"Good evening, General." Ming smiled as she set down the tray of the evening ration. "I brought you some jasmine tea tonight."
Iroh bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Thank you, Ming. You are too kind to me."
"It's the least I can do for the general I had always looked up to ever since I was a kid!"
"Well... There is something else you can do for me..."
"What is it, general?"
He pulled out a scroll hidden in his tattered robes and handed it to her through the bars of his cell. "Take this to my nephew. Do not let anyone else see it."
He heard the light scuffling of feet outside his bedroom doors, pulling him out of his half-asleep state. Zuko peeled the sheets from his body and rushed towards the door, but found no one, not even a trace or a shadow. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a scroll on the floor. He picked it up and unfurled it to see its contents.
You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise.
It will reveal your own destiny.
She was transferred out of her old bedroom into a bigger, grander suite in the Royal Wing of the Palace. The room was more than twice the size of her old one, lavish with decors of red and gold. The floor was covered with thick, plush red carpets; the bed itself was massive, adorned with several red and black pillows.
She was also assigned four new handmaidens; all of them sharing a common trait. They were all mute. She had a guess as to why they were specifically assigned to her, but she kept it to herself. The handmaidens helped her with dressing to bathing, and everything in between.
Aside from the new environment she was given, she was dealt one last instruction. She cannot, and must not, leave the room at any cost.
The Fire Lord kept Chiyo in this golden cage.
Only her mentor, Lady Suiren, was allowed access to the suite. The apprentice spent her days practicing her sword fighting skills on the pretense that the Lady was teaching her etiquette and dance. It was only two more days till the day of the black sun and she had to be in top condition.
"Remember, Chiyo. Firebenders will be helpless during the eclipse, but it will only last about ten minutes or so. You will have the advantage, but you must act fast."
"Yes, Lady Suiren."
"I will be beside the Fire Lord in the underground chambers, while you will be put in a separate room. I will see to it that Shang and Qin are posted at your bunker so you can escape easily." She held Chiyo close, hugging her tight. "When all this is over, we will finally be free."
"It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko. Make sure he gets your good side." Azula drawled with a smirk as she approached her brother who was silently looking up at the portraits of the Fire Lords in the great hall. The portraits and murals told the entire history of the Fire Nation, all the way from the Unification Wars of the Fire Islands to Fire Lord Ozai's reign.
He debated whether it was a good idea to ask her, but he did it anyway. "What do you remember about our great-grandfather?"
"Zuko, it's so strange how your mind works." The princess was thrown aback by her brother's question, but she indulged him nonetheless. "Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years preparing for it, but he was as patient as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later renamed Sozin's comet, and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world." She recited the words perfectly, just the way she had learned it in the academy. "In the end, he died a very old and successful man."
"But how did he die?"
"Didn't you pay any attention in school, Zuko? He died peacefully in his sleep. He was ancient."
"Oh."
"Now, tit for tat. I saw handmaidens and servants scurrying around mother's old chambers. Do you know anything of it?"
This was news to Zuko. In all the years since their mother was gone, no one dared touch the belongings in her room. It was locked for years. "I don't know anything about it."
The princess rolled her eyes and they parted ways for the evening.
Zuko sat on his bed, staring hard at the scroll, trying to make sense of it. He growled in annoyance and tossed it away. "What does it mean?!"
The scroll landed on his lamp and revealed a message written in heat-sensitive ink. He immediately stood up and read the message.
The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the Dragonbone Catacombs!
Unable to contain his curiosity further, he took his cloak and headed for the temple of the Fire Sages.
The handmaidens dried her body with thick towels after her soak in the warm bath. They never let her do anything by herself and this frustrated her a bit. However, she understood their predicament. They were under direct orders of the Fire Lord. If they were to disobey or neglect their duties, they'll have to face the consequences.
After dressing her in a simple, sheer night robe, they bowed deeply and left. But she was still full of nerves and energy to go right to sleep. She figured she might use the time to practice.
Chiyo got off the bed and knelt beside it. She reached under it and pulled out her swords. She carefully slid them out of the scabbards and resumed her training.
In only a few days time, she managed to nearly perfect the art of wielding dual swords. The only aspect she had yet to master was how to handle the weight of the iron. Her slender arms ached and strained as she swung them each time.
She stifled her gasp as one of the swords slipped from her grasp upon swinging it too fast; the momentum had the sword flying across the room and burying itself into a large cabinet.
