Avatar: The Last Airbender Created By: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Avatar: The Last Airbender Owned By: Nickelodeon, a subsidiary of Viacom
All original content and characters © Acastus
Chapter LV – Already Gone
The audience was silent. Gao felt their despair and shared it.
"Though the fighting was not yet finished on the morning of that fourth day, our story must nevertheless withdraw from the bloody affair of combat and bid farewell to the clash of armies and the organized destruction of war. This tale, I might remind you, is the life of Prince Iroh, and now the stage must shrink in the scale and scope to focus now on the players and their fates after the infamous slaughter at Mequon."
"Yes, most noble guests," the old storyteller continued in a devastated voice, "Now we must lay to rest the Earth Kingdom's greatest hero in a generation, the likes of whom we have not seen since, for with the arrival of General Shu and Prince Ozai the Army of the Granite Mountains was doomed. Surrounded on all sides, the valiant soldiers of the Earth Kingdom were slain by the enemy and very few escaped to tell the tale."
"As for Deng Zev Nifong, he deserved a hero's death, perhaps in single combat against Iroh himself, but this was not to be. Seldom does real life allow for such poetry and this tale sadly provides no exception. As for the great man's final fate, let it only be said that he perished on the steppes of Mequon just as Prince Iroh planned and though his final moments are lost to history, it cannot be doubted that he met his end with the skill and honor for which he is justly famed."
Few guests looked at the storyteller as he spoke. Most looked at the floor or down at their hands.
The story and the events it described had occurred thirty years before and for the greater part of the evening the audience had been content to treat it as a matter far removed from their own experience.
Now, at the end, every guest felt the weight of the present day upon them. Though Ba Sing Se remained unbowed, the Fire Nation had advanced in virtually every other theater. Soon, they knew the enemy would reach them in Shanxi and there would be no Army of the Granite Mountains to stop them.
The storyteller continued.
"Now we are come now the bitter end of our tale, my friends, and though the Battle of Mequon was hailed as a great victory for the Fire Nation, perhaps we should consider instead whether anyone won at all, for the devastating losses on all sides crippled the great powers for years to come."
"Yet such weighty concerns did not prey on Prince Iroh at the conclusion of this conflict, though the carnage and destruction was surely obvious to all who survived, for now he was consumed by the events driving his own personal drama, events set in motion by the Fire Lord's decisions at the Harvest Moon feast so long ago, the very same feast with which we began this tale…"
The Constellation's engines screamed in protest as Iroh slammed on the brakes. He had piloted the ship for hours and it was now midday. After several wrong turns prompted by Iroh's inexperience and refusal to yield the driver's seat to those who knew better, they had finally arrived at their destination. In front of them, parked in a neat line, Constellation's sisters seemed to wait patiently for her arrival. A series of nearby tents flew the banners of Tien Shin.
Sweat poured from Iroh's brow, but not from the engine heat which had rapidly turned the atmosphere of the bridge into a blast furnace. Chieng's laconic instruction tormented him.
"Come – hurry."
This was all she had said. Was she hurt? Dying? She had at least been well enough to write, and though he took some comfort in the thought, it did little to assuage the sense of impending doom that had washed over him like a cold tidal wave upon receipt of her message. Whatever it was, it was important enough for her to demand his presence… and too sensitive to actually address it openly. This realization terrified him most of all.
He thought briefly of Gan and Nikon. The accountant, pushed into a battlefield command role for which he had not been trained, was closest physically to her and was therefore the likeliest cause for concern if she herself was unhurt. Nikon, his best friend, had all but disappeared. Exposed in one of the riskiest parts of their plan, he knew the young commoner was most likely to have paid the price for Iroh's daring.
Still, it was for the woman he loved that he feared most and he prayed above all for her safety. Against his will he thought wildly of whose lives he would trade to keep her whole. He thrust these evil and unworthy sentiments from his mind over and over. He knew full well that had no control over what had already happened when he had not been present, but the crushing pressure of his anxiety over many hours of travel had allowed them to invade his thoughts with disturbing frequency.
The Constellation slowed to a stop. Before he knew it he had exited the ship at a dead run. Dimly he was aware that he raced towards Corona and some corner of his mind registered that the dreadnought had recently sustained major damage. He did not notice that the makeshift camp seemed unnaturally subdued for an army at war. Sentries kept watch to the east and and men manned the siphons on top of each leviathan.
