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Mai didn’t even want to be here. Normally she’d be glad to be away from her parents, and spend time with Zuko. But standing in a crowd, watching him fight an Agni Kai, wasn’t really spending time with him.
More than that, she had a bad feeling. She didn’t even know why he was fighting, for one thing. For another, Azula invited her to attend. And only her. Not Ty Lee. Told her with that too-sharp smile, “You don’t want to miss Zuko’s big moment, do you?”
Mai knew Zuko wasn’t as good at firebending as his sister. (He was good with swords. Mai watched him practice sometimes, like how he watched her practice with her daggers. She wasn’t sure you could use swords in an Agni Kai, and Zuko would want to use firebending to impress his father anyway.)
And Azula would never be so excited to see her brother do something well. So if Azula was eager. . .
Unfortunately, Mai couldn’t just stay home. Azula made sure Mai’s parents knew she’d been invited, having also sent a messenger to her house requesting her presence. Mai could have been dying of La’s Lung and her parents would insist she attend (and also that she must take every precaution not to cough around Azula, because that would be rude. And for Agni’s sake, Mai, smile more. No, not like that. Honestly, are you even trying?)
So here she was, standing in the crowd next to Azula, General Iroh on Azula’s other side. Zuko already kneeling in the ring, cloak draped over his shoulders.
‘He looks so small.’
She let her thumb run over the edge of one of her daggers. She felt better with a few of them handy. The daggers, when they were thrown, and at what, were something she controlled. A rare thing in her life.
Zuko’s back was to the arena, so the crowd saw his opponent before he did. Mai’s heart froze. Her eyes darted around the room. No one else seemed surprised. Just her, and Zuko when he rose and turned to find the Fire Lord waiting.
Zuko fell to his knees instantly, head down, apologizing. Insisting he meant no disrespect. That he was loyal, and only wanted what was best for the Fire Nation. Azula quietly tsked, muttered to her brother to ‘show some dignity.’ Mai still didn’t know what Zuko did to end up here.
All the while, his father stalked closer, demanding Zuko stand and fight in a throaty snarl. Mai wanted to shout at Zuko to do it. To stand up, to fight. She didn’t think he would win, but there must be a chance. Maybe if he tried, that would be enough for his father.
(She knew it wouldn’t be. Zuko always tried, again and again, and it was never enough for his father.)
Her voice stayed lodged in her throat. Her mother’s voice in her head insisting she remain silent unless spoken to. Do nothing unless told. She hoped desperately someone else would speak, would act, as Ozai towered over Zuko.
“You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.”
The Fire Lord bent over, one hand reaching for his son’s face. Mai looked to Azula, but the same anticipatory grin she wore earlier was still there. Mai looked to Zuko’s uncle, but he closed his eyes and turned away as an orange flash flickered across his face.
She heard Zuko scream.
* * *
Iroh could not bear to watch what was going to happen. He should have intervened. Taken Zuko’s place, argued the prince accompanied him to the war room, so it was Iroh’s honor at stake. Or never let Zuko learn what truly went on in war councils. But he hadn’t done either of those things, and he wasn’t doing anything now, either. Useless old man.
(How disappointed Lu Ten would be in him.)
He heard Zuko’s scream, felt the heat of his brother’s flames even from where he stood in the crowd. The heat vanished. An odd hush fell over the arena, broken only by Zuko’s pained cries and an odd choked gurgle. Iroh wondered if Ozai’s cruelty to his own child had actually been enough to shock the nobility out of their blind devotion.
His niece’s voice rose from beside him. She sounded bewildered, almost panicked, a tone he had never heard from her before.
“What did you do, Mai? What did you do?!”
He felt the heat of her fire (blue flames and barely 11, her strength was impressive, and combined with her demeanor, worrying), and Iroh finally opened his eyes to find her attacking her friend. The quiet one with the bangs over her eyes. The one that liked knives (and Zuko, if the glimpses of them Iroh had seen told him anything.)
The girl – Mai, he recalled – raised her arms defensively as Azula tried to lash at her with disorderly, sputtering, flaming whips. The assembled crowd descended into a confused panic. Some people moved to intervene, while others backed away. Still others stood dumbfounded.
Iroh was among the dumbfounded until he looked to the ring. Zuko lay curled up where he had kneeled, clutching his face while smoke rose from between his fingers. Ozai, Iroh’s brother, the Fire Lord, lay in a crumpled heap in front of Zuko, blood pooling rapidly around his head, eyes staring at nothing.
Two daggers stuck out of his neck.
* * *
It’s a blur to Mai. She does not remember moving. One moment, she was staring in growing incomprehension as General Iroh looked away and Zuko screamed. The next, her arms were out in front of her, fingers extended in the way they were when her daggers had been sent on their way.
Fingers that were pointing at the Fire Lord. As though she were a bender, or perhaps a witch. Commanding some distant force to strike him down.
Then Azula was attacking her, and it was all Mai could do to even try to shield herself. She had never seen that look of confusion on the Princess’ face before. Even if Azula encountered something she couldn’t understand, she would never allow anyone else to know it. But now, her eyes were wide, almost lost. Mai’s sure it’s the only reason she’s still alive, that Azula was too shocked to attack properly.
Lucky Mai.
General Iroh stops Azula from killing Mai, orders the arena cleared. Orders Mai taken away by a pair of guards. Mai expects to be thrown in one of the cells beneath the palace. Instead, she’s led into a dusty, windowless room within the palace. She thinks she’s been here once before, during the explorations she would undertake with Azula, Ty Lee, and sometimes, Zuko. None of them knew what it was for. There’s nothing on the walls to suggest who lived here, and no furniture beyond a bed to hint at a purpose.
One guard, wearing a drooping but neatly maintained mustache, efficiently and thoroughly searches her. He finds her other daggers, then he and the other guard step into the hall, closing the door firmly behind them. Mai misses her daggers immediately. With no one else there to speak, to ask something of her, she is engulfed in silence. With every passing minute, Mai is increasingly aware her life is more beyond her control than it’s ever been. Which is saying something. But being a child who draws the notice of the Princess or Prince is one thing. Being the one who killed the Fire Lord is something else entirely.
