Chapter Twenty-Five: The Path Less Traveled By

Night had fallen by the time I reached the outskirts of the citadel. Everyone was busy tending to the sick and the dead while a handful of warriors stood guard next to the dilapidated gate. Amongst their whispering, I could hear the uncertainty toward the situation. The Fire Navy ships loomed over the dark waters of the ocean like a bad omen. I wanted to be hopeful, but would this place really survive another day? The warriors noticed me sneaking around, but after watching me scale a fifty foot ice wall with my air-bending, they didn't say anything. Being associated with the Avatar had its perks apparently.

I tiptoed my way across the icy shore, for one wrong move could kill me. An ocean cold enough to maintain ice was nothing to mess with, and now for the big question. How was I going to make it across this deadly obstacle without being detected? As if the spirits heard me, the sound of something thudding against the ice drew my attention. It was a canoe, but it didn't look Water Tribe.

I frowned. Did Zhao send a spy?

Had our moment of peace been a ruse all along? It was a clever move on the Fire Nation's part. They pretend to hold off on their attack, and then allow an assassin to sneak past enemy lines. After all, if they can kill the Chief, or worse Aang, the enemy's resolve would weaken. The Water Tribe might even surrender entirely.

Something caught my attention, and I narrowed my eyes as I went to investigate. Under the moonlight, I could see footprints embedded in the thin layer of fresh snow. There was only one pair, which put me at ease. It'd be easier for me take down the intruder if they're alone. I followed the trail until it stopped at a water pocket in the ice. I furrowed my brow and glanced around. The footprints had congregated in this spot, and there was no sign that implied the intruder had left in any other direction.

That can't be. There's no…. Kneeling down, I spotted a weird glint around the pocket.

Ice had formed on top of the snow surrounding the pocket. The formations took different shapes, and it was almost as if the water inside had been splashed. My eyes widened. No, this wasn't my imagination. The trajectory of the ice splashes implied that someone had jumped inside the water pocket from the exact position of the footprints. Yes, it all made sense, for even the pocket itself was large enough for a decent sized person to fit through.

"But how?" I whispered in disbelief, "Who'd be crazy enough to jump in that? There's no way they survived, right?"

After arriving in the North Pole, Katara and Sokka had warned Aang and I of the dangers to look out for when exploring this terrain. The big five were: frozen water kills, compacted snow can hide thin ice and fissures, stay away from the tundra because of storms, dark water is deep water, and don't try to swim in water pockets within the ice. The last one was directed more to Aang than me, but Katara had stressed that it was impossible to tell where the pocket led. A person could get trapped, not find an opening fast enough, or even run into an unfriendly wild animal.

Now that I thought about it, there were other deformations in the snow as well, and it looked like multiple things had slid along the snow. Either way, it'd seemed my pursuit would have to end here. It'd be impossible for me to follow without getting myself killed, and I hoped that the intruder's foolishness would come to bite them. The Fire Nation's arrogance truly knew no bounds sometimes.

I returned to the canoe and smiled. Well, the intruder at least did me one favor; I now had a way to infiltrate the armada. Two could play at this game after all. Although, I'm surprised the intruder hadn't destroyed the canoe in order to cover their tracks. Were they planning to return here? I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Won't they be in for a surprise? As for the final question, how was I going to make it over there without being spotted? While the higher ranking officers slept soundly, the regular soldiers would be on high alert.

"There has to be some way," I muttered before pausing. My breath….

Every time I exhaled, a tiny puff of… what should I call it? Fog? Yeah, a tiny puff of fog came out. Air-benders could regulate their body temperature with proper breath control, but what about the air around them? I shivered. The bitter, frozen air of the North Pole was too extreme for me to test out that theory, but perhaps I could still manipulate that fact into my favor?

Hmm…. Fog is a combination of air and water just like clouds, and when I breathe it creates the same effect. I put a hand to my chin as I stared at the water. Hot air plus cold air. What if I can expand that?

I took a deep breath and sucked in as much air as I could, which was a lot. According to Aang, air-benders naturally had better lung control, and we could hold up to three times the normal capacity. I let the air sit in my lungs, so it could be warmed by my body heat. Exhaling, I released a giant cloud of fog that spread out ahead of me. I repeated the process a few more times until I built up a decent amount of cover.

