Born Lucky

by tubendo

Fire Lord Azulon once was told that bringing together the bloodlines of Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin would create great firebenders for generations to come. However, he misunderstood at what cost this blessing would come to his family and to himself personally. The cost of power is high, and the cost of perfection is ever higher.

35. Unravelling Strings

With his chest heaving, Prince Zuko's eyes were forced down, averting from his father's gaze; no matter the effort he had put into his forms, there was going to be something wrong. There always was, whenever his sister was there to be compared to. Ozai's stern eyes were on him as he stepped past the Prince, who was kneeling before his father; his sister was beside him, her head facing down as well, clearly still intimidated by their father's presence, even if she wasn't the one who would receive a chiding- if she ever did, it would never compare to the lambasting her brother received for anything less than a perfectly completed set.

"There is strength behind your flames, Prince Zuko." his father began, which admittedly was a good start to his assessment; Zuko didn't dare smile, knowing that showing any kind of pleasure would itself lead to a chiding, "Your forms have improved since I last saw them, and your focus is... acceptable." he explained, his tone becoming less approving by the second, "Do you know how to keep your feet steady?"

"I-" he gasped, unsure what to say to that; he thought his footing was flawless, and had hadn't slipped up once while going through his set, "Did I do it wrong?"

"When facing a real enemy, you will need to be firm and unyielding to any opponent, and strike them down with unrelenting fury. Your footing was that of a scout, unwilling to face his opponent directly, only moving when absolutely necessary. Too much caution, not enough energy." he acknowledged, "I know that you have the fury, that is why you need to use it."

He glanced up to his father, recalling what his cousin had told him a few years prior, something that had stuck with him since he learnt of his death; he couldn't let his rage consume him, but then, whenever his father looked at him like that, he couldn't help but wonder. If he gave in, and let all his anger out, he might be able to be as strong as his sister, if not stronger.

"Yes, Father." he accepted his recommendations, simply glad he hadn't gotten too angry; he simply seemed annoyed, which was better than usual.

"Princess Azula." he addressed his sister, who knelt down beside him; her eyes turned up from the tiles below them upon being addressed, and Zuko could see the look of confidence on her lips, "You were relentless, and your forms were exceptional." he acknowledged her skill, as he always did, "I imagine you'll be moving onto your next advanced set... or are you ready for something greater?"

"I am ready for whatever you believe I am, Father." she gave the usual token response, and he smirked at his daughter, seeming proud of her; that made her brother feel sick in his gut, knowing that he never looked at him like that- that his own father didn't even care for his progress, or his strengths, which he knew he had.

"Well, I'll speak with Lo and Li tonight about your next sets." Ozai explained his intentions, before placing his hands behind his back, "You moved with precision and focus, and your flames are as bright as ever." he admitted, before leaning down closer toward her, "What did you think of as you created that fire stream?" he asked, referring to the massive plume she had created at the end of her set, which the Prince assumed would be used in battle to break an enemies' line of defence totally.

"The ultimate defeat of our enemies, Father. When they finally submit, and accept our superior strength. Defeat is inevitable, so I am certain in my strength." she explained herself, though Zuko couldn't tell if those words were lies; she did seem to feel rather confident in her abilities, but he doubted she really cared that much about 'finally' defeating their enemies- she spoke of the Earth Kingdom so trivially that he doubted that she could derive any real motivation from seeing an already defeated nation give up.

"That's what you will help us achieve, my daughter." he acknowledged, "That is what is required of us all." he added, clearly including his son in that statement as well; the Prince narrowed his eyes, wondering what he would even be allowed to do in service of their nation, given Ozai's skepticism over his abilities, "I will see you both at dinner." he concluded his comments, and turned his heels, pacing across the courtyard; he didn't look back at his children, and Zuko turned to face his sister, frustrated that she had received all the praise, once again.

"What?" she narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't tell me you're angry again." she grumbled under her breath, clearly annoyed by his own reaction; that further agitated Zuko, who thought she had no right to think that way.

She was the one who had always won, and always received the praises and accolades that he could only dream of; he wished more than anything to be respected by his father, and even if he did, he was always demanding more, demanding he become his tool. The Prince didn't want to give in to his anger and frustrations, but he found it hard not to as she looked at him dismissively.

"If you're getting angry over this, no wonder you have no control." she noted, before rising to her own feet, "Did you want to fight, is that it?"

"No." he snarled, not thinking that was a wise choice, even if he wanted to; he rose up to his feet, and began to pace toward the entrance back into the palace proper, and his sister didn't follow him; he glanced back for a moment, noting that she was looking at him.

She wasn't annoyed, from what he could tell; he guessed she didn't really see him as a threat, which in and of itself angered him. He was meant to be their father's heir, and yet, she continued to upstage him and every effort he made to prove himself. The worst part about it all was that he wasn't a bad firebender; he knew it, because his tutors praised his abilities and focus when it came to his sets; for his age, he was a great firebender, they told him, and Azula was just a prodigy. Her luck was his downfall, not because she worked harder, or better understood firebending.

He clenched his fists, knowing that even if he couldn't work harder to beat his sister, he could remind her that he wasn't just a child; he might have only been fifteen, but Zuko knew how to annoy his sister, and perhaps, even scare her. She deserved it in his eyes, after all she had put him through for all those years. He could attack her in the courtyard, but that would just end up with Zuko getting his eyebrows singed off and winded by a swift kick to the gut. So, he took the alternative, pacing down the hallways of the palace toward his family's quarters; if there was one thing he could do, it would be to teach his sister what her actions meant. Perhaps she'd see that agitating her peers, or if she ended up in the army, her subordinates, could lead to.

As he approached the entrance of the quarters, the Imperial Firebenders standing duty stepped out of the way, already seeing how briskly he was walking, with his fists clenched and his head up. They didn't dare to address him, and he made his way down the narrow hallway, leading down past the windows that looked out to their garden, and to their bedrooms. He reached her door, and pulled it open with a fling of his hand, the crashing noise a little loud; he hoped that it didn't garner too much attention, preferring to be able to let out his anger in peace. Eyeing her bedroom, he took note of how perfectly clean it was, and the ordered state of her desk and bedding; he immediately stepped over to the desk, scooping up the papers on it, and tossed them to the ground, throwing paper everywhere; he whacked the jar of ink off too, splattering the black liquid all over her papers. He didn't care, and he could only suffice the smallest pleasure from her future frustrations.

"Read that." he mocked her, knowing that even if she was far from the room, that she would be infuriated by what he had done; the fact that he could achieve that was enough for Zuko, and he turned his eyes to her bed, wondering what he could do to it.

Zuko drew out both of his hands, lighting flames in each his palms, and moved to grab her bedsheets, his flame covered hands setting them alight as he ripped them from the bed; he threw them onto the floor, the flames going out, but leaving the fabric tarred and tattered; he raised his fist up, ready to set the whole bed on fire, before he was stopped by a shout behind him.

"What are you doing?!" he heard a voice behind him; turning his head around, he realised it was one of the cleaners, a female servant whose posture and face suggested she was utterly shocked by what he was doing, "Pr-Prince Zuko?" she gasped, obviously not realising that he was the Prince until he turned around.

"Leave!" he shouted at the woman, not wanting her to intervene; she stepped forward in defiance.

"Please, you don't destroy the Princess's room! Your father will be furious." she warned him, and he raised his chin up; he was confident enough to say he didn't care- Ozai could be angry at him, but as long as the servant didn't say a word, he wouldn't have to face the consequences.

"No." he retorted, raising his flame-covered hand toward the servant, "You saw nothing." he warned her, his eyes narrowed on her; though she was clearly a lot older than himself, and simply wanted to her job and serve the royal family, she obviously was afraid of complying with his demand.

"B-but the Prince-" she began, Zuko hammering his hand into the half-open door, making her shudder back in fear.

"My father isn't going to do anything, because you didn't see anything." he warned her, and she stepped back, leaning up against the wall, before she nodded.

"I- I didn't." she accepted his demand, "My apologies, your highness." she bowed down toward him for a moment, her eyes darting down the hallway.

"Go." he ordered her as calmly as he could, and she complied, running down the hallway in a panic.

The young Prince let out a deep breath, before he turned around; he could have done more, but his anger was sated, so he drew the door shut, unwilling to risk getting caught in the act again by a less fearful servant. He paced down the hallway, heading back the way he had come, deciding that he ought to go speak with Mai, seeing that she was the only person who seemed to take his frustrations seriously. They could talk about things, and not have to worry about the other telling anyone else about their conversation; he knew she was friends with Azula as well, but she wouldn't tell her anything that was actually going to stir up any problems between them. He knew her well enough that even if she was more than capable of fighting and standing her ground, she certainly didn't want to start a conflict between others. As he made his way back toward the entrance of his family's quarters, he saw somebody he didn't expect at the end of the hall.

