Chapter Two

Zuko stood before his people. They were his now. He'd murdered his father, and now they were his. He felt like his tongue was tied up in knots. But he also knew what he wanted to say.

The world wasn't benefitted by the war. The world feared the Fire Nation, hated them, and they, or at least the royal family, deserved it. They had burnt a swath across the world in the name of sharing their prosperity- they weren't. They were just getting people on both sides killed. These people were his now- and he couldn't save them if they kept fighting. War just killed people and if the war was going on his people would be dying, and it would be his fault. He also knew he couldn't tell them this. They weren't ready to hear that the sacrifices they'd been making had been for nothing.

"I am honored to stand before you today," Zuko began, "The Fire Nation has been at war for a hundred years. We defeated" massacred "the air nomads. We conquered Ba Sing Se. We lured our enemies into the Caldera itself- and captured some of the greatest threats to the Fire Nation. And now, our people need to have time to rest. It is time for our sons, daughters, fathers, mothers- for our brave soldiers to be called home. The war is over. We won. Now it is time to strengthen ourselves. We begin immediately." He bowed to his people then. It was probably the shortest speech a new Fire Lord had ever given.

For a long moment the entire crowd was silent. Zuko didn't dare look up. The silence stretched. Someone behind him started clapping. Azula? Someone else cheered. The entire crowd roared then, cheering for the family that would soon be coming home.

Zuko almost smiled. Azula didn't smile at all. She was considering how hard it would be to get these people to restart the war as soon as she'd gotten her bending back and defeated Zuko in an Agni Kai. Based on how happy they were about their families coming home- it wouldn't be easy.

…-…

Zuko started by requesting the clerks go over the profitability of each colony over the last 100 years. He asked them to check how many soldiers were in each place and which colonies they'd lost men in over the last ten years and how many men each and how much effort it was to get overland troops to the colonies and how much it would cost if they did it by airship instead.

That work was easy. They had the numbers in three days. He then looked at each place and where they went on a map and where the best border- the easiest border would be for the Fire Nation. He was trying to balance what he wanted to give back to the earth kingdom, which places needed to stay in the Fire Nation even in rebellion just because of where they were, and which had become fully part of the Fire Nation long ago. Then the work really began- the work of doing things.

Ba Sing Se was a nightmare.

There were millions of refugees in there- thousands of starving people that the city hadn't bothered to come up with a plan to feed- there wasn't enough food in the city to split it in an equitable way and there definitely weren't enough jobs in the city to support those who could work.

Zuko felt like shouting at someone. He settled for resting his head on his desk and resisting the urge to fall asleep.

"Poor Zuzu," a voice said from above him, "Tired of being Fire Lord already?"

He forced himself to sit up straight, glaring at her. "What in the world inspired you to capture Ba Sing Se? That city is a nightmare full of refugees and seeing as they are part of the Fire Nation we have a responsibility to feed them now."

Azula shrugged. "You want peace don't you?"

Zuko looked at her. She sighed. "Give it back to the Earth Kingdom as a sign of good faith, their bastion of hope returned to them. Should ease negotiations up- if you ever actually get to negotiating with anyone."

Zuko stared at her for a long moment before he felt a grin split his face open. "You are a genius," he breathed. "I could hug you right now."

"Please don't," she said, "Weak or not fire still burns."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I never would have guessed."

Azula seemed to be waiting for something. He looked at her for a moment longer. Right. Cure fire bending. Or- strengthen fire bending. "I haven't found the solution yet." he said. He'd been looking through old scrolls for days. Luckily for him he'd read most of them before, when he was trying to find a way to strengthen his fire bending and impress Father. It hadn't worked, but the information came back to him now.

The bit about the Sun Warriors had been interesting. Apparently, their bending involved a lot more dancing then fire bending today did, and it was extremely powerful. If they could find time to go to the temple, they might find something. That field trip was not exactly the most important thing right now though.

"But I think I might have an idea of where we can find an answer."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "Do tell." She said.

Zuko almost smiled again- strange. "You don't think you'll get to go without me do you?" he asked, "I have a trip planned for two weeks from today. We'll take a day off- go on a field trip- fix our fire- then come back."

Azula sighed. "You know that if you've already planned a trip I can simply figure out where the trip is to from one of the servants and go without you."

