The ship moved through the water like it was as dedicated to its mission as the princess was to hers. Zuko had been taken below deck to the holding cell. It was the first time he had never seen that part of the ship. Before, there was never a reason. No prisoners had been taken in the Southern Water Tribe and the boy doubted he would have seen them anyway. On the deck and in the quarters were meant for royalty. There, it was not even for soldiers–just prisoners who would await their fate. Zuko wondered what his would be. Maybe his father would have him privately executed by one of the commanders. What seemed more likely was that Ozai would just do it himself. The real question Zuko had was how it would be done. Not knowing was a type of torment. His mind rebelled against him, coming up with increasingly more disturbing options. Fear gripped the boy and he hated the solitude of the cell since it offered no distraction. Suddenly, he jolted when he heard footsteps.

"Why did you do that?" a cold voice asked.

Zuko turned to see Azula. Her eyes narrowed, piercing his soul. After a moment, her expression became more knowing.

"You can't decide who you want to fight against."

"That's not why I did that."

"Of course it is." A sinister smile crossed the princess's face. "Didn't you want to aim your flame directly into that earthbender?"

"No, I didn't," the boy stated.

"You're lying to yourself. In the heat of battle, it was your instinct to attack our enemies. Why else would you fire at him?"

"I fired at the rock, not him."

"That's because you don't have the skill to blast both simultaneously, so you had to make a choice."

Zuko clenched his hands into fists, frustrated. "I did that because he was about to kill you."

"I would have deflected the attack."

"You weren't paying attention." The prince began to frown. "You won't even admit that I helped."

"Because you didn't. You reacted impulsively and think you'll get a more gentle sentence if I tell Dad this lie of yours."

Zuko became quiet again. Azula regarded him curiously.

"You look pitiful in that cell," she commented. "You could've worked with us, but you're too weak."

"Was this always the plan?"

"To get rid of you? Naturally. Dad and I understand that when the right leader isn't born into the position, you have to get creative."

"You have to kill everyone who stands in your way," the boy said, scowling.

Azula chuckled. "Well obviously. Sometimes, people get to live. It depends if it would be more fun to see them disgraced. That's why Uncle is still alive. We really only needed Lu Ten gone, so Dad thought it would be nice this way. I agree with him. For you, you'll have to die."

The princess turned away from him and began exiting the prison. She glanced at him one more time. It was peculiar to see the prince in chains like that. It was not unpleasant, but it was something else that Azula could not determine. They locked eyes. Azula's were cold; Zuko's were unhappy. Some aspect of this situation was preventing her from enjoying it as much as she should have. That was frustrating. A miniscule part of Zuko wanted her to stay–to give him something besides silence before the sentence. The rest of him knew that her being there would only make him feel worse. When he broke eye contact, Azula scoffed and left him to his thoughts. Whatever was going to happen was what he would deal with. It was not much of a comfort, but it was the most he could come up with. As he traveled to the Fire Nation, his friends and uncle were heading there as well. Flying was a new experience for Iroh. The kids laughed at how wide his eyes got when Appa took off–all of them except for Toph who had to do just as much adjusting.

"Can't this thing just run instead?" she asked, hands tightly gripping fur.

"Appa's not as fast when he's on land," Aang told her. "This way lets us cover a lot more ground."

Toph did not say anything else. She was trying to not be queasy, but this was more difficult to accomplish than she expected. Iroh was beginning to fare better. Rather than look at how far the drop was to the ground if anything shot the bison out of the sky (or he simply decided that he no longer cared for passengers), the general looked at the map.

"This is where the palace is," he stated. "We should go to the back entrance. Otherwise, we'll have to fight more soldiers."

The Avatar looked at where he was pointing and nodded, adjusting their course accordingly. During the ride, a question occurred to Sokka.

"Was the fire lord always like this?"

Katara looked doubtful. "He couldn't have been. He must have been nice at some point in his life."

Her brother shrugged. "Evil babies are a thing."

"Since when?"

"Since Bato became an uncle. Remember those glares his niece sends?"

Katara whacked his shoulder, then looked back at Iroh. "He really used to be nicer, right?"

There was a pause as the firebender's brows furrowed. "I don't know," he admitted.

This made Sokka's eyes widen. "You don't? Wouldn't you have noticed if he tried to burn servants alive?"

"I wasn't around him very much. We have a lot of years between us. I was normally training and he was normally on his own." The man began to frown. "I should have tried to bond with him more," he thought.

He looked at the siblings next to him and a warm smile crossed his face.

"You two have an admirable relationship. It is simple to see that you care for one another."

Katara smiled at her brother who pretended to be grossed out. Their antics made the former fire lord chuckle. At the same time, they saddened him. Maybe he was partially responsible for how his brother had turned out. Keeping him uninformed of the ways life could be in the palace–protecting him…it all could have been a misguided attempt at being a good brother. Clearly, it did not work very well. The unknown only enticed Ozai more. It gave him an insatiable hunger for power and control. Perhaps Iroh had noticed that as it started. Those cold glances towards him and their father, were they not clues? Seemingly offhand remarks that could leave the servants crying, shaking, or both. At what point did it change from the behaviors of a troubled youth to those of a disturbed man?

"You couldn't change who he became," Toph said, face buried in the fur lest wind remind her she was up by the clouds.

Iroh looked at her in mild surprise. "I do not believe that I could have changed him necessarily, but I might have been able to guide him in a different direction."

"I doubt it," the girl said. "People are going to do what they want." She chuckled almost scornfully. "Just ask my parents. You can try to get them to do things the way you want, but that doesn't mean they will."

The man agreed, but he was still not sure if more options in someone's mind could help. Ozai might have decided that was the only way to be. Who had offered an alternative? He considered this as they kept flying. Before long, the vessel had arrived in the Fire Nation. Soldiers disembarked after the princess. A handful of them went below deck to get their prisoner. Zuko wanted to pull away from them, but there was really nowhere else to go. They had him walk behind Azula as they entered the palace. The group went to the throne room, finding the fire lord. Immediately, the soldiers bowed their heads in respect. Azula smiled at him, but he did not return the expression. His eyes were on the firebender in chains.

"Why is he still alive?" he asked.

The princess's smile faltered briefly. "I wanted to bring him here so that you can see how he had been reduced to an even more pathetic version of himself before you gave him his sentence."

"I already knew he was pathetic and you already knew his sentence," the man answered, moving his eyes to his daughter.

Azula surprised herself by not knowing what to say. Ozai let out a soft sigh.

"It takes experience," he said. "With time, you'll learn to remove obstacles as quickly as possible, but since he is here…"

Ozai rose from the throne and approached the prisoner. Zuko struggled to keep from instinctively lowering his head. His father noticed this and a crease formed in his forehead.

"You always find a way to disrespect me."

The man let electricity sparkle in his hand. Zuko's breath caught in his chest as he awaited the painful end. As moments passed, he realized he was not getting electrocuted. A twinkle suddenly shone in Ozai's eyes.

"I could make you useful for once. You'll be an example to the others so that they know no one will be shown leniency if they commit treason," he stated. "This evening, there will be a public execution. You'll be even more like your mother than I expected."

Fear turned to anger in the boy and he glared at the fire lord. The spark in his eyes made Ozai sneer.

"Take him away to the prison to wait. Also, spread the word," he ordered. "I want all of the nobles to be here."

Bowing again, the soldiers led Zuko off to the dungeon. Ozai glared after the prince as he left.

"You allowed sentimentality to sway you," he said, looking down at Azula.

"I never do," she said, certain.

"If you hadn't, he would have already been dead."

Azula frowned at herself. "I didn't think that was why I had done it. I'm sorry."

Some of the harshness left Ozai's face. "We'll remove the last of it at the execution. Watch closely. I don't want you to look away."

"I wouldn't," she promised. "I've been waiting for this moment. Nothing would make me take my eyes off his burning body."

This made a smile return to Ozai's face. "Very good. Then get ready. I'll send the servants to get you before we begin."

Azula nodded and went to her chambers. It was Iroh's fault. He had gotten in her head. She would not allow that to happen twice. As she thought of her uncle, he was landing in the Fire Nation with the young friends. They found an area with hills and hid there. Toph eagerly plopped to the solid ground, giving it a kiss. Once she had acclimated to being out of the sky, she elevated the land around Appa.

"There," she said. "Now no one will see him if anyone comes by."

"Good," Sokka complimented. "They don't know we're here, so we'll be able to sneak in easily."

"Before that, I am going to speak Ozai," Iroh said.

The Water Tribe boy blinked at him in shock. "Why?"

"I want to see if there is a way to reach him. If I can't, we can still leave with Zuko."

"If he's been like this for so many years, he's probably not going to change from a conversation."

"It is extremely possible that he won't," the firebender conceded, "but I've never given him a chance before. I need to try it at least once."

Sokka did not really understand why he felt that way, but Aang had an understanding expression.

"I hope it goes well," he said sincerely. "It's never too late for people to change."

Iroh smiled and nodded before heading towards the city with the others. They were close enough that it was a short walk. There had not been enough time in between the battle in Gaoling and then for word to spread of his treason. When people recognized the general, they smiled instead of calling guards. Once the group reached the palace, the children hid and Iroh entered. Glancing around, he did not see his nephew, but he was certain that he had already been brought to the dungeon. The man walked to the throne room and found it empty. He went further into the palace, then knocked on a door.

"What is it?" the fire lord asked.

When he did not hear a response, he opened the door in annoyance. Ozai stepped back upon seeing the visitor.

"What are you doing here? No one mentioned you being back."

"I didn't come with the soldiers."

Ozai cursed himself for becoming so tense. Where were the servants? Evidently, they could be everywhere except where the Dragon of the West was. It was probably a conspiracy.

"You should have gone with them," the younger man said, keeping his voice even. "It would have been more efficient."

"Does everything have to be efficient?"

Ozai scoffed at him. "I wouldn't expect anything else from you. Some people need ambition to succeed in life."

"They do, but does everyone else need to suffer for it?" Iroh asked, frowning. "Where is Zuko?"

"He committed treason."

"Where is he, Ozai?"

"In the dungeon…as I'm sure you suspected, so you might as well ask your real question."

Iroh complied with the request. "What is his sentence?"

"Death."

"Is that because of me?"

"It's because that boy has never deserved the crown or my mercy," Ozai hissed.

Iroh regarded him calmly. "I doubt you would have felt that way if things were different between us."

Abruptly, the fire lord laughed. "Entertaining the idea of fantasies now? You're not that important to me. My decisions have nothing to do with you."

"Are you denying that to me or yourself?"

Ozai's smirk fell as he scowled. Iroh spoke again before the other bender could start.

"There has been enough bloodshed. I know you were behind Lu Ten's death. Zuko doesn't need to die as well."

"He will if that's what I decide for him. He'll help me secure loyalty in the palace. It's a fine destiny for an otherwise useless boy."

"It's not your place to decide his destiny. We must all do that for ourselves…which is why I often stayed separate from you when we were younger. I hoped you would find your own way in the world without the pressures of the palace."

"That doesn't matter to me."

"I think it did at the time," the older man said. "It wasn't that I thought you were unworthy of my time, Brother. I thought keeping our father's attention away from you would keep you safe."

"Don't act like you've ever done anything to help me, Brother," Ozai said, hissing the last word like it was a curse. "You've accepted everything that's ever been handed to you and expected me to accept that too. I didn't. I will, however, accept the present day and all it brings. If you believe you won't be able to watch your nephew die, then I suggest not attending the event."

"It's not an event. You're trying to kill your son."

"I'm going to remove a problem from my nation. Like I said, if you can't handle that, leave."

Iroh stayed where he was, expression a cross between anger and sadness. "You're still the fire lord. No one's forcing you to go to war. I thought it was necessary too at first, but it needs to stop. I regret not doing that myself. It's only caused suffering around the world. There needs to be balance and we won't have that at this rate."

"You lost your drive to strengthen the Fire Nation. That doesn't mean the rest of us have."

"Subjects will obey the throne, Ozai. Your family will not change and you are hurting them."

Ozai looked past him and called to some servants. "Escort Iroh out of the royal palace."

The people bowed and began leading the way. Ozai watched long enough to make sure they were leaving, then he closed the door again. He stayed on the other side of it for a moment, frowning. Iroh was going to ruin this for him. Ozai knew it and this angered the man. Iroh kept walking with the servants for a little further until they realized he was not with them. He found the others towards the side of the castle.

"Any luck?" Aang asked hopefully.

Iroh shook his head. "Unfortunately, no, but I know where Zuko is. There's a dungeon below the palace."

"Then I've got us covered," Toph said.

Quickly, she sank them into the ground and created a tunnel. Iroh led the way as they neared the dungeon. It came into sight and Zuko's eyes widened when he saw the group.

"What are you doing?"

"You didn't think we'd leave you here, did you?" Sokka asked, grinning. "Toph, will you do the honors?"

The earthbender smiled and used the ground to crumble the cell. Toph frowned when she realized there were chains on her friend's wrists. She put a hand on the cuffs.

"It doesn't feel that different from earth," she commented thoughtfully. "I bet I could get these off you without a key."

Toph tapped on the metal to get a better feel for how it was made. Suddenly, she tensed.

"We're about to have some company."

The footsteps she felt got faster and the others saw red when flames were blasted towards them. Iroh moved in front of the group, deflecting the attack. Ozai glared at him from the entrance of the prison.

"I knew I couldn't trust you to not get involved," he snarled.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the group escaping. Rage coursed through the fire lord and the prison turned bright blue as he prepared a lightning attack. He made two bolts and aimed them both for Iroh. After the man was dead, it would be simple to kill the others. Ozai's attack landed and adrenaline went through his body. His brother would finally be gone. He began to smile, but it faded when he saw the lightning on Iroh's hands.

"How did…"

The lightning was shot back at Ozai's feet, blasting him backwards and into a wall. He slumped against it, barely remaining conscious. Through partially open eyes, he glared at the escapees. Toph closed one end of the tunnel and they hurried through the rest until they were right under the bison.

"Appa, yip yip!" Aang said, hopping up and grabbing onto the reins.

Speedily, the bison began to fly. Toph focused on the restraints, holding them tightly. She slammed the side of her hand into them and grinned when she felt the dent that had been made. Focusing again, the earthbender opened the cuffs and tossed them to the side of the saddle.

"Oh yeah, it's official," she stated. "I'm the best earthbender in the world. We can add metalbender to that now too."

Zuko chuckled and grinned at the group. "Thanks for coming to get me."

"We've got to keep the team together," Sokka said, a twinkle in his eyes. "The next time we're in the fire nation, we'll be taking down the fire lord once and for all."

To his surprise, Sokka felt Aang initiating a group hug. Zuko looked just as surprised by this, but both of them still smiled. Their next phase of the plan would be done together. That way, they knew they could win.