"Prince Zuko, what happened?" his uncle asked him, a concerned look on that face, "I don't think that servant was just in a rush."

"It doesn't matter, Uncle." he retorted, not wanting to have to talk to his uncle and reveal his actions; he'd probably just try and make him make up with his sister, and that was something he wouldn't do while she still continued to treat him like he wasn't even worth a fight.

"No, no." the Crown Prince shook his head, stepping closer to his nephew with a concerned look on his face, "It's that time of day, isn't it?"

Iroh knew about their exhibitions, and a few times, he had actually come to watch them, though Zuko was sure that the tense relationship between his father and uncle dissuaded the former from doing it again; the Prince was not unaware of the tensions between the two men, and was unamused by the fact it was similar to what he and his sister were like- he didn't want to have to continue to deal with Azula's unbridled arrogance for the rest of his life.

"Yeah." he confirmed his uncle's suspicions, before narrowing his eyes at him, "I'm going." he declared his intentions, and stepped past him, striding toward the entrance, and past the guards, who moved out of his way again.

His uncle went after him, just as he guessed he would, and Zuko let out a sigh, wishing that he would just leave it be; he wanted to go speak with Mai, and maybe throw some knives with her. He knew that might improve his mood, and give him a chance to actually do something fun.

"Where?" the retired general asked him, sounding a little concerned as he did so; he turned around, not wanting his uncle to think that he was going to do something dangerous.

"To Mai's house." he explained, "I told her we could hang out today." he explained to Iroh, who still looked concerned.

"Zuko, if you don't tell me what happened, I can't help you."

"I don't want your help, Uncle." he retorted, "You'll just make things worse."

Clearly confused, and unaware of what he had actually done, the Dragon of the West raised his hands up, "I just want to talk. Since when did a conversation hurt anybody?" he asked, and Zuko refused to answer, turning back around to continue on his way, "Please, don't just walk away."

"Are you going to stop me?" he questioned him as he paced away, and his uncle continued to follow.

"No, I won't stop you, but I don't think that scaring a servant is a normal thing for you to do, Nephew."

Clenching his fists, the young Prince considered whether he should respond to his uncle, and tell him anything; he knew that he might tell Azula, and that was a big enough risk in and of itself. He knew that she would probably figure it out quickly enough, but if he told Iroh, then she'd have his word as evidence to use against him.

"Don't tell her." he demanded, and his uncle narrowed his eyes.

"Azula?" he guessed, "Tell her what?"

"That I destroyed her things." he admitted the truth, and his uncle's expression shifted to one of unease.

"What did you break?"

"I burned some sheets, and destroyed her papers. I don't know what she's been writing, and I don't care." he snarled, "She doesn't care about what I think, and I don't care what she does." he declared their stances, with some confidence in thinking the feelings were mutual.

"Prince Zuko... what you did, it was in rage, and it was wrong." he warned him, "Why did you think it would be okay to do something like that?"

"Because she needs to learn." he retorted, "She thinks I'm just as weak as he says I am!" he shouted, "They're both wrong. They'll see." he turned back around, quietening himself, knowing that he shouldn't draw too much attention from any of the guards or servants in the area.

"You're not weak, Prince Zuko." he admitted, placing a hand on his arm, "But you should not give into your frustrations. You should tell her what you feel, and calmly."

"She doesn't care. She'll never care." he turned his head around, "That's what it's always been like, Uncle."

"It doesn't have to be like this." he assured him, before sighing, "Maybe we can talk about this later. I won't tell her it was you."

"You won't?" he asked, disbelieving of his assurance; his uncle talked to Azula quite a lot, so he doubted that he'd just lie to her like that.

"I'm not going to blame you for what you did. Violence is cathartic... and I know that from experience, Nephew. But giving into that rage isn't productive- it's literally destructive."

"I- I know, Uncle." he dropped his head down, feeling ashamed for what he had just done, even if he felt righteous in the moment.

"Maybe going to see your girlfriend will help you calm down." he suggested, and Zuko's face flushed red upon hearing what he had just said; he turned away, wanting to deny what he had just referred to Mai as.

She wasn't his girlfriend, at least not yet; they were just friends, and even if he cared about her a lot, he didn't know if she really liked him in that way.

"She's not my girlfriend, Uncle." he corrected him, making Iroh laugh heartily, patting his nephew on the back.

"Oh, oh, sorry, Zuko, I didn't realise." he conceded his mistake, "But you know, she could be."

"Urgh..." he groaned, not wanting to discuss romance with his uncle of all people, "I'm going."

"Have a good time, Nephew." he waved him goodbye as he paced away; he wished that he hadn't given him that thought, as he knew it would only make things awkward when he came to see her.

"No thanks to you."

---

Upon hearing a knock on her door, Mai's first thought was one of concern; she had been thinking about whether Ozai's men would track them down to Shu Jing, and though she thought they'd have a hard time, she knew it was practically inevitable, given Ozai's resources. If they had to leave Piandao's mansion at once, she wasn't exactly prepared, though she had been considering it for quite some time; they were still in danger, even in the peaceful, isolated manor.

She turned her gaze toward the door, and a few moments later, she heard the source of the knocking, "Mai?" she heard Zuko ask out.

"Yes?" she responded in kind, unsure why he was outside her door, given she was in bed, and she would have expected him to be so as well.

"There's a letter from the Capital." he explained, and her eyes widened, realising that wasn't necessarily going to be bad news; with Iroh certainly alive and in relative safety, it was now the time, more than ever before, to act.

Rising from her bed, she pulled the blankets off, unsure how late it was; she hadn't been in bed for that long, but having to get up was a little frustrating. Given the reason, she was willing to tolerate it, and moved her hands up, fixing up her hair before she dared to open up the door and greet Zuko. She tied up her hair into its usual buns, taking each side of her hair and looping them through the bands, before moving her hand to the door-handle; twisting it, she pulled the door open and made sight of the Prince, whose own appearance was a little dishevelled, with his phoenix-tail out, leaving his long locks flowing down past his shoulders and down his back. She was a little amused by his appearance, but she kept her lips straight as she addressed him.

"What kind of letter?" she inquired on the matter he'd come to tell her about, and Zuko tilted his head down the hallway.

"From the Order of the White Lotus." he clarified, "I think it's about the conspirators."

"The spies." she recalled, remembering who Piandao had gotten information from in the past; hopefully they had fulfilled his request and actually found out some tangible information about the people who had tried to kill them.

"That's it." he nodded, before pacing on down the hallway, "Piandao's reading it in his office."

She followed after the young Prince, not wanting to just stand there awkwardly, both of them in their nightwear, tired and not exactly in the mood for talking. At least, that's how she felt; she would have preferred to just go to sleep and deal with it the next morning, but she knew how important the letter could be. It could give them what they needed to know to finally act against Ozai and make sure his plans didn't come to fruition.

The pair made their way down the hallway, and turned to step down the stairs, and she watched as the Prince moved to run his hands through his hair; instead of just having it fall down unkempt, he pulled it up into a topknot, leaving him with a long tail of hair draping down from his nape to his mid-back. He eyed back momentarily, realising that she had been watching him, and his expression faltered for a moment; perhaps he was embarrassed about his own appearance, but when she considered such an idea, all she could think of was when he was burnt, battered and bruised after nearly dying in an explosion.

She knew that they had to avoid things like that again, so as they approached Piandao's office, she considered how she ought to persuade the Prince against acting too brashly. Even if he had declared that he would not try and do anything that would put them in danger again, his motivation to help his uncle and stop his father was strong; perhaps, it would be strong enough that he would dare to lie to her face to save her the worry of thinking what absurd things he had planned. Zuko stepped through the doorway first, and cleared his throat, catching the sword-master's attention; he was sitting down by his desk, his legs folded with a candle by his side, so he could easily read the document he had in his hands. His gaze turned up to the pair, and watched as they entered the room, before placing the document down on the desk beside him.

"I hope you're not too frustrated by having been woken, but this is important, Lady Mai." he explained, and she nodded, understanding his reason for wanting her there.

"What have they said?" she asked, and he glanced back down toward the document, before sighing.

"It's not good." he admitted, "They've given me names, either of people they've seen in meetings with the Prince, or implicated into the conspiracy... this is no small plot."

"How large are we talking?" Zuko asked, stepping closer, "I knew that my father had a lot of connections in the palace, but I'm more worried about who he has on side out in the Earth Kingdom and in the Fire Navy."

"Admiral Chan has been persuaded to the Prince's side."

"He commands the Eastern Fleet." the Prince recalled, "Who else?"

"A dozen high-ranking generals and their a number of their subordinates. Our only luck is that many of them are in the Fire Lord's War Council, and not commanding troops."

