Chapter 38:
Freya moved through the palace until she found Katara.
"Hey."
"There you are." Katara sighed and Freya rose an eyebrow.
"Sorry I'm late."
"We have to talk to the Generals today, I almost thought you wouldn't come."
"Can't leave you lot to do everything without me." Freya admitted.
"Well what happened? Why'd you suddenly run off after receiving a mysterious letter?" Katara asked, her voice demanding. Freya sighed.
"I remembered something rather important, sorry for running out." she frowned
"You were gone for an entire night."
"Yeah, I know." Freya asked "Gotta admit, I'm surprised you're still here."
"Someone had to stay and plan the invasion." Katara admitted "And seeing as you'd run off, I opted to do so."
"Fair enough. Sorry about that, I'd have been happy to do so though. I assume Sokka's with your dad, Aang's in the east and Toph's with her mom?" Katara nodded
"You figured we'd split?" she asked
"There's no other way to get it all done, we need to convene with the Earth King, but there's only so long that all of those people will stay where they are." Freya shrugged. "So what's in the Eastern Air Temple?"
"It's a Guru apparently. He said he can teach Aang to master the avatar state." Katara explained.
"Wow. That's impressive." Freya believed "I thought everyone who'd know about that stuff would've been gone."
"Me too. We're lucky Appa somehow bumped into him." Katara nodded
"Gosh wouldn't it be interesting if he could tell us all that happened while he was gone? If he had that note tied to his horn before Long Feng got him, just imagine where he must have gone." Freya frowned "Could've been quite the torment."
"There's no point worrying about it now, he's home and that's what matters." Katara smiled and Freya nodded.
"Thank god for that."
"How did you manage to find him?" Freya glanced at Katara who looked interested. Freya paused slightly and hesitated in her step. Freya couldn't say she felt heat because the place had been lit up with crystals. And she couldn't say she'd found Iroh and stopped Zuko from stealing Appa because Katara would freak out.
"To be honest, I really just felt something." she said as she fell back into step with the younger girl.
"Really? Like what?"
"I can't really explain it." Which was true. Freya didn't know how she connected with the heat a fire gave off, regardless of how far it was. It was like feeling the rays of the sun from a flame. "Something just caught my attention, and I know better than to ignore my instincts." Freya admitted and Katara watched her before nodding.
"It's probably what makes you a great bender." she smiled
"We'll see. My fire does need a little more work after all." Freya said
"You've been doing very well with it though, especially since the desert."
"It's like the desert let so much out that I seemed to gain a grasp of it." Freya said thinking. "I mean I was always good at it, but I never went all that far. I never finished. I mean I probably wouldn't have been able to hold my own against Zhao with it. I needed Zuko's help."
"I still can't believe he helped you." Katara said
"He's helped me more times than I can actually count Katara." Freya confessed and the girl looked at her surprised.
"Of course, he kidnapped me for several weeks first, but he has saved me quite a few times, not just against Zhao too." Freya smiled slightly and Katara looked at her.
"Freya…" the older girl looked at her friend who was watching her. "Freya, is… is something going on with you and… Zuko?" Freya looked at the girl surprised
"Something as in…?" Freya prompted nervously
"You just seem kinda… tranquil when talking about him." Katara admitted
"I'm fine."
"That's not what I asked." Katara rose an eyebrow.
"So… I don't think Zuko's as bad as he seems." Freya admitted and Katara looked at her surprised.
"Freya he's chased us all over the world and tried to capture Aang!"
"Because he's desperate." Freya responded
"And that excuses him!?"
"No," Freya said and Katara looked at her confused. "Look, Zuko has spent his life fighting Azula for his father's affection and acceptance. Now the Fire Lord might be a tyrant who burnt his own child at the age of thirteen just for speaking out of turn, but Zuko doesn't know any better." Freya confessed "His mother's no longer around, his father is the only one left, he's the only influence. Besides, with the environment he was raised in…" Freya sighed as Katara looked at her amazed. "I've seen Zuko do some good things that I can guarantee Azula would never do. Iroh is a good influence on Zuko and I believe he can do better than what he's striving for." Freya took a deep breath "In fact, I agree with Iroh in thinking Zuko's needed in order to end the war." Katara's mouth had dropped open at this rate.
"How on earth can the Fire Lord's son help end the war!?" she demanded
"Katara, we defeat the Fire Lord and there'll be someone else to step up and take his place in continuing everything. At this rate it's Azula, who's just as much a monster so far as her father is. Zuko however is not." Katara could do nothing but stare at the girl in complete disbelief of what she was hearing. "Iroh's a good influence on Zuko and I believe that with that guidance he can find the right way through all of his strife. He's been terrible and done some bad things but he's done a lot of good for me as well. He's just struggling and with the environment he was raised in, I don't blame him for that. After meeting Azula, he could have turned out a lot worse in my opinion."
There was silence between the two as Katara stared.
"Now I could be terribly wrong," Freya admitted "But for now, I'd go as far as to trust Zuko."
"You trust him?"
"Yes." Freya nodded, her decision made. "I don't know when he'll make the right decision or if he will, but I just feel like it's very likely he'll do the right thing."
"What did he do to make you think Zuko of all people could make the right decision?" Katara demanded
"I spent a lot of time with him Katara. Very easily did I see the desperate boy who just wanted his father's acceptance. He could have done so many measures to get Aang, but he never tried to hurt him. Yes he burnt down villages and scared people, but when have you ever seen him actually, purposely, hurt someone?" Katara said nothing. "Compare him to Azula, and he's a ray of sunshine." Freya turned and continued to walk down the corridor.
"You can believe me or not, that's your decision." she said and Katara watched her go before running to catch up.
