The twins and I watched as the gates of the great Pohuai Stronghold opened. The mighty fortress consisted of multiple stone walls surrounding a large tower in the centre. The walls were coated with iron, so as to protect it from Earthbenders, and guard towers were strategically placed all along them.
I glanced to my left, at my father. After the failed attempt to capture the Avatar at Crescent Island, he and I had begun the process of gathering as much military strength as we could. That search had brought us here, to the home of the legendary Yuyan Archers. My father hoped to recruit them for the purpose of capturing the Avatar.
We started to make our way inside the fortress, and as we passed the groups of patrolling guards and training soldiers, I asked "Father, do you think we will be able to solicit the Yuyan Archers?"
"I don't see why not" he replied. "They are a crucial part of our search for the Avatar. I'm sure Colonel Shinu will see that".
I wasn't so sure. "I don't think the Colonel will willingly hand over command of his finest troops".
My father scowled. "The only reason I have to come here in person is because I don't outrank that pompous little man. He will give me control of the Archers".
Unfortunately for my father, Colonel Shinu was no so accommodating. After he laid out his proposal, the Colonel scoffed in derision. "Absolutely not" he said. "The Yuyan Archers stay here. Your request is denied Commander Zhao".
As the two of them talked, I looked down at the Archers themselves. They were a group of elite marksmen, who wore unique facial tattoos in order to signify their status. They were currently shooting at practice targets, and every single shot they made was a perfect bull's eye. I had never before seen such skill.
"Colonel Shinu, please reconsider. Their precision is legendary. The Yuyan can pin a fly to a tree from a hundred yards away without killing it". One of the Archers demonstrated this by firing four arrows into the centre of four separate targets.
"You're wasting their talents using them as mere security guards".
The Colonel turned to look at my father before replying "I can do whatever I want with their talents. They're my archers, and what I say goes".
"But my search for the Avatar is…" my father started to protest.
"Is nothing but a vanity project" the Colonel said, cutting him off. "We're fighting a real war here, and I need every man I've got, Commander".
"But…"
"That's final!" The Colonel's tone left no room for argument; his decision had been made. "I don't want to hear another word about it".
My father glared down at the man, and before he could say anything too drastic, I spoke up. "Colonel Shinu, please. The Avatar is the Fire Nation's greatest enemy; capturing him would guarantee out victory in this war".
"I don't recall asking you, boy" the Colonel retorted. "Maybe sheer stubbornness runs in your family; it doesn't matter. The Archers stay here, and that is the end of it".
Suddenly, a squawk drew our attention as a messenger hawk flew down onto Colonel Shinu's arm. He took the scroll from the canister on the hawk's back and read it. His eyes widened in surprise, and I could tell that the contents disturbed him.
"News from Fire Lord Ozai?" my father asked, referring to the royal seal on the letter. His lips curled into a deep, satisfied smile as he read its contents. "It appears I've been promoted to Admiral". He turned to Colonel Shinu with a wolfish grin on his face. "My request is now an order". The Colonel bowed before skulking way, and I could practically feel the heat of my father's glee.
"Congratulations, father" I said, looking down at the Archers. "With the authority you now possess, you can collect any military force you desire".
"Quite right" he agreed with obvious satisfaction.
Just then, a soldier approached, bowing to my father before saying "Commander Zhao, we…"
"Admiral Zhao" he corrected. "The Fire Lord has seen fit to promote me".
The soldier replied "Of course, Admiral Zhao".
I turned to the man and asked "What do you have to report?"
"We've spotted Prince Zuko's vessel in the waters nearby" the other man said. "What are your orders, Admiral?"
My father touched a finger to his chin in thought before turning to me. "Why don't you see to it that the banished Prince stays where he is, Commander Shan We?"
The question caught me off-guard. "Of course, father" I said, bowing to him. "And thank you". As I walked away, I let my natural stoic expression slip just enough to smile.
A short time later, I was still beaming from my father's decision to promote me. His trust was something I valued immensely, and I silently swore that I would not let that trust go to waste; I would do whatever it took to capture the Avatar and make my father proud.
My Cruiser eventually reached Prince Zuko's ship as the sun started rising. We easily eclipsed the much smaller craft, and as I walked down the gangplank with the twins and two Firebending soldiers in tow, I could see Prince Zuko fuming.
"What do you want?" he demanded, clearly not happy to see me.
"You will speak to Commander Shan We with respect!" one of the soldiers countered.
"Commander?" General Iroh asked as I walked up to the scarred Prince. "Congratulations are in order".
I bowed to the squat, older man. "Thank you, General Iroh. That means a great deal, coming from you".