"And the commanders?" he asked, referring presumably to the subordinate officers in the Fire Nation's fleets; they would be the ones patrolling the waters, and likely, would pose a threat to Iroh if he were to try and return to the homeland via ship.

"There's two dozen names here that are commanders or captains." he explained, "You might know some of them." he conceded, and he offered the Prince the piece of paper.

He scanned it, and Mai peered over, a little worried about what he might find; the Prince furrowed a brow, and his gaze turned back to his former master, "I've heard about some of these men." he admitted, "There's a few here in the Western Fleet... which means they could threaten Azula and Uncle."

"They wouldn't want to directly insubordinate the Admiral of the Western Fleet, I assume. Do you know which of those would be around Omashu?"

"The Mo Ce Sea Division is the one I'd say is the biggest threat... that's where Azula would be, if she's travelling away from Omashu now. Commanders Houken, Zhong and Kinshu are all in league with my father's plot. They'd have enough ships between them to bombard my sister's ship into shrapnel."

"What about to the south?" Mai asked him, "That's the Mo Ce Sea. Your uncle won't need to sail through there to get to the capital."

"Uh... I don't think there's any navy men on side in the Southern Sea Division... not even Zhao."

"Zhao?" she narrowed her eyes, "Who's that?"

"Only the cockiest man in the navy." he acknowledged, before furrowing a brow, "I do remember that he liked to talk with my uncle... I think he respects him a little too much to join my father's plot. That doesn't mean he doesn't know about it, though."

"Can we be sure, Zuko?" she asked, "I mean, maybe they didn't find all the names."

"It's possible." Piandao conceded, before indicating to the scroll, "I'd be more concerned about the men in the general vicinity of Omashu."

"None of the generals are in the plot, from what this says." Zuko noted, before narrowing his eyes, "But... this Colonel Bao, he commands the Port of Shazui. That's the one where Uncle must be going to."

"But that doesn't say he'll do anything." Piandao suggested, "Perhaps he might sabotage the Fire Lord's ship to slow him down, but I doubt he'd just outright attack him. He'd have Imperial Firebenders to back him up."

"Who might be in league with Ozai." Mai warned, knowing that the guards of the palace could just have easily been in the Prince's pocket.

"That's something the letter doesn't mention." Zuko conceded, "Should we... uh, try and stop these people?"

"Right now?" Piandao asked, before shaking his head, "You don't have the means to intervene at the very moment, but there are men on this list who are within reach. There are a number of divisions that work out of ports in the Outer Islands, close to this village." he conceded, "If you could reach them and impress the conspirators to turn against Ozai, that might help your uncle before he tries to sail back to the homeland."

"We don't even need to turn them against Uncle." the Prince narrowed his eyes, "We only need to go through their letters, show their subordinates, and let them do the work for us."

"That's assuming they'll believe us." Mai warned him, "I want to stop this conspiracy as much as you do, but is that really going to work?"

"The common soldier or sailor doesn't get involved in politics." Zuko suggested, "But I've heard about what they think of my uncle, the Dragon of the West."

"The Prince is right." Piandao agreed with him, "Those common soldiers wouldn't dare to betray their Fire Lord, especially if they're given culpable evidence on the treachery of their superiors. I- well, there's a reason nobody's come to arrest me since that last time."

Mai narrowed her eyes, recalling the story that was referred to a number of times, where soldiers had come to try and impress Piandao back into the Fire Nation Army after he was discharged, "You mean Iroh made sure you'd be safe?"

"Yes." he confirmed, "He told the recruiting office of his respect for me, and requested they leave me be after the incident; they didn't dare refuse him, and I don't imagine it was just because he was Crown Prince."

"Well, I can see what you mean." Zuko conceded, "Most people don't treat me kindly because I'm a Prince. Uncle, he's had the chance to prove himself to the world, and now, he's the Fire Lord."

"Not since the first Fire Lord has there been any man respected like your uncle, Prince Zuko." he acknowledged, before placing his hands together, "I will help you reach the traitors in any way I can, but even I don't have the resources to get to them with haste. You will have to go by cargo or passenger ship to the nearest Fire Navy base."

"Well, the list does give some locations for the conspirators." Zuko noted, before narrowing his eyes, "Commander Zhong is based in the Port of Ma'inka." he noted, "That's on the Mo Ce Sea's south coast... what, probably a two day trip from here?" he guessed, and Piandao raised a finger to his chin.

"Will you go at once?" he asked, suggesting that he wanted to leave at once; Mai turned her eyes toward him, and could see the confidence in his expression- he wanted to act at once.

"I don't think we have much of a choice. If we can get some of the navy aware of the plot, they'll be able to help Uncle, and make sure he safely gets to the capital." he conceded, "And I doubt my father will have that many operatives in the area. It's just a port in the outer islands."

"We can't be too sure of that, Zuko." she warned him, "We don't even know if they are looking for us here."

"The letter doesn't mention anything about us." the Prince observed, "My father doesn't know we're here... even if he knows we're alive."

"And what if they come after us once we reveal things to Zhong's subordinates?" Mai asked him, knowing that word would likely spread quickly once they revealed things, even if it was necessary to protect Iroh from whatever treachery those Fire Navy commanders intended to enact.

"Then we'll fight them." he clenched his fist, "We'll take Zhong's ships to get to Uncle, and then, we can make sure he stops my father."

"This is a leap." she admitted, "You've never commanded a ship, let alone tried anything like this."

"Do you think I can't do it?"

"We can try, but you remember what happened back in the Capital, Zuko. You nearly died."

"And you saved my life." he argued, and she raised a fist toward him, now frustrated by his stubbornness; even though she wanted to get things done as much as he did, she was more than a little worried about his reckless behaviour and intentions to open the box that could never be closed again- once Ozai was outed as a traitor, the civil war they had been worrying about wouldn't just be a theoretical, it would be their reality.

"Do you think I can just save you again? That was just luck, Zuko." she argued, reminding him of how things had actually turned out, "If you'd been a little slower, that explosion would have killed you, or knocked you out, so those assassins could have killed you before I got there." she explained the most likely result if he had reacted differently in that situation where he'd almost lost his life.

"We won't get tricked again." he declared, "I won't let them hurt us." he raised his chin up, "I promise."

"A promise won't mean much if we get thrown in jail... or worse." she raised moved her finger closer to his face, "Are you really that eager to fight? I thought you had some rationality."

"Lady Mai, there's no need to argue." Piandao spoke up, raising his hands up toward both of them, "Prince Zuko, you ought to take her words seriously. There is great danger in what you propose, even if I think you're right; you need to act to protect your uncle, and stop anything worse from happening."

"I do." he nodded, before looking down, his expression faltering, "I'm... urgh, I just want to do something."

"We will." she assured him, "But I'd prefer if we had an actual plan, instead of just hopping on a boat to go out some conspirator who may or may not be at that port." she argued, "Do you think we should rely on luck to stop them?"

"No." he shook his head, glancing toward the window, "The one thing that got me anywhere... before we left the Capital, it was hiding my strength. I didn't confront my father, or try to get into actual fights." he conceded, "And I don't want to do that now either. But we need to find a way to get rid of these people."

"You say that like you want them dead." she deduced from his phrasing, and the Prince's eyes narrowed.

"What says they deserve our mercy, after what Ozai did to us?"

"They aren't Ozai." she warned him, "Piandao, do you think the conspirators can be reasoned with?"

"I don't know. Some might be more invested than we can assume. It might not just be ideals and bribes... maybe they have personal reasons to want Iroh gone." he gave his own opinion, "I don't believe that violence should be the first answer to your questions. It should be an option when the enemy does not give in to reason."

"And do you think Uncle tried to reason with his assassins?" Zuko suggested, and both Piandao and Mai looked at each other, the sword-master's eyes narrowed in thought; perhaps he didn't like the false equivalency, or maybe, he genuinely believed that the Fire Lord might have even tried to talk it out with the men who tried to kill him.

"These conspirators might not all want your uncle dead. Their aims are not clear, other than desiring Ozai's leadership to... enact his vision of the Fire Nation."

"And if that vision leads to countless people suffering for no reason... why should we respect them?" the Prince asked, and the sword-master let out a sigh.

"Perhaps you shouldn't respect them. I certainly don't like anyone who believes in that world, but I don't think they deserve to die or suffer needlessly, if they can be stopped in other ways."

"Struggle is the only thing our nation knows, Master." Zuko admitted, "If there's one language that these men will understand, it's violence. I don't want to kill anyone, but I don't think they'll listen to me without my flames or blades, if they really believe that we should be destroying the other nations totally."

"There's another option, Zuko." Mai placed a hand on his shoulder, and he narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"Trickery. What's to say the 'plan' can't change?" she suggested, and the Prince narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know if I'm that good at acting."

