Izumi awoke groggily as the morning's rays peeked through the flaps of her tent. She rose tiredly, kneading at her neck with her knuckles as pangs of sharp pain ran through it, sitting on her tough cot while yawning. As much as it pained her to admit it, she had grown very accustomed to the lavish lifestyle of a royal. Yet she had insisted she live the same way her soldiers did. It wouldn't be right to sleep in a comfortable bed while the troops slept on sleeping mats and the ground.

The stiffness in her back and neck, however, provided a very compelling counterargument. She yawned, pulling on her tunic and exiting her tent.

Since they had arrived the previous day, the work had progressed at a considerable pace. The first trenchline had been dug, and the chief engineers had reported that they'd be shoring up the trenches with wood and metal, so as to make it harder for earthbenders to simpy cave the trenches in. That, of course, left the matter of potential metalbending attacks, but the divisional engineers were optimistic they could hold the metalbenders at range with stakes and long-range attacks.

Izumi sat down by the small fire pit in front of her tent, accepting the boxed rations handed to her by Yosai. She slid the small wooden box apart, and grimaced at the dried Komodo Rhino Sausage and biscuits that looked less than appetizing.

"Don't worry, your Highness, it's a lot better than Yosai's cooking. Rations will actually fill you up, as opposed to Yosai's, which will do the opposite," joked Hyuk, a younger man with a traditional topknot and a shaggy beard.

"Ahh, shut yourself. You wouldn't know good cuisine if it flew into your face," Yosai grumbled.

"And by cuisine, you do mean rice and raw meat, right? Last time I ate your so-called 'cuisine', it made me vomit for three days straight."

Izumi laughed, tearing at the sausage with her teeth. Nio handed her a bowl of steaming rice from the pot they were cooking over the fire, and she took it gratefully, nodding to the woman.

"Now the Air Nomads… they know how to cook food. Vegetarian they may be, your Highness, their fruit pies are sublime," Hyuk said, a wistful look on his face.

"I'd like to have a fruit pie right around now, then I'd be able to smash you in the face with it!" Yosai laughed, flicking a pebble at the younger man's forehead.

The two continued to bicker as Izumi finished her food, looking at the sea of red tents and curling wood smoke that rose from the camp. The army here was numerous, but it wasn't enough, she knew. If Kuvira attacked, as many said she would, then they would be outnumbered nearly 5 to 1. In the Fire Nation, her father had promised to lead another army with more soldiers to reinforce her, but given the brewing conflict, they wouldn't arrive in time.

"Firelord Izumi!"

Izumi looked to her left, where a young messenger knelt.

"General Ayuko wanted to know if you could join her at the central command tent at your convenience."

Izumi nodded curtly, then wolfed down her food, before grabbing her long coat and walking through the camp towards the central tent. As she walked, Nio striding beside her, soldiers saluted or bowed in awe as she passed.

They seemed so young, she thought to herself. Most of them were in their twenties, some were even in their teens. How could she drag them into a conflict like this?

They reached the central tent, and Izumi entered the tent with purpose, nodding to the three generals and their staff.

"Pardon the summons, your Highness, but you'd best hear this," Ayuko said apologetically.

She turned the volume on the bank of radios up, and Izumi instantly recognized Kuvira's voice.

-is a grave injustice that must be corrected. As you all know, after the Hundred Year War, Avatar Aang, along with Fire Lord Zuko, stole Earth Empire land and formed the United Republic. This land belongs to the people of the Earth Empire and it's time to take it back! Republic City will be ours!

Cheers filtered through the radio, and the two radio operators looked back at Izumi and the generals in uncertainty.

General Ohta, the hotheaded commander of the 1st Infantry Division scoffed indignantly.

"Who does she think she is? Earth King Kuei voluntarily gave this land to the United Republic of Nations. She and the late Queen liked to throw around the idea that they have a legitimate claim to Republic City and its lands, but it's barely an acceptable theory, let alone a valid claim."

Kasin, the somewhat older and wiser commander of the 2nd Mobile Division, stroked his gray sideburns uneasily.

"So, the Great Uniter means to march on the Republic's borders. I pray to the Spirits that we can complete our fortifications by then."

