Iroh couldn't have been having a more peaceful morning. The Palace gardens were deserted, leaving him alone with the scent of blooming fire lilies and sounds of frolicking golden minnows, barely disturbing the surface of the central lake. Sun warmed his back, causing heat to course through his veins. He took a deep breath in, allowing the calming sense of power and security to flow through him. After a few days back at the Palace, he appreciated this moment of isolation. A squawk broke through the serenity as two turtleducks shot past him, racing towards the pond. Iroh chuckled as he watched the two birds crash landing into the cool waters. No sane person had ever claimed that turtleducks were graceful fliers. These two appeared to have the combined elegance of a komodo rhino as their ungainly wings splashed up water.
Iroh sighed. Lu Ten would have enjoyed this moment of peace. Unfortunately, his son would still be out on a campaign in the colonies for another few months. Iroh hadn't seen him since leaving the mission a few weeks ago, to return to the Palace for some impending logistics meetings. Iroh had been lucky. The war had not yet stolen the ease of his only son's laugh, nor the brightness in his eyes. Many had not been as lucky. He had seen the aftermath of the tragedies of war and it was one of the few things that brought terror to the general. The inevitably of loss or despair claiming some of Lu Ten's innocence and joy was a grave likelihood that grasped at Iroh's heart.
Generations had passed with no end in sight of the fighting and suffering that war brought to the lives of the Fire Nation citizens. His citizens. His people. Iroh sometimes wondered whether his grandfather ever could have suspected the length of time his bid for power would consume the world for. Perhaps Sozin had thought that a resolution of power would be achieved within a decade, maybe two. But this war had survived him and appeared to be closing in on surviving his son. Fire Lord Azulon was as ruthless and power hungry as he had been in his prime but his strength and wits were slowly, very slowly, starting to fail him. And then it would be Iroh's turn to attempt a resolution to the century long war. Conflict was a fickle being. Maybe the war would outlast Iroh himself.
That was not a thought to dwell on however. Azulon had called him back to the Palace for a series of war council meetings, specifically to determine the next few moves against the Earth Kingdom. The impenetrable stronghold of Ba Sing Se was still yet to be conquered but there had been growing success in more of the Earth Kingdom's colonies and a large scale strike against the capital was impending. Victory against Ba Sing Se would form a tipping point in the war that would certainly lead to a Fire Nation victory and end the suffering on both sides.
Further discussions were expected to be had on the outlying domain of the Northern Water Tribe. However, they posed less of an urgent problem for the war council. The Northern Water Tribe had refrained from becoming entrenched in the central conflict spreading across the Earth Kingdom, preferring to strengthen their own defensive position. Their sister tribe in the South had been rendered useless over the last century, with continued raids ravishing their resources and removing their fighters. And yet, the Northern Water Tribe had distanced themselves, remaining hidden behind the surrounding icy glaciers and gruelling conditions. The Fire Nation had not attempted to penetrate their arctic realm in more than half a century, prioritising the subjugation of the larger and advantageous position of the Earth Kingdom.
Bringing himself back to the moment, Iroh watched the turtleducks playing in the lake. The appreciation for the peace in front of him banished the thoughts of war from his mind. Even if only temporarily. The Crown Prince of the Fire Nation would be unable to keep those thoughts at bay for long.
Katara stirred, wincing as the shackles moved against her wrists. A scuffling noise brought her senses back to the present and she tilted her head trying to find the source of the interruption. A small black body scurried into her peripherals. The elephant rat paused, raising an elongated snout in her direction. Katara held her breath as the creature observed her, not wishing to alarm a new acquaintance. A few sniffs and the elephant rat returned to its goal, moving towards the scattered slop on the prison floor. She watched as it ravenously cleaned up small pools of the mess left by the soldier. At least something got to eat it. Eventually the little beast was full and abandoned her, exiting through the bars at the front of her cell. Her head fell back against the wall as she returned to the unwelcome solitude.
