Well, if you're still here after the first chapter, I can assume you are men and women of culture. Don't get me wrong, I love AtLA, but it did suffer from the major flaw of narrow storytelling; the 'heroes' were always in the right and the 'villains' were objectively evil, never mind the fact that they were evil 'just for evil's sake.' I get that it was aimed at a younger audience, so the writers couldn't go too deep into moral subjectivity, but still, kinda leaves a sour taste in my mouth when the heroes commit a lot of the same actions they condemn, but it's alright because they're the protagonists.
The domestic operations that followed in the two weeks after the battle at the North Pole were far more stressful than anyone cared to admit. The North Pole marked the first capital city the Fire Nation had conquered during the war, and with it came numerous logistical problems that were difficult to manage. First and foremost among these was actually subjugating resistance. Despite a total military victory over the city, small bands of warriors and Waterbenders that had not been captured were still striking out at the newly established Fire Nation patrols and occupation forces.
Needless to say this had lead to more than one skirmish, with numerous casualties for both sides. Thankfully this city was the only major settlement the Northern Water Tribe possessed; all of their other settlements were so scattered and small that meeting any resistance from them was extremely unlikely. It made it easier for the Fire Nation to focus its manpower if nothing else. Even so, it was difficult to establish order and implement recovery when you had to constantly watch your back for icicle spears or worse.
The state of affairs was a tentative one. Obviously none of the natives were happy about being conquered and occupied, but aside from the most stringent and bitter of them, most of the city's inhabitants had already realized that their conceptions about Fire Nation dominion were mistaken. After all, the city was still standing, no one had been executed, and none of them had been dragged off in chains to slave away in some faraway mine. Of course, Xisheng knew that many rumors spread during wartime that were essentially straight up lies: one of the most ridiculous that he had heard was that the Fire Nation dressed their prisoners in Army uniforms and pit them against their own comrades unarmed. Aside from all of the particular reasons such a tactic would backfire horrifically, it was a practice the Fire Nation had never employed. They took many prisoners, but certainly not for reasons such as that.
Of course he also knew that not everything he had heard about the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom was true as well. While the Fire Nation didn't rely on propaganda for morale nearly as much as their enemies (they were winning, after all), Xisheng had still heard a rumor or two that had turned out to be false. The city he currently occupied was proof enough that the concept of savagery and barbarism was as foreign to the Northern Water Tribe as it was to the Fire Nation. While they were lacking in many aspects culturally and scientifically, it was not like they were living in caves and inbreeding. They had their own culture, and while it had some growing to do, it deserved to be treated as such.
Thankfully, one of their objectives was already coming to fruition. While it was little more than eavesdropping and a general atmosphere, considering the tight lipped nature of the Water Tribesman around their conquerors, it was fairly obvious that they were disgruntled with their dear moon spirit for failing to protect them, or otherwise do anything to really help them at all. Of course there were still many individuals that were praying to the stupid fish for salvation or simply out of misguided faith, but there seemed to be a good number of people that now shunned those spirits for abandoning them.
This realization lifted Xisheng's spirits a great deal. If there was one thing that had been proven without a doubt thanks to the Fire Nation's conquest, it was that the spirits of this world were useless leeches that did nothing for the ones who revered them. In the past hundred years of expansion into EK territory, not once had they been opposed by a spirit. Not even in areas where spirits had actually been sighted.
In the larger scheme of things, reliance on spirits to solve problems was hindering human progress. After all, if you truly believed some sort of spirit would handle all of your problems, what ambition did you have to advance your own standing? To innovate and grow? Many of the Fire Nation's academic minds attributed their massive technological advancement to the shift in spirit worship a hundred years ago. Maybe they were biased, but it couldn't be denied that the Fire Nation had advanced by leaps and bounds after the abolition of spirit worship.
Either way, there was a lot more to be done here at the North Pole. The current combats with the few renegade fighters in the city were unacceptable, mostly because they hindered the Fire Nation's efforts to implement their revolution. For that very reason, Captain Chikaraishi, with Xisheng and another guard at his flanks, stood before the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe within her private quarters to discuss the matter. Under normal circumstances this issue would have been brought to the Chieftain, but the man had been killed in the final assault on the palace. He had been a warrior through and through, fighting alongside his men in the final reckoning. Xisheng respected him for that, but he imagined that his daughter felt quite differently about the whole ordeal. After all, she did not seem to be in an extremely cooperative mood.
"Princess, surely you understand the severity of the situation. The remnant fighters in your city are inflicting casualties on both sides. As their leader, it is your duty to order them to stand down."
The white haired teenager, thrust into a position of power she was not ready for, looked ill at ease with the entire situation. However, she was still firm in her reply. She had guts, even if she wasn't fully confident in what she was doing.
"You expect me to tell my people to simply surrender to you after you invaded our home and killed our people? How dare you!"
Captain Chikaraishi, the man who had spoken so highly of Xisheng after the battle and his duel with Iroh, sighed. "The battle is already lost Princess. Further fighting will change nothing. It will only cost both your people and mine dozens of lives."
"I will not order my people to give up. You are invaders and murderers. Even defeated we'll never give into you."
The Captain sighed again, seeing that his efforts were fruitless. He motioned for his two comrades to follow him out of the Princess' private chamber. The Princess herself was not being imprisoned, at least not in a traditional sense. She was allowed to go wherever she pleased within her city, but she was always escorted by two Firebenders. She'd been treated very well for a defeated royal.
Stepping out of the room with his immediate commander, Xisheng watched as the Captain pulled off his helmet and pinched the bridge of his nose. His short black hair would have normally been slicked to his head by sweat, but that was not the case with the temperature around here taken into account. "I fail to see how this is my job instead of the Admiral's..."
For the record, Xisheng felt exactly the same way. Zhao had done very little after the battle itself. He had mostly relegated all of the important tasks to his subordinates. It was just one thing Xisheng had found to dislike about the man among many others.
"Captain, if it's alright with you, I could try to speak to the Princess."
Chikaraishi turned towards the soldier he had come to respect greatly over the past two weeks. "You have something particular in mind that might convince her Xisheng?"
"Nothing in particular sir. But who knows? She might be more responsive to a common soldier closer to her age."
The Captain merely shrugged. "Worth a shot at this point. Any chance we have at putting an end to these pointless skirmishes is good enough for me. Have at it Corporal."
Bowing to his superior officer, Xisheng turned to head back into the Princess' room. Naturally the white-haired teen couldn't tell him apart from the Captain, so she seemed especially irked that he was in there. "Was our last exchange unclear Captain? I will not-"
Xisheng cut her off, convinced that protocol and diplomacy would have to be surrendered for a more blunt approach if he was to achieve his goal. "I'm not the Captain, Princess. My name is Xisheng. I'm a Corporal."
Yue looked intrigued by the presence of an enlisted soldier to appeal to her rather than an officer, but she still did not seem any more cooperative than before. "I assure you the rank of the soldier that comes to me will not change my decision."
