Zuko and Anzo left the prison and returned to the tunnels. Zuko did not speak since leaving the prison, and when they arrived in the tunnels near the Order's hideout, he dismounted the rhino, removed the uniform he was wearing, and started walking towards the palace with a sword and knife in his hands. He was not ready to speak to anyone. He needed time to process everything, but there was so much to do, and now he was not sure how he would be able to focus on his tasks. It was early in the morning, hours before sunrise when he knocked on the kitchen door from the hidden passage.

"Prince Zuko," bowed Ren.

Ren could see he was upset, but he knew it was not his place to ask questions, so he took him back to his room in a laundry cart.

"If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know," he said after Zuko climbed out of the cart.

He nodded listlessly, and when the door was shut, he lay on his bed feeling despondent. Now, sitting alone, imprisoned in his room with nothing to do at the moment, the wound in his heart over the loss of his wife was beginning to ache painfully as the news continued sinking in. Before speaking to Iroh, there was always a small ray of hope that kept him from completely caving in to despair. But that hope was gone, and he found the thought of moving on too difficult. How could he go on without the one person who had always been there for him even when he found his life most challenging? Even in her absence years before, he could look forward to a messenger hawk flying to his window with words she had written to him. Now there would be nothing but emptiness. No words of comfort in her sweet voice, no letters addressed to him from her. He lifted her sword that was lying next to him and looked at it. He would never see it in her hands again or spar with her or go swimming with her. Everything they had done together would just be memories with no opportunity of making more. The realization that she would not be in his future made him feel like abandoning everything.

He had always divided his life into two parts: before his banishment from the Fire Nation and after. Chiara's death made a new division, one that would erase the first. Despite the hardships they endured, before her death there was light, a light he never appreciated. He took the light's existence for granted. It was there; it would always be there...until it was gone. It was only after her death that he noticed its absence; now nothing remained but darkness. He lay grieving until the sun began to light up the sky, and he watched as the darkness in his room was slowly overcome by the light, yet the darkness in his heart still remained.

That morning, Iroh was sitting in his cell looking disheveled and languid when Warden Poon walked in carrying a bowl of rice. The warden dropped the bowl on the floor and kicked it towards Iroh who, like a starved animal, crawled towards the bowl and began eating it off the floor.

"Look at you," said Poon, "you're just a fat, disgusting old man. You do nothing, you say nothing, you just eat and roll around in your own filth like a pig." Iroh ignored him and continued eating. "You're a disgrace," continued Poon who then spit on the floor.

After the warden left the cell, Iroh moved the hair from his face, and then picking up his bowl, he sat back and began eating calmly.

Not long after sunrise, Ren entered Zuko's room with a service cart.

"Your breakfast, Prince Zuko," he said as he bowed.

Zuko sat up and looked at him. It just occurred to him that Ren had been the same servant that had been serving his meals since he had been back in the palace.

"Yuzo," Zuko whispered.

Ren nodded.

Zuko was not feeling hungry, but after Ren left he lifted the tray lid and saw a simple breakfast of gruel, some figs, and an apple. Knowing he needed to keep up his strength, he picked up the bowl of cereal and began eating it plain, refusing to add any spices to it worried that he might not be able to keep it down.

Alone in his cell, Iroh started doing push-ups, clapping with every push off the floor. During his workout, he heard footsteps coming from down the hall, and seconds later, Warden Poon looked inside the cell.

"What's going on in there?" he demanded.

Iroh was sitting on the floor, his hair disheveled as he was mindlessly clapping in the air.

"Crazy old man," said the warden before walking off.

When he was gone, Iroh pushed his hair out of his face and smirked.

Late that night, Ren took Zuko down to the kitchen where he took the passage to the Order's hideout. Yuzo was there talking to someone whom Zuko recognized as Chiara's teacher.

"Master Akio," he greeted him, surprised to see him. "You're in the Order of the White Lotus?"

"Yes, Prince Zuko."

"Is that why Uncle chose you for..." He could not bring himself to say her name out loud. "...a tutor?"

Akio looked sad. "Prince Iroh and I had been friends for a long time, and we shared similar views. He wanted her to have a...broader education than other students in the Fire Nation."

Zuko nodded looking a bit lost. He refocused his thoughts and looked at Yuzo. "I need a way to get out of the Fire Nation," he said. "A boat or something that doesn't need a crew, just me and my uncle."

"When do you plan on leaving?" asked Yuzo.

"On the day of the eclipse."

Yuzo was silent as he thought about the possibilities.

"What about a small airship?" suggested Akio.

Zuko's eyes widened. "Is...is that possible?"

Yuzo considered it and slowly nodded his head. "It is," he said.

"How?" asked Zuko.

