It was certainly an interesting morning.
General Fong tried every conceivable method he could think of in order to induce the Avatar State, which produced varying results.
First was the Chi-enhancing tea, which resulted in Aang becoming incredibly hyper as he zipped around on a ball of air before crashing into a post.
Second was Sokka's attempt to scare Aang into the Avatar State. That was a colossal failure, and the only reaction Aang had was a scream.
The third method was the most involved. Aang put on ceremonial clothing from each of the four nations, while the holy man concocted a brew consisting of each of the four elements. He then threw it onto Aang, and by all appearances, it was just mud. The bald boy held a finger up, and Jin and Li watched expectantly with the others as he sneezed, throwing mud at all of them. The twins used their Earthbending to stop the mud from touching them, but the others were covered.
Trying to induce the Avatar State was a demanding endeavour.
"Look at all these magnificent shells" General Iroh said as he and Takara emptied a bag of them onto the table. "I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come".
"We don't need any more useless things" Prince Zuko said, sounding irritated. "You forget, we have to carry everything ourselves now".
"At least there's four of us" Takara suggested. I stared out the window with my arms crossed, breathing steadily as I gazed out at the cherry trees.
"Hello, brother" a cold, calculating voice said from nearby. I turned around to see who it was, and the shock began to register on my face as I found myself looking at Princess Azula, daughter of Fire Lord Ozai. "Uncle" the teenager said to General Iroh before turning to me. "And Commander Shan We. I wasn't expecting to see you here". She looked around the small structure before saying "I don't see your pet Earthbenders here. What's the matter? Did they finally outgrow you and return home?"
I took a step forward, my hands clenched into fists and my face contorted into an angry scowl.
General Iroh held me back, and Princess Azula said "Well, this is a historic day: the great and powerful Shan We is finally broken out of his stoic demeanor after his pet Earthbenders abandon him". Her voice was dripping with disdain and sarcasm, and she turned to look at Takara. "And who might this… lovely creature be? Picked up a girlfriend for yourself, have you?"
Feeling my fingernails digging into my palms as I struggled to contain my anger, I replied "She's my companion". As I spoke, Takara nervously stepped behind me, and I could sense her fear of the teenager.
Princess Azula's expression was unreadable, and Prince Zuko asked "What are you doing here?"
"In my country, we exchange a pleasant 'hello' before asking questions" the young Princess lectured in her smug tone. She then stood and walked over to her brother, asking "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"
"Don't call me that!" Prince Zuko growled, which led me to assume that it was some kind of childhood nickname.
"To what do we owe this honour?" General Iroh asked, clearly trying to defuse any potential explosions.
"Hmm, must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point. I've come with a message from home: Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumours of plans to overthrow him; treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust". The Princess sounded sincere, but I knew that this was all an act; she was infamous across the Fire Nation for her cunning and deceptive personality.
Prince Zuko, on the other hand, appeared to be believing his sister's words, at least partially.
"Father regrets your banishment" she continued. "He wants you home". After a moment, she asked "Did you hear me? You should be happy, excited, grateful. I just gave you great news".
"I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment…" General Iroh started to say.
"Don't interrupt, Uncle!" the Princess suddenly snapped, causing all of us except Zuko to flinch. "I still haven't heard my thank you. I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way".
"Father regrets?" Prince Zuko asked, his tone wistful. "He wants me back?"
"I can see you need time to take this in" the Princess said. "I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening". She then started to walk out, but stopped at the threshold. Turning to me, she said "You're welcome to come". Her tone sounded like I was a mere afterthought. "After all, your Firebending and military prowess is legendary, despite the little… setback you suffered at the North Pole. If you want, you could even bring your girlfriend with you".
My arms trembled with impotent rage as she walked away, carrying her head with an air of complete and utter indifference to everything around her.
"We're going home after three long years! It's unbelievable" Prince Zuko said ecstatically as he went about packing the supplies.
I wasn't so convinced.
"It is unbelievable" General Iroh said. "I have never known my brother to regret anything".
"I agree" I spoke up, turning to look at the scarred Prince. "Fire Lord Ozai is not known as a forgiving man. Don't forget: he scarred and banished you simply for speaking out of turn".
Prince Zuko glared at me. "Didn't you listen to Azula? Father's realized how important family is to him. He cares about me".
"I care about you!" General Iroh cried. "I mean, if Ozai wants you back, well, I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine".
"You don't know how my father feels about me" Prince Zuko retorted, turning away from his uncle. "You don't know anything".
"Zuko, I only meant that in our family, things are not always what they seem".
