Book I: Resurrection

Chapter XI: Snake Oil

The Blue Spirit was dead, washed away by the tides of Lake Laogai. Iroh had seen to that, and Zuko was forever thankful. Hiding behind a mask to do the right thing (though 'right' was sometimes questionable, Zuko supposed) had been taxing on his physical and mental wellbeing. It had driven him into a coma once. Boy, had Iroh let loose on Zuko seconds before that had happened. His uncle genuinely yelling at him had caught Zuko off guard, shaking him out of whatever foolish plan he had been attempting to construct, no matter how much he had insisted that Zuko knew what he was doing. Yet, at the end of the day, the Blue Spirit was dead.

That didn't mean Zuko had ever lost the skillset, though.

He knew Piandao's manor like a kata. He could move through the halls with ease and without detection, he remembered the secret passages and hidden nooks that he had found during his time training with the swordmaster. Piandao had even hunted him down throughout the manner at night once, to test how well Zuko was keeping mind of his surroundings. Then, when he had finally caught the Fire Prince, Piandao had worked him ruthlessly for hours for his mistakes. So, Zuko's swordplay got better, and so did his abilities to walk unseen.

Leaning against a support beam in the rafters, Zuko stared down at what had once been the great hall of Piandao's manor. Gone were the long tables, burning braziers, and large plates of food that Piandao's servants always seemed to have prepared whenever Zuko stumbled in from the training yard, barely able to move, his body screaming in protest. The quiet, yet powerful presence of this manner's previous owner had seemingly vanished alongside Piandao as well. The hallways no longer felt warm, but powerful. Instead, they felt hot: a pressure that was trying to overwhelm those who stood within these once proud halls.

There were more braziers than necessary now, they lined the room and smoldered, no firebender powerful enough to control them all at once present. Pads for kneeling had replaced the tables and food, clearly for those who came to court to kneel to Sunjin as he ruled his lands. A large, intricately ornamented throne sat at the end of the hall. Scenes of men battling dragons, Fire Nation conquest, and that damned comet all lined the throne, churning Zuko's stomach. Those scenes were lessons to be learned from, events that leaders should strive to avoid. Not monuments of the Fire Nation's past that were to be celebrated, especially not in this… Firelord's throne room.

The resemblance to what it was trying to copy sickened Zuko. He had spent many hours in the court of the Firelord, be it Azulon or Ozai. This was a pale imitation at best. Caldera's courtroom had been hot, but the very walls had thrummed with power, despite the flaws of the men who sat on the throne. This felt more like a Komodo-Chicken puffing its feathers to look larger than it was. A mockery of what the Firelord's courtroom should feel like. Yet, this was not the Ember Island Players, this butchery of what should have been had Zuko's blood running hot.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Zuko quenched the fires building in his blood. He was here to gather information, not dramatically leap in front of Sunjin's court and demand the man face him in Agni Kai for abusing his people. He needed to understand the man before taking any action, be it against or for the Warlord. Understanding the enemy, and understanding yourself was key to winning any battle, as Iroh had told him so many times. Zuko understood himself, after so many trials and just as many failures, but he needed to understand the man who was hurting his people. Then, and only then, could he begin to heal the wounds that ravaged his country.

Beneath him, the doors to the courtroom opened, and people began shuffling into the chamber, their heads bowed low and hands clasped together tightly as if one wrong step could enrage this pretender to the Dragon's Throne. Slowly, two dozen or so men and women entered the main chamber and took their places, kneeling on the previously placed mats and keeping their heads bowed low. Idly, Zuko wondered if the braziers were for show and Sunjin didn't have the power to control them all. It would explain why all the heads in this room were bowed so low. You were expected to rise for the Firelord in Caldera and wait for his blessing to kneel. His visage was hidden behind a wall of flames at all times, only allowing a glimpse of their ruler for those blessed by Agni to see clearly through the flames.

Apparently, Sunjin didn't much care for that tradition.

