Chapter 32

Zuko walked the lonely mountain path seething in anger, clenching his fists as he traversed the rocky climb leading up to the high security prison outside the volcanic caldera that formed the walls of the capital. After much thought over the past few days, he had finally made his decision and composed a formal decree. It was now resting in the pocket of his royal Fire Lord robes, the official document feeling like it weighed as much as a pile of bricks.

It hadn't been an easy decision to make, not by a long shot. Zuko was aware that he was acting in anger, not the best frame of mind for making decisions, but it hadn't stopped him. There had to be a response to the cowardly attack by the assassin, he had to do something. His beloved Katara was clearly struggling to cope with what had happened, unable to sleep, tormented by nightmares when she finally managed to fall asleep, often waking up in the middle of the night and breaking down in tears. Katara's brother and his friend, Sokka, was inconsolable. And the tight sisterhood of the Kyoshi Warriors was utterly dejected and traumatized by what had happened.

And Zuko... Zuko had a funeral to attend later in the day.

No, this could not stand without a firm response. He knew that he might regret his decision later, once his head had cleared from anger, but he did not let that to stop him. He was aware that his decision would not necessarily mean the end to the sedition and violence. Just because his father would be gone didn't mean the rebellion would die altogether. Yes, it would certainly demoralize those who truly believed that they were fighting to restore Ozai to his rightful place. But there would also be others who would use this to further escalate the violence.

Let them. Let them reveal themselves. Then we can finally deal with these conspirators once and for all. Zuko also knew that Katara would be disappointed by what he was about to do, and yet... he couldn't allow that to stop him. He had to hope that in the end, Katara would understand why he had to do it. I can't sit idly for months, waiting until we can finally link this assassin to Ukano. How many more assassination attempts will we have to endure during that time? How many more of my loyal bodyguards, my friends, would die to protect me? What if... what if they hurt Katara?

The thought of possibly getting hurt himself did not even register with Zuko next to the horrific mental image of the assassin's dark blade striking Katara. His feet came to a screeching halt as a curse escaped his lips and he shook his head, trying to clear his mind from the terrible thought, only able to continue a while later.

Shortly after, he stood at the gate tower leading into the mountain prison. The guards had been alerted of his coming and swiftly allowed him to pass through, entering the grim, oppressive walls of the prison that over the centuries had held some of the most important prisoners in the Fire Nation history. "Take me to my father," Zuko ordered the guards. "I trust he is safely secured."

"Ozai is not going anywhere, Lord Zuko," one of the guards replied with a bow of his head, taking Zuko down a dark corridor, poorly illuminated by the occasional wall sconce. "Over here, my Lord," the guard spoke, pointing at one of the side rooms, unlocking the door and allowing Zuko to enter. The room was split in half by impenetrable bars, the pale, gaunt visage of his sneering father greeting him from within his miserable cell.

"Well, well... look who's come to visit me," Ozai addressed him mockingly. "If it isn't the Fire Lord himself."

"Father," Zuko said by a way of reluctant greeting. Ozai was still trying to sound imperious, but he couldn't quite hide the weakness and exhaustion in his voice. Despite it all, Zuko could not deny that his father still exuded a presence that on some level frightened him, at least a little.

"So, my son... you're discovering that the role of the Fire Lord is not as easy as you thought?" Ozai sneered at him. "Perhaps you have come to beg me for advice? Don't be shy, then."

"You have no advice for me that I would find useful, father," Zuko snapped angrily.

"Oh, really?" Ozai chuckled. "What about all those assassination attempts you have been facing? Do you know how many of those I faced? None. I had an iron grip on this nation, while you are about to squander and lose it all. And do you know why? Because you are weak. You have always been weak. You don't have what it takes to rule the Fire Nation."

"What do you know about these assassination attempts, father?" Zuko pressed, not rising to the obvious bait that Ozai dangled before him. "How do you know of them?"

