𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔

Chapter 14

The mornings were always very busy when you were the ruler of an Empire. People thought you had more time because servants did most of the work, but that was incorrect.

Zuko woke up before dawn, and had a small breakfast with his uncle and one of his advisors, who went over much of his day's schedule. Meetings with nobles, governors, people who owed him money, tax collectors, trade officials... the list went on. Every spare minute of his day was filled by discussion with someone or other who needed his attention, and always urgently.

But he was good at it. This was what his uncle had trained him to do, from the moment he was born. He excelled at being the monarch of his country, unlike his father, and grandfather, and great-grandfather.

In fact, every single Fire Lord after the first Zuko had been total fools, slobs who didn't care or didn't want the responsibility of being king. Their duties were always shoved off to various advisors or generals who inevitably ended up abusing power. The queens hadn't been much better; drained women tired of dealing with their husbands and lived only long enough to bear the requisite male son as heir. Only the aides and truly helpful nobles of the court had kept the Empire from falling apart in those days.

People whispered rumors and tried to explain their lack of strong Fire Lords. Ever since that Water bender girl had borne a son to the first Zuko, the subsequent rulers had been stupid, incompetent. The true fire of the royal blood had been diluted; doused of its potency, they said. Mixing of the blood always proved to be disastrous. It was a curse, proved by the scar that marked the eldest son of every generation of the royal family.

However, while Zuko II's own mother had been pregnant, a prophecy had been made. This soon-to-be born son of the Fire Empire would be a great ruler, the one destined to fulfill his great ancestor's legacy and end the constant war against the rebels.

When Zuko had been born, Iroh had made it his life's work to educate his nephew, the Empire's last hope. Soon after the infant's birth, both father and mother had died of sickness. Iroh ruled as regent, relinquishing more and more power to Zuko as the boy grew and became more confident in his position as the Empire's next Fire Emperor.

Scraping his knife against his plate, the Emperor, powerful Fire bender, ruler of the world, possessor of extreme wealth, and resident teenage boy, tried to keep his attention on the droning voice of the advisor, who was updating him on the latest property taxes concerning the newly acquired land in the Earth kingdom, now the Earth province.

His uncle gave him a look, and Zuko sighed before putting his knife down.

"Blah blah blah, blabbity blabbity blah," said the advisor.

Zuko nodded.

"Blah babbity blah. And oh yes, blah blah blablibbity blah," the advisor continued.

Zuko made an agreeable noise.

"Blabbity blabbity blah blah blah," said the advisor. "And what do you suggest we do about the recent revolt of Earth bender slaves in the south?"

"Huh?"

Iroh gave him another look. Zuko sighed, leaned forward over his plate, and rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm sorry. Could you repeat the question again?"

The advisor, looking quite put out, repeated his question and Zuko sat back before answering. "Send another regiment of troops down there. Capture the Earth benders and put them back in their places. Punish a few to get the message across. The usual."

Iroh nodded, showing his agreement. This sort of thing was almost regulation, it happened so often. When he had first dealt with this kind of situation, Zuko had been worried about hurting people in the process of controlling them. However, as the years passed, he thought less of them as humans and more of them as a nuisance. There was always some young upstart in Earth bender quarters who wanted to break free from the tyrannical Fire Empire rule, but none of them made it as far as getting a few of their rash friends killed and thrown back in the slave camps.