I know I've been awall, and I won't bore you with excuses. I will tell you the next few chapters will be introducing a little more blood-pounding conflict...
Yeah, baby, yeah!
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The man seated before the pond was almost naked, save for a brown loincloth wrapped around his more private areas, and the massive grey-white beard hanging down from his chin, hiding the stretched, dry kin on his chest. Aang had found the lush green grass, and the small moon-shaped pond, and the two black and white koi fish constantly circling one another to be more than a bit unusual; but this aged man was so out of place, with the ice walls looming around them, and the awkwardly warm atmosphere, Aang was having a hard time believing he was even awake.
The Spirit Oasis was accessible only through a small wooden door in the side of a glacier cliff, and the little twitch boy was no permitted inside. Aang did not exactly know how to approach the man, who was meditating on the other side of the pond, and was seriously wishing for some back-up right about now. Luckily he was spared any awkward phrases like "S'cuse me, sa'" or "You ev'n 'wake?" by the Guru opening one lazy eye and setting it on the airbender.
"Hello, Aang. I am Guru Pathik. How are you doing today?"
He said it very casually, like he was some distant friend who'd just bumped into Aang at the market place. His massive, bushy white eyebrows raised like caterpillars, and Aang had a hard time not looking at them.
"I'm... I'm fine, Sa'," he managed.
"Really? Even after what happened in Masabi?" the Guru raised his eyes questioningly, and the blood rushed suddenly out of Aang's face. He felt himself go really cold, even though the air was warm.
"'Ow do ya'... 'ow you know, 'bout tha'?" Aang's mouth was abruptly dry. He wondered how fast news could travel in this world, how fast messengers birds could fly. How many people knew the Avatar had slaughtered and scarred an entire district of Masabi, full of innocent people. The protector of peace turned to herald of war and woe.
But an expression of delight had come across the Guru's face. Aang found that distracting, as well as oddly and inexplicably inappropriate.
"I listen very carefully. The spirits get quite talkative sometimes - especially that bloody monkey..."
"Spirits? You go talkin' to spirits?" Aang completely ignored the monkey comment, regarding this man as a few tiles short of a Pai Sho set, and jumped on the change in subject. The Guru smiled again, a very aged, toothless sort of grin, and seemed to let the Avatar guide away from the subject of Masabi.
"As can you. The spirit world is always connected to you, as you are the Avatar - the bridge between the two realms. And here in this place, in the Oasis, the spiritual world and the physical world come so close, that those like me are sometimes able to cross over."
Pathik settled back into his meditative position then, as Aang hesitated on the other side of the pond. With a very subtle, almost indiscernible nod, the Guru gestured for Aang to take a seat beside him on the odd, soft green grass. Aang fumbled, but finally walked around the edge of the pond and sat - but he had never meditated much before in his life, and he was unable to make his legs cross the way the Guru did. The Guru seemed not to care, closing his eyes again as Aang uncomfortably studied his surroundings, eventually focusing on the two fish swimming in the water.
Something about the koi fish gave him an unpleasant feeling of deja vu. The Guru opened one eye and looked at him, as though he was aware, even now, of Aang's internal conflict. The all-knowing gaze of Pathik made Aang a little more than uncomfortable, and in order to break the ensuing silence he said the only thing permissible in the situation.
"Wha's with th' fish?" the Guru grinned delightfully at Aang's inquiry, then gestured towards the Koi.
"Try and remember. You knew once, long ago, in a different life."
Aang exhaled sharply, uncomfortably, at this proposition. Remembering the incident with Roku at the Eye had turned him off spiritual things altogether; he had not immediate desire to go waltzing back in to any existential doings at the moment. He had enough problems in the physical world, where he had torn innocent (well, maybe not that innocent) people into several large pieces for acts of animal cruelty.
"I don' think I can 'member no diff'nt life, Guru Sa'," he said softly, unconvincingly. "I ain't no kind a' good at this Avatar stuff, see. No good..."
"Oh, what's with you? Saying you can't before you even try?" the Guru smiled encouragingly at the airbender. "I see we have a long way ahead of us. Let's start with what Roku told you, yes? And se if we can't figure out what his problem is. But first! Eat!"