She stares at her hands for an indeterminate amount of time. They tremble at first, but gradually it stops. Her hands offer no answers, resting still and silent like the rest of her, save her mind, which whirls ceaselessly.
Oh, she knows what made her want to act. She simply can’t figure out why this was the time she actually did something. She’s never actually done something before. Never stood up for her desires against her parents, not for very long, anyway. Never pushed back against Azula bullying her or Ty Lee, always opting instead to pretend it didn't bother her. Never stood up for Zuko when his father or firebending instructors are cruel, beyond offering a quiet, encouraging word when her tongue actually cooperates. But this? This is –
It dawns on her someone will likely be along to question her. Or perhaps to drag her off to be executed. Certainly that, eventually. There were enough witnesses to leave no doubt of the guilty party. (Ozai, a resolute part of her that she scarcely recognizes insists. Ozai is the guilty party. And everyone who did nothing.)
Hastily, Mai puts her clothes back in order, making as certain as possible without a mirror available all the seams line up. That the ribbons around her ox tails are neat. Her mother’s voice scolds Mai to not look shabby when they (whoever “they” are) come for her. It would reflect poorly on her mother and father.
The notion is at once so absurd, and yet so perfectly true to her mother, Mai almost laughs out loud. Actually, she feels like giggling hysterically, but she covers her mouth with her charred sleeves until the urge passes.
Thinking about her parents makes Mai aware how alone she is right now. That she’s in very serious trouble. She longs for her parents to appear, to wrap their arms around her and assure her everything will be OK. That they will find some way to make it OK.
She knows that isn’t going to happen. Things can’t be OK after this, and even if they could, her parents have never reassured her. Always more interested in criticizing her about what she did wrong. Mai can’t actually remember if they’ve ever hugged her, either. Perhaps when she was a baby.
Even if the reality would never match her fantasy, she still wishes they were here.
* * *
Iroh’s countenance is placid as he makes his way through the palace. His thoughts are a maelstrom. He managed to keep Azula from killing her young friend. Almost certainly only a temporary stay, but there still needs to be an investigation and proper sentencing. He tasked a Royal Guard he trusted, Han Fei, with placing the girl in secure quarters and making sure she stayed there. Also, that no one else got in.
He ordered Prince Zuko taken to the healers, who report the boy will live, as long as they keep any infection under control. Ozai’s fire had been not as intense as he was capable. Iroh suspects his brother intended for Zuko to live, but suffer, only to have his plan – and life – cut short. The damage likely contained to an inch around his left eye, which the healers suspected would be impaired for the remainder of Zuko’s life. Had Ozai more time, Zuko would likely be entirely blind in that eye, and mostly deaf.
The prince has not regained consciousness yet. Iroh hopes he will soon, while dreading what Zuko's reaction will be when he learns what happened.
Iroh turned a corner and took several flights of stairs into the depths of the palace. Despite resting on an ancient volcano, there were places underground that were surprisingly cool, and that is where the dead were kept before final services. The guards bowed deeply as Iroh stepped into the interior of the morgue. The chill pulls at him instantly, breath coming out as steam on instinct.
Ozai was taken to the healers with his son, but there was nothing to be done. One of the girl’s blades pierced the jugular. This might not have been fatal, if a skilled and careful firebender reached the Fire Lord swiftly and cauterized the wound. But the other blade severed most of Ozai’s spinal column at the base of his skull. An impressive throw for one so young. His heart and lungs stopped receiving signals immediately. Perhaps if there was a skilled waterbender healer available, but Iroh couldn’t imagine finding one inclined to help, let alone quickly enough.
When Iroh’s beloved wife passed, he felt blinding grief for weeks, only barely kept at bay by the need to care for his son. Even so, a void formed in his heart that never totally healed. One he tried to fill with battle, devotion to his son and nation. When Lu Ten was killed, there was shock and anger, the desire to wreak blind vengeance upon the Earth Kingdom. Until he recognized that would accomplish nothing, except force others to experience the same loss, the loss he already inflicted on so many. The void grew larger until he thought it might swallow him whole. He tried to fill it with tea and pai sho, his duties with the White Lotus and spending time with his nephew.
(Some days it works, some days it doesn’t.)
Iroh suspects he should feel something as he looks at Ozai’s body, but he doesn’t. Iroh might as well be staring at a stranger. He wasn’t certain when, exactly, his little brother ceased being that and became the angry, cruel, avaricious man he had been for well over a decade. Some point while Iroh was off at war. He’d come home, and Ozai was just, different. The more time passed, the more he became the version of himself he was until his death.
Iroh tried to speak with him a few times, simply as a brother, and Ozai dismissed him. He was Fire Lord now. He did not have to listen to anyone’s counsel if he chose, so he would not. Certainly not the brother he had surpassed. Iroh was of no use to him, and thus was of no interest to Ozai.
(He wonders if Ozai was always like that, and he simply didn’t see it until they were both older.)
Really, if Iroh could say he felt anything staring at the body, it was relief. Relief Ozai could no longer inflict harm on anyone else. It was a sad day, he reflected, when that is all the loss of one’s only brother prompted.
‘Even in death you scowl, brother. No doubt you are raging at the spirits as we speak, for daring to thwart your will. I suspect they will not be impressed.’
* * *
Technically, Iroh is Regent, not the Fire Lord. Ozai’s line was placed ahead of Iroh’s (who has no descendants now, after all), but there are obviously problems with that. Prince Zuko is only thirteen, currently in the infirmary with a severe burn.
There is also a question as to Zuko’s actual place in the line of succession. He was involved in a duel for his honor at the time of the Fire Lord’s death. Against said Fire Lord. An Agni Kai Zuko was obviously going to lose. Worse, lose without making even an attempt to fight. There is a question among the Fire Sages whether he has been so dishonored as to be disqualified from taking the throne altogether.
Iroh argues there is no evidence Ozai intended any such thing. That he may have considered scarring the prince sufficient punishment, based on his statement suffering would be Zuko’s teacher. Iroh doesn’t actually believe that – his brother would never stop at one cruelty when he could deliver two – but there’s no one to say otherwise.
