Chapter 20.4- And so the Dragons Danced

The rest of the room nodded, not particularly surprised with the reality of things. Azula was the presumptive heir as things stood now, and they doubted that Firelord Ozai would go through all the trouble of training her as such and then abandon her in favour of another for the role. And then there was no reason for him to do so. Zuko was older, but Ozai himself had set precedent when he inherited over Iroh, the elder.

And then if the matter of Azula being a woman becomes a thing to be mentioned, then he would be the first to point out that Fire Nation had never been barbaric like the other nations on the matter. All Children of Agni were equal under him, man or woman. All that mattered was that she was blessed with the gift of fire. None could contest that fact about the Princess. The only prodigy he could have compared her to was his Grandson, and even then he had difficulty determining which of them was the greater prodigy as things stood.

Surely she had the blue fire. A great gift from Agni himself. But his Grandson had called upon the cold fire. The only one outside the royal family to display the power. It had not been so long ago when Firelord Hideko called upon the cold fire to show the nation that he was the rightful heir and not his grasping cousin. The cold fire was a sign of royalty. The fact that his Grandson had shown that gift without any royal tutelage was a sign that their course was the rightful one.

“It is good to see that our prospect remains active and capable. He shows great promise, West. I am pleased you did not lie to us” North said, fixing him with his gaze.

“Not a word from these lips were exaggerated. The boy is gifted by Agni. Our cause is a righteous one” He replied.

“Indeed. To kill the Butcher of Omashu at such an age. It beggars belief” East commented, adding his own two cents.

“I agree. But how shall we use that to our advantage?” South asked, keen to keep moving forward as always.

“It is easy in the end. West must impress on the Firelord that the present orders are not palatable. Convince him that the boy must expand. He is to take the Earth Kingdom and cover himself in glory while the Princess remains here, sheltered. In the end, the Firelord will be the one begging for a match to be made. And then our plans can truly begin. “

“I will do my duty, but it will be difficult to convince him to change his mind.”

“Do what you must. I have a feeling that the conquest of the North Pole will not go as planned. After that, intensify your efforts. He will agree with you. Now, our time has come to an end.” North said, and so the meeting began to disperse. He was the first to leave, making sure that no one noticed his movements as he left the room.

A/N: Finished. Here's hoping this reignites my passion for writing this.