I don't own Avatar: The last airbender
Chapter 33
Hakoda had to admit, thing were in chaos. Not for his men, they were always surprisingly adaptive, but for the earth kingdom army. The soldiers were in a buzz unlike he had ever seen before, always on the move and doing all kinds of things. When he asked a few people he knew there, they told him that they got orders to return to Ba Sing Se all the sudden. They themselves didn't know why.
The fact that the animals suddenly got nervous for whatever reason didn't help his own nerves. It's always a bad sign, Gran Gran told him. Gods, he missed his mother. His wife and children too.
Something big happened in Ba Sing Se, he was sure. The last thing he heard about the eastern air fleet, it was headed to Ba Sing Se. He actually feared that it will take the earth kingdom capital like it did to Omashu, apparently the same commander that put mad Bummi on his knees was leading the charge. He only calmed down when his friends from the earth army told him that Ba Sing Se stands tall and that a freak storm pushed the fire nation back.
Even so, it didn't explained the sudden need to sand large forces away from the already thin line of defense. Something must have happened there, something big. In any case, it was putting another huge dent in the war plans. The retreat of the earth kingdom meant that once again, Hakoda and his men were forced to wage guerilla warfare. Which wasn't anything new, but he still preferred a safer environment.
The best news by far, however, came from the desert. The prince and the bandit were going to trade blows very soon from what the rumors said, and Hakoda hoped that the two of them killed each other. If he had to pick a side, however, he would choose Mi-Sha. The bandit lord was a cruel and sadistic monster, but he wasn't bent on world domination and wasn't targeting Hakoda and his man.
Zuko, however, was a storm of fire that will consume the world if not stopped. The prince was still a cub and already won his deranged nation almost as much territory as it gained in almost a hundred years of war, either directly or not. That thing was inhuman, it needed to die, and unfortunately they didn't have an avatar to take care of it for them.
The chieftain of the south shuddered again as he imagined what the fire prince would grow up to if allowed, a monstrosity to dwarf all tyrants before him. Even now there is only one person in the world that the prince answers to, and if his paternal intuition was correct, even the fire lord barely holds the butcher of the hundred damned on leash. A leash, that Hakoda was sure to be turn apart sooner rather then later, and he didn't envy the fire lord a bit when time comes.
He sighed, if there was such thing as luck, the fire nation may crumble on itself by a civil war. In any case, he prepared himself for the war meeting with his small council. One by one, they all entered the main tent.
"Hello men." Hakoda greeted his council. "Let's begin then, what each of you suggest as our next course of action?"
"I say we go north, harass the fire nation there. From what I understand, the troops there are unfamiliar with how we fight and will be easily surprised." One of the men said. "With any luck, our sister tribe may even get up from their lazy asses."
A few of the men spit at the mention of the northern water tribe, and understandingly so. The fact that not even once had their supposed other half even lift a finger in the almost hundred years of war to help them. Even as the fire nation raided their cities until all that left of their civilization was one village, even as they begged for help from the "more civilized " tribe, they were rewarded with some looks of pity at best.
"As if." Another man said. "They are to busy hiding behind their walls to care about us savages. And how do you propose we get there? The only was is threw the eastern sea, and in case you didn't notice, it's were they have half of their blasted armada! No way we can get there in one piece, not with those frigging eyes."
"What if we infiltrate a merchant ship?" Another said.
"To risky, all it takes is one good inspection and we're done, and we can't really run away from a patrol if we want to keep that disguise."
"We can always go on land, it's not the first time we had to ditch the ships and build new ones. It may take longer, but we'll be arguably safer." Hakoda said. "And no one will look to deeply at what they believe is a mercenary group. As far as safely goes, it's our best course of action in my opinion. But what do you think?"
The other man nodded their heads in agreement, it sounded as good as they could get. But why didn't this feeling of unease that he had disappeared, they were going away, didn't they?
It seemed that the spirits were eager to answer his question, because right then a black shape fell on the war table (crushing it in the process), and mounted Hakoda faster then he could blink. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor looking up to a corrupted version of a polar dog bear. It had tar black fur and blood red eyes. Said eyes, with the sides of its mouth seemed to be ablaze.
Hakoda decided wisely to do nothing as the animal kept itself from making him a man sized snack. As the men behind him finally gathered themselves and started to prepare for a fight, the thing put Hakoda's head down with one mighty paw and growled at the men with teeth far to close to the chieftain's exposed neck that Hakoda would like. The message was clear.
"Lay down your weapon." Hakoda said as loudly as he dared with the animal literally holding his life in its hands… well, paws in this case. "If it wanted a meal, it would have finished me already."
Reluctantly, one by one the men dropped their weapons to the ground. It seemed to please the thing, because it went down from Hakoda and sat near him. For the first time Hakoda noticed it carried some kind of a bag, with a letter within. He knelt down and carefully took it, without the dog tearing his arms off, and took the letter.
