Chapter 17

Ozai hated haste.

Haste left too many openings for mistakes. Haste meant moving forward without a solid plan. But there was no helping it now. The camp was being broken down as quickly as possible, and Ozai's soldiers were preparing to march out within the hour. His acting general had been able to reach out to a supporter nearby- a man who raised mongoose lizards- and secure a team of the extremely fast mounts. With fortune and the blessings of Agni, Ozai was told that they should make it to Caldera by late afternoon. Surely Iroh's forces would be anticipating an attack, but if Takuya had done his job, the palace would be in chaos over the death of the Crown Prince. Ozai would have preferred to kill Zuko himself, but the greater good had to be considered. And the Avatar and the rest of his team were still to be dealt with, after all.

"Your Majesty." A soldier- Ozai couldn't remember his name- stopped just inside the pavilion's flap and bowed low, keeping his face to the ground and waited for Ozai to give him permission to rise.

"You have news?" Ozai asked the top of the man's head. Immediately his thoughts turned back to Takuya.

"The mounts have arrived," the soldier replied. Not the news Ozai wanted, but good news nonetheless.

"How many?"

"There are enough for everyone in the camp," the soldier told the ground. "And a few to spare the soldiers stranded at the coast." They would still be short, but Ozai supposed it would be better than nothing.

"When will we be ready to move out?"

"They are being saddled now. They will be prepared within two hours." The soldier's shoulders were beginning to quake from the strain of holding his position- one knee bent, one fist planted on the ground, his other hand held over his heart. Ozai noted the signs of fatigue with a frown. He would have to speak to his officers about the training regimen. Perhaps being made to hold that position for a few hours a day would make it easier for them to hold in the presence of their Phoenix King.

"Inform the men that I want to be on our way in an hour at the latest." The soldier winced but nodded, his eyes still fixed on the ground. Ozai watched him a moment longer, and then raised his hand idly. "You are dismissed." Gratitude radiated from the soldier as he backed out of the tent. When he was gone, Ozai went to his field chest and pulled the heavy wooden doors open. The chest would need to be left behind, but it didn't matter. What it held would not be left behind.

When Ozai chose to style himself the Phoenix King, he hadn't picked the title because it sounded nice. He had chosen it as a mission statement. He would burn the world in a cleansing fire. Everything that was weak and unworthy would become the ash that his empire would rise from. His ascent had been halted momentarily by whatever curse the Avatar had put on him, but he would not be denied. He would prove himself worthy of his throne, and if Agni wouldn't restore his bending then Ozai would…convince the Avatar to undo it himself. Today, though, he would begin by reclaiming what was rightfully his. Ozai reached into the chest and pulled out the gleaming golden helmet, proud phoenix wings thrown out to the sides. He settled it on his head and let its weight sink on to his neck and shoulders. In his mind's eye, Ozai could see his victory within his grasp. The world would be cleansed, and the Phoenix King would reign over all.

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The battle began without warning. Acting on a signal that only they understood, Ozai's loyalist attacked at the palace two days after the assassination attempt. Although they had discussed the possibility of there being spies and traitors among the remaining soldiers, Iroh, Zuko and the rest of the Gaang were caught off guard when a third of the troops protecting the palace turned. The reinforcements from the Earth Kingdom hadn't yet arrived, and though many of the soldiers remained loyal to Zuko and Iroh, the attack threw the palace into chaos.

"We can't tell who is fighting for who," Suki shouted to her friends over the sounds of battle raging around them. "Tighten in on Zuko and fall back to the palace. If anyone so much as looks his way funny, you hit first and ask questions later!"

"Got it!" Toph agreed.

"I don't need-" Zuko started to protest. Katara cut him off sharply as the group hurried towards the palace walls.

"Now is not the time," she said. "You're the target right now. We need to keep you away from your lunatic father's supporters more than we need you to fight. Suck it up!" Zuko reached back and gripped the hilt of the dao swords strapped to his back, but nodded in agreement.

"Aang," he said turning to his friend. "It's going to get messy out there, are you ready?" Aang understood exactly what he meant. He hesitated a moment before he nodded. Peace required sacrifice, he reminded himself.

"Any chance we can get some Avatar State action?" Toph asked. Aang shrugged. Of all the

"I can try," he told her. "I can't always access it when I want to." Toph scowled at him, but Katara answered first.

