Disclaimer: Avatar: the last Airbender belongs
to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.
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When Azula had informed him, two days after the coup and one day after the remaining government officials had either been subdued or executed, that tomorrow they would be 'showing the populace,' Zuko should have known what she meant. Mai had mentioned dyers the day before.
The clothes were the wrong shade, and badly done--there were no madder roots in Ba Sing Se, so red cabbages had been substituted, and there hadn't been enough time for the dye to ferment. Azula had been deeply displeased; Zuko didn't ask what had happened to the dyers. He tried not to imagine it, either.
But still, even a poor red was better than the best brown.
Especially since the other option was alerting the Fire Nation army and bringing them into the city, something Azula had been putting off for the last three days. She said it was to reduce the potential casualties to the soldiers by completely quelling the people, but Zuko wouldn't have believed that even months ago. She also said their father would understand her actions, but he didn't know if that was a lie too, or not.
Nor did he know how she'd learned which quarter of the lower ring the old teashop had been in.
Unless Iroh had told her, but if that was. . . .
If that was. . . .
As their litters were carried, almost side by side, through streets where no one spoke but quite a few people were whispering, Zuko ignored the general who was walking ahead of them and announcing the news, and instead tried to remember all the times he had seen Iroh stride blithely through undignified situations without allowing them to affect him. Humility was the key to survival. He had lived through worse and he would live through this.
No matter how things may seem to change, his mother had told him, never forget who you are.
They had to return home. Azula didn't matter, this didn't matter; only returning was important.
"Who's 'Li'?" Azula called over a few minutes later, as they continued winding through the streets.
He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again and staring straight ahead. Look at the horizon, not the faces.
"No one," he replied, "anymore."
There was nowhere left in the city he could hide now, even if he ran.
Azula made a murmuring, understanding noise, and didn't quite hide her smirk as she looked forward again.
Zuko focused on his breathing.