It had a fire nation stump on it, not unlike the ones that nobles use for their private message. Already his head was ringing with warning bells. He broke the stump and looked at the contents of the envelope, immediately went to shock.
There, inside of the envelope, was none other than the very necklace of his missing wife. How did? Why would it be? A thousand and one questions filled Hakoda's mind as he pulled the necklace and studied it. Indeed, it was Kya's necklace. Even after all those years he will always remember it.
"Chief… Is everything alright?" Apparently he stayed too deep in his thoughts, no matter. Ignoring his men, he pulled the latter within the envelope and began to read. He read it once, twice, a five times in total before his second in command had enough.
"Hakoda! What's in there?!" Bato shook him. Wordlessly, Hakoda gave him the letter as his hands began playing with the necklace. Bato began reading the latter.
"Hello Hakoda of the south, this is Zuko.
I'll drop the honorifics and get straight to the point.
I have information about the whereabouts of your wife, Kya. I brought you a proof attached to the letter that you're undoubtedly holding in your hands now.
Before you get to any rushed conclusions, no. I don't have your wife with me. I do, however, know who does. Come to me and we'll bargain, I'm sure that the two of us can reach an accord that will please both of us.
To answer your very valid doubt about the truthfulness of my offer, let me assure you, I have no intention to back out on my word. I will spare you the many righteous reasons and will conclude it in the fact that my word worth much more then either you're, or any other of your men's miserable lives combined.
Go alone or with your men, I don't care. But be warned that I'm on the clock and your most likely only, window to rescue your wife is only getting smaller. Trust me or not, it's your wife's life on the line. Believe me when I say that it's much more important for you then for me.
In any case, you will find me by following the hound that delivered this letter for you. Its senses are more then enough to track me, or you in this case. In any case, Xing (the hound's name) will leave in a day after delivering my letter. You have until then to decide.
Hope that you're still in one piece.
Sincerely, Zuko.
P.S
Be sure to feed Xing with some meat. I have reasons to suspect that it discovered the similarity in the taste of human meat and pork, and running tends to build an appetite."
The tent was silent for a minute or two. At least it was until one of the man spoke.
"How does he know how human meat taste like?"
"Seriously?!" the man next to him replied. "That's what you're taking from this?"
"Hey, it's a valid question!" the first man defended himself. "I, for one, would like to know if the future fire lord and our mortal enemy is a cannibal."
"Quite it, you two." Bato ended their spat. "Chief, what are your orders?"
Hakoda played with the necklace a little more before answering. "We're going."
"But chief, it's obviously a trap!" yelled one of his man
"Yeah, you can't trust those ash makers!" Another added.
"Silence!" Hakoda yelled. "I finally have some clue about the fate of my wife, maybe even a chance to find out where she is, and I'll be damned if I let it pass! I'm your leader and your chief, and you will do as I say!"
The room was silent at the chief's outburst.
"Hakoda." Bato began As he gently put a hand on his superior's shoulder. "The prince is playing with your feelings. Please be careful about it."
Hakoda took a deep breath before calming down. "You're right, my friend, but he had her necklace. He must know something. It's still the best lead we have, even after seven years. I can't let this opportunity slip."
"We understand, chief, and we'll go with you anywhere. We just ask you to think this through."
"Thank you, old friend." Hakoda replied. "We'll prepare for the journey. Be sure to rest, because we're going once the moon shines clearly in the sky."
A growl could be heard from a spot behind him. He and his men turned to see the animal, Xing, was the source. It, however, just sat there with its mouth close, looking very interested in the more heavy weighted men in the tent.
"And someone fetch some meat, quickly if possible."
Sokka had to think fast or all the people under his command will die. One wrong move and Zuko will kill him. With a sigh, he made his move.
"Let's see what you have to say about this." He moved one of his figureheads, who depicted a female figure amid a water bending move, up the lake to block a choke point in the valley. In return, Zuko moved his Kyoshi warrior figurehead across the trees and avoiding his water bender altogether.
Said Kyoshi warrior figurehead proceeded then to sabotage one of his storages and force him to deploy men for damage control. This gave Zuko the number advantage he needed to use half his force to crush Sokka's lines and overrun his camp. In the end, the last figure Sokka had left was the water bender he moved to block the now apparent decoy force Zuko had in the valley. With the water bender being surrounded on all sides, Sokka was forced to admit defeat.
"You've got better." Zuko admitted.
"Still lost though…"
"Don't say it like that, you lasted much longer then three days ago. And inflicted thrice as casualties to boot. You're much better at that then Mi-Dved, you know."
"To each his own strengths, I suppose." In the case of Mi-Dved, it was his literal strength. Like seriously, the guy can tear a grown man in two with his bare hands. Sokka just thanked the spirits that Mi-Dved was outright civil when he lost to Sokka and even congratulated him.
