A Blurring of Days [ Milliways Bar ]
Nov. 25th, 2007 10:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
princeinexileHe stops counting the days after the third; Ba Sing Se is a shadow of itself, but all the same, nothing has really changed. The coup has passed silently. Azula controls the greatest city in the Earth Kingdom. He is part of it all.
Five days later, the ships arrive and the transition from Earth Kingdom stronghold to Fire Nation fortress is bloodless. The komodo-rhinos come in before the tanks, before the soldiers. Garrisons go up. He watches it all in numb muteness.
He never stops wearing the green and the gold of the Earth Kingdom. After all, why should he? He has failed in his mission. The Avatar is not in his hands -- alive or dead -- and Zuko does not believe he is going home to the loving embrace of his father. He worries. He paces.
Iroh's dungeon sees him, but the old man does not. Zuko does not know what to say to him. I'm sorry is a lie, because he isn't. You're a stupid old fool seems appropriate, but he can't bring himself to go down and say it to the Dragon of the West. Why didn't you side with us, your people? would bring an answer he is afraid of.
There is no hope. There is nothing for him. It's like Azula took him home to the oubliette reserved for royal prisoners -- he is caged, but his shackles are silk. Angry all the time, Zuko paces his cage-- the city where he kissed Jin, the city where he found peace briefly-- and wonders at what comes next..
Five days later, the ships arrive and the transition from Earth Kingdom stronghold to Fire Nation fortress is bloodless. The komodo-rhinos come in before the tanks, before the soldiers. Garrisons go up. He watches it all in numb muteness.
He never stops wearing the green and the gold of the Earth Kingdom. After all, why should he? He has failed in his mission. The Avatar is not in his hands -- alive or dead -- and Zuko does not believe he is going home to the loving embrace of his father. He worries. He paces.
Iroh's dungeon sees him, but the old man does not. Zuko does not know what to say to him. I'm sorry is a lie, because he isn't. You're a stupid old fool seems appropriate, but he can't bring himself to go down and say it to the Dragon of the West. Why didn't you side with us, your people? would bring an answer he is afraid of.
There is no hope. There is nothing for him. It's like Azula took him home to the oubliette reserved for royal prisoners -- he is caged, but his shackles are silk. Angry all the time, Zuko paces his cage-- the city where he kissed Jin, the city where he found peace briefly-- and wonders at what comes next..