"It's good enough," she said grimly. The sounds of the battle got closer to the gates. Iroh had been separated in the fray. Zuko pushed his worry for his uncle down. Iroh could take care of himself, and suddenly Zuko had more immediate problems.

They didn't make it to the palace. They were yards from the entrance when a commotion from the gates caught their attention moments before a team of mongoose lizards burst through into the courtyard. The turmoil suddenly reached a fever pitch and though the Gaang tried their best to keep Zuko surround, the thick of the fighting drew them away from him until only Katara was left at his side.

"Like old times, huh?" Zuko called to her over the sounds of battle. Katara grunted in agreement as she threw up a wall of water against a ball of flame aimed at them.

"Try not to almost die this time, yeah?" Zuko scoffed at that as he sent a blast of flame at the feet of attacking soldiers.

"Same to you."

Later, Zuko would compare fighting with Katara to using his dao swords. The confusion of shouts and roaring flames soon made talking an impossibility, but the pair moved nearly instinctively through the throng of soldiers bearing down on them. The goal had been decided without either of them knowing whose idea it had been first. They needed to get back to their friends.

Toph was the first to make it back to them. Zuko and Katara were both occupied with soldiers from Ozai's camp. The two of them were holding their own, but more soldiers were joining the fray, hoping to overwhelm the pair with sheer numbers. Toph threw up a wall of solid earth between Zuko and one of Ozai's supporters, and caused the ground to swallow the others up to their necks. Sokka and Suki made it to them next. Suki was shouting orders at Zuko's soldiers to coral the traitors to the center of the battle field. Aang had found Iroh, and was fighting along side the Fire Lord regent against the few attackers who remembered that he was a target as well.

The tide of the battle was turning now, and soon it was clear who would win. Ozai had miscalculated. Once he made his attack, he had expected most, if not all, of the soldiers remaining in the capital would turn to his side. To his surprise, only about a relative few soldiers turned to his side, and although that tipped the numbers slightly in the Phoenix King's favor for the moment, the bulk of his troops had been with him in the mountains, and were laboring under the effects of nearly two weeks with little food or sleep. Their only advantage was surprise, and once the initial shock of the attack wore off, it became clear that they were outmatched. They were soon overtaken by the troops remaining loyal to Iroh and Zuko. In the end, the fight lasted barely half an hour. Ozai saw his supporters falling around him until the last of them surrendered after being surrounded by palace guards. Then Ozai saw them coming for him. He let out a yell of rage and turned towards Zuko.

"Agni Kai!" he bellowed. "I challenge you to an Agni Kai for the throne!" The guards who had been advancing on him paused mid-step and looked back at Zuko questioningly.

"It's over, Ozai," Zuko said. "You don't have your bending, and you can't use a second to challenge for the throne." Ozai snatched a sword from the body of a fallen soldier and levelled it at his son.

"I will not be denied my right!" Ozai shouted. Behind Zuko, Katara and Sokka exchanged confused glances.

"Does he even know how to swordfight?" Sokka whispered at his sister. Katara shrugged.

"This is over, Ozai!" Aang stepped up beside Zuko, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "You have no claim to the throne anymore!" Ozai sneered at Aang and laughed maniacally.

"Any member of the royal family may challenge for the throne," he reminded Zuko. "And I challenge you."

"You were tried and found guilty of war crimes," Zuko said. "I owe you nothing."

"Then be thought of as a coward for your reign," Ozai taunted. "An illegitimate ruler is open to challenge by anyone." Zuko scowled at Ozai. Katara tugged on the back of his shirt.

"Don't listen to him," she said quietly. "He can't do anything to you." Zuko glared at Ozai. His helmet had been knocked askew, and his robes- ripped and spattered in mud and blood- hung loosely around Ozai's shoulders. His eyes, though, were as predator cold as Zuko remembered.

"I accept your challenge," Zuko said. His friends started to protest, but Zuko cut them off with a sharp glance.

"You don't have to do this," Aang insisted.

"I do," Zuko told him and the rest of his friends. "He's right. If I ignore this challenge, then someone else might decide to try to take the throne by rite of Agni Kai." He called for someone to bring him his dao swords from his tent. As he prepared to meet his father, Katara caught his shirt again.

"No near deaths this time," she warned him. Zuko smirked and unsheathed his swords.

