Rise of the Sons of Fire

Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction story based upon the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The characters are the property of the producers and creators of A:TLA. I claim nothing.

Author's note. This story is a sequel to "Sokka: Agent of OWL". This story may turn darker in tone than its predecessor. You have been warned.

Chapter 1 – The Arena

The mid-day sun beat down on two opponents as they faced each other on opposite ends of the Royal Agni-Kai arena. Per tradition, Sokka stood barefoot and shirtless, but armed with Moon Blade, a concession to his status as a non-firebender. Facing him across the arena Princess Azula was armed only with her prodigious firebending, and similarly attired, save a close fitting, mid-riff revealing black tank top, a concession to feminine modesty.

"Do you wish to concede now, Peasant?" Azula sneered. "There's no dishonor in recognizing you're over matched. The smart thing to do now is walk away and save yourself the ignominy of certain defeat."

"You know me better than that, Princess," Sokka replied. "How often do I do the smart thing?"

Azula smiled, "So be it," and launched a blue fireball.

With a two handed grip, Sokka swung his black, spirit-metal infused blade toward the fireball, deflecting the attack. Knowing that distance worked to Azula's advantage, he advanced to close it, dodging and deflecting blue flames as he went.

Two spectators observed the proceedings from the stands. Firelady Mai, very visibly eight months pregnant, feigned boredom while Ty Lee watched in rapt attention.

"Wow, that's getting pretty intense," Ty Lee observed. "Is this what Zuko meant by 'proper courtship'?"

"Not if he ever figures out that's their version of foreplay," Mai drawled. "Come on, we'll give them some privacy, and I need to put my feet up."

Sokka closed the distance on his quarry. Azula's eyes, then body followed in disbelief as he somersaulted over her head, twisted in mid-air and landed, with the tip of his blade resting on her shoulder.

Sokka smirked. "Do you yield?"

Azula smirked back. "No." She back flipped, kicking Moon Blade out of Sokka's hand, and coming up in a firebending stance. "It's you who should yield."

Despite being disarmed, Sokka still had one advantage on Azula, his size. He was easily a head taller and nearly twice her weight. He charged, tackling and pinning her to the ground.

Grinning down at her, Sokka said, "I believe I win the day, Your Highness."

"It matters little," Azula smiled as she inspected his torso, her eyes lingering a moment on the still fresh burn scar on his belly. "You'll always bear my mark."

Sokka leaned in to kiss her, but was interrupted by a man-shaped shadow that appeared above them. Sokka scrambled to his feet, and said, "Hey, there Zuko...Fire Lord. Me and Azula were just having a little sparring match."

Zuko quirked his eyebrow, "So that's what you call it." He handed Azula a towel, "I just came down to remind my sister," - with a look to Azula - "that the Defense Council meeting is in half an hour. It wouldn't do for my new Military Chief of Staff to be late to her own meeting."

Azula said, "Of course I won't be late. I'd never dream of dishonoring my Firelord in such a manner." With that, she gave a curt bow with the customary palm-on-fist salute, and went to her chambers to prepare for the meeting.

As he watched her walk away, Zuko shook his head, "You know, I still can't tell if she's being sincere or sarcastic when she does that."

"It's probably best to give her the benefit of the doubt," Sokka remarked.

"Probably so," the Firelord mused. Then changing the subject he said, "Sokka, I'd like your help mediating a dispute. How's your relationship with Chief Arnook?"

"He trusts me. What's this about?"

"Fishing rights in the northern waters. During the war, the Northern Water Tribe abandoned certain fishing grounds on our northern border. Our own fishing fleet moved in. Now they're reasserting their traditional rights in the area, for which I don't blame them. But those fisheries have become pretty important to the economies of my northern provinces, so I don't want to abandon them completely. I'm hoping to negotiate a mutually beneficial agreement," Zuko explained.

Sokka scratched the back of his head, "I'd like to help, but on this is one I need to consult with my dad first."

"Why would Chief Hakoda care?" Zuko asked. "This doesn't involve the Southern Tribe."

"Well," Sokka explained, "Fishing rights aren't the only areas the Northern Tribe is trying to reassert its traditional prerogatives in. The South Pole was colonized by the Water Tribe generations before the war started, so the Northern Chief is technically High Chief of both tribes. But, given the distance involved, there was never much contact so the North has never affected any real control over the South, so we got in the habit of electing our own chiefs and running things our own way. And during war, there was no contact between the tribes at all until Katara and I visited with Aang. Since the end of the war, the influx of Northern immigrants to the Southern Tribe has brought up questions of the extent of the Northern Chief's authority over the South. As it stands right now, Dad and Arnook have an unspoken agreement to stay out of each other's business."

"Oh, I see. Well I don't need an answer right away. I should probably go check on my wife before that meeting. Hopefully she's in a good mood and won't throw anything sharp at me," Zuko mused.

Sokka sympathized, "That's rough, buddy."

…...

Sokka strode next to the palanquin bearing the Fire Princess as they made their way back to the palace.

"Thank you for attending the theater opening tonight with me, Sokka. Your presence made the experience bearable," Azula commented.

"It looked to me like you were having a good time," Sokka observed.

"A facade for the nobles. Sometimes I think the only reason Zuzu wanted me to return was so he had someone he could pawn some of the more distasteful royal duties off on," she remarked.

"It's not all bad," Sokka observed. "He's placed a lot of trust and responsibility on you by making you Chief of Staff."

Azula waved her hand dismissively, "A symbolic gesture that solved several problems. I don't have actual command of any forces. Eliminating the War and Naval Ministries, and putting the Army and Navy under the Defense Council eliminated some redundant bureaucracies and allowed Zuko to pension off some of the more recalcitrant Ozai loyalists still in the ranks. My appointment at the head of the council is meant to placate the remaining conservatives in the officer corps who are disaffected by the reforms. It would have been far easier to simply purge them."

As the procession passed a fountain, Sokka noticed a crowd had gathered. A bedraggled man, wearing what was once a Fire Navy uniform, was haranguing the passers-by, "The Fire Nation has fallen, because we have turned away from the true path of fire! Look what's happening around you, every day, our so-called Firelord gives away more of our birthright, while he lives in decadence. He even allows his own sister to debase herself with a common Water Tribe Savage! The Firelord, who is supposed to be our spiritual leader, has forsaken what is good, and right, true! But the sin is not his alone, it is ours as well for turning from the true path. So join me, Brothers and Sisters! Let us repent, and return to the true path. Only then will our prayers be answered, and the spirits of fire will sent a true Son of Fire to rule over us and return us to glory!"