Author's Note: Sorry for the long update gap in both of my stories. I've been incredibly busy with family over, job hunting, drama club, as well as school and homework. It hasn't been a fun few weeks.
For those of you who can't tell, I'm starting off almost every chapter now with dream sequences of Aang's real life, before and after the Comet.
Edited 7/3/2020: The biggest change in this chapter was the title of the eponymous group. I'm really ashamed of the really un-creative name I had for them originally so I changed it to "the Coalition" and now it's a bit of a pun and it's so stupid but I love it. Other than that, it's mostly minor edits and one thing I changed that my notes at the end of the chapter go more into. There's still some issue with passive voice but I cut some of it down.
Edited May 6, 2021: Ironed out some other bad sentences and continuity issues regarding Azula's headpiece.
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I am in no way associated with the creators of the show.
Book 1: Fire
Chapter 6: The Coalition
The monstrous wave followed after the low flying bison. Aang held on to Appa's reins, pulling them in order to steer in a safer direction. Appa ducked, dodged, and rolled in midair to avoid the blasts of fire that shot at them from the scattering of towers inside the Inner Walls of Ba Sing Se. The wave of water that followed them was not trying to topple the group—it was a defensive mechanism. In her greatest feat of waterbending yet, Katara held out a gigantic wall of water that trailed behind them in the air, warding off the fiery missiles. Aang had no idea how she had amassed so much water.
His head throbbed as the explosions tore through the air. After being in captivity for two solid weeks in the dungeons of Ba Sing Se, the Team Avatar finally made their escape. Despite a close call with Azula under the catacombs and a run-in with Mai and Ty Lee, everything else had gone smoothly. It appeared that ever since the greatest Earth Kingdom city's takeover, the Fire Nation turned the palace into their own unstoppable fortress. Aang and the others were captured some time after Sozin's Comet, brutally beaten in the Fire Nation's clutches after they tried for a counterattack; revenge for their lost friends and loved ones. Aang, and all of the others, had many new bruises and scars to add to their collections.
It seemed surreal as Aang guided Appa out to freedom, finally reaching the Inner Walls of the palace grounds and changing direction. The bison flew directly upwards, keeping them the safest from turret attacks. Unfortunately, as Appa was about to clear the wall into the open sky, they happened to fly right under a turret. Aang cursed his luck as it shot at them, but he was quick enough to raise a thick stone slab from the very wall the turret was on and blocked it. Appa was unable to halt his momentum in time to turn and fly out of the way, and collided right into Aang's earth barrier. The side of the bison crashed into the stone wall, and with a pained roar, Appa groaned and descended in an arc. The force of it threw Aang and the others against the wall. Aang, Toph, and Haru were able to cling onto it with ease, all three managed to make ledges for Sokka, Katara, Zuko, and Suki, who all landed with finesse despite their weakened frames. Katara's water splashed to the ground.
Haru hadn't yet left them after the unsuccessful invasion on the Day of Black Sun. He seemed determined to prove himself, rescue his father, and help save the world. His bending ability had grown tenfold. A storm of Fire Nation soldiers came from their guard station nearby, grouping at the base of the wall. Bows were pointed at them. They were trapped.
Haru lunged forward, raising a protective wall of earth before the soldiers could react. "You guys, get out of here! I'll hold them off!" Bowstrings twanged and arrows bounced off of his barrier, but it would only hold until the firebenders arrived.
"We're not leaving you here!" Katara yelled to him. Aang's heart fluttered. She was so caring, so stubborn. It was one of the many reasons why he loved her.
"You have to! Get on Appa before they do!" Haru said, his long hair matted with knots and blood that may not have been his own. Aang could feel earthbenders coming towards them... the Dai Li. Haru's face, now pale and scarred from those awful days in the dungeons, gave a pleading look to Aang. "Please, the world needs you. You need to get out of here. Don't worry about me." Aang's eyes locked with his. He was just as stubborn and steady as any other earthbender, Aang realized. And determined. He wanted to help them in any way possible, and this was the way he felt was best. Aang nodded.
