I've got to say, I'm surprised by the responsiveness from you guys for this story so far. Not even five chapters in and already more than ten reviews and almost twenty faves and follows. That being said, I'd really appreciate it if you guys took the time to check out my other works as well. Since you guys have been good with this story, I thought I'd give you all another early update to ease your needs.

Moral Dilemma

Once Zuko had gotten his dagger from Uncle, he and Akane spent whatever time they could having little fights with one another. Of course, they were always careful not to hurt one another. They were currently running around the palace gardens as they engaged in another one of their battles, laughing joyously as they did so. Azula sat by herself as she watched her brother and his friend with disdain. How was it that little Zuzu was able to get along better with that other girl than his own sister? Why did Akane get more attention from Ursa than Azula could ever dream of? Azula shook her head at those thoughts, refusing to acknowledge them. She had always seen Akane as below her, and just assumed that people only treated her better out of pity. Yes, that had to be it.

Azula watched as Akane and Zuko yelled happily together. It wasn't fair that Zuko got to have all of his fun and games. What made Zuzu so worthy of that luxury over Azula? He was behind both her and Akane in his training which was arguably pathetic. The fact that he couldn't even keep up with two girls who were younger than him always amused Azula. Granted, Akane was only a few months younger than Zuzu but still. Suddenly, a devious lightbulb went off in Azula's head as she thought of another plan to mess with her brother and his pathetic friend. The one good thing about Akane was that she was always easy to rile up, just like Zuzu was.

Carefully, Azula got up from her seat and snuck behind the tree near where Akane and Zuko were playing. The young princess made sure that her intended targets did not spot her. One thing her father always told her was that the best way to catch your opponents was with the element of surprise. It was time for Azula to put what she'd learned into practice. When she was confident they'd be caught off guard, Azula jumped out from the tree and used her firebending to create a giant cloud of smoke, which easily caught Zuko off guard while Akane was able to react faster. The sudden intrusion caused Zuko to stumble back a bit before he tripped over a nearby log, landing flat on his butt against the tree which caused a stack of bark to fall on his head.

Azula laughed at her brother's misfortune, "Poor Zuzu. Always on the wrong side of luck."

Zuko glared at her, "Not funny Azula."

"Then why am I laughing?" Azula asked.

"Because you're sick!" Zuko exclaimed before noticing that Akane was struggling to stifle back a few laughs. "Akane! You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am. If you could see yourself right now though, even you would admit that you look funny," Akane admitted.

Azula grinned with satisfaction, "See, even she agrees with me."

"I thought Akane's opinion didn't matter to you?" Zuko asked.

Azula shrugged, "Obviously you wouldn't admit that you looked hilarious, so I need someone to back me up."

"You two are going to pay for that!" Zuko declared as he stood up.

"Oh, I'm so scared," Azula mocked before running off.

Akane grinned sheepishly at Zuko, "Uh, sorry?"

"Too late for apologies, now Nene!" Zuko exclaimed before chasing after his friend and his sister.

The three children proceeded to run around the palace grounds, all laughing as they did so. Even Azula seemed to be enjoying herself with Akane and Zuko, despite what she thought of them. As they passed Ursa who was sitting in front of the fountain as a messenger approached her with a scroll. Ursa opened the letter and read it to herself, its contents causing tears to stream down her face. Ursa's sudden change of appearance didn't go unnoticed by Akane who haltered in her chase as she stared at Ursa, concerned.

"What's wrong?" Akane asked as Azula and Zuko joined them.

Ursa turned to the three children as she revealed the devastating news, "Iroh has lost his son. Your cousin Lu Ten did not survive the battle."

Zuko seemed shocked and saddened by the news of the loss of his only cousin, while Azula hardly reacted at all. Akane hung her head down sadly. Even though she had only met Lu Ten a hand couple of times, she still cared a lot about him and she knew that Zuko did to. Akane could only begin to imagine how Iroh must be feeling now that he'd lost his only child, which was every parent's worst nightmare. Zuko shook his head before running off inside the palace with Ursa following him behind.