"Your guards love to talk, Zuko," Ozai laughed. "You will find me remarkably well informed." Zuko frowned at that. He would have to discuss the matter with the prison warden. The guards were definitely not supposed to fraternize with the prisoners, Ozai least of all. Hopefully it was just boredom of the remote posting, and hopefully there weren't any Ozai sympathizers among the guards. Zuko couldn't quite believe that, knowing how carefully they had been vetted.

"Are you somehow involved with these assassination attempts?" Zuko asked instead, though he obviously didn't expect Ozai to give a direct answer.

"All I know is that sooner or later they will succeed in restoring me to my righteous place on the throne," Ozai smirked. "How long do you think the Fire Nation loyalists will tolerate your incompetence, your betrayal of everything that the Fire Nation stood for? Your personal bodyguards are some Earth Kingdom wenches, while a Southerner waterbender whore warms your bed. Your weakness and your betrayal of our ideals disgusts me."

"Tell me who are these loyalists, father. Tell me who stands behind these plots to overthrow me," Zuko continued, ignoring the taunts, even if his father's comments about Katara made him eager to engulf Ozai's cell in a sea of cleansing fire. "I'm giving you one last chance to name these conspirators, if you know who they are."

"At least you are smart enough to still fear me, and believe that I have been manipulating these plots from my cell," Ozai seemed amused. "No, Zuko, I don't know who has been plotting against you. And even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you. Instead, I would cheer them on. The sooner you can be purged from both the Fire Nation's history and from our family tree, the better."

"So, you are unable and unwilling to help me, then," Zuko shrugged. "A bitter old man, still clinging to his hatred and contempt, with no shred of regrets and no hope of redemption. Thank you, father, for confirming what I already expected," he added, turning to leave.

"Where do you think you're going, Zuko?" Ozai demanded. "Are you too weak to face the truth that I have laid out before you?"

"I am simply done listening to you, father," Zuko replied impassively. "We will not be speaking again. Goodbye."

"What do you mean, goodbye?" Ozai shouted, appearing incensed, clenching at the bars and shaking them in a desperate attempt to dislodge the solid metal, all to no avail. "Come back and explain yourself! I demand it!" his father exclaimed, but Zuko would not waste any more time on Ozai. He had learned all he needed. Not even a single graying hair on his father's head was worth redeeming. All of a sudden, the weight of the decision he was about to make felt lighter.

Having located the two guards manning the entrance into the gate tower, Zuko beckoned one of them over and retrieved the scrolled up parchment from the pocket of his robes, passing it over to the guard. "Here are my orders for the prison warden, see that they are delivered to him immediately," he spoke in a grim voice.

"Of course, Lord Zuko," the guard appeared a little surprised, hesitating slightly.

"I am revoking the order granting clemency to the former Fire Lord Ozai, effective immediately. He is to be executed by sundown," Zuko said simply, turning around and leaving a pair of stunned guards in his wake.


The funeral service had just ended and Zuko found himself standing by the simple grave that now held the ashes of On Ji, the brave and loyal Kyoshi warrior who had given her life in service to the Fire Lord. The wastefulness of it all made it very hard for Zuko not to cry, especially when he thought how young the poor girl had been, the entire life still ahead of her. On Ji had been an orphan, her parents lost in the final stretches of the war, and in the other Kyoshi girls she had found loyal sisters, a family she had come to love. And now it had all been taken from her, much too soon.

Leaning against his side, Katara was going through similar motions, her cracking composure now and then broken by sobbing, Zuko trying to comfort her the best he could. For a long while, they just stood there side by side following the service, neither of them able to find any words that would fit the sorrowful atmosphere.

Finally, as they slowly turned to leave, Zuko and Katara were approached by Suki, leading the entire squad of dejected Kyoshi Warriors. Still, despite their grief, Zuko could also see fire, determination and anger in the eyes of all the girls. "Lord Zuko, there is something I have to say in the name of all the Kyoshi Warriors," Suki spoke, bowing to him respectfully. "We are all of one mind on what I'm about to tell you. We will never allow anyone else to be hurt by this despicable, cowardly assassin. We will pursue this loathsome bitch until the end of our days if necessary, but we will make sure that she answers for On Ji's death. That is our solemn vow," she said, all the Kyoshi Warriors bending their knee before Zuko and lowering their heads in a submissive bow.