Hopping into the canoe, I streamed the fog in the direction of the armada. I had memorized the position of Zhao's ship, and taking the oar, I rowed in its direction. After a few minutes, I'd stop and create more fog. It helped that the ships were radiating with heat, which added more cover. Reaching Zhao's ship, I found the anchor and climbed onto it.

I glanced back at the canoe. I couldn't leave it here, for if someone spotted it, I'd be in danger. Taking a deep breath, I shot my fist down at the canoe, and the resulting air-ball shattered it right in the center. The remains sank into the depths while I climbed up the chain link. It would be too risky for me to infiltrate the interior. I remembered how narrow the hallways were, and with the place teeming with so many soldiers, I'd be caught instantly. I knew Zhao frequented the observation deck, which was one of the highest points on the ship, so I made my way there to hide until morning.

….

"You rise with the moon; I rise with the sun." I stared down at the unconscious Water Tribe girl while tightening my grip on the Avatar's collar.

Finally, after all this time, he was in my grasp. I quickly secured him with ropes before hoisting him onto my shoulders. The Avatar seemed to be in some weird trance, for his eyes were glowing bright white. The last time I had seen him like that was at the South Pole. He had unleashed a powerful display of water-bending, but now he was perfectly still, almost asleep. Either way, I didn't have any time to lose, but where would I go? I couldn't escape the way I came with the Avatar, and if I tried to make my way through the city, I'd be stopped by the enemy.

Now that I recalled, there had been another Water Tribe girl dressed in fancy clothes; well, it was fancy for the Water Tribe. She had run off to find help, and if the previous fight was anything to go by, I had to find another route quickly. Given how much the peasant girl had improved her skills since I last fought the Avatar's friends, I knew the others would be a problem, especially the air-bender girl. Dueling a master air-bender, who remained passive, was already bad enough as it was, so combating one who was cut-throat had to be a nightmare.

"There." I rushed toward the back of the oasis.

The path led up along the tall ice walls. I imagined that it was out of the boundaries of the city. No one would think to look there, and I'd be free to figure out the next step in my plan.

….

The morning light hit my eyes, and I quickly regained my bearings. I had successfully planted myself on Zhao's ship, and now I was camping out on the roof that overlooked the observation deck. I rubbed my tired eyes and rolled my neck. My body felt stiff from laying on the hard metal, and I stretched my limbs while warming myself back up.

Once I deemed myself ready for action, I noted the footsteps around me. Everyone must've received their orders, for there were more soldiers skittering about the ship. I searched for a better vantage point and climbed down to the observation deck. I remained on the railing, and keeping my head low, I hid behind a large flag with the Fire Nation's symbol. Secured in the shadows, all I heard were more soldiers, and the high-pitched screech of steam. With a sudden jolt, the ship sailed onward.

Damn. I have to do something soon. I gritted my teeth as I clung to the freezing bars for dear life.

After a while, I finally heard the doors of the observation deck open and close followed by heavy footsteps.

"The Water Tribe can try to resist the inevitable, but their city will fall today."

I narrowed my eyes. Not if I kill you first, asshole.

"I don't need to remind you that we have a time limit," Iroh said, "If we don't defeat the Water Tribe before the full moon rises, they will be undefeatable."

General Iroh? Did that mean Zuko was here too? No, that didn't make any sense. Zhao had made it perfectly clear to me how much he hated the Prince's guts. The Fire Nation would have to freeze over to convince those two to work together. Either way, having the fabled Dragon of the West near my target was going to make my mission more difficult.

"I assure you I have everything under control." The smugness in Zhao's tone was unbearable. "I intend to remove the moon as a factor."

I frowned. Zhao used to bring up the moon a lot. I think I'll wait and see where this goes.

Iroh gasped. "Remove the moon? How?"

"Years ago, I stumbled upon a great and powerful secret. I was a young lieutenant serving under General Chu in the Earth Kingdom. I discovered a hidden library, underground in fact–" Zhao said.

A library? My eyes widened. The map he had of the Shi Wong desert had the note about the spirit library. That's a real place?

