The Final Battle of the Hundred Year War
2
Dinnertime arrived. Ozai did not.
Ursa sat tensely by the dining table, hoping the children wouldn't notice the shivers that occasionally shook her. Where was he? It wasn't the first time that he didn't join them for family dinner, but the sensation of Azulon's shadow hovering over this particular evening disquieted her profoundly. The Fire Lord's cruelty had been on the rise towards their family as of late, but surely he hadn't done anything too terrible to Ozai for his insolence, had he? She would already know if he had. Lo and Li would have learned of it, at least, and they would have told her when she fetched Azula from her firebending training that afternoon. But nothing. Not a sign of him anywhere.
It didn't help that Zuko appeared so downcast… that Azula had a strange spark of mischief in her eyes. Ursa studied both children with concern, but as much as she wanted to understand what was wrong between them, her heart was too wound up over Ozai's mysterious absence to even utter the words.
"Where's Dad?" Zuko finally spoke, looking at his mother expectantly. Ursa breathed out slowly before answering.
"I'm afraid… I don't quite know, dear, but surely he's fine," she said. "Perhaps… perhaps the Fire Lord required him for something."
She didn't miss the look that crossed Azula's features upon hearing those words. Something about her daughter was different today, for whatever reason. Surely she was simply proud of having done what her father required of her during the meeting… wasn't she? There was no sense to it being anything else…
But perhaps the main sign that something wasn't quite right with the child was the fact that her food remained mostly untouched.
"Azula," she called her: the girl tensed up in her chair, and Ursa raised her eyebrows meaningfully. "Eat."
Azula smiled, as she often did, as though she knew something Ursa didn't. That strange sense of superiority… it certainly was something Ozai had taught her, back when the girl had nearly hurt Zuko on that awful scuffle between them. She had never acted like that before that day.
Ursa hated this feeling of helplessness. The uncertainty, the fear… somehow, they were so much easier to face with Ozai by her side. Even though they had grown as distant as they had, even though their reconciliation was far from a done deal, even now… she relied on him far more than she realized she did.
The meal ended and he didn't return. The children took off to their rooms, and Ursa awaited Ozai in theirs. It wasn't the first time he took long to turn up, it wasn't, it didn't have to mean more than the apparent, but…
After waiting around thirty minutes to no avail, Ursa gathered herself and left her bedroom. She would find a servant, a guard, someone to tell her where he might have gone, if he had been dispatched to take Iroh's place in the battlefront… she certainly hoped not. Curses, the notion was unthinkable, but Azulon truly was capable of that kind of cruelty. She would be helpless in this Palace without Ozai… their children would be, too.
She marched down the corridor: Zuko's bedroom door was open. Ursa frowned upon hearing childish voices… Azula had stopped by to see her brother?
"Stop it! You're lying!" Zuko's voice exclaimed. Another clash between her children for her to resolve… unsurprisingly. It wasn't the time for this, though. She'd send Azula to her room, and then she would find Ozai… "Dad would never do that to me!"
Or maybe not.
The blood seemed to slow in Ursa's body. Her brow drew together: Azula's demeanor that evening…
Did she know where her father was? Did she know why he was gone?
"Your father would never do what to you?" Ursa asked, stepping into the room: Azula flinched, sitting on her brother's bedside. "What is going on here?"
"I don't know…" Azula said: her deceitfulness had improved as of late. Such an obvious lie as a response to that question gave away that Ursa had caught her off-guard entirely.
Ursa marched up to her daughter: her attempt to feign innocence had failed, and she didn't even fight back when Ursa grabbed her arm firmly.
"It's time for a talk," she said.
Zuko watched them go, helpless, confused. Whatever Azula had told him had to be disturbing and distressing…
But for once, Ursa hoped Azula had lied to her brother. For once, she hoped that whatever the girl was taunting him over would be anything but the truth.
Ursa dragged Azula into the child's own room, near her brother's. She let her go rather brusquely before closing the door and turning towards her. Azula appeared apprehensive, but she stood her ground, nonetheless.
"What did you tell your brother?" Ursa asked. "What did you say about your father, Azula?"
"I…" Azula said, biting her lip. "I don't know if…"
"Tell me the truth, young lady," Ursa said, firmly. "Or there will be consequences."
Azula had never seen Ursa in such a foul mood before. Even in Piandao's mansion, on the day where their relationship had soured beyond repair, Ursa had felt far more controlled, her anger much colder, than the heated, passionate rage blended with fear that she experienced now.
"W-well… Zuko and I stayed. After… after grandfather sent us away."
Ursa frowned: she had been so troubled by the situation that she hadn't even noticed that. Zuko caught up with her after a while, yes, and Azula… it took longer still for the girl to turn up at all. Her lips parted.
"What… what happened?" Ursa asked. "You hid? Did you get caught?"
"I wasn't caught," Azula mumbled. "I was behind the curtains. Nobody saw me."
"Good," Ursa said: Azula frowned. No doubt she was perplexed to know her mother approved of any kind of mischief she had done… but for once, it might just be a good thing that she had acted out. "What did you hear? What were you telling Zuko just now?"
"Grandfather… he was mad at dad," Azula said, biting her lip and shrugging. "He told him that… that he would be punished with the same pain Uncle Iroh is suffering now."
"What?!" Ursa gasped.
"So I was just telling Zuko that you and dad will send him away to the Earth Kingdom, so someone else can adopt him and…"
"Azula!" Ursa raised her voice. Her daughter flinched: for the first time in a long time, the girl exhibited actual fear over her mother's unusually violent reaction, and harsh voice. "What did your grandfather tell your father to do? What EXACTLY did he say?!"
"H-he said he had to lose his firstborn son!" Azula exclaimed. Ursa yelped. Azula stepped back. "Mom…"
"W-what… w-what did your father do?!" Ursa said, dropping to her knees and grabbing Azula's shoulders. The girl exhibited no shortage of confusion or fear now. "What did he say to that command?!"
"H-he said… h-he said he'd do it."
Ursa froze. Azula swallowed hard.
"I… I heard some footsteps after. S-so I left, but I heard that he…"
"He… he agreed to that command? He…?" Ursa gasped. Azula bit her lip.
"I thought… he was lying, right? Because… it's grandfather," Azula said. "He can't say no, but… he's not going to do anything to Zuko. Or… is he?"
"No. No, he won't," Ursa said, firmly. She withdrew her hands, gathering herself as she rose to her feet.
"Mom…?"
"Get… get into bed now, Azula. I… I will sort this out myself," Ursa said. Azula's eyes widened.
"You can?" she asked.
Her question struck Ursa in a strange place: she didn't know, in truth, that she could fix this mess at all. Her daughter's doubt worsened her own uncertainty, naturally… for Azula wasn't used to seeing Ursa taking action whenever anything troublesome happened. Her eyes were skeptical, doubt rang in her voice…
"I can," Ursa said, simply. "Your brother… he will be fine. Get ready for bed. Lo and Li will come to tuck you in soon. Don't taunt him again over anything like this, Azula: family is… family is meant to stand together. You're not supposed to mock or ridicule your brother: you're supposed to defend him, and he should do the same for you. You are not enemies. You are not your father and your uncle… and certainly, you are nothing like your grandfather, child. I would never stand for you to become anything like him. So… the next time anyone threatens your brother's life? I expect you… to stand by him. To fight for him. To remember that your family is what matters most. Your father, your brother, are the most important people in your life. Am I clear?"
Azula appeared to want to protest. Her frown gave away that she disagreed with her mother's words… but she lowered her head, her gaze, in a sign of defeat.
"Yes, Mom."
"Stay here. No more trouble, young lady," Ursa said, firmly.
She marched to the door, pushing it open: Azula's soft voice, behind her, spoke words she didn't expect to hear from her after such a fierce confrontation between them.
"Good night, Mom."
Ursa gritted her teeth. She could have returned to the room. She could have answered the child. She could have apologized for making such harsh demands from her. She could have hugged her. She could have told her everything would be okay. That everything would be back to normal in a matter of days, that their family would find a solution out of this madness…
She shut the door violently, instead.
She didn't know that was the last time she'd have a chance to speak with her daughter.
Ursa marched out of the room, fear and fury blazing across her amber eyes. Her hands shook with outrage. She didn't know whether she wanted to slap Ozai, strangle him, or hug him…
But she certainly knew she would kill Fire Lord Azulon with her own hands if he so much as dared lay a finger on Zuko.
She came across a guard well before finding any servants: he bowed to her graciously, and for once, she made no efforts to uphold proper protocol.
"Lady Ursa…"
"Where is my husband?"
"Oh. Uh… I believe he was last seen in the Agni Kai Arena," the guard answered. Ursa's brow furrowed heavily. "I'm not certain he will welcome being interrup-…"
She was gone well before he could finish his sentence. Ursa didn't have the luxury to worry about Ozai's fickle moods right now.
