99 A.G
Fire Nation troops and tanks marched inside Omashu. It was a horrifying sight, a parade of red and black filled the main street towards the city's palace and main plaza. The army's march was making the earth around them shake.
Hino was terrified, unable to reconcile what his eyes were witnessing with reality. It was a nightmare come true. The soldiers that were supposed to protect them, had just opened the city gates, surrendering to the ash makers.
As the enemy soldiers marched deeper into the city, Hino followed in a daze through the winding streets, until they reached the main city plaza, outside the palace. As the crowd gathered he saw familiar faces, plastered with the same fear he was feeling.
The soldiers halted at the plaza. Two of them quickly pushed forward with a long wooden crate that they placed in the steps of the palace stairs, then retreated back into formation. Then he saw the palanquin being carried in the middle of the formation.
From it, three figures step out. That is when Hino saw the evil spirit herself. The monster dressed in a young girl's skin and metal limbs stepped forward and climbed onto the wooden crate alongside two other young girls. Hino completely ignored the other two as she began speaking to the crowd.
"People of Omashu, soldiers of the Fire Nation, hear me now. This city has stood for generations upon this mountain, yet today, its very stones witness a change in history. Today, Omashu is integrated into our great Nation. Today, our might continues to spread through the continent."
"To my soldiers, I say this first; I salute you. I salute your spirit, your endless courage. You marched to the battlefield, to the front, and onward with the knowledge that death could be waiting at every gate and every wall."
"You cast off comfort, cast off fear, showing the willpower that dwells within you. Continue to serve now with body and spirit, and our might shall reach every corner of the world. Every fiber of your being should cry in triumph!"
The cheer from the gathered soldiers was deafening, and a terrible chill went through Hino's body. The evil spirit waited for a few moments, letting their cries be heard, then raised a hand to silence them once more.
"To you, my fellow soldiers, I ask: Why do we go so far, committing ourselves to death, suffering, hunger, wounds, sleepless marches, and leaving our families behind? The answer lies clear before us. It is for our country, for the Fire nation and our homeland. It is for the whole world. It is for the future that will be built by those with the strength to secure lasting peace."
"And once we win this war the right way, we will bring that peace to all of you. Not the illusion of peace the rest of the world feeds itself, that one is quickly shattered by stubborn people seeking power. No matter how much we evolve, if we let weak men control our future, war will ignite again. As a promise to you all, as long as I draw breath, I will never let that happen!"
The soldiers clapped and shouted in excitement, again she waited for them to calm down before continuing.
"To the people of Omashu, understand me carefully. I do not ask for your love. I do not require your gratitude. We only ask of you to have the strength to work for your own life, for your own future, to bring order and labor to your lives. Show loyalty. Show collaboration, and this city will continue to flourish beneath Fire Nation rule."
"I'm aware there are some rumors going around, and some of you are confused. The only rumors that are true are that King Bumi surrendered after losing a duel against a dear friend of mine. Let me introduce you to Toph Beifong, on my right, who through her use of her talent and Fire Nation fostering, recreated lava bending, something only heard of before in legends, and used it to defeat him."
"As such, earthbenders will be allowed to work with firebenders in the future, to build cooperation and foster these talents that your people already have in them. Those who want to volunteer and work with us are more than welcomed to be part of our combined might."
"But…do not mistake our mercy as weakness. Raise your hands against us and death shall knock at your door. You have seen our might reaching to the very skies. Do not think for a second…that our advances would never be used against you if you rebel. Do not force your children to see burned flesh merely to salvage your own broken pride."
Hino's fear spiked and he could see the threat was very real. 'The monster would take our children and make them watch as they kill us', he thought. After a small pause, the ash-maker spread her arms wide and smiled.
"My brothers and sisters-in-arms: Omashu has fallen, but our march does not end at these gates. The Earth Kingdom still cowers behind the walls of Ba Sing Se, and until that city crumbles, our work is unfinished. Only a polar-bear-dog long deprived of its fangs and claws does not fight, and we are no such creature. You are the hand of the Fire Nation, unbroken after a century of war."