"You didn't put your all to the game, is there anything wrong?" Zuko asked with concern. "I'm always here if you need me."
"No, no, nothing like that." Sokka waved the concerns off. It was bizarre how the two of them, who suppose to be mortal enemies, developed a semblance of kinship between them. The two couldn't be more different, one was a prince with a chance to rule the world, while the other was a no-one who could count himself lucky if he outlives his dying culture and village.
"I guess I'm just… nervous, you know?"
"About what exactly, the attack, your family?" Zuko's voice changed his tune. "You didn't try to peek into the female dress room, right?! Because even I can't help you if you get caught."
"Calm down!" Sokka crossed his hands. "I'm dense and lack social norms, not suicidal! I saw what they did to Mi-Dved at the training ground, I don't want to know what Suki and her friend are like when they are actually pissed."
The image of the Kyoshi warriors circling around the massive earth bender and bringing him down with a thousand cuts like a flock of piranhas was a sight to behold. The scene of Suki choking the big guy with a rope while the others were holding him down was a sight to always remember in his nightmares. Mi-Dved has his immense respect for holding out as long as he did.
Sokka held the water bender figurine, who looked suspiciously like his own sister would look like in a few years. He noticed how the Kyoshi warrior figurehead looked like suki as well, he wondered if all the figures in the game are based on a person Zuko have met. He suddenly became a little concerned as this game is played in all of the fire nation controlled territories, meaning that someone may recognize Katara as the water bender. He will talk to Zuko about it later.
"It's more about dad. He was gone for years, I… I don't know how to feel when he returns. Should I be happy? Mad? Will he even recognize me? Will he be proud? Ashamed?"
"I'll be honest, I'm the last person who could offer you an advice. Heck, I mean just look at my relationship with my own father. But from what little I saw at our brief meeting, your father cares and loves you deeply. He will be happy to see the two of you again."
"Thanks. And for what it's worth, I'm sure your own dad is proud of you."
"He isn't, he really isn't." Zuko said in a sad smile. "As long as I don't prove him that I'm worthy by catching the avatar, I'll never have either his respect nor love."
"That's ruff, body." Was all Sokka could say.
For all their supposedly closeness, Sokka couldn't forgot that at the end of the day the two were enemies. No matter how much he liked to hang out with Zuko, Mi-Dved and other male teenagers his age, in the end they were all fire nation or fire nation sympathizers. For the good of his people, he couldn't forget that.
That didn't mean, however, that he didn't feel sorry for the prince. It was obvious that Zuko had a hard childhood. Not in the material sense, far from it, but his family was one ivy entangled bush. His father was an absolute monster, his sister tormenting him at all times, and even his mother left him at his childhood. If anything, it was a miracle that Zuko wasn't as sadistic and deranged as his family at this point.
Sokka paused a little as he thought about Zuko's mother. At one hand, he was a little pissed at her for abandoning Zuko like that, she knew perfectly well what she would leave him with. However Sokka couldn't fault her entirely, he didn't think he would have done better in this situation. His problem with her was that she didn't take Zuko with her, but maybe he was missing a few things. Kidnapping the crown prince at the middle of the night from the royal palace was probably beyond her.
Sokka couldn't help but compare Zuko to himself. The two had the same family build (with the exception of Zuko's uncle and deceased cousin), the two had their mothers disappear at proximally the same age, and the two lacked paternal affection, but things couldn't have been any different. Sokka's mother was kidnapped while Zuko's left by choice, Sokka's father went to war to find mom while Zuko's father was incapable and unwilling to treat Zuko like a father should have. Even Zuko's relationship with his own sister looked like a poisoned and corrupted version of what he had with Katara.
"Sokka, you're spacing out again." Zuko brought him back to reality. "I'm not hitting you to hard on the head in our training, am I?"
Sokka couldn't help but smile. "You are, but something tells me that you're not going to stop."
"I guess there is something in that thick skull after all." Zuko joked while smiling.
Yes, Sokka decided, it was much more confusing than being stack at the south pole. But he couldn't say that he isn't enjoying it here.
"Report." Mi-Sha said to the man in front of him.
"Sir." The man saluted. "The fire nation is slowly advancing in our direction. They're seen to be holding positions, however, and strength their hold by building supply chain and dig in. So far they have gained relatively little ground, but attempt to regain said ground had been deemed too costly and unlikely. It is believed that they will jump from one stepping stone to another until they will be in a fitting distance for a full on assault."
"Oh, how so?" Mi-Sha raised an eyebrow. "Guarding ground at the desert is hard for an outsider, especially one not familiar with it."