As anticipated, the Agni Kai Arena appeared to burst to life with each blaze evoked through Ozai's fists and feet. Dressed down, his chest bare, he could have appeared to be training as he often was… but this wasn't the location where he did such a thing, typically. No… the Agni Kai Arena was his outlet. The place where he unleashed his pent-up rage.
His hair was loose, chaotic as he twirled in the air, summoning so much fire from his body that it almost appeared as though it were daytime when Ursa finally stepped into his field of vision. His chest heaved, shoulders squared as he met her gaze… understanding that she knew, by now, what he had agreed to.
His earlier display should have daunted her, but it didn't. Ursa stepped forward, to the closest banister in the room, her glare fixed upon her husband's.
"We need to talk. Now."
Threatening words of that nature were often exchanged by spouses, by people in romantic relationships on the verge of destruction. Ursa wondered if that was where their own marriage was headed after all: it would be, without a doubt, if Ozai truly intended to hurt their son.
"I…" Ozai said. Ursa shook her head. "I need to clean up. To change…"
"Fuck that," Ursa blurted out, startling her husband. "You're coming to our room. You'll clean up there, and you'll explain this madness to me at once. Get going, Ozai. Now."
Her authoritarian tone could have garnered her trouble… but it didn't. At least, not this time. Ozai breathed in before nodding. He didn't even have a towel to clean his face with… he was covered in sweat, his feet bare. He walked past his shoes, the clothes he had shed, and he joined Ursa as she started their walk back to their room. She didn't hold his hand for reassurances. She didn't utter a single word to him on their way there. The guard who spoke with her earlier spotted them: Ursa commanded him to leave, and the man did as he was told, if apprehensively.
Ozai closed the door behind them, once they were inside the room. He sighed before turning towards his outraged wife, who, for once, wasn't affected in the least by the sight of her husband's half-naked body.
"How did you hear of it?" Ozai asked.
"Azula," Ursa said. Ozai frowned. "She overheard your conversation with your father, she… she stayed when she was told to leave, apparently. She was… taunting her brother. Telling him that… that you're going to kill him?"
Ozai gritted his teeth: Ursa's eyes widened menacingly.
"Are you?!" she asked. Ozai shuddered. "Ozai…!"
"You don't understand…!"
"I understand enough! Your father is the worst man on this planet, curses, we both know that and have known it for years…!" Ursa bellowed. "But I thought that our choices as of late, our plans, everything you claimed to be working for was for the sake of protecting our children! You couldn't protect me from his bullshit, and now you can't even protect Zuko from…! Curses, Ozai, but this is your fault! Yours, entirely!"
"I know it is! I know I…!" Ozai said, covering his eyes with a hand. "I misread him. Ursa, he is unhinged! He has lost whatever sense he had left! He would sooner be bereft of heirs so long as he can continue to humiliate me!"
"And you're giving him every excuse to do exactly that!" Ursa cried out. "You… you should have refused! Apologized! Backed down and acknowledged that your choices were a mistake…!"
"How could I…? Ursa, I was surrounded. He had all his guards in there with us!" Ozai scoffed. "I could have defeated any of them if I'd been in a fair fight, but I couldn't have fought every single one of them and hoped to win. He forced me to agree to it, Ursa! If… i-if I don't bring Zuko's body to the temple by morning, he…"
"You're not bringing him anywhere!" Ursa damn near shrieked. "Are you out of your mind?!"
"He is! Not me! I would never do this if I had the choice!" Ozai replied, furiously. "If I don't do it, Ursa, it'll be you and Azula next!"
She froze. His words finally gave her pause. The Prince's chest heaved: his golden eyes brimmed with fear.
"I… I can't let him…" he said, shaking his head, shivering violently. "You can't… I can't afford to lose all of you. I can't."
"You can't afford to lose any of us," Ursa said, stepping forward, staring at Ozai intently. "Ozai… no. You… you may have agreed to it out of fear over the consequences if you didn't, but no. If I have to die for Zuko's sake…"
"Not a chance!" Ozai snarled, grabbing her shoulder. Ursa gritted her teeth.
"I would be ready to! But… we have to find another way," Ursa said, shaking her head. "You're not wrong… your father has lost his damn mind. He's… he's crippling this family out of blind pride and nothing more! Ozai, Ozai, listen to me…"
Her husband shuddered, letting his grip upon her shoulder loosen as he ambled aimlessly in their room. His bare feet upon the marble might just cause him discomfort, but he didn't appear to register as much.
"Ozai!" Ursa called him, grabbing his arm. Ozai turned towards her, shaking his head. "We could run away. It's the best option for us right now, after everything…"
"Where would we even go?" Ozai asked her, staring at her in disbelief. "What allies could you possibly have that might protect us all from my father's wretched wrath?"
"You're the one who has political allies, Ozai, I…" Ursa said, but she frowned as an idea bloomed in her mind: the man who had triggered the worst of the chaos in her children's relationship might just wind up being their salvation. "Piandao."
Ozai's eyes widened. Ursa nodded, eagerly.
"If all fails, Ozai… Piandao has contested your father's will before. He could help protect us."
"He's but one man…"
"He defeated a hundred soldiers once before," Ursa said, breathing heavily. "Isn't that how it was? If… if you're there, too, then together the two of you could defeat anything your father sends after us. We could ask him to help… he might have more contacts that could keep us safe. He's… he's our best bet. At least, the best one I can think of besides…"
"Besides what?" Ozai said. Ursa swallowed hard.
"Attempting… diplomacy," Ursa said. Ozai scoffed. "I know it sounds absurd! But you said it yourself, Ozai: Zuko is another heir to the throne, one he would be losing if you carry out his blasted order. He has to realize that. I mean… u-unless he means for Azula to…?"
"He does not," Ozai snarled. Ursa eyed him with uncertainty.
"You're sure…? She is the prodigy. On paper, she…"
"On paper, she will grow up to be a woman regardless of her talents," Ozai said. Ursa's chest pounded with grief upon hearing those words. "And it appears that my grandiose father… believes that a mongrel from Ba Sing Se has the same odds of winding up sitting on the Fire Nation throne as our daughter does."
Ursa didn't often feel the need to protect Azula, for the girl was as good as a force of nature as she was… but those words ignited an anger inside her unlike anything she had experienced on her daughter's behalf before.
"He… he compared her to…?" she asked. Ozai nodded, teeth clenched. "That son of a bitch. That… I-I'm sorry, Ozai. I don't mean to speak ill of your grandmother, but…"
"Speak as ill of whoever you wish in this family, it means nothing to me," Ozai said, shaking his head. "He does not think of Azula as a threat… he thinks of Zuko as one, to Iroh's right to succeed him. He…"
"He will want Iroh to remarry. To produce new heirs," Ursa concluded.
"He will force that on him. Even though Iroh has given no indications of wanting to take another wife," Ozai said. Ursa gritted her teeth.
"Nobody in this family is safe. Not even Iroh," she said. "Maybe… maybe he's in a worse position than we ever thought. If he ever protested anything his father did… would he be even worse to him than he has been to you?"
"Iroh has no son to kill under our father's orders anymore," Ozai said, gritting his teeth. "So… doubtful. But it's not impossible that… that he might turn on Iroh, if he decides Iroh has turned on him first."
"This is…" Ursa said, breathing heavily. "Ozai, I… I don't know what to do. I know what we've spoken of, I understand that we had ideas on the matter, but… this isn't sustainable. We cannot stand another day of this madness! If Zuko's not gone by morning… he'll come after everyone else? He can't do that. He needs to be stopped. We need to speak with him. I know it's terrifying, I know we need to say the right things, and I intend to try, but…!"
Ursa fell silent. She met Ozai's gaze with uncertainty… for his golden glare now shone with a violent intent she couldn't even shy away from.
"We did have other plans," he said. Ursa gritted her teeth.
"They're not even halfway ready, Ozai. You don't have enough allies, enough support…"
"I don't care," Ozai said, frowning. Ursa's eyes widened. "If… if he didn't listen to anything we said to plead in Zuko's favor? Then…"
"That's… what we'll do?" Ursa asked. "Ozai… how?"
"I'll do it myself."
Her jaw dropped. Ozai stared at her with decisiveness and determination.
"We will figure out a way to spin this in our favor, should it come to that. If… if Shaofeng is there, too, he will support us," he said. Ursa frowned.
"Shaofeng is… is one of your father's guards, Ozai."
"He's loyal to me," Ozai said, with certainty. "If he's there when we confront him, he will aid us. He has never failed me. He wants freedom from my father just as much as I do, to begin with. He will aid us."
