Chapter Sixteen
Civil Disagreements
Authors Note:
Title has officially been changed from the First Son of The South to Saga of The Sun and Moon. I think that's much better, and more accurately reflects the story.
The moon was falling. How was it even possible? It had only moments before been in its place among the heavens, yet now it plummeted towards the earth. As Sokka watched, unable to move, the moon began to burn. The flame bored a hole in its center, spreading out until the moon was burned to a cinder, and the world was plunged into darkness.
Sokka could neither move nor speak. He struggled to move but his limbs wouldn't respond. When at last he couldn't struggle any longer, a distorted face swam before his eyes. It resolved itself into the image of Zhao, smiling the predatory grin of a tiger-seal. Zhao opened his mouth wide, and a bolt of lightning shot forth to strike Sokka in the heart.
Aang stretched himself as he got out of bed. Katara was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn't particularly unusual; she had gotten in the habit of waking first, so that she didn't have to wait for Sokka to get out of the bathroom. Aang had thought it was odd that she didn't just use a different one, the palace had several, but he didn't think it was important enough to say anything.
Momo trilled in dismay, and Aang looked in his direction. Momo was jumping on Sokka's bed trying to wake him. Aang immediately rushed over to his friend, for Sokka was thrashing in his sleep. Aang grabbed hold of his shoulders and shook him violently to wake him, calling out to his friend. "Sokka! Sokka wake up!"
Sokka sat up and lashed out, brandishing Momo like a club he shouted, "Zhao!"
Sokka froze and looked around. Aang took Momo from him and the lemur perched on his shoulder, looking at Sokka curiously. Aang put a hand on the non-bender's shoulder before speaking. "It was a dream, it's just us here."
Aang watched his friend with concern. Sokka rubbed his eyes and looked at his chest, gingerly feeling the skin above his heart. He looked confused for a moment, before saying, "Oh thank goodness. I thought he got me for a second there. It seemed so real."
"What happened? In your dream, I mean?" Aang asked, stepping away as Sokka got up to dress himself.
"Well it was pretty strange." Sokka said, looking at Aang. "The moon was falling, and then it caught fire. Zhao showed up and shot lightning out of his mouth. I couldn't move at all, so he got me pretty easily."
"That's… strange." Aang said, and Sokka shrugged.
"Yeah, but it was just a dream, so it's fine." Sokka said. Katara joined them again, her hair as immaculately braided as ever. Aang smiled goofily at her when she came in. She smiled back at him. Sokka rolled his eyes.
"So what are you going to do today, Sokka?" Katara asked, "Yue told me that she has to spend the day with her dad, so I guess that means the two of you can't hang out."
"Yeah, she told me about it yesterday. It's a little disappointing, but we've spent almost every day together since we got here.." Sokka said as he laced up his boots. He finished and stretched himself. The three of them had been in Agna Qel'a, the capital city of the northern Water Tribe, for two weeks now.
"I figured that I'd watch you and Aang practice your waterbending today."
"That's great! You can watch Katara beat the stuffing out of everyone else! She's way better than me." Aang said jovially.
"I'm really not that good," She said with a blush, "Aang can beat me easily when he's concentrating."
"So basically never?" Sokka asked with a smirk. Aang nodded enthusiastically. Katara rolled her eyes. Team Avatar made their way from their room and ate a quick breakfast before heading to train with Master Pakku. Sokka had worried that the old man would treat her rather harshly, since he normally didn't teach girls. His worries had been abated upon the discovery that Pakku had once been engaged to his grandmother before she moved to the south pole. The old master had seemed to develop a dry affection for the two of them after that.
When the three of them arrived at the training area, Pakku was speaking to a stranger. Sokka recognized him as the man he had noticed during their welcoming feast. He had his dark hair pulled up in a top-knot, a fashion usually worn in the Fire Nation. Sokka would have been suspicious, but Pakku seemed to know the fellow, and Sokka trusted the waterbending master's judgment.
"I see you've made it on time today. I'm impressed." Pakku said with a sarcastic smile. Aang grumbled. He had been late one time! Now every day Pakku teased him about it. To be fair, he probably shouldn't take his training so lightly, playing with Momo wasn't likely to make Pakku happy with him.
"Why don't you introduce me to the Avatar, Pakku?" The stranger said. Pakku nodded in agreement.
