Scanning the shoreline, Sokka cursed to himself as he looked upon the port of Pohuai Stronghold; his small rickety boat was nothing in comparison to the flagship that sat at port, visible distinctly even from the distance he found himself at. After a day at sea struggling to get the stolen fishing boat down the coast, they were finally at a place that he considered to be their safe port of call- somewhere where they could recuperate, where Azula could at the very least have her wounds properly tended to by a physician; but he could tell from the ship sitting before him, which most certainly wasn't Admiral Zhao's, that Pohuai likely wasn't the safe haven he had thought it would be- he chuckled at the thought he had considered a Fire Nation fortress as 'a safe haven' to begin with, but at least for the girl beside him, it should be a place of recluse protection.
The Princess nudged him in acknowledgement of the situation before him, "Sokka- that isn't one of ours."
He sighed as he scanned the ship from afar, "You read my mind- got any ideas who else other than Admiral Sideburns would have a ship that big?"
She rolled her eyes at his insult toward her subordinate before scratching her chin with her able arm, "I would assume that the only other battleship of such luxury would belong to Admiral Liang, who I do not mistake for being in open support for my brother." she explained, Sokka slamming his hands down on the side of the hull in frustration.
"Argh! It's right there- but we can't even approach without the chance of being captured by your brothers goons." he lamented.
Looking to him with sympathy, she placed her hand on his shoulder, "Shinu is pragmatic- and unlike 'Admiral Sideburns', he would likely consider my failure a fair reason to defect." she explained to him, who lightly face palmed.
"Well- should I even bother to moor the boat?" he asked her, who raised a brow at him.
"Do you have any food for us to survive on this boat?" she questioned, his eyes opening wide.
"Well I thought we'd be safe here- I guess that means I'm hunting again." he noted, the Princess rolling her eyes.
"You don't need to hunt- we can just as easily steal ourselves a good meal than try and drudge through another damn forest for one." she chided him, pointing to the Stronghold in the distance.
"And in there, you could find all the food you could even want- so I wonder, are you up to act again?" she asked him, who raised a brow.
"Act? How exactly can I act if I'm the well-renowned 'Water Tribesman who happens to work for the Fire Nation'?" he asked her with annoyance, considering that she didn't think about his relative fame, especially seeing that he had been in Pohuai only a week prior.
"Well then- you'll just have to act better than usual, Wang Fire." she stressed his fake name, making him blush lightly before jokingly saluting her.
"Private Wang Fire- Pohuai Stronghold morning reconnaissance patrol." he declared himself, Azula smirking at him.
"Well you have the right attire- although your clothing insinuates a rank far higher than private." she noted, Sokka chuckling in response.
"Okay sorry- Captain Wang Fire, first officer to her royal highness." he bowed to her with a jokingly serious face.
"As much as you would fulfil the role with great effectiveness, I doubt you want to be captured as a branded enemy of my brother." she noted with a raised finger.
He nodded with a humoured smiled, "That is true- I should try and make it look as real as I can." she sighed with a sense of frustration.
"Here's hoping..."
Standing silently for a moment, he looked out to the nearby shoreline, noting the relatively shallow beach that led into the hilly wilderness that surrounded Pohuai; he glanced toward her with an idea in mind, "How about I moor the ship at the coastline and you can keep guard while I go try and get into Pohuai- then you we can have all the food you could ever want." he explained, the Princess chuckling at him.
"I'm more so expecting you to complain of your hunger, if anything." she noted, making him rolling his eyes before he walked to the back of the ship.
"This was your idea- I will remind you of that if we get caught." he grumbled as he grabbed the tiller and moved it to motion the rudder of the their boat, directing the vessel to close in on the shoreline; raising back to the front of the boat, he grabbed a rope from the deck and handed one end to Azula, "Tie this to something- I need to moor the boat down." he explained, giving her no opportunity to respond before his took off his heavy armour and climbed over the side of the boat, stepping into the shallow water- she begrudgingly followed his command as he waded onto the beach, walking up the treeline to tie the rope to a suitably large tree.
Turning back toward the boat, he wrapped the rope to a shorter length as he spun it around the tree, closing the boat to the point at which it was nearly grounded on the shore; tying a knot at the tree he paced back to the boat, where his companion sat nodding at his handiwork.
"Brilliant- now we can't escape at a moments notice." she made fun of him, the Water Tribesman withdrawing his boomerang and glinting it in the sunlight.
"Ropes can be cut, but you can't get a boat back if it floats out to sea." he explained to her, the Princess rolling her eyes before accepting his argument.
"Fine- fine- you win savage- how long will it take you?" she questioned him, the Water Tribesman shrugging his shoulders.
"I don't know honestly- I might find intelligence in there as well, just in case you're in need of some insight to your brothers plans." he explained, Azula nodding with interest.
"That would be an effective use of your time- good luck Sokka, I'm sure you'll need it." she acknowledged, the Water Tribesman nodding at her as he grabbed his armour once more, tying it onto his body to create a tight fit, as if he was any other Fire Nation soldier.
"If the disguise doesn't work, I'll try and run back, but if someone comes here to fight you before I can get here- please for the love of the spirits cut the rope and sail away- I'm a better swimmer than most Fire Nation people anyway." he advised to her, who raised a brow at him.
"I make my own strategies- I'll make sure we get out of here alive, and you get the food and intelligence." she explained herself, Sokka nodding before stepping off the boat.
"I won't fail you." he told her, who smirked back at him with confidence.
"I know you won't."
Glancing through the thick shrubbery, Sokka looked upon a Fire Nation convoy moving by, noting the number of soldiers and their blind spots- he knew he had to get into the Stronghold, and if he didn't have to explain himself to the guards at the gates, he would find himself in a far better position to get what he needed. Inching closer, he stood behind a thick tree trunk, peeking out to check the convoy- to his luck the last carriage of supplies didn't have guards at the rear, giving him an opportunity to get into the carriage unnoticed; the Water Tribesman waited for the carriage to pass by the tree before quickly crouching and racing behind the carriage, following it lightly on foot until it's wheels rode over a bump, disguising his entrance with the thumping sound that of the wheels. Remaining silent, he stopped himself from sighing in relief as he he sat himself down in the back of the carriage, which from the looks seemed to be carrying weapons and armaments for the garrison; he glanced out the fabric covering of the carriage to note their quick approach toward the fortress- he made out a number of guards standing at the gates of the stronghold as the convoy came to a halt. Observing each carriage ahead of him enter, he noted the guards scanning each one and decided that he would have to use his disguise- there was no way he could hide himself in the carriage, so he decided to quickly pick up a firebending soldiers helmet from the supplies, placing the skull-mask over his face before glancing out one last time; noting the approaching guards, Sokka sat himself on the back on the carriage, as so to seem as if he was acting as the rear-guard for the convoy.
