"Furthermore, waterbenders serving in support roles would be an enormous asset to our forces in the desert. The ability to reduce water loss through evaporation alone would justify the transportation costs and associated risks.
"And after the desert, once the northerners have grown accustomed to fighting alongside us, we could turn our attention to the swamp. We continue to suffer significant losses from raids launched out of it, and drying it out and burning it away would solve a great many problems.
"The detailed plan, along with my calculations for both operations, can be found in the documents I provided."
"Hm. I hear what you're saying. The proposal is certainly unconventional. The advantages you promise are considerable, but so are the risks. I'll bring the matter before the next war council. For now, we'll quarter the northerners in the old barracks and increase security."
"Thank you, my lord."
"Now we come to the third matter. My son and my brother. I've heard that you spent a great deal of time with them in the North and even provided them with a ship to reach the Earth Kingdom, though you disguised it as an assignment of your own."
Now there wasn't even a trace of a smile. The way Ozai looked at me, I might as well have been a cockroach.
Yes, he knew how to apply pressure with a stare. But… After standing before the Ocean Spirit in the midst of its fury, the "pressure" of a very powerful firebender, ruler, and skilled psychologist—yet still only a human being—wasn't particularly impressive.
"I needed to send damaged ships to the shipyards regardless. Those vessels might not have survived the voyage to the capital, while Yu Dao was only two-thirds the distance. General Iroh and Prince Zuko needed to reach the Earth Kingdom. Our objectives aligned, allowing me both to retain an officer of commodore rank under my authority and to assist two members of the royal family during a difficult situation."
"Zuko has been banished from the country, and Iroh left of his own accord," Ozai continued pressing.
"That is true, my lord. However, I received no information stating that either of them had been stripped of their status as members of the royal family, and I acted according to my understanding of the situation. Furthermore, the general provided invaluable assistance through his counsel both during the operation itself and in establishing our administration on the conquered territory."
"Very well..." the Fire Lord agreed, though noticeably less favorably than before. "And what about the prince? You said the general was helpful. What, then, was Zuko doing during all this?"
Not a single muscle twitched. Not a single note in his voice changed. To ask about his own son with such coldness and indifference?
Yeah... their family relationships really were complicated.
Still, he had asked.
"Prince Zuko was appointed by me to lead a counter-sabotage unit and was quite successful in tracking down and eliminating groups of northerners who refused to accept defeat. He also assumed part of the administrative workload."
"Hmm. So you had a member of the royal family running errands and used him as a hunting dog?" The flames in the braziers surged higher.
"I am the Herald, and my foremost duty is to serve you and the Fire Nation, my lord. Zuko is an exceptional tracker, and not making use of his talents for their intended purpose... would have led to additional losses among our troops. So I assigned the right specialist to the right task. Everything else is secondary."
As I spoke, I carefully guided Chi through my Water Chakra—a wonderful way to calm oneself and generally achieve a state of inner balance. Ozai might have been an experienced man, but he was still a firebender, and we were a rather impulsive people. First we'd burn something to ashes, and only afterward start asking ourselves questions like, Was that perhaps a bit rash?
There was no reason to provoke him unnecessarily. If these negotiations devolved into open conflict and a fight, it would represent the most spectacular and catastrophic failure of every goal I had. At that point, my options would be either to hang myself immediately or join the little brat on his crusade to "spread democracy".
And I very much wanted to avoid that outcome, because it would mean vastly more bloodshed and an even greater headache.
All right. Time to raise the stakes.
"If my decision has offended your honor, my lord, I am prepared to defend it in an Agni Kai."
Silence settled over the room. Ozai studied me differently now, weighing something in his mind.
"Hmm." The ruler fell into deep thought—or pretended to. "Zuko was banished and is no longer heir to the throne. But if you found a worthwhile use for him, I have no objections. Since we've begun discussing the prince, tell me: what do you think of him?"
"A capable warrior and firebender, but one with serious discipline issues. He's excessively hotheaded and impulsive. More often than not, he acts first and thinks afterward. Nevertheless, once he sets a goal for himself, he pursues it relentlessly, sweeping aside every obstacle in his path. If not for the shortcomings I just mentioned, the Avatar would already be bound and delivered to your feet."
"Is that so?" The Fire Lord raised an eyebrow slightly.
"After it came to light that Admiral Zhao had attempted to kill the prince, I conducted an investigation. Zuko had the Avatar in his grasp—or came very close to it—on several occasions. Some of the failures that followed cannot fairly be blamed on him due to circumstances beyond his control. Others were the direct result of Zhao's interference, as he wanted to claim the glory of capturing the Avatar for himself. But on at least two occasions, Zuko lost his prisoner solely because of his own impulsiveness.
"I should also point out that the Avatar travels through the air, whereas the prince was limited to the resources of a single raider and the routes available by sea. That is why I believe that, had he been slightly more discipline, the problem of the last airbender would already have been resolved. At the very least, his talent for tracking and relentlessly pursuing a target suggests he possessed every prerequisite for success."
(End of Chapter)
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