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The Sons of Azulon Pt. 1 - Memories of Ozai is the fifth chapter of Avatar: Guardian.
Synopsis[]
Ozai has flashbacks about his family while talking to a Phoenix Warrior leader, who also has his own memories.
Plot[]
In the vast ocean a fleet of ships are assail. On the flagship, a middle-aged man, not quite as in shape as he used to be, sits on the bed of the captain's quarters, clothed in deep red silk. He stares at the horizon remembering his ambitions with regret at his own failures. A servant quietly enters the room before kneeling in honor of him. The servant asks humbly "My Phoenix King, is there anything I can do for you?"
Ozai does not even turn to acknowledge him, calmly saying "No, leave me for a while. On the other hand, send in your leader, I need a word with him."
The servant heeds his request, bowing again before leaving. Ozai stares back at the sun, still trying to feel its warmth the way he used to while breathing deeply. Another middle aged man, a little older than Ozai with gray hair enters the room and bows to Ozai. "My King, what is it that you require?"
Ozai turns around with a small smile "Admiral Rha, it is good to see you again. I was beginning to think that you forgot about me."
"We would never abandon you, sir. The escape needed to be perfect so that they would not step up security. We are already in planning a liberation for your daughter."
Ozai's smile vanished instantly. "No. Leave her. She failed me."
The admiral, who had stood up, asked Ozai "If I may, my King, how did she fail you?"
Ozai turned around and walked towards the window and replied to the admiral "She failed to defeat Zuko. she is worthless."
"How did you know that she was defeated?" the admiral asked confused.
"A few reasons, actually. If she had won, she would have freed me. Plus I have seen Zuko since."
The admiral realized Ozai's points, "Yes, sir. We will stop planning immediately."
Ozai disregarded what the admiral said and began recounting his time imprisoned by Zuko. "I have been thinking of what I went through... Zuko had me interrogated weekly about what happened to Ursa. And I never told him. She always looked down on my ambitions, so her leaving couldn't have hurt. She cared about Iroh more than me... yes she was a traitor. Hmph. Iroh, always acted so calm. No matter how many times I managed to defeat him. When we were children, We would spar together. I would be able to match him almost every time even though I was younger. Fire Lord Azulon always was merciless on drilling us. I realized to become more favored, I would have to be perfect, constantly. So I drilled my skills until I could do them in my sleep. Iroh just was able to get everything with little effort. During our sparring sessions, he was always so calm. I could never tell if he was trying to defeat me or not. His excellence in historical studies was always praised by our father. He funded a trip for him to visit the ruins of the Sun Warriors. After that, he was completely different. He refused to practice Firebending anymore. But I guess that you know about having a friend that you split with."
Rha knew exactly what Ozai was talking about. Delving into his own memories, he recounted "Yes, sir. I remember Jeong Jeong and I... we used to spar. He loved going up on a mountaintop and just trying to see who could launch the largest fire blast. He shot this tree and watched it burn to the ground. But as we grew, he shunned his bending. He believed it to be a curse. We both got commissions in the army, but he seemed to hate it. When he left, you promoted me to Admiral and gave me an armada to capture him. When I found him, he challenged me to an Agni Kai.
He said that he would rather fight one man than have to hurt thousands. The duel lasted for hours. Since we were friends, we knew each others styles. I hesitated for one moment, and he used it to scar me. According to the terms of our duel, I left. I asked you for permission to leave, which you graciously granted.
He granted me leave with honor due to what he called my 'impressive service record'. He also granted my wimp of a brother a commission, at my request, probably hoping for family resemblance. Yon did not quite pull through in the way you expected."
Ozai recognized some of what his admiral said. "The oldest is always the best. Iroh was always the favorite. My mother loved his personality... They would talk over tea for hours. My father saw an heir, a powerful bender and skilled strategist with a son. But after Iroh's failure, and Lu Ten's demise, I saw an opportunity to become Fire Lord. He utterly refused my request, and called me a traitor. Hmph... Zuko and Iroh are traitors. Ursa was a traitor. Apparently it runs in the family... Don't you agree Jiang?"
"Yes, I know a few things about traitors. "On my way back to the Fire Nation, my soldiers betrayed me. They claimed that I was unfit to be commanding them after my defeat. They tried to assassinate me while I was recovering. It made me into what I am. It marked me."
Trivia[]
- This will be a flashback chapter, so be warned.
- Ozai trying to feel the sun's warmth is based on Magneto's trying to regain his powers in X3 - The Last Stand
- These flashbacks are designed to show the root of Ozai and Iroh's conflict, as well to introduce Jiang Rha
Reception[]
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