AN: Just to to reassure, this is an Azula redemption story. 100%. Also good guess on the Zuko/Iroh visit. This was indeed the follow up!
(X)
"Zuko!" Ozai's voice split the sky with threat, "I told you to be better!"
The Crown-Prince scurried up to his feet with ragged breaths. He'd believed saving father's life may have earned him some small lenience. He fully accepted his idiocy for believing as much. There was a reason Azula chased perfection so much, Father demanded it. Zuko was no exception to the rule.
"You are ruled by soft emotions, boy. Weaknesses and blights that threaten your reign as my son and heir. Your reign as future Fire Lord. Banish your sister from your mind! Fight!" Ozai's barking command belied a stream of enormous flames that pushed Zuko's haphazard shield aside, throwing him from his feet into the golden pillars lining the courtyard.
"If you will not serve me. Then I will find someone who will." Zuko swallowed his charred breath, "I hear Governor Wei Jiang's boy, the youngest General in our nation's history, of the same age as you is quite the prodigy ." Ozai turned on Zuko with warning, "The Governor assures me he will command the cold-fire by the year's end." His father slammed a fist forward as Zuko swept the fires away with a desperate parry, "'Ozai's Hound', they call him." The Fire Lord scoffed, "Because he's loyal. Unlike your sister." Another kick this time, shattering the paltry wall of fire Zuko manifested in answer. "Only the greatest firebender in my court will be heir!"
Zuko tensed. His eyes hard. Resolve returned. Zuko had little intention of being passed over for a non-bloodline boy who coined the title 'General' as if he'd earned the right. Zuko was a Prince. Before him, Azula was Princess. They outranked Ren Jiang, in status and might. Zuko didn't intend to see some once-child upstage him now. Not after everything.
Rising to his feet he commanded the fire in his veins to spiral into a thousand ribbons that charged at Ozai, the Fire Lord thrust a palm out and a massive fan of fire span like a blade and cut the ribbons into embers. Zuko was undeterred and rushed forward, he punched through the fan and let out a twin-kick at his father's feet. The flames glittering across his feet were stopped by his Father's entrapping hand then a punch sent Zuko onto his back once more.
Ozai nodded once. Seemingly satisfied. "You are improving, Zuko. We will move onto more advanced katas next week - katas your sister mastered in a matter of weeks." The warning was clear, the expectation was laid down.
Zuko ground his teeth.
Failure wasn't an option.
The now Crown-Prince wasn't sure exactly how long it took to drag himself to his room. He lost his balance at least three times, and he was vaguely aware he'd passed out in the gardens. Woken by guards who assumed he'd merely fell asleep. Everything hurt more than he thought anything could hurt. Father's training was getting more brutal, more rigorous. It made him stronger. Just like the scar on his face. Just like his exile. In some way, his father had always been his guardian. Teaching him respect; teaching him strength.
His Uncle had tried to mould Zuko's mind into one of fractured dissent. His father wasn't a monster, it wasn't kindness he objected to. It was weakness. Shouldn't everyone object to weakness?
Zuko's plan to support the Earth Kingdom was in full swing. Reports that came from the newly annexed territories arrived to his desk first. His father had delegated much control and even if he got the final say, he had yet to object to any of the leniency in Zuko's rulings.
Battered as he was, the new Prince let a small smile grace his lips.
His father knew Zuko wasn't weak. He knew Zuko wasn't being soft handed with the Earth Kingdom to be kind. He knew Zuko was doing it because that's what best served the Fire Nation, unlike the indoctrinated war-forged Generals, Zuko knew violence would only incite violence. If they wanted to make the Earth Kingdom theirs, they had to integrate it rather than oppress it.
Father agreed with him. Father wasn't a tyrant. He was just efficient and did what was best for the Fire Nation. He would make life better for the Earth Kingdom, through Zuko, they could do real good. It's what Zuko wanted, what he desired, more than ever before. He was still a true son of fire and would see his nation soar to greatness.
Though the Crown-Prince wouldn't deny empathy for the people. He could also respect Ozai's pragmatism.
Efficient like Azula, Zuko noted. Before she went traitor... Just like uncle.
Zuko huffed as he recalled his sister's memory, now just as demeaning as Iroh's. They were but pale ghosts to haunt him now and Zuko despised his own weakness for being unable to cease his thoughts on the two.
They were traitors!
Iroh tried to manipulate and control Zuko! His sister was evil and retched!
