Rewrite, Rewind
Chapter 31
One year, seven months, two weeks into the attack on Ba Sing Se
The war in Ba Sing Se was getting worse. They had only managed to occupy a small portion of the outer ring, close to the hole in the outer wall. Still, with the newly add 'Wu Huo' in their ranks, they were able to make larger headway through the third section of the city. They were conquering the city, literally city block by city block, the most difficult part was when night fell. In the darkness of the night, the earth benders slipped behind their lines and pushed the fire benders into earthen traps or captured whole teams. It wasn't long before even the Painted Lady disappeared from the streets, replaced by the terrifying visage of a war craving monster. Wu Huo wore thick leathers that protected her from flames and layered silver plates that protected her from any stray debris of earth bending; she had to dodge the big stuff on her own.
When Wu Huo fought it was both frightening and fascinating. She moved with the grace that the Southern Water Tribes were known for, landed strikes that made the earth benders envious and yet it was her smile and laughter during the battle that unnerved the fire benders fighting with her. They watched when they weren't about to get crushed by stone, as she moved seemingly effortlessly between every attack. She even used her arrows to strike fear into those who thought the distance was their friend. Everyone knew Wu Huo was not fighting at her strongest, knew she was not using all of her skills, but none in the Fire Nation dared to question her tactics.
Hai He stared at general Iroh and Prince Lu Ten, both hopping about and laughing loudly. A letter from Princess Ursa had arrived but she couldn't get the details as the two were busy celebrating loudly and distracting the war-meeting that was supposed to be happening.
"Hey woman, go quiet them," Hai He looked at the rude commander, already knowing it was the man obnoxiously big sideburns. "Go on," He waved a dismissive hand at her, eyes still glued to the hand-drawn map they've made of city they've conquered so far. Two of the commanders lifted their heads and mouthed apologies at her, Hai He sniggered and put a finger to her lips. She'll wait to get back at the rude man later, for now she was going to have fun with his lack of manners. She's already been writing down every insult and rude remark he's made, now it was just fuel to the fire of his pyre.
"General Iroh, Prince Lu Ten," Hai He called as she moved closer to the two, "What is the joyous occasion?"
"Ursa's pregnant!" Iroh gushed, "It's her first child with Ikem!"
"They're second father," Lu Ten reminded his father.
"Oh right," Iroh chuckled, "I hope they get a boy this time. Another girl will disbalance them!"
"Princess Ursa and Prince Ikem have two children now?" Hai He questioned
"oh, right you weren't there," Iroh turned to look at her, a big grin on his face. "You remember the little sweetheart, Xiulan?"
"Uh-huh," Hai He nodded in agreement
"Well as it turns out, Xiulan is Ursa's and Ikem's firstborn," Iroh explained. "My foolish baby brother decided to take Ursa away from her marriage with Ikem, believing that her pregnancy was caused by him despite her protests. When Xiulan was born and Ozai realized he wasn't the father, he told Ursa she miscarried and tossed Ziulan off the palace walls. Mother, the intelligent woman she was, managed to save Xiulan. She sent Yang, who wasn't quite known to Ozai or Ursa at the time, to deliver Xiulan to Ikem as she wouldn't be safe in the palace. Ikem has been rising Xiulan as his own, unaware that she was actually his daughter. Until he met Yang, he totally thought someone just abandoned their crippled daughter on his doorstep."
"He's been raising her ever since," Lu Ten chuckled. "Ikem truly stepped up and took care of a stranger's child only to find out that the child was his own!"
"That must've made Ursa very happy to hear," Hai He smiled, "to find out her firstborn was alive and with her true love…"
"oh yes, the discovery of Xiulan's heritage was the primary reason behind Ursa's and Ikem's marriage." Iroh laughed, "oh you should've seen my father when he discovered he had another granddaughter!" Lu Ten and Hai He shared amused looks, listening to Iroh's story as he dove into the tale of how he and his father found out about Xiulan and the night she was born.
582 day into the attack on Ba Sing Se
It was dawn, the point of time when Fire Benders were at their strongest and when water benders were at their weakest. Wu Huo was walking to her designated sleeping quarters, eager for a nap before the next assault. Lu Ten was already up and making way for the morning assault team, their paths would cross along the way. Lu Ten yawned, stretching as he walked with a few of his comrades. Spotting a drowsy Wu Huo, he eagerly shouted and waved at his friend. Wu Huo looked up at the shout and waved sleepily herself, smiling as he started to jog towards her.