Seeking to gain a more human approach, Xisheng removed his helmet, leveling his dual colored gaze at the girl just a year or two younger than him. The look on her face proved she was actually shocked by the revelation that there was an actual human being under the helmet. Xisheng supposed he couldn't blame her; it was difficult to humanize the enemy, especially when they didn't even show their face.
"I am going to be straightforward with you Princess Yue. I admire your resilience and your courage. But you are making a foolish mistake."
Whatever her initial impression of him had been, Yue's expression hardened at Xisheng's words. "Nothing would be more foolish than to give in to your tyranny."
Xisheng cocked a curious eyebrow at her. "Our tyranny? If I may be so bold Princess, may I ask what tyranny you are referring to? Perhaps you mean the freedom we are allowing you to keep despite being a political prisoner? Or perhaps you are referring to the citizens of your city, which we have neither harmed nor mistreated after the battle?"
The snow haired girl glared at him. "You monsters killed my father!"
"And he killed many of our soldiers. Your father took sons and daughters from their families. That is the nature of war, and it is unavoidable. But what you are doing now will inflict pain on families that is not necessary."
The mention of daughters and sons gave Yue pause, though it certainly did not divert her anger. Still, her silence gave Xisheng a chance to continue. "The Fire Nation did not come here to simply obliterate your city and its people. Our intention is not to start massacring your citizens in the streets now that the battle is over. But make no mistake: we will not stand idly by and allow resistance fighters to continue attacking and killing our soldiers. If these skirmishes do not stop soon, measures will be taken to root out your resistance and eliminate them. We will kill them all to protect our citizens and soldiers if we must. But you are their leader now. You can put an end to these conflicts before we must take drastic measures to rectify them."
Yue fell silent as her gaze fell to the floor, prompting Xisheng to take another step forward so he could be more direct. "If you do not care for the lives of your countrymen, then by all means, let them continue fighting. But if you want to spare the lives of people that would otherwise needlessly die in a futile battle against an army dozens of times their size, then accept your responsibility as their leader and have them stand down. A certain degree of bravery and determination is admirable. But what your people are doing now is suicide, not courage. This war has claimed enough lives already. Don't make that statistic any graver than it already is."
The young ruler remained quiet as Xisheng turned to leave, confident that he had made the impact that he had intended to. But before he could make his exit, Yue spoke to him once again. "What right do you have?"
Turning to face her again, Xisheng kept his expression as neutral as possible. "Excuse me?"
While she had been staring at the ground before, Yue now raised her steely gaze to the soldier before her. "What right do you have to speak of unnecessary death? Of avoiding needless loss? How can you speak of such things when it is your nation that started this war? Your nation that invades homes, destroys families, your nation that has wrought so much death and pain against people that have done nothing to you? All of the suffering that the world has endured for the last one hundred years is the fault of the Fire Nation. And yet you have the audacity to speak of such things?"
Xisheng closed his eyes for a brief moment as he contemplated his answer. Long had he pondered these very truths; the Fire Nation had inflicted a great deal of pain on the world. Pain that could have been avoided. However, the pain they caused now was to save the world from centuries of suffering later. War had been their only option for bringing enlightenment to the world, as the Avatar and the Spirit World would not allow it to be achieved through peace.
"Tell me, Princess: if there was a child being abused by their caretaker, would you be morally at fault for their suffering if you did nothing about it?"
Yue's expression was clearly confused. "What does this have to do with anything?"
"I'm merely curious."
"...of course. To know the right thing to do and not do it is the same as committing evil."
Xisheng smiled, amusingly wondering if the princess realized how similar her ideal was to his own. "Yes, I couldn't have worded that better myself. As a matter of fact, that concept is the very core of the Fire Nation's motivations for this war."
"Your misguided nationalistic pride and supremacist beliefs do not make your nation right!"
"That's true. But come now Princess, do you honestly believe my nation's people have sacrificed their quality of living and even their own lives for an entire century just to laud superiority over everyone else? And if it was a matter of personal gain, believe me when I tell you we've lost much more than we've gained, and we crossed that threshold decades ago. This war is one of a kind; the first and hopefully last war that will need to be waged for this cause. You're still young. Chances are you will live to see what I mean."
Not following his rhetoric but obviously not caring for it in the first place, Yue's glared at him once again. "I'll certainly live to see the downfall of your nation's empire due to its hubris."
Xisheng donned his helmet as he opened the door to leave. "You said it yourself; to know the right thing to do and not do it is the same as committing evil. The only question that remains is which concept of 'right' is objectively true? For now, I believe the right thing would be for you to prevent the needless deaths of your countrymen."
Though she seemed unhappy to acquiesce to the enemy, Yue finally relented just as Xisheng left the room. As much as she hated to admit it, he had a point there. "I will order my people to stand down..."
Exiting the Princess' chambers, Xisheng nodded to the two guards that stood outside before glancing around to find Captain Chikaraishi absent. This was fine of course, though it left Xisheng without standing orders. He was unsure of where he should go or what he should do. He could of course return to the current command center for new orders, but he honestly didn't feel like it now that most of the important stuff was over and done with. Besides, he had already done more than was required of him by far.
With that in mind, Xisheng stepped out into the awful temperatures of the North Pole, wondering why anyone would choose to live there willingly. Then again, with the Avatar ensuring that trespassing on the lands of others was nearly impossible, perhaps the Water Tribes had never really had anywhere to go. It was yet another notion that would be nonexistent should the Fire Nation emerge victorious from this war.
Still, as he slowly walked along the ice bridges and walkways of the North Pole, Xisheng couldn't help but dwell on Yue's words to him. She was right on all accounts in saying the Fire Nation was solely responsible for initiating this war. Frankly speaking, every single person that had died fighting this conflict was on them, as was any of the suffering caused by wartime strife. This begged the question; was it right to commit evil to achieve good? This loaded question was one Xisheng had pondered many times.
On one hand, the logical choice was yes. If you had to murder one person to save three, then you did something wrong to achieve something right, and that was acceptable. But intrinsically, the question was much more complex. Morally, evil was evil regardless of why it was carried out. The murder of one to save many would still be considered immoral. That said, how could anyone be sure of the righteousness of the Fire Nation's cause? Mistakenly or not, they had wiped out an entire race, and claimed the lives of tens of thousands besides.
Ultimately, this cost could change the course of the world, and both save and improve the lives of millions in the future. But did that make it right? Xisheng did not know, but he also did not fault the Fire Nation for the war itself. They had tried to do things peacefully; the Avatar had been the one to prevent that, and even the one to resort to force first. Roku had made it clear that the only way the world could change was through conflict. The only way they could forge a better future was if the Avatar and all the spirits had no part in it.
This was Xisheng's conviction. He fought not for himself nor for his nation, but for all mankind. He was certain that the Fire Nation had embarked on this mission to finish it, and no one was going to stop them. Not the Earth Kingdom, not traitor generals, and most certainly not the Avatar.
