"Aaah. Now this is paradise."
Zuko wanted to disagree with Uncle. He was in a furiously surly mood, and as a result half-wanted everything around him to be awful just so that he'd have more things to complain about. Yet even he had to admit, somewhere deep in the back of his mind where it'd never be spoken out loud, that this was the best massage he'd ever had in his life. His family had employed the services of some of the finest masseuses back when he was a kid, but after years in exile, and more recently weeks being stranded at sea on a raft, his muscles had never been more sore. The skilled hands of the woman working on his back now eased knots in his muscles that'd been there for so long that he'd forgotten what life had been like without them, and each spike and subsequent release of pressure sent waves of pleasure up his spine.
It was impressive how Uncle had been able to charm their way into the spa. They'd washed up on the nearby beach with no money and nothing but the torn rags of their clothing, yet with just a smile, politeness and a touch of flirting, Uncle had been able to charm the owner into letting them stay on promise of future payment.
Though whether that payment would ever come or not, Zuko did not know.
He had nothing left. No ship, no crew, no money; the only item he'd had on him during his quick escape from the north was the knife Uncle had once given him as a present, and he was unwilling to sell that except in the more dire of circumstances. Now more than ever he needed the inscription upon it.
Never give up without a fight.
The Avatar was still out there somewhere. Chances were that he'd made his way to the Earth Kingdom in search of a new master by now. If he could just capture him, everything he'd lost could still be restored. His father would let him come home and grant him an audience, and he could explain why he'd done what he'd done back at the North Pole. He wasn't a traitor: he just wasn't willing to execute children or risk damaging the natural order of the world for victory. Father would understand and forgive him. He had to.
Of course Zuko still had to capture The Avatar first, with nothing but his own skill and the knife in his pocket. That wasn't going to be easy.
"Relax." The masseuse admonished gently, feeling him instinctively start to tense. "You are one very serious young man."
"My nephew has a lot on his mind." Uncle answered for him.
"That so? There's a festival in town tomorrow. Maybe you should go, help take your mind off things."
"Well, I do love a good festival." Uncle replied jovially. "What's the occasion?"
"It's in celebration of Admiral Tanya's victory." The masseuse answered. "There's talk about making it a national holiday. Hey, relax will you!"
Zuko ignored the reprimand. That was another big problem. Tanya was the nation's golden girl right now, and it was obvious that she was going to do everything in her power to make his life a misery from now on. Father had always been fond of her, and would have no reason to deny audiences with her now that she was a part of his war council. Who knew what she might convince him to do? For all he knew she might be plotting her revenge right now, scheming new methods to take what little he had left away from him.
"For the last time captain, no. There's nothing I can do. Now stop complaining and get back to work."
"But admiral, please! She said she was going to throw me overboard!"
Tanya let out a quiet sigh and forced back the urge to massage her temples. The captain was by no means an unintelligent man, and had done a decent job of running his ship so far, but decent just didn't cut it for Princess Azula. She demanded absolute obedience from the crew, and as close to perfection at all times as was humanly possible. Tanya didn't blame her: she herself paid great attention to her subordinates' training so that she could be assured they would act perfectly when the time required it. Azula's fault, however, was in demanding perfection in everything, every second of every day. It was stressing the crew out.
This left Tanya in an unenviable position. As the princess of the nation and appointed commander of this mission, Azula's word was law. She could also be quite intimidating when she wanted to be, and suffered no complaints, which made the crew very uncomfortable about approaching her with questions or problems. Tanya however had a clear rank within the military hierarchy and experience commanding a ship, and as Azula's subordinate in this mission had taken it upon herself to handle the day-to-day running of the vessel in her stead. That meant that whenever anybody had an issue with Azula's orders they immediately came to Tanya about it, hoping that she could persuade the perfectionist princess to cut them some slack.
"She ordered me to ignore the tides and pull into port immediately!" The captain continued incredulously. "In shallow waters the bottom of the hull could be torn apart by rocks if we aren't careful!"
"Then we'd better be careful then. An order is an order." Tanya shot back. "I appreciate the risks involved, captain, but we're out to capture prisoners of extremely high political importance. Any time we waste is time that they may use to slip away. I recommend you stop wasting time complaining to me, and start making the necessary preparations. Dismissed."
The captain looked like he was sucking a lemon, but struck a curt salute and sulkily marched off. The moment he was out of sight Tanya let out a deeper sigh, then stood up and strode down the corridors towards the royal quarters.
It was stressful being the lightning vein for Azula's strict management style, but Tanya would endure it if it meant taking a little pressure off her friend's shoulders. If Azula was threatening to throw the captain into the ocean for complaining then she was obviously a lot more on edge than she appeared to be. To look at the calm, confident expression she wore as she strutted around the ship like she owned the place, you would never guess that she was wracked with guilt inside at the thought of imprisoning her own brother.
Once she arrived at Azula's room, Tanya rapped on the door and waited for the call to enter. Once it came, she pushed the door open and took care to shut it behind her. "Your highness." She greeted neutrally.
Azula was reclining in a large, comfortable armchair, examining her nails as she filed them into sharp points. A cattish smirk crossed her lips as she looked over to Tanya. "What's the situation?"
"We should be arriving within the hour." Tanya reported dutifully. "The rank-and-file soldiers are prepared and ready to depart as soon as we hit shore and block all exits out of the spa, and the elite team are all set to escort us in apprehending Zuko and Iroh. I've also had word sent to all nearby outposts and villages to stay alert for an old man and a teenager with a large burn over one eye, just in case."
"How very thorough." Azula replied disinterestedly, her eyes returning to her nails. "Your military precision does you credit. Though I do wonder if perhaps it's unnecessary in this situation?"
Tany raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Zuzu is naive, and woefully desperate. Why drag them onboard when we can get them to walk here willingly?" Azula blew on her nails and placed the file back on her dresser, making a show of being satisfied with her work. "I'll tell Zuko that father has changed his mind and has ended his banishment, and that I'm here to take him home. He'll be so desperate to get his old life back that he won't ask questions, and Uncle will follow him wherever he goes."
