Chapter Text
"Goodnight, my sweet dragon..." She whispered as Azula smiled, closing her eyes as Ursa pulled the silk covers over her. Seconds later, she left her room with a sigh. She walked through a hallway of decorations, her posture tight and upright. Oazi was waiting in their chambers; she was sure of it, and she was going to get some answers. Answers for what? A single sentence played through her mind from earlier: "Father is going to kill you..." It was a simple taunt, and those two never could get along, no matter what she tried, but the gaze from Azula seemed more like a warning than a joke, and spirits if it were; I have to wrangle her in, but if it is real.. The clouds lifted from her mind as she opened the chambers and stared at her husband, who was readying for sleep. Ozai huffed, not turning toward her; his cold voice, which she knew all too well, filled the room. "Is Azula asleep?" Ursa crossed her hands behind her back; her right eye twitched as she noticed his usual questions about Zuko's status were missing. "Both of our kids are asleep." She muttered with slight fury as she watched the movement of his hands stop at his hair as his eyes turned towards her. "After tomorrow, we will only have one."
His words were not filled with remorse, nor sadness, but just the lingering cold. Ursa froze, "Oazi! That is not funny." Ozai did not laugh as he spoke again. "Azulon demanded his death; I must go through with it." He grinned ever so slightly, standing up from the small mirror; his hair flowed down his shoulders, no longer in a knot. "And why are you so defensive? It's not like we can't make more children." Ursa felt nauseous; the thought of Ozai caring so little for his son, it made her want to slap him, but instead she just put her hand inside her pocket as she stood in front of him. "Ozai, He is our son; you can't just kill him!" Ozai gritted his teeth, his hands clenched. "I will do as my father demands; I must have the throne," Ozai muttered the last part, but loud enough for Ursa to hear as she gripped something in her pocket. She bit her cheek until she tasted iron in her mouth, relaxing a little. "You want the throne, is that it?" Ozai's grin faded as he watched her with annoyance. "What, do you wish to stand against me, woman?" Ursa felt her hands tighten, then relax; her calmness entered the room. "I wish only to be your dutiful wife and help you."
"And how would you? All I see is someone in my way." Oazi shook his head and laughed. Ursa winced at his laughter, which was somehow worse than his cold, taunting voice. "I can hand you the throne." The laughter immediately died, replaced with silence as Ozai's eyes lit up with malicious intent as he spoke, for the first time actually wanting to hear his wife speak. "Go on..." Ursa pulled a small vial from her pocket. "I will poison your father." Ozai took a step closer, his eyes fixed on the vial as calculations ran through his mind. Holding her breath, a dark thought reached her: Poison your husband, run away. Instead, she just stood there as he held out his right hand. "Give it to me." She stared at his hand, moving the vial away from his grasp. "No, not until you agree to spare Zuko." Oazi smiled and moved closer; his mouth came near her right ear. "If that is what you wish... then yes, he will be spared." His hand wrapped around the vial as he whispered. Ursa allowed it to slip from her hand and into his; her fears were behind her as she had won. "Now get some sleep, dear... tomorrow morning it will be a new age," Ozai said with a kind smile, one she had only seen once before. Her emotions crashed as she heard the heavy chamber door close behind him; for once, she felt happy. Ozai was happy, or seemed to be, and now the two would lead the Nation; sure, she would have no say, but the chance at a new title filled her with more joy than she thought was possible. Maybe Ozai will treat me better.
