Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Zuko steps out of the way of the guards who are arresting a teen boy. He idly notices that the boy is cute, blue eyes so vibrant compared to his red clothes.

Wait.

Blue eyes?

He turns back, and sure enough, Sokka is being held by guards.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Zuko asks before he’s aware he’s planning to speak.

One of the guards glares at Zuko for a moment until recognition flashes in his eyes. “Uh, oh. Prince Zuko. We’re taking this boy in for questioning: He’s been accused of scamming.”

If they arrest him, there is a chance he might mention the Avatar—or more likely, the Avatar himself will show up to break the boy out of jail, and that absolutely cannot happen.

“Hm.” Zuko crosses his arms. “That’s my boyfriend, so I’d really prefer you let him go.” The words are out before he realizes what he is saying, and he regrets them instantly. Sokka gapes at him.

“Oh,” the guard says.

“Uh, well, perhaps we have the wrong person?” one of the guards suggests.

“I would say so,” Zuko agrees, because he’s already in this and backing out now will only cause more problems. “I’m fairly sure my boyfriend doesn’t need to be running scams.”

“Right.” The guard sounds more confident now. “My apologies.” They release their hold on Sokka. “Please forgive the error.”

Zuko doesn’t want them to worry about punishment; he refuses to make his people live in fear. “It’s fine. I’m sure it was an honest mistake.”

“Yes!” The talkative guard agrees; his partner nods along. “Thank you, Prince Zuko!”

Zuko nods his head, and they both bow before turning and walking away at a speed that suggests they would much rather be running.

“Dude, did you seriously just pretend we were dating so you could get information from me?” Sokka asks as he sidles closer to Zuko.

Zuko blinks at him for a moment. He had absolutely not thought before he spoke, but this seemed as good an explanation as any. “Yes?”

Sokka crosses his arms. “Well, I’m not telling you anything.” His expression turns mulish. “So you might as well give up.”

Zuko wonders, for perhaps the 100th time today, what he is doing with his life. He opens his mouth to say something hoping that inspiration will strike, and then he hears Azula’s voice in the distance. “Fine, go.”

“Alright.” Sokka turns to leave and then spins back around. “Wait, what?”

“Go!” Zuko snaps. “My sister is coming, and I really don’t want to deal with any of this.”

Sokka frowns at him. “Okay…”

He drags the word out and doesn’t move, and Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose, contemplating how his life has turned into this. He can hear Azula getting closer, so he grabs Sokka’s arm and tows him down an alley.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Sokka yelps.

“Do you really want to run into Azula?” Zuko hisses, and Sokka goes quiet, allowing Zuko to lead him further into the city. He doesn’t know what Azula is doing in this town, but he hopes that she’ll get bored soon. “Are your friends here?” Zuko asks after a few minutes.

“I’m not telling you that!” Sokka snaps. “This could be a trap!”

Zuko takes several deep, calming breaths. “I had no idea you were in this town; how could this have been a trap? Also, I told you to leave!”

“Alright, fine. I’m leaving,” Sokka says. “Don’t follow me!”

Zuko just glares at him. His head is pounding, and he can no longer remember why he thought heading out to explore this town was a good idea.

He waits for a while after Sokka has left his sight, wondering if this is going to cause problems. He hopes that the guards won’t start spreading rumors because he cannot imagine what he’ll say if they make it back to Azula.

Then, he hears the distinct sound of an explosion and decides it is time to head back to the palace. He wants to lie down for a while. Or possibly forever.

Chapter Text

“Did you know”—Sokka’s sudden appearance startles Zuko so much he almost falls into the turtleduck pond—“that there was a crazy old lady using bloodbending to kidnap people?”

“What—”

“Yeah, bloodbending. Crazy right? It was really close to here, too.”

“No.” Zuko grits his teeth. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh.” Sokka shrugs. “One of the guards told me this is where you usually hang out.”

Zuko sits down in the grass—only years of physical training keep him from collapsing in despair. “That doesn’t actually answer my question.”

Sokka comes slightly closer, taking a seat on the bench as if this is a normal thing to do. “Well, I was around the palace. For reasons. And one of the guards recognized me and asked if I was here to see my boyfriend.”

“And you said yes?” Zuko’s voice comes out somewhat higher-pitched than he would like. He thinks it is probably better for his sanity if he doesn’t ask what Sokka was doing so close to the palace.

“Well, it seemed rude to say no,” Sokka says disapprovingly. “Also highly suspicious.”

“Agni,” Zuko groans, putting his head into his hands.

“If it makes you feel better, the guards all seem very supportive of us. You.”

Zuko glares up at him. “Why would that help?”

Sokka shrugs.

“What now?” Zuko asks.

“Hm?”

“I mean—” Zuko waves a hand around the courtyard. “You’ve come to see me; now what?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t really have a plan for this.”

“Seriously?” Zuko hisses.

