Author's Note: I forgot the disclaimer. Sadly, I don't own ATLA.
Fire Nation: Perspectives
Chapter 2: Forgotten Family History, Part 2
The Royal Family
When Sozin was a child, he had a vision. Sons and daughters of the elements – Fire, Air, Water and Earth – lived in harmony. They made up a global community with a collective knowledge and a shared philosophy. They worked together for the common good. Resources were not wasted. Everything was distributed equally, with any extra going to where it was needed most. The vision receded as he woke. Though pieces remained with him, the details were fuzzy; and as time passed, even that became vague. In the end, what he was left with was a desire to lead his nation to glory
It was his tenth birthday and the excitement the day promised forced all thoughts of his vision to the recesses of his mind. He was anxious to meet up with Roku, his very best friend. They shared the birthday and would celebrate together. It would be a day to remember filled with pleasant memories, the best part of which was that they would become blood brothers.
It would be years before Sozin thought of his vision again. In the time between, the Fire Nation enjoyed peace and prosperity. In contrast, parts of the Earth Kingdom suffered through drought and famine. Many were forced to seek refuge within the walls of Ba Sing Se. The Northern and Southern water tribes feuded over ideology and equality between the sexes. It was becoming apparent that the tribes would not reconcile and would eventually split altogether, each holding on to the values they prized most. The Air Nomads' detachment from the material world alienated them from the other nations. Their seclusion promoted the view that they were aloof and uncaring to the needs of the others. It had been ten years since Avatar Kyoshi's death and the world was starting to unravel. When the new Avatar was made known to them, the world would release a collective sigh. Having the Avatar among them was enough to keep the peace. Or, at least that is how it was when Kyoshi was Avatar.
Six years passed and the Fire Nation was preparing for a grand celebration. It was Prince Sozin's and Roku's sixteenth birthday. During the celebration the Fire Sages announced the identity of the new Avatar. It was none other than Roku. It came as a surprise to everyone. Roku wondered at how much his life would change. He was not sure he wanted it to change. He begun to sulk and was still doing so when Sozin stopped by. Sozin lightheartedly teased Roku in the hopes of bringing his friend out of the mood he was in. If left alone, Roku would brood all day. Roku told his friend what was wrong, "I started packing, but then the Sages told me that I wouldn't need any worldly possessions anymore. It happened so fast. Everything is going to be different now."
Sozin then removed his hairpiece. "Here," he said as he presented it to Roku. "I hope that you are at least allowed to have this."
Roku protested, "But this is a royal artifact. It is supposed to be worn by the crown prince."
"I want you to have it," replied the Prince.
The Avatar replaces his own hairpiece with the royal artifact. He would wear it always. It would be a source of comfort and a constant reminder of his homeland and his best friend. Shortly thereafter they said their goodbyes.
Roku went on to train with the Air Nomads, befriending a young monk named Gyatso. After conquering his biggest challenge, waterbending, he trained in earthbending under Master Sud. Finally, he returned to his homeland and the Fire Sages. He stayed at the temple until he had fully mastered the Avatar State.
When Roku returned to the palace, twelve years later, he did so as fully realized Avatar. Sozin, heartily welcomed his long time friend and brother. Things were good again and their friendship resumed where it had left off, only this time they were the Avatar and the Fire Lord. Nothing could stop this pair once they set their minds to things, and the first order of business was the Lady Ta Min. Roku commenced his courtship of Lady Ta Min, which proved a source of endless amusement for the Fire Lord. Eventually, Roku won Ta Min's heart and hand. When they married, Sozin stood as his best man. Things were good.
The idea came to Sozin at the wedding reception. It struck him as strange that it did not occur to him before. He would speak to Roku of his vision. Together, they would make it a reality and the world would prosper. To his shock, Roku shot him down. He would not hear any of it. The Avatar stubbornly held the position that the four nations were four and that they would remain that way. There was no debating it. With that the Avatar and Fire Lord parted ways. Their friendship had suffered a major blow.
If Sozin had one aspiration as Fire Lord, it was to see his vision come true. A world united under Fire Nation rule. Imagine the possibilities! With or without Roku, he would find a way to make it happen and he began his plans for conquest.
