The Fire Lord was used to seeing fire, but seeing the destruction it brought to the city before him was beyond shocking; the flames and smokestacks were everywhere, on ground level he couldn't even be sure as to where the fire actually was. People were running through the streets, fearful of more balls of fire- Zuko had been recuperating from his injury at the barracks infirmary only to find that the city was under attack- a naval bombardment, something all to common with Fire Nation military tactics, was being used against their own people, to a horrific success. Racing down the street with his uncle and Imperial Guard in tow, he grit his teeth at the destruction he saw, buildings burning, civilians screaming; another fireball flew over them, it's streaking flames followed by his eyes, landing behind him, causing the street to shake violently as the explosion brought smoke and dust into the air.
"Uncle!" he shouted out, his vision shrouded by the dust that filled the street; reaching out he found his Uncle on the ground, coughing from the inhaled dust.
"Urgh- nephew, we have to do something." he told him with squinted eyes, a hand covering his mouth to cover from further smoke.
"I know Uncle- I'm thinking of something." he told him, before turning to his guards, many of which were coughing like his uncle from the dust, "Men- I need you to help put out fires- protecting me means nothing if innocents die on my watch!" he told them, one of the guards coughing and raising his hand in objection.
"Y-your majesty- it is our duty to protect you with our lives." he told Zuko, who glared at him.
"I will you- all of you- to help these people- that is your duty!" he commanded, the guards nodding and turning to face the fire behind them which had set alight to the street-front; turning back to Iroh he grabbed him on the shoulder, "Uncle- we need to stop this bombardment."
"We must- let's go." he confirmed, the two of them picking up their pace as they raced down the main street of Yu Dao toward the western gate of the city; as they made their way down the street, Zuko noted the number of injured and fleeing civilians, which only furthered his resolve- if his enemies accepted the deaths of their fellow countrymen as part of their quest to defeat him, he swore he would make them learn the error of their ways- and they would learn the same way he learned his destiny: through pain.
As they made their way down the the street they were confronted by the entire street-front on fire, people running in all directions in terror; stepping forward he took a stance, reaching out with one hand to sense the flames before him, feeling their very motion with his bending- the searing heat as well. As if grabbing the flames with his mind, the Fire Lord funnelled the heat of the flames through his hand and out into the sky- it was as if instead of bending his own inner fire, he was redirecting the fire before him through himself- the feeling was surreal, reminding him distinctively of his uncle's lightning redirection technique. Sending the fire into the sky above him, it scattered out, lighting the street below with a bright orange tinge- he looked on in awe at the firebending technique he had just used; Iroh turned to him with approval as he continued to dampen the flames before them.
"That was an interesting move nephew- I never taught you heat control." he noted, his nephew raising a brow at him as he finished streaming the fire into the sky above them.
"Oh- that's what it's called- I just- tried something out." he stammered, unsure how to explain to his uncle that he had unintentionally used a powerful technique.
The two of them turned back to face down the street, noting the various portions of the street-front being on fire; Zuko turned to his uncle and indicated for them to head on forward, his uncle nodding and following him along the street. As they approached another fire, the Fire Lord approached the flames again, noting that he could still feel the flames around him with his bending- he reached out an arm, his uncle copying his motion, as the two of them drew out the heat of the flames and redirected them through themselves; he caught eye of another flaming boulder being flung in their direction, and in a flinching motion, sent his stream of flames toward the boulder, causing it to explode in an array of dust and smoke- leaving those around him looking on in awe.
"By the spirits- it's the Fire Lord!" one of the onlookers called out, Zuko ignoring his appreciative comment to continue drawing the flames into himself; he turned to Iroh and looked with narrowed brows.
"What if I keep the flames within myself?" he asked his uncle, who shook his head disapprovingly.
"That would be far too dangerous- it would burn you, in ways that you can't even imagine." he muttered fearfully, Zuko looking to him with concern.
"You might not like what I'm about to do." he told him, before turning back to the flames, drawing them in with two hands, momentarily taking in their energies with no output, only to redirect the flames out of his feet moments later, sending the Fire Lord flying into the air; looking on in amazement, he realised that he was flying as he looked upon the city form an impressive height- he could see all of the fires that blazed across Yu Dao, and more that than, he could see two fleets battling out in the bay, just offshore- his own Royal Barge seemed to be damaged, although in the darkness of night it was hard to make out exactly what was going on.
Within moments he found himself receding down, using his bending to keep himself off the ground as he quickly approached the street head-first; striking the ground at speed, the Fire Lord rolled down, grazing his face and hands, making him whelp in pain. As he rubbed his pained face, the Fire Lord glanced up off the ground to see his uncle racing back over to him.
"Zuko! Why would you do that?" he asked of him.
