Usually when returning home from school, Prince Lu Ten didn't imagine that he'd be surrounded by a dozen Imperial Firebenders; usually four of them escorted him back and forth from the palace, but today, there was three times as many, and from what curt replies they had given him, he realised that it wasn't because he was in some kind of danger personally. The palace had supposedly been attacked in the past hour, and though the attackers had been defeated and expelled, that didn't mean the young Prince was safe, along with the rest of his family.
So, it came as no great surprise when he saw ten guards standing by the palace gates, some of them with bandages and others without parts of their armour, remaining on guard for any other attacks; they saluted the Prince as he approached, and parted to allow him and the Imperial Firebenders into the palace, which he could already see was billowing smoke from a number of windows, with a larger smokestack coming from the centre of the palace.
As he made his way up the long stretch that led to the doors of the palace, he wondered what his father was doing; usually, he was away at the front, or organising and orchestrating campaigns from afar, but he knew for a fact that he was in the palace, having come back to celebrate his grandfather's eighty-eighth birthday. He could see that the doors of the palace were undamaged, which suggested that the attackers must have come in some other way, or in disguise, which disturbed the young Prince. He was imagining all the ways in which assassins could sneak up on him and his family, and he blinked a few times, imagining the reasons for it.
The Earth Kingdom's most valiant fighters, seeking to avenge their homeland and try and shock them, perhaps thinking that might give them an advantage in the war; perhaps it was Water Tribe assassins, trying to avenge their own people, after their waterbenders had been taken by the Southern Raiders. He only knew about such things because his father had told him about the other nations, and why they continued to fight them, despite the war having gone on for nearly ninety years to date.
When they approached the doors, some of the Imperial Firebenders paced ahead, pushing them open for the Prince, who looked inside to see that there had been little damage in the foyer of the palace. Some servants turned his way, their nervous expressions telling him enough; they too were afraid another attack might occur, and they had no idea if or when it could happen.
He turned around to face the guards, deciding that he had to find his father, and find out what had just happened; he might have only been a child in their eyes, but he was a Prince, and they had to answer to him when he demanded it.
"Where's Father?" he asked, and they looked amongst themselves, seeming unsure, "How can you not know?"
"The Crown Prince was not the one who ordered us to retrieve you, Prince Lu Ten. Commander Baohu initiated our security procedures. You are to be taken to your family quarters, and remain there until the situation is resolved." one of the guards explained the situation to him, and he gestured around them, annoyed that he was essentially being forced around by the guards when he just wanted to find his father.
"I don't see any assassins on the loose." he retorted, "I want you to take me to my father." he commanded them, and they glanced amongst themselves, before nodding.
"Of course, your highness." the same guard assured him, giving a bow before he gestured down the hall, "Keep your guard up men. The Crown Prince won't be far away... and if any of these intruders are about, we cannot let them touch Prince Lu Ten." he warned them, and with that the Imperial Firebenders took a tighter formation around the the Prince, before they all began pacing ahead, down the long hallway towards the centre of the palace.
As they continued along, he finally began to make sight of the damage caused by the intruders; he could see that woodwork and wallpaper was burnt, furnishings broken, and unlit torches lay shattered on the ground, with patches of water indicating that fires had been put out with buckets. That only told him there weren't enough guards around to worry about putting the fires out, suggesting that the attackers had been more than a little group. They must have posed a grave threat, and that only made him hasten his pace as they approached the royal gallery, and beyond it, the throne room. That's where his grandfather would most likely be, and if his assumptions were correct, his father as well.
As they continued forward, they reached a fork in the hallway, and he glanced up and down, noticing a unit of Imperial Firebenders, who were injured, just like the others standing around the front of the palace. He watched as they paced towards the group, seeming relieved to see some other guards.
"Ah, the Prince is safe." one of them observed, "Is the entrance secure?" he asked, and the guards nodded along to confirm that was the case, "Good. We've just taken some of the attackers to the dungeons. Hopefully they don't have any friends stupid enough to try and break them out."
The Prince tensed up, wondering who exactly had come to attack his family home, though he decided that it would be better to ask the one person he could trust to give a straight answer; he stepped closer to the unit of guards, and pointed towards them, "Have you seen my father?"
"The Crown Prince is helping the other Imperial Firebenders clean up the royal gallery." one of them explained, "They made quite a mess of it, your highness."
He nodded, before turning to face the guards who were meant to be protecting him, "Let's go." he ordered them, not wanting to waste any more time standing around.
With that, he and the Imperial Firebenders paced on down the hallway to the right, leading them along towards the royal gallery, which quickly came into sight; he then understood what the guard had meant by a mess, as he realised that there was rubble strewn about, as well as what looked like marks of paint. The latter only made more sense as the portraits of each of the past Fire Lords came into view, as he realised they had been graffitied, with Fire Lord Sozin and his grandfather's portraits completely defiled, with both of their eyes clearly marked out by firebending.
Below the graffitied portraits, he could see a number of guards clearing the rubble away, and tending to their own injuries, while his own father worked alongside them. His robes were torn up, and his head was stained by a bit of what looked like his own blood. He gasped out, before rushing towards him, knowing he had to check if he was alright; he might have been moving around, but he knew that his father was a soldier, trained to be able to deal with injuries and just ignore them, if he had to.
"Dad!" he called out to him, Iroh's eyes turning to face him, before he made a smile.
"My son." he addressed him, stepping away from the rubble as Lu Ten leapt in to hug his father, his fears finally quashed by the fact he stood before him, seeming fine, "Are you alright?"
"I- I wanted to ask you that, Dad." he admitted, his eyes darting up to meet his father's, "What happened? Who attacked the palace?"
"Some terrorists." he admitted, though his nonchalant tone disturbed Lu Ten a little; he thought that his father would be more worried, "They came here to try and kill your grandfather, but they didn't even get close." he explained, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You shouldn't worry. Everything's fine."
"No- no it's not." he retorted, pointing to his father's robes, "What did they do to you?"
"Burned my robes." he stated the fact of the matter like it wasn't shocking, "I was a little distracted in the fighting, so I forgot to put the flames out." he conceded with a slightly humoured voice, before narrowing his eyes, "Don't worry about me, my son. Your uncle fared far worse."
"Did they hurt him badly?" he asked, glancing around, "Where is he?"
"Ozai was taken to the infirmary... but he's recuperating. It was only some burns and cuts... he made sure they didn't have a chance to even get in the throne room." he explained, "Your cousins are safe, as well." he assured him, "They're being protected by some Imperial Firebenders off in their quarters." he explained, the young Prince nodding; he hadn't thought about it, but his young cousins were probably in danger from the attack as well, though from what he could tell, they weren't aiming for children, not even his father or uncle, but simply the Fire Lord himself.
"Dad, I think you need to go too." he admitted, gesturing to the burns he could see on his own arms and hands, "You're hurt."
"Not as bad as the people I faced." he assured him, before grasping his hand, "We can go, if that's what you want."
"Please." he requested, knowing that he couldn't just stand around when there was the opportunity for physicians to tend to his injuries and make sure he had a speedy recovery.
"Alright, Lu Ten." he agreed to his request, "Guards, stay with us." he requested, "I will be going to check on my niece and nephew first." he explained, and with that, Lu Ten paced off with his father down the hall, in the direction of his uncle's quarters, where his cousins would be holed up.
He momentarily glanced up at the graffiti that they were walking by, and noted what some of it said; they were decrying his grandfather and great-grandfather as tyrants and madmen, and writing down the names of towns, cities, and whole provinces that they had conquered in the Earth Kingdom, as if to simply leave a mark for them all to see of what had been going on in the outside world.
"Why?" he asked his father, who glanced up at the graffiti for a moment, before letting out a sigh.