As the men turned to notice him sitting there, he made a curt nod at them, "Good morning." he simply noted with his cliche deep acting voice.
The inspector looked at him with a sense of confusion that someone had actually addressed him, "Uh- good morning." he muttered back, nodding at the disguised Water Tribesman as he scanned the carriage, bottom and top- he didn't bother to look into the carriage as he looked back to the gate, "We're all good- let them pass." he requested, the heaving of the gate in the distance noting to the Water Tribesman that the convoy was being let in- he could only hope that the other convoy members wouldn't notice him before he could make his way into the stronghold.
Waiting for the convoy to move into the stronghold's walls, he considered the situation he found himself in- sneaking into a Fire Nation military base to steal food, despite having stayed in the place a week earlier as an esteemed guest of the Princess; he had learnt one thing from his experiences with the current strife in the Fire Nation- Azula was most certainly right to over-think the politics of her claim and duel- because from what he could tell, the Fire Nation military was full of snakes and turncoats. As his carriage finally made it through the gates, he sighed in relief as he stepped off the carriage in disguise, stepping away from the convoy with haste, knowing he couldn't get noticed as out of place; noting that he we was in the outermost section of the fortress, he glanced around to look for the storage space- there ought to be somewhere they were storing food- to Sokka's detriment, he wasn't part of the group organising their parties food supplies when they travelled toward Yu Dao, so he had no clue as to where the garrison kept all their food. Pacing himself along the perimeter wall, he glanced around at the various buildings that were situated within the fortresses grounds- stables for komodo rhinos, training grounds for firebending, archery and other assorted martial forms- he was astounded at the variety of things he saw before him; he thought for a moment why Shinu would have joined Zuko- the fortress could hold out for months against the Fire Nation itself, there was well and truly enough arms and men in the place to fight an actual army, which only made him feel more uncomfortable about sneaking into Pohuai to begin with. He noted a large warehouse along the outer wall and decided he ought to at least check it out- stepping closer he noted the guards at the building, deciding it couldn't hurt to ask if it was where he could find food.
"Excuse me-" he asked them, gaining the guards attention, "I've come in with a convoy and I just wanted to know if this is where we directed the rations." he asked- the guards looked back at him with confusion.
"Uh sorry- you've got the wrong place- this is where we store explosives." he explained, Sokka raising a brow in interest, although the men before him couldn't see his expression.
"Well- uh- sorry- do you know where we need to direct the rations?" he asked him once more, the guard pointing over to the inner wall.
"We have the cooler rooms in the main building, that's where all the food goes." he confirmed, the Water Tribesman nodding intently.
"Oh thanks man- sorry for the interruption." he conceded, the other guard shrugging his shoulders.
"Eh- this duty is pretty boring- it's the least we can do." he noted, Sokka looking empathetically at the men- he didn't like the Fire Nation and their military, but he knew a lot of the work their men would be doing would make the hardiest warrior water his eyes; he nodded at the guards before turning around and heading back toward the front gates, where he hoped he could follow along with the convoy once more- he didn't want to go into the centre of Pohuai, but seeing that the messages and intelligence would be located there, he at least noted the simplicity of the job.
Pacing his way along toward the main gates into the fortress, he glanced along at the spotters and sentries located throughout- he knew it would already be hard enough to sneak in, even with a disguise, but he considered it would take a miracle for him to get out without anyone spotting him; approaching the first inner gate itself, a guard approached him, noting his armour that signified a rank of captain.
"Uh sir- are you entering the stronghold?" the guard asked him, his face tensing up.
"Yes-" he responded in his 'serious soldier voice', "I need to verify the recent convoy- it's in there." he noted to the guard as he pointed toward the main gate, who nodded without question, signalling his comrades to open a smaller door for him to enter; the guard saluted him before responding.
"Good day." he noted, Sokka nodding before entering, walking through into the inner layer of the stronghold, striding toward the next wall, the guards there noting his presence as he walked directly to the door, the guards opening it without a word; the Water Tribesman nodded respectfully at the guards before entering into the innermost portion of the stronghold, where the large steel superstructure stood tall above the rest of the facility, looking more like a massive sword than a building- looking to an entrance of the building he sighed in relief.
"Now what do I do?"
Standing before his Imperial Guards, the reaffirmed and confident Fire Lord looked upon his enemies with frustration and disgust- Admiral Zhao had barraged a city- burning parts of it down and more than that, killed innocent citizens, the people he was sworn to protect; it made Zuko's blood boil with rage- when he fought his sister, he had a sense of conflict, but at the moment he saw the destruction befalling Yu Dao all he could feel was a cold rage- his Uncle had advised him to remain calm, but he could not stand for it- innocents had died on his watch, and he would give justice to those who failed in their own duties. Raising his hand he sent out a stream of fire and shouted out in rage.
"This is your justice!" he screamed out, directing the stream of fire at his cowering opponents, who tried to deflect his attacks in vain, before screaming out to his men,
"Charge!" before the Fire Lord raced toward his enemies, propelling himself up into the air with his firebending before sending out streams of fire from his fists, knocking a number of soldiers to the ground; as those surrounding tried to support their comrades, he simply bent a ring of fire around himself, sending it out to burn his opponents, flinging them away.