Prince Zuko suddenly whirled on his uncle. "I think you are exactly what you seem: a lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who's always been jealous of his brother!"
I lost any control I might have had in that moment. Walking over to the teenager, I roughly turned him so that he was facing me. I glared down at him as I forcefully poked him in the shoulder. "Don't talk to your uncle that way! He is a great man, and as far as I'm concerned, his efforts are wasted on a petulant teenager like you!"
The scarred Prince bared his clenched teeth, matching my glare with one of his own. "You have no idea what I've been through! You don't know what it's like to have a father who makes you bleed and suffer to gain his love and acceptance!"
"I know exactly what that's like" I said icily, not even blinking as I held the teenager's gaze. Eventually, he growled in frustration before stalking off, and I huffed in annoyance before walking in the opposite direction.
The following morning, Takara and I were walking behind Prince Zuko as he made his way towards his sister's ship. My sack was filled with what supplies I had, and I was mentally preparing myself for my return to the Fire Nation. What kind of a reception would I have? My father had been one of the highest-ranking men in the military before his death, and I had been his right hand. My prestige had been severely damaged by our loss at the North Pole, and in the Fire Nation, prestige in the military was everything.
I was dressed in my Fire Navy uniform, feeling cautiously optimistic.
"You must be happy" Takara said. "You're going home". I glanced at the Kyoshi Warrior, who had a smile on her face. I smiled back.
After a moment, I said "I hope you can forgive me for taking you from your home".
Takara gazed out at the ship in the distance. "I must admit: it's been an adventure. When we first met, I thought you were nothing more than a ruthless murderer who burned down everything that stood in your way".
I winced. "I admit, our first meeting was not under the best of circumstances. But, I am glad that we got to know each other. You are a very unique woman, and an honourable warrior". I then remembered something, and proceeded to reach into my sleeve. Finding what I was looking for, I said "Here, I want you to have this, as a reminder of our time together".
I then handed her a White Lotus tile, which she looked at curiously. "A Pai Sho tile?"
I smirked. "Let it remind you that knowledge belongs to all of us, no matter our ties to individual nations".
She rolled the tile in between her fingers. "I must admit: I'll miss our 'conversations'" she said with a smirk.
"As will I".
"What are your plans, once you go home?"
I turned my gaze forward, pursing my lips. "I'm going to search for Jin and Li, and I will not stop until I find them and tell them that I'm sorry. But first, I'm going to take you home to your family, where you belong".
She opened her mouth to say something. "Wait!" General Iroh cried from behind us. We turned around to see him running down the stairs, dressed in his Fire Nation uniform once more. "Don't leave without me".
"Uncle, you've changed your mind" Prince Zuko said, sounding surprised.
"Family sticks together, right?" the older man countered with a smirk. He then placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder, and the teenager smiled.
"We're finally going home" he said, the utter longing in his voice completely obvious.
He started walking down the stairs again, and I exchanged a glance with General Iroh; he and I were of a similar mind on the matter of the Princess' message, and we were both eager to find out if it was sincere or not.
"The thing is", Aang said, "I don't think we'll ever be able to trigger it on purpose. So I guess that's it".
Jin and Li exchanged a glance; General Fong didn't seem the kind of man who would accept defeat lightly, and they were slightly anxious as to what his reaction would be.
"Sure I can't change your mind?" he asked, sounding hopeful.
"I'm sure" Aang replied. "I can only reach the Avatar State when I'm in genuine danger".
"I see" General Fong said, his voice tinged with regret. "I was afraid you'd say that". Suddenly, without any warning, the bearded man shot the raised platform towards Aang.
"Aang!" Sokka cried as two Earthbending soldiers grabbed him.
Jin and Li exchanged shocked glances. Hearing footsteps coming from behind them, they turned to see a group of soldiers rushing towards them. Striking his foot to the ground, Jin sent a rolling wave of earth at the soldiers, while Li bent two of the closest pillars together to form a barrier.
"Men, attack the Avatar!" General Fong shouted, and the twins saw him standing at the very edge of a hole left in the wall. He then jumped down, presumably after Aang.
Before they could do anything, they noticed that Sokka was still struggling with some Earthbending soldiers. Jin turned to Li and nodded, indicating that the latter should go help Aang. As Li ran out the hole in the wall, Jin kicked two head-sized rocks from the floor before punching them towards the soldiers.
Upon seeing the oncoming projectiles, Sokka's eyes widened to the size of dinner bowls as he let out a very high-pitched scream. He then ducked his head, and the rocks proceeded to knock the soldiers onto their backs.
"Heh, thanks" Sokka said to Jin as he drew his sharpened boomerang.
