Avatar Chapter 26
I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
Lord Xizan was very intrigued, it would appear there was actually someone in this world who could match him, and it was the Crown Princess no less. She was exceedingly clever and willing to do anything to get what she wanted, just like him.
He walked through the halls of his mansion, his bare feet making no noise as he made his way to his personal quarters. This was a golden opportunity for both of them, she needed his connections and influence; in return he would be closely associated with the royal family which would give him access to the most powerful military in the world.
"I'm sure I can have a naval fleet at my beck and call in no time, a good bombardment will get those rebels off my back, dirty uncultured scum." These detractors did not have much of a foot hold, everyone in this city adored him, even now servants bowed and greeted with admiration in their eyes. These rebels were well backed and well financed by some annoying secret society but were unbalanced, they were used to the populace hating their rulers.
None the less they were a thorn in his side, and with access to sheer numbers instead of his elite, yet small, fighting force they would be wiped out from the area. "And to be an honored house… one has not been named in over fifty years and here I have a shot, though that does mean I have to whip this entire province into shape."
Xizan knew the Princess could not simply give that title, he would have to prove without a shadow of a doubt that he was capable. "The easiest way would be to simply do something spectacular, something that no other group of morons could do, something you could put on a postage stamp a… mmm, perhaps I should start with family."
He had heard of his cousin's recent success with the so called railway, "Maybe… I will have to give this some thought, first things first I have to set her highness up as my most favored client, she'll certainly want access to spies, assassins, mercenaries and the black market."
He was not used to simply giving access to all he had built, but she had made him an incredibly generous offer and he was not about to slight the heir to the throne. Many had tried to get ahead when dealing with the royal family, and they had all failed horribly. "She's not someone who I can play, especially with that girl clinging to her."
Lady Ty Lee was the talk of the nation these days, the girl who had wormed her way into the Princess's heart. He did not care of what kind of relationship they had, he was in no position to judge odd relations, as he only cared about a seemingly unimportant fact.
His spies had heard rumors and hunches, and after tonight he knew that were true, the girl was an aura reader and that made any dealings with the Princess nearly impossible to sway if Ty Lee was in the room.
He saw how the girl kept her eyes on him, the way she touched the Princess in discrete ways, he could only imagine how any talk with the two of them would go if they were seated behind the famous wall of fire. He was good at twisting pathetic idiots around his little finger but even if the Princess could be tricked, there would be no way to fool her trump card.
"Blast, unless I drug myself to the point of delirium I will be an open book, my best course would be to get on both of their good side, that way I can at least have some leverage, oh but how I hate being a good honest person ." Xizan groaned, he loathed being on the short end of the burning rope but his options were limited.
Xizan knew he had been played, she was the Princess and could give or take anything she wanted; the world was literally at her fingertips. Most people would bargain or haggle but she simply gave him an offer he could not turn down, and Xizan had no doubt that if he 'disagreed' with her terms, unfortunate circumstances would befall him, likely involving large metal spears.
"Agni I need a buzz! Tomorrow I can worry about the specifics, hopefully my generosity will soften her up." As any good host he had the Princess and her entire procession lodging at his home, there was more than enough room, and he had arranged for the most exotic delights be brought to the pair. All elites loved expensive, gaudy, shiny things, he certainly did.
He took a pill from a pack on his waist and put it in his mouth, he shivered with delight at the sudden euphoria. "Just take it all in stride Xizan, one blood covered step at a time was what that one psychotic assassin used to say."
Xizan suddenly stood still, listened, and rolled his eyes. "You're good but I have things to do tonight so could you just go bleed out on the lawn."
He heard the sound of someone dropping to the floor behind his back causing nearby servants to panic, obviously next came the sound of someone rushing towards him, he sighed. Xizan stepped aside as the assailant rushed passed, a stretched out foot causing the figure to trip and slam into the floor.
Xizan shook his head, this was disappointing, "I wonder, is your organization running out of skilled labour, the first few assassins were nice but this is getting…." The potential killer stood up, he saw long brown hair, dark skin and calm blue eyes, "Why hello beautiful" The women in front of him was quite the catch. "An assassin from the Northern Water Tribe is it? I was under the impression they viewed women only good at handling one kind of spear."
