Chapter 40
Azula glanced sidelong at Zuko. He seemed moderately better now, more human. They stood together on top of the outer wall surrounding the palace, the sun still half-risen. Zuko looked battered but determined, his crown glinting in the early sunlight. But the look on his face after she killed Akira…it had terrified her. He hadn't been angry, she could have handled that. Instead, he had looked completely emotionless, blank. Empty. For a second, she worried that seeing the deaths of his father and brother had broken Zuko completely. He did have a soft heart.
"How long until the army reaches us?" asked Zuko.
"Twenty minutes, my Lord," replied General Mak. Azula nodded in agreement. She had only reached the palace so quickly after stealing a rooster-horse and galloping for Zuko's life.
Around two hundred Imperial Guards and Kyoshi Warriors were stationed along the wall, the full palace complement. According to Mak, the nearest army unit was several hours outside the capital. If they could just hold out…
"Any update on Mai and my son?" asked Zuko, pacing back and forth, eyes fixed on the approaching line of troops.
"None," said Suki. "But we only just sent out the messenger hawks to nearby families. It will take some time."
Or Mai and Zuko's little pretend-son were dead in a ditch somewhere. Azula felt someone should voice the possibility, but she wouldn't be the one to do it. Not when Zuko's trust in her was so tenuous. She found it somewhat amusing that Zuko himself seemed to have forgotten that Kazuto was his younger brother, not his son. But again, that was Zuko for you.
"Our main target should be General Gui and her husband," said Azula aloud. "Common soldiers are like cattle. Once their masters are destroyed, the army will crumble before us."
The Kyoshi Warrior frowned at Azula's words, but didn't correct her.
"I don't know," said Zuko slowly. "Akira spoke of a revolution against the monarchy itself. It's possible that all of Gui's soldiers personally believe in overthrowing me."
"If we have to kill them all, then we will," shrugged Azula.
Zuko stared at her in disbelief.
"Of course, I don't want to kill them all," clarified Azula. "I'm just prepared for the possibility." She sighed. "Honestly, Zuko, I'm not a monster. I don't enjoy ending lives." Once she had, maybe, but that seemed to have fallen by the wayside. Zuko is not your enemy.
"I believe you," said Zuko seriously. Azula was a little taken aback by his sincerity.
"I don't want to end lives either," said Zuko, addressing the larger group around him. "So let's try to take out the leaders, like Azula said, and hope the soldiers surrender."
"My Lord!" a Guard with a spyglass yelled. "Something is happening in the city!"
"What is it?" asked Zuko.
"My Lord, it seems…citizens are coming out of their homes in crowds! They're just gathering in the streets!"
"At this hour?" asked Azula sceptically. Maybe the Guard needed his eyes checked. But then she could hear the faint roar of the crowd assembling between the soldiers and the palace. They seemed to be chanting something.
"They're all going to be killed!" said Zuko desperately. He leaned forward over the wall, gripping it until his knuckles turned white. "We have to go down there and save them," he ordered.
"Zuko, here we're protected—" started the Kyoshi Warrior.
"Those are my people down there," retorted Zuko. "I won't let them be slaughtered."
The chanting grew louder and louder, until Azula could hear what they were saying.
"Zuko, they're…shouting your name," she said, disbelievingly.
Her brother had already started down the stairs to exit the palace complex. "What?" he asked. Then his eyes widened as he heard it too.
"Zu-ko, Zu-ko, Zu-ko!"
"My Lord!" cried the Guard again. "Lady Mai and Ambassador Sokka appear to be at the forefront of the crowd!"
Zuko sprang back up the stairs and grabbed the spyglass away from the Guard.
"It's them!" he cried joyfully. Apparently in too much haste to take the long way down, Zuko climbed to the top of the wall.
"You coming, Azula?" her brother asked, holding out his hand. Still in shock that the people would come out in Zuko's support, Azula climbed numbly up beside him. The Kyoshi Warrior was yelling at the soldiers, but Azula couldn't really hear them.
