Disclaimer: Avatar: the last Airbender does not belong to me, has never belonged to me, and probably will never belong to me. That's the way the world works. It belongs to Nickelodeon and Viacom.

A/N: Takes place during episode 07, 'The Spirit World.'

You have to wonder: what does happen to all those enemies in Avatar who are 'defeated' and left unconscious on the ground? Probably something that's off screen for a reason…

Mercy of War

The earthbending Captain leaned forward, blocking the fire blast with his helmet, then brought up two towering pillars of loose earth. Zuko stared in shock, but before he could move, the earthbender pitched forward and fell, the raised earth crashing down on top of him. Zuko looked up to see his uncle standing triumphant, chains tied around the Captain's ankles, and realized almost belatedly that they had won.

Zuko walked around the groaning earthbender to his uncle's side, allowing himself a small smile as he put his hand on Iroh's shoulder. They had won, as he knew they would. He was a Fire Nation prince, and these mere earthbenders. They hadn't stood a chance.

Now to the next most important matter. "Now will you please put on some clothes?" Zuko asked. Having to look at his uncle's flab was starting to make him feel ill. Iroh laughed.

"They left my clothes with the ostrich horses," said the retired general, indicating up the pass.

"Then we'll go get them." Zuko turned to leave, but Iroh put out his hand and stopped him.

"Zuko, aren't you forgetting something?" Iroh gestured back towards the fallen earthbenders. "Now that we have won, what do you plan to do with them?"

"I…" Zuko was perplexed. In the past, someone else had always been there to deal with the aftermath of battle. His men had been there, or some authority figure outside just himself and Iroh. "What is there to do? Can't we just… do nothing?"

Disappointment moved across Iroh's face. "Do nothing?" he said, his voice betraying his disbelief. "To do nothing is the worst of all possibilities. These men are badly injured. To leave them here would be to sentence them to a slow and painful death."

"They might survive. They can't be the only earth kingdom forces in the area. You left a trail. They might be found and rescued." Zuko's eyes shifted from side to side. This was not a conversation he wanted to be having.

"Ah, but if they are rescued by the Earth Army, they may give our location to them, and as we both now know, we are a prime target. Leaving them to be rescued would be far too dangerous for our own safety."

Zuko groaned. It looked as though he would have to think up how to deal with these earthbenders himself. "We'll take them as our prisoners," he said after a moment. "We can take them back to the ship, and keep them there."

The Dragon of the West nodded solemnly. "Ah, now there is an idea. We could probably take them back to the ship, with the ostrich horses. But what can we do with them then? There is no where to drop them off, since all the villages around here are under Earth Kingdom control, and we do not have the backup to make a prisoner exchange. And they may not even survive the trip back to the boat."

"Are they that badly hurt?" Zuko walked over to inspect one of the earthbenders. He was unconscious, and blood was smeared across his face, flowing from a broken nose. Zuko prodded him with his boot, and the man opened his eyes and looked up at firebender, making a strangled, gasping noise. He tried to move away, but his arms collapsed beneath him. The man groaned and coughed up red. Zuko lurched backwards in horror.

"No!" He turned to Iroh, his face desperate. "No, Uncle, there has to be another way!"

The Dragon of the West's face was grim. "I have had experience with wounds like these before, Prince Zuko. They destroy you on the inside, even when they seem not to leave a mark. I have seen men bleed to death without a cut on their bodies." He leaned down to the earthbender at his feet, who was moaning softly, and felt his pulse. After a moment, he nodded. "These men are dying, Prince Zuko. It would be a mercy."

Zuko stared for a moment, his eye wide, and then his face seemed to close. He nodded once, and took a firebending stance.

"No," interrupted Iroh. "Not with fire. Fire is a terrible pain." He rummaged in the barely conscious earthbender's clothes for a moment, and withdrew a concealed blade. "We need to be humane." Zuko nodded once, withdrew the blade that his Uncle had given him long ago, and said nothing.

"Zuko."

They were riding back on Zuko's Komodo rhino, five healthy, valuable ostrich horses in tow. Zuko had been utterly silent since they had left, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

"Zuko, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Zuko's voice was clipped, and too loud to be sincere.

"Prince Zuko, listen to me. What we did was a kindness."

"What we did was murder." Zuko barely managed to choke out the words. "That was not how honorable soldiers are meant to behave."

"Ahh, Zuko." The Dragon of the West shook his head and sighed heavily. "In war, cruelty can become kindness. Even the most honorable of soldiers are forced to do unspeakable things. Nobody is exempt from war's taint. Tell me, Zuko, what else could we have done?"

"I don't know!" the Prince exploded suddenly, making even the rhino stop in its tracks. "We could have done… something… anything…"

Iroh closed his eyes sadly. "I am sorry, Zuko. I am sorry…" I am sorry that you had to be a part of this. I am sorry that war has had to touch you so much.

Zuko grunted. "Look, it's fine. I'm fine."

This time, Iroh did not call Zuko on his lie, and they rode the rest of the way back to the ship in silence.

A/N: AtLA tends to forget the law of action and reaction. If a boulder hits you strong enough to crumble to bits, that same force will crumble you. Not nice.