Book Three: Fire
Chapter Eleven: Day of Black Sun: Eclipse
Warning: Some name calling in this chapter. Azula's opinions are not my own.
Katara and Zera support Hakoda into the plaza where Sokka, Bato, and Shun. One of the archer's quivers was empty and the other only half full.
"Dad! You're on your feet again."
Sokka runs over to his father, followed by Toph and Era. The two girls lower Hakoda to the ground so he can sit.
"Thanks to your sister and Zera. I'm in no shape to fight but maybe there is someway I could help."
"Everything's going smoothly and the eclipse hasn't even kicked in yet," Sokka replies with a grin.
"Let's hope our luck holds out." Hakoda says and then turns to Katara who is looking towards the palace with a frown. "Katara, you seem distracted. Is something wrong?"
"Yeah. . . Is that. . . is that Aang?" She asks.
"What?" Sokka asks and they all turn towards the orange shape that is weaving through numerous fireballs. Xena jumps from the back of the glider as Aang lands.
"Please tell you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down?" Sokka pleaded.
"He wasn't home," Aan answered.
"No one was. The entire city was deserted," Xena added, crossing her arms.
Zera groaned and they turned to her.
"Did you know about this?!" Sokka snapped, taking a step towards her menacingly.
"That the city was going to be abandoned? No, I didn't. However, it completely slipped my mind that when I returned home with Azula, we came home with knowledge of the eclipse thanks to the Earth King's big mouth."
"Damn it," Sokka swore, turning his back on her.
"It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long gone. Far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse," Aang said dejectedly.
"No, I can assure you he's not," Zera said and then frowned, pulling her facemask down and pushing her hood back. "I left yesterday and they were still here, they wouldn't have time to travel to a remote island."
"So they couldn't have gotten to far," Sokka said in determination. "But where would they go?"
He pondered the problem for a moment, pacing. Everyone else thought on the situation to. Xena suddenly shivers, dropping her arms down.
"What's wrong?" Era asked.
"The eclipse is soon, we don't have a lot of time," She answers.
"I got it!" Sokka suddenly exclaimed, spinning to face them. "A secret bunker. He could be safe during the siege but still be close enough to lead the nation."
"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it," Toph said, cracking her knuckles.
Sokka pulled out a small device from his pocket. Zera tilts her head curiously at the ticking coming from it.
"The Mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about 10 minutes until the full eclipse. 10 minutes to find the Fire Lord," He said, confirming what Xena had said about the eclipse being soon.
"We can still do this. We can still win the day," Aang says determinedly.
"Wait. If they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure all of us get out of here safely," Katara insisted
"It might be a trap, but . . ." Xena grinned. "They don't know that the Avatar is alive yet."
"Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it," Hakoda added.
"What do you two think? You're the ones who have to face the Fire Lord," Sokka asked.
Aang turns to face the battlefield. "We've got to try."
"Alright. Sokka, Toph, you're with us. The rest of you, keep to the original plan," Xena said.
Everyone nodded and split off.
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The four teens jump off Appa as soon as the bison landed between the city and the palace. Toph crouched and placed a hand to the ground.
"Do you feel anything down there?" Aang asked as Xena sends Appa off with Momo back to Katara.
"Yep. There are natural tunnels criss-crossing through the inside of the volcano," She answers.
"Anything else? Is there a structure somewhere?"
Toph plunges her fingertips into the ground before answering. "There's something big, dense, and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano."
"Sounds like a secret bunker to me," Sokka declared.
Toph bent the beginning of a tunnel into the side of the volcano. She extends it once more to reach one of the natural tunnels. Xena stands at Aang's shoulder as the earthbender kneels once more, sensing the layout of the tunnel. She takes off to the right and they follow quickly.
"This way! That one's a dead end."
"What would we do without you?" Sokka praised.
"Perish and burn in hot magma," She answers.