Chiyo dove for the bed and listened for footsteps to see if anyone would come in to check the commotion. Satisfied that there was no one, she got up once more and retrieved the sword. She pulled the hilt hard and finally succeeded. The cabinet doors swung open, revealing various items on its shelves.
There were robes and clothes, folded and stacked neatly, as well as scrolls and vases that looked ancient. Curiosity got the better of her and she perused through the cabinet.
"Who do these belong to?" She unfurled one of the scrolls and marveled at the painting.
It was that of the royal family. Fire Lord Ozai sat next to a beautiful and regal lady, who undoubtedly was his wife, the Fire Lady. On the floor, at their feet, there sat two children, obviously the prince and the princess.
She stared at the children in the painting, trying to place the feeling that she had seen them before, that she had somehow known them...
Her thoughts were interrupted as four knocks were heard from the door. Four knocks meant it was one of the handmaidens coming to check on her. She hastily returned everything to where it was and pulled the covers over her head just as the handmaiden opened her door.
After a few quiet seconds, the handmaiden left once more, softly closing the door on her way out. Chiyo let out a sigh of relief and stared at the high ceiling of the room, wishing now more than ever that she had the lost memories of her past.
He sat on the floor of Fire Lord Sozin's tomb deep in the Dragonbone Catacombs. The only light source in the dark room was the lantern he had taken with him as he read through Fire Lord Sozin's final testament.
"As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but think of a time when everything was so much brighter. I remember my friend, Roku..."
"Fire Lord Sozin was friends with the old Avatar?!" Zuko's eyes widened, his heartbeat quickened as he continued reading the testament.
Roku and I shared many things, including a birthday. One time we held a feast together, the Fire Sages had approached us. I feared that something had fallen upon my father, but I was not the one they were after. On that day, Roku was proclaimed the Avatar.
Soon the day came when my friend Roku had to leave the Fire Nation and face his destiny as the Avatar. He needed to travel the world so he could master the other elements. I visited him before he left and gave him my head piece, the royal artifact of the crown prince.
Twelve long years passed before I saw my friend again. When Roku returned, he was a fully-realized Avatar, and I had changed as well. Upon his return, he married Ta Min and I was his best man.
On wedding days, we look to the future with optimism and joy. But, I had my own vision for a brighter future.
I had told him that I have been thinking about the state of the world; and how fate brought us together as the Fire Lord and Avatar, as the best of friends. The Fire Nation enjoyed and unprecedented era of peace and prosperity, and I opened up the idea of sharing this with the rest of the world. I longed to expand the reaches of the Fire Nation and build a powerful empire.
Roku had objected harshly and demanded that I banish the idea from my thoughts. But despite his warning, I went ahead with my plans.
The first territory of the Earth Kingdom I had taken was Yu Dao. I took down their leaders and their army, I replaced their banners with that of the Fire Nation emblem and declared it the first colony of our great nation.
The Avatar was enraged at my move, and I declared him traitor to his own nation. He and I battled that day and we parted ways. Roku and I didn't speak or see each other for 25 years after our battle.
One evening, as I gaze out of the balcony of the royal palace, what I saw shook me to my core. Roku's Island was a hundred miles away, but I could still feel it rumbling, and see the black plume of smoke. I had never seen anything like this catastrophe.
I summoned my dragon and came to his aid. Together we quelled the raging inferno that was the volcano of the island. But it was all too much, even for the Avatar and myself. Roku had inhaled a fatal dose of toxic volcanic gasses and he was slowly losing consciousness. In that moment, a thought struck me.
Without him, all my plans and visions of a bright future are suddenly possible.
I left.
With Roku gone, and the great comet returning, the timing was perfect to change the world. I knew the next Avatar would be born an air nomad so I wiped out the air temples. But somehow, the new Avatar eluded me. I wasted the remainder of my life searching in vain. I know he's hiding out there somewhere.
The Fire Nation's greatest threat.
The Last Airbender.
"T-that can't be it!" Zuko looked further into the scroll, looking for the continuation of the testament. "Where's the rest of it?!"
He had a vague idea who had sent the scroll and led him to the catacombs; now he longed for answers. Zuko left the catacombs, surprised to see the sun peeking in the early hours of the morning, and headed straight for the Capital Prison.
"You sent this, didn't you?!" He confronted his uncle, clutching Sozin's final testament in one hand. "I found the secret history, which by the way, should be renamed 'the history most people already know'! It said I needed to know about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end!"
