A/N: like with other things in this fic, I've scaled up the Rough Rhinos. Didn't make sense to me that there would be only like 6-7 guys in it. It's a bigger company now, maybe 50 or so guys. The main named baddies are still in there, like Mongke, Ogodei, Vachir, etc.
richardsingar: Thank you! Hopefully this chapter lives up to the previous.
Therecklessone: Who says we can't have babies, war, and plots to take out malevolent dictators all at once! That being said, good call, you predicted something in this chapter. I won't point it out right now, but it should be fairly obvious when you read it. No Zuko POV here but I'm excited to write more of him and his homecoming soon.
Redshoulder85:
Yeah, I was inspired by the original show plot there because I thought it might honestly be something the Chin village people would do. They really do hate Kyoshi, I figured they'd have a petty grudge with Kyoshi Island's inhabitants too right? After all they're probably all descendants of Chin's armies
Animulal: Oh you bet I'm bringing the lemonade. Thank you for the really high praise! And yeah I did get some extra dough for working this weekend so it wasn't all a loss, thank goodness. Weekends are my therapeutic writing times, I hate when they get interfered with.
Jhon: Hey maybe a crown is in Sokka's future. If Azula had her way, he'd be her Fire Lady after all lmao
Warning: Extreme extreme graphic violence in this chapter. Also, this chapter is dumb long.
Chapter XXI
The Better Path
Sokka ducked as a whizzing arrow flew past him, burying itself in the trunk behind. If he was any slower, it would have pierced his eye and skull and left a mess of him.
"Stay down, Sokka!" Azula shouted at him. "They're going to lay down suppressing fire and try to flank us. We need to get out of here."
"Aye," Sokka grunted, as the thunk, thunk of arrows burying themselves in the fallen log they crouched behind punctuated every beat of his heart. Some landed in the wood; others still only slightly overshot their mark, almost hitting their feet. They were well fucked. In the cover of night, he couldn't spot where the archers were shooting from.
"Fuck this, Sokka," Azula hissed. "I'm burning this damned forest down."
The Firebender leapt out of cover, somersaulting as she spewed bullets of blue flame into the canopy of the trees, setting the branches ablaze in a flickering blue that made the forest look ethereal. One of the flames caught an archer, who fell from his perch, screaming in agony, but other still were unaffected. They would have to leave, eventually – the flames were leaping from tree to tree, and soon the forest would be ablaze.
One did not leave soon enough. His bow, trained on the Princess, as difficult a target as she was, found its mark. An arrow whizzed through the air, and Sokka heard it only too late before it buried itself with a sickening squelch in Azula's shoulder. She fell mid-jump, her limbs slackening and giving out.
Her scream pierced the night, and Sokka felt as if a dagger had been driven through his chest. He leapt away from the fallen log, and ran towards her, his own safety be damned. More arrows hailed around him, though they weren't well aimed now; the flames were making the archers in the trees scramble away from their positions and onto the forest floor.
He made it to the Princess's side – the arrow had pierced right between the light shoulder piece and the leather chest plate she wore. For a terrifying moment, Sokka thought she was gone. But then her chest heaved, and she let out a grunt of pain, and her eyes flickered underneath her eyelids. He scanned the entry point – it looked like it had missed any vital areas, but he couldn't be sure, not at night. He turned her just a little.
Sokka grabbed the arrow intending to yank it out. Azula's hand, her good arm, shot out and grasped it. "Don't… barbed," she managed to gasp out, in between labored breaths.
"I'm gonna get you out of here. I'll carry you," he said, moving towards her legs.
"No… they'll… shoot. Your back… exposed," she panted.
"Fuck that, we're dead if we stay here." Sokka didn't want to argue with her, but she was getting paler and paler by the second. What if the arrow is poisoned? Fuck.
He didn't have time to think anything else. A bald man with a top knot and a moustache, a red rag around his head, burst out of the trees, bounding towards him with two long machetes in hand. Sokka counted two men behind him, dressed similarly.
Sokka charged the machete man, blocking a downward swing with the flat of his club. He punched the man straight in the solar plexus, and he doubled over, clawing at his stomach and trying to breathe. Sokka assisted him by opening a gaping hole in his neck with a bone knife.
The other two now surrounded him, but Sokka didn't intend to let himself be hemmed in. He picked the one on the left, who was armed with a spear – his attention was still more on his dying comrade rather than Sokka. Feinting towards the other man on the right, who was armed with a sword, Sokka leapt off his back foot, bringing his club down in a furious swing towards the spearman's head. He was able to deflect, but imperfectly. The club caught him on the shoulder instead of the crown of his head, and he screamed in pain as the blunt instrument shattered the joint between his arm and torso. He dropped the spear and unsheathed a knife, which he threw at Sokka's head. Sokka dipped underneath it, but unexpectedness of the move was enough to force him back. The swordsman leapt at Sokka, and he had to twirl to dodge the blade that was stabbed at his stomach. As he did, Sokka swung his club, this time connecting with the spearman's head, crushing it savagely. The man went down gibbering, trying to breathe through a broken skull and nose and failing at it as he died.
The swordsman stabbed and hacked at him some more, and Sokka regretted having nothing with the length to counter him. I wish I had a sword, he thought, as he was forced to keep his distance from the soldier. The man was no slouch with the weapon, and the practiced way in which he swung it alerted Sokka that this was no former grunt.
The swordsman forced him further and further from Azula's prone body, until he backed into a small creek. A sudden idea overtook him.
As the swordsman stabbed yet again at him, Sokka went low, underneath the jab, and hooked his legs around the man's overextended right foot. Using the weight of his body, he let himself fall, dragging the unbalanced swordsman down with him. Sokka spun over the man's body and held his sword arm down with his knee, forcing the man's head underwater with his hands. The swordsman fought and struggled, trying desperately to breathe, but his kicking slowed as he drowned slowly, his body shutting down as he was forced to inhale water and dirt silt from the creekbed.
Finally, he lay still.
Sokka had only a second to catch his breath before a heavy braying noise interrupted him from the right. The trees rustled and smoke billowed through the forest, making it harder to breathe, as the ethereal blue fire spread from branch to branch. The braying noise got louder and a colossal Komodo rhino burst from the treeline, madly dashing at him in the creekbed.
Pure instinct took over Sokka. He un-buckled his boomerang and sent it flying towards the rider. It connected with his helmet, knocking him off; sheathing his club, Sokka grabbed the spear from the dead spearman in the meantime and charged right at the Komodo Rhino, screaming as he did so. The creature's horn flashed in the flickering blue light, and Sokka was sure he was about to meet his end.
He slid, lowering himself under the charge of the rhino, and jabbed the spear into the creature's underbelly. The skin was tough, but the spear ripped through the creature's belly, opening it from end to end. Blood and viscera spilled out, steaming hot, spilling all over Sokka. The spear broke at the point where the wood staff met the metal point, and splinters landed everywhere, in Sokka's hands and face.
He didn't have time. The rider was following soon behind, charging at him with a lance. Sokka got up to his feet, howling in pain as the splinters in his hands buried themselves deeper into his flesh as he pushed himself up by the palms. He pulled out a bonesword, waiting for the rider to close in.
The rider jabbed his lance towards him, which Sokka sidestepped. He yanked the lance with his free hand, pulling the rider in closer. The man's eyes bulged, and his feet were yanked forward, and he tripped a little in the silty creekbed. Sokka screamed as he swung the bonesword at the man, hacking at his leg. The rider was able to jump backwards just in time, but the blade of the sword caught him, nonetheless, opening a wound in the flesh.
