"Uncle... why are we here, again?"
The Prince looked at his uncle's giddy smile with disdain; he knew that they had only showed up at a Fire Days festival because his uncle demanded he go and spend his time at port doing something other than moping around in his room. He had quickly quipped back that he was meditating, not moping, but Iroh didn't seem to care; he wanted to argue, but he knew that it was easier to go along with his plans rather than try and do the opposite.
"To appreciate the festivities... and the food!" he grinned, holding up some fire flakes, before taking bite out of them, his grin breaking slightly as he grimaced from the hotness of the food; he realised that after spending years at sea mostly eating army rations with the occasional absurd meal that his uncle procured, they weren't as acclimatised to the cuisine of their nation.
The Prince rolled his eyes at him, before turning his eyes up toward a puppet show, which was disturbingly, depicted his father burning a person he assumed to represent the Earth King, though he doubted anyone in the Fire Nation actually knew what he looked like. He cleared his throat before turning his eyes away, catching the understandable grimace on his uncle's own face; his expression immediately changed upon reaching Zuko's gaze, making a smile as he bit into more of his fire flakes.
"Mmm... these sure are good nephew. Did you want some?" he asked his nephew, who begrudgingly reached over and grasped a few from his hand, biting into a few and chewing on them, appreciating the hot flavour and crunchy texture.
He usually didn't get to eat fire flakes when he lived in the palace, only ever really getting to eat them when his family went to Ember Island for holiday, something that made him smile slightly; he missed those times dearly, and hoped that one day, once his honour was returned, and he was Crown Prince once again, he would maybe find a similarly enjoyable time with his family. He knew that Azula and his father didn't have much care for those things, but he was sure that both of them would have to get tired of their duties, eventually, and perhaps go on a rather odd family vacation; he knew that it wouldn't be the same without his mother, but it would be better than nothing.
His eyes darted back to his uncle, who was grunting with what sounded like pain, his tongue out as he tapped on the end, grimacing with slight disgust, "A li'l spicie' than I wemembered." he mumbled in a barely recognisable voice.
"For spirits sake, Uncle." he sighed with frustration, "Just stop eating them!"
Putting his tongue back into his mouth, he responded with a smile, "I can't help it, nephew. They're so tasty."
"Just go find some tea or something to drink." he gestured over to a stall, "That'll help you calm your tongue." he suggested, the retired general smiling at him.
"What a bright suggestion, nephew!" he raised a fist, "Tea it is!"
He rolled his eyes at Iroh, before his eyes darted back toward a stage that was set up nearby, with some kind of acting trope playing on the stage; from their outfits, he could tell it some dramatisation of contemporary warfare. It was only until he paid closer attention that he realised what the play was actually depicting; the large background they had behind the actors depicted none of than the walls of Ba Sing Se- it was his uncle's six hundred day siege, brought to life in a play. He was unsure why it would even be made part of the Fire Days festival, although he guessed it might have something to do with his father and the image of the Dragon of the West, something he probably wanted besmirched for safety reasons. As Azula had told him, either of them could have become Fire Lord, and it was in their father's best interest to make sure their uncle didn't get any smart ideas. He already knew Iroh was far too lazy and unconcerned with the matters of the world to actually consider retaking the throne; he was sure there was something more to him than those two things, or better phrased, he certainly hoped there was. Actually listening into the play, he grimaced, realising that the 'soldiers' were talking about fulfilling their duties on the field of battle.
"Yes! We will finally destroy the Earth Kingdom. We have breached the walls!" one of the actors exclaimed, another looking at him sceptically.
"But what if they can fight back. The Fire Nation is mighty, but these walls, they have never fallen." he suggested, foreshadowing what he already knew.
"Do not fear!" he heard a voice call out, a rather stout looking man wearing an imitation of a Fire Nation general's armour walking onto the stage, "I, the great Dragon of the West, will lead us to victory, and finally destroy the Earth Kingdom!"
His eyes darted over to his uncle, who spurt out tea from his teacup which he had just bought from a stall.
"Uh..." Zuko mumbled, pacing over to Iroh, who looked rather aghast at what he was seeing, "Uncle... you're in a play."
"This is rather... odd." he admitted, both of their eyes turning back to face the play before them.
"Now, let us charge on the breach!" the actor representing his uncle raised a fist, a pyrotechnical effect blasting into the air, imitating what would have been an actual stream of flames.
The actor soldiers called out, racing across the stage as if they were actually running into the field of battle, crossing over to the side of the stage and disappearing, followed by actor Iroh, who was meant to look like he was riding a komodo rhino into battle. The curtains fell over the stage, and for a few moments, there was an eerie silence, the Prince turning to face his uncle, whose left hand was twitching visibly, as if he was trying to silently mask a growing panic attack. He placed a hand on his shoulder, knowing that he didn't have to witness what came next.
"Uncle, you don't have to see this." he assured him, the retired general shaking his head.
"No. I am curious what history has to say of me." he refused to leave, although he could tell from the look on his face that he was fearful as he was; to see whatever imitation of the real events that transpired would disturb him enough, and then to see how they end the plan... would they show his father's ascension to the throne? Would an imitation of he himself be cowering in the background, just as he had in real life?
