Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.
Betaed by: Zim'smostloyalservant
Raids and Assassins: Part One
"I spy with my little eye something that starts with W," Sokka said, looking out from Appa's saddle over the coast cliff locked land and ocean. Katara groaned at her spot while Aang grinned at the almost joke.
"Sokka, is it absolutely necessary to head straight to Kyoshi Island?" Katara asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh, you'd rather stop on the way for random fun and adventure? Since Prince Zuko got away with his ship, you can bet the whole Fire Nation knows about Aang by now. Anything beyond the Military Frontier is either controlled by the Fire Nation or under threat by their forces.
"Anything short of the Straits of Kyoshi is practically inviting the Fire Nation over, 'Hey here's the Avatar, come and get 'em boys'," Sokka told them, slipping into one of his impressions. Katara rolled her eyes at her brother's antics; he reminded her a bit of Iroh, though she wasn't about to tell him that.
"Is it true Avatar Kyoshi made the island?" Aang asked eagerly. Of course he had heard of the past Avatars, but the monks had been more focused on his own training in the brief time he had been instructed as the Avatar.
It would be awesome to come face to face with the legacy of a past life, Aang had decided.
"Yes and no, actually. The island used to be a peninsula connected to the continent by a narrow strip of high meadow. When Chin the Conqueror showed up with his army, Kyoshi refused to either battle or surrender to him," Sokka said, looking smug at his knowledge.
"So Kyoshi used her mastery of earthbending to put the ocean between the two sides," Aang finished. Katara and Sokka looked to him with surprise at the odd tone to his voice. Aang seemed to snap out of a daze and looked at them bit sheepish.
"Yeah, that's pretty much how it went down. Though you left out Chin being swallowed by the Straits," Sokka pointed out.
"I didn't know that story," Aang told them. Appa made a low sound; whatever it was seemed to comfort the troubled boy. Katara reached out and put her hand over his. Sokka for his part kept talking.
"Chin's conquests were still pretty fresh and his son was only a baby, so his empire fell apart. Eventually his most loyal vassals tried to cross the strait and avenge their leader, but Kyoshi just sent them crashing back with waterbending. With nowhere else to go, the survivors founded the village of Chin, where their descendants live to this day.
"And across from them lies Kyoshi's homeland, renamed in honor of its most favored daughter," Sokka finished grandly.
Looking to the horizon the trio shared in the moment, till naturally Sokka broke it.
"Wait a minute… you were a girl in a past life?" Sokka asked, realization striking him.
"Uh, yeah?" Aang answered.
"Mhm, well does that mean back then you were a man in a woman's body or are you now a girl in a boy's body?" Sokka asked.
…
…
…
"Do I have to answer that?" Aang asked.
"Good point, better left unanswered," Sokka decided with a nod.
"Are we there yet?" Katara moaned, looking to Momo as he gnawed on a rock shaped like a nut. The lemur shrugged.
"As a matter of fact, we are!" Sokka announced, leaning over the saddle edge to point.
"Welcome to Kyoshi Island, one of the keystones of the Military Frontier of the Earth Kingdom," Sokka announced. The others joined him at the side as they cleared the clouds, Aang eager to see the island again, and Katara thrilled at finally being in lands free of the Fire Nation.
"What?" Aang and Katara said in sync as they got a look at the island.
The island was mostly green and mountainous, but the large bay before them was filled with structures of stone and metal cranes. A metal ship sat in large dry-dock with men moving across it, and squat towers guarded the entrance of the bay, flying the green banner of the Earth Kingdom.
"What happened?" Aang asked, shocked at seeing what had become of the beautiful bay where he had surfed on elephant koi once.
"It looks like the Fire Nation harbors," Katara muttered. Sokka just nodded his head, sitting back some, smiling oblivious to their shock.
"Yeah, it's really not much compared to what we have at Sanin, though. The Fire Nation had a big head start on us and resources get budgeted, you know? But hey, we're finally competing at their level with the new ships," Sokka told them happily.
"Wasn't there a sea serpent that kept people from turning this place into a port?" Aang asked, stunned as he watched a rotund metal ship with the Earth Kingdom banner putter out of the harbor where wooden ships were docked.
"Oh, the Unagi? Yeah, it was a real problem; we just lured it between some ships with elephant koi, stunned it with bombs, and then hit it with a bunch of rocks," Sokka recalled.
"And then what?" Aang pressed.
