Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

337. Chapter 337: EK Rebels-New Contacts 3

Earth Kingdom Rebels/New contacts

3

The barricade they had built served as a solid defense against the Fire Nation's forces. Their army's squads were in disarray, failing to hold their ground after the tenth day of battling in the streets of Gaoling. The commoners cowered in their houses, the nobles hid away in blissful ignorance in their estates… but never before had the placid city seen a rebellion of this nature against the Fire Nation forces that had occupied Gaoling since a decade ago.

The rebels responsible for it were as fickle with discipline as any insurrectionists were bound to be: some answered to their figure of authority while others did as they pleased, often getting themselves severely injured or killed in the battlefield in consequence. Ten days of chaos had taught enough of the surviving hotheads to listen to reason rather than rushing into battle carelessly… but right now, crouched by that barricade near Gaoling's square, it didn't seem like there would be any progress for their forces anytime soon, regardless of whether they obeyed or not.

"It's a stalemate," Ruan growled, clasping his shield firmly. "They're not going to back down at all, and if we even think about stepping past our defenses… even if the others took the city gates, pushing here isn't going to pay off for us."

"We can call for help, can't we?" Eri said, beside him: he glanced at her with uncertainty, but she didn't waver in her confidence. "That's why you wanted the gates taken, so we could hopefully reach out to the rebels in Omashu. I know it will take time for them to help us, but there has to be something we can do, Ruan…"

Truthfully, he hadn't expected her to join him. He had assumed, outright, that she would choose to stay in her family's estate, to simply leave him to charge into battle if he truly meant to… but she had intercepted him on the night of his escape: instead of stopping him, she had tossed him a full pack with supplies while carrying one over her shoulders. For the first time in months, Ruan couldn't help but beam with pride upon reclaiming the bond of sponsor and gladiator that had brought them together in the first place.

But it didn't seem that bond would be enough to break the stalemate in their favor. As inspiring as it could be to have her standing by him, no longer clad in her beautiful gowns but in a light leather armor, face stained with soot and dirt from the battlefield, Eri couldn't bring a miracle solution to Ruan's mind. He gazed at her with uncertainty, unsure of how to tell her that, with their available resources, a proper stand against the Governor's forces wouldn't be within their possibilities…

"Sentinel Knight, sir!" a voice reached them, breaking Ruan's focus on Eri as he glanced down the street: members of the squad he had dispatched to the gates were running back towards them. One was bloodied, the others only looked unkempt…

"What happened?" Ruan said, frowning as he turned towards them. He ensured to remain in a safe position, tucked behind the barricade, and the new arrivals ran with their bodies bent down, in the hopes of avoiding damage from the Fire Nation soldiers beyond the barrier, should they take aim towards them. "You're alive, so… that's good. But the gates…"

"We did it!" said one of the members of the group, stopping and kneeling by Ruan, chest heaving with exhaustion. "The gates… are clear. We burned the Fire Nation banner, too…! But when we were doing it, Ruan, we… we saw something. A big force… a huge force marching to the city."

"What…?" Ruan's eyes widened. Eri gasped. "Wait… the Fire Nation already sent troops to stop us?"

"It… didn't look like Fire Nation troops," said another of the new arrivals. Ruan raised an eyebrow.

"It didn't? Then what…?"

He froze in place: it should have been obvious, but it wasn't apparent right away… even though the other rebels in the Earth Kingdom had been the ones to inspire him to take action. But he couldn't have been so lucky, could he? There was no way he was here… no way the Blue Wolf had chosen to come to Gaoling just when they needed him the most.

"Was it… him?" Ruan asked. "Did you see anything that suggests it's the Blue Wolf?"

"Well, not really," admitted the first man. "But who else could it be? Ugh, you should just come to the gates and see for yourself! You knew him, so if it's him, you'll be able to tell if this is some shitty trap by the Fire Nation, to convince us that they're our allies and then stab us in the back…!"

"That would be such a strange way to invest resources…" Eri said, blinking blankly before shaking her head. Ruan glanced at her over his shoulder. "But they're not wrong. If this is a big force that will aid us… we really need them. You were just saying this is a stalemate? It might not be one for much longer if they're here to help us, Ruan."

Ruan breathed deeply and nodded. He dared clasp her hand gently, squeezing it briefly, before turning towards the gates. His wordless, brief goodbye sufficed for Eri, who watched as he and a small group of rebels, including those who had come to find him, returned to the city gates as fast as they could go.

Ruan's heartbeats pounded in his ears as hope bloomed where despair had tried to lay roots: could this truly help him liberate the city? Would it be possible to finally break the Fire Nation's hold on Gaoling?

The end of the Gladiator League had been difficult all across the Fire Nation held territories, but in Gaoling, many former gladiators had taken to slipping out of their respective homesteads, unnoticed by their masters, and gathering in the depths of the supposedly shut-down Gladiator Rumble. Their rebellious spirit had been nourished there… and it had blossomed fully once news of the Blue Wolf's success in Omashu and Ba Sing Se had reached Gaoling. The city had been abuzz with rumors, and for months, people had awaited any sign that he'd show up – the Fire Nation forces had dreaded it, of course, while the gladiators who gathered at nights had looked forward to it instead. But as time passed, nothing happened… and as reckless as it might have been on his part, Ruan had begun gathering ideas for a full-blown slave insurrection in the city. While he would have welcomed Sokka's help gladly, he wouldn't sit back and wait for the Blue Wolf to solve the Earth Kingdom's problems: he had taken matters into his own hands… and the outcome hadn't been catastrophic, at least. Yet the Fire Nation had stood its ground far too well for Ruan's team to achieve a proper victory, and currently it seemed as though the enemy soldiers were far better organized than when the fighting had begun, ten days prior…

Now, though, his reckless choice to begin this insurrection appeared poised to pay off. While their odds hadn't been terrible, the mistakes by those unable to follow proper orders had hindered his cause… they had needed reinforcements direly, but could they really be so lucky? Could this arriving army truly be the Blue Wolf's forces?

Ruan rushed up to the walls, where some of the rebels had taken up patrolling stances. Corpses of guards littered the area, and Ruan's stomach clenched at the sight of them, but he kept going. He didn't need anyone to tell him that this centennial conflict wouldn't end without countless more sacrifices, all because of the Fire Lords' cruelty… but he didn't have to like it, even if he understood as much.

"Sentinel Knight!" called one of the rebels, once he was almost at the top of the wall. "Look!"

Ruan breathed deeply, pushing himself up the last steps of the staircase… and then his eyes widened as he gazed beyond the city's enclosure.

A force of at least three hundred, if not more, had marched up to Gaoling.

He nearly fell over backwards. His stomach clenched, sank, somersaulted all at once: the approaching forces held no banners related to the Fire Nation.

"What is…? How…?" he gasped breathlessly before rushing towards the wall, gazing down at the leaders of the march: four people stood at the head of the group, and to Ruan's surprise, he recognized one. "The Blind Bandit. The… it's him. It's them! We…! We have to open the gates! Open the gates, now!"

His fellow rebels were surprised by his command, but they followed it dutifully all the same. The city gates were heavy, but the mechanism to pull them open worked seamlessly as the large group of potential reinforcements approached Gaoling at a steady rhythm.

"They opened the gates…" Jet said, clasping Toph's shoulder as they marched onwards. Toph smirked.

"If that's how it is, guess you're right to think the Fire Nation lost control of the city. That's nice to know," she said, speeding up further, slamming her feet harder on the ground to get a better read of Gaoling and whatever conflict was unfolding within its boundaries.

Within about five minutes since they were sighted, Toph's troops reached the city's entrance. The earthbender led the group, still testing her seismic sense against the pandemonium within Gaoling: some damaged buildings, upturned streets here and there, civilians cowering within their homes, hoping to be spared from becoming collateral damage… she frowned heavily as she stepped up to the rebels who were ready to welcome her into her hometown.

"Blind Bandit!" exclaimed a familiar voice. Toph frowned, raising her head and stopping on her tracks before pointing a finger at the man who had spoken.

"I… know you," she said, darkly. "Though I can't remember why, but I do. Who are you?"

"You fought alongside me in Gladiator Brawl! And I joined the Race, too…!" Ruan explained, only for Toph to cut him off before he could finish.

"Woah! Shield guy!" she explained. "You're Sokka's friend, the, uh… Knight of something. I don't remember the name exactly, but…!"

"Sentinel Knight," Ruan finished, with a weak grin. "But that's not important right now, I…! You're here to help, aren't you? To set Gaoling free?"

"Well… I mean, you guys got a head-start on us, that much is clear," Toph said, frowning as she stepped up to Ruan and focusing on the city again. "But that was the plan, yeah. What's your situation, shield guy?"

"We've sustained losses… mostly due to reckless rebels eager to play hero," Ruan said, unable to mask his bitterness. "But we've taken the wall, we meant to send word to find help in Omashu…"

"Well, the help found you first. Fancy that," Toph said, breathing out slowly. "What's the enemy doing? Where are they holed up?"

