(Author's Note: The timeline of this fic would stray away from the original timeline of the Canon Animated Series, but regardless, I'll do my best to keep some canonical elements of the original timeline)
Chapter 1
[Spring, 103 AG – Somewhere Within the City of Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom]
"I must say, I'm surprised to see you here on such short notice, my dear nephew.", the old man commented, chuckling as he poured tea on to the cup, "You usually send out a letter or message whenever you visit."
The young man, in his late teens and approaching his early 20's sighed, "I'm sorry for coming unannounced Uncle, I hope you'll pardon the intrusion."
The old man, well within his late 50's let out a hearty laugh, "Nonsense! I'm always looking forward to seeing my favourite nephew whenever he comes by for a visit!"
"I'm your only nephew.", the young man chuckled.
"Right you are, my nephew.", the old man laughed.
It had been two and a half years since the end of the Hundred Years' War, the Avatar alongside his comrades and allies emerged victorious after defeating the Phoenix King during Sozin's Comet and now, are ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity.
That was easier said than done, however. In the immediate aftermath of the War's end, the newly-crowned Fire Lord Zuko, with the support of the Avatar and the rest of the leaders of the world, sought to establish a united tribunal of the four nations to persecute persons of power who had committed atrocities and crimes against humanity during the war. In the Fire Lord's eyes, this would be his first step in guiding the Fire Nation towards the path of reform and to rectify the wrongs committed by his nation and his people after instigating the Hundred Years' War.
Much of the instigators of the war were long dead by now, but that didn't stop the Four Nation's Tribunal from indicting officials and leaders (both civilian and military) who perpetuated the war and committed crimes against humanity.
The cases brought to the judgement of the Four Nations Tribunals were known as the Caldera Trials, named after the Capital of the Fire Nation where the trials were held; war criminals regardless of nation, affiliation, or allegiance were tried before the tribunal in public for all the people of the four nations to witness.
The first man tried was the defeated Phoenix King, whilst much of the representatives of the tribunal (especially the representatives from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes) sought to have him executed, the Avatar intervened in his case (just as he spared the Phoenix King's life) and the tribunal settled to sentencing him to life in prison without the possibility of parole and by permanently barring him from ever being seated on the Fire Nation's Throne or holding any sort of civilian or military position or office ever again.
Apart from the disgraced Phoenix King, many high-profile cases included that of the former Crown Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, many high-ranking civilian and military officials of the Fire Nation's Government and Imperial Military, and even Earth Kingdom officials such as Long Feng, much of the leadership of the Earth Kingdom's Dai Li, and rouge officials and warlords who sided with the Fire Nation and perpetuated crimes and atrocities.
Even the retired General Iroh, the Dragon of the West wasn't spared from the tribunals. Whilst the Fire Lord did what he could to spare and protect his uncle from the courts, he willingly surrendered to the tribunal's custody and to undergo investigation.
...
(Recollection)
[Autumn, 100 AG – Royal Caldera City, Fire Nation)
"You don't have to go Uncle, I'll speak with the other leaders, you're the Liberator of Ba Sing Se! You're not a criminal!", the Fire Lord spoke, his voice filled with distraught.
The old general chuckled, "I appreciate you looking out for me, my dear nephew, but I wish to surrender willingly and to be placed under the tribunal's custody. I may have liberated Ba Sing Se from my brother's armies but never forget that I myself once also laid siege to the city at the head of the same conquering army. I am not innocent from crimes or offenses I may or may not have willingly committed during my time in service to my nation's military and I wholeheartedly accept whatever punishment I may be sentenced to."
"But Uncle-"
"Silence.", the old General cut the young Fire Lord off, "I understand that you wish to protect me, Zuko, and for that I am truly grateful. But please consider the new position you find yourself in. You're the Fire Lord now, He Who Sits on the Dragon's Throne, He Who is the Sovereign Ruler the Fire Nation, as is your birthright with the Divine Right to Rule from Agni himself. Your feelings for me, for the rest of your family, and to the people you hold dear shouldn't stand in the way of you fulfilling your duty to your nation, to your people, and to the people of the world."
The Fire Lord's gaze fell. "If you truly wish to set our nation and our people towards the path of redemption from the horrors we've committed by starting this war, you must never stand in the way of justice, even if justice seeks to adjudicate members of your family or the people you love.", the old General, his uncle spoke.
