OMG... AN UPDATE! I am soooo sorry that I have not uploaded a chapter in sooo long! I've just been very busy. But this story will go on! I love it too much.

I apologize for the wait and hope people are still reading this!

Disclaimer: don't own ATLA

Read and review!

ENJOY!

-TSA

Chapter 26:

'If you don't have any fight in you, you might as well be dead.'Scott Caan

Two days left…Two days before the Day of the Black Sun and she was only just now trying to maneuver around the palace in an attempt to chart her course to the throne room. She had given up on the attempt to enter the Fire Lord's personal chambers. Ever since Ember Island, ever since Zuko came back into her life, she wasn't prepared to put herself up to the touch of another man, even if it was for the purpose of assassination.

Maybe this was her going soft? Maybe she was forfeiting everything she'd ever been trained to be for the sake of one person. Regardless of her reasoning, she had suddenly become aware of what seduction truly did. She was exposing herself and she couldn't bring herself to desire it. She couldn't even answer herself when she asked why she had been that way before. Why did she enjoy being subject to a man she didn't love all for the sake of gaining control over the situation? She laughed at the thought that maybe it was because she just loved being in control…

But with Zuko…she was willing to sacrifice all her strength and will to be in his arms. He could have her however he wanted – She wasn't ever going to tell him "no". But even he hadn't realized the effect he had on her. He was naïve as anyone their age should have been. So why did she pretend she understood things more?

Without an answer to that, she strode down the hallway while counting how many guards were in attendance since the Fire Lord was holding an audience with his advisors. Six wasn't a terrible number, though she needed to continually remind herself that she was in their arena, their element. She was at a disadvantage with her minimal knowledge of the palace's layout. She'd wasted too much time in her dalliances trying to win Zuko back.

Well, six guards without their ability to bend fire wouldn't be an issue; she just needed to secure them so that when the eclipse ended she wouldn't be killed on the spot. Either she could sneak into the throne room or she could make a grand entrance. Either way, she needed to kill him quickly and escape. As she rested against one of the pillars, hidden by the overhanging shadows from the sunlight seeping through the roof and windows, she came to the most terrifying realization.

She might not make it out alive.

Biting at the insides of her mouth, she mulled over the idea that the Fire Lord could certainly overpower her wit sheer strength alone. So, she needed to be stealthy. But even if she killed him, it was most likely that she wouldn't make it out of the throne room let alone the palace. The eclipse would only last eight minutes! But maybe…that was how it was supposed to be? For all that she'd accomplished, maybe this was her final act?

She nodded her head as the throne room doors opened, watching as several older men walked out. With the throne room doors being so small, she'd need to follow in after servants or soldiers and stake out in the shadows. From what she could see, it was quite dark in there aside from the fire that burned behind the throne. After that she just needed to run and kill until someone took her down-

"Princess."

So startled was she by the voice behind her, that she whirled around and landed a crushing blow with her elbow into the face of whoever had spoken. She immediately started apologizing when she saw Nalren holding his nose while groveling on the ground. She looked around at the passing guards, all who seemed to be looking for wherever that yelping sound was coming from. Rolling her eyes, she knelt beside Nalren and grabbed him by the collar of his tunic.

"Quiet, you idiot! I'm not going to get caught because you can't take a hit!" she hissed, giving him a shake.

He finally stopped whimpering, looking at his hand where blood was crusted, "I'm pretty sure you broke my nose…"

"Then I suggest you don't scare me next time!"

"Sorry for not knowing you're seriously on edge…"

She gave him another shove, his head bouncing off the tile floors which made him howl again. Standing up, she gestured for him to follow her as she made her way back to her chambers, "I think I've realized something, Nalren."

"Go on…"

Briar sighed, "This assassination might be a one-way street."

Nalren nodded his head, "How can you be so sure? Why don't you ask Zuko for help-?"

"Because he finally has his father's love." Briar kept walking, quickening her pace while watching each tile as her feet swept over them, "I can't ask him to set his life on the line. I created this game, so I need to end it." As she moved to storm into her chambers, she was stopped by Nalren's hand on her shoulder. The comfort in his touch was too much for her and she almost felt the need to cry.

"Chess takes several hours to play. You know this." He turned her around and kissed her forehead, which make her choke down a sob, "Just stick to the shadows…"

She wasn't sure where the comfort exactly was in his word, but she felt like her heart had lifted in her chest. Watching him saunter down the hallway, she couldn't help a smile before disappearing into her chambers to analyze the final move in her game.