"Then came the best part! Unagi jerky! I was eating the stuff for more than a year. Mmm, it had that great meat-fed-meat succulence," Sokka seemed about to drool recalling it. Aang was certain he turned a little green.
"So? Do we land or something?" Katara asked, watching as the men on the ship saw them fly in.
"Actually, I have some thoughts on that. Since they aren't shooting at us, let's go for a big entrance, right there! By the statue of Kyoshi!" Sokka said, getting to the front of the saddle and pointing into the town that stood behind the fortified harbor.
XXX
A crowd was already gathering as they circled the statue once, coming low. People in Earth Kingdom green and others in the local blue were popping out of their homes, pointing with excitement at the bison.
"People of Kyoshi, I have returned! And did I ever bring something back!" Sokka proclaimed, standing and trying to strike a heroic pose. He almost succeeded, though Appa seemed to taker some exception, as the bison chose that moment to tilt. Sokka gave an undignified shout as Katara caught him by his waist to stop him from falling.
Aang didn't pay attention, instead looking at the imposing statue of Kyoshi they were circling. The pose was like most depictions of the lady Avatar. But unlike those woodcarvings, this one seemed cold, the implied grace somehow made threatening.
The buildings of the town were in the Earth Kingdom style, though several had blue tiles for the roof rather than Earth green. The sight lifted Katara's heart. Especially when she saw people clad in blue rushing into the statue square along with men and women in green. Sokka seemed to catch her thoughts; standing cautiously on the saddle, he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Sorry Katara, blue doesn't mean Water Tribe here, the locals use it. Our people are a ways off yet," Sokka told her. Katara tried to hide her disappointment – after all, it was still freedom! Sokka smiled at her before rising to stand on the saddle, looking at the crowd as the rumbling Appa circled the statue.
"People of Kyoshi! Once more I, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, son of Hakkoda, have returned victorious over the Fire Nation! Not only have I liberated my sister from the enemy's vile clutches, but now I give to you and all the Free Nations of the World, the long los- Ahhh!" Sokka proclaimed, striking a dramatic pose before Appa's sudden landing sent him flying.
"My cabbages!" a man practically screamed. Aang and Katara, braced by their grips on the saddle, watched Sokka's legs kick in the air as he tried to dislodge himself from the wagon full of vegetables.
"Appa, that wasn't nice," Aang reprimanded his friend.
"Well, he was kind of asking for it," Katara admitted. She noted the lack of much reaction beyond mild amusement by the crowd, who were murmuring in interest at the sky bison. Apparently, her brother's antics were something they had grown accustomed to.
"You there!" a woman's voice called out. The crowd parted, some even bowing their heads as three women made their way toward Aang and Katara, green-clad Earth Kingdom soldiers following them.
Katara looked at the women with interest. She had spent enough time to recognize how warriors moved. These women, with their green and black armor and battle-gowns and disturbingly pale makeup were certainly more intimidating figures than the burly men at their backs.
"Hello, I'm Aang. You're the Kyoshi Warriors, right?" Aang asked. Katara glanced to the statue behind them; yes, she could see the armor was styled after what the Avatar was depicted in.
"I am Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors and a Major in the Earth Kingdom Army. You're an Airbender?" the woman, Suki, asked, raising an eyebrow made quite pronounced by the make up.
"Yeah…" Aang answered, trailing off. Did he really want to tell everyone here he was the Avatar? Surely it couldn't hurt to just be, for a little while…
Katara was beside him then, putting her hand around his with a reassuring squeeze. He wished she wasn't looking at him with expectation like that. He would prefer something… else. But he wouldn't let that hope down.
"I am Avatar Aang. Uh, sorry I'm late?" Aang announced lamely. The crowd went silent, and Aang took a step back when a man in the front row of the crowd collapsed to the ground, foam pouring rapidly from his mouth.
"You will come with us, sir. And you too, Miss Katara," Suki smiled at them, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
As they stepped down from the bison, only Momo noticed Sokka being led away from the square by a pair of men with black robes, wide hats, and stone covered fists.
Azulon City:
Mai watched Azula carefully as she sipped her wine. The fact Azula had wanted to speak with her in this room showed something more than the usual dirty business of politics was up.
The wine had been another clue. But Mai was still surprised at what her friend and superior officer had proposed. They sat in the plush parlor of Azula's private chambers, Ty Lee guarding the door. Knowing Azula, there might be other paranoid measures ensuring the privacy of the conversation.