Behind the needlessly extravagant throne, another door opened, bathing the dimly lit council chamber in light as eight figures strode into the room. Six of them were adorning armor that resembled the Home Guard's in appearance. Their helmets seemed to resemble the typical Fire Nation helmet, but with fewer spikes and horns. The typical white mask had also been stained gold as well. Dark red pauldrons sat on their shoulders with blood-red overlays, resting upon a black cuirass that covered their torsos. Red vambraces were worn on both wrists but did not cover their hands, leaving their fingers free to the air of the world. Firebender armor, Zuko realized. Their greaves and chausses were of a similar color, with the same red lining the edges of the armor and preventing the armor from meshing together in one single blur of color. What drew Zuko's attention the most, however, was the sigil that sat front and center upon the cuirass. A bright gold sun, with two golden dragons chasing each other's tails around the physical representation of Agni, was stained onto the armor with delicate care upon all of the uniforms of these six men. Frowning, Zuko knew that symbol could only mean one thing. These were the famed Sun Guard that Jia had warned him about. Built from the remnants of the Rough Rhinos following the war, if her information was correct.

The seventh man stood out to Zuko as he observed him from high above. His armor was similar to that of the other six men, but with inlays of gold instead of red. Likely their captain, if Zuko had to guess. The captain's helmet was clipped to his belt, revealing his face to the entire courtroom. His ink-black hair was tied up in a neat topknot, and his onyx eyes studied the courtiers carefully, searching for any possible threats. Even beneath the man's jet-black goatee, Zuko could see the signature scowl of a military man as he took in all the details of the room, yet he never looked up. Zuko felt his lips twitch into a smirk as the man seemed satisfied and stepped aside for the eighth man to come through. It seemed no one had thought to hide in these rafters before, or they had never been caught.

As the Sun Guard's Captain stepped aside, Zuko finally got a look at the man he had been searching for. It could only be Sunjin, he was dressed in robes fitting of a Firelord. The flowing folds of red silk and large shoulder pauldrons with inlaid gold and silver signaled his status as Firelord, or at the very least high noble, clear as day. However, Zuko couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed at what the man looked like. Sunjin was not a tall man, nor a particularly powerful-looking one. He was of what seemed to be an average height, perhaps a little taller if he fixed the slouch that arched his back. His hair was beginning to gray, as well as recede, giving his topknot a thin-looking appearance along with the man's wispy mustache that fell off his upper lip and hung free in the air. His physique itself was hidden beneath the many robes of a Firelord, but Zuko had a feeling that the man was not powerfully built. Certainly not like Ozai, Zhao, or even himself. Still, it gave the Fire Prince an air of caution. Something had kept him in power for this long, and if it wasn't his raw strength, Zuko suspected that it was likely his mind. A dangerous mind was not to be underestimated.

The warlord made his way to his throne without a word, before easing into the chair. Then, with a smirk like snake oil, the braziers in the courtroom erupted to life, bathing the chamber in an orange glow and masking Sunjin from the courtier's direct line of sight. Crouching down, Zuko sighed. It truly was a pale imitation of Caldera's throne room. The fires burned, but not as bright as Ozai's or Azulon's had. They certainly lacked the sinister blue glow that Zuko was sure Azula's had the few times she had held court.

Memories of lightning arcing through the air caused a shiver to run through Zuko's body, despite the rising heat of the courtroom. His chest ached idly. A phantom pain, it would pass. He knew it would.

"Firelord Sunjin calls this court to order," the Captain called out, taking his place next to Sunjin's throne as the six other guards formed a box around the throne itself. Zuko resisted the urge to sneer. Firelords didn't need bodyguards next to their thrones. The room itself was their weapon. Lingering by the doors? Acceptable, for the Firelord needed to focus on the matters inside his chambers, not outside it.

If those guards outside of Ozai's war chamber had done their jobs properly, then things would have gone very differently.

"Lord Yuan," Sunjin called out, his oily smooth voice already grating to Zuko's ears. "Do you have the report on crop yields from across my isles?"

In the gallery, a man rose but kept his head bowed. Zuko fought the urge to snort. Of course, if you couldn't hide your visage with the flames, then make sure that others weren't allowed to look at you. A sick mockery of Caldera's traditions.

The resurrected Fire Prince kept his gaze steady on Sunjin and his Captain of the Guard as the man recited the crop yields from across Sunjin's piece of the Fire Nation. Cocoa and dyes were up, citrus and tobacco had stagnated, and seemingly everything else had little to no change, but no dramatic drops. The warlord's face stayed seemingly impassive throughout the entire spiel, perfectly calm to any outsider, but Zuko had lived most of his life in court, then another five on the seas with his crew who spent the entire time trying to hide their resentment. Sunjin had an admirable poker face, but it wasn't enough. The man was annoyed at the stagnating rates of his exports, and angry at the products that had dipped in price. That, and he was looking for someone to blame.

