Doctor Chimon hurried after the Royal Guard into Zuko's bedroom. Why hadn't Zuko cried out, if he'd been attacked and kidnapped? The antinightmare draught Kage had given Chimon should not have been that strong, not unless Kage had messed up the dose. Appallingly careless. And appalling timing. Suspicious timing. Had someone replaced the correct medications with something else? No, Kage had given it directly to Chimon.
Zuko had been near collapse from exhaustion when Chimon had given it to him. Could that be the cause? Surely that wouldn't be proof against being picked up bodily. And he didn't wake when the guards found him, and they should have been able to wake him. There had to be something off with the medications. Chimon needed find the empty cup and test the dregs. He needed to know.
Chimon spotted the empty cup standing on the bedside table, and picked it up, putting it in a bag in his medical bag and replacing it with a clean cup. Just in case. A noise startled him, and he looked around wildly to see Zuko's owlcat kitten peering at him from under the bed. Chimon gave a startled laugh and relaxed a little. He then followed the guard where she'd gone through the trapdoor.
Hina woke to her granddaughter Taka banging on her bedroom door and calling her name. "Yes, child?" she grumbled. "What is it?" She sat up in bed, fumbling for her cane. The sun wasn't up, so what was going on?
Exasperated sigh. "Grandma, the Fire Lord has been kidnapped by the Dai li!" Hina woke up in a hurry.
It was still early in the morning when Hina was called to attend the emergency mass meeting of the Civil Council, War Council, and High Sage Kenji. Everyone was tense and anxious – rumors had been flying ever since Mung's troops and Sung's police had taken over the palace in the small hours of the morning. Mak was missing. Hina hoped he'd gotten away from the coup in time. Qin might say he was protecting the Fire Lord from an Earth Kingdom attack, but the timing...
Qin entered, looking very grim. There was silence for a couple of seconds, then everyone started talking at once.
"What happened to the Fire Lord?" asked Chan. "Where is General Mak?"
"Is this a coup?" asked Ukano.
Of course it's a coup, did you think it was a garden party? Hina thought.
"What's this about Dai li?" asked Nao. "And if the Fire Lord is out of commission, who is in charge?"
"Where's the Fire Lord? Is he all right?" asked Murasashi.
Qin held up his hands for silence. "Quiet, and your questions will be answered." He paused. "General Mung, Constable Sung, and I had been growing concerned at the Fire Lord's increasingly erratic behavior, and last night... our worst fears were confirmed."
Qin gestured, and a couple of grim-faced guards dumped some sort of pendulum equipment on the ground. Plus what appeared to be the remains of a stone chair. And a body. A badly-burned body.
Hina swallowed. "Explain yourself."
"This is the body of the Dai li agent which we found in the tunnels below Zuko's quarters, along with the equipment he was using. We also found the Fire Lord, unconscious, and bound to an earthbent chair with rock cuffs. We rescued him, after dealing with interference from the seemingly-oblivious royal guards and some Kyoshi Warriors who we found loitering at the entry to the Fire Lord's quarters. The Kyoshi Warriors have a history of working for the Earth Kingdom and Ba Sing Se."
"Judging from the bruises, cuts, and mindbending equipment, the Fire Lord was subjected to Dai li brainwashing techniques, and we don't know what mental state he'll be in when he wakes. We have also taken the Kyoshi Warriors into custody until they can be cleared of wrongdoing."
Hina frowned. "The Kyoshi warriors have shown no prior ill-intent towards this Fire Lord. Do you have more than circumstantial evidence against them? Do you have eyewitnesses to how the Fire Lord was found? And where did the Dai Li agent come from?" she demanded.
"General Mung, Captain Kumaro, Guard Kuzon, Private Ryu and Captain Suki were the ones to find the Fire Lord and the agent's body. Qin swallowed. "I saw the scene myself. It wasn't pretty. It isn't as if we can interrogate a body – but if the Dai Li got at Prince Zuko when he was with the Avatar, or earlier, when he was hiding in Ba Sing Se, it would explain a lot of his behavior over the past few months."
"If the Fire Lord is injured, why isn't he in the palace infirmary?" Ukano complained. "My daughter tried to visit him once we heard what happened, only to be told he's in the Central Tower, and that she cannot see him. She's very worried about him."