Jin nodded before a crash drew his attention. The other Earthbending soldiers had cleared the barrier, and started running towards them. Thinking on his feet, he grabbed Sokka by the hand and sprinted towards the hole in the wall. He then thrust his fist forward, and a large chunk of rock was ripped from the floor. Jin then dragged Sokka along as he leaped onto the rock.
"Can't we find a safer way down?!" he shouted as they plummeted towards the ground.
A few moments later, just before the boulder struck the ground, Jin and Sokka leaped off of it, and the young boy used his Bending to create a flat ramp that they slid down.
Li came crashing down onto the ground of the courtyard, creating a sizeable crater.
"You can't run forever!" General Fong's voice shouted amidst the chaos. Li turned and saw the bearded man standing in front of Aang, who was in the centre of a large, circular Earth coin.
"You can't fight forever!" Aang countered. General Fong then punched the Earth coin, shattering it into fragments as the bald Airbender easily evaded him.
Li struck his foot to the ground, sending a stream of broken earth shooting towards the bearded man. Just before it reached him, he leaped out of the way, and a large rock shot out of the ground where he formerly stood.
When he landed, the General kicked a rock into the air before throwing it towards Li, who punched it. The rock disintegrated, and General Fong said "I know who you are! You and your twin brother work for the Fire Nation! You betrayed your own people!"
Before he could launch another attack, a large shadow formed over him. Li looked up and saw a large boulder plummeting towards the General, with his brother and Sokka riding it down.
General Fong cried out before leaping out of the way, barely avoiding the boulder as it slammed into the ground, creating a large dust cloud and causing the courtyard to shake with the force of an earthquake. At the same time, Li saw Jin and Sokka leap off of the boulder, and the former created a flat earth ramp which the two of them slid down.
We finally arrived at the harbour, and I saw the two rows of Imperial Firebenders lined up on either side next to the Princess' ship, which was one of the grandest vessels I had ever laid eyes on. I turned to Takara and gave her a smile. I then turned and followed Prince Zuko and General Iroh as they walked towards the ship.
Princess Azula was standing on the deck, her hands clasped behind her back as she watched our approach. As we walked along, I cast surreptitious glances at the Imperial Firebenders; their expressions were unreadable behind their ornate crimson helmets. "Brother, Uncle, Commander Shan We, welcome" the Princess loudly proclaimed, holding her arms out. We bowed before her, and she said "I'm so glad you decided to come".
A man who I assumed to be the captain of the ship asked "Are we ready to depart, your highness?"
"Set our course for home, Captain".
"Home" Prince Zuko said beside me, almost too quietly for me to hear.
"You heard the Princess" the captain shouted. "Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners home!"
My eyes widened, and I could see the Princess' eyes narrowing in anger.
"Your highness, I…" the Captain started to say as I readied myself for battle. General Iroh immediately attacked several nearby Imperial Firebenders, dispatching them with relative ease. I moved to join him, using my reflexes to outmanoeuvre a few of the crimson-clad Firebenders before dispatching them. While my reflexes weren't at their peak due to hunger and thirst from being at sea for three weeks, I was still much faster than my opponents.
As I struck a man on the side of the head with a spinning kick, sending him tumbling down into the water, I heard Prince Zuko say "You lied to me!"
"Like I've never done that before" his sister retorted coldly.
Jin and Li pressed their backs against each other as they fought off a number of General Fong's soldiers. From what they could tell, Aang was still using his enhanced agility to evade their attacks, but they were relentless, never giving up for a moment.
Jin punched a boulder that was thrown at him, shattering it into a fine dust cloud, before striking the ground with his feet and causing a rock wall to emerge in front of him. He then punched the wall in several different places, breaking off several chunks from the wall and shooting them towards the soldiers in front of him.
He saw out of the corner of his eye as Sokka's boomerang struck a soldier in the head, knocking him unconscious as the Earth coin he was about to shoot at Aang tumbled to the ground.
Taking advantage of the opening, Jin thrust his arms upwards, causing a rock column to shoot out from the ground at his feet and launch him into the air. He somersaulted as he fell towards the ground, and when he landed near the spot where the Earthbender Sokka had knocked out was lying, he used his Bending to create an expanding wave of broken earth to spread out and strike several nearby Earthbending soldiers.
Suddenly, he heard General Fong say "Maybe you can avoid me, but she can't!"
Jin turned to see Katara in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by a couple dozen Earthbenders who aimed large Earth coins at her. She then cried out as her feet sank into the ground, but her sinking stopped at her calves, and Jin saw his brother, whose feet were planted firmly on the ground and his arms were extended outwards. Li's face was contorted, and Jin could tell that he was struggling to counteract General Fong's move.
