[AtLA Fic] Triumphant
Title: Triumphant
Characters: Ozai, Toph, Kajizu (OC), Zuko, Ty Lee, Mai
Word Count: 1100+
Rating: G
Summary: [blind Ozai AU] After a lifetime of being considered wasted, Ozai reigns as Firelord from the Bronze Throne.
Triumphant
***
If one more official demanded his attention, Ozai would burn down the entire palace. "Clear the throne room. The audience hours are finished."
A murmur swept through the crowd, and he heard the rustle of clothes as people shifted uncomfortably. The traditional audience hours were far from over; it was hardly even noon yet. People would take it as a sign of weakness in an already seemingly-weak Firelord. If Ozai could not sit through an entire audience session, how could the blind man hope to rule the Nation?
With an iron fist and a will strong enough to survive all the years since he lost his eyes. He would enjoy showing them their folly. Just as soon as he stopped wanting to simply kill everyone and be done with it. The last three days, his audiences had been packed with every man, woman, and child in the Fire Nation who could get themselves to the capital so soon after the departure of Sozin's Comet and the forced end to the war. Only a fourth of them actually had issues worth his time to address.
Seneschal Kajizu banged her staff against the floor. "Your Firelord commands you! Hear and obey."
Some left of their own will. Then Ozai heard the click of boots as the Imperial Firebenders encouraged those dawdling to get out. Soon, the only people whose breathing he could recognize were Kajizu, his son, Lady Mai, Lady Ty Lee, and Katara. He smiled in the children's direction. "Go amuse yourselves. There will be no more affairs of state until tomorrow."
"Father..."
The fires before the throne grew hotter. When would that boy learn not to test him?
"Great!" Lady Ty Lee said. "We can get good places in the stands for the earthball match today!"
"Sounds fun," Lady Mai said, sounding bored. "Come on, Zuko."
He could hear the way Lady Ty Lee shifted from foot to foot, the rustle of cloth as Lady Mai turned. Both of Azula's friends were ready to fight for their lives. It seemed they had better survival instincts than his son.
"All right," Zuko said through gritted teeth. There was a shift of air as he presumably bowed. "I will have dinner with you, if you'll permit it, Father."
Ozai waved a hand in lazy acknowledgment, and Zuko and his ladies left the throne room. Katara remained, and he ignored her. His scars were fairly-earned, and he was in no mood to limit himself to snapping at her. If she offered him healing again, she would burn.
"Miss Katara," Kajizu said after a few minutes.
A shift of cloth, then the Water Tribe girl left the throne room. When the doors shut behind her, Ozai let the fires go out. He sat there for a long moment, listening to his and Kajizu's breathing, inhaling the lingering smells of the court - spicy perfume, oiled metal, people. So many people had come today, would come tomorrow, because they needed their Firelord. Him. They might try his patience, but they were his subjects.
After all the years of fighting to be remembered as more than a has-been, they would never dare forget him now.
"Seneschal, send to the kitchens for yesterday's bread. I'm going to visit my turtleducks." Ozai descended from his throne and began to walk across the throneroom, mentally counting the steps.
"Very well."
Armor rustled, and the remaining firebender guards swung open the doors five steps before he would have walked into them. He gritted his teeth. This was respect due to the Firelord, nothing more. A childless woman who was hale and sound would receive the same courtesy from the Imperial Firebenders if she wore the full gold flame in her hair.
People shuffled out of his way in the corridors. He overheard many conversations turn to how proud he was to walk unaided - admiringly from the Firefolk, scathingly from the Earthfolk. Hmph. As if they would not laud an Earth prince who did the same.
***
Ozai followed the smells of flowers through the garden. It had been Ursa's idea to plant different strongly-scented plants in each section of the garden, and it was just one more reason why he loved her.
"Hey!" A strident, high-pitched voice demanded. Small hands shoved against his stomach. "Watch out!"
Sheer astonishment rocked Ozai back on his heels. "You dare?"
"You're the one who tried to run a little girl down! What are you, blind?"
