Kapitel 699: 9
The Water Tribe was in shambles.
To be fair, anybody else would have been just as terrified as they were in their situation, hardened warriors or not. Combat training prepared you to handle traps, ambushes and all sorts of nasty tactical manoeuvres. It did not, however, prepare you for the moon turning red, your bending being stolen away, and the dead bodies of your enemies rising back to life behind you. Through their eyes the world must have seemed as if it had turned into a living nightmare in the span of a few short seconds. Mind-numbing confusion and fear was an understandable reaction given the circumstances.
That didn't mean that Tanya would hesitate to take advantage of it.
"Kill them all!" She shouted, her voice carrying easily over the chaos below. The bloody moon had confused her own soldiers just as much as the enemy, but those who'd been tasked with hiding beneath the piles of the dead weren't just any troops: they were the ones who'd been under her direct command for most of her military career. They'd had years to associate the sound of her voice with orders that had to be followed on pain of harsh consequences, and her sharp order was enough to snap many of them out of their bewilderment. The first volley of fire blasts crashed into the Water Tribe's ranks, completely unhindered by the barriers of water and ice that would have usually risen up to stop them.
Within the first few seconds it was obvious that Tanya had them in checkmate. Almost the entire Northern Water Tribe army was trapped out on the open courtyard without so much as a sheet of paper to take cover behind, pincered between Fire Nation forces that outnumbered them three-to-one. If they had the moon they could have fought back: they could have erected new barriers from the ice beneath their feet, reorganised themselves and pushed back through the relatively thin line of soldiers standing between them and the safety of Agna Qel'a. But the moon was no longer with them. Their waterbenders were not only completely disarmed, but were randomly mixed around with their armed warriors after their messy, disorganised charge. They huddled back in helpless fear as the first volley of fireballs set their friends and comrades alight, their panic trapping the non-benders in a crushing mass of bodies that stopped them from forming a decent shield wall. Whatever orders their commanders tried to issue were drowned out beneath the rising cacophony of pained and fearful screams.
Meanwhile the Fire Nation soldiers quickly realised that they'd just been presented with a shooting gallery. Their enemy was trapped and terrified; cowering away from their fire like mice, and unable to do more than throw the odd spear back at them in retaliation. Beneath the light of the red moon, bloodlust began to take its hold. The feverish madness that'd been festering since the beginning of the invasion alighted in their eyes: a red mist that made their hands move instinctively, and their mouths stretch into ghoulish grins as they threw fireball after fireball into the quailing ranks of the pathetic waterbenders. Within the first minute so much fire was being thrown at both sides of the water tribe's army that, from her view up above, Tanya could nearly see two walls of fire squeezing the Water Tribe in on itself.
How long would it take for her troops to burn their way through the entire Water Tribe army? An hour? Perhaps two, if they managed to string together some semblance of organisation. Her commanders would no doubt say that it was just a countdown to victory at this point, but Tanya wasn't willing to congratulate herself just yet. Not while there was one wildcard still left up the Water Tribe's sleeve.
Her eyes scanned the trembling mass of warriors below, searching for a speck of orange amidst the sea of blue garbs and frowning ever-deeper when she failed to find it. Where was The Avatar? Even if he was too much of a pacifist to lead the charge himself, he'd expected him to be among the Water Tribe's ranks as they sallied forth to meet her. She'd even gone and dangled herself up in the sky like this as bait to draw him out. Yet there was no sign of large gusts of wind trying to blow apart her encirclement. Had he actually been wise enough to stay behind in reserve? If so, then he was probably hunting down Zuko right at this very moment, trying to shift the tide of the battle back in the Water Tribe's favour by freeing the ocean and moon spirits.
Sadly there was nothing more she could do to assist Zuko. The exiled prince had played his part perfectly so far; all he had to do now was bring the captured spirits to her before The Avatar caught him. Not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination, but Zuko was as stubborn as an ox when it came to regaining his honour, and there was nobody else in the Fire Nation more familiar with the way The Avatar thought. If anyone could do it, it was him.
Come to think of it, she'd better get started setting up the finale to her plan. It wasn't like the battle below needed her supervision anymore. With a satisfied smile Tanya flew towards Agna Qel'a, not so much as sparing a glance at the massacre taking place beneath her feet.
With a sharp gasp of breath, Aang's eyes snapped open.
"Aang!" Katara cried, rushing over to his side with Yue and Sokka right behind her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Aang replied, shaking off the quick bout of dizziness that came from re-entering his body. "There's no time! We have to hurry! The moon spirit is in dange-... oh no!"
"In danger?" Sokka quipped sarcastically. "Yeah, we guessed that."
The moon up above shone with an unnatural, bloody red light. Even if he'd been blind, Aang could have sensed the feeling of pain and anguish radiating from it. "What happened?" he whispered.
"It's all my fault." Katara sobbed, leaning into Yue as the silver-haired princess hugged her. "After you crossed into the spirit world, Zuko appeared. I fought him, but I let myself get overconfident and he beat me. I- I thought he was coming to take you away, but then he walked right past you and took-..."
"The koi fish." Aang breathed.
"That's right." Katara sniffled, bewilderment settling across her expression. "As soon as he did the moon turned red, and all of a sudden my waterbending just stopped. Aang, what's happening?"
"Those fish aren't regular fish." Aang explained, standing up hurriedly. "I met someone in the spirit world who told me that the ocean and moon spirits had to give up their immortality in order to become a part of our world, and that they took on the forms of those two koi. But they need to exist in a constant state of push and pull with each other. If Zuko has separated the two fish, then the balance between them is broken!"
"Which means no more waterbending." Sokka summarised. "But what I don't get is Zuko. He's been obsessed with capturing you before, but now he gives up his best chance at you yet in exchange for the ocean and moon spirits? How did he even know about them anyway?"
"I don't think he's acting alone this time. I think he's following orders." Aang replied. "And there's one person who benefits from this more than anyone else. Without waterbenders, who's going to stop the invasion?"
Katara gasped as the realisation dawned on her. "Zuko is working for Tanya?"
Sokka hummed thoughtfully. "If that's true, then Zuko is probably trying to bring the spirits to her. Assuming she's somewhere near the battlefield, he'll have to sneak through the city to reach her. We might still be able to catch him and free the spirits before he reaches the safety of the Fire Nation fleet."
