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Yu Dao, Mayor's House
"Uh, sorry if it's a bit dusty down here," Kori whispered.
Azula just rolled her eyes, blowing a cobweb out of her face to make her thoughts known. Still being cooped up in a crummy crawlspace was a lot better than just waiting what this summit was about. Everyone in the city knew that the heads of the three Nations were meeting today on neutral ground. Neither was it a secret about what the big issue was going to be discussed.
Now Azula was many things, but she wasn't someone who could stomach not being in the know about what could be one of the biggest meetings in these so-called "peace talks." So when Kori told them that she knew of a crawlspace she used frequently right under the meeting room, it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.
Granted it was a little cramped with three girls smushed in there instead of one, but Azula could manage. Maina on the other hand…
"Stop jabbing your elbow into my gut, Kori!"
"Sorry," the noble dutifully said.
"I have to say, you keep impressing me minute by minute," Azula mused, hoping to bring her newfound companion's spirits up. "Does your father know about you sneaking in here?"
Kori just snorted. "Him? He's got his nose too far up the Fire Lord's butt to care. Besides, if he knew I was here to check on the weekly guard routes to find out where we can organize protests, he'd throw a fit."
"All these talents wasted for the most menial of causes…"
"Hey, at least I'm doing something about things here."
The Princess let the jab slide. Quite frankly, she was not in the mood to start an argument. That and if they started to get into one, they'd be caught sooner than she could come up with a good excuse of why they were eavesdropping on a big meeting like this. Right now the only ones she had were "Well Kori wanted to show us where she played when she was a child" or "Somebody's got to clean down here. Figured we'd give the servants a break for once".
…okay maybe not that last one. She didn't want to think about what happened to her servants after she banished them. Or anything regarding that awful day to begin with…
"Sush! It sounds like they're coming in!"
All three clammed up as they heard footsteps above them. Azula in particular kept still, her ears craning to hear anything from the other side. Inwardly she wondered how her brother would handle something like this. It wasn't like he was in the best state the last she saw him.
Good. Let him see what it's like to be a leader for once.
Aang adjusted his heavier ceremonial robes. To be perfectly honest, he felt he wasn't cut out for diplomatic appearances like this. But at least it was getting easier with each summit.
More so than he could say about his companion. Zuko had changed into the heavier garb that he wore during his coronation. Although he was the more ornately dressed of the two, he was the one who seemed to be the more nervous. "I feel like I'm getting ready for my execution," he murmured.
There wasn't much Aang could say that would dissuade him. On the other side of those doors were the leaders of the other nations and his generals. None of them were very fond of the one who helped bring down Ba Sing Se, raided the South looking for the Avatar, and spearheaded a military disaster that crippled the Fire Nation's holdings in the Earth Kingdom. The last one especially got to Zuko the hardest.
Fire Lord Zuko was supposed to be better, and he led so many men and women to their deaths. It was just like that minister back during that fateful war meeting that left him branded. Who was he to appear before so many with so much blood on his hands?
The Avatar just put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Look: Katara, Sokka, and Toph are going to be there right beside us. And we have Iroh and the rest of the White Lotus speaking on your behalf. You're not facing this alone."
"I just hope I don't drag you guys down with me," the older boy murmured. The look on his face screamed that he understood just how much he had screwed this whole thing up. Still, the only way for any of them was forward. There wasn't much they could do except face the storm together.
Taking a deep breath, both Avatar and Fire Lord walked through the doors and into the ornate meeting room.
Yu Dao's Mayor Morishita was delighted to have his estate chosen for the summit. Granted it wasn't due to any favoritism on the part of Zuko, but rather the city being as best a neutral ground as could be managed. And considering that this was contested territory, they figured it would be fitting to hold the meeting in the largest and most influential of the cities.
Neither Aang nor Zuko could see Morishita's so-called "neutrality"; the mayor was chatting amongst the Fire Nation generals, the War Minister, and some of the most influential nobles and family heads who had managed to secure invitations. Figures. They probably wanted to have their say in their financial futures.
Opposite to them across the huge table set up for this were the leaders of the other nations. King Kuei and his Council of Five were already en route to Yu Dao, so they were able to arrive here fairly quickly. The chiefs of the Water Tribes had been staying at the embassy established in the colonies shortly after the end of the war, so Chiefs Arnook and Hakoda managed to get here on time as well.
Sokka and Katara in particular were taking the opportunity to hug and greet their father. Seeing the Chieftain of the South embrace his children, Zuko gave a nod to Aang, allowing the Avatar to join his friends. "Aang! It's so good to see you again!" Hakoda greeted, placing a warm hand on the airbender's shoulder.
"Nice to see you too, Hakoda," Aang politely returned, resisting the tendency to give the mediator a big hug. Rough as it was, there needed to be some sense of order amidst nations that historically have never been on the best of terms. Especially since one waged a century-long war against the others. While Hakoda couldn't exactly be called a neutral party, he was the only one in the room who hadn't had as much experience with the newly-crowned Fire Lord before he became associated with the Avatar.
The only other option was the White Lotus, the secret allies of the Avatar who had revealed themselves during the Liberation of Ba Sing Se. Needless to say, no one was willing to entertain the opportunity of letting the Grand Lotus turn this into a blanket defense for his nephew like he usually did. Neither were they eager to let high-ranking members from throughout the world steer the discussions when they'd been out of the picture for so long.
This tension could easily be observed simply by looking across the table. Jeong Jeong and Piadao were near their representatives of their homeland, but neither they nor the Fire Nation representatives were mingling with each other. A similar story could be seen with Master Pakku regarding Chief Arnook, the latter of whom wasn't engaging with the former like you'd expect two old friends would. Only Iroh seemed to be the only one who was close to his Nation's leaders. And King Bumi…
"Eh let's not stand on ceremony here old buddy!" the "eccentric" king of Omashu greeted as he walked over and caught Aang in a bearhug that was far stronger than you'd expect an old man to be capable of. "Greet old friends when you know crap is about to hit the fan! That's what I always say!"
"Thanks…you can…let me down now…"
Bumi willingly obliged, setting Aang down so he could catch his breath. Course that didn't stop a certain blind earthbender from snickering.
"You sure you don't want to join us Toph? We can pull an extra seat for you," Katara snarked.
The little girl just shrugged. "Eh. I'm just here for the yelling."
