A/N: Wow, this chapter did not want to get done. i am so sorry it took me so damn long to update it, and it's so short too. I have a long list of reasons why I was missing for so long- at the forefront being I was with my dad and I don't have a laptop as well as my preoccupation with my new XBox,Skyrim, and Dragon Age Origins. Then there was school. I want to say that I will be releasing the new chapter sson, but it probably won't be before this weekend so I apologize in advance. Please review. Makes me happy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my awesome OC's who I love so very much.
Previously on Events Unexpected…
The rain continued to fall through the night. The morning brought a break in the oppressive clouds and a cease in the downpour of the heavens. Before the crack of dawn, a girl and her snow white polar bear-dog set out on the dusty trail, riding far from the confines of the small town and the kind old man who was still fast asleep on his small cot.
A few hours later, a disgruntled firebender awoke and roused her entourage. The inn keeper and bartender bid them a safe journey as they departed. The canvas of the balloon was filled with the heated particles of the mixtures of the elements found amongst the air, bouncing wildly with the added kinetic energy of the firebender punching blue flames into the iron coal container.
A battalion of metalbenders, amongst them a tall serious looking woman, set out from the bustling metropolis. A worried airbender watched them disappear into the distance, wishing that his duties would permit him to accompany them. Alas, he had to stay where he was and keep the events of the passing day from becoming a global affair. Somehow Inzei had already found out about the capture of his heir and was demanding suspects and information.
The entire situation was a boiling pit of magma and the world was the loose rock sitting over it.
Republic City was abuzz with excitement and uneasiness. The morning had begun as any other would: uneventful and sluggish with the exception of a few concerned businessmen racing on their way to their work. The sun rose as it always did, the clouds drifted lazily across a crisp atmosphere, and the event of the attack on the World Fair was the news of two weeks ago. No subsequent terroristic actions had been reported. Even the absence of Lin Beifong and half of her men was not enough to compel the hardiest of criminals to try anything. The abductions were still fresh in peoples' minds, but they had been foreigners to the city, or most of them anyway, and thus were not very important.
As the sun rose higher toward its noon position, a curious black band began to break the linear curve of the ocean's horizon. A few fishermen and sailors were the first to spot it, coming at a frightening speed from the southwest. Shouts and messengers soon had the entire urban sprawl aware of the incoming ships. They were too far to classify to a nation, but the proud prows breaking through the waves made their species predictable enough. They were warships. The younger residents were full of energy, anticipating a much needed break from the tandem of their lives, and rushed toward the ports for a glimpse of the flotilla. Elders watched with trepidation, remembering stories of the previous time such naval advances had come to their shores.
Tenzin rushed to the gritty shoreline of his island home. His eyes widened with disbelief and incredulity. Sailing at a ramming speed, ten giant vessels, definitely of Fire Nation origin, were driving through the agitated waves of the once calm bay. The head of each ship had an ornamental golden dragon snarling with bared fangs, the pure metal gliding down along the sides in patterns resembling clouds of smoke before ending to make way for the dark grey iron that embodied the rest of the ship. Men along the decks were running to and from the deck and the bridge. Many stopped to hang at the bars outlining the edge of the deck, pointing at the city coming ever closer to them.
Tenzin swiftly called for a glider from some of the others who had come to see the spectacle unraveling before them. The catch holding the fabric folded within the small hollow at the top of the staff released as the airbender rushed along the sand. Tenzin took a mighty breath and released, propelling himself into the vortex of his element. The glider caught on the breeze that he had synthesized, bearing him down toward a particularly large ship- the one seemingly leading the armada.
He landed in the center of the rustic deck. He did not stop even to regain his balance, instead using his forward momentum to speed toward the tower overlooking him. A few words of exclamation and warning reached his ears from some of the men standing around, but he paid them no heed. Apart from the angry gesturing of the ignored sailors, he faced no rebuttals of his advances and so continued on. The door leading into the interior was open and so were the rest. The stairwell posed no trouble for the lithe Master Airbender- three stories were traversed in mere seconds. Finally there was only the entryway to the room he was interested in barring him from an unsuspecting firebending General and a very long tirade to said General about his actions.