"Shut up!" The woman tossed the knife she holding at his face, he moved his head to the side and as it flew by saw it was an ornamental Fire Nation dagger, likely chosen to make it look like an internal dispute.
A stream of water headed towards his foot but he easily dodged to the side. "Hmmm I wonder." He looked to the ground and saw the solid ice coating his floor, "Very impressive, obviously someone other than your tribesmen taught you."
The woman clad in black looked at him with a look of pure hate, he had stuck a nerve. She continued her assault, whips of water and spikes of ice descended upon him at a frightening pace. He dodged and weaved while keeping his feet away from the ice and noticed the women, who could be no older than twenty, was growing more agitated.
"Hmmm, she is very skilled but her mental state is easily unbalanced… though I'm starting to see pixies and flying meatballs, maybe I should cut back on the hallucinogens."
Xizan jumped up and grabbed onto a handhold on the wall after she coated the floor with water, "Fascinating, I can guess you had to train in private? Or more likely you spied on the boys, seeing as you got in here fairly easily."
The woman yelled in rage and gathered all the water in the hall around her, he had hit the mark straight on. She was unbalanced and seemed willing to do anything to take him down. As amusing as this was Xizan did not want his home ruined tonight so he decided to end it.
He jumped off the wall right towards his target, she immediately created a spiked wall of ice and seemed surprised when he simply pointed a finger at her. She looked even more surprised when am intense sliver of flame bored through the wall and her side.
She gasped and fell to the floor while Xizan landed on the ice wall "Agni that's cold." He quickly took out a very special powder from his pack and blew it into the glaring assassins face, she blinked and started to sway before her eyes rolled back she was out cold.
Xizan hopped to the floor, and poked the women with his foot, "Good she's stable; probably knows nothing but it can't hurt to try." This was another issue he had, someone did not like him and was determined to see him out of power. Nothing new but what infuriated him was his inability to find out who it was. He reached in to his pocket and pulled out the only clue he had come across, a White Lotus tile for Phi Sho.
He had no idea how significant it was, it could a symbol, a message, a calling card… or it could simply be a tile the poor sap who tried to poison him forget was on him. "These maggot-worms are behind everything that forces me to get up before lunch, and they must be desperate to send someone after me with the Princess here… Or maybe not"
With a wave the guards off to the side came to collect the assassin and clean up the mess, they knew he liked to personally deal with guests. He gestured to the celling and another figure dropped down, clad in black leather, hooded and sporting a strange mask the individual bowed, difficult considering the enormous crossbow strapped to the persons back.
"Go to the guest wing and insure it is undisturbed, quietly if you will." The figure nodded and bonded up the wall and across the ceiling.
"Ah he is so obedient, though I wonder if he'll ever snap and shoot me in the back, another issue, another day." Xzian continued on his way and kept alert, dealing with that assassin had cheered him up and he hoped another would elevate his mood.
Alas no more potential killers made a move on him, but as he came to his quarters he saw another sort of visitor, one that made him even happier. "Why this is a wonderful surprise, how long has it been?" Standing outside his chambers, straight backed and formal, was Iza.
"A few years Xizan." She was guarded, unsurprising given what he knew about her.
"A few years, how things change in such a short amount of time, I see you to have attached yourself to the power that be."
"That's we need to talk."
"Do we now, well by all means let's go in and make ourselves comfortable." Xizan opened the door and let Iza walked through, eyeing her uniform that left no skin exposed and tightly bound hair. "Quite a turn around."
She turned to him and kept her distance, she was cautions, another change.
Xizan smirked "Now Iza, we have known each other since childhood, there is no reason for you to be nervous."
"My experiences with you suggest otherwise."
"True, but let us not be weighed down by old memories, both of us have risen up in the world, as has Gaz, thanks to you and our most respected Princess."
Iza eyed him "You made a deal with her."
"I did, not exactly the way I am used to but I can't exactly say no, now can I."
"You got something significant, didn't you?" Iza had a knowing look.
"You could say that, soon I will have a home next to yours in the capital."
Her eyes did not betray her feeling, but a sigh escaped her lips "Xizan I need to know what you intend."
