The Battle for Yu Dao
1
An unsettling wind had blown that day as the soldiers remaining in Pohuai Stronghold awaited anxiously for the beginning of their battle against the army led by the Deserter. Over the course of the past weeks, as commanded by the Princess, Imperial Guards had driven the train-tank back and forth multiple times between Yu Dao and the strategic stronghold that protected the lands in the northwestern Earth Kingdom, taking the non-combatants assigned to the stronghold to safety in the city. Now, the soldiers left to defend Pohuai Stronghold lay in wait across the western river that hugged the base's location, ready to evacuate the soldiers that stood by within the metal walls.
By mid-afternoon, the rumbling sounds of an approaching army began reaching their ears. Colonel Shinu urged his men to remain calm, even if an unsettling, worming sensation made its way through his chest. They had an escape plan: they would stick with it, but they would only leave after they had dealt the damage they were tasked to deliver against the Deserter's forces. The Princess had impressed upon them that they should preserve their lives rather than prioritizing small victories: unfortunately, Shinu's training as a soldier meant that the Fire Nation's continued progress mattered far more than his life ever could. The Princess's arguments to protect them didn't come from sentimentality, but practicality: even so, the Colonel would risk his life without a doubt to stall Jeong Jeong's progress. The Deserter had gotten the better of him once… if he did nothing, the same story would repeat itself, and Shinu refused to be humiliated by that man a second time around. He would do what needed to be done… he would protect the Princess he had failed when she had first come to him in Pohuai Stronghold.
By dusk, flashes of torchlight were seen in the depths of the forest. Rumbling sounds gave away that heavy carts, wagons, and perhaps bigger vehicles or weapons than those were progressing across the landscape, on their way to the Stronghold.
The darkness hardly allowed the sentries to make out what hid in the shadows, something terribly reminiscent of the battle Shinu had already waged against Jeong Jeong long ago. This time, however, there were no Royal Guards to reinforce his troops, no dragon to daunt his enemies into surrender: this time, Colonel Shinu would lose the Stronghold, regardless of the strength of his performance at protecting this bastion of the Fire Nation army.
"They have catapults!" exclaimed one of the sentries. Shinu winced. "They're loading one right now!"
The marching sounds had slowed: they were in the enemy's range right now. Even across the eastern river, a strong, large catapult would be able to deliver severe damage to the Stronghold.
"Steady, now!" Shinu cried out. "Yu-Yan, stand ready!"
The best non-bending ranged soldiers in the Fire Nation, limited in their ranks as they may be, took aim at the forest: as soon as they located a target in the darkness, they would know where to strike, and the firebenders would also know where to attack once the archers landed their first arrows…
But the bigger concern was that distant, whirring sound in the sky. Where was it? It hadn't presented itself just yet. The airship they were awaiting had to arrive sooner than later, for that was their primary target…
A loud horn blew powerfully across the valley, as did the riled-up voices of the rebels ahead.
Then, a clunking, metallic sound, and the whistling of a fast, heavy projectile in the sky.
Said projectile, a rock doused in burning oil, crashed against the sturdy metal wall of the Stronghold.
The soldiers on the wall braced themselves poorly for the impact, rattled by the crash of that first payload: other catapults whirred too. The enemy's siege weaponry was plentiful, and nothing to scoff at.
"Take cover!" Shinu commanded. "Archers, shoot anything you can see!"
It seemed unlikely that they would see much of anything when it was so dark, though, with so many clouds blotting the sky: Shinu snarled before making up his mind to do something risky, wild, to change that:
"Firebenders! Aim… and strike together!"
The firebenders weren't expecting that command, but they jumped out, ready to fulfill it all the same: alone, their flames wouldn't have crossed the river without dissipating halfway there… but by joining forces, seven firebenders managed to construct a powerful enough fire blast that crossed the distance between the Stronghold and the forest, once they launched it in that direction…
The forest caught fire at once.
The Yu-Yan archers didn't hesitate to rain arrows upon their enemies as soon as they could glimpse as little as their silhouettes. One of the catapults, it seemed, was affected by the flames: their initial defense was working.
"Keep it up! Keep it up!" exclaimed Shinu: threatening the enemy's land forces would, perhaps, force their airship to involve itself in the battle directly. All they had to do was force its hand…
But just as his confidence increased, an unwanted, unsettling setback nearly destroyed it completely all over again.
The river by the burning forest began rising: the water within it surged, reeled back into the trees at first… and with that, the flames were muffled. A moment later, a shockingly large wave poured out of that river's basin, and it collided chaotically against the metal walls the catapults had been doing short work of, so far.
"Water… waterbenders!" exclaimed a Yu-Yan archer: as well trained as he might be, it was difficult to hold onto discipline when the enemy forces only grew more intimidating and deadly by the minute.
"Steady…!" Shinu exclaimed, but even he couldn't remain level-headed when an icy spear flew past the Stronghold's walls, mercilessly gutting the Yu-Yan archer who had given the warning.
Shinu yelped: certainty of doom filled his mind at once as he watched the archer fall inside the Stronghold, too far gone to be saved anymore. They would lose. They wouldn't be able to win this way, not when the enemy had resources they couldn't even dream of, not when the airship wasn't in sight…
But wasn't it?
A new shadow, akin to a cloud, was streaking before the moonlight at the moment. Shinu's gaze rose towards it, finding a sliver of hope upon identifying lights aboard the vessel…
"Ballistae!" he exclaimed: the men in charge of the heavy-duty weapons seemed moments away from falling prey to panic. "Above them! The airship!"
The men in the Stronghold had but one mission to fulfill at all costs. One archer had been lost… but maybe no one else would be if they did this right. If they timed it correctly…
The enemy troops continued closing in, and barrages of waterbending assaulted the wall before the catapults began their attacks anew. By then, Shinu gave the order to most of his sentries to return to the train-tank… but he remained with the group of the ballistae, if just for a moment longer. He needed to see this through, to support the soldiers he had tasked with such a dangerous mission.
"Steady…!" he exclaimed: the two ballistae were manned by four different people, and they aimed their weapons towards the enemy's greatest asset.
The plan was simple… and Shinu waited to enact it at the right moment, enduring the disturbing sensations of failure and fear, urging him to flee at once. The catapults' assault continued, and surely the waterbenders were helping wear down the Stronghold's defenses, too…
The airship lowered its flight further: they intended to drop their rebels from the sky, enabling them to attack the Stronghold from above. They truly meant to seize control of their military bastion…
But Shinu would sooner lay waste upon his home of thirty-seven years than allow Jeong Jeong to take control of Pohuai Stronghold.
"NOW!"
The first ballista fired: the projectile flew at full speed towards the airship, unnoticed by the enemies, who failed to stop it as it hurtled across the sky…
The bolt tore through the airship's metal balloon, unopposed.
They couldn't tell they had succeeded at first. When the airship began to tilt in its flight, however, a wild surge of pride rushed through Shinu's body, replacing his fear, no matter if death continued to knock on his door.
"Second strike! NOW!"
The second ballista fired: this bolt, however, was laced and charged with the very material that had been discussed in Yu Dao, when the Princess had arrived.
The impact of the blasting jelly upon the airship was immediate: the first attack had perhaps appeared to be an unpleasant, complicated setback that could have been resolved once they landed. Now, the airship's condition turned from troubling to a full-blown catastrophe.
An explosion, flames bursting and blooming… and the airship, attempting to cross the river, began collapsing, and half its tail still hovered above the Gladiator army's troops.
"RUN! RUN!"
"TAKE COVER!"
"AIRSHIP DOWN, AIRSHIP DOWN!"
Shinu released a heavy breath: that was their cue. It had worked.
