I don't own Avatar The Last Airbender

Chapter 20

"I wouldn't do it if I were you."

Iroh stopped at once.

Was his nephew awake the entire time and he was caught red handed?

No, his nephew was clearly unconscious. So who, or what, could it be?

The answer was obvious, it must be that demented helmet. It was truly possessed by spirits!

"Great spirit, may I ask you what do you mean?"

Iroh had learned to always show the spirits respect, no matter how hard it could be for him. There are no such things as evil spirits, only dark spirits that can be amended with.

He may be able to convince the spirit to let go of his nephew, even if all what he wanted to do right now was to throw away the damned helmet to the deepest darkest pit possible.

"Oh, it had been eons since I heard insincere flattery. I am no spirit, little dragon. As for your question, his highness is right now having raptured chi lines because of the overload of energy. I am mending them back together so even if you could pull me away, something that I s more likely to tear Zuko's head of then get me out of it, he will lose his bending or even die."

"What! Will he be okay?!"

"Yes, yes, give me an hour and he will be as good as new."

Iroh let out a breath of relief that he was holding. With the catatonic state his nephew was in, as well as the unnatural voice of the non-spirit, he was convinced that it was telling the truth.

"I thank you for saving my nephew's life from his rushed decision, although I must ask, did you have any influence on his decision? Or his decisions for the last month or so?"

"A bit too forward from you, I expected at least a tea ceremony and a round of pai sho. Besides why are you asking questions if you already know the answers?"

"I merely wanted to be sure. In any case, may I ask you to leave my nephew be? I humbly beg you to release your hold on my nephew and we shall immediately return you to your resting place at the air temple with a fitting offering."

The helmet let out a strange sound. It was like the giggle of a maiden at something her lover said, but the deep undertone of the helmet distorted it to something unrecognizable.

"And why would I ever want to do that? I am quite pleased to be out of that prison after all those millennia. And young Zuko is such a good vessel, he has the potential to be something truly great."

That was bad, very bad. The not spirit, Iroh still needed to figure that out, wouldn't leave his nephew. It was also imprisoned for thousands of years by the Avatar (if his guess at the start was correct), this didn't bound well for his nephew.

"I'm sure that your goal is noble, but you have caused much damage. Look around you, look at the destruction and carnage. You caused my nephew to commit such a heinous act, how do you think it will affect him? How could he look at himself in the mirror?"

"With his eyes, or eye, because or the scar."

Iroh didn't appreciate the humor.

"As you say destruction and carnage others may say justice and salvation. Each and every soul that was taken here today was guilty of countless crimes. Had they not been stopped now they would have continued to commit many more of the destruction and carnage you so hate."

"it's not about them, it's about Zuko. This errand will scar him for life!"

"A little too late for that, little dragon. He will get over killing some murderers quick enough, I will help him all the way. I, however, am not surprised that you care so little about the life of the people, letting those criminals ran loose."

"You're putting words in my mouth, we both know that it wasn't what I meant."

"Am I?"

"I merely respond to what you say. If you decided to phrase your words in such way, then perhaps your unconscious tells a different story?"

"I've heard enough, it is clear that you are corrupting my nephew and making him act against everything he believed in. Leave my nephew at once or I shall make you, don't test me."

"Yes, because those blue lilies worked so well last time."

"There is more then one way to banish a spirit."

Iroh said evenly.

"And you will find none of them affective, especially when over a half of them can be summarized as begging said spirit to leave."

Then the unimaginable happened. Zuko's body began to rise on its own from the self-made throne of flash as Iroh backed away a little startled.

It started as distorted moves, like a puppet on strings, but after a few seconds the body moved as flawlessly as if Zuko was awake. The body, clearly controlled by the helmet, was circling Iroh. Little drops of blood are still falling here and there.

"You are acting a bit hypocritical, wouldn't you say? You fault me for influencing Zuko to go against what he was taught to believe, but aren't you doing the same? Aren't you trying to mold him as well, so he will rule the fire nation as you see fit?"

