"I..."
"You can't protect me from everything. If Lord Ozai decides it's in his best interest, then 'Earth Kingdom saboteurs will take revenge on the traitor.' I just want to stay with you. All those titles, rights, positions... none of that matters to me. I know that no matter what happens, you'd never abuse your position over me, because before anything else, you're my friend. And that's all I really need. Besides..." The warrior smiled, though the smile was a little forced. "Being the concubine of a renowned commander is a lot better than being the wife of a disgraced man everyone considers dangerous."
Apparently realizing how strained that smile had been, she suddenly frowned fiercely and gave me a playful poke in the shoulder.
"And just what are you getting all worked up about anyway?! Your girlfriend is practically telling you to get yourself another one, and you're over there pulling faces! Who's ever heard of such a thing? Just what did they teach you in the Navy all those months?! Since when did you start running off to the tents of fat old men instead of coming to me first? What else is there about you that I don't know?!"
"H-Hey, hey, hey!" I recoiled in genuine horror. "Easy there! Just what are you implying?!" Curse those yaoi fangirls! They'd managed to haunt me even in this world!
"That's better!" Suki nodded with great satisfaction, looking very much like she'd just finished dressing down one of her subordinates during training. Then she caught sight of my expression and couldn't hold it in any longer, bursting into cheerful laughter. "Hah... Spirits... Chan, you should've seen your face... Hee-hee..."
"That was... unexpected," I admitted, forcibly pulling myself back together. "I need some time to think."
"Think all you want." The warrior nodded. "For now, let's pretend this conversation never happened. Now come here..."
Any objections I might have raised were silenced before they could leave my lips by a kiss.
After that, everything happened on its own. The stress that had been building up—including everything I'd just heard—demanded an outlet. My thoughts obediently retreated, surrendering control to instinct and desire.
To hell with it all!
No matter what happened, no one was going to make a move before the "war" was over anyway.
***
The next day.
The city greeted us with relative quiet and red banners fluttering in the wind. The main army had already marched on—most likely toward Ba Sing Se—leaving behind only an occupation corps. A sizable one, certainly, but its primary role was policing the region, including carrying out punitive operations.
Naturally, it was also composed of men who were far from the Fire Nation's finest. They weren't peasant militia, but neither were they a proper regular unit—something in between.
We were admitted without the slightest question and escorted to the palace with every courtesy imaginable. Thankfully, the princess wasn't concealing her identity, so there was none of the usual, "And just who the hell are you, and what are you doing in a captured city?" sort of interrogation.
Inside, Omashu looked even better than it had from the outside. There wasn't the slightest sign of destruction—no soot, no traces of street fighting... Nothing. Instead, the city was filled with scaffolding and stacks of metal plating that would eventually be bolted onto the walls to prevent Earthbenders from tunneling through them.
As a matter of fact, this was standard procedure whenever a major fortress was captured or constructed. Without it, dealing with Earth Kingdom saboteurs was nearly impossible. Even the columns of smoke we'd seen rising over the city during our approach turned out not to be fires at all, but the smoke from forges producing rivets and the rest of the hardware needed for the city's fortification upgrades.
And that was strange.
Something about all this was wrong.
Very wrong.
I just couldn't put my finger on exactly what.
Unfortunately, my memory remained stubbornly silent too. I'd only ever watched the original series with half my attention to begin with, and the further it went, the less closely I'd followed it. Besides, a considerable amount of time had passed—more than three years in this world alone.
Three very eventful years, at that.
In any case, all the reports claimed the city had been "captured" and that Bumi had been "taken prisoner."
The facts, however, didn't quite match those reports.
"I'd been under the impression we'd captured Omashu. The reports even spoke of a 'brilliant victory,' my lady," I said, addressing Azula.
We were now walking surrounded by an honor guard, which meant I was no longer the Fire Herald—there he was, walking at the princess's right hand, sweeping the area with a hard gaze—but merely a handsome young man from his entourage who, for some inexplicable reason, had caught Her Highness's eye.
"That's correct, Lee," the princess replied with an indulgent smile. She was clearly having the time of her life with the disguise. "That's exactly what happened."
"But doesn't victory usually involve a battle?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just look around, my lady. The city is completely intact. Cities don't look like this after they've been stormed."
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, but then apparently remembered who had led the assault on the Northern Water Tribe. Iroh also nodded in agreement, and while the princess had never gotten along with her uncle personally, she did acknowledge his experience. "Hmm... From what I've heard, King Bumi simply surrendered after enduring several months of siege."
"Surrendered?" Something vague stirred in the back of my memory again, while my instincts were practically screaming that this was a setup.
"Is something wrong?"
"I don't know, but the whole thing feels very strange. And what happened to the city's army? Surely he wasn't defending Omashu all by himself."
"That's a good question, actually." The princess fell into thought. "Well done, Lee. I believe I'll ask the governor about that."
"Always happy to be of service, my lady." Smile. Bow. And quietly shush Ty Lee, who'd been heroically trying not to burst into laughter for the past minute.
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
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