Ozai. Agni had declared him 'Ozai.' Twice. In front of witnesses. That the witnesses don't realize precisely what they have witnessed doesn't change anything.
It hurts. The promise that Agni and Tui are watching, that he is not alone and the further implication that they care, helps, but it still hurts.
A part of him had known that it was coming, that it had to happen, or else what was the point of dragging him six years into the past and dropping him directly into his father's life? If the spirits had wanted Zuko on the Dragon Throne, they could have stricken his father down as they had Zhao. If the spirits had wanted an experienced Fire Lord, they could have placed him back into his own life. That isn't what the spirits chose to do. He still doesn't know what all Agni's plan entails, but the spirits had clearly decided that those options were insufficient.
And yet, he had dared to hope that, maybe, at least the spirits would still recognize him as Zuko. Agni had, in those moments right after he'd found himself in this waking nightmare, but it seems that was only a brief reprieve from his new reality.
Worse, Agni had used his latest blessing as a warning and reminder. Iroh sees him as an enemy. Or, at the very least, an obstacle to restoring the world's balance. Iroh will not trust him easily, and so Zu-- Ozai cannot fully trust in his brother's intentions, either. 'Conspire' had not been a careless choice of phrasing, but... That's something that he can use, isn't it? If he can get the White Lotus working in parallel with him... Even if the alliance is uneasy and never formalized, that could be irreplaceably valuable in fostering a new era of peace between the nations.
He's not sure if Agni had meant to draw his attention to Iroh's ties with the White Lotus, but he's grateful for the reminder regardless of any intentions. Before, he'd only been thinking about his personal reliance on Iroh, and the sway the older man has on the internal politics of the Fire Nation as the previous crown prince and a successful general. He hadn't thought about his unc-- his brother's allies outside of the nation, several of whom are in high positions within their respective societies.
Z-- Ozai, dammit! He is the Fire Lord! His will comes second only to Agni, and he will not let a specter best him! The name is his now and a dead man will not --
The Fire Lord squeezes his eyes shut and bites back the sudden sob trying to break free as an unexpected swell of grief hits him anew. His father is dead. Agni's plan killed him. He doesn't want to mourn the man that burned and banished him, that planned to raze the whole Eastern Continent to the ground in comet's fire, but the feeling of loss is there no matter how unwanted or foolish.
Later. There will be time to cry over all he has lost later.
Ozai breathes deeply, opens his eyes, and finally allows himself to rise from his bow and face his audience.
"Iroh," he gestures at a lounge absently, offering his brother a place to sit. He waits until the doors are closed again before saying, "We need to talk before the meeting." Out of habit, he reaches for the sun with his inner flame to check the time and hisses out a surprised breath, steam escaping between his teeth. Agni had let him sleep longer than he had intended to and the spirit's second manifestation, while weaker, had been much closer, obscuring his ability to sense the primary physical form's progress through the sky. In short, it is much later in the day than he had anticipated having this conversation.
At Iroh's raised brows, the Fire Lord reluctantly admits, "I hadn't realized how late it's gotten. We don't have enough time for everything and I need to get ready." He's still dressed in only the traditional Agni Kai garb he'd been wearing when he had arrived in the... present, he supposes. He ignores his brother's surprised blink at receiving an answer for the question he, technically, never asked, just as he ignores the slight flush heating his own face, and retreats to the closet to find something that he can wrestle himself into without servants but formal enough for the impending meeting.
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(Belatedly, it is occuring to him that he may not have any better an idea how to interact with a General Iroh that has not followed his nephew into exile for three years than he does regarding the young prince and princess elsewhere in the palace.)
He's half expecting some inane comment about how he shaved or that he cut his hair, or maybe a remark about the eerie glowing of his eyes. He'd forgotten that Uncle had only begun playing the part of an easily distracted fool after his banishment. Instead, Iroh gets right to the point. "You seem to have caught the spirits' attention, Brother. It has been a long time since any of them have deigned to interfere so obviously in our world. A very long time." Iroh only hesitates a breath before asking, "Has Agni given you insight on the war?"
"You could say that," Ozai grumbles under his breath, yanking on the last of his chosen outfit's base layers and gathering up the outer robe and shoes that will complete the ensemble. Several ties and buttons still need to be secured, but he's decent enough and he wants to be able to see the other man's face as they speak. Besides, after rescuing an Uncle who had been kidnapped while bathing, no version of Iroh has a right to complain about any state of dress he may be found in.
"Agni has a plan," he confirms, "He hasn't told me all of it, but he made it clear enough what he expects of me, and thus the Fire Nation." Ozai focusses on finishing with the last of the fastenings and then continues when he can look Iroh in the eye, "I'm going to need your help holding the country together. There are going to be a lot of changes and a lot of people will be angry about them. I think you'll approve of most of it, though."
"Oh?" Iroh asks in a carefully mild tone.
Ozai rolls his eyes. "Yes." He slips his shoes on, secures them, and says, "I'll be ordering a ceasefire and consolidating our borders in the colonies."
Iroh gapes, frowns, strokes his beard, and then finally asks, "You are going to order a retreat?"
The Fire Lord shrugs. "It's been almost a century of war. Agni instructed me to seek its end and establish peaceful relations with the other nations. He gave me no specific instruction past that. He gave me no time frame. He only charged me with a goal and granted me the authority to see it done. This is as good a first step as any."
"I see..." Iroh murmurs.
"Do you?" Ozai challenges the other man, "Agni ordered the end of the war. He did not instruct me to forfeit our colonies or any other spoils we've won. He also just very obviously warned you about 'conspiring' against me."
"I have not --"
Ozai holds up a hand and his brother falls silent. "Iroh," he says steadily, meeting the other man's eyes, "I'm not asking for details or names. I'm not even telling you to break ties. Just... be careful." He huffs softly and allows himself a wry smirk. "I meant it when I said I'll need your help. Access to a network that spans the remaining nations would also be useful. If you are willing to trust me this far, send a message to King Bumi of Omashu. Ask him about Aang and Appa. You don't have to tell me you've so much as consented to send the message unless King Bumi is interested in further information."
Iroh eyes him warily. "I would not have expected you to extend mercy to a man you are convinced plots against you, Brother. No matter who he may be."
Ozai takes a moment to consider his response. He's never been a skilled liar. He likely never will be. But three years in court as Fire Lord has taught him the value of letting others reach their own conclusions. Iroh isn't ready to hear the whole truth, perhaps it is better if he never learns the entirety of it, but he needs some kind of explanation and Ozai can give him that much.
"Yesterday, you would have been granted no reprieve," he admits slowly, "Today, you are." He breathes deeply, still carefully picking through his words. "I don't know what it looked like from the outside, after the spirits plucked me up and before they released me, but how many men have you known to escape such an encounter with the spirits unchanged?"
"Not many," the older firebender acknowledges. "I thank you for the mercy you have shown me, my lord, but it is unneeded. I do not plot against you."
"No," Ozai scoffs in vague amusement, "my rule is no longer at cross-purposes with the White Lotus." He pretends not to notice as Iroh pales. Instead he stands and turns away. "We're out of time," he announces, heading for the attached bathroom to retrieve his crown, "Remember, ask Bumi about Aang and Appa. I'll see you at the meeting. Dismissed."