Zuko thrashes in Iroh's bed, the royal family watching tensely on one side and the royal physician running tests and mixing potions on the other. Azula clings to Ozai's robes when her brother starts screaming and shaking as if in agony. The screams reach a crescendo with the royal physician clapping her hands over her ears and Azula bursting into tears.

Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stops and Zuko wakes. His golden eyes track Azula's movements as her sobs quiet and she extricates herself from Ozai's embrace, the physician's as she repacks her kit in bafflement. They land on Uncle, worry and shock etched into his face before it smoothes into relief mixed with something else Zuko can't identify.

Recognition, the presence chimes, and Zuko knows it's correct.

"What just happened?" Ozai asks, directed at anyone who might be able to answer.

Zuko shakes his head, because he has an idea, but he isn't going to tell Ozai what he expects. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees that Uncle wears a strange expression, like he knows exactly what it was, but he makes no move to answer either. It's the physician who finally ventures a guess.

"It was almost like a night terror, my lord," she says hesitantly.

"But?" Ozai prompts.

"But… the prince doesn't have a history of night terrors and near the end, his temperature spiked and then dropped so quickly I might have been afraid for his life if he hadn't woken when he did."

Uncle nods thoughtfully, but Ozai remains expressionless. "Azula," says the Firelord, waving a dismissive hand at the physician, "it isn't yet morning. Go back to bed. I'm going to speak to your brother for a few minutes."

Azula follows the instruction without question, not in any mood to argue. In the meantime, however, he's becoming bored of being the center of attention. "I feel fine, my lord. May I go back to bed as well?" he addresses Ozai, and neither of the room's remaining occupants miss the formality where he would usually say 'father.'

Ozai sighs. "You are not a normal child, Zuko," he says, standing to leave. Zuko can't help feeling a spark of pride at the fact that he isn't what his father wants, not like Azula, and then he thinks it's silly that he's letting memories that aren't really his affect his emotions, but refrains from thinking about the his-not-his memories because trying to make sense of how all this happened is giving him a headache.

And now Ozai is gone and Zuko can talk to Uncle. Don't tell him everything, the presence warns. They speak at the same time.

"Prince Zuko."

"Uncle."

Uncle gestures for him to go first and Zuko wonders how exactly he's going to phrase this without sounding treasonous. He decides he can't. "Alright. Uncle, what I'm about to say is going to sound like treason. Probably because it is, but anyway," he trails off watching Uncle's reaction.

The old man's eyes go wide and he opens and closes his mouth several times before he manages to school his expression into something more neutral. "Am I correct in assuming that you want me to assist you with whatever it is?"

That… actually went better than Zuko had expected. Surprise he can work with. "Before I tell you anything at all, you have to agree to be a traitor to the Dragon Throne," he warns, doing his best to keep Uncle in a state of semi-shock. Uncle just nods, dumbstruck by the sudden change in his nephew.


Iroh is shocked to say the least. Zuko of all people is actively planning treason. After a moment of thought, he realizes that he has to agree to help if he wants any more information. He nods, and the look or relief on Zuko's face is enough to chase away any doubts he might've had.

"Okay," the boy starts, "okay, we're going to do pretty much exactly the opposite of what the Firelord is doing. So, he's taking over the Earth Kingdom, we take it back. Does that make sense?"

Yes, it does. It makes a lot of sense, but he can only wonder why. "Zuko, where did this come from?"

Zuko looks very, very nervous. "Well… the Avatar is supposed to return balance or whatever, right? And that would mean making sure the Fire Nation loses this war. But if we can do that ourselves, why are we still waiting for someone who might not even exist anymore?"

The question isn't rhetorical, but Iroh can't find an answer. "Do you have a plan?" A sharp nod. "Alright, what do we have to do first?" Iroh isn't sure if deferring to his nephew, but he trusts the boy to ask for help if he needs it. Is a good idea

The boy grins. "We need to go shopping."

Hmm. Iroh decides that he's going to like being a traitor.

Okay, this is pitifully short, but it's also mostly filler. The story will really get going withing the next couple of chapters.