"We know there was at least one earthbender involved in the plot, and cannot rule out a second. The Central Tower is much more secure against earthbenders than either the Fire Lord's quarters or the infirmary. Physically, the Fire Lord is not badly hurt. Cuts, bruises, and abrasions from pulling against rock cuffs, plus bruises from being manhandled. I have had a specialist in war trauma look at him, but we can't tell his psychological state until he wakes. Doctor Kage, if you could tell these people what you saw?"
A short, round balding man standing behind Qin bowed. "I am Doctor Kage. I originally discovered that Fire Lord Zuko was experiencing emotional problems after the Royal Physician, Doctor Chimon, asked my council related to war trauma in young veterans and victims of child abuse. Normally I would keep such requests between colleagues confidential, but the mental health of the reigning Fire Lord is of importance to the entire nation."
"Fire Lord Zuko was already suffering significant symptoms of psychological trauma before last night's encounter with Dai Li brainwashing. I dread to think what this latest horror will have done to him. He is not currently fit to rule, and forcing him to try is cruel to him and dangerous to the Fire Nation."
Hina thought of Qin's constant pressure and baiting of their young ruler, already knowing he was in trouble... assuming Kage wasn't lying, but Zuko's collapse at Mak's wedding, and his angry outburst yesterday, suggested there was some truth to the doctor's words.
The High Sage stepped forward. "In the event that the Fire Lord is unable to rule, due to prolonged ill-health, unsoundness of mind, or extremes of youth or old age, a regent is to be appointed unless a relative within two degrees is willing to challenge for the throne. Princess Azula is mad and has offended Agni, former Fire Lord Ozai is no longer a bender, and Prince Iroh seems to have abandoned all loyalty to his own nation. There are no relatives able and present to challenge. Our only option is a regent."
General Mung stood. "I nominate Admiral Qin, former War Minister, for regent. He is a skilled military and political leader with decades of experience, and the reason the Dai li agent was caught at all."
"Objection," snapped Hina. "Admiral Qin, everyone here knows of your constant disagreements with Fire Lord Zuko. I do not trust you with his health and safety, especially not if he is truly in such a vulnerable state."
"I think my actions in protecting our young monarch this day past, despite his firing me earlier in the day, speak for themselves," said Qin. "I will not harm the Fire Lord, nor allow any other to do so. He is a mentally ill child who should not be held responsible for his actions. He needs medical care, not political power. I intend to see that he gets it."
"Shouldn't we be getting a second opinion on the Fire Lord's health, and perhaps hear from the Royal Physician?" said Councillor Mayumi. "I'm sorry, Admiral, I cannot take this solely on the say-so of a doctor I know you've been associating with for years."
"I second that," said Hina.
"I also," said Admiral Chan. "This is all very sudden, and I want to be certain we are making the correct decision here – though I do support a regency. Fire Lord Zuko is younger than my son," he scowled, "who proved irresponsible when left in charge of the family mansion for a week. Fire Lord Zuko should have a regent at least until we are past the current international instability. He means well, is a very hard worker, and has many good ideas, but I do not believe he is ready to rule alone."
Chan hesitated. "His health also seems to have been deteriorating over the past few weeks. I don't want to see him end up like his sister because he was pushed too hard, too young." He shook his head. "I don't understand how Fire Lord Ozai could treat his own children the way he did."
"We all know that Ozai was a terrible parent," said Qin.
Chan snorted. "That doesn't begin to describe it. Publicly mutilating his thirteen-year-old son in front of half the court, then banishing him on a quest that was clearly meant to be fatal... and he's surprised the boy rebelled?" Chan shook his head. "We shouldn't be surprised that Fire Lord Zuko is unwell and confused as to his loyalties right now. We should be more surprised that he's alive at all."
"Indeed, there has been speculation among the Fire Sages as to possible divine intervention in the events of the past year," said the High Sage. "Ozai abandoning his post as Fire Lord and attempting mass murder, immediately followed by losing his bending at the hands of the Avatar, and his place being taken by the son he had mistreated since the day he was born... did you know that Ozai wanted to kill his newborn son? I had to talk him out of it!"
