The tightly-bound scroll, held together by a ribbon, was concealed within a wooden cylinder, a larger version of those carried by messenger hawks. Sokka hoped he'd be holding it casually, but the awareness of the content of his cargo was eating away at him: if anyone saw him, if anyone asked what he was carrying…
But then, why would anyone ask? Who, other than his friends, would possibly feel the need to inspect whatever paper he was carrying in that cylinder? It was nonsense, complete and utter nonsense, to worry about such a thing. His artwork would be safe and sound at home before they knew it, and he would stop worrying so much once he knew for sure that no one would spread it open to discover the most inappropriate depiction of a Princess and her gladiator, the grand painting the two of them had crafted together.
"The storms have calmed down, but Xin will wait for about an hour before fetching you, for safety's sake" Azula said, as they stopped at the Palace's entrance "And by tomorrow…"
"We'll behave better. For sure" Sokka said. Azula snorted but smiled at him.
"I was about to say you'll go home earlier so you can do whatever you please to me underneath a table during breakfast…" she muttered, and Sokka snorted and laughed without bothering to conceal his amusement "But suit yourself…"
"You're about as bad as I am lately, Princess. And that's not a compliment" Sokka smirked, poking her shoulder with a finger. Azula smiled.
"I can't see what's so bad about it, if you want me to be honest" she shrugged "At any rate, make haste or you'll get very little…"
She trailed off when she caught movement at the Palace's gates: the guards were allowing a carriage through, and she identified it immediately, even when dusk had already fallen. Sokka held his silence too, recognizing the carriage's driver as well as the small cabin, carried forward by a single dragon moose.
The carriage stopped at the foot of the stairs that led to the Palace's front doors. Sokka and Azula stood at the top of said stairs, and the driver bowed briskly towards Azula before jumping off his seat and opening the door for his passenger: Zhao disembarked quickly, and he was startled upon finding the Princess who had summoned him happened to be standing right before him.
"Why, good thing you were here, it saves me searching the Palace to track you down" Zhao said, with a weak smile, before bowing his head "I thought I'd stop by before heading to the port, as you requested"
"Thank you, Admiral" Azula said, solemnly "Both for dropping by and for your quick response. I half-expected to hear nothing from you until tomorrow, so this is a relief"
"The message you sent was urgent. I didn't think I had time to spare" Zhao said, standing upright again.
"It sounds like an unusual happening" Azula acknowledged "I suspected perhaps I was making too much of a fuss about two missing ships, but if you find it as disturbing as this…"
"It is disturbing, Princess. And whatever the explanation may be, it still means something is most certainly wrong" Zhao said, frowning "Ships do not simply vanish in our navy. One of our main advances in warfare has been the improvement of communications: we keep track of every battalion, every soldier, to the point where defections are not only scarce but damn near impossible. To date, there haven't been more than ten successful Fire Nation defectors in the history of the Hundred Years' War. So, if their absence obeys treasonous motives…"
"It's still bad form for the Fire Nation" Azula muttered, trying to focus only on how it would affect her people, rather than how it would affect her, personally, if this problem got out of control "And if they weren't defectors, the problem would be no less severe"
"It would be worse yet, even" Zhao admitted, with a sigh "You've done the right thing by taking it seriously, Princess – rather, Interim Fire Lord. I will make certain to investigate the matter thoroughly and, hopefully, resolve it long before your father returns home"
"I would appreciate that, yes" Azula nodded "It's in our best interests for the Fire Nation to be in good shape once he comes back. Even if this were something menial in the end, he won't take it kindly if he must resolve it himself, in case either of us failed…"
"We won't, rest assured" Zhao nodded in her direction.
Only then did he seem to notice Sokka stood next to Azula… and even then, it took him a moment to reason that his presence, so late at night, seemed out of place in the Palace.
"Uh, hey. I was just leaving" Sokka said, with a small voice. Zhao smiled.
"If so, I suppose I can give you a ride home, on my way to the port. As long as it's not too much of a detour" he said.
"Huh. Thanks" Sokka smiled, nodding towards the Admiral… and tightening his grip around the cylinder he would definitely not allow the man to peek into.
"He's kept me company over the past two days" Azula explained "He's too bored otherwise, and this way I have a sparring partner too, so he's been helpful"
"I suppose you've been training every day, just like your father" Zhao sighed, shaking his head despite he was still smiling "I do hope she eases up on you some, gladiator"
"Heh, she never does" Sokka smirked, glancing at Azula playfully as the Princess rolled her eyes, failing to conceal her amusement.
"Go on now, the Admiral has little time to waste" she said "I'll see you tomorrow again, I suppose"
"Yup!" Sokka said, grinning as he walked towards the carriage.
"I'll send word with anything I gather at the Naval Coordination and Communication Office" Zhao bowed his head towards Azula.
"Please do. And make sure to inform me of every decision you make during your investigation" Azula said, as the Admiral nodded and turned towards the carriage.
"It will be as you ask, Interim Fire Lord"
That he spoke the title without any indication of teasing, relieved Azula… perhaps he knew better than to risk her wrath when she was, at the moment, the most powerful person in their world, in just about every possible sense. Perhaps the situation was so dire he couldn't help but take her seriously… or he was simply displaying the respect she warranted these days, whether in her current, temporary position or in any other.
Whichever the reason, Azula couldn't possibly find Zhao's behavior displeasing. Her determination to earn genuine respect from the man catapulted countless, unexpected developments in her life… and, just as she had achieved many of her goals recently, perhaps she had finally achieved that one too.
She smiled as she watched the two men boarding the carriage, hoping not to betray how heartwarming it was to watch Sokka waving at her goofily from the window as they rolled towards the Palace's gates. Surely Zhao had been serious and respectful towards her… but he'd have the perfect chance to ridicule her gladiator right now, considering how foolish his behavior was.
She wasn't wrong, of course: even before Azula had turned to head back inside the Palace, Sokka sensed Zhao's inquisitive, judgmental stare on him and he sank back on his seat, his cheeks heating up. To his relief, Zhao smiled at him.
"You must be pleased, gladiator" he said, and Sokka gulped "That she wants you around all day must be gratifying for you"
"W-well, she makes fun of me the whole time, but it's fun anyhow…" Sokka said, scratching the back of his neck as Zhao chuckled.
"I suppose it is" he said "Though being her closest advisor now that she's Interim Fire Lord mustn't be the only thing you're thrilled by: you two were the undisputed champions of the Gladiator and Sponsor Race, weren't you?"
"Ah, yeah" Sokka nodded, with a proud smile "It wasn't easy, though… but we earned more points than anyone else, in the end. Azula's wrist was wounded, and we were tired as hell by the final stage, but at least the efforts were worth it"
"I hear you defeated the Millennium Dragon for the third time?" Zhao asked. Sokka chuckled but nodded.
