Summer 99 AG
Agna Qel'a, Walls
Zuko
Yue had chosen the worst place possible to go after hearing the news of my departure. I had nothing against high places themselves or anything against flying in general but the sight that high walls like this one give…well let's just say that I'm not fond of falling.
I found her overlooking the ocean, her feet dangling in the air as she looked at the approaching sunset, apart from some sentries on the lookouts we were alone and since the sentries were quite the distance away, we could talk without interruption and without hiding anything.
The sound of my feet against the ground drew her gaze but as soon as she saw me, she looked away, sighing. I sat next to her while trying to think on how to open the conversation.
"Yue, I…I'm sorry" apologizing was my best bet here at least as an opening move "I should have told you myself"
She responded without looking at me "You should have, you could also stay one more day"
I grabbed her hand and squeezed it briefly when she didn't say anything more "You know I can't do that, one day would quickly turn into two and then more. I have family waiting for me to come back, to know that I'm safe"
Finally, she turned to me, and I saw the tears she tried to hide from me. The dark satisfaction I felt in my heart at the clear evidence of her love for me was not comforting enough as we locked eyes. My hand cupped her face, and I wiped a few stay tears with my thumb.
She leaned into my touch and exhaled deeply, Yue moved my hand from her cheek to her mouth and briefly kissed my knuckles "We could send a messenger…i… I don't want you to leave me, not when I can't follow you"
I kissed her after that, something that I hoped would lessen the blow for what I was about to say.
"I have something to tell you…something important that may cause you to hate me"
"I could never hate you; you could be Koh the face stealer in disguise, and I would have still fallen in love with you, you make me feel alive Zuko" she looked at the ocean beneath us and continued "I've been living a borrowed life and many times I felt as if I was not really living, you changed that"
Yue brushed her lips against mine for a second before kissing me "I feel alive even if I'm only thinking of you and when I'm with you the weight of my life is nothing at all"
This is what I've looked for all my life, love, unconditional and never-ending, it only made my desire to have more of it from different people an even more terrible thing but a heart as dark as mine would have it no other way, that is why I was chosen to be a contractor after all.
"I love you Yue" the words meant nothing to me, but it seemed that the world shined brighter in her eyes as she heard them "And you deserve the truth"
"My name is Zuko and I'm the crown prince of the Fire Nation" the confusion in her face lasted only for a second before she laughed at me, not a sad laugh or a desperate one, a happy laugh.
"You silly man, I could never hate you for something like that" the hand that I had taken when I first sat down was still holding hers and this time it was she who squeezed "I knew there was something more about you and you always seemed to be laughing when I was addressed as 'princess Yue'"
"So, you have to go back huh, I guess we were meant to be, but we were never meant to be together" we looked on as the sun fell "will you remember me?"
It was my turn to laugh now "Now you are the one being silly, I will never forget you and you are insane if you think that I'm not coming back for you once I've delt with the problems at home"
Our eyes met once more and this time neither of us looked away as we made our promise.
"I will always love you Zuko and I will wait for the day where we can be together" we had one last kiss before she went back to make sure there would be no misunderstandings from her actions.
Once I was alone again, I gave a silent thanks to those beings who made this possible and left the walls, those medical texts and scrolls weren't going to steal themselves after all.
Agna Qel'a, Mechanist's workshop
"Well, my prince, we're ready to leave" the man said as he cleaned a cog that didn't seem to belong anywhere. "We are leaving, right?"
"Of course we're leaving, why are you asking that?" I was looking at a particularly striking black coat made from the pelt of a wolf that I was one hundred percent going to steel.
For a moment I wondered what the OG Zuko would say to such dishonorable actions but then I remembered that the guy stole lots of shit, for all his talks about honor Zuko sure changed his mind quickly when things didn't go his way.
"Rumors abound that you have become infatuated with the princess of the tribe, I even heard that her fiancée is looking for you to request a duel"
"That's…interesting but that still doesn't answer my question, none of that makes me want to stay"
"You have been seen to frequent the presence of the princess and if what I'm seeing on your back is correct you recently engaged in carnal relations with someone, her reaction to the news combined with what I see now make a clearer image of your relationship"
Curse observant old men and my lack of care when I'm changing "…we are very close yes, but I have a war to stop, even if I have feelings for her there are still many things that need my attention"
He looked closely at my face as if he could actually read the truth in it, he was seemingly satisfied with what he saw before he stopped again and looked at me intently once more "you are not going to kidnap her right, because I would prefer not having icicles being thrown at me after spending such a nice time her"
Perhaps I'm being too friendly if he thinks he can make comments like that, then again, I like people who are smart and not afraid to speak their minds, curse my need for intelligent company.
"Have no fear my friend, she is staying but I will come back for her once the war is over"
It was at this moment that I remembered why I was here; I needed a distraction, and I was hoping to use the mechanist as it.
