34. WE'RE TWO DAYS ON THE MARCH WHEN THE ATTACK COMES. We depart under cover of darkness, after the sun goes down on the day after Sokka's Trial. We file out of the villa, leaving it dead and deserted in our wake. We march in loose order, down through the village and up the valley wall. The villagers wave in silence as we pass, Piandao, myself, the gang, and a hundred men and boys. People bow as I ride by, press their foreheads to the ground. There is a strange sensation in the air. We all feel it, like a wet blanket wrapped tightly around our skin.
I'm not happy about the boys, the younger students, sixteen and seventeen and eighteen. None of us are, Piandao in particular, but as he points out, to try to stop them would be a waste of time. They'd only sneak away and follow us, so might as well arm them and keep them close. He's right, but we still don't like it.
Four of us ride komodo-rhinos, Piandao, Aang, Katara, and myself. Toph and Sokka march with the men. I want to march with them, but again Piandao intervenes, points out my rank, says that a Fire Lord may charge into battle with his men, but he simply cannot walk with them in the dust. Thus, I ride with Piandao, and Katara rides with me to keep me company. Aang just really likes riding a komodo-rhino.
We march all through the night, the only sounds the clink and clack and thump of an armed column on the move. Morning comes, and we rest for two hours, eat, then press on. We march through rolling hills and spacious forests, through sleepy villages and around bustling towns. We pause again at noon, then march on until nightfall. We pitch camp on a broad-topped hill, far from the road we'd been following. Watches are set, sentries posted. We don't raise tents, and all sleep with weapons close by. Piandao, Katara, and I walk the camp before turning in, checking on every one, making sure all is well. Katara becomes a big hit with the company, using her healing knowledge on sore feet and aching muscles and incipient blisters. That night, Katara resumes sleep under my blanket with me. We're too tired to do anything more than sleep, though.
In the morning, Aang looks very morose. I think he's catch on. During the noon break, he goes to Toph and asks her if she thinks anything's going on. As Toph tells it, she just rolled her eyes and said, "And you guys think I'm blind." He then goes to Sokka, who, being a good guy, commiserates with him, slaps the Avatar on the back, then makes clear that he's perfectly okay with it all. Aang becomes less mopey after that; fifteen-year-olds tend to bounce back quickly from such things. He still goes around for the rest of that day's march with a bit of a hang-dog expression on his face.
IT must be close to midnight when Toph leaps out from under her blanket, eyes wide, screaming. "Riders! Lots of them!" The camp explodes, especially as the sentries come running back, confirming the report. The call goes up. To arms! To arms! Piandao is up instantly. He moves fast, ordering the company into a tightly packed ring, three deep, spear points out. We're on another broad-topped hill, trees scattered on the slopes. We occupy the hill. We can see the riders filtering in from all around, columns bristling with steel glimmering in the moonlight. The moon is full, the night clear. We can see for miles. Before we left, Piandao had given me a sword to use until I retried my own from my crew at the rendezvous. I buckle this to my waist, loosen the blade in the scabbard. I pull Sokka out of the line. He objects, until I point out that I need him to serve as a sort of reserve, to stiffen the line as needed. He nods, slips a helm on. Piandao and I draw up a plan. We'll try to beat them off, then make a run for it. With luck, they're not very many. Piandao bows to me. I bow back. We put on helms and check our armor. Katara fills a bucket from some spare water skins, sets up a little aid station. Toph claps her hands, rubs them together. I look out on the horde milling around the base of the hill. There at least three hundred, all mounted, lances shining in the pale white light. There's that roaring in my ears.
My scar aches and aches and aches…
A hand, slipped into mine, pulling me around. Katara, tilting up my helm. Her lips on mine, greedy, desperate. Or is that me? We stop, pull away. She whispers in my ear.
"Don't date go without me…"
I nod, kiss her again.
"I won't…"
She goes back to her post. Sokka, tapping my shoulder. I turn. He has a thin smile on his face.
"If you're quite done macking on my sister, somebody wants to see you." He points down the hill. A lone rider has peeled away, slowly working his way up the hill. A white flag flies from his spear.
I nod. "Right then. And for the record, it was your sister who was macking on me."
He snorts. "Likely story."
"Whatever." I turn to Piandao. "Master?"
"Your majesty?"
"Any chance that they don't know I'm here and what we're about?"
He shakes his head, face grim. "I wouldn't bet on it."
I nod. "Well, then I'm going to go see what they want. You're in command."