"Our usual tactics of laying ambushes has been deemed ineffective. The fire army sticks relatively close together and literally glass any spots suspected for hiding a raider. This basically nullify all the small sized ambushes. And the thrice damned eyes inform the invaders of any large force. Even cloaked with sand, the eyes report an unusual sandstorm and the area immediately gets blasted by artillery."
"I see." Mi-Sha nodded. "And why there hadn't been tries to sabotage them at night? The eyes are basically blind at that time and the fire camps are a literal flame in the dark."
"They put decoys all around them. Should a hit squad assault, it will be quickly discovered and blasted from afar. The men are likely to survive and try again another day, but the fire nation suffers nothing. The invaders also have enough manpower to keep hold on their supply. So far only the enforcers had been successful with their assaults, but it's not a resource we can indefinitely use. Sooner or later they will be exhausted too."
"Blast it." Mi-Sha cursed. "And we can't drawn them in wave after wave of men as well, the very nature of the desert that makes it unconquerable will be used against us. Damn, I counted on them acting as usual and going fast and hard, why are they acting so against their element… Never mind, how is the tournament going?"
"Surprisingly not as bad as we feared. The bonuses helped tremendously luring participants in. Even the nearing invasion doesn't affect the tourists as it should, our estimations are that they have enough trust in your and the city's reputation to ignore another battle in hundred years of global war. Although there had been a sharp decrease in newcomers from the red territories."
"Not bad, not bad at all." The bandit lord mused. "A few contests should have started already, no?"
"Yes, my lord." The man replied. "A few gladiator rings and the maze."
"Ah yes, the maze." Mi-Sha remembered with a smile. "Always liked that one. What did we put there this year?"
"A few regulars like hungry predators, hidden spiked pits, that one large boulder. As well as spicing up things a little with random loot here and there. Unfortunately there wasn't a winner since everyone died before reaching the exit, but the crowd was more then pleased."
"A win-win." Mi-Sha concluded. "Shame that this damn prince making me miss all the fun. Speaking of, had there been any unusual activity in the festivities?"
"No, my lord. There hadn't been any sign that the prince had infiltrated the tournament."
"A shame." The bigger man sighed. "Here goes my hope to catch him in my clutches. He really did seem like the kind to needlessly risk himself by doing something stupid as entering the tournament to be close enough to kill me personally. Oh well, a man could hope."
"It would have been something interesting to read, yes." The man before him agreed. "Unfortunately it seems that the prince had a more sounded mind. This is not a story after all."
"By the way, how goes the political pressure?" Mi-Sha remembered. "We did have a few of those snooty nobles under in our pocket, don't we?"
"Yes, sir. There is a huge debate about the ongoing of the operation. Some, with the direction of our men, argue against the upcoming invasion and demand the army to disassemble and the men return to their original posts. Others want the attack to continue, saying that having a stronghold in the desert will open a safe path through the Si Wong and reduce the cost of goods both for military and civilian population."
"And what's the most likely outcome?"
"Unknown, but as for now the only voice that matters is that of the fire lord. And so far the promise of the stronghold is enough for him to humor his son. Although a big part of it may be a will to retaliate for the decimation of that colony a few months ago, which the fire nation hold you responsible for."
"In hindsight, sending ruffians was a mistake. They wasted to much time having fun, so unprofessional." Mi-Sha admitted. "But then again, I didn't count on Zuko to arrive as quickly as he did."
"The public support of the prince also holds firm despite having rumors of him throwing away people's lives spread across the fire nation. Apparently, having your face on every life quality raising goods grants a certain amenity to rumors, go figure."
"Hold on the political pressure." Mi-Sha instructed. "It'll decrease the number of soldiers he can have at the very least. This is becoming a war of attrition, one that the increased number of men is going to make us lose. To make matters worth, the hamlets and grain from the south are all but nonexistent to us…"
"Very well, follow my orders. Sent five times more men to the raids. It will be great if they succeed in doing some damage, but the point is to lessen the pressure on our breadbasket. So make sure to send the most common thugs. Also have man we can trust to bring food from the surrounding areas, take the enforces if needed. And have some men clean up the streets again. Every urchin they catch is one less mouth to feed and one more sack of meat to eat, either for the animals or the lowlifes."
"It will be done, my lord."
Katara had mixed feelings about being in a medical tent of the fire nation army. On one hand there were so many new things to learn, but on the other hand she didn't like the groaning and wailing of the injured. Besides, they were fire nation…
She watched as Jasmine and some other healers worked on a patient who accidentally walked too close to the komodo rhinos at the wrong time. The state the man came in wasn't pretty and let's leave it at that. At least it was a series case and not another one where the young soldiers had some scratch they needed to check… not that Katara hoped it was serious case or something like that! But the common patients were, well…
Katara wondered if all fire nation soldiers were that soft and mushy, but overhearing the other healers revealed that wasn't the case. Apparently the amount of minor injuries and other things like that increased a thousand percent ever since Zuko came back to Gaoling for some unknown reason. Katara, however, suspected that said unknown reason's work at as a nurse was the cause.
