Gladiator

by Seyary-Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation took over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

370. Chapter 370: Dragon Pit-Death's doors 4

The Dragon's Pit/At death's doors

4

Chan ambled nervously through the Palace's corridors, eyes wide. Of all things he had expected upon arriving in the Fire Nation Capital, he never imagined he'd be on the receiving end of an order quite as unnerving as that one:

"Kill Princess Azula."

Oh, he had no idea how he'd ever go about doing something like that, let alone why he'd ever be given a task of that nature. Azula hardly trusted him as it was: would she ever even show him her back long enough for him to stab it? Doubtful. And it wasn't merely a matter of distrust over reasonable things, no… her distrust towards him obeyed a very specific source and motivation that they both were starkly aware of. Their teenage clashes had colored their relationship so strongly that it would take so much more bonding for it to ever change for the better… even if Chan was growing genuinely fond of her, the same simply wasn't true for the Princess.

But if it were… would he do it? Could he ever…?

He scoffed, standing upright. That made no sense to even ponder, really. Azula was part of the Royal Family, and he was supposed to protect her, not attack her. That the General had ever asked something of the sort from him was utterly ridiculous, and it fully persuaded Chan that this man was the one he was expected to spy on, in the first place. That, and that alone, was why he had chosen to accept the man's demand. Surely the General didn't trust Chan either… hell, he might even have him watched to ensure that he'd do what he had promised to. Which meant that Chan would be better off keeping his mouth shut about what had happened, out of uncertainty over any lurkers around him… but he would do whatever he could to avoid the Princess, as well. That way he wouldn't have to explain a single thing about Anorak to her, for starters, and he would also be free to tell the evil general that he'd failed because he had no chances to kill her to begin with! It was the perfect plan, he had no doubts it-…

His careless, aimless stroll in the Palace was cut short when he came across the very person he had meant to evade.

"P-Princess!" Chan squeaked: Renkai, standing before her, leveled Chan with a stern glare through his mask. Azula didn't react much, though when she raised her gaze in his direction, he had the sense that she had been crying. "Princess? A-are you…?"

"You're here," Azula said. "Well… fine. I suppose you wouldn't have stayed on the ship forever."

"Uh… no, I didn't. I was, uh, asked to come here," Chan explained, awkwardly: the Princess and Renkai set out again, and he ensured to keep up with them. "Princess, I… guess I might be in a bit of trouble with you? Maybe? Regarding… uh… the prisoner?"

"What did you do to him?" Azula asked, nonchalantly, walking firmly to her room, now followed by the two men.

Two guards of the Third Squad already stood in place, flanking either side of the door. They appeared perplexed to see her, but they bowed to Azula, who nodded in their direction as they opened the door. Chan hesitated, but Renkai followed Azula firmly into her room… thus, he assumed he would be allowed to do the same. He smiled awkwardly at the confused guards, and he closed the door behind himself.

"Well?" Azula said, skeptical.

"I, uh… I'm sorry, okay?" Chan spoke softly, walking towards her, head hung. "I got called away for something that made no sense and then when I went back, he was gone. He ran away somehow! I…"

"What a terrible guard you make. Shame on you."

Her tone, so muted and insincere, brought Chan to frown. Even if she was trying to tease him, her words weren't landing the way they were supposed to.

"You… don't sound mad," he said.

"I'm not," Azula said, simply. Chan's eyes widened.

"Well… good? I guess?" he said. "Are you alright?"

"You shouldn't pry right now," Renkai said, somberly. "The situation is… delicate. To put it mildly."

"The war?" Chan asked. Renkai shook his head.

"I've just… left everyone at a safe place," Azula said, her voice frayed. Chan blinked blankly. "The people who were with me, I mean. You remember it wasn't you and Renkai only, or don't you?"

"I… right. I just figured, maybe they would be in another room, but…" Chan said, eyeing his surroundings with uncertainty. "Then… you sent them away?"

"And they'll stay away. Safely. Hopefully," Azula said. Chan grimaced.

"Damn. Guess you really wouldn't care much about Anorak if that's how it is, huh?" he said. Renkai sighed.

"You needn't worry about him anymore. Leave it at that," he told Chan. He smiled and shrugged.

"Guess I'll do that, then," he said. "But… should I go now? Or do you need me for anything? Because, um, that's all I had to say for now. I think."

"I… don't think I need anything from you, no," Azula said, stepping towards her window, tugging a drape to the side: the sun was shining outside… as it often did, as it ever would, in the Fire Nation. She sighed, dropping the drape again. "But I do think it's best if I ask you… what you intend to do now."

"What I intend to do?" Chan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… there's a battle coming, Chan. Unlike any you've seen so far," Azula said. "Much worse than what we faced in Yu Dao. Our defenses won't suffice this time. Not against the tide of foes coming our way. I'm simply asking… do you intend to fight to the end? Or would you rather step away now, before matters grow worse than they already are?"

"W-wait… I'm a Fire Nation soldier. I'm here to fight for the Fire Nation," he said, matter-of-factly. Azula appeared unamused to hear those words. "There's no way I'm leaving now."

"Not even if I tell you that staying means you'll be very likely to die soon?"

Chan froze up. Azula's countenance gave away no sign of mirth or mockery. Chan swallowed hard.

"Wait, but… wait. You have thought of something to save us, haven't you?" he said. "I mean, it's… it's you! You always think of something, don't you? You singlehandedly turned that battle in Yu Dao's bay just by flying like a bird all the way there…!"

"I said… it's not going to be as simple as that. And it wasn't simple, to begin with," Azula said.

"The Princess is giving you a chance to get out before things grow more dire, Chan," Renkai said. "Decide whether you'll take it or not. That's all you need to do."

"Did she offer the same thing to you?" Chan asked, puzzled.

"She doesn't need to. I will die by her side if that's the fate that awaits anyone who stands with her," Renkai said, firmly. Azula winced.

"Guards are… too stubborn and ready to die," she reasoned, shaking her head. "I appreciate your loyalty, Renkai, but…"

"I've done terrible things myself," Renkai said, firmly. "I served the wrong man before, both when my eyes were closed to the truth, and when I opened them. I spent over a year searching for means through which I could discredit you and destroy your image in society, all be it to protect the Fire Lord from some wretched ploy that didn't even exist, to begin with. You feel guilt for the mistakes you've made, so do I. If we find redemption in death, so be it… but death also means we won't be able to cause anyone else harm, either, once we're gone."

"Bullshit," Chan said. Both Azula and Renkai stared at him. "People are always hurting when someone they care for is gone. Why would you assume…?"

"Their pain… will have to be endured. For the sake of changing this world, I'd dare say," Azula whispered. Chan scowled. "I know it sounds awful, Chan… but would you sooner save the hearts of a handful of people than the actual lives of millions?"

"You're putting millions of lives in danger? Both of you?" Chan said. Azula nodded.

"As are you."

He froze again. Her clear eyes, reddened as they might be after she had wept, bore into his very soul.

"What do you think we're fighting against, exactly? And what do you think we're fighting for, too?" Azula asked. "The glory of the Fire Nation? War is a way to show our superiority, our strength? As if it were a children's playground game, where picking on someone smaller is some mark of greatness, an achievement that sets you up in a superior hierarchy, of a sort?"

"W-well, I… I mean, the Fire Nation is supposed to be fighting for many reasons. Right?" Chan said, unsteady. "The enemy is coming for us just as much, so…"

"The enemy would not be an enemy at all if Sozin hadn't launched an invasion into the Earth Kingdom, destroyed the Air Nomads and raided the Water Tribes for the sake of proving our so-called greatness," Azula snapped. "Or to gain whatever economic benefits he sought from the first thing. Let alone to tear down the Avatar, all be it to ensure he would have free rein to continue doing whatever he cared to across the world. We're doing nothing but perpetuating the legacy of a bastard who, ultimately, had no right to set us on this worthless path."

"Wait, but… if you feel that way about it, why are you still fighting for the Fire Nation?" Chan scowled. "Why… why are you here? Rather than, well, there? With the guy you love? The one who's trying to stop the Fire Nation?"

"Because… because I'm a fool, I'd dare say," Azula said, her lips lightly tugged into a cynical smile. "Because I've spent my entire life obeying my father. Because he had power over me. Because he kept me leashed to his demands, and I didn't fight back, thinking it'd stop one day if I just did as he wanted me to. In order to keep on surviving from one day to the next, I made choices that felt like I was stabbing my own heart, over and over… all to find that I've become the exact kind of worthless scumbag Sokka is fighting against. That I was coerced, that I didn't want to fight him, that I never meant to damn near kill him, doesn't matter. Because I did all those things. And they are, indeed, unforgivable. If you can't see that, Chan… it's because you're lucky and naïve enough not to have anyone on the other side of this war that you care for. But I do. So many people I love… they're fighting against my father. And I have no choice but to fight against them… because I've already stained my hands with so much blood that turning tail now, joining the Gladiator Army? What kind of… of shameless coward would I be if I begged and pleaded for my life when I caused so many to be lost with my actions?"

"But… you're fighting for your nation. They're fighting for theirs," Chan grimaced. "It's the same thing…"

"It never has been," Azula said, firmly. Chan's eyes widened. "The Fire Nation… is rotten. Not to its core, but it is nonetheless. It needs to… to burn. To be reborn as a new nation from those ashes. As Fenghuang would have it."

"Then… what, you're fighting against the White Lotus and the Gladiator Army just for the sake of it? You've already decided that you're dead?" Chan said. Azula's hollow gaze answered his question. He scoffed. "That makes no sense to me. That…! Y-you… letting them kill you is no better than being a traitor!"

"I will fight. To my utmost, if I must," Azula said. Chan frowned. "But I know I won't win. I know my father can't win. So does he, for that matter. We're not fighting an enemy that can be defeated anymore."

