Dragon of the West

Chapter 3- The Fire Lord's Decision

Hello loyal Fire Nation fans! I was overwhelmed by the support I got for the first two chapters and I hope you like this one as well. When we last saw Iroh he found out the hard truth of the sins his grandfather Sozin and his father Azulon had commited. Now he will find out some things that will shatter his entire world. I hope you enjoy.

- Darthlane

Chapter 3

Iroh snuck through the dark halls of the Fire Nation Palace silently. He had to watch out for guards that marched around searching for assassins and spies. Over the years of sneaking in and out of the Palace he had developed the skills required for silent movement. He practiced evading the soldiers on a regular basis on his way in and out of the Palace. This time however, there were more dire consequences than usual. He cursed himself and his lack of thinking silently.

For starters he should never have disappeared earlier when his mother had told him about his grandfather's death. She would be incredibly angry and looking for him. There was no doubt that she would have already checked his room and anywhere else he would be in the Palace. She would know something was wrong, that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. She might even suspect that he had been visiting the people of the capital. Iroh knew she would be livid at the thought of that. The dangers aside, she wanted very much to keep a tight control on his and Ozai's lives. She couldn't maintain that if Iroh was out of the Palace, her domain, and listening to "the lies" of the people. She couldn't allow that.

His second mistake was that he had gotten a pot of tea from Hieu and Rhia. It had been a spur of the moment decision, and it hadn't occurred to him until he had entered the Palace through the secret passage he had found years earlier that it might just be the incriminating evidence she needed. Iroh was under more pressure than ever to reach his room undetected.
Iroh was slinking around a torch-lit corner and almost ran right into a spear wielding guard. He threw himself back around and pressed himself as flat as he could against the wall. Hopefully he hadn't been seen. Acting fast, he pulled a small pellet out of his pocket and lit it with his firebending. It sparked and fizzled like a firework. Iroh tossed it to the other side of the hall. It bounced around erratically, causing a commotion of light and sound. As Iroh hoped, the soldier rushed forward to investigate. Iroh pressed himself as close to the wall as he could as the guard ran past. Thankfully, the soldier was too focused on the pellet to see Iroh. Iroh slipped by behind the unsuspecting guard and tiptoed quickly around the corner and down the hall.

Realizing that the pellet wasn't an immediate threat, the guard whirled around to see who had thrown it. But there was no one there. He scratched his head and continued on his route.

Iroh breathed a sigh of relief when he had gotten far enough away. "That was way too close." He muttered. "I have to remember to listen more closely. He almost caught me." He continued more carefully.

Luckily, the rest of the way to his room was clear. He was able to slip into his room and closed the door before some ill fate let him be caught right as he reached his goal. But he was safe.

"Thank the spirits." He breathed. "That was too close."

What," said a voice behind him, "was too close?" He whirled around to see Ilah and two guards standing in the center of his room. Her arms were crossed and even in the dark lighting he could see the sour expression on her face.

"Hello, mother." Iroh said defeated.

"Where have you been, Iroh?" His mother asked. "I was in the middle of talking to you and you go and disappear the moment I look the other way. Why?" Her eyes narrowed when she noticed the tea pot in his hand. "Where did that come from?" Her voice was almost too soft to hear. Somehow it was scarier than if she had yelled. She snatched the tea pot from his grasp and examined it.