“Hey!” Sokka raises his hands. “You’re the one who said we were dating!”

“So you wouldn’t get arrested!” Zuko snaps. “Not so you would break into the palace to bother me!”

“Yes, well.” Sokka smiles, unrepentant.

“Did you consider that I could very easily have you arrested now?” Zuko asks after a moment.

“What? And disappoint your supportive guards?” Sokka teases.

Zuko isn’t entirely sure how to respond to that, so he decides the best strategy is just to ignore Sokka and hope that he goes away. He turns his attention to the pond and watches the turtleducks paddling around.

“Are you ignoring me?” Sokka asks after a long moment. He sounds outraged. Zuko does not respond. “Seriously? I’m an enemy spy in your palace!”

“It’s not as if you’re getting anything useful sitting in a courtyard staring at me,” Zuko points out.

Sokka makes an offended noise, but then after another minute, he adds: “I guess.”

Zuko sighs heavily, realizing he should probably find out what Sokka is actually doing here. He should certainly be more concerned about it than he is, but he can’t muster up enough energy to be more than mildly curious. “So what were you doing here? You can’t actually be thinking about trying to break into the palace?”

Sokka raises an eyebrow meaningfully, which Zuko supposes is fair considering that he is, in fact, currently in the palace.

Zuko waves a hand, “I meant with like, any kind of group. To actually—” He tilts his head to the side, considering. “Actually, I don’t know what your plan is.”

“Well, I’m not going to tell you that,” Sokka says with a huff.

“Okay, then... Are you planning to leave?”

Sokka seems to consider this for a long moment. “No.”

Zuko contemplates throwing himself into the pond. Then he hears footsteps approaching, and the idea becomes vastly more appealing.

“Zuzu?” Azula calls.

“Well, we’re dead,” Zuko mutters.

Azula rounds the corner and stops, eyes widening in surprise when she sees that Zuko is not alone.

“Oh, Zuzu, I’m sorry to interrupt.” She moves closer, giving Sokka an assessing look. “I didn’t realize you had a guest.” Her voice drops into something that he thinks is supposed to be alluring but is actually just threatening. “It’s wonderful to meet you. I didn’t realize Zuko had friends.” She gives a little laugh, as if it is supposed to be hilarious.

“I’m his boyfriend, actually,” Sokka says with a bright grin. “Wang Fire. It’s wonderful to meet you.”

“Wang… Fire?” Azula repeats. “Well, it is lovely to meet you. Zuzu didn’t mention that he was dating anyone.”

Zuko thinks, perhaps, this is a nightmare. He pinches his arm hoping he will wake up. It does not work.

“Well, you know how he is,” Sokka says, somehow maintaining his pleasant tone even after claiming his name was Wang Fire.

Zuko stands abruptly. “Well this has been great, but you have to get going, right, Wang?”

“Oh?” Azula does a little mock-pout. “You aren’t going to invite him to stay for dinner?”

“No, he really can’t stay,” Zuko says, gritting his teeth.

“Right, yes. Terribly sorry,” Sokka agrees.

“Well, next time then.”

“Yes, absolutely,” Zuko lies, taking Sokka’s hand and dragging him out of the courtyard. Once Zuko slows his pace slightly, Sokka moves his hand and Zuko starts to let go, but Sokka just fits their hands together more comfortably.

“Wang Fire?” Zuko hisses, as soon as he’s sure that they’re far enough away—and that Azula has not followed them.

“What? It’s been working fine.”

“You’ve used that before?” Zuko turns to see if he’s serious because surely he must be joking.

“Yeah,” Sokka says easily.

“Spirits.”

“What?” Sokka asks with a genuine pout.

Zuko stares at him for a moment, trying to figure out if Sokka is teasing or if he genuinely thinks that Fire is a normal last name. He realizes that he probably doesn’t know the answer. He starts to walk down the hall again. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Sokka asks.

“Out. You are leaving.”

“Aw, kicking me out already?”

Zuko spins around. “Is there something wrong with you?”

“No?”

“Then what are you doing here?”

Sokka crosses his arms. “I told you: I’m not telling.”

“Not the fact that you came to scout or spy or whatever”—he glares at Sokka when the other boy looks like he is about to interrupt—“why are you in here, talking to me?”

“Oh.” Sokka shrugs. “I… don’t really know.”

Zuko isn’t sure if that makes this whole thing better or worse. He turns away and starts leading them back out of the palace.

“I guess,” Sokka starts after they’ve walked for a few minutes. “I was curious, after you saved me from being arrested…”

They reach the side entrance to the palace that Zuko was leading them to—it probably isn’t wise to show Sokka a side entrance, but there will be more people to ask questions at the main gates. “And have you satisfied your curiosity?” Zuko asks.

Sokka grins at him. “Not at all.” Then he turns, stepping away from the palace.