"Aang, Sokka, Katara, this is Master Piandao. He's a friend of mine, visiting from the Fire Nation." Pakku said, and then he laughed at the astonished looks on their faces. "Relax, he's not in the army, he hasn't been in years."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Piandao said with a bow.
"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you as well." Aang said as he returned the gesture. "But, if I may ask, what brings you so far from home?"
"Just visiting an old friend." He said with a smile. "I'll be returning to the Fire Nation soon though, I'll only be here until the Princess's birthday. After that I must return. Enough about me, though. You need to focus on our training. From what Jeong Jeong and Pakku have told me, you get distracted easily."
"You know Jeong Jeong? Both of you?" Aang said, rubbing his head with an embarrassed smile.
"Never mind that." Pakku said sternly. "You're going to be partnered with Katara today. Practice the octopus form. And you!" He said, pointing a finger at Katara, "Do not go easy on him."
Aang and Katara bowed to their master before moving off a fair distance and beginning to spar. Sokka watched them for a moment. His plan for the day was to cheer them on with jokes and sarcastic comments, but this Piandao character had stalled him in that. He had heard the name somewhere before, and hearing Jeong Jeong brought up again reminded him. Shing had told him that name! Piandao was his swordmaster, and Shing had said that he was probably the best in the world.
Sokka looked back at Piandao with realization on his face, but the man had already turned and walked a fair distance. Jogging to catch up, Sokka called out to him.
"Wait!" He yelled, causing the master to turn. Piandao waited while Sokka caught up to him. "I trained with one of your disciples, Shing. He said that you were the best swordmaster in the world."
"Yes, Shing mentioned you in a letter. And I don't know about the whole world," Piandao said with a smile.
Sokka knelt before him and lowered his head. "I would be honored if you would teach me."
Piandao considered him for a minute. "Usually, my students prove their worth when they ask to train with me."
Sokka paused at that. Was he worthy? He had made mistakes, and plenty of poor choices. But he had always tried to help, and do what he thought was right, or necessary. Before he could respond, Piandao continued on. "Let me guess, you were the strongest warrior in your village. You traveled far to get here, and since you are friends with the Avatar, you think you deserve to train with me."
"I've traveled all over the world." Sokka said, and Paindao turned away from him.
"Here we go," Piandao said. He heard this speech before. Shing had spoken highly of this boy in his message, and he was willing to give Sokka the benefit of the doubt. That didn't mean he would go easy on him.
"I've fought many battles since I left home, and I've made many mistakes. I'm not sure if I've made the right choices, but I know one thing for sure: I have a lot to learn."
Piandao turned his head to the side at Sokka's words. It seemed that Shing was right, this boy wasn't as arrogant as many who had asked to train under him. He had shown genuine humility, a trait that was rather uncommon in young men.
"You said your students had to prove their worth to you. And honestly? I don't know if I am worthy." Sokka said, his eyes still on the ground.
Piandao smiled, and turned to face the young man once more. "No? Then let's find out together! I will train you."
Song worked in a hospital. Well, at least in what passed for a hospital in this small town near the northwestern coast of the Earth Kingdom, in what was now Fire Nation controlled territory. In a larger town like Gaoling, or in cities like Omashu or Ba Sing Se, it likely would've barely counted as a clinic. But, as far as the local populace was concerned, it was a hospital.
She had risen early. A fence had fallen over in a storm a few weeks ago, and Song and her mother had been unsuccessful in mending it. They had tried, but they were often so tired from working that they didn't have much energy to spend on anything other than cooking dinner and going to sleep. So today Song had gotten up early to try and mend it. She hadn't managed to do more than stack up the loose wood and replant the post in the ground. Her father had always taken care of that sort of thing when she was a girl, but the Fire Nation had taken him and the other men from the farming village they had lived in.
Now Song and her mother lived somewhere else. She had taken up training as a nurse, and now she made good money for them to live off of, but her mother hadn't wanted to hire anyone to fix the fence. Song didn't really understand it, but she decided it wasn't worth arguing over. They would mend it themselves, unless they were fortunate enough for someone to do it for free.
Song entered the hospital, and was greeted by her mentor, Fei. He was an older man, but he was kind and knew his medicine incredibly well. When he saw her he waved a hand in greeting, and told her what was on the docket so far. "Good morning, Song. Not many people need our help this morning. Cho burned his hand cooking breakfast. It's not all that bad, but you know him. Always making mountains out of mole hills."
"Is that all?" Song asked, surprised. It was rather unusual for there to be only one person that needed help, but if it would be an easy day then perhaps Fei would let her go early. She had that fence to mend, and she thought that if she could get in a few hours of work..
"So far, but the day is young. If it keeps up like this, I'll close up and let you and the others go home early." Fei said with a smile. He and his family lived there, so even if she and the other nurses left, nobody would go without care. Song smiled and thanked him, and went about tending to Cho and his slightly red hand.
After Cho left, Song busied herself by sweeping and folding blankets. She finished that rather early on, so she and the other hospital workers chatted the morning away. Finally, around noon, another patient walked in. Song was playing a game of mahjong, so she didn't see who it was, but Fei's voice called out from the entry room. "Song! Would you come up here please?"
She excused herself from the game and went to see what Fei needed. "Ah, there you are. Would you take this young man to the back and see to him? After that you can have the rest of the day off."
Song agreed and cheered internally. She had been hoping for this, she hadn't had proper time off in a while. Usually they had a pretty consistent work schedule, but since that stom had rolled through their workload had increased. Now that it had finally slowed down to its regular pace, and there were no more sick people, she would get to have her regular days off again. She wouldn't be back for two whole days!
The young man wore a dark cloak, with a deep hood that obscured most of his face. It was a little odd, but Song didn't pay it too much attention. She led the newcomer to an examination table to take a seat. The stranger rolled up his sleeve to reveal a long scrape. It looked a touch infected.
"How did you get that?" She asked curiously.
"I got into an argument."
"Fighting?" She asked disapprovingly. The stranger shook his head and lowered his hood. Song's eyes were immediately drawn to the angry red scar that covered much of his face. It was a miracle that he could still see! The fire had been intense enough to maim his ear. She felt sorry for this man. Whatever it was that had happened to him must have been horrible. It had left his once handsome face marred and broken.
Song forced her attention back to his forearm. She collected some ointment and began to gently dab it onto the damaged skin. In an effort to hide her shock at seeing his scar, she decided to engage in conversation with the young man. "So who were you arguing with?"
She glanced up to his face again, and she saw him blush. She also noticed that he had a few cuts and scrapes on his face as well. The young man mumbled something that she couldn't understand.
"What was that?"
"... My ostrich-horse."
Song stopped her dabbing and shook her head. Had he said he was arguing with an ostrich-horse? "You had an argument with an ostrich-horse?"
"Yes." Said the man, curtly. Song studied him. He was around her age, and clearly embarrassed. As she looked at him, his awkwardness became apparent. She decided in that moment, either despite the scar or because of it, that she liked his broken face.
"I'm Song. What's your name?" She asked, as she turned her attention to the scrapes on his face.
"Lee." He said, curt as ever.
"Alright, Lee, what did you and your ostrich-horse argue about?"
"I don't like her name. Apparently she doesn't want to change it. I kept calling her by the new one and she threw me off." Lee said, trying to maintain an even expression despite his evident embarrassment.
"What is her name then, since she won't let you change it?" Song asked curiously. Lee blushed furiously, and grit his teeth. Song resisted the urge to giggle at his reaction. Eventually, Lee answered the question.
"Sugar Foot."
Song lost her internal struggle and laughed openly. This only served to make Lee angry, for he shouted, "I didn't name her that! The breeder did! I tried to change it!"
"I know, I know, it's just that I didn't expect that! Why would anyone name an ostrich-horse Sugar Foot?" She began giggling again when she said the name, and Lee snickered, and then frowned. Evidently it was against his own best judgment, and now he was disappointed with himself.
Song finished tending to him when Lee's stomach grumbled. She eyed him for a moment, and then she got an idea. She rather liked this boy. He looked strong, he was hungry, and she had a fence to mend. Maybe she could get him to spend more time with her under the guise of exchanging his labor for dinner?
"So Lee, I was wondering, could you help me with something? A fence fell down a couple weeks ago, and my mother and I haven't been able to fix it yet. If you wouldn't mind fixing it, we could give you a hot meal and a bed in return."
Lee seemed to consider that for a moment. It looked as though he was having some kind of internal struggle, but his hunger won out. He nodded.
Song smiled. Lee didn't seem to talk much. That was fine with her: she liked the strong silent type.
Zuko had no idea what he was doing. He had not repaired a fence in his life! He had never even seen one being built. He had grown up in a palace, and then lived the last three years of his life at sea. He looked over his shoulder at Song, who smiled encouragingly. He returned to his work, inserting the horizontal logs into the post.
He would have kept moving towards the coast, as he had only another day's travel until he made it to the port, but his money had begun to run out. The offer of a meal and a bed was too tempting to pass up, so he had accepted. He had not, however, anticipated that he would spend the majority of his time being followed by this girl.
Song was nice enough, but he didn't find the idea of making friends with the people his nation was at war with. He had vowed to end the war when he became Fire Lord, but that wouldn't happen until decades after he captured Aang. The Avatar. He had to stop thinking of them by their first names. Aang, Katara, and Sokka were his enemies, and he had to capture them to restore his honor. Honor that had been taken from him by the Fire Lord.
The Fire Lord, who had ordered countless atrocities to nameless and faceless civilians. His father, Fire Lord Ozai. A man who dueled and banished a child, his own son, for speaking out of turn. Zuko shook his head, he couldn't think about that now, he had to stay focused. He had to capture the Avatar so that he could..?
Zuko shook his head again, and Sugar Foot cawed merrily from where she was tethered alongside Song's own animal. Zuko glared at her. She had thrown him off of her back when he had become insistent on calling her Yoake; evidently she didn't like the name. Why she would refuse to be named for the dawn he didn't know, but he had given up on it.
"Dinner's ready, Lee, Song," Song's mother, Ran, called from the house. Zuko's stomach growled in anticipation. He refused to acknowledge it, it would be unseemly for a prince to act on his base instincts so eagerly. He stood up and inspected his handiwork: it was terrible.
"It's… Not bad." Song said. She was evidently trying to spare his feelings, but if anything it had the opposite effect.
"You don't have to lie to me. I can see it for myself." Zuko said evenly. Song didn't respond. She instead took his hand, to which Zuko stiffened. He wasn't sure what to do; part of him wanted to jerk away, and part of him enjoyed the contact. It had been a long time since anyone but his uncle had been so familiar with him.
"Come on, let's go eat. You can work on it some more in the morning." Song said as she pulled him toward the house. Zuko hesitated for a moment, but he allowed her to lead him inside.
Aang followed Katara into a lavish sitting room in the royal family's living quarters. Yue was there, reading a scroll to Sokka when they walked in. She stopped reading when they entered, and smiled at them in greeting.
"Hey." Katara said with a wave, before sitting on the couch with Sokka. Aang sat in a comfortable armchair to one side of them. A fire crackled happily in the hearth, which Aang had thought odd at first. He had assumed that everything here was made of ice, but he soon discovered that it was just painted blue. He was wise enough to keep that realization to himself. It seemed obvious in retrospect, and he didn't want to look stupid.
"Where'd you run off to?" Aang asked, "I thought you were gonna watch us learn waterbending."
"I was, but then we met Master Piandao, and he agreed to teach me swordbending." Sokka said. Yue laughed at his answer.
"Swordbending?" She asked
"It's the only kind I can do! Do you guys remember Shing? He taught me a little bit about it before Azula captured us. Apparently he wrote to Piandao about me!" Sokka said the last part with no small amount of pride. Upon hearing his words, Katara slapped a hand to her forehead.
"I completely forgot! When Jeong Jeong and his people were leaving, he wanted to speak with you, but you and Aang were in the spirit world! He asked me to tell you he had written to him, but with everything that happened I forgot!"
Sokka shrugged, "It's fine. Seeing how you rescued us and all, I'm not that mad about it."
"It's good that you've found a master," Said Aang, "But you really should've been there today! Katara and Pakku faced off, and she almost won! It was amazing! He said she's the best student he's ever trained!"
Katara blushed and tried to wave it off. "It wasn't that close. He was going easy on me."
"Still, at this rate you'll be a master in no time!" Aang went on, "Next time we face Zhao or Azula they won't stand a chance!"
Sokka rolled his eyes and snorted dismissively. He had imagined Katara washing Zhao down a river, and thought the idea of him being a threat to them again was laughable. Katara, unfortunately, did not know what he had imagined, and had taken his snort to mean he didn't believe Aang. She tried not to take it personally, as Sokka hadn't seen her improved skill, but she was still annoyed.
"I can't wait to fight against Azula again!" Katara said, ignoring her brother. "Let's see how well that monster does now."
"She's not a monster," Sokka said, closing his eyes and leaning back.
"And how do you know that, oh insightful one?" Katara asked, her annoyance turning to anger. She glared at him, but his eyes were closed. Had they been open, or had Aang or Katara been looking, they would have seen the look of concern and confusion on Yue's face.
"I just do." Sokka said, waving his hand dismissively. Katara's face grew red at being waved off. First he had dismissed her new waterbending prowess, and now he was basically ignoring her!
"You're just saying that because you think she's pretty!" Katara said angrily. Sokka's eyes snapped open and he blushed. How did she know that? He hadn't told anyone about it, he had been denying it since he first saw her in the spirit pool. She was Fire Nation, and therefore the enemy, and because of that she could not be beautiful. At least that's what he had told himself.
"That has nothing to do with it!" Sokka said indignantly. Yue's eyes widened and she scowled. So he thought this Princess Azula was attractive then? She crossed her arms as a pang of jealousy coursed through her. She tried to ignore it, but Sokka and Katara's argument wouldn't let her.
"Well, then, why not? I'm sure you must have a reason. You and your infinite wisdom always do, apparently." Katara snapped at him, pointing a finger in his face.
Sokka was completely confused, how had he upset her? She had been happy only a moment ago. He glanced at Aang for support, but the Avatar was busy staring at his thumbs as he twidled them around. He looked to Yue next, and to his alarm, she seemed to be siding with Katara, if the daggers she stared at him were anything to go by.
"I- she-" He stammered. This was not his area of expertise. "She's not a bad person, really, she-"
"She what?!" Yue cut in angrily.
"She's sad! Lonely!" Sokka said, becoming angry himself now. Why were they ganging up on him?
"Oh so she's just a beautiful, sad, and lonely princess! Why, that's great. Maybe, if you think she's so beautiful," Yue said as she got up and crossed the sitting room, stomping furiously away from Sokka, "Instead of me, you should just marry Azula!"
She slammed the door behind her. Sokka glared at Katara furiously. "Thanks, Katara, I really appreciate it."
Sokka raced across the room to chase after his fiance.
Azula sneezed. Mai looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you catching a cold?" She asked
Azula shook her head in answer.
"Maybe someone's talking about you." Ty Lee quipped. Azula rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure I'm spoken of far too often for that to be the case, or else I'd be sneezing constantly." Azula replied dryly.
The three of them were in the command room with her uncle. Admiral Zhao would be joining them shortly, and they would begin to plan the siege of the northern Water Tribe. Zhao had gathered an impressive force so far, but their siege was still around six weeks away.
Iroh poured jasmine tea for everyone present, and left the Admiral's cup empty until the time he would arrive. He didn't have to wait long, for the Admiral entered soon after he finished pouring. Zhao bowed to Azula, and then repeated the gesture in a slighter fashion to Iroh.
"I apologize for making you wait, Princess, General." He said, and Iroh smiled.
"It's no problem, Admiral Zhao. Let us begin with our preparations." Iroh said. Azula was annoyed by that, but she let it go. If anyone should have said something about his lateness, it was her.
Zhao laid a map on the long table in the center of the room. On it was marked a few locations. Whaletail Island, their own position, and the Water tribe capital city of Agna Qel'a. He placed a finger on Whaletail island before speaking. "I received a report this morning that Hakoda passed by here late last night. Unfortunately, he has again evaded pursuit."
"What is he doing in the south?" Iroh asked curiously.
"My contact in the north has told me that he and Chief Arnook have agreed to merge the tribes once again."
Iroh's face formed an expression of astonishment. "Really? After centuries they have finally agreed to merge?"
Zhao nodded. "The Southern Fox has arranged for the First Son to marry Princess Yue. He's gone to the south for an unknown purpose. All the better for us: his absence will make our efforts that much easier."
Azula stared blankly at the map, not taking anything in. Sokka was to marry this Princess Yue, whoever she was? How had she never heard the name before? She shook her head; it didn't matter, she needed to focus on planning the invasion.
