Chapter 3: Around Every Corner
Zuko navigated the palace, striving to stay unnoticed. He had rescued Izumi, but the task was not finished. He still needed to locate his mother and uncle. Initially, he assumed they would safeguard Izumi, yet she had been taken, and they were missing. Zuko dreaded the worst - what if they were already dead, what if Izumi's abduction was due to their demise.
No, they couldn't be. His uncle was the most skilled firebender he knew. No insurgent could match him, but the uprising had brought numerous soldiers to the capital, and his uncle, who was past his prime, could face trouble if even a fraction of them surpassed the average firebender.
Zuko hid himself behind a pillar as a group of rebels passed. Normally, he wouldn't hide and would easily defeat them all. However, he couldn't confront them all while carrying Izumi. His precious daughter. Zuko wasn't prone to violence, but considering these intruders had invaded his home and attempted to abduct his daughter, a standard punishment seemed too lenient for them.
Zuko glanced at Izumi, trying to determine if the rebels had harmed her. She bore no scars, no burns, nothing. The only issue Zuko noticed was her continued slumber. His only plausible explanation was that she had been drugged. The mere thought fueled his anger towards the perpetrators even more.
He entered a grand hall filled with portraits of the previous Fire Lords. His mother's chamber was two corridors away, and he estimated it would take him about two minutes to reach there at his current pace.
As he passed through the chamber, his gaze was drawn to a portrait created a year after he ascended to the position of Fire Lord. It was customary for a Fire Lord to have a portrait painted during their reign, with small details added over time to reflect their accomplishments.
However, his portrait had been vandalized by the intruders. Half of it was charred, while the other half was drenched in blood, presumably that of his soldiers. On any other day, he would have been enraged to see his portrait in such a state. Yet, the events of the day had shown him that he might be remembered as the Fire Lord who focused more on the world's problems than those of his own nation. Was this how his people would remember him?
Next to his portrait was his father's. He despised this one. It depicted the immense power that his predecessor wielded, the skilled tactician that he was. In truth, his father's only source of power had been his bending, which was now lost, making everything about him a complete falsehood. He was not the brilliant strategist that others portrayed him to be. His strategies often involved sacrificing numerous lives to secure a victory, far from demonstrating a great strategic mind.
Despite this, it appeared that many still held onto this idealized image of him, as they were now attempting to free him and restore him as the Fire Lord once more.
As he reached the penultimate corridor, he had to pause to fully comprehend the scene before him. Numerous bodies lay scattered on the floor, some charred, others not. The once crimson walls were now drenched in blood, slowly trickling down to the ground.
For the first time, Zuko felt a sense of relief that Izumi was unconscious, spared from witnessing this gruesome sight. However, he was also filled with heightened fear, knowing that his mother's chamber was just one corridor away.
Navigating through, he noticed a familiar face among the fallen bodies - General Taoh. Were they strategically placed here as a final attempt to impede the intruders? Was this the last line of defense before the rebels breached the family's stronghold? It was irrelevant now. The sole priority was reaching his family and ensuring their safety, so Zuko sprinted forward.
Turning the corner, he spotted the entrance to his mother's chambers. He attempted to approach the door, but was too slow, encountering a group of enemy soldiers turning the corner. With no time to conceal himself, he was forced to remain exposed.
Upon noticing him, the soldiers swiftly regrouped, advancing towards him with flames already at their fingertips.
Zuko understood that if he were alone, he could easily dispatch them. However, he now had to consider Izumi, still asleep in his arms. Maneuvering around the soldiers while holding his daughter, engaging them in combat, seemed an impossible task.
As he pondered his next move, the soldiers drew nearer and nearer. With no better option, he assumed a defensive stance, prepared to shield his daughter at all costs. Raising his hand to conjure a flame, he witnessed a wave of fire emerge, creating a barrier between him and the approaching soldiers.
As the fire intensified, forming a wall that separated them, Zuko initially suspected one of his soldiers had cast the flame. However, this notion swiftly dissipated as he noticed a distinct detail that immediately revealed the true source of the fire.
The flames were blue.
It was mid-afternoon. In other nations, mid-afternoon meant lunchtime, but in the Fire Nation, it was the ideal time for firebending practice as the sun was at its hottest, making the firebenders most powerful during this time.
As Zuko performed his standard katas, he noticed his sister nearby. This surprised him as she had previously dismissed his practice as a waste of time, considering him a weak firebender and a disgrace to the royal family.
Upon completing his kata, Zuko extended his hand and unleashed a flame, anticipating a small one. To his astonishment, a massive wave of fire erupted from his hand and soared into the sky.
In a state of shock, watching the flame slowly diminish, Zuko heard the door behind him burst open, with guards rushing in, fearing for the safety of the royal siblings. Ignoring them, he focused solely on the fading remnants of his flame.
When had he gained such power? In his previous practice, he struggled to produce a flame even half this size, yet now his flames seemed to match those of his uncle and father.
Although he had witnessed himself conjuring flames of such intensity in his dreams, if those dreams were indeed glimpses of the future, it would clarify why he was regarded as a firebending master.
But it didn't make sense for him to be able to do it now since he had not mastered even the basics. He had seen himself perform this kata many times in his dreams.