"Then that's what we'll do!" Aang declared, blowing his bison whistle. Appa appeared a few seconds later, and the gang wasted no time climbing onto his back. "Yip yip! We've got spirits to save!"
Zuko ran through the streets of Agna Qel'a, fear hastening his steps. But no matter where he went there was no escaping the red moonlight. It reflected off the glistening white buildings, taunting him at every turn.
He hadn't realised it would be like this! To hear Tanya describe it, the waterbender's powers would have simply stopped, but otherwise everything else should have been fine. Had she known what effect their actions would have on the moon? No, she couldn't have. Right?
No! Focus! Zuko mentally slapped himself. There was no time for thinking like this! He couldn't let himself get distracted while he was so close! Whatever was happening to the moon was only temporary. As soon as The Avatar turned himself in and the Northern Water Tribe surrendered he could bring his captive fish back together again, and everything would go back to normal. He had to remember what was important: regaining his honour!
He sprinted past another house, trying his best to ignore the terrified wailing of the children sheltering within.
Stealth was no longer needed. Whatever soldiers had been left behind to patrol the city were either too distracted or too slow to catch him as he ran by. The only one who could stop him now was The Avatar, and so Zuko kept a wary eye up to the sky in case that lumbering white bison showed up.
And show up it eventually did, just as Zuko arrived at the inner gates. It was still far away enough that he couldn't make out who exactly was on its back, but gut instincts told him that The Avatar must be there. The sky bison roared as it stopped him, and Zuko put all his energy into one final dash across the open courtyard towards the battleground. He knew how fast that beast could be in a pinch.
The sounds of screams and the whooshing of fire grew loud enough to drown out the sound of his own heavy breathing as Zuko charged towards the battlefield. There, waiting for him before it, was a familiar shade of blonde hair. He was so close now! Just a little further.
A bestial groan erupted from behind him, and Zuko looked back to see that the sky bison was nearly upon him. On its back, cloaked in the traditional orange garb of his people, was The Avatar, looking right at him with fierce determination. "Zuko! Stop!"
Zuko did not stop. Instead he pushed himself to run harder. Damn it, he was so close and yet still too far! He wasn't going to make it…
A jet of orange light exploded forth from in front of him, narrowly missing Zuko's head and singing his hair. Tanya had opened fire! With a panicked grunt the sky bison swerved away to avoid being hit by the blast, allowing Zuko to make the final dash to the meeting point.
Said meeting point was an unremarkable stretch of ice a dozen or so feet away from the line of firebender who'd sprung up behind the waterbenders after their charge, blocking their escape back to Agna Qel'a. Six firebenders had been pulled away from the slaughter to form a wide line, and two of the metal tanks that'd been buried under snow during the initial assault had been melted free and detached from their carriages in order to be moved to the end of each point. Standing in the middle and slightly in front of the formation was Tanya, looking as calm and unflappable as ever despite the chaos taking place behind her.
"You have them both?" Tanya asked as Zuko came to a stop in front of her. Zuko nodded, his panting too heavy to form coherent words, but held aloft the two wriggling bags. The wide, wolfish smile that never ceased to spike fear into Zuko's heart spread across Tanya's lips.
"Excellent!"
Another beastial cry sounded behind him, and Zuko turned to see the sky bison coming in to land a few feet behind him. The soldiers tensed into firebending stances, preparing to shoot at it, but paused as Tanya held up a hand in a halting gesture. Zuko twisted around and conjured a fireball in his hand, holding in warningly just a little bit below the bags that held the captured spirits as The Avatar and his companions dismounted.
"Stop this!" Cried The Avatar desperately, raising his staff into a fighting stance. "You don't understand what you're doing! You're putting the balance of the entire world in danger!"
"I am? Oh my, how careless of me." Tanya replied sarcastically, staring back at him unfazed. "Well, it's a good thing that you're here then, isn't it? After all, protecting the balance of the world is your duty. I'm sure you'll do whatever it takes to ensure no harm befalls the ocean and moon spirits, right?"
Sensing his cue, Zuko raised his held fireball just a little higher, letting the flames lick the underside of the bags warningly.
"Truth be told, I'd rather not hurt the spirits unnecessarily." Tanya continued blithely. "But if you make any aggressive moves I'm afraid I'll be forced to. There are two of them after all: I can afford to execute one to prove that I'm serious if you test me." Her tone took on a hard edge as her eyes steeled over. "Lower your weapon, Avatar. That's an order."
The Avatar grit his teeth, struggling to decide what to do, and the Fire Nation soldiers tensed as his hands gripped tighter around his staff. Then, as if the fight had suddenly spilled out of him, The Avatar lowered his staff, his body turning slumped and listless as he accepted his defeat. "I-... I surrender." He whispered, his broken tone coming out as a lifeless echo on the voice of one so young.
"Aang, no!" Katara cried, but her plea went ignored. Her brother held her back, while the silver haired girl watched on silently with eyes brimming with tears.
Tanya smirked, her eyes flashing dangerously. "A smart decision." He gave a gesture with one hand, and two of the soldiers flanking her ran over to the tanks. From each one they unralled a coil of heavy chains; spare anchor chains taken somewhere from the fleet, which had been fastened to the hooks on the back of the tanks. They approached The Avatar, clamping unnecessarily thick metal cuffs on each of his arms. It almost seemed ridiculous how much heavy metal was being used to restrain such a skinny boy, if one could forget that said boy had sunken entire battleships single-handed in the past.
The tanks reversed slightly, pulling The Avatar's arms far apart enough that it would limit the majority of his bending moves. Tanya took a few steps forward until she was beside Zuko, the faintest touch of amusement in her tone. "You know, this reminds me of the first time we had a proper chance to talk. Somehow I doubt The Blue Spirit will come along to save you again though."
For a brief moment, so quick anyone else would dismiss it as a trick of the light, Aang's eyes flickered to meet Zuko's. The banished prince felt the uncomfortable emotion that had been sitting in his stomach ever since the moon turned red begin to churn within him. But why? Shouldn't he be happy? He'd finally caught The Avatar, and in a way that he couldn't escape from this time. He'd finally got it all back: his nation, his birthright, his honour…
Honour? A treacherous voice that sounded suspiciously like Uncle whispered in the back of his head. Where is the honour in this? In anything that the Fire Nation has done today?"
