Chapter 54

Iroh kept his face carefully schooled as he stood beside Admiral Zhao on the observation deck of the ship. Around them was almost two-thirds of the Fire Nation's naval might, and more than a quarter of its army patiently kept in their holds. Tens of thousands of soldiers and sailors were drawn off from stalled front lines and 'unimportant' patrols for this invasion, from marine companies to komodo rhino cavalry divisions, even elite formations like the Yuyan Archers. And the coalition of army and navy commanders had the collective military experience to tackle any resistance thrown at them.

Theoretically, at least.

All this for a siege of a desolate ice kingdom, who had until now been content to be relegated to a non-issue in the century-long war.

To the prince's eyes, it was akin to waking a hibernating platypus bear just for the chance to slay it and tell everyone how great a fight it was. Young Xing's rise must be a potent thing indeed if the admiral and the faction that he represented were so desperate for glory to resort to this.

Then again, dragon hunts were a thing, so Iroh shouldn't be too surprised…

"Even with such a fleet at your disposal, you should be careful with your strategies," Iroh advised, and the admiral of the fleet snorted derisively.

"Of course, of course. Our invasion plans will include more than just throwing men at the waterbenders."

Iroh pushed back the urge to huff. The truth was, up until recently, throwing men at a problem was practically the default Fire Nation doctrine. It was a matter of how you threw men that differentiated decisive victories from pyrrhic ones. Even notable defenses, like the holding of Si Sho Pass relied on sallying out when the time was right in a human wave counter-assault. The recent blunder of the former war minister, Qin, was another poorer example.

As Iroh reconnected with the commanders of the invasion force, he realized it was why young Xing and his command was such a polarizing figure within military circles. Most warriors had gotten it into their heads that casualties reflected the glory earned in battle, that losses suffered equaled the effort taken to secure victory. Losing men was the easiest proof that something was being done.

Admittedly, Iroh himself had been of the same mind once, especially with his long siege of Ba Sing Se. The losses sustained were considerable, now that he thought about it, but within expectations for such an undertaking. To suffer fewer casualties would have made the whole thing seem less…momentous, less significant, even the lifting of the siege when he withdrew.

So the 11th's method of fighting, Lidai's 'softer' doctrine which emphasized the metric of lives unharmed or lightly wounded instead of lives lost, was practically anathema to conventional Fire Nation thinking. And Xing's refinement of that doctrine to such an effective and efficient degree made it hard for people to mock the 'soft' approach for being cowardly or lazy, as Iroh had regrettably once done.

The young colonel had brought back significant victories and often at a fraction of the casualties expected from them. His night raids, when Iroh took the time to study them, was an exhibit of cunning, discipline and precise application of force, instead of the usual tactic of basically sieging the enemy camp at night.

Luring enemies into traps was a known thing, but the 11th took it to another level by carefully preparing the battlefield or patiently drawing the enemy out to the point of exhaustion before picking them apart. Before Xing assumed official command, he masterminded engagements that often lasted more than a week, constantly harassing the edges of larger enemy forces before going in for the kill. The 11th back then were content to sit out conventional engagements and opted for intercepting enemy supplies or constantly snuffing out their scouts.

Now, their engagements lasted much shorter, but only because operating at full strength gave the battle-hardened regiment an advantage in literal firepower that rendered moot the need to draw out the enemy. They were no less cunning in how they approached the enemy, but their increased numbers severely increased the scales of battle in their favor. It shouldn't be surprising, but some of the more traditional-minded generals and admirals still gaped that a force used to fighting while severely outnumbered would do so much better after being doubled in size.

Returning his attention to the present, Iroh let out a sigh. "Have you come up with a suitable system for the navy to support the army's invasion deeper into the enemy stronghold without the risk of collateral?"

Zhao's reply was casually dismissive. "The generals agreed to using bolts of fire launched in the air, or flares for the non-bending soldiers, to signal for naval bombardments. Naval support will strike at points ahead of the signals, the distance determined by the signals delivered." The admiral straightened a little as he adopted a more smug pose. "Fast and straightforward communications that the enemy cannot replicate. Pretty handy, no?"

Iroh managed to not roll his eyes. "It sounds elegant, but have you tested it? Have you considered visibility once we begin our siege and smoke taints the air? And what are the conditions for the troops on the ground to launch the signal? What is the system to ensure that each signal is responded to by a suitable number of ships?"

To the prince's petty satisfaction, Zhao's smugness gave way to an annoyed frown. "We'll hammer out the details as we reach the North Pole. We still have a week of planning, that's plenty of time to work out the more…asinine details."

Making sure to keep the smile out of his voice, Iroh bowed slightly. "As you say then, admiral."

"I do," Zhao huffed.

