"Zuko! Come over here!" An excited, and young Lu Ten cheered, pulling his younger cousin around. "Come build a sandcastle with me!"
Zuko followed his older cousin with stars in his eyes, looking up at Lu Ten in wonder.
Uncle Iroh put his hands on his hips and laughed at his son. "Now that's no way to treat your cousin, Lu. You need to ask him nicely if he wants to build a sandcastle with you. If he says no, you have to respect that."
Lu Ten nodded seriously. He squeezed Zuko's hand and looked at him with all of the seriousness a 10 year old could have. "Do you want to build a sandcastle with me? You can say no," he said in his sweetest voice.
A shy, yet big grin broke out on Zuko's face. He nodded excitedly and he was the one that pulled Lu Ten to the optimum spot for building sandcastles. With large buckets and bins, Zuko and Lu Ten got to work pushing wet sand into their buckets. Zuko struggled a little more, not getting the concept of pressing the sand into the pail, but Iroh came over and began to help. Lu Ten began telling great tales about the sandcastle and the people that lived within while he started stacking towers of sand.
Ursa came over with some fruit when they were halfway through building their castle. She joined the construction by helping them find the perfect types of shells to decorate the sides of the tower walls. Due to her pregnant belly, she had to sit down and take a break, but she took this chance to join in with Lu Ten's stories.
When the palace was about done, Lu Ten cried out in dismay. "We need a dragon!" He cried. "Every palace needs one!"
Zuko nodded seriously and waddled over to where he knew he could find the perfect dragon. He picked up a strip of squiggly seaweed and held it out to his cousin proudly. Lu Ten's eyes lit up. "That's perfect!" Lu Ten placed the silky seaweed on top of the tallest roof and sat back on his heels, surveying his and Zuko's palace proudly.
Iroh ruffled his son's hair. "Well done, son. It looks perfect."
Lu Ten beamed up at his father, showing off the gaps between his teeth.
Zuko pouted by the side, staring at the palace seriously. "I help too," he mumbled.
Iroh let out a big belly laugh and wrapped his arms around the small boy and lifted him in the air, making Zuko giggle too. "You did well too, Nephew." Iroh left a messy kiss on Zuko's nose, causing him to giggle harder, his cheeks rosy with the heat. "I'm proud of you," he said. He looked over to his son and back at Zuko. "I am proud of both of you."
As the sun began to set on the beach of Ember Island, Zuko curled into his mother's side all tuckered out and Lu Ten rested his head against his father's shoulder. They looked out over the horizon and it was peaceful for that moment. Zuko's eyes closed lazily and felt his mother brush her fingers through his hair and he slumped into her lap.
"Love you," she whispered.
"Wove you too, momma," Zuko murmured into his mother's belly. "And love you too baby," he whispered specifically to the baby growing inside his mother. He couldn't wait to get another friend. He hoped he could be like Lu Ten; the best big brother ever.
Night had fallen over the little town of Hira'a. The small town seemed quiet and calm, much like any other night, however it was too quiet. It was like the town was waiting in a hushed silence for something to burst forth. Teddy and Ikem stood at the front window, watching for any signs of movements. Mai, Ursa, and Ty Lee sat at the breakfast table, sitting in nervous silence.
"Ursa…." Ikem said quietly. "Come look at this."
Ursa got up and peered through the window with him and her brows furrowed. "Why is farmer Wan out this late?"
Ikem hummed, stepping away from her. "I think he's going to the same place we are."
Ursa frowned. "I knew not to trust that man. He seemed too much like a Fire Nation loyalist, but I wouldn't think he would go this far."
"For all we know, he may only be following orders," Teddy refuted. "Most men in my regiment never cared what we did, as long as we got food by the end of the day," he said bitterly. He looked through the window again, watching closely. "Looks like the coast is clear," he finally said.
Ikem and Ursa held each other close, Ikem whispering to Ursa. "Be safe, my love," he said finally, holding her cheek in her hand. "I will take care of the girls. Tell me as soon as you're safe."
"I will," Ursa said quietly, giving him a watery smile. She nodded to the young adults. "Alright, I'm ready."