The rest of them looked on in awe at his firebending, before being forced to fight the Imperial Guard as they raced from behind him, pummeling down soldiers left, right and centre. He raced into the thick of fight, sending a fireball at one soldier before uppercutting another, knocking him straight into the air; as another man raced at him to fight, he ducked underneath his firebending attack before slicing at him with two blades of fire, drawing two rings of flames that he bent at the soldiers before him, blasting them off their feet. Before they could even react further, the Fire Lord breathed out flames at the crowd of soldiers, forcing a number of them to draw walls of fire to defend themselves, leaving the non-benders to jump back in fear; stepping forward he prepared for any following attack, standing still as a number of firebending soldiers paced toward him with fists bared. As they tried to strike him, he deflected their blasts, drawing the energy from their flames into his own bending, forming a thin arc of fire in hands, which he released out at the men, cutting through the line of soldiers like a knife through butter, flinging them to the ground. Finally having cut his way through the enemy force, before him stood who he assumed to be the commanding officer, a man wearing full armour with a red sash; realising the opportunity presented, Zuko raised an finger at him, shouting out in rage.
"You! Where is he?! Where is the traitor?!" he shouted, the man moving into firebending form to defend himself; he raced toward the man only to find enemy firebenders bending walls of flames at him, blocking his movement.
Grumbling in frustration, he bent the fire around himself, funnelling it into the sky, leaving the men before him looking on in shock, before repeating himself, "Tell me where he is- and you won't have to suffer any further." he muttered, his enemies laying their arms down before him, those who weren't already beaten by the Imperial Guards.
The officer before him grit his teeth and muttered, "Y-you haven't won- where is your sister?" he questioned him, the Fire Lord approaching him with a cold eyes- Azula had little relevance to the actions of Zhao- he was unsure if she would have even approved of what he had done.
"Your people are responsible for the murder of innocent citizens- do you want to die?" he questioned him, bluntly addressing him with the intent that if he didn't reveal the whereabouts of Zhao, he would meet a untimely demise; as the Fire Lord stepped closer he shrunk back in fear.
"Please- the Admiral isn't here- he disappeared last night after we landed." he explained to him, who grabbed him by the shoulder, lighting his hand with flames.
"You're telling me you ran out into these hills, expecting to survive- I'm not stupid." he told him, the orange of flames lighting both their faces starkly.
"I- I was ordered by the Admiral- he told me that he needed us to flank the city- but we got no further orders." he explained, the officer shuddering in fear; lessening his flames, he looked to him with frustration.
"Then where would have he gone?" he questioned, the officer clearing his throat.
"He wanted you dead- he told us that you would all be dead- but he was wrong." he muttered, the Fire Lord whacking him in the side of the jaw, knocking him to the ground; turning to his guards he nodded.
"Take these men prisoner- the soldiers need to be vetted, but after that they can be reassigned to formal duties- the officers go to the Boiling Rock- there's no chance we want any of them getting off lightly." he grit his teeth, the officer he knocked down looking on in shock.
"Y-your majesty- please- we were just following orders..." he tried to explain himself, Zuko glaring him down, setting his hand alight once more; everyone knew what happened to Zhao, and they could assume what had happened to Fire Lord Ozai in consequence.
"Do I need to prove a point?" he questioned bluntly, the man falling silent, leaving him to turn around and walk back to his men.
"We have won- but at a great cost- trust me when I say that I will bring justice to the people of Yu Dao- for their sake we will find the traitor Admiral and make sure he faces justice." he explained to his men, who bowed before him- his Imperial Guards and the accompanying attache of guards from the city looked on pleased at their Fire Lord's work- he commanded both an air of justice and vengeance at the same time, striking fear into those who would oppose him.
One by one, the enemy soldiers were chained up by his men, before being organised into a gang-chain, before he indicated for them to be led on back to the city- looking down the hillside, he noted how close the enemy was camping- it had taken them all night to deal with the fire and secure the bay so that it was only by early morning that he could organise a force to fight those who sought to depose him. Walking their way back down the hill to the city with their enemies in chains, the Fire Lord approached the ruined gates of the city- he saw the Mayor and his Uncle standing there, looking on at his assembled force as he returned victorious from battle; the Mayor stepped forth first, kneeling respectfully before him.
"Thank you your majesty- your quick service of justice has resounded with the people of Yu Dao- we have your gratitude." he explained, Zuko indicating for him to stand up as he looked at him with a more solemn look.
"It was my fault to begin with- I shouldn't have come here to try and hold the Fire Nation together- this is what it led to- your people didn't deserve this." he explained, Iroh nodding with a similar face of sadness.
"It is truly a tragedy what has befallen this city- but we can always rebuild- there is much to do be done for the future of our nation." he explained, the Mayor smiling at him, nodding respectfully, before turning back his liege.
"So your majesty- will you return to the homeland, now that your sister has been defeated?" he asked him, Zuko shaking his head, glaring at his uncle.
"Unfortunately my sister escaped from our custody, so she may still pose some threat, but even then, my ship was heavily damaged in the fighting- it could take weeks to repair- I will have to remain here until one of my subordinates arrives with a ship- Admiral Liang's fleet is close by, but I fear that we did not defeat all of Zhao's forces." he explained, Morishita nodding with understanding.
"I see- the residence you have been using is still open for you to use- it is the least I can offer you after all the fighting you did for us." he offered him, the Fire Lord nodding with a smile.
"Yes- speaking of which I was wondering where my- uh- girlfriend is?" he asked, Iroh's brows raising.
"Uh yes- Lady Mai was sleeping when I was last at the residence- she might be ready for breakfast." his uncle explained, winking at him in indication; he glared back at him with some distaste.
"Uncle- please." he muttered, making him chuckle at his nephew, patting his shoulder as he led him into the city.
"You need to lighten up Zuko- it's not everyday you have a beautiful woman to come home to." he explained, making him blush a bright red and stammer in shock.
"Uncle! Oh spirits-" he flustered, covering his face in embarrassment, Mayor Morishita looking on at their conversation with confusion.
"Uh- your majesty, is everything alright?" he asked, Zuko shaking his head before nodding, trying to keep a straight face.
"Yes- yes, everything is fine."
Pacing his way through the halls of the stronghold, Sokka's eyes scanned each door and sign, his ears every noise- he wanted to be certain he was aware of his surroundings, and he knew that it would provide him with the basis of plan if need be; as he walked along a relatively well lit hallway, he noted the distinctive smell of meat cooking, a smell which had had grown well acquainted to. Pacing himself toward the smell, he came to a door behind which he could hear the workings of the kitchen- feeding so many men would require a large kitchen and an even larger pantry, which would be to his advantage; he scanned around the nearby doors checking for anything that would fit the requirements of the given pantry, noting a door with the distinctive sign 'food supplies'. Stepping forward he leaned his head toward the door to check for voices or other sounds inside, glancing down the hallway momentarily for any onlookers before stepping through the doorway, finding himself in a large pantry of preserved and fresh foods; he immediately noted the limited capacity he had to carry food with, and understood that he would likely need preserved foods, like the jerky that he adored, for the food to last any decent length of time. Scanning each shelf he looked for the foods that he thought he could easily smuggle out of the stronghold, grabbing pieces of jerky, fire crackers and rice biscuits- all of which he knew would last longer than fresh fruits, meats and vegetables- not that he even had a method of cooking food while on their commandeered fishing boat; he considered for a moment that he could fish for future meals, but he knew that his fishing tactics wouldn't necessarily work in the open sea, let alone a temperate climate. Filling his pockets with the given small bits of food, he sighed in disappointment, knowing that he couldn't reasonably sneak out large amounts of food, but he could at the very least feed himself and Azula for a few more days before they could find a port that wouldn't lead to her capture.
Glancing out the doorway, he checked for anyone before stepping out of the pantry and closing the door, feeling relieved that he had at the very least achieved one of his goals; his mind immediately turned to the issue of intelligence, and he understood that the General's offices were located within in the superstructure of the stronghold, where he had discussed Azula's plans with both Zhao and Shinu. Walking back along the way he came, the Water Tribesman made his way to the staircase which he had taken a few days prior- his memory of the exact outlay of the building was foggy, but he was able to find his way to the large stairwell that led up to the top of the superstructure; pacing his way up the stairs, Sokka made out light chatter and conversation, making him react by taking a rather serious composure as he reached the floor he desired. Glancing around he noted that there was little noise about the General's private office, indicating that he could likely walk in without be noticed; he stepped forward toward the General's office, only to be stopped by the door of his office opening, making him freeze in position- before him stood Shinu and another high ranking officer- his ornate armour resembled Zhao's, indicating to him that he was most likely Admiral Liang, whose ship had taken up residence in the port.
"As I was saying General- within a few days we will have complete control over the region, and the threat of Zhao will be no longer- the Fire Lord told me this himself." Liang explained, before noticing Sokka standing frozen before them, "Oh sorry- were you expecting someone?" he asked Shinu, who shook his head, stepping forward to address him.
"What is it soldier- did something happen?" he asked the diguised warrior, who realised that he would need to create a story on the spot; he immediately considered what a soldier might talk to the General about, noting the events that had transpired since their arrival at Pohuai a week prior.
"I- uh- there has been a request to negotiate the status of the prisoners- the ones captured by the Princess a few days ago." he explained in his usual acting voice, Shinu raising a brow.
"On whose orders?" he asked, Sokka then realising that he needed a reasonable answer- noting that the people that had attacked them were working for the White Lotus, he realised that there was an obvious choice.
"The Dragon of the West personally requested it." he lied, the General raising a brow at him, before acknowledging Liang.
"Sorry Admiral- I'll just have to attend to this- I will be sure to bid you and your men farewell before you head to Yu Dao." he acknowledged, the Admiral nodding, giving the Water Tribesman an odd look before walking away, Shinu turning to Sokka with interest.
"So- the Dragon of the West himself- why are you telling me this?" he asked him, as if to indicate why he had personally addressed him about it.
"The message contains some rather- uh- sensitive details- the message was requested to be directly handed to you." he explained, Shinu nodding at him, before raising a brow.
"So where is it?" he asked, the Water Tribesman standing silently for a moment before reaching to his back.
"Right... here!" he exclaimed, pulling out his boomerang to strike the General bluntly in the side of the head, knocking him out cold with a face of shock; he grabbed his body to prevent him from hitting the ground, sighing in relief as he held the General up.
Opening the door to his office with one hand, Sokka pulled him into the room with his other hand, lying him down on the floor, before getting up to look around the office; immediately looking over the desk, he scanned the papers present, and immediately noted the discussions he had been having with Admiral Liang, a number of which predated their own arrival in Pohuai- he understood that they meant that Shinu must have been considering to join Zuko well before Azula's defeat in their Agni Kai- the man was described as pragmatic, but even a pragmatist can be a two-faced snake if need be. Considering the papers before him, he also noted the important detail that the Princess's supporters from the east were soon to arrive- Sokka dawned upon the realisation that Azula would have sent her own supporters to their demise if they were to walk into the practical death trap that was Pohuai; picking up a number of the correspondences, he stuffed them into his pocket- he glanced momentarily at Shinu's unconscious body and realised what would happen once he woke up. He quickly looked around the room for something to tie him up with, noting a piece of long fabric over his lounge- he grabbed the fabric and rolled it up before spinning it around the General's hands, tightening it to hold each of them outward as to prevent him from bending with his hands; Sokka quickly tore the end off the fabric, using the strip to tie around his mouth as to stop him screaming- he knew he needed as much time as possible to escape. He winced as he purposefully lifted Shinu's head before slamming his forehead into the metal floor, the ringing noise loud enough that he considered someone might have heard it- his mind was running all over the place as he got himself up and quickly opened and closed the door, locking it behind him before increasing his pace as he raced down the stairs.
Making his way to bottom floor, he thought of where the messages would be sent from, pacing his way toward the exterior door from which he had entered the stronghold's main structure; stepping outside he noted grey clouds crossing the sky- it looked like a storm was going to start at any moment, Sokka considering at the very least Shinu wouldn't be heard with all the rain and thunder that was bound to come with it. He walked the perimeter of the building, looking for the messaging tower, which he knew ought to exist as like the one he had noted in the Governor's Palace in Ba Sing Se- at one of the corners of the innermost wall he noted a similar structure with a number of bird cages and stationed guards. Pacing up toward the guards he pulled out one of the messages from Liang as a decoy message, knowing that he would need a reasonable excuse to get into the building.
"The General wants a message sent out." he explained, one of the guards giving him a funny look.
"Oh- well- do you have clearance?" he questioned, the disguised Water Tribesman raising his hand to show the official seeming letter, making the guards nod, "Sorry sir- uh- yes, come right through." he offered an apology, standing aside for him to enter the building.
Racing himself up the stairs, he pulled out a piece of paper from the stacks available, and grabbed a feather ink pen to start writing- at that moment he considered his poor writing skill to be a disadvantage- he had little knowledge of the characters other than what his father had taught him, meaning that he would have to write in broken words to try and get his point across; he begun to write to the best of his ability, thinking what would make Azula's allies aware of the danger.
"Please listen. Shinu is bad. Go east safe. Azula no win." he wrote out, writing each of the names phonetically, hoping that whoever received the message got what he was trying to say; he rolled up his message and sealed the message.
He looked to the scroll with a sense of dread, knowing that if it didn't reach the men it was intended for, it was quite likely that Azula's men would be attacked, killed or captured by Shinu and his men in a trap- it was all going downhill, and Sokka knew he needed to salvage as much of their quest as best he could. Turning to the bird cages, he picked up a messenger hawk out of it's cage and let the bird fly out eastward from one of the buildings openings; he hoped that her men would get the message before Shinu realised what had happened and tried to reach them before they could act. Racing back down the stairs, he noted the loud thunder that begun to boom as rain pattered down onto the ground, turning the gravelly surface of the stronghold to a muddy texture; he looked to the guards at the door and nodded before pacing toward the gates- he knew he had to get out of the Stronghold, and fast at that. Pacing his way toward the main gates, he noted a trench following underneath the walls- a sewer drain, which he realised he could use to his advantage if need be; he continued to the main gate, and nodded at the guards, who already noted the rank of his armour.
"Good day men." he nodded in his acting voice, walking through the opened door into the next layer of the stronghold, following a path out to the next door, where the guards looked at him and acknowledged him; stepping out into the outer ring of the stronghold, Sokka glanced around the area, checking for exit points, realising that he would need to somehow make his way out of the stronghold without being spotted.
Suddenly he heard the ringing of a bell, which was somewhat faint under the sound of rain- but the men around him with aroused to stand and look in interest; one of the guards at the gate raised a brow in suspicion.
"What in the name of- why are the bells ringing- there's no one attacking!" he grumbled in frustration, the unit assembling, the disguised Water Tribesman going along with the movements to stand around the local guard supervisor.
"You know the drill boys- we prepare for the worst- get into teams, I don't want anyone slacking off." he ordered them, the men nodding at the orders, which Sokka begrudgingly went along with.
Splitting up into groups of four, he found himself paired with three non-bending guards, who immediately noted his armour and rank; one of them turned to him and bowed slightly, "Sir- you're the highest ranking one here, what do you say we do?" he asked, Sokka thinking for a second, realising that he had the opportunity to use these guards to his advantage.
"We need to scan the perimeter- make sure nothing seems wrong- for all we know some earthbenders could have sneaked right into the stronghold." he ordered them, the guards nodding at his rather sensible order.
Leading the team along the outer wall, they looked around for weaknesses in the wall, with the Water Tribesman personally checking the surroundings of the fortress to see if he could make a run for it; he knew that if the Yuyan Archers actually spotted him he would have little chance to run- he knew they were poor hand-to-hand fighters, but he would need to get to cover for that fact to matter at all. He noted that one side of the fortress seemed to be closer to the forest, and that there was a number of small boulders covering the field between the walls and the tree-line; he understood it would be his best option. Sighing in disappointment, he looked to his unit of guards that he had brought along, pulling out his hands, ready to do what he had to; within a few seconds he chi-blocked them all, making them fall over before he quickly knocked them out before they could make much of a noise. Looking over the wall he realised this was his only option and glanced around to check for other guards, noting there was little of them on the walls; climbing over the side of the wall, he grabbed the sword of one the guards he incapacitated, stabbing it into the metal covering of the wall, letting it tear through as he cut down the wall, landing on his feet roughly, twisting his ankles and making him grunt in pain.
"Argh- t-that could have gone a little better..." he admitted to himself as he dusted himself off, looking up to the wall before starting to race toward the tree-line; as his feet caught up in speed, he was in bliss at the sound of no voices, just the pattering of the rain onto his his helmet as he raced toward the ever closer tree line.
He did hear a shout eventually, just as he made his way there, turning back to see guards at the rim of the wall, who noted his position; he couldn't help but laugh at them before breaking off into the forest, his feet kicking into the mud hard as he made his way as deep in as he could- the smell of dirt and the rain covering his tracks were a blessing- if he was to be hunted, at the very least, he would be a hard prey to find.
Standing before his residence in Yu Dao, Zuko couldn't help but sigh in distaste of his earlier experiences- he had run around Yu Dao trying to protect his people, only to find out that Zhao had run away like a coward, leaving him with no true victory or justice- it made him churn with anger, but that anger was soothed by the realisation he would finally have a chance to rest, now that his sister had been defeated in an Agni Kai, he was essentially the undisputed Fire Lord, and now he could get to work at achieving his goals for the world- peace in his time, he had told himself, and to restore balance- he chuckled at the thought that he had functionally superseded the Avatar he had been ordered to find by his father all those years ago- he would do what the mythical Avatar could not, and he would do it for the sake of protecting innocents from harm, not because any spirits willed him to do so. Opening the door, he glanced in to note the quiet and empty lounge, and turned to his uncle in response.
"Mai must be upstairs- I'll go check on her." he explained, Iroh nodding in understanding of his intent.
"Of course nephew, I'll brew us some tea- after all your struggles, you at least deserve to be calmed." he assured his nephew, who smiled genuinely back at him.
"Yes- I- I'd like that." he told him before turning to walk up the staircase; he walked up as fast his feet would take him, knowing that he needed to talk to Mai desperately- after all that happened since they last talked, he knew he had to speak with her, to gain some clarity at the very least.
Walking up to the door, he knocked with the back of his hand, waiting to hear her respond; a few moments later she opened the door, wearing her nightwear, Zuko realising that she must have actually just been in bed- the Fire Lord realised that he hadn't slept all night, commanding and directing his men the entire time to deal with the fires sprouting across the city.
"You look tired..." she noted, making him chuckle in acknowledgement.
"You're not wrong- I have been running around Yu Dao instead of sleeping." he explained himself.
She stepped closer and looked at him with interest, "So you've won- how does it feel?" she asked him bluntly, who raised a brow in consideration.
"I mean- I feel like it could have gone a better way- without all the chaos- the fire and the lightning." he explained to her, who noted his mention of lightning.
"So is that how you beat her- lightning-bending?" she asked him, the Fire Lord shaking his head.
"Lightning redirection- she shot the lightning at me and I sent it back." he grimaced, Mai nodding in understanding.
"That explains why she was so badly injured." she told him, who looked at her with utter confusion.
"W-wait- so you saw her after the duel?" he questioned her, who shrugged her shoulders.
"She was being taken care of by Kori and Sokka- they were trying to escape the city- seeing that your people haven't caught a Water Tribesman dressed as a Fire Nation soldier I would say that she did get out." he furrowed his brow in frustration.
"I- I wanted to try and fix things- but I didn't get the chance." he lamented, to which she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Zuko- you tried your best- I think she needs to figure things out herself- do you really think she will try and come back to fight you again after that?" she asked him, who raised his eyebrows in consideration of the lengths his sister would go to get her way.
"She's stubborn- but she isn't stupid- I guess we'll see which way wins out in the end- I just hope that she can find her own way out of all this." he explained his thoughts.
She smiled curtly at him, "Azula isn't the same girl she was- maybe she's changed for the better, even if she doesn't want to acknowledge it." she noted, the Fire Lord smiling hopefully at her
"Yeah- I hope so." he affirmed, before turning his thoughts to the other matter at hand, "All of that doesn't compare to what happened to this city- people have died- all because of that snake Zhao's own ego- he bombarded a Fire Nation city- it just disturbs me that someone with so much power could do something like that." he acknowledged, Mai raising a a brow.
"Isn't that just like Bujing- he let all those men die, as you told me- and he got what he deserved- so will you do the same to Zhao?" she asked him, who sighed in frustration.
"He has already been burnt- I can only take it one way- he has to die." he bluntly told her, Mai silently shocked at the lengths at which he was going to punish him for collateral damage.
"Well- let's just hope you can deliver your justice without any more needless deaths- that would sour the victory, would it not?" she noted to him, Zuko nodded in agreement.
"Yes- my triumph over Azula was no victory compared to my failings as a leader against Zhao- if I had been prepared instead of focused on fighting her, maybe I could have defeated his forces earlier with less casualties." he acknowledged, Mai shaking her head in dismissal.
"There is nothing you can do now- all you can do is try and help how you can- you are their Fire Lord after all." she explained to him, the Fire Lord looking back a new sense of drive.
"It's all I can do now- I can't just stand on the sidelines- I need to fix the Fire Nation, and fix the world." he proclaimed, Mai acknowledging his confidence with a silent nod, after which he turned back to her in realisation that he had made their conversation all about himself, "I'm sorry for being so stuck up in my problems- it's just a little hard to think about anything other than what has happened in the past day; are- are you okay?"
She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at him blankly, "I'm okay Zuko- really." she placed her hand on his own, "I'm just thinking about we will do next- it's a big world, it's not everyday you are pushed into the position of fixing it." she acknowledged, making him chuckle at her.
"W-well it's not that bad- it's all about the big ideas- Uncle's always telling me how to be myself, and how I need to have perspective- I think the world needs to see what it has become before it can change." he explained to her, who looked back at him solemnly.
"Perspective sometimes doesn't improve the situation- sometimes it makes it worse." she noted to him, who inched closer to her, his eyes gleaming in worry.
"Mai- what's wrong?" he asked her, tensing their touching hands as to try and comfort her, only for her to inch away.
"I- I don't want to be the pessimist- but the things I've seen, come to understand, they don't make me look very highly of the world." she explained herself.
He looked into her eyes, understanding her sentiment, "I was there- trust me- but not every man is like my father or like Zhao- there are good people- how did the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation end up becoming my fat, tea-loving Uncle? It wasn't the years of needless war and conquest- it was perspective and understanding of the good things in the world." he explained, making her chuckle at his exposition.
"You've learnt a lot from him haven't you?" she wondered aloud, making him smile at her with agreement.
"He taught me to appreciate life- not just desire something that didn't exist anymore-" he told her, grasping her hand once more, looking at her face, "thank you for being here- I wanted to be here for so long- but now we're finally together and it's so-"
"Nice-" Mai interrupted, making his eyes widen at her response, "it's really nice." she smiled at him, leaning in for a kiss, which he dutifully gave back- she blushed at his warm touch, holding their intimate contact for a few moments before releasing, "Thank you- you got me out of that hole." she acknowledged with a smirk, to which he smugly chuckled in response.
"It was my pleasure." he affirmed her, before turning to look at the door, "Hmm- I can smell Uncle's tea- did you want some?" he asked her with a glance, Mai shrugging with her face still blushed.
"I wouldn't mind it." she acknowledged, stepping up from the bed to lead him out, grabbing his hand as they walked into the hallway; looking to her again, he couldn't help but smile at her, wordlessly expressing his appreciation before they begun to walk down the stairs.
Stepping down the stairs they could see that Iroh was sitting by the lounge with his teapot and cups prepared, glancing up at the couple as they walked down the stairs; he stood up to acknowledge them, "Nephew- Lady Mai- I'm glad you two have had some time together after all that has happened." the Fire Lord blushing at his Uncle's words before sitting down beside the table.
"Uh- yes- we did talk- it helped." he noted, his uncle smiling with appreciation.
"Yes- it always does." he affirmed, Mai sitting down beside him as he begun to prepare the tea; pouring the cups he glanced to his nephew, "You seem in a better mood than usual." he noted, turning to the girl beside him he smiled, "So wonderful that you could soothe his tempers- it's always frustrating when he gets in his moods." he explained, Zuko flustering in red in embarrassment, as she covered her mouth to stop herself laughing.
"U-Uncle- I'm getting better." he explained himself, his uncle raising a finger.
