Hanging from the ceiling, unable to move so much as a finger, forced to wallow in your own shit and urine if nature called long before the next washing...
A dreadful fate.
I was fairly certain I'd have gone insane within a month.
The sole occupant of this place, however, seemed perfectly content. In fact, he appeared to be enjoying life. Then again, if the rumors and reports were to be believed, he'd gone completely mad a long, long time ago.
"King Bumi."
I pulled the lever, lowering the iron coffin onto the floor of metal plates.
"Wheeeeeee!" The coffin descended surprisingly quickly, and the old lunatic whooped with delight. "Oh! Heh-heh. A young fellow in Fire Nation armor. Has lunchtime arrived already?"
"No. I was simply curious to meet one of the most powerful Earthbenders in the Earth Kingdom."
"Oh, heh-heh, you flatter me, young man. I'm nothing more than a feeble old madman."
"Come now. A 'feeble' man couldn't have become ruler of an entire city and held it firmly in his grasp for more than half a century. Which makes your surrender all the more peculiar. Giving up isn't exactly the Earthbender way. Your people are far too stubborn."
"But I am insane!" he burst into laughter. "I'm supposed to do strange things!"
"Perhaps. Personally, I'd sooner believe there's some clever plan behind it all. After all, you're something of a master at them."
"Hmm... Anything is possible." Philosophically, he tipped his chin toward the ceiling.
"So I thought."
I stepped closer and withdrew a small vial from one of the pouches on my belt. The rest was simple—pinch his nose shut and pour the liquid down his throat.
"Which is why I'm simply going to remove an unknown piece from the board."
"Cough... What... was that?" The madness vanished from his face in an instant. His gaze became sharp, calculating... and thoroughly unfriendly.
Still nowhere near the Ocean Spirit.
"Poison, of course." I shrugged. "I happen to know a couple of people who are quite knowledgeable about such things. A high-profile prisoner being murdered in his cell would reflect poorly on the governor, and on the Fire Nation as a whole. But a hundred-and-twelve-year-old man dying of a heart attack? No one would find that surprising."
I looked him straight in the eye.
"You're simply too dangerous—and too unpredictable—to leave alive."
"Heh. So the rumors were right after all. The Nation of Murderers."
"No." I shook my head. "Not the entire Fire Nation is like that. You were simply unfortunate enough to cross paths with one. Had circumstances been different, I'd have gladly played a game of Pai Sho with you, shared a pot of tea, and chatted about the latest advances in culture and technology, as befits fellow members of the White Lotus. But alas..." I turned away and pulled the lever once more, sending the "living corpse" back up toward the ceiling. "Forgive me... and farewell."
To my surprise, I felt sick at heart.
I was far from a saint. I'd hanged teenagers and children, ordered the bombardment of residential districts, handed people over to be tortured, but...
Back then, they had been criminals and murderous bandits. The civilians of the Northern Water Tribe had been somewhere far away, little more than targets at a firing range. Besides, their saboteurs had struck back hard enough.
But now...
After killing a helpless old man with my own hands, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd taken yet another step toward the Abyss. Logic didn't help much. It didn't matter that he was dangerous, experienced, or that these very dungeons had existed in Omashu long before the Fire Nation ever arrived.
Still, enough soul-searching.
I'd made my choice years ago. And the price... in any world, everything comes at a cost. The death of one "helpless old man" today might save the lives of hundreds—perhaps even thousands—of my nation's soldiers tomorrow.
As for the poison… there was no point lying to myself. The problem had nothing to do with the Fire Nation's reputation. People couldn't possibly think any less of us than they already did.
No, what mattered was making sure King Bumi's death could never be traced back to me. The Fire Herald had to remain beyond reproach in the eyes of the nation's elite, and murdering an important prisoner would leave a rather ugly stain on that reputation.
Traditions and all.
This way, everything would remain perfectly clean. When I left, Bumi had been alive and well.
I wasn't worried about him exposing me, either. Officially, he was insane. No one would believe a word he said—even assuming he told anyone in the first place. And even if someone did believe him, there would be no way to prove it. This world didn't have forensic pathologists capable of identifying poisoning from a blood sample.
Right. Enough dwelling on it.
I'd rather go have a cup of tea and see how things were going upstairs.
***
Meanwhile, while Chan was busy...
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Silence.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap...
"Zuko, stop trying to break the table," Azula hissed at her brother irritably.
Silence fell.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap...
Briefly.
"Azula?" Zuko raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, for..." The princess nearly hid her hands behind her back in an almost childish gesture before catching herself at the last second. She was the Fire Lord's daughter, not some peasant girl incapable of controlling herself!
"I think we should all have some tea and relax," Iroh suggested with his trademark warm smile, trying to ease the tension. "I'll have the servants bring everything." With that, the Fire Lord's brother rose from the table.
"Who cares about your tea, Uncle?!" Azula snapped, resting her cheek against her palm with an irritated scowl. "Like we don't have bigger problems to worry about!"
"We're confined to the palace, and those charming young ladies won't let us leave until Chan gives permission. I see no reason we can't enjoy some tea and relax," the old general replied with his usual carefree air.
"We need to relax," he repeated with quiet insistence. "There's nothing else we can do anyway."
The princess shot her older relative an exasperated glare but said nothing, allowing him to make his dignified exit with all the satisfaction of a man convinced he had fulfilled an important duty.
(End of Chapter)
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