(Iroh has been using guards and servants he can trust to spread rumors of the circumstances of Zuko’s Agni Kai. Why he spoke up, and why he refused to fight. This has somewhat shifted public opinion, especially among families who have children or spouses fighting. But there are a disappointing, and frankly disturbing, number of Fire Nation aristocracy who believe the prince deserved to be burned because he was unwilling to fight his own father, or simply because he spoke up at all.
Iroh wonders if his nation can be saved.)
There is Princess Azula, of course. The firebending prodigy of exceptional skill and power. Seemingly possessed of the same ruthless streak as her father, though Iroh suspects it is backed by a superior, if still developing, intellect. He’s certain the Generals and Admirals approve of Azula. They no doubt believe she could be manipulated into giving them free rein. Iroh doubts it would go how they think. She would give them just enough rein to hang themselves when they failed.
At any rate, Azula is only eleven, and with the uncertain state of Zuko’s place in the line of succession, can’t be named Fire Lord at present. Ozai is dead. Azulon is dead. Ilah is dead. Lu Ten is dead. Ursa is. . . hopefully living peacefully somewhere far from the life she never wanted.
(Iroh supposes he should be angrier at the woman he suspects killed his father and cleared the way for Ozai. But those same servants he trusts have given him a good idea of why Ursa would have acted.
If all it took to save Lu Ten’s life was killing Azulon, Iroh would have committed patricide without a moment’s hesitation. Especially if it was Azulon who suggested – no, demanded, he demanded Ozai kill his own son – Lu Ten’s death. After all, in the days after his son’s death, Iroh had been ready to burn the Earth Kingdom and all its inhabitants away if it would bring back his son.)
For now, Iroh sits on a throne he was more than content at the time to cede to his brother. It does offer an opportunity, as the frequent covert dispatches from the White Lotus remind him, to halt the Fire Nation’s march of destruction. Except. . .
He can’t act recklessly, especially when he’s meant to act as placeholder for either his nephew or niece. A Regent, if careless, can be replaced even more easily than a Fire Lord.
And first he has to deal with his brother’s killer.
* * *
Iroh had the girl placed in a secure room in the palace. One with no windows and only a single door, guarded by Han Fei and one other guard the man trusts. It’s never openly discussed, but Iroh’s fairly sure past Fire Lords used it as a room for their paramours. Decorated to meet the tastes of the lover, only for the whole thing to be redone with the next Fire Lord.
Normally, a person who kills the Fire Lord would be thrown in the cells beneath the palace, but this is still a child. Down there, dangers of many types lurk in the shadows. The girl would not have survived until he could speak to her. (There has been so much to do and arrange in such a short time.)
As he approaches, royal scribe following at his heels, Han Fei bows, then holds up six knives. “We found these on the assassin’s person, Fire Lord.”
“I’m only the Regent, Han Fei, but thank you.” Iroh keeps reminding people of that. It is his official title, and it would be considered unseemly to act as though he considered himself Fire Lord, even if he is acting in that capacity.
Appearances and masks.
“I’ll speak with her now.”
The girl is seated with her back against the wall on a small bed with no sheets or blankets, knees drawn up tight. She sees him, moves smoothly to her feet, only a miniscule tremble betraying her fear. Her face is an expressionless mask, clothes in perfect order, minus the burns from Azula. Iroh has seen dolls that didn’t appear so perfect. Although considering her imminent future, the overall effect reminds him more of a well-prepared corpse at a state funeral.
She kneels and lowers her forehead to the ground. Every movement precise and perfect. “General Iroh, I know I have grievously wronged both you and the Fire Nation, and cannot expect forgiveness or mercy.”
Iroh blinks in surprise as the scribe meticulously transcribes every word. She is extremely composed, despite her fright. Even more, he’s surprised she isn’t asking forgiveness or blurting out explanations or excuses.
“I need to ask you some questions. Your name is Watanabe Mai, correct? Only daughter of Ukano and Michi?”
“Yes, General.”
“Call him Regent!” the scribe snaps, only to close his mouth instantly at a look from Iroh. Mai flinches almost imperceptibly, but her head bobs up once, then down.
“You may rise.” She obeys, standing still and straight. “Children rarely attend Agni Kais.”
“I was,” a brief pause. Weighing the proper response, “invited by Princess Azula. It would be rude to decline such a gracious offer.”
Iroh hasn’t heard from the girl’s parents yet. He wonders if they are in shock, or in hiding. “Do you make it a habit to carry daggers with you?”
“Yes, Regent, as often as possible.”
“Even into the Royal Palace?”
“Yes, Regent,” Her tone and inflection are unvarying. Like an elaborately trained parrot-monkey, she speaks with perfect diction, scrubbed of emotion. It is somewhat unnerving. “Both the Prince and Princess ask me to demonstrate on occasion. I cannot disappoint the Royal Family.”
She says this as though it’s been drilled into her. Iroh is very curious to meet her parents. “Did you throw the daggers that killed Fire Lord Ozai?”
Again, she remains almost perfectly still. Her eyes and face betray nothing. It’s only Iroh’s experienced eyes that catch the intake of breath. Bracing herself against harm she expects with her answer. “Yes, Regent.”
“Why would you attack your Fire Lord?”
“Because he, the Fire Lord, was hurting Zu – Prince Zuko, and no one was doing anything,” for the first time her speech slips, and the mask drops. Her gold eyes meet his and for just an instant, he sees the rebuke. He did not do anything.
“Prince Zuko had surrendered.” She attempts to wipe any emotion from her voice once more, but a hint of desperation slips through. Iroh is not sure it is for herself. At least not as a plea for mercy. She wants to know that someone else understands Ozai was wrong.
Iroh does, but. . . “It is the right of the victor in an Angi Kai to determine the fate of their opponent.”
It makes him sick to say it, but it’s true. Even if Ozai had not been Fire Lord, even if he had been some peasant firebender fighting the Prince. If he won, he could scar or even kill Zuko if he wished. Iroh had the same option in Agni Kais he won as a younger man, although he opted for mercy.
The girl’s eyes gloss over once more. Her voice returns to the flat, polite speech as she says, “I understand. I apologize for my disrespect, Regent Iroh.”
