Oh my dear...I wrote ALL OF THIS in one day, people. I don't know how I did it, but I did it. It's 1:30am, I'm dead on my feet, but dammit, I GOT THIS CHAPTER DONE.

I even went through and edited a bit, though I'm sure there are still mistakes. Oh well, I'm so tired that I don't even care.

I have to say, guys, I was a bit disappointed in the number of reviews I received last chapter.I'm not gonna go on a rant or anything, I'm just saying that reviews are really, REALLY nice. I'm working extra hard to get this finale out as soon as I can, I'd appreciate some support!

Only two more chapters, guys! I have Part 4 and 5 outlined and ready to write, so it's official! I hope to have the story completed by this Sunday, let's keep our fingers crossed!

I hope you guys like this chapter, and as always...

PLEASE REVIEW!

Chapter 36: Siege of the North - Part 3

BOOM!

Even from such a great distance, Dakota could hear the sound of the first attack wrecking havoc on the icy walls of the Northern Water Tribe. She could see the thick column of smoke trailing up from within the city – a clear signal of war.

Her hands tightened around the railing, and she was grateful that Zhao and Iroh were behind her – she didn't want them to see the worried frown on her face. Dakota had studied countless wars in her history classes back home, and after nearly five months in this world she knew what real battles entailed. But this was the first time she witnessed the destruction with her own eyes.

In the city…there were hundreds of families who were probably scrambling to pack their things, hurrying to escape the fireballs that were slowly eating away at their home. There had to be children, their eyes wide and scared as their parents struggle to remain calm.

How many Water Tribe soldiers had died as a result of the attacks so far?

Dakota swallowed the thickness in her throat, and took a deep breath. She had finally come up with a plan, a plan that was crazy enough to keep her mind off of the siege for the time being. She closed her eyes, and went over what she had come up with so far.

According to Iroh, Zhao planned on invading the city himself on the second day of battle, after sundown. The siege had begun only two hours ago, and so there was plenty of time to figure out how she was going to take the place of one of Zhao's soldiers. Should she sneak into the soldiers' quarters and steal a suit of armor? Or would they realize that it was missing before Zhao left the ship?

But that wouldn't work, Dakota realized. High ranking officials such as Zhao always had at least two guards with him, sometimes three. He would choose two of three men to go with him…that meant that Dakota had to find a way to make sure that one of the soldiers never made it off the ship.

Dakota felt nervousness twisting in her gut, and sucked in a deep breath to steady herself. She wasn't the weak girl who had fallen out of the sky five months ago. She was strong enough, she was strong enough–

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Zhao murmured silkily, and Dakota looked over to see that Zhao had sidled up next to her. Iroh silently moved to her other side, and his hand was a firm weight on her elbow – Dakota's body was positioned so that Zhao didn't see the gesture of comfort.

Dakota knew that Zhao was talking about the destruction of the Northern Water Tribe, the smoke slowly filling the clear arctic sky. But she instead focused on the impressive size and organization of the city. It was difficult to see details from this distance, but Dakota could still the beautiful lines and curves of the buildings and fountains. The Northern Water Tribe was a truly spectacular sight, even when under attack.

"Yes, it is," Dakota replied softly, stealing a glance at Iroh. The older man was gazing at the city as well, and his eyes gleamed with appreciation. Dakota knew that he saw the same thing she did – a beautiful city that prevailed even in the face of war.

"I was informed that you visited my library, Dakota. I trust that you were impressed?" Zhao drawled, and if not for Iroh's hand on her elbow Dakota would have whipped her head around to stare at Zhao. Shock radiated from her head to her toes, and her mind struggled to regain control.

How had Zhao known about her going to the library? The only person she had run into was Zuko, and she knew that he wasn't reporting to Zhao. Had someone been watching her without her knowledge?

Dakota knew that the pause was long enough to be suspicious, and calmly turned to smile at Zhao. There was no use in hiding it, and so the only other option was to own up to it with a smile.

"Yes, I did, Admiral. I hope that was alright; reading is a wonderful way to pass the time, and your library is one of the best I've ever seen!"

