Here's another one-shot. The setting for this one is during Iroh's imprisonment and Ozai is basically visiting him during his short stay in prison. This will be a three-shot starting with Iroh. It was loosely inspired by another one shot where Ozai visits Iroh in prison but I put my own twist on it.
You know the drill, Bryke owns the show, I own the story.
Visiting Hours: Iroh
Despite everything that had happened in his life and everything that he had overcome, the ex-General Iroh, the once heir to the Fire Nation throne and the brother of Fire Lord Ozai, had never expected himself to end up imprisoned in the walls of his own nation. Although he would say that without a doubt losing his own son, Lu Ten and his wife Aoi was far worse than this. But the firebending master did not regret what he did in Ba Sing Se. Like his nephew said, he did what he had to do in the Crystal Catacombs, yet they both did completely different things. Iroh had stood up for the Avatar while his nephew had joined his niece in taking him down. Now Iroh had lost two sons in the city of Ba Sing Se. First Lu Ten and now, Zuko. Although their relationship had been turbulent at times, Iroh considered his nephew more like his own son, especially in the past three years during his banishment that was now over. Iroh only wished that that for his nephew's sake that he didn't regret the choice that he had made.
The days in prison seemed to go by long, which would be expected since all Iroh had to do was lie in his cell while he made his escape plan. Iroh wasn't sure what it was or when it was coming, but he could feel something coming in his veins. He just knew that he needed to be prepared for anything which explained why he was currently doing pull-ups in his simple jail cell. All that was on his mind was the prospect of escaping his prison sentence. That was all that motivated Iroh these days. As he pulled himself up from the ground, Iroh heard the sound of the lock to his cell opening, so he quickly stood down and got back to doing what he always does when he has visitors, nothing, although he made an extra effort no to give them the satisfaction of his attention but this time, when he heard who came into his cell the firebending couldn't believe his ears.
"Isn't this ironic? You were once so great, the Dragon of the West and the once heir to the throne. Now look at you, a traitor and a disgrace to the Fire Nation," Ozai spat.
Iroh inwardly sighed, knowing that if Ozai was going to visit him then he really shouldn't be surprised that it was just to ridicule him. Although Iroh had been imprisoned for almost a month now, his younger brother was yet to visit him unlike his nephew. The two brothers were hardly ever close, though. In fact, they were hardly brothers and wouldn't even classify each other as such.
"It really is a shame, though. You had all of the experience in the world, you were considered a legend by most, even those who feared you. You were the one to invent lightning generation, one of the only few ever to be able to breathe fire. Yet you threw it all away. And for what? Nothing. The Avatar is dead, and the Fire Nation almost has it's grasp on the rest of the world. Once the comet returns, I will finish what our grandfather started, and you will regret the day you crossed the Fire nation," Ozai droned on.
That almost made Iroh scoff at his older brother's musings. While things may seem bleak, Iroh had hoped that his nephew's fears were true, and that the Avatar was still out there. He had managed to give him and the waterbender time to escape so he could only hope that his imprisonment had been worth it because if the Avatar really was dead, his brother was right, and the Fire Nation would undoubtedly achieve victory in the war.
"I will never understand what made your change of heart. You were one of the most ruthless generals and you stopped at nothing to get what you want. And then what happened? You turned soft. You let your emotions take control of you and when our nation needed you the most, you lost it all. Though it makes me wonder that if you had never abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se, father would have never seen your weakness and I never would have become Fire Lord, a title which you never really wanted so I guess it all worked out in the end for everyone," Ozai rambled.
Of course, Ozai would say that. Ozai never understand how much the loss of his own beloved son Lu Ten impacted his life. After the loss of his wife Aoi, Iroh had been able to move on but losing Lu Ten was the final nail in the coffin. As Iroh listened to his brother's ramblings, Iroh couldn't help but reflect on his own life. There had been a time when Iroh actually had the desire for the throne but the more time he spent away from home, the less he desired it. Although Iroh may never understand how his younger brother had somehow managed to usurp the throne, since it always went to the eldest child in the family. The story was that his father had been embarrassed by his abandonment of the siege in Ba Sing Se, shortly before his inexplicable death a mere few days later where he supposedly passed his birthright onto Ozai as he no longer had any living offspring. Iroh had honestly doubted that story, given how convenient it was that their father died almost immediately following his own son's death, but Iroh had come to the conclusion that he would never find out what really happened.
"You were always the favourite, though. I will never understand why mother and father gave you as much attention as they did since your strength and skills were the only thing that connected you to them, since your views were so incompatible. It is funny though, seeing you, their pride and joy reduced to a worthless pile of nothing," Ozai hissed.
