6. The Earth Kingdom Militia
"NO!"
Zuko wasn't sure what he was doing, but he knew that it needed to be done. He moved as fast as he could and was just in time to put himself between the Earth Kingdom boy and Zhao.
In a training fight Zuko would have divided Zhao's fireblast neatly in half and directed the flames to go past him on both sides.
As it was, Zuko was surrounded by by-standers, which made merely redirecting the force of the blow a potential catastrophe for anyone unlucky enough to be standing too close. So instead Zuko used a more powerful block in order to completely dissipate the blast.
Zuko could feel the intense heat of the assault with every hair on his face and arms, but fortunately he had gotten past his fear of such situations years ago.
The last wisps of fire had barely vanished when Zhao got his head around the sudden change in the situation. Looks of disbelief and anger crossed the man's face before he settled for an irritated glare.
"Prince Zuko, what on earth do you think you are doing?!"
A very good question, Zuko thought and took a deep breath. His bending stance did not waver. Zuko had made his move and had no intentions of backing down.
"It's over, Zhao. The Avatar isn't here, and you have no proof that he ever was, or that these people helped him to escape, and I will not let you make the villagers pay for your failure to capture the Avatar. You should take your men, return to your ship and go."
Zhao was enraged. "You are an exile! Such a weak failure even your own father does not want you in his sight! You - do - not - give - orders - to - me!"
"Then it is time you and I settled our differences once and for all", Zuko stated, feeling oddly calm considering that he had just challenged a much older and more experienced firebender to a fight 'til death.
Meanwhile, on top of a nearby building, four figures and a lemur where huddled together behind a decorative tapestry, which completely blocked them from the Fire Nation soldiers' line of sight.
"We have got to do something" Aang said, his voice worried but determined.
ooo
Three hours earlier
"Admit it", Katara said, rolling her eyes.
"Admit what?" Sokka asked without lifting his gaze from the map sprawled before him.
He and Katara were sitting in Appa's saddle. Aang was at the reigns but obviously paying attention to the conversation. They had been flying over a scenic mountain view all morning and the glamor of the grand vista had had time to get pretty old to Sokka's liking.
"You have no idea where we are on the map", Katara said and peered over her brother's shoulder to get a better look at the scroll in question.
"That's not true", Sokka protested. "I'm pretty sure we are not here", he said and pointed at a place on the map. "Because if we were here, we could probably still see the Unagi waving at us in the horizon."
"Wouldn't that be nice. We could go ask Suki for directions. That is of course only if your ego could handle asking help from a girl", Katara rebuked.
"Hey, I've learned my lesson. Girls can fight too", Sokka said. "Though I wouldn't mind seeing Suki again. I had hardly any time to say goodbye when you guys suddenly decided that we were in a hurry to leave."
"It was due time for us to continue our journey if we ever intend to reach the North Pole", Katara replied determinedly.
What she is leaving unsaid, Sokka thought, is that it was due time we did what she wanted us to do.Namely, that was getting Aang away from his hordes of admirers, and making him take his responsibilities as the Avatar more seriously.
Sokka had to admit Katara had sort of succeeded in those goals. Sure, it had taken King Bumi and his crazy tasks to get Aang to stop fooling around wherever he went, but it had been thanks to Katara's little plan to help Haru that their little group had gotten their first real opportunity to kick some Fire Nation butts. Although Aang was a monk and a pacifist, it was his job as the Avatar to help them defeat the Fire Nation, and the sooner he got used to the idea the better.
"There is a village over there", Aang, always the first to notice these things, pointed out. "Maybe we should ask them?"
A village, huh? Sokka peered at his map one last time, looking for a village in the vicinity of the area hethought they were in, but eventually had to admit defeat. "Fine. Let's go there."
ooo
Zuko walked down a narrow street on his way back to the port where he had left his ship. It was early morning and the streets of the small town were practically empty.
Officially, this region belonged to Earth Kingdom, but luckily it was not particularly hostile toward Fire Nation, either. Small and without any army troops or other defenses, the town had no choice but to allow just about any ship to enter its bay to refill supplies there.
It was as good a place as any for doing some reconnaissance.
