Chapter 51: Prodigal Son Returns
The teahouse was silent except for the faint crackle of the hearth and the muted whisper of the wind brushing against the paper windows. Iroh's chest rose and fell unevenly, his hands trembling where they gripped the edge of the wooden table. Before him sat a man who could not, who should not, exist. Yet the golden eyes, the set of the jaw, the timbre of his voice…
"Lu Ten…" The name broke from Iroh like a prayer, hoarse, uncertain, desperate. "It… it cannot be you. I buried you. I held your ashes in my hands. I…"
The man smirked faintly, though it was devoid of warmth. "Ashes? Perhaps that's all you ever saw me as. A pile of regrets to drink away with tea."
Iroh flinched at the words, as if struck. His mouth opened, then closed again, his normally unflappable calm shattering like thin porcelain. "I mourned you every day since Ba Sing Se. Every sunrise I prayed for your spirit. Every night I dreamed you were still here. And now you stand before me… mocking me?"
Lu Ten leaned back in his chair, folding his scarred arms over his chest. His face was familiar yet hardened, carved with lines that spoke of years spent far from comfort. "And what did all that mourning achieve, Father? Did it stop the war? Did it change anything? Did your tears bring me back?" He scoffed. "No. While you drank tea and sang proverbs, the world moved on. You stayed behind."
Tau, seated beside him, drummed his fingers lazily on the wood, his gaze darting between them like a predator watching a slow kill. "General, ghosts have a way of returning when you least expect it."
Iroh ignored Tau, his entire focus locked on the man across from him. His throat was dry, his voice trembling as he forced the words out. "If you are my son, then tell me, where have you been? Why did you not return to me? Why let me believe you were dead?"
Lu Ten's golden eyes narrowed, a flicker of something unreadable flashing within them. "Because the boy you remembered as Lu Ten died on those walls. Whatever returned from that hell was not your son. Not anymore."
The weight of the statement pressed against Iroh's chest, and for the first time in decades, the Dragon of the West felt truly powerless. He reached out across the table, his large, calloused hand trembling as he extended it toward his son. "No matter what you've endured… you are my flesh, my blood. Nothing changes that. Come home, Lu Ten. Whatever bitterness you carry, we can…"
Lu Ten's hand lashed out, slapping his father's away with a force that echoed in the quiet teahouse. The sting ran deeper than skin. "Home?" His voice dripped with scorn. "You speak of home as if you didn't abandon it. As if you didn't abandon me."
Iroh's eyes widened. "I never abandoned you! I led the siege for you. I would have torn down the walls of Ba Sing Se stone by stone if it meant saving you."
"Then why didn't you?" Lu Ten snapped, slamming his palm on the table. "Why did you retreat? Why did you slink back to the Fire Nation in disgrace instead of burning the Earth Kingdom to the ground for what they did?" His voice grew louder, harsher, vibrating with the fury of years. "Because you are weak, Father. Weak then, weak now."
The words cut deeper than any blade. Iroh, who had faced down armies and spirits, sat frozen, staring at the son he loved beyond measure and who now regarded him with nothing but contempt.
Tau smirked, leaning back in his chair. "You see, General, he's not the boy you lost. He's the man forged in fire and ash while you sipped tea and told stories. This is the Lu Ten the Fire Nation needs, not the grieving father's memory."
Iroh's voice cracked, uncharacteristic, raw. "What have they done to you? Who has filled your heart with such poison?"
Lu Ten's lips curled into a grim smile, though his eyes held no joy. "No one needed to poison me, Father. The truth was enough. The truth of how hollow your honor is. Of how your wisdom is nothing but excuses for cowardice." He leaned forward, close enough that Iroh could see the flecks of red in his weary eyes. "Do you know what it's like to die choking on earth and fire? To cry out for your father, and no one comes?"
Iroh's heart clenched. His hands shook as he whispered, "I am here now. I came too late, but I am here."
"Too late," Lu Ten repeated softly, almost mockingly, before leaning back. "Always too late. That is your legacy."
The words landed heavier than cannon fire, and Iroh sat stunned, unable to respond. The teahouse seemed to shrink around him, the air thick with smoke and bitterness.
Tau rose smoothly, placing a hand on Lu Ten's shoulder. "Enough for now. The General has much to think about." He gave Iroh a wolfish grin. "Rest easy, Dragon of the West. The dead do not always stay buried, and neither do their sins."
Lu Ten stood, his chair scraping against the wooden floor. He did not look back at his father as he walked toward the door, only pausing once to speak without turning. "Do not follow me, Father. If you do… you will see just how much of your son truly died."