"Why? You think he's unbeatable because he has the Avatar with him?" Chan said.

"It's because he has a purpose. Because he has stronger drive, determination and ideals than we do," Azula snapped, frowning. "Because he's Sokka. And I don't care whether you believe me or not… but if there's one man in this world with greater power than the Fire Lord, than the damn Avatar, it's him."

"The non-bender," Chan said, skeptical.

"Indeed," Azula responded, without hesitation.

"Well, I'm a non-bender too. I could shoot my bombs and kill him, couldn't I?" Chan scoffed. "I don't know, Princess, but it sounds like you…"

Like she wanted the enemy to win.

The General's voice returned to his mind, and he trembled: wait. Was this what he meant? Was this the treachery the General was so concerned over? The Princess…

She wasn't aligned, ideologically, with the Fire Nation at all.

She fought for it because she believed she was stuck with them. But she wasn't truly devoted to the cause, only… to her father? Was that even the case? She had betrayed him knowingly by starting that forbidden relationship with her gladiator… surely her devotion to him wasn't all that genuine, either.

So much of what he had taken for granted about the Princess gained new shape. And not a particularly favorable one, as far as Chan could tell…

Why would she ever grow to despise the Fire Nation so much as to align, instead, with their enemies? Was it because of her father's punishments? But then again, she had to know what was going to happen when she started a relationship with…

Chan frowned. Something about that line of thought clicked… but he didn't think he was ready to unravel it. Not just yet.

Nothing about Azula had ever made any sense to him… nothing was ever simple or straightforward. She certainly seemed to overthink and overanalyze, and perhaps Chan did the opposite. But the fact that she would act against what her beliefs dictated… it made little sense to Chan. He had seen her do things that no other Fire Nation leader would care to… that was exactly why he never imagined she'd see the world as she did. It unsettled him.

The General's demand rang again in his head. The weight of that disguised knife, now concealed within Chan's armor, sent a shiver down his body.

"If there's something you'd like to say, feel free to do so, Chan," Azula said, anew. Chan flinched. "If I no longer appear worth serving or following, feel free to take your leave. It'd likely be better for you, if you did."

"Right… and then I wouldn't get to defend my family's honor and clear our name?" Chan scoffed.

"Haven't you already done enough of that as it is?" Azula asked. "You've changed your fate as you cared to, Chan. I wanted you to go down in misery and you've risen far above my most wicked wishes to become a fully-fledged soldier, capable enough to take point and win battles such as the one in Yu Dao. You've redeemed yourself and your family plenty as it is. Perhaps, if that worries you so much, you could return to Ember Island with them now, rather than staying here with us."

"I… I don't want to."

Azula frowned. She held Chan's gaze, finding uncertainty in his eyes… but not over his resolve. Not over his heart's decision.

"I didn't come all this way to back out now. I… I don't even know why I'd stay! I can't explain it. But I… I know this is where I'm supposed to be," he finished, frowning. "If that bothers you, then… too bad, huh? I'll go on pissing you off as usual, heh."

"You never do seem to stop… but if your heart is set, and you're not marching into this blindly? Go ahead," Azula said: she hardly seemed affected by his choice, something that struck Chan deeply.

"If… if I can do it, I'll sway the battle in our favor. I won't just back down and lose against the enemy," he added. Azula shrugged.

"None of us will. Which doesn't mean the enemy will falter against us, anyhow," she said. Chan grimaced.

"Will you try to rest for a few hours?" Renkai asked Azula. She sighed, lowering her gaze. "I can see to waking you an hour before the meeting…"

"I won't be able to sleep at all. It's… it's going to be too quiet."

The room certainly appeared to lack liveliness, no matter if it appeared to be a perfectly ordinary room for a woman of Azula's standing. The lack of cribs, the missing rug, the knowledge that she wouldn't hear the voices of any of the people who had accompanied her faithfully over the past year… all of it darkened Azula's very soul, causing her to return to that last image of Hotaru in Mai's arms. She had walked away from the last piece of her heart, leaving it behind for others to protect.

"Then…" Renkai said. "Would you like to be alone? Or should we stay?"

"Dismiss the guards by the door. Take their places," Azula said, simply. Renkai nodded. "I… I'll just wait until the moment comes. I'll get ready on my own."

"As you wish, Princess."

Chan eyed her remorsefully, but Azula didn't meet his gaze anymore. The emptiness in the woman before him distressed him… just as the worrisome signs he'd picked up on her behavior alarmed him greatly. He didn't want to believe she would ever be a traitor to her nation, that she could turn her back on her father and join the man she loved instead, but… was that her goal? Was that what she would wind up doing, in the end?

If she did… would he truly have it in him to take that awful weapon and stab her in the back for it?

He didn't know yet.

He simply followed Renkai out the door, glancing back at the Princess, who sat by her bedside, head bent, before the doors closed anew.

---

A few hours after dawn, the first sign of ships in the horizon heralded the coming of something important in the Black Cliffs.

Sokka, accompanied by the Amateur Arena gladiators he had saved, watched intently as the first specks in the distance gained size… and increased in number, too. It wasn't long before multiple people gasped in amazement, all across the island, as a shockingly large fleet approached, on its way to their shores.

There was no uniformity among the ships: some were sleek, metal vessels stolen from the Fire Nation, now fashioned with the Gladiator Army's emblem instead. Others were wooden ships, some large, some small. The leading vessels were those of the Northern Water Tribe, the fastest, better-designed ships in the entire fleet. Sokka breathed deeply as they approached, watching with the spyglass he had been given by Yunru: he'd have to offer answers for his actions to several people quite soon… he hoped to be ready to face them. With any luck, the recruitment of numerous gladiators would suffice to satisfy any detractors' complaints over his mismanagement of matters as of late…

"Uh… Gladiator? General? What do we even call you right now?"

Sokka lowered the spyglass, turning to find the northern waterbenders and sailors near him: their apprehension had seemingly diminished after Sokka's earlier, successful venture to recruit the gladiators. They might not have forgiven him entirely for his mistake, but they seemed to have set those feelings aside for now.

"Is something wrong?" Sokka asked.

"Well… we overheard something just now," Panuk said, his eyes shifting warily over the amateur gladiators, whose attention was on him, too. "Thing is… it looks like they had a bunch of ships here too. People come and go as they please in this island. But it looks like one ship's missing… and it sounds like some people ran off on it. Probably to… to warn the Fire Lord. Not everyone agreed with joining your army, so…"

"No, not everyone did," Sokka said, lowering the spyglass.

"Should we look for them?" Panuk asked. Sokka shook his head. "But…"

"Do we even know if we'd able to intercept them?" Sokka asked. "When did they leave?"

"Well… at some point last night, seems like it."

"Then it's too late. And it's likely that they won't be giving the Fire Lord any information besides the fact that… that we survived," Sokka said, gritting his teeth. Panuk nodded. "Thank you for telling me, though. Did you hear anyone talk about how many are gone, or…?"

"Not really. But it's bound to be several of the ones who fought you yesterday, I think," Panuk said. Sokka nodded.

"Figures. Gang Hong?"

"Oh, no. Not him. He's still around," Panuk said. Sokka sighed and smiled.

"Good. I'd much rather have him on my side than against me. The others were easier to deal with," he said.

"The rest of the army is arriving, though…" said one of the sailors, stepping forward to watch as the dark ships in the horizon loomed closer… "They're almost here! We'll be moving out soon!"

"That we will be," Sokka said, shivering: only a few hours separated him from the beginning of the final assault on the Fire Nation Capital. Compared to the long campaign he had waged to get this far, the final preparations to win this war would go by in the blink of an eye.

Sokka folded the spyglass, handing it over to Yunru. The boy smiled, taking it back: he was much stronger now, with a thicker build and more life in his eyes these days.

"Once this is over… you'll help me find my family?" he asked. Sokka nodded.

"We'll do whatever we can to reunite the families that were torn apart by the war," he said. "I won't promise success, but… we'll do our best."

"And if things don't work out that well right away… you still have us, kid," Shinya said, stepping up to Yunru and patting his back. Yunru grinned at him and nodded. Shinya smiled back, turning his attention on Sokka. "It's kind of crazy that it's come to this, huh? I still remember when you first showed up in Fazhan… how you saved us, and you told us you thought you wouldn't be able to do anything of a bigger scale in the future. But look at you now…"

"It wasn't by my choice all along… but it is now," Sokka said, firmly.

"We'll stand beside you, no matter what comes next," Shinya said. "I'd sooner die fighting for my freedom than live another day as a slave."

"I've known as much since we met," Sokka smiled. "Let's make sure neither of those outcomes happens… so that you live for your freedom, and slavery dies for good."

Shinya smiled, nodding firmly. The other amateur gladiators approved openly of Sokka's words, and even the northerners looked at Sokka with growing amazement. The Gladiator nodded at everyone before breathing deeply and marching back inside: he meant to be at the shores on time to receive the new arrivals.

A fair number of gladiators waited by the shores as well: one of them, Sokka noticed, was the Red-Striped Hornet, who bumped him lightly with her elbow before glowering at him.

"You say… Jet's with the people who are on those ships?" she asked. Sokka nodded.

"He'd better be. He wouldn't miss out on the end of the war, I'm sure," he said. The woman shivered in anticipation.

"And… Longshot should be with him?"

"I hope so," Sokka said.

Smellerbee sighed, eyeing the horizon expectantly, anxiously. Appa, flying nearby, roared once the nearest ship blew a horn to announce itself. Aang, sitting on Appa's neck, with Katara beside him, shook the bison's reins and flew to guide the ships thoroughly to the Black Cliffs.