"Silent and violent still works." she joked, and he held back a laugh.

"She does raise a good point, Prince Zuko. If you could feign being members of the conspiracy, perhaps Ozai's own agents, perhaps these conspirators could believe that you are one of them, and reveal their plans without any struggle... or even persuade them to stop plans that could threaten your uncle." Piandao spoke up, agreeing with Mai's own idea, and she let out a small smirk.

"And what happens when we know all there is to know about your father's plot, Zuko?" she asked the Prince, who sighed, before smiling back at her.

"We'll reveal it all, and my father will never be the Fire Lord."

---

The Fire Lord was not a man who wanted to waste his time, even if he could appreciate a little leisure time; that was why he had rode west toward the coast as soon as he received a message from his niece, indicating that Zuko and Mai were safe, though Ozai had purportedly tried to have them killed, which she had discovered from a coded message. He knew at once that with Zuko out of harm's way, he could act at once, and hoped that his niece reached her friend with haste, and retrieved whatever knowledge she had that would give Iroh the justification he needed to arrest his brother.

He had tried to dissuade the concerns of the Imperial Firebenders who were accompanying him, telling them that they were simply returning to capital, and not to go do anything drastic. Obviously, they were concerned about his safety, given what had been happening over the past few weeks, and he was sure that the worst had passed. Sanyan was dead, and his men captured; even if they didn't give up the information he would have hoped, the fact they were in custody made him feel more comfortable as he rode on a komodo rhino toward the port where he was told his personal guard had been staying at ever since he had gone missing. Much of them, like himself, had been hurt badly in the fighting, and some might have still been recovering. Iroh knew, however, that he would need their help when he returned to the capital, as he had no idea how many men his brother had ready to attack him.

He didn't think travelling back with half a dozen guards would be the wisest choice of action, because he had no idea who was in league with his brother. If they got attacked again at sea, he'd need as many men as possible to help protect the vessel; getting shipwrecked again would be a terrible outcome, given the delays it would cause, and he was going to avoid it all costs. He had already had a ship brought to the port as he was travelling west, the local Navy commander more than willing to provide some assistance, and now, he could already see a few ships in port. He realised that he was going to be provided an escort, which seemed like it could help against any potential attackers, though it was perhaps more of a danger when so many mens' lives were in danger because of his brother's conspiracy.

Iroh's eyes were on the fort that he and his entourage of guards were approaching, assuming that was where the garrison commander would be waiting, along with the rest of his guards. As he and his men drew nearer, the men who were stationed by the gates moved out of the way, standing in formation as he rode his komodo rhino all the way to the gates, his guards flanking him on either side. A few moments later, the gates were opened up, and the men knelt down in respect of their Fire Lord, who rode his komodo rhino into the walled outpost, where he could see a number of buildings, most prominently a large keep that had a tower reaching up at least four stories, looking out over the bay. He rode his komodo rhino toward the centre of the base's grounds, where he raised his hand, indicating for his subordinates to dismount.

"Your majesty, would you like us to check the ships?" one of the Imperial Firebenders, the appointed commander of the unit, asked him, and the Fire Lord shook his head.

"Not yet." he decided, "I would like to speak with the local commander, and with the rest of my guards." he explained, and the guard nodded.

"Of course, your majesty." he accepted his plan, and he moved to dismount his steed, alongside his comrades.

Iroh did the same, landing down on his own two feet, before he brushed his robes down with his hands; he was wearing some simple armour that was a substitute for the usual royal armour that he would wear when out in the field, given that his set had sunk to the bottom of the sea along with the rest of his ship. He glanced up toward the keep of the base, and noted that somebody was already standing by the doors; his attire indicated that he was a ranking officer, and his expression was calm and serious, as would be expected when facing his Fire Lord. Iroh slowly strode toward him, his guards moving closely beside him as he did so, and the Fire Lord wondered what news he might have to hear when he spoke with the commander. Given he'd only been travelling for three days, he doubted there was much news to be heard, but given the circumstances concerning the Avatar, he knew that things could be changing any day.

The officer made a low bow as the Fire Lord reached him, and as he returned to meet his gaze, he seemed to tense up, "Your majesty." he addressed him, "It is an honour to see you at my base... though, the circumstances could have been better."

"That's what I was thinking." he agreed, "But, I am not going to let past frustrations get in the way of my work today. Where are my guards?"

"Awaiting your command, as requested." he acknowledged Iroh's earlier message, which he had sent to the base shortly after Azula's departure; he was given some details on the condition of his men, and was assured that they could accompany him when he returned back to the homeland, "Some are still recovering from their injuries, but I am sure that most will be able to fulfil their duties to you."

"That's all I can ask for." he nodded, before glancing past him, "Might I ask... where is the commander of the ships that have come to take me and my men home?"

"Commander Kinshu is on his flagship, your majesty." the officer clarified, "He expressed his desire to speak with you about the threats you have faced." he added, and Iroh raised his left hand to stroke his beard.

"As he should. He and his ships will be taking us home, and I doubt whoever hired those assassins is going to stop just yet." he admitted, and officer shaking his head.

"I can't believe it, sir." he voiced his opinion, "Those men were Fire Nation. Traitors to their own Fire Lord." he acknowledged the fact of the matter; even though Ozai had wanted to disguise them as Earth Kingdom renegades, given their attire, their firebending and the abilities of their leader indicated their heritage clearly enough to himself and the men he fought alongside.

"It is not the first time a Fire Lord has faced assassination attempts." he conceded, "And it probably won't be the last time. I would like to speak with Commander Kinshu at once."

"Of course." the officer nodded, "Would you like me to call on your guards at once?"

"Certainly." he nodded, trying to smile to cover his unease; Iroh was not one to be afraid in the face of danger, but the fact was that he knew little about who was involved with his brother's plans.

More assassins were going to come for him before he reached the capital, and he knew that there was ample time for him to be attacked on the trip back; the question he was posed with at present was where that attack would come from. Hired thugs and master-assassins like Sanyan were one thing, but Fire Nation officers, sailors, and soldiers were another. They didn't need disguises or made-up reasons for being near him to act against him; he was surrounded at all times, especially when out in the Earth Kingdom, by soldiers, and it was only a matter of time before one of Ozai's supporters tried their shot at regicide, whether personally or through their unwitting subordinates.

The officer walked over toward a barracks located just adjacent to the keep of the base, and he pulled the doors open, before calling inside; given the distance, Iroh couldn't hear what he had said, but he could see a few moments later that his guards were inside, stepping out of the door with bags slung over their shoulders, all of them wearing their armour. Some of them were still injured, and had bandages over the various parts of their bodies, one of the men even having a bandage over his head, forced to keep his helmet off, and under his arm instead. They all looked happy to see their superior, and the leader of his guards, Captain Zhushou, approached the Fire Lord and knelt down in front of him, an expected act of respect toward his monarch.

"Your majesty, it is a blessing to see you in good health." he acknowledged, before turning his head up to face him, "I... I am sorry we could not protect you."

"It was not your decision, Captain." he conceded, patting him on the shoulder, knowing the burden he had to bear in protecting all their men from Sanyan, "I was the target, and I had to draw them away. It was not right for you all to die when there was a chance of escape." he admitted, and Zhushou nodded.

"I understand." he simply gave his approval, though his tone suggested he was still worried; rightfully so, given their circumstances- they would have all heard about what happened at that war-camp, and perhaps they were wondering who would try and attack him next.

"There is something I need to speak with you about, Captain." he admitted, "But now is not the right time, or place for that." he added, knowing that the officer who was standing nearby could have been one of Ozai's supporters; there was no way of knowing short of interrogation, and that would just be a waste of time, especially if he was innocent.

"Do you know more about the danger you face, your majesty?" he asked his Fire Lord, and he grimaced, knowing that he really hadn't learned anything new, other than Zuko and Mai's safety- those two were the ones who had warned him, and what they had told him was all he really knew.

"No." he told him the truth, even if Zhushou or any of his guards, for that matter, didn't know a thing about Ozai's plot, "Are the men ready to leave?"

"We have been waiting ever since your letter arrived." he clarified, before rising to his feet, waving to his comrades, "It's time to go!" he declared their intentions, and Iroh turned his heels, facing the officer who had greeted him.

"We are going now. I will leave the komodo rhinos here at your base. I'm sure you could use the extra steeds for something." he explained, and the officer bowed toward him.

"I wish you the best of luck, your majesty." he acknowledged his departure, and with that, Iroh strode back toward his komodo rhino, picking up the saddle-bag and slinging it over his shoulder; it didn't have too much in it, just the bare essentials of food, tea, water and sleeping gear that he had required for his trip.