"I tore through scroll after scroll. One of them contained a detailed illustration, and the words moon and ocean. Realizing that these were the identities of their mortal forms, I knew that these spirits could be found and killed. And that it was my destiny to do so," Zhao said.

"Zhao, the spirits are not to be trifled with," Iroh said in a scolding tone.

Zhao laughed. "Yes, yes, I know you fear the spirits, Iroh. I've heard rumors about your journey into the Spirit World, but the ocean and moon gave up their immortality to become a part of our world. Now, they will face the consequences."

"Admiral Choy!"

I cringed at the sound of Hahn's voice. Wait? Hahn? Oh, that's right…. The Chief's special mission. Does that mean Sokka's here too?

"Prepare to meet you fate!" Hahn's voice cried followed by a rush of metallic stomps.

Sometimes I hated being right. It took all of five seconds for Zhao and Iroh to dodge Hahn's charge, and Zhao sent the idiot flying over the railing with ease. Unfortunately, Hahn fell right on top of me. The large flag I had been hiding under tore from the railing as we both fell toward the deck. I quickly flipped myself over in mid-air and formed an air cushion for us to land on. Hahn bounced off and went sailing over the side of the ship. I, however, hit the air cushion with more grace, and I flipped over before landing on my feet.

Nice going, Hahn. I removed my hood and tossed my cloak to the side. Now I'm gonna have to work my way up from the main deck.

"Well, well, if it isn't the air-bender girl? It appears you haven't learned from past mistakes." Zhao chuckled. "Are you that eager to return to your prison cell?"

"You know exactly why I'm here, you arrogant bastard!" I took a stance as soldiers began to surround me. "You and I have unfinished business!"

"Still out for your petty revenge? How childish, but I suppose I can humor you for now." He looked down at one of the soldiers. "Eiji! Sound the alarm! I want every man and woman on this ship to report to the main deck!"

Eiji? I thought I recognized the name, but it was hard to place it. Not that there was any time. Soldiers poured in from below deck, and before I knew it, I was surrounded on all sides.

Zhao smirked at me. "You really didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

I sent him a smirk straight back. "Who's to say it still isn't?"

He seemed puzzled by my reply, but simply scowled and raised his hand. "Soldiers! Capture the air-bender girl!"

I remained calm as I examined my opponents. A non-bender with a spear faced me, two fire-benders on my right and left, and a non-bender wielding a pair of sai brought up the rear. Closing my eyes, I focused on the air. I felt the subtle shifts as the spear came toward me, and I ducked under while using my air-bending to throw the soldier into the sai-wielder behind me. A rush of heat intensified on my left, making me side-step to the right, and the blast hit another fire-bender, sending them crashing into one of their comrades.

Grinning, I punched my left fist and shot out an air-ball. This caused the soldiers to fall into each other like collapsing columns. I gritted my teeth at the sudden sting in my right calf, and taking a deep breath, I threw both hands forward to unleash a huge gust of wind at the attacker. Once again, the soldiers fell into each other, but that wasn't enough to take them out. Most had already recovered from my attacks and charged at me with vigorous battle cries.

I dodged before a sword could chop my head off and turned to punch at the aggressive soldier. However, my fist stopped a mere centimeters short of their chest and no air came out. From their perspective, I'm sure they were confused, but I knew better. My therapy sessions with Master Yugoda had been helpful in more ways than one. I had opportunities to study the human body, and Katara had told me the story of how she had saved Aang from drowning by bending the water out of his lungs. If it could be done with water, why not air, and why couldn't it be taken a step further?

With my punch, I forced the air within the unsuspecting soldier to rupture his lungs, and within a few seconds, he collapsed on the floor. I proceeded with my strategy as the onslaught continued. Dodge, dodge, punch, flip, duck, kick, my strikes never once made contact with armor, but it wasn't long before the soldiers around me started dropping like spider-flies. Strangely, not one of them hesitated or questioned my methods, or, perhaps, they simply didn't care. Their only focus was defeating me, and each comrade that died by my hands only motivated them further.

Unfortunately, it was just as Aang said. The world had forgotten how to fight air-benders, and Zhao's crew was no exception. Try as they might, none of the soldiers could pin me down, and my slight figure made it easier for me to slip and weave around them.

