Hi, I'm sorry for the delay, I'm still adjusting to my life here in Germany. Since I keep writing things far a head I end up with many things for future chapters, I promise to finally focus on what's at hand. Since we already know that whatever I try I always end up taking six months approximately to update I'll just try to keep up the pace. On another topic, it seems that I'll be needing to further develop the current situation before we finally arrive to the situations which I most expect, so expect one or two more chapters of building up tension before shit starts to get real. Also do not forget to keep checking the updates of the map at undeclinable D OT deviantart D OT c om. An to consult the Map of the World of Avatar at the Avatar Wikia for further details.
By the way, as I said I currently leave near Hamburg, Germany, so if anyone of you is nearby do not hesitate to contact me. I'd love to meet new people.
To the kind anonymous reviewer who asked if I still need a beta reader: YES! I DO!
To KytoDragon: I'm sorry to disappoint you, but if it's any consolation I had already planned and written the whole Kori business since before chapter 4. As I said, this won't be your typical white-kight love story; everything will be more complex. And I do not believe anyone has gained any supernatural abilities beyond the scope of what would be credible in a world where people can control the elements. Though I get your point, one of the reasons why I hated the whole Korra series was the whole "Energy bending" crap and their "cheapening" or "vulgarizing" of the most complex and powerful of the traditional bending techniques.
Note: In roman law the peculium was a very important legal figure that revolutionised roman economy. The paterfamilias (head of the family) was the sole owner of sons, slaves, things, and ofttimes even his wife; none of which could, originally, own anything, everything belonged to the paterfamilias. The peculium allowed a paterfamilias to divide his properties and money into chunks (peculium), consequently he could give to one of his slaves a chunk (peculium) of his possessions to administer as if it belonged to him instead of the paterfamilias (but it still belonged to the paterfamilias). He could otherwise use it to invest, for example, in risky business: he invested just a chunk (peculium) of his goods and if things went sour, he'd only lose that fraction of his property. I didn't know how to translate the term so I just left it as is.
"Love is blind, they say; sex is impervious to reason and mocks the power of all philosophers. But, in fact, a person's sexual choice is the result and sum of their fundamental convictions. Tell me what a person finds sexually attractive and I will tell you their entire philosophy of life. Show me the person they sleep with and I will tell you their valuation of themselves. No matter what corruption they're taught about the virtue of selflessness, sex is the most profoundly selfish of all acts, an act which they cannot perform for any motive but their own enjoyment - just try to think of performing it in a spirit of selfless charity! - an act which is not possible in self-abasement, only in self-exultation, only on the confidence of being desired and being worthy of desire. It is an act that forces them to stand naked in spirit, as well as in body, and accept their real ego as their standard of value. They will always be attracted to the person who reflects their deepest vision of themselves, the person whose surrender permits them to experience - or to fake - a sense of self-esteem .. Love is our response to our highest values - and can be nothing else." ― Ayn Rand
Zuko woke up gasping and covered in cold sweat for the third night that week. He had dreamt of it again, about the battle in the sea, the burning men screaming and begging for their lives, the rolling head of the Earth Kingdom solider and Zhao. They often came to his dreams, reenacting their deaths for him to see, they'd keep looking directly at his eyes, ever after they were dead. Their doleful voices would repeat his name between wails. Zhao's grave voice accompanied by the gurgling of his own blood screaming "Do it" was a heartrending echo attached to Zuko's memory.
There were days when Zuko would actually forget about the nightmares, but sooner or later they always returned, and like tonight, Zuko tried to assuage his panting in an effort to regain control of his senses, he needed to calm down.
"Another bad dream?" Mumbled the sleepy voice of his lover. Zuko turned around to see Kori rub her eyes and yawn before she snuggled closer to him, pressing her bare breasts to his chest as she enveloped him in a hug that he happily returned.
Zuko didn't bother to answer, he knew that his lover slept like the rocks she bended and would go back to sleep instantly after being woken up. He kissed her forehead and tried to concentrate away from his nightmares, namely in the girl at his side. It wasn't the first time he had woken her up in the middle of the night, and she had proven to be very understanding when he told her about his worries, for that Zuko was very grateful; not only had she refrained from judging him, but she had actually inspired in him enough confidence to speak about his qualms.
It felt very refreshing to talk about his worries with someone else, a part of his own mother and uncle, Zuko could only count his late cousin Lu Ten as one of the few people privy to his inner thoughts... Until now.
Kori had surprisingly managed to earn his trust in less than a fortnight. Zuko was used to dealing with insincere sycophants and conniving backstabbers, he had never met a person so honest and straightforward like Kori, of all her many virtues, her habit of speaking her mind without euphemisms was the thing he liked and appreciated the most.
Let me be your soldier during the day, and I'll be your woman at night. Was what she had said the morning after their first nightly encounter, Zuko still blushed when he thought about it all. Even when she talked about their sexual life she never beat around the bush, and just as he had told her about his recurring nightmares and his plan to find the Avatar, she had trusted to him her desire to serve her nation in the front lines, she had even told him about her reasons for wanting to become his lover and to eventually become his paramour. Zuko had agreed to help her, not just because he fancied the idea of having a beautiful woman share his bed, which he did, but because he sincerely admired her hardihood and determination.
Kori had not allowed their lust to cloud their minds, she had been very specific about her expectations, she wanted his help in escaping from her father's authority, and she wanted him to use his influence to get her into the army. Zuko was as impressed by her untrammelled will as he was by her maturity, Kori understood perfectly that because of his unjust exile and because his own father still lived, it would take time for him to actually acquire enough power to help her on his own or to be able to take her as his paramour. She did not want to gain any unfair advantages by asking him to intervene with his uncle or father to get a free pass into the army: she wanted to prove herself fair and square, following all the required procedures rigorously, she only asked for the chance to be judged as a Fire a Nation citizen and a warrior, not as a woman or as the daughter of a mayor. In exchange she offered her loyalty and her body if he wanted.
Zuko had sworn to her that he wouldn't rest until she was wearing a soldier's uniform and when he told her about his plan to join the special scouting forces under Colonel Shinu in order to be able to explore deep within enemy territory and capture the Avatar before the main army found him, Kori had eagerly volunteered to follow him and help him to the best of her abilities, she had even pointed out that having an earthbender at his side would be to his advantage while in the enemy territory.
Sensing that the sunset was still a few hours away, Zuko closed his eyes in an attempt to gain more sleep. He was leaving that very next day to Pohuai, much to Kori's sadness. The authorities of Makapu and Mdme. Wu had pleaded guilty of all charges against them, thus there was to be no trial and there was no need for him to remain in Yu Dao, the medics had not found a single ailment or symptom that could prevent them from approving his departure. And the annoying envoy form Pohuai was more than anxious to have prince Zuko go to Pohuai where he'd formally enlist and thus be subject to military law.
Zuko did not like that prospect one bit, and he liked even less the idea of leaving his new-found lover; even if he had no doubt that Kori could manage after herself just fine. It was the lack of her company that he dreaded, he really had come to like her, even her disturbingly violent behaviour during sex.