"How is the construction progressing?" Izumi asked.

"Well, all things considered, ma'am, well. Your son generously provided us with several Earth and Water benders, and they've been invaluable. With their help, and the platinum armor plating arriving this afternoon, we should have the first line of trenches and bunkers ready and begin reinforcement on the second and third lines."

"And do we have scouts watching the borders?"

Ohta nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. I have ten men and jeeps dispersed along the United Forces border outposts ready to radio back or return when Kuvira's army is sighted. We even have messenger hawks in case we have electronics issues."

"Good. I want to know well in advance when Kuvira's army is approaching. Hopefully, she'll be foolish enough to deploy all of her forces in a frontal assault so that the Avatar, my son, and the United Forces can eliminate them, but my instincts tell me she's smarter than that."

"Kuvira grew up in Suyin Beifong's household. The Beifongs are intelligent and clever tacticians. She will be too, I think, ma'am," Kasin said grimly.

"Then it's a good thing we have a few Beifongs on our side. I want updates on construction every two hours and I want to be notified if there are any new developments. Dismissed."

The generals saluted, and Izumi took her leave, letting out a breath of anxiety and winding back through the camp, gesturing to Nio.

"What do you think, Nio?"

"Ma'am?"

"Will we be ready?"

The young guard looked around at the tired-looking soldiers murmuring around cook fires, then at the distant trench lines and the scaffolds of a half-completed command tower behind all three lines.

"I don't know if we'll ever be ready, ma'am."

"What do you mean?"

"Your Highness, we're up against a highly capable enemy force who is at least as well armed as we are, if not better."

"Every military conflict since the Yu Dao war has been either minor skirmishes, naval campaigns, or one-sided conflicts against guerrillas. This will be the first time in nearly seventy years that two modern armies will clash, and I think it's hard to predict what that will really be like."

Izumi frowned. Unfortunately, Nio was right. There had almost been conflicts- such as when the Fire Navy sailed to relieve the siege of the Southern Water Tribe- but this was going to be the first time modern ingenuity and tactics clashed since the chaos of the Hundred Year's War.

"Then I suppose this will be one for the history books," she replied, grimly.

She returned to the small cluster of tents that housed her and her guards, and saw Yosai and Hyuk arm-wrestling, which brought a wry smile to her face. The two men stopped as soon as she came in view, bowing in embarrassment.

"Apologies, your Highness. That was highly inappropriate."

"Who won?"

Hyuk looked at her like she had punched him in the face.

"Your Highness?"

"Who won?"

Yosai grinned.

"I did, of course. Hyuk has a clever tongue, but he's a twig compared to me," he said, flexing his muscles.

Hyuk rolled his eyes and Izumi laughed, entering her tent. She hadn't bathed in nearly a day, and she was already beginning to feel dirty. Even during her military service, they had had showers in the battleships she served on, so she was somewhat unused to the rough life of an infantry soldier.

She considered options, but eventually settled with wetting a washcloth, grasping a bar of soap, and washing what she could before changing into a fresh uniform. She looked at herself in the cracked mirror, and tied her hair into a knot, inserting the shiny royal hairpiece and buttoning her field coat as a frigid breeze washed through her tent.

It was hard to believe at times that she was really here, preparing to fight a battle against Earth Empire soldiers for the first time since the Yu Dao War. How had it come to this, she wondered? Was humankind so petty and violent that war could never be avoided? Seventy years of relative peace had long since eased the wounds of a hundred years of war, yet here they were again.

Perhaps she would be remembered like her great-great-grandfather Sozin; a cruel warmonger who began another devastating war that would throw the world into violence.

She prayed that it wouldn't come to that, but she did know that if they didn't make a stand here, then nothing would stop Kuvira from trying to conquer the world. She sighed again, and then exited the tent once more, intent on finishing the bowl of rice that Kuvira had so rudely prevented her from completing.


"A giant mecha suit?" She asked.

Ayuko nodded, glancing at Kasin and Ohta for confirmation.

"Yes, ma'am, my scout reported it an hour ago. He said that he went to investigate one of the border outposts that went silent, and found it completely destroyed. He followed some strange tracks and apparently caught sight of the mecha suit," Ohta said, unfolding the report.