A mere day later, Princess Yue stood before her assembled people to give the speech that Xisheng had convinced her to be necessary. She stood atop a balcony several stories above a large courtyard that held the assembled inhabitants of the city. Several Fire Nation troops were around the area as well, just to make sure nothing got out of hand. By now, Yue was already through the opening gist of her delivery.
"I understand your desire to fight for your homes and your comrades. I am not suggesting that you all simply give up hope and accept defeat. But the way to resist now is not through fighting. I know for many of you, there is no alternative besides opposing the Fire Nation. But as much as it pains me to admit it... continuing to fight them now will only bring more suffering to our own people. Those of you that continue to fight against them, please consider your families. As things stand, more conflict is pointless. Don't allow-"
At this point a large portion of the crowd was getting into a frenzy. The outraged voices of many people attempted to be heard over all of the others, but more importantly it was possible that a riot was on their hands. For the moment though, the majority of the anger was focused on the Princess, and not on the surrounding Fire Nation troops.
"How dare you suggest we just roll over and let them trample us!"
"The real Chieftain would have never said such a thing!"
"You're just a coward! You'd rather surrender to the Ashmakers than fight to the death!"
Xisheng shook his head as he watched the ordeal. Such blatant disrespect to one's leader would have never been accepted in the Fire Nation. A combination of fear and admiration kept people from spouting foolishness at the Royal family. As for this situation, many of the people around were starting to move against the perimeter of Fire Nation soldiers. And while Xisheng wasn't actually a part of that perimeter, he was certainly close enough to have some sort of obligation in containing the threat.
However, before Xisheng could take a step towards the commotion, a hand was placed on his shoulder. Turning to face the person that clearly wanted his attention, Xisheng came face to face with Captain Chikaraishi. Considering that he looked no different from any of the other soldiers here, Xisheng wondered how the Captain could have possibly known it was him, but perhaps by now the man recognized his stance, or simply the way he carried himself.
"Xisheng?"
"Sir?"
Apparently affirming that he did indeed have the right soldier, Chikaraishi withdrew a rolled letter from a pouch at his waist, adorned with a black ribbon that denoted a priority message. "You've got new orders Corporal. By decree of the Fire Lord himself."
"The Fire Lord himself? Surely that's an exaggeration Captain."
"Believe me, it's not. Truth be told I didn't think the Fire Lord himself would read my report for the battle, but apparently he took a personal interest in the account since it regarded General Iroh's betrayal, and untainted by the Admiral's arrogance at that. Just read it, you'll see."
Still a little doubtful, Xisheng took the message and unrolled it so he could read it for himself. The beginning of the message was addressed primarily to the Captain, acknowledging that the report had been thoroughly analyzed and taken into consideration. The second part pertained entirely to Xisheng himself.
For his bravery and dedication to the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Ozai commends Corporal Xisheng. For his exploits in thwarting a catastrophe and reducing the casualties incurred by the Fire Nation Navy through tactical appraisal, Corporal Xisheng is hereby promoted to Lieutenant. For his exceptional combat prowess, Lieutenant Xisheng is ordered to return to the capital immediately for induction into the Royal Guards.
Simple as that, the message had nothing more to say, at least in regards to Xisheng. Obviously it had not been written by the Fire Lord's own hand, but the commendation certainly was true. No one spoke for the Fire Lord, so no one would ever presume to voice his thoughts for him. That meant that the Fire Lord had indeed read the report submitted by Captain Chikaraishi, and he was truly impressed with Xisheng's role in it all. There was a great deal of pride in knowing that the leader of your nation acknowledged you.
Still, all of this news at once was quite shocking. "I didn't even know you could jump from enlisted to officer like that..."
Captain Chikaraishi chuckled. "Well considering the vital strategic role you played in the battle, you're more fit to be an officer than a grunt. I had to do some digging to hear about all you did, but according to Private Nani your advice probably saved hundreds of Fire Navy lives."
Xisheng tilted his head at him. "Private who?"
"The soldier you shared guard duty with the day we launched our invasion."
"I see... well I'm honored to have received such a drastic promotion, but it doesn't sound like I have a choice in this Royal Guard business..."
This earned another chuckle out of the older man that was still a superior officer by one rank. "You really don't, but look at it this way; there's no way the Fire Lord would pull you from the field just to stand guard at home. The Royal Guards must be seeing some serious action soon."
"Do you think-?"
Xisheng's query was cut off by the cacophony of a scuffle erupting behind him. For a moment he had completely forgotten about the potential riot that had been brewing.
Turning on his heel, Xisheng witnessed several Fire Nation soldiers attempting to hold back dozens of angry Water Tribesmen. No one was bending yet, but it seemed likely that the situation was going to escalate from bad to worse.
Xisheng was about to join the fray, but Chikaraishi stopped him a second time. "Hold up Lieutenant. You have a ship back to the capital to catch."
"Right now? Sir, there's about to be a full-blown riot!"
"That's true. But the Fire Lord's orders are to be carried out the moment they are received. We've got more than enough men here to keep things under control. You head back to the shoreline and get going. It's a long trip back as it is."
While Xisheng was incredibly reluctant to leave with an impending fight coming on, he figured that Chikaraishi had a point. It wasn't like the Army would collapse without him there. "If you say so Captain..."
Still watching the brawl going on in the courtyard, Xisheng began to walk away from the scene, barely hearing the words of the Captain one last time. "Good luck Xisheng. I hope the next time we meet it's at the victory banquet."
Finally turning to face the ocean instead of the city, Xisheng mumbled to himself. "You and me both sir..."
By the time Xisheng finally set foot on Fire Nation soil again, the irony of his situation had long since grown sour. On the way to the North Pole, he had enjoyed the novelty of riding across the open seas. On the way back to the Fire Nation, he had come to hate it. Even being an individual that was not prone to seasickness, he had grown seriously tired of that ironclad ship plowing through the waves. The ride from the Earth Kingdom's northern coast to the North Pole had been a little more than a week and a half. The ride from the North Pole to the Fire Nation had been a little over a month. It had been maddening, and so unbelievably droll that Xisheng had lost his nervousness and anticipation for the future for awhile.
He had of course spent most of the ride in solitude, considering his lack of familiarity with the crew. All things considered, he was kind of eager to get back to some sort of unit he would actually be a part of, even if he was nervous to join the Royal Guards. He was even more nervous when he thought about who else he would be around when he did join the unit. He recalled Captain Chikaraishi's words: Fire Lord Ozai wouldn't have pulled an able combatant from the field to stand guard at home unless the Royal Guards wouldn't be home for much longer.