Earth Kingdom's leading generals had classified this area as a region 'not worth fighting for'. It may have sounded harsh, but Zuko understood that all sides had to prioritize which targets were most valuable for a nation's war efforts. This region was hard, rocky land with plenty of mountains and few inhabitants or crops to be gained. Thus the area had little importance to its Kingdom, and they had left it for Fire Nation.
Ironically, Fire Nation had no more use for the region than Earth Kingdom did. The area could not be used as a secret back door to Omashu, as the War Council had once suggested, because not even Fire Nation could establish practical supply lines through the mountains.
So, Fire Nation had not even bothered with officially invading or occupying the area, for they too could not afford to waste troops on an insignificant target. All in all, most of the region had ended up becoming no man's land, where anyone who had the muscle to be the local authority was the local authority.
Knowing this, Zuko put on his tough face when walking through the town. When traveling in Earth Kingdom, anonymity was often a good way to avoid unnecessary fights, but in shady ports like this one, Zuko preferred to wear his Fire Nation uniform. It served to inform anyone looking for trouble on the level of trouble they would encounter should they pick a fight with him.
Zuko's ship came in view, looking pathetic as usual. The fact that this particular port had no other Fire Nation vessels to compare it to helped, but the ship still looked unmistakable old and sad.
It was by no means a ship fit for nobility, let alone the Prince of Fire Nation, but Zuko had long ago stopped expecting to be treated like one. A man without honor, prince or not, was nothing.
But that would all change when he captured the Avatar. First, he just had to find the boy.
One of the hardest things about tracking the Avatar was that Zuko had no idea what the boy's plan was. Originally, he had presumed the Air Nomad was heading north. The Avatar had, after all, promised to take Katara to the Northern Water Tribe to learn waterbending, and since they were still traveling together, Zuko had presumed that was their plan.
Now, however, the Prince had been tracking the airbender and his Water Tribe companions for weeks, and had nothing more to show for his trouble than the Avatar's airstaff and a Water Tribe necklace. Zuko was constantly one step behind them. He blamed Zhao and his endless attempts to slow him down for this. In many ports, like Kyoshi Island, Zuko had missed the Avatar by mere hours. The earthbender prison rig he had visited the other day had still been smoking..
However, the truly troubling part was that nothing Zuko had learned of the Avatar's movements so far suggested that the airbender was heading to the North Pole. Or any other particular direction. His seemingly random movements were next to impossible to predict.
But now, finally, Zuko had managed to get a reliable tip on the airbender's whereabouts, and if the information held true, the Avatar was not far. Which meant that the Prince was in a hurry to tell Lieutenant Jee and the rest of his crew about their new heading.
Zuko marched up the ramp to his ship. A helmsman on guard duty was sitting on a barrel nearby, so the Prince walked over to him. Not bothering with pleasantries, Zuko cut to the chase: "I wish to speak to Lieutenant Jee. Where is he?."
The helmsman startled, clearly not having heard Zuko approach. Zuko felt his temper flare.
Granted, due to years of training, Zuko's natural stride was stealthy, but a guard should have been on alert.
I'm surrounded by incompetence. What if I'd been an attacker, then what?
Zuko felt like letting the man hear it. In fact, he had felt like shouting at every member of his crew for every little thing that went wrong ever since they had callously betrayed him to Zhao a few weeks earlier. However, so far he had attempted to restrain himself as Uncle had advised him to do.
Because Iroh had a point. In his current situation, Zuko was stuck with the crew he had, whether he was pleased with them or not. Also, they had been a hard-working and loyal crew for most of the three years they had served under him.
In all honesty, his crew were the closest thing Zuko had to friends.
The only thing I'd achieve by shouting at them is that it would make me feel better.
In any case, this particular helmsman did not deserve to have all of Zuko's wrath taken out on him. Therefore, instead of yelling at the soldier, Zuko settled for eying the man with mild irritation until he recovered and realized he was being addressed by his superior.
Finally, the soldier managed a hasty bow and replied: "Prince Zuko, I... I didn't hear you coming." Obviously."Lieutenant Jee is at the ship's bridge, sir."
Zuko nodded and dismissed the soldier. The Prince headed up the stairs towards the ship's navigation room. He could not afford to stall. The Avatar had been sighted two clicks into the mainland, heading north, and if the word of his whereabouts had spread fast and wide enough to reach Zuko so soon, odds were Zhao was onto the boy as well.
ooo
Commander Zhao had hundreds of warships under his command, and one of them had just informed him that the Avatar's bison had been sighted near Halti village.