"Because we have done bad things." he bluntly addressed what Lu Ten might have called propaganda; when he thought about it, perhaps those who didn't approve of their nation's mission would call their own way of viewing things propaganda, "Our war has cost our own nation and the others much, and some do not wish for it to continue."
"But we've almost won." he argued, knowing that within a few years, Ba Sing Se could be theirs, given that their armies were already controlling the land around the Outer Walls- it was only a matter of time, "Why would they not want us to finish it?"
"Because... that is not something that will be painless." he conceded, seeming a little disappointed by that fact, "If it could have been, then maybe the war would have ended long ago."
Lu Ten tensed up, wondering how one could think the war was going to just stop if they killed the Fire Lord, "Is Grandfather that important... wouldn't soldiers keep fighting?"
"Certainly." he confirmed, before Iroh turned his eyes back towards the throne room for a moment, "But he wouldn't be the Fire Lord anymore, Lu Ten." he stressed, before he continued making his way down the hallway, the young Prince scrunching his lips up as he thought to what that implied; his father was going to be the Fire Lord some day, and that meant he would face the same threats his grandfather did.
"How... how are you going to be safe?"
"By being wise, and strong enough to face those who seek to defeat me." he argued, "Wisdom is the path to a long life, and a result of it." he gave a bit of advice, before smiling at him, "Don't worry about me, Son. I am ready."
"These people were from Fire Nation, weren't they?" he asked, knowing that from the scorch-marks, the attackers must have had firebenders amongst themselves.
"Yes, they were." he confirmed, "Not everyone agrees with our plans for the world." he warned, "Just because Fire Lord Sozin declared his mission for our nation, does not mean that everyone will follow it."
"But... he was a wise man. He's the reason we're as powerful as we are." he argued, knowing that his great-grandfather was arguably the greatest Fire Lord to ever live, even if his view was a little skewed by how he was taught about him.
"And he is the reason we are at war." his father warned him, "We did not choose this path, Lu Ten. Not even my father did, even if he professes it as his own."
"Then what do we choose?" he asked his father, feeling nervous by what he was suggesting; he knew that the war was something his father had dedicated his life to, fighting to liberate the Earth Kingdom from their weak and corrupt rulers, so they could share in the Fire Nation's glory, but even then, as he stood, victorious after defeating potential assassins, he seemed to doubt what they were doing.
"What we make of what we have." he gave a simple answer, offering him a pat on the shoulder with a warm smile, "I want you to be the best Prince you can be, my son. The best Fire Lord, some day."
Lu Ten let his fears and unease fall away as he was reminded that no matter what, he had his father to help guide him, so he could make that future for himself, "I won't let you down, Dad."
After all the times his uncle had reminded him about his breathing exercises, Zuko finally considered that they had some use; sitting in the armoury of the flagship he had commandeered, he ran his hand along the length of his new set of dao, which he'd decided he might need for where he was about to go. The ship was moving into port, on a small island in the far east of the Fire Nation, called Lehu, where Commander Houken, one of the traitors declared on the Order of the White Lotus' list, had his base of operations. He knew that the Commander would, having his ships patrolling the region of sea between the main island and the part of the Earth Kingdom his uncle had been in, and a day prior, he received word that Houken had successfully captured the Fire Lord.
He'd only received the message because he had acted as if Commander Zhong was still in command of his ships, and everyone on board was acting along with it. The officers who had joined him understood the advantage such a farce gave them, and that allowed them to reach the Fire Lord's assumed location with no danger. He knew that he had to come in with some kind of information to hand off to Houken, so that they'd actually be led inside; though he was fearing for his uncle's safety, he knew that remaining calm was the best tactic. As long as he had control over the situation, he would be able to achieve his aims.
Pulling out the ceremonial dagger he always had on his person, he eyed it, and wondered what his cousin would think of him now; he wasn't the same little boy that had been sad to see his cousin and uncle leave for the front. He was a man, even if he hadn't grown a stubble or joined the army; more than he imagined his cousin had at his age, he had learned, through the hard, cruel challenges life had thrown his way, how to survive, and how to win. He knew what it would take, and he knew that he couldn't let his father win. All he'd done so far would be in vain, and he knew that he couldn't fail his nation.
He sheathed the dao, and rose up to his feet, hearing the door open down at the front of the armoury; turning his eyes toward said door, he saw Mai standing ready, dressed in her own disguise- she had chosen to dress herself up as a guard, the armour making her look rather intimidating, given she had been forced to pull her hair back into a long ponytail, and wear the skull-mask helmet associated with firebending soldiers.
"The plank is being lowered. We need to go." she warned him, and the Prince nodded, before pacing towards her.
His own disguise wasn't as extreme as her own, simply the outfit of a junior officer, which meant that he was able to keep his face out, though that didn't concern him, as he wasn't the most recognisable member of his family. He knew that as long as he kept up the act, he would be able to get inside. Mai drew out one of her daggers as he got closer, testing to make sure she could take it in and out of the tight sleeves of her uniform.
"This is a bit uncomfortable." she conceded quietly, and he smiled for a moment.
"Yeah, it's meant to stop you from getting your ribs busted by an earthbender." he clarified, making her shake her head, before she pulled the door fully open.
"I'm counting on it being fireproof." she suggested, making him grimace as he realised the implication of what she was saying.
"Don't just run in and start throwing knives. We have all the men on this ship with us for a reason." he suggested, making her scoff.
"I can handle myself, Zuko." she assured him, before narrowing her eyes at him, "Calm down." she offered a small suggestion which didn't really help him in the slightest.
"Calm down?" he raised a brow at her, finding her comment more annoying than anything, "How?"
"I don't know. Some deep breaths. Focus on what we're going to do... and do it." she gave some more practical advice, and the Prince let out a deep breath as he stepped closer to the door, pushing it open.
"You remember the plan?"
"You wouldn't shut up about it. Of course I remember the plan." she assured him, and when he stepped out, she followed behind, closing the door behind herself, "Lieutenant Kamen." she addressed him with a serious voice, and the Prince couldn't help but crack a smile; he knew he could play the act, and she could too.
"Corporal Hishu." he addressed her with her own pseudonym, "Ready to go serve your nation?"
"Without a doubt." she simply responded, not sounding eager, but merely confident; she might not have been the kind of person to run in wildly, as he suggested she might, but she knew when they had the advantage- when they were taking down Zhong, there was a reasonable chance they could be caught, but now, they were the ones about to do the catching.
He then paced down the hallway, knowing that they shouldn't keep the other officers waiting, as well as the guards he would have protecting him, Mai and those officers in case things went sideways; though he didn't doubt his firebending abilities, he knew that being too headstrong was something that got him into tricky situations in the past, so being cautious was his best bet for reaching Houken, and with him, his uncle.
When he reached the door out onto the deck, he pushed it open, taking in the fresh sea breeze as he glanced upon the deck, and the port beyond it; he could already see the compound where he knew the Commander would be waiting, and it was rather impressive. A small fortress, not too dissimilar to the estate Piandao lived in, though far more modern, with metal lined walls and a large tower that overlooked the bay, similar to the superstructure he had just walked out of. The officers were already standing waiting for him, and the guards were idling about nearby, presumably waiting for his command. He snapped a finger as he approached, catching their attention, and they quickly moved into formation.
The officers saluted him at once, and he let out a small smile, "The salutes are appreciated... but I am meant to be a mere Lieutenant. We bear a message from Commander Zhong, remember?" he questioned them, wanting to make sure everyone was on the same page about their supposed reason for being at Houken's base.
"About the whereabouts and status of his royal highness." one of the officers clarified, recalling that their excuse was actually not too far from the truth; their lie was that Zhong had found Prince Zuko and apprehended him, which might have occurred if it weren't for the steadfast loyalty of the officers in front of him.