Ursa shivered. His certainty should have been reassuring, but it wasn't. One guard wasn't enough… and she couldn't say that she would entrust that man with their safety to that extent. He was Azulon's guard, and if she had learned anything across these years, it was that nobody, not even one of his children, would act against Azulon out of fear of the consequences. As proven by Ozai's own choices that very day.
"Only if we have no choice," Ursa said. Ozai nodded. "Promise… that you'll let me speak. Don't try to protect me. If he takes his rage out on me, let it happen. It doesn't matter. Anything that's necessary to ensure Zuko's survival is something we can live with. Whatever wretched humiliations he has in mind for us next, he will be unable to truly hurt us as long as we can protect our son."
Ozai nodded. Ursa breathed out slowly, eyes raking his body. Even if she appreciated his physique plenty, it was far from the right time to admire him.
Nevertheless, something caught her attention upon his chest: a darker, red stain upon his skin.
"Was that… an accident? Or…"
"He struck me."
Ursa shuddered. Ozai shook his head.
"It makes no matter. It doesn't hurt quite as badly as you might think," he said.
"I could help you dress the wound, if…"
"We have no time to waste. I will endure it. It's not severe," Ozai said. Ursa breathed deeply and nodded: truthfully, worrying about Ozai's wounds hardly seemed a right course of action right now.
"Then… get cleaned up. Dress up properly, too. I… I have to do the same," Ursa said. Ozai frowned.
"You look fine…"
"My hair's… I'll fix it," Ursa said, shaking her head as she drew back the hairpin holding her hairpiece in place.
Ozai nodded, marching into their private bathroom: his bath was quicker than usual, and Ursa, after having patched her hair back into the perfect half-knot, aided him in dressing up properly. Afterwards, Ozai stepped outside, finding a guard, and asking him to summon Shaofeng to his private quarters.
The man arrived within ten minutes. Ursa fidgeted nervously once he did: she gazed at him with hope, and the man bowed his head respectfully in her direction before turning towards Ozai.
"I was told you needed me urgently. What is…?"
"I need your aid in… in securing another meeting with my father. For my wife and I. Right now," Ozai said. Shaofeng seemed taken aback by the sudden request.
"That… that might be difficult, Prince Ozai. The Fire Lord is in the foulest of moods, he…"
"It's imperative. Urgent," Ozai said, eagerly. "I understand this may be a difficult request, but… we must speak with him at once. If you cannot make him agree to it, then let us walk with you to his rooms as though he had. We will speak with him on our terms…"
"He will be even angrier than he already is," Shaofeng cautioned Ozai, who shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. We need to reason with him, Shaofeng. We must make certain that he understands the mistake he's making by… by giving me the command he did. You… do you know what he…?"
"I do," Shaofeng said, his voice mournful. "It's… it's painful, Prince Ozai, but maybe…"
"There's no chance that we will do as he told us to," Ursa said, stepping forward, staring at Shaofeng firmly. The man winced. "We will set this right with the Fire Lord and ensure that… that nothing of this nature ever happens again."
"I cannot guarantee anything," Shaofeng said, raising his hands defensively. "But if you insist, I… I shall try, at least. I should come back in twenty minutes."
"Very well. Go," Ozai nodded. The guard seemed apprehensive, but he marched off anyway, once again.
And now, they waited. Ozai took his seat by the small table's chair, and Ursa kept walking, back and forth, her head between her hands. The night was slipping past them gradually, and every hour without a solution heralded Zuko's impending death… Ursa couldn't stand the thought. She might just vomit if she let herself ponder it any further. Not her son. Not Zuko. The boy was innocent of his father's crimes, ambitions, treachery… he had done nothing to deserve this. And frankly, Azulon had done everything to deserve Ozai's hatred, spite and willingness to stab him in the back. Playing by the bastard's rules was sickening, it had been all along, and yet…
Shaofeng finally returned: Ozai jumped to his feet, approaching the room's threshold… and Shaofeng nodded at them, once he opened the door.
"He will see you now."
Ozai glanced back at Ursa. She met his gaze. In a wistful moment, she dared reach out to take his hand, and he held hers firmly before they marched out of their room.
The walk to Azulon's private quarters never felt as long, as slow, as it did on that day. Nobody spoke as they progressed there, not until they took the turn that led into that corridor:
"He will be awake and ready to receive us, won't he?" Ozai asked. Shaofeng nodded.
"And alone. Whatever you intend to say or do, this is the best chance for it."
His words startled Ursa: did this guard know that Ozai had plans for Azulon's demise? It… it didn't feel right. Why would he know such a thing? Had Ozai trusted him enough to disclose that? She glanced at her husband warily, but he only nodded reassuringly in her direction as they continued to follow Shaofeng.
Ursa wanted to back out, suddenly. The plan to run to Piandao with Zuko and Azula sprung back in her mind. Even if Ozai didn't wish to come… she could do it herself. She could run with them. It would be dreadful to leave Ozai here, but… something wasn't right. Something didn't feel right about any of this…
"Here," Shaofeng said: he set his hand upon the pommel, pushing the door open. "Go inside. I'll announce you once we're all in the room. He already knew to expect you."
This time, even Ozai felt a pang of distrust over this procedure. He took a step inside the room, regardless, when his father's dreaded voice boomed in the room.
"I commanded not to be interrupted!"
Ursa had only just crossed the threshold of the room when the man's bellow reached her ears.
Ozai winced at the sound, as he often did.
The door closed behind them.
A brusque push by a large, strong hand, on both their backs. Ozai and Ursa stumbled forward, past the entrance into the Fire Lord's suite… stepping into plain view of the grand mahogany desk where Fire Lord Azulon sat, with the Head Sage by his side, poring over parchments: among them, a large document the Sage appeared to be composing right now.
"What…? Ozai! Have you done as I asked yet, you blasted coward, or are you here to plead for mercy I won't grant you?!" Azulon scoffed. "And you brought your miserable wife as well, did you? Is she the one to do the pleading? Pathetic!"
"F-Father, I…" Ozai said: he turned towards Shaofeng, an accusatory, inquisitive look across his face: what was the meaning of his actions? Why had he brought them here under false pretenses, shoved them as he had…?
The answer to the question arrived quickly enough, as Shaofeng marched past Ozai and Ursa, head held high until he bowed it respectfully towards the Fire Lord.
"My Lord, I apologize for the intrusion, but I believed it would be for the best if I brought them here at once," he said.
"Why?" Azulon growled.
"Because your son and his wife are plotting to murder you, my Lord."
Time seemed to stop at that moment.
All heartbeats in that room seemed to slow as the reality of what Shaofeng had done sank in for everyone in the Fire Lord's quarters.
It had been the beginning of the end. The darkest moment of her life. The worst day, the worst night… for if Ursa had thought anything else had been painful, difficult, anguishing until then, the truth was that nothing had prepared her for the horrors she saw that night, let alone the ones she committed herself.
To this moment, nothing shook her as badly as that memory. Nothing destroyed whatever semblance of inner peace she had found as returning to that darkness anew.
"Ursa, please…" Piandao's voice didn't reach her: he knew exactly what she was reliving. He had seen this before.
It was different whenever it was this memory. Instead of as good as phasing out briefly, of losing her center and falling unconscious, she would grow violent, she would cry out, she would tremble, tears would spill down her face. Her hands would reach into her loosely tied hair, scratching her scalp violently, as though looking for something that she wouldn't find there.
Why now? What had caused her to return to that heinous moment, rather than all the better ones she had clung to? The days in Ember Island, the fun in the beach, the blissful nights with Ozai when they were still placidly together… why not those memories? Why would she relive the waking nightmare she had never shaken off completely…?
"I-I can't…! I can't…!" Ursa whimpered: Piandao breathed out in relief upon hearing her voice, intelligible words rather than screams.
"What is happening?"
Iroh's voice was unwelcome, it typically was, but… this time, Ursa hid in Piandao's chest from one of the only people in the world who would rightfully hate her for what she had done that night. Piandao gritted his teeth.
"Memories," he said, simply. Iroh scoffed.
"It happens often enough, as far as I've seen… but this seems different."
"It might be," Piandao said. "I have this under control, General…"
"I've… brought calming tea. Give it to her. It might help her fall asleep."
The kind gesture was out of place. Undeserved. Ursa cried quietly in Piandao's arms, her voice quivering before she finally managed to speak again.
"T-tell him to… t-tell him to go. P-please. I can't. N-not… not him. He shouldn't… I'm sorry. P-please…"
"He's already gone," Piandao said. Ursa breathed out a relieved sigh. She didn't move an inch from his embrace, though. "I'll taste the tea first, if you'd like. Though I doubt he could have or would have laced it with anything worrisome, but… you never know."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I…"
"Don't be. I understand."
He didn't relinquish his hold on her as he brought her to the table: he poured a teacup for her after sipping one of his own. She didn't take it at first, but after some nudging, she finally dared.
