Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

311. Chapter 311: Eve battle-Double dagger 2

The eve of battle/A double-bladed dagger

2

The Fighting Cliffs, tall peaks that stood south of Ba Sing Se, concealed the massive campsite that was erected early in the morning, once the logistics groups had successfully crossed the large bridge the benders had built for the marching army. It was an ideal location for them to lie in wait, to prepare for the upcoming battles while the exhausted benders recovered from their exertions. The small group that had ensured to keep the mountain village distracted and unaware of the quick construction of the bridge had gone to bed quickly upon arrival, too – Kino had told Sokka that they'd succeeded at their task, claiming he had something important to share with him, but Sokka had assured him that he could do so after he'd rested. Everyone needed to be at their full strength before the march on the city began… and if nothing stood in their way, that moment would arrive on the next morning.

The scouts and watchmen had reported to the leaders of the army that they had detected no lurkers nearby, no human settlements, no sign of anyone or anything that might give away their presence to the Fire Nation yet. Even so, the sooner they acted, the better: word hadn't arrived pertaining any trouble in Omashu, but Ozai might not remain unaware that something was happening in the first city they had liberated for much longer. The sooner they broke Ba Sing Se's shackles, the easier it would be for their army to survive, and the likelier it would be for the Earth Kingdom to be reborn fully, undeterred by the Fire Nation's attempts to break it ever again.

Katara's warnings to her brother that he was stretching himself thin, that his expectations of himself were excessive and dangerous, replayed often in Sokka's mind as he checked on many different aspects of the army, one after the next. He had napped throughout most the morning, exhausted after spending the entire night ensuring everything about the bridge's operation proceeded smoothly… so his anxiety about every small thing that could have slipped out of control surged again once he came to, and he set out to confirm all was well as soon as possible.

He hoped his anxiety would decrease once he finished checking on the animal handlers, who admitted to some trouble managing the creatures, but nothing too alarming. There had been one mishap with one cart while they crossed the bridge, but it had been resolved quickly… so all was well, in general. Thus, Sokka only had one thing left to do now, one last matter to deal with before night fell…

Perhaps he was arriving earlier than intended, but Sokka marched up to the largest tent in the campsite, heart beating frantically as he reasoned with the reality of what he'd be doing next: the final war meeting before the reconquest of Ba Sing Se would begin shortly.

Many of his friends had tagged along with him – though Aang and Kino hadn't, still utterly exhausted after the excessive activity they'd seen throughout the previous day. As much as they were Momo's favorite humans, the lemur had chosen to tag along with Katara as she followed Sokka. Zuko walked along with her, as did Toph: they all stopped on their tracks once Sokka did the same.

"You're ready?" Zuko asked. Sokka breathed deeply as he regarded the tall tent with unconcealed anxiety.

"Trying to be," he said. "This was way easier when it was just our group and Anorak…"

"You've got what it takes to put Jeong Jeong in his place these days," Toph said, smirking. "And honestly? You've been training for years to beat anyone at any argument, haven't you? I can't imagine these losers are any harder to convince of anything than Azula was…"

"Well, you'd be wrong to assume that: she had sense, a lot of them don't," Sokka said, firmly. Toph couldn't help but smirk at his praise of his wife, unsurprising as it was. "Though I guess that's how they see me too, frankly…"

"They think you don't have sense?" Katara asked. Sokka shrugged. "Well… considering you're responsible for obtaining some big achievements so far, maybe a leader with no sense is exactly what we need right now."

"How do you manage to praise and insult me so smoothly in a single sentence, sister?" Sokka said, smiling awkwardly at Katara, who grinned deviously as she clapped his shoulder.

"A lifetime of practice, of course," she said. "Come on, now: we're here for you. You're going to ace this big meeting. Within the next few days… we will have conquered Ba Sing Se. Right?"

"That's the hope," Sokka said, breathing deeply as he gathered his determination once more.

He didn't intend to let his role in their army go up to his head, thus why he'd often experience such moments of doubt, of insecurity… but while that grounded him, reminding him of the truths he lived so vividly, he wouldn't let his hesitation overcome his resolve. After taking a few deep breaths, he nodded and marched forward, brushing the curtain on the tent's threshold aside.

The tent's dimensions sufficed to host around thirty people comfortably: the top officials of their army would attend today's briefing, in which Sokka was tasked to convey the plans he and the rest of the White Lotus leadership had developed during their stay in Omashu. The explanations would fall to him, of course… the role of leading the army, altogether, had been granted to him. He couldn't help but guess it was yet another way in which the White Lotus leaders, especially Jeong Jeong, meant to shield themselves behind him… but he no longer expected that they would want him to be a martyr. They had devoted all their resources, all their forces, to this strike: they truly counted on this attack on Ba Sing Se to bear fruit. There was no plan B, at least, not that Sokka had noticed… they were betting it all on him, at least so far. Who knew if things would continue to flow so smoothly in the future? But for now, if nothing else, he stepped up to face the top-ranked officials of the White Lotus's army, as well as his own.

That tent's purpose was exclusively to host the private meeting, rather than serving as anyone's temporary sleeping arrangements. There were cushions piled on a corner, meant for the guests to sit on, but the most important element available was a large, low table on which a map of Ba Sing Se had already been spread. Small figures meant to symbolize Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation military units stood at either side of the map, and Sokka would make use of them to instruct their forces on the planned strategy for their grand venture.

A few of the military leaders were already in the tent: one glance revealed it was Iroh's group, for the old man stood with them, watching the map with reverent silence while younger soldiers spoke among themselves quietly. He raised his gaze quickly upon noticing someone else had arrived, but whatever joy he could draw from seeing Zuko again was quickly drained at the sight of Toph, who scowled prominently once she sensed him.

"Ah… you've arrived, General Sokka," Iroh said, unable to conceal his nervousness. Sokka nodded: he retained his professionalism as best he could, finding he certainly had better control over his emotions than Toph did. Her easygoing mood had vanished as soon as they had crossed the tent's flap, no matter if she had known Iroh would be part of this meeting.

"As have you," Sokka said, marching up to the table and regarding it carefully. "Seems like everything's in order over here…"

"Indeed. We're only waiting for the remaining leaders, so…" Iroh said. His eyes flickered towards Zuko, who offered him a pained smile. "I hope everything went well for your friend. I expect he succeeded at distracting the village…?"

"He said so, but he's out of it for now," Zuko confirmed. "We'll get more details from him later. He needs to be at his best for tomorrow after all…"

"I hope he will be, same as all of you," Iroh said, with a weak smile. "You're all quite ready, then? With… with your new roles in the army and everything?"

"Well, I won't really have an official big title, myself, but…" Katara admitted, smiling awkwardly. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"If that worries you, we could add a title for you to the promotions that will be announced officially today too," he said, with a careless shrug. "Captain Katara? Colonel Katara…?"

"Uh… I'll get back to you on that. I'm not sure I need something like that, especially if I won't be leading troops myself…" Katara smiled awkwardly. Sokka offered her a weak grin as well.

Iroh's attention, though, was drawn towards Toph again: the usually careless, cheerful earthbender seemed to be holding back from doing or saying anything hostile to the man who had once been her greatest ally… one glance at her hands revealed her fists were trembling at either side of her body.

"Well, then…" Iroh said, nodding in Sokka's direction. "We'll only have to wait briefly for everyone else to come by…"

"Alright. We'll wait," Sokka said, arms folded over his chest.

Toph, beside him, let out a deep breath before marching away, to check on the cushions they were expected to sit on, it seemed. Sokka raised an eyebrow as he followed her with his gaze, pointedly ignoring Iroh's pained faces – he had no interest in coddling or reassuring the old man if he was troubled by Toph's wordless rejection. If anything, he would be much more likely to tell Iroh that he had earned her animosity tenfold, and the old bastard would likely only sulk further about it… so Sokka simply nodded in his direction before following Toph, leaving Iroh with Zuko and Katara instead.

Toph gritted her teeth as she fluffed some cushions unnecessarily violently. Sokka yanked one out of her grasp, and the earthbender growled at him as he dropped the cushion on her head, all too aware that even this manner of playfulness wouldn't calm down the irritable young woman.

"I take it you haven't exchanged more than a few words with him as of late?" Sokka said. Toph scoffed.

"That implies we exchanged any. I haven't talked to the bastard once since our last argument in the fortress and I don't intend for that to change anytime soon. Just being near him makes me bloody sick. If I had your damn sword I probably would've cut his throat with it by now…" Toph growled. Sokka smiled a little. "Honestly, I don't know how you've held back."

"Mainly by telling myself to keep him alive long enough for Azula to be the one to pass judgment on him herself," Sokka said. Toph huffed, though a weak smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"That sounds reasonable, gotta say. She'll probably just borrow your sword herself, yeah…"

"I won't stop her if she chooses to," Sokka admitted. "Though I can only wonder if she'd genuinely choose to do that, even after everything he's done."

"If she doesn't, I will," Toph huffed. Sokka chuckled. "I'm not messing around, I… I really can't believe I let him manipulate me for so long without my awareness. He lied to me time after time and I swallowed everything completely, I defended him from you two at times, I tried to… to get you guys to befriend him, to smooth over his hostilities with Azula, and in the end he turned out to not deserve any of that. He doesn't deserve to even stand there pretending he regrets what he's done…"

"He probably does regret it, I'll say," Sokka stated, and Toph scoffed in his direction. "Depending on what the magnitude of the sin is, of course, regret can or can't be enough grounds for forgiveness… and I don't think any of us would ever forgive him, no matter how much he repents. I suspect he wants to do everything in his power to help, partially in the hopes that whatever sentence Azula chooses for him will mitigate some of his responsibility in setting us all on this path…"

"Bullshit," Toph hissed. "He doesn't deserve that kind of leniency, the piece of shit…"

"I agree. But it'll be up to her to decide that, in the end," Sokka said, patting Toph's shoulder. "We're working with him now because we don't have much of a choice, alright? For no other reason."

"Damn right," Toph said, breathing deeply and handing a cushion to Sokka. "Is that why you're managing to stay so cordial with him, though? Because you're looking forward to the day Azula passes judgment over him?"

"Pretty much," Sokka said, with a shrug. "I'm staying as level-headed about this as I possibly can. It's not effortless, though, so don't assume otherwise. If he says or does anything out of line, you can be dead sure I'm not going to let it slide."

"Good. You'd better enforce your authority on all these bastards, General Sokka," Toph smirked, throwing a punch in Sokka's direction: he shielded himself with the cushion, to her amusement.

"Just… don't forget we're not fighting for revenge as much as we're fighting for justice," Sokka said. Toph dropped her hand slowly, frowning. "We're trying to defend life rather than inflict death. There's very little I can do, at this point, to control the actions of such a massive army… but this big operation doesn't have to be mindless carnage if we stick to those ideals, alright?"

"I guess so," Toph said, breathing deeply. "You're way too decent, Sokka. It's annoying."

"I know, right?" Sokka sighed, shaking his head. "It's a burden for me, too…"

Toph chuckled, tossing another fist, more half-heartedly this time. Sokka smiled, knowing all too well that easing Toph's mind would be a necessity in this struggle. She was a key element in the plans he'd built to reconquer Ba Sing Se, much as she had been in Omashu… and he knew all too well that marching into battle with a troubled heart was a dangerous choice to make. He had no intentions, no hopes, of helping Toph amend her friendship with Iroh, and it seemed neither did the two of them… so all he could do for his friend by now was reassure her, reorienting her impulses and her frustrations towards a productive future where, if she had her way, she'd finally part ways with Iroh permanently, with no need to face the man again unless it was on her terms.