"W-we're being attacked- and I have to stop them- I have to save this city- save my crew..." he told Iroh with newfound determination, who looked at him respectfully.
"Yes- we will do just that- let's go." he reached out a hand, Zuko grabbing it and lifting himself to his feet.
Turning to face down the street, he could make out the gates of the city, and glared them down with a sense of righteousness; he would defeat those who sought to destroy his people for their own gain- the newly crowned Fire Lord did not want war, but he would not tolerate the abuse of innocents while he made breath- that was his duty.
"You're not carrying me."
Sokka turned to Azula with frustration, "For the last time- you're incapable of walking- for real this time." he grumbled, the Princess glaring at him as she tried to sit herself up on the bed.
"I most certainly can- I will not be dishonoured by your infantilising behaviour." she glared at him, pulling a foot down to step on the floor, only to find herself falling forward with no way of stopping herself; he grabbed her with two arms- the Princess blushing from the contact as he held her in his arms, holding her up from the ground with a smug face.
"As you were saying?" he asked her rhetorically, whose blush faded as she glared at him before rolling her eyes.
"Fine- you win savage."
"Brilliant- let's go." he simply told her, grabbing her legs and back and holding her up as he had done before- turning to Kori and Sneers, who stood in the hallway waiting for them, "It's okay- I got her to agree to being picked up." he explained, Azula coughing to grab their attention.
"I did not." she muttered, Sokka rolling his eyes at her before stepping forward.
Kori nodded at them and indicated to follow, "Let's go- the chaos of this attack is a good cover that mightn't last very long." she noted with a grim face, knowing all to well the destruction that was befalling her city because of something as petty as a sibling rivalry.
Following her down the stairs, they came before her mother, who looked to them with concern, "Are you sure this is a good idea Kori? It's dangerous out there." she asked of her, who looked to the injured Princess with fear.
"It's more dangerous here for her than anywhere- we don't want her in a prison cell." she explained, Mrs. Morshita nodding in understanding.
"Go on then- be quick." she advised them, Kori, Sneers and Sokka all nodding in acknowledgement.
The Freedom Fighter opened the back door and glanced out, "It's clear of guards- let's go." he told them, Kori and Sokka following behind, the Water Tribesman giving a curt wave to Mrs. Morishita, realising he mightn't see her again.
The three of the paced along out through the garden, with the Princess still tightly held in Sokka's arms- Kori indicated to the north of them, "We should head that way- the closest walls are there- if we're lucky you should be able to slip out without anyone noticing." she explained, the Water Tribesman looking to her with concern, "I have a better idea- do people fish in Yu Dao?" he questioned her, who looked on in confusion.
"Wait wait- fish? Yeah people fish- how is that relevant?" she asked him, who smirked back at her.
"It just happens that I am quite the sailor- I have a plan- a good one." he explained to them, Azula looking up to his face and glaring.
"Pfft- don't listen to this fool- he's just as likely to get us both drowned." she argued, the man holding her looking down at her with frustration.
"I'm the Water Tribesman- it's in the name." he pointed his thumb at himself, Kori stepping closer to stop their argument.
"Guys- we need to go now- you can argue all you like when we're not in danger."
A voice called out behind them, "Hey- what are you doing here?"
Sokka turned to note that they were being approached by an Imperial Guard, who had obviously overheard their scuffle; Kori stepped forward to try and defuse the situation, "I live here- Mayor's daughter- remember?" she asked the guard, who nodded upon recognising her, but still suspiciously glanced at the other three.
"What's with the girl- is she hurt?" he asked them, the Water Tribesman glaring him down, defensively turning Azula away from the guard.
"That's none of your business." he muttered, the guard stepping closer.
"There's a attack going o-" he begun to explain, before noting the appearance of the girl his arms, "that face- wait a second!" he shouted, being cut off by an abrupt noise hitting his helmet, the man falling down face-first before them, to reveal another figure standing behind him- Mai, dressed as if she was more than ready for a fight, her stilettos and knives at hand.
"So this is what happened..." she noted, Azula turning her head to realise her friend standing before them.
"Oh- it's you- I'm sure Zuko's off somewhere doing some stupid heroic thing." she noted, Mai shrugging her shoulders.
"I haven't seen him since he left for your duel- I'm assuming you lost- I heard that your guards had run amok."
She raised a brow, "Huh- loyal to the end." she noted, her friend looking to her with confusion.
"So this is the end?" she questioned, Sokka standing tall to argue otherwise.
"No- we're escaping- I'm hoping you're not going to try and stop us." he suggested, Mai glaring him down.
"I might love her brother, but I'm not just going to let her go end up in the Boiling Rock or something just because she lost a duel." she told him, Azula sighing in dismissal.
"I probably deserve it." she noted, the Water Tribesman looking at her with concern.
