The War-Council System was a simple one.
Almost childishly so.
The council was initially created after the One Hundred Years War, when the high-ranking Fire Nation soldiers were put to trial. There were three sentences. Guilty, in which the defendant would be put to death, not guilty, in which the defendant would be free to start over, and finally, if the council were divided in opinion, the defendant would be forced to join Avatar Aang in his creation of Republic City.
If the defendant did the job correctly, they would be free to live the rest of their lives peacefully.
It was rare for a defendant to be found innocent. But one man was known for getting the innocent verdict that no one could ever expect.
The air in the court-room was heavy, and the room was as silent as the halls of the abandoned Air Temples.
Aang pulled down on his collar, and sighed heavily. The heat of the Fire Nation summer was intense, and the windowless room was an inferno because of it.
Aang knew it would be a long, and miserable day. He also knew, however, that today, it would all end. The trials, and the war with it.
"All rise, for the leaders of the council," the bailiff announced loudly, causing a few of the crowd to jump slightly.
The leaders of the four nations, Firelord Zuko, Chiefs Hakoda and Arnook, King Kuei, and Council-Man Sokka, entered the court from their quarters from the right. They all wore dark black robes, with the symbols of the nations stamped on the front in a harsh silver.
Firelord Zuko remained standing in the middle of the chairs arranged for them, while the others took their seats.
He nodded to the Bailiff, who proceeded to where the defendant was being held,"My people. It has been twenty years since Sozin's Comet, and the defeat of Firelord Ozai at the hands of Avatar Aang. Today, the final War-Trial will commence, and a sentence for Ozai will be handed down. Today, the war finally ends."
He took his seat, and the bailiffs began to dim the candles, leaving only a few on, and a heavy darkness upon the room.
The doors to the court-room opened, a loud creak filling the room with nerves, and the bailiffs brought in the shadow of the Phoenix King.
His skin, slate-white, was wrinkled with age, and he had the look of one who had never eaten a day in their life. A guard pushed him forward, the sound of his chains clinking along the ground filling the room.
He stood at the defendant's bench, his long, greasy hair pulled over his face, and his back hunched.
Zuko looked towards Ozai, his expression stony, and his eyes cold, and said, unwavering,"Defendant. Do you know what your charges are?"
Ozai nodded slowly.
"And you choose self-representation?"
Ozai looked up, and pushed his hair to the side. He chuckled, his yellowed teeth showing,"No, I don't. My attorney should be here soon."
Zuko slammed his hand down on the desk,"You actually have an attorney?"
Suddenly, court-room doors opened, and a nervous-looking man rushed in.
Wow, thought Aang, Ozai sure did pick a young lawyer...
The young attorney rushed to the defendant's bench and yelled out, (quite loud, in fact),"M-my n-name is Kayan, and I'm handling the defense of Ozai, sir!"
"And exactly how many cases have you handled?" asked Hakoda.
Kayan ran his fingers through his sweaty hair,"U-um...no war trials, sir. This is my first case in that department!"
Zuko's eyes widened,"This should be interesting...Is the prosecution ready?"
Jayn-Wei, the prosecutor over the trial, nodded.
Zuko slammed his gavel down,"Very well then. May the trial of Ozai commence!"
The first witness walked into the court-room. He sat in the chair prepared for him, and Kayin began.
"Witness, your name and occupation please."
The witness nodded slowly,"My name is Iroh, and I run a tea-shop in Ba Sing Se."
"Very well. As the brother of Ozai, I understand that this will be very hard for you."
Iroh shook his head,"My brother has been dead for many years. I have no care, nor respect, for the creature standing before me."
Jayn-Wei nodded, and looked at his files,"Very well. You said that you had something in particular you wished to testify about?"
"Yes. When the current Fire Lord was fourteen, Ozai was heading over a meeting. There was a group of new recruits, that were to be sent to their deaths as a distraction. Zuko, who was sitting in on the meeting, objected."
Iroh continued his story, of how Zuko had been burned right in front of him. Zuko himself, started sweating, and breathing heavily, and gripped his desk tightly.
Jayn Wei shook his head sadly,"Do you hear that, folks? The defendant burned his own son's face so severely, that the scar is still there, to this day!" he gestured towards Ozai,"What kind of a father could do such a thing to his son?"
