Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: The most impressive was Appa, and sky-bison more generally. The least impressive was probably some small animal we only saw in one scene.

Zigzagdoublezee: In this instance, yes, I agree. The ends do justify those particular means. But not always.

As Always, Please Review!

It turned out Chin Village was not far away, nestled on the top of a high cliff overlooking the sea. They had actually seen this place, when they had first landed on the hill, Yue realised. But many of the buildings he had seen turned out to be temporary, barracks for the soldiers. The streets were full of people, both soldiers and civilians. Men in uniform paraded through the streets, patrolling, while others, not on duty, lounged around, laughing with their friends or trying to talk to the locals.

General Dun led them through the village, towards a big square at the very top of the cliff. Villagers stared at them suspiciously, but did not say anything. Yue wondered if they recognised her. She had to assume they did, with her bright white hair and distinctive clothes, she was very distinctive.

Fortunately, despite apparently hating her, the villagers kept out of their way, and eventually they reached the square. Several bodyguards were stood around it at regular intervals, protecting two men who were stood at a table with a map spread on it.

One of them, a pompous-looking small man, looked up at their approach. His eyed widened when he recognised Yue.

"It's you, isn't it?" He growled.

"What?" The other man looked up. He was a lot larger than the man who had spoken, and was wearing rich green robes. Then he recognised Dun.

"Ah, cousin!" He called, happily. "Success?"

" We got him," Dun called back. "The Fire Nation is down a general."

"Excellent," the man who must have been Governor Shu smiled happily. "That should give us some room to breathe."

"Excuse me!" The first man interjected. "There's a murderer over there!"

He pointed to Yue. The Avatar looked over her shoulder to see what he was gesturing to, before she remembered what Suki had told her.

"I did not!" She protested.

"Yes you did, don't try to deny it!" The man spat. "My father told me the story, and his father, and his!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Governor Shu folded his arms irritably. "Are you alright? You look like you're accusing a teenager of a murder that happened... long before she was born."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not going to have to explain to you how time works, am I?"

Sokka snickered. The mayor heard it and frowned.

"You don't understand," he said. "That's the Avatar."

"Really?" Shu looked at Yue, then back to the man, then back to Yue.

"It is an honour," he rushed over and bowed. "I am so grateful that you have chosen to come here. What can we do for you?"

"What?" The angry man came storming over.

"No!" He declared. "Get out! I'm the Mayor of this town, and I demand you either get out or face consequences for what you did?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Look," Shu rounded on him. "You may be the Mayor, but I am the governor. Of this entire province. Including this village. I outrank you."

The mayor spluttered indignantly, but shut up.

"That's what I thought. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

Yue stepped forward, grateful that the mayor had been silenced, for now.

"We need you to tell us how the war is going," she said. "We've been away in the South, and now we're back we need to know where we can be the most help."

"Well, alright," Shu gestured to the map. "No supplies, or anything? No weapons? Help saving a village?"

"Only to know which villages need saving."

"Hold on," Sokka stepped forward. "Some supplies would be good too, you know?"

Shu stared at him for a moment. Then he nodded.

"Very well, we'll see what we can do."

He went back to the map.

"The Fire Nation have occupied most of the west coast," he explained. "And in the process, pushed back our armies in the region."

Sure enough, a large swathe of the Earth Kingdom was coloured red on the map.

"Their main effort is being focussed on Ba Sing Se, so their best troops have been sent to push towards the city. They haven't reached it yet, as far as I know, but they were uncomfortably close, according to the most recent messages I recieved. And then the Earth King will be in no position to influence the course of the war outside his walls."

Yue nodded.

"But they've still got to take it," she said hopefully.

"They do," Shu agreed. "They will probably have to use a lot of manpower to besiege the city, let alone take it. Which could give us options out here in the provinces."

He pointed to several provinces, which were still white on the map.

"These areas have managed to resist the Fire Nation so far. But they are the ones on the frontline. Like us. Most of them are led by governors, sometimes several of them working together. But that one's interesting. It fell to the Fire Nation but then some kind of uprising happened? I don't know much about it, but they somehow managed to liberate themselves."

He was pointing to a region a couple of provinces away to the north. Yue looked at it in interest.

"Is that area particularly hilly? Or does it have a big forest?" Suki asked him.

"Apparently," Shu shrugged. "I wouldn't know, I've never been there."

"So," Rinzen leaned over the map. "I guess it's those provinces we need to visit."

"Yes, if you want to actively try to help win the war," Katara agreed. "Although maybe we should also go to a few red provinces. People there will need our help more than anyone."

"But it will be dangerous!" Shu raised an eyebrow.

"And?" Katara asked. The governor smirked.

"Thought so. Well, that's all I know. I hope that helps you."

"It does," Yue nodded. "Thank you."

"Would you like to stay the night?" Shu asked. Suki shook her head.

"The villagers don't like us," she said. The mayor nodded.

"Don't worry about them," Shu said. "They need you to win the war just as much as the rest of us. But I can give you soldiers to stand guard for you."

"I think Gembul could definitely do with a rest," Rinzen said.

"Then it's decided," Shu nodded. "You can stay in my lodgings. Warm beds and warm food."

Yue's heart soared at those words. She knew there were likely to be nights in her near future without much of either, so best to get them where she could.

"I'd like that," she said.

"I'll make the preparations," Shu told them. But the Mayor stepped towards her.

"This isn't over!" He hissed. "I will have justice!"

"I told you, I've done nothing," Yue told him as calmly as she could manage. Then she turned and walked away, leaving him to rage impotently next to the general and the governor.