The rider pulled out his own sword and was on Sokka in a flash, faster than he expected. Swinging downwards, he caught Sokka off balance, and he was only able to get the bonesword up in time to block the blow. The metal sword cut almost through the bonesword, and with a yank by the rider, it came free from Sokka's hand.
Sokka had to improvise, or else all was lost. He wouldn't have enough time to pull out his club, and his knives were either in Azula's possession or in the first enemy's throat. Sokka leapt at the rider, clawing at his helmet. The force of the jump pushed the man down into the creekbed, which was too shallow here to allow a repeat drowning. Instead, Sokka was able to pry the helmet off the rider, revealing a bald man with a bushy beard and bloodshot eyes.
I have no weapon.
Yes, you do.
Next to him was a jagged piece of wood, one of the larger splinters that had broken off the spear. Sokka yanked it out of the water, suppressing a cry as the wood splinters in his own hand dug deeper into the flesh, and shoved it into the man's eye. The rider screamed a horrible scream, full of agony, before Sokka silenced him forever with another jab into the remaining eye, puncturing through the socket and into his brain. The man twitched in death, the remaining pulses of life running to his fingertips and toes but unable to return to his dead brain.
Sokka pulled himself up again, exhausted, covered in blood, looking like a bloodied phantom more than a man. He stumbled towards Azula, his eyes stinging as blood and sweat dripped down from his forehead, salting his eyes and blurring his vision.
When he finally came across her, she wasn't stirring. He knelt by her.
"Azula," he said, shaking her gently. His voice trembled.
She didn't move.
"Azula, please, wake up." His voice was a cracked sob now. "Azula please, hold on, don't go…"
Tears joined the blood and sweat in his eyes. He couldn't tell if she was breathing. His hands were too punctured by splinters to try and take a pulse.
"Azula, please, you can't die, oh spirits, don't die, please, I love you…"
This can't be happening. Not again. He wanted to scream and vomit at the same time. His heart felt like it would burst, and the world around him began to spin.
Slow clapping interrupted his misery, as a dozen men stepped out of the shadows. They were led by a man in mottled maroon robes and leather armor. He had long black hair that spilled down to his shoulders, though some of it was tied up. He wore a black headband with a red triangle on it, and his eyes were painted similar to the scout he and Azula had killed earlier. He had a bow tucked into his armpit, as he continued to clap slowly and rhythmically.
Sokka stared at the man, his eyes full of hate.
"Good shot, eh?" he said, a cruel grin spreading across his features. "I got her myself. You can see from the fletching on the arrow, red and orange, just like the ones in my quiver. Do you like them? I make them specially so when I pull them from my victims, I know how many I've killed." He pulled out one of his arrows, as if to show Sokka. "I coat them in a poison. I call it the Long Farewell. Do you know why, Nightwolf?"
Sokka didn't respond. He ignored the pain as he gripped his club and yanked it off his belt, standing slowly, without balance, facing the man who had to be Vachir.
Vachir took it as an invitation to continue. "Yes, I know who you are, the warpaint is famous, even if you are covered in blood. I call it the Long Farewell, because if the arrow doesn't kill them, you'll watch them waste away. Sometimes it takes an hour, if the person is weak, but I love using it on the strong ones the most. They last for weeks, dying in a slow agony."
"You fucking bastard," Sokka said, gritting his teeth. "I'm going to murder you. And even if I fail, her father will finish the job."
Vachir sneered. "You think after I'm done, anyone will realize this was Princess Azula? Yeah, I know it's her, the highborn bitch's blue flames are recognizable anywhere. Her bastard father doesn't even care, boy. He recalled the Prince to the capital already. After I'm done with you, I'll just char her remains and throw her into the river. Look, the forest fire is already turning orange from blue." As he pointed, Sokka realized he was right. Azula's blue flames, usually sustained by her power as a firebender, were beginning to weaken, although they had still spread far and wide as orange flames. "No one will ever know," he said, his voice slithering like a snake in the grass. "After all, it's the least I can do to repay Prince Ozai for the shame he brought down on me." Vachir spat into the grass. "For all we know, she ain't even his kid. Probably belonged to his wife's lover from Hira'a, just like the little Princeling."
Sokka's blood was aflame. He wanted to rip this man shred to shred, but he still took note of the man's words. Wife's lover?
Fuck being a knight. Fuck idealism. I want blood, I want his blood, and I want to make him choke on it.
"But for you, I'm not going to use any poisoned arrows," Vachir said, still grinning. "Just regular will do the trick. You're not worth it. Gotta say, boy, the man didn't live up to the myth."
Sokka charged at him with a howl, mustering every bit of energy left in him to kill this man. He knew it would be the last thing he did on this earth, but it would be worth it. Anything to Azula. If this world was going to be cruel and rob him of love after finding it for the second time, in such a manner, he didn't want to live in it. And the last thing he would do is make sure the man who killed this love didn't live in it, either.
Vachir was clearly expecting this; he pulled his bow out from under his armpit and yanked an arrow from his quiver, nocking and drawing it in one smooth motion before releasing it. Sokka barely had time to register the movement before he dipped to his side, but the arrow grazed his face, opening up a long cut from under his left eye to his ear. Vachir's next arrow caught him right in the shoulder, but Sokka didn't care. He hardly felt it. All that he felt was the red mist, the same berserker rage that overcame him when he saw Saira's broken body in the cave – it was overtaking him now, for his grief, for the loss of his new love.
Vachir's eyes opened wide as he realized that the Water Tribesman wasn't going to stop. He backed up, trying to fall back into the semicircle his men had formed.
All hell broke loose.
Shadow figures, with faces of white and red, detached themselves from the smoke and shadow of the forest, appearing like phantoms in the now orange flickering flames. They were armored, in green, and fought with bladed war fans. They engaged his men, leaving Vachir alone without support.
The Nightwolf found his lone prey. Sokka leaped at him, crushing his ribs with a mighty swing of the club. Vachir spat blood and choked on it, and Sokka leapt onto him, shoving him down into the grass. He dropped the club and began pounding away at Vachir's face, not giving a damn as the splinters pushed further and further into his skin. He couldn't tell how much of the blood dripping from his fists was his own, and how much of it was Vachir's, as he pounded the man's face into pulp. Vachir got a knee up and into Sokka's stomach, knocking him off. It hit him center in the diaphragm, causing Sokka to heave in an attempt to breathe. Vachir clambered on top of him and started squeezing his throat with both hands.
"I'm going to enjoy this, Nightwolf," he hissed. "I can't wait to see the life leave your eyes."
Sokka's hands flailed around, trying to find anything, anything sharp or blunt that he could use to strike Vachir. His vision began to darken around the edges, and everything began to swim.
His hands found something hard and round, and grasping it, he struck Vachir on the side. Judging from the crack of his ribs, it was a rock or something equally solid. Vachir screamed as he slumped off Sokka, his hands releasing Sokka's neck.
He gulped in huge breaths of air, pushing himself up. His vision was blurred, a mix of salt and blood falling into his eyes, causing them to burn. He needed a weapon, something, anything...
Fuck it.
Sokka broke the fletching off the arrow embedded in his shoulder and reached behind his back, trying to feel the arrowhead. When he found it, he grasped his fist around it and pulled.
The pain there nearly ended him. It felt like the world was yanked out from under his feet.
He stumbled around, trying to find Vachir. He stumbled over a body - whoever it was, they were still breathing. He wiped the tears and blood from his eyes, and his vision cleared just enough to reveal Yu-Yan tattoos on the man's face.
Vachir.