Zhao fixed her with his cold amber stare, and for a split second Dakota faltered – had he been expecting her to deny it? Was he waiting for her to slip up and ask how he had known she was down there? After a moment of tense silence, Zhao smiled, a thin smile that held no warmth.

"Thank you, I've spent many years building it. And soon, my own name will be added to the great historical scrolls. They will write of the great Admiral Zhao, the man who finally conquered the last of the Water Tribes. It will be a day to remember…"

Iroh sighed. "Be careful what you wish for, Admiral. History is not always kind to its subjects."

Zhao sneered at that. "I suppose you would know from experience, hm?"

Dakota glanced at Iroh. She knew what Zhao was referring to. After she and Lotek became friends, she finally mustered up the courage to ask why all the soldiers called Iroh "General".

"Because that's what he was. He was the head of the Siege of Ba Sing Se, the head general of at least twenty squadrons. My father served with him, and told me stories of General Iroh's bravery, his ruthlessness and his gift for strategy. His armies breached the Outer Wall, and it seemed like the Fire Nation was finally going to win over the great Earth Kingdom capital. But then…the General's only son was killed in battle."

Lotek paused, then, his golden eyes bright in the light of the candles.

"He had a son?" Dakota asked timidly, and Lotek nodded solemnly.

"His name was Lu Ten, and according to my father, he was very much like his father. After the death of Lu Ten, General Iroh called off the attack, and ever since that day, the higher ranked officials have marked it as his greatest failure. My father scorned him for several years because of it, but after I was born, he finally understood why General Iroh abandoned the siege."

Dakota wished that Zhao would leave it at that, but she knew that he wouldn't. Zhao was very much the type of person who dug their boot into a wound and twisted, just to make a point.

"Don't worry, General, this will be nothing like your spectacular failure at Ba Sing Se."

"I hope not, for your sake," Iroh replied, and Dakota marveled at his air of calm. How was he so casual about Zhao talking about the battle that had resulted in his son's death? Iroh's hand was still on her elbow, and Dakota felt his fingers tighten ever so slightly. Golden eyes were gentle as always, but behind the gentleness was a definite tinge of sadness.

After seeing such a heart-breaking expression, Dakota prayed that she would never have to experience the pain of losing a child.

"I think I will go fix some tea. Anything special for you, Admiral?" Iroh asked placidly, and Zhao shook his head, not bothering to turn his head to acknowledge Iroh's offer. The admiral was too busy admiring the destruction of the Northern Water Tribe to notice much else, and so Dakota decided to follow Iroh into the main chamber.

Iroh did not comment on Dakota's presence, and merely smiled at her. The two of them walked side by side, comfortably quiet. Dakota examined the soldiers they passed, but they were gone too quickly for Dakota to discern if Zuko was among them.

The small pot of medicine was carefully tucked away in the pocket of her robe. Yesterday, she had scoured the storage bins secured for clothing, and nearly jumped for joy at the discovery of a high-necked tunic and pair of loose-fitting trousers. Further searching rewarded Dakota with a worn red robe, and when she tried it on she found that the ends reached mid-thigh – a bit big, but the closest to her size that she was going to find.

Dakota wasn't about to complain – she would take oversized robes and pants over pretty dresses any day! The outfit was much too plain to merit putting too much effort into her hair, and so Dakota left it down. But on her wrist was an elastic band in case she needed to pull it back – she had found a collection of them in her drawer, and it was somewhat of a comfort to know that hairbands existed in this world.

When they were finally in the safety of Iroh's room, Dakota pulled the medicine out of her pocket. She had told Iroh about sneaking into the medical bay the day before, and he had found it highly amusing.

"It is difficult to imagine that you were once a frightened young woman, afraid of speaking out of turn. Now, look at you! Deceiving admirals and setting curtains on fire in order to steal medicine for my nephew...I couldn't be more proud!"

Dakota handed Iroh the pot of medicine.