Zuko stands there for several long minutes after Sokka has disappeared from sight. With a heavy sigh, he turns, heading back into the palace and trying to figure out what kind of explanation he’ll be able to give Azula.

Chapter Text

This time Zuko is almost expecting it, although the question of how Sokka knew where his rooms are is somewhat troubling. He’s glad the servants had provided the extra cup, even if he’s trying not to think about the knowing looks they’d given him. “Do you want some tea?”

“Yeah, that’d be good,” Sokka says, slumping down across from him.

He looks exhausted, and Zuko is irritated to find that he’s worried about him. He almost asks if Sokka is okay, but he bites his tongue.

“Listen,” Sokka says before lapsing into silence. He stares at the tea that Zuko passes him as if it holds whatever answers he is looking for.

“Is something wrong?” Zuko asks despite knowing better. It’s so stupid—obviously something is wrong. They are on opposite sides of a war that has been raging for a hundred years. Sokka huffs out an incredulous laugh, and Zuko offers a rueful smile in response. “Yeah, stupid question, huh?”

“A bit, yeah.” Sokka’s voice almost sounds… fond? Zuko thinks maybe he’s losing it a bit, not sleeping well in the days after learning all that he did about his family, about the story of Sozin and Roku. They both fall silent, sipping the tea.

“What about you?” Sokka asks after a moment.

“What?”

Sokka shifts slightly, getting more comfortable. “You look like you haven’t been sleeping.”

“Yeah, a lot to think about, I guess.” Zuko sighs. The smell of jasmine tea makes him miss his uncle with a visceral ache.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Sokka asks.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I’ll have you know, Wang Fire is an excellent therapist.”

That startled a laugh out of Zuko, and, unless he was just seeing things, he could have sworn that Sokka blushed.

“I feel like I really shouldn’t,” Zuko says, but then he sighs. “I don’t know. It feels like I’ve finally gotten what I wanted, but none of it feels right. I thought I would be happy to be home…”

“Yeah, I don’t know if I would be happy living with Azula,” Sokka says. Zuko glares at him. “What? Tell me I’m wrong.”

Zuko snorts. “You’re not wrong. It’s more than that though…” He trails off. He doesn’t feel like he should be speaking these thoughts aloud, as if just thinking about it is treasonous.

“Hey, you can tell me,” Sokka says, his tone surprisingly sincere. “Think about it this way: Nobody will believe me if I try to tell them.”

He has a point. There’s not much that he could use the information for, and trying to tell anyone in the Fire Nation about Zuko’s doubts wouldn’t be worth the risk of exposure. “I found out that my great-grandfather was Avatar Roku. My uncle says that it is up to me to redeem our family and the Fire Nation. That I could be the one to restore balance to the world.”

Sokka whistles. “That’s heavy.”

“Coming from the guy who travels with the Avatar,” Zuko points out.

“Well, yeah. But when Aang found out he was the Avatar, he ended up in an iceberg for a hundred years. I can’t imagine it’s any easier when you’d have to betray part of your family to do it.”

Zuko considers this, giving Sokka a suspicious look. “Have you always been this smart?”

“Hey!”

Zuko laughs. He actually does feel better having said it, less like he is about to be crushed by the building pressure.

“Have you figured out what you want to do?” Sokka asks.

“No,” Zuko sighs. “For so many years, I had a specific goal…” He winces when he realizes what that goal was and who he’s talking to, but Sokka doesn’t say anything. “Then I got to come home, even though I didn’t actually succeed. I thought that was why things didn’t feel right. Because I was here under false pretenses. But now, I feel like maybe this isn’t where I should be.”

“Yeah, I can imagine that would be frustrating,” Sokka agrees. “But if it doesn’t feel right, maybe it isn’t. And I’m not just saying that because otherwise we might need to fight you, again. Maybe you need to figure out what does feel right?”

“I don’t think I know how to do that,” Zuko admits. He’s never felt so adrift; he’s always had a goal, and he doesn’t know what he is meant to do now. Being a good heir—someone his father could be proud of—still doesn’t feel like it is within his reach. But if he doesn’t have that, what does he have?

Sokka is watching him with an unreadable expression.

Zuko suddenly feels too exposed. “You should go.”

Sokka nods but doesn’t move. “Are you sure?”

“No, I don’t know,” Zuko sighs. “Yeah, I think you should go. I think this is something I have to figure out on my own.”

“Alright.” Sokka stands. “Good luck.” Then he crosses to the window and slips outside. Zuko walks over and leans against the windowsill, as the summer breeze brings the scent of the last fire lilies of the season.

Chapter Text

“Welcome, Prince Zuko. We waited for you,” his father says. Zuko walks into the room, noticing the uneasy glance that two of the generals share at his arrival. One he does not recognize, but the other is Bujing, and he feels rage welling up in him. He tamps it down, determined not to show any weakness.

Zuko bows to his father and sits down at his father’s right hand. He feels as though this is a test, and everything depends on this. His future narrowed down to a single moment in time.