Zuko had been taught that women were supposed to be gentle and shy during coitus, nothing was farther from the truth if Kori was to be taken as an example. Kori was as fierce during sex as she was in the sparring arena, she turned it into a contest of strength and stamina; she'd literally battle him over the position they'd fuck. Zuko's bruised writs were still sore because of that night's round, he had wanted to try mounting her from behind, more out of curiosity than actually desire, and he had to resort to holding her arms behind her back while he took his pleasure; just when he believed himself victorious he had made a crucial mistake: he had loosed his grip on her. Taking advantage of his distraction Kori had turned to tackle him out of the bed into the ground, making sure to fall on top of him, burying her knee into his abdomen. With a quick gesture she bended the floor marble capturing his writs, then she had rode him as if he were a wild komodo-rhino, disregarding his obviously embarrassed protests.
And there was of course the awkwardness of farewell event for him. As a mayor, Kori's father was bound to be present in his departure, it was natural, and that reunion would be as displeasing to him as it was to Zuko himself, Kori on the other hand would probably be rather satisfied.
After both lovers had made their intentions clear and agreed that the best course of action was for him to take Kori as his paramour after he came into his own, the question remained about what they were going to do in the meanwhile, Zuko advocated for discretion but Kori was adamant that they be honest about their relationship since they were doing nothing illegal. A grudging compromise had been reached, they were not going to flaunt their relationship publicly but they were not going to hide it from Kori's parents and Zuko was free to abstain from informing the Fire Lord or his uncle about it, on the condition that he personally informed mayor Morishita of his intention to take Kori as his paramour when he became independent. It was a long shot, but both were willing to risk it to try and force the mayor's hand; since Zuko's father was still alive, he too was under the fatherly authority and could not yet take a paramour of his own, their only hope was for Zuko to convince the mayor into emancipating his daughter from his fatherly authority on the promise that Zuko would take her as his paramour once he became independent.
Kori drove a high bargain and her father knew it, after screaming himself mute in anger when he found his only daughter and heir had chosen to become a prince's mistress after years of rejecting very fitting and suitable matches, the man eventually yielded. Zuko was surprised at himself for not attacking the mayor after the many insults the old man spewed at him and his lover. But he still had displayed to the mayor a bit of his very angry temper, enough to intimidate the old mayor and remind him of his position, but that had not been enough to convince the mayor Morishita into acquiescence. It had taken Kori's staunch and inflexible determination and Mrs. Morishita's reluctant yielding to convince the mayor that he was fighting a lost battle. In retrospect Zuko couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the man, it must not have been easy to accept the fact that his daughter had become so independent that she asked for emancipation of her father's authority to be with a man that was not independent of his own father.
After a very awkward silence and an even more awkward discussion they had come to terms, the mayor himself had done the paperwork of his daughter's emancipation. Kori was to keep her position as the head of her squad; with marriage pretty much eschewed, she was no longer to meet with prospects; but her true independence came from the fact that her father emancipated her from his authority; for the first time in her life she was truly free, legally and otherwise. Since she now administered her own savings, she could technically even forgo her promise to become the prince's paramour and be on her merry way. Zuko was aware of that but he still trusted her enough to give her some money from the peculium the Fire Lord had bestowed upon him to complete his mission, after all she still needed him to help her into enlisting.
Since neither the mayor nor Zuko wanted to give rise to a scandal, they had somehow convinced Kori to keep living in her father's house. Zuko was amazed at the length both he and the mayor would go to avoid backbiting, he was willing to fuck a girl in her father's house, and the mayor was willing to allow her daughter's lover to share her bed under his roof. Kori could have cared a rat's ass anyway, though she certainly would have preferred to rent or buy a small place were she could enjoy her newly acquired freedom without pretence. And she had openly teased him about the irony that their present situation was more prone to end in slander in comparison to finding a place of their own.
It must be a man thing. Kori had remarked between laughs that night. To find some pride in fucking a girl in her own home. Zuko had never thought about it, but he swore to himself that he'd never admit that the realisation did give him considerable excitement.
The only good thing that Zuko found in his imminent separation was that it meant that he'd no longer have to worry about the servants walking in on them. The prospect of being found out as Kori's lover was nothing compared to the idea that a massive misunderstanding would have spawn if somebody found him and Kori tussling and screaming and biting for every movement and every bit of pleasure. Just like his, Kori's body was completely covered in scars and bruises, her face still showed the blacked eye she got from him on their first fight, and the scene of two hot headed young lovers scuffling in a very violent coitus would have been the scandal of the decade. Specially of one considered the circumstances of their first meeting and that they spent their days in the sparring arena in an equally violent and passionate strength contest.
Zuko was sure that despite his discretion, some eyebrows had already risen, Kori was not known for her habit of frequenting men's company, and they had spent a lot of time together while Zuko recovered and waited for summonings from a judge. Surely someone must have thought it odd that the daughter of the mayor spent so much of her time with the prince that had beaten the crap out of her. Even the excuse that Kori wanted to continually test her strength against the prince sounded poor when one noticed the friendly atmosphere around them.
The one thing that probably kept most people from noticing the betraying hints was Zuko's prowess as a firebender and Kori's utter frustration when trying to beat him. Ever since their first fight she had been unable to come even close to defeating him, despite her efforts and ruthless dedication, Zuko seemed to get better than her every time. He'd evade rapidly her attacks and strike precisely at her weak spots, and he'd always react to her onslaughts with the most effective counterattacks, as if he could somehow read her mind or predict her movements.
No one was more amazed than Zuko himself, there were times when he moved to quickly for him to properly realise what he was actually doing. He would outmaneuver his opponents before he himself knew what he had done or how he had done it, it was all our instinct, and in the daze of the moment, he failed to recognise that he was firebending and fighting in a way so precise and natural that it seemed inhuman, even if his overall strength and quickness remained what had always been.
Kori's wild and untrammelled sexual awakening and her body's stamina also blinded him to the fact that he craved too much for sex, even for a firebending boy.
Working had never been one of Sokka's strengths, in fact, he was openly lazy and was annoyingly proud abut it. Whenever he had found himself constrained to actually help in the house he had done so with much reluctance and incessant grumbling. Back in the South Pole there was relatively little to do save for hunting and fishing, which he did so with much delight, usually in company of his father; household chores however, he avoided at all possible costs, much to his sister's aggravation. He honestly believed it below himself, it was a woman's task, and had sworn to himself that once he became of age, he'd never do it again, he'd find a wife to do those chores for him. He should have known that irony would come to bite him in the ass.
After his capture, he had been chained and forced to work from sunrise to sundown, with little to no pauses. Even the slightest delay or complaint was met with a whip. Once he had tried to resist, thinking himself a skilled enough warrior to evade his guards; a single one of them had easily beaten him into submission, and his pride hurt all the more because he had actually cried and begged for some respite. The rest of the guards had simply watched from afar, they had never made a move to help their comrade, trusting that only one would be needed to subdue an unruly slave; so used they must have been at this scene that they had not even laughed, Sokka was not even worth that much.
Sokka's hands where literally bleeding from ploughing, and his feet had grown numb from pushing and pulling that coursed plough all day. He sometimes sneaked a peak around to the other slaves, trying to find some possible allies, but they were all as broken as his nose. None of them dared to talk in front of their guards, they simply did their tasks and obeyed their orders, but what troubled Sokka the most was the fact that all the slaves were men whereas all their guards were female.
He had earned the hate of his captors when actually laughed at their dresses and arrogantly boasted his status as a warrior back in his cell, hoping he could intimidate these girls with lousy makeup into freeing him, all he had gotten was a terrible beating. If the men of his village ever got word of the news that he had been captured, beaten and enslaved by a bunch of girls with green dresses, white face paint and metal hairdressers they'd never accept him as a man of the tribe, and that prospect scared Sokka almost as much as the idea of his little sister in a Fire Nation prison.