Tanya resisted the urge to smile. Azula thought she was playing it cool, but she could see through her. If Zuko came aboard willingly there would be no need to fight him, which meant less chance of him being hurt by an overzealous soldier. That girl really was too considerate when it came to her big brother. Still, as the more seasoned commander of the two, it was her job to make sure that the more violent contingency plans were prepared just in case. "A wise plan. It would be preferable to end this without a conflict if possible. Still I hope you don't mind if I have the soldiers take position around the spa anyway, just in case."
Azula pursed her lips unhappily, doubtless worried by the thought of putting her family at any risk of harm, but eventually waved her hand dismissively. "Very well, I suppose it can't hurt. However take care that your men don't arouse suspicion. In fact you yourself had better stay hidden on the ship until we're far enough out at sea to prevent them from escaping. After what happened at the North Pole, I doubt even Zuko will believe that my intentions are peaceful if he sees you with me."
Yes, that did seem prudent. Tanya nodded in approval. "As you say. Very well, I'll circulate the new plan around the crew."
"Wonderful." Azula shot her a thin smirk. "I don't know how I ever managed without you, Tanya. Keep this up and I may have to keep you in my service forever."
Tanya chuckled in response and let a bright little smile cross her face. Even if Azula was just flattering her, it was nice to be appreciated. Maybe she could have applied for the post of Azula's royal guard if Ozai hadn't already earmarked her for his new air marshal position? Spending nice lazy days lounging around the palace with Azula sounded like an eternal holiday. "We'll have to see if your father will let me once we return home successfully. Best of luck with the mission, Azula."
With that she turned and left, completely missing the stormy expression on Azula's face. The moment the door was closed, Azula's scowl grew even more thunderous.
"Little upstart." She hissed to herself, glaring at the door as if blaming it for not collapsing atop her rival. Tanya had gotten too big for her boots ever since father had dangled the prize of being his right hand woman in front of her. Even though Azula was one in charge around here, it hadn't stopped Tanya from taking it upon herself to talk with the crew and order them around, as if she was the boss and Azula just some VIP that needed escorting.
Yet it also occurred to Azula that, should Uncle see through her deception and convince Zuko to try and flee, it would be Tanya who took all the credit for working out the logistics of the trap that caught them. That would all but assure her receiving father's promotion.
Perhaps a little sabotage was in order? Just to make sure that, in case things didn't go Azula's way, they wouldn't go Tanya's way either.
Azula was here!
Panic was not usually the first emotion one was supposed to feel when their niece came to visit, but Iroh would admit that his family was rather more complicated than average. Given what had happened at the North Pole, Azula's presence was probably a threat to Zuko. However it was just as foolish to assume the worst in someone as to blindly trust them, and Iroh had learned that treating people with civility opened the most opportunities for a beneficial encounter for all. He would be prepared to take Zuko and run the moment he sensed true hostility, but for now he would take the chance to talk with his niece in the most peaceful setting he knew.
Over a nice cup of tea.
Hidden behind his cup, Iroh allowed himself a small grin at his niece and nephew's identically pinched expressions as they drank their first sips of tea. For all they both took after their father in very different ways, they'd both inherited their taste buds from their mother's side of the family.
"What's the matter Azula? Is the taste too strong for you?" Zuko taunted, trying and failing to mask his own dislike. Honestly, siblings! They'd gone years without seeing each other, and the first thing they do is start jabbing each other.
Azula sniffed proudly, her ironclad facade of calm shutting across her face at the suggestion of a perceived weakness. "Hardly. I have merely become more accustomed to other drinks recently."
"Oh? Other blends of tea, perhaps?" Iroh interjected. Hopefully Azula hadn't begun developing a taste for wine, as many girls did at her age. The world would not survive Azula's first hangover.
"Not quite." Azula replied, reaching into a satchel and pulling out a jar filled with black powder. She scooped generous spoonfuls into three empty teacups, stirred them and handed them out. "Here, try some."
Zuko and Iroh shared a suspicious glance, suspecting some form of trickery, but curiosity eventually got the better of them. In unison they lifted the cups of strange smelling liquid to their mouths and took a sip.
Poison! Evil! Distilled essence of darkness!
Iroh spat the bitter tincture out like a geyser erupting with water! What was this? Some wicked creation of vilest alchemy? If Azula was trying to poison him, he'd have at least expected her to have the courtesy to disguise it with something sweet!
Yet to his horror, Azula was gulping down the poison like a desert traveller drank the waters of an oasis, and Zuko was humming with surprised pleasure. "That's rather good. What's it called?" His nephew asked.
Azula finished downing her entire cup before answering. "Coffee. It's made from grinding down a bean found on a little island in colony territory, and can temporarily stave off the need for sleep. Tanya bought the entire island, and is turning the whole place into one big farm. I think she plans to start selling to the nobility once it's producing enough for more than a few people."
One more black mark on that girl's ever-growing list of crimes! Truly this war had corrupted the youth of the Fire Nation if they thought this evil bean soup could be considered delicious!
Zuko finished his own cup, and then his distrustful scowl returned. "Why are you here?"
Azula shot back a coy smirk. "So hostile. After I came all this way to deliver you the good news personally, you treat your own sister with such scorn. Have you become uncivilised so soon, Zuzu?"
"Don't call me that!" Zuko snarled.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Iroh interjected politely.
There was no flaw or tick in Azula's smile to give away her true thoughts. She paused, enjoying the suspense, and then delivered the five words Zuko had wanted to hear for so long.
"Father has ended your banishment."
Iroh's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected proclamation. His brother was not one to go back on his own decisions unless they benefited him more than his loss of pride. For what reason would he want the son he'd treated so poorly back at his side?
Yet if he was surprised, Zuko was downright blown away. The look of desperate hope on his face was painful to see. "It's-… it's over! I can come home?!" He all but whispered.
Azula nodded, and for the first time in many, many years a quick flash of worry flickered across her expression. "Indeed. To tell you the truth Zuko, the situation at home is getting rather tense. There's whispers of assassins, rebellions and military coups, and all alongside one person's name."
