"Hmm. But then how? And, more importantly, who?" Zuko tapped his fingers thoughtfully against the tabletop.
"I don't know. If we're throwing out wild theories, it could've been our flying acquaintance. Once he realized his friend had been captured, he might've tried to secure a hostage of his own for an exchange. But honestly, that theory doesn't hold up."
"Why not?" Ty Lee asked curiously, adorably scrunching up her nose.
"I haven't had that many encounters with the little troublemaker, but based on what I do know, he's too straightforward, too naive, and genuinely sees himself as a force for good—in the best sense of the word. Someone like that would be far more likely to try to 'rescue' his friend from us than stoop to something as vile and immoral as taking hostages."
Zuko nodded, agreeing with my assessment, though he offered a counterpoint.
"True. But his companion... Katara..." He recalled her name. "I wouldn't be so certain about her. Though I admit it's still unlikely. She'd probably rather kidnap the governor himself than a child."
"There are other rebels too," Mai added, carefully studying everyone's faces. "One of them could've persuaded the Avatar and explained that kidnapping a 'future murderer' wasn't really wrong."
"Maybe," Suki objected, folding her arms thoughtfully, "but I doubt they'd be able to convince the Avatar. They've only known him for a short time, so their influence over him is probably limited."
"But they could convince that... Katara," Azula said, finally recalling the girl's name.
"And together they'd convince the Avatar!" Ty Lee concluded.
"Yeah..." I sighed. "We're dealing with far too many assumptions. Still, until we have a better theory, we'll work with this one. So. The kid is in enemy hands. We can't assault their base, even if—"
Toph snorted loudly and cracked her neck with exaggerated emphasis.
"—when we find it. A frontal assault would endanger the child's life, and it still wouldn't guarantee we'd capture the Avatar. Any competent base will have multiple escape routes, and there's no guarantee we'd be able to block all of them."
"A prisoner exchange?" Ty Lee suggested.
"I don't see any other option." I nodded to her. "Anyone have a better idea?"
Silence.
"Good. Then we'll assume it's an exchange. But first we need to prepare carefully… and confirm that the child's actually in our enemies' hands and safe."
"We'll send a hawk with our terms," Azula proposed, "and have them include in their reply what the baby was wearing and what words he can say."
"Tom-Tom can't talk yet," Mai pointed out to her friend.
"Perfect," the princess agreed. "We know that. Someone who's never met him wouldn't."
"Where do we hold the exchange?" the prince asked briskly.
"On the roof of Omashu Palace. There's very little earth up there, which makes earthbending difficult." Azula replied, raising an eyebrow as she waited for objections.
"No. The Avatar's an airbender, and there's too much open space..." I frowned. "Though there isn't any water up there, and he's a waterbender too..."
"And that neutralizes his girlfriend," Ozai's daughter finished.
"I agree, but there are plenty of places in a mountain city without water. We need somewhere more enclosed... preferably already lined with metal."
"The palace's interior rooms won't work..." Azula began pacing as she thought aloud. "Then one of the city squares. The covered market?"
"That's a possibility. We'll also block every escape route and make sure the city's transportation system is completely shut down."
"We'll have to synchronize everything perfectly. I suggest putting Zu-Zu in command of the reserve force that'll spring the trap."
That was a solid idea.
"And we'll put Blast in charge of the outer cordon," I added.
"We'll station him on one of the highest rooftops," the princess nodded. "Out of all of us, he's got the best chance of bringing down the flying bison if it shows up."
"Together with Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors. They can continue playing the role of the Herald and his entourage..."
"Exactly!" Azula perked up, beginning to pace energetically around the table. "Against the Avatar himself, we should concentrate our benders. But if his support team of earthbenders is still in the city, the Kyoshi Warriors have the most experience dealing with them."
"It'd also be nice to position some archers somewhere..." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "The question is where."
"Couldn't your pet earthbender create and conceal alcoves in the walls beneath the roof?" A valuable observation.
"Good thinking. Though Toph is anything but a pet—that part I'll handle. Come to think of it, she could also prevent anyone from sneaking up underground—or even shut down any attempts by other earthbenders altogether..."
"Which gives us a much wider range of places suitable for an ambush," the princess picked up the thread…
***
Same Time. Same Place.
"Am I the only one who finds this a little terrifying?" Zuko asked, glancing uncertainly at the others.
Under different circumstances, he never would've allowed himself to show such weakness. But one of the people present was his uncle, and two others had been his friends since childhood. There was no point putting on an act for them. If nothing else, they'd seen the prince in far more embarrassing situations than this.
As for the others...
The recently exiled prince hadn't known them for very long, but, to his own surprise, he'd clicked with them with remarkable ease. Without even realizing it, he'd reached the point where he could completely relax in their company without giving a second thought to how he appeared in their eyes.
It was surprising, because until now Zuko had never exactly been a social butterfly.
Yet here he was.
So he asked the question without feeling the slightest bit self-conscious.
"There's two Azulas now... Agni! Chan's turning into Azula!" Ty Lee squeaked from behind Mai, her voice laced with panic.
"Two Chans," Suki echoed, staring with glazed eyes at the pair who had become so engrossed in their discussion that, for the past three minutes, they'd been finishing each other's sentences. "Oh, Kyoshi... They're like twins..."
"Awesome!" Toph beamed. "Two maniacs. They're even breathing in sync!"
"A male version of Azula... A female version of the Fire Herald..." Mai concluded in a flat, emotionless voice. "That's a bit much for one evening."
"Ah, youth..." Iroh sighed dreamily, savoring the fragrant tea in his cup.
The two terrifying monsters apparently noticed something and turned toward the rest of the room in perfect unison.
"What?" they asked simultaneously.
"Nothing!" Zuko replied a little too quickly.
"Great plan!" Suki declared at the exact same moment, snapping to attention.
"We agree with everything!" Ty Lee chimed in as the third voice in the chorus, hastily putting on her most innocent expression.
"Ha! This is fantastic!" Toph concluded cheerfully.
"What is it?" Azula and Chan asked again in perfect unison, both raising their left eyebrows at exactly the same time.
"Nothing!" everyone answered in one unified chorus. This time, even Mai couldn't resist joining in.
The scene ended with the little earthbender dissolving into uncontrollable laughter.
(End of Chapter)
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