For now, Sokka would have to swallow his pride and bear with the disgrace and humiliation. He needed to keep a low profile if he was to analyse his surroundings and hatch a plan to escape, also none of his fellow slaves would dare to be seen talking to him of he became known as a trouble maker, nor would he ever be allowed out if his lonely cell into the other men's general company if they suspected him to be a cause for concern. They would probably keep up the heat on him until they thought him broken, only then would he be allowed to sleep and eat with the other slaves, so Sokka needed to play the part. And when his captors lowered their guard, Sokka would be ready to execute his escape plan, if he managed to think of one in the meanwhile.
Sokka understood the implications of his decision, he knew well enough that if caught he would most certainly be killed to make an example of; it would take time, patience and much effort to convince any of his fellow slaves to rise up against their masters. He'd have to find a way to steal a ship or a boat, once at the sea, he was confident in his skill as a sailor to outmaneuver and lose any search party. It would be very dangerous and arduous mission with no guarantees of success.
But Sokka would resist, he would escape. He didn't know exactly how yet, but he understood that if he could not beat them with his muscles, he would beat them with his brain. Even amid the humiliation that came with slavery and ill-treatment, or perhaps, because of it, he had found that their contempt for him and their arrogance would make them underestimate him, just like he had underestimated them. For now he'd buy his time, he needed to rest and recover his strength, and gather some intelligence about the savage country he had gotten himself in, but he was going to escape. His sister needed him.
"My Lord! Could I have a moment?" Asked the old Lord Bei as he hurriedly advanced through the palace entrance, trying to catch up with his fellow councilman, not that he found any delight in having conversations with this particular Lord, but personal ties of loyalty to General Iroh as well as the current political circumstances demanded that he be at least on speaking terms with this young and extravagant Lord.
"Lord Bei? What a pleasant surprise! To what do I owe the honour?" Asked the young Lord Kang ironically, his breath reeked of stonewine and the distinctive odour of cheap perfume and sweat emanated from his disheveled clothes.
Old Lord Bei could not help but look at his fellow nobleman with great contempt. It was no secret that Mek Kang spent his nights touring brothels instead if minding his own reputation and personal affairs, leaving the administration of his lands to his neglected wife. Lord Bei never understood how could such a brilliant and beautiful lady stand the dishonour her husband put her through. Still this man had the trust of General Iroh, his liege Lord, and his own deceased grandson, prince Lu Ten, had treated him as a brother. Whatever his many faults and his dissipated lifestyle, Lord Kang was a very capable commander and had always managed to keep his possessions in order, he fulfilled his duties... And he was still the richest man on the nation, the overlord of the most fertile and thriving lands, his influence was as real as his unbridled passions.
"I was hoping you could support a motion of indictment against General Bujing that I plan on making in the session." Lord Bei could at least trust that his peer would see the wisdom of his proposal, Bujing was a madman, and an incompetent one at that. It was high time that Ozai let go of his paranoid stubbornness in keeping only those fanatically loyal to him in high positions, they were fighting a war, and thanks to Bujing, they had had nothing but defeats or useless and costly victories.
"Is it wise my Lord?" The young lord looked at him inquisitively, all traces of his previous convivial cheerfulness gone. "Have you consulted this with the General?" He asked, and Lord Bei could not help but get the nagging feeling that he was being admonished in judiciousness by the nation's most notorious rascal. The truth was that he had brought up the matter to his son in law when he first saw him, but Iroh had advised him to wait, no doubt he feared Ozai would suspect Iroh if such a proposition was brought to the council the moment he returned home. Lord Bei had waited, but that was before news from the front reached him, and before Iroh took off for the colonies, trying to avoid the awkwardness of having everyone turn to him for advise, help or favour, while neglecting Ozai.
"Have you heard the news?" Lord Bei asked dismissing his colleague's words and his own qualms. "Bujing lost three thousand men just these past week, without any major battle. Many more are wounded. And he still six hundred kilometres away from Najuan, not to mention the fact that wherever he steps, rebellion and discontent spring up from the land, thanks to his cruel and arrogant treatment of the population. I have heard complaints from several officers about his methods." Lord Bei looked at his younger peer in expectation, surely he had to agree that this situation required extreme measures, Bujing had to go.
Instead Lord Kang simply smiled and said. "My Lord, if you go through with this, I can guarantee you that Ozai will promote Bujing to War Minister and marry him to his daughter." The younger Lord even chuckled when he saw Lord Bei's frustration piling up in his face.
"There's no need to worry, Bujing will get himself dismissed before winter begins." Stated the young womaniser.
"And you know this how?" Asked Lord Bei, swallowing the fact that he felt he was being toyed around with.
"Logic my Lord, only a numb skull such as him would be stupid enough to march an army so numerous so far north at this time of the year. By now he must have already been forced to abandon a quarter of his tanks thanks to the rains; there's no roads up there... I bet the rains must have shoved a metre of mud up his ass and filled his balls with leeches." The young rascal actually made a pause to see if his older peer was scandalised enough with his vulgarity before he continued his explanation with a smirk.
"With no roads available, no means of transporting heavy luggage and provisions, and his supply line continuously growing larger and thinner, my forecast is that he won't be able to reach Najuan before the winter stops him on his tracks and force him to a humiliating retreat, and if by some miracle he does reach Najuan before the first snow, he'll never take the city, not without sacrificing at least half of his army, and even then he'd never hold it with enough strength to stop general Fong and his ever growing army from recovering it... And even if a miracle were to occur Bujing would have barely enough manpower and provisions to last half the winter before starving, he'll never be able to advance any further, so he'll return totally beaten and humiliated, then Ozai himself will replace him for another fool. Assuming, of course, that he does not get himself killed in his little adventure." Lord Kang paused again to see the frustrated face of his older peer.
"It really is not a question of when he'll be removed, but rather of how many men and resources he'll use up before he does." He concluded. And Lord Bei used up all his self control to keep his composure as he asked between grinding teeth.
"You mean, how many of our soldiers he'll sacrifice before he falls?"
"Ozai's soldiers, not Iroh's." He replied coldly. It was true that Ozai had forced almost all of Azulon's and Iroh's generals, officers and even a good part of their soldiers into an early retirement, or simply placed them in charge of any irrelevant position in the home islands, away from Iroh's former forces and close to the Fire Lord's prying eyes. But Ozai's lackeys were still their countrymen, his soldiers still their citizens, it was pure betrayal of them as nobles to sacrifice their subjects' lives just for saving themselves some trouble by questioning their monarch's decisions, they were after all his council, it was their job to advise and question their Fire Lord.
Before the old Lord could even begin to express his utter disapproval of his younger peer, Lord Kang replied to his not yet spoken points with his usual pedantic tone.
"Do not deceive yourself into believing that standing up for those soldier's lives will somehow better our current situation, or prevent their sacrifice on account of Bujing's stupidity, if anything, your proposal is sure to condemn our troops to more unnecessary suffering and harsher treatment. There's no way Ozai will not see any protest against Bujing as a challenge against himself, no matter how idiotic his general might be. Ozai will try and squash any and all opposition, real or imaginary, by proving his decisions were correct, that is to say, by pushing Bujing and his officers to a more aggressive management of the war, which will only mean more foolish attacks against an enemy with greater numbers, stronger position, better supplied and far more motivated than us in their own territory." With patronising sight the younger Lord thus concluded.