The door slid shut behind him, leaving Iroh in the suffocating silence of the teahouse. His hands trembled violently, his eyes stung with unshed tears, and for the first time in many years, the mighty General bowed his head.
He had won countless battles. But in this moment, Iroh felt utterly defeated.
Iroh's hands trembled as he sat in the teahouse, Lu Ten's final words echoing through his chest like a drumbeat of loss. His breath came in uneven gusts, the weight of disbelief and heartbreak pressing down on him until he felt he might suffocate.
But then, rage. A hot, choking anger that burned through the sorrow like wildfire. Too many questions clawed at him: How was his son alive? Where had he been? Why did he speak with such venom? Who had twisted him into this stranger?
The Dragon of the West surged to his feet, the table legs screeching against the wooden floor. The teacups rattled, one falling and shattering against the ground. The murmurs of the patrons rose, but Iroh ignored them. He strode out into the street, the cool evening air stinging his face as his eyes swept across the thinning crowd.
There.
Tau and Lu Ten walked side by side, their cloaks swaying as they moved with deliberate calm through the road.
"Lu Ten!" Iroh's voice cut like steel across the quiet town. Heads turned, whispers rose, but Iroh did not care. His chest heaved as he stormed toward them, his heavy boots striking the earth like war drums.
Both men stopped. Tau's shoulders stiffened, and Lu Ten turned slowly, his expression unreadable, but the faint curl of disdain tugged at his lips.
Iroh pointed a trembling hand at them. "Enough riddles. Enough shadows. You will give me answers, here and now. Do not think me the same grieving man you left behind. If you will not speak, then I will remind you why they once feared the Dragon of the West!"
The threat rang out sharp as steel. Gasps spread through the gathering crowd, villagers and travelers alike backing away.
Lu Ten's eyes flickered to Tau, who smirked knowingly. Tau stepped forward, his voice smooth and oily. "General, if you wish answers, then follow. Some truths are not for prying ears."
Iroh's jaw clenched, his breath heavy. At last, he gave a sharp nod. "Very well. But if this is another trick, another half-truth, I will not restrain myself again."
Tau only smirked. "Then let us test how far restraint takes you."
They led him into a narrow alleyway, its walls high and worn, the shadows thick. The clamor of the street faded behind them until only the echo of their footsteps remained. At last, they stopped, the dim lantern light flickering against the cracked stone.
Lu Ten turned, his cloak falling back from his shoulders. His posture was regal, commanding, yet harsh, sharper than Iroh remembered. The warmth that had once lit his son's eyes was gone, replaced by cold steel.
"Honor. Legacy. Power," Lu Ten began, his voice firm, deliberate. "These are the foundations upon which our Nation was built. They are the inheritance of the royal line. And you…" he jabbed a finger at Iroh's chest, "…disgraced them all."
Iroh stiffened, his own voice rising. "I led the Siege of Ba Sing Se! I bled for the Fire Nation! I lost everything for it, even you!"
"You lost me," Lu Ten spat, "because you were too weak to finish what you began! You should have razed the city to ash. You should have carved our mark into the Earth Kingdom forever. Instead, you returned broken, a coward, letting Ozai take what should have been yours." His voice deepened, venomous. "You abandoned the crown, Father. You abandoned destiny. You abandoned me."
Iroh's fists tightened, his breath sharp. "You dare speak to me of destiny? You speak of crowns as if they were toys! You think wearing it gives power? Ozai is ruthless, yes, but he holds strength. The Fire Nation is not so easily taken. And Zuko…" his voice cracked with sudden urgency, "…Zuko carries a flame that may yet burn brighter than us all."
Lu Ten laughed, a low, humorless sound. "Zuko? That sniveling boy? I saw his temper tantrums, his failures. A scar does not make a king. He is nothing compared to me."
Iroh's golden eyes flared. "He has already achieved what you dismiss. He has bled, fought, and won victories no one believed possible. You know nothing of the man he has become!"
Tau stepped forward then, his tone sharp. "It doesn't matter what the boy has done. Ozai's time is over. The fire that crowns him flickers low, even if he does not see it. The throne is already shifting." He leaned close, his grin wolfish. "Our work ensures it."
Iroh froze, eyes narrowing. "Our work…? What are you saying?"
Tau tilted his head toward Lu Ten. "I am saying, old general, that the crown will return to its rightful heir. That the boy you once buried is the man who will lead the Fire Nation into its true destiny."
Lu Ten's chin rose, his voice resonant, cold with conviction. "The age of Ozai ends. The age of Lu Ten begins. And if you are too blind, too soft, too weak to see it… then step aside."
