Here is the forty-second chapter in Book 4 released a week late unfortunately as I've been under the weather for the last 10 days so only now have had the strength to edit but I will catch up soon. This is the last of 3 chapters in the penultimate arc of Book 4, the preparation for the final battle arc, and one of the shortest in Book 4. However, that is all I have to say for now so just sit back and enjoy the 42nd chapter in the fourth installment of Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 4: Family.

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing related to these two great works of fiction.

Chapter 42

Dominique walked naked out of the small washroom and into the ceremonial prep room that had been set up for her for when this moment came. It was one year to the day that the world had changed, that her father had been murdered, that the Principate he been born, and Principate War had begun, all on this fateful day one year ago. It was the Summer Solstice and the time for the final battle of the war had finally come for them.

The day before their advanced scouting parties had seen the forces of the Principate moving into Northern Waters, heading for the Northern Water Tribe at full speed. They had a day to mobilize but even then Dominique wasn't sure that it was enough time to be ready. The forces were larger than any they had expected or seen and at least 3 times their own numbers. They were ready and fortified for the battle but still that was looking like it might not be enough to survive. Regardless, they would fight.

The vast majority of the forces had been deployed to their stations, but the leaders and a few others were still getting ready to head out as first contact was still a few hours away. They were to be the last to mobilize just in case which meant that it was time for Dominique to get ready. She had a duty to her people and the world to lead at this moment, so she had to get ready. For a warrior of the South, hat required a certain ritual that Dominique was not going to fuck with.

First she had washed herself. That was important so that she was clean for the coming battle, she would get dirty during it and she needed to feel like she was prepared for the grime of the battle. Then there was the actually getting ready part.

That was what this room had been set up for, just for her to prepare. The ice floor was covered in a plush fur carpet of several beasts that had been killed by Chief Sirius personally as he was her counterpart here, had this been in the South she'd have been the one to provide the furs. This was to protect her bare feet but that didn't stop the room from being cold.

Already goosebumps were on Dominique's skin as she breathed in the cold, clean air and centered her mind on what she had to do. The cold was refreshing to her, however. Her rose colored nipples were rock hard from it but she didn't mind that or her nudity in her the physical representation of her element. It was all part of the process and now she had to get ready in a particular order.

Dominique turned and looked over to a small alter of sorts that was set up at the far end of the small room underneath a carving of crest of the Southern Water Tribe surrounded by a pair of Koi fish representing the Spirits of Tui and La. Like the rest of the room, it was covered in furs but that was not the only thing.

Laid out at the base of the alter, in neat piles, were her clothes and gear that she would use for the upcoming battle. Framing the alter were two torches burning smokeless and a few incense sticks adding to the atmosphere. In the center of the alter was a set of bowls filled with gray, black and white paint.

Everything was there as it should be, not that Dominque had doubted it wouldn't be there. Ginny had placed it there for her while Dominique washed herself so Dominique knew that it would all be ready. Only a warrior of the same gender could lay out the gear and only a proven and skilled one who had been personally chosen by Dominique could do so for someone of her status. Ginny was the only Southerner who fit that criteria, and Dominique wouldn't have anyone other than her aunt set up her battle outfit. It was time.

Dominique calmly walked over to the alter, the cold not affecting her in the slightest. She had no shame in her nudity even though she was private at the moment because of her time training had limited privacy. Well that and her body was lean and toned and she knew that she looked good, but she credited her years of training for that result rather than her genetics even if her mother was a renowned beauty back in the day.

There was one difference with her though and that was the fact that Dominique had no tattoos. Unlike the rest of her family who either had ceremonial tattoos because they were airbenders, had decorative ones, or in the case of her older sister, both types, or had tattoos to honor the lives they'd taken like Ron and Ginny had, Dominique had always eschewed them. They weren't for her, she had other marks on her body that reminded her of who she was and what she'd fought for.

Those marks were of course a rather large collection scars from years of hard training and fighting. Some were surgical from her injuries in the war and accidents over the years, others were battle scars.

The most recent one of them was the long red scar that ran down the center of her left hand and was a permanent reminder of her duel with James and what she had been forced to do just to save her life at the end of it. Dominique swore that she would never bloodbend again unless she had no other choice but she hoped to the Spirits that she never had no other choice. However, all that was in the back of her mind now that she had to get ready.