"Exactly." he confirmed, before glancing towards the pier, where he saw a few men waiting, their attire suggesting that they were lower ranked officers; they were probably there to meet them, though Zuko was sure that they could arrange a meeting with Houken, given the important reason they had for being there, "Mai, you go with the other guards, the rest of you... come with me." he gave his last order before he would go into character; he couldn't afford to make himself out as 'the leader' in front of the others, as that would just look absurd, given he was only sixteen.
He didn't take the lead, letting the most senior of the officers walk down the plank first, walking right behind them so he could clearly listen to whatever the men they were about to speak with had to say; he wasn't going to take control of the situation when it wasn't necessary, but he wanted as much information as he could gather before he entered Houken's base. As they made their way down onto the pier, he glanced behind the men they were approaching, noting that there was about three dozen men defending the entrance to the base, most of them standing along the walls, or by small blockhouses that sat in front of the gate, presumably designed to protect the base itself from any naval assaults. Of course, such attacks were rare since the Earth Kingdom navy had for the most part been shattered and ineffective since the fall of Ba Sing Se, their main supply base, though now that the Fire Nation was about to start fighting amongst themselves, such defences seemed far more practical than they once were.
"Good morning." the leading officer, Captain Jing, addressed the men who were waiting for them, "We have important news from Commander Zhong."
"Well, that explains why your largest ships are here... it seems a bit odd for all you to come at once for resupply." one of the men conceded, "I assume you've heard what we've been up to."
"We have. It relates to our reason for being here, actually." the Captain clarified, "Commander Zhong has located an enemy of our nation, and our prisoner might be of some use to Commander Houken."
"Oh, so is Zhong here to brag?" one of the men asked with a humoured voice, not inciting much response from the officers.
"The Commander is interrogating the prisoner as we speak." another officer, Captain Ganjo, assured him, with a calm, serious voice that reflected the situation they were trying to portray, "His message is of the utmost importance to our efforts... for the Fire Nation as a whole."
"I see." the same man mumbled, raising a finger to his chin, "Well, you all ought to follow us. Who will be giving the message itself to the Commander?"
"Lieutenant Kamen." Jing clarified, "He is the Commander's understudy." he gestured to Zuko, who stepped forward from amongst the officers, before the Captain cleared his throat, "This is something he could not trust to be sent in written form, you must understand." he stressed, while Houken's men eyed the disguised Prince with interest, before nodding.
"Well then, Lieutenant, come with us. The rest of you can follow. There's a meeting hall in the base where you may rest until you have to depart." one of the men, presumably the leader of their group, explained what they were going to do, and Zuko nodded, before following them, with the rest of the officers going right behind.
As they paced along down the pier towards the gates, the men he was walking beside eyed him with interest, before one of them decided to ask, "You're quite young to be in the Navy already." one of them observed, and Zuko shrugged his shoulders.
"I only left the academy a few months ago. This has been my first posting." he gave a reasonable excuse for his youth, and they nodded along.
"Well, I'm sure you weren't expecting to be working for a commander, were you?" the same man asked him with a humoured voice, "It must be rather unusual for you."
"I was trained like the rest of you. I'm ready to serve my country, and do whatever my commanding officer requires of me." he explained his intentions, or at least, what he wanted his intentions to appear as; they seemed to agree, and one of them patted him on the back.
"Well, you've got the right mindset, kid." he acknowledged, "You must be good at your job if the Commander's trusting you to give his personal messages."
"It's necessary." he warned them, "I don't have to remind you of what's been going on lately. It is too dangerous to let our potential enemies learn of our moves. That would just be a poor strategy."
"Oh..." one of the men mumbled, all of them seeming a little surprised by his seriousness, "So, you're not just a messenger."
"Commander Zhong trusts me to fulfil my duties to my nation, as he is expected of himself." he explained, and as they approached the gates, the men standing guard there stepped forward to stop them.
"Just wait a second. You need to hand over your weapons." he warned Zuko, and the other officers trailing behind him, "This compound must remain secure from any potential threats... even if the Commander has sent you himself."
"We understand." Captain Jing assured him, and Zuko eyed the dao he had ready on his belt; getting rid of his only weapon when he was pretending to be a non-bender was a rather smart idea, as it would make the men only further lower their guard- he would merely seem like one of Ozai's loyalists, ready to inform Houken of the news of his own supposed capture.
Untying the blade from his belt, he offered it to one of the guards, who took it into the gatehouse, presumably where they'd keep the officers' weapons while they were on the premises; Zuko glanced back to see that those men who were meant to be guarding him did not step any closer, standing ready, with Mai at the helm, with her arms behind her back.
Though he couldn't see her face, he understood what she was going to do, and what she was thinking about; how they could get past the guards when the time came to fight. Though there wasn't many of them, he knew that most of the officers were trained firebenders, and that made them just as useful without any weapons, and once they had neutralised the men at the gates, all their forces to swarm the interior of the base, and once located, free the Fire Lord from captivity.
He mouthed to her the only think he could think of, which was 'wait', before he turned to continue following the men who were leading him to Houken, the man, who in all his gracious wisdom, thought it was the right choice to imprison the most powerful firebender alive in a mere navy fort, let alone forget that the children of the very man he was serving were intent on freeing and assisting the man they thought was too foolish to rule. Truly, Houken and his ilk were the fools, and that pleased Zuko, knowing that even if he didn't win every fight, that he at least understood who and what he was facing, even if the scope of his father's conspiracy was not yet wholly revealed.
As they approached the large compound that sat at the centre of the base, he let himself take a deep breath, readying himself for whatever he faced inside; one of the men beside him must have thought he was nervous, and he elbowed him, seeming humoured by his reaction.
"Ah, don't worry, kid. I'm sure you'll go fine." he assured him, perhaps just not wanting him to make a fool of himself in front of Houken.
"Oh... I'm more worried about what I have to say... not meeting the Commander." he conceded, "There's dangers facing us all." he warned him, knowing that at the very least, he could give the man a subtle warning, in case he thought it was a wise idea to get between Zuko and the Commander he was about to face down.
"No need to get so ominous." one of the other men joked, "We're ready to face the enemies of our nation, Lieutenant. Your news must be important if you're that worried."
He nodded, and was just glad that he gave off that impression; in fact, Zuko wasn't worried, simply focused on getting to his destination and target, aware that there could be obstacles in his path if his identity was revealed. The doors of the compound were opened ahead of them, allowing the group to continue on inside, and Zuko continued his deep breaths, though he tried to make them as quiet as possible as to not garner any more concern from the men accompanying him.
"Where are you headed?" a man came up to address them, and the leader of the group gestured down the hallway.
"We need to take him to the Commander. He's Zhong's personal messenger." he clarified, and the man eyed Zuko for a few moments, before nodding.
"Well, go ahead. You better go make sure whoever else has just arrived is attended to; I'm sure Commander Zhong won't be happy if he finds out we weren't hospitable to his men." he warned them, and the men nodded.
"We'll get right to it, sir." the leader assured him, before they continued down the hallway, which forked off in a few directions, the group leading him down to the left, approaching a staircase, which they climbed up onto the next floor of the compound.
It was rather spacious, reminding him somewhat of the battleship he'd taken control of, albeit with less metal and more brick and stone around, given it was on land; the whole base was probably housing dozens of troops, at the very least, and that wasn't considering the off-duty men he imagined were staying around while in port. That would pose a great danger to him and his new allies, but he knew that with a quick enough attack, they might be able to completely overwhelm the enemy.
Ferocity, speed and absolute power was what allowed the Fire Nation to be so successful during the Hundred Year War, and especially when they had attacked the Air Temples, which were unable to even muster a defence against such tactics. He was far more powerful than the common soldiers around him, even if he was no Azula; he understood his limits, but he was willing to push them, for the sake of his uncle, who he knew had to be nearby.
