(Author's note: Suki's story contains scenes that might be too intense for some readers, discretion is advised)
Cometfall. The name given to the day that Sozin's Comet returns, the deadline for the life of a world.
The fall of Ba Sing Se marked the beginning of the end of the Fire Nation War, and while the fate of millions rested in the hands of five children, there were others who had their own parts to play. For right or wrong, for peace or for war, for today or for tomorrow, these are their stories.
Tales of Cometfall: Suki, the Prisoner
Three Months and Two Weeks Before Cometfall
"Don't you know fans just make flames stronger?" the golden eyed Firebender sniped before launching another of her scorching blue flames that Suki barely dodged by stepping back and to one side. Suki then dashed forward towards her attacker. If I don't close the distance between us, she thought, I'm history. The Firebender girl tired to stab Suki downward with a right hand covered in flame, but Suki blocked the attack at the wrist with her left arm and then smacked her across her face with the hilt of the fan in her right hand.
The Firebender, far from being disoriented or even caught of balance by the attack, rolled from the blow of the fan hilt and turned completely around, ducked down and swept the legs out from under Suki. Landing hard on her back, Suki opened her eyes just in time to see a blue flaming boot coming down at her face. Rolling backwards again and again to avoid being stomped, she could see that she was about to be pinned between her attacker and the burning log that blocked the path. Just before contacting it Suki attempted to bring the Firebender down by rolling up on her support leg while her other leg was up, but the Firebender anticipated that, leapt off the ground, and let Suki pass underneath her.
She's good…what did that lanky one call her? Azula? Suki tried to rise to her feet, but the Firebender was waiting for her, kicked her in the chest and sending Suki sprawling, and fast, she finished. I have to keep this going for as long as I can, she thought, considering defeat for the first time in her life, Appa has to get away and back to Aang. That's all that matters. Suki cartwheeled backwards and onto her feet Holding her two metal fans open and near her face, see looked out at the situation.
She was shocked to see that the other Fire Nation warriors had disabled the other warriors in her unit. Some were pinned to trees with small knives, others lay on the ground twitching in pain, and the rest lay unmoving. If they are dead, she thought, someone's going to pay for it. Suki tightened her grip until her fingers hurt then dashed forwards, holding one fan horizontally and in line with the Firebender's neck.
Suki's attack was avoided easily, but that was the idea. When Azula dodged left, Suki swung her left leg out, knocking her opponent's knees out from under her. Falling back with her victim, Suki lined her left elbow with the Azula's neck and barely missed crushing her windpipe.
On the ground, side by side, Suki brought her other hand around and with a special squeeze of the fan's handle, released two thin stabbing blades from each of the montures. Azula caught Suki's arm and they began to struggle with Azula pushing up and Suki pushing the bladed fan down and into her opponent's face. The pair motionlessly pushed against each other for some time until a blasé voice called out, sounding indifferent to the life or death struggle going on in front of her.
"We don't have time for this, we've lost track of that flying bear-raccoon thing,"
"Yeah, Azula, do we have to spend anymore time with these ugly girls? They weren't pleasant to be near before and now they are no fun at all."
"Fine," Azula grunted.
Suki saw Azula take her eyes off the blades and lock on to hers, the Firebender then took a deep breath, and after shooting a little steam out of her nose, blew a powerful gust of hot air and blue flame. Suki was just able to disengage from her attack and cover her face with her arms as the blast pushed her off her opponent and flat on her back.
Before Suki could recover, Azula was on her feet and on top of her. Azula grabbed Suki tightly by the neck and first pulled her to her feet, then while choking the breathless Kyoshi Warrior, pushed her against a nearby tree.
Suki felt her world grow dark as Azula pinched her throat closed for a moment, then called out in pain as Azula pinned one of her hands against the tree with the blades her own fan. Suki grunted and struggled to remain conscious against the blinding pain coming from her hand. She tried to reach over with her left arm, but any movement caused the blades to dig into her palm painfully.
She watched Azula scan the sky while holding her by the neck, "It's gone." She then looked at Suki, her gold eyes looking as cold as their eponymous metal. "You've cost me dearly little girl," Azula said as she tightened her choke hold, "and you're going to have to pay a price."