Sunjin didn't say a word as the man finished his report, allowing the man to bow low before returning to his knees, head pressed against the floor as Sunjin pondered the man's words. For perhaps a minute, silence reigned in the throne room as Sunjin seemingly decided what to do with the new information.

"I see," Sunjin finally said, shattering the silence, before gesturing for the next of his ministers to give their report as well. And so that cycle continued, minister after minister, subject after subject, long-reigning silence from Sunjin after long-reigning silence. Economics, resources, prisoners, population centers, all of it was discussed. The war, however, was not discussed. There was no mention of any other warlord, troops, diplomacy, supplies, morale, planned offensives, or defenses. It seemed as if in Sunjin's throne room, there was no war. Despite it being clear to all present that a civil war still raged. The warlord's perfect little slice of Ba Sing Se, right here in the Fire Isles.

Standing from his crouched position, Zuko observed the man once again, this time more carefully than before. His mustache was long and wispy, seemingly impractical for firebending that required near-constant movement. The man's topknot was loose and would come undone in a fight. His robes were too loose and would be impractical should he be attacked, far more a hindrance than any ease of movement may have allowed. They all lined up to one conclusion in Zuko's mind. Sunjin did not fight, he allowed others to do his fighting for him. Most likely, his Sun Guard, who all stood at rapid attention. Their armor was tightly fastened, but not too tight as to restrict blood flow. They were all alert and actively scanning the room for threats (but never looking up, to Zuko's mild amusement). Judging by the Captain's appearance, Zuko would wager they all had clean and secure hairstyles and facial hair as well, nothing that could impede oneself in a fight. It was clear, Sunjin's power came from his Sun Guard.

Zuko turned on his feet, quietly, and began to make his way through the rafters towards his exit. He had gotten what he needed to know here. Sunjin's power came from his Sun Guard, his people didn't respect him, they were scared of him, he had an oily smile that reminded him of Zhao or even Bujing, and the man's influence came mostly from his extravagant wealth, which he refused to share with his people. Now all that was left was to probe the man's mind and see if he was dangerous with his mind, or if it really was just pure luck that his own Sun Guard hadn't overthrown him. The captain had looked mildly irritated during the entire meeting, perhaps there was something more there.

Not a soul noticed as Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, Blue Spirit no longer, slipped silently from the rafters, into the hallways, and then out a window back to the green hills of Shu Jing. Not a soul noticed as the Prince's feet carried him silently away from the Warlord's manor, and only the innkeeper noticed when Zuko made his way into the small keep and paid a silver for a night's rest. With a kind smile, the elderly woman led Zuko to his room and informed him about the time dinner would be served, in about an hour or so.

Zuko was asleep before he hit the pillow.

"Alright, we could just say he got eaten by a giant crocodile-whale! That's believable right?"

"Bolin, that's your third idea involving a crocodile-whale in the last half hour. How would a crocodile-whale even eat him, they're native to Fire Nation waters, not Republic City waters," Mako groaned, letting his head bang against the back of the booth that they had found themselves in. At least it was better than saying Zuko had turned into a dragon and flown to the Fire Nation capitol intent on covering the world in flames.

"They migrate, bro! During the summer and spring, they stay in Fire Nation waters but during the Winter and Fall they migrate down to Gaoling for warmer waters!"

"They migrate to waters closer to the South Pole for warmer waters?" Asami asked, raising an eyebrow as a smile threatened to dance across her lips, making Mako groan again. Why did she insist on entertaining Bolin's wild ideas? It was painfully obvious that Zuko had just hopped on a fishing boat and headed back to the Fire Nation, but Bolin insisted he was either still in Republic City or had gotten eaten by a widening variety of sea creatures. Salmon-Snakes, Shark-Squids, and now a Crocodile-Whale. What was next? The Ocean Spirit himself?

"Okay maybe not Gaoling," Bolin backtracked, "But somewhere! I heard that once from that professor dude who gives free lectures outside Bao's tea shop."

"Didn't he get arrested for embezzlement?" Asami asked, turning to Mako, who snorted and nodded.

