IX.

After a short debate on where to set up camp, Aang decided on a valley shrouded in pines; a good day and a half hike to the Fire Palace. The smoke from the campfires was carried off down the valley by the east wind. Xeilu set up posts every few miles with Lenara's help and everyone from the baker to the melon seller took turns manning the makeshift watchtowers. When the Freedom Fighters arrived a few days later, the construction of the watchtowers improved.

Jet was skeptical of being surrounded by Fire Nation.

"I don't like this. They could turn on us at any second." Katara overheard him and rolled her eyes.

"Grow up, Jet. These people lost their families and their homes, too. You have more in common with them than you think." Xeilu passed by, several maps rolled and piled against her chest. Jet raised an eyebrow.

"Who's that?"

"Her name's Xeilu."

"Gorgeous."

"She's a Fire Nation Commander." Jet made a face.

"Aw, it wasn't meant to be, anyway."

"You're something, Jet, you know that?" Lenara approached them.

"Katara, I have a group of Earth benders fresh from Onagi. Where should they set up camp?" Jet tossed away the stick he was shaving and pocketed his knife.

"Well, hello." Lenara and Katara shared a look.

"Hey. Should we set them up at the north end?"

"My name's Jet."

"Lenara."

"Gorgeous."

"Right. Well, I'll get them down there at least."

"Try the northeast edge. It's still open, I think," Katara replied, gathering several banners before she walked away.

"Gotcha."

"Need some help, Lenara?" Jet stood to face her, a dry piece of grass clamped in the corner of his mouth. He had all the makings of a dirty habit.

"Jet, don't be one of those guys where 'no' means 'yes'." He leaned towards her.

"So, what does it mean?" A shadow fell over Jet and he rolled his gaze up to see Zuko standing behind Lenara, eyes like chips of amber.

"No," the Prince grumbled. Jet met his stare, then shrugged.

"Hey, whatever." He strolled away. Lenara felt her body relax.

"Thanks for that."

"The Avatar wants to hold ka-tsu with the heads of the villages tonight."

"To be expected. Has he spun a plan yet?"

"I don't think so."

"Good. Then he won't be disappointed when it doesn't work."

"You're feeling optimistic today. Did you talk to Xeilu, by any chance?"

"I meant the Avatar should go into this fresh, no plans, nothing but the tools he's acquired and the mission he has to complete. No one should be ordering him how to do his job-it'll come to him."

"What about the rest of us?" Lenara turned to face him.

"That's why Aang is holding ka-tsu. There's a lot of loose ends to tie up."

"And my father?"

"Loose end number two."

"What's number one?" She lost connection and her eyes wandered.

"We all have a loose end snagged inside of us. We're each responsible for tying it down." Zuko leaned close to her ear.

"Tonight. At the river-meet me there."

"I can't. I've got tower duty."

"Then I'll relieve the other schmuck assigned to your tower."

"Is there something you want to talk about?" His scar waxed violet-blue in the fading light.

"Not really. I just wanted your company." She resisted prodding him further. He was being sincere.

"Alright. I head out at half past midnight. The west tower." Xeilu passed beside them.

"Hey, the Avatar wants to see you, Zuko." It was difficult to tear himself away from the Water Chief again. Perhaps if he waited long enough, Xeilu would drift off like one of those annoying, loud bugs…

"Did you hear me? Move it!"

"Don't order me, Xeilu," he growled, his voice cold, "I'm not one of your soldiers."

"I know. At least they can follow orders."

"I don't do orders. I'm a prince, not a private."

"Then act like one. The Avatar's protecting your people. Do him the courtesy of providing him with your company." Zuko seethed, but turned on his heel and stalked off.

"Don't be too hard on him. He's more of a decent person than you think."

"I've heard. He tried to save a group of my peers from being a meat-shield. That was when I started having my doubts about this war."

"And your doubts about Zuko?"

"Muddled at best. Lots of people are looking at him in a new light, though. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?" Lenara's expression fell blank. Xeilu coughed out a laugh.

"Yeah. I thought so."

"Don't be so sure. Any change you see is of his own motivation, not mine. It's hard to introduce anything new into his routine. I only caught him off guard once."

"What happened?" Lenara smiled.

"I kissed him." Xeilu could almost smell the nostalgia, warm and soft as a strawberry coloring in the sun.

X.

Long shadows licked the stone steps of the Fire Palace. Dust sliced the main porch, scrambling in the wind to avoid Admiral Zhao as he ascended the steps. As he passed the columns of fire washing warmth into the pitch dark audience chamber, he thought of the waterfall Xeilu had been lost to. He couldn't suppress the smile.

The Fire Lord stood with his back to the door of his war chamber. Zhao remained outside, waiting to be invited in. He felt a chill and regarded the lamps. The flames weren't as high as they should have been. The fire in the chamber responded to Lord Ozai alone. Was the Fire Lord not well?

"I'm well enough, Admiral Zhao," Ozai answered the Admiral's thoughts. He waved a careless hand, tired of formality.

"Enter." Zhao approached the dais. Lord Ozai's throne was perched in the center, a hungry beast carved of obsidian rock. Ozai's hand was draped over the back of the chair, like a master stroking the beast to complacency.

"Did you hear the bell this afternoon?"

"That was a bell?" Zhao searched his memory. All he could recall was a torrent of voices, furious, red-throated screams that shredded his nerves raw. They were the voices of the people he had killed, children spewing threats vile enough to make a pirate blush. He had never been so terrified in his life.

"Yes, it was the Hotaru; an ancient and ultimately obnoxious way for the Avatar to get attention. It was erased from history for over one hundred years. How the Avatar obtained one now would make for an interesting story." Zhao raised his eyes to the figure above him and asked:

"What happened to the last bell, my lord?" Fire Lord Ozai twisted his torso, his broad, smooth shoulders like the masts of some great Imperial ship.

"It was destroyed. Dropped in the fires of the volcano on the Crescent Island."

"Did the Avatar lose it?"

"No," Ozai circled and settled onto the throne, "they confiscated the Avatar's tools when they captured him."

"Fire Nation soldiers captured the Avatar? But, my lord, one hundred years ago, that was Avatar Roku." Ozai leaned back into the stone slab.

"Roku didn't agree with the current Fire Lord's plans for war. The Fire Lord knew how persuasive the Avatar could be and how powerful he had become. So he had Roku captured."

"To use him so he could promote the war? Or just to eliminate the competition?"

"Both, actually. The Fire Lord assured his people that Roku believed the war was the only way for the world to grow and prosper. Weed out the primitive and useless. They ate it up eagerly. And when Roku outlived his usefulness…" Ozai shrugged. Zhao flinched as the flames lining the isle roared, bright baptismal light. The pillars of flame calmed. His eyes widened, twin moons shining in the dark.

"They killed him?" Ozai's grin was sharp as chips of glass.

"His personal effects were destroyed, but the history of the Avatar still remained. We had reason to believe the records were kept in one of the Air Temples. Those monks seemed at home with words scrawled in a dead man's hand on frail pages. Since the records were protected in a chamber that only air could open, the Fire Nation waited. Time rolled on. News that the current Avatar disappeared didn't reach the Fire Nation until the year my father sat in this very seat. He ordered every Air Temple be searched to confirm the absence of the Avatar. They managed to wipe out most of the Air benders, figuring if the Avatar was among the dead, it would turn the wheel to the Earth Kingdom as the next element in line for an Avatar. That's when the real war began."

"But the cycle never continued. The Avatar is alive," Zhao raised his eyebrow, "not questioning your plans, my lord, but why continue to attack the Earth Kingdom?"

"For the fun of it, I suppose. Old military strategies die hard. The Earth Kingdom is our biggest threat in numbers alone. The Water Tribes have scrambled to the edges of the globe and the last stragglers of the Air Nation are…well, not themselves any longer. But they seemed to perform beautifully when they opened the door of the Western Air Temple's archival chamber."

Ozai savored this particular cruelty. After all, it was his latest step towards progress-medical manipulation on benders. If you used small and sharp enough knives, and if you poked just the right soft spots in their heads, you could puppet the bender's power for your own. An army of patchwork benders; no resistance, no rebellion, just vacant, pale flesh puckered in hash-marks across the skull. Soon, he wouldn't even need the likes of Zhao. The thought of the Admiral with eyes like dull glass and a thin, silver river of drool sliding down his chin made Ozai chuckle.

"So now that the Avatar boy has used this bell, what should our next step be?" Ozai rolled a cold eye in his direction.

"I was in the understanding that it was your responsibility to capture the Avatar, Admiral Zhao, and bring him before me. How is it that both my best officer and my lackluster son have failed in this task? This boy is either an extremely formidable opponent or he has had the god's share of luck, because I can hardly believe my Admiral of the Fire Navy would underestimate his adversary. That's a mistake I would expect my son to make, not you." Zhao was thankful for the shadows; his face burned with shame. This was now three children who had bested him. His chances to capture the Avatar were expiring in the Fire Lord's lack of patience for failure. Zhao read in Lord Ozai's eyes he could beg for only one more opportunity.

"If you would see it fit, my Lord Ozai, allow me one more chance to bring you the Avatar." Ozai leaned forward, his red knuckles bubbled over the arms of the throne. Desperate actions were the necessity of progress.

"I shall, because I respect your cunning. You've never been afraid to dirty your hands. So, sacrifice whatever need be to your alter, but keep in mind, Zhao, that if you return to me without the Avatar I won't spare you the luxury of banishment as I did my son. You will find yourself among the Air benders, a walking corpse on the front lines." Zhao's face was grim. He dipped a curt bow to the Fire Lord and left the war chamber.

Lord Ozai lingered in his chair. A soft scuttling sound drifted from the void in the corner of the dais. Lord Ozai gripped the arms of the throne and stood, walking towards the sound. He felt the darkness close over him like a vale. Fire split the darkness and he raised his hand, blood colored light wrapping and shaping the folds of skin lying in the oval basket. The infant's eyes held the fire; he stretched his hand out for it like Charon for the coin, greedy and captivated. A smile, almost tender, creased the Fire Lord's face.

" Drawn to the fire, little one?" The child didn't respond, but bent his back in a full curve, pushing his body higher. Ozai laughed quietly.

"Just like your father."

XI.

Katara and Sokka finished laying the kindling for the bonfire just as dusk settled over the valley. Appa dropped onto his haunches, taking up half a circle of sitting room. Zuko and Lenara approached the clearing at the same time. They shared a grin over opposite sides of the pit and shot the kindling with two powerful flames that wound and grew bright in the crackling wood.

"Was that really necessary?" Sokka muttered. Zuko stooped and rested beside Lenara. Xeilu, Iroh, and Suki entered the circle. Iroh lowered his old bones to the ground next to his nephew and Xeilu took up the spot beside him. Suki landed her warrior's eyes on the back of Sokka's head and thumped it with her fan.

"Suki!" Sokka tried to hold out his hand, but Suki disappeared into the void between his arms. Sokka felt the silk of her robe slide like warm liquid from his fingers as she pulled away from him.

"You're looking kinda thin, Sokka."

"Tell me about it. We've been eating nothing but berries and jerky for weeks now. Oh, man what I wouldn't give for some fish…but hey, you look well."

"Depends on what side of the mirror you're on. We've been holding the Fire Nation at bay for a few weeks. I guess we couldn't have stayed out of this war forever. Most of Kyoshi is burnt to chopsticks and we've been stretched thin between putting out fires and evacuating the village. "

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help." Suki smiled her thanks. She glared at Zuko.

"What is he doing here?"

"Invitation only. Aang vouches for him, but I'm having a hard time trusting him."

"Good to hear I'm not the only one. I can't believe Aang trusts him! He nearly destroyed Kyoshi when he came looking for the Avatar." They both sat before the fire. Lenara dropped a wink in Sokka's direction and he turned away, pink in the cheek. King Bumi knocked a couple of boulders near the fire with Earth bending and perched on one. Jet sat on the other, avoiding Zuko's existence completely. Several other tribes' leaders began circling the fire, standing in front of Appa or bending their knees over logs on the ground. Aang pulled aside the web-like branches of a nearby willow and stepped towards the center. He felt the eyes of every person on him. In the background he head the unrushed voices of the tribespeople, Earth benders and Fire benders mixed in harmony, among food and fire. He found himself wishing he was a lowly soldier gnawing on the next sticky vegetable kabob.

"Hi. Is everyone here? Okay, let's get started. Does anyone know about how many soldiers are in the Fire Nations' army?"

"Well, there are around twenty thousand in the Fire Navy's ranks," Iroh scratched his beard.

"At least fifty thousand in the infantry, maybe more since I left," Zuko added. Xeilu gestured with her knife.

"We have the Yuu-Yan archers, the six dozen involved in special investigations, another hundred or two are spread out on eleven ships between the Poles…"

"Geez," Sokka breathed. Suki dropped her chin in her hand and muttered:

"Anyone got an extra miracle handy?"

"Hey, c'mon," Katara replied, "you forget that we have Aang. The numbers look huge, but they're no match for the Avatar."

"Not until the comet lands," Zuko was grim, "then nothing will be able to stop my father." Jet scraped at a chunk of wood with his knife.

"Is the comet really that powerful?" Iroh nodded.

"It made the Fire Lord before my own father very powerful, so much so that he was able to capture the Avatar." Zuko turned to his uncle.

