Chapter 59: Crescent Island - The Mask of the Crown Prince
The doors to the Great Hall of Roku's Temple swung open with a heavy groan, the sound echoing along the vaulted ceilings. Lanterns had been lit in abundance, their flames throwing a warm amber glow across carved pillars and the polished stone floors. The hall was alive with voices, Fire Nation soldiers in polished armor mingling with the island's attendants, sages in crimson and gold robes hovering in groups like cautious hawks. At the head of it all, seated on a slightly raised dais, stood Azula, sharp-eyed and composed, with the bearing of someone already accustomed to command.
All eyes turned at once when Zuko stepped inside. His movements were steady, but the faint stiffness in his shoulders betrayed exhaustion, the price of blood still weighing on his body. He kept his expression unreadable, save for the faintest trace of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lip.
The Head Sage, Elder Yoroku, was the first to rise. His robes rustled as he bowed low, palms pressed together.
"Your Highness," he said, his voice carrying just enough reverence to hide the unease beneath it. "The Prince has returned from his meditation. For the past few hours, he requested privacy, time to seek clarity."
A murmur swept through the gathered sages. A few nodded solemnly, accepting the explanation without pressing further. But not all.
Azula's eyes narrowed, her chin lifting as she studied him. "Meditation," she echoed, the word rolling from her tongue like it was dipped in poison. "For hours." She tilted her head slightly, lips curving into a thin smile. "And tell me, dear brother… what exactly did you find in this little retreat of yours?"
Zuko's boots clicked against the polished stone as he strode forward, deliberately ignoring the weight of every watching gaze. He came to a halt just short of the dais, the firelight catching on his bandages beneath his robes. For a heartbeat, the silence hung thick, Azula's stare daring him to trip.
He didn't.
"I found," Zuko said evenly, voice calm but firm, "exactly what I needed to find." His golden eyes met hers, unblinking. "That's all you need to know, Azula."
A flicker of amusement crossed her face, but her smirk didn't soften. "Is that so?"
"It is." He shifted his gaze away from her to the sages, then to the soldiers, making sure they all heard his next words. "And now that I have, there is no more time to waste. First thing in the morning, we sail back to the Earth Kingdom continent. Heading north."
A ripple of unease moved through the hall. The younger sages whispered to one another, heads bending together. The soldiers exchanged uncertain looks. Even the base commander, cleared his throat nervously before speaking up.
"Your Highness… forgive me for speaking, but you have only just arrived. The island was prepared for your extended stay, and…"
Zuko cut him off with a sharp glance. "Plans change. What must be done is clear. We leave with the sunrise."
Shyu hesitated, clearly wanting to pry further, but his years of political instinct held his tongue. His face was calm, but his eyes betrayed the questions burning there: What had the prince seen? What knowledge had unsettled him so deeply?
Azula, however, was not so easily dissuaded. She leaned forward slightly on her throne-like seat, elbows resting on her knees, gaze boring into her brother. "So that's it? You vanish for hours, return with riddles, and now you're dragging us back to the mainland without explanation?" Her voice was velvet, smooth and dangerous. "You've grown so secretive lately, brother. One might even mistake it for paranoia."
Zuko met her look with a steady calm, a small, weary smile ghosting over his lips. "Then mistake it however you wish. I'll not waste words convincing you. Trust my process… or don't. Either way, we're leaving."
Her eyes narrowed further, suspicion flashing like steel behind the fire of her irises. She sat back slowly, folding her hands in her lap, her silence sharper than any retort.
The room seemed to hold its breath. Soldiers shifted uneasily, waiting for either sibling to push harder. But Zuko offered nothing more, turning instead to the Head Sage.
"Ensure provisions are ready at dawn," he ordered, his voice clipped but commanding. "The Fire Nation cannot afford delay. And as for my time here, let it be recorded that I came to pay respect to Avatar Roku. Nothing else."
The sages bowed, their robes brushing the stone in unison, though their eyes flickered with unspoken questions.
Zuko held their gaze just long enough to make it clear: this was not a subject to test him on. Then, without another word, he turned and strode past them, the flickering torches casting his shadow tall across the floor as he left the hall.
Behind him, Azula's smirk returned, faint but razor-sharp, as though she'd just found a crack in a mask.