Right. This…was going to get ugly, Aang thought to himself. He could almost feel the burning gazes that Zuko was getting from Arnook and Kuei from their respective places at the table. Out of everyone, they were the hardest to convince that Zuko had changed. Though given what had happened just a few days ago, he couldn't say he blamed them.
Still, Zuko was his friend. And he was going to stick by him as much as he reasonably could. Or try to anyway. Truth be told, even the monk felt a bit of trepidation about defending the Fire Lord right now. After all, there wasn't a lot he could do to make "not listening to the Avatar's advice and getting a whole army slaughtered" sound good.
Sensing the tension in the room, another Southern Water Tribe man who could've only been Bato leaned to his friend's ear and spelled out the obvious. "Alright. Since everyone is here, we should begin this summit meeting at once," Hakoda said in a loud voice. Everyone proceeded to settle down and get into their chairs, with Aang joined by Katara and Sokka.
Once everyone had gotten settled, Hakoda stood up. "Since Fire Lord Zuko was the one who called this meeting, I feel it would be wise for him to start." He then gave the go-ahead for the young monarch to begin before taking his own seat.
Zuko rose to his full height, feeling all eyes on him. "Thank you Chieftain Hakoda. I'd like to begin with an explanation for my actions. I know there have been some rumors, but I would like to confirm that…I was making a bid for the colonies. I felt that the economic stability they provided would've prevented civil unrest and better secured my position on the throne. And with a better position on the throne, I would've been able to better secure reparations for what my people did in the war. In the process though, I led thousands of men to their deaths and put Yu Dao in danger. I…played with the lives of countless people for my own glory, just as my forefathers did.
"So in the wake of my failure, I personally retract any and all claims I would have on the colonies and will continue to ensure that they return to the hands of Earth King Kuei and the people of the Earth Kingdom. Their rightful owners.
"Additionally, I'd also like to open the floor to any discussion in regards to the threat Godzilla poses to us all. While the Avatar has assured me that the kaiju will not pose a current threat, we both agree that there needs to be a counter-strategy if and when it appears again."
With that, the Fire Lord sat down back in his seat. Aang felt a little conflicted. He knew that any renewed hostility towards Godzilla would risk setting the whole mess in motion all over again, but he also knew that the people needed some response they could rely on in case the monster went back on the rampage. Especially since given the current state of the world, it did seem like a certainty.
Still, Zuko was able to deliver his opening without somebody pointing fingers and shouting. That was a step in the right direction. Across the table, Kuei lifted a hand, signifying that he wanted to speak. A chill ran down Team Avatar's spine. Now Kuei was a good man, and everyone knew that he did have the interests of his people in mind before all things. The problem was that…Zuko did help Azula in a coup d'etat against him, on top of the mess the young Fire Lord had created.
So this could go either very well, or very poorly. They just had to wait and see if Hakoda gave the go-ahead for Kuei to speak his peace. "I just want to say that I do appreciate Fire Lord Zuko's withdrawal from his bid on Yu Dao and the rest of the colonies. They are sitting on Earth Kingdom territory after all, and the Fire Nation retaining any gains made through the conquest of my people would render any and all attempts at peace pointless."
His comment ignited a few murmurs from Zuko's supporters, earning him a few nasty glances from the nobles. Zuko felt some of the heat being directed his way, particularly from Mayor Morishita. He just stared at them back. If they wanted to jeopardize the fragile peace and risk civil war, that was on them.
"However, I can't ignore that the Fire Lord only has offered to withdraw his troops after they were destroyed following the attack by Godzilla. This leads me to wonder if he would've been so understanding if the kaiju hadn't shown up. Or rather, it makes me wonder how I can be sure that the Fire Nation isn't just withdrawing so my forces will have to deal with a rampaging monster while the Fire Nation regroup and make another bid through superior military force." His glare across the table made it clear that he knew full well what he was saying and did not shy away from the implied accusation. The approving nods from the Council of Five made clear where he got this train of thought from.
Hakoda stood up. "King Kuei, the Avatar has ensured that as long as there's no hostile action taken towards Godzilla, it won't be a threat. I'd also like to remind the Earth King that the withdrawal of all Fire Nation forces AND the return of the contested territories were part of the initial peace talks."
"So were the upcoming trials," Kuei shot back, ignoring Hakoda entirely and glaring right at Zuko. "Yet I see before me that none of the individuals we had submitted to be put on trial are in custody. War Minister Qin is standing right there and he tried to burst a Drill through my city walls AND was a member of Ozai's inner circle!"
Before Hakoda could stop him, Fire Lord Zuko stood up and returned Kuei's glare. "You try dealing with the threat of civil war and convicting prominent clan members. Besides, the prisoners I sent on the prison ships were guilty of war crimes. Including my own sister! You know, the one who orchestrated your city's downfall?"
Kuei snorted. "Right. Last I checked, she wasn't on the list. If she were, you'd be on the list as well. And don't talk to me about setting up your own family to be tried. Your Uncle was on top of the list, and that butcher is right there sitting next to you!"
Aang got up, seeing that the situation was spiraling out of Hakoda's control. "Iroh's changed! We know he laid siege to your city-"
"Did you also know about the heads of our emissaries he delivered to us when we tried to negotiate a cease-fire to get food to our civilians? Which resulted in one of the worst famines our city had ever endured?" General How shot back.
…
Aang, Zuko, and the rest of Team Avatar slowly turned towards Iroh, the little tidbit having hit them harder than a charging Moose Lion. "Uncle…did you-?"
Iroh sagged a little bit. "There were a lot of things I didn't tell you, nephew. None of which I was especially proud of."
"With all due respect, Grand Lotus, there's a difference between shady dealings and decapitating ambassadors on a peace mission while drawing out a protracted siege that starved my people. Or am I to assume that all the people I talked to were making up the entirety of the 600 Days? Honestly, I was being merciful when I exiled you from my city instead of being held prisoner right off the bat," Kuei snarled.
"To be fair, we DID liberate Ba Sing Se during Sozin's Comet. That's got to earn us a little respect," Bumi pointed out.
"Right. When the Fire Lord could've so very easily recalled his troops once he was on the throne if that coup of yours worked, which would have definitely resulted in no loss of life at all. You know, attacking what could ostensibly be called a military objective by your own plan. Tell me, was the only reason you attacked and killed so many of our troops and YOUR countrymen just so you could burn down a flag?" Qin snapped sarcastically, pointing towards Iroh with that last quip.