"You know Avatar, you remind me of someone." Tanya said wistfully, looking strangely peaceful for a moment, before her expression curled up into a cold snarl. "The one woman I can honestly say I've genuinely hated on a deep, personal level. The most self-righteous, hypocritical, psychopathic zealot I've ever had the misfortune of meeting." She began pacing back and forth, seeming to lose herself somewhat in the memories. "She was a chosen one just like you. Picked by a self-proclaimed higher power for the sole purpose of being a thorn in my side. Oh, and wasn't she just that! Stubborn bitch just wouldn't die no matter how much I threw at her! You know I dropped an entire building on her once, and she just shrugged it off like it was a pillow fort! It was like the universe itself was wrapped around her like armour, keeping her safe where literally anyone else would have had the common courtesy to just die already!"
Tanya halted suddenly mid-rant, taking a deep breath to collect herself. Zuko watched with wide eyes, slightly stunned by what he'd just witnessed. He'd never seen Tanya lose her composure like that, made all the more perplexing by the fact that he had absolutely no idea who she was talking about. Was this someone she'd encountered during her raids on the Earth Kingdom?
"But you know," Tanya continued, "despite whatever bullshit cosmic powers she'd been granted, she was still just a human in the end. Still just as prone to making stupid mistakes as the rest of us. She let her guard down, showed her weakness, and I destroyed her for it." She turned back to face Aang, all hints of emotion stored away behind a mask of cool confidence once again. "And now it's your turn. Here's the situation Avatar. Right now the Water Tribe is powerless, disorganised and trapped between my forces. As we speak, more and more of them are falling by the second. I could order my men to cease fire right now. It's clear as day that the Fire Nation is victorious tonight. But do you know what?" Tanya knelt down so she was eye-level with The Avatar, glaring directly into his grey eyes. "I'm not going to."
Zuko fidgeted nervously as the uncomfortable sensation in his gut roiled around sickeningly. This hadn't been part of the plan! Now The Avatar was in custody, all she was supposed to do was transfer him onto their most secure ship and bring the battle to an end! What was she doing?!"
"They can't fight back anymore! There's no need for this!" Aang yelled frantically, his gaggle of friends echoing his thoughts with their own cries of horror.
Tanya ignored them. "The slaughter will stop the moment that you comply with my next order. The longer you take, the more who will die." She shot back sharply. "If you want this invasion to end, there is one last thing that you must do…"
Her eyes narrowed, a flicker of something dark and truly menacing passing across her impassive face so quickly that none could discern what it was.
"... Enter the Avatar State."
What?
Aang did not understand. The Avatar State?! Was she insane?! Every time he'd entered into that state before he'd lost all control of himself, and caused wide scale destruction! He'd almost hurt Sokka and Katara back when he found monk Gyatso's skeleton! Why would she want him to tap into that power when she'd practically won the battle already?
"But I can't control it!" He hurriedly replied, very away that every second he wasted meant another life lost for the Water Tribe. "I can't even turn it on at will!"
Tanya did not seem interested in his excuses. "So far you've entered the Avatar State during times of heightened emotion. When the pressure becomes too much for you to handle. Do you mean to tell me that the systematic extermination of the Water Tribe's warriors isn't emotional enough for you?" Her eyes drifted up to where Katara, Sokka and Yue were standing. "Perhaps you need a more personal incentive then?"
"No! Don't touch them!" Aang shouted, hysteria beginning to take hold. And as it did, so too did the uncomfortable tickle at the back of his skull begin to flare up, the way it had before when he was close to slipping into the Avatar State.
A hint of power must have flashed out his eyes, because all of a sudden Tanya had rounded on him again with the aggression of a hungry predator. "Yes! That's it! Don't fight that feeling, Avatar! Realise how powerless you are, how close you are to losing the people you care about most, and let that sensation take over you! Let the real Avatar out!"
Aang could feel the power welling up and beginning to trickle up his spine like liquid fire. His vision was starting to grow hazy as waking nightmares, visions of the remains of the massacred air nomads, swam across eyes. It was happening again! The Fire Nation would wipe out the people of the North Pole because once again he hadn't been there for them! He'd failed his duty as The Avatar!
Whatever instincts screamed at him not to listen to Tanya grew distant and muted as light began to creep into the corners of his eyes. Why not give in? Better a rampaging Avatar than a failed one. Just let the power out-…
"NO!"
A roar of fire, hotter and heavier than anything he'd ever felt before, cut between him and Tanya like a wall, making them both flinch back in fright. The surprise snapped Aang back to reality, clearing his head of the power insidiously creeping up from within him. It seemed that Tanya had been completely taken off guard by it as well if the look of utter shock on her face was any indication.
"What! Who-" Tanya's head snapped around in the direction the flames had come from, and her eyes widened in astonishment. Standing there in a firebending stance he'd never seen before, a black cloak billowing around red armour, was a familiar old man with an unfamiliar look of such determination that it almost seemed to glow in the light of the fire he'd conjured.
Tanya seemed dumbfounded for half a second, before her expression morphed into a hateful glare.
"General Iroh!"
Tanya hated it when an unexpected variable showed up.
It was impossible to completely control every aspect of the battlefield. One could spend a decade writing contingency plans, yet still be caught off guard by something as simple as an outbreak of the common cold. Her time at officer's school had taught her the importance of being able to adapt your plan when something unexpected occurred, and Tanya prided herself at being rather good at that, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
Iroh was one such variable, and one she had a particular distaste for. The fat old man had been given the best start in life imaginable in this world: born the prince and heir to the Fire Nation. He'd been dropped into the pinnacle of luxury without having to lift a finger. But what had he done with his opportunities? First he'd slain the last of the dragons, dooming a unique and likely majestic species to extinction purely for bragging rights. Then he laid siege to Ba Sing Se, only to give up on the eve of victory when his son was killed in battle. How did he think that had looked to his soldiers? Thousands of troops had given their lives during that seige, yet all their sacrifice was wasted at the last moment as soon as royal blood was spilled. And to top it all off, after returning home and having his time to grieve, Iroh had never taken another job. He'd become a tea-drinking freeloader mooching off the royal palace's income, rather than using his position as the new Firelord's brother to assist with political duties. In summary he was a prideful, lazy elitist, and as far as Tanya was concerned the Fire Nation was damn lucky Firelord Azulon had seen sense at the last minute and named Ozai heir to the throne.
