Avatar: The Last Airbender Created By: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Avatar: The Last Airbender Owned By: Nickelodeon, a subsidiary of Viacom
All original content and characters © Acastus
Chapter LVIII – Fire Lord Azulon
The doors were open. The triumphal party stood in the entrance, wide shafts of sunlight streaming in behind them.
A narrow hallway hung with tapestries bearing the Fire Nation flag ran along the temple's forward facade. Opposite the great doors an even wider archway provided access to the inner temple.
The party entered the archway. The chamber was an enormous, vaulted cavern. At its far end lay an apse with a low altar. A deep fire pit glowed in the center of the room, surrounded by Fire Sages. On either wall a series of low, wide marble steps ran down to the floor.
The Fire Lord and his cabinet sat on pillows of gold carefully arranged according to rank in front of the altar. Prince Ozai sat impassively at his father's right hand. The members of the War College sat crossed legged on the wide marble steps. Jeong Jeong calmly assumed his place on the single empty spot that awaited him. Macro and the honor guard retreated to stand at their assigned positions in the forward gallery.
Father and son regarded each other calmly across the flames.
Iroh stepped forward and addressed the chamber in a strong, confident voice that echoed off the walls and ceiling.
"I, General Iroh, son of Fire Lord Azulon, come before you, conscript fathers, victorious against the enemies of the Fire Nation to receive your blessing."
He did not bow. Perhaps the most signal honor of all, a general returning home in triumph bowed to no one, not even the Fire Lord, on the day of celebration.
Azulon stood. The rest followed.
"Hail, General Iroh," the ancient ruler greeted, "We welcome you home, a true son of Agni and Master of Fire. You have won a glorious victory for the Fire Nation and earned your triumph. Your name will be entered into the ranks of the most illustrious in our country's history."
All bowed to the conqueror.
The doors closed behind them. The flames of the altar fire leapt to the sky.
The formal religious ceremony then began which lasted a little under an hour. The Fire Sages had sacrificed to Agni and asked the Sun Spirit to bless the Fire Lord and the people. Chanting mantras from the sacred texts, they had then performed a firebending ritual that melted stone, vaporized water and consumed the wind to demonstrate the superiority of the national element.
Once the ceremony was complete, Iroh stood and recounted briefly the central events of the campaign. He was careful to address the question of his succession to the leadership of the army in anticipation of any accusation from the Tien Shin. Chieng stood on his right, his step brother and Gan on his left. The members of the War College and the Cabinet were then encouraged to ask questions in order of rank.
"A great victory, General," the War Minister commented, "but a costly one. The loss of so many dreadnoughts and their payloads was most unfortunate."
"Yes," Iroh agreed, "but the weaponry proved most effective at Mequon."
"Not worth the money," the aging official replied.
Gan opened his mouth to object, but was cut off by Iroh's response.
"I won't argue that now, Minister, but I believe the rockets will be required to breach the walls of Ba Sing Se when we reach them."
Iroh turned to the engineer.
"Chieng, they'll penetrate, right?"
"They should, General," she replied confidently, "The war heads will need some modification, but, yes, based on our intelligence, we should be able to penetrate."
The War Minister considered this and nodded his once in affirmation.
The Fire Lord spoke last.
"So, General, you plan to attack Ba Sing Se next?"
The audience waited expectantly for an answer to this question. Capturing Ba Sing Se and the Earth King would end the war.
"No, Lord Azulon, but I have developed a strategy to force that outcome within three seasons. I will be prepared to present this to the War College within a fortnight if it pleases you."
"Yes, General," the aging ruler replied, "It will please me greatly."
The Fire Lord stood.
"This council is ended," he commanded, "The homecoming feast begins at sundown. Now, leave us, all of you, I wish to speak with General Iroh and his officers alone."
Everyone stood and began speaking simultaneously. A few intrepid members of the War College shook Iroh's hand as they passed by on their way to exit the temple. Side doors at the back connected to the palace and served as the regular access to the temple when the great doors remained closed.