"No you don't- we're getting out of here." he assured her, turning to Mai and nodding, "Thank you, but we've got to go." he explained, the darkly clothed girl nodding.
"Well- good luck then, I'm sure you'll need it Azula." she commented, turning around to return to her residence, walking past the incapacitated guard as the others ran in the opposite direction, their feet taking them as fast as they could.
Snaking their way through the alleyways of Yu Dao, the group noted the increasing smell of smoke, to the point at which it made it hard to breathe- they could not see the fire, but it's orange haze lit the city up despite the time of day; Sokka turned to the Princess with concern, as she begun to cough from the smoke inhalation.
"We need a way to cover from this smoke." he noted, Sneers stopping them and glancing around at the balconies around the alleyway they were in.
He pointed up to a balcony with strips of cloth, "We need to get some of those!" he exclaimed, Kori jumping up to grab the cloths from the balcony, tearing them down to hand to each of them, the Water Tribesman taking one to place over Azula's mouth; each of them tied the cloths over their mouths and behind their heads, before continuing along with the smoke becoming heavier.
As they made their way out onto a major street, Sokka pointed out the fire that was blazing, an entire apartment complex collapsing before them, being torn apart by the fire; Kori indicated the others to follow her in the opposite direction as they made their way toward the wall- a few moments later a whole unit of guards raced past them, presumably to deal with the fire- to their luck none of them recognised or noticed the Princess.
"That was a close one..." the Water Tribesman muttered, Kori leading them down another alleyway, now with the city walls in sight.
Racing down the alleyway as fast as they could, the group was forced to duck when hearing a whirring sound as a ball of fire flew above them, causing an explosion which rocked the ground on which they stood- turning around they noted a fire in the street behind them, and knew they had to press on forward; making their way toward the wall, he noted the heavy damage that it had taken after so many barrages- he was unsure how long the attack had been going on for, but he was sure that it would continue until one side won out- for once he was hoping that Zuko would win, at least for the sake of the city. The earthbender stepped forward to the wall, raising her hands at a damaged portion before dropping them in a swift motion, which caused that portion of the wall to crumble down, leaving a clear path for them to take out of the city; stepping through he took note of the battle taking place- two fleets, Zuko's and Zhao's- each of them taking damage on each other, the constant volleying of fireballs leaving most of the ships damaged and on fire.
"That's one big battle..." he noted before raising a hand, "and a very good distraction for us to escape with."
Suddenly a massive stream of fire let out from along the wall, striking Zhao's flagship, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the bridge of the ship; the Water Tribesman gulped with fear, noting the pure power that came from the attack.
"What was that?!" Sneers exclaimed fearfully, unsure who or what could have created such a spectacle of flames.
Sokka turned to face Azula with slight distress, "Her brother."
She pulled the cloth off of her mouth looked up at him, "I doubt it." to which he shook his head.
"You can make lightning and he can send it back at you- I don't think you can say he's incapable of such a feat." he told her with a fearful tone, still considering the possibility of Zuko hunting them down; Azula, despite being unable to move much more than her head and hands, raised a brow and chuckled at his comment.
"Well we do have the same father- perhaps he takes after him in more than looks."
Zhao could barely see anything, the hit to his head making his vision blur to a haze, his hearing a little better, able to make out the whelps and screams of his men in the aftermath of the explosion that rocked the bridge of his ship; using his hand to cover his eyes from the brightness of the flames before him, he pulled himself from the ground, trying to make out his surroundings- he knew he was at the back end of the bridge, and that inclined him to try and feel his way toward the stairs. Touching the metal wall singed his hands painfully, forcing him to use his bending to draw the heat out of the wall, lest he burn his hands further; feeling his way along the wall he came to the end of it, reaching around to accidentally touch another survivor of the explosion on the shoulder.
The man turned to him and realised his identity, "Admiral- you're alive! Come on- we've got to get somewhere safer on the ship!" he advised, Zhao's vision still impaired, forcing him to simply nod and grunt back.
Following the mans voice, he made his way down the stairs to the third floor of the bridge, which is where his personal offices were- he rubbed his eyes, beginning to be able to make things out- shapes and colours coming to him; he turned to the man and shook his head, "I-I need to get to my office- it's important." he explained to the man who looked at him before nodding.
"I understand- I'll wait to make sure you get out- do you need any help?" he asked him, sure to respect his superior officer, Zhao shaking his head.
"No- no- no I need to go alone." he muttered, before turning down the hallway, noting the heat from the explosion still resonated through the lower floors of the bridge.
Trudging his way along the hallway, he remembered where he had to walk as he made his way toward his study, noting that the hallway ahead of him was practically destroyed and licked by a wall of flames, the roof above having collapsed down; he sighed with relief, noting that his office was safe- he opened the door and closed it behind him, feeling his way around his study.