Only then did Zuko realize that those visions were not only granting him a glimpse into the future, they were also reminding him of an important lesson. His uncle had once told him that the only way to become a master firebender was to have his mind at peace, and for the longest time Zuko's mind was in turmoil. Only after joining the avatar, his mind came to peace, and his firebending improved significantly.
Perhaps by acquiring his future self's memories and embracing the role he now had to fulfill in order to improve the world, he found peace in his mind much sooner than he had originally.
"Very impressive, Zuzu," he heard Azula say as she approached him. "You might make a decent firebender after all." As she said that, he turned around to face her, expecting to see disinterest in her eyes, yet the only thing he saw was pride. Was she proud of him? He never expected to see Azula be proud of anyone but herself, yet now here she was, looking very proud of him.
"Have you thought about yesterday's proposal?" Zuko asked, knowing full well that she had.
"I have," she replied, with that smug smirk returning to her face.
"And?" He already knew the answer since yesterday for the first time, he saw Azula as his ally and not his enemy in his dream.
"I accept your proposal, brother," she said. "However, I'm warning you not to try and intrude on my private practice with our father, understood?"
Zuko looked at her with a surprised expression. "Azula, we both know that if father suddenly decides to train me by himself, then no one will have a say on the matter. But if such an opportunity required my permission, then I promise that I would refuse the offer."
Silence fell between them as Zuko grappled with his sister's thoughts. He understood that no amount of skill would ever earn his father's approval. This realization used to anger him, but he had recently come to terms with the fact that Ozai was solely focused on his own ambitions. Even Azula, his favored prodigy, was merely a pawn in his ruthless pursuit of power.
"I suppose this is the best outcome I could hope for," his sister remarked. A faint smile appeared on his face, reassured that he had successfully navigated one of his life's toughest challenges. Ultimately, having Azula as an ally rather than an adversary would be far more beneficial.
"But this truce doesn't mean that I'm going to stop teasing you," Azula said with a smirk on her lips. "This truce might benefit us both, but I still enjoy having the power to tease you, Zuzu."
Zuko sighed, a hesitant smile forming on his face. "I suppose we're calling a truce then, and honestly, I've come to enjoy your teasing," he admitted. In truth, he didn't enjoy it at all, but perhaps if he could make her believe he did, she might ease up on it.
"Oh Zuzu, you're a terrible liar," Azula remarked with a slight chuckle. "We both know you can't stand my teasing, and I must admit, I do find it amusing to see your reaction to it."
And with that, she walked past him towards the exit. "Come on now, dinner is being served in an hour, so I'd suggest you go shower and change into your royal clothes. You wouldn't want to appear all sweaty in front of father," he heard her say as she exited the room.
Zuko smirked to himself as he gathered his belongings and headed towards his chambers. Today's events seemed to be taking a very different direction than his dreams had suggested. Perhaps it was the consequences of his actions yesterday. Maybe the small change he made by striving to have a normal relationship with his sister was already having an effect.
As he entered his room, he was pleasantly surprised to find his mother sitting on his bed, reading through a scroll.
"Mom? What are you doing here?" He inquired, as she looked up, a smile forming on her lips.
"Can't a mother spend time with her son? Or have you grown tired of me already?" She playfully questioned.
"No, of course not," he quickly responded. To be completely honest, he had been avoiding his mother for the past few days. He wasn't sure if he could keep his visions a secret from her.
"I saw you training today. Your firebending has improved significantly," she said as she stood up and walked towards him.
Zuko hesitated for a moment. "Are you... Are you proud of me, Mom?" he sheepishly asked, trying his best to keep his composure. He knew that her strained relationship with Azula was due to Ozai's interest in her abilities. Considering that he had inherited some of his future self's powers, he was starting to fear that his mother would distance herself from him.
"Zuko, of course I am proud of you," his mother said as she approached him for a hug.
Her words boosted his confidence, and he embraced her in return. They stood in silence for a while until Zuko stepped back and gazed into his mother's eyes. He was aware that in a few days, they would meet with their grandfather, and soon after, his mother would disappear. He later discovered that the Fire Lord had commanded his father to eliminate him, but his mother had devised a plan to save him and in return would make Ozai the new Fire Lord.
He lacked a solution to this issue, which was likely one of the few things beyond his control. The only source of hope for him was knowing where his mother would end up.
Looking at his mother, he resolved to mend her relationship with Azula in the days ahead, aiming to prevent his sister's resentment from triggering her mental breakdown, as it had in his dreams.
"Mom, did you know that Azula and I found a way to end all our arguments," he said, noticing his mother's expression briefly change before returning to her usual smile.
"Oh. And how did you manage to do that?" She inquired, anticipating to hear yet another way in which Azula had tricked Zuko.
"I offered her the knife uncle had sent me and proposed a truce, and she agreed," he replied, a smile appearing on his face. "Perhaps we could even invite her to join us by the turtleduck pond." He hoped that spending time together with their mother might help ease Azalea's resentment.
"Perhaps, my boy. Perhaps," she said, releasing him and getting up. "Now, get ready. You wouldn't want to be late for dinner, would you?" his mother added as she left the room, leaving him alone, deep in thought.
Maybe he could truly make a meaningful change after all.