"Alright, let's get out of here," Toph said, strengthening her own wall, trying to ward off the turret blasts from above them. Zuko, with one parting look to Haru, jumped down to Appa, who had regained his bearings and floated near the ground. Sokka and Suki were next, reluctantly. Toph came after them, and only Aang, Katara, and Haru lingered.
Katara held her hands together for a moment, and Aang could see the conflict in her eyes as she was torn between fighting alongside him or fleeing with the others. "Thank you," she finally said to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Haru blushed.
Aang put a hand on Haru's shoulder. "Be careful," he said. "Don't... you know... on us."
Haru smiled. After everything, he still had a soft smile, full of warmth. "I won't."
Aang and Katara gave one last farewell to their friend and jumped onto the bison. Aang blasted away the soldiers that neared, and thankfully Appa didn't need to be goaded into action. With a booming roar, the bison shook off the pain and flew away. Below them, Team Avatar, now once again reduced to six, watched as Haru smashed the earth barrier down on all of the soldiers and the Dai Li, and then land on the ground and fight them all with a feat of earthbending that made even Toph proud.
They never saw him again.
Aang was, to put it simply, extremely annoyed. His wrists had completely swollen in pain from the rock cuffs which still held him in place. Zuko and Aang were still bound by the rocks put on them by Long Feng's Dai Li, but they were able to stretch their arms under their bent legs, putting the cuffs in front of them, making it a little more bearable. At the very least, they were able to feed themselves and do very basic things. The pain and annoyance was made even worse by the sweltering heat of the summer day in the Fire Nation. His clothes clung to his sweaty body and his face was turning red from the sun. It was nearly as hot as it was in the Si Wong Desert, and several times more humid.
Azula, on the other hand, seemed to think it was quite funny. She snickered whenever Zuko moaned, and there was always a triumphant gleam in her eyes afterward. She was able to best the Dai Li with pure trickery, something that Aang or any of his previous friends weren't used to doing. Of course, they were accustomed to being on the receiving end of it, courtesy of their enemy Azula.
Now, in his mind, Aang referred to this Azula as Nice Azula, and the one that he previously knew—the one that killed him—as Bad Azula. It was still odd to think of her as a friend now, but he still didn't fully trust her. It would take a lot of time for that to develop. His back quivered slightly, as if remembering an old wound, but there were no scars to speak of. Aang still remembered it quite vividly—the cosmic energy surging into him, flooding the boy with power, only to have it taken away a moment later, by the princess's lightning. That time, pain flooded into his body, exiting by the sole of his foot. He knew it wasn't the same Azula that was in front of him. But it was hard to lay down his guard completely to her, despite their burgeoning friendship. He would not yet be able to rely on her in battle, or when he needed help most. There was an underlying fear—there was always going to be one, he knew—that she was going to turn on him again. And the next time, it might be for real. Trust was earned, but he wouldn't be able to explain to her why it was taking her so long to earn it.
As the result of one very confusing stir of emotions, Aang felt helpless. Lately, his thoughts had been going into a full circle with no clear answer. He wanted the help of his friends again.
He missed the Old Zuko, one that grew to offer advice as invaluable as his uncle's. He missed the pillar of quiet, supportive strength. After the fateful day of the Comet, they sparred each day, trying to outclass the other. Zuko was his silent, worthy, contemplative companion.
He missed Old Sokka's sarcastic wit and surprising intellect. The Water Tribe boy always had a plan of action, a way to get them out of their troubles. What he lacked in bending he made up in resourcefulness, and even Zuko looked to him with full respect. Aang had missed his ability to brighten up any situation, but in more recent days, his humor had grown dull with hopelessness.
He missed Toph's biting sarcasm and blunt comfort. She was unconquerable, and often took the lead of the group when they were feeling particularly hopeless or depressed. She was always the first to take action, the first to beat their opponents' faces into the ground.
