Born Lucky

by tubendo

Fire Lord Azulon once was told that bringing together the bloodlines of Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin would create great firebenders for generations to come. However, he misunderstood at what cost this blessing would come to his family and to himself personally. The cost of power is high, and the cost of perfection is ever higher.

64. Righteous Does Not Mean Good

The Fire Navy was the greatest fighting force in the Four Nations, and was rightly feared across all the seas. From the Western Seas to the Eastern Seas, from merchants to enemy officers, they were all looking over their shoulders, wondering if their ships were nearby. Captain Zhao had the honour of serving his nation, and with his promotion, he was finally given command of his vessel. However, he was not being sent to fight in any of the flashy, talked about parts of the war; he was not smashing an Earth Navy blockade in the Eastern Sea, or warding off the Northern Water Tribe in the Northern Sea. He instead found himself in the frigid Southern Isles, which might otherwise be the most uninteresting part of the world, if it weren't for the man he was serving.

His firebending instructor and one of his great inspirations, Admiral Jeong Jeong, was leading the fleet to deal with an infestation of pirates, believed to be privateers in the pocket of the Earth Kingdom. The Admiral thought that the people they were facing were even more of a danger to trade and the locals than they were to the Fire Navy, and had personally requested to the Fire Lord that he be allowed to destroy them, to relieve their merchants of the scourge of piracy. That kind of courage was rarely seen in the officer corps, and that made Zhao respect him even more. They were a force of progress, not one of destruction; their enemies would decry them for brutality, but they were the ones who would bring about the ultimate change in the world.

The Earth Navy was so weak and disorganised that they couldn't even muster the courage to face them directly. He knew that their enemies were smart for that, given that they could not muster the courage nor the resources to continue to fight them on the high seas. Pirates were usually a mix of people from all nations, with Fire Navy technology and decommissioned ships in their arsenal. Most decommissioned ships were broken down for scrap, but some wealthy individuals bought them for their merchant fleets; those fleets were raided by pirates, who then stole the well-armed and heavily armoured navy ships.

He wondered at times if they purposefully were acquiring the ships and giving them to pirates, as the pirates themselves tended to have equipment that suggested sponsorship and agreements with merchants. He would not accuse any man of aiding pirates, but it became awfully suspicious that they had spent so much time avoiding the pirates, rather than trying to root them out. The pirates were a menace, attacking as far away as the mainland, and even into the Southern Water Tribe, if the rumours were to be believed. He knew that there were traitors among the pirates, veterans who had betrayed their great nation for the sake of making some quick ban.

Zhao put that thought to the side as he looked to the island he was approaching; after speaking with a local headman, he learned that their fishermen had seen what looked like a black flagged Fire Navy vessel, presumably manned by the pirates, that had been coming and going through their waters the past few months. He guessed that the pirates were operating out of the island he had reached, or one of the nearby ones. He guessed that one, mostly because it seemed to be inhabited, with smokestacks billowing up, yet it was not marked as containing an Earth Kingdom settlement on the latest navy maps.

The Admiral's flagship was still out in the open sea, along with many other ships; Zhao had personally volunteered to go forward with his ship and scout out the area. He decided he would land on the island, and try to find any evidence of the pirates; if they were not there, they would look to the other islands. However, if he could prove his keen eye right, then he would surely earn the favour of his commanding officer. The Admiral told them that they were not to attack any Earth Kingdom settlements without clear evidence of them aiding the pirates, as this would only endanger any deals the Fire Navy had already made with those settlements.

The Captain thought that some settlements might be paying off multiple sides, playing them against each other, so they could remain safe; there was nothing unreasonable about that, but duplicity was the death of trust. He would not allow enemies of their nation to go unpunished, if they aided fiends like the pirates they were searching for. However, he was sure that unless some fishermen were coincidentally camping out on the island, from his nation or not, the smoke had to be coming from the pirates.

As they approached the shallows, he turned to face the helmsman, "Anchors away." he ordered, and the helmsman pulled a lever, which led to a solid thunk a few moments later.

The ship slowed to a halt, and Zhao turned his heels, "It's time." he declared, and gestured to the helmsman, "Order the men to muster on the steamer."

The helmsman stepped over to the speaker tube, which was used to send orders throughout the vessel, "All personnel assigned to ground combat, assemble at the steamer at once." he stated Zhao's orders, before repeating the line twice to make sure everyone heard it.

The Captain turned to face his lieutenants, who had already assembled on the bridge, expecting orders as they approached their target. They weren't much younger than him, but they knew that they had to listen to his commands, even if he was only recently promoted.

"I want the steamer out in the water in two minutes." he declared, "The catapults should be armed and poised. I expect the pirates to attack the ship if they are here."

The lieutenants nodded, and two of them made their way down the staircase, while another approached him.

"The steamer is already hoisted, Sir." Lieutenant Seon told him, and gestured towards the staircase, "Should I accompany you and the men, Sir?"

"Yes. We need as much firepower as possible. How did you fare in your firebending tests?"

"Grade three." he answered.

Zhao was grade five, the second highest, though in practice, basically no firebenders were grade six, while grade three was the kind of result he expected for any kind of firebending officer, though it was nothing to be ashamed of. Most firebenders, in his understanding, were grades one or two; grades were of little concern to enlistees, who were trained hard to maximise their firebending strength, while for an officer, higher grades were a necessity to ensure one was promoted and respected by one's subordinates. If one had to fight an Agni Kai, one's grade would certainly predict the outcome, unless one was an exceptionally plucky and resourceful fighter.

"That will be enough against pirates." he admitted, "At your rank, you will be forced to fight more often than not." he warned him, and the Lieutenant raised a brow.

"I mean no offence, Captain Zhao, but are you not coming to fight with us?"

"Do I look like a coward to you?" he questioned him back, and the Lieutenant bowed his head down.

"I never meant to imply as such. I have seen you train. You are more than capable of handling these pirates."

"I am." he declared, before sighing, knowing that being so cocky would only earn him the ire of his subordinates; he wanted their loyalty, above all else, "But do not sell yourself short, Lieutenant. If you can kill them, that is enough."

"I will." he assured him, and with that, the two of them made their way down the staircase.

It didn't take long to reach the steamer, which was ready, and already filled with firebenders and non-bending men, ready to fight. They were not as well equipped as they could have otherwise been, but the navy was usually reliant on their weaponry, and not their men. He would make sure to request better equipment if they were to be expected to undertake more ground assaults.

"Good morning, men." he addressed them, "I am sure you are eager to see these pirates burnt to a crisp, and I assure you, that's what we'll do today." he explained his intentions, before climbing aboard, "However, I must warn you, these pirates will be well armed. It is not cowardice to take cover... and I expect we will have to. However, I want to try and catch them off guard. So, there is to be no speaking once we are ashore, and you will avoid making any noise at all. Am I understood?"

"Yessir!" they chanted, and he smirked.

"Then let's go kill us some pirates." he declared, and he gestured to the man operating the winch, "We're ready to drop."

"Three, two, one!" the operator gave them fair warning, before the steamer was released into the water, splashing and rocking for a few moments before the engine hummed to life.

He glanced over and saw the man at the helm charging it up with his firebending, and the craft began to move towards the shore, slowly at first, though it began to speed up with each passing moment. They were cresting over waves, and the motion forced the Captain to grab hold off a support bar, leaning his head out a window to watch as they drew towards the shoreline.

The craft did begin to slow down as the waves became bigger, growing as they began to crest and fall onto the sands. The steamer drew to a halt quickly enough, and he could feel the sand run against the hull beneath him. Zhao leapt out of the steamer, his boots falling into the shallow water; he trudged through the shallows, out onto the sand, and raised a fist up, telling his men to remain silent. The steamer had been loud enough, but the waves might have covered up their arrival.

