Chapter Text
One hour and two minutes before the eclipse
Jee was at the Plaza when the mist came in. With his service directly to the Prince now at an end, he and his crew were awaiting a new assignment. There were rumours about Jee’s promotion to Captain, though Jee knew that it was a fact.
It was not arrogance. He had done well. He had obeyed his orders and served the Prince. And if he had used loopholes to bring prisoners instead of killing them, and if he’d checked in on the Prince more than professionally necessary, then it could all be chalked up to his overzealousness.
The only mark against him was the fact that he’d been at the Boiling Rock during the mass break-out, as they were calling it, and he’d done nothing.
“Yo, Captain —,” Genji began.
“Not Captain yet,” Jee snapped.
“ — do you see that, or is it just me?” Genji asked.
“I see it,” Jee said grimly.
They had spent more of their lives on water than on land. That’s what it meant to be part of the Fire Navy. Jee knew the shifts of the water like the back of his hand, and though it was full of surprises it was not completely unpredictable. The water was uncharacterisitcally still today, and there was a mist approaching unnaturally quick even for early morning. Genji knew it too — they all did. There was something wrong.
“What do we do?” Genji asked.
Here’s what they were supposed to do: report the mist and strange movements in the water. Tell the guards at the gates to get ready. They should report it even if …
Surely others will notice soon too — and the Fire Nation had prepared their defenses just in case anyone tried anything for the eclipse.
Jee shook his head. Doing nothing was as bad as treason. Hadn’t he been taught that? Hadn’t he taught that to his crew.
“I don’t see anything that couldn’t be the clouds reflecting on the waters,” Teruko said from his side.
Jee pursed his lips.
“Doesn’t matter what we do,” Dekku grunted, “They’re coming in fast.”
Jee hummed, “Fall back to the Capital. If something’s coming, that’s where they’re headed. The Firelord may be in danger.”
Prince Zuko is in danger.
Teruko watched him from the corner of her eyes.
“Your meal, General,” Ming said kindly, “I added some of those spices you like.”
“Thank you, Ming,” Iroh said warmly, “Are you alright?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I feel as though perhaps you should go home and rest.”
Ming regarded him. She sighed, “There's something going around, I think. I'll tell some of the others, too.”
The Gates of Azulon were looming above them, and they slid so easily below. They resurfaced on the beaches.
The invasion was meant to be swift. It was Azula's home ground, and with so many of her allies, they took the beaches easily. But the Fire Nation army was armed to the teeth, trained to die for their country.
It was bloody and brutal. It was war.
Thirty-four minutes before the eclipse
Things felt right in the world when people cowered again. It was pitiful, that his son was the reason that his greatest generals and advisors were so afraid, but then again this was what Ozai had wanted. The tool he wielded should strike fear.
And if it ever ceased to do so, he would need to get rid of it.
The door to the throne room burst open. From behind the flame curtain, Ozai watched.
“Firelord Ozai,” the messenger said, bowing deeply, “Report from the southern gate. It is currently under attack. It is a coordinated assault – Fire Nation rebels with Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom Soldiers, sir.”
“This was to be expected,” Ozai said wearily, “Tell me, what has the new Earth King said?”
“Lord Long Feng has agreed to your terms,” the agent of the Dai Li, a lowly earthbender, said, “In exchange for aiding us in quelling the rebellion in Ba Sing Se, we are yours to command.”
Ozai regarded the handful of Dai Li in disgust. Once this was over, he would kill them. Ba Sing Se would be his and his alone.
“Very well. Protect the palace.”
The Dai Li bowed. To the rest, Ozai said, “Take your positions. Protect your Firelord and your Nation. May Agni guide you.”
It was only when the throne room was empty, save for his few personal guards and his little shadow, did Ozai let the flame curtain recede slightly.
“Well, Zuko, this will be your chance to redeem yourself,” Ozai said snidely, “Surely, you’ll be able to kill Azula this time.”
