Siege of the North

Book Three

Volume 8

Ch. 106 Siege of the North

Pov.

-Kara-

"Sasha?"

"Y-you said her name in your sleep." Yue looks down at her thighs

"I…"

I don't remember..

The dream that is.

"Are you cheating on me?!" She sets her hands on my chest

"N-no, wh-what?"

"Y-you practically said you loved her! Y-you we're begging her to stay! So who is she?!" She tears up

"Yue.. she's my sister." I lie for the sake of just shutting her up

"S-sister? Oh.. s-sorry I thought…"

What the hell is she talking about?

I said I love her?

In my dream?

What dream?

I don't remember..

Why don't I… remember?

…

"Historia, Sasha, Mikasa, and…" she thinks

"Carla.."

"Oh, right." She writes the name into her little notebook

I went ahead and told her their names and said they were friends and family just in case I end up saying them again

Let's hope I don't mention any of my woman from back home

"Historia, Sasha, Armin, Mikasa, Eren, and Carla."

"Perfect."

"Great." She giggles

"Why's it matter so much?"

"We're going to be together for the rest of our lives, so knowing everything is a must." She rests her head on my arm

Right..

Honestly, I miss when marriage had a special meaning

I guess maybe it does. For commoners that is

"General Amaterasu. The Avatar wishes to speak to you."

"Right," I head outside where the Avatar awaits

"Princess Yue!" Sokka waves

"What is it, fool?"

"Sokka, tell him what you saw!"

"Oh, right. The Fire Nation is closing in on the North. We have about four hours until they arrive."

"Who told you this?" They follow as I get my lioness ready for battle

"I saw them myself."

"Right, I'm going to have my men reinforce the outer wall. We'll launch an attack come nightfall."

"Aren't you going to ask how many there are?" Sokka asks

"What's it matter? They got past two dozen ships." I look around for my second.

"You, hurry and call for the Chief. Tell him I want the women and children evacuated to the north. Every able man will report to the southern gate." I tell some random guard posted up front

"Yes, Sir!" He hurries off

By the time everyone gathered and hit their posts, the Fire Navy were in range to catapult fireballs onto our shore

I held my strongest water benders back as everyone else did their very best to protect the walls and the city from the aerial attacks

Once nightfell I took my strongest men and together we took down eight dozen ships before the sun rose and their fire bending grew stronger

We were forced to fall back and they managed to dock their ships and make it into our city

I slam my fist into his gut, knee another's chin, pat another's nape and break the last ones face with my elbow

After all these years it's only natural I refined my taijutsu

So one hit is all it took to take them out

"You, where is the Avatar?"

"Sir, last I heard he is in the spirit Oasis, Sir!" He hardens a wall of ice before reverting it back into its liquid state and sending it back into the enemy as a wave

"Right, hold this position!"

"Sir!"

That fool.

What is he doing so far from battle?

I head into the Oasis where I found Katara laying on the ground as Yue tried waking her

"What the hell is going on?!" I grab Katara's hair

"Careful!" Yue grabs my wrist

I raise Kataras head

"Where the hell is Aang?!" I growl

She opens her eyes

"Aang!" She sits up

"Prince Zuko.. he got away with him"

"Prince who?"

"Zuko! I.. I wasn't strong enough.."

Prince Zuko?

Of the fire nation?

I thought Azula was Ozai's only offspring. Even if that is true, what is a prince doing way out here?

"Whatever," I help Katara up. "Where'd they run off to?" I ask Yue

"I'll lead the way." She stands up

We run into Sokka on the way out with their flying bison and Yue lead us into a snow storm to the east

"I lost sight of him around here!" Yue shouts over the raging winds

"How strong is this Zuko?!"

"Aang went into the spirit world to ask for help!" Katara shouts "Zuko overpowered me once the sun rose and kidnapped Aang!"

"Spirit world?"

She nods

Interesting..

"There!" Yue points at what looks like a comet in the sky

"That has to be him!" Sokka adds

We circle the area before spotting someone in the snow

"There!" Sokka points and I quickly jump off the bison

Zuko storms out of a cave and is about to grab Aang when I slam my feet on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"General Amaterasu!" Aang gasps

I quickly rip the ropes around his legs and arms

"C'mon!"

"Right!" He nods

I hop onto the bison

"What are you doing Aang?!" Sokka shouts

"We can't leave him here, he'll freeze to death." Aang tosses Zuko aboard

"Oh, sure. Let's save the guy that's constantly trying to kill us." Sokka shrugs sarcastically

"Let's go Tubby!" I growl at the bison and he quickly takes off

"Hey, don't call Appa that!" Aang shouts

"You're the reason we're all the way out here! My men need our help!"

"And they're going to get it!"

"You guys!" Katara shouts "Aang, what did the spirits tell you?"

"They told me where we can find the moon spirit." Just as he said so, the moon darkens and became blood red

It was so bright that the entire land tainted in that same color

"Oh no…" Aang looks up at the sky

"What is it?" I ask Yue who was holding onto her head

"It's… nothing." She covers her ears

I pull my lion mane off along with the rest of the cape that kept me warm and I place it on her head

"Thanks." She smiles

"It's nothing.."

They must've captured the moon spirit

If that's so, my men are powerless out there

We quickly arrived back at the Oasis where we found General Iroh of the Fire Nation confronting Admiral Zhao who had the spirit fish in a bag and a fire burning beneath them at his palm

"Why does your treachery not surprise me, Iroh?"