"Yes!" He snarled. "The blindfold should have implied that!"
There was a long pause, little hands fisting in his robe. Then, in a way that sounded strange for the girl's voice, she quietly said, "I'm blind too."
But she was a little girl. Who would blind a child? "How did this happen?"
"Tch. I was born this way." She said it like it was nothing. Maybe it was. If she'd been blind all her life, she would never have had as much to lose as he had.
"Ah." Ozai reached down to find the top of her head. The girl jerked away but he kept his hand on her. Soon, she stilled then unclenched one hand from his robes and grabbed him by his wrist. He smiled and let her tug his hand down her cheek and over her face. A child's face, still round with baby fat. A little dirty. No covering over her eyes.
"So what do you look like, fancypants?" she demanded. "All I know is you wear silk like my parents."
Ozai crouched down and took her hand. He pressed it to his cheek, then guided it over his face. She rubbed the material of the blindfold between her fingers and tugged on his beard.
"You're kind of pointy like a ratviper. And you feel like Zuko," she announced. Then she ran her hands over his face again, slower and more carefully. "Yep. He's got a face like yours, fancypants."
He smirked. "I should hope so. He's my son."
There was a thoughtful pause, then she tugged on his beard again. "Just so you know, you're a jerk. You and Long Feng could have tea and talk about how much of a jerk you two are. He'd win, but you'd give him a run for his money."
"I can tell you're one of Zuko's friends," he said drily. "I'll ask the Seneschal to remind me to kill this Long Feng when I meet him."
The girl barked with laughter and slugged him in the shoulder. "You're all right, fancypants."
"Indeed. Now, I still need to feed my turtleducks, so you may run along, Lady...?"
"Bei Fong Toph," she announced. "What are turtleducks? Are those the quacky little things Zuko likes to moon over Mai around?"
"One can only hope." Ozai stood, reaching out again to find the top of Lady Toph's head and using that to steer around her. She squawked in indignation and grabbed onto his arm, dragging herself along behind him all the way down to the turtleduck pond.
His own children had never been half so amusing as this.
-End-
Characters: Ozai, Toph, Kajizu (OC), Zuko, Ty Lee, Mai
Word Count: 1100+
Rating: G
Summary: [blind Ozai AU] After a lifetime of being considered wasted, Ozai reigns as Firelord from the Bronze Throne.
Triumphant
***
If one more official demanded his attention, Ozai would burn down the entire palace. "Clear the throne room. The audience hours are finished."
A murmur swept through the crowd, and he heard the rustle of clothes as people shifted uncomfortably. The traditional audience hours were far from over; it was hardly even noon yet. People would take it as a sign of weakness in an already seemingly-weak Firelord. If Ozai could not sit through an entire audience session, how could the blind man hope to rule the Nation?
With an iron fist and a will strong enough to survive all the years since he lost his eyes. He would enjoy showing them their folly. Just as soon as he stopped wanting to simply kill everyone and be done with it. The last three days, his audiences had been packed with every man, woman, and child in the Fire Nation who could get themselves to the capital so soon after the departure of Sozin's Comet and the forced end to the war. Only a fourth of them actually had issues worth his time to address.
Seneschal Kajizu banged her staff against the floor. "Your Firelord commands you! Hear and obey."
Some left of their own will. Then Ozai heard the click of boots as the Imperial Firebenders encouraged those dawdling to get out. Soon, the only people whose breathing he could recognize were Kajizu, his son, Lady Mai, Lady Ty Lee, and Katara. He smiled in the children's direction. "Go amuse yourselves. There will be no more affairs of state until tomorrow."
"Father..."
The fires before the throne grew hotter. When would that boy learn not to test him?
"Great!" Lady Ty Lee said. "We can get good places in the stands for the earthball match today!"
"Sounds fun," Lady Mai said, sounding bored. "Come on, Zuko."
He could hear the way Lady Ty Lee shifted from foot to foot, the rustle of cloth as Lady Mai turned. Both of Azula's friends were ready to fight for their lives. It seemed they had better survival instincts than his son.
