Author's Note: Wow. Depressing chapter is depressing. XD But I'm just happy to get a new one out! Happy New Year!

Song: Grade 8 by Ed Sheeran watch?v=s6-P_KqFCQ (yeah, weird selection, but it's okay)

Enjoy...?

26.

The sun had risen on the Fire Nation only two hours before, but the court of the Firelord was in an uproar. Courtiers scuttled back into their quarters, unwilling to be tossed around the corridors by the scarlet-clad guards barging their way through the palace. The elite bodyguards of the Firelord were rarely seen together in large numbers unless they had been sent out to retrieve an errant firebender or a disgraced nobleman intent on his escape. The guards marched down the ornate halls with grim faces half-hidden by their faceplates. They left the palace proper and entered the servants' quarters, sending maids and retainers into mild panic as they passed.

"Hurry it up," the head of the guards said, breaking into a light jog, "we can't let him escape."

"Can't we?" another muttered, but was given a steely glare by his comrades.

"Do you want to join him?" asked a third guard, effectively silencing the second.

At the end of the servants' quarters, the guards spotted an open window. "There!" the leader shouted. The bodyguards split silently into three groups, as though they had practiced the move many times: one group, the smallest, gathered in front of the window and began to climb through it, one by one; the second and third groups ran down opposite sides of the hallway to take the doors at the far ends of the quarters.

"I can see a man moving against the crowd," one of the guards said quickly. "He's headed toward the western docks, I'd bet!"

"Pursue!" The leader commanded the men, and as one the guards sprinted into the early morning crowds outside the palace. Citizens screamed in fear and backed away from the moving red uniforms. The one man who did not look back in concern at the screams was the elite guards' target, and they tailed him with a doggedness born of supreme physical training. The best runners of the group quickly gained ground on the evasive man, shoving citizens aside in their haste.

The target's downfall occurred when a contingent of city guards marched into view, appearing in opposite direction of the pursuing party. "You!" the elite guard commander cried to the militia, "Seize that man! Seize him!"

The militia knew better than to question the order of a guard of superior rank: as soon as they understood his shout, they surrounded the running man and brought him to the ground, pinning him down through sheer weight of numbers. The man struggled, but he was unable to escape.

Panting, the elite guards arrived at the place of arrest, bowing to their militia counterparts. "We can take him from here, soldiers," the commander said. With puzzled bows, the militia men released their captive and went on their way, muttering amongst themselves.

The elite guards took out black cords and tied their target's hands behind his back and secured a leash of rope to his ankle. The commander took a deep breath and yanked off the man's hood, exposing his young and defiant face.

"You'd better mend that glare of yours before we take you back, Shin," the commander said, "or you're definitely headed for the flames."

"I'm headed there, anyway, sir," Shin answered, keeping his chin raised.

"It's no more than you deserve, traitor," another guard muttered, spitting out the last word.

With a dark look, the commander shoved the younger man into the circle of guards. "Come on, men, let's haul his sorry carcass back to the Firelord's judgment."

The cluster of red uniforms parted the crowds on their way back to the palace as they did before, only now the city dwellers also gazed upon the man in their midst. Shin was dressed in citizens' clothes, his close-cropped hair also exposed to the world, signifying his place as a soldier and at odds with his civilian attire. The early morning vendors along the road began to whisper, speculating about the prisoner of the elite guards and his obvious betrayal of his post as a servant of the Fire Nation.

When the elite guards had returned to the palace, they marched directly to the Firelord's throne room, where several advisors and prominent courtiers had gathered, along with Fire Sages and generals. The guards forced their prisoner into a low bow before the high wall of fire before the Firelord's throne. One lone figure stood between the group of guards and the Firelord himself: a graceful, feminine figure robed in the bright red of royalty.

Princess Ursa stood firmly in her place, staring down at the guards with a stricken look in her eyes. Her hand was clapped tightly over her right cheek. She blinked quickly, catching a tear before it could drop from her eye. "Oh, Shin," she whispered quietly, and was not certain that the man kneeling before the throne had heard her.

"Speak," the voice of the Firelord commanded, from behind the wall of fire.

"Sir," the commander said, "we've apprehended the traitor and brought him to you. He kneels now before you in judgment, as is tradition for a guard who has gone back on his word."

