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Saoko had been attending these war meetings for as long as he could remember. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all been on the council, so he had been dragged along to the meetings since he was a little kid. He himself wasn’t on the council, he disagreed with Firelord Ozai too much and he couldn’t be trusted to keep his mouth shut. His father still wanted him to be there, though, so he attended the meetings.
That month’s meeting had started out fairly normal. Saoko was struggling to stay awake, as usual. He was entertaining himself by tracing the wood grain of the table he was sitting at with his fingers.
“The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here. A dangerous battalion of their strongest earthbenders and fiercest warriors,” one of the generals said. “So I am recommending the Forty-First Division.” He slid the wooden pawn representing the division across the board.
“But the Forty-First is entirely new recruits,” Saoko’s father said. “How do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?”
“I don’t. They’ll be used as a distraction while we mount an attack from the rear. What better to use as bait than fresh meat?”
Saoko exchanged a look with his father. The general was going to sacrifice an entire division of new soldiers? People with families, and loved ones, and their whole lives ahead of them? He opened his mouth to say something, but someone beat him to it.
“You can’t sacrifice an entire division like that!” Prince Zuko burst out, shooting to his feet. “Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?”
The entire room fell silent as all the generals stared at the Prince. The air of disapproval was so strong that Saoko flinched, and it wasn’t even directed at him. To his credit, though, Zuko was still standing tall and glaring back at the generals.
The Prince was right, Saoko knew that. It was wrong to sacrifice an entire division for the sake of a distraction. There were dire consequences for speaking out against one of the high-ranking generals, though. Maybe the Prince would be spared. Saoko could only hope. Zuko was just a child, maybe fourteen. Probably younger. Saoko had seen firsthand some of the punishments that others had gotten for speaking against the Firelord. He hoped, for the Prince’s sake, that the Firelord would be merciful.
Firelord Ozai sat behind the Prince, obscured by flames. The fire began to crackle louder, and Saoko jumped as it roared a few feet higher. Oh, no. He was angry.
Agni help that kid.
“Prince Zuko,” the Firelord’s voice echoed through the chamber. Saoko shivered despite the heat from the flames. “Your challenge of General Ro was an act of complete and utter disrespect. There is only one way to resolve this.”
“Agni Kai,” Saoko murmured.
“Agni Kai,” Zuko said at the same time. He faced General Ro and stared him down. “I am not afraid.”
Saoko had a horrible feeling in his gut. You should be, he wanted to yell. He had never spoken to the Prince before, but he had a strong urge to protect him from whatever he was getting himself into.
“Everyone in this room shall meet in the courtyard in ten minutes,” the Firelord announced. “Prince Zuko needs a moment to prepare.”
Saoko slowly stood and followed the others shuffling out into the courtyard. He quickened his pace to catch up with his father. “Father,” he hissed. “Father!”
His father turned back to look at him. “Saoko. I don’t wish to see this any more than you do, but unfortunately, we don’t have a choice. I do not wish to be caught defying the Firelord, and I doubt you do either.”
“Father, he’s a child,” Saoko said. “He’s a child and he’s the Prince. Is Firelord Ozai really going to make his own son fight an Agni Kai?”
“I’m afraid so, son. Firelord Ozai is not a merciful man.”
“Spirits,” Saoko whispered.
“Agni help that boy,” his father murmured, eyes closed, as if he was praying.
They reached the courtyard and found a place to stand, coincidentally ending up near General Iroh and Princess Azula. Strangely, Firelord Ozai was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s the Firelord?” he whispered. His father shushed him.
Prince Zuko walked out into the courtyard and began pushing his way through the crowd to get to the center. Once he reached it, he started fidgeting nervously, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet and sending small jets of fire out of his fingertips.
Finally, the crowd’s murmurs died down and they parted like Agni himself was trying to pass by. Saoko looked up and saw Firelord Ozai walking slowly towards the center of the courtyard, where Prince Zuko was waiting. A horrifying realization suddenly dawned on him.
“Father? What is this?” the Prince asked once the Firelord had reached him. “Where’s General Ro?”
“By speaking out in my war room, you have disrespected not only General Ro, but me as well,” Firelord Ozai said, incredibly calm for someone who was preparing to duel a child. “You will be fighting an Agni Kai against me.”
The courtyard fell deadly silent.
“What?” Zuko asked, his voice shaking. “Father—”
The Firelord cut him off by firing a blast of fire out of his fist. Zuko yelped and leaped out of the way, dodging it by inches. “Father, please—”
Zuko dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. “Father, please, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disrespect you, please forgive me!”
Saoko’s father had to hold him back from running into the center of the courtyard and beating Ozai into the ground. That was his son. A child. And here the kid was, begging for his father not to hurt him.
The Prince sobbed, looking up at his father in terror. Ozai reached down and gently cupped Zuko’s face in his hand, and Saoko let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was over, the boy’s father had forgiven him. He was going to be okay.
Suddenly, Ozai’s hand blazed with fire, and the Prince’s sobs pitched upward into screams.
“Father, please!” Zuko screamed, clearly in agony. He clawed at his father’s arm, but Ozai didn’t budge, just stared down at him with a cold, expressionless look on his face.
Saoko tried to look away, but he physically couldn’t tear his eyes away as the skin charred and melted off of Zuko’s face. His father covered his mouth with his hand as the Prince screamed.
Zuko’s screams suddenly cut off as he went limp and fell to the ground, presumably passing out from the pain. The left side of his face was a gory, charred mess. Saoko was shocked that he had stayed conscious for as long as he did.
The crowd stood in shocked silence as the Prince’s blood dribbled onto the stone.
Saoko was suddenly shoved roughly aside. He looked around and saw General Iroh unceremoniously shoving people aside to get to Zuko. He knelt next to the fallen Prince, gently pulling the boy’s head into his lap.
Ozai turned and walked away.
“Healer! Please, somebody fetch a healer, quickly!” Iroh cried. Saoko’s father rushed back into the palace to find a healer. Saoko stood there, still in shock.
A few minutes later, Saoko’s father returned with several healers in tow. They rushed to the Prince and began treating his burn. Saoko heard them discussing it in low tones, saying that they might not be able to save the eye and that it would leave a nasty scar. Rage bubbled up inside him.
The healers quickly carried Zuko away, presumably to a better place to treat him. Iroh followed. Saoko stared at the smear of blood left on the stone, clenching his fists.
Saoko’s father grabbed his arm, trying to move him along, but he just stood there, staring at where Zuko had fallen. Still trying to process what he’d just watched.
His father was right. Ozai was not a merciful man. He was a monster.
How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?