[ The answer is so much No, that Zuko doesn't speak. He barely shakes his head. His mind is reeling. There's no possible way he'd be able to get back tomorrow. Even if he were able to start a resistance here, and they were successful in escaping, that would take time — way more than he had. If Aang wins the battle against Fire Lord Ozai, even without Zuko there to inherit the throne, he knew Aang and the rest of his friends would be wise enough to find someone else trustworthy enough to reign in his stead — maybe even Uncle Iroh would reclaim his birthright, if it came down to it. This is not the worst thought. There is the possibility Fire Lord Ozai would defeat Aang, and that would be the end for the resistance, too, and Fire Lord Ozai would lead their armies into endless, large-scale, global invasions, rebranding the Fire Nation as an empire.
However... somehow it did not occur to Zuko until now — the worst thought is, what if neither Aang or Fire Lord Ozai survive? If the Fire Lord defeats the Avatar, the war is all but won for the Fire Nation, and Ozai will continue with his plans — but if Aang defeats him, too, and the Fire Nation still wins... A far worse fate awaits the world. Without Zuko there in that case, then Zuko's sister Azula would take the throne in his stead. Ozai's reign was terrifying due to his ruthless plans; but Azula's would be far more terrifying not because her plans were also ruthless — no, she wasn't just ruthless, she was cruel, and she had no plans. But for sure she'd know what she would want to do first as Fire Lord more than Zuko would.
At this thought, Zuko's face screws up with fury, horror washing over him anew, and instead of following his first instinct and just trashing shit, he jolts his shoulder away from Sypha abruptly, perhaps somewhat violently, and starts to pace the small strip before them, back and forth, trying to focus on his heated breathing to maintain a bit of composure. If there were something to be kicked, it'd be kicked, but there wasn't. ]
no subject
However... somehow it did not occur to Zuko until now — the worst thought is, what if neither Aang or Fire Lord Ozai survive? If the Fire Lord defeats the Avatar, the war is all but won for the Fire Nation, and Ozai will continue with his plans — but if Aang defeats him, too, and the Fire Nation still wins... A far worse fate awaits the world. Without Zuko there in that case, then Zuko's sister Azula would take the throne in his stead. Ozai's reign was terrifying due to his ruthless plans; but Azula's would be far more terrifying not because her plans were also ruthless — no, she wasn't just ruthless, she was cruel, and she had no plans. But for sure she'd know what she would want to do first as Fire Lord more than Zuko would.
At this thought, Zuko's face screws up with fury, horror washing over him anew, and instead of following his first instinct and just trashing shit, he jolts his shoulder away from Sypha abruptly, perhaps somewhat violently, and starts to pace the small strip before them, back and forth, trying to focus on his heated breathing to maintain a bit of composure. If there were something to be kicked, it'd be kicked, but there wasn't. ]