Part Three: Ozai's Reign and Defeat

When Ozai heard the cell door open, he immediately got on his feet. Another visitor, no doubt, he thought exasperatedly. However, the guard detail was different. This time, they came with the warden of the detention center, the Earth Kingdom officer the inmates had met on their first day.

"Sit," said the warden and Ozai sat on his mattress wondering what this was all about. The guards brought a chair for the warden to sit on. "As you can probably guess, we are coming down to it now. Only a little more than a week." Ozai grunted in response. As if he did not know.

"Is there anything you would like to eat that afternoon?"

"What?" Ozai responded, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"

"New policy," explained the warden. "A condemned inmate has the right to a last meal before the sentence is carried out. We can get you pretty much anything."

"Well, how generous," Ozai drawled and thought for a second. "I would like to start out with shark fin soup. For the main meal, I want whale steak cooked with curry, a bowl of rice, and bottle of sake. For dessert, I'll take fruit tart with tea." He wrote this all down as the inmate spoke.

"Now, would you like me to get a Fire Sage to say a prayer for you?"

"No."

"Do you have any other requests? Like someone you want to contact before the execution, a letter you wish to send?" This brought up his spirits somewhat.

"Well," he replied. "I'm writing a short testament. I intend to finish it before the hanging. I want it sent to Firelord Shinji University to the history department. Look for a man named Professor Yoshihiro Muto, he's a well known historian who has always wanted to write a book about the war, the way it really happened. I believe my testament will be a good addition to his work. I just want to know that my word is going to be out there after it's all over."

"I can't promise he'll publish it, but I will have your testament sent over a day before the execution. Is there anything else I can do?"

"Yes," Ozai said. "As it's a mass execution, how is it going to be conducted?"

"We're doing everyone at once" said the warden. "It's taking place in front of the Ministry of Justice. Anything else?"

"No." With a nod, the guards left Ozai to write.

With eight days left, here I am writing my final entry. The guards were here just a minute ago to take my last requests. This is something I never heard of. It must be a new addition by "Firelord Zuko the Reformer" as they are calling him these days. If I can't die like royalty, at least I am going to eat like royalty one last time.

I finally had everything I had desired all my life. I was the Firelord…the entire nation and our colonies in the Earth Kingdom were now under my absolute rule. Immediately upon taking the throne, I called for a meeting of all the ministers and highest ranking military personnel. I said that we were to redouble our efforts and move in on the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes faster and with more force than ever before with Sozin's Comet only a few years away.

Through my contact in a prison where we captured some Waterbenders from the Southern Tribe, I learned that they extracted information out of one prisoner that there was one Waterbender left over there. The rest had already been killed or captured by the Fire Nation. I gave Admiral Yon Rha the orders to deal with this. Not too long later, he sends me a messenger hawk stating that he has eliminated the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, a young woman no less. Yon Rha's currently being tried in the South Pole and they are not known for their mercy.

A few months after my coronation, Iroh had returned to the Fire Nation. It was so satisfying to see his expression a he arrived in the throne room, looking at me sit behind the wall of flames. He regarded me and then bowed. "It has been a long time, my brother," I could sense the smile in his words. "Or I should say, 'my Lord'."

He sounded sincere enough. That was good; I wouldn't have a rebellion on my hands. Iroh's name still commanded a great deal of respect and it could have been a problem, but he had accepted me as his Firelord. "Good to see you back and in good health," I answered. "Rise," I added as an afterthought.

"I have just finished promoting and awarding soldiers who have served our nation honorably. Frankly, General Iroh, I cannot think of a man who has served and fought for our nation with more honor than you have."

"The compliment is undeserved, my Lord," he said respectfully and I made a gesture that it was deserved, despite my really thinking otherwise.

"For your decades of selfless commitment to the Fire Nation, my brother, I hereby release you from your service in the Fire Nation Army with the highest honors." His face was expressionless as he bowed to me in gratitude. I went on to say that he is a retired war hero and his opinion on battle strategies would always be invaluable to me. I had to make it seem like I respected my brother's service, personal feelings be damned if I wanted the true loyalty of the other generals. Nguyen Thanh An became the new Senior General and his orders were to succeed where Iroh had failed. The Earth Kingdom pushed as back a long way in the Siege of Ba Sing Se, and Nguyen was going to conquer it for us.