Of course, the Fire Lord certainly wouldn't be going anywhere. But that only left his daughter, Crown Princess Azula. Xisheng didn't know anything more about her than the average Fire Nation citizen, but he had of course heard that she was supposed to be some sort of Firebending prodigy. And while Xisheng didn't doubt those rumors himself, there had been no practical chance for the Princess to exemplify her skills. Going to the front line could be that chance for her, but she was so young; fourteen or so. Of course age was not an indicator of capability, but Xisheng wasn't comfortable with the notion of someone so young going to war. Then again, maybe he was jumping to conclusions. For all he knew the Crown Princess wouldn't be going anywhere at all, and even if she did, it probably wouldn't be to the actual front line. Besides, he was still a few months shy of seventeen. He was hardly a grown man.
Either way, as much as Xisheng would have enjoyed a day or two to relax after so long at sea, he knew as well as any soldier that a delay in following the Fire Lord's orders was unacceptable. He had to report to the palace for induction into the Royal Guards immediately, though he doubted the process would be so simple. Surely a demonstration of his abilities would be in order before he would be allowed to join such an important unit. The only question was who he would be performing for.
The thought of it was nerve-wracking, but on the other hand it was pleasantly soothing to be back in the capital. The city of Xuchang rested comfortably within the famous Caldera of an ancient volcano. It was not the place of his birth, but he had spent many years training here in the capital to be a soldier. He briefly wondered if Sergeant Taizo was still around, terrorizing new kids, but there was little time for Xisheng to track down his very first mentor. Still, he wondered what the Sergeant would say if he learned that one of the men he had trained was being inducted into the Royal Guards. Chances were he would claim most of the credit, but that was alright. The most important aspects of Firebending had been drilled into him by that man, after all. He deserved some of the credit at least.
For a brief while, Xisheng managed to turn his attention away from his impending future. Walking through the streets of the Fire Nation capital served as a strong symbol of what he was fighting for. Of what the world could achieve. Here, there was no 'poor district.' There were no beggars on the street, trying to survive on the whims of their fellow man. There were no squalid children trying to scrape a living in alleys, no sickly elders walking about in rags, no one clearly suffering from starvation... it was the dream of Fire Lord Sozin, just not yet fully realized.
That said, it was far from a utopia. Of course Xuchang had problems; taxes were higher than normal because the war had to be funded. There was an upper echelon of society that often looked down on the common class. There was a mandated draft for males over sixteen. It was a wartime city, with all of the problems that included, but it was still far beyond the decrepit cities of the Earth Kingdom, where the poor were kicked to the farthest outskirts to suffer in silence.
Of course, one could argue that the only reason Xuchang was in a better state than Ba Sing Se was because the Fire Nation was winning and the Earth Kingdom was not. But any historical expert could tell you that the situation in the Earth Kingdom had been what it was now long before the war started. The symptoms may have been exacerbated now, but the war was not their origin.
Xisheng wondered if anyone in the Earth Kingdom knew how truly terrible their situation was. Were they oblivious to it, because they had experienced it all their lives? Did they think their lives were the way things were supposed to be?
He supposed they did. After all, it was difficult to be aware that there was something wrong with the only life you had ever known. It was why so many people actually changed their tune under Fire Nation dominion. Granted, newer colonies and conquered cities were still resentful and bitter, but older ones like Yu Dao had not only accepted Fire Nation rule, but embraced it. Once the Fire Nation had introduced a better quality of life to them, it was but a matter of time before the people realized their conquerors were not as evil as they had made them out to be.
Of course, it had been well over a decade before Yu Dao came to appreciate the benefits their conquerors brought, but hopefully that city would be the first of many. Unfortunately, Xisheng got the feeling that Ba Sing Se would take much longer to acclimate to the new rule than most of the smaller cities had.
One way or another, Xisheng did his best to weave through pedestrian traffic on his way to the palace, which was easily seen even from his position on the streets. Xuchang was easily the largest city in the Fire Nation, and this fact was mostly amplified for those traveling to the palace because most people that arrived in the city did it from the shore. The palace lied at the center of the city, making it a long walk from the perimeter.
But it gave Xisheng time to relax his nerves as he walked towards the next step in his career. He was nervous of course, but expectant as well. He had never thought he would advance beyond the rank of common soldier, yet here he was, a Lieutenant about to be inducted into the most prestigious and elite unit in the Fire Nation. As far as he knew, the Royal Guards weren't military; they answered only to the Royal Family. Then again, considering that the Fire Lord was the commander in chief, didn't that mean that they technically were military...?
Ultimately Xisheng shelved that thought to be answered at a later date, and the rest of his journey consisted of a nostalgic enjoyment of Xuchang's sights, sounds, smells, and overall atmosphere. He couldn't even remember the last time you could actually smell spices in the air. And the sound of actual laughter from the surrounding citizens was something Xisheng had not heard in many months.
This being the case, the hour long trip to the palace went by a bit faster than Xisheng had anticipated, and soon enough he was at the gates of the palace, where four of the Royal Guards he could possibly be joining barred his entry. While they all looked the same to Xisheng (uniformity was pretty popular in the military), the one that was supposedly the leader stepped forward to ascertain Xisheng's purpose for being there.
"State your business."
Knowing that his word was as good as nothing at all here, Xisheng handed over the letter Chikaraishi had given to him back at the North Pole. The guard before him perused the entirety of the letter before rolling it up and handing it back to him.
"Welcome to the palace Lieutenant. You'll be escorted to the proper room."
The guard motioned towards one of his cohorts, who bowed to Xisheng before turning and heading into the palace. Xisheng bowed to the other guards before hurrying after the one that was guiding him. While he focused on following the woman, Xisheng couldn't help but gawk at the architecture and design around him. He had of course never been to the palace before, being nothing more than a common soldier, and the view from a distance really didn't do the place justice.
The outside was flourishing with all sorts of vegetation, with a plethora of trees, bushes, and flowers dominating any open area. The structure of the palace itself was distinctly ornate, with dark red wood accented by flawless gold comprising the majority of the used materials. The interior itself had a distinctly dusky feel to it, being dark but not unwelcoming. It was strange that a place lit with so many torches could have any shadow at all, but Xisheng found the atmosphere kind of homey, if nothing else. At one point he and his guide passed a hall depicting every Fire Lord since Sozin, which Xisheng found strange considering that there had been far more than that. Then again, perhaps this hall was only for the current dynasty, which had begun with Sozin.
Due to his insatiable curiosity in observing his surroundings, Xisheng did not really take note of how he got to the chamber he was lead to. The only indicator that he had arrived was his guide stopping at that particular door. He was ushered in without any delay, at which point Xisheng found himself in a large, open chamber that was clearly designed to house Agni Kais.
The guard that had lead him here bowed before retreating out of the chamber, leaving Xisheng to more or less leap to the isolated platform that rested in the center of the chamber. It was Xisheng's understanding that this was the place Prince Zuko had undergone his ill-fated Agni Kai. It was kind of foreboding in that respect, though Xisheng doubted he would be facing the Fire Lord.
When a few newcomers did enter the chamber, Xisheng turned to face them with a mix of determination and anxiety, the latter of which was quickly amplified when he noted that the man entering the room was exactly who he had just told himself he would not be facing. The stoic, stalwart face of Fire Lord Ozai peered down at him from the balcony Xisheng had just left, with several Royal Guards flanking him.
