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Mastermind zuko part 1 @the-turtleduck-pond
From a young age zuko was smart and calculated like azula and ozai but took after ursas kindness and compassion. Unbeknownst to everyone ursa was a assassin and secretly trained zuko who kept it hidden playing the weak child role so no one noticed even pretending to be a weak firebender.
When azulon ordered zukos death he went o his mother for help who promised to help him, the next morning azulon was dead and ursa was gone. With that zuko began to educate himself by sneaking into the catacombs learning everything he can learn even the forbidden knowledge granting him black flames.
Zuko was loyal to ozai until the agni kai and his banishment with that he began the long game.
He would train in secret and pretend to be the weak boy they know (hiding his black flames with regular flames) and even fooled iroh. In the agni kai with Zhao zuko still won but did burn Zhao badly and very convincingly playing it off as he didnt mean to which fooled everyone again.
While healing from his burns zuko snuck aboard his ship telling zhao that for losing he had to surrender all his control to zuko once he did zuko burned him to death. Zhao crew was informed and told if they swore alliance to him they would be greatly rewarded and that no one can know zhao was dead and play it off as healing severe wounds and keeping in correspondence with him secretly while he 'hunted' the avatar on his ship.
Zuko worked to turn the nation to him getting the yuyan archers, rough rhinos, and various troops and ships then siege of the north happened.
Instead of capturing aang or killing the moon spirit zuko manipulated things so the ship still got blown up, iroh boarded zhaos ship to help him and zuko,iroh into believing they were going with zhao moon spirit plan while not finding out zhao was dead.
zuko instead snuck into the city killed the council and arnook and captured yue instead making their way back to the firenation.
Zuko convinces yue to join him saying now she can become the chief and make things right for both tribes ending their sexist ways and bringing peace to the tribes and stop the attacks and all she has to do is marry him in a political marriage. He promises his men he has occupying the north wont hurt her people as long as they dont hurt his people which wont happen as he keeping her hostage.
She is hesitant cause she likes sokka but agree when zuko said as long as they have one child together she can be free to be with sokka. With that they headed for the firenation. Iroh was convinced the plan failed and they stole the princess as a backup plan and was on another ship and zuko told him he'd meet up in a resort in 3 weeks time.
Zuko cant enter the firenation due to his banishment and sends a ship to inform his father and ask for temporary entrance to the firenation. Zuko is allowed and explains he did everything to prove himself and is playing a long game to defeat the avatar and the next part of his plan is to take the earth kingdom and he need only azula for that.
End of part 1.