She really didn't understand what all the fuss was about anyway. Sure, Jasmine had a very pretty face, and flawless skin, and long wavy raven hair that shone in the sun, smelled nice, had a perfect hourglass figure that was filled in all the right place… Okay, maybe Katara could understand the appeal a little, but she was a better healer than Jasmine! She was perfect in her job, because unlike certain cows she could see everything clearly and didn't have to bend to see her feet. Yes, Katara wasn't jealous at all and anyone stating otherwise is a filthy liar.
"Katara, can you land a hand here while I bring more towels?"
Forgetting her musing, she followed the cow's- Jasmine's! She meant Jasmine's! instructions. She placed her hands on the bandage that barley held the open wound as they tried to stop the bleeding. It was a dirty work that left her hands much wetter and redder then she would ever prefer. Worse, they were loosing the patient as the blood continued to leave him.
"Damn it, bring here more bandages! And another B type bag of blood, we're loosing him!" one of the healers yelled desperately. A part of Katara was surprised that the man lasted that long, in the south pole he would have died long ago. The wound was also too big for burning, so that possibility was out. She knew the man was going to die in the next minute, and even if he was an enemy soldier, she didn't fancy the idea of someone dying in her care. The only relief that man my have is that he's unconscious.
She remembered her lessons with Zuko about the human body, and how it worked. He lectured her all about the systems inside it and the chi flows. He even let her practice in recognizing said chi and how it moves across the body, although his own chi felt strange. Katara first thought it was because he was a fire bender, but after she had a few patients she learned that their chi flow wasn't much different from hers.
She couldn't exactly place a finger on it, but Zuko's chi felt… distorted. It's as if some spirit decided to experiment with the human body but didn't know how the chi should flow. Zuko's chi was just so simple and complicated at the same time. In some places it would go simple and linear, while in others it would fork into such a complex bush that Katara couldn't follow.
The thing that caught her eye was how effective it was. Every single thing in that design maximized the effectiveness of the chi. Chi storages unlike anything she had felt before, muscle and mind enhancing circuits. And there were many other things that she didn't have a clue about.
Another, maybe even more strange, thing was that Zuko's chi felt… mixed. She thought that she felt something else besides the familiar fire bending chi, but whenever she got curious something inside her soul held her back in fear. It was as if she was a small rodent sniffing at the paws of sabretooth moose lion. Combined with the strange feeling that Zuko's chi paths changed a little every time she examined him, Katara started to seriously doubt if Zuko was even human.
A gasp broke her out of her trance.
Looking back, she saw the surprised looks of the healers and Jasmine. Following their gaze, Katara looked downward and discovered, to her horror, that the wound closed itself and began to heal in rapid acceleration. But that's not what scared her, no, what scared her was the fact that her hands were coated in a layer of water and glowing blue. She couldn't be more showy even if she held a sign say "I'm a water bender!".
By the time she digested the situation, the wound fully healed. But it was a secondary concern in her mind right now. Once she regained her bearing, she sprinted away from the tent and ran. Ran to maybe the only person who could salvage the situation somehow.
"Now hold the energy inside a bit longer."
Sai and Zuko were in the middle of their training. Now that Sai deemed Zuko strong enough, Zuko was taught how to use shock attacks. They had a simple enough theory, store the energy needed inside until it reaches a critical mass and then release it. Very similar to his explosions. However those three attacks were also different.
First was what Sai called the "Bark". It was a special move that imitated an explosion in his throat, albeit much weaker, and released it as a sound wave. It was perfect for stunning and pushing back appointments in close to close-medium range. Zuko firstly had to develop voice cords strong enough to sustain the trauma. The trick was storing the energy inside the right places in his throat and releasing it in the right moment and way. A little practice, and he could even spit words like that.
The second move was called "Shock wave". It was a sibling move to the "Bark", but both harder and simpler. In this move Zuko charged his entire body with energy and then released it in all directions in the form of a shock wave. It was easier because he could store the energy in his entire body instead of a special place, but he had to charge much more energy. Not to mention that without whatever Sai did to his body, Zuko would have been crushed under the pressure. To put a cherry on top, he could mix it with lightning and electrocute everyone around him.
The last move for today was called "Static Field ". Like the name suggests, the move creates a ball of electricity with him at its center. Besides basically frying everything inside the radius, it can also act as an all round shield. And one that doesn't strangle the user like a flame counterpart does. This was by far the most energy consuming move of the three, and the hardest to master. Unlike the former two, here Zuko had to constantly store and release energy at the same time, and that's not mentioning the abs pains he got afterwards.