Zuko felt tired again suddenly. He always seemed to find a way to give people excuses to leave. He'd been bad at bending so Azulon had ordered his death- which had made Mother leave him behind and never come back. He'd betrayed Uncle so Uncle had to leave him behind to. He'd murdered Father- and so Father had left him behind as well. Azula was the only family member who hadn't abandoned him yet, and even if she was crazy he didn't really want her to go. But he wouldn't- probably couldn't- stop her.

He wanted to yell at her- command her to stay- but he doubted it would work. And he was tired. So instead he tried to smile at her, failed, and got back to work.

…-…

"Aang!" Sokka shouted. "You need to learn fire bending!"

Aang… didn't seem to be listening. Or he was listening and pointedly ignoring. Rude.

Sokka had gotten better at sneak attacks though. He ran up behind Aang, tackling him to the ground. Toph laughed. Aang sighed. "You know I could get you off right?"

Sokka shrugged. "Maybe if you accidentally bent me off a cliff you'd feel bad enough to learn Fire bending." He did let Aang up though. Aang rubbed his shoulder. Sokka didn't feel bad about that, Aang probably deserved it for ignoring him.

"Where am I supposed to learn Fire bending?" Aang asked.

"Jeong Jeong?" Katara suggested.

"Where would we even find him?" Aang asked.

Toph shrugged.

Sokka hesitated for a long moment. "We could ask Master Piandao."

Katara blanched but Toph looked intrigued and Aang looked- resigned.

"Why would Piandao help us find Aang a fire bending teacher?" Katara asked.

"He said knowledge was supposed to be shared through the nations and he didn't turn us in or really attack us and he knew Aang was the Avatar. Does anyone have any better ideas?"

…They didn't.

…-…

If Piandao was surprised by them showing up on his doorstep, he didn't show it. If he was surprised by them asking him about a Fire-bending teacher he didn't twitch.

Piandao was favoring his right arm. It was bandaged. All he'd say about it was "Burn. Not a bad one. Didn't really even stop me from fighting."

Fat invited them in. Piandao asked them to wait. "I might know just the person," he said, "Just broke him out of jail before his execution on the eclipse."

Piandao walked out, leaving them in the courtyard. When he came back, someone was following him. "Uncle!" Toph grinned, waving at him.

General Iroh, the Dragon of the West, waved back.

He wasn't grinning though, he looked- resigned.

…-…

Iroh sat with Aang. He'd started with breathing exercises- Aang had done fine on those. Then he'd tried to get Aang to bend actual fire. That- hadn't been as successful.

"You're scared of fire- aren't you." Iroh asked.

Aang hesitated for a long moment. "The last time I bent fire I burnt Katara."

Iroh looked at him for a moment. "It was an accident wasn't it?"

Aang nodded emphatically. "I would never burn anyone on purpose."

Iroh hesitated for a long moment. "I suppose it's lucky for you that I have some experience teaching students who fear fire." He thought for a moment. "We have a trip to take tomorrow- to show you what fire is truly like. That it doesn't need fear- it needs respect."

"Where are we going?" Aang asked.

Iroh smiled. "It's a secret." Aang sighed, but he didn't yell about it.

Iroh could have cried- because Zuko would have.

…-…

"Fire is life," Aang said, awed. He grinned at Iroh before executing a perfect Fire-bending move and, finally, producing actual fire.

Iroh smiled at him, but he couldn't help but think that this was not the child he'd wanted to have with him on this trip. Iroh smiled- but he couldn't help but think that Zuko would probably never make this trip. And if they won- when they won- Zuko probably wouldn't survive the conflict.

Iroh couldn't survive the loss of another son- could he survive killing one? Even for the world? He didn't know.

…-…

They went back to Piandao's, and they kept training. Iroh threw himself into the teaching because when he was training, he wasn't thinking about what might happen. He wasn't thinking about the fact that they were depending on children to save the world. Wonderful, talented children, but children all the same.

It was a week after the Avatar and his team had made it to Piandao's that the proclamation came- it had come overland instead of by airship because the airships were- apparently- all occupied with troop withdrawal.

Ozai had died during the invasion. Zuko was Fire Lord. The war was over. The Fire Nation had won. Also, Iroh wasn't a traitor anymore. Huh.