It took a year.

Iroh returned for the funeral and stayed only a month, and his absence ignited the whispers. The great general had abandoned his post, he had retreated when victory seemed imminent. Most of the city was still sympathetic. Losing a son, and the heir no less, was bound to be devastating. But there were just enough men, men who sought to better their station, who wondered why the crown prince had forsaken his country. Ozai stayed away from the whispers, but made sure they were heard.

Azulon became deaf to it all.

Zuko heard them, and he watched with frightened clarity as Ozai moved through the palace. There were many meetings between his father and the Fire Lord, meetings that caused Ozai to freeze the family rooms.

Something was building, something terrible, and Zuko trembled in his ignorance. Azula even stilled with her mouth closed and her eyes wide, trying to find what they were missing.

Instead of an answer, Zuko was shaken awake in the middle of the night.

"We have to go." The figure whispered sharply in the darkness. Zuko shot awake but was still disoriented.

"What's happened?" He asked, his heart pounding in his throat. Hands grabbed his arms roughly and Zuko winced in pain.

"Your grandfather is dead. You're next. We have to go." The voice was masculine but so low and subdued it was difficult to make out.

"Okay." Zuko said, swallowing his heart and bile.

The figure pulled him out of bed and shoved a cloak around him. Zuko stayed silent as the man grasped his hand and yanked him along. Once in the hall, another man holding a torch met them.

"Master, the guards are coming." The man murmured and Zuko began to shake. The torch was steady but shadows still jumped around the man's face, making it unrecognizable.

"We need-" The man holding Zuko was cut off as another door slammed back on it's groove. Zuko jumped and curled around the man's body, but was relieved to see his mother holding Azula's hand.

"Let's go." Ursa ordered and the group moved quickly down the hall. They were making their way opposite from the main hall, and Zuko knew they would reach a dead end. Before they reached that, the man with the torch slid open a door to their dining room. Through there, he pushed back on a piece of the wall and Zuko gasped as it opened.

"Your majesty." The man holding Zuko said and Ursa stepped into the dark hole, pulling Azula in after her. It was in that moment, crossing the threshold, that Azula let out a cry. Immediately, Ursa slapped her hand over Azula's mouth and Azula began to thrash.

"We have to go princess. You're father has gone mad." The man with the torch said. Zuko looked up as the hand holding his tightened.

The light shifted just enough in the correct way.

It was Piandao.

"Master…" Zuko said in a hushed gasp. Piandao looked down at him with a frown and Zuko closed his mouth with an audible click. Fat had pushed Azula and Ursa through the passage, so Piandao and Zuko followed quickly after them. Piandao hesitated to slide the wall back in place and they all stepped carefully through the secret hallway, following the light of Fat's torch.

After one sharp turn, Fat moved to the front of the group and groped for a moment along a wall. Something in the darkness clicked and Zuko felt the rush of fresh air before he saw the moonlight expanse of burnt soil. The grounds of the palace, between the building and the palace walls at least, were razed. Fat extinguished his torch but Zuko could still smell ash and fire from the ground. As they walked quickly away from the palace, he could feel ash start to coat his face. The hem of his cloak began to feel heavy and his bare feet sank slightly in the crumbling dirt.

Nothing felt real.

Once at the palace wall, Zuko felt a new terror shoot down his spine. There was no going over the high wall, even if they had brought a ladder or rope.

Azula was back to crying and Ursa knelt next to her, trying to soothe her.

"I want father!" Azula shrieked as Ursa tried to hug her to her chest.

"Your father will kill you." Ursa said, her voice tight with desperation.

"No! He'll only kill Zuko!" Azula retorted and Zuko's spine turned to ash itself. He almost crumpled, but Piandao braced him. Ursa looked shocked and grabbed onto Azula's arms as if she was drowning.

"What did you say?" Ursa asked.

"Majesty, we don't have time." Piandao said, but Ursa only started to shake Azula.

"What did you say?" Ursa demanded again and Azula beat at her with small fists. She broke away and stared at Ursa with red, puffy eyes.

"Father said since you poisoned Zuko as much as you poisoned grandfather, that he would just kill him too." Azula said.

"Azula." Ursa breathed the name and reached out, but Azula stepped back.

"Father loves me. He's going to make me Fire Lord." Azula said and turned to run. Zuko moved instinctively and grabbed her arm.

"Azula no!" Zuko said as Azula yelled for him to let her go. "He never loved us!"

"He never loved YOU!" She screamed back and then there was the bright flash of blue fire. Zuko heard more screaming, a loud noise, and then everything went black.

When he woke again, he couldn't see anything. He could still feel the jostling of a cart and knew he was lying down, so he figured he was still alive. There was a searing pain in his face, but it was also behind a sort of barrier. Everything in his body told him it was the worst hurt he had ever experienced, but he couldn't feel it.

"He's awake." Piandao said.

"My son." Ursa still sounded desperate and frightened, but her tone had taken a more liquid sound.

"Mmmm…." Zuko flailed, in both speech and body as he weakly tried to reach through the darkness toward his mother.

"Shhh, my son, be still. You have been badly burned." Ursa said and grabbed one of his hands. "When will we meet my brother?" She spoke now to Piandao and Zuko could feel his consciousness begin to slide backward, further into the darkness.

"Three days your majesty. But we won't be able to get a Waterbender to the camp to heal the prince." Piandao answered. Ursa began to sob and while Zuko tried to stay awake, he ended up slipping into the darkness to the sound of her crying.