As her air ran out, Suki watched her apparent killer look her up and down and held one last thought in her head, Appa got away, Appa got away, Appa got away…
"No," Suki heard as she felt both the grip of Azula and the blades of her own fan release her. Suki slipped down the trunk of the tree and landed hard on the ground choking for breath. "No, I'm not done with you yet I think," Azula continued, now crouching in front of her, holding the bladed fan against Suki's throat, "I think there's one way you can make up for daring to interfere with me." Azula then ran the edge of the blade over Suki's face, shaving a swatch of her white face paint off, "You're going to tell me everything you know about your gaudy little team here...and about the security of Ba Sing Se."
Suki struggled to find her voice again, coughing and wheezing, finally growling out a singe word: "Never." Azula then punched her across the face.
"Ignorant little peasant warrior!" She spat, before changing her voice to a cloying tone. "You misunderstand, all I want you to do is point a few things out for me, it's easy, watch." Azula then turned to her companions who had been collecting the other Kyoshi Warriors. They had moved them into one group and began securing those who were not otherwise incapacitated. "Mai, be a dear and point a few things out for one of this girl's friends.
Mai looked stunned for a moment, then a thin smile appeared on her lips. With one motion, she launched three needles from the spring-loaded holster on her wrist into the exposed ankle of Suki's second-in-command, Koko. Koko yelped in pain and struggled against the ropes that held her fast to a wide tree. Mai's smile grew.
"You see, we just want to share," Azula said coldly.
"Don't tell her anything!" Koko gritted out, Mai responded by slapping her across the face, leaving three streaks of blood on her face where Mai's sharpened nails cut. The red of her blood seemed to glow against her painted white face.
"A-Azula…" Ty Lee sounded nervous.
"What is it?" Azula responded, Suki watched to talk to her friend without looking at her.
"We…we won, why are you doing this?"
"Don't you mean 'why are we' doing this? Unless you don't count me among your friends anymore, is that true Ty Lee?"
"No! No, of course not Azula, but it's just that why are…we, staying around here and doing…this?"
"Naive little girl," Azula muttered to Suki before addressing Ty Lee, "We're at war, in case you haven't noticed, and have been so for our entire lives. This one understands it, don't you?" Azula grabbed Suki injured hand and squeezed it until she grunted in pain and then let go, satisfied with just being acknowledged, "Now these worthless foot solders have only a tiny bit of knowledge that the Fire Nations needs, and we're going to get it. Do you understand?"
"Yes," She replied.
"Now imagine if the situation was reversed, and by some cosmic catastrophe we were rendered powerless by them. Tell me, what could they want from two Fire Nation nobles and the true heir to the throne of the Fire Nation? What would they do to us to get us to talk?"
Suki broke the gaze of Azula and struggled to move to look at the pink-clad girl. Ty Lee was clutching her hands to her chest and when she looked down at Suki, she did so with a look first of fear, then of a spiteful anger at the terrible things that Suki would have never done to her. No, Suki thought, I'm not like them, I'm not a monster, but it was too late.
"You!" She spat, "You tell Azula what she wants to know, or." Ty Lee rolled forward and leaned in next to Koko, pressing two fingers to the captive's neck, behind her ear, "Or your friend will need someone else to brush her hideous hair for the rest of her life."
"Stop," Suki grunted, "I'll tell you what you want to know."
"I knew you would," Azula then grabbed Suki off of the ground and spun her around, pushing her against the same tree, and twisted her injured hand up behind her back.
"It will never work, they will never let you close to the Earth King, and the Avatar would stop you if you tried."
"That's not your problem anymore. You live now only if you make yourself useful to me. Now talk."
Suki told them everything she knew about her unit about how the flow of refugees and soldiers into the city worked and was painfully persuaded to share what her relationship with the Avatar and his companions was. When she hesitated to describe Sokka, Ty Lee sussed out the reason, and after she nearly beat another member of her unit into unconsciousness, Suki was forced to share.
I'm sorry Aang…Sokka, Suki thought, humiliated, but it didn't last. Ty Lee struck her once on the temple and Suki's world went black.
Three Months Before Cometfall
Suki had no idea how long she and the other warriors were held in that cramped cabin on Azula's mechanical carriage. She tried not to think of what the Fire Nation Princess was doing with the information she had given her, or with the uniforms they had taken from her and two others. She didn't want to think about that or why they weren't sent back behind Fire Nation lines to a prison camp, and she especially didn't want to think that each time the guard locked the door after throwing them food, they wouldn't be left in darkness to starve.
