Chapter 13: The Siege of the North: Part 2
Sokka wasn't sure how he made it back to the palace alive. All he remembered was endless running, pulling Toph behind him. Both of them passed out when they reached the healers, who were busy treating the injured warriors. Healer Yugoda treated Sokka's left arm and right hand, bringing him back to full strength in time for him to wake up.
"What happened?" Sokka said as he got up.
"You're alright," Yugoda said. "You've been out for a few hours. You're safe now, for the moment."
Looking around, Sokka saw Toph asleep on a bed. "How's Toph?" he asked.
"Your friend is fine," Yugoda said. "She's exhausted and needs rest."
"Alright," Sokka said. He walked out of the room and out of the palace, noticing that it was nearly sundown. He found Princess Yue watching the battle.
"Sokka, you're awake," Yue said when she saw Sokka walk towards her.
"Yue, what did I miss," Sokka asked.
"They've taken the lower half of the city, and they aren't slowing down for nightfall," Yue said. "I don't know if we can stop them."
"Won't we have the advantage at night?" Sokka asked.
"Yes, tonight is a full moon," Yue said. "Pakku and the other waterbenders can drive them back."
"I wish there was something we could do to help," Sokka said. "If only we had some more earth for Toph to bend."
"Is that all?" Yue asked. "Get Toph and meet me behind the palace."
Behind the Fire Nation lines, Prince Zuko observed the battle while Mai tended to the bruises left by Sokka. Behind him were Li and Lo, who were watching the sun slowly set. Zuko ordered his forces to press forward, not stopping for the night.
"Prince Zuko, this is foolish," Li said.
"We must secure our position now," Lo said.
"Before the waterbenders draw power," Li said.
"From the moon rising tonight," Lo said.
"I'm well aware of the moon problem," Zuko said. "And it won't be a problem for long."
"There is nothing we," Li said.
"Can do about the moon," Lo said.
Zuko was getting frustrated with those two questioning his orders. "Tread lightly, or you may find yourselves at the front of the assault, without a squad!"
Li and Lo shut up, bringing a small smile to Zuko's face as he turned away from them. Mai was amused, but didn't show it. "So what do you plan to do about this?" she asked.
"I did my research," Zuko said. "Tonight is the night to attack."
Zuko watched his forces continue to battle the Water Tribe. Fresh soldiers and firebenders were deployed to relieve the ones currently fighting, keeping the attack strong as the sun set and the moon rose. The strength of the firebenders weakened without the sun while the waterbenders increased their power with the moon. Zuko saw one waterbender create a pillar of swirling water, defeating soldiers with ease.
After an hour the Water Tribe started to push back the Fire Nation. Mai could see the warriors working their way back towards the harbor. "If you have something planned, maybe you should do it now?" she asked.
"Wait for it…" Zuko said.
"Wait for what?" Mai asked.
"That," Zuko said and pointed at the full moon. The edge of the moon was fading, turning dark and slowly spreading across the face of the moon.
"Is that…?" Mai asked.
"A lunar eclipse," Zuko said. "The Earth is moving between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow over the moon. Within the hour the moon will be blocked out and the waterbenders will be powerless."
"A cunning strategy," Li said.
"Worthy of a Prince," Lo said.
Now they agree with me… Zuko thought. "Bring me a kimono rhino," he ordered. "When the eclipse becomes total I will destroy their palace myself."
Meanwhile, Sokka and a very tired Toph were walking behind the palace to meet Yue. The princess was standing at a low wall, near a wooden door. She opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Sokka and Toph. Inside was a long pool of water with an island in the back, with plants and a shrine on it next to a small pond. Everyone crossed one of the bridges and Toph was first to step foot on the grass.
"This is so much better than wearing rock boots," Toph said. She dropped on her back, enjoying being back on solid ground.
"Why didn't you tell us there was natural earth here?" Sokka asked.
"You never asked," Yue answered. Sokka slapped his forehead, which made Yue giggle a little bit.
"Why is it so warm here too?" Toph asked.
"The spirit oasis the center of all spiritual energy in our land," Yue said.
