Meanwhile back in the palace gardens, a young Prince Aizon was laying on the grass, enjoying the breeze that blew through the courtyard. It was a beautiful sunny day, and he couldn't help but smile at the nice weather, it looked like spring was finally here.
Suddenly a shadow blocked out the sun that had been shining on his face. He opened his golden amber eyes to look into an identical pair. A big smile sprung onto his face. "Azula!" He greeted his best friend. "Sleepy Aizon? Have you finally gotten tired of losing every duel to me?" She said with that trademark confident smirk of hers. He smirked back at her, "Not a chance Azu.."
He jumped to his feet and punched out two bursts of emerald flames. Azula rolled out of the way and returned a massive beam of her own blue fire that landed right in front of him and blasted big chunks of dirt in the air, obscuring his vision. Aizon closed his eyes and listened closely, trusting his instincts. A whooshing sound came to his left, and he dived to the ground just in time, as a searing hot burst of fire passed right through the spot he had been standing a second prior.
Aizon back flipped over another burst and rolled right. He jumped and tackled exactly where he thought she would be and laughed victoriously when he made contact. He wrestled her to the ground and put her in a headlock. "Do you yield Azu?" He asked, completely unfazed. She squirmed for a bit before finally going slack. "I yield.." she eventually ceded reluctantly.
Aizon stepped away and smiled at her glowering face. "Now what can I do for my favorite Princess?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Or did you just miss me?" He asked with a cheeky grin. Azula grinned back at him and tucked a stray hair back into her perfectly symmetrical hairdo. "Oh Aizon." She rolled her golden eyes. "Come, I've just heard poor Zuzu has got himself into trouble with father." Without a glance backward she started walking in the direction of the palace. Aizon rushed after her to follow.
As he caught up with Azula, he noticed it was unusually quiet. The feeling became even more pronounced when they started down the halls, and not even a guard was there to salute them. Aizon turned to Azula, "What did Zuko do? And where is everyone?" Azula just smirked, "now now dear Aizon, it wouldn't be any fun if I gave the surprise away." And after that, no matter what he said, she wouldn't budge.
They finally rounded a corner and Aizon stopped short. It was the dueling arena. Sometimes Aizon and Azula held formal demonstrations for the fire lord here. But now there was an enormous crowd. Aizon had never seen this many people in one place before, having spent most of his life inside palace grounds. Azula grabbed his hand and pulled him through the crowd, pushing people out of the way.
They didn't stop until they had a spot in the front row, and Aizon was thoroughly confused. Suddenly the crowd went silent. And to Aizon's increasing bewilderment, Zuko walked out onto the stage, looking ready to fight. Aizon again turned to Azula, and whispered urgently "Azu.. What is going on? Why is Zuko on the dueling platform?" Azula gave him a sly smile. "Zuko spoke out of turn in a war room meeting. And against a against a general no less. Father considered this to be a great disrespect and has challenged him to an agni kai.." She whispered.
Aizon flinched. It was typical of Zuko. He had always been impulsive, and his self-righteousness had always been way out of balance. But still, Aizon thought Zuko should have known better. It wasn't like that was the first time Zuko had sat in one of those meetings. He was even allowed to speak as long as he did so respectfully. They were military meetings, and the military required discipline. Deciding the placement of troops and battlefield tactics was serious business. There was no place for hot-headed children in there. He turned back to Azula, "But why has the Fire Lord challenged him? Why not the general who he disrespected?" Azula only glanced at him. "Because Aizon, father was sitting in on the meeting." At that, Aizon cringed hard. But before he could think on it further, the fire lord himself walked in and got into a dueling stance.
It looked like Zuko had not been expecting this, judging from the surprised expression that crossed his face. Aizon could not fathom why though. Zuko had been raised from birth to know the rules of etiquette and respect expected of him. "Please father! I only had the fire nation's best interest at heart!" Aizon was stunned when Zuko got down on his knees and begged for mercy. Aizon grimaced when he finally registered Zuko's words. There was no such thing as mercy in an Agni Kai. You fought until you either were incapacitated, or if your opponent was particularly cruel, killed. To not even attempt to fight was disgraceful.
