Chapter Twenty-Four: An Inevitable Fork
How much longer would I have to keep up this disguise? We departed for the North Pole days ago, or was it weeks now? Either way, this entire situation was humiliating. I was forced to lick my wounds in secret while I listened to my people praise my assassin. Thanks to my Uncle, Zhao, that smug bastard, thought I was dead for good. Little did he know I was lurking right underneath his nose on his very own ship, and I would capture the Avatar before he had a chance to.
"Bringing tea to the General again, Natsumi?"
Looking in the direction of the voice as I turned the corner, I spotted two older soldiers. I had learned that the woman was the main cook on the ship. The men also jeered that she was a "hard ass" despite her looks, so I made a point to avoid the mess hall. Uncle normally snuck me food at night where he would proceed to lecture about my health. Most of my injuries had healed from the explosion, but I knew that wouldn't end his worrying.
"You make it sound like a chore when you say it like that, Toshiro." Natsumi smiled at the tray she was holding. "But it's quite the opposite. It's an absolute honor that a member of the royal family appreciates my brewing skills."
Toshiro stroked his graying beard and nodded. "Well, I'm glad that you're being granted more respectable work. Honestly, it wasn't fair that you had to babysit that savage prisoner. The Admiral should've given the task to someone of lower rank."
She put a hand to her chin and glanced away with a wistful expression. "I told you before. The girl wasn't much trouble under my care, but at least she's not our problem anymore."
"Easy for you to say. You didn't have to deal with the Admiral's rage after the girl escaped with the Avatar. Those two brats made us all look like fools." He snorted. "I'm certain that if the Admiral didn't require us for this expedition, we'd be rotting in the brig right now."
She frowned. "Thank the spirits it didn't come to that, but I'm sure you'll get your chance for redemption once we reach the Northern Water Tribe. Now, if you'll excuse me, I shouldn't keep General Iroh waiting much longer."
Natsumi and Toshiro went their opposite ways, and I took that as my cue to leave. I slipped back around the corner and headed down a different hallway. So the air-bender girl was held prisoner here? From the sounds of it, Zhao must've attacked the Avatar at a different time but captured her instead? At least my last conversation with Zhao was starting to make more sense. He would've interrogated the girl about the Blue Spirit, and then she lied for me.
I shook my head and groaned. You don't have time for that right now. You need to focus on capturing the Avatar, and after, how you're gonna deal with Zhao.
Once I returned home and regained my father's favor, it would be easy to condemn Zhao for his crimes. Regardless of his accusations against me, it was high treason to attack a member of the royal family. If everything goes according to my plans, I'll rob Zhao of everything like he tried to do to me.
….
Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, and there was no rest for a wicked spirit like me. Aang and I trained every evening, and when he was busy with Pakku, I practiced each morning until I was exhausted. Aang was surprised at how fast I picked everything up, but I was a girl on a mission. The Fire Nation could be here any minute, and I needed to be ready.
The next bright morning, I headed out to my usual spot and went over all of my forms. I had incorporated the traditional avoid and evade with my more aggressive techniques, creating a brilliant blend of offense and defense. I also made sure to keep my non-bending skills up to par. I slashed and flipped my knives through my nimble hands, and I even had two new whips fashioned for me. Taking my signature weapons in hand, I combined them with my bending and sliced a pillar of ice in half.
Stepping back, I caught my breath while a smirk graced my lips, and that's when I saw it. Black snow. I had never seen anything like it. Dark clouds slithered through the clear sky like a thick smog and showered the whole citadel with the ominous specks. My instincts told me that practice was over, and I rushed to find the others. I saw Appa land not too far off from where I was, and I leapt up to the top of the giant icy wall that bordered the citadel.
"Sokka? Princess Yue?" I ran over to them. "What's going on?"
Sokka glanced toward me with a frown. "It's the Fire Nation. They've finally closed in on the North Pole, and you were right, Tashi. By the looks of it, there's a lot of them."
Within minutes, we were all rushing toward the palace while the sound of drums echoed over us. I heard Sokka protest and turned around to see that Yue had stopped running.
"What are you doing, Yue?" Sokka frowned. "We have to go."
She let her hand slip from his. "Wait, we can't do this anymore."
I shifted my gaze between them, but remained silent.
Sokka's eyes widened a little. "But we're just friends. That's what we agreed to."
"I wish we could just be friends, but I like you too much." Her eyes watered, and she glanced away. "I'm supposed to be marrying Hahn, and yet, when you and I are together…. It's too confusing."
"But why can't you call the engagement off? He's a total jerk, and it's clear you don't like him," Sokka said.
Yue sighed. "You wouldn't understand, Sokka. I'm the princess. I have a duty to my people, and I must put the needs of the tribe before my own."
Sokka stepped closer. "But…"
I placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Listen to her, Sokka. She has a point."
Yue gave us a solemn look. "Besides, you already have someone else you can be with. The way you two behaved at the party proves it."
Sokka held up his hands in defense. "No, no, Tashi and I aren't a thing."
I let go of his shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, it was only a game. Although, I admit we got too carried away, but I guess teen hormones are harder to control when you're not bound by the rules of propriety?"