Sleep… if this truly sent her into dreams, would she see the rest of it? Would she remember the worst part? Would she recall all of which she had hoped to forget? It was one thing to tell Zuko about it… a whole other matter to relive it in the flesh, as she often did when she withdrew into herself, in these strange, unwanted episodes…
She hoped she wouldn't see anything else. She hoped the tea would bring her true darkness. If Iroh had laced it with poison at all, she might just thank him for it.
For something dark and unsettling was happening. She could feel it deep in her heart.
Messages had arrived from the warfront: the army had gathered for the final battle in the Fire Nation Capital.
It wouldn't be long before Ozai lost the throne for which he had given up everything he had ever cherished. The throne for which Ursa had sacrificed all she had ever loved. The war was poised to end… but would it end just as her darkest nightmare had? Or would Ozai's end differ from the fate they had inflicted on Fire Lord Azulon?
Sailing in darkness was a dauting enterprise: a cluster of fifty ships powered towards the southern shores of the Fire Nation, following the indications of the map they had been given. The secret river's entrance would be easy enough to find, provided the Fire Nation leadership hadn't tampered with it. Which, as far as anyone knew, they might have.
"How many earthbenders do we have with us?" Zuko asked Aang.
"Around forty, I think," he said. Zuko nodded, breathing out anxiously. "And me. Zuko… you can lead everyone here. I know you're not used to it, and I wouldn't feel any better than you do if I was in your shoes, but…"
"People like you and me were born with… expectations to follow and uphold," Zuko frowned, eyeing Aang warily. "And the man who was frowned upon and seen as insignificant, in the larger scheme of things, is actually better at fulfilling them than we are."
"Sokka's a pretty great guy that way," Aang said, with a sad smile. "Are you… worried about him? About your sister?"
"Well… suits those two to meet again on a battlefield, of all things," Zuko said, breathing deeply. "I'll just trust that they won't be stupid. What Azula did to him… it must have been a mistake. An accident, to a fault. But even if it wasn't… Sokka will make sure that she won't do it again. He's strong enough for that."
"He has to be," Aang said, gritting his teeth. "I can't help but… but think of that time, when we met her. It felt like… like there was nothing she wouldn't do for him. I know we didn't really get to see them together a lot, but… the way Sokka explained everything to Mari? This… this can't be the way things will end up for them. It can't be."
"It's just a hurdle along the way. One that we'll destroy for them if we defeat my father fast enough," Zuko said, firmly, breathing in. "I will do it myself, Aang. I… I can only ask you not to interfere. I know why you'd want to, I know you don't like violence, I know you must think that killing my own father might just destroy me, but…"
"It just feels… wrong," Aang admitted, eyes downcast. "Your family is so messed up, Zuko. Your father, your uncle…"
"Even my mother," Zuko said: Aang frowned, eyeing him with confusion. "They've all done things they can't fix. They've all hurt us, and each other, over and over again. And this won't end, won't stop, until we're all on the same side. But my father will never be on ours. My mom, my uncle… they've been able to coexist. Azula, given time to accept them, should be able to do it too. But not my father."
"I… I guess not," said Aang, gritting his teeth. "Just… make the right choice for yourself, Zuko. I trust that you'll be able to."
"Good thing one of us does," Zuko said, with a slight smirk. Aang sighed. "I'll do my best, Aang. I'll try to tell apart right from wrong. But it feels right not to burden you or anyone else with this responsibility, to begin with. My father needs to die… but no one's hands need to be stained with his blood but mine."
Ursa's story returned to mind again after he finished saying those words. His heart ached as he closed his eyes, thinking of her… of honoring her. She had explained… she had told him the truth about what she had to do that night, when she and his father had been betrayed, when Zuko's very life had been on the line. Today, he took his mother's place. His father was in Azulon's. Just as that was the only way out for his parents, so long ago… the only way for Zuko to truly prevail in this battlefield was to defeat and destroy Fire Lord Ozai for once and for all, for the good of their entire world.
Three hours after setting out, their navigator informed Zuko and Aang that they were near the cavern. Within another ten minutes, Katara, who had been standing by the ship's prow, aiding its progress with her waterbending, rushed back towards the pair of them.
"We found it!"
Zuko's chest tightened with anxiety and expectation. He gripped Aang's shoulder firmly and stepped forward.
"Alright. Let's go!" he exclaimed: the crew aboard nodded at his command, and the ship turned, angled towards the dark, hidden cave.
He had returned to the Fire Nation anew, Zuko realized, as the darkness of that tunnel engulfed them… he had returned dressed in an outfit of white, cream, and dark blue, his swords in tow, his hair still short, evidence of his defiance of his father's rule. This was the island he once would have done anything to return to… today, his wary eyes glared across the tunnel they were progressing through, followed by other ships, anxious and uneasy. Nothing appeared to have been subjected to earthbending so far… perhaps his father had failed to account for this particular gap in his security. It was difficult to fathom, but that would make matters easier…
It was a long river, and flowing against the current slowed them down. Nevertheless, Katara's waterbending prowess saw to the speeding of their flagship, upon which she, Aang and Zuko rode, while the other ships followed gradually. Zuko's fire, as well as that of the other firebenders, along with the torches held by other sailors and warriors, allowed them to see deeper into the tunnel, but the light still didn't suffice to let them glimpse the very end of it, not for at least another two hours of travel.
"The big battle must have started by now," Aang said, breathing heavily as he worked with Katara.
"Sokka… he'll handle it well. He has to," she said, gritting her teeth: the main ships of their fleet wouldn't be likely to take five hours to reach the Capital's defenses, so… Sokka surely was already fighting as best he could, leading his fearsome Gladiator Army. The sooner they were done with their duties, the faster they could go give him a hand, should he need one… hopefully, he'd be the one helping them, instead. Provided Azula had enough sense to betray her father, rather than Sokka…
Katara could only hope she would. It felt wrong to hope in the Fire Nation Princess at all, considering how deeply she had distrusted her, how long it had taken Katara to wrap her head around the relationship she had held with Sokka… but as much as she had resented her, everything would be that much easier if she just worked with him. If she just surrendered… but would a Fire Nation Princess prove too proud to do such a thing?
"There… the gate!"
Aang called it out. Katara jumped, and the sailors aboard jolted upright as their gazes fell upon a distant grate, set across the river, as though to prevent anyone's progress to the Fire Nation's Royal Palace…
"Get ready to disembark!" Zuko exclaimed, heart pounding: now he only had to lead his forces through the tunnels until he found the hiding place his father would be lurking in. He had never been welcome in the secret chamber… but he intended to unravel its location and make his way there anyhow.
A very small pier, perhaps too small for all their ships to effectively disembark without complicated naval maneuvers, awaited them ahead. The sailors made their way there as Zuko shot blasts of fire across the area: no sign of anyone within the large, hidden, underground chamber. If that was the case, then they could…
A cracking sound above him caused his nerves to shoot off instantly again.
He glanced up, shooting his fire into the cavern's ceiling only to spot a crack in the rock, spreading across the top of the tunnel.
"Shit. Watch out!" he roared at the other ships. "Everyone, run! Earthbenders, get to land and get ready to…!"
His order served no avail: the crack gave way, and a massive amount of earth crumbled, right between his ship and the second one on the fleet.
Zuko yelped: Aang forced him to heed his own advice by tossing him out of the ship before rushing in to help others do the same. Their ship was under threat of being sunken, and they needed to get its crew to safety as fast as possible.
Katara aided Aang in that endeavor: he roared as he exerted his earthbending, holding the collapsing ceiling up with his power while Katara rushed to help people out of the endangered ship. With any luck, the other ships besides their own would have survived, but… anguish tore at Katara as she worried that they might not have, once the worst of the collapse was too powerful for Aang to hold off for good.
"Aang!" Zuko exclaimed, eyes shot with panic. They had known this was a risk, but as the tunnels hadn't been collapsed so far…
He shouldn't have taken for granted that his father would overlook this. Curses, of course he wouldn't be that stupid. He had to do something, though…
Around sixty crew members climbed out of their ship, rushing away from the collapse that Aang's earthbending couldn't seem to hold off: Katara snarled upon realizing that whoever was responsible for their ordeal remained there, above them, purposefully damaging the integrity of the tunnel…
"Aang…! I have an idea!" she said.
"What is it?!" Aang asked, frantic.
Katara breathed deeply: the rushing water had continued to pour towards the blockade of earth before them. If the earth didn't crush them, the water might… unless they harnessed its power and redirected it.
She breathed deeply: the ship kept rising as the water gradually began spilling out of its riverbank… she seized control of the water, spinning her arms around herself, gathering as much water as she could muster.
She launched it, as fast as she could, into the very hole Aang couldn't seem to close with his earthbending.