His older brother had a point, Iroh had to admit that. Iroh had always known that their parents favoured him over Ozai. There wasn't that much of a difference between them during their youth to some degree. Iroh was a pleaser, strategist, master firebender, a wise and respected leader, intelligent and open-minded. Ozai was a dictator, militarist, manipulator, domineering and also an intelligent and respected leader. Although Iroh had noticed when his brother seemed to take a turn for a worse as he became more power-hungry and his desire for the throne was evident. Iroh wouldn't be surprised if his brother was somehow responsible for their father's death.
"It is somewhat sad though, that you allowed yourself to become reduced to this filth. We could've achieved so much together, more than what father and our grandfather ever thought possible but as you always seem to do lately, you disappointed. You disappointed me, mother, father, Azula, even Zuko and our entire nation! You're a disgrace," Ozai spat.
Iroh sighed, this time, out loud. While he was surprised that his brother had wanted them to work together, he shouldn't be surprised that it would've been for his own militaristic gain. Ozai had always been power-hungry, ever since his youth. While Iroh had once had the desire for power, he never had the same drive and motivation as Ozai did. Perhaps that explained why Ozai ended up being the one on the throne? Being called a disappointment didn't hurt Iroh as much as it used to. He got called a disappointment at least once a day, so he was used to it by now. The one thought that clouded him though was that deep down, he knew his younger brother always saw him as a disappointment, despite his achievements and now his betrayal only gave him reason to do so. Iroh was a traitor and he would admit that himself, but he was a traitor for the benefit of his own nation. That's what he kept on reminding himself.
"What's even more of a shame though is the fact that your one advocate, my own son who once looked up to you with so much gusto and even thought to defend you now shares the same beliefs. You almost corrupted him, you traitor. You almost made my own son betray the Fire Nation. I'm glad that for once, he stood up for what he thought was right and made the right decision. Now he looks at you with the same disgust that everyone else does and rightfully so, too," Ozai mulled.
Now that, was almost like a dagger in the heart. Iroh knew that most people saw him as a traitor but to think that Zuko – who he saw as his own son – saw him the same, hurt the most. Iroh had tried so hard to guide Zuko on the right path but when the time came, he allowed the dark thoughts to poison his mind and manipulate him into making the wrong decision. Although, contrary to what his younger brother said, Zuko had once stood up for what he thought was right and fought for what he believed in and it resulted in Ozai burning him and disowning him. What right did Ozai have to say that about Zuko? As much as Iroh hoped that his beloved nephew did not think of him that way, it had been weeks since he last received a visit from him and the past few times his nephew spoke to him, he didn't exactly say kind words which were constantly on Iroh's mind.
"I had actually thought of visiting you for some time, to be honest. But as you would expect, my Fire Lord duties have kept me from fulfilling my thoughts. You wouldn't know those duties since you never got to experience them. Although I've heard that you've made quite the name for yourself, as the Capital City's insane prisoner. Looking at you now, I can see why. You just sit there, saying nothing while wallowing in your own self-pity. It leaves me with more room to talk, though. Perhaps you would've fared better in the Capital City Asylum? I'm sure that you would've fit in there just as well," Ozai taunted.
Iroh felt sorrowful, to some degree at how his relationship with his brother had turned out. Although the two of them had never been close before, it pained Iroh to see how strained there relationship had become. His brother would come to visit him in his prison cell, not to comfort him like a brother should, but to mock his failures and belittle him. Iroh wished that he could've gone back in time and done something to change the course of his relationship with Ozai because then maybe, things wouldn't have turned out the way that they did. But Iroh had come to accept that sometimes, things just happen for a reason and he knew that regardless of what he'd tried, this is what his brother had become and Iroh would have to learn to deal with it.
Ozai let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, as much as I have enjoyed visiting you in this lovely prison cell, I must get back to the Royal Palace where my Fire Lord duties await me. To think that you were once in position to take that role. You would've gone down as the worst Fire Lord in Fire Nation history. It's a good thing that father passed your birthright down to me on his deathbed. Who knows how the world would've turned out with your tea-loving self in charge? I must bid you farewell now, brother. Enjoy the luxuries of the Capital City prison, because that's all you're going to be getting for the rest of your life."
And with that, Fire Lord Ozai turned around and left his brothers cell, leaving him to ponder his own words and contemplate his future actions.
And that's part one of Visiting Hours. Up next will be Azula. Speaking of our favourite-crazy-firebender, I'm re-reading the search and I'm lowkey fawning over the little Zuki interactions at the beginning even though Sukka's still a thing. The struggles of a shipper… As Always, reviews are appreciated.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Jose the Noob: Glad to see that you crossed the dark side and into this story lol. I still have another one on my profile that's just waiting to be read and reviewed….
Inuchara2511: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it and I hope you keep reading and reviewing. You've gotta love those reviews XD.
