Just before dawn, Azula awoke from her slumber just as she heard a knock on the door. "Yes?" she called, almost forgetting that she'd slept inside the fortress, as the Ruskians had asked if she wished to stay for the night.
"Your Royal Highness, Grand Duke Nikolai is waiting for you on the rampart," the voice replied from behind the door. "Once you're ready, I suggest you go as soon as possible, as General Alexeev is due to begin the bombardment in twenty-five minutes."
Once Azula heard the man's footsteps, she quickly dressed before heading off to wake Ty Lee. However, she was surprised to see her already awake and with company no less. For on the end of her bed was Petr, fully dressed in his uniform, with Ty Lee beside him in a modest nightrobe for once. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" she heard her whisper. "I mean, I've never seen a real battle before."
Neither she nor Ty Lee could understand his reply, only that it was soft and intimate: "Да, любовь моя," he said as he leaned in and pecked her politely on the cheek before standing and turning to leave. "Увидимся," he said with a wave while Azula quietly made her way behind the door so she wouldn't be spotted as he opened the door and departed.
Once she was positive he'd left, she entered the room. "Well, well, well. It seems you two have moved further along than I expected."
Ty Lee seemed petrified for a moment before recomposing herself. "Hey, it's nothing serious. Sure, he did sleep here, but he slept on the floor. And I only did it because I wasn't sure I would see him again," she explained as she turned away and pouted.
Azula shook her head and walked inside while rolling her eyes. "Oh, please, like I want to hear about your passions," she began before pointing to the mess that was her hair. "Now, if you wouldn't mind. I need to be ready to meet with the Grand Duke, and I would like to see him before the siege begins."
Ty Lee looked downcast but went about brushing and combing Azula's hair before the Princess handed the brunette her crown, which she used to finish her signature topknot. Neither said a word and once Ty Lee took her hands off, Azula rose. "Thank you, Ty Lee. I expect to see you once you're decent," she said as she walked out of the room and headed for the rampart.
Upon reaching it, she found it empty, save several cannons facing the lake and Nikolai. He stood looking toward the city, his arms behind his back as the plume on his hat blew in the gentle breeze. His eyes were closed, his face almost serene as he took deep breaths like she would before doing her katas. As she walked closer, her footsteps seemed to alert him to her presence as his eyes opened, and he turned to her. "Ah, Your Highness. I was almost afraid you wouldn't come."
Azula cocked a brow at him, confused by his mood. "Why wouldn't I? After all, I'm interested to see how things turn out for you today," she told him as she looked around. "Now, where is everyone?"
Nikolai shook his head as he smiled at her. "They're where they need to be," he told her before gesturing to stand beside him. "Now, why don't you come and see, hm? It is quite the sight," she did as he suggested and looked down to see the sun glisten off the spears, swords, and cannons of the Ruskians as they stood in their newly prepared positions. Behind them was the new encampment, where she could see women beginning to move baskets and creates toward the men. "Now, what do you see?"
Azula turned to him with a cocked brow. "Your army?"
Nikolai shook his head. "That's not what I wanted to show you," he said before pointing East to the rising sun peaking over the mountaintops. "That is what I wanted you to see."
Azula looked at it and shook her head. "I don't understand why. I witness Agni every morning. What makes this any different?" she asked sharply.
The Grand Duke sighed before turning to her with a gentle smile. "Because today marks the beginning of something new," he began, his expression softening as he spoke. "But, it will also mark the end," Nikolai turned away and folded his arms behind his back. "Many lives will end today, and I understand that I will ultimately bear that responsibility," he said before taking a deep breath. "Azula, we may not know each other very well, but I already feel we share a similar spirit," his shoulders seemed to slump back as he rotated and kneeled so they were eye-to-eye. "I understand this may not mean much to you in your youth, but I pray you find your way. So you avoid making the mistakes I've made in my life."