Aang gasped, falling backwards as Katara snarled: he ended up aiding her soon enough, switching to waterbending as they heard shouts and screams above them. It seemed the earthbenders working for the Fire Lord hadn't been prepared to face waterbending. Zuko, behind them, grimaced as he glanced about himself warily: there had to be a way out of here. Sokka had talked about some stairs at some point, but… he could see another tunnel, not any stairs. It had to lead somewhere, right?
"I'll freeze it!" Katara told Aang, who nodded. "Open the way for the others!"
"I'll try!" Aang said, jumping forth to undo the earthen blockade that might just destroy their enterprise completely if left to stand.
The frozen river would be a threat to them anew eventually, Katara knew so: she could already feel attempts by the enemy to shatter the earthen ceiling of the tunnel and break her efforts to clog it with her waterbending. She couldn't very well fight them from below, without being able to see them, it was far more challenging than she anticipated…
But before she knew it, the threat dwindled: screams and cries of panic were followed by the sudden snap of thunder.
A flash poured through the gap in the ceiling, and Katara winced away from it.
No more opposition after that.
She glanced about herself in a panic: Zuko was nowhere to be seen.
"Zuko?!" she cried out.
"I'm up here! The tunnel to your right! It led up here!"
Katara breathed out in relief: the firebender shouldn't have been using lightning yet, but he was reckless enough to try already, it seemed… at least it had paid off.
"We will undo the wall, Avatar!" a voice echoed across the torn earth on the other side of the blockade Aang was trying to open again. "Make progress! We'll catch up with you!"
"You guys sure?!" Aang said – his relief over their survival had to be set aside, for the urgency of the situation only seemed to continue escalating.
"Find the Fire Lord! Get him!" another voice echoed from behind the wall, and a supportive roar followed.
Aang grimaced: doing this with such a reduced group, with merely the fighters aboard their flagship, help would be daunting… but he nodded, nonetheless.
"The river's going to strike hard against you once you break the blockage! It's as good as a dam right now!" he warned them.
"We'll be careful! Keep going!"
Aang breathed out and turned towards Katara: their crew, their benders and warriors, were already charging towards the tunnel Zuko had gone through. She extended her hand towards him and urged him to follow her.
"They'll catch up if they can, but… the sooner we get this done, the sooner we'll save everyone," Katara reassured him. Aang nodded, gripping her hand hard: he reeled her into his arms, and he rushed them towards the tunnel Zuko had vanished through, using his airbending to hasten their progress.
Zuko faced what appeared to be a maze of possibilities in the tunnels he had found… still, the survivors from his lightning attack had fled towards one particular tunnel. That was the one they had to follow.
"Zuko…! You dealt with all of them?" Katara asked, once they reached him, followed by the rest of their allies.
"Not all. Careful where you step. The ground is unsteady after all their earthbending, or whatever it was they were doing," Zuko gritted his teeth: the part of the tunnel that Katara had frozen remained in place.
Aang stretched out his hands, drawing more earth out to bolster the stability of their tunnel: Zuko nodded in gratitude before urging the group to follow him in the direction where those soldiers had fled… the soldiers that, with any luck, would be reckless and stupid enough to lead him to where his father was hiding, or to someone with sufficient rank to reveal his whereabouts, if nothing else.
As drained as he should have felt after firing lightning, Zuko's determination and adrenaline made up for all his spent energy as he rushed forward, set on meeting his father, on fulfilling the destiny he had chosen to pursue on that dark night.
The lack of enemy resistance at first seemed to thrill many members of the Gladiator Army… not the gladiators, of course, who looked forward to the challenge of all-out war. And not the Gladiator himself, either: if Ozai wasn't fighting any harder to keep them out of the Fire Nation's inner waters, it meant his stronger defenses had to be deeper inside the mainland.
He led and guided the progress of their naval forces as best he could as they sailed towards the bay. His heart raced harder and faster than it had in any previous battle, even if he had scarcely seen any action so far… surely, it was because he hadn't. The need to jump out, to do something, overwhelmed him.
"Take it easy. Take it slow," Rui Shi advised him, noticing how antsy he was. Sokka nodded. "We will have plenty of battle ahead anyway."
They had been progressing through the inner waters for half an hour by then. Within another half an hour, the currents would most likely already bring them into view of the Harbor City… but they could see lights in the distance already. The silhouette of the crater that hosted the Capital once had been familiar, and now appeared daunting: dots of light ahead gave away the location of watch towers within the zigzagging path that led to the Capital. Sokka breathed deeply, his mind already supplying him with ideas on how to avoid the worst of those towers…
The sound of a tsungi horn ahead gave away that they were closer to the enemy lines than they realized. Sokka's eyes narrowed, focusing on the dark waters, instead.
"We're close," Rui Shi said, frowning heavily.
"Get ready, then. On to the hot-air balloon with you," Sokka said, clasping his friend's forearm firmly. Rui Shi nodded.
"Meet you inland in just a bit, Sokka," he said.
The balloon he would climb onto, manned by other guards and firebenders, waited on the back of the ship, and it soared into the sky mere instants before Sokka roared:
"Waterbenders!"
The music squad, as ever, stepped up to the task: their music aided to convey commands, much as the horns in the Fire Nation's side gave out the alarm that the threat they awaited was finally within sight.
Aonu shuddered as he stood by the Communications' Office. He borrowed a spyglass, glimpsing but dark shadows across the sea… only a few sparks of light gave away that the enemy was already here.
The message he had composed for the Princess took flight on the wings of a messenger hawk an instant after he confirmed their foes were there. He shivered anxiously, gripping the windowsill hard. Could they win? Was that even possible when their best supplies weren't even going to be used in this battle? He had no idea why the Fire Lord had given him such a command pertaining the larger bombs, but…
"War Minister. We're ready," General Mak announced to him, approaching the room quietly. Aonu nodded.
"Then… await the watch towers' signals and strike as soon as they give them out," he said. Mak nodded. "They will have to fight to their utmost if they truly intend to reach the Capital. We will see to that."
The messenger hawk flew expertly towards the Palace. There, a group of Enforcers stood at the ready, in rows, most their members before the eastern gate, the main one through which the enemy was likeliest to commit to their approach. Domestic Forces, as well as a handful of occupation soldiers who had been reassigned to Azula's service, stood in wait as well: the messenger hawk sent by Aonu, landing on Renkai's forearm, suggested that the battle they were expecting was about to begin.
Azula withdrew the message, gritting her teeth as she read it with a heavy heart.
The enemy has breached the Great Gates. They will be close to the harbor by the time I send this message to you. I do not know if I will be able to communicate again this way, for I will be part of the battle myself. Take good care. I hope the Fire Lord changes his mind about the bombs he asked me to relocate for him. We could use them to drive back the enemy, even if they might not be completely effective. Should he convey any such orders to you, you and your forces will find them in the Palace's basement.
It was an honor to serve alongside you, and to think of you as a friend. I hope I have lived up to your expectations.
Aonu.
Azula scowled: she certainly appreciated the final sentiment, but the message's earlier content brought a frown to her face. Her father's plans were usually straightforward… sometimes, so simple that they might appear foolish. Concealing his best weapons hardly seemed to be a real plan, though. Only a few such weapons would be available for their forces to use, and none of the largest bombs… Azula certainly could feel better about the likelihood that she wouldn't cause Sokka any other near-death experiences with those weapons, but this procedure didn't suit her father, nonetheless.
"The battle is beginning," Azula confirmed. Mei Xun, Renkai and Chan tensed up at her words. "The Great Gates have been broken."
"How long do you expect this to take?" Chan asked. Azula sighed.
"Depends on Aonu's prowess, but… I surmise we may be facing our enemies within three hours, perhaps."
"Princess, whatever you may need of us, we will deliver," Mei Xun said, firmly. Azula nodded.
"I will ask you and your forces to stand ready for the potential destruction of our walls. We don't know how harsh the battle might become beyond the Palace," she said, scanning the area warily. "If they charge in without rhyme or reason, our organized troops will stand at the ready to face them. If they don't, however…"
"If they don't?" Chan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean… it's not impossible for the enemy to give opportunities for our troops to surrender," Azula said. Mei Xun scowled. "It happened in Ba Sing Se. It might happen here, too. Do not charge in to attack recklessly, should that be the case. The more of our forces we can preserve, the better."
"But if they do attack without restraint…"
"We will fight back. As best as we are able."
Azula breathed deeply: she struggled to present herself with pride and strength sufficient to project inspiration for their troops. Apprehension roared a daunting song within her soul, and her heart sped up its pace:
He was here.
Sokka was in the Fire Nation once more, and in a matter of hours, he would be standing in this Capital, breaching this Palace, as he had planned to for a year now.