"Towards the luxury districts," the Sentinel Knight explained. "We've blocked the streets that lead from the central square to the wall, thus far. It's the best we could do to begin gaining ground on them."

"Well, you won't have to worry much about that anymore," Toph said. "The noble estates are supporting them, you think? Or just the governor?"

"I'd hope it's just the governor," Ruan said, frowning. "But it's hard to say right now."

Toph breathed deeply – she certainly hoped her parents wouldn't have been reckless and foolish enough to support the Fire Nation regime anymore, but even if they had made a mistake of the sort, she'd set them right soon. They were in the city…

A city that was familiar, deeply, as she marched into it. Her heart clenched in a strange way as she strode through the damaged streets that had already seen their fair share of fighting. She could very well make them see more… she could spill blood all over Gaoling if she cared to.

But she didn't think she cared to.

"What's the plan now?" Jet asked, as he and the rest of her forces followed her into the city. Toph grunted softly.

"I'm going to lead. Somehow," she said. Jet raised an eyebrow and Toph patted his shoulder reassuringly. "This isn't going to be that hard: the Fire Nation won't know what hit them."

"Well, those are always magic words," Jet said, with a devious smirk. "Let's go, then."

The Sentinel Knight kept up with them, as did some of his rebels, when Toph's forces gradually flowed into the city. The confidence with which the Blind Bandit crossed the streets seemed natural to most who didn't know her very well… but her heart carried a strange, unexpected resolve to fight and defend the place she had been born to.

She sensed the barricades ahead. Her brow furrowed, and she reached out for Shanyuan and the Hallowed Rock with each of her hands.

"You go to the left, Captain Monument," Toph said. "You to the right, Fancy Pants."

"Why… very well," the Hallowed Rock seemed perplexed by her choice of nickname, but he nodded regardless.

"I'm charging ahead, front and center. You two will ambush anyone who tries to escape through the other sides of the square," Toph explained. Both nodded. "Take your teams with you."

The organization of the forces was quick and to the point: Jet wondered if Toph would send him elsewhere, but she didn't command him to leave or take up positions…

"Jet…" she said, reaching out and clasping his hand firmly. He squeezed hers gently. "Stand ready. I'm going to tell you where to go… where to take the troops next."

"Okay?" Jet said, raising an eyebrow. "Where?"

"Didn't say I'd tell you right now… but I will," Toph smirked. "You'll know it when you see it. But for now…"

The Blind Bandit, marching firmly, suddenly broke into a sprint after letting go of his hand. Jet's eyes widened: briefly, he wondered if he should keep up, racing after her… only to change his mind quickly once Toph shocked the rebels by the barricade by running towards them, boosting herself by bending the city's cobbled streets further, faster, until she drew back her arms, extending them abruptly.

She flew over the barricade with the impulse of her latest earthbending move: the Fire Nation forces, strategically hidden behind their own sets of barricades and shields on the other side of the square, took notice of her right away.

"Aim and fire!" exclaimed one of the army's leaders, and he was obeyed promptly: arrows, spears and firebending attacks flew towards the single earthbender who had recklessly jumped into the line of fire…

Toph landed firmly on that square, thrusting her arms upwards: the ground beneath her feet obeyed her call at once, shooting her up as though to reach the sky.

All attempts to wound her went to waste as she ascended far beyond the reach of those ranged weapons: suddenly, the commanding officer of the Fire Nation's forces yelped in confusion and astonishment as a slim, yet tall and strong tower, appeared to form right before his eyes.

The place where the square had stood was overtaken by the new, unnatural construction Toph had erected. She rose high above the tallest buildings of Gaoling, her bending feat sturdy and strong… providing her with a perfect connection with the city she had known so well as a child, due to her frequent escapes from home whenever her parents weren't paying attention. Not much had changed since her last visit, just before the Race… which enabled her to know exactly what to look for once she slammed her foot down heavily, triggering her seismic sense to track down her enemies, wherever they might be.

The whole world appeared to respond to her. Her senses were keen, heightened… she could feel everyone below, allies and foes alike. She could sense the anticipation of the former, the fear of the latter… most the soldiers scrambled back, daunted by the inexplicable, tall earthbending construct, but a handful actually dared attack it boldly, launching fire blasts in the direction of Toph's mountain – they wished to destabilize it, to cause her to topple to the ground… but that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

Toph raised an arm, striking it forward as a fist: so far below her, the earth obeyed her command, and a fast, violent spike of earth burst right underneath the leader of the bolder firebending soldiers. The damage was immediate – for the sharp earthen weapon of Toph's creation had successfully skirted past all armored areas of the enemy's body, powered and ready to cut into flesh mercilessly.

He wasn't the only one to wind up impaled to the ground: Toph moved her fingers and the earth followed her command faithfully, cutting sharply into all the foes before her pillar. The square, already a source of chaos in the city, now teemed with screams and desperation as the remaining soldiers forsook their training and simply sought a way out of the area, at all costs.

"Monument! Rock! Charge now!" Toph exclaimed, her voice as loud as it could be. The power she impressed unto it sufficed to command her troops, and within moments, the square was swarmed by avid fighters, chasing down the escaping soldiers.

Toph breathed deeply, focusing again on what she could feel… for as distant as its furthermost walls might be, she still felt this city deeply. She could sense every footstep, every street they might run to…

And even from this distance, she could reach through the earth, through the mountain she had built, and shift the ground far away from where she stood, erecting tall walls that blocked streets and forced the enemy to fall into the hands of her allies. Her deep connection allowed her to do more than that, too: she struck a hand upwards, and tall walls burst around one house beyond the square, then around another, then around another. Confused, Jet eyed her from a distance, wondering if that was his sign…

"Go, Jet! There's more hiding in there!" Toph roared at him. He smiled and nodded.

"As you say, Colonel! Men, to me!" Jet shouted: those who had stood with him while the twin chaotic rushes of fighters took the square and defeated their foes followed him at once.

Toph pinpointed every hideout, every secret corner where the enemy might have hoped to go undetected. Before long, their bunkers and army headquarters were found and rounded up, with Jet's group effectively taking down all resistance. Toph lowered the earthbending walls she'd crafted at the windows or the doors of the buildings, allowing Jet's group to attack through one entrance, keeping the others sealed. After his conversation with Toph, he, too, wished to build rather than destroy, though. It seemed that both had finally understood why Sokka had proven to be the best leader against the Fire Nation's forces… and so, they followed on his footsteps, being lethal if the situation called for it, being open-minded if it didn't.

A number of soldiers surrendered indeed, terrified by the daunting gladiators. Others attempted to run away when they had the chance, namely those who hadn't been within the hideouts when Toph had begun pinpointing them perfectly – with those, she made certain to trap them between thick earthbending walls or cylinders in the streets, much as she had learned to in the Arena. With her eyes closed, her bond with the earth so deep and profound, Toph simply moved out of instinct and impulse, sensing any soldiers in Fire Nation armor and immediately taking action against them, identifying the differences between the helpless civilians and the soldiers without fail. Her every move was as good as a dance, not of gracefulness and delicacy but of power, arms striking out with firmness, legs pounding down to continue sensing everything around her.

Her connection with the land around her bolstered and bloomed. Her understanding of herself also appeared to reach new heights: she was one with the earth, using it without hesitation, instinct and impulse guided by purpose and certainty. Every time she struck, she knew Jet and his group would follow. If the Hallowed Rock or Shanyuan had trouble with the forces they were fighting, she would destabilize the enemy and strengthen her allies. All the while, her earthbending tower remained untouched, her strength unquestionable, her ability proving so superior to that of her foes that in no moment did she fear she would fail: this was her territory. This was what she had been born to do. For the first time since almost a year ago, since the Race, her questions and doubts were dispelled entirely, for she had found the freedom she had sought, the partnership she had needed, the power she had finally learned to wield with certainty that she was making the right choices… that she was not a danger to those she loved.

It was a slow discovery, not as sudden as her metalbending, but just as valuable: never had she been able to bend earth to this magnitude, as good as spreading her control all across the city, skirting past the innocent, targeting the guilty. Gaoling was as good as in the palm of her hands… and today, she didn't fear she'd mistakenly crush it without meaning to. Today, she would grant that city a freedom akin to the one she had unlocked, the one she had been inspired to strive towards…

"What is this madness…?" one of the rebels asked, watching the battlefield with disbelief: him, Ruan and the others, hopeless, wounded and fearful of what might happen to their cause, watched in awe and shock as the extraordinary earthbender continued to work her way through the enemy's forces.

"It's the Blind Bandit," Ruan answered, with a weak grin. "That's… that's probably enough to answer that question."