Iroh frowned. It didn't take a genius to guess who that might be. "Tanya?"
"That's right." Azula replied. "She already has the navy in her pocket, and she's a hero to many of the soldiers deployed in the Earth Kingdom. Amongst civilians she's beloved as well thanks to her victory up north, and the Fire Sages have been spreading the idea that her unusual hair colour is a sign that she's been chosen by Agni. If the rumours are true and Tanya really does make a bid for the throne it could plunge our nation into civil war at the worst possible moment. Father needs people he can absolutely trust, people who have stood up to her before, by his side. In the end the only ones you can really trust are your family."
Azula weaved a compelling story. Power had always been Ozai's first and foremost concern, and if there was even the slightest hint that Tanya might threaten the control he held over the Fire Nation, he would begin plotting countermeasures against her. After what he'd witnessed at the North Pole, he wouldn't put it past Tanya to have ambitions to steal the throne either. Yet what didn't sit quite right with him was that final statement. Ozai did not hold the trust between family to be sacred; indeed, it was by abusing that very trust that he'd stolen the throne in the first place.
Zuko, bless his poor, wounded heart, looked utterly thrown. His mouth hung open wide enough for a family of bugs to fly into. When his silence lingered for too long, Azula narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you hear me? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news!"
"I'm sure your brother just needs a moment-…" Iroh began, but was cut off as Azula turned her glare on him.
"Don't interrupt, Uncle!" Her eyes flicked back to Zuko, and her annoyance seemed to be quickly growing. "I still haven't heard my thank you. I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way."
But Zuko didn't seem to register her words, or anything else in the world around him. He was completely caught in his own thoughts. "Father regrets? He... wants me back?" He whispered, more to himself than Azula.
Azula let out a frustrated sigh. "I can see you need time to take this in. I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening."
With that she stood up sharply and left, leaving the two of them to wrestle with the weight of her words. Iroh snuck a glance at Zuko, not at all surprised to find that he was lost in thought. Despite what his attitude would suggest at first impressions, Zuko was a very trusting young man, even towards people who probably didn't deserve it. It was simultaneously one of his greatest strengths and most obvious weaknesses. When he learned to temper that trusting heart with wisdom and experience he would grow into a fantastic Firelord, but right now it was plain to see that he was letting his heart rule his head.
Iroh had his doubts about this, and would approach this situation with a great deal of caution, but the chance that it was true was too good to pass up immediately. Thus he would do what he always did: stay by Zuko's side, keep his eyes peeled for any threats, and gently provide the counsel his nephew needed to grow into the great man he was one day destined to be.
That night, as darkness fell, the soldiers aboard Azula's ship began to silently disembark. They moved quickly and quietly into the nearby woods, setting up crude checkpoints and barricades on the roads just far enough away to be out of sight from the spa. Machetes worked tirelessly to hack away patrol paths in the undergrowth, and the driest branches were wrapped in cloth to make makeshift torches and strapped to nearby trees, ready to be lit at a moment's notice. Sentries armed with horns built temporary lookouts in the trees or dug trenches under bushes, allowing them to see everything around them and signal for backup at a moment's notice. For the residents of the spa there was no sign of the work being done besides the cries of startled wildlife, yet slowly but surely a cage was being built around them.
Azula had to admit, however reluctantly, that Tanya's military formation was a sight to behold. She knew that no soldier they'd brought along would be able to stall Iroh for more than a few seconds, so she made sure that in those few seconds they could call the rest of the army to their location and swarm him with overwhelming numbers. The main roads were blocked with spiked wooden walls, and the forest floors between her patrol paths laced with all manner of crude yet effective traps. It would take a spirit to slip out of her net.
Which was a problem, because Azula knew her Uncle well enough to tell that he was suspicious of the story she'd brought them. Zuko was hooked, so she reckoned her chances of success were high, but if her deception failed it was imperative that Tanya's cage formation failed too. And that meant that someone needed to make a little hole in it.
"If I was Zuko, and I was trying to flee, where would I go?" Thinking back to their childhood games of hide and seek, Azula's eyes turned to the forest. Zuko always had liked nature, and with only Uncle to keep an eye on would forsake the roads in favour of the cover the trees could offer him. He'd try to use the shadows to mask his escape. Unfortunately for him, the torches that the soldiers would light as soon as Tanya sent up a flare would rob him of those shadows.
Unless those torches don't work.
Azula paced along the edge of the forest, picturing a hundred scenarios in her head. It was likely that Zuko would run towards the middle area: it was in the exact opposite direction of her warship, and without the shoreline to either of his side's he'd have more options for changing direction later when throwing off pursuers. Speed would also be the first and foremost concern on his mind, so he'd avoid any areas that looked too heavy with bushes and other heavy flora that might obstruct him. There were three possible routes, all already identified by Tanya and laden with traps. It'd be too suspicious if the traps on all three routes were mysteriously sabotaged, which meant that she somehow had to deduce which one her brother would take.
After a moment's consideration, Azula realised that such would be impossible. Zuko was just as likely to take any of the routes as the other, and predicting which would be pure guesswork. Yet this did not daunt the princess. Leaving such matters to chance was the mark of the lazy and stupid, and Azula was neither of these things. If she could not deduce which option Zuko would take, she would simply have to remove his options until one remained.
After a quick look around to check that nobody was watching, Azula approached the central route and pressed a finger to the tree trunk next to it. Black steam began to hiss around it as her superheated finger bubbled and burnt the bark, leaving a small but ugly mark. The kind only a firebender could leave. Azula then repeated the process on a tree next to the left route, leaving only the right route clean. With signs of firebender presence upon them, Zuko would go for the right route; he wouldn't have time to consider how out of place the marks were.
Azula then walked along the right route, making sure to act as if she were inspecting the traps in case any soldier was watching. She did not outright sabotage them, for it was important that she make herself complicit as little as possible, but she did make subtle adjustments to make them just a little bit more noticeable for her naive big brother. Whenever she passed an unlit torch, Azula rubbed dirt into the cloth to make them dimmer and harder to stay lit. Under cover of night it was doubtful that anybody else would notice, and by the time morning came it would be too late to replace them.
