Letter of Treason

Chapter 19

The Di Lai agent known as Qwan strolled down the hallway towards the room that was formerly, the now deceased, Long Feng's office. The events that had taken place a day before were unnerving. Their long time leader who had clawed his way to power was now gone, leaving the Di Lai without a head.

Being a senor officer of the Di Lai, Qwan was one of the few Di Lai agents who were qualified to attend this secret meeting. A meeting, which would certainly decide the future of the Di Lai, possibly ending with the election of a new leader. It would be interesting, no matter what direction they went.

None of the Di Lai have any idea how to lead, only do they know how to follow orders. Long Feng had not taken the time to set one agent aside from another. True they do have ranks, but those ranks are more based on experience, not necessarily leadership credibility.

Qwan pushed open the heavy twin doors which lead into the office. The green fire, behind Long Feng's desk, gave off the only light. It was a comfortable green glow, but the flickering of the fire light gave the room an eerie appearance.

A table was set in the middle of the room, however the five agents who had arrived before Qwan stood around the table. They preferred standing instead of sitting. Each one of them kept their helmets low, keeping their eyes in shadows.

"You're late," Qwan recognized the voice as Lu-shu, who was by far the most experienced, and therefore the highest ranked. Lu-shu seemed to have taken over the meeting as was expected.

"My apologies," Qwan said, wondering if all the dramatics were necessary. Then again, judging by the tone of Lu-shu's voice, Qwan may have misjudged the seriousness of the situation. As he took his place at the table, they began.

The Di Lai argued quietly and respectfully, never did they raise their voice above the necessary speaking level. It was quite different from the Earth King's court. They soon decided on two possibilities.

The first: Elect Lu-shu to take over as head of the Di Lai.

The second: The current council of six would take control and meet occasionally to discuss changes needed within the Di Lai.

Each possibility had its own flaw. A major one in both plans was the fact, that neither the council nor Lu-shu knew how to be a proper leader. Qwan was the one who pointed this out. He was sure, Lu-shu was irritated at his accusations, but it was the truth.

"What do you suggest then?" Shing, the second most influential person there asked curiously.

"Our lack of leadership experience is only the first of many problems Long Feng has left us with," Qwan paused.

"Go on," Shing encouraged.

He continued, "After the Avatar went to the Earth King and unveiled Long Feng earlier today, we know that the Earth King will never trust us again. Although Long Feng is no longer with us to take the fall, I feel the Di Lai will take the blunt of the blow. Our new leader will also need to guarantee our survival."

"Do you suggest we take a leader from the outside?" Lu-shu asked a hint of irritation in his voice. "Who could possibly be qualified to lead the Di Lai?"

"Maybe," Qwan responded, "perhaps we turn to the Earth King…"

"Absolutely not," Lin, another council member interrupted. "The Di Lai is separated from the Earth King to ensure the keeping of the cultural authority in Ba Sing Se. Long Feng may have added, ah well, extracurricular actives to the list but you must remember our duty is first to the cultural aspect of the city."

A fact they all knew, but no matter how many times the cultural side of the city was brought up, they could not get the taste of power Long Feng had placed in their mouths, out.

"The Fire Nation is another problem," Su-son spoke up. "They have nearly destroyed our army, and have our city surrounded. Who cares if we survive in the city if outside forces are threatening to break through our walls and destroy the great city anyway?"

They were silent for a second. Every member that now stood around this table remembered what had happened under Lake Laogia. How Prince Zuko had taken control of the situation, striking fear into Long Feng, their former leader.

"We all remember what had happened under Lake Laogia." Shing said, "We all saw what the Fire Prince did."

"You're not seriously suggesting that we turn command over to Prince Zuko," Lu-shu asked.

"No," Shing answered, "Prince Zuko is an outcast of the Fire Nation. With him we would be no better off than before. But with Princess Azula…"

"Stop," Qwan interrupted. "Your next words may push us into treason."

"We already crossed that line a long time ago," Lu-shu snapped. "When Long Feng decided to rule the Earth Kingdom secretly. Let him continue."

Qwan nodded and motioned for Shing to continue.

"If the banished prince can strike fear into Long Feng, imagine what the Fire Lord's crown jewel could do. Princess Azula is already the commander of the Fire Nation army. She is a proven leader and anyway, if they break through now, there is no doubt she will destroy the city." Shing continued, "Our first loyalty is to the cultural aspect of Ba Sing Se. So I am offering an exchange, we help the Fire Nation take Ba Sing Se and in return they spare the citizens of the city and the city itself. If they keep their side, we will offer our loyalties to Princess Azula, who is without a doubt a great leader herself."

It was a risky plan, but it was by far the best any of them could come up with. A change in government, to go along with a new leadership would no doubt wipe Long Feng's sins off the Di Lai. They went around, either saying a simple 'Yes' or 'No' if they agreed or disagreed. By the end they all agreed. Lu-shu sat down to write a letter addressed to the Princess of the Fire Nation. After it was complete, they signed it and stamped it with the seal of the Di Lai.

