Azula and Zuko listened intently as Fire lord Ozai paced back and forth slowly and began to explain "soon we will lose our ability to bend for a time"

Azula knew this but hardened her gaze and let on the appearance of shock and confusion "how is this possible" she asked a panic lacing her voice

The Fire lord turned his appraising gaze upon her and glared at her for speaking out of turn but upon seeing her visible shock ignores it "A closely guarded secret of the fire nation is that during the eclipse we have our connection to the sun severed and so lose our bending, luckily the eclipse lasts only a few moments but I do not believe in coincidence, we are brought under siege when we are at our weakest? they must know" he states stroking his beard.

"This has been a secret closely guarded by the fire sages" Ozai continues "I do not know how they came to know about it but fortunately I foresaw this and set into motion a plan to subvert the avatar, once the eclipse is over we will have our reserves ready to counter attack and wipe them out" he said with an evil smile.

Azula shifted uncomfortably but not nearly as much as her brother, out of the corner of her eye she saw his visible panic. "you knew this attack, coming" Zuko asked.

"As the Fire Lord, I am appraised of many things no one else is" Ozai said flatly.

Zuko's gaze hardened "so we came here while our soldiers fight without their bending" he accused.

"Remember your place" Ozai snapped taking a breath to calm himself "our soldiers are hardly defenseless, i outfitted the royal guard with a detachment of our finest infantry" he said flatly "even without bending they stand head and shoulders above the rank and file"

"how long will the eclipse last" Azula asked

"about fifteen minutes remain, after that we will join the battle and we will finally kill the avatar" Ozai said menacingly.

Sokka crept down the small dark corridors beneath the fire lords palace sword in hand. A dim light orange light pervaded the underground caverns, coarse unfinished walls casting twisted jagged shadows as he begrudgingly trudged along. In his mind this place was just wrong, it was something that shouldn't be, something that didn't belong in this world and it was mired in a sense of dread. Every crudely cut out door less finished than the last, it felt something akin to a tomb, the living were not meant to be here.

The further down he went the closer he felt himself growing paranoid, whispers he just couldn't make out bounced off the walls bombarding him with silent screams from all directions but the closer he got the more he could almost understand them until one caught in his ear. "Came here while our soldiers fight" the voice that sounded familiar but alien said, it was furious.

His shoulders slumped, " it's too late to think about them" he chided himself but couldn't shaker the notion how many friends had he left to die while he came here fox play the hero? He'd even left his sister behind, some hero.

"How long will the eclipse last" another voice asked. His became hyper agentive as he strained his ears, he knew that one even distorted by the catacombs he'd know THAT voice anywhere.

"Azula" he whispered and quickly but carefully began to increase his speed, if she's here so is the firelord.

The voices were so clear now he knew the had to be coming from the next room. He paused outside it having been privy to the fire lords mad ramblings time was almost up it was now or never.

so I never gave up on writing this story I tried to write it earlier, several times infact but no matter what I wrote it just didn't come out the way I wanted it to. So after 2 months here's the finished product