Last of all, he missed Katara. His beautiful, strong, willful Katara. He felt a painful ache in his stomach as he thought of her, how much he missed her, how much he loved her. He needed her comfort. His eyes glistened as he thought about how he was never able to hold her in his arms, how he couldn't fully, truly express his feelings. The young woman was the one that held them all together. He wiped away the budding tears as he thought of the waterbender.
He switched his thoughts back to Long Feng, not wanting to think of his friends. How did the earthbender gain control of the city? He didn't remember Jie Duan from before... did he build it himself? What had caused his falling out with the king of Ba Sing Se? Thinking of Long Feng made him think of how Azula used her brilliant acting to persuade Long Feng she was on his side, and thinking of that made Aang think of the confusing friendship with her all over again. He groaned. The whole thing made his head ache.
"What is that?" Zuko suddenly asked, pointing downward with his rock cuffs. Aang and Azula looked over the furry edge of the bison. Aang's eyes widened. He could have sworn he was looking down on an Earth Kingdom village. It had ramshackle walls around it—very weathered and beaten by something—and stone buildings with shingled roofs. Some tents had been set up within the walls. Aang suddenly remembered that it might in fact be an Earth Kingdom town—many war refugees had come to live in the Fire Nation. Did that mean they were under the rule of Long Feng? At the moment, Aang wasn't feeling particularly cautious. He wanted these cuffs off, and now. He never felt so helpless without his earthbending.
"We're going," Aang said simply, pulling on the reins. The bison moaned and descended, landing at the base of a pair of mountains situated at the town's inland border. Zuko didn't object, perhaps understanding his reasons for wanting to go, and he looked just as eager to get the cuffs off.
As they cautiously approached the town on foot, Aang noticed a pair of watch towers sprouting from the mountainsides. Once Aang and the others walked around enough to get an angle to see between the mountains, he understood the purpose of the towers. His eyes widened upon the sight. Beyond the valley, he saw the bay, and from the ground level it looked like a sea of fire as the sun began to set under the horizon. Suddenly, it all made sense to him—the watchtowers were for waterbender attacks, and the weathered stone walls were from those assaults. Soldiers patrolled the walls and he realized this was a garrison as much as it was a town — a military camp, and Long Feng's possible front against the Water Nation. From what he knew of both of the Long Fengs, neither of them would fight against the enemy actively, if there wasn't something in it for them, so this must have been a purely defensive outpost. Aang stored his findings away for later, turning back to the camp as Zuko and Azula continued to walk ahead of him.
The dry, dead grass cracked under his feet as he walked. It had died recently. Was it because of the heat?
"Is it always this hot in the Fire Nation?" Aang asked his companions. "I don't remember it being like this. Are you having a drought?"
"No," Zuko answered. He kicked at the dry grass, sending clumps of dirt into the air. "This isn't because of a drought. See the grass among the mountainsides? Something else did this."
"Waterbenders," Azula hissed. "This camp must have to withstand periodic attacks. I've heard a lot of villages are like this."
"Wait, they can absorb the moisture from the ground?" he asked, surprised. In his world, to his knowledge, only the swampbenders, Hama, and Katara were able to do that…
"Yes, most foot soldiers can. With little water available on land, they suck the ground dry. Usually you can tell where they have been by the ground and the plants," Zuko answered solemnly. "They destroy our lands," he muttered. "Uncle told us."
"You guys really don't like waterbenders, do you?" Aang asked, frowning. "I used t—… I have great friends from the Water Tribes," he said. He still had Sokka and Katara… they weren't gone. He was going to see them again.
"They killed our mother," Azula said under her breath. "Even though she had nothing to offer them. She was just a florist, and they dragged her out to the sea and drowned her."
"I'm sorry," Aang said, putting his head down. "You must miss her." He knew loss perhaps better than anyone else. "Do you have something of hers? Something to remember her by?" He never had anything to keep from all those he missed.