Well, well. I knew you couldn't hide from me forever.
ooo
"Guys, you will never guess who just landed in the village!"
Judging by the blank expressions on her comrades faces, they really weren't guessing. Not even after Ilya had given them such an obvious tip.
"Well, it's the Avatar!" That seemed to make the group a bit more excited, but the boys still seemed to be at a loss about what they should do with the information she had handed to them.
Figures, Ilya sighed to herself. Subtlety was hardly ever the way to go when speaking to guys.
"Perhaps someone should go and tell Shen about it? I mean, I imagine he will be pretty pissed if he hears that the Avatar has been visiting but he missed it."
Ilya and the three other young members of Earth Kingdom Militia had been assigned to keep an eye on the village closest to their local headquarters. Now something interesting had actually happened, and it was time one of them went to get their leaders.
Ilya was a bender and although she wasn't well-trained in her bending, she had a naturally sure footing even when climbing up and down steep mountainsides. She knew she could probably deliver the message the fastest. Still, she didn't volunteer to be the one to go.
Having been raised with four brothers, Ilya had learned long ago that it was easier to get along with guys if you let them think they were stronger than you. A member of the 'weaker sex' volunteering to do all the heavy lifting would on the long-run only disturb their team dynamics and effectiveness. The boys getting to help the poor little girl would be better for morals.
They all agreed that it would be for the best if Li went to tell Shen. Ilya's time to shine would have to wait. She really would have liked to meet the legendary Avatar, but now she had to stay behind to guard the post.
"Ah, don't be like that", one of the men tapped Ilya on the back. "We have a duty to our cause. Besides, who knows. Maybe something else will still happen. A Fire Nation scouting party could come snooping around."
"Or the Earth Kingdom Army", another youngster suggested, and they all laughed heartily at the joke. Earth Kingdom Army had not payed a visit to this part of the country in over thirty years.
ooo
Aang was a tad overwhelmed by the warm welcome they had received from what apperaed to be the entire village.
"Avatar, it is such an honor to have you as our guest!" An old man, who had introduced himself as the town mayor, thanked them for the third time for having shown up.
"Well, it is good to be here", Sokka said awkwardly, and added more quietly to Aang and Katara, "Wherever here is."
"How did you know I'm the Avatar?"
"Why, we recognized you, of course . We have heard much about the good deeds you have done for our Kingdom. You are an inspiration to us all", the overly exuberant mayor continued praising their heroics.
He was a man in his seventies with a gray beard. The mayor's looks and attitude reminded Aang a bit of the Elders of his home temple, and this made Aang like the man already.
It shouldn't be too hard to get these people to help us in our quest to save the world, Aang thought. It felt good to be appreciated, too.
True to their word, the villagers agreed to help them the best they could. They showed Sokka where they were on the map and provided them with new supplies.
The village was poor and remote, so they did not have enough grains to feed Appa, but luckily Aang could send the bison to explore the mountains and find food for himself.
Aang felt sad watching Appa go. The monk knew he was being childish when he wanted to keep the bison constantly around so that he would have a way to take off whenever he felt like. Ever since he had lost his glider, Aang had felt so very... earthbound.
The people of Kyoshi Island had been kind enough to give him a pair of fans to fight with, but there were things you could do with an airstaff that the fans did not help with. Flying was one of them. Aang had tried.
Aang's attention was snapped back to the present by hushed voices whispering all around him. There was some kind of commotion going on, and the crowd of curious spectators surrounding Aang, Katara and Sokka made way for a new group of people.
"Avatar Aang! What a fortunate thing we are to meet!" a tall and broad-shouldered man in his thirties greeted him.
The man was dressed in traditional Earth Kingdom greens, and he had a bright green wristband on his left wrist. He was leading a group of ten people, and they were all wearing similar wristbands. The bands had insignia on them, but Aang didn't recognize it.
"My name is Shen, and I am the leader of the Earth Kingdom Militia", the leader of the group continued.
"The what now?" Sokka blurted out, but Shen didn't appear to take offense.