Sokka put the broken arrow shaft in between his knuckles, the arrowhead protruding from his fist. With a final, heavy grunt, he shoved that fist directly down onto Vachir's nose. With a sickening crack, the nose caved in, the bone, arrowhead, and cartilage burying itself through the nasal cavity and into Vachir's brain. The man let out an unholy shriek as he lost control over all his limbs, twitching furiously.
Sokka grabbed the rock he'd found and crushed Vachir's skull one last time. The man's shrieking and flailing came to a brutal, deafening silence. Another layer of blood spurted all over him, fresh and dripping, replacing the caked and dried blood already coated over his face and limbs. Sokka climbed off the ruin that had once been a man, only to find himself surrounded by a dozen painted ones, metal war fans in their hands. All of Vachir's men lay dead or dying in the grass.
It was eerily quiet, save for the crackling of flames in the forest. The foul stench of dying men, blood, guts, and smoke pervaded everything.
The mist lifted from his eyes, and suddenly the dull throbbing of the arrow wound in his shoulder began to spread over his body. The pain made him cry more, which mixed with the blood flowing freely from his cheek wound. His black and white and grey face paint was now smeared with red.
How unholy I must look.
The painted ones had their guard up, as if they expected him to attack at any moment, but the pain and blood loss finally forced Sokka to drop, losing all balance as he fell to his knees. The painted ones eased up their guard, looking at each other.
That wasn't strictly true, though Sokka was too weak to realize it. They were looking at one of them in particular, a painted one with auburn hair and greenish-blue eyes. She gave them an imperceptible nod – some of them faded back into the trees, while two went off towards Azula.
The auburn haired one knelt next to Sokka, gripping his chin with a gentle but firm hand, yanking his blurred eyes towards her – he only just realized that it was a woman. All of them were women.
"Are you the Nightwolf?"
Sokka barely heard her, but he was able to nod just a little. He didn't know why they cared who he was. All that was important was saving Azula somehow, if she was even alive. "Please… my… save her… please," he managed to choke out.
The woman's eyes darted behind Sokka towards where Azula had fallen. "She's been poisoned, but I know the antidote. The poison won't kill her, but we might still lose her because of the arrow."
"Don't…care… me. Just her. Please," Sokka was begging her.
She gave him a nod. "We'll try our best. For both of you."
Sokka nodded and teetered over. The world went black as the ground rushed up to meet him.
XXXXX
When he came to, it was still night. Sokka felt a sharp pain jolt down his arm, causing him to cry out softly. He felt tired, aching, and torn in every corner of his body.
The next jolt he felt was in his heart.
Azula.
Like a madman, he leapt to his feet, ignoring the screaming pain he felt in his arm, which lay useless by his side. Efforts to move it eventually yielded fruit, but at the cost of immeasurable hurt. He cast his eyes around wildly, trying to find Azula. He was in a small clearing, in a camp of some sort. He could no longer smell the smoke or see the flames of the burning forest.
"Where is she?" he shouted, manically.
The auburn-haired girl ran to him, grabbing him by the ribs and waist and lowering him gently down to the ground. She still had her face paint on, though Sokka became acutely aware that he no longer had his. In fact, but for his breeches, he was mostly undressed. He'd been washed at some point, and there was even a bandage on his cheek. His shoulder was wrapped as well, where the arrow had gone through.
"Where… where am I?" he asked, gasping. "Where is she?"
The auburn-haired woman shushed him gently, helping him get comfortable on the ground. "She'll live. It was a close thing, but we were able to get her the antidote. She yanked the arrow out and cauterized her own wound with firebending, and then passed out screaming. She's breathing. She'll be fine."
"F-firebending?" Sokka gulped. His senses returned in a flood.
Fuck. If they know…
"Yes, firebending. And the way you were calling out for her all night, you must have known, so don't try to hide it. The only reason we haven't killed her is because you're Water Tribe, so we figured you must have a good reason for protecting the Firebender." The auburn girl looked back, and Sokka's eyes followed hers, hoping to catch a glimpse of Azula, but she was looking only at a tent. Perhaps that was where Azula was.
"If you don't mind me asking, what is she to you?" the girl asked him.
Sokka closed his eyes, letting a grateful tear slip down his cheek. "She's…" he didn't know the word to use. Girlfriend? Somehow that sounded too adolescent. Wife? That would be a lie, although the idea of Azula as his wife made something stir deep within him.
"You love her, don't you?" the girl finished. Sokka simply nodded. Their eyes met, and he couldn't quite read the emotion that she carried within. Her eyes were far too steely for that. Was it suspicion? Was it pity? Or a combination of the two?
"Well… she'll be alright. But I have to ask. Her name… we overheard you and the Rough Rhino soldier talking. Is she the Fire Nation princess?"
Sokka didn't say anything, his words forming a lump in his throat. A grimace settled over his features. "If anything happens to her…"
To his surprise, the auburn woman simply giggled. "Don't worry. We don't hurt defenseless people. You two will be safe as long as you're with us."
Sokka sighed. "Thank you. I'm sorry if I sounded like an ass. Bad day."
The girl smiled at him. He couldn't make out her features well through the paint, but she was pretty, no doubt about it. At least she seemed somewhat friendly.
"You were fighting like a possessed bull, did you know? And yes, I could tell it was a bad day. More than one. It's actually the next night now."
Sokka blanched a little. "The next night?"
"You were in bad shape. I'm not surprised."
Sokka looked down. His body was mostly spotless now, and his hands were bandaged as well. "Do I have you to thank for the bath?"
She nodded. "Me and the girls took care of both of you. You looked like a demon, the way you were, all tall and caked in blood and guts after you killed Vachir. We saw the Komodo Rhino you killed, by the way. Is that how-"
"Yeah," he said, looking at the bandaged hands once more. "Spear shaft shattered when I tore open the rhino's guts. Fucked up my hands."
She winced sympathetically. "Well, at least it's over. What on earth were you doing out there looking for the Rough Rhinos, anyway? We've been tracking this splinter group for days as they went around Chin, pillaging the fields and outlying farmsteads." She looked him once over. "When I was washing your face, I saw the white war paint underneath the grime and gore. I've heard of a Water Tribesman who fights like that – warpaint, bone knife, bone swords, and a boomerang." Her eyes flickered to the metal L-shaped hunk laying on his belt. "We recovered all your weapons, by the way. Except for the bone sword, that's more or less broken."
"If you mean the Nightwolf… yes, that's me, if you're confirming what I told you back in the forest. Thank you for retrieving my weapons. What's your name?"
"Suki," she said, smiling softly. "Nice to meet you, Nightwolf. I have to say, you kinda live up to your legend."
Sokka frowned. "I honestly didn't realize I was one."
Her name seemed familiar, somehow. Suki…
"Well, you are. Bit of a minor celebrity in the Southern Earth Kingdom, or anywhere that gets traffic from people passing by the South Pole. I didn't really believe it at first, when I heard the story almost two years ago, but then there were too many reports to ignore. Figured there had to be shred of truth to it all."
He realized that she looked a great deal like the statue of Avatar Kyoshi the Fire Nation soldiers torched in the pyres in the center plaza of the Kyoshi Island village. In fact, the face makeup was almost identical.
"Hey… you wouldn't happen to be from Kyoshi Island, would you?" he asked.
Her smile disappeared as she saw the look in his eyes. "Yeah. What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Sokka's frown turned sad and apologetic. "I'm sorry, Suki… but the Fire Nation came. They torched the village and put most of the people to the sword. We saved everyone we could."
Stray tears fell from the girl's eyes, ruining the immaculate lines of her makeup. "W-what?" Her eyes hardened and she yanked him by the collar of his tunic. "Tell me everything." He winced, and she lowered him back to the ground, apologetically. "Sorry."