As he was about to practice again, Sai informed him that Katara was about to barge into his room. And indeed, the water bender ran to him not a minute later, all terrified as she spoke gibberish to fast for him to understand.
"Katara, I don't understand." Zuko then held her shoulders firm and shocked her a little "Katara!"
It seemed to break her from her state, because she took a few deep breaths before she finally spoke. "Zuko, we may have a situation…"
"Yeah, I guessed that already." Zuko nodded. "Now what got you all stressed up?"
"I… I have finally learned how to do this chi healing thing we talked about."
"That's great! Good job Katara!"
"No!" She shook her head. "You don't understand, I did it accidentally in the medical tent, with all the healers now know that I'm a water bender! My cover is blown, they will put me in chains like all the others!"
"Hey, hey!" Zuko shook her shoulders a little and put a hand under her chin, forcing her to look up to him. "Everything will be fine. No one is going to take you away, I promise you. How about resting here for a bit while I sort things out, ok? I'll be back soon."
Katara nodded numbly and he took that as an ok. He then left the room and went quickly to the medical tent, but not quick enough to raise eyebrows from the passing people. Soon enough, he arrived at the tent, that miraculously still had all of the personal inside. Zuko had feared that he may have to order a manhunt for all the people involved.
"My prince." Jasmine greeted him with a bow. "All personal is quarantined in the tent. None of the happenings transferred had left this tend."
"Good work." How did Jasmine managed to keep multiple grown man contained on her own was beyond him, but he was already aware of her effectiveness. Some things were better left unanswered.
"At your service." The raven haired girl smiled.
"Now." Zuko turned his attention to the problem at hand. "Do all of you know why where in this situation?"
He received uncertain nods.
"Good, and you're all are going to swear to not speak nor write about what happened here to anyone. Right?
He received a much more eager nods now.
"Excellent. And if by some way, I here a word of what happened here outside… well, there are only few sources. You can be sure that I won't search for the leak, I'll just put a plug to all of you. Clear?"
"C-crystal!"
"M-my lord…" One of the medics started.
"Yes?"
"W-what happens now?"
"Parson?"
"I-I mean, your intentions are clear, and it's not our place to question your orders. I myself see the potential in this endeavor. My only question is how should we proceed now? The… opportunity given us a way to save soldier lives, much like happened today."
Zuko thought about it. He couldn't disagree with the fact that Katara will save many lives with her healing, as well as gain valuable experience. On the other hand, he needed to keep Katara's talent as secret as possible, he had too much relying on her to just loose her when father orders him to surrender her. And that excluding the fact that he wouldn't let anyone take her, he promised her after all.
'Sai?'
"Have her use her chi healing on the unconscious, with no one but the doctors in the tent. It'll help her grow while keep her secret safe enough until time comes."
"Very well." Zuko turned to the man in question. "She may use her ability only on patients who drank poppy milk, and only when the other conscious people in the tent are those present. Any birch in those terms will force you all being fired, in the most literal way."
"Yes, my lord. I understand, my lord." The synergy they spoke with honesty unnerved Zuko a little, but a problem solved is a problem solved. He excited the tend with Jasmine in tow.
"You didn't look as surprised as you should have." Zuko stated.
"Oh, I had my suspicions about little Ms. South for some time." Jasmine answered evenly. "Also I had to admit that the glow thing took me by surprise, a special ability?"
"In a sense." Zuko admitted. "So how did you figure it out? I now have to know about possible leaks."
"Oh, don't worry your pretty head about it." Jasmine waved his concerns off. "I had the advantage of training our little south bunny, so I had a deeper perspective on what's happening. I knew you had something more from her then just a political prisoner, and the training didn't fit for a mistress. From there putting one plus one wasn't difficult. Although I must admit, it was a clever disguise."
"Sorry?" What in Agni's name was she talking about?
"Hiding it under the guise of preparing her to be your mistress, I mean. The late hours of your meetings and the groaning from your office really threw off the crew, I myself was starting to get jealous."
Ignoring her last words, Zuko address the problem. "Wait, they think Katara and I… what?! How far did it spread?!"
"Oh, just the ship for now. They respect you too much to tattle it to their drinking bodies."
Zuko buried his head in his hands and groaned. This was a nightmare.
"You know." Jasmine leaned closer to him. "If you had someone chaperoning with you in your training will prevent such things. Maybe another female companion?"
"If you are the chaperone rumors are going to fly, don't think I'll ever forget who is the source of all those rumors about me in the first place. I still get funny looks from girls whenever I walk in the street. Besides, Sokka is there too."
"Yes, very cruel of you, your highness." Jasmine nodded. "To make her brother witness all the things you make his little sister do."
"You're impossible…" Zuko said as he tried to find a way out of the hole he found himself in. Suddenly, something this enchantress in front of him said caught his attention.
