Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.
General warnings for mentions of child abuse and the Agni Kai between Ozai and Zuko. Nothing is worse than what is already depicted in the series.
You were lucky to be born.
Those were the words I said to you when you were a child. I meant it to be a blessing, to show you that you were a gift granted from Agni above. Your mother and I had not expected to have another child. We had believed it to be impossible, but fifteen years after Iroh, you were born. You were my lucky son, Ozai, the child who might not have been but was.
How did I fail you so badly? Perhaps I did not give you enough responsibility. As the second born, there was no need for you to go on military campaigns, learn diplomacy, prepare to be Fire Lord. You were weak, fragile. Small and scrawny like the little animals your mother liked to rescue.
Perhaps I did not treat my two sons equally. But what was to be expected? The first born was special. You were special too, of course, but there was only so much time in the world. And that time needed to be spent training the son who would replace me.
Still, you pushed yourself to be stronger, better, more powerful than your brother, than any firebender yet. Soon, the little boy I raised, all knees and elbows, was unrecognizable.
The palace was vast, but information spread quickly, and anything overheard eventually got to me. Your brother had been briefly home from a campaign. You confronted him in the hallway, and every word you said, I heard, whispered in my ear by a loyal servant.
You may have your success now, Iroh, but I'm going to be the one on the throne.
Just you wait.
That was the first sign.
You had two children, a boy, then a girl.
The day of the birth of your first child, a servant stumbled into the throne room, pale and shaking.
Your Majesty, I bring the news of the birth of Prince Zuko, son of Prince Ozai.
He bowed, hands trembling. The severe light of the fire did not bring the color back to his face.
Your son, he -
He hesitated, taking a shaky breath.
There is no need to worry, Fire Lord Azulon. The situation is under control now.
I told him I didn't care about the state of the situation. Nothing gets past me. I demanded to hear everything.
Zuko's eyes did not show the spark of a firebender.
Prince Ozai tried to throw the child over the palace wall.
You pushed your children harder than you pushed yourself. I heard it all, harsh words whispered behind closed doors. It was hardly a secret; everyone could see the bruises and the burns from the firebending training sessions. The servants looked away.
I looked away.
I continued to have faith in you, continued to hope that I hadn't failed you, that I had been a good father. When Zuko nearly drowned at the beach on Ember Island, you jumped in the water to save him. When word reached me, I was proud. From behind my curtain of fire I smiled, where no one would see my expression.
Years passed. While I was walking to a council meeting, I passed by your son's room.
Your sister is a firebending prodigy.
Harsh whispers echoing down the halls.
Azula was born lucky.
You spoke, your voice twisting my words.
You were lucky to be born.
I underestimated your ambition. When your brother came home sobbing, his son killed in the war, his six hundred day siege at Ba Sing Se abandoned, you came to me, asking for his birthright to be revoked.
Iroh is unworthy of the throne.
The fire surrounding me flickered.
Lu Ten is dead; he no longer has an heir.
And suddenly, for a moment, I could not recognize you.
But I am here, Father. My two children are alive. This is a sign that the bloodline continues through me.
I was outraged. You had no right to demand such a thing while your brother grieved. If you truly understood his suffering, the pain of losing a firstborn son, you would not have made such a demand.
It was the wrong thing for me to say.
I didn't expect this, but I should have. The signs were all there.
It was another way you would find to twist my words.
That night, I heard of a murder plot from the mouth of your nine-year old daughter.
Two cautious pairs of feet tip-toeing outside the doors to the throne room. Hushed voices, careful not to be overheard.
Dad's going to kill you.
But nothing escapes me.
You're lying. You always lie.
And though she whispered it, there was no escaping the glee in her voice, as if murder was just a fun game.
A few days later, a servant reported a conversation overheard between you and your wife.
Ozai, please, I know how to make an undetectable poison. It will seem as if he died in his sleep.
I thought you were talking about your son.
Then do it, Ursa. Or there will be consequences.
I did nothing to stop it.
The next day, I was dead.
A fabricated will had been discovered, stating that Iroh's birthright should be revoked.
Fire Lord Ozai was crowned with the rising sun.
Princess Ursa was reported missing, supposedly banished. Servants left the palace, saying that they needed to visit sick relatives; some never returned.
Then, one day, two years later, you called a fateful war council meeting.
Your son spoke out against a general's plan, saying that it was inhumane. From behind your veil of fire, your expression darkened.
You declared an Agni Kai. Everyone expected Zuko to face the general, but they were wrong.
It was you standing on the other side of the hall. Speaking against the general's plan had shown you disrespect.
Please, Father, I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart! I meant you no disrespect!
Zuko cowered, crouching before you. Desperate eyes opened wide, the blazing fire illuminating his tears.
You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.
I watched as you knelt down and pressed a flaming palm to your son's face.
I could not tune out the screams.
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