"…and finally, my Lord, Earth King Kueh sent a letter requesting $4 million kuai in reparations, to assist with rebuilding Ba Sing Se." The Minister of Foreign Affairs put down the Earth King's letter to address the Council. "He seems quite…insistent."
Zuko felt a flash of irritation. Of course the Earth King would ask for money to rebuild his capital. He bet that all that money would go to a redesign of Kueh's personal palace, rather than to rebuilding Ba Sing Se's walls or helping actual refugees.
"We already withdrew from Earth Kingdom lands, all the way back to the colonies!" huffed the ancient Minister of War. He tugged his beard and raised his voice. "They should be thanking us on bended knees for showing them mercy, not demanding money like fishwives at a market!" Zuko could see many of the other Ministers nodding their heads. Great Fire Sages. If he was agreeing with old Asai, a holdout from Ozai's Council, then Zuko's moral compass must be way off. Asai was a nationalistic, bitter old man, who Zuko kept around solely to let him know what he shouldn't do.
"It's not that unreasonable," said the Minister of Industry. During the war, she had managed the most productive string of tank factories on the island chain; later, Zuko had discovered she had also been quietly funnelling money into Earth Kingdom orphanages for decades. Not that that necessarily absolved her, but Zuko liked the sign of a guilty conscience, at least. He could relate to that. "We did destroy the walls of Ba Sing Se. And around 80% of their infrastructure." Her eyes darted sideways to look at Zuko, and the rest of Ministers followed. Zuko tried not to shift awkwardly in his chair. It was true; he had been personally involved in the fall of Ba Sing Se. Although it had mostly been Azula.
"Any other thoughts?" he asked.
"As Minister of Treasury, I feel I should mention that we can definitely afford it," pointed out a younger woman. Malona had been the head of Commander Zhao's staff; keeping his mad endeavours fully funded was so impressive that Zuko had hired her shortly after he ended the war. Even though she had sourced the bombs Zhao planted on Zuko's ship to kill him. "When we conquered Ba Sing Se, our soldiers spent a few days…" she paused delicately. "Liberating Earth Kingdom property. The state took 30% of their new possessions."
"Spoils of war!" bellowed Asai. "For thousands of years, soldiers have—"
"In any case," interrupted Malona. "Our cut from the sack of Ba Sing Se amounts to $2 million kuai. Even if we don't pay the full $4 million, we could simply return the money and artifacts we took." Asai blustered, but the rest of the Ministers seemed to agree.
"Okay," said Zuko. "Let's send a letter. Ignore the issue of reparations for now, but return the $2 million in spoils. And let's see if we can work something out where we rebuild villages we destroyed, instead of just sending the Earth King a wagon of gold." He looked significantly at the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who jotted down a note.
"Does this mean we should return the throne?" asked Malona seriously.
"What?" said Zuko, baffled.
"The throne, the Earth King's throne. Princess Azula had it removed from Ba Sing Se and set up in her personal apartments in the palace."
Zuko couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing, knowing how unprofessional he must look. Sages bless Azula. Only she would have the gall and the flamboyance to move an ancient throne thousands of miles just to put it in her bedroom. And the best part was, if she was here, she wouldn't understand why he was laughing; she would think the throne was rightfully hers. Zuko had forgotten how, between torturing him, Azula had sometimes made him laugh.
"Yes," he said, struggling to control himself. "Return the throne with our apologies." This shouldn't be funny, it was theft and disrespect at the highest order. But sages, Azula was hilarious.
"Returning to the issue of reparations," said the Minister of Commerce sternly. Zuko arranged his face into solemn attentiveness. "Any money we send the Earth King will serve to either finance the Earth King's hedonism or rebuild their army. We should avoid blindly giving them funds," she finished bluntly.
"At the very least," said Malona. "We need to track where our money goes."
Zuko nodded to the two women. "You're both right. But we will help the Earth Kingdom where appropriate. We've been waging war on them for a hundred years. They deserve our help to get back on their feet." About half of the ministers looked sour, mostly the few who were holdovers from Ozai's council.
"This meeting is dismissed," said Zuko. "I will see you all next week. General Mak—" he turned to the head of the capital's security, who had remained mostly silent throughout the meeting. "Stay back, please."
As the rest of the ministers collected their papers and filed out, Minister of War Asai bickering bitterly with the young Minister of Treasury, General Mak moved to sit next to Zuko. Mak had sided with Zuko when the New Ozai Society had attempted to take the capital, making him one of the few people Zuko could trust.