"I'd rather not..." he admitted, placing a hand on his uncle's shoulder, "I know you're usually the one giving advice, but do you really think this is the best idea?"
"What can go wrong?" his uncle made a confident grin, making the Prince simply gesture over to what he saw to be the actor version of his uncle riding into battle alongside who he assumed to be a poor imitation of his cousin Lu Ten, whose actor, unlike his uncle's, looked nothing like him.
"That." he simply gestured, Iroh's eyes widening before they darted down; he remained silent for a moment as his actor self lambasted the Earth Kingdom for their walls, and the soldier actors cheered him on.
"I want to see how they remember what happened." he gestured to the crowd, referring in as such to the populace of the Fire Nation.
"I'm sure father's propaganda department is going to skew it away from the truth." he suggested bluntly, knowing that what actually happened on the battlefield wasn't every truly translated back by stories and reports the same way that those on the field might have experienced it; although he hadn't ever fought in a true battle, he had heard the stories about his own fate and banishment, wild stories being spun up about it, most of them as far from the truth as he'd like them to be.
Suddenly, the stage before them burst up with technical effects, the images of boulders flying about and fireballs just the same; when the smoke cleared, there was a few actors looking like they were pretending to be injured, calling out to their leader, "General?ǃ Where are you?"
Then two backstage personnel moved two fake boulders out of the way, revealing the actor Iroh looking sorrowfully over the actor Lu Ten, who he assumed was meant to be dead at that point.
"Sirǃ We must carry onǃ" one of the actors called out, the actor imitating his uncle shaking his head.
"We have lost too much. There is no victory in all this bloodshed. Not after my only son has perished on the field." he told them, his poignant tone making the actor sound almost truly sad with what he was saying, before he turned his heels, "The siege is over."
The crowd gasped at what they had just seen, Iroh himself turning away with an uneasy face, obviously feeling the pain once again of that very moment, even if it hadn't transpired exactly like that; Zuko looked at him for a moment, his eyes turned downward with a poignant look, knowing how bad that experience had been for his uncle, "I'm sorry, Uncle."
His eyes darted up toward him, still looking almost ill from what he had just witnessed, "Sorry for what, nephew?"
"For not respecting you enough."
"S-sorry... what?" he mumbled, actually aghast at what he had just said.
"It's true. I'm a bad nephew, and I ought to give you the respect you deserve. You've gone through so much, not just for me, but for our nation."
Iroh looked at him for a few moments before he smiled, the warmth returning to his face, "Thank you, Prince Zuko." he told him; a few people around them looked at him with surprise, one of the commoner's jaws dropping.
"I-it's... by the spirits." he mumbled, realising that he was looking at the very man the play was about.
The attention of most the crowd however turned back tot he stage as the curtains opened once more, showing the Fire Lord on his throne; of course, it wasn't an actor imitating Zuko's father, but his grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon, who had died soon after learning about the siege, something his sister had said was not a coincidence.
"My son has failed in his duties." the actor began, actually taking a pose that he had seen his actual grandfather take, with his hands on his chin, looking at the crowd with beady, serious eyes, "How tragic it was because of my eldest grandson, Prince Lu Ten's untimely demise. But he is now without his own heir and his honour besmirched by his failure; my health his failing me, and I require a potent heir, someone who can lead the Fire Nation with certainty." he mused, before raising a hand, "Prince Ozaiǃ I call upon you to serve your nation. Will you do it?"
"Of course, father." an actor stood up, who wore an outfit imitating the actual robes of the royal family, with a fake goatee that was obviously taped onto his chin, "I will succeed you as Fire Lord, and bring our nation to glory."
Zuko knew one thing for certain, and that was not how that conversation actually transpired; his eyes darted to his uncle, who looked down, almost with shame, before turning around. His uncle was silent as he walked away, a few of the commoners eyeing him with realisation as they came to understand who exactly he was; the Prince grasped him on the shoulder, wanting to assure his uncle, knowing that it was just a play, a poor reflection of the truth.
"Uncle, that's not how it happened." he told him, the retired general's eyes darting back to him.
"Wh-what?" he raised a brow, seemingly confused by his words.
"Father didn't inherit the throne like that." he simply told Iroh, whose glance became far less confused and more concerned.
"And how would you know that?" he asked the banished prince, who cleared his throat.
"Well, for one, I was there for some of it, and the rest of it, Azula saw. I don't trust her word, but she couldn't have been lying about everything."
"What are you trying to tell me, nephew?" he pressed on, sounding intrigued but also concerned; as wise as his uncle was, he didn't know everything, especially when it came to the affairs of the Royal Palace when he was on the other side of the world.
"Father demanded your birthright after Lu Ten was killed in battle." he simply told him the fact of the matter, "Now, I left the room when I saw Grandfather get all agitated, but Azula told me that he demanded that if father wanted the throne so badly, he would have to kill me to get it."
"Kill you?" the retired general shivered with fear, "Why- my own father..." he mumbled with absolute disgust, the look on his face the most emotionally tender he had seen on his uncle in many years.