OK, calm down. This doesn't mean anything. It's only logical that the Fire Lord would be here for this. The Royal Guards protect both him and his family. He would want to see for himself the prowess of the people he's entrusting such a responsibility to.
Thankfully Xisheng was right, and the Fire Lord sat in an ornate seat separated from the others. It seemed he would be observing this test alone, as the four Royal Guards that had entered the chamber with him descended onto the platform Xisheng currently occupied. As they all took combat stances to face him, Xisheng deducted that he would simply have to prove himself against them. Whether or not that meant actually winning was another question entirely.
There was absolutely zero delay in the start of the combat, as two of his opponents shot forth obvious yet powerful fists of flame to meet him. Xisheng's first instinct was to dodge the raging blast, but he quelled that impulse, choosing instead to block the combined attack with a wall of his own flame. He was being tested as a guard, meaning his role would be to protect. His concern would be the safety of his charge, not himself. That meant blocking attacks that came their way, not avoiding them. While the Fire Lord's face remained completely impassive, Xisheng hoped he was on the mark, and that actual defense was what the stony man wanted to see.
That would be easy enough if the enemy continued with straightforward attacks, but it was no surprise when they attacked all at once, and in different patterns. After all, who knew when a Royal Guard would be outnumbered? Two of the guards repeated the initial straightforward attack, but the right most one launched a curving fireball to hit Xisheng from the side while the final guard leaped over the combined inferno with the ever popular flaming axe kick. Xisheng had to think fast if he wanted to handle them all appropriately.
The curved fireball reached him first. Instead of wasting time and energy blocking it, Xisheng chose to divert the flame, briefly commanding it to follow the path of his shoulders and fly harmlessly to the other side of him. Unfortunately, diverting a light attack like that one was easy. Diverting a combined power blast was not, forcing Xisheng to once again rely on a fire wall to protect him. He only had a second after dealing with that attack to nullify the incoming kick from the sky, but since there was no time to attempt a Firebending move of his own, Xisheng simply weathered the blow and blocked it physically, stopping the physical contact but still having the flame wash over him.
His armor protected him from the worst of that, allowing him to shove his attacker away, head over heels through the air. She landed on her feet just fine however, just in time for the remaining three guards to launch a barrage of fireballs from every conceivable direction they could manage. Still holding fast to the belief that he was supposed to thwart the attacks rather than dodge them, Xisheng quickly calculated the best way to handle this assault.
He would never be able to react in time if he waited for each sphere of flame to reach him. Instead, he began launching fireballs of his own to intercept them. Of course there was only one of him and three of the enemy, so he could not block them all this way, but by nullifying more of the attacks before they reached him, he could block most of the rest through defensive walls. It was a technique he had quickly learned on the defensive line in the Earth Kingdom, where being outnumbered by Earthbenders and their numerous projectiles was all too common.
There was no time at all to try and see what the Fire Lord thought of his efforts so far, but Xisheng figured he would have to be offensive at some point. After all, you could protect against attacks all day long, but until the enemy was neutralized the threat would not cease. With this in mind, Xisheng redirected the next fireball to reach him through the barrage of similar attacks to target one of the Firebenders about to throw another one at him. Caught in the middle of a motion, the man was unable to react fast enough to protect himself, getting launched backwards by the impact.
Taking advantage of the now decreased number of attacks he had to fend off for a split second, Xisheng quickly advanced towards the remaining enemies, continuing to counter their attacks as he did so. Unfortunately the woman who had thrown the axe kick at him earlier now stepped forward to sweep a tendril of flame at his legs, an attack that would easily knock him off balance if it wasn't avoided. Xisheng essentially hopped over it, not wanting to expose himself with a high jump into the air. He even managed to block two more fireballs during the maneuver, but he did not manage to block the followup bolt of flame when the only female guard threw a straight kick at him. The force of the blow sent Xisheng sailing backwards, though he rolled to his feet as soon as he hit the floor and unleashed a torrent of flame back at his trio of attackers, about to be rejoined by the one guard Xisheng had hit earlier.
Just as he had with Iroh, Xisheng took advantage of the blinding flame he had unleashed to close the distance between himself and his group of opponents, a movement they failed to notice whatsoever until their collective Firebending cleared away his inferno. Unfortunately for them, by the time they were able to see Xisheng's new proximity to their position, the potential Royal Guard was close enough to launch two powerful palm strikes at his center foes. The strikes to the chest, amplified by the concussive force of condensed Firebending, sent two of the guards careening off the edge of the Agni Kai platform, essentially removing them from the conflict.
Xisheng did not have long to revel in his small victory however, as his remaining two adversaries began to attack him in close quarters, foregoing Firebending altogether to instead rely on simple martial arts prowess. Naturally all military Firebenders had significant training in Shaolin Kung Fu (it was the martial art medium through which Firebending was used after all), but it was unusual for it to be used without the associated element. That said, Xisheng himself was quite adept at hand-to-hand combat, because the chaotic battles on the defensive line had often called for a quick reaction to a nearby foe.
Even so, he was outnumbered by two skilled fighters. He managed to block a few strikes on either side of his body, but his opponents were smart enough to alternate their attacks to catch him off guard. Xisheng quickly found one of his legs kicked out from under him, sending him to one knee as he raised both arms to block combined side kicks to his torso. But the force of the dual blow broke his guard, and the follow up straight kick to his chest both knocked the wind out of him and sent him reeling backwards.
Despite the tightness in his chest, Xisheng knew he had to display perseverance and determination to keep fighting. Performing an ukemi that allowed him to windmill his legs in the direction of his two remaining opponents, Xisheng unleashed two torrents of flame that kept them at bay as he used his motion to return to a fighting stance.
Both he and his adversaries were ready to engage once again, exhaustion be damned, but they were prevented from doing so as the voice of the Fire Lord cut them off with one curt command.
"Enough."
Dropping their stances, the combatants turned to face the Fire Lord, bowing to him. The ruler of their nation said nothing, instead rising to his feet and calmly walking to the door to exit the Agni Kai chamber. Xisheng waited until he was absolutely sure the man was gone before daring to speak his misgivings.
"Is that... good? He didn't say anything, what does that mean?"
Understanding his trepidation, one of the Royal Guards turned to face him. "Don't worry about it. If the Fire Lord were not satisfied with your performance, he definitely would have made it obvious. This means you passed, and it's a well earned passage too, if I do say so myself. Welcome to the Royal Guards, Lieutenant Xisheng."
Xisheng breathed a sigh of relief, his concern over his performance washing away with the news that he had been sufficient. "Great. So... what's next?"
"You'll need to get acquainted with a new uniform, obviously. After that you'll need to be briefed on a series of protocol and rules, not to mention quite a few oaths... but after that it's just rest. We're leaving the Fire Nation first thing tomorrow morning."
The now advanced Firebender shook his head in dismay. "Seriously? I literally just got back..."