Iroh wouldn't say that the words didn't sting a little, it was basically what he was trying to do, but he first and foremost did what was best for Zuko, to save him from the influence of his father.

"The two of us are different, spirit. Everything I do, I do for Zuko. He needs to escape his father's influence, not being subjected to another."

"I won't lie, I do try to advice and tauter him, shape him to a better man, but it is to help him grow as a person. I would never force my will on him in the way you or my brother do."

The thing had the audacity to laugh.

"You think I force him to do anything? Really general, you paint me in such a bad light."

The thing's mocking tone was impossible to miss, the fact that it held Zuko's body hostage didn't help Iroh's feeling.

"Everything Zuko did at my advice, any act he had committed in my name, it was all him. He did all what he did because he believed in me, and believed my advice was the best course of action. And is it any wonder if all he gets from you are riddles and rejections?"

"He's acting more and more like a tyrant every day, and all of it is because of your unjust meddling in things that are bigger then you. You are leading him to a path of ruins, I won't allow you."

Iroh said in determination as he prepared himself for a fight.

"Oh yes, the poor little dragon. Four times the victim, each time you were helpless to stop. The childbirth took your wife, the war took your son, and the treachery took your father. And now, I am taking the last family you had any hope of saving. Sad, isn't it? fitting for one such as you, a failure of a husband, a failure of a father, a failure of a son, and now a failure of an uncle. You do fail in all the important things, little dragon."

Iroh was so close to attacking that creature. But he held himself back, it was obvious that this was what the creature wanted.

"Oh do calm down, there is no need to for violence oh keeper of peace. You understand that you will be trashing your nephew's own body, right?"

Damn it, the thing was right, he couldn't fight without hurting Zuko.

"Why are you doing all of this? What is your goal?"

"Yes, I am obviously going to tell you all of my evil schemes. But for as far as you are concerned, I plan to bring peace and prosperity to the world."

It then turned away and walked to one of the tenants.

"Wha- where do you think you're taking my nephew's body?!"

"To eat. I don't know about you, but Zuko burnt a lot of calories. The bandits had food supply in the tent over there, you're coming for breakfast?"

Iroh's traitorous stomach answered for him as it grumbled. With little choice, he followed the thing.

"No."

Iroh said as the two of them ate.

"You aren't bringing peace. If you were, you would have helped us find the avatar and stop this war. It is our duty to help the avatar in his quest to restore balance and harmony."

"And here we go, because obviously only the avatar can restore balance. All other beings that think otherwise are obviously in the wrong, never mind that for each one there is a different meaning for balance."

It ate as it spoke, Zuko's mouth munched the food, but the voice spoke as if the mouth was free. It was a little creepy, iroh had to admit as he started to make tea.

"The spirits work in mysterious ways, it is not our place to judge them."

"You are a few digits to short in your age to talk like a wise old man in front of me. And I know spirits much better than you, many of them leave much to be desired."

"Tea?"

Iroh offered a cup of tea for the thing and started drinking himself.

"Thank you, general."

It drank the entire content of the cup. Good, now all that is left was to wait.

"It came to my attention that you have me in a disadvantage. How may I call you?"

"Names have power, little dragon. You can call me Helmet, for that's what I am."

The, now named, helmet made Zuko to eat entire packs of raw rice, large portions of meat, bones and bone marrow included and every fruit it could find. Iroh had the feeling that it wouldn't find any problems with cannibalizing the corpses outside should the food end before its appetite.

"I must say, you have a way with tea. It takes a master to add blue lilies to a jasmine tea without changing the taste and texture. And a blue lily planted and harvested on the 'Water Tribe Sacred Island' on harmony day? Why it must have cost a fortune, and all for little me? I'm flattered."

Iroh stopped everything, frozen in terror.

Iroh indeed put blue lilies in the tea. And indeed, they were planted and harvested in the very day where the light and dark share equal amount of time, the day that after it there us more light then dark.

The island itself was in the exact middle point between the north and the south. It is a very scared place for both tribes and they both claim a joint dominion over it. Or, at least, they were, before the fire nation annexed it even before the war.