Iroh's heart thundered. His eyes darted between them, his son, twisted by pride and fury, and Tau, the viper whispering in his ear. Every instinct screamed at him to unleash his fire, to tear away the shadows binding his boy. Yet beneath the anger, sorrow surged, heavy and suffocating.
He stared hard into Lu Ten's eyes, searching desperately for even a flicker of the warmth he once knew. But all he saw was flame, harsh, consuming, merciless.
"Lu Ten," Iroh whispered, his voice raw. "My son… what have you become?"
Iroh's fists clenched, the heat already rippling off his skin, his breath coming in controlled but furious waves. His golden eyes locked onto Tau, and for a moment the calm mask that had always defined him shattered.
"You," Iroh growled, his voice guttural, filled with venom. "You think I don't see it? The poison in his words, the twisting of my son into this shadow? I'll burn it out of you, viper. I'll tear your lies from his ears myself!"
Tau smirked, tilting his head with lazy mockery. "Blame me if it eases your shame, General. But the truth…"
"Enough!" Iroh roared.
With a surge of fury, the Dragon of the West unleashed himself. His arms swept in a devastating arc, and an explosion of fire thundered from his palms, hotter and brighter than the lanterns could bear. The blast smashed into Tau's chest like a cannon, lifting him off his feet and hurling him into the far wall. The stone cracked, fragments raining down as Tau slumped, coughing through smoke, his robe singed and torn.
The alley itself shook from the force, and the air reeked of scorched stone and ash. Villagers at the far end gasped and fled, too terrified to linger near the wrath of the Fire Nation's infamous dragon.
But the moment of triumph was fleeting.
A blur of motion, a flash of boots against stone…
"Over here!" Lu Ten's voice was a bark of rage, and before Iroh could reset his stance, a boot slammed into his chest. It was a perfect back kick, driven by both speed and raw fury. The impact cracked ribs and stole Iroh's breath as he was lifted from his feet and hurled backward. His body crashed against the opposite wall, the stone biting into his back before he crumpled to the ground.
Pain raged through him, white-hot, leaving him gasping, groaning as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His vision swam, the world spinning, but through it all he saw his son, tall, proud, merciless, advancing step by step.
Lu Ten's shadow fell over him, blotting out the dim lantern light. His voice was steady, cruelly calm, each word deliberate.
"It was me all along. All a ruse I had concocted."
Iroh blinked through the haze, his hands twitching as he tried to rise, but his body screamed in protest.
"You thought me dead," Lu Ten continued, pacing before him like a predator. "You thought Ba Sing Se had swallowed me whole. But I survived. I chose to let you believe I had fallen. I had help, allies with vision, who understood the greater purpose. My death was a mask, Father. A mask meant to drive you into greatness."
His golden eyes blazed, cruelly familiar.
"I wanted my 'death' to fuel you, to harden your heart, to crush the Earth Kingdom without mercy, to carve our destiny into stone and flame. And then, when you returned victorious, taken over from Azulon. When the you grew fat with complacency, I would have revealed myself. I would have taken the crown, as it was always meant to be."
Iroh's throat tightened as he tried to speak, but Lu Ten's voice rolled over him, cold and merciless.
"But you… you failed me." His words were daggers. "Instead of seizing Ba Sing Se, you broke. Instead of claiming the Fire Lord's mantle, you ran. You returned with nothing but shame and ashes, letting Ozai steal what should have been yours… ours."
His jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "You abandoned the throne. You abandoned honor. You abandoned me."
Iroh coughed, blood splattering the dirt, his voice hoarse but defiant. "You… don't understand. I lost more than you know. I lost everything. The crown is meaningless compared to the lives…"
"Spare me your weakness!" Lu Ten snarled, cutting him off. He leaned close, his face twisted with scorn. "Mother would have been disgraced by your actions. She had so much hope for you greatness, when you spared the last living dragons and lied about killing them. She had your back, she returned with you to the fire nation to become queen. You just didn't care did you? You may not have cared for the crown, but I do. It is my birthright, as the firstborn son of the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. And I will not squander it like you did. I will take it all back. The crown, the throne, the destiny. It belongs to me, it always has."
Iroh's eyes widened, his voice trembling. "Lu Ten… my son… this path will consume you."
Lu Ten straightened, looming over him like a dark mirror of the man Iroh once was. His lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Then let it consume me. Better a fire that devours than an ember that fades. I will be the Fire Lord the world remembers. Not you. Not Ozai. Not Zuko. Me."
His words hung in the alley, heavy as smoke. Tau stirred in the shadows, clutching his scorched chest, a smile tugging at his lips despite the pain.
And Iroh, broken against the wall, felt a despair deeper than any battlefield loss.
For the greatest war he had ever fought was no longer against nations… but against his own blood.
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