He turned to face the guards Azula had provided him with, "Take your things. We're going to the ship." he ordered them, and they all nodded, picking their own bags off of their steeds; he momentarily eyed the officer who he'd just spoken with, and noted that his expression was deathly blank- perhaps he just didn't want to show emotions in front of his Fire Lord, but that didn't make it not weird.

He turned around and carried his saddle-bag toward the gates of the base, as he did so, he could see men in side stopping their work or chatter, and moving to salute their Fire Lord. Admittedly, he was used to the praise and respect, given he received similar treatment as General, though he was honestly quite frustrated that he couldn't have a down-to-earth conversation with anyone other than his friends in the White Lotus, or his niece and nephew, who both weren't the best conversationalists, though he certainly enjoyed talking with them. He knew that they could use his advice, and they seemed to appreciate it when it did hit the mark; he was looking forward to seeing his nephew once again, after they'd dealt with the Ozai situation.

He'd obviously dealt with some ordeals since he left the capital, if what Azula had learnt from that message was an accurate reflection of the situation; the message could have disguised or not mentioned other things that could have put Zuko and Mai in danger, and though Iroh understood their reasoning for only telling the basic, necessary information, he would have preferred to have known where they were and how they were faring. It was his fault, in the end, for not acting on Zuko's revelations before he left for Omashu, where he could have confronted his brother, and ended his plans before they got them all in danger; once again, Iroh had found himself regretting his own inaction and confidence, just like he had after Ba Sing Se. He was arrogant enough to believe his brother would only dare attack him in an Agni Kai, or a dramatic coup attempt, which wouldn't have been as concerning and frustrating as having his personal ship sunk and forced to flee through the Earth Kingdom wilderness.

The Fire Lord clenched a fist as he strode out of the gates, silently chiding himself, knowing that his lack of action could have had fatal consequences for his nephew and niece. Both of them wanted to protect him, and gotten themselves in reckless danger because of it. His eyes turned to the pier as he approached it, eyeing the numerous ships lined up against it in port, with a number of the vessels opened by the bow, dropping off supplies down on the pier. He assumed that they were destined for Omashu, to help feed and supply the besieging forces; Iroh's eyes narrowed, recalling that he would need to order the siege off as soon as he returned to the capital. He didn't have the logistical apparatus afforded to him by the War Council, and if he tried to call it off without the required planning, it would probably only lead to further frustrations within the army, which wouldn't help him retain their support against his brother, if things ended up as badly as he imagined they could.

Eyeing the crates that sat in front of him, he realised he didn't know which ship he'd need to go to speak with Commander Kinshu; he assumed that the largest of the ships, which was docked by the end of the pier, would be the one he'd need to reach. As the Fire Lord made his way toward the unloaded cargo, his guards moved into a tighter formation; even if they were carrying their bags and rather unprepared for a fight, at least in terms of planning, they were clearly in the mindset for one. He eyed behind him, and saw them marching in formation, and they didn't seem to be anywhere near as calm as he'd expect them to be, given that they were in friendly territory, about to board a ship. Perhaps their time without him had given them the chance to consider the possible sources of the assassins, and maybe they'd even figured out what was actually going on; he certainly preferred if the conspiracy wasn't common knowledge, given it would force Ozai to accelerate whatever plans he had.

He could only imagine what he had intended next, and as he strode up that pier, he wondered if his brother was actually worried about him; not in the sense he was concerned for his safety, but rather concerned for his own. Ozai hadn't tried to earn his ire, at least not until he sent some men to kill him; he obviously understood that an Agni Kai could only go one way, as much as Iroh would prefer that it didn't occur at all. There was no way avoiding it, and he accepted what had to be done, for the sake of his nation, above whatever feelings of guilt he had toward taking the life of his treacherous brother. The Dragon of the West was not a coward, as much as he detested needless conflict and death; he was a soldier by training and a monarch by blood, and those two things gave him both the experience and teachings to guide him to solving the crisis at his hands.

"Your majesty." Captain Zhushou spoke up, and Iroh stopped himself, turning around to eye his subordinate, hearing unease in his voice.

"What is it, Captain?"

"I don't mean to alarm you, but we're surrounded by crates of... blasting jelly." he explained, and the Fire Lord's eyes widened, realising that couldn't be a coincidence; his eyes immediately darted up toward the decks of the ships that surrounded the pier on all sides, and he noted that the men on board were looking his way, though for which reason, he couldn't be sure of.

If it wasn't a coincidence, then there was somebody giving the order to place down all those crates in an attempt to kill him; Iroh, however, was not worried about the blasting jelly, but rather the implications of it. His eyes darted up to the largest ship at the pier, and noted that there was an officer standing by its bow, flanked by his own guards- Commander Kinshu, obviously.

He raised his hand up, not wanting his men to travel any further along the deck, "Men, halt!" he ordered them, before turning to face Zhushou, "Captain, withdraw back down the pier." he ordered him, before narrowing his eyes, "I'm going to go have a conversation with Commander Kinshu."

"But, your majesty, we're here to protect you." one of his guards spoke up, clearly understanding the danger they were all in.

"Oh, I don't need protecting." he assured him, before stepping further along the pier, past the boxes of blasting jelly, before he stopped his pacing right in the middle of them; he eyed up to the neighbouring ships, and narrowed his eyes, knowing that somebody would need to spark the blasting jelly to try and kill him.

He could see a spark cord travelling up one of the lowered bows, and turned to face said ship; whoever was trying to actually kill him, no matter if Kinshu was the one orchestrating it, was going to be right up there. He glanced back up toward who he assumed to be Commander Kinshu, and pursed his lips, realising that whatever plan was in place was about to fall through entirely. A tragic accident would not go down in history, and Iroh stepped closer to the bow of the ship, ready to race up it at once and make sure of that; the only thing he wanted the day to be remembered for was when the Dragon of the West stepped up and once again proved his worth. He doubted the explosion would be large enough to destroy the surrounding ships, even if it would be a fiery blast, given the number of crates around him; he heard a low, but audible crackling noise, and without a moment to waste, he raced up the bow of the ship, surprising the men onboard. He further garnered the attention of onlookers as he dropped his hands down, aiming two fire streams toward the ground as he channelled his bending into all four of his limbs, shooting himself up into the air and speeding up his climbing of the bow as he tried to get as far away from the explosion as possible. When it finally happened, he raised his arms up, creating a wall of flames out of the explosion to redirect the heat away from himself and everyone on the deck of the ship as he landed on his own two feet. The sound of the blast was near deafening, and his ears were ringing afterwards, making him shake his head as he tried to reorient himself and find the source of the spark cord. He could see where it had been set off, but he couldn't see anyone standing there, to his frustrations; everyone was standing, shocked as they cowered from the explosion.

"By the spirits!" he heard someone shout out, before a few sailors ran up to him.

"Your majesty, are you alright?" one of them asked him, and Iroh's gaze continued to eye along the deck, trying to find the one man who couldn't have been looking at the flames, because he was prepared for it. There was one man he could already see, walking along the deck toward the bridge of the ship, and Iroh stepped past the sailors, parting them as he eyed the sailor who was trying to get away.

"Stop!" he shouted out, "I know you're behind it!" he declared his knowledge, pointing toward the sailor, who turned around, clearly fearing for his life; instead of trying to face the Fire Lord, or even respond, the sailor raced toward the railing of the ship, jumping up onto it with a single leap before he dived into the water below.

Now, people's attention had turned to the sailor, and they were clearly confused by what had just happened; a man raced toward him, presumably the captain of the vessel, and he was looking in the direction the man had jumped, "Wh-what... what just happened, your majesty? Why did you shout at Lieutenant Hibana?" he asked, and Iroh could only clench his fist and point toward the inferno the explosion had created; he and his guards needed to get past it if they were going to reach Kinshu before the Commander decided anything brash.

"I want every man here dousing that fire, right now!" he ordered, and the officer nodded, before he paced toward the bow.

"You heard the Fire Lord! We have to put out that fire!"

The Dragon of the West strode forward, reaching the lowered bow, where he could see the massive fire in all its magnitude; he reached his right hand forward, moving into a form that he had learnt many years ago. He bent not the flames in front of him, but the very heat, and drew it through his body and out his left hand, up into the sky. Though he could only channel it slowly, given the heat of the flames, it slowly did its work, Iroh watching as the sailors moved to bend the flames apart, trying their best to disperse them. He could feel the heat of the flames weakening, and when he felt confident enough, he moved out of form, and paced down the bow, thrusting his arms in front of him before forcefully ripping the flames apart, creating a clear path through them onto the pier. He turned his gaze over toward his guards, who had dropped their bags and helped disperse the flames, before they paced up toward their Fire Lord, stamping out the fire around him, before taking defensive positions.