He spun about and produced two plates of food from what seemed thin air, and oddly enough Aang wouldn't have put that past the Guru. Both of them had something slimy and green dripping on them, and in no way did they look edible. The looked alive and growing, but not edible. The Guru shoved a plate into Aang's hand and Aang's just stared at it, completely and utterly lost.
"Eat, eat!" The Guru encouraged him, and quickly devoured his own plate. At this point the Avatar wondered if he should have stayed with Zuko after all. The people in the Aurora Tribe were insane!
Aang looked unsurely at the sticky blob of blubber-meat and, grimacing all the while, raised a piece slowly to his lips, letting it slither down his throat.
Immediate regret was his reward, and he spit it out, scattering bits of food rather unceremoniously in the Spirit Oasis water.
"Gyah - wha' is this? You tryin' to kill me?"
And the Guru smiled so wide Aang was sure he was off his marbles.
"It's pickled sloth-fish! Yum-yum!"
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"In there, dears. Straight in there," Yugoda had led Toph and Suki to a makeshift ice-walled stable, where Appa and Momo were being housed and healed. It was not a very large place, though it was definitely large eough for the bison; the Aurora Tribe was a very overcrowded city and every available spot was in use. It contributed to the heavy crowds, which were as good to disappear in as they were to give away Suki or Toph's presence, and it was solel thanks to Yugoda's navigation that they made it through.
"Don't mind if I go back to the session for a spell, hm?" and Suki thought there was something earnest in the way Yugoda wanted to return to where Katara and Aang were, something a little too worried in her words. She allowed Toph off her arm, and the earthbender stubbornly refused to take Suki's, saying she could find her own way in the barn. There was no water to fall in here, she claimed.
"You'll be alright, then?" Yugoda asked them as she turned to leave, and Suki nodded encouragingly. "They're right in there, first stall on the left, bison and lemur both."
She left in a hobbling rush that Suki found oddly endearing. Then there was the click of Toph opening the stall door, and a screeching chitter, and a white blur bursting through the air.
Momo had flown straight at an unsuspecting Toph, still shaky from his ordeal and none too aerodynamic yet. The result was catastrophic, with the earthbender getting a face-full of fumbling lemur, as Momo struggled towards her arms and shoulder, bending winged arms unnaturally. Suki saw it all happening a second before Toph yelled, stumbled back, and went to fall. She reacted instinctively, leaping out to catch the girl before she cracked her head open on the icy floor.
Toph's reaction to Suki catching her was immediate and unwanted. She shouted a curse word and writhed in the Kyoshi-Shaman's grip like she was covered in hot coals, Momo fumbling back into the stall to curl up near Appa.
"I don't need your help, dammit!" Toph roared, thrashing Suki's arm away. "Why don't you just go back to your stinking swamp? You're not part of this!"
"Toph, it's ok," SUki knew Toph was lashing out, because of how helpless she felt. "You just slipped -"
"I don't need your help! None of us do! Sokka just found you and you decided to tag along for a free ride!" Toph exclaimed vehemently.
Toph, of course, had now idea of what had occurred between Sokka and Suki - her words were more generalized, in essence to say Suki had come along to add excitement to her boring, swamp-filled life. Suki, however, took it more personally - like she had followed the Prince to get laid. The Kyoshi-Shaman had to check her rage before replying, already numb with the lingering sight of the Moon Spirit hanging over her.
"I... I didn't come for that..."
"Whatever. I'm going... " Toph's voice went from bitter to broken in a matter of syllables, before she practically shouted out. "I'm going to see Appa!"
And so she did, stumbling into the stall and straight in Appa's huge, fluffy white body. The massive bison nudged her affectionately and gave a tremendous groan of approval, which only seemed to irritate Toph more. Her back was turned resolutely to a heart-torn Suki, the tears on her cheeks hidden by her long, ebony-black hair.
Suki stood watching her stumble away, and realized she needed to see Sokka - needed to see him before this aching fear ate a hole in her heart.