"The worst thing is, Uncle... he probably asked that because of his loyalty to you." he admitted, before he looked at him poignantly, "Your father, he loved you, for better or for worse."
"That's... that's horrible. And your father... he obviously didn't go through with that." he observed the obvious fact of the matter; Zuko was standing before him, alive and well.
"I think that's why my mother left, and why grandfather died. I don't know what happened, but something did." he simply concluded, making his uncle look back at him with an uneasy look.
"I'm sorry, nephew." he admitted, the Prince looking at him with confusion.
"S-sorry? Why are you sorry? You're the one who just had to witness your biggest failure again." he asked him, unsure why his uncle would be feeling bad for him in a time when he himself ought to feel some kind of distress from what he had experienced.
"Because if what you just told me was true, my failure could have cost you your life. For better or for worse, my father died, and none of that ever had to occur."
"F-father wouldn't have killed me." Zuko grit his teeth at his uncle, who looked away, sniffling with melancholy.
"I'm sorry, Prince Zuko. I'm truly sorry."
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Zuko sighed, knowing that he dreaded what he might have to see as he awoke; he knew he shouldn't worry so much about his sister, but her rather extreme reaction and actions when they had gone to find Yon Rha had truly sent a shiver down his spine. Even though all of that transpired a number of days prior, and everyone had seemed to have calmed down, he knew that his sister was still her own worst enemy. He knew that she was was teetering on the edge, and he didn't know what to do; he was reminded of a more warm, calming aspect of his life as Suki's hand clasped on his chest, pulling him back down onto the bed.
"Not so fast, your highness." she chided him, making him look back at her with a smile; for once, being called in such a matter didn't seem to be a formality, but endearing.
Their lips made contact for a moment, making all of his other thoughts disappear for just a second, as he felt the pure bliss of her touch; it went as quickly as it came, and he sighed, looking back up to the ceiling, remembering that he was sleeping in his own bedroom, or more accurately, where he had once slept as a child, in his family's beach-house. Half of the group had come to the beach-house to help Aang prepare to face his father, while the rest of the group, which consisted of the other Kyoshi Warriors, Hakoda, Teo, Haru and The Duke took the airship and flew off to find safety in the Earth Kingdom, hoping to shake off the Fire Nation forces that were searching for them.
He somehow felt a certain sadness having left the Kyoshi Warriors again, knowing that they were almost like family to him at that point, having spent a good portion of his year stuck with them, and then the other part of it trying to break them out of prison. He was glad at the very least that he still had Suki by his side, who was rather saddened to leave her friends, but swore that she would remain by his side until the Fire Lord was defeated. Their friends ought to be safer without the massive targets that would be on the heads of the Prince, Princess and the Avatar, after all, so both of them came to terms with it quite quickly, as much as it felt so lonely without their bickering and mockery.
"So... are you going to train Aang today?" his girlfriend inquired, making him chuckle; there wasn't going to be a day until his father's defeat where that wouldn't be the case.
"Definitely, although I can probably relax for a little longer." he suggested, raising his head momentarily, making out the sound of his sister shouting at the Avatar in the distance, "Azula's doing my job for me... I think."
"That's helpful." she told him, her lips curling suggestively before she kissed him once more; this next kiss was far more enticing for the two of them, with Suki climbing on top of him as she kissed his neck; he was about to say something romantic or witty, but was cut off abruptly by a knock on the door.
"Hey, Sparky!" Toph called on him, making him groan with frustration; of all the times she could barge in on him, it was when he and his girlfriend were enjoying eachother's company.
"What is it, Toph?" he asked her, the young earthbender snickering at him before she responded.
"Oh, just wondering if you could come out and handle your sister. She's a bit... over the top, when it comes to her training of Aang."
"Of course, she is." he sighed, Suki climbing off of him with a similarly frustrated face, "I'll be out in a second."
"Yeah, yeah, go get your pants on." Toph joked before she walked away, continuing to laugh at her own jokes, much to his chagrin; he, for a fact, was wearing pants, but that was beside the point, as he got the implication of her words.
Pulling himself up from bed, he grabbed his robes from the side of the bed, pulling them over his chest, before he tightened them, making sure that he didn't look dishevelled when he was going to be teaching firebending; he wasn't some kind of street urchin, after all, he was a prince of the Fire Nation. He looked back to Suki, who gave him a rather smug grin in return.
"Looking smart." she complimented him, before she eyed downward, "Looks like you forgot something though."
He looked down and realised that he was fully dressed other than the fact he was barefoot; seeing that it was Ember Island, he knew he really didn't need to wear shoes all that much, but seeing that he was wearing all of his other clothes, he ought to complete the outfit. Pulling his boots over his feet, he chuckled to himself, thinking that he had nearly forgotten to put them on, his eyes darting up to take note of Suki rising to her feet, grabbing her own outfit, which was a simple crop top and skirt, more suitable for the weather than her warrior's robes.
"Are you coming out?" he asked her, the warrior gesturing to the door.
"Of course. I'm not going to sit in my room all day. Maybe Sokka will grace me with the opportunity to kick his butt again." she joked, the Prince raising a chin at the thought of the last beating she had given him.