Hakoda nursed a headache as things were spiraling out of control. "Gentlemen, the purpose of this meeting isn't to-"
"I guess robbing the enemy of a stronghold they could retreat to and putting civilians at risk doesn't count as a strategic maneuver in your mind? Or did we just have to assume that all your armies would magically stand down when Fire Lord Zuko ended the war you've been waging for how many years?!"
"My question is, how come none of the White Lotus did anything to de-escalate the war?!" Kuei said, cutting off a rather offended-looking Pakku. "Bumi, had it occurred to you to coordinate with your allies in the Fire Nation to check their advances? Or maybe call in support to relieve that siege?!"
"Right. Maybe I'll send support if-oh yeah! I did! Except the Dai Li intercepted them and claimed that they threatened the peace in Ba Sing Se!" the now-furious King of Omashu fired back.
"That still doesn't excuse the fact that you aided a known warmonger! Just like you, Pakku!" Arnook joined in, blindsiding the now surprised master waterbender. "Tell me, were you buddies with Iroh when he was helping coordinate the Siege of the North that resulted in the Moon Spirit dying? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't execute you as a traitor."
"Chief Arnook, my Uncle wasn't in charge of the Siege! That was Zhao!" Zuko roared.
"Oh right! So I'm just going to ignore your uncle not doing anything to stop that maniac when he was literally sipping tea on his ship? In fact, who are you to talk? If you didn't kidnap the Avatar and drag him halfway across the tundra, he could've been able to defend the Moon Spirit from Zhao and my daughter would be here right now!"
By now, the whole table was erupting in arguments, drowning out Hakoda's impassioned demands for order. This wasn't the first time the talks had degenerated into fighting, but never before had it reached this level. Accusations of "Oh NOW you care about the edges of your Kingdom," and "You just sat there and did nothing," were being tossed around. Aang and his friends got a little worried that soon those words would be joined by the elements.
Zuko just glared at Kuei for causing this whole meeting to degenerate into such an argument. "I just want to give the colonies back! Is that not enough for you?!"
"Well, maybe I wouldn't mind so much if ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE MONSTERS WASN'T RUNNING AROUND MY KINGDOM!"
With that, the whole room went silent. Team Avatar just stared gobsmacked at each other.
There was another?
King Kuei took a deep breath. "There have been sightings of a great reptilian beast in the jungles surrounding Cranefish Town. It hasn't become violent yet, but considering the damage wrought by Godzilla, I can't exactly dedicate my army to occupying Yu Dao and the surrounding provinces without stretching them too thin lest the worst come to pass."
The name "Cranefish Town" furrowed Toph's eyebrows a little. Something about that seemed familiar…
"I already have the Kyoshi Warriors keeping an eye on things, but I'd rather not risk abandoning it until the danger has passed. Until then, I'm open to any suggestions on how to prepare for an attack."
Aang stood up at the ready. "I'll head to Cranefish Town and see what I can do about it. Until then, don't have any of your troops attack it. I don't want a repeat of Yu Dao."
"As for the defense, the people of Odo Island seem to have experience with this sort of thing. They built a series of tunnels that let them withstand Godzilla's attack," Sokka chimed in. "As for actually hurting one of these things…I can't say for certain. At least we'll have some kind of defense though until we know more about them."
One of the generals from the Council of Five chimed in, the conversation moving in that direction and letting Aang rest a little. And let the gravity of the situation sink in. The first was Iroh. Looking across the table, he could see the old man looking pretty withdrawn with guilt written on his face. That was enough to take the breath out of the airbender. He knew Iroh was a famous general, but he certainly didn't expect that out of his ally.
The other was the news about the kaiju. There was another one out there. Which made him ask the chilling question: exactly how many of them were there?
"I don't know," Maina admitted. "I mean I know of a few, but it's not like we've kept tabs on every single one."
Kori sighed, taking a sip from her tea. For once, Azula understood her frustration. First, her home was threatened by one of these beasts. Then it turns out there could be another out there. It had to have been a lot to take in. Well, all of that meeting was a lot to take in. Which was why the noble had taken them to a teahouse she frequented.
It wasn't the most opulent of establishments, being a bit plain compared to the beautiful teahouses Azula was familiar with back in the capital. But it probably was a bit more comfortable for Kori, which the Princess couldn't judge her all that much for. It helped that there was a fairly even mix of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom peasants milling about. They all seemed to be in the same class too, if you could believe it.
Guess all the wealth wasn't distributed evenly to those who were supposed to make the most of it, Azula mused to herself. Sure, she knew that not everyone was going to be the next major clan the moment they set foot here. It did make her wonder though about what promises these families were fed to come so far from home, only to find out there that not too many things changed in terms of status. It wasn't like she was unfamiliar with some of those lies herself, after all. All nobles, including the Royal Family, needed to tell a few lies if the peasants were to serve them properly.
"Well, do you know anything about this one?" she asked Maina, hoping for a bit of a distraction from her thoughts.
The priestess thought to herself for a moment. "I'm not exactly familiar with kaiju outside of the Fire Nation. But if this one's set up territory around the edge of the colonies…it sounds a bit like Anguirus. I'm hoping, at least."
Azula and Kori blinked a few times, wondering how one could hope a particular giant monster was in the area. Maina saw their glances and decided to explain herself. "Trust me. Anguirus isn't one of the violent ones. If the stories are true, he mostly keeps to himself. He only gets vicious if you throw the first punch."
"Like Godzilla," Kori pointed out.
"...okay, yeah. Trust me though. They call him the Guardian Beast for a reason. I haven't heard of him going on big rampages like Godzilla."
"So he's a bit more like Mothra then?"
"I mean, not exactly, but somewhere in that realm, yeah," Maina told the Princess.
Right. Her. Ever since they watched Godzilla submerge back to the depths of the ocean, the Priestess had told Azula over and over again that they needed to go to this "Infant Island". Something that still didn't exactly sit well with her. Maina kept saying that Mothra would be able to help, but help with what? Help her brother see sense, and realize that abandoning the colonies to the Earth King was a bad idea?