Within a half-hour, the arrival of Toph's forces had turned the tides of the battle as a sudden tsunami might. The rebels barely could keep up – and most of them hardly tried, exhausted as they were – as their unexpected reinforcements cleaned out the city without much struggle, tearing apart the Fire Nation's defenses and overwhelming them with superior numbers and skill alike.

Thus, the battle was over surprisingly quickly. Toph slowed down her motions, frowning as she sensed everything still… to find that all Fire Nation soldiers within reach were either restrained, dead or trapped. She frowned, spreading her seismic sense as far as it might go, finding that even those who had sought to escape the city altogether had been stopped by the rebels by the gate.

"Huh," Toph scratched the back of her head, standing upright fully on her tall pillar. "Guess we're way too efficient for the Fire Nation these days, aren't we?"

She spoke to nothingness, knowing no one would hear her unless she outright shouted. She sighed, though, allowing herself a slightly relieved smile before deciding on her next target: the battle wasn't completely over yet, after all.

"Someone's still got to surrender… and he'd better be ready to do exactly that," she smirked.

She struck her arms forward: a light quake shook the streets of Gaoling, but no location felt it as keen and acutely as the Governor's estate. After raising walls around it, preventing any of Kuan's staff from escaping, Toph broke off the very top of her tall mountain and, with a powerful jump-kick after which she landed back on what was left of her mountain, she launched the massive, dangerous boulder at the estate she had singled out.

She knelt down, reaching out through her seismic sense once more… she smirked once the boulder collided on the perfectly pristine grass of the Governor's home. A few people had been in the courtyards of the opulent mansion, and she could sense them screaming with distress over what she had done…

"Good thing they weren't standing right on the spot I targeted, huh?" Toph said.

She hoped Kuan would get the message. She couldn't detail his mansion as well as most places in the city, further away as it was… but she had the sense that someone was cowering within a room deep inside the mansion. With any luck, one of his people would inform him that the situation was entirely hopeless for him… but if the man was as sleazy as she believed him to be, as Sokka had implied him to be, the likelihood was that he'd escape somehow…

And she wasn't about to allow that, now, was she?

Without further ado, Toph slid down the mountain of her crafting, allowing the wind to brush against her hair and clothes until she finally hit the ground again. The fighting was as good as over, and her troops were mainly busy dragging the captured Fire Nation soldiers out of their hiding places. Jet had been among them, but he rushed to Toph's side once he noticed she had returned to the ground again.

"You did incredible!" Jet exclaimed, with a wild grin. "We made the best of everything, Toph. It didn't even take us that long, but the city is…"

"It's not over yet," Toph said, meaningfully. Jet's enthusiasm froze. "Governor Kuan's still in his mansion. I sent him a message just now… a nice boulder, right at his gardens. He'd better understand we're not kidding around… but if he doesn't, the piece of shit will try to escape, Jet. We can't let him do that."

"Right," Jet frowned.

"Big houses like those, like mine, they always had some secret escape corridors hidden somewhere. That was how I could join Earth Rumble and how I ran away and found the badgermoles, too," Toph said. "So he'd likely have one…"

"He does. The guards… the Princess's guards! When we were at the bonfire, they were sharing stories about how they'd snuck into his estate and stolen some resources to get by. I don't know if you heard any of it, but…"

"Then… there is a secret way to leave the estate," Toph finished.

"Right," Jet nodded. "What will we do, then?"

Toph smirked, clapping his shoulder. She conveyed her plan, and Jet smirked before setting out to make it happen as soon as possible.

After Jet was gone, the Blind Bandit took off with some of the strongest earthbenders of her army: together, they marched down the streets, surprised by the cheers that came from some of the houses, as well as by the occasional new person who rushed out to join their group. She didn't lose her focus, though, reaching the governor's estate with a quick pace.

"There we go," Toph said, cracking her knuckles. "Captain Monument, Fancy Pants: follow my lead."

They did so without fail, as they had so far: when Toph erected a new, sturdy, tall tower they did the same with the ground underneath their feet. Slowly, the three rose high above the makeshift, earthbent wall that Toph had already raised around the governor's mansion. From this height, Toph's two companions had a perfect view of the panicked dwellers of the building, as well as likely guests who had taken refuge there while wrongfully assuming that no enemies would possibly reach this area of the city…

And now they screamed, cowering by the buildings as the governor's guards tried to step forward to defend them… though even they backed down quickly at the sight of the daunting earthbending feat performed by the Blind Bandit and her allies.

"There you are!" Toph roared, as loudly as she could. "Governor Kuan's fun little gang, aren't you?"

Shrieks of panic followed: those in the gardens tried to enter the building, and Toph was quick to block the doors and windows with quick earthbending moves. Those outside would stay outside… those within would be trapped in the buildings, too.

"All you lot have to do is find Kuan and tell the miserable bastard that either he surrenders… or he'll die, along with all of you!" Toph exclaimed. "There's nowhere to run! There's nowhere for a scumbag like him to hide! I'm ready to pass judgment on all of you, you hear me? Don't you dare think for a second that I'll hold back!"

Her menacing words made nobles and soldiers thrice her age cower amid bushes, as though hoping she wouldn't see them – clearly unaware that she would see them just fine with her earthbending. But even if she spoke as menacingly as she did, Toph's intentions weren't quite as straightforward as they appeared: she knew all too well what Kuan had already chosen to do.

Several feet underground, through a trapdoor in the cellar of the mansion, Kuan hushed his butler as they entered the dark, gloomy tunnels that would allow him to escape unharmed from the battle raging above their heads.

"I don't understand… I don't understand…" the butler mumbled as Kuan urged him to move faster and lead him through the depths of that tunnel.

"What is there for any of us to understand? These envious, deceitful, resentful rebels found help from more insects like themselves!" Kuan nearly squealed. "And now we have to run. We have to go, fast, so keep walking and stop talking…!"

The butler obeyed, though his willingness to speak didn't diminish in the slightest. He'd do it in fits of anxiety throughout their journey, only for Kuan to once again respond dismissively, hurriedly, nervously. The path was winding and complicated, and Kuan was terrified that the way would have been cut off by the earthbending wall that had been crafted around his mansion, but to his relief, they reached the exit safely: it was a simple wooden door, hidden within a cave-like construct in the wilderness outside Gaoling.

"There, there, we've made it!" Kuan gasped in relief, lowering his torch to push the door open.

"What of everyone else? Governor, i-if the way is clear, perhaps we could go back to…"

"No! What sort of foolish suggestion is that?!" Kuan squealed. "If they wish to escape they're welcome to look for the trapdoor themselves! I'm not going back in there, into their clutches…! What kind of man would ever fathom doing such a thing?"

"But…" the butler said, nervously, only for Kuan to disregard any caution as he shoved the door open brusquely.

The cave led out into a beautiful, open field dotted with trees and a blissful tranquility, distant from the busier areas of Gaoling. He could see the walls of his home in the distance… or rather, the new walls that had been built around the original ones, and they appeared to be far enough for him to relax and rejoice in his escape while plotting what to do next.

"Stop worrying! We made it!" Kuan exclaimed, hands up in the air as he grinned brightly. "Bet that scumbag, the Blue Wolf, must be teeming with fury that he couldn't catch me…"

"Oh, I don't think he's thinking about you at all right now, actually."

The sudden, unfamiliar voice startled Kuan immediately. He yelped, clinging to his butler and pushing him forward, so he would serve as his human shield from whatever this threat was. The threat in question, standing right above the cave's entrance, smirked… while the troops around him merely glared at the governor with undisguised disgust.

"Oh, no. Oh, no, no…" the butler said, protectively stretching his arms out to defend his charge. "Please, t-the Governor… do not hurt Governor Kuan, I beg of you…"

"I have money! My family has money!" Kuan squealed helplessly, his voice jarring as he raised it recklessly. "Please…! Do not do this! Do not kill me!"

Jet breathed deeply, eyeing Kuan with dismissiveness: Toph had sent him forward preemptively, telling him the likeliest location of the secret passageway out of Kuan's estate. He had expected a fight, thus why he had brought troops with him… but Kuan, it seemed, was too self-serving to even think about saving anyone's lives but his own and that of his butler, surely only out of habit of relying on him. The man's loyalty was certainly wasted on Kuan… but he might have been far too attached to the fool to realize it, too.

"You're not going to die today," Jet said, simply. Kuan winced, immediately fearing his execution would simply be scheduled for another occasion. "But I'm not letting you go, either."

"No, no, no…! Please, sir, please…!" the butler said: Jet's eyes narrowed before he stepped forward, jumping off his ledge to reach their level.

Even now, the butler attempted to protect Kuan… who didn't hesitate to run back inside. The sleazy bastard had the gall to leave the butler to stand between himself and the enemy, without even warning his companion of what he was doing. Jet snarled: he gestured at those behind him to seize the butler, and they were all too quick to restrain him while Jet led others into the tunnel…

Though they didn't need to go very far: after kicking down the wooden door, Kuan, slow and anxious, was barely a few steps away.