Iroh's heart and mind raced as the hatch on the side of Chieng's machine opened. Relief flooded through him as the slight engineer sprang graceful as a dancer from the opening and sprinted towards him. Her hair had escaped her braid and flew wildly about her shoulders as she ran. Others followed behind her, but he saw only the object of his care.
Without thought or conscious decision Iroh caught her in his arms and, dissipating her forward momentum with a surprisingly graceful half pirouette, kissed her soundly on the lips. She did not stiffen or try to escape, but instead wrapped her arms about him and returned his greeting as enthusiastically as he gave it.
The world receded as he held her and shrank until it held only the two of them. He ran his hands through her midnight locks and found them soft and yielding. She smelled lightly of hyacinth and Iroh was reminded of the smell upon waking up in her bed after the desert crossing. Much later he would wonder how Nikon had known to make a joke of it, but at that moment there was only the woman in his arms.
When he opened his eyes and released her he realized they had both sunk to their knees. He looked her over as if afraid she was an illusion, cupping her face with his calloused hands.
"I have come," he said simply.
Chieng met her lord's gaze and found herself unable to deny the devotion that burned there. She blinked and kissed him again. The moment stretched and Iroh wished nothing more than it would go on forever.
Suddenly they were aware of an audience. Most of Corona's bridge crew had stepped out and were now standing in a semicircle around them. Firestorm's main hatch had opened and Chief Tang had emerged with several others. They each slowly turned their heads in the opposite direction to look at the newcomers. Scanning the faces around them they saw a mixture of shock, awe and amusement in their expressions.
"Oh, how adorable!" Tang gushed, her hand flying to her mouth.
One bystander stood out as the exception. Gan looked down at them with a slack jaw and no trace of mirth.
Iroh felt heat rising in his cheeks, but decided it was far too late to worry about public embarrassment. Ignoring the gawkers he turned back to Chieng.
"Are you all right?" he inquired in a tender voice.
She nodded her head, but did not reply. He saw the wound on her forehead and moved to touch it, but stopped himself.
"What happened?"
"It's nothing."
He looked into her golden eyes and saw fear and sadness growing in them. The relief he had felt began to wane. He turned to Gan.
"Gan?"
"I'm okay, Iroh," he replied, his expression stony.
"Then…?"
He swung round wildly, quickly scanning the faces around him once more. The one he sought now was not there. Suddenly everyone's expression matched Gan's. Even Tang looked down in despair. He looked back to Chieng and was shocked to see tears beginning to stream down her face. She tried to squeeze her eyes shut to stop them, but this only made them come faster.
Iroh stood up, his face frozen in expression of dawning horror.
"Where… where is Nikon?" he breathed.
She stood and forced herself to look into his eyes once more.
"What's… what's happened?" he pleaded, his voice beginning to break, "Please, you have to tell me!"
"He… he saved us, Iroh, he saved us all…"
"What do you mean?" he demanded, his voice becoming harsh, "Where is he?"
She couldn't finish the sentence.
"Answer me!" he thundered.
He received no reply. She looked at him mutely, tears flowing freely. Iroh turned in anger and frustration to Gan who met the dark apparition of his friend with an impassive stare.
"Answer me!" he repeated.
Gan held his gaze for a moment more, an expression of empathy spreading over his features, before he stepped aside to once again reveal the open hatch of Corona.
He was running again. Despair and hopelessness threatened to swallow him as the world began to spin. He heard galloping feet behind him, but could not tell whether it was people following him or the blood pounding in his ears. Time seemed to skip and the next thing he remembered he was standing in the doorway between the engineering deck and Chieng's ready room.
The room was shrouded in semi darkness. A few oil lamps burned on Chieng's desk and one on the tea dolly he remembered from what seemed a different age of the world.
On the floor a body rested on a pallet. The soldier wore the basic issue maroon tunic and pants. He wore no armor. His head was heavily bandaged obscuring his eyes. The rags were soaked through with both fresh and congealed blood.
The body did not move.
Two women knelt beside the litter. One was Kanjana. The other he did not recognize. Both looked up in response to the sound of Iroh's sudden appearance. The unfamiliar one was a young soldier who looked at Iroh with anger and despair to match his own. The doctor had just finished writing something on a scroll. She snapped it shut and put it in a bag beside her. She stood and met his eyes with an expression of grim acknowledgment.