Sokka walked up to the pond, noticing the two koi fish swimming in it. The white one with a black spot seemed to be drifting towards the bottom of the pool, as if it were about to take a nap. "Yue, is it right to take earth from a spiritual place?" Sokka asked.
"I would wait until it becomes necessary," Yue said. "There are paths from here that lead away from the city, and Toph could guard an evacuation from here."
"That sounds like a good backup plan," Sokka said.
"Hey you guys," Toph interrupted. "Why is there a fish on the bottom of the pool?"
"What?" Yue said. She looked at the pool and found the white koi fish resting in the pool with the black koi fish swimming around it. "I've never seen it do that before."
Then Sokka and Yue noticed that the light in the oasis was dimming. They looked up and saw the moon slowly turning dark, a shadow covering a third of the moon. "Ocean and Moon, Not Now!" Yue cried out.
"What's going on?" Toph asked.
"The moon is going dark," Sokka said.
"It's the Night of Red Moon," Yue said.
"They knew," Sokka said. "The Fire Nation knew this would happen tonight."
"Could someone explain to me how bad this is going to be?" Toph asked.
"Every few years the full moon turns dark, and when the last of the moon's light vanishes the entire moon turns red," Yue explained. "During that time, waterbending doesn't work."
"Judging by how big the shadow is now, I'd say we have less than half an hour of waterbending left," Sokka said.
"We need to get everyone out of the city in that time," Yue said.
As if on cue, the low wall between the oasis and the palace melted away. Chief Arnook stood at the entrance with waterbenders behind him. They were escorting children and wounded into the oasis and started leading them into the paths behind it. Arnook walked onto the grass next to his daughter.
"Yue, I want you to lead the evacuation," Arnook ordered. "Get them out of here and to the emergency boats to the east."
"What about you?" Yue said.
"I will stay until the last of our people make it out," Arnook said. Then he turned to Sokka and Toph. "I have a request to make of you Toph. During this eclipse you will be the only person on our side that can bend. I must ask you to hold the line here for as long as you can."
Toph nodded, despite knowing that Arnook was essentially asking her to die for the people. She earthbended new paths through the oasis to help the evacuation move faster. Sokka stayed at her side, boomerang in hand. He saw Arnook walk back to the palace to wait for everyone to flee the city with his daughter leading the way out.
During the evacuation the waterbenders focused on covering the escape. Their power was dwindling with the moonlight, allowing the firebenders to push forward. One by one they lost their bending, those naturally weaker than others losing it first. When there was only a sliver of moonlight left, only Master Pakku could still bend, but at the level of an amateur. With the last of his power Pakku created a low ice wall to cover the switch between waterbenders and warriors.
As the last of the moonlight faded away, the moon turned red. The lunar eclipse had reached totality, crippling the defenses of the Water Tribe. The Fire Nation overwhelmed the remaining warriors, swarming through the evacuated city. Individual soldiers wanted to loot the city, but Prince Zuko had given strict orders to wait until after the city had been taken.
Just behind the Fire Nation lines, Prince Zuko was on a kimono rhino. He reached the soldiers and took point, personally sending fireblasts at the retreating warriors. He had to make every second count, for the eclipse would not last forever. At best he estimated that there was an hour before the waterbenders would regain their power and push him back.
After ten minutes most of the city had been overrun. Zuko's rhino was climbing the steps to the palace, closing in on his victory. He stopped at the top of the steps and observed the craftsmanship of the palace made of ice. Before he could begin destroying the palace the doors opened and Chief Arnook walked out to face the invader.
"You must be the leader," Zuko said. "Is this your idea of a last stand?"
"I'm willing to discuss the terms of our surrender," Arnook said.
"It's too late for that," Zuko said. "And it's obvious you're stalling for time."
Zuko sent a wide fireblast at Arnook, hitting him even as Arnook tried to dodge him. With Arnook on the ground in pain Zuko fired a larger fireblast to finish him off. Then Zuko turned his attention to the palace and sent a continuous stream of fire at it, melting the palace from top to bottom. It took several minutes for Zuko's fire to melt the entire palace, and when he was finished Zuko saw the last few stragglers fleeing the city.