And much to her annoyance, her surprise had shown. Azula was clearly enjoying the fact she had pierced Mai's veil of disinterest. The fact the princess was still anxious was some consolation to the pale assassin. If she was going to be made uncomfortable, everyone in her presence had to share in that feeling.
"Well?" Azula pressed.
"You make it sound like a business arrangement," Mai sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Not at all – politics," Azula corrected, taking a drink of her own cup.
"You want me to marry your brother. The man who has shown nothing more than polite or friendly interest in me," Mai reiterated.
"A marriage that would make you Fire Lady, eventually. And I know you had a crush on him once upon a time," Azula pressed. But her game was off, Mai saw; she was anxious and eager. Mai decided to figure something out for certain – Azula owed her a bit of truth after all she had done for the princess.
"Well, he is handsome. But I think I would like a man who appreciates me," Mai said. Azula's eye almost twitched; Mai, with some difficulty, repressed a smile.
'Messing with her is fun. I should do it more often since I'm one of the few people she won't kill,' Mai decided. After all, this proposal was proof of where she stood in Azula's eyes.
"Oh, tell me you are not talking about love!
"We are nobles, love has even less to do with marriage for us than with peasants! The only reason your parents haven't married you off is because military law protects you and my patronage makes you an asset to your family right where you are.
"Wait too long and you will end up with some fat rich merchant or some courtier with valuable connections and more wrinkles than your own father. You know this," Azula snapped, getting up from her seat to pace. Mai watched her, no longer concealing her amusement, as the fuming princess wasn't even watching her.
"Well, what does Zuko have to say about this idea?" Mai inquired. Azula waved a hand dismissively.
"He won't be a problem, you are the problem," Azula said.
"Poor Zuko, from momma's boy, to sister's pet, and now to a wife he doesn't even have perverted thoughts for?" Mai pondered. That somehow got Azula's attention. Though she wasn't registering Mai's pleased look apparently.
"So you will marry my brother when the time is right?" Azula pressed.
"That depends – will you actually let me share a bed with your lover?" Mai asked. Despite suspicions, Mai was still disappointed when Azula's face betrayed the truth.
"That is foul," Mai commented casually.
"How-"
"Don't worry Azula – I know you, him, and Ty Lee, that's how. Your problem has always been, that as smart as you are… you assume other people are dumb.
"Don't worry, personal distaste aside, it doesn't change anything. You've always been a bit crazy Azula, it's what I like about you. It makes up for my lack of drive, just like Ty Lee helps shine some light on me," Mai shrugged, pouring more wine into Azula's cup.
"…So?" Azula asked.
"Well, as to your proposal.
"I have no interest in lovers, so I can be faithful, with some service. And I want at least one child by him, and you not trying to take liberties there.
"You want to rule through Zuko, fine. You couldn't be worse than your father and I don't really care for politics.
"So I get luxury, peace, and a kid on the throne; and you get my silence and cooperation, with Zuko and you ruling the Fire Nation.
"I only have one other condition. I won't be hated by him. A marriage with the two of us hating each other is unacceptable. He needs to agree to it," Mai demanded softly.
"…Fine. It won't be an issue, he knows I know what's best for us," Azula agreed. Mai nodded, accepting that as Azula returned to her seat and drained her cup.
Azula sullenly looked at Mai, who raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Mai asked.
"You're sure?" Azula demanded. Mai picked up the wine bottle in one hand, inspecting it a moment before answering.
"Yes, your secret is safe. Because they think you are hiding something else entirely," Mai told her.
"What?" Azula demanded. She saw her doom in men discussing how she might be planning to overthrow her father. The only question was whether Father would make her death look like an accident, or have her disappear to be tortured to death in the secret bunker.
"They think you and Ty Lee are secret lovers. Or me, sometimes all three of us, the rumors vary," Mai admitted refilling Azula's cup. The princess stared at her blankly.
"They don't really have issue with the idea. Well, some do, but no one who matters lets it interfere with the business of Third Army.
"Apparently there's a belief that a woman who has such an interest and such talent in masculine endeavors will share masculine appetites. Ty Lee's hugging probably doesn't help either," Mai coughed to cover a snicker. Azula snatched the bottle from Mai.
"No more hugging," Azula muttered.
"On the bright side, who's going to bother with rumors of incest when they think you're looking in the completely opposite direction?" Mai pointed out.
"I command you to stop enjoying this," Azula snapped.