Kanjana nodded once at the unspoken question and backed away from the body to allow Iroh access.
The Crown Prince ran to his friend's side and dropped to the floor.
"No!" he cried through tears which suddenly sprang forth in an uncontrollable flood, "You can't be! No, no, Great Agni! I forbid it!"
He grabbed his friend's hand and with the other removed the bandage enough to see the smashed remains of his head. Iroh recoiled as if struck.
"No!" he moaned in agony, "Oh Agni, no, please no!"
Iroh turned to look up at the doctor, his eyes huge, his expression haunted.
"Please, Lady Kanjana! Help him! Please!"
Chieng and Gan had entered the room. Gan stood behind him while Chieng knelt down and took Iroh's free hand in hers. He squeezed it reflexively, as if the act could somehow banish forever the image before him.
"I cannot, your Highness," Kanjana replied quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder, "He's already gone."
Iroh sobbed. He released his dead friend's hand and placed it gently over his chest. He leaned over and kissed Nikon's blood soaked brow.
"Great Agni…" he vowed, "I will avenge you!"
He had thought losing Xian would be the worst anguish he would feel in this life. He had been wrong. With Xian there had been the agony of waiting, an unbearable tension finally broken by the crushing confirmation he had come in his heart to expect.
Here, he knew, he was a victim of his own unconscious belief in his friend's immortality. Iroh had thought far enough ahead to give his friend instructions in the event he himself had died, but what thought had he given to this awful possibility? None. It was unimaginable. He had not allowed himself to imagine it. The pain of his cousin's loss was still too great.
Nikon Orlando, the lucky street urchin, the valiant hero, the dashing ladies' man… he could never die.
The lifeless body laid out before him told a different story. The world was cold, unforgiving, and indifferent to the concepts of justice, fairness, right and wrong, good and evil.
"I…I lost them both!"
Tears soon obscured his vision. His attempts to wipe them away proved futile. He did not know how long he wept. The excruciating pain of loss racked his mind in broad, sweeping convulsions that rapidly exhausted him. At some point they died down enough for him to speak in halting, childish heaves of grief.
"He never asked me for… for anything… not once. It was I who asked sacrifices of him… over and over… he never let me down... he never let us down! Never! Not once!"
Chieng squeezed his hand once again, for she knew Iroh's observation to be true. Despite her first impression and frequent criticism, she had ultimately thought highly of Nikon and found herself wounded deeply at his passing both for her sake and for Iroh's.
Gan walked around the pallet and knelt on the other side of Nikon, his expression hard and intense.
"He was a hero to every soldier in the Army of the Great Divide… and a worthy friend in every way… even to the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."
"He was, Gan," Iroh agreed, his voice thick, "I know you loved him too."
"I did," the former accountant confessed, tears welling in his steel grey eyes, "and I'd have done… anything to save him."
They were quiet for some time before Iroh spoke again.
"Oh Agni, I wish… I wish he'd waited…" then, speaking directly to his daimyo, continued, "You didn't wait, damn you…"
Iroh turned to face the doctor once more.
"When?"
"About a half hour ago, your Highness."
He closed his eyes and grabbed Chieng's hand with both of his and felt sure he was going to crush her bones.
So close, oh dear god… so close…
He opened his eyes, wiped them once more, looked back and forth between Gan and Chieng and then back at Nikon.
"Was he… was he in pain? Did he… did he feel it, do you think?"
Kanjana shook her head.
"No, I don't think so, General. He never woke up after the injury," she once more laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I know it's no comfort, but you did not miss a farewell."
Iroh rocked back and forth, tears flowing down now well-traveled, salty channels on his cheeks.
"How?" he finally continued, his voice still thick, "What happened?"
Kanjana withdrew her hand from his shoulder and pointed at the young soldier across from them whom Iroh had seen but then ignored when he had entered the room.
"She knows."
The Crown Prince refocused on the young woman. Her uniform and insignia identified her as a tanker, her bearing marked her as a veteran, but it was her dark eyes, burning with pain and desire for revenge that marked her both a survivor of Lake Myojin and a friend of Nikon. She had ignored everything since he'd entered. Her eyes had never moved from her commander's blood soaked head. He could see the devastation writ large on her face. It mirrored his own.