"Not the most reliable source there, bro," Mako remarked with a grin, causing his brother to slump in his seat and poke at his noodles, while Pabu ran around his shoulders and nuzzled against his cheek in an attempt to cheer his friend up.

"Well, why am I the only one coming up with theories? What are we supposed to tell Korra? Sorry, you won't get the chance to apologize, Zuko just disappeared into thin air?" Bolin asked, eyes darting from Asami to Mako, which might have been a little more intimidating if Pabu wasn't sitting on top of his head and doing the same motion.

Mako rolled his eyes before giving his brother a look. "We tell Korra the truth. Zuko is nowhere in Republic City, hasn't been for days now. You should know, Bolin, you're the one who kept looking for him even after Asami and I gave up. We tell her that Zuko most likely hitched a ride on a fishing boat or a ferry to the Fire Nation to see what was really going down there for himself."

"Ugh, but that's so boring," Bolin moaned, now banging his head against the back of the booth as his brother had moments prior. "There's no plot, no action, no dramatic twist to it!"

"I think being in all those movers has started to rub off on you, Bolin," Asami giggled, reaching over and ruffling Pabu's fur, causing the fire-ferret to try to nuzzle his head further into Asami's hand. Bolin, however, bristled at the remark.

"What do you mean? I am a perfectly rational person with a perfectly rational understanding of the world! That's how I know all of my ideas make perfect sense!" Bolin protested, throwing an arm over his eyes and he leaned further back into the booth, causing Mako to laugh and Asami to giggle at the action.

"Bolin? Perfectly rational? Is he on cactus juice?" Came a new voice, causing all three pairs of eyes to turn to face it. There, standing with a tired smile, was Korra.

"Right on time," Mako told her before gesturing for her to sit down. "Bolin was regaling us with his wild theories about our missing Fire Prince, I think you'll like his newest one."

"Crocodile-Whales!" Bolin yelled out before Korra even got the chance to ask any questions. "They think I'm nuts but I'm telling you, eaten by crocodile-whales."

Korra let out an audible snort as she sat down before rubbing her temples with her hands, giving Mako a moment to look his friend up and down. To be perfectly honest, it was clear that she had seen better days. There were bags under her eyes, her hair was messy and she looked like she was about to fall over at any moment.

"Bolin, no offense, but I highly doubt that Zuko got eaten by a crocodile-whale," She told him before turning to face Mako. "Any leads?"

Mako could only shrug. "Not much. We know he stormed off into the Fire Nation section of the city after the council meeting, but from there it's pretty much guesswork. We had one guy speak to us who said it looked like Zuko was heading to the docks, but there's no guarantee to know if he was telling the truth or not. We didn't see anything when we rushed to the docks to check it out. I guess Zuko could just be blending in among the other Fire people in the Fire Nation districts, but I doubt it. Most likely, he stormed off, hopped on a boat, and rode it right back to the Fire Nation. Probably straight to Shu Jing, Jang Hui, or maybe even Ember Island, but there's no solid way to tell."

"So he's in the Fire Nation?" Korra asked, her dark skin going a few shades paler at the idea of Zuko barging into what was basically an active warzone.

"As I said, that's my guess," Mako told her. "There's no one hundred percent sure way to know where he is unless he pops up in tomorrow's paper or sends us a telegram himself. He could be in the Fire Nation, Ba Sing Se, Agna Qe'la, or even one of the Air Temples. If he hopped on a boat, there's no real good way to know, and the people of the Fire District are touchy when you ask questions about Zuko."

"Why?" Korra asked, raising an eyebrow. Mako let out a long sigh and ran a hand down his face.

"Because most of them aren't here by choice, and resent most of the other nations for that. They had to flee the Fire Nation because of the Civil War and Republic City is the closest place other than an Air Temple, and you know how they are about outsiders coming in and not conforming to their ways," Mako told her, making Korra wince slightly at the statement. The Air Acolytes were notoriously prickly about those who came to the temples not following their ways, and no one had any room to tell them off for it. Their people had been quite literally wiped out until Avatar Aang and Tenzin rebuilt them from nothing.

"Most of them don't complain too much or raise too much of a fuss for the police to handle, but a large portion of them want to be able to go home. A large portion of that group who wants to go home see Zuko as the way to do it." Mako continued, drumming his fingers on the table as he glanced around the restaurant as if to see if someone was eavesdropping on them. "So when a Republic City detective comes knocking and starts asking questions about Zuko, they clamp up tighter than an anaconda-clam."

