Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is my OC.
The Six Rules:
Rule Number One: Alec won't warn the Gaang about things in advance or solve their problems for them, with a few rare exceptions.
Rule Number Two: Only Alec has the right to tell people his true origins, and he will mostly limit this to group members. He will tell new group members his secret as soon as they join the Gaang.
Rule Number Three: There are some changes Alec wants to make, and he will use his knowledge of the future to make those changes.
Rule Number Four: Sometimes, to make a change, Alec will act in a way that doesn't make sense. If that's necessary, he'll tell the Gaang "I need you to absolutely trust me." After he says that, the Gaang has to either do whatever he asks or leave him to do what he needs to do.
Rule Number Five: After a change happens, Alec will tell the Gaang what happened in the original story, in the interest of transparency.
Rule Number Six: If a major change happens that Alec doesn't expect, the Gaang will have a meeting ASAP. In this meeting, Alec will break Rule One and tell them all relevant information that will help them figure out how to respond to the change.
Chapter 19:
Introductions and Reunions in Omashu
Alec POV
The four of us stood on the cliffside, overlooking the city. Even though I expected to see this, it was depressing to see what had been an Earth Kingdom stronghold just a few months ago fall under the grip of the Fire Nation.
"I can't believe it." Aang said sadly, turning to face us. "I know the War has spread far, but Omashu always seemed…untouchable."
"Up until now it was." Sokka said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left."
Katara stepped over to Aang. "This is horrible." She said quietly. "But we have to move on."
"No." Aang replied firmly. "I'm going in to find Bumi."
"Aang, stop!" Sokka declared sharply. "We don't even know if Bumi's still…" He cut himself off before he finished his sentence, but it was too late.
Aang turned around and gave Sokka a sharp look. "What?" He said angrily. "If he's still what?"
"A-around." Sokka said unsurely.
I decided to come clean and speak up. "Bumi's alive and healthy." I stated.
All of them turned to me. Aang turned his glare on me. "You knew, didn't you?" He accused quietly.
I met his gaze. "Yes, Aang." I admitted with guilt in my voice. "I knew about this."
Aang stomped over to me, getting right in my face. "Why didn't you tell us?!" He shouted.
I didn't raise my voice. "Because I didn't know exactly when the Fire Nation took over, and there's nothing we could've done." I explained calmly. I pointed at the city. "Look. They managed to plate over the entire wall with metal, build a bunch of factories, and they're working on a massive statue at the city's summit. Judging by that, they've been here for a while. I think the latest they got here would've been when we got to the North Pole."
Aang shook his head. "I could've done something!" He exclaimed in despair. "We won the battle of the North Pole! Maybe we could've held them off here until they gave up!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Don't be naive." I said, keeping my voice even. "If you had been here instead of the North Pole, you'd be so far behind on waterbending that you'd have no chance of beating Ozai before Sozin's Comet." I softened my gaze. "Aang, if Bumi was going to die, I would've stopped it." I assured him kindly.
Aang calmed down. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." He apologized. "Bumi's one of my oldest friends. I'm really worried about him."
I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "No apology necessary." I replied. "I'd be pretty upset, too."
Aang gave me a kind smile, then he turned towards Omashu with a determined look in his eye. "I'm still going in to find him."
Katara looked at Aang with concern. "I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people who can teach you earthbending." She said, trying to talk him out of going into enemy territory.
"This isn't about finding a teacher." Aang stated firmly. "This is about finding my friend."
Appa flew us to a covered pipe about a hundred feet below the city gate. Aang attempted to wedge the pipe open with his staff. I put on my hooded cloak and wrapped a black cloth around my face like a mask. We were about to enter enemy territory, and I didn't want the guards to recognize me as a wanted man.
Sokka looked at the tunnel. "A secret passage? Why didn't we just use this last time?" He wondered.
"Wait for it." I muttered.
Aang pried open the tunnel, revealing that it was full of sewage. Sokka exclaimed out loud in disgust. "Does that answer your question?" Aang asked sarcastically.
Aang stepped into the tunnel without hesitation. I followed right behind him, almost flush against his back. Katara followed behind me, and Sokka entered last, with an "Ew!" I didn't blame Sokka, the sewer smelled worse than anything I'd ever smelled in my life. It was a potent potpourri of shit, piss, and garbage that burned my nose and almost made my eyes water.
Aang stopped after a few seconds. "Why are you so close to me?" He asked, slightly uncomfortable.
"Simple." I replied, holding my nose through my mask. "You and Katara can push the sewage away with your bending. I can't do that, so I'm standing as close to you as I can to avoid getting splashed."
"Oh." He realized. "I get it, stand as close as you like."
We made our way through the sewer. Aang conjured an air ball with his staff to clear a path in front of him. I followed closely behind him to avoid getting splashed. Katara used waterbending to keep herself from getting dirty. Sokka didn't stay close enough to Katara and I heard him get splashed every few seconds by the foul substance.
Eventually, we came to a ladder with a manhole cover above us. Aang opened it with a mild gust of air and poked his head up carefully to make sure there wasn't anybody else around. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he jumped out of the sewer and into the street. I climbed out right after him. Thankfully, I was still clean. Katara climbed out after me, with Momo perched on her shoulder. "That wasn't as bad as I thought." She confessed.
Immediately after she said that, Sokka emerged from the sewer, covered in dark green sludge. Katara spotted a barrel of water nearby and splashed Sokka, rinsing off all the sewage. Aang dried him off with airbending. Sokka wasn't alone: he had three pentapi stuck to him. Two were on his face, and one was on his neck. Sokka tried to yank them off and opened his mouth, about to scream. I ran over to him and covered his mouth with my hand.
"Be quiet!" I hissed through gritted teeth. "If you scream, you'll attract attention."