"I'd like to see that." he smiled at her, before turning his heels, calling out to Toph, who he assumed was still waiting outside, "I'm coming!"
When he opened the door, he saw the little earthbending girl standing before him tapping her left foot impatiently, "I can see through a paper door with my feet, you know?"
"Oh..." he mumbled, "How much attention were you paying to us, may I ask?"
"Enough." she made a smug grin, the Prince grimacing at the thought of what else she might have sensed with her earthbending.
Although he felt rather embarrassed for a few moments, he quickly followed after her as she made her way down the hallway, her smug look not fading very quickly; she momentarily turned to face him before they reached the front door, looking at him wistfully.
"So... can we have a field-trip?" she asked of him, making the Prince sigh.
"Well... ignoring the fact that we have to worry about the comet and defeating my father, what would you even want to do?"
"Hmph... something enlightening." she suggested, making Zuko chuckle, thinking how blunt and non-spiritual the girl before him was, despite her request.
"Enlightening? Well, we'll see about that one." he joked before opening the door, stepping out onto the front porch, turning his head to the sound of Aang crying out in fear.
"Ahhh! Hot! Hot!" he heard the young Avatar scream out, looking at his sister, who was simply throwing fire balls at him, which he seemingly couldn't dodge, or perhaps, was being told not to; one step of understanding firebending, he knew, was to comprehend the principles behind it, some of which smacked airbending right across its graceful, non-combative face.
He sighed, approaching the pair, who were being watched by Katara, whose expression indicated that perhaps training had gotten out of hand, "A little break?!" Aang requested, the Princess throwing a fireball at his legs, which he was forced to disperse with firebending rather than using his staff, as he'd expect him to.
"No! The Fire Lord won't take a break in your fight, so neither will you!" she declared, making the Prince laugh at his sister's attitude; she was right, of course, but he realised that throwing fireballs at Aang wasn't going to necessarily improve his control, but simply make him more prone to his usual tactics of dodging and neutralising firebending, when he should be combating it head on.
"Okay, okay." Zuko called out his sister, who momentarily relented, her eyes darting back up to face him, "Calm down. How about I take over for a little bit, I'm sure Aang might be relieved with a different approach."
"Uh... definitely." the Avatar made an awkward smile to the two royal siblings, who both eyed each other, the Princess seeming rather offended by her brother's intervention.
"Oh... is that how we're going to do it, Zuzu. Bad tutor, nice tutor?"
"I'm not the 'nice' one." the Prince refuted her simplification of their training styles, "I just want him to master control over firebending, not be exhausted by a pummelling of fireballs." he gestured to Aang, who was audibly panting as he rested his hands on his knees.
"Fine." his sister raised her chin, "Teach him the long way."
"It's not the long way, it's the correct one. I hated Uncle's training myself, but in hindsight, I understand what he was trying to show me. You cannot master firebending without mastering the core principles behind it."
"Breath?" Aang piped up, before dropping his brow, "That's it right?"
"Breath is the most basic idea." Zuko acknowledged with a nod, "But that's not what I'm talking about. Your firebending is a little flimsy, it's like you're airbending with flames, which can 'work', but it works as well as a waterbender trying to imitate earthbending."
"That'd be pretty funny." Toph piped up, turning to Katara, "Maybe you should try that, Sugar Queen?"
"Sounds like a waste of time." the Water Tribe girl dismissed her suggestion.
"Uh... but yeah, back to the point. You need to learn how to concentrate your strength; firebending, if you lack control or motivation, can be wild, dangerous or at worst, completely ineffective." he stressed, stepping closer to the Avatar with a stern look, "Now, I want you to concentrate your mind. Remember back to... you know when." he reminded Aang of their time with the Sun Warriors, "You needed motivation to power your bending. Now, I know you're already pretty motivated, and you've got a lot of people counting on you, so I know you have it in you, Aang." he assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "But you need to direct that strength, your inner fire, and use it sparingly. Any more fire you bend than you need to is a waste of breath... literally."
"That is exactly right, brother." Azula complimented him, making a smug grin, "It looks like someone was paying attention to firebending theory after all."
"When you have Uncle droning it into during every training session, it gets stuck your head." he tapped the side of his skull, making both her and the Avatar laugh at him; Zuko's expression turned being more serious after a few moments, "But when you are facing on power head-on, don't relent. You need to use all the strength you can muster in that instance, because otherwise you might end up dead."
The expressions on both their faces changed, Aang's into one of fear, while Azula's turned to one of confidence, "That is also correct, brother. When you face our father, Aang, you need to be ready to deal down all your strength; use all the elements at your disposal, and be ready to confront fire with fire."
The Avatar nodded with a grimace, understanding what he would have to do; Zuko placed a hand on his shoulder, realising that the responsibilities that had been placed on him were a serious matter, "Now, I don't expect you to be able to beat my father with firebending alone, but you need to be skilled enough to stop him." he explained, before he snapped his fingers, "Zula, I think we're going to need a demonstration."
"My pleasure." she smirked confidently, the Avatar looking at her fearfully before the two of them walked away from each other to opposing sides of the courtyard.
