Golden dawn light filtered through the expansive green canopy of trees above the small group gathered to witness the agni kai. Iroh stood, along with a group of soldiers, as his brother and his son stepped to either side of the clearing and knelt, facing away from each other. As was customary, each wore the traditional agni kai cape about their shoulders which, when they stood, would drop to the ground.
Once more Iroh glanced around the small group, looking for Zuko. The young prince had been adamant about not being able to watch his cousin and his father duel, but Iroh still held hope that Zuko would change his mind. Suddenly, however, the agni kai was set in motion. A small gong was struck, and Ozai and Zahani slowly stood and faced each other.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Ozai asked, a condescending, disdainful tone in his voice.
"I am ready, my lord," Zahani replied, a calm control in his voice and body language that made Iroh's heart swell with pride despite the fear he felt for his son. After that, there was no more time for words.
Ozai struck with brutal force, but Iroh taught Zahani how to defend first and foremost. Zahani was compact, agile, and quick and he used all these strengths to their best advantage in every battle. For several long minutes, though it seemed like hours to Iroh, the battle went on and everyone watching was still and silent, as if in a trance. Then, although it was almost imperceptible, the smallest of openings was left in Ozai's defense. Whether it was his training, his youth, or simply dumb luck would be debated for a long time, but Zahani took advantage of Ozai's momentary lapse.
In the agni kai, once the victor has the kill point, it is up to him or her to decide if their opponent lives or dies. As Zahani stood over Ozai, the silence was so complete that every person there could hear their own heartbeat. Zahani took a small step back and extended a helping hand towards Ozai. The fire lord, however, ignored it and stood up savagely, his eyes blazing with rage. Zahani, as tradition dictated, bowed to Ozai but Ozai merely turned on his heel and made his way through the small group silently.
As Iroh watched his brother walk away he felt a chill crawl up his spine, though he could not explain, even to himself, why. He quickly pushed his anxiety aside, however, as his son was making his way towards him. As he embraced Zahani, however, he could not banish from his mind the look in his brother's eyes.
Author's note: OK, I know I'm no good at the battle scenes….sigh
More to come soon….