Zuzu's poor performance made her question again why on earth she even saved him in the first place. If she were in his shoes, she wouldn't rescind the claims. She'd make peace with those rogue army groups plaguing her borders so she could free up the reserve forces and draw a line in the sand. Of course, she wouldn't do something so stupid as antagonize Godzilla, but didn't her brother know that giving the colonies back meant opening themselves up for invasion?
All those questions kept repeating in her head as she asked herself again and again: why save him? She saw the same look in his eye when he dangled her over a burning wreckage during the Agni Kai. He was ready to kill her. So why? Why save him?
In fact, what did this Mothra even have to offer? The way Maina described her was of a Goddess that offered compassion and wisdom. Well, compassion had almost got Azula killed many times over. Every time she stuck her neck out for Zuko, he stabbed her in the back. This priestess didn't know what she was talking about. If she went to Infant Island right now, all she'd get is a lesson on how horrible she is and how she should be a good girl and meekly keep her neck steady when the executioner's axe fell.
Azula took a sip of her tea, hoping to calm her racing mind. Nothing was decided yet, but the boat that Maina claimed could be convinced to take them to the island was coming soon. She needed to make a decision now. Yet…how could she? Either stay here and risk getting killed now, or go to an island to prepare to be killed later. Both options ended up with her dead. It seemed a matter of choosing which way she was going to go out.
"Azula. You alright?"
"...he was going to kill me."
Her companions shared an annoying look of concern, but she didn't have the stomach to snip that she didn't need sympathy. "He was going to burn my face off and drop me like a piece of garbage. Who…what brother does that?" She would be the first to admit that she wasn't exactly the portrait of a dutiful sister like Uncle and Mother wanted her to be, and yeah she had tried to kill him a few times in the past.
She never recalled being so enraged that she was willing to mutilate Zuzu. Not even during her breakdown was she willing to do that. And especially not throw him to rot in an asylum and then drag her halfway across the world just so he could bail out Uncle Fatso. Who as it turns out, was NOT the wise old man act that he used to poison Zuko's mind.
"He was willing to put my neck on the block just so his Uncle could walk free. And…I knew a lot of those men on his council. They were all of Father's cronies. By Agni-I was betrothed to War Minister Qin and he was right there!" She didn't get it. Sure she'd be able to stomach putting up with some of those yellow-bellied yes-men if it meant stuff got done Father's power was maintained. But Zuko said he was going to be better than Father. So why was he cozying up with those people?
"You got betrothed…oh, I'm so sorry Azula," Kori tried to console her. "It's…I read somewhere that people change when they get so much power. Suddenly they don't care about people like us anymore. We just get reduced to tiles on a Pai Sho board."
Azula shot a nasty glare at her fellow noble, causing Kori to sheepishly back off. What did she know? She wasn't some "tile". Father said she was special. A prodigy meant for great things! Not something he could toss aside like-
YOU CAN'T TREAT ME LIKE ZUKO! she heard herself shout, remembering that last moment before it all fell apart. Before she severed the last and most important relationship she ever had. How badly she wanted to grovel and beg forgiveness. Even now, maybe if she kept her head. If she had been ruthless and arrested Zuko back at Ba Sing Se, maybe she'd be the one sitting on the throne.
…though…was that even something she wanted? Honestly, the thought never occurred to her before the day of the Comet. She was never meant for the throne, only to serve the crown. But now that crown just cut her loose while those with far more blood on their hands sat on his council. Is that what the crown does? Make one ruthless enough to betray their own family?
But if she didn't want the throne…what did she want…?
"Pardon me, Princess Azula. Do you mind if I join you?"
Azula's internal musings were rudely interrupted by a middle-aged man striding to their table. His robes were voluminous with a deep crimson. The garishness of his fashion choice made clear that, whoever he was, he certainly wasn't like the rest of the rabble here.
His face though was familiar both from the meeting turned shouting match and from memory. "Lord Jozain?"
The head of Clan Saowon nodded, giving a respectful bow to the Princess. His clan's stone camellia emblem was displayed with a small pin on his robes. Azula remembered the days when that accursed symbol would've been displayed proudly on banners instead of the flaming sigil of the Fire Nation. Clan Saowon, along with the rest of the once-powerful clans, was disgraced and sundered by Fire Lord Zoryu following the mess caused by the False Avatar to make way for an empowered Royal Family. Some of the clans did regain some of their prestige in the war through valor and devotion. Others, like Saowon, tied their wealth to the colonies and achieved fair amounts of riches and influence.
Still, none of them ever reached the heights they enjoyed during their heyday. Her forefathers made sure that whatever successes the clans enjoyed were on their terms. That way, when the Fire Lord wanted to throw his weight around or make abundantly clear who sat on the throne, no amount of riches or battlefield glories would give them the divine right to rule.
Still, there were two other people who this man just ignored. Azula glanced over to Kori and Maina who, after warily taking in the newcomer, gave their go-ahead. "Of course. We'd be honored to have you join us."
Jozain chuckled, taking a seat at the table. Since he decided to address her by her title, Azula shot him a bit of a nasty glare. Noble or not, he'd show proper respect towards her companions. If he didn't, this would be a very short conversation.
"I had heard you were in Yu Dao from your brother. It must've been terrifying facing down that monster all by yourself."
"Well, you can thank my father for that. He knew what it meant to face down incredible odds," Azula jabbed. Who was he saying she was scared? He was probably locked up in his mansion and making preparations to evacuate as soon as he heard Godzilla was on the way. It's not like this man had any experience in war or any idea of being in the court of Phoenix King Ozai.
Luckily it seemed like she wasn't the only one who wasn't impressed by this man. Kori kept a neutral face, but no doubt the rebellious youth was steaming about this cushy noble who was probably paying the guards to keep an iron fist on his investments. At least she had some restraint though compared to Maina who just scoffed and leaned back in her seat.
"Indeed. Forgive me. It's just with news of your…" He cleared his throat awkwardly when Azula just glared twin suns right at him. "And your brother's failure against that monster, there's not really a whole lot of faith in the Royal Family these days."
That and your brother wants to kick me out, Azula internally finished for him. "Look, let's cut to the chase. Is there a reason you wanted to see me?"
"Ah. A woman of action. That's what I always admired about you," Jozain complimented, trying to get on her good side. He failed. "I was…"
The head of Clan Saowon looked around nervously before leaning in. "I was sent here on behalf of Admiral Ryuui of the Fiery Raptors in regards to a plan he has about our monster problem."