"The preparations for the invasion are keeping everyone busy. It should be easy to steal a small war balloon."

"And we don't need a crew?"

"One firebender is all you need. It's powered by hot air and propellers, and there's a sail that works like the rudder of a ship."

Zuko thought it would be perfect for following the Avatar's sky bison. "That's what I need."

"I'll have it set up just north of the prison for you," said Yuzo.

"What about supplies?" asked Zuko.

"Whatever you need, I'll make sure it's on board. Come here that day and take a mongoose lizard to the prison. There won't be many guards on duty because of the invasion."

Zuko nodded. He was amazed at the Order's network and resources, and it made him appreciate his uncle all the more.

He turned to leave.

"Prince Zuko...," said Akio. He turned and looked at him. "...I'm sorry about Princess Chiara. I know there's nothing I can say that could be consoling to you, but if there's anything you need..."

Zuko was about to turn away, but then hesitated. "Did you know she was a waterbender?" he asked softly.

"No, but I knew she was from the Water Tribe."

He started his walk back to the palace.

The next day, as Iroh sat in his cell, Warden Poon walked in carrying a tray.

"You used to be the pride of the Fire Nation, our top general, the Dragon of the West. Now look at you," he said disgustedly as he dropped the tray on the floor.

Iroh quickly grabbed a piece of fruit from the fallen tray.

"Look what you've become," said Poon before walking out.

When the warden was gone, Iroh began exercising.

Throughout the week, preparations for the expected invasion had kept everyone busy just as Yuzo said. It was a huge distraction of which the Order of the White Lotus took advantage, enabling them to secure a war balloon loaded with supplies from the list Zuko had prepared.

On the Day of Black Sun, Warden Poon was sitting in Iroh's cell.

"I bet you're tired of being in this cell, old man," he said. "Well, too bad. You're never stepping outside these walls again."

Ming entered carrying a tray. "Breakfast," she said pleasantly.

Poon stood up. "Careful, Ming, don't get too close. His stench will knock you right out."

He walked out laughing as she glared at him.

She carried the tray to Iroh. "I snuck in some white jade tea," she said. "I know you like rare teas."

Iroh turned towards her as she slid the tray through the bars. "Thank you, Ming. Ever since I was put in here, you have been very kind to me."

She smiled at him.

Early that morning, Zuko packed a bag with extra clothes and Chiara's sword and knife. He placed his hand on his chest where her diadem rested in an inside pocket along with their wedding picture. He wished he had her wedding ring, but the thought of it lying covered in ashes inside an incinerator made him feel sick to his stomach, and he had to force it out of his mind. Then, something else came to his thoughts, and he walked towards the headboard of his bed. Opening a hidden compartment, he reached in and picked up a ring, his mother's ring, which he had found among the items she left behind and he had hidden away separately from her theater masks.

He lay on his bed looking at the ring. He was sure that the Avatar was alive and that he and his friends would be joining the invasion of the Fire Nation that day. He knew the invasion would fail because the Fire Nation had been ready for it, but he saw the Avatar's attack as an advantage since he decided to join him and help him defeat his father. Then he, himself, would deal with Azula. He remembered Chiara's suggestion that he teach the Avatar firebending, and he was hoping she would be proud of his decision. As he stared at the fire diamond, he wondered where he would go after the war. He imagined returning to their cabin in the woods. He knew he could survive there on his own now indefinitely, but he was not sure he could bear living there with memories that could never be repeated.

Ming entered Iroh's cell carrying a tray.

"Lunchtime, General Iroh." She knelt down before him. "And this time, I brought you an extra bowl of rice," she whispered.

"Thank you, Ming. Your little gestures of kindness have made my days in prison bearable," he said kindly. "I think you should take the rest of the day off."

"What?" she asked.

"You don't look well," he said leaning towards her. "Maybe you should go home and rest."

"No. I feel fine."

"Trust me. It is better that you are not here this afternoon," he said in a serious tone.

Ming nodded, and then she stood up and left.

As the Fire Nation was under attack, there were few guards left in the palace as most of the soldiers were trying to defend the Nation, and the Fire Lord was hidden in an underground bunker. Walking out of his room with his dao on his back and a bag on his shoulder, Zuko nodded to the two Order members that had been his guards that day, and he went underground to find Ozai. The moon was now eclipsing the sun as he stood before the door of the Fire Lord's bunker ready to speak to his father.

"I'm ready to face you," he said quietly.

He opened the door to see Fire Lord Ozai drinking tea. Ozai looked up at him.

"Zuko, what are you doing here?"

Zuko walked into the room and stood before his father.

"Why are you here?" asked Ozai.

"I'm here to tell the truth."

"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting."

Ozai, feeling unthreatened by his son, dismissed the guards who left the room.