"Men, stop them!" he shouted. "They're with the Fire Nation!"
Seeing several soldiers running towards his brother, Jin kicked several boulders into the air before punching them, aiming for as many soldiers as he could.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, and two of the burly men grabbed Li, which coincided with Katara sinking down to her knees.
"Don't hurt her!" Aang cried, trying to attack the General.
Sokka was quickly taken out of the battle, while Jin suddenly found himself being restrained by men with tree trunks for arms. He was brought next to his brother, and the twins watched helplessly as Aang cried "Stop this! You have to let her go!"
"You could save her if you were in the Avatar State" the General countered mercilessly. The twins glanced at each other; he DEFINITELY sounded like Zhao.
"I'm trying. I'm trying" Aang said, tears starting to run down his cheeks.
"Aang, I'm sinking!" Katara cried as she sank down to her chest.
"I don't see glowing!"
"Ahh, please!" Katara cried, abandoning all pride and calling desperately for help.
"You don't have to do this!" Aang said, falling to his knees.
"Apparently, I do". Jin and Li then watched helplessly as Katara finally sank below the ground, and their breath caught in their throats. In that moment, they were ashamed of their people; though the Fire Nation was responsible for many crimes, soldiers like General Fong were no better. Their father had more honour in his pinky toe than this ruthless Earthbender had in his entire body.
Aang suddenly turned to look at the General, and the twins' eyes widened in shock as they beheld his glowing eyes and tattoos.
They glanced at each other in fear; they had seen the Avatar State's power twice, and both times had resulted in massive destruction. Capitalizing on their captors' distraction, they used their Bending to cause the soldiers to sink down to their waists in quicksand, a little trick they had learned after fighting the guards from Omashu. They then ducked as they caused small earth columns to shoot out diagonally from the ground, striking the soldiers in the faces and knocking them unconscious.
"It worked" General Fong cried, raising his fist in the air triumphantly. "It worked!"
His smile quickly faded as Aang threw a gust of air at him, throwing him across the courtyard. The twins acted fast, knowing that there was almost no time to react. While Jin retrieved Sokka, Li used his Bending to pull Katara back up and into the open air. Checking her pulse, Li knew that she was still alive, but very weak.
The twins then took Sokka and Katara down the closest stairs which led down to the rest of the courtyard.
They then brought the Water Tribe siblings up against the raised part of the courtyard, where General Fong and his soldiers were concentrated, and raised a thick, slanted piece of earth that formed a shield. The twins struggled to maintain the shield as gale-force winds blew across the area.
"Zuko, let's go!" General Iroh shouted as he and I dispatched more Imperial Firebenders. As one charged towards me, I thrust my fist at him. I intended for a stream of blue flames to emerge from my fist and knock the man down, but only a pitiful puff of blue flame sputtered into existence before dissipating.
My eyes widened in shock; that had never, NEVER happened before, not in my entire life. As I stared down at my fist, the Imperial Firebender came close, and just as he was about to attack me, he was suddenly tripped and fell onto his back.
"Takara!" I said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Helping you, of course!" she replied, striking an Imperial Firebender on the face with her elbow. "If I hadn't, you would have been burnt to a crisp!"
"It's my Firebending!" I cried helplessly. "Something's wrong with it!" I then turned my attention to the Princess' ship, where sounds of battle could be heard.
"Zuko!" General Iroh cried, proceeding to run onto the ship. Takara and I followed him, and as we stepped onto the deck, we could see the scarred Prince fighting his sister, who appeared to be the superior fighter.
She suddenly started moving her arms in circular motions, causing her fingers to crackle with electricity. "Watch out!" I cried, very aware of what the manipulative Princess was going to do. Without any warning, General Iroh appeared beside her just as she was about to cast the lightning at her brother. The older man grabbed her hand with one of his own before extending the other towards the nearby cliff face. The lightning bolt arced from his fingertips before striking the cliff. He then kicked the Princess overboard.
"Let's go!" he cried as more Imperial Firebenders emerged from below deck.
I turned around and ran, putting all my energy into my legs, wanting to get as far away from Princess Azula as I was able to.
Jin and Li felt the sweat running down their backs as they struggled to maintain their rocky shield. The entire courtyard shook with the raw power of the Avatar State, and they could clearly hear the merciless winds whipping at everything nearby. A massive explosion then sounded, causing the courtyard to violently shake.
A few moments later, it was all over.