"Where is it?" he mumbled to himself, fumbling around his desk drawers, trying to find the right one- feeling the click he smirked in knowing he had what he was looking for; the Admiral picked up the false bottom and the parchments below, rolling them up and tying them with a piece of string on his desk.
Turning around, he continued to feel around for something to carry the parchments in, knowing he couldn't lose them or have them damaged- if there was a chance that Zuko took his ship, he had to be certain that his knowledge couldn't fall into his hand; he felt a small felt bag and put the rolled up parchments into it, slinging the bag around his shoulder before pushing the door open, cringing at the singing heat. Zhao pushed through the doorway and paced himself down back to the stairs, where the man he had entrusted to help him was remaining steadfast.
"Admiral- do you have what you needed?" he asked, the Admiral nodding before stepping closer.
"We do need to get out of here, this ship could start sinking at any moment." he told the man, who cleared his throat before grabbing Zhao by the shoulder, helping him down the stairs, as the Admiral could barely keep himself on his own feet- disoriented and near-blinded from the explosion.
Following his helper down the stairs, they made their way to the deck floor of the bridge, leading him out to the deck of the ship, where sailors were loading and firing their armaments toward their enemies.
Zhao stepped forward to command his men, realising that they needed to get rid of any chance Zuko could capture them in the case he took their ship, "Fire all the munitions- aim to sink the ships!" he commanded, the artillery commander standing forward to acknowledge him.
"Admiral! We were told we needed to distract the enemy by striking the city- is that no longer the case?" he asked him, Zhao pointing at his injured and bruised face.
"Look at me- the bridge was just destroyed by some powerful firebending attack- we must destroy the pretenders fleet, otherwise we will not leave this harbour alive." he shouted at his subordinate with distress, knowing that they needed to change their plan of attack if they wanted a chance of winning, the artillery commander nodding back with fear before directing his men.
"Fire at will- sink the bastards!" he shouted out at them, Zhao nodding with appeasement- he turned back to the other men on deck, knowing that they weren't safe.
"Get all of the crew onto the steamers- we need them ready to land." he commanded, Captain Kazu stepping forward to address his superior.
"Admiral- what of the other injured?" he asked him, Zhao stepping closer to shout him down.
"Did you mishear me?" he shouted at him, "I want the crew on the steamers- we will land and take that city- alert the other ships to do the same." he commanded, Kazu nodding fearfully.
"Of course Admiral." he acknowledged turning around to alert the required individuals, the other men on deck racing around to send around the orders- the Admiral wanted them on the steamers, and as long as he bore breath, they wouldn't dare question his orders.
Zhao turned to face the water, looking out toward their opponents, whose vessels continue to fire their own trebuchets at them, balls of fire raining down on their fleet- one of which raced toward them at speed- the men called out in fear, knowing what would happen.
"Take cover!" he heard a number of them shout, Zhao racing back toward the door into the bridge, his eyesight good enough now to make out exactly where he ought to go.
The explosion rocked the deck of the ship, causing it to rock from side to side- Zhao noted that the damage that had been made didn't occur on the top deck, indicating to him that the hull had been breached, "All of you, get off this damn ship- right now!" he shouted out, the men on deck quickly getting on their feet and abandoning the artillery pieces, making their way toward the back of the ship with haste, Zhao taking the lead, despite his poor eyesight."If I have to sail this damn steamer myself I'll do it." he grumbled to himself as he paced himself toward the back of the ship.
Another explosion rocked his ship, Zhao looking up to see fire destroying the top of the bridge completely- he was most thankful of his constitution which had saved him from being knocked out and killed by the explosion before him- he didn't know what was causing it- a new kind of weapon, some advanced firebending technique- he didn't know, but it didn't change his mind- he wanted to defeat Zuko, and he would run into Yu Dao himself to go fight him again if that was what it would take. Pacing himself along the side of the bridge superstructure, he made his eyes on his goal- the battleship's steamers, which sat hanging off the back of the ship, ready to be dropped into use at any moment; before he could direct his men any further, Zhao felt his feet slip from underneath him as another explosion rocked the ship.
"Argh!" he grunted in pain as he felt onto his back, glancing back to see the rest of the men on the deck shaken by the explosion; his eyes opened wide with fury- he would not lose now- he could not, because he was Zhao the Moon-Slayer, or at least he would be, if he could survive the ongoing battle.
"Move!" he shouted at the men, "All of you!" he screamed even louder as he got to his feet, knowing too well the fate that would befall his men if they weren't to get to the steamers; pacing down the stairs at the end of the deck, he made his way to reach the entrance to one of the steamers, and boarded it, following a number of other men who had taken his orders.