"I've never heard about that."

"It's been a well kept secret, Prince Zuko," he chuckled softly, "until now. The Fire Lord drew the comet to him in order to absorb its power so his strength would rival the Avatar's."

"But that was Avatar Roku. He was a Fire bender," Aang said.

"Fire bender though he was, he didn't agree with the Fire Nation's decision to begin a war and upset the balance he had worked so hard to preserve. He brought the Hotaru out of retirement and assembled those both in and outside of the Fire Nation, those loyal to the Avatar's mission. A cataclysmic battle took place. The Fire Lord, embalmed in the comet's power, was able to bring Roku to his knees. It was rumored he captured Avatar Roku, used him as political propaganda, then killed him." The only sound was the snapping of the fire. Everyone had become lost in Iroh's words. King Bumi removed his crown and rubbed his bald head.

"So, since this comet is going to be stopping by again, we need to get to the Fire Lord before he can tap its power."

"Any suggestions on how we go about that?" Lenara raised her Hün-dai eyes to the crowd, "the Fire Lord's probably been anticipating a battle with the Avatar and his army since Aang returned. History likes to repeat itself. The comet is days away and he's bound to be extremely cautious."

"We could use the old Kyoshian trick of presenting an offering to them, then ambush the palace as they accept the gift," Suki suggested. Xeilu shook her head.

"No good. The Fire Lord has a favorite saying: beware Kyoshians bearing gifts."

"We could pose as Fire Nation soldiers and infiltrate the Great City that way," Jet replied.

"They'll know we're invaders at the first checkpoint," Zuko pulled a blade of grass from the ground. He stared at it, distracted.

"Maybe they'll recognize you, but they can't know every soldier in the Fire Nation."

"No, but if they doubt you, they only need look for this," Zuko pulled down the sleeve covering his left wrist, showing his family mark.

"Yeah, but it's not like everyone from the Fire Nation has one of those…" Iroh, Lenara and Xeilu all drew back their sleeves, wrists up to the light. Jet huffed, throwing his carved piece of wood into the fire.

"Okay, fine. 'Scuse me for trying to think up a plan."

"Don't get discouraged, Jet," Sokka stood up, "you just have to use your instincts."

"Oh, no," Katara moaned. Several of the tribe leaders looked puzzled.

"Oh, yes, dear sister. Okay, we know we can't get into the Great City because they'll be expecting that. We can't lure them out with a gift, even if that gift is Aang, because they'll be expecting that. We can't order a full blown attack because…"

"If you don't get to the point soon, Sokka, you can expect a frozen canteen upside the head." Sokka glared at Katara, his momentum ruined.

"I think our problem isn't the Fire Lord or the Great City. It's the comet."

"He's lost his mind," Jet muttered, "how're we gonna fight a comet?"
"It's like the flood and the village you tried to destroy, Jet," Katara said, "Sokka knew there was no point in stopping you because you weren't the direct threat-the water was. If we stop the comet, Ozai will have lost his only means of gaining enough power to defeat Aang."

"Yeah, only we are not going to stop the comet," Aang's eyes reflected brown rings in the firelight, "I am."

"The Avatar alone has enough scruples to take on the ancient source of the Fire bender's power," Iroh agreed. Xeilu crossed her arms.

"Uh, I don't want to play devil's advocate here, but how exactly are you going to stop a comet? It's wedged halfway between the heavens and here." Aang shrugged.

"All I have to do is figure out a way to reach it. After that, hey, no problem!" The group wasn't convinced. Bumi stood up and walked to Aang.

"Remember the plank we used to put on a rock to get over the walls? I stood on the low end and you jumped on the high end and I flew up over the palace wall? Just like fake Air bending…"

"There wouldn't be a plank big enough to get that far," Aang said, crestfallen. He thought of the Earth benders, of the time Katara talked him into using Air bending through a hollow tunnel in the ground to lift a rock…fake Earth bending…

"Maybe if we used enough pressure through the ground, I could bend the air…"

"Not air, that won't work if we only have one air bender, but water…" Katara thought.

"And you'd have to heat it almost to steam," Lenara said, a smile forming on her lips.

"And make sure the person the receiving end can cope with air, water and fire," Sokka realized. They shared an excited look.

"You've got enough benders, Aang. This just might work." Bumi snorted.

"I'm glad to see you are still thinking like a mad genius, Aang." One of the village leaders stepped forward.

"What about the rest of us?" Aang smiled.

"Alright. Here's the plan…"