Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

288. Chapter 288: WL Fortress-Loyalty 1

The White Lotus Fortress/Loyalty to the Disgraced

1

Tall mountains leveled into ripe fields, ready for harvest. Four walls stood upon that mountain range, spreading the reach of the fortress as tendrils, establishing that those territories belonged to the fortress's jurisdiction. It was practically a small city by now, with dirt roads between the rows of huts and tents in the areas without farmland: the fortress itself, however, stood close to the sea, near the small port that appeared so innocent and unassuming while being the perfect location from which it could be possible to organize and launch a full-scale invasion of the Fire Nation…

They were safe. Theirs was the final bastion of a dying Earth Kingdom, attempting to claw its way out of entombment and rise back to life. It was the one location that could sustain a full army, hostile to the Fire Nation… and its best asset was that the Fire Nation armies had never found it.

At least, they hadn't found it so far: a stranger strode up to the base of the southeastern wall, on the mountain of that area. The soldiers on duty brandished their weapons and raised them towards the unforeseen visitor: was he a lost traveler, or was he some lucky Fire Nation spy searching for the White Lotus's headquarters…?

"Stop right there!" shouted one of the men, raising a bow and arrow menacingly at the new arrival. He obeyed promptly, stopping on his tracks and raising his hands defensively. "Turn back now! There's nothing for you here!"

"I can't do that," the stranger replied: he raised his head towards the soldiers by the wall, some holding spears, others with bows and arrows much like the one who had spoken so far.

One of them frowned, hesitating upon glimpsing the man's scarred face: the others, however, didn't seem to make much of it and held their weapons still.

"You're in no position to bargain!" the soldier exclaimed. "Set down your weapons! Yes, I mean those swords on your back!"

"Fine…" the stranger said, raising his hands to his swords and removing them from his shoulder. He dropped them on the ground… and then he raised a hand in a defensive gesture. "I'm going to show you my tile now. Please, stay calm."

"Your… your tile?" the soldier repeated, frowning: the one who had recognized the strange man stepped up, tugging his leader's sleeve.

"Hey, I… I could be wrong, but that guy kind of looks like…" he started, trembling as the man down below rummaged through his trousers' pocket… to draw out a small White Lotus tile, recognizable even at a distance. "… Like Prince Zuko."

The White Lotus tile would have sufficed to earn the stranger the benefit of the doubt… but those words gave pause to the leader of the soldiers. He glanced at the man beside him in confusion before frowning down at the dark-haired man anew… a man with a prominent scar over his left eye. A man with known connections to the White Lotus… a man missing in action since many years ago.

"What… what is your purpose?!" the leader asked, tempted already to give out the order to stand down to his fellow soldiers, but he held back from doing so for now.

"I am here to request an audience… with my uncle, General Iroh, if that's possible," Zuko called out. The leader flinched.

"Then you truly are Prince Zuko? The exiled Prince Zuko?" he asked. Zuko nodded slowly.

"Bring my uncle here and he'll confirm my identity," Zuko replied.

"We… we won't do that," said the soldier, raising a hand to gesture at his fellow soldiers: at his wordless command, they lowered their weapons. "Wait where you stand while we… while we confirm you're allowed entry in the fortress."

"Fine, then," Zuko said, simply, folding his arms over his chest.

The soldiers at the wall spoke amongst themselves quickly, settling on sending one of them back to the core building of the fortress to seek out the White Lotus leaders. Zuko released a deep, anxious breath as he stood awkwardly, his weapons still on the ground. He didn't know how long he'd have to wait… but it might be for the best to delay his reencounter with Iroh for a little longer. After everything Ursa had said that very morning, he barely knew what to think of his uncle anymore.

He had demanded that Sokka was prepared for anything, for every difficulty that might come up in the future. He had expected him to overcome every hurdle to and see their grand mission through to the very end… he couldn't settle for doing anything less than what he'd asked of someone else. Even if his uncle was, indeed, the awful man Ursa and Sokka were certain he was, it couldn't stop them from brokering this alliance with the White Lotus – their best chance of success at fighting back against the Fire Lord hinged on it.

His friends and mother waited on a mountain's peak, a location from where the fortress's walls were visible. If all initial negotiations paid off, Zuko would come back out of the fortress to fetch the others and bring them into the fortress… but would he pull it off? His heart tightened as old insecurities threatened to take hold anew. He wouldn't let Iroh sweettalk him into betraying his friends, if he attempted to do so… but Iroh wasn't the worst of Zuko's worries. Jeong Jeong… the famous Deserter seemed to be the main hurdle Zuko would face when it came to establishing any manner of negotiation between his group and the White Lotus. What little Ursa had said about the man hadn't reassured him in the least… what he remembered of Azula's sorrowful recounting of Jeong Jeong's attempt to kill Sokka still disquieted him. Could these people, any of them, be trustworthy at all…?

About thirty minutes after his arrival at the wall, a soldier stepped up to open the gate: Zuko knelt carefully, hands raised, to sheathe his weapons anew, moving slowly so that the soldiers would understand he wasn't about to attack any of them. To his surprise and relief, none of them reacted adversely, so he stepped up to them with hands still raised in surrender.

"You will be allowed passage into the fortress," the soldier announced: his eyes said he didn't trust Zuko, but he led the firebender across the gate all the same.

They had to walk a long trek across the top of the southeastern wall to reach the core of the fortress, marching past many patrol guards and soldiers who eyed Zuko with varying degrees of mistrust and amazement. Perhaps some had known that Zuko had seemingly vanished without a trace… perhaps some of them didn't care if he had, some might even prefer it if the Fire Lord's progeny was lost forever. Zuko breathed deeply and tried his best to remain calm… but his tension only built up as they progressed further. It was the first time he'd make a major public appearance, without disguising himself or attempting to hide his identity, since he and Suki had accidentally found themselves in the South Pole. The unsettling sensation of being caught in webs of warfare anew wasn't easy to ignore. These people wanted vengeance on the Fire Nation, he knew as much… who was to say they wouldn't see him as an enduring symbol of what they longed to destroy?

Still, he walked forward, head slightly hunched as to not call more unwanted attention to himself. The soldiers guiding him had brought him to a larger wall yet… one that enclosed a building as tall as the Fire Nation Palace's largest tower. Zuko swallowed hard as they brought him through more gates, then down a long flight of stairs… he couldn't hold back from eyeing the inside of the fortress with unrepentant curiosity. There were many smaller buildings positioned in a circle around the tall tower, possibly secondary facilities for the proper functioning of the fortress… perhaps barracks for the numerous occupants of the fortress. Zuko had also noticed, while ruminating about the White Lotus's distrust of him, that there were several huts and even tents dotting the landscape of farms. It seemed the fortress sustained itself by producing its own resources rather than relying on trade with other settlements, without needing the income and support of kings who no longer could finance the fortress's activities. How many people lived here? How many people had been taken in and protected by the fortress's general… by the White Lotus?

He took in deep breaths as they marched him towards the central tower of the fortress. Each footstep was more laborious as it sank in that he would come face-to-face with Iroh indeed, after three years… the thought of whether Iroh would be proud of him for everything he'd achieved manifested itself inside him, but he shot it down quickly: that wasn't important now, not in the slightest. He'd have every opportunity to talk things over with Iroh properly later if he succeeded, but he had to ensure to broker negotiations between his group and the White Lotus, first of all.

The soldiers guiding him stopped a few steps away from the stairs that led up to the tower. Zuko raised his head, just as they had…

His eyes met the golden gaze of an old, stout man who stood at the very top of those stairs, trembling violently while clasping the railings of the stairs.

Zuko shivered as he took in the familiar face, as he let himself feel that same affection he ever had held for the old man who had been a father to him when his own had shunned and discarded him. How difficult it was to remember himself, his circumstances, every reason why he had to stay level-headed in the face of the outpouring emotions on his uncle's tear-streaked face…

"Zuko…" Iroh gasped: at such a distance, Zuko couldn't hear his voice at all, but he read his lips all the same.

He swallowed hard before performing a respectful reverence in Iroh's direction: he couldn't see the old man wincing and shaking his head in response to that… he couldn't tell that every soldier in the fortress watched them intently, wary of his every move, of Iroh's immediate trust of a man who had been missing for three years. All he could do was hold his position, hoping to not alarm any of the soldiers watching them… hoping to convey that he wasn't here as Iroh's nephew, but as an envoy from a new faction in the war against the Fire Nation.

Though he knew he had failed to convey that message when he heard his uncle's rushed footsteps, racing down the stairs.

Zuko shivered as he rose to his full height anew: he didn't want to do this, he didn't really want to, his resolve might just crumble… but maybe he could put it aside just briefly. Just for a few moments… just until Iroh settled down, if he even did.

He couldn't brace himself, no matter if he'd known what would happen once he saw Iroh anew. He couldn't stay true to his intent of being wary and cautious… he failed, even while knowing all the reasons why he shouldn't have. The old man had rushed in towards him, tears streaming down his bearded face, before he threw his arms around Zuko in the tightest hug he had ever given him.

