Chapter 46
A couple of weeks had passed since the summit of Yu Dao, when the Dai Li and the Earth Kingdom made their first move. Having appointed another puppet king with hardly any legitimate claim to the throne, the Earth Kingdom formally revoked its support for the plan to establish the United Republic of Nations. The Fire Nation together with the Water Tribes and Air Nation in the name of Avatar Aang, issued their own statement that by doing so all that the Earth Kingdom achieved was giving up its council seat in the United Republic, and the plans for establishing the new nation would proceed as planned, only without any involvement from the Earth Kingdom. No further communication had followed since then, and so all they could do was to proceed with their plans for the United Republic and its new, expanding capital, while waiting for further developments from the Earth Kingdom.
Together with the metalbenders from Toph's academy and the local United Republic earthbenders, Aang had overseen great progress in the development of Republic City. The new council hall was nearly finished, together with a wholly new central district of the city, and it was certainly far better planned than the uncontrolled expansion that had overtaken Cranefish Town directly after the Hundred Year War. All this meant that Azula and Sokka would soon be departing the Fire Nation capital to assume their new positions as the United Republic councilors at the Republic City, and for this one of their last evenings together, Zuko had decided to throw a little party at the royal quarters, inviting not just Azula and Sokka, but also Suki and Ty Lee, the two girls for once dressed casually, present not as his bodyguards, but as dear friends to them all.
Watching his sister desperately trying to beat Sokka at arm wrestling, stubborn as always and perhaps having had a glass of rice wine too many, Zuko couldn't stop himself from smiling, pleased about how their relationship was developing. It seemed that Sokka realized that he needed to be very slow and patient with Azula without needing to be told so, and he appeared perfectly happy waiting until Azula was ready to move onto the next step of their relationship. For all her bravado and outspokenness, Zuko was acutely aware that his sister had no experience at all with romantic entanglements, and in that sense she was still completely innocent. He certainly had trouble imagining Azula being shy about anything, but from what he had heard from Katara, behind closed doors, Azula's projected confidence and self-assuredness tended to slip away, revealing plenty of insecurities underneath.
Since the relationship between Azula and their mother had broken down a long time before his sister was ready for the 'birds and flowers talk', she was also quite clueless about some other aspects of sexual relationships. Zuko could only thank the spirits for gracing him with a girlfriend who while not only being amazing in every possible way he could think of, was also a very practical young lady. Once she had been made aware of Azula's lack of inexperience, Katara had gladly taken it upon herself to explain some basic and practical things about the physical aspects of a relationship, and even though it no doubt made Katara rather embarrassed, Zuko was absolutely certain that she had done an excellent job in preparing Azula for the next steps of her relationship with Sokka.
"Are we playing another game, or are you just going to watch those two for the rest of the evening?" Zuko snapped out of his thoughts at the voice of his beloved, Katara giving him an amused look from the other side of the Pai Sho board.
"Huh?" Zuko blinked, then chuckling to himself. "Oh, right. Sure, we can play more," he said, clearing the board from tiles. "That is, if you aren't tired of me crushing you all the time." While Katara was probably the best Pai Sho player among those present, she was still no match for Zuko and the lessons he had learned while getting ruthlessly humiliated by Uncle Iroh. Katara had a good grasp of all the basic strategies and overall was a solid player, but she simply couldn't plan more complicated combinations several moves in advance, the way Zuko had learned to plan from Uncle Iroh.
"Well, I'm happy to feed your ego for now," Katara smiled at him.
"Oh, don't do that, Katara. Let's just all team up and give Zuzu some well deserved smack down!" Azula suggested excitedly, seemingly having lost interest in the arm wrestling, suspecting that Sokka was letting her win on purpose.
"I think we'd just trip Katara up with our 'advice'," Suki laughed. She was sat comfortably in front of the large fireplace of the parlor, her girlfriend curled into her lap like a large purring kitten, Suki lazily playing with Ty Lee's hair, looking entranced as they both held a glass of rice wine in their hands. Zuko was happy to see that Ty Lee on her part looked perfectly relaxed. Despite having that heart to heart talk with Azula some time ago which had cleared most of the tension, Ty Lee still felt just a tiny bit wary around his sister, and Zuko couldn't really blame her for that. Ty Lee's trust and affection for Azula had been so utterly complete and unbreakable during their early years, and his sister had done nothing but abused that trust time and time again. Even if Azula was earnestly trying to turn the page, for Ty Lee it wasn't something that was easy to get over.
"Or perhaps we could play something else that all of us can enjoy equally," Katara suggested. She then thought of something. "Oh, and Suki, I'm not playing truth or dare, so don't even think to suggest that again."
"That sounds exciting, I want to play that!" Azula pouted.
"Trust me, you really don't, sister," Zuko chuckled, shaking his head at her. "We can always play cards, I guess?" he suggested.
"I don't know, Suki or Ty Lee will probably suggest that we play a strip version of our game of choice, or something equally embarrassing," Katara sighed, making the couple at the fireplace burst into giggles.
