Responses to Reviews:

Phieillydinyia: Bumi is many things, but he is not a traitor.

RonaldM40196867: It's certainly possible, especially given his Earthbending prowess, but given that we know nothing about his life between the ages of about 12 and 112, it's impossible to say for certain.

As Always, Please Review, and we pick up our story as Bumi finds out something rather alarming about his new 'friend'...

At the mention of the Air Temples, Bumi felt a surge of anger overcome him, and fought to stop himself doing something stupid. Fortunately, nobody else appeared to notice.

"He attacked the Air Temples?" He asked, desperately trying not to sound angry.

"Yep," an officer said casually. "He personally led the attack and everything."

"How brave of him," Bumi replied, his voice dripping with as much sarcasm as he thought he could get away with.

"Thank you." Again, nobody picked up on it. "Well, you know how it goes, some things just need to be done."

Bumi nodded, thinking of Aang.

"After the attack on the air temples, he saw action in the southern sea, guarding against the water tribes..." the man began to drone, but Bumi had lost interest. He was sure that whatever else these people had to say would only make him angry, although they had already done that.

Poor Aang, he thought. He remembered when news of the Attacks had filtered through to Omashu; a lone air nomad on his sky-bison had arrived in Omashu hysterically shouting about a Fire Nation attack on his temple. Nobody had quite believed that the Fire Nation would be capable of such an act until further news began drifting in over the following weeks from all directions, accompanied by air nomad refugees. All told the same tale; a co-ordinated strike on the Air Temples by Fire Nation soldiers who had begun setting fire to everything- and everyone- they could find. The survivors had been those who had been able to get to their sky-bison quickly enough.

King Batu had offered the hospitality and protection of Omashu to all these people once it became apparent what had happened, but none had taken it; they had all soon flown away, desperately seeking out other survivors of the tragedy, and none had returned.

Bumi had always hoped, every time he had heard of a new arrival, all of whom came bearing horrific stories of what the Fire Nation had done, that this time it would be Aang, but his friend had never come, and when the flow of refugees had become a trickle and ultimately stopped entirely a year or so afterwards, he had slowly been forced to come to terms with the fact that his best friend was most likely dead.

And these people have the audacity to claim it was necessary? To brag about it?

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Amisha tapping him on the shoulder.

"What?" He hissed, only for her to point him towards a Fire Nation orderly who was looking at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear the question," he was forced to admit.

"Your sleeping arrangements. Do you have any?"

"I'll just make a rock tent," Bumi told the man, who nodded.

With that, apart from a couple of soldiers who stood nearby looking at them oddly, the two of them were left alone for the first time.

Bumi looked down the long column of soldiers marching up the road towards them, streams of red passing by in lockstep.

"So, what now?" Amisha whispered to him.

"I... don't know," Bumi was forced to admit.

"What? What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I suppose we wait to find an opening," he replied defensively. "Look, I just found out their glorious leader may have killed my best friend, my head isn't in the game."

"Right," she replied. "Do you want to say that any louder, I don't think they heard you."

Bumi realised that possibly shouting about how his best friend had been killed by the Fire Army might be a poor idea when he was in the middle of the Fire Army.

He looked down the column, and that was when he registered that a section of the line was not wearing red.

They were in green.

"I think I have an idea," he whispered to Amisha.

Bumi had been walking alongside the column when a message had been passed down to him, telling him that he had been invited to dine with the general.

"His excellency extends to you, his future vassal, an invitation to dine in the command tent this evening with the Prince and all his Officers," an orderly had told him in a formal voice. Bumi waved the man off, telling him that he would accept.

"Am I invited?" Amisha asked, just as the orderly was turning away. The man paused, and turned back to her.

"He didn't mention you," he replied shortly. With that, he was gone.