What? How had Hina missed that shocking piece of information? What was wrong with Ozai? Hina couldn't fathom trying to kill any of her children, much less as newborns.
Even Qin looked shocked.
Chan looked poleaxed. "What the..." he muttered. "Why?"
"Zuko was born severely premature. He was tiny, and very weak. None of us could be sure he would live, and because he was so young he didn't show the spark you see in most firebenders' eyes. Ozai didn't want a nonbending weakling as his heir, not that Zuko proved to be either over the long term."
The High Sage shook his head."But there is something else you are all ignoring," he said. "As Fire Lord, Zuko is legally a Fire Sage, and under our, and Agni's, protection. He has not had the Sage training he should have had before taking the throne, but he is still a Fire Sage. Admiral Qin, you are an excellent choice as Regent for the Fire Nation, but you are not a good guardian for Zuko himself."
"I beg to differ-" Qin interjected, only to have the High Sage keep talking.
"The distrust between you is obvious to even the most casual onlooker, and Zuko has had horrible experience with father figures. The Fire Sages should take custody of Zuko while he is ill, and take charge of his religious education as he begins to recover. This should be much less stressful for him than running the country."
Hina paused. The Fire Sages hadn't been a significant political force since at least the reign of Azulon, if not before. She could not prevent Qin from becoming Regent right now. Not with Mung's troops and Constable Sung's police backing him. But the Fire Sages might be able to get Zuko out of Qin's clutches, and could make Qin's life as Regent a mess if they decided to oppose him.
"I want to hear from the Royal Physician," said Hina. "But if it turns out Zuko must have a regent, I second the High Sage. Zuko doesn't trust you, Admiral. Being in the hands of one he perceives as an enemy is not going to do his mental health any good at all."
Qin shook his head. "The Fire Temple is not secure enough to guarantee the Fire Lord's safety. There is still at least one rogue firebender on the loose. Also, as Regent, I need to have Zuko easily available so I can train him in ruling." He looked at the High Sage. "I can't give you custody of him. But I will provide daily access to him so that you may train him in the religious aspects of the Fire Lord's position, and can keep an eye on his wellbeing. Why don't High Sage Kenji, Councillor Hina, and Admiral Chan come with me and see for yourselves how Fire Lord Zuko is?"
Hina paused. She didn't trust Qin, but he would be a fool to do anything to her in front of the High Sage and a neutral Admiral. "That would be acceptable – if you also include Dr. Chimon in this expedition. None of us have the expertise to assess the Fire Lord's health properly for ourselves."
Qin's expression went a little sour. "Of course," he said.
A/N: The Fire Lords were originally Fire Sages, but the position got gradually more secular, and the Fire Sages lost more and more of their power. Under Ozai, they had very little power – though I suspect they still had moral influence over more traditional nobles, like Hina, and the peasantry. It seems they've decided that this is an opportunity to take back some of the power they've lost.
I find the potential relationship between the Fire Sages and the Fire Lord interesting, and will be exploring it in this story. I don't plan to contradict anything in the main series, but comics and wiki knowledge may be ignored if they don't suit plot or my own worldbuilding. Much like the rest of this story!
The Fire Lord still legally being a Fire Sage is something I made up, but I like it. Harming or killing a Fire Lord being sacrilage as well as treason is similar to things you see in early medieval civil wars and squabbles in England, since the King was considered divinely ordained. This had interesting results in terms of people being willing to kidnap and hold the king captive, but unwilling to seriously harm or kill him.
On another topic, this story has been influenced in various ways by many other fanworks including Witch of Endor's While Mighty Oaks do Fall (I seem to have borrowed the name Kenji for the High Sage), reading Wonderwise's Emergency Entrances reminded me that the coup plot in an abandoned earlier version of After the Fire would work just as well here, and I also seemed to have borrowed the name Ryu for a soldier from that story. Muffinlance's Towards the Sun combined with The Promise comic to think about Zuko's not really being ready to rule and the possibilities of a regency, Fractures indirectly resulted in my inventing Hina... fanfiction really is a group effort.
Demorit pointed out that Zuko could put out a flame in the Dai li's lamp, so I changed it to one of those glowing green crystals.