The days following the meeting in the throne room were tense, to say the least. Zuko continued his daily training sessions with his instructor and while he appeared to be fully focused on his training, his mind was actually preoccupied with various thoughts.
His father consumed a significant part of his thoughts and concerns. What was Ozai doing? Why would he forsake this opportunity? For as long as Zuko could remember, power was the only thing Ozai ever cared about, and now he had suddenly relinquished what was most likely his biggest chance of his life.
"Well done, Prince Zuko," he heard his instructor say. "Your skills have never been sharper."
"All thanks to you," He answered as he turned around and bowed before his instructor.
"Don't flatter me, Prince Zuko," said the master. "I am simply here to help you grasp the full range of your abilities."
"Will this be all for today?" He asked as he started to gather his belongings.
"Yes. We shall continue our training tomorrow."
Zuko gathered his belongings and swiftly headed towards his chambers. It was a crucial day, so he needed to move quickly.
Once he had stowed away all his possessions in his room, he promptly proceeded to the front of the palace and settled on the stairs. The guards appeared taken aback by the Prince's abrupt presence but remained motionless.
He pondered over the satire briefly before noticing a palanquin approaching the palace. Zuko promptly rose and hurried towards the man emerging from it.
The man had no chance to react before feeling the Prince enveloping him in a tight hug.
"It's wonderful to see you, Prince Zuko," the man said with a slight smile.
"Uncle, It's so good to see you again," he replied.
Zuko had deeply missed his uncle. Even before his nightmares began, he and his uncle shared a strong bond. Iroh had always been more of a father figure to him than Ozai had ever been, although for the longest time, Zuko failed to realize it. But now, thanks to his dreams, he was fully aware that his uncle was perhaps the only person who had truly cared for him.
Uncle, I am deeply sorry about Lu Ten," Zuko expressed.
"It's okay, my boy," Iroh replied, embracing Zuko warmly. "My son is now in a better place."
Zuko gazed at his uncle with a faint smile, hoping that Iroh's return would expedite the resolution of matters.
"And how have you been, Zuko?" Iroh inquired.
As Zuko released his uncle, he guided him up the stairs while conversing. Once again, Zuko listened to Iroh's tales of traveling to the spirit world and discovering a new tea during his journey.
As they entered the palace, Zuko noticed that every guard, fire sage, and servant they passed bowed in respect to his uncle. Since Ozai missed his chance, Iroh still remained the crown prince and was still hailed as a war hero even after abandoning the siege.
Upon reaching Zuko's chamber, they found Azula and his mother waiting for him. He had forgotten his promise to spend time with both of them after his training.
While his mother struggled to open the door, Azula stood behind her, inspecting her nails. However, as soon as she heard footsteps approaching, she glanced up.
"Uncle?" she asked in a surprised voice.
His mother immediately looked up and upon seeing Iron, quickly made her way towards him. His uncle welcomed her with a hug.
"It's so good to see you again, Ursa."
"Likewise, Iroh," his mother said as she pulled away. "What happened to you?"
Initially, Zuko didn't grasp the meaning of the question and only later realized that when his uncle had left the palace, his hair was black, yet now it had turned completely gray. His uncle had been away for nearly two years, and Zuko doubted that those years were enough to make it seem like his uncle had aged twenty years in only two.
"Brother?"
He startled at the voice and turned to see Ozai approaching.
"It's nice to see you again," his father said as he reached Iron and placed a hand on his shoulder.
His uncle, like everyone else, appeared surprised at the gesture, but quickly composed himself and returned it.
"Hello, Brother," he began. "It's a pleasure to see all of you again."
Ozai regarded Iroh with a new perspective. There was no malice lurking in his gaze. There was only contentment? No. It couldn't be. Zuko was certain that Ozai was unfamiliar with the concept of happiness.
"Brother," Ozai interjected, catching Iroh's attention. "I'm sure you have much to share, so why not join us for dinner?"
Once more, Zuko was left speechless. He never knew his father had this side to him. Usually, there would be some hidden meaning behind his kind gestures, some plan in the making, yet now it all felt sincere.
"It would be my pleasure," his uncle replied.
His father smiled at the response and escorted him to the dining hall. Upon arrival, Ozai requested the finest cuisine to be served at their table, emphasizing that his brother had returned and should be treated with the respect befitting a crown prince.
It all seemed like a dream to Zuko. His father had always harbored resentment towards Iroh due to their father's favoritism, yet now they were seated at the table conversing as if they were close friends.
What was going on? Zuko realized that the alterations he had implemented had impacted everyone in his family in some way. Everyone except Ozai and Iroh.
Iroh had been absent and had not witnessed the changes Zukr had made, and Ozai was not involved in those changes.
All these new behaviors exhibited by his father were not initiated by Zuko. It had all been Ozai's doing. But how?
They sat at the table and conversed for a while. Iroh shared how he successfully led his army back to the Fire Nation territory and ventured into the spirit world to search for Lu Ten. However, his tale was interrupted by the entrance of one of the Fire Lord's advisors, who notified them that their father was waiting for him. As Iroh rose and began to head towards the exit, he was halted by another guard.
"Prince Ozai, your presence is also requested."
"When I returned to the palace my father, Fire Lord Azulon had summoned both me and Ozai to meet him." Iroh's hand trembled as he held his cup of tea and poured some into it. "When we entered the throne room, I was taken aback to see all the fire sages and advisers present."
Zukor listened attentively to his uncle, eager to learn how his father had ascended to power. He recalled Azulon's passing and his final wish for Ozai to succeed him as the new Fire Lord. It seemed things had not unfolded as he had remembered.
"As we took our seats, my father broached the topic of my successor," Iroh continued. "He inquired whether I would consider marrying again or selecting one of my brother's children as my heir."
