A/N: Howdy All! I have been struggling this week with writing. I had a surprise car accident that has thrown me off more than I care to admit, but write I must. We are truly moving into the next major portion of the story and we are getting closer to finding out who is behind all the subversion to Ozai's rule which is already hanging on by the thread of Damocles's sword. Intrigue! Action! Betrayal! Love triangles? Read now to find out more! Drop a line in the comments if you have questions or just wanna let me know how I'm doing. I'm enjoying this story so much and I hope I do it justice to the headcanon. Happy Reading!
Disclaimer: War is hell and for some its just business, but it's not the customers who feel the pain...
Chapter 22: Let There Be Peace on Earth...
The time had come for the Kings of Earth to arrive. Ozai kept finding strange and time-consuming tasks for Sokka to do throughout the week which also effectively kept him away from Zuko. Sokka would be a part of the treaty meetings to observe and give feedback when asked, but you wouldn't think so with the way Sokka was being sent hither and thither.
Zuko suspected her father's spies were getting better at hiding and cloaking their heat signatures from her and reporting back to her father more frequently. It was nearly impossible for her to see Sokka now even in passing as he spent long hours back and forth between the colony of Yu Dao and in the Law Library here in the Caldera.
Sokka did manage to sneak in an occasional note to her by one of his friends who understood his plight and pitied him. Kiko or Muta was kind enough to read the letters to Zuko under the cover of night. Sokka was doing such mundane and senseless tasks that it was obvious to her what her father was trying to do.
Zuko struggled to fight back the feelings of hopelessness creeping into her thoughts. Had her father heard about their conversation that day in the arena? She dared not think about the possibilities of what her father was planning to do if he found out what they realized.
Though she didn't intend to, Zuko found herself avoiding her cousin Lu Ten and her Uncle Iroh to keep from running into Lu Ten who would undoubtedly be with him. Was her cousin aware of her father's intentions for him? For them? She wasn't sure and she honestly didn't want to find out. Knowing the truth would make the situation too real.
It seemed Ozai was keeping her uncle and cousin busy too, so hiding from them wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, but life always has a way of interrupting one's plans as Zuko would soon discover. It seemed the coup that was well underway had returned to the shadows for the time being. No one dared give rise to any suspicion of their involvement and went along with the preparations for the diplomatic visit between the kings.
Ozai expressed a deep distrust of his own council and even his own personally vetted guards and hired a special regiment of guards that he had vetted by the young, blind, master earth bender who had a keen sense of knowing whether someone was telling the truth or had something to hide. Unbeknownst to Ozai, each person she chose was a member of the New White Lotus who was sworn by their life or death to protect the royal family.
Ozai allowed Toph, Iroh, and Lu Ten to select his security detail and assigned each one of them for the kings, himself, and the meetings that would take place for the next few weeks if all went well.
It was needless to say that this was perhaps the most important meeting of their time since the meeting to end the Great war and create the original international treaty. This gathering would determine the continued fate of the world.
King Bumi of Omashu arrived first out of the procession of Kings. The wild white-haired and somewhat unstable king of the once captured, then retaken city cackled as he shook the Fire Lord's hand. "It's going to be a real doozie of a week, don't you think, Fire Lord?" He asked in an almost sing-songy voice that unsettled everyone who heard it.
His eye twitched slightly. It wasn't a threat, but an assurance that Bumi was well aware that the week held the potential for great danger for all involved. Hopefully, no one would attempt to fulfill that prophecy.
Ozai's eyes widened in what could only be described as uncertain bewilderment as the first Earth king walked away and towards the rooms that had been designated for him and his entourage which included his strange and humongous rabbit amalgamation, Flopsy.
If anyone was planning to attack King Bumi, they were definitely doing it at their own risk. The Fire Lord too wondered what fresh hell had the potential to erupt and upend his life and kingdom this week.
Lesser-known kings and governors arrived from the surrounding cities and towns close to the colonies and the larger kingdoms of Omashu and Ba Sing Se. Cities like Gaoling desired to see a positive outcome from the talks in the hopes that their areas would also benefit from the dissolution of the colonies.
They wanted to restore the potential for trade with the Fire Nation once again. Many of the smaller city-kingdoms were agricultural or supplied many of the refined products the Fire Nation sought from the raw materials harvested in the colonies.
Restoring the colonies to the Earth kingdom would allow them to gather the raw materials they needed at a reasonable rate and to even the playing field for their individual economies.