"No. He wasn't." It was the first words Iroh had uttered to Zuko ever since his incarceration.
"What are you talking about?"
Iroh stood up and took a deep breath. "You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your father's grandfather. Your mother's grandfather... was Avatar Roku."
The revelation had him reeling. "Why are you telling me this?!"
"Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers can help you better understand the battle within yourself."
He began questioning himself once more, he hadn't felt this helpless since he fell ill in Ba Sing Se. He knees buckled underneath him and he knelt before the bars of his uncle's cell, clutching his head in his hands as he remembered his vision of the two dragons and himself on the throne.
"Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy. But there is a bright side. What happened generations ago can be resolved now, by you. Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family, and the Fire Nation."
His words dealt a heavy weight onto Zuko's shoulders and heart the more he listened to his uncle's words. "Born in you, along with all this strife, is the power to restore balance to the world." Iroh felt the walls and pulled out a lose brick. From the niche, he retrieved an item and brought it to the prince. "This is a royal artifact." The prince's eyes widened as he saw the head piece that the Fire Lord Sozin had given Avatar Roku. "It's supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince."
After the meeting with his uncle that left him reeling, he needed a distraction. He went back to his chambers and the servants helped him wash and dress into his changshan. Sometimes, it pays to be the Crown Prince. He didn't have to worry about the trivial things such as manual labor.
Once he was ready, Zuko set out to see Mai. The palace gates were opened and there was a crowd waiting for him. Women lined up, eager to see the Crown Prince, hoping to catch his attention.
"Prince Zuko!" A eunuch called and he turned around. "Is something wrong? You didn't take the palanquin!"
"I'm just going to Mai's house. It's not far."
"It's not a prince's place to walk anywhere, sir."
He shrugged and boarded the palanquin. The soldiers raised the bars on their shoulders and walked less than a hundred paces where Mai's house was located. She was waiting by the steps for him. Zuko stepped out and followed her into the house.
"I was wondering when you'd come and visit me." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "We haven't seen each other since we got back from Ember Island."
He sat on the chaise lounge and stretched out his legs. "I'm sorry. I was busy with some matters in the palace."
"Hmmm..." She lay beside him, placing her head on his shoulder, her hand tracing small circles on his chest.
Zuko instinctly wrapped an arm around her to support her. "Tell me, if you could have anything you wanted right now, what would it be?"
"A big fancy fruit tart with rose petals on top!"
He laughed at her request. "You know, being a prince and all, I might just be able to make that happen." He called the eunuch and ordered him to fetch the fruit tart, the servant bowed deeply and rushed out to fulfill the Crown Prince's command.
"I guess there are some nice perks that come with being royalty," Mai bit her lip seductively, looking up at Zuko with half-lidded eyes. "Though there's annoying stuff too, like that war meeting coming up—"
He sat up right and frowned. "War meeting?! What are you talking about?"
She instantly regretted her words, cursing herself for oversharing. "Azula mentioned something... I assumed you were going, too..."
If there was to be a war meeting, as Crown Prince, he was supposed to be there. Did his father not trust him enough to attend? "I guess I wasn't invited..."
He got up and left.
"Prince Zuko? What about the fruit tart?" The eunuch held up the pastry proudly, but the prince ignored him as he marched back to the palace, leaving the palanquin behind.
Azula's eyes were closed as she enjoyed the Royal Spa. It had been a while since her last visit, and her long hair was in great need of detoxifying from all the stress of chasing the Avatar. Two servants combed her long hair through the free flowing stream of water, adding in oils and fragrances.
She heard the familiar footsteps of her brother and she reluctantly opened her eyes. "Hello, Zuzu. If you've come for a royal hair combing, I'm afraid you'll have to wait."
"So I guess there's a big war meeting coming up, huh? And apparently, I'm not welcome there." He went straight to the point.
"What do you mean? Of course you're welcome!"
"Oh yeah? That's why no one bothered to tell me about it!"
She sighed at her cynic and paranoid brother's rant. "Zuko, don't be so dramatic! I'm sure dad wants you there. You probably weren't invited because it's so obvious that you're supposed to be there!"
"Well... were you invited?"
"Of course! I'm the princess!"
"And I'm the prince!"
"Exactly! So stop acting like a paranoid child! Just go to the meeting."
Her brother had turned and left. "Forget it, I'm not going!"
Azula let him leave, choosing instead to focus on relaxing and looking good for the war meeting later.