Zuko nearly spat out his tea upon hearing his uncle's words. "Grandfather asked you to decide between me and Azula as your successor."
Iroh nodded in agreement.
"Why didn't you agree to it?" Zuko asked. He was now even more curious than before.
"At that time, I had already made up my mind," Iroh answered. "I had already joined the White Lotus and realized that our nation's actions were completely contrary to what I truly wanted."
"So what happened next?" Zuko asked.
"I told my father that I no longer desired the throne." Iroh said as he lifted his cup to his lips for a sip and then continued speaking after setting it down. "It stirred up quite a commotion in the throne room."
Zuko understood the significance of the situation. It was unprecedented for a Crown Prince to willingly relinquish his rightful position, especially one as esteemed as his uncle, the legendary Dragon of the West. The one who defeated the last dragon and the general who emerged victorious from Thousands of battles and had only ever lost one, but that one loss was the most painful one.
"I also made it clear that I had no intention of marrying again and that I wouldn't take neither you nor Azula as my successor," his uncle stated.
"And so Azulon chose my father as his successor."
"I left him no choice," Iroh said. "But, truthfully, I was grateful that Ozai was selected as my father's successor."
"Why?"
"Because I already knew that one day I would assist the avatar in dethroning him," his uncle said.
"Wait, you knew about Aang's return years before he actually did? How?" Zuko was now completely bewildered. First, he discovers that his father became the Fire Lord in a manner different from what he remembered, and now he finds out that Iroh was aware of Aang's return six years before it occurred.
"While in the spirit world, I envisioned the Avatar's return." His uncle share.,
"How were you certain it would occur in your lifetime, uncle?" Zuko inquired. "The events in the vision might have unfolded many years later."
With a smile, Iroh began, "In the vision, I witnessed a ship. And aboard that ship was a prince on a quest to capture the avatar and redeem his honor."
Fire Lord Azulon had passed away.
He died peacefully in his sleep a few days after Iroh's return and had appointed Ozai as his successor.
Sure, initially, it appeared that events unfolded much like in his dream, with the only difference being the timing. However, upon closer inspection, significant discrepancies emerged that theoretically should not have occurred.
The primary disparity was Iroh's presence in the palace while Ozai was selected as the new Fire Lord, and his uncle remained indifferent.
The second notable distinction was that his mother was not exiled but instead remained in the palace, now being crowned alongside his father as the new Fire Lady.
Zuko was aware that in his nightmare, Azulon's demise was attributed to Ursa poisoning him, leading Ozai to spare his life. Given that Azulon passed away in his sleep, mirroring his dream, he pondered the possibility of his mother's involvement in his death this time as well.
He pondered what his father had gained from ascending to the throne a few weeks later than originally planned. The only noticeable differences were the presence of Iroh and Ursa, leaving Zuko puzzled as to why his father had waited for his uncle's return and allowed Ursa to remain at the palace.
Standing beside Azula, a few feet from their parents, he questioned his father's current intentions. Observing the fire sage closest to his parents carefully placing the crown on his father's head as another one did the same to her mother.
Ozai's plan had undeniably shifted in the recent weeks; the lingering question remained - why.
"All hail Fire Lord Ozai."
"ALL HAIL FIRE LORD OZAI."
The crowd below the stairs echoed the same words as both his parents rose to their feet.
The only plausible explanation for his uncle's indifference and his mother's willingness to stay was the meeting they had with Azulon on the day Iroh returned.
Yet, Zuko still struggled to grasp what had transpired during that meeting.
"Why do you think he did it?"
Those words had snapped Iroh back to reality. He had gotten lost so deeply in his own thoughts that he had completely forgotten that Zuko was still sitting with him.
"Why who did what?" Iroh asked, trying to get back into the conversation.
Zuko sighed. "My Father. Why did he decide to wait?"
Iron didn't know what Zuko was talking about. Wait for what? As Iroh had recalled, Ozai didn't wait for anything at all.
Zuko realized that his uncle didn't really understand what he was talking about. How could he? He was asking Iroh why Ozai decided to wait for his return instead of asking for the throne while Iroh was away.
He had completely forgotten that his uncle wasn't aware of the fact that Zuko remembered things a little differently. He remembered his father asking Azulon for the throne and Azulon, as punishment, had ordered Ozai to kill him. But thanks to his mother's interference, Zuko remained alive and Ozai got the throne.
But apparently things happened differently. Ozai hadn't asked for the throne, Iron just rejected his birthright. Ursa didn't get banished; she remained at the palace as the new Fire Lady.
"I was asking why father didn't try to claim the throne while you were away?" Zuko started. "It seemed more in line for him to ask for it while you weren't in the palace. And now that we know he was the one who murdered Azulon in his sleep, the only lingering question is why he didn't do it earlier."
It took Iroh a moment to respond. "I believe your father intended for it to be official," Iroh explained. "He wanted all advisers and fire sages to be aware that Azulon had selected him as his successor, so that in the event of his passing, there would be no cause for suspicion."
"So, you're suggesting that if my father had eliminated Azulon before he had formally declared him as his successor, his right to the title of Fire Lord could be challenged if he was found guilty of his father's murder?"
"Exactly."
Hello there, dear readers.
I have a quick update for you.
I trust you are enjoying the story I have been gradually developing. As you may have noticed, new updates for this story are released daily. This is because the initial eight chapters were already written and only needed minor adjustments.
Chapters nine through twelve have also been written and will be shared soon. However, they still require some enhancements to match the quality of the previously posted chapters. Due to my busy schedule in the next two days, I won't be able to complete them entirely. As a result, the daily updates will pause, and the next chapter will be posted within the next two to four days. The daily schedule will resume after that.
I appreciate your understanding regarding the delay in completing these chapters.
Thank you once again for reading.
Until next time.