Perhaps it was as father said, that Azula was always a deadly weapon but she never had his favour to begin with. She was simply the more malleable of the two for being forged into a blade. Azula may have made a spare heir in case the worst was to happen, but father did say he sent Azula to bring Zuko back, Avatar or no Avatar.
…Which would mean his banishment was always a trial. One he'd grown from tremendously. Father was right. Zuko's hand found his scar, no longer did he feel shame, no longer did the sweltered ruin on his face stir discomfort. This was his strength.
He shook his head of such idle thoughts. They served no use anymore. Why should he feel empathy for Azula? For what he did? After what she did? She deserved it. He'd never have to see her again. She'd live her whole life as an exile whilst his uncle, the traitor who deceived him for years behind a false act of kindness, lamented behind bars.
Both kept their lives.
That was mercy.
Wasn't it?
Zuko continued to swim in his thoughts with each exertive step until he finally found his door at the end of the impossibly long corridor. He fell through - rather than pushed - and let out an audible groan as he failed catch himself from collapsing upon the floor.
"Zuko!" Mai rushed over with a supporting touch, even feeling like death, the Crown-Prince smiled softly as she neared.
"I'm fine, Mai, I promise... Just training."
"I know..." She replied with a knowing stare, "Training like your sister had. I thought-" Mai paused, suddenly looking guilty.
Zuko frowned. "You thought what?"
"It's nothing." Mai waved her hand and went to help him, but Zuko pulled away.
"No, I want to know. What did you think?" He demanded; voice hoarse from exhaustion but commanding nonetheless.
"Zuko..." He met her hesitance with a stern brow, and she seemed to sigh and deflate.
"I thought Azula trained like that because she wanted to; because she liked it; because she revelled in it. Okay?" Mai huffed out, forcibly grasping Zuko's arm. "I didn't expect the same from you... I don't want the same from you. You know what it did to her."
Zuko's outrage softened into soft warmth. "Mai..."
"No!" She cut him off, "You wanted to know what I thought, so that's what I think. I know you could never be like her, Zuko, but if you keep going on like this you won't be you, either."
Zuko remained silent as he was guided to the bed, a gentle pale gold stared into Mai's blushed angry face. "You're right." He mumbled, climbing atop the covers. "You're right and I'm sorry... My Father is... demanding but I won't let him change who I am. I just want to be Zuko... I don't want to be the Crown-Prince."
Mai smiled a little and rested her hand on his. "But you have to be."
Zuko said nothing. His nod conveyed a thousand emotions.
After a long moment, he drew up his breath and exhaled, letting his eyes drink up the majestic deep crimson of his chambers that accentuated Mai's features beneath her thick black hair and the wonders of her curves beneath darkened red robes.
"I should be." Zuko finally spoke, a little stronger. Conviction glistened in his eyes. "I know my father isn't like me. But if not me, then who, Azula?" He scoffed; a look Mai shared. "I can do good for the future of our people. I can make things better." Mai's hand tightened around his, silent eyes but soft palms, that signalled her agreement. "If she were to be Fire Lord... she'd burn the whole world just to prove she can make the biggest fire."
The Blue Spirit and the Crown-Prince were two masks worn by a simple firebender known as Zuko. He had other masks, too. The Exile, a mask of hate and rage, one born of suffering and forged strong through the trials of fire. The same trials Azula now endured, though there was no salvation at the end of her path. Lee, from the Jasmine Dragon, a simple boy fleeing the war, a refugee and figure of mystery, one who took to his duties with a reluctant enjoyment.
Lee loved his uncle more than anything else.
But the Crown-Prince hated him.
Zuko threw the Blue Spirit mask aside and tore the crown from his head, he stared into the soul of a stranger poised in the reflective mirror that hugged his chambers. He didn't feel like Zuko, all those years, all those struggles... He had it all, now.
So why did he feel so empty?
Zuko sighed and wrapped the simple green cloak around his back.
The Guards stared with abject confusion, speculative whispers and hushed claims circulating beneath metal masks. Zuko paid no heed to the idle gossip of what were essentially his employees. Let them talk. Their words would have no impact on the Court.
"Prince Zuko." The Warden, a hard-faced scarred soldier, who went by the name of Henbai, bowed stiffly in reception. "An unusual visit. The hour is late and you sent no word of your arrival."
Zuko raised a brow. The Warden made no effort to hide his displeasure of receiving Zuko... It made him respectable.
