Ashes of Devotion [ATLA - Azula x OC]

[Rotceh]

Awesome.

You mean Aang? He never went into the Avatar State yet in my story. He never saw Monk Gyatso's corpse, and he wasn't caught by Zuko and fell of the ship to the icy water. So far, no one besides Zuko and the people who see Aang know about him. There would be rumors, mainly because in the show we see fishermen or people in Kyoshi island talk about the Avatar being there, but they would mostly be dismissed in the Fire Nation at the moment.

Click to shrink...

Wow, I wonder how long that will last.

 

[Lucernello]

AN: It's not Friday. I know. I failed. But, because it's holiday today, I figured I could give you two chapters and the discord server I mentioned:

Discord

Chapter 1 of 2 uploaded today. Just in case.

Enjoy,
Luce.
​

---

99 A.G

Aang had thought being followed by the children of Kyoshi Island would be fun, and for a while it had been.

Once one of them had gathered enough courage to ask if he could really fly, the rest had surrounded him with questions. They wanted to see airbending tricks, then Momo, then Appa, then more airbending tricks, and every time Aang tried to excuse himself, another kid asked for just one more.

By the time he slipped behind one of the houses near the edge of the village, he was more tired than he expected. Momo landed on the roof above him with a stolen fruit in his paws, and Aang raised a finger to his lips.

The flying lemur stared at him, took a bite, and somehow the children rushing down the nearby road still failed to notice them. When their voices faded, Aang stepped out again and went looking for Katara.

The news Suki had given him had given him a lot to think about but he had delayed thinking much on it with the kids. Now though, he had to focus back on it. Omashu had fallen to the Fire Nation. So traveling there didn't seem like a good plan anymore.

He did not know much about what the city was like now, but he didn't think it would be very welcoming. He had wanted to stop there before going north, because it was familiar, and he had happy memories of the place.

He found Katara near the water, practicing with a wooden bowl she had filled from the shore. A thin stream rose between her hands, trembled for a few seconds, then splashed back down before she could shape it properly.

"You almost had it." Aang said.

Katara turned, then sighed when some of the water spilled over the rim. "Are you finally done playing around?"

"I guess so..."

Momo chattered from his shoulder, and Katara smiled gently. "I'm sorry, I just don't think we should stay in one place for very long. Getting comfortable like this doesn't feel right." she said.

Aang nodded. "Speaking about that… we cannot go to Omashu anymore.."

"Why?"

"Suki told me the Fire Nation controls the city, flying in on Appa would be a bad idea." Aang looked down at the bowl, watching the water settle. "I thought we could get some rest there, maybe hear what was happening in the Earth Kingdom, but if the city is indeed occupied, we need another plan."

Katara lowered her hands. "Then we find another place."

"That sounds easier when you say it."

"Well, the Earth Kingdom is quite huge. I'm sure we will find somewhere else the Fire Nation hasn't touched yet. We still have to go north." She said.

Aang nodded but he had no alternative yet really. Much like himself, Katara also needed a waterbending master, and the North Pole was still the only clear place they knew to find one.

They went to find Sokka and discovered him at the training ground, dressed in the green robes of the Kyoshi Warriors with his face painted white and red. He held a pair of fans while Suki corrected the angle of his arms, and he was trying so hard to look serious that Aang started laughing before he could stop himself.

Sokka turned toward them. "Don't."

Katara pressed her lips together. "We didn't say anything."

"You don't need to!"

"You look nice, brother."

"That is worse!"

Suki adjusted his stance with a calm expression. "Your knees are too high again."

"My knees are doing their best…" Sokka complained, lowering himself with a grimace. "Everything hurts. My arms hurt, my legs hurt, and I think my back is angry at me. This is the most intense training I have ever seen!"

Aang smiled, but he remembered why they had come quickly enough. "Sokka, we need to talk about Omashu."

Sokka's expression changed despite the paint. "Suki told me. I was going to bring it up after training."

"So you agree?" Katara asked.

"That we shouldn't fly into a Fire Nation occupied city? Yes, I agree with that." Sokka closed one of the fans. "We still need to plan where to stop to rest at times, and we still need a route north, but Omashu is definitely out."

Aang looked toward the village road. "Then we need another plan."

Shouting rose from the far side of the village before anyone could answer. The warriors stopped training at once, and several villagers ran past the open space with frightened faces. The elder arrived moments later, breathing hard.

"Fire Nation soldiers are marching toward the village, we need you out there." he said.

Suki looked at Aang immediately. "You need to hide."

"I can help." Aang said, quickly.

"If they came looking for you, showing yourself will make this worse." Suki said. "Let us speak to them first."

The elder nodded. "We will buy you time if we must, you have to leave, they cannot capture the Avatar now that he is back!"

"Wait, please… I… I want to apologize before I stop having the chance to do so. You are a great warrior, I'm sorry I saw you as just a girl." Sokka said to Suki, looking down.

"Sokka, I'm a warrior, but I'm also a girl. Thank you." Suki said, giving him a light peck on his cheek, then rushing out.

Aang did not like it, but Katara had already reached for his sleeve pulling him towards safety, and Sokka followed while still wearing the Kyoshi Warrior robes. They crouched behind a low wall near the storage buildings, close enough to hear the road and see part of the village entrance between the houses.