"You said the balloon was ready right" at his nod I continued "Why don't you go and offer the court the unique opportunity to fly while I take care of some things on the side and make sure Yue is the first one to fly in it, she needs to cheer up a bit more and that could help"
"You want a distraction"
"You understand me, good, make sure to take your time especially with the old lady Yagoda, I need to, hm, liberate some knowledge from her place"
We stepped out of his place and called the important to one of the open spaces in front of the palace.
"Chief Arnook we want to thank you for your hospitality and all the help you and your people have provided us during the days of our stay, as thanks we would offer you to ride the balloon, to fly as the airbenders once did, I promise not to go with you and crash it again" the joke at the end did the trick and the people that once were skeptical of the apparatus soon lined up to board it.
Normally I wouldn't have been able to slip away as the crowd of people looked nothing like me but in their excitement at the possibility of flying my absence went unnoticed.
I climbed atop the houses and buildings and ran across the rooftops until I found myself close to the healers building, jumping down from the top of an adjacent building. The only witness, a boy who was probably only entering puberty, ran away.
Snorting at the apparent cowardice of the child I made my way inside carefully opening the door before looking inside. I saw some women changing the bandages of a hunter, and another feeding a child something that looked really gross, probably some herbs as medicine.
One trick I had learned from my past life was that if you carried yourself with confidence and looked as if you had something to do or looked like you worked there most people would let you be, those days I spent eating hospital food for free while I moved around with a clipboard and some empty test tubes finally were useful for more than getting free food.
Randomly grabbing some medicine and some salves I walked confidently towards the back where I knew Yagoda kept most of her scrolls, the women there looked up at me briefly but as they watched my face and the things I carried they quickly lost interest and went back to work on their patients.
Closing the door behind me, I looked for scrolls detailing the process of healing as well as those that were for more general instructions and one or two that were about treating heavy burns.
Looking for and hiding those scrolls in my person didn't take more than ten minutes, a reasonable amount of time but one that could be suspicious if they questioned me about what I was doing.
Once I was sure that nothing poked out or looked strange, I simply walked out, not slow as if to indicate I had time but not hurrying either as if I had something to hide. Once I was out the door, I let out a big sigh of relief and headed for the balloon.
While walking I came to the startling realization that some men where following me, they were almost discreet about it but I wasn't stupid and five men not in a group that were clearly trying to blend in with others just screamed 'ambush'.
In these situations running would be the best option but I wasn't an ordinary human or more accurately I wasn't human, I was a god and I wanted to know why they were following me.
Stopping at the entrance of what looked like an alley I motioned them to come, the startled looks on their faces lasted a second before scowls replaced them.
Once we all were out of view from the street, they blocked the exit and pulled out their weapons, nothing too dangerous, just some metal tubes and some staffs used for training.
"At least you know your place outsider, don't worry we won't kill you we are only going to teach you a lesson" the one who spoke was a big, bearded man that stank of alcohol "you should have gotten so familiar with the princess, Hahn sends his regards and wishes you don't return"
I loved when things went my way, I didn't even have to ask and this idiot told me everything I wanted to know. Hahn for all his posturing and pigheadedness was a man looking for power, political power, and Yue was his best bet to obtain it.
I was a clear threat to him and there is no doubt in my mind that he would have done something to Soka had he accompanied him on his mission, accidents happen in battle after all.
"You know I'm so glad that everyone is busy elsewhere and that it's still bright enough that this won't be seen" moving forward I kicked the man's legs and watched him fall, kicking his head a very satisfying crack was heard as his jaw broke before I advanced on his friends "Don't worry, this will be quick"
They didn't even have time to scream before I delivered a punch to each of their throats leaving them choking and sputtering on the ground barely able to remain conscious.
"I briefly thought of letting you live but I want to try something" with those words my hands move in a fluid motion and a mound of snow suddenly is on the head of the leader, I feel it as the heat of his body slowly melts some of it and the water quickly finds its way inside his nose.
He coughs and coughs trying to spell the liquid from his nose, but as much as he tries, as much as his body convulses and thrashes in the agony of his lungs filling with water, he can't escape his fate.
He drowns.
I turned and looked at the still shocked and barely breathing companions that followed him, they peed themselves and the acrid smell of urine in the snow assaults my nose.
"You have no honor, no courage and soon enough you will fell the same pain as he did" my legs spread, and my arms raise themselves from my waist in a sweeping motion that moves the snow around them covering their heads "I will make it faster for you"
This time I don't wait for some of the snow to melt, I directly push it inside their noses and mouths. They claw at their throats desperate for air, for relief.
They find none.
And once they all stop moving, I walk out of there not a hair out place and make my way to the war balloon, there are still many things waiting for me out there in the world and I can't keep wasting time.
The scene I walk to is not one I expected, the old man is being carried in the arms of the villagers who are telling him how smart he is, the crowd wanting their own turns.
"I'm sorry perhaps I'll come back soon, but I miss my son dearly and I think it's finally time for us to leave" his words cause them to focus on me and they start saying their goodbyes.
