Zuko sat at his throne within the Royal palace surrounded by his war council. In this new Era of peace these type of meetings were few and far between. Most of the Meetings being to go over budgets, training exercises, and security reports. The last actual War meetings Zuko had was during the incident involving the status of the Fire Nation Colonies in the Earth Kingdom. That event almost sparked the war up again, but it was thanks to the Avatar that blood had not been spilt. Those Colonies now were in the midst of becoming their own independent nation, a sign of good things to come in the world. Or at least that was the though.
Over the years he had replaced many of his fathers battle hardened High Admirals and High Generals with more tame officers, in hindsight perhaps that was not the best move but he refused to have the monsters that had waged war with the world on Ozais behalf sitting around him. A few of those Generals had been sentenced for War Crimes to help appease the Earth Kingdom, an attempt of Zukos part to help see closed the rift that had long since been opened between the two countries.
Many junior Ranking Generals had been given the Rank of High General to replace them, Only a few of those who had served Ozais councilstill remained one of the most prominent was a man who had served on Azulon and Ozais council, that being General Kang. Kang had been a hero of sorts during the last decades of the Hundred year war, his men trusted and respected him to such an extent if he asked them to march off a cliff they would do it. During battle if the need arose Kang would be at the front of the attack.
In truth Zuko had thought of offering Sung a position on his Council once upon a time. his experience would have been invaluable but after their relationship had been strained with his decision to help the Avatar take down Ozai Sung turned on him. "I will look the other way one last time Zuko, but mark my words if I see you again I swear to The Sun Goddess herself I will kill you." He had never seen his friend so cold as in that moment, murder was clear in his eyes. Sung had come close to making good on that promise after Zuko helped Sokka break his father out of the boiling rock prison. That memory was as clear as it had happened a fortnight ago.
But when Azula was chained like an animal crying her eyes out something broke in Sung that day, it was as if his will to fight was gone. Now it would seem as if that fire had returned, The House of Yang was somehow involved with the rescue of Ozai, and if Sung was directly involved then Zuko had no choice but to stop him before that began, he knew deep down that the warriors in that island castle would not just allow their Lord to fall, they would fight to the last and the casualties would be high on both sides "Domestic Forces Patrols have been informed of the prisoner on the loose." General Kang spoke up from his sitting position. "I have also took it upon myself to put the Army on alert."
"I do hope you haven't shouted this incident from the Roof tops General." Zuko spoke up folding his hands in front of him, trying to keep his composure even as the pressure was rising. "Many in the Military may still have loyalty to my Father, I do not want a Civil war on my hands."
Kang shook his head "The thought of a wedge had crossed my mind sir, I have only informed Field officers that I personally trusted. That brings the resources to sixteen divisions on the hunt"
"And thirty Battle groups" An Admiral spoke up from across from Kang. Admiral Chan to be exact, Chan was another hold over from Ozai's Council. But during the war Chan had gotten somewhat of a bad rep from his Peers in the Navy as well as his Counterparts in the Army for being a less than reliable informant. More often than not he sent his ships into other areas of operation without informing his Fellow Admirals ahead of time. Though what he lacked in common courtesy he made up for tenfold as a tactician. In his spare time Chan enjoyed tinkering with theories on Naval strategy and how the Ironclad Ships of the Navy may be better used.
In recent Years Chan's Eastern Fleet had been sailing Earth Kingdom Waters in search of Pirates to aide the Earth Kingdom until they could rebuild their own Navy. A good will gesture on Zukos behalf to Earth King Kuei. Ironically something similar had happened some three Hundred Years prior during the Reign of Fire Lord Zoyru. It was odd how sometimes history had a way of repeating itself. "My ships on the coast will be randomly searching civilian ships that attempt to leave Fire Nation Waters."
Zuko turned his attention to the Admiral. "I do not want to put people on Edge Admiral, the last thing we need is people in a panic!"
"I have informed my Commanders and Captains to tell all they search that a criminal is on the loose, nothing more." Chan said.
"Theoretically" Another General spoke up, this man was one of the newcomers to the Council. A man named Ren. " What is the plan if these traitors do make it known that Ozai is with them? The mere mention of his name will surly rally others to their cause...whatever that may be"
Zuko raised his hand "We can only hope that we can find them before they can do much damage. If not we will cross that bridge when we come to it"
"Sir" An Chan spoke as he stood placing his hands behind his back. "You said yourself the House of Yang might be involved in this conspiracy. Why not rally the fleet and surround their stronghold and end this now!"