The only thing that she had sorted out before leaving the bathroom had been her hair as it was easier to do it there than in here. It was done in a tight braid down her back, woven with a dark blue ribbon that was used to tie it off in her preferred style. Dominique had parted it in the center and made sure to pull two strands from the braid and loop them to attach to her hair near the parting in a pair of hair loops, an homage to Katara, one of her heroes who she tried to emulate. She would need to emulate all her heroes to win in the coming battle.

As soon as Dominique reached the alter, she knelt down at it, the soft fur feeling comforting on her knees as she rested on her calves. Still nude, Dominique bowed her head and closed her eyes, her breathing steady and calm in the cold room.

"Tui, La, Yue, and all the Spirits who watch over us, I ask today for you to once again do so." Dominique intoned in a serious voice, offering up a prayer to the Spirits of the Water Tribes. "We need your protection and guidance for the coming battle more than we have ever needed it before. The world is out of balance because of a madman's twisted, extreme views and we are the last hope against him. Please, guide and protect us through the Avatar and our own spirits. We need you now more than ever lest the world fall to a darkness from which it may never recover from. I am but your humble servant in this endeavor. Please, be there for us."

Dominique kept her head bowed for a moment of silence as she tried to commune with the spirits, something that was not her forte but that she tried, nonetheless. When it was done, she opened her eyes and looked at the crest of her tribe before she spoke with pure conviction in her voice.

"Father, I will make you and all of those who have come before me in the legacy of the South proud." Dominique said as she truly embraced her destiny for the first time. "I will bring justice to those who have desecrated and subjugated our tribe. I will restore it. I will bring us back once again. I will do this, or I will die trying until my very last breath on the field of battle as any warrior would."

Dominique took a breath, her gaze never wavering before she continued. She needed to be strong right now, she was the latest in the long line of warriors of the South and she intended to show it today.

"I will prove that I deserve the title of Chief of the Southern Water Tribe." Dominique said when she was ready to continue. "I will become what I was born to be when it was revealed that I was a waterbender. I will become the leader of our people that I am meant to be and make the line of Chief Septimius proud, as well as all of the Chiefs who came before our family. Today I will take up my birthright, I will take up my mantle and I will show the world who I am."

Dominique paused as she steeled herself to says the words she had both feared and hoped to say one day. These weren't the circumstances she expected to say them under, and she still had to say them once more when this was all done but this was for her to speak alone, in the presence of just the Spirits and those who had come before her as they looked down upon her from the next life.

This was her moment, the same moment that those who had come before her had had as well, just under different circumstances and actually in the South but at least Dominique was in her element when the time came. Still looking at her nation's crest, Dominique spoke the words that would make everything official before the Spirits.

"I am Dominique, daughter of William of the line of Septimius and rightful heir to the Chiefdom of the Southern Water Tribe. Here and now, at my most vulnerable and in the eyes of the spirits of my people and of my ancestors I take up my birthright. With Tui and La and the Moon Yue and all of the Chiefs who have come before me, I accept my destiny and my role in guiding my people forward. I am Chief Dominique of the Southern Water Tribe, the 4th of my line, and I will lead my people through whatever trials we may face with fairness and justice and I will protect them until my dying breath, this I swear."

Dominique stayed in her position for a moment longer as the meaning of her words washed over her as she closed her eyes and bowed her head in sublocation to the Spirits who looked over her Tribe. She had just formally accepted her title, though it would be backdated a year to the moment her father was killed but for the first time she would use the word. There was no longer any playing around. Dominique was the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.

As everything sunk in, a calm came over her as she fully embraced everything. She knew that the time was right. She knew that this was what was needed of her. Dominique may become the briefest Chief in history, but she would make sure that the world remembered her and what she did today. She was ready. It was time to dress, her people needed their Chief.

Dominique started with the undergarments that Ginny had laid out for her. The loincloth and breast wrap were dyed dark blue, a little much but Dominique understood the need for the dye job. The loincloth had slits on the hips for two emergency knives that Dominique added after it was on. The breast wrap, which was tight but not restrictive given her modest bust, had a clasp that was held in place by a third last resort knife. Dominique hoped to never need them, but they were good to have just in case.

Then came the blue pants and undershirt, both cut perfectly for her and lose enough to be flexible to allow her to utilize her fighting style while also being warm. After that came the socks and soft leather boots, the latter equipped with sheathes for 4 more knives that she placed there once they were on. Then there was the over tunic, a dark blue thing with white fur lining that edged it.