"STOP! STOP! NOOOO!"

If just for the fun of it, Jet failed to resist the temptation to tear up Kuan's fancy robe with the tip of his sword: Kuan screamed as the fabric ripped… and then he flopped on the floor without even taking a flesh wound.

Jet blinked a few times, having expected far more resistance from the Governor than that… but the panic had been so intense, the fear of unfathomable pain so deep, that he had blacked out over his dread of whatever Jet and his forces might do to him.

"Well… guess he saved me the bother of punching the lights out of him. That's considerate," Jet smirked, jerking his head at those following him. "Let's tie him up, then. Toph's going to want to deal with him as soon as possible."

Within Gaoling, the Blind Bandit continued to wait patiently for any reactions by the people locked within Kuan's mansion. Those in the courtyards were seemingly submitting to her control while those within the buildings seemed scared, running away from the windows as fast as they could go. Still… no one else had escaped through the hidden tunnel underground – she could sense it along with every other detail in the mansion, especially now that she was standing at the peak of her latest earthbending construct, towering menacingly over anyone who might attempt to fight back. So far, no one had.

Within another half-hour, however, it became clear that no one would, either: Toph smirked as Jet marched back into the city, dragging a once-again-conscious, terribly nervous Kuan with him, restrained with tight ropes. Once Jet reached her new construct, Toph struck an arm and a leg out, raising a new pillar of earth that hoisted Jet and Kuan to her level – the movement startled and scared those within the large estate, but Toph didn't bother reassuring them. Instead, she grabbed Kuan by the scruff of his outfit once he was close enough, dragging him to her pillar and kicking his knees violently by the very edge of that deadly, slim cliff: a single mistake on her part, and Kuan would topple down to a very violent and dangerous death.

He whimpered and writhed, trying to pull away: Toph's hold on his neck didn't waver.

"Well, then! Looks like he's surrendered, alright!" Toph declared: the people within the estate seemed to gape at her in horror and astonishment, recognizing the city's leader. "So I take it the lot of you will do the same thing! Follow your big leader's example and don't make things worse for yourselves, got it?"

They were helpless, much as Kuan was: Toph tore down the walls around the estate, and upon doing so, her troops flowed into the mansion to restrain any hostile Fire Nation soldiers. The nobles, most of whom appeared to be Honorary Citizens, winced and shrank away, pleading innocence and begging to be spared… and as much as they were scoffed at, and glared at with scorn, Toph's forces walked away from them, focusing entirely on their duties to take down all hostile elements and neutralize any threats within the city, which they handled deftly across the next few minutes.

"Well… looks like a job well done. Took me longer to get out of the city and come back than for you to tear their government to pieces, huh?" Jet told Toph, smirking. She scoffed.

"Wasn't even a challenge," she said. Kuan whimpered in her grip.

"P-please… please, I already told him, but I'll tell you… my family has money. They'll pay handsomely for…!"

Without letting go, Toph silenced Kuan quite violently when her foot impacted his rear end mercilessly.

He shrieked out of pain and panic as he nearly fell over the cliff: all that kept him in place was Toph's grip on his shirt… and if the sash gave out, he'd die. He'd fall down and he'd…

"I'd almost forgotten Sokka had asked me to do that if I came across you," Toph said, with a bright grin. "Felt like the right time to do it, too. Shut the fuck up, you pest."

Kuan whimpered, tears spilling from his eyes as Toph moved her other arm, creating another sled for herself that would land her at the bottom of the tall spire she had built. Jet leapt over to her sled, too, surprising her when he reached her too quickly: he caused her to slide before she was ready, and while Toph was annoyed by it at first, she was amused before long as she and Jet sleighed down on their way to the ground again – while she kept Kuan hovering in the air on the side of the sled, still held up solely by her grip on his neck.

They reached the bottom smoothly – Kuan didn't, landing with his face first, squealing of pain over the collision. Toph and Jet laughed, however, and she dared even throw out a triumphant fist upon their arrival: one of the gladiators, the Lotus Tempest, stretched a hand for Toph to seize.

"One hell of an epic takeover you've staged, Blind Bandit!" she said, smirking deviously. "Blue Wolf's gonna be proud!"

"Pfft, he's going to be jealous. I was way faster than his lightning-fast operations in Omashu and Ba Sing Se, ha!" Toph smirked, taking the woman's hand and rising to her feet.

"We did it, though. It's done," Jet smiled, pushing himself upright and gazing at the governor's estate. "The city's ours… and on your terms, Colonel."

Toph's smile softened upon hearing those words: she would have to level the square and the street properly again soon… but Jet was right. Instead of relentless destruction, she had succeeded at proving she could do better than that. She hadn't led a horde of sanguinary, murderous troops to storm her hometown and destroy everything in their wake…

"It's ours… Gaoling's ours," she said, firmly. "Yet another victory for the Gladiator Army, as it should be."

Jet smiled beside her, clapping her shoulder firmly: he threw a fist in the air, and it wasn't long before his celebratory cheer was joined by the others. They didn't chant Toph's name, or the Gladiator Army's… their voices gathered as one to shout one word:

"FREEDOM!"

Their celebration spread all across Gaoling: the battle was over, and the Fire Nation's hold on the city was broken for the first time in a decade. Once the cheers dwindled, many of the army members took to aiding in the recovery of the wounded rebels, as well as checking on the civilians to ensure they hadn't been harmed.

Most of those unharmed civilians still dared lurk around the locations where the Gladiator Army was busy and hard at work: most would go to the square, checking to confirm what had happened, some even selflessly providing food, medicine or shelter for the fighters, while others simply cowered in their homes, unwilling to have anything to do with what was happening… and that last thing seemed to be the likeliest procedure by the nobles, too. There was very little movement around the Governor's mansion and the neighboring highborn dwellings, and Toph simply disregarded that as something to deal with later: first, she took to lowering the tall constructions that she, Shanyuan and the Hallowed Rock had crafted. The atmosphere was cheerful, enthusiastic, relaxed, even… thus, Toph wasn't quite ready for the final ambush of the day… one that would target her.

"You know, for someone who says she's unconcerned with style and flair, you sure showed both things today," Jet smirked, watching her work as she scoffed dismissively. "I'm serious! I'd have loved to just stand there watching you while you bent the way you did… if there's any such thing as gods of bending, you sure as hell looked like one today."

"Quit the flattery, damn it, I'm already going to sleep with you tonight as it is, for crying out loud…" Toph said, shaking her head as her cheeks flushed crimson.

Jet, unabashed, smiled warmly at her reaction… though the grin froze on his face when he noticed an unexpected happening, lower down the street: the gladiators seemed confused by the strange, highborn people who were desperately asking questions, and he would have felt no differently from them… if only he hadn't known what Toph's unexpected origins were.

"Uh… uh-oh," Jet said, frowning. "Toph?"

"What, what? I'm not about to make out with you in front of everyone just to tickle your fancy, damn it, Jet…" Toph huffed, as she finished tucking in the earth…

She fell silent on her own upon letting her focus drift elsewhere. Now that the battle was over, she had been content not to pay as much attention, not to be quite so wary of any threats…

Though this threat was rather tame in regards of violence, and far more dangerous when it came to emotions, as well as to Toph's very sensitive eardrums:

"TOPH! TOPH! OH, TOPH, MY BABY! LET ME THROUGH! LET ME THROUGH, I BEG OF YOU!"

If her face had been red before due to Jet's praise, it was nothing compared to how deeply red it became once she recognized those footsteps, those heartbeats… and those desperate screams that belonged to someone she knew all too well.

"Oh, fuck," she blurted out, looking unusually nervous before her army for the first time altogether.

"Is that who I think it is?" Jet asked, with an awkward grin.

"It's exactly who you think it is," Toph grimaced, swallowing hard as she stepped forward… towards her parents.

They struggled, their outfits disheveled as they tried to push past the multiple lines of gladiators trying to contain them. No one appeared to think they were dangerous, although they certainly found them odd. Their reactions, their shouting, gave away that they had already heard of what she'd done… already confirmed that she was the person who had led the forces that took over Gaoling that day.

"Let… let them through," Toph raised her voice, even if not with her earlier confidence, hoping the gladiators wouldn't be too alarmed by her parents' behavior.

Strangely, the screaming stopped when they finally laid eyes upon her, when she took strides forward, wary and uncertain, feeling the weight of her old Earth Rumble belt, along with the many years of hard work and heavy training on her shoulders. She had to look like a mess right now, probably worse than they had ever seen her, with her hair untamed and spreading wildly behind her, clothes stained with dirt, trickles of sweat down her brow…

But she had long accepted she'd never be the perfect child for them. Difficult as that had been to accept some days, today she felt less ashamed of who she had grown into, who she had chosen to be, than ever before.

So she breathed deeply as her parents covered their mouths with their hands, gaping at her in amazement, shock, horror, happiness… she didn't know which of those emotions they were experiencing. She wouldn't know, likely, until they finally dared speak again.

