Chapter 25:
"Sokka?" Freya asked as the boat's continued through the team and cloud.
Buzzing sounded and mobiles began to shoot out of the rock Azulon's statue sat upon and towards the boats. Sokka shook his head to the duo bender and turned for the steps below deck. She followed as Hakoda moved as well.
"Everyone below deck." Hakoda ordered and Aang and the swamp benders all ran down the steps below the boats. Sokka and the Water tribe members made sure no one was on top deck. Hakoda leaned down to his son. "Let's hope your invention works."
Sokka looked slightly unsure but they too followed the others below.
Freya was surprised, below the boats they'd created metal tank like machines, each shaped a bit like a fish. The benders and troops all climbed down into them. Freya glanced at everyone disappearing into the tanks before Aang came up beside her. They two shared a look before they returned to the deck and jumped onto Appa's back. Freya created a bubble around the bison's head, holding in an air pocket for her, Aang and the animal as Aang took the bison's reins.
The fish tanks swum under the water and down below the fire net, the water tribe boats being left behind. The bison followed the mechanical machines as they moved through the waters undetected. The mobiles circled the boats above and then stopped as the Fire Nation soldiers climbed onboard the boats.
The Mechanist sat at the helm of one of the beasts with Sokka, Hakoda, Toph, The Duke, Pipsqueak and Bato stood behind the mechanist, the water tribe members having removed their helmets.
"You really outdone yourself this time, son." Hakoda complimented as Sokka smiled at the compliment, his father's hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah. Congratulations, Sokka." Toph was sitting crouched against the wall, her head dropped and her face sickly pale. "You managed to invent a worst way of travel than flying." she placed a hand over her mouth as she got sea sick and her cheeks swelled out.
The Duke removed his helmet from his head and handed it to the girl as he was squatted beside her.
"Helmet?" he offered it to her and the girl took it, throwing up into the helmet like it was a bucket. The Duke patted her back.
"Well, I just came up with the idea but The Mechanist did all the work." Sokka smiled patting the man's back.
"But don't sell yourself short, my boy. It was your idea to use waterbending to make the subs sink and float." Katara and the other water benders stood along the sides of the belly of the machines and waved their arms to push them forwards. "Brilliant! Though your original designs were a bit difficult to decipher." The mechanist pulled up a scroll with a drawing of a fish underwater and people in its belly to move it. "Unfortunately, there is one problem I couldn't fix." he admitted as he rolled the paper back up again "The subs have a limited air supply. Before we land on the beaches, we'll need to resurface."
Halfway towards the beach of the mainland the boat's began to rise towards the surface of the water, the tops poking out as they floated on the top. Appa rose with them and Freya removed the bubble from his head.
"How we doing?" she asked as she jumped across to Sokka, Katara and Toph on top of one of the boats, Aang following her. The Duke was down by the water, washing out his helmet looking sour. Everyone rose from the subs for a stretch and some fresh air, the Hippo reaching upwards and The Boulder turning his torso in a stretch.
The group all shared a look at Freya's question as she glanced around at everyone. Sokka, Toph and Katara faced Aang who frowned as Freya looked out at the waters.
"So, this is it huh?" Aang realised
"Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar's alive?" Sokka wondered. Aang thought for a moment before he looked determined.
"I'm ready." he said strongly.
Sokka took the boy's hand before the boys shared a hug. Momo jumped from Toph's shoulder to Aang's as Freya, Katara and Toph moved to join in the hug.
"I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, Twinkle toes." Toph smiled as Momo chirped in agreement.
"Everyone listen up." the group broke apart to turn to Hakoda and Bato standing at the hatch. "The next time we resurface, it'll be on the beaches. So stay alert and fight smart. Now break time's over, back in the subs." he ordered. Sokka and Toph walked towards the hatch, Momo back with Toph.
"Freya you coming?" Sokka asked as she stopped to turn to her.
She frowned.
"Freya's coming with me." Aang said "I can't take on all the Fire Lord's guard's, Azula and Zuko if they're there." he said
"There's something I need to do too." Freya admitted. Sokka looked at her before he nodded and he moved to give her a hug.
"Be careful." he said
"Promise." she nodded "Besides, when has Zuko or Azula ever been able to beat me?" she smiled at him and he grinned before following after Toph.
Freya turned to the water and walked past as Katara stood facing Aang. He turned to her as well. They were silent for a second before both spoke at the same time.
"Aang, I—"
"Katara, I—"
"You go first." Aang allowed and she smiled at him fondly.
"We've been through so many things together and I've seen you grow up so much. You're not that little goofy kid I found in the iceberg anymore." Aang blushed slightly "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm really proud of you." she smiled and Aang looked down before he frowned slightly
"Everything is going to be different after today, isn't it?" he realised
"Yes, it is." Katara nodded
"What if... what if I don't come back?" Aang asked. Freya glanced back slightly and then looked back towards the mainland with a frown.
What if people didn't come back?
"Aang, don't say that. Of course you'll—" Katara said positively but she was cut off as Aang suddenly stepped forwards and kissed her, his hand on her shoulder. She blinked as he let her go before he stomped his staff, his fans coming out and he launched into the air. Katara stood blushing as Freya launched up into the air and Aang swooped under her, catching her as she grabbed the front of his glider.
"Smooth." she complimented and he blushed slightly.
Katara watched them both leave, blushing before Sokka stuck his head out of the hatch.
"Katara, what are you doing? It's time to submerge." he called and she blinked surprised
"What? Right, I'm on it." she said, breaking from her daze. She jumped onto a pillar of water and then onto Appa, circling water around his head for the bison to submerge with the machines.