"He claims it's nearly thirty stories tall, and has a large cannon on its arm. He also reports more than ten divisions of infantry, tanks, and mecha-suits, not to mention airships are travelling with the giant suit on a course towards the northern road to Republic City."

"So she's not going to attack through here?" Kasin said, almost confused.

"Don't count your Komodo-Chicken eggs before they're hatched, General. They're still a day or two away; plenty of time to divert a detachment. And if that mecha has the spirit cannon Tenzin mentioned…"

She trailed off. Tenzin's last call had been practically overflowing with information; the rescue of Su and her family, Korra's visit to Zaheer, and Kuvira's true intentions had cleared many questions up, with the notable exception of the giant suit that was stomping towards Republic City.

"I want a message sent to my son and President Raiko about this report, though they no doubt will learn soon. How goes the construction?"

The army had been working at a frantic pace for the past six days since Kuvira's announcement, and Izumi was beginning to worry that the troops would be too exhausted by the time Kuvira's army arrived.

"We've worked on the first and second trenches to completion. General Iroh's earthbenders gave us a good start on the third before they were recalled, but we still have to shore it up with wood like the others. Our firebomb cannons are in optimal condition, and the troops have been training diligently when not building. Our Tundra Tanks are in optimal condition, our airships are ready to fly, and the army seems as ready as we'll ever be," Ayuko said.

Izumi nodded in satisfaction.

"That'll have to do. Do what you can to improve defenses, but don't work the troops too hard. Tell your quartermasters and cooks to prepare a special meal for tonight; I think we'll be seeing Earth Empire troops by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, so let's enjoy ourselves while we can."

"Yes, your Highness," her generals intoned.

Izumi left the tent hurriedly, glancing back at the defenses in anxiety. Would it be enough? There was no real way to tell until the battle came.


As night fell, the campfires of the camp blinked into life once more as runners and messengers wore a path between the central command center and the outer lines. As had been expected, a large detachment had broken off from Kuvira's main force. The mecha-suit and several divisions of infantry and normal mecha-suits marched north to deal with the United Forces while the main infantry and armored body of the Earth Empire marched for Kensaki pass, no doubt aware of the fledgling encampment defending the scraggly, reddish valley.

That night, however, spirits were high. The cooks, as she had ordered, had prepared elaborate feasts of fried fish, grilled vegetables, and seared Komodo Chicken over rice. A few casks of fire whiskey had even been broken out; in controlled doses, of course. Fighting with a hangover was far from desirable.

As Izumi walked past the rows of tents in the dark, she smiled to hear raucous laughter, impassioned storytelling, and even some singing. The twang of several Pipa and the pinched, flowing tones of Tsungi Horn flowed through the chilly night air as she passed between the seas of warmth in the darkness. Her father had apparently been a talented Tsungi Hornist during his banishment, though Izumi had never gotten the chance to hear him play. Granduncle Iroh's light teasing always made Izumi laughed, mostly because her father would get red in the face and storm off in anger whenever his musical potential was mentioned.

It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se,

But the girls in the ci-ty, they look soo pret-ty!

And they kiss so sweet that you've real-ly got to meet

The girls from Ba Sing Se!

Like the fa-lling rain, they will ease your pain,

and when you trudge back home, they will drop their comb

and they'll hold you 'till the pain goes awaay!

Oh, the girls from Ba Sing Seeeee!

Laughter and cheers rang through the nearest campfire, and she found herself straying closer.

"A thousand apologies, your Highness. We didn't see you there!" said a lieutenant nearby, upon spotting her.

The soldiers rose to salute stiffly, but she held up her hand.

"Please; at ease. Do you mind if I join you?"

The soldiers smiled, making room on the ground where she sat, cross legged. A woman to her left passed a waterskin towards her and Izumi took it gingerly, raising it to her lips and taking a swig before grimacing as the strong alcohol washed over her tongue, sending a warm sensation through her head. She suppressed her cough and winced before passing it on.

"Where are you troopers from?"

A slightly tipsy man to Izumi's right with his field cap lopsided on his head straightened himself up proudly.