At the end of the procession, Earth King Kuei arrived. True to form his bear Bosco was right by his side walking on all fours up the stairs but rose to his full height once they stood before Fire Lord.
"Greetings Lord Ozai, it is a great day for peace," Kuei said in his unexpectedly regal way. The bear gave a long grunt in what Ozai could only assume was greeting too.
"Greetings to you as well, Earth King Kuei, it is indeed a great day for peace, and greetings to Bosco... your companion," he added remembering what happened with his visit with the Avatar and his snafu with the Air Bison.
Slight snickers drifted around the kings but no one dared laugh openly. The fact that the meeting was happening at all was enough to regulate the natural inclinations from all present.
King Kuei, however, took it as a sign that the Fire Lord was indeed willing to come to peaceful resolutions and that the weeks would be fruitful for all. The kings were all invited once they settled to join the Fire Lord in his throne room and great hall to dine and mingle before the first round of talks.
Ozai requested all from his house to be present for the meeting which also included Zuko who was not thrilled to attend, to say the least. Fortunately, she had Muta, who had taken a small break from the gaang while she dealt with her morning sickness, there to assist Zuko with her makeup and to choose the perfect dress for the affair.
"Zuko, whatever you do, do NOT ruin this makeup. I don't know if I'll have the strength to re-do it if my son or daughter has any input on my status today. Just stay cool and take advantage of your servants, promise?" She asked more like a command and not a request.
Zuko couldn't help but laugh knowing that her friend never seems to know how to demure herself, but she didn't tease since Muta had really gone through it with her early pregnancy and she didn't want to give her a hard time.
"OK, I promise I will try to use the servants to assist me, I will not overexert myself, and I will NOT ruin this makeup or dress with tears, fights, or unfortunate and unforeseen events, if at all possible, so help me Agni, " she said holding up her right hand in solemn affirmation.
Muta laughed at her friend's antics and promised she would stay nearby and rest but not attend the meeting since she wasn't one-hundred percent over her bouts of nausea.
"Whoever coined what this is as morning sickness lost track of time and reality. This is not reserved for mornings, but any time of the day! Hopefully, when you and Sokka get it together you will understand what I mean." she teased.
Zuko chuckled uncomfortably. She hadn't told Muta about what had been going on and her father's plans for the Agni Sokushitsu. Zuko didn't want her friend to worry now in her condition, so she kept it to herself.
Muta noticed Zuko's shift in mood, but before she could ask her about it, servants appeared to escort the princess to the banquet. Zuko squeezed Muta's hand as if to reassure her that things were fine and hurried down the hall so that she wouldn't be late for her announcement at the banquet doors.
The servants marveled at how beautiful the princess looked as she walked and how her scar was barely noticeable because of the way Lady Muta applied her makeup. They wondered why she didn't wear makeup all the time if she could hide the scar but dared to only think it. It was the princess's prerogative to live her life as she saw fit. She earned that right.
Once Zuko arrived at the door she was just in time to hear her name announced as the doors opened. One of her guards escorted her into the banquet hall amid gasps and exclamations of how beautiful she looked. Ozai smirked knowing that his daughter employed the work of her dear friend Muta Osaka-Akane.
For a moment, Zuko looked normal and the Fire Lord felt proud to be her father. He gave a nod of respect to the princess for her efforts to not embarrass him. Bumi leaned over to the Avatar who was present for the meeting as an advisor.
"My, my! The princess Zuko is looking particularly lovely today, don't you think old friend?" he said suggestively. Aang blushed at his friend's insinuation and smirked to hide his smile.
"I thought we were avoiding creating any international incidents today Bumi," he said with a sigh. Bumi cackled.
"Well, what does that have to do with you and Zuko? I'm just pointing out the obvious: that she looks beautiful and you noticed," he said with a wicked glint. Aang shook his head as if Bumi just didn't understand.
"Her heart belongs to a particular Water Nation prince who happens to be in attendance as well today, so there's not much chance for me, but yes, she does look very lovely today..." he said his voice trailing off dreamily. The last thing Aang wanted was to create a rift between himself and any of his friends.
It was a well-established fact that Zuko and Sokka were an item regardless of the rumors abounding about the upcoming festival Ozai" was planning for his daughter. Many believed the festival was ceremonial and that Ozai wouldn't use such an outdated tradition to actually force his daughter to produce an heir for the nation.