"Your majesty, we won't let the traitors touch you!" one of the Imperial Firebenders assured him; Iroh nodded, not uttering a word, his eyes turning back up the pier toward the flagship.

"What do we do now, sir?" Captain Zhushou asked him, and he pointed to Kinshu's vessel.

"Don't let that ship leave port." he gave his single command, and then he began to pace toward it; quickly enough he broke into running, the Fire Lord a little bit more confident in his stamina than he had been when he was first shipwrecked- all the fighting and walking he'd had to do did his body wonders.

He almost laughed at the thought that his brother's attempts to kill him had only given him the perfect circumstances to hone his firebending and improve his physique, though what was more amusing was the fact that Kinshu was still standing there. Perhaps he had accepted his failure, or more frustratingly, he might have truly been innocent; he doubted that, knowing that he was the only one who could have ordered them to put all those crates of blasting jelly down. As he ran towards the Commander's ship, suddenly the man shouted at his guards, obviously afraid of his own safety, and suddenly, a wall of flames appeared by the bow of the ship. That was nothing to the Dragon of the West, who charged a fire blast in his palms, before shooting it into the wall, dispersing it instantly, causing the flames to splatter all over the deck of the ship as he climbed onto the bow.

Iroh immediately moved into form, pointing himself in the direction of Kinshu, who was trying to run to the bridge of his ship, "Stop!" he ordered him, "Don't move another muscle!" he demanded, and the Commander halted at once, the Fire Lord letting out a deep breath, realising that the sprint, no matter how useful in reaching the ship quickly, had exhausted him.

The Commander's guards looked at their superior, seeming unsure as to why any of it was even happening; the sailors on the ship seemed to agreed, all of them aghast with their eyes on the Fire Lord. The Dragon of the West did not falter, and reconsider his intentions as he strode toward Commander Kinshu.

"Commander Kinshu, I want you to tell your men exactly what you just did." he pointed at him, and the man looked his way with utter fear.

"P-please, be merciful, your majesty." he begged, and the Fire Lord narrowed his eyes.

"Grab him!" he shouted at the Commander's guards, and they didn't dare disobey their Fire Lord; Iroh wasn't even that angry- he just wanted to finish the game of lies and charades he'd been participating in ever since he read Mai's letter.

The guards grabbed their superior, and dragged him toward the Fire Lord, his legs going limp, perhaps in fear, "Please!" he pleaded, and the Fire Lord sighed, raising a hand to his cheek.

"Tell them what you did." he requested as calmly as he could, and Kinshu's eyes widened; he glanced at his guards, realising that there was no way out of the situation he'd created.

"Y-y-your majesty, I don't know-" he began to stammer, and Iroh let out a deep breath.

"I have been forced to run through the wilderness, fight off assassins, protect my niece from fiends, and come back to this port with no great peace for our nation." he explained his situation, before pointing at Kinshu, "The least you could do for me would be to tell the truth. Why did those explosives go off?"

"To- to..." he began, before his eyes turned up to face the Fire Lord's, "Please, don't kill me."

"I'm not killing you." he warned him, "But I will not let your actions go unpunished, Commander."

"Did he..." one of the guards turned to face his superior, "Did you have something to do with that, sir?"

The Commander sighed, before dejectedly giving his answer, "Yes."

"And who ordered you do to that?" the Fire Lord asked.

"No one." he admitted, "I was merely following my duties."

"It is no man's duty to kill his Fire Lord." he admitted, before stepping closer to him, "Unless, you don't believe I ought to be Fire Lord." he dared to suggest, making the Commander tense up.

"Y-you... you know, don't you?"

"Of course. I am not a man who is uninformed on current events, even those that are meant to be hidden from me." he explained rather confidently, wanting to scare Kinshu into spilling the truth in front of all the sailors on the ship, "So please, for the good of our nation, tell your men why you did what you did?"

"Because- because you're not worthy." he dared to proclaim his beliefs, "That's it. I said it." he grit his teeth, "Now, would you just get it over with?"

"No." he refused, "I already told you, I'm not here to kill you. You are not here to make a fool of me, Commander." he warned him, "I don't care if you think I shouldn't be Fire Lord, but I think they ought to hear who provided you with your opinion."

"I won't say it." he refused, and Iroh let out a sigh, not wanting to have to do anything brash to the man in front of him; it would be pointless violence, for the mere achievement of having him speak.

"Fine." he accepted his stubbornness, and turned around, "There is something you all need to hear." he explained to the sailors, and to his own guards, who had climbed aboard after him, "My brother, Prince Ozai, has committed treason. He has conspired against my life, and against the life of his own son, Prince Zuko." he explained the fact of the matter; everyone's eyes widened, and their eyes all turned toward the Commander.

Iroh pointed at him, wanting him to answer now that he had dared to utter the truth, "Is this a falsehood?"

Kinshu looked at him frantically, before Iroh narrowed his eyes at him, "Is it?!" he shouted, and the Commander raised his chin up, holding his tongue.

Spinning his fingers around, the Dragon of the West charged his chi, and eyed the man as he did so, before he grasped his collar with his left hand, letting loose a lightning bolt with his right hand, shooting it into the sky above them; his guards stepped back out of fear, letting go of Kinshu, who Iroh kept a hold of.

"Was that a lie, Commander?" he asked him calmly, knowing he would have to give up at some point.

"It isn't!" he screamed out, closing his eyes as he held his arms up against his chest, "Please, don't kill me!"

"I want you to say it." he demanded, and the Commander fell to his knees as his Fire Lord stood above him, "Say it." he reiterated his command, and the Commander's head drooped down.

"Prince Ozai wants to kill the Fire Lord, and I tried to help him do it." he uttered the truth, before his eyes turned up to the Fire Lord, "But... you made a mistake, your majesty."

"No, I don't think I did." he retorted, knowing that with the truth out, he could finally go after his brother, with the full support of those who professed their loyalty to him.

"That wasn't the only blasting jelly." he clarified, and Iroh's eyes widened, realising he should have demanded Kinshu come off the ship before he started interrogating him.

"Run!" he frantically shouted at his men, before he dashed toward the side of the ship; Iroh wasn't the best swimmer, but he could do it, and that was preferable to dying.

He raised his hands up, creating a wall of flames behind him as he jumped from the deck of the ship, feeling the deck of the ship vibrate violently as another deafening explosion went off behind him. The searing heat blasted his back as he fell down toward the water, gritting his teeth in pain as he dropped down into the water, his feet suddenly twisting as he struck the surface. His body was suddenly enveloped, and Iroh closed his eyes, suddenly surrounded by pitch black, he could feel the heat from the explosion above him dissipate as he was surrounded by water on all sides, and for a moment, he could feel at peace, despite the pain inflicted upon his body. He opened his eyes, and looked up toward the orange coloured sky above him, not so because of a sunset, but because of the flames of an explosion.

He had work to do, and it seemed that he could not be afforded rest, not yet; as long as Ozai bore breath, he would be a threat to the Fire Lord's life. His mother, though she had been dead for decades now, arrived in his mind as he considered what he was about to do; she had died far too young, and hadn't been able to guide his brother as she had been able to do him. It wasn't fair, and now, he couldn't help but curse at the spirits; they had given him and his family the worst luck, and twisted them into monsters. The only beacons of hope he could see were his nephew and niece, so as he pushed back toward the water's surface, he knew that they were what he was fighting for. Their future and the Fire Nation's were one, and he wouldn't let Ozai steal them.

---

Smokestacks rising from the port town of Tetsuwan was not what Azula wanted to be seeing when she rode over a hillside to witness them; after spending a whole night scouring the woods, and finding only a middle-aged woman, she was more than a little frustrated. Her hostage, named Natsu, was unforthcoming with information, and she understood well enough why; Azula had immediately revealed her identity, and the woman, being an Earth Kingdom peasant, was unwilling to tell her much. She did tell her that Ty Lee was safe, and that the Fire Nation had been hunting her down; she didn't believe her when she told her that she wasn't like the Intelligence Service, who had been fooled into going after Ty Lee. She didn't know what was going on in the port, but she had a good feeling it had to do with whatever Aang, his friends and Ty Lee had all gone off to do.

"Now, would be a good time to tell me what they're doing." she gestured to the port-town, "I know you know what's going on." she warned her, "I don't want to have to keep you captive for any longer than is necessary."

"I'm not telling you." she retorted, wiggling slightly to try and move out of her binds; she was sitting on the saddle of the mongoose lizard behind her, and was unable to do anything but sit as the Princess took her back to her ship.

"Your highness." one of her guards addressed her, "Perhaps we should scout ahead before you enter the town. Obviously, there must be some fighting going on." the guard suggested, and she raised her chin up.

