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Happy New Year and happy first chapter of 2020!

I just want to address the way Kuei is portrayed here. Yes Kuei is pretty OOC. I just felt the clueless, puppet ruler Kuei from canon didn't fit in this AU. So please, suspend your disbelief and accept Savvy Politician!Kuei

Enjoy!

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"Prime Minister, you're going to want to see this," Long Feng announced with an ominous stack of paper in tow. Kuei felt tired just looking at it.

"Yeah, bring it in," he told his deputy, waving him inside without glancing up. Not that Long Feng generally waited for an invitation.

"It regards your little firebending puppet," Long Feng pushed, taking the time to enunciate each word carefully, imbuing the entire sentence with his signature vitriol.

Now Kuei had to admit he was intrigued. There wasn't supposed to be any news about the fire lord. He wasn't supposed to do anything that Kuei didn't already know about.

"It appears he's growing a backbone," Long Feng elaborated, placing his papers centrally on Kuei's already-cluttered desk.

Kuei dismissed Long Feng, closed his door, and set about briefing himself on whatever headache this was bound to become. Hmm. An alliance with the Southern Water Tribe. The fire lord and Chief Hakoda made their official announcement less than an hour earlier. Kuei wasn't entirely sure what he expected when a sour-faced Long Feng loomed outside his office, but it certainly wasn't this.

This… was bad. The decision itself would never amount to very much, of course. The Southern Water Tribe was an inconsequential excuse for a nation, a sad, puny frozen outpost that was typically just as out of mind as it was out of sight. Kuei couldn't fathom what Zuko stood to gain from an alliance with it, but that was beside the point. Zuko wasn't supposed to be making any choices, whether they were stupid and baffling or not. If he got away with this, whatever this was, it would set a precedent that that marionette of a dictator could lead his nation without anyone pulling his strings. Kuei couldn't have that.

He needed to summon his council. They probably already knew (for whatever reason, the prime minister tended to be the last to learn about new developments) but Kuei still couldn't brainstorm how to handle this alone. He needed someone who had actually spoken with Fire Lord Zuko at length, and several on his council had. Kuei had only ever heard stories and read reports about him, other than their brief introduction at the summit.

Reports characterized the young scar-faced leader as timid and mostly obedient, but that didn't tally with what Kuei had just learned. Either Kuei's subordinates were lying to him, or the fire lord was more subversive than he let on. Kuei wondered what his endgame was with this. Kuei wondered if he even had an endgame, or if this stunt was just an act of childish rebellion. Either way, he had to quash it.

That afternoon Kuei's council assembled in their usual conference room. The green chalcanthite crystal lamps were set aglow, and instantly the room adopted a calming ambiance. Good. Kuei needed calm. Joo Dee, Kuei's assistant, shuffled around the lacquered stone table, providing each council member with their briefing notes.

A few of them seemed surprised after all, or at the very least, had the tact to pretend not to be more in the loop than their own prime minister. The reactions were to be expected. General How and the other war hawks demanded military intervention to remind the fire lord what the Earth Kingdom was capable of. Others proposed dissolving the alliance without consulting him, and just letting him be as angry as he liked about it. Others still advocated for talking to him. Manipulating him, perhaps, or offering him a deal. But what kind of deal could you offer a man who had already lost everything? Minister Baozhai raised her voice gingerly.

"Well there's always..." she hesitated, "that method of convincing him."

A heavy silence smothered the council's chatter. Various members exchanged significant glances with each other. Most of them were looking at Kuei.

Kuei figured they would have to resort to that eventually. Fire Lord Zuko was bound to test his limits at some point. But once they used their final tactic, that was it. Their greatest bargaining chip would have been spent in an instant. What if…

"Not yet," Kuei insisted. "I still have an idea left to try."