Aang approached us and looked at the creatures. "It's just a purple pentapus." He said in a cheerful tone. Aang lightly tickled the creature with a finger. The creature let go of Sokka's face, leaving small suction marks behind, almost like hickeys. Sokka repeated Aang's procedure on the other two pentapi.
"Hey! What are you kids doing out past curfew!" I heard a voice shout. We turned and saw three Fire Nation guards approaching us. Aang quickly ducked behind Katara and used his orange belt sash as a makeshift hat to cover his arrow.
"Sorry." Katara apologized. "We were just on our way home."
We turned and walked away. We didn't get to far before the guard spoke again. "Wait, what's the matter with him?"
We turned and noticed that he was pointing at Sokka's sucker marks.
"Uh, he has pentapox, sir." Katara said, quickly thinking up a lie. As the guard got closer, I spoke up. "Careful, it's highly contagious, that's why I'm wearing a mask." I said. "Those other two had it when they were younger, but I didn't." I explained.
Sokka then proceeded to act sick. And when I say 'act sick', I mean 'chew the scenery'. "Ugh, it's so awful. I'm dying!" He moaned, coughing for good measure.
One of the other guards spoke up. "Hey, I think I heard of pentapox!" He turned to the third guard. "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?"
The first guard backed away. "We'd better go wash our hands, and burn our clothes." The guards ran away in fear. I shook my head. They seriously fell for that? I was beginning to suspect that one of the requirements for becoming a guard was failing an IQ test.
Aang tickled a pentapus affectionately. "Thank you, sewer friend."
We snuck our way over to the tallest of Omashu's mountains, about two-thirds of the way up the peak. We had a few close calls where we almost ran into some guards a few times, but we managed to stay hidden. We hid behind some construction materials near one of Omashu's main mail chutes. "Let's find Bumi and get out of here." Katara whispered.
Sokka looked at me. "Do you know where he is?"
I shook my head. "I know they're keeping him in a metal box, but I don't know where the box is." I replied.
I saw a group of four moving lights on the level below us. "What's that?" Aang asked.
I narrowed my eyes and saw four guards holding torches escorting a group of four other people. There was a man and a woman. Both of them appeared to be in their late forties, and wore Fire Nation noble clothes. The woman held a small child in her arms. The fourth figure was a teenage girl. She had black hair, dark red clothes, and was very pale, almost ghostlike.
"Mai." I thought.
"That's the Fire Nation's appointed governor and his family." I whispered. We saw them moving towards the chutes. We heard them conversing, but they were too far away to make out what they were saying. Suddenly, we heard a rumbling coming from above. We turned and saw a boulder rolling down the chute at high speed, heading directly towards the Fire Nation civilians. Aang didn't hesitate, and pulverized the rock with a blast of air as it passed us. The Fire Nation heard this, and turned their gaze towards our group, spotting us. The woman pointed at us and shouted something. Mai spread her arms, and a bunch of tiny arrows flew at Aang. Aang jumped out of the way at the last second. Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Momo began to flee. I decided to throw out a parting shot before I fled.
I cupped my hands over my face. "WE JUST SAVED YOUR LIVES, YOU INGRATES!" I screamed, before jet-stepping to catch up with the group.
Did that outburst help? Probably not.
Did it make me feel better? Yes.
Two of the Fire Nation guards quickly climbed up the ladder and began to pursue us. Katara hit one with a water whip and knocked him down to the lower level. I hit one in the chest with a fire whip, and he screamed in pain and flew back several feet, landing on his back. By his point, Mai had climbed up the ladder and began pursuing us. She shot several arrows from her sleeves. Katara made an ice wall and blocked them. Katara and I ran. Mai jumped over the ice wall and followed us. Aang stopped and let us pass. He slammed his staff on the ground, collapsing some construction equipment and blocking Mai's path. The pile that collapse created wasn't that big, and Mai still had a clear shot at us. Just as Mai threw more arrows at us, the ground beneath us opened up, and dropped us into a tunnel before closing behind us.
We looked up, and saw we were surrounded by a group of earthbenders and regular citizens. One of them I recognized as the man who arrested us when we first came to Omashu. Yung, I think his name was.
We'd found the resistance.
Ty Lee POV
The last week had been difficult. I wasn't enjoying performing anymore, not since I'd seen his poster. I couldn't get it out of my mind. Was it true? If it was, why did Alec do those things? My aura, which had been a happy pink, was now black. I was stressed and confused. I was in the middle of a handstand, balancing myself on my index fingers. I was trying to get it all out of my mind. I could really use a friend right now…
As if the universe was answering my call, I saw someone come into my upside-down view that I hadn't seen in years. One of my oldest friends. She stopped right in front of me. "Ty Lee, could that possibly be you?"
I smiled. I was so happy to see her, even though she could be scary sometimes. "Azula!" I exclaimed happily. I flipped up onto my feet, twirled around, and bowed to the Fire Nation princess. I got out of the bow, ran over and hugged her. "It is so good to see you!" I said sincerely. She returned the hug stiffly. Azula wasn't a hugger.
We broke the hug. "Please," Azula said politely, "Don't let me interrupt your…" She raised an eyebrow. "Whatever it is you were doing."
I did a backflip and ended up lying on my chest with one leg stretched out over my head and another pointed up to the sky. Azula glanced around the circus tents. "Tell me, what is the daughter of a nobleman doing here?" She inquired. "Certainly our parents didn't send us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls to end up in…places like this."
We both looked to my left and saw three of the circus workers trying to move Ping-Ping, our platypus bear, back into her cage. Ping-Ping groaned and stood up, revealing she had just laid an egg. It made me happy to see that the circus family might have a new member soon. Platypus bear cubs were so cute!
Azula turned her attention back to me. "I have a proposition for you." She said. "I'm hunting a traitor."
The word traitor nearly made my heart stop. I looked her in the eye. "What traitor?" I asked, slightly scared.