"Something like that" he said "Though we didn't fight him and Aonu directly at any point in the Race, but they still lost against us, all around. The ones we did beat personally were Toph and Iroh, though…"
"Is that so?" Zhao said, raising his eyebrows "My, my. A dream come true for you, then: finally, you've avenged yourself against the Blind Bandit"
"Yeah, well, Azula was pretty psyched about finally fighting her uncle and proving herself against him too" Sokka chuckled "It's definitely strange, having beaten them. I know the Race doesn't reflect on gladiator records, as not all events do, but even without an official record, the truth is we defeated them. Kind of feels like we've overcome a pretty huge milestone…"
"Certainly" said Zhao "You would do best to savor and enjoy that feeling. Perhaps the next time you fight her you'll be in perfect shape to defeat her, even if you don't have the Princess fighting beside you"
"Well, she fights Iroh in the sponsors' balcony, as far as I can tell" Sokka chuckled, and Zhao smiled "Even if she's not in the sand with me, I know I'm not fighting alone"
"Must be the true reason why you conquered all competition in the Race" Zhao said.
"You and your gladiator ought to join the next one" Sokka suggested, smirking "Don't you think it'd be interesting to measure your partnership against other people's?"
"Oh, I'm under no delusions that our partnership is extraordinary" Zhao said, grimacing, and Sokka chuckled "Frankly, I don't think it's in anyone's best interests for Hakkai to be part of an event such as that one. He'd likely blow up all the competitors as soon as the race begins… and if he killed everyone, his own sponsor included, I doubt he'd shed any tears for it"
"That is, if he doesn't blow himself up in the process too?" Sokka suggested. Zhao crossed his arms over his chest but nodded, glancing upwards as he imagined the situation.
"He has been known to do that, in the past…" he admitted.
"Say… does he hate me for cutting his metal limb?" Sokka asked, with an awkward grin "Azula and I figured he wouldn't like me much, but…"
"Ah, yes. He absolutely despises you" Zhao said, chuckling. Sokka grimaced "You should be pleased, if anything. Who knew the day would come when a non-bender would be the one gladiator Combustion Man would take seriously, huh? Yet you carry on achieving unlikely, impossible things…"
"I try my best" Sokka said, grinning guiltily again. Zhao chuckled anew.
"It's no wonder she thrives in keeping you by her side. A man as unpredictable as you, who only seems to overcome every challenge…"
"Hey, now, she's even more unpredictable than I am, and she overcomes even more of them than I do" Sokka pouted.
"No doubt" Zhao smiled "And is it any wonder you're the strongest partnership in the League, if so? I'd say it's only natural, if anything. And, as I know you're besotted with her, it must delight you to know your partnership is paying off as well as it is"
"Y-yeah, well… I'm not complaining" Sokka said, biting his lip as he tried not to betray how pleased he was to hear the Admiral's words "Though I guess there's not that much I can do for her right now, but…"
"Ah, while she's Fire Lord? If anything, I'd argue your support will likely keep her level-headed through this whole ordeal" Zhao said "You may think she's used to the pressures, but being Fire Lord is far more taxing than being a Princess. That she doesn't have to face the hardships alone, that she can count on your advice and your partnership to handle whatever difficulties she'll have to overcome this week, will do wonders for her performance as Fire Lord, as far as I can tell"
"I can only hope so" Sokka said, with a weak grin.
"Stay by her side as much as you can… especially while we clarify whatever is happening with these ships" Zhao sighed "She's far more given to taking action herself than her father is. If the situation appears complicated, I suspect she might do just that if she believes she has any chance at succeeding where the rest of us are failing…"
"So, you want me to make sure she doesn't do that?" Sokka asked. Zhao smiled awkwardly.
"I want you to try, at least" he said "I know it's far from easy to protect someone who doesn't want to be protected… but if she might listen to someone, it's you. She can't risk her life for the Fire Nation, especially now"
"Yeah… I agree" Sokka said, nodding promptly. As much as he no longer hated the Fire Nation as he once had, he still wouldn't hold its wellbeing above that of the woman he loved most deeply.
Their conversation had died down when a small window behind Zhao was yanked open by the driver: the sound of hooves and the rustling of wheels over the hard road deafened the sounds for Sokka, but Zhao understood his driver's words perfectly.
"Where to from here?" Zhao asked Sokka, who jumped on his seat and pulled the curtain to the side, to figure out the route towards his house.
Within five minutes, it was time for Sokka to wave at Zhao instead as his carriage pulled out from his house's street. Zhao didn't return the wave, though he glanced at Sokka one last time before the carriage took a turn towards the main streets.
The gladiator watched the carriage until it was gone from sight, and only then did he frown, releasing a slow breath as he allowed certain feelings to bubble up, simmer, and vanish: despite he had behaved as casually as he could have, this was the first time Sokka had seen Zhao in person since the Slave Riot had happened. As much as things hadn't turned out so poorly in the events that followed, he couldn't forget the anguish of that dark night, where he had held a broken Azula in his arms, doing his best to appease her after she had failed to find a way to save that group of slaves, executed for crimes that weren't their own. Slaves Zhao had procured for Ozai, for the express purpose of murdering them to prove a twisted point that still filled Sokka's heart with anger.
Azula's laws would make things better, they already had: in the future, once they lived in the Earth Kingdom, everything would be different, too. They would have the power to ensure no one ever committed such heinous atrocities again. That was what he had to cling to, even if he would succumb to dark thoughts once in a while. He had to bear with Zhao, and with Ozai, as well as with the unpleasant feelings and memories they could awaken within him… and keep moving forward. The victims of the past would only be avenged if he and Azula succeeded at guiding their world towards a better future.
He entered the house to find most lights were already out: sounds in Song's room revealed Rui Shi was already with her… and Sokka had very little interest in subverting roles tonight, despite he smirked knowingly at her door. He climbed the stairs quietly and made way to his room, only relinquishing his tight hold on his cylinder then: he released the artwork from its confinement and smiled again as he gazed at it, even in the darkness of his room.
Sokka was seldom meticulous and organized with his possessions, but ever since he had first started to work on art, he had decided to be careful with how he stashed away his materials and finished art pieces. As there was but one place within his room that Song didn't go through, that was where he had often kept his finished paintings, rolled into tight scrolls.
With a quick yank, Sokka opened the cabinet of his nightstand, and the scrolls rustled within: his first attempt at painting sat in the cabinet, as did his depiction of their shared moment of peace in Shu Jing. Now, this new, far more secretive artwork joined the rest… he placed it carefully right beside Azula's necklace, and he fleetingly wondered when he would see it wrapped around her neck again. That cabinet, he realized, had become another guardian of their secret in its own way. He chuckled at the thought as he closed it, ensuring that some of the most revealing evidence of their relationship would be safe and sound.