"Guess… I'm home for a bit, Mom, Dad," Toph said: a collective gasp ran across the gladiators – clearly, most were unaware of her highborn upbringing, even in the case of those who knew Gaoling was her hometown.

At first, her announcement didn't get a response. Then, her mother breathed heavily. Next, her father yelped.

Then, they ran towards her clumsily, tripping over their long, flowing clothes, tears streaming down their faces as they stretched out their arms to take her into the tightest of hugs.

"Toph! Oh, Toph…!"

"My sweet baby, oh, it's really you…!"

As proud as she was of her accomplishments, the Blind Bandit couldn't remain entirely stoic as her parents as good as embarrassed her before her troops. The mood shifted as her face flushed, and before long, she heard a few chuckles… had she been any more insecure, she might have actually lashed out at whoever was laughing. Instead, though, she held her parents too, knowing she'd stain their clothes with plenty of dirt by doing so. Knowing, too, that her closest companion in this journey would give anything to embrace his own parents again, if he had the chance.

But if she had thought he'd be envious of her, Toph was mistaken: Jet smiled fondly, watching from a few steps away, delighted to find that the girl he had grown increasingly attached to, the heroic woman who represented so much of what he had wanted to be, had parents who cared for her, even if they were terribly obnoxious about it. Where she once had found that annoying, though, she had grown a lot over the years, enough to appreciate their strange displays of affection… much as they had learned to appreciate her for who she truly was.

That reunited family seemed to be the final trophy, the last glorious triumph, on the day that changed the fate of Gaoling for the better: in finding her truest freedom, the peace she had sought to conquer for as long as she had lived, Toph had also granted it to her hometown, proving herself the leader she had settled on becoming.

---

He had never wanted to return to this place. It had been no lie whenever he said he hated the Fire Nation Capital: that sentiment hadn't changed in the least, he realized, as he disembarked from the ship that had brought him across the ocean from Yu Dao. The sooner his business was concluded, the better.

It bothered him to think that he was alone this time, though. His gladiator's companionship had at least kept his worst anxieties at bay most other times when he had visited this wretched place… for he had felt just as removed, as out of place in the Fire Nation mainland. Their partnership had always been a strange source of relief, even at its worst points… not having it anymore had been the worst blow he had been dealt across the past year.

Perhaps focusing on his loneliness would help him as he progressed through the docks, trying to ignore the way people stared at him, at his very obvious green glare, standing out while his clothes were Fire Nation-styled. His rebellious hair wasn't fastened into a proper top-knot, it never was… for what honor could he pretend to boast of? What would even be the point? He had learned that dark lesson long ago… he would learn it every time it seemed his hair might grow out sufficiently to be tied up that way. His brother's disdainful sneers accompanied him wherever he might go, same as that dreadful feeling when he had first commanded for his hair to be forcefully cut, and no one ever failed to follow the fitful whims of a spoiled, unrestrained man-child…

Curses, his mind had just pushed him down a dark path. He forced himself to pay attention to his surroundings again… for he preferred to focus on the confused glares by the people near him, that was much easier, much better…

Only, he found scarce glares this time. Instead, Harbor City appeared so busy that his passage through it was going entirely unnoticed.

Aonu frowned, marching across the streets, self-aware and ashamed at the same time – of course he wasn't the core focus for most people and he shouldn't be, either. Everyone had lives of their own, and he was merely a passerby with a rucksack and a mean scowl… no one thought anything of him, because no one was bound to know who he was. At best, only a handful of people might be able to tell he had once been a well-known sponsor…

His withdrawn demeanor broke when, halfway up the main streets of Harbor City, he heard a few voices joining together in celebration:

"Amazing job, Haru!"

"Damn, you really should show us that trick! I gotta try it out too!"

Aonu raised an eyebrow as he slowed down at a half-built house. If he had to guess, it was likely a remodeling job instead of a full construction… but the workers at the courtyard were witnessing one of them hoisting a colorful glass pane with his bending, embedding it into a wooden frame on the wall carefully.

"It's still a work in progress…" the man said nervously, fitting the glass smoothly in place while his coworkers cheered for him with delight.

"You're the man, Haru!" said one of them, bumping him lightly. "Guess there's more to former gladiators than meets the eye, huh?"

"Bet our prices are gonna skyrocket once we make your glass windows a sensation, Haru!"

Aonu watched them with wide eyes: they were dressed in Fire Nation-coded clothes, but with green accessories that showed they wore the uniform solely because it was expected of them in their jobs. The earthbender at the center of attention had a green headband fastened over his forehead… much like someone else Aonu had met some time ago.

His heart clenched: it was a former gladiator. He remembered the Princess's friend in the Race… this was her husband, wasn't he?

He worked in the Capital… he worked with people who built or remodeled houses and buildings. He had found a way to use his earthbending among people who didn't look down on him for his birthplace, for they likely had been born in the Earth Kingdom as well.

Aonu shivered where he stood, watching the builders with uncertainty. It almost seemed like a blissful cooperation, like a harmonious group where people's differences were regarded as interesting, as useful… where standing out was a good thing, rather than a curse. His chest ached as he frowned: had this city truly changed for the better? Had the latest years transformed these streets, this nation, to the point where earthbenders were no longer scoffed at on sight, where they could be allowed to be part of society wholly? Though certainly not high society…

The questions ran over his mind multiple times as he forced himself to keep walking. As his uncertainty finally gave way to curiosity and need to confirm how far these changes went… as he raised a hand to call for a carriage, and it stopped promptly right by him.

"Yes, good sir?" the driver smiled. "Can I take you somewhere?"

"Uh… the Capital City, if possible," Aonu responded. "The… the Palace gates should do."

"Oh, why, certainly! Do hop aboard!"

The man had seemed surprised to hear that was his destination… but he hadn't passed any judgment on Aonu or implied he was unworthy of approaching the Palace. He hadn't asked questions, either: he wasn't nosy enough to bother his customers over what was none of his business. Aonu climbed on the carriage, already thumbing his money pouch as he settled in the seat with evident discomfort and wariness, as he glanced out the carriage's windows: what was going on in this place? Had this been happening all along and he just hadn't noticed it before? Were these changes permanent, or was it as good as a front by the Fire Lord and his people, to pretend they were ready to accept those who were different from them…?

He wouldn't know the truth until he spoke to her… if he even spoke about this. He might not bother to, in the end… for he still didn't quite understand why she had summoned him, of all people, to the Royal Palace.

The driver accepted the payment without a hitch upon arriving at the gates: he took off carelessly right after dropping off Aonu. The earthbender stepped forward, sensing the cautious glares and judgment of the officers at the gates, and he bowed to them respectfully.

"Do excuse me for disturbing you. I have been summoned to the Palace today," he said, trying to contain his disdain, his nerves, all at the same time. "Princess Azula sent word… she requested that I met with her."

The fact that he had bothered coming all this way only seemed to sink in then: what if it had been a prank, no matter how legitimate that letter had appeared to be? What if someone else was forcing the Princess to do something she hadn't wanted to, and these guards were about to turn him away before he could so much as clarify that…?

"Oh. Your name is Aonu?"

His chaotic, tumultuous thoughts stopped then. His eyes widened.

"Yes," he responded, immediately. "I've come from Yu Dao to…"

"Right, we were told you would likely arrive today. Come in."

It should have been obvious, and yet it wasn't. Every step he took inside the Palace was a new, confusing slap of reality he couldn't process thoroughly: he was in the Palace. He was here to meet the Princess. He was allowed to do so. No one was passing judgment or diminishing him for his heritage... no one was focusing on his evidently green eyes, only greeting him with reverences and respect if they passed him by as he followed the guards that guided him into the Palace.

They led him to an opulent sitting room – as much as he had been raised in luxury, it had never been quite as extreme as that of the Fire Nation's Royal Family. His heart thrummed in his chest as he took his seat on the smooth cushion by the low tea table… sitting on it seemed like an offense he shouldn't be committing, even. He'd never get used to this… he could never fathom growing used to it. Ironic that the first time the Fire Nation had seemed to welcome and accept him, Aonu couldn't help but think he was unworthy of every kindness he had been granted so far…

"I suppose the self-deprecation runs that deep," he mumbled to himself, shaking his head and covering his face with a hand. He should be proud, even pleased… and he wasn't. He couldn't put a stop to that acute awareness, hellbent on reminding him that he belonged anywhere but here…

His anxiety didn't recede when the door opened again. He jumped to his feet, though, trying to feign tranquility… but he failed to do so when his eyes fell upon those of Princess Azula.

