章 5: Book One: Water – New destination.
Greetings peasants!
Thanks for waiting!
without further ado, let's start the chapter! Enjoy it!
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Pov. Third-person.
Days passed and on a merchant trail, near the Su Oku River, was Zuko, heading towards the Pouhai fortress before heading to the Yu Dao colony.
Zuko hoped he would arrive before Zhao, so he could get some important information, as well as the opportunity to witness the training of the best archers in the world...
Obviously, it was a bit of a risky action because it was uncertain given that just as Zuko had met Aang before, something might have changed in that timeline.
Zuko hoped that Aang wouldn't be captured so that he wouldn't have the trouble of going to free him.
It was then that Zuko saw the Pouhai fortress in the distance, and he hurried to get there before the sun went down.
But then Zuko stopped in his tracks as four figures leaped from the trees and landed next to the prince.
It was a squadron of Yuyan archers, but Zuko wasn't that worried since the archers weren't aiming arrows at him or eyeing him warily.
One of the archers then approached Zuko.
"You must be Prince Zuko… I'm Jian, leader of this scouting squad, the mayor of Gaipan had sent a messenger hawk for Colonel Shinu to send a squad to fetch the prisoner from Gaipan. He mentioned a little about your destination and Colonel Shinu ordered us to meet with you," said archer Yuyan, identified as Jian.
This seemed to surprise Zuko for a few seconds, but then the prince looked out over the river.
[It doesn't surprise me that a hawk was sent, but having already fetched Jet from Gaipan?... Pouhai must have sent it across the Suo Oku River down to the Mo Ce Sea, only then would it be so fast] Zuko thought.
This would mean that Pouhai also had a small navy stationed at the stronghold docks.
"… I see… I came to Pouhai in search of shelter so that I can travel north to Yu Dao, I hope that I am entitled to the hospitality of the military strongholds, as it is the only building of the Nation of the Fire nearby" said Zuko.
Jian soon waved.
"The Colonel was already suspicious of such a request, moreover, he wants to speak with you about some… extenuating circumstances that happened recently," said Jian.
Zuko frowned.
"Should I know what those circumstances are?" asked Zuko confused.
The archer Yuyan, however, denied the request.
"I'm afraid to say that even I don't know… We only have orders to find you and bring you safely to Pouhai Stronghold," said Jian.
Zuko seemed to consider it for a few seconds before nodding and following the squadron of Yuyan archers, heading towards Pouhai.
When the group arrived at the Pouhai stronghold, Zuko was met by Colonel Shinu who was waiting for him.
"Colonel Shinu, greetings... I hope I'm not being too gooey to ask for shelter in Pouhai for one night" said Zuko, greeting the old Colonel of the Fire Nation and responsible for the best archers in the world.
"Prince Zuko, it would be an honor to host you in my fortress... Come in, there are some things I need to talk to you about" said Shinu, bowing respectfully and making a gesture to enter the fortress.
Zuko became suspicious, as Shinu was said to be an ally of High General Bujing, who was someone who was not on good terms with Zuko due to him being responsible for the idea to slaught the 41st army division.
Zuko couldn't deny that Bujing wasn't effective, yet he was obsessed with winning...
The problem was that Bujing wants victory at all costs.
For Bujing, the end justifies the means, no matter how unethical or cruel it takes to achieve victory.
Although Zuko decided to accept Shinu's invitation, he remained on guard to avoid being surprised, as well as being cautious about what he should say while inside Pouhai.
In just a few seconds, Shinu and Zuko were having tea while watching the Yuyan archer squads train.
Seeing the archers' skills with his own eyes made Zuko a little wary of Colonel Shinu about this display of military might.
"The prisoner of Gaipan said interesting things... Like the Avatar was in Gaipan and you chose to let him go to save the colony" said Shinu looking suspiciously at Zuko.
This made Prince Zuko consider his next words carefully, seeing as he had just found out that Jet was in Pouhai and had already been interrogated.
"Gaipan may be a recent colony… However, Pouhai is the only stronghold of resources for our armies closest to Ba Sing Se. If the Fire Nation invests in Gaipan's infrastructure, we may have a new resource distributor to supply the army, along with Pouhai, in the eastern front," said Zuko, calmly.
Shinu raised an eyebrow.
"Although it is possible… How do you plan to do such an action?" asked Shinu.
