The 11th Regiment took three days to scrounge the battlefield before they broke camp and moved out. Old habits die hard, and Ren was right out there with the others in picking through the corpses. She pried slag metal off flesh, shook armor free from their dead hosts, and bundled up spears and swords just as if the regiment was in dire straits again. The few deaths the 11th suffered were similarly divested of their belongings, though their bodies were given a solemn cremation rite afterwards. Their personal effects would be returned home with the next report to the capital.
Xing had said the scavenging was a good habit to keep, since they could afford to transport the loot and Hyung had his band of craftspeople to help restore or convert the salvaged gear. The newbies might balk at the dirty task, but vets like Ren agreed wholeheartedly with the idea. At the very least, the scavenged weapons and armor would make for good donations to the colonies they passed by.
The enemy camp had already been looted clean, of course. It was one of the first things the regiment did after executing the earthbenders, and served as good training for the newbies in what to look out for in Earth Kingdom bases. Everything that wasn't furniture was taken along, made to fit in carts. The wagons and ostrich horses left behind were the first to be claimed, followed then by food and water. Currency and little luxuries like blankets and bedrolls were next, and finally even the tents were neatly dismantled.
As Colonel Lidai practiced, Xing handed all personal trinkets like letters and drawings to the prisoners before they were released, along with a day's ration of food. It should guarantee they'd make it back to spread the word, and the old colonel hoped the return of personal artifacts would provide closure to the families of the fallen.
Xing had also noted that such acts would also likely remind the Earth Kingdom peasants that the 11th might be negotiated with. That, or foment resentment and potential bands of vengeful family members, which the older colonel had already accepted as a minor risk.
Ren had seen both sides before, though the former always unnerved her. Seeing grieving widows and parents quietly make way for them as they passed through villages was almost eerie. A few times, she had come across shrines in the village square, built to commemorate the fallen and littered with the same trinkets the freed soldiers were allowed to take with them.
She hoped the princess would come across such a shrine in her journey with the 11th. It would be good to have a royal with a mind for the realities of the frontlines. It might even see fewer stupid charges and pointless defenses being given out, if the young princess decided to throw her influence around.
Ren really did not want to be part of any meatgrinder missions at all. At least the princess' patronage meant nobody would be stupid enough to send the 11th as 'bait' in some grand stratagem.
With no new prisoners to break in, the regiment marched on with respectable speed. Morale was high amongst the newbies thanks to the victory, Hyung was all smiles at the performance of the toys he built, and the princess was well impressed with her regiment overall.
When she wasn't being too tired anyway.
Of course, Ren should have known that the girl would take getting used to the horrors of the battlefield. Xing had quickly noticed it (unlike other things), likely thanks to his own experience. So Ren and Ping were put in charge of watching the princess at night.
On the first night, after the bodyguards had reported Princess Azula going to sleep, Ren quietly slipped in and sat by her bed, making herself comfortable and taking her own nap. Sure enough, sometime later, the captain was awoken to a disturbed rustling, and she found Princess Azula rolling in her bedding in the dim darkness, practically drenched in sweat as she kicked and twisted.
A sense of nostalgia blossomed in Ren as she reached over to grab onto the princess' hand, giving a reassuring squeeze as she cooed softly. At the same time, she also got ready to duck, just in case. At worst, at least the royal tent was supposed to be fire resistant, and the princess' flames wouldn't be as damaging as Xing's.
The tent flap slid open as a bodyguard looked in, but he quietly returned to his watch as Ren shook her head at him.
The gentle squeeze calmed the girl down for a moment, and Ren smiled as she felt the smaller hand squeeze back.
That's already one better than Xing, at least.
The moment didn't last long though, as the grip weakened and Princess Azula snapped awake, her mind keen enough to notice she was not alone in her tent.
"Wha-"
"It's alright, your highness," Ren quickly said to calm the princess. Even in the darkness, she could make out the girl's surprised stare.
"Captain? What are you doing here?" the princess hissed.