Their last encounter had happened a little over a year ago. In that time, both had seen their lives changing in different ways… though Aonu assumed he knew more about the changes Azula had been struck by than she knew about his own experiences: even so, there was no denying that the Princess standing before him now, clad in an elegant gown, was not the woman in the golden armor he had clashed with during their tenure as sponsors in the Gladiator League. The armor, of course, wasn't the only thing that had changed: they stood in place, staring at each other, and he found no edge, no danger in the golden eyes that had once daunted him with their sharp cleverness. The woman standing before him was no longer the one he had last bid farewell to in Omashu, before they went their separate ways after the Gladiator and Sponsor Race…

"I hope you haven't been waiting long, Aonu," she said, offering him a weak smile. Aonu swallowed hard and shook his head.

"I've only just arrived. Thank you for inviting me, Princess," he said, bowing down in her direction.

"Thank you for coming as quickly as you have," she said, kindly.

The door closed again behind her: a guard had likely closed it, giving them both proper privacy in which the earthbender dared stand upright again, eyes landing predictably on her newly flat abdomen.

"I… I hope congratulations are in order?" Aonu said, dubitatively. Azula smiled and nodded, and he released a deep breath. "Goodness. For a moment I worried you might have lost the child, or… or that there might have been no child to begin with, and the news about it might have been false. That was a possibility I thought about, too."

"My child is safe and sound with people who will take care of her while I'm absent. You needn't worry," Azula said, spreading a hand towards the table, urging Aonu to take his seat again. He breathed out slowly and nodded. "But… yes, she was born safely a little over a month ago."

"That's… that's great," Aonu said, smiling kindly as he sat down, and the Princess did the same, across him. "Your wellbeing has worried me for some time, but you don't look like you gave birth a month ago…"

"I've been working on regaining my fitness over the past week," Azula said, breathing out slowly. "Not that I'm sure it has borne any fruit yet, but I've certainly tried. Trust me, only a short time ago I was a far cry from the person you knew me to be, much further than I am right now."

"I can only imagine," Aonu said, eyeing her compassionately. "I'm sorry for… for everything you've been through. I can't even pretend to understand what happened, of course… a lot of dark things seemed to be taking place in this city. The League ended suddenly…"

"That it did," Azula confirmed, her voice melancholic upon saying the words. "And you didn't get to do your job at all before it was taken from you, did you?"

"I'm afraid not," Aonu said, frowning. "I received a letter that said War Minister Qin would be taking over the organization of the Enforces in the Colonies…"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, War Minister Qin has lost that position, as well as all those he used to hold, in virtue of having become a prisoner these days," Azula said, with a dry grin. Aonu's face fell.

"He… what? A prisoner?" he asked. "Wait. I… I didn't dare ask yet, but I've heard strange rumors of things happening in the east and central colonies. I don't really know enough about it, only that it sounded very suspicious. I assumed it might have been idle gossip by fools with too much time on their hands. But is it… is it true? Did we actually lose Ba Sing Se and Omashu?"

"Indeed, and we'll lose more than that in the next few months unless someone does something to prevent it," Azula said, curtly.

Aonu froze, a dark shiver spreading across his body: the Fire Nation had lost the two most powerful cities of the Earth Kingdom continent. The third one was his hometown… Yu Dao, the first colony established by Fire Lord Sozin. His heart jolted unpleasantly… the Princess seemed to have no intentions of hiding the truth from him today, so he'd have to brace himself for more distressing news.

"If that's true, then… is it also true that the White Lotus is behind this?" he asked. "Though, also… word was that it wasn't just them. People said… but it can't be, can it? It couldn't be…"

Azula allowed herself a slightly sardonic grin as she shifted in her seat, seeking the most comfortable position she could find. After another deep breath, she rested her elbows on the table, her hands linked.

"You didn't know him very well. Therefore, you think it can't be, but… the truth is he's always been quite like this. Rebellious, stubborn, dangerous and untamable. So… yes, Aonu. The one leading this insurrection is my Gladiator."

Aonu gritted his teeth. Azula offered him a defeated smile before sitting with her back fully straight, hands upon her crossed knees.

"If I may be frank… the situation is not promising for the Fire Nation," she said. "My father has made choices that he has come to regret quite deeply. The danger Sokka poses for the Fire Nation cannot be understated… he's the first person to represent a hazard so severe that the Fire Lord has even attempted to single him out and murder him. Not only has he survived those attempts time after time, but he has also gathered an army that constantly expands and that may be about to grow into a large enough force to rival ours. This isn't something the Fire Nation has ever had to contend with, so…"

"Of course not, but…" Aonu said, eyeing her with concern. "This is a dark betrayal, Princess. From all I understood, you and him…"

"Me and him…?" Azula said, regarding Aonu skeptically. He grimaced.

"Well, you had a close bond. A tight one. Perhaps… too tight," he said. Azula snorted.

"You too, then," she said. "I'm not even going to bother asking you how I gave us away, it's pointless to even wonder about that. Either way… it's not as much of a betrayal as it could be. Deep down… I always knew he was capable of something like this, that he wanted to do it. Just so, he knew I wasn't going to forsake my nation. I've never meant to do that, and I wouldn't do it… not even for him."

"So, you're resolved to fight alongside the Fire Lord?" Aonu asked, eyes wide. "You're certain of that choice?"

"I've already spoken about the matter with my father, so yes, I'm certain," Azula said, almost bitterly. "This way, it doesn't feel like much of a betrayal, as I'm as good as doing the same thing to him by siding with his enemy. Right?"

"Well… if you say so," Aonu frowned, perplexed. "I hope you can succeed at fighting back, then. I don't really know how you'll do it, but I wish you the best of luck…"

"Thank you, but I didn't ask you here solely so you could wish me luck. I wouldn't have expected you to cross the ocean if I had only wanted something so trivial," Azula said. Aonu blinked blankly. "As I've mentioned… War Minister Qin is in Sokka's custody at the moment. A position is vacant in my father's council. Wild as it may be of me to say so… I was hoping that you'd consider becoming the right person to fill it."

"I… what?!" Aonu gasped, staring at Azula in shock. She shrugged.

"I only ask that you consider this offer," she said. "Being War Minister is no easy task, but…"

"You're joking. You have to be," Aonu said, shaking his head quickly. Azula smiled. "You can't truly be offering me something like…! I couldn't possibly be part of the Fire Lord's council!"

"Been a while since I last caused you to react quite so explosively at something. It's still kind of fun to do it," Azula sighed. "I wish I could say I'm joking, Aonu… but my father has asked me to look for suitable people to replace those my Gladiator has taken into his service or locked up, thus, people we aren't likely to reclaim anytime soon. Therefore… would you please consider becoming the Fire Nation's latest War Minister?"

Aonu remained frozen on the spot, even more shocked than the first time the Princess had offered him a job. He blinked a few times, as if to make himself snap out of his confusion… then stared at her, pointedly.

"Why?" he said. "And no, I don't mean to ask you to explain again why your father requires a new War Minister… what I meant to ask was why me. You have to know I'm not a convenient candidate for the role. If… if as it seems, your position in your father's court is not as secure as it has been in the past, surely you realize you'd risk much by pushing me forward on this position rather than choosing anyone your father might find more palatable. I appreciate that you thought of me, but… I don't understand, Princess."

Azula breathed deeply, frowning slightly. Aonu eyed her warily still, uncertain of what to make of any of the situation before him, even now…

"I'll be blunt, for I doubt it makes any sense to keep things quiet," Azula said, her voice softer, lower: "My father discovered my clandestine relationship with my Gladiator. In retaliation, he destroyed the Gladiator League and attempted to stage an execution for him. I broke him out of the Arena at the last moment, just as Sokka used some very powerful weapons to destroy the Grand Royal Dome. I sought to save him, took him to the South Pole, and I returned to the Fire Nation in the blind hope of preventing my father from sending forces to hunt him down or destroy his people… and I failed at everything I'd set out to do once he captured and threatened to murder my dragon.

"With his hostage in hand, I had no choice but to comply with his every demand, including a most unwanted marriage to Admiral Zhao, held exclusively so Zhao could become my father's new heir in my stead. At this point, I was entirely powerless, and I had absolutely no way of learning that he had sent troops to the south indeed. Once he did, Sokka somehow managed to fight back and defeat a fleet of who knows how many ships and soldiers… my father hasn't disclosed that information just yet. It's presumed that he already had the aid of certain important allies working with him at the moment… among them, my brother Zuko, as well as the Avatar."

"The…?" Aonu interrupted, even though his voice barely left his throat. "That's…! How? The Avatar has been gone for generations…!"

"Leave it to Sokka to somehow find him at the least convenient timing… or most convenient, as far as he's concerned," Azula said, with a shrug. "As treasonous as it may be of me to say so, I'm pleased that they could protect the South Pole. But I do not know at what cost they did it… and I don't know, either, what the cost was when they proceeded north, taking over Omashu, Ba Sing Se and even the Northern Air Temple. It appears he has joined forces with the White Lotus, as you heard, which provided him with a considerable army for his purposes, as well as other potentially powerful allies, including the Deserter… as well as General Iroh."