Elsewhere:
It was a cheap inn, the kind where the food was more dangerous than the other guests and the mats were probably a third composed of parasites. It was what he was used to, and what he preferred from civilization.
Jet pushed two fingers between the reed curtains and spread them apart. Light leaked into the musky room along with a breath of city air. The city of Devo, called Azulon by the Fire Nation.
Jet had entered the province before, but it was his first visit to the city itself. Honestly, he found it a bit depressing. He had expected what he had seen with other cities occupied by the Fire Nation – enemy banners, soldiers, and a light mix of Fire nationals and architecture intruding like a disease.
Here the disease had won out. He had to look for the signs this was truly part of the Earth Kingdom.
'This city can't be liberated; it needs to be razed and started anew,' Jet thought. He heard footsteps down the hall; his associates had news for him, it seemed. He stayed as his spot as the door opened and they entered.
'Clumsy Dai Li, however they look they can't shake that rhythm of movement. Fortunately, the Firebenders are complacent here,' Jet thought.
"Princess Azula will be attending the festival as a guest of honor. That will be our best time to strike," the dominant one of the pair told him. Jet smiled, his straw moving upward.
"Of course, what Fire Nation high-blood could resist a chance to get their ass kissed?" Jet asked. One of the Dai Li stepped forward, holding a scroll. Jet let the window screen close and turned to take it from the man dressed like a trader's low-grade guard. It was a proclamation about the festival, announcing the Princess' role. Jet's eyes widened at this.
"You came here for something I would have found out in a few hours? It's risky to meet," Jet told them, crushing the paper.
"That news is incidental; we thought you should hear what is going through the Fire Nation's chain of command," the Dai Li said, handing him another, smaller scroll. Jet opened the scroll, his eyes darting across it. He stopped, and lowered it to look at them, stunned.
"Is this for real?" Jet demanded.
"Yes, the Avatar has returned. We have yet to verify it with the Council Offices, but it is surging though the Fire Nations communications," the Dai Li answered.
"An Airebender boy? Heh, so the Airbenders still live, good for them. We may have a new ally more valuable than some Avatar.
"Sokka? Well, he always did have a strange kind of luck. Guess this means he got his sister back. Sorry I won't be there when his wife welcomes him back," Jet chuckled, finishing the document.
"This could change everything, should we delay the operation?" the junior Dai Li asked. Jet raised his eyes from the document; they were devoid of the mirth that had lit them a moment ago.
"Of course not. This is good news, but we will not assume the winds are changing just because some piece of history has come back from the dead. We will not lay all our hopes on some boy – trusting everything in Avatars was the downfall of too many enemies of the Fire Nation.
"And even if the tides are turning, Princess Azula is one of the Fire Nation's greatest assets – their most celebrated General and heir to the Fire Lord. If she falls, the world will shake," Jet smiled at the thought.
"If you believe she is so important, then why did you refuse to bring your own people?" the agent demanded.
"Because whether we succeed or fail its likely death for all of us. I don't really want to die, but if it means shaking the Fire Nation to the core, I will pay that price and die smiling.
"Still, even if it were the Fire Lord himself dying by my swords, the Fire Nation and the war would go on. So the Freedom Fighters must live on to fight the battles to come. And if this Avatar is being influenced by that moral high horse Sokka, the Freedom Fighters will be needed even more.
"I know my people; they won't stop fighting until this war is truly won. Until the day we drive the Fire Nation back to Azulon's gates and grind their race into dust," Jet answered. His face split with a grin that chilled even the Dai Li; there was no doubt he meant every word.
The Dai Li nodded in approval, and left to make their preparations. Alone with thoughts of distant islands drenched in blood, Jet began to sharpen his swords. The Fire Nation royals claimed to possess divine blood. Jet wasn't sure he believed in gods, but he would want these blades sharp enough to cut one.
Kyoshi Island:
"Wow," Katara said, taking in the chambers they had been shown to.
They had been taken to a walled manor building at the edge of the town. The wall was clearly not just decorative, from what Katara had seen of the world. And the number of Earth troops walking the green behind the walls had made it clearer. She had taken note how, while the building was predominantly colored inside and out by Earth Kingdom colors, the local blue noticeably crept in several times as they were lead through the bureaucrat-infested hallways.
This was some government building, probably a residence for a big shot. It reminded Katara too much of the Royal Palace for comfort. At the very least, the servants were clearly not slaves.