And it seemed the Fire Lord agreed with Aizon. The leader of their kingdom spoke quietly, but his voice carried throughout the whole arena. "You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher." And then, in a flash, the duel was brought to a brutal end with a fist of fire.
6 months later
A lot had changed since the Agni Kai. After Zuko's disgraceful performance, he had been banished from the Fire Nation on a fool's errand of finding the Avatar. Aizon felt bad for Zuko, he really did. But all things considered, he had got off easy. If Zuko had been anyone else except a prince and the heir to the throne, he would have been executed. Aizon knew of generals who had dedicated their lives to the service of the Fire Nation who had been punished far more harshly for far less serious crimes. If anything, the Fire Lord had been merciful.
And that was another thing that bothered Aizon, Zuko had to have known the consequences his actions would have incurred. Aizon refused to believe that Zuko could be so foolish, even if he wasn't a genius like Azula and himself were, Zuko was still educated in the ways of the Fire Nation. Yes, Aizon suspected there was something more to the story, but right now there was nothing he could do about it. He had no proof of anything, only hunches and conjecture. In any event, Aizon had more important things to worry about right then anyway.
About a week after Zuko's banishment, the Fire Lord had called him in for a private conversation. It wasn't the first time he had been summoned for such a meeting, but it wasn't any less nerve-wracking. It was humbling to be in the presence of the leader of their great nation. And even if Aizon had seen him more than the average Fire Nation citizen ever did in their entire lives, he still wasn't used to it.
He took a knee and crossed his closed fist over his heart in the proper show of respect to the Fire Lord. "You summoned me, your majesty?" He had asked reverentially. The Fire Lord did not say anything at first, and Aizon had got the feeling of being under intense scrutiny. After a few more minutes of silence, Aizon started to sweat. He was just about to look up when the Fire lord finally spoke. "Prince Aizon… the son of the late Fire Lord Azulon… and my half-brother… you continue to surprise me." He spoke softly, but his words were heavy, and Aizon hung onto each of them.
It took him a few seconds, but he finally gathered the courage to glance up, and looked the Fire Lord straight in the eye. "I strive to exceed your expectations, milord." He then immediately lowered his head in deference again. Aizon didn't see it, but the Fire Lord actually smiled at his answer. "And eloquent with words as well… I have heard tell of your firebending prowess, young Aizon. And your teachers simply rave about your creativity, both inside the arena and in the classroom." Aizon blushed a little at that.
If there was one thing he was proud of, it was his uncanny ability to think outside the box and on his feet, even while under immense pressure. At the Royal Fire Academy for Boys, he had won quite a few competitive bouts that way. So much so, he was ranked first as the most promising prospect for the Fire Nation army in the entire academy. Aizon had a talent for finding and exploiting weaknesses in his opponents that often they didn't even know they had.
He couldn't explain it when asked, but when he fought, he entered a sort of trance like state of mind. The right moves, the right way to attack and defend, when to advance and when to dodge. All of it just came to him naturally in the moment, in a way that only came along once in a generation to those with an inborn skill of an entirely different level. The only person who came even remotely close to matching him was Azula. But even her skill was one borne less of an innate ability, and more of a relentless drive for perfection, even if she was prodigious in her own right.
And that skill translated to his academic studies as well. Just last year, he had submitted a complete redesign of the engines for Fire Navy battleships as a project in his engineering class. Thanks to Aizon, the new Empire-Class fleet had gotten an extended range that could take them anywhere in the world, in half the time it used to take. Currently he was working on an automated cannon that could replace the ancient trebuchets the navy currently used. Aizon shook his head and refocused on the conversation.
"I'm pleased to hear that my hard work has reached your ears, Fire Lord," he answered. And to his amazement, the Fire Lord actually gave a small chuckle. "Yes, there is nothing in this glorious kingdom that I do not hear about, Aizon… and your work has certainly made waves with how much it has helped the war effort…" Again he let the conversation lapse into silence. And when the Fire Lord spoke again, all sense of lightheartedness in the conversation had disappeared.