"Would my Lord risk all that, plus the possibility of direct retaliation of Ozai against your person, family and possessions, or even against all of us who owe General Iroh our allegiance?"
Lord Bei could only stutter and feel his long grey beard vibrate as he looked for an appropriate reply to the criticism he had just been shoved up his face. Lord Kang sneered as he saw the older nobleman turn red with anger, he peaked around to ensure no one was close enough to eavesdrop on them.
"Your specious proposal is nothing but a rouse to make you feel good about yourself my Lord. But since I know you're not a base courtier scavenging for praise and attention, and that your intentions are probably well meaning, I'll be honest with you, if you go trough with this, it's will be impossible for us to accomplish the mission that General Iroh has tasked us with..." This last sentence caught the old Lord by surprise, Iroh had trusted the young degenerate with the same mission as him, he knew that there'd be others, but Lord Bei had never thought it possible that Iroh would let the younger Lord into his plan, so he let the young rascal continue.
"For me to successfully do as I was ordered, I need peace and concord in the council, and I need Ozai to be at ease with the management of all internal affairs. So unless you wish to hamper Iroh's plans, you will keep your calm." He said.
Lord Bei knew that it was useless and counterproductive to try and pump more information out the younger Lord, if Iroh had trusted the young rascal it was for a reason. He could surmise all he wanted but ultimately he was beholden to Iroh and his commands, he had no choice but to acquiesce.
"I'll leave on the morrow for my province, I hope you'll tell the general that I remain at his disposal." Lord Bei sounded more disgruntled and invidious than what he would have wanted, he could not help it, a lascivious and drunken rascal had been chosen over him to take the lead in this political manoeuvre, and he, a respectable Lord was in the way.
"There's no need to for you to leave, all I'm asking is for you to remain still for the time being." The commanding tone of the younger Lord did not help one bit in making him feel any better about the whole situation.
"I'm still leaving. I'll ask for Ozai's leave tomorrow." Lord Bei stated after pondering for a few moments, if his presence was an inconvenience for Iroh, he would step out of the way, his son in law knew where he could find him, plus he was not going to be ordered about by the extravagant pervert in front of him. He began to walk out of the palace, his presence would no longer be needed in today's session.
If there's one man in the world whom I truly trust is Lord Mek Kang. His grandson, prince Lu Ten, had told him once, when he had reprimanded him for his friendship with someone with so scandalous a reputation, it was a hard to swallow the fact that Iroh thought the same.
"One last thing..." He stopped as he heard Lord Kang address him.
"Please consider coming with me tonight to the red district, I'm sure I have a few friends that could help you relieve your present frustration."
Lord Bei turned, completely red faced with anger. "You..." He was unable to even utter another word. How dare he show so much disrespect to an older man?
"You know where to find me." The younger Lord said happily as he turned towards the entrance to the inner palace.
Lord Bei hastily walked away, he had had enough insults for one day, he turned one last time to look at the younger nobleman walk towards some servant girls that were cleaning the entrance gardens of the palace, the younger man flaunted his smug and pretty face as he began to openly flirt with them. Lord Bei hoped that his grandson and his son in law had not erred greatly in trusting this pervert.
Colonel Mak had known that prince Zuko's arrival would cause a ruckus among the recruits, his reputation certainly preceded him. If anyone had by this time not heard of Zuko's naval battle and his subsequent death duel with Zhao, the recent volcano incident was sure to have been a knock in the bell for his curiosity; the recruits had talked of nothing else, save for the occasional clandestine critic of Bujing's leadership, and since talking about their prince's prowess was not going to get them whipped or in a dungeon, the base's whole topic of conversation had been prince Zuko.
Not three weeks had passed since the whole volcano ordeal and the prince had already arrived at Pohuai, given that Makapu's authorities had declared themselves guilty, there was to be no trial, and even more impressive still was the prince's swift recovery. Rumours had already reached them about Zuko's display in combat back in Yu Dao, and naturally disbelief and awe had taken over the recruits' attitudes towards their new companion.
Everyone knew that Prince Zuko was not here as a commander, not yet, like every other Fire Nation citizen, he first needed to prove himself a man and a soldier, here in Pohuai, he was to be treated just as another recruit. Only after he had passed the military trials would he be treated again as royalty.
Colonel Mak was part of the evaluation committee in Pohuai, as well as the instructor of the artillery unit; alongside him were Colonel Shinu, the man in command of Pohuai and instructor of the infantry and overseer of the special forces of the Western Army, including its most elite unit, the Yuyan Archers; Lt. Col. Wong was head of the engineer training and in charge of the quartermasters units trained in Pohuai, as well as the man responsible for all logistics in the base; Captain Chey was the head of medics and instructor of army doctors. They were responsible of training all the new recruits that came to Pohuai, as well as in charge of drilling the soldiers that came form the bases in the home islands and preparing them for combat. Incidentally, as the biggest military base in the colonies, they were under the direct command of General Bujing and were expected to continuously supply the main army with resources and troops.
And now they had suddenly become the centre of attention in the entire region, despite its strategic importance and the budding city that had sprung a few kilometres from their camp, it was the first time that a member of the nobility came to pass the military test at Pohuai.
It was already stressful enough for them to keep the men from whoring around with a city so close and the merchants from storming them with booze and opium. Now they had to deal with local farmers and curious travellers that came to the base in a pilgrimage to see their prince.
Pohuai had been in Fire Nation control for almost ninety years and its population had long since gotten used to their new rulers, although they had not yet reached the same levels of integration as in Yu Dao, the locals had come to view the Fire Nation as their nation, and the Royal Family as its rulers, but their ancient religion and traditions held on in many ways, like their likening of the royalty as close kin with the spirits, divine in some way, thus many a devotee and a few earth-priests had tried to seek an audience with prince Zuko, but being busy as he was, he had not paid mind to them, nor would the guards allow any civilians into the camp.
But ultimately none of these disturbed colonel Mak as much as prince Zuko himself, as a firsthand witnesses to his prince's exploits he had not expected to be surprised by the way prince Zuko passed the physical examinations, even if the prince had performed just slightly above the average in terms of strength in lifting, of speed in the running tests, colonel Mak had seen in his prince's performance something that he had not seen in any person but the late Fire Lord Azulon... a raw, instinctive precision.
When lifting weights, the prince had positioned himself perfectly, letting his legs and arms bear with most of the weight, with a technique that required years of training and much experience to perfect. When running, his breathing had been regular and steady as those of a meditating sage, his pace in harmony with his body.
In short it wasn't a big difference between the physical capacity of prince Zuko's and of the average soldier what called the colonel's attention, but the instinctive way that prince responded to external stimuli. When he performed the traditional stances before an evaluating committee, prince Zuko had been far from perfection but perfectly precise in what he did know.
Colonel Mak was not sure if his colleagues had also noticed what he had noticed in their prince, but they had nonetheless granted the prince the right to continue with the next stages of the trials, the theoretical exams of military science and performance in one of the training groups of the camp, participation in military exercises was of course mandatory. In less than a few days, prince Zuko had cleared the physical tests, a feat expected of him, but still rare enough to warrant surprise, it normally took between three weeks and a few months to get in proper shape and perform to the examiners satisfaction. Many men crumbled at the rigour of the schedule, the scarcity of food and sleep and the physical demands of the actual exercises.
