Following the course of thoughts that had just unfolded in Sokka's head wasn't difficult, not in the least. His motivations were obvious, his goal clear… but his methods were questionable, to say nothing else.
"Sokka, please tell me you're thinking this through" Azula nearly begged him by now, as he placed a new bag inside his hot-air balloon.
Sokka sighed and clutched at the basket's railing. As much as he had attempted to assuage her concerns, she wasn't wrong to ask that question of him. There was so much at stake if his self-imposed mission backfired, and he wasn't sure she'd ever forgive him if he got himself killed by trying and failing to save other gladiators. And beyond the grief his death would inflict on her, if he were found helping the rebels it surely would mean the end of her political career, since she always would be held responsible for Sokka's actions.
He glanced at the Princess with uncertainty, seeing Song standing over by the house's threshold. The young woman hadn't even considered returning to bed after Azula's loud arrival rose her. While it was clear she supported Sokka's efforts, there was a tinge of concern in her eyes as well. It was but a fragment of the gripping fear that was clear in Azula's gaze, though.
"I understand why you want to do this, but curses…" said Azula, a hand running through her already messed hair "Please. You're one of the few civilians with a hot-air balloon. If anyone sees it, there will be more than enough cause to suspect it's you"
Sokka gritted his teeth and lowered his gaze. Azula swallowed hard, aware that those words, that whatever common sense she offered him, was unwelcome right now. And yet the determination in his eyes didn't change. This would either evolve into an argument of catastrophic proportions, or…
"I meant to travel at night" Sokka muttered "I think I can keep the fire in the engine from being seen from below. But I may not be able to only travel by night, if the village is as far as you say it is…"
"Right" said Azula, her eyes full of uncertainty now. Strangely, he was speaking quite rationally, rather than giving her impassioned speeches to justify why he had every right to do what he was doing. Despite her better sense advised otherwise, that did reassure her.
"So… the problem may be that the hot-air balloon is easily identifiable" Sokka decided, stepping away from the craft and gazing at it with a frown "Maybe I need… to paint it a different color? That way it could look like someone else, any random person, managed to build their own hot-air balloon"
"That still wouldn't help matters much" said Azula, frowning "Like I said, you're one of the few people known to have them. If you succeed, and soldiers investigate the known owners of hot-air balloons to discover yours is painted just the right color…"
"Then don't paint it" Song's voice surprised them, as they both turned to look at her "I have… I have a lot of fabrics I make clothes out of sometimes, you know? Granted, I'll have to buy new ones if you use these, but… I could help you sew them over the balloon's fabric. Once you come home, we'll detach the fabrics again and it'll be back to normal"
Sokka's blinked blankly, though his eyes glistened with hope now. Azula swallowed hard again.
"How fast can you do that?" Sokka asked. Song shrugged.
"I'll do it faster if you help me" she said, with a weak grin. Sokka grimaced.
"I don't know much about sewing, but…" he said, glancing at Azula. The uncertain Princess now looked irritated, if just by the prospect of picking up a sewing needle again.
"I'm not exactly good at it" she said, before sighing "But… fine. It does sound like a better possibility. Still, then what? You can reach the village safely and you'll hide your involvement in this matter if we proceed like this, but what will you do afterwards?"
"Depends on the situation, I'd say" Sokka sighed "I know you want me to plan this thoroughly, but it's not easy, Azula. It's not like we know exactly what's happening there"
"Precisely. It's… it's not safe at all to take action when the situation is so muddled" said Azula, lowering her gaze. Sokka stepped towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"I understand why you're so worried, Azula, and I get it" he said, cupping her face so she'd meet his eyes "But… you understand why I have to do this too, don't you?"
She clenched her jaw tight as she pressed her face to his chest wordlessly. Of course she knew, of course she understood. Had anything been different, it could be him in the line of danger. It could have been him in a rebelling group of amateur gladiators deciding that dying by fighting the Fire Nation was better than doing so for their people's amusement.
And yet she was selfish, and she wanted to keep him by her side through all this. So often she had thought she wanted the power to change the world, to alter fates… but now she realized they already had that power. The only thing left for them to do was decide whether they'd act on their resolve and promises or not. To decide whether their fear could trump their courage, or if it would be the other way around.
It was clear Sokka had made his decision already, and she cursed him internally countless times for having done as much. But that was what he always had been like, wasn't it? Recklessly jumping in the face of danger to save everyone that mattered, whether it was people he knew or not, whether it was a fight that concerned him or not… and it was Azula who lagged behind, who hesitated, who doubted.
She had never wanted to help others back in the day, and she had only done as much after Sokka had pushed her into it… in time, she had found that having the power to help other people, and acting on it, had helped her begin shaping the world into what she wanted it to be. Could it be the same this time around? Could this, the first time she would be committing treason of this scale against her father, turn into something she would choose to do again in the future, if it paid off this one time?
It certainly wasn't the first time she was turning against Ozai, that went without saying. It wouldn't be the last either, considering how things had progressed so far between her and her father. But it wasn't as easy to do it now as it was when she had wanted to chase down that assassin, when she had tried to discover the truth behind the disappearances in the Capital. It certainly wasn't as easy as when she had first put her foot down and forced all her suitors to challenge her to a gladiator fight if they wished to marry her…
Because this time Sokka would stand alone on the line of fire. Sokka was the one who would pay the ultimate price if this went wrong. After all this time of sneaking around with him she should be used to the idea of Sokka being in constant death peril… but she wasn't. If anything, with every day that went by, her fear for his safety increased into paranoia. And situations like this one only made things worse.
And what choice did she have, really? Sokka was holding her, as though comforting her… as though she had no say upon the matter. As though there was nothing she could do but watch him go. She was his sponsor, his lover, his partner…! And all that was why she had no choice indeed. It was, indeed, his decision. She couldn't get in his way. All she could do was hope he wouldn't fail… and pray to whatever gods might exist in their land so they would protect him in the mad quest he was about to set out on.
She despised the feeling of powerlessness that overwhelmed her right now. It was the right thing to do, she had no doubts that Sokka was right about that. Staying still, without doing anything to save the rebelling gladiators, would be much worse than this for sure… but she was too terrified to think this through, it seemed. She could barely imagine any scenarios that didn't involve her nation's soldiers catching Sokka and putting him to the torch along with the rest of the rebels…
"Just… promise you'll stay safe" she said, her voice weak. Sokka swallowed hard and rubbed her back "Save them, all of them, and… and save yourself too, damn it. If you don't come back to me, you'll never hear the end of it"
"I won't, huh?" Sokka asked, with a small smile "Sounds like that's way scarier than failing"
"My uncle supposedly traveled to the Spirit World to look for his son's soul, to bring him back I suppose…" Azula said "Well, if you get yourself killed, I'll do the same only to give your spirit a beating to remember"
"Okay, you didn't need to explain how mad you'd be, geez" said Sokka, a little more amused now "I'd been so confident before… now I'm terrified"
"You deserve it" Azula as good as pouted as she pulled away from him "Now you know how I feel about letting you go there without a real plan"
Sokka smiled weakly and cupped her face again. Her reproachful gaze enticed him to press a reassuring kiss against her lips, but she didn't respond. For a moment he thought she was so genuinely upset that she was as good as punishing him this way… but upon opening his eyes, he found tears were welling in her own.