The Fire Nation soldiers entered atop Komodo Rhinos. At their front rode the burned teenager from the sanctuary, the same one who had chased Momo and seen Aang's arrow before they escaped.

He stopped before the elder and the Kyoshi Warriors. "I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. I know you are hiding the Avatar. Give it to me and no one gets hurt."

Katara's hand tightened on Aang's sleeve.

The elder stood firm. "Kyoshi Island is neutral. We trade with the Fire Nation, we are partners, you cannot demand anything of us like this."

"You are protecting an enemy of my nation." roared Zuko

"There is no enemy here, he is already gone." Suki said.

Zuko's face tightened. "I know he is here."

"I assure you, he is already gone." Suki answered. "You have no reason to threaten this village."

For a few seconds, the road went quiet. Then Zuko raised his hand and sent a blast of fire toward the ground near the elder's feet. One of the warriors quickly grabbed him, taking him to a safe place in one of the houses.

The rest of the Kyoshi Warriors moved to engage them as they dismounted from their rhinos. Suki struck first, opening her fans as she forced one soldier back, blocking the fire and closing the distance.

The others followed her, quick and disciplined, meeting fire with steel fans, and sweeping strikes. The Fire Nation soldiers answered with flames, and the road filled with smoke and shouts as villagers fled toward the houses.

Aang watched from behind the wall, angry and guilty at the same time. A blast of fire caught the side of a house, and flames began climbing along the wood beneath the roof.

"We need to get to Appa, quickly!" Sokka whispered.

Katara pulled Aang's sleeve. "Come on."

They ran through the side paths toward the field where Appa waited. Momo clung to Aang's shoulder, and Sokka nearly tripped twice over the warrior robes before they reached the saddle.

"Yip yip!" Aang shouted.

Appa rose above the village. From the air, Aang could see the Kyoshi Warriors forcing the Fire Nation soldiers back toward the shore. They were holding them off, but some of the warriors were limping, and smoke rose from more than one roof.

Near the road, Zuko looked up and met Aang's eyes. Then he turned toward his soldiers, shouting for them to retreat and follow.

"Oh good, they are going to follow us then." Sokka said.

Aang kept looking at the burning houses, then at the water around the island where the Unagi moved beneath the surface.

"I can put out the fires before we leave."

Sokka stared at him. "Please tell me that does not involve something crazy."

Aang jumped from Appa above the sea, he vaguely heard Sokka say something about madness. As he went deeper he saw the giant creature swimming quickly his way. With the help of his air control he quickly evaded him, and Aang caught one of its long whiskers with both hands.

The Unagi burst from the water with a roar, thrashing beneath him, dragging him across the waves, but he used the wind to keep his grip and his feet guided its head back toward the village. The Unagi released a massive spray of water, trying to get him, and covered over the houses.

The rain from its spray drowned the flames beneath. The worst fires disappeared, leaving soaked wood and thin traces of smoke behind.

The Unagi twisted hard, and Aang let the movement throw him upward, back toward Appa, who promptly caught him, landing wet and breathless in the saddle while Katara grabbed the back of his shirt to keep him from sliding.

Sokka stared at him with smeared face paint. "Well, you really did get to ride a giant monster."

Aang smiled at him, although internally, he felt guilty. The village had come to danger because of him. It was clear to him that Katara was right, they couldn't stay in one place for very long.

The village was damaged, and he could see a Fire Nation ship close to the shore; he hoped they would just leave them alone and follow him. Aang stayed facing the island until the houses grew small behind them.
​

---

Chin City was really progressing to become one of the biggest cities in the south of the continent, rivaling Gaoling and New Ozai eventually. Having contacted her brother Raizo, she had begun immigration plans from the other colonies, and expansion was rapidly taking place.

At the same time, her campaign toward Ba Sing Se was progressing here as well. The trains were ready, the supply logistical plans had been checked, and the next stop would be New Ozai, where the rest of the convoy would assemble before moving toward the front.

The occupied mountain city was already serving as a stronger anchor for the campaign than most of the officers had expected, although Lin suspected that said more about their lack of imagination than about the value of New Ozai itself.

Now she was facing another issue altogether. The problem was how to keep the food for a long campaign in the front. There were no problems with production, there was too much of it at the moment, and too many people were treating that as good news. The problem was how to keep the front supplied, especially when they moved inside the first ring of Ba Sing Se.

Lin had spent the morning reviewing storehouse reports, harvest projections, rail capacity, and expected consumption for the next months. The numbers looked favorable only if one ignored the seasonal change ahead.

Production would drop once the weather changed on the other side of the continent, and the army was too big at the moment to suffer food shortages. If they celebrated the current surplus without preparing for the later fall, they would create a shortage out of their own success.

It was an irritating sort of problem as it was something solved so easily in her past life. Salt preserved meat, but it was not enough. Drying and smoking helped, but both required time, space, and labor that would be needed elsewhere once the campaign widened.

Grain could be stored more easily, but vegetables, fish, and fresh meat spoiled too quickly near the rail lines, so she needed to find a way to create cold storage. A fridge was something that had come years before she was born already, and she didn't know exactly how it worked.