Soon the chamber was empty save the Fire Lord, Prince Ozai and the triumphal party.
The Fire Lord motioned for the group to approach him. They complied, all but Iroh bowing once more to the ruler of the Fire Nation. He looked over the party with his sharp, penetrating glance. He shifted back and forth between Iroh and Chieng several times before speaking.
"A bold claim, General, to propose victory within three years."
"As Agni is my witness, Father, I will make it happen."
Azulon made a noncommittal noise before turning to the elder prince.
"What is this news you have, Tien Shin?" he prompted without preamble.
The group suddenly tensed. Ozai's eyes glinted. Iroh and his friends had prepared carefully for the former daimyo to make good on his threat to prosecute Iroh for taking command.
Tien Shin smiled and replied.
"Most noble lord, General Iroh's account of the campaign made clear the contribution of the Army of the Song to our victory at Mequon. He indicated that he sent a message to Mequon before we left the Nasu and that Governor T'zan relayed it to General Shu."
Iroh and Gan quickly exchanged a panicked glance. This wasn't what they had anticipated, it was far worse.
"So?" the Fire Lord prompted.
"Such a message would have taken weeks to reach them. The Army of the Song was besieging Omashu over a thousand leagues to the south at the time. It occurred to me that there wasn't enough time for all this to happen. There was less than two months between the battles."
"What are you saying, Tien Shin," Gan interrupted, "What's your point?"
"I think you know… Captain," Tien Shin replied with derision, then to Azulon, "Lord, after looking into the matter, I obtained proof that the Army of the Song did indeed receive a message from Governor T'zan."
Iroh felt the bottom drop out of his stomach as Tien Shin produced two pieces of neatly folded paper from underneath his breastplate.
Tien Shin unfolded the paper and began to read.
"To the Most High and Noble General Shu, Supreme Commander of the Army of the Song, I, Rhiannon T'zan, Imperial Governor of the Province of Mequon send greetings.
My lord, I must regrettably report that a great disaster has befallen our beloved Nation at Lake Myojin. General Xian is dead and a great part of the the Army of the Great Divide has been destroyed.
Prince Iroh has taken command and now makes for Mequon with all that remains of our forces. He hopes that you can move immediately to support him. A great and final battle will take place on the steppes east of Mequon and General Iroh hopes to catch our enemy between the two Fire Nation armies.
May Agni bless you, General and bring with all speed to the aid of my beloved city!"
Tien Shin stopped reading and looked up with a confident smile.
"I will echo Captain Shu, Prince Tien Shin, what is your point?"
"Rhiannon's letter is undated, my lord, but the Army of the Song's war diary," here he indicated the second of the two pieces of paper in his possession, "shows that it was received a week before the battle of Lake Myojin and a full three weeks before Iroh sent his own message to Mequon! The war diary then records that the Army of the Song broke camp and began moving north two days before the battle of Lake Myojin."
He paused a moment to let this sink in.
"So, how did Govenor T'zan know that we'd lost at Lake Myojin… before it happened? How did she know that Iroh's plan was to envelop the enemy east of Mequon and that she needed to send a message to General Shu?"
Azulon smiled slightly, but did not look surprised. Tien Shin fingered the tessen in his belt and continued in his most calculated and dangerous tone.
"I suggest that Governor T'zan has inherited the clarovoyance of her mother's people and that she be recalled immediately to ensure proper use of this gift… and to account for its concealment."
Unable to contain himself, Iroh erupted.
"Father, no! This is yet another base manipulation of my step-brother's to achieve his own ends! Whether this is true or not, he only wants her recalled so he can force her to honor the betrothal to him – a betrothal made against her will!"
Azulon stood stock still. He could have been a statue. The Fire Lord looked back and forth between the two young men. One arrogant, cool and confident, the other angry, tense and off balance. The moment stretched until the old man suddenly threw back his head and laughed, a cold hard sound, and shook his head as if this were exactly what he had expected.