"But we don't want to arrest Zuko, I want to apologize and help him if I can," Korra protested, getting a dry smile from Mako in return.

"Korra, every warlord who's come to power over the last sixty years or so, has made the promise that they want to help the Fire Nation and its people. That they have no ill intentions and will act for the best of their nation. The Fire people here don't trust words much anymore, because they can't. Dozens of empty promises from their warlords, hundreds or thousands of them getting scammed by cons who take advantage of how brutally honest the Fire Nation usually is. Then, forcing them to make their own districts because they just don't fit in with the Earthbenders and Waterbenders. They're lost, hurting and just want to go home. They see Zuko as that ticket home and will do nearly anything to protect that ticket."

"So he has a growing army of fanatics right here in the city?" Asami asked with a frown, causing Mako to scrunch his face before shaking his head slowly.

"I highly doubt they'd do anything violent for him, at least right now. That'd make him no different than any of the other warlords that came before him in their eyes. But if I'm right, and he's in the Fire Nation, all Zuko needs is some sort of large victory in their eyes, and I would expect to see them flock to him in droves," Mako answered, his eyes unfocusing as he got lost in thought, still drumming his fingers on the table.

"But still, he'd need to overthrow one of the warlords or get them to submit to him for that to happen or kill a dragon or something. Guy's a powerful firebender, but he's still just one firebender. The chances of that happening are slim to none," Mako finished, breaking out of his thoughts and turning to Korra, who had a frown seemingly carved into her lips.

"Didn't Iroh outlaw dragon hunts?" Asami asked, quirking an eyebrow and getting a nod from Mako.

"One of the first things Firelord Iroh did was outlaw dragon hunts, yeah. I think he said they were barbaric and sacrilegious, but that was like sixty-five years ago and before the civil war, things have changed. I think Naro offered a lordship and position as general to whoever could bring him the head of a dragon and Matahiko claims to have killed one herself."

"I see Mom's rants have still rubbed off on you," Bolin teased, nudging Mako with his elbow, causing Mako to snort and give Bolin a shove in return, a grin threatening to make its way onto his lips. Soon enough, the two brothers were grappling in the booth and Asami had her head in her hands, trying to pretend that she didn't know them.

Korra, however, was lost in thought. Zuko was gone, like a puff of smoke into the sky. They had no clear leads on where he might have gone, just a few guesses. She couldn't exactly run off on a few guesses when the spirit vines all around Republic City were becoming more and more of a problem for the residents of the city. Raiko had been hounding her about it constantly, citing that since it was her battle with Vaatunalaq that caused this problem, she needed to fix it. Pointing out that if she hadn't fought the twisted amalgamation of man and dark spirit the world would have ended didn't seem to help her case much either.

Her brooding had drawn the attention of the others at the table it seemed. A poke to her forehead snapped Korra out of her thoughts and brought her back to reality, giving her a face full of a grinning Bolin leaning across the table, with Mako and Asami now both having their faces in their hands.

"Cheer up, Korra. He'll turn up at some point, and didn't Mako tell you to give Zuko some time to cool off? It's been like four days. He's probably punching a tree somewhere to vent his anger right now anyways."

"I highly doubt he's punching a tree," Mako drawled dryly. "But Bolin does have a point. Give him more time to cool off. Zuko, knowing his track record from what we've been told, is probably venting his anger in an unexpectedly helpful way right now. He'll show up eventually, the resurrected Prince of the Fire Nation is a title that's pretty hard to hide."

Korra sighed heavily, collapsing against the booth and rolling her head up, staring at the ceiling, lost. "What am I supposed to do in the meantime? I can't just sit around and wait for Zuko to cool off before trying to make things right. It doesn't feel right," She groaned, closing her eyes and rubbing her face with her hands.

For a moment, the table was silent. Perfect, Korra thought. Just perfect, I really am going to have to sit around and do nothing until Zuko pops up again and I can apologize.

"You could talk to the Council Members," Asami finally said, breaking the silence and gaining the attention of everyone at the table, causing her to blink a few times before realizing they were all waiting for her to continue. "I mean, not all of them. The Northern Water Tribe guys, from what I gathered, would be no help at all, but that Kuvira lady you mentioned? Wasn't she mostly on Zuko's side? Your mom as well, you said was horrified when she found out what the world was doing to the Fire Nation. You could reach out to them, they might be willing to help you try to fix this whole mess."