"This is the commandant's honored guest suite, Lord Avatar. We would like you to reside here until you can speak with the commandant and the chieftain," one of the two Kyoshi warriors that had escorted them there told Aang. They had noticed Suki slip away on the trip, but were more concerned by another absence.
"Where is Sokka?" Aang asked. The Kyoshi warrior blinked, clearly surprised by the question, before smiling.
"He is debriefing his actions to Lady Suki and the Mainland military.
"Miss Katara, you are a civilian, and the Avatar is not quite in anyone's jurisdiction, but Captain Sokka is a member of the Alliance military structure.
"Normally, his renegade actions would be cause to worry, but it's what we all have come to expect from him. Victory is victory despite how the old men grumble about people like him. Besides, he has friends in high places, and seems to be getting more," the warrior giggled, looking to Aang pointedly.
While relieved that his friend wasn't in too much trouble, the thought that he was being casually lumped in with these mysterious and powerful friends of Sokka's chilled Aang. He had only begun to learn the role of the Avatar in the world, and now in this new world he had no idea what role the Avatar had.
Before, he was supposed to defend the balance by stopping a war. Now, he was expected to restore balance by ending a war.
How was he supposed to do that? Defeat the Fire Lord like they kept saying? Sokka had told him how Avatar Roku had not only defeated Fire Lord Sozin, but also demolished his palace. And that didn't exactly do the trick.
"Aang, you with us?" Katara asked. Aang snapped out of a daze he hadn't realized he was in to find Katara looking at him with concern; Momo landed on his shoulder and lightly tugged his ear. He had been out long enough for them to end up alone in the room.
"I'm fine, guys; just thinking. You know us monks, head in the clouds… Oh, fruit!" Aang shouted. He pointed past Katara to a large bowl of mixed fruit resting on a table in the plush room's center.
Momo shrieked with delight, gliding over to the table.
"Momo! You can't hog it all, it was put there for everyone," Aang objected, rushing after the lemur as Katara laughed at their antics.
Elsewhere:
"I hate it when you guys put me in a room like this," Sokka sighed, shielding his eyes with his hand as he looked up. He was in a barren room of grey stone with a plain wooden table before him, the chair he sat on, and a single lamp beating down on him.
A fist slammed down on the table, drawing Sokka's attention to the sour-faced and burly army Captain glaring at him over a very impressive mustache.
"You will not keep disrupting this debriefing with your nonsense!" the officer yelled at him, spittle hitting the table between them.
'Why can't my mustache be that impressive?' Sokka lamented internally.
"I don't see why everyone's so angry. So I went AWOL again, made another unauthorized operation, and appropriated a crew without permission to attack a high profile target on a personal mission. It all turned out great in the end right?" Sokka pointed out, ticking his points off with his fingers. He was wondering when the vein in the guy's head would burst, when the door opened, letting a small snicker enter.
The Captain composed himself as Suki walked in; she saluted the officer, and then favored Sokka with a half smile.
"Well Sokka, once again your luck defies all reason. Anyone else would be executed for all the lines you crossed. Though I suppose, given the success, we would have to give them a medal before discharging them. But as the good Captain knows, King Bumi and your wife won't have any of that," Suki said, planting an open palm on the table.
"And what about you?" Sokka asked, leaning forward over the table.
"Oh, I would kick your ass then kiss you for doing such a good job. But I sleep well knowing what she will do to you when you get back to Sanin. Hmm, she should have gotten word by now, since you seemed to take a little detour.
"Honestly though, who but you could find the Avatar, who generations of Fire Nation Royals have searched for, and the people of two nations have prayed for; and you find him by accident," Suki sighed, massaging her temples.
"What can I say? The universe and me, we have a complicated relationship," Sokka grinned, reclining in the chair.
"I suppose you do. And you can tell us all about it, when you fill out the incident report forms," Suki smiled as she stepped aside, letting another Kyoshi Warrior step up to the table and place a stack of papers as tall as Sokka's fist on the table. Sokka's eyes bulged as he reached forward to flip through the parchment.
"Since this is a high priority incident, you will have to do it in triplicate. And once those are done you need to write out a full report on what you've been doing with the Avatar. A full report on the Avatar himself, based on your observations. And of course, since you encountered Crown Prince Zuko, however briefly, we need a full report on him and the state of his ship and General Iroh, based on your observations," Suki said as the warrior returned and put another, taller, stack next to the first.