Kang stood up to that pointing an accusatory finger at his Naval counterpart. "I assume you are not aware of the House of Yang, Admiral? One of Their warriors is worth ten of our regular forces, their castle is more of a fortress than a home. And with that old Religion of theirs they do not fear death. They can and will fight to the last. I know from experience from my Friendship with the Late General Pai Yang, and from Dealings with his Son."
"That may be." Chan countered "But they are few and we are many, through sheer force of will we will break them, we can Surrounded Sun Dao and assault the Castle."
"you want to put money on that?" Kang said, calling forth a chalk. "You may not know it being on those pretty little warships of yours floating out in open water Admiral, but it is no easy task taking a fortified position, and even in victory it doesn't end well for the attackers." Kang replied. "I took part in my fair share of sieges in my career and none of them have ever been rather enjoyable events."
"Enough!" Zuko shouted the Fire around his throne growing with his voice. That had caught him off guard, he had let his anger get the better of him...a piece of his father had come out. Something he had tried hard to keep in check. He let out a sigh, composing himself as the flames began to lower. "I do not want to use military force unless it is absolutely necessary. for now we will keep our ears to the ground for whispers of Ozai. All of you tend to your men and keep me informed of any new information you come across."
"I do have a question My Lord...if it is appropriate." Ren said, raising his hand. Zuko looked at the man and gave a nod. Signaling him to proceed. "What...do we tell the Earth King and the Water Tribe Chiefs?" Ran asked. "I mean no disrespect but something this big will eventually get out, no matter how hard any of us try to suppress it. Something will happen and when it does it will be...less than ideal."
Kang grimaced. "He's right, I'm sure many of us have been hearing the whispers going around lately. I've been hearing reports from across the Fire Nation of a sudden build up of buildings called "Veterans Halls" popping up in some of the Major Cities. On paper these halls are supposedly nothing more than places where Fire Nation Military veterans meet to share kinship with fellows who they served beside, but even during Azulons reign no such places officially existed, it used to be Veterans met up in drinking establishments and such."
Chan scrunched up his face. "I don't see how that is anything to worry about." He said. "To me it sounds no different than citizens going to their towns Meeting Hall."
Kang nodded. "Oh I agree it doesn't sound bad on its own, but I believe we all can remember what happened the last time militant individuals gathered in one place...we almost had a rebellion on our hands, but this time it's not just one place, their are at least twenty Halls scattered throughout the Fire Nation that I know about."
"Let's not go jumping to conclusions just yet." Zuko spoke up with a hand raised. "These Halls could be nothing more than people who want to be around people who understand them." Zuko tried to sound confident in his answer but memories of the New Ozai Society flashed into clarity. "As for what to do about the other rulers...try to contain it for now." Zuko said. "The last thing we need is them banging on our doors everyday asking for updates." Some of the Admirals and Generals had looks like they didn't fully agree with Zukos decision but none spoke up as they stood and began clearing out of the room. "General Kang, a moment if you please."
The old General looked to the man next to him and said something to low for Zuko to hear before turning and walking back to Zuko "You were General Sung Yang's commanding officer before he was transferred to the Royal Procession if I Remember correctly?"
Kang raised an eyebrow for a moment "I did Firelord Zuko, His Ranger Battalion was attached to the Third Army I commanded During the War."
"Tell Me" Zuko Began standing up and making a path through the flames around his throne "What were your thoughts on him."
"I think He was a hell of a Ranger, I will admit when he got word of the transfer I didn't want to let him go. I used his men as shock troops in large scale battles because I knew they could take objectives that my other units could not. He proved that to be true when his Platoon was the First to reach the peek at the Battle of Wan Hill." A smile appeared on the old mans face "he was the only officer under my command who was not afraid to speak his mind, even my Second in command would just nod his head with whatever I had planned. Not Sung, the boy would outright tell me if he thought my plans were stupid. In the short time he served under me I grew to depend on his council. I saw potential in him that one day he would be a General, turns out I was right but I did not expect it to be so soon in his career." Kang let out a chuckle. "He caused quiet a stir when he suggested we let the Earth Kingdom land on our Shores during the Eclipse...he had a keen eye for unorthodox strategy."