"I don't want you to dodge. I want you to fight her." he stressed, before gesturing to his sister, whose devious glare didn't escape him, "Imagine that she's the Fire Lord. Trust me, she's the best comparison to make when it comes to what you'll be dealing with."
he stepped back, eyeing Suki who had just exited the house, sitting beside Katara, while his girlfriend came to sit with them, "So... are we just going to watch them fight?"
The Prince chuckled at her words, "I guess. What I'm really waiting for is Aang to bite back. I know he has the strength in him, he just needs to direct it."
"I hope this works." the Water Tribe girl mumbled, "He's got to master firebending, doesn't he?"
"Unless the Avatar State can really beat my father without a doubt, then yes; I'm unsure if he'll be able to redirect lightning when he can't even control his own body. Speaking of which, I think I should probably teach him that technique."
A few moments later, Azula sent out a massive stream of fire with both of her hands, Aang standing his ground, and cutting right through it with both of his hands outstretched, before he bent the flames down to the ground around him; the Prince's jaw dropped, seeing how well he was holding against her, although that quickly changed when she moved to sending a quick succession of jabs his way. The Avatar dispersed her attacks as best he could, quickly moving into a stance that he recognised; it was one of the positions from the Dancing Dragon, with his left foot forward, facing side-ways toward Azula with an outstretched arm, which he used to bend a stream of flames her way. She jumped over the stream, sending a kick of flames his way, which he was able to duck, after which he sent out two fireballs, which she was barely able to disperse, with her own bending. She landed on the ground, ready to take his next hit, another stream of flames, this time coming out of his mouth, much to the surprise of Zuko; seeing someone other than his uncle use that specific technique in a fight was rather interesting, to say the least. Aang ducked under her next attack before sending a jab right at Azula, striking her in the gut and making her stumble back.
"Ow!" she grunted, before her eyes darted up to face him, a smirk forming on her face, "You actually hit me..." her face turned to an excited grin, raising a fist into the air, "Now! Do it again!" she demanded of him, before she was interrupted by Sokka walking up into the courtyard with a wide grin on his own face, holding up a piece of paper.
"You guys are not going to believe this! There's a play about us." he exclaimed, showing them the poster, "Look! I was in town and I found this poster." the poster itself depicted Katara, Sokka, and Aang with three silhouette figures in the background, which didn't take much to figure out depicted himself, his sister and Zhao, of all people.
"What?" Katara looked on aghast, "How is that possible?"
"Listen to this..." the Water Tribe boy turned the poster around reading from it, "The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu-on Tim, who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar, from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage. Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players."
Zuko groaned at the mentioning of that specific acting troupe, "Ugh! My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every year!"
"Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea to attend a play about ourselves?" Katara questioned her brother, who made a grin at them all, "Come on, a day at the theatre? This is the kind of wacky time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!"
"I'm not looking forward to a propaganda piece that defames us." Azula raised a brow, her brother nodding with agreement.
"This will be bad. Not just because of the bad acting, but because it's made by the Fire Nation. This isn't going to show any of us in the best light."
"Come on! It can't be that bad." the almost giddy Water Tribe teen prodded them, Suki rising up.
"It can't be that bad... let's give it a shot, at least."
Suki regretted ever considering that she wanted to go see the play she was watching; she had just witnessed what she would call a poor rendition of her fight with Azula, Mai and Ty Lee, although she did realise that it was accurate in some regards. One of the actors representing a Kyoshi Warrior did indeed nearly kill Azula, which made her snicker, remembering how shocked the Princess was by that moment Amari nearly slit her throat. She herself was watching with slight displeasure, as her brother eyed her with a rather annoyed glare, remembering all too well that she lay responsible for Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors imprisonment.
"A-ha, you stood no chance against I, Princess Azula." the actress mocked the defeated Kyoshi Warriors, "I'll be sure to give my brother, Prince Zuko, your regards."
"You won't get away with this. Zuko will defeat you!" actor Suki proclaimed, before she was dragged away by the actresses representing Mai and Ty Lee.
Suki snickered, knowing that that was not how the conversation had gone, although the rather uneasy look on the actual Princess's face indicated that she may have regretted what she did.
"Wow... so that's how it went down?" Sokka asked her with an intrigued glance, the Kyoshi Warrior nodding with a grimace.
"Well, we were defeated." she admitted, the Water Tribe warrior's eyes widening as he pointed down to the stage.
"W-wait, guys! I think this is the part where we find Appa!" he explained, the Prince clearing his throat.
"Don't you mean when I found Appa." he raised a finger, the Water Tribe boy ignoring him as he looked intently down at the stage, the curtains beginning to open, revealing what looked like a cave.
"Now, where are the Earth Kingdom keeping my beloved sky-bison?" Aang's actress exclaimed, the actor Sokka sighing with annoyance.
"Yeah, I can't keep walking everywhere! I'm going to die of exhaustion!"
The audience laughed, but none of them did, the actual Sokka cringing at the joke, "Yeah okay, I rescind what I said before. I thought we were-" he began, before they were cut off by the sound of a pyrotechnical effect going off.