More commanding officers entered the tent gradually, and Sokka didn't know most of them particularly well. The whole group of around fifteen soldiers would be officially promoted to the roles of colonels and captains of their army today. Some would have small groups to their names, caused by the evident disparity between benders and non-benders within their forces: Zuko would lead a group of around forty firebenders while Toph was in charge of over two hundred earthbenders, aided in leading them by the soon-to-be newly appointed Captain Shanyuan, as well as by an earthbender of Omashu's resistance, Daeshim. Just so, the colonel of Sokka's assigned non-bender forces was the Enforcer leader from Omashu, Lieutenant Koemi, who had only just entered the tent and bowed her head respectfully towards the General she saluted with utmost reverence.

Piandao arrived next, with the two men who would help him coordinate his forces. He greeted Sokka most amicably, unlike the final arrival, Jeong Jeong, who greeted everyone curtly before speaking quietly to Iroh. His men entered the tent afterwards, and they comprised the largest group of all. General Fong, who would retain his title despite serving in the role of a colonel under Jeong Jeong's direct orders, greeted Sokka cheerfully while Shiju simply nodded in his direction. Anorak, it seemed, meant to be just as cold-blooded as the earthbender… but a smile cracked past his pretense and he offered his forearm for Sokka to clasp firmly before long.

"Ready to become Colonel Anorak, are you?" Sokka asked. Anorak huffed.

"Objectively speaking, it's not too different from the role I'm fulfilling right now… but I suppose I am," he said, releasing Sokka's forearm. "Is everyone here yet?"

"Not sure, but I hope so," Sokka said, glancing about the now-crowded tent as Anorak greeted the rest of the Gladiator's friends with respectful nods.

Within about five minutes, Jeong Jeong called for silence and ushered the group to begin organizing themselves around the table. Naturally, the higher ranked officials would sit closer to the map while everyone else would take their seats around them, usually near the general they served. Sokka breathed deeply as he sat at the head of the table: the stage was his.

"Well, as you all know, I much prefer getting to the point so…" Sokka said, breathing deeply. "Some of you have an idea of what our plans will be in Ba Sing Se. We intend to strike at the city effectively, swiftly enough to conquer it in a single day once again, if all goes well. Whether or not that's genuinely possible, we'll find out tomorrow, I suppose… but if our plans are executed to the best of our army's abilities, I'd like to think anything will be possible for us.

"Thanks to the past incursions and attacks against Ba Sing Se, the Fire Nation has already set a precedent for us to take advantage of: while General Tiang has rebuilt the damaged walls during his tenure as Governor, the sieges of the Fire Nation on Ba Sing Se have proven the city's infrastructure is far from untouchable. Most of their soldiers won't be earthbenders, therefore, they'll be at a disadvantage compared to the Earth Kingdom's own response to their siege efforts in the past. This is a key element that will allow us to strike at their defenses and breach the walls, opening the way for our forces to occupy the city."

Sokka gathered the figures, symbols of their army's many units. The green ones, naturally, corresponded to earthbending forces. Five such units symbolized Toph's assigned forces, and Sokka reeled them towards Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall.

"The starting stage of our plan relies on a stealthy, unseen approach to Ba Sing Se by Colonel Toph Beifong's forces," Sokka said. "Under her leadership, the earthbenders will charge underground. Once they reach the Outer Wall's foundations, they will prepare the land, building a large chasm underneath the wall itself. When all preparations have been met, and the chasm is big enough for the entire wall to be brought underground…"

"Wait… the wall won't be broken but… consumed, so to speak? Assimilated by the earth below?" one of the younger Colonel asked, eyes wide. Sokka nodded firmly.

"They will wait to drag it down, however," Sokka specified. "Colonel Toph and her forces will convey a message to us, from a distance, to confirm to that they're ready. It can be as simple as a cloud of dust by the base of the wall. Something we can see from afar and that shouldn't be all that alarming to the enemy, even if it might be confusing… by that point, the bulk of our forces will be prepared to attack."

Sokka gathered more of the figures now: some had a small base, which depicted them as mounted forces as opposed to the rest. The majority of their army would be comprised by infantry, of course… but this initial charge would be led by the mounted cavalry.

"I will lead the cavalry personally towards the Outer Wall," Sokka said, startling most the Colonels in the room by his willingness to be in the frontlines, facing deadly peril. "Colonel Toph can sense our approach through her seismic sense abilities… right?"

"Damn right I can. More so if you're riding those big beasts," Toph said, smirking slightly.

"Once you've sensed our approach, once we're close enough to be within range for their archers, you will instruct your underground forces to tear down the wall," Sokka said. A rumor of astonishment rushed through the group as Sokka continued to move the different factions of their armed forces across the map. "With this, the Agrarian Zone will be ours for the taking. Their ability to respond to the attack will be hindered by the severity of our first strike, so they will be likely to resort to backing down and gathering their strength within the city itself. The cavalry will file inside the Agrarian Zone first, ensuring to hold it as the rest of our troops march in afterwards."

The full spectrum of their army was now symbolized marching into the city through those figures, and the entire group of commanding officers stood in reverent silence, mystified by Sokka's proposed actions so far.

"Due to how big our forces are, the earthbenders may need to continue wearing down the wall in order to ensure the infantry can get through fully," Sokka explained, extending the earthbender group further, widening the potential crack on the wall until it was large enough to fit at least seven units at once. "The Agrarian Zone is large enough to fit all our forces and then some, that's for sure. Coming in from the south, the distance between the Outer and Inner Walls isn't as large as from the west, but not as slim as the distance between them at the northeast. Still, we're in no position to look for easier openings, so this will have to do. The difficulty we'll face at this point, however, is that breaching the next walls will be trickier: guards by the Inner Wall will have raised the alarm by then, no matter if we succeed at neutralizing the Outer Wall perfectly, and General Tiang will organize his forces to repeal us if we give him that chance. I propose, of course, that we don't give him much time to do so…"

He gathered the green units once more: Toph's group marched to the Inner Wall, while the remaining earthbenders, those under the White Lotus's command, marched to the east, though not far enough to reach Lake Laogai. He split the mounted forces off the main army as well, careening them towards the second group while the infantry remained by Toph's earthbenders.

"The same group of earthbenders as before will attack anew. It may not be any easier this time, they will have some warning of what's coming, but we will have chances to attack from a distance if they do so first," Sokka continued. "Colonel Beifong will lead her earthbenders underground once more. She will be aided by Colonel Nanami, who will join her at the first strike point in the walls: their forces will bring down this portion of the Inner Wall first to destabilize the situation and ensure the city's forces clash with ours at these frontlines. Our firebending squads will be tasked with defending the infantry from enemy firebenders as our forces push through… and once this battlefront is fully engaged, Colonel Nanami will move here, tearing down this second side of the wall with Captain Daeshim, while Colonel Beifong tears open another gap on this other flank.

"The mounted troops will split up, Captain Jet will lead the ones to the west and I will lead the mounted troops to the east into a pincer strike that will charge into the enemy within the Lower Ring. Our flanking will destabilize their control and their ability to respond, and it will enable our forces to pour into the city and take down every bastion of defense within the southern Lower Ring. Defeating all Fire Nation forces in this area won't be easy… but it will certainly be doable. The first location that always suffers the brunt of the war's brutality is the Lower Ring, and so, it's the first one they will relinquish willingly."

Sokka let out a deep sigh at that, raising his gaze to the rest of the commanding officers. So far, most of them had remained utterly silent. He had dreaded it might be out of displeasure, but as braced as he was for pushback, he found none in their faces.

"Everyone following so far?" he asked. Several nods and a few hums of acknowledgement answered his question. "Alright, then. We will have it easier to hold the Lower Ring once the forces within the city, willing to aid our cause, not only join us but also convince other Ba Sing Se natives to either trust or aid us. I will impress upon you all… we are a force of freedom and liberation. We're not going to barrel through the city the way the Fire Nation did in the past, with the Drill… because we fight to protect Ba Sing Se, not to raze it to the ground. Civilians must be kept safe, shops and businesses mustn't be attacked. Occupying armies are often responsible for some of the most horrific, heinous crimes possible, and I will not stand for any of our soldiers to behave in such a way. I want to believe everyone will know better, but I can't be fully certain of that. Therefore, I ask all of you to keep tabs on your subordinates. The only violence we'll exert will be the necessary one to free the city."

"Agreed," said one of the commanding officers, nodding firmly.

"Once the Lower Ring is taken, we will give Governor Tiang an ultimatum," Sokka continued. Startled gasps shook the tent's occupants, some approving, some utterly perplexed. "It'll be no different from the one given to Ukano in Omashu, theoretically… but it will be different for another reason: Tiang is a warrior. He will fight to the bitter end if he must, so I'll ensure the message we send him makes it clear that his death is not a necessity: we want to take the city again, and his surrender would certainly make matters easier… but I know he's not bound to surrender. Therefore, the ultimatum will last an hour. If, by then, we receive no answer or only a negative one, we will strike the Middle Ring and continue forward until we reach the Upper Ring…"

"The Middle Ring will be better defended yet if we wait for a full hour," Shiju stated, frowning. "Will we perform another flanked maneuver to defeat the forces within it?"

"I think it'll hinge on the state of our forces by that point in time. Waiting an hour will give us the opportunity to strengthen our strategies, too," Sokka explained. Shiju nodded. "We cannot foresee what may go wrong or right just yet, so I believe this break will come in handy too for us to craft our strategies and counter their ideas to counter us. Ultimately, though, the plan will be to continue breaking through Ba Sing Se's walls until we reach the Upper Ring and, eventually, the Palace. If Governor Tiang won't surrender if just to spare his people from further violence, even at that point… we'll have to take the Palace by force."

It was a possibility he scarcely wanted to fathom. He knew Tiang personally, even if the man usually interacted more with Azula rather than with him… he didn't want to fight him directly, let alone kill him, if it came to that. It was entirely possible that Tiang would have prepared further defenses, more than Sokka was aware of, but the chances that any such surprises would stop the tide of their army weren't very good. As long as they marched in fast, giving Tiang little chance to properly organize his troops, the city would fall.

"If the situation grows complicated…" Sokka clarified now, dragging another green unit away from the rest. "If, for instance, the Middle Ring's defenses are far stronger than I've foreseen, or the Upper Ring's, which is quite likely the better defended one, we can attempt to strengthen our positions by setting up traps for the enemy within Ba Sing Se's own catacombs. As we're aware, there are enormous facilities underneath Ba Sing Se, I've seen them personally: earthbending groups will open the way into the catacombs for several of our forces. From there, our benders underground can easily crack the ground open below the enemy's forces. They can distribute the forces in order to do a proper flanking operation, they can even split the forces above them in various ways…

"There's also the potential allies within the city, which I've been told will be keen on offering us a helping hand…" Sokka said, glancing at Iroh. The old man cleared his throat.

"They may not be a massive number, considering the circumstances, but we have infiltrate agents of the White Lotus within Ba Sing Se," Iroh explained. "There are around five hundred agents. Admittedly, they are unprepared, but our banners should suffice to get across the message that the forces attacking the city are White Lotus and that they should offer us their aid. Most of those operatives are in the Lower Ring, but there are a few in the upper rings as well."