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The caravan moved slowly now to Al-Sahir, where Lord Qin unknowingly awaited them. Zuko led, with Jeong-Jeong at his left, and Hakoda at his right, hooves of their steeds clicking on in silence. Randhir tossed his head, impatient, as though he knew something dangerous and exciting was about to happen. Myobu walked beside the Chief, having avoided the confrontation at Al-Omid, having avoided most of them for a good many days. The Spirit being had been nursing his wounds in silence, the unintentional affect of his attacking the Emperor. He limped now in his right back leg - not a bad limp, not an entirely noticeable limp, but nothing much escaped the eyes of the vicious General and the fiery Zuko and the strong, powerful Chief.
"Will you be joining in, Myobu?" Hakoda fainlly asked the silent Spirit-Fox, pacing uncharacteristically close to the Chief. His words asked if Myobu would join them in the attack on Al-Sahir; his eyes asked it Myobu was in ailment, and needed attention.
I think it is best I stand aside.
Myobu had denied Hakoda's intervention, though really he did not look very well at all. His eyes were glassy and seemed to sag, and his steps were heavy on the barren earth of Acchai. What sin and anguish he had taken from Long Feng, none of these mortals could ever know - but it was weighing on him like a drowning-stone. Myobu would bite no other man as he had bitten Long Feng, if he could help it.
Jeong-Jeong had not spoken to Zuko since Al-Omid, and it had been nearly two hours. Zuko was quite proud of himself, however, and not in much absolute fear of the irate General as he had been. His confidence was a danger in regards to the General, had he known the man better. Jeong-Jeong was not used to being disagreed with, however used he was to taking orders, much less being disagreed with by a man who was, for all other purposes, his pupil. Jeong-Jeong did not train Zuko and have him slay for a respectable cloak to have his intentions visibly defied in the court of Al-Omid. He was also considering Zuko a very stupid and naive boy at this point, though Hakoda stopped him from saying so. Luckily for Zuko, the presence of The Wolf Clan Chief - who commanded more respect from the General than any other man Zuko was ever to meet - meant a safer passage for him in Acchai, not only from outsiders, but from the General himself.
"We are going to have a long talk when this is over. If you survive it," the General's voice was either sharp as ice, or raw as fire. Zuko would never be able to tell.
Zuko kept looking forward, and grinned despite himself. Before he replied he lifted his left arm, looking at his wrist, where Katara's swinging blue necklace hung.
"Don't worry. You'll have all the time in the world to lecture me."
Then he kissed the blue stone, and they crested the hill to see Al-Sahir, and the dwelling of Qin.
Al-Sahir was not nearly the size of Al-Abhad, but it was a formidable rival. It had been built on a massive, flat-topped hill to make it almost impossible to besiege, the slopes rising straight up, coated in foliage and muddy earth. The stone walls were high and flat and unscalable, bordered with watchtowers and archers roaming lazily upon the ramparts. The towers at his corners had slitted windows to protect his hidden archers, and one even looked like it had a catapult atop it. It looked an altogether impenetrable sort of place, and none too friendly. There were scorch marks and sword cuts on the stone, so it seemed Qin was experienced in war upon his Lordship. All around his dwelling fields were green and flourishing, and there were figs trees curling up alongside the sloped stone; the river (which Qin had refused to re-direct) seemed just on the border of his lands, where a long stretch of rice-field ended. There plan on entry was simple, and if it worked the outer walls wouldn't matter. Zuko soundly did not want to resort to besieging Al-Sahir.
Zuko took a long look at it, discussing a few odd details with Jeong-Jeong, before calling Sen Su. Pipsqueak came at his side, the ever-present body-guard of sorts, grinning his wide, iron grin. Zuko had him take a place at the back of their party, relaying a message to all the earthbenders.
"I want a contingent of earthbenders around myself and Sen Su. Jeong-Jeong and Hakoda will follow after me, in the same fashion. Seven steps from the dais will work. And make it look peaceful."
They marched slowly down the road to Al-Sahir, Sen Su's bow bumping lazily against his back. He was grinning freely, for the first time since Zuko had met him.
The gateman was not too old, but not too young either - he had a slowing, distant, regretful look in his eye, as if he was just starting to realize he was past youth. Some soldiers with swords stood tense on either side of the gate, looking suspiciously (though not suspiciously enough) at Zuko's small party. The majority of Jeong-Jeong's men they had left over the crest of the hill, to avoid the notion that Zuko was a threat. Only about thirty men were with Zuko, not counting Sen Su, Hakoda and Jeong-Jeong; Pipsqueak was momentary captain of the rest of the soldiers, standing patiently with Myobu on the hilltops for any sign of distress from Zuko's party.