“General Shinu, your report.”

“Thank you, sir.” Shinu had been the one sitting next to Bujing. Now he stands and walks so that he is opposite the Fire Lord. “Ba Sing Se is still under our control. However, earthbender rebellions have prevented us from achieving total victory in the Earth Kingdom.”

“What is your recommendation?” Ozai asks.

“Our army is spread too thin, but once the eclipse is over and the invasion defeated, we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom.”

“Hmm.” Ozai considers this for a moment. “Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Do you think that adding more troops will stop these rebellions?”

Zuko thinks about the people he had met in the Earth Kingdom, thinks about Jet and his passion and drive. It was something he had admired about the other boy, even if it had caused him problems. “The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything, as long as they have hope.”

“Yes, you're right,” Ozai says, and Zuko feels a warm flash of joy that his father is agreeing with him. For a moment, his worries fade, and he feels certain that he does belong here. “We need to destroy their hope,” Ozai concludes, and Zuko is abruptly cold and uncertain again.

“Well, that's not exactly what I—” he stumbles over the words; he’s afraid to speak out, but he doesn’t want this.

Azula has a viscous gleam in her eye as she speaks up: “I think you should take their precious hope and the rest of their land and burn it all to the ground.”

“Yes…” Ozai agrees, and Azula looks smug. “Sozin's Comet is almost upon us, and on that day, it will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us.”

“What are you suggesting, sir?” Shinu asks.

“When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom permanently.”

A cold dread washes over Zuko; this isn’t what he meant, isn’t what he wanted.

Ozai walks over to the large map. “From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands, a fire that will destroy everything; and out of the ashes, a new world will be born, a world in which all the lands are Fire Nation, and I am the supreme ruler of everything!”

The generals start to applaud. Zuko opens his mouth, desperate to say something that might stop this, but he can’t find the words. Panic builds in his chest as he remembers the last time he was here, the blinding pain that came from speaking out. He knows he should speak, but he cannot force the words out.

Ozai looks at Azula and then Zuko, looking proud of them both. It is exactly what Zuko has been longing for since he was old enough to realize that his father favored Azula. It should be a victory, but it feels like a defeat.

He leaves the room when the council adjourns, feeling numb, and makes his way out of the castle as quickly as he can. He needs to be in the sunlight, needs something to chase away the chill that seems to have taken over his entire body.

“Sokka! Where were you?” The relief is plain in Katara’s voice.

“I told you I was going to scout around the palace,” Sokka says.

“Yeah, hours ago,” Aang cuts in. “You were gone for so long we were worried you had gotten captured!”

“Well, I’m fine,” Sokka says, trying to convey some sort of detached calm that he really doesn’t feel at the moment.

“Did you find anything useful?” Toph asks.

“I was able to figure out a general layout, and I have a sense about the guard patrols—although those might change during the Darkest Day.”

“Well I suppose that’s good,” Katara says, “but I don’t think you should risk going back.”

“Yeah, alright,” Sokka agrees. He’s not entirely sure he would be welcome back after his last conversation with Zuko; better not to push his luck this close to the invasion.

Zuko is restless and worried. He can guess that Sokka and his friends will try something tomorrow during the eclipse, but he has no way to warn them about the defenses that have been put in place. He can’t imagine that Sokka will be coming to visit tonight, and he wishes he had realized just a few days earlier that he was on the wrong side of this.

He makes his way outside and then up, onto one of the lower roofs of the palace. He doesn’t want to risk going higher; he’d be too exposed, and the last thing he needs is a guard spotting him. This gives him enough of a view that if by some chance Sokka does come tonight, he’ll be able to see him.

Zuko has just sunk into a light meditation when he sees movements in the shadows. He watches carefully as the figure moves. Their build is too slight to be Sokka but perhaps another member of the Avatar’s group? He stays motionless as the figure scales a wall not far from his own spot, and then he follows them as they move, staying far enough away that they won’t hear him. Whoever it is moves with confidence, as if this is not the first time they have traversed the palace roof.

His foot slips, sending a loose piece of tile skidding away. The figure whirls to face him, and the light from the moon is enough for Zuko to see a very familiar mask. They both freeze.

“What are you doing?” Zuko asks.

The Blue Spirit tips their head to the side consideringly. “I could ask you the same thing.”

He doesn’t recognize the voice; for a moment, he is torn over how to respond but then, he decides that his life is already so spirits-damned weird. “Listen, you’re stealing my look, so the least you can do is explain why.”

The Blue Spirit snorts. “It’s not like you invented it.” They take a step closer anyway and then freeze. “Prince Zuko?”

“Ah, yes?” Zuko says.

“You’re the Blue Spirit?” The voice is incredulous. “You broke the Avatar out of prison?”

Zuko considers that perhaps he should have lied, but then, whoever this is is sneaking around on the roof in a mask, so they aren’t likely to rat him out. “Yeah.”