As for the Avatar, finding him was still a priority. I did not believe for a second that the Air Nomads were all extinct, there had to be some out there in hiding. I had lesser officers search for any Airbender or people who seem to channel their character in the Earth kingdom. Little did I know that in a few years, Zuko would find him, and as a young child, no less.

Speaking of Zuko, he seemed happy for the first time in months when Iroh returned. He went into depression after Ursa disappeared from his life, but once Iroh returned, he got his old flare back so to speak. He did not adjust well to the Academy. Like me, he had much to live up to with his ancestry. There was also the fact that he had a very short fuse and was a slow learner when it came to Firebending. Other than Iroh, he only truly seemed warm and patient with Mai, Azula's friend and daughter of Master Han.

Iroh took it upon himself to train Zuko in Firebending and that had improved his skills greatly. The problem was that he was too aggressive in his forms. He relied too much on his muscles rather than his breath. Another problem of his was that he was beginning to emulate Iroh way too much for his own good. His ideas about the purpose of the Royal Family just stunk of the words Iroh spoke to me all those years ago. I couldn't wait until he'd finally turn sixteen and I would be able to send him off to a foreign battlefield. Luckily for me, I would be rid of him much sooner than I could have anticipated.

When he was thirteen years old, he began to take an interest in politics. He felt that he had needed to sit in on an important war meeting. In this meeting, one of my most valued advisors, General Itagaki, presented a strategy to use a division of new recruits to lure in an elite Earth Kingdom corps, then we would flank them with two more divisions.

"You can't sacrifice an entire division like that!"Zuko stood up and shouted, and I never felt more embarrassed by him. How dare he speak out of turn in my war room? "Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?"

I got to my feet in outrage, the wall of flames rising. Much like Azulon did to me before my coronation, I pointed my finger at Zuko. "How dare you question the integrity of one of my top Generals?" I roared.

"Father, I…"

"Silence! You are guilty of an act of complete disrespect and there is only one way to resolve this!" That would be an Agni Kai, a Firebending duel. One of the many things Zuko had done away with upon taking the throne. I'm also hearing whispers of him creating something called a Parliament that would limit the Firelord's power. They would be chosen by the people no less. He's even granted several unalterable rights to the people like freedoms of speech, expression, assembly, and privacy of their homes. He is revamping our justice system in the favor of the accused, modeling it after the tribunal, only instead of a judge pronouncing verdicts, it would be a jury consisting of regular citizens. Despite all these freedoms, he's placed a prohibition on any outward display of loyalty to the "Old Regime". If someone assaults or speaks ill of or to someone of another nation or a colony because of their background or even so much as shouts "Banzai", they are heavily fined or sent to prison. You know what's worst of all? He's even going to hand most of his power to an elected Prime Minister! Luckily, I'll be long dead by the time this all becomes official. It'll take at least twenty years, they say. Anyway, I'm digressing here.

Zuko gave a disgusted look to General Itagaki and nodded. He seemed to think that he would be dueling him, but that sunset, he got an unpleasant surprise. Zuko may have spoke out against Itagaki's plan, but by speaking out of turn and not to mention a plan I agreed with in my own war room, it was I whom he had disrespected. When he saw that it was me that would have to duel, he fell to his knees. He was once again embarrassing me in front of my top Generals, Azula, and even more Fire Nation officers, including Zhao Xing Li, a Captain in the Navy and an old follower of mine.

"Please, father," he pleaded. "I only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart!"

"You will fight for your honor," I insisted in my most dangerous voice, but Zuko did not budge.

"I meant you no disrespect." There were tears welling in his eyes, I had never seen anything more pathetic. A member of the Royal Family acting so weak.

"Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!"

"I won't fight you!"

That was too much. He would need to learn a lesson that he would never forget. I would not tolerate a son who would back out of a fight. "You will learn respect," fire gathered at my right hand, "and suffering will be your teacher." In a swift movement, I lunged at my son, my flaming fist striking the left side of his face, marring it forever. He roared in pain and gasped, holding his wound.

"You have shown shameful weakness by refusing to fight me, Prince Zuko, and that I will not tolerate from anyone!" He looked up at me. "You are hereby banished from the Fire Nation under pain of death!" The unmarked side of his face blanched. "You may only return if you have successfully captured the Avatar. Get yourself to healer. You are to be gone by tomorrow!"