"Who calls?" the gateman tried to say it in a powerful tone, but it came out rather wistful and sad. Zuko made a note to perhaps send him on a vacation, when he was Lord.
If he became Lord.
Now is not the time to doubt, Myobu would have said.
"Lord Zuko of Al-Omid, by conquest. I have come to greet my neighboring Lord, in hopes I may establish peace between us, as I begin Lordship."
It was a lie so thick Zuko could feel it on his tongue. The gateman looked lazily at them all, and then creaked the doors open.
The trust and stupidity of man followed even here, even into the realms of Acchai. Men always believing they are safer than they really are. But Jeong-Jeong had broken Zuko from that belief.
"What do you have to present?" the gateman asked lazily. Zuko struggled not to smile, as he drew a heavy bag of coins from his side, compliment of Hakoda.
"General. This is Lord Zuko of Agni. He wants to greet Lord Qin."
"This is many men for just a greeting party," the gruff man noticed, which made Zuko sweat a bit, until he realized the General was talking only about the men with Zuko - all the soldiers waiting with Pipsueak back on the hill had still gone unnoticed.
"I heard your Lord was very powerful. I didn't want to come in an unseemly fashion."
He said it so smoothly and meekly that the General was persuaded, and allowed them to pass inside. He remained close by Zuko's side as they went, however, and Sen Su, who must have recognized the man, kept his head low and turned away from beneath the hood of his cloak.
As was custom, the Generals lined the dais behind the Lord Qin, each with their personally crafted armor, celebrating their dedication to the household. A General was gifted great armor when he'd won his first battle for his Lord, and afterwards hardly ever took it off; one man was in iron plates, dented somewhat from what seemed a hammer-mark, streaked with red paint. Others had leather armor with inscriptions in several tongues, barbarian or romantic, with golden tassels of bravery hanging at their shoulders; most had huge, metal helms that half-covered their heads, made them seem faceless and inhuman. They all wore animal cloaks as a sign of their triumphs, great cats and bears and even small moose-lions - but none so imposing as Zuko's black panther, Jeong-Jeong's massive, white mole-bear.
Qin, however, looked small in comparison to his Generals. He was not a small man, persay - in fact he was quite tall, taller even then Jee and Pipsqueak - but he was sinewy and unfilled, as though he had not accomplished enough to deserve his height and stature. His face was very drawn and inward-looking, as though his entire being was somehow trying to cave in and fill the empty gleam in his eye, in his soul, his very spirit. There was very little to him really, besides what seemed a stern hand and a hard eye, and no real formidable power or intelligence - at least not enough to be worried about. His graying hair he had tied back in a tight bun, which drew the skin away from his forehead and made him looked eve more stretched and uncomfortable and unimposing than ever. His golden robes, it seemed, were the only thing that gave him any look of power or authority.
Zuko stopped, seven strides away from the dais. That was the measurement agreed upon with his earthbenders. Seven steps.
"Who calls at Al-Sahir?" said Qin with a smug, suspicious, but all too haughty and inattentive tone.
The motion Sen Su made was so fluid and swift not even the earthbenders beside him noticed it. The composite bow was in his hand and the string was drawn, and the red hawk feathers flickered in a tickle against his cheek; two identical arrows he put to the bow, drew back graciously, effortlessly. One General seemed to open his mouth to say something, recognized the sudden danger - but then the subtle, deceiving twang of the bowstring, and two of the General's throats were ripped clean out. Two flawless shots, and the dark eyes of Sen Su.
The next few moments went by in a blur of rubble and noise and arrows. The earthbenders realized in unison that Sen Su had taken his shot, at the same moment the soldiers at Al-Sahir did; they all made their moves simultaneously, in a very strange, cryptic sort of choreography. Zuko was only aware of the earth ripping up around them so to shield them, and Sen Su loyal at his side, and the flurry of arrows just above his head - and then everything went dark as the turtle-shell of stone closed around them, and Zuko was running forward through the black, trusting in the skill of Jeong-Jeong's earthbenders.