The man smiled a calm and confident smile and continued to speak: "I am not certain you have heard of us, but it is truly a blessing we are to run into each other. My Militia is, after all, fighting the same fight as you are, and I believe it would be in everyone's best interest for us to coordinate our actions."
"You, too, are fighting the Fire Nation?" Katara asked. "That's great! Just the other day, we were telling these earthbenders who had been imprisoned by Fire Nation that they should fight for their homes."
Shen smiled at Katara. "Yes, so we have heard. It was very brave of you and you were right to do so. Every man, woman and child of this Kingdom should be ready to fight for their homes. So know this: you are not alone in your quest for justice. We, the citizens of Earth Kingdom, are ready to fight for our rights. This oppression has lasted far too long, but now that you, the Avatar, have returned, my Militia and I are ready to stand behind you as you set the wrongs of the world right."
"Did you hear that?" Katara asked enthusiastically, turning to speak to Aang and Sokka. Aang smiled back at her. This was good news.
"Yeah, it is nice to hear you feel that way, and it is good to meet you all", Aang said and bowed to Shen and his men.
Shen bowed back and continued: "I am glad we have an understanding. Now, it would be my honor to invite you to join me and my men for a dinner. Afterwards, we could discuss the specific plans each of us has for the future."
"A dinner? Now you're talking", Sokka pitched in.
ooo
The food was so good it made Sokka feel envious of all the things the Earth Kingdom could grow. Half of these things would never last on the Poles, and even a a devout carnivore like he had to admit that these vegetables were tasty.
Also, you had to give the Militia some credit for being hospitable hosts; offering a good meal before talking business. It would be easier to focus on war planning with a full stomach.
Sokka, Katara, Aang, the Militia people and some of the villagers had gathered into a large, wooden dining hall. The sleazy mayor had called it the city hall, and it was much grander than th eother buildings. During the meal the Avatar and his group got to know more about the Militia.
It turned out that the Earth Kingdom Militia was a kingdom-wide organization consisting mosty of ordinary citizens who wanted to help with the war, and it was lead by Shen and his trusted men. Listening the Militia men joked amongst themselves reminded Sokka of his father Hakoda and how the men of the tribe acted together. He had a good feeling about this.
The dinner was just about over and Shen looked like he was ready to start the talks.
"So, Avatar Aang", Shen began, "What do you intend to do first as the Avatar?"
Aang exchanged looks with the Water Tribe siblings. Sokka gave him an encouraging nod.
"Well, the thing is, I haven't really mastered all the four elements yet", Aang answered honestly. "In fact, I only know airbending, so first, we are going to travel to the Northern Water Tribe to learn waterbending."
"Sounds reasonable", Shen agreed. "What about after you've mastered all the elements? What will you do then?"
"Aang is going to stop the Fire Nation, of course", Sokka answered on Aang's behalf.
"Yes, of course. Do you already have a plan on how to accomplice this goal?" Shen wondered.
Again, their team exchanged looks before Aang replied: "Um, no. Not really."
"But we still got plenty of time to think of something", Sokka added, not wanting to sound like they were just aimlessly drifting around, which was actually pretty much what they had been doing so far.
Shen smiled at him and nodded. "But am I to understand that you are not opposed to the idea of taking part in fighting even before you have reached your other goals?"
"Yeah, sure", Sokka said. "I mean, we kind of can't avoid it, what with the Fire Nation trying to capture Aang and all. Plus, it is about time someone showed those Fire Nation scums that they don't get to do whatever they want and get away with it."
"Indeed. All those who mean to sustain the unjust structures of the world should be held accountable", Shen affirmed.
That's one way of putting it.
"Okay, so what about you guys? Have you got some kind of plan?" Sokka inquired.
Now it was Shen's turn to exchange looks with his men before answering. "In fact, we too have already began our fight against the oppressing class in many Earth Kingdom counties. For example, in this region, we have confiscated Fire Nation supplies, and with the profits gathered from those supplies, we have founded several new schools to replace the ones that were destroyed in the war. Or were never built in the first place, despite the population growth."
Shen looked to one of his trusted men, a slim guy about the same age as the leader, and the other man nodded and continued for him: "Indeed. Organizing public education available to everyone is one of our main goals. The state of the current school system is, well, appalling. We haven't yet been able to achieve as much as we would have liked on that area, but our movement gains new members every day, and soon the official legislators can no longer keep ignoring us."