Sokka sighed. "It's alright. You're the Kyoshi Warriors, aren't you? Oyaji told us about you."
Her eyes glistened and she cracked a sad smile. "Oyaji's alive?"
Sokka nodded. "He is, as are about fifty of your villagers. I think that's everyone who survived."
"Can you tell me from the beginning?"
Sokka started from the beginning - with their discovery of Aang, Zuko's attack, the dispatch of the Fire Nation fleet, and how they came across the village on their way from the Temple. He left out a few details - Aang's glowing outbursts, Iroh and the White Lotus - but the story was mostly told intact. He held back on some of the details of what happened in the village, but Suki stopped him, sensing his reticence. She asked him for everything he remembered. When he told the story of the woman who'd been brutally assaulted and murdered, his voice cracked and tears fell from his eyes as well as hers.
"I'm so sorry that this happened to your people, Suki."
She shook her head. "It's my fault. I wasn't there. I left to go fight in a war because I got sick and tired of sitting on the sidelines and then, when the war came to my doorstep... I wasn't there."
Sokka put his hand over hers. "Look, take it from someone who knows a lot about guilt... you can't blame yourself. The only people really responsible are the ones who do the evil things. I fought a one-man war against the Fire Nation from my home and started a chain reaction that led to my people having to abandon their homeland." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "If I let that eat at me, I'll never be able to get anything done. We just have to keep carrying on, and hope that our choices help bring this fucking war to an end as quickly as possible." He pulled his hand away, rubbing his shoulders as goosebumps traveled over them.
"You say that, but how can you be with the Fire Nation princess after all the evil things her people have done?"
"Her people," Sokka said, stressing the second word. "Not her. She judged and sentenced and executed the soldiers on Kyoshi Island for their crimes against your people. She saved my life, and I was nothing but an enemy to her. She fought in a war against her brother for me. She saved the Avatar from being taken back to the Fire Nation." Sokka shrugged. "How can you see all of that and not believe in her?"
Suki was quiet for a moment. "I'm not surprised your people made you warchief, Nightwolf. You have a way with words. And thank you for sticking up for my people. Not many folks out there that would have done something like that for strangers."
Sokka smiled. "Please, call me Sokka. Nightwolf is something for enemies. Far as I can tell, you're a friend." Suki returned the smile weakly at that.
"Sokka it is, then. Would you like us to escort you and the Princess back to Chin?" She didn't ask, but Sokka sensed the hidden request within the courteous offer. She wants to go see her people.
"We'd be happy if you took us back," he said, granting her the unspoken request. "You can take us back to Appa. If any of your girls are wounded, they can go on his saddle back to Chin." He lifted himself up slightly, leaning against a box full of supplies. "I'll need to collect some proof of the Rhinos, though. To show the magistrate I took care of Vachir." Suki nodded and stood up, walking a few feet away from him before she leaned over to rummage around in a box. She pulled out a number of pendants, all of them made of rhino horn. She also pulled out a bow and arrows, unmistakably Vachir's.
"These should do. All the Rough Rhinos wear them. You struck them a blow today, Sokka. Vachir was one of that bastard Mongke's most trusted lieutenants."
Sokka gave her a grateful nod. "Was he serious about the poison? Or was he just trying to rub salt in the wound...?"
Suki gave him a sign of affirmation. "He was serious. I've seen him torture peasant families all over the Southern Earth Kingdom with it. I know the antidote, but I was a little afraid we wouldn't have the supplies necessary to make it. Luckily, he kept a little antidote on himself. That's what we fed to your Princess."
"Suki... I really can't begin to thank you enough. You saved my life. More importantly, you saved Azula's. I'm indebted to you."
She smiled. "Good, because I might need a favor one day myself. By the way... you and a princess? That's a story I have to hear. You can tell me on the way to your Sky Bison."
Sokka laughed. "Sure. But first... can I go see her?"
"Of course. After you do, let's get you something to eat so you can regain your strength." Suki helped him to his feet. At first, the world spun around him as blood rushed through all the limp parts of his body, leaving him a little lightheaded, but with Suki's support he was able to hobble over to the tent where Azula was being kept. A Kyoshi Warrior was next to her, rubbing a wet rag over her head, but she gave a reassuring nod to both of them as they entered the tent.
"How is she?" Suki asked her subordinate.
"She'll be fine, Captain. She's not too feverish and there's no sign of infection. She's tough as nails, cauterizing her wound like that."
Sokka bared his chest, gingerly, revealing a mass of scars that made both women's jaws drop. "She cauterized my wound like that, too. Nearly killed me, but I would have definitely bled to death without it. Duel with a pirate," he added, seeing the quizzical look in the Kyoshi Warrior's face. "I owe her my life, a hundred times over."
The subordinate Warrior nodded at him. "We'll be outside. Just call if you need anything." She took her leave.
Suki put her hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Take your time, but we'll be leaving soon. The faster we can get her back to Chin, get her fed and taken care of, the better." Suki, too, left the tent, leaving Sokka with Azula.
The warriors had stripped her down to nothing but the bindings she wore around her chest and private parts when expecting battle or strenuous activity. Sokka fell to his knees, running his hands through her hair and caressing her cheek.
"Gods and spirits, Azula... I thought I lost you. I wanted to die." He choked back a sob. "I can't lose you, not like I lost her. I love you, Azula. Please get better soon. I promise, I'll take care of you, I'll feed you soup, I'll rub your feet, I'll..."
And he continued to tell her all the things he would do for her, in sickness and in health, from this day, until his last day, willing her to get better and to come back to him. Outside the tent, Suki did her best not to eavesdrop, but the passion in Sokka's voice made her face redden a little.
XXXXX
"So how can you say that Avatar Kyoshi really was in the wrong?"
"Listen, strange bald boy... don't you have someone else to pester about this?" the magistrate asked exasperatedly.
Aang tried to shrug as noncommittally as possible. "I mean, I'm just saying. The Kyoshians seem to really respect her! I haven't really heard your side of the story yet.
Tong sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Look. Chin the Great was a visionary leader who nearly united the Earth Kingdom into a singular empire. He righted the wrongs of the weak Earth King of his day, and if he had succeeded, the Earth Kingdom would have been strong and united in the face of the Fire Nation's aggression. Instead, at the cusp of victory, when all that was left for him to conquer was the small outstretched Yokoya peninsula, Kyoshi stepped in. She was a self-hating, cruel, spiteful woman who could not handle the incoming glory of the Earth Kingdom! So she split Yokoya from the mainland, creating Kyoshi Island, and then she brutally murdered Chin in his sleep. Our forefathers, soldiers and camp followers in his army, settled down here, creating the town of Chin, named in honor of the great conqueror." The magistrate pointed a bony finger towards the large granite statue in the town square. "That's him. Chin, our hero."
"But I thought Avatars don't get involved..."
"Hmph! Kyoshi was a brute tyrant, Roku was an ineffective pushover, and what happened to the Airbender who was supposed to come after? Probably ran away or was too weak and died in the genocide." The magistrate made a noise of annoyed dismissal and walked away, leaving Aang alone on the wooden platform at the wall that served as a watchtower. He pulled up a chair and sat, directing his gaze to the fields outside the village walls.
Aang felt his rage boil up, and his hands balled into fists. Almost too late, he realized that for him to become so upset was dangerous, so he bared his nails and dug them into the palms of his hand, drawing blood in an effort to keep his mind clear.
"Aang, there you are, I've been- Aang?" Katara's tone shifted from relieved to find him to worried. "What did you do to your hand?" She marched past the guard on the battlement and into the covered platform.
"Nothing," Aang said bitterly, opening the palm of his hand to reveal blood dripping down from several cuts. "Crap."