"Objection!" Kayan froze as Jayn-Wei stared at him.
"Yes, boy?"
Kayan shook his head furiously,"I apologize for freezing like that, just some jitters. Anyway...What you said about my client, while true, and horrible, is not the point of this trial."
Jayn-Wei frowned,"What ever do you mean, boy?"
"The point of this trial is to determine whether Ozai should be punished for his war crimes, not his personal issues. You bringing up this past, is using emotions to blind the council to the truth!" he turned towards the council,"Your honors, the defense would like this witness's entire testimony stricken from the record!"
"Objection! Your honors, the defense is trying to get rid of the testimony in order to save his defendant's spine! If you want the truth, allow the testimony to remain!"
The council leaned forward and started whispering. They stopped, and Zuko nodded,"The prosecution's objection is sustained. The testimony stays. Would the defense like to cross-examine?"
Kayan shook his head,"No, you honor."
Jayn-Wei smirked,"Very well, witness, you may step down. The next witness is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, who lost her mother due to Ozai's little war."
Katara took the stand, and Jayn-Wei motioned at her,"Ma'am, I understand that bringing up this horrible event will be incredibly hard for you, but you must testify to the events of your mother's demise in order for us to find the truth.
Katara looked down sadly, and nodded,"I...I understand."
"Very well. Please begin."
Katara testified to the events of her mother's death, ending off with the fact that Ozai had ordered the attack, and if it weren't for him, Kya would still be alive.
The crowd was solemn, and a few were in tears. Jayn-Wei smirked at them, then turned to face the council,"You see, your honors. This man, this...vile excuse of a man, ordered an attack on the Southern Water Tribe! This action caused the death of Katara's mother! I believe severe punishment is all that he deserves."
Zuko looked at Kayan, disgust on his face,"Do you wish to cross-examine?"
Kayan nodded,"Yes, of course."
He turned towards Katara, and began to walk towards the stand,"Miss Katara, I have to ask...how old were you during the events of the murder?"
Katara answered immediately, without thought,"Eight. Eight years-old."
Kayan held his chin in thought,"Hmm."
"What?"
He shook his head,"How old are you right now?"
"Objection! Her personal life holds no meaning to the case!" Jayn-Wei pointed out.
Kayan turned towards the council,"Your honors, allow me to ask her this question, and it'll all make sense in a moment!"
The council turned to eachother and whispered. Zuko nodded,"Objection denied. Please answer the question."
"I'm thirty-five." Katara said, a confused look on her face.
Kayan smiled brightly,"Thank you, ma'am. If you are twenty-five now, and you were eight during the events of the murder, it has been how many years?"
"Um...twenty-seven."
"Twenty-seven." he chuckled.
"Objection! The defense is getting off track in their questioning!"
Zuko nodded,"Objection sustained. Defense, get to the point."
"O-of course, sir! I-I...Oh, years!" he turned towards Zuko,"How many years has it been since Fire Lord Azulon died?"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Sir, please answer the question."
Zuko thought for a moment,"Twenty-six, I believe...wait! You don't mean?" he recoiled, knowing where Kayan was coming to.
Kayan smiled,"That's right, sir. Azulon died twenty-six years ago. Your mother died twenty-seven."
"Objection!" Jayn-Wei shouted.
He was quickly denied by Zuko.
Kayan pointed at Katara,"When your mother was killed, the Fire Nation was under Azulon's reign, not Ozai's. So, your mother's death can not be blamed on my client!"
The entire room burst into an uproar, and Zuko slammed the gavel down loudly,"Order!"
Jayn-Wei slammed his hands down onto his bench," , I understand that you wish to defend your client, but there is no possiblity that you can deny the acts of total war that he unleashed upon the Earth Kingdom!"
"I never denied those accusations! The meaning of these trials have all been to determine two things! First:The proper punishment, and second:Whether or not the defendant is still dangerous to the world!" he pointed at Jayn-Wei angrily,"My client has been in a dark cell, being fed moldy food, for twenty years! He's served his time! And, my client has had all of his bending abilities taken from him! He is no longer the Phoenix King!"