He spent the afternoon in Mai's house. He had apologized for leaving abruptly and she forgave him. She tried to distract him from his thoughts, but she failed horribly.
"Zuko, it's just a dumb meeting..." Mai hugged him from behind, hoping to comfort him and bring him out of his mood. "Who cares?"
"I don't."
"Well good, you shouldn't. I mean, why would you even want to go? Just think about how things went at the last war meeting you went to."
How could he forget? There was a big reminder permanently etched on his face. "I know..."
"Prince Zuko," The eunuch bowed before continuing. "Everyone's waiting for you."
"What?"
"The admirals, the generals, the war ministers, and the princess have all arrived. You're the only person missing."
Zuko couldn't believe the eunuch's words. "So, my dad wants me at the meeting?"
The latter nodded and bowed once more. "The Fire Lord said that he wouldn't start until you arrived, your Highness."
"Welcome, Prince Zuko." The Fire Lord greeted him as he entered the war chambers. "We've been waiting for you."
He walked briskly and took his place next to his father's throne, on his right hand side. He bowed to him once and sat down, folding his legs beneath him.
Once everyone was settled, the Fire Lord nodded to the general. "General Shinu, your report."
"Thank you, sir!" The general stood up and gestured to the large map of the nations in front of them. "Ba Sing Se is still under our control. However, earthbender rebellions have prevented us from achieving total victory in the Earth Kingdom."
The Fire Lord frowned at the unsettled matters. "What is your recommendation?"
"Our army is spread too thin. But once the eclipse is over and the invasion defeated, we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom."
A moment of silence passed before the Fire Lord unexpectedly turned to the prince. "Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commons. Do you think that adding more troops will stop these rebellions?"
He tried to suppress the shock that his father would allow him to speak up at a crucial war meeting. He searched and contemplated his answer before speaking. "The people of the Earth Kingdom, are proud and strong. They can endure anything as long as they have hope."
"Yes... you're right..." The Fire Lord weighed his son's comments and came to the conclusion. "We need to destroy their hope."
"T-that's not exactly what I—"
"I think you should take their precious hope and the rest of their land, and burn it all to the ground!" Azula interjected fast, crossing her arms over her chest.
The Fire Lord smiled wickedly at his daughter's suggestion, his vision becoming clearer. "Yes... Yes, you're right, Azula!" He stood up and slowly walked down from his throne. "Sozin's comet is almost upon us, and on that day, it will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us!"
"What are you suggesting sir?" A war minister dared asked.
"When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom! Permanently!"
He walked over the map laid out and focused his attention in the territory of the Earth Kingdom. "From our air ships, we will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy everything! And out of the ashes, a new world will be born! A world in which all the lands are Fire Nation, and I am the supreme ruler of everything!"
The generals and the war ministers were in awe of the ingenious plan of the Fire Lord and together they cheered for his victory. "All hail Fire Lord Ozai! All hail the Phoenix King!"
Zuko looked on, but dared not speak out. Was this what the future held? Was this the future that he had envisioned?
After tactical defenses and evacuation procedures were discussed for the eclipse, the war meeting was adjourned. They all left the war chambers, with Azula and Zuko trailing behind the ministers.
The group of generals and war ministers up ahead stopped and bowed their heads as Lady Suiren passed by followed by a procession of handmaidens and guards. Behind her, four handmaidens assisted a figure clothed in a thick, red and gold veil.
"My Lady," A general greeted the concubine. "It is so great to see such a beauty after a successful war meeting."
"Thank you for your kind words, general." She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "We will be going ahead into the underground chambers. The bride wishes not to be disturbed."
"Bride?!" The prince and the princess pushed forward until they reached the concubine. "Whose bride?!"
Suiren bowed deeply, not expecting to see them at all. She had to act carefully, if she wants pull off her plans without a hitch. "We really must be going, your Highnesses." She snapped her fingers and the procession moved forward ahead of her.
Azula itched to slap the living daylights out of the wench for not answering their question, but before she could, the Fire Lord had come out of the war chambers. "Lady Suiren," he nodded once. "I trust that everything has been prepared for tomorrow."
"Yes, my Lord. She is being moved to the underground chambers as we speak."
"Good. Let her rest and get comfortable. We shall follow soon."
With one last bow, Suiren left.
"Oh, you'll follow, alright. You'll follow your father, and your grandfather, and your great-grandfather to hell. I guarantee it."