Chapter 41

Battalion

Sokka

I was woken by the sound of the alarm. Shooting awake I grabbed my boomerang and shot out of the tent that I was sharing with two other men. The men stood, waiting. Just outside our boarders a man appeared. He was a few years older then me and clearly of earth kingdom origin. He raised his hands up in the air.

"My name is Su Sen, I am looking for Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

The man was lucky that I was there, otherwise he would have been impaled.

"That's not a bad thing. I'm friends with Zuko." That stopped the other warriors and I stepped forward.

"My name is Sokka-"

"Prince of the water tribe, I know if Zuko is not here may I talk to Maddison? Girl of all four nations and spirit walker?" I pinched the bridge of my nose, something Maddi did often.

"I'm the only one here right now. The rest are in Ba Sing Se." Su Sen nodded.

"My men and I have travelled far, may we rest here?"

"I'll have to ask my father but unless he says no I don't see a problem."

I found myself gapping at the sheer number of people who had flocked to this man's call. There were enough to triple the size of the current army. It was a true battalion like the ones that belonged in the earth king's army. We were outnumbered and I could tell that the other Warriors were becoming uncomfortable by the amount of soldiers who were claiming allegiance to the fire nation.

"Sokka, can I talk to you." I turned. My father was standing behind me along with his council. I nodded and the eight of us disappeared into the war tent.

"What is this 'Prince Zuko's' position on the war and how are you two friends? Bato told me that he actively attacked you and your friends, destroying a nunnery in the process." I grimaced, I hadn't expected that tale to be passed on to my father. And now the counsel knew. Just great.

"Zuko's… complicated. He's had a rough time of things but he does not support his father. He's more of a neutral force currently, I don't think he's decided yet whether he wants to join the fight or remain neutral. Either way he is not our enemy."

"How complicated can he be? He attacked you and your sister along with your friends."

"He also saved Aang's life, helped us fight off his psycho sister, and he never really hurt us in the first place. He was more of an inconvenience then an enemy." I shrugged, "Besides, Pala trusted him and saw good in him. That's enough for me."

"Why does this Pala's opinion hold so much sway? You told us that she was a earth kingdom girl washed ashore." I paled. I wasn't going to tell Pala's secrets to people who were strangers to her. I wasn't going to betray her.

"I can't tell you, it's up to Palartok to decide. It's her secret." One of the council, an old man with a pinched face named Tikaani shot an angry glare at me. He was the eldest in the counsel and was older then gran-gran. Because of his age he carried quite a bit of weight and influence. It wouldn't be such a problem if he had an open mind. Unfortunately he was like a dog with a bone, once he decided something only the tribe leader could talk him down. I understood that as he was an elder I should respect him but he was quick to judge and quicker to accuse. He also never accepted that he could be wrong.

"Your loyalty should be to your tribe not some foreigner girl."

"She is part of the tribe, she accepted the name and if my father agrees I would like to officially claim her as my sister." Tikaani's face changed from red to white. His mouth snapped shut and he didn't say another word.

"That is beyond the point now. Let the men stay for the night, one night only, then travel where they will. I see no harm in it." The council nodded at my father's decision. As chief his word was final.

There was a shout and one of the men I shared a tent with ran in.

"The avatar has returned with several strangers and is demanding to speak to both Sokka and chief Hakotda." I shot up, grinning and tore out of the tent.

In the centre of the camp was Appa. It was still dark out and the firelights flickering turned my friends into strange shadows but I knew it was them.

"Katara?" There was a shriek and one of the shapes turned, hairloopies, my sister. She tore forward, almost knocking me off my feet as she hugged me.

"I missed you. I was so worried when I saw how large the camp was that... that something had happened."

"Um, thanks sis." I muttered patting her on the back until she backed off. I looked away and counted the people. There was more then there should have been.

"What happened?"

"We lost Ba Sing Se." I jumped. Aang had joined Katara and I while we had been talking and was watching the others interact.

"We lost Ba Sing Se, but we saved the king and Zuko and his uncle joined us too." I blinked then grinned. Good timing. I scanned the shapes unloading Appa. There, a flash of a green dress and a person who stood taller then the others. That must be Maddi as King Kuei was taller then her. Then the person's hand caught on fire. I shrieked as the light revealed a red scar. Zuko.

"So who are your guests Sokka?" Aang asked, sending me a strange look for the noise I had made.

"His name is Su-Sen he and his battalion are looking for Zuko."


Maddi

I sighed, brushing my bangs from my face I slid down Appa's back. The fire in Zuko's hand flickered gently in the sea breeze as he talked to his uncle.

"Everything alright here?

"Yes. Uncle and I were talking." I nodded and was about to step away when Iroh spoke up.