It had been obvious to her that Iroh was a bad influence on Zuko from the get go. Doubtlessly he thought that if he could weasel his way into his nephew's heart, he'd be in a position to influence him if Ozai revoked Zuko's banishment and renamed him heir to the throne. That was why she'd insisted on ditching the old coot back in the Earth Kingdom.
Yet despite her efforts he'd somehow stowed away on her fleet, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who must have helped him.
"Zuko!" Tanya hissed, rounding on the scarred prince. "What is he doing here?! We had a deal! I was explicitly clear that Iroh was to remain behind."
"A deal you never had any intention of honouring." Iroh countered, taking a few steps forward so that he, Tanya and The Avatar formed a perfect triangle around Zuko.
Tanya scoffed. "Are you calling me a liar? I hope you have some evidence to back up that accusation. I'm the one in control of this situation, so what reason would I have to lie?"
"The same reason you murdered Admiral Zhao and framed The Avatar for it." Iroh replied calmly. "Because you are afraid."
…What?
What what what? Afraid? Her? Of a bald child who could conjure a light breeze? Absurd! Utterly absurd! She was a veteran of a world war! She'd charged fearlessly into volleys of cannonfire! Duelled maniacs in the skies above blazing cities! She hadn't been afraid of anyone since…
Since the girl who levelled fortresses with a single shot. Since the girl who rose unharmed from the rubble again and again like a damn zombie. Since the girl who Being X forged into a living weapon for the sole purpose of hunting her down.
"Wait, you're the one murdered Zhao?!" The Avatar interjected, horror and confusion warring across his face. "But why? He was on your side!"
Tanya ignored him. Iroh was playing mind games, but the truth was he had no power here. There was only one person she needed to convince.
"Zuko, don't tell me you're buying any of this rubbish." She began, fixing her eyes back on the banished prince. He looked unsure, but his hold on the spirits hadn't wavered. As long as she kept Zuko on her side she had the hostages, and that meant that she won. "I told you I would help you capture The Avatar, and here he is bound in chains in front of us. How have I not honoured my word to the letter?" Her logic was faultless. How could Zuko possibly doubt her when the evidence was right in front of him?
"That's true…" Zuko, damn his indecisiveness, seemed mostly convinced, but still looked to Iroh to refute her. Damn it! The old bastard had done a good job of training his nephew to turn to him for advice.
"Because this is more than just a trap." Iroh replied gravely. The lines of his face hardened into a scowl. "Tanya doesn't not mean to just capture The Avatar. She plans to execute him."
Execute!
Zuko couldn't believe it. There must have been a mistake! Sure, Tanya could be very intense at times, but even she'd draw the line at killing a captured ten year old boy in cold blood, Avatar or not.
But then again, she stabbed Zhao in the back.
No, no he couldn't think like that! The orders from his father were to capture The Avatar, so that he might be securely incarcerated until the war was over and the Fire Nation's dominion over the world was assured. Killing him would see him reincarnated somewhere in the Water Tribes to grow into a threat all over again. Tanya had always been one to follow orders and take the logical course of action. Executing The Avatar was exactly the kind of short sightedness she hated.
"E- Execute!" The Avatar stammered, drawing Zuko's eyes to the young nomad. He looked genuinely terrified; his round, youthful face petrified in a fear no ten year old should have to experience. To his own surprise, Zuko felt pity for him. He was just a child, forced to fill a role he'd never chosen. How could there ever be any honour in killing him?
"I imagine that it was the fire sages who told you the secret?" Uncle continued, his eyes fixed on Tanya. "Though they have strayed from their path now, once they were entrusted with finding, protecting and training the Avatars born within the Fire Nation. Such organisations have existed in every nation across history, because when an Avatar is young they struggle to control their Avatar State. And if The Avatar is killed when in that state…" He shook his head sadly. "It is believed that they will never be reincarnated again. The Avatar Cycle will cease to be."
What?! They Avatar could be permanently killed?! And Tanya planned to do just that? Zuko looked back to Tanya, waiting for her to point out the holes in Uncle's theory with her usual factual tone. It worried him when she didn't move a muscle. "Tanya?" He whispered.
Suddenly, Tanya began to laugh.
No, laughter wasn't the right word for it. Laughter was a happy, cheerful sound that raised the spirits of those who heard it. This did the opposite. Every note of Tanya's cackle stummed jarringly against his nerves like an out-of-tune harp. It was almost painful, and had a maniacal edge to it that cast a pall of dread across the area.
And with the laugh came the smile. That horrible, predatory smile that never failed to make him feel like a rabbit trapped before a wolf.
"Fine. I suppose there's not much point in pretending anymore." Tanya didn't sound frustrated at having been caught. Quite the opposite in fact. Maybe it was just the laughter lacing her tone, but she sounded almost pleased about it. "He's right. I killed Zhao. And after tonight, I will be the one who killed The Avatar forever."
"Tanya…" Zuko couldn't find the words. She really meant it? Despite all her oddities, he'd never genuinely thought Tanya capable of such remorseless violence.
"You don't get it Zuko!" Tanya snapped, her expression shifting into a rictus of fury at the drop of a hat. "You know what your problem is? You lack resolve! That's the real reason why you fail time and time again to capture The Avatar! All you care about is your own damn sense of honour! But we are at war Zuko, and sometimes the needs of our nation require us to sully our hands with lesser evils to serve the good of a cause greater than ourselves! As long as an Avatar exists, there will always be a symbol for those who resist the Fire Nation to rally behind!" She drew herself to her full height. "To be a Firelord means to prioritise the good of the nation above all else, even your own personal sense of right and wrong. Maintaining order requires necessary evils. You must be prepared to make difficult decisions for the greater good: whether they be getting rid of incompetent commanders, assassinating a politically dangerous child, or ever sacrificing a company of new recruits to ensure a wider victory."