Her family engineers had received her notes on vapor-compressor refrigeration weeks ago, and the latest report had been honest enough to be disappointing. They couldn't find a way to make it small enough, and so far all of the experiments had failed in terms of cost and how well they operated.

The pressure changes damaged the piping faster than expected. Even when they managed to keep the machine running. Although the Fire Nation had managed to discover electricity and even now invented a small dynamo that could act as an electrical generator, it was still not good enough yet.

They had attached to the test engine a unit of the dynamo but it could not provide enough power for pressure and heat needed. The other issue is that she had no idea what her world had used to replace natural magnets. She was sure they were no longer being used by the time a fridge was sold commercially worldwide, but she had no clear idea.

Lin understood the concept well enough to explain what the machine was supposed to do, but not well enough to build one herself. Compress a working fluid, move heat away, allow expansion, draw heat from the storage space, then repeat the cycle.

The question was how to do that precisely and with the tools they had available. The dynamos were still too weak so it was another challenge as they had to then adapt a working prototype to a train.

The engineers were working on a solution but having only a concept was challenging for them. Besides, she was not that good in chemistry and physics, so she had no idea how to help at all. When the report began repeating the word promising, Lin folded it and put it away. They were probably years away then from a working solution for the front.

Thankfully she received a distraction to tackle that particular detail later. Toph came barreling down her office in her usual energetic way.

"Hey Metalsticks! You promised we would spend the day together today." she said.

Lin chuckled but nodded. "I suppose we can go for a walk first, I need a bit of air." she admitted.

"Oh that much I know, and I'm blind!"

"Dear me, it's that evident?" Lin asked.

"Yeah, it's in your voice. It gives tired Lin vibes."

"Alright, let's go."

The girl followed her toward the outskirts of the city. Lin liked this part of Chin, it had a lot of green and the air felt nice and cold. As they approached one of the gates, she saluted some of the guards and carried on.

"You know…" Toph said, walking beside her with both hands behind her head, "most people spend time together by doing something fun."

"Well, I think I needed a bit of relaxing first before doing something fun."

"That is not fun."

"You are right, what do you have in mind?"

"We could challenge those gamblers again."

Lin looked down at her. "You constantly cheat them of their money, Toph. I believe they don't want to play with you anymore."

"They are a bunch of crybabies, they couldn't prove anything." Toph said, irritated. "Besides I buy nice food for them with that money."

"I guess we could play just the two of us."

Toph scowled. "You crushed the dice we had last time."

"I felt them move on their own, I was surprised."

Toph made a face. "I didn't move them."

Lin did not answer, mostly because Toph would treat any answer as permission to continue arguing. The blind girl walked with her usual careless confidence, bare feet finding every change in the road before it could trouble her.

She had been restless since the beach, and although she would not say she had felt excluded, she had complained about being left behind, and had to be pacified with the promise of having fun the two of them alone, to get back at Azula.

The princess did not mind it of course, she wanted to visit Mai now that she had arrived at New Ozai, so it fit perfectly, and she had gone ahead to wait for them there and catch up with her stoic friend.

They approached one of the village gates, where two soldiers were checking travel papers beside a low guard post. Beyond the gate, the road bent toward the fields and the smaller paths used by traders coming from the coast. Lin was about to continue past when she noticed three teenagers standing near the checkpoint.

They wore travel packs and Water Tribe blue outfits. The oldest boy's hand hovered near the weapon at his side, it looked like a club, the girl beside him was nervous and was anxiously angling her body to the side for some reason.

The youngest wore a hood over his head, and held a staff in both hands. It was him that had found her staring first. His face turned to that of fear, something that Lin was used to by now, there were so many rumors going around about her, that a few people who came to visit would flee randomly upon seeing her.

For a moment, Lin simply studied them. Three Water Tribe teenagers had walked into Chin City at the same time she was trying to solve a supply problem that would be easier with access to southern ice and maybe, if she played her cards right, their labor.

They looked too young to be soldiers, too poorly prepared to be spies, and too frightened to have come here expecting her. 'This looks like a miracle sent just for me.' she thought.

Toph tilted her head. "Is something wrong?."

"Toph…There are three Water Tribe civilians at the gate."

Toph turned toward them with sudden interest. "Water Tribe? Here?"

"Yes."

"Awesome, new people, what's so special about that?"

"We have never seen Water Tribe citizens before, this is a great opportunity!"

"For what?"

"Something that will make me very happy if it works."

"Uhm, why?"

Lin started toward the gate before the soldiers could decide to handle the matter themselves. She needed to accommodate as best as possible. The guards at the gate would just scare them more.

"Toph." Lin said, keeping her voice low. "Hurry up and follow me."

"I'm already following you."

"Stay close."

She kept her pace steady, almost rushing to meet them, watching how the three teenagers reacted as she approached. The boy with the hood tightened his grip on the staff, and the Water Tribe girl's eyes followed Lin's metal arms for a second before her face showed how scared she was.

'Damn my body is a PR nightmare it seems.' she thought.​

 

[Lucernello]

AN: Chapter 2 of 2 uploaded today. Just in case.

Discord

Enjoy,
Luce
​

---

99 A.G

Aang had thought Chin City would be safer than Omashu. That had been the whole reason for stopping there. They had left Kyoshi Island too quickly to gather enough food, and some of what they had packed before had been lost during the chase.