The first ships to arrive were, as expected, the Water Tribe fleet. Sokka breathed deeply, uncertain of how he'd face Pakku after his latest mistake… even though the northerners standing near him appeared to support him, at least to some extent. Sokka would be earnest about everything that had gone wrong, though. He would tell them why he'd messed up, and what the consequences had been…

The flagship finally docked: voices on deck gave away that the crew had started setting up for a short stay at the pier they stopped by. Not every ship of their large fleet would be able to do that, for there wasn't sufficient room for it in the small docks by the shores, but the northerners had arrived first, hence, they would be able to do so with ease.

As expected, Pakku was among the first to climb off the ship, among numerous Water Tribe soldiers and sailors as well as White Lotus members who had hitched a ride on this ship. Pakku walked, his hands firm behind his back, towards Sokka. A stern frown colored his features, and the Gladiator didn't shirk away from him.

"We were most relieved to learn of your survival through that message you sent," Pakku said. "Though your recklessness in giving chase to those Fire Nation ships nonetheless caught us by surprise."

"Azula was aboard one of them," Sokka said, plain and simple: Pakku froze up. "I was indeed reckless, and even stupid, to think that she might just stop her ship and surrender right then and there. Not only was it unlikely that she'd realize it was me… even if she did, she would have had to fight against me regardless. Or, perhaps, she did it entirely willingly due to the harm and chaos I've brought to her nation. Whatever the case may be, my error of judgment makes me responsible for what happened. I'm not going to deny that."

"Good to know," Pakku said, eyebrows twitching. "Your losses?"

"The ship," Panuk said, bitterly. "Two sailors."

"Oh?" Pakku raised his eyebrows. "Certainly a surprising outcome considering the circumstances. Here I thought only a handful of you had made it."

"The waterbenders saved us," Sokka said. "We'd all have drowned without them."

"May you be reminded, then, of the fact that even your grand talents have their limitations," Pakku said. "Play god, Gladiator, and you might just sentence yourself to hell."

"Sometimes it feels like I already have," Sokka said. Pakku scowled. "At any rate, whatever punishment is necessary for what I did, I'll face it after the final battle. I promise."

"You… punishment, then?" Pakku said. "Why… I have no idea who would inflict it upon you, to begin with."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. Pakku studied him skeptically.

"Why does it appear that you are that far removed from your own reality?" he said. "You're the Gladiator. You're the commanding General of this army. I'm afraid that means… that no one else has authority over you to hold you accountable for a damn thing."

Sokka's eyes widened. Pakku shrugged, stepping past him and clapping Panuk's shoulder, asking how he was faring, and for a summary of what had happened in this island upon their arrival. An unsettling feeling rose in Sokka's chest: was that truly what it meant to be in power? To hold a position of authority over others that exempted you of all responsibilities in your misdeeds? That was, no doubt, how Ozai felt, but… it was wrong. It felt wrong. Even if Sokka had lost other members of his forces throughout the war, even back in the South Pole, nothing had been quite as wrong as this was…

He'd face his reckoning for it and offer reparations in due time. He would gain nothing by beating himself up for it now.

Two more ships had arrived: Kino and Zuko, it seemed, were in one of them, going by Aang and Katara's excitement as they approached it with Appa. The Prince and his steadfast ally climbed off the ramp side by side, greeting Appa warmly, much as Momo, around Kino's shoulders, did the same… but someone else jumped off the ramp after them.

"Fuck, land again! I hate… hate traveling like this. I really do," Toph groaned, leaning down to touch the stony shore with her hands fully.

"I offered to distract you the whole trip and you didn't accept it…" Jet, behind her, teased her shamelessly. Toph scoffed.

"No offense, but I'd rather reschedule," she said, rising to her full height again. "And I bet your buddy agrees."

The buddy in question grunted and nodded: Jet grinned shamelessly at Longshot, who shook his head at him as he and his archer squad climbed off the ship, too.

"I thought you'd had enough time on the road with her to get it out of your system," Longshot said, curtly. Jet snorted.

"When you find someone like Toph, you never can seem to get it out of your system. It just gets stronger and stronger whenever you try," Jet said, clapping Longshot's shoulder. Toph regarded his words with a dismissive sneer.

"The fuck are you even talking about?" she said. Jet smirked.

"My libido, obviously," he said. Toph snorted.

"Good. Better that than anything mushy out of you."

"I could very well say something very mushy too if you…" Jet started, chuckling…

But his eyes rose to analyze his surroundings then, and he stopped cold halfway through his words.

The Black Cliffs, he had been told, was a rather large island in which many gladiators were taking refuge, without the White Lotus's army's awareness, until now. It used to be an Arena, and a rather chaotic one at that… he, as ever, had no memories of having fought there or visited it at all, even if he might have done it at some point.

Yet in all he had learned about and heard… it never occurred to him that he would come across something, or rather, someone familiar. Someone the Dai Li's brainwashing could never truly erase from his mind. Someone precious to him, someone he cherished, someone he had feared he might never see again…

But there she was.

And she was running towards him.

"Smellerbee…?!" he gasped: beside him, Longshot tensed up, turning to look in the direction Jet was staring at.

Toph alone was left clueless over their reactions, the sudden spike in their heartrates, the emotional hints in Jet's voice. She raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips, as Jet gasped, stepping forward, towards the racing woman… so much older than he remembered. So much stronger, too. She was still lanky, yes, but her muscles were better defined than before. Her hair was as chaotic as he remembered it, her eyes as big and full of life, her face round…

"Smellerbee!" he exclaimed, stepping forward, holding back the urge to break into a sprint of his own, arms spreading once he saw hers had done the same…

He didn't notice footsteps beside him. At first, keeping time with him. Soon, surpassing his.

Nothing prepared him for Longshot to cut between him and Smellerbee just when he was about to reach her.

No… in fact, Smellerbee's body had been angled slightly away from Jet.

Jet stumbled, managing to keep his footing by sheer chance after Longshot bumped him: Smellerbee and Longshot, however, stopped abruptly once their bodies collided in the strongest hug they had ever given each other.

A snort and a burst of loud, cruel laughter brought a rare blush to Jet's face: he wasn't one to hold onto grudges over petty things… but he would make Toph pay for that shameless, relentless laughter later. Sometime. When she wasn't expecting it.

"Bee…?!" Jet said, waving in their direction… only to realize he was certainly not going to catch her attention at all.

"Y-you're here, Longshot, it's really y-you…!" Smellerbee cried, hands rising to cup his face, to look at him properly…

Longshot wrapped his arms tight around her waist before pressing a hard kiss upon her lips.

"W-wha…?!" Jet squeaked: yet again, it was as though he was invisible, for Smellerbee's arms simply looped around Longshot's neck as she kissed him right back. "Y-you two… WHAT?!"

"Woah! Didn't know dour-and-sour here had it in him!" Toph chuckled, approaching Jet and bumping him with her hip. "What's with you? Didn't know he had a girlfriend?"

"S-she wasn't…! They weren't like this back then! We were kids and…! They were best friends only!" Jet exclaimed, rising to his full height. "This is…"

"This is… is what we should've done all along. What I've told myself I had to do, as soon as I met you again," Longshot said, pulling back and cupping Smellerbee's face with a hand. She laughed, tears spilling from her eyes still.

"I wanted you to. I… I wish we could've been together all these years, but…" she sniffed, before hugging him tightly again. Longshot smiled kindly, reeling her warmly into his embrace.

"I missed you, Bee."

"I missed you too, Longshot," Smellerbee said… though she pulled her head back and offered her former leader, at long last, a guilty smile. "And I missed you too, Jet, but…"

"No, no, don't worry! Take your time. I'll be right here. Waiting," Jet said, with a dry grin, tapping his foot on the rocky ground. Toph, beside him, burst out with laughter again.

"Seriously, though, take forever! This is hilarious!" she told Smellerbee, who laughed and buried her face in Longshot's shoulder. The silent, stern archer smiled warmly, too delighted over having met his best friend anew to pay much attention to Jet's unusually childish reaction to their newly-realized relationship.

Sokka considered approaching them until he registered what was happening: he smiled from afar, certainly shocked by Longshot's unusually bold behavior, but mostly relieved to see Toph was safe and sound, still, leaning against Jet's shoulder as she laughed at him. Her lover appeared to be terribly embarrassed, pouting mildly as he stood awkwardly to the side, and his friends swayed in each other's arms in the most romantic embrace they could possibly muster in these circumstances.

As new ships slowed to a halt by the piers, though, Toph finally had enough sense to remember her earlier priorities: she pulled away from Jet, pressing her feet to the solid ground, seeking that very specific person, his unique vibrations… to find him stepping towards her, for he had noticed her change of demeanor just as it had started.

"You… you're okay, damn you!" Toph gasped: she sprinted across the shore, and now Jet watched as Toph leapt to hug Sokka, who pat her back gently in return. Jet sighed.

"None of the girls in my life will hug me," Jet told Sokka, playfully and dramatically. Sokka chuckled as he clapped Toph's back still.

"Maybe you just need to wait for your turn," he said. Toph sighed in relief as she pulled back, gripping Sokka's forearms firmly.

"You're in one piece. The North Pole didn't kill you. Neither did… whatever happened to you, not long ago?" she asked. Sokka sighed and nodded.

"I'm fine, Toph. Or, well, as fine as can be," he said, softly. "Things are getting more complicated just as we draw close to the finish line, I guess. It's not that I expected otherwise, but…"

"You'll explain later," Toph said, patting his shoulder. "No need to tire yourself out telling everyone over and over. But… you recruited a bunch of people here, or didn't you?"

"Oh. I did, yeah," he said, with a weak smile. "The Gladiator Army's… starting to feel more genuine as a title than it was before."

"Is it, now?" Toph smirked. "Sounds good to me."

"They'll follow you into the next battle?" Jet asked, stepping towards them. Sokka nodded.

"They'll amount to around three hundred new fighters in our ranks," Sokka explained. Jet whistled.