He slowly made his way across the beach, his eyes scanning across the treeline for any signs of life; he didn't see any animals, not that he expected many large creatures to make such an island home, but he thought he might come across a seabird at least. Zhao didn't see any signs of people; no burnt out campfires, nor any tracks, though they were on the opposite side of the island from the smokestacks that he had spotted. So, he approached the treeline cautiously, expecting that the pirates might have already seen them. However, he was not just going to stand there and take a beating.

As he came under the cover of the trees, the light of the morning sun faded, and his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the woods; that was when he spotted what had to be a few people. They were wearing cloaks covered in leaves and mud, but the shapes they formed couldn't be mistaken for anything other than people standing while hunched over. Zhao pretended he didn't notice them, and turned around, gesturing for his men to spread out; he didn't want them to fall prey to arrow fire or worse, a barrage of rocks from a cocky earthbender.

He slowly made his way further ahead, and saw the shapes fall behind the trees, as they must have realised he would move towards their position. He heard more rustling, and his eyes darted down to see what was just a rather large, but harmless rodent. However, he didn't let the creature distract him, and tried to find his targets once more. Zhao couldn't spot them, so he decided to do the first thing that came to mind. He would have to flush them out; it would not harm his efforts, given they already knew of their presence; it was only a matter of time before they alerted their comrades further across the island.

So Zhao let out a scream, "Run back to the beach!" he told his men, in case any of them had made it into the woods.

The figures stood back up, and Zhao threw his hands into the air, conjuring up a massive wall of flames, engulfing the trees around him, and threw it forward into the forest, burning through it in moments, the fire didn't consume everything, but he heard their screams and shouts, and when the attack dissipated, all he saw was a forest fire. Smoke filled his nostrils, and he turned to run back to the beach.

When he returned there, his men looked a bit disoriented, and Lieutenant Seon looked confused, "Captain, why did you do that? I thought we were trying to keep the element of surprise."

"That was the surprise." he gestured behind him, "That will flush them out!" he told the others, "The beach is the safest place during a fire." he explained, before gesturing to a nearby stream, "Move up that stream, you will find anyone who I didn't just immolate." he gave his orders, and the men ran over to the stream and began to make their way up its course, while the fire consumed the forest around them.

He turned to face Seon, and gestured to the woods, "Well, Lieutenant, are we going to find these fools and punish them, or are you going to stand there with your mouth agape?" he asked him, and the Lieutenant lit his palms with fire, and paced towards the burning forest.

"Piracy is punishable by death." he reminded him of the specificities of the penal code, "Let us put an end to their misery."

Zhao grinned, finally glad to have him thinking in the right mindset.

"Their misery has only just begun."

---

Though she was not usually one to be overly self-aware about the way in which she walked, talked, and stood, Ty Lee had good reason to do so when she was out in the streets of Kouwan. Her gaze darted around the street, wondering if she might be being watched. She had tried to be as cautious as possible when leaving the Gubernatorial Palace, but she could not be certain nobody had seen and identified her. Pretending to fall sick part-way through lunch was the easy part, but escaping the palace itself had been a challenge. She had had to climb out her window while nobody was around, close it, and leave no trace of her departure, before sneaking her way past the guards that were stationed around the place.

She was wearing the garbs of a commoner, and had done her hair in a different style, allowing her brown locks to fall over her face, while she tied them up low around her back. However, she could not change her face, even if she got rid of her make-up and dirtied her face to try and make herself look as unseemly as possible; following some earlier advice from Azula, she made sure to make her posture more stooped and reserved than it would usually be, so nobody would immediately identify her off of how she stood. She was already some distance away from the palace, and felt confident that the personal guards and servants of the Governor would not spot her, though she had much more important people to worry about: the very spies the Governor was supposedly allowing to lurk in his town.

She began by visiting the most obvious places she imagined spies would lurk; they were there to gather and send off information, so the best places for them to meet would be public and busy, where they would blend in with everyone else. She went to the town square, and tried to find anyone she could suspect of being an agent; she didn't have any real clues beyond just reading their aura. Their demeanours would seem either stilted and fake, or overly serious, given the nature of their work. Some of them might have been very good liars, not unlike her friend, but she expected most wouldn't be that good.

However, to her frustration, she did not find anyone. The people in the square were just ordinary people, going about their business; most were going shopping at the various market stalls that were set up, or meeting with friends. She eavesdropped on some of the conversations, but only found them to be talking about the most mindless topics. The weather, the price of food, and gossip about local scandals, and not the interesting kinds; it was infidelity, petty crimes, and familial disputes. Ty Lee was hoping to hear about something that personally interested her, like romance, or something that would give her some idea about the spies that were hiding in the town.

Ty Lee was in the middle of having a snack that she bought from one of the stalls, when somebody of interest did catch her eye. Not because they were dressed suspicious, but because she recognised them. It was one of the servants from the Gubernatorial Palace, dressed in a manner to probably try and disguise their identity so they wouldn't be recognised. However, as she had only just recently met the servant, his face was fresh in her mind.

She kept her eyes on the servant, who was making his way through the square, before approaching a stranger who had been sitting eating their lunch; she noticed that stranger was dressed like any other worker, though their demeanour told her they were uneasy in the situation, which was immediately of interest. Sitting and eating lunch would be so uninteresting and normal to an actual worker that they would eat without a care in the world. Ty Lee approached the pair, hoping to get a listen in on what they were saying, pretending she was heading over to another stall nearby.

She caught the tail end of a sentence, and was unsure what exactly they were discussing, only hearing the servant's voice, "-and you think she isn't meant to be here?" he asked the stranger, who took a bite from his meal before replying.

"It's not a matter of meaning. Kouwan is off the expected route. There are two obvious possibilities." he clarified, and Ty Lee knew that they had to be discussing Azula's party coming to town.

"The Governor is not going to do anything without some serious guarantees. Plausible deniability is a necessity." the servant quietly gave some demands, though they were vague.

"He'll have that. I will have somebody come deliver some supplies tonight, and he'll have his plan." he explained, and patted the servant on the shoulder, "Go get your lunch, and get back to work. Your intel on the party is helpful, but there is only so much it can do for us."

Ty Lee understood what was going on, though she could not be sure what the spies were planning, nor what the Governor's men would have to do with it. She stood in line at the stall, waiting for the man to finish his lunch, before he got up and began to walk away. She gave him a few moments, before she broke out of line; she eyed around the town square, wondering if the man had spotters, making sure that he wasn't being followed. She could not be sure, so she decided to follow him to the edge of the square, before stopping and eyeing around the area.

She made out three people who left the square, all of them having been standing by what could be considered vantage points. She did not make out their faces, and neither could be sure they had anything to do with the stranger, but with them no longer watching, she could follow him with a little more confidence. Ty Lee made her way down the street after him, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible; she saw him enter a building that sat just off the main street, and though she could continue following, she still had the three others in the back of her head.

Before reaching the street where he turned off, she stepped off down an alleyway, deciding to wait and see if any of the other strangers would follow. She hid herself behind a rubbish chute, and waited there patiently. Not long after she crouched herself down, she spotted one of the strangers, who eyed down the alley, before continuing along. They must have seen her, but she could not be sure if they believed she had really just gone off, or if they were playing a game of pig-chicken with her. She would not lose, because she had no intention of being seen.

Ty Lee continued down the alleyway, turned around the corner, and rounded the block to arrive at the building the man had entered. She stopped herself before getting any closer, watching the other three approach and enter, with one person remaining at the entrance, presumably to stand guard. She could not figure out an easy way inside the building that wouldn't have her seen by the guard, but she assumed like most of the other buildings, there would be a rear entrance in an alleyway, or at the very least, a window through which she might be able to climb. The alternative would be entering via the roof, but that would require her finding a suitable path up. She might have been a skilled acrobat, but even she needed some leverage to climb on; she was not some kind of bug that could scale any wall.

She moved back down to the crossroads, and then continued on past the building to approach the rear alley. She stepped inside, and tried to minimise herself, not wanting to be seen if there was a guard at the rear. It took a few quick glances to see that there was in fact a man standing by the rear of the building. So, Ty Lee, with little other choice, began to scale up the closest ladder she could find, and then off of some poorly fixed bricks once there was no more ladder to climb. With little struggle, she made her way to the roof of the block of buildings. They were all built up beside each other, making it easy for her to cross over from one to another once she reached the top.