"Are there any who are part of the city's defenses?" Colonel Koemi asked. "I could, presumably, seek out the Enforcers of Ba Sing Se personally…"

"Definitely a solid choice," Sokka said, nodding. "Though I will warn you that they seemed quite loyal to their superior officer… Jin, Governor Tiang's wife."

"Do you believe they would be unlikely to turn on the current government?" Jeong Jeong asked. Sokka shrugged.

"To be honest, it's anyone's guess," Sokka said. "I don't think Jin would be easily swayed into joining us, no matter if she's native to Ba Sing Se. But I distinctly recall that the better recruitment of the Enforcers in the Earth Kingdom happened in Ba Sing Se, they were already being trained when I last visited the city, they seemed quite hostile to anything Fire Nation when I met them. I don't know if Jin could have persuaded them to trust her husband nowadays any more than they did in the past, it's possible that she didn't, but they were quite loyal to her when I last saw them in action. It's why Azula appointed her as their commanding officer in the first place."

"Then it's possible that they'll turn on them, just as they might not…" Koemi sighed, hands on her hips. "The effort is still worth making, isn't it?"

"Definitely," Sokka nodded. He focused on the map, picking up Koemi's unit and setting it carefully on a spot in the Middle Ring. "Their headquarters were built in the Middle Ring, right here if my memory serves right. You'll have a chance to attempt to recruit them once we break through that wall."

"I'll do my best, General," Koemi nodded firmly. Sokka nodded back.

"As for another aspect of the battle… I'm thinking, if we're overwhelmed by resistance in the Middle or Upper Rings, Aang can reveal himself by then," Sokka said, startling his friends most of all.

"You mean… show everyone that he's the Avatar?" Katara intervened. Sokka nodded.

"It's something I've been saving for this battle. Something I really wanted to make sure was only known once we were here," Sokka said. "Picking the right moment for him to reveal himself is important too, so…"

"You don't mean to control the communications system this time, then?" Anorak asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm counting on not controlling it, if anything. I figured you'd be pleased: there's no need to juggle messenger hawks in Ba Sing Se," Sokka smirked. Anorak let out a soft laugh. "I actually want the information to leak out this time. Ba Sing Se is a stalwart, sturdy city that should stand on its own against any threats, that's how it was when it was in Earth Kingdom control, and that's how it is now that the Fire Nation holds it instead. There aren't lots of places the Fire Nation can reach out to for reinforcements to help them retain this city in particular: the nearest towns and villages, in my experience, are mostly Earth Kingdom-based with very little Fire Nation presence, if any, and there's only a few soldiers stationed there, at best. There may be attempts to attack the city through the ferry station in the future, that much is true…"

"But that's a matter we can handle once the city is reclaimed," Jeong Jeong said, firmly. "It will even be possible for us to even take advantage of Full Moon Bay to trap Fire Nation ships and hijack them for our own use, should they travel in those waters carelessly. We can establish the logistics of that operation in the future."

"I agree," Sokka said, nodding in his direction. "We'll have plenty to worry about as it is. Seizing control of the city is the priority for the time being. Everything else will follow after we've succeeded at our main objective."

"The Fire Lord will not only learn about the Avatar's presence, however… he'll also confirm that you're not dead after all," said General Fong, glancing at Sokka. "This is, as well, where you wished to reveal your survival?"

"If all goes well, we'll have two cities under our control starting tomorrow," Sokka said, nodding. "Two cities that took the Fire Nation about a hundred years to conquer, no less, and we'll have taken them from their troops in the space of a few months. We're prepared to defend them… they're not prepared to lose them. Ozai's retaliation won't be quick, for if it is, it will be terribly ineffective… and that will be advantageous for us, ultimately. Anything more organized, and that might genuinely threaten to topple our hold of these cities, would take him a lot more time and efforts than he'll be ready to spend, and we'll be able to build up proper defenses to counter whatever he does by then. So… yes. However desperate as he may be to kill me, even he will have to slow down to ponder how to go about it when he realizes he's lost control of the two strongest bastions of political power in the Earth Kingdom continent."

"We will strengthen the city's defenses later on, once we've conquered it successfully," Piandao said. "The likeliest source of danger would be the west, naturally. But even Pohuai Stronghold is too distant to serve as any manner of relief for Ba Sing Se's occupation forces, and they cannot act immediately. If we strike as hard, as fast and effectively as you believe we could, Sokka…"

"We may just achieve the unthinkable and conquer the city in a single attempt," said Iroh, trembling.

"No one is as experienced at battling against Ba Sing Se as you are, General Iroh," Jeong Jeong said. Iroh winced, resisting the urge to glare at Jeong Jeong reproachfully. "You lacked the resources we have, even though your forces were much more numerous, if I'm not mistaken."

"Superior numbers cannot account for superiority of tactics. If the enemy knows what they're doing… then having a more numerous army simply means you will send more soldiers to their deaths," Iroh said, bitterly. "Fortunately… we're the better strategic side this time around. Sieging a city that cannot be sieged was a pointless approach, taken simply because we had no other alternatives at our disposal. And the world was certainly better off for our failure… just as it will be better served by what General Sokka has planned this time."

Sokka breathed deeply, closing his eyes as he pondered Iroh's words: a superior strategy certainly was bound to succeed in Ba Sing Se, for whoever held the city could be lulled into a wrong sense of security quickly undone by an onslaught of attacking forces. Even so, he couldn't help but recall Azula's many dismissive words at Iroh, her displeasure over his abandonment of his siege… what would she have done, if she had been involved in taking Ba Sing Se? Would she have found a different approach to overtake the city than Iroh's? Than Sokka's, too…?

He couldn't help but imagine it would have been. Perhaps it wouldn't take her a full day… perhaps she would have achieved it without bloodshed, too. He'd never know, he supposed… but once he returned to her side, he'd try to remember to ask her how she would have gone about it. However impressive his plans might be for this crowd, he couldn't help but think his beloved overplanner, the Princess who seemed to think of everything, who strategized thoroughly at every turn, might just outdo Sokka's potential feat if she had the chance to do so…

"So! Any questions at this stage?" Sokka asked, glancing about the group. "We'll begin assigning specific roles to each commanding officer once we're all settled on this plan. As you're all aware, the music squad will serve to facilitate proper communication between us throughout the attack. You've memorized the rhythms that correspond with each command, right?"

"And we've had the troops under our command memorizing them, too," confirmed one of the Colonels, nodding promptly. Sokka nodded too.

"Good," he said, glancing around the rest of the group. "Any questions?"

There were a few questions indeed, but Sokka handled them easily – and whenever he didn't, the White Lotus leaders would speak instead. The meeting proceeded smoothly as roles were assigned, and all promotions were confirmed and attested: within an hour, the group of commanding officers had scattered, off to inform their respective troops of what their roles would be in the coming battle in Ba Sing Se.

Sokka stayed behind, exchanging a few words in the tent with his allies regarding the preparations for the battle and what would happen after they succeeded… everyone took for granted that they would triumph, a fact that didn't escape Sokka's awareness. No one seemed to be grounded, holding back with a modicum of humility or sense… they simply trusted his plans to work, completely.

At least, that was what he thought until Jeong Jeong rose to his feet, stepping up towards him before he could leave the tent and take off to eat dinner, talk with his friends or just get rest: they would be setting their plans in motion quite early in the morning, so they'd do best to sleep as much as they were able.

"General Sokka: I wish to have a word with you," he said, simply.

Sokka raised an eyebrow, sensing no ill intent from the man, something that had been happening much more often as of late. A part of him found it odd that Jeong Jeong's hostile demeanor would change much, no matter what achievements Sokka might have to his name… but as much as he remained apprehensive of the Deserter, he knew better than to reject this conversation when it was offered so amicably – at least, for Jeong Jeong's standards.

"Sure?" Sokka shrugged. Jeong Jeong nodded, leading the way out of the tent: his words were meant for Sokka's ears alone.

"You're sure about this?" Toph grimaced. Sokka shrugged.

"I'll scream if I need any of you, I suppose," he said, with a lop-sided smile. Katara sighed as he clapped her shoulder. "Don't worry, I really doubt he's going to do anything stupid right now. Go on, I'll meet all of you at our fireplace. Kino and Aang might have woken up already, even…"

"Make sure to meet us there, then," Katara said. Sokka nodded as he squeezed her shoulder: Katara walked off first, followed by Zuko and Toph.

Sokka breathed deeply and made his way out of the tent. Jeong Jeong awaited him outside: he led Sokka further away, deeper into the peaks that surrounded and protected them, on a small hike that led them up to the easier path of the Fighting Cliffs that led towards the city.

In the dimming twilight, Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall seemed to span across the entire horizon; Sokka breathed deeply at that sight. The city still stood far from their location, but close enough that he could feel the blood rushing fast in his body, urging him to prepare himself for the battle that loomed ahead.

"We made it safely, after all," Sokka said, breathing out slowly as he regarded Ba Sing Se's familiar walls with anticipation… with preemptive remorse, knowing he would lead an attack against them. "Ba Sing Se awaits us tomorrow."

"Did you know General Iroh had a vision of himself taking this very city, once?" Jeong Jeong said. Sokka frowned at his words. "A vision that we, eventually, disregarded as a broken promise, much as countless prophecies were proven to be false. He thought he would win a great victory in Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation…"

"And then he abandoned the siege when Lu Ten died," Sokka said. Jeong Jeong nodded. "I suppose that's his story… but what's yours? Why did you ditch the Fire Nation when you did? Back when we first met, you seemed so sure that no Fire Nation person would ever turn their backs on the luxuries, the privileges willingly, but you did."

"I did. Piandao did. Iroh did," Jeong Jeong said. "All for our own reasons. Piandao, I would dare say, never felt comfortable in the army. It was all he had: his parents abandoned him as a child. They wanted a firebending son… and that he could grow to become the greatest swordsman of his generation mattered nothing if he couldn't bend. My parents, of course, were quite proud of me for being a prodigy, named a firebending master in my teenage years… something I'm sure would impress most anyone but you, of course."

Sokka couldn't hold back a small smile: he was tempted to ask Jeong Jeong at what age he had been deemed a master, exactly, just to compare his experience with Azula's, but he held back from doing so. The Deserter surely hadn't brought him here for them to argue about that.

"From our earliest years, all three of us were taught to worship our nation, to devote our lives to its progress, to ensuring our so-called March of Civilization would continue ever on. This, of course, we would achieve by defeating our foes, who were set on impeding the growth of our nation's greatness," Jeong Jeong said. "It was easy to be swept up by the lies, to not understand that they were lies, for how could a child tell lies apart from truths when we weren't taught to think, to question, to reason with our reality? We were supposed to follow blindly. That was all they wanted from us, and in our eagerness to find our places in the world, we did exactly as was expected from us.

"I certainly had great expectations thrust upon me… especially once I caught the eye of Fire Lord Azulon. He wanted to take me under his wing, to ensure that my fire would lay waste across the Earth Kingdom once I was of the appropriate age to join the operations in the mainland. When I was brought to serve in the first of my missions, along with the occupation forces, I… I froze up. I panicked. Death and chaos, all around me… I was terrified. I heard the screams, the shrieks for help, and a part of me wanted to aid them… instead, I followed orders. I didn't kill anyone personally… and I didn't have to. More experienced soldiers did it, and I stood by and allowed them to do so, even aided them in some cases. I tried to tell myself that this was my duty, that I had been born and bred for this very purpose… only to find no peace in the lies I forced myself to believe in, lest I lose myself to the sins I kept committing, whether by aiding the others or by turning my eyes away from the massacre we left in our wake.