"Now to make sure my own plan goes smoothly, so that none of this will be needed in the first place." She thought to herself, slinking off back to her ship. For all his faults Zuko always had been pretty decent at sneaking around, and with the adjustments she'd made Azula was confident that even he should be able to escape Tanya's cage if the situation ever got that far. Tomorrow was sure to be a busy day for everyone, and she could sleep soundly tonight knowing that even if she did not win, nobody else would either.
Sleep had not come easily to Zuko that night.
Positive and negative emotions warred within him, filling his body with restless energy and his sleep with strange nightmares. On the one hand he was overjoyed: father wanted him home, and all the mistakes he'd made would be forgiven. He would be welcomed back with honour, and the long days of struggle and strife he'd lived within these last years would finally be over.
Yet on the other hand Uncle had expressed his doubts about father's true intentions, and looking back on it now Zuko would admit that he had not handled it the most maturely when Uncle raised those concerns with him.
"I think you are exactly what you seem! A lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who's always been jealous of his brother!"
Regret washed over Zuko as his mind recalled the words he'd shouted in the heat of anger. Uncle had not deserved his scorn. While he was certainly a carefree man he was not lazy, and far from mistrustful or shallow. Yet in that moment all Zuko had wanted to do was hurt him.
"And I succeeded."
And now there would never be a chance to apologise. Uncle seemed to want to stay here, leaving Zuko to return to the palace alone.
Soldiers formed lines on either side of the gangplank leading to the deck of the vessel, saluting him crisply as he passed with a respect that his former crew had never shown. Despite his inner conflict, Zuko couldn't help but smile at the feeling of importance it gave him.
"It's finally happening! I'm going home!"
"Wait!"
Zuko turned at the sound of a familiar voice behind him, to find Uncle running up the gangplank behind him. Zuko was worried that something was wrong at first, but grinned as he noticed the backpack Uncle was carrying with him.
"You changed your mind?!" He exclaimed happily.
Uncle shot him a sheepish grin. "Family should stick together, right?"
Yes, they should. And once they were back at the homeland they would. He, Uncle, Azula and Father would stick together from now on.
Azula was waiting for them at the top on the bridge of the ship, a pleased smile curled on her lips. "Brother! Uncle! Welcome! I'm so glad you decided to come." She greeted sweetly.
"Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?" The captain of the ship asked.
Azula nodded. "Set our course for home, captain."
"Home." Zuko barely noticed that he'd let the wistful whisper slip past his lips. Finally. He had his Uncle with him, his honour restored, and his father's love back.
Everything was perfect.
The captain raised his hand to gesture to the crew. "You heard the princess! Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners home!"
And just like that, everything froze.
Time seemed to stand completely still. Everyone, from the common soldiers to Azula herself, seemed to tense up, not daring to move a muscle for fear of breaking the sudden heavy atmosphere that had dropped upon them. Zuko could only stare wide-eyed at the captain, a cold, sinking feeling settling in his gut as his brain struggled to process the word he was sure he'd hear, yet didn't want to believe.
Prisoner?
Beads of sweat broke out across the captain's face as he realised his mistake. He stared back at Zuko, seeming just as taken aback as he was. "Your highness, I-…"
Whatever he was going to say would forever remain a mystery, as the sound of roaring fire and cries of fear shattered the tension. Uncle had not been willing to wait for them to make the first move and struck first, blasting four nearby soldiers off the gangplank and into the water before they even realised what was happening. The other soldiers burst into action, and the whole ship fell into chaos.
Zuko grabbed hold of the captain with one hand and threw him overboard with a dismissive shove, then snapped back around to glare hatefully at Azula. "You lied to me!" He roared, twin daggers of flame bursting out from his clenched fists.
The corner of Azula's mouth curled up into a smug smirk. "Like I've never done that before."
With an angry snarl Zuko lunged at her, slashing his daggers in an enraged flury. Yet the smirk never left Azula's face as she danced through his attacks with casual ease, deliberately passing up her openings to counterattack in favour of taunting him.
"You know, father blames you for the loss of the North Pole. Tanya told him all about how she'd had everything under control: The Avatar, The Water Tribe Army, even the moon itself, until you betrayed her." She chuckled mockingly. "Why would he want you home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?"
"I was doing the right thing!" Zuko yelled back, redoubling his attempts to land a hit. "She was desecrating the bodies of the dead! Slaughtering enemies who'd given up fighting! Trying to execute a child!"
That caused Azula to laugh. "So what? Do you really think that sort of thing hasn't already happened during the last hundred years of war? Do you think the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes would have hesitated to do the exact same thing if they had the chance?"
"That's no excuse to forget our honour!" Zuko countered.
"Isn't it? I'm not so sure. Perhaps we should get a second opinion?" Azula replied slyly. She raised her voice to a sing-song tone. "Oh admiral!"
A rush of heat and orange light erupted from one of the hatches on the deck, and Zuko's heart stopped as a streak of gold soared into the sky. No! Not her!
Azula, Tanya thought absently, really did have a powerful urge to be dramatic.
Perhaps it was a trait passed down along the Firelord's bloodline? It would explain their fondness for receiving important matters of state while shadowed behind an imposing wall of fire. Whatever the case, Tanya had observed that even as a little girl, Azula had a tendency to get very theatrical when carrying out one of her cunning plans without realising it. If they were back in her first world Azula would totally be a drama kid. It was a harmless, perhaps even a little endearing, trait that Tanya didn't mind humouring to keep her happy.
It was for that reason that, when she heard the sound of combat breaking out on the deck above, Tanya held her position for a couple of seconds. Iroh had once been a powerful bender, trained since birth in the royal style and capable of personally leading the charge against the Earth Kingdom in his youth, but that was in the past. Now he was old and overweight, and even with Zuko at his side there was no way he could overcome Azula and a full squadron of soldiers alone. There was no harm in waiting a few seconds to let Azula have her fun before reinforcing her.
"Oh admiral!"