"What's your name?"
"Leng, your Highness."
She replied without looking at him. Under any other circumstance this would have been a major offense. Had Nikon been alive he would have disciplined her severely on the spot for such a breach, but he was not. The loss shared was so great that not one of them in the room even saw an insult.
"How did you know him?"
"I… was… one of his tank drivers."
"How long… how long did you serve with him?"
"Since Cam'ron, sir."
"What happened… what happened to him?"
Tonelessly she related the story of Fifth Brigade's last stand. Her eyes burned hot with hatred, but she soon joined her superiors with streams of salty tears as she bared her soul to them. Outside, as if on cue, the sounds battle began to filter through the leviathan's metal hull. The dull thudding of Earth Kingdom artillery grew louder as she continued her tale, acting as a somber and haunting score for the grim fate of her commander.
"He was held down by two dirties when I saw three more get ready to earthbend. Cowards! Filthy cowards," she snarled, "None of them could take him alone! They had to kill him like… like a pack of hyena vultures! I killed one and shot the stone out from another… but…but… I couldn't… that last one… the one I couldn't stop…"
She broke down and began to sob. Iroh looked on the young tank driver in sympathy. Unconsciously echoing his opponent, he did his best to comfort her.
"There is no shame, soldier, you did everything that could be done."
"If only… if only," she continued, her voice thick with grief, "If only Prince Tien Shin had hit the last one… he was so close…"
Iroh froze. He had forgotten entirely about his hated step brother. Now the grief that had shrouded the room suddenly evaporated, replaced by tension so intense it mimicked the tremendous electric potential created before a lightning bolt.
All eyes turned to Iroh.
"Explain," Iroh commanded, his voice suddenly frigid.
Leng looked up from her vigil for the first time, hearing the sudden change in tone.
"Sir?" she questioned in confusion, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"What do you mean… about Tien Shin?"
"He was there, your Highness. He got there right at the end… he shot an arrow at the… the murderer," she spat the word out like she had named a demon, "but he missed."
Iroh turned to Gan and Chieng before turning back to the young tank driver.
"Tien Shin… missed?"
Leng did not fail to miss the importance of the question. She considered her answer before giving it.
"Yes, General, I saw his Highness shoot down a few other dirties, but he missed the one that mattered."
Iroh's jaw tightened, his face twisting in rage.
"No, Iroh, wait!" Gan implored, but it was too late. Iroh had risen and left the room before she had finished her sentence.
Chieng and the former accountant rushed after him.
"Iroh, stop!" Chieng commanded his rapidly retreating form.
The Crown Prince ignored them as he exited the leviathan that had become his friends' tomb and raced toward the largest tent displaying the banner of his hated rival. The sound of approaching battle had become a roar and two boulders landed in quick succession around him. They disintegrated into a hail of fragments and dust. Iroh ignored them and continued his mindless charge.
He burst into the tent to see Tien Shin standing over his campaign desk reading a scroll. A campaign map and dozens of papers, scroll cases and small wooden chests completely obscured its surface. He was attended by several officers including Commander Tojo and several newly arrived messengers. He was in the middle of an intense back and forth with his audience and none of them marked the entrance of the Crown Prince. A dozen lower level servants dashed around the tent trying to pack everything up into crates and storage containers.
"Yes!" the elder prince confirmed, "Issue the evacuation code! This is their last push, we have to survive it!"
"I'll hold the road until nightfall, Highness," Tojo vowed.
"You must! Go now! We'll regroup and press –"
Tien Shin was unable to finish the sentence when, to his utter shock, Iroh vaulted over the desk, thrust Tojo rudely out of the way and placed his hands in a chokehold around his neck. Blinded by rage, the Crown Prince failed even to ignite his fists in flame, preferring instead the animal satisfaction of squeezing the life out of him with his powerfully muscled arms.
"You killed him, you son of a bitch!" Iroh screamed as he shook the object of his rage like a rag doll.
The whole tent froze in horror at the sudden and totally unexpected turn of events. Caught unprepared, the elder prince stared in wide eyed shock at the furious man trying to strangle him. Tien Shin beat furiously, but in vain at hands holding him in an iron grip.
"I'm going to kill you, you… you filthy bastard!"