Sokka had insisted they could not keep flying north with empty bags and hoped to find friendly villages by luck alone. Katara had agreed, and Aang had not argued because Appa needed a bit of rest as much as they needed supplies.

He had expected nervous traders, maybe Fire Nation patrols, being asked what they were doing so far away from the South Pole maybe, to explain their situation as they were just simply traveling around, looking for adventure. That was something believable for a bunch of teenagers after all.

He had not expected Lin Renshi, the foe so great even a dedicated warrior like Suki feared her so much, to be walking near the gate. For a moment, none of them moved, and Aang wondered if they should make a run for it.

Aang knew her from a distance, from stories, from Suki's warnings. It was really difficult to miss her metal arms and legs. The Kyoshi Warriors said she was likely in Omashu after having captured it, but they were clearly wrong.

That had been part of why they wanted to avoid the mountain city. Seeing her here, close enough that he could hear the faint sound of metal when she walked, made his thoughts scatter. He saw Sokka's hand reach toward his boomerang and club, and Katara to uncork her waterskin, ready to fight their way out of here.

Aang tightened his grip on his staff and felt the air gather around his fingers before he could stop himself. One strong blast might throw the evil spirit back far enough for them to run, maybe; if he caught her by surprise, and if she did not recover too quickly, if the soldiers at the gate did not attack before they reached Appa.

Then he saw the small girl following behind her, having to run to keep up with Lin's hurried stride. She was clearly younger than them, with dark hair, bare feet, and a careless expression.

'Oh no, is she kidnapping children? If so, I can just leave her at the mercy of a monster.' he thought.

Aang realized then that the small girl was blind as well, that explained why she was following her then, she didn't know what she was.

Still, she was too close, if Aang attacked, she could be hurt before anyone understood what was happening. In his mind, Suki's voice returned to him from Kyoshi Island: 'Talk to her first, if you can.'

Lin stopped several steps away, close enough to speak without raising her voice. Her eyes moved over them once, then settled on Katara's clothes.

"You are people from the Southern Water Tribe! Aren't you?" she said.

Sokka swallowed. "And what if we are?"

"You are the first citizens to come from the South Pole. This is a great opportunity."

"Uhm…right, sure. For what?"

Katara gave him a look before turning back to Lin. "We are just passing through. We don't want trouble."

"Good, law-abiding citizens are welcomed from everywhere here." Lin said. "Trouble would be inconvenient."

Aang blinked. 'Is she threatening us? This is so awkward.' Aang thought.

The blind girl tilted her head toward him. "Well, they did not lie on the trouble part, but one of them is shaking."

"I am not shaking!" Sokka said quickly.

"I didn't mean you, big dummy." the small girl snorted. Aang stiffened, how could the small girl see? And he worried that if Sokka got mad it could end up with him saying something stupid again.

Lin glanced down at the girl. "Toph."

"What? He is."

"It's rude to point it out, it's normal for people to have fears, especially because they look like they just left the South Pole for the first time in their lives, please don't antagonize them." Lin said, sighing.

Aang gripped his staff harder. "What do you want?"

"Well, I actually want to talk with you, but we can do that inside the city." Lin said. "I actually am the governor whenever I'm here, although I have a team that helps me manage."

"I'm not sure we want to enter the city now." Katara said.

"Mmm, I know I can be a bit scary, but rest assured you will be treated fairly everywhere and if you don't want to hear me out, then I will respect that."

"We are not afraid." Sokka said.

Aang did not know what to do here, she seemed civil enough but the air was very tense. Katara seemed just as uncertain, but she recovered first. "What do you want from us? We can discuss it here first."

"Mm, you sure? I could invite you to a cup of tea first." Lin said.

"We are sure." Aang said.

"Very well… Your tribe has access to ice, people accustomed to southern conditions, and knowledge of waters my people do not know well." Lin said. "I have supply problems that may be easier to solve with cooperation between each other. I can provide food, maybe even some of our merchant ships, and tools for various needs. I'm aware I don't know much about the South Pole or its people so I may not know what exactly you need but I'm willing to offer plenty of different things and we can negotiate."

Sokka stared at her. "You want to trade?"

"Yes, obviously. The South Pole is very rough to travel to, logistically it's a nightmare and we don't know which ice can be taken and which would be dangerous to do so. We don't want to battle the weather, angering your population and causing raids. We could discuss the details to make it ideal for both sides."

"After the atrocities you have all done to our people you think we want anything to do with you?!" Katara said angrily, almost screaming.

"I was a kid when the Southern Water Tribe was invaded, I was not really privy as to why we did, or what was the goal or even what happened as I admit some of it was heavily guarded, not even my family could get ahold of the records. It must have been brutal for you to have that reaction, and for that I'm sorry you had to live through that. At some point though, your people would want to rebuild, I'm just offering to help you and once our trade is no longer useful I will leave your tribe alone."

The worst part, Aang thought, was that she was probably telling the truth.

"I feel a heavy animal trying to eat from a tree."

Lin's eyes shifted past them toward the fields. "Really? How big exactly?"

"Maybe bigger than a Rhino, do you want to capture it? It could be fun."

Aang froze again. "Uhm, it might be ours. Why would you want to capture it?"