“I knew it!” the Spirit crows.

Zuko winces at the volume, falling silent to see if he can hear any guards responding. “You knew?”

“Well, not about the Blue Spirit thing, but I knew you weren’t loyal to the Fire Lord. My cousin said that you had come back to be a proper prince, but I knew you weren’t going to do that.”

For a moment, Zuko fears that the weight of his guilt will crush him because that is exactly what he had intended when he returned: to be a proper prince, to make his father proud.

They take a step towards Zuko, almost as if they can sense his distress. “My brother was in the Forty-First Division. I know that you are better than the rest of them.”

Zuko wants to protest; he’s not sure that he is any better. He may have (finally) realized that his father is wrong, but he hasn’t actually done anything to stop him, to help anyone. He’s only caused pain to those he cares about.

The Spirit pulls their mask off. They are younger than Zuko, with large amber eyes and curly black hair cropped to chin length. “I’m Minyu.”

“Minyu, what are you doing here?” Zuko asks.

“Scouting,” Minyu says.

“Scouting for who?” Zuko growls.

Minyu leans in closer to whisper: “The resistance.”

“There’s a resistance?” Zuko asks. He hasn’t heard of any kind of rebellion within the Fire Nation in years—not since his father ruthlessly cut down a group that had formed to try to prevent him from claiming the throne.

Minyu scowls. “There is!”

“Okay, and do you have an actual plan?”

“Do you?”

Zuko opens his mouth to say yes, but then he realizes his current plan is: distract his father long enough that the Avatar will (hopefully) have time to find his way to them. He closes his mouth and remains silent.

“That’s what I thought.” Minyu looks smug. “Lucky for you, we do.”

Zuko follows Minyu back towards Caldera; he was able to give them the information they had been hoping to gather, and now they’re going to take him to the leader of the resistance so they could devise a strategy. He tries to calm his racing heart as he follows them on a twisting route through the quiet city streets. Most of the citizens have either left the city or already retreated into underground hideouts to wait out whatever attack the eclipse might bring.

The door that Minyu eventually stops at is shabby and unassuming, in one of the poorer districts of the city. Minyu knocks a pattern on the door, and a moment later, it swings open.

“Come on,” Minyu instructs. Zuko follows them into the house. The woman who opened the door looks shocked to see Zuko, but she manages to school her features quickly as she ushers them into the sitting room.

“I’ve got a new recruit!” Minyu announces cheerfully.

“I can see that,” the older woman says.

“Noriko, this is Zuko. Zuko, Noriko.”

“Hi.” Zuko shifts awkwardly, still unsure of his place here.

“He knows where everyone will be during the eclipse,” Minyu says before the silence can become uncomfortable.

Zuko nods his agreement. “Everyone is going into the tunnels; they are worried about a possible invasion. Azula will be in the bunker’s throne room, and my father will be in the smaller council chamber.” He pauses for a moment, considering the two people in front of him. “Listen. I think the Avatar might try something.”

Minyu’s eyes widen. “He’s really alive then?”

“Yeah, he should be.” Zuko takes a deep breath. “If you or any of your group see him, can you make sure he goes the right way?”

“We can do that,” Minyu says.

“And what will you be doing?” Noriko asks.

“I’m going to deal with my father.”

Noriko shakes her head. “I don’t think that is wise, Zu—Prince Zuko.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you take down the Fire Lord, the world will not see it as a sign of peace. History will view it as more senseless violence: a son killing his father to grab power. The only way for this war to end peacefully is for the Avatar to defeat the Fire Lord.”

“Is the way history views us really the most important thing?” Zuko asks. The Avatar is powerful, but he’s not sure the boy is ready for this, and Zuko doesn’t want to delay any longer. The sooner the war ends, the fewer unnecessary deaths there will be, and Iroh had said that he had the power to bring peace.

Noriko sighs. “Your reign will be stronger and the other nations will be more willing to listen to you if you do not take this matter into your own hands.”

“Hm.” Zuko grimaces. He can see her point, but he’s not sure he agrees that it is the only option. Still. “Well, then I’ll go and keep him distracted. See if I can get rid of his guards. And hopefully the Avatar will make it on time.”

Noriko nods in approval and steps away, moving over to a table piled high with papers—a clear dismissal. Zuko wants to be annoyed, but he is mostly just tired, suddenly aware of how late it is.

Minyu walks him to the door. They take his hand and give it a quick squeeze. “Good luck, Prince Zuko.”

“Thank you.”

Chapter Text

“Why are you here?”

Zuko steadies himself. “I’m here to tell the truth.”

“Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting.” Ozai waves the guards out of the room, and Zuko takes a deep breath.

“First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me.”

“Why would she lie to me about that?”

“Because the Avatar's not dead. He survived.”

“What?” Ozai sounds alarmed.

