Literally the next day Zhao's decision to take command of the Yuyan Archers was vindicated.
The Avatar, for whatever reason, had been spotted running up the mountain towards the herbalists. His timing could not have been better.
The Yuyan Archers had been dispatched to apprehend him, and to say that they had done an amazing job was an understatement. They had gone above and beyond the call of duty, literally jumping off a cliff in their pursuit, and had successfully captured him unharmed.
The moment The Avatar had been dragged back to Pohuai Stronghold he'd been chained up in the main interrogation cell, and a messenger had informed Zhao and Tanya.
Which was how Tanya now found herself following along at Zhao heels as they made their way there. Zhao practically oozed satisfaction, his grin never slipping for even a second as they traversed the metal hallways.
"This is destiny, Tanya! Destiny!" He repeated for what must be the fifth time now. "Agni has placed The Avatar in our path so that we might capture him and earn what we are owed!"
He wasn't wrong: capturing The Avatar was all but guaranteed to make them heroes of the Fire Nation. Perhaps they'd even be promoted again on the spot?
That would make Tanya the youngest admiral in Fire Nation history. More importantly however, an Avatar that was locked away in the dungeons couldn't learn to master the elements, and would never be able to threaten her as Being X intended.
All they had to do now was transport him back to the Fire Nation and her every problem would be solved.
When they finally reached the cell Zhao opened the door and led the way inside. The room was fairly large, but bare of all furnishings besides two burning braziers and two pillars to which heavy chains were fashioned. Stuck in the middle of them stood The Avatar, small and meek compared to the thick restraints used to bind him.
"So this is the great Avatar." Zhao sneered, circling around the captive boy. "Master of all the elements. I don't know how you've managed to elude the Fire Nation for a hundred years, but your little game of hide and seek is over."
The Avatar looked up angrily. "I've never hidden from you! Untie me and I'll fight you right now!"
"Uhh, no." Zhao came to a stop in front of The Avatar's face. "Tell me, how does it feel to be the only airbender left? Do you miss your people?"
A look of hurt crossed The Avatar's face, and for a second Tanya felt a shred of sympathy for the boy. Not only was he the sole survivor of a genocide, but had only found out about it decades after it had happened. Quickly she clamped down on and buried that feeling. Now was not the time to empathise with the enemy.
If Zhao had felt any sympathy however he didn't show it. "Don't worry, you won't be killed like they were." He continued, deliberately ignoring The Avatar's glare.
"See, if you die you will just be reborn and the Fire Nation would have to start searching all over again. So I'll keep you alive, but just barely."
The Avatar took a deep breath, and before Tanya could react blew a gale force wind at Zhao, knocking him over. His grin replaced with a scowl, Zhao picked himself up and glared at the boy.
"Blow all the wind you want, but your situation is futile. There is no escaping this fortress, and no one is coming to rescue you." He snapped. "Tanya, make sure our guest is comfortable."
With that he stormed out, leaving Tanya alone with The Avatar. Now that he wasn't riding a flying hairy cow or leaping around the room, she could finally get a proper look at the one Being X has chosen to pit her against.
He didn't look like much: small and gangly, really no more than a boy, yet some part of Tanya's mind could not help but overshadow him with the image of Roku, a premonition of what he would one day grow up to be.
She also couldn't help notice that he smelt faintly like frogs for some reason.
When it became clear that she wasn't planning to say anything, The Avatar spoke up to fill the silence. "Not going to gloat as well?"
"No." Tanya replied disinterestedly. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to turn into Roku again and bring this stronghold crashing down on my head."
It surprised her when The Avatar actually had the decency to look a little sheepish. "Sorry about that. I never wanted to hurt you, I just didn't feel like I had a choice."
Tanya hummed dismissively, and began pacing around The Avatar slowly. "It's alright, I don't hold it against you. This is war after all: we all must do whatever we have to to survive, no matter how uncivilised."
"You sound like you don't approve of the war." The Avatar replied curiously.
"That's because I don't. It's a senseless waste of human resources."
"Then why support it?" The Avatar asked passionately. "This whole war is pointless! Nobody would have to suffer any more if we all agreed to put our weapons down and just talk to each other."
Tanya chuckled. Of course, The Avatar was still just a child, clinging to a naive view of the world. "If only diplomacy was enough to bring an end to this war." She said wistfully.
"Personally I would like nothing more than to settle our nation's disputes with words. But how many people are alive right now who remember a time when the world wasn't at war? Ten? Twenty?
For a hundred years both sides have spilled blood in the name of their nation, and wept for the sons and daughters they sent to the front lines who never returned. Do you think all that hatred can be brushed aside with just a few words?"
"I'm not saying it would be easy." The Avatar replied. "I know how it feels to lose your family to war. But as long as people cling to that hatred, the suffering will just continue for everyone. If the Fire Nation surrenders we can all turn our attention to reconciliation and healing."
"Oh? Only if the Fire Nation surrenders?" Tanya asked.
"Well, yeah… you are the bad guys after all."
A guffaw slipped out of Tanya lips before she could stop herself, and she flushed a little at the unseemly sound before regaining her composure. "We're the bad guys are we?"
"I mean, you are the ones who started this war..."
"So would we not also have peace if the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes surrendered? Would there be a war if the Fire Nation had nobody left to wage war against?"
The Avatar had no answer to that, staring at her blankly as he considered that other point of view for what was likely the first time.
"There are no good or bad guys in war, Avatar." Tanya reprimanded.
"Look at Chin the Conqueror. Or any of the warlords that came before him. Worldwide unification is inevitable, whether than be at the hands of the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom or even the Water Tribes.
Wars will always break out once a population becomes large enough that it is forced to expand its borders, and will keep occurring until one day this world is successfully united beneath one government, leaving nobody left to fight against." She stopped her circling in front of The Avatar.
"The Fire Nation offers technology no other nation can compete with. All would share in our prosperity and scientific knowledge, and it's not like we would treat the colonies badly. Unhappy workers are unproductive workers after all. The idea that our world must remain divided between four nations is an outdated concept.
Imagine, Avatar, what the work would be like if the Fire nation was victorious. It would be a world of progress. A world without border disputes or petty international politics. A world with no wars left to wage."
The Avatar was silent for a moment. Then, in a surprisingly calm voice, he spoke. "A world with nobody to stop The Firelord from doing whatever they wanted."
That… that was true. Upon winning the war, The Firelord would be the absolute ruler of the world; an unopposed dictator who could decide the laws of every nation without fear of consequences.
Tanya trusted Ozai, Azula, and to an extent Zuko to be benevolent dictators, but as the old saying went, absolute power corrupted absolutely. Who was to say that the descendants of Ozai's bloodline a hundred years from now would be as disciplined?
Realising that her prolonged silence was proving The Avatar's point, she struggled to quickly come up with a clever reply. "How naive Avatar, if you think-…"
"Aang."
"What?"
...
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