"It's nothing major, I can handle it." Katara discreetly bent some water out of her skin, coating Aang's wound and healing the cuts quickly. "What made you do that?" She pulled up the other chair next to his, sitting down by him.
"The magistrate said some stuff about Avatar Kyoshi..."
"You know it's all nonsense, Aang. Azula said as much!"
"But what if it's not? Technically, all Azula said is that the story was told differently by different people. He's right, Roku completely failed at starting the outbreak of the war. I disappeared for a hundred years; what's stopping Kyoshi from being a murderer?"
Katara gave him a sharp look. "What does it even matter if she was, Aang? That was a past life, but it's not you. As far as I can tell, each Avatar is sort of... loosely connected. You have your own personality and ethical system. I mean, do you even remember what you did as Roku or Kyoshi?
Aang sighed. She had a point, but it still sat poorly with him. "No, I guess not. Still, it bothers me. Everything the monks taught me about what my role was in the worst seems to fly against the reality of what my predecessors did. I don't know how to reconcile what I was taught with the things I learn about the ones who came before."
Katara kissed Aang's cheek. "The fact that you worry so much about being better is what makes me feel like you will be, Aang. Even then, keep in mind, this village was founded by followers of Chin. It's not like they're reliable sources of information..."
"Heh. Guess not," Aang said, smiling a little. "Thanks, Katara. You really know how to raise a person's spirits." Katara beamed at him.
"Good. What do you want to do? I don't know how long Azula and Sokka will be out... It's been two days." she murmured. Aang sensed the slightest tremor in her voice at her brother's name. He put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.
"Sokka will be alright. He's got Azula watching his back." Aang said, reassuringly.
Katara sighed. "I know, but I still worry. I've just gotten him back and it worries me sick that he'll go out there and get hurt or worse."
"Just gotten him back? You mean, in the sense that his personality changed after meeting the Princess, right?" he asked. Katara nodded at him in affirmation.
"It's just so good to have the old him back. Well, not quite the old him... he's a little different, just like Saira was different from Azula. I think they bring out different aspects of him, but either way, it's much better than what he became after Saira died."
Aang bit his lip. "You know, when I went with him to Heart's Hollow, it was like seeing a completely broken person. But the most interesting - I guess if that's the right word - thing about it was... Azula. It was like all the ice surrounding her just melted when she saw him vulnerable. They have an intense bond." His eyes narrowed playfully. "And spirits, the stuff we heard from their room the other night..."
Katara blushed deeply. "Don't get me wrong, he was nearly married at one point and it's not like Saira kept it a secret from me that they were up to... stuff," she said, face reddening to cinnamon. "But it's so weird to think of my brother doing that. With a Princess, no less."
"Well, I don't think they went all the way," Aang whispered conspiratorially, wiggling his eyebrows, causing Katara to giggle. Feeling brave, he decided to take push his luck. "What do you think Sokka would think if he heard stuff like that from our room?"
The gamble paid off, because Katara couldn't be any redder if she tried. A few incoherent stammers came out of her mouth, and Aang burst out laughing loudly. She bent water out of her waterskin and splashed it on his face, but it didn't dampen his spirits any. "I'm just kidding, Katara. It was nice to sleep next to you without going that far," he said. Despite her embarrassment, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"It was nice," she said softly, thinking of the way he'd pulled her in closer by her waist last night.
A scream split the quiet of the night. Aang jumped to his feet immediately, scanning the outside of the wall, but Katara pulled him by the shoulder.
"Aang, that was from inside the village," she said, a tone of worry creeping into her voice.
"Shit. The Kyoshians." The exchanged a glance and took off from the tower, heading towards the source of the disturbance. Many of the guards along the wall abandoned their posts as well, rushing towards the noise. As Aang and Katara dashed through the winding alleys of the town, an acrid smell began to fill their nostrils. That, combined with the flickering orange lights now emanating from their destination, signalled only one thing: fire.
More screams rent the night.
XXXXX
"...And naturally, the Princess couldn't resist my charms," Sokka said smugly to Suki, who only giggled in response.
They were walking alongside Appa, with six of the other Kyoshi warriors trailing behind them and around them. Sokka had told him his tale from beginning to end. Some others were on Appa's saddle, alongside Azula, who was still sleeping. Appa had gazed at Sokka with baleful eyes when they'd put Azula on his saddle, as if he shared his pain. Sokka had rubbed the bison's fur and put his forehead on Appa's neck affectionately.
"You and me both, bud. I hope she'll be fine." Appa huffed air at him, as if to say she will be.
The Kyoshi warriors and Sokka were nearing the village as he continued to talk to Suki, the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. Sokka found that he admired her. She was kind and ferocious in equal measure. Part of him was sad that they weren't around to stave off the attack on Kyoshi Island, but the other half was glad. If they'd been caught by surprise, they might not have survived.
"I think you're omitting some details. She's a princess and frankly, way too good-looking for you..." she wrinkled her nose. "You're kind of a meathead."
Sokka laughed. "You're not even the first person to tell me that. I guess that's me, the meat and sarcasm guy. Turns out it was enough for her. Also, I'll be sure to pass your compliments on to Gran-Gran, she thought the same thing about Azula. Something about the men in our family chasing after women way out of their league." He kicked a nearby rock. "Although honestly, I think she was just puffing herself up with regards to Grandpa."
"You know, it's kind of refreshing that you haven't made any comments about me and my girls. Usually people dismiss us out of hand when they find out the famed Kyoshi Warriors are women," Suki said.
Sokka let out a barking laugh. "Well, if you'd caught me when I was sixteen, maybe I would have made a similar comment. But..."
"But what? Changed your mind in the meantime?" Suki teased.
"Something like that. If you saw the Princess fight, how could you not? Or Katara, for that matter. She's hardly trained but she can be a menace when she wants to be with her Waterbending."
"But they're both benders. You could just attribute that to their bending abilities."
"True," Sokka said, scratching his chin. A small layer of stubble had grown back in, itching as it grew longer. "But when Katara and I were the oldest kids in the village, we kind of took it upon ourselves to train the younger ones. At first I just wanted to train the guys, but then Katara made me teach the girls too, at least the ones who wanted to learn. And some of them had the potential to be better fighters than me. There's this one girl, Malina... she's an absolute menace with a sling in her hands. I hope she survived the battle," Sokka said, his voice turning sombre. "I don't think Katara even knows. She left the village as soon as she could after the Avatar and I were captured. Malina was engaged to one of my best friends from back home, Tal. I'd be gutted if anything happened to either of them."
He cleared his throat. "Anyway, the point is, seeing some of those girls fight changed my mind. They were just as capable of being braves. They fought and died for me, for my village. They followed me into battle. Treating them any lesser would disrespect that sacrifice."
"That's remarkably... advanced of you," Suki said.
"When you're faced with extinction, turns out sexism isn't a great survival strategy." Sokka said with a light laugh.
"No, but people are stubborn. They don't want to change. They're comfortable with the way things are."
"We can't afford to be. If we're going to win this war, there's going to be a lot of discomfort ahead," Sokka said, looking up at Appa's saddle, where Azula was.
"You think we can win?" Suki said with a sigh. "I'm glad you're optimistic, but I can't say I share it. Although finding out the Avatar is alive and on our side..."
"It gives me hope too. If you get to meet him before you leave, you'll see why. He's a pure soul, and he really wants to change things. All we have to do is get him up to speed with his elemental bending and we can take the war to the Fire Nation Capital. I can't wait to see Ozai's face when the Avatar is banging on his door," Sokka said, grinning wistfully.
