Lady Zhonglei Lung sat in the heavy silence of her husband's office, a space that now felt as hollow as she did. It had been over a month since the Day of the Black Sun, and the news of Admiral Shulian Lung's sacrifice still hung over the household like a shroud. He had given his life, or so they assumed, to hold the line during the eclipse, buying precious time for the capital.
Letters of condolence and respect from soldiers of every rank lay piled on his desk. Their words meant nothing to her. Could their respect fill the emptiness in her home? Could their praise bring her husband back? The only shred of hope was the absence of his body; he had been taken prisoner. But that knowledge was a bitter comfort, as the fate of a prisoner of war was often a slow, silent death. Still, it was hope, and she clung to it.
The servants brought her meals she could not eat, their worried warnings that she would grow ill falling on deaf ears. What was her health, when her husband's fate remained a terrifying unknown?
A knock at the office door stirred her from her thoughts. "I am not hungry," she said, not bothering to look up.
"It's me, Mother."
Her head snapped up. There, in the doorway, stood Tai Lung, his face etched with a concern she rarely saw. A choked sob escaped her as he rushed to her side.
"Did you hear?" she wept, clutching his arms. "About the invasion?"
"I was only told we were attacked. I came as soon as I could," Tai Lung said, his voice low and urgent. "What happened?"
"Your father…" she began, and through her tears, she recounted what she knew about the battle, the eclipse, the stand, and his possible capture. Tai Lung listened in stony silence, her grip on his hands tightening the more she spoke.
When she finished, he looked into her eyes, his own blazing with a frightening intensity. "He is alive. I know it. And I will bring him back, safe and sound. I would burn the world to ash to do it."
"No!" she cried, her voice frail with terror. "I cannot lose you, too!"
Tai Lung offered a smile, a gentle expression that did not reach his eyes. "I will be fine. But I swear to you, if a single hair on his head has been harmed, not one of them will live to see tomorrow."
He stood, releasing her hands. "Wait for the good news."
As he strode from the estate, Lady Lung could only sob, praying for her son's safe return. But the moment he left the estate gate behind him, the mask of calm he had worn for his mother shattered. A rage hotter than any firebending flame consumed him, deeper than his fury over Ty Lee's injury, more profound than his confrontation with Shifu after years of imprisonment, darker than the day he was deemed unworthy. He was never this angry before.
Tai Lung was heading toward the Royal Palace.
——————
The ship's arrival at one of the Fire Nation bases had carried with it the same grim news that tightened every chest in the capital. Tai Lung's crew had heard the brief whispers at the base and turned for home at full speed; Azula, who had been with them, had been tense the entire journey. Each of them knew what the reports could mean.
When the ship reached the Capital, Tai Lung did not linger. He rushed for the Lung estate; Azula ran for the Royal Palace. Within an hour she stood in the palace corridors, being fed the invasion's facts by grave, careful officers. She learned of Admiral Shulian Lung's last stand and of the man's disappearance, no body found, only the scorch of battle and the ragged hope that he might yet be a prisoner rather than a corpse.
Respect folded through Azula for the admiral's selfless act; a small, surprised sadness for Tai Lung. But under that something colder took root: dread. She had seen Tai Lung's anger before. She knew how quick his judgment became when annoyed, how single-minded he could be, and she understood how dangerous when that single-mindedness took the shape of retribution. If Tai Lung blamed the wrong people, if he blamed the council, or the retreating forces, or the Fire Lord himself, no one could predict how he would act. Azula moved with a speed born of that dread.
She pushed into the Fire Lord's chamber with the briskness of purpose. Faces turned; the council hushed. "I heard the news of the invasion and I came back as fast as I could," she announced.
Ozai's gaze sharpened. "Back? What is the point? You were not there when your nation needed you."
"I was not aware of the invasion," she shot back, "and I am not here to listen to you. The more important matter is Admiral Lung's possible imprisonment." Her voice was steady.
The flame curtain before Ozai swelled as he rose. "Insolent child, how dare you speak like that?" he barked.
Azula continued speaking without flinching, not paying any heed to her father's rage. "Just as I heard it, Tai Lung would have heard it by now. Knowing him, he will be furious, extremely so. I warn you: watch what you say in front of him."
Ozai's contempt turned to fury. "I have had enough of your insolence. Just like you, Tai Lung was not here when we were attacked. I don't care what he thinks, his father's sacrifice was pointless. The eclipse lasted only minutes. If he had retreated with the others, the invasion would have failed all the same."
The words had barely left him when the door behind Azula swung open.
Tai Lung stepped through with the slow, terrible calm of someone who had already measured his options and found them wanting. The room fell into a vacuum of stunned silence. Ozai froze, the firelight licking his shocked features.
"Tell me, Ozai," Tai Lung said quietly as he closed the distance, "where were you when the soldiers were dying to protect the capital? I heard you never left this chamber."
When he finished speaking he was standing right in front of the fire curtain.
After what seemed eternity, the Fire Lord's jaw worked. "I am the Fire Lord," he answered after a moment, voice tight. "Do you expect me to step out and fight first? Leaders don't fight canon fooders on the front lines"
"Wrong answer," Tai Lung said calmly. He did not shout, he did not lunge. He raised both hands slowly and they began to glow with a green sinister light that filled the chamber like a living thing. Shock flared over every face in the room. Azula's eyes widened along with the council as they watched in horror.
Ozai screamed loudly as the green energy crawled across his skin. Moments later, his screams which filled the court were abruptly cut and Ozai had vanished. Tai Lung turned around and in his palm sat a piece of polished jade carved with a face mid-scream, Ozai's face, frozen in that last, horrified cry.
A silence as heavy as the palace walls followed. Then Tai Lung moved toward Azula. He held out the jade with steady hands. "Starting today," he said, voice low and absolute, "you are the new Fire Lord, Fire Lord Azula. Order the army to prepare. We are ending this war once and for all, and I will be leading this army myself."
Azula took the jade with fingers that trembled only slightly. The room reeled. Eyes darted from the missing Fire Lord to Azula's hand. They didn't understand what happened, but one thing for sure, Tai Lung turned the Fire Lord into a jade somehow.
Tai Lung walked out of the chamber silently, Azula and the others remained frozen, unable to understand what just happened.
Seconds later, Azula turned to look at the council who were also staring at her with pale faces. One by one began to bow while saying "Fire Lord Azula"