All of those properties combined made it thousands of times more effective in purifying and banishing dark spirits than the brew Iroh tried all those weeks ago. It cost a fortune and Iroh only got it because the white lotus is the one who produces it.

It would have severely hurt even a dark spirit in the level of La and Tui, yet it did nothing to the being in front of him. Just what is the thing he's dealing with, to brash of something that can put even great spirits on their knees?

"I'm… glad you liked it…"

He hoped that the helmet wouldn't recognize his attempt to get rid of it.

"Oh, do calm down. I'm not going to do anything because of your butchered attempt, frankly I would have been more insulated if you didn't try anything. Besides, I told you that things like that wouldn't work on me."

"...So, what's now?"

Iroh didn't even know what to do anymore. He was relived that it didn't take any form of revenge, but at the same time he was… confused?

"Well, Zuko still needs to sleep for a while. After that we should head back to Gaoling, we should arrive just in time for Beifong's surrender."

"Your scheme, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"And all those ideas that my nephew suddenly came up with, they are your doing as well."

Iroh said it as stating a fact, not a question.

"Yes, but he did come up with a few good ideas."

"I will find a way to release him from your grip."

Iroh said with determination.

"You? You are a failed general and a lonely old man with no one to turn to for help, your own family all but cast you out. What help you may get is from the ever-thinning line of people that still hold a semblance of respect to the man you once were."

Oh, it thought Iroh was alone. It means that it didn't know about the white lotus, or at least about Iroh's part in it. This is good, at least his enemy isn't all knowing.

"You will find that I'm full of surprises."

"If you say so."

It waived him off with disregard as it continued devouring the ever-shrinking pile of food.

"You will fail, you know. It's in your nature."

Iroh continued.

"The Avatar kept the world in peace and harmony for almost ten thousand years. He will defeat you, he had done it before, hadn't he?"

This time it seems like the words had an effect on the thing, because it stopped eating for a few seconds.

"I won't lie, I have had my share of defeats against Rava. But unlike the deluded thing you so readily worship, after each time I learn, grow stronger, evolve. In this trail of error, it is a question of when, not if, I get my victory."

"Besides, there hasn't been yet a global conflict in this scale that takes almost century yet. And where is your precious chosen one? Gone."

"He will come when he is needed, as the spirits see fit. Once he did, he will defeat the fire nation and restore the balance to the four nations."

Iroh didn't have anything better to say.

"This is a poor answer, and you know it. Tell me one thing, if you may."

"What is it?"

"When Zuko will finally have the avatar in his reach, will you let him bring the spirit possessed abomitation to his father?"

Iroh was silent for a moment.

"Why are you asking questions if you already know the answers?"

Iroh mimicked the thing's words from earlier.

"I'm not, actually. You are a hard man to read, little dragon, one moment you are fine with whatever misbehaving Zuko did and the next you lecture him for something trivial."

"So tell me, all this journey, all this support for Zuko, he's just a tool for you to find the avatar, isn't he? You will never allow him to complete his mission."

"The avatar must be found so he could stop this senseless war. And first and foremost, I'm here for my nephew."

"Ah, yes. To make him your puppet on the throne to rule in your name and by your ideals. Oh, is seems that our time is up."

It said before Iroh could respond. Zuko, it seemed, had finally awoken with a scream.

Zuko was in a dark void, with him on some kind of a floor that resembled the throne room. Around him circled two dragons, one red and one blue. The two seemed to battle between themselves for dominance over the throne and the void.

For some reason, the red dragon reminded him of his uncle, and the blue one reminded him of his sister. Obviously, he already had a favorite in this fight.

The dragons seemed to be equally matched, although he could see that the red one was more desperate than his peer.

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere came two colossal, armored arms and grabbed the two majestic creatures by their long neck and held them like they were small garden snakes. The dragons trashed and shot fire, but to not avail.

The arms were connected to a gargantuan body, the both of them wore black armor. The head was too far for Zuko to see in detail, but he could detect black smoke rising from where the head should have been. Like a black fire that used the head like a torch.