Zuko swallowed hard and returned the embrace: it was his uncle, in the end. The man who had made unforgivable mistakes, yes. The man who had wronged so many people Zuko cared about…. the one man who had ever seemed to think he was worth something, no matter what he did…

"Zuko…! Oh, Zuko, my boy, my boy…!" Iroh wept, sobbing so uncontrollably Zuko worried that Iroh might be struggling to breathe. His own tears flourished in his eyes as he tightened his grip around the old man.

"Uncle…" he said, gritting his teeth. "I… I'm here now. It's… it's me…"

"I looked for you, I looked everywhere…!" Iroh sobbed, burying his face in Zuko's shoulder. "But you're… y-you're here now, you are…!"

"I am… it's me," Zuko repeated, patting Iroh's back gently. "I… I've come to see you. To talk to you…"

"Y-yes, of course… yes, please…!" Iroh said, pulling back with a watery smile still, hands on Zuko's shoulders. "There is so much… so much for us to talk about. You have been away for too long, Zuko…"

Zuko swallowed hard and nodded: no matter what Iroh might say, Zuko knew how to judge the world for himself now. As wise as Iroh could be, Zuko had learned enough about how to stand for himself, by himself, when the situation demanded it… and he knew it might demand it now. Still… it might be a good idea to get certain things out of the way before bringing up his negotiations to Iroh.

"Come, come. Please… come with me," Iroh said, with a heartfelt smile: he clasped Zuko's hand and guided him to the stairs. Zuko followed, still aware of the stares that followed them.

He dared glance out at the rest of the occupants of the fortress to find distrust and judgment in every face. They were, on the most part, Earth Kingdom men and women… that distrust might be directed towards Iroh too, no matter if he was part of the White Lotus, simply because he was part of the Fire Nation's Royal Family. Witnessing their reunion wouldn't sit well with any of them.

So he lowered his head as Iroh guided him through the stairs and into the tower: the first hall they entered was beautiful and grand, with several rooms and a staircase that would lead higher into the tower. Iroh took Zuko upstairs, rambling excitedly as a child might, Zuko thought, and he kept glancing back at his nephew with eyes glowing with hope and relief, with true joy upon finding that the one family member he still loved had returned to him somehow…

"… They thought you were gone, missing beyond salvation, but I knew…! Oh, I believed, Zuko, that you still had to be out there! I've gone searching for you so many times, my nephew, you wouldn't believe how many places I visited… I collected tea still, of course I did, I hoped to share it with you when I found you, but I… I couldn't bring it with me here, no, unfortunately not, but…"

His rambling could have been easily explained as the excitement of an old man delighted to see his nephew… but a nagging feeling inside Zuko's heart told him Iroh wasn't only rejoicing in Zuko's return. He was stalling… he wasn't allowing Zuko to get any words in just yet. He didn't ask where he'd been… he didn't ask why he had showed up now. He didn't ask anything at all… he only pulled Zuko inside a room – his room, Zuko inferred, going by the familiarity with which Iroh entered it, as well as the many tea sets kept atop the shelves. Bookshelves with many volumes and scrolls occupied most the remaining walls in the room, though Zuko also noticed that the walls deeper inside the room were actually beds, built into the building's wall, seemingly. Out of three visible beds, though, only one appeared used.

"I had only just finished brewing this batch… surely it's still warm," Iroh laughed, pulling Zuko to the tea table at the center of the room. Zuko swallowed hard as he followed, taking his seat beside the old man, who knelt by the table to pour the tea on two cups, with trembling hands.

"Uncle, maybe you should let me…" Zuko suggested, but Iroh laughed and shook his head.

"No, no, I'm just excited to see you again, Zuko. I can do it myself, I can…" he said.

Zuko could swear he had never seen his uncle pouring tea more sloppily than today: droplets of tea splashed out of the cup, he poured too much on the second one and it spilled… and all he could do was laugh. The laughter accompanied the tears all too well… suggesting that perhaps his delight upon seeing Zuko anew had more layers, more complexity, than he wanted to let on. For the first time ever, it didn't seem as though Iroh could be mysterious or cryptic even if he tried…

"There… oh, sorry for the mess, there we are…" Iroh smiled upon handing one of the teacups to Zuko, who smiled and nodded in his direction. "It isn't jasmine, no, but… I hope it will be to your liking. Those were the best tea herbs I've been able to find in the fortress so far. Not the ideal brew, but it's still good…"

"It's great, Uncle," Zuko said, after taking a first sip. Iroh smiled and nodded.

"That is… that is wonderful news. Truly, wonderful…" Iroh said. Zuko bit his lip as he glanced at him.

"Uncle…"

"I'm just… I'm sorry if I'm talking too much, Zuko, I just… I cannot quite believe you're truly here," he laughed, smiling affectionately at him. "The last years have been… d-difficult, in many ways. But you're here, so…"

"I am. And you… you haven't asked me how, or why, just yet," Zuko pointed out. Iroh's smile seemed to freeze over before it waned slightly. "You… you did try to direct me here, didn't you? Back when I was leaving the Fire Nation…"

"Y-you didn't want to burden me or my allies, so you… you didn't quite listen," Iroh said, with a sad smile now. "I hoped… that perhaps you're here now because I was wrong and you did listen indeed, b-but… I suppose that would be wishful thinking on my part."

"Unfortunately… yeah, it would be," Zuko said, eyeing Iroh with uncertainty. Iroh's smile faded fully after that… his breath caught, and the man lowered his head.

"You… you've heard news, I suppose. Y-you wouldn't look at me that way if you… if you hadn't," Iroh said. "Surely you… you must know what has happened to…"

"To my sister," Zuko said, pointedly. Iroh flinched, and Zuko shuddered. "Uncle, I…"

Now the old man fell silent… silent in guilt and grief, failing to know how to proceed from this point onwards. Zuko as well had no idea what to do, what to say…

"You were looking for me, right?" he said, swallowing hard. "For all these years, while I was gone, you were looking for me…"

"And you hid so well that I couldn't find you," Iroh said, with a sad smile. "I… I really shouldn't ask, should I? Ask where you were, because… because you're here now, and that's what matters. Now that you are…"

"Now that I am… what?" Zuko asked, softly.

"I can breathe a little easier… knowing you're alive and safe," Iroh finished, glancing at Zuko with uncertainty. Zuko shivered, breathing deeply before sipping the tea again.

"I sent you a letter… you did get it, right?" he asked. Iroh nodded quickly.

"I… I did. Your wife, your daughter…" he said, biting his lip. "The second child was already born, I take it? I… I hope…"

"Yeah. It's another girl. They're Mari and Zi," Zuko said, unable to hold back a proud smile. Iroh grinned too, tears twinkling on the corners of his eyes. "They're… they're a blessing. Them and their mother, I… I really would have been lost without them. I was lucky Suki wanted to come with me at all…"

"I can only hope that everything has gone well between you so far… with your new family," Iroh said, with an earnest smile. "I truly hoped… I truly hoped the day would come when you would find your way back, but after your letter arrived, I was left to… to ponder if perhaps you would be better off away from everything, wherever you might be…"

"You did think that was possible?" Zuko asked, eyeing Iroh uneasily. Iroh swallowed hard and lowered his head. "But… does that mean you made your peace with my being gone? You accepted it…?"

"I… tried to. I did," Iroh admitted. Zuko's brow furrowed. "It… wasn't easy, sometimes. I… Zuko, my dear nephew, I… I never wanted to see you repeating my mistakes. I wanted to help you fulfill your destiny, to…"

"What does that mean?" Zuko cut him off, promptly. Iroh froze on the spot. "What… what is this destiny of mine that I'm supposed to fulfill, exactly? And why do you know of it, while I don't?"

Iroh's unease couldn't have been more apparent now that Zuko had led the conversation in this direction. Yet the clearest sign of his discomfort was the fact that he hadn't so much as touched his tea so far.

"Uncle…" Zuko said, breathing deeply as he gazed at Iroh intensely. "I think it's time I'm forthright with you. I only ask that you are, too. I've heard… many things I wish I hadn't. Things I tried to reject, that I wasn't ready to accept… that I still am not ready to face, not truly. You are my uncle… and I'll always love you, I think, no matter how awful your choices might have been. Seeing you again… I almost feel like a child. Like I'm finally somewhere safe, even if I've already learned how to stand on my own and make my own choices. It's… nostalgic, yes, but I'm not that child anymore. I'm… I'm a man. I built my own home, I've looked after my family, I've fought in every way a father and husband has to fight to protect his family's future… and now I'm here, away from them, because my efforts to protect them demanded that I came here now. I didn't wish to leave the safety of my current home at all, but…"

"But you had no choice…?" Iroh guessed, when Zuko left his sentence unfinished. Zuko let out a sigh and nodded.

"I didn't. There was no way to ensure I could keep my daughters and my wife safe when I didn't know if my father would send troops to attack us again," Zuko said. Iroh's small eyes widened. Zuko swallowed hard. "Uncle… I was in the South Pole."

"Y-you… t-the South Pole? Zuko…!" Iroh gasped: his face paled as he brought a fisted hand to his mouth. "I…! I never thought…!"