"To think I'd get excited whenever I got a single new member for the Freedom Fighters… and you get three hundred in one go."

"I had to prove myself to them, if that makes you feel any better," Sokka smiled. Toph scoffed.

"How?" she asked. "Did you fight them? Sokka. Don't tell me you fought them. Don't tell me it was…!"

"And all-out brawl where I had to beat the enemy leader and make everyone in there acknowledge me as the Gladiator?" Sokka asked, smirking. Toph gasped in outrage. "Uh… yeah. That's exactly how it was."

"Fuck…! Why couldn't you wait for me to get here before doing that?! Damn you!" she exclaimed, punching his shoulder only to wind up more hurt than him, when her fist collided his armor. "Ack! Damn you again! I should've bent it…"

"Don't metalbend my armor! Let alone now! We have the biggest fight ahead of ourselves soon, Toph!" Sokka exclaimed, poking her forehead and shoving her towards a newly amused Jet. "Seriously, one would think you're not used to it yet, me being the Gladiator and all…"

"I'm gonna take all that from you one day!" Toph exclaimed. "I'll make a new League! The new and improved and cooler and badass and bloodier Gladiator League!"

"That name's a mouthful. Shorten it or nobody will remember it," Jet advised. Toph scoffed, shoving him away from herself now. Jet chuckled for it.

"I'll fight you there, and I'll beat you, Sokka! And then I'll be the Gladiator!" Toph exclaimed, pointing to herself upon finishing her declaration. Sokka smirked.

"Can't wait to prove you wrong about that last part, more than anything," he said. "But we have better things to worry about than who gets to be called the Gladiator, now, don't we?"

"Uh… yeah, sure. We'll put this on hold, damn you, but we WILL figure it out! I'll beat you! Mark my words," Toph declared, menacingly.

Sokka chuckled: he had certainly missed his friend's ridiculousness far more than he had realized. The situation was no less dire now, but Toph's carelessness almost convinced him that victory awaited them in the near future…

That spell of brief relief and optimism, however, came to its end quite quickly once a new ship's arrival brought Jeong Jeong back into Sokka's immediate reality.

The Gladiator breathed deeply as the old man disembarked. He stepped forward, nodding respectfully in his direction, and Jeong Jeong, for once, appeared taken aback upon being near Sokka. He bowed his head towards him, maintaining the position for longer than expected.

"General Sokka," Jeong Jeong said. "It's a relief to see you safe and sound."

"I'd written that I was. I hoped you would be, too," Sokka said, firmly.

"If you'd like explanations about Yu Dao, I… I can offer them," Jeong Jeong said, with unexpected hesitation. "Though I fear they might not suffice. My mistakes while managing that particular battle cannot be undone."

"Nor can mine, at any point in time," Sokka said. Jeong Jeong nodded. "As far as I understand… you faced her."

"And she destroyed me."

Sokka shuddered: where he had been secretly proud of Azula for that achievement before, his heart trembled with apprehension now.

"She was prepared for everything. She had resources I was unaware of. New developments… dangerous, incendiary weapons," Jeong Jeong explained. "But she… she fought personally, too. She launched lightning upon our catapults' payloads, she flew into the bay, she… I-I do not know what she did to the waterbenders I sent to the bay. It was yet another error of judgment. They might be… dead, or imprisoned."

"Anorak was with them," Sokka didn't phrase it as a question. Jeong Jeong nodded.

"I don't know what has become of him. Pakku… wasn't pleased to hear that," Jeong Jeong said.

"I fear he has a right to that, considering how many he lost in the battle of the north, too," Sokka said, downcast at the thought of having lost a man who had become a friend. It hurt… but he'd have to process that guilt, that grief, later. "But you call this an error of judgment… why, exactly?"

"Anorak himself cautioned me against that course of action. Unnuaq insisted, however, and… I listened to him. I shouldn't have," Jeong Jeong said. "I underestimated what she was capable of. I was overconfident in our armies. We lost far more resources than I could ever justify."

"I suppose, in that case, you won't judge me all that harshly for what I wasted too?" Sokka said. Jeong Jeong eyed him with uncertainty. "I went after her. I saw her ship. She nearly killed me."

Jeong Jeong froze. Sokka's cold glare spoke for itself, and Jeong Jeong trembled in place.

"General…"

"Doesn't mean I want her dead. Doesn't mean I want her to pay direly for what she's done to me," Sokka said, swallowing hard. "If I'm wrong to believe she's done this unwillingly, then you're free to mock me for my naivety whenever you wish, and I'll act accordingly, nonetheless. For the time being, we withhold judgment… and we simply accept the obvious fact that, for the foreseeable future, she will be our enemy."

"She's…" Jeong Jeong said, shivering. "You can accept this? If you meet her on the battlefield, you… you will be ready to fight her?"

Sokka's heart churned with remorse even before he spoke his answer. He breathed deeply, chest rising and falling as he nodded. Jeong Jeong's small eyes widened.

"I will face her. And I will defeat her."

Jeong Jeong's lips parted, but he couldn't say a word. Sokka's resolve caught him off-guard, entirely. He swallowed hard after a moment before nodding, as good as bending over again, offering Sokka a new reverence.

"So be it… so be it. May you succeed, General. May… may you triumph," he said. "If your resolve is certain… I can only hope that you'll be the key to putting a stop to her. For, as you always believed… she is Ozai's sole hope of ever stopping us. The only element in his forces that could ever represent a threat to ours."

"She is," Sokka agreed, frowning. "And we'd do best to discuss how to handle that. So… help me gather all our highest ranked officials in the army, if you would. We'll meet atop the cliffs, and we'll discuss our strategy for the next battle. The final stage of this war."

Jeong Jeong shivered. Sokka nodded firmly before marching away from him, no doubt intending to spread his command to others. Relief flooded the firebender… a profound sense of ease upon realizing that the young man proved more than worthy of wielding the power he had been trusted with.

His back was strong, no doubt, carrying the hopes and faith of everyone who wished to see the Fire Nation's war stopped at last. His shoulders were firm, unwavering even when battered by the unjust whip that struck at him mercilessly with new, painful hurdles to overcome. That he wouldn't need further persuasion, that he wouldn't need further motivation, that he would singlehandedly and personally decide to move forward and defeat Azula…

Perhaps someone else had spoken with him by now. Perhaps others had showed him the path he needed to follow. If he had found it all on his own, he was even more formidable than Jeong Jeong would have ever anticipated he could be. No man he had ever known would hold that kind of precise power over himself, or his circumstances…

He hadn't even berated Jeong Jeong as fiercely as expected. He might mean to unleash consequences upon him eventually, but for now… for now, the Gladiator continued to be the beacon and pillar of strength he had ever represented, and Jeong Jeong could only be grateful for it. He breathed deeply, and he set out to fulfill the task Sokka had given him.

The Gladiator greeted more new arrivals he knew personally, such as the Sentinel Knight, who was proud to have his sponsor standing with him for this battle, and later on, he offered explanations and apologies to Zuko and Kino once he found them. But once he told his most trusted allies, as well as the bigger figures of authority, to meet him anew atop the cliffs, he set out there once more himself, to prepare for what would be the final meeting before the large battle that awaited them.

A cluster of hot-air balloons had only just landed there, rather than by the shore. He didn't need to think twice about who had been riding them.

"Rui Shi!" Sokka exclaimed, even before seeing him.

Within moments, the firebenders' leader stepped out from the cluster of new arrivals. Sokka's friend rushed to greet him, and they embraced firm and tightly once they finally met anew.

"There you were… we heard about your recklessness at sea," Rui Shi said, pulling back. "You seem no worse for wear, at least."

"I'm not. Not in any way that matters," Sokka said, with a relieved sigh. "Your journey went well?"

"Nothing noteworthy happened to us," Fei Li said, smiling at Sokka. "And that just means we're ready for what's coming."

"Good. Don't know if all of you will stay for the next meeting… but at least Rui Shi's bound to stick around. The rest of you are welcome to do so too, if you'd like," he said. Fei Li winced.

"Well… yes. I think I'm sticking around this time. It usually feels like Rui Shi's the one who should be there, but… I want to hear this myself," he determined, with a serious frown.

"Same here," Tai Wei said. Taro nodded in agreement… as did the rest of Azula's former guards. Sokka smiled at them and nodded, too.

"Then… we wait for the others now," he said. "Shouldn't be too long before they get here."

It took well over half an hour for all relevant leaders of the Gladiator Army to reconvene: Jeong Jeong's direct underlings, several of Iroh's, a few of Piandao's… as well as Sokka's trusted own people, including members of Omashu and Ba Sing Se's Enforcers, gladiators from either city, just as those who came from the Black Cliffs, too, Renzhi among them. The Northern Water Tribe's representatives were there, too… so, once everyone was ready, it was up to Sokka to address the large group, in which naturally Aang, Zuko, Katara, Kino, Toph and Rui Shi had taken seats near him, as his closest associates and most trustworthy advisors. Highly-ranked members of the army followed on either side, and Jeong Jeong and Pakku sat opposite to Sokka, closing a circle whose secondary rows were comprised by those who had been called to witness the meeting and learn of their upcoming plans directly.

"Then… here we are," Sokka said, rising to his feet, standing before the group of extraordinary people who followed his leadership. "Let's get started."

Across that sea, past the zigzagging path that led into the city, behind the walls of a Palace, a guard opened the door for Princess Azula, who answered her father's summons, as promised.

"Azula," Ozai said. The Princess bowed her head in his direction: Shaofeng was already there, while Aonu sat to the side, acknowledging Azula with a bow of his own.

"Am I late?" she asked. Ozai shook his head.

"Are you feeling any better? More level-headed?" he asked. Azula breathed deeply.

"I believe I can see my purpose more clearly now," she said. For now, that would have to suffice.