"I hope you're right. But how does the Princess feel about that?" Suki wondered.
"Azula's got a good heart. She wants justice for what's happened. She wants to restore the honor of her people, and yeah, she can be hard, but she's ultimately fair. She'll make a good Fire Lord."
"Would that make you her Fire Lady?" Suki teased again. Sokka grimaced.
"I don't know, actually. I'm no highborn."
Suki shrugged, realizing that the realities of a future union disturbed the Water Tribesman. "I didn't think you Water Tribespeople had highborns and lowborns. That's always been and Earth and Fire thing. I always read that the Air and Water people were more... egalitarian. Seems like you're neither high nor lowborn then."
"Hmm. Never thought of it like that."
"Besides, from what you tell me, it sounds like your people chose you to be their leader. You're not undeserving of her. And it sounds like she doesn't think that either."
Sokka looked at Suki now, right in her steely blue-green eyes, his admiration growing. "I can see why you're the leader of your warriors, aside from the fighting skill. You have that ability to say the right thing at the right time."
She laughed. "Thank you. I think it takes one to know one."
"Captain Suki! The Princess is awake!" shouted one of the warriors from Appa's saddle.
Sokka could hardly contain himself. Even with a weakened arm, he clambered onto the saddle, wincing as he lifted himself up. Azula sat across from him, now covered in green blankets, still in her battle wrappings. She looked at him with bloodshot eyes, and her mouth tugged into a small but genuine smile.
Sokka practically leapt at her, but did so softly, cognizant that she was probably weakened and in pain. "Oh spirits, 'Zula, I thought I'd lost you, thank every spirit and god in the universe that you're alright..." He wrapped his arms around her gently, but squeezed her just a little, drawing a pained laugh from her.
"There there, savage, I am indeed alive." He pulled away from her, and she saw the tears spilling from his glistening azure eyes. She cupped his cheek with her good arm. "Oh Sokka, I'm here. You didn't lose me."
He kissed her desperately, lovingly, crashing his lips into hers as if to make sure she really was there and alive, not some mirage or dream. And she didn't mind, even if it was more public than she was used to. The warmth the kiss infused into her made her feel more alive than dead, and she was grateful for that. When they pulled apart, they both smiled at each other like love struck idiots, and she found she didn't care.
"You're not going to be rid of me that easy," she teased.
He put her forehead to his. "Good thing you're such a pest, then," he whispered, his voice still trembling. "I love you, Azula."
For a moment, she was silent too, but then she mumbled softly. "I love you too, Sokka. I love you." Their eyes met, and hers were golden and ablaze. "I can't believe I could have died without telling you that. You deserve it, you savage, snow-brained, wonderful, sweet peasant. I love you." She pulled him in for another kiss, just as fiery as their first.
Neither of them noticed the Kyoshi Warriors stealing embarrassed but eager glances at the display of love in front of them, including Suki.
"Did you get Vachir?" Azula asked, when they pulled apart. Sokka nodded at her, holding her hand in his, rubbing her knuckles with his fingers.
"I did. With their help," he said, gesturing with his head towards the warriors. "I would have died if they hadn't arrived at the right time. Listen, 'Zula, Vachir said something to me before I killed him. Something I think you should know, but we'll talk about it later. It's personal."
"Personal to me?" Azula asked, incredulously. "Interesting. I'd never met the man before. I'm curious as to how he could have anything personal for me."
"You never met him, but your father did. It can wait though." She gave him a quizzical eyebrow, but dropped it. If it was indeed private and concerning, they'd speak of it later. Azula saw the painted woman standing behind them.
"Are you the leader of these warriors?" Azula asked.
Suki nodded at her. "Captain Suki, Princess. I'd say it's a pleasure, but..."
"I understand, Captain. Thank you for saving me, and thank you for saving my idiot here," she said, affectionately flicking Sokka's jaw. "He has a tendency to bite off more than he can chew."
"He's an excellent warrior. Lives up to the legend. Although, from what he's told me, I think me and the girls were robbed of the real show in watching you fight, Princess."
Azula laughed softly. "Yes, my firebending is exquisite, but the real show is me and the Wolf together. We make an excellent team." Her eyes flickered towards the Kyoshi Warrior, whose eyes were trained on Sokka instead. A small flare of possessive jealousy flickered in Azula's chest, but when she looked at Sokka and his silly smile, his eyes trained only on her, the jealousy monster purred and went back to sleep.
"Captain!" cried another warrior, from the front of the formation. Azula craned her neck to see - ahead, she could see the treeline of the forest break, leading to the plain that lay in between the forest and Chin. "There's something wrong! The town is on fire, and the gate has been knocked down!"
Suki leapt off Appa's saddle. Sokka shared a concerned look with her and turned around to survey the village. "Shit," he said, grumbling. "Aang and Katara..."
"I'm sure they're fine, Sokka. Go, go check on them. I'll be right behind you," Azula said, gritting her teeth. I just want to lay in bed with him for the next week, is that too much to ask? she thought.
"No, you won't," Sokka responded sternly. "You had poison coursing through your veins and you're still pretty hurt. There's no reason for you to put yourself in danger."
Azula's eyes narrowed. I'm not sitting this one out, Sokka. I can take care of myself."
Sokka sighed exasperatedly. "I'm not saying you can't, Princess. Look, why don't you take Appa and provide aerial support? That way you can help without me worrying about you being on the ground. I do stupid things when you're hurt."
She raised an eyebrow. "Like?"
"Like rip a Komodo Rhino in half, and tear an arrow out of my shoulder. Now stay. on. Appa. Promise me."
She sighed. "Fine, you obstinate man. I promise." She kissed him once more. "Don't get killed. I'll murder you if you do."
"Deal," he said, with a smile, before leaping off Appa's saddle and tearing off with the rest of the warriors towards the town. Azula picked herself up and walked wobbling to Appa's reins.
"Hey there boy. You feel up for a ride?" she asked, softly. She wouldn't have believed anyone if they'd said as much before, but the bison was growing on her. He craned his head up a little to look at her with his big, kind eyes, and huffed on her affectionately.
"I'm glad to see you too, Appa," she said, laughing lightly. "Yip yip!"
XXXXX
Katara and Aang burst through the crowd to find several huts on fire. The Kyoshians were surrounded by soldiers, who were forcing them back towards the burning building. A crowd of Chinite townspeople were hurling objects at the Kyoshians.
They found the magistrate, standing alongside the soldiers. Aang nearly tackled the man.
"What's the meaning of this, magistrate? You swore you would keep the Kyoshians safe while the Nightwolf was hunting your bandits!"
Tong gave him a sneer. "That was what I promised, yes, but then we caught one of these Kyoshians stealing food from the market!"
"They're hungry! The worst thing that deserved was a night in prison for the offender, but even then, they wouldn't have had to steal if you were giving them rations!" Katara said, incredulously. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because they're all filthy criminals, like their filthy Kyoshi! They come here like cockroaches to beg our protection and then they steal from us! No more will we tolerate these perfidi-"
"ENOUGH!" Aang raged. His voice was so boomingly loud, carried by his airbending, that everyone stopped to stare at him. Even the Chinites stopped haranguing the Kyoshians to look at the bald man who had fury in his grey eyes. "I am Avatar Aang, and these people are under my protection!" He swept his staff in a crescent, blowing all the soldiers off their feet. Katara dashed to the nearest well, bending water out of it and onto the burning building, before turning to stand shoulder to shoulder with a defiant Aang. "I have been gone from this world for too long! I will settle this dispute here and now, in the name of my predecessor Kyoshi, but you will not lay another finger on these innocent people, magistrate, or I will knock down you entire town with the storm."