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Everything seemed different since Zuko returned from the Earth Kingdom. He knew there was a world outside the Caldera, obviously, but now he had actually seen it. Well, some of it. But even that was more than the entire rest of his life. Ba Sing Se had been so diverse and vibrant. It wasn't necessarily any more beautiful than the Caldera was, but it was just so unpredictable. Every building in the Caldera had a purpose. The city layout was premeditated, and anything that wasn't properly structured and utilitarian was disallowed. It appeared that there were no such regulations in the Earth Kingdom. People opened whimsical businesses that sold novelty trinkets, installed fanciful art projects on public streets simply because they could, and zoomed through the city's rings on little electric scooters. Zuko had drunk something called a 'spirulina latte.' He hadn't been aware that anything edible could come from that part of the color spectrum.

More important than the surreal experience he had there, and also perhaps more worrying, was the way that the Earth Kingdom and its never-ending drama had seemed to follow him home. He'd been back in the palace for only a few hours when Mai pounced on him like a saber-toothed moose lion. He suspected there'd be work waiting for him when he returned from Ba Sing Se, but this was more grueling than he'd envisioned. He had to hit the ground running, and even then he felt he was falling behind.

First on his list was Azula's trial. His research revealed that the Elemental Human Rights Commission had appointed a lawyer to Azula's case. Zuko didn't recognize her name, but apparently she had a reputation for being thorough and ruthless. He had already missed Azula's first arraignment, and her next hearing wasn't for a while. He made a mental note to put that on his calendar.

Furthermore, the Earth Kingdom was allowing him marginally increasing degrees of freedom, and with it came more responsibilities. They only let him handle routine maintenance, of course, leaving their intelligence agencies to make all the decisions of any consequence, but still. The mundane needed handling.

And there was Katara's podcast, although, that seemed less like work and more like the only part of his schedule that gave him any peace of mind. Katara had become a stabilizing force in his life, and he liked to think that she felt similarly about him. Once, in the midst of recording, they had played off each other's banter so well that they dissolved into laughter. Zuko couldn't even remember what they laughed about, or if it even made any sense. But it sure had been funny. Katara had to delete the entire recording and they'd had to start all over, but neither of them minded.

Satisfied with another day's work, Zuko locked up his office and retreated to his bedchambers. He stopped short in the hallway, realizing the door was ajar. He ran through a mental list of all the reasons it might have been that way. The alarms hadn't gone off, so an intruder was unlikely. It could have been Preeda, but she usually locked the door behind her when she was finished cleaning. Perhaps she hadn't finished cleaning, then? But she never cleaned this late. She went about her work in the middle of the day, when Zuko was least likely to spend time in his bedroom. Maybe Zuko himself had done it. He usually wasn't that scatter-brained, but… well his life had been turned upside down as of late. Maybe the stress was affecting him more than he thought.

With one hand he pushed the door even wider, and with the other he held a fistful of flame, poised to attack. He surveyed the room. He expected nothing to look out of place, or perhaps that something small and scarcely noticeable would alert him of whatever was going on. He certainly did not expect Prime Minister Kuei to be seated placidly at his escritoire. He wasn't proud to admit that he'd screamed.

"Fire Lord Zuko."

"Kuei? I mean, uh, Prime, uh, Mr. Minister?" Zuko stuttered, staring dumbly. "What are you doing in my bedroom…?"

Kuei stood, brushing the wrinkles from his dress pants.

"I thought we might have a chat regarding recent developments in your international relations department," he explained, as if this wasn't completely weird.

"Why wouldn't you just send someone? And have them come to my office? During the daytime?" Zuko had dealt with his share of Kuei's minions, but he'd only ever met the prime minister himself at the party. He'd assumed Kuei saw Fire Nation affairs as beneath him.

"Ah, well, you see. I can't do that, because I'm not actually here right now. In fact, I've never been here. Understand?"

Zuko said nothing. He understood perfectly well, and he didn't like where this was going one bit.

Kuei carried on, "You've been making some friends recently, haven't you?"

"Okay?"

"Water Tribe friends, in fact."

Of course. Zuko couldn't make one measly diplomatic decision without the Earth Kingdom flipping out. The responsibilities they'd saddled him with recently were probably just to make him feel important. Maybe they instantly shredded his papers upon receiving them.

