Hello Peeps! If you weren't already aware, this story is going to be a collection of side stories, deleted scenes, and extra information related to my fic "Zuko of the Fire Nation." If you haven't been reading that story, you might still be able to understand some of the stories here but you won't get the full effect. If you have read that fic, then here's just some extra information that either doesn't directly influence the plot, or just didn't show up in my outline for the story. Some of these are going to be related to me figuring out the characters, but some (like this chapter) might be related to me trying to answer common questions I've been getting in reviews.
This short story was really just the result of a lot of reviewers asking about Ozai and Azula. I also had someone ask about how Zuko and his mom got away in the end, and I hope this cleared things up for them.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Avatar.
8/31/17 update: Beta'd by Chasmfiend
The fall of Azulon
Ozai took a deep breath to settle his inner fire. Things may not have gone according to plan yesterday or last night, but that didn't mean he couldn't turn the situation to his advantage. All he needed was to keep a cool head and think straight.
To be honest, Ozai was a little impressed with his wife. He hadn't anticipated her finding out about the Fire Lord's orders. He had planned on finally breaking the news to her this morning by blaming Zuko's death on a politically-motivated assassination, maybe give her hints that it was his brother who was to blame. Instead, the common-born wench had somehow figured it out and made plans to escape with her children. She had even succeeded in getting away with his target, though only through an unforeseen hiccup on both ends.
Even Ozai had to admit he'd underestimated the woman he'd been married to for twelve years.
A servant entered Ozai's chambers. "The Fire Lord has requested your presence, Prince Ozai."
He took another deep breath, making the candles on his desk flicker. He couldn't afford to give in to emotions. He had to be perfect if he wanted to earn his father's throne.
Ozai bowed low from his kneeling position, touching his forehead to the ground. "You asked for me, my Fire Lord?"
The throne room was as silent as a crypt. All the guards and servants had been dismissed, leaving the Fire Lord alone with his second son. In this environment, Ozai's controlled breaths were almost deafening.
Finally, just when Ozai was beginning to worry that his father had fallen asleep on the throne, the Fire Lord spoke. "I heard that Zuko disappeared from the palace last night."
Ozai already had a response prepared for that. "It is how you ordered. I now feel the pain of losing a firstborn son."
"Your wife has also apparently disappeared," Azulon continued. Ozai thought he could detect something accusatory in his tone.
"Ursa has always favored Zuko," Ozai volunteered, after a moment's hesitation. "When she learned about what had happened, she reacted… poorly."
"Do you take me for a fool, Ozai?" The flames surrounding the throne raised in their master's anger. Azulon's voice didn't rise in volume, but it still cut Ozai's ears deeper than any knifes.
"I have told you nothing but the truth, Fire Lord Azulon," Ozai calmly stated.
"Bah! You and your honeyed tongue." Azulon leaned forward to look Ozai in the eyes. "You are arrogant Ozai. I had thought that this would teach you to respect your family, but all it has done is prove to me how much of a treacherous snake you can be, second-born son."
"I did everything in my power to do as you asked, Father!" Ozai objected.
"You WILL address your Fire Lord appropriately, you fool!" Azulon's outburst was almost violent. "When Iroh returns, you will tell him everything you did while he was in mourning. He will be the one to choose your new punishment."
Ozai's blood ran cold. His brother may be an optimistic fool and completely lacking in the finesse necessary for political maneuvering, but he was a powerful military man and a favorite of the people. He would see Ozai's attempt to seize the throne through the tragedy of Lu Ten's death as a personal insult. He wouldn't put it past Iroh to banish him or, at worst, have him executed.
Ozai's time was running out, and it was far to late to back out.
Freezing his face into an expression of quiet acceptance, Ozai bowed once again. "It is as you will, Fire Lord."
Azulon glared down from his throne. He clearly didn't buy Ozai's show of fealty, but didn't feel like commenting. "You are dismissed."
Ozai rose and flew out of the throne room. When the doors had shut behind him, he grabbed a nearby servant. "Inform Gin that I wish to see him in my chambers."
"You called for me, my Prince?"
Gin was, officially, Prince Ozai's personal attendant. At least, that's how it looked on the surface. In reality, Gin had been a major cog in the criminal underworld for most of his life, constantly connecting people to undesirable characters who could do what they needed. Several years ago he had been arrested for being connected to the burglary-murder of a certain general's mistress. Ozai found out about it and when he realized how useful someone in Gin's network could be, he pulled some strings to get Gin pardoned and assigned to be one of the palace servants.
He'd been Ozai's contact in the capital's criminal community ever since.
"When you first agreed to work for me, you listed off some known… specialists. Among them, was there someone familiar with poisons?" Ozai asked innocently.
Gin's face paled. He generally disliked being associated with assassinations, and usually Ozai respected that. Something must have happened to make him desperate. "I know of three people with varying degrees of skill. One creates concoctions that cause the drinker to become violently ill for a period of time, perfect for if you want someone out of your hair temporarily. Another creates a drug that, once inhaled, can cause vivid halucinations and make men do things they never would do otherwise. It's kind of unreliable though, so I generally only suggest this for blackmail."
"And the third?" Ozai inquired.