As they turned around at the top of the staircase, they continued through another hallway, with a taller roof than there had been downstairs, leading towards two large doors, presumably where the Commander would meet with his lieutenants; to his left, he noted another smaller hallway, and they turned down it, where he finally reached what he was looking for. The Commander's office, where he saw the man himself standing with one of his subordinates, the doors wide open.
He must have caught sight of the posse of soldiers surrounding what looked like a junior officer, and raised his hand to tell the man he was speaking with to stop; he then stepped away, towards the group as they approached, Zuko straightening his posture to make himself seem as formal and polite as was necessary.
"Sorry, but I don't believe we've met. Did you just arrive with Zhong's ships?" he asked, and the Prince nodded.
"I did, sir. I am Lieutenant Kamen, sir." he introduced himself with a bow, before turning his gaze back up to Houken, "The Commander entrusted me to give you a message in person. It is dire." he warned him, Houken's expression shifting to one of slight fear.
"Does it relate to the Fire Lord? Are there loyalist ships already on their way?"
"Not that I know of." he conceded, "This concerns another threat to our plans." he clarified, and the Commander narrowed his eyes, his face telling Zuko he understood what he was implying.
"Is it that secret society rabble the Prince was warning us about?" he asked, Zuko shaking his head, noting that his father, and by extension, his conspirators, had knowledge of the Order of the White Lotus and their operations.
"No, it's about his son. Commander Zhong has located the missing Prince." he explained calmly, and Zhong scrunched his lips up.
"Prince Zuko?" he mumbled, seeming intrigued by that revelation; then Zuko saw it, the spark in his eyes as he seemed to have clicked things together, perhaps because he noticed the close similarity in appearance between himself and his father.
He didn't even smile, despite the confidence he felt in Houken's fear; all he did was motion his hands around as he placed his left foot forward, feeling his chi gather around his core. Houken could only open his mouth and shout out in shock.
"No, please!" he pleaded, to no avail, as for the first time in his life, Zuko was able to conjure a lightning bolt, and did not smile as he watched the blindingly bright attack be released towards Zhong.
At the very least a quick death was better than what his dao might have offered; there was little remorse to be felt as it struck the Commander, and threw him right back into his desk, his body splayed out limp over the place he probably felt himself most protected. The men around him flinched back in shock, unable to even comprehend his attack in the short time it took him to kill Houken.
The Prince felt only exhilaration as he realised that he was more than ready for what he was about to face. With that, he decided to give the men who had unwittingly escorted their enemy right to their leader one last exhortation to stress his very clear loyalties.
"Long live Fire Lord Iroh."
Though he felt no comfort in being a prisoner, Iroh at least felt that he was safe in Houken's base, which was quite secure, especially for somewhere in the Fire Nation homeland; however, that sense of safety disappeared when he heard the unmistakable sound of thunder above him. He didn't imagine that his niece would have reached him as quickly as she had, but the idea that she was there to rescue him was both a relief and a worry. The danger she must have been putting herself in was great, and now, he was in danger as well, as the guards who had been stationed at his cell looked at him, probably thinking he knew what was going on.
"Do you know what's happening?" one of them asked, grabbing the metal bars that stood between himself and the Fire Lord, who aloofly shrugged, acting as if he was just as confused as they were, "Don't just sit there. Tell us." he demanded.
"I don't know... perhaps my brother's sent some men here to get the job done, no matter what the Commander thinks." he gave a possibility that he personally doubted, though in the eyes of the traitors, might have seemed reasonable.
"That's absurd." one of the guards retorted, before he snapped a finger, "Lock the doors. We can't let whoever's breached the base reach the Fire Lord."
"Oh, so I'm still the Fire Lord." he prodded them, just to remind them of what they were doing.
"Until you're dead or abdicate, you're the Fire Lord... but that doesn't mean there can't be other claimants to the throne." one of the guards warned him, "You should be glad you're able to sit in this cell at all."
"I am... well, happy to be alive." he admitted, before narrowing his eyes as he rose to his feet from the bed he had been sitting on, "But I am not happy to be here, as a prisoner in my own country."
"Be quiet." the guard demanded, and the Fire Lord narrowed his eyes, complying as he stepped closer towards the doors of the cell; though he couldn't melt through the shackles on his hands, they weren't going to prevent him from firebending, and destroying the shackles around his ankles.
He twisted his hands slowly, just to check he could orient them as need be, before he took another step closer, "Do you know who can generate lightning?" he spoke up, addressing something they mightn't have considered; he didn't think purposefully revealing their opponent was a good idea by itself, but he knew that making them panic and try to face Azula would certainly make things easier for him.
"You can't with your hands bound." one of the guards retorted, his observation a fact, but ignorant of what Iroh was trying to hint at.
"I know that, but... think for a moment, who can?" he asked them, and the guards looked amongst themselves.
"Not many people." their leader gave a vague answer, "Yourself, his highness, and... I believe Princess Azula." he observed, before his eyes widened, "W-wait... that's who's here!" he shouted, "She's going to try and free you!" he pointed at the Fire Lord accusingly, and he aloofly shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, you can't know until you go and have a look." he suggested, and the guard clenched a fist, before hammering it on one of the bars between them.
"Don't play coy with us. If you know what she's doing, you better tell us like your life depends on it." he warned him, and Iroh let out a sigh, a little frustrated that he'd only gotten the guards' attention on himself and not the threat that must have been prowling the floor above them.
"Well, I don't know." he admitted, before there was a knock on the door of the base's small dungeon; one of the guards pulled it ajar, just to check, before letting it go open.
"What is it?" he asked the visitor, who was an officer, with a frantic look on his face.
"Some officer just murdered the Commander! Right in front of his own guards!" he shouted at them in a panic, "You need to get up there and stop him before he gets to the prisoner!" he ordered them, and the guards tensed up, all of them moving into form.
"Well, shit." the leader grumbled, "That's it. I need some of you to stay in here, but the rest, let's go take down this assassin." he gave his orders, before eyeing Iroh, "Turns out it wasn't the Princess... what a shame." he observed with a pleased voice, "Maybe you're not getting rescued, your majesty."
The Fire Lord just dropped his head down, trying to seem like he was saddened by that observation, when he was only confused; if the attacker wasn't Azula, then the only thing he could imagine was one of his associates in the Order of the White Lotus had been sent to free him, but even among them, there were very few who could generate lightning. As the guards ran out of the dungeon to go face the attacker, Iroh then raised his head up, eyeing the guards who remained. There were only four of them, and he bet that he could take them if he was able to stun two of them in quick succession.
Iroh heard the sound of another lightning bolt being released, as the building was shaken and the subsequent thunder boomed above them; the guards were frightened for just a moment, and he used that to his advantage, shooting two fireballs out of each of his palms, which struck two guards in their chests, throwing them back off their feet. The other two guards turned to face him and bent flames around them, creating fire whips in an attempt to restrain him; the Fire Lord instead let out a breath of flames, which ripped their attacks apart and forced them to step back as he stepped up to the door out of the cell.
Creating a small dagger of flames in his right fist, he twisted it around to face the lock, which he bent the flames into, while the guards retook their stances; when they tried to create fire streams to incapacitate him, Iroh dissipated his dagger, and instead bent the flames they were trying to attack him with, redirecting them into the lock. which was blasted open by the heat, allowing Iroh to kick the door open with his foot.
"Restrain him!" one of the guards warned the others as all four rushed at him, flames in their palms as they tried to burn his face.