Tonight was the night where they would set their plan into action. They had left both Kiyi and Sute in the care of their grandfather while the five of them left for the Fire Nation Capital. They had a choice between Ba Sing Se and the capital, but Azula was the first priority. Mai also knew it was a personal choice. She felt responsible for part of Azula's downfall and a small part of her felt guilt for leaving her friend behind, but that was not the point of the mission. They had been told that someone will be sent to take care of Azula and they would be back up. That was the "plan", but Mai knew she would do anything to make sure no one else would be hurt by Azula, much less Azula herself. The last nightmare she had of Azula revealed a horrifying vision of Azula alone, drowning in her own flames. This dream felt different from the others. It felt less like she was Azula, but instead viewing a possible future. Mai didn't want to think about how scared it made her feel. She had been scared only a few times in her life, and she did not want the emotion to rule her consciousness. She had to make a choice of who to protect. Looking around at the group of people following her into the forest, she knew who mattered to her in the end.
The shadows that the large trees created tonight were ominous and creeping. Mai and Teddy led the group of them into the forest, not daring to make too loud of a noise or use a light to make their way to the center of the valley. Teddy, Ty Lee, and she were used to sneaking around, and they easily were able to sneak to where the airships were kept. Ursa and Ikem struggled a little more, but they learned quickly.
In the clearing where the airships were docked, everything was exactly the same as it was a few nights ago, except all of the storage items were now on the ships. Only a few men and women guarded the area, making it seem easy to sneak in. Mai knew better. "We should raise an alarm on the other side of the area while the rest of us sneak in," she whispered to Teddy.
Teddy chewed on his lip while thinking. "I think it would be better if we just went for it. There are not many people."
Mai shook her head, getting his attention. "Trust me, there are more men and women on those ships right now. They wouldn't just have ten people flying an entire flight would they?" she countered.
Ursa placed a hand on Mai's shoulder, quieting her. "We don't need a diversion. I think we can take these ships easily if we pretend we are like them. They know me. If I go in there saying I want to help and I'm bringing my guests with me, they won't bat an eye."
"Won't they suspect us?" Ty Lee asked, worry creeping into her voice.
Teddy gestured to Ursa and Ty Lee. "You two go ahead and see if you can get inside. Mai and I will stay behind and see what we can do," he said.
From a distance, Mai heard Ursa and Ty Lee greet the other workers and Ursa's plan seemed to work incredibly smoothly. She nodded to Teddy and they crept into the shadows once more.
She and Teddy snuck around to another airship and carefully inspected it. There were barrels attached to the side that had blasting jelly inside and others with some sort of powder. "That's gunpowder," Teddy whispered, coming up beside Mai. "It's something new that was being developed when I was still serving," he explained. He talked as if he were 70 years old, talking about his time when he was a young boy. In Mai's eyes, he still seemed in his young twenties. It seemed like he had seen a lot in his young life, probably similar to most soldiers his age.
They inspected the hull of the ship. "My knives are not sharp enough to cut into any of these ships. Metal and metal don't really mix this way," she murmured thoughtfully. "But we can get rid of these barrels for sure," she said with a grin.
Teddy chuckled. "Never would I have thought I would meet a girl as obsessed with knives and destruction as you."
Mai hid her grin. "Wait till you meet Azula."
Teddy hummed in agreement. He held a hand out and Mai handed over one of the knives she had taken from Ursa's and Ikem's kitchen. They both made quick work of the rope holding up the barrels of explosive material and moved onto the next ship, and then the next. There was a call overhead and the ship next to them groaned. Teddy and Mai shared an alarmed look. There was one ship they had yet to get to and they ran for it.
"Time for some breaking and entering?" Teddy asked, his face alight in excitement.
They ran up to the front gate of the airship and launched themself inside, ready for action. Mai took two guards for herself, knocking them upside the head with the hilt of her knife. The guards at the entrance of the airship fell with hardly any noise. Silently, Mai and Teddy quickly went down a sequence of hallways. If they could just get to the cockpit and get to the controls, everything would be fine. Nothing ever is that easy, however.
When they got to the cockpit they met several lines of guards, those who didn't even live in Hira'a. "Where do you think you're going?" one of them growled, his hands held out ready to release a torrent of flames.
Mai licked her lips, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "We're here to see the captain of your ship. There's been a change of plans."
The man laughed. "And who are you?" he grunted.
Teddy took a deep inhale, and that was the only warning any of them got before he let out a humongous breath of fire, burning most of the soldiers' uniforms to a crisp and sending them running. Mai stared at Teddy wide eyed and he grinned back at her.
"When did you learn how to do that?" She asked incredulously.
Teddy shrugged. "Learned it in prison."
Mai shook her head. "Somehow I don't quite believe you."