"But there is one thing you are still lacking, young Aizon. And that's battlefield experience. I want you to lead the attack on the Northern Water Tribe in six months time. They've been a thorn in our side for far too long. You will command the invasion." Aizon snapped his head up. "Milord?" he asked, astounded despite himself. To be given such an immense responsibility was a great honor. The Fire Lord didn't seem to mind his interruption. "Yes, originally, I was going to task Zuko with this, but with his recent shameful actions, he has proven himself to be incompetent. And incompetent men have no business leading such an important attack."
Aizon swelled with pride with the knowledge that the Fire Lord considered him to be competent. There were still a few things that didn't quite add up, but he bit his lip. Aizon knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. He gave a deep bow. "You honor me greatly with this Fire Lord, I will not fail you," he proclaimed. Even so, Ozai must have correctly interpreted his facial expressions. "Speak freely Prince Aizon, if you have any concerns, now is the time to voice them." He said.
He was hesitant, but hearing that he was allowed to speak freely, Aizon took a deep breath and did just that. "I am truly humbled to be given such an honor, your majesty." He began. "But despite that, I must ask, for the good of the Fire Nation, wouldn't it be more appropriate to task one of your more veteran generals with this? Like you said, I lack battlefield experience…" He paused, and hesitated before adding "And even if you would want there so that a member of the royal family would be present for the occasion, shouldn't Azula be asked before me? After all, she is both older than me, and closer in the line of succession, so I'd think her lack of battlefield experience would be more of a concern than mine." When Aizon finally finished and looked up, he had to squash the urge to squirm when he noticed the fire around the Fire Lord's throne flaring angrily. That was never a good sign.
It was just for a moment, and he barely caught it, but the furious look that flashed in the Fire Lord's eyes truly terrified Aizon. He braced himself for the worst, but was surprised when Ozai answered him calmly. "You truly are a genius young Aizon… I wouldn't normally ever stand for such insolence…" Aizon couldn't stop himself from squirming this time, but the Fire Lord continued like he hadn't noticed. "But alas, I told you to speak freely. Moreover, you are exactly correct." Aizon's jaw dropped, but he quickly closed it. He didn't know how many more surprises he could take. "You are right, of course, to question me. I would do the same if I was in your place, and the fact you can think for yourself reassures me."
But as fast as a snap of the fingers his tone changed threateningly, to one that brokered no room for argument. "Nevertheless, do not forget your place, Prince Aizon, or you will join Zuko in exile. Is that clear?" He asked, the fire around his throne hissing angrily. Aizon nodded as fast as he could, and bowed as low as he could. "Of course, Fire Lord." Eventually, after a few more minutes of tense silence, the Fire Lord nodded, satisfied, and continued. "But to answer your questions... Azula, as you noted, is next in line to be Fire Lord, and therefore cannot be risked on the battlefield. And are you so foolish as to think I would give you command of an invasion without any advisers? General Iroh and Admiral Zhao will be joining you as military consultants. I trust there are no more further questions?" He whispered dangerously.
Aizon shook his head as fast as he could. "None, Fire Lord." Ozai nodded and leaned back, his face disappearing through the flames in front of his throne. "Good, dismissed." Aizon saluted, and quickly retreated from the room.
After that, Aizon had dedicated all of his time and efforts to his upcoming task. He refused to be like Zuko. Aizon would return home from his task with a glorious victory to his name, and be a credit to the royal family. And neither would he be like Iroh, and give up when victory was all but assured. That in mind, he refused the man's incessant pleading to be briefed on Aizon's battle strategy.
Over the next six months, Aizon's personal quarters in the west wing of the palace was transformed into a war room. Maps of the Northern Water Tribe and the waterway leading up to the city were glued to every surface of the walls. He had servants bring in extra tables, but even those were eventually covered in all kinds of schematics of the fortifications they would have to overcome in the invasion. Aizon had asked Admiral Zhao whether he wanted to help Aizon with the planning, since the man's legendary record in naval battles with the Earth Kingdom was well known, but the admiral blew him off every time, apparently insulted Aizon had been asked to lead the invasion instead of him. In fact, the only person who ended up helping him was Azula. And not that he would ever admit it to her, but Aizon was sure Azula had a mind for war tactics that surpassed even Iroh at his peak.