The armor of the colossal had images on it that were shown in the light of the room. They were strange, depicting all kinds of events. Miracles and atrocities, earthly and otherworldly, Zuko couldn't help but being glued to them.

There was an image of a man wielding fire to cook and to defend his family from a predator, there was an image of a village burning. There was an image of a men with a strange cup in his hand and below him flourishing fields, there was an image of soldiers in a cloud chocking themselves and begging for the sweet release of death. There was an image of a man holding the sun in his hands, there was an image of an entire city destroyed to dust with a mushroom shaped cloud in the middle and people dying in all kinds of horrible ways.

Those were just a few from the endless imaged on the armor and Zuko had a felling that they were much more than simple doodles.

All in all, the new figure radiated power. It was good and evil, kind and cruel, god and devil.

The two dragons continued their desperate fight to escape the colossal hands that held them, but their struggle was in vain. It even helped their capture, the blue dragon's fire and lightning seemed to only make the colossus stronger. The red dragon's fire made the metal hands tougher.

Suddenly the ground around him seemed to shake and break, as if the surrounding itself couldn't sustain the colossus. When it finally gave in, Zuko fell screaming to the void.

When he stopped falling, he suddenly found himself in the same camp where he faced the bandits. Only this time there weren't any mere bandits, oh no. Instead, he was facing head on a camp of enforcers.

As they ran towards him, he knew that he had to fight back. And fight back he did, with the swords that were suddenly in his hands, he cut and diced the masked enemies before him. Breaking bones, cutting, burning and electrifying, all of the above was done with extreme ease.

He continued to do so, ending them like he did to the bandits before. That was until he heard a very familiar scream from the enforcer he stabbed in the heart, a scream he hadn't heard since…

He quickly pulled off the hood and mask of the fallen enforcer, and to his horror, he saw the beaten-up face on Ming spitting blood.

"W-why…"

She said in a small voice.

"No! I didn't mean to!"

"It's all your f-fault…"

Ming said as her life left her body, spiting blood on his helmet less face was her finale action.

Then, one by one, the enforcers showed their faces, they were none other then the people of the village.

"You promised to protect us!"

"Look as us, we are all dead!"

"You killed us, monster!"

Each threw an insult or an accusation at him, rising his heart beats more and more.

He was forced to step back, unable to face all the people he killed twice over. Suddenly, he reached something, and to his ever-growing dread, it was the mangled body of Ki. The only difference was that he was wearing a particularly destroyed enforcer armor.

Zuko jumped back in fright. As he did so, too fast for him to react, the lifeless body suddenly sprung at him, broken teeth to his naked neck.

Zuko had awoken at once.

"Welcome back to the land of the awoken, your highness."

"Prince Zuko! Are you okay?!"

"Wha- Sai? Uncle? Am I still dreaming?"

"No, not at all. I was forced to reveal myself as your uncle tried to get me off of you, the risk to your health while I was fixing you up wasn't worth the secret. I deeply apologize for that."

"No, it's fine. Thanks for taking care of me. So uncle, I guess the leopard cat is out of the bag, hah."

"Yes nephew, out of the bag indeed. Tell me, when did it all start?"

Uncle said in a serious tone.

"Oh? Well, the evening of the day we returned from the last air temple. Remember the blue flame?"

"Yes… yes, I do remember…"

Uncle didn't sound happy at all.

"And all the other things, the eye, the swamp, the library, the blind script, all those came from this helmet as well?"

"Yes uncle, isn't it great! Look how much I brought to the world! And all in a month!"

His uncle, however, shook his head in denial.

"No nephew, it isn't 'great' at all. The helmet only uses you to influence the surrounding in its image. All white bribing and robbing from you experience and make you dependent on it."

"What? Uncle that's –"

"Absurd."

Sai completed Zuko's sentence.

"All I did was advise and offer solutions to the problems Zuko faced, of course anything I offer will be in my image, like anything you offer will be in yours. In the end, it's up to Zuko to decide the best course of action, and he chose me over you."

"And you can rest easy, I made sure that he will have all the experience he needs. He worked hard for the bending I taught him."

"You are making him skip the basics."