“In fact, he's probably leading this invasion. He could be on his way here right now.” Zuko really hopes that he is, that this plan will work.

Ozai stands, and Zuko bites his cheek, suppressing the ingrained urge to cower or to flee at the sight of his father looming above him. “Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you!”

“That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore.”

“You will obey me, or this defiant breath will be your last!” Ozai snarls.

Zuko draws his swords. “Think again. I am going to speak my mind, and you are going to listen.”

Ozai sits down, and for the first time, his confidence seems to waver.

“After I leave here today, I'm gonna free Uncle Iroh from his prison, and I'm gonna beg for his forgiveness. He's the one who's been a real father to me.”

Ozai laughs mockingly. “Oh, that's just beautiful. And maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure.”

Zuko ignores the jabs, even though he wants to defend Iroh. He needs to make his point before he loses this chance. “But I've come to an even more important decision.” He pauses. “I’m going to help the Avatar defeat you.” At least, he hopes he is—if the Avatar would hurry up and get here that would help.

“Really?” Ozai sounds smug. “Since you're a full-blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless. You've got your swords. Why don't you just do it now?”

“Hey,” a voice calls. Aang turns and sees... Zuko? It’s the same Blue Spirit costume, but the figure is shorter than Zuko and more willowy.

“Who are you?” Sokka growls.

“A friend,” the Blue Spirit says. “You’re going the wrong way.”

“What?” Aang asks.

The Blue Spirit nods. “They want you to go that way. If you keep going, you’ll run into Azula, who’ll keep you busy until after the Eclipse. I can show you where the Fire Lord is.”

“How do we know you aren’t bringing us to a trap?” Sokka asks.

“They aren’t lying,” Toph hisses.

“I’m not!” the spirit agrees. “I’m part of the resistance. Now, come on. We don’t have much time.”

Aang looks at Sokka, who shrugs, and Toph, who looks determined. He nods at the spirit. “Alright, show us the way.”

For a moment, Zuko is tempted to do as he says, to strike him down and put an end to this, but he thinks that Noriko was right. “Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny.” He sheathes his swords. The eclipse is almost over, and the Avatar has not come yet. He needs to get out of the city, regroup and figure out another plan. “Goodbye.”

“Coward!” Ozai spits. “You think you're brave enough to face me, but you'll only do it during the eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?”

Zuko freezes and turns back to face his father.

Ozai smirks at him.

“What happened that night?” Zuko asks.

Ozai still looks unbearably smug. “My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son, and I was going to do it.” Zuko resists the urge to roll his eyes; of all the predictable things—Ozai admitting that he would have killed Zuko is just about the least surprising thing he could imagine. “Your mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne, and she proposed a plan, a plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared.”

Zuko starts to ask about what the plan was, what happened next, when the door behind him swings open. Ozai grows pale and takes a stumbling step backwards.

“Your time as Fire Lord is over,” Aang says. Zuko glances over to see the Avatar flanked by Sokka and Toph. Minyu, back in the Blue Spirit guise, lingers in the doorway. “Surrender.”

Ozai starts to scoff, but then Aang captures him in a whirlwind, knocking him off his feet. Aang and Toph both dart forward, and when Ozai tries to rise, Aang delivers another blast of air, keeping him still. While Ozai is immobilized, Sokka crosses the room. He pulls out a set of faintly glowing handcuffs and pulls Ozai’s hands behind his back, securing the restraints.

Zuko watches as this happens, staying well out of the way. This won’t be enough, he thinks, but perhaps it will do for now. As soon as Aang looks away, Toph hits Ozai with a rock, hard enough to knock him unconscious.

“What now?” Zuko asks, because they don’t actually seem to have a plan, and he’s not entirely sure they even registered his presence. The two identical perplexed expressions he gets in response suggest that he was correct. Toph doesn’t seem to be bothering to pay him any attention.

“Are you… going to fight us?” Aang asks after a moment.

“I wasn’t planning to,” Zuko says. “But like, do you have a plan for him? He’ll still be able to firebend even with the handcuffs.”

Aang frowns. “I’m not sure I should tell you…”

Zuko narrows his eyes. “Is that because you don’t actually have a plan?”

“The cuffs are dimeritium. They neutralize bending,” Minyu explains.

“Oh,” Zuko says. He’s never heard of anything like that.

“Noriko found out about it; it was her idea to use it to stop the Fire Lord from escaping.”

Zuko nods his understanding but doesn’t say anything; there’s too much happening, about to happen, and he doesn’t know where to start.

“What were you doing in here?” Sokka asks. It’s the first time he’s spoken since they arrived, and Zuko tries not to let himself be distracted trying to parse the meaning of his tone.

Zuko shrugs. “Trying to distract him. Keep him busy.” He turns to Minyu. “Did someone go after Azula?”

“Noriko did,” Minyu confirms.