They ran forward now, unhindered, into the cockpit of the ship. Only the captain and a few other navigators were inside and they made quick work of incapacitating them. Teddy quickly took the steering wheel to the ship and pressed a bunch of buttons. Soon enough the radio turned on and he called out to the ship Ty Lee and Ursa were on. "Where are we headed, captain?" Teddy asked, unsure if Ty Lee and Ursa had been able to get to the cockpit, and scared that something might have happened.
Ty Lee's voice came cheerfully through the radio saying: "I hear you loud and clear. I think it's time to go home!"
Ursa's voice came in through the line. "One problem: we don't know how to fly this. Also what do we do with all the soldiers?"
"Get rid of them," Teddy said easily.
"Like kill them?" Ursa asked, not sounding horrified at the idea but simply curious.
Teddy groaned. "No; get them off of the ship," he ordered.
He turned his head towards Mai. "Can you go join them? You're smart enough to figure out these controls." Teddy pointed to the control panel in front of him. "Just use the steering wheel and this lever here. Everything else should be fine without you having to touch it," he explained.
"Are you sure?" Mai asked. "You don't need me here?"
Teddy shook his head, smiling wildly, almost reminding Mai of Zuko's smile when he was in his element. "I've got this, Miss Knives. I trust you enough to let you follow me."
Mai rolled her eyes, but left the cockpit quickly, getting off of the ship as quickly as possible and boarding the other. The other airship that Ty Lee and Ursa were on still had the containers of blasting material attached, causing Mai to pause. There was a roar behind her, and Mai swung around, her head looking up in the sky. There was an airship that she and Teddy had missed and it still had those barrels attached to it.
Mai jumped into action, boarding the airship and racing to the cockpit. She barely even said hello to Ty Lee and Ursa as she took the controls and started to yell at Teddy over the radio line. "We need to get out of here and follow that airship. I repeat there is an airship with blasting jelly and explosives on board already in flight. We need to go now!" She demanded. Pushing the lever Teddy had pointed to and pulled on the steering wheel, getting them in the air.
"What!" came Teddy's tinney voice. "Gotcha. Okay I will lead. You still have explosives on your ship?"
"Affirmative," Mai responded.
"Okay, I'm going to need you guys to take care of the other airship. Noriko and Fingers, can you do that?" Teddy asked, the other line becoming fuzzy as they could hear the machinery come to life over the line.
Ursa and Ty Lee nodded. Ursa handed one of Mai's knives over to Ty Lee and they left the cockpit.
"I'm going to come in on his right!" Mai called out to both her companions and Teddy over the radio as Ursa and Ty Lee ran from the room. "Agni I hope this works," she murmured to herself. She had an idea of what Teddy was planning. Explosive plus explosive meant no more airship, but making sure it was the right one was going to be a trick. Mai kept the ship as close as possible to the other one. She could only wait for the tell-tale sound of explosives going off. Her hands were slick on the steering wheel as she waited. Mai was hyper-aware of her own heart beating against her chest. Waiting was the worst part of any mission.
There was the telling sound of an explosion and Mai quickly pulled up. "Did we get him?" Mai asked over the radio, hoping Teddy had seen what happened. She was met with silence.
The ship rocked to the side, and Mai quickly corrected the steering. The lights on the board in front of her flashed, and she scanned them quickly, trying to figure out what was going on. She yelled into the radio again. "What's happening Teddy!?" she demanded. "Can you see anything?"
"He's firing at our ships, fly up!" Teddy yelled over the radio.
Mai scanned the buttons, looking for something with the description of letting some air out of the top of the balloon. Of course none of the buttons were labeled. Mai pulled on the lever that Teddy had pointed to earlier and hoped for the best. The ship stalled for a moment in the air before rising. Distantly she heard scuffling and some yelling somewhere on the ship, but she concentrated on keeping the airship rising, and getting it as far away from the enemy ship as possible.
There was a deafening boom, making Mai jump instinctively. "What is going on?" she demanded through the radio.
The radio clicked to life. "You got him, he's going down!" Teddy yelled excitedly.
Mai sagged at the wheel in relief. "Thank Agni."
Teddy laughed over the line. "It's not over yet, we still have to get there. Keep praying to Agni for me, alright?"
Mai let out a low laugh. "I'll try."
Ursa and Ty Lee bounded into the room beaming and covered in soot. "We threw one of our barrels into his," Ty announced proudly. "I didn't know that would happen?! That was so cool!" Mai eased the steering wheel and settled the ship into a smoother course.