She crossed one of her arms, fist on her chest, still smiling.
"My life, I give for my country! With my hands I fight for our forefathers! With my mind I seek ways to better my nation. And with my feet, may our march of civilization continue. For the Fire Nation!"
"FOR THE FIRE NATION!" chorused the rest of the soldiers, hitting their armor with their fist in the same motion as the evil spirit, the sound felt like thunder.
As he exited the plaza hurriedly only one thought ran through Hino's mind: 'She must be stopped.'
----0000----
The war council was discussing small matters. Ozai only cared about the status of the main fleet that would venture north toward the last bastion of Water Tribe opposition and was just patiently waiting for another report that would surely arrive soon.
As the council was discussing the addition of new rank insignia into the armor of the army, something the Renshi family had proposed, he wondered what to do next. He didn't have to wait long, luckily, for a runner to interrupt their session.
"Sirs, I have an urgent report, it concerns Omashu, my lords." he said.
"Go ahead, read it for us." Ozai said.
As the soldier read the scroll they had received, the war council was stunned into silence for a few moments. As he finished, however, it exploded in chaos of ministers and generals shouting.
"Outrageous!"
"They dare lie to us all?!"
"What is this report?"
Several people screamed in disbelief.
Ozai silenced them all by flaring his power and the flames of the throne room almost reached the roof. No one in that room could believe that they had taken Omashu without suffering a single casualty.
General Shu had sent in the report that he had not even participated in the overall surrender negotiation, which was information he didn't already know. The operation to infiltrate the city and gather intelligence before the attack had quickly turned into a duel for the sake of the city instead, one where the surrender terms were spoken.
Against all odds the doors of Omashu had been opened the next morning and the army had just marched right in without any opposition. Just like that, the last consolidated resistance from the Earth Kingdom in the south fell. They still had some reports of people living inside Si Wong's desert, but truly they kept mostly to themselves and they had no real resources that would merit taking them over.
Ozai already knew that General Shu was telling the truth as he had received his usual reports from Azula herself. Placing his daughter among Commander Lin's troops had been a clever play to spy on her. Her meteoric rise alongside her accomplishments could turn into a threat after all. So far, all of her reports placed her as one of his most loyal tools of war.
If the commander were older, then maybe he would be worried, but she was young and raised by a loyal noble family, there really was not a lot to worry about. True, her military accomplishments could be compared to those of his brother, but she didn't grow up with the idea of being the Fire Lord, Ozai was sure she had never even thought about it.
If she ever displayed any rebellious ideas, Ozai would give the task of eliminating her to Azula. For now, he would give the carrot instead, and the opportunity to lead the campaign against Ba Sing Se. She was clearly more qualified than General Shu at the very least.
"I have received reports from other sources that claim the same outcome, gentlemen. So please, take this news as the truth." the Fire Lord said. "It is already verified."
"Of course, Fire Lord. As expected of our great leader, you already knew what happened." General Bujing said.
"Yes, I, of course, knew already. A few details were missing so that is why I was waiting on the general's report. We must applaud Commander Lin's ability to force a surrender in a duel against one of the strongest earthbenders, who had defied us for decades. Even the late Fire Lord, Azulon, had trouble dealing with him. That she has also triumphed without losing any of our troops speaks of her brilliance. I motion now for her to be promoted and I intend for her to lead our campaign against Ba Sing Se. Is anyone against my judgement?"
No one spoke up against him, naturally.
"Good. Now, I want to discuss another opportunity that my advisors have pointed out. Let's use the lava bending phenomenon to our advantage to recruit earthbenders to our cause. The fact that they can call forth this ability makes them worthy of being part of our great nation in my eyes."
'And more tools to use to finally realize my goals. '
----0000----
Azula had been summoned to the temporary command office in the palace. General Shu was talking with Lin already when she arrived.
"Again, thank you for giving that speech for me, commander. You truly inspire the troops, young people like yourself have such a way with words nowadays." General Shu said.