"What do you want?" Prince Zuko repeated, walking towards me. "I need to be searching for the Avatar".
"That is why I'm here" I replied, nodding to Jin. The boy took out a scroll and unfurled it, revealing it to be a wanted poster for the Avatar. "The hunt for the Avatar has been given prime importance. Any information pertaining to him must be handed over to my father, Admiral Zhao".
I had the distinct satisfaction of seeing Prince Zuko growl in annoyance as his uncle played a game of Pai Sho. "Zhao's been promoted too?" he asked as he slid a tile. "Well, congratulations all around!"
"I've got nothing to report to Zhao" the scarred Prince said. "Now get off my ship and let us pass!"
"You're not going anywhere" I replied evenly. "My father isn't allowing ships in or out of this area… except his own, of course".
"Off my ship!" Prince Zuko shouted, stepping in front of me.
I looked down at the younger man with a steely gaze. "Don't test me, boy" I warned. "There's nothing you can do. My father simply has too many resources, and you only have one meagre little ship. Accept that you are never going to capture the Avatar and make peace with your life".
I then turned around and left the young Prince to fume and rage as my escort and I walked back onto our ship. As it was needed to keep Prince Zuko's ship where it was, the twins and I returned to the mainland via the smaller boat.
A short time later, the Yuyan Archers and I were hidden amongst the windswept trees, keeping watchful eyes on a small group of huts off in the distance.
My father had tasked me with commanding the mission, and we had tracked the Avatar to a local healer who occupied the huts. Below us, the twins stood on the ground, at the foot of the tree I was occupying. Since they couldn't bend any plant life, they refused to climb; they preferred being on the ground, where they could Earthbend.
I smirked at the thought.
Suddenly, a young boy in orange and yellow robes came bursting out of one of the huts. I turned to the nearest of the Yuyan Archers and nodded, giving them the signal.
They fired two arrows at the Avatar's feet, pinning them to the ground and causing him to stop in his tracks. Once he was standing still, they fired a barrage of arrows. I watched as they flew through the air, and just as they would have made contact, the Avatar sent a powerful gust of air to blow them away.
The arrows struck a nearby tree, and the Archers fired another volley, which summarily missed. The Avatar picked up an arrow, then said "Uh, I think you dropped this!" I nodded, and the Yuyan launched a volley, which struck the ground where the Avatar stood just as he managed to get out of the way.
While the Archers maintained their fire, I leaped down onto the ground, chasing after him with the twins close behind me. The Avatar zigged and zagged his way around, barely dodging the non-stop barrage of arrows.
As he started running to the left, I thrust my fist forward and sent a stream of blue flames at him. The tattooed boy leaped into the air, spinning as the stream passed harmlessly beneath him. Jin and Li then made various thrusting and punching motions with their arms, causing a field of rocky spires to shoot from the ground at breakneck speed.
With no other option, the Avatar elected to run towards the cliff, leaping off of it. I sprinted towards the cliff with the twins as the Yuyan Archers did the same. We leaped off of the cliff, plummeting down after the Avatar As he crashed into the trees at the foot of the sheer drop, the twins and I touched our feet against the rocky wall, sliding down while the Yuyan shot arrows tied with ropes at some of the trees.
When we were close enough, the twins and I pushed off, landing on nearby branches. A cry of distress drew our attention, and I turned to see the Yuyan in hot pursuit of the Avatar.
I proceeded to leap through the branches as Jin and Li slid down to the ground and followed on foot. Eventually, the Avatar came to a partially-frozen river before falling into it. As I landed on the ground with tiger-like grace, he picked something from the river and held it in his hand before it was promptly struck by an arrow.
He then attempted to flee, picking up more of the same thing from the bottom of the river. Eventually, his arm was pinned to a log by three arrows as the Yuyan lined up more shots.
They fired, and before the arrows could make contact, the Avatar drew up some water in front of himself before freezing it, creating a barrier between us. The Yuyan took this in stride, proceeding to fire several arrows at a single point on the ice.
It slowly began to crack, and when it looked to be at its weakest, I shot a blue fireball at it. When it struck the ice, it shattered spectacularly, leaving the Avatar vulnerable.
The Yuyan shot more arrows, pinning his other arm against the log before firing a net around him. I then slowly made my way over to the boy, gazing down at him with my stoic expression as I said "No more running for you. Your days of evading the Fire Nation are over".
"Ugh!" I grunted as I fell onto the floor, instantly feeling pain radiating through my body as I made contact with the metal.
I then stood up, dusting off my pale red shirt as my opponent readied himself.
Tightly grasping the wooden sword in my hand, I launched myself into an attack, swinging and slicing as best I could based on memory.