"A quick question: what do schools have to do with defeating the Fire Nation?" Sokka had to ask, even at the risk of sounding stupid.
"Right now in our Kingdom only the wealthy can get an education It has always been this way, but times are changing, and the Kingdom has to change with them. I would go as far as saying that lack of education is one of the single greatest concerns of our country, since it limits the opportunities the poor have to improve their situation", Shen answered.
His voice got a new layer of passion to it as he went on: "When only the ruling class gets an education, they will always remain the ruling class. And when only a handful of rich and influential noble families hold all the power in the land, nothing will ever change. For a hundred years, this war has taken its toll especially on the poor living in the countryside. Many farmers have had to leave their homes and become refugees, and without any other education than how to grow crops, they have little chance of obtaining wealth in a city."
"How can our country ask us to die for it when it gives us nothing in return?" Now Shen was really getting fired up. The members of Militia around him were nodding their heads.
Shen banged his fist on the table to emphasize his agitation. "In our Kingdom's current state, it is not a kingdom worth fighting for. Therefore we demandchange, and we demand it now."
The last part got some of the men shouting small whoopees.
"I understand what you are saying", Katara cut in, "but shouldn't getting rid of Fire Nation still be your firstpriority?"
"It has been our Kingdom's first and only priority for a hundred years, but even a war does not excuse a hundred years without social change. If we don't make something happen now, we never will."
Suddenly Aang, who had been pretty quiet thus far, shot up from his seat. "But you are Earth Kingdom! You're supposed to be stable and consrevative, like your element. You're not supposed to rebel."
"Even the stablest of rocks will rumble down when pushed hard and long enough", Shen replied, his gaze unwavering.
Aang waved his hands in the air, as if trying to grasp some invisible thread of logic. "But you are supposed to be patient. You're supposed to be about tradition"
Okay, Aang seriously needs to stop telling the Earth Kingdom people what they are supposed to be like.
"Children of earth are all about traditions", Shen agreed, "but if those traditions no longer serve the people, we should create new ones. If our leading generals no longer work for all of their kingdom, but only for the people living in the big cities, they should be replaced."
"Another quick question: if the Army, which is being led by the current generals, doesn't want new ones, then what?" Sokka asked, although he had a feeling he already knew the answer.
"Then they will be replaced by force", Shen replied solemnly.
"But more fighting won't solve anything", Aang was almost pleading, "And you can't fight your own countrymen!"
"There will be change", Shen, too, was now on his feet. "We will be heard, even if we have to knock down the great wall of Ba Sing Se ourselves and demand an audience with the Earth King."
"We could start with King Bumi", another Militia member added. "Omashu is much closer, and they have helped their surrounding counties almost as little as Ba Sing Se has."
Oh great, now there will be no stopping Aang.
To prove Sokka right, Aang almost yelled: "You can't attack Omashu! King Bumi is a great ruler!"
The Militia men were starting to give Aang annoyed looks, and Sokka decided he had to intervene: "Look, Aang, I get what you are saying, but let's cut them some slack here. After all, we don't know much about how King Bumi or the Earth King actually rule their people. It might also be a matter of public appearance. At least to me, Bumi didn't come across as the mostsane leader of all time. I mean, I suppose you know him better than we do, but then again, you weren't the one who had to almost suffocate because of, well, a madman's whim."
Aang turned to look at Sokka with innocent surprise on his face: "I'm sure he wouldn't have let that happen..."
"I'm sure he wouldn't have, but Sokka is right", Katara said, surprising even Sokka. Ever since Aang had come along, she had pretty systematically taken his side in arguments, acting like the Avatar could do no wrong.
Now Sokka's sister went on: "If their chief isn't doing his job well, they should elect a new one."
"Exactly", Shen said to Katara.
"But the Earth Kingdom is much bigger than you tribe, and they are not as unanimous. How could they ever elect a leader even half the Kingdom would be pleased with?" Aang started to sound desperate.
"Look, guys", Aang continued. "I understand that you are upset, but this is a bad idea. If the Earth Kingdom doesn't stand united against the Fire Nation, how can you win this war?"