Slowly, and without attracting too much attention, Sozin took an Earth Kingdom city and established his first colony, Yu Dao.* The Fire Nation had just settled in when Avatar Roku arrived. The former friends faced off; their respective positions and beliefs at odds. Heated words were followed by hasty actions. Their friendship forgotten, a battle ensued. It was quick and it was crude. The Fire Lord was no match for the Avatar, master of all the elements. The Avatar was victorious. Before leaving, he issued a final warning: "I'm sparing you Sozin. I'm letting you go in the name of our past friendship. But I warn you. Even a single step out of line will result in your permanent end."
It would be many years before they meet again. The volcano on the island Ruko calls home erupts. Everyone takes to the streets and frantically tries to make their way to the boats. Roku stays behind to battle the elements, but it is only a matter of time before he succumbs to the toxic fumes. Sozin arrives on his dragon and offers assistance to his old friend. Once more, side by side, the two work together to buy time for the islanders to flee the path of danger. Then Sozin sees his opportunity. He has only to leave Roku behind in order to be free to pursue his vision. Without Roku, there would be nothing to stop him. He does just that. He leaves Roku to die. Fang, the Avatar's dragon, joins his companion just before the volcano's final blow. They die together and in a distant air temple, the Avatar is reborn.
Sozin had planned long and hard over the years. The moment had arrived. He will be unopposed by the Avatar for at least sixteen more years. He will not wait that long. He reviews his strategy. He intends to use the comet which is expected to pass very close to the earth's atmosphere for added measure. With the power of the comet enhancing firebending, his army will be unstoppable. He will strike the air nomads and end them before their precious Avatar can become a threat. He begins to set things in motion. He sets his sights on the Fire Sages first.
Avatar Roku finds himself in the spirit world. He watches helplessly while Sozin defiles traditions, and corrupts the Fire Sages. He is horrified when the dragon slaying begins. He curses himself when he sees what happens to his family. Though not banished, they are shun. His family has fallen out of favor with the Fire Lord. He, himself, has been vilified and deemed a traitor to the Fire Lord, his country and his people. When the comet arrives and the air nomads are slaughtered, he cries.
He harbors a tremendous guilt for not ending Sozin when he had the chance. Avatar Kyoshi had warned him that only true justice could bring peace, but Roku was hardly impartial when it came to Sozin. Then again, how could he have known? He had not stepped out of line since that first infraction. Later, his once best friend, his brother, had come to his aid. Before his final moments they were whole and things felt as they did once so long ago; which made the betrayal at the end that much harder to take. How was he supposed to know he'd leave him for dead, or the terrible plans he had in mind?
Before his death, Sozin's attentions were monopolized by the war effort and the hunt for the Avatar. It was rare for him to have any spare time, but when he found it, he spent it with his son Azulon. Together they went over battle strategies, plans for military bases and colonial settlement, and the needed government, trading posts and farmlands to sustain them. Sozin had a personal hand in Azulon's instruction so that his son could carry on what he had started.
Sozin's marriage was in name only. The Fire Lady did as was expected of her and performed all her duties without complaint. There was no love. Early on, any attempts she made to be a part of her son's life were sabotaged by the Fire Sages, no doubt at her husband's command. He was raising a warlord; someone who would be an extension of himself and fulfill his vision well past his death. No one was given the chance to interfere. After many disappointments, she gave up. To save herself the heartache, she told herself she did not have a son. For that matter, she did not have a husband.
Azulon grew to be a fierce ruler, a master firebender, and a legendary general. He demanded results and got them. Under his rule, the Fire Nation claimed many victories. The Earth Kingdom lost large amounts of territory and the Southern Water Tribe lost all but one of their water benders. He ruled with an iron fist and had surpassed all his father's hopes.
Being raised a soldier and having little patience proved disastrous for any lady who would try to attract him. He found most women to be exasperating. Their lives were rooted in silly things like parties and the latest fashions. He did his best to avoid them altogether. Therefore, it was his great fortune to meet, marry and over the course of many years fall in love with Lady Ilah. Ilah was the daughter of a general, one of his father's most trusted men. When the General was present at the palace, she would be in tow. As a child she'd wait for her father to emerge and follow him home. Her comings and goings went unchallenged as the General was in good standing with the Fire Lord. Day after day, year after year, Azulon and Ilah practically grew up side by side, but hardly acknowledged each other's existence.