The barriers by the bay had been raised to their topmost levels of defense. Ballistae had been loaded onto the heights of the towers, prepared to launch bolts that would aim to sink the enemy ships from a distance… though landing any shots in the darkness would be a complicated challenge.
It became even more difficult than anticipated when the ships began rising on a large tidal wave.
"Waterbending…" Aonu scowled, glaring through the spyglass: a massive wave, unlike any that had assaulted the Fire Nation before, was poised to rise above the barrier. "Curses…! Sound the alarm! Urge the forces in the furthermost towers to retreat!"
Another tsungi horn command bellowed into the night from the Fire Nation's side, mere moments later: the soldiers were quick to obey, grateful to be rid of the challenge of landing shots on ships that appeared to move unpredictably, on the whims of the enemy forces' benders…
But they weren't quick enough.
Much as the Fire Nation had barreled through the Northern Water Tribe's defensive barriers with unforeseen tactics, the tidal wave Pakku commanded with his waterbenders raised their forces' ships well above the expected water level… well above the barriers that would not hold up against an assault of water of that magnitude.
"Charge!" Pakku roared. "Destroy their barriers! Now!"
The accumulated seawater had risen high enough to become a tsunami, and numerous ships rode on that massive wave: nothing could hope to put a stop to that onslaught, no matter how strong it might be. The sea's tides changed under the control of the waterbenders, and with them, the Fire Nation's bastions of defense were poised to collapse beyond any help.
All ships soared on that tsunami: it was a dangerous gamble, one that could hinder them too unless the waterbenders eased the water later, to ensure that their ships would not wind up clashing and colliding with each other or into the Fire Nation's buildings and streets. For now, though, the only way to conquer a battle on water would be to take this extreme measure that the Fire Nation would never be prepared to counter.
The Fire Nation ships in the bay, manned and armed to face this threat, attempted to stifle it with incendiary bombs, fired out in panic, as well as flaming payloads out of catapults…
The wave, so massive and potent, ran them over just as effectively as the barrier that cracked and crumbled underneath the waterbenders' power.
Water rushed into the bay, smashing against the buildings, tearing apart the piers, severely damaging the less resistant Fire Nation ships while even sinking those who had dared approach before the wave fully broke. The shore was submerged in water, the towers' foundations shaky over the damage caused by the unstoppable force of that wave…
Ballistae bolts did get fired: only two, out of fifteen, found any damage whatsoever.
One struck Pakku's ship.
"Blast it…!" his second exclaimed, turning water into ice to stop their ship from flooding.
"Reel it in! Reel it in!" Pakku roared: it was time to slow the wave's impact. Their ships would be marooned in-land once the tides normalized unless they began reeling back the water before that happened…
He couldn't focus on fixing the ship. He couldn't do anything else but slow the water's progress, at risk of losing control of the situation. The tidal wave's effectiveness could not be doubted, but it would be detrimental even for their forces unless they slowed it down now.
"We're ready for the recoil…" the captain of Sokka's ship said, shifting the sails properly in order to avoid being wracked by the wave's power.
The distance between the ships didn't seem safe enough: it wouldn't be unless Pakku and his team managed to control the sea's power again…
But fighting to restore the normalcy of the tides, right by the Fire Nation's bay, offered the enemy a target too tempting to resist.
Pakku's arms moved in controlled, strong flowing motions to ease the power of the wave… but the whistling sound of more ballistae bolts caused him to lose focus: the towers deeper inside the Fire Nation could still attack, more so since his ship had wound up too deep in Fire Nation waters, virtually by its shores…
A bestial roar, and a powerful gust of wind, broke the trajectory of the bolts that might have destroyed Pakku's ship, and those of the frontline waterbending forces.
Kino snarled as he reeled back the reins of the grand creature: the earthbenders still riding along with him leapt off the saddle, right into the closest tower of the Fire Nation's defense.
The troops the Fire Nation had assembled had broken formation because of the wave: some firebenders attempted to use fire to evaporate it, but wherever they succeeded at evaporating any liquid, more took its place quickly afterwards. Many were forced to flee inland, to the safety of other towers, aiming towards the zigzagging path uphill, towards the Capital, for safety's sake.
But the forces by the towers would not yield as easily as that: a fight broke when Shanyuan jumped inside one tower, as firebending rained upon him mercilessly.
The flames burned, but he didn't stop solely because of that: Shanyuan roared, stepping forward and breaking a chunk of the wall, slamming it into the heads of two of the firebenders within the tower. A soldier sought to aim the ballista towards him, but another earthbender that had leapt into the tower with Shanyuan took him out quickly with a boulder to the head.
Outside the tower, Kino dove lower towards Pakku's ship: Toph remained on the saddle, waiting to be sure the ground was safe for her to land and fight from.
"You okay?!" Kino asked. Pakku swallowed hard.
"Fine! We will reel the water into control!" he responded: saved by Princess Yue's new lover… he supposed it was a start, if nothing else, as far as it concerned his process of learning to respect the Fire Nation deserter, but still…
"Should I jump out now?" Toph asked.
"Give us… a moment!" Pakku exclaimed.
The ships were slowing down, but the tide remained quite high: the waterbenders worked to shove as much water out of the way for their land forces as they could, but the manufactured tidal movements continued to make matters harder for them. New waves pushed the ships further inwards, faster than intended…
"Was a good idea… to a fault," Pakku grunted under his breath: taming the sea would be an ordeal, a rather difficult one at that… "We'll set out back into the sea! Let the others take our place by the shore!"
The waterbenders would struggle to control the sea no matter where they might stand by now, but the water's deeper progress into land, dangerous as it was, might still help their cause: the barriers the Fire Nation had erected against by the shores had been torn down, several of their most distant towers had crumbled under the wave, too…
The northern ships crossed their allies on their way back out. Sokka nodded in Pakku's direction, watching as the man attempted to tame the wild waters. Their landing would never be smooth and easy, not while the sea remained restless, but the shores approached quickly.
"This is it!" Sokka exclaimed: he turned around to face the group of gladiators on his ship, all ready to jump out into the Fire Nation's land. "Gladiators… stand ready!"
A roar echoed in reaction to his command: Renzhi breathed heavily, fists at the ready, glowering at Harbor City.
Some of the Fire Nation's forces to have fled earlier now seemed to return to their positions, even if their initial formation had been broken: they stood further down the long avenue that led to the Capital, with heavy shields and raised weapons that would aim at them, once they arrived.
Sokka breathed deeply: the ship moved too fast still. The docks were damaged by the first tidal wave, and there was no telling if they would crash against their debris.
His fellow gladiators stepped up to stand beside him. Their ship slowed as best as it could, the push and pull of the ocean slowing it slightly just before it sped further once again…
Their ship's prow wound up mounting the shore, right beside the broken pier. As concerning as its hull's integrity might be, it was not the time to worry about that: Sokka and the gladiators leapt off the deck, landing on the Fire Nation Capital's main port.
"Forward!" Sokka roared. His troops, disembarking beside him, echoed his command.
They had to trust that the other ships would be able to unload their troops next, little by little. The gladiators, however, were meant to create space, to open the way for the rest of their forces to charge once the first of the Fire Nation's defenses, which might just be the strongest they had prepared for this battle, were torn down.
Another ballista in a tower fired in their direction, but it was stopped by a wall of earth raised by Shanyuan and his allies. Toph, still in the air, readied herself to jump and join Sokka once Kino told her to: instead of aiding the other earthbenders, the Blind Bandit landed heavily on the ground and tore down the closest tower by herself, shattering its foundations and ensuring it would crumble into rubble.
The most eager gladiators rushed past Sokka in a frenzy: his friends from Fazhan, instead, fell into pace behind him, cautious and prudent. New ships had managed to disembark their forces by then, and it wasn't long before the dual firebending of the Priestess of the Flames and the Light Bearer joined the invasion of the Gladiator Army. Jet, Longshot and Smellerbee rushed in from the third ship, too.
All the while, the bulk of the Fire Nation troops remained out of reach, save for the arrows fired by the likes of Longshot and his fellow archers. They were on constant retreat, with shields to protect them and safeguard them from the aerial projectiles…
If only the underground hadn't been off-limits for the sake of the civilians, Sokka would have ordered Toph to tear apart the land underneath the enemy army. It would have made matters so much easier… but instead, he was left to throw his boomerang, striking the soldiers positioned in the towers that the earthbenders hadn't yet reached.
Eventually, the march back by the Fire Nation soldiers seemed to slow… for a familiar, unwelcome arrival, finally emerged among them: a black tank, and it fired a flaming projectile…
Renzhi stepped forward, muffling the attack with his condensed fire, letting out a sharp bark of laughter afterwards.
"Boy, does it feel good to fight THEM!" he roared. "GLADIATORS!"