"Never thought to look there, because no firebender in their right mind would choose to settle there if they had other choices?" Zuko finished. "Well… I didn't really have a choice at the time. I'm not much of a sailor, turns out… I steered myself and Suki wrongly when we were trying to reach Kyoshi Island. We wound up getting swept by currents all the way to the South Pole and… it was terrifying, at first. The Water Tribe captured us…"

"They did? Zuko…!"

"They meant us harm, at first. Me in particular, especially after their chief recognized me as the Fire Lord's son," Zuko admitted: Iroh nearly yelped as he shook his head frantically. "I nearly… nearly made an unforgivable mistake. Suki kept me from making it, in the end, and… and she was my guide, my strength, for every day afterwards too. At first, we were as good as their prisoners: Suki was already pregnant, and their healers said she couldn't travel because of that. After several months of living alongside them, I succeeded at building my igloo… which gained me permission to marry Suki by following the Water Tribe's traditions. I… I made friends, I learned to fend for myself, to look after my family. I found a place among them, Uncle. I finally felt like… like I was allowed to belong somewhere, no matter how much of an outsider I might be.

"But a few months ago, things took a bad turn. I… I suppose you'll be able to guess why."

Iroh flinched, hanging his head in undeniable shame. The tears that had blinked on his eyes now fell upon his lap… and Zuko had no doubts it was better that he'd shed them now rather than later. No tears would suffice to hold back Sokka's overwhelming rage at Iroh for everything he'd done… but Zuko wanted to believe, even now, that maybe it wasn't true. That maybe, despite everything suggested as much, maybe his uncle hadn't done anything quite as dreadful as what Sokka believed he had, that the culprit would be someone else…

"I was the one who… who found Sokka," Zuko said: Iroh whimpered, covering his face with his hands. "He was in the worst shape I've ever seen him in, and I watched his fight at the Slate. But he confessed, later, that… that he hadn't been half-frozen to death because he had been dropped off, unconscious, by the shore. No… the idiot decided to stay there, on that pier, begging Azula to come back for him. But she didn't, of course… and she left him there so he could go to his tribe, to his people, once again. He didn't want to go back at all… not when the cost was as steep as it seemed to be. Seeing Azula marching right back to… to the true monster in our family? It has haunted him every day ever since. And I… I don't even want to ask, I don't want to know, not really, because if your choices had even an inkling of responsibility in landing them there, Uncle…"

"Oh, Zuko…" Iroh sobbed, elbows on the table as Zuko stared at him with a furrowed brow.

"Please… tell me it really wasn't you," he said. "I… I have tried, yes, to accept it could have been. Even if it was you, I… I still care about you. But, goodness… you're the kindest man I know. You're the best man I'd ever known, the wisest one too… and I can't fathom that you could ever make a choice like the one Sokka claims you did. He doesn't know for sure either, so maybe he's wrong too…"

"H-he… isn't wrong," Iroh said… and Zuko let out a furious huff, sparks dancing in the air as he tore his gaze away. "Zuko…"

"You did it, then. You… you gave them away to the Fire Lord," Zuko said, eyes blazing with anger. "You… you're the one who got my monster of a father to… to try to destroy my sister. That's what you're telling me."

Iroh swallowed hard, unable to hide his shame in any way. Tears spilled down his face as he refused to meet Zuko's eyes… Zuko shook his head, looking away from Iroh, fists firmly clenched.

"I thought, if you'd done it… I'd want to know why. But to be honest… Sokka is right. My mother is right. Nothing you say could ever…"

"Y-your mother…?" Iroh repeated, raising his watery eyes. Zuko gritted his teeth.

"We found her, on our way here. She's the one who told us where the fortress was in the first place. But that's just one more thing for you to answer me," Zuko said, staring at Iroh in disbelief as the old man shivered under his golden glare. "You knew where she was, all along? You knew that she was… with Jeong Jeong, somehow? For however many years she was? You could've helped me reach out to her… and it never occurred to you to try?"

"I… I can't lie to you. I won't lie to you, Zuko…" Iroh said, gritting his teeth before gazing at Zuko intensely. "I… I had a reason to do everything I did. A reason that, ultimately… ultimately would never justify my many mistakes. I could have, yes, reached out to Jeong Jeong, asked him to let you see your mother, but if I had…"

"If you had… what?" Zuko said, frowning. Iroh swallowed hard.

"She is not… not the best influence," he said. Zuko scoffed. "She remains loyal to Ozai…"

"Right, so you thought that, if she was around me, I'd be less likely to rebel and oppose my father?" Zuko asked, frowning. Iroh gritted his teeth.

"Everyone… everyone did, not just me," he said. "Jeong Jeong refused to reach out to us, to share his location, while we were at sea for all those years, Zuko, because… because he didn't trust Ursa at all. He thought she would never accept the true magnitude of the Fire Nation's crimes…"

"And that somehow gave him the right to decide that I deserved to grow up without knowing if my mother was dead or alive," Zuko said, with a snarl. "You know, this kind of subterfuge and dishonesty is the very reason why… why I can't even blame Sokka for thinking as little of the White Lotus as he does. Jeong Jeong tried to kill him once, and then you damn near finished the job for him…"

"I…"

"Don't even pretend you couldn't have known how far my father would go," Zuko cut Iroh off, sternly. "You've known him all your life. You're not blinded to his countless faults the way my mother might be. She… she didn't want to accept how bad he's gotten, she broke down upon seeing my scar because she truly wanted to think my father wasn't that much of a monster…"

"The White Lotus members told her about it, told her about most of my brother's worst decisions, Zuko, but…" Iroh said, shaking his head. "That's why she was deemed untrustworthy. That's why…"

"Why you were afraid that, if I got to meet her again I'd just set aside all my grievances with my father and become his dutiful mindless son again?" Zuko asked. Iroh frowned.

"Zuko… I know I have committed horrible sins of my own that are so great, so grave, that nobody should forgive me for them," he said. "But Zuko… you weren't ready to discard your father from the first moment. You weren't ready to accept he had wronged you, and countless others, from the very beginning…"

"That's no excuse to keep me from my mother!" Zuko exclaimed, eyes wide. "I mean… yeah, sure, that could have happened. Let's say I really would have been so stupid as to think my father didn't quite mean to hurt me as many times as he did by burning me and banishing me: you kept me in the dark about my mother's survival for well over ten years, Uncle. You know… you know what it's like to lose family, you knew it just as well as I did. And even then… you wouldn't tell me the truth? I don't even know how much you knew about her circumstances… but you had to know Piandao had sent her away from the Fire Nation, right to the White Lotus. You had to know…"

"I didn't know all along, but… yes, I learned about it eventually," Iroh said, shaking his head. "She… exhibited worrisome behavior, Zuko. Worse yet after the White Lotus took office here: she would constantly escape to the swamp…"

"To look for mirages of her family. To find us again even if she knew none of it was real," Zuko said, frowning. "Didn't you… didn't you run to the Spirit World to search for Lu Ten? Can you really not understand her pain?"

"I can… but I can also understand she is blinded by her loyalty to her husband," Iroh said. Zuko shook his head.

"When… when she touched my scar, she broke down in tears," Zuko said. "She apologized, over and over, she kept saying she couldn't believe he'd done something like that… it hurt her. It devastated her. Even then… she cares about him. She knows how bad he is… how many people he's hurt, people she cares about, and she still cares about him. This is what you were trying to protect me from?"

"Well… I suppose it is."

"It's kind of ironic, because… I take after my mother in those regards, it seems," Zuko said, lowering his gaze to the half-finished teacup in his hands. "Because I feel the exact same way about you."

Iroh nearly yelped upon hearing those words. Zuko didn't waver. The older firebender placed his elbows on the table, hands going over his balding head, shuddering as he tried to contain his tears anew. Zuko gritted his teeth, hands trembling as they remained balled into fists.

"I'm not here… because I wanted to see you again," he said. "I'm not here because I felt it was time for me to leave the South Pole… I certainly didn't want to do that, not when I had to leave my daughters and my wife behind. I'm here because… because my father sent fifty ships to the South Pole, intent on razing the Tribe altogether, all be it to kill a single man. A man with a target on his back… a target you painted on him yourself. A man who… who may not be my favorite person in the world, no, but he's… he's my brother. He's my sister's true partner, the one person who brought out the very best in her. I wanted to think that he'd exaggerated matters, that you couldn't have done anything that cruel to them… but he wasn't exaggerating at all. You truly… you truly gave them away to my father. You…"

"I… Zuko, it's… it's not like I could ever truly excuse my choices, my mistakes," Iroh said, shaking his head as he shivered, gazing at Zuko helplessly. "But… I didn't know for sure that…"

"That my father would try to kill Sokka, and then turn Azula's life into a living hell?" Zuko asked: Iroh shook his head.

"That she… that she truly loved him."

"And… why would that be any reason to sentence him to death?" Zuko asked, scowling. Iroh shuddered.