I gave an awkward laugh earning a look from Sokka while Yue didn't seem convinced.
She sighed. "My decision is final, Sokka. I can't keep pretending that I feel nothing for you, so whatever we have ends now. I can't see you anymore. Goodbye."
Yue sprinted past us with tears in her eyes.
I looked at Sokka. "Are you gonna be okay?"
"I don't know." He made his way up the stairs. "Let's get inside."
Entering the palace, the main hall was filled to the brim with Water Tribe citizens. Thankfully, I spotted Aang's yellow and orange silhouette amongst the sea of blues.
I pointed ahead. "There they are."
"You go on ahead. I need some time to think," Sokka said.
I nodded and made my way over to Aang and Katara, who were positioned against one of the totem pillars.
Katara spotted me first and waved. "There you are. Where's Sokka?"
"He should be along, but give him some time." I sat down. "Yue severed ties with him for good."
"What?" Aang said.
I leaned back against the pillar. "Her engagement is weighing heavily on her, and she can't take the risk of being so close to Sokka anymore."
"I see," Katara said.
Chief Arnook stood before everyone.
"The day we have feared for so long has arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep, and it is with a great sadness that I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe. But they will never vanish from our hearts." He raised his hands towards the sky. "Now as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us!"
I furrowed my brow. We were going to need all the help we could get. Arnook start calling aid from the men for a super secret mission, and Sokka was one of the first to volunteer. He received a special mark on his forehead from Arnook before sharing a glance with Yue, and… she was crying.
Unless Hahn dies in battle, which is very likely. I stood and followed Aang and Katara outside.
Katara looked at him. "Are you ready for this, Aang?"
"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked our people." He glanced at me before staring out into the horizon. "I'm gonna make a difference this time."
She then shared a glance with me, but it was more knowing than concerned. "And you, Tashi?"
"I've been ready." I stepped forward. "Zhao's an Admiral, so he's gonna have a whole armada at his disposal. The simplest way to take them down before they can reach the gate is to sink their ships."
Aang's eyes widened. "What?"
"You heard me." I gestured to the vast ocean in the distance. "You two and the rest of the water-benders could go out there and pierce the underside of the hulls. Maybe damage the propellers? Their ships will be surrounded by miles of water. They'd have no escape."
Katara thought for a minute. "That actually sounds like it could work."
"And what would happen if we just sank all of their ships like that?" Aang said.
I shrugged. "Most of the soldiers would drown and/or freeze to death while the rest would get taken prisoner. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that I don't want to have to resort to extreme violence unless absolutely necessary." He looked away. "And hopefully we can make it through this with the least amount of casualties as possible. On both sides."
I groaned. "But that's not how war…."
"I think that's a wonderful idea, Aang." Katara smiled before looking at me. "It's worth trying out, Tashi. If there's a chance we can defeat the Fire Nation without any bloodshed, we should at least try."
"You coddle him too much," I mouthed and folded my arms. "Fine, but what's the strategy? We have to at least have an idea of what we're doing."
"You and Katara can help everyone protect the citadel. I'm gonna go out on Appa and try to take out as many ships as I can without killing anyone," he said.
Katara glanced down at the ground. "By yourself? Are you sure, Aang?"
"Yeah." He gave both of us a reassuring smile. "Once I figure out what to do, it shouldn't be too hard."
He's gonna get himself killed with that kind of planning. Before I could protest, Arnook approached us.
"The stillness before a battle is unbearable. Such a quiet dread." He glanced over us with solemn eyes. "Avatar Aang, take your friends and join the other warriors at the front gate."
The three of us nodded and bowed before obeying his order. It was then a matter of waiting. We were all perched at the top of the main gate for what seemed like hours before the first navy ship reared its ugly head. A catapult on the ship was triggered, and a large fireball came flying toward us. It crashed into the main gate, knocking everyone down and burying us under snow and ice.
I dug my way out while groaning in frustration. "Aang! Sokka! Katara!"
"Over here!" Katara said.
I followed her voice and found her and Sokka amongst the chaos as we were pummeled with more fireballs.
"I need to take out those catapults." Aang hopped on Appa.
"I'm coming too." I jumped on as well. "You're not doing this alone. It's like you said. We're the last two air-benders. We need to stick together."
Aang smiled and nodded. Another fireball was shot straight at us. Appa charged into its direction. Swinging his staff, Aang altered the path of the fireball, and it crashed into side of the icy wall. Once we were close enough to the scouting ship, Aang opened up his staff into a glider.
"Tashi, hold onto my waist," he said.
I did as he asked, and we jumped off of Appa. As we flew toward the ship, a group of fire-benders immediately shot a stream of fire in our direction. However, Aang was able to swipe them away with a gust of air as we landed. He then ran to one of the catapults as a group of soldiers chased after him. I jumped in the soldiers path and fended them off while Aang continued to destroy the catapults. That was, until a large man wielding two giant hammers started attacking us. I flipped out of the way, but Aang ended up getting tied down. I was about to charge at the guy, but was stopped when Appa landed in front of me. He grabbed the soldier with his paw and dropped him into the ocean.