"If you arrived with a large animal and left it outside the village, someone may be hurt if they consider it a threat, and we usually tame animals to help in different tasks, they are nice companions as well."

Sokka looked at Aang, then Katara, then back at Lin. "And if we tell you that it won't be a threat even if left alone?"

"Then I would say it would still be irresponsible, what if someone walks by and tries to capture it even if we don't?"

"Err… good point." Sokka conceded.

"Toph can help make a pen for your friend, she will show you how later. I'm curious as to what you have in the South Pole as well. Now that I think about it… you didn't arrive at the docks, so you didn't sail here. I'm assuming your mount can swim?" she asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah, Appa can swim, even in deep cold waters." Katara said quickly.

"That's so cool, I want to meet him." Toph said.

They guided her to the place where Appa waited beyond the road, partly hidden near a low rise. Aang walked stiffly the whole way, ready to move if Lin so much as raised her hand.

"Ah I see now, that's an impressive sight." Lin said.

Appa made a soft grunt and approached him slowly, wary of the girl with metal arms. If there was something Aang could trust, it is Appa's instincts.

"Haha, I like him. I can smell him from here." Toph said.

"It isn't that bad…" Sokka commented. "Wait until he sneezes on you."

Toph snorted. "How did you let that happen to you?"

"Who said anything about it happening to me?" Sokka said, indignantly.

The girl just laughed at him. "Toph, can you please make a pen for the big guy?" Lin asked.

"Sure."

Aang didn't know why Lin was asking a blind girl to build something but the confusion was cleared fast as the blind girl stepped forward, touched her foot to the ground, and bent the earth into a low stone wall around them and Appa with quick, confident movements.

Appa grumbled but did not seem offended.

"There." Toph said. "It is big enough for him to roam a bit."

Aang was surprised, the blind girl was actually an earthbender. Not only that, but she seemed a capable one at that. He wondered how she came to be friends with that monster in the first place.

Lin approached Appa slowly and looked up at him. For the first time, her face softened by a small amount. "Beautiful. What is it?"

"It's a s- a bison." Aang said, almost making a mistake.

"A bison.. With six legs, a Beaver tail and as big as at least three of the bisons I know about. This world…" He heard her mutter.

Aang simply stared at her, confused.

"What does he eat?" Lin asked.

Aang blinked stunned for a bit, before answering. "Mostly hay, tall grass. Fruit. Vegetables. Anything vegetarian."

"It must have been tough feeding him in the South Pole. I will have something brought for him."

Aang did not understand how the conversation had become this, but he nodded anyway. "Thank you."

It was obvious to him now that there was more to her than being an evil spirit as the rumors said, but he was still very wary of her.

Toph turned toward Lin. "You still owe me a spar."

"Well, I was talking with our guests… it can be later."

"You always say later."

"Alright, alright. I guess we can leave them so that they think about it."

Lin looked back at the three of them. "Consider my offer. I will be at the train station in the evening, or you can ask around for me to one of the guards, they will guide you to me. Until then, you may use Chin's hospitality, provided you do not create a scene."

She left with Toph walking beside her, already talking about where to fight. Aang watched them go, still holding his staff.

"Who would want to spar with her?" he asked.
​

---

After exploring the market from Chin city and speaking with a few of the locals, Aang, Sokka and Katara realized that they didn't have money to buy supplies. The Fire Nation used a coin named ban, divided in copper pieces, silver pieces or gold pieces. Of which they had none of.

They gathered away from prying eyes to discuss the offer so that they could leave the city with enough supplies for their trip north.

"We cannot trust her, what if she invades our village?" Katara was saying.

"Katara, let's be reasonable. If they wanted to invade us again they already could do so, without telling us anything." Sokka reasoned.

"I admit she was terrifying at first, but she isn't really what I was expecting." Aang voiced his opinion.

"I think we should take the deal. No, wait, hear me out, Katara. Our village could use the help. They were trading with Kyoshi Island as well, you saw how much it helped them." Sokka said.

"Yet they still came down to burn the village down." Katara replied.

"But it wasn't Lin's fault. It was Zuko who did that." Aang said.

"Yeah, that crazy guy clearly has it for us. Besides, we really do need supplies, and we have no money to buy them. Do you want us to starve or something?" Sokka asked.

"It would be better than to help the Fire Nation. I cannot believe this, you know what they are, Sokka. They are murderers."

"Look, all I'm saying is that we could use the help. Earthbenders are clearly working with the Fire Nation and the civilians living in this city are mostly from the Earth Kingdom. They didn't antagonize us even though they could have arrested us for not being Fire Nation. Instead they just left us alone and offered us a great deal. I think we need to see the benefits, it doesn't mean we won't fight them when we need to. You also have to consider that Aang will need a firebending teacher at some point as well, so we have to work with someone from the Fire Nation anyway in the future."

"Alright, alright! Let's hope I don't have to say 'I told you so'." Katara relented.

"Great, we will negotiate a deal with them then. Let's think about what would be best for our village." Sokka said, seriously.
​

---

The Water Tribe teenagers came to the train station as she was checking the progress of her trains with Toph. Lin had not expected them to accept so quickly, but she was pleased that they had.