"Azula…"
She wrapped her arms around him, tighter than before, enough that it hurt. Sokka gritted his teeth and held her again, burying his face in her hair.
"Don't you dare… don't you dare fail" she said, shaking her head. Sokka nodded, breathing deeply as he tried not to falter as well. He understood the source of her fear, for it was easy enough to imagine how he'd feel if their situation was reversed.
But even that wasn't enough to deter him. Even that couldn't scare him away from what he knew he had to do. Through all these years he had told himself he didn't deserve surviving while so many others had died, let alone did he deserve the happiness he had experienced, especially in more recent times. If he acted now… if he saved them, he would be able to atone, if just a little, for every life he'd taken, every life he'd allowed to go to waste so far. It wouldn't be enough, nothing ever would make amends for his wrongs… but it would be a start, at least. Azula had already tried to do this the right way, to reform slavery, but Ozai had shut her down…
This, then, was the only way he knew how to help. And he would act on it, even if it broke his heart to hold his fragile Princess in his arms in this manner.
Song selected the darkest fabrics she could find in her stash, and fortunately there were enough of them that could be used for their purposes. Together, all three of them worked to sew the long fabrics to the top of the balloon, all around the lid: the fabrics would cascade over the balloon, with only the topmost lid free of fabrics, so they could be removed much more easily later on. Song took the opportunity to teach Sokka the basics of sewing, in case he might need to stop at some point to fix the disguised balloon, in case any of the fabrics came loose.
It was a few hours before dawn by the time they were finished. Sokka had stashed the basket of the balloon with as much food as he could bring with him, guessing that, if he succeeded at getting the gladiators out safely, they would be famished and desperate for a decent meal. As for what he'd do afterwards… he had one very wild idea already, one he wasn't sure he should convey to Azula until after it was done. If it paid off she wouldn't need to worry about these gladiators ever again, but she would likely think it madness if he told her about it right now…
"Alright, it looks like it'll work" Sokka said, gazing up at the covered-up balloon with a small frown. The engine had been running for a while, and the balloon was almost filled already.
"Good, then" said Song, sighing and looking at him with concern "Be careful, alright? It's not only the Princess who will be upset if you mess this up"
"I can imagine" Sokka said, with a guilty smile "Don't worry, Song. I'll get this right, or at least I'll try to…"
"You'd best do better than try" Song suggested, grinning too before hugging him "I'll be waiting to hear all about your dashing rescue"
"Thanks" he chuckled, patting her shoulder gently.
Song smiled still as she walked away, hoping to encourage Sokka to do well with his new endeavor… but she couldn't continue grinning as she walked towards the house, her back turned towards him. She understood how Sokka felt, and she admired him to no end for the courage he was displaying by doing what was right… but her chest ached. It ached not because she didn't trust him, not because she expected him to fail… but because she hated that he had to take action in this manner in the first place.
She gritted her teeth and made her way to her room again, hoping with all her heart that Sokka would succeed today. Hoping that, before long, no other slave would ever need this kind of reckless saving anymore…
Sokka gazed at Azula now, finding her far more reluctant than Song, despite she had helped with the sewing nonetheless, and even supplied him with a map and directions towards the village in question. She couldn't seem to meet his gaze, no doubt because her emotions were still running wild. He reached for her, taking her hands in his own. Her breath hitched as she shook her head.
"You shouldn't waste time" she said "The sooner you go, the better your plan will unfold. We have no idea what's going on out there, so you have to fly there as fast as you can…"
"I will" Sokka said, closing his eyes and nodding "But you can't act like this tomorrow morning, you realize?"
Azula tensed up and he rubbed gentle circles against the back of her hands with his thumbs. She breathed deeply before raising her eyes indeed, finding his determination had taken a backseat for now, replaced by warmth instead.
"I'm going to take a big risk, one that can endanger all of us" he said "And I know the cost could be too steep to afford. So… I'll do my best, Azula. But you have to fight your own battles here, too. If your father gains the smallest suspicion that you might be more affected by this than you should be…"
"I… I don't intend to beg him to have mercy on them" Azula said, gritting her teeth "But… I don't know what to do. It's good that you can act when I can't, but… you understand how much I hate feeling powerless, don't you?"
"I do" said Sokka, smiling weakly "But if you're too anxious…"
"He'll be onto us, yes" Azula sighed, shaking her head again "I'll straighten myself out in due time, Sokka. So just… go, and come home as soon as you can. Please"
"I will" he said, letting go of her hands only to cup her face and lift it gently "I love you, Azula. Don't do anything too crazy, alright?"
"Why, I think you're already going to do something crazy enough for the both of us" Azula said, with her first smile in hours, despite it wasn't as sincere as most her grins were these days "You have better things to worry about than me right now, Sokka. I'll take care of myself. So… take care too. Please"
"I'll be right back before you know it" he said, kissing her softly once more.
She didn't hold back this time, closing the gap between their bodies as she kissed him deeply. Sokka's arms kept her anchored for now, and the brush of their lips seemed to push away some of the fear, some of the heart-wrenching anxiety that she knew would come back at full force as soon as he was gone. But as ever, they would share kisses as though they might be the last, for they easily could be, and they ever deserved to be cherished as such, even if they weren't. Their hearts raced together with every stolen moment they dared take for themselves, and even if the warmth and peace of their intimacy couldn't last forever, it was enough to fill them with courage if just for an instant.
"I love you" Azula whispered too. Sokka's proud grin found a reflection in her own "Come back to me"
"I always do, don't I?" he said, brushing her disorderly hair with his fingers "I'll set things right, Azula. I know I can this time. I don't really know how, but… I will"
"You'd better" she said, smiling too before kissing him one last time "Now… really, get going. They don't know you're coming and it's better that they don't find out until you get there"
"Yeah" said Sokka, nodding as he stepped into the basket. He turned to check on the engine before pulling the lid's rope.
With that, the basket slowly but surely began rising from the ground. Azula helped Sokka untie the security ropes that held the balloon to the ground, and she watched as he hovered higher and higher each second. She reached a hand up to him, and Sokka's fingers clutched at hers for only a moment before he was too high for her to reach anymore.
"It's not fair" Azula called to him, with a sad smile "Wasn't I the hawk, and you the turtle?"
"It's only because of you that I can fly, though" he answered "You're not less of a hawk just because I'm on a hot-air balloon!"
Azula chuckled softly as Sokka drifted further away, too far for them to hear each other's voices anymore. Within minutes, he was too far for Azula to distinguish his silhouette in the dark: the large fabrics camouflaged the hot-air balloon perfectly.
"Come back to me…" Azula whispered again into the night, closing her eyes.