"That's so sad," Akane muttered to no one in particular.

Azula still heard her and scoffed, "Please. I've heard sadder stories than that."

Akane glared at her, "How could you say that? He was your cousin!"

"Yeah, was. It's not like I saw him much anyways. That's life for you, people live, and people die every day. Get used to it," Azula said.

"You're a horrible person!" Akane hissed before storming away from the young princess.

Azula scoffed, "She needs to remember who she's speaking to."

With that, the Fire Nation Princess went off to do her own thing, away from her irritating family members who she sometimes wished would just go away and never come back. At least then she wouldn't have to put up with their annoying selves.

~*•°•*~

A few days had passed since the news of Lu Ten's death was announced. Since then, Akane had picked up on a strange vibe at the palace, but she didn't say anything to anyone. There was a tense feeling in the air, with a mix of something else that just didn't sit right with the young firebender. Zuko had been upset after he found out about Lu Ten's death but was able to cheer up after some help from Akane and Ursa. It was obvious that Ursa and Zuko were grieving over him, but what Akane didn't understand was how Azula and Ozai hardly seemed to care at all. There were just some things about this family that confused Akane, but it was the only family she ever knew.

Today Zuko seemed to be doing better, since he was running around in the Royal Palace with his dagger that he got from Uncle as Akane and Azula sat nearby. At one point, Zuko faked his death, dramatically falling to the floor with a groan. Azula rolled her eyes at her brothers display while Akane laughed to herself.

"You waste all your time playing with knives. You're not even good!" Azula taunted.

"Put an apple on your head and we'll find out how good I am!" Zuko challenged as he spun around to glare at his sister.

"Let's not go throwing knives around," Akane suggested, not wanting them to get in trouble since knowing Azula, the young princess would most likely pin the blame on them and get away with it.

Azula ignored Akane, "By the way, Uncle's coming home."

"Does that mean… we won the War?" Zuko asked uncertainly.

"No, it means Uncle's a quitter and a loser," Azula replied harshly.

"What are you talking about? Uncle's not a quitter!" Zuko exclaimed.

"Oh, yes he is! He found out his son died, and he just fell apart!" Azula mocked her uncle as she spun around a nearby pole before resting against it. "A real general would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground, not lose the battle and come home crying."

"How do you know what he should do?" Zuko asked angrily. "He's probably just sad his only kid is gone. Forever."

Akane nodded, "You should learn to be a little less heartless."

Azula rolled her eyes at Akane's comment and was about to make a remark that wouldn't have sat well with the other girl until Ursa appeared in the doorway.

"Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon. Best clothes, hurry up!" Ursa ordered hurriedly.

Zuko ran past Ursa quickly to get ready, while Akane stood awkwardly where she was and Azula walked rather slowly.

"Fire Lord Azulon…" Azula trailed off in a bored tone. "Can't you just call him 'grandfather?' He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon."

"Young lady! Not another word!" Ursa scolded Azula as she ran past her mother and left the room. "What is wrong with that child?"

I've asked myself that question too. Akane thought.

"Um, Ursa. What should I do?" Akane asked

Ursa sighed, "I'm afraid this is a family only meeting, Akane."

"Oh. I'll just go to my room then," Akane muttered.

For some reason, it hurt Akane that she wasn't considered family, even though she technically wasn't. Akane had been around long enough to be a part of their lives. However, only Iroh, Ursa and Zuko treated her like family. Everyone else just treated her like she was some washed up peasant who didn't belong there. That hurt Akane, but she was used to it by now.

~*•°•*~

That night, Akane laid in her bed as she wondered what could have been possibly going on in this meeting. It had to have been important since Akane wasn't even invited although she attended most of their gatherings. Part of Akane was glad she wasn't there, since Fire Lord Azulon scared her but she still wished she could know what was going on. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her and she hopped off her bed before heading out of her room and towards the Fire Lord's chamber.