He was sent off without ceremony with Iroh accompanying him. I gave him an old ship manned by misfit sailors, which included Lieutenant Jee, Chef Liang, and a few others. I thought he would likely never return and Azula guessed that he would be enjoying his adventures with Iroh anyway. I would spend the next three years grooming Azula to be my heir. She perfected Firebending so well that she was able to create bright blue flames. She was cold, merciless, and even-tempered…a perfect weapon. No one had dared to defy her, and I knew she would be a great Firelord one day. The second in line to the throne would be Nguyen of course. He was exactly like Azula, only a grown man.

However, we both severely underestimated just how stubborn Zuko was. Nearly three years after his banishment, a Fire Sage barges into the throne room. "What is the meaning of this?" I shouted. "How dare you come in here without my invitation?"

"F-Forgive me, Sire!" he stammered. "The Avatar…the Avatar is alive!"

"What!" I stormed out of the throne room to my office, and waiting for me there was a messenger hawk from now Commander Zhao. Zuko had found the Avatar, a boy of twelve years, and he let him slip through his fingers. Zhao assured me that he would capture him before Zuko. I knew I was dealing with two very determined and stubborn men. They would certainly come to conflict for my approval. Neither would receive it as it turned out.

Winter had come and Zhao, who was now Admiral of the Northern Fleet, and Zuko had been following the Avatar and his friends for months. Zhao was going to launch an attack on the Northern Water Tribe. Unlike the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation would face its polar opposite in element, no pun intended. It was a disaster of titanic proportions. Zhao's plan was to destroy the Moon Spirit, the source of all Waterbending. Zuko and Iroh stowed away on his ship to capture the Avatar. My son had the Avatar in his clutches, and what happens? He gets caught in a storm and nearly freezes to death.

I was waiting in anticipation for the moon to darken and once it did, I thought we had it made. Not too long later, the moon shined white again. I knew something was wrong and once I read the battle report, I nearly set my office on fire in rage. Iroh would not let Zhao kill the Moon Spirit. When he did, Iroh killed several of our own. What made matters worse is that the Avatar went into this freakish spiritual rage called the Avatar State. His power combined with the Ocean Spirit's resulted in the destruction of the entire fleet; thousands of warships! I had a traitor for a brother and a failure for a son. I immediately called for Azula and sent her to capture them.

While all this was going on, we had captured the City of Omashu. I needed someone loyal to keep order there, but someone who was disposable as well. Only person I could think of was Han, so I appointed him governor and sent him there along with his family. It was here that Azula added the Avatar to her list of people to capture. She was joined by her friends, Mai and Ty Lee in the chase.

It would be a long time before I would get any news from Azula, and it was pretty uneventful for a few months. However, one day I got a message from her, saying that she had captured the Kyoshi Warriors. Two were executed and the others sent to prisons in the Fire Nation. Azula had taken a liking to their leader and decided to interrogate her for a while. I assume she meant that red haired girl who was testifying in court that she was tortured for months and raped (not by Azula, but by a group of guards in the Boiling Rock). Azula apparently kept torturing her after the fall of Ba Sing Se.

I'll get to Ba Sing Se now. First we tried breaching the outer wall with a drill, but were once again thwarted by the Avatar and his friends. After Azula captured the Kyoshi Warriors, she, Mai, and Ty Lee took their uniforms and infiltrated the city. This would succeed where outright attack would fail. My daughter had earned the Earth King's trust, conspired with the Dai Li, and imprisoned him. Later, she met Zuko and Iroh in the Crystal Catacombs and it was Zuko's moment of truth. He helped Azula capture my traitorous brother and in an even more surprising move, he had slain the Avatar in the Avatar State, thus ending the cycle, or so we thought at the time.

A few weeks later, my children came home to a great victory ceremony. After the capture of Ba Sing Se from the inside, Senior General Nguyen led our forces in from the outside with little resistance. He would be appointed the governor of the city. Finally, it was time for an audience with my son. Here he was, after three long years, looking more like me than ever only with the burn scar. He bowed humbly to me.

"You have been away for a long time," I began with preamble. "I can see the weight of your travels have changed you. You have redeemed yourself, my son." I extinguished the flames separating the throne from the rest of the chamber. "Welcome home." I arose from the throne and made my way to my son, who was still kneeling.