"I switched to the navy as soon as I had the chance. It's much easier, you see, to defeat an enemy from a distance. To find a sense of impersonal comfort in not seeing the faces of those you're killing… at least, not right away. Not unless their corpses remained afloat, not unless we were expected to ransack their ships directly. It was easier… and it was no less wrong for that.

"I wanted to escape the reality of my actions, or my inaction, by serving in different ways. I became an instructor in the Academy when I felt the need to take a break from my military duties. The students I taught… some were brilliant, others less so. You wouldn't know most of them… only Admiral Zhao, I suppose."

Sokka gritted his teeth but nodded. It was difficult to make up his mind regarding what to think of the man anymore… for his heart couldn't help but resent him for the official role he had taken in Fire Nation society. Crown Prince… just the thought sent shots of fury through his mind. Married to Azula… it was Sokka's rightful place and Zhao, whether forced to do so or not, had usurped it. It might be irrational on his part to be so conflicted regarding a man who had helped him so often, who had sworn to take care of Azula in case Sokka died… and yet he felt that way, inevitably so.

"He was particularly dreadful," Jeong Jeong said. Sokka let out a soft huff.

"Too violent, from what he told me?" Sokka said. Jeong Jeong grunted in displeasure. "He seemed to think you were senile or so. That your wisdom was no wisdom at all…"

"A man who possesses no wisdom to speak of certainly has no right to judge another on that basis, but self-awareness was never his strongest suit," Jeong Jeong shook his head. "Seeing him brush off my teachings of restraint and self-control was just one more sign of the sickness that permeated the Fire Nation's culture. He wasn't the only one of my pupils to behave that way, which made matters all the more disturbing for me. It didn't matter where I turned, where I went, everything was further carnage and destruction. My attempts to fight for the Fire Nation lost all meaning… as I started questioning my belonging to that army, questioning my very existence, even. Why was fire meant to be the superior element if all we could ever achieve with it was utter destruction?

"Those doubts increased as I tried to learn more about fire's true nature, to understand its qualities, to unravel whether the element itself was corrupt and rotten to its core or if it was merely our nation, our Fire Lords who had steered us on the wrong path… I couldn't reach a conclusion, but I can assure you, the anguish that plagued so many upon hearing of the murder attempts on the Fire Lord, on his son, Iroh himself… I felt none of it. Were I any younger, at that moment, I might have thought I was twisted, a monster for not feeling any fear, any dread at the notion of the royals facing deadly peril… but I had already seen the worst of the war. I had grown to believe it wasn't I who was mistaken… but the culture and world around me that was twisted, irremediably so.

"I attempted to hand in my resignation multiple times. I asked Azulon to allow me to retire. He alleged I was too young still, too full of potential: he offered me bigger positions yet, promoted me to Admiral, gave me roles I never wanted. I endured at first, fearful of rebelling any further, all under the false belief that he would give me the leave I asked for, both from the battlefields and the academies, if only I took up another mission, if only I attended this other war meeting… it never ended. He would keep me chained under false pretenses, there was always a new responsibility he weaseled into my life when I was none the wiser… and I had enough of doing his bidding.

"So… I deserted. I didn't truly wish to inflict so much death upon anyone… but after being responsible, directly or no, for countless deaths on the Earth Kingdom's side, it almost felt like a twisted sense of balance to allow them to almost annihilate the fleet I'd led.

"I became a hunted criminal after that. I hid from Azulon's forces, attempting to atone however I could in the Earth Kingdom, knowing nothing I did would suffice… eventually, I rescued an Earth Kingdom tribe from an attack by Fire Nation forces in ancestral forests they dwelled in. I could not prevent the worst of the damage, but I certainly aided them in defeating the battalion sent to make short work of their people. I was ready to escape afterwards… but they begged me to stay. They believed I was… a living god. A righteous firebender for once, they thought… and I let them believe it, for that they could see me with such innocent eyes suggested that the element I could bend wasn't as irredeemable as I feared. More than anything, I wanted to protect them, to keep them safe… and as I traveled with them, I was found by White Lotus members. They were quite different from what they are these days, far subtler than this army could ever hope to be… even so, I rejected them at first. I didn't believe an organization of that nature could ever benefit from having one like me in its ranks, and I meant to protect that tribe, too…

"But on the very night I built up that resolve to refuse them, I had a vision while I meditated in my hut. Avatar Roku presented himself before me: I was shaken by his presence, by his words, by his reassurances that the world around us could still be salvaged. He advised me… he urged me to join the White Lotus. And he revealed, too, that one day, I would serve as a spiritual guide to a man who direly needed me. But for that, I had to learn how to connect with my own spirituality… and he gave me no further instructions on how to do so. At a lack of any better ideas, I sought the White Lotus. My vision perplexed most of them, they found it difficult to believe, on the most part. But the very man who had attempted to recruit me gave me the benefit of the doubt: he taught me what he knew of the Spirit World, and after several years, I learned how to access it myself."

"You're saying you've been in the Spirit World?" Sokka asked, perplexed. Jeong Jeong nodded, sternly.

"My soul traveled there. I won't pretend that I succeeded by finding inner peace or so… I succeeded by no longer lying to myself about who I was, and what I was capable of. My fire was a curse: it was destruction, cruelty, violence. My duty as a firebender was to ensure I knew how to use that curse, whom to inflict it upon. I reserved it for my foes… I reserved it to protect those who warranted protection. But most of all, I learned how to find balance within myself: all four elements within me…"

"All chakras?" Sokka suggested. Jeong Jeong nodded.

"Once I succeeded at finding true balance within myself, a new vision of Avatar Roku informed me that I had to save a man's life. He would be on the brink of death, and he was crucial for the restoring of harmony in this world… and so, I traveled with that tribe until we came across him: Prince Iroh, his dark hair turned gray, head balding, clad in rags, feet bloodied after days on end walking with no purpose, no true goal in mind. I was to save him… and to be his spiritual guide, next.

"In doing so, Iroh himself reached Avatar Roku eventually. And Avatar Roku offered him a prophecy that the White Lotus, myself included, clung to as desperately as could be: the Avatar would return before Sozin's Comet's next arrival, and it was Iroh's duty to prepare the true heir to the Fire Nation throne, his duty to guide him so that he'd take that crown and finally heal the dishonored Fire Nation. Avatar Roku spoke of a male heir… so our assumption was that it would be Zuko. By that point, Master Piandao had long started a subtle process to reeducate Zuko, to reorient his beliefs away from his father's own… a process that went nowhere, for Lady Ursa wound up sabotaging it by accident."

"She… did? How?" Sokka blinked blankly, perplexed. Jeong Jeong let out a humorless laugh that came off as a cough, instead.

"If you have not quite noticed, your former master is terribly taken with that woman," Jeong Jeong said. Sokka winced: he truly hadn't wanted to read into it, but he had gotten that impression from Piandao as well.

"And she's still hung up on Ozai in her own way, isn't she?" Sokka asked. Jeong Jeong shrugged.

"What else could he have expected, truly?" Jeong Jeong said. "She was, as well, raised into believing in the utter superiority of her nation above all else. Instead of focusing his teachings on Zuko, it seems Piandao assumed wrongfully that attempting to influence Ursa would serve our purposes better… of course it didn't. She rejected most his words, even before the debacle that saw her taking up residence with him, hiding in his home, for around a year. Matters only got worse after that…"

"You mean… when Azulon died? What the hell happened then?" Sokka asked, frowning at Jeong Jeong. "Did she ever tell you, or Piandao?"

"I don't know the full story, but I don't need to do so to understand it," Jeong Jeong admitted. Sokka gritted his teeth. "It's an uncontestable fact that she and Ozai are responsible for Fire Lord Azulon's death, though I have no clarity on the details. But where I found that to be a rather heroic choice from the would-be Fire Lady, it seems Ursa has always been appalled by her actions. Once Piandao sent her to me for her safety, I attempted to reason with her and help her see the truth of the Fire Nation's sins… and my approach failed. She seemed to close in on herself, and her condition only worsened many years later once we relocated to the Fortress and she was affected by the swamp, long after the comet had passed. It was then that Piandao returned to us… for Iroh would return to the Capital with Zuko, and he would have a much more privileged position within the Fire Nation's ruling elite than the one Piandao held in Shu Jing. Moreover, he worried that Lady Ursa would be lost to us if he wasn't there to ensure otherwise.

"All this being said… the truth is that the comet changed everything for us," Jeong Jeong grimaced, shaking his head. "What we were expecting would come to pass didn't happen at all. The Avatar did not return… Zuko had no chance to take the throne, banished as he remained during that year. And of course… Ba Sing Se fell. Once it did, it seemed it was only a matter of time before the Fire Nation trampled over the Poles and conquered the entire world. Even the Order was disjointed, unable to articulate a proper defense against any of the Fire Nation's attacks. Bumi's capture didn't help matters in the least, of course… we were backed against a wall. Weakened, broken, watching helplessly as the Earth Kingdom crumbled… counting on prophecies that weren't fulfilled as the sky was tinged red. Even at that moment, I clung to the foolish hope that something might be different. That perhaps, somewhere, the Fire Lord was drawing his last breath as the Avatar destroyed him for good… but the comet passed, and the Fire Nation triumphed. It seemed everything was over… it truly did.

"I was already as distant from society as I could be, but the breaking of all those prophecies made matters worse yet for me. I clung to the belief that we were chosen for something greater, that we would bring back true balance to the world, and yet nothing of the sort came to pass. At that point, the White Lotus lost its center. We became fragmented, chaotic, with different factions that followed different codes of behavior, partial to certain leaders. Only one Earth Kingdom bastion had survived the worst of the war in the continent: General Fong's fortress, where he didn't rally sufficient troops to change the outcome of the Fire Nation's conquest in the Earth Kingdom. We struck an alliance with him… we joined forces, offering fighters and promises of our intent to strike back at the Fire Nation whenever the chance arose.

"Ultimately… we made many wrong decisions. Countless ones that I don't need to recount to you, I'm sure… especially as you were at the center of one of them. Our first encounter…"

"Your strategic hunt for me, you mean?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. Jeong Jeong nodded.

"We had time aplenty to prepare for it," he admitted. Sokka huffed. "Iroh's correspondence, while asking us to help him track down Zuko, also revealed you and your Princess had traveled to Yu Dao, and he warned us to take caution of that… a warning that I, evidently, ignored."

"So… he didn't instruct you or suggest that you should do what you did?" Sokka asked. Jeong Jeong shook his head.

"As you may have noticed… Iroh, Piandao and I are at odds constantly. Less so nowadays, perhaps, as Iroh is much too busy wallowing in his guilt to form a proper opinion when it comes to anything, but he was no less opinionated before than I was. I took a group of my loyalists with me… and I prepared a thorough plan to smoke you out. Admittedly, you were quite slippery. It would have been all too easy if only you had stayed in Yu Dao… but your choice to travel to Pohuai Stronghold threw my plans in disarray. I had to actively map out a new strategy based on what little information I could gather, whatever I could read of your actions… had I misread them, just slightly, I wouldn't have found you at all and you would have returned to Yu Dao safely. Perhaps that would have been for the best, all in all…"

"No perhaps about it…" Sokka said, curtly. Jeong Jeong breathed deeply and bowed his head.