He swirled the glider, now staff, in three large figure-eight arcs. The gusts of wind that issued forth were enough to make a tornado seem like a minor summer breeze. The doors, no matter how solid and thick they appeared to be, were no match against such a force. Nature itself would have quaked, and even buckled, before such a thing. As it was, the metal bent and burst into the room beyond, showering those inside with chunks of loosened metal and a few misplaced bolts. Had they not been wise enough to duck, they would have been in danger of decapitation from the massive blocks of deformed iron that had been the doors as they flew through the entirety of the bridge and out the large windows at the other end. Tenzin swept in with purpose and authority. He glowered at the coughing and gagging crew members, refusing to feel the twinges of guilt that came with shows of excessive power.
A tall figure came out of its hunched position, standing tall against the railing encircling the raised central platform. As the dust cleared, Tenzin found himself lost for words for the second time in an entire fifteen minutes. Instead of the youthful face and golden eyes of General Iroh II that he had been expecting, he came to look upon the bronze hued irises and aged face of his father- the Fire Lord himself.
"I-Inzei," Tenzin said in a hushed voice. It was all he could get out before his brain decided to shut down on him to collect itself.
"Ah, Tenzin. Quite the entrance you have. One of these days you must tell me how you think up of these things," Inzei replied in a patient voice. It was certainly anything but the astonished or frustrated tone that a lesser would take on in the light of having one's ship broken into.
"What are you doing here?" Tenzin had always been one for formalities, however, he found himself justified to skip them at a time such as that one.
"Well, considering neither you, nor anyone else in this accursed kingdom, has deemed me worthy of explaining who has taken my wife's niece- and by extension my own- and why, I decided to take it upon myself to come here and seek the answers."
"Inzei, you bring with you Fire Nation ships!" Tenzin exclaimed. The stupidity of the man before him was almost a physical blow to the poor monk's gut. "It is not like the time when your son was called upon to aide in the fight against the Equalists. This can be seen as an act of aggression!"
"Well then, I suppose it is a good thing I have you on board to straighten out any misunderstandings my presence may have caused."
By the sincere look on Inzei's face, Tenzin could not even comfort himself in thinking it was a joke. He grimaced at the oncoming ulcer or headache or both that the stress was surely going to give him. Shaking his head, he tried to think of something to say that would cause the Fire Lord to turn his fleet around and head for home. Unfortunately, no solution seemed forthcoming.
"Tenzin, I assure you I know the risks of appearing in the Earth Kingdom like this. Seventy years of peace is not enough to erase a century worth of blood and fear… but I need to ensure that my heir is safe. Iroh does not want the crown; the poor boy is so averse to the idea of holding the lives of so many on his shoulders. I cannot simply throw Kaji to the wolves either. She is of my wife's blood, of Roku's line as well. You must understand why I have to do this," Inzei's hand had come to lie upon Tenzin's stooped shoulder. They both seemed to have gained a hundred years in just a few minutes; the shadows playing over their faces casting each wrinkle and dip deeper and more severe than before.
"We must appear before the council. They will decide whether to allow you access to the information that we have gathered," Tenzin brought his hand up to silence Inzei's interjection, "But even in the event that they refuse… I shall tell you all I can. Please, do not do anything rash Inzei. The world's balance is too easily tipped."
"I thank you. We have not known each other for too long of a time, it is true, but I do consider you to be a good friend of mine."
"I am in need of friends more than all else at the moment."
The council meeting was in itself not very long or crowded. In the wake of the abductions- along with Kaji the remaining three representatives of the Southern Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation were also taken- makeshift representatives of the four nations had been appointed. Tenzin still kept his position and Master Katara had taken over for her tribe. A rich whaler had taken up a position for the North Water Tribe in Aroostook's place- though many did not trust him either due to his predecessor's treachery. The Earth Kingdom position had been filled by another man of wealth, one who was unknown to Tenzin. The Fire Nation seat had been kept empty as there was no one of enough caliber of the nationality within the island to take up the position.
"You have all heard my proposal," Tenzin's soft, but overarching voice rang out from where he stood before the large table seating the emissaries. "What is your decision?"
"Let the man know what he wants," the Earth Kingdom man waved nonchalantly. His foggy eyes were a strange milky blue, a deviation of the crystal clear jade or earthen brown that pervaded his people. "I see no need for all of this damned secrecy."
"You would say that because you have no concern within this matter!" the whaler bit out from his seat. "If it is true that my predecessor was the lead perpetrator, such an action would adversely affect my entire nation!"