Ozai had trained with swords. In his youth, he had favored the katana, and he had been quite good. But unlike his son, Ozai had never seen a need to keep up with his sword craft, and he had allowed his skills to wane for years. Ozai had also not paid attention to Zuko's sword training. He didn't know that his son had become a master swordsman, and had kept up with his training even after mastering firebending at last. The battle was laughably short, and Ozai hadn't even managed to land a blow before Zuko disarmed him and cut a deep gash from his sternum to his shoulder.

It was over. Zuko stared at his father, bleeding and losing consciousness on the ground. He had won. He couldn't move. Then suddenly, he was being pulled away from Ozai's prone from. Someone was calling his name, but Zuko couldn't look away from Ozai as guards rushed forward to cuff the bleeding man. Then suddenly Zuko was looking into Katara's eyes. Her hand was still on his cheek and her mouth was twisted in concern. She had said something, Zuko finally realized.

"Zuko?" She spoke in the low, soothing tone she used when she was healing someone.

"I…what?" Zuko mumbled. He was beginning to come back to reality. The guards who held Ozai, unconscious, bleeding and cuffed, were watching Zuko expectantly.

"What do you want done with him?" Katara asked again. Zuko blinked and pulled away from Katara slightly. She nodded encouragingly and took a step back. Zuko squared his shoulders and met the head guard's gaze, trying to hide the way his hands trembled at his sides. This wasn't his job. Not yet. Iroh was still technically the Fire Lord Regent. But Iroh was busy making sure the attackers were being taken care of, and Zuko was the only one who could do what needed to be done. He felt fingers bush against his back. Katara offering what little support she could. Zuko took a breath and the trembling in his limbs stilled.

"Ozai will be executed for treason," he announced. "His co-conspirators will stand trial. Have them taken to the dungeons." The guards bowed and half carried, half dragged Ozai away. Zuko found Toph and asked her to make sure that none of Ozai's supporters would be able to get him out before the execution. With a humorless, wolfish grin, Toph followed the guards.

"Zuko, are you okay?" Katara clutched the hem of his shirt. Zuko caught her hand as he turned.

"I'm alright." The words rang untrue, but physically he was unharmed. That was all that could be important just then.

The aftermath of the short battle took the rest of the day to begin straightening out. Katara was pulled away to heal the soldiers who had been wounded defending the palace. Sokka and Toph went with her in case someone tried to attack again. Iroh found Zuko and the others after Ozai had been taken away. He ushered them inside and ordered that a wash basin be brought to his office. That was when Zuko realized that he had been spattered with Ozai's blood. With a shudder, he pulled off his stained clothes, heedless of Suki and Aang. He stood in his underwear and scrubbed the blood off of his face and hands. When he was done, Iroh draped a robe over his trembling form. It was several sizes too large, and it clung to his damp skin, but it was enough for the moment.

"You did well, my nephew," Iroh told him. Zuko nodded numbly. He had done the right thing, he was certain. Still, it was hard for even that certainty pierce the haze of shock clouding Zuko's mind. He had defeated Ozai's coup. His father would die at the next dawn for treason. And Zuko couldn't seem to stop shaking.

For the rest of the day, things happened around Zuko. His friends sat with him on what he would have noticed was a rotation, had been able to process it. First Suki and Aang sat with him, chatting about nothing Zuko could remember later. Then they were replaced by Toph who was tasked with getting Zuko to eat something. Shoving a sandwich into his face broke him out of his daze just long enough for him to snap at her, before losing himself in the disjointed thoughts racing through his mind again. Aang took Toph's place, still trying to draw Zuko into conversation before Suki relieved him. Some time later, she was joined by Sokka. He told them that Katara was done healing and had gone to her room to clean up. Zuko nodded at this, glad that everyone was okay, and then said nothing else for a long time.

"Why's he so spacey?" Sokka whispered at Suki. Zuko had drifted over to a window and was out of earshot for the moment.

"He just sentenced his father to death," Suki reminded her fiancé. "How would you feel?"

"If Ozai was my father?" Sokka scoffed. "I'd feel great." At the window Zuko rolled his eyes.

Katara arrived around dinner carrying a tray of food for Zuko. Suki caught Sokka by the elbow and led him to the dining room. Their shift was over

"How are you holding up?" Katara asked, setting the tray on Iroh's desk. Zuko sat down in the high backed chair and stared at the food. He still wasn't hungry.