She made her way across the rooftops, and once she was on top of the target building, she eyed all the possible entrances; there were a few chimneys on the roof, as well some holes in the peaked roof that would allow air to ventilate in. However, none of those were viable ways for her to get in, given she was a person, not a cat. She did however spot a window, which despite its narrow size, seemed viable enough. She opened it up, and glanced inside, seeing that she was looking into a small washroom.

Legs first, she slid down through the narrow window into the room, before she made sure to lock the door that led out of the room. She couldn't have anyone just coming inside while she was trying to eavesdrop. She knew the building she was in was some kind of residential complex, and not really a suitable place to hide people, let alone store things like weapons and other things the spies might use in an attack. She imagined they were going to use weapons from the barracks or from the Governor's own arsenal if they decided to attack Azula.

What she had already heard told her they intended to do something that evening, and it was now up to her to figure out what that plan entailed. She could hear voices below her, but they were heavily muffled by the number of floors between her and the people, so she decided she would have to sneak down to a lower floor and listen in from there. Ty Lee stepped over to the door, and listened out for any footsteps. She didn't hear any, and unlocked the door, before stepping out into the hallway.

It was dimly lit, but she immediately found the staircase, slowly approaching it before she glanced down, checking again for any signs of people. She could hear voices nearby, in the floor directly below, but again, distance, walls, and floors muffled whatever they were saying to the point she only heard nonsense. She slowly made her way down the stairs, and once on the lower floor, she approached where she could hear the voices, sitting herself beside the cover of a cabinet while she listened in on the conversation.

"By the spirits, we need some better bloody tea." she heard a man complain, "This stuff is really awful."

"Don't blame me, Arashi. Our budget is tight." she heard the voice of a woman, "We've got to have enough saved up in case we need to leave."

"We're here because the other colonies aren't safe." the other man, presumably Arashi, responded, "Where would we go after this? The Spirit World?" he joked, and the woman seemed not so amused by his jest.

"We'll be headed to our graves if we don't have any money." she retorted, "So, let's just hope these rumours about the Princess are true. We might finally get a break, and if we're lucky, a promotion."

"Promotions aren't coming anytime soon." he mumbled, "You're an idiot if you think they're gonna give us better jobs just because we snag the Princess."

"She's the second- third most important hostage we could have. Remember that." she told him, and then, she heard some shuffling around, and Ty Lee tensed up, unsure if she ought to get out of the way to avoid being spotted.

"So, what's the point of all of this? Get the Fire Lord to freak out and send an army to find her?" he asked her, and she laughed.

"If we're lucky, yeah... but I imagine that there is a plan to get Prince Zuko as well. If we do this fast enough, there will be nobody in the way of the Prince's ascension." she argued; Ty Lee furrowed a brow, wondering if the people she was listening to actually had any decent knowledge about the plot, or if they were just grunts.

"This spat would be over, and we could finally finish the war." Arashi acknowledged what would result from such an achievement; she thought he might have had a rather positive view on things, but the implication of his words was not lost on her.

She stood up and began to move away, deciding she would go lower in the building and try to listen to somebody else. If she could find the man she had spotted in the town square, then she was sure she could get some solid intel on their plans. She paced back over to the staircase, and tried to listen out for footsteps or voices; she could hear people in the floor below, but she couldn't make out any footsteps, at least close by. So, with a little confidence, she made her way down the stairs, entering another hallway. She could hear the voices more clearly, and there were clearly more people in the conversation she could hear at that moment. She made her way down towards the room, and began to listen in.

"There's only a dozen guards with her." she heard somebody speak up, and she did recognise that voice as belonging to the stranger she had seen earlier, "What that tells me is that the Governor's men would be able to apprehend her without much of a fight."

"We are not aiming to see the Governor and all his guards killed by Imperial Firebenders." another voice, more stern, spoke up in return, "You are a fool if you think they can win. We would barely stand a chance. It's only numbers that will give us victory."

"Unless we find a way to draw them out." another voice suggested, "They are compelled to protect her highness... so, they will address any threat when they find it."

"The Princess is smarter than you or I. She will at least be acting under the assumption that agents are in this town." the second voice declared, his assumptions correct, though she was unsure if he could figure out all aspects of Azula's plan, "She will anticipate an attack, and thus, the Imperial Firebenders will remain inside, even if we were to threaten the public... which isn't a smart idea if we are outed. The Governor cannot protect us from reprisals from the garrison, or the public themselves."

"So what then?" another voice asked, "How can we do our duty?"

"We must distract the enemy." the second voice declared, "The Princess must believe we will attack, so we must draw her attention elsewhere."

"Where, exactly?" the last person who spoke questioned, "I can't imagine we can do anything that would get her guards to leave her if she anticipates an attack."

"The only thing the Princess would fall for is something that everyone already anticipates." he argued, "We send in a forged letter from the capital, claiming the Fire Lord has been assassinated and that Prince Zuko has seized power."

"That... would that work?" the same voice asked, "I can't say that will leave the Princess without protection."

"Not if she tries to leave for the capital. If she goes to the port, and demands a ship, we could intercede then. In the chaos, we seize her, and take her to a hideout." he explained, and Ty Lee was impressed by the idea, though it clearly wouldn't work now that she was listening in.

"We should have multiple plans." the stranger she had heard earlier spoke up, "As much as such a trick might be believable, we cannot rely on it. If she already anticipates some trick, we must have layers of lies."

"If we split ourselves up, independently form plots, and then enact them, we might have a chance." another voice noted, "That may just work, sir."

"We cannot rely on subterfuge alone. The Princess will see some of us coming, but not all of us." he declared, "Go off and form some plans. Do not tell each other anything, beyond the timing of the plans. That will ensure we do not run into each other and foil ourselves."

"Should we perhaps be given times, sir?" the second voice asked, and he hummed.

"Good thinking. I will make a lot." he declared, and she heard some shuffling noises before he dropped something, probably on the table, given she heard some wooden thunks and thuds, "Pull from the lot. Whoever gets the shortest will go and form a plan for this evening."

"Should we keep the increased security in mind, sir?" somebody asked, "I mean, if the first plan fails, it becomes harder for each subsequent plan."

"You should consider that in your planning, obviously." he argued, before tapping something wooden, "Where are Arashi and Mian?"

"Probably playing Pai Sho or something." somebody accused, though Ty Lee knew that they were upstairs discussing potential plans, the same as everyone else.

"Go find them." the leader demanded, "I want them to take from the lots as well."

Ty Lee realised that her position would be compromised as soon as somebody came out to find Arashi and Mian; so, she dashed over to the closest doorway, checked inside by pushing it ajar, before she stepped inside. It was an empty room, with a few bunks, where she guessed some of the spies slept. She thought to abuse the chance encounter by rummaging through the bags and shelves, looking for anything of interest. She found a few weapons, some tools, and then a scroll.

Opening it up, she scanned her eyes down in, finding that it was an Intelligence Service report, dated to a few months prior, telling her about the operations of rebel groups in the northwestern provinces. Presumably, the spies she was spying upon had taken part in the infiltration of those groups. She guessed that they might play a role in their plans, if they could manipulate some local agitators into attacking Azula, who might actually assume they were attacking her due to their nationalist zeal, rather than at the behest of the spies. Now, she would know to anticipate that.

Ty Lee stepped back over to the door, listening for footsteps; she heard what had to be a small group, making their way down the stairs and back to the room where the meeting was taking place. She heard the door open and close, and she wondered if she was pushing her luck. At that very moment, she knew a lot more about the spies than they knew about Azula and her own plans, and that would remain the case as long as she wasn't spotted.

