Accidental Avatar 3.5: The Burn Book

The Original Todoroki

His eyes flickered across the guards standing between him and his father.

"Why are you here?" Ozai demanded.

"I'm here, to tell the truth," Zuko answered honestly.

"Because that always works out against crazy overlords," Amaya said in a singsong voice. "You tell that crazy man!"

"Telling the truth during the middle of an Eclipse?" his father sneered. "This should be interesting."

He waved his hand, and the guards left through the doors on either side of the room. Zuko took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. He was vaguely aware of Amaya drifting around the room, hovering near a pillar briefly and giggling before returning to her wandering.

"First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar," he said firmly, "not me."

"Why would she lie to me about that?" Ozai demanded.

"Because the Avatar is not dead," Zuko said, feeling his heart twist at the thought that Aang survived, but Amaya was a floating spirit. "He survived."

"What?!" Ozai's alarm was clear, and Zuko took some satisfaction to see his father caught off guard like this.

"In fact, he is probably leading this invasion," Zuko continued, emboldened by his father's loss of composure. "He could be on us right now."

His father lept to his feet, infuriated. "Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you!"

"That's another thing," he said, feeling Amaya's hand on his shoulder again. "I'm not taking orders from you anymore."

"You will obey me, or this defiant breath will be you last!" his father seethed.

He moved towards Zuko, who unsheathed his blades and held them up threateningly.

"Think again!" he snapped. "I am going to speak my mind, and you are going to listen!"

"Snappy, I like it," Amaya chuckled.

Ozai sat down again, reluctantly, glaring at Zuko.