"Admiral Ryuui?" Kori whispered back. "Last I checked, he was Commander of the Fiery Raptors."
"Not since he refused to recognize Zuko as Fire Lord. Said his fleet was the last remaining loyal servants of the Phoenix King on the seas."
Ah. So this "Admiral" Ryuui was the leader of one of those rebel armies that Azula had been hearing so much about. On the one hand, having an issue with her brother was something she could relate to. On the other, he certainly had a lot of nerve to call himself "admiral" without proper recognition from her father. And there was no way he could be the last naval force that swore fealty to the true Fire Nation.
"Okay. So what does this 'admiral' want with me?"
"Easy. He wants you on the throne, Princess Azula."
"...you're kidding. Right? In case you haven't noticed, my brother's got the Avatar on his side," Azula had to spell out. "And last I checked, I don't exactly have a whole lot of support."
"Actually, you do," Jozain said with a smile. "Maybe not amongst the nobles right now, but the peasantry and rebel armies? They want a strong Fire Lord who won't let her people be displaced by foreigners or slaughtered by monsters."
Now Azula just scoffed at that. "Right. And they want a 'mad princess' leading them back to glory. Listen, even if I wanted to, I can't exactly take the throne unless I win over the nobles. I'd have to do something pretty impressive to do that."
"Well, what if we knew of a way to kill Godzilla?"
A harsh laugh erupted from Azula's mouth at the ridiculousness of that. "Woah. Didn't realize you had a death wish. May I remind you that Zuko tried to do that and nearly got killed?"
"That's because he tried to kill this monster by himself. We know of another way. Godzilla has a rival."
The table went silent. "...what did you just say?" Maina asked.
Jozain shrugged something that Azula had to infuriatingly give credit for. "That's all I can say. Do you want to know more? The admiral has a mooring down on the shore. He can tell you more."
With that, the noble stood up, bowed in respect, and left. All three girls sat there in astonishment.
Another kaiju.
One that could kill Godzilla?
"Azula…I know how you feel but…remember that we need to go to Infant Island. Right?" Maina asked, a bit nervously.
The Princess, though, didn't hear Maina's advice. Her thoughts were whipped up into a storm. A path to the throne AND a possibility that they could rid themselves of Godzilla? It was something to consider. Whatever her thoughts were about the throne right now, somebody had to step up if her brother wouldn't. And if a noble was willing to risk treason, then things back home must've been worse than she feared.
She didn't want to say it, but the term "civil war" danced on her tongue. Violence was coming whether she liked it or not.
It seemed like she was going to have to choose where she was going to die after all.
"Well…that could've gone better," Sokka said not so tactfully.
For once, Aang couldn't help but agree. Following the nearly disastrous summit, Team Avatar decided that the best thing to do was just get away as far from the Mayor's house as fast as they could. In this case, that meant hanging out with Appa who was grazing on some grass on the rolling hills outside of Yu Dao. Zuko decided to tag along, needing a moment to let the news sink in.
Another one, Aang kept thinking to himself. He had met with Kuei in private to get the details. All the Earth King knew was that the monster hadn't shown any signs of aggression aside from lingering a bit too close to town, but considering what happened with Godzilla, he didn't want to take any chances.
He also apologized profusely for his being hard on the young Fire Lord. The argument he used and one Aang couldn't refute was "When he took the crown of his forefathers, he took their sins with him. Until he does something spectacular, I need to treat him as such."
After how Zuko handled Godzilla with…well landing a bunch of Fire Nation forces on Earth Kingdom shores and all the tact of his forefathers while having several Ozai's supporters on his council, Aang couldn't rush to his defense as he would've normally.
Seeing Zuko's crestfallen face as they rested beside Appa, the boy couldn't help but beat himself up. He let his friend down, and he wasn't sure how to pick him back up.
Hakoda put a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder, having taken the opportunity to spend some much-needed time with his kids. Bato decided to take one for the team and stayed behind to wrap anything up that needed to be dealt with. "Things like this…they're going to take time," he consoled.
The Avatar wished that he could smile and say that Hakoda was right, which he was. It's just…well there was a lot to take in.
"I'm just concerned about this new monster of yours. You sure you two are up to this?" the Chieftain asked his two children.
"We'll be fine, Dad," Katara reassured, hugging her father. "Trust me. We've been able to take care of ourselves so far."
"Well I know, I just…" Hakoda sighed, seeing his children grow up right before his eyes. Katara and Sokka looked so much like Kya, it hurt a little inside seeing them go off into danger again. He'd go as well, but right now he needed to work with Arnook about getting relief down to the Southern Water Tribes.
"I just don't want to see either of you getting hurt."
"Don't worry. I'll keep Sokka out of trouble," Katara snidely said, causing her brother to cry out "HEY!"
Now, normally, this would've been followed by Toph's laughing breaking the peace. All everyone got was empty air. Instead, she was just lounging in the grass with her pale eyes looking up to the sky. Momo was right there picking out bugs from her hair and giving an occasional lick to make sure she was okay.
"You okay Toph?" Katara asked.
"Uh, yeah! I'm just…I swear I've heard 'Cranefish Town' somewhere before…" she murmured before going back to her thinking. The waterbender made a mental note to check up on her later on down the line.
"Ah! I thought I would've found you here!" a familiar voice greeted, heralding Iroh coming up the hill with a nervous chuckle. For once, nobody was willing to say hello.
Instead, Zuko took a deep breath and rose to his feet. Katara shifted a little uncomfortably, seeing the conflicting emotions boiling up inside the teen. He'd been silent ever since they'd left the meeting, and they'd known Zuko long enough to know that he didn't exactly have the best control of what he felt deep down.
Standing across from his uncle though, seeing the guilt written on the old man's face, he only had one question.
"Uncle…why didn't you tell me?"
Iroh broke their gaze. "Nephew…when I said you had more honor than most in the Fire Nation, I meant it. The problem is that…well, it's hard to be honorable and be a leader. Sometimes you do things that are difficult yet seem right, but in retrospect, they…come back to haunt you."
"With all due respect Iroh, there's a big difference between doing something difficult and lopping people's heads off while starving innocents," Sokka bluntly snipped. Aang wanted to pipe up and talk the warrior down, but his own shock at Iroh's crimes sapped the wind out of his voice. Toph put a knowing hand on the airbender's shoulder, realizing this was one fight he couldn't win.