"It would be fun, Katara," Suki laughed. "You just haven't had enough wine to realize it."
"I'm pretty sure that there's some rule which doesn't allow the Fire Lord to engage in something potentially embarrassing," Zuko pointed out. "I'm sure we can have plenty of fun finishing off these two last bottles of wine while chatting."
"That sounds boring..." Azula whined. "I wanna do something!"
"Just grab Sokka and come cuddle next to us at the fireplace," Suki suggested. "He's pretty handy to have around for that purpose." Sokka blushed slightly at that comment by his ex-girlfriend.
"Hah, I guess you would know," Azula laughed. While she was aware that Sokka and Suki had been together for a couple of years, she didn't seem to feel threatened by Suki or any other girl. Zuko could feel that despite having gone through a lot of mental hardships, Azula had never abandoned her sense of superiority and still firmly believed that because of how amazing she was, she had no reason to treat anyone as a challenge.
"It's not a bad advice, mind you," Sokka winked at Azula, taking her hand and leading her over to the fireplace, the two sitting down and in short order, Azula found herself leaning in against Sokka's chest, allowing herself to be held. Grabbing one of the remaining wine bottles, Zuko wrapped his other arm around Katara's waist and led her over to the fireplace to join the others, sitting close by the warming fire, drinking the wine straight from bottle, then passing it over to Sokka and Azula, who gladly partook in the drinking.
"I'm going to miss you when you leave for the Republic City, Azula," Zuko spoke up once they had all settled in comfortably. "But at the same time, I can't help feeling a little jealous of you. You'll get to be a part of something new and exciting, something incredibly important. You'll have the opportunity to leave your mark on the history of the world."
"Aww, I'm going to miss you too, Zuzu. And Katara, of course," Azula smiled at him. "But you're right, I think it'll be really exciting. Sometimes it gets a bit boring here in the palace, but I think there will be lots and lots to do in Republic City."
"Indeed, and you will be surrounded by friends there as well," Zuko smiled back at her. "You'll get to know Aang better. I think you'll like him, although he's become really serious with age, and he might be a little unsettled if you talk too much about crushing the opposition or things like that."
"Fortunately, I will always be nearby to clear up any misunderstandings," Sokka pointed out, leaning in to kiss Azula's brow. She momentarily stiffened at the touch, but then seemed to relax, settling in more comfortably into his embrace. "After all, my diplomatic skills are something to behold."
"Oh really?" Katara gave her brother a disbelieving stare. "I thought you were the one here who was literally born with his foot in the mouth."
"Ouch, betrayed by my own sibling," Sokka laughed good-naturedly. "But yeah, I think we'll have an amazing time in the Republic City. Yu Dao is like next doors, so Toph will probably be visiting often. Maybe I can talk Toph to move her metalbending academy to Republic City."
"That sounds like a good idea, I hope she will accept," Zuko nodded in approval.
"Azula, I'm not sure if you'll ever become great friends with Aang, but I think you're definitely going to hit it off well with Toph," Sokka said, giving his girlfriend a tight squeeze that made her swat playfully at him.
"Oh, that feisty little earthbender girl, yes, I thought she was pretty fun even when she was chucking boulders at me," Azula laughed. "Yes, I want to meet her again. I'm just sad we won't have a councilbear now with the Earth Kingdom jerks pulling out..."
"Yes... poor Bosco, I hope he's alright," Katara sighed, but before anyone could get depressed about the uncertainty of the poor bear's fate, they were interrupted by an unexpected knock on the doors.
"Ugh, I had asked not to be interrupted, so it's probably something urgent," Zuko sighed, reluctantly letting go of Katara and getting up to walk over to open the doors. "And urgent always means bad when you're the Fire Lord," he grumbled, letting the messenger inside, one of the Kyoshi girls who bowed her head low in apology as she handed him a letter with the royal seal.
"From Lord Iroh in Ba Sing Se," the girl explained unnecessarily, Zuko immediately realizing who had sent the message. "He insists it is most urgent."
"I see... well, thank you," Zuko nodded at the girl and then closed the doors again once she had retreated. He unceremoniously tore open the envelope as he returned to the fireplace to sit next to Katara, starting to read the message from his uncle. "Well... that's not good," he managed, having gotten to the end of the short letter, sinking feeling starting to build in his gut.
"Spirits, no... how dare they start this now!" Katara exclaimed, looking shocked and outraged.
"Uh, what's going on, sis? Zuko?" Sokka asked worriedly.
"The new puppet king of the Earth Empire has called for the mobilization of their armed forces," Zuko explained with a stony look on his face. "They're pushing for a mass recruitment drive."
"Ha! Now those fools are just asking for it!" Azula exclaimed, sounding eager. "I say we let them have it, should they try anything!"
"I can't believe it..." Ty Lee sobbed, looking distraught. "Haven't they had enough? Haven't they realized how horrible war is?"
"You would think so, but apparently not," Katara snarled angrily. "Of course, the Dai Li themselves will not be fighting on the frontlines, I'm sure. They don't care about sending others to die for them."