"Wait, you said that the training didn't fit, does that mean that you really would have trained and broke Katara to become a mistress?"
"Gladly, I do have the whip and leathers ready after all." She answered before leaning on him even more and rubbing her shoulder and leg with his. "You will find that I'm wiling to do many things for you, my prince ~."
This thing wasn't an enchantress, it was a full damned succubus!
'Sai, note to self. Remember to double check that all the doors and windows are locked and barricaded before going to sleep from now on.'
"Noted."
From there, they arrived to his room. Of course not without a few comments from the thing near him which he hoped didn't reach the ears of the people passing by. Calming Katara was the easiest part of the day now that the problem was solved.
"Now that all are present, let the meeting begin!"
This was bad. Actually, bad doesn't even begin to describe the situation Long Feng found himself in. He was sitting in the near front of a big table, with a few of the most influential people in the earth kingdom. From nobles to generals, all the cream gathered here for a simple reason.
"As you all may aware, our beloved ruler, king Kuei, 52th to the throne of earth, passed away. May his soul rest in peace." Long Feng continued. "Now, we must rise from our grief and nominate the next in line to the one true throne!"
"Something that should have been done with long ago!" One of the nobles spoke. "His late highness is already in the ground for over a month!"
This particular reason is why Long Feng wanted to postpone the meeting as much as possible. With Kuei dead, Long Feng lost his main tool of influence on those of higher standing. All in all, his position had never been more vulnerable. Fortunately enough, the fault of the king's death was held solely on the responsible for the guards at that time, who Long Feng made sure to take the full blame. So in that sense, he was scout free, at least.
No, the matter was entirely else. By noble standards he was a nobody, his main and only power in their eyes was as the main servant of the crown. They treated him like a vine, someone who can rise as high as the tree he depended on permitted. Those fools where late to realize that even a vine can overshadow the tree its on and once covering said tree entirely… let's say that they learned their lesson very quickly.
The problem now was that the tree is dead and gone, and Long Feng found himself without the excuse of executing enemies of the crown. The vine, so strong because the tree that supports him, now can easily fall apart. The nobles have, and will continue, become more and more daring. He will have to put more resources to hold them back, resources that wouldn't be able to monitor the lower ring. But right now it wasn't his main concern.
"Please, gentleman, peace." Said How, the head of the console of five. "We had to give time for all the people to arrive, the roads are not as safe as they used to be after all."
No, the greatest thorn to his aide were none other that those ruffians from the army. They were loyal to the king, but he managed to convince them through blackmail and threats to keep the talk about war quiet around his prized puppet. Now, however, they seem to grow a backbone, and the movement of large forces to inside Ba Sing Se itself was more than concerning.
"Be it as it may, general How, the point stands that the subject had been ignored more than enough. The earth kingdom needs its king!" The sentiment was echoed by the rest of the nobles.
"And who do you propose?" How asked
"Well, obviously the richest and most influential noble is the one most fitted to be king." The noble replied.
"Preposterous!" a general near How yelled. "What you're suggesting is nothing less then stealing the crown! The rights should go to the closest kin!"
"Gentlemen, please." Long Feng calmed the spirits down. "While both suggestions hold their merit, I'm afraid that they are impossible to implement."
"And why is that, Feng?" Another noble rudely asked. "Are you afraid of finally having no power?"
"Nonsense." Long Feng replied evenly, mentally making a note to send the Dai Li after that man in the near future. "The reason is that the one who answers to both criteria is none other then the very turncoat, lord Lao Beifong."
Now that caused an uproar.
"Preposterous!"
"Why you-"
"Take that back!"
"SILENCE!" How yelled. "Grand secretary, would you like to explain please?"
"Gladly." Long Feng replied. "Lao Beifong's mother was the grandniece of king Jailun, therefore, making him the closest direct relative to the throne. And in the case of being the most wealthy, according to intelligence Lao indeed wealthier then anyone in this room." Besides himself who had complete access to the royal treasury was not said.
"But how?!" Yelled one of the nobles. "He was conquered, his territories reduced, and lets not forget about the massive tax he must pay. How in the spirits could he possibly have more money then us?!"
That Long Feng could answer. "It seems like national pride matters little to Beifong as he licked the boots of his new masters. We must remember that Beifong is first and foremost a merchant clan, one who gained power through trade. At first glance, having been barred from the rest of the earth kingdom should have kill his trade, but through a third party he was able to get a foothold in the ever growing economy of the fire nation. It seems that even with the weight of taxes, the profits Beifong gains put him on the lead in terms of wealth."
"Damned traitor…"
"Disgusting!"
"I refuse to believe it, it's simply impossible."
What all of them were bickering about anyway, it's not like a single one of those inbreeds did something to rise their wealth besides throwing more taxes on those beneath them. Long Feng could at least respect Beifong a little for actually putting effort and not take his position for granted.
