For the first time, Ozai stayed silent longer than usual. Not because he shared Ursa's suspicions… but because something in her words had sparked a sharper, more dangerous interest in him.
—"I will make sure to watch him more closely," he replied slowly, like someone sniffing out an opportunity inside a risk. "Thank you for your… concern."
Ursa understood she had lost this battle. But she also understood she had planted something in Ozai: curiosity. And Ren… Ren always knew how to exploit other people's curiosity.
Ren's point of view...
The hallway leading to Ozai's private lounge was almost empty, save for the warm vibration of the lit torches. Ren walked without haste, like he was taking a casual stroll. But his eyes… those eyes were always attentive. When he got close to the large carved wooden door, he heard Ursa's tense voice behind it, followed by Ozai's icy response. Ren couldn't help but stop.
—"I don't want to see our children become pieces in a game that he understands better than we do," Ursa was saying.
Silence.
Ren tilted his head. Interesting…
Then, Ozai's low, sharp voice:
—"I will make sure to watch him more closely. Thank you for your… concern."
Ren smiled just a little. A gesture so small it would have gone unnoticed even by Azula. But in Ren, it was significant. So, they finally started to suspect.
He waited a few seconds. Soft steps. The door opened, and Ursa came out. Ren stepped aside discreetly, hidden behind a column, breathing slowly. She passed close by… and he studied her. The rigid gesture of her fingers. The tension in her jaw. The worry in her eyes.
A tool that doesn't fulfill its role… is condemned to be a sacrifice, he told himself, remembering a phrase from his past life. And Ursa wasn't fulfilling her role anymore.
He waited for her to walk away before entering the lounge. Ozai was with his back turned again, watching the flames. Ren walked forward slowly, adopting the exact posture of a respectful child.
—"Father," he said softly.
Ozai turned slightly, surprised to see him.
—"Ren. What are you doing awake?"
Ren lowered his gaze, trembling just enough, calculated.
—"I heard the Queen… talking about me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spy."
Ozai narrowed his eyes. In reality, he liked it when his children heard things they shouldn't. It showed cunning.
—"What exactly did you hear?"
Ren stepped a little closer. The fire reflected sharp shadows in his eyes.
—"That… that she thinks I don't belong here. That… she fears me."
Ozai studied his face, looking for signs of manipulation. But Ren was a perfect actor: his voice cracked just enough, his posture closed almost instinctively.
—"She also said… that I look at Azula like I want to use her. And that you should be careful with me."
Ozai raised his chin. That did bother him.
Ren continued:
—"I know the Queen… loves you. But sometimes… I think she only thinks of her family. Not your vision. Not what you want to build."
The silence became heavy. Ren filled it with sweet poison.
—"Father…" he said with an innocent whisper, "if she thinks that of me, when all I want is to help you, protect my brothers and sister… what will she say of Azula when she gets stronger? Or of you… if she doesn't agree with your decisions?"
Ozai's gaze hardened. Ren saw it. And he pushed a little more.
—"I would never betray you. I would never doubt your power. But…" he looked up, letting a shadow of real fear pass, "if the Queen becomes a threat to the stability of your family… to your reign…"
He made a perfect pause.
—"…then someone will have to make a sacrifice. Just as you have always said."
Ozai didn't answer immediately. He looked at the fire, his thoughts devouring each other. Ren lowered his gaze again, his fingers interlaced like an anguished child. But in his mind, the board had already changed.
Ursa planted doubts about me. I'm just returning the favor… multiplied.
Ozai finally spoke, his voice low and dangerous:
—"Go to sleep, Ren. You have… given me much to think about."
Ren bowed impeccably.
—"I only want to be useful to you, Father."
He walked out of the room with controlled, slow steps… but when he turned the corner and knew no one was watching him, his expression changed. He didn't smile. He didn't celebrate. He only let his eyes show for an instant that cold darkness he had carried from his past life.
A defective tool is a risk. And risks are eliminated.
That night, for the first time, Ozai started to see Ursa as a hindrance. And Ren… Ren had decided it: one of the first sacrifices of the game would be the Queen.
He didn't have to wait long for the plan to be set in motion...
The rain tapped gently on the palace roof, a constant murmur that seemed to drag out the tension that had been breathed in every hallway for days. Servants avoided meeting in the corridors. The torches burned lower, as if they also sensed something. Ren walked down the west corridor without hurry, his hands hidden in the sleeves of his tunic. He knew where he was going. He knew what was about to happen.
Three days had passed since his conversation with Ozai. Three days in which the Prince had watched him with more attention… and Ursa with more distrust. Three days were enough.
Turning a corner, Ren stopped. The door to Ozai's personal study was ajar, and voices could be heard inside. One of them was trembling. Ursa.
Ren leaned softly against the wall, close enough to hear, far enough not to be seen.
Inside the study
—"I cannot let you do this, Ozai," Ursa's voice was broken, but still firm. "I can't. Not for me… but for our children. For Zuko. For Azula."
—"And who said this is about you?" Ozai replied with cold calm.
There was a dry thud: a jar placed violently on the table.
—"You have no idea what you are doing," Ursa insisted, more desperate. "You're letting fear cloud your judgment. Ren is just a child!"
Ren closed his eyes for an instant. Exactly. Keep saying that.
The silence inside the study grew thick.
—"A child?" Ozai repeated, with a tone darker than the blackest fire. "A child who understands how to manipulate those around him. One who feigns fragility to hide ambition. A child who knows how to read people better than many adults I've known."
A strong step. As if he had gotten closer to her.
—"And you…" Ozai continued, "you decided to face him. To face me. That is something I cannot allow."
Ursa didn't answer immediately. When she spoke, her voice was a hurt whisper.
—"If what you want is for me to leave… I will do it. But do not touch Zuko. Nor Azula."
Ren opened his eyes. Interesting. Ursa had always been perceptive; she was negotiating her own life for her children's. But Ozai had already crossed a point of no return.
—"It is not you who is in a position to ask for anything," Ozai spat.
—"Ozai… please."
There was a silence so deep Ren almost imagined seeing the fire stop in the torches. And then…
—"There is a poison," Ozai said finally, "one that could make… certain things change in the future. If you cooperate, I won't have to use it against anyone else."
Ren opened his eyes a little wider. So he already made his decision.
Ursa gasped softly.
—"Are you asking me… to commit regicide?"
—"I'm asking you to protect your children," Ozai replied, as if it were obvious.
Ren heard hurried steps. A tremor. Ursa was crying silently. And Ozai, without mercy, continued:
—"If you do this, you will disappear from here tonight. If you don't…" he let the silence speak for him, "the children will pay the price."
Ren watched the emptiness in front of him, his face imperturbable.
The sacrifice is being consummated.