Actors portraying Dai Li agents jumped out, using props that looked to be paper cut-outs of rocks to hit the actors of Sokka, Katara, Aang and Toph; the actor representing the young earthbending girl made his 'sonic scream', before picking up a prop rock himself, throwing it at the Dai Li agents.
"Ha, take that!" he raised a fist, making the actual Toph smirk confidently.
"I just kicked all their butts, didn't I?" she asked them, forcing the group to nod along in confirmation.
"Yeah... that's what just happened." Katara clarified, before suddenly, an actor popped onto stage, the Blue Spirit, who had somehow still not been conflated with Zuko in the play; he had already saved the Kyoshi Warriors from the Fire Nation before appearing suddenly just then in Ba Sing Se, contrary to the fact that the Prince was the Blue Spirit.
"It's the Blue Spirit, he's come to help us!" actress Aang exclaimed with surprise.
"Yes I have, and I found your sky-bison!" he showed off the imitation of the sky-bison, which made a roar.
"How can we repay you?" the actor Katara asked him.
"Some new swords. Your sky-bison ate my other ones." the actor gestured to the fake Appa, making the real Zuko face-palm.
"Oh... you've got to be kidding me."
"The Blue Spirit as comedic relief... that's not something I saw coming." Sokka looked at him with a rather bewildered, almost smug grin.
The curtains were closed once more and Suki turned to face her boyfriend, who was grimacing, "Urgh... I hope the next part isn't as stupid as that."
"Well, it's not ever going to be completely accurate, is it?" she asked him, the Prince sighing, before Aang grumbled.
"At least your portrayals are somewhat realistic! I'm being played by a woman who doesn't take anything seriously!"
"I can agree that the first parts a bit dumb..." Azula raised the finger, "But the latter, that's the truth spitting you in the face."
"Hey. That was uncalled for." Katara eyed her with an annoyed face.
"Stop arguing, the curtains are going to open again!" Sokka hushed them, before as he just said, the curtains opened before them, revealing another location, that being what looked like a tea shop; before them stood actor Zuko and Iroh, the latter of which was sleeping while the other was sweeping the store.
"Uncle, stop dozing off!" actor Zuko chided him, before the sound of a door ringing open was made, the two of them looking to see what was obviously actor Azula dressed up as Suki, making her face-palm at the imitation, which she knew was somewhat close to whatever the reality had been, "You're back!" the actor brightened up, before actor Azula approached.
"Yes, I am, brother." she told him, making the actor representing her boyfriend reel back in shock, looking surprised.
"Argh! Azula, what are you doing here?"
"Looking for you brother. We need to defeat the Avatar, together."
"I guess you're right." the actor Prince scratched at his chin, "Uncle, we're done. No more tea-shop or cake! You're a traitor!" he exclaimed, pointing at Iroh accusingly, before he was captured by the two actresses representing Mai and Ty Lee.
"That's not how it happened at all." Zuko rolled his eyes, frustrated by the plays obvious inaccuracy.
"For one, I was there." Katara raised a finger, "And it was at the palace."
"And I didn't betray Uncle." he grumbled, "They're making that part up. He joined you guys, didn't he?"
"I don't know how they mixed that part up." Sokka scratched at his chin, "Maybe that's how the Fire Nation actually thought it went down."
"Did you actually confuse Azula for me?" the Kyoshi Warrior questioned her boyfriend, who blushed, shaking his head profusely.
"No. That was Katara." he refuted her question, making her curl her lips; although she wouldn't accuse him of being a liar, that seemed like something he would lie about.
"I thought you were pretty convinced for a moment there." the Water Tribe girl suggested, making him clench his fists with anger.
"I didn't!" he almost shouted at her, forcing Suki to place a hand on his shoulder.
"She was just joking." she told him reassuringly, before the Water Tribe girl chuckled to herself.
"I wasn't." she affirmed her stance, before she found herself whacked in the back of the head by Azula.
"Shut up now. You're acting all cocky, but haven't yet witnessed me defeating you all in my awesome glory."
"It wasn't that awesome, and we were probably going to win if it weren't for Zuko." Aang told her, making her look back at him with a serious glare.
"Don't test me, Avatar. I can still 'train' you a little harder."
"Why are you so sour, Zuzu?"
The Prince looked up to face his sister, who was feeling in a rather mocking mood; although her own portrayal wasn't horrible, Azula felt rather uneasy witnessing all of her achievements, or perhaps in some cases, mistakes that might have felt like achievements. She knew the best way to fix a bad mood was to prod her brother, who was feeling even worse than she was; the Avatar and his friends joking about his portrayal, which made him seem even more stiff and humourless, as well as a bit of an idiot.
"I'm not sour. I'm pissed off about this whole thing. It's making me like an idiot!" he raised his fists up.
Toph, who was sitting beside him, snickered at his reaction, "It's not that bad a portrayal, Sparky." she suggested, before laughing, "At least you're not played by a woman."
"Urgh. This whole thing is just stupid. They even make fun of my relationship with Suki." he clenched his fists, the Princess raising a chin.
"The last bit was the defeat of the Avatar at your hands. You know what comes next?" she asked the Prince, who sighed.
"The invasion." he simply acknowledged, before Toph narrowed a brow in thought.