She pushed the door open, eyed out the hallway, and when she saw it was open, she made a break for it. Ty Lee didn't waste any time scaling the staircase, before she returned to the washroom; she didn't know what their plans would be, but she knew exactly where to send men to arrest the spies. All they needed to do was make sure the Governor didn't try anything, given the amount of guards and servants he had to do his bidding.

"You idiots." she mocked the spies who were formulating all their useless plans two floors below her, "We've already won."

---

The smell of ash and smoke was still thick in the air, but the enemy had been utterly routed. Commander Zhao was sure that the Fire Lord would hear of his victory, and he hoped to receive some commendations for it. However, he was far more pleased to see traitors put in their rightful place, on their knees, or in the ground. He did not know how many had died in the shelling, or the following explosion, but he had seen a dozen men fall before him. The Commander might have been a good firebender, but he hadn't even had to hit that many of them; his men were more than eager to take down the enemy, and restrained most of them, though a few died before he had a chance to interrogate them.

Now, all the traitors had been pulled from the rubble of the mines, or beaten into submission, and were lined up before him. He had a flame lit in his palm as he eyed each of them, who had a man standing behind them, ready to execute them on the spot if he so ordered them to do so. Treason was treason, though he was mostly using the threat of death as a tool, rather than relishing in the brutality; he wanted answers, and the Princess demanded results.

"I will only ask you this once." he spoke up, "Where is War Minister Qin?" he asked them, knowing that his men had not found him in the hideout, and nor had they found any evidence of him.

The prisoners remained silent, so Zhao approached the first in the line, who was older than the other men; he must have been a senior, experienced agent, who had served their nation for many years. He would not break as easily, but he knew that; so, hurting him would only serve to scare the others into answering his questions.

"You there, what is your name?" he asked, and the man eyed him with contempt.

"Li." he answered, and Zhao snickered; that could have been a pseudonym, or simply his actual name.

He didn't care, and leaned in closer, placing his flame-covered palm beside Li's head, "Are you deaf, Li?"

"I knew what I signed up for." the agent declared, before eyeing him, "Would you side with the enemies of our nation over patriots?"

"I serve my Fire Lord." he declared, before reaching his other hand over his jaw, forcing his mouth open, and readying his flames, "Any last words?" he asked, mostly as a joke, as he knew he could not speak while he had his mouth forced open like that.

Another agent turned and shouted out, "Stop!" he pleaded, "Don't kill him!"

"I need more than your cries, boy." he warned him, while Li looked to have completely accepted his fate.

"The Minister isn't here!" he told him, and Zhao sighed, before letting go of Li's jaw, and stepped over to the other agent, eyeing him intently.

"That is the most helpful response I've heard all day." he sarcastically quipped, "I might just have to reward you for it." he threatened him rather bluntly as he readied flames in both his palms; the agent cringed in fear and dropped his head down.

"You won't find him." Li spoke up once more, "Don't hurt the boy." he requested, his tone firm and resolute, "It won't get you any closer."

"No, but it will tell you fools that this is not a game." he argued, before raising a hand.

"Split the group in two. If you do not tell me everything you know about the Minister and his plot, then I will have half of you drowned... I'm not merciful enough to just immolate you." he warned them, and his men picked up a few of the prisoners, taking half of them, "That is more than you traitors deserve."

"W-wait, please!" the agent who had answered before screamed out, "I can-"

"Stop being a fool!" Li snapped back at him, obviously not wanting him to answer, "The Prince will do far worse than kill you if you betray him."

"I'm listening." Zhao turned his attention back to Li, before eyeing the other agents, "Are any of you willing to show that you care for your fellow men? Do you have any honour?"

"Do you?" one of the agents asked him, and Zhao smiled, drawing his fist back before throwing it forward, his flame-covered hand colliding with his head and knocking him out cold.

As he slumped over, his hair was set alight, and the Commander gave him the courtesy of killing the flames before he ended up permanently bald.

"I do not have patience for your games." he warned them, and stepped closer to the other agents who were still on their knees, "So, where is he?"

"The Minister is gone. He was here." one of the agents declared, "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"No, I want details. What was his reason for being here?"

"To evade the authorities." he declared, "I thought you would have already figured that out."

"No, I did, but I am interested in his actual plans." he explained, "The Minister is purported to have possession of schematics that will be used for weapons to threaten many lives. The lives of your fellow countrymen, not of those lessers that you were sent here to repress." he explained his reasons for even interrogating them, "Do you understand how many people will suffer because of him?" he asked them, and the prisoners seemed at least somewhat swayed.

Gone were their serious expressions, and now, their eyes only showed fear and inner conflict.

He stepped closer to the agent who spoke, "So, will you tell me what you know about that?"

"We were not cleared for that intelligence." he admitted, "Please, that is the truth. The Prince wouldn't trust any agent with such plans, if you're telling us the truth."

"But some of you are nosy, greedy little shits." he retorted, pointing an accusing finger towards the line of men, "Who has less of a conscience than the rest?"

One of the agents stood himself up and bowed his head down, "I read the documents." he admitted, and the other agents looked at him with concerned faces.

"What the fuck are you-" one of them began, and Zhao shot a fireball into his chest to silence him.

"And what did they tell you?"

"I am no engineer, but they were designs for a flying craft. There were a lot of details, notes, and numbers that I didn't understand."

"How many designs?" Zhao asked, believing that the agent was actually being truthful.

"Three. One of them was small, for one or two people, the other two were bigger. One was one designed for bombardment, and the other for transport." he explained, and the Commander scrunched his lips; this suggested that Ozai was planning to build those flying craft for his own plans, whether they be for the defeat of the Fire Lord, or to continue the war with the other nations.

He raised his chin, and turned around to face his lieutenants, who had been writing down a transcript of what the prisoners were saying, "You got that?" he asked, and they nodded, "The Fire Lord will be immediately informed of this. The Ministry of War must be thoroughly investigated for any missing funds."

"That is not within your authority."

"But it is within Prince Zuko's, and he, unlike me, will not just capture those fools responsible for making these weapons." he explained, not having to elaborate any further; they would have heard the stories about what happened to Commander Houken, "Take them away!" he demanded, "You get to live to another day."

"What if he isn't telling the truth about the designs, sir?" Lieutenant Long asked him, and Zhao laughed.

"Oh, well, he understands the promise of violence." he assured him, "Liars will be punished accordingly... and the Princess will surely have an answer once she goes to the Northern Air Temple."

"Commander!" he heard Laoying shout out, and he turned to see him approaching with a cart full of mostly intact scrolls, "We got every letter we could recover." he explained what he had achieved after entering the mines.

"And what do they say?"

"There are many names in these letters, but they are fond of using codenames and pseudonyms." he explained, and Zhao sighed.

"The interrogators have their work cut out for them." he grumbled, frustrated that they would not be able immediately cut apart Prince Ozai's conspiracy with the haul of letters, "Are there any locations of interest mentioned?"

"Uh, yes, there are, sir." Laoying nodded, and he picked out one letter, "You should read this one, sir. Dated to two weeks ago."

He unfurled the letter, which was tarred a bit, but the words inside were still legible. His eyes widened as he realised what and where it was referring to. The letter spoke of some connections agents had made in the town of Kouwan, which was notably the provincial capital, located some distance inland from Haobu, towards the northern coast. Most importantly, he understood that that town would be on the Princess' path travelling east towards the Northern Air Temple overland, so she was most likely going to stop in the town.

The traitors didn't probably know that, but they would immediately recognise her. The letter spoke of their grip on the various sections of local administration, including the military garrison. It did not mention the Governor, but that made sense, as if the letter was to accidentally fall into the hands of loyalists, they might arrest him, and thus, break any power the traitors might hold through a crackdown.

"This is concerning." he admitted, and turned to face his men, "The Princess may be in grave danger in Haobu. It is our obligation to come to her aid, so I will be sending a detachment to the town at once."

"Sir, it's at least half a day's ride from here, if we travel on foot." Long warned him, "We might not be able to reach her in time."