"I am proud of you, Prince Zuko. I am proud because you and your sister conquered Ba Sing Se. I am proud because when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle," Iroh was placed in the prison in the outskirts of the capital, "you did the right thing and captured the traitor, And I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment; you slayed the Avatar.

"What did you hear?" he responded hastily. I dismissed it then as him not being used to compliments.

"Azula told me everything. She said she was amazed and impressed by your power and ferocity at the moment of truth."

"You have my gratitude, father." He regained his humble tone.

In the months that followed, I had seldom seen Zuko. The only times I saw him were when I wanted to dine with him and Azula. These were quiet meals. Most of his time was spent with Mai, with who he was now in a relationship. If they were to announce their engagement, I would reluctantly consent to it, mostly because I couldn't stand her parents. Mai was completely different from them and I hope their younger son will be as well. He's only five now, so he still has a chance.

We had won the war, but it seemed that our problems were worse than ever. In the wake of the Avatar's "death", much anger spread throughout the Earth Kingdom. Rebellions began popping up left, right, and center, giving our forces a rather hard time. It was an outright insurgency; even civilians were rising against us. On top of that, we had an invasion coming up on the day of a solar eclipse.

A day before the eclipse, I called for a war meeting with my top military staff, cabinet, and children. We had to come up with a plan to crush these rebellions to ensure our permanent rule. It would be here that Iroh would have said that the tighter you hold on to power, the more it will slip through your fingers. I would not "hold on", that's for sure. First I had Zuko speak. He said that the Earth Kingdom people are proud, strong, and fiercely loyal to their land. They would fight for it as long as they had hope. We needed to destroy their hope.

"I think you should take their hope along with the rest of their land and burn it to the ground," Azula suggested.

Normally, I'd have punished anyone who'd talk out of turn, but she had a good idea. She was absolutely right. Sozin's Comet was on its way and it would endow us with the power of a hundred suns. One that day, we would take our airships and from those airships, we would rain a fire upon the Earth Kingdom and what remained of the Water Tribes. Grandfather Sozin started the war and used the Comet to wipe out the Air Nomads. I would use it to wipe out the other nations, Earth Kingdom. The entire world would end in fire, and from the ashes, a new world would be born; a world in which all lands would be Fire Nation, and I the supreme ruler of all!

Everything was now set in motion for the invasion. Most Firebenders were lying in wait for the eclipse to end. Zuko, Azula, and I along with my cabinet, nobles, and high military command waited in our bunker. Azula said she would distract the enemy during the eclipse and then destroy them. What happened that day, I could never have expected.

The doors to the makeshift throne room opened, and in walked my son without any invitation, his eyes fixed in a glare. I put down my tea and looked up at him suspiciously. "Prince Zuko," I said coldly, my brow furrowing. "What are you doing here?" He said nothing in response. It was as if he was trying to work out an answer. "Why are you here?" I pressed.

In a strong, confident tone, he stated, "I'm here to tell the truth." I raised my eyebrows.

"'Telling the truth' during the middle of an eclipse? This should be interesting." I dismissed my guards so that I would be alone with my son. I knew that I was about to hear something interesting. I signaled for him to speak.

"First of all," he began, his tone remaining confident and even. "In Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me."

I frowned at this revelation. "Why would she lie to me about that?"

"Because the Avatar is not dead. He survived."

"What?' I sprang to my feet in rage. Azula had lied to me? It was unthinkable, an outrage. She would suffer greatly for this!

"In fact," Zuko added. "He's probably leading this invasion and could be on his way here right now."

"Get out!" I shouted, anger prevailing over my dignity. "Get out of my sight right now, if you know what's good for you!" He did not budge. On the contrary, his expression hardened as he responded, "That's another thing. I'm not taking your orders anymore." Did Zuko just refuse to obey a direct order from his own father and Firelord?

"You will obey me," I warned, my expression matching his, "or this defiant breath will be your last!" In a swift movement, he brandished his broadswords, his eyes burning in anger. It was at that moment when I realized he did not look like me at all. He had Sozin's fierce golden eyes, the wild hair of Avatar Roku, his mother's prominent forehead and only my strong jaw. This was no longer the weak little brat that had been banished from the Fire Nation, but a true Fire Nation prince hardened by resolve and who'd realized the truth of the world around him.