One. Two. Three steps taken in the dark.
Something exploded against the side of the earth-shell, like the blast of a ferocious fireball. Zuko wondered if it was a firebender of Qin's, or an ill-aimed defensive shot from Jeong-Jeong.
Four. Five. Six steps taken in the dark.
At the seventh step Sen Su yelled so loud it echoed through the shell and outward; the earthbenders, however, had also been counting, and tore their defense away almost as soon as Sen Su opened his mouth.
When the shell opened up, and light poured in through the crack, Zuko was ecstatic to see the plan had gone as he'd hoped; a wall of blazing red fire, cast from Jeong-Jeong's deadly hand, had enveloped the back of the dais; the Generals were distracted by the whirling wraith of Hakoda and the waves of soldier earthbenders, who were there mostly to occupy time and not quite kill anyone; the Lord Qin was directly before him, looking scared and astonished, attempting in vain to run.
Zuko did not reach out and grab the Lord. He leapt, graceful and powerful and deadly, like a hawk descending on a rat. All the men in Qin's court saw Zuko take his leap, black panther cap billowing behind him like a raven's wings, the herald of death. He slid the white knife from his sleeve and it glinted in the sunlight, blinded Qin as he looked up in terror.
Zuko's knees landed on the side of his right shoulder, as he turned and tried to run. The impact spun Qin about and he landed hard, crushed beneath Zuko's weight, face-down on the steps of the dais. The breathe flew from his lungs, and his chin split open; he would have howled in pain as the blood poured out, but there was no air in his lungs, and the glittering white knife was already at his throat, cold and cruel.
Arrows turned on Zuko. General's swords came into view. Zuko lifted up the Lord's head as he struggled to get breathe, pulling him back by his long, graying hair.
"I am Lord Zuko of Agni. I have your Lord at my mercy. Lay down your arms."
His voice was very cold against the smoldering, treacherous eyes of the Generals and their men.
For a second, everyone in the courtyard froze, recalculated. Generals raised there hands to cease-fire, and soldiers stopped dead wherever they were, in the midst of fights or not.
One man didn't. One foolish man, who helped to doom his own Lord's life, by not listening to the demand of his General.
Zuko heard the bow scream, saw the glitter of the iron-tipped arrow in the sun, and in a swift and effortless motion released the Lord, cleaving it in two with his knife. In that horrible moment two things happened; first, Sen Su roared and dove to knock Zuko away from the arrow of another archer, who had taken up the opportunity to kill - and second was an act of cowardice on the part of Lord Qin, which probably sealed his own fate.
Even as Sen Su knocked Zuko out of the way of the second arrow, he had his own arrow in his bow, and had fired on the Lord. The Lord Qin spun across his own General, sending him flying into the path of the arrow. The iron tip went straight through the General's heart and stuck there, sickeningly.
Zuko didn't have time to realize a third General was dead until he had latched his grip back around the Lord's ankle and dragged him, punishment-like, back to his mercy. The Lord writhed like a disobedient child until the blade was at his neck again.
"Hold!" it was the voice of one of Qin's other Generals, a fierce, icy voice. In an effort to cease bloodshed, he instated the cease-fire for the second time.
It took several seconds for the court to realize what had happened. Both Sen Su and Zuko had been missed by the idiot archers, who had already been reprimanded by their officers. That, and a third General was dead, due to Qin, who had purposefully thrown him in the way of the arrow.
Zuko saw it going through the minds of the Generals as Sen Su stood tense beside him, bow loaded. Qin blubbered at the knife-point, but Zuko had no pity for him. The General who had spoken - a very dark-skinned man with long, black, dreadlocked hair - had is hands raised to keep his men from attacking. His armor was stained with blood and sweat, and his cloak was a of a snow-leopard, spotted beautifully. He looked upon Zuko without much fear, but upon Qin with horrible distaste.
The body of the slain General lay awkwardly, sprawled unceremoniously on the dais. Blood dripping down the steps.
"The man with the bow. Who is he?"
The dreadlocked General was referring to Sen Su, who stood quietly (if seethingly) beside the Lord of Agni. Perhaps the General was trying to gain some control on the situation? Zuko cast a glance at the man, who returned the look questioningly, wondering what his Lord wanted of him.