"Abandon the Stronghold, now!" he shouted at his remaining companions.
They obeyed him at once, rushing across the base with quick pace, on their way to the western river. The siege attacking the Stronghold stopped its assault: the collapse of the airship had dealt a severe blow against the enemy forces.
They couldn't stick around to confirm how serious the damage had been, though: the heavily loaded train-tank awaited them across the river, and after rushing in its direction, boosting their progress on the boat with frantic firebending, Shinu was genuinely relieved to escape from the Stronghold with his life, unharmed.
He cast one last glance at the building before climbing aboard the train-tank, knowing it would be his very last glimpse of the base that had been a key position in the Fire Nation's conquest of the Earth Kingdom. Perhaps the enemy would back away, unwilling to assault his long-time home in full, and they would be able to reclaim it anew eventually… but he knew that hope was unfounded, and better off discarded: they would retreat to Yu Dao, sacrificing the Stronghold to ensure the city survived.
The train-tank sped back through the forests, rushing at full speed across the path it had already carved into the wilderness that would take the very last group of soldiers back to Yu Dao.
Anorak snarled as he finished applying his rudimentary waterbending healing on a burn wound, across the scalp of one of the survivors of the airship's collapse. His squad, comprised by waterbending warriors, had never learned remotely enough about healing arts in the past, and they paid the price for it now: they didn't have enough healers at hand to help all the injured after the airship's collapse.
Attacking at night had seemed to be the right course of action. Everything had made perfect sense in the plan they had built up. Even now, when their losses had been severe, they had succeeded at wearing down the walls of the Stronghold. The bulk of their siege weapons had gone unscathed by the airship's fall… but their losses after that catastrophic airship crash already numbered well past twenty dead, with over fifty injured.
Those who remained safe and sound had attacked the Stronghold and torn down its walls. Scouts were currently combing the location to confirm that the Fire Nation soldiers had indeed fled, as it appeared they had after taking down the airship: even if they had conquered the Stronghold, Anorak couldn't help but feel that this was no victory, for the Fire Nation had clearly succeeded at their goal. They hadn't been so arrogant as to hope to hold their vantage position against a much more dangerous army than the one they could have hosted within the walls of Pohuai Stronghold… but they had wanted to deal serious damage against the Gladiator army: the airship had been their primary source of security and safety in finding advantages on the battlefield, and the enemy had targeted it for that very reason.
"You did well. We'll take over from here," said the head medical expert on their troops, approaching the wounded woman Anorak had been tending to. He nodded, backing down bowing his head in deference towards them.
His hands shook, even if he drew them into fists. His chest ached, not simply for those they had lost… but out of a profound sense of dread he couldn't seem to shake off. The White Lotus had faced countless losses so far, for too often they failed at their missions instead of succeeding, until Sokka had come along. Had Anorak been overconfident due to the Gladiator's winning streak against the Fire Nation? If so, news of the north certainly should have served to sober him up. But he had stood in the frontlines, focused and certain that the water in his power would break the metal walls and put an end to an initial, simpler battle… this setback, this flip of their expectations, unsettled and rattled his spirit.
He walked past the other waterbenders, many of whom hadn't even tried to heal anyone, such as Unnuaq. His goal, however, was someone else beyond their group, someone whose hunched figure was silhouetted against the dwindling flames of the burning airship.
"Beyond help," Jeong Jeong said once he stopped beside him. Anorak winced. "Our best material asset… gone in a single, lucky strike."
"It's hard to believe," Anorak admitted, fists tight. "But we'll have to make do without it. We do have some hot-air balloons still, they might provide the advantage you wanted us to…"
"They will not suffice either," Jeong Jeong said, shaking his head. "Our possibilities have been dealt a cruel blow. The Fire Nation does not intend to go down quietly… though I did not expect it to."
"We'll readjust our plans," said Anorak, earnestly. "We still must have a great advantage over their troops, an army much bigger than theirs…"
"I'm afraid you saw, for yourself, that a larger army is not equal to victory if the smaller troops are in competent hands. Isn't that how you succeeded in Omashu?" Jeong Jeong asked. Anorak nodded. "It is no different here."
"Your hands are competent too, for that matter," Anorak said, firmly. "I believe in you. You'll be able to lead us to victory."
"You needn't appease me, Anorak," Jeong Jeong said, his brow furrowed. "This is not a matter of whether my confidence has been undermined or not: what truly concerns me is who, exactly, could have been behind the Fire Nation's strategic response to our assault on Pohuai Stronghold."
Anorak froze in place. Jeong Jeong glared in the distance, watching as his troops continued to make progress at dismantling the Stronghold.
"So far… the element of surprise was constantly on our side," said Jeong Jeong. "Omashu fell, among many reasons, due to how unexpected and sudden the attack was. You made it impossible for the Fire Nation to articulate a response to the invasion of the city. Then, in Ba Sing Se, their every attempt to pull back and strike at us was broken until they were, ultimately, defeated. It was not without its cost… but it worked. We were triumphant because General Tiang had no time to prepare stronger defenses, because he didn't know he would be facing the force of the Avatar, the strategic might of the Gladiator, until the very day of our attack. The Northern Air Temple appeared to be yet another considerable success for our forces, in part due to General Sokka's new allies who joined him in that endeavor… but the North Pole was a different matter, from all we've heard. Why?"
"Because… they knew we were coming this time," Anorak said.
"And why did they know that?"
"Because…"
Anorak frowned, meeting Jeong Jeong's cold glare. He shivered, unsure of what response to offer his leader.
"We were… more predictable?" he asked. "Is that…?"
"No," Jeong Jeong said, cuttingly. "There were other possibilities for our forces. We could have left the Northern Water Tribe to defend itself while we continued reclaiming the Earth Kingdom. It was not as predictable a choice as you might think it now."
"Then… why?" Anorak said, eyeing Jeong Jeong with uncertainty. The older man breathed deeply.
"Because someone on the other side of this war knows how to measure us perfectly."
Anorak frowned: it wasn't difficult to understand what Jeong Jeong was getting at, but he didn't speak, didn't dare say a word, whether to confirm or dismiss his own suspicions. It wouldn't matter, though: Jeong Jeong was perfectly willing to reveal his innermost thoughts right away.
"Princess Azula knows the Gladiator… too intimately, as you no doubt are aware," Jeong Jeong said. Anorak tensed up. "She has advised her father, we know this for a fact: War Minister Qin confirmed her involvement in the war meeting where she, personally, directed the Fire Lord to attack your hometown."
"Well… yes, but…" Anorak said, his certainties wavering. He stopped talking right away: he did not know Princess Azula in the slightest. All he knew, all he understood about her, was based on what Sokka had been willing to reveal, and it hadn't been much, to begin with.
"I, personally, chased down that girl in this very territory a mere few years ago," Jeong Jeong said, frowning firmly. "Not only did she nearly slip through my fingers, but she even elaborated a plan alarmingly quickly while being pursued, even finding an ally who could have very well been my undoing, if it weren't because the bounty hunter's shirshu lost control due to the blood across the camp. She may have failed to realize just how close she was to tearing apart all my work towards capturing her gladiator… but I certainly did not forget what she proved capable of while under duress and persecution. Moreover… our grand leader would be dead, would have been dead for years, if she hadn't intervened to save his life through a firebending technique that eludes me and that never has been achieved by any other firebending master in history. She saved General Sokka from my attempt to murder him… she nearly captured me. Should I, then, underestimate a woman who has already proven she can turn tables as violently as she has?"
"No, but…" Anorak said, frowning. "Sokka believes in her. He's sure that, if given a chance, she would have joined him…"
"Nobody forced her to return to the Fire Nation. She did that of her own volition."