A look to his side revealed that How, at least in this, shared his view.
Once the comments stopped, Long Feng began speaking once again. "Gentlemen, while the king must be chosen, an immediate solution must been made. I propose that we follow the last time our king had left before his time. I propose that I shall hold regency until a new king is chosen and of age, as was before."
Before the uproars could even begin to formulate, a loud crash was heard. Looking to his side, he saw that general How smashed the table in front of him to rabbles.
"In Koh I'll let you!" The general yelled. "For too long I have been quiet about your abuse of power. You abused the king's trust to overthrow anyone who doesn't agree to you or your 'no war' policy, and now the king is dead for it!"
"There is no war in Ba Sing Se."
How just laughed. "The king died because of a suicide bomber of the fire nation, how in the spirits are you going to hide this?"
"A civilian transport crashed in the storm. A tragedy, but not an act of war." Long Feng replied evenly. "A transport you allowed inside the walls, may I add."
"My men and I did everything we could, you'd be hard pressed to stop something that you can't even reach. And if you didn't shut down anything related to the war, we may have developed means of defense. Heck, we could have been the ones with the flying transport!"
"But no. You were too busy to put your head in the sand and doing who knows what to the young king in a private room! Now he's dead and the spirits enraged, the storm hadn't stopped ever since that incident at all!"
"General, you are forgetting yourself." Long Feng replied. "Dai Li, please escorts the good general to his chamber, his work had finally caught up to him."
As he said it, his agents began closing on the five generals. However, they were stopped by the squad of soldiers around the console of five.
"You don't want to do it, How." Long Feng was beyond annoyed at this point.
"No, Feng. It's exactly what I want."
With a sigh, Long Feng snapped his fingers. A clear sign for the Dai Li outside the door to interfere. He may have lost much power because of recent events, but he was still the lord of this place. The doors opened with a bang, scaring the nobles, and allowed access to the agents, only they weren't his agents.
Two columns of earth kingdom troopers entered the room. His Dai Li would have never allowed it, so it meant that the Dai Li was naturalized in this wing of the palace at the least. With a grin, How now stood up as it was revealed who had the power in the room.
"You don't have anyone to leach on any longer, Feng." The usurper said. "You will answer to your crimes, one way or another. And we could finally fight back without our hands tied."
"And naming yourself earth king in the process?" Long Feng said as the soldiers held him and started to escort him to the cells.
"Ha! No. Unlike you, I'm a loyal man." How laughed. "The great console shall decide who is to be the next king. Until then, the console of five shall act as a regent in the face of the crisis. Goodbye, Feng. Forever."
"No, you can't do it!" Long Feng yelled. "I'm the grand secretary, you thug! Unhand me!"
He was dragged out of the room with the laughter of the general ringing in his ears. They will be sorry, all of them. As if a cell can hold him and keep him away from his hard earned power, the Dai Li were still loyal to him. Hm… maybe it was for the best… yes. He could still hold the strings from his cell, and it will keep him safe from the things to come. Yes, he was in a tuff spot, but he had managed to pull up himself before, this wouldn't be different.
They all will pay, he will make it so.
AN
And here goes chapter 33. Next chapter will finally have the meeting between Zuko and Hakoda everyone have been waiting for. As you can see, there had been some major changes and consequences because the assault on Ba Sing Se. And while Jailun was a king of Ba Sing Se (the one at the time when Kyoshi finally died and a main reason for why things are as they are in cannon), his connection to the Beifongs is something I cooked up. Although, with how nobility works, I'll be shocked if there aren't familial ties between the two. Katara discovered her healing much earlier than in cannon, wonder how this will affect things, and Sokka is growing to be the plan man he always said he was in the show.
now for the reviews:
Engineer1869 :
Thank you!
You are absolutely right about the possibility of there being another air benders, and the sand bending makes a perfect disguise. You are also right about the fact that if they hear about the air nomads, they will laugh about their ways.
It is making the attack on Amore poetic, and I'm sure that you'll enjoy Hakoda's reaction.
deniswanheda :
I'm glad that the revelation came with a surprise. Honestly, I was afraid that it may have been too obvious, with the both of them unbelievably tall and massive for their age, as well as the fact that both their names means "bear" in Russian.
For the rest, I'm afraid that it would be spoiler to answer either positively or negatively.
02cjdgmail :
Thank you!
as for your questions, I'm afraid that it'll be too much spoilers. but rest assure, the comet will come down, and thing will shake up.
USSRFox :
1) The rule of two was an inspiration, but unlike with bane who put an effort to model the next in line, here it was "throw away and forget".
2) Now that's an idea, unfortunately the timeline doesn't really match up. It would have been funny though.
3) It's not an easy time to be a Hakoda indeed.
Anyway, be free to read and review. I'm happy to read everything you write.