Zuko felt his own inner flame of anger spark to life. "No. You're wrong!" He declared firmly, the fire bringing him strength and resolve, and with it a clarity of mind he relished. "This isn't the right way to face our nation's problems! It may seem like the easy solution in the short term, but if we build a new world using dishonour, then what we create will be stained with it forever! All we'll have will be a world full of traitors and murderers!"
Tanya looked at him with strangely pleading eyes. "You're an idealist Zuko, I can respect that, but you're too young to understand when to put your honour aside to do what must be done." She gestured wildly to The Avatar. "Take it from someone who's experienced fighting chosen ones before. If you lock him up in the Boiling Rock and throw away the key, some hairbrained idiot with a daring plan and a miraculous lucky streak will somehow set him free! Trap him in a cage where he couldn't possibly access the elements, and he'll discover some hidden new way to bend something you could never have predicted! Assume he was killed by a fall nobody else could have survived, and you can bet your ass that somehow he'll manage to. Give him the slightest opportunity, and the universe itself will bend over backwards to see him succeed against impossible odds. Because whatever spirits chose him to be their agent will pull in the very threads of destiny itself to protect their investment!"
She looked back to The Avatar, a mad gleam in her eyes. "The only way they'll ever stay down for good is if you do it yourself, in person, leaving absolutely zero chance that they could ever survive. Mark my words Zuko, this may well be the only chance the Fire Nation will ever get to be rid of The Avatar for good. Don't let Iroh convince you otherwise. I'll still let you take the credit: you'll return home as the hero who not only defeated The Avatar, but ensured that he'd never threaten the Fire Nation ever again!"
"No victory is worth sacrificing your morality for." Uncle interjected.
"Just hold your nerve for a minute longer, and everything that is rightfully yours will be restored!" Tanya countered.
"Your sense of honour is one of your greatest strengths, Prince Zuko." Uncle replied. "Trust in your heart."
The choices loomed before him like two great doorways: one tempting him with sweet whispers of regaining everything he had lost, the other promising that he could keep the last thing he had left: his heart. Oh, but how appealing the sweet whisper's were! After all his struggle and backbreaking work, hadn't he earned his reward? He was just one step away!
"I've spent years pursuing The Avatar. Years of searching, of fighting to survive..." He began slowly. Tanya's eyes widened in victory, while The Avatar's fell in defeat. Only Uncle continued watching impassively, listening without judgement for him to finish making his choice. Zuko looked up at the weeping, wounded moon, and raised the bags containing the captive spirits.
"…I can keep trying a little longer.
Panic flashed across Tanya's face as she realised what was happening, and she leapt forwards, but it was already too late. Zuko threw the bags. They sailed in an ungraceful arc, landing with a splash in the nearest waterway.
Tanya made to pursue it, but another wall of fire sprung up to block her path as Uncle intervened. As the water fully enveloped the bags the drawstrings loosened, allowing the captive spirits within them to struggle free. The black and white koi circled one another in happy reunion, before turning in unison and swimming down deep into the depth of the ocean.
High up above in the sky, the moon began to twinkle with faint silvery lights. They spread quickly across the reddened surface, healing the bloody hue, until a few seconds later the moon was back to its previous silvery glow.
And all at once, every waterbender felt their powers come flooding back into them.
"NO!"
A storm of emotions raged through Tanya as she watched the bags sink into the depths of the ocean: fear, betrayal, but most of all white-hot anger. Had it not been for Iroh's wall of fire she'd be halfway through burning the rest of Zuko's treacherous face off right now! A perfect victory had been right in their hands, and he'd thrown it all away!
"At the mere sight of his father he fell to his knees, weeping and trembling like a newborn baby. That's why The Firelord banished him. He doesn't have the mettle to be the ruler our nation would need him to be one day."
Zhao's words from the day Zuko's ship came crawling into their port came to mind. Despite the thing's he'd done, Zhao hadn't been wrong about everything. Come to think of it, Zuko had betrayed her trust that day too, when he tried to keep knowledge of The Avatar's return to himself.
"Never again!" She swore to herself, fighting to bottle up the storm inside before she lost control of herself. "I'll never trust Zuko again. But I'll have to act quickly to salvage this situation."
The Water Tribe had doubtlessly realised the moment it happened that their bending was back, and would now be empowered by the full moon again. However, that no longer mattered. During the hours that the red moon had hung in the sky, their forces had been absolutely decimated by her trap. The Fire Nation outnumbered them by about 20 to 1, and the Water Tribes were still surrounded and disorganised. There was only one wildcard that could ruin everything if given the chance.
Tanya's glare flickered to The Avatar, still struggling against the heavy chains that bound him. She'd been confident that she could take on The Avatar State when the moon was red: with his waterbending gone and no earth around to bend, his strength was effectively halved. Now that the moon was back though she'd be challenging a phenomenally powerful waterbender on a plateau of sheet ice. Provoking him into The Avatar State and trying to execute him personally didn't seem like such a wise idea now.
But she also knew how the Avatar Cycle worked. Kill him as a regular boy now, and he'd be reincarnated among one of the Water Tribes. After tonight she'd have control of the North Pole, and the South Pole didn't have enough fight left in it to resist if she brought her fleet down there next. She could establish a firm Fire Nation presence on both poles, set up traps and patrols, and wait patiently for the day when the next young Avatar discovered their powers. When that happened she could repeat this moment all over again.
Yes, it might take another decade of waiting but The Avatar, and through him Being X, would no longer be a threat to her. All she had to do was kill the nomad boy here and now.
There was no battle cry, no loud warning or rageful shriek as Tanya burst towards him, jets of fire spewing from her feet. Iroh looked like he wanted to intervene, but by then her soldiers had already engaged him and Zuko. The Dragon of the West tore through them like wet paper, but it still bought her the seconds she needed. The only ones who could defend the chained Avatar were the Southern Tribe peasants.
The boy threw some manner of projectile at her that Tanya swerved around with ease. Correction, the only one who could defend the chained Avatar was the Southern Tribe girl.
With a curving motion like a swimmer swinging their arms back during a backstroke, the girl melted the ice in front of her and made it surge up into a towering blockade of swirling water. It was the sort of technique common sense dictated you avoid and go around, but Tanya was not willing to waste even a second of time. One hand shot forward to unleash a bolt of intense, bright flame that exploded into a burst of hissing steam the moment it hit the water wall, evaporating a huge chunk out of it. The water immediately moved to flow back into the empty space, but Tanya was quicker.