"First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me."

"Why would she lie to me about that?"

"Because the Avatar's not dead. He survived."

"What?!" said Ozai.

"In fact," said Zuko, "he's probably leading this invasion. He could be on his way here right now."

"Get out!" he yelled as he stood up. "Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you!"

"That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore."

"You will obey me or this defiant breath will be your last!" threatened Ozai as he approached him.

Zuko pulled out his swords. "Think again. I am going to speak my mind, and you are going to listen."

Ozai sat down.

"For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor I wanted, but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me, a thirteen-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai. How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

"It was to teach you respect!"

"It was cruel! And it was wrong."

"Then you have learned nothing," said Ozai.

"No, I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own! Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world, and if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.

Ozai laughed. "Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"

"Yes, he has."

Ozai looked at him angrily.

"After I leave here today," continued Zuko, "I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison. He's the one who's been a real father to me."

Ozai laughed again. "Oh that's just beautiful. And maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure."

"But I've come to an even more important decision. I'm going to join the Avatar and I'm going to help him defeat you."

"Is this because of that Water Tribe spy that was put to death?"

Zuko felt angry, his grip on his swords tightening as he wanted to attack Ozai. "You'll pay for having my wife murdered," he said deeply.

Ozai smiled devilishly. "Really? Since you're a full-blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless. You've got your swords. Why don't you just do it now?"

Zuko reined in his temper. "Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny." He sheathed his swords. "Goodbye."

He turned and started walking away.

Warden Poon entered Iroh's cell to see him leaning against the bars with his head down and his uncombed hair hanging down around his face.

"You know who you remind me of?" asked Poon. Iroh just sat silently. "Some little Water Tribe brat we had imprisoned," Poon continued. "She used to sit in her cell looking like the most pathetic thing I've ever seen...until now. I guess this is what happens when you hang around savages." He saw Iroh's tray on the other side of the cell. "Huh, you must pick up their bad habits too," he said as he opened the door to retrieve the tray.

As soon as he entered through the bars, Iroh was on him.

"Coward!" yelled Ozai at Zuko. "You think you're brave enough to face me, but you'll only do it during the eclipse." He stood up. "If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?"

Zuko stopped and turned towards him. Ozai smiled slyly watching him take the bait.

"What happened that night?" asked Zuko.

"My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son, and I was going to do it. Your mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan, a plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared. Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished."

"So she's alive?"

"Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper."

The eclipse was ending, and Ozai could feel the power of the sun returning. He suddenly began creating lightning and sent it towards Zuko who was pushed back across the room as he drew it into his body and then redirected the bolt sending it back towards his father. The explosion in front of Ozai sent him back into the wall. He was furious, and looking beyond the flames on the floor in front of him, he saw that Zuko had disappeared.

Poon was unconscious when Iroh locked the bars and escaped his cell. Surprising a few more guards as he made his way through the prison, he easily defeated them since they were not expecting him to be such a formidable opponent. He had finally made it into the hidden passage where he met up with Yuzo.

"Grand Lotus," he said, surprised to see him. "Where's Prince Zuko? He was supposed to get you out of the prison."

"We will meet up one day," said Iroh. "But for now our destinies are taking us in two different directions."

"But we provided a war balloon and supplies for both of you. He was to go to the prison for you."

"He'll discover soon enough that I'm not there," said Iroh confidently. "He knows his mission and he won't give up."

Yuzo nodded. "Then where is it you need to go?"

"I believe it's time to return to Ba Sing Se."

Zuko left the bunker quickly going to the tunnels where he mounted a mongoose lizard before riding to the prison to rescue Iroh. Arriving at the prison tower, he saw only a few guards but was surprised to see that they looked traumatized as he rushed by them towards Iroh's cell.

"Uncle!" he called when he walked in.

Looking up at him from behind the bars was not Iroh but the warden.

"Where's my uncle?" demanded Zuko.

"He's gone," he said looking terrified. "I-I've never seen anything like it. He was like a one-man army."

Zuko turned away from him.

"Hey, get me out of here!" yelled the warden still locked behind the bars.

Zuko stormed out of the cell.

A/N: Since I rearranged the entire Day of Black Sun, Iroh wasn't in the prison for much more than a week and a half/two weeks before escaping this time, so he really didn't have time to get buff like he did in the series. Even though his breakout was a little different in this version, I still imagine him being a "one-man army" even without the muscle and firebending. His exercising wasn't necessary to this AU, but because I loved those scenes from the show, I had decided to keep them. Him clapping in the air like he's deranged is actually an ongoing joke in our family whenever we have to do something boring.

(To Thehush1: Zuko raising a little earthbender would've been super adorable...I wish I'd thought of it.)