Soon, a general halt order was passed down the column, as darkness began to fall and the army began to set up for the night. Bumi watched as military engineers worked with practiced hands to throw up walls and fortifications to protect the army in hostile territory, as tents of all sizes began to appear; by far the largest was the one belonging to the Black Prince himself, in colours that matched his armour.

Meanwhile, Bumi stomped his feet, and two small slabs of rock burst up out of the ground to create a small rock tent. With his accommodation for the night taken care of in a matter of a few seconds, he began to get bored.

He was just contemplating "accidentally" tripping some passing soldiers when the Orderly appeared again.

"You're not going to go dressed like that, are you?" He questioned.

"I have no other clothes. What's wrong with my armour, anyway?"

"Armour is for fighting, not for eating," the man replied. "At least, in civilised countries it is."

Bumi didn't let any reaction appear on his face.

"Well, in that case, I don't suppose I could be supplied with something nicer? I wouldn't want to offend your commander and his civilised sensibilities."

The man frowned. "We're late as it is, there's no time for that. Just come on, he probably won't mind."

Bumi followed as the man led him away from his rock tent and towards the majestic golden structure in the middle of the camp.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I would say you didn't like me," Bumi told him as they approached it.

"My personal feelings do not matter," was the only reply, before the entrance to the tent was being pushed away and Bumi's presence announced.

The interior of the tent was even more ornate than the exterior, as rich carpets, cushions and blankets littered the floor. A table had been set up around which several men were sat; most of them were older men in expensive looking robes, so Bumi assumed that these were high ranking officers.

"Welcome!" The Black Prince shouted as Bumi stepped inside. He had changed out of his armour and was wearing red silk robes.

In reply, Bumi only bowed awkwardly.

"Come now, there is no need for that. Please, sit. We have a lot to talk about."

"Indeed we do."

Bumi sat down, and looked down the length of the table.The Black Prince's generals looked back at him, most of them frowning at his choice of attire.

"So, Bumju," the Prince began. "Is it custom in the Earth Kingdom to wear armour at the dinner table?"

"My name," said Bumi, "is Bumi. And no. My apologies, I simply forgot to bring a suitable alternative."

The Prince just laughed. "Well, hopefully you're not expecting us to give you a new wardrobe, as well as a city!"

"That won't be necessary," Bumi replied.

"I'm so glad to hear that," was the response.

Just then, the flap at the entrance to the tent rustled, and a man entered with several plates, which he began distributing among the guests. The Black Prince accepted his food without even looking at him.

When the servant came to Bumi, he accepted his plate with a "thank you." This got him strange looks from the others at the table, but he shrugged it off.

The meal proceeded largely in silence; Bumi supposed that normally they would be discussing strategy but his presence was getting in the way of that. About halfway through, the Prince put his cutlery down and leaned forwards with his elbows on the table.

"So, Bumi. What do you think about the war?"

Bumi panicked, and acted ignorant to cover it up.

"Do you mean in general, or...?"

"In general, yes. And don't just tell me what you think I want to hear."

"It's just, you see, I am from the Earth Kingdom. Many of us have drastically different views on the war from those in the Fire Nation."

"I'm sure you do, but I'm asking you specifically."

The prince's voice had taken on a tone that let Bumi know that he wasn't going to be taking no for an answer.

He sighed.

"Generally I am against wars."

"Really? Then it must have been desperate circumstances that drove you to fight in one- on what must be the wrong side to you, no less."

"I already told you why."

"I am aware. But do you ever think that war can be justified?"

"I think it should be a last resort."

"Yes, but would there ever be a circumstance in which you would be in favour of a war? Say, if you were convinced that it would make the world better once it was over?"

All wars make the world better by ending, Bumi thought, but he did not say that. Instead, he made a show of thinking.

"There is one circumstance," he said carefully.

"Go on..." The Prince leaned forward even further over the table and a small smile broke out on his face.

"Self-defence."

Immediately, the smile dropped off, and a scowl replaced it. The assembled company finished the rest of the meal in silence.