Avatar: The Book Of The Phoenix

A Family Divided

The heavy scent of roasted sea serpent hung in the air, usually a comforting aroma in the Fire Nation palace dining hall. Tonight, however, it mingled with the metallic tang of fear. The ornate table, usually a stage for boisterous family dinners, felt like a battlefield in miniature. Fire Lord Zuko sat at its head, his face etched with the lines of worry. Across from him, Mai, her usually impassive face a mask of barely contained fury, picked at her food. Ursa, her eyes filled with a familiar sadness, sat beside Noren, whose presence at the table felt more like an obligation than a comfort. Kiyi, a preteen but still too young to fully grasp the weight of the coming war, fidgeted beside her mother, her small hands twisting a silken napkin.

Zuko cleared his throat, the sound echoing in the tense silence. "The reports are confirmed," he began, his voice low. "The Great Army's fleet has been spotted off the coast of the Outer Isles. The invasion will begin within the week."

A collective breath hitched around the table. Mai's chopsticks clattered against her plate. Ursa's hand instinctively reached for Kiyi's.

"As a precaution," Zuko continued, his gaze meeting each of theirs in turn, "I've arranged for your safety. Mother, Noren, Kiyi, and Mai... you will be relocated to Hira'a until this conflict is resolved."

The words hung in the air, heavy and unwelcome. Mai's head snapped up, her dark eyes flashing. "Hira'a? Are you serious, Zuko? I'm not going anywhere. I will fight by your side."

Zuko's jaw tightened. "Mai, this is not a negotiation. It's an order. You are not a soldier. Your safety, and the safety of Mother, Noren, and Kiyi, is my priority."

"Safety?" Mai scoffed. "What safety will there be if you fall? Besides, I have a few scores to settle with Azula myself."

Ursa's hand tightened on Kiyi's. Her voice, when she spoke, was barely a whisper. "Azula... she's coming with them?"

Zuko's gaze dropped to the table. "Yes, Mother. Azula has made her choice. She will fight alongside her husband."

A ripple of shock went through the room. Ursa's face crumpled, the weight of years of regret and disappointment settling upon her.

"My sweet girl..." Her voice was thick with unshed tears.

Zuko nodded, his expression grim. "She confirmed her stance two days ago. Her decision is final."

The silence that followed was thick with unspoken grief. Ursa's eyes, filled with a weariness that went beyond the immediate crisis, met Zuko's.

"It is a pity," she murmured, her voice laced with sorrow. "A pity that things must be this way. That brother must fight against sister... that a family must be torn apart by war." She looked at Zuko, her gaze filled with a mother's love and a mother's dread. "You will face them both, then? Azula and Aarslan... on the battlefield?"

Zuko met her gaze, his own eyes reflecting the same pain, the same inevitability. "I have no other choice, Mother."

Ursa's gaze drifted to the flickering flame of the centerpiece candle, her eyes clouded with memories. "I... I keep thinking," she murmured, "that there must be something... some way to bridge this chasm between you and Aarslan. A way to bring an end to this rivalry before it escalates further."

Zuko sighed, the sound heavy with the weight of responsibility. "Mother, we've tried. We've exhausted every avenue. Rokkun... the boy you knew years ago is gone. He's not the child you remember. He's become a monster." His voice was flat, devoid of emotion, the words all the more chilling for their lack of passion. "He's taken countless innocent lives. He's shattered the fragile peace we've worked so hard to rebuild between the nations. There's no reasoning with him anymore. There's only one way."

A shudder ran through Ursa. "But... he was so kind. So gentle." Her voice was filled with disbelief, a desperate attempt to reconcile the memory of the boy she knew with the tyrant he had become.

Mai, who had been listening in stony silence, finally spoke, her voice laced with a bitter edge. "If you had a father like General Shoka the Cruel as your mentor your whole life, you'd be doing the same things."

Zuko nodded, his expression grim. "Indeed. Shoka was ruthless. Everyone, including Father, feared him. He molded Rokkun into the weapon he is today."

Ursa sighed, the sound filled with resignation. The light in her eyes flickered, the weight of the past and the dread of the future settling upon her.

"Do what must be done, Zuko," she said, her voice sharp, the softness gone. "But... promise me one thing." Her gaze met Zuko's, her eyes pleading. "Promise me you will spare Azula. I couldn't bear the thought."

Zuko's jaw tightened. He looked at his mother, his heart aching with the impossibility of her request. He knew what she was asking, knew the turmoil that raged within her. He reached across the table, taking her hand in his.

"Mother," he said, his voice low and earnest, "I... I will do everything in my power to keep Azula safe. I promise you that."

He couldn't promise more. He wouldn't lie to her. The battlefield was chaos. He couldn't control every outcome. But he would try. He would try with every fiber of his being.