"Does your uncle write what's going to be the target of their attack?" Suki looked at Zuko. "I'm guessing they intend to use force to occupy the United Republics?"
"That's what my uncle assumes as well," Zuko nodded. "We'll have to mobilize our forces immediately. And Katara... we need all hands on deck for this one, it can't be seen as the Fire Nation against the Earth Kingdom. We need as many waterbenders and warriors as the Tribes can spare... both tribes."
"I'm going to write to my father and Chief Arnook right away," Katara spoke decisively, giving him a quick kiss before springing up to her feet and rushing off to her study to pen the urgent messages.
"Ugh, so much for downsizing the Fire Nation army to prove to the others that we won't be the aggressors anymore," Zuko sighed, feeling deeply frustrated. "I guess we'll need a recruitment drive of our own... putting good people who have already seen too much war into harm's way again."
"Zuzu, now that we're both on the same side again, those Earth Kingdom jerks won't stand a chance," Azula exclaimed passionately. "All you need to do is to unleash me on them, and it'll all be over!"
"I love your confidence, sister, but I'm not just going to throw you at the entire Earth Kingdom army," Zuko smiled at Azula. "No, I think I'll find a much better use for your talents, Azula. Once I have more intelligence on the size of their army and their movements, we should be able to pick and choose targets for you to hit. Maybe a small infiltration team..."
"I hope you'll find some use for the Kyoshi Warriors as well," Suki nodded firmly. "Just because my core team are all Earth Kingdom, you won't find any of my girls agreeing with what the Dai Li are doing. And we'd be perfect to use a strike team as well. Maybe we can work with Azula."
"I don't know, Suki," Ty Lee frowned, looking conflicted. "We're all really used working together with our own styles, right? Azula's bending is so powerful and destructive, I don't think it mixes well with the way we fight."
"Ty Lee, I'm going to deploy both the Kyoshi Warriors and Azula the way that I think gives us the best chance to win this thing," Zuko told Ty Lee patiently, but firmly. "I hope you still trust me to do that."
"Of... of course, Zuko!" Ty Lee exclaimed instantly. "I will do whatever you ask of me!"
"Good to hear," he smiled at the girl, then returning to his musings. "Hmm... I'll have to kick my generals into action first thing tomorrow, and hopefully they will also have some ideas, but right now we really need more intelligence about the Earth Kingdom army movements and intentions."
"They'll need a lot of time to organize and then reach the United Republic," Suki thought aloud. "That should give us plenty of time to formulate our strategy. I imagine that Republic City will be their primary target..."
"Most likely," Zuko nodded thoughtfully. "And actually... I think that would be really beneficial to us. The Earth Kingdom doesn't have much of a navy, so if we could get our warships into the Yue Bay, they could provide valuable support."
"Not to mention all that water on hand for my sister and all the Water Tribe benders," Sokka grinned, a devious look in his eyes. "I have quite a few ideas of mine, Zuko, and I'll be happy to go over them later."
"I would appreciate that, Sokka. I know that your unique plans have a tendency to work out in the end... somehow," Zuko told his friend. "Really, the most important thing for us is to mobilize our forces quickly and get them over to the Republic City. As long as we get there before the Earth Kingdom army, we will be able to pick and choose a battlefield that suits us. Then we can dig in and wait for them to come at us."
"Exactly, a well chosen location often wins battles against great odds, and they'll probably have the advantage in numbers," Sokka added. "If we can make their earthbenders less effective... but that's easier said than done, I mean, earth is pretty much everywhere, right?"
"Well, sure, but as long as we can choose a place that helps Katara and the other waterbenders, it'll be a huge help," Suki said. "Some of us have seen what Katara can do to a fully armored tank, and it's a damned scary sight... especially if you're inside that tank."
"No kidding," Sokka gulped, looking proud of his sister.
"Well, I'm not going to finalize any plans without consulting my generals, and without having more intelligence," Zuko pointed out. "So, I propose that we all return to our quarters, get a good night's sleep and start getting ready for departure next thing tomorrow. I'm going to task you four and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors to recruit as many citizens of the United Republics as possible. It would be helpful to have as many of them on our side as possible, so that it truly feels like they're fighting for their own independence."
As everyone rose to leave, Azula lingered a little behind the others, leaning closer to Zuko and giving him a supportive hug. "Don't fret too much, Zuzu, nobody's going to stop us now that we're back on the same team, you know that, right?" she spoke softly.
"Thanks, Azula... yes, I feel quite confident about our chances," Zuko smiled at her, hugging his sister back. It was true... it wasn't the doubt about their chances that had soured his mood so completely. No, it was the very thought that after the dreadful Hundred Year War which had left the Fire Nation so depleted in spiritual sense, circumstances once again conspired and forced him to ask the people of his nation to endure more burdens that would exact terrible price in the blood of many good men and women.
Zuko had hoped to avoid such development throughout his reign, but only in the fourth year of his rule, he was already forced into a potentially devastating war. That realization stung, and regardless of what he thought about their chances, the very thought that the Fire Nation was once again at war, felt like an unforgivable failure of his rule.