"I know that." he conceded, "But we cannot do nothing. If the traitors seize her, then this will only embolden them elsewhere. We cannot let them take the upper hand." he declared, before gesturing back towards the ships, "I will organise this at once. Bring the traitors to my ship. I am sure they might have more to say after a few days without food."

His men picked up each of the prisoners and began to take them back towards his flagship, while the Commander paced along down the street, eyeing the destruction wrought by the explosion and his own shelling; he knew it was wrong for the colonials to suffer because of his own heavy-handed response, so he would make sure things were made right in the end.

He would request to the Fire Lord that aid be sent to the settlement at once, so they could rebuild any destroyed infrastructure, and hopefully, reopen the mines quickly, so their livelihoods would not be ruined. Knowing that his Fire Lord was a kind, honourable man, he was sure that making such a request might ultimately earn him favour, which was exactly what he wanted. No matter if he thought he was doing the right thing, he knew that if it benefitted him, that made it all the more right; Zhao loved when things coincided like that, because it made him feel both righteous and victorious. More often than not, it was hard to be both, and he had long foregone the idea of being a truly righteous, upstanding officer; that was not a way to find oneself promoted and gain power and respect in the military.

He realised that it might be possible to do both, especially given the Fire Lord was far different from his father; they might have both been great strategists and firebenders, but Iroh was a different kind of ruler, and even a different kind of leader, back when he had been out in the field. Zhao needed to prove to him that he was worthy of his respect, and hopefully, of a promotion to the rank of Admiral, the last to elude him.

He smiled at the thought of gaining the rank once he had smashed a rebel fleet to scrap, and sent the rebel officers straight to the Boiling Rock; it was no North Pole, no grand victory, but he would be the man who saved the homeland from a blockade, and his fellow sailors from a needless fight against their own countrymen. Perhaps it would earn him more respect, from the men who served him, and the common people who would be saved from the civil war that would surely devastate their great nation. Perhaps, that would be enough.

As he approached the port, he saw Colonel Taka speaking with his subordinates, seeming agitated, probably about how Zhao had so flagrantly ignored his authority; he meant the man no ill will, but he had to make sure to smash the traitors before they escaped, or worse, sabotaged his own ships. Taka turned to face him, and stepped in the way, presumably wanting to discuss what had just happened.

"Commander, I think I am deserved at least some explanation for all this... houses burnt down, people seriously hurt. The people I am meant to protect."

"If you wanted to protect them, you would have already rooted out the rot festering here." he retorted, "The traitors are mine, and they will no longer impede on your own duties. How many ships have they sabotaged, how many messages have they sent through your port?" he asked, and he grimaced; he did not know, obviously, but he could imagine what his incompetence had led to.

"I- I..." he stammered, lost for words, "Protocol exists for a reason, Commander." he argued, "You cannot just treat your fellow men like tools. I ought to be afforded respect!" he declared, and Laoying stepped forward.

"The Commander was trying to keep you and your men uninvolved. If they had died fighting the traitors... would you feel any better to have known the truth?" he asked him a rather straight-forward question; the Colonel's pride might have been tarnished, but his own subordinates were safe because of Zhao's intervention.

"No." he admitted, "I am glad that you dealt with them so swiftly... and I must ask, what will be done now? The mines are in tatters. The people here will be out of work, unable to meet the quotas expected by the companies that own the mines." he explained, and the Commander sighed.

"I assure you, the Fire Lord will be informed of what happened, and I am confident he will send aid and compensation to ensure the people here do not suffer any more than they already have." he assured him of what he intended to do, "Now, may you let me pass? Her highness might be in serious danger."

"Danger?" he questioned, "What do you mean?"

"There are traitors afoot elsewhere. She may not realise it, but she requires my aid... or perhaps ours. Would you be willing to put your men on the line to protect her?"

"Of course!" he declared, "Show me the evidence, and I will gladly aid her highness."

Zhao offered him the document, and his eyes scanned over it; he was not sure he could trust Taka, but putting the news out in the open would surely force him to aid him, even if he wasn't really on his side. Depriving him of men would mean that if any treachery was revealed, he would have less means by which to protect himself from the consequences of that treason.

He handed him back the report, and nodded, "I understand. I can provide you with men for an expedition. I would go myself, but my duties are here, to ensure none of our enemies are able to take this settlement."

"Of course." Zhao nodded, smirking as he realised he had gotten exactly what he wanted; no matter his loyalty, Taka's reputation would now be tied to his own.

The Commander gestured towards his ship, "You are welcome to join me in organising this expedition. My men will be leaving as soon as they have their equipment and directions." he explained his own plans, and the Colonel gave a curt bow.

"I will. Her highness will need all the support we can provide." he assured him, and with that, they continued making their way back towards Zhao's flagship, which lay close to the end of the pier, out into the bay.

The Commander noted that there were new ships out in the waters beyond the bay, which weren't his ships, given that he could identify them from their flags and specific markings on the sides of the vessels. He gestured for Laoying to approach and hand him his spyglass; he took it and opened it up, before peering through. He eyed the ships, and could not identify their markings, though he was sure one of his trained spotters would. He did, however, notice that the Fire Navy banner was flipped upside down on each of the ships, which was concerning; that was either a sign that the ships were in distress, or worse, that they were signifying their loyalty to the rebel cause.

"That cannot be good." he mumbled to himself, before handing the spyglass to Taka so he could see what he had; the Colonel came to the same conclusion, and turned around.

"Prepare the catapults!" he shouted down the pier, "Enemy ships approaching!"

His men ran back towards the base located within the port, and Zhao began to run towards the ships; he waved his hands up, hoping to get the attention of the men operating the catapults.

"Turn around!" he shouted out, hoping they would hear his directions and do so, so they might have a chance at actually disabling the enemy ships before they came closer and tried to do the same to them.

His men were not far behind him, and he could see that the ships in the bay were beginning to move, having spotted the enemy vessels. What followed was a flurry of fireballs being tossed from one ship to another; most of the initial shots missed, though one of his vessels was bombarded, and its catapults exploded right on the deck. By the time he reached his ship, the enemy ships were drawing near, and the exchange of fire was causing a lot of damage on both sides. His own vessel was spared, if only because it was further away from the enemy ships, and thus, a more challenging target to strike.

He sprinted up the landing ramp, and up onto the deck, where the catapult operators were quick at work, firing off flaming balls into the nearest enemy ship, whose superstructure was smashed to bits by two simultaneous hits. He winced at the sight, knowing that in the end, they would not be able to salvage most of the ships they were about to fight. He would much prefer to do so, knowing they needed every ship they could take to sea. He shouted up to the bridge, knowing what needed to be done.

"Raise the bow!" he ordered, and watched as a few of his lieutenants and about two dozen men made their way abroad before the bow was raised. Most of them were still on the pier, but there was nothing he could do about that.

They needed to leave the pier if they hoped to keep a functioning flagship, which was the best armed ship in his armada. The men would just have to wait, and if need be, protect Haobu from a landing force.

When a flaming boulder coursed towards Zhao, he let out a visceral scream, "Fire streams, now!"

Their flames coursed from their fists, and collided with the fireball. The light was overwhelming, and fear consumed him. He would not die, he would not fail; he had fought so many battles, and yet, his name would not be remembered. He needed to live, and he needed to make his mark; so he did not move, and he let all his power out at that moment. He was Zhao, he did not need a title to be a great man. The enemies of the Fire Lord would rue the day they tried to make a fool of him.

---

There were only a few options for Azula, and none of them were enticing; she regretted even listening to her brother and travelling to Kouwan. The intention had been to reveal the plots that were presently at play in the settlement, and use that information as a justification to have the Governor deposed, if he could be reasonably linked to her father's side. Ty Lee had seen and heard evidence of this connection, and had found where the spies were operating from.