"Never forget all the hardships we've been through, all the battles we overcame, I have come and I do still love you like you were my own son, but please, I ask that you not stand in the way of justice.", he continued, "Justice is blind, but it is swift. It punishes those who have crossed against it and is merciful to those who uphold it."
The old man walked closer to his nephew and smiled, "I believe that justice will be served, I have faith and stand by all the actions I've done. I'm not afraid of whatever sentence I receive and I will serve it with dignity and honour, as any person and honourable man should."
Tears began to fall on the Fire Lord's cheeks, "Please, take care of yourself Uncle."
The old man chuckled, "I will. Have faith, my dear nephew."
...
Much to Zuko's dismay, his uncle was right. If he was seen or even suspected of aiding or abetting his uncle, even if he believes that his uncle is innocent, it would besmirch and ruin the credibility and reputation of the tribunal that he himself called and assembled. It would send a message to the rest of the world the Fire Lord is protecting a Person of Interest from investigation and from being dealt rightful justice.
If he truly seeks to set his nation and lead his people towards the right path, he would have to think of the greater good first.
Lucky for him (and his uncle, for that matter), the tribunal carefully and thoroughly reviewed his history of service and found that he had committed no atrocities nor any crimes against humanity. His uncle had routinely and had never deviated nor disregarded the rules and conduct of warfare even when a majority of his colleagues, contemporaries, and even his father (the late Fire Lord Azulon) actively went against it and even rewarded those who did. He had been respectful and merciful to civilians and captured enemy combatants, even protecting them from being violated or being unjustly killed by his contemporaries or his subordinates.
His Liberation of Ba Sing Se alongside his allies in the Order of the White Lotus King Bumi, Master Piandao, Master Pakku, and fellow retired General Jeong Jeong had him hailed as a hero when his case had been concluded.
The tribunal gave their verdict, General Iroh is found innocent and apart from that, is to be hailed as a hero; the Dragon of the West, and one of the Great Liberators of Ba Sing Se.
Under the same pretext, retired General Jeong Jeong and Master Piandao were also given the same verdicts and were hailed as war heroes and given similar honours.
...
The Fire Lord, and even Team Avatar were much relieved, Uncle Iroh is freed from any wrongdoing.
The old man was much visibly delighted more than he was relieved, "I can finally go back to my tea shop!", he laughed.
...
Whilst the tribunals were an objective success, most of those implicated and indicted for war crimes and crime against humanity were Fire Nation leaders and officials more than leaders and officials from the rest of the four nations.
This made logical sense to much of the people of the world as the Fire Nation did start and perpetuate the war, many in the upper echelons of Fire Nation society, the nobility, and the military establishment (most of whom were nationalists, militarists, and conservatives), saw the tribunals as the new Fire Lord's way of purging the government, noble classes, and military leadership.
The tribunals made Fire Lord Zuko popular with the world and established his legacy as a man of justice, a far cry from his predecessors and just as he intended, but by doing so, he found himself a target to people of power within his own nation who view him as a traitor; a person who should be removed from office or worse, exterminated.
"What seems to be on your mind, my dear nephew?", Uncle Iroh asked, his nephew was visibly distraught and his sudden visit would indicate that he had plenty on his mind.
"I wish to seek your advice, Uncle.", Zuko spoke.
"About what?"
Zuko took a long sip, jasmine tea was both his and his Uncle's favourite, "Well, mostly about affairs of state, but also about my well being as well, I guess?"
Iroh also took a sip and nodded, "Speak, my nephew."
"I don't even know where to begin, for starters, I didn't know that there is so much corruption within the Imperial Government and that corruption is very rampant, especially in the more rural constituencies and in the colonies."
"Go on.", his Uncle urged.
"As you know from my letters, there are also nobles and even members of the military who want to depose me from the Throne. We don't know who they are yet nor what their ultimate goals but the Cabinet and the Military Council seems to suggest that these people either want me dead, want to replace me with either Azula or my father, or both."
"How is your sister, by the way?", Uncle Iroh inquired.
Zuko took another sip, "She's still in custody in the Asylum, I don't know why he chose to and continues to choose to do so but the Avatar's been taking a more active approach in her treatment and rehabilitation. He's been visiting her frequently, or at least whenever he can, and has been giving me reports and updates on her health."
"Perhaps the Avatar sees redemption in her as much as he did with you?"