. . . .

Ember Island…It certainly was peaceful. Toes digging into the sand, Chronos stared out across the glistening water with his arms crossed over his chest. It was hard to think that he was on the eve of a potential military conquest, something he never imagined happening as a seventeen year old. Spirits, at this point he was supposed to be engaged to Briar, and possibly married! And look where he'd found himself…on a beautiful beach contemplating how he was going to capture Ba Sing Se and become the Fifty Third Earth King.

His shoulders were starting to feel heavy, and he was beginning to think he wouldn't be able to fulfill this destiny that Briar had thrown upon him. Well, it wasn't entirely her fault, and maybe this would have come at a later time in his life? But here it was now, demanding something of him that he hadn't been sure he could give – The courage to rebuild a nation. How many that had come before him had failed to do such a thing? How was he to expect that the men and women of Ba Sing Se were even going to accept him!

Closing his eyes, he felt the sand shift beneath his feet and the presence of another by his side. He looked down at Toph, the girl that had stolen his heart and, well, his man-card depending on the moment…

"What are you planning, Mr. Fabulous?"

He grinned, finally getting over her use of that as a nickname, "We have only two days left." He gestured for her to follow him as he made his way across the beach to where his army was resting, "I want my throne before the eclipse."

"You think it's a good idea to attack when the Fire Nation still has their bending?"

"I think we can take on a few fire benders." He gave her a little nudge to the shoulder, "But we'll need to leave now."

. . . .

There wasn't really a time for speeches as he and his army traveled across the outer lands of the Earth Kingdom, marching to the giant walls of Ba Sing Se. What was he supposed to say to them anyway? That they were fighting to regain his throne? That they were fighting to expel the Fire Nation from their home? None of those sounded very inspiring…

At the front of his rebel troops, Chronos wished he was adorned in his golden armor with his bo-staff in his hand. He would have felt like a proper commander then. But every last one of the people following him was dressed in clothes worn from camping out in the wilderness. And he? His clothing wasn't in much better condition. The oddity to him was he was still wearing a steel blue tunic rather than the colors of his nation.

Leaving majority of his army in Toph's care, he prepared himself for his plan to possibly go wrong. It was asinine to believe it was going to run smoothly! Assembling a group of fifteen to wait for the gates to be opened before they moved in, Chronos made his way up to the walls of Ba Sing Se.

He was alone in this one. Face to face with the walls he would swear to protect, he reached a hand out to gates, but an arrow was fired into the ground beside him. Teeth grinding in agitation of the Fire Nation soldier at his post, Chronos took a step back to discern how many were pacing the top of the wall. From what he could see, most were armed by spears. Distanced combat was a favorite of his-

"Who goes there?!"

He shook his head, grumbling about how these people couldn't at least guess who he was… "I am Lord Chronos, the Fifty Third Earth King, and I've come to take my throne!"

There was an echo of laughter above him, which caused him to clench his hands into fists. When he was done with this battle, he was going to personally beat every last one of them until they couldn't see out of their swollen eyes…

"Never heard of ya!" The laughter only seemed to get louder, "Why don't you run along unless you wish to be arrested!"

"I'll be having back my city, Good Men." Chronos crossed his arms over his chest, "Open the gates or fear what will become of you when I have my throne."

"What's to fear from a whelp like you?!"

This taunting was really getting on his nerves, but he needed to keep his composure. Shaking his hair from his eyes, he gave the soldiers a bright smile, "You men are quite uneducated about the rulers of the Earth Kingdom. Shall I educate you on why you should worry for your lives when I enter this city?"

"You're not getting into this city, Whelp. Not even the great Dragon of the West could breech these walls!"

"Well, the Dragon of the West was a fire Bender…" Chronos drew in a deep breath, staring at the gate before him. It would take all of his strength to accomplish what he was about to do, "…and I am an earth bender."

"You're giving me no other option than to have you arrested." The fire bender speaking spat down at him, "Or better yet, have you killed…"

"Then why don't you come down here and we can have a bought?" Chronos gave him a mocking bow, "Unless you're one of those soldiers a ruler can't trust on the frontline...?"

The man began barking orders for the archers to be assembled, but it gave Chronos the opportunity to achieve the near impossible. Pressing his hands against the stone gates of Ba Sing Se, he pushed with all his might. He could feel the earth shift around him, the walls beginning to shake as he muttered prayers to the spirits to let him enter his city. He could feel the stone walls bending to his will, the sound from the shouting guards not enough to throw off his focus.