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Zuko glanced down at Kina as the snow lion walked in front of him. She had grown a lot since he had gotten her, now just a little taller than his knee. He hadn't paid her much attention since they'd gotten back from Ember Island, but now as he watched her, he realized that he should have. Kina along with the bracelet where the only links he had left of Xena. The only link of the girl that had no doubt sacrificed herself to save the boy that he had taken responsibility of killing. He hated that he had let Azula manipulate him into being the one responsible for her death in the eyes of everyone else.
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"We'll have to be fast but careful."
Xena grabbed the back of Sokka's shirt as he attempts to run across the cavern littered with lava vents that Toph had just warned them about, keeping him from running straight into an erupting lava vent.
"And how is that being careful?" She demands.
"I was wrong. We need to be fast, careful and lucky."
She rolled her eyes and then took the lead, guiding them around the vents and into the tunnel on the other side. The tunnel is short and ends in a wide river of lava.
"There's no floor! How are we supposed to get across?" Sokka demands, panicked
Aang spins his glider. "Climb aboard and hold on tight."
Sokka and Toph scream as Aang flies them across on his glider. Xena grits her teeth worriedly as their combined weight pulls the glider down towards the river of lava. The hit the ground on the other side hard, scattering them into the tunnel. Aang and Xena both roll and come back to their feet. Toph pops up a second later with a whoop as if she hadn't been screaming just a few seconds ago. Sokka remains sprawled on his back until Xena taps him not so gently in the ribs with her foot.
Once he's back on his feet they start running through the tunnels again. Toph stops suddenly and Xena pulls up beside her, staring in awe at the giant metal bunker door.
"That's some door!" Sokka says behind them, voicing all of their thoughts.
Toph steps up to the door and knocks on it before smiling. "Not a problem."
Xena takes a step back to give the metalbender room as she elbows it, denting the metal. She takes a step back and kisses her finger tips. She stabs her fingers into the meta and kicks it before widening the gash she opened with an earsplitting screech of metal.
"I am so glad we added you to the group," Sokka praised, wiggling a finger in his ear to reduce the wringing.
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Zera spins into a group of soldiers like a whirlwind, butterfly swords flashing. An arrow takes out a soldier that she'd missed and then Shun is suddenly their, his back brushing against hers. Around them the invasion continues and two of the earthbenders, one of which is the annoying earth wrestler that talks in third person, demolish a battlement by turning it into a small avalanche. The second battlement receives the same treatment.
"Retreat! Everyone move to secondary defensive position! Retreat!"
She smiles at the order from their enemy, glancing up at the sky where the moon has begun to move in front of the sun. They are so close to victory.
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Xena slid to a stop as they ran past a tunnel before retracing her steps and drawing a sword. The other three backtracked for her and looked in shock at the sight of her intimidating a man at swordpoint.
"The Fire Lord's chamber is that way down the hall to the left and up the stairs. You can't miss it," He blurted at their appearance.
"Thank you for your assistance," Xena replied before stepping forward and bashing him in the head with the hilt of her sword.
"Xena," Aang gasped.
"What? He's not dead."
The boy shakes his head with a sigh and then steps forward to follow the man's instructions.
"Well, done, Sky Dragon," Toph praised, punching her arm.
Xena frowned and hurried after Aang. He'd never complained about her violence before.
"Only thirty seconds until the total eclipse," Sokka calls behind them and Xena shivers again at the reminder.
She can already feel the affects of the approaching eclipse as her ability to sense heat begins to waver. She had almost completely missed sensing that man when they had run past. If it wasn't for his quiet gasp, she probably would have never noticed him.
A large door with the Fire Nation symbol painted on it, appears in front of them.
"I'm ready. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord," Aang says as they quickly close the distance.
Xena took a deep breath, teeth gritted as her ability to bend fire completely deserts her. "Good because the eclipse has started."
Unfortunately, it turned out to work against them as she was unable to sense who was behind the doors until after Aang had blown them off their hinges. Lounging on the throne at the back of the hall like room is the Fire Princess.
"So, you are alive after all," Azula says nonchalantly. "I had a hunch that you survived. And look you brought Zuzu's little whore with you. It doesn't matter though, I've known about the invasion for months."
