Princess of the Fire Nation

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

In the evening, after a surprising dinner with his father and Azula, Zuko made the decision to finally do what he had been dreading – see his Uncle and Lian. Azula was more than happy to tell him how the traitors had been locked up and would spend the rest of their lives in the Capital prison.

Azula was never close to their Uncle but she was once close to Lian. She saw Lian as a sister, a mentor and a friend which made her betrayal devastating. Although she would never admit it, Zuko knew Azula wished their cousin had sided with them in Ba-Sing-Se.

When sleeping wasn't an option, Zuko donned a hooded cloak and headed down the unguarded path towards the prison. The prison was set within a volcanic crater and although Zuko had never been before, he knew it was a place where highly prioritised prisoners were kept. He was glad his cousin and Uncle were here and not somewhere heinous like The Boiling Rock.

Walking across the courtyard of the prison, Zuko froze. He was unsure of whether he should enter, whether they would even want to see him.

"Who's there?" shouts a guard from the tower above, spotting the lone figure.

Deciding against it, Zuko silently leaves. He didn't need to see them anyway.

The next evening, Zuko once again tried to sleep but after tossing and turning he finally gives up.

Donning the same cloak, he made the same journey down towards the prison. It almost felt like deja vu except this time the Prince entered the building, surprised not to be stopped by a single guard. Although, the Palace was situated in the Heart of the Fire Nation. No one would be crazy enough to try to enter or break someone out successfully.

Walking down the hall, Zuko finally spots a guard who points a spear at him – daring him to come closer.

"You again? Stop where you are" demands the guard, recognising the hooded figure as the same one who came the evening before.

Instead of replying, Zuko just raises his head allowing the guard to see his well-known scar which easily gave away his identity. "Prince Zuko?!" gasps the guard.

Taking the distraction, Zuko grabs the guard and slams him against the wall. "I'm going in for a visit. You're gonna stand guard here, and no one is going to know about this" he hisses before dropping the guard and walking away.

Finally, Zuko enters a room in the most secured part of the prison to see his unkempt Uncle sitting crosslegged on a mat, facing the wall behind the bars.

"Uncle. It's me" says Zuko, removing his hood.

His uncle doesn't move, instead choosing to face the wall.

Growing angry at the lack of a response, Zuko lashes out: "You brought this on yourself, you know. We could have returned together. You could have been a hero! You have no right to judge me Uncle. I did what I had to do in Ba-Sing-Se, and you're a fool for not joining me" he pauses, waiting for Iroh to say something but he remains quiet. "You're not gonna say anything? Argh! You're a crazy old man! You're crazy, and if you weren't in jail, you'd be sleeping in a gutter!"

With that, Zuko leaves slamming the door behind him.

He was too angry to visit Lian and instead went back to the Palace wishing he never went in the first place.

Zuko didn't know why he went to visit his Uncle. What did he expect? For his Uncle to hug him and tell him he was proud.

His Uncle and Lian had tried to do everything they could for him but they just didn't understand. He needed to restore his honour and he wanted to return home. They could have come with him with they chose the wrong side. Didn't they?