"Xing thought you could use some comforting. You were having a nightmare."
"I'm fine," came the immediate, defensive reply. The princess' silhouette shifted to study herself.
"No one's saying you're not," Ren said with a nod. "But we figured you might prefer it if you didn't want to wake up alone in the dark."
There was a few seconds of silence before a reply came. "What makes you think I need the company?" Still defensive, but not suspicious. Another point better than Xing.
Ren shrugged, the dim light from outside sure to outline her movement. "The soldiers sleep in groups, so they have familiar faces to wake up to, and comrades to reassure them. Your highness is sleeping alone, in an environment you are not comfortable in. It can be an unsettling experience."
"And you would know that?" the princess asked, full of doubt.
The captain nodded. "Of course. Xing went through the same thing. Well, not the same…he was worse, actually."
A heavy pause followed. "Xing?"
Ren nodded again. "After we rescued him. He was so terrified of all of us, thought us all monsters. His ordeal was…it scarred his mind." She found herself smiling sadly as she remembered the first days with a conscious Xing. "When he slept, he was plagued with nightmares, kicking and screaming and even firebending…"
Ren let out a soft sigh and felt the princess watching her raptly. "So after a couple of nights, Kai decided to watch after Xing. Even when he kicked, or screamed fire, Kai was there, ready to calm him down."
"That worked?" came the disbelieving question.
"It took a few nights, but yeah. Xing stopped screaming after his…fifth night, I think. Then he eventually stopped kicking, and blasting fire, and eventually he was sleeping just like everyone else." It also helped break down the boy's fear and reluctance of the regiment. Was this also a reason why Xing sent her and Ping to this task?
Ren felt a smirk tug at her lips. "Me and a…former colleague rotated with Kai, to ensure we all had enough rest looking after him."
"I…I see."
"Don't worry princess, if you do not wish to be bothered, I'll leave and inform the colonel to leave you to your sleep." Ren made to get up, but the princess stopped her.
"Wait. I…suppose there's no harm in…giving it a try. At least for a few nights."
The captain didn't bother to hide her grin. "As you say, your highness. I know I'm not Xing, bu-"
"Why do I need him here?" Princess Azula immediately cut in, a bit too fast, a bit too insistent.
Ren held back a chuckle and reached out to place a hand on the princess'. "Don't worry, I'll be here through the night, alright?"
Princess Azula's hand tightened around hers, and her silhouette nodded.
She kicked a bit in her sleep, but no flames were thrown about. A much better sleeper than Xing used to be. She woke up a little tired, but far less haggard than the previous nights.
Ping's watch the next night proved to be less eventful, and the light-sleeping captain of the 4th Battalion was actually asleep for most of the time. Ren felt a pang of sympathy as she realized that the princess only needed company, someone to be with her. With Xing's permission, she and Ping had their tents moved right next to the princess', out of sisterly solidarity.
The nightmares eventually subsided, just as it did with Xing, but the princess never dismissed Ren or Ping from their task. If anything, Princess Azula seemed to take their presence for granted, using the nights to slowly open up to the women. She began to talk, and both captains would listen, free of judgment or advice they had no place in offering.
Ren listened about the annoyances of royal court life, and how incompetent the princess' firebending tutors were. She learned a bit more of the royal family's dynamics, and came to understand the amount of pressure the siblings were under, with their invisible shackles of expectations… No wonder the crown prince always looked so glum.
Not a single word spoken during the nights was repeated outside, not unless the princess herself brought it up. Nobody asked, nobody outwardly cared.
*****
"Right, let's have a look here…" A soldier of the 11th Regiment sat down, swaying gently to the rocking of the wagon. Kilin squinted as she carefully unwrapped the bandage around his waist, smiling as she saw a neat scar. "Ahh… Looks like it's going along fine. Does it hurt anymore?"
