His palms were red and blistered, his shoulder was beset by a needling pain, his legs barely supported him, and his vision was blurred. But he displayed none of his weakness. That would be unsightly.
Lu Ten took a deep breath and jab stepped towards Ozai, blue fire extending from two outstretched fingers. Ozai braced himself, dug in his heels, and focused all his chi into his palms. He met his nephew's strike head on, and tried to redirect the attack. The power and precision of the strike was marvelous. To block it was far beyond Ozai's capability.
Ozai remembered the first time he had bent fire to his will. He had been seven, and he had been so relieved. Now father would finally love him, as he did Iroh. Now the people would respect him, and acknowledge him as their prince. Now brother would finally stop treating him like he was a cute pet, and instead a rival to be feared. None of those things had happened of course, for he was still weak, and the world was no place for weaklings. After that he had known his fate. He would never be strong. Never. It was his destiny to perish before those that were truly blessed by Agni. But he would struggle. That was his purpose.
He would never give up without a fight. He fought to redirect the strike, even as his heart stopped, and his nephew showed no signs of fatigue. He drew his last breath in a final roar, a simultaneous act of defiance and love towards the universe, and miraculously managed to send the blue flame back at his nephew. A dark cloud of smoke filled the air. Had Ozai actually… Had he actually beaten fate? No… No! Impossible. He could not emerge victorious here. It was not his destiny. The weak could not overcome the strong. It was not right. It was not just. This could not be!
A gust of wind howled through the meadow, and the ash started to clear. Ozai squinted, looking desperately for his nephew.
He found him winding up for a lightning strike. Ozai tried to block, but felt his legs wobble and fail. He took the strike, and felt the power of the royal family flow through him. He fell to the ground and spasmed, no longer in control of his muscles. They expanded and contracted unnaturally, as he convulsed. Pain! Agony! Nerves fired out of control. Then they slowed, and Ozai felt cold. Frozen. Dying. Dead.
Lu Ten looked down at him. Like a god. So powerful. So strong. Ozai was so proud. Now it was time for his nephew to strike him down and achieve perfection.
Lu Ten's golden eyes screamed mur… No… No! Why were they wet? Why did his nephew smile?
"I will never kill you," Lu Ten said. "I'm sorry uncle."
Ozai could hear his nephew's footsteps recede, as he crushed the cinders of the meadow.
What? Mercy? This was unacceptable. This was supposed to be Ozai's fate. How dare Lu Ten do this. How dare Lu Ten betray him! It couldn't end like this! It was a disgrace to the dance they'd been having.
An alien power surged through Ozai, giving him a strength he had never known before. Now Ozai. Destroy!
Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and Lu Ten fell.
Ozai fell to his knees. Lu Ten did not move. Agni… Oh Agni. What had he done? Precious nephew. No, no, NO! He'd been with the boy since he was a pup. Nothing had moved his heart like Lu's precious smi-
His heart, he could not feel it. So he had not imagined it. His heart had failed in the battle. It did not beat. So why was he-
Do you think I will let my champion die so easily?
The voice calmed him. Ozai inspected the corpse, and could only feel contempt. He had always thought Lu Ten strong, but when the time came, he refused to use his power. The only thing worse than being born weak was being weak willingly.
But perhaps all was not lost. Iroh would not stand for this. Iroh would seek revenge, and he would have it. Ozai would be dead, and Azula would be furious. Civil War. Yes, peace would not prevail. The world would still be at war, and it would finally be a battle of worth. Fire against fire. Ursa's daughter had the blood of the Avatar, and was a bender of unrivalled skill. Unnatural skill. Like the Avatar…
Ozai considered the genocide of the airbenders the greatest atrocity ever committed. The Fire Nation, the most powerful country in history, had killed the Avatar as a child. They should have waited. Allowed the Avatar to reach his strongest possible state and then waged war. If they could overcome the Avatar, the true benchmark of power in the world, they would know that their fight was just. For their cowardice, the Avatar had vanished. Retribution. Ozai thought it unfair, that he should be punished for the sins of his ancestors. Someday, Ozai hoped the Avatar would come back. To be defeated by Iroh, or perhaps Azula. A part of him still wished to face the Avatar, but he was long past such fantasies. Killing the Avatar was every benders dream, but could only be achieved by someone truly strong.
And Ozai would always and forever be weak. That was his destiny. It should not have been Lu Ten's. Somewhere in raising the boy Ozai had grown soft. He had trained a weakling. If he survived Iroh's wrath, he would not allow this tragedy to repeat itself.
Ahh Ozai. A voice within himself said. This is wonderful. Beautiful. Perfect. You've surprised me. It appears I've been after the wrong brother. You are the one I have been searching for. I'd like to say hello. My name is-
Iroh gasped. A great evil had left him, and for the first time he could see the world clearly. Agni's ashes…
Ba Sing Se was filled with groans of agony and wails of despair. The air had a salty scent from the earth kingdom soldiers burnt alive. A firebender had a large indent in his skull, eyes dull, feet occasionally twitching. A group of child peasants begged surrender, but were met with flames from Iroh's soldiers.
Why had he always seen war as such a beautiful thing? Because of him. The great other. This… This was an abomination. He… He couldn't stomach another moment.
"Find Ozai," Iroh said to a lowly commander. "Tell my brother we're going home. We're abandoning this siege. And if you can, tell Lu Ten as well."
The commander gave a curt nod, and bolted away.
How come his men were terrified of him? Iroh had spent so long cultivating an image of terror, and now he was left to ask himself: why?
The Last Dragon chuckled. To think he had found his heart on the precipice of his greatest military achievement. He'd finally broken the walls of Ba Sing Se and he lost his nerve now? Had he gone mad? No, for the first time ever he felt sane. His head was clear.
He would abdicate the throne after declaring Ozai firelord. His brother had done great things. Wonderful things. Beautiful things. Perfect things. While Iroh had been conquering the Earth Kingdom, Ozai had been saving it. Establishing modern medicine. Abolishing footbindings for women. Creating POW camps. And likely a multitude of other things which Iroh was unaware. While others had waited for the Avatar, Ozai had become the world's savior without anyone noticing.
When Lu Ten had been born, and was cradled in his wife's arms, Iroh had felt nothing for the baby. He was loud and annoying and had driven Iroh to the military. Every time he'd seen the boy he'd been filled with shame. Why wasn't he a better man? Why couldn't he cherish his son's smile the way he did a military conquest? Why was he evil? All excuses. He should have been fighting the evil within. Perhaps it was futile, but he would not give up without a fight.
Ozai had raised Lu Ten while Iroh ran from his failures. Ozai had taught Lu Ten everything important. How to firebend. How to be a man. Right from wrong. He'd always been there for the boy; the only man Lu Ten could truly count on. But no longer.
Iroh was finally ready to be a father.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Favorite, follow, or leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter.