CHAPTER XIII

Heartless Desire

Earth Kingdom

Nikuya hadn't been conceived in time for her to see the true scale of the Fire Nation colonies that had riddled the western coast of her home continent, as the invaders had consolidated most of their forces into the city of Yu Dao, which would eventually go by the name of Republic City. Even so, as she traveled across the coastline, the scars left behind by the colonial endeavor could be seen clear as day. Architectural styles would change after river crossings, as did clothing styles and rice patties. Smiles and full bellies would become more commonplace, an occurrence that seemed to perfectly correlate with the level of amber present in one's eyes.

So much could change after one hundred years. A whole nation could be destroyed, another plundered…another conquered.

Even so, Nikuya didn't necessarily believe any of that was inherently detrimental. The Hundred Year war had forced the world to recognize that the old ways would no longer serve them, and since Republic City's founding, the traditionalists had grown smaller, dumber and too frail to stop what had already begun. That chaos of change, however, meant opportunity was ripe and plentiful, and it could not be coincidence that she had been brought into this world at the time that she had. Fate had called her to action, and she had answered.

"…two…three!"

Only gloves managed to save her palms from maddening burns as she pulled the rope with all her might, watching as the tent they had thrown together slowly gave in to their strength, and erected from the ground in a wobbling effort. The smell of damp wood filled her lungs as she breathed once the effort concluded, and she nearly soiled her more athletic dress uniform in the process. Mud had already claimed her boots long ago.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" a rugged-looking father pressed his hands together in a deeply grateful gesture, followed by a bow that looked as if it would collapse his knees for good. "Your kindness knows no bounds. We thought we had lost everything."

She put on her best smile, placing her hand gently on his shoulder as his dirt-plastered children rushed to hold him upright. "The Empire will do anything for its loyal citizens, even if the Avatar won't."

Abruptly, one of his children rushed forward and wrapped their arms around her leg, and it took a measurable amount of restraint not to yelp out in surprise. She managed to release it with a chuckle, which was enough to ward off her nearby guards who had reached for their blades. Their hair felt matted from a lack of bathing, and she could practically hold their bones in her grip with the lack of nourishment they'd been subjected to.

You poor thing…

After all the death she had been forced to carry out, this moment was a change of pace she never realized she needed. Despite the grime, she ruffled their hair and pressed them against her leg affectionately.

"None of you will have to live without hope ever again, not as long as I remain Empress," she promised, and released the child back to their father. "The Earth Kingdom has returned to protect its people from our colonizers."

The father seemed to bite his tongue before he responded, and instead granted her a deep bow. It was no secret that some of the Fire Nation settlers along the west coast had been here for over a century, and certainly had fostered generational friendships that would make them indistinguishable from one another. That wasn't necessarily a problem for what Nikuya had planned, but if she was going to galvanize the Earth Kingdom enough that they would be willing to formally invade the Fire Nation after being finally granted a gasp of peace, a wedge had to be procured. It was tricky, however, since Nikuya had no intention of being Empress of a barren wasteland utterly annihilated by warfare.

There were other ways to achieve her ends.

As the family began to take residence within their temporary shelter beside the ruins of their home, Nikuya retreated to a stand that held up a wooden box with two lenses protruding from the front, and an operator concealed behind an encompassing cloak at its back.

"Did you get it?" she asked, folding her arms at her breast. On cue, the cloak rustled and shifted, before a middle-aged man emerged with a starry-eyed smile across his face.

"Yes, yes! Oh, you did brilliant Your Majesty! Positively superb!" he exclaimed, pulling his glasses from his eyes and allowing them to hang over his chest via a silver chain. "This may just be the photograph we've been searching for!"

Relief found its way into her once more, and she savored it for the moment it remained. "That's great to hear Yi-jun. How long until we can have it printed and distributed?"

Yi-jun regarded her as if her worry was so unfounded it was almost an insult. "Oh, please Empress, no time at all! Within a week the entire Earth Kingdom will be singing your praises, I assure you!"

"I'll hold you to that expectation," she accepted, and gestured her blessing. "Do proceed."

Leaving the photographer to marvel at his own work, Nikuya found separation from the chaos of the relief effort more towards the coast, and was able to witness the sun attempt to peek its way through the suffocating cloud cover that had remained since the typhoon that had ravaged the Zhu province had dissipated. Whole villages had been wiped out by its destructive power, an occurrence unfortunately not too uncommon around this time of year. It was yet another reason why crossing the Silver Sea to the beaches of the Fire Nation had always been seen as impossible for a large force, one that would almost certainly be cut in half should they run across one of those monstrous storms.

Never mind the fact that she had nothing more than a few frigates left behind in Republic City's docks that their forces couldn't keep from her. Realistically she could maybe support just over one thousand men per ship, but the conditions would be desolate to say the least. The Empire of Chin, however, while being outdated, had a fleet that would more than accommodate her needs, which made reaching the final bastion of the old regime her top priority. Messenger hawks sent there requesting use of their fleet were yet to return, however.

As she expected.

"You look like death."

Zahila's frankness, however, was never something she was prepared for.

A labored sigh was all she could muster as her neck craned on its own. "Are there any other characteristics of mine you'd like to bring into light?"

Waves could be heard crashing against the rocky beach below them, and the sheer drop at the cliff's edge wasn't enough for Zahila to angle herself in front of her. Without a cliff edge, Nikuya had usually counted on the wide straw hat of the Dai Li to keep the woman's features from becoming a distraction, but the latter was no longer part of her wardrobe.

The commander of the Qianfeng could not hide their face, no matter how incapable Nikuya was at taking her own eyes off it. Zahila had always been well aware of that fact, and had used it to her advantage in a variety of ways on a plethora of people. Despite the risk, however, Nikuya didn't mind indulging herself at least once.

"I do, actually," she admitted, offering her an approving smile. "Despite your reasons…what we're doing here, it's…"

"Better than war?" Nikuya filled in for her while she struggled to find the words. "I agree."

Zahila nodded, and a blush managed to peek itself through her makeup. "That little girl who clung to your leg…I'm so used to people like that fearing us. I don't know why I never realized…"

"There are many in the Earth Kingdom who appreciate the work we're doing. We just don't see them," Nikuya assured. "But we aren't doing this for thanks…not necessarily."

Her guardian narrowed her eyes as if she was trying to peer into the window of her soul. "But it's what you want…isn't it?"

Nikuya had known long ago that as soon as she marched on Republic City, what she wanted was never going to be a priority. It was to become a distant lure dangling above that would always lead her back to where she had started; serving as a dutiful Princess with no ability to help bring about change to her dying country. Even with all the advances that the world was experiencing after the Fire Nation's defeat, Ba Sing Se was still mired by a hopeless future in which no one of her generation would be able to experience the utopian vision Republic City was giving them. Her father had no ambitions to truly change the way the Earth Kingdom strode into the future, and would only bring about an era of stagnation that would leave them as another prime target to be swept away as their great walls continued to crumble.

She would ensure that bleak future never came to pass, regardless of the cost to herself.

Finally looking Zahila directly in the eye, she didn't allow her emotions to snare her into her trap. "There are many things I want," she said. "And none of them matter."

Zahila only seemed to catch her meaning after a few moments of mutual staring, and for once, Nikuya managed to be the last one standing as she turned away.

"You shouldn't say such things, Your Majesty," Zahila replied meekly, projecting a deep-set pain that the Empress hadn't expected. "You're not a corpse…and you shouldn't act as one."

"No," Nikuya agreed, taking a step closer to the cliff face. "But it's what we all are in the end."

Regret roiled itself from her core. This was a mistake, just as it had been every time the two of them had treaded these waters.

"What is life if we live as if we're dead?" Zahila asked, and then proceeded to point towards the tents they had erected. "Look at what we've done here today. These people are going to have a second chance thanks to you, and all you can focus on is how pointless it all is?"

Nikuya shook her head, just before annoyance would be able to wrap its claws around her heart. "Just forget about it," she grumbled, and marched away from the cliff to avoid having to confront this any longer. "Forget about all of it."

If she could live without her heart, she would've cut it out long ago.

Sea

"Put this on."

Aria nearly drove her own eyes into the pointed headpiece as she struggled with straightening her chest armor, and was simultaneously frozen in place once her vision finally settled.

"Minister…I can't," she denied, and returned her focus to fastening her straps. "I don't even know why you would have that in the first place."

"The Fire Lord left it with me."

Annoyance rustled into her throat with a growl. "I'm not the Crown Princess, nor will I ever be," she assured him, rising to her full height and retrieving her regular headpiece from across her quarters. The golden flames that held together the top knot of the heir to the Fire Nation belonged atop the head of Izumi, and Aria would sooner die than parade around the world playing house with her sister's birthright. If her father really was suggesting that she do such a thing, then he'd lost his mind.

"I don't think you understand the stakes at play here, Princess," Kazo corrected, and the ominous undertone he adopted drew sweat from her pores. "The peasants of the Earth Kingdom know nothing about the Fire Nation other than its banner above their heads."

Aria snorted, granting him a sideways glance. "Then tear down the banners."

"Don't be stupid," he retorted. "Without our presence here, the Empress will only capture more resources to exploit against us, placing our own people in greater danger, not to mention what she would do to our citizens residing here in the Earth Kingdom."

Frustration mounted as she found no immediate refutation of his point. Even if the realities of their presence in the Earth Kingdom were sound within her, the realities of her enemy were equally as nefarious. From what she understood, Republic City hadn't been razed to the ground only because of how useful it was as a fortress, as well as the fact that many Earth Kingdom citizens would be displaced in the process. Smaller villages, however, would not prove as useful to the Empress' warpath, and would be added to the virtually endless list of casualties as a result of her madness. If the Fire Nation pulled out, they would all be left to her mercy, but if the Fire Nation remained, then her father was essentially sanctioning the use of hostages.

Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

There had to be another way…she just needed more time to find it. Kazo had got her this far, so perhaps she owed him a little more trust to carefully go about this delicate matter. After all, she was never any good at settling issues with words, as he certainly knew.

"You don't think such an action would be seen as treason?" Aria asked, setting aside her regular headpiece for now. "A bastard daughter supplanting the claim of the true-born child of the Fire Lord."

"Did you not hear my words before, Princess?" Kazo pressed, and there was a desire in his eyes that set her aback, enough to draw an itch to her fingers that radiated dull heat. "The Fire Nation has begun to change. The old ways are beginning to rot as the future fast approaches us, like a corpse left out in the desert heat."

That itch flared into a full blaze, and it took the tight closure of her fist to prevent it from igniting her hand altogether. "Minister…I hope you're not implying what I think."

Kazo did not immediately answer her veiled threat, and for a moment she truly believed he was about to suggest she go against her oath to the throne. Instead, the severity in his expression faded into a slight smile, one that managed to settle the itch broiling in her fist.

"The Fire Lord also informed me that this was merely a suggestion, and if you had any objections to this course of action, you were free to contest them," he added, and retreated the headpiece into his robes.

"I reject them entirely," Aria declared, turning back to her regular headpiece and sliding it into her top knot. "My presence here should be all we need to garner stability."

Slowly, he gave her a bow. "As you wish, Your Highness," he conceded, and turned to her door. Before he left her alone, however, he granted her one sideways glance. "If you change your mind, I will have our contingency prepared."

"I won't," she assured him, but only a closed door was there to hear it.

The mere thought of betraying Izumi drew bile into her throat, and to have Kazo even remotely suggest such a thing would forever stain her opinion of his service. With the instability of the world at large, now was not the time to bring about a succession crisis, especially one as settled as theirs, and Aria had long given up the dream of ever becoming Fire Lord. It was a thought so transgressive, that it only appeared in the darkest of nightmares, with everyone she loved dead before her feet.

That is what it would take for her to sit upon that throne, after all.

Even so…if she had to take the throne to protect not only her people, but her family as well…would she still deny the calling? Izumi was young…far too young to command their nation in a time of war, and if Father were to die then she—

No…no!

Her father wasn't going to die. He couldn't.

She wouldn't let him.

Waijao City was as much as a port city as one could be classified, and it became obvious from their landing that the Fire Nation was using it as a primary supply hub with all the docked warships on its coast. Aria counted well over twenty alone, as well as virtually countless amounts of smaller supply boats and transports floating in the vicinity. Judging by the size of the port, the defensibility of the crescent-shaped harbor and looming, jagged cliffs on each side, she could understand why they had amassed their fleet in this particular area.

However, there were more than just Fire Nation warships patrolling the waters. Aria noticed fishing boats, as well as nearly overfilled rafts full of ragged civilians on the verge of capsizing entirely. A few of them were met by patrol boats, and from her viewpoint she was unable to tell how those interactions were progressing.

There were enough distractions right in front of her.

"Make way for the Princess!" an armored escort declared, their pikes raised to the sky as their bodies halted the heavy flow of civilian traffic on the boardwalk, much to the displeasure of those on the move. Shouting ensued from all around her, and only her quick reaction kept one of her shoved guards from falling atop her.

"Move, fire spitter!"

"We don't want you here!"

"Take your Princess bitch someplace else!"

The circle of soldiers closed around her inch by inch as the shouting only grew louder, and before long Aria felt the rain of produce begin to fall.

Then the shields came out.

Aria regained space in an instant, but the shouting turned to raw panic as the first sound of metal against bone crashed into being, followed by occurrences that echoed as such. Bodies hit the deck all around them, and in between the metal shields she saw a woman writhing at their feet, blood covering the crown of her head as she cried out in agony. More cries followed as her circle grew wider, which lead the produce that fell around her and against her escort to turn to dirt, rocks and whatever the people around them could find. Something crashed against her skull is a discombobulating jolt, and she yelped in pain before her fingers felt the sticky texture of blood against her skin.

That was when she heard the snapping of bones, and cries of anger and agony turned from a panicked mob to absolute terror. Shields crashed against the rioting civilians, sending them into tumbling masses in their wake, some falling off the boardwalk and into the water below, leading to the screams for help from their loved ones. Arms wrapped around Aria from behind, one hand covering her wound and pulling her head down as they picked up the speed of their advance, only leaving more and more carnage along the way.

"Keep moving Princess," Valla insisted, still holding her tightly. "I won't let anyone harm you."

She was so confused that the only response she could manage was a weak nodding of her head as she complied with her retainer, and with the armored men completely surrounding her, all she could see was the boots of those around them, as well as the sound of their righteous fury. Every muscle in her body begged her to unleash a fiery inferno that would burn away the anarchy that threatened to consume her, but she had no idea who she'd catch in that response. In this moment, she was utterly powerless, despite the strength and prowess she displayed time and time again in distress. Always she'd been able to pull herself out of danger, yet now all she could do was cower behind the protection of armored enforcers and hope they could save her from the innocent masses who certainly wanted her head mounted on a spike.

No matter how easy she knew it would be for her to save herself, her heart would never allow it, and that was what terrified her the most.

Death was more preferable than a massacre…was it? Aria hadn't ordered her men to cease their attacks upon the populace, and while it wasn't them who had thrown the first punch, she was surrounded by trained warriors, and they were merely citizens going about their day. What kind of pitiful excuse of a leader was she to allow soldiers to attack non-combatants? Had she sunk down to the level of the Empress?

Was she any better than her enemy?

"You have to keep moving, Princess!" Valla shouted, pressing against her back with more force as they continued to flee in a direction Aria couldn't even comprehend. "Trust me!"

Trust. How could she trust others, if she couldn't even trust herself?

She had to do something. She had to stop this.

Her right flank collapsed with a crash against metal, and there was daylight between her and a hundred rabid eyes. Each pair cursed her soul with their gaze, and she could feel her throat squeeze into a scream as they descended upon her.

Ice closed the gap, and its brutal density crushed noses, limbs and fingers as the mob struggled against its stalwart position. Those in the front couldn't even cry out as they were suffocated by the fury of those around them, a painful image she could see through the fractal cracks of the chilled wall. Only then did she see Valla's foot plant itself against her creation, and her muscles begin to push.

"No!" Aria shouted, pulling her guardian's leg free of the block of ice. "No one else gets hurt!"

"Your Highness, I must protect you!" Valla insisted, her mask only revealing the sharp blades that were her ice-blue eyes. "No matter the cost."

"You heard me!" she shouted, grasping ahold of the woman's clothing with a fierce tug. "No one else gets hurt!"