"Only this stupid headpiece," Azula grumbled. Aang had noticed the twin-pronged flame headpiece in her raven-colored hair before, but he was so accustomed to seeing a similar one on 'Bad Azula' that he didn't even question it previously.
His eyes widened in surprise. "Doesn't that sort of thing belong to royalty?"
Azula laughed. "Yes, it did a long time ago. Now it's just sentimental junk, since according to Uncle a different bloodline from some ancient Fire Lord rules in the Golden City. But even that leader isn't called a Fire Lord these days, not like our great-grandfather would have been."
"I guess you could say we're descended from royalty," Zuko said with a shrug. "Our father and ancestors would have been considered Fire Lords, if the war never happened. A couple hundred years ago our people lived in a dormant caldera, but battles between warlords ended up making our people migrate to the southern archipelago." Chills went up Aang's spine at the indirect mention of Ozai.
"My mother gave this to me," Azula said, hands reaching up to her headpiece. It glinted with reflected sunlight.
Aang found himself interested in the turn of events that changed their family's history so much from what he knew. "If you're descended from Soz - " Aang cut himself off before he could finish the Fire Lord's name. He wasn't supposed to know the identity of their great-grandfather. "Those Fire Lords on your father's side, how did your mom come to get that headpiece?"
"A wedding gift," Zuko explained. "But Azula failed to mention it was customarily supposed to go to me, the firstborn, not her." He gave his sister a sidelong glance full of irritation only siblings could have for each other - a look he recognized often from Sokka and Katara.
"Well, even when I was a little girl I had an appreciation for royal accoutrements," Azula said with a wave of her hand. "I always thought it was made for me. Just like Father did, which is why he had it instead of Uncle, the elder brother."
"That means she threw a temper tantrum until Mom let her have it," Zuko said, to which Azula surreptitiously tripped him.
"We shouldn't bore Aang any longer with our family history," said Azula, while Zuko simmered. "Father just loved to drill us with those lessons about the 'family legacy' and politics and all that." She deepened her voice and held up a clenched fist when she mentioned the 'family legacy,' perhaps in mimicry of her father. "Before we lost Mother, anyway." And that was all she had to say about that.
After a short walk to the stone walls, they were confronted by guards as they tried to get in the town, which Aang expected. It was a military camp, after all. Unfortunately for Aang and Zuko, neither of the two guards were earthbenders, and they were permitted to enter the town to search for one to remove their stone cuffs once they explained their situation - though they were careful not to mention it was because Long Feng had tried to capture them.
"So what should we do? Ask everyone if they're an earthbender?" Azula asked as they passed through the gates. The place seemed almost like a regular town on the inside, albeit a rougher-looking one. Soldiers patrolled all over the place, and some younger trainees were being taught by older veterans. They all wielded weapons, and didn't seem to be earthbenders.
Sabi, his lemur, cried pitifully in his hands. She, like Zuko and Aang, was still wrapped up in a stony grip. She hadn't been able to stretch her limbs for a full day now. Aang looked up at the sky as the day faded into night. They'd have to get free of their binds soon.
"Let's ask around," Aang agreed. Just as he was about to speak to a woman, the sound of a gong wailed through the town. Aang looked for the source of the noise, spotting it right above the gates they had just walked through. The watchman banged it again.
The change was immediate. Every single person halted their playing or their training, picked up their weapons and armor, and rushed to the front gates. More people flooded out of buildings and tents, ready for battle. Aang, Zuko, and Azula were the only ones not moving, looking around in the sea of Earth Kingdom soldiers, completely confused.
"What's going on?" Zuko asked, trying unsuccessfully to draw his broadswords despite his bound wrists. Robed men came out of one of the main buildings, followed by a bearded man. Aang immediately recognized the robed men as Dai Li. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he reminded himself that Long Feng had jurisdiction over this town. The bearded man looked very familiar to him, but he didn't get a good enough look to confirm his identity. They all started issuing orders.