Her feet burned ever brighter as Tanya pushed her jet propulsion technique to its limits, rocketing forward like a human missile. Her skin stung and crackled as she dove headfirst into the cloud of boiling steam she'd created, then immediately splashed into the wall of freezing cold water. Colliding with water at such high speeds battered her arms, head and neck, but thanks to her fire bolt the area she charged into was thinner than the rest. The momentum from her jets carried her straight through the wall, bringing her face to face with The Avatar on the other side.
Checkmate. The water tribe girl hadn't expected her to push through the wall, and wasn't in the right pose to make a defensive motion in time. The Avatar's eyes were wide, his body paralysed by fear as Tanya descended upon him, her good arm wreathed in flame as it swung down towards his head…
Crack
Tanya jerked to the side like a puppet with its strings cut as something hard and heavy smashed into the side of her face, knocking a tooth out of the corner of her mouth. What the hell was that!
"Yes! Boomerang!" The water tribe boy cheered.
The extra second was all the time The Avatar needed to collect his wits. With a huff and a puff so deep they'd make a big bad wolf proud, he blew as if his life depended on it. Which it very much did in this case. While that might not have been much for a regular person, for a master airbender the result was like standing behind the turbine of an aeroplane. In the blink of an eye Tanya was picked up and thrown backwards into the sky so high she could look out across the entire battlefield.
Liberal bursts of fire soon had Tanya halt her rapid ascent, but a glance back down confirmed that those few seconds had been all the time needed for her trap to collapse. Her soldiers had been defeated, her tanks toppled, and Zuko and Iroh were fleeing whilst the Southern Tribe siblings finished prying off the hastily constructed manacles from The Avatar's wrists. Tanya snarled in fury and dove back towards them, but the distance was too great. The moment he was free, The Avatar picked up his staff and sprinted across the ice.
She forgot sometimes that The Avatar could, under the right conditions, sprint as fast as the wind. With a flat, open space in front of him, those conditions had been met. The young nomad picked up speed at an alarming pace, galloping towards the battlefield like a well-bred horse. Currents of air gathered together in a swirling mass behind him, becoming so large and powerful that they became visible, dirty grey blob, like a localised hurricane was trailing after him.
The Avatar rocketed behind the line of soldiers that stood between the Water Tribe warriors and Agna Qel'a. The gathered gale behind him hit them half a second later like a speeding freight train, snatching them off their feet as if they weighed no more than feathers. Tanya watched with horror as the line of soldiers that she had put so much planning and effort into positioning at the perfect place was wiped off the board in a matter of seconds.
And deep inside her, whatever tight lid Tanya kept on her temper suddenly snapped.
Pakku watched with amazement as the soldiers behind them, the metaphorical bars to the cage he'd foolishly led his warriors into, were sent flying through the air like rag dolls. First the blessed moon had returned, and now the encirclement was broken! The Avatar had really come through for them!
"Chief! We must flee!" He called out, knowing that this opportunity would not last for long. Though it pained him to admit it, Agna Qel'a had fallen. Even with the full moon's power, they no longer had enough men to resist the Fire Nation's advance. But on the other side of the city lay the pathway out into the northern wastes. If they could retreat, they could find shelter in another village and form the core of a resistance movement. The Fire Nation may occupy the North Pole, but they would spend every minute paying for it with blood and tears.
When no answer came from the chief, Pakku looked over his shoulder to find him lying face down in the snow, his chest no longer rising and falling. The ageing waterbender bit back his grief and looked forwards again. There was no time to mourn. "With me warriors! Retreat! Make for the wastes!"
They needed little encouragement. Like a great stampede, the warriors of the north turned and ran, calling their final reserves of stamina to make a dash back to the gate.
But of course, The Devil of the South Sea would not let them go so easily.
"GET AFTER THEM!" Her shrieking voice cut through the night's air like the wailing of a banshee. The golden child of the Fire Nation looked a mess: her hair tangled and messy as if she'd been dragged through several bushes, and her face a mask of wild fury so uncontrollable that it seemed like she was on the verge of frothing at the mouth. There was some small pleasure in knowing that they had at least been able to drive the normally unflappable Admiral Tanya completely ballistic, but Pakku had no time to savour it as the Fire Nation horde wasted no time following her orders. The ice shook as an avalanche of red and black armoured soldiers charged after the northern warriors, hurling battle cries and fireballs alike.
Sokka hated retreating.
It was the right decision to make, he knew that. Tanya's strategy had outfoxed the North, and with the sun due on the horizon in no more than an hour there was no tactical ploy he could think of to turn the tides back in their favour. Retreating to fight another day was the best way to make sure that the Northern Tribes had any hope for freedom in the future. But that didn't mean he had to like it. Being forced to run while the enemy yet again uprooted people's lives and stole away their homes left a bad taste in his mouth.
Fireballs wizzed and sizzled as they flew aimlessly over his head, smashing into the icy walls of buildings as the northern warriors raced through the main streets of Agna Qel'a. Despite being younger and far better rested than them, Sokka found himself struggling to keep up with the punishing pace the warriors were setting. They could not afford the leisure of saving their energy with the Fire Nation hot on their heels, and for many it was only the fear of death that kept their legs moving.
Yet if he was struggling with the pace, for Yue it was torture. She was a princess in a society that shunned female warriors, and the expectations that she be demure and ladylike had robbed her of the opportunity to develop any real stamina. Even with all her effort and willpower, her body simply did not have the muscle strength to keep up. Sokka had stayed by her side to offer whatever help he could, but there was only so much that he could do.
Eventually something had to give. Yue let out a gasp of pain as her foot slipped and landed on its ankle. She stumbled, seconds away from falling, but Sokka was immediately there to scoop her up and carry her.
"My foot!" She hissed. "I think I sprained it!"
"It's alright! Leave everything to me!" Sokka panted back, even as his legs wobbled and shook under the burden of the extra weight. He could do this! So what if his muscles were already burning? He could take it!
Water warriors were passing them from behind with increasing speed, and the din of the Fire Nation horde grew steadily louder. It was Yue who realised it first.
"Sokka… you have to leave me behind."