Suki had spent countless hours every day drilling me and my fellow Kyoshi Warriors in the art of combat, and while I was better at it now than when I first started over a year ago, I was still sorely lacking when compared to others.
I was currently on the deck of Shan We's ship, practicing my fighting with Corporal Qin, one of the men who escorted me everywhere I went. His presence had been annoying, at first, but eventually, the two of us struck up somewhat of a mutual respect. I learned that he was married, and had a child on the way back home.
It was very disconcerting, getting to know a Fire Nation soldier this way. Despite Kyoshi's neutrality in the war, we still heard all the stories of the ruthless Firebenders who burned everything in their path to world domination. While there were certainly Firebenders who fit that description, such as Shan We's father, Qin made me realize that not all people from the Fire Nation were wholly evil.
I growled in frustration as I failed to land a hit on my opponent. Eventually, he swatted my wooden sword aside before holding his own wooden blade against the back of my throat.
"Don't try to match me with brute force" Qin said as we took a break. "You're smaller than I am, so be quick. Make yourself hard to hit, and use your opponent's momentum against them".
I smiled as I looked up at the starry sky. "Where did you learn all this?"
He smiled. "I'm the fourth generation in my family to not be a Firebender. We've had to learn how to make up for it".
"Well, you've certainly done that" I replied dryly. Just then, I thought I spotted something moving across the deck. It was difficult to tell, seeing as we were blanketed in the dark of night. The shape stopped when it reached the opposite edge, and as I looked at it, it turned to look at me.
Whatever it was, it wore a blue mask, and it was definitely a person.
"Look!" I cried as the mysterious figure leaped over the edge of the ship. Qin and my other escort turned to where I was pointing, but by the time they did, it was gone.
"What? What do you see?" Qin asked, gripping the handle of his sword tensely.
"There was someone there" I said, making my way to the other side of the deck. Gripping the edge, I gazed out at the bay, but I could hardly see. The shoreline wasn't too far away, and the only thing of note in the area was the Fire Nation stronghold Shan We and the twins were in.
"I don't see anything" my other escort said, shaking his head. "Maybe it was just a trick of the light?"
"What light?" I countered, gesturing to the black veil all around us. "I definitely saw someone right here. They must have been wearing black clothing, because all I could see was a blue mask".
"A blue mask?" Qin asked somewhat skeptically.
"I know this sounds a little hard to believe, but it's the truth".
My two escorts glanced at each other, and I could tell what they were thinking: I was trying to concoct some kind of elaborate scheme in an effort to escape. Qin eventually shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you must have only thought you saw something".
"I know what I saw" I replied a little more harshly than I intended. "And you're supposed to stay with me at all times, right? Well, I hope you both know how to swim".
Before they could do anything, I leaped off of the edge of the ship and into the water below. I was instantly submerged in the cold water, and as I pushed past the initial shock to my system, I noticed Qin and the other man splashing into the water beside me.
"Excellent work, son" my father said as I followed him to the fortress' most secure prison cell. "Excellent, indeed".
"Thank you, father" I replied, allowing myself to smile slightly. This day was quickly proving to be a very fine one. My father and I had both moved up in the world, and I had successfully captured the Avatar, proving his faith in me. Night had fallen some time ago, and we were on our way to the Avatar's cell.
My father was anxious to meet with him.
"Stand aside" he ordered the four guards standing in front of the door. They parted for us, and we stepped through the doors a moment later. As we entered, the twins stood guard inside the cell, on either side of the door.
"So this is the great Avatar" my father said as we approached the boy. He was currently chained to two pillars, and as he was in the very centre of the stronghold, he wasn't going to escape any time soon. "Master of all the elements".
He then started walking in a slow circle around the Avatar, while I was content in standing with my hands clasped behind my back. The tattooed boy looked at me and my father, apparently taking note of the close physical resemblance between us.
"I don't know how you've managed to elude the Fire Nation for 100 years, but your little game of hide and seek is over".
"I've never hidden from you!" the Avatar retorted. "Untie me and I'll fight you right now!"
"Uh… no" my father replied. "Tell me, how does it feel to be the only Airbender left? Do you miss your people?" He then leaned in close so that his face was mere inches away from the Avatar's.
The boy's face fell dejectedly, and I could clearly see the pain in his eyes.
"Oh don't worry", my father said in mock concern, "you won't be killed like they were".
"If you die, then the Fire Nation will have to begin its search for you all over again" I said, drawing the boy's gaze.
"We'll keep you alive" my father added. "But just barely".
My father started to walk away, and as I turned to follow him, the Avatar blew a gust of wind that sent my father hurtling into the far wall.