"I do not have the authority to make such an order at this time, but I believe that Gaipan, being close to the river that is connected to the great Western Lake of Serpent Pass, is strategically more cost-effective than concentrating all resources on just one base to supply our troops to the east" said Zuko.
Shinu was silent and seemed to consider Zuko's answer.
"Hmm, you might be true. Pouhai is the most important stronghold right now, as it is the main base for receiving and distributing our army's resources and troops to the entire Earth Kingdom. Maybe it's better to have another base a little further south, but still close to having support, although the Earth Kingdom will soon fall, as only Ba Sing Se and Omashu still resist..." said Shinu, reflecting for a few seconds.
"Colonel Shinu, if it's not too much trouble… I'll be absent for now, I'd like to rest for my long journey to Yu Dao tomorrow at sunrise," said Zuko.
Before Shinu can respond to the request, a soldier approaches and says something that makes Zuko freeze in his tracks.
"Colonel Shinu, a warship is approaching from the Suo Oku River, by the flag is the symbol of Commander Zhao, sir," said the soldier.
Shinu just raised an eyebrow in confusion, while Zuko frowned, as he thought he was ahead of schedule, but apparently, he was just 'a little' ahead of schedule than Zhao.
The question that was bothering Zuko at the moment was whether Zhao gets the promotion in Pouhai or not, because if he doesn't get the promotion then it's possible that there will be no siege of the Northern Water Tribe, or at the very least, not a siege on Zhao's orders.
Colonel Shinu soon turned to Zuko.
"... If you want to stay, you have my permission, after all, you are still a prince of our Nation," said Shinu, while bowing respectfully.
Zuko was conflicted at the moment.
[That's weird... I interacted with very few people outside of my crew, and if I remember correctly, even though Zuko is a prince, he wasn't exactly looked upon favorably by the high-ranking officers in the army... Something isn't right, better back off for now and review my options now that Zhao is in Pouhai] thought Zuko.
"You honor me. However, I must respect the extent of my authority, so I'll be absent… If possible, I'd like to train with the Yuyan archers before going to rest," said Zuko.
Shinu smiled in response, which surprised Zuko a little.
"I understand and respect your decision, my prince... Feel free to train with my archers" said Shinu, as he gestured to the training area in sight.
Zuko remained a little suspicious, but he left the watchtower he was in and headed towards the Yuyan archers' artillery field.
[He is still young, but he already shows a maturity that he had never shown before, the good thing is that he didn't gain any position in the army, nor did he demand respect... Perhaps these three years were something necessary for the prince's development by the will of Agni] thought Shinu, reflecting on Zuko's new behavior.
Shinu was present on the day of the Agni Kai between Prince Ozai and his son.
Shinu saw Zuko kneel and ask Ozai for forgiveness.
And Shinu didn't turn away when Ozai decided to burn Zuko's face.
For Shinu, although the action was extreme, it was seen as a way for the prince to learn respect, which at the time he was shown not to have.
Although, Shinu was only worried about one thing.
[He's cautious... Too cautious... What does he think I'm going to do? Arrest him? He didn't break any laws, so why is he behaving like that?] thought Shinu, confused by Zuko's actions.
After a few minutes of reflection, the old Colonel realized that Zuko was always watching the guards or even him and observing where there were guards from time to time, never taking his eyes off for too long.
As if expecting an attack...
"… Something isn't right," Shinu said, frowning.
"What is not right, Colonel Shinu?" said a voice.
Shinu was a little taken aback by the voice and turned to look at the source... But then he frowned when he recognized the said voice.
It was Zhao, with his arms crossed behind his back and a confident smile on his face.
"Commander Zhao… You are too far north, may I know what brings you to my stronghold?" asked Shinu, with a hollow tone.
"Ah~ Colonel Shinu, you are infamous in the capital for being in charge of the Fire Nation's most important stronghold, as to why I'm here is a simple matter..." said Zhao, as he approached Shinu.
Zhao seemed to be looking around as he paused for a moment as looked interestedly at the training Yuyan archers.
"I'm just passing through, heading north, I've been convened for the last expedition to that Tribe of savages that still resists futilely for 100 years. However, it has come to my ears that the Avatar is in the area after one of the scouts saw him nearby, so I thought the best archers in the world would be well suited for a small mission, after all, the Avatar is not an 'arrow bender'" said Zhao, with a mocking smile.