Anorak's eyes widened. Jeong Jeong stared at him sternly.
"The Gladiator's sole weakness… is that woman," Jeong Jeong said. "When it comes to her, his judgment will be skewed. He has idealized her, he has lost perspective because of her…"
"He loves her," Anorak said.
"That's not always a good thing," Jeong Jeong said.
"Then… you believe she's behind this?" Anorak asked, shivering in place. "You think… the airship strike, the fact that they retreated afterwards, means that their only goal was to take down the airship and escape? And… you believe she would be capable of that kind of strategy?"
"I would be surprised to learn that the incompetent Colonel Shinu thought of this on his own," Jeong Jeong said, harshly. "Most of all… that he would agree to leave his Stronghold without a greater power pushing him to do so. That stubborn fool sent the girl out into the forest once before, all be it to flaunt his pride and prove that he could defeat my forces on his own: that he would have accepted to run away now proves he either faced consequences for his past foolishness, or that the orders he received came from high above him. The Princess, now Crown Princess once more due to Zhao's demise, must have had sufficient authority to break him."
"His honor as a soldier, after his previous failure, would demand that he abides by her commands… wouldn't it?" Anorak asked.
"I do not know if there's any true honor left in the Fire Nation's army. But if there were, indeed, you would be hard-pressed to find a man who would continue to endanger and dismiss the very Princess he already failed once."
"Still… even if you're right, and she had something to do with this, it most likely is because of her father's control over her life right now," Anorak said, firmly. "Fire Lord Ozai would have demanded that she provided him with a course of action he could follow…"
"He would have, yes," Jeong Jeong said, frowning. "But I would not assume that he stopped at that."
"At… demanding her cooperation?" Anorak asked.
"At demanding it solely as a strategist, and not as an active participant of the Fire Nation's war effort."
Again, Anorak was left speechless. He froze in place before shaking his head, looking at the scowling Jeong Jeong in disbelief.
"You're not trying to say that… she's here? She's… in Yu Dao?" he asked.
"I would not be surprised in the slightest if she were," Jeong Jeong said.
Anorak felt the blood running cold inside his body: that couldn't be. Sokka wasn't here now… was that yet another reason why she had been sent? She was smarter, more capable than most leaders of the Fire Nation army… was it possible that she might have been swayed into joining Sokka, if she had been deployed to a battle that involved him? Was that, perhaps, what the Fire Lord's reasoning had been to send her here instead…?
"Even if she is… rather, if she really is, shouldn't we reach out to Sokka?" asked Anorak. Jeong Jeong huffed. "I know why you would think it's a bad idea, but he might be able to outdo her, strategically…"
"I would rather doubt that. Most of all, if his emotions are compromised," Jeong Jeong said.
"Hers might be, too," Anorak said.
"I will not gamble on the possibility that a member of the Fire Nation Royal Family has a beating heart rather than a hole inside their chest," Jeong Jeong said, bluntly. Anorak scowled.
"But you did with Zuko and Iroh…"
"They have long proven themselves. She has not."
"Sokka disagrees with that."
"General Sokka's judgment is impossible to trust where that woman is concerned," Jeong Jeong said. "He makes no effort to conceal what she means to him… and he's convinced that she reciprocates his feelings completely. We must use our judgment and open our eyes to the reality before us: if the Princess will stand by the Fire Lord, her motives are meaningless. She is an enemy."
"I… I don't know if I can see it that way. I know he won't," Anorak said, with uncertainty.
"Why would you doubt it?" Jeong Jeong asked. "Will you continue to hold out hope over her potential to do right by this world as she burns the light out of your eyes, as she did with our soldiers riding that airship?"
"N-no, but… I want to think she could be persuaded to turn on the Fire Lord," Anorak said, his voice small.
"The time to turn against him has long run out for the Princess," Jeong Jeong said. "She has chosen to stand by his side, for whatever reasons she did. You will achieve nothing by clinging to unfounded hopes about her tight bond with the Gladiator: would you compromise your loyalty to your nation all be it to stand beside its enemy, for no reason but sentimentality?"
"I… I wouldn't know. I've never been in any situations that required for me to turn my back on my people," Anorak acknowledged.
"I have. And I chose to do it," Jeong Jeong said, firmly. "She has never made that choice. She has protected her people even at the cost of her own life, should the stories of that corrupt spear be true. Her bond with the Gladiator is not so strong that she would abandon her people solely because he asks her to."
"But then… what do you want us to do?" Anorak said, frowning. "If you're right about her, if you're right that she might be here, in Yu Dao, planning the defense of the city and even strategizing to take away our best assets on the battlefield… what can we do about it?"
"There's one thing we certainly can do: we keep General Sokka from learning that his prize might be closer to his reach than he ever imagined it could be," Jeong Jeong said. Anorak's eyes widened.
"Prize? You… you don't truly believe that Sokka only wants her back, do you?" Anorak said. Jeong Jeong scoffed.
"A young man, volatile, reckless, with boundless potential bogged down by inexperience, could very well lose all that drives and powers him onwards once the greatest of his ambitions is fulfilled," Jeong Jeong said. "His convictions are not in question: his willingness to carry on, whether she is friend or foe, is what I find disquieting. What do you expect would happen if he knew she's here?"
"He would come at once. He would seek to change her views, he would intend to recruit her…"
"And she would welcome him with the equivalent of a ballista bolt laced in blasting jelly."
"You don't know that for sure," Anorak said, though his convictions certainly wavered enough, too.
"I don't… but neither do you," Jeong Jeong said: his cold eyes rose to Anorak, as though weighing him… and finding him below his standards. "That man has taken his toll on your better sense, Anorak…"
"I know him. He's my friend," Anorak said, stubbornly. "As much as I don't think he's beyond making mistakes, I… I do believe he's making the right choices, for the right reasons. Princess Azula… she's making the wrong ones, we know that, and we don't really know her reasons for it either. But I cannot accept… I cannot accept that a man like Sokka could have ever grown to love someone as worthless as the woman you take her to be. There has to be more to her than that. Even if she's doing something terrible now…"
"She has done enough terrible things, not just now, but after directing the Fire Lord's attention to the Northern Water Tribe as well," Jeong Jeong said. Anorak snarled. "Or are you going to forgive her blindly, without knowing her, for the deaths of your people? Is that your intent, Anorak?"
"I… I won't forgive her blindly. Just as I won't judge her without knowing the full truth," Anorak said. Jeong Jeong scoffed.
"That fool truly has changed you," he said. "So much so… that you would give this much leniency, this much credit, to a total stranger from the Fire Nation."
"The one I give credit to is Sokka," Anorak said, firmly. "The one I believe in… is him."
"Is that so?" Jeong Jeong's voice rang with skepticism that Anorak struggled to ignore. "Then, by all means… march blindly into Yu Dao, as he would. Tell her to join us. If you don't wish to do so… perhaps it means that you should reconsider this faithful belief you've deposited on someone who is as fickle over uncomfortable realities, as blind to unpleasant truths, as your admired Gladiator is."
Anorak shuddered: from wanting guidance and help from Jeong Jeong, he now wished he had gone anywhere but to the old man. He could see him glaring at him sideways, as though challenging him to say any other words against him… challenging him to continue defending Azula.
Anorak didn't do it. He didn't know how.
What followed made it all the more difficult to continue arguing back against Jeong Jeong, too:
A thunderous explosion startled everyone nearby: a flash of violent light, followed by multiple blasts. Screams by the White Lotus soldiers, cries for help, and Jeong Jeong scowled as he glared at the newest stage of the wicked plan by their enemies to retain control of Yu Dao…
The Stronghold exploded: the White Lotus officials hoping to clear out the building had tripped over the triggers of traps connected to more deposits of blasting jelly.