"I'm not sure what Zuko plans to do, and to be honest, I think I'm better off not knowing. If you see him before he goes, can you give this to him? His cuts were still pretty open to infection the last time I saw him…"

Iroh took the medicine in his weathered hands, and looked at Dakota with a serious look on his face. It was searching, as if he knew that she was withholding something from him. But how could Dakota tell him that she planned to accompany Zhao to the Spirit Oasis? If she did that, Iroh would ask why, and she would have to explain what she was trying to prevent, which would open the doors to a whole series of questions.

The biggest question would be how she knew that the white-haired girl would die.

Dakota wasn't ready to tell anyone – even Iroh – about the existence of the Avatar: The Last Airbender television show. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to; who would believe her? It was odd enough that she fell out of the sky. She was lucky that Iroh and Zuko were so accepting about her world as it was, they hadn't told anyone about her strange origins. The soldiers on Zuko's ship were told that she was a traveler from very far away, and they were inclined to be content with that knowledge.

Perhaps, one day, after the war was over and if the time was right, she would tell Iroh about the television show. As far as she knew, there hadn't been a continuation of the Avatar series, and so her "foresight" only went as far as Aang defeating the Fire Lord – the only reason she knew that was because Henry spoke of it so often that the event was drilled into her memory. It wasn't like she was an avid fan, either, and so her knowledge of future events was spotty at best.

"Of course, Dakota. I'm sure he will appreciate it," Iroh said, and Dakota grimaced slightly, remembering the way he bolted the other day. Somehow, she wasn't so sure about that, but she didn't bother arguing with Iroh. She didn't want to have to explain her and Zuko's awkward interaction in the library.

"Yeah," Dakota muttered, and before Iroh could comment on her lack of enthusiasm, she asked, "Iroh, what do you think Zhao meant when he said that he had a plan to get rid of the Moon Spirit?"

Iroh's expression darkened, his hands finishing putting the medicine container in his robe pocket.

"I do not know, Dakota. Tampering with the spirits never ends well, even if the meddling is done with good intentions. And I can safely guess that Zhao's plan does not revolve around good intentions."

Dakota let out a small sigh of relief, and moved forward to help Iroh prepare the tea.

It was nice to hear that she wasn't the only person who knew that Zhao was up to no good.

The sky was a brilliant orange color, streaked with gold and deep pink. The sun was steadily sinking below the horizon, its fiery light dimming with each passing minute. Far above the sunset, the darkness of night crouched; ready to pounce once the sun was gone. There was a moment of stillness, and the Fire Nation ships suddenly anchored, their fire ceasing.

Aang landed in the training courtyard just outside the palace, and slowly slid off of Appa's back. His limbs were weak and watery, causing him to crumple against the sky-bison's side, his legs splayed out like useless twigs. The Airbender had never been so completely drained, and it was somehow worse because even though he had exerted so much energy, the enemy wasn't any closer to being defeated. The realization that he wasn't strong enough was crippling, and the boy let his head fall into his hands.

"I can't do it…I just can't do it…" Aang groaned, and forced himself to look up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Princess Yue and Katara were running toward him, and Aang had to fight hard to keep his emotions in check. Their faces were so expectant, so hopeful. They were relying on him…the entire Northern Water Tribe was relying on him. The world was relying on him.

"I must have destroyed at least twenty Fire Nation ships, but they just keep coming! I'm not strong enough…" Aang said, wishing that his voice didn't sound so broken and hoarse.

Yue's silvery blue eyes were wide, and she quickly knelt beside the young Avatar. Her braids fell over her shoulders, and Aang was distracted momentarily by the brightness of her white hair. Against her deep tan, the color was even more pronounced.

"But…but you're the Avatar. You have to be able to do something!" Yue exclaimed, and Aang grimaced at the desperation in her tone.

"I'm just one kid…" Aang sighed, staring at her braids. He could see why Sokka was so enamored with her. Yeah, she was pretty, but that wasn't the only thing. There was something otherworldly about her. It didn't make his heart pound and his stomach clench – that only happened when Katara was around – but it did pull at him in a significant way.