Speaking of the devil, that sounded like her cue. Flames erupted from Tanya's feet as she propelled herself up and through the pre-opened hatch, blasting into the sky like a rocket ship.
Okay, so maybe she'd picked up a flair for the dramatic too somewhere along the line. So what?
As she slowed her propulsion down to a hover, Tanya took a bird's-eye-view look down at the scene below her. What she saw didn't please her. Iroh was tearing through her soldiers like they were made of wet paper. Generally speaking elderly people struggled with the high levels of aggression and energy called for by most firebending styles, yet that didn't seem to be the case for Iroh. It wasn't that he was any faster or more acrobatic than she'd been expecting, but that his style was like nothing she'd ever seen before. She could see moves from the royal and military styles that served as the base, but strung together with them were movements that she recognised from the northern waterbending style, a few earthbender stances, as well as what seemed suspiciously like some sort of dance movements.
It was weird to watch, yet Tanya could not deny its effectiveness. Whenever a jet of fire came towards him Iroh reached out and took control of it, stealing the flames away from his enemy, and then combining it with his own fire to make his own attack twice as powerful. He expended half as much energy on attacks, and then flowed between solid stances or surprisingly agile dodges to defend himself, conserving his energy for important moments and finishing blows in a way no other firebender she'd ever seen did.
"He's stolen techniques from the other nations. Incorporated them into his own moveset." Tanya realised. He'd have had plenty of opportunities to copy the earthbenders he warred against during his youth, and could have scavenged what he could from the scrolls and murals left behind at the airbending temples he and Zuko had searched when they first set out to hunt for The Avatar. Yet why he seemed so much more proficient in waterbending movements was a mystery.
Fortunately that unexpected show of prowess would not be enough. Only a foolish commander based their strategy on the ability of one particular fighter. As strong as Iroh might be, even he would be worn down by the combined waves of soldiers relentlessly smashing into him as he tried to escape. And besides, he had a weak link.
Zuko didn't stand a chance against Azula. He was upset and angry, wasting his strength on pointlessly aggressive moves that Azula could see coming from miles away. Even if Iroh did clear a path for them to flee the ship, Zuko was so focused on attacking Azula that he might have ignored the opportunity. It really was amazing how effective Azula's mind games could be.
Since Azula didn't need any backup, Tanya moved to support her troops on the gangplank before Iroh could crush them all. She lobbed a large, clumsy fireball directly at Iroh, predicting that he would move to steal control of it, then followed it up with a smaller, more intense bolt of fire hidden behind the first. As expected Iroh's hand snapped out to grab the fireball with practised ease, already twisting to redirect it as the firebolt snuck up on him.
Got you!
Yet to her surprise Iroh shifted his weight from one foot to the other, turning his twist into a spin that carried him out of the path of the firebolt just in the nick of time. "Drat! He saw it coming!"
As he spun Iroh brought the hand holding Tanya's fireball out towards his mouth, opening his jaw as if about to eat it. Yet instead of inhaling, Iroh blew out, conjuring a wave of rolling flames like the breath of a dragon that grew even brighter as they absorbed Tanya's fireball. Tanya dove to the side to avoid it, scowling at the sheer heat.
"No wonder they called him The Dragon of the West."
Still, the fact that he'd opted to dodge the second attack rather than absorb it was telling. Quicker, more intense blasts must've been more difficult for him to steal control of. Jetting to the left, Tanya jabbed out a series of three punches, each one unleashing another quick firebolt at Iroh.
Iroh shifted his feet, settling into an adaptation of what Tanya recognised to be the earthbender's famous horse stance. He thrust out with a palm strike at the first firebolt, swatting it to the side like a pinball in a shower of sparks, then brought his arm back to bounce the second bolt off his elbow. As the third one drew near he lashed out with an overhead chop, smacking it directly down into the gangplank.
It was becoming obvious that fighting at a distance wasn't working out as intended. Switching tactics, Tanya blasted towards Iroh in a straight charge, reasoning that the natural flexibility of youth would give her the advantage in close quarters. As she drew closer Tanya flipped forwards, falling feet-first, and slid along the gangplank with a wave of fire behind her.
Iroh waited until she was about an inch away from hitting him, then leapt just high enough for her to sail harmlessly beneath him. He stomped down on the wave of fire behind her, parting it in a circle all around him like a meteor crater, then turned around to release a whip of flames.
Tanya was still on the ground after her attempted tackle, and had to roll quickly to the side to avoid the sting of the whip. While lying on her front she placed her hands flat on the floor, as if about to do a press-up, and unleashed two fierce blasts of fire to immediately boost herself up to a standing position. Iroh hadn't taken the opportunity to press his attack, so Tanya settled back into a fighting stance and decided to buy herself a moment to catch her breath. "I thought you'd be quicker. Am I giving the fabled dragon slayer a run for his money?" She taunted.
Yet Iroh let the insult slide off him like water on a duck's back. "Indeed." He replied. "You must be getting rather good at beating up tired old men."
Tanya grit her teeth, and sprinted up the gangplank at him. A sharp blast of flame from her feet jettisoned her upward quickly enough to try and knee Iroh in the face, but one of the old general's hands snapped up to catch it, whilst the other went higher to block the hammer blown Tanya tried to follow up with before she'd even begun it. With a strong grip on her knee he slammed Tanya down onto the ground, then grabbed one of her wrists as he stepped over her to pin her in an arm lock.
Fortunately for Tanya she wasn't fighting alone, just as she cried out at the uncomfortable pressure on her shoulder, a couple of fireballs thrown by the other soldiers surrounding them forced Iroh to disengage and use both hands to redirect them. Sensing her chance, Tanya rolled onto her back and kicked up between Iroh's legs, aiming for the family jewels.
At the last possible moment Iroh twisted one leg, deflecting the kick with his knee, and gave a very disapproving glare down at Tanya for the cheap shot. One hand grasped the ankle of Tanya's overextended leg, and with a shriek Tanya found herself whipping through the air as Iroh swung her around in a circle and threw her at the two soldiers who'd interfered.