"What is the name of this traitor?" the Firelord asked.

"Shin, sir," the commander answered, as the man kneeling before the throne moved his mouth to speak.

"Let the traitor answer to me himself, commander," the Firelord said, rising from his seat. The thin points of his crown melded with the silhouette of his head, giving him the appearance of a horned spirit out of a children's tale. "Shin," Azulon continued, "I remember that name: you're from the eastern islands, correct?"

Shin seemed to collect himself for a moment before he answered. "I am, Your Highness." He kept his head bowed respectfully, but his hands were white as they pressed themselves against the black bamboo floor.

"I see. And did your family happen to live on the island whose village was destroyed by a volcano over one hundred years ago?"

Silence echoed throughout the chamber as Shin took several deep breaths, his shoulders moving in time with his lungs. The guards behind him stirred restlessly, glaring at their fallen comrade's back. "Answer the Firelord, traitor!" one of the men finally shouted, stepping forward, intending to administer an incentive to the prisoner.

"You were not ordered to touch the traitor," the Firelord said in a ringing voice, stopping the guard in his tracks. "Stand where you are until you are needed."

"My apologies, My Lord," the guard said immediately, bowing.

"Now, then, Shin," the Firelord addressed the man before him, "answer me or suffer the consequences of your silence."

"My grandfather..." Shin paused, then said, "My grandfather lived on that island, My Lord."

"I thought so. And he knew Avatar Roku, did he not?"

"My Lord, everyone knew who Avatar Roku was-"

"Don't play innocent with me, boy," Firelord Azulon snapped, and Shin bowed his head even lower. "If you do not know where this line of questioning will lead, then you are an even more incompetent spy than I first thought."

"I am not a spy, Firelord Azulon," Shin answered quickly, stiffening at the ruler's words. "My loyalty has always been to the Fire Nation!"

The flames around the throne rose higher for a moment, then lowered past their original height. Princess Ursa hid her face in her hands, then looked up as the curtain of fire parted to reveal the Firelord's form. Azulon stared down at the man bowing before him, a cold, hard expression on his face. "Loyalty is an ambiguous word, Shin," he said, his eyes flicking ever so slightly in the princess's direction, "and can change its meaning at the drop of a gold piece. Take your own loyalty as a guard, for example: you swore to remain faithful to the Firelord and his family for your entire life, and yet you have given your true allegiance to only one member. And, unfortunately for you, Shin, that one member was not myself."

All eyes turned to the princess, who stood trembling, but from fear or from rage, no one could tell. Shin did not turn his head to look, but stared directly at his sovereign.

"Your sister was an elite guard as well, was she not?"

Shin seemed to recoil at the words, but he answered. "Yes, My Lord."

"And how did she die?"

"She..." Shin blinked slowly. "She was accused of defection and executed in the Earth Kingdom."

"And yet, when you were brought before me to verify your loyalty, you swore that you had nothing to do with your sister's betrayal. Why did you break your oath, Shin? Did you form a friendship with Princess Ursa?" The Firelord asked. "Did you fall in love with her? Or did you realize that she was a direct descendant of Avatar Roku? If even one of the answers to these questions is, 'yes', the result will be the same."

"I only did my duty as a servant of the Fire Throne, Lord Azulon," Shin said, without a tremor in his voice. "And I do not regret it, no matter the results."

"You have been teaching the fighting arts to a woman whose ancestor was a known traitor to this nation. Can you deny this?"

"My Lord, I did not-"

"The bruise on Princess Ursa's cheek came from her lessons with you," the Firelord interrupted Shin. "The princess stated this herself, when she was questioned. Princess Ursa, show the witnesses your right cheek." Reluctantly, the princess turned her head to display the large cruise on her right cheek, the cheek she had initially covered with her hand. "I think that your actions qualify as treason, Shin, for without a willing teacher, Princess Ursa would not have been given such dangerous information which might endanger her own place in court. You have nearly led the wife of a prince into treason. Your fate has surely become clear to you, now."

Shin shook his head rapidly. "With all respect to your words, My Lord, Princess Ursa learned self-defense skills only. I did not train her in combat."

"That," the Firelord said, "is a mere detail. Since you cannot deny your part in this plot to deceive the princess into treason, you will be punished accordingly." Shin paled, but he did not respond.