The Fire Nation could proudly boast to have the best military training in the world, and consequently the best and most disciplined army. But its very foundation was beginning to weaver, because of the decline in numbers of landowners enlisting in the army, Ozai had passed new laws allowing every penniless citizen to enlist; and although the number of recruits had not risen as dramatically as Ozai's advisors had projected, it was still felt in all the structure of the army.
They had new men now, but they were mostly half starved plebeians with little to no discipline and no pride or motivation to be soldiers but their hungry stomachs and empty pockets. The army had had enough problems keeping discipline and order in the ranks the last twenty years, now instead of dealing with hardworking farmers that grew apart from their land and turned mercenaries, the new landless recruits came with all the indiscipline of a pampered child and the mindset of a street pickpocket. Still, the army held on, as it always had.
Col. Mak only hoped that with the skills his prince possessed a good commanding officer could be brought about, he hoped that the army could hold on strong until they won the war.
"So there's snow all year long where you come from?" Asked the flower vender.
Katara had begun to converse with her every morning when she came to the market for sweets. General Iroh encouraged her to socialise as much as possible, and giving her an allowance and the opportunity to explore the village was just perfect for her.
Katara had begun to feel familiar among the streets of Chenliu, its ports and rivers already a normal sight, yet her curiosity never diminished. She had seen enough wonders and trinkets on this small village to allow herself some excitement at the prospect of getting to know more of its mysteries.
"I doesn't always snow, but the snow does remain in for most of the year." She answered to the flower vender. Katara still was surprised to find that other people were as curious of her home as she was of this new place, in fact it was only because of their curiosity that people actually dared to approach her, since she was a companion of such an important person as a General Iroh, people thought it best not to disturb her, even some of the guards in the streets treated her with unusual respect, only few people like the flower vender were daring enough to invite conversation quite so openly, and Katara was very grateful for it.
"How do you plant your crops and flowers then?" Asked Huifen, for such was the name of the flower vender.
"We don't actually plant much on our homeland, sometimes the men usually travel up north to the islands to sow, but usually they simply buy it… but…"
"But?" Pumped Huifen.
Katara hesitated, she was not sure of she should openly complain that for the last hundred years the Fire Nation had imposed a severe blockade around them, making it very difficult for their ships to sneak into any Earth Kingdom port to trade; much less to tell them that since her father had taken all the ships with him to fight them there had been no trade at all.
"We just… manage to do with seaweed, berries, roots and tubers… and stems and fireweed and grasses when we can find them. The rest we hunt or fish." Answered Katara with a fake smile.
Huifen looked at her inquiringly, finding it hard to believe it possible that any society could live without a strong agricultural industry.
"Anyways my mother will be making hot chocolate and strawberries cake tomorrow, would you like to join us?"
The idea made Katara's mouth water. Of all the marvellous things she had encountered since she left her village, food was one of the most astonishing, specially chocolate. She accepted readily and wondered how could they find the time to grow strawberries and make chocolate and then bake it all together. Only a foreigner like Katara could notice immediately that the long and complex process of preparation required a very long time and effort, neither was a thing that one could easily spare in the South Pole. The spirits had blessed these people.
Katara simply looked around, it was a beautiful village. Kids played around the parks happily, she saw a pair firebenders play some kind of game ball with earthbenders. The streets were clean and patrolled, a few houses even left their doors open. And most important of all, she saw no slavery. No one was beaten or sold or tied. Even the homeless and poor found solace in either the earth temples or the mayor's public tables were they received some food in exchange for their help to clean the streets, the mayor even took the time to help them find jobs; and the crippled and blinded could count on the mercy of the Earth priests or the Fire Sages or of some merciful citizen, most of the time at least.
The children went to school and learned to read and write and count and play, something that Katara had never the chance to do. Back home she was indispensable to keep her house going, Gran-Gran was old and without her mother Katara was the one person to keep order, to clean and cook and sew and wash. She received help form her neighbours just as much as she helped them care for their children, but there was always something to do.
Her own learning had progressed slowly but steadily, she could now read on her own some children's tales that Iroh kindly gave her, she enjoyed the stories and found respite in the calm and easiness of the general's house. But she felt incredibly useless for not working, after all, it was the only thing she had done since her mother's death.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a soldier came walking towards them. Katara instinctively froze in fear and crossed her arms. After all these years and all her experiences with Zuko or the general or in this very village she could feel nothing but fear and apprehension when she saw a Fire Nation uniform.
"Brother! You're back!" Screamed the flower vender as she threw her arms around the Fire Nation soldier. The surprise took Katara out of her stunned state just in time to see the to siblings happily hug and kiss each other.
Huifen called into the street and a few moments later three children and a woman came running in tears towards the soldier.
"Father!" Screamed the children as the soldier lifted them in his arms.
Katara waited for a few moments before bidding goodbye. She knew of course that Haifa's father and cousins were earthbenders, and yet her brother was a Fire Nation soldier. This village was as wonderful as it was scary to her. This had once been a free Earth Kingdom territory, they had been conquered long ago and ravaged just like her own village, and yet they all seemed to be happy. The idea disturbed Katara's heart just as much as did the sight of that young soldier hugging his family in tears of joy.
Col. Liu Shan had never been more focused on a mission as he was today. For he was after revenge, and his mission was but the first step needed to archive it.
He was doubly honoured by the fact that his general had trusted him with it. Gral. Fong knew that he had a deep hatred for the ash makers, they had after all burned his village, they had killed his brothers, they had raped his sisters and daughters, and put his friends to the sword. But if he could successfully complete his task, revenge would be his.
Col. Shan was to travel through the Serpents' Pass and down the Shisui river, scout the region and mark a route. He would then go undercover into Fire Nation territory and make contact with a resistance group based in the forests near Gaipan. He was to try and win them over and place them under his general's command, if he failed he was to do so, he would hire them, or any mercenary force he could find for a simple task, it made no difference to him or his general as long as the task was accomplished.
They had received reliable information concerning the Fire Nation's army movements, and knew that in exactly four months all the generals and high ranking officers would meet with the War Minister right in Gaipan, along would come all the reserve troops and new equipment, the new tanks and a great deal of provisions and medical equipment.
Col. Shan was to ensure that this resistance group caused a great distraction and damaged as much equipment as possible, if plausible, they were to kill all the generals and officers they found. In the meanwhile he would personally lead the most experienced and battle hardened soldiers the Earth Kingdom could muster through a series of underground tunnels they would build according to his recommended route right into the heart of Gaipan. He and twenty thousand elite troops would come right up from under the ground while the resistance distracted the ash makers from the outside. They would take the city and all of the enemy's supplies and tanks and kill every single ash maker soldier and general they found.
It would be a strike that would shatter the enemy's morale and confidence and direct all the ash makers' attention and resources to Gaipan while general Fong led an invasion force of three hundredth thousand men across the Shisui river right into the Taku region and then proceed to liberate it. They hoped that the southern cities and villages near Gaipan, being recently conquered, would immediately rebel and make a common cause with his general. Subsequently they expected the armies of King Bumi to launch an all out offensive to retake the ash makers' colonies and outposts surrounding the Xa river, and the troops on Gral. Fong's fortress would storm the cities in the outskirts of the Senlin mountains. This would be the first step into reclaiming all Earth Kingdom territory from the claws of the ash makers.