The prince left the observation deck and headed into the bowels of the ship. In one of the more secluded cargo holds, he checked on the bundle of cloths and bandages that was his nephew.

Zuko was a mess of bruises and burns, and miraculously somehow had not only survived the explosion, but remained conscious enough to swim to shore. Iroh had found him, but the young prince had requested to be hidden rather than seek immediate healing. The look in his eyes, as well as the cold resolve in his voice made Iroh relent. Even to the point of keeping the news from Azula and Xing.

Hopefully both young leaders would be forgiving of this deception, to both Iroh and Zuko.

To the public's eyes, Prince Zuko was lost and presumed dead. How long the young prince wished to keep that up remained to be seen, but the boy was determined to use this chance to capture the Avatar somehow.

"How are you feeling?" Iroh asked as he crouched by his nephew. Zuko shifted to fix him with a tired gaze. His scarred face was set to a grimace.

"Better, uncle. Thank you."

Iroh pulled out several herbal packets and a waterskin secreted in the sleeves of his robe. "Come, we don't have much time."

Carefully unwrapping the bandages to change them out, the older prince noted the fading burns and scabbing wounds on Zuko's body. Iroh comforted himself with the knowledge that as bad as it looked, the boy shouldn't suffer any permanent damage beyond cosmetic scars, based on his own military experience. The metal and glass slivers he'd pulled out hadn't hit any major organs, and the damage to the limbs were healing up surprisingly well enough that Zuko might recover movement in a matter of days rather than weeks.

After this, he'd have to get Zuko to Xing's healers. At the very least for a proper round of healing. Zuko could keep the scars if he wished, the girls still liked the sort of character those kinds of marks gave off.

After applying a fresh set of bandages, the herbal powders were carefully put straight into the waterskin and given a strong shake before being fed to Zuko, who slowly gulped it down despite his face scrunching up from the bitterness.

"I'll get you some food later, but you'll still have to settle for congee for the next few days."

Zuko's head shifted slightly in an attempt at a nod. "Thank you, uncle," he croaked.

Iroh smiled as he slowly rose up. "You can thank me with a visit to a good tea shop once you're healed."

"After the Avatar's been captured. I'll buy you a tea house."

Really, this boy's relentlessness was teetering from virtue into a sin. Iroh sighed. "Fine, after you capture the Avatar. But you'll be working in it for a month."

Zuko's lips curled up in a wry smile. "I'll do a year if you like."

"Hah." With another sigh, Iroh gave his nephew a soft, reassuring smile before he turned to leave. "Be patient, Zuko. Let your body and mind rest."

The temptation to make a discreet call to the 11th was strong, but Iroh fought it off. Success or otherwise, Zuko needed this hunt, for his own peace of mind and perception of honor. Getting Xing involved would likely be seen as a humiliation by the young prince. Iroh would let him take another try and let Zuko bleed off some of the tension collecting in him before intervening more directly.

If he happens to succeed, perhaps Xing could be persuaded to aid Iroh in orchestrating a suitable breakout for the Avatar that wouldn't get in the way of Zuko regaining his honor…

*****​

Finding Ty Lee turned out to be a harder task than Azula had initially thought. Her family had been easy enough to track down, but surprisingly Ty Lee herself had joined a circus of all things. And figuring out which damned troupe she joined took way longer than anticipated.

How many circuses had lithe girls performing in them? Practically all of them.

How many circuses kept track of the nobles in their ranks? Practically none of them.

If anything, the whole tedious task taught Azula how to better refine and apply her searches for future manhunts. But she did find Ty Lee in the end, in a small circus making its rounds in the home islands. The princess found it weird that as a noble, her friend had not sought out a more prestigious troupe.

She found Ty Lee in the back of the circus grounds, standing upside-down on her two index fingers. The other girl seemed barely aware of the difficulty of such a stance, and was smiling serenely at nothing in particular. She was just as vibrant as Azula remembered, and had grown into her teens rather well.

Drawing in a breath, Azula entered her vision with a confident smile, immediately earning Ty Lee's surprised attention.

"Ty Lee, could that possibly be you?"

"Azula!" Ty Lee's face immediately lit up and her smile grew. In a single fluid move she twisted and landed on her knees and palms to prostrate herself as fitting for being in the presence of a royal. Then in another quick motion the girl was up on her feet and running over to hug Azula. It was different from Ren's and Ping's embrace, less protective and more…relieved and comforted. Like Ty Lee was genuinely happy to meet her again after all these years..

"It is so good to see you."

The princess felt a pang of discomfort when she realized how much her old classmate meant the words. She glanced around, and bit back a sigh.

"Do you have someplace we can talk discreetly?"

Ty Lee led Azula into her personal tent, a small, austere thing that somehow managed to seem stuffy for all the lack of furnishings in it.

"So, what do you want to talk about? Sorry I don't have any tea to offer here."

"It's alright." Azula fought back the urge to frown and fixed a serious gaze on Ty Lee. Which should she open with to not seem disingenuous like the nobles she detested?

"I…" Azula settled for bowing deeply before the other girl, and forced out the words she had rolling in her head ever since she left the capital. "First off, I wish to apologize for whatever wrongs I have done to you in our time as classmates and friends. Unfortunately…unfortunately, it took me this long to realize that I have been…lacking in many things, a good friend being one of them. I used my rank to belittle and bully you, which was wrong. I am sorry, and I hope you will eventually find it in you to fully forgive me."

As she rose up from the bow, the princess noted the look of utter shock on Ty Lee's face. Azula met her friend's almost blank stare with some trepidation, and an awkward silence filled the small tent for several seconds before Ty Lee finally blinked.

"Is everything alright, Azula?"

Almost rolling her eyes, the princess shook her head. "Nothing. I just…had a moment of clarity, that's all."

"Oh." Then Ty Lee broke into a bright smile and went in for another, tighter hug. "Thanks, Azula, though I don't think there's much for me to forgive. Still, I'm happy that you've had your epiphany, and I'm proud that you're bravely facing your past like this. It must be why your aura is a richer red!"

Azula gave a polite cough. "Well… It's not that hard," she lied.

"Of course," Ty Lee said, not at all fooled judging from the smile the girl gave as she broke away from the embrace and stood before Azula. "Oh, is it true you're now Colonial Minister?"

Azula gave a nod, and Ty Lee's smile somehow managed to grow even more as she clapped her hands together. "Congratulations! It must be hard work to be a princess and a minister at the same time…"

"Eh, it could be worse." She could have taken the other route and been involved in the War Ministry instead, and get mired in the dragon moose shit roiling about in there right now. Father was allowing the ministry's internal politics to take its course to find a suitable War Minister, and Azula had been approached by several slimy courtiers looking for her support for one candidate or another.

"Actually, my job is also why I'm here," the princess said, returning from her thoughts to the topic at hand. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but you remember my dear brother, Zuko?"

Ty Lee's face finally fell. "I'm sorry for your loss, Azula."

Azula ignored the consolation and continued on with a colder voice. "Well, as the…incident occurred in the colonies, it falls upon me to investigate the cause of it. I would be honored if you would aid me in my mission."

Worry flashed on the other girl's face, and Azula found herself stiffening as Ty Lee spoke. "Oh… I, uh…would love to. But…but the truth is, I'm really happy here. Besides, you have your ministry officials to help you, right?"

The princess' jaws tightened, and she had to quietly remind herself that this was far from an unexpected outcome. Here was a prime example of what her old, careless use of fear gained in the long run. Ty Lee was glad to meet her again, but she was rightfully keen on keeping the meeting short-term.

"I understand," Azula forced out with a stoic nod. She had prepared for this, so why was it so hard to get the words out? "I…wish you all the best."

Once more surprise took over Ty Lee, but this time she recovered a little quicker to offer a grateful salute. "Thank you Azula."

The princess raised her hand to forestall the gesture. "Please, I'm the one who should be thanking you for the opportunity to…resolve old affairs."

Forcing her limbs in motion, Azula left the tent with as much royal grace as she could muster while stamping down on the embers of emotion flaring within her. With a quick gesture her bodyguards regrouped from their discreet distance. "Come, New Ozai awaits us."

Hopefully Mai could at least be roped in by offering to avenge Zuko… But if that fails, she'll still at least have some reliable hands to rely on within the Ministry, as Ty Lee noted. It wouldn't be as…fun…as a reunion with old friends, but Azula has been dealing with people far above her age so often already, what's a little more? Right?

"Uh, wait!"

Azula had barely taken ten steps when she was broken out of her musing by Ty Lee running up to her.

"I hope you don't mind if I change my mind?"

"Are you sure?" she couldn't help but ask.

Ty Lee nodded with willful determination for some reason. "I can't let your aura go sour after all the work you've done to get it to be such a pretty red. And I'd be a poor friend if I didn't help you when you needed me. Besides, the circus isn't going anywhere; I can come back here once we're done."

Azula had to admit, she felt a bit choked up from her friend's declaration. "Thank you, Ty Lee."

"Not a problem," the other girl said. "I'll go get my stuff, okay? Oh, where are we going after this? I'll need to pack for the weather."

Azula gave an amused smirk. "Well, the colonies all have generally favorable climates… But we'll have to stop by New Ozai first. Hopefully Mai would be keen to join us."