The magistrate cowered at Aang's feet. "Your predecessor murdered our great Chin!"
"And for that, you think you have the right to punish these innocents?" Aang roared. "Punish me, if you have the guts! Only a coward picks on the defenseless. Punish me!" Katara stared at Aang in awe. She'd seen him exude power in his Avatar state, but this was just Aang... and he was ferocious. She began to feel an inkling of what others might have felt when dealing with a fully powerful Avatar in the past, like Roku or Kyoshi.
"Guards!" cried the magistrate. They had picked themselves up now, surrounding Aang and Katara in a circle. "Arrest them!" ordered Tong.
Just then, there was a loud boom away from the village square, back where the palisade gate stood. Screaming broke out, away from them, close to where the boom was heard. The guards began to look at each other worriedly.
"What... what was that?" Katara asked.
A loud braying noise broke through the screams and cacophony of the night. Flaming arrows were shot, landing here and there on thatched roofs, setting them ablaze. A few found unfortunate villagers, who screamed as the arrows punctured them and set them on fire simultaneously.
"Rhinos," Aang yelled, recognizing the braying. "The Rough Rhinos are here!"
The magistrate ordered his men to head towards the battle, but he kept a few behind as a personal guard, heading back to the safety of his village. Aang shouted after him, calling the man a craven and a weakling, but Tong didn't even so much as look back at them.
"Katara, we have to do something," Aang said. "Oyaji, you need to get your people to safety. Go to the back of the village and find shelter. Don't come out unless you're found, or unless Katara or I come for you." The old man nodded and began to shepherd his people away. More and more Chinites ran past them, fleeing whatever it was that had broken through the front gate of the village.
Aang pulled Katara in tight, and she latched onto him, arms around his waist, burying her face in his neck. Aang pulled out his staff and activated the glider wings, and with a blast, he kicked them off high into the night sky. He looped around the entry of the gate, and he saw multiple men on rhinoback, fighting the guards and cutting down villagers. Some of them were shooting flaming arrows while others were setting fire to the village buildings with torches.
The night began to blend into the earliest reaches of dawn, and a pale blue light began to settle over the world. It should have been the peaceful few moments before everyone woke, but the attack on the Kyoshians and the raid by the Rough Rhinos shattered everything.
Katara pressed her lips to his quickly. "For luck. Please be safe, Aang." Her blue eyes shimmered with tears.
"You too, Katara. I'm going to drop you by that well. Keep yourself safe and try to put out any fires. I'll handle their leader." He kissed her once more, this time softly, gently, hoping it wouldn't be his last. "If we survive this, I'd like to kiss you sometime when our lives aren't on the line."
She gave him a small laugh. "Agreed."
He swept by a well near the gate, and Katara let go of him, landing on her feet and immediately summoning a huge plume of water out from the well. She brought it crashing down in powerful tendrils, knocking soldiers off their feet and riders off rhinoback. Aang looped backwards and landed in the center of the Rough Rhino formation.
"I am the Avatar, and this village is under my protection! Where is your leader? Come before me, coward!" Aang roared.
"Here I am, boy." A man came forward, astride a great Komodo Rhino beast. He was bald save for a top knot. He had a mustache and a goatee, and brass earrings in his earlobes. His face was scarred, and his expression cruel. Aang's eyes narrowed at him.
"You will answer for this, I promise," Aang said through gritted teeth. The man simply smiled and spread his palms out, twin orange flames bursting from them.
"Let's dance, Avatar."
A braying noise rang out from the air. Everyone in the village looked up, only to see a huge furred beast screaming down from the sky, and a madwoman wielding blue flames riding atop him.
XXXXX
Sokka charged through the broken gate of Chin, flinging his boomerang. It screamed through the air and struck a rhino rider in the head before arcing around back to Sokka's hand. He brandished his club and let out a wolf's howl.
The Kyoshi warriors were right behind him, brandishing their fans before leaping into the fray. A sea of green crashed into the crimson clad Rough Rhinos.
Sokka saw Katara fighting off a Komodo Rhino rider who wielded a bolo above his head. He threw Boomerang again. This particular rider was more aware of his surroundings, ducking before Boomerang could hit him, but it gave Katara enough window to bend a sliver of water down the man's open mouth and into his windpipe. The rider fell off, clawing at his throat, but Katara bent more water out of the well, further choking him.
He turned his attention to the sky. Azula made strafing sweeps of the battlefield, throwing blue firebolts here and there whenever she found an opening to hit a Rough Rhino. Her shots were careful and practiced, never large enough to hit an ally, and always aimed away from friends.
Aang was dueling with a firebender he'd managed to knock off his rhino. The Earth Kingdom spearmen were dealing with it, but Aang had his hands full with the Firebender. Sokka noticed the distinct appearance of the man, and remembered Azula's words - this must be Mongke.
Mental note: have Azula and Aang spar against each other. He needs the practice.
Sokka charged towards Mongke, wolf-howling again. He flung his boomerang at him with one hand, uncaring if he lost it for now - he flipped his club to his good arm, still unable to raise the wounded arm any higher than above chest level. It would be a liability in battle.
Mongke ducked away from Boomerang and cartwheeled, using his feet to kick up walls of flame between him, Sokka, and Aang. Sokka dashed around it, and he saw Aang jump over it with an air-boosted leap. Mongke was waiting for them on the other side.
Katara joined the battle, too, but Mongke was smart. He began to cast his fire indiscriminately at buildings in the village, catching them on fire. Civilians streamed out as their houses ceased to be safe havens from the battle, as the conflagration spread from roof to roof in the congested village. Katara had to abandon the fight, trying to put out the fires, but it was near useless - too many houses had caught on fire, and now the fire was spreading in different directions through different alleys of the town. She would never be able to rein it in, though she tried her best.
As Azula swept through the sky, she kept her eyes trained for one man in particular. If Yeh-Lu was here, he could inflict a lot of harm on the village.
She spotted him almost immediately. It wasn't hard - everything around him was in flames, exploding from his improvised grenades. She grit her teeth as she saw a family of civilians disintegrate as his explosives completely wiped out a house with a deafening boom. She swung Appa around, bringing him down almost vertically, getting as close to Yeh-Lu as she could, and when she spotted his bag of explosives, sitting on his hip on his Komodo Rhino, she flung flames at it and pulled Appa out of his descent. The resounding explosion below satisfied her that she blew Yeh-Lu to pieces, sending different parts of him sky high.
Down on the ground, Sokka grit his teeth. The entire village would be destroyed at this rate unless he and Aang put an end to Mongke. He hoped his battle compatibility with Aang was even half as good as with the Princess. He went low, swinging the club at Mongke's feet, but the Firebender was prepared for it, jumping out of the way while kicking flames at Sokka, who had to dash to his left to sidestep. Aang went high, leaping over where Mongke had been before swinging his staff down to create a cutting shear of wind. Mongke was only able to avoid it in time, sidestepping, but his balance was thrown off. As if by providence, one of Azula's firebolts landed by Mongke's feet at that time, as if she'd been watching the fight and waiting for the perfect time to strike. Mongke was lifted up in the air by the force of the blast.
Aang leapt underneath and swung his staff again, lifting Mongke high into the air, where Appa flew directly into him, tossing him like a ragdoll back towards the ground. Before he crashed into the ground, Aang used his airbending to make sure he landed arm and shoulder first. It was enough to shatter his arms, but not enough to kill him. Mongke might die today; it wouldn't be by Aang's hands. He looked back up to the sky, from where the Princess flung fire and death from on high.