After one more formal goodbye from the chief and the important people at court, we finally leave the balloon rises and we move towards the walls. Once we are close enough, I see Yue there, a teary smile on her face as she mouths the words 'I love you'.
Laughing I wave at her and respond "I will come back for you"
Not long after that the moon and cold night air show us the way to further adventures.
Author note: hello my people i hope you enjoyed the chapter, a little romance and drama are good for the soul and i'm happy that the first part of the story is done, each conquest is going to be it's own sotryline and i hope that by the end they fuse in a satisfactory manner. as always i'm here to remind you about Patreon and all that cool stuff that you already know, i'm thinking about goign back and naming the chapters and i would like to know what you think. anyway i hope you have a great wednesday and that you are healthy, see you next time.
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Jul 20, 2022Report
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JeskThe one who is always lurking
Summer 99 AG
Northern Air Temple
Zuko
The trip back was smooth, no problems at all and even the damn mutant animals of this world didn't cause any sort of trouble. Flying is truly the best way to travel, the day will come when I will be able to do it on my own power.
My musings about becoming the man in the sky are interrupted by our landing, the boisterous sounds of my crew as they crowd around the aircraft and from the top of the mountain as they start to celebrate the return of the mechanist from his voyage.
"You should get to the top old man, I'm sure your son will be happy to see you"
"I will follow your advice my prince, it would make me very happy to spend some time with my son, perhaps we can finally play as we did when he was a child"
The man leaves and once he is out of sight I run towards Iroh, I give the man a big hug as I almost tackle him to the ground to the cheers of the crew.
"I missed you uncle, the trip was fun, but it wasn't the same without you"
"I missed you too Zuko" his voice cracks as he speaks "I don't think my heart can take another plan like this young man"
I laugh at his answer even as I know he's lying, uncle would never try to keep me with him, he knows that a parent must let his child grow and learn on his own.
"Well, we have to get going uncle, the south pole awaits. I can tell you about my trip once we are on our way. It was really interesting, the people, the animals, the culture even if it was weird"
"Hahaha. Yes, they can be too traditional even compared to us" he turned to the captain and started giving him orders to prepare to leave.
"Tell me Zuko, did you meet someone, a pretty girl?" his smug tone told me that I hadn't noticed something.
"I did, but how can you tell? And don't say it's my aura or something like that"
"No, nothing so vague. I just saw that you have some rather nail-like marks on the back of your neck" my hand moves instinctively to touch and feel a little bit of tenderness on the skin.
"I hope nobody saw them in the north pole"
We all boarded the ship and after one last look at the temple finally set off into our next adventure, I could feel the improvements done to the ship by the incredible speed we now had, we were going easily twice as fast as before while using less coal.
I can only imagine how much the lives of the common people can be improved with the technology that those serving me will pioneer.
After a little training session with uncle where he demonstrated the proper footing of some techniques as well as more useful moves when it came to defending, we finally got to talk about my adventure.
"You crashed it!"
"I didn't really crash it, I caused it to crash. There is a difference"
Iroh looked at me incredulously. "What could possibly be the difference?"
"The difference is on who was actually directing the balloon, if I was the one moving it then I would be the one crashing, but since I wasn't the one that determined the direction, I caused it to crash"
"Zuko the end result was a crash; it doesn't really matter how you word it"
I would disagree on that one, as someone who once studied law, I can safely say that the wording of any action or event is important.
"Let's agree to disagree on that, I learned a lot from watching the moves of the waterbenders, the way they move seamlessly from attack and defense is fascinating"
"I'm glad you think so, there is much to learn from other cultures" he threw me a look that I recognize from my previous life's parents, that teasing look when your kid finally gets a girl "speaking of learning from other cultures, I hope you weren't dishonest with your partner"
"I can assure you I was very open about myself with the princess" in less than a second, I was drenched in warm tea as my uncle was choking on the rest of it "Uncle this is disgusting, can someone please bring me a towel"
"I'm sorry Zuko but did you say princess, as in the princess of the water tribe?"
"Thank you" I said to the man that passed me the towel "Yes, it's not like I'm not a prince either"
"Isn't she your age?"
"yes" I looked at him very confused about his reaction "What's wrong?"
"It's just surprising from what I know she should be betrothed, maybe even married at her age, your status or Azula's is not really common"
"She is engaged" once more uncle chose to spit tea in my direction "Could you please stop that!"
"You knew about her engagement and still slept with her, that is not very honorable prince Zuko"
"The man she is engaged to is an idiot and she doesn't love him, I'm way better than him, besides she is favored by the moon spirits as I'm favored by the sun. it was meant to be"
"Even if the spirits approve, you must realize that marrying her may not be a possibility. Ozai could still choose a partner for you"
I doubt that, Ozai is still very angry that he didn't get the freedom to select his bride himself and for all that he enjoyed spending time with our family when I was still a child, he never escaped the ghost of my mother's first love.