“Good,” Zuko sighs. He pokes his head out into the hallway, ignoring the nervous glances the Avatar and his friends are giving him. He spots a servant who apparently decided that someone should check out the sounds of fighting. “Can you please go and release my uncle?” Zuko asks.

The servant blinks at him for a moment but then gives a tight nod and dashes down the corridor. Zuko walks back into the room and turns his attention back to the group. The Avatar and his friends are whispering to each other, and he doesn’t want to interrupt. He thinks he might be in shock—everything feels surreal and like it’s happening very far away.

“Azula!” His father’s voice is terribly loud in the quiet room. Everyone turns to see Azula standing in the doorway to the room. Noriko is standing slightly behind her, as though they walked up here together.

“Yes?” Azula asks. She is surveying the room, and Zuko wonders what she is thinking; their father is in chains, and the Avatar is flanked by two of his companions. All of the guards seem to have made themselves scarce, likely hiding until the dust settles so they don’t end up supporting the losing side.

“Azula, stand with me!” Ozai’s voice is tinged with desperation now. “I will rise as the Phoenix King, and you will take my place as Fire Lord! We can rule the world together!”

“An… interesting proposition,” Azula drawls. “Seems as though it might be slightly difficult for you at the moment.”

“If we work together, we can defeat these fools and traitors!” Ozai snarls. “And then we will destroy our remaining enemies! Burn their entire damned countries down and build something new in the ashes.”

Azula cocks her head to the side, seeming to consider his offer, and Zuko waits with bated breath. She might not be able to defeat all of them, but the fight could easily turn deadly if she decides to make a stand.

“No, thank you,” Azula says after a moment. “It's one thing being a horrible human being, it's another thing to be evil, and I would rather not be completely evil.” She turns away, ignoring Ozai’s furious shouting. “Zuzu, we’ll talk later.” She flashes a wicked grin and then turns to face Noriko, still lingering in the doorway. “Mother, with me. We have much to discuss.”

Noriko nods and follows Azula out of the chamber.

“Oh thank the spirits,” Zuko sighs, slumping against the wall. Then Azula’s words sink in—“Wait! Mother?”

Chapter Text

Noriko—his mother—finds him in the courtyard where they used to watch the turtleducks together as the sun is setting. Zuko is exhausted, drained from facing down his father and then arguing with councillors and army commanders for the rest of the day, and he knows that it will be another long day tomorrow. Coups are complicated and messy, and the fact that the Avatar was involved doesn’t help matters.

“Zuko?” He turns to watch her approach. “Can I sit?”

“Sure,” Zuko says. He watches her carefully, trying to find something he recognizes in this woman. Her face is so changed that even though her voice is familiar, he’s having a hard time reconciling the person in front of him with his memories of his mother.

“You probably have a lot of questions.”

“Hm,” Zuko agrees.

“I never wanted to marry your father. It was… Well, you know him—know what he is like. Despite it all, I didn’t want to leave you and your sister.”

“Why did you?”

Ursa looks away, gaze distant. “Your father was going to kill you. I… offered to help him claim the throne if he would spare you. He agreed, on the condition that I leave the palace as soon as your grandfather was dead. Ozai worried I would kill him as well. Perhaps I should have...” She turns to face Zuko. “If I had taken you with me, Ozai would never have stopped hunting us.”

Zuko watches her for a moment. “What about after?”

“I went home.” Her expression is wistful. “I found the man I loved, reunited with my parents. I was still so worried about you and your sister, and I was afraid your father would change his mind and come after me. Ikem—my husband, now—brought me to a spirit, the Mother of Faces. She gave me a new face and identity, allowed me to have my freedom.”

Ursa pauses for a long moment. “She offered to take my memories of my life with Ozai; I almost accepted her offer. Almost let her take my memories of you.” Her voice cracks, and Zuko shifts, torn between wanting to reach out to her and his lingering hurt and wariness. “In the end, I decided to keep my memories. I hoped that I would be able to find a way to help you, to save you from your father.” She reaches out towards Zuko’s scar but drops her hand before it makes contact. “I am so sorry that I wasn’t able to act sooner. That I didn’t come back for you before.”

“I’m just glad you're alive,” Zuko says. It hurts, to know that she was out there and never tried to contact him, but he can understand why she hadn’t, and she’s here now. “And I’m glad you are here now.”

Ursa smiles at him, and Zuko finally recognizes his mother—the warmth and love in her expression familiar even though her face has changed. “I’m glad to see you, both you and your sister. I am so proud of you, Zuko, of everything you’ve managed to do.” She reaches out, still tentative, but Zuko doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

It has been three days since the eclipse, and Sokka feels like he’s losing his mind. A ceasefire had been called, and they’d been given rooms in a guest wing of the royal palace. Zuko had absentmindedly informed them that he would speak to them as soon as he could, and then he had disappeared. Sokka has seen him once or twice in passing, always surrounded by a swarm of people in Fire Nation robes, along with his uncle and mother. Sometimes Azula was there as well.

