2,031Chapter 27 - Family, War Criminals and Traitors
In which… Khan and the Lieutenant have an 'intimate' talk. Zuko and Iroh confront Admiral Zhao, and encounter the sadistic mastermind behind the Fire Nation's new public executions policy. An optimistic Katara trains up all her brave and proud female waterbenders for their easy mission into the tundras. And Fire Lord 'Ozzy' Ozai enjoys his new lifestyle that Khan and Anya had introduced to him.
[Extraction Point "Ozai" - Arctic Coastal Cliffs]
It was as though I had marched right to the edge of the world.
Moments ago, I had sprinted through an endless plain of white snow—flat, frozen, and featureless in every direction. Now, just beyond my armoured boots, the landscape abruptly stopped, giving way to a cliff edge that spanned from horizon to horizon. Beyond the sharp edge was a skyscraper-tall drop into the churning icy waves of the Northern Sea, stretching to the southern horizon. The cliff face was so sheer and sudden, it felt as if a gargantuan Celestial cleaver had chopped a straight line across the Earth, demarcating the divide between land and sea. Here, there was nothing but snow, ice, and a long fall into a watery grave.
So, yes, this was definitely the place. The snow crunched as I set down the metal crate I had been hauling.
[Fragrant Insight] - Whether it's sniffing out hiding enemies or uncovering hidden compartments filled with contraband, Fragrant Insight empowers your sense of smell to preternatural levels to become the ultimate scent-based hunter. With enough practice and focus, this skill will allow you to identify and analyse different scents, separating them into distinct layers, and intuitively understanding which aromas are out of place or potentially dangerous.
+ R +
My skull helm tilted up and I took a deep inhale of the briney sea air.
~ Weapon Oil, Ostrich-horse musk, mountain dew: whiteout. Multiple sources. ~ Perfume, Abbey brand. One source.
"Lieutenant, excellent work on the camouflage!" I called out, "I almost didn't see you there."
"Thank you, sir!" came a muffled voice from a nearby snow mound. The snow shifted, revealing a large metal trapdoor hidden beneath. The Lieutenant emerged out of it, alongside the rest of the two squads under her direct command- lining up in a neat row. Red gauntlet clicked against red feathered helmets in a salute.
"1st Squad, ready to ride out, Commander!"
"At ease, I'm simply here to conduct that inspection of Extraction Point 'Ozai'. And also," My gauntlet made a clacking sound as it patted the metal crate. "Hand you your resupply. Likely the last one for this campaign too, so I added a little care package of Hippo-ox burgers."
"Sir, thank you, sir!"
"1st Squad, get this crate inside." I directed, "Lieutenant, it's you and me. Give me the grand tour."
"Y-yes, sir!" She stood up straight, saluting.
Feathered helm swaying in the arctic air, she led the way deeper into the bunker, built as it was right into the ice sheet's crevasse. Blue and white walls of pure ice carved away to form a spacious interior stairway down, large and wide even for my seven-foot-tall armoured frame. A roof of ice, a few feet thick, let in sunlight to illuminate everything. It was en echo to that Combustion Woman's prison in ATLOK. The Lieutenant continued, "As I've relayed in the report, Commander, Extraction Point 'Ozai' is fully operational. All personnel and ostrich-horses accounted for, no wounded or sick. No enemy combat patrols since the initial wave of scouts either."
"I see."
"honk." "Honk!" "Honk."
We passed through the stable area. The sleepy ostrich-horses happily greeted us- their two-legged heaters. Reaching into my [Inventory], I tossed them some bucket-fulls of leftover Agna Qel'a Scout entrails, and the giant balls of downy brown fluff honked happily as they gobbled it up off the ice.
"And the sitrep on our exfil strategy?"
"Good to go, sir." She replied, gesturing an armoured hand over to the far ice wall- wooden barrels embedded all the way down, "We've finished planting the blasting jelly all the way down yesterday. We followed Chief Essin's instructions to the letter, sir: Coated the fuses in tiger-seal blubber churned in a puffin-seal stomach. They'll stay dry even underwater. As soon as the exfiltration ship arrives, we'll be ready to blow open this entire cliff face to make a space for the bridging ramp."
"Excellent work, Lieutenant, good to see that applied Water Tribe wisdom has a place in our procedures." My skull helm nodded, "And more importantly, the rest of the Division will be relieved to hear that we have a clear way off this icy rock now. Minus the ships, of course, but I'm sure Grand Admiral Zhao will grant my request in my last report to loan us some of his."
"Sir!"
"Speaking of my last report…" I turned my attention to that small aviary they had- a little nook where about half a dozen red-plumed messenger-hawks rested in their little nests melted into the ice wall. Sunlight streamed through a torso-sized hole in the cliff face, letting the birds pass in and out, "Any messenger hawks from the Armada?"
"None, sir." She replied, "Last long-range messenger hawk we handled was your outbound one."
"… I see." I murmured. That was not a good sign. While we were in correspondence, Zhao practically wouldn't stop sending me messages like some giddy teenage girl who had found someone to talk to. I may need to ready my forces. Glancing back to the Lieutenant, my skull-faced helmet nodded to her, "Let's get some fresh air."
"Yes, commander."
With a large armoured hand, I gestured her to follow; and we went back up and out the bunker. Back to the cliff side which commanded a view of the Northern Sea. Just endless blue waters glittering like it was filled with diamonds stretching out into the horizon.
I undid my helmet, took it off with a deep exhale- just drinking in the feeling of the chilly arctic breeze on my bare face and across my dark hair.
"C-Commander?" The Lieutenant stammered.
"It's fine, I have an [Audacious Spirit]- the cold won't bother me." I replied, deep voice no longer hindered by my helmet, and [Siren's Voice] in full effect, "Listen… I needed to speak with you privately. I find myself looking for someone I trust. And well, you've proven yourself to be exceptional in many ways, Lieutenant, loyalty above them all. So, you were the first to come to mind."
Because if worse comes to worse and Zhao doesn't listen to me, I will 100% need to put him down before he dooms us all. We may even need to silence any witnesses. No one should ever know about the Moon and Ocean spirits. Can I trust that a few random Fire Nation soldiers will never speak a word of what they'll have seen for their entire lives? Even when they're drunk, lonely, or under interrogation? Should I even risk it? … The fact that we're even two fishes away from a moonless, oceanless world would have been hilarious if it wasn't so concerning.
"But don't you have your betrothed- Princess Azula herself?"
I scoffed, "The princess would be the last person I trust."
Azula having the knowledge of the Moon and Ocean Spirits… yeah, I would be leery about trusting her with that information even with 100 Reputation & Obedience. And she was currently at -100.