Over that came a midnight blue garment that Dominique wasn't sure what it was other than that it was a traditional part of the Southern Water Tribe's military uniform. It covered her shoulder and upper chest and again had a white fur lining. Hover in the center and on the shoulder were the emblem of the Southern Water Tribe. With that on it was time for the paint as she needed her bare hands for that. The gloves, sleeves and bracers would come last.

Dipping her fingers into the paint and using a small mirror provided for her, Dominique expertly applied the war paint that the elite warriors of her people wore in battle. She started with the base gray, evenly covering her face while avoiding her hair. Then she applied the white along her lower jaw, on her eyebrows and down the side of nose. Lastly came the black paint around her eyes and in two vertical marks on either side of her chin. The one thing she didn't do was do the black triangle in the center of her forehead, that was reserved for something else.

With the paint on and perfect, Dominique melted some ice from the walls to wash her hands. Then she rolled up her tunic's sleeves to pull on a pair of dark blue sleeve for her forearms, matching fingerless gloves and a pair of platinum bracers for the outsides of her forearms before covering them again. With that done she was dressed; she just needed her weapons.

She started with the typical fair. A machete on one hip, her waterskin on the other. She had a boomerang that she was not good with but wore as part of her position in the Tribe. That went on her back. She also had numerous throwing knives on her in special sheathes for when she needed them.

After that came her sword. This was the one that she had always wielded and had personally forged in the Fire Nation during her time at the Elemental Academy when she spent a summer training with Ursa out there. It was identical to the ivory one she had wielded against James only it was thinner as it was made of platinum.

It had not yet earned a name as she hadn't had a chance to use it in a proper battle yet but Dominique intended to change that. She strapped it to her back in such a way that she could still access her boomerang.

The last weapon to pick up was on the rug in front of the alter. She had not touched it in a year but she knew she would have to now and that it would be the first weapon she used today. With tenderness and care, Dominique picked up her father's spear. She would carry it into battle as a sign of the South and use it while she could even if she was nowhere near her father's level with the weapon. For now, it was added to her back as she needed her hands for other things now.

With her weapons on she only had one more thing to do. Picking up the bowl of black paint, she poured a little of it into a smaller bowl that had been with the set. With that done, she gently picked it up, grabbed her wolf head helm that was next to the alter and made her way to the exit. Everyone else should be ready, it was time to join them.

Dominique left the room and entered a small corridor that was empty. From there it was a short walk to the outdoor staging area where troops assembled before heading to the frontlines. The room was in the admin building by the parade square in front of the Ice Wall that protected the Northern Water Tribe from naval bombardments. The exit was at the top of the stairs that led down to the square and the gates to where the fleet awaited them.

On the top of the stairs stood the combined leaders of the defenders of the North. Ron, who was staying in the city, was in the center in full warrior garb and war paint. With him was Marshall Quirke who would go to her airship after this, President Teddy who would also go where he needed to be which was with Dominique's brother Louis on his bison, and of course the Avatar himself, decked out in his typical outfit for northern combat only colored green to show his nation of origin. The other leaders were already in position.

Along with them were the other members of Dominique's squad from their mission behind enemy lines, minus Albus of course, as well as Luna and Ginny. They were all there waiting for her as had been planned. Only Victoire, who was still not 100% but was awake and appeared to have no lasting damage during her recovery, was absent.

In the square, waiting for them, were a platoon of warriors. They were all from the Southern Water Tribe and dressed accordingly. Some had been in the United Forces, some in the Northern Army, and some retired but had come out of it for one last fight as they needed every able-bodied soldier they could get. All had volunteered to be here and see their Chief and commander. They were all still under the command of their branches but they were here for ceremonial reasons and right now they needed that.

Still, Dominique ignored them as she marched formally across the ice and right up to Ron. All eyes were on here, but Dominique had one thing to do, the last thing that had to be done to get ready and only Ron could do it.

"Princess." Ron said formally, bowing his head to her as she approached, he had not heard her oath yet so he was using the title she'd ordered him to use until she was ready. "We have been waiting for you. It is time to address the troops and take positions for the battle, we expect it to start within the hour."

"Not just yet Uncle." Dominique said as she placed her helm on the ice and held up the small bowl of black war paint to him. "There is one more thing I need to do before I can do that. I need you to reapply my mark so that my troops can see it, I am sure you remember what it is."

"I do." Ron said with a smile as he realized what she wanted to do. "I was the one who awarded it to you after that rather impressive display you put on when your time final came."