Men and women rolled out the catapults and ballistae and loaded them. Earthbenders rolled massive boulders toward the walls, ignoring Aang and Zuko's pleas for assistance. Civilians - children included - ran for cover, vanishing into tents and buildings as war horns resounded from the bay, the Water Tribes answering the gong of alarm. Medics hurried the wounded soldiers that had been out and about back into tents while the trainees gathered up and dispersed all of the weapons they could. Someone tried to force a spear into Zuko's hands, not realizing when he couldn't grip it and it clattered to the ground. All of it happened so quickly and the battle began in earnest once the invading ships came close enough to shore.
Massive grappling hooks crashed against the top of the wall, knocking down some of the watchmen, while harpoons pierced clean through the weakest parts of their defenses. Dai Li rushed to the scene, earthbending some of the hooks away before the unseen enemy could climb atop the walls. Some more stood at the base of the wall, punching into the stone, the effects of which were unseen to Aang, Zuko, and Azula. Soldiers pushed all three of them away as they lined up to reinforce their allies on the walls.
"What're you kids doing?" one man growled to them. It was the same bearded man from before.
"We came to get help! What's going on?" Zuko asked him. When the man was closer, Aang was able to recognize who he was. He was Tyro, Haru's father. Sure enough, the earthbender Aang once knew well stepped up next to his father a moment later.
He had changed significantly. The Haru that Aang knew was once a good-natured, sensitive young man, eager to make a difference in the world alongside his father. This Haru was battle-hardened and rough and rippling with muscle. He disregarded the Avatar and his friends, stepped in front of the soldiers congregated in front of the wall, and waited.
"This is no place to find help, kid. We're right in the middle of a battle," Tyro said gruffly.
"We know that! But if you're fighting against waterbenders, can we help?" Zuko asked. "We want to help! Get these rocks off of us!" He shook his bound wrists, yelling above the cacophony around them.
"Yeah. We've been expecting an attack from those monsters," Tyro growled. "Get to safety. This is no place for kids." He walked up next to his son.
Zuko grit his teeth and shouted out in frustration. "I can't believe this! Can't we get these stupid things off?!" he yelled hopelessly. The Dai Li standing at the base of the wall suddenly opened it outwards, and all of the soldiers, plus Haru and Tyro, rushed out to fight, shouting battle cries.
"You heard him! We have to get away, we aren't safe here!" Aang yelled to his friends. He turned around to head deeper into town, trying to find safety. He felt trapped. He hated being trapped, and the concept of an all-out battle had become foreign to him. These just never happened anymore in his world, when only small pockets of resistance had the strength to build up even the barest hint of a fight. Aang and his friends avoided direct conflict like this at all costs. The waterbenders outside blocked their escape and Aang felt his pulse racing as he thought back to the dozens of other times he'd been stuck in a similar situation. If only they could get to Appa... "Oh, no! Appa's still out there!" Aang shouted to Zuko and Azula, his voice high.
Azula stopped ahead of him, apparently perfectly content to go in the opposite direction of the battle as well. "What can we do? Appa will be fine!"
Aang's stomach dropped and the familiar fear of losing Appa resurfaced. "I can't just leave him out there!" He spotted an old woman beckoning to them, wanting the kids to go with her. "Go with that lady. She's probably got somewhere safe you guys can go."
"What about you?" Zuko asked him, his brow furrowed.
"I'm going to help Appa," he answered, tossing the screeching Sabi to Azula. Before they could protest further, he ran off toward the gates of the town, his hands still bound. He knew he was being stupid. There wasn't much he could do against numerous enemies with his hands bound. But Aang wasn't one to give up easily, even if this Appa wasn't his Appa. This wasn't his world. The stakes weren't as high here. Maybe, if something happened, he would just wake up...