Zuko gave his uncle a curious look, "You were the one who saw redemption in me, it just took me a long time to accept it. Azula though? I don't see what Aang sees in her but she's still my sister, I still care for her, and I wish all the best to her as she undergoes treatment."
"I've also increased the budget allocated to her asylum.", he continued, "Aang reported to me that the asylum wasn't in the best of shape, she was being held in sub-standard conditions and the food she was being served with could barely pass off as edible."
"What did you do then?", his Uncle asked.
"Well, I fired the asylum's administrators, reassigned some of the doctors and medical staff, and hired new administrators and staffers. I've also directed the new administration to send me regular monthly reports on her status and progress. The increased budget to her asylum is being taken straight from my personal coffers and not from the Imperial Treasury so I wouldn't be accused of redirecting or reappropriating funds from the Imperial Budget, and I've been doing what I can to improve her quality of life based off from what Aang reports to me."
"Anything else?"
"Aang asked for explicit permission to grant him visitation rights to her after his first visited, I still don't know why he did so and he was extremely adamant about it. I advised him against it but after what he first reported to me, I ended up agreeing. I still warn him every time he visits though but he's been sending me regular reports as well so I can compare what he's been experiencing to what the asylum's been reporting to me."
His uncle appeared to break into a light laughter.
"Why are you laughing? What's so funny?", Zuko gave his uncle a knowing look.
His uncle took a sip from his cup, "Oh nothing. Anyways, why haven't you visited her?"
Zuko took another sip, "I would if I could, I've been told she's been getting better but she's still quite belligerent, it's very much in my plans to visit her the soonest that I can when both her doctors and Aang says that she's stable enough to."
Uncle Iroh smiled, a light chuckle still there, "Well, that sounds reasonable, please do send my regards to the Avatar the next time you see him, I do miss having him here in the shop too."
Zuko smiled and nodded, "Will do, Uncle."
"So.", Uncle Iroh continued, "Would you like to continue about state affairs?"
"Oh... right.", Zuko replied, his tone changing.
"What else bothers you, my nephew?", Iroh further inquired.
"Well, much of what I'll say, I've already told you from the many letters I've sent.", Zuko took another sip.
He extended his arms, cup in hand, his uncle refilling the tea in his cup.
"The last time I wrote, I survived 3 assassination attempts, now, that's risen to 5.", Zuko continued, "Mai's seriously questioned the competence and even the loyalty of the Imperial Guards and the Security Forces so we've hired the Kyoshi Warriors to serve as my guards unit and protection detail for the time being."
"I thank the spirits for your safety.", Iroh commented, pouring himself another cup of tea, "Please, continue."
"Well, apart from the threats to my life and subversive elements of my own government and military acting against me, the people are also protesting about the country's economic state. Inflation is on the rise and with the demobilization of the military, more citizens are unemployed. The government also has to pay out more pensions to retired and honourably discharged personnel, unemployment benefits, and subsidies on top of the reparations we have to pay to the Four Nations in currency, skilled and knowledgeable manpower, food and supplies, and raw materials. More money is being expended by the Imperial Treasury than income being generated from taxes, tariffs, and state businesses."
"And by the spirits, I want to throw King Kuei into the volcano on Roku's Island.", Zuko shook his head in furstration.
Uncle Iroh gave him a knowing look, "How so?"
"Well, from the recent Four Nations' Summit, King Kuei proposed the further demobilization of the Imperial Military, I've already demobilized 20% each from the service personnel and officers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and now he wants me to demobilize further!"
"What did he propose?", Uncle Iroh asked.
Zuko grunted, "He proposed that a further 40% be demobilized from each of the military service branches. Is he fucking stupid? Why would I demobilize a majority of my Armed Forces? I've already demobilized many officers and servicement for the sake of post-war peace!"
Uncle Iroh sighed, "Know that I do not support what King Kuei is attempting to do, but perhaps to provide insight into his perspective, our military did ramapage across the world for a century. Perhaps he wishes to further placate the Fire Nation's ability to wage aggressive warfare and guarantee the security of the Earth Kingdom and the other nations?"