"… I guess I've known for a while."
I whipped my head to her, genuinely caught off-guard. My green eyes wide as I asked, "H-how did you find out? I've never spoken about it to anyone. There shouldn't even be records or anything."
The lieutenant also took off her helmet. Dark hair spilling out over her red armour, and suddenly, there was a pretty girl with amethyst purple eyes looked at me over her slight smile, "I guess it started with a feeling, Khan. It's like in all the legends… It seemed so silly and far-fetched at the time, but… I feel it so strongly now."
"… It did?" Was she a descendant of the Water Tribe that she could feel the connection of the Moon Spirit? "No, that's not possible."
"I didn't want to believe it at first either, sir." The Lieutenant, now without her helmet, looked away, "But here we at the North Pole, standing at what looks like the end of the world. Just you and me. And right now, I feel it to be true more than ever."
"I'll have to ask you in detail later…"
Her purple eyes widened as bright blush exploded across her face, "You mean in an 'i-interview,' sir?"
~ Arousal: Intensely feminine. Perfumed, Abbey brand.
Despite the gravity of the situation, I couldn't help but smile even for a short while. "One where I pepper you with questions, yes." I confirmed, right before going back to being serious again. "Since you know… you should also know what we may potentially be forced to do: We might actually have to fire upon fellow Fire Nation. I know it isn't an easy decision, but… it might just be necessary."
I pensively looked out to the sea. I didn't want to do this to Zhao. The man had an ego the size of a continent, and he definitely wasn't a good person, but… he was good friend.
The snow crunched as the lieutenant stepped closer until she was standing next to me. Just the two of us staring out into the sea.
"I know it's hard for you too, Khan…" She whispered quietly, before biting on her lip in hesitation, "I'd do anything for you. But will you answer one question for me?"
"Of course… You definitely earned it." I nodded readily.
"Earned it?" She echoed, then smiled, shaking her head in disbelief, "That's my question: You're betrothed to Princess of the Fire Nation, and I'm… I'm just the daughter of our island's garrison captain. What have I ever done to earn this? To earn your eyes stopping on me? Your affection? Why me?"
… What? I replayed the entire conversation in my head, and everything clicked.
"Lieutenant…" I said with a sigh, "This isn't a love confession."
"… What?" She froze.
"I'm saying that there is a possibility that the Armada is compromised, and someone will do a certain action that would endanger the entire Fire Nation. I'm here to ask you to follow my lead should I start attacking them."
"Ah, so that's what you mean," She said dumbly before taking a step back. And quietly, she put her feathered helmet back on, glanced to the sea, then back to me, "Sir… permission to hurl myself off this cliff in embarrassment?"
"Denied." I sighed again, "Just… be ready to throw fire at whoever I point, Lieutenant."
"Y-Yes sir."
Well my concern was at least addressed and I had the Lieutenant on my side should the attempt to convince Zhao went sideways. It was a good thing that he and possibly his bodyguards were the only ones I had to worry about.
[The Northern Sea]
As soon as the Lieutenant opened the door out to the battleship's observation deck, Zuko wasted no time.
Fists clenched tight and eastern sea winds brushing against his scarred eye, he stepped past her and tossed his demand across observation deck like a challenge gauntlet.
"Enough games, Admiral Zhao. I demand a place in the Armada for the siege on the North Pole!"
"Oh, Zuko, always lacking in manners..." the older man glanced over his great red cape and brass-gilded pauldron to level a condescending smile at him, "... and always a step behind the times. Haven't you heard? It's Grand Admiral Zhao now. I thought my promotion would be self-evident. Fire Lord Ozai wouldn't entrust the greatest fleet of our generation to a mere admiral, after all. What do you think of my Armada?"
The great battleship swayed slightly underfoot from the waves as he extended his arms out in a grandiose display.
All around them, the metal hulls of more than two hundred Fire Nation warships sailed all- sticking out from the waters like pitch black fins of mountain-sized sharks, cutting through the waters and in such numbers that there were more warships than horizon. Floating black citadels whose smoke stacks spewed columns of soot that rose up to choke the morning sky black; reinforced metal decks bustled with troops from the 3rd Army doing their combat drills, with more likely resting below deck. And somewhere at the tail of the fleet was Zuko's own smaller and much older Fire Nation Cruiser, chugging along.
Zhao shook his head, "So, honestly... is that any way to talk to an officer of my calibre? The first Grand Admiral in Fire Nation histo-"
*Clang*
A great dull thud of metal resounded through the salty sea air, and his fat uncle aimed an undignified pout at the nameless Lieutenant who slammed the observation deck door behind them.
Zuko ignored the byplay. He had more important and more frustrating things to worry about after all- like being forced to ask for permission to participate in an assault on a Nation's capital. His junker cruiser could only sustain the silent treatment of the Armada's captains for so long. And a warship that could coordinate neither its positioning nor its resupply with the rest of the fleet was a warship that was soon to sink. That was especially true in the hostile iceberg-riddle waters of the Northern Sea.
All because the captains were commanded to do so by their admiral. The same one who he was staring down right at moment.
'I don't care about your made up title, I'm still your prince.' Zuko wanted to spit back at Zhao, but held it in. The entire Fire Nation- from lowly captains to his own father- had made it clear how little that title was worth to them now. He was going to remind him anyway, but his uncle's palm met his back in a far too friendly slap.
"Oh, please excuse my nephew, Grand Admiral Zhao!" the old coot laughed, "He is just in awe of the fleet you've assembled. It made him so nervous that he forgot his manners! That's why we waited so patiently for a meeting with you- he wouldn't ever miss the chance to join your Armada by asking politely. Didn't you, nephew?"
The last part was just a strained whisper.
Zuko ground his teeth, knowing what his uncle was reminding him. He didn't like begging, didn't like getting forced to do things either, but more than those two, he definitely did not like being forced to beg. More specifically, begging to be included in a siege that he should have had every right to participate in the first place! But his time travelling with his fat uncle had taught him that- in the rare times when he wasn't being a happy old fool- he sometimes had a point, and this was one of those times: This was still Zhao's Armada and still his decision to permit him to join.
Zuko bowed low. Not easily, but he did. "Yes... congratulations on your well-deserved promotion, Grand Admiral Zhao." He forced out, each syllable like chewing glass. And not wanting to stay in a bow to this condescending piece of hippo-ox droppings, he went straight to the point, "I misspoke, what I meant to say was that I have come to ask you to permit me a part in your siege of the North Pole."
"And with my nephew, I offer my services as your military advisor as well." His uncle Iroh spoke up as well with a bow, tipping the scale further in his favour. Zuko appreciated that very much.