"My son's right. A little blunt, but did you think we wouldn't figure out what you did?" Hakoda asked, leaving Iroh no room to maneuver. For once, the Dragon of the West seemed to sweat a little at having been cornered.
"I…I have no excuse. I knew what Zuko needed and he didn't need a butcher guiding him. And…I didn't want to lose another son."
"Maybe you should've thought of that before keeping me in the dark," Zuko bit, before taking another deep breath. "I get it. We did a lot of bad things, but I'd rather have learned about this in private instead of somebody dragging it out in the open."
"I know. And I'm sorry." Iroh gave an apologetic bow, yet it didn't quell the raging inferno inside Zuko's heart. Before he could snap again though, he turned and walked off a bit to blow off some steam. Appa looked a bit worriedly after the boy, yet understood that this was a lot to take in.
The bison and Momo's attention was then drawn to Aang, who got up and walked before Iroh. He took a deep breath, collecting himself. Momo silently glided over and perched on his shoulder, letting the boy know he wasn't alone in this. Giving his companion a reassuring scratch, Aang looked Iroh dead in the eye.
"Iroh. I need to know if there's anything else you've been keeping from us."
"I swear, that's the worst I did during my campaign-"
"No. I meant as Grand Lotus," Aang corrected. "I didn't know they existed before Sozin's Comet, and I can't exactly trust a group that's kept me in the dark. So I need to know: outside of Ba Sing Se, what have you done with them?"
"Not much. We were so lost without the Avatar and…I can't say it was our most admirable period," Iroh admitted in defeat, before wincing a little. He needed to tell the whole truth. "That and we were involved with selecting who was going to be put on trial. Including Azula."
The air died down. Nobody was neither surprised nor pleased. "Wait. So you're the one who wanted to try a bunch of grunts and not the officers who actually lead?" Sokka reiterated.
"You need to understand. Those on the list are prominent government members and clan heads. My nephew's position is tenuous as it is and we couldn't risk-"
"Civil war. Make everyone happy. Yadda yadda yadda. Did it ever occur to you that you couldn't make everyone happy?" Toph snapped, causing a wave of surprise to ripple throughout the group. "You can't exactly make a bunch of warmongers happy without starting the war all over again! Eventually, you need to decide who you're going to side with. A bunch of warmongers, or the people who got hurt the most by the war?"
It hurt her to say it, but it's not like she could sit by and let Iroh do something that stupid. Sometimes one needed to give a little tough love. So if it had to be her to give the harsh truth, then so be it.
"My question is why was Azula singled out? I mean she's not exactly a good person, but I can name a few people right off the bat who deserve to be put on the block more than she did," Katara asked.
"Because she's Ozai's loyal weapon! It's not my fault, she made her own choices!" Iroh fired back, grasping at this last line. "If she's allowed to walk free with her bending, who knows how many of those rogue army groups she could rally behind her! We need to set an example, and she's in the best position to be made an example of!"
"...hang on. What did you mean 'walk free with her bending'?" Aang asked. Momo fidgeted a little from his intensity. The Avatar walked right up to Iroh, who stared him straight in the eye back. "Iroh…answer me this. Would you have me remove Azula's bending?"
"...sometimes we need to do bad things for the right reasons. And since she abused her gift-"
SMACK!
His speech was interrupted when Katara smacked her hand across his cheek. Everyone just stood there in shock, both from the shock and from the sudden rage in the waterbender's eyes.
"Ozai's one thing. Azula's another," she snarled not bothering to hide her contempt. "Try removing your arms and see if you're the same person."
With that, the waterbender stomped off. No one tried to stop her. Aang least of all. He just looked at Iroh in horror. It was bad enough that he'd done it once, he didn't want to do it again if it wasn't justified.
And if the Grand Lotus thought that removing one's bending was acceptable for someone he admitted was a mere lieutenant, all for the sake of appearances.
Aang made a mental note to talk to a friend. He needed to know what the White Lotus was up to. Somehow he knew that Iroh wasn't telling the whole story.
Flagship of "Admiral" Ryuui
They had to travel a ways in order to reach Ryuui's ship. Obviously, the wanted rogue commander wouldn't want to make port anywhere near Yu Dao. Instead, he docked in an isolated cove flanked by large rocky cliffs that was only accessible via a rowboat at a nearby beach. Smart, Azula thought. Clearly this "Admiral" knew well enough to keep a low profile.
He was also smart enough to know that a noble from Yu Dao and a priestess from some far-flung island could pose a security risk. Azula vouched for both of them. They'd stuck with her so far, so she figured they deserved to stick with her for a little while longer. Though how long, she wasn't sure. Her father's voice reminded her that she would need to cut them off at some point. Less knives pointed at her back and all.
Seeing the Imperial-class battleship docked, she wondered with trepidation if that point was coming up sooner than she could've imagined.
Her attention was thankfully drawn to the side of the ship. Along the side was the painted image of a fiery bird. It was instantly recognizable as that of the Phoenix, the creature that her father had modeled himself after on that fateful day of the Comet. It brought her comfort, knowing that these men were loyal to the true leader of their nation, and trepidation from all the bad memories involved.
However, something about this Phoenix was…different. Why were its flight feathers pressed against each other instead of fully spread out in splendor? With its wings opened like that, it looked more like an albatross or seagull. Even the plumage was a bit off. Sure, the feathers were fiery, but they were restricted to the wings, the head, and the tail. The rest of its limbs were bare, almost like a dragon's.
Maina took a long look at it but didn't say anything.
When they were let on board, the soldiers bowed as she passed. Finally, some respect. Already these men had some manners. Jozain led them through the bowels of the ship before coming to the planning room. There, an older man with the armor of a commander was presiding over a stone tablet on the table.
"Greetings, Princess Azula. So good of you to meet with us," the so-called Admiral Ryuui said with a bow. His age and stylized greying hair spoke of experience. Azula did recall seeing him a few times at the war meetings she was allowed in, though always was referred to as Commander. She decided it would be in her best interests to refer to him as such.
Naturally, she decided to do the polite thing and bow. "The pleasure is all mine," Azula courteously greeted, looking back to make sure that her companions were doing the same. Once she saw that they indeed showed decorum in front of their superiors, she stood up straight. "Let's cut to the chase. Jozain over there said there was something out there that could kill Godzilla."
