Ch 11
"Can it get any colder?" Ty Lee complained, as she pulled her coat tighter to her body.
"We're getting close to Zuko and his army. I just hope we can pull this off." Aang said.
At the head of his makeshift army, Aang walked towards Zuko's soldiers and approached Zuko himself.
"Avatar?" Zuko asked.
"Nice to meet you, Zuko." Aang said.
"Glad to see you're safe. Is my mom…" Zuko started.
"Right here." Aang said, as Ursa walked forward and hugged her son.
"I thought you were dead." Zuko said, earning a quizzical look from his mother.
"Iroh told me that the senate planned to capture you." Zuko explained.
"Really? It's a good thing we left in time." Aang said.
"You saved her?" Aang asked.
"It's a long story." Ursa said.
"I got plenty of time." Zuko said.
While Aang's army rested, Zuko, Aang, Ursa, and Ty Lee met in Zuko's tent and explained the whole journey.
"So, my mom was to smuggle you and your army into Rome, where you'd take over from the inside." Zuko said.
"Yes. However, we had to flee and we came up north. Zuko, you and your army are my last chance of success. I can't go up against Rome alone." Aang said.
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at Aang dead center.
"Have you been taking care of my mom?" Zuko asked.
"What does that have to do with this?" Aang asked.
"My mother is in your care right now. If you're not taking good care of her, as if she were your own family, how the hell are you going to take care of the republic? I need to know your character." Zuko said.
"Yes. I'm taking good care of her. We're close friends." Aang said, grabbing Ursa's hand and holding it tight, looking into her eyes.
"Wait. Are you two joined at the hip?" Zuko asked.
"What?" Aang asked.
"Are you. Having sex. With my mother." Zuko said.
"Yes, Zuko. I'm banging the Avatar." Ursa said.
"Please tell me you're being sarcastic." Zuko said, running his hand down his face.
"I'm not. And me, Ty Lee, and Aang enjoyed it." Ursa said, leaning back in her chair, smiling.
"Ursa, just shut up." Ty Lee said.
Zuko couldn't believe what he was hearing. Aang and his mother were involved romantically.
"How long has this been going on?" Zuko asked.
"Couple months." Ty Lee said.
"Okay. I'll try and block the image from my mind. So Aang, you need my soldiers." Zuko said.
"I need your army, to be more accurate." Aang said.
"You know I can't pull soldiers from the front. The Germanic tribes are preparing for something, and I need as many as I can get." Zuko said.
"I understand. Just give me what you can spare." Aang said.
"I can give you 500, but no more." Zuko said.
"Better than what I started out with." Aang said.
"How much was that?" Zuko asked.
"Only 200." Aang said.
"Damn. Can't believe you're still alive." Zuko said.
"Me too." Aang said.
"Good. Now Aang, you need to know something." Zuko said, and got real close to Aang.
"When this internal affair is over, if you hurt my mother in any way, I will make sure you never reign as Emperor. Got it?" Zuko asked.
"Got it." Aang said.
Aang and his two girlfriends left, leaving Zuko alone.
"FUCK!" Zuko yelled.
"Everything alright?" Piandao asked.
"My world just went upside down." Zuko said.
"Yeah. I think you speak for all of us. But Aang's handling this well." Piandao said.
"Handling this well? He's fucking my mother! How do you call that handling this well?" Zuko asked.
"At least he's not raping and pillaging every Roman city and town he comes across. He's planning on letting his anger out when he reaches Rome. Ought to be fun." Piandao said.
"Well, I'll be up here waiting for the Germans." Zuko said.
"Good. In the meantime, you might want to line the walls of your tent with something that's soundproof. The three of them…" Piandao said.
"I get it." Zuko quickly said, cutting Piandao off.
In Aang's tent, the three stooges looked over another map of Rome.
"That went better than expected." Aang said.
"You didn't expect Zuko to give soldiers?" Ty Lee asked.
"I expected to be rejected. 500 is one hell of a boost." Aang said.
"It's still not enough against Rome." Ursa warned.
"I'm working on that. Piandao told me that you could smuggle me into Rome. Can you still pull it off?" Aang asked.
"Considering our location, no. I have no contacts this far north. We'll have to march onto Rome herself." Ursa said.
"Worth a shot. Guerrilla war will take too long. So, I'm thinking of a night attack. Move under the cover of darkness, cut down the guards and storm the city." Aang said.
"But you don't have any heavy weapons." Ty Lee said.
"Won't need them. While they're expecting an attack, they're not expecting a large force." Aang said.
"You'll have to move quick and fast to take the city. Once word gets out, you're in trouble." Ursa said.
"I know. Once we're in, I'm heading to the senate building. Once I'm there, the doors are to be locked, and my most loyal soldiers are to be with me." Aang said.
"You're going to arrest the senate?" Ty Lee asked.
"Are you kidding me? I'm going to murder the senate. They branded me a traitor, and now I get my revenge." Aang said.
"Oh." Ty Lee said.
Plains of the northern republic
A bandaged foot stepped into a puddle of water, and the assassin looked at the footprints pointing into one direction.
"Finally." He mutters.