"So, you can be polite to your betters." The grand admiral hummed, scratching his great side burn and smiling magnanimously, "My immediate answer would have been no, and bar you from the AO on pain of death... But how can I refuse military counsel from the Dragon of the West himself? Yes, now that I think about it, your participation in this battle will only elevate the legendary status of the inevitable battle. The Grand Admiral Zhao the Magnificent. Gathering all the heroes past of the Fire Nation... Yes, that sounds fitting. But."
His smile turned into a glower as he marched straight at him, red cape billowing, and stopped only a single pace away. Their difference in height was highlighted- the admiral being a full head taller than him. Back straight, shoulder broader. And for that moment at least, Zuko felt like he was standing before an actual admiral- it made him wonder if that was Khan's influence rubbing off on the admiral.
Zhao looked him straight in the eye. "This is my Armada. My Siege." His voice was low but steady, "You can have your share of the glory of conquering the Northern Water Tribe, but any hint of insubordination- a single toe out of line- and I will see you punished. Do I make myself clear?"
His uncle didn't step in for him this time. They both knew it was up to him now. He was so close... yet so far. He couldn't give up now.
"If that is what it takes to join the siege, then I'll follow your every command, admiral." Zuko lied, earning narrowed amber-eyes from the admiral, but he met it without flinching.
For a long few breaths, only Zhao's narrowed amber eyes probing him for lies, and the sound of waves crashing against the battleship's hull, until finally. He nodded, "Very well. Consider yourselves formally part of the Grand Admiral Zhao the Magnificent's Armada."
Iroh grinned. "Thank you, Grand Admiral, it will be a great honour serving with you."
Zuko just kept in a bow to hide his disgust. He didn't have the same acting skill as his uncle had and he was already sick of hearing 'Zhao the Magnificent' talk.
"Oh, the honour is all mine," Zhao said proudly, all self-confident smiles again, "And don't worry, general. You're going to have an easy time as my military advisor. There's not much left for you to advise me on! But and the more witness testimonies I can gather to its efficacy of my grand master plan to defeat the Water Tribe once and for all, the better! And who knows? Perhaps Zuko here will finally see what competence looks like from watching his superiors in action."
"Yes, it is a clever plan!" Iroh nodded with an appeasing smile, "I don't think even I would have thought of something so daring!"
As Zuko expected, the blatant flattery was apparently very effective- the 'grand' admiral practically puffed his armoured chest out in pride, "It is, isn't it?! Ahaha!" He guffawed, "What do you think, General Iroh? Would it be worthy of the history books? Would they mention my stroke of strategic genius for decades to come? No, centuries even!"
"Definitely! Assembling this Armada is a feat so great that even if this was to somehow fail, it'd still be a notable achievement!"
And just as quickly, a frown immediately replaced Zhao's smile. "I have assembled a Fire Nation Armada so large that even the Fire Lord Sozin fleet is dwarfed in comparison to this; and, more importantly, I am personally leading it. This siege will not and cannot fail."
"Grand admiral," Iroh's tone was solemn and warning, "As your military advisor, consider this as my first piece of advice: No plan is completely fireproof. You need to be more careful or else it would burst into ash in your own hands."
"I suppose you would know a thing or two about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, wouldn't you, General?" The grand admiral said with a sigh. "Suffice to say, this won't be anything like your failure at Ba Sing Se. The Fire Nation have advanced the craft of shipbuilding greatly since our last major assault into Water Tribe seas. Our hulls are thicker, engines stronger, and our crews filled with veterans who have seen combat on and offshore. My victory is already assured, General, it only waits for me to reach out and pry it from the Water Tribe savages' feeble hands."
"But my uncle is right, Zhao." Zuko countered with taunting edge to his voice. Turnabout is fair play after all. "About your plan possibly falling apart- it might have started already from what I've heard."
"Oh? And what gossip have you heard over a fire, Zuko?"
Zuko's lips tightened into a line. "Mostly about Commander of the 41st Division." He told the older man, "There are rumours floating around how your giant bit off more than he could chew. How he and his division failed in their mission, and that the Northern Water Tribe capital still stands strong even after their surprise attack."
"Ah yes," Zhao rolled his eyes, "I'm sure that the Fire Lord would have appreciated it very much if the commander had managed to do the flagrantly impossible and conquer one of the Four Nations' capitals with only a thousand men, but I naturally wasn't hinging my entire plan on it- that would have been moronic. Although… that would explain why you thought that was the likeliest explanation."
Zuko bristled at that, but let it slide. Water Tribe igloos getting blasted into oblivion didn't concern him, no, what he was more concerned about was one thing and one thing alone.
"The Avatar." He asked the admiral directly. "What's your plan for dealing with him?"
Zhao raised a disinterested eyebrow, "And why would I ever share that information with you?"
"Because…" Zuko didn't have an answer to that.
"-Because, grand admiral," Uncle Iroh stepped up between them as if to shield him from the admiral's question, speaking with his wise-old-man voice, "...the Avatar's possible contribution to a battle can never be discounted, especially for a battle such as this. And, even if you two do not see eye to eye, now is not the time to withhold critical tactical information from fellow Fire Nation."
Zhao's amber eyes narrowed, looking down at Zuko. "Barely Fire Nation. But I suppose… Hm."
He turned his back to him again, obviously contemplating telling him or not as he stared at the horizon as if trying look beyond the line where the endless sea met the endless sky. To the Water Tribe Capital. To the Avatar.
"Our intel coming from the North Pole is sparse." Zhao admitted, "And our only source of it is currently the 41st Division."
"From Commander Khan..." Iroh nodded. "How recent is your intel, Grand admiral?"
"A few days old now, I am still awaiting his latest report. His last report detailed that the sneak attack was a massive success. All the arsenals and ships of those Water Tribe savages are now cinders; and their entire leadership has been captured including their head chieftain. What remains now in the Water Tribe capital should be inexperienced officers leading soldiers armed with makeshift weapons. The commander couldn't have given me a better window to attack than this. The Northern Water Tribe on a silver platter… All part of my plan, of course."
"But Agna Qel'a is still to home to tens of thousands, Admiral."
"Oh, I am aware of their numbers, General Iroh." Zhao laughed, the smile on his bearded face said that he was looking forward to it, "The tightly-packed nature of our enemy will just mean that our trebuchets' high explosives will be much more effective."
"But did Kh- Commander Khan's report say anything about the Avatar?" prompted Zuko.