"Speak for your own," Zuko told him. Sen Su did not hesitate, blindly confident by the sight of his mother's killer at knife-point.
"I am Sen Su. Sela was my mother. My blinded father travels with us."
He said it flatly, but beneath it there was a tremor, a longing for justice and vengeance that Zuko was about to fulfill. Jeong-Jeong heard it, Hakoda heard it, the Generals on the dais heard it, and Zuko heard it. It was a great part of being a man of Acchai - words were not so important as they were in the Union, useless, empty, meaningless words.
"Sen Su follows you?" the General asked, in recognition of the man. Zuko repressed his grin.
"He does."
The General narrowed his eyes at Zuko, but for some reason this only heightened Zuko's hope. As he had caught a lucky turn at Al-Omid, so had he caught one here. Sen Su's presence in is army had affected the judgment of the General - there was no leap to defend the Lord, nor even the action toward revenge if Zuko slit his throat. Sen Su's dedication had persuaded them to think, for a moment. And so the General did, never tearing his eyes away from Zuko, poised and ready for the strike.
"He put an arrow in my fellow General," his voice was like Jeong-Jeong's, but lighter.
"It was meant for your Lord," Zuko said it before realizing how stupid it sounded.
"That does not improve his standing."
"No. But it was your Lord who put him in the path of the arrow, not Sen Su."
The General seemed to consider this for a long moment. It was a very good sign for Zuko. After a long moment of examining the young firebender, the General's shoulders seemed to sag a little, as though he was starting to let his guard down, and Zuko's heart leapt into his throat, choked with fear and hope.
"He was a friend of mine. A man named Oruki. He was a great earthbender."
Zuko resisted the temptation to say "I'm sorry". This was not the proper response, not here, not in Acchai - to be sorry denoted weakness, denoted pity, none of which these men deserved or wanted or possessed.
"I'm sure he was," Zuko finally said.
"It was very swift. And very stupid. We thought you were coming to pledge loyalty."
"I'm sorry to disappoint."
"You're outnumbered, you know."
Zuko felt his blood run cold as the General's gaze hardened, but he did not allow himself to despair.
"I'm aware."
"Then why did you come? Why, when you know any moment I could feather you with arrows?"
Zuko had thought about this, all the way to Al-Sahir. He had never been much good at making up important speeches on the spot, so he had practiced this one thoroughly. Of course, even when he did practice it usually came out as incoherent babble, but he was praying and hoping to articulate himself properly this time. So whether it was his steady internal practice, or some luck or gift given to him in that moment by the great Agni, Zuko managed to hold his own, and speak his mind.
His next words would probably determine whether or not the Generals joined him or killed him. He tried not to think about that.
Instead he thought of the necklace at his wrist. And he found all the courage he needed.
"At Al-Omid, I saw suffering. I also saw good men, with good hearts, such as the Lord Jee. If not for this man I hold at knife-point, they would all be in health. Instead they die slowly, starved and weak, for no other reason than this man's greed. It is a wrong that must be corrected - because the lives of those Acchain people are more important than my own."
Silence overcame the courtyard. Hakoda's grin spread across his face as it had in Al-Omid; a flitter of disgust, disbelief - it was so brief, one could barely catch it - flittered across Jeong-Jeong's face, and then he was stern again, unmoving.
No one had ever spoken this way in Acchai before. It was unheard of that a Lord should much care for the people who lived beneath him; not even the Generals commanded much attention from their Lords. In Acchai, you reached your place in life through birth and conquest and luck, but for all the opportunity this system promised, it was still more than likely a man was not to rise above a soldier or a captain. Farmers and peasants had always been disregarded, as long as they had existed; the fact that Zuko was showing empathy towards an entire estate of citizens was not only unheard of, it was absolutely unbelievable.
So Hakoda smiled, and Jeong-Jeong scowled. Zuko, the strangest Lord of Acchai.
Something flickered in the face of the General, and was lost.
"If you kill the bastard now, I will follow you."