"You honor me with your words, General." Lin replied.
"If I may speak frankly, I've received concerning reports about your overall character, and I'm glad I didn't listen to them. You brought a great victory for our nation." Shu continued.
"To be perfectly honest, it was Toph Beifong's victory, not mine. If anyone should receive praise it would be her." Lin said.
"It was your idea to get close to the girl, to nurture such a talent and prodigy able to best the king. Anyway, I will be leaving soon to the mainland again. I have already sent my report home and they are waiting for me to march towards our ship to the west. I hope to see you again soon, Commander. Princess."
The general bowed to Azula and left them behind. As soon as he was gone Lin turned to her.
"My princess, I need to return to Chin Village to organize our resources and workers. You will be in charge of handling Omashu, alongside Governor Tozo and a few of my administrative workers from Chin Village. They will be making most of the decisions and you will be supervising."
Azula didn't want to leave her side, she wanted to be with her during those small periods of time when they were not fighting. The princess really hoped the war would come to an end soon.
"I don't like being left behind." Azula commented.
"I know, sorry. I will come back here once everything is prepared. The Fire Lord will probably want to march to Ba Sing Se. I hear that we are planning an invasion of the Northern Water Tribe capital, this war could be won by the end of the year if both targets fall. Having all of my army alive also means there won't be delays either, so I need to make sure our lines will not suffer from lack of supplies once we begin our march."
"Are you sure you will be sent there?" Azula asked.
"I'm confident that General Shu gives me too much credit for our victory here, and he was in charge of sending the report back home. The war council will surely want to send me there."
"That is true. Where is Toph by the way?" The princess asked.
"I believe she is entertaining the late King Bumi right now. She wants him to teach him some other techniques but so far he has refused. I hear he is enjoying retirement. Still, we must not underestimate him, he found the hidden assassins that I have posted near him already, went in and said hi to them." Lin said.
"So she is staying with me?"
"Yes, Azula, for the moment she is staying here. I think she thinks of you as her friend already, and we owe her for winning the duel, even if it wasn't what we were expecting initially."
"Good, Wenxin will be thrilled, we want to test some of that new bending she discovered." Azula said.
Lin paled for a few seconds. "Please be careful with him, it's hard to find good instructors for the army."
"He will be fine… most of him anyway." Azula said, smirking.
Lin sighed, then she got serious again. "Azula, I actually have a mission for you for your stay in this city."
"Oh? Go on."
"You will be tasked with creating a rebellion." Lin said.
"Ah fun." Azula said, rolling her eyes.
"Indeed, it's hunting time, Azula. You will use the tunnels we have uncovered to lure resistance with the promise of an organized rebellion. Then, alongside a few of my agents, you will either capture them or eliminate them. Capturing them will lead us to their families, but I understand if they resist more than they should."
"At least I will be able to use my newfound vision. When are you coming back?"
"I should be able to return in a month's time. The railway tracks' construction is progressing smoothly and the northern colonies are already working to assist us when we reach them."
"I hope there are enough rebels here to entertain me until then."
Azula did consider a few plans to force Lin to either take her with her or for her to extend her stay, but only in her head. She knew that doing that could delay the end of the war if they were not fully prepared. In the end, she didn't voice those plans.
Lin snorted. "Only you, princess. I will see you soon, take care of yourself."
'I will miss you.' Azula thought.
As the princess watched Lin's back walk away, she suppressed the small pain in her chest. She was really not happy about this, but at least she could take out her frustrations on some peasants soon.
----0000----
Kaien held the kettle and used his chi to heat the water. As the nobles gathered in his home kept bickering among themselves, he carefully served his tea just at the right temperature.
"...Lord Renshi, please take this seriously."
"Gentlemen, I assure you, the only reason you are not ashes right now is that I'm taking you seriously. You are threatening my entire family with this treacherous speech, so rest assured I'm taking you seriously."
"Then… what do you think?" asked Lord Sei'naka.