"You… don't understand," he said. "Of course you don't, but… I tried to learn the truth from Azula once. When I gained reason to suspect theirs was a romantic relationship rather than a friendship, or a professional partnership… I may not have gone about it in the best way, but I tried to find out whether she had truly learned that the Fire Nation's course had been wrong for all this time. I… I tried to confirm if I had been wrong about her, if I had been a fool to think that it was you who was destined to unite the Fire Nation and help bring back balance… Zuko, you asked why I thought I knew your destiny better than you did. The truth is… when I journeyed to find Lu Ten, I found someone else in the Spirit World."

"Someone who told you what my destiny was supposed to be?" Zuko asked, disbelieving. Iroh sighed but nodded.

"It was Avatar Roku," Iroh said: Zuko's eyes widened. "His words… I have never forgotten them. He said I would be the one to… to determine the fate of the next Fire Lord. He claimed that, before Sozin's Comet arrived, the Avatar would rise anew… and once he did, I would help you fulfill the role of his firebending master. But more than that… I would be your guide as you became Fire Lord. I would help you choose between darkness and light, and guide you to your true path…"

"Avatar Roku…" Zuko repeated, frowning heavily. "He… he said I'd be the Avatar's master?"

"I know… I know, Zuko. Perhaps… perhaps it was all lies in the end. A broken prophecy, a broken promise…" Iroh said, gritting his teeth. "Sozin's Comet is long gone, and the Avatar never did return, we both know that. Thus why I… why I let myself consider, for once, t-that perhaps Azula could have been the heir the prophecy referred to, no matter if Roku always spoke of the heir as male…"

"He didn't outright say my name?" Zuko asked. Iroh shook his head. "So… it could be he took for granted it would be me, but it could have been Azula just as well."

"I… I thought so too, for that short time. From the moment I learned that… that perhaps she had an intimate relationship with her Gladiator," Iroh said, lowering his gaze. "Roku said the heir carried the joined bloodline of himself and Fire Lord Sozin… it meant either you or Azula would have to be that heir, but he never said anything more definitive. By the time Sozin's Comet came… Jeong Jeong had given up all hope in the prophecy. We had no choice but to push forward and attempt to defeat my brother through other means, for the Avatar never returned…"

"And that's what the White Lotus has been trying to do, for all these years?" Zuko asked. Iroh nodded weakly.

"We have never succeeded, of course… we have tried different approaches, all of them to no avail. At one point, while I was on the road looking for you… it seems my brother somehow gained knowledge of the core cell of White Lotus agents in the Fire Nation. He… he had them killed through confusing, mysterious means. Or perhaps they were forcibly taken away, sent someplace else, forced disappearances, I don't know. We haven't been able to articulate a proper defense against the Fire Nation ever since…"

"And so, you thought, briefly, that Azula could be the answer?" Zuko asked. Iroh shrugged.

"She was defensive… too defensive, I realized later. But she… she said every dreadful thing she could have said to convince me that she didn't have a relationship with the Gladiator at all. She confused me, misled me, acted more haughtily and despicably than she had in years, she fed me countless lies and I… I knew she could be lying, yes, but I tried, Zuko, I tried to convince her that I was on her side. That if she was honest, that if she opened up to me, I would help her fulfill this destiny, and… and she laughed the notion away entirely. She mocked me, ridiculed me, she… she said every good thing she had done so far was for her benefit, for the sake of gaining more power. It… it reaffirmed everything I had ever believed about her…"

"But she was lying: she's pretty good at it, as you know," Zuko said, shaking his head. "As are you, so…"

"I… I didn't intend to lie about things, Zuko, not to you…"

"Keeping truths hidden from me, deliberately, isn't much better than lying," Zuko said, staring at Iroh pointedly. Iroh shook his head. "So… you're not exactly on the moral high ground here when it comes to her. Just as you aren't when it comes to my mother: you look down on her for her loyalty to my father, loyalty she has clearly set aside because… because of me. Because of Azula…"

"She… what?" Iroh frowned. Zuko gritted his teeth.

"Why do you think she told us where to find the White Lotus?" Zuko asked. "Do you really expect she'd have told us where to find allies like your group to fight against my father, if she hadn't considered that my father might end up dead, in the end? She told Sokka, the guy who wants my father dead more than anyone else in this world, where to find you. They talked about something, beats me what it was… but when they were done, she was determined to help us find you. She warned me about you, about Jeong Jeong… she explained the circumstances in which she's been living for all these years. Eighteen years, if I'm not mistaken. And I overheard it, alright? I heard Sokka asking her… if she was ready to prioritize Azula over our father, to stand by us as we joined the White Lotus to fight against him. Her answer was… that she'd privilege Azula over everything. It doesn't mean she hates our father now, no… but it means she realizes he's wrong and that he needs to be stopped as soon as possible. No matter how much she cares for him, that's the truth. And I have to say… I feel similarly. I… I will prioritize what's right over what's wrong. And I know you made wrong choices, many wrong choices… I can still hold affection for you, I can still be relieved to have seen you again, while knowing and accepting that… that you've wronged my mother and my sister… and me, in ways I never imagined possible."

"I… I'm sorry, Zuko. I'm sorry," Iroh said, tears dripping down his cheeks again. "I wanted to do what was right, I did, but… I've made mistakes I cannot take back. Mistakes that have cost much… they have cost so much already that it scares me that I might lose even more because of them. Please…"

"You've got nothing to plead for. I'm… I'm not going to let Sokka do anything to you," Zuko sighed, rubbing his brow with his fingertips. Iroh gazed at him hopelessly. "But I am disappointed, Uncle. I'm… I don't think I've ever thought the day would come when I'd feel like… like I see the world more clearly than you do, but that's what this feels like right now. I'm sorry that you felt the need to chase after me to make me fulfill this prophecy, but… you didn't need to. You did guide me, you did help me in many ways and… and maybe the last steps I had to fulfill it were mine to take, and mine alone. Did you ever consider that?"

"I… well, it crossed my mind eventually, but there's no point in trusting the prophecy anymore," Iroh said, shaking his head. "I… I wanted to help. I wanted to bring back balance. Roku helped me find the hairpiece of the Crown Prince, the hairpiece that was gone and missing since Sozin's time… he had gifted it to Roku. When I found it, it was evidence that I… that I had truly received that vision, that the prophecy had to be real…! But…"

"But people's destinies aren't that easily set in stone," Zuko finished. Iroh shook his head.

"The Avatar never returned, to begin with…"

"That's… not entirely true."

Iroh blinked before raising his confused eyes to Zuko. Zuko grimaced, shaking his head as he leaned on the table.

"You haven't really asked who I'm with, so far. You haven't asked about who my Water Tribe friends were, so…"

"D-did you… did you find the new Avatar?" Iroh asked, eyes widening. "Zuko…!"

"Yes and no. It's not the Water Tribe Avatar that would have followed in the cycle if the Air Nomad one had perished in the Air Nomad genocide," Zuko explained. "It is the Air Nomad Avatar, Uncle. He… he was frozen in an iceberg somehow. Katara… that's Sokka's sister, a waterbender, she found him about a year before Suki and I reached the South Pole."

"The Avatar…?" Iroh's eyes widened. Zuko flinched.

"Look… yeah, I've been the Avatar's firebending mentor, sure, but that doesn't mean this prophecy is accurate…!"

"Zuko…! What are the chances? What are the odds…?!"

"I don't know! And I don't need to know them," Zuko said, firmly. "Look… if destiny is real at all, then it means my knowledge of whatever fate awaits me should be irrelevant altogether. If there's only one outcome possible for my life, then I will fulfill that destiny one day, whether I like it or not. But if it weren't real… if I let my life be guided by some prophecy rather than my own knowledge of what's right and wrong, I'll make mistakes I can't take back. I will hurt people… the way you've hurt others just to see Roku's big prophecy fulfilled. I won't make that mistake, Uncle. If destiny is real… then it will have to enforce itself by smarter means than by ruining the lives of my family members, the way it seems to have lately. I won't throw my sister to the wolves and leave her for dead just to make sure I get to sit on that throne one day."

Iroh breathed deeply… but then he nodded. Zuko grinded his teeth, wondering if his uncle would say anything else to the effect of explaining himself…

"You're right. Of course you're right…" he said, biting his lip. "And I… I did let myself be steered wrongly by… by my wrongful impulses. By my need to… t-to avenge everything wrong your father and mother have done. My own father… he was no good either, Zuko, he committed dreadful acts of his own, but your mother…"

"What? You're not going to tell me now that she was the one who…" Zuko said… though his skepticism froze over upon glimpsing Iroh's own, skeptical golden eyes. Upon remembering words his mother had said on that very day…

"There were many monsters that night, when… w-when I left the Palace. I was one of them."

Zuko flinched, shaking his head: he had a massive headache by now, and he had no doubts it wouldn't go away anytime soon. To think the day had come when his sister, of all people, would be the family member he found the most trustworthy, the least manipulative, dark and unsettling of them all…

"Nobody knows for certain what happened that night, Zuko," Iroh said, frowning heavily. "But everything Ursa has told the White Lotus… all of it suggests the one who killed my father was…"

"Yeah, well… great. Brilliant," Zuko said, biting his lip and shaking his head. "Considering how the White Lotus wanted the Fire Lords dead, though… I'm surprised to learn that this isn't grounds for the White Lotus to indict her into their group as their leader or so. Shouldn't you guys love her for that?"