"Jang Hui, your Highness. We're Squadron B of the 15th Infantry Brigade- the Painted Lady's Own!"

The soldiers cheered raising their cups before descending into talk once more. The scene was chaotic, to say the least; several soldiers cheered on a woman who was arm wrestling a burly fellow across the campfire, while others talked, joked, wrestled, and played cards jovially.

They know they might fall in battle tomorrow, so they've decided to live life to its fullest extent, she thought to herself, guiltily.

A larger man with a long, pointed moustache took a swig of his canteen before clearing his throat. Silence settled on the small group of soldiers, and Izumi found herself leaning forward slightly, in anticipation.

I chased after lop-eared rabbits on that mountain;

I fished for koi in that river

I still dream of those days even now

Oh, how I miss my old sweet home.

Father and Mother- are they doing well?

Is everything well with my old friends?

When the rain falls, when the wind blows,

I stop and remember my old sweet home.

Some day when I have done what I set out to do,

I'll return home one sunny day

Where the mountains are green, my old sweet home,

Where the waters are clear, my old sweet home.

As the corporal's surprisingly beautiful singing lingered in the still air, Izumi felt a tear trickling down her cheek, despite herself. She hadn't heard the lullabye since she had been a child, and the song recalled memories of endless days of bliss with her mother and her father, long walks through the capital with Kazuo and Iroh, and happier days spent with her best friends.

The scarred lieutenant who had first spotted her stood silently, a cup of tea in his hand.

"By your leave, your Highness, I'd like to say a few words."

Izumi nodded.

"It isn't often that someone like me has the distinct pleasure to lead a group of brave and compassionate soldiers like all of you, even if you are sometimes an undisciplined flock of Iguana parrots."

The soldiers cheered quietly, laughing.

"I don't think any of us expected that we'd be fighting a war here in the United Republic, but circumstances have demanded that we step up to help our allies from being conquered by a woman who sees only opportunity and threat where others see progress and hope. It may seem like we're fighting another person's war, but to me, I think of it as we're defending our home. If the Great Uniter takes the Republic, then who's to say that she'll stop there? When I see the reports of what's coming our way, I remind myself that I'm preventing foreign armies from marching through our lands. I'm preventing violent bullies from harming our people. I know you're scared. I don't blame you. But I know that you'll rise to the challenge and make our Nation, and our Firelord proud!"

She bowed her head gratefully, and he raised his cup.

"To home and Firelord Izumi!"

The soldiers cheered, and Izumi smiled, blushing slightly. After they had taken their drinks Izumi stood, walking away, her mind filled with a thousand thoughts. Then, she paused, looking back.

"You have good officers. I know that you would rather be at home with your families right now. So would I. But the situation we face in the coming days is about nothing less than the honor of our nation. And seeing you now, I know our nation is in good hands. I'm proud of you all, and I'm looking forward to knocking Earth Empire heads together by your side."

The soldiers laughed, and then cheered once more as Izumi slipped away into the darkness before returning to her tent, flopping into her bunk with exhaustion and sadness.


Hey guys! So a few brief notes about some stuff in this chapter.

The 'Pipa', for people who aren't music nerds like me, is a Chinese stringed instrument similar to a mandolin. The instrument made a few appearances in the show, notably during Iroh's chapter of the ATLA episode 'Tales of Ba Sing Se' and 'The Headband' in Season 3.

Also, hopefully my attempt to add a few more lines to 'Girls from Ba Sing Se' paid off. In case you guys can't tell, I'm not the greatest poet haha

And finally, the second song is a slightly altered translation of the Japanese folk song 'Furusato', which translates to 'Hometown', and is a traditional Japanese folk song from the early 20th century. As some of you may know, I'm a Japanese-American, and this song definitely has a special place in my heart. My father fondly remembers his mother singing this to him as a child, and it was sung to me in turn, so I wanted to try and adapt it to this story as an homage to my ancestry.

So, this chapter is dedicated to my Grandmother Machiko, who is living happily in Japan.

Anyways, enough of my nostalgic waxing. As always, I welcome feedback, and thanks for reading!

-IGdude117