Chapter 41
Zuko had only fought beside Azula once before, against Aang and Katara in Ba Sing Se. Then, they had each focused on a single opponent. But now they fought back-to-back, battling the masses of soldiers around them as a team. Azula whirled, completely in her element, sending targeted blasts of blue fire from her hands and feet faster than Zuko could see. He had forgotten just how strong his sister was.
A soldier rushed at Zuko, sword held high, but fell as Zuko lashed out with a whip of fire. His shield clattered to the stone paved streets. Behind the next line of infantry, Zuko saw a group of archers, bows nocked.
"Archers!" Zuko cried. He swept up the metal shield at his feet just as the arrows loosed, crouching down and sheltering Azula with his body. She yelled in surprise, but quickly understood. The arrows clattered against the shield and around Zuko, but none of them hit. Taking advantage of the two siblings' temporary ceasefire, soldiers pressed in close around them.
"Stay down!" ordered Azula. She rose, braid swinging, and stretched out her hands at shoulder level. Eyes fierce with concentration, Azula blasted blue fire from her palms and twirled, creating a protective circle of flame around herself and Zuko. Overwhelmed by her power, the surrounding men and women were pushed back several feet, and Azula's face glowed with blue reflected light. She smiled as her opponents fell. Zuko glanced up, and thought she looked like a goddess of fire, beautiful and terrible: a Dragon Queen from the old stories. Zuko's sister extinguished her flames and turned to look down at him, still grinning openly. She reached out her hand to help Zuko up. He took it.
"We have to get to Gui!" Zuko said.
"So obvious, Zuko!" said Azula. But she patted him on the shoulder as she ran past him. Soldiers attacked from either side, and Zuko covered Azula as she ran, summoning his whips of fire again and creating a corridor of orange fire that they sprinted through together. The tank on which Gui stood grew closer and closer.
"I've got the tank!" said Zuko. While Azula launched herself on top of the vehicle, soaring over the heads of several astonished soldiers, Zuko sent a sustained burst of fire down the barrel of the tank's main firethrower. He heard screams, and winced. To be baked inside a metal room was a horrible fate. Zuko clambered up the side of the tank, his muscles and injuries aching; even though he had only been fighting for a few minutes, he was already tired. But he had helplessly watched enough people die today. It felt good to be taking action.
Just a few feet above him, Azula battled Gui, the two women exchanging heavy blows. But Azula could handle herself. With a heave, Zuko cleared the tank, and wrenched open the top cover. Black smoke billowed out, and he reeled back, coughing. An ash-blackened arm clawed desperately at the tank's exit, and, without thinking about it, Zuko grabbed at the enemy soldier inside, pulling him out to safety. They both fell backwards, and Zuko slammed his head against the metal. Stars burst before his eyes. Retching, the tank soldier rolled off Zuko and slipped to the ground. Zuko crawled to the tank opening and glanced down, but saw only charred bodies. He turned away, stomach roiling and head spinning.
On the other side of the vehicle, Azula pressed Gui towards Zuko, forcing the General to take halting steps back. But even though Azula attacked ruthlessly, she didn't seem to be going for the kill. Maybe she really had changed.
Exhausted, Zuko tackled Gui from behind, wrapping his forearm around her neck in a choke hold. Frankly, he wasn't sure if he could firebend any more today, and hoped it would be over soon. Gui struggled, fingers clawing at Zuko's arm, but Azula quickly came to Zuko's aid. Snapping out with her foot sharply, Azula broke one of Gui's knees, and the General crumpled. Zuko stumbled too, his hold loosening as all of Gui's weight suddenly fell on him. They both hit the metal with a clang, and Azula pinioned Gui's arms behind her back.
"No!" shrieked Gui, writhing wildly in Azula's arms. A soldier attempted to climb to the top of the tank, but Azula kicked him in the teeth. He fell. Zuko stumbled to his feet and wrenched Gui's head up by her hair, forcing the General to look at him.
"Tell me one thing," said Zuko to Gui, out of breath. She glared at him in hatred. "Did you truly believe in Akira's revolution? Or were you going to crown yourself Firelord instead?"
"Either Akira or I would make a better Firelord than you," she spat. "You've made the Fire Nation weak!"
Even though he had expected her answer, Zuko felt disappointed. "You didn't deserve Akira's support," he told Gui harshly. "At least he believed in something." And he had died for it.
"Zuko, look!" said Azula, still holding Gui down. The army had stopped its advance, and stood in front of the crowd, apparently unwilling to run through innocent people.
Concentrating hard, Zuko closed his eyes, thinking of the Sun Warriors and their dragons. The morning sunlight heated his back, and he breathed deeply. Fire was life.
He swirled his arms in a circle, summoning a spinning column of multicolored fire. When he opened his eyes, he saw blue and green flames chasing orange and red. Azula and Gui both stared at it in shock, the reflected colors dancing across Azula's face.
He couldn't hold it for long, but when he let the fire dissipate, the eyes of the protestors and the army were on him. Zuko could even pick out Mai and Sokka near the standoff.
"It's over!" Zuko yelled as loudly has he could. "We have General Gui. Lay down your weapons, and no one will be harmed!" The soldiers nearest him looked uncertain.
Zuko jumped down from the tank, holding his hands aloft. Gently, he moved his hand to cover the point of a nearby soldier's spear, and moved it so the spearhead faced the ground. The soldier let him, looking confused.
"We're all Fire Nation," Zuko said to him. He moved slowly through the crowd, reaching out and lowering the knives and swords, moderately surprised that no one took the opportunity to run him through. The morning was utterly silent, and Azula jumped down behind him, dragging General Gui in his wake. Soon, more and more soldiers lowered their weapons without Zuko's aid, until the quiet was broken by the sound of thousands of weapons clattering noisily to the cobbled street.
Once he reached the crowd of protestors who had risked their lives to support him, Zuko stopped. "Thank you for your loyalty," he said. "I'll try to earn it." For the first time, Zuko looked into the open faces of Fire Nation citizens who didn't want him dead. The tears he had been suppressing for hours threatened to well up, but he pushed them back. Not now.
"Go home to your families!" said Zuko to the soldiers and to the protestors. "Today, you all chose peace." Uncertainly, the line of soldiers melted away, retreating back to the harbour. Zuko would have to send General Mak to help them disband and return home. But for now, the street was emptying, the crisis averted.
"Well, Zuzu," said Azula. "Who would have thought that your popularity would be the thing that saved you." She looked genuinely shocked.
"He deserves it," said Mai fiercely, coming up behind Zuko. She looked tired, but unharmed. Beautiful.
"It turns out Fire Nation people aren't evil, after all!" joked Sokka.
"Of course we're not," said Zuko. He looked at the crowds melting away. All of them were his people, no matter who they had stood with today. He felt…proud.
"Thank you all for standing with me," he said to Mai, Sokka, and Azula.
"Zuko," said Sokka. "That's what friends do. We're here until the end." He clasped Zuko's arm in the Water Tribe style, and Zuko smiled.
Hello all! Alas, there is only one more chapter in Heirs of Ozai...It's been really fun reading your reviews and reactions to my characters. Even after Heirs ends, stay tuned for another fanfic that I've already starting writing. It's a spinoff sequel to Heirs focusing on one of my favorite characters.
See you soon!