Iroh was faster, raising his shackled hands up so that the guard broke his shackles instead of burning his face, before he elbowed another guard in the face with his freed hands. Though his feet were still bound, he was able to sidestep around their attacks, turning so he could bend their flames right back at them, fireball after fireball. When one tried to tackle him, Iroh suckerpunched him in the throat, before throwing him back into another of the guards; he then dropped down, ducking under another fireball before he jabbed the guard who shot in the arm, throwing his next attack off-course, making him hit the guard beside him.
He then charged a fire blast in his own palm, tripping one of the guards over as he stepped past him to approach the doors out of the dungeon; one of the guards grappled him by the shoulder, trying to pull him, back only to find himself momentarily blinded by Iroh's fire blast going off right in his face. The Fire Lord created an arc of fire, which he bent down to cut his feet shackles apart, before he properly moved himself into form, eyeing the two guards who seemed fit to fight him still.
"You really shouldn't have let your friends leave the room." he chided them for their mistake, before he raised his hands, ready to deflect whatever attacks came his way.
When they threw their next attacks his way, he spun his hands around to dissipate the flames, which broke apart before they could even touch him; the Fire Lord gave his own attack in return, punching a volley of fireballs at them in quick succession, throwing each of them back before he threw one across the dungeon with a fire blast sent from his left sole. The last guard tried to create a wall of flames to defend himself and his comrades, but Iroh just stepped through it, parting the flames like a boulder would through a waterfall, before he charged a blast right into the guard's gut, winding him and making him lurch over in pain.
All he could hear was the groans the guards made as they struggled to even get back up, before he was reminded of his situation with the sound of another loud bang above him, though it was not lightning like before; just a thump from somebody hitting the wall, which was evidence of a ferocious fight nonetheless. Reaching down, he picked up a keychain that one of the guards had dropped in the fighting, before taking with him to the door.
Though it took him a few tries to unlock it, he was able to find the right key, and slowly pulled the door open; he peeked out into the hallway, where he spotted a few soldiers running past, though they hadn't noticed him looking through the gap. He pulled the door further, before stepping out, knowing that if he was about to be rescued, then he ought to find his rescuer, whoever they happened to be. He paced down the hallway after the soldiers, making his way towards a wider hall, where he could hear shouts and orders being given to soldiers.
"Get moving! We need to block every exit! The assailant can't escape!" he heard somebody shout out, and then the sound of fast footsteps that followed.
Iroh glanced back, wondering if he could find his companions who had been imprisoned somewhere else in the base. He knew that whoever had come to save him would be able to help with that, and fighting alone was a foolish idea, even if no common soldier could stand a chance against him; a dozen of them at once was something else entirely. So, he made his way down the hallway towards where he'd heard the orders being given out, and glanced past the corner, noting that some of the guards were still in the hallway, readying themselves into formation as they approached the staircase in the distance.
He couldn't sneak around them, so, he decided to do the only thing he could think of; he made a loud whistle, catching the soldiers' attention, and he immediately noticed the worried looks on their faces, "You really ought to improve the locks in this place. All too easy for an old fool like me to get out." he mocked them with a smirk, taking form as they did the same, "Do you know why they call me Dragon of the West?" he asked, and they all immediately raised a wall of flames, presuming they might protect them.
He pouted for a moment, a little disappointed he couldn't get to do his usual act of revealing his fire breath, but instead decided to take a deep breath, preparing himself to face whatever they had in store for him. He raised his hands up, drawing some of the fire out of the wall of flames, using it to create two fire shields covering his wrists; when the some fireballs finally burst through the soldiers' defences, he was ready to squat the attacks with his shields, before kicking a fire blast with his right sole, blasting through the wall of flames. The cry of pain he heard told him that he'd actually hit one of them, and he raised his hands up again, ready for the next attack.
A flurry of fireballs soon followed, forcing Iroh to quickly spin his hands around, barely able to get rid of each attack that came his way; he knew that retreating was unreasonable if he needed to get past them to reach the person who had come for him. He could still hear the sound of flames coursing about above him, and thumps and crashing noises from people being knocked down. Iroh grit his teeth, feeling the flames searing his robes and setting the sleeves alight, forcing him to throw his hands forward to deflect the flames back at the enemy. That only worked for a moment, and the barrage continued, forcing Iroh to crouch lower to try and lessen the area he needed to defend, raising his own wall of flames to protect himself for a few moments.
Suddenly, he heard a shout behind himself, and glanced back to see that some more soldiers were coming down the hallway, but this time, they weren't coming to attack, but rather, fleeing somebody or something; that told him that his rescuer was not alone, and that was enough to help him regain his confidence.
"This is not over yet." he mumbled under his breath, before rising back up to his feet, throwing his flames back at the enemy soldiers, which momentarily caused their flames to combine, making the wall of flames even larger, the heat forcing Iroh to step back, feeling it singing his arm hairs.
He crossed his arms, before taking a deep breath, drawing some of the flames around him to create a momentary shield while the enemy's flames dissipated. Glancing at them, he realised that they were cowering back from the power of the flames, and all seemed a bit distracted, giving him the perfect opportunity to let out his fire breath, which roared forward, throwing some of them off their feet.
Iroh's attention was suddenly drawn forward when he saw a man fall down, seeming out of nowhere, though after glancing up, he realised he had fallen off the staircase; a few moments later, a figure leapt down from the stairs, wearing the armour he'd usually expect of a Fire Navy officer. The soldiers all turned around, and those who were ready took form to face their opponent. When his face rose up, Iroh realised who had come to save him; it wasn't Azula or the White Lotus, but his nephew, who had somehow made his way to Houken's base.
Zuko's expression was cold and serious, not even lighting up upon seeing his uncle, as he spun his fingers around; his eyes widened, realising what was about to happen, and he dashed out of the way, watching as his nephew released a lightning bolt from his fingertips, which struck a soldier who had actually been coming at the Fire Lord from behind. Zuko then sent out a flurry of fireballs, furiously barraging the soldiers who were unable to defend themselves quickly enough, and Iroh decided to assist, jabbing a few of them with fireballs before he knocked some others out by throwing them into the walls and floor. Once the men were down, he could hear his nephew's heavy breathing, and he turned his eyes to him, shocked by what he had been able to do.
"Prince Zuko, thank you." he simply smiled at him, glad for his assistance, "I didn't realise you were coming."
His nephew looked at him with a slightly annoyed glare, before it softened, "Why'd you have to get yourself caught, Uncle?"
"Because I knew that it'd save the lives of my guards." he admitted with a feeling of frustration, knowing what terrible pain his actions had caused already, "Enough of them were killed by Kinshu's trick to begin with."
"I heard a report about that." he recalled, before offering his uncle a hand, "Let's finish this... all of it."
The Dragon of the West nodded, agreeing wholly with the sentiment, before he glanced behind them, noting more soldiers were running in, clearly fleeing something, "Who did you bring with you?"
"Commander Zhong's fleet." he clarified with an amusingly flat, unimpressed voice, "It would have helped if Houken was still at sea. Then we could have just boarded his vessel instead." he lamented, before pointing towards their enemies, "They're running from your loyal soldiers, Uncle... and Mai too."
"Oh, so you got her to tag along." he smirked at his nephew, before taking form, "I'm impressed, Prince Zuko."
"We're not talking about that now." he retorted, before throwing his left fist forward, creating a fire stream which whacked one of the soldiers right off his feet.
Iroh joined his nephew, throwing a flurry of fireballs towards their enemies before they could react; they firebent their way in return, though being more afraid than the last group of soldiers, they were more eager to simply get away, the whole group rushing down the hallway he had just come from, with only two of them trying to hold up a defence while their comrades fled. Zuko spun his right foot forward, creating a low arc of fire which slashed at the remaining soldiers' feet, throwing them to the grund. The two of them then stepped closer to the hallway, ready to pursue the enemy soldiers, and ensure they no longer posed a threat; a fire stream was shot out from the hallway, forcing Iroh to leap back to avoid getting his face cooked by the flames. He grit his teeth, before retaking his stance, ready to overwhelm the soldiers with pure force if need be; before he could attack them, his attention was drawn by a whistle, and glancing over he saw a firebending soldier holding a some sheathed dao, which were tossed across the hallway into Zuko's hands, the Prince immediately unsheathing the blades.