"If anyone has to worry about that it's Azula"
"Azula is…temperamental and she has never been popular with the boys"
"She is still a beautiful princess, there has to be someone trying to get her affections, right?" I looked at Iroh who had a very sad look on his face
"I'm afraid that Azula may never get a partner Zuko, her personality is too domineering and volatile to form any long-lasting relationship, there were rumors at court that the reason Ozai did not strip you of your titles was that he feared his line may end if he did, as there were no interested parties trying to get Azula's hand then and I may be harsh in saying this but I doubt that has changed much"
Damn, no wonder she had such a frail psyche, she has spent so much time alone, at least I don't have to worry about any potential competition
"She must be very lonely"
"Azula is difficult to be around, and I know you may not want to hear it because you are still close even if you've been distant because of Ozai, but you may have to deal with her. She will not turn her back on Ozai"
"She is not a monster uncle; I know that I can convince her"
We spent more time in silence before the gloomy atmosphere was too much for me, I stood up and started throwing fire around, trying to distract my thoughts before I ended up changing my mind and setting course to the capital before the time came just to see her. I came here for her after all.
Coast of the Western Air Temple
Zuko
We were making incredible time, and soon would be near the coasts of the Fire Nation and while I was barred from coming back to the main island and the capital cities, I could still enjoy the rest of my nation.
The western air temple was shrinking behind us and everything was seemingly going according to plan, once more I found myself on the deck of the ship learning more about firebending and how to most effectively use the heat around me as a weapon.
"Can you feel the heat Zuko? Not the fire, only the heat, can you do it?"
I could if barely, I was at the other side of the deck and uncle had a little ball of fire on his hand and my job was to manipulate the heat without interfering with the flame.
"Yes, it's faint but I can feel it"
"Excellent, that is the first step to manipulating heat and I must say that you seem to have great talent for it, perhaps you will go farther than even Sozin himself and actually freeze something with firebending"
Now that would be the dream, learning how to control heat so effectively that I could sap it out of things in order to freeze them, if done to a human it could be just as fatal as the lack of air, the body would go into shock because of the changing temperature and lack of heat inside the body.
"I still need to learn much uncle, we have barely even started this, but I like your confidence"
"Zuko you've been learning at a fast pace, in fact I believe you to be the greatest genius that has ever been born in the Fire Nation's royal line, your talent is almost overwhelming, but I would expect nothing else of the one chosen by the sun"
There was the cry of a bird in the air, a messenger hawk was circling around our vessel and descending fast. It landed squarely on my uncle's shoulder, and he quickly took the message from its feet before reading it.
"'We are happy to invite you to the celebration planned for the anniversary of the victory against the Airbenders on Ember Island, we expect to see the prince after so long' it has the seal of the Fire Lord"
"We will have to go, ignoring his 'invitation' will bring trouble I'm not ready for, it's a good time as any to prove that the rumors that minister Qin must have spread are not rumors but the truth"
"Are you ready to see Ozai again after so long?"
"As ready as I'll ever be"
I didn't think that things would go this way, but opportunities arise from chaos and this party on Ember Island was going to be a chaotic event indeed.
Author note: i thank you for your patience everyone, today has been pretty hectic and well let's not talk about it, it may be a little short but i decided to push the political stuff forward before going into the south pole part of the story and i got this, as always you can find the next chapter on my Patreon and if you are a Patron then you should now that there is a poll to choose which story is getting an extra chapter there since we finally reached the first goal i set, right now Savage-Time is in the lead but if the ones that havent voted yet push towards a single story that may change, anyway i hope you're all in good health and that you have a nice night.
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Jul 28, 2022Report
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Threadmarks: Chapter 11
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JeskThe one who is always lurking
Summer 99 AG
Coast of Ember Island
Zuko
I had never been the most patient man, waiting always seemed like torture and right now it may as well be torture. I haven't been given 'permission' to leave the ship, a reminder that no matter the circumstances I'm still an exile.
At least there was nothing to fear on land. Ozai could attack me with all of his strength and fury, and I would barely feel the heat of his flames, he could throw lightning at me, and it would do nothing more than lightly burn my skin and with my talent in swordplay I could escape even if I didn't use firebending.
The moment I became immune to fire any cause for concern in a fight for the throne disappeared, it wouldn't make controlling the population or the nobles any easier but there is no one apart from the Avatar that could kill me right now and even he might not be able to, running away was also one of Zuko's specialties.
"No need to look so tense prince Zuko" Iroh spoke as he got closer to me before whispering "Many people are looking at you right now and if you are to impress them you must keep your composure"
"I'm not tense uncle, I'm annoyed by their little power plays as if this was a normal court, everyone knows that power is the only thing that matters when it comes to legitimacy, Sozin made it so"
Iroh hummed noncommittally at my answer "Patience is a virtue that will help you in all aspects of life prince Zuko, be sure to embrace it as the land embraces rain"
"And for a moment I thought that you finally stopped with your useless proverbs uncle"
The voice of Azula had changed and like I had expected Ozai sent her to intimidate or otherwise drive the wedge between us further apart. She arrived followed by a ceremonial guard and without announcing herself, another way to show how little respect she had for me, but I will train the disobedience out of her eventually.