"All the same, I am the Crown-Prince and I insist I see the prisoner."
Henbai sighed - audibly - and gave a lazy wave of his hand to the nearby guards. "Cell Block D, Section 7. You should wear something... appropriate, Prince Zuko, but what do I know about the fashion tastes of the royal family?"
Zuko suppressed a smile. He was beginning to like this Henbai character. Though the smile faltered when he considered Azula would've boiled him alive by now... But nobody spoke to Azula like this. She ruled through fear.
"How long have you been the Warden?"
"Too long." Henbai replied gruffly, "If His High Princeling wishes, I can have my records sent to his chambers."
"I don't care about them, walk me to the prisoner." Zuko waved the nearby guards away, who hesitated between their warden and their Prince. Henbai visibly stiffened, but relented with another heavy sigh and began leading Zuko through the rotating maze-like complexes of Caldera's Royal Prisons.
"You don't respect me much." Zuko stated, rather than asked.
Henbai seemed to show the first sign of nerves since their meeting. Perhaps thinking he crossed a line and was on the edge of punishment.
"With respect, Prince Zuko, I don't know you. Not a single man or woman in the Fire Nation's Armada, Home Guard, or Royal Army knows you."
Zuko was never as quick-witted as Azula, but he had enough foresight to see the message hidden beneath the words.
"You have my word that anything you say is between us, Warden. I just-" Zuko took a breath, "I want to be a good Prince. I want my subjects to be open with me. So, please... Tell me what this is about."
Henbai shot a quick glance towards Zuko, hesitance written on those carved cheeks. He opened his mouth as if to speak, toying with the words on the edge of his tongue. "Very well." He nodded, more to himself than Zuko, "You were banished from the Fire Nation for cowardice. The commoners might believe your scarring an accident, but the upper chain of the military is better informed."
Zuko only responded with a glum nod, he kept his face neutral and still. That wasn't exactly true. But the distinction between the truth and the known lie were a thin line in the Fire Nation. He refused to fight the Agni Kai against his father on principal, not cowardice... But they would see no difference.
Henbai scanned Zuko for signs of anger. Zuko's stillness gave him confidence to continue. "You return years later having killed the Avatar in Ba Sing Se which was conquered by your sister. Two mighty feats. Then less than a handful of weeks later, the traitor Azula leads a coup, loses an Agni Kai to her father, our Fire Lord, and is banished. All after you attacked her in the streets of Caldera."
"She burned the Fire Lord's archives."
"After you attacked, yes." The man accused, "And she was paid just punishment for her treason."
"You think this is my fault?"
"It is not my place to accuse royalty, nor do I defend the actions of a traitor. But you asked my honesty: Your sister was a brilliant strategist and a powerful bender. She's been embroiled in the military high command since she was 11 years old and has done more to win this war than the lazy old bastards who make up your father's war council. Many-" Henbai paused, then turned on Zuko with his chin held high and lips curled. He was going to cross a line and Zuko knew it. "I think she won the war. The Prisoner-" The man spat, "Killed thousands at Ba Sing Se. She killed none. She is a traitor and a war hero both. Her banishment not only robs us of a valuable asset, it turns her into a potential enemy. My brother's on the front. You think I want to see him shipped home in a body bag when Fire Nation patrols start hunting for the hero-gone-traitor?"
Zuko sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, once again it was Azula causing him problems. Even in exile some things never changed. "I know I've done nothing to earn your trust or your loyalty, but I'm trying." Even if I can't replace my stupid sister, like always.
Henbai regarded Zuko with an odd look, the former animosity and doubt bled into the first inklings of respect. "Just by listening to me you've proven yourself more capable than most, Prince Zuko."
Zuko strained a smile as the title was spoken with proper decorum.
They walked for several more minutes in silence. Henbai's words were both soothing and worrying in varying measure, he knew where he stood and he understood the man's fears. But he'd never grasped Azula's status in the military. It was just another shadow cast over Zuko like all the rest.
"The Prisoner is at the bottom of this hall." Zuko's eyes snapped up and he nodded to Henbai.
His limbs shook, muscles tightened with invisible weight and his breath was coarse and thin.
Zuko steeled his nerves for the fight to come.
"Hello, Uncle." The air was heavy and stiff. Unspoken hate and sorrow thickened the tension into dark strings that blinked in the Crown-Prince's vision. Iroh's confinement was a disgrace, it was inhumane... As much as Zuko's heart bled, he knew no action on his part could rescue his uncle from his father. Ozai demanded this...
