Chapter Text
Team Avatar had no idea what to expect when they approached the Royal Palace of the fire nation. But they hadn’t expected it to be so calm. Having spent a week in Ba Sing Sae after the second takeover in a year, they almost resented it.
Aang and Iroh had stood at the ready in Appa's saddle, prepared to deflect any fireballs that came their way as they approached, but none did.
"You think that means they've given up?" Sokka asked looking over the edge. He could see Fire Nation citizens going about their day, stopping only to point at them when they were spotted, but making no moves to challenge them.
Appa moved closer to the palace, once again, completely undisturbed.
"Maybe," Katara said. "I think they're hailing us."
"What?" Iroh asked.
Everyone looked over the side to see two people, servants, gesturing for the flying Bison to land in one of the gardens.
"Is... is that a trap?" Sokka asked. "What am I asking? It is a trap. Aang, land in a different garden."
Aang grimaced but did as he was told, directing Appa to a garden closer to the palace. Right in the middle in fact.
Everyone hopped off, arms raised, ready to fight. Iroh kept his arms in his sleeves, looking dignified. But everyone knew that he was probably the second most dangerous person there, behind Aang.
"You shouldn't have done that," a familiar voice said.
Everyone whirled around to see Azula, dressed in casual finery, sitting on the ground in front of a pond.
"You," Katara snarled before lashing out a water whip, angling it so it would go in the direction she was sure Azula would dodge to.
The fire princess didn't move and Katara's attack slapped the air.
Everyone stared at the empty air in shock, including Azula. "You missed," she said. Then she gave Katara a baleful look. "Disappointing to the absolute end."
"I didn't miss. You didn't dodge."
"Oh, are you saying your inability to hit a girl sitting defenselessly in a silk dress in front of you next to a pond isn't your fault?"
"Defenseless? You killed Aang."
Azula glanced at Aang, who shuffled awkwardly, backing away from her slightly. Then she looked at Katara with a raised eyebrow. "Slander," she said plainly.
"Azula," Iroh interrupted before Katara could jump and tackle the other girl. "What are you doing?"
Azula gave her uncle a cold eye. Then she gave the rest of the group a once over before landing on Toph. "So... are you supposed to be the earth kingdom's delegation? Because people used to say my family was crazy for letting me fight in the war, but then you showed up. What are you 6?"
Before Toph could start, Aang chose that moment to step up. "We are here for the coronation of the new fire lord."
Everyone gave her a cold look, daring her to disagree.
"Kinda late aren't you?"
Everyone was taken aback by her answer.
"Well," Katara said. "You're surrounded, so it's best if you step down."
Azula smiled. It was her scheming smile. Everyone got even more on guard, Toph a second late in reaction to everyone else.
Katara began bending the water in the pond, planning to sweep the princess with it.
Azula's eyes widened. "Don't do that. You'll piss him off."
It was such a weird statement that everyone froze. Azula was concerned about upsetting someone? They could hardly even imagine her doing so with Ozai.
"Will you resist us crowning Iroh?" Aang asked, trying to get his bearings again.
Azula laughed. She laughed and laughed and it freaked everyone because, aside from Iroh, it was the closest they'd heard her sound like an actual fourteen-year-old.
"Sorry, that's just funny. I mean I knew he was right, but I can't believe he was right."
"Who are you talking about?" Sokka asked.
"The Fire Lord," Azula responded. "Obviously."
"Your father is in an earth kingdom prison."
It was almost magical, the way the princess' face dropped. "He's alive?"
"Yeah,” Sokka said, jumping on what he perceived as an opening, “and if you don't want anything to happen to him, you'd better not stop Iroh from..."
"Who is the Fire Lord?" Iroh asked, sounding like he was choking.
Everyone turned and looked at him, confused.
"Who else? Zuzu."
"Zuko," Iroh half-whispered, his face in shock.
Everyone looked at each other. Well, Toph mimicked the motion. Whoever this Zuko guy was, it was clearly important.
"Wait, wait, wait," Sokka said. "You just let some guy become fire lord over you?"
Azula looked at him like he was a child who'd asked a stupid question. "I'd hardly call the crown prince 'some guy'."
And that threw everyone for a loop.
"You found Zuko?" Iroh asked.
"He was never lost." Azula answered. "He just didn't want to come home."
"Wait , back up," Toph interrupted. "Who is Zuko?"