"Thanks, Mai." he acknowledged her nonchalantly as he moved to attack the soldiers, Iroh glancing back as he realised that the 'soldier' was actually Mai, her disguise making her look like any other soldier, though he noticed that she was holding a sai in one hand, and a few throwing knives in the other.
"Lady Mai, it is good to see you." he smiled at her before he took after his nephew, following Zuko's fire stream with one of his own, which blasted a few soldiers back into the walls.
"Surrender!" the Prince shouted at them, his tone not even angry, but simply the kind of commanding voice he would employ himself when on the battlefield, "This fight is over... your leader is dead, and your base is ours." he declared something that had become clearer over time; if Houken was dead, and the base was surrounded by Zhong's former men, now Zuko's, then it was only a matter of time before they were all beaten.
The soldiers looked at them with tense faces, at least those whose faces were visible, and they stepped back once more, clearly afraid of what might follow that demand.
"Nobody should die for something like this." Iroh decided to offer them a warning, "Lay down your arms." he commanded them, hoping that they'd see the futility of continuing to fight.
A few of them dropped to their knees, but some weren't willing, turning their heels and dashing down the hallway in fear; Zuko saw his nephew preparing to attack them, and Iroh grasped his shoulder, knowing that they ought to take a moment to breathe and prepare for the next fight, if it was coming their way.
Mai stepped up beside them, readying two daggers in each of her hands, "Do you want me to stop them, Zuko?" she asked, and the Prince shook his head, before he eyed the surrendered soldiers.
"Don't move." he warned them, then turning to face his uncle, "We should regroup with the others." he suggested, and he nodded, agreeing wholly with that idea; in greater numbers, they would be safe.
"Yes... and then we can find my men." he reminded him of why he was in Houken's base to begin with.
"And then, you'll finish this." he reminded him, his cold tone suggesting he felt no unease at the idea of Iroh and Ozai going to battle in an Agni Kai, which was inevitable, unless he was thoroughly defeated in battle beforehand.
"I will, Prince Zuko." he assured him, "Your father has had his chance, and he has squandered it."
"You better not squander yours." he warned him, "The Fire Nation needs its Fire Lord."
"They'll have me, if they choose me." he acknowledged, knowing that many might support Ozai's conspiracy, which seemed like an outright rebellion now, "I am going to prove that our path is better."
"What is that?" Mai spoke up, surprisingly enough, "What are you going to do, your majesty?"
"Find a way to see our nation end this war peacefully... and if not, then I'm sure the Avatar will fix things for us." he explained, before gesturing towards the hallway Mai herself had come from, and with that, the three of them paced towards it, heading back towards Zuko's allies, who he could hear fighting Houken's men in the distance.
"I don't imagine his 'fixing' is what anyone in the Fire Nation has in mind, Uncle." Zuko warned him, raising a finger up, "There is more to peace than laying down our arms."
"I know that... that's why I need your help, Prince Zuko. You and your sister are the future of our nation, and you need to prove to the world that we are not seeking to further our conquests any longer... that an age of peace is possible, in the first place. The Four Nations can coexist, once more, and hopefully, prosper." he explained to his nephew, knowing that he needed Zuko to see the path that Iroh had set out, even if he wasn't in complete agreement over the specifics.
"And do you trust them?" his nephew narrowed his eyes at him, seeming to be suspicious towards their so-called 'enemies'; after what had happened to Lu Ten, perhaps Zuko was not going to be as easily trusting as Iroh would prefer him to be.
"Your scepticism might temper my optimism, Prince Zuko... I hope that we can just find a common ground with the other nations." he admitted his thoughts, before they reached a corner, turning around to face a group of soldiers, whose stances softened as they released Iroh was standing in front of them.
"Your majesty." one of them gasped, before he whacked one of his comrades in the chest, "Show some respect." he ordered them, and they all knelt down in deference to their Fire Lord.
"There's no need for that now." he assured the soldiers, gesturing down the hallway they were facing, "You ought to find whoever's still around this base, and stop them." he gave them a suggestion, rather than an order, given he imagined they had a better idea of what to do than he did.
They rose up to their feet, and paced towards them, making their way past, "It will be done, your majesty." their leader assured him with a salute, before the group continued down, deeper into the building.
As they made their way further towards the entrance, Iroh took note of a group of officers, surrounding some restrained soldiers, their gazes rising up to the Fire Lord, though it seemed their attention was more so on his nephew.
"Your highness!" one of them almost cheerily saluted him, "Good work on retrieving his majesty. This mission has been an astounding success."
"There's no need to commend me... this was my duty." he assured him as he glanced around, "Is the exterior secure?" he asked, and they nodded.
"Yes, your highness." another officer confirmed, "They won't be fleeing to their ships. Our own vessels are out boarding theirs as we speak, to ensure the compliance of their crews."
"Good." he smiled briefly, before narrowing his eyes, "I dealt with Houken and a few of his lieutenants. They won't be giving us any grief... or informing my father of what happened here today."
"I am impressed, Prince Zuko. I didn't imagine Master Longchi would have already taught you lightning generation." Iroh noted, having almost ignored that fact when he first reunited with his nephew.
"It wasn't him." he turned to face him, "I just learned it from one of Piandao's scrolls... and that was the first time I did it."
"Oh." his eyes widened, realising that it had taken his father's men nearly killing him, and the fear he must have been having over Iroh's own condition to muster the strength to generate lightning; the utter focus and emotional apathy that he didn't even think his nephew could be capable of, "Are you alright, Prince Zuko?"
"I'll be alright when you do the same to father for all the shit he's us through for the past few weeks." he narrowed his eyes, his words making Iroh tense up; he had always known that Zuko was similar to Ozai, but despite that, he never thought he was capable of murder, or even contemplating the fratricide that Iroh had no choice but to follow through with, "You are going to kill him, right?"
"I don't know if I have much of a choice, Prince Zuko." he conceded, "This is not how I wanted things to go."
Zuko just shook his head, approaching the officers before he gestured around the various hallways that branched off from the foyer, "I want the whole place secured, and everyone rounded up... these soldiers need to be vetted, even if they surrender to us."
"Do you need them interrogated for intelligence on Prince Ozai's plans, your highness?" he asked, and the young Prince nodded, before turning his gaze to Iroh.
"You're alright with that, aren't you?" he asked, and the Dragon of the West let out a sigh, knowing that interrogation, and perhaps even torture, might be necessary to gather the information they required.
"It is necessary." he simply stated the truth as he saw it, "We must be quick about it... securing the capital is imperative."
"And you don't trust the Imperial Firebenders to do their jobs?" Zuko asked him, sounding more concerned than annoyed about what he had suggested.
"Your father isn't going down without a fight."
Prince Ozai was not nervous; if somebody knew the things he did, then perhaps they would be, but he was prepared. He'd heard about his brother's survival of the few attempts on his life, the last being outside Omashu, where the famed Sanyan had his last stand against the Fire Lord, falling to his lightning. Though he admittedly was a little impressed by his brother's fortitude, it only grew to frustrate him in the following week; he had to prepare to leave the capital, as he knew the letter had come to him a few days after the battle itself.
He'd also received letters from his supporters in the navy, who assured him they'd do everything in their power to stop his brother from returning, as well as capture the Avatar, who was clearly the greatest threat to Ozai's plans. Despite being a child, he had the enviable position of neutrality amongst the nations, meaning that he could unify them against the Prince and his supporters; Iroh had no such privilege, even if he connived with his little secret society, which wasn't so secret after he'd had his agents scour the Fire Lord's office, looking for anything that could tell him about his treachery.