"Well, plenty of them believed that was the only valid reason for her to be among us," Iroh pointed out. Zuko winced. "I was not one of them, personally… he was my father, much as she is your mother. Much as I am your uncle. Whatever wrongs he did, and there were so many of them I can scarcely count them, he was still my father. It didn't stop her hand, or your father's, if it was him who did it with her support… so I am not the only member of our family who has committed atrocious sins for what I perceived as the right reasons, at the time."

"Well, great then: much as the world believes, it looks like we're a family of monsters," Zuko said, scowling prominently. Iroh shook his head, reaching to clasp Zuko's hand carefully, gently, in fear that he'd pull it away. He didn't.

"No, Zuko. You… you aren't one," he said, softly.

"Neither is Azula," Zuko declared, firmly. Iroh flinched. "Oh, what? She taunted me and made fun of me when we were kids? We had a lot of squabbles because we were young and stupid? Sure. But she… she helped me get that ship so I would be able to seek out the Avatar. She helped me in many ways later on too, she… she even saved the whole Southern Water Tribe once, you know? Though I'm sure you don't know…"

"What do you mean, Zuko?" Iroh frowned. Zuko shook his head.

"She's the reason why I sent you a letter at all," Zuko said. Iroh sighed. "We bumped into each other by sheer chance when we both visited Whaletail Island at the same time. The Water Tribe was going through a really rough time… a child died, even. Me and my friends, we decided to go find food elsewhere, the shortages were bound to kill us all at that rate… and then Azula ended up giving me all the money she won from Sokka's fight. We bought food, lots of food, and brought it back and… and we saved the lives of so many, Uncle. Yes, the sentiment for her in the Tribe was still mixed, they didn't really care much for her because of how she'd taken Sokka away in the first place… but that doesn't change that she saved all their lives by helping me when she did, and she saved Sokka's life as well by bringing him back when she did. She's sacrificed everything to save him… and Sokka was only able to help us stand our ground against my father's attempt to kill him a mere month ago."

"You… you said he sent ships," Iroh said, frowning. "What happened, Zuko? If you're here now… I pray it isn't because you and the Tribe were forced to flee from the South Pole."

"We weren't: we won," Zuko said, pointedly. Iroh let out a relieved sigh.

"You did, then. You… though, how?" he asked, eyeing his nephew with uncertainty. "Is the Southern Water Tribe more vastly populated than we were led to believe?"

"We had about two hundred warriors, at most," Zuko said, with a shrug. Iroh's jaw dropped. "If you really want to know how we won, well… Sokka warned us beforehand. He told us this was bound to happen, and it did. He set up defenses with the help of his sister and the Avatar, who worked together to build a maze of ice walls that slowed the ships… his father invented water-based bombs, with which we blew up several ships. When it looked like they were about to retreat, Sokka stepped forward, into the light of a burning barricade, presenting himself as bait to the enemy. Aang, the Avatar, and Katara, Sokka's sister, built a final wall to prevent any of their fifty ships from escaping once they were within the bay's waters. Me and many warriors fought inland when the enemy forces managed to disembark… Sokka, his father and other warriors hijacked a ship, others among our warriors attempted to do the same with another one… eventually, they were completely outdone by every strategy that came together one after the other. Some did manage to run past our forces and attack some of the civilians in the Tribe… they hurt Suki, but Sokka and I got there on time to cut them down before they could do more damage than that. In the end… fifty sunken ships, the Avatar saw to it that no messenger hawks could be sent out to carry missives requesting aid or reinforcements: my father has no idea what happened with his fleet."

"He… he doesn't?" Iroh gasped, heart racing. "But then… won't he still send more troops eventually? And you left, which means…"

"The Tribe isn't defenseless, but no, we don't think he will send more troops," Zuko said, breathing deeply. "One of our allies is a soldier… a deserter from the Fire Nation army. He helped us compose an official message that we sent to the Fire Lord with a broken Water Tribe knife: a message that says Sokka has been slain. Going by what the few captured members of the fleet admitted, that was the main purpose of their attack… so my father thinks his mission was a success. That's why we had a chance to come here at all… and that's why I'm here now, Uncle. I'm not here to talk about the past, we can do that later, at length and leisure, even if it's going to be painful as hell and we both know it. There's so much I don't know, so much I believe I deserve explanations for, both from you and from my mother. But that's not the priority, not for me, not for anyone else and it shouldn't be. We have a golden chance to strike at my father now, Uncle… a chance unlike any we've had in the past. If you truly want him off the throne… then I urge you, and all your White Lotus friends, to strike an alliance with Sokka."

"With… Sokka," Iroh repeated. Zuko nodded. "Not the Avatar? Not… you?"

"No," Zuko said, firmly. "Believe me… following him isn't something I ever imagined I'd do. But I'm not vain enough as to think that I'd be a better leader than him… and Aang, well, he was frozen in an iceberg for over a hundred years and has even less experience at the head of any operations than I do, which is saying a lot already. Sokka led the efforts, coordinated and strategized to ensure the Water Tribe would be safe from fifty ships, no less, assaulting it to target only him: without his leadership, the Southern Water Tribe would have been annihilated. So… yes, Uncle. He's the one you have to talk to, you and the rest of the White Lotus."

Iroh breathed out slowly as he sat back, an uneasy expression on his face. Zuko bit his lip, drinking what was left of his tea before Iroh spoke anew.

"Is he… aware of the fact that I will be part of any alliance he attempts to create?" Iroh asked. "I… I wouldn't be surprised if one of his terms to negotiate an alliance would be my immediate departure…"

"He doesn't have the authority to do that, I imagine, but yes, Uncle, he's aware that you'll be here," Zuko explained. "It's the first thing I made clear to him when we first made sense out of… out of you being a member of the White Lotus, back when Sokka first started coming up with his plans to go to war."

"And that is what he seeks? All-out war?" Iroh asked, puzzled. "I… I'm afraid this is dangerous, Zuko. However skilled a leader as he may be, he is not seen with the best eyes in the White Lotus…"

"Right, but they let themselves be led by three Fire Nation men?" Zuko said, raising his eyebrow skeptically.

"Fire Nation men who have turned against their nation," Iroh completed. "The last thing anyone knew, Sokka had as good as turned against his own…"

"A man who has saved his Tribe three times, at least, has somehow turned against his people?" Zuko asked, skeptical again. Iroh gritted his teeth. "Not because he loves Azula does it mean he betrayed the Water Tribe. Nobody there saw it that way, so nobody in the White Lotus gets to decide that he is somehow a traitor to his people just because you guys aren't his biggest fans."

"That is, in the end, the problem," Iroh said, eyeing Zuko with uncertainty. "Most people here do not think there's much nuance in the situation: either you're with the Fire Nation or against them, and if you're with them…"

"So, you can't possibly think it should be a better nation?" Zuko finished. "You can't question it, you can't want better leadership for it? For that matter… what, the White Lotus members intend to execute the Fire Nation's entire population until there's no one left?"

"Fortunately, the leaders do not agree with that concept or position," Iroh said, biting his lip. "Unfortunately… the bulk of the rebels under our banner wouldn't shy away from that idea, Zuko. Believe it or not… we are containing the very worst of them here. We hold back their darkest impulses and attempts to find revenge against the Fire Nation. Bringing Sokka here… it will be difficult, but even if it could be done, Zuko, what would he propose? What would he hope to achieve? Would he request that the White Lotus joins him in his own vindictive war?"

"His war isn't vindictive. Neither is mine, nor the Avatar's," Zuko said, simply. "I have reasons to fight. I want my daughters to grow up safe and happy in a world where they don't have to hide who they are, a world where I can tell them we belong to a royal family without fearing they'll think themselves monsters for it. Aang has always intended to restore the four nations, to bring back harmony to the world. Sokka no doubt wants that too, he's said as much… but yes, Uncle, he wants to fight to save Azula above all else, I'm not going to hide that. He won't hide it either."

"It won't be easy to persuade the leaders of the White Lotus to join him in such an endeavor," Iroh said, letting out a deep sigh. Zuko grimaced. "I understand, of course, what you're trying to say. If my brother is defeated, everyone under his thumb would be free, including Azula. No doubt, seeing her saved from… from the hell I've inflicted upon her would always be important for him, but I fear his relationship to her is not much of a secret anymore, not here. Most of those with strong feelings against the Fire Nation will refuse to take up arms to help any members of Fire Nation royalty…"

"But they'd help you?" Zuko asked. Iroh shook his head and Zuko frowned.