"I did not ever mean to change my mind pertaining what I said to you on that night. I saw you as the evidence of the Fire Nation's ability to corrupt even their foes, to turn them into tools of destruction. Gladiators should be, by their very nature, tools of destruction indeed… Piandao's claims that you might just sway the Princess, whom Iroh claimed was utterly brainwashed by Ozai's madness, seemed as wishful as they were when he had believed that Ursa could be led away from the Fire Nation's ideology as well. You didn't say anything that convinced me otherwise that night… but one thing certainly gave me pause from that point onwards, when it came to you."

"What was that?" Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Your survival," Jeong Jeong said. Sokka's eyes widened. "I did not care, at that point, whether you lived or died. Even if you somehow bested that beast… you would have likely been crippled for life by that fight. But the next we knew, you had returned to the Fire Nation safely. You were back in the fighting pit a few months afterwards, and some said you were stronger than ever, too. While I never meant to ask you this question… I dare ask it now: how did you survive, Gladiator? Was it you succeeded at keeping the shirshu at bay, somehow, or…?"

"I wish I could say I did. I'd have called myself the coolest warrior ever if I could have beaten it without taking any damage, myself," Sokka said, shaking his head. "I did beat it, though. I just… nearly died in the process anyway. The shirshu attacked me and almost cleaved me in half before I knocked it out with my club. And by almost, I simply mean the claws didn't go as deep as they could have, but they certainly tore my skin open… more than just my skin."

"And yet you lived?" Jeong Jeong said. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Even after a wound of that magnitude… you still survived?"

"She saved me," Sokka said, bluntly. Jeong Jeong's brow furrowed.

"How?"

"With her gold fire," Sokka said. Jeong Jeong met his eyes with sheer perplexity… with a smidge of wonderment, too. "Just before we set out on that journey, Azula met with the Head Sage of the Capital to discuss the exploration of her gold fire, a new ability she'd discovered a few months before that. Turns out… the gold fire cauterized my wound safely. It probably restored some of the tissue, too… she used it upon me and saved me just as I was bleeding to death. It was definitely a long shot, a choice made on the spur of the moment before all was lost. I… I thought I was going to die, but she wouldn't let me. Not then… not before that, not at any point afterwards either."

"You told me that night that she had saved you. That I needn't worry about you, was it?" Jeong Jeong said. Sokka smirked slightly. "I suppose she did that on that night as well. She likely did in far more ways than I could imagine."

"She did," Sokka confirmed, proudly.

"Gold fire… Iroh reported as much," Jeong Jeong said, breathing out slowly. "He also had some tales about the last dragons, about multiple-colored flames, tales I never paid much mind to, but…"

"The last dragons?" Sokka repeated, raising his eyebrows. Jeong Jeong shrugged.

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask him for more details if you want to. I never believed that particular tale of his… being deemed worthy by ancestral dragons while he was still his father's loyal son? It only spoke ill of those dragons' judgment, if they lived at all…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but that he'd be deemed worthy at all, at any point in time, speaks ill of their judgment indeed," Sokka said, bluntly.

"No doubt you'd think so. No doubt you'd think so of me, as well," Jeong Jeong said. "And you might be correct on that account, General Sokka… for perhaps, if there is a man in this world with any right to pass judgment on the rest of us, it may just be you."

"Ah? I'm not sure I feel comfortable hearing those words from you, honestly," Sokka said, slightly amused. "You think differently of me, then? You're not just looking forward to getting this big battle out of the way to start clashing with me about our future direction once again?"

"I cannot guarantee that won't happen," Jeong Jeong said. "But I can certainly say… that you have proven your accusations from that night were not as misled as I thought they were. I clung to prophecies, to hopes that made very little sense to cling to… you, instead, saved countless lives whenever you had the opportunities to do so, even back then. Now, with Omashu's liberation, you've saved even more of them as well. Like I said… there were no prophecies about you. There's no sign in the echoes of fate that suggest the destiny of this world would ever be determined by a man like you, Gladiator… and yet, the more triumphs you pack to your name, the more unforeseeable odds you surmount without fail, the easier it is to believe you are made of something stronger than… than any of us are, frankly."

"I'd love to pretend I'm that extraordinary, but the truth is… I owe most of it to her, if not all of it," Sokka said. Jeong Jeong shook his head, and Sokka sighed. "Whether you like it or not…"

"Omashu's conquest, your reported triumph in the South Pole…"

"Would not have happened if she hadn't made the choice she did to drop me off and return to the Fire Nation so Ozai's attention was split, at the very least, between punishing her and hunting me down," Sokka said. Jeong Jeong's brow drew together.

"That's not what I question: a lesser man, and I speak as one such men, would not have made as much of the opportunities you've been granted as you did, General Sokka," Jeong Jeong said. "She may have played a key role in your success… it doesn't change that your strength saw you rising above your circumstances to achieve deeds and feats that many others wouldn't have been capable of, in your shoes."

"Is that what you wished to say, then? That I'm stronger than I look?" Sokka asked, perplexed and amused. "I thought you'd just think I'm too stubborn to die, after all the White Lotus's attempts to kill me…"

"There were no other deliberate attempts by the Order itself since then, Iroh's actions from six months ago were his alone," Jeong Jeong said, eyebrows twitching over Sokka's words. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe no attempts on me, but there was that one guy who tried to stir up chaos by causing Ozai to execute the homeless folks…?" Sokka asked. Jeong Jeong sighed. "Not your choice, either?"

"No, that… that was my responsibility too, though it had nothing to do with you," Jeong Jeong said. Sokka huffed.

"Seemed to me it was. You were pulling strings carefully from afar, then?" he asked. Jeong Jeong nodded. "What about the big attack on the Capital, well before all of that? The one with the agents who pretended to be soldiers…"

"That was Iroh's doing, on the most part," Jeong Jeong said. Sokka frowned but nodded. "General Fong meant to aid him, too. You thwarted the whole operation in the end, though…"

"I did," Sokka said, lowering his gaze. "I… I did make the most of what little goodwill I earned from Ozai after that, but… I'm pretty sure his creepy assassin must have questioned your men in prison, somehow."

"His… what?" Jeong Jeong said, frowning heavily. Sokka gritted his teeth.

"We didn't learn about him for a long time. He's the one who killed your operatives in the city… Azula and I tried to stop him, we only managed to save Genta and Rhone," Sokka said, with a heavy sigh. "The one bastard he should've killed was Rhone, but… he was looking for White Lotus members specifically. He wouldn't have killed him anyway."

"An assassin, then?" Jeong Jeong said, frowning. "The head of our spies in the Capital did report that something unsettling was happening… then all word ceased. This assassin… found them, somehow? You believe he questioned the imprisoned members of the Order?"

"I don't know. I told Ozai not to torture them, not to execute them… at this point in time, if he hasn't done either thing it's simply because he forgot to," Sokka said, shaking his head. "The son of a bitch has been making a sport of breaking his word in every way he could. You weren't wrong to say there's no honor in a piece of shit like him… but I suppose I just hoped he'd keep being a condescending bastard, pretending that keeping his word was some kind of mercy…"

"I suppose I ought to say I told you so… but what point is there in doing that now?" Jeong Jeong said. "You've faced Ozai's cruelty in your own skin and bones, and it has been focused on you exclusively. You certainly know more than enough about how spineless he is. Though… you had a relationship with his daughter, and you were ever convinced of her goodness as opposed to him. I will not pretend that I believe you blindly when it comes to that… I still have my apprehensions about her, even if she certainly was responsible for many good deeds across the Fire Nation, especially over the last two years or so. I cannot presume to be sure you had such good sense as to only feel attracted to her, or only start a relationship with her, once you knew she was better than Ozai…"

"Well, the attraction was there from day one," Sokka said. "The affection started when I began to see what lay underneath the surface. But I doubt you want me to gush about her…"

"I'd rather you didn't… I'm sure you'd rather not, either. It's bound to hurt you deeply, still," Jeong Jeong said. "You say she saved your life in a myriad of ways… through this gold fire of hers, when I attempted to kill you. What, exactly, made it so different from her famed blue fire, if I may ask?"

"Heh… I shouldn't be sharing this with someone she hates," Sokka said, grimacing. "But I suppose it feels right to tell you about it, somehow. Probably because you're a master firebender who wrongfully believes fire is destruction and death…"

"Wrongfully?" Jeong Jeong repeated.

"Her fire saved my life," Sokka repeated. "And that gold fire? She learned to wield it when she started firebending while evoking her feelings for me. Her blue fire was allegedly cold, meant for precision and control…"

"Halfway between fire and lightning, I supposed as much," Jeong Jeong said, frowning. "But… she evoked her feelings for you, is it?"

"I've never known any firebenders as deeply in touch with their inner fire as her," Sokka said, shaking his head. "She could use her bending to resonate, too, to sense the inner fire of other benders like herself. But yeah… if she fueled her fire with her feelings for me, it would become gold. It was great for defensive purposes, stronger when condensed... and it would even have healing properties, like I said, properties that are the sole reason why I'm still alive today. I'm sure you never imagined that was possible, did you? If you were so convinced that fire was death…"

"I was… and it's quite unexpected that a non-bender from the Water Tribe would be the first to bring anything to my attention that suggests otherwise," Jeong Jeong said. "Fire… in the army, it's wielded with anger and resentment. That's what fuels it in most firebenders I've ever known. Iroh certainly attempted to tap into other sources of firebending once he joined the White Lotus for good, developing his lightning redirection abilities by doing so… but never had I heard of someone bending out of love."

"If something ought to drive across that she's different from everyone you've told me about, Azulon, Ozai, Zhao, the other students you taught who wanted to destroy everything… it should be this," Sokka said, firmly. Jeong Jeong breathed deeply and sighed. "I've felt her fire in my own body. She's bent through me, believe it or not…"

"Indirect bending…?" Jeong Jeong said, raising an eyebrow. "That's…"

"A weird conjecture from a dirty book?" Sokka finished. Jeong Jeong grimaced.

"I'd rather not ask how you discovered that particular skill of hers…" he said, and Sokka couldn't hold back a soft laugh.

"Imagine what you will, I'm sure you'll be wrong about whatever you're picturing anyway," he said. "The bond between us was strong enough for that to be possible, though. The love she felt for me strengthened her into being capable of unlocking even more possibilities with her fire than anyone else ever had. The fire that burned inside her… it was pure, strong in ways I can't begin to describe. I don't care if you don't believe me… she's the embodiment of the Fire Nation's greatest potential. She could have led that nation into true greatness… but after everything that happened, she's not bound to get a chance to do that anymore."

"Only time will tell," Jeong Jeong said, closing his eyes. "You are joining this battle, leading us into this fray to give her that chance, aren't you?"

"If that's what she wants… absolutely," Sokka said. Jeong Jeong raised an eyebrow.

"What she wants?" he asked. "And what of you? Your relationship may have been that of master and slave once, gladiator and sponsor… but it certainly won't be like that anymore, going forward. If you succeed at returning to her, you'll stand as her equal this time. Her choices will only supersede yours if you want them to."