Azula noticed this. "I'm hunting down my uncle and my brother." She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh." I replied, disappointed. "It's nothing."
Azula narrowed her eyes. "It's clearly not nothing." She observed. "Tell me what's going on." She ordered, putting a little of her princess authority into her voice.
I got up and nodded. "Okay, come with me."
I led her into my tent.
Once we were in my tent, I rummaged around under my bedroll, and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. I looked Azula in the eye. "A few months ago, I met a nice boy on the road when the circus was on the way to Yu Dao." I began quietly. "He was really nice, and I liked talking to him."
I gulped nervously. "Then, last week, I found this." I handed her the poster. She unraveled it and read it quickly. "I see." She said with a neutral expression. "Did he tell you anything about himself?" She inquired.
I thought back to our conversation. "He said he was traveling north with his family and a friend. He also told me that he had killed someone in self-defense who attacked him for being a firebender." I admitted.
I took a deep breath. "When you said you were hunting a traitor, I thought you were talking about him." I confessed. "I was going to join you if you were, because I want to find out if that poster is true."
I could see the gears turning in Azula's head. She rolled up the poster. "I have a proposition for you." She stated. "If you agree to come with me to track down Zuzu and Uncle Fatso, I'll also track down this boy with you. You can get your answers when we catch him."
My eyes went wide. I could finally get some answers! I wrapped Azula in a hug. "I'll do it!" I replied excitedly. "Thank you, Azula!" I broke the hug. "Where do we go first?"
She smirked. "We're heading to Omashu. We have one more person to pick up."
Alec POV
I took off my cloak and mask in the presence of the Earth Kingdom citizens. Yung led us into a large cavern where we met up with the other people. "Why did you stop us?" He inquired angrily.
"Because we don't kill civilians, especially not babies." I shot back. He didn't reply, he just grunted.
Aang tried to change the subject. "So, is King Bumi with you guys?" He inquired. "Is he leading the resistance?"
Yung balled his fist angrily. "Of course not!" He said angrily. "The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city, to fight for our lives and for our freedom." He explained. "But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered."
Aang's eyes went wide with shock. Katara gave Aang a concerned look. Yung continued. "The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye and said 'I'm going to do…nothing.'."
Yung shook his head with disappointment. "It doesn't matter now. Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom, and freedom is worth dying for."
Aang leaned on his staff sadly. He raised his eyes and addressed Yung. "Actually there's another path to freedom." He stated. "You could leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation. But you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now's the time to retreat, so you can live to fight another day."
"You don't understand." Yung replied angrily. "They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost!" He made several powerful hand gestures to illustrate his point.
One of the resistance fighters stepped forward. "I don't know, Yung," He said softly, "Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me."
Another fighter stepped forward. "Yeah, I'm with the kid!" He agreed.
Yung looked at all the people who took refuge underground and now are living in the sewer tunnels while they whispered among themselves. He looked back at Aang. "Fine." He said plainly. "But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How're we going to get them all out?" He inquired.
Sokka suddenly pointed at Yung. "Suckers!" He exclaimed.
Katara and Aang stared at Sokka, totally lost. I gave him a grin and nodded. "You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox." I explained.
Aang and Katara retrieved multiple pentapi from the sewer and washed them in buckets of clean water. When dawn broke, we set up assembly lines and used the pentapi on the citizens exposed skin, covering them and ourselves with sucker marks. Sokka addressed the assembled citizens. "The marks make you look sick, but you gotta act sick, too." He instructed. "You gotta sell it."
An old man with a peg leg hobbled past us, leaning on his cane while clutching his back and moaning in pain. Sokka pointed at the man. "Now that's what I'm talking about."
The old man turned around, smiled, and tapped his peg leg with his cane. "Years of practice." He explained.
Sokka turned back to the crowd. "Okay everyone! Into sick formation!" He ordered sharply. I joined him at the front. I looked sick, but I still wore my mask and hood to prevent being identified by the Fire Nation. Katara moved to join us, but stopped when she noticed that Aang wasn't moving. "Aang, what are you doing?" She inquired. "Aren't you coming with us?"
"No." He said firmly. "I'm not leaving until I find Bumi." Momo jumped on his shoulders, tugging at his lips. Aang grabbed the lemur by his neck and put him back on the ground. "Sorry Momo." He apologized. "I'll feed you later."
Aang left down an alley. Katara and I joined up with Sokka and the citizens. We made our way slowly toward the gates, shuffling and moaning like zombies. It took a lot of self-control to not groan "Braaaaaains."
The Fire Nation soldiers spotted us when we moved towards the gate. Their eyes widened in terror when they saw us. "Plague! Plague!" One guard screamed. The guards on the ground retreated into the gatehouse, while one of them rang a gong to alert the city about the problem. We moved slowly. By the time we reached the gate, the guards opened the doors to let us out of the city.
"Note to self." I thought. "If I ever hire guards, test their intelligence first."
Once we got out of the city and out of the guards sightline, we stopped acting sick and moved at a normal pace. The citizens set up a campsite on the same cliff that we arrived at the previous day. Several hours later, at twilight, Aang made his way to the camp, riding on Flopsie, Bumi's goat gorilla. The king himself wasn't with them. Aang approached Katara, crestfallen. "We looked everywhere." He said sadly. "No Bumi."
Katara gave him a hug. Sokka hugged Flopsie's face. Yung approached us, interrupting our moment. "We've got a problem." He stated seriously. "We just did a headcount."
"Oh no. Did someone get left behind?" Katara asked with worry.
"No." Yung pointed to his left. "We have an extra." He explained.
We looked at where he was pointing, and we saw Momo staggering forward with the governor's baby son clamped around his neck, as if he thought Momo was a stuffed animal.
We'd just 'kidnapped' the governor's son completely by accident.