"Oh I'm sure he does.", Zuko snickered. "King Kuei's also been pestering me about full decolonization, I've already agreed to relinquishing all captured territories under military occupation but he still won't stop buggering about the colonies under administrative government. The Avatar and I visited the colonies and we've seen how people from both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom have come to co-exist, I won't tear apart families and abandon Fire Nation Citizens with a unilateral withdrawal. He proposes that I relocate all Fire Nation Citizens back to the Home Islands but seeing as how he doesn't see or perhaps actually care about the welfare of our nation, we're in no position to relocate millions of people back to the Home Islands. Not to mention the further strain it would put on our economy with the sudden influx of people."
"From the sound of things, it would appear that he seeks revenge.", Uncle Iroh commented, "His nation was humiliated for 100 years after all, not to mention the personal humiliation on his rule by being clueless about the war and being misled and usurped by Long Feng. And of course, your sister capturing Ba Sing Se under his watch."
Zuko took a long sip to help calm his nerves, "Believe me, I know Uncle."
"Okay.", Uncle Iroh replied, "Let's return to the issue of demobilization."
"Right. Well, the rest of the world leaders supported Kuei. Aang isn't really aware much of military matters, pretty much clueless, but he condoned the idea of less soldiers threatening world peace. I was able to talk to Aang whenever the Summit isn't in session and I explained to him the strain it will have on the Fire Nation if such a large demobilization would push through, not to mention that it would increase the threats to my head and also destabilize my reign further."
"What did the Avatar say?"
"I was able to reason with him, at the very least. He didn't want his friend dead and some extremist or ultranationalist usurping the Throne. With his support, I was able to negotiate a 10% demobilization instead. To keep the good will of the other world leaders, I agreed to deploy forces overseas to provide further aid and assistance to global reconstruction and recovery efforts."
"And of the colonies?"
"Right now, the colonies are under a temporary joint occupation agreement between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, except for the colonies established prior to the start of the war. Each colony under joint occupation would have a governor and deputy governor each serving for a term of 6 months and with each position alternating between Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom officials. Each colony now also has a Colonial Council consisting of 10 members, 5 from the Fire Nation and the remaining 5 from the Earth Kingdom. It's a temporary solution, I know, but with this, I'm hoping to buy time while I deal with more pressing matters and affairs at home."
"What of the colonies established by Sozin prior to the start of the war? Like Yu Dao?"
"They'll remain under Fire Nation control retaining their respective colonial governments, while there is a sizable Earth Kingdom minority, a majority of the population are Fire Nation Citizens with a sizable firebending population. I was also able to negotiate that because those colonies were established prior to the start of the war, they were legitimate settlements that were negotiated between Fire Lord Sozin and the then-Earth King Jialun, as such, they weren't obtained through conquests during the war; not to mention that the population wasn't as diverse as the other colonies. With all these, I argued that they should remain under full Fire Nation control for the forseeable future."
"And the Summit Representatives approved?"
"Obviously, King Kuei was very irritated, but I was able to gather the support of the other representatives. It was also helpful that Aang was with me when we visited the colonies."
Uncle Iroh, he was glad that his nephew had grown into a respectable and dignified man of honour. He was proud of what his nephew was able to accomplish so far in his reign and while he has many challenges to deal with, he's confident that his nephew will be a wise and just ruler. Though he wishes he could've mentored him more on politics, he's glad that he was able to make his own way and learn on his own, albeit he had to face threats against both his life and his rule almost every day.
"It seems that you were able to control things so far, what do you wish to seek advice on, my dear nephew?", Iroh questioned, taking a sip from his cup.
Zuko sighed, "I'm at a loss at the moment, Uncle. Nobles and officials from the military want to depose me, the economy is on the barely on the verge of collapsing, and the other nations want to extort more concessions from me. Aang and our friends do what they can to help but their priorities are on their own respective nations right now, not mine, and Aang's responsibilities are to the rest of the world. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place and I don't know what to do anymore."
"Hmmmm.", Uncle Iroh was in thought, "Well, for what it's worth, I fully support the actions you've taken, they may not be the best but given your position, you were able to negotiate decent terms so far. Though I feel that perhaps, you are just stalling for time that you can't afford to waste."
"I am.", Zuko replied.
"I have nothing to provide in terms of a concrete plan, for now, but I can provide some ideas to hopefully help you make better decisions.", Uncle Iroh spoke.