The archers were useless since he was protected by the overhanging of the wall. His skin was flushed red, his veins a bright blue beneath his skin as he fought and fought to move the stone in front of him. Letting out a cry so loud that the birds were shaken from the trees, the gate finally gave way and Chronos pushed his way into the city. The chaos that followed amused him greatly…

Soldiers were just throwing themselves in front of him, assuming that would stop him. Though he was outnumbered, he wasn't outgunned. Dodging each barrage of flame, he slammed his foot into the ground, nearly splitting the street in half as he uprooted several pillars of earth that he sent into several advancing sentries. They all crashed into each other, their metal armor clanking as they scrambled to stand.

Fists raised, Chronos bobbed and weaved around the punches of three men until he found an opening. The first hit was strictly his bare fist crushing the jawbone of one of the fire benders. Sidestepping a flurry of wild haymakers, he summoned a boulder from the earth and pummeled the man swinging at him. The other two guards gave each other a worried glance, but when they chose to turn and run, Chronos opened the ground beneath them and trapped them in a hole.

Picking up the fallen spear of one of the soldiers, he swung it around above his head, the ground shaking beneath him as he sent a fissure across the street that sent the oncoming soldiers to their knees. As they rose to stand, he slammed the staff into the ground, unearthing several large boulders. Every swing that followed crushed each oncoming soldier who was too slow to dodge his attacks.

Glancing at the damage around him, he saw several of Ba Sing Se's citizens peeking their heads out of their houses. The fear in their eyes wasn't reassuring, but soon enough the people bowed to him. Spear in hand, Chronos looked to the man descending from the walls, the one who had been mocking him. Chronos' grin nearly split his face as the man was pale skinned at the sight of the fire nation soldiers incapacitated.

Chronos strolled over to him, twirling the spear between his hands, "Shall I educate you on why you should worry about your life...?"

"You won't do it!" the man shrieked, trying to stand his ground.

Chronos sighed, holding the spear at his side, "You're right, Sir, for I am Lord Chronos, son of Terran and Samira, the rightful Fifty Third Earth King." The man gave him a quizzical look, which made him laugh, "And I've learned that mercy is the only way we can mend this world…" Glancing over his shoulder, Chronos saw that the people of Ba Sing Se's lower district were crowding the streets, watching him. He threw the spear in front of the fire bender, "You're life has been spared, though I know you'd not do me that favor back."

Suddenly, everyone was ushered back into their houses as the Dai Li ran down the street. Chronos held his hands out in front of him as a sign of surrender, very well planning on his capture and sentencing to a cell in Lake Laogai. Where else could they put him? He'd surely escape custody in the palace…but metal bars were going to get the better of him.

Hands cuffed in front of him, he glanced over his shoulder to see one of his rebel leaders giving him a thumbs up from around the corner. His small battalion had breached the walls and would assemble anyone who wanted to pick up their cause and fight. Judging by the reaction he got from the people around him, he wasn't assuming it would be difficult.

. . . .

Back to a cell under Lake Laogai, Chronos paced back and forth, awaiting the arrival of Toph, who hopefully found a way to breech the prison from the outside. If she didn't…then he was just going to have to wait out this invasion and hope he'd done enough. If only he could metal bend…but he hadn't ever asked Toph to teach him that technique. It was certainly be an excuse to spend more time with her-

Blushing at how silly it was to be thinking about that at the given moment, Chronos finally resorted to sitting on the wet, cold ground. How familiar this place was? It seemed like only yesterday that he was trapped there with that fellow Jet claiming justice would be served. He never did know what happened when Long Feng released him…

The wall next to him suddenly shattered and from the bricks' dust came Toph with a group of rebels behind her. She looked his way, those pale eyes seeing more than he'd ever be able to. She took hold of the bars of his cell and bent them until Chronos could climb out.

"Good timing." He stretched his arms to the ceiling, "I was starting to get cramped."

"We've taken care of the officers in this prison. They'll all locked away." Toph gestured for one of the rebels to step forward, "And we found this."

Chronos could have kissed her when his gleaming, golden armor came into view. He'd been stripped of it when Briar had him captured, and to see it again was like a reunion with an old friend. It seemed silly to be so attached, but it had been his father's once and he was afraid to lose it. Quickly donning each piece, he nodded to the rebels all staring at him with wonder and amazement.