"His basics are well enough. You are the one who's holding him back, are you planning him to take one the strongest being in the world with only the basics?"

"He should have mastered the basics before going to the more advanced styles, you have ruined him forever!"

"Uncle…"

"Me? I saved him from you. Tell me, are those basics related to fire bending, or your viewpoint? "

"It's not the point!"

"It's exactly the point. People like you disgust me, for all your talk about taking care of others and happiness for all, you are just like any other tyrant. You push down anyone who isn't agreeing with your worldview, giving power only to like minded individuals, creating a shadow government to rule all with your hypocrisy."

"Zuko, you can't seriously believe it, can you?"

"I- just, just stop it you two, okay?"

"No, nephew. This is something that needs to be set straight now. Throw that helmet away and come with me to camp."

The tone his uncle used left little place for negotiation.

"No uncle…"

"How about making it a game?"

"This isn't a game! Zuko, with me, now!"

"No uncle, I'm not going to throw S-"

Suddenly, he felt his belly clench and he had the immense need to go to the bathroom. Without warning, he ran to the nearest bush and pulled off his neither part of the armor mercifully quickly. He had a feeling that Sai guided his hands in this one.

"Arhg… What's happening?"

"Nephew, you okay?"

"Yeah, I just need to-"

Zuko had to stop to let nature take its course.

"What is happening is the result of the hundred thousand calories I had to feed you while you were asleep. Without it I wouldn't have had the materials to fix the damage from the energy overuse.

"Oh Agni, are those bones?! Argh…"

"You needed the calcium."

"Don't do it again."

"You would have been severely crippled otherwise. It was within our agreement."

"Zuko, this thing took completely control of your body! Can't you see that you must get rid of it?!"

"We have a deal, I can only take control with his explicit permission, or when his life is in danger that needs my attention. Like now."

"He's right, uncle. As much as I don't like losing control of my body, it saved me more than once. Now please let me concentrate, I feel like I just ate the entire food supply of the bandits."

"Only three fourth."

"Damn you…"

Shen looked at the letter in front of him. It was the letter of surrender that agreed upon with the Beifongs.

The operation itself went flawlessly, the airships bombed all the places and all the agreed targets were thoroughly destroyed. Of course, the Beifongs were prepared and put civilians to safe places and soldiers on patrol, so collateral causalities were minimal.

Now he only needed to go to the Beifong estate to make the surrender official. Or at least he would have been, if Zhao hadn't decided to take his place.

Funny how it was, not a word from the esteemed commander for a month, but once he got a word on Beifong's surrender and he pulled rank right away.

Of course, he cared little about glory in his age, unlike his daughter who coursed up a storm when she heard, but it was the principal of the matter that concern him.

He was no stranger to higher ups taking credit for their subordinate's achievements, but this gross form of corruption spoke ill on the future of the army. That way any well-connected man, regardless to skill, will be promoted to undeserving ranks. That in itself was bad enough, but when there will be no skilled subordinates to leach on then the real problem will start.

In any case, he will point it to the prince. For no other reason than to make him aware of the problem and prepare him for his role as future fire lord.

Oh, he didn't doubt the prince would be the fire lord, no matter what the rumors and his banishment said. After his achievements his father would be a fool to not bring the prince back to fold.

Besides, even if the prince did stay out of the inheritance line, he will just take it anyway. The fire nation respected power above anything, it wasn't unheard of for a weak fire lord to be replaced by their more fitted family member.

He, of course, kept those thoughts to himself, only a fool would voice treason. But he believed that once the fire lord, long may he reign, will kick the bucket and the siblings will fight for the right to the throne, the soldier's preference will be clear.

As he was busy with his thoughts, he suddenly heard a commotion from outside. When he took a pick, he saw that the prince and his uncle had arrived.

"Can't believe he actually did it…"

He grumbled to himself.

No, it wasn't true. He wholeheartedly believed that the prince could find and punish those bandits, it's the unreasonable timeframe that the young royal gave himself that surprised Shen.

Then again, the kid didn't stop to surprise him before, so why start now?