"And of course, as these all concern the Avatar or the enemy crown prince, we will need it done in triplicate.
"Once you're done, you can get something to eat from the mess hall," Suki told him, with a beaming yet closed smile. Sokka glared at her, drumming his fingers on the table.
"Now I remember why I broke up with you. You're evil," Sokka pointed at her accusingly.
"And you married someone even worse. Guess you're a masochist, so you should enjoy this. See you in the morning!" she said, waving as she turned to leave.
"EVIL!" Sokka screamed after her before the door closed on his outburst.
Outskirts of Chin, Across the Straits of Kyoshi:
Mayor Tong of Chin pulled his ostrich horse up in the shadow of the trees. Looking back the way he had come, he could see the fields of the walled town he ruled.
Stroking his drooping and curled mustache, he winced at the forest noises. He hated to leave his place of power like this. Who knows what hoodlums and beasts might be lurking in wait for the great leader of the great village of Chin?!
But like Chin the Great, he had to take great risks to prove his greatness.
"I hope you have something better than last time, Mayor Tong," a voice called from the shadows. Tong nearly leapt from his mount, which just calmly watched as a figure in black silently dropped from the trees. Only the man's eyes were visible, and they glowed golden.
"Of course, the most up to date map with defense specifics for Kyoshi, as you requested. It was not easy or cheap to come by," Tong smiled, holding out a scroll bag. The Fire Nation agent took the bag and removed a scroll. Tong wondered if the man could actually read in this poor light.
"Excellent, your service pleases the Fire Lord. Once Lord Ozai rules these lands, he will remember the people of Chin as loyal supporters," the Firebender told him, putting on the carrying case.
"Yes, the descendants of Chin the Great's army will finally get the legacy that Kyoshi stole from us. We should be ruling this continent as descendants of the most loyal followers of the founder of a great dynasty. Instead we are lucky to be overlooked.
"And the Earth Kingdom doesn't even do that anymore – they forced us to cancel Avatar Day, and took away our wheel of punishment!" Tong ranted, seeing red at the slights against the great people of Chin.
"And of course, they chose to give the wealth and prestige of the military base to the people of Kyoshi, your old enemies," the spy reminded him.
"Just so! And they will all pay for their disrespect. It's taken nearly four hundred years, but we will see Kyoshi's people pay for what she did to us," Tong ranted.
"Just remember, your people are not to cause any trouble when the prince raids the island. In fact they should do their best to show their loyalty. All the better for them to ensure Kyoshi falls swiftly when the Fire Lord's forces arrive," the masked man reminded him.
"Yes, yes, we have waited this long we can wait a bit longer. Though it is sad to see a father so reluctant to aid his own son," Tong answered. While he had little love for the Wandering Prince, the thought that the woman Azure Dragon might be his sovereign one day was… unpleasant. In his opinion, the lack of female rulers in both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation's histories was proof that women should be limited in the power they held over men.
But still, he was more concerned with another group of women.
"I can hardly wait to see those arrogant women clapped in irons. Their leader especially, I want her as part of my reward, crippled and disgraced for daring to mar the statue of Chin all those years ago!" Tong demanded.
"We shall see…"
"Oh, but I think you will see it as more than reasonable. Since I have other, greater news from across the straits," Tong grinned wickedly.
Fire Nation Occupied Southern Earth Kingdom:
It was a beautiful day, the sun was almost as bright as the Fire Nation's days but not so hot, and the binds brought in a, strangely clean, scent of the sea. Two Fire Nation officers sat on a porch overlooking the militarized bay where warships had been gathered. There was a great deal of activity as several ships were being loaded, with yard workers making their rounds on the deck and about the ships in small boats.
These two men, though, were focused on something other than the military industrial activity unfolding nearby. Their attention was focused on the board and pieces set up between them.
Iroh tapped his chin and tilted his head; despite appearances, he was intent on the problem before him. Pai Sho was serious business, after all. The young Captain with the tragically receding hairline was good, very good.
Iroh was worried he would lose this game. Not that he minded losing, but judging by that smirk it would badly inflate this young man's head if he beat the Dragon of the West at this game. And young men with big heads tended to get their troops killed.
A loss of support for the war did not mean he no longer cared about the young men who fought it.
"Uncle!" Prince Zuko called, stepping out onto the porch.
'Speaking of young men at war,' Iroh thought. Hmm, he had forgotten to close the door behind him, a sign of how fixated he was on the news he brought.