"It's rough I know, but the Crown Princess is departing for the Earth Kingdom tomorrow to apprehend the traitor Iroh. She's taking the best fighters in the Royal Guards with her, and after your performance today, that includes you. If you have any other questions, you can ask them once we're out to sea tomorrow."
Xisheng bowed, not at all pleased with the idea of getting back on another ship. "Yes sir."
With a bow back in his direction, the two Royal Guards left on the platform began their descent to ground level to help their fallen comrades. As for Xisheng, he rolled the stiffness out of his shoulders, and went to go figure out where he could get the new uniform with the way more kickass helmet.
The next morning, Xisheng found himself hurried at a much more leisurely pace than he had expected. The day before, he had acquired his uniform and been sworn into the service of the Royal Guards, then been told they would be leaving first thing in the morning. Turns out first thing in the morning in the capital was a little different than first thing in the morning on the front lines.
For one, it wasn't the crack of dawn. Xisheng was roused by his fellow guards at roughly eight in the morning, and succinctly told that he had thirty minutes to be at the docks with everyone else. Not wanting to make a bad impression or otherwise do anything foolish on his very first day, Xisheng had wasted no time in donning his new uniform, one that he, to some childish degree, thought looked far cooler than the standard one. He especially loved the far more intimidating helmet and mask, though it was arguably a little more difficult to see out of compared to the standard Army helmet.
Either way, Xisheng had properly equipped himself with everything necessary in just under seven minutes, and it was at that point that he questioned how on earth he and the others would reach the docks in twenty minutes with the distance and the traffic taken into consideration. Turns out the Royal Guards moved throughout the city with an underground network, something that Xisheng would have thought a myth until he used it himself.
The maze of underground tunnels was home to tracks that utilized wheeled platforms. They were little more than steel squares with benches on them, but either way they allowed eight Royal Guards at a time to move unhindered through the city and at a much faster pace. Xisheng was impressed with the device, if only because only the Fire Nation could have it considering everyone's technological levels. Sure, the Earth Kingdom had that train thing they used in Ba Sing Se, but that was powered through Earthbending, not technology.
Mode of transport aside, Xisheng and his comrades in arms reached the docks with plenty of time to spare, and locating the ship they were to be stationed on was easy; while certainly not the size of the Inferno super battleship from the North Pole, the Royal Barge had plenty of features to give it away, aside from being the size of a Dragon Class Destroyer. The significantly more ornate prow than any standard ship certainly made it obvious as well. It also had its own space at the private docks, with no civilian or military ships within a thousand yards.
The Royal Guard contingent boarded the ship without delay, sweeping the entire craft for anything even mildly threatening, though mostly for threats along the lines of spies and assassins. When that was done, they returned to the deck and formed two lines, simply waiting for the arrival of the Crown Princess. Xisheng wasn't really familiar with all of this protocol, but he simply followed along well enough.
They did not have to wait long for the Princess and her palanquin to be brought aboard. If Xisheng had a way to tell the time, he would have seen that she arrived at exactly nine in the morning. While her notion of 'first thing in the morning' may have been a little askew, she was certainly punctual.
Following the cue of his fellow guards, Xisheng prostrated himself in deference well before the Princess even bothered disembarking from her luxurious means of transportation. Only after they had been in this position for a few moments did she actually emerge from her palanquin, not that Xisheng could see with his face practically in the ground. Considering that no one could see in their positions, the Princess had no choice but to use her voice to command them.
"Rise."
Every one of the Royal Guards did so, turning to face forwards when they did. As for Xisheng, he was struck by how commanding the voice of such a young girl could be. She certainly sounded older than fourteen, in tone if nothing else. Then again, she looked a far cry from fourteen as well. Sure, she had the height of a budding teenager, but her countenance, her poise, even the near flawlessness of her overall appearance: they all seemed unnatural on someone her age. Even so, she was very pretty. The severity of her expression didn't diminish the pure, piercing amber eyes that only the Royal Family laid claim to. Nor did it degrade the obsidian bangs that framed her features so perfectly.
Descending from the steps her palanquin rested on, the Princess wasted no time in beginning her succint briefing for their mission.
"General Iroh has disgraced and betrayed the Fire Nation, and brought shame to each and every one of us. My brother may be in league with him, or he may not. One way or another, you will be fighting members of the Royal Family. I understand some of you may have mixed feelings about this; but rest assured, I will not tolerate hesitation. If you cannot strike down Iroh and, potentially, my brother, I'll have no choice but to remove you from the Royal Guards. Permanently. Is that perfectly understood?"
"Yes, Princess!"
Even as Xisheng gave his affirmation along with his new comrades, he was glad for the helmet that hid his face. It allowed him to more or less gawk at the girl that was in total command. He had expected her to be stern, but not to threaten her own men. Then again, she was embarking on a mission to apprehend a legendary Firebender and master tactician. She would need complete dedication and unwavering conviction in the mission from her men, and this was one very effective way of ensuring it. Xisheng attributed her threat to that more than any other potential reason.
Regardless, the contingent of Royal Guards was dismissed after that short and to the point briefing. Strangely enough, there was little for Xisheng to actually do. There was actually very little for any of them to do. Their job was to guard the Princess. And while that was a much larger responsibility than any normal soldier had, it was also a very narrow range of responsibility. As a common soldier there was always something for Xisheng to do: check supplies, relay orders from officers, manage squads he may have been put in charge of, the works. Here he only had one job, and he couldn't very well do it unless the Princess was being attacked or in a compromised situation. Even on his first day, there was a surprising amount of downtime for a Royal Guard...
That being the case, Xisheng spent most of the day familiarizing himself with the ship and getting more familiar with his new comrades. What surprised him the most about the latter was the ratio of male and female guards. While women were certainly nothing new in the Fire Nation military, they were still a minority for the most part. Only about fifteen percent of enlisted troops were female, and only a moderately higher twenty percent were officers. This was mostly because most women didn't choose the military life, and because the draft didn't apply to them the same way it did men, because the ratio for the entire population was somewhat askew in favor of males.
Here though, roughly half of the Royal Guards were women. While some chauvinists in the regular Army disliked the idea of trusting women on the battlefield, here they were respected. And why not? They had all been required to prove themselves. They were all capable fighters, surely.
For Xisheng, the day passed very slowly. Aside from having nothing truly important to do, he was extremely unhappy to be aboard a ship once again, so soon after finishing one voyage. It wasn't until the late afternoon that someone actually brought forth a decent idea. One of the other relatively new Royal Guards, Akuwagata, suggested that he and Xisheng do a little sparring on the deck. He seemed to be as depressed with the boring nature of their first day as well, and since he was no longer the 'rookie' of the group thanks to Xisheng's induction, he wanted to test himself against the new guy. Xisheng had no problem with that, and the two of them found themselves on the deck of the barge rather quickly.