"What are you fools doing! It's one girl, and an air-bender at that! Just grab her!"

Zhao frustrated yells fueled my adrenaline. Nothing would stop me from my revenge, and now I had a whole citadel of innocents to protect. Allowing myself to be defeated by a bunch of drones was out of the question, and so I pushed myself on. One by one, more soldiers died by my hands until none stood to oppose me. By the end, my heart was pounding in my ears, but I did my best to steady my breathing. Sweat had sunk into my tunic, sending shivers all over my body. I quickly dried myself with air-bending, and a moan drew my attention.

Turning around, I saw one final soldier crawling over the corpses of his comrades to get to me. Their helmet had fallen off, revealing their face. My eyes widened as I recognized him. It was the young recruit I had met in the mess hall.

"Eiji." I frowned.

"You, savage!" He struggled to breathe while he stared up at me with blood-shot eyes. "You think…this'll stop…us?"

I kicked him onto his back. "You wanted to know what being with an air-bender was like, right? Here's a taste."

I swiftly stomped on his chest, silencing him forever. The pained and terrified look on his face would always haunt my dreams, but this wasn't the time or place for me to dwell on my actions. Steeling my resolve, I returned my attention to the observation deck. Zhao stared me with both awe and rage, an odd combination.

"How many soldiers are you gonna hide behind, Zhao!" I smirked. "Or does fighting a real teenager make you nervous?"

"No way."

I turned and saw Hahn, whom had climbed onto the railing from wherever he fell. He gaped at me as I stood amongst the fallen soldiers, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Oh, you're still alive?" I said.

He climbed over the railing and walked over to me. "There's no way you took out all of these soldiers by yourself."

"You see anyone else standing here?" I searched for a path to get to the observation deck. "Now, stop asking stupid questions, we have more important–"

Small shifts in the air made me backflip out of the way, and I heard Hahn yelp. There was a dart in his shoulder, and he collapsed on the floor, his body completely limp.

"I… can't…." Hahn said.

He's paralyzed? My eyes widened.I've seen this before.

That woman Zuko had teamed up with had a strange pet with paralyzing venom. Shuddering at the memory, I followed the direction of the dart, and I saw Natsumi emerge from below deck.

"Sorry, but you haven't defeated all of my soldiers, my little air-bender." Zhao smirked. "Natsumi, I want her alive! You've gotten a chance to learn the air-bender's weaknesses! This should be easy for you!"

Natsumi approached me, her eyes burning with tears. "You shouldn't have returned."

I raised an eyebrow. "Uh, excuse you? You're the ones who followed us."

Natsumi stared at her fallen comrades and glared at me. "Toshiro was right. The Fire Nation needs to show the world what true greatness is. The rest of you are nothing more than savages and barbarians! And you! How could you be so ruthless! These were my friends, you monster!"

I took a stance. "Don't act surprised, Natsumi. You knew what I was about from the moment we met, and as for greatness…? The rest of the world doesn't need anything from the Fire Nation, especially not something as pretentious as greatness! You see that citadel behind me? It's full regular people just like you. Nothing but friends, lovers, families, children, elders, and they're no different than the ones you left behind in your home country. So shove that savages and barbarians crap up your ass!"

"Shut up!" Natsumi threw another dart at me.

I dodged out of the way. "Scream at me all you want. It won't change reality. You're the ones in the wrong here. The Fire Nation does nothing but steal and destroy. And as for your friends? They deserved what they got! If they didn't want to die, they should've stayed in the Fire Nation where they belong! The only monsters here are you guys!"

Natsumi flung three darts before charging forward. "Then don't hold back because I'll die before I let you take down the Admiral!"

I continued evading Natsumi's attacks. From an outsider's point of view, one would say I nearly resembled Aang in battle, for I had no interest in fighting her, let alone killing her. I knew whatever bond we formed during my capture wouldn't mean anything in the end. We were on opposite sides of the war, and as such, we'd never be friends. However, Natsumi showed me kindness when she didn't have to, and I would return the favor.

I searched for something to subdue her with, and I spotted the large flag I had been hiding behind. Flipping out of the way of her darts, I snatched it, and running toward her, I managed to wrap it around her body. She fell forward onto the floor, and I secured a tight knot around her arms.

