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't 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.
----0000----
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.
----0000----
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.
----0000----
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.