That had been particularly apparent when he had been trying to formulate some kind of battlefield strategy. His first idea had been to somehow approach the city stealthily, but Azula had quickly shot that idea down. "It's like you've never seen a Fire Nation battleship before, Aizon. They produce smoke that can be seen miles away. A whole fleet of them will give away any surprise we have days in advance. Keep in mind, the Water Tribe is sure to have advance scouts as well. They'll know we're coming." Aizon had growled in annoyance. "You're right of course." he admitted reluctantly. "But we simply can't launch a frontal assault… Not anymore at least. You've read the reports Azula! I know you don't believe Zuko, but even the Fire Sages have corroborated his claims, not to mention all the sightings coming in from Kyoshi." He sighed tiredly.
"I don't want to believe it either, Azu.. but it's almost certain the Avatar has returned. And he poses a far greater threat than any resistance the Northern Water Tribe could pose." He sorted though one of the many stacks of scrolls littered about and pulled out one that looked like it had been read many times. "This intelligence report suggests he is looking for a waterbending teacher. If that's true, he will almost certainly be headed North, if he's not already there. And If he is there when we launch a frontal assault, the results could be disastrous. That's a risk I refuse to take. I refuse to go down as the prince who got his butt handed to him by a bunch of igloo savages!" He slumped down on his bed, rubbing his temple.
Azula just hummed noncommittally at first, but eventually said replied slowly "It's true that it's likely the Avatar has returned. And if that's the case, then I agree with your assessment that any frontal assault is doomed to fail…" she trailed off. Aizon sat up and smirked at her. "I sense a but coming." Azula smirked back. "Astute as ever, Aizon, I was almost worried you were getting rusty." He just smiled and motioned her to continue.
She got up from her seat, picking up one of the plotting rods littered about in the process, and walked over to one of the tables that had a map of the entire Northern Water Tribe and the surrounding area. She pointed at the waterway leading up to the city. "A frontal assault would normally be your only choice, simply because the northerners were smart enough to make only one waterway leading up to the city. But there are disadvantages to this too…" She looked at Aizon expectantly, and suddenly it clicked in his head. "Of course! With only one exit, it's that much easier to lay siege!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"If I can get those cannons of mine to finally work, we wouldn't even have to get within bending range." He rushed over to Azula and scooped her up in a big hug, making her give an undignified squeak. "Oh I love you Azula, you're such a genius!" Azula was blushing hard, and it made Aizon laugh to see the normally infallible girl flustered. He quickly changed his mind when she socked him in the gut. "Oof," he said before falling over on his bed again. He glared up at her, not being able to say anything because the wind had been knocked out of him. She smiled right back and examined her flawless nails. A habit he had long since learned meant she was particularly amused.
"Of course, there's just one problem." She said when he had sat up again. "What's that?" Aizon asked, confused. "We just pound them with artillery until they're reduced into a puddle or they surrender." Azula gave him a deadpan look, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, maybe that's not such a great plan." Azula snorted. "Oh no Aizon, I'm sure the Fire Lord will be spectacularly pleased to claim victory over puddles of water." He winced. Azula had always been particularly skilled with scathing sarcastic insults. She gave him a soft look that he had never seen her give anyone else. "Aizon, the point is to conquer the world, not destroy it. And besides even if you were to pound them into ice shards, that still wouldn't solve the problem of the Avatar. Sooner or later the invasion will have to advance to a ground force fighting door to door, and you can bet that the Avatar will be there fighting, not on our side."
Aizon nodded, his frown returning. "But that brings us back to where we started. If we can't all out assault, and we can't lay siege, then we're out of options! There's no other way to approach the city." He said, frustration leaking into his voice. "Ahem." Azula cleared her throat, and Aizon looked up at her. "Again, normally you would be right. But you're forgetting something." She pointed her plotting rod at the top most portion of the map of the North. Aizon looked at her strangely. "The northern flank of the city? Azula, that's impassible for the battleships. That's ice hundreds of feet thick and tall. Only way we'd be able to get there was if the Avatar decided to lend us a hand to lift us in the air."