"And that makes you the only person who can reapply it." Dominique said seriously. "I need you to do so now, in front of everyone so they know I am worthy to lead them. Please uncle, reapply it."

"I will." Ron said with a nod. "Kneel and hold up the paint Dominique, I will do this correctly. You do know what this means though, when I do this there will be no going back."

Dominique nodded and in front of everyone she fell to one knee in front of her Uncle, mentor and the greatest living warrior of her tribe. Ron was known as the Red Wolf of the Southern Waters for a reason, he was a legend in the tribe and of all Dominique's heroes, he was second only to her father. It was Ron's status that was the reason why he had been the one to administer her test, why he had been the one to judge it, and why it had meant so much when he had given Dominique her mark 18 years ago.

It had been shortly after her elevation to Crown Princess, a few weeks after Victoire formally abdicated her claim to the Throne. She had been 15 at the time, a little old but given the constitutional crisis at the time Dominique had been required to wait. She was the potential heir, that was why her coming of age test had been delayed for two years when Victoire's decision had been made official. In addition, her Uncle Ron had been selected to oversee the test as the best warrior of the tribe and not her father who had recently become Chief and as such was too busy.

The test had occurred during winter break from the Academy. Ron had come down to the South with her and her two selected helpers to officiate her Ice Dodging test. The dangerous test was a tradition and especially important for her. Dominique had chosen Albus and Rose, both 13 and waterbenders and therefore eligible to be her helpers.

They had participated in it in the ever-changing ice of the South Sea and they had succeeded. It had been tough, draining, and the hardest thing Dominique had ever done but they had succeeded, a task few managed, and had done so by vaulting the final iceberg when Dominique created an ice ramp for them. For their success, Albus had been given the Mark of the Trusted, Rose the Mark of the Brave and Dominique the most prestigious and rarest of all, the Mark of the Wise.

It was the same mark that her father had earned, as did Ron when he, Harry and Ginny had taken the test. It was a sign that she was the right choice to lead the Tribe going forward. It also helped that Victoire had failed her Ice Dodging test in spectacular fashion by accidentally ramming their father's favorite boat headfirst in the largest iceberg possible, one that she apparently could have easily avoided, but that was beside the point.

All of this flashed in Dominique's mind as she was brought back to the deck of the sailboat she had done her test in, kneeling in front of Ron as he awarded her her mark. Ron wasted no time in reapplying it. He dipped the first two fingers on his right hand into the paint and drew the crescent on her forehead, adding the dot underneath it to complete the mark.

"The Mark of the Wise, awarded to Princess Dominique when she passed her Ice Dodging test 19 years ago." Ron called out as he finished it before he looked down at Dominique and spoke words that she knew were coming but were still odd to hear. "Now rise my Chief and address your warriors. We prepare for battle today and we will need you today. The Mark of the Wise is given to those who can maintain leadership under pressure and now more than ever do we need your leadership. Today we need our Chief to remind us of the warrior she is and the warriors who she leads. The stage is yours, Dominique, 5th Chief of the Southern Water Tribe."

Dominique bowed her head as Ron spoke while everyone else stared in stunned silence at the exchange. She had made her oath earlier but by asking Ron to apply the Mark of the Wise, her mark and that of a proven leader, in front of her troops, he had all but confirmed her status. She still needed to be crowned but that was not relevant in her mind, that was just a formality.

Swallowing hard, Dominique rose and picked up her helm. She turned to look at the gathered troops, all now standing at perfect attention before their Chief. With a practiced move, Dominique raised the helm above her head and lowered it, completing her outfit. Then she pulled her spear from her back and held it out at arm's length, angled away with the butt on the ground in a pose worthy of her status.

"Warriors of the South!" Dominique called as she began her first address as Chief. "We are about to face our toughest challenge yet. On the horizon, a force the likes of which has never been seen before has been amassed and are coming to wipe us and our way of life out. They will not! Why? Because we are the Warriors of the South!"

Dominique paused for a moment so that her countrymen and women before her could understand what she was saying. They needed this just as much as she did and while she hadn't prepared what she was going to say, she knew in her heart what had to be said.

"We may have been driven from our homes, we may have lost our land, we have lost those close to us in this war, including my father Chief William but there is one thing we have not lost." Dominique continued. "We have not lost who we are! We are warriors! We are survivors. We are fighters. Our culture, our way of life, our nation will never die so long as we still breath in our lungs."