“You were not planning to kill the Fire Lord when you arrived at the palace?”
“No, Regent Iroh.”
“Who were you working with?”
Based on her responses thus far, Iroh is confident this is no coordinated plot. Still, he wants to see if the question throws her. There’s no reaction. “No one, Regent Iroh. I had no intention of acting until I did, and I acted alone. I am solely responsible for the Fire Lord’s death.”
It might simply be his imagination, but Iroh thinks he hears a note of pride in her voice on the final sentence.
“Very well. Given your confession, your sentence will be announced in a few days. You will remain in this room until then. I will send a healer to treat those burns.”
“Thank you, Regent Iroh.” The amusement in her voice is unmistakable. She likely knows the sentence for assassinating a Fire Lord. He supposes, under the circumstances, treating her current burns seems farcical.
* * *
When he still hasn’t heard from the girl’s parents by the next morning, Iroh summons them. Ukano was on Ozai’s council, but has made no attempt to approach him, or request an audience. Has barely spoken in the meetings since the Agni Kai, no doubt trying to avoid notice.
He and his wife Michi arrive within 15 degrees of the message being sent. Both are dressed in absolutely pristine mourning clothes, not a thread or hair out of place. Both kneel, bowing as low as possible.
He opens casually. “I wish to speak with you about your daughter. She has already confessed to what she did.”
“Regent Iroh,” Ukano begins, “we apologize for not coming before you sooner. We did not wish to intrude upon your mourning. My wife and I express our deepest condolences to your family. Like the entire Fire Nation, we grieve the loss of Fire Lord Ozai, though we know our loss is but a shadow of your own. Even more so, we grieve that it was our daughter that committed such a despicable act.”
“Please believe,” Michi says fervently, “we have tried our very best to raise Mai as a loyal Fire Nation citizen. We had no inkling she would harbor such traitorous intentions.”
“She has always kept her thoughts to herself. We never guessed what madness she was thinking,” Ukano adds.
Iroh takes all this in silently. In just a few seconds, they have described their only child as despicable, a traitor, and mad. This without inquiring as to her well-being at all. They seem more invested in distancing themselves from her actions.
Mildly, he explains, “Based on her confession, I do not believe Mai acted out of any desire to be disloyal or treacherous. She stated she feared for Prince Zuko’s wellbeing, and was motivated by this well-meaning, but misguided, concern.”
Michi’s face twists into indignation. “She allowed her emotions to get the better of her. I have tried so hard to make her understand why that cannot happen.”
Iroh can certainly believe Michi has taught her daughter to contain her emotions. He’s more interested in Ukano’s reaction. There is a hint of concern in his eyes. “Regent Iroh, I hesitate to ask, but, is there any possibility Mai thought the Crown Prince asked for her assistance?”
His wife swivels, an outraged rebuke ready. Ukano raises a hand asking her to wait and continues, “It would be a mistake on her part, of course. Prince Zuko would, of course, never be so disgraceful as to ask someone to intervene in an Agni Kai. But, in her desire to serve the Royal Family, perhaps she could have been confused?”
“Impossible,” Michi counters. Iroh feels as though this is an argument they’ve already had. “She knows full well there can be no outside interference in an Agni Kai. She forgot her place, defied Agni’s will, and brought disgrace upon us!”
“Mai gave no indication anyone asked her to act. She was quite clear she acted alone, of her own volition.”
“Naturally,” Ukano interjects, desperation to please rolling off him in waves, “no other citizen of the Fire Nation would behave so irresponsibly. And Mai has no interaction with any of the Earth Kingdom savages.”
Michi nods along with this. “I would certainly know if she was corresponding with anyone.”
Iroh finds this whole conversation depressing and troubling, but doesn’t show it. He extends a lifeline.
“I am certain both of you know the sentence for assassinating the Fire Lord.” The parents nod. “Mai’s only defense of her actions, that Prince Zuko had surrendered and she feared for his safety, is of course, no defense at all. However, she is still a child. If her parents requested leniency, it may be possible to reduce the sentence to exile.”
He lets them process this for a heartbeat. Ukano’s brow furrows. Michi appears attentive, but there’s a glaze to her eyes that says she has already dismissed his suggestion.
“You would be able to accompany her, naturally. It would be cruel to shatter your family.” Michi’s face goes pale. Ukano wavers for an instant, but meets his wife’s eyes. He slowly shakes his head.
“I must reject your offer, Regent Iroh,” he says. “I believe I have much to offer the Fire Nation with my continued service. I would not be able to help the country I revere from exile. Especially since there will be no place to go once the Fire Nation finishes extending its reach over those lesser people in the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes.”
Ukano takes a deep breath and his face becomes stone, no give in it. “She has committed a most terrible crime against the Fire Nation. She must bear the consequences of her actions. It would be a betrayal of our great land to ask mercy for her.”
Iroh absorbs without response that Ukano has ceased even referring to his daughter by name. Inwardly, he wonders whether, when Sozin’s Comet arrives in three years, Bumi and some other earthbenders could pull it from the sky and slam it into Caldera.
He knows that is no solution at all. An idle fantasy born of temporary frustration. There are good people in the Fire Nation, who need the opportunity to let their better natures flourish. He turns his attention to Michi instead.
“The word of a child’s mother carries weight, even in a circumstance such as this.”
Her mask does not waver. Iroh sees where Mai gets it from. “Your compassionate offer is deeply appreciated, Regent Iroh. However, we have spent our entire lives instructing her to act in the best interests of the Fire Nation. My husband speaks for us both, Regent Iroh. My - she must face up to what she has done.”
Again, Iroh keeps his thoughts from showing. “I thank you for your input. You are dismissed.”
They bow deeply once more and depart silently. Iroh waits until he returns to his quarters (he lives in the same quarters as before. He is not Fire Lord, so Ozai’s room remains untouched beyond checking for any important correspondence) before he allows himself to sink onto a sofa with a sigh. At the moment, he feels terribly weary.
Without a plea for leniency, there can be only one sentence.