The flames about the throne flared high, rising almost to the top of the pillars supporting the roof. As one, the courtiers, guards, and Fire Sages all knelt. Princess Ursa remained standing, her shadow a defiant darkness in the face of the fire's pervasive light. "I have questioned this traitor and found him guilty of treason," Azulon shouted, his voice clearly heard in every corner of the room. "He will be taken to the outer wall of the palace and burned alive."

"My Lord!" A desperate feminine voice cut through the final echoes of the Firelord's sentence. Princess Ursa turned to the fiery throne and stepped forward, shielding Shin's kneeling form with her own tall figure. "My Lord, please, I ask for mercy, which is my right as a princess," Princess Ursa said, her voice thick with tears.

"Mercy?" The Firelord repeated, without inflection. "Princess Ursa, you were asked to attend this judgment as evidence only."

"I realize that, Firelord," Ursa said, "but I must plead for Guard Shin's life. I asked him to train me; he did not approach me independently."

So quietly that only Ursa could hear him, Shin said, "My Lady, don't endanger yourself for my sake-"

Ursa went on as if she had not heard him. "Shin was only fulfilling his duty as my bodyguard by further ensuring my safety. Please, do not punish him for obeying me."

The flames did not die down around the Firlord's throne as he answered. "I'll take your words into consideration, Princess Ursa. Instead of burning this guard alive, I will have him kill first, then burned. But I am afraid that is as much mercy as I can afford for treason."

The princess flinched as if struck, then bowed mechanically. "I accept the Firelord's judgment," she said emotionlessly, "but ask that I may be allowed to speak to Shin before he is removed from the throne room."

For a moment, it appeared as if the Firelord would refuse her request. Then, he said, "I will let you speak for the three rings of the Fire Sages' bells."

"Thank you, My Lord," Ursa answered, then turned around to face her bodyguard as he rose from the floor. Behind them, the Fire Sages lifted the bells in their hands, the meduim-sized bells used in trials to announce the verdict. Three rings indicated guilt, and one ring indicated innocence.

On the first ring, Shin leaned forward, putting his mouth very close to Ursa's ear. "My Princess, listen to me," he said, softly but firmly, his voice pitched to hide underneath the bells. "It was an honor to serve you, the granddaughter of the Avatar and an honorable woman."

The second bell rang, and Ursa tried to speak. "Shin, no-"

"I don't have much time," Shin persisted, speaking over her, "so listen: I taught you self-defense so that, when the time came for you to escape the Firelord and his sons, you could. They will turn on you eventually, Princess Ursa, because of your heritage. Do not let them win against you. The Avatar will return-"

The third bell rang.

"-And you will help to bring our country back to glory," the guard finished. He leaned back and bowed to her, as the other elite guards rushed to restrain him. "Goodbye."

The commander of the guards seized Shin as two more guards shackled him, then threw a rough cloth hood over his head. The men dragged their former comrade backwards as the Fire Sages and courtiers bowed to the throne and quietly exited, leaving a white-faced princess in their wake. Slowly, Ursa turned and bowed to the throne, then gathered her gown in a gesture of departure. "Wait, Princess Ursa," the Firelord commanded her.

It took a moment for the princess to bow in acquiescence, but she did, in the same jerky manner as before. "I await the Firelord's decree," she said, without a sign of the turmoil stirring in her heart.

"I have no personal quarrel with you, Ursa," Azulon said at last, as the flames sank to the level of his feet. He stood and gazed down at the princess without anger, his features smooth and his eyes cool. "I have no doubt that you did not intend to commit treason by learning how to fight. Think of this instance, then, as a lesson for the future: your actions carry more weight than you realize, and they will affect the people with which you surround yourself, including my son. I still think of you as a valuable asset in the court, but your family's history precedes you. Do not make this mistake again." He paused for a moment, frowning. "And do not write Ozai a letter about this incident-he has no use for this small problem while he is on the battlefield."

Ursa clenched her jaw as her eyes lit up with an angry fire, but her waist bent and her hands formed the appropriate symbol of respect as she bowed low. "I will do as the Firelord commands," she said, "as always."

And with those words, she spun and left the room, waiting until her back was turned on her father-in-law for her tears to fall unchecked down her face.