"Excuse me, but I was under the impression that it was the Avatar's job to stop the Fire Nation", Shen said coolly.
Utter silence followed.
ooo
Traveling alone wearing a Fire Nation armor had its risks, especially in an area where the Earth Kingdom Militia was known to be active, but today Zuko had no choice but to take his chances with the rag-tag resistance movement. The Prince had no time to waste if he intended to reach the Avatar before Zhao did.
Zuko had originally planned to travel fast and incognito, so he hadn't taken any of his crew along.
He knew how to move in a hurry without anyone noticing something was out of place, but his crew wasn't as sneaky, and whatever value a few extra hands would have provided in a fight was meaningless if they arrived too late or tipped the Avatar off too early.
That was why Zuko had taken only Uncle along.
About half way to the village the Avatar was supposedly in, they had run across some fresh tracks. Fire Nation troops had gone this way no more than half an hour ago, and Zuko knew in his heart that they were Zhao's men.
Well, at least I no longer have to worry about accidentally tipping the Avatar off that Fire Nation is onto him. If the monk hasn't noticed Zhao's small army heading his way, he is busted already. What would I do then?
Zuko didn't complete that line of thought.
ooo
A young woman wearing a Militia wristband burst into the city hall. "Three Fire Nation ships have anchored to the Halti bay and troops are on their way here. We'll have company in fifteen minutes."
Shen got up and started handing out orders to his men. He turned to the Avatar. "We will finish this conversation later, but now you and your friends have to hide."
"No! If the Fire Nation is attacking your village, we are not going to run and hide. We will stay here and help you fight them", Katara said and got to her feet.
"We appreciate the gesture, but you staying to fight is the last thing we need you to do. The Fire Nation is coming here to either find us or you, maybe both, and the best thing for the village is that they find neither of us", Shen explained.
"There is no time for the Militia to evacuate back to our base, so we must all hide. The Militia can do that by simply taking off our wristbands, but you have to go underground. Ilya here is a bender. She'll create a hiding place for you."
All three children started to argue simultaneously, but Shen raised his hand and continued: "You can fight, so can the Militia, but even if we would fight and win, the Fire Nation might return to retaliate on the village. The best thing for everyone is that they find none of us here. So I beg you to do as I have asked."
"Fine", Aang said.
"But we're not going underground", Sokka added. "We need to be hiding somewhere where we can monitor the situation, you know, in case something goes wrong."
Shen didn't look pleased, but he turned to Ilya. The girl thought for a moment and smiled. "I've got the perfect place in mind. Follow me."
ooo
"Where is the Avatar? Where are you hiding him?"
Zhao's patience was running thin. He and his men had searched the entire village from top to bottom and had thus far found no evidence of the Avatar's presence.
Zhao had no doubt that the Air Nomad had either just fled or these peasants where hiding him. Either way, the Commander knew who to blame.
"So be it", Zhao said calmly and turned to his men, "burn the village. All of it."
A young Earth Kingdom boy took a step forward and shouted: "We are not afraid of you!"
A vicious smile crossed Zhao's lips. He would personally teach this insolent young man a thing or two about respect. The villagers did not take him seriously, but they would after this.
Zhao turned and launched a massive two-hand fireblast towards the youngster.
ooo
Zuko and Uncle had entered the village unnoticed. The commotion caused by the search on the village had ensured that no one had given a second thought to two more people in Fire Nation uniforms.
Zuko had intended to conduct a search of his own once Zhao had left, but now that was off the table.
Is he mad?!
This was exactly the kind of behavior that gave all of Fire Nation a bad name, and as a commander, Zhao should have led by example. On a more personal note, it was just plain wrong to hand out punishments arbitrarily.
Zuko felt a bit like a hypocrite for thinking that way, since in Zhao's shoes, he too would have threatenedthe villagers. There was absolutely no doubt that the Avatar had been here, after all. But Zuko would not have gone through with his threats. He would not have attacked civilians, especially without any evidence of their guilt.
When Zhao turned around and attacked a random bystander, Zuko made his decision. Consequences aside, he would be damned before he'd let this happen under his watch.
"NO!"
()()()
A/N
To be continued. In the meantime, feel free to comment on how you like the events of the fic so far.