"Huh, isn't that when the Fire Lord whooped your butt?" she asked Azula, who shook her head.
"I think you're remembering that wrong. You were beaten by the Dai Li, I might remember." she mocked the little earthbending girl, who clenched her teeth with anger.
"Hey! I fought as hard as I could." she declared, the Princess crossing her arms.
"So did I." she agreed with the sentiment; that day had been a challenge, and ultimately a failure, but they had all fought with the intention to win, and by that, she meant to defeat her father.
"But it wasn't good enough, was it?" Zuko questioned them both, "I have a growing feeling of... I don't know what to call it. But I feel like we're walking into this fight with our father, and we don't even know for sure if we can win."
"We can win." Azula assured her, before gesturing to Toph, "If all else fails, 'the greatest earthbender in the world' can ensnare him underground, can't you?"
She grinned at the acknowledgement, nodding with agreement, "I could sure give it a try, although... couldn't he just break through it?"
"Our father's the strongest firebender alive, but without Sozin's Comet, I doubt he'd be able to beat you if you caught him off guard." the Princess noted the young earthbender's skill, knowing that her abilities meant that it was possible for her to take down their father, assuming that he didn't zap her first.
Suddenly a little boy ran past them, pointing at her brother, "Your Zuko costume's pretty good, but your scar's on the wrong side." he told him before running off, the Prince pulling the cloak over his face while Azula broke down laughing.
"Ahahaha! That's brilliant." she exclaimed, before her expression became more serious, "But also, the fact that he thought you were wearing a 'Zuko costume' shows that people can recognise you."
"Maybe you should wear some make-up or something?" Toph suggested, the Prince tilting his chin up defiantly.
"I'm not doing that... and how would you even know that? You're blind." he questioned her authority on such a matter, making her look back at him snidely.
"I know what make-up is, dummy." she chided him, "And even if I can't see your scar, I'm pretty sure it might help."
"Wait, so you can't see my scar?" the Prince asked her, the young girl turning to face Azula.
"What does it look like?"
"I mean... you're blind, how can I describe it?" she questioned her, uncertain how to phrase something to someone who hadn't ever really seen anything in her entire life.
"The texture. I don't know. Just tell me how it is." she requested, the Prince standing up with a scowl on his face.
"Urgh. I've had enough of this. Just leave me alone." he growled at the two of them before he walked on back toward their seats.
"So..." Toph turned to face her, the Princess sighing.
"It's like a bit of steak, over where his right eye should be."
"Steak, huh? Like a big bit of meat?" she questioned Azula, who nodded, making her chuckle.
"Huh... no wonder he's getting all angsty over it. Who'd want a big bit of meat on their face?" she asked her rhetorically, making the Princess laugh momentarily before she looked down, feeling a sense of regret over making fun of her brother, especially over such a sensitive matter; she didn't usually feel bad about making fun of anyone, but Zuko didn't exactly deserve to be made fun of over something like his scar, seeing how he had earned it in the first place.
"I think he isn't going to improve in his mood." she admitted, Toph raising a brow at him.
"Huh, why'd you think that?"
"Because I know this play isn't over. Where do think it will go once it's caught up to the present day?"
"Well... to us- oh..." she mumbled, realising what future the play would depict.
"Yeah. I'm going to get angry, no matter what. Even though I know what's coming." she declared, knowing how she would react, as much as he would want to hold her feelings back, after all that had happened with Yon Rha.
"Because you don't think we'll lose?" Toph guessed, the Princess shaking her head.
"No, because of the chance that my father will get away with everything he's done."
Aang's thoughts about his relationship with Katara were quickly pushed to the side when he bore witness to the future he dreaded; he hadn't had a nightmare since the night before the invasion of the Fire Nation, but he was sure that those nightmares would return after what he was about to witness, even with as stupid and jokey as the play he was watching was. The sight of the actor Ozai, standing triumphantly standing in the centre of the stage made him wrench with fear; he had never actually seen the Fire Lord, as when he had helped Azula out of the bunker, he had been knocked out by whatever lightning she had fired back at him.
"With the energy harnessed from that comet, no one will be able to stop the Fire Nation!" he exclaimed, gesturing with his arms up to the prop representing Sozin's Comet.
"Not if I have anything to say about it, Father!" he heard a voice from the side of the stage, that being of actress Azula, who walked out onto the stage, wearing dark robes and a cloak, making her look like some kind of assassin, "Prepare to die!"
"How could my only daughter betray me?!" he exclaimed with a melodramatic tone, posing in shock as a blue streamer was sent his way, which the actor blocked, streamers popping out from underneath him, "You will feel my wrath!" he exclaimed, sending a streamer of flames at actress Azula, who then sent her own streamer back; the two of them moved around the stage, before a massive wave was sent from Ozai, which covered the actress, leaving only a silhouette behind.
"No!" she screamed out, falling into what he could only assume was a trapdoor; he looked over to the Princess, who was grimacing with fear, but her own eyes turned to Zuko, who looked rather angry; not the same kind of angry that he had seen him when training him, but a real kind of anger, the pure kind that he had seen Katara feel when she was going to find Yon Rha.