Korra let out a small, miserable groan and slid further down into the booth until just her head was popping up over the table. "How am I going to speak to either of them? Mom already left for the South Pole and Captain Kuvira headed back to Zaofu before the meeting even ended. I don't think that is a conversation that should be had over letters."

"Then we find time to make a trip to either the South Pole or Zaofu," Mako injected calmly. "No giant spirit monsters are trying to destroy Republic City and no power-crazed bloodbenders are trying to erase bending from the world anymore, as far as I know. Ask Tenzin for help getting to either one, maybe both. Wasn't he upset with how things were playing out too?"

Tenzin had, admittedly, been resigned and less than enthused at how the situation in the Fire Nation was playing out, Korra recalled. It had been clear that the Airbending Master did not approve of how the situation was being handled, but politics and international relations were binding his hands from doing anything to help the suffering nation.

How would her past lives handle this situation? Kyoshi would… well Kyoshi would probably fly in fans blazing and knock heads together until everyone at least pretended to get along. Korra wasn't quite sure how that would help in this situation. Kuruk, from what she had read, was more of a go with the flow Avatar. He would try to help, but not get involved too heavily in what was sure to be an intricate mess of politicals, cultural divides, and religious holy wars. Roku would… to be honest Korra had no clue how Roku would handle this. Either with blood and fire, since it was his homeland and he would never have stood to see it tear itself apart, or do what he thought was right, but ultimately ended up being a half measure.

Korra had no desire to think about how Aang would have handled this situation. Sixty years of bloodshed told her exactly how Aang had handled this situation. Pretending that the conflict didn't exist because the very mention of anything Fire Nation would make Katara sad, and Airbenders avoided problems like that.

Letting out another long sigh, Korra dropped her head onto the table with enough force to shake the steady piece of furniture. "I can't leave for the South Pole or Zaofu," Korra admitted, hating the truth she was speaking. "The spirit vine problem is getting worse. Raiko needs me to figure out a way to fix it or hundreds of people are going to lose their homes. I can't just go flying off to learn metalbending or visit home, much less to fix one of my screw-ups when another one is slowly taking over the city."

"The spirit vine problem is hardly your fault," Asami stated, frowning at the thought of Korra blaming herself for it.

"It kinda is," Korra mumbled into the table. "I'm the one who let Unalaq have complete spiritual control over the South Pole. I opened the Southern Spirit Portal for him which allowed Vaatu to merge with Unalaq, and they went on a rampage through the city. I'm stuck in Republic City until we find some sort of solution to the problem."

The Avatar lifted her head slightly only to bang it back down onto the table. "This is a mess," Korra groaned.

This was probably a terrible idea. Zuko knew it, anyone he could have told would probably agree, and the Fire Prince was sure that even the spirits were laughing at him right now, but it was the best idea he had, so he was going to roll with it.

Hoisting his small pack of belongings (mostly food he had bought from the inn), Zuko trudged up the pathway to Sunjin's manor with a sense of purpose in his step. He had seen how the warlord had treated his subjects and noblemen, the only thing left to test was how the man treated royalty. It might have helped if the small voice in the back of his mind would shut up about how bad of an idea this was and that if Iroh were here he would either yell at Zuko as he had beneath Ba Sing Se or spike his tea with a sleeping drug so Zuko couldn't go through with this plan.

In the end, it was still the only plan that he had.

"Halt!" the booming voice of a guard rang out across the fields in front of the manor. Sighing, Zuko stopped moving forward gave the man an unimpressed glance. No one on the island had recognized him so far, he doubted this one random guard would. Hopefully, he would get fewer spears pressed against his throat this time. That had been less than pleasant. Zuko doubted it though.

"State your business with Firelord Sunjin and his court!" came another voice, this time from the left of the first voice.

Zuko allowed his eyes to roam over the walls of Piandao's old home, taking in the sights that he had avoided the last time he was here. Archers lined the top of the walls, with a half dozen guards standing in front of the gatehouse. None of them wore the armor of the Sun Guard that Zuko had seen in the courtroom. Instead, they wore plain, red armor with black inlays across the metal. Yeah, because normal guards had been such a pain for royalty in the past, but Zuko digressed. They didn't know his true identity yet anyways.