Zhao glanced at him, "Khan's report mentioned that the Avatar, his entourage, and his sky-bison steed were all considerably injured in a recent battle against the commander, and will likely not participate in the land battles. And if fortune favours us, the Avatar will still be incapacitated when we arrive, however…"
"...Waterbending healers are the best in the Four Nations." Iroh finished, a cautioning tone reserved for the admiral. Then he nodded to Zuko, "It is one of the many reasons why our attacks on the Northern Water Tribe have never succeeded, nephew."
Zhao scoffed, "A non-factor in the siege: I doubt their Waterbending healing will do much against our generous stores of high explosive munitions. Perhaps their waterbending healing can put their soldiers back together, but I can assure you- they will have a hard time finding all the pieces."
"But it is still possible." Zuko spoke up, drawing the eyes of the two older men, "It's still possible that the Avatar this is when he's the most helpless he'll ever have been!"
"If he is still injured." Iroh reminded him.
"And if he has not been evacuated to the Earth Kingdom." Zhao nodded.
"If…" Zuko echoed. But that small ember of a chance was all he needed.
The Avatar was always agile, slippery and annoyingly cheerful whenever they crossed paths. But now, he was vulnerable, maybe even helpless. That kind of thing had just never happened before. He'd had that airbender cornered a few times, even came close once or twice, but his prey had never been noticeably injured- never been unable to fight or run. Both of which, the Avatar was very good at. But now? Now he was. And more than that, he had an Armada with him now- the advantage of overwhelming numbers. It was as if the stars had aligned to give him this chance to win him back his honour and finally grant him the one thing that will earn him the right to return home: the Avatar in chains.
"But before you get too excited, Zuko," Zhao interrupted, "Know that you won't be participating in the amphibious assault on the Water Tribe Capital."
"What?! But you just said that you're letting us join the Armada for the siege!"
"Grand Admiral Zhao, may I remind you-
"Let me finish, General." The older man rebutted, "Zuko is now part of my Armada, and he will have his rightful share of the honour and glory for partaking in this siege. I guarantee that for all men under my command," the admiral reassured, right before aiming a pointed look directly at Zuko, "...However, that doesn't mean that I'll simply trust that you can resist the temptation to steal the glory that is reserved for me."
Zuko met that stare head on, metal thudding as he stepped up to the admiral, stared him right in the eyes, "So what? You expect me to sit in the dark below deck and twiddle my thumbs?"
"No, Fire, no!" He chuckled, "In fact, I have a much more important job for you. Something that I cannot trust with anyone else."
"What? Head and Deck duty? Or maybe you want me to put on an apron and be one of your mess hall serv-"
"You are to attend to a very important guest. From the Fire Lord's court. Your father speaks quite fondly of her."
"That girl who had out-Azula'd Azula?" Zuko said, suddenly alert, "She's here? In the fleet?"
"An amusingly specific comparison; but yes, On this ship, actually." Zhao's mouth curled in a cruel smile, "And judging by that amusing expression of yours, her reputation precedes her."
"We've heard terrible rumours." Iroh said in a grim tone. "They say blood and ash pour out of the Fire Nation colonies in rivers because of her."
Zuko closed his mouth, jaw tense as he recalled what they've heard in the last Fire Nation colony port they've docked in.
Public mutilation of criminals, cruel and unusual tortures for mouthy Earth kingdom peasants, and of course, hundreds of pyres burning all across Fire Nation and its colonies as scores of alleged traitors were burnt at the stake. It was a nightmare. And although his father may have been the one to decree that public executions would be a national pastime, he was not all to blame for this... barbarism. No, from everything Zuko had heard, the true mastermind behind this sadistic bloodbath was supposedly the daughter of Giant himself. A Fire Nation girl so uncommonly cruel that the Fire Nation colonies had come up with a moniker just for her, one that Zuko heard in hushed whispers around the fire.
"Anya the Evil." Zuko said aloud.
Zhao rolled his eyes and scoffed, "I'd refrain from speaking that unfortunately unimaginative title. Honestly… 'Anya the Evil.' Those colonial hicks can't come up with a good title if it was spelled out in flames in front of them!"
"And you want me to be her bodyguard?" He asked the grand admiral.
"Lady Anya has no need for a bodyguard," Zhao replied, "And more importantly, I'm not asking you, Zuko, I'm commanding you. From this moment forth until the moment we sail away from a conquered Water Tribe capital, you will be her… 'executive assistant' shall we say."
"You mean her manservant."
"Not as dignified of a job description as I offered, but if that is what you prefer, I won't stop you." Zhao shrugged nonchalantly, "But as your new commanding officer, I do however have some advice for your new assignment."
Zuko's first instinct was to spit in his face, but pushed the urge aside, "I'm listening, sir."
"You see, Zuko…" The older man began, red cape billowing as he casually paced around him, "Anya has a rare gift. A gift for intuiting out traitors. She had personally caught six of them thus far: Four of them acting as informants for some pirate fleets and two for the Earth Kingdom. All executed. Suffice to say, Fire Lord Ozai favours her even more greatly at the moment."
"What are you trying to say?" Zuko said, glanced over his shoulder, and found the grand admiral's smile, wide and malicious.
"I'm saying… that if for whatever reason, she deems you or your actions traitorous, Fire Lord Ozai and I would be happy to accept her words alone as proof of your guilt. There will be no court martial, no legal defence, only your summary execution. And I'm sure Lady Anya will enjoy attending it as she did with all the others. So, watch your words… Or don't," Zhao chuckled, letting Zuko know that was exactly what he was hoping would happen. "But the good news is that if you have any complaints about your new assignment, you'll be able to voice them soon…. Because Anya be joining us any minute now."
"She is?!" Zuko tried to hide his alarm, not looking forward to the idea of meeting the girl who could call for his execution whenever she felt like it.
"Yes. But she does enjoy her walks around the ship in her search for traitors." Zhao chuckled. "Her rounds have been very helpful, I must say. I found the threat of execution keeps the men alert, productive and driven to show their loyalty."
A loud knocking resounded on the metal door to the bridge, and Zuko whipped around, almost jumping out of his skin.
"Ah, here she is now. Well, let her in, lieutenant."
"Yes, sir!"
Zuko watched her reach for the door and he stood up straighter, mind racing over a thousand different possibility about what was behind that door. Would she be a giant like her father? No, that couldn't be it. He'd heard that she was only his adopted daughter from what he could recall. But if the Giant hadn't adopted her for her size, then he definitely did it for something else. More likely she had impressed that barbaric giant with her own cruelty, and Zuko was sure that was even worse outcome. That same commander who had left mass graves and enslaved whole families as he rampaged through the Earth Kingdom, and somehow a little girl managed to impress him enough to get him to adopt her? Or more importantly, how else could Anya have manage to impress his father, THE Fire Lord Ozai, that neither he or his sister could?