"In short, you want me to support removing the Fire Lord from the throne, mainly due to the new taxes affecting the noble families the most, he also made nobility titles ornamental, while also taking our soldiers, factories, ports, and influence in the name of the war effort." Kaien summarized.
"That Ozai has done so when the war is coming to a close means he is trying to centralize all power to him before it is too late, and you want my daughter to take the Fire Lord's place. Did I miss anything?" Kaien asked, calmly.
"Eh, no my lord. We know a coup in the middle of a war would hit our nation quite badly, but if we continue through this path we will lose everything our families have ever worked for. Your daughter would have a claim, through her mother's lineage, one of the last living relatives of the Saowon clan. She is now said to be elevated to General at the age of 18, the youngest ever in history. The people think of her as being blessed by Agni herself by her appearance, and her accomplishments make her very popular, both nationally and in the colonies as well." said Lord Sei'naka.
"Fire Lord Ozai holds too much power and he has enough support for a coup to fail tremendously, something that would at best end in civil war, and at worst in our immediate deaths for treason." Kaien said.
"If we do nothing our families and our history and power will be taken away from us. Our ancestors' work would be lost if we do nothing. Moreover, if this blatant display of power has no opposition the Fire Lord will feel inclined to continue doing as he pleases."
"He already does as he pleases, Lord Ty." Kaien said.
"Well I say it is time for him to stop pushing us. The noble families still hold a lot of political influence, and the only family still deeply loyal to the Fire Lord is the Ukano family. Led by a cowardly and ignorant weak man, who only cares about being the Fire Lord's bitch." Lord Sei'naka said.
"Again, how do you plan to do that without the conflict ending in a civil war at best, or our deaths at worst?" Kaien asked.
"By convincing your daughter to use the military to make Ozai step down. We have asked around, she is extremely popular with the masses, they wouldn't oppose it if it is her taking over. The Fire Lord using her as propaganda is backfiring on him." Lord Ty said.
"You are forgetting I have a son as well. To argue that she has a legitimate claim to the throne would be to invite people to question why we are not choosing the eldest of my sons for the throne. Even with her popularity this would generate a problem with the population."
The argument made them silent.
"I suggest you come up with a better plan, gentlemen. If you want this to work, you need to plan with the most stable outcome in mind. I'm willing to turn a blind eye for now, but if I feel that you are leading me to my family's demise, I will report you straight away and clean my hands. Still, I am open to hear from you again in the future."
"Right, we will return with a more polished alternative then." Lord Ty said.
Kaien hoped they wouldn't come to him again if he was honest. Still, the prospect of his family ruling the Fire Nation was also alluring, but it needed to be done right, he could come up with a few ideas of his own, but he would be careful never to voice it or write it anywhere, spies were everywhere after all.
----0000----
Aang woke to voices in the dark and the heavy warmth of Appa's breath against his side. For one confused moment, he thought he was still dreaming, because the sky above him was black and crowded with unfamiliar stars, and the snow beneath him had gone hard from the cold.
His fingers were numb, his teeth had begun to chatter sometime in his sleep, and Appa's fur was the only reason the wind had not frozen him through. He tried to sit up, then stopped when a lantern rose over the curve of Appa's shoulder and showed Katara climbing toward him through the snow.
"There he is!" she called, relief breaking through her voice so strongly that it made him feel worse than if she had sounded angry.
Sokka was behind her with two women from the village, each carrying a spear and a lamp. A few others followed at a distance, bundled in thick furs, their faces half hidden against the cold. Aang blinked at them, still too tired to understand why they had come after him when they had been the ones to send him away.
He had thought the banishment was final. Katara reached him first and dropped to her knees beside him, placing both hands on his shoulders as if she had to make certain he was real.
"You idiot." she said. "You were going to freeze out here."
"I was fine." Aang murmured, then sneezed so hard that their hoods were removed from their heads.
Sokka blinked at him. "Yeah, that was very convincing."
Aang glanced past him, toward the sea. "I take it the village is fine?"