He would return, one way or another. He had been on a victory streak so far, hadn't he? Perhaps it would endure, perhaps it would last even through this chaotic situation… but whether it would or wouldn't, Azula couldn't sit by and wait restlessly for him to return. She didn't know if there was anything she could do in the Capital to help Sokka's efforts to save those gladiators… but she intended to try nonetheless.
Sokka had steered the hot-air balloon as high as he could, taking advantage of the cloud cover whenever it was thick enough to conceal his flight across the Fire Nation. Following the map's directions was easy enough, though identifying the village from afar took time. It was mid-morning by the time he found it: he should have been exhausted, for he hadn't even napped through the night, but the adrenaline buzzed wildly inside his body. He gazed down at the town with uncertainty, wondering where it would be safest to land.
"Ought to stay far enough so no one can notice me…" he grumbled to himself, eyes sharply taking in the surroundings of the village.
It was located within a forest, inside a clearing with two lakes. The village stood at the northernmost end of the first lake. He had followed Azula's directions all the way here, and so now he hovered, wondering what the wisest course of action would be. She hadn't been wrong about him needing to plan things through, and he intended to abide by her wishes… only, now he wasn't sure how to begin going about it. His eyes raked the surrounding area, indecisively, until he found a potential solution: there was a rocky hill, deep in the forest, that might prove to be a safe place for him to land and hide his hot-air balloon for the time being. He would merely make his way through the trees afterwards and hope there was nothing too dangerous lurking within it.
Handling the ropes deftly, Sokka managed to steer the hot-air balloon to his desired location: for safety's sake, he landed the balloon on the northern side of the hill. He doubted anyone had seen him, for the hill was far enough from the village that the distance should have kept his balloon concealed…
And then what?
Sokka deflated the balloon and made sure to keep it safely hidden, the food stashed away properly; he hoped no animals would pick up its scent. He put away his signature weapons as well: his sword and his boomerang would give away his identity immediately. With that, he took to climbing down the hill carefully, taking note of the best way to hike through it and where best to lay down traps or ambushes, if it came to that. He didn't want this to devolve into an all-out fight with soldiers, but he would be better off preparing for the worst-case scenario.
He made his way through the thick foliage, holding his knife at the ready, constantly wary of whatever dangers lurked nearby. He heard no sounds but nature's own for hours, something he was grateful for: whatever group of soldiers Zhao was supposed to bring with him either was already in the village or they were taking a fairly long time to arrive. He sure hoped it was the latter: the less soldiers involved when he made his move, the better.
He reached the edge of the forest by noon: the village was small, only slightly better maintained than Hui Yi. A handful of buildings appeared to have been renewed recently, though the rest of them didn't appear very well-kempt: within moments, and without even having to step out into the open for a better view, Sokka identified the rugged walls and torn-up roof of the Amateur Arena.
His eyes narrowed. How he had wished he would never so much as set foot in such places again… but he wasn't here today to satisfy the gruesome tastes of the Fire Nation's most inhuman commoners. Today he was here to set people free, as long as he could get away with it.
The unrest in the streets was apparent, even from the forest. There were a few soldiers in the area, some from the Domestic Forces, others wearing the usual firebender garb, with helmets and masks, from the army. Sokka raised an eyebrow, the hint of an idea blooming within him as he eyed one of the firebending soldiers. The man was probably supposed to keep watch, perhaps to wait for Zhao's reinforcements… for if they had arrived by now, Sokka had no doubt the village would be swarmed by soldiers, and the Arena's building might have been torched to the ground already.
And with that thought, another idea. Sokka swallowed hard, gazing at the Arena's building carefully: it was near the edge of the village, close to the easternmost trees. If it was anything like Hui Yi's Arena, he might be able to come up with a good enough escape route… or so he hoped, if his newly hatched plan paid off.
He bit his lip and made up his mind. First of all… he needed to enter that building. Once the first step was done, the rest of his plan would hopefully work to his favor, as long as the gladiators agreed to cooperate.
With that in mind, Sokka sank back inside the forest carefully, ready to take action.
The firebending soldier was waiting impatiently by the trees when he heard a whistle from inside the forest. Puzzled, he turned his head towards where he'd heard the unexpected sound. Was that some sort of signal by the reinforcement troops, perhaps? If so, it was a weird signal. Or perhaps it was a strange creature, an owl of sorts? What could it be…?
Again, the sound cut innocently, softly, through the air. The soldier gritted his teeth and stepped into the forest.
"Who's there?!" he called out "Come on out! If you're a messenger from the Capital…!"
With every step he took into the forest, the whistling seemed to sink deeper inside the forest. The soldier's frustration increased: he had no time to waste chasing fools who were playing around with his patience. Surely it was a child from the town, thinking it was funny to taunt a firebender in such an infantile display…
Finally, the sound seemed to weaken when he'd near caught up with it. Finally, the soldier would catch up with the culprit…
"Why so silent now, eh?!" the soldier roared, looking around himself with irritation "Show yourself!"
Hasty as he had been to figure out whoever was lurking in the forest, the soldier failed to notice a tense vine on the ground. He tripped over it and fell on all fours on the ground, and he couldn't push himself up before taking a heavy blow to his helmet.
Sokka gritted his teeth, the rock he'd used for his devious purpose still held tight in his hand. He held it at the ready in case the firebender got up again, but it seemed he had hit him hard enough for the man to be genuinely disoriented so far. Carefully, Sokka removed the helmet before striking the soldier again. Now the man collapsed at his feet, and Sokka's anxiety receded slightly.
"Okay… I'm not exactly sorry for that" he said, with a guilty grin "But thanks for this!"
It didn't take him longer than five minutes to leave the soldier wearing nothing but his smallclothes, tied up with vines so he wouldn't be able to run and tell on him right away. The man had remained unconscious so far, and hopefully he would continue to be while Sokka impersonated him shortly.
He made his way back to the edge of the forest and he stepped out into the open, now clad fully in a soldier's outfit. There, step one was finished. Now he had to make his way inside the Arena, no less. He breathed deeply and walked towards it with determination, hoping no one would notice a firebending soldier was abandoning his post and approaching the source of the town's chaos.
There was a crowd of onlookers by the Amateur Arena's building, many of whom reminded Sokka of the unpleasant public he used to have in Hui Yi. One in particular was reminiscent of an old man who was ever disappointed by how little bloodshed there was in all fights, for his tastes… Sokka shuddered to remember him, but he had no time to waste reliving his past trauma. He had to step forward and figure out how to enter that building, alone.
"You have to do something, officer!" a woman near the building's entrance exclaimed, while a soldier from the Domestic Forces made gestures to appease her "You can't just leave those murderers to do as they please! Not after what they've done!"
Sokka nearly snorted at the irony. After spending months, perhaps years, doing nothing but murdering people for others' entertainment, it seemed that only now the Amateur Arena's public was bothered by whoever these rebels had killed. Sokka wasn't exactly happy to hear anyone was dead… but if he could make a guess as to why this rebellion was happening at all, he'd assume it meant the handler and the guards of this Amateur Arena had been killed by the gladiators. After what he'd experienced by Huang Li's hands, Sokka couldn't quite judge these men for wanting them dead.