Roused by the desire for a cup of tea, Iroh reluctantly abandoned the privacy of the Gardens and entered the Palace. Despite their openness, the hallways brought coolness back to his body and he considers turning back. Sighing, he continued to move through them towards his quarters. The corridors of the Fire Nation palace were laced with the radiant colours of maroon and gold, symbolising the sovereignty and essence of the Royal Family and the Fire Nation citizens they represented. As he nears his quarters, hurried footsteps reached his ears. A soldier sporting the marks of a lieutenant approached him and bowed deeply.
"General Iroh, may I have a moment of your time?"
Iroh simply nodded at him to continue.
"My name is Lieutenant Yao. I have just arrived back in the Fire Nation this morning with the Southern Raiders."
Iroh raised an eyebrow. "I had heard that the Southern Raiders had docked earlier but I'm a little surprised. I would have thought any urgent matter would have already reached my ears before your arrival."
The other soldier visibly flinched. "I wouldn't say this was considered urgent by most standards. Our last raid on the Southern Water Tribe was successful and we acquired the last waterbender from their tribe."
"I was under the impression that there were no remaining waterbenders from the South."
"That was our understanding as well sir," Yao explained. "But we received word that there was one that had been overlooked in previous raids and this was proven to be true when we arrived there a few weeks ago."
"So where are they now?"
"They are currently in the Palace's prison and are expected to be brought before the Fire Lord at any moment."
A slight moment of confusion flashed across Iroh's mind at the expression on the soldier's face. There was something he was not understanding here. It was depressing to think that the last waterbender of a proud tribe had been captured but the occurrence of this was inevitable in this war. "Well Lieutenant, would that not be cause for celebration? I imagine my father will be most pleased to hear this news."
Yao sighed as he spoke, his eyes cast downwards. "The last waterbender is a seven year old girl."
Iroh felt his blood run cold. Too young. That was too young.
"Why have you come to me with this information?"
Those eyes. Harsh, emotionless depths trained on her. He towered over her, almost blocking her view of her mother crouched on the floor behind him. Panic surged through Katara and she could barely hear her mother's voice over the pounding in her ears. Her mother calmly asked the man to let her daughter go and she'd give him the information he wanted. His thin lips creased as he derisively sneered down at Katara.
She gulped, a lump in her throat refusing to budge. She tried to focus on the sinister words directed towards her but struggled to concentrate on anything other than the fear the cruel voice induced in her body, chilling her blood and causing her limbs to freeze up. Through the fog, she heard the man tell her to listen to her mother and get out of here. Something was wrong here. Why was her mother so calm? Katara told her that she was scared. Her mother smiled at her reassuringly and explained that she needed to go and find her father. That she could handle this situation. Katara looked up at the Fire Nation soldier's eyes, cold and threatening. She didn't want to leave. But she also did. She wanted to run as far as she can from those eyes, that frightening stare.
Her legs regained motion and she ran. She ran as fast as she can. Gasping on the icy air, she pushed herself faster than she has ever run before. The screams and clangs of weapons colliding are deafening. A bright flash erupted at the corner of her eye and the wall of the igloo beside her exploded outwards, forcing her to leap forwards out of its path. All she could see in front of her was fire and blood. The smell of charred flesh and iron was overwhelming. She couldn't see Sokka. She couldn't see her father. This was too much. She couldn't find her father in this chaos. She couldn't stay here. She looked behind her, back towards home. Something in her gut told her that she needed to go back there.
Pausing and waiting for an injured Fire Nation soldier to stumble past her, she picked herself up. As she went to move, she tripped on an abandoned spear and clutched her leg for a moment before pulling herself up again and racing back towards her home. Towards her mother.
A thunderous bang shocked Katara awake, with the realisation that she had allowed herself to doze off. She raised her head and looked out into the dimly lit passage past the bars of her cell. Flames flared up in the lamps surrounding her cell, alerting her to the presence of a number of soldiers approaching her. She expected to feel more panic bubble up within her, but this time there was barely any. A sense of resignation passed through her. There was no doubt in her mind.
