Chapter 30

Nothing was going right. His disappointment of a son was dead. The last Avatar was dead as well and likely still rotting at the bottom of a canyon. Iroh, his infuriating brother, was in hiding and at the moment inactive. Everything should have been going his way. Yet still he found nothing but frustration at every turn.

His nightmares had lessened in frequency but his sleep was still less than restful. Zuko continued to haunt his mind, though on occasion there were others he could not name as well. Most nights he needed medicinal aids to sleep at all. The continued insomnia was doing nothing to help his mood when he received bad news.

When they'd had word from the ships he had sent south that the entire tribe had fled, he'd immediately flown into a rage. The man who'd had the misfortune of bringing him the message had taken the brunt of that fury. Now down a manservant, Ozai spent that night desperately trying to meditate. He needed a clear mind to discern his next course of action.

They had decided to send the entirety of his fleet North. If they could not round up the Southern water tribe, they would decimate their Northern cousins. Any pregnant women would be rounded up and the rest of them could go the way of the Air Nomads. Little more than a month after the last of them were due to arrive in the northern sea, they had sent word of their retreat. This time he had been given the news with his whole council present. The peons were learning. Evidently the northerners had been prepared. Their defences were impeneratable and the season was against them. Waiting until summer was their only choice and even then it would likely be fruitless. The commanding officers were lucky they were still at sea.

After that disaster there had been some good news. His new wife had confirmed her pregnancy. The child would be born at midsummer; a more auspicious birthday for the next Fire Lord he could not have chosen. Lei had strutted about the palace, irritatingly euphoric over that achievement for days. As if it was difficult for any whore to get with child. The poor wretch hadn't come out of her room since he had put her in her place. While she may have been the Fire Lady and the mother of his next child, he would not tolerate her getting any ideas of grandeur. He was Lord here and no one else.

As he stood in his study, watching the comings and goings of his household from the window, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

The man who had disturbed him was called Wei Len, one of the spies he had sent to infiltrate Ba Sing Se and a surviving member of the Dai Li. Wei Len still wore travel stained Earth Kingdom robes and his face was unshaven. Clearly he had only just arrived. Ozai fought to contain his anger, this man was supposed to be in Ba Sing Se attempting to undermine his brother and find the next avatar. What was he doing back here? Wei Len dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

"Fire Lord Ozai, I bring word from the Earth Kingdom."

Ozai inhaled deeply though his nose before exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"I hope for your sake this news is important enough for you to have left your post. I sent you to Ba Sing Se as a long term spy yet here you kneel before me. Why?"

Wei Len risked a glance up at him before dropping his eyes again.

"My Lord, we have successfully infiltrated the city using the secret Dai Li tunnels as we had hoped. We have spread out in the city in search of those refugees who may be from the Southern water tribe. The last count before I was sent here was nearly 150 individuals possibly connected with the tribe." Clenching and unclenching his fists in an effort to restrain his desire to kill the man, the Fire Lord pointed out how very unimpressive such basic information was. "Yes my Lord, but that is not the reason we chose to send word. There is one water tribe woman in particular that one of our number recognized as a former companion of Avatar Aang. She is frequently seen with your brother, as well as others we know to have been with the Avatar when he was in Ba Sing Se. This woman, Katara is her name, is pregnant my Lord. We have been unable to determine the father as yet but we suspect a brief romance with one of the warriors of her tribe. I do not know how much you understand of the southern water tribes culture Fire Lord Ozai, but they are much more lax about sexual relations and partners than their northern cousins. Either way she is the right nationality and of the most likely tribe to produce the next Avatar. We think, given with the amount of time she spends with your brother…"

Ozai interrupted as what the man was trying to say clicked in his mind.

"You believe this girl to be carrying the Avatar."

Letting the man kneel in silence, Ozai contemplated this extraordinary news. It made perfect sense. The spirits were so nauseatingly predictable in their patterns. Thanks to the distasteful way the southern women conducted themselves, the thrice damned spirits had been given a perfectly obvious opportunity. Iroh, tea logged fool though he was, would surely come to the same conclusion. That would account for his spending so much time with the girl.

Azula suddenly came to his mind. Could this be the girl that had helped his son defeat her? How many water tribe women could have been involved with the Avatar? If this was the bitch that had helped to murder his daughter, Ozai very much wanted her dead. It would have to wait however. Doing so now would only send the Avatar to spirits knew where in the Earth kingdom and he would never find them. Besides, they would only have one chance to act openly in Ba Sing Se and kidnapping the next Avatar was more important than personal vendettas.

Ozai swore and turned back to the kneeling man.

"Why did you come all this way to tell me this. Surely this could have been sent via hawk or some trusted messenger?"

Wei Len raised his eyes again.