Another fierce roar echoed his call, one that Sokka joined, too: a camaraderie, a potent energy, swirled among them all as they worked, not quite as one unit, but as the extraordinary, powerful individuals they were, capable of adapting to each other, of stepping back to let their allies fight when they were better suited for it. Once they were facing a full row of enemy tanks, several gladiators scattered across Harbor City, slipping between the buildings, jumping and bending their way over them while others fought the tanks head-on…
A horde of ferocious beasts would be terrifying. This one, comprised by deadly gladiators, murderers forged in the flames of the Fire Nation's cruelty, defied any description, as far as Aonu could tell.
He stood back, behind the tanks, watching as his forces attempted to hold their ground to no avail: all defensive towers kept collapsing under overwhelming earthbending and so far, it didn't appear that the Fire Nation had so much as scratched any of their opponents.
"Pull back! Further back!" he commanded: as much as the Fire Nation army hardly appreciated being ordered to retreat, they were easily persuaded into doing so this time.
The rows of tanks allowed the Fire Nation forces on foot to run back… or at least, that was how it was supposed to be. While it was apparent that their troops would most likely falter eventually against the tide of gladiatorial foes, the tanks provided a line of defense that would not be overcome easily…
But a dense, thick mist poured from between the legs of the gladiators, spreading fast and dangerously towards and through every tank ahead.
The Mist, Sedna, took her stance among the first rows of gladiators, eyes blazing with determination as the water she had borrowed from the sea slid through every opening, every single crack of the tanks' infrastructure. The icy water moved as a ghost might, hugging each individual gradually, dampening them in cold wetness…
Once she was certain her mist had penetrated the structures deeply enough, Sedna froze them.
The projectiles the firebenders had been fielding so far, that the non-benders had been knocking off course, suddenly dwindled in number: the Fire Nation forces couldn't move their tanks anymore, couldn't reel them back as a march of chaotic, disorganized and yet furious and passionate gladiators ran over the frozen tanks, careless about what they would find ahead, provided they could keep moving forward… provided they could keep fighting to the very end.
Sokka rushed atop the first tank, cutting down its heavy weaponry with Space Sword. Toph, near him, used her metalbending to disarm other tanks as well. Together, the two of them undid as many of the dangerous weapons on the tanks as they could reach while the rest of their forces charged deeper into the fray, where the Fire Nation troops had fled…
But they didn't flee anymore:
"FIRE!"
It was a dangerous gambit, and one he wouldn't have risked if he had any hopes that the people aboard the tanks weren't dead after the enemy's waterbending feat. But Aonu had no choice but to assume that was not the case anymore…
And so, the new weapons fired incendiary bombs right at the first gladiators that tried to reach them.
The attack caused Sokka to rear his head in chagrin: he knew what that was. The projectiles seemed smaller, perhaps less charged, but they were no less dangerous for it: some of the first gladiators flew off, damaged heavily by the impact once the explosions lit up the night more brightly than any of their torches.
That didn't stop other reckless gladiators from running in, anyway.
"RELOAD! ROW TWO! FIRE!"
Another round: more gladiators were caught in the burst of flames caused and triggered by the deadly weapons designed by the Mad Alchemist… in a sense, yet another gladiatorial fight to be waged, and one they couldn't afford to lose.
"Steady!" Sokka roared. "Mist! Muffle their flames!"
The Mist nodded, jumping forward and uncorking her waterskins to do as she was told: the next barrage of fire clashed directly with her water, and while the result wasn't the perfect annulment of the enemy's flaming projectiles, it still dealt them enough damage to reduce most of the fire to white smoke.
"Won't do…" Renzhi said, near Sokka. The Blue Wolf frowned. "Those bombs… they're no joking matter, boss."
"I know that. But…"
"Leave it to me. Either he'll fire them all at me… or not at all."
"What? Renzhi…!"
Sokka's eyes widened as Renzhi jumped into the fray, arms outstretched: the next barrage of bombs was met by a wall of condensed flames that consumed the projectiles before they could reach their target.
Above, another burst of firebending caught the enemy off-guard: the hot-air balloons commanded by Rui Shi descended, taking the opportunity to begin striking against the Fire Nation's forces, well before they could fight back with further incendiary bombs.
Some of the weapons blew up when they were met by fire while being loaded. Others took aim at Rui Shi's forces and fired indeed, and two hot-air balloons took severe damage… to the detriment of their own enemies. One of the first balloons was left to drop heavily on the enemy forces, and the rebel firebenders leapt off the basket as best they could, even if the rushed escape would not leave them unscathed. The impact of the collapsing vehicle against enemy troops, however, hampered the enemy considerably anyway.
"Retreat! RETREAT!" Aonu roared again: none of his plans could hold a torch to this madness. Not even half of the enemy forces were bound to have disembarked yet. How on earth were they supposed to…?
Another row of prepared incendiary bombs fired: it was then that Aonu focused on what, exactly, was countering them.
A tall man, as good as a giant with a burly body and a mask covering most his face, stood before the enemy forces, unleashing flames to trigger the explosions before they could reach him.
"No…! NO! STOP FIRING!"
Impulse alone carried Aonu's order: the military leaders near him had obeyed him so far… but they glanced at him in suspicion and disbelief upon hearing the impassioned way in which he gave that last command.
"Fire!" General Mak insisted, glaring at Aonu skeptically: the War Minister turned towards him, outraged… as another volley of incendiary bombs rushed out to meet Renzhi.
"Don't…! We have to keep fleeing! To the crater!" Aonu exclaimed: Mak shoved him back impulsively.
"Go if you're that scared! We will not falter!" he exclaimed, turning towards the fight again. "Firebenders! Ready…!"
"Spears!"
The military leaders were no longer listening to Aonu. The earthbender, unstable, uncertain, backtracked for a moment…
But his eyes found Renzhi's figure anew.
His heart pounded in his chest as his gladiator created a shield of fire, defending himself from the assailing flames with more of his own.
He took a step.
Then another.
Then he planted his feet heavily on the ground as the next incendiary bombs flew towards Renzhi.
A wall of earth rose before Renzhi: he frowned, for it didn't attempt to destabilize his footing. It didn't seem to have any purpose besides…
The next explosion didn't reach him: it caused the defensive wall that shielded him to crumble, instead.
"What the…? Who's trying to save my ass?! I can handle this…!" Renzhi exclaimed.
"Not me, that's for sure!" Toph roared: she continued to focus on tearing down the towers, much as the rest of her earthbending squad did.
Sokka, busy organizing the troops and giving commands, turned around on time to cut down a spear aimed towards the Dark Rook's head. Arrows, spears, flew in their direction, and they were too late to raise a proper defense for…
A burst of fire, intense and deadly, consumed the projectiles, reducing them to nothingness in the blink of an eye.
Sokka gasped, turning towards Renzhi again: the man grinned proudly just as Gang Hong leapt past him, fists ready to pummel the nearest Fire Nation soldiers, carrying their incendiary guns, who had not retreated on time on this occasion.
"Let's go!" Gang Hong roared, beaming madly before his heavy fist cracked the skull of the first man he reached.
The chaos stirred by the Gladiator Army ensured that no order by the Fire Nation could succeed at holding them off… more so now that their foes were no longer gladiators alone.
A tremor shook the footing of the soldiers. A snarl spread over Aonu's face, and he raised his hands before commanding the element he had long struggled to accept as his own…
He shattered the ground, breaking the formation of the very forces he had been commanding so far.
Their collapse, as the street they stood in grew more unstable, caught the enemy forces by surprise anew: this time, Renzhi knew to raise his gaze towards the enemy lines… to find only one man standing behind the troops that had just lost their footing. Others had retreated by now, already well on their way to the defensive position by the roads that led into the Capital…
"Aonu…" Renzhi said, eyes wide as they fell upon the lithe figure of his former sponsor.
Aonu shuddered. He trembled. He gazed at him in horror, as though needing his aid, his guidance… Renzhi smiled, though. He hadn't thought that his old friend would make the right choice, when worst came to worst… but Aonu had only just proven him wrong.
But he still stood among Fire Nation forces. By now, it was apparent that the earthbending sabotage that had disabled the Fire Nation forces at the moment was his doing.
"You…!" exclaimed Mak. Commander Tsong, also among those troops, spat out a broken tooth and glared at him.
"Traitor!" he shouted.
The Fire Nation forces struggled to regain their footing… but the first ones to do so were closer to Aonu than to the gladiators.
They turned towards him.
"NO!" Renzhi roared.
Aonu snarled, raising a thick barrier of earth before the blasts of fire reached him.
What had he done? Why had he done it? Was he a fool? Renzhi… he had made his choice. So had Aonu. He was here to fight for the Fire Nation, not against it, so why was he…?
He shivered. He shuddered. Any moment now, a spear behind his back would…
No, it came from the front: a spear stabbed into the earthen wall, and Aonu inched away from it just in time before its tip, breaching but not breaking his walls fully, reached him.