After a quick bath, and after changing his clothes, Sokka barely had to wait a few more minutes before a dark shape descended on his backyard: his face brightened anew, as he climbed Xin Long's saddle and returned to Azula's side…
"A-Admiral Zhao, sir! It's a grand honor to have you in our Naval Coordination and Communication Office!"
Amongst many things he had picked up from royals over the years, Zhao had certainly taken to ignoring the buttering-up of lesser officers. He had entered the Office to no shortage of reverences as he made his way to Commander Gon's personal office, but he remained keenly aware of the confused glares as well. No doubt they expected him to be here to reprimand them, in some ways… depending on how they were handling their duties, he might just have to.
"I'm sure it is, Commander Gon" Zhao said simply, unconcerned by the man's apparent, constant nervousness "The Interim Fire Lord requested that I oversaw the investigation into the missing ships. Care to share whatever you've surmised on the subject over the past few hours?"
Zhao wasn't usually so straight-forward, but the urgency of this mission didn't go lost on him. Once he knew what was happening, he would know how to act accordingly… and the sooner he had all pertinent information on the matter, the sooner he would be able to remediate this sudden smear on the generally peaceful days in the Fire Nation's mainland.
"Yes, sir! Right away!" Commander Gon said, nodding promptly as Zhao took his seat before the Commander's desk "I'm afraid this has been a rather mysterious occurrence so far. Most our suspicions have gone nowhere: there are no reports from docks anywhere within the Western Colonies of any ships seeking safe harbor there…"
"They could have easily found a clandestine harbor someplace, with allies willing to lend them a hand" Zhao suggested. Gon shrugged.
"It's possible, but with the tight security we've kept on all waters within the area, it doesn't seem likely they could do so without detection, sir" Gon said "It's certainly not a case of shipwreck…"
"No floating debris" Zhao finished, and Gon nodded.
"The only new lead we've obtained today – a message about it arrived about an hour ago – is that a rudimentary, Earth Kingdom-styled vessel was found within fifty leagues of the last known position of the first missing ship" Gon said. Zhao frowned.
"Was it apprehended?" he asked "Their crew would certainly need to be questioned, if…"
"It was apprehended, but there was no crew" Gon said, and Zhao's confusion only increased "It was empty. So… two missing patrol ships, and one empty Earth Kingdom civilian vessel, floating too deep within the sea to have reached its position without being steered by human hands… I honestly don't know, sir. I can't reach any conclusions just yet"
"More investigation is required" Zhao said, shaking his head and leaning forward over the desk: a map of the Fire Nation and its waters was spread upon it "Please, mark down the locations of the missing ships and the Earth Kingdom vessel, if you would"
The Commander did as he was told, and Zhao studied the resulting image for a long, silent minute: the ships hadn't been that far from the mainland, positioned in the large ocean mass between the Earth Kingdom's western shores and the Fire Nation's northernmost islands. The Earth Kingdom vessel had been found floating quite close to one of the missing ships' last known locations: the second ship, however, was further south, closer to Fire Fountain City than to the Earth Kingdom…
Zhao frowned, his hand on his chin. Despite Ozai's frequent barbs on the subject, Zhao was, actually, not that foolish: there was no way to ascertain when each ship had gone missing, so his new suspicions couldn't be proven true easily. Yet, that an Earth Kingdom ship would be found empty, and two Fire Nation ships would vanish, each closer to the mainland than the next…
"Were all ships within the area alerted of the situation?" Zhao asked. Gon nodded.
"The ones on the Fire Nation's outer sea, yes" he said. Zhao frowned, tapping his chin again "They have been asked to assist in locating the two missing ships, but so far there has been no luck…"
"Of course" Zhao said, breathing deeply.
This was, he knew, significant enough already. He had to issue out a warning to Azula as soon as he could, but perhaps it would be wiser to observe the situation for a while longer. If he waited, it was entirely possible new, more valuable information would arrive, and the Interim Fire Lord would be able to respond to the situation with much more confidence.
Gon, clearly, hoped he'd leave sometime soon, but Zhao didn't do as much. He asked many more questions, requested more information of the patrols and their navigation charts, as well as a list of their officers and their respective positions within the navy. Other than a few sailors guilty of minor, petty charges, everyone aboard both missing ships appeared to be perfectly exemplary Fire Nation citizens.
Dawn came, and as the sun rose, new information was poised to arrive, Zhao hoped… and, sure enough, his expectations paid off just before he requested to send a bird to Azula with what little information and theories he had concocted so far.
"Commander Gon, sir…! Oh, Admiral Zhao, you're here as well" a younger officer bowed upon entering the office, nervous yet stern in the set of his tense shoulders.
"Any news on the missing ships?" Gon asked, almost pleadingly: clearly, he would have preferred to spend a night sleeping comfortably rather than dealing with Zhao's insidious questions at such hours of the night.
"N-not quite, but…" said the officer, stepping closer with as many as six small scrolls in his arms "Something's strange about the reported positions of the ships we've received. The very ships have said so as well, but it appears there was mist last night and they lost track of their locations…"
"What?" Zhao asked, frowning as the officer set down the scrolls.
"I don't really know if it's important, but the others thought it was a good idea to bring it to your attention" said the officer, glancing between the two older men before him.
Zhao frowned as he unfolded each scroll, skimming over the mandatory information until his eyes stopped at the details on the positions of the ship responsible for every scroll. After the fourth scroll, he scowled and reached for the map anew, using Commander Gon's red flag markers to set down the expected position of each ship, and black ones to signal their actual positions.
Nobody spoke as Zhao worked carefully, placing each marker as the reality of the situation dawned on him gradually. He clenched his jaw: all expected positions were closer to the Fire Nation's island chain, namely, to the Fire Nation's inner sea. Yet each ship had found itself misdirected, as though a path was being cleared, starting from the position of the furthermost missing ship…
And what kind of enemy could possibly misdirect so many ships without their awareness, aided by a foggy mist?
"Get me a fresh scroll, and ready a bird" Zhao instructed, and the officer nodded immediately "I must send word to the Interim Fire Lord"
Even if she parried his attacks skillfully and kept him at bay with a mix of firebending and sword slashes, Sokka couldn't stop frowning over Azula's dazed expression. He feinted to the left, and she predicted the move seamlessly, accustomed to his fighting style, but even her defense against his genuine attack was half-hearted, at best.
"Hey, now! If I were going all out on you, you'd be toast, Fire Lord!" Sokka exclaimed, playfully, his sword pressing against hers. Azula blinked at his bravado before smirking.
"Implying you would ever go all out on me…" she said, taking advantage of the opening he had left for her without missing a beat: she kicked blue fire towards his chest, and as expected, Sokka jumped out of the way.