"The General is preoccupied at the moment, Your Highness," the young Captain remarked. Iroh's opinion of the balding man dropped several notches – antagonizing royalty at his rank was just stupid.
"Ah ha!" Iroh exclaimed, making his move. The Captain's brow furrowed in puzzlement before he blanched, looking at the board.
"If you're done with your game, I have important news," Zuko grumbled, dropping the scroll he had brought onto the board.
"Well, it's not quite done…" Iroh remarked with more levity than he felt was proper. The Captain stared back at the obscured board before pushing his chair back and got to his feet.
"General, Your Highness," he bowed to Iroh before giving Zuko a nod. As he left through the door Zuko came from, the Prince watched him go impassively.
"So, the Avatar has arrived at Kyoshi and looks to be staying there for some time," Iroh remarked, before sipping his tea. Zuko turned back to his uncle and saw the scroll was untouched.
"How did you know?" Zuko asked, surprised but not rude.
"Nephew, you are still too easy to read. Or maybe I know you too well. If the news were anything else, smoke would be coming from your ears," Iroh laughed. Zuko did not join in, and Iroh picked up the report. He read it in silence, letting his tea lie.
He returned it to Zuko's outstretched hand, looking out to sea.
"You will commence the attack as soon as possible then?" Iroh asked.
"I have to – the Avatar has a sky bison, he could decide to leave and be gone in a moment, no tides or waiting for a ship. He could just leave with no trail," Zuko said.
"Kyoshi Island; a few years ago it was a backwater blessed to be forgotten by both sides in this war. But with the fall of Ba Sing Se it has become a fortress, a pillar of the Armed Frontier. What's more, Kyoshi brought the Earth Kingdom back from the edge of ruin, the Earthbenders will not give up her home without taking their barrel of blood in payment," Iroh mused.
"I'm not going to conquer it, I'm going to raid it," Zuko reminded him.
"It will still be costly," Iroh persisted.
"I have no choice! If the Avatar escapes into the Remnant the only way to pursue him is with an army. I barely have these ships; they have no respect for my rank. They think I'm nothing more than a royal brat leading them to stoke my ego," the Prince ranted.
"Calm yourself. Spying on our own men is a sound tactic for a commander, but knowledge is useless if you let emotion cloud wisdom," Iroh advised sternly.
"Wisdom… all these years waiting and training to confront the Avatar. Studying the Airbenders hoping it would give me an edge. But it won't matter for anything if I can't get close enough to fight him.
"Avoid and evade is the primary war doctrine of the Airbenders. All he needs to do to avoid us is go beyond the Frontier," Zuko said, walking over to the railing to look out over the bay.
"More difficult to reach him, but not impossible. Rumor has it the Fire Lord is planning some kind of grand offensive. The armies and fleets are starting to make ready for whatever he has planned. If you wait, you may yet have a chance," Iroh advised.
"Too late for that, I have already made my plan known to the commanders. If I back down I will be seen as an even bigger fool. And if the Avatar has time to master the other bending styles it will be nearly impossible to contain him.
"It takes time to master a bending style, even for prodigies like the Avatars," Iroh reminded him.
"When he will have the Blind Bandit and the Mad King to teach him earthbending? And his pick of the master Waterbenders of the Northern Tribe? The only consolation is that no Firebender would betray his nation by helping the Avatar.
"But even then. Kyoshi ended two civil wars singlehandedly, and Avatar Genryusai drove two fleets apart and forced the greatest lords in the Fire Nation to make peace with one another.
"It's not just my honor, Uncle, I need to end this threat before this boy drags us into another hundred years of war. With the Avatar, our enemies could hold on for decades," Zuko told him. Iroh sighed, wishing he had a cup of good jasmine tea.
"I too wish to see this war end," Iroh admitted. Zuko turned and gave a smile that Iroh rarely saw on his nephew's handsome face.
"We will see it end, Uncle. This war will end and from the Fire Nation a new world will be born," Zuko said. The prince turning back to watch the ships he had gathered make ready. He did not see the weariness in his beloved uncle's eyes.
AN: More than a year since the last update. Yes, I suck. Hope anyone who still follows this enjoyed the chapter. Since this ended up a two parter hopefully the next chapter won't take a year to come out I want see Azula and Jet fight again. And it would be nice to have a way other than dreams or flashbacks for the main pair to come together, but they are both tied up at the moment.
Well thank you for reading, long days and pleasant nights to you all.