"Think again!" he cried raising a sword and pointing it at me. I sat down in shock. "I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen! For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me! I thought it was my honor that I wanted, but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father who banished me just for talking out of turn! My father who challenged me, a thirteen-year-old boy to an Agni Kai! How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

"It was to teach you respect!" In truth, I was at loss for words. For the first time, Zuko had me against the wall.

"It was cruel and it was wrong!"

"Then you learned nothing!"

"You're wrong," Zuko shot back. "I learned everything and I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation is the greatest civilization in history and that somehow, the war was our way of sharing that glory with the rest of the world. But what an amazing lie that was! The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our 'greatness', they hate us and we deserve it!"

I sat there listening to his whole speech and knew what was coming. Despite all but declaring himself an enemy, I was proud of Zuko for the first time in my life. I am being perfectly honest, I was truly proud him for finally standing up to me and asserting himself in his own way. Now I was just waiting for the Agni Kai that I never got three years before. However, he was not done with his speech.

"We created an era of fear in the world and if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness." At this, I laughed.

"You uncle has gotten to you, I see." I knew Iroh would eventually corrupt that boy's mind. Zuko's firm confirmation of my inquiry wiped the grin off my face.

"After I leave here today," he said, "I am going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and beg for his forgiveness. He's the one that's been a real father to me."

"Well, that's just beautiful," I said derisively. "Perhaps he can teach you the ways of tea and failure." Zuko didn't respond directly.

"But I've come to an even more important decision." He drew in a deep breath. "I'm going to join the Avatar and I'm going to help him defeat you."

"Really," I challenged in excitement, grinning widely. "Since you're a full-blown traitor now and want me gone, why wait? You've got your swords, I'm powerless. Why don't you just do it now?"

"Because I know my own destiny," Zuko replied calmly. "Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny." With that, he sheathed his swords and began to leave. I wouldn't have that!

"Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me but will only do so during an eclipse? If you had any real courage, you'd stick around until the sun comes out." He didn't even slow his pace. I knew he was trying to ignore me, so I tried another tactic. "Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?" He stopped in his tracks. With a knowing smile, I knew it was my turn to back him up against the wall.

"What happened that night?" he demanded hatefully.

"My father, Firelord Azulon commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son, and I was willing to do it." Zuko gasped at this. "Your mother found out and stopped me. She would do anything to protect you. She knew I wanted the throne and concocted a plan, a plan in which I would be Firelord and your life would be spared.

"That night, she poisoned my father's tea cup and changed his will. Your mother did vicious and treasonous things that night. She knew the consequence and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished."

"So she's alive?" A tear fell silently down my son's face.

"Perhaps," I replied shrugging and I could feel the fire resonating within me. "But now I see that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. You penalty will be far steeper!" In a swift movement of my arms, the room illuminated in a harsh white light as lightning surrounded me. I launched the current of electricity towards Zuko and it struck home. However, he didn't writhe in pain, he seemed to….there was no other word for it…catch the lightning in the circle of his arms, pointed his finger towards me sending the lightning back. I dodged it just in time, so it struck the stairs instead, sending a cloud of smoke. Once it cleared, he was gone.

The invasion had been defeated. Those not killed were captured by our troops, including Hakoda, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. He was sent to the Boiling Rock while the others were imprisoned in the prison by Agnishima. While it seemed like a great victory for us, Zuko's betrayal inspired underground movements to rise against us in the open. To make matters worse, Iroh had escape he prison and fled to the Fire Nation. I couldn't wait for the Comet, and then I would show them all who they are dealing with.

I didn't speak to Azula since the war meeting. She had taken it upon herself to conduct a surprise inspection of the Boiling Rock. Little did she or I know, things would just go down for her from there. Zuko and one of his new friends broke into the prison to break some prisoners out. They organized a riot, and just as they were about to escape on the cable car, Azula caught up with them, engaging them in battle. Mai turned on the guards, taking out a good few just to help Zuko escape. When Azula attempted to confront her, Ty Lee chose Mai's side and incapacitated Azula. My daughter was brought back to the palace seething in rage. It wasn't an in-control kind of anger either. Her sanity was dwindling.