"If so…" Ozai said, spreading a hand towards the empty chair, right across his desk. Azula clasped its backrest, pulling it out. "Let us begin."

Azula breathed in, taking her seat and nodding. Ozai cleared his throat.

"We will be assailed by a force unlike any that has attacked our shores so far," Ozai said. "This is not comparable to the attack by that rogue bastard from last year. The ships have already been sighted by our watch towers by the Great Gates: over a hundred ships are on their way to the Capital."

"We don't know the exact number yet," Aonu stated.

"We don't," Ozai confirmed. "Let alone do we know how many troops they will be transporting. It stands to reason that their numbers will be more than capable of overwhelming ours by quantity alone."

"This city is only accessible by climbing the crater. It's a perfect chokepoint no matter the numbers…" said Shaofeng. Ozai shook his head.

"That certainly isn't the case," he said. "There is another way into the city. The underground tunnels that were crafted to facilitate an escape for the Fire Nation Royal Family through the river, should it be necessary, make that statement rather questionable, General. As you no doubt should recall."

Azula's eyebrow twitched: why had her father spoken about the secret river quite so specifically to the General? And… Shaofeng tensed up. If only she had the time to unravel the deeper meaning of their words, she would have sought to do so…

"The Gladiator, as well as Iroh, at least, know of this tunnel. They will be bound to make use of it," Ozai said.

"Which means we should collapse it," Azula said, simply. Ozai frowned. "Either once they're inside… or before they arrive."

"Blocking the way…" Aonu frowned.

"They will have earthbenders who can sort through that rubble. They tore down the walls in Ba Sing Se…" Shaofeng said.

"They will be slowed, at least," Azula said. "That might complicate their mission altogether."

"What is your projection of how this battle will unfold?" Ozai asked her. "What will he do? What will his orders be?"

Azula breathed deeply, closing her eyes… evoking him, in her heart and mind. Stabbing him in the back, yet again, by answering her father's questions with words akin to those he spoke, just as well, so many miles away from her:

"We have a chance to strike at the heart of the Fire Nation now," Sokka said, firmly. "As difficult as the terrain may be, accessing the Capital itself is not impossible. We can simply barrel forward, frontally, drawing their attention towards us that way… but they will fight back with their new incendiary bombs and weapons. They will have a height advantage over us until we can claim the crater's uphill slope with our forces. But we will have other advantages anyway… such as a much stronger force, with better abilities and power than anything they can throw at us. The Avatar, for one, ought to turn any battles in our favor. Thus… I don't want him in this frontal attack at all."

"Huh?" Aang frowned. "You… what?"

"We need to think about how to put a stop to this war, not simply about how to win this battle," Sokka said, firmly. Aang's eyes widened. "Remember Ba Sing Se? It wasn't until Tiang finally surrendered that the Fire Nation's forces finally stood down. We had to cut down hundreds, thousands, before that moment finally arrived. Ozai won't surrender, we know he won't… but he's the leader of that army, no matter if he won't dirty his own hands. Without his leadership… his forces will be bereft of direction. They will know themselves defeated."

"You mean…" Aang said, shivering: Zuko, beside him, frowned sternly.

"Killing the Fire Lord."

He stated it as a solid fact. As something he had internalized as his own fate. As the destiny he had already claimed for himself. Sokka eyed him hesitantly.

"Can you do it?" he asked the exiled Prince. "I know you asked me to entrust that particular mission to you. I will if you tell me you're ready."

Zuko breathed deeply, closing his eyes briefly. He pictured Suki, Mari and Zi. The home they had built… the home his father had threatened and would never stop threatening so long as he existed. His family would not know peace until he was gone… and Zuko would do anything for them.

"I'm ready."

Sokka breathed deeply and nodded. Most people by the circle watched Zuko with admiration and astonishment, but Aang remained apprehensive, even now.

"I want you with him, Aang," Sokka said. Aang winced. "You will enter the Fire Nation Capital through an alternate route: the secret river that leads directly to the Palace. There will be death and violence in either side: Zuko's mission, however, is crucial to the success of this battle. If you're on his side, in the secret river, the worst of the threats they launch at him might falter against you. You're the only person who can stop the volatile gas, much as you did already, once…"

"And you're also an earthbender," Katara said. "If they attacked in cramped tunnels, somehow… you could probably use the tunnel itself to fight back, whereas Zuko can't."

"What about you?" Aang asked her, squeezing her hand gently.

"Well, it is a secret river," Sokka pointed out. Katara smiled. "She will have plenty of water to use to fight alongside all of you."

"Good," Katara said, firmly.

"How many forces do you intend to assign to this mission?" Jeong Jeong asked.

"A significant number. We don't know what they'll be facing, but I do know that we can't afford to let Zuko fail," Sokka said, firmly. "This is how the gladiators will provide the bolstering of numbers we needed."

"How so?" Renzhi, standing nearby with arms crossed, raised his voice next. Sokka met his eyes.

"I want the frontal attack, against the Great Gates, to be perpetrated by gladiators. We will move in to Harbor City from there… and then, we will enter the Capital itself."

"We?" Kino said. "You're not going to be in… Zuko's team?"

"I'm the face of this army," Sokka said. "Zuko's team will carry out what I'd rather call a stealth operation. My absence would immediately alarm their forces that we're up to something… if they can't tell already that we are. They most likely will have some idea that we're up to this, considering what the White Lotus did the first time around, in that very same river. But it will be far more likely for them to make sense of it if they can't find me leading our forces."

"What about Appa, though?" Aang reasoned. "They'd be used to hearing reports about him, and…"

"Bringing him into a tunnel doesn't sound wise," said Rui Shi, frowning. "More so a tunnel that could collapse, should the Fire Nation choose to sabotage your progress that way. I'd advise that you don't commit to bringing him with you."

"We may just need Appa for a first, quick mission anyway," Sokka said. Aang grimaced. "I know you won't want to be apart from him for long, let alone in such a dangerous situation, but…"

"I get it," Aang said. "What's that mission?"

"Tearing down the Great Gates, of course."

Many eyes blazed with illusion upon hearing those words. Sokka didn't smile upon uttering the words, no matter how righteous it felt to bring the end of the Fire Nation's oppressive statue and defensive mechanism.

"Toph," Sokka said: her smile, however, widened as far as it might go immediately upon being called.

"Any Fire Lord statue you want torn to bits, you know who to call, Sokka," she said. Sokka nodded.

"Take your best trusted earthbenders with you. Kino, unless you'd rather go underground, you're the only other person with experience steering Appa, so…"

"You want me to take them there?" Kino asked. Sokka nodded, and he nodded right back. "Got it. I'll keep Appa and Momo safe, Aang."

"Thank you," Aang smiled, and Kino squeezed his shoulder firmly.

"After this is done… most our ships would carry me and the gladiators as the leaders of our attack, to charge against the Capital's initial defenses," Sokka said. The present gladiators cheered positively. "Rui Shi's squad will accompany me. Zuko, take the rest of your firebenders, as always."

"Alright," Zuko nodded.

"As for the bulk of the White Lotus… waterbenders will definitely be needed by the bay. Master Pakku: you will handle the command of your troops once we reach their shores. Ensure to control the sea and prevent them from reclaiming it."

"I am to remain stationed there throughout the battle, then?" Pakku asked.

"It's no small task," Sokka said. "Their remaining navy ships can be a significant threat. There are serious defenses all around the Capital too, barriers that can be torn down, watch towers… you'll be tasked with wearing those down first, to allow the rest of the army to disembark and progress inland.

"Jeong Jeong: you're to lead the White Lotus forces behind the gladiators. Yes, technically they will be mine to command anyway, once we're through, but you will keep them in order and lead them across the chaotic battlefield that Harbor City will surely become. Keep them collected, taking a minimum amount of action: once the way is clear into the Capital, the fully organized White Lotus army will march into the city alongside the gladiators."

"No attacks on civilian buildings again, I'm sure," Jeong Jeong said.

"There's nothing to be gained from doing that. We will fight their forces as they send them against us. We will strike against the Palace," Sokka said. "Their walls can be torn down, they won't be as much of a challenge as Ba Sing Se's were. There will be defenses, but we're more than strong enough to wear them down."

"And do you anticipate that you'll find the Fire Lord in his throne?" Pakku asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If he were there, we'd certainly find him fast enough," Sokka said. "Zuko would beat us to it, too. But there are tunnels within the Palace that can be accessed to find whatever secret vault he'll be hiding in. This, however, isn't my main purpose: I'm not the one who will resolve this war. Zuko is. I'm… bait. It's what I've tried to be across this war, for many purposes. I was bait to keep Ozai away from the Southern Water Tribe… just as now I'm bait for him to send his strongest ally against me. The only true threat among his ranks. The only person with any chance of stopping me."

"You… you're going to face Azula?" Zuko froze.

Sokka nodded, slowly: the cold glare in his eyes certainly didn't seem to match what anyone would have anticipated upon hearing him say those words.

"He will send her against me. Or she will ask to be sent. Doesn't matter which it is. We will clash… one of us will win. It won't matter either way, as long as your father's defeated and gone," Sokka told him. Zuko tensed up.

"So… I'd better be fast about it," he said. Sokka hummed. "Otherwise, I… shit. You really think she'll fight you?"

"I know she will," Sokka said, firmly. "She already has. What happened in Yu Dao… what shipwrecked me here. What happened when we first crossed paths, all those years ago… all of it comes to a head now. She tore me apart the first time I faced her as enemies… she won't have it anywhere near as easy to do the same this time around."

"Sokka, are you sure about this?" Katara asked: even Rui Shi appeared apprehensive, no matter if he withheld his judgment.

"I've never been more certain about anything," he said, before uttering words charged with powerful, daunting, terrifying meaning: "She's mine."

