Fire Lord Azulon wouldn't usually invite people to his personal study, even his own son, and because of that, Iroh was a little concerned about it; his father had not been in the best of health for the past few months, and he knew that he might pass soon. Azulon was still doing his duties, as any Fire Lord would be expected to do, but the Crown Prince had had a lot of the duties already burdened upon himself; convening councils concerning the less 'interesting' aspects of government formed a large part of it. His father had little concern for things like tax policy and the intricacies of trade quotas between the colonies and homeland, but Iroh was forced to deal with them. He didn't have much issue with doing so, but he wasn't the most knowledgeable in those areas, given he'd spent most of his years off at the front, fighting for his country.
When he arrived at the door of his father's study, the Imperial Firebenders immediately opened the door for him, obviously being informed of his visit; when he stepped inside, he saw his father sitting at his desk, looking over a scroll intently. He glanced up to see his son, and gave him a small smile, seeming to be glad to see him, though that smile quickly faded.
"My son, did the meetings go well earlier?" he asked, the Crown Prince nodding, instinctively placing his hands behind his back, as he used to when he was a young child.
"Yes, they did, Father. Is that why you called on me, to discuss the meetings?"
"No, actually." he admitted, before gesturing to the seat across from him, on the opposite side of the desk, "Get us some tea." he called on a servant who was standing on the ready; they bowed, and immediately paced out the door, past Iroh, who sat himself down on the seat his father had told him to.
"Are you feeling well, Father?" he asked him, the Fire Lord sighing, sounding frustrated by his question.
"I'm an old man, Iroh." he simply told him, before narrowing his eyes at him, "Do you know what's coming, my son?"
"Uh, well, we were going to have meetings about the siege plans for Omashu, the last major stronghold in the Earth Kingdom." he recalled, his father shaking his head.
"No, Iroh, not damn Omashu." he retorted with a gruff tone, chiding him as if he was still a little boy, "You're going to be the Fire Lord."
He turned his eyes down, not knowing how to feel about his father's impending demise; he had once loved his father, but he didn't know if it was love, or simply fear. He wanted to love him, but in knowing everything he did, he found it hard to like him very much, even if he wouldn't wish harm upon him.
"I know that, Father. I have prepared my entire life for it." he acknowledged the efforts he'd put in; he had been Crown Prince since the moment he was born, and soon enough, he would fulfil the destiny his father believed to be his most important one- above the aspirations for Ba Sing Se that he had once held.
"I've heard enough to say that the people love you, Iroh." he acknowledged, "Especially soldiers." he added, "That's good, but it's not good enough."
"I understand." he agreed with him, "I have to have the respect of the people who will be serving me directly."
"That is the gist of it." he nodded, "I know you aren't a fool, Iroh. You've learnt much, especially as of recent." he noted, "Your retirement has been less of a retirement than you might have wanted." he added, the Dragon of the West wincing; he had wanted to return home and relax a little after what had happened in Ba Sing Se, so he could get his mind off of all that he'd been through, but instead, he was thrown back into work, though a different kind than to what he was used to.
"Learning is just part of it." he observed, "That's what you were going to get to."
"Yes." he confirmed, before he looked down at his scroll, "Do you know that I had a brother, Iroh?"
"A brother." he raised a brow, realising that his father had never mentioned him having any siblings; there was nothing on the records about it, and he hadn't learned of it in school, "Why is this the first time I'm hearing of this."
"Because he died as a child." he explained, "In an accident, long before I was born.
"What was his name?"
"Roku." he simply told him, the Crown Prince's eyes widening in shock.
"You mean... he was named after that Roku." he deduced, his father nodding.
"That's why nobody speaks of him." Azulon admitted, "My father's firstborn, named after his best friend, at the time." he acknowledged, narrowing his eyes, "Do you know why I am perfectly fine with him being dead?" he bluntly asked him, the Crown Prince tensing his fingers as he realised what his father was implying.
"Because you wouldn't be the Fire Lord?" he asked, the Fire Lord chuckling.
"No, because I wouldn't be alive, my son. The only reason I was born was because my father had no heirs when he was nearly as old as me right now." he admitted bluntly, "I was born for a reason, and you my son, were born because I loved my wife." he explained, making the Crown prince grimace as he realised that despite all the anger he had to dish out to others, whether it be his children, servants or the ministers of his government, he had once been a man who cared deeply for his family.
"Do you... do you miss Mother?" he asked him, his father nodding.
"Every day." he admitted honestly, "But I try not to think about her, because it reminds me of the mistakes I've made."
He wanted to ask him what mistakes exactly he was referring to, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Ozai; he was born when their mother was already quite old, at least in terms of a woman giving birth, and she was sickly after his birth. She died a few years after from an infection, and Azulon was distraught over it. That was when he became cold, truly cold, and took no pleasure in raising his second son; Iroh had wanted to help his brother, but he was always so conflictive, and jealous, and every effort he made only made him realise how futile it was. That was exactly why he didn't want Zuko to continue despising his younger sister, because he knew that eventually, he'd end up just like his father if he continued to let those feelings consume him.
"Is that why... is that why you never told me to remarry?" he asked, the Fire Lord sighing, placing his hands down in front of him.