"No." she refused, "We're going down into the town, no matter what. This probably has something to do with the Avatar, so I'm sure we'll be able to find out where Ty Lee is, if Natsu here doesn't tell us."

"I have to keep them safe." she spoke up, and the Princess rolled her eyes.

"I'm here to try and keep my friend safe... and you're stopping me from doing that." she argued her case once more, "I don't think you understand how well I know Ty Lee."

She turned her head away, refusing to speak, and Azula snarled, still just wishing she'd tell her what she knew; without anything from the hostage, she'd be riding into Tetsuwan with no knowledge of what was actually going on.

She whipped the reins of her mongoose lizard, and turned her head slightly to command her guards, "Move on inǃ" she ordered them, and they followed her lizard as it began to speedily make its way down the slope, following the road down into the town.

In the span of a single day, it seemed everything had been turned on its head, and she now just wished Jing and Zhuyi had actually apprehended Sokka back when they found him in the market, instead of letting him go; at least then she could have found where Ty Lee was before she helped the Avatar with whatever chaos-stirring he had just done. She would have preferred if her friend did not wilfully assist the Avatar, at least while she was formally still pursuing him as an enemy of their nation, even if her uncle had said otherwise.

"There's some reason why you're not telling me." she deduced, addressing Natsu as they approached the outskirts of the town, "It can't be Ty Lee. You must have only known her for a week or two at most." she guessed, before narrowing her eyes, "So, who's with her that you're so worried about?"

"My son." she admitted, making the Princess furrow a brow; that didn't help her much, other than giving some reasoning to Natsu's refusal to explain anything.

"Well, would your son have anything to do with the fact this town is on fire?" she asked, and the Earth Kingdom woman raised her chin up, seeming almost confident.

"I hope he does... because that means that I'll be free soon enough." she admitted, and the Princess scoffed.

"You think some random boy can beat me?" she asked, and Natsu turned her eyes away.

"No." she refuted her suggestion, "But that doesn't mean he can't help me."

"Whatever you say." she shrugged her shoulders, before turning her gaze back toward the road as she continued on moving into the town, "Perhaps I ought to keep you away from the fighting... seeing that you may still be of use to me." she conceded, before raising her hand, "Haltǃ" she ordered her guards, before indicating to Natsu.

"One of you take her off and find some garden or hovel to wait in. The rest of us will investigate whatever's going on in the town-centre." she explained, one of her guards riding up to her mongoose lizard, before jumping off to pick Natsu off of the saddle, seeing that she could stand herself, with her legs bound; he took her onto his own saddle, before nodding at his superior.

"It will be done, your highness." he accepted her order formally, before mounting his mongoose lizard, she glanced back at the rest of her guards, before raising her hand down the street.

"Let's moveǃ" she commanded them, and with that, whipped her steed's reins, prodding it into pacing on down the street; its speed was unmatched on land, and she actually had to pull on its reins to make sure it didn't run into any carts or pedestrians; the latter seemed to be lacking, especially as she approached the source of the smokestacks, which she realised was around the town's barracks.

She could feel the ground shaking beneath her, and the distance thumping and crashes of rocks hitting the ground or buildings; it was obviously earthbenders, either soldiers or rebels, and she knew that they would have to be dealt with before she could reach her ship. She would be doing Major Zhengyi a favour by stopping the attackers, and even though she'd prefer to avoid a fight, given that she was tired, having only got a meagre few hours sleep before she began her ride back toward her ship. When she got to the walls of the barracks, she made sight of a few of the town's garrison troops, who seemed greatly relieved to see her arriving.

"It's the Princessǃ" one of them called out, gesturing toward her, catching more eyes her way; she rode up toward them, and noted their injuries and frantic glances down the street.

"What's going on here?" she asked, and one of the guards indicated the way they had been moving from.

"A prison breakǃ" he exclaimed, "Earthbenders have come here, and they're wanting blood." he warned, the Princess sighing with frustration, recalling that there was a prison rig nearby; putting two and two together, she assumed that Aang had gone there, and probably helped free the prisoners, or at least, incited a revolt.

Given that her uncle wanted to make peace with the Earth Kingdom, and presumably, would have freed imprisoned earthbenders anyway, such a revolt seemed like a waste of time and needless bloodshed. Of course, revolting was quicker than waiting for her uncle's decrees to come into effect, but she couldn't help but be annoyed by it. It was getting in her way, and now that Ty Lee was obviously involved, it was making her attempts to clear her name all the more challenging.

"Let me handle this." she simply told the guards, knowing that if they were already injured, she might as well take over and hold off the earthbenders; she was admittedly a little excited, given that she had never actually fought an earthbender before, but that made it dangerous as well.

She moved on down the street, raising her hand up, and indicating ahead of her, telling her guards by that motion to be ready for attack; she filled her right palm with flames, and as she continued on down, she waited for whatever would come next. She heard a rock crash down around the corner, and a moment later, a few more guards ran past the corner, one of them carrying an unconscious comrade.

"Get behindǃ" she commanded the guards, and they heeded her words, and as soon as they were clear of her path, she sent out a fire stream from her right hand, the charged flames making it all the more powerful as it explosively ripped into the cobblestone of the street, and the shouts she could hear indicated that she had scared whoever was about to come after those guards.

Once she had finished with her warning attack, she whipped the reins of the mongoose lizard, prodding it into racing down the street, right toward where she knew the earthbenders would be waiting; when she reached the corner, she felt the street move beneath her, and the ground ripped up, causing her steed to slow somewhat, though its agility meant it was able to climb over the ripped apart street, and give her a clear shot on the earthbenders, who were clearly intimidated when they saw her.

"Yieldǃ" she demanded of them as she readied her right hand, and they remained in form, getting ready to hit her with the cobbles they had ripped out of the street.

Before they could even attack her, she sent out another fire stream, pummelling them down to the ground with the force of the flames, which she splattered across the street, nearly setting the neighbouring buildings on fire as she moved her hand around to assure she hit down each of the enemy. Once they were down, she turned around, and noted her guards were still following after her, and had too readied themselves to attack the earthbenders.

Instead of letting them send half a dozen fire streams at the already shocked men and presumably immolate them, she waved her hand, indicating that they hold their flames back, "Let them run. If we scare enough of them into retreating, they won't be able to take the town." she argued her logic, before, as a warning, she shot a fire blast right at the feet of one of the earthbenders, who stumbled back and landed on his bottom from the sudden attack.

One of them tried in defiance of her mercy to attack them with cobbles, but found his arm grappled by one of her guard's fire whips; before he could reorient himself, she shot a small bolt of flames with her fingers, striking him in the head and knocking him unconscious, which seemed to scare the other earthbenders enough. They moved to run back, and left the entrance of the barracks open to her, allowing Azula and her guards to ride on over; she glanced inside, and noted that there was a lot of damage to the structures, and a few unconscious guards about, having been beaten by the escapees already.

She dismounted her steed, and paced on inside the gates, knowing she ought to assist the Major and his men directly, before she even thought about making a path to her ship, or trying to figure out where Ty Lee was situated in the present mess. She glanced around the grounds, trying to make out where the earthbenders had gone, and she noticed that there were some smoke coming out of the messenger hawk coop. She whistled to her guards, indicating for them to follow as she raced across the barracks open grounds toward the coop, knowing that the earthbenders would be there, presumably trying to stop the local garrison from sending a message to request support.

When she made her way past one of the halls that lined the grounds, she made sight of the coop, which was practically destroyed, its birds either gone, or perching on the nearby buildings, with a few rocks having smashed up the windows and bird cages, with dottings of embers around the rest of the structure. In front of her stood a few earthbenders, some of them men, and some women, all of them a lot older than herself, and clearly, victorious in their fight against the garrison troops, who were lying on the ground, either unconscious or cowering.

"Who is that?" one of the earthbenders asked, clearly a little concerned by the Princess's sudden arrival; not being recognised hit a nerve, and she covered her hands with flames, ready to fight them if need be.

"Please, step away from the soldiers. I'd prefer if you didn't destroy anything else." she spoke frankly to them, though her stance might have said something else, "You haven't taken the Major, have you?"

"The-" one of them glanced around, "Does she mean that annoying guy with the moustache?" one of them asked the other, and Azula snapped a finger at the earthbender.

"That'd be him." she confirmed, before she glanced behind her, seeing her guards ready to fight alongside her, "Leave these barracks, and I won't attack you." she gave them a simple offer, knowing that getting them out of the way would make it easier for her to recover the Major, and after that, find Ty Lee.

The earthbenders instead pulled out rock from the ground beneath them, creating a shield of earth; the Princess rolled her eyes, surprised that they were as stubborn as she'd been told they were. She was imagining the stereotypes were just made up to defame the people of the other nations, but now she realised there was some precedent to a few of them. She shot out a fire stream from her left foot, propelling herself up into the air for a moment, allowing her to spin her right leg around, creating a narrow, sharp arc of flames, which cut right above the wall of earth to strike the earthbenders. She landed back on her own two feet, and then charged flames in both of her hands; with the heat gathering, she spun her hands around, and then shot out a combined fire stream, which blasted through the wall of earth.