ATLAB

Prince Zuko stared out the window of his new apartment in the upper ring of the city. With Long Feng dead and the Avatar dealing with other problems, Zuko and Iroh had nothing to do but go back to a 'normal' existence. The day after Lake Laogia, Iroh had gone back to Pal to see if he could get his old job back. Pal denied Iroh his job, but as he was leaving, a wealthy man from the upper ring stopped Iroh and told him how much he liked his tea. In return the man gave Iroh a house in the upper ring and his own tea shop.

Yes, things were certainly looking up. Two days had passed and Zuko regained his strength as well as catching up on some well deserved rest. However, the banished prince could not help but feel he was needed elsewhere. He had unintentionally formed a bond with the Earth Kingdom soldiers and hoped to see them again.

Hope was a word he had not used in a long time, at least not without the Avatar's involvement. He was happy, with his uncle. Yes, happy was also another word he did not often attribute to his life. Seeing the war first hand had defiantly changed his prospective on life.

Zuko got up from his window seat, tying the apron around his waist. He walked across their new apartment and out the door, on the way to work in his uncle's tea shop. No matter how well life seemed to be going, he knew the war was far from over and Azula was out there looking for him. He knew Azula never failed at anything, and Zuko knew he would not be safe until she was taken care of.

ATLAB

Princess Azula rolled up the piece of parchment and set it gently on her desk inside her quarters. It was an interesting proposal the Di Lai had offered, they had described their desperation and need for new leadership. Even more interesting it claimed her brother Prince Zuko and her uncle had been directly involved in the assassination of their beloved leader Long Feng.

Keeping her face neutral, Azula crossed her legs and faced the Di Lai agent who had brought her the message. The fact that they sent one of their own into enemy territory showed that they were serious. This was the only reason the princess was even considering their offer. After all, this could easily be a trap, but all good sense told her not to jump to any conclusions.

The agent who stood before her was dressed in a long green robe with an Earth Kingdom insignia on his chest. His bowl like helmet was kept low covering his eyes. He showed patience and gave no sign of being at all nervous. All this despite his situation and his young age, yet he was still older than Azula herself.

"Interesting," Azula said coolly, "but how can I be sure this is not a trap?"

"I assure you, Princess, that it is not," the agent answered still he kept his eyes covered. "We have been betrayed by the Earth King and the Avatar, who allowed your banished brother freedom to assassinate our beloved leader."

"Yes," Azula said thoughtfully, knowing the full account of events leading up to the death of Long Feng, including Zuko's infiltration of the Earth Army. "Perhaps you are telling the truth and we could be allies. But why do I need the cultural protectors? I could just as easily break through the walls myself."

"Princess, the Di Lai are an elite group of benders, each one of us is trained in a unique form of bending that is superior to all other forms of Earth Bending. It was developed by Avatar Kyoshi herself." Azula noted that the agent said this with pride in his voice. "You could spend month's maybe years trying to break through the first wall. But with the Di Lai, the walls could be brought down in less than a day. With us on the inside you will have a huge advantage."

Azula considered what the agent said, keeping in mind her uncle's legendary failure at Ba Sing Se. The princess often criticized and looked down on her uncle Iroh for his soft heart, but also in the same way she respected his military genius. If it took months for him to break through the first wall, Azula had no idea how long it would take her. After all, she had limited supplies and the Avatar to worry about.

After a moment lost in thought, Azula finally said, "Alright, we have a deal. If the Di Lai takes down the walls of Ba Sing Se, we will spare the city, however the citizens will be subject to Fire Nation rule." .

"Agreed," the agent nodded.

"But first I would like to see a demonstration." Azula said.

"Of what, your highness?" The agent bowed slightly.

"You're bending abilities of course." After saying that, Azula motioned to her guards.

The Imperial Fire benders attacked. The Di Lai agent shielded himself from the blast by raising a slab of rock out of the ground. Then he returned the attack, by sending each of his gloves at the Fire bender's chest. This would have been a killing blow if the agent had not restrained himself and only sent each of the princess's guards crashing to the ground.

Impressive, Azula had to admit to herself. Perhaps this was going to work out better than she had initially expected.

Azula nodded her approval. "What is your name, agent?"

"Lang, mam"

"Alright, Lang." Azula said, "I will send a letter to the Di Lai accepting their offer. But you must stay here as a sign of good faith."

"Very good, Princess." Lang turned as he exited the flap of her tent.

Azula smilled to herself. Fear was a wonderful thing, it gained her the Di Lai and soon she would have the whole Earth Kingdom. Soon she would have her brother and uncle, then she would go after the Avatar… but first, Ba Sing Se must fall.