Jin and Li glanced nervously at each other, and after the silence persisted for a moment, they lowered their rocky shield, revealing the courtyard.
The damage was incredible; every building within sight was damaged, while the floor of the courtyard and walls were covered in broken and shattered earth and the remains of large Earth coins. "Aang!" Katara cried, and the twins saw the bald boy on his hands and knees in the centre of the courtyard.
As the Water Tribe girl embraced him, he meekly said "I'm sorry, Katara. I hope you never have to see me like that again".
"Ha! Are you joking? That was almost perfect!" General Fong's annoyingly-familiar voice called. The twins exchanged a sour glance; they had hoped that the General perished when Aang had entered into the Avatar State. He then started stroking his beard as he said "We just have to find out a way to control you when you're like that".
"You're out of your mind" Aang accused, glaring at the bearded Earthbender.
"I guess we'll figure it out on the way to the Fire Nation". He didn't notice as Sokka came up behind him on top of an ostrich-horse, and the Water Tribe boy knocked him on the head with his club.
"Anybody got a problem with that?"
Jin and Li glanced around at the Earthbending soldiers still standing, and were pleased to see that no one wanted to object. One of them was brave enough to ask "Do you still want an escort to Omashu?"
"I think we're all set" Katara replied smugly, and the twins smiled upon seeing the soldiers' obvious deference towards them.
"Come on, let's go" Aang said, and Jin and Li eagerly climbed onto Appa's saddle, deciding that they didn't mind flying that much if it meant getting far away from this place.
I finally let myself stop next to a stream, leaning against my knees as I panted from the effort of running so far.
"I think we're safe here" General Iroh said, sounding just as out of breath as I was.
I looked over at him and Prince Zuko, and saw that neither of them looked to be injured from the fight.
Wait…
Where was Takara?!
"Let me go!" I cried as two of the crimson-clad Firebenders held me down on the deck. I had watched, helpless, as Shan We had escaped with Iroh and Prince Zuko not minutes ago. My attention had been so focused on them that I had failed to notice the Firebenders who were now restraining me.
Another one helped the teenage girl, whom Shan We had referred to as 'Princess Azula', back onto the deck. I couldn't help but smirk as she looked about ready to burst into flames at the fact that her clothes were completely soaked and that the men she had been sent to capture had slipped through her fingers.
Unfortunately, she turned her gaze to me, and I suddenly felt very, very afraid.
"Get her up!" the Fire Nation Princess barked, and I was roughly brought to my feet. She stalked towards me, and I instinctively tried to slip away, but to no avail. The teenage girl stared up at me with her amber eyes, and it felt like looking into the eyes of a serpent. "You helped those traitors escape" she said icily, which was far more threatening than if she had shouted.
I didn't reply, pursing my lips as I tried to stare resolutely at her.
She slapped me across the face, and I felt the sting of her sharpened fingernails rake my cheek. I then felt the blood slowly trickle down from the wounds as she said "That was some quality fighting, for a mere peasant".
I glared down at the Princess and growled "I won't tell you anything!"
"Oh, you will" she replied coldly, holding two fingers in front of her face. A small, blue flame extended from them, bathing her in haunting light. "You'll tell me a great many things". The smile she bore chilled me to my very bones.
"We have to go back for her!" I said, pacing back and forth. "We can't just leave her in Azula's clutches!"
"We can't go back" Prince Zuko said, looking down at the stream.
"He's right" General Iroh agreed, looking over at me.
"I can't leave her there!" I repeated, looking desperately into the older man's eyes.
"I am sorry", he said apologetically, "but I'm afraid your companion is gone".
Prince Zuko then took out a very fine dagger, one with an inscription on the blade. He stared at it for a moment before slicing his ponytail off. I stared down at him in slight shock as he handed the dagger to his uncle, who promptly sliced his topknot off.
General Iroh then handed the dagger to me, and I stared at my reflection in the blade. My topknot was a symbol of my honour and identity as a Firebender and as a citizen of the Fire Nation. I had grown up with my topknot, and the idea of cutting it off seemed so… foreign. Then, the face of my father leapt unbidden into my mind, and I pursed my lips. He had become a symbol for everything that was wrong with the Fire Nation, and my mind was made up in that moment.
Kneeling beside General Iroh, I sliced my topknot off, proceeding to throw it onto the stream as I felt a great change within myself. My old identity was gone, and I would never get it back.
As I stared down at the stream, Takara's face stared back at me from the surface of the water, and I felt a dagger of regret and shame stabbing through my heart.
Aaand we have Azula! That little psychopath is going to make things very interesting. Also, this latest loss is going to affect Shan We a lot more.
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