"Yes, I know all of this."
Tien Shin and Iroh instantly wore identical expressions of surprise. Ozai crossed his arms and surveyed his brother and step brother in expectant silence.
"What, General Iroh?" Azulon continued, "Did you really think she was able to hide this from me? Or your cousin? Or you for that matter?"
Iroh wisely declined to respond.
"I know everything that is said and done… and thought." the Fire Lord concluded darkly.
"Then why leave her at Mequon, my lord?" Tien Shin finally rejoined after recovering from the shock of the aging leader's unexpected response.
"Why? Because her gift was never of any practical use… until now."
"Then you will recall her, my lord?"
"No! Father, she is –"
"Silence, General!" the Fire Lord suddenly thundered, "Even on your day of triumph, I still rule!"
Iroh obeyed, quickly casting his gaze to the floor, anger flushing his face red. Gan and Chieng stood stock still, uncertain how to react.
The old man turned back to the elder prince.
"She will be summoned, Tien Shin. Have her then, though you are a lordly fool. You take her for the wealth and power you think you will gain, but you will only avail yourself of misery and loss by taking a woman who despises you."
Tien Shin turned to Iroh and smirked.
"Thank you, my lord," he nevertheless replied with a bow, "I will see the order issued at once."
The Fire Lord turned to General Shu's second son.
"Captain, report to your father and bring him before me. I intend to elevate him to the War College for his contribution. I will see him in the annex one quarter of an hour before the feast."
"Yes, my lord," Gan replied with a stiff bow. Stony faced he departed.
The old man turned back to his elder son, though he addressed all who remained.
"Go now, all of you, and prepare for the feast. This is a day of celebration, General Iroh. Only you can insist that it be otherwise."
The Fire Lord turned and exited the temple, Tien Shin and Ozai in tow.
Moments later Chieng and Iroh were alone. As soon as the doors closed behind the Fire Lord the raven haired engineer turned to her mate and took both his hands in her own. Iroh breathed heavily, his eyes burning with rage.
"We'll fix this," she said earnestly.
He looked into her eyes.
"You think we can?"
"Yes, I don't know how," she confessed, "but somehow, we'll get her out of this mess, okay?"
He squeezed her hands. She didn't know about the specifics of Rhiannon's prophecy. If she had, he wondered if she would express such confidence. He wanted to believe her. He did. She had gotten them through the desert. Maybe she could be right here too?
"Let's just try to enjoy the feast and we'll think about what to do. We can grab Gan as soon as it's over and put together a plan, okay?"
"Okay," he said with a weak smile, "Let's go get ready."
She released one of his hands, but held on to the other. Determined to avoid the Fire Lord's party, they exited the back of the temple through the opposite door used by the aging ruler and the two princes. Entering a long hallway that connected the temple to the east wing of the palace they were surprised to find it empty.
They turned the corner and entered the long arcade that extended along the eastern edge of the Fire Lord's reception hall. This hallway was not empty. A tall, imperious figure surrounded by attendants rapidly approached them from the opposite end of the gallery.
Chieng gasped suddenly and stiffened as the other party halted in front them. She dropped to the ground, her chin on her hands in the ancient show of respect reserved for the Fire Lord and the patriarchs of the Great Houses.
"Greetings my lord, Father, I come to serve."
Iroh started in shock. He examined the regal figure before him and knew that he had finally come face to face with the infamous Liu Shiung. He was neither a Cabinet member nor a member of the War College, so he must have been with the other high nobility on one of the palace terraces that overlooked the Golden Road.
He was much taller than his daughter, who clearly took after her mother in stature. His hair, sideburns and long, thin beard were snow white. His topknot was held in place by a severe, double headed arrow of iron. Father and daughter shared the bright golden eyes that could pierce the soul, a fierce countenance and a perfectly erect posture.