"Do you think he could be involved in the prison escape?" Asked Zuko. "After all the attackers did have his houses Insignia on their armor so I know he is involved in some capacity"
Kang's smile vanished at that, his expression taking on a more serious expression. "While it is true this whole thing stinks of House of Yang work I do not believe the Retired General had anything to do with it. Yangs are loyal to the Firelord from birth until death, that means Sung is loyal to you not Ozai. There could be those within the House that do not...agree with your rule but to the extent I cannot say, for all we know this group could have just stolen the Yang Insignia as their own."
"What if you are wrong General...What if the entire House has turned against me?" Zuko asked, his throat suddenly becoming dry.
Kang paused for a moment as she stroked his chin deep in thought. "I can only say may the spirits help us all if that is indeed the case, if Sung is anything like his Father was which I believe is indeed the case, we would be in for a hell of a fight trying to take Sun Dao. I believe it can be done, we outnumber his Garrison by a strong margin, but we would be walking away with more than a bloody nose."
Zuko opened his mouth to respond but the curtains of his throne room opened the Royal Procession Captain walking in with his helmet tucked under his arm "Pardon the Interruption my Lord, the Avatar has just arrived." Zuko found that he could breath somewhat easier now, but not by much.
"Good send him in." The Captain bowed leaving as soon as he had arrived.
"If there is nothing else" Kang spoke "I will take my leave."
"Thank you General, I do wish it set my mind at ease" Zuko said with a sigh.
Kang placed a firm hand on the Young Firelords Shoulder "Do not fear, we will find Ozai" A small smile appeared on the old Generals face as he turned and began to walk out of the room. As he was reaching the Curtain it opened and the slim figure of Aang appeared Momo propped on his shoulder as he always was. He was flanked by Katara, Sokka, Toph, and to his surprise, Ty Lee who was dressed in her Kyoshi Warrior Armor.
"We came as soon as we could" Aang spoke first worry painted on his face that could Challenge Zukos own.
"Please tell me your letter was just a misprint!" Sokka chimed in earning him a look from his sister.
Zuko sighed "I am afraid not, I can Confirm that My father has indeed Escaped"
"Was it Azula?" Katara asked crossing her arms "We haven't seen her in years, she might have finally resurfaced after all this time."
The thought had indeed crossed him mind but for some reason none of this felt like her work. Not to say she wasn't capable of pulling something like this off just that after all these years she hadn't tried to minus helping create a short lived Cult of sorts. What members of the New Ozai society that had escaped incarceration had long since scattered to the wind "I cannot say for certain that she is not involved in some capacity, but those who carried out the initial assault clearly had military style training that outmatched the Domestic Forces at the Prison...a small group was able to defeat a small army. There are very few who could carry that out with such skill."
"Do you have any leads, any idea where he might be going?" Aang spoke up once again.
"I have one..."Zuko hesitantly admitted "One of the Surviving Guards at the Prison told me their leader had the image of a bird with its wings outstretched on his armor, that image happens to be the Insignia of the House of Yang"
Sokkas eyes squinted "Yang...why does that name sound familiar?"
Ty Lee let out a gasp, holding a gloved hand over her makeup covered mouth. "Sung." She said in a whisper.
"General Sung Yang attempted to stop us from escaping from the Boiling Rock Prison during the War" Zuko responded "And he was there when i challenged Azula to an Agni Kai"
"I remember him now!" Sokka shouted snapping his fingers "He was also that guy who climbed up on Appa when we were Running from Azula all night. He said my Jokes were lame!"
Toph let out a laugh that caused them all to turn "anyone who hates your jokes can't be all that bad"
"But wait...he surrendered to you during Sozins comet" Katara said her eyes wide with realization "Why would he do that only to wait half a decade later to try and start the war back up."
"He surrendered for Azula's sake" Zuko said with a sigh the events of that day becoming fresh in his mind once again "Just before he left the Capital to return home he told me she needed help and he wasn't the one to give it to her. I don't know what he saw but I know Yang's would rather Die than surrender, whatever caused him to do that must have scared him more than the thought of Dishonor."
A silence fell over the group of friends at that Aang was the one to break it his fear replaced with determination "Where is Sung now?"
Zuko turned and walked over his throne rooms massive floor map stopping over the Fire Islands and pointing to the smallest one that was closest to the Earth Kingdom "The House Of Yang Lands are located on the island of Sun Dao, it was gifted to Sung's Ancestor after he helped create what we now call the Fire Nation. Here the Yang House Lords have guarded the Fire Nation for millenniums."
Toph began to punch the palm of her other hand a smirk on her face "Well what are we waiting for, lets go over there and give this Yang a good pounding!"
