A. N. : Roman sacrifices, especially bloody ones, were extremely codified, with a number of non-skippable stages. One of the first steps was to ask for the victim's approval. If the sacrificial animal refused to give a sign that it agreed to its fate, or even stepped away from the scene, it was considered quite the bad omen. In other words, the day has come. It's possible that next chapter will come a few days late, as I'll be sending a 40-45 pages research paper on the monday just before and might therefore be slightly tired afterwards. We'll see.

The day has come.

Two months, four weeks, four days make three months, three months between the time Suki was captured and –

A Fire Nation guard opens the door to her cell, hands empty of food, and that's how Suki knows. Counting days was harder here, isolated from sunlight, she could only take guesses based on the meals brought to her, on the number of katas she managed to fit between these, on the number of heartbeats between the start and the end of a kata.

The day has come, finally, after an eternity – after a second, a single breath, so, so soon –

Suki doesn't shake as she takes her first and last step across the doorway of the cell, instead counts the beats of the heart she mysteriously feels in her throat.

Counts – the two guards, before and after her, two others surround the old man, no sign of the earthbenders, four guards in total leading the two of them to their deaths.

Counts – twenty four steps to the outside, the light of the sun blinds her for an instant and she stumbles, is pushed forward by the guard behind her, resumes walking and keeps her eyes open to the point of feeling a sting, a burning sensation that makes her think for a second that the sun decided to leave his throne in the sky to take residence inside her skull.

The courtyard isn't empty anymore, and the flying balloon was moved somewhere else. Suki can see something like a palanquin standing on one end, surrounded by two Fire Nation guards – the Princess sits there, perfect hair and perfect clothes and perfect posture and a look on her face like she hasn't slept in two days. Suki wonders if her own face looks as tired. Probably. The main door, at the other end, is guarded by two more Fire Nation soldiers.

And at the center –

They built a platform at the center of the courtyard. A lone person stands on it, sword at their belt, skull mask void of anything even remotely human. It turns, then, slightly, alerted by the arrival of the two prisoners.

Death stares at Suki, eyes boring deep into her soul, and despite the burning sun sitting high in the sky, she has never been so cold.

Somewhere, far away, a bird cries.

The earthbender with the scars visited her once in her cell, in the past two days, an eternity ago. He explained the way things would take place, answered questions she had that he deemed acceptable, asked if she had any last wish. She didn't – she wants to see her sisters, wants to see her village, wants to see Sokka one last time and wants him to not come for her – instead asked why he was doing this.

There was no way the Princess ordered him to, that was too – kind – open – honest – so, so cruel, a kindness that ate Suki's heart whole and left her raw and fighting back tears and aware. It was a cruelty that didn't know itself.

He smiled, then, scars twisting and making his honesty even more apparent as he said it was the least he could do as a fellow student of Avatar Kyoshi's way. He truly believed in his own words, Suki could tell, truly believed they were a family of sorts – and still he saw no reason not to let her die for the sake of the Fire Nation.

Sometimes, Suki manages to feel sorry for the Princess, in all her twistedness, because she doesn't know trust and that's – sad, and pitiful, and Suki resents her so much it burns her inside, but she can't quite hate her, in the same way she can't hate a storm for drowning ships and blowing roofs away. If the Princess knew trust and still trampled all over Suki's life and beliefs, it would be different.

That scarred earthbender, however, she hates to the point of disgust. When he left her cell, when he patted her head with all the earnestness of a parent or an older brother, Suki forced herself not to move a single muscle, not even the heart she was choking on, lest she'd attempt to tear out his throat with her bare teeth.

She focuses on that anger, on her desire to make Avatar Kyoshi proud of her legacy, on her disgust for that man who dares twist the Avatar's teachings, dares acknowledge her as an equal as he watches her climb the stairs of the stage – three stairs, Suki knows even as she doesn't feel her body move, even as the world is distant and time has lost all meaning.

He said she would go first, shortly before the sun's zenith, the sword sharp and fast and precise, held by a professional – she would die before realizing it. Without pain. The old man would go at the sun's highest, at the hands of the Princess and her lightning.

She didn't ask what would happen of her body, she realizes while her knees hit the floor and her back bends forward. She doubts anyone present would have the decency to bury her the right way – the guard who pushed her earlier arranges her hair so that Suki's nape is bared – would sooner have her corpse burned the Fire Nation way than know that man will give her anymore of his respect – the sky darkens, no doubt a cloud hiding the sun, Suki thinks from where she stands, somewhere behind her body's back –

At the very least, she feels relief in knowing her death will be meaningless.

No one came for her. No one will die for her. Suki dies alone, with the dignity and the pride of a Kyoshi Warrior.

She smiles.

In the corner of her eye, she sees the metallic glint of the sword coming down.