They both chuckled at the silly idea. "Close, actually." Azula said, shocking Aizon. "What? C'mon Azula! There's no way that the Avatar would help us! Have you gone mad?" he asked. She smacked him over the head with the plotting rod. "No genius, you'll go there in the air using an airship." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Aizon rubbed his head where she had smacked him. "But I thought the airships weren't even close to finished yet. Plus, even if they were, what's stopping the Avatar from taking us out of the air. He is an airbender after all" He said, once more confused, and wondering how hard she had hit him. Azula gave him that half-smile she always did when she knew something no one else did. "They're not close to finishing the fleet of them yet. But they have a few working prototypes. I overheard the defense minister say so to father. And the Avatar is easy to deal with. Just go under cover of darkness. He can't stop what he can't see."
Aizon walked over to stand beside her, muttering. "Yes… Diversionary tactics… it could work… simply ingenious Azula." He complimented, now too focused to care about her new strange habit of blushing. "A ten man squad composed of the most powerful fire-benders in the navy would be more than enough." He pushed some tokens around on the map representing different divisions and ships. He pointed to a medium size ship token. "Our main command battleship will probably be under constant surveillance, so we'll have to deploy the airship from one of the smaller ones in the rear…" He trailed off, a big problem suddenly occurring to him. Azula must have guessed as much, or she simply knew him that well. "What is it Aizon?" She asked.
He turned to her, "Who will lead the squad of firebenders on the airship? I don't trust Iroh or Zhao to lead the frontal assault, but I can't be in two places at once." It seemed like an unsolvable problem, until Azula offered an unthinkable solution. "What about me?" She asked casually. Aizon gaped at her. "Didn't you hear? I already asked the Fire Lord about you and he said you weren't going because of your position." He reminded her. She smiled a devious smile. "Oh don't worry about that. I'll have Mai stand in for me." Aizon looked at her skeptically. "What if he calls you for a personal meeting. Won't he notice?" She waved away his concerns dismissively. "Oh she's done it plenty of times. She's really good at impressions, believe it or not." Aizon couldn't imagine the dark and moody girl who Azula sometimes hung out with as anything but that. Nevertheless, he held his tongue. He trusted Azula absolutely, and she knew what she was doing. If she said it would work, he believed her.
And so, two months later, Aizon found himself decked out in royal armor that had been forged for him just for the invasion. It was very solid, and Aizon was sure it could stop a direct hit from even the most powerful waterbender. But it wasn't at all cumbersome either, instead being very light weight and breathable. Currently he was leaning against the guard rail, on the balcony of the command bridge on his royal barge, looking through a gold telescope out to sea. The ship too, had been custom made for him, just for the occasion.
Aizon had finally gotten his cannon design working, winning him even more accolades from top generals and admirals in the Fire Nation military. The explosive power of the cannons was enough to crumble 10 feet thick solid steel walls, and had a range of two miles with pinpoint accuracy. Aizon's royal barge was equipped with two of those, and one special cannon Aizon had custom designed himself. Nicknamed by the crew as "Aizon's Rage," it was triple the length, had five times the range, and double the explosive power. The cannon was so big, it barely fit on his royal barge, which was saying something, seeing as it was already the largest ship ever constructed in the history of the Fire Nation navy. Being over a mile long and crewed by over two-hundred elite sailors, it was the flagship of the new "Aizon-Class" battleships, which were all equipped with the vastly improved engines and first of their kind cannons Aizon had designed.
A voice spoke up behind him, startling him, and almost making him drop the telescope he was looking through. "Quite the battleship you've built here, Prince Aizon. The cannons alone are a marvel all unto themselves." There were only two people who didn't need permission to access the bridge. And only one of them was skilled enough to catch him unaware. "General Iroh," Aizon greeted, slowly turning around, a carefully neutral expression on his face. He didn't trust the old man, or respect him for that matter. Aizon couldn't respect someone who gave up.