Tanya may not have been the heaviest person in the world, but she was wearing metal armour, and as she crashed into the two soldiers the force of the throw was enough to send the three of them tumbling off the gangplank and into the water below. Tanya scowled balefully as she shook off the dizziness and began swimming back up to the surface. "Again with the damn throwing! Why couldn't I have been reborn with a stockier body? I never had these problems in my first life."
She took in a huge, greedy gulp of air as she broke the water's surface, and a second or two of listening revealed that Iroh had not let his opportunity slip by. Powerful blasts of fire rampaged off the gangplank as he continued to blast the remaining soldiers into the water. "Zuko! It's time to go!" She heard him yell.
Yet Zuko's furious yells as he took swing after swing at Azula did not cease. The exiled prince was too caught up in his fury towards Azula to listen. Tanya turned and swam for the shoreline, cursing the fact that she couldn't generate fire underwater and thus couldn't take off until she reached dry land. Every second wasted was a second that Zuko could realise the mistake he was making and turn to run!
Within the minute Tanya reached the shoreline, and powerful blasts of fire from her hands and feet had her soaring back into the sky with a trail of hissing steam behind her. It was not a moment too late, for she spotted Zuko finally disengaging from Azula and running to Iroh on the gangplank. She moved to intercept them before they could reach the end of the plank, shooting a continuous stream of flames at the duo to stop them from escaping while her soldiers dragged themselves back to shore to rejoin the fight.
To her surprise it was Zuko, not Iroh, who moved forward to counter her attack. He planted his front foot firmly into the ground and knelt low, bringing both hands together into a clap that parted her stream of flames like a ship cutting through water. "That's Zhao's move!" Tanya realised, recalling when her old commander had used that exact same move during his Agni Kai with Zuko. It was a surprisingly accurate mimicry. "It would seem that Iroh has been teaching Zuko how to pick up his enemy's techniques as well. The longer he remains at large, the more dangerous he'll become."
Yet Tanya's distraction had given Azula the time she needed to get into position at the top of the gangplank. Cold blue light began to flicker and flash across deck as she slowly swung her arms in wide circular motions, separating the positive and negative energy within herself and then bringing them crashing back together to generate lightning. As the electricity gathered together at the tips of her fingers she pointed down at Zuko's back.
There was not enough space along the gangplank for Zuko to dodge it, nor any cover for him to hide behind. A lightning bolt through one leg would end the fight in a second.
For a moment the world seemed to be illuminated in cold blue light as Azula unleashed the lightning bolt. Yet in the moment it had taken Azula to aim her attack, Iroh had moved to stand between her and Zuko, one arm raised to point at her and his body settled in a relaxed, unusually flowing stance. Azula's bolt howled forwards at impossible speeds and struck Iroh square in the hand.
"He's done for." Tanya realised. Lightning bolts had the power to split trees in half. Even if by some miracle he survived, he'd never move that arm again.
Yet contrary to her expectations Iroh did not fall to the floor in a sizzling heap. The lighting seemed to crackle around his body, strong as ever yet for some reason not harming him. He brought his other arm up to point at Tanya, and a flash of cold panic raced through the admiral's head as the realisation of what he was doing struck her.
"He's figured out how to redirect lightning!"
There was a cold, steely glint in Iroh's eyes as he fixed his gaze upon her, and a heavy dread settled within Tanya's stomach as it dawned on her that she was staring into the eyes of death. Unlike during her battle with Admiral Jeong she'd been caught mid-attack: too poorly positioned to move quickly enough to dodge a lightning bolt. Depending on where Iroh hit she'd either be killed or crippled so badly she'd never fight again.
This was the end!
Yet Iroh's glare softened, and he adjusted the position of his arm ever so slightly. The lightning bolt burst out of his fingers and into the air, whizzing just above Tanya's shoulder and a hair's-breadth away from her cheek; enough for a few stray sparks to tingle against her skin, before disappearing harmlessly into the clouds.
He'd missed. Deliberately.
Tanya was stunned: frozen by the near death experience and the unexpected act of mercy. Azula too seemed taken aback by Iroh's unexpected ability to deflect lightning, but to her credit she didn't stay like that for long. As Iroh turned around to flee she stepped forward and unleashed a thin, piercing stream of blue fire, forcing Iroh to conjure his own barrier of fire to block it. Perhaps she was seeing things, or maybe Azula's blue flames were combining with Iroh's in weird ways, but Tanya could swear that there were flecks of a multitude of colours sparking through the flames of Iroh's shield.
"Run Zuko!" Iroh shouted urgently, straining against Azula's onslaught. He'd been drained by his fight with Tanya and her soldiers, while Azula had primarily focused on evasion during her fight with Zuko and still had energy to spare.
"Not without you!" Zuko shouted back, shooting worried glances back and forth between Iroh and the shoreline, where Tanya's soldiers were finally dragging themselves out of the ocean and moving to rejoin the fight. "Family sticks together!"
"Zuko!"
Iroh's tone was unusually sharp, brokering no arguments. Zuko looked back at his uncle, who was thoroughly pinned down by Azula's unrelenting torrent of flames. There was no way that he could move without breaking his shield and exposing both himself and Zuko to Azula's attack. Yet despite his precarious situation, Iroh was smiling gently at his nephew.
"Run."
And so he did. With an expression of sheer pain, as if he was running across a bed of spikes, Zuko turned and ran towards the nearby forest.
"Tanya!" Azula shouted fiercely, breaking the blonde out of her stunned state of inaction. She began to move on an interception course, but was forced back as a jet of Azula's blue fire burst up in her path. "Wha-… Azula!"
It was not Azula. Iroh had shifted his stance, diverting the blue flames breaking upon his barrier to flow up in Tanya's direction. "No you don't!" He cries resolutely, the strain in his voice betraying how much pressure he was under. "You let him go! Your fight is with me!"
Tanya looked back to where Zuko had almost reached the treeline. She could still move to chase after him, but what would be the point? More of her soldiers were still spread out across the woods, ready to catch whoever tried to escape. Shooting one last ugly scowl at the back of the banished prince, she turned around and landed at the bottom of the gangplank, trapping Iroh between her and Azula.