"It is everyone's concern at the moment," Master Katara's cool tone froze the rage rising between the two men. "What are your intentions Fire Lord? Should we tell you what we know, what course of action would you take?"
"I cannot answer such a question without seeing the entire picture," Inzei hesitantly answered after a moment's deliberation. "If it is true that the Northern Water Tribe has some part in this fiasco, then I would like to set a course for the pole as soon as I can. I would inquire as to the details of this with Chief Satren to seek aide to find my niece. Other than that, I have no intention to raise tensions."
"The Northern Water Tribe will not be held liable for the actions of one man!" the whaler bellowed.
"Oh yes, even though Aroostook was irrevocably appointed to his position by the Chief himself. It is highly suspect that Satren did not know of the man's plots," the Earth Kingdom stand-in remarked. "If you ask me, I think Satren was the one who endorsed the whole thing. Everyone knows that the Northern Water Tribe is still sore about not getting as many reparations as the Earth Kingdom. And they still hold the biggest grudge against the Fire Nation."
"Gentlemen," Tenzin lifted his hands to signal silence. The delegates glared daggers at each other, forcing their lips to meet in sharp lines and clenched their jaws to keep the fighting words from spilling out. The airbender lowered his arms, tucking them into the long sleeves of his robe. "Whether Aroostook acted alone or was supported by a higher entity-"
"My nation-" the Water Tribe man began to growl only to be interrupted by frigid looks from Katara and Tenzin. He gave off a defeated huff before slumping back into his chair and crossing his arms over his rather thick chest.
"As I was saying; all of our hypotheses are as of yet unable to be proven. And even if we had a definite answer as to who is to blame for this, the central issue before us is the wellbeing of our council members and the Fire Nation Princess."
Katara smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle from her attire, choosing to stand slowly and ceremoniously. The rest of the four members of the room turned expectantly to hear the elder woman's wisdom. Even the brashness and contempt held by the replacements was held in check behind respect for the wizened waterbender. She was the last of an age they had only heard of in ballads or dusty history tomes.
Clearing her throat to remove a small vestige of apprehension, the Master turned to face Inzei and spoke, "You deserve to know. She is the future of your nation and your presence here emphasizes that you are adamant in having Kaji ascend the throne. From a series of leaflets and reports found on the premises of Councilmember Aroostook, we have been able to conclude that the Princess has most likely been taken to a holding. We have no evidence to suggest where exactly that is, but the most popular conjecture is that it is somewhere in the Northern Water Tribe. As another unexpected complication, the blueprints were taken by the Avatar who has already begun her own search for the missing delegates. Aroostook, until proven otherwise by the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe himself, is still considered tied with the Tribe due to his appointment papers. That is all."
"This is grave news indeed," a new voice came from behind them all. Five heads whipped around to locate the source of the unwelcomed speaker. They all fell upon the form of a petite woman in flowing green robes. Her black hair was held back in a neat bun with two chopsticks made of ornate bronze to match the emblem of the Dai Li that adorned the front of her clothing. Her green eyes were alive with an internal spark of cunning and knowledge that hid beneath. Her small smile was tilted slightly higher on her right side, causing her to appear as though hiding a valuable secret. She strode forward on quiet feet; her shoes were more akin to slippers to muffle the slight pressure she placed on the ground.
Her smile melted into a line of seriousness, the gravity of the meeting seemingly coming upon her slim shoulders. In the same smooth low octave she excused her interruption, "I apologize for my impromptu entrance gentlemen, Masters. " She tilted her head to each of the members of the council whilst bowing to Tenzin, Katara, and Inzei, showing the necessary marks of distinction between their ranks.
"Who are you?" the whaler stood, more in indignation than aggression.
"Ah, I forget my manners at times. I am Izuru Kain, Head of the Dai Li in service to His Highness, the Earth King. At times I forget that my knowledge of all of you does not necessarily go vice versa," the Dai Li agent's veiled cautionary remark had the two master benders and Fire Lord on edge. The other two were more inept to the ways of the elusive agents of the Earth monarch. Even the Earth Kingdom natural-born had only heard stories of the reinstituted group. The rest was, as many hoped in naivety, history.
"What is your business here?" the northern man inquired gruffly. He had had about enough of all of the high and mighty members of global politics and wished to return to his own ring of underhanded capitalists. At least they had incentives he could interpret and depend on.
"Information is my business as it always has been," Izuru answered levelly.
