Chapter Text
An era of peace. That’s what Uncle had said. And for once, Zuko felt it. The other nations, as well as the Fire Nation, had brought up concerns about the rest of the royal family, but they had accepted, albeit begrudgingly, his proposal of house arrest on Ember Island for Azula, Ozai being locked away in the Boiling Rock prison, and Uncle retiring to Ba Sing Se to run his tea shop. All things considered, that had been the best outcome for the royal family. He had reconnected with Mai, and they were trying their relationship again. Katara had decided to give Aang a chance, and they seemed happy together. If he was honest with himself, he had thought he had felt something for Katara once, but that was most likely just due to the intense emotions and stress of everything they had been through together. Mai was the one he belonged with. And, of course, Sokka and Suki were as disgustingly in love as ever. Toph had also returned to her true love: Pro Wrestling. Everyone was happy, and peace had been restored to the world. Zuko couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. Of course, he knew there was still an incredible amount of work to do, but he knew the world had been changed for the better.
------------------------------------------------------Five Years Later------------------------------------------------------
Zuko was startled awake by the sound of his door slamming open. Necessity had made him a light sleeper, and bolting upright, he saw a prison guard kneeling in the open doorway.
“A-apologies, Fire Lord. Two groups are fighting Boiling Rock with the intention of getting to Firelor-your father. Several of the guards have turned against us, and the ones who haven’t are almost overrun. I don’t think the prison can hold out much longer. I would never have dared to awaken you like this were it not an emergency,” the guard stammered, clearly terrified of Zuko’s reaction.
Zuko jumped out of bed and started pulling on his armor.
“What groups?” he snapped at the guard.
The guard cowered even more. Great. His father’s influence was still ever-present in the Fire Nation. The guards either feared or hated him, there had already been nine assassination attempts in less than five years, and the other nations still didn’t trust him. Of course, he couldn’t really blame them. Peace was still new compared to the hundred years of oppression and genocide. He knew it would take time. Still, it felt like a hopeless situation. Maybe Uncle would have some wisdom.
“Smellerbee’s Freedom Fighters and a group of the former Fire Lord’s supporters. Many of the guards have joined in the attempt to free Ozai,” said the guard, not once looking Zuko in the face.
Zuko sighed. The road to recovery was always longer than he thought. Seeing a man almost twice his age cower in fear for his life over a legitimate emergency just served to remind him how bad things had been. On top of that, this was the seventh attempted break-in since Ozai had been imprisoned there.
“What’s your name?” Zuko asked, pulling on his armor.
“Lee, Fire Lord.”
“I appreciate you coming to get me, Lee. Now, let’s get down there, and when we get through there, I think you’ve earned a promotion,” Zuko said, as he grabbed his swords.
Zuko ran out the door, Lee following close behind. As they ran through the palace towards the entrance, Lee finally asked.
“Fire Lord, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, and please no take no offense at my question, but why are you promoting me?”
“It takes bravery to come to the palace and disrupt the Fire Lord, and I know how my father would have reacted. And it also shows that you don’t side with his supporters, which implies I can trust you. I’ve been needing a new personal guard captain, and depending on what happens at the prison, I think you could be the right choice.”
“Thank you, Fire Lord. It would be an honor.”
Zuko could already sense that Lee was more comfortable with him, and Zuko was grateful Lee had come to him. It showed incredible bravery that Lee, despite being worried about Zuko losing his temper, felt it was important enough to come into his room unannounced. Zuko really needed a new personal guard captain that he could trust. While none of the assassination attempts were remotely successful, with the exception of one, he was getting tired of them. The one that had almost succeeded crept into his thoughts. If Katara hadn’t been there...No. He wasn’t going to let himself go there. He couldn’t think about her right now. He had business to attend to. Luckily, Lee jarred him from his thoughts.
“My lord, I just want you to be prepared. It’s probably worse than what you’re thinking. I’ve already called in reinforcements, but I don’t know how long it will take for them to get there.”
They ran to the palace stables and saddled a couple of Komodo-Rhinos before riding to the harbor. As they boarded the ship that would take them to Boiling Rock, Zuko knew this was going to be a long night. He also knew it was time to deal with Ozai. Permanently.