Suki instead focused on keeping her unit's sprits up, they are my responsibility, she thought, and they are here because of me. So it felt like a cruel joke when she was separated from them. Every couple of hours the guard would reappear and take one of them with out a word. One by one they were removed until Suki was alone. She sat in the darkness, trying to push the thought that she would never see them again out of her mind. No, they wouldn't just kill them, that would be…madness, she thoughtremembering the cold look on Azula's face and she interrogated her in the forest, no, they are alive, and we are all going to get out of this.
Hours later, the guard opened the door and motioned for Suki to exit. Suki stood up, gingerly leaning on her good hand, and walked forward, blinking against the light. She took a step over the door's bulkhead and thought: now or never.
Pretending to stumble, the guard instinctively leaned in to catch her, and Suki used the moment he was off-balance to give his momentum a helping hand and toss the guard into the cell. Suki slammed the door closed and spun the handle to lock it. She looked around and saw a small hallway leading forward with many cabin doors along either side and a narrow path to her left with a door just a few feet away.
Which way? Suki chose the sorter path and held her ear up to the door to try to hear what was on the other side, but the noise that the mechanical wagon made was only amplified by the cold metal. Do I risk it? It was then that she heard the guard she tricked yelling from inside the cell. No time to think it over, she thought, spinning the handle of the door. She was met by a rush of fresh air…and a three-foot drop. Suki struggled to retain her balance, but she had pushed on the door too hard and fell off the carriage, landing on her chest with a thud.
This had alerted the twenty Royal Guards who were camped out next to the carriage, who were on top of her in an instant. One of them held an armored knee to the back of her neck while another bound her hands behind her back. She was sarcastically complemented on her escape attempt while being dragged into a non-descript ostrichhorse-drawn wagon, gagged, and having a burlap bag pulled over her head.
When the wagon began moving, Suki struggled to figure out where she was going by listening for some clue. It was hours before some kind of intelligible sounds could be heard. People, thousands of them all talking at once, animals squawking, other wagons creaking…Ba Sing Se, she realized, it has to be, nowhere else are there this many people, but why are they taking me here, and doesn't anyone realize that the driver is Fire Nation? Who is watching the city? No, she decided, it's a trick. This can't be the capitol.
The noise quieted significantly before the carriage stopped; the driver pulled Suki out and pushed her by the back of the neck. She could tell from the amount of light coming through the bag that she was now inside. After a few minutes, she heard a heavy metal door open, and then the world reappeared before her eyes as the bag was removed.
She was at the top of a set of metal stairs lit by a single dim torch. Cold, foul air wafted up from the bottom, a dungeon, she realized. At the base of the stars was a long stretch of cells branching off in three directions. Suki was pushed forward, past a broken cell door that looked like it had been crumpled like a piece of paper and torn from its hinges.
The jailor, another Royal Guard, help open the door to the last cell on the left. Suki's plain-clothes escort pushed her one more time and into the cell as the door slammed behind her.
"This the last one?" The jailer asked.
"Yeah, this one was the leader!"
"She did a great job," The jailer laughed.
"HEY!" Suki shouted, pushing her face up to the narrow window in the door, "WHERE ARE THE REST OF MY…"
The jailer shot a blast of flame back through the window, which Suki narrowly ducked, "No talking!"
Suki slid on her backside up against the far wall of the cell and reminded herself of the one thing that had kept her going to this point: the Avatar must have his bison back by now. He will be able to end all of this; I just have to hold on.
Nine Weeks Before Cometfall
Twenty-one days, Suki thought, figuring since they were only feeding her once per day, that she had been in this cell for three weeks now. Suki finished the bowl of watery cabbage soup and half-molded bread and began the routine she had developed to hopefully keep her from going crazy.
She tested her injured hand, tried not to think that she would probably never get full use of it back, then began practicing her Tessenjutsu forms. She started with the routines that she learned as a girl of eight years, and finished hours later with that moves she was practicing the day her world changed. The day I met the Avatar…the day I met Sokka. Suki surprised herself that she could still smile when she thought of him, despite the chain of events that could clearly explain her current situation. I can't…won't blame him, I hope when he finds out what happened he doesn't blame himself either, or risk himself trying to rescue me. Suki pushed those childish thoughts out of her head. Sokka has more important things to do. Saving the world is more important then saving one stupid girl who got herself caught.