"Thanks for the save, buddy." Aang broke free. "You okay, Tashi?"
"Yeah, let's go." I jumped onto Appa.
We rode off into the sky, allowing the water-benders to take down the rest of the ship. Aang seemed pleased with their success until he saw the thousands of ships waiting beyond the scouting one.
Aang's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me."
"What part of massive invasion did you not get?" I said.
As we flew over the armada, I pinpointed Zhao's ship. It had fancier adornments than the others, and was hovering closer to the front of the line, but not too close. After all, Zhao needed his inferiors take the first hit in case the Water Tribe had anything up their sleeves. I committed his ship's position to my memory.
"We'll start there." Aang pointed ahead.
We continued to attack the ships until evening fell. Aang was starting to tire, so I suggested we head back to check on the others. He didn't look happy, but I knew if I let him continue, he'd only end up getting hurt. As we retreated, I noticed that the ships had stopped their approach. Were they seriously anchoring down for the night? They'd be sitting turtle-ducks for anyone to sneak in and….
My eyes widened. That's it.
This was my opportunity to get close to Zhao, but I had to get Aang back safe first. Once we reached the citadel, I couldn't help but cringe. Several buildings had been destroyed, and plumes of smoke billowed out from several areas. The Fire Nation hadn't even reached the gates yet, and this place was already suffering heavy damages. Who knew how many casualties there were? We spotted Katara and Yue near the palace and landed there.
Hopping onto the ground, I got my bearings. "Where's Sokka?"
"He's preparing with the other warriors," Katara said, "are you both all right?"
I shook my head. "We managed, but there's only two of us."
Aang slumped down next to me and placed his hands on his head. "I can't do it."
Katara furrowed her brow. "What happened?"
He sighed. "Tashi and I must've taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but it's like she said. There's only two of us, and she had to pull me out of there. I can't fight them all."
Yue looked with pleading eyes, her tone desperate. "But you have to. You're the Avatar."
Aang lowered his head. "I'm just one kid."
"You did what you could. That's all anyone can do." I looked at Katara. "Why don't you check to make sure he's completely healed? He's exhausted. I don't know why the ships stopped, but we should take advantage of this break while we have it."
"Yeah, that is strange." Katara narrowed her eyes in the direction of the armada before kneeling beside Aang. "What about you?"
I rotated my shoulder. "I'll be fine for now. In the meantime, I have a few things I need to check on. I'll catch up with you guys again when I have the chance."
I turned to leave, but before I could walk away, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me.
"Please, be safe," Yue said.
"Of course." I faced her. "You don't gotta worry about me. This isn't my first fight."
Tears spilled from her eyes. "I know, but all of this is happening so fast. Hahn and Sokka are going to leave for my father's mission tonight, and I don't know if either of them will come back. People… my people have already died. The injured are being tended to, but I've seen some of them. The Fire Nation is destroying our home, and I'm terrified!"
She cried into my shoulders, and I shifted my gaze between Yue, Katara, and Aang. If anything solidified the decision I was about to make, it was this.
Forgive me, Aang. I sighed once Yue found the strength to let me go, and I met her gaze. "That's why we're here, and we're going to do whatever we can to make sure the Water Tribe doesn't fall. I promise."
"You can't promise something like that." Yue half smiled. "I'm really glad I bumped into you that day, you know? As the Princess, I have to adhere to my duties, so I don't really have any friends. All of you have been great friends, and I'll be praying to the spirits for us to make it through this."
I smiled. "I'm glad I met you to. I'll see you again once this is over. Maybe I'll teach you some more stuff about the Earth Kingdom."
Yue nodded. "I'd like that."
"Anyway, I should hurry." I glanced at Aang and Katara. "You guys be careful too, and make sure you rest up, Aang. We don't need you passing out in the middle of a fight."
Aang was too depressed to look at me.
"Don't worry, I'll look after him," Katara said.
I finally left the group and made my way to our guest home. If only I had known those would be my last words with Yue, maybe I would've hugged her a little tighter. After all, who could've predicted what happened next? I certainly didn't.
Heading inside the guest house, I found my spare Water Tribe clothes and changed into a dark blue tunic that covered half of my face. I went through Sokka's belongings and found his warpaint. Hopefully, he wouldn't mind me using it. Getting a thick coat of the dark powder on my fingers, I painted around my eyes. Once I was satisfied, I returned the paint where Sokka left it and made my way back to my sleeping bag.
I packed up all of my things, so they would be ready to grab at a moment's notice. Well, except for one. I took out a letter I had prepared the night before and hid it in Katara's sleeping bag. After I made sure all of my weapons were primed and ready, I threw on a cloak and slipped away into the night.
By the time you're reading this, I'll already be gone, and hopefully we will have kicked the Fire Nation out of the North Pole for good. Don't take this personally, but I've decided to go my own way. I have some personal affairs to take care of, and it'll be easier if I'm by myself. Aang, Katara, Sokka, I wish you guys all the luck in the world, and I hope we cross paths again in the future.
Love,
Tashi