As soon as he was through the gates of the town again, his eyes saw destruction and war. They were not meeting for the first time—his eyes were accustomed to this. He still hated it, still ignored the gritty details and closed his eyes to the horrors, because if he dwelled on them he would have to stop fighting and stop running. He ran right through the battle, eyes focused on the bay he saw earlier, which now had three Water Navy ships docked in it. Men in blue leather armor tried to attack him, but he easily jumped over the swings and blasted them away with bursts of air from his feet. These men were very different than the ones under Sokka, almost murderous in their intensity and wielding weapons of iron in addition to whalebone and wood. One man he saw had a sword covered with gruesome spikes, like shark teeth.
The airbender dodged to the side as water cut through the air where he was moments before. The waterbender rushed up to him, readying more water from his pouch. Aang noticed that he had ice wrapped around his wrists, neck, and legs—more ammunition if he required it. The warrior hurled ice spikes at him, but Aang deflected them with a well-timed gust of wind from his mouth. Before the man could retaliate, Aang ran up past him, knocking him out by hitting the warrior on the head with his earth cuffs. Aang smirked. He supposed they could be somewhat useful.
As he neared the bay, he was surprised to see that the Water Navy ships were gleaming and silver, reflecting the sun's rays and nearly blinding him. He found it to be a large contrast to the normal, gunmetal black Fire Navy ships he was used to. He wondered why Sokka's ship was wooden. On closer inspection, he found these to be made of wood as well, but these juggernauts had been coated in ice that appeared like silver in the light. The parts of the ship not covered in ice had been coated in a slick type of oil that repelled flame when the earthbender battalion shot missiles covered in burning pitch from their ballistae. Some ships in the fleet had a different design altogether; lower decks with most of the ship underwater and a rear command tower that made him think the whole thing looked like a partially submerged whale. Where the Fire Nation had used coal-powered ships, these ships propelled with sails and waterbending.
"Flaming javelins don't work, Captain! We discovered that last time!" Tyro bellowed. He ducked behind a hastily constructed shelter.
Aang heard a loud, familiar growl, and looked up into the sky for its source. "Appa!" he called out. The bison flew overhead, dodging the harpoon shots which were aiming for him from the Water Navy. Aang glared in their direction, but called to his bison again. "Appa, get down here!" Appa heard and answered his call, and when he was low enough, Aang hopped on his back. He looked to the ships; one of them had stopped firing, moored on the beach. There seemed to be a disturbance on board and Aang sped forward, determined to help. They had nearly shot down Appa.
Aang snapped the reins, urging his bison on. "Come on, Appa! We're going to fight!" he shouted to his friend over the roar of the wind. The bison growled in response, and moments later landed on the deck of the ship, smacking one of the harpoon launchers away with his tail. The disturbance on board had been caused by a gang of earthbenders with Haru in the lead, issuing orders to them just like his father did earlier. Aang met them on the deck, slick with ice, as several warriors emerged from below. "Let me deal with them," Aang said to Haru. "Get your soldiers out of here."
The earthbender didn't budge, his face impassive. "Forget it. There's no way I'm letting you fight all of them alone," Haru said. He seemed much more mature to Aang and accustomed to leadership. The other soldiers all looked up to him. Aang nodded, remembering his dream, and hopped off of his bison. This time he'd let nothing happen to Haru.
"First, get rid of these for me," Aang said, holding up his bound wrists. With one quick movement, they crumbled to dust, and Aang flexed his sore wrists. He got into a bending stance while Haru held his war hammers forward. They faced the group of half a dozen soldiers as Haru's few remaining survivors also readied themselves for battle.
Aang's motions were quick and fluid as he tried not to slip on the ice coating the ship, staying mobile to prevent his feet being frozen in place. He cut out at the soldiers with small arcs of air from his hands, easily dodging each of their blows and knocking them down with an air-powered kick to the face. Two waterbenders tried attacking him at once, but the Avatar held out his palm and started the air circling around him, making a barrier of wind. He used it to repel the soldiers around him. Their bone and shell shields did nothing to defend them against an airbender, which repelled even their bolas and boomerangs.