They had sparred together for so many years that they knew each other's instinctive moves and resources by heart. It wasn't so much about measuring their strength against each other, or building further power by clashing together and deciphering new methods to defeat one another… it was about the closeness, the intimacy, in understanding each other flawlessly. It reminded Sokka of their lovemaking, too: just as he knew how to touch her to elicit the right feelings and reactions from Azula, he knew how to angle his sword to ensure she would dodge him, how to parry her blows just before she attacked with fire, and how to take advantage of all the openings she willfully offered him, just as he offered countless of his own to her. In the end, it was almost a dance rather than a fight, with only the ringing of blades and whooshing of fire for music…
As troubled as she might be, his teasing often brought Azula back from her ruminations, and she would shine those clever smirks upon him that he could only want to kiss off her face. She dashed forth, her blade shining under the morning sunlight, and she packed a fire blast in her free hand while angling Wolf's Bane to strike at Sokka. The panic that crossed his face was almost amusing enough to break her out of her new strategy over a laughter spree.
"Hey, now!" Sokka squeaked, running backwards to avoid her attack, despite knowing he'd collide into the Palace walls if he ran too far like this "If I hold back, so should you!"
"Says who?!" Azula laughed, chasing him relentlessly.
Sokka broke his backwards sprint only to exert considerable power in his thighs: he leapt over Azula, hovering in the air for long enough to turn around and toss his boomerang at her.
The Princess, no doubt, was impressed by his athletic display – watching his skills up close only increased her urge to pin him to the nearest tree and kiss him until they were breathless –, but she refused to be caught off-guard by that boomerang: the blue fire in her hand turned gold, and she blocked the weapon, ruining its trajectory before shooting a new blast of fire straight towards Sokka as he returned to the ground.
"HEY!"
He only managed to evade her latest blast in virtue of it being cast with gold fire, hence, it was slower… and because of that he squirmed out of its way narrowly once he hit the ground. He still shot a pouty glare at Azula, and to his delight, she was smirking more earnestly now as she shrugged, embracing her guilt without the slightest hint of remorse.
"And here I thought you could keep up with me these days…" she taunted him. Sokka bared his teeth and roared before attacking her again, though she didn't miss the way his voice cracked as he did so.
She knew what he was doing, and she was far more grateful for it than she showed: his goofy behavior always concealed his genuine concern for her, his hopes to protect her and shield her from anything that might harm her, whether it was physical threats or those within her mind. She couldn't help it when her thoughts slipped towards dark places, especially when any mistakes would set back their journey and hopes to change the world for a few years, at best… but she could always count on her partner to bring her back to reality, whether through his enthusiastic affection, as he'd done upon sneaking into her room last night, or through his dorkiest behavior as they sparred by midmorning.
Azula probably should have been most unwilling to admit it, but if Sokka were to fight at his best by now, she wasn't entirely sure she would defeat him. Without their awareness, his constant training and growth as a warrior had carried him to unanticipated heights. His control over his body was perfect, his grasp of combat only improving every day, and his understanding of his enemy enabled him to develop the best strategies to defeat whoever he might be facing. No doubt, Azula was remarkably powerful, but with each clash of their swords, and each fire blast Sokka dodged perfectly, the Princess grew more convinced that he had become her equal in every way that mattered, including fighting skills.
Few people could ever prove worthwhile opponents for the Princess: even then, her pride ever steered her forward, urging her to overcome them and prove her superiority. She had experienced that feeling with Toph, who had proven a worthy rival for her, yet Azula had never once doubted that, in genuine combat, she would have proven victorious over the earthbender. She had experienced it as well with her father: she had hoped to become a strong enough firebender to overcome him, and while she wasn't arrogant upon finally defeating him in training, her pride had certainly reared its head after that grand achievement, many years ago.
Yet it seemed Sokka elicited the exact same reaction in her, for the opposite reasons: that he could prove strong enough to fight evenly with her was the genuine source of pride, and the hopes that one day he might defeat her, instead, was a completely unprecedented sensation for the Princess. Perhaps it was a matter of having stood by him for all these years, aiding him in the development of his skills, strengthening him every time he faltered… his growth had been hers, too. One day, she suspected, he would stop holding back and prove his true strength… and then she would accept defeat with her head held high, honored to lose against the worthiest warrior she had ever known.
But clearly, that day wasn't today: in his foolish lunges and attacks, always accompanied by ridiculous war cries, it was clear Azula wasn't going to face the strongest combative facet she knew resided somewhere within Sokka's soul. Yet, as she knew this was for her benefit, she decided not to pressure him further: once this week was over, they'd spar again and she would have him prove he was strong enough to fight her evenly, to the point where defeating her fair and square would be a definite possibility for him, even with Azula fighting to her fullest.
Until then, however…
Sokka could tell she was focusing more on the fight, her eyes following his movements even though she wasn't fighting to her best just yet: as his own eyes were set on hers, he had a privileged view of her strengthening resolve, the glint of determination that crossed her face just before she dashed ahead, blue fire following the hand she moved in an arch towards him.
He dodged the fire and parried the sword, but he was in a precarious position: Azula leapt again, conjuring more fire into a kick that finally found its target when it collided with Sokka's armored chest.
He fell flatly on the Palace grounds, his head bouncing with the impact, though the soil was soft underneath him and the blow wasn't quite so painful for it. Yet he flopped on his back, waiting knowingly for her sword to hover above his face, the empty threat she ever waved before him at the end of any sparring session.
"Seems like you've lost again" Azula said, her voice softer than intended. Far closer to the gentle voice she used whenever they were alone, rather than the cutting tone she resorted to whenever they might be overheard. Guards paced on the walls, not so far from where they trained, and yet…
"My natural position in the world, isn't it?" Sokka asked, with a nonchalant grin "Right below your sword… and you, I suppose"
"Here I thought you preferred it when I was the one underneath you instead…" Azula teased him. Sokka snorted.
"Not like that's happened too often before…" he replied, with the same airy sarcasm with which she had spoken earlier. Azula smiled and drew her sword back, offering him her hand.
"Well, you've successfully cleansed my mind, if just for a little while" Azula said, pulling him up and releasing his hand most remorsefully once he was on his feet "I'd say it's time to get back to work?"
"I suppose" Sokka said, though his eyes narrowed "But first… the spa!"
"You sound far too excited about it considering how little enjoyment you found in it yesterday" Azula smirked, as the two of them began the trek back to the Palace's main building.
"What can I say?" Sokka shrugged "Might be the guy who got assigned to me will be in a nicer mood today, who knows?"
The spa worker in question, however, was just as displeased with Sokka today as on the previous day, to the gladiator's chagrin: while he had been fine at first, the middle-aged man had stiffened and scowled at Sokka halfway through the relaxing routine Azula had requested for them – a routine that ensured neither of them would have to reveal more of their bodies than they should, covered in far too many love marks. This time, however, the worker was in a bad mood from the start, and Sokka only grew more uneasy about that pointed glare as he and Azula walked together to the two, gender-divided bathrooms within the spa, to clean up after their training session before their routines.
"C-can't I have someone else working with me? I think he's going to poison me" Sokka said. Azula snorted.