There was no time to argue, and what had been bought by the ice sheet Valla had conjured was enough for the fallen soldier to regain their footing, allowing them to press on through the mob and hopefully close to wherever they were headed. When it seemed like their progress would be forever halted however, the heat of firebending erupted from their north, and the struggle they had battled against began to wane and weaken, before it was finally gone entirely. Gates shut behind them with a harsh squeal, and the sweat that had been waiting to pour itself down her face had begun to leak from her head.

Valla held her tightly, and had already begun pressing the soothing healing waters against her forehead. "Are you alright, Princess?" she asked.

Was she alive? Yes. Whether or not she was alright was a question she couldn't answer.

"Your Highness!" a panicked shout accompanied the sound of boots against dirt, and the sound of armor coming to a halt with its wearer as they did so. A warrior knelt before her in a desperate motion, practically falling to their knees as they did so. "Princess Aria, I have dishonored you in a way that I have no excuse for. As captain of this company, I will accept any punishment you deem fit for me."

Aria was still trying to regain her footing as her adrenaline wore off, and their words deflected against her ears before she even had time to process them fully.

"What? Who are you?" she asked, pushing aside Valla's efforts to heal her for now.

They didn't dare raise their head to her, and instead bowed even lower to the brick pathway. "I am Captain Yazuke, Your Highness. I have failed to protect a member of the royal family, thus am no longer worthy of my position."

"Failed to—," Aria blinked, and abruptly realized that they were now surrounded by trained firebenders in a gated courtyard, the mob long gone and scuffling in the distance. Wherever they were, it appeared they were finally safe.

And this idiot was bowing to her like a beggar.

"Look, I don't know who you are," she reached down to lift him to his feet. "But if you don't—,"

A harsh blush rushed to her cheeks as the words in her mouth refused to roll off her tongue. They were a man who couldn't be much older than her, and adopted features she could only describe as those blessed by the spirits.

"I mean…punishment?" Aria chuckled bashfully, as he looked up at her with stunned anticipation. "I don't…I don't even know what that word means!"

Her laughter faded in its singularity, and a distant cough was all that followed.

Valla's grip returned to her arm. "Your Highness…I think you've been afflicted with some sort of sickness."

Sickness…I…what did I say?!

"I-I mean!" she stammered, and managed to rein in her racing heart before it took her into a place she could never return from. "It was my responsibility to be aware of the potential dangers of my arrival here. The violent reaction to my presence was…unexpected."

More like exactly what I should've expected.

"So uh…no punishment is necessary, so decrees I…the uh…the Princess. You are forgiven for whatever transgressions you believe you have committed!"

Yazuke rose to his full height, and proceeded to bow with his fist placed under his palm. "Your kindness will not be forgotten, Your Highness. I am forever in your debt!"

Forever in her debt was quite the commitment…

No, stop it! What is wrong with me?!

Sweat only seemed to pour down her face even more than before, and shudders accompanied her very being, making every minute movement sap her of vital concentration.

Everyone is staring at me…

"Retainer!" she shouted out of the blue, enough to catch even Valla off guard. "It is time you escorted me to…to…"

She had no idea where she was, or where she was going.

"…the governor's estate," Valla whispered.

"To the governor's estate!"

"Princess Aria! Oh, thank the spirits!" the exclamation came from the top of the stairs that lead up to said estate, to which she was greeted by a finely dressed middle-aged man in colonial garb, while sporting a sheathed katana at his belt. Behind him were a half dozen ministers who struggled to keep up with the strides of their leader among their flowing robes. "We apologize for your treatment at the hands of our citizens…but only a few days ago did their behavior turn so vile!"

Aria cleared her throat, the sudden emergence of the governor enough to snap her out of whatever trance she had been under. "Who are you?"

Once he reached the bottom of the steps, he gave her a deep bow that was followed by his contingent. "I am Governor Jin of Waijao City, the heart of the Fire Nation's naval operations in the southern Earth Kingdom…and you could not have come at a better time Your Highness!"

Aria huffed. "What do you mean, Governor?"

Once he straightened after his bow concluded, Aria felt her sweat run cold.

"You must save our city from imminent revolution!"