Far away, the very woman he spoke of finished her rundown of her expectations: her predictions of what her estranged lover would likely choose to do in the battle ahead. Ozai frowned, hands interlinked over his mouth, elbows resting on his desk.

"You're certain that he will seek to attack frontally himself? He won't send the Avatar…"

"He will expect you to respond more violently if it's him," Azula said. "The Avatar is an unstoppable force… he will feel safer sending him with the team that… that will be tasked with assassinating you."

"Of course," Ozai said. "Mind you… he is aware of him, isn't he?"

Azula frowned. Ozai stared at her meaningfully, careless about what he dared say in front of Aonu and Shaofeng, no matter if neither one would understand who he referred to.

"You mean…"

"The man who paid you a visit yesterday," Ozai said. Azula gritted her teeth. "How much does he know?"

"As little as I do. Enough to understand just how dangerous he is," Azula said. "Do you plan to use him?"

"Only if we lose."

Azula frowned: Ozai breathed in, turning towards Aonu.

"You've relocated the volatile bombs as I asked?" he said. Aonu nodded. "Good. Well, then… he would not have a counter for him, would he, Azula?"

"Could anything defeat him besides… gold, or colored fire?" Azula asked. Ozai hummed.

"Unlikely. Though overwhelming him with numbers, should he catch up to him, would certainly kill him as well as it might kill any man," he said. Azula nodded. "Nevertheless… it's for the best to keep him as a final resort. We may lose this battle, we may lack the resources to properly claim victory... but we can ensure that he doesn't win it, either."

"How?" Shaofeng scowled. Ozai smiled.

"That… shall be my secret hand, and I will deal it when the time is right," he said.

Even Azula, the only one to understand his references to Seethus, couldn't quite unravel what he was planning at the moment. The meaning of his words weighed heavily on her, but she didn't dare contest them.

"Shaofeng: I want your troops to handle the enemy's underground force," Ozai said now. Azula's eyes widened. "As for myself… I will be no safer underground than above, judging by the circumstances."

"The Exiled Prince might be familiar with protocols of defense in case of emergencies," Aonu reasoned. "But would he know where to find your safe chamber?"

"He could have enough time to search for it," Ozai reasoned. "But if he believes that's where I will be… it might just be the right choice to remain above ground instead."

"That represents another kind of danger for you," Azula said, frowning. "If our forces above ground fail to put a stop to their push on the surface…"

"They might. But I will have War Minister Aonu take command of the defenses in Harbor City," Ozai said. Aonu tensed up before nodding. "He will hold off their frontal assault as best as he's able and then back up, into the Capital itself, as needed. You, Princess Azula, shall take charge of the core defenses in the Palace."

Azula gritted her teeth. Ozai held her gaze, and she didn't avert her own.

"If he intends to lead his frontal attack, as you expect him to… no one is more likely to hold him off than you," Ozai said.

"I might fail," Azula said: Shaofeng glared at her with suspicion. "I nearly killed him once, as it is. He won't show me mercy after that."

"You're certain?" Ozai asked. Azula nodded. "Then perhaps he is indeed a lesser man than he pretends to be. Nevertheless, I won't send you out into the field and risk losing you in a less defensible position. The Palace should be a stronger place to make a stand for you than elsewhere. Or do you have any better ideas on how to proceed?"

Azula tightened her fists: this was the very outcome she had been banking on. Even if anything else did come to mind, and nothing did thus far, she would not disclose it to her father.

"Pardon my hesitation. I can't think of a better location to take a stand," she said. "I… I will be there. Should he arrive, I will face him."

"And you will keep him out of the Palace even if it means sacrificing your life to do so… won't you?" Shaofeng said. Azula scowled, but Ozai, however, shook his head.

"If he intends to come… then let him," he said. "Should he slay us all… he won't have the heroic celebration afterwards that he might just look forward to."

Azula gritted her teeth: whatever plan her father had thought of, involving Seethus, disturbed her. She was tempted to find the wretch, to try to kill him herself to prevent that outcome… but how? She had managed to make gold fire very briefly recently, only because of Hotaru. In her current state, she wouldn't so much as dare bend lightning, let alone attempt gold fire… she couldn't hope to save Sokka from Seethus, fool that she was. Perhaps she could warn him, with her very last breath… perhaps she could tell him what awaited him before he delivered the final blow. Whether he'd heed any such warning or not was a whole other matter, of course…

"You should not be planning for death to that extent," said Shaofeng, with a scowl. "We have a strong force with us. We can hold our ground. I will have my troops handle the underground defense… and I will stand with you, when the time comes, to ensure that you won't be overcome, whether by the Gladiator or by the Avatar. We will prevail."

"Such certainty," Ozai said, almost dismissively. "We are not to face meaningless foes who can be swatted away like flies. They are powerful, resilient, numerous… and our primary advantage resides in confusing them."

"Decoy bunkers," Azula said, rubbing her forehead. "Have it so… so there are defenses before multiple underground bunkers. Lead them to think you're in any of them, and they won't know what to do."

"What of the civilians?" Aonu asked.

"The way to the civilian underground refuges must be sealed as firmly as possible," Azula said, brow heavily furrowed. "The point of evacuating them is to ensure their survival. Harbor City's population must be evacuated as well. We can't risk losing our people to their underground assault battalion."

"Earthbenders can see to closing off the tunnel that connects to our bunkers," Ozai said, breathing deeply. "But evacuation notices will have to be sent out at once."

"I will handle it," Aonu said. "I'll… try to organize matters to ensure that there's enough food for multiple days underground, too. We don't know how long this battle will last."

"Going by the Gladiator's track record… not very long at all," Ozai said. Aonu grimaced. "Nevertheless, as we don't know when he will attack, that shall be the better choice."

"Is there a chance to evacuate them further away…" Azula said. Ozai crooked an eyebrow. "I simply… I can't trust the White Lotus forces won't seek to massacre everyone within their reach. Most of all here. It was different in the Earth Kingdom, where they could find reinforcements among the civilians. Here… they won't have the same luck if they tried. They know our people will be far less likely to support their cause. Would they let them live?"

"Perhaps not," Ozai said: Azula shuddered. "With any luck, they won't survive either."

"Staying above ground can still represent a considerable hazard for you," Shaofeng warned Ozai. "If the Princess is overcome… even if the Avatar is successfully distracted, the Gladiator will reach you."

"So be it."

Ozai's statement brimmed with determination… but the words carried a strange sense of resignation that froze Azula over: her father knew the same things she did. He understood what their likeliest fate would be.

And perhaps, much like her, he would rather be cut down by Sokka's black blade than by anything else.

He was the only true challenger of the Fire Nation's conquest. The one man who had led armies that had destroyed the Fire Nation's progress, overwhelmingly so. Sokka had earned Ozai's respect to a certain degree even before his rebellion, before his relationship with Azula had been discovered…

Ozai owned up to his responsibility in the events that had caused Zhao's attack on Azula. He had admitted that nothing she had done could have ever justified Zhao's actions against her. He had apologized.

Did that mean that he saw Sokka as his own retribution? As the deserved consequences of his actions? No… he did imply something about Seethus. He wanted to know if Sokka could defeat him somehow. Perhaps the Avatar could best the dark assassin, Azula didn't know, though she hoped so…

Even so… her father was ready to face Sokka, it seemed. If she failed to hold Sokka back… he would continue onwards, and if his other allies hadn't found Ozai by then, Sokka himself would be the one to slay the Fire Lord.

"You need defenses," Azula said, trembling. "Not just your Imperial Guards, you need more layers of defense than that. I… I can't promise I can keep him at bay, as I said. I don't know what kinds of allies he'll bring with him if he gets as far as to reach the Palace."

"Domestic Forces will guard the Fire Lord. My men, too," Shaofeng said. "I can distribute them properly. I'll personally handle the underground defenses, in the decoy bunkers. We can prepare traps, too. Should all fail, there's the chance of pouring oil into the tunnels and setting them on fire. If they don't burn to death, they may just suffocate instead."

"Not a bad plan either," Ozai acknowledged. Shaofeng smirked.

"We are not helpless against these forces," he said. "We can and will prevail. Enough of the defeatism, Ozai. Planning revenge after your death is pointless: take what you want from the enemy now, while you still live."

Azula shuddered upon hearing those words: as ever, she hoped Sokka and his allies would be strong enough to prevail against anything Shaofeng could cook up against them. But would they be? Would reality prove to be as kind as that? It hadn't been, in the North Pole. She gritted her teeth, knowing she'd do best to focus on her side of matters… knowing too that, if the Avatar would be in the underground battle, Shaofeng's odds would never be in his favor, no matter how many preparations he built up. Still…

"Then, all that remains is organizing our forces," Ozai sighed. "War Minister Aonu: the army stragglers that have returned safely to the mainland will be yours to command, as well as the bulk of the Domestic Forces. Rely on them, distribute them across the Harbor City and the entrance to the Capital. If the tide of their advance is so difficult to hold off, rely on our natural defenses to aid you. Do not hesitate to call for retreats: if need be, you will pull back your forces all the way to the Palace.

"Azula… you will have the Third Squad, as you have thus far. But I have spoken to Shaofeng about this already, and he has relented: the Enforcers will be yours to command."

The words struck Azula like lightning.

The very branch of the army she had built, that had unceremoniously been yanked out of her control, would be hers once more.

"They will provide another layer of defense for the Palace?" Azula asked. Ozai nodded.

"If we have Domestic Forces to spare to your service, they will be yours as well," he said. "I will have a share of those, as well as Shaofeng's forces… in the Throne Room."

"The…?" Azula's jaw dropped. "That's where you'll make your stand? Father… if they take the secret river, they will have direct access to the Throne Room. If you await them there…"

"They will find the direct way blocked," Shaofeng said. "And besides, they will seek other underground routes in hopes of tracking down the bunker they expect the Fire Lord to be hiding in. The underground river has other connections besides the Throne Room…"

"It might, but it seems an unnecessary risk to await them there," Azula said, gritting her teeth. "No matter how many defenses you may have alongside you."