"General Iroh…? Was he part of the White Lotus too?" Aonu asked. Azula's cold eyes chilled him when she spoke her uncle's name.

"I always had my suspicions that he was. I even conveyed them to my father, but bereft of sufficient evidence, we never acted on it," she said, bitterly. "If only we had done it before matters could come to this… at any rate, yes, he was one of them and is still working with them, all reports indicate as much. There may be other threatening elements we don't know about, but it appears to be a rather complex army with all manner of bending skills at their disposal. Now, with Ba Sing Se and Omashu in their control, they're only a few victories away from fully breaking my father's hold in the Earth Kingdom."

"I see," Aonu frowned. "And… your father has stopped punishing you for your choices now? It seems odd that he would ask for your help… or perhaps he's clear-minded enough to realize that no one can contest this threat but you?"

"I don't know if no one can… but I suppose I'm a good candidate for it, in a sense," Azula sighed. "While all this was happening, I was simply sidelined by my father until one day I wasn't. I was expected to attend a war meeting where my father most certainly only meant to humiliate me for my partnership with the man who now appears hellbent on destroying the Fire Nation… I countered the accusation by saying exactly what you just thought of, that I knew Sokka well enough to predict what his next choices would be. It seems I was correct on some accounts, thus far… who knows if I'll continue to be in the future. He can be terribly unpredictable when he pleases, but I still believe that he would focus his efforts on recruiting the Northern Water Tribe for his army too."

"That would be deadly," Aonu said, frowning heavily. "The waterbenders of the north have been resilient throughout the last decade, haven't they? The Fire Lord's forces haven't broken through… Admiral Zhao's forces, to be precise."

"Indeed. We've had to think of new plans to defeat them, but even now, success isn't guaranteed," Azula said, breathing deeply. "Either way, my father changed tunes with me after that day, not only due to the war meeting but due to Zhao's later outburst. Convinced that I had only said what I did in order to give Sokka a chance to kill him once he was deployed to the north, Zhao chose to confront me about all those things, and he attacked me and my closest associates. I fought him off as best as I could…"

"He… he assaulted you?" Aonu gasped, eyes wide. Azula shrugged.

"I was reckless, but nothing I did really justifies trying to beat up a woman so many months into her pregnancy, I'd think…" she said. Aonu covered his mouth with a hand.

"You were still…" he said, shuddering. Azula nodded. "Oh, fuck. I'm so sorry…"

"Thanks. Unfortunately, I'm sure he's not," Azula said. "My father, surprisingly, was sorry too, however. He spoke with me shortly after it happened, while I was bedridden, and he even offered his approval if Zhao and I agree on a settlement for separation once he comes back from the North Pole. Anyway, the point is that, after this, and after I gave birth, my father started treating me, well, a lot differently. He wants me to be his heir again, he's expressed as much, point-blank… and that's why I'm suddenly powerful enough to appoint his next War Minister."

"That's… strange. But I'm glad the Fire Lord knew better than to blame you for what Zhao did," Aonu said, fist tightened as he frowned heavily. "You know I always despised him… but even though I never had a good opinion of him, I never imagined he would stoop this low. I'm sorry, Princess… I'm really sorry for everything you've been through. And now… you have to be part of the leadership of the Fire Nation once again? To rise against… against the Blue Wolf?"

"I'm afraid so," Azula said, with a resigned shrug. "I'm not about to abandon my nation in the middle of this war. He knew I wouldn't… he's always known it. If it simply escaped his notice before he committed to this madness, that's on him, I suppose… it's not easy to think of him as an enemy once again, no, but there's no point to dithering anymore. Upon being asked by my father to find new prospects for the role of War Minister, he also told me I could very well choose a mindless puppet so that I would basically be the one to hold the position through that person… it didn't quite sit well with me to do that, however. I'd rather be certain that whoever is in this role is capable of making decisions when the need arises… and that it's someone whose priorities are the correct ones, too. I'm not interested in finding a War Minister hellbent on murdering every member of the White Lotus army… I want one whose true focus will be the protection of our people in the Earth Kingdom territories. We have already failed to look after thousands who may have been collateral damage to the reconquest campaign... I would much rather ensure we prevent more damage if we can. I don't know the latest death toll, if you're wondering, or the injured… no one does. But while I'd love to believe that Sokka hasn't been a bloodthirsty bastard, I'm afraid I can't quite trust his new allies would hold back their violence."

"I understand," said Aonu, frowning and nodding. "So… you chose me because you believe I'll be someone who prioritizes the protection of the Fire Nation populace in the Colonies?"

"I hope as much," Azula said, eyeing him earnestly. "I once offered you a job you could never truly fulfill due to my downfall. My father froze all my operations… took hold of them and did as he pleased by assigning his favorite people to take care of the Enforcers. You never had the chance to prove whether or not you could be trusted with this kind of power… and now you have a new opportunity to prove yourself, even if a far more dangerous one than what I'd originally intended to offer you."

"It feels like someone as untested as myself shouldn't be given a role like this," Aonu said, eyeing her remorsefully. "Not to mention… as Fire Nation as I may be, I'm still an earthbender. Everyone knows it. Your father… he's not bound to take that well."

"He might not. In a sense, this is a way to test how far he's willing to go to save the Fire Nation… how desperate he is, and how ready to trust me, too," Azula said. "I thought to tell him you're thinking it over: if he shuts me down right away, I'll know the restraints aren't any looser than they were before. If he doesn't… then either he respects me far more than he did for months, or he is simply so terrified of whatever Sokka can muster that he'll agree to let someone with Earth Kingdom heritage sit at his council, provided we obtain results."

"Then this isn't as cut and dry as choosing me because you believe me the best for the role…?" Aonu asked. Azula smiled.

"I do believe you to be the best suited person I know for the role. I trust that you can think for yourself, I expect you'll do well at organizing defenses in the Colonies, and you have every ambition necessary to want to succeed. I don't question your potential in the slightest, and I think you've spent most your life waiting for an opportunity to prove yourself. I was hoping this one would appear suitable for you. Is it?"

Aonu breathed deeply, a fist tightening over the table: his heart yearned to shout a positive response, but his reservations had yet to be entirely dismissed.

"I'm… the illegitimate child of a nobleman from Yu Dao," Aonu said. "My father cares for me, he wants me to have everything, within certain boundaries… whereas my brother wants me to have nothing. An opportunity like this is everything I could have hoped for to break free, Princess… so I don't really know why I'm hesitating. I guess… the possibilities of failing at this role weigh on me quite heavily. Do you truly believe I have what it takes?"

"Someone who was capable of sponsoring the second-best gladiator of the League for as long as you did is probably far more capable than he ever knew," Azula said. Aonu winced. "Is something the matter?"

"No, just… well, the League is gone," he said, with a shrug. "And… so is Renzhi."

"Gone?" Azula repeated, frowning. "What do you mean, 'gone'? Did he leave, or did he…?"

"A few weeks after everything was shut down… he said he didn't think he wanted to burden me at home with his presence," Aonu said, frowning. "I no longer could justify keeping him with us, as his duties to me had been terminated… my brother made it starkly clear that he'd either find a way to be useful around our estate or he'd be sold off to whoever would take him. The night after he said that… Renzhi let me know he'd leave. I don't know where he's been since… I just know I've been on my own for quite a long time now. It's strange how life changes so suddenly and so abruptly… and then, as time goes by, none of what I lived through over ten years with him feels real, even when it was."

"I wish I couldn't relate to that sentiment as much as I do," Azula said, breathing deeply. "Who could have imagined having a gladiator would become so important to us, that we'd feel so lost in life once they were gone?"

"Who indeed," Aonu said, with a sad smile. "I'm glad my performance as a sponsor might still be of some use, seeing as you wouldn't even know me if it weren't because of the League… but I'm still not sure."

"You're used to being under your brother's thumb, stuck in his grip, from what I understand," Azula said. Aonu sighed and nodded. "I imagine it's difficult for you to fathom any other kind of existence… but I assume that he's the heir to your father's titles and fortune, isn't he?"

"He is," Aonu confirmed.

"Which means that, if the Fire Lord required the services of anyone in your family, it's better that it's you," Azula said, with a shrug. Aonu raised an eyebrow. "That way, your father doesn't have to worry that his heir will abandon everything he worked for upon being called to serve the Fire Lord, right?"

"Huh. I guess, if you put it that way…" Aonu said, with a small smile. "It's weird too that… I feel like I haven't talked to anyone for months. Being here doesn't sit well with me, Princess… I don't really like this city, but it seems different from what it was like when I last visited it. Or maybe I'm the one who's different? I suppose it's harder to recognize me if Renzhi doesn't walk beside me, heh…"

"It might be," Azula said, with a sympathetic smile.

