The Traitor Princess

Chapter 56 - Return to the Fire Nation

The second Eziri made it to the palace, she was brought to the infirmary. The guards who 'found' her all wished her well and said they'd send the royal physician as soon as possible. She still couldn't make sense of her father's cover story but she hoped that their kindness meant she wouldn't be executed the minute her father knew she was in the palace.

Her thoughts then drifted to her siblings. They were somewhere in the palace, right? Would they be informed of her capture? Would she have to face them? Eziri had no idea what her fate held but she knew she shouldn't get her hopes up when her father was involved.

She wasn't in the infirmary long when two of her father's most trusted guards came in and swept her away. She asked a million questions and struggled to break free but she was only met with silence and tighter grips.

The guards escorted Eziri through the halls of the palace. She wasn't in chains but she knew she was a prisoner. There was no way she could escape like this. The place was crawling with her father's guards and she was still unable to firebend properly. If she had any hope of getting out unscathed, she would have to wait for the right moment.

As Eziri looked around her she was brought back to her childhood. She hadn't seen the halls of the palace in years. Quite frankly, she wasn't sure she'd ever see them again. But here she stood, surrounded by the same ornate, suffocating walls and walking towards the throne room. It didn't matter how long she spent away from the palace; the way to the throne room was burned into her memory. Just like the last time she took this walk, she was filled with anxiety and fear. But she would be damned if she let it show.

The guards opened the doors to the throne room and Eziri stepped in. She heard the doors shut behind her and took a deep breath. She stepped forward and saw the wall of fire behind her father's throne. She shifted her eyes and met her father's gaze. She felt her stomach turn at the look he gave her. She had hoped with every fiber of her being that she would never have to see his disgusting face ever again.

"You are supposed to bow before your Fire Lord. Have you lost all semblance of civility or are you merely being disrespectful?"

Eziri sucked up her pride and knelt to the floor in a bow. Her father didn't gesture for her to stand.

"You've disappointed me, Princess Eziri. I thought your brother was the family embarrassment, but it seems I was wrong." He stalked forward down the steps of his throne and stood in front of her. She looked up to him with an expressionless face. She wouldn't allow him to break her. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"You're a treacherous fool. I expected better of you."

Eziri said nothing, just kept her hard glare.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Ozai glared back expectantly.

"If you're waiting for me to apologize, you're going to be here quite a while."

Ozai reached his arm out and delivered a hard slap to her cheek. Her head jerked to the side but she snapped right back to her glare, ignoring the sting on her face.

"How dare you! You betray your nation, you embarrass me, and now you have the audacity to come here and speak to me this way?" Ozai shook his head in disappointment. "You were raised better than that. I made sure of it."

Eziri felt every muscle in her body stiffen but she kept her face stoic.

"What a waste." Ozai said with disgust.

Eziri had a million things she wished to say to the man before her, but one word kept burning in the forefront of her mind. "Why?"

Ozai tilted his head in mock confusion. "Why what?"