"The third person runs a flower shop and is capable of many drugs, the most expensive of which is a colorless, odorless poison that causes a person to pass quietly."
Ozai nodded. "Go and buy enough of that brand of poison to kill one man. Money isn't an issue, just take it from the unmarked purse I showed you."
Gin looked slightly disturbed, but bowed stiffly and left swiftly.
Ozai turned to start official managing his "official" business, he heard the pitter-patter of small feet right outside his door.
"Daddy? Can I talk to you?"
Ozai sighed. Azula stood in his doorway, dressed in her practice clothes. Her hair was a little out of place, so she must have just finished practicing her bending.
Nonetheless, Ozai felt the need to remind her of her priorities. "Have you finished your practice with the Royal Firebending instructors?"
Azula nodded. "I learned a new form today!"
"And your schoolwork? Did you finish that as well?" he asked.
"Yes, I finished that as well before firebending practice."
Ozai put his pen down and gave his daughter his undivided attention.
Azula rocked back and forth on her heels. "Mom and Zuzu aren't coming back, are they?"
She made it sound like an innocent question, one a nine-year-old child would be expected to ask, but Ozai knew his daughter. He'd taught her all her tricks. She was trying to get more information than Ozai was willing to give.
Ozai narrowed his eyes.
"Listen carefully, Azula. From now on, as far as anyone in the palace is concerned, your mother and brother are dead. No, they never existed in the first place. You must never speak of what happened last night. Ever. Do you understand?"
The little girl nodded. On the surface, she appeared to be enthusiastically agreeing, but Ozai knew her well enough to notice her calculating eyes.
"Your mother was an emotionally-driven fool, and your brother was a weakling who would have never survived the real world. That's all you need to remember," Ozai insisted.
Azula tilted her head, considering her father's words. "Okay Daddy!" She was smiling, and that might have unsettled Ozai if he didn't understand her. "I won't be like Mom or Zuzu!"
Ozai nodded. "Make sure you aren't. I'm kind of busy right now, so please go play somewhere else."
"Okay!" Azula skipped out the door, but stopped right outside.
"Daddy? I'm glad it's just you and me now." With that hanging in the air, she ran off to do whatever took her interest at the moment.
Ozai turned back to his desk. He made a mental not to keep a better eye on Azula from now on. She was his heir, and would be the symbol of his legacy. He couldn't afford to loose her, either literally or emotionally.
"Daddy! What are you doing?! That's Zuzu! What are you doing to Zuko? Mom is crying! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy STOP! Where… Where's Mommy going? Mom don't leave me!"
A few days later, Gin returned to Ozai's chambers with a small, seemingly innocent bottle filled with a clear liquid. "I have what you asked for, my prince."
"Thank you. You may leave and return to your regular duties." Ozai took the bottle and examined it closely. The liquid looked as clear as water, he might have thought that was it if he didn't know better. He uncorked to bottle and sniffed the fumes. There were none. The poison was just as undetectable as advertised.
A soft clearing of the throat interrupted Ozai's musings. Gin had not left the room as asked, and was looking with terror at the bottle in Ozai's hands.
"What is it?" Ozai demanded.
Gin cast his eyes down towards his feet. "My Prince, I know it is presumptuous of me to ask this, but who…"
"This is for an elderly fool who clings to outdated traditions and supports my brother. He is of no real consequence, it is simply that with him out of the way things will go a little more smoothly. I am doing this for the good of this country," Ozai lied.
Gin didn't appear to be totally convinced, but accepted the answer and left without another word.
Ozai summoned another servant. "Inform the kitchens to come get me when the Fire Lord takes his evening tea. I wish to share a pot with my father."
Ozai awoke the next morning to a palace in chaos. He put on a surprised and mournful façade, but inside he was gloating. Everything was coming out according to plan. When one of the servants showed him the letter he'd forged in his father's hand, Ozai had to hide a gleeful smile.
Everything he'd done for the past decade, all the political maneuvering and skillful scheming while his brother galivanted across the earth kingdom and reveled in the glory of being a war hero, had led up to this moment. Ozai would soon be crowned as Fire Lord.
"Summon Gin," Ozai ordered the servant. "I must get ready if I am to be crowned as the next Fire Lord."
"Sir, I'm sorry, but nobody has seen Gin the last several hours."
Ozai looked up at the servant who had just spoken. "What? Do you know where he went?"
The servant was shaking in fear. "I'm sorry, but I don't. All I know is that he was… exceptionally concerned when he learned that the Fire Lord had passed away."
Another servant, an enthusiastic young man that Ozai liked to use to spy on other going-ons in the palace, spoke up. "I saw him leaving a few hours ago, with all of his belongings packed."
Ozai considered this information, but chose not to fret to much over it. "I see. In that case, I will have to have one of you help me get dressed."
It seemed that Ozai had underestimated one of his pawns again. However, if Gin was smart enough to escape the palace after discovering his role in the previous Fire Lord's death, then he was smart enough not to speak about it to anyone or attempt to use it as blackmail.
Let Gin and Ursa enjoy their freedom. Ozai had won the throne, and was too busy securing his position before his brother returned to be bothered with them.