Summer 99 AG
Ember Island
Zuko
Finally, it was time for my reintroduction to the court of the fire nation, I was dressed opulently perhaps I was a bit overdressed but after being out of the public eye for so long a strong impression could do the difference when it comes to the perception of my position, as always I had some clothes beneath me which were easier to move in and I was not being cooked alive because I finally managed to control the heat of my surroundings.
I was still very far away from freezing an enemy with my mastery of the ability but I was getting there, on the other hand, it seemed that my Kryptonian powers were starting to stagnate, it wasn't surprising I was already at what someone could call a tier five Kryptonian, it was going to take a while for me to jump to the next tier.
Having enhanced senses was neat and I was sure that if I focused on training my ability to hear I would be able to tell if someone is lying with their pulse just like many superheroes with super hearing, an ability like that would become more valuable as my rebellion gained traction.
"Are you ready for this?" Iroh looked worried even if he knew that there was no one actually capable of harming me on the island but I guess he remembers the last time Ozai made a spectacle out of me.
"I've never been more ready in my life" I was about to enter enemy territory with only Iroh by my side and I felt good about our odds.
Finally, we left my home and made our way to Ozai's new place, there was no royal procession or even a guide, it was a move to humiliate me to make me doubt myself and what I was worth. Ozai was thinking I was the same person, and he couldn't be further from the truth. I was going to be a god someday and this will be nothing but a memory in time.
The guards at the door didn't seem surprised at my arrival and even from outside I could hear the music and the way the people whispered, some were waiting to confirm the rumors, others simply were waiting for a spectacle after all it wasn't every day that one could make fun of a royal, Ozai didn't seem to be speaking content in watching the people and Azula was bothering a servant just for fun, it seems that our conversation didn't shake her as much as I thought it would.
The guard opened the doors wide and silence engulfed the room, dozens of eyes set themselves on me, they waited for Ozai to say something, and just when they were losing interest Ozai made them move away so I could have a straight shot at him.
Iroh and I walk calmly towards the makeshift throne he sits in but the heaviness of the stares is starting to become annoying, once we are there Ozai waits for me to kneel but he is left waiting as I will never again kneel for another…unless it's for sex.
"My unworthy son" he speaks slowly, savoring each word, making a spectacle of our family troubles "Where have your travels taken you?"
"From roaming the earth and from walking back and forth in it" a non-answer, a copout, one perhaps too biblical to be understood by him..
Ozai was not amused and the torches beside him sprang up scaring the people behind us, he was all show and no nuance, a boy that resented his father for loving his brother more and that lived with no love in his heart, Ozai probably didn't even love himself.
"Are you finished? I would like to eat" the fire that was rising launched itself at me, I could have stopped it and shown him that even if I wasn't 'blessed' he would be no threat to me, but this was a perfect opportunity to show everyone my resistance to fire, it was a shame about the outfit though I quite liked it.
The fire splashed harmlessly against me even as it burned my clothes, the torrent of flame intensifying for a few seconds before disappearing completely, once more my chest was bare for the world to see and the gasps behind me are sadly not about my figure but my lack of damage.
"You can go and eat, I just wanted to demonstrate your little trick for our guests" Ozai dismissed me with a sneer on his face.
I could already hear the whispers, the division between the royal family was plain for all to see and the ambitious ones would use this opportunity to get ahead in whatever way they could.
"You should sit with me Azula," I said before leaving, Azula huffed cutely at me and didn't even speak a word but there was a hint of hesitance in her eyes.
Iroh and I moved towards the food, since there was going to be some fighting later thanks to Ozai's plan to humiliate me I planned to stay shirtless. Once we were a far distance away from prying ears I decided to speak with Iroh.
"That worked out nicely, it's nice being able to rely on Ozai for once even if I'm just relaying in his terrible attitude" there was a smile on my face as I said those words, and before I continued I grabbed something that looked like a shrimp but since this was the avatar world it was probably half shrimp half something else "Should I mingle or wait for anyone to approach me?"
"Ozai's temperament will be his undoing." Iroh was laying waste to some pieces of fish as he spoke "Patience is a virtue Zuko and it always brings great rewards"
"Be careful not to eat too much uncle, we wouldn't want the dragon of the west to turn into the whale of the west"
"You should know" Iroh spoke between bites "That if I wanted, I could lose all this weight in less than a month"
"Perhaps it's time for you to prove it," I was observing the crowd looking for Mai, but I couldn't see her anywhere "things are going to get more dangerous from here on out"
An unexpected figure came toward us as we were speaking, I hadn't seen the man in years and while I respected his abilities as far as I was concerned, he was a non-threat.
I showed respect to the man by bowing before finally greeting him "Master Piandao, it's been a long time since I last saw you"
"Zuko, I hope you have continued to practice your swordsmanship" Piandao looked at Iroh and stretched out his hand "I didn't think that I would see you again general"
Iroh shook Piandao's hand and smiled "You have my eternal thanks for teaching Zuko the art of the sword, I heard that you still refuse to take new students, it would be a true shame if your techniques disappeared"
Piandao laughed at the unspoken reprimand and then spoke "It was my pleasure, Zuko has a real talent for the way of the sword and everything he has learned is a credit to his effort, not mine and your memory must be failing you as I have had students before"
"Not real students." Iroh grumbled before confusion spread across his face "Aren't you worried about being arrested? you deserted the army and Ozai has never taken people disobeying him well"
"I have already humiliated his army when they came for me before, the Fire Lord wouldn't dare to try again for fear of another failure"
"Wait" I interrupted. "Then the story about you defeating a hundred men on your own was real?"
"Yes, but for obvious reasons the army tried to bury the incident, it was impossible as there were too many witnesses and from personal experience, I can tell you that military men enjoy gossip just as much as housewives…perhaps more"
They shared another laugh before Piandao decided to leave, his fearless approach to us opened the gates and soon we were surrounded by nobles wanting to know about our trip and others asking about Agni. I was surprised by the lack of shame in these people that just moments before thought of me as someone lower than any of them.
I let Iroh speak for us. I answered some questions but refrained from speaking too much as anything I said could be taken in vastly different directions, but Iroh had some protection thanks to his fame.
A sound reached my ears, it was the sound of a woman sighing and I know only one woman who could be bored in an event like this one, excusing myself from the crowd, I moved to the stairs and made my way up, after looking around I finally saw my target staring out at the night sky from a balcony.
I walked as silently as possible while approaching her and just before she turned around I groped her ass "Hello Mai"
Atjor note hey guys its me again you know how it goes, i hope your all doing great, i finally got grammarly so there should be no more mistakes in this chapter. there chapters are going to be more or less this size for a while as i try to manage my life so i apologize for that.