He went to congratulate the young prince on his success. On the way, he saw that the young woman that usually accompanied the prince was already greeting him, the bloodstains on various places on his armor did nothing to deter her.

Then again, seeing as she was born and raised in Amora of all places, it was expected of her. He still didn't particularly like the idea of this kind of woman to be around the prince, but at least she proved herself useful as a medic and as a negotiator.

He also noticed the tension that the two royals had with one another, he could only guess that the dragon of the west wasn't so thrilled with the prince's action. In any case, this was an interesting development, but one that he will stay out of.

"Prince Zuko, I'm glad to see you so soon. I trust your mission was a success as usual?"

"Shen! Of course. It took a while to track them down, but all the bandits are now dead."

"Oh? How many were there?"

"One hundred and eight, but who's counting."

The prince waved his hand dismissingly.

"How are things on your end? Something interesting while I was gone? Have Mi-Dved returned yet?"

"No, I can't say that he has returned. Although, we maybe we should take this conversation to somewhere else."

"What?! What do you mean that Zhao is taking control on the surrender?!"

"It is as you heard, your highness. Zhao used his rank as my superiors to take command on the operation, there is nothing I could do."

"That glory hound will ruin everything! Argh…"

"He is most likely to disregard our agreement for ones that will make him look as impressive as possible."

To say that Zuko was displeased would be underestimate, he was livid that the jerk tore of his plans so carelessly.

"With complete disregard on to the stability of the area or dragging our names through the mud..."

Shen looked at him with a pitying face.

"I'm afraid that this is the way of life, my prince."

"I can write to my father, maybe he can do something…"

"Even should your message get in time, an impossible task, technically Zhao is within his right. As a superior commander he can get involved in any task of his soldiers as he sees fit, and act as he sees fit."

"Damn it… we will sure lose Beifong like that. There has to be some way to salvage this…"

'Any ideas, Sai?'

"A few. Physically stopping him isn't an option, it will draw too much heat to us. I suggest we take a page from your uncle."

'What do you mean?'

"When you're uncle tried to 'save' you, he poisoned your tea. I suggest we use a similar tactic, only upgrade it."

'It's dishonorable.'

"We lack time for honor, if we don't act now, we will lose this entire region."

'But he will surely suspect us! Besides, wouldn't we be poisoned as well?'

"Not necessarily. I know how to make an assassin's kettle, a device that can hold more than one kind of liquid separately. We put normal tea in one opening and poison in the other, someone we trust will be our battler and will poison Zhao."

"I don't want to kill him!"

"He will have severe stomach ache at most, enough so that he couldn't attend to the surrender."

'Very well.'

"My prince, is everything ok?"

"Oh? Yes, sorry, I was thinking to myself. I'm going to great Zhao with a tea ceremony, you will attend as well. In any case, be prepared to go as a stand in for Zhao, just in case."

"By your command, my lord."

Shen bowed, he was smart enough to get the clues and feign ignorance.

Zuko left Shen, he had a meeting to prepare and a commander to poison.

Zuko had a private meeting with Jasmine and Mi-Dved, who had returned from a successful mission securing alliance with the Kyoshi warriors.

"You know, when I returned, I didn't expect to be immediately pulled into a conspiracy. At least let me eat something first, it's just rude."

"Sorry, but we don't have much time. I'll see if we can grab something from the Beifongs for you, okey?"

Zuko said before addressing Jasmine.

"And you are way too comfortable for someone who was just asked to poison a fire nation commander."

"I have full faith in my abilities."

Was her response.

"Full faith… Did you do something like that before?! No, you know what, I don't want to know."

Zuko shook his head and faced the earth bender.

"Are you sure you can do it?"

"I'm no Toph (still can't believe I'm saying it about a then year old), but I can add those tunnels to your kettle."

Mi-Dved then proceeded to bend earth to the inside of said kettle, making all the twists and turns he was instructed. After a few minutes of concentration, his work was done, and he gave the kettle to Zuko for evaluation.

'What do you think?'

"Could be better, but it will suffice for our purpose. Now try it."

Zoku filled the to compartments of the kettle with different drinks, one with water and one with wine.