The Dragon of the West was about to pay for making a fool of her.
Zuko ran as if the hounds of hell were at his heels. He could hear the enraged cries of Fire Nation soldiers in the woods all around him, searching everywhere they could for any trace of him. One wrong step, one mistake, and he'd be captured: locked away in the darkest dungeon for the rest of his life.
"Is this how The Avatar felt when I was hunting him?"
No! No time for thinking about that now! Uncle had sacrificed his freedom to buy him time to escape, and Zuko would be damned if he wasted it. He shifted to the side, narrowly sidestepping a snare that he'd spotted just in the nick of time to avoid. The trees were crawling with Tanya's soldiers and traps, but by some small miracle enough of the torches were faulty enough to cast just enough shadows for Zuko to move through unseen.
"But where will I go? Where is there to run to?"
Nowhere. The entire world was enemy territory for him, and there were no allies left who'd come to his aid. He had no ship, no supplies, no Uncle… nothing but the knife in his pocket.
Never give up without a fight.
Spirits, how he wished he could give up. Even his two years exiled at sea with a fresh scar on his face hadn't been as painful as this moment. But if he gave up now everything would be over. If he could just get an audience with his father he could explain what had happened at the North Pole, make him see that he and Uncle had only been acting in the Fire Nation's best interests! And there was only one way to earn an audience with his father.
Capture The Avatar.
Capture The Avatar and restore his honour. Capture The Avatar and save his nation. Capture The Avatar and free his uncle. It all came back to his one defining purpose, his destiny.
His lungs were starting to burn with exhaustion, and so Zuko slowed down to a jog. As he did, the sounds of commotion up ahead caught his ears. Was that… music? As he got closer, Zuko began to pick out the colourful shades of dozens of tents up ahead.
As he emerged from the treeline, Zuko found himself on the outskirts of a small town that seemed to be in the middle of a festival. Now that he thought about it, the masseuse had said there was a festival honouring Tanya's victory nearby. Maybe he could hide among the crowd and scavenge some supplies?
He stepped forward to blend into the crowd, but hesitated as he noticed a poster pinned on a nearby building. An eye-watering amount of money was printed in big, bold letters at the very top, and below it an accurate rendition of his own scarred face.
Wanted: Ex-Prince Zuko.
Dead or alive.
Any and all information leading to the capture of this individual will be rewarded as appropriate.
The posters were marked with the sigil of the Fire Nation Navy, leaving no mystery as to who had spread these bounty posters around. Damn it! Zuko slunk back away until he was well hidden behind the tent. With a feature as noticeable as his scar he'd draw attention from anyone looking to make a quick few coins wherever he went. How was he supposed to get around undetected?
With a frustrated grunt he slammed his fist into the wall of the tent, but was surprised to feel something wooden clanking together on the other side. The flap at the back of the tent swung open from the force of his punch, giving him a peak at what lay inside.
Masks.
It was fairly common for masks to be sold at festivals, and any one of them would serve to hide the scar of his face. Thankfully whichever salesman was selling them was too occupied to have noticed his punch. Carefully Zuko peeled open the tent flaps again, taking a quick look at what masks were available. Immediately one in particular jumped out at him.
Love Amongst the Dragons had never been the most popular play in the Fire Nation, but was old enough to be considered something of a classic: a pantomime that parents were expected to take their children to see at least once. To Zuko it was a play that held a certain sentimental significance: his mother had adored it, and had taken him and Azula to see it every year without fail up until her disappearance. He'd never really enjoyed the play, but there was one character he'd always found to be quite cool: The Blue Spirit, a mischievous trickster spirit whose antics humbled both heroes and villains alike. His mother had bought him a Blue Spirit mask one year, and he'd kept it with him even during his exile as a memento of better times. It was that mask that he'd worn back when he'd rescued The Avatar from Zhao's fortress, though it had been left back on his ship when he'd been forced to flee the North Pole on a raft.
And a copy of that same mask stared back at him now, the sinister grin and wide eyes fixed across its face boring into him.
Zuko had never been fond of spirits, but this felt like a sign. When he'd worn the mask of the Blue Spirit the first time he'd felt invincible. Prince Zuko was a failure who had been banished by his father, but the Blue Spirit was a master swordsman who could vanish into the shadows without a trace. There was a liberating sensation that had come with putting on the mask, knowing that he could define himself by his actions rather than the mistakes of his past.
As a disguise went, The Blue Spirit was a bad idea. Although it wasn't as big as his real one, Zhao had put a bounty on The Blue Spirit's head after the incident at the fortress. If he took up that old persona once again he would attract attention from the very people he was trying to avoid.
But then again The Blue Spirit had been able to sneak into the heart of a fully-manned fortress without being caught. The Blue Spirit had been able to hold The Avatar at sword point. The Blue Spirit had been more successful than Zuko ever had been. Perhaps, as The Blue Spirit, he could finally do what Zuko could not?
Capture The Avatar once and for all.
Nobody was watching. All he had to do was reach out and take it, and The Blue Spirit would live again.
Iroh just didn't make any sense.
One moment he was fending off the combined might of Tanya, Azula and a team of elite palace guards with the strength of a rampaging dragon. A storm of fire raged around him as he reflected any and every attack coming his way, lashing out with blasts of his own whenever anyone gave him the slightest opening. Yet the moment Zuko was out of sight he'd suddenly stopped, raising both hands and kneeling down in the universal gesture of surrender.
He'd soon after been dogpiled by every soldier left to spare and wrapped up in so many chains that he looked like an avante garde fashion statement, yet even then his peacefully neutral expression never wavered. Just to be certain, Tanya kept her eyes fixed firmly on him as he was dragged away into the brig of the ship, before twisting around to find the soldiers she'd left waiting in the trees to catch Zuko. The moment she spotted a flash of red armour among the trees her glare redoubled.
"Report! Where is Zuko!" She snapped.
"I-… Apologies admiral, there's been no sight of him!" The soldier hurriedly replied. "We've been scouring for a mile around, but he's disappeared!"