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As Ozai left their chamber, his kind smile faded into a grin. Zuko's fate was sealed regardless; even if he killed his father, Zuko was weak, and if he took over as Fire Lord, the empire that would be built would not last a day. Tomorrow I will fight him; if he is able to land a hit, I may change my mind, but otherwise. The grin turned into a smile as he walked to the kitchen to prepare two metal mugs of tea. As he got closer to the kitchen, the calculations that ran through his mind were coming back to him; they were not just about what he had to say for Ursa to give him the vial, but also what she was originally going to use the vial against. Gripping the glass in his pocket with one hand, his other hand covered his face as he kept walking. Was it for him... or had she always wanted to kill Azulon and would have gone through with it with or without Zuko's life in the balance? He shook his head; it didn't matter. After Azulon dies, I will simply banish Ursa. His thought of what came next was interrupted by the air turning cold as a voice echoed around the kitchen, She will haunt you. Oazi froze as he looked around, expecting a guard, or hell, even his drunk brother, but as he looked around, there was nothing. He opened his mouth to yell or to demand to know who was there, but no words came out besides a mutter. "Hah, good try." He poured the poison into Azulon's teacup before carefully pouring the steaming tea into both mugs and placing them onto a silver tray.
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Closing her eyes, ready to finally put the exhausted day behind her, a voice spoke around her. Ozai Lies. Her heart jumped as she opened her eyes; no one was around her, yet a voice spoke, "Hello?" She called out, but no one responded. She sat up, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She shook her head. I must be hearing things. Lying back on the bed, she closed her eyes once more, pulling the blanket above her shoulders before letting out a tired sigh. Zuko will die. Her eyes didn't open; this time it didn't sound like a voice, but instead a crushing feeling in her mind. Tears left her as one scene started to play in her mind: Ozai's blade through Zuko's chest, blood and fire everywhere; it played over and over again until she opened her eyes with a gasp, as if someone saved her from drowning. The scene vanished as she stood and ran over to the chamber door. Opening it, she checked for guards; with the hall being empty, she quickly walked to Zuko's room, opening the door and quietly closing it. Her sight fell upon her sleeping son as the voice came back, You must make him flee.
Ursa gritted her teeth; her heart raced as she turned away from Zuko. This was his home; he was safe here. Ozai is strict, but there is no way he would kill his son. She could almost hear a grunt as another vision just like the one before came as the voice spoke again with a single question. If Ozai can kill his own father with no second thought, what stops him from killing Zuko?
Ursa let her head droop down; her hope for a new start, the hope that having the throne would change Ozai for the better, faded away as she gave a small nod to no one. Turning back towards her son's bed, moving the curtain back, she saw Zuko sleeping so soundly, so innocently, not knowing what was going on. "Zuko..." She whispered his name, only getting a light movement from him as she heard the tick from the hallway clock. The fear of running out of time led her to shake his shoulders until he woke up with a small yawn as he looked towards the window before looking towards her. "Mom?" The question came out with another tired yawn. His face turned puzzled; he was about to ask what was going on until he saw the leftover tears hanging around her eyes. "Mom, are you oka-" Before he could even finish asking, he felt her arms around him as she knelt down in front of him. "Zuko, you need to listen to me." She spoke with a quiet authority as she broke away from the hug, grasping his shoulders. Zuko nodded, not wanting to upset anyone. "My ears are open." He said, starting to worry for his mother as he could feel her hands shake. "You need to leave this place." Zuko blinked. "Why, I have training with my teachers tomorrow." As the words left his mouth, he winced as the grip of his mother's hands tightened.
"Forget about your training. Ozai is going to kill you." Ursa stared at her son as she said it, trying her best to hide her own weakness as she watched Zuko ball his smaller hands, as fearful tears left him. "But, w- Why." Ursa moved her hand gently to his face, wiping away the few tears that escaped his eyes as her mind raced; she couldn't tell him it was because his grandfather ordered it. She didn't say anything for another minute before sighing. "He hates your weakness..." She watched as Zuko beamed, which just hurt her even more. "Then I'll train harder! I'll show him that I can, no, that I am strong..." Finishing his retort, Zuko watched his mother shake her head, new tears rolling down her face. "Zuko... he doesn't care; there is no amount of training that would ever fix that. You don't deserve to be broken by that monster anymore. You need to be free." Zuko stared at her with a deep sadness as the way she called Ozai a monster connected a couple of dots. "No, I can't leave you here." He said, hugging her tightly.
