After the war

Justice served

"Zuko, what were you thinking? You're in no condition to fight!" Sokka raved as he watched his boyfriend remove the Firelord armour. Zuko had requested his help but the water tribesman had refused, he would not have any part in this foolish endeavour. Sokka had been rambling about what a bad idea this was all the way to the combat ring.

"Sokka, look at him, look at how he's holding the sword, the man has never held a blade in his life! I have the upper hand" Zuko glared at the man across from him, watching him holding his weapon and preparing his armour.

Sokka wished Toph and Suki were here to at least attempt to talk sense into Zuko but they were tracking down the man who gave Fong the poison. It wasn't too late to back down, it wasn't too late to pick a champion. Sokka would happily fight for Zuko but the Firelord wouldn't hear of it, he wanted to kick Fong into the dirt in person.

"Zuko, my love, please be careful!" Sokka pleaded in one last ditch attempt to get Zuko to see reason and if not back down, at least think before he swung his swords.

"He's covered in heavy armour, he has no idea how to use his weapon and I'm fighting for the honour and justice of my people, there's no way I can lose! I will be careful, I'm not going to let this man hurt me again" Zuko took Sokka by the hand and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend. "I love you Boomerang"

"I love you Hotshot" Sokka whispered as his boyfriend's hand slipped out of his. 

He watched Zuko enter the ring, no armour, just his regular clothes and his crown. Anxiety and fear crept up Sokka's throat and tightened his chest as he watched Zuko draw his swords. What the Firelord did next was the most shocking thing Sokka had ever seen him do.

Zuko felt a smile spreading across his face as he ran his middle and index finger of his right hand across the inside curve of the two blades. He felt the sharp blades drawing blood and he watched the crimson liquid flow down the thin channels inside the blades. The loud gasps of the crowd brought him a wave of joy as the swords were consumed by bright flames.

"You've broken the rules! You've used firebending to ignite your blades!" Fong pointed his sword at Zuko as he accused him.

"General Fong, you wound me!" Zuko put a hand with spread fingers on his chest and adopted a mock insulted look on his face. "I simply drew blood from my fingertips, and the blood interacted with a substance hidden in the blades, it ignites immediately on contact" He explained as he held his sliced fingers up to the crowd as proof of a lack of firebending.

"They call me Zuko the honourable, huh? Then you should know that I would keep my word, no bending" something had crept up on the firebender, dug its claws in and taken hold of him like a vice. He stood there as the world around him blurred, all he could see was his flaming sword, and Fong.

On opposite edges of a large circular battleground, the two kneeled with their backs to each other as the crowd looked on in anticipation. The gong sounded and the battle had begun. The two men got to their feet and turned to face each other, weapons in hand.

Fong got into a stance and sank back into it, waiting for Zuko to attack, baiting him. 

As for the Firelord, no fighting stance came, he was just stood upright with his shoulders pushed slightly back and letting his head hang limply, locking his eyes on his opponent. All he could see was Fong and the flaming swords at his side, he was blind to everything else. Without Sokka at his left side, he felt vulnerable, killable. He could not let his opponent get anywhere near his left.

"I can see it in your eyes, you know" Fong glowered at Zuko as the two of them circled each other while presenting their weapons in a bid to threaten their opponent.