"Thank you. Rise, my brave warriors," Zuko smiled, touched by their display of loyalty and camaraderie. "I am comforted by your support and your dedication, and so is Katara." His beloved managed a slightly pained smile and a nod of agreement. "On Ji would be proud of you."

"She will be proud of us once we have reclaimed our honor by capturing her killer and unmasking this conspiracy," Ty Lee spoke with uncharacteristic grimness, all the other girls nodding in agreement before they retreated, leaving Zuko and Katara alone, though not for long as they were soon approached by an equally dejected looking Sokka.

"Hey, so..." Katara's brother began, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. "I know this comes on a really short notice, but... I kind of really don't want to be staying in the Fire Nation right now, so..."

"You're leaving," Katara choked out.

"Yeah... sorry, sis, but I just feel... really down about what happened," Sokka lowered his eyes. "On Ji and I were really starting to connect, too..."

"I'm so sorry, Sokka... of course, I understand why you want to leave. I can imagine it would be very hard for you to stay where it all happened," Katara said, reaching out and pulling her brother into a comforting hug. Without thinking, Zuko joined in, supportively wrapping his arms around the two siblings.

"We'll be sorry to see you go, Sokka," Zuko said once they had separated again. "If you could give me a couple of days, I would prepare the air balloon to take you wherever you want to go, back to the South Pole or to Ba Sing Se."

"That would be great, Zuko, you're a true friend," Sokka nodded gratefully at him. "I was thinking Ba Sing Se. That city makes it easier to avoid thinking about painful stuff, you know? All that hustle and bustle, something going on all the time... that's exactly what I need."

"Of course, Sokka," Zuko smiled serenely. "I'll let you know once the balloon is ready, I hope you don't mind waiting an extra day or two."

"Nah, I'll be fine, Suki and Ty Lee promised to distract me from being too gloomy," Sokka managed a smile. "Guess I'll go poke them about making good on that promise," he said, quickly hugging his sister one more time and then turning to follow the slowly departing Kyoshi girls.

"So..." Zuko began uncertainly, taking Katara's hand and looking into her pensive eyes before they began their slow passage back to the palace. "Stupid question, I know, but... how are you holding up?"

"Not so good, Zuko," Katara sighed deeply. "Not so good."

"Yes, I gathered..." Zuko sighed as well. "And I have to tell you something that will probably make you feel even worse. And if there's one thing I hate doing, it's making you feel worse. But I can't hide this from you."

"You went and did it," Katara stated flatly. Zuko gave her a searching stare. "Ozai."

"How did you know?" he asked.

"Don't you think I didn't see how conflicted you were all morning?" Katara smiled somberly. "You were struggling with something that preyed heavily on your mind. And when you excused yourself for a few hours to go for a walk, I knew instantly where you were going and why."

"You know me so well, Katara," Zuko smiled at her fondly. His smile then faded a little. "You... don't hate me for what I've done?" he asked with sudden fear in his voice.

"Of course I don't hate you, Zuko," Katara shook her head. "It just... saddens me that you felt like you had to do it. And it saddens me that I wasn't able to convince you not to do it. But at the same time... I keep wondering if I didn't make a mistake by pressing you to resist the counsel of your advisors. Perhaps if you had taken care of Ozai sooner, this assassination plot would have never materialized and On Ji would still be alive."

"It's useless to speculate, Katara," Zuko squeezed her hand supportively. "We'll never know what might have happened."

"Then we are doomed to be forever plagued by doubt," Katara sighed.

Zuko felt at a loss, not knowing what to say. What can one say to make it feel better? Maybe sometimes there just are no words. He felt the betrothal necklace crafted for Katara still resting in the inner pocket of his robes. He briefly wondered when the next opportunity to present it to his beloved might come. Not anytime soon, I imagine.

"Is there anything I can say or do to make it better, Katara?" he finally decided to voice his thoughts.

"I'm not sure, Zuko," Katara replied quietly. "Let's just... let's just go back to the palace."

The rest of the way back passed in silence.