He lifted his hands to show he had nothing to hide "My intentions are for the good of the nation Iza, you know that."
"When they coincide with yours, I know you, you're a dangerous man, more dangerous than I think the Princess realizes."
"Hmmm, dangerous you say, well I can't deny that but I know you and you always did have a propensity for danger, didn't you." Iza had a slight blush, Xizan smirked.
"Do tell me, why are you really here, I am sane enough to not try anything against the Princess, no one is irreplaceable anymore." Xizan had learned early in his ascension to nobility that while the highborn could fight and scheme all the wanted, any action taken against the line of Sozin was suicide.
It was common knowledge that during his incredibly long reign, Fire Lord Azulon had many challenges. Early on nobles took issue with his young age, his untraditional polices, his out spoken wife and even the war effort, this lead to countless Agni Kais, all which could have toppled the royal line.
It was also common knowledge that countless family heads, generals, admirals and champions had been wiped out by the prodigy. Never once did the man lose, and soon his Bending prowess was recognized as unequalled. Azulon had been also been politically ruthless, he met every challenge to his power with a tenacity that over the years caused even the most powerful houses to humble themselves before him.
Over seventy five years he had placed the royal family above the petty squabbles of the noble houses. Even the honored houses, who in the past could have banded together to dethrone a weak Fire Lord, dared not step out of line.
This was the landscape Xizan came into, though not for long as the feared Fire Lord died shortly after. He remembered a sudden sigh a relief had been breathed by the nobility, a sigh that was silenced when it was announced that instead of the relatively gentle Iroh taking the throne, it would be Ozai.
Ozai had continued his father's legacy, in a different way but arguably more effective. Where Azulon was a man of action, Ozai seemed to be more thoughtful, he had managed to insure his power through political means alone, and not a single Agni Kai had been called against him, save one.
Xizan could not speak for others but it was the banishment of Prince Zuko that had caused him to unquestionably see Ozai as the Fire Lord. "A man who would scar and banish his own son and heir would have no qualms charring the world around him for his vision… Royal's get to have all the fun."
He looked at Iza and saw her thinking hard, probably putting the best words together. "Xizan… you need to be careful."
He raised an eyebrow; that was an odd concern "You are going to have to be more specific, I know the game I am playing."
"Princess Azula…she is young, but is like you in many ways and if you ever cross her there is nothing that could save you."
"I know this, everyone does, besides what makes you think I would cross that line."
"Lines mean very little to you." Iza looked at him harshly.
Xizan had to chuckle at that "Yes I suppose you're right, but I did nothing that other noble house do not."
"Other nobles are not as smart as you, I know that as soon as you see an opening you try to exploit it, to great effect I admit, but the problem is you never know when to quit." Iza was getting emotional, which was more like it.
"Iza, Iza you are worrying over nothing, I give you my word I won't overstep my place, that is what you want is it not."
"What I want is for your head to stay attached to your shoulders, and for that to happen you need to be on your best behavior."
"Alright, alright." Xizan gave salute and bowed his head "I swear on my ancestors I will be on my 'best behavior'. I shall not try to out maneuver, deceive or betray the Princess and get my head loped off."
Iza sighed "Your ancestors must relish being called upon in such a manner." She used a sarcastic tone.
"What happened, you used to be fun." Xizan pouted
"I matured, something you and Gaz refuse to do." Iza was back to her formal and boring self.
"Right… Oh that actuality reminds me, I will need my esteemed cousin's help with something."
Iza looked at him and her eyes winded "He hasn't sent you any weapon plans has, I told him not to send those to you anymore."
"No, no we both learned our lessons from the last time, this is much more important." Xizna walked over to the wall, trying to forget about the near loss of his most sacred treasure, where a number of maps were rolled up, he pulled down the one showing the colonies.
"I should clarify on what I said earlier, Princess Azula informed me that I am being considered for an honored house."
Iza studied him "I hope you will strive to earn that title, you know that decades of dedicated accomplishments are needed for such a promotion."
"Hmmm, there's that, or I can do this." Xizan picked up a bush, dipped it in ink, and smoothly drew a think black line through every colony on the map.
"Tell me Iza, how long do you think it would take for me to singlehandedly connect every colony we have, by rail."