Shinu didn't like it at all.
"Absolutely not, my archers Yuyan are needed here in Pouhai, not on a futile mission to look for a child," said Shinu, with an angry grimace.
It was no secret that after Aang's invasion of the Crescent Island in Fire Nation territory, the world already knew that the Avatar was just a child.
Zhao, however, disagreed with Shinu, as the loss of the smile on his face was proof of the Commander's displeasure.
"I ask you to reconsider Colonel... The Avatar invaded our home without difficulty and left like we were nothing, he is more powerful than he appears, even though he is a mere boy, he managed to destroy the temple of the fire sages" said Zhao, with a cold tone.
Zhao was not in a good mood, due to the fact that he had failed to block the Fire Nation, as well as failed to capture the Avatar while he was in Fire Nation waters.
One failure after another.
And this was not well regarded by the royal family nor the army, which bothered Zhao to the extreme.
If there was one other thing that irritated Zhao besides the Avatar, it was when he looked at the clothes of Aang and the rest of the Avatar team on Crescent Island and realized that a prince with a scar on his face had lied to him...
"No is NO, Zhao. My archers are needed in other places than a petty hunt," said Shinu, taking his eyes off Zhao and looking at the training ground.
Although Zhao wanted to insist further, he stopped when he saw the surprised look Shinu wore.
When Zhao went to check, the commander felt two things...
The first thing was the same surprise Shinu showed with his eyes... The second was the blood boiling with rage when he realized who he was looking at.
Zuko.
Zuko earned surprised looks from the guards on duty when he chose to perform an action that many would consider suicidal.
Zuko had his swords drawn and defensive position... While five Yuyan archers were aiming at the prince.
Before Shinu could scream to stop the madness, the archers fired their arrows in complete unison as Zuko swung his swords to readiness.
The result surprised those who were watching.
Zuko had blocked three of the arrows and dodged the remaining two almost perfectly, with only a small tear in his shoulder and leg, but otherwise no fatal wounds.
Once the display was over, Prince Zuko quickly put his swords away and bowed to the squad of Yuyan archers, who were still silent, in thanks and left the training ground.
"Is that… Prince Zuko?" asked Zhao, narrowing his eyes in disgust.
If there was one other thing that bothered Zhao, it was seeing a firebender with melee weapons; after all, for Commander Zhao, such an action was seen as a complete disregard for the gift given by Agni.
"...Yes..." said Shinu, still surprised by the action.
After all, there was common knowledge throughout the Fire Nation...
The accuracy of the Yuyan archers was legendary throughout the world.
It was said that a Yuyan archer could pin a fly to a tree 100 meters away without killing it, with some being able to accomplish such a feat while blindfolded.
Shinu had just seen someone without using any bending arts capable of accomplishing the impossible.
For the rest of the day, Zuko chose to rest in the room given to him by Colonel Shinu while he mulled over his options.
[I don't know if I should leave tomorrow morning since in the original timeline it's likely that Aang will be captured tomorrow afternoon, although I didn't hear any movement from Zhao against me...] thought Zuko.
Zuko was in a quandary.
If he leaves tomorrow morning, then he won't know if Zhao's promotion will happen. But if he doesn't leave, it's unknown what might happen while he's alone...
Zuko has a brief idea that Zhao suspects him due to the brief conversation he had with the commander in the south, in addition to lying and purposely withholding information about Aang; another thing that put Zuko on edge was that he didn't trust Shinu, and couldn't predict someone he barely knew.
[... I'll stay hidden in the ruins of Taku, until Zhao's ship leaves, so I can find out if he was promoted or not and if Aang will be captured] thought Zuko, deciding the next step.
As soon as Zuko closed his eyes to rest, the world of dreams welcomed him until he was violently awakened by a soldier at dawn who brought news from the capital of the Fire Nation.
Dark news that could harm Zuko's plans.
"Fire Lord Azulon... passed away last night... Long live Fire Lord Ozai, may he rule for a long time!" said Shinu, with a serious countenance in a speech to the entire Pouhai fortress, while behind him were Zhao and Zuko, who had been forced to remain due to recent events.
"Long may he rule! Long live Lord Ozai!" roared the shouts of soldiers throughout the Pouhai fortress.
Although the message focused on the disclosure of Azulon's death and Ozai's rise, the message also had other information sent specifically to Pouhai...