Gan and Chieng rushed into the tent to see Iroh choking his step brother. Everyone spoke and began moving at once, creating a scene of total confusion. The newcomers repeated their shouted warnings to Iroh while Tojo and two of the nearby servants attempted to save their master by prying him loose from Iroh's hold.
Chieng reached Iroh before Gan. She appeared at his side, took a deep breath and spoke calmly into his ear.
"Iroh, no, not this way."
"He let them kill him," he rasped through gritted teeth.
"This won't bring him back," she pointed out gently, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Suddenly, his chest heaving with anger and hatred, Iroh released his grip. The elder prince fell to the floor, gasping for air, but was unable to draw breath. Tojo helped his commander back to his feet as two more messengers entered the tent only to stop short on seeing the extraordinary situation. Outside, the sounds of battle had grown to a deafening roar. The siphons on the surrounding tank trains had begun pouring out jets of flaming naptha. Wherever the enemy was, they were close.
Iroh ignored the situation around them, maintaining his laser focus on the man he blamed for Nikon's fall.
"Are you satisfied, "brother!" Have you gloated enough over his death!? Or did you waste no time on the smashed body of a wretched animal!?"
"What the hell are you talking about!?" Tien Shin finally roared in reply once he recovered his breath.
"What am I talking about!? My friend is dead, you son of a bitch!"
Still clutching his throat, Tien Shin answered in fury, "You idiot! I tried to save him!"
"You let them kill him!"
"If I had wanted to kill him I'd have done it myself and long before now!" Tien Shin yelled in response, his angular features taut with anger.
Iroh's body tensed once more, his eyes locked on his rival's.
"I missed, Iroh! Yes, I saw it was him! Of course I did! The recognition distracted me enough to miss! But if you think I missed on purpose, then you're more of a fool than I thought!"
The anger drained from Tien Shin's as he continued, his voice turning cold and calculating once more.
"You are so damn stupid! Stop and think for once! Ask yourself, how could it possibly profit me to let him die? Did you even stop to consider that? What? Do you think I am stupid enough to believe you'd promote me again to daimyo? Are you stupid enough to believe I would serve under you as daimyo?"
"You did it… you did it because you hated him!"
"If I did it because I hated him, and I did, I don't deny that! But if I did, why didn't I kill her?"
Tien Shin pointed at Leng who had entered the tent behind Gan and Chieng. Iroh did not answer. He hadn't considered this.
"No? This is stupid and you, "brother", once again, are acting stupidly out of emotion without thinking things through! How can you expect to be Fire Lord when you can't think anything through?"
The question hung in the air.
"You are a fool, Iroh, and if you weren't commanding General I would arrest you now for attempted murder!"
"I am commanding General, Tien Shin, remember that!"
"Not for long if you don't stop weeping over a dead commoner and start paying attention to finishing this battle!"
As if for emphasis a massive boulder fell through the roof of the tent, smashed apart a stack of half-filled crates and embedded itself in the ground. Tien Shin and Iroh reflexively grabbed the campaign desk to steady themselves.
"You see that?" the elder prince questioned sharply, pointing a finger at the impact, "That is the enemy! They're coming – now!"
Tien Shin picked up a scroll tube from his desk and shook it at Iroh.
"General Shu and your brother are here! Nifong is trapped between us and the Army of the Song, just as you hoped! So what are you going to do, Iroh? Are you going to fight me? Or are you going to obey the Fire Lord and secure victory for the Fire Nation?"
Outside they could hear the sound of battle all around them. Iroh glowered, but knew his rival was right. Addressing everyone in the tent, he gave the order.
"To the leviathans, now!"
No additional prompting was needed. The tent quickly emptied as Fire Nation infantry and Earth Kingdom cavalry broke into the clearing around the tank trains. The burning naptha from the siphons quickly filled the air with huge columns of black, oily smoke.
Iroh grabbed Tien Shin by the shoulder, unable to leave without a parting shot.
"This isn't over "brother"! You will pay for letting him die! He was worth ten of you!"
Tien Shin batted Iroh's hand away.
"He died with honor, Iroh, that's all you'll get out of me. Now focus or we will join him in death!"
A telltale whistle ended their conversation as another huge rock fell through the roof, tipping over the campaign desk and wreaking havoc on the remaining supplies.
They rushed from the tent and steeled themselves to face the dying lashes of the Army of the Granite Mountains.