"It will be nice to fight together," said Zuko.
"Yes," agreed Azula quietly. Zuko smiled.
Together, they lit blasts of fire under their hands and feet, and jumped off the ramparts, controlling and extending their fall to land on a roof several hundred meters away from the wall. Blue and orange fire blazed under them, and the wind forced water from Azula's eyes. Zuko landed heavily on the tiled roof and then blasted off again as soon as Azula touched down beside him. Within a few minutes, they soared over the crowd, which cheered loudly at the sight of the Firelord and his sister. Azula hadn't realized how much she had missed the adoration of the masses.
Mai and Sokka looked up as the siblings landed in front of the crowd. As soon as he hit the ground, Zuko ran wordlessly into Mai's arms, leaving Azula standing awkwardly next to Sokka.
"Dramatic entrance," he said to her, tapping a machete against his leg uncomfortably. "I suppose this means you're fighting with us?"
"Naturally," answered Azula. "Zuko is not my enemy," she informed the Water Tribe boy.
"Right, of course," muttered Sokka. "Why would I ever think you two were at odds?" He turned to Zuko. "Heads up, man."
Zuko parted from Mai, and they both came to stand at the forefront of the group. Only a few hundred meters away, Gui stood on a tank in the middle of her army. Azula saw her lift her hand, and the sky darkened with arrows.
Automatically, Zuko and Azula summoned an immense wall of flame, blue and orange fire rising to form a barrier between the citizens who had come out to support Zuko and the flying arrows. Even with the added power of the morning sunlight, it was difficult to sustain, and Azula gritted her teeth, letting her anger at Gui fuel her fire. Beside her, Zuko planted his feet firmly, his face focused but serene. The arrows hit, shafts burning, but the metal arrowheads merely melted slightly, dulling their points but sending droplets of hot iron across the crowd. Those who weren't sheltered screamed in pain.
"Let's not do that again!" shouted Zuko. They released the curtain of fire.
Azula ran forward. If she could take out Gui quickly, maybe this all could be over.
Mai sprinted towards the oncoming army, slightly behind Zuko and Azula. She couldn't believe Azula was actually joining them, but beggars couldn't be choosers. After she and Sokka had escaped the palace, they had fled to Minister Ilana's house, who had somehow helped them rally members of her household in support of Zuko. And then everything had just…snowballed.
Zuko was alive, and Kazuto was safe. That was all that mattered.
The enemy was within throwing distance now, and Mai shot one soldier full of knives. He fell. As she dodged the spear thrust of another soldier, Mai realized perversely that she had missed combat. For the past few months, it seemed she was always on the edge of fighting, but always pulling back. It was good finally let loose. She slammed the blunt handle of her knife against another soldier's skull, knocking him out. They were Fire Nation, after all. She might as well try to injure rather than kill.
Sokka swung his machete beside her, kneecapping another soldier who fell, screaming. Ahead of them, Zuko and Azula plowed through the crowd, sending benders and nonbenders alike flying aside. They were almost at Gui's tank.
"Mai, watch out!" Mai ducked just in time as a firebender sent a blast towards her head. Sokka hit the woman in the stomach with the blunt, almost mace-like edge of his machete, and she doubled over, breathless. Mai kneed her in the head, and she fell. Sokka dragged her backwards as more soldiers advanced.
"There are too many!" he yelled. It was true. Aside from Zuko and Azula, who were still slicing through the army ranks, the few people fighting had fallen back to the still-protesting crowd. The Imperial Guards hadn't had time to reach the battle.
Spears pointed forward, the soldiers advanced on the capital citizens, who still unbelievably did not turn away, but instead shouted at the soldiers.
"We're Fire Nation!" yelled one woman.
"You've betrayed your people!" screamed another man. The infantry lined slowed. "Halt!" Mai heard a man shout from behind the army lines. "By the Sages, company halt!" Mai's back was pressed the protestors, a spear mere feet from her heart. She held her breath.