Again Dominique paused. She was speaking the truth to her troops; she was reminding them who they were and what they stood for. It was time to bring it to a close and rally the Southerners here to fight to the bitter end to defend what they held dear and prevent the world from falling to James and his tyranny.

"The Fire Nation tried to destroy us and failed." Dominique said, her voice getting stronger and louder as she spoke. "Unalaq tried and failed. The Princeps has tried, and he will fail! I will fight to my dying breath to defend our way of life and our Tribe. I will be there with you until the very end and will lay down my life if I must so that we can win. I may be your Chief, but the South is more than me, it is more than one person. The South is us! Who is with me!"

With that Dominique raised her father's spear above her head and let lose a bellow from the depths of her lungs as she finished her speech. She was greeted by the war cry of the South as her countrymen and women joined her in her call to arms raising their own spears or machetes with her. They were warriors and they would fight for, and with, her until the end.

"The let us go into the breach and show these Northerners how true warriors fight!" Dominique called out as she lowered her spear and strode forward and down the steps with confidence and purpose. "Join me and remind the world what the Warriors of the Southern Water Tribe can do."

Instantly the warriors parted, and she walked through them. They turned to face her and then turned again as she passed them, all calling out to their Chief as she strode purposefully to the ice gate. When she reached it, the gate opened, and she saw their fleet and her own flagship in the middle waiting for her. Dominique turned to the warriors and called out one more thing.

"For the South!"

With that she turned and walked through the gates, her warriors filing through behind her in an orderly fashion. They all had jobs to do but they needed motivation and she had provided that. They were in for a fight, but Dominique was ready for it. It was time for the last battle of the Principate War.

"She will make a great Chief." Ron said to Harry as they watched Dominique lead the warriors of the South out and to their positions. "If we survive, she will be one of the reasons for it. They will sing songs of Chief Dominique for centuries to come."

"That she will." Harry agreed, impressed with how Dominique had finally taken to her role and her destiny and made it her own at last. "If we survive she will be a key reason why. Today she will become the She-Wolf of the Southern Waters, I am sure of that."

"Dominique was always meant for this role; the Spirits knew it when they chose her and not Victoire to inherit my brother's waterbending." Ron said seriously. "It is an honor to call her Chief and to follow her into battle."

"It will be but first we must live to see tomorrow." Harry said as he looked to the sky. "The time is upon us; we must take our positions for the coming battle. This will be a fight unlike any we have faced before."

"Are you ready?" Ron asked. "For what you have to do."

"Is any father ready to face and possibly kill his own son in combat?" Harry countered. "Despite what James has become and all that he has done he is still my son. However, I am the Avatar and I know my duty. I will do it, no matter the cost. Balance and restoring it are more important and I will do what must be done if it comes to it."

"I know you will." Ron said. "I must get going and prepare the city defenders for their role. They will breach the walls, Altinak and I have to be ready for them."

"Go old friend." Harry said. "Hopefully, we live to see another morning. It won't be easy."

"When has it ever been." Ron said before he embraced Harry and left.

Harry took a moment to return to looking out at the sky and the not yet visible airships of the Principate. It was going to be his hardest fight to date and one that he had been dreading but the time had come, and he would do what he had to do. It didn't make it any easier but Harry was ready for what they all knew was coming.

Ginny came up to him and he held her close for a moment. She knew what was coming and wanted to be there with him but couldn't as her role was here in the city. They embraced and then Lily joined them as well, completing what was left of his immediate family. Harry held his girls for a moment before finally letting them go. They didn't say anything, this was not a moment for words, they just left Harry to assume their own duties. He had his own duty, and they were not coming with him.

"Luna, let's go." Harry said turning to his old friend who was patiently waiting for him. "It's time."

Well there it is, Dominique has finally embraced her role and is heading out to the battle that is to come. The next 4 chapters will be the Second Siege of the North and thus the final major arc in Book 4. Initially it was going to be two chapters but I decided to break the battle up into 3 chapters instead of just one before the 4th and final chapter that y'all can probably guess what that will be. The three battle chapters will follow three different aspects of the battle and the key combatants in them though one part of the battle will not be seen as it didn't fit the narrative but will be seen in the eventual Lost Adventures work. Anyway, that is all I have for now so as always please follow and favorite both this and myself so that you can stay up to date with new releases (chapters and stories) and please keep the reviews coming as I do love to hear from y'all regarding my work, it means a lot to me. Until next time.

Stringdog