* * *
Iroh is meeting with the council when a servant approaches nervously with news. Prince Zuko has awoken, and already left the infirmary. Iroh ends the meeting immediately, citing a need to check on the possible future Fire Lord. The council does not object. He suspects they will try to surreptitiously observe Zuko’s physical and mental state, albeit for different reasons than Iroh.
(Not his council, he will need to replace as many of Ozai’s lackeys as he can while he has the chance. The Fire Nation has much internal rot that needs removing, especially among the nobility. Ukano is high on that list, despite being more harmless than many. Iroh has no doubt the man refused exile to avoid losing a chance to line his own pockets. He intends to ruin the man more slowly.)
Iroh finds his nephew making his way down a hallway. His gait is unsteady, but determined. His left eye and part of the cheek are still covered in bandages, and his entire face looks flushed. He spies Iroh ahead of him and speeds up.
“Uncle!” He corrects himself, wipes the excitement from his voice. “I mean, Regent Iroh.”
He bows and nearly topples over. Iroh catches his small frame easily. He’s reminded Zuko is still a child, like his young friend. And Ozai has given him a scar that will last forever. Iroh tries for a light tone, gentle and supportive.
“There is no need for such formalities, Prince Zuko. I am still your uncle, and I do not believe I hold a title over you, since I am simply keeping the throne warm. It is something I’m well-suited for,” he chuckles and gestures to his backside.
Zuko offers a faint smile, but it slips off quickly. “Thank you Re – Uncle. Is what Azula says true? Is my father dead?”
Iroh keeps a steady hand on Zuko’s shoulders. “Yes, Prince Zuko. His injuries were such there was nothing to be done.”
Several emotions vie for control of Zuko’s face. It settles on shock. “And, it really was Mai? She did it?”
Iroh nods. Zuko’s face shifts to the determined look he wears whenever he attempts to match his sister’s firebending. “I want to speak with her.”
Iroh isn’t certain that’s a good idea. It could help Zuko, to see someone who believes what Ozai did was wrong, someone he knows. Or it might go horribly. But Zuko will find some way to see her whether Iroh agrees or not. Better to be there.
They make their way towards Mai’s room. Iroh offers his arm, but his nephew stubbornly refuses, even as he wobbles with every third step.
Han Fei steps aside with a bow, then closes the door behind them. Mai is seated on the bed in the same position as when Iroh came to question her. Her reaction to Zuko’s entrance is somewhat different.
Her eyes widen at sight of the bandages and loosely tied robes. She takes a hesitant step, one hand raised. “Zuko. . .”
The training her parents instilled takes hold, and Mai swiftly drops into a low bow. “Prince Zuko.”
Zuko stares as she straightens up, unsure what he intends to say. His eye roams, settling on the bandages on her arms that show through the burns in her clothes. “What happened?”
“Princess Azula apprehended me.” The mask is firmly in place.
His nephew’s skepticism is clear. He knows his sister was not trying to “apprehend” Mai. Iroh has seen Azula only sporadically in the days since the Agni Kai. She’s avoiding him, but from his brief glimpses and the whispers around the palace, she’s uneasy. Less controlled than usual, more prone to snapping at servants and guards. Training alone for hours on end.
He imagines learning her father is as mortal as anyone else rather upset her understanding of the world. Iroh reminds himself to make time to speak with her. Their relationship has been strained at best, but he is the only family she has left besides Zuko, he needs to try.
(Perhaps he can mitigate Ozai’s influence on her, encourage her to take his counsel as Zuko sometimes does.)
Zuko takes one step towards Mai, then like her, he stops. “You, did you. . . Mai, did you really - ?”
She understands the question. “Yes, Prince Zuko.”
The prince looks entirely adrift. “Why?”
Her face softens, as does her voice. “Because he was hurting you. He’d won, but he was going to hurt you anyway.”
Zuko’s brow furrows. “Because I needed to learn! He’s the Fire Lord, his actions are in our nation’s best interests, and I defied him! Because I. . . because I didn’t understand!”
Mai remains silent, watching Zuko carefully. Iroh silently wills his nephew to grasp the truth about his father. Instead, he lashes out.
“But now, you’ve. . . you’ve disgraced me! No one can interfere in an Agni Kai! It’s a matter of honor between the two fighters! If you just let my fath – let me accept my father’s punishment, I could have proved my loyalty to him, and kept my honor!”
Anger sparks in the girl’s eyes. “He didn’t care about your honor, Zuko! He just wanted to hurt you, because he could! What was burning your face teaching you?!”
Zuko’s temper, always a volatile thing, flares in response to Mai striking too close to home. “Shut up! You don’t understand, because your parents never cared about you! You just wanted me to be as sad as you! I hate you!”
“Prince Zuko!” Zuko’s mouth snaps shut. Iroh’s not sure his reprimand had anything to do with it. Zuko’s eye is wide as he stares at Mai. There’s little reaction, but it’s there.
Mai had been leaning towards Zuko, but now her back straightens into perfect posture. Shoulders square a bit extra, the mask hardens a little more. There’s a flash of hurt in her eyes before they go cold, the gold turning dull like a dirty mirror. The exterior freezes solid to protect what’s soft inside.
Her voice betrays no turmoil. “You are correct, of course, Prince Zuko. I understand I am to be executed soon. Perhaps you can participate, as a tribute to Fire Lord Ozai.”
Zuko reels back as if slapped. “Mai, I. . .I wouldn’t do that.”
The girl is relentless. “I understand, Prince Zuko. To keep your hands clean is your prerogative. I accept my fate.”
Zuko is at a loss. Mai’s words have cut his tongue out as precisely as her knives could have. Iroh hopes taking enough time to think will prompt Zuko to speak from the heart. From the compassion he has in abundance. But there is as much likelihood he will let fear take hold again.
Still, Iroh waits, offering Zuko the chance. When the silence stretches, he finally says, “Come along, Prince Zuko. You need your rest.”
They depart, and Iroh feels the final brick laid in the girl’s tomb. If a member of the Royal Family asked for leniency, especially the likely future Fire Lord, it might be enough to relax the sentence.
If Iroh had time to speak with Zuko, help him understand her actions. . . “Prince Zuko, it is a rare friend who will risk their very life for your well-being.”