How violent, bloodthirsty, and cruel girl could a girl be to deserve the epithet of 'Anya the Evil'?
Well, he was apparently about to find out.
The door creaked open slowly and a figure stepped onto the observation deck: Slender, beautiful, and noticeably older than him. Wearing a black dress that hugged her shape and brass headdress, she was definitely not the young girl that his uncle and himself had heard in the rumours. Blood red eyes swivelled to stare straight at him and his uncle- most likely because they were the strangers on this boat. Was this how the commoners felt when they were faced with royalty? With someone who could order their executions as casually as calling for tea?
But the scariest thing of all was not something that she did, but what his Uncle Iroh did.
His usually happy-go-lucky uncle suddenly tensed in alarm as if a full-fledged dragon had just stepped onto the deck with them. Eyes were wide open, his lips pressed together, and a deep and sudden inhale through his nostrils. He saw something about this woman- something big and cause for immediate concern. And Zuko didn't know what it was- all he could do was stand up straight and keep his cool.
"L-Lady Anya. It is a deep and true honour!"
"Eh? You think I'm Anya?" She tilted her head with the most guileless expression he'd ever seen.
"… What? If you're not Anya then-"
"Anya's down here!" Something pink and small hopped up and down beside the woman to catch his attention.
Zuko blinked, finding it hard to believe either his eyes or his ears. This child with short pink hair and big green eyes- one who couldn't have been older than five and didn't even reach past his waist- was claiming to be the infamous Anya the Evil? This was the frightening monster that had replaced his sister in his father's eyes? This was adopted daughter of the most barbaric commander in the Fire Nation Army? Her?
"Ehe! Anya is Anya! Scary just like Papa Khanmander! Hm hm hm!" The little girl nodded her head up and down excitedly as if hearing his thoughts before gesturing around her green eye. "Er… mister? I think you got some ketchup stains on your eye."
Before Zuko could even think of a reply, Zhao stepped forward, smiled. "Anya, Miss Yor. This is General Iroh." The grand admiral said, "He will be joining us as my military advisor for the upcoming siege."
"Oh, nice to meetcha!" Anya cheerfully said, bowing politely.
Iroh sent a wary look at the child's mother before returned the bow, smiling politely. "Likewise, Lady Anya."
"And this is his nephew, Zuko." The admiral smirked, "He's come a long way to talk to me."
"Nice to meetcha too!" Anya cheerfully beamed, "Are you a messenger? Did you come with a gift from Fire Lord Ozzy?!"
"Fire Lord… Ozzy?" Zuko echoed numbly. He let this girl give him a nickname?
"Mhm! He's the bestest and nicest Fire Lord ever! Mmm, but if you're not a messenger then… are you a general? Or another captain or a Lou Tenny?"
The question snapped him out of it and- more than anything else- made indignation flared up in him, "How can you not recognise your crown prince?"
"Crown prince?" Anya said, looking up at Zhao with a confused expression. "But I thought we can only have one crown prince, and Papa was gonna be it, Uncle Jao?"
"Technically, Zuko is still the crown prince by blood."
The fact that the admiral had to include 'technically' made Zuko fume. Because it was true.
"But that means..." The child stared up with big green eyes in complete surprise at him, "Your papa is Fire Lord Ozzy?! But he never thought- er, never talked about how he had a son! And Anya spent a lot of time with him!"
"An understandable reaction." Zhao chuckled, slapping Zuko's shoulder, "We prefer not to talk about him, and for good reason- Zuko here is a great embarrassment for the Fire Lord, and for the Fire Nation at large, as well."
"Oh, did he poop his pants or sumtin' in front of everyone?"
The admiral paused at the comment, looked over to him, then broke out in loud guffaw right in his face, "Hah! That is not an inaccurate analogy to what happened! Zuko did indeed 'poop his pants' in the political sense- right In front of the Fire Lord and his entire war council no less!"
Zuko gritted his teeth. That wasn't accurate at all! He just couldn't sit idly by as they threw away the lives of good Fire Nation soldiers, so he had to stand up to that general! Maybe he didn't do it in the right manner or at the right place, but he still had to! He stood up for his nation!
"Oh, that sounds really embarrassing." Anya nodded, looking at him with sympathy, "Anya gets why Fire Lord Ozzy never said anything about you now. But s'alright, Prince Juko! Not everyone can hold it in if they stand up too fast. Anya did it too when I was little!"
Predictably, Zhao blinked, then promptly doubled over in laughter, "Oh! Hahahaha! When 'she was little' she says! Comparing you to a toddler! Ahahaha!"
Zuko felt his cheeks burn, both in anger and embarrassment as the laughter continued to ring out. Even the Fire Nation Veterans, common Fire Nation folk who should be so far below him in station laughed at him! It burned so much that he could swear that he could hear Azula's laughter joining in too. His greatest shame, reduced to a joke by this pee-stained brat!
"Ah, but enough of that," Zhao said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Anya, Zuko here will be your new executive assistant, he'll be aiding you with whatever you require. So, please keep him busy for me."
"Really?!" Anya's face lit up. "This is going to be so much fun, Juko!"
Now named 'Juko' by his new boss, he glanced back to Zhao. "This is ridiculous. I am a prince, not a... a babysitter!"
"What was that?" the admiral innocently feigned deafness, "Clearly that could not have been you refusing a direct order from your superior officer, because that would have been insubordination. And insubordination- as you well know- carries heavy… consequences."
Zuko clenched his fists, but he knew better than to argue further. "I said 'As you command, Grand Admiral.' "
"Well, carry on then!" Zhao nodded, "General Iroh and I have much more pressing matters to discuss."
His uncle smiled reassuringly, "I'll be sure to bring you some tea, Zuko."
"Yay! Come on, Juko!" Anya said, grabbing his hand and pulling him back inside. "The ship needs your help- so much help!"
"Very well, Lady Anya." He grunted, "What do you need me to do?"
"You need to shell the peanuts!"
"The... peanuts?" Juko repeated, incredulous.
"Yes! They're my most favoritest food in the whole world! You're gonna love them!" Anya continued to chatter excitedly as she led him to a small corner of the ship, where a large sacks of unshelled peanuts.
"You want me to shell all of these?" Zuko looked at the pile, his heart sinking.
"Mhm! It's easy! Here, I'll show you." Anya said cheerfully. She picked up a peanut, cracked it open with a twist of her fingers, and handed the shelled peanuts to Juko. "See? Simple!"