Xisheng thought it strange that they had the entire deck to themselves. He figured that more people would have been up here, enjoying the sea breeze or the vermilion shade of the sun on the waters, but there was no one else present. Everyone was below deck somewhere, or on the bridge. That being the case, at least he and Akuwagata had plenty of space to fight.
Their match was nothing special, though mostly because Akuwagata was nothing special. Xisheng hated to think that since it seemed kind of haughty on his part, but he didn't really see anything too impressive from his sparring partner. The man had raw power, but he didn't have any strategy. His method of fighting was little more than executing various combat forms, and it wasn't difficult to predict or even defend against. Xisheng had to actually hold back to have the match last longer than a minute. He supposed a regimented fighter could be useful in certain situations, perhaps against a score of typical combatants, but if it came down to a fight against a skilled warrior, like the traitor they were hunting, such an approach to fighting would be less than useless.
He was too rigid really. He almost fought like an Earthbender, with one set course of action that he didn't know how to deviate from. Still, maybe it was unfair to be so judgmental. In a one on one fight Akuwagata's style wasn't worth much, but coordinated with his comrades he would be much more efficient. Certain styles of fighting did fare better in certain situations, after all.
Xisheng was about to block another straightforward blast when Akuwagata stopped himself short, staring at the bridge of the ship for a second or two before bowing. Easily concluding what the holdup was, Xisheng turned around as well, spotting the Princess descending down the crimson carpet that shrouded the steps to the bridge. He of course wasted no time in bowing as well.
Surprisingly, the Princess seemed to find their actions amusing. Then again, that half sardonic tone she so excelled in exuding made it seem like she found everything amusing. "Please, don't stop on my account. What worth would you have as my guards if you didn't keep your skills sharp?"
Xisheng wasn't sure how to respond to this; she was technically giving them the go ahead to continue practicing, but protocol dictated that engaging in anything even remotely dangerous around the Royal Family was a massive folly. That included training within a hundred feet of the Crown Princess.
Thankfully Akuwagata voiced exactly that. "Your Highness, we will vacate the deck if you desire to occupy it..."
This reply earned a slight frown from the young girl. "Well, I see you weren't chosen for intellectual reasons. What part of 'don't stop on my account' was unclear? In fact, just consider it an order. I won't have my guards grow incompetent because they don't train."
With nothing to really say to that, Akuwagata bowed even further. "Yes, Your Highness."
With no means of dissent now, Xisheng and Akuwagata returned to their sparring match, though it was much more tense now. Xisheng had his back turned, so he didn't know what the Princess was doing, but what if she were watching them? Judging their abilities? Granted, if he could impress the Fire Lord Xisheng was reasonably confident he could impress his daughter as well, but that would mean demolishing Akuwagata, something that didn't sit quite right with him.
Thankfully, it became painfully obvious that the Princess wasn't watching them at all when a brief crackling sound heralded a bolt of electricity shooting forth from the deck of the ship. The lance of blue cracked across the amber sky, a strange sight indeed considering the temperate weather, but Xisheng was far too flabbergasted by the feat itself to dwell on its magnificence.
I'd heard rumors that the Royal Family could bend lightning, but I never thought it had much merit to it... does she even need protection when she is capable of such an incredible form of bending? I doubt even that traitor Iroh could counter that...
Briefly lost in thought as he was, Xisheng was caught off guard when a somewhat strained blast of fire came roughly his way. He said roughly because it was actually quite a bit off, so much so that Xisheng could simply stand still to avoid it. Unfortunately, letting the attack pass him was a very bad idea because of who was behind him. Even more unfortunately than that, Xisheng was too unprepared to somehow intercept the blast before it passed him.
He glanced over his shoulder to see the ball of flame hurtling right at the Princess, and he immediately questioned how he was going to die. Thrown overboard? Burnt to a crisp? Hanged? Who knew?
Alarmed as he was, Xisheng barely managed to breathe a sigh of relief when the blast of ill-aimed fire briefly turned an azure blue before dissipating at the hand of the Princess herself. Unfortunately, his relief didn't last long. The expression on the girl's face was calm as ever, but definitely unhappy. Disdainful maybe. Xisheng didn't know, but either way it was bad.
Azula sighed as though she had only been inconvenienced, stroking one of her bangs as she glanced off into the ocean. "Not for intellectual reasons indeed... if I were paranoid, I would almost accuse you of being an assassin of some sort, but no one that actually wanted to kill me would employ such a pathetic attack."
Akuwagata bowed so low his head was almost level with his knees. "M-m-my apologies P-Princess..."
"Oh, I'm sure. But I really don't care much for apologetic drivel. So stand up; you can hardly fight me like that."
There was a brief moment of confusion for the two Royal Guards, once again voiced by Akuwagata. "I-I don't understand, Your H-highness..."
The Princess leveled a disdainful glare at Akuwagata. She seemed to be exceptionally adept at that. "Yes, we've established already that you're lacking in mental acuity. It just seems to me that if you're so eager to train that you can't even control your own Firebending properly, you must need some 'advanced' opposition. Both of you are going to fight me. And it's going to hurt, but maybe you'll learn something useful."
Though she gave a relatively solid reason for doing this, Xisheng got the feeling the Princess just wanted to exact some petty revenge for the misstep of her subordinates. One could call her a terrible person for doing such a thing, but hell, she was actually being quite merciful. After all, had she been caught off guard she could have been seriously injured. Akuwagata had messed up, and so had Xisheng to some extent for failing to block the attack before it reached her. The Princess could have done any number of terrible, horrible things to them for endangering her, but she instead chose to simply mop the floor with them in a sparring match. Whether the goal was to just beat them up or humiliate them was a mystery.
Either way, Xisheng knew there was no getting out of this one, so he took a firm stance and prepared for the worst. Behind him, Akuwagata did the same, but he was clearly wavering and far too scared for his own good. The Princess actually seemed to appreciate Xisheng's resolve in facing her, though interpreting her expression was actually pretty difficult. But if there was one thing drilled into every soldier's head during training, it was to stand your ground against a foe no matter how outclassed you were, provided a fight was inevitable. It was a lesson Xisheng had displayed against Iroh. A lesson that Zuko probably could have used to very great effect before his banishment.
Either way, the Princess didn't wait even a moment for her far outclassed opponents to be ready, launching thin, spear-like bolts of azure flame at both of them simultaneously. Akuwagata, still fumbling in his stance, attempted to block it but was sent hurtling backwards, while Xisheng decided to dodge the blue flame rather than block it, considering his lack of experience with it. He had no idea how strong this variety of Firebending was compared to the regular kind, but he was willing to bet that the difference was significant.
However, he barely had a second after dodging the first attack before another bolt raced at him, and then a third when he dodged that one. Not only were the Princess' attacks powerful, but they were fast: much faster than any Firebender Xisheng had ever seen. It was all he could do to less than gracefully evade getting shot in the chest by rolling, ducking, and practically dropping to the deck of the ship to avoid getting hit.