"N-No ma'am," the young trooper, a fresh face, stated nervously. The elderly waterbender gave a satisfied nod and reached for the jug by her side. Exerting some will, she drew out the water in the container and sent the tendril pressing against the once-gaping wound. Kilin hid her amusement at the soldier's obvious discomfort at having a waterbender this close to him. "Relax, lad, or you might spill your guts out again."
With little effort she channeled her chi into the water, making it glow as it went to work reknitting flesh and reconnecting severed chi paths. Despite the severity of the closed wound, the rather neat cut had made the healing process much simpler. Plus it was only a sword wound; there wasn't any need to dig around for dirt and pebbles like the other wounded.
It took a few seconds, and when the water was returned back into the jug, the scar was barely visible.
"How's it feel now?"
The soldier snapped out of his awed gaping and nodded, slowly turning left and right. "It… Much, much better. Th-thank you, ma'am." He jumped off the wagon after giving a deep bow, and Kilin was once more glad that the good habits of the 11th stuck around.
On the other end, Uki was still restoring the shoulder of another soldier. It had taken Uki, Kilin and two other healers to reknit the nearly severed limb back, bone and all. Much of the time was spent cleaning the wound of dirt and debris left by an earthbended spike. With most of the heavy lifting done, Uki could take her time in bringing the arm back to full function. Kilin smiled, the former novice had learned a lot in her travels as a 'prisoner' of the 11th.
A far better fate than languishing in chains in the Fire Nation outpost, for sure. Her mother was in another wagon, meant for general prisoners. Yuka was far less skittish now than when Kilin had first met her, having grown accustomed to the men of the 11th, both soldiers and prisoners, and trusting her captors with her safety almost as fully as everyone else did.
The relationship between prisoners and soldiers of the 11th was an unorthodox arrangement. The old gentleman Lidai had been courteous to a fault, and Kilin still felt it a great loss that they had to meet as enemies. That the humble warrior had succumbed to time was the biggest shame; she was sure Lidai had a decade or two more to him.
At least his successor, his 'grandson' was picking up where he left off. Xing was a good kid, good enough that if not for the damned war, Kilin would regret not having any granddaughters to introduce him to.
He might be haunted or outright cursed by the spirits, and supposedly been the mastermind behind many prisoners' capture, but the boy had been nothing but friendly to them, going out of his way to see to their needs. He smuggled in food and other necessities when sponge-brained Shiluo rescinded all decency for the prisoners, and Kilin was fairly certain that he'd been the one to deliver Yuka's and Uki's revenge. Fire Nation barracks don't just burst into flame all at once.
And much as Yama denies it, Kilin herself would willingly admit that she found herself rather fond of the boy, if not the 11th Regiment as a whole. Coming to terms that her home might not exist anymore had made her attachment easier. With nowhere to go, the firebending soldiers around Kilin were ironically the closest thing to home for her now, and probably for the others as well.
They wouldn't have stuck around otherwise.
Kilin remembered the eve before Shiluo's Disaster. With the bulk of the regiment marching out and the camp barely guarded, Xing, barely walking straight from the lashings he'd endured, had brought in one of the camp's cooks into the prisoners' yard.
The healer remembered the shock she felt at seeing the boy get down on all fours, pressing his head against the ground.
"Honored prisoners, it has been an…honor in meeting you. I apologize on my family's behalf for any mistreatment done to you."
Even Yama remained silent as Xing slowly raised his head and proffered the keys to the shackles. "Me and the others will leave shortly, to help my brothers and sisters however we can. Li Ming here will free you, I ask that you take her with you and protect her as you leave."
"Xing?" the girl said, staring at him in surprise.
The boy gave her a weak smile. "You'll be safe with them. If you encounter the Earth Kingdom, you can say we forced you to work for us."
"What are you going on about, boy?" Yama finally demanded after snapping out of his surprise.
Xing didn't answer as he got up on shaky feet, and gave a sad, resigned smile. The kind given by warriors knowingly going to their deaths. Kilin remembered that smile most of all, and eyes that were heavy with emotion.