"You've always been soft Iroh. I didn't want to bring any more anguish for you, or give your son a woman to spite, if she gave you any more heirs." he acknowledged, "Your son was a good boy, and he served our nation valiantly."
He didn't know how to respond to his father's comments; he knew that he held some care for Lu Ten, but he was blinded to the futility of his death. His grandson had died for the sake of a war that never should have been waged to begin with, and Iroh was such a fool that he didn't realise that until after the fact.
"Thank you, Father." he admitted honestly, knowing that at the very least, his father held sympathy to his pain, both more recently, and in years past.
"You don't need to thank me, Iroh." he simply told him, without any emotion in his voice, "I didn't do it for you."
"You did it for the Fire Nation." he said what his father was trying to say without actually saying it.
"You've done your service, my son." he simply told him, before his attention turned behind him, and Iroh turned around as well, spotting the servant who was bringing them a tray with a teapot and cups.
He placed it down in front of them, before picking up the pot and pouring them both a cup of tea; he placed the pot down, before turning his eyes to his Fire Lord.
"Your majesty, would you like to be left alone with your son?" he asked, the Fire Lord simply nodding, and with that, the servant strode out of the study, and closed the door behind him.
Azulon picked up his cup, and sniffed the tea, before narrowing his eyes at his son, "But Iroh, I must warn you, the office of Fire Lord changes you, and requires things of you that I know you might not be comfortable doing." he acknowledged.
"You told me once that being Fire Lord was my purpose, my destiny." Iroh recalled, picking up his own cup of tea, "I am ready for my destiny."
"No, no you are not." he retorted, "But you must handle it all the same." he added, before sipping from his cup.
The Dragon of the West was concerned by his father's words; he usually held resolute belief in his son, and hadn't doubted him for quite a long time. Publically, he'd never say anything so doubtful of the man he expected to succeed him in the next few years.
"Father... what's wrong?"
"Are you blind, my son?" he asked him, "Has your grief blinded you to the future you face? You will be the first Fire Lord to rule over a new age of peace, and though I am sure you will find comfort in that, you should not."
The Crown Prince held his teacup up to his lips, and wondered whether he should sip from it, or respond to his father's warning; he was being vague and proverbial, something Iroh was honestly quite guilty of himself.
"What is the danger I face?" he asked him, before shaking his head, "I know." he corrected himself, realising that his father was referring to the war that was going on beneath the roof of the palace; Ozai was making machinations, and Azulon already knew it, and he was afraid- he loved his country, and he wanted to protect it, and even if it was more for reasons of pride, and not altruism, Iroh held the very same belief.
"I know you have the skill and knowledge to be a great Fire Lord, Iroh." he acknowledged his son's merits, "And you can give that skill to your heirs. They're both a little dumb and cocky, but that's probably just because they're children."
"Children aren't the smartest." he conceded, "But they have hopes and aspirations. I know they will serve our nation like... like how Lu Ten wanted to."
"That they will." Azulon nodded, before his expression became more serious, "You know what's coming. If you didn't, then you wouldn't be coming to every single war council meeting, eyeing off your brother like a bird of prey." he told his son what he had seen; Iroh was concerned about his brother, but he didn't know enough about his plans, nor his associates, to do anything about it.
"What should I do, Father?"
"Deal with the problem when it comes to you." he simply acknowledged, "If you do not defend your right, then it will be taken from you. A Fire Lord is expected to defend his throne and dignity the same he defends his country and defend his people."
"I remember." he acknowledged, knowing that was something his father liked to tell him when he was a young boy, and was one of the things he told himself when he went off to fight for his country.
"So, will you do it?"
"I know I'm strong enough, I just don't know if I have the will to do it." he admitted, his father looking at him with a sympathetic face, though it quickly shifted as he sparked a flame in his finger, lighting his face with an orange hue.
"If you do not, then his treachery will be justified. The strong rule over the weak, Prince Iroh."
Smoke was heavy in the air, and Azula knew that things could have gone better; perhaps going to Omashu to begin with was a mistake; getting away from the assassins might have been easier if she had taken her uncle straight to the Fire Nation Capital, and dropped any pretenses of capturing Aang. However, it seemed like life had different plans for her, and given she couldn't have refused the Fire Lord, she felt like the blame was squarely on him; that was, of course, until she remembered her father was the one who ordered the assassins to kill the Fire Lord, at which point, her rage became more conflicted.
She knew that what her father was doing was against the code of honour that their family espoused and adhered to: if they were going to fight and kill their enemies, they ought to do it themselves. Her father had inadvertently outed himself as a coward, if what her uncle was telling her was completely true. Thinking of her father's cowardice didn't exactly help her, given he was his father; she had respected him her entire life, and now everything she knew had been turned on its head. All she could be certain of was that she had to stop the assassins, and she would use any means to do so. Ending their pitiful existence was her ultimate goal, but that did not come before protecting her uncle; that was the whole reason she'd gone on her wild excursion to Omashu in the end.
So when she covered her palms with her blue flames, and shouted out toward her enemies, mocking and prodding them into coming to fight her, she could only wonder what had happened to her uncle. The tank-train had been devastated by an explosion, though it was clear that the part her uncle had been in, getting changed back into his royal robes, had not been destroyed. She wanted to go see if he was alright, but she knew that her primary goal had to be to make sure the assassins didn't reach him. It didn't matter if he was alive if she let them come to try and kill him.