Aang had left yesterday after receiving some kind of weird spirit dream, and now it was just a matter of waiting. Which Sokka hates. He hates not knowing what's happening, when it will happen. He’s the plan guy, and right now, he doesn’t have anything to work with.

There’s also the matter of the odd looks he’s been getting from servants and patrolling guards. It’s not just that he’s a stranger, or friends with the Avatar; they don’t whisper and giggle at Katara or Toph.

“He’s keeping us here until we die of boredom,” Sokka whines.

“I’m sure we’ll hear something soon,” Katara says, even if she doesn’t sound sure. She was… not happy when she found out that Zuko was the one who had invited them to the palace. He’s not sure exactly what she thought would happen when they defeated the Fire Lord other than either Zuko or Azula taking over. Of the two, Zuko seems like a far better option.

“Ugh,” Sokka groans. “I’m going for a walk.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Sokka shrugs. They hadn’t actually been told to stay in this wing, so he doesn’t think he will get arrested. “It’s fine. Everyone is too busy to worry about me.”

Katara sighs. “Be careful.”

Sokka nods and leaves the room. The wing they’ve been staying in is fairly empty; he passes a few servants, but they are too busy to pay him any attention. He doesn’t see a guard until he is almost out of the wing and heading towards the main area of the palace.

The guard brightens up when he sees Sokka. “Hey! You’re Sokka, right?”

“Yes,” Sokka says.

The guard looks around to see if there is anyone else nearby. “Okay, come with me.” He starts walking without waiting to see if Sokka is following.

“Where are we going?” Sokka asks.

The guard turns to grin at him. “He said he didn’t want to be disturbed, but I’m sure that doesn’t apply to you!”

“Right,” Sokka agrees, even though he really doesn’t know what the guard is talking about. Or at least, he doesn’t know until he realizes that the halls are starting to look familiar, and then he is waved into the little courtyard with the turtleduck pond.

“Thanks…” Sokka trails off meaningfully.

“Tozim!” the guard says cheerfully. “I better get back to my post. See you around.”

Sokka nods and then steps into the courtyard. Zuko is sitting by the water with one of the ducklings perched on his knee.

“So…” Sokka says as he walks over to stand next to Zuko. “How’s it going?”

Zuko looks up at him. He looks exhausted; he has dark circles under his eyes, and he’s paler than usual. “How’d you find me?”

“One of your guards decided I was the exception to the do-not-disturb rule,” Sokka says, dropping down to sit on the grass. “You might want to double check your security.”

Zuko huffs. “Honestly, if someone tried to fight me right now, I’d probably thank them. I’m sick of meetings.” He runs a hand through his hair and then turns to look at Sokka. “I’m sorry I haven’t had time to talk to the Avatar.”

Sokka shrugs. “Not a big deal. You haven’t tried to kill him, so I figure we’re cool for now. Also he left for some kind of spiritual… thing.”

Zuko blinks at him for a moment. “Alright then.”

“What is going on?” Sokka asks after a moment. “We aren’t exactly getting updates.”

“I’ve been trying to focus on ending the war,” Zuko says. “Which is why all of you are still here. But none of the people on my father’s council want to listen; they aren’t willing to do anything serious until I’ve been crowned. So instead of doing anything useful, I’ve been stuck making preparations for that.”

Sokka considers him for a moment, sees how tired he looks, and wonders if he has anyone he can trust to help him outside of his uncle. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Why?” Zuko’s eyes narrow. “Why would you want to help?”

“Dude, you just said you want to end the war. That’s kind of the thing we’ve been”—he waves a hand—“doing.”

“That’s… fair,” Zuko says. He tilts his head in consideration. “Do you think that you’d be able to convince the leaders of the Water Tribe to meet with me? I’d been meaning to ask Aang, but you said he’s not… here?”

Sokka nods. “Yeah, he should be back in a few days. Maybe. I can definitely contact Chief Arnook. Are you asking them to come here?” He’s not sure how well that will go, even if he or Aang are the ones who ask; he’s not sure how many world leaders will be willing to send their representatives to the Fire Nation.

Zuko gives a tired sigh. “I know they aren’t necessarily going to want to come here, but I need to meet with so many of them—not to mention all the military things I’ll need to deal with… The war balloons don’t travel particularly fast.”

“Yeah, and people probably wouldn’t enjoy seeing those show up. I can see what I can do, though.”

“Chief Arnook is from the Northern tribe, right? What about the Southern?”

Sokka grins. “Well, that one’s easy at least. We don’t have such a unified leader in the South, but uh, my dad can speak for the Southern Tribes. So.”

“Oh.” Zuko blinks at him. “I didn’t realize.”

Sokka snorts at his stricken look. “It’s really not a big deal. And there’s no reason you would have known, so you can chill.”

“I’ve never been chill in my entire life,” Zuko says, completely deadpan.