Turning to look out the steamer, he saw another explosion shatter the upper deck, men flying off the ship in recoil- Zhao hammered his fist down onto the wall of the steamer, knowing that he was already losing if his men were being lost by the minute; turning to the helmsman of the steamer he glared him down.
"Get the vessel ready to detach." he commanded, the helmsman looking to him with confusion.
"But sir- the rest of the men-" he begun, being cut off by Zhao pointing accusingly at him.
"That was an order- do you want to die boy?" he questioned the helmsman, who shook his head adamantly, "Good- get the steamer in the water before we go down with the ship." he affirmed, the helmsman turning to the ships controls, preparing to activate the hydraulic motion that would allow their smaller vessel to detach from the battleship.
A number of men followed behind where Zhao had come from, quickly scattering themselves into the steamer, one of them Captain Kazu, who was bleeding from the head, "Admiral- by the spirits, there's so many dead- what are we going to do?" he asked of him, Zhao turning to the helmsman.
"Detach! I want us on the shore!" he shouted at the helmsman, who complied, the steamer shaking as it detached from the grip of the larger ship, sliding down into the water, rocking as it splashed around; Zhao glared back up to the battleship, which had begun to tilt to one side, slowly capsizing before him.
The men beside him looked on in shock at the sinking ship, and Zhao couldn't help but lament the fate of their expedition- he had desired to simply assault Yu Dao and apprehend the traitors there, and after knowing of the pretenders arrival, he couldn't resist trying to take the city; with his small fleet sinking before him, Zhao could only think of the consequences the Princess would afford him for his failure- he had one more chance to defeat Zuko, and he had to take it.
"I am not a coward..." he muttered to himself, "We will avenge the deaths of our brothers, men!" he told his crew before him, who nodded with approval, "Our enemies will be with the spirits tomorrow, I am sure of it." he grit his teeth, glaring out to the water toward the city, knowing the battle that awaited him.
Pacing his way along a pier, Sokka couldn't help but have his mouth agape observing the battle before them: ships being sunk left, right and centre, massive beams of fire and countless explosions taking place every minute. He looked down to Azula in his arms, who also intently glanced out at the battle, surely considering how much of a screw up her 'loyal' follower was- they both agreed he was a rotten, no-good man who only intended to use the war to his own benefit, the results before them were just ludicrous- he was willing to attack a city of his own people just to get her brother; the other two were just as worried, knowing that their city was in the cross-fire of this battle, and there was a chance the fires could go on unstopped- Kori thought she ought to race back toward her home to try and stop the fires from spreading further, but she knew she had to help the Princess. She had helped her in a way that she couldn't truly repay- she had given her people a goal, an ideal of a future that would save their colony, but with her duel lost and fleeing from Yu Dao, she couldn't help but feel that all hope was lost. The Water Tribesman led the group along toward the end of the pier, where he noted a small fishing boat that was moored down; he turned to the woman in his arms and smirked.
"This is our way out- I can get it out of the bay and we'll be safe from your brother." he smiled at her hopefully, who grumbled at him in pain.
"I- I hope you're right- we can't lose any more, can we?" she questioned him.
He cringed at the thought of how things could go worse and shook his head, "We won't." he assured her, turning to their two companions, "Could you guys help me untie the boat? it'll be quicker that way." he asked of them.
They nodded at him with acceptance, Sneers stepping forward to grab a rope tied onto the pier, quickly unravelling it- Kori intimidated his achievement to less success, but within a few moments they had untied two ropes, the Water Tribesman taking it upon himself to untie the last, leaving Azula to sit on the pier, still struggling to keep herself upright. Turning back to face her, he lifted her up by the legs, forcing her to wrap her arms around his shoulders; she glared at him momentarily before he stepped over onto the deck of the fishing boat.
"T-this is beyond humiliating..." she mumbled.
He rolled his eyes at her as he returned her to sit on the deck, this time on a bench that would allow to sit up properly, "Will you just appreciate my hard work?" he asked of her, who shrugged as she continued to wince in pain from her injuries.
The Water Tribesman turned to their two helpers and smiled confidently, "Thank you- both of you- I don't think we could have made it out without your help." he acknowledged, Kori smiling at him and nodding.
"I wish you luck, because I don't think it's on our side." she explained, turning to glance at the battle which continued to rage on, the sounds of explosions reverberating throughout the bay; Sneers nodded to affirm her view, turning to glance at his girlfriend with a worry.
"Maybe we should get back now- I'm sure we can help with the fire." he offered her, who nodded in agreement, turning to face them for a last farewell.
"I guess this is it- I hope you can make it out there and find somewhere safe." she told him, who nodded back at her confidently.
"We will- thank you." he affirmed to her as she turned to follow Sneers, pacing their way back toward the city walls.
Facing Azula once more, he leaned over to lift her up again, "We need to find a place for you to sleep- as much as I know you would like to keep fighting on, you need to rest." he explained to her, the Princess shrugging almost in defeat.