The oldest boy had watched every soldier in the station like he expected one of them to attack them at any moment, and the girl had stayed close to the younger one while trying to look less worried than she was.

In hindsight she should have questioned why they were frightened, or suspicious, and poorly prepared for their travel. But in that moment, she only saw a bunch of kids looking for adventure without knowing that the world was a much larger beast than they knew about.

They had negotiated with her and explained what they needed and that they intended to keep traveling north later in the day.

To Lin, them being nervous and frightened made a lot of sense. She of course knew about the southern raids years back, they must have hit pretty hard, but they still braved the sea to get to know their world, it was pretty brave of them at their young age.

That they were still wary, for Lin, made them sensible and smart. One could never be too careful when traveling, and she hoped they didn't encounter a lot of trouble. Lin gave them supplies from the station stores.

Dried meat, vegetables and fruit that they asked for. She also let their bison eat from their haystacks. After securing them in Appa, she gave them waterskins, blankets, and enough travel food to keep them moving for several days if they rationed it properly.

She also gave them a written notice with her seal, informing settlements under her control that the three travelers were allowed food, water, and temporary shelter if they arrived without causing disturbances.

The older boy read the notice twice. "You're just giving us this?" he asked.

"I am exchanging it for that letter I mentioned."

"That still feels uneven." he commented.

"It is not for me, I will use the ice to make our food reserves last a long time, the people here will thank you a lot for it."

He did not seem reassured, but he took the brush when she placed it before him. His writing was slower than hers, he clearly knew the letters but his handwriting was atrocious really. He addressed the message to his tribe and signed it with his name and lineage.

Sokka, son of Chief Hakoda of Wolf Cove.

Lin kept her expression steady when she read it. She really was lucky. To have encountered the son of a small tribe chieftain by coincidence was really almost a miracle. Now she would help the tribe progress and in turn they would help her gather ice and actually have a base in the South Pole. It was a great boon.

"There is one more thing. I have a waterbending scroll that you may want to keep. We don't really need it and you might find it more valuable than us." Lin said, taking out the scroll she had already picked up earlier after the spar with Toph.

"What?! A waterbending scroll?" The water tribe girl asked, bewildered. "Why do you have one?"

"We took it off from some pirates we sank a few months back, near a mining village we control. It was something they believed was valuable, so we took it along with the rest of their things before sinking their ship." Lin said.

Lin could see the girl really wanted to have it, and she couldn't really blame her. The fact that they hadn't seen or heard any rumors about waterbenders this close to the South Pole meant that the campaign against the Southern Water Tribe had been even extremely successful and brutal indeed.

"You can have it as well, preserving your culture and history is important." Lin said.

"Thank you." the girl said, in what was the first time she spoke without seemingly being angry at her.

She did not need the Water Tribe to like her really, but it did help. She needed access, maybe a bit of labor, and a place where ships could dock without issues. Stealing ice from the south would be possible, but expensive and stupid. Fighting there would be worse. Fire Nation crews would hate the cold, hate the dark, and hate every task that involved being there suffering the cold.

She still was aware that the tribes didn't have men in the south anymore, they had all committed to fight in their navy. If her reports were right though, the Fire Nation had already dealt with them so they were probably not coming back.

If they could come in and encourage their help and cooperation, they could also maybe form new bonds, eventually repopulate and their colonization efforts would be easier. A dock built with local consent would solve more problems than a raid. It was definitely worth more than a few crates of food and supplies for three teenagers and a useless scroll.

"Have a nice trip. Take care now." Lin said, finally.

When the three left the station, Toph followed them with her face turned toward the door.

"They didn't want to make the trade at all, you know?" she said.

"I am aware, but I think they were thinking about their tribe first before their own needs. Which is why I gave them more supplies for their trip."

Toph snorted. "They still think you might eat them."

"I guess the rumors out there have spread far and wide..."

"It's a wonder that they left the South Pole at all, they are brave to travel the world like that. I think I want to travel as well."

"Well, in a week's time we will be traveling deep into the Earth Kingdom actually. And I was thinking that we could make a few trips to see the most interesting parts. I hear there is a pass between the east and west continent called the serpent's pass."

"That sounds cool…"

They left the station back toward her office. Inside Lin returned to the maps laid out across the table, marking a note beside Wolf Cove before she folded Sokka's letter and sealed it inside a small case.

She had no interest in explaining to some court official why she had opened communication with a Water Tribe settlement without first asking permission, so she would have to keep it undisclosed only for the people she had in mind that would handle this.

Captain Aiku entered suddenly.

"General." he said, saluting. "Prince Zuko has arrived at the dock."

Lin looked up. "Oh, does he need anything?"

"He is requesting assistance with one member of his crew who has been taken captive. He says the Kyoshi Warriors took him prisoner on their island."

Toph's head lifted. "The fan girls?"

Lin ignored that. "Bring him in."

Zuko arrived followed by his uncle, general Iroh. Lin saluted them both and offered them to step in and have a cup of tea. Iroh accepted but Zuko remained standing.

"Commander." he said. "I need to take command of a few soldiers. The Kyoshi Warriors are holding one of my men."

"My prince. It's general now. And why did they capture one of your crew?"

"Right, general. Congratulations. As I was saying, they got in the way of my research."

Lin just waited, so far he was not making a lot of sense.