"Come now, lady!" the officer in question answered, a man with a spear in his hands "I can't just barge in there willy-nilly! We're waiting for reinforcements so we can storm the place safely!"
"But you're wasting valuable time!" the woman exclaimed "Those vermin deserve to pay for what they did, and the sooner they do…!"
"If we charge now, and those criminals are expecting us to do just that, they might have a trap ready for us!" the officer replied "And if they take us out, who's gonna save you and your lot from their crazy revenge spree, huh?!"
His words seemed to give the woman pause, but even if she wouldn't continue her crusade to take the gladiators to justice, someone else was quick to pick things up where she had left them…
"Still, we shouldn't just stay put while they're in there, scheming as they please, huh?"
The officer was startled by the approaching firebending soldier, who had passed by the few onlookers with ease. Other nearby soldiers looked at him with confusion as well, but Sokka didn't allow their questioning stares to deter him: he had to embody the perfect Fire Nation soldier underneath his disguise.
"I've been waiting, and waiting, and there's still no sign of reinforcements, sir" he said, sighing and shaking his head. He was deepening his voice, much as he had learned to with Azula a long time ago. He hoped it'd help keep his identity safely concealed "Look, I'm not saying we should storm the place or anything, but if this drags on for any longer, things could get worse for us"
"W-what do you mean, worse?" said the officer, blinking blankly "These rebels can't possibly have any resources to do something too dangerous, they're merely hiding in here…"
"They're rebels, though" said Sokka, crossing his arms over his chest "Surely they must have some sort of plan, or else they wouldn't have come this far. I suggest we try to go about this diplomatically for now…"
"Diplomatically? Whatever do you mean?" exclaimed the officer, as the entire village seemed to gasp in disbelief at such a suggestion.
"I mean I'll go in there, talk to them" said Sokka, proudly "I'll try to figure out what they want, and hopefully I'll strike a deal with them so they to turn themselves in without much more trouble. I mean, they must already know this situation is bad enough as it is…"
"Turn themselves in?!" exclaimed the woman from the beginning again, outraged "They must die for what they've done! That's the only acceptable outcome for this crime!"
"Well, do excuse me, but that's not up to you. Or any of us" said Sokka, shrugging "This matter has reached the ears of the Fire Lord, lady. If someone's going to decide how justice will be served for these ruffians, it'll be the Fire Lord, not you or any of us"
Those words seemed to silence the woman. Perhaps because she knew Ozai wouldn't possibly choose a fate for these men that was any different or any better than what she wished on them… or perhaps this was how deep the indoctrination went, Sokka thought. The Fire Lord's word superseded everything else, clearly… and that worked to his favor, if just for now. It would at least stop the most hot-headed of the villagers from trying to impose their twisted sense of justice on the rebels by their own hand.
"So, that being said…" Sokka declared, taking a step towards the Arena's building.
"Woah, we didn't agree on anything yet! You're serious about this?!" the officer exclaimed, reaching out to stop Sokka. The disguised gladiator indeed stopped on his tracks, guessing he needed to be more convincing despite it all.
"Sure, sir. Why not?" he said, shrugging "If I can't get them to give up, I can at least buy us time and make sure they can't set any crazy plans in motion by keeping them distracted, right?"
"That… perhaps. But you do understand this is a very dangerous situation, don't you?" said the officer, frowning with uncertainty "These rebels… they might not want to talk"
"Don't worry about it, I'll be as persuasive and convincing as I can be" Sokka declared, confidently "Never fret! I have a pretty good plan in mind, you'll see!"
"But what if they attack you next?" asked one of the onlookers "W-what if you… what if they take you hostage?"
"Oh? They surely wouldn't manage, not with as strong a firebender as myself" Sokka declared proudly, raising an arm and making a fist. He sure hoped they wouldn't expect any firebending demonstrations: Azula wasn't here to help him play that role convincingly today.
Fortunately, no one seemed to doubt that a man wearing a firebender's uniform would be able to bend, and even the lead officer backed off as Sokka walked up to the Arena's closed door cautiously. The wooden building was only in slightly better shape than the one he had spent two years at in Hui Yi. His throat seemed to close in just upon thinking he would enter an Amateur Arena again… but he had no choice. Not today. This wasn't about him.
"Greetings, gladiators!" he exclaimed, loudly. He hoped he had raised his voice enough to be heard by the rebels, even if they might be as far from the door as they could be "I would like to have a word with your leader! Is it alright if we have a little chat?"
No one answered for a while, so Sokka continued to talk and ask for the leader of the rebels to step forward for a conversation. It took around five minutes of yelling until someone finally showed up behind the closed door: by then Sokka was starting to fear they would never open.
"What'd you want?" grunted a menacing voice at the other side of the door. Sokka breathed deeply.
"I would like to negotiate your surrender!" he declared, as pompously as possible. Emulating highborn arrogance might just convince these gladiators to let him inside the building, if just in hopes to give him the same treatment they'd given their previous victims.
"Our surrender, you say?" the same voice replied "You think we're full of shit here, don't you? We're not going anywhere, bastard ashmaker…"
"Oh, come on, I'm sure deep-down you guys just want some pretty reasonable things, don't you?" said Sokka "Everyone wants something, don't we? Perhaps if we talk things through, we'll find a compromise that works for all of us!"
"We want to destroy your nation. How about we compromise on how to make that happen, huh?" the man responded. Sokka cringed.
"Well… I don't think we can work that out, but surely there's other things you'd like to ask for, right?" he said. The voice at the other side of the door laughed.
"You really do want to negotiate, then? You're something else, aren't you?" he asked.
"I hear that a lot, yeah" Sokka admitted, shrugging "It's only right to try to put an end to violence with peace, don't you believe?"
"Right. Now's when you bastards want to play the pacifists, huh? Screw that" said the man.
To everyone's surprise, the door unlocked and opened slightly. Sokka narrowed his eyes.
"Come in, then" said the man, his threatening voice gaining a sarcastic quality as well by now "Come on. If you want to negotiate, you do it on our turf. How about it?"
"That… I think I will. Yes" Sokka said, breathing deeply and turning to look at the confused officer staring at him a few paces away "Don't worry! They'll talk with me after all! Stay calm, I'll sort out this mess in no time, for sure!"
"You… be careful!" exclaimed the officer, and Sokka waved in his direction before stepping inside the building…
The door was slammed closed as soon as Sokka was fully inside the narrow, dark vestibule.
There were two corridors at either end of the vestibule, along with an empty counter. But Sokka couldn't detail the place properly just yet, since all sorts of weapons were aiming at him right now, as a hand pressed him back against closed door. Knives, swords, staves… he blinked blankly, thinking these people certainly were better furnished than the Amateur Arena from Hui Yi had been.