The battle began to wind down, as the Earth Kingdom spearmen took out the surviving Rhinos, while the Kyoshi warriors subdued the remaining foot soldiers. It wasn't bloodless - there were plenty of dead Chinite soldiers, and at least two Kyoshi Warriors had been badly wounded, but they had won the day.
Sokka surveyed their surroundings, and his feeling of victory turned to ash. The entire town was up in flames, and screaming civilians fled from their homes. Aang caught his attention by tugging his sleeve.
"We have to get the people in the back of the village out. They're by the cliffside and they'll have nowhere to go." Sokka nodded in response and began waving to Azula, who brought Appa down towards an empty area by the town gate.
"Princess! We need to use Appa to evacuate the back of the village!" Aang shouted at her.
Azula clambered off deftly, though Sokka winced to see her move like that. No doubt she was still in pain and weakened from the poison. She gave Aang a perfunctory nod as he traded places with her, and with a 'yip yip!' he took off, speeding towards the back of the village. She gave Sokka a look, and he pointed towards the subdued Mongke, reading her mind.
Azula walked over to him, kicking the man in the side. He coughed and spat blood as he turned over and got a good look at his captor.
"If it isn't Princess Bitch." He spat again, this time intentionally, right at Azula's feet.
"Mongke. Rabid as ever, I see," Azula said snidely.
"Princess... I think it's my turn," Sokka said with a sigh.
She gave him a concerned look. "Are you sure, Sokka?"
He nodded. "I'm not doing it out of personal revenge this time. It's not like Kyoshi village. This monster burned down a whole town. Spirits know how many civilians are dead because of him. He has to face justice."
Azula walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Only if you're sure. I don't want this to be a step back for you." Now it was his turn to give her a look. For a second he said nothing, but simply leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Pass the sentence, your highness. I will carry it out," he said, tone somber.
Suki came over, limping, clutching at a cut on her side. "Princess, if I may... what do you plan on doing with these men?"
"They are criminals of my country, and as its rightful sovereign, I will sentence them for their crimes here." She fixed Suki with a cold glare, causing the Kyoshi Warrior to take a step back.
"They're on Earth Kingdom territory..." Suki began, but Sokka cut her off gently, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"They might be, but we don't have the time to ferry all of them to the valid authority. You can have the footsoldiers. The leaders are criminals against the Fire Nation Azula wants to build. Let them be hers to judge. Let her make up for the wrongs of her country."
He could tell Suki had her hesitations, but it was enough for him that she simply nodded and stepped back.
The Kyoshi Warriors brought Mongke's lieutenants next to him. Azula said their names as they were dragged nearby - Ogodei, the Bolo-wielder that Katara had left unconscious by choking him with water, and Kahchi, who was armed with a large guan dao. Vachir was dead, and so was Yeh-Lu.
The "trial," as it was, was perfunctory. The proof of the crimes was all around them, and the Rough Rhinos were too murderous to deny their crimes. One of the Earth Kingdom troops proffered his sword to Sokka, who took it.
I have to do this the right way. This can't be a revenge killing. In line with that, he took on a somber tone. "In the name of Azula, rightful Fire Lord of the Fire Nation by the grace of Agni and Lady of the Ash Islands, I, Sokka, Warchief of the Southern Water Tribe, Nightwolf of the South Pole, do sentence you to death for your crimes against the Earth Kingdom and its innocent civilians."
A crowd had gathered around them, some civilians, some Kyoshi Warriors, and some Earth Kingdom soldiers, their mouths agape at what was happening. Here was a woman now revealed as not only a Firebender, but the Princess of the Fire Nation, in full rebellion against her father, dispensing justice to the Rough Rhinos. The more knowledgeable among them saw history being made.
Sokka swung the sword once, and there was deathly silence as Kahchi breathed his last. He swung the sword twice, and when Ogodei died, there was some soft approval murmuring around the crowd. He hesitated before swinging the sword on Mongke, and addressed the crowd.
"People of Chin! People of Kyoshi Island! There's a lesson for all of you in this - stop judging each other by the wrongs of the past. Who gives a spirits' damn if Kyoshi killed Chin? Who gives a damn if the Kyoshi Islanders and you don't get along? We are all united in the face of evil. We have to find a way to move on and build the world we want out of the ashes left to us. The Princess will do it for her people. You start doing it for yours."
Appa landed nearby, and Aang leapt into the square with Tong and Oyaji. Katara joined them as well.
Aang addressed the crowd, stepping forward. "I am the Avatar." Gasps and more murmurs broke out among the crowd. "I can bend air-" he created a spinning ball of air and climbed it - "and I can bend water," he said, tossing a small bubble between his hands. "I have yet to learn Earth and Fire, but I will. And I will help bring balance to the world. I apologize to you all, for being absent in your time of need. I was trapped and lost in time, but I am here now. And I, too, believe in the Princess, even though it was the Fire Nation who destroyed my people. I am the last of them, but I know the Princess is good. I know she's fair. Together, we will right the wrongs of the past and bring a new era of peace."
Azula stepped forward. "I know that my nation has wronged yours deeply. I apologize for that, but it will not make up for your lost homes, your lost loved ones, and your broken lives. My ancestors have wronged this world. If you give me the chance, I will right the wrongs together with the Avatar." She turned around, and faced Sokka. "Warchief. This man's guilt has been determined and judgment has been passed. Carry out justice."
Sokka swung the sword, and Mongke breathed his last, too. He looked at the crowd and saw the awe in all their faces.
To his surprise, Tong stepped towards Aang, a look of contrition on his face. "I was wrong, Avatar, to judge the Kyoshians for the actions of Avatar Kyoshi. We may never know if Kyoshi wronged Chin or not, but we know that Avatar Aang has more than made up for it by saving the people of this town from a horrible fate. We may have lost our homes, but without you, we would have lost our families and lives too. I would like to invite the Kyoshians to help us rebuild and make a home for themselves here, and I pledge to help them return to their island when it's safe, if that should be their wish."
More murmurs of approval rang out through the crowd. Someone shouted "hail the Avatar!" and the cry became contagious. The Kyoshi Warriors were the first to kneel, led by Suki - the Earth Kingdom soldiers followed suit, and the civilians did as well, all showing their respect to Aang.
"Hail the Avatar!"
"Hail Avatar Aang!"
A small smile tugged at Sokka's lips, and he looked at Azula conspiratorially. She, too, carried the same pleasantly bemused expression.
This is the right way. This is the better path, the one she would have wanted, the one Iroh told me about. This is where the revolution begins.
For the first time, Sokka felt not like an avenging killer, but a knight.
A/N: While I enjoy a good Sukka fic, this is going to be a Sokkla story, don't you worry. No false advertising here.
But if you're looking for some Sukka, allow me to SHAMELESSLY PLUG my fuzzy feels Sukka oneshot, Fly Me To The Moon. It's a modern AU and I really like how it turned out.
I know it might be a little unusual that Aang is condoning an execution, but I think it's logical in a way. He's a pacifist, but it's a personal idea. I don't see him forcing it upon anyone else. He doesn't demand that nobody else kill, he just holds himself to that personal belief. And so if the pretender to the Fire Nation throne is meting out justice, he won't hold it against her. Her country, her rules.
Another note: I WILL BE CROSSPOSTING THIS STORY ONTO AO3 soon. If you are a regular commenter who goes by a different username on that site, kindly let me know who you are (although I'll try to guess from your reviewing style anyway :) ).
I legitimately thought about spacing this into two chapters, but nah. Y'all deserve the gratification. This, I believe, is our longest chapter of all time, even without the A/Ns and the responses to reviews. As always, please review and comment! I value every single piece of feedback I receive.
Will still probably update Friday. Whew boy, this train don't stop rolling along.