"GET THE TRAITOR!" Tsong shouted.
"NOT A CHANCE!" Renzhi roared: his fists, coated with fire, readied to pummel anyone who dared reach his sponsor.
Sokka snarled: he certainly hadn't counted on Aonu turning on the Fire Lord, but where he could be a valuable ally, he wouldn't be one at all if his allies killed him first.
"FORWARD!" Sokka commanded his troops: he rushed through the cluster of soldiers who were barely starting to regain their footing after Aonu's earthbending feat, cutting down several with Space Sword, with his club…
Other gladiators, understanding what was at stake, took to jumping over the rows of Fire Nation soldiers, instead: San attempted to do so, burning the enemy through the soles of her feet, but one seized her ankle and dragged her down into the cluster of soldiers. Earthbenders stopped their focus on the towers, bolstering Aonu's defensive walls as best as they could… but Mak, Tsong and several other soldiers had already rushed forth to strike down Aonu.
Some soldiers fled from the powerhouse gladiators tearing through their numbers with ease. Several heads removed by Space Sword further convinced the soldiers to keep running. Gang Hong's heavy fists, just like Renzhi's condensed flames, were poised to carve a path between the hundreds of soldiers that still attempted to slow their progress now…
It wasn't enough. Renzhi jumped past the Fire Nation's frontlines eventually.
One spearpoint lodged in his flank.
He didn't so much as flinch.
"AONU!" Renzhi called him: Aonu, still hidden inside his cylinder of earth, fear permeating his every choice, froze at the sound of his friend's voice.
"Traitor…!" Tsong growled, turning towards the approaching hostile firebender. "Men! Take that one down first!"
"No… NO!" Aonu shouted: he brought down his wall at once, eyes wide as the spears of the people he had been commanding moments ago turned against his oldest friend.
Once again, Renzhi gathered all his power into condensed fire: Mak scowled at the sight of it, ripping a spear out of the hand of one of his lower-ranked soldiers before the others launched theirs.
Renzhi seemed to evaporate them when they reached him, his firebending as unyielding as ever.
Aonu almost smiled: he raised his hands, struck out his leg in a kick that cracked the ground underneath those forces once again, messing their footing for the second time…
But not fast enough to stop General Mak from aiming and firing the spear he had been holding.
The grin Aonu contained vanished immediately when Renzhi stumbled.
The spear sank deep inside his chest.
"NO!"
Sokka gasped: Renzhi stumbled back, and the Blue Wolf clasped him with one arm, ensuring he'd keep his footing. The firebender drew breath with difficulty… he was startled, yes, but he wasn't lost yet. Not even when the tip of that spear protruded out of his back, not when his flank's wound was bleeding profusely, too.
"Renzhi!" Sokka called him. The firebender made a dismissive sound, raising his fists again.
"Not… not like this. Not like…!" he managed to say: his fists were powered with fire again, and Sokka snarled as he joined him in the next attacks.
A frantic, desperate Aonu was part of that final push, too: his first attack struck Mak straight across the head, sending him right into an awaiting black blade that cut him down at once.
Where hundreds of soldiers had stood before, preventing Aonu and Renzhi from coming together, now a mere handful remained. Where gladiators had taken some damage, it seemed that they had avoided most genuine losses thus far, even if the Priestess of the Flames' ankle had seen better days – and she continued fighting, nonetheless.
As the very last of the remaining Fire Nation commanding officers stumbled back, his heart filled with terror, Renzhi answered his attempt to flee with a potent fist through his armored stomach.
With that, Commander Tsong collapsed, and the first bastion of Fire Nation defense died with him.
"R-Renzhi… RENZHI!" Aonu exclaimed, tears spilling down his cheeks as he ran towards his heavily-breathing gladiator.
"You… you dumb sack of bones, you…" Renzhi said: he smiled…
Gang Hong stepped forward, standing between them with a snarl. Aonu froze, unable to contain his emotions, his anguish… his remorse.
"Please…!" he said.
Gang Hong didn't step aside… not until Sokka approached.
The Blue Wolf's gaze fell upon Aonu's, and the earthbender shrank under his deathly glare.
Aonu dropped on his knees. It would come as no surprise if the Gladiator cut him down now… but he certainly wouldn't fight back. Not anymore.
Not when it seemed that Renzhi would follow him in death soon, anyways.
Sokka stared down Aonu, as mixed, dark emotions took flight within his chest: the man before him was not innocent. He had played no small part in this outcome. He had helped organize troops to defend the Fire Nation. He wore their uniform now. He had become their War Minister…
But he had turned on them as soon as his loyalty had been tested by none other than his gladiator.
His true colors had come through then. The allies he had sought acknowledgement from had turned on him as easily as that, once Aonu had obeyed the true mandate of his heart.
"Step aside," Sokka finally spoke.
Gang Hong frowned. Sokka raised his gaze towards the man.
"Step aside," he repeated.
The former leader of gladiators grimaced, but he obeyed. Aonu gasped: a flash of gratitude towards Sokka… and then he crawled towards Renzhi, who had dropped on his knees by then.
The spear was still sticking out of his chest. Blood spilled, and he could only smile in discomfort over the sensation.
"G-Gladiator…! G-get help! A healer! Anyone!" Aonu exclaimed, kneeling before Renzhi: he didn't care if his ornate clothes were stained by his friend's blood, for nothing could matter as much as saving him…
Sokka, despite himself, gave the command indeed. Sedna might be able to help, if only slightly…
But the resignation on Renzhi's face suggested he did not expect to be saved from that deadly wound.
"You… you should've just… joined me all along, you dunderhead, you…" Renzhi said, before coughing blood. Aonu's tears only spilled faster as he shook his head. "'S more fun on… on our side, you know…? More fun if… i-if you're with a friend…"
"You didn't…! You shouldn't have fought against me either, damn you!" Aonu exclaimed, his voice cracking. "I…! I never wanted this to happen! I never wanted you to…!"
"Always… always has happened… always. All of us… we've been dyin' for ages now…" Renzhi said, with a weak smile. "So now… we get to kill ourselves to feel alive, Aonu… we kill ourselves… so those who live on… can change this fucking world for us…"
Aonu shook his head: Renzhi clasped his shoulder heavily, a fragile smile upon his face.
"You're dumb," he said, with a slight laugh that became a set of coughs. "But… b-but you can do better. You… you can fight, Aonu. You have… you have much ahead of you. So… don't fucking screw it up no more, 'kay? Go out there… go out there and stop… s-stop being afraid of showing 'em who you are. Cuz… just as you are? You're… you're my friend, you idiot. My damn good friend. My sponsor. My buddy."
He laughed again: his own eyes were filled with tears as Aonu shook his head.
Sedna rushed in then: she snarled as she inspected him, ensuring that he would lie down as she attempted to heal the severe wound…
But as a number of gladiators stood around him, as Aonu knelt by that pool of blood, Sokka gritted his teeth and tightened his fists around his weapons: the noble giant, the Millennium Dragon, would be yet another casualty to Fire Nation violence, to his leadership against Ozai's forces…
"G-Gladiator…" Renzhi called. Sokka stepped forward, into his field of view, as best he could among so many people crowding him. "T-there… there you are, boss. Kid. You… you know what to do. You… you know who you are. You carry me… carry me with you. To the next battle."
The others backed off, save for Aonu and Sedna. Sokka frowned as he knelt by Renzhi: he clasped the man's forearm firmly, and Renzhi smiled a little as he applied pressure upon Sokka's forearm, too. Even if his heart screamed with despair, Sokka didn't cry.
"I carry you with me. To every battle ahead," Sokka promised. Renzhi smiled. "Thank you, Renzhi. You… you're the best of us."
"Heh… second-best. That's what I always… always was. And it ain't so bad… being second-best," Renzhi said, winking at Sokka. The Gladiator smiled a little. "Got a sponsor to save too… don't you?"
Sokka nodded. Renzhi trembled.
"Then… go, Gladiator. Take us with you… and go."
Sokka nodded one more time: he clasped him harder, and then he let go. Aonu took Renzhi's hand in his own, bent over his body as tears spilled, as the healing water failed to take…
Sokka rose to his feet, regarding the forces that had slowed down over the loss of one of their best. His visage, darkened by what had happened to his ally, translated his grief into dead-set determination.
He raised his bloodstained blade, swinging it hard towards the ground: blood splattered across the ground before he raised his weapon to rally his forces.
More gladiators stepped up to join him. Where one had fallen, more would rise. No matter the darkness that encroached around them, the Gladiator Army would follow its leader.
Their shadows shifted before Renzhi's eyes as they rose to the occasion. He heard Aonu calling him. He felt his tears dropping on his body, regardless of the excruciating pain of his death wound.
He smiled, and he closed his eyes.