Aang, Katara, Sokka, Yung, and I sat around one of the campfires in our camp. The baby waddled forward, still trying to catch Momo. Momo leaped out of the way and the baby tumbled down, right next to Sokka's club. He picked up the club and started sucking on it. Sokka snatched the club out of the baby's hands. "No!" He said sharply. "Bad Fire Nation baby!"
The baby starting crying loudly. Katara whacked Sokka across the face for making the child cry. She put her hands on her hips, fully in 'mom mode'.
"Oh, all right." Sokka handed the club back to the baby, who grabbed it and began playing with it.
Katara hugged the baby from behind. "Ooh, you're so cute!" She gushed in a baby voice, giving the kid a kiss on the cheek. She had a point. Even though babies were cute in general, this kid was downright adorable.
Yung narrowed his eyes at the baby. "Sure, he's cute now, but when he's older, he'll join the Fire Nation army." He pointed out. "You won't think he's so cute then. He'll be a killer, like all firebenders."
I glared at him and made a small fireball in my hand. "Thanks for the gratitude, after we just got you all out of the city." I growled.
Yung realized his mistake and inclined his head towards me. "I'm sorry." He apologized. "I wasn't talking about you. I've seen your wanted poster. I know you're not one of them."
I shrugged. "Most of those accusations are false, but at least it proves I'm not an enemy of the Water Tribe or the Earth Kingdom."
I heard a screech from above. I looked up and saw a hawk. It circled over us briefly, before landing on a nearby rock. "A messenger hawk!" Yung said.
I got up and took the scroll off the hawk's back. It took off, flying back towards the city. I unraveled the scroll and read it aloud.
"Cowardly kidnapper,
I agree to exchange your lowly King Bumi for my son Tom-Tom's safety. The exchange will take place precisely at noon tomorrow at the base of the statue at the city's summit."
I woke up the next morning at dawn. I was very conflicted about this. This was stupid. We weren't gonna get out of the city with Bumi, because the old man didn't want to leave. We would leave the city with nothing but an ass-kicking. Plus, Mai would think I kidnapped her brother. That wasn't good, especially if I wanted to eventually get her on my side. Finally, if Ty Lee didn't know about my wanted poster already, she'd certainly learn about it after this. Even though she wasn't part of my tasks, I didn't want her to hate me. Ugh, why were we doing this?!
Wait…why were we doing this? I thought about it. Everything Bumi told Aang was something I could tell him. We didn't kidnap Tom-Tom, this was just a misunderstanding. I came up with an idea. It was risky, but it could help with Mai and Ty Lee.
I nudged the rest of our group awake. "What is it?" Aang grumbled sleepily.
"We need to talk." I said seriously.
We sat around a fire, eating breakfast. Katara bounced Tom-Tom in her lap, and fed him some finely chopped food. The people of Omashu had left last night, heading out into the wilderness.
I looked around the group. "I need you to absolutely trust me." I said gravely. I took a deep breath. "I'm gonna break Rule One. There are a lot of things you need to know."
I looked at Tom-Tom. "First of all, the Fire Nation is going to break the deal. They won't trade Tom-Tom for Bumi."
"Figures." Sokka grumbled.
Katara looked appalled. "Doesn't the governor want his son back?" She asked in shock.
I looked her in the eye. "He does, but he's no longer the highest authority in Omashu." I explained. "The new highest authority will back out of the deal at the last second and attack us."
"How are we gonna get Bumi out?" Aang wondered. "And what are we gonna do with Tom-Tom?"
This was gonna be the tough sell. "That's the thing, Aang. We're not going to get Bumi out."
"What?!" Aang exclaimed. "Why not?!"
"A few reasons." I replied calmly. I held up a finger."First of all, he doesn't want to leave." I put up a second finger. "Second, he's not your earthbending teacher."
"What do you mean, 'he doesn't want to leave'?" Sokka asked. "Why not?"
"It's complicated." I responded. "Bumi surrendered without a fight because he knew he couldn't win and he didn't want his people to die. He could break out any time he wanted, but he's biding his time, waiting for the moment to strike and take back the city. He won't come with us." I looked Aang in the eye. "That's why he won't be your earthbending teacher."
Aang looked down, crestfallen. "But he's the greatest earthbender in the world." He said in despair. "Where do I look for another teacher? What do I look for in an earthbending teacher?"
I smirked. "Bumi's the second greatest earthbender in the world." I corrected. "Your teacher is the greatest."
They all looked at me, shocked. "Wait," Katara said skeptically, "You're telling me that Bumi, who toyed with Aang for most of their fight, but still kept him on the defensive, is only the second greatest earthbender in the world?"
I grinned. "Yes. Yes I am." I turned to Aang. "I won't tell you who it is, but I'll tell you what Bumi told you to look for in the original story." I took a deep breath. "So, there are options in fighting called jing."
Aang nodded. "I know. There's positive jing when you're attacking, and negative jing when you're retreating."
"And neutral jing, when you do nothing." I added.
Aang looked confused. "There are three jings?"
"Eighty-five, actually, but I only know about the first three." I admitted. "Anyway, Bumi told you that neutral jing is the key to earthbending. It involves listening and waiting before striking."
"Is that why Bumi's waiting to strike instead of escaping?" Sokka inquired.
I nodded. "Yes." I turned back to the Avatar. "Aang's earthbending teacher will be someone who has mastered neutral jing, who listens to the earth, and waits before striking."
Aang nodded. "So, what do we do about Tom-Tom?" Katara asked.
"Before I tell you that, I need to tell you what we're up against." I said grimly.
"Who?" Katara inquired. "Is it Zuko?"
I shook my head. "No, it's three girls between the ages of fourteen and fifteen." I began. Katara raised an eyebrow, while Aang looked like he was listening with rapt attention. Sokka narrowed his eyes.