By now Akuwagata had returned to his shaky feet, but he did nothing in regards to actually attacking the Princess. His lack of involvement on that front caused him to be almost entirely ignored by the teenager, who continued to harry Xisheng with shots that he was sure were not as strong or fast as they could have been. He got the distinct feeling that she was toying with him, which was no surprise really but still insulting. Xisheng knew he was not the best Firebender: he was certainly not better than the Princess. But he at least believed himself to be a good fighter. No matter who he was facing, he liked to think he at least provided some challenge.
Besides, he noticed that the Princess seemed to be rather disappointed in the whole ordeal, or bored at the very least. Xisheng could at least rectify that. Akuwagata may have been unwilling to attack the Princess, but she had explicitly stated that they were to fight her. Not stand around and get pummeled by her. With that in mind, Xisheng settled on returning fire after his next dodge.
Leaping over the next shot, Xisheng kicked out two wheels of flame, the duo soaring towards his target for but a moment before they were nonchalantly sidestepped. Even so, The Princess almost looked impressed. Almost.
"Bravo, one of you actually did something. I honestly thought you were going to let me shoot at you all day."
While he definitely wasn't going to bet on his interpretation of anything the Princess said, Xisheng felt that she too understood the inherent code of honorable combat for a Firebender: fight for fighting's sake. It didn't matter if you won, as long as you fought your absolute hardest.
With that notion in mind, Xisheng went on the attack, hurling every conceivable move he could at the Princess from his distance. He swept waves of fire at her feet, launched wheels of flame at her torso, curved fireballs from different angles, he even used the somewhat rare Sunder technique, launching a wall of flame at the girl that split in two as it traveled. They were all equally useless. Every single one was dodged or simply brought under the Princess' control before she forcefully dispersed them. The powerful Sunder technique was simply kicked into nothingness by one swipe of blue flame.
Desperate for some kind of headway, Xisheng tried his somewhat signature technique of blinding the enemy with an inferno before closing the distance. However, he had no time to employ the second half of the technique, as a condensed tendril of blue flame pierced the veil of orange and blasted Xisheng right in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards. The force of the blow was enough to knock the wind out of him and probably bruise his torso, but not pierce his armor.
Without him to power it, Xisheng's own attack faltered and dissipated, revealing the Princess looking no worse for wear than she had before. Still, Xisheng was standing, and not without energy. He wasn't going to stop now. But he had figured by now that he would never match the Princess in Firebending. Considering her unusual bending style, perhaps she was unskilled in hand to hand combat?
Trying to capitalize on that gamble, Xisheng used his Firebending to boost him forward, closing the distance between him and the Princess in but a few seconds. Of course, Xisheng was certain she could have reacted at any time to stop him from getting so close, but she must have been curious as to what his next attack would be.
Indeed, she was surprised to see a regular axe kick coming at her, but surprised or not she nevertheless dodged it. In fact, rather than retaliate at all, she simply avoided everything. Every punch, every kick, every feint, and certainly any other kind of threat her opponent posed. At some point Xisheng tried to crush the shorter girl under a downward elbow strike, but he found the Princess' fingers half an inch from his gut before he could connect, and a controlled yet nevertheless powerful spurt of blue flame smashed into Xisheng's stomach with enough force to keel him over in pain. In a second he was on his knees, struggling to breathe.
The Princess seemed convinced that the match was over, but she found herself rather pleasantly surprised when Xisheng struggled to his feet and took some semblance of a combat stance, though it was suffering from fatigue and pain.
The Princess cocked a curious eyebrow at him. "Are you a sane member of my guards, soldier?"
While he found it hard to speak, Xisheng knew he couldn't leave the Princess unanswered. "I... haven't been incapacitated yet... I can still fight...Your Highness..."
There was a brief moment of silence from the younger girl as she contemplated the man before her that looked no different than any of her other guards. "Is that so? Well in that case, I order you to stand down."
More than a little relieved to hear that, Xisheng dropped his stance, though he refrained from any display that was too unsightly.
"What's your name, soldier?"
Surprised that the Princess had anything else to say to him, Xisheng nevertheless managed a reply. "Lieu...Lieutenant Xisheng, Your Highness."
His response actually earned a small expression of surprise from the Princess. "Really? The same Xisheng that fought against my Uncle at the North Pole?"
"T-the same, Your Highness."
This actually elicited a slight smirk from the girl. "I didn't think you'd actually arrive in the Capital for induction before I left, Lieutenant. Allow me to commend you personally for your efforts to thwart my traitorous Uncle at the North Pole."
Xisheng wasn't sure how rare praise from the Crown Princess was, but based on what he had seen of her so far, he was convinced that it was a once in a blue moon occurrence. "You speak too highly of me Princess. I only did what was expected of any soldier."
"Oh, it's your duty as a common soldier alright, but I doubt there are many soldiers in our military that would have dueled the Dragon of the West. Furthermore, it's my understanding that you played a significant tactical role in the siege. The Fire Nation needs more soldiers like you, truly."
"I-I'm honored that Your Highness thinks so."
The Princess glanced down at her nails. "As for your combat prowess..."
This was the part Xisheng didn't want to hear. He had been soundly defeated without giving a single scratch in return, after all.
"You're good. Not even close to my level of course, but definitely better than most of the common rabble in our Army. More importantly, you fought me seriously despite knowing you couldn't win. Your awareness of the futility of your efforts didn't stop you from nevertheless fighting your hardest. Truth be told I admire your bravery, though I suppose it could be considered asinine as well."
Xisheng wasn't sure how he felt about that last spiel, since a lot of the compliments seemed kind of backhanded. But they were still compliments, so Xisheng decided to take them for what they were. As for the Princess, she turned on her heel, stalking back towards the bridge where her private quarters were. "Be on the deck by sunrise tomorrow morning Lieutenant. I prefer to train early."
Left speechless by that order that could have meant any number of things, Xisheng fumbled for some sort of reply. His shock didn't last long though, because the Princess seemed to remember something just before she left the deck.
"Oh, and one more thing."
Quickly turning on her heel, the Princess shot another of her blue lances of flame at Akuwagata, who was still standing on the far end of the ship. The impact was significantly harder than anything she had used in her spar, blasting the poor guard backwards and smashing him against the edge of the deck railing.
"Hesitating to fight members of the Royal Family includes me."
With that, the daughter of the Fire Lord finally made her exit, leaving Xisheng staring after her with a wide array of mixed feelings. He wasn't sure if she was a ruthless individual or simply a girl that knew what she wanted and expected and worked to make it happen. Either way, Xisheng decided to worry about the Princess' intentions in the morning later. Instead, he took a brief moment to futilely rub the soreness out of his torso, then turned and walked back towards Akuwagata to make sure the guy hadn't broken his spine or something.
Nothing much got altered in this chapter. Just some small details and a few better choices of words.
Though I guess I retconned Xisheng's CQC skill level. In hindsight it didn't make much sense that someone whose medium for bending is Shaolin kung fu would be unskilled at actually using it to fight.