"Thank you-" He began to say, but Toph cut him off.

"This isn't the time to be sentimental, Mr. Fabulous. Ba Sing Se isn't yours yet."

Chronos began grumbling under his breath as he followed Toph around the corridors of Lake Laogai. She made quick work of the passageways, even making ones of her own until she had brought them to the Crystal Catacombs. Another place of memories for Chronos…the scrum when he tried to kill Briar, all because of misunderstanding what her actions were done for… Would it ever be appropriate to thank her for the throne she'd now placed him on?

Still following Toph, Chronos was relieved to see the rest of his rebel army waiting for him. They all stopped and looked his way, and he dared to think that he looked more like a king to them now. The silence eventually overwhelmed him and he realized they were expecting him to speak. His face and neck turned scarlet and he felt Toph nudge his back. He cleared his throat several times and diverted his gaze to the waterfall.

"What's there to say?" His throat went dry and he coughed a couple times as confused glances were cast his way, "I mean…" He breathed slowly, finding comfort in the waterfall, "…we've known all our lives that the Fire Nation was the source of ultimate power, and it was only a matter of time before they conquered our kingdoms. We all waited, fearful of having to face their merciless army." His eyes finally panned out across the people surrounding him, "But here we are now, courage amongst our ranks, and why? I think I've only just myself realized it…" He laughed a little, "It's because we know we are different from the Fire Nation. It's because we know what it means to be merciful. That's what makes us stronger. We've seen what years and years of hatred have done, and we won't stand for it anymore." He looked at Toph, who seemed to be hiding a smile, "Though the Fire Nation will show us no mercy and try to break our spirits, we must remember the most important thing that guides us through the darkness." Holding his breath, he let the silence become overwhelming against before speaking, "Hope…We have hope..."

Leaving his words to hang in the air, he moved toward the wall in front of them. Pressing his hands against it, he pushed the earth aside to open an entrance to the palace. Immediately, they were charged by palace guards, but those men were no match for the spirit of those rebels.

Chronos wove his way through the oncoming hoard, picking up a spear as he leveled a guard into the floor. The blade cut through the oncoming men, and he knew not whether the wounds were fatal. Ignoring the blood at his feet, he charged after every man that threatened him while the palace alarm was set off. He hid behind the corner, listening to the rushing of feet. When he glanced around, he saw three men standing amidst their bleeding comrades. Hand pressed to the wall, Chronos sent a pillar into the soldiers that crushed them and threw them out the window.

He ran down the halls, dodging fleeing servants until he reached the balcony that overlooked the city. He smirked when he saw that the higher district had taken up arms and were fighting against the city guards. As he breathed a sigh of relief, he just barely reacted in enough time to dodge the sword swung at him. The blade clattered off the stone railing of the balcony, and Chronos took the moment to take advantage of his stunned opponent.

He drove his spear into the man's stomach. The body hitched beneath the blade, and Chronos found himself staring into amber eyes. He could have cried had this man not tried to kill him. Watching the soul leave his body, Chronos removed his spear while the body crumbled to ground. Suddenly, the crowd below him began to cheer and he looked out beyond the horizon to see an army striding through the higher district. When the flag came into view, Chronos couldn't help a shout for his apparent victory.

It was a gold emblem of a sun and a moon entwined together. The Flag of the Southern Earth Kingdom…Queen Amaterasu's flag…

He could have cried at that sight, but he was interrupted by a punch landing against his arm. Rubbing the now sore spot, he started cursing until he saw that it was Toph next to him, who was snickering. Just showing her affection…

"Looks like you did it, Mr. Fabulous."

"I guess I did…" He set his hands on the railing, "It's more beautiful than I imaged it would be."

"All that's left is your coronation."

"It would seem that way…" He looked down at her, finding so much comfort in her just being next to him. He knew he'd never forgive himself if he missed this moment. Bending down to her, he touched her chin before gently placing a kiss on her cheek. Her face turned so red that he assumed she was going to pummel him over the side of the balcony, but instead she just smiled.

"What's with the flirty feelings, Toph?" he teased.

She grinned, "I hope you realize a kiss isn't going to seal any deal with me."