"We were already equals in every way that mattered," Sokka said. Jeong Jeong frowned. "You don't know it yet, do you? That she and I… we actually performed marriage rites, long before all this bullshit happened."

Sokka removed his right hand's glove, showing his palm to the Deserter. The man let out a knowing sigh, closing his eyes in understanding.

"I see," he said. "But the world did not regard you as equals, did it? Even if she thought you of her same standing… you effectively weren't. She made enough choices by herself, choices such as leaving you in the South Pole, that you couldn't contest. Am I wrong?"

"Well… no," Sokka conceded, fitting his hand in his glove again.

"As General Sokka… you will no longer be her subordinate in any way, in anyone's eyes," Jeong Jeong said, firmly. Sokka shivered upon hearing those words. "The title isn't simply a commodity: it's an acknowledgement of your potential as a leader. I underestimated you countless times… and you have effectively silenced me by proving your mettle time after time. She certainly was wise to see your potential when she did… but as I told you before, that potential does not hinge on her. You are our de facto leader because you have effectively convinced us that your strategic skills, unconventional as they are, may be exactly what we need to win this war. You may think yourself her husband, her gladiator, her partner… but if her love for you is as true as you say it is, she might just agree with me when I say that your strength lies within you, and it is up to you to bring it out, not to anyone else."

Sokka gritted his teeth as Jeong Jeong breathed deeply, casting another glance at Ba Sing Se. Darkness had fallen, and a few torches lit the top of the wall, visible from afar.

"Tomorrow, we will take Ba Sing Se," Jeong Jeong said, firmly. "It won't be an easy battle… though I cannot help but believe we will triumph, reckless as it is for me to take such things for granted. War's violence continues to sit ill with me… but I won't stand in the sidelines tomorrow. I won't hold back from leading our forces and ushering them to follow you. Ultimately, I meant to say that you have earned my respect, no matter how unwilling I was to grant it. Beyond that… I wanted you to understand what you represent for countless of us who thought there was no hope left for this broken world. Perhaps there is no hope after all… but I cannot help but believe that, if anyone can embody hope anymore, it will be you."

Sokka swallowed hard, breathing deeply upon hearing Jeong Jeong's words.

"The sand pit becomes your whole world once you set foot within it," Sokka said, closing his eyes as he evoked the sensations he had loathed, that he had never thought he would think of with any manner of melancholy… "There's a comforting certainty in knowing that you'll leave the fighting ring as a winner or a loser. The crowd screams your name so loudly that their unified voices drift past your awareness, and instead, everything feels silent. The fight doesn't last too long, usually fifteen, twenty minutes, maybe ten… but for that moment, you know exactly what you're doing. You know exactly who you're fighting for, and that's enough to give you the power to overcome your opponent. Whether they're stronger or weaker than you, whether they were higher or lower in the ranking… all that mattered was stepping out into that golden ring with your head held high, ready to face whatever destiny had in store for you on that day. You might just die, becoming a scar, a memory carried by the one who killed you… or you might just live and carry all those memories and scars with you, instead. But ultimately, a gladiator with a reason to fight gives their everything once they step out into the Arena.

"I shouldn't think of Ba Sing Se as an Arena, should I? And yet… it feels like one I will be marching into tomorrow. A massive Arena, where the voices I'll hear won't be unified in a single chant… they will be the voices of my comrades, the voices of other gladiators like me, the voices of the civilians calling us, begging for our aid. I won't have a time limit… I didn't, either, when I fought Combustion Man. I do not wish to kill… but I will if the opponent gives me no choice. I will let them surrender if they choose to… but I know I never will. I will fight tomorrow, I will lead tomorrow, I will stand my ground and falter against no foes once we charge into that crumbling wall. What comes later may be harder to fathom… but I have no intentions of losing against the Fire Nation. I have a reason to fight… the very reason why I became a gladiator in the first place. She's waiting for me… and I'll do my best to make sure that she won't have to wait any longer than necessary."

"You will reveal yourself to the world tomorrow," Jeong Jeong said. Sokka nodded. "Those you bonded with, your friends and allies… all of them will learn of what you've done. She will learn of it, too. You will come back from the dead, as far as Ozai will be concerned… and in doing so, you will be certain to draw the greatest target upon yourself, for he will stop at nothing to take his revenge against you. But you won't give him a chance to claim it, will you?"

"Well… some swordsmen thrive in taunting their opponent, luring them in only to strike them down when they leave themselves open carelessly," Sokka smirked. Jeong Jeong hummed appreciatively. "I won't put myself in unnecessary danger, but if he's so stupid as to attack me immediately… I won't hesitate to cut him down, permanently."

"If there's one life this world certainly can do without, it's Fire Lord Ozai's," Jeong Jeong said. "Whatever comes for us, past tomorrow… you can count on my fire, General Sokka. You can count on my men. Perhaps we will be butting heads anew once the city is freed…"

"I'm pretty sure we will be," Sokka said. Jeong Jeong smiled slightly.

"Then I only ask that you never lose sight of your purpose. Of the goal you must seek… of the sole way in which you may settle the debts you owe to your Princess: you will only save her if the Fire Lord is defeated. Only then shall she be free… and with her, the rest of the world."

Sokka nodded firmly. Jeong Jeong breathed deeply, bowing his head curtly in his direction.

"I will be honored to follow you into battle in the morning, General Sokka. I won't take more of your time, then," he said, rising again. Sokka nodded again.

"Thank you for… uh, this strange conversation. I don't know if it encouraged me, exactly… but maybe I understand you a little better now?" Sokka said, with a shrug. Jeong Jeong nodded.

"As I understand you better, as well," he said. "Go to your friends, relish on this night… it's quite clear and the stars are bright. You have never joined a battle of the magnitude of the one we will be facing tomorrow… so, should anything be beyond the scope of what you can handle, do not hesitate to call on any of us Grand Lotuses. We will offer you our aid at once."

"That's generous. I hope it won't be necessary, but thank you," Sokka said. Jeong Jeong bowed his head once more.

"We shall meet anew before the sun rises, General Sokka."

Sokka breathed deeply, watching Jeong Jeong marching off in silence. Azula had certainly teased him long ago, playfully telling him he might just wind up befriending the White Lotus, that he had a knack for doing that with those who were once his enemies… and while he had never expected it to be possible to this extent, he knew that Jeong Jeong had been genuine in this conversation. He had even volunteered explanations that Sokka hadn't dared ask for…

She had been right about that, just as she had been about countless things. Perhaps Jeong Jeong was right, too, to believe that he had earned his title, his role at the head of their army, though he would have to prove that on the next day anyhow. But what Jeong Jeong was overlooking, what Azula herself might overlook was that Sokka, in all his potential, would choose to be her gladiator a thousand times over and a thousand times again. Where others might see that role an insult, he had learned to wear it as a badge of pride instead. He had certainly found it demeaning in his Amateur League days, and he would have given anything to return to the life of a warrior he had idealized and prepared for through all his early life… but ever since he had become hers, the word's meaning had started changing inside him.

It was a word that had bound them together, the word that had meant the whole world would see him standing by her side as they found the acknowledgement they had sought. It was a word that gathered all their experiences, the painful and blissful alike, and filled him with the strength that came from knowing he had a place beside her… that they had built something beautiful together. Whether the world chose to see him as General Sokka for good or not, he would never relinquish the journey that had started everything for him… the journey that had seen him becoming her gladiator.

He marched back to camp, hearing laughter and occasional music drifting from the groups that had gathered to eat dinner. Some were somber and silent, others were hopeful and boisterous: his own group, sitting by their respective tents, was somewhere in between. Katara and Aang distributed food bowls between their friends while Zuko ensured the fire continued to burn properly, chasing away the chill of the evening. Kino, with Momo happily perched on his shoulder, gobbled down his food in a wild frenzy, looking far better rested than when he had climbed off Appa's saddle, exhausted after his venture in the village across the river. Perhaps he wasn't at his best just yet, but he would get further rest soon, after dinner was done. Every group in the campsite was certain to tuck in early that day: the coming challenge, the liberation of Ba Sing Se, would require for the entire army to be at its best if they were to succeed…

"Old man sent you back at last, Sokka?" Toph said, smirking. "I told Katara to just hand me your meal, I could hold it for you while we waited until you came back…"

"And I'm sure Katara knew better than to do that," Sokka said, smiling at his sister. She laughed, offering him a bowl full of stew that he was quick to devour as soon as he sank in his seat, next to the also ravenous Kino.

"Now, now, are you saying I'm not trustworthy? How dare you…!" Toph said, dramatically.

"I'm saying…!" Sokka started, swallowing quickly before conveying the rest of his thoughts. "That you're trustworthy with just about anything other than food, basically. You're so tiny I have no idea what you need that much food for, to begin with…"

"Woah! You did not just call me tiny, Dog!" Toph exclaimed, raising her eyebrows as the rest of the group by the fire whistled at the potential argument between the two gladiators.

"Well, now, you definitely need proper rest, Toph," Sokka smirked, leaning forward as he ate. "I thought you had the sharpest hearing in the world, but if you didn't catch what I said when I spoke so clearly, too…"

He predicted her explosive reaction, and he couldn't help but laugh as he dodged the small-scale earth pillars she took to raising under his leg first – he leaned to the side, averting it quickly. Then under his rear, and he leaned even further forward to dodge the one she raised before him.

"Toph! Stay put!" Katara exclaimed, but the snarling earthbender was kicking at the ground sloppily, attempting and failing to land a hit on a Blue Wolf who, to add further insult to the injury, took to eating while still dodging her attacks: at that point, the majority of the witnesses of their spat were laughing wildly at Sokka's skillful predicting of Toph's attacks, and at the smooth moves that always got him out of danger at the right moment. "Oh, Jet, can't you do something?!"

"Well, sure… though I'm going to get my ass kicked for it, but eh, it's worth it," Jet grinned, winking at Katara before wrapping an arm around Toph, pulling her in for an embrace that made it impossible for her to keep slapping the ground with her foot.

"Hey! I'm in the middle of something here, damn you!" Toph squeaked, only for Jet to laugh as they rolled on the ground.

As Toph landed atop him, she reached out to dig her hands on the soil at either side of Jet's body: her fingers took to tapping at rapid speed, resulting in similar, if smaller pillars, that struck Jet's back repeatedly, as a rather violent earthquake might… and yet the former Freedom Fighter only seemed to relish in the strange massage Toph was offering him quite so generously.

"Y-yeah, yeah, a little lower…!" Jet smiled happily. Toph snarled, dragging her fingers down the soil.

"Over… here?!" she exclaimed. Jet gasped as a snapping sound seemed to thunder in their camp area.

"Ah…! Ah, shit, that's been bothering me since we set out from Omashu…" he sighed, dropping his head back: Toph's fingers stopped when the awful sound startled even her.

"You're so damn weird, Jet," Toph concluded, shaking her head as he laughed happily underneath her.

"I suppose hoping for a quiet, calm dinner before things get really crazy was too much to ask for, huh?" Zuko sighed, shaking his head as Sokka chuckled, taking his seat by Kino's side once more. "You sure you're okay, Jet?"

"I've got a beautiful woman atop me, and my back's finally not sore after days of riding moose-lions… never been better," Jet declared, proudly: evidently, Toph climbed off him as soon as he complimented her, punching his arm for good measure.

