'I am a merciful man. I will allow the child to live, despite the lowliness of his true heritage. Ikem, however- Ikem richly deserved his punishment.'
'What did you do?!'
'I wiped that treacherous dog from existence.'
Ursa raised her hand to slap Ozai in the face but he grabs her wrist. Tears form in her eyes. 'Ozai, how could you?! You know as well as I that Zuko is your son!'
'Of course he's my son! I had spies track your every move for months before we were married! Why would you write such an obvious lie?!' Ozai yelled angrily.
'Maybe I wanted to see if you were reading my private letters! Maybe I wanted to hurt you, even for a moment! Myabe it was just my wishful thinking.' Tears fell down her face.
'Is that what you truly wish, that Zuko were not mine?!'
'That he turns out nothing like you? Yes.' She looked him in the eye when she said this. His anger suspiciously vanished and he let go of his wife and smiled.
'Then that's how I'll treat him, dear wife. I want you to watch carefully from now on. Every time I speak harshly to him--every time I wound him--every time I treat him as if he were the son of a treacherous dog-'
He bowed mockingly. 'I will simply be fulfilling his mother's wish.'