"Are you serious? Just kill me like you did all the others!" Natsumi said.

"Consider us even." I took a dart from her holster and pricked her with it.

Natsumi's face froze with a shocked expression, and she could barely speak through her gritted teeth. I glanced at Hahn, whom was still incapacitated, and then to the neighboring ships. Some had taken notice of the attack and were changing their formation. I had to hurry. Taking a running start like Aang had taught me, I made a dash for the wall, and as I did so, I swirled my hands around to form a large airball. I jumped onto it and rode the air scooter up the tower toward the observation deck. As I neared close, I felt the heat from a stream of fire jetting toward me. Using the scooter as a boost, I flipped multiple times in the air before landing on the observation deck.

Zhao and Iroh were in front of me, and their only exit was behind me. I had to be smart about this. It'd be a fool's errand to take both of them on at the same time, especially Iroh. I had never actually seen him fight, and that made the Fire Lord's brother more fearsome in my eyes.

"Well, well, so here we are, Zhao. And General Iroh–" I smiled and nodded toward him. "Long time no see. To think I had been going up against the great Dragon of the West without realizing it."

Iroh gave me a curt nod, but his gaze remained suspicious. "You've heard of me?"

"Of course, everyone in the Earth Kingdom knows about the pathetic General, whom was swiftly defeated by our mighty military. Oh, but you really thought you could take Ba Sing Se from us? How cute." I laughed. "And now it appears Zhao is gonna follow in your footsteps."

Zhao loosened his stance and glanced me up and down. "On the contrary, my little air-bender. I will ensure the Fire Nation triumphs today, and while your display down there was impressive, I'm afraid to say it was all for naught."

"We'll see about that, but I'm surprised to see General Iroh aiding you. I thought you and the Prince didn't get along?" I said.

At my words, Zhao's face lit up. "I'm afraid Prince Zuko wasn't able to join us. His ship was attacked by pirates, and he, unfortunately, didn't survive. It is truly a loss for our nation."

A pang shot through my heart. Zuko was dead? Zhao had been way too eager to share that information, and there was something about the way his eyes were beaming with glee. It made me distrustful.

I snorted. "Don't try to feed me that crap, Zhao. We both know that you despised the Prince's whole existence. I bet you jumped for joy when you heard the news. After all, what was it…? Oh yeah, you said that with your victory over the North Pole, you were gonna make a bid for the Princess' hand. What say you, General? You think this loser is good enough for your niece? 'Cause if you ask me, I'd say his performance is subpar."

Iroh furrowed his brow with worry at my last comment, but he quickly hid the expression. "If I may be honest, my concerns are quite the opposite."

Zhao's eye twitched, and he scowled. "Enough small talk! It's time for you to face facts, my little air-bender. You can't defeat General Iroh and I, so you may as well surrender while you still have a chance to live."

I blinked and cocked my head to the side, feigning confusion. "The General? Why would I fight him? Our unfinished business is between us alone, Zhao. Besides, shouldn't you be jumping at the bit to protect a member of the royal family, not the other way around?"

Iroh sighed and sat down. "Well, I'm certain you can make quick work of her, Zhao. However, time is of the essence. We will breach the Northern Water Tribe's shores soon."

Zhao narrowed his eyes at the older man, but he didn't reply and returned his attention to me. "This'll be over quickly."

I watched Zhao take a stance, and I waited for the shift in the air. Before he could shoot his fist forward, I held out my hand and focused on the air trapped within his lungs. I held it in place, so he couldn't inhale or exhale. His face contorted, and his body began to shake in a hopeless effort to resist my control. Maintaining my focus, I kept my stance firm, and I grinned when Zhao dropped to one knee. The lack of oxygen made his skin flush red, and despite the cold, beads of sweat ran down his forehead.

However, a cry of pain snapped me out of my concentration, and my hold on Zhao loosened completely. He collapsed on the floor with a loud thud, and he began gasping for air. Glancing down toward the main deck of the ship, I saw that Hahn had recovered from the Shirshu poison, and he had stabbed Natsumi in the leg. In one swift motion, he tossed her overboard.

I gasped. "Natsumi!"