"I wish to thank you for going out of your way to warn us, not everyone would have done that." I chuckled.

"Thank you but anyone who knows what I know would have done the same." Zuko shot me a strange look, his face crunching up in thought. I felt a pine of cold run through me. Now that they were here... I would have to tell them. Was it stupid to be scared of their reaction? I had already been through it with my friends and Katara had essentially disowned me for a month. These people weren't my closest companions, they hadn't been through as much as our group. Still I didn't have the monopoly on my knowledge. I had no right to keep it from these people, not when it could give them an advantage in this war. I grit my teeth.

"Zuko, Iroh there's something I-"

"Prince Zuko! I need to speak to Prince Zuko." I jerked away in shock, spinning to find myself face to face with a man a year or two older then me.

"Who are you?" Zuko and I asked in sync. We blinked at each other then uncomfortably stepped away. For the first time I noticed that the fire in Zuko's palm had gone out.

"My name is Su Sen, can I assume that you are Prince Zuko of the fire nation and Maddison, girl of all nations?" I gaped in shock while Zuko nodded, a crease forming between his eyes as he thought.

"I'm Zuko... I'm sorry but your name sounds familiar do we know each other?" Su Sen smiled.

"Not personally but you know my little brother Lee." I gasped, my mind jumping to that little boy that Zuko had met. He had a brother, one who was such a minor character that his name was mentioned only twice. Now that character who I had only known as a name that lay mostly unremembered in the back of my mind was here in front of us, looking for Zuko and me.

"You're Lee's older brother?" Zuko asked while I continued to watch, suddenly ashamed. I had just written this young man off for dead after watching that episode. I hadn't thought anything of him beyond that. Now here he was, a possible ally and I had written him off. Great job Maddi, great job.

"Yes, he told me a lot about you and I... I was hoping that I could join in the rebellion against your father, as I traveled I ended up picking up a few men here and there who wanted to join as well."

"I'd say it was more then a few." Iroh chuckled as he glanced around. Su Sen shrugged.

"It was their idea to come, I never forced them. Every one of these men are willing to put their life on the line to stop this war once and for all. I think all of us would like to never see another war in our lifetimes."

"I think we can all agree on that." I stated, finally regaining my tongue.

"Well I think it is time for an old man like me to retire, I recommend you three do the same. We can converse on what needs to be done when we are all well rested." I laughed as Iroh stood up and walked away. He was right. Of course he was right, this was Iroh after all.

"I think I shall do the same. Goodnight Zuko, Su sen. It was an honour to meet you."


Zuko

I woke the next morning in a small tent that had been lent to uncle and I by one of the other men here. It was small and plain but it was more then I had been used to for several months now and I was able to fully appreciate it. Uncle snored loudly beside me before snorting and rolling over. Sighing I stood, pulled on my clothes and headed outside.

The sunlight streamed down against the cool air. Being so close to the sea left a salt filled biting cold in the area. It too was something I was used to from all my time traveling on the ocean I decided if I could find my way to someplace where there would be breakfast when a man ran up, panting slightly from exertion.

"Prince Zuko, I'm sorry to bother you but the members of the tribe have called a meeting and it was requested that you and your uncle participate. I was told to let you know that it starts at noon and to make sure you are at the main tent by then. If you need to I can meet you here and escort you." Sighing the man flopped onto the ground and then looked up.

"By the way if you see Maddison, Palartok, whatever you call her can you tell her for me? She was supposed to be with the ladies Toph and Katara but she apparently vanished earlier today. I've been running all over the camp trying to find her." I blinked in surprise but nodded, glancing into the sky I realized that it was still five hours until noon. I had slept in. Sighing I thanked the messenger who tiredly stood, muttered something about taking a break, and wandered away. Turning back I walked back into the tent and shook my uncle's shoulder.

"Uncle, you need to wake up." He groaned and flapped at my hand. A small smile crept onto my face. I really loved my uncle but sometimes he was just entirely to frustrating.

"Uncle there is a council at noon, we have been requested to join. I will be back before it starts, I hope you won't still be asleep by then." Still smiling I left the tent. I knew my uncle had probably heard that and was aware of its meaning. Deciding to go find that breakfast I had wanted earlier I wandered through the camp. After several minutes of walking I noticed a group of men, not all watertribe, and one woman. Maddison.

"May I join you?" Room was quickly made for me and I sat down beside Maddison, who glanced at me then took another bit of her fish.

"I was told to tell you-"

"I know." I looked at her in surprise before nodding. I really shouldn't have been so surprised. She looked up at me and broke off a section of her fish.

"Here, I bet you're hungry."

"Thank you." The fish was well cooked and tasted of something sweet, a flavour I couldn't quite remember that tickled at the edges of my mind. We shared the fish in silence as the other men conversed and laughed around us.

