Water Lily in a Sea of Fire

Chapter 42: Revelations

It should have been a dream come true when Zuko had been invited to attend the war meeting, but upon entering the war room, he did not feel the excitement he had expected.

"Welcome, Prince Zuko," said Ozai as his son walked towards the throne. "We waited for you."

Zuko walked up to his father, and after bowing to him, he sat down next to him.

"General Shinu, your report," said Ozai.

"Thank you, sir," said Shinu getting to his feet. "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?" asked the Fire Lord.

"Our army is spread too thin, but we should wait until after the eclipse is over and after the invasion is defeated, and then we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom."

"Hmm," said Ozai before looking at the prince. "Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Do you think that adding more troops will stop these rebellions?"

"The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong," he said. "They can endure anything, as long as they have hope."

"Yes, you're right," said Ozai thoughtfully. "We need to destroy their hope."

"Well, that's not exactly what I..."

"I think you should take their precious hope and the rest of their land and burn it all to the ground," interrupted Azula.

"Yes," said Ozai with a wicked smile. "Yes, you're right, Azula." He stood up and walked to the map. "Sozin's Comet will be arriving this year, 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?" asked Shinu.

"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. 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!"

Everyone applauded the genocide except for Zuko who was shocked and appalled. He was tempted to speak out against the Fire Lord's plan, but the words became stuck on his tongue when he felt a small prickle of pain over his left eye where his father had taught him a permanent lesson.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Since the day in the Crystal Catacombs, Zuko had been unable to get a restful night's sleep. There was the possibility that the Avatar was still alive and that his father might find out. But he found it more troubling that deep down he hoped the boy really was alive. He could not understand why such traitorous thoughts had been going through his head. Now, his father's plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom was added to his list of worries. But what plagued his mind most was his worry over Iroh and Chiara, and his sleeplessness had only gotten worse after seeing his wife chained up in the prison.

He had been anxiously waiting for news from the courts regarding his wife and uncle, but no verdict had been announced yet. One night he lay on his bed staring at the small canvas with the image of him and Chiara on their wedding day. He remembered thinking about how being crowned Fire Lord could not possibly surpass the moment he had taken Chiara as his wife. He tenderly ran his finger over her image before rolling it up and hiding it. He tossed and turned in bed for hours unable to sleep, and as he found himself rolling over again, he thought he heard something outside his room. Stepping into the hall he saw a scroll lying on the floor.