She knew she ought to be pleased that things had run smoothly so far, but Ty Lee had learned that the enemy was not foolish enough to simply assume Azula was ignorant of their plotting. She had told Azula that they had intended to split up and develop plans independently, frustratingly she did not have the chance to hear any of them out, beyond eavesdropping on their conversation and ascertaining their base of operations. That meant that she had no idea what exactly they would do, beyond simply assuming they would probably involve the Governor and his men in whatever traps ended up being set.

So, as a backup for herself, she wrote a letter, addressed to the garrison commander, which she would have taken to him in the scenario she found herself captured or unable to leave the Gubernatorial Palace. That would have the garrison raid the compound the spies were using, and hopefully, capture enough of them that they would be able to hunt down the rest and neutralise the threat. However, Azula could not just do that herself, knowing that if the Governor suspected her, she would be captured, or simply attacked on the spot, which would further endanger her life and the lives of her party.

Though she did not expect that any one person could pose a real threat to her, if the spies were actually competent, they would have surely thought up ways to neutralise her, either by incapacitation or by defeating her head on through some other means. So, she wanted to hold off from such a fight for as long as possible.

It was already coming towards their dinner time, and the sun was already at the western horizon. She had spent the afternoon memorising a map of the town, and any key locations she might have to reach in the case of fighting. The Governor would probably send a servant to her soon, to fetch her so she could have her meal. She knew that the servants would probably check her notes, so she stuffed them under her bed for safe-keeping while she went off to Ty Lee's room once again.

She stepped out of the room, and made her way across the hallway; a servant was watching her, though not with any activeness. However, she was surely waiting for the chance to check out the room; she just hoped her notes were well hidden enough, and stepped into Ty Lee's room, as the door was unlocked. She was sitting on her bed, meditating, and turned her head, her lips forming a smile.

"So, do you have an idea?"

"A few." she conceded, before closing the door behind her.

"We must be quiet." she warned her, before sitting herself on the bed beside her.

"That's fine." Ty Lee whispered, "Are we going to their hideout?"

"No." she refused that idea, "The Governor will suspect us if we leave. We need to neutralise him first, if we are to try and attack them."

"That will be an issue." she mumbled, "The guards and servants are all doing his bidding, loyally. We can't trust them."

"I know that." she assured her, "So we have two realistic options."

"Which are?"

"Give up the pretences." she suggested the more dangerous option, at least in the immediate term, "We either try to leave the town and give up our plans, or just fight our way through. Either way, we don't bother pretending. The Governor dies, his lackeys die if they try to protect him... you get the picture."

Her friend cautiously nodded, and her uneasy face told her that she didn't think that was the best idea.

"The other option is... surgical. We neutralise all the guards, servants, and anyone who could possibly inform on the spies or other authorities who might aid the Governor. Then we arrest him and have him hand over his authority to me." Azula explained her other option, "The plotters will surely come after me, but I hope we can be fast enough that the garrison can find most of them and arrest them before they cause any more trouble. If they do atack, they prove that they are terrorists, and paint some massive targets on their heads. Either way, we win."

"But we'd have to arrest the Governor, and get everyone to follow your orders." she explained the requirements of such a plan, "How can we be sure they will?"

"I am a Princess of the Fire Nation." Azula declared, placing her hands on her hips, "If they disobey me, and such an action is not in obeying a command of the Fire Lord, it is treason."

"To a traitor, not so much." Ty Lee warned her, and the Princess smirked.

"Well, I don't expect every single garrison soldier here to be a traitor. That would simply be implausible." she argued, "Some of them must hold faith in their Fire Lord, and they will aid me."

"So... which of those are we doing?" she asked her, and Azula felt conflicted, as she knew that fleeing, despite the optics, was the far safer option.

She could surely travel to Haobu, gather troops there after Zhao dealt with the traitors, and bring them back to destroy the Governor and her father's agents. However, she was not sure that such a plan would work, and in that scenario, she still expected to have to deal with the spies, who would be anticipating her fleeing the settlement, given they had to prepare for the possibility that she was aware of their presence.

Dealing with the Governor immediately, and preventing him from enlisting the aid of other traitors, that was ultimately in her interest; she had no idea how deep their grip was in the colonies, so allowing them to link up and form a united front, openly standing against the Fire Lord, would surely turn some more impartial minds toward her father's side. She needed his conspiracy to be running, hiding, and scattered; if they weren't, they could actually have a chance of victory, which was completely unacceptable.

"We must stop the traitors before they have a chance to do anything." she declared, "We came here to deal with them. Running now is just foolish."

"Alright." Ty Lee nodded, and stood up, "So, we should tell the guards, then."

"They're already preparing for the possibility of having seize control of the palace. It's only a matter of giving them the word." she explained, before she got up and approached the door, "Just remember, once we start, we cannot turn back."

"You're the one with the power to choose, so I don't think you need to tell me that." she argued, before offering her a hand, "I'll watch your back, Azula."

"And I'll watch yours." she gave her the complementary response, and shook her hand.

With that, the two of them stepped out of the bedroom, and approached the staircase, leading them down to where the guards were staying; most of them were standing guard around the palace, but some would be off-duty, taking their well-valued rest time. She knew that they could not truly be resting, at least in mind, as they had to anticipate whatever the traitors might throw at them. The very servants providing them with lodging and service might turn around and try to murder them.

They made their way down the staircase, and back down the hallway to the servants quarters, where they were staying; she saw them sitting in a common room, playing some kind of dice game. The guards realised she had returned, and stood up at once.

"Your highness." Captain Kan addressed her, "Did you require an update on our security arrangements?" he asked her, and she eyed around, noticing that there were no servants in the common room.

She stepped closer, and gestured for them to sit, "At ease. I'm not here to lambast you." she assured him, and all the men sat down, cautiously eyeing each other.

"What is it?" one of the guards asked her subtly, with a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.

"I was thinking there are some things that we are in need of at the market." she lied, and the men seemed to understand this, "So, I want one of you to go get it. Two can go, if you believe the security is necessary." she added, and the guards nodded.

Then, she leaned in slightly closer, "I have decided. We take control of the palace. Now." she gave her actual orders, speaking as quietly as she could through straight lips.

"What did you need us to purchase, your highness?" one of the guards asked her, bowing his head down.

"Just some more tea, and some better food. I believe we should be afforded nicer meals while we're travelling." she gave her fake shopping list, before glancing back at Ty Lee, "What do you want?"

"Ooh, I want a nice woollen coat. I hear it's going to get a lot colder when we get into the mountains." she explained her own want, which was actually something she did want back when they were back in Yingang.

The guards nodded, and Azula turned her heels, "It's not too urgent, but you should have it done today. We will be leaving early in the morning." she warned them, before pacing back towards her room.

When she got to the stairs, she tapped her friend on the arm.

"What is it?" Ty Lee whispered, and the Princess gestured towards a nearby doorway; it was one of the many entrances into the Gubernatorial Palace, and she didn't want anyone taking it.

"One of my men will be there." she warned her through a straight mouth, "Make sure he gets the message."

She nodded, and while Azula climbed the stairs, she headed over to that entrance, and to deal with the men guarding the building as quickly as possible. The Princess paced up and around back to the door of her room, where she saw a servant waiting for her.

"Your highness." the servant addressed her, before showing her a long robe; it was of fine quality, embroidered and coloured gold and red, "His excellency thought you might wear these robes for dinner. They have been checked against your other clothes. It would fit."

Azula eyed the robe, and picked it up in her hands, "I may." she did not give a proper response, as she was not planning to attend dinner with the Governor, "I will try it on before I am called for dinner."

"The Governor would be most honoured." the servant bowed her head down, before striding away with her head still bowed, acting in an almost cartoonishly deferential manner; even her own servants in the Royal Palace would not act so absurdly.

She knew that they were playing it up on purpose, to try and make her feel like she had their respect and loyalty, when she knew for a fact that she did not. She stepped back into her room, and made sure to wait for a few moments while the servant made her way aways, perhaps to report back to the Governor. Azula grit her teeth, and tossed the robes back down onto the bed, before she checked under her current robes; she wasn't wearing a full set of armour, but she had metal and leather padding beneath her outer robes, which wouldn't be noticed unless somebody punched her chest. She did not expect somebody to try and stab her as a first choice, but it was certainly possible.