"You fight me, toe-to-toe, on any given day… yet a masseuse terrifies you" she smirked "Goodness, gladiator, you make no sense…"
"I'm just saying! He really doesn't like me" Sokka pouted, and Azula shrugged.
"Be that as it may, I think he's the only male worker on duty at the moment. So you'll have to sock it up" Azula said, smiling innocently at him. Sokka sighed "I mean, if you'd rather we switch places, so he works with me instead…"
"Ugh… okay, okay, you win! Curses…" Sokka pouted, blushing as he pushed the door open. Azula smirked still, shaking her head at his silly jealous outburst as she entered her own bathroom.
Naturally, they would have preferred to bathe together, but as usual, it was something they would have to wait on. Still, the wall that separated both baths was thin enough that they could hear each other, and even talk lightly across their respective rooms. Thus, even if they weren't together, they weren't entirely apart either.
That helped Azula's troubled mind… but by the time her royal hair-combing session began, she couldn't keep her thoughts from spiraling towards darker places than intended. The female worker assigned to her combed her hair over the small pool of water that soaked Azula's hair and head smoothly, but the physical comfort wasn't enough to offset her troubled thoughts.
Dressed in a red and gold robe just like hers, Sokka could only gaze at her wistfully from where he stood, waiting for his own hair-combing session. He would likely enjoy it far better if the man meant to deliver it wasn't quite so antagonistic towards him, but for now he'd ignore those charged glares and admire his beautiful Princess carelessly…
"Cut it out"
Sokka blinked blankly: the spa worker scowled heavily at him, fists clenched.
"Say what?" Sokka said.
"Looking at her like that… j-just what do you think this place is?!" the man spoke in a hushed voice, but the urgency and outrage in his tone was apparent, nonetheless. Sokka grimaced.
"I… w-well, I was just waiting for my turn, no need to be so grumpy…" Sokka knew his attempt to cover up for his constant watching of Azula would fail, but it was better to at least try…
"Waiting for your turn, is it?" the worker hissed "Of course, of course… I bet you want her to do it herself, don't you?"
"Uh… huh?" Sokka said, with an awkward grin "I… I would never expect that! I mean, really, why would I think she'd comb my hair herself…?"
"That's why I've been assigned to you, you see?" the man huffed "Because most men, when they come to places like these, get the wrong impression about the upstanding ladies who work here…!"
"Uh… wait a minute, what?" Sokka's rising nervousness dwindled quickly "You… thought I was watching the one working with the Princess?"
"W-well… you weren't?" the worker said, and just the possibility that Sokka might not be quite as deranged as he first assumed was enough to soothe the angry man.
"Not even by mistake" Sokka admitted, with an awkward grin "I'm way more concerned with the Princess herself, you see…"
"Hey! You're not supposed to look at her either!" the man exclaimed, though now there was fear in his voice instead. Sokka chuckled and waved a hand dismissively.
"Relax, pal" he said "I'm not expecting anything from Azula. I just hope this is helping her, she's pretty stressed out lately"
"That… that's it, then?" the worker said, and now his cheeks heated up "I-I… I'm sorry! I thought… oh, dear, it's just that sometimes, when some male nobles come here, they just…"
"Ugh. They do stuff that's out of bounds?" Sokka asked, his nose twitching with disgust.
"They want to! That's why I have to deal with them myself" said the man, stubbornly "Even General Iroh, back in his younger years, from what older employees said, would always flirt and…"
"Ew. I don't think I want to know how that sentence ends" Sokka grimaced, shuddering. The man nodded sagely "So… you just try your best to look out for all the girls who work here by taking the more annoying clients to yourself?"
"Well, yes…" said the worker, though he cast a wistful glance in Azula's direction…
Or, perhaps, in the direction of the woman who was busy combing Azula's hair still.
"Huuuh…?" Sokka smirked, and the man beside him squirmed awkwardly.
"It's not like that! I mean, I must seem a hypocrite now, b-but she's special, and we've known each other for years, and… and I-I'm no fool, I know nothing should happen, we're colleagues…!" he squeaked, but Sokka chuckled and patted his back.
"Well, now, no need to panic as long as you're not being an ass, same as those nobles you're worried about. And if you aren't… then I'll give you a hand" he said, brimming with confidence.
Merely half an hour later, it was Azula and her assigned spa worker's turn to watch the two men… though not quite as longingly as they had watched them.
"What a good hand!" Sokka exclaimed, as the man brushed his smooth hair in the water "I bet your wife must love it when you comb her hair!"
"Ah, ahaha, I have no wife yet, good sir, but hopefully my luck will change someday…" the man replied, blushing as he continued to work… while casting occasional glances at the two women not so far from the artificial pond.
"Any lady who gets to marry you will be most fortunate, good man, I assure you of that!"
"Oh, I can only hope you're right…!"
Azula's confusion only increased as her gladiator complimented his assigned worker unabashedly. The woman beside her seemed just as perplexed as she was, but she merely blinked herself out of her confusion and offered to guide Azula to the resting room, where soft, plump cushions awaited amidst the scents of the rarest and most exquisite incenses found in the Fire Nation.
The Princess's mind drifted between her reality and Sokka's ridiculousness erratically, until her gladiator finally joined her in the private resting room. She didn't bother concealing her approval at his perfectly combed hair, falling elegantly upon his handsome features, but she wouldn't shower him with compliments just yet:
"What the hell was that?" she asked, as Sokka slid a hand through his damp hair and smiled at her awkwardly.
"Eh, well, turns out he hated me instinctively because there's guys who come here who can be… um, assholes who try to abuse their position to get away with shitty behavior?" Sokka said, shrugging as he sank to sit beside her "And he assumed I was just like that too because he thought I was looking at the worker who was combing your hair, see? But of course, I was looking at you, so…"
"No doubt you must have rushed to clarify that" Azula said. Sokka blushed.
"Once I realized he wasn't telling me off for gaping at the Interim Fire Lord, yes, I did" he admitted "But he also has feelings for that worker, seems like? I was just trying to help him catch her eye…"
"Great job you did of that" Azula smiled skeptically, and Sokka huffed "I'm not entirely sure she was impressed by the hair-combing skills of a man whose career hinges on how good he is at grooming others?"
"Hey, now, isn't that a nice trait in a man?" Sokka pouted "You always like it when I…"
"Hush" Azula said, despite he had spoken his half-sentence softly "If a gladiator can groom hair at the level of a professional, that's impressive. If a Princess can paint artworks on par with court painters, that's impressive. But it's a given that a man deemed good enough to serve the Fire Lord personally will be able to perform royal hair-combing better than anyone else should, right?"
"Well… I guess" Sokka said. Azula sighed.
"You can advise your new friend to impress her with something unrelated to their job, perhaps. Poetry worked for you, last I knew…" she teased him. Sokka snorted but smiled.
"Fair enough. I'll tell him that tomorrow" Sokka said.
