"I know this was kind of my own plan, but I'm still mad at you for getting me up this early and in this outfit."
"Do you want my sister to catch us?"
"No." Sokka huffed as he lifted a box of produce onto the hand cart outside the palace gates. "Doesn't mean it wouldn't be natural for a man to complain about being up and working when the sun is just starting to rise. It's not natural."
Zuko chuckled, lifting his own box, ignoring its surprised huff as he did so. "Less talking, more infiltrating."
Sokka leaned over the rough sketch of the palace, gesturing as he spoke. "Zuko and I will be able to get everyone up to the kitchens, which is always the busiest part of a palace early in the morning. From there, we'll need to split into smaller groups for ease of sneaking. Zuko and Aang, I want you two to stick together. Toph, you're sticking with me. Katara? Attach yourself to whichever pair is nearest to you at the time."
Azula stopped in the middle of the palace hallway, Mai and Ty Lee stopping half a heartbeat later at her shoulders. "Sheng Tzu. How unexpected to see you in this wing of the palace at this hour."
The leader of the Dai Li had already dropped into a respectful, if short, bow. "Good morning, Princess. This is, indeed, out of the ordinary. I have been made aware of the possibility of some unexpected guests, and must prepare for them. I apologize, but I really must be on my way."
His eyes flicked to Mai, and then back to her.
Interesting.
Azula waved a hand. "Go on then. I appreciate your dedication."
He bowed again and hurried on.
She turned to Mai, who had the faintest of twists at the corner of her mouth. "Mai? Care to share with the class?"
"I don't think your brother has learned his lesson."
Azula sighed, for a little drama never hurt. "He never does." As one, the three of them turned to follow after the Dai Li.
"We need to move quickly and secure Azula's lackeys first if possible. If we can get them out of the way, capturing Azula, and thus the city, should be easier."
It had been a long time since she'd been able to indulge in a Rumble, but that didn't mean she'd lost her instincts. If anything, she'd be even better if she ever got to go back, given all the honing that fighting with the Avatar had put her through and how teaching him had reinforced her own basics.
And Toph's instincts were screaming that something was about to break bad.
Sokka was tense next to her, and that might have half been due to Katara sticking with the other group. They would try and take out Ty Lee, while she and Sokka tried to grab Mai. If this place were just smaller, she might have been able to just pin her to the walls from here and move on to Part Three Of Sokka's Genius Plan. But no, the Earth King had to have the biggest palace forcing her to do things the hard way.
"How are you doing, Sokka," she murmured, leading them down an empty back hall towards what was likely the wing with all the bedrooms - which is where any sane noblewoman would be at this hour. She'd know.
"Something's waiting for us, it feels like."
"Oh good, so I'm not crazy."
"Gah, do you think the Dai Li can make spirits or something fight for them?"
Toph held up a hand as they finally reached an intersection - where there was a door to the main hallway or they could continue along the servants corridor running behind all the bedrooms. "Princess must not have a lot of guests, since we haven't seen a single servant."
She pressed her hand to the wall, letting the vibrations of the Earth speak to her. Sokka jumped out at her first, being near her, as well as Aang and Katara moving a floor above them and a ways away, almost faint. The bedroom nearest them felt empty but -
Feet hit the floor next to the bed, toes pointed right at them.
It had been three years since they'd been in that abandoned town where Toph first met Zuko. Three years, but she'd never forget the position those feet were sliding into.
"Sokka get down!"
Lightning smashed through the wall above their ducked heads.
"Nothing is easy about my sister, Sokka."
Ty Lee danced out of Zuko's swipe with a giggle. It really was just like old times. Life was just so much more fun with serious Zuko alive and trying to do stupid and earnest things. Too bad he never could do them with Azula.
She backflipped over a whip of water and just barely missed connecting knuckles to waterbender wrist in retaliation.
A crack of thunder sounded at the same time Mai grunted in surprise, and Ty Lee was going to blame that bit of surprise on why her foot stayed on the ground long enough to get her swallowed up by the floor in the Avatar's earthbending. She blinked a little, taking in Mai frozen to the ceiling, before she started giggling again. "You guys have gotten a lot better!"
Zuko smiled sadly. "Thanks, Ty Lee." And then he was running after the other two towards the sound of lightning.
"So Mai," Ty Lee began, as they were alone. "How's this working for your secret plan you don't wanna tell me you have?"
"Poorly."