She knew why they were here.
If not for the ominous reason for her being marched through them, Katara would have found the hallways to be amusing. The view was ridiculous. There was no reason for a corridor to be this extravagant. Gold and maroon surrounded her, suffocating her, the awnings and carpet created from material far more luxurious than she could had ever imagined. The blatant display of ostentatious wealth threatened a giggle to bubble up in her throat. Her concern evaded her for a blissful moment as she thought of how Sokka would have reacted to the sight of this opulence. He would have made her laugh with some comment of how snobbish the residents of this place must be. However, this moment was fleeting and the dread that evaded her earlier started to fester with each advancing step.
As they passed each torch lining the sides of the hallway, the flames within them spiked, gaining strength from the passing of the men shepherding her. The soldiers were silent and she was marched at a pace slightly too fast for her shorter legs. But she kept pace with them, trying to remember each piece of advice Yao had given her for meeting the Fire Lord. Bow low to the ground, until your forehead is touching it. Wait to be spoken to. Do not waterbend. Be polite. Stay calm. Do not waterbend. The memory of Yao warmed her and she took a deep breath, slightly shaky but ultimately helpful in quietening the sound of her heart pounding.
She felt the pace slow down and raised her head to gaze at looming pillars, with layers of zig-zagging patterns encompassing them. The pillars framed a magnificent arched doorway covered by a heavy curtain, the fabric proudly bearing the symbol of the Fire Nation. Flames spiked above the doorway, emulating the torches littered around the open chamber. Two powerfully armoured guards stood to each side of the door, their gaze firmly directed ahead of them. Neither them, nor the soldiers with Katara acknowledged one another. She barely had had time to take in her surroundings before the soldier in front of her split the curtain, sweeping it to both sides of the entrance and suddenly they were in the Throne Room.
The first thing she noticed was the intense heat, stifling her senses and causing her whole body to react with the immediate discomfort. She felt her pupils dilate uncomfortably, battling with the overwhelming amount of fire surrounding her. The room was beyond any size she could have dreamed of. Her entire village could have fit within the vast chasm of space spread out in front of her. The ceiling was as high as the room was wide and grand columns reached for it like brutal, unyielding stakes. Eventually her eyes adjusted enough to determine the source of the suffocating heat. Stretched out in front of her was a wall of fire, raised above the rest of the room and obscuring an ornate throne. She could see the outline of a shadow through the flames and the comprehension of the source of that shadow was the moment her panic decided to break back through her senses.
Dragging her forward, the soldiers to each side of Katara brought her closer to the throne and forced her down. Her knees viscously connected with the polished tiles spanning the floor and she bit back a wince. Remembering Yao's words, she leaned forward and braced on her forearms, pressing her forehead to the ground. The floor was still unsettlingly warm but less so than the rest of the room and she focussed on this, allowing the slight easement in heat to try and comfort her. Breathe. Just breathe. A few shallow inhalations brought her wits back to her and she strained to hear past the diminishing thumping of her heart beat.
Through the mist lessening in her mind, she heard the flames hiss and someone began to move. The footsteps were slow and unruffled, like the source of them was purposively stretching out the time it took them to arrive at their destination. Moments passed, and her heart rate swelled as the motion grew closer to her. A shadow crossed in front of her face as the noise stopped. She felt his gaze burning through the back of her head and it took all her control to not whimper. A quiet, rasping, and yet authoritative voice assaulted her ears telling her to rise.
Slowly, not wishing to make any sudden movements, she lifted her forehead from the ground and her body up from her knees, willing them to stop shaking. Gulping, she forced herself to raise her eyes and look up at the dark figure looming over her. Intricate black and crimson robes, bordered by gold linings covered the Fire Lord's body, angled upwards and revealing a thin, severe face with long, white hair. A slim beard and moustache outlined a stern, frowning mouth sitting below piercing amber eyes, the eyes a stark contrast to the shadowed and wizened features they were set into.
"What do we have here?"