"What…?!" Anorak gasped, and Jeong Jeong snarled.
"Another trap. Another…"
More lost lives. The Fire Nation had lost this base… but only a single soldier. By now, the White Lotus army had lost around thirty members or more.
"Unnuaq!" Jeong Jeong roared: the waterbender nearby watched the burning building with wide eyes, but he reacted fast, willing to obey anything the former Admiral asked of him. "Take your waterbenders and save whoever you can find in there, now!"
"Right…! R-right!" Unnuaq said: he glanced at Anorak, perplex by Jeong Jeong's decision to send him, instead of his well-known second-in-command. Even so, it wasn't an opportunity he'd waste: the waterbenders with him followed him into the Stronghold, rushing towards the crumbling metal walls of the building that no longer stood where it did for almost a hundred years.
Anorak shivered in place: was this explosion something Jeong Jeong would hold the Princess responsible for, too? Would he be right to do it? The Fire Nation's methods were often deplorable… but in this case, it felt as though they were banking on the overconfidence of their foes, on the White Lotus's certainty that victory would be assured by numbers alone. And it had to be, Anorak thought… it was far more likely for them to be triumphant against the Fire Nation than for them to lose with armies of this magnitude.
But if the Fire Nation planned ahead, if they continued to wear down the White Lotus's resources little by little, strategically predicting their every move and countering them in such cold blood…
"Do you still believe in the Gladiator's faith in Princess Azula?" Jeong Jeong finally dared say, eyes sharp with rage. Anorak gritted his teeth.
"I… I don't know. I'm sorry for questioning you, I just… I can't fathom that he could have been so gullible. If she were capable of such awful things… how could he ever love her?"
"Perhaps… because he is capable of just as much as she is," Jeong Jeong said, startling Anorak. "He makes it much easier to fathom simply because he is on our side. But if a battle with her means facing off against someone with intellect and leadership comparable to that of General Sokka… how many more lives of rebels will be wasted, if that turns out to be the case?"
Anorak gritted his teeth, lowering his gaze. He wasn't sure he would have answered that question, even if he had known how: Unnuaq's team was in the middle of carrying injured warriors out of the wreckage in the building. Fortunately, not too many soldiers had taken to investigating the building, limiting the number of potential casualties from the ultimate collapse of the Stronghold.
"We will recuperate from our losses as best as we're able. We will resume the march in the morning," Jeong Jeong said. "Our forces should reach Yu Dao in two days. By then, perhaps it will be time for me to truly test your heart's strength, Anorak. Clear your head… and think again. Meditate on what has happened, ponder the meaning of every challenge we have faced… accept that your role within this conflict is to support the White Lotus, rather than defending Fire Nation warmongers."
Anorak's fists tightened: memories of his conversation with Katara, Zuko and Aang in the outskirts of Omashu returned to mind. They had never hidden their apprehension when Sokka made mistakes… they had never felt undermined, crushed for daring have an opinion that differed from his. Sokka himself had made it clear that he welcomed dissent, provided it made sense…
The contrast with Jeong Jeong, the man to whom Anorak had given his loyalty completely, proved dreadfully jarring. His chest tightened as his eyes dropped to his leader's robe… as he found himself wishing he had chosen to join Sokka in the north, instead. He didn't have the strength of heart needed to resist the harsh words and judgments of his superior officer.
Oh, but how he wished he did…
Anorak breathed deeply and nodded, bowing his head in deference to Jeong Jeong and walking away without another word: he could feel the man's glare upon him, and he suspected that his unwillingness to agree with Jeong Jeong, to concede and only see his side, might have deeper consequences than he could see just yet.
Even so, he hoped that Jeong Jeong's assumptions and guesses were incorrect, just as they had been long ago, when he had disregarded Sokka as a delusional fool upon his arrival at the White Lotus Fortress. For Sokka's sake, above all else, Anorak truly that hoped Princess Azula was still safe and sound, far away from Yu Dao, unable to take action in any significant way, annulled by her father still… ready to make the jump to join Sokka's side, as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
And if that wasn't the case, perhaps offering her that opportunity was exactly what Anorak could do, if Azula truly were involved in the warfare as directly as Jeong Jeong believed she was. Swaying her, recruiting her, would be the best thing he could do to prove Jeong Jeong wrong… and the best way to do right by the Gladiator, the worthiest leader he had ever followed.
Azula didn't truly understand the way her own body worked, let alone under situations of heightened stress: even though she couldn't stop mulling over a million possibilities, worrying sick over what might be happening in Pohuai Stronghold, she succeeded at nursing Hotaru that night. The baby nestled in her arms for a mere five minutes after her meal before falling soundly asleep, even before the Princess could think to sing a soothing lullaby for her daughter.
"There's too much going on lately for the both of us, huh?" Azula whispered, placing her baby on the basket where Song and Rei always transported her.
The child was so profoundly asleep that even Azula's touch, as she caressed her daughter's thin hair, failed to wake her. The Princess's fond smile soured quickly, as reality came bustling anew, manifesting inside her mind over dark, foreboding thoughts regarding the Stronghold's state…
A knock on the shed's door: Azula frowned as she approached it, and as drowsy as they were, Rei and Song quickly snapped to full alert as well, glancing in the door's direction before Azula opened it.
"Train-tank is on its way back. Mayor Morishita just received word," Renkai's unmistakable voice relieved Azula immensely. She nodded.
"Do we know anything about the battle's outcome?"
"The Stronghold was lost… but the blasting jelly did its job, it seems," Renkai said. Azula breathed out slowly.
"Casualties?"
"Favoring our side. One loss for us, likely numerous for them: the airship was destroyed."
Azula clenched up: sometimes it was easy to forget what she was talking about. Sometimes, she could break her mind away from the reality of war. And sometimes, that reality would threaten to throttle her, never failing to remind her that the lives lost on that battlefield were her fault, her doing… her responsibility.
"Very well," she said, nodding. "Anything else?"
"The train-tank is bound to arrive within the next few hours. Should I let you know once it does?" Renkai asked. Azula nodded.
"Please do. The sooner I check on them, the better," she said. Renkai nodded before Azula closed the door again.
"It's starting, then. Like you said it would," Song whispered. Rei hugged herself, sitting on a crate within the shed. Azula nodded, shoulders tight with tension.
"It's possible that the evacuation of the Stronghold paid off as planned," Azula said, marching in the room, rubbing her brow with her fingertips. "I'll find out if it did when Renkai comes to fetch me. I…"
"Azula…" Song sighed, pushing herself up and approaching her. The Princess sighed, throwing her head back and placing her hands on her hips.
"This is madness," she whispered. "I'm not trying to fight my father's war to destroy everything… but I might as well be. If the only way to keep this city safe is to defeat their forces, then I most certainly will do that, but…"
"You can't deter the enemy from pushing onwards, can you?" Song asked, reluctant. Azula sighed, shaking her head.
"Short of… of trying to get through to someone who'd listen to me, someone like Sokka, I don't think a diplomatic approach would amount to much. If what happened in the Stronghold isn't enough to stop them, we… we will have a battle on our doorstep within the next few days."
Song gritted her teeth, hugging herself as unwanted memories of pleasant villages turned into battlefields returned to mind. Rei, too, shivered upon remembering the one funerary pyre she had witnessed… the only one she ever wanted to witness.
"Song… Rei," Azula called them, startling them out of their thoughts. "I… I know that we made plans, that we have this tunnel now, and it will be useful, should any emergencies occur. But when the battle begins… well, there might be a lot of earthbending involved. If the city were breached, and I certainly hope it's not, this very property, the Mayor's home, will be a likely priority to seize for the Deserter's forces."