"You should show more respect Azula, he still has the rank of general"
"Oh did I make you angry Zuzu" she finally was in front of me and she was everything that I had expected, the beautiful unblemished skin, the rosy lips that make me want to bite them as if they were an apple and that body that will only grow sexier in time "But if we're speaking about showing respect, that makes me think that you finally learned how to keep your mouth shut. Your scar looks good by the way"
I had expected the venom in her words, prepared myself mentally for anything she might say relating to the scar, but it wasn't enough and as my fury grew the air around became a scalding thing, hot enough that every breath became more difficult, the guards that had accompanied Azula had started coughing and she had a look of discomfort on her face.
"There is no need to start this reunion with a spectacle for the soldiers, perhaps you can spar in a more private setting. It wouldn't be proper to receive a guest of the Fire Lord with a fight" Iroh moved in between us, ready to spot us if we moved with any intention of attacking "Prince Zuko it's time for the morning tea, would you care for a cup"
I debated with myself about the benefits of teaching Azula some discipline right here and now, but uncle was right in defusing the situation. Ozai could use this as an excuse to punish me more and making it impossible for me to contact any influential noble.
"Tea sounds great" looking back at Azula, who was now far wearier at the thought of fighting me if the look on her face was anything to go by, I gave her a small smile "regardless of the circumstances, I'm happy to see you again"
She huffed and made sure to give me the signature look of superiority that every villain knows "Don't get too comfortable dum-dum after this party you're going back to the ocean, you shouldn't waste time with sentimentality" she turned around and just when she was about to leave the ship, she called out to us again.
"I almost forgot" Azula said with a fake innocent smile "Father is waiting for you at the old beach house, you better hurry and he wants you to go alone" after those parting words she finally left.
"This is strange, Ozai is not one to hide away and ask things in private"
"He no doubt wants to see for himself if the rumors of my blessing are true, Ozai would look like a fool if he tested me in front of the court for everyone to see and it turned out to be true. He would be obligated to do something about it, for all that the nobles beg like dogs for his approval, they would jump at the chance to see him humbled"
"You've become very wise Zuko, I remember the time when you despised the games of the court." Iroh grabbed my shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly "Are you ready to go back to your father's house?"
"it's been a long time since I thought of that place" I looked in the direction where it could be found and remembered the time when I had a happy family "I'm ready to put the past behind me uncle"
The house looked just like it did in my memories, servants scurried about as I passed, some looked and pointed at me without fear, others looked away from me and pretended I didn't exist, and a particularly brave idiot just made a joke about me and my mother.
I stopped and walked back to him, the smile on his face quickly disappeared from his face and the other servants around him quickly left with some minor platitudes. The man tried to do the same but as he tried to move past me I grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground with casual ease, his face paled as he realized just how strong I was and that I clearly had heard him speak.
"I want you to repeat it to me" my tone was low and while my voice was as calm as the sky at night the servant could clearly hear my displeasure "Say it again, right now before I lose my patience"
"P-prince Zuko i-I didn't mean anything by what I said" the smell of urine reached my nose as the man lost whatever composure he had "please forgive me!"
"Are you going to make me repeat myself for a third time" the idiot continued to babble and apologize but he didn't speak up "Very well, if you won't follow my orders then I'm left with no choice but to discipline you"
My hand reached for his throat and with my grip I prevented him from saying anything else, as a small flame covered the palm of my hand and started burning his flesh. The smell of burning human flesh accompanied by the choking sounds of the imbecile were starting to annoy me so I decided to end it before the smell impregned my clothes.
What was a small flame turned into an inferno hot enough to melt flesh in seconds, the flames grew as I poured my chi into the flames until they covered the head of the man and after a few agonizing seconds the rest of his body slackened as he finally died, i could endure many things, insults most of all, but that man had spoken about my mother in a way that i don't even care to repeat and he deserved death.
I let the body fall to the ground confident that it would be cleaned up and continued my way up the stairs into the house, like me Ozai was not a patient man.
I reached the front door and without knocking or waiting for permission entered the room and there on a throne Ozai sat while drinking from a golden cup.
"Welcome back prince Zuko" he stood up and walked until he was in front of me, the height difference accentuated by the way he literally looked down on me.
"I have heard an interesting rumor about you" he paced around the room while circling me as if he were a predator. "Care to put it to a test?"
"You are the Fire Lord, it would be my honor" he chuckled as I spat out the word honor and before either of us said anything more a ball of flame materialized in record time over his hand.
He held it close to my face, looking for any kind of discomfort and when he found none, he immediately blasted my face with it.
The heat felt pleasant and while the brightness forced me to close my eyes it did me no harm, there was no hair out place in my head and not a single part of my flesh was marred by the flames.
"Would you care to try again with a real attack?" it felt good to mock him and his powerlessness
"You shouldn't be so arrogant!"
Those words were followed by a whip of fire that struck all over my body, again and again he hit me with it, but the result was always the same, even as my clothes burned and as the wood beneath our feet started to smoke, my body endured.