Juko sighed and picked up a peanut, mimicking her movements. The shell cracked, but the nuts fell to the ground.
"It's okay, you'll get the hang of it!" Anya giggled.
"How much do you need?"
"For dinner, you just gotta fill up this lil sack!" She held up a sack as big as her. Clearly, it was going to take him the rest of the day just to fill it up.
"Don't we have galley hands who do this?"
"Oh! The last galley hand was working for the evil Earthbender King." Anya nodded solemnly, or at least, as solemnly as an excited six-year-old with a story to tell could, "He was hiding these secret messages and little rocks in our surply boxes so that earthbenders could find them when we traded with the merchies. I found out and caught him with his hand in his cookie jar, so he tried to hit me with his fire, but Mama was faster and a lot cooler too!"
"Oh, it was nothing," Her mother, this 'Yor' woman, smiled serenely. "The spy was very slow."
"Mhm! Mama poked some holes in him!"
Zuko was also leery about this demurely smiling woman in the black dress. Having Azula as his sister, he knew what a scheming glint in someone's eyes looked like. And this 'Yor' woman didn't seem to be a hint of guile in her red eyes. In fact, she looked the opposite of threatening! He would have discounted her if not for how the rumour mill was full of gossip about the commander's preference of surrounding himself with a specific type of women: the intimidating kind. His lieutenant, the Kyoshi Warriors and that Shirshu bounty hunter. If this woman followed the pattern then she was definitely dangerous in some way. Dangerous enough to spook his uncle.
"Mama is a master assassassin!" Anya said unprompted and excited, "Even Fire Lord Ozzy was impressed that Mama can fight like a thousand pirates at the same time!"
The master assassin blushed, "Well, not a thousand, more like 600 or was it 500? Large jobs blur after 300."
"And then! And then! We exexuted him!" Anya jumped up and down with an excited smile, "Uncle Jao tied him to a trebuchet and I gave him some peanuts to plant on the moon! He didn't make it all the way there, but the explosion was really pretty! Anya can't wait for the next one! We'll make next traitor reach the moon for sure!"
Bright green eyes looked up at him expectantly as she beamed, as if daring for him to give her a reason to execute him.
"…I'll get these peanuts ready for you by dinner, Lady Anya."
"Yay! Thanks a bunch, Juko! I'll see you later!"
Naturally, he accepted: He wasn't about to start a fight with this bloody-handed child of all people over some peanuts.
"Yes, do your best, Prince Zuko!" Yor cheered along with her daughter.
"Mama, is there some blood on Anya's hands?" Zuko heard the child ask her mother as they exited the pantry, shutting the door in his face and leaving him in a claustrophobic closet space bathed in red light. His only company were a tiny metal stool and the heavy sack-fulls of peanuts he needed to shell.
"This is to get close to the Avatar…" He told himself as he sat down and got to work- peanut shells cracking under his fingers. It felt that he was closer to it finally happening than any of his encounters with the Avatar before, and that was enough to spur him on.
Just another task necessary to capture the Avatar- to come home. And no amount of those annoying Water Tribe peasants were going to stand in his way.
[Agna Qel'a]
The sun cast a golden glow over the glistening waters of the training grounds. Women of all ages, clad in blue parkas, practised their waterbending- some with concentration and others with frustration.
Katara smiled, it was a good sign that they were following in her footsteps. She called out, "Remember, ladies, feel the push and pull of the water, water is not just a tool but an extension of your bodies- you yourselves are part of the flow!"
Hands clasped behind her, she walked along the edge of the training grounds, watching her recruits practise with pride. Her heart swelled with it as she watched the way their graceful movements flowed alongside the water with confidence that hadn't been there when they had first started. It was amazing how far they'd come. But Katara guessed that she could say the same about herself. From being bound by traditions that deemed them unworthy of War to becoming fierce warriors ready to defend their homeland. And she knew that these women were not just her recruits; what she was seeing was the future for Agna Qel'a- for the Water Tribe.
"Fantastic work, everyone!" Katara clapped her hands, her voice carrying across the courtyard. "Let's call it a wrap for today! Gather around!"
Water splashed to the icy ground, followed by the women shuffling into a crowd in front of her to deposit themselves to the floor panting. Today's training had been tough, but now it was done, they could relish in the camaraderie of shared bitter work. And as she looked out at the crowd of girls and women sitting and chatting and laughing in a sea of blue parkas. Katara felt like it was a tribe within a tribe. A family within a family. Something special. Something precious.
"Speech!" came the shout from the crowd.
"Really?" Katara laughed, "Okay, okay. I guess I can make a speech."
"It's hard to believe how much has changed in such a short time. Just a few months ago, we were still bound by traditions that kept us out of the army. I'm sure when some of you were younger, you'd remember watching your brothers and cousins train and wish you could join them. And some of you likely remember feeling that it was so unfair that your abilities were overlooked just because we were women. And now, here we are, training as warriors. It's like a dream come true. We finally get a chance to defend our home with the men! And I'm sure some of you think that you have me to thank for that."
"Yeah!" "Go Katara!"
Katara smiled, shaking her head. "Well, it wasn't just me. It was all of us. I was only able to convince Master Pakku because girls like us are actually capable! Just as capable. Maybe more capable than the guys! I fought Master Pakku even when I knew I'd lose. Because standing up for yourself is always the right thing to do! And I believe everyone here should do that!"
The group fell silent for a moment, soaking up the words. Then, someone raised her water flask in a toast. "To Katara, and to all of us. May we drink to the Fire Nation's bones when we come back after showing the world what we're capable of!"
"Yeah!"
The women raised their flasks, the sound of their cheers echoing across the training grounds. As the fire crackled and the stars began to twinkle in the night sky to the almost full moon, Katara knew for sure that they were all going to be alright.
"Katara! Katara! Katara!"
(Sometime later)
Zuko didn't know how much time had past by the time a knock came from the door, only that the discarded peanut shells on the floor had formed a pile by then.
As for the person knocking, he just grunted in annoyance- he knew just who it was. "It's a pantry, uncle; You don't have to knock."
Just as he had guessed, the door swung open to let his fat uncle through.
A grey eyebrow raised on his uncle's wrinkled forehead as he looked around the pantry with lukewarm confusion. "This is quite the treasure horde of peanuts, Prince Zuko." His uncle serenely commented, sitting down on the floor… and of course, pulled out a complete tea set from his sleeve. The porcelain of three teacups clinked as he set them down and began to pour some tea.
Zuko hated how he must have looked: The Prince of the Fire Nation, sitting on a sad little stool in a sad little room surrounded by nothing but nuts. Humiliating.