"They must be a pretty serious threat if you're warning us in advance, and trying to avoid a fight." He realized. I had to give Sokka a lot of credit. A few months ago he would have brushed off the danger and likely gotten himself captured or killed. His attitude had improved a lot since Suki kicked his ass.
"They're some of the most serious opponents we face, which is part of the reason why I don't want to get in a fight." I admitted. "I'll tell you about each of them now."
"First," I began, "There's the girl who chased us last night."
"The one with the knives?" Aang recalled.
I nodded. "Her name is Mai. She's an expert with thrown weapons like knives, sai, and stilettos, and she has dozens of them up her sleeves. She has spring-loaded launchers on her wrists and ankles." I looked at the baby in Katara's lap. "She's also Tom-Tom's sister."
"Wait, her brother is a hostage and she's gonna double-cross us?" Sokka asked.
"It's not her decision, Sokka." I explained.
I swallowed. "The next one is named Ty Lee." I said. "She's a fast close-range fighter. She's not a bender, and she smiles all the time, but don't underestimate her." I warned. "She's an acrobat and a contortionist. She can bend her body in ways we can't even imagine."
"That doesn't sound so bad." Aang said.
"I wasn't finished." I said quickly. "She uses a specific martial art designed to fight benders. She attacks your pressure points with light jabs, blocking your chi flow." Katara's eyes widened.
"What happens if she hits you?" She asked in a worried tone.
"It depends on where she hits you and how hard." I replied. "At minimum, it makes it impossible to bend using any limb she's hit for at least an hour. She can also paralyze you for a similar length of time. She can even knock you unconscious if she hits you in the right spots."
"Okay, that sounds bad." Aang commented.
I took a deep breath. "There's something else." I looked up at all of them. "We've met."
Eyebrows shot up. "What?! When?!" Sokka exclaimed.
"Remember when you and Katara got sick after the storm?" I asked. They nodded. "I bumped into her on the road when I went to get water for you and Katara." I explained. "We spoke, and she showed me where the river was. She's really nice."
"Why didn't you tell us, or use Rule Six?" Katara inquired.
I took a deep breath. "She had a valid reason for being there. She used to be part of the circus. When we met, she was still part of the circus, and told me she was on her way to a Fire Nation colony. It's not like she was hunting us without an explanation." I swallowed nervously. "This meeting is gonna be awkward. She's probably seen my wanted poster by now."
Katara winced. "Ouch."
We were silent for a few seconds. Sokka narrowed his eyes. "What about the third one?" He asked.
"Yeah, if the first two are so dangerous, there's no way the last one can be worse, right?" Aang said optimistically.
I shook my head and laughed bitterly. Oh, Aang, you sweet naive boy. "What's so funny?" Sokka inquired.
I stopped laughing. "The last one is the worst. By far." I admitted. "Her name's Azula. She's the princess of the Fire Nation, and Zuko's younger sister."
Jaws dropped. "Zuko has a sister?" Aang asked in shock. Sokka, however, raised an eyebrow.
"Is she really that bad?" My brother questioned incredulously. "We've beaten Zuko before."
"She is that bad." I confirmed. "She's a lot stronger than Zuko. I mean a lot. Her firebending is so strong that her flames are blue, not orange. She's probably the fourth-strongest firebender in the world, behind Ozai, Iroh, and Jeong Jeong. She can even create lightning."
Everyone looked thoroughly concerned. I took a deep breath. "That's who we're up against if we get into a fight." I said gravely. "Now, do you see why I want to avoid a fight that we'll just walk away from empty-handed?"
They were silent for a few moments. Then they looked at each other and nodded. "Okay," Aang said. "What do you suggest we do?"
Ty Lee POV
We approached the palace of Omashu. Azula rode in a palanquin, while I walked beside it. Omashu was an interesting city, despite the smoke from the factories. I liked looking at all the chutes and tunnels everywhere. I smiled, thinking how fun it would be to slide down them. We reached the top of a large staircase, and Azula stepped out of the palanquin. We saw Mai standing in front of the palace. I was so happy to see my other best friend!
Mai put her hands together and gave a small bow to Azula. "Please tell me you're here to kill me." She said, looking down. She looked up at Azula and a small smile appeared on her normally stoic face. She and Azula laughed. Azula put her hands on Mai's shoulders.
"It's great to see you, Mai." She said.
I rushed forward and gave Mai a big hug. She patted my back, slightly uncomfortable. I didn't mind. Mai wasn't much of a hugger. "I thought you ran off and joined the circus." Mai commented. "You said it was your calling."
I pulled back from the hug. "Well, Azula called a little louder." I answered.
Azula put a hand on each of our shoulders. "I have a mission and I need you both." She stated.
Mai didn't hesitate. "Count me in." She replied immediately, casting a glare at the palace. "Anything to get me out of this place."
We made our way to the throne room. Azula sat on the throne. Mai and I sat on cushions facing the throne. Mai's father and mother, Ukano and Michi, also sat on cushions.
"I apologize." Ukano said to Azula. "You've come to Omashu at a difficult time. At noon we're making a trade with the resistance to get Tom-Tom back."
"Yes, I'm so sorry to hear about your son." Azula said, but I could tell she didn't mean it. She was just saying it because it was expected of her. She crossed her legs and clasped her hands together. "But really, what did you expect by just letting all the citizens leave?" Azula stood up sharply. "My father has trusted you with this city, and you're making a mess of things." She accused, swiping a hand for emphasis.
Ukano and Michi prostrated themselves. "Forgive me princess." He apologized. Azula walked over to the four of us. "You stay here." She ordered Ukano. "Mai will handle the hostage trade so you don't have a chance to mess it up. And there is no more 'Omashu'." She added. "I'm renaming it in honor of my father, the city of New Ozai."
We left the palace and walked leisurely towards the exchange spot. Azula turned her gaze to Mai. "Can you tell me anything about this 'resistance'?"