"Negotiate, huh? Well, then, I wonder just how much better it will be to negotiate with a hostage in our power!" exclaimed the man who had been talking so far, a stocky man with short black hair and pale skin. He was holding a curved blade against Sokka's neck, while his many comrades were pointing the others.
"Yeah, uh, there's no need for all this hostility" Sokka said, his voice back to normal now "I'm not here to negotiate anything, I'm here to help you guys get away"
"What? You think we'd believe something as ridiculous as…?" said the stocky man, pressing the blade further. Sokka groaned.
"Take off my helmet" he grunted "Seriously. I'm not a firebender"
The stocky man frowned but nodded at another gladiator to do as Sokka had asked. He removed the helmet carefully, and Sokka's dark complexion, wolf's tail and blue eyes were plain for everyone to see within moments. He smiled dryly when the many of the threatening gladiators recoiled and pulled back their blades, although the stocky man still seemed to want to keep his sword by Sokka's neck.
"You're… blue eyes?" said one of the other gladiators, staring at him in confusion. The eyepatch he wore, as well as his missing teeth, spoke for themselves regarding however many injuries he'd received in the fighting grounds "A Water Tribesman?"
"Why are you wearing this uniform?" asked another, this time a younger man who sported bad burns across his exposed skin, especially noticeable in his scalp "If you're not a firebender…"
"I stole it" Sokka said, with a shrug "Look, I can explain everything later, but first of all I need to know what your plan is. That is, if you have one at all…"
"Who are you?" asked the stocky man, frowning and lowering his sword with uncertainty "If this is some sort of sick trick by the Fire Nation army…!"
"They do hire earthbenders these days" said the man with the eye-patch "Could be they take Water Tribe deserters too"
"Is that it?!" asked the stocky man. Sokka sighed and shook his head.
"Okay, this isn't going to be easy. But can we at least get away from the door?" Sokka asked "I'll feel a lot safer if we're deeper inside the building. Who knows if that soldier's standing right by the door listening in on our conversation…"
"Well… that's not a bad idea" said the eyepatch man "If he's really a deserter, or tricking us, it'll be easier to kill him if he's in the barracks with the rest of us"
"Right" agreed the stocky man, huffing and pushing Sokka unceremoniously towards the narrow, wooden corridor at the vestibule's left "Come on, then. You'll get your wish"
"Thank you. Really" said Sokka, with a dry grin.
Of the five gladiators who had been ready to attack him just now, only one, the burned one, looked at him with more curiosity than hatred, even after he'd said he wasn't an actual soldier. Still, Sokka hoped he'd earn their trust before long. The second step of his plan had been successful, despite all odds… and he would need their trust for the third, one way or another. Otherwise, he'd never be able to take these men to a safer place before Zhao's troops arrived, and if he couldn't do that, his mission would have failed.
The corridor ended at a small flight of uneven stairs that led into the barracks. They were much like the barracks he remembered from Hui Yi: a dirt ground, a lousy fireplace at the center with a few spare spark stones lying near it, old cooking ware that was devoid of any food, no sleeping bags nor blankets to be seen anywhere inside the wooden building.
Returning to barracks like these after such a long time certainly brought up an unpleasant sensation… uncertainty, fear and hatred had tormented his mind for two years, filling him with dread that his tribe would be dead, that if it wasn't they'd be utterly disgusted with him, and the constant, ever-growing rage rushing in his bloodstream, carrying with it the urge to take his revenge on the beautiful woman who had doomed him by sending him off into such a dark fate…
He gritted his teeth and shook his head. The last three years hadn't passed him by in vain. Perhaps he still feared his family wouldn't accept him… but he knew they were still there. And the woman he had despised was now his inspiration, his strength, the partner he had never even dared dream he'd find. He closed his eyes and grounded himself just before the stocky gladiator urged him to sit near the weak fire.
There weren't many more gladiators here, only around seven more. Sokka gritted his teeth, wondering if many had died during their rebellion… he breathed deeply and looked at the stocky man, who glared at him judgmentally, arms crossed.
"You're not all safe and sound yet, you know?" said the stocky man "Yukio there's got his knife at the ready in case you try something funny. So don't even think about pulling something on us"
"I won't" said Sokka, closing his eyes "I understand you're confused, but I'm really only here to help. I've been where you are, or, well… I somewhat have been. I never did gather the courage to rebel against my handler in Hui Yi, though. Nor did any of the gladiators with me back then"
"Wait… you were in an Amateur Arena too?" asked the man with the eyepatch. Sokka nodded.
"Much like yours. So… I get it. If anything, I admire you guys for having the guts to do what you're doing now" said Sokka "I… I assume you killed the handler?"
"And the guards" said the stocky man, frowning "You have a problem with that?"
"Normally, I would…" Sokka sighed "I'm not big on killing, personally, and I doubt any of you are blood-thirsty enough to enjoy that kind of carnage, not when you've amateur gladiators for who knows how long. But if your handler and guards were anything like the ones I had in Hui Yi… I honestly can't blame you one bit for doing what you did. If I'd had the guts, if I'd thought I'd get away with it, I might have done it too back then. But I… I figured I'd just die eventually for it. That I'd get caught, that if I tried to escape I'd get nowhere because I had no idea where Hui Yi was, to begin with, let alone did I know if I could ever find a ship to take me back home. So… as I had no plan, and no odds for success, I never made a move"
His words seemed to ease some of the more distrustful gladiators. The ones who were still holding up their weapons, except for the one called Yukio, lowered them carefully, though even his grip trembled slightly after hearing Sokka's retelling of his own story.
"I got out because… because I was hired by a sponsor" said Sokka, swallowing hard "Hadn't she done that, I'd probably be dead by now"
"She?" said the stocky man, frowning "What'd you mean, she?"
"Well, you see… the only reason I heard about your rebellion is because she told me about it" said Sokka, with a dry grin "She came to me, knowing I would want to help you guys in whatever way I could. Knowing, too, what she would risk if she let me help you at all. But she decided to give me a chance despite it all, and that's why I'm here"
"And who is this 'she' you're talking about?" the stocky man insisted "Answer already"
"'She' is Princess Azula. My sponsor" Sokka finished, looking at them defiantly.
The words fell upon the rest of the gladiators heavily. Sokka swallowed hard, knowing full well that this wouldn't be an easy sell. But he had no choice other than to tell the truth as soon as possible. If he didn't reveal why he had such resources and information, there was no way they'd ever trust him. Perhaps they wouldn't trust him, even now, but hopefully they'd decide otherwise. Hopefully…
"How…? W-why would…?! T-that's the Fire Lord's daughter, isn't it?!" exclaimed the man with the burns, looking at Sokka with despair "You're trying to say they know about this?! Did you rebel against her too, and…?!"
"He just said she told him so he could help us…" whispered the stout man, though he looked even more distrustful of Sokka than the others did. No doubt, this man was the leader of the group, perhaps even the architect of this rebellion "But that sounds unbelievable to me, and not in a good way. If you're saying she sent you, the Fire Lord's daughter no less, then how do we know you're not here to set up a trap of some sort?!"