So that's where all the people fled to Zuko thought. He made his rhino move forward, pushing through the melted remains of the palace and headed for the spirit oasis. The beast stopped at the water and Zuko dismounted. With a wide stream of fire Zuko heated the water until it evaporated, leaving a dry path to reach the oasis. As he walked he saw Toph and Sokka waiting as the last few people ran for the paths behind the oasis.
"You again Sparky," Toph said as she felt Zuko approach.
"Yes it is, and this must be one of those heroic sacrifices you see all the time in stories," Zuko said.
"You first," Toph said. She earthbended a large block of stone from the edge of the oasis and threw it at Zuko. Before he could dodge Toph made the stone shatter, sending pieces of it flying in every direction. Zuko had to cover his face with his arms while pieces of stone hit his armor.
In retaliation Zuko sent several fireblasts at Toph, which she blocked with an earth shield. She pulled the shield out of the ground and threw it at Zuko, who jumped onto it and then kicked off it, landing on one of the bridges to the oasis. He sent a fireblast at the ground near Toph, setting the grass on fire to burn the entire thing.
"He's after your feet!" Sokka yelled.
"Not anymore," Toph said. She used some earth to reform the boots that protected her feet from the cold, which would now protect them from the heat. Then she took more earth and shaped it around herself, creating suit of armor to protect the rest of her body. Throwing her arms forward Toph launched the earth covering her fists, which hit Zuko in the chest and threw him back to the ice.
Getting impatient, Zuko charged a lightning blast. He fired it directly at Toph, who heard it coming and created an earth wall to block it. The lightning hit the wall and exploded, showing Toph with debris and making her stumble backward. Pressing his advantage Zuko firebended with his feet and launched himself into the oasis. He rammed into Toph with his armor, breaking through hers and knocking her out in the impact.
"Toph!" Sokka yelled. With his boomerang Sokka charged at Zuko, swinging it like a club. Zuko blocked the sharp side of the boomerang with the armor on his arm. Not wanting to waste any firebending on Sokka, Zuko kicked his leg to bring Sokka down to his knees. With a kick to the gut Zuko forced Sokka away from him.
"Well this was diverting," Zuko said. "But this ending was inevitable." Looking at the pool of water Zuko saw the black koi fish still swimming around the white koi fish at the bottom. Those aren't any ordinary fish Zuko thought, noticing the unusual swimming behavior. Then the white koi started moving, slowly rising from the bottom of the pool.
Suddenly the red glow on the moon faded to black and the edge of the moon turned white again. Too Soon! Zuko thought as he looked at the moon, realizing that the eclipse was ending. Then Zuko heard ice behind the oasis turning into water, and Zuko turned to see an old man riding the water down and into the oasis.
"Pakku!" Sokka cried out, clutching his stomach.
Zuko charged a lightning blast and fired it at Pakku, who pulled water from the ice to block. The lightning hit the water and dispersed harmlessly. Pakku threw the water at Zuko with enough force to throw him out of the oasis. Zuko recovered in time to watch Pakku surround himself, Sokka, and Toph with water and lift them out of the oasis.
With his enemies gone, Zuko walked back into the oasis. He watched the koi fish swim around each other, seemingly unaware of the fight that happened around them. Zuko waited there until Mai arrived with several soldiers.
"What happened here?" Mai asked.
"That earthbender was here," Zuko said. "The people of the city have escaped."
"Should we go after them?" Mai asked.
"No," Zuko said. "The terrain is treacherous, and with the eclipse over it would be suicide to pursue them now."
"So what comes next? The spoils of war?" Mai asked.
"That can wait, there's something strange about this place," Zuko said. To one of the soldiers he said "Bring the engineers in here. I want this area sealed off."
A/N: If the Fire Nation can predict when a comet with a 100-year cycle will arrive to the day then it should be trivially easy for them to predict when eclipses are going to occur. And since Zhao's dead I figured his artificial eclipse (killing the moon spirit) should be replaced with a natural eclipse.
Oh, and The Bad Guy Wins. I find that a story is better when that happens every so often to keep the villains a credible threat.