"I am Zuko, son of Ursa and Firelord Ozai!" Zuko called out, his voice booming across the courtyard as he strode forward. His words caught the guards off guard, a few of them fumbling with their weapons as they stared in shock at the young man making such a bold proclamation while striding forward, uncaring of their numbers and arms. "Returned from the Spirit World, and honor-bound to discover what has become of my country in my absence!"

"Liar!" One of the guards called out, tightening his grip on his spear and lowering it to oppose Zuko should he come to close. Not that Zuko cared. He had snapped dozens of spears in his search for the Avatar. Zuko was pretty sure he even snapped Sokka's spear in two when they first met. Ah, memories.

"To claim that a man descended directly from Agni's holy bloodline would lower himself so low as to lie, to abandon his honor, is blasphemous and heretical," Zuko growled, now a mere few paces from the gate guards and advancing steadily, right until he stood perhaps a foot from the edge of the man's spear. "Look into my eyes and think carefully about whether or not you wish to continue with that line of thought."

The guard who had called him a liar grimaced and tightened his grip on his spear, not budging an inch. Silently, Zuko had to commend the guard. Back in his day, that would have gotten most guards to fold instantly. Either Sunjin trained his guards well (most likely the Sun Guard's doing if Zuko had to guess), or claiming to be a descendant of Sozin's Line meant far less than it used to be. Zuko suspected both.

"Those of Sozin's Line are blessed with the most powerful firebending in the world, a symbol of Agni's blessing upon their bloodline," another guard answered, far more calmly. Ah good, someone still knew their religion and history. "Before we even begin to consider your words as possibly true, we would require a demonstration to prove your words may have a kernel of truth to them."

The second the words had left the man's mouth, Zuko spun on his heel and punched his fist up into the air. The fire roared as a jet of incendiary leaped from his fist, climbing high into the sky before fizzling out far above the roof of Piandao's old estate. Without a word, Zuko turned to face the guards, a thoroughly unimpressed look upon his face. Uneasiness had begun to spread through their ranks, good. Maybe he had even gotten the attention of some Sun Guard or even Sunjin himself with that little stunt.

"That proves nothing!" growled the first guard, still clutching his spear as if it was his lifeline. "Firelord Sunjin and many of the Sun Guard can accomplish that exact feat."

Zuko scowled, and exhaled heavily, allowing a small tuft of flames to leap from his lips as he exhaled, startling the guards. Inwardly, he smirked. The breath of fire was a rare technique even in his time, with only Zuko and Iroh knowing the technique, and perhaps Ozai and Azula. He had never actually asked the family members who had tried to kill him on multiple occasions. "What technique would you have me demonstrate then?" Zuko asked, unimpressed with the guard's bravado. It had been amusing at first but was rapidly growing on his nerves.

"Generate lightning!" One of the archers from the wall called out, causing the first guard to nod his head in approval.

"The strongest of Sozin's Line could make the storms themselves leap from their fingertips, as a symbol of our superiority over the Water Tribes. Bend the cold fire, and we will discuss your entry," the first guard shot back, even as his comrades around him began to look more and more uncomfortable with the subject at hand. Zuko knew why. Bolin had told him. Lightning bending was an all but extinct art now, which was problematic because he had never particularly mastered that art. Too much conflict inside him, Iroh had said.

Also, that Firebending superiority complex was still kicking around seventy years after Zuko gave his own life to stop it. That might be a problem, but there was a more important problem to deal with at the moment.

Could he do generate lightning now? Zuko didn't know. He certainly didn't feel conflicted about his destiny anymore. It had been to restore balance to the world, and it was still that, just in a different way. However, he wasn't quite sure on how to end the Fire Nation's civil war. Outright claiming himself Firelord might make things worse than they were before.

"I would be very careful with demanding things of your Prince," Zuko growled lowly, but the guard was not dissuaded.

"Or what? We have you outnumbered six to one! Bend lightning, or be deemed an imposter!" The man snarled, somehow tightening his grip on his spear further. Idly, Zuko wondered if the man was going to snap his spear for Zuko.

This was not going how Zuko had planned, but when did anything?