For an instant, he sees hesitation, then the scowl returns. “She killed my father, Uncle! Your brother! The Fire Lord! There’s no excuse for that! What kind of son would I be if I accepted it?”
But there’s no time.
* * *
Mai’s going to be executed. She’s known that from the moment she understood what she’d done, but it’s official now. Tomorrow at midday, her life comes to an end. She should probably be more distressed, but can hardly manage to care.
‘It’s not as though I did anything with my life.’ Mai spent her entire life being controlled. Molded into the best tool her parents could make her for helping them climb the social ladder. Despite her attempts to resist, to turn their commands to be quiet, emotionless and precise into a drily sarcastic personality, to hardly ever smile, to learn how to throw knives with unerring accuracy, she ended up doing exactly what they wanted.
Caught the eye of the Princess. Became, alongside Ty Lee, the closest thing to a trusted companion Azula had. Became friends with the Prince. Developed a crush on him, and for a moment, seemed to have a chance of Zuko returning her feelings.
Even that, something she barely allowed herself to dream of when she tried not to blush as he walked past, worked to her parents’ advantage. Her mother certainly never credited Mai with any chance at marrying a noble of any status, as she told Mai several times when Mai was too young to even understand why that mattered.
So really, what was Mai losing by dying? If things continued as they had, she still wouldn’t have any control. Either she’d become Zuko’s wife, an appendage of his whether he was Fire Lord or not, or she’d remain Azula’s puppet. Or they’d both grow bored of her and she’d be married off to whatever third son of a second-tier noble her parents could get to take her. At least her life was ending because of a choice she made.
Even deep in thought, she realizes she’s not alone. There’s no sound, but there is a slight shift, a current of cooler air. The doors are closed, but Mai isn’t surprised to learn there’s a secret passage somewhere in the room. She spent enough time exploring them with the others.
“Hello Mai.”
The voice is kept low, to avoid alerting the guards. Even though its owner could simply order them out. But they would certainly alert the Regent, and her visitor doesn’t want any interruptions.
“Princess Azula.” Mai had been expecting this sooner. Ever since Azula failed to kill her the day of the Agni Kai.
“Did you enjoy your final dinner?” A blue flame flares into life. Azula’s perfect teeth gleam eerily in its light. Mai can just make out a passageway behind her, the stone walls not matching the lacquered wood of the room.
“Of course. The Fire Nation has the finest culinary arts on the planet, and is exceedingly generous, even to condemned criminals.”
“Even to traitors, Mai,” Azula corrects, wagging her finger. “You didn’t just steal from a noble’s granary. You killed the Fire Lord. Agni’s chosen.”
Mai's no firebender, so she cares about Agni as much as necessary to be loyal. Besides, if Ozai was Agni's chosen, then Mai doesn't think Agni deserves much respect. “I understand that, Princess Azula.”
Mai can see Azula’s nose wrinkle in frustration. Whatever she’s looking for, Mai hasn’t given it to her yet. If she can avoid it, she never will.
“Do you think this act will save you, Mai? Pretending to care about nothing? It’s too late for that. You already let yourself care, let yourself act. For him,” she spits the last word. “There’s no going back from that.”
She rounds the bed and comes closer, talking all the while. “No one is going to save you. My useless uncle actually asked your parents to request leniency, you know. At least they had enough sense to decline. Unwilling to be reduced to exiles on your behalf. Based on your conversation this afternoon, it doesn’t seem your not-so-handsome prince will defend you, either.”
Mai is not surprised to hear her parents turned their backs. She’s always been a disappointment to them. At least this time, it was for something she did, rather than what she wasn’t (a bender, a boy, a more beautiful girl.)
Azula towers over her as much as an 11-year-old girl can. “You’re alone, Mai.”
All Mai really registers is Azula’s hair is a little messy. The bun on top, just slightly off-center, one stray tuft sticking out. “I understand that, Princess Azula. But there’s certainly nothing I can do. As you said, I committed treason. I can’t escape that.”
“Do you know what they’re going to do you? The method of execution for someone who kills the Fire Lord? You’ll be surrounded by four of the strongest firebenders we have, under the full sight of Agni’s presence. I will see them burn you to ash.”
Azula’s flame goes out as she says this, but she leans directly into Mai’s face until their noses almost touch. Her eyes are wild, the confidence Azula always carries gone, replaced by anger and what Mai could almost convince herself is uncertainty.
“You heard how ZuZu screamed from just a little burn over his eye. How much do you think it will hurt to burn until there’s nothing left of you?”
Mai doesn’t want to think about that. The burns Azula put on her arms stung badly enough. She focuses on something else instead.
“You’re going to watch me burn.”
Azula leans back, waving dismissively. Her movements aren’t as smooth as normal. “Of course, Mai. I am a loyal Princess of the Fire Nation. The future Fire Lord, no matter what that fuddy-duddy thinks. I have to be present.”
Mai ignores that, and takes the shot. “If you’re watching, then I guess you aren’t one of the four strongest firebenders.”
Azula’s eyes widen, and Mai hears the sharp intake of breath. It’s taken her entire childhood, her entire life now, but she finally scored a hit against Azula. Maybe more than one, since Mai suspects Azula never thought Ozai could be killed by anyone (except perhaps Azula herself.) Certainly not one of her puppets.
She decides to seize the opportunity. “I am alone, but so was Ozai. Or why didn’t anyone save him? An entire Nation to do his bidding, and he still died alone in that ring. If you do become Fire Lord, you’ll be alone, too.”
Mai allows one corner of her lip to curl upward. “Agni’s chosen? Agni couldn’t save Ozai from a little girl’s knives.”
Azula stares, mouth slightly open. She’s at a complete loss. Mai realizes she sees fear in the princess’ eyes. She’s only seen that emotion in Azula once before, when she’d tried showing off an advanced firebending move she learned that day to Mai and Ty Lee and fell on her face.
There had been fear, which swiftly became anger. She threatened to burn their tongues out of their mouths if they breathed a word of it. Ty Lee assured her they wouldn’t, because no one would believe it. Mai shrugged, said she wasn’t a bender after all, how would she know what she saw? The fury receded, the composed confidence returned. Azula ordered told them to leave, likely so she could train. None of them ever mentioned it again.