"All right," Zuko said through gritted teeth. There was a shift of air as he presumably bowed. "I will have dinner with you, if you'll permit it, Father."
Ozai waved a hand in lazy acknowledgment, and Zuko and his ladies left the throne room. Katara remained, and he ignored her. His scars were fairly-earned, and he was in no mood to limit himself to snapping at her. If she offered him healing again, she would burn.
"Miss Katara," Kajizu said after a few minutes.
A shift of cloth, then the Water Tribe girl left the throne room. When the doors shut behind her, Ozai let the fires go out. He sat there for a long moment, listening to his and Kajizu's breathing, inhaling the lingering smells of the court - spicy perfume, oiled metal, people. So many people had come today, would come tomorrow, because they needed their Firelord. Him. They might try his patience, but they were his subjects.
After all the years of fighting to be remembered as more than a has-been, they would never dare forget him now.
"Seneschal, send to the kitchens for yesterday's bread. I'm going to visit my turtleducks." Ozai descended from his throne and began to walk across the throneroom, mentally counting the steps.
"Very well."
Armor rustled, and the remaining firebender guards swung open the doors five steps before he would have walked into them. He gritted his teeth. This was respect due to the Firelord, nothing more. A childless woman who was hale and sound would receive the same courtesy from the Imperial Firebenders if she wore the full gold flame in her hair.
People shuffled out of his way in the corridors. He overheard many conversations turn to how proud he was to walk unaided - admiringly from the Firefolk, scathingly from the Earthfolk. Hmph. As if they would not laud an Earth prince who did the same.
***
Ozai followed the smells of flowers through the garden. It had been Ursa's idea to plant different strongly-scented plants in each section of the garden, and it was just one more reason why he loved her.
"Hey!" A strident, high-pitched voice demanded. Small hands shoved against his stomach. "Watch out!"
Sheer astonishment rocked Ozai back on his heels. "You dare?"
"You're the one who tried to run a little girl down! What are you, blind?"
"Yes!" He snarled. "The blindfold should have implied that!"
There was a long pause, little hands fisting in his robe. Then, in a way that sounded strange for the girl's voice, she quietly said, "I'm blind too."
But she was a little girl. Who would blind a child? "How did this happen?"
"Tch. I was born this way." She said it like it was nothing. Maybe it was. If she'd been blind all her life, she would never have had as much to lose as he had.
"Ah." Ozai reached down to find the top of her head. The girl jerked away but he kept his hand on her. Soon, she stilled then unclenched one hand from his robes and grabbed him by his wrist. He smiled and let her tug his hand down her cheek and over her face. A child's face, still round with baby fat. A little dirty. No covering over her eyes.
"So what do you look like, fancypants?" she demanded. "All I know is you wear silk like my parents."
Ozai crouched down and took her hand. He pressed it to his cheek, then guided it over his face. She rubbed the material of the blindfold between her fingers and tugged on his beard.
"You're kind of pointy like a ratviper. And you feel like Zuko," she announced. Then she ran her hands over his face again, slower and more carefully. "Yep. He's got a face like yours, fancypants."
He smirked. "I should hope so. He's my son."
There was a thoughtful pause, then she tugged on his beard again. "Just so you know, you're a jerk. You and Long Feng could have tea and talk about how much of a jerk you two are. He'd win, but you'd give him a run for his money."
"I can tell you're one of Zuko's friends," he said drily. "I'll ask the Seneschal to remind me to kill this Long Feng when I meet him."
The girl barked with laughter and slugged him in the shoulder. "You're all right, fancypants."
"Indeed. Now, I still need to feed my turtleducks, so you may run along, Lady...?"
"Bei Fong Toph," she announced. "What are turtleducks? Are those the quacky little things Zuko likes to moon over Mai around?"
"One can only hope." Ozai stood, reaching out again to find the top of Lady Toph's head and using that to steer around her. She squawked in indignation and grabbed onto his arm, dragging herself along behind him all the way down to the turtleduck pond.
His own children had never been half so amusing as this.
-End-