As the day of Sozin's Comet began to approach, Azula became more insecure than ever. I could not allow her to jeopardize the mission, so she would not be accompanying us. Needless to say, she was less than pleased when I informed her about it. To calm her down, I declared that she be Firelord. To commemorate my new empire, which would rise from the ashes of the old world, I took up the title of the Phoenix King.

The Comet soared through the sky in all its wondrous glory; I could feel its energy surging through my veins as the ship flew towards the coast of the Earth Kingdom. A forest lay below us and as soon as we hit land, we released a blaze so great and terrible that you would have to have been there to behold it. Great plumes of yellow and orange bursting from our hands and rising from the woods below. That was one it happened. The flagship shuddered as rocks struck the propellers, sending the huge aircraft to the ground. That's when I saw him, the Avatar, my greatest foe/

Our duel took place on the craggy mountains of Wulong. Our eyes locked in a brief battle of wills before I spoke of how the Universe brought him straight to me after generations of Firelord had failed to find him. He first tried to reason me with me, warning me that we don't have to fight, that I had the power to stop what I was doing. He was right, I did have the power; all the power in the world!

This was it, the fated duel. The Avatar would face me and the fate of the world would be decided at last. In the beginning of the battle, I took the offensive and the Avatar evaded me. He only Earthbended at me a few times. It was pathetic and almost disappointing in a way. Then I shot lightning at him and to my shock, he stopped it and was about to redirect it. Zuko must have taught him that, no doubt! Just as I braced myself for the finishing blow, he shot the lightning into the air, refusing to kill me.

I held the advantage throughout the duel, until he enclosed himself in rock. I called him weak just like the rest of his people hoping that stab against the Air Nomads will inspire some anger in him… it didn't. It was only when I sent him into the face of a cliff did something happen. That heavy blow must have triggered something, because his eyes and tattoos were glowing with a fierce light.

Before I could make heads or tails of what was happening, he struck me with a heavy blow. He was in the Avatar State and now a fully realized Avatar. I tried to avoid and strike at him with Firebending, but he flew closer and closer to me, brushing aside my flames like spider flies. He was surrounded by a wind shield with rings of earth, fire, and water spinning around him. Finally, I felt a rope of water encircle my torso, hoisting me up and slamming me on top of an intrusion of rock.

I gazed up in him with fear, I'm ashamed to admit, real fear. He trapped my arms and legs. "Firelord Ozai!" the voices of thousands of Avatars escaping from his throat. "You and your forefathers have devastated the balance of this world, and now you shall pay the ultimate price!" His elemental shied dispersed, forming a snakelike combination of all for elements. I braced myself for the final blow, closing my eyes tightly. All I felt was a splash of water. Opening my eyes, I saw the Avatar hovering there facing away from me, his head bent.

"No, I'm not going to end it like this."

"Even with all the power in the world," I hissed. "You are still weak." I was just about to finish him with a burst of flame, but he sensed me somehow. I found my limbs trapped again and he simply placed his hand on my forehead, closing his eyes. What happened next could only be described as weird. I began to see my past and the Avatar's flashing before my eyes. He must have seen mine and felt my resentment to Iroh, loathing of my father, and ambition for power. Then I saw the times he spent with his friends, joking with a blind Earth Kingdom girl, kissing a rather beautiful Water Tribe girl. For the first time in my life, I felt things like love, value of friendship, selflessness and courage even though it was channeled through another. I felt like I was rising in the air and slowly weakening. The bright light flashed and I slumped on the rock, feeling wearier than ever.

I tried Firebending, but not even smoke escaped from my limbs. "W-What have you done to me?" I stammered.

"I've taken away your Firebending. You will never be able to use it to hurt or threaten anyone else ever again." He reentered the Avatar State and used the water of the ocean to extinguish the fire. From where I lay I could see that all but one airship had crashed. In a matter of less than a day, the Hundred-Year War was over and we had lost. It was all too much for me to take in. I barely listened to his friends' childish taunts, and then I fainted.

We lost the war. In the days that followed, Zuko had been crowned Firelord and reconciled with Mai. I was on hold in the prison near Agnishima to await my fate. Zuko first visited me to demand Ursa's whereabouts, but I did not know. A year later, he came back, much to my dismay.

"I told you I don't know where your mother is!"