"I can't think of a more spacious location within the Palace, however," Ozai said. "The Agni Kai Arena? It's even more complicated as far as its layout is concerned. It's a dueling ground, not suitable for all-out battles. The Throne Room has multiple exits, as well. Were matters to grow complicated, I could very well escape through the back while the rest of my forces hold off the enemy."

"He… knows about those exits," Azula confessed, a foolish burst of guilt dawning in her gut. She had no reason to be quite so stupid about her past dalliances with Sokka anymore… but an impulsive need to cover up for the real story surged in her mind, regardless. "He saw you leave through the back of the Throne Room at least once, Father. He… he'd know."

It wasn't a complete lie, but naturally, it wasn't the truth either. Admitting she had been intimate with Sokka on her father's throne right now, and that they had escaped through the doorway behind it, sounded like the easiest way to get herself killed well before Sokka made his first move to attack the city.

"If the other group arrives first, they might not be aware of it," said Shaofeng. Ozai hummed.

"Either way… I'm hardly defenseless, myself. I can fight back… and should I face Zuko, his scar will seem child's play compared to the inferno I will unleash upon him now," Ozai said, darkly. Azula shuddered again.

"The Great Gates…" Aonu asked, uneasy. "Are we to assume they will be destroyed? Should we withdraw our troops stationed there?"

"They will need to cross them, yes. Going by the Gladiator's penchant for statements of grandeur… I would imagine he intends to topple the statue," Ozai said. "Unfortunately, for once, an effigy of my father's holds some usefulness… have a small group of forces defend it, but order them to retreat should matters take a turn for the worse."

"Very well. I will have some soldiers remain in the area, mainly for scouting purposes, as well as to attack should they find any openings or opportunities," Aonu concluded. Ozai nodded.

"Focus primarily on ensuring that the bay's defenses stand tall. Every defensive barrier will be implemented. If possible, clear the bay, relocate civilian vessels, have our remaining military ships serve as the first true line of defense. Once they reach the shores, you will have to work hard to slow their progress, War Minister. As I said… withdraw to the Palace once their forces are too overwhelming to stop."

"I shall, my Lord," Aonu nodded.

"And send word for the evacuations to begin," Ozai said, breathing deeply. "I… I will write a statement. See to delivering it to the Royal Messengers' Office. There is no point in hiding from the populace the true nature of the threat we are facing now."

"They will distribute it along with the evacuation notices, then," Aonu concluded. Ozai nodded. "I… I have to get to work. The sooner we start…"

"Shaofeng, organize your troops," Ozai said. "Distribute them accordingly. I will do the same with the army and Domestic Forces. Azula… see to preparing defenses with yours, once the Enforcers arrive."

"Yes, Father," Azula bowed her head towards him.

"This… is our final stand," Ozai said. A dark shiver ran down Azula's back: Aonu twitched lightly, keenly aware of the fact that he might not survive this battle at all… "We will not throw it to waste. Let us be ready to face the coming storm… and may we ensure that, even if our war comes to an end, our nation may yet deal the enemy a resounding defeat regardless of whatever losses we sustain."

Azula didn't know what to think of Ozai's strange bursts of confidence in being able to orchestrate Sokka's defeat from the grave… but she hoped to have a chance to unravel it before all hell broke loose. It was all she could do for the man she loved… the man she had betrayed.

"If I may… I've been honored to serve as your War Minister," Aonu said, rising to his feet and bowing his head towards the Fire Lord. "I shall serve the Fire Nation to my last breath with no regrets, my Lord. Thank you for allowing me to do so."

Ozai nodded: with that, Aonu turned on his heels and marched out of the study. Shaofeng didn't deign to offer Ozai any encouraging words, more of a curt grunt before following Aonu. Whether he felt honored to serve or not, it seemed he was the only person in that meeting who didn't believe they would meet their end in the coming battle.

Azula rose too. She bowed to her father, respectfully… and then he stood up as well.

"Azula."

She raised her gaze, meeting his.

"The coming fray will be… the most challenging either of us have ever faced," Ozai said. "I haven't even been involved personally in warfare of this scale before, to begin with, but… what I mean is even the worst threats I have faced do not compare to the scale of this attack. The Fire Nation was never meant to be on its last legs during this war. We have always been on the offensive, and now…"

"Now we're the ones under attack, pervasively so," Azula said.

"Is she safe?" Ozai asked, with no more roundabout words.

Azula's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Ozai didn't seem to mind.

"I hope so," Azula answered, after a drawn-out pause. Ozai hummed. "She will be protected."

"She is… or will be, should all go as poorly as it appears it might, the sole survivor of our family's legacy," Ozai said.

"Is that so?" Azula asked, with far more boldness than she should have felt. Ozai gritted his teeth. "She was never presented at any temple. As far as anyone knows… she's but an ordinary child."

"She is your daughter. Whether a temple acknowledges as much or not, it makes no matter," Ozai said, firmly. "Your blood runs through her veins, and that is enough."

Azula shivered: he made no mention of Zhao. He made no mention of Sokka. As if the father didn't matter.

"Whatever happens… she must survive," Ozai said.

"That's what I've fought to achieve so far," Azula responded, firmly. "At every point in time."

"I know," Ozai said, almost breathlessly. Her heart clenched. "And I… I've done nothing to aid you in doing so. I would apologize for it, but… I can only imagine you wouldn't care to hear it."

Azula gritted her teeth, unwilling to answer him.

"This is… a rather unsettling way to say goodbye, isn't it?" Ozai asked. The Princess's fists clenched. "I do not know if… if we might see each other again or not. Perhaps we shall. But by then, it may be impossible for us to speak properly at all, so…"

"You have… something to say? Truly?" Azula frowned, skeptically.

"I have no doubt you have countless things you wish to say as well. But I also know you're not likely to do it," Ozai sighed. "I've wronged you enough that… that you'd surely believe you can never be too guarded around me. Your mind is your own domain, and you can resent and despise me as much as you wish while in its safety. Nonetheless, I… I owe you far more apologies than we'll have the time to get through, I fear. There are things I cannot undo… far too much I'm responsible for. This war… it would not be ending as it is if it weren't for my choices."

"It wouldn't be ending this way either if it weren't for mine," Azula said, bitterly. "If… if I had never taken him as my gladiator, none of this would be possible."

"And even though you did, it wasn't until I struck against you both that the situation became what it is," Ozai said. Azula's chest tightened with rage, with bitterness, with grief… "I… I do not intend to allow him an easy victory. I won't stand down where all my forces have fought to their utmost only to be slain. I would be a miserable excuse for a Fire Lord, if I dared. Just know that… your dragon's chains will be likely to melt, once I'm slain."

"What?" Azula snapped, staring at Ozai in disbelief.

"Everything I've built, everything our forefathers built… it will die with me. Have your dragon be aware of it… he may just be able to escape by taking flight, once that happens," Ozai said. Azula scrutinized him warily. "I would ask if he would fight alongside us, but… it appears unlikely that, after everything I've done, the creature would ever side with us over the enemy. Hence… all I can offer you is the hint that he may live freely, even once we're gone."

"What if he no longer wishes to live, depending on the outcome of the battle? Of my fights?" Azula asked.

"Then… I can only apologize for having become the most pathetic manner of dragonslayer. Far more pathetic than my own father, if so," Ozai gritted his teeth. "Urge him to live on. Perhaps to bond with your daughter one day, should she be a bender. The last of the dragons… his life is far more valuable than I've wanted to remember, as of late."

"Remove the blade," Azula said, firmly. Ozai nodded.

"I will give the order," he said. Her chest jolted with undeserved relief. "As for anything else… I do not believe I will have the chance to say any of it later. But a father as lackluster as myself certainly did not deserve a daughter as brilliant as you. I've failed you, we both know I have… and I could have made countless better choices, but I convinced myself that I was doing so, when the reality was rather different. You've… endured my worst in ways nobody else would have. Your loyalty to me… it has shaken me deeply, for I know I've done nothing to earn it. I've known all along that… that even in the brightest possible future, I would never get see the Fire Nation you would build with your leadership. I would be gone by the time you took my place. But… now I find that my mistakes have robbed you, and our people, of the opportunity to see that leadership realized at all."

Azula trembled as she tried to will the tears not to spill down her cheeks. Ozai stepped around the desk, and she didn't turn towards him.

"Of my many sins, that one may be the greatest," Ozai said. "But if… if you'll allow me one final indulgence? I… I will say you have proven me wrong about so much, and I have scarcely ever accepted it. Whatever choice you make on the battlefield, once you face that man again…"

"I will fight," Azula said, firmly.

"I will understand it, if you don't."

Azula glanced at him, in betrayal, perhaps, in outrage, even. His eyes were unusually clear… unusually kind.

"I have not proven worthy of that loyalty I see blazing firmly in your eyes," he said. "I have not proven worthy of the fatherhood I boasted of. I have not proven worthy of the nation I sacrificed everything to lead. So… it would be unthinkable of me to demand that you choose me, in spite of all my flaws, just because I don't wish to face what's coming without you by my side. You're better off if you're not by my side. And yet…"

"If you wish it, I… I can be with you in the Throne Room, instead."

"No," Ozai said. Azula tightened her fists. "If the Avatar truly comes for me… then I will have to hope your old beliefs about that man, about the Gladiator, are correct. That he may spare you… that I might be the sole casualty in our family. I will not risk your life any further."

