Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: Her loyalty, and the way she stood up to Azula in canon.

Zigzagdoublezee: No, the Fire Nation are coming. And they have other plans for Ba Sing Se.

As Always, Please Review!

The grey shape of the Cruiser slid into the harbour, sailors shouting as they bustled around the deck, making final preparations to dock.

At the prow stood a lone figure, apart from the rest, a young man dressed in fine red and gold armour, the symbol of the Fire Nation emblazoned across his chest. He paid no attention to the world around him, deep in thought.

"My Prince?" A voice came from behind him, and Prince Lu Ten turned. He came face to face with the captain, who nodded.

"We'll be docking soon," he said.

Lu Ten, knowing the Avatar had been in the South Pole, had ordered his ship to go south as soon as they had left the caldera, and now he was pulling in to a port city that had been recently seized by the Fire Nation. Its facilities had been taken intact, allowing a fresh surge of men and supplies to flood into the south of the country. Lu Ten didn't know what the Earth Kingdom called it, but the Fire Nation had imposed a new name upon the city; Zoryu, named after a Firelord from long ago.

The ship pulled up next to a jetty, and Lu Ten felt the engines go into full reverse to slow them down. Skilfully, the sailors waited until they were stationary, then threw the ropes over the side to anchor them in place. A gangplank was lowered, the engines were switched off, and the cloud of ash churned out from the chimney began to diminish.

An older man in armour waited for him at the bottom of the gangplank, bowing as he approached.

"Greetings, my prince," he said. "I'm honoured to meet you. My name is Yuto, the Governor of this place."

"Honoured," Lu Ten bowed back.

"If I might be so bold, how may I assist you?" Yuto asked.

"I've come on an urgent mission from my uncle," Lu Ten told him. "He has told me to catch Avatar Yue."

Yuto hissed.

"He must have a lot of faith in you," he said. "Many have tried, it's not gone well so far."

Lu Ten began walking up the jetty towards the town.

"The others have had to juggle their avatar hunting with commands of major fleets and armies," he said. "I'm changing that approach. A small group of hand-picked men should do the job. I have a letter from the Firelord authorising me to take anyone I need."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Yuto asked. Lu Ten shrugged.

"Do you have any units who've distinguished themselves recently?"

Yuto nodded eagerly.

"You'll find no shortage of glory here," he said. "There was the 7th Regiment, the East Chidas. They captured two enemy standards at the Battle of the Xiaodun Bridge."

"Brave," Lu Ten nodded. "But battlefield valour isn't particularly what I'm looking for here. Any others?"

Yuto considered.

"The 20th," he decided. "The Kishewara Regiment. The first over the wall during the assault on Baolei. They displayed both bravery and cunning."

"I suppose it is a start, but I don't want an entire regiment," Lu Ten said. "I don't wish to take too many men away from the front, and I need to move quickly enough to keep up with a sky-bison."

"Well, there are the Auxiliaries..."

"Auxiliaries?" Lu Ten's interest was piqued.

"General Riku was killed recently," Yuto said bitterly. "The enemy commander promised a parley, and then treacherously murdered him in a rockslide. So we sent a strike team by ship to avenge him. They tell me they succeeded. They also tell me they encountered the Avatar."

"The Avatar?" Now Yuto fully had Lu Ten's attention.

"These men are not like any other in the army," Yuto was saying. "Because they're not from the Fire Nation at all. They're prisoners from the Northern Water Tribe."

Lu Ten studied him curiously.

"I wasn't aware that we were conscripting prisoners now," he said.

"Who said anything about conscription?" Yuto replied. "They're volunteers! All we had to do was go around the prison camps asking them nicely."

"How can you be sure of their loyalty?"

"We do still have their families," Yuto pointed out. "They're being treated well, as a reward for their loyal service, but they are still in our custody. Plus, I would have thought the future status of the North Pole once we've won is directly dependent on their actions. Wouldn't want the Firelord believing they're a bunch of traitors, now, would we?"

"No, we wouldn't," Lu Ten nodded. "These men seem... perfect. Provided they can be trusted, anyway."

"Well, they are northerners. Isn't the Avatar the former Princess of their tribe? The daughter of their chief?"

"They are soldiers of the Fire Nation, and they will do their duty," Lu Ten said. "Besides, father was there on the night she discovered who she was, the night the war began. Some of the warriors, apparently, were quite disappointed it wasn't them."

"And you think that makes them loyal?"

"Maybe," Lu Ten shrugged. "I don't know who these men are. They might all have taken it well. But I reckon I'll find some way to ensure their loyalty. Who knows? The glory of catching the Avatar could get them, and the North, a lot of privileges in the future."

He liked this plan more and more. These people had seen the Avatar, may have even known her personally before the war. They would have knowledge of her that he could use.

"Alright, I'll pass on the orders," Yuto nodded. "I hope you find her. And I hope you find your cousin too."

"What?" Lu Ten rounded on him, until he realised that Yuto still thought his cousin Zuko had been kidnapped. He relaxed.

"Never mind," he said. "Yes, I hope I do."

That statement was not entirely true, but he turned and strode purposefully away, not stopping to give Yuto any time to think about it. He did not intend to find Zuko, but the Avatar was a whole different story. He had to find her, had to catch her, had to bring her home, and had to do it all before Azula too. The future of the Empire was riding on it.

For Lu Ten knew his cousin, and he knew that Azula was cruel. She would surely incite uprisings with her heavy-handed policies. Lu Ten was sure he could govern better, and ensure Sozin's Dream stood the test of time far into the future.

But to do that, he had to be given the chance to govern. And to do that, he had to become the heir, by beating Azula at this contest Ozai had set up for them. The conclusion was cold and brutal, but unavoidable.

For the sake of the future of humanity, Princess Yue must die. And Lu Ten must be the one to do it.