The two stayed there for moments that felt like forever before Ursa stood up, undid Zuko's hair, let it fall, and pulled out a pair of scissors. Zuko watched as she pulled over the bucket meant for water and placed it below his hair. "Mom, wait." Ursa didn't stop as she cut his long hair, letting the cut hair fall into the bucket. "Pack what you need, nothing that can tie you back here, understand?" Zuko wanted to scream that regardless of what she wanted, he was going to stay here; he was going to prove his father wrong and be his best son, but instead his mouth stayed shut. His hair had been cut, and if his father saw him like this, death would be the last thing that would happen.
He just nodded, taking off his Fire Nation robe and getting into a set of Earth Kingdom clothing, which had been a gift from Lu Ten, sent for Zuko to see the difference; now it was his disguise. Taking only moments more to pack, he watched her listen to the clock as she turned around and kissed him on the forehead. "Zuko... once you get down to the sand, take the fishing boat that you and Lu Ten have used before and sail your way out." Zuko felt his heart sink as he nodded. "I'm going to be back, Mom, and I'll help you." He said with a sob caught in his throat as she wrapped her arms around him once more. "Do not forget who you are.. But don't look back; look only forward." As seconds passed, the tight hug slowly loosened as Zuko could only watch as she walked back to his door, opening it and closing it behind herself.
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Leaving the kitchen, Ozai walked around the Palace, his annoyance increasing as he checked every room for his father, not finding him in his usual places. It was not until he walked into the third living room that he saw him sitting at a low table on the most comfortable cushion, almost as if he had been waiting for someone to join him. "Ozai," he said coldly but not distantly, as Ozai placed the tea platter onto the table right next to them. Azulon gave a small smile as he grabbed the mug. "Have you done it yet? Is your firstborn dead?" Ozai shook his head, looking at the board of Pai Sho. "No, I wanted to give Ursa one last evening with him." Azulon let out a grunt as he placed the mug back on the plate. "You're weak." Ozai gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes, feeling them twitch. "Weak?! I'm not weak; I plan on killing him with my bare hands!" Azulon grinned as he picked up the mug once more. "I see." Taking a sip, his eyes went wide. "Ozai." Ozai froze for a moment, not out of... no, no, it was fear, for what seemed like the first time in his adult life.. "You make horrible tea." Silence engulfed the room as Ozai nodded. "You're right, Father; next time I'll have Iroh make it." The bitter words left his mouth as he moved to stand from the table.
"Ozai, don't tell me that you came all the way just to have me try your tea." Ozai let out an annoyed grunt. "No, Father, I also came over here to play Pai Sho. Azulon grinned, hearing the disdain in his son's voice. The room turned into a cold silence as the two played the harmony patience game. To Ozai, he could play it as he always had, but for once, although the disdain for the game was there, he changed his tactic. Did it have to do with the last thread of empathy he had, or maybe it was the idea that this would be Azulon's last game and his need to win at least once against him? Halfway through the game, Azulon looked up. "Do you care for the boy?" Ozai looked up and stared blankly at his father. "Caring is a weakness, father, and what does it matter? He'll be dead tomorrow." Azulon nodded before looking back to the game, ending the short conversation. The game came to its conclusion as Azulon stared at the board; his eyes glanced up at Ozai with an amused grin plastered on his face. The grin made Ozai blink as he felt the room lose its heat. "Father?" Azulon straightened his back as the grin turned into a laugh. "Well done, Ozai, you actually beat me for once, too bad it was luck-based." Ozai just shook his head and closed his eyes. Too bad there won't be another game to prove him right. He thought, opening his eyes, looking at his father. "Shall we test my luck once more?"