"More specifically?" Tenzin prodded. He held little trust for the Dai Li- something instilled in him at a young age from all of his father's stories- and, if possible, even less trust for their leader.
"In the absence of my King's presence, I am here to be his eyes and ears in this investigation. Though Republic City is outside of our jurisdiction, one of our citizens has been taken by these Water Tribe rogues and thus it has become our concern."
"Well, Miss Kain," Katara said from her upright position. If anything, the few steps that increased her stature might as well have been mountains. The glower she gave the woman before her would have been enough to set one of lesser composition groveling in a corner. As it was, Izuru only graced her with a curious glance. Katara continued unfazed by the disregard of her threat, "it appears that you have now also joined our little party. You no doubt heard all we have revealed to the Fire Lord, and are now aware of everything that we know."
"Brilliant," Izuru clapped her hands together softly in excitement, whether mock or real was indiscernible. "I, however, have something to add to these facts. You may judge the importance and authenticity for yourselves."
The Earth Kingdom spy took a dramatic breathe, closing her eyes as though to bring forth her thoughts and find the best way to pronounce them into words. The bodies around her were deliciously tense with the stress of the moment. Finally, letting go of the palpable anticipation, she spoke, "I took the liberty of sending messages to a few inquirers throughout the continent. All major Earth Kingdom airship ports and a few minor ones have been thoroughly searched for any mention of a zeppelin that fits the description of the one that the perpetrators escaped on. From the few hits that were gathered, I have a hypothetical course that maps out the trajectory of the craft."
Deft hands slid into the large sleeves of the dark emerald and rustic bronze kimono. From the Stygian darkness, a crisp scroll was brought into the light streaming through the windows adorning the room. The small metallic rods that held the paper together were unfurled gently, bringing into sight a map of the Earth Kingdom. Small red dots showed over certain city markers. At first, they seemed to jump around in almost random fashion, zigzagging over each of the large squares that represented the metropolises of the vast country. As one began to follow the consecutive red lines that had been drawn between points, however, a pattern began to become discernible. The shiver that ran down Tenzin's spine was not one of exhilaration at finally having a lead, but one of fear as the course clearly pointed to an unwanted conclusion. As the red rose to the top right hand corner of the map, so did everyone's eyes. Hopes of finding an internal problem disguised as an international issue died with the final dot. It was obvious that the final port that had been docked was the final outpost between the Earth Kingdom and the vast expanse of ocean that would eventually end at the snowy shores of the Northern Water Tribe.
"It still proves nothing!" the whaler, who had begun perspiring bullets, burst out, shattering the horrible silence. The shock, despite the inevitability of coming to that conclusion anyway, was broken with the sound of the man's raucous cry. In a second, all hell was unleashed over their heads.
Inzei growled and swore that he would depart in that instant, making sail for the north, if only to find out what the 'bloody hell' was going on. Tenzin reached for him to try and reason with the man. He was quite aware of the fiery nature of the wielders of the flame and also saw the disastrous repercussions that would follow if Inzei went through with his plans. The two replacement councilmen were at each other's throats, the Earth Kingdom man roaring charges of conspiracy at the Tribesman while the man backfired with insults of his own. Katara was staring at the stone cold face of the Dai Li agent, wandering whether the girl was instigating all of this or whether it was true. She held no doubt that there was a bit of both, but the stagnant eyes gave away nothing and the old woman was forced to move her attention to breaking up the ensuing fight between the two millionaires next to her.
"Silence!" Katara's shout reverberated around the hall, bouncing off the fine creamy marble walls and columns. The noise that had been so prevalent faded in a matter of seconds to a hushed echo. "The fact that they are most assuredly going toward the Northern Water Tribe signifies only that we now know where to look. It is not concretely stated in this that Aroostook is working under orders from Satren, therefore we should keep calm and inform Lin's search party."
"You may be able to ignore this travesty Master," Inzei snarled, "but this is about the honor of my nation and the safety of one of its citizens. I will not sit here and wait for a city police force to attempt to rescue my heir and representative. This is a matter of the Fire Nation and as its leader; I will take responsibility for Princess Kaji's wellbeing and that of my councilwoman."
"If I may be so bold as to request that I accompany you, Fire Lord Inzei," Izuru motioned to herself by placing a hand on her chest, fingers splayed like a spider's web, "My kingdom has also been wronged in this and I must apprehend the criminals that took the voice of the Earth Kingdom."