The plan was daring and dangerous, but if successful it would be the end of the ash makers. There was no way the Fire Nation's high command could predict such a bold move from them. They would be sure that all of the Earth Kingdom's attention would be far north in Nixuan, but general Fong had received accurate information from Omashu that the enemy's real target was Najuan, so his general had already seen to its defence, he would remain there up north to keep the Fire Nation occupied until his trap could spring.
The spirits blessed his general's plan, for they had maddened the enemy into attacking them right during the worst of the rainy season, where the absence of roads would slow their tanks and lines of supply, disease would spread along with hunger, indiscipline and utter lack of success would demoralise them, and if not, the winter would freeze them to death, yet to be on the safe side his general would be there take personal charge of the defence of Najuan. His general could not be defeated, not so far north, he would keep the most numerous and battle hardened of the ash makers' army pinned in Najuan and let the winter do de rest while his other armies launched this massive invasion on the ash makers' colonies.
It was true that they were completely outmatched in terms of quantity and quality of weapons, medicine and military discipline, but right now the enemy was at an all time low on morality. Reports informed of general disagreement over their nations' ruler, and over their commander in chief Gral. Bujing. And there was also the fact that the entire population of the Fire Nation was about eight million men, roughly a quarter of Ba Sing Se's population alone. In terms of numbers, they had an advantage of almost twenty to one against the ash makers. And Gral. Fong planned to use those numbers, he could easily afford to hold a Fire Nation army in Najuan, another in his Fortress in the Senlin mountains and still have enough men to spare to send an invasion of three hundred thousand men across the Shisui river and the secret twenty thousand elite soldiers under Col. Shan to Gaipan.
Gral. Fong had after all the advantage of being in the defensive, he had the rainy season and the coming winter on his side, he had control of the roads and supply routes, he had the people behind him, while the ash makers had to wait for a supply line that expended thousands of kilometres over land and sea for supplies and reinforcements. And to make matters more easy Gral. Bujing was probably the most hated man in the Earth Kingdom, he did not enjoy the popularity and favour among the plebs that the ash maker prince Lu Ten had done, nor did he command the respect and fear as Iroh did, and most importantly Bujing's word was worth a rat's tail, no-one trusted him, and he was nothing in terms of generalship compared to any of Iroh's generals.
Col. Shan had complete confidence in his general, the man who had rescued him form the Fire Nation, the man who had broken the siege of Ba Sing Se, the man who had unified almost all the free kingdoms between the Wu river and Ba Sing Se into his command. The man who would destroy the ash makers and give him his desired revenge.
As an native from the Senlin mountains the Col. knew the region perfectly and could navigate across the Shisui river with ease. He also knew that in his projected route he would go trough a small yet famous village named Xiaten. There lived a slaver famous for training the most beautiful women to please men without taking their virtue, Chaing Xu was his name, and he sold his merchandise at the weight of gold. Shan was growing too old to be charmed into spending large sums of money on acquiring female slaves, but he had a son, the only one to survive the ash maker's raids and he wished to see his shy boy begin to form a harem of his own. As a name day present Shen was going to spend a fortune on acquiring a wife for his son.
This detour was not a distraction, if captured, he could avoid the enemy's suspicion by claiming that he had simply come to buy a slave. Shan did not mind losing his head, and he had to protect the information Gral. Fong had trusted him with at all costs.
He sighted at the thought and dispensed any foreshadowing of defeat, they were going to win. The Col. adjusted his ragged clothes and lowered his head as he heard a local shepherd approach in the distance, he had to ensure his anonymity, his costume could very well deceive a common passerby but he knew as well as any soldier that the stench of blood and the deadness on his eyes could be spotted by any man who took part in the trade of death, his comfort was not worth the risk of discovery. Despite all the hardships he had gone through in his mission, and all the toils he would surely face, the Col. smiled as he felt the sweet prospect of revenge nearing.
Col. Shan knew that his general fought for the freedom of the Earth Kingdom, but he himself, like many of his soldiers fought for revenge.
Zuko looked at the stunned Colonel Shinu for a few moments before realising that the man did not give credit to his words. He tried to disguise his impatience with a quick breath before he repeated himself.
"I wish to join the special forces." He stated, a thick and heavy silence passed through the gapping mouths of the three colonels sitting in front of him, the subtle whispers of the recruits in line behind him cut through it like a knife through butter.
After having completed the physical and theoretical examinations, he only needed to choose a unit to train with and participate in the military exercises of the training groups to be formally accepted into the army and to be acknowledged as a man in the Fire Nation. Normally most people chose to train with the medics or the quartermasters. Something of course too humiliating for a noble, but even a noble would likely choose the artillery units, the cavalry or even the infantry over the special forces.
No one in his right mind would choose to complete his military trials in the special forces, but Zuko had a very valid reason for it. It was a long tradition to be enrolled into the unit in which you had passed the military trials after having being accepted into the army. Prince Zuko had long concluded that his best shot at finding the Avatar was to join the special forces, for they were normally deployed deep into enemy territory and had a freedom of movement and decision-making unthinkable in any other army unit. And the last thing Zuko needed was a cowardly superior or a jealous commander hindering his search for the Avatar, not to mention the fact that even if another army unit was daring enough to constantly cross beyond the enemy's lines and allow him to find any reliable information on the Avatar, its sheer size and the subsequent panic that they would cause would undoubtedly alert the Avatar and give him time to run and hide. The special forces on the other hand operated mostly undercover, with great speed and stealth and were specialised in scouting and collecting information. From that perspective joining the special forces was the most rational choice for price Zuko.
But the prince never realised that not everybody, specially his evaluating committee, understood his intentions. To them it was an act of foolishness or arrogance. Even if as a noble prince Zuko was expected to avoid the easy route that most people sought to quickly get done with the examinations, joining the most difficult and dangerous of the army units available was pure stupidity. If he somehow failed and was forced to repeat the military trials he would bring great humiliation upon himself, if he got killed or captured during the exercise or on his maiden mission, he'd demoralise the army and jeopardise the entire campaign.
And even assuming he succeeded at all, prince Zuko would be setting the bar too high for his fellow nobles, who'd be shadowed by his example and forced to choose between following his steps so as not to appear cowardly, or selecting a less daring unit and having their valour questioned. The risk of slighting many young nobles and their families was to great.
Lastly, it was untraditional, and to a certain extend looked down upon when a noble lowered himself to the deceiving and ambush tactics learned from the special forces instead of fighting face to face in an honourable battle. It's very secretive nature gave little to no opportunity for a man's actions to ever achieve fame and recognition.
It was a very questionable choice, but Zuko stuck to it, never minding all ulterior considerations or the fact that he was choosing a very difficult and hard path. The special forces demanded a training so rigorous and extenuating that most men's bodies simply could not endure, their wills would be tested by general exhaustion and lack of sleep and nourishment. It was the toughest training in the world save for that of real combat situations. The men that were elected into this elite unit would serve for four to six years in the front, and according to their nature, talents and performance would be offered a place among the Yuyan Archers or the Royal Guard.
Zuko looked as Col. Shinu consulted with his colleagues and nodded in approval. He wrote his name on a list and gave Zuko a parchment containing the orders to report for training on the morrow.
Zuko bowed in respect and walked away to his barrack, ignoring the whispers and looks he got as he passed by. He had not made any friends since his arrival weeks ago and he could tell despite the general respect and admiration he enjoyed from being a prince and the subject of pretty much every talk in camp, that he had not yet found someone with whom he could have a proper conversation that not ended with him intimidating his interlocutor with his mere eyes or him getting annoyed at the whole falsehood that was social convention. Talking to people was something that Zuko had never learned.