"So why are you here?"

"I'm trying to pretend that I don't have anywhere to go in a few hours. That and because I'm so bad at keeping track of time I have a legitimate excuse if I'm late. Unfortunately it's really hard to say that about noon, its the only time that I can always tell." I frowned but didn't say anything. Instead letting her talk at me.

"This meeting is about me you know." That was a surprise. I looked up at her. She was staring down at her fish, refusing to meet my eyes.

"I mean you all have a right to know my secrets but the first time I told my friends Katara practically disowned me for a month. These people? Most of them are strangers, I only really know you and Iroh beyond those who already know my secret and my story is just so unbelievable..." she trailed off and glanced at me apologetically.

"Hey, I'm sorry, here I am spilling all my troubles to you without asking how you are doing. So what's going on with you?" I took a bite of the fish she had given to me, chewed and swallowed, giving myself time to think. While I thought I looked Maddi over. I had been unable to get her out of my head since the first time she spoke to me and as aggravating that snowball had been when we had first met it didn't change the effect she had on me. Maddi wasn't beautiful like the women in the fire nation, she wasn't pale and regal with a defined face but she had her own style of beauty, one that I had never thought of before. The only thing similar between the two was height. Maddi was tall, standing at the same height as me. Her face was round and soft and while she did at times have an air of aristocracy she seemed to be able to use it when she wanted instead of carrying it with her at all times. Maddi's skin was also darker than any firenation woman's although it was lightening up, leaving an explosion of small brown spots on her face. I had never seen spots like that before.

"What are those?" She frowned in confusion.

"What are what?"

"Those dots on your face." She looked shocked for a minute and brushed her hand against it suddenly her face lit up as if she suddenly remembered. Then she laughed.

"I guess my freckles are more obvious now that my 'tan' is fading. They're just freckles, sun kisses, I guess you wouldn't know about them, most people here don't have them." Sun kisses? I wondered looking at the small spots, like a blessing from the sun spirit? It was a fascinating concept and I wanted to ask about them further but she glanced up into the sky and sighed.

"What time is it now?" I glanced up as well.

"We still have two hours."

"Good." We lapsed into silence.

"So what are sun kisses exactly?" She laughed brightly, catching the attention of the other men there. I felt a spike of something uncomfortable in my gut at their attention. I pushed it away as she answered my question.

"Where I come from there are some people who are born with red hair, my mother was one of them. I wasn't lucky enough to get her beautiful hair but I did get her freckles, its something that only redheads or people related to redheads get." I nodded. Red heads, people with red hair I had never heard of something like that before. I was beginning to suspect that Maddi was born a great deal farther away then I had thought.

"Oh hello." The both of us looked up as several of the men around us stood up. It was a vaguely familiar man who stood before us. Narrowed my eyes, trying to place the face when Maddi stood.

"Su Sen, I'm surprised what brings you here?"

"You do actually, your friend Katara is going crazy searching for you. Apparently you didn't tell her where you were going?" Maddi blushed slightly while at the same time she looked annoyed.

"Yeah... I'll go and talk to her. Thank you."

"Let me come with you." Maddi looked surprised before smiling.

"Well I don't see a problem with-"

"I'll come too." I stated, standing and taking a spot beside her. Maddi looked surprised her eyes flicking between me and Su Sen. I could see that she was confused and trying to figure out why I was acting this way. I didn't know myself just that when Su Sen mentioned walking with her alone something in my stomach twisted painfully.


Maddi

Zuko was acting strange. He was jumpy, sending strange looks at Su Sen and then almost recoiling every time Su Sen looked at him. What was going on with him? On Su Sen's part he was pretending not to notice but there was a knowing look in his eyes and he kept having to hide his smile.

"Pala! Why did you vanish like that." Katara cried, running towards me from her father's tent.

"I just went to grab something to eat, its no big deal." I quickly deflected, eyes flashing towards the tent. Crap, the entire group was there.

"Please don't tell me," I muttered, "that we moved up the time of the council." The guilty smile in Katara's face told me everything.

"Great." I muttered sarcastically, my hand straying to the cord around my neck as I began to fiddle with it. It was a nervous habit that I had started a little while ago and I couldn't seem to stop it.

I let the introductions wash over me, not particularly paying attention as we walked into the tent and took our seats.

"I believe the first matter of business is what we are going to do next." Chief Hakoda started only to be cut off by an old man.

"No offence chief Hakoda but I would like to hear where the girl Maddison plays into this before we start talking strategy." I felt my stomach curdle at the words. I did not like where this was going.


A/N: Sorry I guess this is a little shorter then I expected. Anyway this chapter mostly involved character development, some hints at a romance and other things that are coming up later.

Princess Kassie Out.