His brother's plans to undermine his own were clear before him, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before he publicly opposed him, or had his allies attack Ozai. Though he might have thought that cowardly and deceitful, the Prince admittedly had no care for the morals of such 'dishonourable' tactics; there was no dishonour in saving the Fire Nation from his brother, after all.
That was why he wasn't surprised when half a dozen Imperial Firebenders barged into his office, all of them in form, ready to take him down; he rose up to his feet, smiling at them as he realised he would have to accelerate his plans. Though he knew escaping would be a challenge, he had more than one method of getting out of the palace, which now seemed to be an inevitability.
"Prince Ozai, you are under arrest for the crime of high treason and the attempted murder of the Fire Lord." the leader of the Imperial Firebenders stated their reason for being there, and Ozai just aloofly shrugged his shoulders.
"And what evidence do you have?" he asked them, the Imperial Firebenders moving themselves into form.
"We don't need evidence. Our Fire Lord commands us." he retorted, clearly not able to be reasoned with; Ozai raised his hands up, and stepped out of the way of his desk.
"Fine, I surrender." he feigned weakness, knowing that would make it easier for him to get where he needed to be.
"W-wait... he's joking, right?" one of the Imperial Firebenders asked their superior, "He has to be lying, sir. He's the most powerful firebender in this palace."
"He might be, but he knows when he's outmatched. You can't fight the whole guard, can you, my Prince?" he asked Ozai, who nodded.
"I can't." he confirmed, knowing he definitely couldn't fight all of them, but he had never intended to, and his words only served to try and fool them into believing their own strength was sufficient; he had all the strength he needed to leave the palace, which was all he needed to do- killing dozens of Imperial Firebenders wasn't necessarily part of his plan.
He stepped forward, letting the guards shackle his hands as they restrained him, one of them patting the Prince's body down to check for daggers or other weapons; Ozai had no need for such crude instruments, and huffed, unamused by their probing.
"I don't have any weapons." he retorted, "Just take me to prison already."
"That's not where you're going." the leader retorted, "You're going somewhere nobody's going to find you."
"Oh, is my brother exiling me to some far off little island?" he scoffed, "I don't imagine that'll work."
"The Fire Lord will decide your fate, soon enough." the leader warned him, before he dragged him out of the office, "Let's go." he ordered his men, and with that, the group of Imperial Firebenders surrounded the Prince, following him out into the hallway, leading them deeper into the palace, which to Ozai's luck, was exactly where he needed to go.
Though his hands were bound, he didn't feel any less confident, keeping a straight face to dissuade any unease from his captors, who would soon understand their own foolishness. They led him down the hallway, his bound hands and straight expression making any servants pace away in fear; they mightn't have understood what was going on, but they would soon enough. The guards kept themselves in a tight formation around the Prince, not letting him have any chance to step away, even though he had already decided against that.
"Why did you do it?" one of the guards spoke up, sounding disgusted in his tone.
"What?" he scoffed, "Try to save our nation? Because it is my duty." he retorted, his own confidence not fading; he was following the path of strength and righteousness, just like Fire Lord Sozin before him, and even if the fools didn't understand him, if they lived, they would get to witness his glorious future.
"No." the guard snarled, "Why did you try to kill your own son? Do you have no conscience?"
"I have a weak fool of a son... if anything, this will make him stronger. If he is strong enough to defeat me, then he will finally be worthy." he declared, "I have done him a favour."
"Shut up." the leader of the Imperial Firebenders retorted, "We don't care for your justifications." he tried to emphasise their own antipathy towards him, but Ozai just scoffed, knowing that they couldn't be persuaded to his side- he had never intended to have everyone follow him, just enough.
"Oh, you mightn't." he agreed with them, "But you are not the Fire Nation. You are just my brother's tools."
"We are loyal citizens of our nation. It is our duty to uphold the law and protect this household... your family." the leader stressed their duty, and reminded him of who he had tried to hurt; Ozai wanted nothing more than to lead their nation to a glorious future, and Iroh stood in the way of that.
Zuko tried to stop him, but he was too slow and thought he was ahead of him, when Ozai knew the whole time; Azula had left the capital, and had no way of affecting what was about to occur, though he wished his daughter had stayed, so he could have at least had a chance to persuade her to his side. Now, he didn't have that chance, he just had to hope that she would see the path to victory was his own, and not her foolish uncle's.
As they made their way deeper into the palace, Ozai glanced around, and made sure that he could see which hallways he would need to take to get to where he needed to go; the guards were still right up beside him, ready to attack him if he tried to break free, so he had to remain calm, and wait them out. When they approached the hallway that led into the dungeon, which was a small prison that his father had built purely for the purpose of imprisoning assassins and other threats so that they could be tortured, he eyed ahead, noting a few more Imperial Firebenders standing duty.
Glancing behind himself, he made sight of one guard, who wasn't part of the unit who had taken him, but was following. He gave the Prince a nod, and Ozai pursed his lips upward, realising that his preparations had not been in vain; he turned back around, feigning dejection as they led him towards the heavy steel doors that distinguished the dungeon's entrance from any other in the palace.
"Open the door." the leader ordered the guards in front of him, "We're leaving him here until the Fire Lord returns." he explained his reason for being there, and the guards remained silent, just staring them down.
The awkward silence was once again broken by one of the Imperial Firebenders, agitated by their lack of response, "Come on, open it up! We don't have all day." he demanded, and the guards didn't respond again, Ozai glancing back to see a number of Imperial Firebenders coming down the hallway.
"Too late." the Prince chided them, "You had your chance." he warned them, before he created a torch of fire in each of his palms, spinning himself around to strike the Imperial Firebenders with two fire whips that coiled out from his hands.
They all moved into form at once, but being surrounded by Ozai's own loyal guards didn't do them much good, as they were barraged by fire streams, allowing the Prince to duck and weave, before he was able to just slip out of their circle, watching as they were beaten back by his men. They put up a hard resistance, creating walls of flames in a fruitless attempt to hold back their opponents, but they just didn't have enough firepower, and were knocked unconscious, one by one. When the flames had dissipated, he raised his hands up, and his shackles were split in two by an arc of fire from one of his loyal guards, allowing him flex his arms and ready himself into form, in case more Imperial Firebenders came to try and arrest him.
"Prince Ozai." one of the guards addressed him, the Prince recognising his voice at once; he was Captain Dadao, one of the men he had persuaded to his cause, and was clearly willing to put himself on the line for it, "We have to evacuate you from the palace." he warned Ozai, who narrowed his eyes, knowing that he couldn't just escape.
"There's guards on every exit, and even if we reach the catacombs..." he began to explain, before he clenched his fists, realising there was only one assured path to victory, "We need to distract them." he gave his men the command they required, "Only if they believe they have us cornered may we be able to leave here victorious."
"Then we shall, your highness." Dadao acknowledged him with a salute, "Do you need us to create a diversion?" he asked, and the Prince shook his head; he had something far smarter in mind than simply sacrificing his supporters for the sake of his cause- if he really wanted Iroh off his tail, then he'd need his brother to believe himself victorious.
"No, I need you to fight. Fight because the future of our nation is on the line. We cannot conquer this palace, but we can leave our mark. To simply appear weak, is to hide one's strength for the opportune circumstances." he reminded them of a basic maxim of strategy that most would have learned during their training, "This is not our last stand. We will be victorious, I assure you." he stressed, before turning his heels, "Where do the Imperial Firebenders usually muster?" he asked, Dadao and a few others pointing down the hallway, off in the direction of the throne room.
