Iroh

Iroh was worried, this unexpected meeting called by Ozai could be a trap, but the prospect of death wasn't what worried him, Iroh had lived a long life, he had experienced almost everything it had to offer and sampled life's highs and lows both.

If he died in this exact moment, he would only have one regret and that would be not being there for Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord and it was exactly that what worried him, his nephew Zuko and his attitude, Iroh knew that Zuko had greatness in him even before the sun had blessed him, nevertheless, Zuko had his faults, he was quick to anger, lacked patience and had a disturbingly callous disregard for the life of those that weren't his subjects.

The first two could and would go away given enough time, age tempers one's character and the fear of lagging behind that all young people had, but his attitude towards the common people of the world was a cause for concern.

Iroh had long suspected that there was something inherently wrong with his brother, Ozai had never been a normal man and his children had inherited some part of the malicious spirit he carried, Azula being the perfect example of that; Zuko thought that he could fix his sister, but Iroh feared that there really was nothing to heal and that Azula simply was like that from the start.

The old general couldn't help but sigh at Zuko's faith in his sister, he didn't know where it came from or why it remained despite the proof of Azula's madness, the girl was crazy and she lacked most of the redeeming qualities that Zuko showed and Iroh thought that even saying 'most' was him being kind and giving Azula the benefit of the doubt when it came to the matter of her feelings for Zuko, Iroh honestly didn't know if she would kill Zuko if given the chance.

The people on the streets that were on his way to the new house Ozai had built stared at him and whispered but he barely paid attention to the chattering people, Iroh had had a lifetime to get used to the attention of the people, and in his tenure as general he had heard worse things from the soldiers, it was a point of pride for Iroh that he never really spoke with profanities even when he had spent a long time on the frontlines of the war.

Finally, he arrived at the destination that was written in the message, it was a new palace-like building perhaps twice the size of the home where Zuko had met Ozai, it had banners hanging everywhere a statement of who owned the place no doubt, a servant came and greeted him at the door before companying him to the place where they would eat.

The boy opened the door but didn't step inside and quickly closed it once Iroh had entered the room, a long table with only three chairs was waiting, and on top of it rested enough food for a feast, it was wasteful, extravagant and everything that Iroh had come to expect from his brother.

Speaking of whom, Iroh looked at the head of the table where Ozai sat and watched at his right Azula sat there pensive and barely paying attention to the food on her plate, Iroh walked over to the open seat.

"You look good Iroh, I hope this humble meal is enough to satiate your appetite" trust Ozai to start a conversation with a fat joke, Iroh almost snorted at the childish attempt of his brother to make him uncomfortable "We have many things to talk about and don't hold back your thoughts on my account, I've sent away the servants so we can have total privacy"

Iroh wasn't sure if he believed him, for all that he knew a battalion of firebenders could drop from the ceiling or rush through the doors if he said the wrong thing.

"Thank you, little brother," if Ozai thought that he could insult Iroh with impunity he was wrong, the not-so-subtle reminder of his seniority made his brother scowl "Would you like to talk about something in particular while I'm here?"

Iroh wasn't going to be the one to bring up the topic of Zuko, not if he wanted to control the flow of the conversation and Ozai was always impatient so Iroh wouldn't have to wait too much, but perhaps his brother would surprise him with some restraint.

"I will be honest with you" Ozai looked as if he had eaten a rotten fish as he spoke "I would like for you to stay in the capital, a new wave of officers is being prepared to take control of the armies in the colonies and I would like you to help them"

Azula was surprisingly silent Iroh had expected her to question his abilities or even a simple insult, his niece being so unusually calm was unnerving and distracted him from his blatant attempt of Ozai to make him stay away from Zuko as if he would ever consider such a thing, Iroh would only part ways with Zuko if he was the one who asked for it.

Ozai noticed the look he was giving Azula and smiled "I'm glad you think highly of Azula, but I don't believe she is ready for such a big post; besides she lacks experience when it comes to organizing the necessary things for the war effort"

No such thing had passed through his mind but Iroh would leave his brother to his delusions "oh, yes…I also have noticed that her temperament seems to have cooled off"

"Yes, she's become more patient and useful unlike the other one" finally it seemed that it was time to talk about Zuko.

"You are being a bit harsh, I doubt that someone chosen by Agni would be deficient in any way" unspoken was that anyone not chosen was lacking in worth in the eyes of the sun and the scowl of Ozai told Iroh that his brother understood the message.

"Everyone makes mistakes, but I think this is the first time that a spirit has made such a big one" Ozai placed the cup in front of him to his lips and drank the wine within before continuing "Zuko is still very lacking"

"I wouldn't know why you think so, your son told me that you were very impressed by the ability granted to him to resist the flames you let out"

"The fact that he is out there, proud of an ability that isn't his is enough to tell me enough about his abilities and personality" Ozai almost spat out the words.

"I don't believe it our place to say whether someone deserves and ability or not, the fact of the matter is that he has it and that even if it's a reward or gift is not a shameful thing to have"

"Please," Ozai's disgust was clear, "you can't still believe that Agni cares? The first sign of activity in more than two hundred years, and what did he do? give my unworthy son a blessing!"

"You should be careful with your words brother" Iroh's warning was delivered with deadly seriousness.

"Are you threatening me, brother?" The heat in the room was starting to rise and the flames along the walls that illuminated the room rose along Ozai's tone. Azula, who had been lost in her thoughts, finally seemed to be paying attention to what was happening and put her hands on the table ready to spring up and attack Iroh.