Xena blinks in shock as she realizes what Azula had just called her.
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Kina stops in front of a plain door in the underground bunker before turning to look back at Zuko. Her blue eyes seem to question him, asking him if he is ready to do what's right. He takes a deep breath and reaches for the door handle.
"I'm ready to face him," He declares and then slides the door open.
The Elite Guard turn as he enters, hands tightening on their spears before relaxing at the sight of their Crown Prince. His father lowers his tea cup in surprise and Zuko finds himself surprisingly annoyed. It seems wrong that his father is drinking his uncle's favored beverage.
"Prince Zuko, what are you doing here?"
Zuko walks towards the line of guards, Kina at his heel.
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Zera slides on her eclipse glasses as they march towards the city. She glances at Shun, who only has a few arrows left in his quiver. On her other side stands Era, who stares straight ahead with grim determination, twirling sand around the tips of his fingers in preparation. As far as she'd noticed, he was the only sandbender in the entire invasion force.
"Are you eager for this to end?" She asks him quietly.
"Aren't you?" He shoots back.
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"Why are you here?" Ozai asks again.
"I'm here to tell the truth," He answers.
"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse." Ozai waves the guards from the room. "This should be interesting."
"First of all, in Ba Sing Se, it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me."
"Why would she lie to me about that?" Ozai asked genuinely curious.
"Because the Avatar is not dead. His Guardian would have given up her life to save his."
"What?!" The Fire Lord demanded in alarm.
"In fact, he probably is leading this invasion. He could be on his way here right now," Zuko continues as if he hadn't spoken.
Ozai jumps to his feet and points to the door. "Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you."
"That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore," Zuko informed him calmly and Kina punctured his statement with a growl, not liking the fury she can sense from the older firebender.
"You will obey me or this defiant breathe will be your last!" He seethes and begins descending his daiz towards Zuko.
Kin's growl grows louder as Zuko quickly unsheathes his swords.
"Think again! I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen."
Ozai glares balefully at him as he retakes his seat. Kina's growl quiets with the action.
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"Where is he? Where is the Fire Lord?" Aang demands.
"Hm, you mean I'm not good enough for you? You're hurting my feelings," Azula replied sarcastically, standing up and putting a hand over her heart.
Sokka takes a step forward, brandishing his sword. "Stop wasting our time and give us the information. You're powerless right now so you're in no position to refuse."
"And stick to the truth. I'll be able to tell if you're lying," Toph adds.
Xena watches quietly as Azula's smirk fades until she is expressionless.
"Are you sure? I'm a pretty good liar. I am a 400 foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."
Sokka glances at Toph slightly as the spunky earthbender remains quiet for a second too long.
"Okay you're good, I admit it." She bends earth up around Azula, trapping her. "But you really ought to consider telling the truth anyway."
Xena quickly steps in front of Aang as the earth encasing Azula shatters almost immediately after Toph finishes speaking. The other three teens gasp in astonishment as she nonchalantly brushes dust of her armor.
"When I left Ba Sing Se, I brought home some souvenirs," Azula announces before two Dai Li agents drop from the ceiling into between them. "Dai Li agents."
Aang steps around Xena to slash a blast of wind at them with his staff. The agents bend a wall up in front of them.
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"For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me; a thirteen-year-old boy to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child? With injuring your child?"
Zuko wasn't just talking about his father and himself. He was also talking about what had been done to Xena. HIs father had injured him, but Xena's had tried to kill her.
"It was to teach you respect."
"It was cruel! And it was wrong," Zuko snapped back.
"Then you have learned nothing."
"No, I've learnt everything! And I had to learn it on my own," He said, slashing a sword to emphasize his point. "Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."
Ozai laughs. "Your Uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"
"Yes. He has, but so has someone else," Zuko said proudly with a smile. "Someone who was able to look past that and trust me, even if it was only for a short time."