"It is not that simple, The House of Yang has the greatest Warriors this country has ever seen, if not the world. Their castle is more of a Fortress than a Home. With the War over I suspect Sung has a Army at his disposal ready to Die for him if he asked them too, and I am not even sure Sung had anything to do with this attack...I don't want to put him on edge."
"You said yourself that his emblem was on the guy who lead the attack to Free Ozai" Sokka said pointing a finger at Zuko "Of course he is involved!"
"You don't Understand Sokka, I have known Sung since we were Children this just doesn't scream to me that he has dipped his hands in this. The Yangs had always been loyal to the Firelord ALWAYS"
"Zuko is right!" Ty Lee shouted causing the others to turn to look at her, "Sung wouldn't do anything like this. Maybe the guard made a mistake, m-maybe he didn't fully remember what happened because he was in shock." Her eyes filling with Sorrow and disbelief. "Sung is not a traitor."
"Zuko...you are letting your personal feelings cloud your judgment on this" Aang said his face now giving a sympathetic look "If your friend was involved in this he needs to be stopped before he can finish whatever he has planned with Ozai"
"You don't think I know that!" Zuko shouted anger clear in his voice "I don't want to take any action against him unless I am absolutely sure he did order this attack. If I am wrong then his Warriors will surely support him. You don't know this but warriors from house Yang do not fear death, they fight like demons and they will fight to the last man. Before I make a decision I want to talk with him, that's all I ask"
"But why?" Sokka asked. "Why would they be so willing to throw their lives away like that?"
"Sung and those who serve his House have an Old Religion they follow." Ty Lee spoke up. "They worship of Goddess they call Amaterasu. They believe when they die in battle they go to a place in the Sky where Amaterasu lives and they join something called The Sun Guard. From there to the end of time they serve their Goddess and protect the Sun."
Katara turned to Aang. "Have you ever heard of Amaterasu?"
Aang pondered the question for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think I have. There are many long forgotten Religions in the world from eons passed that believed in some God or another, but that was before they understood the Gods they worshipped were Spirits. This Amaterasu may be one of those Spirits but right now I can think of only one who needed blood as a tribute and that was a Spirit named Father Glow Worm...and he was vanquished some three hundred years ago."
"Sounds like a crazy Cult if you ask me." Toph said, crossing her arms.
Aang gave a nod " Crazy or not it's our only lead." Aang then looked to Zuko. "Appa is outside, we can leave when you are ready."
"One more thing...If Sung IS responsible for this, it should be me to stop him...its the only right thing to do." Zuko said, his right had balling into a fist.
Aang look absolutely horrified at what the young Firelord had just said "Zuko, we don't need to kill him, we can just arrest him if he is involved. There has been enough violence."
"Sometimes Violence is the only answer." Zuko replied coldly.
*
Zuko said he had only needed a moment to change out of his robes and into something more suitable for traveling. For a brief moment he had thought about donning his Armor in preparation for a battle he had expected to happen, but at the last moment he had decided that would send the wrong message to Sung. You only wore Armor when you were expecting a fight. But he was expecting a fight wasn't he?
Instead of his Armor he had donned an outfit that he hadn't worn in a long while. A red short sleeved Shirt with a darker colored vest, red pants tucked into a pair of well worn boots, completing his outfit he put the scabbard of his dual Broadswords on his back. Though his Firebending had improved greatly since the End of the war Zuko knew Sung well enough to know that if need be Sung liked to get in close with that Jian he always carried.
Zuko thought back to the Invasion, he was just getting ready to leave to see his Father when Sung found him, and found out what he was about to do, Sung had drawn his sword and prepared to strike then and there. If it came down to who could use a sword better Zuko thought that me may very well have the advantage in that area of combat.
Finished preparing himself for the journey ahead Zuko left his bed room and swiftly made his way through the Halls of the Palace until he was outside, there the massive Sky Bison waited for him, along with his Friends and Mai who had been talking to Ty Lee before stopping the Conversation to look at Zuko. "Be careful." Mai said pleading as she wrapped her arms around Zuko and gave him a hug, their had been many times during his rule where those hugs had brought him great Comfort in trying times, but this was not one of those times. "And remember what I said...Sung couldn't have done this."
Once again Zuko truthfully hopped that she was right. Though he and Sung were no longer as close as they had once been the last thing Zuko wanted was their relationship to end with one killing the other...but it came down to his friendship with Sung and protecting the Fire Nation he would pick the Fire Nation every single time.