"You're gonna make me barf and I'm supposed to be eating instead. Come on, quit being gross and eat, damn you," Toph grumbled as Jet continued to laugh, smiling brightly as he gazed at her with far more affection than she knew he felt for her.

"Everyone ought to eat… and we should go to bed early too," Aang said, sighing as he sank on a seat by Sokka's free side. He glanced at the Gladiator with unabashed curiosity. "What did Jeong Jeong want?"

"Oh… just to talk about a few things. Guess he finally has some respect for me after all," Sokka said, with a shrug. "He explained a handful of things I never expected they'd explain to me, so there's that…"

"Really?" Aang said, gazing at him with curiosity.

"Yeah. I can't pretend I know what's really going on in his head, but I want to think I gave him some stuff to think about," Sokka said, running a hand over his hair. "He was curious about how I survived when he tried to kill me… apparently, that I managed to overcome that particular nightmare shocked him and his people quite a bit."

"Did you explain, though?" Zuko asked. "About Azula using her gold fire and all that…?"

"I did, and he's shaken up by the notion of fire that could heal… fire that could come from emotions unrelated to destruction, darkness, rage and whatnot," Sokka said, eyes lost in the blazes of their own fireplace. "I'm not sure I've ever known someone who hates their own nation and element as much as he hates his. But hopefully, once we're through with everything, he'll find the Fire Nation is just as necessary for balance as every other nation is. The Fire Nation needs to change, we're all clear on that…"

"And we'll make them change, whether they want to or not, with what we'll do tomorrow," Katara said, firmly, glancing at Sokka intently. "You're going to reveal yourself at last. I know you're probably not thinking too much of that, but… I kind of am looking forward to that, twisted as it might sound?"

"Well, I don't know if we'll see the consequences of it all that soon…" Sokka admitted, with a lop-sided smile. "But I'm certainly hoping to come back to life with a bang. Ozai's not exactly brilliant, so he might fail to focus on anything else once he finds out I'm here. Hell, he might even assume I've been in the Earth Kingdom all along and that his troops down south were too incompetent to tell the difference between one Water Tribesman and the rest…"

"Knowing my father… the first thing he'll want to do is find someone to blame," Zuko chimed in, lowering his half-empty bowl as he raised an eyebrow. "He's particularly keen on that, so yeah, he'll likely just pin the full responsibility of this on his soldiers rather than, I don't know, acknowledging that he reaps what he sows?"

"Yeah, that would be too reasonable. Saying that everyone else is incompetent, but that they're also out to get him and a huge menace for his safety, is much more effective, don't you think?" Sokka said, with a mocking grin. Zuko's shoulders shook slightly with his laughter.

"Oh, but he's going to get what's coming!" Kino declared, upon finally setting down his bowl and sighing in happy relief. "Damn, the logistics crew sure knows how to cook… or maybe my part was just really good."

"Or maybe you were just too hungry," Aang said, smiling at Kino as the Fire Nation deserter offered some crumbs to an eager Momo. "You're ready to go right back to bed yet?"

"Eh… yeah, actually," Kino admitted, with a guilty giggle. "Though I figure I ought to know if anything big happened in that meeting. Are all your plans approved by the big White Lotus people, Sokka?"

"Well, no one protested, so I'd say so," Sokka smiled. "You'll be on the special squad anyway, though. Hopefully you three will be safe and sound on Appa while you help the rest of us navigate the mess of a battle…"

"I'm supposed to reveal myself to scare them if things get tough in the Middle or Upper Rings, right?" Aang said, biting his lip. "I honestly haven't been in Ba Sing Se before, even after I traveled to so many places a hundred years ago… it will be strange to meet this city this way, I guess."

"We'll try to fix whatever we break…" Sokka said, with a sigh. "General Tiang put the Palace's resources to better use by rebuilding and strengthening the city… we're not going to settle for less than that. We're literally bringing almost a thousand earthbenders with us, so… I'd think those who make it through will also help us with repairs in the city's infrastructure later on."

"Let's hope people know better than to destroy things for the sake of it…" Aang sighed, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"This is a big deal, though… a bigger one than what we faced in Omashu," Sokka said, sternly. "We're not only responsible for our own actions… a bunch of us have actual positions of authority in the army, and those who don't still have crucial roles to play in ensuring this crazy ordeal will go smoothly. I don't think I really have to say that people will die…"

"On both sides," Zuko said, solemnly.

"And there may be more civilian casualties this time. We might not be able to save everyone," Sokka said, closing his eyes. "The enemy will be dangerous, much smarter and better defended than it was in Omashu. We're marching into a full-blown battle of two armies… and there's no guarantee that everything will go according to plan. While I truly hope we'll do things the right way, that maybe Tiang will surrender once he realizes that the city's people will be better off if he gives up, that might also not happen at all. I do want to think we're ready, that our resolve and determination won't falter… but if things don't go so smoothly, we'll have to be ready, too, to patch up whatever holes there were in our plans so we can continue onwards somehow. There's no turning back for us. We're charging into battle tomorrow… and I don't mean to stop until victory is ours."

Silence settled in the camp as Sokka's words sank in on everyone. Only the crackling of the fire accompanied the distant noise of other groups in the encampment: the Gladiator's focus didn't shift until one of his friends let out a soft chuckle.

"So, it's up to us to make sure you can stop eventually?" Toph said, raising an eyebrow. "You'll just power on and on, walking into walls if there's any in your way, angrily growling that you can't be stopped?"

"You can break that wall for me, can't you?" Sokka smirked.

"And I can wash your foes away, too," Katara said, firmly. "As can Aang, though he can send them flying, set them on fire, push them…"

"I'd rather not do most of those, but if I have to, I will," Aang confirmed, smiling positively at Sokka.

"And I'll just sing all of your praises as you defeat all the wicked foes within the walls!" Kino exclaimed, though he shrank in place afterwards. "Or, uh, rather… my tsungi horn will sing? I can't sing and blow the horn at the same time…"

"I'd rather you use the horn, I have no idea if you actually know how to sing at all," Zuko smirked: Kino winced in feigned outrage.

"You ever wound me, Prince Zuko…" he said, prompting the Prince to laugh before nodding at Sokka.

"You know I'll call you an idiot if you're being too much of an idiot, but… I guess I'll join the others in doing my best to give you a clear shot at claiming the city. It's not going to be child's play, goes without saying… but we haven't come this far just to shit ourselves because this is too big a mission compared with what we're used to. We can do this."

"I'd say we have to do it, even," Jet interjected, his humor gone from his face now, though he still laid on his back, hands under his head. "Not that I want to add pressure to this situation or anything, but the White Lotus, going all out to support us in this, the Avatar's presence… the world's not going to get a better chance at breaking free from the Fire Nation than this one. Whatever we can do to succeed, we have to do it."

"To honor those we've lost… to protect those who are counting on us, too," Katara said, nodding solemnly. Sokka nodded.

"We're going to claim Ba Sing Se. And we're going to make sure Ozai rues the day he made enemies of any of us," Sokka declared, firmly.

"Heh… eh, wait, that sounds like we ought to be toasting or something," Toph said, grimacing. "Gotta get drinks!"

"Oh, boy…" Sokka grimaced as the earthbender rose to her feet, rushing off to find whatever ale she could get her hands on.

"Well… I suggest to all of you that you only have one cup. Drink water for the rest of the night," Jet advised, with an awkward smile.

"For luck?" Kino asked, smiling enthusiastically. Jet chuckled and shrugged.

"For luck, I suppose."

Within the next five minutes, Toph found a bottle she could share with her friends. They did as Jet advised them to, only pouring a small amount of the liquor on each of their cups before they raised them, together.

"To kicking Fire Nation ass!" Toph exclaimed, prompting the others to laugh at her declaration.

"To liberating the Earth Kingdom…?" Zuko proposed, instead. Toph scoffed at his much more reasonable toast proposal.

"To bringing the Fire Lord's greatest enemy back to life," Katara said, smirking at her brother. Sokka chuckled, shaking his head.

"To eating lots and lots of good food once we beat Tiang's army," Sokka declared, surprising most of those who anticipated a much more serious remark on his part.

"To writing great songs about all our adventures… and then performing them all across the world, once this is over!" Kino grinned brightly.

"Uh… to drinking like this again, once it's all said and done?" Jet proposed. Toph smiled, elbowing him gently.

"You're such a softie, seriously…" she said. He chuckled next to her.

Aang was the last one left at that point. He smiled fondly at his friends, ever growing acutely aware that the restoration of harmony had already begun with them… and he couldn't be prouder of his friends for being that very first step towards the salvation of their world. So he raised his cup, smiling brightly, eyes glistening with resolve:

"To restoring balance and saving this world, together."

Everyone smiled approvingly at him as he spoke. Aang smiled awkwardly, blushing under their attention as everyone raised their cups higher yet, toasting to a brighter future than they could be sure awaited them… but a future they would work towards tirelessly, come what may:

The battle of Ba Sing Se was only a few hours away.

---

The abrasive heat from the curtain of fire permeated the Throne Room. Everything in the location was poised to daunt, intimidate, scare anyone into submission… and so, that was what Mai pretended to be as she knelt before the Fire Lord, head bowed reverently while answering the man's insidious questioning regarding Azula's visit to Mai's family home.

"I'm afraid Princess Azula has sensed… something disquieting is happening. I cannot presume to know what it was, she seemed clueless about it, herself, but from what I could read of her behavior, my Lord, she's actually scared," Mai said. Ozai scoffed, frowning heavily upon hearing those words.

"Scared of what, exactly?" he hissed.

"She confided in me that a lot has changed since we last met," Mai said. Ozai's eyebrows twitched when the meaning of the girl's words became apparent. "Her greatest fear, back then, was that you might slay her dragon if she made a single wrong move. She says you've reeled back that threat, to a fault…?"

"Only as long as she doesn't fall back into treacherous behaviors and habits…" Ozai said, curtly. Mai nodded.

"She told me about the positive changes quite brightly, but then she confided that she was unsettled by some of her latest encounters with you," she said. Ozai's frown came back in full strength. "She had believed you weren't as hostile towards her anymore, as nothing troubling had happened between you for some time… but while she didn't go into details, she did seem to be quite distressed by whatever new distance is rising between you. She didn't say it outright, but I'm sure her request for permission to visit me was, more than anything, to test if limits and boundaries had strengthened around her once more."

"And it didn't occur to her that perhaps I'd have ulterior motives to let her meet with you?" Ozai asked, skeptical. Mai shrugged.

"Knowing her… she must know that's a possibility. But it seems she's become… well, I suppose mellow is a possible word for it. She brought that girl with her, the one she adopted…"

"Rei," Ozai said, and Mai nodded.

"It's rare for her to be so attached to someone she's known for such a short time," Mai said. "But after she explained more about the girl's circumstances, I grew to suspect Azula is simply desperate to be needed, to feel like her existence means something to someone. And as she's as good as that girl's hero…"

"Do you believe Rei's admiration for her could pose a threat on any level?" Ozai asked. Mai raised her eyebrows.

"I cannot say with any degree of certainty, but while she's only a few days away from becoming an adult, it feels like Rei is still a child at heart. Azula's affection for her seems genuine, something I can scarcely believe possible, but… she has changed a lot, as you know all too well."

"Indeed, I do," Ozai said, harshly. "She has softened up… grown weaker in heart, mind and body alike, I suspect. But it is no matter if that's the case anymore… Crown Prince Zhao will serve me as well as she did in the past."