"Is this enough proof, or will you continue until my clothes are all ashes."
I almost chuckled at his look of frustration, no doubt Ozai was jealous about my new ability to endure fire, jealous of my perceived worthiness in the eyes of the sun spirit and most of all jealous of the power that I now held in my hands over all the firbenders in the world.
His hands lowered and while there was a scowl on his face, I could clearly see him scheming something in his mind, for all that he was an awful father and human being in general, Ozai had great skill for politics.
"Your gift is very impressive, but the ability you have is not your own, the strength" he gritted his teeth as he spoke the word "you possess is not really yours, while we are celebrating a competition in which the best firebenders will participate against each other will be held. You will win, and you must do so effortlessly. It wouldn't do for the favored of Agni to lose"
He walked out of the house soon after his declaration, his plan was not a bad one. He wanted to humble or humiliate me, this way he could show the people that being favored by the sun spirit meant nothing, that I was still nothing and that there was no reason to revoke my banishment.
Ozai underestimated me and soon I would show everyone just how much stronger I was, but right now I needed to find better clothes, the robes I had were just about to fall off and one of the strikes of the fire whip hit my underwear, having the servants watching me move around the house naked was not ideal, weird rumors could spring up.
Sighing I passed my hand through my face, removing the makeup covering my little love spot, showering seemed like a perfect idea and an excellent excuse for the servants to bring me fresh clothes including underwear.
Just when I was about to call out for help the sound of running feet was clearly heard from the steps leading to the house, Azula was probably coming to see me, and this was a perfect opportunity to use my charming good looks to get her attention.
"You cannot enter without permission" the voice of an elderly woman said to the one trying to visit, it wasn't Azula, otherwise the old woman wouldn't have the courage to speak.
"I don't care" the monotone voice that answered was very familiar and while not my preferred target I wasn't about to send her away.
The door opened and in walked Mai, she looked very delectable in the beach clothes she was wearing, her breasts while small were very perky and held a fantastic shape and her long-toned legs looked good enough to worship.
She soon found me holding the remnants of my outfit, my chest was bared and the pants I was wearing were about to come apart at the seams, she was staring at me intently, no doubt making sure that she would never forget this moment and while Mai wasn't the most expressive person, there was no hiding how flustered she was.
"Mai, I'm very happy to see you again but as you may have noticed" my hand moved as I grabbed a piece of my shirt "I'm not exactly in a good position to receive visitors, so, unless you plan to join me in the bath, I'm going to ask you to leave for now"
At that moment my pants that had held on for so long finally broke leaving me in the nude, making no effort to conceal any part of my body. I looked at Mai's face and raised an eyebrow.
Mai opened and closed her mouth for a few seconds in a very good imitation of a fish, her face got redder, and no sound came out of her mouth even as she clearly tried to speak.
Deciding to be a bit playful I teased her a little more "Are you thinking hard about my offer of joining me in the bath"
Finally, she reacted by putting her hands over her eyes "I can wait, I just wanted to see you again" she peeked from behind her hands, and I just smiled as I noticed her eyes going downwards.
I walked slowly towards her and saw her flinch as I got closer, once I was close enough, I hugged making sure to press my body against hers in a way that let her feel every inch of it. Mai's breath grew erratic, and I felt as her body got hotter.
Then I kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear "I'm glad you came looking for me"
Without another word and not giving her any time to respond I walked out the room and headed straight for the shower.
Today was a really interesting day.
Author note: Sorry for the late post but today is my mother's bithday and i was left in charge of the party and only now found enough time to update this, like always i welcome all support on my Patreon, and beyond that hope that you enjoy this, i also noticed that QQ had been sending the alerts of comments into my spam folder so i will make sure to pay more attention from now on and i apologize for ignoring anything you might have said. i hope you have a nice night and see you next wednesday.
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Aug 4, 2022Report
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JeskThe one who is always lurking
ZUKO
The shower was perfect, and I was enjoying a moment of rest while I planned my next step, but it wasn't long before I was interrupted as a servant came into the room telling me that a visitor was here. The useless shits let him in before even asking me about it, clearly my status as an exiled prince was affecting my authority and sadly, I had to wait before taking over from Ozai, maybe i was being to harsh but if it had been an assassin i would be dead by now.
"Who did you even let inside my home?"
"Minister Qin said he had urgent business with you, and we let him in" the nervous reply of the boy was instantaneous
The minister again, for all his cowardice the man was not unintelligent and to survive as one of Ozai's pets you needed more than compliments, he was cunning enough to get his position and use whatever means he had available to maintain it.
I entered the room where he was waiting, the man sitting calmly as he drank some tea. He looked at me but didn't comment on my state of dress and simply waited for me to sit.
"Thank you for meeting me in such short notice prince Zuko, if you would prefer to change into your clothes I don't mind waiting some more"
I was wearing a robe and some shorts and looked as if I was about to spend the day playing in the beach, which if I'm being honest did cross my mind but those plans died after learning that Mai had retreated as fast as she could after I teased her a little, a shame because I would have loved seeing her in a bikini.