The white haired old man ignored Iroh and regarded his daughter coldly.
"I am told that your machines failed the Fire Lord at Lake Myojin," he began without greeting.
Chieng remained perfectly still, but her body tensed. Iroh could feel the words cut and knew that she bled inside.
He instantly hated the old man.
"Yes, Father."
"You are a failure, Ten-Ten. Many have died because of your incompetence. You have brought shame to our House."
This time the physical reaction was obvious. Her fists clenched and her slight frame shook.
"Father… I…."
"Silence!" the old man thundered, cutting off her attempt to reply, then in a quiet tone of utter contempt, "I will not bandy about crooked words in some pitiful attempt to fabricate excuses. I have neither time nor patience for those who fail in their duty to the Fire Nation."
Suddenly Iroh found himself standing between Liu Shiung and his slight daughter.
"Stop! I command it!" Iroh roared, his eyes aflame with anger and resolution.
The attendants stared in horror at the conflict that had bloomed suddenly before them. Such a confrontation was unprecedented. No one challenged Lord Shiung, not even the Fire Lord. The prostrate woman looked up in shock, her mouth agape. Surely the apocalypse had arrived.
The old man shifted his bloodless gaze to the Crown Prince. The golden eyes set so beautifully in Chieng's delicate features looked reptilian in her father's.
"She is my daughter, Prince Iroh," Lord Shiung declared, for he had recognized the Crown Prince instantly though he had declined a greeting, "and I will deal with her as I see fit. You have no right to interfere, even if you are Azulon's son."
Iroh stepped closer to the taller man.
"Father or no, if you treat her that way again I will burn you down, whether you accept agni kai or not!"
Without thought the Crown Prince raised his fists, wreathed in fire. He continued in a threatening tone, his voice growing louder as he went on.
"And you will refer to me as General Iroh, Lord Shiung! On my day of triumph you will accept my rule as if I were the Fire Lord himself! If you honestly believe your daughter has failed then you will show me respect for the victory I have won in spite of it! And remember this, if she has failed it is because you have failed as a father and now that I've seen this… this shameful and disgusting display of cruelty I wouldn't hesitate to hold you accountable if it were in fact true!"
Lord Shiung held perfectly still, offering no visible reaction to the outburst at all. He waited patiently for Iroh to continue his torrent.
"But it is not true! Your daughter, whom you will call Commander Shiung in my presence, a title she has earned a thousand times more than your own, is a brilliant success! You are just too arrogant and cruel to realize it. We won for many, many reasons at Mequon, but every soldier in the Army of the Great Divide knows that without your daughter's courage, imagination, ingenuity and total commitment to the Fire Nation we never would have even broken out of the Gulf of Gela!"
Iroh lowered his fists, extinguished his fire and drew himself to his full height.
"I am ashamed of you, Lord Shiung, for failing to recognize your daughter's contribution and her quality."
The old man examined Iroh closely as if seeing him for the first time. He arched an eyebrow and smiled with more than a trace of satisfaction.
"I like you, General Iroh," he declared suddenly, and to Iroh's surprise he could tell he meant it, though his countenance lost none of its frigidity.
"I can see your reputation for courage and honesty is well deserved. That's good. The ruling class of our nation is honeycombed with liars, boot lickers and other low life scum, but you apparently are not one of them. You have taken after your father and your cousin."
Iroh was confused by this response and made no immediate reply. He remained steadfastly between Liu and his daughter.
"I know Ten-Ten's quality better than you," the old man continued almost conversationally, ignoring Iroh's earlier command and speaking as if Chieng wasn't present, "But I can see you have made up your mind."
The Crown Prince was uncertain what he referred to, but did not hesitate to reply. He had taken a strong stand and did not want his resolve to appear to weaken for any reason.
"I have, Lord Shiung."
The old man crossed his arms.
"Will you have her, then?"