"Although our Fire Lord Azulon has perished, the mission to win the war still falls to us... As the first decree of our new Fire Lord, our Prince Zuko has been assigned the mission to accompany the last siege for the Water Tribe stronghold in the North!! Bringing us ultimate victory over the wildlings of the north!" said Shinu, gesturing an arm towards Zuko.
[Not exactly... I have a slight impression that he wants me dead due to the simple fact that he is putting an 'inexperienced' 16-year-old on the battlefield in the north. If I die in combat then I'm a martyr, if I die drowned in the icy waters then it makes no difference, it's all just a theater that will have the script that best suits Ozai] thought Zuko, with a listless face.
Zuko, still with a listless face, then took a small look at Zhao's expression.
Commander Zhao had a small frown that showed displeasure with some things...
[... Apparently, someone didn't get that long-awaited promotion] thought Zuko, with a small smile.
Zuko quickly looked away and returned to his listless face as Zhao glanced in his direction, still scowling.
But there was one thing that bothered Zuko's thoughts.
[Since Aang wasn't captured, then they must have a day head start. But there's something that bothers me... If Zhao is no longer responsible for the siege to the north... Then who is?] thought Zuko, worried.
The answer that Zuko would have the next day appeared like a flash of lightning.
- Location: Fire Nation / Capital City.
"Tell me, captain... Why haven't we sailed yet? I hope you have a plausible explanation" asked a female voice, looking at her nails, while the captain of the warship, anchored in the harbor, stood in front of her in a cold sweat.
Sweat trickled down the captain's face as if he were in the presence of not a human...
But of a dragon.
"Yes, your highness... We haven't set sail, as the tide is still not favorable and won't let us set sail" said the captain.
"... I beg your pardon, as I don't know much about navigation, do you mean that the tides are driving this ship?" asked the female voice, with a bored tone.
The captain looked confused by the question.
"… I… The tides allow us to safely define when and where the ship can sail in certain areas of the harbor, your highness… So it's not –" said the captain, before being interrupted.
"Captain, I'm a princess, not a sailor, my mission given to me by my father is to lead the greatest Fire Nation siege in the north and obtain absolute victory… Your mission is only to lead this ship there" said the female voice.
"... Yes, your highness," said the captain, right after swallowing hard.
"Your task is relatively simpler, don't you think? You lead a ship, I lead a siege. I have to meet up with the rest of the invasion fleet at Yu Dao as soon as possible so as not to delay the logistics… I'm ready to do my job, but it looks like you're not doing yours…" said the voice, who then stopped talking, leaving a threat in the air.
A threat the captain took well.
"... The ship will sail immediately, Princess Azula," said the captain, quickly bowing.
"Just do your job Captain... Or else I'll find someone to do it right after you vacate the Captain's position after an unfortunate tragic accident 'falling' from the ship," said Azula, with a sly smile.
The captain said nothing more and hurriedly ran towards the bridge where the helmsman was.
Azula remained looking at the running captain with an amused smile.
"It's always funny how they run as their lives depended on it… Well, they're not wrong" said Azula, who then glanced at her fingernails briefly.
But then something flashed through the princess's mind.
"Everything would be perfect if I didn't have to drag Zuzu into this, though he'll just be a decoration due to his growing fame in peasant rumors… But who knows, maybe he could be of some use… Hmm… A martyr would be interesting," said Azula, with a smirk.
But then she frowned.
"... But if the rumors are true... Maybe Zuzu can be more useful than I thought..." said Azula, thinking of one of Zuko's rumors that had reached the capital.
This rumor went hand in hand with the rumor of Zuko gaining some respect from the army, as both talked about the actions of the banished prince in Gaipan.
That rumor was about Prince Zuko being able to perform combustion bending, a bending style that is not unheard of but is still rare.
This feat reached the interested ears of Ozai, who soon issued a decree for Azula and Zuko to meet in the north so that Azula would confirm the rumors by forcing Zuko to effectively fight in the war.
If the rumors are confirmed, Ozai considered that he could acquire a valuable new 'asset' for his purposes.
If not...
Well, to Ozai, Zuko was expendable.
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Well, that's all folks!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, peasants!
Remember to leave a comment for feedback, as this fanfic may or may not have 'Book 2', after all, ATLA's audience is considerably smaller.
See you next week!
Next update: January 29th!
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