"Those who wouldn't care to help Azula wouldn't move a finger for me either and they've made it starkly clear," he said. "They would surely react the same way with you, no matter if you're not guilty of sins as severe as mine. Thus, the Avatar would be, reasonably, a better figurehead for any movement you attempt to start. He would be a legitimate leader, someone whose cause and dedication to setting the world free from the Fire Nation couldn't possibly be misinterpreted…"

"Right. The last airbender," Zuko said, eyeing Iroh with uncertainty. "Unfortunately, I don't think Aang intends to take up any positions of leadership. The way he looks at Sokka… it's like he's always been waiting for someone to truly help him fulfill his duty as the Avatar and he faithfully believes that person is Sokka. If Sokka somehow decides to step back… I can only imagine Aang would indirectly make Sokka the leader anyway, if just by deferring to his judgment on every occasion. And that would sit badly with these people who concern you anyway, right?"

"It would. And it won't help matters at all when it comes to brokering an alliance," Iroh said, eyeing Zuko mournfully. "I understand your intent, and I wouldn't hesitate to support you, but…"

"You wouldn't?" Zuko asked. Iroh blinked. "Seriously? If we go forward, we have your vote and your trust?"

"I… I would say so, yes," Iroh whispered. "Even if… if the Gladiator wants me dead, I cannot blame him for it at all. Even if my voice alone won't suffice to guarantee your success, I would give it anyway. I… have wronged you, Zuko, I have wronged countless people… and it is time, certainly, for me to start making up for those mistakes."

"I don't want to sound discouraging, but… Sokka isn't bound to forgive you no matter what you do," Zuko pointed out, glancing at Iroh warily. "I'll do what I can to wrap my head around things in time, but…"

"Some mistakes cannot be amended, yes. That much I do know," Iroh said, letting out a deep breath. "But it isn't too late for Azula to be saved, as far as any of us knows, at least…"

"What… what do you know?" Zuko asked, frowning. Iroh grimaced. "Uncle…"

"Ozai has done unthinkable things, Zuko," Iroh said. "All our contacts in the Palace, those who used to report to me while I was in the city… they are missing now. We haven't been able to contact them, we do not know if they're dead… our information about the Fire Nation, as of late, is not as accurate or as in-depth as it has been in the past. But what we've learned… it is blood-curdling. I… I confess I've had many dark thoughts because of it. When I think of what my choices have encouraged Ozai to do… I underestimated him immensely, I was so blind by my own fury, my hatred, that I… I acted on impulse like a fool. Even if Azula were as terrible a person as I'd convinced myself she was, nothing would justify the pain I've put her through. I… I'm not worthy of being part of saving her, I realize that. She would never thank the man she surely would point to as the main culprit for all her suffering. But… if I can help Sokka reach her, then I will. It is a poor, weak way to help, I'm aware of this, but… I question that I could ever atone any differently."

"I don't know what you'd have to do to atone, frankly," Zuko admitted, squeezing Iroh's hand gently. "But maybe this would be a good first step. Vouch for us with Jeong Jeong… surely Master Piandao would support us, too."

"He isn't in the fortress right now," Iroh said, with a deep breath. "Though he should return soon…"

"Where is he?" Zuko asked. Iroh grimaced.

"Searching for your mother, in all likelihood," he said. "I suspect he will realize she has been saved sooner than later, the swamp should show him as much…"

"Hopefully," Zuko said, biting his lip. "Who else at the top of the White Lotus would be willing to support us?"

"Well… General Fong will be thrilled, I suspect, to know that anyone wants to take the battle to the Fire Lord soon," Iroh said. "Not only is he weary of us overstaying our welcome in his lands and jurisdiction, he's also a most impulsive man… and he would gladly support any attempts to topple the Fire Lord's rule. The years have only worsened his impulsiveness, I fear…"

"Then, however impulsive he may be, he's one more potential ally," Zuko said. "Would he be likely to judge Sokka for his relationship with my sister?"

"So far, it doesn't appear to matter to him in the slightest," Iroh said. Zuko nodded. "The Northern Water Tribe's leading officer, though…"

"You have allies from the north?" Zuko asked, puzzled. Iroh nodded.

"One of our Grand Lotuses is there, in fact, but… he cannot risk coming here himself. He sends small groups of waterbenders to assist us from time to time. Among them, Captain Anorak is the one with seniority and he is… well, he seems to agree with Jeong Jeong on everything. I suspect he might see Sokka as a weasel clawing for power, or as a fool blinded by lust, much as Jeong Jeong does… he may believe Sokka is unworthy of leading any of us in virtue of his closeness to the Fire Nation's ruling class. There's another Earth Kingdom man too who has been gaining importance among our ranks… a firm, steady man. He joined the White Lotus about five years ago and has gained enough importance to be part of several councils so far. His name is Shiju, Captain Shiju. I'd like to think he can be persuaded with the right arguments…"

"And if we do persuade him, would that mean we'd have the advantage?" Zuko asked. "Say that Jeong Jeong and this Anorak guy don't support us… you, Piandao, Fong and Shiju, if all four of you stand with us, would that suffice?"

"I cannot say," Iroh admitted. Zuko let out a sigh and shook his head. "Zuko… if it were within my power alone, I would grant you any forces you wanted. But… this is a complicated organization, to say the least. As much as I may have a strong voice, no one has been able to move Jeong Jeong to do anything he doesn't want done. The White Lotus members who tried to escape from the Capital… Suki's own sponsor among them? Jeong Jeong advocated to leave them to their fate because they had known the risks. I…"

"You tried to help them," Zuko guessed immediately. Iroh breathed deeply and sighed.

"I couldn't do much. I offered them a way out, but I had to preserve my position in the Capital too. Even if I provided them with proper means to reach safety, I couldn't do enough to help them… and perhaps I would have, or could have, if Jeong Jeong had agreed to offer his assistance somehow."

"Sokka's bad reputation with the White Lotus started there, didn't it?" Zuko asked. Iroh nodded. "Because he stopped them, which was what Azula wanted…"

"He could have allowed them to get away, I suppose," Iroh said. "But I cannot presume to know if Ozai would have accepted that. He might have held Sokka responsible for the escape rather than commending him for everything he did…"

"Sokka saved the Water Tribe by cashing out two favors from my father after that, from what I've understood," Zuko pointed out, sighing and shaking his head. "We were attacked by all those troops down south and the White Lotus never knew of it, right?"

"We did notice movement in troops, but we didn't have sufficient information to deduce what their purpose might be," Iroh admitted. Zuko frowned.

"Then… if the White Lotus people had tried to look deeper into it, they could've actually done something to help the Water Tribe and they didn't even try?" he asked. Iroh grimaced "Well, then… I guess that's one good argument worth making. If your people wouldn't help a whole nation in danger, such as what happened to the Water Tribe on that day, they don't really have much right to judge Sokka for his own allegiances. They haven't done anything to earn his…"

"That's what he said to Jeong Jeong," Iroh confirmed. "But I cannot pretend to know if… if Jeong Jeong will ever accept that sort of argument. It is true, as far as I can tell…"

"Of course it is," Zuko said, pointedly. Iroh nodded.

"The White Lotus leaves much to be desired. We fashion ourselves as the last bastion of hope for the world… and yet all our attempts to turn the tides of war have backfired and failed. I don't want to discourage you at all, Zuko, but it's possible you and your group might…"

"Might be better off not staying here?" Zuko asked. "You think we ought to find help elsewhere?"

"Unfortunately, there might be no help elsewhere," Iroh said. "As far as I've been able to understand… this is truly where every rebel against my brother's rule flees to. I have recruited some rebels as well…"

"Then… do you think we can do it on our own?" Zuko asked, puzzled. Iroh shrugged. "I admit it doesn't sound like the worst idea, if our only choice is a dubious alliance with the White Lotus… but Aang doesn't even know earthbending yet. He's not a fully-fledged Avatar, no matter how much air, water and fire he can bend. Sokka can work miracles, no doubt, but… he's going to catch the Fire Lord's eye the minute he dares rear his head in any Fire Nation-held territories. Our greatest advantage is that he thinks Sokka is dead, so he won't expect him to strike back in any way. He won't even imagine the Water Tribe has not only survived but destroyed the fleet… so this is an opportunity like none we've seen before. But if Sokka just pops up somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, all the forces stationed here will rush in to take him down. And as great a warrior as he may be, he can't fight all those enemies alone."

"I know. I know," Iroh said, breathing deeply. "It's possible that we will support you, in the end, so I am not attempting to discourage you and your friends from this path, Zuko. Merely… keep in mind that this may not result in the outcome you look forward to. The White Lotus doesn't have a unifying leader… and as far as I can tell, it won't have one anytime soon. Even if we went to war eventually, the likelihood that Sokka or anyone else among your friends might prove capable of rallying all our troops is… well, slim, to say the least."

"Well, slim doesn't mean impossible, so… let's hope a proper negotiation succeeds," Zuko said, breathing out slowly. "Are you okay with this, then? Can… can Sokka and the rest of my friends come here, right now, for these negotiations?"

"I… I suppose, yes, Zuko," Iroh said, biting his lip. "Though I will ask you to accompany to inform Jeong Jeong, first. General Fong too, if possible…"

"They're the main ones who'd need to know?" Zuko asked. Iroh nodded. "Alright, then. Lead the way when you're ready."

"Zuko…" Iroh said, gazing at him with heartfelt, hopeless remorse. Zuko breathed out slowly, raising a hand to clasp the old man's shoulder.

