Responses to Reviews:
TORONTOSUN: I'm glad you're enjoying it.
RonaldM40196867: Varrick, with Bolin in first.
61394: In fairness to Kyoshi's friend, the test she used involved throwing water. But with Yue being from the Northern Water Tribe, throwing water at her wouldn't prove anything more than her being a waterbender, hence the rock being used instead.
Sharpe: It's likely, although the experience of Korra would suggest which element you struggle with has more to do with your personality than which nation you come from.
Zigzagdoublezee: Thanks! I enjoyed writing it and I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.
As Always, Please Review!
Zuko stood in the corner of the throne room in the Northern Water Tribe and watched his father trying out Chief Arnook's throne. The Chief of the Water Tribe himself was on his knees with his hands tied behind his back, staring up with eyes filled with hate. He was flanked by two soldiers, while Azula stood nearby. Zuko did not like the looks she was sending him.
Iroh stood underneath the throne and looked up at his brother, frowning.
"Why are we doing this, again?" He asked.
Ozai frowned.
"You know why. Sozin's dream."
"Sozin lived a hundred years ago," Iroh pointed out. "The world has moved on. Surely there are better ways of advancing our interests than warfare."
"Maybe. But so have we." Ozai waved his hands. "I wish you would stop worrying, brother. We can win this. Besides, the die is cast now. Too late to turn back after we've attacked two other nations."
"It's not our chances of winning that worries me," Iroh growled.
"How do you mean?" Ozai asked.
"The Avatar," Iroh stated. "The last time a Fire Lord tried to do what you have done, the Avatar scared him so badly that he never tried anything ever again."
"I am not Sozin," Ozai replied coldly. "And this Yue is no Roku."
"What have you done to her?" Arnook demanded.
"I haven't done anything to her," Ozai replied. "Not directly, anyway. But your daughter is a threat to my plans. I made sure she could not remain so for long."
Somehow Arnook retained his composure, despite paling at those words.
"What plans? Why are you doing this? Why us?"
"It's very simple," Ozai looked down at him. "I think the Fire Nation can look after your people better than you can. And so that is exactly what we are doing."
"So conquest," Arnook nodded. "For which you did... I don't know what to my daughter. Do you expect us to like this?"
"No. I do expect you to accept it." Ozai stood up. "Some nations embrace modernity. Some have to be dragged into it kicking and screaming. We are the former. You are the latter."
"And my daughter?"
"We all have to make sacrifices," Ozai waved a hand.
"That's just murder!" Arnook was outraged. Iroh nodded subtly.
"I'm bored of this," Ozai proclaimed. "If I wanted some self-righteous moraliser telling me about empathy, I would talk to my brother more."
"Thanks," Iroh muttered.
Just then the door burst open. An Officer stood there, panting.
"We've secured the city," he declared. "But there's no sign of the Avatar. Some soldiers report seeing her fly away with a Nomad."
Arnook began to laugh. Ozai seemed to puff up.
"So she escaped?" He scowled. "Do I need to remind you all why we're here? She was our number one target! Find out who she is, then kill her quickly while everyone's drunk! That's the entire basis of our plan! And you fools can't even do that properly!"
He made an effort to control himself. Then he jabbed a finger at Arnook.
"Oh, and I know what you're going to say, you snow savage," he sneered. "'My daughter will stop you' and other meaningless platitudes like that. Your delusions will not save you and Avatar Yue certainly won't. She's just a spoiled Princess! Knowing your tribe and what passes for a culture here, I'd be very surprised if she had ever even been in a fight before. What can she do against us in that case?"
"Give it a few months and see," Arnook told him defiantly.
"Throw him in the dungeon!" Ozai ordered. The guards picked Arnook up and dragged him out of the room. "The Avatar is his daughter. He will make very useful leverage."
Arnook did not resist as he was dragged out.
"I can only hope my commanders elsewhere are more competent than the ones I brought with me,"'Ozai frowned. "Has there been any news?"
"There won't have been time, will there?" Iroh asked.
The Officer shook his head.
"We've had no messenger hawks, Sir."
"I see. I suppose the landings only began last night, messenger hawks won't have had time to fly here yet."
"I know why we didn't catch the Avatar," a sing-song voice spoke. Everyone turned to see Azula leaning nonchalantly against a pillar.
"You might want to ask Zuzu what he got up to last night."
Zuko frantically shook his head at his sister but Azula pressed on regardless.
"I had the Avatar in my sights. I almost killed her."
"Almost isn't good enough," Ozai interrupted.
"I know. The reason I didn't is because Zuzu helped her."
Zuko gulped as Ozai turned to look at him.
"Did he now," Ozai betrayed no emotion. "What, exactly, did my son do?"
"He hid them," Azula smirked. "Knowing that she was the Avatar, he tried to stop our soldiers from finding them."
"I didn't know what was happening!" Zuko tried to defend himself. "I thought that's what we're supposed to do, help the Avatar if they're in trouble! I didn't know it was even us attacking her!"
Ozai frowned.
"Your kindness is your weakness," he said sternly. "You must not show it; not when the future glory of our nation hinges on it."
"Even so, he then carried on helping her after I had told him what was happening," Azula continued, sticking the boot in. "He tried to stop me using my lightning on her, and he slowed me down enough for her to get away."
"I see," Ozai paced the room.
"I haven't got time for this. We may have failed to kill the Avatar, but we did manage to occupy the north. That means there is nothing left for us now. We must return home to oversee the war. As for you,"
He rounded on Zuko menacingly, who felt paralysed with fear as his father looked over him. Ozai growled at him with venom in his voice and an expression which promised untold misery in his future.
"I will deal with you later."