Zuko understood, then, what made men Generals. He had believed, when first meeting Jeong-Jeong, that only men who possessed authority could command that title - only men who had braved the desert lands of Acchai for countless years and survived its perils. But the man before him was younger than Jeong-Jeong, in his late twenties or so; some of his soldiers were decades his senior. No; age and experience did not command the title of a General.
Generals where men who fought, lived and died to fight. As Jeong-Jeong was a blood-god, who breathed death and bled revenge, so was this General before him, if more subtly. They were a singular marvel of men, born to slay, to strategize, to improve the methods of war, and in battle they were hell's angels, instruments of judgment. No other place was fitting for them, and with the promise of Zuko's conquest - Zuko's war to unite Acchai - they found a way to fulfill their purpose. They were warrior-devils, and Zuko could be their heathen god. It was in this way Jeong-Jeong could never become a Lord, nor could Hakoda ever become a General.
"Please... please don't kill me..."
There were tears in Qin's eyes; poor, pathetic tears sliding down his pale cheeks, dripping onto Zuko's knuckles, tight and white on the pearl dagger. The General watched him, arms crossed, eyes as every bit as piercing and cruelly methodical as Jeong-Jeong's.
Sen Su hissed something between his teeth, something that sounded like Sela - but Zuko did not turn his head, did not look away from the General on the dais.
"I'll give you everything... just - please, mercy, have mercy..."
Zuko's shoulder jolted back, wrist turned. Qin's begging halted, became a horrid gag, a splutter. White metal in white flesh, sliding out like water.
Zuko never broke eye contact with the General.
Qin collapsed to the floor, grappling weakly at his neck, but the slice was too deep. Zuko's hand and wrist were drenched in blood, white blade dripping red.
"What is your name?" Zuko asked the General before him, who's face had lighted briefly with a smile.
"General Bato. It is an honor," he went down to his knee and placed a fist upon his heart. In moments the three other remaining Generals did the same, and Zuko was declared Lord of Al-Sahir. It was a swift and practical thing; Zuko had killed Qin, and now the Lordship was his. There were no questions or debates among the people, among the soldiers, among the Generals.
They knew the ways of Acchai, and they knew Zuko was a capable leader. They also knew he was a strange leader, but they were willing to let that unfold, for now.
"Lord Jee will run this estate now. Send a messenger to Al-Omid to receive him. He will also give you plans to moving the river."
Sen Su stared at the dying body of Qin, mad rapture in his eyes. Zuko saw it and knew - knew better than he knew his own name, than he knew his own scar, than he knew the blue gem necklace dangled at his wrist. He knew Sen Su would never betray him.
Zuko left with Bato and the other Generals, and most of Qin's former soldiers, upping his army to about 1,400 men. Sen Su was at his right hand from then on, for as long as Zuko waged his conquest. They were past the borders of Al-Sahir before all the blood had left Qin's body, his figure still twitching on the ground.
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"My love, my warrior... may I ask you something?"
It was a stupid and needless formality, Jet knew. Azula commanded his every action, his every breathe. The idea of asking him something was laughable.
Only Jet didn't laugh anymore. Not in these days, of war and lies and deceit.
"Yes," he said, and went back to kissing her neck ravenously. The firebender enjoyed it lavishly for a few moments, before resuming her request.
"One of the soldiers intercepted a hawk today, going to the Northern Aurora Tribe. It was from a man named Chief Hakoda."
"And?"
Jet paused in pursuit of her endless ivory skin, though her body begged for more beneath him.
"It was addressed to a Prince Sokka, and in it, he mentioned my brother. It also mentioned the Avatar."
Jet did not respond anymore, not even to the mention of Zuko. He was fully gone, all the light crushed out of is small world, revolving around Azula.
"And love... I don't like the looks of what was written. They are going to try to undo everything we've created. So I asked you... would you do something for me?"
Bloodlust entered his eyes. Azula adored him when he was upon the war-path, when that insatiable, blood-curdling look came into his dark eyes. Like her own personal demon.
"Anything you want."
He said it without any inflection. He was still over her, and the sight was sickening, terrifying - because their situation was so intimate, but his eyes were so empty, dark and dreadful and haunting. Azula looked up at him like a snake before the strike, heedless of his insanity.
"I want you to go to the Northern Aurora Tribe. I want you to kill the Avatar."