As long as nobody spots me, I'll be fine. Akane thought.

Eventually, Akane reached the secret entrance that lead to the Fire Lord's chamber since she would not have been able to go through the main one. Carefully, Akane entered the chamber that she had only been in a few times and hid behind the curtains, so she wouldn't be spotted. Akane could see Fire Lord Azulon sitting in his throne as the fire surrounded him, while Ozai, Ursa, Zuko and Azula sat on the floor some distance away from him.

"And how was it Great-Grandfather Sozin managed to win the Battle of Han Tui?" Ozai asked.

"Great-Grandfather won… because…" Zuko trailed off confusedly.

Azula took that as an opportunity to upstage her brother, "Because even though his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated his advantages. The enemy was downwind and there was a drought. Their defences burned to a crisp in minutes."

"Know-it-all," Akane muttered so only she could hear it.

"Correct, my dear. Now, would you show Grandfather the new moves you demonstrated to me?" Ozai asked.

Azula stood up and moved up. She began with some circular motions, warming herself up, and started her firebending. Akane watched in slight awe as Azula performed fairly complicated moves with ease, finishing off her routine with a jump and a powerful fire blast towards the throne, before landing on her feet gracefully. If she was being completely honest, Akane wasn't that far behind Azula in regard to her training but there was no way she'd be able to perform the moves that Azula did with such ease.

"She's a true prodigy! Just like her grandfather for whom she's named," Ozai stated.

"Suck-up," Akane muttered quietly to herself.

As Azula walked back to her seat, the young girl glanced at Akane's direction and narrowed her eyes. Panicking, Akane shut the curtains to keep herself from being spotted. Once she was certain she was in the clear, Akane peered through the curtains again and saw Azula lean closer to Zuko as she whispered something to her older brother which seemed to upset Zuko as he angrily stood up and declared, "I'd like to demonstrate what I've been learning."

This isn't going to be good. Akane thought. It wasn't that she didn't have enough faith in Zuko, he just tended to mess up when he put pressure on himself and there was no doubt that Zuko would be feeling the pressure to upstage his arrogant sister.

Zuko started off well, doing the same circular motions that Azula did just before. He managed to produce a small fire blast, which didn't seem to impress anyone. When Zuko tried to create another one, he fell. Zuko got back up and tried again, only to fall harder this time. Akane cringed as she saw Ursa get up and approach Zuko.

"Oh, Zuko," Akane whispered sadly, feeling sympathetic for her friend.

Akane couldn't hear what they were saying, but it seemed like Ursa was giving Zuko some much needed encouragement. It also seemed like Fire Lord Azulon was quickly getting impatient.

"Prince Ozai, why are you wasting my time with this pomp? Just tell me what you want. Everyone else, go!" Azulon ordered.

At that moment, Akane debated on if whether or not she too should return to her room since the meeting appeared to be over, but there was something that held Akane back from leaving even though she wanted to.

"Father, you must have realised as I have, that with Lu Ten gone, Iroh's bloodline has ended. After his son's death, my brother abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se, and who knows when he will return home. But I am here, father, and my children are alive," Ozai began.

"Say what it is you want!" Azulon demanded and Akane nodded in agreement, wondering what Iroh and Lu Ten had to do with this.

"Father, revoke Iroh's birthright. I am your humble servant, here to serve you and our nation. Use me," Ozai implored.

Akane had to shut her mouth to keep the gasp in that was threatening to escape. Iroh had just lost his son, Ozai's nephew and all Ozai cared about was seizing power for his own selfish gain? Akane really shouldn't be surprised though, since she knew how cold and heartless Ozai could be at times. It just upset her that Ozai could be so insensitive towards his own family, which Azulon actually seemed to agree with as the flames around him began to grow.