"What's going on out here?" A calm, collected voice rang out, echoing throughout the gatehouse as a man stepped forth. Zuko recognized him instantly, it was the Captain of the Sun Guard he had seen in the throne room. His helmet was still clipped to his belt, displaying the man's annoyance for all to see, even if it was partially hidden behind his goatee.

"Captain Ujio!" The guard spoke, his voice was tighter than had been a moment ago. "Th-this imposter is claiming to be of Sozin's Line, but cannot generate lightning to prove his claims. We were dealing with this heresy just before you arrived."

"Plenty of Sozin's Line couldn't generate lightning," The man, now identified as Ujio, stated flatly as he all but pushed the guard aside to get a better look at Zuko. "There are no recorded instances of Firelord Azulon bending lightning yet he still triumphed over the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom in dozens of battles. Firelord Iroh never used his lightning until after his failed Siege of Ba Sing Se."

The man soon stood face to face with Zuko and looked him up and down, his scowl always present before he turned to address the men. "There is more than one way to tell if a man is of our extinct royal bloodline. He has the scar to match the supposedly resurrected Prince Zuko, but men have maimed themselves to assume identities before."
Was that really that common of a thing? Secretariat Gun said the same thing back in Republic City, right before revealing that his country was in a civil war. It had to be, otherwise, people wouldn't keep mentioning it, right?

"His bending is powerful, I could see it from the training grounds, but there have been powerful benders not of Sozin's Line before. Avatar Roku's firebending matched Firelord Sozin's."

Zuko had sinking feeling that he wasn't going to like how this monologue was going to end.

"But men, you have all forgotten one trait of Sozin's Line that cannot be faked, not without borderline sorcery," Captain Ujio drawled before jerking a thumb in Zuko's direction. "Look at his eyes, idiots. The man has golden eyes. A telltale sign of Sozin's Line."

Zuko almost sagged in relief as Ujio's unimpressed glare switched from Zuko to his men. Sure enough, the men present squinted and leaned forward, and saw what they had all missed. Golden eyes, splinters of the sun itself, glaring back at them, thoroughly unimpressed with their denial of his entry to Sunjin's estate.

Almost immediately, the men began to scramble out of Zuko's way, some bowing awkwardly while others tried to make themselves as invisible as possible, probably fearing Zuko's ire. The Fire Prince had to hold in a snort. They hadn't even bothered to look at his eyes when interrogating him. The number of times Zuko was sure his eyes would have gotten him killed in the Earth Kingdom was too high to count, but no one seemed to care about that fact anymore.

Captain Ujio let out an unimpressed sigh as he watched his men scramble out of their way before turning to face Zuko. "If you would like to follow me, Prince Zuko, it would be my honor to bring you to Firelord Sunjin. My history of our nation is not perfect, but I have a distinct feeling that you will want to meet him. It seems there are many matters that you two would need to discuss."

For the first time since stepping back into his homeland, Zuko felt a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Lead the way, Captain Ujio. It's refreshing to see some still remember their history," Zuko remarked, letting his gaze travel to the guard that had given him so much trouble over trying to meet Sunjin in person. The man let out what seemed to be a cross between a squeak and whimper, making Zuko squash the vindictive feeling that stirred in his gut at the very sound. Zuko was not Azula and certainly not his father or Sozin. These were his people, misguided as they were. He would not punish them for doing their jobs. Zuko just hoped Sunjin felt the same way.

Captain Ujio offered what might have been a smile before stepping into Sunjin's estate, and for the first time in over seventy years, Zuko legally entered the grounds as well.

There was work to be done.

Well, that took a while, didn't it? Sorry for the wait, Thanksgiving threw me for a loop. On that note, this is probably the last chapter of 2021. I've got finals coming up and then the holidays, but hopefully, Chapter 12 will be up in early January.

So, progress! Zuko does some Blue Spirit-ing, Korra realizes that yeah apologizing isn't going to be easy, and Zuko gets hassled by some guards, then last-minute saved by Captain Ujio. Our favorite Fire Boy will meet his first Warlord face to face next chapter, and uh… he's not gonna be impressed.

Poll for the pairing is still up, so go and vote if you want to, just remember that any sort of pairing is like 25-30 chapters out at a minimum. Stopping a civil war does hold a bit more priority in Zuko's mind than dating, after all.

As per usual, feel free to let me know what you thought of the chapter. Liked it, hated it, felt nothing at all? All feedback is welcome. See you next time.