"Fine- I can't be bothered to fight any longer- it's over." she admitted to him, who tried to ignore her pessimism.
He trudged over to the back of the boat, placing her in the cabin, which seemed to have some seating that he saw use for as makeshift bedding; laying her down, she looked to him with a sense of dread, the Water Tribesman kneeling beside her.
"We can survive this- we've survived worse." he affirmed to her, who simply rolled herself over as best she could- in the end he simply patted her uninjured shoulder, hoping that her injuries weren't as bad as they seemed.
He got up and paced his way up to the centre of the boat, quickly untying the mainsail from his position at the base of the mast, hoisting up the mast-end to rise to the top, leaving an open sail for use; he smirked at his quick handy-work before going to the side of the vessel and kicking the pier as to push their boat away from the pier and out into the open bay. Turning to face the obvious issue at hand, Sokka grabbed the tiller at the end of the boat, sidestepping where Azula was lying down to direct the boat as it begun to move forward, now being slowly directed by him as he made sure the ship maintained course in heading slowly but surely away from the city; he grit his teeth as they approached the battling fleets, noting that the ship closest to them was already sinking, well and truly going underwater, starkly reminding him of the first time they had met when her ship was sunk by his people. Continuing to hold the boat steady, they veered away from the ship, whose crew could be audibly made out to be crying for help- the Water Tribesman refused to pay attention to them, knowing that if he did he would feel even more guilty watching the ship go under- he had once been in the same position, although unlike him these people before him were far closer to a shoreline, so he considered them to be in relative safety as long as they could swim. As they sailed further out into the bay, Sokka turned the tiller around as they moved southward, catching a glimpse of another fireball exploding causing the water to ripple violently as one of the ships was torn apart before his very eyes, breaking in two from the cumulative damage; he glanced over to her with worry and could only hope that that they would make it out unscathed. As their small boat was sent away from the chaos of the battle by the winds, the Water Tribesman wiped his face with relief, glancing back to watch in near horror at the battle before him- he knew that what ever happened there, there was no chance that Yu Dao would win- they had already lost their game against the powers at be, caught in the crossfire of a civil war he was unsure anyone actually wanted to fight. He stepped away from the till and sat himself down beside the Princess, unsure what to do as their boat sailed down the coastline- the winds weren't in his favour, and he knew it would take them some time to return to Pohuai, that was if it hadn't already been attacked by Zuko's forces; he could only hope that the new Fire Lord was no where near as proactive as his sister, otherwise he thought that he might have to sail all the way back to Ba Sing Se to find somewhere safe for the Princess to regroup. Glancing at the now asleep and clearly pained girl before him, the Water Tribesman couldn't help but sigh.
"What do we do now?"
His feet took them as fast they could- he made sure to count each of his men as they made their mad dash out of the city, fearing for the worst; the Captain knew after their battle with Zuko that it was inevitable that they would lose men, but he wouldn't stand for another loss and they ran through the streets of Yu Dao. After regrouping in an alleyway, he had directed the guards to search for their Princess, but after the sun had well and truly set, explosions rocked the city; he already knew what was happening as soon as he heard it- Zhao had gotten ahead of himself and had started pummelling the city with trebuchets, catapults and all assorted forms of artillery. The unit was reunited quickly after, the men realising there was no reasonable hope in finding the Princess- he trusted that the Water Tribesman would protect her from her brother's forces, and if she couldn't be found already, then it was almost certain she was safe; his men had already cleared out the barracks before running from the Imperial Guards, and it was ascertained that she had escaped before Zuko attacked them- or at the very least, she was taken away by Sokka. He didn't mistake the sound of lightning when the duel was taking place, clearly distinguishable above the rabble and arguments spitting between his men and the Imperial Guards; he judged that if Zuko got out of their duel as the victor, then the Princess must have been the one to befall the strike of lightning. As they raced toward the east gate, a number of local guards bared their weapons toward them, forcing him to step forward before his unit to at least attempt a peaceful escape.
"Please- we don't want to fight you- we're just as true Fire Nation as the rest of you." he argued to them, one of the guards fearfully going into a firebending stance.
"I'm sorry sir- it's our orders." he muttered, before attempting to strike the Captain with a quick fire blast, which he dispersed with ease before knocking the guard down with a stream of fire, shocking the other guards who trembled in fear at the sight of the Royal Guards, who were well-refuted to all be powerful benders.
"You all best put your weapons down before anyone gets hurt." he advised the guards before him, who shuddered and one by one dropped their spears; he looked to them with a conciliatory smile, "We won't forget this- thank you." he curtly bowed before waving his hand, his men racing out the gate with speed, leaving no glances behind as he ensured all of his subordinates left the city safely.