"You dare suggest I betray Iroh? My first born? Directly after the demise of his only beloved son?" Azulon roared, sending a wave of fear through Akane. "I think Iroh has suffered enough! But you… Your punishment has scarcely begun!"

After Azulon's outburst, the flames around him shot up which only meant that he was feeling extreme anger towards his younger son, which Akane would understand. Akane desperately wanted to get out of there, fearing that she'd hear something she wouldn't want to. Only she couldn't. Her feet remained planted on the ground as she stood there frozen on the spot, unable to bring herself to move.

"Father, what is it that you want me to do?" Ozai asked.

"It is clear that you have no sympathy for Iroh, which is a shame since he is your brother. That clearly does not matter to you. By asking me to revoke Iroh's birthright, you have committed treason against your brother. That being said, your punishment must fit your crime. Perhaps it might even make you a little more sympathetic," Azulon started.

"I am willing to do anything I can to redeem myself in your eyes, father. Please, tell me what it is I have to do," Ozai said.

"Since you clearly have no feelings for Iroh's loss of Lu Ten, you must know the pain of losing your own first-born son. By sacrificing your own," Azulon ordered.

Akane clasped her hands over her mouth to prevent a gasp from escaping as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Zuko… Azulon wanted Ozai to kill Zuko. Akane wanted Ozai to be punished for his actions, but not like this! This was more of a punishment on Zuko, since Ozai clearly didn't care about his first-born son and Akane wouldn't be surprised if he happily got rid of him.

Ozai rose to his feet, "I understand, father. I will do my best to uphold your wish."

That… jerk! Akane thought as Ozai left the room without another word.

Never before had Akane felt so much anger, fear and sadness all at once. Azulon wanted Ozai to kill Zuko. And Ozai was going to do it! Akane had to do something. She refused to let Ozai kill Zuko. He'd have to kill her too if that's what he wanted. In Akane's panic, she failed to see that someone else had noticed her presence in the throne room.

But what could she do? There was nobody who could help Akane in this situation. By telling someone, she'd have to reveal that she had spied on a private meeting which could easily get her in trouble. Akane could just tell Zuko, and the two of them could run away so they'd be safe from Ozai. Neither one would be safe here anymore after tonight. There was no way Akane could stop this on her own.

Ursa! Akane realised.

All Akane had to do was tell Ursa what was happening, and she had no doubts that Ursa would stop at nothing to protect Zuko. Unlike Ozai, Ursa actually cared about her children and Akane knew there was nothing Ursa wouldn't do to stop this. Akane knew that she had to act fast. There was no way that Akane was going to let Zuko die. Not on her watch.

Boy, things are heating up and it's only four chapters in. The next update will come on Friday, so don't expect another update before then. Until then, let me know what you guys think and what your thoughts and theories are, since I love to read those.

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Znkp: Well, you got the next one sooner than anticipated but you'll have to wait until Friday to get more. Just stay patient cause as they say, good things come to those who wait.

GumptiousGriffin: Akane and Zuko's friendship will definitely be explored throughout the story which will lead to different consequences for everyone else. Azula will continue to be a thorn in their side for obvious reasons but having Akane in the mix will certainly make their interactions interesting.

Ravennalorren: Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you like this story so far. If you like Flying Embers, check out my other works since those are mostly OC orientated cause I have a thing for those.

uNICOrnDIANGELO: It's always a bit difficult with cannon scenes when you're adding an OC to the mix, cause you don't want them to hog the limelight from the others. As for Akane, I won't give away too much, but she'll have to grow up quicker than what you might think.

Mogor: Well, you're about to find out since Ursa's departure will be in the next chapter and it will definitely add a new element to the story as well as Akane's on personal development. I'm glad that you like the story so far.

Daisy54154: It's nice to see some new people reviewing on my works, since I've never seen you before in my notifications. I hope that you continue to enjoy reading Flying Embers.