"It was a warning, spirits are proud beings, and I don't think Agni takes kindly to insults" Iroh answered Ozai without backing down as there were signs of fire in his mouth, The Dragon of the West was ready to start roaring at a moment's notice.

The fight that was about to break out was stopped by a servant funnily enough, the man opened the door while bowing "My Lord, there is an urgent message from commander Zhao, I apologize but it appears to be very urgent"

Ozai would normally not stop or back down even if it caused the deaths of others but fighting Iroh was the opposite of what he wanted right now so he stopped and with a quick word had the message placed directly into his hands.

"We were being a tad violent, I will give you some time to think about my offer brother, for your sake I hope you make the right decision"

Ozai stood up and left the room while reading the letter, Azula looked at his back but remained in her spot and looked at the food that she had ignored while Iroh and Ozai were talking.

Azula sat down with a huff and started eating a little bit of everything as Iroh watched, he was hungry too but even as he wanted to try some of the other dishes but refrained from grabbing anything that was not first eaten by Azula, perhaps he was being a bit paranoid but when royalty had always had a predisposition for accidents some caution was better than none.

"You've been lost in thought for a while now Azula, would you like to share your troubles? I might be able to help" Iroh wasn't expecting her to take his advice or even pay attention to his offer, but he made the effort to try and reach his niece for Zuko's sake.

To his surprise, Azula thought about the offer before dismissing the thought and that was more than what Iroh was expecting, perhaps Zuko was right and he could reach Azula as it seemed that even just being close had given her some patience, he continued his meal in silence along with her and waited to see if she would try to share anything with him.


Mai

Mai was still shocked about what happened when she saw Zuko, Mai knew that he would be a different person. It was impossible for him not to change after what happened and even more, after traveling the world for almost three years, but she really wasn't expecting his new attitude and boldness.

Mai did not blush easily, in fact, most emotions didn't come easily to her, perhaps it was simply a quirk of her personality or that there really was nothing interesting to live for, regardless of that, Zuko had always been able to make her feel…things.

She was not about to say love and start spinning around Tylee style while screaming about happy things, Mai was mature enough to recognize that she was attracted to Zuko, that she wanted to spend time with him and have his attention all to herself. All of that was even before she saw him again.

Her legs rubbed together, and heat pooled in her stomach as she imagined once more the chiseled muscles of Zuko, he had become surprisingly muscular and he had gotten bigg- taller, she corrected herself before she thought of something even more inappropriate.

Zuko had been very bold, very, very, bold and Mai liked it. It was nice to know that the man you wanted to date clearly appreciated your beauty, not that she cared if he said it, just that he showed her that he did.

Mai wanted to see him again, perhaps she would be a little adventurous and let Zuko hold her hand while kissing, maybe more if she liked how it felt. It would be more comfortable for her if they met at her vacation home but sneaking Zuko inside her house was an impossibility and her father doesn't appreciate Zuko as much as he did before, if he caught him in her room he would probably go to the Fire Lord and cause trouble for him.

Sometimes Mai wished for the ability to be as uncaring as Azula, if she didn't give a damn for her family or the politics that surrounded it she would pack her clothes and go along with Zuko.
There was hope still as rumors were running rampant on the island right now, as the news of Ozai meeting Zuko and of Iroh having dinner with Ozai and Azula gave some measure of credibility to the other rumor that had been starting to get traction in the higher echelons of society.

If Zuko was really blessed by Agni and proved his worth in the competition Ozai prepared for him then maybe her dreams of going with him could be realized, if Zuko's exile was revoked then her father would probably throw Mai into the ship himself.

The possibility of being the wife of the Fire Lord was too good to pass up and if Mai was being honest the higher rank she would have in court over Azula would make her happy, not that she would ever tell or imply to Azula that she is better than her, Mai liked her skin as it was.


Minister Qin

"How did it go? Was he interested?" The voice of one of his collaborators came from the corner of the room, the man standing in the shadow as Qin approached him, they didn't know if one of Ozai's pets was following one of them so they didn't have much time.

"He was receptive, you will be happy to know that his uncle is loyal to the bone and now it's a matter of when rather than if he moves, we could end this war in a year or less if things go according to the plan" Qin spoke in hushed tone making sure to look around as if he was simply admiring the view.

"This is great news! I have to ask though if things were to go badly could we win?" for all the seriousness of the question, his 'friend' had a rather playful tone.

"We can, it would take time and we would lose much but in the end, we would win. You haven't asked about the security around our new friend, so I assume you know something"

"He was attacked recently, low-level mercenaries that were not very skilled but as you know numbers tend to put battles into perspective, our friend handled things and didn't even get a scratch, clearly his uncle has been teaching him how to fight"

Qin was not an experienced fighter by any means, and he had little knowledge about the actual way to wage war, his expertise was in the mechanical and administrative side of things so he would trust his shadowy friend when it came to such things.

"Will you approach his uncle? I know that you are familiar with each other, perhaps with the two of you-"

"No" the word came out softly but it had an unexpected edge that made Qin stop talking and pay attention "What we are doing, what I'm doing goes against the purpose of our organization, and no matter the reasons his uncle would not forgive the misuse of funds I've engaged in"

Qin didn't know the general personally, so he held his tongue and proceeded to swallow any comment or question about the subject and changed it entirely "his father visited him" Qin let the words hang in the air the message carried across clearly to the man in the shadows.

"I will try to contact some students who are loyal to me, they won't raise much alarm in the eyes of his father and this way we can communicate in an easier manner" with those words the man left and Qin continued with his exploration of the island.


Author note: my computer trouble continues but here i am, also i finally got grammarly so this should be better. as always i hope you have a great day. feel free to check out my below.

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