Azula had no words to respond with as he stood up and turned to the light. No one she could recall had ever spoken to her in this way, not that anyone would dare to, save perhaps her Father. Yet, she felt something stir when he mentioned having a similar soul. She'd seen it in his eyes as well. This strange understanding he seemed to have of her while he was still an enigma. Yet, even with the little he'd told her, she could see the pain behind those cloudy cerulean orbs as he spoke. But, there was also something else there, a thing the Princess felt she should've recognized, yet she couldn't grasp what it was. Regardless, she stood silent as she watched him continue his meditation. She didn't know how long she waited, even joining him in focusing on her breath to feel her inner fire when suddenly-
After what their sentries witnessed the previous day, the Council of Five dispatched General Yiwen to oversee the defence on the wall opposite their new enemy. While the General was known for his introverted nature, Long Feng had thought it best for Yiwen to take command due to his cautious and measured approach compared to the other members of the Council. He was a middle-aged, experienced Officer of few words, one who preferred to think carefully before saying all he needed to and then returning to his thoughts. Under his direct command were some 100'000 men, the majority being regulars from the Army of Ba Sing Se, while only 3'000 belonged to the Royal Guard. In addition, the Council had also attached General Sung's "Terra Team" to his command, though there were only 500 of them. He'd arrayed most of his men behind the wall while he and the Royal Guard stood prepared on the rampart. So, there he sat, ever vigilant as he watched the sun beginning to rise. He'd been up almost all night preparing with his subordinates, drawing up contingencies and defence plans. All along the wall stood the Royal Guard, waiting beside their piles of boulders for the enemy to get within range, while behind them were several ranks of regulars.
Despite Long Feng's warnings, Yiwen felt confident in defending. After all, his men captured the banner of the Dragon of the West and broke his final assault. Sure, he thought, the enemy had captured the Bulwark, but it was nothing compared to the hundred and ten Chi high and thirty-four Chi thick walls upon which he sat. Besides, they had no great drill or siege weapons that he could recognize based on the reports from his sentries. Instead, they only had masses of infantry and mounted troops, which he'd crush under the weight of the boulders lining the walls. "Sir, are you sure the enemy will attack today?" he heard one of his aides ask from behind him.
The General slowly stroked his short beard. "I don't know. But it is better to be prepared than not," he replied, his words slow as he stood from his chair, his cape billowing in the slight morning breeze as he looked up at one of his standards waving gently in the same manner as his cloak. "Tell me, have your men seen any changes?" he asked as he turned to face his subordinate.
The man nodded. "Yes," he began as he handed Yiwen a telescope. "It would seem they finished entrenching themselves, and their units have moved to create a line," the Captain reported as the General surveyed the barren wastes before them, confirming that the enemy had indeed stretched out into a line, with only those in the center dug-in. Their mounted troops stood back on either wing, with the strange weapons his men reported in reserve or interspersed with the infantry. However, what caught his eye most were the objects sitting to the left of the center: They appeared like metal crates, reminding him of Fire Nation tanks as small plumes of smoke blew from their funnels.
"How interesting," he said as he continued looking through the spyglass. He'd expected his enemy to be in a column, prepared to move as quickly as possible to dash the walls. Instead, they had formed a battle line, as if they expected him to leave the safety of his bastions and sally out to attack. As these thoughts reached his mind, he began to smirk. "It seems our foe must not know us too well," he said before handing the spyglass back to the Captain.
"Sir?" he asked, confused by his response.
The General shook his head, disappointed by his foe's seeming lack of awareness. "Our enemy has formed himself up as though for battle," he stated as he turned to the Junior Officer. "It seems he must be foolish-" he'd begun to say as thunder echoed across the plain. The two men looked up as though expecting lightning before they saw a large projectile screeching through the air. "BRACE-" Before either man knew it, they stumbled forward as the wall buckled beneath them.
"What was that!?" one of his men shouted.
"Look, there!" came another as he pointed to the smoke trail arching through the sky.
The Captain took his spyglass and peered through it before seemingly shuddering in terror. "Sir... You may want to see this," he whispered as he passed Yiwen the spyglass and showed him where to look-
When he saw that the trail led back to one of the weapons sitting beside several dozen others, he couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine as one after the other exploded outward, shooting forth more projectiles as the sound echoed like drum beats. "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" the Yiwen shouted as his men bent their feet into the stone to prevent themselves from falling over.