Mai's face remained neutral. "It was mostly earthbenders." She admitted. "But, something interesting happened two nights ago."
Azula raised an eyebrow. "Do tell." She prompted.
"There was an assassination attempt, so that was interesting, but it was thwarted." Mai explained.
I gave her a kind smile. "I'm glad you're okay. What happened?"
She frowned. "We were walking home, and when we were about to pass one of the mail chutes, a boulder rolled down the chute towards us, but it just exploded into dust."
Azula furrowed her brow. "Interesting. What do you think happened?"
"I think one group of them tried to kill us, and another group stopped them." Mai speculated.
I tilted my head, curious. "Why do you think that?"
"After the boulder exploded, I threw some darts at the first person I saw." She explained. "He dodged, and most of his group ran off, except for one. That one screamed 'we just saved your lives, you ingrates!' and ran for it. I tried to follow them, but they got away."
Azula frowned. "Can you describe the group you chased?"
"There were four of them." Mai recalled. "Three boys and a girl. They all looked to be about our age." She narrowed her eyes. "One of the boys didn't appear to be a bender. The girl was a waterbender. That's weird, because we thought the resistance was just earthbenders."
"And the other two boys?" Azula prompted.
"The one who dodged my arrows was fast. He had some kind of staff weapon. At one point, he brought down the staff and collapsed a scaffold." Mai said. Her eyes narrowed. "The one who yelled was the strangest one of all. He was a firebender."
I nearly tripped. I looked at Mai with wide eyes. "Did you see his face?" I asked in a whisper. Could it be him?
"No, he was wearing a hood and a cloth over his face." Mai replied, shaking her head.
Azula narrowed her eyes. "The boy with the staff, did he have a tattoo on his head?"
Mai raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. He was wearing a hat."
I was shocked. Could the boy with the staff be the Avatar? Could Alec be the firebender? Did that mean the wanted poster was true? I turned to Azula. "What do you think?" I whispered.
Azula gave a sinister smirk. "I think this hostage trade just became much more interesting."
Alec POV
We were standing on the construction platform at Omashu's summit. Aang had his orange wrap around his head hiding his tattoo. Sokka was holding Tom-Tom in a sling. Katara had on her war face. I wore my cloak and scarf combo. I didn't want Ty Lee to recognize me yet.
My sister turned towards me. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked.
"Not entirely." I replied. "But I need to try something to help us out in the long run."
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Sokka inquired.
I smirked behind my mask. "Planting the seeds of doubt and sowing distrust."
Katara's eyes briefly widened before narrowing at something over my shoulder. I turned around and saw them.
I didn't get a good look at Mai two nights ago in the darkness, but she was about what I expected. Tall, thin, and pale, with a completely bored expression on her face. I could just about make out her wrist launchers printing against her sleeves when she moved her arms.
I looked to Mai's left.
Azula looked downright intimidating, but that was probably because I knew exactly what she was capable of. Her appearance was flawless, and not a single hair on her head was out of place. She wore armor similar to the kind Zuko used to wear. The only noticeable makeup she was wearing was a pale red shade of lipstick, but I was willing to bet a lot of money that no fourteen-year-old naturally had skin that flawless. I might even think of her as beautiful if I didn't know about all the problems rattling around inside her head.
I turned to look at the third and final member of their group.
Ty Lee was just as beautiful as ever. It hurt me that we ended up on opposite sides of this conflict. I noticed something was different. Her normal smile wasn't there. She looked like she was scared and…curious? What was going on here?
A metal crane started lowering a coffin-shaped metal box to the platform. I heard a distinct snorting laughter coming from said box. The box turned and we saw Bumi's face visible through a hole.
"Hi, everybody!" Bumi cheered brightly while cackling like a loon. Aang gave a relieved smile, and I shook my head and chuckled. Bumi was quite a character. As soon as Bumi's box touched the ground behind the three girls, Mai spoke.
"You brought my brother?" Mai asked.
"Yes, but we're not here to trade." Aang replied.
Azula narrowed her eyes, and Ty Lee tilted her head in confusion. Mai raised an eyebrow. "Why did you even come here, then?"
"To give him back and clear up a misunderstanding." I responded.
As soon as the words left my mouth, Ty Lee's eyes went wide and she stared at me. That didn't bode well. Mai looked at Azula. Azula gave her a nod. Mai raised her arm, and Bumi's box began to ascend back up the crane. "Whoa! See you all later!" He exclaimed cheerfully.
"Bring him over here, then, if you really want to give him back." Mai challenged.
I turned to my siblings and Aang. "Bad news." I said gravely. "I think they know who we are."
Aang's eyes went wide. "Should we still do this?" Katara wondered out loud.
I nodded. "I think we should."
Sokka narrowed his eyes and shook his head, exasperated. "If we get captured, I'm blaming you." He grumbled.
We walked over to the three girls. Ty Lee didn't take her eyes off me the entire time. Azula focused her gaze on Aang. Correction: they definitely knew who we were. We could very well be in for a fight. I took a deep breath. "There's something we need to clear up." I said seriously.
"Before you do that," Azula interrupted with a smirk, "Why don't you take off your hood and mask, Hand Slicer?" Then she turned to Aang. "And why don't you take off your hat, Avatar?"
The jig was up. Aang took off his improvised hat and tied the sash back around his waist. I took off my hood and pulled down my scarf. "I hate that nickname." I grumbled. Ty Lee gasped and looked at me with wide eyes. I looked at her guiltily. "Hi, Ty Lee." I greeted sheepishly. She didn't respond.
I looked at Mai and Azula. "I suppose introductions are in order." I offered. I gestured at Aang. "You seem to know who Aang is." I gestured to Katara and Sokka. "These are my siblings, Katara and Sokka." I gave a theatrical bow. "And I'm Alec." I gave Ty Lee a look. "I know who Ty Lee is." I said softly. "It's good to see you again, but what are you doing here?"