"My Lord, our communication lines have been compromised. While we were able to gain entrance to the city with relative ease, sending information out has proven more difficult." He shifted nervously where he knelt on the hard stone floor. "Your brother and his organization have given orders to seize any hawk flying over Lotus controlled territory. They have agents throughout the contested areas and the colonies as well. For now, the best way to ensure the information is not intercepted is to send a man with the message. It will be slower this way and we will not be able to send news as often as we had hoped, but at present there is not much to be done. As you have instructed, the secrecy of our mission is paramount."

Damn Iroh! Damn that old fool and his ridiculous organization of equally foolish old men. Not being able to communicate with his spies regularly was going to make this whole operation all the much more difficult. Ozai reached down and grabbed the man by the front of his tunic and hauled him to his feet. His face inches from Wei Len's, he growled out his new orders.

"You listen to me. Get back to Ba Sing Se and stay there do you understand? You all have your objectives. Continue to keep track of my brother's movements. If we are correct in assuming the identity of this child you can bet he will be heavily involved. It should go without saying that you are to keep watch over this Katara as well. Besides likely carrying the Avatar, I believe she may have had a hand in my daughters death. Do not do anything to be noticed, nor will you make any moves unless absolutely certain. I do not think they will be able to confirm the child's identity until some time after it is born. Wait until then. Do you understand? I do not want to see any of you back here again without this baby. Do you hear me? I won't risk this going wrong. Do. Not. Come. Back. Not for anything, without that baby." He dropped the other man back to his feet and watched, sneering, as he bowed deeply and fled the room.

Ozai spun towards his window again, the scent of crisp winter air filling his senses as he gripped the ledge. He knew it was possible they could be wrong and the correct child was still in the north, but he found that unlikely. According the histories he had read, the last Water Tribe Avatar had come from the north. For both the Air Nomads and the Water tribes, the Avatar spirit seemed to cycle between clans. Yes, as long as everyone from the Southern tribe had made it to the Earth Kingdom stronghold, his target would be there. How did the Water tribes discern the Avatar? Any such information was purged from the Fire Nation libraries decades ago. How long would it take for his spies to confirm the identity and abscond with the child?

As he watched a clandestine meeting between two young servants down in the courtyard from his window vantage, he considered what he should do next. There was nothing more he could do about the activities in Ba Sing Se but wait, and his campaign in the north had been effectively thwarted. He glowered down at the two lovers and spun away from the window. Perhaps a word with the steward was in order.

Striding over to his desk, Ozai shuffled through the litter of papers until he found what he wanted. A financial proposal he'd asked to be put together regarding the construction of a new air fleet. With the water tribes effectively out of reach, his new wife pregnant and his firstborn dead, that left the Earth Kingdom. If he wanted to try another push, he'd need another air fleet. It would take longer this time. Proper taxation would take time. Also, he would have to wage his campaign on his own strength alone. There was no comet to embolden him. It would take nearly two years to be ready. As he read a tax proposal, another knock disrupted his thoughts.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, he bade whomever it was enter.

He was surprised to see Lei kneeling before him. The kiss of bruise along her delicate cheek may have been fading, but he was pleased to see her new found humility still firmly in check. Her lashes shaded her brown eyes as she kept her gaze lowered, waiting to be addressed to speak.

"My Lady, what has brought you to me this evening?"

Lei chanced a glance at his face before opening her mouth. Ozai noted her parfum as she inched nearer, jasmine and fire lilies, so utterly common. Her hand resting cautiously on his knee, she explained why she had come.

"My Lord, I beg your forgiveness. I see now how my exuberance at learning I was carrying your son and the prince was unbecoming of my new station. You must know how utterly devoted to you and the Fire Nation I am." She cast her eyes downwards again and placed a deceptively delicate hand over her stomach. "Please my Lord and husband, forgive my arrogance. I live only to serve my country and my Fire Lord."

The hand that she'd so gingerly placed on his knee grew subtly warmer as it slid up his thigh towards his belt. He observed her with a raised brow and thought briefly of casting her out again. Feeling her warm, smooth hand on his cock as she pulled it free of his pants made him reconsider at once however. She was right after all. Lei was unwaveringly devoted to him both as her Sovereign and husband, it was her duty to serve him. Perhaps he should be more lenient.

Nearly all thoughts fled his mind though as her lips sank down around him. Yes. She must do her duty.

A/N Thank you so much to everyone that's still with me. I have so enjoyed writing this story. We have 4 chapters left of this first arc before we change it up completely. I am so excited for what's in store!I wanted to apologize for the last few chapters. I can not figure out the formatting on FFN at all. Every time I upload chapters, my page breaks disappear and it gets jumbled. I am planning a full edit once I have finished it so maybe I'll fix it one day.