Jayn-Wei blanched,"Y-you little...rookie! You think that you know what it means to stand in this court? Yes, you are correct, your pal is no longer the Phoenix King! He is a shell of a man. The point of these trials, friend, is to punish the monsters that make up the Fire Nation! Nothing more! You, my friend, are a Phoenix Wrong!"
Kayan smirked,"No, I am a Phoenix Right! You claim that this is punishment? My client has been punished. He doesn't care what you do to him! If Firelord Zuko was to set him on fire right now, Ozai wouldn't care! I do not claim that my client is an innocent man. I wouldn't claim he's a good man, either. But, he has been punished for twenty years, and is too weak to ever be a danger to the world again! To put him to death, would to become a monster just like him!"
Zuko slammed the gavel down, and the entire room went silent,"This council will hear no more from either side. The time has come that we arrive at a decision."
Kayan nodded,"O-of course, your honors."
Jayn-Wei smirked, and snarled at Katara,"Witness! Get off!" he turned towards Kayan,"You've dug your own hole! You've given your little sympathetic side, but your in the big leagues kid. The winner should be obvious."
The next thirty minutes were an absolute hell. The entire court-room sat in pure tension, waiting for the verdict. The council came back in, and Zuko stood to announce.
"This is the end of the War Trials, and the true end of the One Hundred Years War. The council will now announce its verdict."
He looked down at his paper,"Beginning today, we already knew of the heinous acts that Ozai had comitted."
Jayn-Wei smirked.
"However, the meaning of this, and all of the War Trials, was to determine which course of action should be taken. The defendant has been proven to be unconnected to the murder of Chief Hakoda and Council-Man Sokka's wife and mother respectively. He also has faced twenty years of imprisonment in the worst location possible. He is also unable to bend, and has been weakened to the point that any sort of physical attack would be impossible for him to commit.
"Because of this, and the fact that his role in the war was minor compared to Sozin and Azulon, he is found unanimously, not guilty."
Ozai, looked up in surprise, as one of the bailiff's reluctantly unlocked and removed his chains.
Sokka stood up,"We will never be able to forgive you for the crime you have committed. However, if we were to sentence you to death, it would make us into the same monster you are."
Kuei stood as well,"Walk out into the sunshine, Ozai. Today, you are a free man."
Ozai and Kayan walked out of the court-room, Ozai still in shock. Kayan smiled as they walked out, at the heart-broken Jayn-Wei.
In the defendant's lobby, Aang approached the two. He reached out to shake Ozai's hand. Ozai chuckled at him.
"I-I...can't believe, that you of all people, Avatar, would be the first to congratulate me."
Aang smiled and shook his head,"Twenty years does a lot to heal old wounds. You should be happy that your trial was today, and not back then!"
Kayan winced,"Wh-what would have happened?"
Aang's expression became cold,"Death. I promise you that." he softened, and turned back to Ozai,"So, freedom! Are you happy?"
Ozai chuckled,"You'll never know how I have longed for the day that I would see the sun again, and smell the grass."
Aang laughed,"Wait until you see what's become of the colonies!" he noticed Zuko hiding in the corner,"Hey, Zuko, come here!"
Zuko trudged stiffly over,"...Father."
Ozai smiled at him sadly,"I don't expect you to forgive me, and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted me dead. I just...know that I am sorry. For...everything."
Zuko shook his head,"You know things will never be how they were before..."
"I...understand that."
Zuko narrowed his eyes at Kayan,"You did well today. I came here with the desire of killing him. You changed that in a few short minutes."
Kayan laughed nervously, and scratched the back of his neck,"Well, good thing I changed that, huh?"
"Perhaps...I don't know what will happen to you after today, but...I'd be careful."
That was the last page in the large book, entitled THE WAR TRIALS. The trial of Ozai, who under all circumstances against him, was found innocent.
That's what I have to do tomorrow morning.
Thankfully for her, the Librarian here was extremely helpful, and had allowed her a private room to study on what she had to do.
The War Trials had returned, for only one person to be tried.
Kuvira.
How late is it?, she thought, looking at the clock.
Late. So late, it was tomorrow.
The day of Kuvira's trial.
Korra burst up from the desk she had been studying on, and rushed out of the library as quickly as she could.
Today, she has to fill Kayan's shoes.