"Wait… then, what are you saying?" Song asked, eyes wide. Azula breathed deeply.
"We'll stick to our procedure as we have, so far. But if you're in the ship by the time the battle begins? You'll stay put right there," Azula said, her heart clenched as she spoke. "I… I don't even know if either of you could dare try to sail away, it's not bound to be a wise idea, maybe Sneers could…"
"You're not going to ask us to run away again, are you?" Song asked.
"Not… not unless there's no choice," Azula said, gritting her teeth. "I don't want either of you, let alone Hotaru, to be away from me. But I don't know how this battle will turn out. Even without the airship, the enemy will be dangerous. They outnumber us massively. And as much as I would love to believe that Sokka wouldn't ally with unforgivable bastards who would target civilians and take advantage of them, I can't pretend I trust the White Lotus's integrity in the slightest. So… if things start to look unsalvageable, find a way out of here."
"So… we'll do that if the entire city's on fire, or it gets leveled by earthbending," Song said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I'm just not sure I'll believe that things are beyond your ability to handle beyond that. Sorry if it's too much pressure, but…"
"Your faith in me is flattering, but…" Azula said, gritting her teeth. "I don't know if I can do this, Song. I've never… never really faced anything quite like this. Rhone was the underdog, even when he had the Bloodlust Spear. I don't know…"
"I do know that you'll protect this city," Song said, stepping closer to hug Azula reassuringly. "That you won't let anything happen to us. But… I guess I'll lighten your load a bit, and say that, if things do get dire, we'll run. But hey… we'll expect you to join up with us eventually. No crazy heroic sacrifices, okay?"
"I… okay," Azula said, blinking blankly and eyeing Song apprehensively. The healer offered her a small smile as she pulled back. "You'll do it, then? You'll…"
"I don't really know that much about sailing, though. Let's hope Sneers does," Song reasoned, with a grimace.
"You'd join us later. You have to," Rei said, unable to mask her anxiety. "You will… right?"
"I'll come back for you as soon as I'm able. As soon as it's safe," Azula responded, but Rei didn't find her words too reassuring. "The port won't be the safest place either, though. Stay vigilant, constantly… they want ships, and while there will be much better ones for them to steal than your hideout, they might be desperate enough to commandeer civilian vessels anyway."
"But then… that sounds like nothing is safe," Rei whispered, her voice frayed with emotion. Azula lowered her gaze.
"I'm afraid that's been the case all along, Rei," she responded, stepping closer to her adoptive daughter. Rei winced, raising her gaze towards her. "I'll do everything in my power, and then some, to make sure they won't reach you. Even if… if I have to join the battlefield personally, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure none of you need to see warfare directly at all. But the best way to keep you away from the danger is for you to stay away from the land troops. With any luck, we'll be effective enough at stopping those that they'll be unable or unwilling to attack the port at all…"
"Let's hope so," Song said, breathing deeply and clasping Azula's shoulder. "Do you think we should leave already? Just in case?"
Azula's eyes shifted towards Hotaru: no, she didn't want them to go… but it was the more responsible choice. She gritted her teeth before nodding in Song's direction.
"It's… it's bound to be for the best. I'll go through the tunnel myself in the morning to check on you, if they haven't arrived yet," Azula said. Song nodded.
"Then… let's get ready to go," Song sighed: Rei's unwillingness to leave, fear permeating her every fiber, manifested through the urgent hug she offered Azula.
The Princess hugged her daughter back: her shoulders shook with sobs of desperation, and Azula felt her heart clench as she nearly joined Rei in crying, too. Still, she held her own, determined not to break, not to waver. Whatever disastrous choices she might need to make, she refused to compromise the wellbeing of her three protégées. She would do whatever it took to protect them, no matter if that meant becoming a more catastrophic, cruel villain than Jeong Jeong could ever hope to be.
Sending them off through the tunnels again within another hour was difficult, even if Azula knew she would most likely see them soon for Hotaru's morning meal. But if anything went sideways… she hardly wanted to fathom that possibility. She had never been the kind of person who would put faith recklessly in any given belief, but this time, she needed to do it. The very thought of anything happening to them sufficed to destroy her heart, her common sense, her willingness to see this madness through to the very end.
Dawn hadn't broken when the train-tank returned, noisily and unceremoniously, to Yu Dao: the earthbenders tasked with building the minefield prepared a small path between the bombs through which the massive vehicle could progress, onwards and past the city walls. Navigating the danger of the mines proved frightening regardless of all caution, but the survivors of the assault on Pohuai Stronghold climbed off the train-tank safely past the gates of Yu Dao, to the great relief of everyone awaiting news and valuable information pertaining the protection of their city.
Renkai informed Azula of its arrival right away: the Princess left the safety of the Mayor's house, a somber expression on her face as she crossed the city, tailed by her two constant companions. She reached Colonel Shinu near the city's eastern wall, and he appeared genuinely relieved and pleased to see her.
"Princess," he said, bowing his head in her direction, offering her a proud grin. "The airship has been taken down from the skies, just as commanded. We have lost the Stronghold, yes, but…"
"But the damage we dealt against the enemy is considerable. That's enough of a victory, for starters," Azula said, with a nod. "What of the casualties?"
"One of our archers was killed by a waterbending attack… but he was our only loss," Shinu said. Azula nodded.
"Then very well. Begin the incorporation of your troops to active service within the city," Azula said. "Replenish your strength as well. We need you at your best."
"The magnitude of their army… we couldn't make it out in the darkness of the night, and in the depths of the forest," said Shinu. "The Deserter never fails to attack at night, it seems…"
"A seasoned soldier like him would take advantage of the mantle of night if he believes the terrains offer him an advantage," Azula said. "Though there will be no such advantage once they reach Yu Dao, I suspect. The valley is too exposed."
"Indeed, Princess," Shinu said, breathing deeply. "I… I will go find something to eat now, then. Thank you for lending the train-tank to serve us, Princess…"
"It was always part of the strategy," Azula said, nodding in his direction: the two guards she had tasked with driving the vehicle had climbed off the train-tank. As tired as they might look, it seemed that the adrenaline of having succeeded at their mission was stronger than their exhaustion. "I'm glad everything worked out as we envisioned. It seldom does when we face the Deserter."
"Indeed. I… I have long owed you an apology for how I failed you the last time we faced him," Shinu said: Azula's eyes narrowed. "But I hoped to make amends for my mistakes this time. I will endeavor to see your plans to defend this city to the very end, Princess."
"Thank you, Colonel," Azula said, nodding. "May we prevail against the tide the Deserter intends to unleash upon us. If you learned any relevant information regarding the enemy forces, whatsoever, please share it with the war command as soon as we convene."
"Well, besides that there are waterbenders at their disposal, as well as that they carry heavy siege weapons… I'm afraid there wasn't much we could learn," said the Colonel. Azula crooked an eyebrow.
"Siege weapons… wooden ones?" she asked.
"Well, we didn't quite see them, but…"
"But it's the likeliest material," Azula said, frowning and glancing to the side: they would be able to render those weapons unusable with firebending. If they could pull that off, they'd diminish Jeong Jeong's possibilities to attack the city and overwhelm it by force… "At any rate, please take some time to rest, Colonel Shinu. If projections are accurate, you may be joining the battlefield anew within the next few days."
"Indeed. Indeed…" Shinu said, bowing his head towards Azula. "I'll be on my way."
Azula nodded as the Colonel took off: he didn't look too tired at first, but by now, it seemed that he might be moments away from falling asleep where he stood, now that the stress of his initial mission was behind him.
"Was a big success in the end, huh? Even if we did lose ground," Chan said, glancing at Azula. "Just the one death is, well… probably more than you wanted, sure, but still…!"