Zuko's mouth tightened. "They defied me."

"That does not explain why they took a prisoner."

"Err….They attacked my crew." Zuko said.

Lin turned to Iroh who just nodded along, saying nothing.

"I have visited the island a few times. They wouldn't have attacked your men, especially after I made it clear that they had to talk to anyone first before they did anything stupid." Lin replied.

He remained silent, clearly not expecting that answer. Lin felt her irritation flare. Kyoshi Island had already proven to be a good trade partner. Their hardwood was being used heavily to construct railway tracks that could handle the weight of the artillery guns. Their meat was a delicacy many in her controlled territories enjoyed.

It seemed the prince couldn't control his temper if he had attacked a neutral village, with only a few warriors to defend itself.

"You attacked Kyoshi Island, for what reason?" Lin asked.

"I was investigating a possible lead on the avatar."

It was true that Kyoshi Island worshiped the old Avatar, but if he had attacked only for that reason, it was beyond stupid. Toph's face turned slightly toward her, listening.

"He is lying." Toph said.

Lin kept her voice level. "So you dare lie to my face about what you were doing there."

"I am not! Are you going to trust some earthbender over your prince?"

"That earthbender could bury you anytime you want, prince grumpy." Toph replied back.

Zuko stepped forward, ready to argue with the small girl when Lin stopped him. "Toph here was responsible for Omashu's surrender… So far, she has contributed far more to the war effort of your nation than you, Prince Zuko. I advise you to be respectful now or you will find no allies in my territories."

He backed off quickly when General Iroh stepped in as well to defuse the situation.

"My nephew didn't mean that, we are just a bit stressed, we did find a lead and we want to follow it, but in the chaos as we were leaving, already moving our ship, we realized one of our own was missing."

"I need him back now." Zuko said.

"Then I will negotiate his release." Lin said finally.

His eyes narrowed. "Negotiate?"

"We are not invading a neutral territory we trade with, I'm not giving you command of any of my men." Lin began gathering the papers she needed from the table. "I can go personally by glider and reach the island faster than any ship anyway."

"I will go with you." Zuko said.

"No."

"He is my crewman."

"You have done enough. You will wait for him here and do nothing more."

"You cannot talk to me like that! And you cannot order me-."

"I can, I even have the authority to arrest you and your entire crew if I so wished, Prince Zuko. You were banished and have no real authority over me. So better choose your next words very carefully."

"We will of course, hear counsel, General. Sorry for the inconvenience and we will appreciate the help in bringing him back." Iroh said.

Lin fastened the case to her belt and looked at Zuko directly. "You've embarrassed yourself, you've embarrassed your family. But most importantly, you've somewhat inconvenienced me. Reflect on that."

"What?" Zuko's face flushed darker, but she didn't let him say anything else, turning to Aiku.

"Prepare the glider. Lieutenant Toma will fly with me. We will have a seat empty to bring him back. Bring a few men from the garrison, I want you to watch over the Prince and his crew."

Aiku saluted. "Yes, General."

"But-" Zuko began to say, but was cut off again.

"Toph, will you help Aiku and keep watch on him as well? I know you don't like flying and if we only take one glider the better.

Toph grinned from beside the table. "I can keep Broody Boy company."

"Great, I'm counting on you."

"Stop!" Zuko said.

"I allow you to rough him up a bit if you need to as well, Toph." Lin said, already preparing to leave, as Aiku summoned more of the city's guards to them.

"You are being unreasonable!" Zuko complained, but he didn't seem keen on fighting everyone now.

Lin left before he could say anything else. Outside, the dock was already active with orders being relayed toward the aircraft platform. Lieutenant Toma waited near the glider, already wearing the vest they used to strap into the aircraft's frame, while two mechanics secured the last restraints on the wings.

Lin climbed into the forward seat, still angry about the whole situation.

"Toma." she said.

The lieutenant settled into position behind her. "Ready, General."

"Take us to the skies, Lieutenant, we are heading for Kyoshi's island."

The glider lurched forward, as Toma began firebending. The cold wind hit her face, calming her down.
​

---

Kyoshi Island received her with less warmth than usual. That was fair, Lin supposed. Their village had been attacked by a banished prince who still wore Fire Nation colors, and now another Fire Nation officer was arriving shortly after.

Lieutenant Toma had stayed near the glider and Lin approached the village alone. The Kyoshi Warriors stood in a line near her, fans in hand, while several villagers worked on damaged roofs behind them. Some of the wood was soaked, and the road still carried puddles from whatever had put the worst of the fires out.

Lin saw the elder she was used to talking to and stopped before him, bowing her head.

"I apologize for this attack on you. It was not authorized by me, and it was not authorized by anyone in my command."

Suki, the warrior's leader, stepped forward, clearly angry. "He said he was acting in the name of the Fire Nation."

"It is a lie. He is banished from the home islands. He commands his own ship and crew, not anyone else." Lin looked toward the damaged houses. "That does not repair what he burned, but I'm here to try and rectify what happened."

"While it is true it doesn't undo the attack, no one died luckily. We appreciate you coming here so quickly." the elder said.

"Of course, elder. I will cover the repairs and replace what was lost. If any of your people were injured, I can send word for medical supplies to arrive with the next shipment of supplies."