Aang and Freya flew in silence, the water left behind them quickly as they made a double route towards the main land, skipping around the beach.
Freya looked surprised as a growling noise sounded and glanced at the boy below her.
"What was that?"
"Uh… my stomach…" Aang admitted and he twisted the handle for peanuts to fall into his mouth. Several of them hit him in the face and fell away to the ground below.
"What did you know? It did come in handy." Aang smirked as he chewed.
"Right, you satiated now?" Freya asked chuckling.
Aang looked up and they looked down as the dormant volcano in which the Fire Nation Palace sat within came into sight. Freya took a deep breath as she looked at it.
"Have you been here before?" Aang asked
"Years ago." she whispered "My father took me on a tour I guess. It was different back then, the palace was mostly the only thing that was in the centre of the volcano, now there are the houses of the admirals and generals around it." she smirked slightly "It's weird to think that maybe my dad could have had one of those houses."
"Would you have liked that?" Aang asked
"Imagine, if there wasn't a war, and my parents were born in this era. Happy in the Water Tribe where my mother can teach new water benders the style, visit my father in the Fire Nation Capital where I could have bumped into Zuko and everything would have been normal." she sighed and leaned her chin on the pole above the boy as he glanced up at her.
"I wonder why I was saved anyway sometimes." she admitted "Why was I encased in ice and sustained for ninety-five years?"
"Just because you haven't found your purpose doesn't mean it's not out there." Aang said
"I know. Who knows, maybe it's to teach you firebending." she smiled
"You have gotten rather good." she shrugged
"I've tried." she grinned.
They soared over the wall of the volcano and dropped down onto it, eyeing the buildings. They were white walled and red roofed, gold lining the tips. Crashes and explosions sounded from behind and the battle on the beach had clearly already began and fire blasts went everywhere as well as water and earth. The two benders shared a look before they dropped down, Freya jumping behind a roof and Aang soaring down on his glider. They dropped quickly on the tiles, hiding as they peered over the roof tops.
Freya looked around and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the streets. She found and saw nothing. There weren't people in the streets, there wasn't chatting, mobiles moving, children laughing.
"That's strange." Aang believed as they looked up and down.
Freya's eyebrows furrowed but the two shared a look before they ran for the palace. They skipped over the surrounding wall and for the front door. Aang pushed one open and jumped in, raising his staff and pointing it down the hall.
"The Avatar is back!" he declared.
Freya walked in behind him, the hallways was empty and dark, no lights were on. Aang looked around confused as he straightened up.
"This is wrong." Freya said "No one's here." she whispered
"The whole city can't be missing." Aang believed as they walked down the hall.
"Did you not look around?" she asked. "It is."
"Hello?" Aang called as they walked. "Anyone home?"
Freya stopped as they reached a hall and sitting on the walls, huge and long, were paintings of the past Fire Lords. Sozin had a comet over his head, Azulan and Ozai following him in line.
"Aang, I don't think he's here." she said "Anyone."
"But where are they?" he asked.
She looked at Ozai's painting and then turned to Aang.
"They've evacuated."
"How? When? We arrived before the invasion did, how could they evacuate an entire city so quickly?" Aang asked
"They didn't. They evacuated before we even arrived."
"As a precaution?" Aang hoped
"No." Freya said thinking "They knew we were coming."
"How?"
Freya looked up at Ozai's portrait.
How could they have found out? The last time they'd seen any Fire Nation was in Ba Sing Se… the Generals doubtfully said anything to anyone and no one would have spoken to the Fire Nation about it.
Unless they didn't know they were Fire Nation…
"Azula!" Freya realised as her eyes widened "She found out."
"How?"
"She was disguised as a Kiyoshi warrior in Ba Sing Se, we let her in as she impersonated them. What if the Earth King let slip? Or anyone really?" she asked "He believed them our allies? He didn't know what they looked like? Why not tell our allies?"
"But then… they've had months to plan." he said frowning
"To be honest, if I was the Fire Nation I wouldn't think there'd be an invasion when they thought you to be dead, what's the point if there's no Avatar to lead them?" Freya wondered.
"We'd better look around, just to be sure." Aang decided and they continued. "Where's the throne room I wonder?"
"Well if no one's home then let's just throw some doors open, not like there's anyone to disturb at the moment." Freya said and they moved through the house.
They moved until they found a curtain and Aang jumped through them with a pulse of air, he rose his staff and Freya followed before they stared at the empty throne, no fire was flaring and the lights were all out in the room.
"No…" Aang frowned as he stared at the empty seat. He dropped his glider and fell to his knees. "No, no, NO! Fire Lord Ozai, where are you?!" he shouted it at the roof angrily as Freya looked around.
"Now what?" he questioned
"Go and find Sokka." Freya said and he turned to her. "Tell him, tell him no one's here, tell him they knew, and tell them to leave. If Azula knew than as soon as the eclipse ends we'll have a battalion on our heads. They'll be waiting somewhere, the army and Azula." she believed
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to look around." she said as she glanced at the curtain they'd come through. "I want to find Zuko, and I'm positive the Fire Lord wont have gone far, which means Zuko and Azula are likely to be nearby as well." she said
"If you're finding Zuko you might find the Fire Lord. I'll come." Aang said
"Someone has to warn Sokka." Freya believed. "And I can't leave without finding something." Aang stood to his feet and looked at her. "Trust me, and I'll be back at least by the time the Eclipse ends." she promised. He looked at her before he nodded.
"Be careful." she nodded and he gave her a hug before running from the room. Freya looked at the throne and her face hardened. She had time, now, she just had to use it wisely.