It takes longer for the fear to vanish this time, and it isn’t anger that replaces it, but knowing arrogance. That air of wisdom Azula affects, where you’re meant to think she sees right through you. Whether she does or not isn’t the point. You can’t know for sure, which gives her power.
“You’re being brave because you know you’re about to die, so you think you're safe. Zuko was brave too, until he saw what was waiting for him.” Azula sighs and shakes her head. “I should really let you learn like he did, but I’m feeling generous.”
She tosses something underhand onto the bed. Mai looks down and can just discern the outline of one of her daggers. One of those she killed Ozai with.
“It’s a less painful option, I imagine. Or at least another one. More than you deserve.” Azula isn’t looking at her any longer, studying the bare walls instead. “Taking your life with your traitorous blade might be seen as an act of remorse. Might spare your parents any further shame.”
Sparing her parents shame is very far down Mai’s list of concerns. She looks back up to the princess. Azula stands at passage she entered through. “They stored it with your other confiscated weapons in the armory two floors down. A foolish decision, but I shouldn’t expect any better from Uncle Fatso.”
Then she’s gone, leaving Mai alone in the dark with a single knife and a decision to make.
* * *
The following morning, Iroh can’t help feeling disappointed. While Mai’s execution was necessary to keep his position as Regent secure, and while one (meaning Jeong-Jeong, among others) could argue a single life was worth sacrificing to stay where he could help the entire world, Iroh hadn’t relished the idea of doing so.
After all, old men throwing away young lives to secure their own aims was what led to the Agni Kai that started all this. If Iroh was going to make things better, rehashing the same old thinking was an inauspicious beginning.
(Fortunately, he had been appointed Regent swiftly enough to cancel Bujing’s plan. The 41st was still on standby behind the front. All offensives have ceased for now, most Fire Nation battalions settled into defensive positions as they mourned the loss of their Fire Lord. Which allows more time for news of the Agni Kai to reach them, along with Iroh’s rumors of the plan to sacrifice the 41st.)
So what he finds in Mai’s quarters leaves him vexed. He had gone to such lengths to arrange things. He had known convincing the White Lotus to send two of their finest earthbenders would be a challenge. Enough so Iroh was ready to accept there would be no choice but to carry out the execution. As it was, only one accepted the request, a young woman named Biyu.
Without Bumi contacting her himself, there wouldn’t even be that. Biyu already waited in a cavern beneath the dais where the execution is to take place. (He’d spoken with her briefly. She seemed eager to meet the girl who left the Fire Lord bleeding out on the ground.) When the firebenders (each chosen by Iroh, each junior members of the White Lotus) sent out their jets of flame, they would do so just widely enough to obscure the crowd’s view of Mai, and just slowly enough for Biyu to drop her below, and send up a corpse of similar size and age she found somewhere. Not that it would matter overly, since the firebenders will cremate the body entirely, but there needed to be some teeth and bits of bone left behind.
From there, it was a matter of secreting her with a member of the White Lotus. Her skill with knives, her intelligence, and her ability to mask her emotions, all would make her an extremely useful asset to their goals.
Piandao offered to take her in. Iroh imagines the fact she acted in defense of one of the swordmaster’s favorite students has something to do with that. Despite living within the Fire Nation, he’s isolated enough. With a large estate and only one servant, it wouldn’t be difficult to hide her there.
Bumi also offered, and while Iroh thinks it would do Mai a world of good to be raised by someone that would encourage her to express her emotions, he can’t shake his impression the earthbender would parade her through the streets of Omashu as his new heir. Which rather defeats the purpose of faking her death.
(The Northern Water Tribe was never a consideration, if only because Iroh can’t imagine her taking well to being told women don’t fight. Iroh does not think he could get her out of trouble if Mai kills Chief Arnook as well. Iroh’s has few contacts in the Southern Water Tribe, and its continued existence is too precarious to be much of a haven.)
Of course, all of this – all the preparation, correspondence, negotiation, arguing, threatening, wheedling, long distance pai sho, and planning – is moot from the moment Han Fei opens the door that morning and they find what’s inside.
Mai isn’t there. A thorough search reveals a secret passage behind one of the walls leading to, of all places, the Fire Lord’s quarters. Iroh supposes he should have expected that, given the alleged purpose of the room.
* * *
The palace is turned upside-down, and it’s discovered Mai did not depart straight away. Her knives are missing from the armory via yet another secret passage. (Along with a few dozen other knives, shuriken and darts, as well as a short sword). An assortment of fruit, meats, bread, and cheeses are missing from the kitchens. As well as an entire tray of fruit tarts, the crumbs suggesting not all of them made it out of the kitchen. It makes Iroh chuckle (inwardly). Some of the smaller servant girls’ who live in the palace are missing clothes they placed in the laundry. Mai also seems to have liberated an amount of gold which should be feasible for her to carry. Again, via a secret passage into a treasury vault.
Really, the girl’s ability to traverse all these different levels and sections in one night of what is supposed to be one of the most heavily guarded structures in the Fire Nation is a little troubling.
“Oh yes, Mai used to explore those passages with Ty Lee and I all the time,” Azula tells him that afternoon, once it’s been confirmed Mai is nowhere within the palace grounds. “I daresay she could find her way into almost any room in the palace if she chose.”
She sounds bored, but there’s a satisfied gleam in her eyes Iroh can’t miss.
“I’m afraid I was not aware of that,” he replies neutrally.
“Really?” Azula’s eyes widen in mock-surprise. “I thought ZuZu would have told you all about it during your afternoon sessions of tea and pai sho. He came with us sometimes, when he could avoid tripping over himself.”
“Or,” her voice takes on a sharper bite, “you could have consulted me. I certainly wouldn’t have locked up the Fire Lord’s killer in a comfortable room in the palace. Not when there’s secure prison cells for that down below.”
She shrugs and looks him over head to toe. Makes no attempt to disguise her disdain. “I suppose that’s what happens when we let those with no fire left make decisions instead of proper rulers. How is ZuZu doing at pai sho, by the way? I’d ask if the lack of depth perception hurt his game, but my brother was never all that perceptive to begin with. Well, I imagine you’ll have more time to work with him soon.”