"It always felt so hostile here… when Renzhi lost against Combustion Man back then, everyone ridiculed us to no end," Aonu swallowed hard, shaking his head. "They called me names, half-breed was probably the kindest… apparently, I was fated to be lesser forever solely because of the condition of my birth, in which I had no hand. It didn't matter how much better we got over time, it felt like the world held nothing but disdain for me. Renzhi's performance wasn't important… only his status as my gladiator, it seemed. I never wanted to weigh him down… but maybe I was by giving those fools far more importance than they ever had. By letting their words taint me… by letting them choose my worth for me."

"Maybe," Azula said, with a gentle nod. Aonu breathed deeply, meeting her eyes in utter vulnerability.

"If I do this… will the Fire Lord and his court show me proper respect?" he asked. "Could they? Would they ever see me and think of me as more than my heritage?"

Azula hesitated to answer, but she did before long, eyes as earnest as his.

"I'm afraid that will hinge on your performance… on what you can do, which I expect will matter far more to them than who you are," Azula said. "The situation is desperate and grim. Fear is at an all-time high among my father and his council members. They may look at you with disdain at first. They might show you little respect, too. But once you wield your authority over them… I truly believe all dissent will become silence. I will be there too, so you won't be the only one who's been scorned and treated like garbage by these people, if that makes you feel any better…"

"It's us against them, in a way?" Aonu said. Azula smiled and shrugged. "I did need a friend. Far more urgently than I realized. Maybe you need one too, in your father's court."

"I certainly believe I do, yes," Azula said. Aonu breathed deeply. "Are you up for the task? Do you think you can do it?"

"Do you think you can, too?" Aonu asked. Azula grimaced. "It's bad enough that you went through everything you did… fighting against him cannot be easy for you. If your feelings for your Gladiator were as deep as they appeared to be…"

"They were. They are. The way forward isn't any different for it," Azula said, simply. Aonu gritted his teeth.

"If that's truly the case… I don't envy you in the slightest for the pain you must be suffering right now," Aonu said, closing his eyes. "I wouldn't be strong enough to make the choice you're making. Which… I guess is a good reason for me to take this job. I can try to take on what might be overwhelming for you. I can try to organize troops and defenses… I can do everything in my power to ease this burden on you. That is, of course, provided the Fire Lord approves, but…"

"But then, if he does… I can count on you, going forward?" Azula asked.

Aonu smiled before raising his hands: his fist against his palm, he bowed his torso towards the Princess in a sign of true respect.

"I will be at your service, Princess Azula."

Azula breathed out, an unpleasant worming spreading across her body upon hearing those words: one more person entangled in the web of complications she had wrought around her circumstances. One more person who certainly deserved better than to be stuck with her, bearing with the damage and pain Fire Lord Ozai was certain to continue inflicting upon her and countless others. It was frustrating to think that she was such a danger to people, even to distant friends like Aonu… but she couldn't handle this alone. She could do her best to spread her protection around Aonu too, once worst came to worst… but for now, she needed his help. The more people she had on her side, the easier it would be to protect Hotaru, Rei and Song.

Therefore, she smiled. Even if she knew there was nothing worth smiling about, she did as much.

"Thank you, Aonu. Rise."

---

Ozai hardly remembered the last time he had stared at his daughter with this much skepticism. Usually, she responded with arrogance. This time, she seemed far more contained than that, merely biding her time and waiting for him to speak…

"Your sense of humor remains quite intact, doesn't it?" he asked. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly do you mean?" she asked, cautiously.

"I explicitly said… no slaves. And you obeyed. You simply found me the illegitimate son of a nobleman, instead. An earthbender, at that."

"So… my sense of humor means I obeyed your command?" Azula asked, tentative. Ozai huffed. "Father… if this isn't something you're ready to accept, I understand it. I'll abide by whatever you decide. But I do believe Aonu has what it takes to be a successful War Minister… a far less cowardly one than Qin was, if I may say so."

"Well… I'd claim the bar isn't set too high on that front, but I'm afraid most nobles tend to be as cowardly as him, in fact," Ozai said, rolling his eyes. "You're quite sure that this boy has what it takes? That he can help me articulate defenses all across the Colonies?"

"He has spent his entire life there. He knows the area far better than Qin likely did," Azula said, with a shrug. "He knows how colonies operate, too. He's also deeply loyal to the Fire Nation and has spent his entire life hoping for chances to prove that his heritage does not define his worth."

"Is that so?" Ozai asked, raising an eyebrow. "And you seem to know him quite well, if you know all this about his character… what exactly was the nature of your acquaintanceship, if I may ask?"

Azula's eyebrow twitched slightly, but she steeled herself before responding to her father, a hand trembling over her lap.

"He was a sponsor: so was I. We used to despise each other, then we actually had a chance to speak properly during the Race and developed mutual respect," she explained. "I was going to hire him to help me manage the Enforcers abroad, as you may recall…"

"I do."

"I believed he had what it took for that job as well, and now that War Minister Qin failed at his duties all across the board, it seems almost poetic for Aonu to take all the War Minister's positions for himself, doesn't it?" Azula said, with a slight grin. "And do excuse me if I'm too bold or crass for saying this… but in case it concerned you, I didn't exactly spread my legs to every idiot I came across. My acquaintanceship with Aonu is strictly professional and always has been."

Ozai grimaced. He hoped he wasn't blushing as a scolded schoolchild. What kind of idiotic father would feel ashamed over his child's words…? And yet he did. Inevitably, he did.

"Well… that's good to know. If so… do ask him if he truly wishes to take the role. If he genuinely understands the pressures of it… then so be it," Ozai said, with a quick shrug. "There will be a war meeting in two days: I shall expect the two of you in my study tomorrow so we can ensure he's fully prepared for this session. He will handle himself without such guidance afterwards, however…"

"Understood. I shall go share the news, then," Azula said, nodding and rising to her feet.

"Yes, yes, go…" Ozai said: Azula bowed deeply for him before turning around… "Azula…"

She stopped by the door. She glanced over her shoulder. Ozai clenched up under her golden scrutiny.

"Yes?" she said, simply.

"Only… well done. You've been efficient at solving problems… as you ever were. I'm pleased," Ozai said, unsure of why he'd feel so nervous. Azula raised her eyebrows… but she offered him a weak smile.

"I'm glad I was of service, too."

She bowed again, then she stepped out of the room. Ozai was left to squirm on his chair, stupidly uncomfortable with his own nerves, with his aspirations, with his pathetic need for approval…

"Lord Ozai," Seethus spoke by him. Ozai huffed.

"Nothing's wrong. And no. You're still not going to infiltrate Azula's quarters," he said. Seethus withdrew into the corner where he often hid.

"If you're sure, Lord Ozai," he said. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"For now… just leave me to my foolishness. It's all the worse knowing anyone is witnessing this," Ozai shook his head, pushing himself up to his feet.

He knew this feeling so well… too well. It didn't make sense to experience it over Azula… but perhaps it made sense, in its own way. It had happened with Azulon, first… it seemed ironic that his namesake would also cause this confusion, this turmoil, this pathetic urge to feel seen, to feel important and wanted, too…

He made his way through the Palace, to his room, as good as blindly. He simply snarled on his way there, shaking his head, embarrassed entirely by the absurd reversion of roles that appeared to be taking place. Azula had every reason to resent him and keep him at bay… to want as much distance between them as possible. He was grateful that she had relinquished that distance for his benefit, in the middle of this chaos… but he knew that their filial bond, the one they had basked in for many years, was gone. And he wanted to blame the Gladiator for that… but ultimately, he knew the blame lay at his own feet.

And he could try to convince himself otherwise, of course he could, but it would amount to nothing: if Azula had any choice, she wouldn't want him around. She would simply leave… she would run into that man's arms and forget about the Fire Lord she was supposed to serve.

Only one person hadn't done that. Only one person hadn't abandoned him the way so many others had, in rage, or in disappointment or even indifference. Only one had wanted to stay with him… and such was his luck, of course, that it happened to be someone he could never reclaim. Someone he had no choice but to let go of, even if he hadn't meant for them to be apart forever… and then they had been. They had been.

Her approval had mattered most. Her acceptance had meant everything to him. And as he knelt by his bed, opening the trunk of his treasures, he reached into it to take that crimson hairpiece she had ever worn… until it had fallen that night. Until she had done everything in her power to save their family…

"I'm only making everything worse, aren't I?" he whispered softly to the hairpiece without its pin, as if he thought she could hear him. "Which… you wouldn't have been surprised by. It's what I ever did. What I refused to accept. How I wish… how I wish you could be here. How I wish…"

He crouched by the bed, clutching the hairpiece to his chest… knowing he had lost the woman it belonged to. Knowing she would never return. Knowing her approval, just like their daughter's, would never belong to him anymore. He had caused her so much pain and grief… he had caused Azula even more of it. How long before the Princess turned on him? How long before this apparent obedience turned fully into rebellion, considering it already was giving signs of doing exactly that?

How long before it was his blood, rather than his father's, splattered across a gold-and-crimson hairpiece?