"Thank you for that foolishness, though" Azula smiled gently at him, and Sokka's heart sped up as he returned her gaze "And for your silly antics while we sparred. You've always been pretty successful at keeping my mind off unpleasant things"
"I have to do my best, don't I?" Sokka asked, grinning "That's what I'm here for. Even Zhao thinks so…"
"Ah, you had another fun carriage conversation?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Sokka chuckled but shrugged.
"He thought I'd be over the moon about spending all day here. And yeah, he's not wrong, so…" Sokka admitted, shrugging and Azula smiled again, dropping her head against the tall cushion she rested her back on.
"I may not show it much, busy as I am and all… but I feel the same way" she said, her voice quiet again.
They were as cautious as could be in the spa, never knowing who could be lurking or listening in on their conversations. Even so, it wasn't easy to contain the onslaught of affection they often elicited within each other's hearts: Sokka smiled too, his hand reaching for Azula's, and she intertwined their fingers briefly, her grin widening noticeably thanks to his touch.
Improving her mood, Sokka surmised, would be his duty through the next four days of Azula's week as Fire Lord. It was a certainty for him, even before they were intercepted by a soldier from the Royal Messengers' Office, just as they were on their way to the Fire Lord's study, half an hour later.
"Princess – I mean, Interim Fire Lord!" exclaimed the soldier, leaning down and offering a scroll to Azula "This message arrived from the Naval Coordination and Communication Office!"
Azula's brow furrowed immediately, and she barely followed protocol as she reached for the scroll in question.
"My thanks for bringing this to my attention" Azula said "You're dismissed"
The soldier nodded, rising from his bow quickly, yet by then Azula's long strides had already brought her to the study's door, which were opened for her by one of her former guards, Han. Sokka offered him a friendly smile as he followed Azula through the door, and he closed it behind himself just as Azula was unfolding the letter she had just received.
Sokka waited patiently for Azula to finish reading the message, despite he was rather anxious about its contents, too. Said anxiety only increased as the crease between Azula's eyebrows deepened as she progressed with her reading…
Finally, she lowered the letter, and her face was a mask of confused outrage.
"What is it now?" Sokka asked, dubiously.
"Zhao has… a lot of suspicions. Unpleasant suspicions" Azula said, releasing a deep breath before shaking her head and placing the letter on her father's desk "An empty Earth Kingdom ship was found near the position of one of the Fire Nation's lost ships. That's already worrisome enough, but the theory he proposes is that… that a group of rebels, on that Earth Kingdom ship, commandeered the Fire Nation ship closest to them, and either sank or commandeered the other one, too"
"Wait, what?" Sokka frowned too, immediately on edge: he had dreaded this could be more serious than it sounded, but he had certainly hoped it wouldn't be quite as murky and suspicious as this, at least…
"By the potential pattern that can be drawn through the positions of the missing ships…" Azula said, spreading a map upon the desk. Sokka inched closer, watching as she marked the locations of the three ships expertly "It seems… they're moving towards the mainland, no less"
"Then… well, now, even if they did, it's not like you guys can't stop them, right?" Sokka said, matter-of-factly "You have the biggest navy in the world, right? Just give the order and…"
"There's one last, problematic factor" Azula said, her voice darker yet now. Sokka gritted his teeth, as Azula breathed out slowly "Ships that were perfectly on course over the past weeks have suddenly found themselves adrift in mist, losing their way in the sea for no apparent reason. All of them, pushed away from their positions, protecting the area near the Fire Nation's entrance"
"Pushed away…?" Sokka asked, and Azula snarled, shaking her head.
"Zhao suspects a waterbender's involvement" she said "And I'm inclined to agree"
"Then… the group of rebels that boarded the missing Fire Nation ships have a waterbender amongst them?" Sokka asked, eyes wide.
"A waterbender who diverts currents, powerful enough to change the tides… or maybe there's more than one bender, this feat should be too grand for a single person" Azula sighed, shaking her head "This is not good, Sokka"
"It doesn't sound good, no" Sokka conceded, frowning.
Azula stepped around the desk, sinking into her father's chair as she glared at the map before her. There was one obvious solution she could resort to, but with enemies as resourceful as whoever they were facing, she wasn't sure that would be enough to keep them at bay.
"It's a bit like what the White Lotus did, back in the day" Sokka mused, his thumb brushing over the stubble on his chin "Masquerading as soldiers so no one would know it was them…?"
"This is far sloppier: we keep careful track of all our ships" Azula said, shaking her head "All ships in the mainland have been asked to locate these two missing ships already: there's no way they can hide amongst our navy without being caught"
"Which means you won't be caught with your guard down, at the very least" Sokka said, trying to smile encouragingly, but Azula didn't soften up over those words.
"If there's a waterbender, or several, this could be a bigger problem than we expected" Azula said, breathing out slowly and shaking her head "But it has escalated enough, hasn't it?"
"I… suppose" Sokka said. Azula jerked a cabinet open, yanking a new fresh scroll open and readying the ink to scribble on it "What's your plan?"
"I'm closing the Great Gates of Azulon" Azula said. Sokka raised his eyebrows, ever disapproving of hearing that name, yet grasping the usefulness of that massive defensive contraption far more clearly now "And even that might not be enough. But if it were… then it's best if we do so. Whoever those people are, if they make it through the bay, they might put the civilian population of the Fire Nation at risk, and I won't allow that"
"Good" Sokka said, nodding "Sounds like the right way to proceed"
"It will result in problems, even if it is the right way to proceed" Azula sighed, shaking her head "Commerce between the Colonies and the mainland will be halted, at the very least for a day or two, and that won't go down without consequences. Hopefully it will be but a small price to pay for the nation's safety… but I suspect I'll gain a few enemies with my actions anyhow"
"You would, even if it's a matter of national security?" Sokka asked, grimacing "Maybe ask that Naval Office, or whoever is in charge of the merchant ships, to send word about how urgent the situation is?"
"It's a thought" Azula admitted, as she began composing her first new letter, this one addressed to the Naval Coordination and Communication Office… and the next one would be addressed directly to the soldiers in charge of the barrier at the Great Gates of Azulon.
She couldn't even remember the last time that barrier was erected… surely shortly after the Earth Kingdom had fallen. To think this would be her first major act as Fire Lord… whoever was behind this damned stunt, stealing navy ships in a likely attempt to break into the Fire Nation, was guaranteed to face her wrath once she finally caught them.
Sokka proved even more helpful than he expected to be that day: he ran with the first two finished letters to the Royal Messengers' Office, ensuring they would send the birds just as Azula needed them to, while she stayed behind in her father's study, pondering the irregular situation further. Sokka was right to say there was a hint of the White Lotus's erratic, unpredictable behavior to this sudden occurrence: there had been no warning, no indication that anything was amiss in the Capital until a sudden alarm rang across the city, back when they had attacked. Yet there had been a certain elegance to that plan, deliberation aided by whoever had served as a spy within Ozai's very own Palace. This felt far more sudden, forceful… impulsive, perhaps, was the right word for it.