"That's not why I'm here," Zuko snapped. "I'm here to inform you that the council of nations demands you stand trial." I perked up.

"Trial?" I repeated, grabbing the bars in disbelief. "For what?"

"You have been charged with conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. You are to be transferred along with twenty-five others to the dungeons beneath the Ministry of Justice."

I could not believe it. I was furious beyond words. It was a mere stroke of luck that resulted in my defeat and they were going to try me like a criminal for crimes they all made up? They even had the audacity to put me in this closet of a cell with three other men!

A day before the trial, the guards took us to the dining hall to meet our lawyer. He was a do-goody type, I could tell right away. "My name is Hideo Tanaka," he announced. "I'm the head of the Law Department at Firelord Shinji University. The Fire Nation faces a difficult time in the coming years. I have been asked to represent you all in the upcoming trials. This is the first time a government of a nation is put on trial, so I ask that you tell the truth and remember your oaths to your country." Nguyen arose from his seat in response. "Long live the Phoenix King!" The others responded with the customary "Banzai!" shout.

You may have heard that my behavior in court was outrageous. That I would have angry outbursts and not answer questions. That is almost accurate, but misleading. I decided to give the judges a fight. I would not surrender to them with a guilty plea even though I knew I was facing conviction. Mr. Tanaka tried to use the defense that our actions in the war were not at the time illegal, but it did not work. The prosecutor's argument that these circumstances do justify bringing them to court, legality at the time be damned, sat with the judges.

My defense was that I had no knowledge of the others' actions, while they tried to put the full blame on me. We had witnesses from all the nations testifying against us as well. These included the Avatar, my worthless son, and their friends. I was particularly amused during that red haired Kyoshi girl's testimony about the treatment of war prisoners. By the end of her testimony, she was barely able to speak from all that crying. Then came the testimony of the Water tribe girl whose vision flashed before my eyes when the Avatar removed my Firebending. She testified against the raid on the Southern Water Tribe and the treatment of Earth Kingdom civilians. Yon Rha had killed the wrong person. His victim was a nonbending mother. The true Waterbender had been this girl in the witness stand. During the two years of the trials, I heard news of the outside in the dungeons. Zuko married Mai and had two kids. Their first was a boy named Ryuhito and the second was a girl named Kumiko. Other whispers, as I mentioned before, were his decisions as Firelord. Ursa also came back to the palace, but hasn't visited me. Good, the last thing I needed then and the last thing I need now is her nagging. Azula and Zuko fought in an Agni Kai on the Day of the Comet along with that Water Tribe peasant. The duel resulted in a complete mental breakdown for Azula and her being transferred to a mental hospital where she's under constant care and watch.

The verdict finally came in three weeks ago. I was convicted along with twenty-one others. I along with sixteen (now fifteen since Yu poisoned himself) would be hanged. Five others, including my Education Minister and Financial Minister, were sentenced to lengthy prison time, two of them (Education Minister Matsumoto and a General) to life without the possibility of parole. The four men to be acquitted were the Minister of Homeland Affairs, Governor Han, and two Generals. Despite their acquittal of all charges, Zuko had banned anyone who had willingly served the "Old Regime" in its inner circle from ever holding a public office again, not that it would matter for that sycophant, Han. He was good with money and recently opened a banking system in the Fire Nation, so he would be richer than ever.

As I sit here now, writing this testament, I can tell you that I do not regret anything I have done in my life. I am not sorry for any of my "wrongs" whether they were brought against me in court or not. People are sometimes asked what they would have changed in their lives, and they could come up with many. I could only come up with one, now that I think about it: Ursa! Choosing her as my wife had led to my downfall and the downfall of the Fire Nation. Ursa, the mother of my children, and the bane of my existence. This is all I have to say. I can only hope that historians will publish this, and the world will know me for who I was from childhood to condemned inmate. In eight days' time, I will be gone and I am glad I won't live to see the Fire Nation slowly crumble into disgrace.

I am Ozai, the Phoenix King, and this was my testament.

A/N: And that brings the chapter to a natural close. Zuko banning any display of loyalty to the old way was inspired by Germany banning displays of loyalty to the Nazi regime in even the slightest way (something I applaud). Up next is the epilogue, which deals with the actual execution. Until next time, Lionheart out.