"Being realistic, it's as good as a miracle," Azula said. Chan swallowed hard. "The archer must have been more exposed to enemy attacks than he should have been. If he turns out to be our only casualty in the defense of Yu Dao, it would truly be a miracle… but the odds are it won't be the case."
"Well, if you think we need to be ready for anything, I can try to help out by patrolling the walls and keeping an eye out, making sure the Deserter's people aren't here yet," Chan said, crackling his knuckles.
"You're not about to join the wall's patrols, Chan," Azula said, shaking her head. He pouted.
"But I've got good eyesight at night, and during the day too, for that matter! I… I thought you trusted me a bit more now? Why can't I…?"
"You're the appointed captain in charge of our bombardment brigade," Azula said, point-blank: Chan gaped at her in stunned silence. "Much like I'd rather Shinu is well-rested instead of jumping into the fray with barely two hours of rest since yesterday, I'd rather you're in your best shape when the time comes for you to use that hand cannon. Do you understand?"
"I… oh. Heh, I didn't think about that," Chan admitted, with a guilty smile. "I guess I get it now. Sorry."
"You should be," Azula said, shaking her head before turning towards Renkai. "As for you…"
"Me?" Renkai frowned. "I've rested sufficiently…"
"You may have, but I have a different task in mind for you," Azula said, her voice grave. Renkai frowned. "Chan and I will be in the frontlines, by the city walls, once the enemy forces arrive. He needs to stand there with his brigade, with his weapons… I have to lead our defenses. But… there's one area under our protection that needs to be defended, direly. Your fellow guards are already aware of it, I will assign half of them there, but…"
"But you want me there, too," Renkai frowned. "The port?"
"The port," Azula confirmed. Renkai gritted his teeth.
"If… if this is about them, I understand," he said. "But… is it just that?"
"I don't trust people easily. Let alone after everything I've been through," Azula said, earnestly. Renkai's chest tightened. "So, while this may feel like a backhand of a sort… I'm entrusting the people I treasure most to your care, Renkai. It's not the first time I do it, but…"
"It's the first time the threat against them is as serious as it is," Renkai said. Azula swallowed hard. "Far more serious than the Fire Lord himself. And we have nowhere safer for them to go than the ship, do we?"
"I don't know. But, if it came down to it… I'd have to ask you to take them and flee," Azula said. Renkai gritted his teeth. "Run into the mountains, hide someplace distant. At worst… turn yourself in to the White Lotus and ask for Rui Shi. Provided they have a shred of decency, they'll let you talk to him, at least. It should be enough to protect them…"
"And what of you?" Renkai asked. Chan scoffed.
"Princess Azula's scarier than anyone out there," he said. Azula frowned at his assertion. "Even if things go bad, she's bound to take down the entire enemy army if they try to get to her."
"I don't know that I'll be capable of doing anything of the sort," Azula said. Chan pouted. "I… I will do my best to survive, to return to them, Renkai, but if it doesn't pay off, the best thing any of us could hope to do is to bring them someplace safer, much safer, than anywhere my father can reach."
"I understand, but…" Renkai said, a fist tight. "I don't think any of us would willingly abandon you."
"If things go well, you won't have to. But…" Azula said, breathing deeply. "Just focus on your task. On leading your fellow guards in the defense of the port. Stop the enemy from commandeering ships to their liking. The city must be safe… and the Fire Nation beyond their reach for as long as we may be able to keep them away."
"Yes, Princess," Renkai nodded, bowing his head in her direction.
"Half the guards will stay with me by the walls," she reiterated. "The others will go with you. There are more brigades assigned to the protection of the port, but there aren't nearly as many soldiers tasked with its protection as there will be in the city itself. So… be cautious."
"Yes, Princess," Renkai said.
His willingness to obey was no surprise… though there was a hint of melancholy in his voice that gave away his true feelings on the matter. Azula eyed him compassionately, unsure of how she had grown to rely quite so much on a man who, initially, had been nothing but an unnerving threat and spy, ready to take her down whenever the chance came up. She could only hope that Shaofeng's men, the guards of the Third Squad, would know better than to stab Renkai in the back at the port… whatever distrust Shaofeng might feel towards his former star guard, the Fire Nation's protection had to matter more to him than that. The momentary alignment of their goals had to suffice to secure the temporary loyalty of the guards assigned to serve Azula through this trip.
"Should I go already, or…?" Renkai asked.
"We should finish organizing and distributing our forces by morning," Azula decided. Renkai nodded. "They're not bound to reach us so soon, especially if they're traveling with heavy siege weaponry. If we have any further information, anything that enables us to prepare even more defenses for their full assault, I'll see to adjusting our plans for it at once. But, if nothing does… you'll be taking off after that, Renkai."
"Very well. I'll be ready," Renkai said, nodding.
"You guys ought to be a little less down in the dumps, you know?" Chan said: Azula and Renkai mirrored each other's irritation as they glared at the careless captain beside them. "I'm just saying…! We have a pretty damn solid defense going on here. I know I might be overconfident…"
"You are," Azula said, curtly. "When was the last time you were part of a full-scale battle, Chan?"
"Uh… w-well, never," he admitted. Azula's eyebrow twitched. "But I think you've thought things through! I've never heard of defenses like the ones you've set up for this city. If anything? I'd be shitting my pants if I were going against you. Which, you know? It's kind of wild to think that we're on the same side this time. I suppose you could say that has made me overconfident, but a part of me feels like we just… can't lose."
"Overconfident is the right word for a claim like that one," Azula said, shaking her head. "The enemy outnumbers us vastly, they have weapons and abilities we lack, they even have more aerial presence than we do. If by some devastating bad luck, the Avatar presented himself, this easy victory you look forward to claiming will be highly unlikely. And he's not even the worst threat we could face."
"Right, but…" said Chan, eyeing her with uncertainty. "If he showed up, couldn't you do something to make him stop attacking? I dunno, uh, bat your eyelashes at him, or…"
The glare Azula shot at him made Chan giggle nervously, inching away from her, but not fast enough to avoid getting a slap to the back of the head… courtesy of Renkai.
"Moron," he growled.
"I was just kidding, just kidding…"
"Kid about something less ridiculous next time," Renkai snapped. "Or… don't kid around at all. Princess, are you sure you can handle being alone with him in the defense of the city? I don't know about giving him that much authority over such a crucial group of our defenses…"
"It's a little late for that, Renkai," Azula said. "But yes, I'm sure, and I'll put up with this annoyance for as long as I have to. I don't really have anyone to replace him with. He's a lucky bastard that way."
Chan smiled awkwardly: despite their threatening tones, he felt far more comfortable in his place in the world these days than he had been until now.
His attempt to lighten the situation by joking hadn't been successful, though: the rays of sunlight were beginning to change the color of the sky, and Azula's brow furrowed anew. One more day, if they were lucky… one last day until Jeong Jeong reached the city's doorstep.
Azula made haste through the Morishita house's shed to the port, finding her daughters and Song anew, and feeding Hotaru before taking off again, this time to supervise the protections and defenses of the port. A quick conversation with Sneers revealed he had basic knowledge of sailing, and he agreed to leave with the girls, should anything too dangerous happen. While Azula had an understanding with the man, she could sense a hesitation in him that she couldn't blame him for: in other circumstances, he would be part of the forces rolling into Yu Dao fearlessly. In another lifetime, he would have been something other than the keeper of the Princess's most vital secret, than the former gladiator of the Mayor's daughter… was he tempted by the freedom the White Lotus offered? Azula certainly didn't know if he was… and perhaps Kori didn't, either.
