Author's note: Welcome to Book 3! I now have got a plan right the way through until the end, so while I can't promise daily chapters they will be more frequent than originally planned.
As Fire Prince Zuko stepped off the royal ship, and back into the good graces of the Fire Nation after three years away, he was greeted with rapturous applause.
It had been two weeks since the fall and sack of Ba Sing Se, and the Firelord had spent the time in between establishing a puppet government in the ruins of the city and then planning a colossal parade through the Caldera for the return of the Fire Nation's conquering heroes, with himself and Zuko at their head naturally.
Zuko thought he ought to be happy at this moment, and on some level he was. He was restored to favour, no longer had to pin all his self-worth on finding the Avatar, and had a girlfriend who he loved very much.
Whenever he closed his eyes, though, he was haunted by scenes from the sack. It was apparently customary for cities taken by the sword to face looting for three days and three nights, and Ba Sing Se was no exception. The Fire Nation armies had cut a bloody swathe through the lower and middle rings, only sparing the upper ring after Ozai made its inhabitants pay a hefty ransom. Zuko had seen soldiers intimidating and torturing people in the streets to make them hand over valuables, and doing a lot worse besides. He would have intervened if Azula had not stopped him. He had always been told of the glory of the Fire Nation, but watching the glorious fire nation do that had made it very hard to believe in it.
Azula herself had not come out well from the city either. Zuko very well remembered one night in particular. It was the night after the royal party had embarked onto Ozai's magnificent flagship, the Agni, and set sail for home. Zuko had been standing on the bow of the ship, staring off in the distance, when he had felt a presence alongside him. He turned to find Mai looking at him. She was smiling, which made him smile back.
"Zuko, nobody likes a good brood more than me, but is now really the time?"
"I suppose not."
"There's a whole new world, stretching out ahead of us. We're both free. Come inside and celebrate with me."
She grabbed his hand and dragged him inside the ship. However, just as they were running down a corridor they heard a raised voice coming from inside one of the rooms.
"...Have you any idea how much shame you brought me?!"
All thoughts of celebration forgotten, Zuko came clattering to a halt.
"But father, there's no shame in being captured by a powerful Earthbender is there?" Azula's voice, and she sounded desperate.
"That doesn't factor into it. I know that the person who captured you wasn't a powerful Earthbender- she wasn't even a bender at all for Agni's sake!"
Zuko could imagine Azula's shock at this news; it can't have been good for her already suffering self-esteem. All her life Azula had been Ozai's little superweapon, and now she wasn't so super any more.
"By all the spirits, the only reason I do not challenge you to an Agni Kai or banish you like I did to Zuko is because I just expunged that shame with our victory, and am feeling generous."
"Just tell me what I can do to make it up to you."
Was Azula crying? It sounded like it. Zuko had never seen Azula cry, and he had the urge to go in and comfort her, although he knew doing so would reveal that he had been spying on them.
"If even Zuko is more competent than you, then I wonder what that says about your future prospects. I'm sure I'll think of some way for you to regain your honour. For now, I want you to just contemplate what you've done."
And with that, Zuko barely had time to dodge around a corner before a very angry Ozai came bursting out of the room, and went storming off presumably towards the bridge.
Zuko turned to Mai, who had also been forced to listen to that. "I don't think I'm in the mood for celebrations any more. Maybe tomorrow."
Mai looked how he felt. "I agree."
That had been a week ago.
Now, the royal family, along with Mai and Ty Lee, stepped off the ship onto the dock. Ozai's parade had already been drawn up, waiting for the man himself to lead it into the city. Zuko saw carts piled high with gold, statues that had come from the royal palace, and even slabs of rock from the outer walls, presumably to make a statement about how their defensive capabilities had been wildly overstated. He saw lines of troops stretching almost as far as the line could see, lines and lines of them each led by their regimental banners and many of them holding spears. The ones with the spears tended to be non-benders, and the ones who didn't have the weapons were the firebenders. That wasn't a hard and fast rule; sometimes it paid to have a weapon even if you could throw fireballs.
Zuko also saw prisoners; at their head was a man who wore the armour of a member of the Council of Five, and behind him was everyone from lofty noblemen to lowly street-sweepers. All were fettered and destined for a prolonged stay in a Fire Nation prison at the Firelord's Pleasure.
It was a majestic sight, and now Ozai mounted a Komodo-rhino at the head of it. Just behind him, four giant lizards were arrayed, in the order of the importance of their intended riders. Zuko went first, then Azula, then Mai and then Ty Lee.
When they were all ready to go, Ozai shot a blast of fire into the sky as a signal for the procession to begin. The procession lurched into life, and made its way towards the Caldera.
Zuko didn't remember much of the triumph. As they passed the adoring crowds, his father played the part of the benevolent ruler to perfection, smiling and waving. They cheered for Zuko too, the returned prince, and Zuko also smiled and waved, but he was forcing it. The ordinary people of Caldera city looked too similar to those of Ba Sing Se, except one group wore red instead of green.
Eventually, the procession came to a stop in front of a raised platform in front of the royal palace. Ozai dismounted, and motioned for Zuko and Azula to follow him. As they clambered on stage, Zuko wondered how Azula must be feeling right now.
Ozai took up a central position on the stage, with Zuko and Azula flanking him. He began to address the crowds and the troops.
"The glorious campaign to take the Earth Kingdom capital is over. I launched it when my royal daughter, the Princess Azula, was captured by the Earth Kingdom, and my duties as a father compelled me to come to her rescue. I had to contend with a city so powerful it's inhabitants supposed it impenetrable, defended by the dastardly Avatar himself. I bested the Avatar in single combat and struck him down, before my mighty armies breached the walls and captured the city."
Zuko had his doubts. Everyone had told him that the Avatar was dead, but he was sure he had seen a Sky-bison fly away on the day the city fell.
"Meanwhile, my son, Prince Zuko, infiltrated the Earth Kingdom prison that his sister and her companions were confined in and daringly rescued her."
At this, the citizens cheered, glorying in the military exploits of their Firelord, their Prince and their army.
"He also made a much more worrying discovery. It turns out that the Earth Kingdom is even more barbaric than we imagined, because they brainwash their own citizens. Several unfortunate women were hypnotised and changed. It is an unnatural thing and it is hard to speak of. It is this that we fight against, and that the Avatar fought for. Rest assured that we have put a stop to this practice. Ba Sing Se has been... civilised."
That's one word for it, Zuko thought, but said nothing.
"This war is not over, not by a long way, but the Siege of Ba Sing Se was an important victory. We have delivered a mortal blow to the Earth Kingdom, and only one major centre of resistance remains- the barbarians of the Northern Water Tribe. Rest assured, this war is reaching its end, and then we shall lead the rest of the world into a new age; one of progress, reason, and enlightenment!"
The crowd cheered, as Ozai stepped away from the edge of the stage. The soldiers led a chant of "Firelord Ozai! Firelord Ozai!"
Zuko watched the scene in front of him, focussing first on the jubilant crowds and then specifically on Mai, who stood with Ty Lee at the front of the columns of soldiers. Mai noticed him looking and smiled at him.
Zuko smiled back. Despite his internal confusion, sometimes he just had to admit it was good to be the Prince.