Right now he needed a friend, he needed someone who would listen to him and answer his questions and doubts. He had had so many of those recently. Not only was he at a loss end with impatience and desire to continue his search, he got easily annoyed by the vast difference in skill between him and most of his new companions, forgetting that he had had the privilege of learning and training with the best Fire Bending masters in the world and had the opportunity to dedicate himself entirely to military formation since he could walk. But must important of all he was burning with an unquenchable desire for women. Ever since he had left his lover in Yu Dao prince Zuko had found his nights incredibly empty and pointless, after the violent burst of sexual gratification that he had gotten from Kori every night, which had become the centre and expectation of his day, he had found himself surprised by the lack of motivation that overcame him when he thought of going to bed.
Sometimes he'd wake up in the middle of the night still hard from excitement and mindlessly search for a woman's warmth in the emptiness of his bed, during the morning exercises he'd suffer a bestial urge to run away whenever he smelled even the faintest scent of a woman in the air. The total lack of amenities had vexed him but Zuko had readily adapted to the new situation, yet he had not expected his instinct to behave in such a primitive and savage way so as to build up such frustration from the simple lack of sex, he was sure that he would have gone mad if it weren't for the extenuating physical toil he endured every day, his suffering was the only distraction and respite he got for his unquenchable appetites.
Only when he was fighting was he able to put his lust aside and actually concentrate on not getting hurt, as if his own body selected a new priority on its own, that of keeping harm away.
That night Zuko woke up feeling a hunger so intense and tormenting that he had to bit his lips and hiss just to avoid screaming in frustration and waking up his roommates. With a silent jump he went out of his bed and trough the door into the openness of the camp.
Only a fire and some emptied bottles stood in front of him, at his sides were hundredths of other barracks covering the vision of the wall around Pohuai, nothing but the wind and the chant of the cicadas could be heard under the moon light. But Zuko could still perceive the subtle odour of a woman, far away from the camp. He found himself fighting the temptation of following the smell, but his legs still advanced a few steps before he went to his knees, sweating and breathing heavily, his heartbeat increased and his muscles tensed in anticipation.
What am I doing?
He thought and almost hit himself for his stupidity. Leaving he camp was strictly forbidden. If he left the camp he'd be punished severely and ran the risk of being considered as a deserter and actually put his life at risk. He gasped as he realised that he was actually standing up and turning to the direction of the smell. His heart froze in fear, never had Zuko felt such a lack of control over himself. But he knew that he had to fight it, he had to regain his senses.
Biting his tongue, Zuko closed his eyes and extended his arm into the fire and grabbed a burning log. The hiss of his burning skin and the scorching flesh went completely unnoticed, for the pain he felt in his palm and fingers was overwhelming. Tears escaped his closed eyes as he remembered the last time that he had felt the fire's wrath.
He clenched his fist and the log broke in two.
"Why isn't he coming to help us?"
His nephew screamed at his face. Old general Yi smiled at the irony. Only now that he had been unchained and imprisoned did his nephew came to him for help.
"I'm talking to you old man!" His brave but foolish nephew screamed. "What did you do?"
"I have done nothing." General Yi said calmly and with the old strength that had once endowed his voice with the authority of a former advisor to King Quian the Third, ruler of the kingdom of Langlung.
In his anger his nephew punched and earthbended the wall next to him into dust. General Yi felt true pity for him, the young man had done what he thought best. Just as he himself had done years ago when he advised his King to reach an agreement with the invading forces of Iroh and Lu Ten. But now his King was dead and the young son he had left behind was an arrogant fool who seriously thought that his crown was the product of a divine mandate to rule.
His nephew was just as fool. He thought that the only way to prove his loyalty to his new King and his strength as a man was to follow his king's folly in opposing the Fire Nation advance. A few weeks earlier General Bujing had embarked on a new campaign north, and fear spread that he might even come against them, this only confirmed his King's idea that the only way to placate such an enemy was with brute force and staunch opposition.
General Yi had done all he could to dissuade his new King from this aggressive policy, but his warnings had fallen on deaf ears, he had been called a coward, a traitor, a fire-cock-sucker, a woman, a fire-whore. But he had still managed to oppose his King's plans, for he knew it was the best solution for his kingdom.
But then General Fong's envoys had come from across the Wu River. He announced that he was crossing a great army to Najuan and was ready to send reinforcements should the Fire Nation attack them.
Only General Yi had asked why did the General Fong believe that the Fire Nation would do something as risky as marching so far north, away from all supply lines and trade routes, against a city as well defended as Langlung. Only he had suspected that something was amiss, he had tried to send an embassy of peace towards general Bujing to try and remind him of the peace treaty concluded with prince Lu Ten and offer them safe passage if they guaranteed their independence, but he had acted too late.
His own nephew had gotten word of his plan and had personally led the royal guards to arrest him. His closest fiends and allies had been executed, even those ministers and advisors who did not declare absolute loyalty towards King Tian's orders and wishes were summarily executed and replaced.
And now he found that Bujing was bombing his city, the shells of his artillery made his cell tremble, trough the rocks he could hear the screams of his people, and yet Fong was nowhere in sight.
"I do not get it, I saw his army, I know he had a force in Najuan strong enough to repel the ashmakers, we can easily hold our city, we just need reinforcements." His nephew lamented out loud.
"Do you not see it?" He asked.
"What?" Asked the brave young man exasperated.
"Do you really think that Fong has any interest in helping us? What can he possibly hope to gain in protecting our Kingdom and keeping our strong and well defended city in the hands of our foolish King?" Asked the old general.
"He is our Earth-brother! He has done nothing but to exterminate the fire-vermin since he could walk! He hates them! We are his allies!"
"Are we?" Interrupted the general. "The where is our ally? We have been besieged for days, our walls will hold for just a little while and our men will die protecting their King, he could arrive easily in a matter of days, in fact he could have arrived here weeks ago. If he had really wanted he could have set up a strong perimeter of defence in the mountain pass, away from the city and our people. Why did he not come then? Why doesn't he come now?"
His nephew was speechless, the general did not know if he should feel pity or disdain for someone so naively foolish.
"When you imprisoned me, you did it because you thought that I was trying to betray our kingdom, you never allowed me to explain my actions, now I will tell you why you have doomed us all."
General Yi finally rose from his sitting position.
"Fong is as much our enemy as Bujing." He stated. "He wants to conquer us, just like he did with Jin, and Xuchan, and Xu and Niochi and the hundredths of usurped commanderies at his service. He may well hate the Fire Nation as much as we do, but that viper is smart enough to use them to destroy us and any other independent kingdom."
After a pause the general realised that some of the guards had gotten close in order to better hear him.
"I don't know what madness drove Bujing so far north, but I do know that we can't stop him and that we do not interest him. Had we made peace with him he would have let us be just like Iroh and Lu Ten did six years ago. Now that we have defied him he has no choice but to take the city. Fong is aware of this, the bastard goaded you and our King into attacking Bujin with his promises of reinforcements knowing fully well that Bujing would skin us alive. He knew we could only weaken him and stall his army, which has given him more time to prepare his defence of near Najuan and call in more troops. And also the winter is approaching. Fong will stop Bujing in Najuan, then he'll come here knowing that all of us are dead and will claim control of our kingdom under the pretence of establishing a defence against the Fire Nation. And you have helped him do it."