However, Aang and Bumi both recall Sozin's origins and remember the stories of what happened to the House of Kasai when the rite of Agni Sokushitsu was invoked. Most of the great rebellions within the Kasai family occurred after a son or daughter of Agni was born.
There was very rarely a woman who participated in the sokushitsu matsuri by choice and not long after, the future mothers usually went insane or were wild cards in the political scheme of things mostly out of anger, abandonment, or deep revenge.
Aang didn't suspect that Zuko would behave in such a manner if she were to bear a child for the Fire Nation, but if the stories about previous Dowager Mothers were true, perhaps Ozai should delve a little more deeply into the history so that he won't repeat it, Aang thought to himself.
Once all guests were announced and seated for the meal Fire Lord spoke. "To my Esteemed guests and your families, I bid you welcome. It is a momentous occasion indeed that has brought us all together. Through tragedy and triumph, we have gathered today to once again work towards restoring peace and harmony between the nations." he began. Boisterous applause went out from the diplomatic guests.
When the noise died down he began again. "Your sacrifice to attend these meetings and to take courageous steps toward the future that is available to us has not gone unnoticed. It is my desire that we will all use this opportunity to strengthen international bonds through commerce, trade, and agreement. Please enjoy the meal that has been prepared for you."
Servants quickly entered as the crowd burst into applause again at the gracious speech of the Fire Lord. Some Earth Kingdom diplomats marveled in hushed tones at how Ozai seemed more open to talks and perhaps the humbling of his home had something to do with it.
Others wondered in suspicion when the other shoe would drop and a tragedy would befall them all.
As dishes were placed at each table, a servant would quickly taste the food to ensure that it was safe from impurities or other toxins that would surely create an international incident.
First, they went to the Fire Lord's table who had to eat before others could begin. His servants waited for a moment and when it seemed there were no ill effects from the food, the Fire Lord took the first morsel.
The servants went from table to table repeating the process until each table was served. When a servant began to taste the food at King Kuei's table the young man began to cough and choke immediately. He grabbed his throat gasping for air and wheezing from the effort. Soon he foamed at the mouth as his eyes rolled back in his head. The white froth poured from his lips as his skin turned pallid then blue.
Zuko heard the commotion and felt out to detect the poor fellow's heat signature. She couldn't hold on to it as it faded from dull orange to black. He collapsed to the floor dead where he stood.
Immediately the room went on high alert. Guards moved in to protect the high officials to escort them quickly out of the banquet hall to their preselected hiding places for safety. Iroh coordinated with the Fire Lord secretly as he had an inclination that someone would still try to sabotage the meetings and ruin the chance for peace.
Before anyone could leave the building, however, screams echoed in the hall at the appearance of masked assassins in black entering the side doors.
Immediately the guards sprung to action. Some of them had hidden in plain sight as servants and nobles and produced their weapons immediately to protect the kings and royal families from the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Lord and princesses.
One of the assailants was rapidly approaching Zuko who was being flanked by two looming guards with large swords. The assassin dodged the swords of the two guards moving with acrobatic accuracy and speed flipping between the two surprised men heading right for Zuko.
The black-clad warrior approached Zuko with two large knives in a play to slice her throat. Zuko felt the heat of the fighter and knew the attacker wasn't a bender but was obviously skilled in combat. She jumped back awkwardly in her dress narrowly escaping the two blades that swished in sync where her carotid artery would have been.
As Zuko jumped back she felt a small post behind her. It was a spear stuck into what she hoped was the ground. She reached behind her quickly and with a powerful swing blocked the next attack and with two more hits sent her would-be assassin falling backward into her guards who ended that person's mission with swift intention.
The guards marveled at how the princess was able to know what the attacker was about to do and how she managed to fight them off so easily. The stories they had heard about her couldn't have been as exaggerated as they previously believed. What they saw next made the men blush momentarily.
In a surprising and brave move, Zuko untied her sash and quickly stepped out of her top layers of skirts. She knew couldn't fight with all that lace and fluff around her waist. If she was getting out of this banquet alive, she would need every advantage. She whispered hurriedly to her guards,
"I need a sword, now!" One guard immediately grabbed a sword from one of the now-deceased assassins and handed it to the princess without delay. To their surprise, the princess didn't begin to run out of the building to safety but rather with eerie accuracy began to identify and fight the assassins approaching her and her friends.
King Bumi cackled as he encased one assassin in a stone box and sent it flying across the room into two other assassins trying to fight off King Kuei's guards. Before he could turn around, he heard a heavy "thunk" and groan as another assassin fell to the ground behind him. He looked back and smiled with appreciation.