Now that he was thinking about it, didn't he feel that same pull from that Dakota girl? The moment he saw her for the first time, at the gypsy party, hadn't he wondered at why he felt so drawn to her? It wasn't her weird pale hair and it wasn't her unusually dark eyes. Aang didn't know what the pull came from, but it was there, and it confused him to no end.

Yue and Dakota both had that gentle, determined presence. One was a bender and the other a non-bender, but they had the same powerful air about them. One was of the Fire Nation, and the other of the Northern Water Tribe, but somehow they were linked.

Or perhaps Aang was making a big deal out of nothing.

Katara's hand on his shoulder urged him from his musings, and he looked up into her eyes. His stomach clenched at the sight of her smile, and he had no choice but to smile back. Yue was pretty, sure, but Katara was beautiful.

"Don't worry, Aang. We'll get through this."

Zuko paddled as quietly as he could, spotting a jutting ridge of the mainland up ahead and aiming for it. There was a snowy rise that would effectively shield him from the watchful guards patrolling the outer wall. The night air was below freezing; Zuko could feel that even through his thick gloves and parka. The prince was so sick of the cold; he didn't know how the Water Tribes could stand it all year round.

He missed the mild winters of the Fire Nation, and longed for the gloriously hot summers. Firebenders weren't made for the icy tundra and equally icy waters. They were made for heat, for dry air that tasted of fire, for the bright glare of the sun.

The ice was solid under Zuko's small canoe, and with a forward heave of his weight Zuko maneuvered his canoe halfway up the slope. Before the water could pull him back to sea, he jumped out of the boat and dragged it up onto higher ground. He was breathing heavily when he finished, and he climbed up the ridge, careful to keep low.

The entire length of the outer wall was heavily guarded, and he could see small figures repairing the gaping holes with surprising speed. He glanced up at the moon, remembering that day where Iroh had prodded Dakota for the source of Waterbending. It wasn't until that moment that he really saw how much the moon affected Waterbenders.

The moon makes their Waterbending stronger, Zuko mused, and scowled as he saw the last of the holes created by Zhao's fleet close up for good. There was no way to get in through the wall, and Zuko cursed his lack of options.

There had to be another way in!

The barking of turtle-seals reached Zuko's ears, and he turned to see a pod of them plodding awkwardly across the ice. Their dark green shells glinted in the moonlight, and their large eyes shone. The prince slid down the snowy slope, and strode toward the pod, his eyes narrowing at the sight of them disappearing below the ice.

He finally reached the pod, but by that point, most of them were already gone. A large hole in the ice stared at him, the water reflecting the nearly full moon. Iroh had mentioned something about turtle-seals...something about there always being another air hole. It was so that predators could wait all they wanted at one particular hole, unknowing that there prey had another place to come up for air.

Zuko could follow the turtle-seals to wherever they were coming up for air. Was it worth taking a chance?

Zuko decided that yes, it was, and quickly pulled down the scarf covering his mouth. His fingers reached up to pat a spot in his parka, just below his heart. It was the inner pocket, where a small jar of medicine was securely tucked. There was no risk of it falling out during the swim, but Zuko tightened his parka ties anyway, just to be sure.

The Firebender sucked in a deep breath, and dove into the water.

The night sky was scattered with stars, the nearly full moon effectively lighting up the city. Aang could never really get over how different the city looked at night. During the day, the ice had a distinct blue hue, the buildings and bridges glittering in the sunlight. But at night, the place was magical; everything flowed and curved like liquid silver.

He looked ahead to where Yue was leading, and then back at Katara. She was just as clueless as he was, and the two of them exchanged a quick look before hurrying to catch up. Their footsteps were light on the icy paths, and far off in the palace, Aang could hear the sounds of soldiers bustling about. Sokka was in there, somewhere.

Yue had said that there was a place where Aang could connect with the Spirit World. The thought of getting help was so appealing that Aang couldn't keep the happiness from bubbling up in his chest. He wasn't in this alone. He wasn't forced to carry the burden all on his own.

