His eyes darted left and right throughout the ballroom. That evening, a grand feast was held in the Royal Palace in the honor of their return, as well as the demise of the Avatar. Zuko and Azula were seated on their places next to the Fire Lord's seat, but their father wasn't there.
"Where is father?" The princess turned to her advisers, Lo and Li, who both bowed their heads slightly.
"The Fire Lord has some business that needed urgent attending to."
"Indeed, an urgent matter that needs taking care of."
She dismissed them with a wave of her hand and turned her gaze back to the celebrating crowd. "You seem downcast. Has Mai gotten to you already?" Azula looked to find her friends chatting casually by themselves in the corner, drinking wine and feasting on fruits. "Though actually, Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately."
"I haven't seen dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years since I was banished."
"So what?"
"So... I didn't capture the Avatar." He lowered his voice so that only his sister could hear.
Azula rolled her eyes. "Who cares? The Avatar is dead. Unless... you think he somehow miraculously survived?"
His thoughts went back to the crystal vial that the waterbender had shown him. During their incarceration in the crystal catacombs in Ba Sing Se, she had told him that the water from the Spirit Oasis contained special properties. She had even generously offered to heal his scar in that moment. If only the Avatar and his uncle had come a bit later...
He touched the scar lightly with his hand. "No. There's no way he could've survived."
They looked intensely at each other. He tried his best to look believable while she pried his expression for any signs of hesitation. "Well, then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."
Two hours well into the party and there was still no sign of the Fire Lord. Zuko grew anxious and unsettled. He stood up and marched out of the ballroom and through the winding halls until he reached the doors of the throne room.
He stood at the threshold and took a deep breath before opening the doors into the dark room.
"Please, Fire Lord Ozai! I beg of you, reconsider!"
Zuko heard the familiar voice of his father's concubine, the Lady Suiren. She was kneeling in front of the Fire Lord who sat in his high throne as he looked down at her.
The flames surrounding the throne rose higher and glowed brighter. "My word is final, Lady Suiren. There will be no further discussions about this matter!" His father's voice was as he remembered it to be, fearsome, strong, and decisive. He suddenly had second thoughts about seeking his father, but before he could turn around, he had called him out.
Suiren turned her head to find the prince walking towards them and she bowed her head in greeting. "Good evening, my prince. Welcome back." She averted her gaze from his, keeping them pinned on the floor at her feet.
"You make take your leave, my Lady." The Fire Lord had said as he stood up.
She held in her tears and bowed once more before leaving the Fire Lord and his son.
Zuko wondered what had happened between them, but he focused on the matter at hand. He knelt in place and bowed deeply to his father.
"You have been away for a long time. I see the weight of your travels has changed you." Ozai slowly descended from the throne, the flames pulling away from the path to let him through. "You have redeemed yourself, my son."
The prince raised his head to meet his father's eyes.
"Welcome home."
She slammed the door to her study and let out a frustrated scream. Chiyo hid behind Lady Reiko, cowering at the sight of her mentor's distress. "I-I'm sorry, L-Lady Suiren... I didn't mean to..."
"It's not your fault, child." She breathed deeply to calm herself and approached her apprentice. She stroked her soft, short hair gently, looking at her with her tear-filled eyes. "None of this is your fault, Chiyo..."
"What are we going to do, Suiren?" Reiko held the apprentice's hand tight in hers while she reached for her sister. "The Fire Lord's command... it is too much..."
The Fire Lord slowly approached the long-lost apprentice. "Look who's back from the dead..."
Suiren mouthed a command and Chiyo followed. She knelt on the ground and bowed deeply in front of the monarch. "Greetings, my Lord."
"Rise, young one. Let me see your face."
She did as she was told, slowly standing up and lifting her chin. She met the intense gaze of the Fire Lord and willed the fear within her to dissipate.
"You've grown as beautiful as your mentor." Ozai took her chin in his fingers and turned her head left and right. "Such beauty is rare and unparalleled in the Fire Nation."
"T-thank you for the compliment, my Lord." Suiren went to her apprentice's side, using her body to slightly shield Chiyo.
"Your Highness, if we may be so bold to speak." One of the council members approached and bowed his head. "The rise of the thought-to-be-deceased apprentice is a good omen!"