Mai nodded, though she certainly disagreed profoundly: she had never known why she found Zhao so distasteful, so irksome and unpleasant, but so much as pretending that he could ever be a step-up and a suitable replacement for Azula was revolting and laughable on equal measure.

"Then you don't believe she's hiding anything notorious? Anything dangerous or treacherous?" Ozai asked, studying Mai keenly. "Did she simply talk to you about her fears of the potential worsening of her circumstances… or did you discuss anything else aside from that? Such as…?"

"As…?" Mai said, raising her head slowly. She swallowed hard at the heavy glare of the Fire Lord and interpreted it correctly: she'd have no business hiding this from him if she were a truly loyal spy, so… "As the attack you launched in the South Pole, I take it?"

"So she did speak of it?" Ozai asked. Mai nodded. "And of… its outcome?"

"Indeed," Mai said, nodding again. "It… surprised me. I didn't expect Azula would ever recover if anything happened to that man, but… it seems she did."

"It does, doesn't it?" Ozai said, scowling. "And you didn't ask why, perchance? I would do so myself, but she would never answer me earnestly…"

"I did ask. She… she confessed the disturbing truth that she considered doing away with her own life after learning of the outcome of the battle," Mai admitted: Ozai's eyes widened at those words. He had already known before that his daughter might just be driven to the utmost extreme of despair… and yet Mai's words had taken him by surprise, anyway. No, he simply had clung to the hope that Azula wouldn't want to go that far, it was what kept him afloat in the middle of this madness, free to believe himself beyond any reproach or consequences… Azula might not thank Mai for having revealed this to Ozai, but she wanted the Fire Lord to understand just how his deeply cruel and thoughtless choices had scarred his daughter's soul. "She says she fell asleep that night in tears… and woke up to find the sun was shining and the world had continued turning even if he was dead. It seemed… it seemed it was a strange awakening for her. Now that he's gone, she's free from fearing that you'll threaten to kill him, I suppose. He's dead already, out of his misery, so…"

"So, her change of demeanor and behavior is simply… relief over his death?" Ozai asked, raising his eyebrows in utmost perplexity. Mai shrugged.

"I can't presume to know whether she's being reasonable or not upon seeing things this way," Mai said. "But I suppose it's the same relief one feels when an older relative passes away after a long illness, perhaps. Her affection for that man hasn't dwindled, she seemed close to tears again by recounting her discovery of his demise to me, she could barely speak at one point… but she seems to be focusing on her duties as a mother now, instead. Perhaps she's quite so devoted to the task because he's gone: she can focus on her new duties now without worrying about anything other than her children and her dragon. It's… it's what her behavior has led me to suspect."

"Hmm. I suppose it's one way to look at things," Ozai said, curtly.

Mai breathed deeply: this wasn't going as well as she hoped it would. Ozai clearly had his own ideas regarding whatever Azula was up to… and she needed to prove her loyalty to him if she hoped to avoid dire consequences for everything she'd said so far.

"If… if I may be so bold," Mai said. Ozai's eyebrows twitched slightly, quick to recognize that her latest interjection was the opening line to an unwelcome revelation: "I admit, the Princess's visit was quite fortunate for me. I had been wondering about how to request an audience with you…"

"You were? For what purpose?" Ozai asked, perplexed.

"I do not know if this will mean anything to you," Mai said, breathing deeply as she reached into her sash for a scroll she had brought with her. Ozai scrutinized it warily from behind his curtain of flames. "But I received a rather odd and confusing message from my father around a week ago."

Her words startled Ozai visibly: was the attention off Azula now, then? Would Ozai stop doubting Mai's loyalty, perhaps…?

"Your father…" Ozai repeated, frowning. "Ukano sent you a message? What does it say?"

"It's… strange," Mai admitted, opening the scroll. "Mostly, it seems he's conveying kind wishes for me and my family. He doesn't ask for a response, he only seems keen on reassuring me that him, my mother and brother are well. I would dismiss it as drivel, but my father doesn't usually send messages like this one… they're typically quite obvious guilt trips, demanding that I communicate with him more often…"

"Which you don't, I take it," Ozai said. Mai shrugged slightly. "You will leave that letter here. I wish to read it for myself."

"Please, do," Mai said, bowing her head towards him. "I cannot presume to know what the meaning of that letter might be, but I hope you and your council can unravel what it is, if there's a deeper meaning in it at all. I… I'm afraid my father may have gotten himself into more trouble than he's worth."

"Is there no reference to a Captain Tseng in that message?" Ozai asked. Mai frowned and shook her head. "Moose lions?"

"I… no," Mai said, perplexed. Ozai scoffed. "I… has he done something to trouble you, my Lord? I thought to bring this up in case you might be able to help or… or stop him from shaming you, if that's what he's done."

"That's part of the problem, in fact," Ozai said. "Perhaps he has done something, but I do not know what it is yet. None of my theories pertaining a letter he sent me, too, have been confirmed thus far. But everything suggests that there's unrest in Omashu and that your father may be responsible for it."

"I… I'm quite sorry if he truly did anything despicable and treasonous towards you, my Lord," Mai said, shivering as she frowned in apparent disapproval. "What the blazes could he have been thinking…?"

"I imagine he wasn't thinking, simple as that," Ozai said, letting out a deep breath as he glanced at Mai intently. "Did you share the contents of this message with Azula?"

"I didn't," Mai said, shaking her head. "I thought it might give away more information about the Fire Nation's inner workings than you'd want her to know. I planned to bring it to your attention once I came to report to you…"

"And she gave away no… no sign of having been in communication with your father in recent times?" Ozai asked. Mai's confusion was all the stronger now, as it was far more genuine than before, after all.

"I… no. I didn't notice anything that indicated as much," Mai said. "Azula and my father weren't friendly, I'd say. If you believe she may have been in touch with any governors of the Colonies, I'd sooner expect it to be Governor Tiang…"

"I suppose so," Ozai said, frowning and shaking his head. Mai gritted her teeth.

"I've… convinced her to come by again, my Lord," she said. Ozai's eyes suddenly sparked with intent. "She says she'll be happy to visit anew next week. If there's something specific you would like me to ask her about, anything I should be particularly observant of, I will endeavor to learn of it on that next encounter."

"A wise choice," Ozai said, nodding. "I will allow her to visit you anew, yes."

"I'll be prepared to find whatever information I can gather by then," Mai said. "As long as she's not too guarded, I should be able to discover if… if she has any questionable alliances? Is that what you would like me to look into?"

"I… I suppose so," Ozai said, grimacing. "If she has been in touch with anyone beyond this city… anyone near Omashu, if possible. It seems unlikely, but perhaps the maid, that daughter of hers, could have delivered a message by using messenger hawks different from those of the Palace…"

"I will be vigilant for any hints that suggest as much," Mai said, nodding firmly. Ozai grunted. "Would you like for me to do anything else?"

"I… I don't know. I suppose not," he said, shaking his head. Mai gritted her teeth: she hadn't learned anything all that relevant to offer Azula next week… but being in this room with Ozai unsettled her. She might be better off asking more thorough questions, weaning proper information out of Ozai, the next time she reported to him… "But you're quite sure that she was… relieved? That she was mourning that wretched Gladiator, even now?"

"I… I could only read her behavior as that," Mai said, frowning. "I could be mistaken, I suppose, but… what else could explain her apparent peace of mind?"

"Learning that he survived."

Mai froze on the spot. Ozai scowled, but his eyes weren't on hers: instead, they were lost in an unknown horizon, past the curtain of flames, all the way to where the shadows danced over the walls, casting silhouettes that somehow made him think of the man he despised most…

"Did she give away any… any indication that she suspected he could have survived?" Ozai asked. Mai shivered, shaking her head slightly.

"Not this time, but… perhaps I can try to glean more of her thoughts on the matter next time," Mai said. "But… is that possible? Could he truly be…?"

"No," Ozai said, firmly…

And yet he had also believed it impossible that his daughter, the overachieving, ambitious young woman she had grown into, would ever throw her life to waste over some foolhardy affair. He had also believed it impossible for the Bloodlust Spear to be real. He had also believed it impossible for the Avatar to return anymore, and yet statues had seemingly lit up and no other possible explanation had been brought forward. He had also believed it impossible for his wretched brother to ever throw Ozai's life into disarray again… he had believed it impossible for his father to be quite so cruel, once, as to even put his own family line and descendants in danger over what he deemed an inappropriate request.

He had believed it impossible for the weak to defeat the strong… for a simple non-bender to prove capable of standing up to a Fire Lord. And yet he had seen it happen… he had seen it happen enough times before, much as it could be happening now.

His heart seemed to shiver as he let himself accept that he lived in a world where the very concept of impossibilities had seemingly vanished long ago: anything could happen. The man who had murdered Combustion Man, who had burned down the Grand Royal Dome and survived odds no one in his condition should have ever overcome, seemed to make a living off achieving what everyone had thought impossible. He had earned Azula's affection, Zhao's respect, Ozai's curiosity… he had achieved feats that no one of his station ever had.

Could he be alive now? Could Zhao's suspicions about a misleading message be spot-on? He shuddered to think of it… but he had to cover all his bases. He should have never assumed that the man was dead without seeing his damn body personally, that much was undeniable…

"Then… surely this isn't what has changed her so profoundly," Mai said, shaking her head. "If it's impossible, then…"

"Many things were deemed impossible in the past. They happened, regardless," Ozai hissed, rubbing his brow with his fingertips before glaring at Mai anew. "You will find out if she harbors any suspicions that he lives, any expectations that he might return to the Fire Nation. Can I count on you for this task, Lady Mai?"

"I am honored to serve the Fire Lord at any task you may require of me," Mai said, bowing her head. Ozai breathed deeply: subservient loyalty was ever a sign of how feared he was, in the end…

"You may return home. Leave that letter for me, as I told you to," Ozai said, rising from his royal seat. Mai did as much, closing the scroll before her before pushing herself up to her feet.

"Thank you for receiving me, my Lord. May our March of Civilization continue," Mai recited, firmly. Ozai huffed, nodding in her direction.

"May it be so," he said. "Do go on, then."

Mai nodded, turning her back on Ozai: guards flanked the curtains of the Throne Room, more guards would stand outside, determined to escort her out of the Palace, if not all the way to her home. Until she was within the safety of that house, perhaps even within the safety of a small, private room, Mai would have no chances to lower her guard… no time to truly process the staggering information Ozai had offered her at the very last moment.

He seemed to believe it was impossible, and yet he was quick to admit that their times certainly had redefined the meaning of that word for him. He suspected Azula of mysterious alliances with governors and nobles, including Ukano… he believed her new behavior concealed a storm, perhaps, one that she would unleash upon everyone who ever wronged her if she was given a chance to thrive. Mai couldn't pretend that wouldn't happen, no matter if she knew Azula had been honest about her disinterest in doing anything of the sort during their last encounter. Maybe she wasn't plotting anything right now… but Mai genuinely wished she were. She certainly would be glad to stand by her side, if she did.

Ozai had grown to suspect Sokka was still alive. He feared his greatest foe had yet to perish, regardless of his efforts to ensure as much. That single kernel of information was certainly something Mai could offer Azula on their next encounter… and the Princess would have to figre out how to make use of that knowledge, preparing herself for whatever strife might befall them next, if the war between her father and her true husband ignited fiercely once again.