Yet Azula knew better than to underestimate whatever this sudden catastrophe might wreak upon them: she had to be decisive, strong and efficient. If this was the challenge she'd have to deal with to prove herself as a strong Fire Lord, she intended to overcome it with her head held high.
As dangerous, wild and unpleasant as life could be inside the Black Cliff's cavernous Arena, it was surprisingly smooth and cheerful just above it, at the grassy surface of the strange island. Shinya and his friends had adapted to their new lives surprisingly well, even if they were distant with most gladiators that dwelled inside the island: amongst them, no one visited them quite as frequently as the Priestess of the Flames, who was genuinely fascinated and curious by the small farm Shinya had erected for the koala-sheep. She had stopped by on that afternoon, sitting by the fence while Fuuma worked within, carefully gliding a sharp knife over a koala sheep's fluffy coat of wool.
"Who'd have thought this farm of yours could be so useful, eh?" San said, rubbing the fresh wool that Fuuma had sheared off one of the larger koala sheep between her index finger and thumb.
"We can make bandages from that wool, to say one thing, as well as other kinds of fabrics" Fuuma told her, proudly "I know you like how the koala sheep taste, but they can have many other ways to help us, too"
"Plus, if what you want is more koala sheep to eat, this is better for you too" Shinya said, as he gazed at the enclosure where he kept his new cattle "If we promote their growth, we'll have more koala sheep than you know within just a few years, I promise"
"Sounds good to me" San smiled, reaching into the enclosure to pat the head of one of the mild creatures.
It was a peaceful place to live in, as long as they stayed within their farm for as long as possible. Unsurprisingly, Yukio, the most violent member of their group, had taken to joining the wild gladiators on occasion, and he often served as an envoy between both the pacifists atop the island and the proudly bloodthirsty warriors from the Arena. Despite his frequent clashes with many gladiators, it seemed he had scarcely been any happier in recent times, so Shinya and the rest of the group had encouraged him to follow his impulses if he truly wished to involve himself with the Dragon's Pit's very own version of gladiatorial combats.
Yunru was the entire opposite of Yukio, however: he avoided the depths of the Arena as best he could, and often scoured the horizon with a spyglass he had found discarded within the gladiators' caves. There was no doubt that, out of all the escaped gladiators, the young boy was the one most desperate to leave the island. Even so, he hadn't dared do as much yet: even when ships stopped at the Black Cliffs, he would always choose to stay with Shinya, fearful of losing what little stability he had found with their group. Yet he still dreamt, inevitably, of the day when he would return home, to a family he dreaded he might never see again.
He was doing that again today, his vision expanded by the superposed glass, when he noticed the first strange happening of the day: ships often passed by their island, whether cargo ships or Fire Nation navy ships, which always sent chills down his spine whenever he identified them. Today, however, the waters had been surprisingly calm and scarcely transited. He was perplexed by such a strange happening, but he didn't expect it to be particularly important. Surely the mist had made it difficult to navigate the sea today, that was all. Though it was odd… he had been in the Black Cliffs for about half a year now, and Yunru couldn't remember mist rising in the heated waters and temperatures of the Fire Nation. Maybe a strange spike in the weather had caused this…? He didn't know the exact conditions for mist to rise, though he hadn't felt the temperature dropping enough, the way it often needed to for mist to rise…
Yet his casual wondering about weather went forgotten when he spotted a strange, sudden movement inland, at that creepy statue that, according to Sokka, was some sort of homage to a past Fire Lord Yunru knew very little about.
He watched with confused curiosity at first, uncertain of what those strange, large, chain-like objects were… and then he yelped, astonished, when they caught fire.
A massive net of fire was erected between the statue and the two shores it was linked to. Even after lowering the spyglass, Yunru could see the fire clearly from the Black Cliffs…
"Guys?" he exclaimed, before jumping to his feet and running back to fetch Shinya "Guys!"
"Oh? Something wrong, Yunru?" Shinya asked, stopping on his tracks just as he had been about to start cleaning the koala sheep pens from the countless animal droppings left within them.
"I don't know if it's wrong, but… something's going on over there!" Yunru exclaimed, pointing at the Great Gates.
Despite she was generally unconcerned with whatever was happening within the Fire Nation, San frowned upon Yunru's words. She pushed herself up to her feet with one quick motion and strode towards the boy, passing him by as she scrutinized the horizon keenly… though she didn't have to study it too hard to understand what Yunru had been surprised by.
"Woah. Gates are lit" San said, hands on her hips as she watched the line of fire in the horizon "The heck is going on?"
"I think that's what Sokka told us about, remember?" Yunru said, guiding Fuuma and Shinya to where San stood now, and offering his spyglass to his group's leader readily "The Gates of… what was it?"
"Great Gates of Azulon" San finished, and Yunru nodded.
"That! Exactly that!" he exclaimed.
"Looks damn nasty" said Shinya, grimacing and handing the spyglass to Fuuma, who glanced through it with his only eye "What is it, exactly? A net of fire?"
"Something like that" San said, before shrugging "As far as I know, it's meant to be an impenetrable defense against any water-based attacks. If you can't get through the fire net, you'll be taken down by the patrolling ships nearby… boring, simple and straightforward that way. It's supposed to make the Fire Nation pretty damn invulnerable"
"Azulon was the previous Fire Lord, wasn't he?" Fuuma asked, lowering the spyglass. San reached for it as she nodded.
"Yep. Had a noodle mustache" San announced, startling the other three with the random fact.
She didn't speak again as she studied the Gates. It wasn't exactly common for the Gates to be lit… she couldn't remember that happening ever since she had started living in the Black Cliffs. Were they expecting an invasion of some sort? A massive attack by the Northern Water Tribe, maybe? If so… why, they'd have first-rate seats for the spectacle, wouldn't they?
San dared glance northwards with her spyglass, her curiosity getting the better of her. The men around her remained perplexed by her actions, for there was nothing at sea right now, as far as their eyes could scour.
"I haven't seen a lot of ships today" Yunru commented, and San hummed "Feels like they all took a break, or something… kind of strange, I thought, but I don't know what weird decisions the Fire Lord would make…"
"Well, if he told everyone to stay home, sounds like a few people didn't listen" San said, locking the spyglass on one speck of black in the distance.
Her words startled the others, and she handed the spyglass to them as they all took turns to study the small shape in the horizon. It might have been nothing, San reasoned… yet the small shape grew larger with each passing moment. Large enough that it became apparent it was two shapes, rather than one, before long…
"Two Fire Nation ships?" Shinya confirmed, holding the spyglass again "Well, I guess that's the patrol you were expecting, right, Yunru?"
"Is it?" San asked, extending a hand towards Shinya to request the spyglass.