She made sure it was fastened properly, before she fixed up her hair; she couldn't go around seeming dishevelled, even slightly. Azula turned back around, and put her hand on the door handle; she had to act, but even she felt afraid. Not because she feared Governor Namu, but because she was genuinely afraid that the spies might succeed in their plans. They wanted to capture her, and she could not let that come to pass; she was not some piece in a board game to be tossed around and traded; Azula was a player, if not the player.

She had control of the situation, and she would carve right through her enemies, no matter what they threw at her. That was at least what she told herself. Since what had happened with her father, she could not help but feel less confident in her abilities, but she knew that moment had only proved that her physical strength was her primary weakness. If she could outsmart her enemies, she would have little concern about if they were capable of hurting her.

So, she stepped out of the room, and made her way down towards the entrance of the Gubernatorial Palace. She made her way past a few more servants, who bowed to her, before she approached the entrance, where two of her guards were standing. They noticed her approaching, and she nodded at them; the guards stepped over to the doors, and grabbed a handle each, pulling them open. She glanced behind herself, and was pleased that there were no servants to accidentally bear witness. She stepped through, and eyed the two guards standing duty.

"Excuse me." she addressed them, "I believe there's a fault with this door."

Both of the guards seemed confused, and stepped over to look at the doors, "What do you mean, your highness?" one of them addressed her, "The lock?"

"I mean the lack of reinforcement. The door is heavy, but it is simply made of wood, gilded and given some hinges. That would not stop a rabble." she argued, and the guards seemed more confused.

"Well, your highness, this is not a matter for us guards. You ought to bring this up with the head servant. He oversees repairs and renovations." the guard clarified, and once she knew they were both inside the building, she quickly eyed each of her guards.

In the span of a moment, both of the Governor's guards were thrown into each other, knocked out by striking each other's heads, before they were picked up by her own guards. They dragged them over to a nearby closet, and placed them inside, putting a broom over the door's interior handle to stop it from being easily opened from the outside.

"Good." she observed their efficiency, "Stand guard and make sure nobody enters the building. Lock the doors if anyone tries to."

She turned her heels, and made her way back towards the centre of the palace; when she got there, she glanced down the hallways, and saw Ty Lee and Captain Kan approaching her, the former not so subtly scrubbing her knuckles clean of what had to be blood. She probably just broke a guard's nose, though it would look a lot more terrifying for somebody who didn't know her.

"Are we good?" she asked the Captain, who nodded.

"The exits are being secured as we speak." he assured her, "I believe the Governor has four men on his person at all times. One spotter, two men at the doors, and one man in his office, because it has a balcony."

"I see you did your required reading." she smirked, pleased that he understood what they were dealing with, "Ty Lee will take the spotter. We will take the rest."

"How do I find him?" she asked, "Shouldn't he be hidden?"

"He is there to call for help." Azula clarified, "So yes, he will be out of sight. That's why you must find him, and silence him."

"You say that like..." Ty Lee began, before sighing, "I get it." she admitted, presuming that she had been referring to killing the man; that wasn't necessary, given that they were only planning to seize the Governor, and then take control of his entourage of servants and guards.

They might not like to, but they would have to if they wanted their master to keep his face, which she felt might be burned off if things didn't go her way. It was more a matter of principle than malice; she could not stand having him just get away with his corruption and two-faced trickery, not when it was all in an attempt to have her be captured by her father's men.

She made her way down the hallway, towards the Governor's office; she stopped before turning the corner, as she knew that the guards could not see them. They needed the spotter dealt with first, given they were not intending to play around and try to trick the Governor into revealing his treason. There was simply no need for it. She turned to Ty Lee, and gestured for her to get to work. She decided to stand there and make small talk with Kan, knowing there was nothing else she could do in the circumstances; even if it was suspicious enough for her to be speaking to a subordinate more casually, it would be more suspicious for them to be standing there in silence.

"So, Captain, might you tell me what you think of Kouwan?" she asked him, using an overtly friendly tone that indicated to him that he had to play along.

"It is like the other colonial towns I have seen, your highness. New buildings, poor people, and a number of natives that seem to despise us even more than they do the colonists." he gave some accurate observations, "I say we would be in more danger of being hit by rotten vegetables than stones... they certainly might try."

"If they are strong-willed and stupid enough to do something like that, it is no wonder they have yet to give up in this war." she gave her own assessment of the war; it was much easier to make small talk when no lies were said.

"The Earth Kingdom has been shattered. They have nothing to fight for except themselves." he argued, "They will try something, eventually. It is only a matter of time."

"And if the Fire Lord is able to appease them?" she asked, and he seemed less enthused; perhaps he did not think it was possible, and Azula understood such a viewpoint.

The colonies were the place where Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom people lived alongside each other; if they could not make peace with each other, then there would surely be no peace in the long term, as long as the Fire Nation ruled over the other nations.

"Then... then we must find another way, your highness." Kan gave what must have been his frank opinion on the matter, "I am no expert on politics." he added, looking away with a grimace.

"Back to Kouwan." she recalled what she had originally asked him about, "Do you have any other thoughts on it?"

"Nothing that I am permitted to say." he conceded, referring to the threat of her father's agents.

A moment later she heard a thump, and she wondered if Ty Lee had found the spotter; she heard a whistle, and stepped around the corner to see her friend stepping out.

"What's the issue?" one of the guards stationed by the door asked, "Did something happen?"

"Oh, I believe my friend is just lost." Azula admitted as she approached, "Aren't you, Ty Lee?"

"Lost? Uh, yeah, I guess I am." she admitted with a sheepish look; the two of them locked eyes for a moment, before both pounced at a guard each.

It only took a single, fire-covered fist to the jaw to knock that guard unconscious, and the other one that Ty Lee was dealing with fell from a flurry of blows, and a hard chop to the back of the neck. He slumped over, while she guided her own target to softly land on the ground. She pushed one of the doors open and stepped through, where she could see Governor Namu, sitting at his desk going through some documents. Their eyes met, and he seemed a bit confused.

"Your highness, did you have any requests? Dinner, perhaps?" he asked, and his eyes widened, "Oh, the robes." he recalled what he had sent the servant to give her, "Were they not to your liking?"

"The robes are fine, Governor." she assured him, and approached slowly, "I just have something else I need to discuss with you. A matter of security. None of us are safe here."

"I assure you, my guards are manning the exits of the palace at all times of day. I will have a man outside your room while you are sleeping, if you desire." he explained his willingness to protect her, but that was all a farce.

"I understand that." she assured him, and placed her hands on the desk, staring him down, "I have received a troubling report... and it does not bode well for us."

"From who?" he asked, and Ty Lee stepped into the room, the door creaking slightly as she stepped inside.

"Me." she identified herself, and Azula raised her right hand, shooting a fireball right into his personal guard's forehead; that did not knock straight unconscious, but as he was stumbling back, Ty Lee dashed across the room and chi-blocked him.

"Guards!" he called out, and Azula leapt over the desk, covering his mouth before he could shout and scream any further.

"No, you're not getting any help." he assured her, "Not that they should help you. I am a Princess of the Fire Nation. You... you are nothing."

He looked terrified, and Ty Lee helped restrain the Governor by binding his hands behind his back, before he was forced up and over to a lounge in his office; she shoved him onto it, letting go of his mouth in the process. Both Azula and Kan had flames in their hands, ready to attack him if he tried anything stupid.

"Now, Ty Lee has gathered intelligence that confirms another report that you are consorting with my father's agents." she explained, "You will tell me what they intend, and I will see if you are a liar. So, tell me, or you will suffer a worse fate than what you can even imagine." she gave him a very real threat, before leaning in closer, "The truth, now." she demanded, and he cringed in fear, glancing around as he might have thought of a way to escape.

"Your guards aren't coming to save you." Kan warned him, before intensifying the flames in his palm, "You better be quick."