When the time came for him to marry, he chose Ilah. She was unlike any of the other eligible ladies presented to him. She spoke when spoken to and then did so intelligently. She understood warfare, as her family was career military. She was a strong woman and soft on the eyes. They understood each other. Following a brief courtship, they were married.
Azulon spent most of his time away from the palace, personally running battle campaigns. When he came home, Ilah was there for him. They were of the same mind on almost everything and he found it a comfort to confide in her. He respected her and contrary to his nature, he did love her. She loved him as well. As the years went on, they grew more loving and passionate. After some time, Ilah gave him a son. They named him Iroh. While Azulon was away, she ran the palace, supervised Iroh's instruction, and was a figurehead to their people.
In his early years, Iroh was inseparable from his mother. Even when the tutors took over his education, they spent considerable time together. Iroh loved his mother so. She was his playmate; his companion. He was able to carry his enthusiasm from his lessons throughout the day, as he would share with her what he had learned. He'd listen while she would recount stories of his father's and her father's campaigns. She would tell him of how his grandfather wiped out the air nomads, and she'd indulged his curiosity when he asked about other nations and the other elements. He'd smile to himself as he went through his katas, knowing that she watched him daily. And she loved him too. He was her little soldier boy. She was proud of him; proud for herself, her husband and for their nation. He would make a fine Fire Lord one day.
The Fire Lord loved his son too. He was so much like his mother. Azulon followed in his father's footsteps and, when at the Palace, he supervised Iroh's instruction. Azulon was confident his son would be able to carry on, as he had done after his father.
Fire Lady Ilah became pregnant again. Her personal physician warned her of the dangers that a pregnancy late in life would bring, but she ignored him. She would not deny her husband a second son. As fate would have it, problems did arise as the pregnancy progressed. Although she told Azulon of her condition, she kept the severity of it to herself. Her husband grew worried as he watched his wife grow tired beyond that which was considered normal for pregnancy. Color drained from her face and she grew sick at the thought of food. In a few instances, she had collapsed. The physician ordered her confined to her bed, and so Fire Lady Ilah stayed in her rooms for the remainder of the pregnancy.
The time came to call the midwife. Their son was going to arrive early. Not so much so as to put him in danger, but enough to cause an alarm as it was unexpected. Azulon and Iroh were shut out of the Fire Lady's rooms. Normally, there would have been no desire to be present, but the anxious looks of those coming and going were enough to fill father and son with apprehension.
For all that Azulon had under his control, power over life and death off the battlefield was not his. He beseeched Agni to spare his wife; to take the child instead. He had a son, Iroh. He had but one wife and did not want to lose her. She was the one comfort he had allowed himself; the one weakness. Other than Iroh, there was nothing brighter in his life. He would not lose her.
Nonetheless, she dies in childbirth. Azulon is grief-stricken. He ignores the newborn. He does not care for the child, only for her; and now she is gone. Iroh tries to console his father, but is grief-stricken as well. For a time, the second-born Prince is forgotten. His name is Ozai. It was chosen by Fire Lay Ilah before her death. Azulon won't look at him, and Ozai is handed over to a wet nurse.
At a time when the Fire Nation should be celebrating the birth of the little Prince, death and despair overshadows all. The Fire Lord, the Crown Prince, and their Nation go into mourning.
Author's Note:
*Yu Dao is mentioned in The Promise – Part 1. I figure that after Roku's death, Sozin reclaimed the territory and re-established his colony there.
So, what do you think?
The first two chapters are meant to set the stage for what is to come. The next one will deal with Ozai and Ursa. It just didn't fit here. It's going to take some time to get it right, but once done, we'll begin to see our favorite Fire Nation foursome.
Drop me a line and give me some feedback. Does it sound right? Can I count on you to tell me know? I hope so.
I want to thank Alabaster86 for her encouragement and support. Without her, this would exist only in my mind.
I did it. I took the plunge. It's sink or swim time.
Pvt. Fire