One of the older women shook her head. "No ship came our way. The flare must have burned itself out before anyone saw it, or there was no one close enough to answer."
Katara helped him stand, and Sokka placed a blanket around his shoulders.
"If you make me walk through the cold again, I will personally make you rebuild my watchtower without gloves." Sokka muttered.
By the time they returned, the lamps had been lit inside the igloos, and the whole village seemed awake despite the hour. No one cheered when he came back, and no one apologized either as he hoped they would.
Sokka and Katara told him he could sleep with their grandmother and he realized part of his worries had to be buried until the next day.
The next morning, Aang was given new clothes, because having to constantly use air control to keep himself from shivering was exhausting.
They were thicker than anything he had worn before, layered in blue and white, with fur at the collar and cuffs and boots that made him walk like he had borrowed someone else's feet. The children still stared at him first because of the arrow on his head, or because he was an airbender.
At first, their questions came quickly and happily. 'Could he fly without the glider? Could he make snow spin? Could he lift a whole boat? Could he make Sokka's hair stand up forever?'
Aang answered what he could, smiling more easily than he expected, because curiosity was normal for smaller kids. He enjoyed the time playing with them but at the same time, he started to realize the situation in the village. There were no older men, something that would be unthinkable to him for a Water Tribe village.
As time passed, the questions turned uncomfortable for Aang. It happened when one of the older women asked which temple he had come from. Aang said the Southern Air Temple because the answer was simple and the truth. The woman's expression tightened.
"The Southern Air Temple was invaded. Hakoda, our chief, sailed close to that territory, there was no sign of anyone there." she said carefully.
"To reach the temple you would have to be an airbender. I don't mean to discredit your chief, but they could be hiding way too high for anyone to see." Aang said, a little too fast.
Sokka's grandmother sat near the fire with a blanket over her knees, watching him with sad, steady eyes. "We would have seen them at least once or a whisper of them, young one. But I have been alive for a long time and the whole island where the temple is located has been silent ever since."
Aang pulled his sleeves over his hands, staring at the stitched edge of the Water Tribe coat because it was easier than looking at their faces.
"That can't be right. The temples can only be accessed by airbenders. If, as you say, the Fire Nation threatened them, they might have gone into hiding, the monks would know what to do. But we are pacifists, I can understand why no one saw anyone else if they went into hiding."
No one answered immediately and Aang avoided their faces. Katara sat beside him, close enough that her shoulder nearly touched his.
"Aang, I think you were trapped in the ice for a long time." she said, gently. "Even if they somehow lived, I don't think it will be the same."
"I know, you already said it." he said, though he hated the way his voice sounded.
"Alright… just, don't put your hopes too high."
He swallowed, feeling the broth from that morning turn heavy in his stomach. "I think I should travel there. I wanted to, but Appa is still a little weak."
Sokka opened his mouth, then seemed to decide against whatever he had been about to say. The village elder spoke after that, explaining what she knew of the war. It was a grim reality for Aang.
"I don't think I want to talk about this anymore." Aang said.
A few days later, Aang had begun teaching Katara a few katas and what he knew about bending in general. But again, fate didn't seem to like him much for he accidentally waterbent while trying to explain the flow Katara was attempting to do.
He was about to lie and say he didn't know how that happened, but one look at Katara's face was enough for him to know it wouldn't stick. His hands closed around the edge of his sleeves instead.
"I am the Avatar." he said, the words coming out quieter than he intended. "But I didn't want to be. It meant losing my family."
Katara's hand found his wrist, warm even through the fabric. "I'm glad you survived, Aang. And you returning now gives my people a lot of hope. The world needs you, more than ever."
"I… I don't know what to do." Aang said. "Still, I want to search for answers and maybe my kin can help me. I won't lie to you, Katara. It's quite scary and I don't want to believe they are gone just yet. When Appa is recovered, I'm going to the Southern Air Temple, and I'm going to see it for myself."
"Then I will come with you. You did say you could take me to the North Pole. We will both need a waterbending master to teach us."
"It's a promise then."