I turned to face the tattooed boy, my fists enveloped with blue flames, but my father said "Wait!" I turned to look at him, and he stood up, appearing no worse for wear. He turned to look at the Avatar and said "Blow all the wind you want; your situation is futile. There is no escaping this fortress, and no one is coming to rescue you".
I stared at the Avatar with my usual stoic gaze before closing the door behind me.
The twins and I then followed my father as he made his way to the platform overlooking the inner courtyard. "What about the Avatar's companions?" I asked as we walked through the corridors. "The Water Tribe children? Do you think they'll come for him?"
"Any attempt they make will end in failure" he replied with absolute certainty.
I nodded, trusting in my father's words. We eventually came to the platform, and as we stepped onto it, I beheld the gathered soldiers and guards.
"We are the sons and daughters of fire", my father began, projecting his voice across the courtyard, "the superior element. Until today, only one thing stood in our path to victory; the Avatar! I am here to tell you that he is now my prisoner!"
The impressive gathering of soldiers shouted three times, sounding their high spirits.
"This is the year Sozin's Comet returns!" he continued, raising a fist in the air. "To grant us its power! This is the year the Fire Nation breaks through the walls of Ba Sing Se, and burns the city to the ground!"
Just then, a soldier quietly walked up to me and whispered in my ear "Commander, there's a woman at the main gate who wishes to see you".
"A woman?" I whispered, not wanting to interrupt my father's speech as I turned to look at the other man.
"Yes, sir" the soldier replied. "She claims that she has important information for you, and she came with two men from your ship".
I nodded, having a pretty good guess as to who it was. Motioning to the twins, I walked off of the platform and towards the main gate.
"Please, you have to get him!" I cried. "It's urgent!"
"The Commander is otherwise engaged" one of the guards at the main gate replied, levelling his spear at me. Turning to Qin and my other escort, he said "I suggest you two bring this one back to your ship and keep her there".
Just then, the main gate opened, and Shan We walked towards me with the twins in tow.
"Finally" I said, feeling slightly relieved that he'd come.
He crossed his arms and turned to my escorts. "What do you two have to say for yourselves?"
"We're sorry, sir" Qin said, looking down at the ground. "She… got away from us before we could stop her. She's very quick".
Shan We then turned to me and asked "What are you doing here, Takara?"
"I saw someone back at the ship" I replied. There was no turning back now, I thought to myself, so I'd better tell him everything. "They were heading this way, and I came to warn you".
"Do you have any idea who this mysterious person is?"
I found myself unable to look into his amber eyes at that moment. "I… couldn't see their face. They were wearing a blue mask".
"A blue mask" Shan We repeated, his damnable stoic expression revealing nothing of what he was thinking. Just as it seemed that he was about to send me back to the ship, an alarm sounded in the fortress, making him and all the guards tense. "Inside, quickly!" he ordered, and before I knew it, Qin and my other escort hastily brought me inside.
"Close the gate!" Shan We commanded, and as the great gate was sealed shut, he turned to me and said "Perhaps you were right, after all".
I smirked as I heard a voice calling "The Avatar has escaped! Close all gates immediately!"
"We can cut them off on the rampart!" Shan We said, and I followed him as he led the twins and some guards up a nearby guard tower. As we ascended the tower, I could hear a great commotion coming from nearby, signaling some kind of fight.
We emerged at the top of the tower, and Shan We offered me a hand up. I turned to my left to see the Avatar and the masked figure I had spotted back on the ship crashing onto the rampart a few dozen feet away.
One of the guards charged the masked figure, but was soundly defeated and thrown off the edge as the Avatar fought off more guards who came from the other side of the rampart.
Shan We and the others immediately moved to engage them, resulting in a fierce brawl being fought before me. The masked figure proved to be a master with his duel Dao swords, fending off the multitude of guards and prodigious Firebender attacking him.
A number of guards then attempted to ascend the wall via bamboo ladders, but they were handily blown back down by the Avatar's Airbending.
Through the commotion, I saw Shan We turning his attention towards the Avatar before aiming a slice at the tattooed boy. In that moment, my instincts took over, and I ran towards the Firebender, leaping into the air and hitting his outstretched arm with a downwards kick, resulting in the blue flames striking the ground at his feet.
"Hey, use this!" the Avatar told his masked companion, and I watched as the two of them started using the bamboo ladders as impromptu stilts in order to cross the gap between this wall and the other.
Shan We then turned his gaze on me, and I couldn't help but feel a slight ache inside at the look of anger and betrayal in his amber eyes. He then ran towards the edge of the rampart before leaping off of it. As he flew through the air, he thrust his arms forward and sent a powerful stream of blue flames at the Avatar's last ladder, instantly setting it alight.