"Argh!" she heard the voice of one of her guards, who was stumbling out of the tank-train, clearly injured from the explosion.
He had blood dripping down his face, and looked at her with a pained, exasperated look, "Your highness..." he reached his hand out, before he fell down to his knee.
She considered whether she ought to help him, but figured he might know about the state of her uncle, so she approached, offering him a hand of assistance; he looked up at her, and accepted it, though cautiously at that.
"Where is he?" she asked him rather simply, the Imperial Firebender looking back toward the tank-train, his expression becoming more frantic.
"Oh, spirits. The Fire Lord's still inside." he realised, Azula glancing back the way he had come; it didn't look like that section of the tank-train would contain any other survivors, though she was unsure her uncle was inside to begin with.
She had left him there, but he didn't indicate that he was just going to sit in the tank-train and wait for her; no matter what he had done, or where he had gone, she needed to find him and keep him safe from the assassins who were just around the corner. She glanced up the hill behind the tank-train, and realised there were half a dozen men, rushing down the slope right in her direction.
"Shit." she mumbled, before turning around, wanting to help the guard get away from the enemy as quickly as she could, "Where are you, old man?" she growled under her breath as she pulled the Imperial Firebender along, as he limped in pain; she looked ahead, and noted that more of her guards were moving back toward the tank-train, and would be able to provide assistance.
She made a small smile, simply relieved that she wouldn't be fighting the assassins alone; though she knew could take them, that didn't mean that she was willing to run into battle without support. The danger of getting injured or hit by one of the most dangerous assassin's attacks. She remembered that one of the men in the order had called him Sanyan, though they were doubtful of that being his true name; it was of little concern to her, as she didn't care for his identity, but only for his intent. He was set on killing her uncle, and she would do everything in her power to stop him.
She had a rather stark reminder of his power when suddenly, an explosion suddenly occurred in front of her, blasting her guards away, and knocking her and the man she was helping off of their feet; when her head hit the ground, her ears began to ring, and she cringed in pain, grasping her head as she tried to reorient herself. She was Princess Azula, not just any soldier, and she knew that she hadn't trained all her life just to be made a fool of by some powerful assassin who had a grand total of one trick; her pain and frustration quickly became anger, and though she would usually chide herself for losing her cool, she was in a life and death situation.
There was no time to feel superior about her attempted amorality and apathy towards the lives and wellbeing of others; it hadn't gotten her very far, and actually, when she had foregone it, it had earned her the respect of her guards, who were seemingly willing to put their lives on the line to help her- she could see through her blurry vision two guards running up toward her. They reached down to help her up, and she immediately glanced back, trying to focus on wherever the attack had come from.
"Y-you fools!" she growled at them, "Get out of here!" she told them, knowing that they were going to get themselves killed if they were all hit by another one of those explosions.
"Not without you, your highness." one of them stressed, pulling her up to her feet, which despite helping her, did not dissuade her fear; she was bracing for another explosion, and feared that her next breath might be her last.
A few moments later, however, she noticed what had to be a dozen fire streams, all sent up toward the hill slope, presumably to try and kill the assassin; she was unsure of the result, but the flames made a mighty explosion, and her guards helped her pace away, still unable to keep her own balance. She shook her head, knowing that such weakness would get her dead, very much sooner rather than later. Azula was helped along back toward the cover of a few tents, and watched as some soldiers moved up past them to go fight the assassins; she was relieved that they were fighting at an encampment at the very least, as it would make sure they had as much men as possible to go fight the assassins, instead of a small group of Imperial Firebenders, who despite their skill, probably wouldn't be too much of a hassle for a man like Sanyan.
"I have to find Uncle." she explained to them rather simply, "If they catch him, you know what they'll do." she told the guards, who nodded in agreement with her sentiment.
"We'll find his majesty, but we can't just run out there. That man is a monster; he could kill us all with one well aimed explosion." one of her guards warned her; she already understood the danger, but that did not dissuade her.
This was not like the last fight, where it was just her pride at stake; her uncle's very life was, as well as the life of all the soldiers in Zhiying's army, or at least, those who were there to fight alongside them. Azula knew of the honour that would come about serving her country, and was sure that saving and protecting those lives was something that would give her perhaps as much respect as capturing the Avatar might. She realised there was one problem she faced above all else, and she was too worried to try and fail to see if it was still a problem.
"I can't generate lightning." she explained bluntly, the guards looking at her with concerned faces.
"Then..." one of them glanced back toward where the assassins were coming from, "We'll have to kill him by hand."
"If we can distract him enough, maybe I can burn him alive if I get close, but I doubt this man is a pushover of a firebender." she acknowledged, "Maybe I'll have to decapitate him."
"De-" one of her guards looked at her with a clearly concerned face, "H-how?!"
"An axe. What else? They must have some around." she guessed, her guards looking at her with clearly uneased expressions.
"He's going to kill us if we get that close." one of them bluntly told her, "Firebending might do it."
"A lot of fire." another guard added, before shaking his head, "Let's just go around so we can reach the Fire Lord, and then get him to safety. Then we'll figure out how to kill this bastard."