He bows. "Of course, your majesty." He rises, frowns. "And Zuko?"
"Yes?"
"Please be careful, young man. Your uncle would not take it kindly if something happened to you on my watch."
I nod, bow, begin walking away. I'm a few steps along when I notice Sokka beside me. I roll my eyes. "And just what the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"Saving my life."
"How's that?"
"Because my life won't be worth much with my sister otherwise."
"Heh…fair enough."
We move through the line. I pat shoulders, whisper words of encouragement. We're through. The night is quiet, cool, dead. Even the wind is silent. The hills is surrounded. The foot boils with armed men. Komodo-rhinos snort and paw the ground. Sokka and I walk, almost in step. The rider pulls up, waits. We march towards him, step-by-step.
My scar aches and aches…
"Sokka?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sleeping with your sister."
"Duh. Why blurt it out like that, though?"
"In case this goes bad, I felt you should, I dunno, officially know, or whatever. Heh…made sense in my mind."
"Fair enough. Since we're being honest, though, I think your sister is, like, smoking hot."
"What?!"
"Totally, man. If she wasn't, like, batshit insane and generally pre-occupied with killing us, I'd totally go for it."
"You're a nut." Pause. "I love you, man."
"Love you, too, buddy."
We're there…
The rider slides off his mount, lands with a thud in the grass. He drops his lance, removes his helm. We remove ours. I look into his face. He reminds me strongly of Kimura.
Why do they all have to be so young…
He bows. We bow back. He clears his throat.
"Good evening, Prince Zuko. I'm sorry to say that it's not a surprise to see you here."
"Good evening. What can I do for you?"
"I represent Colonel Yoshio, down below. He wishes to resolve this without bloodshed."
"As do we all."
"Quite. Thus, I am here to offer you terms."
"We will hear them."
"Surrender yourself and the Avatar, and the rest of your companions may return home unharmed. Simply lay down your arms, relinquish your claim to the throne, and turn yourself over. Do that, and no one has to die. Do you accept?"
"No."
"Pardon?"
I laugh. I can't help it. All this time, everything I've done, the lengths I have gone to, the threat I've come to represent, and my father still thinks so little of me. Incredible. The man's arrogance truly knows no bounds.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" My voice is cold, dripping with contempt. "None of us will leave this place alive. I'm too dangerous, the Avatar's too dangerous, those who would follow me are too dangerous. Look me in the eye, friend, and tell me that those are my father's real orders. Look me in the eye, say that again, and I might believe you."
He tries, Agni help him, he tries. He looks, he blinks, he struggles, and then…
He looks away…
I nod. "Thought so. Kindly inform Colonel Yoshio that Fire Lord Zuko kindly requests that he go fuck himself. Anything you wish to add, Sokka?"
"You bet." He turns to the rider. "This the same Yoshio who once led the Southern Raiders?"
The young man gulps, nods. "I believe so."
Sokka nods, face grim. His eyes dance with fire. "Excellent. Then kindly inform him that two members of the Southern Water Tribes await him at the top of this hill, and really hope he leads from the front." He turns back to me. "I'm good. We done?"
I nod. "We're done." I turn back to the young man. So young… "See you in hell, my friend." I bow. Sokka bows.
He bows back. "And you, m'lord."
On our way back up the hill, I turn to Sokka, ask, "Are those the Southern Raiders?"
He shakes his head. "Wrong uniforms. Close enough, though, if Yoshio's in charge."
I nod. "Doesn't matter in the end, I suppose."
Sokka nods. "Nope. Not today."
In foot of the hill is boiling again. Tension shimmers in the air. Muttered prayed, mumbled curses, thunderous silence. Pale faces, set faces, brave faces, terrified faces, blank faces. Piandao on a box, shouting orders. I ask him to let me take his place for a moment. He bows. I bow back. He steps down. I step up. I clear my throat.
My scar aches…
"Gentlemen."
A hundred pairs of eyes turn to me.
"Today, you face a choice, a choice between life and death, the past and the future. On this hill is the future, down there, the past. I've made my choice. There's no going back for me. I must stand and win, or stand and die. That choice, however, is not yet made for you. Throw down your arms now, run away, leave to my fate, and you just might make it. They want me, not you. Now is your chance. I will not ask any to die for me. I'm not my father. I am only Zuko. We do not fight for the world here. We fight only for our nation, our pride, our dignity, our future. So choose now, before it's too late:
"Choose Zuko or Ozai."