The trio passed through a long courtyard, with large jars lining the wide path on either side. A large wall rose up out of the silvery shadows, a small door present at the bottom. It was wooden, and perfectly circular. Yue stopped in front of the door, tucking her hands in the sleeves of her parka and turning to Katara and Aang with a proud smile.

Aang peered at the door. "So…this is the entrance to the Spirit World?"

Yue chuckled. "That would be convenient, wouldn't it? But no, getting into the Sprit World is up to you. This place is known as the Spirit Oasis, and it's the center of all spiritual energy in the North Pole," she explained, leaning over to pull the door open with a whispering creak. Warmth gushed out of the entryway, and Aang blinked at the sudden gust of hot air. It smelled…green?

Aang walked through the door, and his jaw dropped.

In the middle of an icy enclave was a green island. It was so green that it almost hurt to look at it, graceful bamboo and other trees sprouting up at least twenty feet. In front of the trees was a large circular section of grass. A pond was situated in the center of the grassy meadow, black in the light of the moon.

Aang rushed along the icy pathway that led to the oasis, and leapt onto the grass. It was solid and warm against his skin, and he breathed in the fresh, clean scent of it.

"I never thought I'd miss you so much!" Aang crooned to the green strands, ignoring Katara's giggles. She was from the South Pole, she was used to all of the ice and snow. But Aang was an Air Nomad. There was nothing he loved more than the feeling of gliding in the open skies above the Air Temples, but the feel and smell of grass was a close second.

"It's so warm here!" Katara exclaimed, slipping off her parka and letting it fall beside the pond. Yue mimicked her, and Aang pried himself away from the grass, knowing that he had a job to do.

"You're right, Yue. This place is definitely special. It reminds me of the meditation cliffs at the Southern Air Temple…it has that same tranquil feel," Aang commented, taking one last look at the icy walls and the bright moon shining above the oasis.

Then, he slid into his meditation pose, crossing his legs and pressing his fists together just in front of his belly-button. The pose was so familiar to him that for a split second, he imagined that he was back in the temple with Gyatso, meditating before lunch.

Aang closed his eyes, and cleared his mind. The peaceful stillness overtook his body, but there was something else he needed to connect with. This wasn't a meditation session; this was a chance to link himself with the Spirit World. He had to focus, and yet keep his mind clear of distractions. He let the sounds of Yue and Katara sitting on the grass fade away, the sounds of their breathing drifting away until all was calm.

After an hour or so, he opened his eyes, frustrated. Aang was slipping into his meditation state just fine, but that wasn't what he wanted to accomplish at all. He needed a push, something to pull him into that enhanced spiritual state. He stared down at the water, seeing that there were two koi fish swimming in the pond. One was white with a black dot on its forehead, the other black with a white dot on its forehead. They were swimming in a slow circle around each other, constantly moving, black and white, yin…and yang…

Suddenly, Aang felt the tug, and electric blue light suddenly filled his world. He felt his spirit detach, and time and space seemed to warp, stretching and yet spinning at the same time.

And then it was over.

Aang slowly opened his eyes.

Only instead of the soft green grass of the Spirit Oasis, he was sitting on a wooden pedestal, in the midst of a mystical swamp. Trees rose from the murky water, vines and branches intertwining and disappearing into the mist that clung to the upper canopy. The sky glowed a strange beige-orange, and far in the distance Aang could see the distinctive arch of mountains and a bizarre arrangement of trees suspended in mid-air.

"Well, this is definitely the Spirit World! Now, to find the Ocean and the Moon Spirits…" Aang declared, stepping off of the pedestal and landing on solid ground. He looked around for signs of any spirits, and brightened at the sight of a monkey dressed in monk attire, sitting in mediation pose atop a wooden platform – similar to the one Aang just vacated.

Aang opened his mouth to call out to the spirit, but suddenly a bright voice sounded from behind him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Avatar. He's a real grouch, and let's face it, I think I can help you more than he can," the voice quipped, mischievous and feminine.

Aang was grinning even before he turned around, because he knew that voice.

"Uri!"