"What?! No! Never!" Sokka gasped out between heavy breaths, refusing to even consider the idea. "I'm not going to abandon you."
"I'm holding us both back, Sokka. At this rate we'll both be caught." Yue replied.
"Then we'll be caught together! My job is to protect you!"
"Oh Sokka. Brave Sokka." Yue's cool hand cupped his cheek, and Sokka looked down into her sapphire blue eyes. Even with an army chasing after them she did not look afraid. Instead her expression was one of wonder as she drank in the sight of his face, as if expecting it to be the last time she ever would. "Your job, your destiny, isn't to protect me. It's to protect him." She nodded upwards, where the last of the air nomads bravely rode his sky bison steed, swinging his staff and conjuring howling winds to deflect the fireballs raining down upon them.
"He's going to need you, Sokka." Yue continued. "Someone with ingenuity. Someone resourceful. Someone who can see alternative paths where others see no choice but to fight. Because this won't be the last you see of Tanya. I'm sure of it." Her eyes trailed over to the golden-haired star that hung in the sky above the Fire Nation forces like an omen of evil, hurling fireballs with vengeful vigour. "I think she means to hunt Aang to the ends of the world. And if she can't defeat him in direct combat, then she'll set a trap for him just like she did today. It's going to take someone capable of outsmarting her to keep Aang safe, and I believe that's the role the spirits chose you for."
"But I-…" Tears were forming at the edges of Sokka's eyes, but he couldn't spare a hand to wipe them away. His voice wavered under the physical and emotional stress thrust upon him. "What about what I want? I don't want to leave you."
"I know." Yue's lip trembled as she struggled to contain her own feelings. "I don't want to leave you either, but this is bigger than the both of us. Your place is with The Avatar, and mine is with this city."
Sokka choked back a sob, the harsh realisation of what he had to do dawning on him. He wished so badly that it wouldn't, that he could blindly cling to the hope that if he just kept running everything would work out in the end. But he was too smart for that. Reluctantly, his footsteps began to slow.
Yue smiled up at him. "This isn't the end, Sokka. One day, when this war is over and peace has returned, we'll see each other again." She slipped out of his arms, wincing slightly as her injured foot touched the floor, and laid an arm on his shoulder. "Now run Sokka. Run!"
And so he did. Every step tore at his chest, as if he were forcibly pulling apart a thousand tiny strings keeping him bonded to Yue, but Sokka forced himself to keep planting one foot in front of the other.
One short sentence came to mind. Three little words he found himself desperately wanting to say. He looked over to see Yue standing proudly before the Fire Nation horde, smiling at him serenely, and the words bubbled up in his throat, begging to be released.
But how could he say them when he'd left her behind? Shame strangled the words on the tip of his tongue, and a heartbeat later the opportunity was gone. The sea of red and black swallowed Yue up like a hungry beast.
Sokka ran. He ran and ran and ran, completely numb to the burning ache in his muscles and fireballs exploding around him, until he'd caught up with the water tribe warriors. And if any of them noticed the tears streaming down his cheeks, not one of them said a word.
"There it is! The path!"
Relief crashed into Katara like a wave on a beach as the road leading up the glacier into the northern wastes came into sight. The horizon was beginning to turn orange, and everybody knew that the moment the sun peaked up, the firebenders pursuing them would gain a fresh burst of power. Yet if they continued their current pace they should escape the city just in time.
Yet that wave of relief quickly receded, replaced by a dry horror as another realisation struck her.
"The path is exposed!" She cried. Indeed, the winding road that led the way up was carved into the side of the glacier, with no walls of barricades to protect them. "We'll be easy targets! The Fire Nation will stay down here and shoot at us!"
Beside her, Master Pakku nodded grimly. "Yes, that is true. Unless, of course, someone holds them off."
"Wha- what are you saying?" Katara asked, only to realise that Pakku had stopped running, and had turned around to face the oncoming horde. "Master?"
"We still have a few minutes left of moonlight. You must lead them to safety, Katara." Pakku continued, his body settling into a low, flowing fighting stance. "I will hold the Fire Nation off until the sun rises."
"But master…" Katara swallowed the lump in her throat. "They'll kill you."
"I have lived a long and rich life, Katara. I have known many wise and loyal friends, and passed down the wealth of my knowledge to a student truly worthy of it."
"But Aang… he needs a waterbending master!" Katara pleaded.
Pakku offered her a tight, but unmistakably fond, smile.
"Then he'd better get used to calling you Master Katara, hadn't he?" He began to sway his arms, and all around them the city of ice began to sway with him. As the last few retreating warriors made it past him Pakku clenched his fists, and hundreds of tendrils of ice and water, like the limbs of a great kraken, burst from the ground around him, blocking the path between the Fire Nation and the northern warriors. "Run Katara. Don't look back. And may the spirits of the moon and ocean watch over you on your journey."
And so she ran. And even as she reached the foot of the pathway, and the bloodthirsty roars of the Fire Nation soldiers morphed into cries of fear and the rushing of torrential water, Katara respected her master's wishes and did not look back. She kept her eyes on the path ahead, encouraging each and every warrior she passed on her way up to keep on running just a little bit further, and never stopping to watch Pakku's final battle.
It was strangely hard to keep track of time. Later, Katara wouldn't be able to decide whether it had felt like hours had passed or just a couple of minutes, but before she knew it she found herself standing at the top of the path, the snowy tundra of the northern wastes stretched out before her. They were just in time too, for right at that moment the light of the rising sun swept over her, signalling that a new morning had come.
The night of the red moon had come to an end, and with it the Siege of the North was over. It had been a night filled with death, heartbreak and the bitter taste of defeat, but the last warriors of the Northern Water Tribes had snatched themselves from the jaws of certain death to fight another day.
Tanya wasn't sure if she should feel incredulous, disappointed, or just downright murderously angry at the fact that her entire army hadn't been able to push its way past a single old man! Perhaps all three? Some very intensive training lay in store for her entire fleet in the near future.