"This is difficult, Uncle. For all of us," he said, squeezing Iroh's shoulder gently. "But for once in my life I'm not doubting my path. For once I'm choosing something and I'm certain of that choice. And in doing so… I'm learning how to stand my ground when it comes to what matters most to me. You matter to me… regardless of your mistakes, you're my uncle. You're the closest thing I've had to a father and… I'd be one very ungrateful bastard if I didn't love you. But Uncle…"

"Those mistakes still make me unforgivable, don't they?" Iroh asked. Zuko gritted his teeth.

"That's… not what I was getting to," Zuko said, softly. "I'm just guessing we really will need to talk things over properly, thoroughly, later. I just want you to know that… that out of many things I've learned by Suki's side, one of the first of them was that… that I could be happy. That I was allowed happiness. That my worth as a human being, my mistakes, my wrongdoings… they didn't mean I was forbidden from finding happiness. Maybe it's selfish… but chasing happiness has been what I've done for the past years, and I don't regret it at all. I do this now to protect that happiness… to protect the life I've built for myself. If the outcome of this mess sees me becoming Fire Lord… well, that's secondary for me, as I am. I want to help my family first of all… my wife, my daughters… my mother, my sister… you. I know I'm asking for too much, yes, but… that's what I'm truly fighting for. A world where I can share my life with all of you, to varying degrees, I guess… but still share it with you, no matter what.

"We all have our reasons to fight… and I don't need an eerie Avatar's spirit to tell me what to fight for, or what my destiny should be. I've taught Aang because he asked me to… I've come all this way, and I'll fight against my father, because I know it's what needs to be done. But… maybe it won't be me sitting on the throne in the end. Maybe it will be, yes, if Azula can't do it, if she prefers for me to do it, too… but if that's not the case, I need to know that you will accept that outcome. I need to know that… that you won't see Azula as some sort of usurper if that happens. That you won't ever try to take the throne from her for my sake…"

"N-no, I… I won't do that, Zuko. I swear it," Iroh said, nodding quickly. Zuko breathed deeply and nodded. "And… I… I did pressure you, didn't I? In ways I barely reasoned with. You… you were never truly free to make your own choices, and I played no small part in making it so while you were with me. I did want you to take the throne, Zuko, because… because you'd be a splendid Fire Lord. You would be, truly. But…"

"But?" Zuko asked. Iroh clenched his teeth and shook his head.

"But that's no reason to believe that's your only possible fate. You're right," Iroh said, glancing at Zuko remorsefully. Zuko breathed deeply.

"I don't want to put much stock in prophecies of any sort… but if it's going to come true, it won't be by my active, mindful intent to make it real," Zuko said. "If I become Fire Lord… it will be because it's right for me to take that role. Not because it's owed to me, not because I thought it was my birthright… none of that matters in the slightest to me anymore. I haven't come all this way in life to… to believe things are owed to me just because I was born to a special family. I'm fighting for my family… for all of it, including you. And I will fight by doing the right thing, too, by doing it the right way. No shortcuts, no prophecies, no subterfuge… the right thing, the right way. Alright?"

"Yes… yes, Zuko," Iroh said, smiling with tearful eyes. "Oh, I… I shouldn't say this. Pride is… it is no good. But Zuko, even if my words amount to nothing, I… I am proud of the wise man you have become."

"I… I'm not that wise. Not as wise as you," Zuko smiled a little. "But thanks anyway."

Iroh smiled anew before encouraging Zuko to rise to his feet. There was so much left to talk about, so much they had to explain to each other still… but at least they had reached an understanding now, even if mainly a personal one. Greater struggles waited ahead… and precisely because of how difficult they might be, Iroh knew Zuko had to be prepared for what was yet to come. He could have told Jeong Jeong about the situation by himself… but it was all the better if Zuko was there, too.

They didn't climb higher in the tower, despite Zuko had assumed that the topmost floors would likely be reserved for the most important people in the fortress. Instead, Iroh guided Zuko to another flight of stairs upon reaching the first floor, one that went deeper into the fortress, underground. Zuko eyed the rocky tower walls warily as he followed Iroh dutifully: the remote, isolated fortress was still bound to be too crowded, too boisterous, for the Deserter who hid deep within its foundations…

Iroh let out a deep breath once they neared a stone archway. He glanced at Zuko one more time to confirm he was ready, and Zuko nodded promptly. Iroh nodded back… and then he marched the remaining steps down to a stone room, spacious and dark, lit only by a handful of candles that followed the breathing pattern of the bushy-haired man sitting at the center of the room.

"I asked not to be disturbed," were Jeong Jeong's first words. Zuko frowned, immediately unsettled by the man's authoritarian tone.

"You did," Iroh confirmed. "And you know I would not disturb you at all if it weren't a matter of importance."

A soft grunt bounced in the cavernous room as Jeong Jeong lowered his head, no doubt in profound displeasure still. Yet he rose to his feet moments later, turning to Iroh with a prominent scowl…

A scowl that shifted when he gasped once his eyes fell upon Zuko, instead.

"As you can see… Zuko has come to us," Iroh said, uneasily. "Surely this is a valid reason to interrupt your meditation?"

"You… how? Didn't you say you had failed to communicate with him at all?" Jeong Jeong said, glaring at Iroh accusingly. "That, when you attempted to tell him where to find us, he hadn't listened?"

"No, I didn't listen much," Zuko confirmed, with a nod. "Fortunately, I happen to have been traveling with people who were clever enough to guess the area where your Order hid… and as we traveled here, my friends and I found my mother in the swamp. She guided us here."

"She…?" Jeong Jeong gasped, frowning heavily. "Is that so? And friends, you say? Who are these friends of yours?"

"Jeong Jeong…" Iroh tried to calm him, but the firebender glared him into silence anew.

"If that fool woman has been giving away our location to anyone she crosses…!"

"Don't talk about my mother that way!" Zuko hissed, scowling and stepping forward. "And she didn't give away your location to others, because you successfully kept her isolated, as well as poorly-fed and misinformed for years! If… if just for what you've done to her, what all of you have done, I shouldn't even be here right now and I would be looking for other sources of help if I had the choice…!"

"So, you do not have a choice?" Jeong Jeong asked, skeptical. "If you don't have other sources of help, that is all the better for us. You will remain in this fortress until you're deemed trustworthy enough to…"

"Ah, shit. This crap again, huh?" Zuko said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Somehow, staying with a Water Tribe full of unknown people who were ready to kill me for being the Fire Lord's son sounded a lot more appealing than being confined to your damn fortress now. You're just jumping to every possible conclusion you care to without even hearing me out, aren't you? If I'd come here to join you…!"

"That statement implies you didn't, doesn't it?" Jeong Jeong said, sternly. Zuko huffed.

"You're right, I didn't. I came here… to offer an alliance between your Order and my traveling group," Zuko said. "To discuss the terms of a negotiation."

"A negotiation?" Jeong Jeong repeated, scowling. "Why?"

"Because we want my father dethroned and the Fire Nation steered back to its rightful course," Zuko said, bluntly. Jeong Jeong's scarred eyebrow twitched. "And I'd like to think we weren't wrong to assume that's what your people have been trying to achieve for the past years."

"It is. And how, exactly, does this entitle you and your group, whoever they may be, to enter negotiations with us?" Jeong Jeong inquired, skeptical. "We far outnumber you, I wager, otherwise you wouldn't have come here…"

"You do. We hope your strength in numbers can be of use in ridding this world from my father's control," Zuko said, sternly. "But that strength in numbers hasn't been enough so far, has it? As far as I understand… every attempt by the White Lotus to defeat the Fire Nation, to deal blows against it, have been unsuccessful. With these resources, it stands to reason that you'd attain far more victories than you have so far. I can't say I understand why you haven't been able to deal more damage to my father's rule… but I suppose that's where me and my group can give you the push forward you apparently haven't been able to find on your own."

"You are quite arrogant to believe our hands would be any less tied over whatever alliances you may have found in… in the Water Tribe, of all places," said Jeong Jeong, scowling "The southern one, no doubt, for the north never reported that you so much as approached their shores…"

"The southern one, indeed," Zuko retorted. "The birthplace and hometown of my father's newly-chosen greatest enemy."

Jeong Jeong's scowl gained strength: he knew exactly what Zuko's words meant, but he didn't seem inclined to admit it just yet…

"He's with my group. He's our leader, outright," Zuko said, letting out a deep breath as Jeong Jeong clenched his fists. "And he's chosen to come here, willingly, for the sake of establishing not just a truce but an alliance with your group to topple my father's government."

"How very convenient that he would do so only after feeling the red-hot steel upon his own skin…" Jeong Jeong hissed. Zuko frowned heavily as well.

"He did plenty of stuff to help the world before that," he said. "More than anything I've heard about your organization, anyway…"

"Such as inspiring Princess Azula to establish slavery laws?" asked Jeong Jeong.