He and his masked companion leaped towards the wall, barely avoiding the flames. I watched, hoping in my heart that they would escape.
Unfortunately, they couldn't get a proper grip, and they fell to the ground.
I thrust my arms forward, sending a powerful stream of blue flames at the bamboo ladder the Avatar and the mysterious masked figure were on, instantly setting it aflame.
I then somersaulted, landing on the ground in a crouched position, like a tiger stalking its prey. The Avatar and his companion leaped off of the burning ladder and onto the wall, but they promptly lost their grip and fell to the ground in front of the main gate.
I approached them as a number of Firebenders moved to stand on either side of me. We thrust our arms forward, sending crimson and blue flames at them. The Avatar quickly pushed the other figure out of the way and used his Airbending to form a shield.
"Hold your fire!" my father commanded from behind me. As we ceased the flow of fire, he said "The Avatar must be captured alive".
Suddenly, the figure in the blue mask took both of his swords and pressed them threateningly against the Avatar's throat. I pointed my fist at them, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
For a long moment, no one spoke, until my father said "Open the gate".
"Admiral, what are you doing?" Colonel Shinu asked.
"Father" I said, turning to look at him. His gaze was held unflinchingly at the masked figure, and I could see how difficult the decision was for him.
"Let them out", he said, "NOW!"
The main gate opened, and the masked figure slowly backed away with the Avatar, his blades pressed against the boy's throat.
"How could you let them go?" the Colonel asked.
"A situation like this requires… precision" my father replied calmly. I then followed him up to one of the guard towers, where one of the Yuyan Archers was lining up a shot with his bow. "Do you have a clean shot?" my father asked him. The Archer nodded, and he said "Knock out the thief. I'll deliver him to the Fire Lord along with the Avatar".
The Archer then loosed his arrow, and I watched as it shot through the air before striking the mysterious figure directly on his blue mask and knocking him to the ground.
"Quick!" my father ordered. "Recover the Avatar!"
I leaped from the top of the wall as the Avatar drew up a dust cloud in order to conceal himself. Rolling as I landed, I ran towards them ahead of several soldiers from the fortress.
When we reached the dust cloud, I took a deep breath before releasing it as blue flame where the Avatar should have been standing. The flame cleared most of the cloud, but unfortunately, the Avatar and his rescuer were nowhere to be seen.
"Spread out! Scour the forest!" I commanded. As the soldiers proceeded to head into the nearby forest, I said to myself "He has to be here somewhere".
The Avatar, as it turned out, was nowhere to be found, and his masked companion had disappeared as well. When I returned to the fortress, my father was furious. He shouted and berated almost everyone present, and I knew better than to speak up when he was like this.
I then saw a tall rocky column emerge from the ground, reaching the top of the inner wall. The twins stepped onto it, as well as Takara and her two escorts, and the column proceeded to slide down to the ground.
My father happened to turn and see them.
"What is that prisoner doing here?" he demanded, turning to me.
"She saw the masked figure back on my ship" I replied evenly. "She came to warn us of his intrusion".
"Oh, she came to warn us, did she?" my father replied, his voice dripping with contempt. "Well isn't that just wonderful!" His voice was now as loud as it could be, and I found myself looking down at the ground like a schoolboy being disciplined for bad behaviour. "Get her out of my sight!"
"Yes, father" I dutifully said, bowing to him.
I then walked over to where Takara and the twins stood. My hands unconsciously clenched into fists as I stared into the Kyoshi Warrior's green and blue eyes. "Why did you come here?" I asked. "Why did you warn me, only to help the Avatar escape?"
"Because I didn't know he was going to free the Avatar!" she replied. "I thought…" She clutched a hand to her chest, seeming like she was having a difficult time finding the right words to say. "I thought he might try to kill you".
My expression instantly softened as I felt my mouth opening in slight shock.
I was completely taken by surprise; here was a woman who I had taken from her home as my prisoner across the world in a search of someone I was hunting. She had repeatedly told me, flat out, that she would never help me capture the Avatar, and she had escaped my ship to warn the guards in Omashu of my presence.
And when she saw a mysterious figure coming towards the fortress, she wanted to stop him because she thought he might kill me?
I shook my head; now was not the time to ponder the complexities of this woman standing before me. Turning to her two escorts, I said "Take her back to the ship".
I stared after her, and when she was finally out of sight, I sighed. This day had rapidly become very complicated.
Ah, the Avatar's like a greased pig; almost impossible to hold onto. Also, I am SO glad that my dad isn't like Zhao.
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