"Zuko..." Iroh shifted where he sat, eyes cast to the rear wall as he lay slumped in a meditative cross-legged pose.
"I know... I'm the last person you want to hear from right now. I know I don't... deserve to ask anything of you. I know I have no right. I made my choice and I stand by it - I still stand by it - you... you betrayed me, Uncle..."
Iroh's shoulders drooped low, his back arched at an uncomfortably ridged angle. Zuko could only swallow the painful lump swelling in his throat.
"But I don't have anywhere else to go... I need guidance, I'm-I did... Azula she..." Zuko's voice quivered into small octaves.
Iroh turned and Zuko was forced to shield his sorrow behind the green sleeves of his tea-making robes. His Uncle visibly softened at the sight. Symbolic as it was.
Zuko was here, in part, as that loyal boy with hopes of a better future back in Ba Sing Se. Even if he knew such a thing was impossible now...
He steadied his breath and stared daggers into the ground. "Azula tried to kill father... she burned records of his reign after I-I attacked her... When called to answer for it she and the Dai Li moved against him... She would've secured the Throne, I had to act! I saved the Fire Nation!" Zuko refused to budge an inch. He couldn't meet his uncle's gaze. "I saved my father... Azula challenged him to an Agni Kai and she lost."
Mustering the strength to finally meet Iroh's gaze, the sorrow and empathy pouring through those ragged dull eyes almost shattered Zuko's heart where it beat. "Father was going to do what he did to me... I did it instead... I had to help her, it would've been-"
"You did the right thing, nephew." Iroh hummed, his eyes closed softly as he spoke. "My brother would've shown no mercy. Even your own scarring would pale to the wrath he would inflict on the one who tried to take his life..."
Iroh's comfort ruined the weak resolve Zuko desperately clung to. He buried his face in his hands.
"Zuko, you must discover the truth of your ancestry."
Zuko frowned through his restrained tears. "What does that even mean?"
"There is more to your blood than Sozin's bloodline, nephew. Through your mother's line the blood of Avatar Roku runs through your veins as true as Sozin's own."
Confusion and disbelief clutched Zuko's face and the scar winced with angry thoughts.
"Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin were locked in an eternal struggle; good and evil; light and dark. This same struggle runs in your blood, and the blood of your sister." Iroh frowned sadly, seeming to shrink in the already tiny enclosure. "I regret I did not inform her before these events... But I have informed you, you must find the truth for yourself. In the Dragonbone Catacombs."
Zuko's sorrow melted away into indignant anger. "You're lying!"
"No, Zuko. Your mother's Grandfather was Avatar Roku. Perhaps you should read Sozin's own testimony. But even here, I am not without those who respect me." Iroh's hand dipped beneath his filth-ridden rags and, unfurled from the muck, a shimmering golden ornamental headpiece. Symbol of the Crown-Prince. Different from the one he wore, but possessing a more regal uniqueness in the intricacies of its two-pronged design, each towering like spikes. "Avatar Roku was gifted this Crown by Sozin, when they were yet friends. You can restore the balance this Crown represents!"
Iroh pushed the Crown through the bars meekly and Zuko's breath hitched as he took it. Sharp eyes roamed the shine with wonderment.
"No..." Zuko did not relinquish the Crown, but he turned on his uncle with vehemence. "I knew this was a mistake!" Zuko stood with the raging of a storm arcing through his muscles, "You're still trying to poison me against my father! Against my Nation! You want me to be cast-out again just like Azula!" The heat of his yell rocked Iroh's studious gaze into a despondent stare.
His rage only grew into a larger inferno as Iroh slowly turned away, resuming his meditative stance.
"You- you don't get to just turn away from me!" The scream melted against Iroh's coldness, "You're a traitor! I hope I never see you again!" With those parting wounds, the Crown-Prince marched from the room with flames boiling the air around his hands, orange orbs of fire dancing with rage. He had to pour his anger into his firebending otherwise it'd eat him up from inside.
Zuko couldn't be seen crying by Henbai and the guards.
He couldn't be seen as weak...
"Prince Zuko." Henbai nodded as he neared.
"Just- just take me out of here."
Zuko didn't note the warden had stayed himself. But the man gave a slow nod without another word on the matter.
The Crown-Prince was only too eager to follow the footfall of heavy boots to safety. To get as far away from this horrifying steel hellscape that held his past's worst ghost.
To get back home.
To get back to Mai.