"Laws that ensured slave owners would face consequences for mistreating the people in their control," Zuko retorted. "Surely my uncle knows even more about it than I do…"

"He does. And he also reported, at the time, that she had admitted to only choosing this course of action out of convenience," Jeong Jeong said, with distaste and disgust. Zuko shook his head. "Didn't she say that directly to you, Iroh?"

"She… she did, but…" Iroh said, gritting his teeth. "Azula is an accomplished schemer in many ways. All she wanted that day was… to persuade me of how rotten she was so I would stop believing she could ever have a relationship with her Gladiator. Her intent was to protect him…"

"And how does that rule out everything else she said?" Jeong Jeong asked, skeptical. "Perhaps she had some emotional attachment with this single slave… why would that affect her view of the others, if not because it would be convenient for her political success?"

"Remind me: what has her political success turned out to be like, as of late?" Zuko snarled. "Right: she's lost everything. Surely you know that by now, my uncle admits his faults in having caused her downfall… you might as well admit yours in not being able to commit to a course of action that makes sense and results in proper progress in the battles against my father and his forces. You may not trust Sokka… but you're hardly the only one who distrusts anyone in this situation. I trust my uncle. I trust he regrets his mistakes, that he wants to make amends for them if the chance arises, and I'm here to give him that chance. But you? I don't know you, all I know about you is that you abandoned the Fire Nation navy after doing who knows how many heinous things under my grandfather's orders, and then presumed to try to strike down people like Sokka, who actually made things better for countless innocents when he had the chance to. You tried to kill someone whose choices have actually saved both the Water Tribes when he had the chance to do it. It's hard for you to trust Sokka? It's harder yet for any of us to trust you. And even so… that's the whole point of negotiating anyway. If you and your lot don't want our help… well, that's on you. But it's not simply that Sokka is leading us… the Avatar is with us, too."

"The…?!" Jeong Jeong gasped, eyes widening. "No. No, surely you… you lie. The Avatar couldn't have…!"

"Why not?" Zuko asked, raising his eyebrow "Because of some prophecy that said he'd show up sooner than he did? Well, he didn't, and that's too bad. Now that he's here, though, we intend to defeat my father by any means necessary. If you choose not to aid us… well, that's on you. If you would prefer to pretend we're not going to be successful just because you weren't, that's your problem. But we didn't come this far just to give up if you and your people won't seize an opportunity when it's right in front of you: negotiate with our group and we might finally put an end to this war by defeating my father's forces. Ignore us and we'll seek other ways to end this conflict without your help. Hinder us in any way, attempt to sabotage our efforts to end this war the way you already sabotaged Sokka's efforts to help innocent people, and you'll get the same treatment my father will."

Jeong Jeong seemed moments away from losing his patience entirely. Zuko didn't stand down, however, not for an instant. Maybe he'd messed up in his role of being the first contact with the White Lotus… but he couldn't fathom allowing Jeong Jeong to trample over them as he had immediately attempted to.

"Ultimately…" Zuko added, once Jeong Jeong remained silent for too long. "We want results. That's what we're looking for. I'd like to think you're looking for the same thing. It's not a matter of… of who's in charge, under whose banner we might charge into battle, it's about putting a stop to this war, and we finally have the chance to do so. My father has… has done unthinkable things and committed mistakes he remains unaware of: we have an opportunity to strike back at him like none we've ever had before. He has no idea the Avatar's out there… he has no idea Sokka is still alive. The possibilities of taking him down for good will only improve if we actually join forces now… if we put our strength and heads together. He can't be quite so strong as to not loosen his grip on the throne when we push hard enough to shove him down to the ground.

"You, as well, were a Fire Nation soldier once. You came from the Fire Nation, you were raised with the same drivel me and my uncle were force-fed all our lives. And now you're at the helm of an organization comprised by people who despise your nation and want to obliterate it, with no regard for the true meaning and purpose of balance. If those people could set aside their grievances regarding your origins and your past crimes as a powerful leader in Fire Lord Azulon's navy, to follow you as they have… then it's not so unreasonable to ask you to put aside yours when it comes to Sokka. When it comes to Aang, when it comes to me."

"That sounds idealistic, to say the least," Jeong Jeong retorted. "Defeating the Fire Lord is the ultimate goal we all strive for indeed… but as strong as the Avatar may be, I cannot see how the Gladiator could ever topple the Fire Lord's rule just with his help. Yes, the Avatar is… is far more powerful than any of us. But it is not mere chance that Avatar Roku trusted that the only way the Avatar might defeat Fire Lord Ozai would be by fighting him before the Comet arrived. It… it is far too late for the Avatar alone to represent a threat so great that the Fire Lord might come undone when facing it."

"Good thing that it's not the Avatar alone, then," Zuko said, arms folded over his chest. "My father sent fifty ships to attack the Water Tribe a month ago. Sokka rallied our troops, organized a defense well before the ships arrived, and their incursion into our waters resulted in a complete defeat of their forces."

"What? Fifty ships?" Jeong Jeong asked, frowning. Zuko nodded. "That… can't be possible."

"I'm afraid it is," Zuko replied. "I was there, I saw it, I fought alongside him, my wife was injured… we took losses, but ultimately not as many losses as they did. We've deceived the Fire Lord into believing the incursion was successful, that Sokka was killed in battle. If he succeeded at saving the Southern Water Tribe with considerably fewer resources at his disposal than the enemy forces, fewer resources than you and the White Lotus have… just how far do you think we might be able to go if we do join forces? If we were a united front against the Fire Lord?"

Jeong Jeong let out a slow breath… Zuko could tell the man was considering his words carefully. Even if he had yet to agree and approve of this course of action, it was better than the dismissiveness the man had exhibited so far.

"What… are the initial terms for this negotiation you propose?" Jeong Jeong asked. Zuko's eyes widened, and his heart raced even faster than before. He even allowed himself a small, triumphant smile before stepping forward, to answer the man's question.

"I will go back to the hiding spot in the mountains where my group has been waiting for me," he said. "I'll fetch them: you can speak to Sokka thoroughly afterwards. We will keep your fortress's location and existence a secret, just as you will agree to never leak out the presence of the Avatar among us, as well as Sokka's survival. If no agreement is reached… then me and my group will be allowed to leave, honoring our oaths to keep hidden the important secrets for both our factions, so our true enemy never learns of them."

"And if reaching an agreement takes us time?" asked Jeong Jeong. "I hardly believe a single session with the Gladiator would suffice for me to reach a consensus with him. Not only do I still feel deeply apprehensive over the very notion of working alongside him… I also find it quite unlikely that all our leaders would approve of his presence among us, let alone of potentially allying with him on the battlefield. I am hardly the only person with conflicted feelings pertaining your group's leader, Prince Zuko."

"Then you'll talk to them while I go fetch my friends," Zuko said, with a shrug. "You'll make it clear to them that any acts of violence against our group will mean the immediate suspension of negotiations…"

"Likewise, for your side," Jeong Jeong stated. Zuko nodded.

"This is diplomacy," he concluded. "If your group can be respectful, especially the leaders, we won't have any problems regardless of what the ultimate decision may be."

"I see," Jeong Jeong said, breathing deeply.

"Are these terms agreeable?" Zuko asked.

Jeong Jeong blinked a couple of times before closing his eyes fully. Clearly, this was a difficult choice… but if the man agreed to it, it meant they'd be one step closer to fulfilling their hopes of defeating Ozai as soon as possible. As much as Jeong Jeong might dislike Sokka, he had to recognize an opportunity when he saw it….

After about two minutes, Jeong Jeong finally breathed out again, raising a wary gaze in Zuko's direction. Zuko felt his chest clenching up as he waited for the answer to his last question…

"Very well, then: bring them here, as guests," Jeong Jeong declared. "You and your allies will not be prisoners, you will not be harmed… and I will speak to the Gladiator of the war he intends to fight against Fire Lord Ozai."

---

A/N:

As some of you may have noticed… this is Gladiator's anniversary week. I really intended for this to be a great time to celebrate the story, but certain IRL setbacks have taken me aback and I hate to not be in the best mental space to rejoice in this achievement.

For it is an achievement, that's for sure: this is Gladiator's TENTH anniversary, no less! I'm deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey in any capacity, most of all to those who have put your full trust in my abilities as a storyteller, regardless of the chaotic events currently shaking up our big fic.

Seeing as this year's milestone is as big as it is… I have been working on yet another big project. It's meant to be a walk through the history of Gladiator, revisiting this story through almost all the art I have drawn for it across the years. While not as exhausting in scope as last year's project, which literally took me 5 years to complete… this one's the product of all my years of work in this story, on all levels in which I've worked on it. The project is, yet again, a video that you'll be able to find on my Youtube channel on the 26th, provided everything's ready on time. I hope you'll enjoy it when you see it, and that you'll also feel like rejoicing in the journey we've all been on together.

All personal setbacks aside… I'm really grateful to have come as far as I have as a writer thanks to Gladiator. It has been a life-changing experience, a dream I believed would be out of my reach for many years, but it came true all the same. Thank you for your support, thank you for your love for this story, and I really hope you'll stick around for however many more years we have left to finish this big, wild story.

Thank you so much for reading Gladiator.