She smirked at the faltering of her opponents, and strode forward to ensure that they were downed so she could move on to find the Major; suddenly, however, she felt both of her feet immobilised, and she eyed down to see earth covering them. She grit her teeth, and gathered her chi at her soles, ready to blast herself out; glancing back up, she realised the earthbenders were taking form, ready to ensnare her completely, but that never eventuated, as her guards began pummelling them with fire blasts, which were distracting enough to allow Azula to quickly free herself, blasting her earthen shackles off before she charged at the earthbenders.

Most of them were a whole lot taller and stronger than her physically, but that didn't mean her advantage of speed could not be utilised. She weaved around them as they tried to take bricks and fragments of earth to strike her. She spun her feet around, and shot short, but focused fire bolts at their footing, causing them become unbalanced, and quickly falter to her guards fire blasts; once they were all on the defensive, she simply ran past them, moving down through the barracks in search of Zhengyi.

She had no idea where exactly the Major would be, but she listened out for shouting, and she could faintly make out somebody by the rear of the barracks; turning around to approach the main building of the complex, she noted that the shouting was coming from inside, and Azula decided to push through one of the rear doors, making her way inside. She found herself in a hallway, reminding her of when she was there the day prior, and she ran down it, moving toward the voices.

"You savages!" she heard Zhengyi shout out, and after that, the sound of a fist hitting something, presumably the Major's face.

She reached an open area of the building, presumably a meeting hall, where she could see the Major, held up by a pair of earthbenders, while there was a few people interrogating him.

"Tell us where your men are hiding." one of them demanded, and Azula whistled, catching the attention of the earthbenders; they turned around, and seemed confused by her presence, "Who are you?"

Zhengyi could only laugh, "Oh, you're screwed now!" he warned them, and Azula gestured to them.

"Let go of the Major." she demanded, "I'd like if he didn't get beaten to death on my watch."

"And why should we do that?" one of the earthbenders quipped back at her, "This bastard's half the reason we were in that prison."

She narrowed her eyes, sure that they wouldn't back down easy, "I don't even care if you occupy this town, but I'd prefer if the Fire Nation forces here could be evacuated." she explained her thoughts on the matter, before gesturing toward the one who had been beating Zhengyi, "So, please, just let the Major go."

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a nearby door being pushed open, "Stop!" she heard an all too familiar voice shout out to her, and Azula turned around, barely recognising the person it came from.

Ty Lee was dressed in the attire of an Earth Kingdom peasant, and she seemed more than a little exasperated as she stood at the door, flanked by a few prisoners and a similarly dressed Earth Kingdom boy.

"Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be." she smirked, "How are you, Ty Lee?"

"Uh... okay." she awkwardly admitted, "Guys, don't attack her. This is my friend." she pleaded to the earthbenders, whose forms weakened.

"Since when were you friends with Earth Kingdom prisoners, Ty Lee?" she asked her a rather straight-forward question, given who she was standing beside.

"Since some guys tried to kill me... and Haru saved me." she explained, indicating to the boy beside her.

"That was the Intelligence Service." she clarified, "I solved that problem for you." she assured her, and her friend's expression shifted to one of unease.

"You didn't kill them, did you?"

"Well, seeing that they were not in league with my father, I did not." she admitted, before glancing back toward Zhengyi, "Let go of the Major." she demanded, now with a little more backing to enforce her words; the earthbenders glanced toward Ty Lee and the others, and one of the men standing beside her stepped forward.

"Just do it." the man requested, and they did so, dropping the Major, who slumped down onto the floor, clearly pained and exhausted from whatever fighting he'd been doing.

"Now," Azula spoke up, "I'll call off my guards and the garrison, and perhaps we can solve this conflict diplomatically." she explained, the earthbenders looking amongst themselves.

"And why should we believe you?"

"Because she's Princess Azula." Ty Lee clarified, making all of the earthbenders uneasily glance toward the Princess.

"That's- that's your friend?" Haru asked her, clearly a little worried about that revelation; obviously she hadn't properly explained her relationship with the Princess, even if had been mentioned- perhaps her friend knew she would be coming to help her.

"I am." she confirmed, before stepping toward and past them all, and out the doors, "Guards!" she called out, "Stand down!" she ordered, and a few moments later, her men stepped out into the main courtyard of the barracks, and did just that.

They moved to approach her, and though clearly a little concerned about the earthbenders who were surrounding the Princess; once they were standing in form, Azula turned around to face her friend, and made a small smile, "Now, you and I can get out of here." she explained, Ty Lee blinking a few times.

"Are we going to go find Mai and Zuko?" she asked, the Princess shaking her head.

"Not yet." she conceded, "I have to make sure the Fire Navy doesn't capture the Avatar before he reaches the North Pole."

"So, are you really going to train him?" she asked; obviously, she'd been speaking with Aang and his friends, so she would have heard about her plans, or rather, her uncle's plans.

"I can't refuse Uncle." she admitted the truth, before eyeing up and down her body, "Where's documents?"

"I have them." she confirmed, and the Princess let herself smile.

"That's good to hear." she acknowledged, before suddenly, her field of view was filled by a massive wall of flames, which forced her back off her feet; she struck the ground, raising her hands to protect her head, as she forced her eyes shut, almost blinded by the searingly hot flames.

She heard a few shouts and grunts, and then and cry, distinctively from Ty Lee; Azula opened her eyes up, and glanced around, seeing embers all around her, and her friend lying on the ground beside her. She looked up to see one of her guards, holding a few pieces of paper in his hand, before he set them alight, quickly incinerating them.

She tensed up, realising what had just happened, and the Princess immediately thrust her foot up, blasting the guard in the chest and throwing him to the ground; she turned her eyes to Ty Lee for a moment, noting that she had been knocked unconscious by a fire blast to the head, and Azula checked her pulse at once, assured that she was definitely still alive. One of her other guards offered her a hand, and she flicked it away, pulling herself up to her feet as she eyed the man who had just attacked her.

"What in the name of the spirits just happened?" one of the earthbenders asked her, and Azula narrowed her eyes at the traitor, who had taken form, realising that the rest of the guards were ready to pounce on him.

"You- just like Lo and Li." she narrowed her eyes, before she spun her hands around; she did not have any time for mercy, nor questions.

The guard didn't even try to defend himself, simply raising his hand to salute, "Long live the Fire Nation." he declared as she let a lightning bolt loose out of her right hand, striking him in the chest and throwing him some distance across the courtyard; his body crumpled over on the ground, and the rest of her guards looked toward him, not uttering a word about what she had just done to her comrade.

Ty Lee let out a groan, and Azula turned to face her friend, before eyeing the Earth Kingdom boy who was kneeling beside her.

"Are you going to take her to a healer?" he asked, and Azula scooped her friend up into her arms, glancing towards the earthbenders before she let out a sigh.

"She's the only reason I'm here." she simply told him, before narrowing her eyes, "Follow me, I know where your mother is." she explained, Haru's expression shifting to one of concern.

"W-wait, did you capture her?" he asked, and a man stood up beside him, with a large bushy beard and bald head, gesturing toward the Princess with a fearful glare.

"Excuse me, you're saying you took my wife captive?" he asked her, clearly alarmed and agitated by the idea; she realised that he was Haru's father, and Natsu's husband, and she raised a hand up, not wanting to start a fight over her actions.

"I needed to find out where Ty Lee was." she explained her reasoning, "So, come with me, and you can be reunited... seeing that you've been in prison." she acknowledged the fact of the matter, before glancing down at Ty Lee, remembering that she needed to get her to the infirmary.

She then pointed to mongoose lizards, "Let's go!" she shouted at her guards, and they moved in formation around her as she moved back in the direction of the mongoose lizards.

Princess Azula did not want to have to fight any more that morning; she only wanted to take her friend to her ship, and forget any of that had just happened. Her one chance to prove her father a traitor had been ripped from her just before she had the chance to seize it, and it was by the hands of one of her own guards. He had been in Ozai's pocket, perhaps the entire time, and she hadn't even figured it out; she had vetted all the people on her ship from when the letter from Mai and Zuko had passed through, but that guard had been one who had been with her that entire time. He had served a single purpose; he could have tried to poison her uncle, or just outright assassinate him, but he didn't even take that chance. He had only come to take away that one bit of information she could have used against her father, and it made her feel like a fool.

"I won't let that happen again." she declared, looking down at her unconscious friend; she couldn't fail again, not after what had just happened.

"I promise."