There was something strange about how those ships sailed, and it took San a moment to understand what it was, exactly: they moved far too quickly for their size, and for the amount of smoke pouring from the chimneys. For a ship of that magnitude to move that fast… well, frankly she had no idea what the conditions would have to be, but she suspected none of the navy's ships were that versatile.
"Weird. Very weird" she said, lowering the spyglass anew.
Within the hour, the entire island was abuzz with rumors about the lit Gates, and a few gladiators joined them at the top of the cliffs to get a better look. San, Shinya, Fuuma and Yunru continued to watch the two ships keenly – they were but a few leagues away from the Black Cliffs by now.
It was then that San spotted yet another strange happening with the ships. She raised the spyglass once more and gazed through it at the ships that moved together, as good as parallel to one another… yet it wasn't her imagination, was it? There was something in the water between the two ships. Or rather, someone…?
"The hell is this?" she muttered, but there was nothing to do other than watch as the two Fire Nation vessels traveled at remarkable speeds through the sea… directed straight towards the burning net "Wait. Shit, are they trying to go through the Gates?"
"What, those ships?" Shinya asked "They'd open up to them, right? They're their people, after all…"
"I don't really know about that…" San mumbled, frowning as she glared at the Gates with uncertainty "They haven't closed those gates since the days when the war was at its worst, as far as I know. Why would they close them now?"
So much was amiss, so much was confusing, yet no one could seem to tear their eyes away… most of all, upon realizing that those two ships were traveling together, oriented towards the massive gates of Azulon. Once again, San gazed through the spyglass once the space between both ships was visible, when they had passed the Black Cliffs altogether… and yes, she was sure something was floating there. But what on earth was it? A man? Were they keeping him there, punishing him in some extra-twisted version of keelhauling? Or maybe…?
"Oh, now… you've got to be kidding me" San said, with an awkward grin.
"What? Did you figure something out?" Fuuma asked. San huffed and pointed at the strange floating figure between the two ships.
"I think that thing there is a waterbender" she said, startling everyone within earshot "And that's why they're moving so fast. But… damn. I don't really know how much good a waterbender would be against a gate that big. I bet even if they take down the fire, it'll just start again moments later"
"Then what's their plan?" Shinya said, wordlessly asking for the spyglass to get a better look of the situation.
Fifteen minutes passed, and the ships shrank in the orange waters that reflected the setting sun, as well as the burning flames before them; they loomed ever closer to the grandiose statue. Once they were close enough, a group of smaller boats were launched from the Gates, towards the incoming ships. Yet…
"Uh, what's that? The ships are… sinking?" Shinya asked, startled.
San nabbed the spyglass out of his hands, eager to confirm his claim. And she was floored by discovering he wasn't merely seeing mirages, at this distance: the ships were slowly dipping into the water, surely by the waterbender's prowess… and then they were completely out of sight just before the incoming patrol ships could reach them.
A collective gasp ran through the group of onlookers, and San blinked blankly as she gazed at the burning horizon in disbelief. The people sailing those ships were, without a doubt, most impressive for their prowess, especially that waterbender… but was it even possible for them to cross those gates? Could they do it underwater? It sounded rather unlikely…
"And that's that? They're gone?" asked Shinya. San shrugged, offering the spyglass back to Yunru, who glanced through it eagerly.
"We might see them again soon, if they fail to cross the Gates underwater" San said "But I dunno, might be they'll manage? No idea how those big chain-nets work. Could be their plan is a sound one, though"
The men around her shrugged, though Yunru scowled as he gazed through his spyglass anew: was it his idea… or were there two dark stains floating just beyond the massive statue and its net of fire?
It took the Stingray every last bit of effort to finally hoist himself onto the first stolen ship by the power of his waterbending. He slumped on the deck upon finally reaching it and, exhausted as he was, he smiled rather lazily at Rhone, who knelt beside him, his spear in hand.
"Seems you're really not all talk" Rhone acknowledged. The Stingray snickered and shrugged.
"How'd you think I snuck in, all those years ago?" he said "To kill that same rotten bastard in that statue… damn, I dunno who did him in, but I'll envy them forever. I so wanted to snap his bones myself…"
"You'll get to break his son's, as long as the plan goes as expected" Rhone said "But for now, we'll continue onwards. They'll know we're here soon, and I'd rather not unleash the Spear until we're inland"
"You think it might attack us if you did?" asked one of his other allies: he tried to conceal the fear in his voice, but he failed to do so. Rhone scowled at him.
"Yes. I do" he said, bluntly "Don't give me reason to think you'll deserve it"
The man shrank in his frame and said nothing else. Rhone handled everyone in the group with uncompromising strictness, though perhaps the waterbender, for his usefulness, was earning his way into becoming his chosen lieutenant…
"Get as much rest as you can, Stingray" Rhone said, breathing deeply "By morning, we strike"
"Sounds about right to me" said the waterbender, smiling blissfully as he closed his eyes.
The skies above had gained an orange hue by now: they would gladly welcome the mantle of nighttime, as it would help conceal their approach to the Fire Nation Capital. They would continue to progress slowly from now on, using only the ships' natural fuel, by Rhone's command… and they would be ready to play their cards once dawn broke.
The erected chains at the Great Gates, as well as the patrol ships that attempted to catch them, sent a pretty clear message to Rhone's group: their ships had already been singled out as targets that needed to be captured or defeated. While they hadn't been as stealthy as they could have been, Rhone had hoped, to a fault, that the Fire Lord and his people would have very little warning of their approach… it seemed he wouldn't be so lucky. He had underestimated the tyrant, to a fault, but it shouldn't matter much in the long run, as long as the main parts of his plan bore fruit.
In all honesty, Rhone wasn't sure his next gamble would pay off: knowing the cruelty of the Fire Nation as he did, the Fire Lord might just be willing to sacrifice the crew of the captured ship as long as it meant getting rid of an enemy. But if, by chance, the captured ship's captain was worth something to anyone of note within such a rotten nation, their plan would have a chance to succeed fully. Hostages were always the better manner to proceed, since negotiations meant the enemy would be willing to set down arms and find a compromise to save whoever was in danger… if only the hostages they'd found were weightier than this captain and his crew, their success would be guaranteed.
Making an example of the second ship's captain, and threatening to do away with the members of his crew, one by one, should drive across to the Fire Nation authorities just how little regard Rhone felt for their lives, and how perfectly willing he was to murder every last soldier and citizen of the accursed Fire Nation. He had been elated to tread across the deck of this very ship two nights ago, finding his Spear had successfully slain every last one of its occupants… doing it a second time would be ideal.
Yet, even if the plan of holding the hostages happened to fail, he would still set the Spear free at the Capital's bay, on the next morning… the ultimate outcome would be difficult to predict, but whatever happened, Rhone was certain there would be less Fire Nation people in the world after tomorrow.
If just for that reason, Rhone had no doubts his final plan would be worth its while.