"For starters, I recommend that you bolster the Economic Ministry and allocate whatever resources are available to investing in the economy.", he began, "Negotiate with the magnates and business leaders for concessions to build more factories so you can increase economic output. You just laid off a massive chunk of the military, perhaps you can start a program to provide jobs to the war veterans by having them employed in the farms and factories, they'll continue to contribute to nation through their tax payments which could offset the costs the Treasury spends on their pensions."
"As for the unruly nobles, I disgreed with you when you dismissed plenty of them as well as some military officials. Many of them were career officials with varying loyalties to the old regime, perhaps if you could've dealt with them by having them retire with a generous severance package of sorts for their years of service, you wouldn't be dealing with such a strong resistance right now.", Uncle Iroh said as he took another sip of tea then proceeded to refill his cup.
Zuko's gaze fell on the floor, "I'm sorry uncle."
Uncle Iroh gave him a light smile and patted his shoulder, "I'm not mad at you Zuko, though I hope that now, you've learned your lesson and people like these must be dealt with finesse."
"I do, Uncle."
"Okay, now, perhaps you could reinstate some skilled, knowledgeable, or talented nobles and retired officers who could prove useful and loyal, provide them with new positions and handle them with oversight. As for the nobles and officers you've already dismissed, you can provide them with the severance package I was speaking of earlier. Deliver it as a token of gratitude on behalf of the Fire Nation and of the people, thanking them for their years of service to the nation, finance it from your personal coffers if necessary. Some will think that you're paying them off and some will think you're bribing for their support, regardless, they'll still accept the gift from the Fire Lord and will mostly placate them as threats to you in the future."
Uncle Iroh continued, "As for the demobilization situation, what are the terms you've agreed upon at the seasonal Summit?"
"A further 10% demobilization of our forces.", Zuko answered.
"Does that include troops in the Home Islands and law enforcement like the Domestic Forces? Or security personnel like the security services?", Uncle Iroh inquired.
"No."
"Then perhaps, you can reassign officers and servicemen to the Domestic Forces and to the Imperial Security Service. You can also establish a Territorial Force to defend and protect as serve as law enforcement in the colonies and overseas territories that the Fire Nation has firm control over."
"Wouldn't Kuei think that all this reshuffling is just us trying to prevent or avoid demobilization?", Zuko questioned.
"Does the agreement include a demobilization of domestic forces, law enforcement, security personnel, and peacekeeping units in the Home Islands and colonies?"
"No."
"Then there's your answer. King Kuei and the other leaders fear the size of the Imperial Military because they fear that it could be used to wage another aggressive war, but if what you told me before is to be believed, they don't care nor do they concern the domestic matters of the Fire Nation. Would it concern them if you were downsizing the military as agreed upon, and your "reorganization" and "restructuring" of domestic units, law enforcement, security services, and peacekeeping units within the Home Islands and colonies under firm Fire Nation control are in order to better protect yourself and to preserve peace and quell chaos in the Fire Nation?"
Zuko shook his head.
"I though so.", Iroh chuckled, "With that in mind, not only will you be able to fullfill the terms of the demobilization agreement from the Summit, you'll also be able to bolster security at home, keep the servicemen and officers employed, and even open up recruitment to retired or honourably discharged servicemen and officers by providing them with reemployment in the Domestic Forces, Security Services, and Territorial Forces as gendarmerie."
"They're already veterans, well trained and with significant military experience, you won't need to allocate resources to train them.", Uncle Iroh continued, "All you need to do is appoint officers to new roles and have them organize the servicemen in their disposal. Since they're back in active service, the expenses for their pensions will be reverted as expenses for their salaries and you'll be essentially paying them for their services once again rather than having to provide welfare to them as unemployed veterans, not to mention that those expenses will be lower since all these people under revitalized employment will be contributing in taxes again."
Zuko leaned back in his seat, nodding slowly as the idea began to take shape in his mind.
"Back to the economy.", Uncle Iroh spoke, "Apart from the investments and concessions, you can also negotiate with the magnates for better salaries and working conditions for the workers, incentivize them to care for the people and to assist you in providing them work. Even provide some sort of subsidies to large-scale businesses that employ many people and provide good wages and employee benefits to incentivize the magnates to work with you. Oh, and are finished products part of the reparations?"
Zuko gave him a curious look, "No?"
"Then you can further bolster state income by exporting excess finished products and goods to the other nations. Not to mention that perhaps, you can negotiate separate deals with each nation to sell old stockpiles of our weapons and armaments; the nations get to obtain some semblance of improved military equipment far better than what their fielding now, the Fire Nation gets to offload and get rid many of its outdated and surplus equipment, and you can restart military production by replacing the sold-off old stockpiles with newer, more modern, and more up to date equipment."