Suki hung her head, and let her tired arms drop. She lay down on the cold metal cot built into the wall. Putting one arm under her head and, after a time, fell asleep.
She was abruptly awakened by the sound of the door to her cell opening. Coming immediately to full wakefulness Suki stood up and backed away from the door, ready for anything. Into the cell came Princess Azula's two companions. Mai was carring two long knives in each hand; Ty Lee carried nothing but, as as Suki knew, she did not need to.
"See! I told you she was down here!" Ty Lee bubbled.
"You two decide to surrender?" Suki decided to play it tough. What do I have to lose
Ty Lee was visibly amused at her boast, Mai face was as porcelain, so firm, it didn't crack when she spoke, "Surrender? No need, the war is over."
What? Suki thought, unbelieving, "Oh is it?"
"Yes, and I'm not sorry to say that you lost."
"How stupid do you think I am?"
Mai harrumphed, "Where do you think you are, little girl?" She asked, as Ty Lee giggled. Suki let a look on concern cross her face before Mai continued, "Look around, metal walls, metal floor, metal doors, you're in an Earth Kingdom jail."
"Not just any jail," Ty Lee gigged out, "You're in the dungeon of the Royal Palace!"
"No…" Suki, "That's impossible!"
"Silly girl, what did you think we did with your uniform and what you told us? We entered the Royal Palace and killed the Earth King!"
"I…I don't believe you."
"You want to go see for yourself?" Ty Lee asked.
Suki was stunned to see them part ways and let her walk out of the cell and up out of the dungeon. They followed her closely as she passed though countless halls and corridors. Suki looked around at everything, I've never been to the palace, no one has, but the walls, the colors, they all look right. Suki passed hundreds of tapestries, sculptures and vases, all of the finest Earth Kingdom make. Before she knew it she was in a long ornate room that could be no other, and looked up at an enormous golden chair, covered with ornate carvings and backed by a massive golden animal sculpture The Badgermole Throne, she thought, stunned, The Seat of the Earth! "This is not possible!"
"Oh it's true alright." Mai intoned, sounding blasé even when presenting evidence of her nation's ultimate victory, "but that's not all." With that Suki felt her whole body go numb. Ty Lee had jabbed at Suki's back with two fingers of each hand, and Suki dropped to the ground like a sack of flour. Suki, who could not only move her eyes watched Mai crouch down in front of her, "We set a trap for the Avatar here, at almost this exact spot…and we killed him, and his friends. That stuck up Waterbender, that dirty little Earthbender, and…"
"That cute Water Tribe boy." Ty Lee finished, "He lasted longer then I thought he would, but it's all over now…thanks to you."
No, no, no, no, no, this can't be true. Suki was sure she would have thrown up if she could, or if she has eaten anything of substance lately.
"You're a hero now," Mai said with the driest of sarcasm, "the Fire Nation owes you a great debt. Let's go Ty Lee, and leave our hero to savor her victory."
Suki heard their footsteps fade and Mai give an instruction for her to be carried back to her cell in a few minutes. Suki could do nothing but stare at the throne and sob. What have I done…
Eight Weeks Before Cometfall
Suki stopped her exercise routine after her visit to the Throne Room. She barely moved off of the cot anymore, and it was only the most basic of instincts that made her eat anything.
So when the guards opened her cell door for only the second time since she'd been in there she docilely followed their directions to change into a pale red prison smock and be moved using the same bagged transfer technique onto a large Fire Navy ship. Suki had no idea where they were taking her, and didn't care.
That night aboard ship she was jolted awake by a small, heavy object that landed on her. She quickly looked towards the door which she was sure had never opened and had no window. The porthole? She thought, and moved as quickly as her weakened body could to look out it. A rope dangled down in front of it and Suki stuck just a corner of her head that would fit out the tiny opening and saw a figure in black disappear over the deck railing, then pull a rope up and away.
Who was that? Someone sneaking around on a Fire Navy ship, throwing things at people? It was then she remembered that she was hit by something and moved back to the cot to find a small bundle. She picking it up and was surprised to find it warm and smelling good. Food? She started tearing into what was now clear to be a folded cloth napkin. Inside was a hunk of grilled Moo-Sow and three small potatoes.