With the last word, Toph left Chronos to stand there with his jaw dropped. Sighing heavily, he ran his fingers through his unkempt hair while a smile found its way onto his lips. So…maybe he'd have to try a little harder to get Toph to admit she liked him. But he certainly had time to wait before that happened…

When he looked out across the city, he saw that floods of people were standing before him. That overwhelming silence was back and his face and neck were scarlet. He was going to have to get used to this speech thing… Clearing his throat, he slowly removed his gold armor to better show the condition of his bruised and beaten body. He had conquered Ba Sing Se for its people and he wanted them to see his labor worn image so that they understood he would not sit on a throne and send his army out to die. He would always fight beside them.

"People of Ba Sing Se!" His voice echoed more than he wanted it to and he suddenly shrunk away. Forcing back his courage, he faced them once again, "This city is yours now. I brought as many rebels as I could amass, brought with me good men and women that sought justice. And I have brought it to you. It is my gift." There was a round of cheers, but he cut them off with a wave of his hand, "This victory today is not my greatest gift to you. No, there is something more powerful that I wanted to restore to you." He held his arms out as if to embrace all of them, "We are a city of hope! We are the brightest star in the night sky! We are the only ones to stand against the Fire Nation all these long years. But we are only the beginning!" Cheers flooded the city and Chronos breathed a sigh of relief until he felt something placed on his head.

Reaching a hand up, his fingertips caressed the gemstones of the Earth King's crown. Silence washed over the crowd as Lady Susanoo strode up beside Chronos and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"All hail the Earth King!"

Soon, the entire crowd broke into that cheer, and Chronos felt his heart flutter in his chest. And in the back of his mind at this joyous point…

He thought that maybe there was some good to what Briar had done…

. . . .

"Ba Sing Se has fallen!"

That was the shout ringing through the palace. The Fire Lord was being roused from his sleep and his finest generals were to be summoned. How could they have lost that city to a bunch of rebels?!

Enjoying the fresh air outside in the palace garden, Briar was humming to herself as she twirled her feet around in the fountain's water. Oh Lord Chronos… Glancing down at her toes in the water that glistened in the moonlight, she tugged up the skirt of her dress higher until she saw that scar that ran up her shin. It was so easy to forget such a thing since it was a painful memory. Now, of all times seemed to be when she remembered such things.

She had been asked to spar her father as her final piece of training. She'd never expected him to try to hurt her, but this wound was merely the least that he could have done to her. His sword tore through her brace, nearly splitting her shin it to the bone. But Briar had proved to be what he had expected, a ruthless warrior. Bleeding on the ground, she managed one last swing of her hammer that buried her father beneath the earth.

But she felt no sorrow for her actions, especially not now. Not since she'd realized what he turned her into. It was hard to say what really killed her father, but Briar had always believed her last resort to win had caused internal damage. The healers had said over and over that his wounds were not visible. It just sounded more romantic to say he died of heartbreak from losing a woman he never deserved.

With a sigh, she forced those thoughts aside and clasped her hands in prayer. What more was there to do now? Maybe the spirits would favor her once more and let her succeed and live. Or even succeed and die! Just…don't let her fail and die…

Deliverance was the best word to describe what she was asking for. Deliverance from the evil she surrounded herself by. Whether or not she would be forgiven later in life, she just wanted to reach the point where the result of her actions had panned out for better or for worse.

A grin crossed her lips as her pride took over for a moment. Better yet…let her actions name her as the greatest traitor this world will ever know. Then she would live forever…

"You'll freeze out here."

Briar glanced up toward the moon, smiling as Zuko draped a blanket across her shoulders. How handsome he looked with his pale skin and amber eyes lit up by the moonlight, "Not unless I have you to keep me warm."

She was glad to see him grin, "You've been out here for a while."

Tears fought at the corner of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She was done with her weaknesses. At least…all except the beautiful one that stared deep into her eyes, the ones he said he hated, "I've finally cleared my thoughts."

"What's that mean?" Zuko whispered.

Rising to her feet, she took his hand in hers and led him back into the palace where darkness was kind enough to hide them. She stopped in front of her chamber doors, pressing a finger to his lips when he went to speak, "Let me show you what I mean…"

...what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it! I have chapters planned out, but I kind of need to know who's still reading this...or else i have no purpose in finishing it. sorry.

anyway! I'll leave you to ponder what Briar and Zuko are up to in this next chapter...hahaha. as if it ain't obvious!

And how about Toph and Chronos!

Day of the Black Sun is coming up!

PLEASE REVIEW!

-TSA