Sokka breathed deeply and closed his eyes. This was the point where he had to sway them. At least, he had to give them a good enough reason to want to follow him.
"Do you guys have a plan?" he asked, one more time. The stout man scoffed.
"Answer the…!"
"I keep asking the same question because I strongly suspect you don't" Sokka said, glaring at him "I remember my days as an amateur gladiator well enough, and I know the way despair claws away at you with every life you take, because you know you don't deserve to live while others die. Rebelling with no true purpose in mind would only have resulted in death on my terms, and that at least could have meant I had tried to fight back… but it wouldn't change anything, ultimately. I'd die, and the world would continue to be as rotten and twisted as it was. So I never dared find the courage to do what you're doing now.
"When Azula told me about you guys, I thought you had the courage I'd lacked when I was in your situation. But… I also thought you probably didn't have much purpose in mind other than resisting and refusing to play by their rules if just for the last moments of your lives. If that was the case, I thought the least I could do was offer you an opportunity to survive for good. To rebel successfully and escape the Fire Lord's so-called justice…"
"How would you even do that?" asked the man with the eyepatch, frowning "If you really do want to help us… what is your plan, then?"
"Well, for starters, we have to torch this place" Sokka said. The others were startled by his nonchalant suggestion "Of course, we need a safe route to escape through, once we set the building on fire. By the time the place is burning up, the soldiers will be panicking enough that they probably won't notice we're getting away. We'll run for the trees, and from there you'll follow me to where my hot-air balloon awaits. Admittedly, that's where things get tricky…"
"Tricky? Why?" asked the man with the burns.
"Because the hot-air balloon isn't exactly huge…" Sokka admitted, grimacing "It might not be easy for it to fly with all of us in it, and if we manage to make it fly at all, it probably won't go high enough for us to hide in the clouds… but hopefully it won't matter by then"
"A hot-air… what?" asked one of the gladiators, easily the youngest of the group.
"Uh, it's a flying vehicle" Sokka said, scratching the back of his head "That's why I could get here long before Zhao showed up with whatever troops the Fire Lord sent him with"
"W-wait… they're coming" the stout man asked, eyes wide "They… the Fire Lord really will send someone to deal with us?"
"You thought it was all talk?" Sokka asked, grimacing "I'm afraid not. You're the first Amateur League rebels, at least the first ones to this degree. This has become a problem of, uh, national security, or so"
The stout man finally seemed to react with something other than distrust. His gaze was lost in the horizon, and his body even seemed to tremble as he pondered Sokka's words. The other gladiators didn't react any better, though the worst of them was the burned one.
"I… I told you it was folly, Shinya, I told you we couldn't do this!" he exclaimed at the stout man. Sokka blinked blankly, staring between the two with confusion "You said we would finally fight back, but for what?! They're going to destroy us anyhow!"
"What's the big difference anyway?!" Shinya roared back, frowning "We were going to die one way or another, only this way they'll be the ones to do it rather than us killing each other, Geming!"
"I didn't ask you to do this…" Geming said, gritting his teeth and dropping on his knees, next to Sokka "I didn't ask any of you to… y-you shouldn't have, Shinya. You would have lived longer, y-you would've…"
"What difference would it have made, I said?!" Shinya roared, stepping towards the fireplace only to kick an empty metal bowl. It clanged against the ground as it rebounded towards a wooden wall "We took a stand when we did, and we should've taken it ages ago! If this is how we die, so be it! We all knew the risks when we joined forces, didn't we?!"
The others looked at Shinya with uncertainty, though eventually they nodded in agreement. Geming didn't seem to appreciate the sentiment though: he looked close to tears.
"They rebelled for you?" Sokka asked softly. Geming gritted his teeth, the tears slipping down his cheeks now.
"I… I was supposed to kill Yunru" Geming explained, closing his eyes "He's… he's too young, though. He was a newcomer, and our handler, Shizeng, wanted me to… t-to…"
"He was going to force you to kill him even if you didn't want to" Sokka finished, glancing at the young boy who had spoken earlier, who most likely was Yunru "He sent his firebending guards to force you?"
"So, you really do know how it goes" grunted Shinya, folding his arms over his chest.
"They did the same thing to me on my first fight" he said. Shinya gritted his teeth "And they were constantly looming in case they had to force me to kill someone else for the next two years"
"Two years?" said the man with the eye-patch "You… you survived the Amateur League for two whole years?"
Sokka swallowed hard and gazed around the group. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the building, he could notice that a few of the men were burned similarly to how Geming was, and they seemed to huddle close to the walls.
"I guess… none of you have been here that long, huh?" he muttered.
"I'm the one who's survived the longest" Shinya growled "A year and a few months. Everyone who was here before me… they're dead"
"I doubt many of those I met in Hui Yi are still alive now" Sokka admitted, glancing at Geming "Either way, I take it you rebelled against the firebenders and…?"
"I didn't" Geming continued, slightly calmer now, though it seemed it might only be a momentary calm "I tried, but… they attacked me, to spur me into hurting Yunru. I just covered him with my own body as they attacked and…"
Sokka nodded, the burns across Geming's body explained by now.
"You could hear the screaming all the way in the barracks. I couldn't stand it anymore" Shinya growled "I lashed out and attacked the firebender keeping our weapons under guard, and a few of us picked up whatever we could get our hands on before the other guards attacked us. We took them down, too"
"And after that, we broke into the Arena and killed the ones burning Geming" said the man with the eye-patch "Shizeng tried to escape amidst the public, who were rushing out in fear they'd be next…"
"But we caught that bastard" said another man, one who held a chain in his hands. The end of it had a sharp hook, stained with blood "I did, to be precise. And together…"
"We all killed him" said Shinya, looking at Sokka with blank eyes "And we'll keep on killing them until we're dead too. That was our plan"
Sokka frowned before shaking his head and sighing. Geming gritted his teeth beside him.
"We couldn't take it anymore" said Geming "I couldn't… I would've rather died than hurt Yunru. He's… he's a boy"
Yunru hugged his knees and buried his face in them, either ashamed, or afraid or both. Sokka's heart ached by looking at him. He deserved better than to live like this. They all did. But they didn't dare imagine it was possible… just as he hadn't, before Azula had saved him. Would they rather die here or escape? Would they think there was no honor in leaving when so many others had died? He wouldn't be surprised if they thought so. The thought had occurred to him at times, and yet he had done his best to ignore it. For years Azula had told him he had deserved to live, that he was worthy of the life he led right now, and he had finally started to believe her…
He would only continue believing it if he could do right by these men.
"You've all killed lots of people" Sokka whispered "So have I. You were forced by the lowest and most twisted of businesses in the Fire Nation to do this, just so the bastards sitting at the stands could enjoy the carnage as they pleased. And with every life you took, you felt less deserving of survival. Am I right?"