General Alexeev watched the result as shell after shell rained down upon the Great Wall. Oh, how he'd waited for this, and now that he had more than mere field pieces, he could see the progress made to the base of the massive structure. Due to its sheer scale and liner construction, he correctly assumed it would be much easier to destroy the wall by hitting its foundation rather than shooting the rampart. Indeed, as he watched through his telescope, he could see the cracks beginning to show as more and more craters formed at the base. Of course, not every shell landed when he'd hoped, with many aiming too high, but judging by what he could see, he took no issue with it. Yet, as his eyes lingered on one of the banners still flying above what remained of a tower, the General's thoughts turned to his charge. He'd ordered her to stay in his tent, as he did not wish for her to see this. Nor the massacre he and the others expected to follow. "May the Lord end their suffering quickly," he whispered as he continued to watch along with his staff.
While the downpour continued, many of his men attempted to throw stones to prevent the missiles from hitting the wall, much like they did when facing Fire Nation bombardment. However, not only were these bombs faster, but they also presented much smaller targets than those of the Fire Nation, Making them impossible to stop as one after the other landed, with most hitting the wall below them as they had for the past ninety-five minutes. But for those that landed near or on top of the wall, the result was immediate: Body parts and debris flew into the air, and men screamed out in terror as the missiles landed and knocked them off their feet, regardless of bracing. Then, as if things couldn't get worse, more explosions resounded from across the plain, promising further death and destruction to the defenders. Yet, despite all this, the General hadn't spoken a word as he stood in place, petrified. His typically cool features betrayed utter disbelief as the second wave slammed into the wall, and the sound of cracking stone reverberated as a section of the rampart blew clean off and a tower to his left blew open. "There is nothing we can-"
"SIR LOOK-" the Captain began to say as a bomb landed to his right. He could briefly feel his body leave the ground in a flash of white pain before everything went black.
General Wu quickly ordered his men back from the wall as debris and bodies began falling from the ramparts as a constant string of explosions rocked the very earth upon which they stood. He'd already dismounted his ostrich horse, so he could feel it vibrate particularly harshly with every missile which landed, becoming even more powerful when they would fly over their target, slamming into the ranks of men behind as they bent the earth to create trenches. However, as Wu looked on, the General squinted his eyes and watched as a particular body fell from the wall after a powerful blast. When it finally hit the ground in a splatter of blood and gore, he ran up to it just to be sure he was seeing things. Yet, to his absolute horror, Yiwen was not, for there, at his feet, lay the remains of his Commanding Officer. He blinked several times, not even acknowledging his men's horrified gasps.
Then, a younger Officer jumped out of the trench and gestured forward. "Men, on my signal, prepare to advance!" he shouted as the soldiers turned to him with fearful faces.
"But Sir, shouldn't we remain here!?" another Officer replied as more bombs struck the wall and their makeshift barrier, causing further casualties.
The former shook his head. "If we remain here, we'll die!" he bellowed before turning to his unit as other junior commanders began doing the same.
"CEASE!" General Wu cried, but his words went unheeded as hundreds of soldiers poured out from the towers in disarray, or bent stone platforms to get down faster. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? RETURN TO YOUR POSTS!" he commanded as he lept from the trench and attempted to rally the fleeing guardsmen and regulars. But it seemed his pleas fell on deaf ears as the soldiers continued in their flight.
Then, he understood why, as dust shrouded his vision, and the sound of crumbling stone filled his ears. Due to his position, he hadn't seen the full extent of the damage as missile after missile slammed into the wall before him. But now, he could only watch in stunned silence as the section in front of him slowly leaned forward, its thick walls crumbling before collapsing into the earth below. As it did, he heard thousands of screams and cries sound out as dozens of men fell to their deaths. When the dust cleared, all that remained was rubble. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" one man shouted, breaking the silence as he turned and began to run, only for another man to push him to the ground.
"THERE WILL BE NO ROUTE!" the same Officer from earlier shouted as he drew his jian and gestured for his unit to advance. "PRESS FORWARD MEN! IF WE REMAIN HERE, WE WILL PARISH LIKE COWARDS!" and just like that, he nearly lost control of the situation, as one unit after another began issuing similar orders, with only two or three regiments remaining as the troops began advancing on their own accord. Recognizing the desperate situation, General Wu quickly rushed forward to take charge and began organizing his men for battle, little knowing what fate awaited him and his army.