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The corridors of Roku's temple were silent save for the echo of Zuko's boots striking stone. The torches lining the walls cast tall, wavering shadows, chasing him as he walked with a deliberate, measured pace. His body was exhausted, his mind storming with thoughts of Yogan, Raya, and the comet, but he carried himself with the iron spine of a commander who could not afford to falter.
When he reached his quarters, he pressed the doors open and stepped inside. The air smelled faintly of incense and sea salt, the temple servants had already prepared the space for him.
Behind him came the quick steps of Sergeant Rin and Ensign Lee, both men half-covered in soot from the day's travel but ever watchful. Rin's voice was low, steady.
"Prince Zuko, we need to discuss tomorrow's departure…"
The sentence died in his throat as a voice slid between them like a knife.
"Not tonight."
Azula.
She stood a few paces back in the hallway, her golden eyes glittering beneath the torchlight. Her arms were folded casually, but there was nothing casual in her tone. "I want a private word with my dear brother."
Zuko stiffened, his hand still on the doorframe. Rin and Lee froze, their gazes darting between the siblings.
Azula stepped forward smoothly, her voice lowering. "You two, tomorrow will be soon enough. Whatever you think you need to say tonight can wait."
Rin's jaw tightened as though he wanted to argue, but Lee gave a small, almost imperceptible nod, touching his fellow officer's arm. "Yes, Princess."
They both bowed and stepped back.
Azula waited, watching until they disappeared around the bend of the corridor. Only then did she turn her sharp gaze back to Zuko, a thin smile curling on her lips. "There. Now we won't be interrupted."
She pushed past him without waiting for permission, the doors closing with a heavy thud behind her. The room suddenly felt smaller.
Zuko leaned against the table at the center of the chamber, arms folding across his chest, eyes narrowing. "This is a bad idea, Azula. Coming here. At night. Do you want the whole island whispering about our business?"
Her laugh was soft and dangerous. "Are you talking about your toys?" she asked, mocking emphasis on the last word. "Those loyal little soldiers of yours, Rin, Lee. Surely you can shut them up if they get curious."
"Of course I can," Zuko shot back, his tone flat. "But unlike most, they're actually useful. I'm not in the habit of disposing of valuable tools just to make you feel clever."
Azula's smirk twitched but didn't fade. She prowled the chamber slowly, tracing a finger along the carved wood of his desk, her voice silk wrapped in steel. "Then perhaps we should speak of something else. You've grown very secretive, brother. Your moves… your whispers to sages… your vanishing acts." She turned her head sharply, eyes piercing him. "What exactly are you doing?"
The tension snapped taut between them.
"Nothing you need to know," Zuko said, his voice cold as iron.
Her golden eyes burned, a predator's stare. "One day, you'll squeal all your little secrets to me. And you know it." She stepped closer, her shadow falling across him. "The question is whether I'll have to break you first… or whether you'll come willingly."
Zuko's lips curled in a wry half-smile. "Did you come here to warn me of that… or to fulfill your part of our deal?"
The words hung heavy. The air thickened.
Azula tilted her head, her smile sharpening. "You're not getting that tonight, brother. Not until you stop playing this game with me. Not until you start being more forthcoming about where the Avatar is, and how you plan to catch him."
"Is that right," Zuko muttered, eyes narrowing. He straightened, stepping closer until the space between them crackled with more than fire. "Well, I guess you're right about one thing. The Avatar is heading north. To the Northern Water Tribe. But there's something you're forgetting."
He leaned in slightly, his face twisted into a smile that was equal parts exhaustion and menace. "He's flying on a giant bison. We're sailing on slow ships. If you think chasing him across the ocean is a plan, you're a fool. I have to think ahead."
Azula arched a brow. "Ahead?"
"Yes." Zuko turned from her, his eyes fixing on the map rolled across his desk. His hand slid over the parchment until it rested on a mark inked near the mountains. "After this… we head to where I know he will be. The Northern Air Temple."
Silence pressed in for a long moment.
Azula's smirk returned, though fainter than before. She studied him, her gaze sharp and thoughtful, as though weighing whether he was bluffing or truly three steps ahead. "Always obsessed with the Avatar, aren't you?" she murmured, before leaning back and folding her arms. "Very well, brother. I'll humor you. For now."
But her eyes told a different story: suspicion, curiosity, and the faint spark of something almost like respect.
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