"I- I have never spoken directly with them." he admitted, "These spies are all through Kouwan. You will not find them all." he warned them, and that fit with what Ty Lee had told her, though it was unhelpfully nonspecific.

"I want something better than that." Azula warned him, "What are their plans?"

"They... well, if what my contact told me is true, you." he told her the truth, "I don't know what their plans are specifically, only that I had to let them inside."

"That won't be as easy as they think." the Princess noted with a smirk, before pointing to his desk, "I want you to write an order to the town guard and another to the local garrison. They are to arrest the spies, and kill any who resist." she explained, "If you do that, I will not harm you anymore than I already have."

"I don't know where they are." he argued, "They're afraid that I would betray them to the Fire Lord."

"Of course they are. You're a two-faced liar." she acknowledged their rationale for not trusting him, "The difference is, I have the means and rights to kill you if you betray me." she countered, before picking him up by his collar and dragging him back over to his desk, "So, write your commands."

"This will not help you." he warned her, "The spies will come after you no matter what you do."

"I'm well aware of it. I'm just planning to kill them before they catch me." she argued, and pulled out a brush and a piece of paper, before unfastening his bindings, "Write."

The Governor cautiously picked up the brush and began to write out the commands just as she requested; Azula intently watched each word be written out so she could remain confident that he was not trying to fool her by giving them some order that would directly interfere with her plans. He did follow her request, and the letter was written, if a bit slowly; she chalked that up to the utter terror he must have been feeling in that moment. He turned his eyes over to the seal, and she grabbed it, handing it to Governor Namu.

"Do it." she demanded, lighting a torch in front of his face; his expression was coloured a blue hue, and he grimaced, before putting the seal in ink, and placing it down at the end of the letter.

She then leaned in closer, "I also want you to write down what you did."

"Wh-why... why would I do that? They will surely arrest me."

"Arrest is better than death at the hands of the spies, or at mine." she threatened, and the Governor gulped, before scribbling down the truth; he was aiding the spies, and had been working in favour of her father's conspiracy, with the intent to betray the Fire Lord.

Once he was finished, she then handed the letter to Ty Lee, "Take that to the guards at the front doors. One of them will take it to the garrison." she explained, and the acrobat nodded.

"What if they're already there?" she asked, and Azula grimaced.

"Then you'll have to take it there yourself. You're faster." she admitted; even if she would prefer to not have Ty Lee put herself in such danger, given she would be out in public, she could rely on the threat of collateral damage, which she doubted the spies would have that much concern for.

However, if they were truly patriots, they might not kill innocents, even if it would help them take down their enemies. She did not want to rely on an imagined loyalty to the people of her country, because she knew most people who claimed to be 'patriots' were just self-centred fools who would kill anyone who got in the way of their personal ambitions.

She watched as her friend paced out of the room, and her eyes met Captain Kan's; he was ready to strike down the Governor at a moment's notice, and almost certainly willing. He had been told the same things she had by Ty Lee, and he understood what he was doing. It was not a matter of treason, but a matter of trust; he was a snake, and snakes could not be reasoned with, only contained. If containment would not work, then only death would suffice to ensure their safety.

"Please, your highness." the Governor addressed her, his head facing down, perhaps in shame, or simply in fear, "I beg of you, have mercy."

"I do not care for your life, Governor Namu." she assured him, "If you live or die is not my concern. What concerns me is whether you are doing things that I am unaware of." she clarified her thoughts on the matter, "So, please, tell me everything you have done in aiding my traitor father, and I will forbid Kan here from turning you into ashes."

"I- I have only met your father twice." he clarified, "This... this was after I became Governor."

"And what did those meetings concern?"

"The rebels in this region." he clarified, "He came here a few years ago... I can't remember the date. He was expanding Intelligence Service operations in the colonies to handle the increased threat of Earth Kingdom extremists after the fall of Ba Sing Se."

"And how did you come to become his tool?" she asked, and he looked away.

"I was threatened. Not so subtly."

"By him?" Kan asked, "If that was the case, you should have reported that to his majesty, Fire Lord Azulon."

"I- I had considered it." he admitted, "But the Intelligence Service is terrifying. They will kill anyone who doesn't follow their demands. The Prince has covered up more than one incident in the colonies... not that I mourn enemies of our nation, but the public never learned of their deeds."

"And now it is my brother's control." she reminded him, "Trust me. Even if you served them, his own men would come here and hang you from your own entrails. Probably along with your wife and children, for good measure."

"What I've heard of the Prince wouldn't suggest he'd be so cruel." he gave his own opinion, which was quite an accurate assessment of her brother's character.

"No, he wouldn't." she conceded, "But the men he sends after you, they will not have such scruples. Do you know how many people hate the traitors? How many people their acts of terror have already killed?"

"It could only number in the hundreds. They are not idiots. They attack vital infrastructure, not schools or public squares." he argued, and Azula crossed her arms.

"So, you know of their attacks." she observed, and he grimaced.

"Well... I am just as informed as any other official about the threats against the government." he argued, and eyed her, "Your highness, if I can be frank, I am confused."

"About what?" she pressed him, and he looked away.

"I was assured by these spies that all of Iroh's men in this city were dead." he clarified, "Every last one. The Intelligence Service has their records. They know who works for them, even the informants."

"Some could have slipped through the cracks."

"These men are not your average spies. These are elite rebel hunters. They have infiltrated dozen of rebel cells in this part of the Earth Kingdom. They would not be so sloppy."

"Then how could my brother have been aware of their presence?" she asked him, and the Governor looked away.

"That is the source of my confusion. Unless they have made mistakes with their reports back to the Capital, there is no way he could learn of their treason from dead men." he argued, before pointing at her, "What I fear is that there is something else at play here. Somebody is manipulating the Prince, manipulating you, and it cannot be the spies here. They would not purposefully out themselves."

"Unless Prince Ozai wants our attention here." Kan argued, "Maybe he felt the spies were capable enough to take her highness." he suggested, "He would be mistaken to believe that."

"We have not seen them yet, Captain. The spies may yet prove they have earned the glowing reputation his excellency speaks of." she argued, before she heard an explosion; it was not inside the building, but probably at least a block away.

It shook the building, and forced her to grab the desk, concerned she might slip over, as she was wearing slippers rather than boots.

"That would be them." the Governor warned her, and she scoffed, before sighing.

"Captain, keep him here. I need to retrieve my armour." she told him what she needed to do, "If the guards try to free him... kill him."

"If they step inside, he is dead." he assured her, and Namu stood up, clearly afraid he was about to die.

"W-wait!" he exclaimed, "Don't come in here!" he called out, and when she opened the doors, she saw a few of the guards, prepared in firebending forms.

"Did you hear me?" she questioned them, and they lowered their fists.

"We are loyal to the Governor, not Prince Ozai." one of them clarified, "So, we will let you pass, for all our sakes."

"If you want to save yourselves, I recommend you flee. The spies will likely not be pleased to see you failed to stop me." she warned them, and the guards looked among themselves."

"She is right!" Namu exclaimed, "Flee, now!"

"But sir, we are here to protect you. If we cannot do that, we are- well, that is treason."

"I am already branded a traitor. Unless you think the spies can stop her little friend from delivering the letter, you have no reason to remain here." he warned, and the guards looked uneasy; their apparent leader stepped forward, towards the Princess.

"The Governor would not lie, not now." he admitted, "We will take our leave, but we are taking your family, Governor. They will surely be in danger now... given what you just heard outside."

"Yes... I know." he admitted, "Tell the servants what I just told you." he requested, and the guard bowed down.

"It will be done." he accepted his request, before looking at Azula, "Will you let us at least do this? For our own sakes?"

"If you do not hand yourselves in for arrest once this is over, I will personally hunt you down myself." she warned them, "And I mean every last one of you. There will be no more courtesy."

"You knocked us unconscious." one of them reminded her, and she laughed.

"That was the courtesy, you fool."