"There's a hall by the royal gallery where we are ordered to muster in case of an emergency... I believe this would qualify as one, sir." he acknowledged, and Ozai cracked his knuckles as he began to pace down the hallway, ignoring the unconscious beaten Imperial Firebenders at his feet.
"One of you, go into the dungeon and get the prisoner." he pointed behind him, knowing that the White Lotus operatives he had caught would prove quite useful.
"The one you told us to put in uniform?" one of the guards asked, and he clenched his fist.
"Who else?!" he shouted at him, "Get the idiot, and drag him along gagged." he ordered, and the guard ran towards the steel doors, unlocking them with haste; he didn't want to agitate the Prince any further, and Ozai wanted things done.
He wasn't unaware of the advantages of body doubles, but this time, he needed somebody who his own guards could dispense of when the time came; usually, they were just to protect him from assassins or to fool pursuers, including his son, as well as, amusingly enough, the man who was going to be his new body double. This time, it was his only choice, because Ozai had only one chance to get away and fool them. If his plans were to come to fruition, he could no longer remain in the palace, let alone the capital.
Pacing ahead, he let his thoughts run wild, imagining what his opponents would do if they were victorious, letting that fuel his anger; he wasn't going to become so furious that his bending would become uncontrollable, but just enough that he could overwhelm the initial strength the guards would muster against him. He could not be caught, but exhausting himself was a visible way of making himself look weak; though he had trained himself for years to avoid such an image, it was more necessary than ever to make himself look as overconfident and arrogant as his brother might have assumed him to be.
His plans might have not gone the way he intended, but that was because of Zuko's brash moves, and not because he was stupid; if his son wasn't as insanely reckless as himself, then maybe, he could have gotten away with the most impressive coup in Fire Nation history. He would now have to resign himself to a dirtier, less dignified path, but that did not change the end result; he would rule, the other nations would know their place, and the Fire Nation's reign would know no bounds.
As he and his guards approached the royal gallery, he spotted the entrance to the hall they needed to make their scene; to his luck, a few guards were already stationed outside, and clearly noticed the Prince approaching them, with flames in each of his palms. He did not relent, creating two fire streams which coursed out from his hands, blasting right into the Imperial Firebenders who were thrown right off their feet before they could try to muster a defence. They slid on the gleaming, polished floor of the hallway, allowing him to walk right up to the doors of the hall, blasting them open with a concentrated fire blast, which almost knocked the doors off their hinges.
Guards, who had probably come from around the palace, stood ready to face the threat that had just knocked down the doors, and they turned to look his way, all of them tensing up, "He's here!" one of them shouted out, as they all moved into form.
Not all of them were quick enough, and the Prince shot out a volley of fireballs, knocking a number of guards back while his own men ran in behind him, creating fire streams which set the furnishings and wallpaper alight as flames began to consume the hall. He rushed forward, throwing bolts of fire at every Imperial Firebender who even tried to approach him; they were thrown back, some of them tripped and others just knocked out by the force of his attacks, while some remained steadfast, bending his flames apart as he drew closer.
Those that were unlucky enough to stand in front of the Prince felt the full brunt of his bending, struck down by arcs of fire, which mightn't have been able to cut through their armour, but certainly was able to force them onto the floor; when one of them tried to grab him, Ozai grappled his wrist, and covered his hand with flames, the heat of his flames burning the guard, even through his fire-proof forearm-guards. He let out a cry of pain, and the Prince punched off his helmet, before he grabbed his head, hammering his jaw right down into his knee; the other guards looked on in fear, but still tried their hardest to fight back.
Flames coursed around, flying over his head and surrounded him and his guards, setting whatever could be set aflame into an inferno which began consuming the whole room. The lack of air forced Ozai to slow his breathing, but he didn't falter, knowing that his distraction would require far more damage to be believable. He spun himself around, gathering the flames that had been fired his way and turning them into his own weapon; he felt the heat disperse, which gave him some breathing room, quite literally, as the enemy was forced back as the flames encroached upon them.
"Your highness!" he heard Dadao shout out, "There's more coming!" he warned him, and the Prince turned around, noting a new group of guards coming through the doors as the flames began to die down, allowing him to see how many guards were around.
Ozai spun his fingers around, knowing it was the time to utilise his greatest ability, and narrowed his eyes on his enemies as he generated a lightning bolt, firing it right into the ground where the guards stood; killing one of them would be pointless, but shocking them off their feet and allowing his own men to swoop in, that was effective enough. The lightning seemed to even scare his own men, but when the thundering boom ended, they could see that the path out of the hall was open.
"Let's go!" he ordered them, and thrust his fist forward, creating a fire stream to hit the guards who remained standing.
Those who were unlucky enough to find themselves where the lightning struck soon found themselves barraged by fireballs, or simply stomped on by his men, who were unwilling to let any potential pursuers go unharmed. They had already shocked and hurt enough of the guards that Ozai's plan could come to fruition; chaos was his weapon, not firebending, and he was ready to utilise it to its maximum potential. Given everyone fighting except for himself was an Imperial Firebender, nobody could tell friend from foe, and that was exactly what he was counting on.
Rushing past the beaten guards and back through the door, he ran down the hallway, certain that the guard he had ordered to retrieve the prisoner would have done just that. He glanced back for a moment, realising even more Imperial Firebenders were about to swarm them; he knew where he had to go, but he didn't know if he had the time to do it. His sprinting was quickly exhausting him, due to the weight of the royal robes he usually donned around the palace, so he knew he had to conserve his energy once he reached his target.
When he made sight of the guard and the prisoner, whose face was covered, but whose clothes were exactly what he expected; he was wearing the same royal robes as Ozai, just as requested, and hopefully, the guards wouldn't be able to tell the difference when his face was burnt off. The guard tensed up, perhaps thinking something had gone wrong.
"Your highness?" he addressed him nervously, grippign the prisoner's arm tightly.
"Take off the bag." he ordered him, and he did just that, revealing the prisoner's face; though he wasn't an exact lookalike, he had the same long dark hair and a goatee that was at face value, practically the same; it helped that he'd had the guards shave the prisoner so he didn't look as unkempt and dirty as he might have been otherwise.
He was still gagged, and Ozai didn't care for what he had to say, but was simply pleased to have him before him, "Thank you... you have done more than fail... you have allowed me to have my victory." he acknowledged, before setting his palm alight, charging a fireblast in it.
The prisoner squirmed, trying to free himself by firebending at his shackles, and even trying to breathe flames through his gag, but that did not help him quickly enough; Ozai slammed his palm into the prisoner's face, setting it alight, his muffled screams echoing down the hallway, as the Prince drew his hand back. He turned his flames down the hallway, creating a fire stream to set the roof alight, hoping that the damage might just slow down his pursuers for a moment.
"What now, your highness?" the guard asked him, still holding up the now unconscious prisoner, and the Prince just smirked, before shooting a fireball into a nearby wall; it activated one of the many secret passageways throughout the palace, allowing Ozai to leap inside, glancing back for just a moment to acknowledge the guard and his effort.
"Let them believe they have their victory, for now." he acknowledged, before the secret door shut between them, leaving the Prince in the darkness.
He didn't waste a moment, running down the dark passageway, knowing he had to reach his refuge, where he had hidden everything he would need to get out of the palace; the Imperial Firebenders might block every entrance, on the surface and in the catacombs, but he knew how he could walk right out without being stopped. His fight was not over, but for the moment, he would have no choice but to hide himself, just like his son had before him. It was either that or a straight fight, and he knew that with the latter, he would have no chance of victory; for a man with a mission like his own, death was no option, even if he died valiantly against his foes.
"If only my son knew I was using his own tactics to my advantage." he mumbled to himself as he approached the door out of the passageway; he had no choice but to open it, whether there was danger or safety on the other side- turning back was never an option.