"I'm okay," Zuko sighed.

"Are you?" Katara pressed. She moved around to Zuko's side of the desk and brought his head up to meet her gaze. "Seriously, areyou?"

Zuko opened his mouth, but a suddenly lump in his throat stopped him. A few strangled gasps were all he could manage before he buried his face in his hands. Distantly, he heard Katara moving, and a moment later, she pulled him into a tight hug. After a moment's hesitation, Zuko wrapped his arms around Katara. The tears came a moment later. One at a time at first, quickly becoming heavy, body wracking sobs. Her shoulder and hair were soon damp with tears and sweat and snot, but she just let Zuko cry on her. He clung to her almost painfully tight, as if she were the only stable thing in the middle of a storm.

Sometime later- it could have been minutes or hours for all either of them was paying attention- Zuko tears finally stopped. He pulled back, his arms still draped loosely around Katara. He saw the large wet spot he left on her shirt with some shame, but Katara didn't seem to care. She pushed his damp hair off of his forehead and studied him with a worried look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Zuko said, breaking away from her gaze. "I don't know why I'm…I mean, it's not even like he was a good…He wanted to kill me, but I-"

"He's still your dad," Katara cut in. "It's okay that you feel…" Katara trailed off helplessly, not sure how to describe how Zuko must be feeling.

"After everything he's done, you'd think I'd be happy about…about tomorrow." Now Katara put her hand on his cheek and made Zuko look her in the eyes again.

"Listen to me," she commanded him. "You never ever have to feel happy about anyone's death. Ozai's execution is necessary. He made his death necessary. But you don't have to celebrate or feel happy about that. It's okay if you grieve for him, you hear me? It's not weak to be upset about it."

A fresh sheen of tears clouded Zuko's eyes. He screwed them close against the stinging and leaned his forehead against Katara's, still clinging to her tightly. This talk didn't fix everything. Zuko knew he wouldn't get any sleep that night, and he realized that the guilt of executing his father would follow him for years- even if Ozai did deserve it. But somehow it all seemed more bearable then. How, he wondered, did Katara manage to do that? He opened his eyes, intending to ask her that, but the words caught in his throat.

He had never gotten out of the chair, and he suddenly realized that he was holding Katara in his lap. Her hands had left his face and were now clasped loosely around his neck. She was close enough to see the drying streaks of tears on her cheeks. Zuko hadn't even realized that she had been crying with him. Sweat dampened hair clung to her slightly flushed face, and Zuko brushed it back.

It occurred to Zuko that this wasn't right, but he couldn't remember for the life of him why it wasn't. He leaned forward, cautiously.

It wasn't like the last time they had found themselves here. The danger was long past, and although there was heat in this moment, it was a low, lazy, comfortable heat, rather than the raging inferno of relief at surviving. Now there was time to take in the moment. Zuko's eyes ran over Katara's face questioningly. Her hand came down to cup his cheek. Her gaze drifted down to his lips, and then came back up to his as she leaned in and closed the distance Zuko had left. Zuko could feel Katara's breath across his lips when he remembered why this wasn't right.

He abruptly pulled away. Katara gasped in surprise, leaping to her feet. Her face had gone a deep red, and Zuko could feel the blood rushing to his face to match.

"I'm so sorry! I-"

"I'm sorry, that was-"

They both fumbled for an apology, avoiding each other's eyes. Katara had put the desk between them, a barrier Zuko wasn't sure he should cross. She curled one hand into her mussed hair, and chewed her lip. Zuko tried to think of something to say to salvage this, but Katara beat him to it.

"I should go," she said. And she did. She was out the door before Zuko could even begin to explain. He sank back into Iroh's chair and buried his face in his hands.

"You idiot," he groaned to himself.

**AN**

I'msorryi'msorryi'msorryi'msorry!

I'm so sorry! I know it's taking me forever to finish this fic. I promise, it's not abandoned and I'm not dead. I've just been dealing with a lot of stuff surrounding work and roommates and other stories(**ahem** Pen name Mauve_Avenger on Ao3). The good news is I think there's only one chapter left in this story. I should have it finished and up...before the end of spring. It's mostly written, I just need to polish up some bits here and there. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and share!