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Aang blasted the wall into rubble before the four of them charged forward. The Dai Li agents raise another wall towards Aang and the young airbender quickly jumps over it, separating himself from the others. Xena sighed in irritation as Toph creates a hole in the wall to follow. She jumps through after the earthbender and snaps open her water pouch, bending the water towards Azula as Toph fights off the Dai Li. Azula back flips over the attack and lands in front of the throne. She smirks at the Guardian as the older girl replaces the water into her waterskins in order to draw her swords. The smile only made Xena even more irritated, still angry about being called Zuko's whore.
An earth pillar rose up beneath her feet before she could attack Azula again and Xena turned towards the Dai Li agent with a murderous gleam in her eyes. She lunged at him, drawing her swords. He dodged out of the way and tried to grab the sword with his stone glove protective hand only to jerk the appendage back as the glove shattered. A thin trail of blood rose from the slash across his hand.
She spun back towards him with a reverse slash and he jumped out of the way. Her eyes gleamed silver as she attacked him, assisted by Toph. The agent separated from them a moment to help Azula through the hole in the earth wall with a pillar of earth. Xena sheathes her sword and quickly chi blocks the distracted agent. Xena then boosts herself up, jumping past a startled Sokka as she followed after Azula. Toph and Aang quickly followed, the latter having defeated the other Dai Li agents.
"I can't pin her down. She's too quick," Aang declares as they follow Azula into the hallway.
"Wait! Guys, stop attacking." They stopped as did Azula, to look at Sokka in confusion. "Don't you see what she's doing? She's just playing with us. She's not even trying to win this fight!"
"Not true, I'm giving it my all," Azula replies sarcastically.
"That would be more believable if you were still running or actually fighting back," Xena tells her.
"You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!" Toph added.
"Um, right. I think your friend just said that genius. And since you can't see, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes."
"I 'll roll your whole head!" Toph threatens, raising a fist.
"She's just baiting you again." Sokka pulls the earthbender back.
"Okay, so what do we do? Just ignore her?" Aang asks
"Yes," Xena answers. "We can't waste our time here we have to find the Fire Lorde and defeat him before the eclipse ends."
The four teens turn and walk away from Azula. The princess narrows her eyes at their backs.
"It's a trap. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Xena places a hand on Aang's and Toph's backs as they pause. Sokka waves his hand over his head in dismissal.
"Ignore!" He orders to the younger two.
Azula changes her irritated expression into one of boredom. "So, Sokka's your name right My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time."
Sokka stops and slowly turns around to face Azula. The Fire Princess smiles.
" She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."
Sokka cries out in anger and lunges at her before Xena can stop him. Toph suddenly raises a stone and uses it to trap Azula's hand to the wall. The smale blade she'd been holding falls to the ground. SOkka ignores the knife and pushes Azula up against the wall.
"Where is Suki?!" He demanded, face twisted in rage.
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"After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real father to me," Zuko says determinedly.
"That's just beautiful. Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure," Ozai says with a chuckle.
"But I've come to an even more important decision. . .I'm going to join the Avatar. And I'm going to help him defeat you," Zuko continues as if he hadn't spoken.
"Really? Since you're a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless, you've got your
swords, why don't you just do it now?" The Fire Lord asked with a sly grin.
"Because I know my own destiny. And taking you down is the Avatar's destiny." He sheaths his swords. "Goodbye."
He turns and walks away, Kina following at his heel. Ozai stands angrily.
"Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the Sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?"
Zuko stops. "What happened that night?"
"My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son. And I was going to do it. Your mother had found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared."
Zuko closes his eyes. He doesn't want to hear anymore, but he forces himself to listen.
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"Where's Suki?! Answer me!"
Aang grabs Sokka's shoulders. "Sokka, she won't talk."
Sokka hesitates, but ignores Aang as he turns back to Azula. "Where are you keeping her?!"
Azula just smirks. They all suddenly jump at the ringing crash of metal against stone.
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"Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished," Ozai finished.
"So she's alive," Zuko says numbly.
"Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper."