Haru was a fighting force by himself. He swept his hammers outward, toppling two of his enemies, their leather armor useless against his onslaught. His own three soldiers behind him did nothing but watch Aang and Haru as they dominated over their foes. The earthbender slammed his hammer into each harpoon launcher, one at a time, destroying them all. Aang blasted the bladed boomerangs from other ships out of the air.
Haru and his three earthbenders leapt off of the ship to the rocky beach, pulling up earthen spikes that pierced the ship's hull, capsizing it.
"Ready for the next one?" Aang asked Haru with a smirk.
The battle was over by the time Aang, Haru, and the other soldiers returned to the town. It had been won, but it was a costly victory, and the waterbenders' retreat had been as swift as the tides. Aang tried not to look at the blood and worse things strewn around the battleground. Even after all this time he scarcely had the stomach for the terrible things found after a battle.
Aang was contemplative as they silently walked back to the town. Just like Iroh, Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Long Feng, Haru did not know him. He didn't expect him to. This Haru was so different. Haru watched Appa as he flew above them, the only one staying out of the blood and violence.
Luckily, the town was not too damaged. The walls needed repairs, but Aang knew they were used to doing this frequently. As he observed the damage done to the walls, a voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"You're alright."
Aang turned, spotting Azula leaning against one of the walls, a now-freed Sabi stretching her limbs out on her shoulders. Her clothing had been scuffed and torn in some places and she was covered in dust and mud. Aang didn't speak.
"That was really foolish," Azula said. "But I'm glad you're unharmed."
"Thanks for caring," Aang said with a tired grin. His whole body felt sore already from all the fighting and he didn't realize his old body had been so out of shape, so unused to battle.
"Can you please get these things off of me?" Aang and Azula turned to the voice, which was Zuko going around and begging to get his earth cuffs off. None of the earthbenders listened, too busy with their work reinforcing the walls. Azula snickered at him.
"Hey, kid," Haru said to Aang, putting a hand on his shoulder. "My dad would want to meet you. Without you, I don't know if our mission would have succeeded."
"Don't call me 'kid,'" Aang said, but even so, he smiled. "I'm the Avatar. My name is Aang."
Haru gave him a sheepish grin. Oh, sorry! But will you come? You were amazing out there and we have to offer our thanks."
"Sure," he replied. "But as long as they come with me," he added, gesturing to Zuko and Azula.
"Of course."
Aang nodded to Azula and he followed after Haru. Azula trailed after him, pulling her brother along by pinching him on the arm.
The three were led to the main building in the back of the town, the same one that Aang saw Haru and Tyro emerging from earlier. Inside of the building was a single war room, occupied by a large table covered in maps and other documents. Tyro sat at the head of the table, surrounded by Dai Li agents. He looked distinctly uncomfortable, but unharmed.
"So, you're the Avatar," Tyro said to him. "These Dai Li agents just told me about you, and what happened in Jie Duan... but I'm not going to let them take you into custody on my watch. Not after what you've just done here. I am Tyro, Haru's father and leader of the Coalition."
"The Coalition?" Aang asked, his brow rising in confusion.
"We are a legion of earthbenders dedicated to fighting against the encroaching waterbenders from the south," Tyro explained to him, chest puffed with pride. "We're a Jie Duan colony that fights under Long Feng."
"Why are you fighting them here and not in the Earth Kingdom?" Aang asked.
Tyro sighed and Haru averted his eyes. "Originally, our village was in the Earth Kingdom, but we fled here for a safe haven that King Long Feng promised us. Instead, we found that we were chased by the war, and decided to stand our ground and fight back. We've been defending the Fire Nation coasts from their attacks ever since," Tyro explained. "The loss of many of our own inspired us to fight."
"That was when they took my mother away," Haru muttered, his arms crossed. "She's still out there somewhere, living a life of servitude."
