Months went on and more minor battles occurred. Fire Nation troops get more involved in combat and it appeared that a great alliance was active. The Northern Water Tribe got a little more involved when fall turned into winter.

At this point, Zuko had tried a few times to assemble a council, but they refused to meet one another. Finally, after the new year arrived, a council was set up.

EDINBURGH, JANUARY 8, 126 AG

Winter had come. Snow was everywhere. After a minor battle along the riverbank in the MacDuff province, the Clan returned. Stephen had recently gone to the MacNeil province and came back with some news.

While in a forest just two miles outside Edinburgh, Stephen came back on horse and met the Clan.

"Well, it's true. Ships on the northern coast. I haven't heard anything about the Welsh, but the Irish have landed. I had to see it with my own eyes before I could believe it.", he said.

"What the hell are the Irish doing fighting with the English?", Hamish asked.

"I wouldn't worry about them. Like I told you before, it's my island."

"Hamish, ride ahead to Edinburgh and assemble the council.", William said.

William and Aang then both looked at Stephen with somewhat satisfied faces.

"Your island?", Aang asked.

"MY ISLAND!", Stephen happily yelled.

Later that day in Edinburgh, Hamish gathered together the council at a room with a long table in the castle. It consisted of Zuko, nobles named Craig, Mornay and Lochlan, and eight other distant nobles. They spent the whole time arguing with one another.

"This time our only option is to negotiate. Now unless you-", Mornay said before William, the Gaang, and the MacKay children barged in and joined them.

"My army has marched for more days than I can remember.", William said. "And we still have big preparations to make so I'll make this quick. We need every soldier you can summon. Local men, your personal escorts, and even yourselves."

"With such a massive army as Longshanks', I think it's time to discuss other options.", Craig said.

"Other options? Don't you wish you could lead your men onto the battlefield and at least barter a deal with Longshanks before you tuck tail and run?"

"William", Zuko said as he attempted to interject.

"We cannot defeat an army as huge as his.", Craig said.

"We can!"

"William", Zuko said again.

"And we will!...We won at Glasgow and you weren't there for us. We won at Happrew and you still didn't support us. If you don't stand up with us now, then you're all nothing but cowards!"

The nobles angrily pulled out swords. Hamish silenced all of them by slamming a battle axe into the table.

William then finished. "And you all identify as Scotsmen, then I'm ashamed to call myself one."

Zuko finally got his attention. "William! A word please...I beg you."

He then took William aside while the nobles talked amongst themselves.

"William, you've achieved more than anyone in this room ever could have dreamed. But the odds are so low now that what you're preaching feels like rage, not courage."

"Zuko, it's well beyond rage...Help me...In the name of Christ, help yourselves. Join everyone together. If we all join, we can win, and if win, then the Scots will have something we've never truly had before. Something that I especially have never truly had before...a country of our own. I've been fighting for freedom my whole life. But I can't achieve it for Scotland if we don't for sure join together...unite us...unite the clans...unite us with the Fire Nation. Unite our countries in this fight."

After a few seconds, Zuko met William's hand at the middle and shook it. He was ready to fully engage the Fire Nation into the war and support Scotland no matter what.

William went towards the door while the nobles, who were all sitting at the table, continued arguing.

Craig then yelled, "King William, where are you going?"

"Right now, the English are at stalemates. But they'll come back because you men can't stand together."

"What do you plan on doing about it? The English throw every attack at us and our armies are exhausted."

"Then that's the problem. We've spent the whole war focusing on defense. But now I'm about to introduce to the English the best defense of all, which is offense."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm talking about a counterattack. I will invade England and defeat them on their own ground."

"What? That's impossible."

"Why? Why is that impossible? You nobles are so concerned about cleaning up the scraps from this war that you've missed the whole point of why we're fighting in the first place. You think the people of Scotland exist to provide you with possessions. But you yourselves exist to provide the people of this country with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it."

"What do plan on doing for this so called counterattack invasion?", Lochlan asked.

"Clan Wallace is struggling. If the English break through, they'll head here. But if we invade England, the central forces of theirs will draw back. They'll run back to save their own people. Then we can add more reinforcements in the Wallace province and secure it from being vulnerable once again."

William and the others left. Soon after, the council ended and the nobles returned to their hometowns, while Zuko returned to the Fire Nation. The Clan spent the next three weeks summoning hundreds of Scots to help with invasion.