Looking back to the burning city, he considered the fate of it- even if Zhao won the battle, the city would be devastated from fires and the pure devastation of a full naval assault; he could only hope the Fire Lord was merciful for his allies- he could only guess what would be going through the minds of the men who were being ordered to attack their own countrymen. Zhao was loyal to the Princess, but he was most certainly a traitor to his own people- to even consider bombarding and assaulting a Fire Nation city was beyond dishonourable; the people of Yu Dao had done nothing to revolt against the Princess herself, only conceded to the rule of her brother because he landed in the city with his own small armada. He looked to the city guards one last time and nodded.
"I hope we don't meet again under the flag of 'his majesty', for both our sake." he noted to the guards, who nodded respectfully at the Captain before he paced out the gate, following the rest of his unit toward the hills once more, from whence they had already descended to march through the city as the loyal guard of a legitimate claimant, now outlaws of their own nation.
Following his men up to a precipice above the city, he glanced out upon the city once more, noting the raging battle of flames in the distant bay- he could make out a number of ships, but from what it seemed there was no clear winning side- he couldn't help but look in horror at the fate that was befalling his nation, all in a single evening; he turned to his men, who looked on in the same sense of horror that he had.
"Sir- what do we do now?" one of his subordinates, Shan asked him with fear, the Captain turning to him with a similar face of distaste.
"We have no orders from her highness- and therefore- well I say we get out here- until we can find and ascertain the commands of Princess Azula, I will be your commanding officer." he explained to them, the guards kneeling before him in respect.
"You faced off the pretender yourself- you have our full support Captain." Shan explained, the other men chanting in agreement.
The Captain chuckled at his support, looking at himself for a moment, "Don't bother calling me that- I'm not your Captain anymore- an outlaw has no title but his name." he noted, looking to his men, "Just call me Renshu- it's not that hard."
"Sorry sir- I mean- uh- Renshu..." he stammered, quickly realising that he and the men barely if at all referred to the Captain by his actual name.
"Uh- so as I was saying- we are without our Princess- so we ought to find someplace to regroup, lick our wounds, before we even try to return to the fold." he explained, Shan and the other men stepping up.
"But what of her highness- shouldn't we try to find her?" he asked him, Renshu looking back with a sense of solace.
"I have a feeling her highness will be safe." he muttered, one of his men raising a brow.
"Sir- aren't you of all of us a little sceptical the snow savage will be able to get her to safety?" Yi asked him, who looked back with distaste.
"I mightn't personally like him that much, but I trust that Sokka will do his job well- he's driven, if anything." he explained, turning back to face the city with a sense of dread in his eyes, "He wouldn't fail her now- he knows the stakes better than most of us."
Rubbing her head from the ringing pain she felt in it, Azula rose from a slumber she thought she mightn't awaken from- her memory was beyond hazy in deciphering the events of the night prior, let alone her duel with Zuko- she knew for certain that she had lost, and from what she could tell from her location in a small wooden boat, deducing that she and Sokka had fled the city- she did remember seeing Kori and Sneers, although she could barely remember what they had said to her, if it all. Pulling herself up she noted the rather poor sleeping conditions she had found herself in, and the brightness of the sun in the sky, indicating she had at the very least slept off her injuries; as she tried to move herself up, she winced in pain, using her free hand to touch the burn marks on her shoulder- she could tell from the texture that it wasn't from fire, but from lightning- the scorching from the heat of the lightning being stark and contrasting to that of fire, which in comparison seemed lukewarm to her. Glancing over from the small cabin she found herself in, she saw her companion sitting outside, glancing out at the water- she deduced he was probably bored, being stuck at sea with nothing to do; leaning toward him she whacked her hand down on the deck to get his attention.
"Azula?" he turned his head attentively, his eyes widening with relief upon seeing her fully conscious; the Water Tribesman stepped over to her, kneeling beside her to scan her injuries, "Are you still in pain?" he asked her, who looked back at him in a daze.
"I- I'm unsure- I would guess it was far worse last night- what happened to me?" she questioned him, making him raise a brow at her.
"You don't remember?" he asked her, the Princess rolling her eyes.
"Uh- you expect me to remember how something like this happened?" she pointed out the injury on her shoulder; he remained quiet for a moment before beginning to explain.
"You were struck by lightning- shot back at you, by Zuko." he explained to her, who nodded along in confirmation of her idea.
"So I'm not going insane- I thought that was a hallucination." she noted, the Water Tribesman raising a brow at her.
"Hallucination?"
She looked at with a slight distaste from what she did remember of her hallucination, "I remember being struck by lightning- but I got back up, beat Zuko and killed Uncle when he tried to fight us." she strung together, the Water Tribesman looking on in horror at the thought.
"Killed him? Oh spirits- he's the only reason we're not in jail cells right now." he told her, making her scoff at the impossibility of her uncle being anything less than spiteful toward her.
"I doubt that- the old grimy bastard probably taught that technique to Zuko just so he could kill my father... and tried to kill me too." she argued, Sokka raising a finger in opposition.
"About that- uh- I don't know how to say this- but I don't think your father is dead." he bluntly told her, whose eyes opened wide, one hand reaching out to grab him by the shoulder.
"What?!" she screamed at him, "So what- the coward lied- he couldn't even finish the fucking job." she scoffed in shock, feeling stupid that she had ever believed that her brother was capable of killing their father, one of the most powerful firebenders alive.
"Uh- I guess you could say that- Zuko definitely said 'it didn't kill him' when referring to the attack he used on you- and I'm assuming he wasn't referring to that arsehole Zhao." he commented, Azula nodding.
"Surely- Zhao can't even lightning-bend, for one- it requires a clear mind to do so;" she noted, before placing her hand on her forehead, "so that's it- it was all a lie, just so he could take the throne?" she asked him, who sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know Azula- maybe your father was wounded, worse than you- it makes sense that he could hide the fact he is alive by throwing him in a prison cell." he theorised, the Princess scratching her chin.
"So- I guess that means I'm not the rightful Fire Lord." she concluded, the Water Tribesman shaking his head in dismissal.
"Trust me- you have more of a right to the throne than your father." he told her, who rolled her eyes.
"No- it's a legal fact- I don't." she muttered, Sokka raising a brow at her.
"So who will be Fire Lord if not your brother- your uncle?" he questioned, making her scoff humorously.
"Well it's funny you say that- before my grandfather's death, he was Crown Prince." she noted, making Sokka scratch his chin.
"Oh okay- so your father took his birth-right." he asked her, the Princess shaking her head.
"No- my Uncle lost his birth-right the moment he gave up the siege of Ba Sing Se and dishonoured himself and the legacy of his lost son." she told him with a tone of disdain.
Sokka nodded before opening his eyes wide with realisation, "W-wait-a-minute- Siege of Ba Sing Se?" he questioned her, Azula looking at him as if he was an idiot.
"Uh- yes- are you deaf savage?" she mocked him, Sokka shaking his head.
"No- I just noticed a correlation- your father was defeated by your brother, who took your birth-right from you, making you set out on your journey to take back the throne... from Ba Sing Se- which is exactly what happened to your father and uncle, right?" he explained to her, the Princess noting the interesting way their stories compared.
"Well it's not the same- my uncle didn't try to take back the throne- he just sat around making tea and playing Pai Sho until my brother got banished." she explained, making Sokka chuckle in consideration.
"Perhaps we should get you a tea-pot and a Pai Sho board- then we can see if the stories really are the same." he smirked at her, making Azula raise a hand in acknowledgement.
"I, for one, am actually quite a skilled Pai Sho player, although I've found it a little more boring than hunting down enemies of the Fire Nation." she noted, making him break down in laughter.
"Oh spirits- you really are similar- what's the saying? 'You will become your worst nightmare' or something like that?" he asked her, who looked back him with a smug grin.
"Oh really- if we become our worst nightmares, doesn't that make you the Commander of the Southern Raiders?" she questioned him, to which he raised a brow.
"Spirits please- I can't see how I'd be similar to that murderous bastard." he dismissed, Azula inching closer.
"You did travel to a foreign land with your people to kidnap someone because of their heritage." she explained him, sending a shiver down his spine.
"I- we- it's revenge- they just do it because they're told to." he explained, making her raise a brow at him.
"So do you still want to take out your revenge savage?" she asked, Sokka shaking his head.
"Not on you- Yon Rha will die another day." he told her with a glint of vicious desire in his eyes, such that it enticed her to move closer to him.
"So what do you want to do to me?" she smirked lightly at him, the Water Tribesman grinning at her softly.
"Well- I wouldn't want to discuss that." he muttered, before she leaned it to kiss him- he returned the embrace fully, his arms reaching around her to hold her; feeling his lips touch her own, she couldn't help but feel warm in their embrace, finally feeling safe- as if for the first time in her life- he lifted her head up with his hand behind it, enticing them to move closer to each other- with only their clothes between them.
Finally breaking from the kiss, Sokka chuckled lightly, "Something like that..."
She looked at him with a small smile, her open arm holding him into a tight embrace, "Is- is this what people obsess over?" she asked him, who tilted his head to the side in thought.
"Love is a thing people chase around the world for- I mean, that's pretty much what I've done." he noted, Azula chuckling at his joke before turning to him with wide eyes.
"So- this is love?" she questioned him, making him laugh before kissing her cheek, and then with a completely serious voice he responded to her question.
"I'm not a servant- remember that."