"Sounds like a plan." Azula agreed to his proposition, rising back up to her full height; though she was still somewhat disoriented from getting her head knocked, she was ready to fight, at least as she could ever be, "Where's the savage?" she asked, remembering that she had sent one of her men to let him get his weapons and have his shackles taken off; she knew he'd be more useful fighting beside her than as a mere prisoner, especially given the ranged weapon he wielded.
"Probably still getting his weapons." the guard who had initially accompanied her from Sokka's holding tent suggested, before placing his hands together, "We don't need some Water Tribe savage getting in our way. We can protect you, your highness."
"That's what is expected of you all." she acknowledged, before she glanced over the tent they were covering behind, "Let's get over to the tank-train. The other assassins are going to be coming down soon enough, so I need you all to provide cover." she explained, the guards nodding before she began to pace ahead, keeping cover behind the tents as she tried to get closer to the tank-train.
She could see the soldiers who had come to assist fighting the assassins, each group throwing fire streams each other's way, creating massive walls of fire that towered up into the sky, blocking her view of the tank-train. Azula could hear cries, grunts and shouts, and knew that the fight wasn't necessarily going in one side's favour yet; she got another timely reminder of the assassin's danger when another explosion hit nearby, blasting dirt and smoke into the air. The explosion was quite loud, so she was forced to cover her ears; she cringed, and realised her guards were afraid, making finicky, panicked movements as they followed after her, wondering if they were next.
She tried to ignore her own fears, but even then, that was hard for her to achieve; she had every reason to be afraid of Sanyan, who had to be one of the most firebenders she had seen. Of course, she realised his spectacularly dangerous skill mightn't translate to conventional firebending skills; she hoped that he was incompetent in that regard, given it would make her task easier. Burning him alive would be the most straightforward way to kill him without lightning. She glanced up above the tents once more, seeing more of the assassins moving past the tank-train, circling around to try and find her uncle. She decided that defeating them was the present priority she had, and thus, she leapt up over the tent with assistance of jets of fire that she shot out from her heels.
"Hey!" she called on them, to get their attention, "I wasn't finished destroying you." she warned them, before she spun her right leg around, charging an arc of flames which she sent toward the enemy; they were forced back by the attack, but immediately retaliated with fire streams, sending them all her way.
She glanced back, and realised her guards were coming to assist her; to hold the attacks off, she raised her hands up, creating a massive wall of flames which towered up into the air. Even if she couldn't generate lightning, she could most certainly scare her opponents with the power and ferocity of her firebending. Her guards quickly joined her, and when she dropped her wall of flames, they spun their hands around, charging bolts of flames in their hands before simultaneously attacking the enemy. The attacks were fast and numerous enough to overwhelm the enemy, making the Princess grin, nearly ecstatic at the victory they had achieved.
She raised her right leg up, and bent a stream of fire out of her heel, throwing one of the enemy soldiers right off his feet while he was recovering from her guards' attack; she didn't relent to run at them, spinning her hands around to charge bolts of fire in each fist, which she sent out in quick succession, hitting two of the assassins in their heads, knocking them out cold. She conjured two fire whips in either of her hands, using them to grapple the assassins, before she pulled them closer jabbing each of them in the gut with flame-covered fists. They cried out in pain, and she let herself smile, knowing for what anguish they'd put them all through, they were deserving of it.
"Have you learned your lesson?" she asked them, grabbing one by the neck as she gathered flames in her other hand, "Or do I need to teach you all some more?"
The man screamed out in fear as she pummelled him in the head, throwing him backwards and into the ground; the flames had been hot enough that his face actually caught on fire, and he screamed as he rolled around, trying to put the flames out.
"That's for trying to kill him." she snarled at them, before charging two more bolts in either hand, "Kill them all!" she commanded her guards, "We gave them their chance."
And with that, her guards sent fire streams right at their enemies, Azula firing her own streams toward them out of both fists; suddenly, she saw a glint of light past the enemies, on the hill, and realised that the assassin was about to attack them. With only a moment to act, she bent her flames down, turning them into a massive wall of flames which appeared between her and the enemy. The explosion hit a moment later, dissipating her wall of flames, and threw her into the air, presumably along with her guards. Azula held her hands up, deflecting her own flames away as she was tossed into a tent, her body ripping through the canvas, making her hit the ground at a slower pace than she might have otherwise. Her head hit the ground again, and she was thrown into a daze.
Azula could only sense the ringing in her ears, closing her eyes earlier to stop the glare from her own flames coming at her; she felt burning sensations over her body, though that was probably because of the singing her own flames caused, though she'd deflected much of the explosion's force away from herself. She groaned in pain, raising her hand to her head, which continued to ache, and tried to look out for wherever the enemy was. She heard another explosion, though it was in the distance, and thus didn't seem to pose a danger to her; the ground still shok, and she tensed up concerned that Sanyan might try and kill her and her guards again.
She tried to pull herself up, but suddenly felt herself grappled by the collar; blinking a few times, the Princess realised that one of the assassins had got to her, and was charging flames in his hand. She began to frantically kick at him, trying to get some flames into her hands, so she could hit him off of her; when tried to, however, he punched her in the head, and she was flung back down into the ground. Her eyes rolled back as she gasped out for air, trying to remain some kind of control over her bending so she could defeat him; she needed to win, and she repeated the same words in her head: 'you are strong', hoping that by thinking them, they would be true.