Azulon let out a yawn and finished his now-cold tea. "Tomorrow, Ozai, the light is gone; now help me upstairs to my room." Ozai nodded, standing up from the cushion, moving over to the other side, and, showing a rare gentleness, helping Azulon to his feet. Azulon frowned for a moment, but Ozai couldn't tell whether it was from needing to be helped up or losing to him. Silence engulfed the pair as they walked past the decorations. Azulon let out a tired sigh. "You played differently tonight, Ozai. I am surprised to see any patience come from you." Ozai blinked for a moment; this was not the stern, strict anger that usually came from Azulon.. Maybe the poison makes people drunk beforehand? The idea that he might be able to ask questions that he could never answer beforehand came to him after he helped Azulon into bed and took a chair next to the bed and sighed, "Father, what was Mother like?" Azulon leaned up on the bed slightly as he coughed before speaking, "She was an angel; she shared the same madness that we are all part of..." Ozai crossed his arms as he realized the poison was working faster now as he watched tears leave his father. "I.. I didn't deserve her." He looked up for a moment. "Maybe if I was not so hurtful, she would still be alive today." Ozai narrowed his eyes. "If she could not handle your anger, she was weak."
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Zuko looked at the city surrounding the palace, staring at the soldiers in red patrolling the streets and the concrete around it. His mind raced as he recalled the path he and Lu Ten had taken to the beach; back then, the doors were open, but now they were shut and locked. It seemed like the only way out of the city was leaping from roof to roof. Zuko felt his hands shake. "Can I do this..." He turned back to his window; he hadn't left yet. He could go back in and get back into bed and only hope that the idea that father was going to kill him was false. But the majority of him worried about his mother; if he didn't leave, what would she do.. He sat down on the tiled roof and leaned against the exterior as the breezy night air nipped at his freshly cut hair. Minutes passed as he stood up, making sure that the satchel of personal items and clothing he carried was tightly secured to himself. "Mother turned me into an Earth Kingdom national.." His voice was not bitter, but resolute; if he went back in, it seemed like there was only death or pain. If he fled... and made it, he could have the chance to live without needing to prove himself every waking morning.
As his mind took account of both ideas, he heard someone yell down below. Looking down, his eyes widened as a firebender was pointing at him. "THERE'S AN INTRUDER ON THE PALACE ROOF!" Zuko bit his cheek in shock as there was no longer a chance to stay; it was flee or die. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he ran down the tile roof, each quick-paced step having the chance to throw him off the roof and ending the chance to flee right here; instead, he reached the end of the roof as he used a heavy fire burst to give himself air time as he landed right into the giant lake. The soldiers froze as watching the shadow land in the water. "That was Fire!" One called out as the lead soldier stared where the burst of fire happened as he turned back around. "This could have been a test from Fire Lord Azulon... or either prince; for now, look around the city and stay vigilant."
The other soldiers nodded as the group of four broke away, prepared for anything. Zuko came up for air, then went back down into the lake, finding the access point of circulation as he barely fit through it and swam through it. As he nearly lost consciousness from the lack of oxygen, he landed on an artificial whirlpool, a genius idea to keep the lakes in the city clean and beautiful. He coughed up lake water as he dragged himself away from the weak pull of the whirlpool and leaned against the stone wall. A moment passed as he got up, and he let out a sigh, "I still have the stuff..." He muttered as he walked out into the darkness. With the beach in front of him, he looked upon the fishing boat and smiled, getting on to it and looking back to the mountain; a plea left his mouth for his mother to be careful and that he would be back to help her.
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Azulon stared with fire at Ozai before leaning back, finding it not worth it to use his strength to yell at his son about something that had been gone for twenty years. Ozai leaned back in the chair as he had one more question on his tongue. "Father, would you have killed Iroh for the chance for more power?" Azulon stayed silent for longer than Ozai wanted. "Father?" Azulon let out a gruff, angry voice, "I would wait for you to be born and then kill you. Now leave!" Ozai smiled, his question answered. "Goodnight, Father." He muttered before walking out of the Fire Lord's Chambers. Walking down the hallway, one thought echoed through his mind: Tomorrow, A New Nation will be born.