Ursa patted the girls on the back silently, letting Ty Lee take the glory. Mai gave the older woman a squeeze on the shoulder absentmindedly while she kept an eye on the steering of the ship. "I'm going to find the look out and keep a watch on anyone following us," Ursa said quietly, leaving the girls to their own devices.
Ty Lee ran up beside Mai and gave her a big hug. "We did it!" she cheered, swaying side to side. Mai let out a tired sigh with a smile on her lips.
"One down, one more to go," Mai said. Behind them something was beeping. In the hubbub of getting away from the other ship, Mai had forgotten about the blinking lights. Mai leaned closer to the dashboard and read the little script on top of the button. It read: rudder. "Um, hey Teddy, Whatever the rudder is, I think it got hit on my ship."
"Shit," Teddy swore through the radio.
"What can we do?" Mai asked urgently. "Is it bad?"
"You won't be able to steer," Teddy explained.
Ty Lee put a finger to her nose in thought. "Can we just evacuate the ship and join you?" she asked.
"No," Teddy said. "Look below us; we have towns and villages all around us. We'll kill them in an instant if we just let the ship drop."
"Then what can we do?" Mai said, focusing on the topic at hand. "If we can't steer it, what are we going to do? This thing is strapped with explosives."
Teddy sighed over the line. "I don't know. I'd have to see the deck myself to be able to diagnose it."
"Then why don't we," Mai said.
"What in midair? Are you crazy?" Teddy cried. It sounded like he was nearly pulling out his hair at the thought of it. "I guess we could, maybe, but you would have to be pretty crazy."
"I can change the altitude on the ship still, so maybe if we drop one at a time into your ship, Ursa and Ty Lee first, we can drop you into this ship from above. It could work," Mai explained, thinking it through aloud.
"We could use rope and some of the extra safety gear," Ty Lee added. "I think it could work."
They could hear Teddy grumbling over the line to himself. "These are the craziest women I have ever met. Fine; sure. I think it's the best idea we've got. We'll just have to be incredibly careful; I don't want to lose anyone."
"We won't," Mai assured. "It has to work."
It was hard to maneuver the big airships, but with a little finagling, they were able to pull it off. Mai's ship hovered above Teddy's at an angle. Ty Lee and Ursa strapped large bags of fabric strapped to their back that would expand to catch them just in case they missed the ship. When Ty Lee went down, she was able to easily grab onto the balloon below. With some quick work, she was able to catch Ursa, hauling her inside the ship with ease. Next came Teddy. Mai moved the ship carefully so he could land safely. His training in the army as well as his firebending allowed him to easily slip onto the ship. He ran into the main room of the ship, casting a glance over the board in front of the steering wheel.
Mai flipped a switch on the radio so that Ty Lee and Ursa wouldn't be able to hear them. "This ship won't make it, will it?" Mai asked quietly, looking at Teddy seriously.
He gave her a grim look. "It won't be landing," he replied, his voice void of emotion.
Mai had to look away for a moment. She stared down at the control board and took it in, realizing what would need to happen. She looked up at Teddy again and raised a hand to squeeze his shoulder affectionately. "Thank you...for everything."
Teddy gave her a dazzling smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It was a pleasure." He gave her a flowery bow, kissing the back of her hand with a smirk to his lips. Mai turned to leave, but Teddy gripped her forearm and stared at her sincerely. "Make sure we win...and tell my dad I love him."
Mai nodded grimly. "I promise." She gave him one last wave before leaving the room.
Mai squared her shoulders and gazed out of the front windows of the ship. It was quiet on the airship as they flew closer and closer to the heart of the Fire Nation. Mai didn't feel nervous, but she felt the anger and fear rumbling at the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what awaited her at the Fire Nation Palace, but she knew she had to do something to end this war. If the Avatar didn't kill Ozai, Zuko would have no claim to the throne unless he fought his father again, which honestly frightened Mai. That man deserved a life full of suffering to make up for what he did to Zuko, and Mai wanted to see him pay. Azula was dangerous, and whoever was being sent to take care of her couldn't possibly be prepared. The fate of the world was in the hands of the next twenty four hours, and Mai hated that she could have no control over it.