A few villagers muttered among themselves. Lin could hear anger in it, but also relief, which mattered more. The loss of a useful trade partner over Zuko's temper would have pissed her off greatly.

Suki stared at her for a bit, then finally lowered her stance. "We captured one of his men."

"Yes, I actually came to retrieve him." Lin kept her voice even. "If it is okay with you, I will take him off your hands. I don't fault you for defending yourselves."

The elder studied her for a long moment before looking to Suki. She nodded once, still wary, and two warriors brought the prisoner from one of the nearby buildings. He was bruised, embarrassed, and trying too hard to stand straight once he saw her.

"Commander Lin" he said.

Lin looked him over. "It's general now, ensign. Can you walk?"

"Yes, General."

"Good. You will apologize to them."

His face twitched. "General?"

"Now."

The crewman swallowed and turned toward the elder. "I apologize for the damage caused by our actions."

It was stiff and awkward, but the elder accepted it with a small nod.

"I will send the first repair payment within three days," she said. "If Prince Zuko or his crew return here you have my permission to apprehend them immediately."

Suki's eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, then you can send word to Chin City and we will handle him if he tries anything else."

That earned a brief amused look from her, although it disappeared quickly. Lin turned away with the prisoner walking beside her. Only once they were far enough from the elder did she speak again.

"What truly happened here?"

The crewman hesitated. "I don't think I can say, General. The prince would get angry at me."

"Ensign, if you don't tell me I will just say you died in captivity and throw you off my plane. I think you should really think about who you want to anger here. Me or the prince."

The young man paled. "I… we were following the Avatar."

"The Avatar is actually alive? How?" Lin asked.

"We believe the late Avatar was hiding in the Water Tribes, then he passed away and now the new avatar was reborn as a Southern Water Tribe kid."

'I had it in front of me…' Lin thought grimly.

"And this new Avatar came here?"

"Yes, General. Prince Zuko saw him. He is traveling with two other Water Tribe teenagers." The crewman glanced toward her, uneasy now. "We pursued them, but the village interfered."

"Thank you for your honesty, Ensign. Talk about what you just told me and you are dead." Lin threatened him.

"R-right, I won't say a word!"

Lin continued walking toward the glider, the ensign following behind her. She was lost in thought. She had fed them, issued them safe passage, given them a sealed notice, and accepted a letter that now sat in her case.

Zuko had known enough to pursue them to Kyoshi Island, yet when he came to her, he had hidden that detail. He lied to her face, when she had tried her best to help him on his quest. More importantly, that she had aided them was a problem.

If this reached the wrong people, it could become useful to anyone looking for weakness in her career. A Fire Nation general had aided the Avatar, even unknowingly. The accusation alone could cause problems.

Right now, only Toph and Aiku knew the details of the trade. The soldiers at the station had seen supplies move, but not why. The route south could still be pursued, quietly, with fewer names written down and fewer people invited to participate on the mission.

Lin climbed into the glider and gestured for the crewman to take the empty seat.

Lieutenant Toma looked back at her. "General."

"We return to Chin, Lieutenant."

As the glider lifted from Kyoshi Island with the crewman secured behind her, Lin watched the village shrink below, its wet roofs catching the afternoon light.

Zuko had lied to their only ally in the region and upset perhaps the only help he could receive. Lin was glad he wasn't the crown Prince anymore. Azula was by far the better choice.​

 

[Rotceh]

Well, Lin gets hurt for being nice, but at least the gang gets the point that it's not so bad.

 

[Sharker117]

Big oof, Zuko attacking Kyoshi island has definitely lost him Lin's support, though she will likely still support Iroh to an extent.
Just one really bad decision due to impatience, attacking without a real reason rather than talking to the neutral trade partner.
Bet Azula's gonna be ecstatic when she hears about it.

 

[Lucernello]

Big oof, Zuko attacking Kyoshi island has definitely lost him Lin's support, though she will likely still support Iroh to an extent.
Just one really bad decision due to impatience, attacking without a real reason rather than talking to the neutral trade partner.
Bet Azula's gonna be ecstatic when she hears about it.

Click to shrink...

Haha, how do you see Azula reacting? Or maybe another interesting question, what happens if Zuko finds out before leaving Chin that Lin aided the Avatar? How would he react?

 

[Sharker117]

Haha, how do you see Azula reacting? Or maybe another interesting question, what happens if Zuko finds out before leaving Chin that Lin aided the Avatar? How would he react?

Click to shrink...

She would be pissed that Lin had been helping him, but happy that he managed to blunder it bad enough to openly annoy her.

Zuko would be beyond pissed and have a loud hissyfit, but Iroh and everyone else would recognise that Zuko hiding the avatar's return and chasing the gaang instead of sending a message is the cause.

 

[Rotceh]

Haha, how do you see Azula reacting? Or maybe another interesting question, what happens if Zuko finds out before leaving Chin that Lin aided the Avatar? How would he react?

Click to shrink...

Hmm, seeing how things are going, it's most likely that when Lin tells Azula, she'll react more angrily to Zuko than to her. And if she has to report this, she'll say something like, "While one of them was negotiating the trade, the other two stole what Lin gave them," to protect Lin's reputation.

And Zuko will throw a tantrum.