"No, my state of dress is hardly an impediment for holding a conversation, I'm curious," I spoke while leaning forward "what do you want minister?"
"I'm a simple man, and I don't ask for anything other than reassurance" he was afraid, I hadn't realized it before, but his words revealed the last clue I needed. "I saw the Fire Lord on my way here and he was hardly on a good mood, which means that he has proof of your blessing and that the feud that started on that Agni Kai so many years ago, is about to become more unpredictable"
"Feud?"
"There is no need to feign ignorance only a fool would think that you hold any affection for your father after the brutal punishment he inflicted on you"
Yes, only a fool would think that Ozai and Zuko could play happy family and while I was still young my new position gave me legitimacy that I didn't have after the duel, soon people would have to choose a side.
"Then you have made your choice, I hope your not taking this decision lightly" there was harshness in my tone as I continued "I don't like traitors or deserters"
"I believe in following the person most likely to succeed and that is you, sure Ozai may have more power now but he's unstable and while many won't speak of it aloud the fact that he was preparing to ascend the throne days before Azulon's death has left many with questions about the legitimacy of his reign and the dangerous precedent he set for matters of succession across the Fire Nation" taking a sip of his tea he continued
"The army is also starting to divide as the higher ranks follow Ozai and those with smaller posts but with more experience remember fondly the days they followed general Iroh, with his tacit support of you they will follow. The nobles are the only ones that will not consider you as they see a path to power through Azula that even if they are too cowardly to follow right now, they have not discarded the idea yet but that is where I come in"
I didn't know about the army and it's good to have such excellent news but depending on a sole person for the support of a major group will cause issues in the long run if I'm not careful.
Zuko has never been popular as he lacked the forcefulness and aura of a ruler and no noble family will meet with an exile privately, even one of royal blood, especially one of royal blood as Ozai may take interest in why they are doing it, for now I had no other option than to accept his help and allegiance.
"You already know then that the mechanist is now under my control and that any advancements made will be released at my discretion and convenience" I wanted to see how far his network reached and revealing something that I would have to tell him anyway now that he worked for me was the perfect way to test it.
"I didn't know it for certain, but I suspected that it would be the case, I don't know how you gained his loyalty or how exactly you learned of him, that doesn't really matter to me but I will ask you to give me something to work with when it comes to the Fire Lords requests"
"Of course, I wouldn't want you to lose your head on account of failure, I hope you know that while violent as long as you don't disrespect me you don't have to fear for your life, nor will you have to while I reign"
"That, prince Zuko is another excellent reason to follow you"
Plans needed to be made and while capturing more targets was important, securing my way to the top was a more pressing need right now and with my new ally things could start moving sooner than I thought.
"Do you know what the Fire Lord planned for the party?"
I decided to change the subject before making any real plans. I needed to speak with Iroh to make sure that the information the minister brought to me was trustworthy, I strongly suspected it was but it's always better to verify when the prize is a crown and failure means death.
Qin didn't appear bothered by the sudden subject change and answered promptly "I know what he was planning before"
"Let me guess, a humiliating gesture for me and some nonsense about forgetting about the spirits" I said while sneering.
Ozai was a brutish creature that didn't have much cunning or else he would have killed his father without Ursa long before she was forced to do it, the man never even stepped on the battlefield and even I had more experience in directly leading men into a real battle than him.
"You are right about the spirits but wrong about the gesture, he was merely going to ignore you and make sure that everyone there understood that even if you were invited you were not wanted there"
"Why would he do that? it doesn't make sense, I know that my presence here hasn't gone unnoticed, and everyone knows that only the Fire Lord could let someone who was exiled back into our nation's territory"
"He was planning and probably still is, on spreading the rumor that you begged to see him and that he only accepted to stop your whining"
That piece of shit Fire Lord, once I ascend to the throne, I will make sure to erase his name from history, a tad dramatic but he was dishonoring me...perhaps OG Zuko's inlfluence is what is making me so angry,hmm, thoughts for later.
"My reputation would suffer much if the rumor gained credibility, I assume you have started spreading something far more flattering?" I asked the minister, almost bemused.
Qin nodded "While the Fire Lord ordered me not to say anything about your blessing, my conversation with him about the subject wasn't as private as he would have preferred, and the guards are acceptable scapegoats for this"
"Good, very good, you are quickly proving your competence"
"I live to serve" was the response of Qin
Thinking about it more deeply it made perfect sense that he would help me, he couldn't rise anymore in the current regime and I knew that he had ties to Yuzhen the man that would become the founder of the Sparrowkeet Air Company and that right now he was looking for a new product, the war balloons that the mechanist was working on could be that product and the company from canon could then be made but with the mechanist in my pocket he needed me.
"I need to speak with my uncle about this new development, I will call for you once we feel it prudent, I hope you will maintain a low profile until the time comes"
"It won't be a problem; it has been a most excellent visit" he bowed and headed out.