"Yes nephew, you are, and she is helping you." he explained, Mai remaining silent as they turned to her for an answer; she sighed realising she would have to arbitrate.
"Well- I don't want to be the one to say it, but Zuko sounds like he gets a lot angrier when I'm not around." she noted, the Fire Lord looking to her with a sense of slight betrayal, although he did silently agree with her sentiment.
"Ah- the power of love." Iroh sighed with a smile, making his nephew sputter out his tea as he tried to drink it, making her cough as she tried not to laugh at him spitting tea over himself.
"Could you not, Uncle?" he rhetorically asked him, directing him to stay quiet on topics that were embarrassing to him.
"Why should I- you are smitten my nephew, and for all the right reasons, might I add." he affirmed his standpoint, Zuko covering his face in embarrassment, while Mai looked down in a similar feeling, although masked behind a rather stoic face.
"I don't think we need to talk about this right now." the Fire Lord muttered under his breath, his voice muffled by his hands covering his mouth.
"Words need not express a man's feelings." Iroh proverbially noted, making him roll his eyes at the predictability of his uncle.
Looking to Mai, he knew that his uncle's words held some merit; from all the time he had spent with her, he knew that she didn't show her emotion through words, but rather through her body language- she was so attuned to having to act all stoic, that whether she broke from this, he could tell what she feeling even if she didn't say a word. Her eyes caught with his own, and he quickly took to drinking from the tea-cup to stop himself from saying something stupid- he knew that he was a bit of a loose-cannon when it came to his reactions and he wanted to stay sane around his Uncle and remain calm when with Mai; he couldn't help but turn his thoughts to other things- things he would dare name- and he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of her- he was trying to be his best self, even when he ought to act as natural as possible.
"Nephew- are you okay?" his uncle asked him, the Fire Lord smiling with confidence as he sipped from his tea-cup; Zuko glanced to her with a smile before responding with a hopeful tone.
"I am good Uncle- I am good."
Sitting by the edge of the fishing boat, Azula looked out into the forest, feeling as if her companion had been taking forever in his quest for food and information; she was bored beyond belief sitting in the old decrepit boat, having little to do much watch the waves patter against the sandy shoreline. All she had was time to think, and thinking she realised, was not going to improve her mood; the Princess understood that she lost to her brother, the one person she believed she could certainly defeat- Sokka had saved her from her brother's grasp, but now they were on the run, and she was unsure how far they ought to go. She knew the homeland wasn't safe- even if she told people that her father was still alive, it wouldn't make much of a difference for the common people who was Fire Lord there; she could go back east, but then she would be forced to lead a guerrilla war against her brothers forces that she was unsure she could win- the areas outside of the colonies would leave her at the mercy of the local Earth Kingdom people, who she knew wouldn't take kindly to the daughter of the former Fire Lord. She knew if she went down that path she would struggle, and she was not certain of victory any more, not after being shamefully defeated by her brother- the White Lotus, for all she knew, could come around to try and capture her again, making all her hard work worth nothing if they got to her. She knew the Water Tribesman would protect her, but there was only so much one could do with enemies on all sides- they weren't safe, and as long as her brother and the White Lotus wanted her in their grasps, she would remain so. Suddenly she was cut from her train of thought by the distant sound of an explosion- not like the one's that had struck her camp, but rather as if fireballs were being thrown around; Azula pulled herself up and stood at the edge of the boat, glancing out into the forest with interest- she knew that he might have been spotted, so it was likely that she was about to be attacked. Jumping out of the boat, she cringed at the feeling of her right arm being limp, unable to use it for much but it's sense of touch; gritting her teeth, she thought to herself that it didn't matter if she was injured, she would protect herself as well as she would any day.
Suddenly a fireball spat out of the forest edge, and following it Sokka appeared in a fluster, screaming out to her, "Cut the rope! Cut it!"
She nodded and grabbed his bone dagger from the edge of the boat, swinging it down in a swift motion to slash the rope in half, the tight hold breaking, leaving the boat floating on the shoreline; turning to him she grit his teeth, noting the number of soldiers following behind him, who looked on in shock upon realising they had encountered the Princess.
"I-it's the Princess!" one of them shouted, Azula rolling her eyes as she looked to her companion.
"Get the boat in the water- I'll deal with the nuisances." she told him with cold eyes, the Water Tribesman gulping as he reached the boat, beginning to push it toward the water.
Turning to the soldiers before her, she clenched her left fist, raising it in a swift motion to raise a wall of fire to stop them in their tracks; the blue arcing wall of flames reached up into the sky above them, her companion looking on in awe at her powerful display of bending, despite only having one functional arm. After a few moments orange fireballs blasted through the flames, and the soldiers broke through- she grit her teeth in anger, using her fist once more to create a cutting arc of fire, which knocked two of them off their feet.
He called out to her in a worry, "Azula- we need to go." he pleaded with her, the Princess glaring back at him.
"I am not letting them get to us." she told him before sending out a powerful stream of fire with her fist, the flames encroaching on the men who could do little to deflect her pure show of force- she smugly grinned as they screamed in pain from her flames, before she stepped forward and redirected her bending into a ball of fire which she held above her hand; she looked at them with a cold fury, "I have nothing- this is my everything." she muttered before pummelling the charged ball of fire at the group of soldiers, which exploded before her, tearing up sand and spitting out embers at her; looking upon her defeated enemies, she noted their unconscious state, and nodded before turning back to Sokka.
"We are safe now." she told him, the Water Tribesman lending out a hand to help her onto the boat.
"Please- let's just go." he asked of her, the Princess nodding before he grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up onto the edge of the boat, sitting herself back down as she huffed from the exhaustion her bending had caused her.
"T-that was harder than I thought it would be." she muttered, Sokka looking to her with little surprise as he continued to push the boat into the water.
"Of course it was- look at yourself." he told her, noting her still clearly visible injuries.
"I can handle myself." she affirmed to him, the Water Tribesman shaking his head.
"It's not if you can handle yourself- it's about being safe- that wasn't safe- I could have handled those guys." he explained to her, who rolled her eyes in response.
"Sokka- I was the one protecting you." she told him bluntly, who nodded before grabbing a hold of the boat hull as they begun to float out.