It was scary how much one person could lose control, however. Mai recalled first meeting Azula. She used to smile and laugh and giggle while they played. However, as soon as firebending practice began, Azula started to change. Mai noticed the small changes, like when she would freeze when she got something wrong, or how she started to only want to play the lead character in all of their games. It became more noticeable when she started to push Zuko around, but she never did it to her two best friends. Mai and Ty Lee were her best friends, and yet at some point things began to change. Mai vaguely remembers at the beginning of their days at the Royal Academy for Girls, where Azula would force them to act a certain way around school. It was one of the first signs that things were changing in the dynamics of their group. Now Azula was becoming Fire Lord, and yet her mind was still young and underprepared. Azula would be turning seventeen soon, with Ty Lee following close behind. Mai had turned eighteen during the few days where she had lost all of her good memories, and bad ones. It felt like yesterday when they were all five and six years old playing in Ursa's gardens.
"Hey, are you doing okay?" Ty Lee asked, coming to sit beside Mai at the stern.
Mai hummed. "Are you okay?" Mai asked in return.
Ty shook her head. "That's not an answer."
"Neither is yours," Mai replied.
Ty Lee hummed to fill the silence. "Were you thinking about Azula too?"
Mai was silent for several minutes, collecting her thoughts. "I hate her for what she's done, but I can't help but feel worried about her," Mai finally said. "She destroyed our friendship and honestly everything that was good about the Fire Nation, but I can't help but feel sorry for her."
Ty sighed her agreement. "I'm really worried for her, but I'm so confused. I care about you a lot, but I care about her too and I'm scared about what's going to happen to her… when the war ends."
"She can't become Fire Lord," Mai replied.
Ty Lee let out an aggravated sigh. "I know," she said forcefully before taking a deep breath in and out. "I know," she repeated. "But as much as I hate what she did to you, Zuko, and so many people, I don't want her to die," Ty Lee finally admitted. "I love her. I want to see her get better, not be condemned for the rest of her life. She doesn't deserve it."
"Ozai deserves it," Mai said. "Ozai destroyed so much, but hurting his family the way he did is unforgivable. Azula followed what he wanted her to do, just like Zuko did. Zuko made it out all right...maybe Azula can too?" Mai said hopefully.
"You're not usually so hopeful," Ty Lee said with a dry laugh.
Mai shook her head, chuckling a little. "Might as well have a little hope if we want to win this war, or at least start winning it." Mai hung her head, looking vacantly down at the steering wheel. "Azula made her own choices though; she has to decide whether she wants to get better."
Ty lee sighed. "I guess you're right. I just wish things would have been easier...for all of us."
Mai smiled sadly. "Yeah, me too."
"What are you two girls up to?" Ursa asked quietly, gliding into the command room. She had been up in the observation room looking for anyone else who would be following them. Luckily, no one had.
"Just talking," Mai said, shrugging.
"How soon will we arrive?" Ursa asked. She looked uncomfortable and nervous, her hands fidgeting with the edges of her sleeves, but otherwise she was the epitome of poise. She sat down next to Mai, her back straight and elegant, more than a shadow of who she used to be.
"Any moment now," Mai said.
"I think we're going to need reinforcements first," Ty Lee said, going back to an earlier conversation. "If we need to stop this war, we're going to need people who we can trust. Remember that prison we guarded during the Eclipse, Mai?"
"Who would be there?" Ursa asked.
Ty Lee smiled. "The Kyoshi Warriors are there along with all of the Avatar's army who were there during the Eclipse. Just a couple dozen of manpower. If we raid the capital while the Fire Lord is out of town with his army, there will be no one to stop us," she declared triumphantly.
Mai hummed her agreement, tapping her cheek in thought. "Ursa, are you good with any weapons? If we look around on this ship, we may be able to find some weapons to make this easier."
Ursa beamed. "Where do you think Zuko got the idea to learn the dual blades?" she asked coyly. "I'm rusty, but if we can find some I'm sure I will be fine."
In an adjacent room, Mai and Ursa rifled through the weapons room finding knives, blades, and swords, enough to equip both of them and their future army. They were over Caldera now, their airship the only one in sight. Looking down at the city below, it looked eerily silent and vacant; the usual merchants and townspeople gone, only a few people walking around. It sent shivers up Mai's back.
"Where is everyone?" Ty Lee echoed Mai's thoughts aloud.
"They know what's coming," Ursa said gravely. She pointed to the cole-black skies above the extinct volcano where the palace resided. The comet was arriving.
Mai rotated the steering wheel of the airship and directed it towards the inside of the volcano, where the prison would be. She didn't really know how to land one of these things, but she would have to try something. As long as they didn't crash land, it would be fine.
There was a landing patch right outside of the palace. Mai pressed random buttons, hoping for the best, and miraculously figured out how to lower the airship onto the ground. The landing was still a little rough, leaving Ty Lee and Ursa holding on for dear life.