"My Nephew," Iroh answered, his sounding voice far away. "Her older brother."
"Ozai has another kid?" Sokka asked. Then he looked at Azula. "There's an older version of her?"
"Why yes, except I'm very unique," Azula said. "And he's already going to be so upset about you landing your giant animal in the middle of his favorite garden and scaring his pet turtleducks instead of the area he had cleared out for you."
It was only then that everyone noticed the collection of turtle shells around the princess. A turtleduck slowly peaked its head out, looked at them, before retreating back in.
"You never mentioned you had a nephew." Sokka hissed at Iroh, the accusation clear in his voice.
"Well Zuko has been missing for a while," Azula said, almost conversationally. "He only showed back up like, two days before the comet."
Iroh continued to stare at her.
"Wait, so is Zuko like her?" Katara asked, calculating for the possibility of a second bigger, Azula dropping from the sky at any moment.
"Zuko was always more studious. He was determined to be the best Fire Lord he could be. He always wanted to impress his father."
Azula laughed again.
"Wait, if he showed up before the comet, why wasn't he with your dad?" Sokka asked.
"Because I'm not crazy." At the sound of his voice, the kids all turned to look at the teenager who'd shown up. He looked like a softer, younger Ozai, with gold eyes and the fire lord's crown on his head. But unlike the shirtless and pathetic man they'd all seen struggling to insult them, he was dressed in full robes and standing with complete poise. There were a dozen guards behind him.
"It was amazing," Azula said. "Zuko arrived, like the drama queen he is, planning to present himself with all the glory of Sozin's comet like a returning hero. Then I told him that father was planning to burn the earth kingdom, and I couldn't tell if he was going challenge him to an Agni Kai or try to assassinate him."
Some of the fire nation guards seemed to do a double take at the idea.
"I wouldn't have beaten him in an Agni Kai," Zuko said. "And you know I was never going to assassinate father."
"Enough talking about assassinating your father," Sokka said before he pointed his sword at Zuko. "You are going to step down and let Iroh be crowned Fire Lord."
"No I'm not." The response was so, definitive, it made Sokka feel like he'd just lied.
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not."
Sokka grit his teeth. "Stop being difficult."
"Says the guy who barged into my palace and is asking a whole country just change the leader of the nation less than a week after he officially took power."
"Well," Katara said. "What if we're not asking?"
Zuko gave her a once over before looking at Azula. "The waterbender?"
The princess, who had gotten on her feet, answered. "Yes."
Zuko gave her another once over. Katara didn’t like that. They had been discussing her?
"Hmm," Zuko hummed looking like he was thinking about something before looking back at them. "Still not happening."
"Wait," Aang said, stepping forward to take control of the conversation. "Maybe he can do it."
"Aang, he's Ozai's son."
"Yeah, but he was going to... well, try to stop his dad?"
"But he didn't." Sokka said.
Aang turned back to Zuko. He stepped forward hesitantly. “Hi. We haven’t met. I’m Avatar Aang.”
Zuko stared at him. “You’re taller than the last time I saw you.”
Aang startled at those words.
“What do you mean by that?” Katara asked.
“Did I speak in riddles?”
Aang spoke up before she could respond. "Are you willing to order the Fire Nation's surrender?"
Now Zuko looked confused. "Surrender? What are you talking about?"
"He's talking about you. Losing the war," Toph said matter-of-factly.
Zuko looked at them all, baffled. Then he looked at Iroh. "Is that what you've been telling them? That the Fire Nation lost?" He thought about it some more. "Is that what you've been telling everyone?" His tone was a lot more incredulous. “Do you have any idea how much trouble that’s gonna cause me?”
"Well, duh.” Sokka said, “Last I checked the Fire Lord is in prison."
"My father's alive?" Zuko looked like a lost boy for a second. Then he looked shocked.
Sokka smirked, "Yes. And our prisoner."
"Wait, you thought he was dead?" Katara asked.
"I didn't think any of you would be foolish enough to... never mind that. Do you think that defeating the Fire Lord means you've won the war?"
That question had the kids looking at each other. Iroh looked down, conflicted.
"I mean... kinda?" Aang said.
Zuko stared at them. "Oh, well, I'm glad the war ended 80 years ago. I suppose that means we've been living in peace then. Feel free to leave."
"What?" Katara asked. "No we haven't. The world's been at war for a hundred years. Did you not notice while here in your palace?"