Zuko turns his head at the threat. His eyes widen and he turns completely around in time to catch the lightning bolt his father shot at him. He slides backward slightly from the force before redirecting the lightning as his uncle had taught him. The bolt hits the ground at Ozai's feet, knocking him back against the wall. Zuko's father regains his feet, glaring at Zuko.
A roar echoes around the room from Kina as puts herself between the two firebenders, her tail lashing back in forth. The roar startles Ozai, who had forgotten her presence. He narrows his eyes at her and readies himself to destroy the annoying beast. Suddenly the tapestry on the wall behind him falls onto him.
Zuko and Kina are gone when he finally untangles himself.
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Xena's sword sits imbedded in the wall by Azula's cheek, a silent threat. She glances at the blade and then back towards the silver eyes warrior as she glares at her. Suddenly she smirks.
"Oh. Sounds like the firebending's back on."
Xena's eyes widen and she withdraws her sword from the wall and catches the back of Sokka's tunic, pulling him back in time to avoid an arc of blue fire. The firebender quickly frees her hand from the wall and attacks Aang, who jumps out of the way back toward Xena, who pulls him behind her.
"Dad's all the way at the end of the hall and down the secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you now," Azula tells them before running away.
"I fell for it! I used up all our time," Sokka hisses in disappointment and anger at himself.
"It's not your fault, Sokka. Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out."
"And now it's too late," He replies.
"Maybe it's not too late. The eclipse is over but I can-"
"It's too late," Xena says, cutting him off. "You don't know any firebending and without the eclipse, Fire Lord will be too strong. We need to regroup and plan before we rush headlong into a trap we can't escape."
"We need to go help our friends," Toph added.
Aang sighed. "I guess you guys are right."
Sokka puts a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder. "You'll have another chance. I know you will."
"Let's go," Xena says as Aang nods sadly at Sokka.
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Zera removes her eclipse glasses, dropping them to the ground, as she stares up at the war balloons that have taken to the sky. Something has gone wrong, she just knows it. Her head turns to the sight of the Avatar's bison and she glances at Shun before heading over to where Katara and Era are.
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Xena sits with her back against the edge of Appa's saddle, remaining where she is as Sokka moves closer to the edge to explain.
"It was all a trap. Azula knew we were coming and she's plotted out every move." He jumps down as does Toph. Xena stays where she's at. "We have to get to the beach as fast as we can. If we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely."
"Then let's get these troops moving," Zera says as she joins them.
"They've got air power, but so do I!" Aang says as he opens his glider. "I'm going to do what I can to slow them down."
Appa groans as Katara climbs onto his head. She glances at the older waterbender, who stands.
"Let's help him," Xena replies, answering Katara's silent question.
"Yip yip!" Katara calls to Appa and the bison takes to the sky.
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Kina leaps over a fallen guard as they run into the prison. Something is wrong. Zuko runs into his uncle's cell and skids to a stop. The bars of the cage are bent and broken. The warden is sprawled on the floor in front of the cage., looking dazed.
"Where is my Uncle?" He demanded, pulling the man up by his collar.
"He's gone. He busted himself out. I. . . I've never seen anything like it! He was like a one man army!"The man answered in awe.
Zuko lets the warden drop and exited the cell. He wasn't sure if he should be happy that his uncle had escaped or irritated that he'd done it without his help.
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"Try and find cover! I think we're about to see some bombs!" Sokka calls to the troops as the bay doors open on the war balloons.
Appa and Aang land behind him as everyone splits into different groups and earthbenders raise earth shields for protection. Zera stumbles into Shun as the explosion hits the top of their earth shield. Toph quickly raises supports for the shield as it cracks. The bombardment stops and they exchange looks before the Avatar and his friends peer out from the shelter.
Zera follows after them and stares at the war balloons in confusion as they continue towards the beach.
"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara asked.
Xena answered, face serious, "Because we aren't their real targets."
"They're headed for the beach. They're going to destroy the submarines!" Aang adds.
"How are we all going to escape?" Sokka demanded.
"We're not."
