Wei, the leader of the Dai Li, crept through the Fire Nation capital silently and stealthily. In the town area the guards were limited to basic fire-benders, with one or two martial artists who had been taught by the Kyoshi warriors. The elite Fire Warriors and Kyoshi warriors were palace guards and protectors of the Fire Lord and Lady themselves. Luckily for Wei, the basic guards weren't a problem.

One of them, a stocky young woman, patrolled by the dark alleyway where he was hiding, pressed against one of the stone walls. She passed by him stupidly, and he sneered. It'd be so easy to kill her here and now; it would be no difficulty, considering her easy pace and slack form. But his task today would be endangered by senseless killing. All that would be necessary was for him to get between point A and point B unseen.

In this case, Point B was the prison on the royal grounds, meaning that in a very short time, Wei would be facing the well-known Kyoshi warriors.

As the pitiful guard turned a corner, the Dai Li agent ran in silence through the dark streets, pausing where he had to, hiding behind barrels, and suddenly jumping up into roof tops when necessary. When he neared the treacherous grounds, he stopped and took a deep breath before zigzagging and rushing to a blind spot on the wall of the prison. Using his bending, he loosed bits of earth scatter and fly in the opposite direction, getting the Prison Guards' attention, and then he slipped inside like a ghost.

Fire Lord Zuko still found it unspeakably strange to be sitting on his father's, grandfather's, and great-grandfather's throne. The red, yellow, and orange flames that flickered on the looming walls of the vast room were present in all his childhood nightmares, and it was hard to picture them as anything other than cruel and harsh. Yet now they were his. The flames created by his own hand on the day of his coronation.

He felt an overwhelming tiredness flood him, and his hands clutched his robes. What would Uncle say? This thought was a common one, used whenever he felt confused. He stood and walked heavily down the steps from the dais and paced. "Zuko, the throne needn't always be tainted by the corruption of your forefathers. You have the power and the goodness in you to cleanse the Fire Lord's place."

"Blah, blah, blah." He started as a wry female voice interrupted his thoughts. Mai came up behind him and gave him a short hug. At his slight look offense, she reached up to draw his head down and gave him a kiss. "I'm kidding, Zuko. You are good, and the Fire Nation will regain its honour with you at the head."

Zuko gave a small smile, not quite ready to accept her belief in him, but getting there. "I'll have to try, at the very least."

"Yes, but do you have to stay here now? You only use this room for important meetings and when you're seeing people. It's torturous, and I'm bored of Ty Lee. If I have to spend another moment staring at her crazy, Kyoshi make-up I'll vomit."

Zuko chuckled, some real joy spreading through him, pushing his low self-esteem out of his mind for the time being. "I'd love to, Mai, I would, but I received a notice that the Dai Li Leader wants an audience. I've avoided it as long as I can, but now have to hear what he says."

"The Dai Li?" Mai's eyebrows knitted together, and she frowned. "Why him? Why are they still here anyway?"

Zuko nodded, his face mirroring hers in its seriousness. "I guess I'll find out today." He glanced at his wife sidewise, too nervous to ask the question on his mind.

"I'll stay for the meeting," she said, answering the unspoken question. "But you'll have to do something extremely exciting later to make up for the boredom of it."

With a grin, he said, "I think I may be able to manage that. Being a Fire Lord and all."

Mai's usually bland expression stretched into a small smile, and she put her hand on Zuko's shoulder. "I look forward to it."

"Ahem." The pair sprung apart and turned red at the cough. They turned to see the Kyoshi Leader, Suki, standing before them, her green outfit swishing the stone floor, and a lousy attempt at keeping her amusement at bay. "The Dai Li leader is here, Fire Lord Zuko. Should I show him in?"

Zuko nodded, all his earlier playfulness evaporating into the air. The fires outlining his throne grew a little in their intense heat. He climbed the stairs back to the dais, and arranged himself on his throne, then directed his gaze towards the entrance. "Let's see what my sister's old agents want to talk about today," he muttered as Wei, with one other Dai Li agent at his side entered and bowed before him. "This should be interesting."