"So Hakoda will be absent. Too bad for him, that he won't be present when we capture the First Son and the Sea Wolf, along with the Avatar." Azula said, ending the tangent that centered on Hakoda.
Iroh glanced at her momentarily, and then drew a line between their position and a port on the northwestern coast. It was sheltered in a large bay, and was under Fire Nation control. They had seized the territory nearly a decade earlier, and the brunt of the fighting had moved eastward.
"I suggest that we gather our forces here," He said, "This is the best location large enough to muster the invasion force. We should make our way there while the rest of the fleet is assembled, and order them to muster no less than two weeks before the invasion."
Zhao nodded, pulling out another map to lay over top of the first. This new map detailed the capital of the northern Water Tribe. Zhao had marked a few different locations on the map, and placed a finger on the first one.
"The northern Water Tribe is a great nation. It has managed to withstand a hundred years of war so far, but now that we are fully committing to the invasion they will fall. The first obstacle to overcome to gain access to the city is their glacial gate. A wall of Ice that encompasses the bay during times of war, ten yards thick. The wall will be weakened by our artillery, and once it is damaged enough we can deploy land troops and armored cavalry divisions."
Iroh nodded sagely. "When we arrive, the moon will be near full. I suggest that we wait and form a blockade so that none escape, and that we may invade once the moon begins to wane."
Zhao shook his head. "No. If we give the Avatar too much warning, he will escape to the Earth Kingdom and our efforts will be for nothing."
Azula thought for a moment. Waterbenders' power was strongest during the full moon. Admiral Zhao was right in that they could not afford to delay any longer, but if they kept their attacks limited to daylight hours, then the waterbenders would not be able to take advantage of the moon's strength. She told the two men as much, and Iroh agreed with her assessment, but the Admiral did not share the sentiment. Zhao smiled to himself before speaking.
"I am well aware of the moon problem, Princess, and I have found a solution." Admiral Zhao said, before drawing a scroll from his breastplate. "When I was a young officer on an expedition to the Si Wong desert, I came across a great library. Within I found many secrets, and one in particular caught my eye."
He gave the scroll to Azula, who began to read. The scroll contained an account of the Moon and Ocean spirits, Tui and La, and a description of their mortal form, as well as their location. Azula handed the scroll to Iroh, and looked at Zhao skeptically.
"You genuinely believe that the Ocean and Moon spirits are koi fish in the Water Tribe?" She asked, with a raised eyebrow. Zhao nodded, and replied, "My contact has confirmed their existence, and that they have been in the spirit oasis for longer than anyone can remember."
Iroh put down the scroll. He looked at Zhao slowly, and began to speak. "What are you planning to do, Zhao?"
Ty Lee drew in a sharp breath, and Azula looked at her for a moment. Ty Lee was staring at the Admiral with wide and confused eyes. Azula was about to question her friend's sudden reaction, when Admiral Zhao began to speak.
"I intend to kill the Moon Spirit."
Azula whipped her head around to stare at the Admiral in shock. Kill the Moon Spirit? Was he serious? Did he think that would only harm the Water Tribe? Didn't he realize that the rest of the world needed the moon too? The Fire Nation venerated the sun, and what would he do if his sister was killed? Would he sit idly by and continue to bless the Fire Nation as he always had? Azula doubted that. She doubted that the Moon Spirit was a fish too, but Admiral Zhao's answer had shocked her nonetheless.
"Zhao!" Iroh said angrily, "The Fire Nation needs the moon too! Harming that spirit in any way could wreak havoc on the world! The Fire Nation, as well as the Water Tribes, depends on the moon."
Zhao opened his mouth to respond, but Azula spoke before he could.
"Really, Admiral, why kill the Moon Spirit? Surely we could capture it instead, and use it as a hostage, or even hinder the waterbenders without harming it. It would be a senseless waste to destroy the moon, as it is the moon that forms the tides on which our nation thrives."
Zhao closed his mouth, and Azula could see the anger in his eyes. He breathed to calm himself, before speaking. "Are you both certain of this?"
Iroh and Azula confirmed their stance on the subject. Zhao nodded in acceptance, before agreeing not to harm the moon spirit. He bowed and left them, but Azula knew one thing for certain: Admiral Zhao was lying.