Admittedly that old man was perhaps the most powerful waterbender in the world, on the night of a full moon, fighting with the reckless abandon of those fully prepared to sacrifice their life. And admittedly her forces had been bottlenecked into trying to go directly through him by the buildings, all of which were made of ice that he could twist to his will with a twitch of his finger. But even so one man should not be able to hold back an army by himself. It was a disappointing performance from an army that she'd been rather pleased with up until now, and a mistake that had allowed the last of the Water Tribe warriors to escape. Now her conquest of Agna Qel'a would forever be marred by guerilla attacks from die-hard rebels. The Firelord would not be happy about that.
It was just as the last of the rebels escaped into the northern wastes that dawn finally broke, and its amber light seemed to steal the strength away from the old man the moment it struck him. His wall of tendrils collapsed into nothingness, and the elderly sage sank to his knees, gasping for breath at the epicentre of a battlefield strewn with shards of ice and fallen firebenders.
Tanya hovered down to the ground in front of him, her flaming feet hissing against the cold ice for a moment before she cut the jets and stood upon solid ground once more. She took a moment to breathe deeply, reigning in her temper, and smoothed out her tousled hair. It was shameful to admit that she'd lost herself to wrath for a moment back there, but such was not inexcusable during the crescendo of a pitched battle. Now that it was over, professionalism dictated that she behave with logic and discipline once again.
"That was quite a last stand. I have to admit, your technique was breathtaking to behold." She began slowly, looking down upon the exhausted old man. "But you do realise that you've signed your death warrant, don't you? You have cost many of my men their lives, and caused me no small number of future headaches by letting your comrades escape. You must die, here and now. I trust you understand that it's nothing personal?"
The old man let out a bitter laugh. "It was personal for me. You killed my friend."
Tanya raised an eyebrow. "I did?"
"Admiral Jeong."
"Ahh, I see." Figures that an old traitor would have befriended the enemy. "Well I hope the knowledge that you both made valiant last stands against the inevitable gives you some level of comfort in the next life."
"The Fire Nation's victory is not inevitable." The old man refuted gently, looking up to stare her directly in the eyes. "As long as there are those in any nation willing to take a stand against tyranny, the Fire Nation will never truly be victorious."
Tanya scoffed. "How poetic." She raised her hand, and a ball of fire sprung to life in her palm. "I hope it was a belief worth dying for."
Her hand came down, the fire flared, and the wise Master Pakku was no more.
Tanya turned her back on the battlefield, looking out across the city she had conquered in the light of the new morning. Her plan had not gone as perfectly as she'd hoped, and The Avatar was still at large, but a wise manager did not dwell only on their mistakes. She had achieved her primary task of conquering Agna Qel'a, the key to the North Pole, where all before her had failed. Fame had not been her driving motivation, but the thought of having her name immortalised in history for this did bring a small smile to her face.
And although she had failed to secure the ocean and moon spirits as hostages, she had managed to pick up a decent consolation prize in their place.
Her eyes trailed down as a group of four soldiers arrived, frog-marching a young woman with silver hair between them who hobbled with as much dignity as she could. A sly smirk crossed Tanya's face, and she drew herself up to her full height and puffed her chest out, every bit the picture of the victorious commander that she was.
"Princess Yue." She greeted, perhaps just a hint of smugness lacing her tone. "I regret to be the bearer of bad news, but the body of your father has been identified. As his sole heir, it now falls to you to take responsibility for your people during this period of tumultuous change."
Her confirmation of the fathers death had a great impact on her, it was clear to see from the flash of raw pain in her eyes and the way her breath hitched. Yet with impressive mental fortitude, Princess Yue fought to bury her grief deep down, and within a few seconds had repaired a hasty, if somewhat clearly faked, composure.
"What is to become of my people?" She asked quietly.
It was touching that her first thoughts went to her subjects when her own safety was in such a questionable position. "Those who fled will be declared exiles and terrorists, publicly renounced by yourself and all others in positions of authority, and hunted down on sight." Tanya answered bluntly. "Those who have remained in the city however will be welcomed gratuitously as second-class citizens of the Fire Nation. They will be given meaningful employment, access to our technology, and the protection of the forces that will remain here to keep the peace. Those who work hard and obey the rules of the new governour will even be allowed to apply for first-class citizenship once everyone has settled into the new social order. As a whole, Ange Qel'a will prosper as a great and respected colony of the Fire Nation."
She began to pace around the captured princess, the guards backing off without a word at her approach. "You however, Princess Yue, will accompany me to the palace of the Fire Lord. A guest room will be prepared for your extended stay, and you will assist our noble Firelord in establishing the new diplomatic treaties and legal policies necessary to maintain order across the North Pole during its integration into the Fire Nation. Your services may be called upon to help us deal with any issues caused by the rebels, but otherwise your safety and luxury will be guaranteed."
"I am to be your prisoner then? Your hostage?" Yue replied.
Tanya stopped her pacing and grinned wolfishly. "Indeed. Just think of yourself as a fish in a pond, and try not to bite the hand that feeds you." She turned to the soldiers and nodded. "Take her to the flagship, and make sure she's comfortable in the guest quarters. It's going to be a long journey back to the homeland."
The soldiers snapped a salute and marched away, taking the princess with them. Once she was far enough away, Tanya flew upward in a quick blast of fire to perch atop a nearby building, and looked down upon a sea of faces as her troops stared up at her expectantly.
"Soldiers of The Fire Nation!" She yelled, her voice carrying easily across the city and silencing the final murmurs of conversation. "You should be proud!"
She raised her arms and gestured towards the city around them. "You should be proud, because despite hundreds of years of invasions this city has never been captured. But you have captured it, because you are cunning. You should be proud, because the rest of the world said that a waterbender army could never be beaten on the night of a full moon. But you have beaten them, because you are strong." He raised her arms, her voice filling with passion. "You should be proud, because the world has never before been unified beneath the banner of one great nation. But today you have brought us another step closer to that dream, because you are the loyal, the brave, the unstoppable soldiers of The Fire Nation! You should be proud, because YOU HAVE WON!"
A great cheer erupted from the assembled soldiers, echoing throughout the icy streets and filling the hearts of the natives cowering within their houses with dread. Victory was the Fire Nation's on this day, and another corner of the world was dragged kicking and screaming into the enlightened grace of The Firelord's rule.
And before long the rest of the world would follow suit. On that day, when there was nowhere left to hide, Tanya knew that she would meet The Avatar again.
And on that day he would not escape her again.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein