Vengeance, thy name is Aang

Ch. 20- Siege of the North; Blood and Fire

xXx

Cold, shrewd amber eyes stared out into the endless horizon as Zhao stood at the helm of his war ship. It had taken him far longer than he'd care to admit to track down the Avatar after the boy's escape, longer still since he'd needed to recover from Lord Ozai's punishment, but after weeks of searching the maniacal patriot had finally caught the monk's trail.

Thinking about his failure settled a sneer across Zhao's face, the wrinkles around his forehead and cheeks deepening into creases over the man's skin as he felt the very real pain left behind by the scars lashed across his back. Yet even these were preferred to the shameful mark carried by the Fire Lord's own son; at least his could be hidden away. But the Admiral knew that this was his last chance, failure to capture the Avatar a second time would see him stripped of rank and publicly humiliated.

Just the thought of walking around, disgraced and disfigured, was like pouring gasoline all over the Naval warmonger's already lit fuse. The son of a soldier, Zhao knew nothing other than combat and life out in the field of battle. He'd thrown himself into his studies as a boy, made his way to the top of his class and had been accepted by the Fire Nation's most elite academy where he buried his teenage hormones and base desires to become rising star of the empire's military force. Zhao had thrown away everything for his ambition, for glory...if he failed here, there would be nothing left to live for.

And so, with the Northern Water Tribe's walls just beginning to break through the fog of early morning, Admiral Zhao hardened his resolve and ordered his men to prepare for invasion; they would cut there engines and approach slowly, so as not to give away their position with polluted snow. Yet in his narrowed vision of the battle to come, he missed the single soldier slipping down below decks rather than towards the armory.

Quick, light steps carried Zuko down into the bowls of his rival's transport. Having made sure to keep his own trail cold after escaping with the Avatar, the teenage prince had hoped that enlisting the help of June the bounty hunter would tip the odds in his favor.

With that plan pushed to the back burner by the woman's insistence of more money, Zuko found he had no real choice other than to try and steal victory out from underneath Zhao's nose just as the older man had attempted in the past.

Commandeering one of the special uniforms worn by the Admiral's personal fleet had been child's play, Zuko had yet to meet a firebender worth their salt once they've been pumped with alcohol, and from there it was merely a matter of stowing away onto the ship and staying out of sight until they caught back up with the Avatar.

Iroh hadn't been happy with his plan, had marked it as too dangerous, but with no leads to follow Zuko was desperate. He'd failed to capture the Avatar multiple times now, the battle at the Sage's Tower still haunted his nightmares, and there was no telling when his father's patience would run out.

Even as his uncle looked on at him with worry in his eyes the prince did not allow himself to waver. No. Zuko had to do this; he needed to succeed. Because should he fail, the banished royal didn't believe he would live to see another sun rise.

xXx

Where the Fire Nation native's wrestled with their fear of failure, Sokka fought against his wounded heart in the training hall of his Northern kin. All around him the sounds of practice and preparation filled the air but the youngest of those boys paid it no mind; to Sokka, all that existed was himself and the dummy on which he rained down numerous blows with his practice staff.

Working through the stances they'd shown him since his arrival at the North Pole Sokka silently begrudged the fact that he was not given a sword, although even he could admit to himself that part of the problem was that Yue's intended had been delegated a blade rather than a spear. But even besides that the budding warrior felt he was more proficient with the single handed weapon, especially when paired with his boomerang. However in the North Chief Arnook was in charge, and if even his father followed the other man's lead, than Sokka knew he had no choice but to do as he was told.

Sliding around the training dummy to land a smashing blow with the edge of his practice weapon Sokka tried his best to keep his mind from wandering back to that fateful night Yue tore his heart form his chest. Bile bubbled in his stomach, but he pushed it down as he slipped into another stance and this time worked some of what he'd been taught on the liberation mission into the routine.

Over and over the young teen whipped and snapped his wooden staff against the stagnant body of the training dummy, until his entire body dripped with sweat and his muscles cried for a break. It wasn't until he finally slipped and fell on the puddle that'd formed at his feet that Sokka realized he'd been so engrossed in training that he missed all the others leaving for breakfast.

Getting up onto shaky legs Sokka wiped the sweat from his drenched brow and began to stumble his way out of the training hall. Wincing at the bright light of the rising sun as he finally stepped out into the open the heartbroken Southerner heaved a morose sigh as he envisioned having to watch the girl he'd grown so fond of feed some other guy.

Yes, this was all in his head, but who knows what he'd find upon entering the eating hall.

It was just as he'd thrown his head back in a groan that Sokka noticed it though; dots. Lots, and lots of little black dots peppered the otherwise clear blue sky like burnt out stars...or missiles! Flashes of the coastal assault came rushing back to the forefront of the young warrior's mind and with it so did the anxiety of being bombarded with flaming balls of destruction. With eyes wide in terrible understanding, Chief Hakoda's son could only watch as a blanket of death began to rise from where those projectiles crashed into the wall of ice, could only drop like a doll when the tremors started...could only remember that day his whole life changed.

It was happening again, the Fire Nation was attacking.

Screaming; that was the first thing Sokka made out through the ringing in his ears as he sat on his knees. It was familiar though, he recognized that voice...

"Sokka, get up, what was that just now!?"

His sister, Katara, she was standing over him with an alarmed expression painted on her face and beads of sweat decorating her forehead; whether from running there, or healer practice Sokka did not know. All the shaken non-bender could do was lift his finger to point out at the ocean, and the second wave of incoming dark stars.

Worried blue eyes turned to look, and immediately turned the size of a whole gold piece as Katara finally caught sight of what had interrupted her private practice. When the next shock-wave hit, she was hard pressed to keep her balance, forced to lean against her brother's shoulder, right before reaching down to pull him to his own feet.

Brother and sister shred a single glance, the corners of their vision catching, before they both decided.

"We need to find Aang."

The young monk in question had been deep in thought before the attack, staring down at his hands in a lost but serious daze. In the time that he'd been hosted at the North Pole he'd come a long way in his waterbending, and had even delved into the realm of cross-bending thanks to the teachings of Master Pakku, but while the elderly instructor had been awed by the Avatar's talent Aang himself had been confused.

Yes, he was gifted, but his progress with the second element felt unreal. The way his chi just seemed to flow as he moved through the stances, crafting all manner of attack and defense from the particles in the air was beyond anything Aang had ever felt capable of...until he recalled his pact with Al' awal.

But...I wasn't this powerful afterwards. Could I—Could I be getting stronger the longer his energy runs through me?

Thinking back to the things he'd been able to create, to forge from the very elements, all pointed to the obvious answer and yet the Avatar could still hardly believe it. Techniques he'd been lead to believe were only possible in the Avatar State now seemed within his reach, should he but attempt them. This seed of possibility took firm roots in Aang's mind right before he was jostled from his perch by a powerful quake across the entire city.

Looking out towards the horizon sharp, gray eyes narrowed as Aang took notice of the Fire Navy ships quickly making their way towards the Northern Water Tribe's home. Gripping his staff like a vice the hooded monk leaned forward until gravity took over and carried him into the open air, but the young airbender only made it down a handful of feet before he was soaring through the air and making his way towards the wall of ice that stood between the people of the North and the possibility of annihilation.

Zipping past the line of defending waterbenders standing along the icy blockade, who were already set to work returning fire at the incoming war ships, Aang flew out into the open angled himself towards the nearest transport aside from the lead; he didn't know just who was in charge of the attack, and didn't want to risk running into Ozai unprepared. Landing with a 'thump' the young Avatar set to work picking apart the forces that rushed him. Slinging his staff across his back, there was only the sound of metal scraping before the boy's swords began slicing away at the armor of each Fire Navy soldier who got too close. The men were well trained, but never having fought against an airbender, let alone a master, they quickly found themselves overwhelmed by Aang's lightning-like speed and serpentine reflexes.

It was over in minutes. Bodies lay unmoving across the deck, while others flailed around out in the frigid ocean trying not to sink under the weight of their armor, and at the center of it all stood the hooded monk without a scratch.

"One down..." A single, deep breath was taken before Aang launched himself back into the air, leaving the now unmanned ship to sit idly across the Northern sea as he sped off to add more of the metal monsters to the collection.

However by this time Zhao had ordered all ships to turn up the heat and close the distance to the wall as soon as possible, he had a plan for advantage the moon gave to his enemy but the knowledge would do him no good if the damn thing rose before he was ready. And so Aang found himself pushing the limits of his reserves as he took down warship after warship, one became two which became five until after twelve all the blood flying through the air began to blur his senses to anything other than the heat of battle.

Confident in the belief that he could have taken out at least twice as many ships if he'd used more than basic airbending and his sword skills, but cautious enough not to tire himself out too hard, Aang finally pulled back and shot into the air and let off a volley of air bullets to pierce through the hull of ten more ships before falling back to the wall for a second to rest.

"Get ready to intercept them," he relayed to the men and women working beside him along the wall. "I did what I could, but there's no telling who's actually leading this invasion and the last thing I think any of us wants is for me to be too tired to face the possibility of the Fire Lord making a house call. I need everyone on this wall, and every single nearby combatant ready to engage whatever siege the they have planned."

Each and every face he could see was steeled in determination, and as the first ship breached the frozen defense Aang watched those men and women begin their descent with clear purpose even as the hull opened up and a swarm of Fire Nation soldiers marched out; heads high and faces smug, as though they'd already won.

Citizens looked on in horror as the wall they believed would keep them safe, screaming in terror at the invading force of red that bled into their snow-white world, before scrambling away in a desperate attempt to save themselves. Such a sight further fueled Aang's fury, and urged him forward over the crumbling edge of his perch. He was like a falling star, coming down fast and smashing into the very center of the battle.

A single sweep of his leg sent the advancing soldiers falling back into a tangle of limbs before the Avatar's outstretched hand let loose an air bullet that crushed a number of ribs, bodies dropped and the Fire Nation men who'd been left standing now mirrored the faces of the very people they'd come to conquer. But Aang cared little for this, choosing instead to rush the enemy while their morale had been shaken. He was soon joined by the swell of guards, and among the clangs and clashes of steel, Aang returned to that place he'd found back on those ships...

So there was no chance of him noticing Zhao slipping away in the sea of his troops.

xXx

Neither of the siblings could even catch a glimpse of the Avatar as they ran through the city, but each had a good idea where to find him as they traveled against the tide of fearful natives. If there was a battle, Aang was sure to be in the middle of it.

In another life, Sokka may have found the oxymoron of a violent monk to be funny, but not here. The teen had found that the life he lived was no laughing matter, and that war was every bit as scary and unfair as he'd heard. All around them Sokka could see billowing towers of black smoke stacking into the sky as the firebending corps made their debut; he could hear the heart-wrenching cries of pain and please for mercy, could smell the nauseating stench of burnt flesh, and almost all at once was reliving the attack on his own home for the second time that day.

Tired legs buckled and Sokka almost went down if his sister hadn't threw her arms out to catch him, her cry of worry lost among the ringing in his ears again. He felt sick, and after a moment the teenage warrior couldn't help himself, Sokka threw up.

"How hard did you push yourself this morning!?" Katara worried, guessing only half of her older sibling's plight. "And now you're running around the whole North Pole; Sokka you need to sit down."

The first time he tried to speak Sokka found himself gagging on his own tongue, but as he was being lead to a back alley the non-bender managed to find a scratchier version of his old voice. "I-I can't yet, we h-have to find Aang."

"And we will, but you wont be any good to him like this, Sokka you have to relax and catch your breath. I'm sure Aang can handle himself out there for a few minutes while you get your strength back."

Those minutes turned out to be mere seconds as the pair watched an elderly citizen be mowed down before their eyes, before the soldier responsible turned to look at them with malicious intent. "This is turning out to be my lucky day; you backwater heathens pulled me away from my life back I the capital, all because you just didn't wanna submit to Lord Ozai, so now I'm going to make each and every one of you suffer for your stupidity!"

Seeing that her brother was still in no shape to fight Katara stood ready to defend them both. Her parka hid it well, but waterbending beauty was shaking a bit in fear. She'd done battle before, but each new enemy was different than the last and there was no telling just how strong this soldier was. Part of her had to wonder, without the training of Master Pakku, could she turn what she'd learned from the healers into a weapon?

In quick succession the answer turned out to be a frightening 'no'.

Before she new what was happening Katara found her feet knocked out from under her and her back slamming into the ground with a hand wrapped around her throat. Those fingers pressed down hard on her windpipe and no amount of flailing seemed to help. Yelling for help was impossible, and there was a moment, as the sun glinted off that wicked sword, that Katara truly believed she was going to die.

But then every pound of Sokka's teenage body came crashing into her would-be killer, taking both men to the floor where they wrestled for control. And while normally Sokka believed he could gain the upper hand, he also knew that his sore muscles would soon give out on him again; so he searched for another way. The answer came in the sword laying across the ground, forgotten by its owner in the scuffle.

Chancing it, Sokka stretched his arm to the limits of its reach and grabbed the handle of his salvation before whipping his hand back and carelessly swinging the blade down in a mad effort to put down the Fire Nation soldier grunting beneath him.

There were a few cries of pain before one hardy 'thwack' transformed them into gurggling jibberish.

Unable to pry the sword loose from the dying man's cranium Sokka left it to soak in the crimson puddle that was building at his feet. Keeping his eyes off the mask of shocked horror the former invader wore, the teenage soldier dragged himself to a standing position before making it on shaky feet to his downed sister.

"A-Are you okay, Katara?"

A lifetime ago the dark-skinned girl would have begged for her brother's voice to be so quiet, but now it only made her stomach turn to hear the once boastful young man sound so beaten, so tired. Looking up into his exhausted gaze, eyelids heavy and circles starting to form under his eyes, Katara felt tears prick at the corners of her own cerulean orbs a she let Sokka help her to her feet. The moment she stood though, Katara enveloped her big brother in a tight embrace.

"Thank you."

Not just for saving her, but for being there whenever it seemed like the world might finally bring her down; even if it meant staining his own hands with the blood of others. Over the years Katara had built a list of the things she'd wish Sokka would change about himself, but his heart was never one of them.

"We need a new plan," the teen's voice had regained some of its usual self-absurdness. "We both want to help Aang, but that just showed me I'm still too exhausted to do much good out in the field; you were right. I think it's best if we regroup with dad and Chiek Arnook back at the meeting hall, the siege just started so I don't think either of them would be out in this mess yet. From there we'll get our orders and hope the southern waterbenders are strong enough to counter the boost the Fire Nation gets from the sun."

Katara worried her lip at hearing they were ditching the plan to find Aang, but could not find true fault in her brother's logic. So, with a silent prayer that the young monk would be kept safe, she followed after Sokka to find their father.

xXx

The spiritual center of the North Pole was a beautiful oasis; warm, with feather-light grass and a shimmering pond. There was a peaceful silence, as though the small island had been cut off from the rest of the world to the point where even the noises of battle did not penetrate the serenity of the scene. Yet all these wonderful things were lost to Admiral Zhao as he briskly stepped across the small bridge and marched across the small field.

His amber eyes, brimming with ambition and greed, stared down into the pond and locked onto the lone pair of koi swimming around each other in an endless loop. "At last."

All of his searching, all of his studying, finding the Spirit World's hidden library and fighting off that disgusting owl...it had all been for this moment. He, Admiral Zhao, was about to make history! A thousand years from now his name would be read out by the future world order; for it would be him, not Iroh, who would do what no other soldier had done before. He would slay the moon.

Power swelled up inside his very core, and the head of the Fire Nation Navy swung his hand back ready to boil those fish alive...when suddenly his arm would not move. Snarling, Zhao jerked his head around to put whatever filthy vermin had dared to lay hands on him in their place, only for his face to morph into a look of sheer disbelief at what he found.

The hand belonged to very man he'd just been cursing in his head. Iroh stood there, round and aged, yet so steady and sure-footed while his nephew looked on from over the short firebender's shoulder.

"I would not do that if I were you."

xXx

A/N: Okay! So here's the next part of the North Pole; yes, it was fast and yes I've given up on trying to make these chapters super long. Anyway, not sure what to say here, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter all the same.

I realized today that this story's been up for almost five solid years...and I'm just now closing in on the end of book one. I'm upset at myself(as I'm sure a lot of you are too) and apologize for how long it's taken me to even get to Book , let alone Toph herself. But, I thank you all for sticking with me and my terrible habit of making grammatical mistakes in the early chapters(as well as constantly confusing the North and South poles, which I do intend to fix)

Anyway, like I said, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'll do my best to bring about the end of the siege soon.