"I am not the traitor, you are."

"Please, you'll only throw our world out of balance." Aang says

"He's right, Zhao. The Fire Nation depends on those spirits as much as they do." Iroh agrees

"Nonsense, without these spirits water benders are at our complete mercy."

"Whatever you do to those spirits, I will release on you tenfold!" Iroh shouts

…

Zhao crouched down as if he really was going to let them go

But his intentions were painfully obvious from the very beginning

I hold my palm out, creating a fixed ball of fire that slammed into his chest

"Agh!" He blasts the pond, ultimately killing the moon fish

"Shit." I grumble

"Why did you do that? He was going to let the spirit go!" Aang shouts

"No!" Iroh sends another attack that blasts away his men meanwhile Zhao slithers away

"Don't be ridiculous."

"What do you mean? He had already set it free!" Sokka argues

"I'm afraid he is right." Iroh pulls the fish out of the water "the last thing Zhao has, is honor."

"It's all over, what will we do now?" Katara drops to her knees

"It's not over." Aang's voice is overlapped by another

His eyes began glowing, along with his tattoos as he stepped into the pond

His body does a 180 while it simultaneously gets yanks beneath the water

The ground began trembling as the water around us suddenly bursts, creating what looked like a catfish about twenty meters tall made completely of water

"Since when can he do that?!" I growl

"It's not him, rather it is, but the ocean spirit must've lent him his strength."

That's so awesome. If only I could still turn into a Titan.

The giant spirit marches down the city

…

"What are you doing, Princess Yue?" Sokka asks as she knelt at the pond

"Many years ago the moon spirit gave me life. Maybe I can give it back."

"Ah. You have been touched by the moon spirit." Iroh says

"Yes, some of its life is within me."

"No, you don't have to do this. The battle is over, Yue." Sokka tries talking her out of it

"Is it? Water benders are the Fire Nation's greatest rival; without them how will we ever win this war?"

Iroh hands her the catfish

"So what?! W-we'll find a way."

"No, Sokka. It is my duty."

She steps into the pond

"Hey, say something. You have to stop her!" Sokka shouts at me

Yue looks up at me. Her eyes reflect great pain and sorrow as they do whenever facing certain death

I cross my arms

"Do as you will."

She smiles

"Thank you." A little tear rolls down her cheek

She closes her eyes and the pond began glowing like it did with the avatar before she was sucked in just the same

"Yue!" Sokka dives in but finds the water was shallow and her body had completely disappeared

The glowing water forms into a ghostly figure before me

"Kara.." Yue smiles, "I really do wish I had gotten to know you."

I smile

She turns around to Sokka

"Sokka, I will be with you, always." She pecks his forehead

Sokka reaches for her cheek but finds his hand pass right through her as she finally disappears for good

"She's… gone…"

…

Everyone stood in complete silence when something emerges from the pond

"Nya-Nya-Nyah!" A child cries

"A baby!" Katara jumps in and pulls the child to safety

"Yue.. she was…" they all look up at me

I look up at the full moon shining brighter than it has ever "come, let's seek shelter."

After entering the palace I pull General Iroh aside before he'd sneak off

"I suppose I am your prisoner now." He raises an eyebrow in hopes I set him free for siding with us in the very end

"I'm glad I ran into you, Iroh. It's been far too long."

He raises his eyebrows and widens his eyes

"Emperor Amaterasu, it really is you!" He jumps into my arms like he did as a child "Hahaha, I knew you looked familiar!"

"Nghk*" I stumbled back "hehe, you put on some weight, kid." I pat his back

"This is amazing. I never thought I'd ever see you again" he steps back and bows his head "but what are you doing out here, your highness?"

"I was hoping I'd find your father, Sozin."

"My father is Azulon, your lordship."

"Azulon?" I think "hey… yes, I remember" I forgot all about that one

He had Azulon after I went away and during our last meeting with the world government he brought Iroh who was but a mere child. Guess I waited far longer than I intended to visit again

Ozai hid this truth from me so that I'd felt I was closer to Sozin than I thought

"Azulan passed away in his sleep, five years ago." He says

"In his sleep?"

"Hmm" he nods though he looks me in the eye as if saying that was untrue

"I see.."

"Yes, Ozais' obsession for power grows larger and larger. Even larger than our late father who was greedy himself."

"That explains the banishment of the Prince."

Seriously, not telling me he had a son?

"Yes, he is afraid Zuko will do to him what he did to our father." He looks around for certainty we were alone

"Only a foolish King makes an enemy of their only Son." I sigh

"Indeed, but I am afraid the boy has a long way to go before he realizes it for himself."

"Right," I set a hand on his shoulder "be sure to send him down the right path, Iroh. We will be in much need for him in the future."

"I will do everything within my power." He nods

I let him go before anyone catches on

I join the Chief and everyone else back inside the palace

"So what's her name?" Katara joins me at the window with the child

"Her name?"

"Yeah, your daughter. Haven't you thought of any?" She cradles it in her arms

"Right.." I sit back by the window, where the moon shone its brightest

What should I name it?

I haven't named a child since Amani. Technically my heir, Falco, but that doesn't really count.

"What about… Luna?"

"Luna?"

"Yes. Spanish for Moon."

"Luna… it's beautiful." She smiles at the child

…

-to be continued