"You… you send me to fight him because you believe he might spare me?" Azula said. "I've stabbed his back enough times to know that's wishful thinking. He would have to be…"

"Your mother… could have betrayed me a million times. If I came across her once again, I would not hesitate to offer her my back if she would only care to stab it," Ozai said. Azula's eyes widened. "If that man has ever cared for you at all, there is a chance that he will be no better than me in that respect. If just that one. You surely understand, don't you? No… no parent could ever want to be beaten to their funerary pyre by their child. Twisted that I can only fathom Iroh's pain over Lu Ten now… when I face the possibility of having driven you to a similar fate. I have caused you no end of sorrow… but if there were any hopes that you could survive this, Azula, I would seek to ensure that you would do so."

"Even if… if I'd rather not survive at all?" Azula asked, bitter tears burning in her eyes. "Even if, after everything I've done, I feel entirely unworthy of whatever might come next? I'm not heading out to fight by believing that he'll spare me, I do it with certainty that he can't afford to do so, and that, because of that…"

Ozai stepped forward. Azula flinched.

He leaned down slightly, and his arms wrapped around her frame.

Her heart raced. She wanted to shove him away just as much as she wanted to embrace him right back.

"There may be no hope, in the end," Ozai said. Azula's bitter tears spilled by then, and she gripped his tunic with nervous hands. "You may be right. But if this truly is the last time I stand with you… know that I find myself looking back on the journey that has brought me thus far. And as many regrets as I may feel regarding how much I have wronged you… nothing in my life ever brought me the pride and strength I felt over being your father. You changed my life, Azula. And I'm sorry… that I ruined yours."

She didn't want to sob. She didn't want to cry in her father's arms… but she couldn't help it. Her shoulders shook. Her throat burned. She wanted to scream a million things at him, to tell him everything was indeed his fault. That if he had never been the bastard he had proudly proven to be, she could have had a normal life. She could have protected those she loved. She could have lived without fear. She could have strengthened her bonds with everyone she cared for, she could have changed the world, rescued the Fire Nation from its corruption…

He was to blame for her failures. For her sins. For the worst betrayals she had committed.

So why did she cling to him at all?

Why did she feel so empty inside to so much as fathom surviving in a world where he might be dead?

She… she didn't want to feel this. She wanted her heart to stop offering affection to a man who deserved none. She wanted to break free from the curse of being his daughter… but he was her father. Her only father. The one constant in her life, for better or for worse, until Sokka had come along. If he hadn't been such a bastard, if he had just accepted Sokka's role in her life… couldn't they have found peace somehow? If he had stopped the damn war, if he had ever listened, if he had understood Sokka's value early enough…

Countless hypotheticals couldn't contest their reality: Ozai had done everything wrong… and now, father and daughter were bound to face their fates in a battle that would change their world forever.

All squads had been assigned. All forces knew what their roles would be. On either side of the warfare, preparations began. Evacuation notices, along with Fire Lord sanctioned missives, gave away that a major attack was about to take place in the city that once had been the safest location across their planet. In the Black Cliffs, gladiators boarded ships that would head directly for the Fire Nation's inner waters, while the Avatar's group prepared their own vessels, numbering fifty ships, on their way to the secondary entrance that should lead them directly into the Fire Nation's Royal Palace…

Shaofeng oversaw the collapse of tunnels, just as he made use of his oil, as promised, to prepare the deadliest possible trap to destroy the enemy. Earthbenders under his command worked to break the tunnel at different spots, blocking the way as best as they were able. Weapons were carried and loaded back and forth, as army squads gathered where they were requested to. Little by little, all chips were falling into place, where even Kino took his position by Appa's neck, with Momo on his shoulder, nervous over his duty of ferrying the earthbenders that would destroy the famous effigy of Fire Lord Azulon.

Sokka breathed deeply, heart racing: they could have waited longer… but there was no purpose in doing that, he knew. Their ships were ready. Their forces had gathered. This was the final push against the Fire Nation… the last time he would lead troops, with any luck: they would defeat the Fire Lord and claim his life, putting an end to the war that had assailed their world for far too long.

"This is terrifying," Zuko admitted, standing beside him, by the westernmost shores of the Black Cliffs. Sokka nodded, glaring ahead. The sun was setting by now, behind the Fire Nation's mainland.

"I know. But you can do this. All of us can," Sokka said, with determination. Zuko eyed him warily.

"If I fail… it'll fall to you," he said. Sokka nodded. "I don't need to give you any motivation for it, I know that, but…"

"I know why you offered to do it. It was kind of you. If also a bit… self-sacrificial," Sokka said. "You don't need to be the one to kill him either, but…"

"I want to be. It feels like… like I'll never break free, otherwise," Zuko said, bitterly. "I'll never show him that he was wrong if I back down and let someone else do it. I just know he'll fight back, and… I hope I'm ready to face him."

"Your wound…" Sokka said. Zuko nodded.

"It's been healing. Slowly. I'm lucky enough to be alive, I know that," he said. "But I wish I could be at my best right now, anyway. Facing my father with anything less… it makes me fear I might not be able to withstand his flames, or the rest of his forces."

"You won't stand alone, either," Sokka said. Zuko nodded, with a slight smile, glancing at Aang and Katara, standing nearby, waiting for him before they boarded their ship.

"No. And neither will you."

Sokka breathed deeply anew, and he nodded: what appeared to be a sea of people stood behind him. Gladiators, White Lotus, Earth Kingdom rebels, Fire Nation traitors, Water Tribe warriors… a glance over his shoulder gave away the magnitude of his enterprise, for numerous others were already aboard ships, waiting to set sail… and the ones who weren't gone yet amounted to a massive crowd, standing in support of their leader above that grassy mesa.

Sokka breathed deeply before climbing a spiky, protruding rocky ledge, by his own volition. His army cheered when he appeared above them, whether those in the Black Cliffs or those who could see him from the ships, as well. Sokka set his helmet in place, eyes raking that large crowd, the numerous ships surrounding the island…

"Today, the sun sets for the last time on Fire Lord Ozai's Fire Nation!" he roared: a cheer sprung from his eager supporters, particularly violently from the gladiators themselves. "Tomorrow, dawn will arrive, and with it, a new world! A world without war! A world where every last one of us will be equals! A world of balance and peace! That's what we fight for! That's what we'll die for! Every step of the way has brought us this far! We will not falter! We will not surrender! We will seize victory, and we will claim true freedom!"

An even louder cheer followed those words: some firebenders even cast blazes into the sky, the music squad drummed and rejoiced…

Spurring them onwards was necessary. It was part of what he had to do, as their leader. That he knew he would likely cause the deaths of countless of them weighed in his heart… but he wouldn't show it. Every fighter in his army had known the risks upon joining. Dreams of glory did not preclude awareness of the darkest possible outcome. He didn't know how many would survive, come morning…

But he had a duty to lead them onwards. To show them the way to the bright future so many of them had sought, for as long as they'd lived. To prove that a new world could be built upon the ashes of the one they were about to destroy…

---

A Princess walked across the halls of her home, for what might be the last time.

No one was there to help her to ready herself for the coming battle.

She donned her usual attire: her strong boots, her dark trousers and its matching shirt, with golden cuffs. Her red tunic. Her golden belt. Her sword, in its scabbard, slid into its old place at her hip.

She picked up her armor: gold and pristine, much like the one she had lost the last time she had fought a battle to protect this city. Its fate might not be too different from that one, she suspected.

She slid it over her head. It fell into place. She snapped the buckles closed and shook her hair out of the metallic collar of her armor.

She brushed her hair. She topped off the half-knot with her golden hairpiece.

One final look in the mirror. One last glance at the woman she had been… at the woman she no longer felt deserving of being. She breathed deeply, and she turned her back on that mirror. On that bed. On that massive wardrobe. On that desk. On that dining room. On every memory she had treasured in that room.

She reached the door, pulled it open, and she didn't glance one last time at the vacant bedroom suite she left behind.

She was flanked all the way through the corridors by Renkai and Chan. They had been alarmed by how broken she appeared to be upon returning from the meeting with her father. She had given them their orders: they would stand with her, in the Palace. She would coordinate the defenses of the city itself as best as possible with Aonu, from afar. For now, though, she had to reach the front gates of the Palace, where her troops awaited her…

But Azula didn't move in that direction. Instead, she marched towards the Temple.

"We don't have time for a prayer, or do we…?" Chan asked, upon glimpsing the building from a distance, once they were outside the Palace's actual hallways.

"I didn't mean to get us that far," Azula admitted, stopping on her tracks, by the open corridors' fence. She set her hand by a pillar, and she watched as the last rays of sunlight faded from view, through the small gaps of the Temple's building, below the level of the Capital's protective crater. "It was… a beautiful sunset, I'm sure. Too bad we couldn't see it in full."

Renkai trembled upon hearing those words. If all failed… it would have been their very last chance to see the sun at all. Chan flinched with the same realization.

Azula breathed out as the last rays faded from view… as darkness began to spread across the world. She turned towards them: a defeated, resigned smile graced her features as she prepared herself to face the final night of the Hundred Year War.

---

A/N:

Well... all the build-up for 370 chapters is coming to its climax in the next arc. While I'm aware that a lot of developments up to this point might have made many people lose their shits, I do hope that the conclusion will be satisfactory, on some level. This being said, I'm also aware that not everyone will be pleased with how things will turn out, but to each their own. If you've stuck with this story thus far, I hope you'll believe that the journey has been worth it regardless of how things play out in the end.

I don't really have a lot to say, but this does feel momentuous in its own way. I never imagined I'd wind up researching medieval warfare and wracking my brain to ensure battles would be as epic and strategically sound as I could make them (obviously, I'm not infallible, but I did my best), but this story has brought a lot of strange things out of me that I absolutely never believed I could get up to. So... I'm proud of what this crazy, behemoth of a story has shaped up into, and I can only hope most of you will think I have a right to be, once all chips are down and our story reaches its finish line.

At any rate... see you next week for the start of Gladiator's final battle!