Now only one last thing remained, I had to get rid of Ozai's spies. It was a shame that innocent people had to get caught in the crossfire but if Ozai learns of what happened here I will be facing an uphill battle for the throne.
"For your sake I hope you don't move '' I spoke to the seemingly empty room but with the superior senses I had finally developed the sound of a person's breathing getting more erratic could be heard as if I was beside them in the silence that reigned in the room.
I walked to the center of the room before looking upwards and there in the ceiling a little hole that anyone else would ignore showed me the eye of another person.
"Let me tell you something, your choices now are to die by my hand slowly or dying quickly, you decide"
The idiot choose poorly as I heard her get up but with a jump and some help from my flames I burst onto the second floor, the terror on the face of the woman was unmistakable and with one look at her features I knew why Ozai had chosen her to be the spy.
She looked a lot like Ursa, there were subtle differences but if she and my mother were side by side most people would say they were either sisters or at least related.
"Ozai is too cruel forcing a person like you into my service" my voice was calm but everyday my hatred for Ozai grew stronger with every act he took against me "Do you know who you look like?"
The woman threw herself to my feet and started sobbing "Pri-nce Zuko ph-please! I was just following orders!"
Ignoring her pleas, I kneeled and put my hands under her eyes as I wiped the tears from her face "You look like my mother"
"H-e f-orced me t-o come here; you have to believe me!" she started stuttering but managed to control herself to speak clearly, death awaited her, and she knew it, she had heard too much even so she still tried to live.
"Tell me do you know if there are more spies among the remaining servants?"
She didn't respond, staring off into space and before losing consciousness.
"This isn't good" with a sigh I started dragging her downstairs and into my room. There appeared to be no other servants around the house right now so everything was going good.
"What are you doing zuzu?" of all the times for Azula to arrive unannounced it had to be now "and who are you dragging there?"
Her face went ashen the second she got a good look at her face, the predatory smile she wore on her face disappeared.
"Mother?" The confused and almost hopeful tone that had a hint of fear coming out of Azula's mouth made me want to hug her, but I had things to do and even though I might regret it later I had to be harsh.
"You must not be able to remember her face if you think this woman, I sour mother" Azula looked sharply at me and flames started pouring out of her hands as she heard my mocking tone "she looks like her but it's not her, she's just a little gift from Ozai, it's good to know you miss mother too even if you can't remember her face"
Azula let out a battle cry before throwing a bolt of lightning towards me, I dodged and closed the distance before punching her stomach and then I pushed her to the floor.
"Your anger makes you predictable sister, maybe you should lay there until you calm down" I put my foot on her neck and pressed it gently as a non-spoken threat "You look cute while you growl"
She thrashed around intent on making me lose my balance but a little more pressure on her neck had her choking and abandoning her efforts "Tell me Azula~ " I said almost singing her name "do you think you're scary? Do you think you're a monster?"
As soon as the word monster came out of my mouth she froze, her eyes watered and she refused to meet my gaze as she bit her lip. I bent down without taking my foot off her and dragged her head back so I could see into her eyes.
My hands caressed her face as I spoke "You are not a monster, not yet, I have seen what a true monster looks like, the face of a man that would force his wife to murder his own father and scar his son"
Azula's eyes widened but she remained silent, however I knew that her mind was quickly analyzing my face for any hints that I was lying.
"Do you remember Azula, that day, when Azulon spoke of killing me and that soon after he died and our mother fled, she killed him to protect me and she fled so we could have a chance at finding her because if she had stayed Ozai would have had her killed because she poisoned Azulon on his orders"
I removed my foot from her throat, and she stood up looking at me warily "She is out there Azula waiting for us, you might not remember because you were sleeping but she visited us both before leaving, she loved us"
"LIAR! She never loved me; she was scared of me!" the torches of the room turned blue and grew in size as she spoke "I could see it in her eyes whenever she looked at me"
"She was scared of what Ozai was turning you into, she loved us, you rejected her attention when she tried to motivate you into 'softer' interest"
Azula slapped me as the tears in her eyes finally started falling down her face, I could have dodged but I didn't, instead I grabbed her hand and dragged her into a hug.
"I really missed you Azula and no matter how much Ozai makes us fight I will always love you, no matter what you think you are"
We spent a few minutes hugging while she cried but once she finished, she pushed me way and turned around.
"Don't think this means anything" she left in a hurry.
I wanted to wait before confronting her like this, but the situation demanded it, speaking of which, I looked back at the unconscious form of the woman that looked like my mother.
"You've caused a lot of trouble for me, you're so lucky I still need to interrogate you"
Author note: i know things are starting to get a dark tone, but in the fight for the trhone you can expect for things to get messy and while Avatar has always been a kid's show it has very dark moments, but if you guys think it's too much i can rewrite it to something softer, also i'm happy to anounce that my battle against the squirrels is finally over, there were many dead in the end but i prevailed, you know the drill by now in regards to my Patreon so i will just leave the link below.
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