But he was smart enough not to say so openly. Aizon would grudgingly admit that the man was a wise adviser, even if he was sure Iroh had some hidden agenda. He looked the disgraced general up and down. It was hard to believe that this fat old man had once successfully penetrated the walls of Ba Sing Se. "Can't lay off the Komodo Chicken, ay General Iroh?" Aizon jabbed. The old general was well known for his love of the roasted dish. But Iroh just laughed it off, apparently used to being on the receiving ends of jokes about his weight. "Ha! You should try some sometime, Prince Aizon! You are all lanky, you need some meat on your bones, uh, of course, with all due respect, Prince Aizon." He gave a small bow. Aizon just snorted and turned back to watch the sea. It was true Aizon's proportions were a little off because his body was going through a growing phase, but he wouldn't be caught dead eating that disgusting oily food. For Aizon, his body was his temple, so he ate as healthy as he could.
Iroh came up to stand beside him, also gazing out at the sea. "It's humbling, isn't it? To think how vast the sea is compared to ourselves." Iroh said. Aizon glanced over at the old man, but shrugged. "I suppose. But the same could be said about any other element. The amount of earth is many times the amount of people as well." He said, wondering where this strange conversation was going. "Ah, but all people depend on water for life, don't they? We would all very quickly die of thirst without it." Iroh argued back.
Aizon finally turned to face Iroh, with the latter turning to the former a moment later. "What is your point, General Iroh? All people would quickly die from the cold without fire as well. Now is there a reason why you came up here to disturb me, or did you just want someone to listen to you spout off nonsense?" He asked challengingly, crossing his arms. "If so, I'll have to inform you Zuko isn't on this ship." Aizon smugly followed up a moment later. The General's eyes narrowed. "The point is, Prince Aizon, the world needs balance. It is not our place to rule over lands that do not belong to us." Aizon wished he could say he was surprised to hear the old man babbling some rubbish that sounded dangerously close to Avatar propaganda, but he was not.
Aizon held out a hand and summoned some of his emerald fire. He walked right up to the old man and got within an inch of his face. "That sounded dangerously close to treason, old man. Do I need to call the guards and have you thrown in the brig until this invasion is over?" he asked in a menacing whisper. To his immense satisfaction, General Iroh swallowed in fear.
Aizon had been training nonstop with Azula over the past few months, and they were now undisputedly the most powerful firebenders in the world, short only of the Fire Lord himself, and possibly Iroh. Their duels had become legendary in the Fire Nation capital. Sometimes crowds would come to watch the awe inspiring bouts between the two royals. It was truly a sight to behold in the evening when their unusual colors of fire lit up the darkness. Nine out of ten times, Aizon almost always won, mostly due to the sheer magnitude of his power. But sometimes, when his guard was down, Azula would catch him by surprise. And the most astonishing part was that they were getting more powerful every year. Some speculated that they could become the most powerful firebenders in history, but that was probably hyperbole. Either way, Iroh would have his work cut out for him. Not that he would be able to attack him on a ship loyal to Aizon anyway. And he seemed to realize this as he backed away.
"That won't be necessary, Prince Aizon. I am sorry for disturbing you." Aizon watched for a few more seconds just to make him sweat before nodding and extinguishing the emerald fire in his hand by closing his fist. "Be gone then. And do not return unless I summon you." Iroh nodded, though clearly reluctantly. Just as Iroh was about to leave through the door though, Aizon called out to him. "And Iroh? Don't mistake our familial status as a reason for leniency. I won't hesitate to have you executed for treason should I sense one ounce of disloyalty once the invasion begins, do I make myself clear General?" he asked with deadly seriousness.
Iroh hesitated before replying. "Whatever it is you're planning, Prince Aizon, you won't succeed. The spirits will not allow it." He slammed the door shut behind him before Aizon could reply. But that simply wouldn't do. He quickly went to a messenger hawk he had on standby, and started writing furiously. Iroh needed to be taken care of.
A/N: Hello again! If you liked that, please review! I worked very hard on this all day. A lot longer than I'd normally do too, but the story needed to advance to this point in this chapter, still hope you enjoyed though. I'd appreciate some feedback. Thank you!