Zuko did not respond.
It was only then that Ozai turned to look at Zuko for the first time. He froze, the hair at the back of his neck standing on edge. But he did not know why — Zuko stood perfectly still, obedient as he always was.
But there was something, in the way the flames reflected in his eyes, the slant of the light from the eternal flames on his face … something he couldn’t place. An unnamed panic rose in him, quickly doused.
‘You will,” Ozai said harshly, “In fact … you will guard the entrance to the bunker. And when she comes, you will do what is necessary — understood?”
Ozai did not wait for an answer. He was not unnerved by Zuko’s silence. Not in the slightest. At least, so he told himself.
“Yip yip!”
Below them, the sounds of the battle continued to rage on. But now that they'd cleared the Plaza, and made it into the Caldera, the rest of it was up to the others. For Aang and his friends, they had one goal.
Azula leaned over the saddle, scanning the horizon and intermittently turning to update Sokka. Katara, Toph and the Kyoshi Warriors were quiet and grim.
“To the Palace, Appa,” Aang said, patting his best friend, “Fly high to avoid the catapults.”
Appa rumbled, and Aang thought, distantly, how uncomfortable his fur must feel trapped under battle armour.
This, Jee reflected, was the first time they'd met on opposite ends of the battlefield. All their previous meetings had been lopsided — Maru the prisoner and Jee her captor.
Jee grunted as he avoided the swing of a sword. He rather liked their previous interactions more.
“You're rusty,” Maru noted.
“You were in prison, how are you not?”
“Would you like some tripe about how I actually believe in what I'm fighting for?” Maru asked dryly.
When the fighting had started, Maru seemed to come straight for him. Jee had barely gotten his bearings when he dodged the first attack from her spear.
Locked in combat, they'd drifted further away from the main battle, almost on instinct. Almost as if they couldn't help themselves from talking.
Over Maru's shoulder, Jee took stock of the battle. He was a practical man. One who had run his course. He served the Firelord, he served the throne. But above that, he served the handful of people he considered his.
He should keep fighting. Though he didn't doubt Azula was powerful, this was Ozai's homeground. If he kept fighting, and Ozai lost, he might die. If he stopped fighting, and Ozai won, he'd definitely be strung up for dissertation and tortured for dishonour.
And yet.
“Teruko and my crew. They were just following my orders.”
“I know. Besides, the Princess has no use killing more than she needs to.”
Jee would not survive, being a lieutenant on his way to being captain, too far up the ladder to not be punished for his crimes. What a shame that he'd die before getting a pay raise.
“Swear that my crew will be safe?”
Maru frowned, “I swear it.”
Jee nodded. And he dropped his sword.
“You're surrendering?”
“Yeah.”
Maru hesitated. She lowered her spear slightly. Almost politely, she inquired, “And not running?”
“Take the coward's way out?”
“We both know you're a coward,” Maru shrugged, “You've done right by your people. I'll protect them.”
“Are you … telling me to leave?”
Distantly, there was an explosion. As the eclipse drew near, the soldiers in red drew back, going on the defensive. Maru raised an eyebrow.
“We fought together, once,” she said mildly, “We may never do so again, but I owe you my life several times over.”
“You're a soldier. You don't get to be sentimental.”
“Your death being on my conscience is way above my paygrade,” Maru said with a quirk of her lips, an old joke shared between them.
Jee sighed. He hadn't meant to make it out of this alive, but if his crew was safe there was still one person he cared to check on.
Kids, Jee thought. Maru smirked like she was agreeing and Jee decided in that moment to check on Princess Azula too, if he could.
“Good luck, old friend,” Jee said, “May fortune find you.”
“And may peace find you.”
Nineteen minutes before the eclipse
When it came into view, Azula's heart lurched. In the many fantasies she'd had of coming back to the Palace, not once had she imagined it to look so … unchanged.