"I haven't done anything wrong," Zuko maintained. He crossed his arms.

"No, no, of course not. Not yet, anyway. But you did promise Chief Hakoda you'd go to war for him, didn't you?" Kuei pointed out.

"Only if it becomes necessary, yes."

"And if it becomes necessary?" inquired Kuei.

The chief had assured him it wouldn't become necessary, but… Zuko supposed it wasn't impossible. Stranger things had happened. He'd known that, deep down, when he accepted the chief's proposal.

"Then I will go to war," Zuko stated simply.

"Right," Kuei exclaimed, pointing at him like a professor addressing a curious student, "And that is when you will have done something wrong."

Zuko glared. He'd been told his disfigured eye gave him an intimidating stare. He hoped Kuei was susceptible to it.

"It is my military, and my country. I can do with it what I please."

"Except that you can't." Kuei appeared to be immune to Zuko's glower. Drat. He continued, "Have you forgotten, Fire Lord, that it is by the grace of the Earth Kingdom that you're still alive right now? You were coached early on to be friendly and cooperative. You're not doing so well at the moment."

Zuko's self-preservation instinct flared up inside him. He could defer to Kuei right now and save his skin. He should defer to Kuei right now and save his skin. But… something else was churning in his chest. Something he hadn't felt in a long time, perhaps not since before he was burned and disgraced. Conviction.

He uncrossed his arms and straightened his shoulders. He met Kuei's bespectacled eyes.

"You're going to kill me, Minister? Who will be your puppet then? My sister is in prison and everyone else is dead. I believe… I believe you're bluffing. You need me," Zuko goaded. Wow. Where had that even come from? He didn't regret it, though, strangely.

He saw anger flash across Kuei's features, but oddly enough, when he spoke next, he did so calmly.

"Right. I was afraid you might be thinking that way. Perhaps I can entice you with a deal instead. You see, I have something that you want very much."

Zuko couldn't help but smile. He highly doubted Kuei had anything he wanted, but he was nevertheless pleased that Kuei had resorted to bargaining. Maybe Zuko wasn't awful at this whole fire lord thing after all.

'Dissolve your alliance with the Southern Water Tribe. When you do, I will have your sister transferred back to Fire Nation custody."

That threw Zuko for a loop. He'd expect some stupid deal where he would be allowed to speak more during meetings, or something equally useless. What would Mai say if she were here? She would accept, right? She'd accuse Zuko of turning his back on his family if he did anything else. But then there was the chief. Either way, he'd be turning his back on somebody. He heard firsthand from Katara about the opportunities the people of the Southern Water Tribe lacked. Hakoda had told him all about how sovereignty was the first step towards fixing that. This wasn't fair. Zuko wasn't trying to start a war; he was only trying to do the right thing.

Kuei was watching him. He must've looked as doubtful as he felt.

"She would still have to be held in custody, of course. But she could at least be back in her homeland, in a facility of your choosing," Kuei clarified.

"She would still stand trial?"

"Yes. But even after she's convicted, she could live out her sentence closer to home."

Zuko paused. He had to admit it was tempting. Except for one detail.

"What if the judge orders a death sentence?"

Kuei's mouth formed a plaintive line. He said nothing. He didn't need to.

Still, it's not like Azula had anything to lose. If she died, she died. Zuko needed to plan for what happened if she didn't die.

"Can I think about it?" He asked.

Kuei shrugged and made for the door. "You can. I'll be here a few more days."

When he was gone, Zuko shouted a string of expletives into his pillow. He'd only been trying to do some good in this horrible world. Why was he so bad at being good?

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"So she could just skip her trial?!" Katara asked, face contorted in awe.

"Well no. She would still go to trial. But before, and after, so long as she is not given the death penalty, she could reside in the Fire Nation," Zuko explained. He'd recounted the details of his meeting—ambush, more like—with Kuei.