The naval leader promptly pushed the stone tablet in front of Azula. "Following Ozai's defeat on the day of the Comet, I went to the island of Kitamtasu on pilgrimage seeking…penance for our failure. The sages gifted me this tablet from their temple in exchange for protection from the Fire Lord. Anything on the stone seem familiar?"
Kitamatsu? Wasn't that the home of the Phoenix Cult? Azula knew that well. They were one of the religious offshoots of the mainland Fire Sage organization that were brought under the fold following Fire Lord Zoryu's reformations. In fact, they had a pretty strong influence in recognizing the Fire Lords as the rightful rulers of the earth. Their belief that the world was destined to be cleansed in fire aligned perfectly with their destiny of global domination. She also recalled her father talked a lot about the Cult in the days leading up to his coronation as Phoenix King. Didn't take a genius to put two and two together.
She also now knew that this Ryuui was indeed a zealous follower of Ozai. If he was devout enough to go on some kind of pilgrimage, then chances were they were on the same side. At least he wouldn't try anything stupid openly.
Having gotten a pretty good read on this "admiral", Azula looked down at the tablet.
Her breath nearly caught in her throat.
There, engraved in stone, was a stylized beast rising from the sea. There were the dorsal spines. The thrashing tail. And the flames erupting from his maw.
Godzilla.
The other though…that's what caught Azula's attention.
At first, she thought it was the Phoenix. It wasn't like anyone could blame her. A huge bird with flaming wings descending from the sun, the very incarnation of Agni herself? That was an image familiar to everyone. She remembered stories about the Phoenix. About how when it reached the end of its lifecycle, it burst into flames and fertilized the earth. Ensuring a bright future for them all before being reincarnated more powerful and beautiful than ever.
Well, there were the wings. The flames wreathing the bird. The outstretched claws and fires aimed right at the rising sea monster.
Except…there was something different. This Phoenix didn't have any feathers. Instead, the wings were depicted as being leathery in nature almost like a bat. The dual-crested feathers were replaced by a pair of dragon horns. She wasn't even sure if this was a bird or something else.
"This is the original Phoenix," Ryuui explained. "The one all the other images were derived from. What a lot of people don't know is, the natives gave it another name."
"Rodan."
"I…yes. Precisely."
"Forgive me, Admiral. Where I'm from, legends like these are pretty well known," Maina admitted. Knowing the priestess for long enough, Azula knew that she didn't say where she was from. Indeed, her companion didn't exactly look too fond of the commander.
"If what I heard was true, the One Born of Fire isn't to be trifled with."
"We don't have much of a choice. With this Godzilla on the loose, we need a solution. Neither the Fire Lord nor the Avatar are going to save us, so we need to think outside of the box. Now this tablet shows these two fighting. Fire of the Sky against the Fire of the Sea. Don't you see?"
"You plan on luring Godzilla to this island, waking Rodan up, and then getting the two to fight?" Azula said with a dawning realization.
Ryuui nodded. "That's the plan exactly. We'll provide support to tip the odds in Rodan's favor. He is the Phoenix after all. If we show fealty to him, we can redeem our failure during the Comet, and he will save us all."
The Princess wasn't sure of all that, but waking up one giant monster to kill another was better than any idea she had.
Looking at Jozain on the other hand, she had to ask. "Okay. We get Rodan to kill Godzilla. What do you need me for?"
"Easy. What better way to make a claim on the throne than by helping awaken the one who killed Godzilla?" Jozain explained in no uncertain terms.
…well there's an idea. Admittedly Azula felt like this was going to head in that direction inevitably, but now there was confirmation. Finally. A way to the throne! She could fix things! Keep Zuko from screwing things up even more than they already were!
And yet…the idea of going up against Godzilla once more…
She looked across the room. Ryuui and Jozain were certainly enthusiastic about the idea. Kori seemed neutral, or put on a mask of neutrality if nothing else. Maina couldn't even hide her doubts about the plan.
"I…I'm going to need some time to think about this. How about I give you my answer by this evening?" Azula admitted.
"No problem. The ship is free for you to explore if you need space to think," Ryuui offered. Right. Like she needed the authority of some wannabe leader to go where she pleased.
Still, it was good to know she wouldn't have to be escorted wherever she went. That was a step in the right direction. Azula bowed once more before leaving the room, Kori and Maina in tow. Right now, she needed to weigh the odds and…calm her thoughts.
And there was only one way to do that.
She felt the rays of the setting sun fill her veins, guiding her through her stances. Azula shifted from maneuver to maneuver, generating blue flames that danced across the deck of the ship. The guards had left her alone, leaving her some needed privacy to train and to think.
What she thought right now, what she agonized over was how sloppy she had gotten. Granted she wasn't stumbling over herself and falling flat on her face as she was before. But there still was a delay to her maneuvers. The crisp and fluid gestures were a bit sluggish. It might've been serviceable if she went up against bandits or grunts. Against her brother and the Avatar though? She wouldn't stand a chance.
You should've killed him when you had the chance, her Father's voice chastised, throwing off her focus. You could've eliminated one of your enemies, maybe even claimed the throne for yourself! And he nearly killed you when you spared him! Why did you do it?
"I don't know," Azula growled, trying to get her attention back on track. Her father's words, though, hung in the air, echoing with the sensation of fingers gripping her collar. Furiously she tried to regain her poise and flow back into her stances, but it wasn't working.
My love, give yourself a rest. Your strength will return to you in time, her mother's voice cooed, which only pricked Azula's evaporating patience.
"Don't pull that. Both you and I know you were practically rooting for Zuko to kill me."
No, I wasn't! she lied. Azula, why would I ever want to see my children trying to kill each other? And don't beat yourself up for saving him. You did the right thing.
"And I nearly died for it," Azula growled, having given up trying to train with the raging voices arguing over each other. "I've helped him how many times, and he's stabbed me in the back time and time again! I'm sorry, but I won't just let him kill me!"
Then you know what you need to do, the last three voices told her. Honestly, she couldn't tell one voice from another, or even who they were. Ty Lee? Mai? Zuzu? They seemed all the same and yet now she was hearing Iroh and Azulon in there as well. It was as if everyone she had ever known was telling her the same thing over and over again.
Ready yourself. Make your play for the throne. Kill your brother and scorch everyone in your path.
"SHUT UP!"