The general pointed at his nephew.
"You have killed the ministers and counsellors who had brought prosperity to our kingdom under our previous King, you executed the experienced officers who best knew how to handle the Fire Nation threat, and you got rid of anyone who knew better than to trust a traitorous bastard like Fong, who will use us like a cheap whore and then throw us into the garbage!"
By now he was screaming, the general knew that he was being hard on his nephew, but he had to be if he hoped to convince him into trying one last desperate measure to save their city.
"Now you have a city filled with a hungry and angry population who will throw themselves at Fong's feet the moment he arrives victorious with a hot soup for everyone and deluded promises of grandeur and revenge for the poor bastards that survive Bujing's occupation. You called for a green plague in the hopes that it would save you from a red death. And now your plague has abandoned you and will take all of what we hold dear once the red death is gone. Our Kingdom is doomed and the enemy is coming from two sides."
His nephew threw himself in tears at the wooden bars that formed the general's cell.
"I'm sorry" he muttered. "I'm sorry."
"Get the fuck up!" Screamed General Yi.
His nephew somehow returned to his senses after a slap.
"You can still save us. If we surrender now we may lose our lives, but Bujin knows that he runs a great risk in leaving a passage as important as us in state of chaos, he'll have no choice but to keep our independence intact with a small garrison if he wants to keep as many men as possible with him on his march north. He knows that he can't lose any second in senseless negotiations, and he doesn't want to lose precious men and resources on us, so he'll agree to whatever we demand as long as we grant him safe passage and give him a few hostages as well as the heads of the King's advisors." He paused as he let the consequences of his plan dawn on his nephew.
General Yi looked at his brother's son as he asked the most difficult question a man can ask another. "Are you ready to die for our Kingdom and our King?"
A well placed dagger on the throat prevented the young soldier from answering. The spilled blood blocked the general's view for a moment, but he heard the distinctive clash of steel, the breaking of bone against rock and the all too familiar screams of agony. A fight had broken out among the guards.
"No!" He cried. "What are you doing?"
By the time he cleaned his eyes he saw that the guards of his cell and his nephew's escorts lay dead at his side. Three men stood in front of him with bloodied hands.
"I'm sorry General, but we can't have you interfere with General Fong's plans, this Kingdom is a relic of the past and a necessary sacrifice for a better future."
"You." Hissed the old general. "Traitors." He cursed his foolishness, he knew that Fong had supporters inside the city, but he never imagined that they would be even members of the court.
"Only if we lose General." Said one of the men in front of him, and the three threw their daggers at the old man's chest. To ensure the general was dead one of the men pierced his heart with a spear. They started a fire in the dungeon before going into hiding were they would await for their general to come.
"We'll be arriving in one hour!" Announced the driver to the passengers in his carriage.
She heard the news with relief. She had probably gained another day or two of advantage to her pursuers. Just on the last town she had given her distinctive pink clothes to a girl she met by the fountain in the hopes that it would further confuse the men after her.
Pohuai, as people predictably called the city that had sprouted a few kilometres away from the Pohuai Stronghold, had not been her original destination when she began to run away. She was in fact not entirely sure that she had ever had an specific destination, all she knew was that she had to escape from the place that had been her home for the last three years, a place where she had found happiness and the opportunity to bring smiles to others and to travel the world. But that was over and she knew it, now she needed to find a place to hide.
It was definitely not her idea to keep running away forever, but so far she had had no idea of how to keep her past from coming after her. She had left an unwanted fiancée and an unloving father behind the first time she ran way when she was eleven years old, back then she had also left her first friends and confidents, she had left a life of luxury and riches and power. Now she had left her friends a new big family and a boy who loved her dearly.
Lee. She thought with bitterness at the irony of the name. Even know she couldn't tell if she had ever loved him, but the pain of knowing that she could never see him again did not diminish because of this.
He had been a simple, foolish boy who thought she would marry him. Deep down, she knew that he had wanted her since the moment that she first came into his father's circus and asked for a job as an acrobat. He and his family had taken her in and given her a roof and food and work. They had been kind to her for the last three years. Lee had always been clumsily transparent in his efforts to please her and be near her. She found it sweet and even pleasant to know that he was desperately in love with her, but that same fact hurt her in ways that no one could have imagined that a man could be hurt.
Does he love me? Really?
She had asked herself a thousand times.
Can anyone really love ME?
One time he had tried to sneak into her bed, but she had stopped him dead in his tracks. He had been sorry afterwards yes, but he had also been angry that she had rejected him, and he had been ever more relentless in his advances after that. He had openly asked her out and courted her, just a few weeks ago he had asked her to marry him, much to his family's delight. Poor sweet Lee had cried for days when she refused once again, but what could she have done. Even if she had wanted to there was no way she could marry him.
He had asked for a reason, but there was no way she could ever tell him who she was. If she wished to remain hidden no one could know her identity... But it had after all being for naught. Her father had found her anyway.
It was by mere chance that she had gone out that cloudy day to walk the platypus bear on the hills. From there she had clearly seen the horsemen approaching and her heart had frozen. She did not need to wait for them to get closer and further inspect the sigil in their banners to know it was her family's. She had not even said goodbye, in her hurry she had simply packed whatever money she had and what she thought could be useful into a travelling bag and had stolen one of the ostrich horses.
She did not want to know what Lee had done when he found that she was gone forever. If his broken heard allowed him to listen to her pursuers, he might even have found out the truth about her and the reason why she could not marry him.
The idea was not intolerant to her, they probably could have been happy, traveling and performing across the colonies until they found rest in Agni's eternal flame. But the thought of finding out that he loved her body instead of her scared her senseless, even more than the consequences for her and him if her father ever found that she had consummated an unsanctioned marriage. Thus the arrival of his father's envoys had also been a blessing in disguise, it had allowed her to escape from the horrible task of taking a decision, for Lee would have kept pressing on util she accepted his love, he would have begged and cried and implored until by sheer pity or compassion she came to accept him.
Did you love me? Or did you love me just because I'm beautiful?
As fate would have it, on the first city she stumbled upon after leaving the circus she heard the name of the man who had once been her entire life, a man whom she would like to consider a friend, a an whom she had never truly valued until his absence had turned her world upside down. A man who apparently had been involved in some kind of disaster.
Will this be the same with you Lee? She had thought to herself. Despite her doubts she had sold her ostrich horse and bought passage to Taku, hoping to get more news from this newfound hope. If she could find this man, perhaps she could bring to a closure all of her past's wounds or at the very least, find a way to stop her father from pursuing her.
Once in Town harbour, a small town named so because it happened to be a harbour, she heard that the man she was looking had performed some sort of miracle. Ty Lee knew better that to pay mid to rumours, even if this time they all happened to resemble one another. What mattered is that she now knew for a fact that he was in Pohuai, apparently unharmed, so more reason to put her faith in him, and more reason to dismiss some of the most exaggerated and fantastic of rumours. She gave her most distinctive clothing away and boarded a carriage.
She had come to Pohuai because she did not have any other alternative, she knew she could not run forever. Her friends were far away and would not be able to help her if her father got to her. She had only been able to take her most urgent necessities and some money with her after she escaped from the circus. She was alone in a foreign land with no friends or allies to turn to. Except Zuko, Zuko was her only hope.