The assassin seemed poised to hit her again, but suddenly he was knocked unconscious by a fast-moving object; she thought for a moment that he had been hit by one of her guards, but when she saw the blue and white blade on the ground beside her, she realised who exactly had come to join the fight. A few moments later, Sokka paced over toward her, his hands unbound, with his club on his back, ready to help her; he offered a hand out, and the grimace on his face told her that he must have sympathised with her plight.
"You need a hand, ash-maker?" he asked her, the Princess sighing with frustration as she accepted his hand; she didn't want to acknowledge his insulting way of referring to her, but he had saved her face from being burnt off, after all.
"Shut up and beat those bastards up!" she commanded him, making him scoff as he moved to pick up his weapon.
"Alright, I'll take that as a 'thank you'." he commented, before taking a fighting stance beside her, throwing his weapon on a wide arc at one of the assassins, who was about to attack one of her downed guards; it hit the assassin in the back of the head, knocking him out cold, which Azula was impressed by, though she would never admit it.
"Where's the Fire Lord, anyway?" he asked her, the Princess unsure if he was in any way concerned about Iroh, or simply just trying to help her out- whatever it was, she knew she just had to be blunt about the matter.
"That's what I'm trying to find out." she simply told him, before bending a fire stream out of her right fist, hitting an assassin who had tried to charge at them, "We need to get out of the way of the explosions." she explained to the Water Tribe teen, who eyed her guards.
"He must be aiming all around, trying to get as much of them as he can." he observed, "He'll fire back here again."
"Can you hit him?" she asked the Water Tribesman, whose eyes widened; he obviously hadn't considered the possibility of using his weapon to do something like that.
"Well, there's only one way to find out." he decided, before eyeing his weapon, which was on the ground beside the assassin he'd knocked out, "Cover me." he requested.
She didn't respond to his words, not wanting to take any kind of order from a snow savage, and instead decided to send out a volley of fireballs toward the assassins who were heading in that direction, turning their attention toward her instead of him. She kept them distracted by spinning her foot around, creating an arc of flames, which knocked them down. Suddenly, she heard a scream of agony, and it wasn't from any of her Imperial Firebenders; Sokka's attention was drawn just the same toward the tank-train, where she could see a man stumbling out of it, clearly an assassin from his attire, and most noticeably missing his right arm, which wasn't even bleeding.
"He'll kill us all!" he warned his comrades, before he was thrown off his feet, and down onto the rough gravelly surface by a massive fireball.
A few moments later, a figure emerged from the smoke, his robes torn and his head bleeding, but she recognised him at once, realising that the look on his face was not one that she'd seen in a long time. The Dragon of West did not die in Ba Sing Se, he had just been in a long slumber; the men she had been fighting turned around, and she could see how they trembled. Her uncle did not shout, or warn them, he simply conjured a fire whip, grasping one of them by the neck, making him scream out in pain as he was thrown down to the ground.
"It's him." one of them gasped, obviously realising who they were about to face.
They tried their best to defend themselves with a wall of flames collaboratively, but Iroh simply parted it in two with his hands as he approached them, covering his hands in flames, lighting his face a bright orange hue, casting a shadow that she'd only ever see on it when he was sitting on his throne, which she had never actually seen him on. The assassins began to stumble back, and she took the advantage to hit them to the ground with her fire streams; once they were down, her uncle began to approach her, limping slightly, with a relieved look on his face. Suddenly, however, he turned around, and conjured a massive fire stream which he directed right toward Sanyan, who was standing on the hillslope, ready to send another explosion into them. That explosion occurred midair instead, causing flames to rain down from the sky like some kind of volcanic eruption.
"Who... who is that?" Sokka asked her with a clearly fearful voice, the Princess pursing her lips upward; she could tell him his identity bluntly, but there was only one thing she could imagine as she looked at her uncle- General Iroh, the great hero of her nation, who had not lost a battle in decades, and with good reason.
"The man who conquered Ba Sing Se."
She had burns and singe marks across her face and arms, and her robes were in tatters; Iroh knew from just looking at her that he had failed his niece. He had to protect her, not because she needed protection, but because it was his duty as an uncle; he had failed Lu Ten, and he could not fail her, not after all that she had done for him, and the faith that she had placed in him over her father, who she had every reason to support. She looked at him with a smile, obviously glad that he was alright, and probably more so that he had deflected the assassin's previous attack; he had to, so he could give them a chance to get away. The assassins had given him a lot of trouble, but he was furious in his bending and merciless to them, at least as much as he could be. Iroh had not powered his flames through his rage, but through his bond with and desire to protect his beloved niece. She had lost everything on their trip to Omashu- her identity, and much of her drive, along with the strength that she relied on to defeat their enemies.
He approached Azula, and raised a finger in the direction of the opposite side of camp, "Please, go." he told her, beggingly.
Her eyes widened, and realised, presumably, the fear that Iroh had for her sake, and the sake of everyone in the camp. All of their lives were at stake, and he was the only one who could stop them.
"Uncle, we have to-"
"No, I have to." he corrected her, not wanting her anywhere near the so-called Sanyan, "I will end this, once and for all."