"Did you find the file I asked for?" said Zuko. In answer, Mak handed Zuko a scroll of parchment. "Have you ever met this soldier, General?" Zuko asked.
"Once or twice, in passing," replied Mak. "I supervise all members of the Imperial Guard."
Zuko nodded, then breathed deeply. "I need time to read through this. Can you summon the Sergeant to your office in two hours?"
"Of course, my Lord," Mak said. He paused. "May I ask why you are taking an interest in this young man?" Zuko thought about lying, but Mak didn't deserve that.
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you. I wish I could," he said honestly. Mak seemed to respect that. "He'll be in my office in two hours," he confirmed, before bowing and leaving the room as well.
With trepidation, all amusement from Azula's exploits gone, Zuko opened the scroll. This was the one he had been dreading.
Military record of Sergeant Akira. Age 19, enlisted in the army at 16. Served in the 17th Infantry regiment during the capture of Ba Sing Se under Commander Zhui; promoted to Sergeant on the field after his commanding officer was killed by a rogue pocket of resistance. Fought against White Lotus terrorists during Sozin's Comet. Was wounded and requested a transfer to the Imperial Guard in the Capital. Request granted due to his excellent service record and letter of recommendation from Commander Zhui. Served in the Imperial Guard for the past two years. Loyally fought New Ozai Society insurgents.
Akira was an outlier in the list of Ozai's bastards. Except Akira, all of them were ten and under, mapping roughly to when Ozai had become the Firelord instead of a mere prince. But Akira was only a few months younger than Zuko, if that. If any of his newfound siblings posed a threat, it was this one. A soldier, who had requested a transfer to the capital, right when Zuko took the throne…who better than a member of the Imperial Guard to assassinate him? Zuko turned to Commander Zhui's letter of recommendation.
Sergeant Akira is an admirable soldier. Though young, he displays a fierce brutality in battle, and his status as a non-bender does not impede his efficiency. He has received one disciplinary warning for his temper. When forced to lead his unit in Ba Sing Se, Sgt. Akira showed remarkable creativity, eliminating three Earthbenders by using his remaining firebender as a distraction. He will make an excellent addition to the Imperial Guard.
Maybe Akira didn't even know he was Ozai's son. Maybe he was just a loyal Fire Nation soldier, as he appeared to be on paper. But from his record, Akira seemed to be just the kind of threat Azula had warned him about. He was a fighter, apparently a leader, ambitious… Zuko shook his head. It was wrong to read all of the soldier's strengths as warning signs. Or was it?
Without meeting Akira, it was impossible to tell what his intentions were, or how much he knew about his own past. Perhaps even if Akira did know, he could be turned into an ally. He had sided with the Imperial Guard against the New Ozai society uprising. That was something. Unless that was a cover-
Zuko threw the letter down in frustration. This was pointless. He just kept going round and round in circles, trying to make a decision without having any information. Why was he always like this? Azula wouldn't hesitate! She would simply have him killed in his sleep. Zuko stood up, tempted to sit the papers on fire.
But wait. She hadn't. For the first time, it occurred to him that if Azula had all this information, she could have killed their siblings herself. She didn't need to come to him. So either she was trying to push him to make the hard call…or she didn't really want their siblings dead. Zuko smiled. Azula, being merciful. Maybe their mother's apology really had changed her. For one mad second, he wished she was here to help him face Sgt. Akira.
He glanced at a segmented candle burning on the table, and started. Two hours were almost up. He snatched up the military file and made his way to General Mak's office, on the opposite side of the palace from the Firelord's personal quarters.
It will be fine, he thought to himself. He probably doesn't know. Pausing outside Mak's door, he took a deep breath. Don't get angry. Don't panic. Remember, you are the Firelord. Zuko swept into the room, trying to look his most dignified. Immediately, General Mak stood, as did a young man facing away from Zuko.
"My Lord," said Mak, bowing. "This is Sergeant Akira." The young soldier turned, and bowed deeply before Zuko could look at his face. Zuko swallowed.
"General Mak, you may leave us," said Zuko. Mak inclined his head and left the room, leaving Zuko and the soldier alone. The sergeant rose from his bow to look at Zuko dead on.
Zuko examined Akira's face. He was tall, taller than Zuko, with light brown hair and slightly tanned skin. His eyes were a dark grey, but with flecks of the royal gold which coalesced into a ring around his pupil. He had the eyes of a hawk.
Before Zuko could decide what to say, Akira's lips curved into a half smile, and he stepped forward.
"I knew you'd send for me eventually," he said, opening his arms slightly as if for a hug. "It's good to finally meet you. Brother."