"Well if this is what your instincts are telling you than I think they're very wrong." Katara said
"Maybe." Freya frowned at the idea. "But I really hope not." Katara saw the look on Freya's face and looked more than surprised as she looked at the girl.
"Are you sure that's all that's influencing your decision?" Freya glanced at her "Because if I didn't know better I'd say you'd fallen for the Fire Prince." Freya didn't say anything and Katara stopped to stand in front of her.
"Freya!" the older girl huffed as she was stopped. "How could you!?"
"Oh right because I decided to do so!" Freya snapped back "Come on Katara, you don't get to pick and choose these things!"
"He kidnapped you and you fell for him in return!?"
"Not instantly." Freya rolled her eyes "And I still left to be with you guys and go to the North Pole didn't I?" Katara paused "I know my priorities, and I also know the risk of it all alright." she assured and Katara flinched slightly as Freya snapped at her. "I don't need you tell me all that and that I may have made a mistake, because I am aware of that. No matter what I see, Zuko could just be the same person he's been so far. A guy willing to take the world's last hope. I'm aware of that. But I've seen enough to believe he can do better as well. Regardless of anything else."
Freya walked around Katara and continued on.
"Now don't we have a General to consult with?" she questioned and Katara was watching her still shocked before she moved off to follow her.
Neither of the two spoke as they moved off to The Council of Five, in which five generals were involved all wearing the same uniform. They sat on the opposite side of a giant map that covered the floor before the two girls when they first entered.
"Generals, this is Katara and Freya, friends of the Avatar." General How got to his feet as he indicated to the two girls who bowed. "They hold the information in which we will use to invade the Fire Nation."
The Generals all bowed to the two girls, who shared a look as they took a seat opposite the five men before Katara bit her lip. Freya took a breath and addressed the Generals herself. Katara watched as the girl explained the Solar Eclipse and it's effect on the firebenders as well as the date and rules of the eclipse.
"Each Eclipse is always slightly different and lasts different amounts of time. The entire invasion is unlikely to last the small amount of time in which the sun is blocked out for and so timing will need to be everything." Freya believed "Most of the fire benders will likely focus on the main palace and around the Fire Lord himself, however we will need to get through the bay and past the Fire Nation's defences that are set up to protect the homeland." Freya glanced at Katara.
"Unfortunately when we received this information the Fire Nation had already arrived and destroyed any information on them and their defences." she admitted.
"Well a few have tried to invade the Fire Nation already, since then implications have been put in by the Fire Nation to keep the other nations out. The first defence is the Great Gates of Azulon, in which our boats may have a hard time getting through." General How admitted and he pointed at the map.
"Of course Azulon put up gates." Freya mumbled. "We should also think about making metal ships. They're not easily as sunk by fire as wood or earth is."
"Our navy will be ready on the far shore of the Earth Kingdom." General How began to place markers on the map and with earth bending them moved across to the appropriate areas.
"What are these gates like?" Katara asked, looking back at the General. Momo watched the markers on the map from her shoulder with interest. Many were placed around the Earth kingdom in green and red ones were scattered over it as well, indicating where the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation Soldiers were all currently stationed to their knowledge.
"The Great Gates of Azulon were put in place to prevent boats sailing in to the homeland and getting dangerously close to the palace." another General explained.
"We also need to get past the blockade and with as many troops as we'll have it'll be a battle to do so." Freya thought "We wouldn't be able to slip the army and navy past even with a cover of fog." she frowned
"How are we going to transport all those troops as well?" Katara asked
"In small groups across the Earth Kingdom to begin with." Freya said instantly "If we move all those troops at once towards the western edge of the Earth Kingdom I'm sure the Fire Nation will notice and predict something is up. I would be very surprised if the Fire Nation wasn't aware about the approaching eclipse." Freya explained
"We will also need to consolidate the troops before we launch the invasion." General How nodded.
"Do you have a base down there?" Freya asked "That would work as a good starting point."
"General Fong's base is right on the western edge near the Fire Nation." General How nodded and several Earth Kingdom markers moved to the edge where the base was stationed.
"Really?" Freya asked looking annoyed and the General's looked at her.
"Is there a problem?"
"Only that he's insane but," Freya said and the five shared a look. "Guess he's happy we're invading the Fire Nation finally so he'll cooperate… even if we did knock him out." she coughed slightly and Katara covered her mouth to hide her giggles.
"It's our best vantage point and can hold many of the soldiers that will be transported for the invasion." Freya simply nodded.
"In exactly two months, the Army and Navy will invade the Fire Nation on The Day of Black Sun." the general moved three earth markers towards the Fire Nation capital before Momo suddenly leapt from Katara's shoulder and knocked them over, grabbing the fire nation marker.
"Or we could send in Momo to do some damage." Katara said amused. Freya rose an eyebrow as the lemur continued to hop around the map and knock over more pieces.
"Cause the…" Katara was laughing and she looked around at the grim faces before her and then at Freya who just stared. "…sorry." she decided. General How closed and twisted his fist in which all the pieces jumped back up to a standing position, frightening Momo who ran away and back to Katara.
General How picked up a scroll and placed it on the bench before him.
"All we need is the Earth King's seal in order to execute the plan." the block of the bench flew across the map towards the two girls and Katara picked it up.
"I'll get these scrolls to him right away. Thank you, General How." both rose to their feet and bowed before turning and leaving the room.
"You really do well at explaining things." Katara believed
"Well, my father was a General too remember, I had a lot of practice as a child." Freya smiled. "Come on, the sooner we get these signed the sooner it's all ready, implemented and organised." Katara nodded and they moved through the city.