"Jasmine, would you like to do the honors?"

"Of course."

She took the kettle and filled two different cups. One she filled as usual and the other she filled as she put her finger on a hole in the kettle. The first cup was filled with the second was filled with wine.

"I would say it was success."

Zuko finally said.

"And I will never trust any drink ever again."

Mi-Dved said.

Zuko took the cup of wine as Jasmine filled another two cups of water.

"Cheers!"

Zuko said.

"Cheers!"

The siblings returned the call.

Zuko waited for Zhao to arrive on his airship. Of course, the great commander arrived fashionably late. And of course, Zhao just had to arrive on the biggest airship available, because obviously his ego couldn't let him in anything else. Naturally the ship didn't have any other important duties to attend to.

It was three times the size of the vassal he was in when he visited the Beifong estate, with blood red balloon and a proud symbol of the fire nation displayed on each side. It also had some strange mirror like objects every fer meters that Zuko later found out were called flashlights. Apparently, Loban's nephew was a prodigy with machines and came up with the idea to use mirrors to redirect the light of a tourch to a single string line that could shed light on objects even hundred meters away.

To be fair, it was probably the only thing that could hold his ego afloat, even if barely.

"Someone has something to compensate for."

Mi-Dved said, to which many snorted in humor.

Whan the crook finally decided to descend, he had the audacity to smirk at them.

"Your highness! I'm so glad that you came to see me finishing the conquest of this ugly region."

"I wouldn't miss it."

Zuko said with a smile so fake that he wasn't sure that even the helmet could hide it.

"I'm so happy that you accepted my invitation."

"Please, your highness, the honor is all mine."

The annoying smirk didn't leave Zhao's face.

'This little peace of… Where did he suddenly gain balls?!'

"I think that he may have a backer. People like him usually don't go messing around and throwing smirks like that if they aren't sure that someone has them covered."

'But who can be stupid enough to go against the prince?'

"Who indeed… we shall try to figure it out in the meeting."

This is going to be a very long meeting, but the end is going to be worth it.

AN

And this is the end of chapter 21

hope you liked the chapter!

Now for the reviews:

Arrowman:

That will be a very interesting thing to write.

Engineer1869:

Glad you enjoyed it!

Sai is very helpful, it helps him as well after all. the relationship between the to is something that I'm trying to paint as a complicated affair that is up for the reader to try to decipher.

As you can see, the raid will have consequences on our prince.

Xxxxxhgg:

I hope it was to your expectation. I tried to write Iroh as someone who has respect for the supernatural, but yet a firm believer of his values.

Sewrtyuiop:

As you can see, Zuko can't pull of that much bad assery out of his ass all the time. which is fair, he is still very new to the game and the story will be boring otherwise. Sorry if the showdown wasn't as explosive as you hoped, but I still have uses for Iroh to stay with Zuko.

As for Ozai and Azula... you will see in the next chapter or the one after it.

Brenne:

I hope that you liked it!

deniswanheda :

To be clear, Gaoling isn't destroyed or even badly harmed. this is all was a plot that Zuko and the others designed with Beifong to make the surrender seem real. the viewpoint is that of a common soldier who is unaware of the greater game, so for him it will look like they are indeed destroying the enemy.

The meeting at Kyoshi island was purely bossiness, for now anyway. Besides, I picture Lyn as an adult so her having any interaction will be as an authority figure, I have plans for Mi-Dved later in the story.

For Iroh, however, it was not a noble cause. it was seeking vengeance plain and simple and as the leader of the white lotus it's something that he can't allow, especially for his teenager nephew to blood on his hands. for Iroh it was more the fact that Zuko could kill them then that the act itself, the old general didn't raise a voice when Zuko attacked Kyoshi village in cannon, mostly because he couldn't do any serious casualties. at least this is my hadcannon.

I'm happy to hear that you like my work so much, and I hope that you will have easier days.

USSRFox:

As is fitting for the dark lord or the (sith) fire.

Anyway, be sure to write what you think about the chapter and the story. Don't be afraid to share what you think could and should happen.