"The more the merrier," Inzei really could not have cared less who accompanied him. He had taken the insults of not being informed of such pertinent events and having been given a hearing to deem him worthy of such information with a serene façade. He had even ignored the rising prickling in his skin and tightening of his jaw with each word pointing toward the Northern Water Tribe's involvement. To be told how to handle his affairs was too much. The last straw had been placed on his patience and it was ready to crumble.
"I shall come too then," Katara interjected. She was not about to allow such a shady figure near the overly emotional Fire Lord. When they reached the fortress walls of the ice capital on top of the world, she would ensure that no blood was spilt.
"I do not require a baby-sitter, with all due respect Master Katara," Inzei retorted. Normally he would not have been opposed to the presence of such a central figure of diplomacy, but he could see that the waterbender had her own agenda in this.
"Well, requiring it or not, you shall have one. All due respect Inzei," Katara spoke as though to an impudent child. "I am coming."
Tenzin opened his mouth to nominate himself as well. The look his mother gave him stopped him mid syllable, reminding him that Republic City and the international council were ready to collapse under the conspiracy and distrust caused by the abduction and murder that had occurred. He visibly deflated and hung his head, but remained quiet.
"Very well, gentlemen, Tenzin; I will be taking my leave of you," Inzei said no more, choosing to sweep out of the room. The Dai Li woman followed quickly at his heels. Katara looked sadly upon her son, wishing that they would not have been parted so soon, then hurried after the disappearing Fire National.
Tenzin gave a long sigh, wondering how things could have gotten so out of hand so quickly.
Izuru Kain sat in her appointed bunk room under the expansive deck of the Fire Lord's massive ship. The creak of metal and sway of the lamp above her head were obnoxiously distracting her from her writing. She held two sheets of paper against the wooden desk bolted to the iron floor. The ink bottle next to her was held in place by four creases in the metal that she had made using her metalbending. Most were not aware of her ability to perform such an advanced stage of earthbending and she liked to keep it that way. Gazing out over the pitch black environment outside, she mused over the events of the previous few days.
It had been a few hours for her to brainwash Aroostook. After that, she had left the dark airship, keeping her absence known only to Kaji and Karak. The former had given the orders that Izuru was to follow until their next rendezvous and the latter had undoubtedly figured it out soon after. She had then traveled to the capital, Ba Sing Se, and informed the Earth King of the kidnapping of his representative in Republic City. It had not been difficult to manipulate him into officially sending her into the field. She had taken the next train to the city-state. So far everything had gone according to plan. Kaji's calculations had an uncanny quality about them in how accurate they turned out to be. Izuru found the firebender to be quite the enigma. And anything she couldn't understand was something Izuru Kain wanted to have under her fingers, dissecting every part of it to figure out how it worked. She was not loyal to the Fire Princess, nor did the Princess trust her. For the moment though, she was content in acting the foot soldier and Kaji was magnificent in her role as the general.
The letter was finished and tucked into the small envelope holder that was tied around the hawk's leg. Izuru had no particular love for animals, but she understood the ingenuity in utilizing them when they had become such an outdated form of mail currier. The window had been originally bolted shut to keep the ship from filling in with water too quickly were it too be punctured hung open. Its previously bolted state had been easily remedied with her particular talents, and now the hawk was easily able to slip out of the gaping porthole and into the night. It would take a few days to reach the zeppelin, but they had time. Kaji was at least a good few weeks ahead of the Fire Lord and his small fleet. Now all that was left was to wait and observe. The waterbender held a new sort of challenge, but Izuru was convinced that she would find a way to exploit the old woman in some shape or form.
As the waves rocked the great hunk of metal, the tired green eyes shut in the final capitulation to sleep. Vigilant blue ones looked over the calm sea, sensing a hidden unrest within the small spirits that made their homes under the leagues of water. Katara never saw the messenger hawk leave the ship, but somehow she sensed something amiss. Her lids drooped and she begrudgingly returned to her cabin to appease her body's need for rest.
P.S. Yes, I know. So short, so uninteresting. But it had to be done. I really am horrible at transition chapters and one day they will invent a telepathically activated software that fills in the blanks to my stories automatically. Until then however, I have to think of them myself. Review! I feel somewhat unloved by how few there have been. Not that I don't appreciate all I get but... more please!