The question sucked the air out of the room. Iroh could feel rather than see Chieng move behind him. He thought he heard her… squeak.
Iroh's face went slack.
"I'm sorry, uh, what?"
Lord Shiung laughed wickedly.
"You challenge me for her, her father and rightful Lord, but am I to understand then you aren't prepared to take responsibility for her yourself?"
"I don't understand, Lord Shiung," Iroh sputtered in reply, "What do you mean "take responsibility" for her? In case you haven't noticed she can take care of herself!"
The old man pursed his lips and shook his head.
"You haven't thought this through," Liu observed correctly, "Very well, then I'll make myself clear, General. I offer Ten-Ten to you in marriage. Then you will certainly be free to deal with her in your household as you see fit."
"Ten-Ten?" Iroh asked dumbly, trying desperately to gain time to formulate a coherent response.
He was in shock at how the tables had turned so suddenly and was only dimly aware that Liu had been calling her that since the unexpected interview began. Iroh could feel the heat on his face and knew that he had turned the color of his own fire.
"Chieng, if you insist," Liu clarified with more than a trace of exasperation, "We have called her Ten-Ten since she was a little girl. Now, General, quit stalling. What is your response to my offer?"
Against his will the Crown Prince stepped aside and turned to look upon the woman he so fiercely protected.
Chieng had risen on one knee. She looked rapidly back and forth between her father and her superior. Her mouth hung slightly open, her golden eyes bewildered and more vulnerable than Iroh had ever seen. She blushed furiously. He desperately wanted to hold her close to him and take her away from this place and this awful old man.
Finally she found her voice, though it quavered with emotions she could not name.
"Father, please, I accept responsibility for my failure, his Highness is…"
The old man stopped her short with a curt, dismissive wave of his hand.
"Enough, Ten-Ten," he replied without looking at her, "I am no fool. The young General has courage and honesty. I will see for myself what other qualities he possesses."
Lord Shiung's smile disappeared.
"I ask again, General, will you take her?"
Iroh hated himself for the reply he knew he must give. His father had pointed out only minutes before that, even on his day of triumph, the Fire Lord ruled his own House. He was even prevented by custom and the strict rules of marriage negotiation between the Great Houses from acknowledging openly the deep feelings he now knew he harbored for her.
"I am not free to decide whom I will marry, Lord Shiung, as you well know."
Liu smirked.
"Exactly. General you may be, but you are bound to the will of your Father, the Fire Lord, the lord of your House, just as Ten-Ten is bound to mine! Neither of you are free to do as you please," then, in a more reflective tone, "But then, in truth, neither am I, nor is your Father. We are all of us prisoners!"
The old man laughed harshly, then lowered his head to look squarely at Iroh.
"I advise you to temper your self-righteousness, General, and accept this reality."
The smirk became an evil smile. If his irises had been vertical he'd have looked like a dragon.
"Besides, you should be thankful that you have escaped today, General. Ten-Ten is an arrogant, nasty little bitch whom no one has been willing to marry despite the wealth, power and connections of my House. I accept responsibility for this, of course, she clearly takes after me, but because of that I'm afraid she will remain a spinster."
Liu turned to his daughter.
"Get up, Ten-Ten, I want to see your mother. She at least has performed well."
The raven haired engineer stood. Her posture sagged, her gaze locked on the floor. For the first time since he met her she looked dead and above all defeated. Liu swept imperiously from the room, his daughter following meekly behind him, the rest of the attendants in tow. She did not look at him as she passed.
Iroh shook with anger. He hated Liu Shiung… and, for only the second time in his life, himself.
Crown Prince… destined to rule the Fire Nation and the world… and I can't even help her… please, please, Agni, let me help her!
When he was alone he drew a breath and exhaled a great gout of fire from his mouth which filled the atrium to its ceiling. Anger rapidly gave way to grief. He sunk to his knees and amidst bitter tears beat the floor with bloody hands.