"Anya likes peanuts." He said, not even look up from his peanut shelling, "She likes it so much that she threatened me with a trebuchet execution if I refused to deshell her peanuts. Did you manage to talk Zhao into let me participate in the siege?"
"The grand admiral is still convinced that you are a threat to his operation."
"He's not wrong." Zuko grunted, cracking a peanut in his fist, "This could be my one chance to catch the Avatar helpless."
"Yes, it very well could." nodded his uncle.
"Then you know that I'm not going to let this chance slip away."
He smiled an understanding smile, "I know, Prince Zuko. I know. In the years that we've travelled together in search of the Avatar, you've never once let a chance to capture the Avatar slip away. Not when you had a choice, at least."
His uncle offered him a steaming hot cup of tea, and Zuko readily accepted- the feel of smooth, warm porcelain was a welcome change to the rough peanut shells. He took a sip and And the warmth was even more welcome, the air was already getting cooler as they travelled closer to the North Pole and he knew it'd only get even colder, especially in the city he'd capture the Avatar. But… "I don't have a choice." He whispered to Iroh, "This is the only way to regain my honour."
"Do you have a plan?"
With a grunt, he set down his teacup and went back to shelling peanuts. "I'm working on it, Uncle."
His uncle watched him shell those peanuts, and they both knew that he didn't have one just yet. Iroh let out a deep sigh, "Even if you snuck out of this ship, and captured the Avatar in the middle of the assault, then what? Here you are toying with treason and dancing with the threat of execution, and you haven't even thought it through! One misstep and they wouldn't think twice of launching you from a trebuchet!"
"I know this is my destiny."
"How can you know what is your destiny when you have not even stopped to ask yourself the important questions?" His Uncle Iroh frowned in disappointment. "Who are you? What do you want? And what would bring you peace? You have already been shown the answer back in Pohuai, but still you force an answer that was never yours!"
Zuko didn't know why it hurt, so he just let his anger push it aside. "And what would that be, Uncle?" he shot back. "Playing the tsungi horn, dancing, and singing like some vagrant?!"
He met his uncle's eyes. The old man didn't back down, but he did lower his voice with another sigh.
"There is no shame in living a life of peace, Prince Zuko," His uncle said evenly, "Your mother, despite your my brother's disapproval, was a patron of the arts, and she…"
"Don't you bring her into this, Uncle!"
"…She would have been so proud to hear that you played so well."
"Shut up! Just shut up!" Zuko grunted, pushing away his mother's smiling face from his thoughts. "I need to do this, Uncle!"
The much older man just bowed his head, "Yes… I believe that you must." His uncle said, carefully refilling their teacups- the flowery scent of jasmine tea wafting in the small pantry as they settled down. His uncle sipping his tea, and him shelling the peanuts. It was only a few minutes of sweet silence before his uncle spoke again, "It occurred to me that I had been meaning to ask you a question, Prince Zuko. It had been insensitive to ask so early into your hunt for the Avatar; and in my old age, the question slipped my mind until now. What do you think is my brother's reasoning behind banishing you to search for the Avatar?"
He had been ready to lash out again, but the question was... not something he had expected. Zuko didn't look up from the peanut in his hand as he muttered, "… Do you know, uncle?"
"I don't," Iroh said, "I know how my brother is, but we do not speak much outside of matters of the Fire Nation."
"Well, he didn't tell me either. Only that I have to return with the Avatar if I want to return at all. So that's what I'll do."
"But what do you believe it is?"
"Why do you ask?" Zuko aimed a pointed look with his scarred eye. But his fat uncle just smiled serenely over his teacup.
"Indulge your old uncle."
"I'm not even sure anymore…" Zuko quietly admitted. "Would I even recognise the Fire Islands once I'm back? It's been close to three years now. I wonder if my father had changed as well. I thought it was hard to think that things would change that much in my exile, but if the rumours are right… So much has changed."
Peanut shell cracked again, the nuts slipping through his fingers and pattering on the floor.
"The Fire Nation's sick new policy on public executions is proof of that. Somehow and someway, father has taken advice from the Giant's daughter."
That little blood-soaked child and her adoptive father who had taken over as chief coordinator for the Commemorations, they had free reign to change things since they were so close to his father, the Fire Lord. He could only imagine what those two had done in his absence, what things they had whispered into his father's ear. Anya had already convinced him to pass that grisly new policy on public executions. What other things could she had convince him to do? If the colonies were anything to go by, the water around the Fire Islands would be red with blood by now. What horrific state had she left the Fire Islands in?
Would his father still recognise him? …Would he still recognise his father?
(Meanwhile) [Imperial Capital, Fire Islands]
The noon sun shone hot over the Fire Nation that day, almost as hot as the shouts and roars of kicks and swings that echoed through the arena air.
But at this moment in time, the sounds have stilled.
Fire Lord Ozai sat on his ornate throne of brass and dark ash wood, peering over the edge of his overlook… a thousand eyes stared up at him, peasantry and noble clans alike. Sweat running down their faces as they awaited his judgement- they all knew he had the final word. Even the unfortunates who had been battling it out for his entertainment knew better than to utter a word as they stood on the hot sands of the arena below.
His lips quirked in amusement as he drank in their anxiety for a moment- captive audience at the edge of their seats, then he extended his hand outwards and thumbs up.
The crowd roared their delight to his sound judgement (as they rightly should) and the referees' voice rose over the crowd's clamour, "The call on the sand is correct, point for the Ember Island Turtle-Crabs!"
Roar of a grateful crowd resounded, and the Kuai Ball game continued with a renewed fire. Another judgement well done.
Ozai, still shirtless and in his red swim trunks, reclined back onto his throne as he put on his 'sunglasses' as the commander had called them. An invention for his troops to counter a phenomenon called 'snow blindness' in the arctic. But it was quite useful for sunny days on the beach as well. More than half of his Imperial court wore a pair now. But his was the first Khan had made, and was lined with gold as well- very regal.
Ever since the Great War commemorations, he and the rest of his court had developed a fondness for spectating various sports whilst lounging at the beach. Sports and games seemed to pair well with his Red Bull. Especially Kuai Ball.
It was a perfect, bright sunny day in the Fire Nation capital for it. Young men and women, all fresh recruits, striking a ball over a net back and forth on the beach to encourage a culture of strong soldiers, healthy competition and utter obedience to the decisions of a higher authority- specifically his. It also had the advantage of being absent of the tedious formalities of Agni Kai. Disappointingly less violent, but the fact that his judgement often decided who triumphed was a notable point in its favour. Anya used to delight in performing the judgements, until she convinced him to do it once, then he understood the appeal. All in all, it was a welcome distraction while his tea room was still under renovation, and also made the tedium of courtly affairs more bearable until the time came to bring bad news to his attention.