Silence, a knife scrapped over rock. Drip-drip-drip in the bucket of time. Wide eyes. Narrow eyes. Closed eyes. And the chant, from a hundred voices. Rhythmic. Pounding. Raw. Roaring.
Zu-ko!
Zu-ko!
Zu-ko!
Zu-ko!
I bow. I leap from the box. Piandao and I embrace. He steps onto the box. I stride to Aang. The trumpets are blaring below us. He's crouching on the ground. I pull him up by his shirt collar. I don't want to be rough, but the time for kindness has passed. This is a moment. I have searched for answers, found so many. Now he needs to find one, too. I shake him. There are tears in his eyes. The tears only make me more determined. Why does he get to cry?!
"Aang!"
"What?!"
"Choose! Choose now!"
"Choose what?!"
"Run or fight!"
"I won't run!"
"Then fight!"
"I won't kill!"
"You don't have that choice anymore!"
"There's always a choice!"
I close my eyes. Blood pounds in my ears.
My scar aches…
I shake my head. I pinch my nose. "You keep believing that, Aang. I hope it brings you peace." I toss him to the ground. I march away. Tears roll from his eyes. He looks desperately for someone to tell him what to do. He tries to speak to Toph. Toph flips him off and turns her back. He tries to reason with Katara. She ignores him. Sokka just threatens to punch him. I don't see any of this. My sword is drawn. A roar has gone up. Three-hundred throats shout.
O-zai!
O-zai!
O-zai!
I raise my sword. A hundred spears beat against the ground. A hundred throats chant.
Zu-ko!
Zu-ko!
Zu-ko!
A final call. A final cry. Lances raised in the moonlight, lowered, pointed gleaming, pale white death. A last thought in my head.
If only Aang could be right…
They charge.
My scar aches and aches…
Piandao shouting…
Hold…
Hold the line…
Voices screaming…
Chanting…
O-zai!
Zu-ko!
O-zai!
Zu-ko!
Spears leveled…
Aang crying…
Toph begins to move…
The hill comes alive…
Riders thrown…
Mounts screaming…
Men flying…
She can't get them all…
O-zai!
Zu-ko!
Fireballs flying…
I move…
Deflect…
Deflect…
I can't get them all…
None land…
Aang is moving…
HOLD!
HOLD!
They charge…
The ground shakes…
Aang crying, dancing through the air, none of the fire lands…
Men crying…
Boys crying…
HOLD!
O-ZAI!
HOLD!
ZU-KO!
They charge…
Fire…
Deflect…
HOLD!
O-ZAI!
HOLD!
ZU-KO!
A flash of light…
Fire…
The Avatar has come…
Screaming…
Crying…
Men flying…
Men dying…
The crash…
They're in the line…
Blood…
Blood glimmering in the moonlight…
Katara and Sokka…
The Water Tribe war cry…
O-ZAI!
Piandao in the midst…
A blur…
ZU-KO!
Spears thrust…
Aang floating…
His eyes blue…
Blood on my blade…
Men crying mercy in the dirt…
Light…
Light…
LIGHT!
Then darkness…
My scar aches…
It's over…
Remember how I said, in the last author's note, that shit was about to get real? Well, it did. It won't stop getting real for a while. In the series, the show takes a decidedly dark turn (by its standards) not far into Book 3. I know we were already pretty dark before this, but we're going to follow that Canon turn. At this point, the Fire Nation is officially at war with itself. With this battle, Zuko is officially in open revolt against his father. He's now, for better or worse, a rival claimant in a civil war.
It's going to get interesting…
I hope you guys don't mind the way I wrote this and put it together. This is a very different fight from the one the Gaang had a while back, when we were still in the Earth Kingdom. This is a legit battle; in getting that across, I was trying to give a taste of the chaos, the confusion, and the terror. Something friends of mine who've been on combat have always tried to communicate is how one never really knows what the hell's going on. I wanted to capture a little taste of that. I hope I did well.
For those who missed it, Aang flipped into the Avatar state and saved the day. Before someone says, But, wait, he can't access his seventh chakra because of Azula, I say, Unless shit gets real. The chakras are for if he wants to enter it willingly, and have real control. It's always pretty clear in the story that if he gets worked up enough, he can enter it more-or-less by accident. Thus, there, at the end, Aang makes his choice. He's going to have to deal with it now.
In the next chapter, a lone survivor is questioned, and the Gaang gets some hard-to-hear answers.