Everything happened so fast; too fast for her stop any of it.
Lu Ten was screaming, an unfamiliar weight was pressing down on her from above, soldiers were moving to attack something overhead. She blood bent without thinking twice about it. She raised her hands, stopping the bodies of the five men intending to land on her with weapons of steel and stone. She glanced up at them, making sure she had them, then she twisted her wrists and flopped her arms down to her sides, sending their bodies into the ground with harsh sounding splats and crashes. That was too much, her energy was already spent, her body already weakened, she lost balance, her world splintering into four overlapping images.
When her eyes opened again, everything was foggy and red was surrounding her. Her body felt sticky and wet, her lungs compact with a heavyweight, her head ached like a pounding drum. Why was everything so hot? She groaned, moving to look around herself. She could see fire and earth exchanging blows, highlighted vibrations beneath her and waves hot air on her exposed skin. There was a face, suddenly, overhead, a familiar feminine face tear-streaked, and black smudge. They're patting her, shaking her, their voice cracking over the explosions and violent shaking under her. Finally, she could breathe, the weight pressing down on her was moved, a sickening feeling of wet skin and flaming flesh. She moved, with the help of the woman, to look at what was covering her.
A soldier, at first that's all her mind saw.
A fire nation soldier with a thousand sharp stones protruding from his back.
Then familiar gold, filled with pain and relief, a smile with too much emotion for her to handle, long black hair spilled out like dark ocean waves. Suddenly everything clicked with the solemn words of Lu Ten is hurt. The when or how didn't matter, the only thing she saw was blood-soaked stone daggers and Lu Ten was bleeding in front of her.
"LU TEN!" Her voice cracked; the air shuttered with cry. She pushed away from the female soldier, scrambling to Lu Ten's side. He chuckled weakly, blood spilling past his lips. She clutched at him, gasping for breath in the burning air that surrounded him. She pulled on the familiar feeling surrounding her, the part of the air that still held strong, the formation that had yet to be burned or clouded. She pulled it, all of it, towards her hand and set the glowing teal waters onto the wound. She was crying, apart of her was forming the tears into healing water, apart of her ignored them.
"Itzz okay," Lu Ten was whispering, "juzzz… live…" he was fading. She didn't have enough water to treat his injury.
"Water," she whispered, then glared up at the nearby soldiers, all staring at her in terror and disbelieve. "I need water! Hurry! Help me carry him!" the Fire Nation soldiers shook and shuttered at her demands, those she knew scrambled to help her lift Lu Ten, others moved to defense, protecting them. "Over there! There's a large pool, I need it for him!" She and the soldiers struggled to hurry in the direction of the river, the same river that ran through the entire city, a sure death trap to any normal fire nation soldier. Just not for Hai He. Buildings swayed in the battle, more soldiers were appearing, both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdome. The strangers in wide-straw hats tried to stop them, Hai He's tangled fingers made each one collapse with hands clutching at their chests.
She couldn't afford to waste time on a fight, she struck out with her blood bending, ignoring the pain in her own bones, and slashed at the soldier's hearts. She remembered what her sisters and mother said about blood bending, it was an ancient art, but it was only had battle use when the moon was full and high in the sky. Hai He didn't need it for battle, she just needed to make the earth benders stop attacking. She did less bending of the blood and more of freezing the blood entering the heart. A fire bender would've been able to heat their body and melt the ice in their veins but she wasn't fighting fire benders. The earth benders had no such fortune and she did not dare to hessite in her choice to kill before healing.
"Lu Ten!" The familiar cry of a voice didn't make Hai He stopped, she pushed the soldier helping her aside, pulled the river water around her and Lu Ten and submerged the both of them into the river. She buried them to the bottom of the river, coating everything in the thickest ice she could manage, sparing only the cleanest water for Lu Ten's injury.
"Protect the river!" the demand of the female soldiers charging into the fray was heeded with furious cries and lethal dances.
"Protect Prince Lu Ten and Lady Hai He!" It was no longer a battle of careful attacks of the capture soldiers. It was a fight to the death and the Fire Nation Soldiers were furious.
Their fury melted stone.
Their fury arose great twirling pillars of flame.
Their fury created walls of blistering black smoke.
Their fury blackened the sky with Death's cold sleeve
Their fury scorched half the city of the outer section.
Never had the Earth Kingdom Soldiers felt such regret than when the Fire Nation's soldier's chose to roar.
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