He wasn't sure why he chose to confide in Katara. Probably because he'd exhausted his other, more traditional resources. When Kuei left his room that night, Zuko laid down for a fitful night's sleep, and then sought out his minister of international relations at the earliest possible hour that was still somewhat socially acceptable.

Minister Hansuke had opened his door bleary-eyed and pajama-clad, and had only begrudgingly allowed Zuko inside. Zuko told him the events of the previous night, but had made certain adjustments so as not to violate his vow of secrecy with Kuei. He presented the conversation as having taken place over the phone instead. Honestly, it was probably more believable than what really happened.

Minister Hansuke pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation.

"My Lord, with all due respect, I advised you against the alliance with Chief Hakoda since its inception," he said.

He had. Zuko had nearly forgotten, since Minister Hansuke was far from the only person who disapproved of the Southern Water Tribe alliance. Zuko sighed.

"Yes. Yes, you did. And perhaps I should have listened, but I didn't. So now I need your help dealing with the choices that I did make."

"Your Highness, if you won't heed my advice when I volunteer it, then I fail to see why you'll heed it now."

That was it. He dismissed Zuko into the empty hallway and shut the door in his face.

Well fuck him, then.

And so Zuko had gone to Katara.

Katara didn't curl her lip scornfully or scold him for making decisions he couldn't take back. She listened with undivided attention and when she responded, she did so thoughtfully and sympathetically. Zuko tried to convince himself that he turned to her because of her expertise on international politics, and that was a factor, but the truth is that he just liked talking to her. Their conversations felt safe. Zuko knew she wasn't judging him, and that she was trying her genuine best to provide him with advice he could use.

"Why does Kuei so vehemently disapprove of your alliance with my tribe anyway?" She pondered aloud.

It was a good question. In theory it was because this alliance could result in a demonstration of the Fire Nation's military power, but Zuko suspected there was more to it than that. Kuei probably resented that Zuko didn't ask permission first, and now he was sabotaging the whole undertaking. He told Katara as much.

"What should I do? I want my sister back, but I cannot just back out of this agreement with your father…" He entreated. His voice cracked a little. He probably sounded pathetic, but he was too preoccupied to care.

Katara considered it. She traced the wood grain in his desk as she spoke.

"If your sister is going to be in custody either way, does it make much difference if she's in the Fire Nation?"

"I think so. I could visit her, and make sure she's being treated humanely. And if her trial goes, erm, poorly… then at least she could spend her final days here in the Caldera. At least I could say goodbye…"

He realized he had glazed over, and when he came to, he was startled to see Katara looking intensely at him.

"I'm really sorry you're going through this," she told him, with an earnestness that he'd never really encountered before. He was so used to people being false with him for one reason or another. "I won't pretend that I know what to do about it, and even if I did, I wouldn't feel good about telling you what to do. Azula is your sister, after all. You alone should decide. I won't think any worse of you no matter what you choose. I trust that you have your reasons."

Katara trusted him! She was the only one who did. He didn't even trust himself most of the time.

"But what about your father…"

"He'll get over it, if that's what you decide. Somethings are too important to worry about what other people think."

"Katara?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

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Zuko had viewed Kuei's offer as something that took away his agency. He had made his alliance with Chief Hakoda of his own volition, and then Kuei came along and narrowed his choices, forcing him to select the lesser of two evils (whichever option that was). It felt coerced. It felt like it undermined Zuko's independence.

Katara made him view it differently. From her vantage point, he still had plenty of agency, possibly more than he did before. Kuei's deal wouldn't strip him of his conviction; it was an opportunity to double down on what he believed in. He didn't have to yield. For the first time in his life, he could dig in his heels and insist that he knew what he was doing. He could trust himself.

"Fire Lord Zuko. You've had time to do some thinking, then?" Called Kuei when Zuko entered the room. They were convened in a conference room this time, at a reasonable hour, like normal people.

"I have."

"And?"

"Azula will remain in Earth Kingdom custody. I made an agreement with Chief Hakoda, and it's my duty to honor that."