"Indeed!" Another council member seconded. "It paves the way for your rise as the Phoenix King, Fire Lord Ozai!"
The Fire Lord was deep in thought as he studied the young woman's face and body. "Go on."
"It is only fitting that upon your ascension to the throne as the Phoenix King... that a queen should be by your side!"
Silence flooded the room. Ozai was the first to break it. "Who do you have in mind?"
The council members bowed their head and together they answered. "The apprentice, my Lord!"
"What?!" Suiren glared at the council members as they gave their comments to the Fire Lord, her honey-coloured eyes burning with rage. She had to think fast. "She is an entertainer! She is not fit to be a queen! The laws do not allow entertainers to hold such positions!"
"An apprentice, Lady Suiren. She has not yet undergone the ceremony to proclaim her a full-fledged entertainer."
"She is barely sixteen!"
"She has entered womanhood and is ready. She is of a ripe age."
Suiren turned to the Fire Lord and dared to hold his arm. "My Lord... You can't..."
The oldest of the council members stepped forward. "Sozin's comet will bless the apprentice to give you a healthy heir, one that can inherit the title of the Phoenix King!"
"NO!" The concubine shouted and would have lunged at the council if not for Reiko and Quinta holding her back.
"Leave us." The Fire Lord commanded the council and they gave him one last bow before departing. He turned to Suiren. "You will still be my favored concubine if that is your worry—"
"I do not care about that! I want Chiyo to stay out of all this!"
"I'm afraid that cannot happen."
"Why?!"
Ozai trailed his fingertips over Chiyo's soft cheek, marveling at how smooth her pale skin was beneath his own calloused ones. "The council has decided to make her their queen. And I do not despise that idea."
Suiren had followed the Fire Lord out of the room, trying to convince him that it wasn't the right thing to do, trying to save her ward from being tied down to him.
Chiyo stood there, as still as a board, stunned. She was taken into Reiko's arms as they cried over her, over her inevitable future.
"I tried to persuade him but I can't." She slumped on the plush seats and buried her face in her hands. "Once Ozai has made up his mind to do something, he goes through it, no matter who he has to step on, no matter who he has to kill..."
"But Chiyo is too young! You said it yourself, she's barely past sixteen!"
The concubine was deep in thought. "Maybe it's time to finally put the plan into action." She stood up abruptly and went to her desk. Using the key hidden in her bracelet, she unlocked the bottom drawer and pulled out a worn-out scroll.
"What is that?"
"The Fire Sages had consulted the Fire Lord about the upcoming solar eclipse."
Reiko's eyes widened. "A day of black sun..."
Suiren nodded. "According to this report, the solar eclipse will be happening two weeks from now, and two more weeks from that is the arrival of Sozin's comet."
They studied the report and chart that the Fire Sages had provided. "Sozin's comet will provide the firebenders with incredible powers; so much that Ozai intends to use it to fully take over and end this war in his favor."
"But this eclipse before the comet will render even the most highly-skilled firebenders completely helpless... Even..." Reiko trailed off with a gasp as she realized what her sister is planning. "Suiren, no..."
"It is the only way to protect Chiyo." She looked at her apprentice. After all that they have been through, she was willing to give her life for her. But the need to avenge her husband and her unborn child called stronger to her. "It's the only way I can avenge Xin."
The apprentice looked confusedly between the women, worriedly biting her lip as their tones got more serious and low, but she dared not speak. She still blamed herself terribly for the mishap earlier.
Her mentor turned to her and cupped her cheek in one hand. "Chiyo... I need your help."
"A-anything, my Lady... Anything."
"On the day of the black sun, the Royal family will all go into the underground chambers. That includes us. Do you still remember how to fight, Chiyo?"
She nodded eagerly and listened intently. "Yes, my Lady. My body remembers how to."
"Good. I need you to cover for me while I kill the Fire Lord."
Author's Notes
I know this chapter might be a bit confusing, so if you have any questions or wild reactions, I'll try my best to answer them. And also hopefully edit this chapter to incorporate any missing details or something.
From here on out, I'm slowly starting to deviate more from the canon universe (as if I haven't done that already hahahahahuhuhu), but I'll do my best to stick to the timeline as close as possible.
Thank you all so much for reading this far!
-TheGreatestConWoman-
is currently consulting with Azula regarding the story.