"Strange. Fire Lord Sozin died 80 years ago. Are you saying that didn't end the war?"
"Nephew," Iroh began.
"Don't nephew me. What was your plan? That no one would question that nonsense? Were you going to surrender? Actually, don't answer that. I'm upset with you enough as it is."
He turned to the rest of them. "And all of you sheathe your blades. I get enough complaints from the generals about telling them to order their troops to withdraw without having to explain a bunch of foreign soldiers attacking me for no reason. I'd basically have to keep the war going if you did." He looked at his sister. "They didn't attack you, did they?"
Everyone turned to the Princess, Katara with particularly wide eyes.
Azula sighed. "No. They couldn't even do that right."
"We're not soldiers," Katara said.
Zuko looked at her like she’d quacked.
"Wait," Aang said. "That's why the soldiers are falling back?"
Zuko looked at him again. "No. They all simultaneously decided that the best course of action was to start falling back to fire nation territory the moment the Fire Lord stopped sending them orders."
Aang stepped back, looking embarrassed.
"Wait so you won't surrender, but you're retreating?" Sokka asked.
"Withdrawing," Zuko corrected. "You know people in the rest of the world talk about the fire nation like we aren't even human, but we have a lot in common. My generals also couldn't comprehend the idea that I could just end the war like that."
"We can comprehend that," Katara said, indignant. "But... but you can't refuse to admit you lost."
"So... if I ordered my armies to keep fighting and ordered every firebender in the city to shoot fireballs at you and your bison as you arrived, would you be thinking, 'well at least we won the war' as you frantically tried to survive?"
Katara stamped her foot indignant at the overly happy patronizing tone he used for her supposed inner thoughts. The sight of some of the soldiers suppressing their laughter just sprinkled salt on the wound.
"There are two ways this war could be concluded. One side overwhelms the other's armies and fights them all the way to their home territory until they're forced to surrender. That is winning the war. The Fire Nation has failed to do that for a hundred years. Though, some do think the conquest of Ba Sing Sae should count as victory."
Everyone glanced at Azula, who bowed performatively.
"And save for that episode on the day of Black Sun, no one else came close to even beginning. The other is if we just stop fighting. That's ending it. Technically, no winners and losers, but if we're keeping score, despite your great victory during the comet, I'm pretty confident the Fire Nation was still winning. At the very least, we're just back to where we were last year."
"He's saying what we want to hear," Toph said. "But I don't like it."
"Toph," Katara exclaimed, suddenly remembering that she was still here. "Is he lying?"
"No," the earthbender answered.
"Well, maybe he's a good liar like his sister."
Azula, who had moved to her brother's side, laughed again.
"Are you just upset that I won't say we lost?" Zuko asked. "Is that it?"
"Iroh should be the Fire Lord," Sokka tried one more time.
"The man who passed over the position when it was his to claim, is now 55, and has been declared a traitor to the Fire Nation? That's who you want sending orders to our armies? Do you honestly think that political nightmare is preferable to just shutting up?"
Sokka made to answer.
"How did you even get Ba Sing Se to let him out alive?" Zuko asked his uncle, "I find it hard to believe anyone there with any authority would be happy that you were bringing the Dragon of The West here to take power."
Everyone winced. Those had not been pleasant conversations.
"Let me guess," Zuko said. "He was the only option that wasn't Azula?"
No one said anything.
"Well do you have an actual reason to complain about me taking the position that isn't 'I refuse to say that we lost? Which we very much didn't.'"
"Well, you're Ozai's son."
"Iroh is Fire Lord Azulon's son. And he's actually led invasions of the earth kingdom. I've never even been a soldier."
Iroh looked ashamed as everyone turned to look at him.
"That's not fair." Aang interjected. "Iroh's done a lot to make up for his mistakes.
"Mistakes I haven't made."
"Well we know we can trust him," Sokka said, his building frustration evident on his face.
"So?"
"What do you mean 'so?'" Katara asked.
"It doesn't matter how much you trust him. You don't even live here. You have no authority to decide who the next Fire Lord is just because you like him."
"We want someone who's going to end the war."
Now Zuko was looking at Sokka with pity. "I just told you," he said slowly. "That I'm doing that. Did you hit your head on the way here?"
Sokka began sputtering, aghast.
"With that settled," Zuko turned around, "Let's continue inside." He stopped. Then looked back with a completely flat look on his face. "After you move your Bison."