Neverwhen, Neverwhere, Neverwill

1.

Returned From An Age Undreamed of

"You lie," said Ozai.

The captain kowtowing before the Fire Lord's throne cringed.

"My weakling son died two years. He fell off his ship and drowned, his coward's soul dragged down to Cold Hell. You lie."

The captain clenched his hands and pressed his forehead hard against the polished floor. "Your majesty, I swear by Agni, Raiden and the ancestral spirits of my family that I speak the truth! Prince Zuko led the barbarians that captured Lan Fang."

The Royal Councilors muttered amongst themselves. Princess Azula frowned in pensive disbelief. Ozai raised a hand and silence quickly fell. He stared at the captain, his eyes cold, his face as expressionless as a porcelain mask. "Again," he commanded.

The captain swallowed, licking his chapped lips. "They came out of nowhere, as sudden as a summer storm – warriors arrayed in leather and steel, riding strange steeds the like of which I've never seen, faster than any komodo-rhino or ostrich-horse. They were armed with powerful bows and their arrows fell like rain. Some ignited into fire, while others transformed into lightning bolts." The councilors muttered again, to be quelled by their liege's sharp look.

The captain continued. "Just after the barbarians started their attack, earthbenders began to rise up within the city, sowing confusion and knocking down the defensive walls – we had no chance. Lan Fang was taken within an hour, my staff and I captured soon after. We were dragged before the invaders' leader." He shuddered at the memory. "He wore black armor, a strange fur cape thrown across his shoulders and a silver circlet on his brow. I recognized the scar on his face instantly, but..." He took a deep breath. "He was not a boy; he was a man in his twenties, tall and strong and fearsome. Somehow Prince Zuko aged ten years in the passing of two!" The councilors exploded, talking loudly, asking each other how this could be, shouting that this barbarian leader was an imposter, declaring that the captain was either drunk or deranged.

"Silence!" roared Ozai, the wall of flame separating him from his court leaping high, licking the scorched ceiling. Instantly the councilors complied. "Finish it," he said.

"Yes, your majesty; there is little else to tell. Prince Zuko said that he was letting us go, but in exchange for his mercy I was to deliver that message to you."

No one spoke for long minutes. Again the Fire Lord read the letter in his hand.

Ozai,

I am coming for you. My Hyrkanians will sweep your armies from the Earth Kingdom. We will cross the ocean and pull you from your throne. I will hang your head from the palace gates to converse with the carrion birds.

I swear this in Erlik's name.

Zuko Khan

Ozai's face remained expressionless, despite the inexplicable fear that clutched his heart.