The earthbender was in bright spirits, despite the looming threat, when Azula came across her by midday. She had gotten much more rest over the course of the past weeks, sufficient to properly serve the defenses of her city. Even so, Azula sensed a hesitation in her once they had some privacy later, and Kori failed to hide her apprehension behind placid smiles as they spoke in the war command's meeting room, amid maps and documents outlining the resources at their disposal, in the wake of the last meeting.
"The meeting's already done, Kori," Azula said, after the last of the military leaders in Yu Dao had taken off. "Your earthbenders are ready, as far as I understood… you don't need to stick around on my account. I'll be taking off, myself, in a bit."
"Yeah, I figured. It's just… I guess I'm at a bit of a loss over what to do right now, after so much planning," Kori said. "The maze is done, the mines are all planted, everyone knows their duties… it feels like I should be doing more, but I don't know what."
"You need a break," Azula concluded, gathering the documents in a pile and rising to her feet. "And… come to think of it, how much of Sneers have you seen over the past weeks?"
"Oh… well, not a lot," Kori admitted. Azula raised her eyebrows.
"Then that's one thing you ought to amend," she said. "You have a chance to spend time with him now, I doubt your parents will keep tabs on what you do at the moment… and, well, Song and Rei would be discreet if you go see him at the ship. Don't worry too much and…"
"I'm just… not sure I want to go."
Azula frowned, raising her gaze to find Kori appeared apprehensive as she hugged herself on the chair. She raised an eyebrow, and Kori glanced at her uneasily.
"Don't misunderstand, I didn't have a fight with him or anything," Kori said, with a sad smile. "Nor am I stupid or territorial about other girls spending more time with him than I do. But… well…"
"It's… the battle, isn't it?" Azula asked. Kori sighed.
"We belong on different sides of this conflict. I've never been so gullible as to think otherwise," she said. "We bonded, built bridges, but it's not as easy as that, is it? Even if I love him, even if he loves me back, we… we have our own opinions, our own ideas of what this world needs. And while I've certainly grown more disillusioned with our nation, I… I can't turn my back on it. Much as you can't, I think, so… I guess you might just understand."
"Well… if I'm to be entirely honest?" Azula said, breathing deeply. "I don't know that I do, on a few levels. For one… a certain rebellious bastard responsible for leading our enemy forces once told me, long ago, that a nation is not a piece of land, or some banner, but its people. No doubt he must regret having convinced me of that… because my loyalty is not to the Fire Lord, or to the Fire Nation as the glorious entity our most popular ideologies have convinced us it is. It's to our people… and that's who I fight for. I'm not going to let this city fall, not out of pride, not out of hubris… but because the people who live in your hometown deserve better than to be collateral damage in the wake of this war. Much like every victim of this war ever did."
"Then… you fight to ensure no more people need to die, no more than the ones who already did?" Kori asked. Azula sighed.
"Among other reasons," she said. "Balance between all four elements can hardly be achieved if nations stomp each other out of existence… as we already did to the Air Nomads."
"It was… it was wrong," Kori reasoned. "The quest for domination the Fire Lords set out on was cruel, and unnecessary. It's easier to see it now, when we're witnessing a war where we're on the losing side. It's… it's how Earth Kingdom people felt, right? When the Fire Nation attacked. Same as all the other nations. As far as that's concerned, I understand what you mean, but… aren't we stuck with fighting for our nation all the same?"
"Certainly not. You could always run away," Azula said: Kori gaped at her, astonished. "Fight if you wish to, withdraw if you don't. I can't blame anyone for choosing to back down upon facing a threat of Jeong Jeong's magnitude. But if you'd rather stand by this city and fight for it until the bitter end…"
"I do want to do that," Kori said, determined. "I know this city isn't perfect… I've received plenty of unpleasant attention because I'm an earthbender, rather than a firebender. But this is still my home. These are my people, and… and they're not Sneers' people. He doesn't want to fight alongside us, and I never would have demanded that he did, but… a part of me wonders if he'll forgive me for what I'll have to do on the battlefield, once the battle begins. I wonder if… if he'll be able to see me the same way if my hands are ever stained with the blood of our enemies. Which they most likely will be."
"Such is the way of war," Azula said, earnestly. Kori sighed.
"I wish it weren't. Life shouldn't be this difficult," she whispered. "He shouldn't have to struggle with whether or not he can love me when I'm defending my people… I shouldn't have to struggle with whether or not I would be able to keep fighting, if he were among the forces marching on us right now."
"But he's not," Azula said. Kori breathed deeply and nodded. "And therein lies… the second thing I'd dare say I dissent with you over. Sneers may have the opinions he cares to, but he didn't enter this relationship with you blindly, did he?"
"Well… no."
"You love him, he loves you… and you're still within each other's reach," Azula said. "I'd rather not go into detail if I can avoid it, but… if I were in your shoes in this situation, I'd spend every leisure moment, every instant I can spare, with the man I love."
Kori's eyes widened, as Azula breathed deeply, gazing at her with unbridled melancholy.
"You have one final day before the battle begins. One last chance to make sure you understand his stance, how he feels… whether or not he can live with your choices, if this is what concerns you most," Azula said. "Even if the outcome isn't what you want it to be, even if you wind up in disagreement… it's still better than being in the dark. Certainly better than wasting one day you could spend with him, instead."
Kori opened her mouth as though to respond, but she didn't: the soulful remorse in the Princess's eyes spoke for itself regarding what she was thinking.
If she were in Kori's shoes, she would have long run into Sokka's arms if he were within reach.
"I… I see," Kori said, biting her lip and pushing herself up. "You're right, I… you're right. Any moments I can spend with him are precious. I… I'll go. I don't know how things will turn out, but… I'll talk to him about all this. I will. I… thank you. I'll see you back at the house, probably for dinner, right?"
"Surely," Azula whispered. Kori smiled and bowed her head towards her.
"Thanks for… well, setting my head right again. This whole situation's just… so stressful you really lose sight of what matters most," Kori sighed, shaking her head. "But I'll go now. I'll… I'll try to straighten things out. Thank you."
Azula nodded, watching the door even after Kori left the room. She stood in place, wishing she could follow the girl to no consequences… knowing she couldn't, not just yet. Not when they were, perhaps, less than twelve hours away from the largest battle she had ever involved herself in.
In a sense, the battle had already begun: that airship had collapsed, that archer had died, the Stronghold had gone up in flames. How many casualties had there been in that initial confrontation? How many had paid the price of her choices, her suggestions… her attempt to save those she valued, even when she knew the price would be unfathomably steep?
She breathed deeply, raising her hand to find it clean still. Kori spoke of the stains upon her hands… but Azula's were perfectly clean, even after she had been responsible for the deaths of those who crashed in that airship, as well as the people below it, if anyone was. She was responsible for every choice in this battle… just as she was responsible for the destruction of the Fire Nation fleet in the North Pole.
She gritted her teeth: her eyes, unfocused under the blur of tears, certainly allowed her to visualize the spilling red falling from her hands, the hundreds, thousands of deaths she held herself fully responsible for. From the moment she had spurred her father on, from the moment she had told him what to do… her motives hardly mattered when the reality of his choices proved to be so devastating.
Her hands were clean… just like Ozai's. Just like the father who sent millions to their deaths, if he so chose to. The man who wouldn't shed a tear for his best friend in his funerary pyre… the man who blindly sought to destroy another for the apparent humiliation of learning that his daughter had dared to love him.
She wanted nothing in common with the Fire Lord… nothing in common with the cruel man who had sentenced her to this fate. If only she had been smarter, if only she had been in the right headspace when so much fell apart, could she have made different choices? Better choices? Could she have saved, or spared, more people than she had? Could she stop seeing that trickle of red, pooling at her feet, spilling further and drowning her in the weight of every last mistake that had led her to this place…?