"He's escaped!" Tanya hissed incredulously. How?! She'd been so meticulous with her planning, but somehow Zuko had found a way to slip through the net! "Keep searching! Turn over every tree if you have to! I don't care what it takes, find me Zuko!"
"Yes admiral!" The soldier replied, snapping a quick salute before hurrying away. Tanya wrestled with the urge to bite her thumbnail in frustration. The Firelord would be furious when he found out that she'd let Zuko slip through her fingers just like The Avatar had.
Yet he'd only get angrier if she tried to lie or make excuses for herself. Realising that she had no choice but to face the music, Tanya stormed back to the ship. The moment she got there she sought out Azula, still waiting on the top deck, and threw herself into a low bow at the princess's feet.
"I am so, so sorry your highness." She exclaimed, her head dipped so low towards the floor that it exposed the nape of her neck. "I have failed you. Zuko has managed to escape."
Azula pursed her lips in annoyance. "Escaped? Tanya, you assured me that there was no chance of his escaping your formation. Aren't you supposed to be a military genius?"
"I don't know how he did it." Tanya replied solemnly. "I beg you, your highness, please forgive me."
Azula studied her with a cold, critical eye. "The Fire Nation does not forgive failures, admiral." She eventually stated. Then she huffed and turned away. "But the hunt is not over yet. Not by a long shot. Follow my orders to the letter, and there will be chances for you to redeem yourself.
Once again, Tanya thanked her lucky stars that she'd been able to befriend someone like Azula. There weren't many superiors who'd let such a blunder go without some sort of consequence, even if Azula's reprimand made it clear that this was a one time deal.
"Go and ensure that Iroh is properly confined below, then begin making preparations to set sail." Azula continued, giving her a dismissive wave of her hand. "I need to go and plan our next move."
"Yes, your highness." Tanya answered, standing back up and giving Azula a respectful salute before marching off. She made a beeline straight to the lower decks, quickly reaching the brig where prisoners were detained. The jangle of keys alerted her that Iroh had just finished being locked in his cell by the time she arrived.
"Dismissed." She called out sharply to the guards, chasing them away with a glare until she and Iroh were alone. The moment they were, she slowly paced forwards until she was standing right in front of the cell door, staring through the bars down at the elderly man sitting on the floor.
Iroh didn't have the look of a defeated man. Even sat on the cold, dusty floor, he seemed as serene and peaceful as a monk in meditation. He raised his eyes to look at her as she approached, and smiled.
"Zuko isn't with you? Good. He has escaped then."
Tanya frowned. "It's only a matter of time until we hunt him down."
"Don't be so sure. He is more resourceful than you may think."
Tanya huffed derisively. Silence lingered between them, but Tanya made no move to say anything or leave. After a few seconds Iroh raised an eyebrow quizzically.
"You have a question?"
"I-…" To her great shame Tanya found herself stuttering, the words she wanted to say strangely hard to force out as she warred with an inner reluctance to bring the topic up at all. "You could have killed me."
Iroh nodded sagely. "I could."
"But you didn't."
"No."
"Why?" It just didn't make sense. Tanya didn't think she was being arrogant to say that she was one of the biggest threats to Zuko. Killing her would have done a lot to keep him safe.
Iroh let out a heavy sigh, seeming to almost visibly deflate for a second. "If I'm being honest, to my great shame I considered it. Just for a second I was prepared to end your life. You have caused me more pain than I think you realise. Two of the wisest, dearest friends I have ever known, men who were there for me during the darkest hours of my life, lie dead by your hand. There was a moment where I reasoned that slaying you was the only sure way to prevent you from doing the same to Zuko."
"Then why didn't you?"
Iroh looked at her more intensely. "Because when I look at you, do you know what I see? A powerful young firebender, with an incredible talent for the arts of war and the favour of the Firelord, devoting themself to the belief that a victory for the Fire Nation will benefit the world. It is a story I know all too well." Iroh shifted, sitting just a little taller so that he was almost eye level with Tanya. "I've been in your shoes. Once I was the great hero of our nation. Once I could have conquered a city that others said was impossible. Once I would have slain too wise, powerful masters who stood between me and what I thought was my destiny. Yet I turned away from that path. I realised the mistakes I would have been making before it was too late, and became a better man for it." He fixed Tanya with a stern, yet strangely pitying gaze. "In you, I see a reflection on how my life would have been if I had made the wrong choices. I understand the reasons why you did what you have done, and I cannot help but sympathise. I do not believe that it is too late to help you realise the perils of the path you walk before the time comes for you to pay a terrible price, as I once did."
A fierce scowl crossed Tanya's face. "Don't act like you know me. I've lived through things you'd never believe. Challenged foes you'd cower before. We aren't the same."
To her surprise Iroh replied with a smirk, his eyes twinkling with mirth, as if he was in on a secret joke. "You'd be surprised."
With a frustrated growl Tanya turned and stormed away, slamming the door behind her and leaving Iroh alone in the dark. He waited, listening carefully until the echoes of her footsteps faded into the distance, and then rolled over onto his stomach and placed the palms of his hands against the floor.
"The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step." He muttered to himself, then with a light grunt of exertion pushed himself up into a press-up. "One… two… three…"
Poor Tanya. Life is tough when your kryptonite is how easily you can be thrown around. The Avatar cartoons never really put much emphasis on the effects of being a certain weight class in a fight, but it seems logical to me that as a trade off for being able to fly, smaller characters like Aang should be more vulnerable to being thrown around the battlefield.
I'm not normally one to critique my own work without good reason, but when I was proofreading this chapter something about it didn't quite feel right, and unfortunately I can't quite put my finger on what it is. If you have any suggestions please don't hesitate to let me know in the reviews. I've never had an issue with constructive criticism.
And by the way, if you're a fan of Youjo Senki and Star Wars, I would highly recommend another crossover fic called Princess of Mandalore by L4 of the West. I've discovered it recently and I'm hooked. As the name implies it's about Tanya being reincarnated during the Clone Wars as Duchess Satine's niece/daughter, and the author does an amazing job portraying her as both a warrior and politician. I find it quite difficult to write engaging political stories, and always admire people who can do it well.