"You did- thank you Azula- you're one of a kind." he smiled at her. making her smugly smile back at him in appreciation.
"Of course I am- how else does one do what I have done?" she rhetorically asked him, the Water Tribesman nodding in acknowledgement as he pulled himself up onto the boat as they found themselves floating in the shallows; stepping up onto the deck, he smiled at her and helped her up, leading her to sit at the front of the boat.
"I got what you asked for, and then a little on top." he explained, the Princess raising a brow in interest.
"You did? Proving your worth when you don't even need to- you have to keep at it don't you." she berated him in a manner than made him nod appreciatively.
"I just like to make the best of every situation- I made use of their messaging tower- now your men aren't going to walk right into a trap laid by Shinu." he told her, who looked on with interest.
"Yes- I was assuming he had some plans for my forces, but now that you've alerted them, they won't find themselves in a rather delicate situation at Pohuai." she noted to him before glancing with a genuine smile, "Thank you Sokka- I- I don't know what I would have done without you." she acknowledged his role in the events gone by.
He chuckled in response, thinking what had happened with her duel, "Well- you probably would be some cruddy jail cell- your brother doesn't really trust you to run around."
Her eyes widened in seeing his reasoning, "You are right- he shouldn't trust me- I think my message via the Captain summed it up nicely."
He looked back at her with interest, "What- the 'you are not safe and will never be your sister lives' thing?" he asked her, the Princess nodding in acknowledgement.
"I am the greatest threat to his life and reign- no matter how much Zhao bombards his cities." she explained, Sokka scoffing at her claim.]
"So- just because you're the only firebender who can stand up against him that isn't on his side?" he considered.
"Well not the only one- the other one I'm assuming is deep in the Capital Prison." she noted, considering the revelation of her fathers survival; he looked back at her with a sense of conflict, before addressing the issue in his mind.
"He isn't the rightful Fire Lord." he told her, who raised a brow at his comment.
"I know he isn't- that's w-" she begun before he cut her off.
"No- not Zuko- your father- if he can do what he did to his son, he doesn't deserve the throne- all you've done is try to serve your role as heir, become the perfect Fire Lord; your father might have tried to forge you into his weapon, but you're your own person Azula." he explained to her, who shook her head in dismissal.
"The girl he raised wouldn't have lost that duel- she would have killed Zuko on the spot for his treachery." she told him with a serious face, making him raise a brow.
"What are you saying- that you're not yourself?" he asked her, Azula shaking her and sighing as she looked out to the water.
"Everything I ever did was leading up to that fight- or at least I told myself that- now I've lost, it's like I've lost part of myself." she tried to explain herself, "I'm weak and worthless." she lamented, Sokka placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You haven't lost everything- I'm still here." he told her with a stern grasp, looking her into her golden eyes.
"Not yet- but you will go home eventually, will you not?" she asked him, as to imply he would leave her all alone.
"No Azula- I don't want to go without you." he told her as he knelt down beside her, "I want to you to come with me." he told her.
She scoffed at his offer, "Come with you? Why would I go with you to the South Pole?" she questioned him.
"You aren't safe in the Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation- but you will be safe with my tribe..." he explained, grasping her hand with his own, "and you'll be be with me." he told her, Azula glancing at him with a sense of defeat.
"Is this really what it's come to?" she asked him, who shrugged at her with slight amusement.
"Do you want to trudge around the Earth Kingdom for spirits know how long for the minute chance you could muster enough power to take on your brother?" he asked her, making her sigh with disappointment.
"After what I've seen, I wouldn't chose to experience that again." she admitted before glancing back at him, "All I've ever wanted has been taken from me- and now- you're offering me this- like my failures don't mean anything- you should be angry at me for my stupidity at the very least." she suggested to him, Sokka shaking his head as looked in her in eyes.
"No Azula- I don't care for your failures- I care for you and your future; I won't just abandon you because you couldn't beat your brother- you're more than the Crown Princess- you're you." he told her with a smile of confidence.
Glancing over to look at the port of Pohuai Stronghold as they drifted across the water, she sighed in frustration, "So this is the end- we've gone all this way to lose." she concluded, the Water Tribesman turning to face the stronghold as well.
"You lost a duel, but you didn't lose your freedom- I consider that a victory." he noted, before chuckling to himself, the Princess looking back to him with confusion.
"What? What's so funny?" she questioned him, who raised his head with a face of realisation.
"I lost my duel to you- but I wasn't captured- I instead learned about you, came to understand the Fire Nation and the world in a better light- I've become a better person just from losing a battle." he explained to her, who rolled her eyes at the implications of his idea.
"Don't you expect me to become enlightened and all nice after this- may I repeat that I am not my Uncle- I prefer to have a spine." she affirmed her view to him, who raised a finger in consideration.
"Mercy is sometimes the greatest gift one can give- you taught me that one." he noted to her, the Princess furrowing her brow at her.
"I still didn't have the spine to kill you- you're far too useful Sokka." she sarcastically lamented at the fact she hadn't gotten rid of him.
"Oh- I'm sure you'll get around to it some day." he joked, Azula grinning at him with devious eyes.
"Don't give yourself a death-wish- there is better ways to go than through a lightning strike to the chest." her tone turning far more macabre, making him cough in considering how she almost been killed by such an attack.
"Well I certainly hope nothing like that happens- I'd rather it was through some kind of other shock." he suggested to her, the Princess looking to him with a smug smile.
"Oh- was that a lewd suggestion, savage?" she questioned him, who chuckled back at her with a similar face.
"It can be one if you like." he told her, Azula leaning in closer to his face.
"Be careful there- you might find yourself sinking another boat." she told him, who raised a brow in interest.
"Sink the boat?" he questioned, the Princess raising her left hand to play with small blue flames in it.
"Fire is a dangerous thing- it can be wild and uncontrollable." she told him, who coughed in embarrassment, his face blushing.
"I think I can handle wild and dangerous- just escaped a highly fortified Fire Nation fortress." he told her straightly, making her break into laughter.
"T-that is true- but you can handle the other kind?" she asked of him, Sokka smirking right back at her.
"Well we'll have to find out, won't we?"