Taking advantage of the distraction, Zhao struck at me with his fire, but I flipped over it and landed in a perfect handstand on the railing of the observation deck. Now, I had a tough decision to make. If I stayed and tried to kill Zhao, Natsumi would die, and who knows if Iroh would keep to his word. He might wait until I'm done with Zhao to take me down. Sighing, my choice was made. Right as Zhao took another shot at me, I boosted myself with a blast of air and dived into the water.

Instantly, it was like being hit with a thousand knives, but my adrenaline was so high that I pushed through. Natsumi was sinking further and further into the depths do to the weight of her armor, and she appeared unconscious. When I reached her, she was too heavy for me to pull to the surface, and reaching for one of my knives, I sliced her armor open. I removed all of her layers and let them sink until she was only in her tunic. Now that she was lighter, I swam us both to the surface.

I screamed as I emerged. The freezing chill bit right into my bones, and my gasps for air made my lungs burn. I spotted a platform of ice that was thick enough for Natsumi and I to rest on. I held onto her as best as I could while I swam toward the platform. Fireballs flew all around us. Most of the ships had thankfully kept their focus on assaulting the Northern Tribe, but I could see more canoes headed in my direction.

Damn. They've sent reinforcements. I regulated my breathing to warm myself before letting out a huge gust of air to dry the both of us off.

Natsumi hadn't moved, and I checked on her. She wasn't breathing. Quickly rolling her onto her back, I performed chest compressions and breathed air into her mouth. It took a few tries, but she finally coughed up a large amount of water before passing back out. I checked her pulse. It was strong, albeit a little irregular.

Hahn leaned over the railing of Zhao's ship. "What do you think you're doing? That's the enemy, moron!"

I looked up. "I'll explain later! Now, get down here, Hahn! We have to retreat!"

A fireball shot past my head, only missing by a few inches, and I hated to admit that the heat emanating from it felt good. Turning around, I saw that the canoes were getting closer. Taking a deep breath, I punched my fist forward and shot an airball back at them. I managed to knock the soldiers off of the first canoe before dodging another fireball. I continued my onslaught, my sights set on the canoes themselves, and I managed to sink two of them. The soldiers flailed in the freezing water, their thick armor weighing them down.

"Hurry, Hahn! We don't have much time!" I said.

"So you just wanna cut and run? You had him right there!" Hahn glared at me. "I knew you were a joke! This is why women shouldn't be warriors! Now, watch and learn, little girl! This is how a man fights in battle!"

I continued holding off the canoes. "You can't take on the Admiral and the Dragon of the West at the same time! We have to pull back for now!"

"Maybe you can't, Outsider, but I'm a real warrior. The Chief gave me a mission, and I'm gonna complete it even if it means my end!" He sneered at me. "So go on and run away with your tail between your legs!"

There's no reasoning with him, and I'm running out of time. I nodded. "Very well. I respect your decision! Good luck, Hahn, and be careful!"

Hahn blinked at my response, but he nodded as well. I wish he wasn't so stubborn. I could've used his help with the new intel I discovered. Zhao was after the Ocean and Moon spirits? I had to tell Aang and the others about this. My gaze drifted further up where Zhao and Iroh were watching us. The Fire Lord's brother seemed curious of the whole situation, and he stroked his beard in deep thought. Zhao, on the other hand, was staring straight at me, his piercing eyes practically burning holes into mine. I gave him a cheeky smile and a wink, and his expression morphed into a full scowl.

After all, I, a mere teenage girl, had the audacity to sneak aboard his ship, take down all of his soldiers, and turn down a duel with him in favor of rescuing his subordinate, whom was supposed to be my enemy. Now, his ego was going to be bruised even further as he watched me escape like nothing happened. Rushing over to Natsumi, I wrapped her arms around my neck and hoisted her onto my back as best as I could.

"What are you waiting for, you ingrates! Capture the air-bender girl!" Zhao ordered from above.

Just as some of the soldiers reached my little platform, I breathed deeply and took off with a burst of air propelling me forward. My legs dashed so fast that I was now running on the water. I bobbed and weaved out of the path of the fireballs that were flung at me and kept my focus on reaching the gate.

I never saw Hahn again.