Ty Lee swallowed. "I wanted to find you." She whispered. That was a surprise. Last time, she joined up after Azula threatened her. She must have seen the wanted poster.
"I see." I replied. I turned towards Mai and Azula. "I don't believe we've met." I said politely.
Mai narrowed her eyes at me. "My name is Mai." She stated simply.
Azula stepped forward. "I'm surprised you haven't guessed who I am." She remarked coolly. "Don't you see the family resemblance? Here's a hint." She covered her left eye with one hand and deepened her voice. "I must find the Avatar to restore my honor." She said, impersonating Zuko.
I couldn't help it. I snorted and laughed. Aang, Katara, and Sokka gave me a glare. "What?! It was kinda funny!" I said shamelessly. Katara rolled her eyes and Sokka facepalmed. I made eye contact with Azula. "Princess Azula, I presume."
She smirked. "Correct." She glanced at Tom-Tom. "Are you going to give the baby back, or not?"
I turned my head to Sokka. "Sokka, give Tom-Tom back to his sister."
Sokka slowly approached Mai and handed Tom-Tom to her. She held him looked him over, checking for any bruises or signs of mistreatment. Once she finished, she looked at us. "When did he last eat?" She questioned.
"This morning." Katara replied. "We cut up some fruit and meat into small pieces so he wouldn't choke on them." Mai looked her in the eye for a few seconds, then she nodded once.
Azula frowned. "You're giving him back for nothing?" She inquired skeptically.
"Yes, but a day-long head start before you hunt us down would be nice." I admitted.
Azula paused. "I'll consider it if you answer my questions." She replied.
I figured she was probably going to pump me for information and then attack anyway, but the more I got to talk, the better it would be for us, as long as I didn't spill who I really was. "Acceptable, ask away." I said plainly.
Azula smirked. "I'll let Ty Lee ask you a few questions. She's quite upset with you." Azula stated in a mocking tone. So that was her game, huh? Get Ty Lee to lower my defenses? It was pretty clever, I admit, even though it was so low you could call it subterranean.
I turned to the acrobat. She looked at me with wide eyes. "Alec, is it true?" She whispered. The hurt in her eyes and voice made me feel like I'd kicked a puppy.
I took a deep breath. "You mean my wanted poster?" I inquired softly. Ty Lee nodded. "Remind me, what were the charges?"
"Treason, giving military secrets to the enemy, and murdering an Admiral." Azula listed.
I glanced at Azula. "Thanks." I said with a hint of sarcasm, before turning back to Ty Lee. "The treason charge is false." I stated firmly. "I wasn't born in the Fire Nation and I've never been a citizen of the Fire Nation. The only connection I have to the Fire Nation is the fact that I'm a firebender." I gave Azula a glare. "I can't betray a nation I was never loyal to."
Ty Lee nodded after a second. I think my answer made sense to her and made her feel better. "What about the murder?" She questioned.
"I didn't kill Zhao." I declared. "The Ocean Spirit killed him. But I did cut off Zhao's hand with a fire dagger to stop him from killing the Moon Spirit." I turned and faced Azula. "You're welcome, by the way."
Azula raised an eyebrow. "And why should I thank you for that?" She asked in a haughty tone.
Aang spoke up. "If Zhao killed the Moon Spirit, the Moon would have disappeared forever." He said grimly.
"No Moon, no tides." I added. I put my hand to my chin in mock thought. "Remind me, Aang, which of the four nations is an archipelago that relies on the tides for both fishing and crop irrigation?" I asked rhetorically, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I gave Azula a look. "It's a lot easier to rule a nation when the people aren't starving." I pointed out. I saw Ty Lee get a thoughtful look on her face. Maybe I could salvage our friendship after all.
Azula rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, you're such a hero." She said sarcastically. "I suppose you didn't give our enemies military secrets either."
"Oh no, I totally did that." I confessed shamelessly. "I got a set of firebending scrolls from Jeong Jeong the Deserter and gave them to the Northern Water Tribe to copy. I'm fighting against the Fire Lord, it would be irresponsible not to tell my allies everything I know about firebending."
I turned to Ty Lee. "That's the truth." I said simply. "I'm sorry we're on opposite sides, but I'm not a murderer."
Ty Lee looked me in the eye. She still seemed sad, but it seemed like she felt slightly better. "I see." She replied quietly.
I turned back to Azula. "I don't suppose you'll drop the false treason and murder charges?"
Azula gave me a flat look. "No."
I was actually hoping for that answer. I noticed Ty Lee give Azula a surprised glance from my peripheral vision. I just got Azula to admit that she intended to punish me for a crime I didn't commit. I shrugged. "Oh well. Do you have any more questions?"
Azula glanced at Tom-Tom. "Why did you give the baby back so easily after you kidnapped him?"
"Well, first of all, we didn't even kidnap him in the first place." I stated. "That's what we wanted to clear up, here. We don't kidnap kids. We have standards."
Mai raised an eyebrow. "Then how did he end up with you?"
"He probably wandered off and followed the crowd when we pulled our fake plague scheme." I speculated with a shrug. "Babies tend to wander when you take your eyes off them."
"Fake plague scheme?" Ty Lee inquired quietly with a cute tilt of her head.
Sokka grinned, proud of his accomplishment. "Think about it, what are the odds that all the Earth Kingdom citizens got sick at the same time, and none of the Fire Nation ones did?" He pointed out.
Azula frowned. "If you're so clever, why are you giving up a hostage?"
I looked her directly in the eye. "Because we expected a trap." I declared bluntly.
Mai narrowed her eyes at me. "What, you think my father doesn't want him back?" She growled.