What if this is a trap? Suki thought, salivating. But why would they poison me like this? They could of put it in the same soup I've been eating for who knows how long. Or are they worried that their' prize' prisoner will starve to death before they finish whatever they have planned for me? Suki's mind raced, and a fraction of a second before she resolved to throw the whole thing out the porthole, she was stuffing her face.She cried as she ate. I've let so many people down, but I'm going to do something about it. When the moment is right, I'll be ready. This war isn't over as long as I'm alive.
Four Weeks Before Cometfall
Suki held each of her bandaged arms with the opposite hand and tried to take her mind of the pain. The Fire Nation Palace dungeon isn't that different then the Earth Kingdom Palace one, at least I have a window this time, she thought looking up at the narrow slit of light a the top of the cell.
Four days ago she had tried to make an escape from off of the gangplank of the Fire Nation ship upon disembarking. Suki was a strong swimmer and as soon as she hit the water was able to get her tied hands in front of her by pulling her legs between her arms, and then undoing the leather tie with her teeth. She had gotten as far as a black sand beach down the coast, but the route inland was blocked by a massive metal wall guarded by a legion of Fire Nation solders. Her pale red prison smock a clear giveaway, she was re-captured and escorted to the dungeon by Mai and Ty Lee themselves.
The pair wasn't happy, and that day started a new game. Ty Lee would numb Suki's arms, Mai would throw darts into her, and they would wait for the feeling to return and see how Suki would react. Afterwards the pair would bandage Suki's wounds and leave. This torture would continue every day with minor variations, and Suki was focused on never giving them the satisfaction of calling out or crying. They will make a mistake one day, and I'll be ready, Suki thought, there is nothing left for me but revenge. In the meantime, Suki resumed her practice as best she could with her injuries.
One day, however, they didn't show. Why? Suki thought, they haven't forgotten about me, have they? Suki then remembered her time aboard the mechanical carriage and the feeling of being abandoned to starve, and for a fraction of a second actually hoped that the pair would return for another round. It was then that the sky grew dark in the middle of the day. Suki strained to see out of her small window, and saw that either night had fallen extremely early or…"An eclipse!" She exclaimed. It's the Day of the Black Sun, she thought, the day that…Sokka told me about. Suki remembered his plan for a massive Earth Kingdom invasion that was going to happen today because the eclipse would rob Firebenders of their powers.
Suki held out a fantastic hope that suddenly Sokka would appear riding a badgermole through the walls of the Fire Nation Palace and rescue her, and that all of what Mai has said was a lie. Suki strained to hear the approach of the Earth Kingdom forces, any minute now…any minute now…
Hours later the eclipse had passed, and Suki resigned herself to the fact that she was alone, that no one knew where she was and that no one was looking anyway. Time's up, she thought, I'll have to end this.
Three Weeks Before Cometfall
When Mai and Ty Lee finally appeared again, they weren't alone. A young man with a massive burn over his left eye was with them. Zuko! Suki thought, the Fire Nation Prince! This is it!
Suki hopped up into a fighting stance, I have to play this just right, I'm only going to get one shot.
Mai drew some of her blades and spoke, "Now, now little Suki, haven't you learned that it's hopeless? Every time you try to resist and every time, you fail. It's not like your getting any stronger in here, am I right?"
Suki held fast for a moment, and then dropped her guard, hanging her head down. Draw them in.
"Very good," Mai continued, "as you can see we brought a friend this time and…"
Now! They are off guard! Suki dashed forward at Zuko and was about to deliver a desperate blow to his face when an arm clad in pink snaked out of nowhere and stopped the attack in its place. NO! I was so close! She despaired as she collapsed and clutched her side. She shuffled to the back corner of the cell, her knees up to her chest. I have to try to recover quickly; I might not get another chance like this…or at all.
"That's more like it." Mai turned to face Zuko as Ty Lee hopped about. Mai continued, "Little Suki here is a fan of the Avatar, she's the one that helped us conquer Ba Sing Se," Suki looked up at Mai and wished she could throw daggers with her eyes as easily as she did with her hands, "aren't you? Earth Kingdom dirt worshippers are so weak. Once she served her purpose, Azula let us keep her." Mai leaned in close, Ty Lee stuck her head in as well, "Just between you and me, I think Azula can be a bit of a handful, but she's royalty so what can we do? So every once in a while we play little games down here, don't we?"