"But we'd like to thank you for helping us," Tyro said, quickly changing the subject. "Without you, this battle would have ended differently. We didn't expect a daytime attack, and they took our lowered defenses to their advantage." He bowed in respect to Aang. "We'd also like to thank this young lady also," Tyro added, smiling to Azula and bowing. "She used some impressive firebending back there."
Zuko turned to Azula in anger, who stared back at him, unflinching. "Are you crazy? You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"You're too inexperienced for battle," Aang said, frowning.
She rounded on him. "I'm too inexperienced? What about you? Aren't you supposed to be a pacifist monk? And you're the one who's been sitting all cozy in that fire stone for one hundred years!" she retorted. "Neither of you have any place to reprimand me. You would've done the same if you could, Zuko. Don't pretend otherwise."
Tyro and Haru looked between them, eyes wide with awkward surprise. Clearly neither of them expected these outbursts from their words of thanks.
Aang felt the familiar guilt weigh on his chest, the reminder that he had run away and failed the world for a hundred years. Even here, that guilt followed him. He couldn't meet her eyes, but that was when he noticed that her hair had come undone, headpiece missing. He wondered if she lost it in the battle. Before he could say anything about it, she spun on her heel and left the command tent.
"Zuko, let's go. We're leaving," Aang said to his friend, eyes downcast. "We were glad to help," he added to Haru and Tyro.
"Stay a little longer and rest," Tyro said, extending his arms in a placating gesture. "It is no common feat for children as young as yourselves to be involved in a battle such as this one. It's the least we can do."
"It's okay. Thanks for the offer," Aang said, walking out of the building. He looked one last time at Haru, hoping his friend would find his peace one day. Or maybe this Haru would be strong enough to claim it on his own.
"Goodbye, Avatar," said Haru. Despite being more of a soldier than the Haru Aang knew, he had that same smile. Hopeful, and a little sad. "Maybe we'll meet again one day."
Zuko paused and held up his wrists to the earthbenders, still bound in earthen cuffs. "Can you get these off, please?"
Bato's eyes observed the damage wrought unto the Fire Nation lands. His sleek, rimy ship docked in a different bay far enough up the coast so that the Coalition's camp was still visible, but close enough for the damaged ships to limp without capsizing. His ship stayed away from the battle and offered support from a distance, just in case something like this would happen. He liked to think himself cleverer than the rest of the warriors who charged into a battle without a care in the world, only interested in gaining glory for their tribe. Though this had been a defeat, he felt confident that his forces would wear down their defenses soon enough. Like waves crashing against the shore, his people were relentless. The Coalition and the Fire Nation as a whole would only hold out for so long.
He, of course, was clean and untouched from the battle, for he played no part in it except to command. He waited patiently as his soldiers gathered the dead and wounded, burying those gone and carrying the wounded onto the sole remaining ship. At least two whole ships with their crews had been captured but he pushed that concern from his mind for the moment.
His eyes caught on a glint of gold clutched in a wounded man's hand, perhaps a treasure claimed from the battle. The wounded man teetered in and out of consciousness, mumbling of newfound riches, but Bato ignored his delirium and wrenched it from his grip. He wiped it clean of its mud and grime on the warrior's own leathers, who was barely cognizant of the fact that it had been taken from him, and Bato examined it with a critical eye. If he was correct, the piece of gold was an ornate headpiece of the ancient, royal line of Fire. It was perfect. One of Sokka's interrogated men mentioned a girl traveling with the Avatar that wore one of these, and it could only belong to her. Bato smirked and pocketed it, plans formulating in his mind.
Author's Notes: Please review!
July 3, 2020 edit: Another change, which will have an effect on things later that I'll have to alter, is that the Water Navy ships are no longer made of silver. They are now coated with ice and a type of oil that can repel flame, which reflects the light in a way that makes them appear silver. Ships made entirely of silver probably wouldn't work well and with the change it's probably more accurate to something that the Water Tribes would actually do, considering they're not as industrious as the Fire Nation in canon.