Iroh doesn’t miss the implied threat. Azula is correct. Mai’s escape creates problems for Iroh and his plans. There are questions about why Mai wasn’t thrown in the deepest, most secure prison cell possible, which would have made escape nigh-impossible. There are rumors she acted on his behalf, since he stopped Azula from killing her at the Agni Kai. Never mind letting Azula silence his assassin for him would be an entirely prudent move. The fact that allowing Ozai’s assassin to escape only hurts Iroh’s reputation and standing has not stopped people from making the accusation he did so purposefully.
(Of course, Iroh was going to let her escape, but after he went through with the look-see squirrel-pigeon of an execution.)
There are even a few rumors Mai is his illegitimate daughter, which Iroh would brush off and laugh at (better than the ones where she was his underage lover) if this were not a situation ill-suited to laughing.
There are rumblings about removing Iroh as Regent. The Fire Nation would be led by a committee formed from the council, military, and Fire Sages, one of them ostensibly acting as Regent. Either Zuko or Azula would technically be Fire Lord, but as a figurehead until reaching the age of majority. Iroh suspects the committee would like that to remain a permanent affair even after the Fire Lord was old enough, but he’s certain neither of the children would accept it, if for different reasons.
Iroh is going to have do something to restore the current powers-that-be in the Fire Nation’s confidence in him if he wants to remain Regent long enough to remove said powers-that-be. Which probably means a spectacular military victory. Or at least one that looks spectacular, even if the actual value is minimal.
(He can hear Jeong-Jeong reminding him that just killing one child would have been a much lower price to pay to achieve the same goal. The next messenger hawk he receives says just that, in fact. The former general never was above saying, “I told you so.” One of his less-endearing personality traits, which is saying something.)
At the moment, preference leans to Azula. She’s younger, which to those grasping for power, means more years for them to set things to their liking. Zuko, despite Iroh’s efforts, remains tainted by his Agni Kai, and his objection to Bujing’s plan. He’s believed too soft. Now he’s also tainted by the fact Iroh clearly prefers him, which makes Mai’s saving of Zuko’s life and subsequent escape all the more suspicious looking.
The Prince has his own thoughts on that, which are yet another headache. Even Iroh’s tea and pai sho time with his nephew is no longer peaceful.
“You have to let me go, Uncle! It’s my father she killed, I should be the one to capture her!”
“You would hunt down your own friend, Prince Zuko? Bring her back in irons to face execution?”
Zuko is troubled by how Iroh puts it, but that is what would happen. If Zuko wants to learn how the world is, Iroh won’t bother to sugarcoat it.
“Don’t you think it better to remain here and prepare to become Fire Lord? You must be better accustomed to the decisions that will rest on your shoulders. On how to weigh advice from two sources that conflict. Interact with your generals and your councilors, so that you know them and they you. If you pursue Mai, Azula will be the one to gain an advantage there. The viper-kestrel that chases prey too far leaves its nest unguarded.”
Iroh truly feels the best hope the Fire Nation has going forward is for Zuko to become Fire Lord. He won’t abandon trying to reach Azula, but his attempts so far have been rebuffed. She is suspicious of his motives in a way Zuko is not.
His nephew frowns deeply, hands in fists resting on his knees. “This is no time for biology lessons! And you know staying won’t do any good, Uncle! They all see me as disgraced, a failure of a Prince! Just sitting around and attending meetings isn’t going to change that!”
Resolution settles on Zuko’s face, but uneasily. The ground beneath it is unstable, which gives Iroh hope, despite the words that follow. “My father wanted me to understand how to do what’s necessary. That a Fire Lord will make decisions that hurt him, because they’re in our peoples’ best interests. I have to prove I’ve learned the lesson. Whether Mai is – was my friend or not, she’s a traitor now. I have to bring her in to face justice to restore my honor.”
* * *
Mai pauses, sinking into the hollow space of a large tree. Not until after checking to make sure nothing else was nesting there. The first time she tried, she startled a woodpecker hornet’s nest and barely avoided being stabbed with its stinger beak.
She’s made good progress for her first day, she thinks. She can just barely see the peaks of Caldera back the way she came. The time she and Ty Lee spent studying maps with Azula paid off. Azula was looking for new places to conquer, to make her mark on the world. Mai was looking for places to dream of running away to. She suspects Ty Lee was doing the same.
The forest she chose looks difficult to traverse from the outside, trees and shrubs growing dense and twisted like a green wall. Most people would go around. But most of it grows at a level too tall to hinder a child, even one on the tall side for her age. She supposes not being able to see the sun in here might bother a firebender, assuming they didn’t just burn the forest down, but that’s not a concern for her.
Still, this is much more walking over rough ground than Mai’s used to. She wanted to steal a soldier’s boots, but there were none anywhere near her size. Her footwear is not made for this, as her feet have been reminding her for the last 30 degrees.
She’s too close to the palace, though. Really, Mai isn’t sure how far away is far enough, or how she’ll get there. The Fire Nation’s an archipelago, and she’s not any sort of a sailor. It won’t be long before there are wanted posters of her everywhere. She can’t outrun the hawks that will be carrying them, but maybe if she can reach a small village on the coast that would be overlooked at first?
She doesn’t know, and part of her is exhilarated by that. (Another part is terrified.) The uncertainty, and that it’s her choice. She can go any direction she wants, or nowhere at all. Just sit here, eat her food and drink her water and wait for someone to catch her, if she feels like it. She’s not going to do that; she’s free now, for however long she can survive. Well and truly her own person. If her parents hadn’t officially disowned her already, they certainly have now.
(She wouldn’t be surprised if they try to match the bounty the Fire Nation places on her head, just to prove how loyal they are. Assuming it isn’t too rich for their blood.)
Mai pushes herself back to her feet after checking her supply of water. If she makes it to the other side of the forest, there’s a stream there she can use. Maybe she’ll follow it to the sea, where there’s a village. Or maybe she’ll cross it and continue on into the mountains. Try her luck on the other side of the island.
She doesn’t know yet, and there's no one else to make the decision. Terrifying and exhilarating.