Zuko stared at his uncle, a sense of awe growing behind his tired eyes. These ideas weren't just clever; they were practical and realistically achievable. They could work.
"You'll also get the benefit of employing more people and discharged servicemen to more factories when military production is restarted. Less people on unemployment benefits and more people contributing to the Treasury through their taxes. If you can, you could also renegotiate for lower reparation payments in exchange for discounted sales of military equipment."
Zuko was deep in thought, absorbing it all, he was thinking of ways on how he could implement these ideas.
"This won't be easy though, Zuko.", Uncle Iroh spoke, "You'll need to negotiate, finesse, and gather the support of the upper classes for this to have its intended effects."
Zuko took a long breath then asked, "And what about the nobles who want me gone? The subversivists?"
"If I may." Uncle Iroh began gently, "I know that your safety is of the utmost importance, but right now, I trust that you and your friends are capable now to protect you, not to mention that you're more than capable of protecting yourself. If you prioritize the dissenters right now without addressing the wider issues of the nation, you're essentially cutting off the heads of a hydra. You'll cut off one head but more shall take its place."
"But, if you begin to address the more important and underlying issues of the nation, not only will you be able to prove your worth as leader, you'll also be able to gather the support of the people.", Uncle Iroh continued, "With the people by your side and supportive of your rule, the subversivists will lose their base of support and you'll be able to target them better with ease."
Zuko nodded, his uncle's words as wise as ever.
"For this, we'll take a play from Ozai and Azula's book.", Uncle Iroh's face stern, "If you wish to weaken your enemy, especially if they're hidden and unseen, target their base of support, strike at their support and they'll be left alone and vulnerable. Do not forget that hard times yield defiance and dissent from the masses. What matters to you right now is that by becoming a just ruler that tackles and addresses the issues of the nation, not only will reforms uplift the people from their current state, you'll also be able to erode and strike at the base of support of your enemies when you decide to begin to target them; the people being with you and supporting you all the way."
A brief silence fell over the teashop as Zuko pondered Uncle Iroh's words, they held truth, they held logic, they held wisdom; it was just up to him now on how best he'll be able to implement and execute them.
Hours passed, the moon now high above the quiet streets of Ba Sing Se as midnight approaches, the city basking in its ethereal glow.
Zuko sat with a calm heart and a clearer mind. The weight of leadership had not vanished but now, it felt manageable. He understood what needed to be done. He had a plan. He had resolve. And most importantly, he had the unwavering support of someone he trusted more than anyone.
He felt that he was now better prepared to deal with the current issues and threats that attempt to plague the Fire Nation, his people, and his rule.
"I can never thank you enough for your wisdom and support, Uncle.", said Zuko with sincerity.
His uncle let out a hearty laugh, "My nephew, know that this is merely the beginning, a first step in a very long and arduous journey ahead. There is still much work to be done."
Zuko smiled and nodded, "Yes, of course Uncle."
Uncle Iroh faced his young nephew, he was much taller now, a much wiser and refined man before him. Gone was the angry, confused boy of their exile. In his place stood a ruler not just of a nation, but of himself; wiser, humbler, stronger.
He placed a hand on his shoulder, "You know, whether you choose to believe me, I believe that you are a far more capable Fire Lord than I could ever be."
Zuko lowered his head in humility, "I wouldn't be here without your guidance."
"Your courage and willpower, more than my guidance.", Uncle Iroh replied.
"Your wisdom, more than my courage and willpower.", Zuko retorted.
The two men laughed as the Fire Lord pulled his uncle into an embrace.
"Thank you, Uncle, for everything.", he spoke.
Uncle Iroh smiled, "Of course, my door is always open to my favourite, one and only nephew."
Zuko laughed.
"As I always say.", Uncle Iroh continued, raising his teacup with a familiar warmth, "There's nothing that couldn't be solved without a good conversation... And even better tea."
The Fire Lord stood tall once more, the haze of uncertainty behind him. There was still much to do, much to face, but he was ready.
His uncle's words echoing in his mind and in his heart as the night deepened, his thoughts thinking and formulating for his next course of action once he returned home.
He had much work to do.
To be continued...