"I…I hope, if you encounter us as you escape…" he had said, "...that you will…spare us the cruelties that we have inflicted on you."
Kilin remembered herself and several others gasping as they realized what the boy meant, what he intended to do.
They tried to stop him, of course. Yama almost called the guards on them with how loud he was getting. But Xing left, and with him were the remainder of the old 11th's personnel; guards, cooks, quartermaster…
"Only col- Shiluo's men remain here," he remarked before he left. "You do not have to be considerate for our sake. I suggest waiting for a while… The guards had been given a…heavy dinner."
The surprise lingered long enough that the prisoners were arguing amongst themselves for a while after Xing left. Li Ming had also snuck out shortly after to seek the people that took her in.
In the end, Yama and Kilin took the reins of their respective groups, and they broke out together. The camp was littered with sleeping guards and panicking camp followers. The breakout was unobstructed, though everyone agreed to spend a few minutes to bury Shiluo's over-extravagant tent and flood it with stuff waterbended out of the latrines.
They sought the cover of the forest first, waiting for dawn before a vote was cast. Waterbenders and earthbenders moved to the front lines in silence learned from their captors.
It had been a bloodbath for the 11th Regiment. Kilin saw the brave men and women barely holding the line after the first reckless charge had failed. Scores of Shiluo's fresh reinforcements were dead in massive holes, and scores more were crushed or impaled from earthbender attacks. The veterans of the 11th were organizing a retreat, but from the treetops, Kilin could tell that they were just moments away from being surrounded.
She saw Mozi holding onto his stomach with one arm, while the other desperately fended off spears and swords with flames. Kindly Chiya fell, impaled by several jagged spikes as she bought time for her soldiers to drag the severely wounded back. Kai was furiously fighting above Ren's fallen form, the captain and his lieutenant separated from the others.
Then Xing came, and his white flames burned a path through. Kilin felt hope surge in the wounded veterans, and in that moment her heart was with them. He blazed brightly, the shock of his violent arrival allowing for the camp followers who had followed him to come in and pull out the fallen.
Yet it was clear that Xing was not at his best. His flames sputtered, though they still reaped a fearsome reward with each gout. He was soon covered in fresh wounds as he fought towards his isolated friends- his brothers and sisters.
Xing fought with the defiance that earned the 11th its reputation, seemingly content to either die for his family, or die with them.
Kilin remembered the hotness in her eyes as tears freely streamed down her cheeks. She remembered exchanging a look with Yama, and seeing the outrage in the grizzled general's eyes. A silent nod was all that was exchanged between waterbenders and earthbenders, and they quickly left the safety of the forest to act.
To save the hosts they grown to respect, the boy they had grown to be fond of.
Yama jumped off the tree and landed solidly on both feet, sending a surge of earth that erected a massive wall around the survivors of the 11th. With a push from the other earthbenders, the wall expanded, forcing the confused Earth Kingdom army back.
Kilin used the time to guide her fellow waterbenders to draw on the water around all them, squeezing it out of the trees and grass, dragging it out of the ground, draining it from the very air. It was very little water for so much work, but it was more than enough to create an obscuring mist.
The opportunity was made, and the former prisoners hurried to help their former captors. Such was their familiarity that the surviving veterans did not question Yama's appearance and orders to follow him. Kilin recalled that she had to treat Xing on the spot, as the boy was both bleeding and freezing to death.
Seeing just how many of the 11th had survived, how many more would perish from grievous wounds…. It was horrible, she remembered feeling, almost as bad as losing family…
"Elder, are you alright?"
Uki's voice snapped Kilin out of her dark reminiscing, and she flicked aside a stray tear.
"Yes, dear. Just…thinking, that's all. Are you done?"
"Yes, Elder. It will be time for lunch soon."
The aged healer gave a nod, and then let out a heavy sigh as she glanced to the front of the convoy, where she imagined the princess was riding. The 11th has lost much. Xing has lost much. Hopefully the girl would be a boon to this unconventional family.