"Your highness, we are here to assist you." he heard a soldier proclaim, the Fire Lord turning around to see a dozen or so soldiers, most of them firebenders, approaching them; he could no longer hide, and the benefits he had from doing so were outweighed greatly by the dangers that it put his niece and everyone around him in, "Y-your majesty." the soldier bowed toward Iroh upon seeing him, "I didn't... we didn't realise you were here."
"That was on purpose." he clarified, before turning around to face where Sanyan had been standing, "I will deal with the most dangerous one." he explained, "But I will need you all to handle the rest. I trust in all your resolve to protect your fellow men." he observed, the soldiers nodding, the firebenders filling their hands with flames while the non-benders drew out swords.
"Your will is our command." the soldier assured him, before taking a fighting stance alongside his comrades.
"For the Fire Nation!" they all shouted out, conjuring a fire stream which he sent at one of the remaining assassins, who struggled to defend himself.
Azula stepped closer to her uncle, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You're alright." she observed, "I am sure you know what to do."
"I do, my niece." he confirmed, before turning his eyes to the Water Tribe teenager who was looking at him with a mixture of awe and fear, "And who's this?"
"Sokka. One of the Avatar's Water Tribe friends." she clarified, "He may be of assistance." she acknowledged, the Fire Lord nodding.
"Well, I'm surprised you're willing to help us." he conceded, before making a slight bow, "Thank you, Sokka."
"Uh, well, that guy nearly killed me, Katara and Aang the other day, so I have no issue helping you kick his butt." he assured him, making the Fire Lord chuckle.
"Good to hear." he acknowledged, before he readied himself into a firebending stance, looking up the hill as he anticipated the next attack from the most dangerous of the assassins, "He will try and kill us."
"And he will not succeed." Azula assured him, "Sokka, can you hit him in the head with your weapon?"
"Can I..." he trailed off, jaw dropping as he imagined such a move, before he pursed his lips upward; it was the same kind of cocky smile that his nephew made when he thought he'd figured something out, "Oh, I might be able to." he agreed, his expression becoming more serious, "We need to get closer though."
Iroh nodded, agreeing to his proposition, "I'll provide cover with my firebending, and then we'll approach." he decided, turning his eyes to Azula, noting that she was breathing rather heavily, and her burns were still fresh, "Are you alright, Azula?"
"I can fight, Uncle." she assured him, "We can't face him head on until you've got an assured hit." she acknowledged, "That'll be hard if he can still shoot explosions from his mind."
"That's where I come in." Sokka clarified, before he began to pace ahead, "Fire away. I mean... literally, shoot him."
"I'm not-" she began to retort, before snarling, shooting out two fire streams from either fist, aiming them right at Sanyan, "Goǃ" she told her uncle, who nodded, knowing that they had to move while they could.
Iroh paced on after the Water Tribesman, finding his initiative almost a little worrying; he certainly reminded him of his niece in that regard. They made their way around the wreckage of the tank-train, giving them a clear view of the hill slope that soldiers were still continuing to pummel with fire streams, though they didn't seem to have much of an effect. Azula's attack, however, seemed to overwhelm the assassin for a moment, as he was thrown back. The Dragon of the West grimaced as he realised that he was already getting up, and immediately turned his attention to Sokka in front of him, understanding the danger they were both in at that very moment.
"Get to the rockǃ" he gestured to a large boulder sticking out of the slope, which both of them dashed to for cover, before Sanyan could try and kill them with a well-aimed explosion.
Just as they reached the cover of the rock, the ground shook violently as an explosion hit the ground behind, firing up dirt into their faces; Iroh covered his eyes, and by the time he had uncovered them, flames had spread around the campsite beside him; he grimaced at the sound of screams and shouts, and despite not being Fire Nation, nor having anything to do with the men in the camp, Sokka seemed to feel a similar emotion about it.
"We have to stop this guy." he stressed, pulling his weapon off of his back, "Uh, your highness, Fire Lord, sir, could you go shoot some flames at him so I can get closer?" he asked him rather awkwardly, Iroh nodding as he took a deep breath, flames forming on his palms.
"I can." he assured him, pointing toward another rock up the rather steep hill slope, "Go!" he shouted, and the Water Tribe teen did not hesitate in the slightest, sprinting in the direction of the next boulder up the slope.
Not wanting to let the assassin fire upon him, the Dragon of the West rose up to his feet, and spun his arms around, conjuring a mass of flames which he sent at him, like a massive wave. He was able to defend himself, bending the flames away from him as he seemed to be looking for his next target.
"Hey!" he heard the distinctive voice of his niece, who he saw racing up behind him, holding her hands behind her to boost her along with her flames, before she directed said flames right up at the assassin, her fire stream impressive as it rushed toward the assassin.
Another explosion went off, this time mid-air, as the fire stream caught the attack before it could hit the ground; the blast of hot air that it caused nearly threw Iroh off of his feet, and he immediately crouched down for cover, knowing that he had to do something, sooner rather than later. Trying to shoot Sanyan with a lightning bolt wouldn't work, given it would take him too long to generate the attack, in the time which the assassin would have a clean shot to kill him.
Azula paced over to him, and offered her uncle a hand, "Let's get him, Uncle." she suggested, Iroh nodding as he rose up to his feet; the two of them began to bend flames out of their hands in synchronisation, which grew into large fire streams as all four of them converged toward the assassin.
The flames hit his position, though they disguised whether their attack had been successful or not, though the sound of the flames striking the hillslide was loud enough that Iroh could say they had beaten him, even if only for a moment. He turned his gaze around, and noted that some of the assassins were withdrawing, climbing up the hill, and some of them noticed the three of them, deciding to aim their attacks their way instead of toward the soldiers who were pursuing them. When the flames approached the rock, Azula stood up tall and simply raised her left hand up, the mass of fireballs, bolts of fire and fire streams bending around them both, as if she were a rock in a stream parting its flow.
She was forced to turn her attention away from them as Sanyan rose back up to his feet, looking rather infuriated by their resistance, he turned his head toward Azula, who instead of redirecting the flames, decided to attack him instead; Iroh took up the task of protecting them from the other assassins' firebending, redirecting the flames away from them as his niece threw all her strength into attacking the powerful assassin. He sent out another explosion, and like last time, it hit the fire stream instead of the rock, protecting them from its effects. The heat brushed over them, and Iroh grit his teeth, realising that it was still hurting them, even if it was nowhere near as dangerous as an explosion right in front of them.
Suddenly, his niece turned her head, before she restarted her attack, "Sokka!" she shouted at the Water Tribe boy, "Do it!"
Iroh looked up over the rock, and watched as Sokka aimed his weapon at the assassin, who was distracted by Azula's barraging of flames; impressively enough, he threw his odd-looking weapon into the air, causing it to spin around as it moved in a wide arc toward Sanyan. Before he could try and attack them again, he was struck square in the forehead and stumbled back.
Knowing it was his only chance, the Dragon of the West stepped past the rock they were covering behind, spinning his fingers around; all he focused on was his chi, and his inner flame being manipulated as he felt the sparks gathering around his finger tips. He had one goal, and that was to protect them all from the danger that stood on the hill above them; Iroh did not feel guilt, nor a desire to solve the issue in any other way. There was no other way, so when he let the lightning bolt loose out of his right hand, aimed square at the assassin's chest, he did not relent in the slightest.
The thundering boom of the lightning bolt as it struck the assassin, and the blast of light accompanied with it distracted everyone for a few moments. Though the power had seemed overwhelming for a moment, Iroh was forced to take a deep breath as he felt his energy drained. The assassins looked toward him with fear, realising what he had just done, and he did not relent to begin moving his fingers around again, the men running away for their lives as he readied himself to generate another lightning bolt.
Before he could do it, his niece placed a hand on his shoulder, "No, Uncle." she stressed, "Don't waste your strength." she warned him, before she thrust her left hand forward, a fire stream coursing out of it, hitting the assassins as they tried to flee.
He took another deep breath, and slumped down behind the rock, exhausted by everything he'd just been through, and in severe need of a cup of tea; though he knew it wouldn't solve all his problems, it might at the very least improve his mood. Azula knelt down beside him, looking at him with a serious, straight face, though he could tell that she was as concerned about him as he was about her.
"Uncle, you need to see a physician." she warned him, the Fire Lord shaking his head.
"No, just some tea, thank you." he asked, "I haven't drunk anything since we left Omashu."
"Now is not the time for that." she narrowed her eyes at him, "You need to rest."
"I do." he agreed, before glancing across the campsite in front of him; there was a lot of damage, from firebending and explosions alike, and he didn't know how many casualties there would be.
A few moments later, Sokka appeared beside him, looking surprised by, if not a little afraid of, the Fire Lord, "Uh, you did it." he acknowledged, "I can't believe he's finally dead... explosion guy."
"That's not his name." Azula retorted, before narrowing her eyes, "Not that we know his name. Only a pseudonym- Sanyan." she clarified, before glancing up toward the man Iroh had just killed, "Nobody can survive a lightning bolt to the chest."
"That's actually not true." the Fire Lord clarified, "I know how to deal with lightning." he explained, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him, with the Water Tribesman looking at them with understandable confusion.
"Sorry, deal with it?" he asked, "Can you bend it away or something?" he asked, the Fire Lord chuckling.
"Uh, something like that." he admitted, before his niece grasped him by the shoulder.
"Then we have no reason not to go to the Capital right now, Uncle." she explained, and knowing that she was right, he nodded.
"That's why I've never been afraid of him." he simply told her, before he looked at the young Water Tribesman, who seemed understandably confused by their conversation topic, "My brother, that is."
"What does he have anything to do with this?" he asked, before glancing up at the assassins they had been fighting, "Wait... you mean..." he mumbled, Azula grasping him by the shoulder, staring him down with a rather serious and cold expression.
"You will not mention that to anybody." she warned him, "It is in everyone's interest that it isn't common knowledge the Royal Family are trying to kill each other."
He seemed rather intimidated by the Princess, and gave a resolute nod to assure he understood her words, "So, uh... you're going to go fight him?" Sokka asked Azula, who nodded, before he looked back up the hill, "I mean, I can see why you'd want to fight him, your majesty."
"It seems that's inevitable now." Iroh acknowledged, making his niece grimace.
"It is." she agreed with him, though she didn't sound very happy in saying so; she turned her gaze around to face the camp, and her straight face faltered, "Uncle... everybody knows you're here now."
"I know that." he sighed, "There's nothing we can do about it now."
She rose up to her full height, and glanced around, "Well, we should get you to the infirmary, and find General Zhiying." she decided, before narrowing her eyes at Sokka, "Don't try and run away." she warned him, the Water Tribe teen raising his hands up.
"N-no, I won't." he assured her, sounding rather afraid; Iroh wasn't if he was afraid of him or of his niece, "I don't even know where Aang and Katara are." he added, the Fire Lord grimacing somewhat; the boy had been captured and taken away from his friends, and now, he was stuck with a bunch of people he had good reason to fear and disdain, "I need to go get my boomerang." he clarified, "I'm not running away."
Azula shrugged her shoulders, "Go ahead." she permitted him to leave, before offering her uncle a hand.
She then eyed the soldiers who were attacking the last of the assassins; it was unlikely the assassins would bother to attack the Water Tribesman, and he probably realised the same as he began to stride up the slope toward where Sanyan's body was lying.
"Thank you, Niece." Iroh smiled at her, "But... I was not joking about the tea. I really do need a cup." he stressed, making her roll her eyes.
"You can get it once you get your burns looked at." she decided; he was a little amused that she was giving the orders to him instead of the other way around, though it didn't surprise him- she had always been demanding and bossy, even when she was a little girl.
"Of course." he assured her, before falling down to one knee, "What a day." he mumbled to himself, sighing as he realised how much pain he was in.
"Please, Uncle." he heard his niece address him, a little more pleadingly, "Just come with me." she asked him, grasping him by the shoulder, helping the Fire Lord up to his feet.
As they made their way down the slope, Iroh looked upon the camp, uneasy at the carnage before him; the very fact his brother's machinations had led to it made him feel all the more guilty for not facing him when Zuko first brought his plotting to his attention. His nephew mightn't have known what Ozai intended to do, but he seemed to have had more foresight than him, which made him feel disappointed in his own wisdom- he thought after all his years as a general, he'd be a bit more strategically minded, especially when it came to the politics of his nation.
"So much suffering... for so little gain." he described what he saw before him.
"We're alive, Uncle. That's a gain." Azula reminded him, the Fire Lord remembering how he had felt when he first saw her upon leaving the ruins of the tank-train.
"I am sorry, my niece. I should have gotten out of there quicker... but there was a lot of smoke, and people trying to kill me." he acknowledged, before glancing back up toward Sokka, who seemed to be looking at Sanyan's body, "I'm surprised you freed that boy."
"He was of use, wasn't he?" she asked, the Dragon of the West letting out a little huff; he thought perhaps she was trying to ingratiate herself with the Avatar and his allies, though, maybe she truly thought it was just because the boy had a knack for a weapon that was situationally useful.
"He was." he nodded, "You might be better at making friends than I thought."
"I'm not trying to be his friend." she retorted, "As long as he doesn't despise me and tolerates me teaching Aang, that's enough for me."
"Whatever you say." he smugly accepted her defence, making her point a finger at him.
"What are you trying to suggest, Uncle?"
"Nothing at all, Azula." he assured her, before his attention was drawn ahead of himself, where he could see General Zhiying, flanked by around a dozen guards.
"Y-your majesty!" he exclaimed, before falling to his knee, along with his guards, "It's an honour to have you assist my men." he acknowledged, the Fire Lord sighing.
"They were here for me." he corrected him, "This is my fault."
"How dare... how dare they try to take the life of their Fire Lord." the General commented, sounding offended by the very idea somebody might try to attack and kill him.
"I don't know how well they've been paid." he conceded, glancing back up to the hill, "But these people are stubborn."
"Do you have any idea who is responsible, your majesty?" the General asked, rising up to his feet, "We would be more than willing to assist you in taking down such a threat to the Fire Nation."
Iroh looked toward his niece, and wondered whether he ought to be honest; he would be making an irreversible decision if he did, and he knew that though he needed support to stop Ozai, by openly revealing his treachery, he would immediately set their nation into a civil war, with his brother's supporters pitted against everyone else who remained loyal to their Fire Lord.
"I won't stop you, Uncle." Azula admitted, bowing her head down to assure him that she would go with whatever decision he made, "You're the Fire Lord."
"No... we can't." he refused, knowing that his nephew was still in danger.
"What is it, your majesty?" Zhiying asked him, sounding quite concerned about what he might have to say, the Fire Lord shaking his head.
"It's nothing... uh, but did you have any tea in your stocks? Ginseng, preferably." he asked, his niece, rolling her eyes.
"Enough about the tea." she chided him, "He needs to see a physician." she explained to the general, "Where's the infirmary?"
"My guards and I will take you there at once." he assured her, before turning his eyes to the Fire Lord, "And I'll see what I can do about the tea situation, your majesty."
He pursed his lips upward, pleased by his assurance, before groaning, still feeling aches up his legs, and across his torso, which had been lashed by flames when the assassins attacked him; even though he was a far better firebender than any single one of them, together they had posed a serious threat to his life. He assumed that was his brother's intention in hiring so many assassins to come attack him.
"Thank you, General." he told him, before his niece continued to help him along, "I need some good tea and rest." he explained his situation, his niece sighing, looking at him with a concerned, on-edge face.
"I think you need a little more than that, Uncle."