Suki looked at Zuko who had the same cold, disdainful look as his sister. Ty Lee started to giggle as she spoke, "Azula she's so smart, and clever, and nice, well not nice-nice, you know what I mean…"
"Really I don't…" Zuko tried to cut her off.
"So anyway, she said, just the other day, after somehow I...well…we really Mai, you did it too, slept though something important, that we, not just I, make sure to include you with us, the next time we paid this place a visit! Azula is so smart, did I say that already? Uh…she's so smart I didn't even think she knew that we were coming here at all, but there's no getting anything past her!"
"Azula told us of the murder of your beloved uncle, we told her that we were sorry to have missed it. So she, being as gracious as you know she is, has decided…"
What is going on here, Suki thought, looks like I'm in the middle of some kind of palace squabble. Good. Let them waste time, I'm close to recovering, I can feel it.
Mai continued, "…as her want to do, to kill two birds with one stone: allow you to demonstrate your skill for us on one whose usefulness is at an end."
They are going to kill me, and I'm sitting here like a useless lump. No! It can't end like this!
"I know what you're think-ing!" Ty Lee said in a sing-song voice to Zuko that clashed badly with the atmosphere, "Don't worry," Ty Lee continued, "Azula said that she would do the exact same things to us if the situations were reversed, so that makes it okay, that's what Azula said, and she is always right!"
Starved? Tortured? Think again, Pinky. I wouldn't have done anything to you, with the possible exception of not hesitating to kill you in battle if I have the chance.
Suki watched Zuko ignite a large ball of flame in his hand and slowly approached the Earth Kingdom girl. Suki strained to move her arms, and searched for a way out with her eyes. Zuko then spread the flame out, whirling it around the tiny cell, he's staring at me, Suki noticed, but there's no malice in his eyes. Well, at least not his right one, Suki surprised herself with her sudden gallows humor.
She couldn't help but flinch each time the fire drew close before he pulled the fire into both hands and…allowed it to dissipate inches from Suki's body. I'm alive?
"No," Zuko said, dropping his hands.
"You're not going to do it?" Ty Lee sounded very disappointed. "Azula was right, again," she sighed, "You haven't really changed."
"What a bore," Mai added, flatly. "Showing such weakness to the enemy makes me wonder where your loyalties lay."
Zuko turned away from Suki to face the pair. "Mai," he said.
Suki, not knowing whom to thank for her late arriving luck, slid up the wall to her feet and prepared to strike the Prince wile his back was turned.
Intoning anger, Zuko continued, "Before I killed him, one thing I learned from that fossil is that to never confuse wisdom…" Zuko then spun around and struck Suki on the side of her head with full force. Suki was caught totally off guard, and fell to the ground, colliding awkwardly with the metal cot. Her world went dark.
Suki awoke hours later to a bleeding temple, and a single thought: those eyes. Even though the prince cracked her across the face, there was something in his eyes while he was manipulating that fire. Almost a pleading look. Was he trying to tell me something?
She held a corner of her smock to her head to try to stop the bleeding. When she started to feel a bit dizzy she leaned on the wall, but did so with her injured hand and putting just a little weight on it caused her to gasp in pain. She pulled her hand back and looked at it angrily. You're falling apart. She then noticed that her hand was all black, covered in soot. Suki looked at the wall of her cell and saw that the point she rested her hand on was part of a line, a curved line. She followed it with her whole head: it was a spiral drawn in soot, and it wasn't alone. There where two more.
Three spirals, she thought, the symbol of the Air Nomads! Aang! Was what Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation trying to tell her was that Aang was alive? Suki felt weak and plopped down onto the cot. It must be. Aang is alive, and he's working with Zuko! Mai was lying…that means they could all be alive: the Earth King, Toph, Katara, and…Sokka.
Suki stood up straight and assumed the first pose of her martial form. The feelings of pain, fear, guilt and anger were gone. She now felt something she hadn't felt in months: Hope.
Suki's ultimate fate is determined in the pages of Cometfall's chapter one: Sokka, the Warrior.