She slammed a closed fist on the table, snapping herself out of focusing quite so hard on the thoughts that troubled her.
This was, indeed, the fate she had chosen. This was where she'd make her last stand, if she had no other choice. If Jeong Jeong outdid her, as he had once in the past, the city would fall. All she could hope for, should this be the eve of her final day, was that Renkai would be able to find Rui Shi after all. That he would have a chance to reach out for help… to protect Song, Rei and Hotaru. Xin Long… would her father kill him out of spite if she died? Would he leave him be at last, aware that he no longer needed a hostage to hold onto?
Azula sighed, holding her face between her hands. To think she wanted nothing but to be held in the arms of the man who, in his own way, was responsible for her suffering…
He was doing the right thing by fighting this war. She, in turn, was doing the right one by defending her people: somehow, though, every single choice she had made for that purpose, every choice she knew he had made for his, too, felt completely wrong.
Her hands were not stained yet. They were still clean, pristine, just like her father's, regardless of the countless lives their choices had already cost.
That was bound to change tomorrow.
She picked up the documents, ambling with weak balance towards the door. Loneliness grated against her, and she did her best to swallow it, ignore it, overlook her conscience as she composed herself forcibly: she was the Princess of the Fire Nation, and she would lead her people, as she had been born to do.
The hours drifted by far too quickly, as anxiety and tension did a number on her. She got about three hours of rest that night, aboard the Morishita ship, arms wrapped around Hotaru. She woke up with her heart racing, pulsating dark thoughts rushing through her mind, warning her that the time was nigh. Tense, unsettled, disturbed, she had to bid farewell to her companions, who hugged her as tightly as ever.
"Please… please come back to us," Rei whispered. Azula nodded, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her daughter's head.
"Stay safe. Don't leave this ship," she whispered. "Not unless it's in direct danger, of course. Take care, okay?"
"We will, but… you do it too," Rei said, raising her head to find Azula smiling sadly, offering her an insincere nod.
"You really… really will come back to us," Song said, firmly. Azula turned towards her now, finding a conflicted expression across Song's face. "I know you'll have to do difficult, painful things. But… all of us need you. All of us love you. We know why you fight… even someone as stubborn as me understands it now. So, please… please, do your best to come back home to Hotaru, okay?"
Azula sighed and nodded, hugging both women tightly anew. They wrapped their arms around her, as firmly as they could.
"Of all things to come my way this year… the three of you have been the one light that has guided me onwards," Azula whispered. "The one… the one source of peace in so much sorrow. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe… both today, and in the days to come. I promise."
Song swallowed hard, hoping that meant Azula had sufficient motivation to fight on, for them… for she would much rather believe that than expect the Princess to speak of anything more final, such as the dark possibilities Song had already confronted her over. If Azula still wanted to fight, still wanted to protect them, it meant she was determined to live on… and that was enough for Song, for now.
Azula pulled out of their embrace, turning towards the basket where her restless baby lay. Azula smiled sadly at her, brushing her soft hair with her fingertips.
"It hasn't grown out that much just yet but… you have the most beautiful hair," Azula whispered: a painful chord rang in her heart upon speaking the words… the one earnest praise she still recalled hearing from her mother, so long ago.
Hotaru didn't understand what she'd said, and she didn't need to. Azula let out a soft laugh, tears blinking in her eyes before pressing a gentle kiss upon her daughter's brow.
"I'll always be by your side, Hotaru. Always."
Her hand deposited something right by the baby's pillow. The Princess marched away, heart clenched, as her daughter rolled over, taking her father's bone necklace into her hands with curious amazement.
Kori joined her once Azula set out back to the Morishita home, after a heartfelt farewell with Sneers: it didn't surprise Azula at all to find that Kori and Sneers' opinions on her role in this battle hadn't affected their mutual feelings. Her own heart clenched as she remembered far too many goodbyes, painful and harrowing, with the man she loved… in which she had been as tearful as Kori was, marching through the tunnels with a heavy heart, no matter if Azula's supportive grip on her shoulder was meant to reassure her.
It was a normal day, as far as the world was concerned: Mrs. Morishita prepared breakfast, and the family and their guests ate it gratefully. That Azula's nerves were threatening to push her over the edge at any moment went unnoticed by most of them, or so she hoped.
After the meal, she checked on the other military leaders in the war command. Half an hour later, followed by Chan and her guards, the Princess approached the wall, confirming that the scouts had yet to report any sightings of hostile forces in the horizon. Soldiers already gathered near the walls, close to the city gates, and many gazed at her in admiration as she continued to prepare for what was yet to come.
"Very well then…" Azula turned to face her guards: Renkai breathed deeply, aware of what she'd ask of them now. "Half of you will stay here with me. The other half will be off to the port with Captain Renkai. Understood?"
They complied at once: Renkai began selecting guards for his group, though it seemed that most of them preferred to stand by the Princess, instead. Azula eyed them all, weighing them, hoping they would be as reliable as her old guards had been, in a situation as dark as this one…
An urgent chime from the alarm bells in the walls gave Renkai pause just as he was selecting the very last member of his group.
Chan, bored as he had been, perked up at once upon hearing the sound. Azula's heart almost seemed to collapse in her chest with how heavily it dropped.
A moment later, Azula climbed all the way to the top of the wall, followed by the full squad of guards – as well as Chan. The spyglasses held by their sentries weren't necessary to glimpse unnatural movements amid the forests of the valley in which Yu Dao was located: time seemed to come to a halt for the Princess as the reality of what they had been preparing for became far too corporeal, far too solid… far too urgent to run away from.
"I… I will head to the port at once," Renkai said. Azula nodded.
"Go, Renkai," she said: the guard bowed his head towards her, even if she didn't see the gesture.
"H-hey…" Chan grimaced, clasping Renkai's shoulder: the firebender met his eyes, even through his mask. "Just… do your best, alright? I'll buy a round for all of us tonight, after we win. How about it?"
Renkai huffed… a slight laugh, a rather rare occurrence between the two men who were constantly at odds with each other.
"Almost sounds like you think we're friends now. That's an unsettling concept," Renkai said. Chan pouted, but Renkai shook his hand off before bowing his head curtly in his direction. "I'll keep you to your word. In return… keep her safe. Whatever you do… keep her safe."
Chan's heart pounded upon hearing those words: that was a much heavier responsibility than he had anticipated would ever be granted to him. He glanced at the Princess, shorter than either himself or Renkai, and yet so much larger than life, as she ever appeared to be. She wasn't listening to any of what they'd said right now… she was so focused, so anxious by what was to come that she couldn't tell her guard was deeply worried about her.
Renkai had entrusted Chan with Azula's protection: it almost felt like a greater mission than leading the bombardment brigade to the stubborn, proud captain.
"I'll do that for sure, Renkai," Chan said, raising a fist that Renkai touched with his own, if slightly awkwardly. "See you after we win, bud."
"Bud…? Please," Renkai rolled his eyes, marching away as Chan smiled in his direction.
The grin faded quickly as he focused on Azula again, though: the Princess's heavy scowl hardly concealed the storm she meant to unleash upon her foes.
Little by little, everything leading up to this moment came into place, including the fighter squads within the wall and the earthbenders positioned outside it. A large plain that stood between the forests and the depth of the valley would be the battlefield upon which this deadly conflict would be waged…
The first of the enemies peeked out from the trees. Then, the second one. Little by little, a full first line of hostile soldiers emerged from the trees, standing across that massive plain, ready to charge through it as soon as they received orders to do so.
Every alarm bell in Yu Dao's walls and official buildings rang frantically, urging the civilians to remain in the refuges prepared for their safety: the battle for Yu Dao's fate had begun.