"Fire Lord Ozai, your majesty, we bring bad tidings."
… Like right now.
Some of his Palace Guard with their red robes, bowed heads and sorry expressions shuffled up to the side of his throne.
The empty can of Red Bull crumpled in his grip. "You have travelled far from your posts in the Royal Palace to come and interrupt my game," Fire Lord Ozai said, his voice like the rumble of distant thunder, promising a storm. They shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze as he glowered. "For your sakes, there had better be a good reason."
A trembling guard in red armour stepped forward- the elected spokesperson by his superiors. "Y-Your Majesty," he stammered, bowing deeply. "A thousand apologies for interruption to your entertainment. But there is news of great concern. Princess Azula... she has escaped from the dungeons."
The Fire Lord's eyes narrowed, and the temperature in the royal booth rose with his anger. "Escaped?" he repeated, each syllable dripping with his displeasure. "How was this allowed to happen?"
The guard swallowed hard, his throat dry. "As instructed by your eminence, the guards had refrained from speaking or laying our eyes upon her and as such, had not noticed that the princess had apparently… replaced herself with a mannequin until this morning. The warden noticed her food has gone untouched for days now. We have yet to identify the accomplices who had helped sneak the dummy into her cell."
His grip tightened on the armrests of his throne, the ash wood creaking under the pressure. "Interrogate the warden. Thoroughly." He commanded, "Whether it's collusion or mere stunning incompetence, either deserves a stern rebuke. As for my daughter… she not only defy me by turning her back to her duty as Fire Nation, but to also collude with rebellious scum?"
The ministers exchanged uneasy glances, knowing full well the depths of the Fire Lord's wrath. One of the Fire Sages, a wizened man with a long, white beard and flowing red robes stepped forward cautiously. "Your Majesty, Princess Azula has always been strong-willed. Perhaps if we send a contingent of our best trackers, we can bring her back swiftly and avoid further complications."
His eyes flicked towards the advisor, the flames in the braziers flaring higher as if responding to his emotions. "Do not speak of her willfulness as if it were a virtue," he snapped. "Her recklessness has already come at a considerable cost for me. Send word to all the ports in the surrounding islands. I want her found and brought back to face the consequences of her actions. And… triple the guards for the cellars guarding the remaining Red Bull casks. Inform them that their lives are now bound to those casks, if any those casks are to be broken, so will their bodies."
"Yes, my Fire Lord!" The guards and ministers bowed deeply, their voices a chorus of compliance.
"Now begone." Ozai shook his head in disgust.
As the throne booth emptied save for his Royal Guard, his gaze fixed on the game that continued below. The Water Tribe will be pacified in a few days- the icy crown of the world claimed in his name. Very fitting, but even that seemed small now. It all did. Conquest of an entire world…What a fool he had been to have aspired for something so small. But now, his eyes had been opened, and he knew that he was destined for so much more. Yes, immortality was his Destiny. What a shame then that his children were unworthy of it.
The more he pondered over the subject of his daughter, the more he was certain that Khan must be bound to him and to his bloodline.
His children had most certainly not lived up to the simple expectations he had set for them: All he had asked from those two was a satisfying closure to the Great War. He had even been prepared to grant them command of entire armies or fleets- he almost had with Azula and her Omashu siege plan before she became a bumbling shell of her former self. Certainly, he acknowledged that his son and daughter only wished to please him, but so were Khan and Anya. The difference was that his future son-in-law and his bright, adoptive daughter actually understood how to gain his favour- with wide swathes of captured Earth Kingdom territory and effective policies of tyrannical cruelty. Whereas, Zuko and Azula were failures in different ways- a limp-wrist weakling and a hysterical, shrieking flutter-bat. Disappointments, both of them.
Clearly, it was due to them having taken after his ex-wife. To think the aftershocks of that shrew's poor child-rearing would still hound him to this day…
Ozai growled as he cracked open another Red Bull and settled back into his throne. "Flame take my ex. May she trip into a volcano for raising our progeny to be such incomparable failures."
"Yes... my father believes in me, and he always did." Zuko said to his uncle who was quietly listening with his tea. "And I don't doubt that for one second! He might not have thought I was ready to be the heir, but he knew that I could still make him proud. If he thought differently, then he would have just banished me without a condition to return. This banishment, this chase for the Avatar… It's all just a big test to prove that I'm still worthy of being crown prince of our people again!"
"Mmm." His uncle hummed, refraining from commenting on it as he refilled their cups again.
But this time, Zuko noticed something unusual. "…Uncle, why did you bring three teacups?"
His uncle remained silent, simply stared down into his teacup, his jaw tensed as if he wasn't sure of something, and Zuko knew that was always a bad sign, "Someone else approached me." He revealed, "Someone who wishes to help you in your quest for the Avatar."
Knocks rapped against the metal door, and Zuko didn't know why… but he had a really bad feeling about who was behind that door.
- Family, War Criminals and Traitors End -
~ Chapter 29 - Converging Shadows ~
~In which… The Royal Family have a heart-to-heart talk about honour, treason and lays down the plan to get Khan killed. Khan reaches the power spike that he had been working towards for so long. And Suki and Kyoshi Warriors enact the sneakiest plan they had ever come up with, just as the Northern Water Tribe Army marches off to their 'inevitable' victory. ~
~ Chapter 30 - When the Snow Starts Honking in Ostrich-Horse ~
~In which… The might of the Northern Water Tribe goes against a well-prepared 41st Division and an optimally-levelled Khan. And, the smiling execution-loli arrives with her 200 hundred warships and all her thousands of grizzled war veteran friends arrive to make the Northern Water Tribe really, really sorry for being evil Waterbenders.~
Coming Soon for Public Release!
AN:
This chapter occurs between the episodes... (ATLA Book 1, Episode 18 - The Waterbending Master) and (ATLA Book 1, Episode 19 - The Siege of the North).
Behold, the stuff of Aang's/Azula's/Zuko's nightmares… Beach Dad Ozai! He's living his best life despite his divorce. We'll see how his ex-wife is faring in a bit as well.
So many people are confused about Azula… being in the Armada in Chapter 25. That was her- right at the start of Chapter 24- who was being supplied "a false name and rank."
Anya's appearance has been minimised… Because I know some people don't like her. Truth of the matter is that Burn the World Down is a very different fic than what I had first set out to write. But I'm afraid I had already committed- the Murder-Loli is here to stay.
Double release this week… For narrative purposes, it needs to be two chapters. But we're finally moving to the siege!