"Now with my unruly heir out of the way, I am free to finally use the power of the comet to defeat my last real enemy, the Avatar!" actor Ozai declared, and on cue, the actress representing Aang himself descended done with a glider from the roof.
"You will not win, Fire Lord!" she exclaimed, as confident as he would expect himself to be in such a situation.
"No, you will not win. With the power of Sozin's Comet, I am unstoppable."
"Maybe for just the Avatar, but not the Avatar and a master firebender!" actor Zuko made himself known, appearing on the other side of the stage from the actor Fire Lord.
"My son! You have finally returned to face your punishment!" he grinned sending a streamer at the actor Zuko, who sent out his own streamers in response, while the actress jumped down making imitations of earthbending and firebending, rocks and streamers moving around the stage.
Aang grimaced, watching the actors jump around, Ozai's actor obviously taking the upper hand with the imagined fight, sending two streamers out of each hand at both other actors, who moved backward, pretending to be harmed by the flames.
"Together!" the actress shouted out, both of them sending flames toward the Fire Lord, who jumped up, sending a wave of flames at the actress, a red sheet flying over her, making her move around, screaming out in a wallowing voice.
"No! It can't be!" she called out, falling down to the ground, acting as if she had been burnt to a crisp, making Aang cringe, feeling as if he was about to throw up.
"You can't do this, father!" actor Zuko shouted out, sending more steamers his way, before actor Ozai cackled.
"I have the power of the comet, I'm unstoppable!" he shouted out, "You are all traitors, and you will die a traitors death!" he declared, before sending streamers his way.
The actor representing the Prince was hit over and over again by streamers of flames, before he fell to his knees, looking down with shame, "It is no use. He is truly unstoppable."
Then the actor was covered by a red sheet, just has Aang's had been, making the Avatar look to his friend with a grimace; he stood up, looking at the actor representing his father for a moment, before walking out of the room without a word, while the rest of them turned their attention to the stage, where the actor Fire Lord was been raised up by a platform.
"I've done it. The Avatar has been defeated, and now I am unopposed. The dreams of my father, and my father's father, have now been realised." before a Fire Nation flag stopped, "The world is mine!"
The audience cheered, and Aang looked down with shame, realising that what he had just seen was the fate they would face if he failed; he knew he couldn't fail, but he had already seen what Azula could do. Her Father would be even stronger and unrelenting; he didn't know how he could defeat him, even with the Avatar State, if the comet came around before they had a chance to win.
"That's it." the Princess mumbled, "That's the future." she turned to face him, the Avatar not knowing what to say in response.
"We can still win." Katara assured him, "I know we can."
"As the play pointed out, that is just what you hope, not the reality that we face." Azula retorted, before she stood up, looking to where Suki had been seated, "I'm going to find my brother, I'm sure he is going to be in a bad mood."
"That's fair enough, I'm sure Sparky is having a fit over what he just saw." Toph acknowledged, before the Princess turned back to face him.
"There's one other thing." she raised a finger, stepping closer to him.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"Promise me that you'll kill him."
"Wh-what?" he mumbled, aghast that she was asking that of him, after what they had all seen.
"You need to do it. We all know it, so I want to make it clear." she stressed, turning to face Sokka and Toph, "Isn't that right?"
"She has a point, Aang." the Water Tribe boy admitted, "You need to do it, otherwise we're all doomed."
"Not just that, you need to destroy the fleet of airships he'll be sending to attack the Earth Kingdom."
"The what?!" Sokka exclaimed with shock, "Why didn't you mention that earlier?"
"Because I wanted Aang to beat him before he can even try to do that." she admitted, before turning around, "But now I know that's not going to happen. Sozin's Comet is less than a week away. We need to prepare, and you all need to be ready to face the worst battle you're ever going to fight."
"I will prepare..." Aang assured her, before turning to face the stage, where the massive Fire Nation flag still stood by the platform where actor Ozai had been standing, "And I will defeat him, I have to."
"Good. Now, excuse me, I have an angsty brother to attend to."
As she left the room, the Avatar turned to face Katara, before he looked down, "I'm sorry." he apologised, remembering back to what he had done earlier; trying to kiss her was one of the stupidest things he had done, and he had honestly done it out fear- he didn't know if he'd have another chance to do it.
"No, you don't have to say that. I understand what you've been going through. This is the most important thing you'll ever have to do." she assured him, "We believe in you, Aang." she placed a hand on his shoulder, Toph punching his shoulder a moment later, almost as if on key.
"Yeah, that's right, Twinkletoes. No, matter how afraid we get, we're in this together."
Sokka looked down at the stage before approaching them, "As much as it pains me to say this, but... group hug?"
Katara pulled him in, the four of them hugging it out; Aang smiled, knowing that even with as afraid as he was, he had to stay confident. His friends were what counted, even Azula, who despite her attitude, was truly part of their group, and wanted to see him succeed; he would win for them, because he had no one else to win for. An image of Monk Gyatso laughing came into his mind, remembering the time before he awoke from the iceberg, knowing that even if he could never get it back, he would try and make the most of what he had; that moment of clarity was more than what he needed to show him what he needed to do.
"We'll win, together."