This was where things could get dangerous. Trying to play mind games with Azula could easily blow up in my face. Quite literally, considering her firebending. I looked at Mai and shook my head. "No, I think her father doesn't want him back." I answered, pointing at Azula. I turned my gaze back to the princess. "Be honest, you weren't about to make the trade, were you?"
Azula gave a low chuckle that made my skin crawl. "Of course not!" She admitted.
Perfect! She said exactly what I wanted her to say. I saw Mai give Azula a glare out of the corner of my eye. I suppressed a grin. Seed of doubt, successfully planted.
Azula stopped laughing and met my gaze. "I'm curious, what made you believe that we would back down on the deal?"
Time to play mind games. This could get dangerous. "I heard a very interesting story about your brother and his scar." I began. "If Fire Lord Ozai cares that little about his own kids, he certainly wouldn't approve of a deal to trade a valuable prisoner for someone else's kid." I reasoned.
Azula narrowed her eyes. I looked her in the eye. "He wouldn't approve of the deal even if we had you as a hostage."
I heard a gasp from Ty Lee, but I kept my eyes on Azula. I saw something. Azula's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before her expression returned to its usual glare. It was very brief, and I would've missed it if I blinked, but it definitely happened. "You know nothing." She growled.
I shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Can we go now?" I asked.
Azula raised an eyebrow. "Why would I let you go?" She questioned haughtily.
My next move would either start a fight or get us out of here. Time to flip that coin. I raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be more fun to hunt us down?" I suggested. "Or, are you afraid you won't be able to find us again?" I questioned. "Zuko managed to track us down with only a small ship. Are you implying that he's the better tracker?"
Azula glared at me with hatred, then she gave a sinister smile. "Fine, then. Go, before I change my mind. But make no mistake, we will catch you."
"Aang, call Appa." I said, not taking my eyes off Azula. Aang pulled out his whistle and blew into it. A few minutes later, Appa landed about thirty feet behind us.
I turned to Ty Lee and gave her a small nod. "Goodbye. It was good to see you again. I'm sorry we're on opposite sides." I said quietly. She returned the nod, but didn't say anything.
Aang, Katara, and Sokka turned and walked towards Appa. I followed them, but I walked backwards, never taking my eyes off Azula.
"What are you doing?" Sokka muttered.
"Making sure Azula doesn't attack us when our backs are turned." I replied lowly. Sokka, Katara, and Aang climbed aboard Appa. I walked backwards up Appa's tail and sat down in the saddle. Aang cracked the reins and Appa took off. I didn't take my eyes off Azula until she disappeared into a small speck.
I breathed a sigh of relief. We had escaped Omashu without a fight.
Ty Lee POV
Ukano and Michi were thrilled to have Tom-Tom back unharmed. It gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling to see them reunited. After the reunion, I went into a guest room in the palace to think.
Alec and I were enemies now, but on the other hand, he wasn't a traitor, not exactly. I could tell from his aura that he was telling the truth this morning. But why was he fighting against the Fire Nation? The Fire Nation was bringing peace to the world, right?
Right?
My thoughts were interrupted by a cough from behind me. I spun around and saw Mai leaning against the door. I smiled, masking my conflicting emotions. "Hi Mai! What's up?!" I said brightly.
Mai narrowed her eyes. "Are you okay?" She inquired.
My face fell. "No." I admitted. "I'm really confused."
Mai stepped forward so she was close enough to whisper. "Don't let Azula hear you say that." She whispered. "It won't end well."
I swallowed and nodded. I didn't want to do anything treasonous. Mai took a step back. "I wanted to ask you something about that meeting."
I tilted my head, curious. "What about it?"
Mai looked me in the eye. "Do you think Alec was telling the truth when he said he didn't kidnap my brother?" She asked in a serious tone.
I nodded. "Yeah, his aura was blue and flowing steadily, he was telling the truth."
Mai was silent for a few seconds. Finally, she spoke. "I see." She said with a neutral face.
I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't believe in auras." I pointed out.
She smirked. "I don't know about auras, but I believe that you're more observant than most people. I think you could tell if he was lying."
I smiled. "Thanks, Mai."
"So, he didn't lie at all?" She asked.
I shook my head. "No, but there was something strange that happened." Mai kept silent, waiting for me to continue. I walked up right to her face so I could whisper. "When he said to Azula that the Fire Lord wouldn't take the deal if she was the hostage, his aura was completely still." I whispered with wide eyes.
Mai raised an eyebrow. "And that means?"
I swallowed. "That means that he was so certain about what he was saying that he'd bet his life on it." I whispered. "And, I could tell from Azula's aura, that…" I trailed off, scared to say it out loud.
"Ty Lee, what could you tell?" Mai prompted in a low voice.
I looked her in the eye. "I could tell that, for a brief moment, Azula believed him, and it made her angry…and scared."
Mai's eyebrows shot up. "Are you sure?" She whispered. I nodded.
Mai's face went back to a neutral expression. "We need to be careful. I don't remember Azula ever being scared." She said quietly. "For now, let's try to stay out of her way. I'll watch out for you, and you watch out for me."
I smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Mai."
After the sun set, we made our way to leave Omashu. Azula rode in her palanquin, and Mai and I walked alongside.
"So, we're tracking down your brother and uncle, huh?" Mai asked Azula. The princess didn't respond.
I turned and looked at my knife-throwing friend. "It'll be interesting seeing Zuko again, won't it Mai?" I teased. Mai looked away, but I saw her normally gray aura flash pink for a second. She was so happy to have a chance to see Zuko again. I was interested, too. I didn't really know what happened to him. All Azula would tell me is that he was 'weak' and got banished. Alec mentioned a scar earlier today. What scar? What happened?
Azula's voice interrupted my thoughts. "It's not just Zuko and Iroh anymore." She said in a cold tone. "We have four targets, now."
AN: And done! This chapter took a while to write, due to both work and writer's block. Thank you all so much for your patience. The next chapter shouldn't take as long.