The sky was nearly black when they hurried out of the airship. They could hear a horn in the distance announcing their arrival and they ran towards their destination as quickly as possible. The prison loomed ahead of them, Ty Lee leading the way into the building. It looked the same as it had when they were here during the Eclipse, but obviously there had been an increase in soldiers guarding the cells. The three of them launched into action, barreling inside. Ty Lee hit a pressure point in the neck of the guard at the front of the door, while Ursa handled his companion with her dual swords. She was surprisingly as terrifyingly good at the swords, they found out. Mai sent a blade right through the sleeve of the guard sitting at the desk, pinning him to the wall behind him. He cried out in shock and tried to dislodge the blade, but Mai was quicker. She pushed against his neck, touching one specific spot, making him collapse on the spot.
Mai weaved her way to the other side of the desk and shuffled through the stacks of papers looking for the list of prisoners. When she finally found it, she followed Ursa and Ty Lee up the stairs in a hurry. They could hear company coming, and quickly. Their thundering footsteps beat to the same beat as Mai's racing heart. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping Mai going, having driven the airship through the night.
Ursa hung back. "I'll keep the coming guards at bay. You two get your army," she said, twisting her blades in her hands. Her hold was rusty, but it was clear she felt comfortable with the swords in her hands.
First stop, Kyoshi Warriors. They were in the lower levels and all pushed into one cell. One of the younger girls, it appears, came forward and leveled the three women with a distrustful look. "Who are you?" she demanded.
"Your worst nightmare," Mai said blandly.
One of the girls from the back spoke up. "Those are the ones who locked us up!" There was a chorus of agreeing growls.
Ty Lee grinned at the girls and waved at them, appearing as her jubilant self. "Sorry for that, but we're on your side, but we need help in ending the war."
"Why would we help you?" the proxy leader asked, her head high.
Mai gestured to the prison around them. "Well you're welcome to stay here with no food and worsening conditions," she said sarcastically. "We're offering you a way out. You can take it or leave it."
The warriors looked amongst themselves, looking unsure. Mai didn't wait for them to decide. She could hear the sound of blades from above. Ursa had company now. Mai strode forward and unlocked the Kyoshi Warrior's cell door. She pulled it open and turned to leave. "It's your choice. We've got more people for free. There's an airship not too far from the main entrance. It should have all the weapons you need. We're staging a coup and you can help if you want," Mai said with finality.
Up the stairs, Mai and Ty Lee rushed, taking the steps two at a time. They dodged in and out of a few cells, setting free known soldiers that had opposed the crown. On the top floor of the tower-like prison, Mai and Ty Lee found earth benders and water benders, many from what they said was "The Swamp". Mai had never heard of it, but couldn't care less. They were people who stood with the Avatar and could fight. That's all she needed.
Ty Lee called out to the new group of recruits, meeting them outside the steps of the prison. "Okay, we are kind of flying by the seat of our pants, but we are going to stage a coup and try to end the war and stop Princess Azula. We have weapons on an airship outside if you need them, at least if the airship is still there, I really hope it is," Ty said, sidetracked. Mai cleared her throat, helping her friend stay on topic. "Oh right, and if you want to help us, join us, or else you can stay here. Who's with me!" She cried. Her speech was a little scatter-brained but it rallied the benders and non-benders around her, enough that they followed her down the stairs.
Outside the entrance, Ursa was holding her own, but it looked like her energy was waning and she was struggling to keep the last of the soldiers at bay. The Kyoshi Warriors were beside, holding off the soldiers the best they could, but the new recruits stormed into the room, helping to stall the flow of firebenders. There was a mash of earthbending, waterbending, firebending, and the clash of swords in the air as the fighting moved outside. A large boom and a wave of heat distracted those fighting, making everyone turn their head towards the source.
Bursts of flames plumed over the walls of the palace to the left, roofs caught on fire and walls began to collapse against the heat of the fire. Mai's heart stopped as she saw two types of flames pour over the edges of the roofs. Blue and deep orange-red. "Zuko," Mai whispered, disbelieving. The flames could mean only one thing: an Agni Kai.
Hello Readers! Here is another chapter! We are almost there and the Agni Kai is next. We are in the home stretch! I hope you have been enjoying this story. I didn't want to completely follow the show because I felt like Mai could have done so much more, so I changed the plot to give her more agency. Leave a comment or favorite if you would like, and until tomorrow, TTFN! (Also if you are looking for some holiday oneshots, take a look at my other fic December fluff :)