Many gladiators stared at him guiltily, others could barely look at him upon hearing those words. Shinya's fist was clenched, Sokka's words resounding hard within him.
"I understand" Sokka said "Because I felt the same way too. Why, I still do, most days. When I wake up and think that I no longer have to fear each day might be my last, I feel relief and shame at the same time. For there's nothing I've done, in my entire life, that makes me worthier of survival than the countless men I had to kill in the Amateur Arena.
"But I did it. I killed those men. And because I did, I was given a chance to fight for at least one more day. That chance was what allowed me to… to take the place I now have beside the Princess. And with every opportunity that arises, I do my best to help those who may need me. But… it's not enough. It hasn't been enough so far, and I know as much. Because while I have had the chance to survive and help some people, others have been dying and suffering, far from my reach. The Princess hired a slave for me, an Earth Kingdom woman who's become my healer and friend, and by doing so, she saved her from a worse outcome. I convinced Azula, later, to help a gladiator who was reduced to serving as a sex slave… I managed to coerce the Fire Lord into vacating an army settlement in the South Pole, too.
"I've done things, things that were bad and things that were good. I've worked hard, I've fought, and I've done everything I could to save people, but it's not enough. I know it's not, because I… I didn't save you before it could come to this. I couldn't stop the Amateur Gladiator Leagues before they took even more lives than they already had. We tried, but it failed all the same…"
"Tried?" Shinya asked, looking at him in disbelief and confusion "What the… how could you make the Fire Lord do anything? What are you…?"
"The Princess wanted to create stricter laws for slavery" Sokka said "Stricter for the masters, not for the slaves… and one of such laws was meant to stop the Amateur Leagues from holding fights to the death. But… the Fire Lord refused. It all failed. But even when we failed then, I can still save you now. And hopefully, if this works, I can save more gladiators in the rest of the Amateur Arenas. Maybe, if we succeed, we'll finally be able to help those who need it most. And it won't erase the people we've killed, or the people we couldn't help on time… but we will do it in their honor, too. If we survived and they didn't, isn't this the only way to do right by them? Devoting our lives to this cause, to fighting what's wrong in the world in whatever way we can, so that we can put an end to the horrors we've lived with for years, horrors that no one should ever have to face?"
He fell silent now, gauging for their responses. Some looked scared still… but to his relief, Shinya looked determined, even if his rage was far from appeased. Geming's crying had stopped, and Yunru looked at him with bright eyes.
"He… he has a point" said the eye-patch man, his hands on his hips "Shinya… I know this isn't ideal. Too many people have died, it's true, but… if we did get away, this trash heap of an Arena would no longer work. It'd be over for Fazhan's Arena, at least. And maybe… maybe once we find our bearings, we could help others escape just as we did"
"It's easier said than done" growled Shinya "We don't even know where else they have Arenas, or how we'll ever get back on our feet so we can help someone other than ourselves. Anything would be better than this, though. Even… even death"
"Shinya…"
"But you're right" said Shinya, turning towards Sokka. The Blue Wolf raised his eyebrows "We don't have a plan, we just wanted to die on our own terms, whatever that meant. We just didn't want to die a meaningless death, if just to honor those we'd killed before. You, though… you talk as though that Princess of yours is an ally. As though she could change the way slavery is handled, if the thrice-damned Fire Lord wasn't in the way. Do you… do you really believe this Princess is any good? Can we trust her? Can we trust you?"
Despair gleamed in his eyes. Sokka frowned with determination as well before pushing himself up to his full height, towering over Shinya. The other man, weaker, malnourished as he was, wasn't intimidated in the least by him. His spirit was strong, and Sokka was pleased for that.
"The Princess was once much like her father. I won't deny that" Sokka said, shaking his head "He did raise her, after all, and taught her to be just like him. But as things stand, she steps further and further away from his influence with each passing day. Why else do you think she would've told me about your riot? Why else do you think she would have let me come here, despite, if I'm caught helping you, the one to face dire consequences for it will be her?"
Shinya swallowed hard. Sokka breathed deeply and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't need to trust me. You don't need to trust her either" he said "But the truth is, all I want is to give you a chance to live for another day, and then another, and then some more. If you follow me, and we fail, we all die just as you would if you stay here waiting for the Fire Lord's forces to storm the Arena. But if we succeed… then maybe, just maybe, we'll both be able to help people in our own way. Isn't that an opportunity worth taking advantage of?"
Shinya breathed deeply, closing his eyes. His trembling only grew more violent, but soon enough he opened his dark brown eyes again and stared at Sokka with the same determination as before.
"How will we do it, then?" he asked "How do we escape?"
Despite the gravity of the situation, despite the despair, fear and helplessness in all the gaunt faces staring at him, as though he were either their salvation or damnation, Sokka allowed himself a relieved smile.
Visiting her father's study felt like the only thing to do that day. She wasn't sure why she was obeying that urge without thinking it through, without considering that doing so could be a death sentence just as much as Sokka's wild mission might be. She barely knew what her intent would be, and yet she couldn't help but obey the impulses that guided her feet all the way to the elegant door that stood between her and her father.
The two Imperial Guards flanking the threshold were strangers, but upon her request, one of them entered the study and informed Ozai that she wished to speak with him. Only moments later, the door was open and the way clear. The Princess breathed deeply and entered the room, finding her father tearing through papers and frowning heavily as he did.
"Princess Azula. To what do I owe your visit?" he spoke with the same vitriol he had when she had confronted him about Seethus. Her own heart seemed infused with the same rage she had felt that day… but she knew better than to display it before him this time. She had developed a fair share of self-control since ages ago, and it was the right moment to put it to good use.
"I wished to know if there were any news regarding the riot" she spoke. Ozai nearly scoffed "I take it the Admiral is already on his way?"
"He took off by dawn with the troops he was assigned. He should arrive by sunset if he doesn't dally around much" Ozai grumbled "Is that it, then?"
"What will happen once he apprehends the rebels?" Azula asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Ozai breathed deeply and set down the stack of papers he'd been holding, only so he could stare into his daughter's unyielding golden eyes, akin to his own.
"You know what will happen, Princess Azula" he said "They will be executed for their crimes. There is no other fate to be granted for the likes of these… rebels, as you called them"
Azula closed her eyes and nodded. Ozai frowned, wary of whatever she might say next. She wasn't here for a friendly visit, he was aware of it. But if she wished to confront him, to scold him for his poor handling of slaves, she would certainly face consequences for it this time…
"And then what?" she asked, her voice still level and soft.
"Whatever do you mean by that?" Ozai snapped right away.
"I mean, what will you do to prevent this from happening again" Azula said, taking her seat without being told to. Her bold action surprised Ozai, though it made her behavior seem slightly less confrontational than it had before "I had warned you this might happen…"
"And that's what you're here for, then?" Ozai asked, finally letting go of his reservations "To berate me because you told me so, Princess Azula? To take pride on the fact that you were right about these slaves being a potential threat to our nation's security?"