Azula practically roared from all the voices in her head, breathing a burst of blue fire from her mouth into the air above. Breathing in deep to compose herself, she snorted embers as the dying cinders from her breath gently landed on her face. Her fingers flexed, feeling the fury channeling through her veins.
She couldn't take it. Time and again, fate seemed to kick her down. As much as Father would've told her to control her emotions though, she couldn't help but feel rage towards…towards everything. Her family. The world. Azula couldn't deny it.
Nor could she deny the decision she had made. The only path her fracturing state had made clear.
"I know what you're going to say," she told the two pairs of eyes who had been silently staring at her poor performance.
Maina flinched a little from Azula's cold tone but didn't hesitate to step up. "Azula, you need help. This isn't healthy. Mothra can-"
"Why would Mothra want with someone like me?" the Princess snapped, cutting Maina off before she could go into another spiel. "It'll be the same thing again. I'll be told I'm horrible, that I'm a monster, and I deserve everything I had coming to me. Trust me, I've had enough of that."
"Hang on, nobody's calling you a monster-"
"But they DID cage me up like one Kori," she pointed out, not wanting to hear the whole spiel her doctors or her voices tried to tell her time and again. "Zuzu tried to kill me or send me off to die just so his butcher of an uncle could live. I've turned everyone away, I nearly suffocated in ice and got chained to a grate. That's not how a human is treated."
"Okay, that's enough!" Maina said, her own patience having run out. "First off, Mothra isn't going to condemn you or treat you like some monster. Especially since she's a kaiju herself! Second, take a good look at yourself. Do you honestly believe that going with this Ryuui will help you?"
"Maybe some time with him could do me some good. Hanging out with you two seems to have softened me far too much. I can't have that when the Fire Lord and his cronies come knocking."
"That's not the point! I'm trying to say that I care about you! I made a promise to your mothe-"
She stopped, but the damage was done. Azula just turned to her "friend" with a pale look on her face. "...what did you say?"
Maina fidgeted, realizing she had been found out. "Look. About 5 years ago, a Fire Nation noblewoman came to our island looking for shelter. She said she married into the Royal Family and…that her name was Ursa…"
Her words trailed off, but the damage was done. Azula glared daggers right into the priestess, intensifying as she stalked closer.
"My mother thought I was a monster. She took one look at everything I had accomplished, what my father taught me to be, and decided I would never be good enough. Whatever she told you was a lie. She never wanted me. All she cared about was her precious son. That's even assuming you aren't telling some lie."
"Azula-"
"Don't. I'm not going with you. In fact, I'm going to give you an out. Everyone I've known has stabbed me in the back or left me. I drove them off, but I'm going to let you leave. Free of obligation. You can go back to your island, you can go back to your colony. I can handle things by myself from now on. Got it?"
Her coldness and the steely calm in her voice were somehow more terrifying and paralyzing than any shouting she could've done. Maina and Kori didn't know what to say. Good. Azula didn't want any arguments. While it might've been somewhat pleasant to have companions by her side, it was clear they were beginning to wear out their welcome.
After all, where she was going, facing certain death…she didn't want to get them killed either.
A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WE ARE BACK!
I'll admit that the last chapter did take a lot out of me emotionally on top of the holidays, so I do apologize for the break. Either way, we are back in business with everyone's favorite topic: POLITICS!
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(cue the cricket chirping…until Kamacuras spears it and munches it)
Thank you. Anyways, here we see the obvious fallout of Zuko's stunt from the last chapter. I tried to make it as interesting as possible and not be removed from anything we've seen so far, which is how I feel politics in any media should be done. Trust me, I tried to make sure this wasn't the senate scene from Episode I: The Phantom Menace and hopefully I succeeded. Somewhat.
Especially since we have several revelations. The first being that Iroh was NOT as merciful or as saintly as some people would have him as. He was responsible for a 600 day siege and encircled the inner ring of Ba Sing Se, thus cutting off soldiers AND civilians from their source of food from the agriculture section. Given that he was high on the Fire Nation kool-aid, I can't imagine him being especially merciful. Particularly if he was Azulon's favored. His execution of peace emissaries felt like a natural extension of that. Even if he's changed, it's not like the Earth Kingdom is just going to forget that happened. Which means he doesn't get to retire in the Jasmine Dragon.
It also means the rest of the White Lotus gets put on the spot for letting somebody like him run things on top of them not doing a whole lot to deescalate the war. We're going to get more into them later, but rest assured they're not coming out of this thing clean either.
Which brings us to Anguirus. For those not familiar with Godzilla, Anguirus is the very first monster he's ever fought. It felt right that he'd be introduced fairly early. And I am excited to be writing him since he's one of my favorite "underrated" kaiju in the series.
Last thing for Aang's side of the story, I can't imagine Katara would be too pleased on the idea of removing Azula's bending. It's a very popular fanfic plot point that I hate. The idea of removing somebody's bending was deconstructed both in The Legend of Korra and in the comic Imbalance, so I can't imagine it being used regularly unless absolutely necessary.
Now for Azula's side: the poor thing just got threatened by Zuko. I can't imagine she'd be able to bounce back from that. And this is on top of nearly getting killed by Godzilla a few times by now and being surrounded by death. That can weigh a lot on somebody like her. Unfortunately, the disease of character development is a scary thing indeed, which is why she's sort of leaning back on what she knows best. That compassion is a weakness and needs to be stamped out. I mean Zuko stumbled how many times on his redemption arc, so why not her?
Which leads us to Admiral Ryuui. I took his name from Captain Ryuui, the number two of the Red Bamboo from Ebirah: Horror from the Deep since the leader didn't have his name mentioned from what I looked up. We finally get to see one of those rogue army groups and how they operate, especially since they're going to be a big part of the upcoming arc.
Finally, that leaves us to Rodan. One of Toho's earliest creations, one of the Big Five, and the final part of Godzilla's…I guess you could say posse of regular allies. Whenever he's not trying to kill Godzilla. I'm going to get more into him later, but I am excited for it since he's another favorite both for myself and among G-fans. Especially since his solo film is one of my favorite non-Godzilla kaiju films.
Anyway, thank you all for reading. Thank you once again to Selpharia for beta reading. I hope to see you all next time as our heroes (plus Azula) set off on their next adventure. Make sure to leave your thoughts in a comment. Favorite and follow if you want to see more. And as always, I'll see you all next time! Thank you again and have a great day!