As Long Feng watched the plumes of smoke rising from the Outer wall, he couldn't help but feel his heart begin to pound in his chest. Long had he feared this day. But the Grand Secretariat never expected it to happen so soon, and certainly not like this. "After so much consideration, must all my plans be for nought?" he whispered so no one else would hear. No, he'd expected the sky to be on fire, ablaze with the light of Sozin's comet as the Fire Nation would attempt to land the final blow against his nation. The Avatar and his allies, naive as they were, couldn't see the benefit of waiting for the Fire Nation to expend their strength against the outer defences while his armies were still fresh. Then, when the calamity was over, he would sweep them from the city using the people's anger in response to the "surprise" attack of the Fire Nation. He recalled how the Ju Dee assigned to them reported their frustration at his policy of not mentioning the war. Yet, in his mind, it was far better than the people attempting to compromise with their adversaries when they realized their nation's horrid situation. After all, even the famed Dragon of the West failed to impact the populace's daily lives. Therefore, no matter his course, complacency would be his greatest enemy. Long Feng only hoped he could wield it as a weapon when things became difficult instead of it being a weakness for his foes to exploit. Yet, as he watched an entire section of wall collapse outward, he could hardly hide his horror as he turned his lone aide. "Lieutenant, assemble the Dai Li," he ordered to one of the agents at his side.
"At once, Sir," the Dai Li agent replied before hurrying inside the Palace, leaving his superior alone on the balcony.
Long Feng sighed deeply before turning and following his agent, but instead of heading for the secret entrance, he turned toward the throne room. Upon reaching the towering jade doors, the guards opened them for him, and he found himself in a massive chamber lit by overhanging green lanterns and a large chandelier suspending high above the throne, almost as though the sun itself were shining upon it. The throne exceeded the room's grandeur as it stood in the center, raised above the rest of the room, flanked by patterns of gold intermixed with jade and a plush seat at its center with the Coin of the Earth Kingdom placed behind. Perched overlooking the throne was a gigantic statue of a badger mole, ever standing watch as its cold eyes bore into all who entered. "Your Majesty," he said as he kowtowed once he reached a certain distance.
The young man on the throne adjusted his spectacles and raised his hand, gesturing for him to rise. "What is it, Long, is something wrong? I don't recall planning a lunch for today."
The older man shook his head. "I'm afraid there is, Your Majesty," he began, the concern growing on the youth's face. "My agents have uncovered a plot against you, and while I know we will deal with the problem, I suggest you remain here until we are certain of your safety."
The King began petting his pet bear lying at his feet. "Well, so long as Bosco's with me, I don't mind."
Long Feng nodded, grateful for his compliance. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I promise we will resolve the issue," he said as he turned and left. However, inside, he wasn't sure if he would, but so long as the King remained isolated from the events outside the palace walls, there was still hope for victory. After all, if the boy returned a fully realized Avatar, no known force in this world could stop him, or so he hoped.
While Azula and Nikolai remained on the wall, he watched through his spyglass with mild amusement as his enemy did as he'd predicted. "So it seems the enemy has already acted in our favour," he said as he lowered it to regard Azula. "Well, Your Highness, I suggest you find Ivan. He should be with his unit in the center."
Azula appeared confused by his suggestion as she cocked a brow at him. "I thought you wanted to speak with me?"
The older man shook his head. "No, I think you should be with Ivan. Besides, I'm sure he'd appreciate your presence."
The Princess seemed to ponder his words for a moment before sighing. "Very well, if you insist," she replied before leaving.
Once she was gone, Nikolai raised his telescope and returned to observing the battle, trusting that his commanders would carry the day. "Well, Princess, I only hope you find my son's ability in battle appealing."
Well, here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for, the siege of Ba Sing Se! Once again, I am grateful for the sheer amount of support this story has received since I've revamped the intro, and from those who've come here from Gunsmoke and Hellfire. Anyway, tune in next time to see as things get even worse for the Earth Kingdom, and certain people begin to notice. Answering questions such as: What will happen to the GAang, Zuko, Iroh, and Long Feng?