"I'm surprised you'd accuse me of such childish behavior" Azula said, her voice still as neutral as before. Ozai froze "I don't care about having told you so, Father. I couldn't care less about who guessed that this might be a problem to deal with. What I care about is figuring out what we'll do to put a stop to it, for good, now that it's happening indeed"
"You mean… how we'll prevent more Amateur Arenas from starting new uprisings?" Ozai growled. Azula nodded.
"I'd guessed gladiators were ripe for this kind of behavior" she said "If word spreads of this, as it will if you carry out public executions for the culprits of this riot, there's a chance it will happen again, and with far more frequency from now on. I don't know if sending Admiral Zhao will be effective every time, especially if uprisings were to take place simultaneously or… well, indeed these are but conjectures. It's merely the worst-case scenario I can imagine, but…"
"But it's also possible that we will suffocate this rebellion and none will follow it" said Ozai. Azula nodded.
"It is" she conceded. He frowned, uncertain of why his daughter would be open to the possibilities he presented when she hadn't quite acted like this before. Had it been true, then, that she had realized she had much to learn as a political leader? Was her behavior through this conversation the result of whatever she had learned since then? "And any precautions we take in that case might feel like a waste. But in the case where something else does happen… should we merely wait until it does before sending soldiers to deal with this problem instead of tackling the actual source of these riots?"
"The source of it is slavery" Ozai huffed "And I won't put an end to it now, if that's what you…"
"You keep assuming that's what I'm after" Azula sighed "You did before, you are doing the same thing now. No, Father. If slavery was illegal, my gladiator would board the first ship he could find and I'd be left with no choice but to find a new one, after all these years of investing time and efforts into training him so he could be an acknowledged fighter. Selfish as it may be on my part, it's disadvantageous for me to outlaw it"
Ozai frowned, though it seemed her reasoning had convinced him surprisingly easily. Lying to his face was easier every day, Azula realized…
"Then… you wish to put forward your project again?" Ozai asked. Azula frowned.
"Put it forward again? What for?" she asked, genuinely confused "You already rejected it, and the papers were last in your power. You don't have to follow with my project, Father. But… you should ponder other solutions, if mine won't do. I don't… I don't expect you to come up with an answer right now. No doubt these things take time, but I just… I just want to prevent more uprisings, more unrest. Our nation faces enough threats as it is to add new ones to the list"
"So, you speak from wanting to protect our nation" Ozai said. Azula looked at him with near skepticism, and he raised his eyebrows "What?"
"You've raised me ever since I was a child to fight for you and for my nation" she said "What else do you think I could possibly be striving towards? You named me your heir, promoted me into the position of Crown Princess… I thought it meant my job was to stand close to you in times of crisis or otherwise. I thought it meant my counsel was worth heeding"
"I never claimed it wasn't" Ozai muttered "But I must say, I thought we saw eye to eye in many more regards than we do"
"We see the world differently" Azula said "It doesn't mean our priorities are any different, though. We want our nation to thrive, to grow, to be successful and strong. But if this were a disease, sending Zhao and his soldiers to deal with it after it festered feels like a mere balm to ease the pain rather than a genuine cure. If I'm mistaken, then do excuse me. I only wish to help in whatever capacity I may, if there's anything for me to do indeed"
"I suppose your wishes must indeed be as pure as you claim" Ozai sighed, closing his eyes "I have no true reason to believe otherwise. Even when it came to Seethus, your concern was that I was murdering our own people, right?"
Azula tensed at the mention of the assassin. Ozai gazed at her with the same unyielding eyes as before, as though testing her. She didn't allow her unease to speak for her, though, and she nodded.
"What if he's the solution this time, too?" Ozai asked. Azula closed her eyes and breathed deeply "What if that's what should be done? Do away with all gladiators of the Amateur League, and that way we'll prevent their riots…"
"With all due respect… it wouldn't be much different than the fate that awaits them already" Azula said. Ozai's eyebrow twitched "I guess the only difference would be that you'd destroy the business altogether if there are no gladiators left to fight in it"
"Hmm. Of course" said Ozai, with a small smile "Well, I wasn't about to do that either way. It's already a public crisis, after all"
Her fists clenched on her lap, though she did her best not to show her revulsion. Naturally, he only used Seethus for small, stealth operations, or so was what he wanted to do. Mysteriously killing amateur gladiators all over the Fire Nation would be even more suspicious than the chaos they'd already faced when he had sent Seethus to deal with the White Lotus spies. Which just went to show that Seethus had been clumsy when he had taken down his last victims, for he hadn't been stealthy at all by killing people in open streets, in broad daylight.
"Either way, I thank you for your concern, Princess Azula, and for your counsel" said Ozai, nodding in her direction "I will keep everything in mind when I make a decision regarding how to go forward after this crisis is dealt with"
"Thank you for listening" Azula said, bowing her head towards him before standing up "I won't take up more of your time, then"
"I appreciate that" Ozai said, as Azula made her way to the door again.
He watched her leave, without picking up the papers again yet. Deploying soldiers at such haste was a complicated bureaucratic matter, even for the Fire Lord. But that wasn't all he was looking at right now: the papers he'd set aside initially had several numbers scribbled on them, numbers that detailed how many gladiators had been in Fazhan's Amateur Arena…
It wasn't supposed to be a large number. The pyres would be easily displayed in front of the Palace Gates, as tradition, for all the city to see what happened to anyone who tried to rebel against his regime. His father had done the same countless times before, namely with the traitors who had been caught attempting to kill his son… why shouldn't Ozai do it too?
But the Princess had posed a genuine question, and a problem Ozai hadn't wanted to deal with. A problem that pointed at the true root of this rebellion… at the failure of one of his top-ranked officials, who was supposed to make sure his wretched side business wouldn't cause unnecessary trouble for Ozai. And he had failed to keep true to that promise.
His eyes shifted towards one of his desk's cabinets. Nervousness he hadn't experienced in years suddenly shook him as he reached to open it…
The slavery reformation project was still there, just where he had left it, merely underneath a few other papers he had stashed atop it. His eyes narrowed as he read the neat calligraphy on the first page. He had indeed wanted to reject the Princess's solution, and he had, initially. But right now… right now, he couldn't quite imagine anything else that might remotely work. She hadn't been disrespectful just now, either, so perhaps the arrogance she had developed after being promoted was finally quelled… and that, for some reason, seemed to afford a few more merits to her shelved project than he had initially thought it had.
But maybe he was allowing his emotions to sway him. Maybe the Princess had been manipulating him subtly by being obedient and good… when in truth her behavior was just another product of her newly developed rebelliousness. That was hardly unthinkable, wasn't it?
He breathed deeply and shook his head. He would make up his mind about what to do once these slaves had been captured and executed, that was that. He had plenty to work with as it was, papers to go over, arguments to hold with officials of whom Ozai had expected better…
He couldn't hold back. His hand moved to the cabinet: within moments he was reading quickly through the slavery reformation project, eyes darting across his daughter's flawless penmanship. And with every word he read, the easier it became to make up his mind…