Zera turned her head to look at Hakoda. The Water Tribe warrior was leaning heavily on Bato as he stared out at the war balloons.
"Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar, we could still win!"
"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win on another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together," Hakoda told his son patiently.
"What?!" Katara exclaimed. "We can't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind."
"You have to," Zera said and then turned to Xena. "The Avatar is our only hope of ending this war. You have to go somewhere safe otherwise that hope will be for nothing."
Xena tipped her head in a nod of agreement. "She's right. We have to go."
Sokka and Katara exchanged glances before stepping forward to hug their father.
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Xena placed a hand on Appa's nose as her friends said their goodbyes to their friends. Aang jumped onto Appa's head, expression morose.
"The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners but we'll all survive this battle," Bato said as they regathered.
"I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons. It's not going to be easy but we'll get by," Tyro assured.
Sokka turned towards the subs. "They're at the beach already!"
The Swampy Forest waterbenders try to protect the subs but in only a few moments they are completely destroyed. Xena shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath before reopening them.
"Come on," She orders. "Let's get everyone loaded before they turn around."
Toph helps the Mechanist get Teo into the saddle and Pipsqueak helps The Duke up. Haru climbs up soon after. Xena turns to Zera and Longshot, who are watching silently.
"You two as well."
Zera's eyes widen in surprise at the offer and she makes no move to climb on Appa until Longshot nudges her forward. Era claps a hand to Xena's shoulder as he passes. She gives him a weak smile and turns to wait for Sokka and Katara. As she does, she misses the silent exchange between Longshot and the sandbender as they help Zera into the saddle before climbing up themselves.
Sokka and Katara hug their father one last time before climbing onto Appa as well. They bison's saddle is packed and Xena takes a brief moment to look around before climbing onto Appa's head next to Aang. The young monk is teary eyed, but he stands after she lightly touches his shoulder.
"Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm going to make this up to you," Aang promised the rest of the invasion force before retaking his seat.
Momo climbs onto his shoulder and Aang waves the reigns, prompting Appa to take off.
"Era!" "Shun!"
Xena turns back at Zera'a and Katara's simultaneous shout when they had only risen a few feet into the air. Era and Longshot had jumped from the saddle, landing back among the invasion force.
"Go!" Era ordered. "We'll be alright."
"Are you insane?!" Xena demanded, shifting to look at him.
""You can't afford to be slowed down," He replied. "And their is far to many of us for Appa to carry without that happening. Go!"
Xena frowned and nodded once. "Aang, go."
"But-"
"Aang," She warns sharply
Behind them, Zera's hands tightened around the rim of the saddle as if planning to jump out after them. A slight shake of Longshot's head, stops her.
"Go," Xena repeats softly.
The young Avatar turns his teary eyes forward and does as directed. Xena along with the rest of the teens stare back at the invasion force regretfully.
" I know just the place for us to go where we'll be safe for a while," Aang says quietly. ". . .The Western Air Temple."
Xena squeezes his shoulder gently as her eyes close and she slumps against the bison's head.
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Zuko holds onto one of the war balloon's ropes as he stares after the Avatar's Bison. Kina lays somewhere behind him, next to his pack. He'll do the right thing.
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Xena waves Aang to the saddle as the sun sets, taking his place at the reins. They'd been up early and while he might have gotten some sleep last night he hadn't the two days before then. Neither had she, but unlike him, she was able to function on only a few hours of sleep.
A few minutes later, she held out her hand, palm up. Her inner fire flickered weakly in response, but the flame she tried to summon refused to light. She closed her hand tightly and lowered into her lap with a quiet sigh.
So for those of you that don't remember who Kina is, I suggest you reread Chapter Eighteen of Torn Between. Next chapter Zuko will be asking to join the GAang, won't that be fun.
Fun Fact- Aang would never had gained complete control of the Avatar State as long as Xena held a part of the Avatar Spirit (aka Raava, for those that have seen Legend of Korra). However because of the events of Ba SIng Se and Xena consequently giving it back, they never discovered that fact.
