Catacombs, Tartarus
"This isn't what we agreed!" Zuko shouted, ignoring the Dai Li agents beside the Earth king's throne.
It has once been his father's throne, it was supposed to be the next Firelord's throne. Now the Earth king and his agents ruled the city and what was once the mighty Fire Nation was now an Earth Kingdom colony.
"What did you expect, Zuko?" The Avatar reasoned. "That we would let the Fire Nation exist? How long before they would have moved against the other nations?"
"It wouldn't have been like that!" Zuko shouted desperately. "You're the Avatar! You're supposed to guard the balance between all elements. There was supposed to be peace!"
Sokka snickered and leaned his arm on Aang's shoulder. "Come on, Zukes. Even Katara knows how naive that is."
"We agreed!"
Sokka sighed and straightened up. "We just needed someone to train Aang so we could defeat the Firelord. That's all. I'm sorry but..." He paused. "Wait. No, I'm not. We needed you so we used you. We were never going to let the Fire Nation exist."
Zuko stared, feeling the ground fall from beneath him. It couldn't be. He looked at Katara, almost pleadingly, but her eyes were cold and emotionless.
"Sokka's speaking the truth," Katara said quietly. "We needed someone to teach Aang and you were the only one who could."
No. No. No. It wasn't true. They hadn't. They couldn't. "I thought you loved me," he blurted out the words and wished he could take them back as Toph started laughing. The sound echoed off the marble walls and soon Sokka, Aang, the Earth king, Katara and even the Dai Li agents joined in.
Everything turned red in front of his eyes. Rage taking over and he tried to blast a flame at them all, but the agents quickly blocked it. He couldn't make out Sokka's insults, the only sound was the roaring of his heartbeat in his ears and he spun in his heels and ran out of the palace.
Ran until the walls around him turned into the streets of what was once the Fire Nation's greatest city. People bumped into him. Hands shoving, tearing at his clothes. Angry words were whispered and he was shoved further into the crowd.
Traitor.
He stumbled, but the crowd made way and he hit the dirt. When he glanced up, a woman was looking over him. Her eyes were dark, reflecting so much hatred. She was thin and pale, a dirty child was cradled in her arm. She spit down on him and Zuko couldn't reach up to wipe it from his face. "Mother."
"I gave everything up for you, Zuko," he words were quiet, but they held the crowd off as if they knew this would hurt more than anything they could do to him. "This is how you repay me? You killed my husband and my daughter. You destroyed the Fire Nation. Traitor."
The word stuck in his head and he squeezed his eyes shot. Rough hands dragged him up from the crowd, pushing at him.
Traitor. Traitor. Traitor.
He felt dizzy, his knees were weak but he kept moving until he tripped over something.
A body. He panicked, tried to get back to his feet until he recognised the eyes staring up at him. Not at him. Past him. Looking into nothing as they would never see again.
"Uncle!"
He reached to jostle the man. To make him look at him. "Uncle Iroh. Please."
His hands left dirty prints on the green, shaggy clothes. He pulled back and watched the blood. Whose blood?
"You did this." His mother's voice.
"You did this. All of this."
Traitor.
It has once been his father's throne, it was supposed to be the next Firelord's throne. Now the Earth king and his agents ruled the city and what was once the mighty Fire Nation was now an Earth Kingdom colony.
"What did you expect, Zuko?" The Avatar reasoned. "That we would let the Fire Nation exist? How long before they would have moved against the other nations?"
"It wouldn't have been like that!" Zuko shouted desperately. "You're the Avatar! You're supposed to guard the balance between all elements. There was supposed to be peace!"
Sokka snickered and leaned his arm on Aang's shoulder. "Come on, Zukes. Even Katara knows how naive that is."
"We agreed!"
Sokka sighed and straightened up. "We just needed someone to train Aang so we could defeat the Firelord. That's all. I'm sorry but..." He paused. "Wait. No, I'm not. We needed you so we used you. We were never going to let the Fire Nation exist."
Zuko stared, feeling the ground fall from beneath him. It couldn't be. He looked at Katara, almost pleadingly, but her eyes were cold and emotionless.
"Sokka's speaking the truth," Katara said quietly. "We needed someone to teach Aang and you were the only one who could."
No. No. No. It wasn't true. They hadn't. They couldn't. "I thought you loved me," he blurted out the words and wished he could take them back as Toph started laughing. The sound echoed off the marble walls and soon Sokka, Aang, the Earth king, Katara and even the Dai Li agents joined in.
Everything turned red in front of his eyes. Rage taking over and he tried to blast a flame at them all, but the agents quickly blocked it. He couldn't make out Sokka's insults, the only sound was the roaring of his heartbeat in his ears and he spun in his heels and ran out of the palace.
Ran until the walls around him turned into the streets of what was once the Fire Nation's greatest city. People bumped into him. Hands shoving, tearing at his clothes. Angry words were whispered and he was shoved further into the crowd.
Traitor.
He stumbled, but the crowd made way and he hit the dirt. When he glanced up, a woman was looking over him. Her eyes were dark, reflecting so much hatred. She was thin and pale, a dirty child was cradled in her arm. She spit down on him and Zuko couldn't reach up to wipe it from his face. "Mother."
"I gave everything up for you, Zuko," he words were quiet, but they held the crowd off as if they knew this would hurt more than anything they could do to him. "This is how you repay me? You killed my husband and my daughter. You destroyed the Fire Nation. Traitor."
The word stuck in his head and he squeezed his eyes shot. Rough hands dragged him up from the crowd, pushing at him.
Traitor. Traitor. Traitor.
He felt dizzy, his knees were weak but he kept moving until he tripped over something.
A body. He panicked, tried to get back to his feet until he recognised the eyes staring up at him. Not at him. Past him. Looking into nothing as they would never see again.
"Uncle!"
He reached to jostle the man. To make him look at him. "Uncle Iroh. Please."
His hands left dirty prints on the green, shaggy clothes. He pulled back and watched the blood. Whose blood?
"You did this." His mother's voice.
"You did this. All of this."
Traitor.