"Regardless, General Iroh, you said you already sent a note through the channels to let the army to know to march on Ba Sing Se, and your men on the inside are ready to open the gates when the king arrives. All we have to do is capture Azula and stay alive."
Zuko raced alongside both Katara and Aang towards the booms echoing on the other side of the palace.
As they ran, through suspiciously empty halls, Zuko suddenly thought of Tai. Damn, he called the firefighter friend and then didn't manage to squeeze in time to see him before rushing off to face death. He was really going to have to buy him some nice tea-
Aang pulled both him and Katara against the wall, a slice of earth coming up at an angle to deflect the blows of Dai Li who'd turned the corner ahead of them.
"Let's get some air," the younger boy quipped with a grin as a much louder crash of earth sounded from down the hall ahead of them, and then the Avatar cracked the wall wide open behind them. Katara laced her fingers through Zuko's as they leapt through the hole, a friendly gust of wind carrying them safely down the twenty or so feet to the courtyard below.
Zuko let go as he hit the ground rolling, coming up onto his shoulder and letting fire spiral out of his feet as he twisted. Metal groaned like pipes bursting as water surged up from grates, and Zuko let the relief of Katara having backup from her own element carry his focus and drive towards Azula. His sister seemed focused on taking out Sokka, whose eyes and sword kept Toph protected from the flames she couldn't see, but it was only a matter of time before Sokka's agility failed or the numbers of the Dai Li finally trumped Toph's sheer skill.
Zuko really was phenomenally good at catching Azula's attention.
She took a single heartbeat to stare at the strand of hair his flame dart had cut, and then all the fury and all the prodigy turned on him.
"Took you long enough!" Sokka yelled.
"You really don't learn, do you Zuko?" Azula spat.
Zuko kept up with her, blow for blow. "I learned enough."
Her mouth twisted in displeasure and she spun into a kick, but an air blast from Aang sent her skidding back. Zuko pressed the advantage, noting the leader of the Dai Li finally emerging from the palace with another group of the earthbenders - Mai and Ty Lee with them.
The fresh earthbenders hung back, however, even as the two non-benders raced forward. Not that Azula let him worry about that, however, with the fire flying hot and fast. Zuko kept to the basics, so he did not have to think, but even that wasn't enough when he slipped on moving earth-
The second group of Dai Li had joined the fray. But, Sheng Tzu had not sent Zuko to his death, merely moved him to the side as some of the Dai Li caught Azula by surprise in rock bindings.
"Unfortunately, Princess, I believe our working relationship has come to an end."
The Dai Li agent who had stuck closest to her snarled. "Sheng Tzu! This is treason! She is our rightful leader-"
There was a sickening crack as a strike from Sheng Tzu cut the man off forever. "Ru, you have just been promoted to my second."
Azula sucked in a breath, and the binds shattered off her with an exhale of heat, though the Dai Li deflected the shrapnel. She raged, like a dragon of legend, and the fight began again. Zuko lost track of everything else, it narrowed down to Azula and the Dai Li rebelling against her. More and more of the green robed warriors -but not all - began to disengage if they hadn't entered the fray with their leader, and then Zuko found himself pushed towards the side of the courtyard, Azula having made herself some space to maneuver with Mai and Ty Lee at her side.
Another crack of rock hitting flesh sounded across the courtyard, and Zuko turned to the right to see Katara thrown against a wall by some of the Dai Li still loyal to Azula.
He froze, heart in his throat, as did everyone else as the wind began to pick up and a star glowed far too close. Aang's eyes and tattoos lit up with other worldly power. The Dai Li he'd been fighting stopped, too, out of respect or fear it was hard to say.
In horror, Zuko turned back to his left when he heard a familiar crackle of energy. Azula's eyes were fixed on the glowing Avatar slowly rising into the air as she gathered lightning to herself.
"No!"
His feet were moving before the calculations had even finished in his head. He stretched out an arm - he knew, he knew he could leap and catch the bolt, intercept it, as his sister thrust her fingers forward. His foot landed, leg bent, starting to spring-
He didn't hear the whistle through the air, but he did hear the clink in the ground, felt the fabric pinned to the earth by a knife catch - tug on his leg, almost rip before another blade slammed into his knee. Pain exploded along his leg as instead of jumping, he fell. The lightning passed over him, unhindered, and as his head hit the unforgiving ground, he heard the crash as power met power and Katara (she's alive!) screamed.
It was the last thing he was conscious of as everything went black.