"Thank you, princess Zuko! Looks like they chose the wrong day to—Hold on..." Bumi sent up a stone pillar with a screaming assassin on top high up towards the ceiling. Zuko chuckled at the unbothered earth-bending King who dealt with assassins as if they were toys.
"Anytime King Bumi, any idea on who's doing this?" she asked as they stood back-to-back waiting for the next attack. Bumi hummed. "No idea, but I have a feeling it's the other coalition that has been attempting a coup in both kingdoms," he said. Zuko huffed.
"So you've come to the same conclusion we have; this is definitely a combined effort," she said. She knew a conversation was in order with her uncle and the earthly kings.
On a venture, an assassin shot a dart across the room towards the princess. Before the dart could strike a powerful wind blew past her sending the dart scuttering across the floor and giving a tell-tale ping of metal on stone.
"You alright, Princess?" Aang asked anxiously as he dropped down beside her. Zuko stood in shock at the near strike and the fact that she couldn't see or hear the dart approaching. She shivered though she wasn't cold.
"I'm Ok, thanks to you Aang! Who is doing this? We've got to bring this skirmish to an end before the peace talks are completely ruined." she replied. Aang nodded and grabbed Zuko's hand to her surprise to give it a squeeze. "I'm on it..." he said.
As Aang stepped away from her, his eyes began to glow a brilliant electric blue. All the movement in the room stopped. Aang began to speak with the voices of many past incarnations as he floated to the center of the room. The multilayered voice sent a chill down every spine.
"Enough!" he shouted echoing beyond the constraints of the walls and into the depths of the nation. His voice sounded as if it was journeying from the realm of spirits.
Aang's energy caused the room to glow in the powerful blue light that enveloped him. He raised his arms in a simple air-bending form that created a small yet effective vortex that swirled in the center of the grandiose ballroom.
Assassins and patrons alike began trying to flee the room. Aang used the vortex to collect the remaining living assassins together. One by one the black-clad strangers were sucked inside the swirling mass of air and held together without being torn apart. Zuko could "see" the mass of heat created by the bodies Aang collected using his Avatar state.
It had been many years since anyone witnessed his awe-inspiring display of power. Many forgot that he was indeed the most powerful bender in the world and had the experience of hundreds of previous lives to back him up.
Aang allowed the vortex to remove the breathable air around the fighters slowly causing them to pass out from the lack of oxygen. In moments, he laid the pile of assassins in the middle of the floor for the guards to collect for questioning. As he took a meditative breath Aang slowly floated back down to the ground and his eyes returned to their normal stormy gray.
Ozai smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Avatar. I think it's time we get to the bottom of this now," he growled then turned to the men standing behind him.
"Guards, arrest the living assassins and restrain them. Place them in the prison for questioning. I believe we will have our answers tonight." Select guards moved quickly to do the Fire Lord's bidding, but as soon as the criminals were helped upright to walk to the prison, a high-pitched series of whistles went out and the assassins all dropped dead from poisonous darts sent from hands unseen.
Banquet attendees stood around bewildered and Ozai deflated. Whoever is planning this coup manages to always stay one step ahead of him. There was no way they would be able to find out anything about the attack now.
A niggling feeling in the back of his mind unsettled him greatly because he was afraid that perhaps the coup was being led by someone who knew him better than anyone else. The feeling of deep betrayal overwhelmed him momentarily. He wasn't sure how they could continue this meeting if he didn't know who to trust. Iroh placed his hand on his brother's shoulder gently.
"Fire Lord, I think it would be best for us to speak privately with the kings. It is no longer safe out in the open. Whoever is behind this is quite aware of our inner workings and I believe we have a mole that is closer than most to the situation." he said gravely.
Ozai looked at his brother intently. Would Iroh betray him like this? Did he not say these very words to himself only moments ago? No, he realized. Iroh does not so frivolously throw away human life even in battle and is much too intelligent to incriminate himself. He would not hire assassins to do a job he could do himself easily nor has he ever shown himself to be on anyone's side but the Fire Nation's. He would not sabotage efforts for peace.
"Indeed brother, I agree with your assessment. Let's implement the alternative protocol. Thank you for all you do. I mean that." Ozai said sincerely. Iroh raised an eyebrow in question but knew better than to ask his brother about his thoughts in the open. He would wait until they were alone to speak on it.