“There,” Azula said, pointing to the garden. It was open, big enough for Appa to land, and like not teeming with guards.
Aang nudged Appa down. Everything was silent, save for the whistling of wind in her ears.
She spotted the poppies first, reflecting red in the dying sunlight. Mom had loved them, such terribly common flowers. Though, Azula had come to wonder, long after she'd left the Palace, if Mom hadn't liked them for their properties and not their beauty.
She shook those thoughts away.
Toph slid off the saddle and immediately took a stance. She stomped on the ground, vibrations spreading out, head tilted as she reached out with her senses.
“There are four people on the east court. They hold themselves like earthbenders.”
“We know Zuko worked with the Long Feng …” Sokka said, alarmed.
“Dai Li,” Toph nodded. “There's also people below and a few people in the place Azula said the bunker is. I can't tell how many till we get closer”
“Anything else?” Azula asked when Toph paused.
Toph shrugged and pointed up.
Their landing had not gone unnoticed. Guards and soldiers were hurrying towards them, clanking in armour. Some stealthier soldiers, with flowing garb and masked faces, had taken to the roof.
Azula straightened her spine and stared them down.
They paused.
“Stand down,” she commanded.
“We do not follow your orders!” someone said.
“Oh you misunderstand,” Azula lit her palms in blue flames. Behind her, her friends took their stances, “If you do not surrender, you will die. So I suggest you stand down.”
Minor exaggeration. Her friends liked to avoid killing. But the words had their effect when a good handful shifted, weapons lowering. Those who did not took the cue to charge forward recklessly.
Honestly. People were so stupid sometimes.
Six minutes before the eclipse
Hakoda's blade slid under armour. He and Piandao were back to bacm. By the time he was pulling his blade away a ball of fire was racing towards him. He ducked.
Fortunately a wall of earth rose to protect him.
“Thanks,” he said to Ting, as Pakku pulled the firebender soldier and his squad away.
“I see where Sokka gets his skills,” Piandao complimented, in a lull of battle.
Hakoda ruefully shook his head, “He learned more by himself than I've ever taught him.”
Eventually, the pressed further forward. The battlefield changed shape, and Piandao went with Pakku further west. They were making good time. They'd have the city by the time the eclipse ended.
“Chief, we are less than ten minutes away,” the Mechanic reported.
“I will take the Fire Nation soldiers to hold the palace,” Lieutenant Maru said.
“We can hold the city,” Hakoda replied, “Master Pakku and General Ting are on the west and east side respectively. I will take the south.”
“Here,” the Mechanic handed Maru a flare. Hakoda had his own with him. “This is it, isn't it? We might win!”
Hakoda did not share in his glee. There was too much time left. Too much could go wrong. His children and his friends were inside the Palace, alone until Maru could reach them. Even then, who knew what condition they'd be in.
And Hakoda couldn't be there.
It was the waiting that was the worst.
It wasn't that they were having trouble fighting through the slog of guards into the Palace, but Suki was hyper-aware of the time constraint they were under. In the eight minutes of the eclipse, they — Azula and Aang mainly — needed to focus on Ozai.
They made their way through the hallways of the Palace at a snail's pace, the place too crowded and too many fighters involved.
When Ty Lee dodged out of the way of some flames and almost chi-blocked a soldier, only for Katara to accidentally block her way with some waterbending, Suki could read it on both their face:
This is cramping our style.
“We should split up!” Suki yelled over the fighting, “Go after Ozai. Us Kyoshi Warriors got this covered.”
Azula nodded, grabbed Aang by the back of his cloak and started running. Toph and Katara were quick to follow.
“I'll stay with you,” Sokka said.
“What? No. Go, Sokka,” Suki replied.
“I wouldn't be useful there.”
“You wouldn't be useful here, Sokka. This is just a regular brawl. They need your wits to face Ozai.”
“I —”
“Go,” Suki said again, this time leaving no room for argument.
Sokka went
“He's cute,” Ty Lee said, head cocked and smiling slyly, “But I'm cuter.”
“Less talking, more fighting,” Suki snapped.
Ty Lee did what she did best — use the space fully to her advantage. Mai finally let her knives fly freely. And Suki snapped her fan open and joined them in the fray.
High in the mountains of Omashu, the Mad King as he was called looked up to the sky. He counted the minutes until the moon would cover its light.
Deep in the city of Ba Sing Se, Jet stood and talked, and the people listened. He was in it for the long haul.
Underneath the Palace, the Fire Sages had stopped praying.
Two minutes before the eclipse
“We're running behind schedule,” Sokka hissed, glancing up at the darkening sky.
“We might still make it to the bunker in time. Remember —”
“Uh, guys,” Toph said, skidding to a halt, “I don't think we're making it in time. Zuko's guarding the bunker, and if I remember right, he doesn't need fire to fight.”
Azula hissed a curse under her breath. She turned to Sokka, and saw his mind ticking.
Shit. This was war. She was supposed to make the practical choice. Prioritize Ozai.
She wanted to confront her monster. To know that the childish fear she'd felt for him was gone now, replaced by the rage that would take him down. But her brother mattered more.
Ozai had taken enough from her. He couldn't take this last shot at saving her brother too.
“I need to talk to him,” she said,”I have to.”
“You can't face him in the eclipse!” Katara exclaimed, “He knows how to use those swords.”
Azula knew she was right. The blade Mai had given her would be useless. She'd counted on her non-firebending friends to hold down Ozai when she dealt the blow.
But —
“We're not going to get to Ozai in time, no matter what. He's underground. Figure that out. I'll distract Zuko.”
“I've got an idea,” Sokka said calmly, “Do what you have to.”
As Azula left, Katara whirled around on Sokka.
“Sokka! We can't let him go alone!”
“He won't hurt her, she was sure of that.”
“We don't know that.”
Maybe Sokka was projecting. Maybe he was a stupid boy and thought all brothers were the same. It didn't matter.
“Katara,” Sokka said, feeling eerily calm. He'd freak out later, “We need to get to Ozai.”
“How? Even if Azula is distracting Zuko, she's not going to defeat him in time. The bunker will take longer than eight minutes,” Toph said.
Sokka nodded. “If we can't get to Ozai with Zuko guarding the bunker, then we bring Ozai to us. Toph, everything below is is just metal and earth, isn't it?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you bring the bunker down?”
Toph's eyes widened, “You want me to collapse it from the inside?”
“Can you do that?”
Toph Beifong was made to move mountains. So she grinned and turned to Aang.
“Follow my lead, Twinkletoes.”
Without his fire, Sokka had to hope he was weaker. More scared. This would draw Ozai out, or kill him. Sokka hoped to Tui and La that this killed him.
“Funnel him back to the entrance if you can, where Maru will bring back-up. We'll set up an ambush.”
“We're not waiting on Azula?” Katara realised.
“If we can end this here and now, we have to.”
“Azula will be pissed if we get to him before she does,” Katara said, sounding impressed.
Ozai was the Firelord. He was the most powerful firebender in the world. If it was this easy to take him down, then Sokka would eat his boomerang. But still, they had to try.
Sokka grinned mirthlessly, “I think I'd rather face her wrath, if it means Ozai is dead.”
Thirty seconds before the eclipse
Azula had only seen the bunker twice in her life, but everyone in the family grew up knowing exactly where it was.
She slowed as she came closer, until she turned the corner and the entrance was in sight.
And so was Zuko.
He saw her too, and in the distance Azula could not tell what he was thinking.
“Hello, brother,” she said.
He opened his mouth, and no sound came out.
Above them, the sky darkened.
The eclipse
Zuko drew his blades.
And Azula, well, she'd always been smarter than him.
When the moon covered the dun, she turned and she ran.
He followed.