Avatar: Reborn in Ice

I rub my hands together. I have a feeling I would look more menacing without the baby strapped to my chest. "We are going to liberate Omashu. Today."

"WHAT?", Katara shouts. I didn't stutter, did I?

...

O-Ting begins to laugh. Surprisingly enough, it's not disbelieving. Yes, we will be great friends. Sokka's jaw looks like it might reach the floor soon. Maybe the u-turn from a possible new hideout to retaking Omashu was too much for him. Although many things appear to be too much for him, and he still comes around. He's very adaptable. That's a very good trait to have. Sokka has many of those.

"Sokka, think of how we can best retake the city. O-Ting, think about how we can get the word to the camp and how to let them know to lay traps for the Fire Nation troops breathing down their necks. Katara, when you heard her talk, what did you think of Azula?"

"Azula?" Right, they won't have been introduced properly yet.

"The Fire Nation Princess. Zuko's younger sister. She's the one who's chasing down Aang right now", I do wonder how that fight is going. I remember Aang had enough time to speak with Bumi alone. Somehow, I'm not quite sure it's going to be the same now.

"She seemed… cruel. Isn't Tom-Tom the other girl's younger brother?"

"Yes, he is. And Azula isn't so wrong in her assessment. If we had Bumi, I don't think there's much his soldiers wouldn't be ready to do. On top of that, I'm not lugging this extra weight around with me for much longer. Which means returning him to his family."

She frowns, but nods, concedes the point. Good. If she can reason with me, and I with her, she will have a much easier time with stubborn personalities, like she and I are. "She was fast. She could identify Aang through the mist."

"Yes, she could. So aside from being cruel, intelligent and quick, we know she wants the Avatar. Be it to take that victory away from her brother, or to rise further in her father's good graces. I'm sure that, should she see Aang leave the city, she would follow without hesitation. Which would leave the city governed by a man who wants his son back. A man, who actually believed in a made-up illness. Granted, you all looked very sickly to me, but instead of quarantining you, he allowed you to leave. I'm sure Azula's arrival has changed his perspective. The question is, how much?"

Katara sits there and frowns, deep in thought.

O-Ting clears his throat, "We could borrow one of the messenger hawks. But that would make the commander suspicious. At this point, I think it would be easier to let him figure it out himself. If the gates are open, Fire Nation spilling out, the Avatar gone on his way with the Fire Nation Princess hot on his heels, the commander will send someone in to scout out the situation. If we meet that scout, it should be fine. He will decide to come back and face the Fire Nation troops within the walls of the city, I'm sure."

"Right", I decide to say as I mull over his reasoning. I suppose that this scout could find us relatively easily once the city is liberated. But what if we need more manpower? Depending on our course of action, Katara or I could use Appa as transport through the mist and make contact with the resistance. It might become necessary no matter which actions we take. The knowledge that we are working on a way to return them to their home would be very good for morale. And as everyone who has read any book, watched any film or anime knows: you've already lost if you don't have the will to fight.

"But how will they know to leave traps for the Fire Nation troops?", I ask and he thinks on that some more.

"He will be worried about losing his position as governor", Katara says carefully, "And while he will want his son returned to him, he knows trading Bumi is not on the table. He won't order the soldiers out of the city in exchange either. So what do we want that he has, that he will trade?"

That's a very good question… Oh.

I have an idea. "How about", I begin slowly, a grin stretching my mouth, "We tell him to order a free passage for the already escaped resistance fighters? He will mistake our intentions for wanting to retreat in safety if we can't have King Bumi. I don't think that even Azula would suspect us turning the other way. It could be what she might do, but since she thinks of herself as superior, she won't believe we aren't going for the straightforward approach."

O-Ting looks vaguely amazed, in a very stoic way and Katara and Sokka's faces bear mirror smiles.

"Okay", I touch my palms together softly, so I don't wake the baby. "If this works, where do the Fire Nation troops closing in on the resistance fighters go?"

"Back to the city?", Katara suggests.

I point a finger at her and nod, then turn to O-Ting. "Do you know the terrain around the city?"

"I do."

"Which routes could they take and which ones are the most likely? Do you think they would take multiple ones? Where would they hide if they decided to ambush the fighters later? What about that horde we encountered trying to get past the mountain instead of through the Lover's Cave?", oh, this is so exciting. Maybe my decision to go with the Avatar was the superior one after all. I might not even have to give up on that third Earth Kingdom stronghold. If this campaign succeeds, I will probably be in the resistance's good graces. They might decide to help me carve out that niche in Full Moon Bay.

And Bumi. That man could do his waiting-for-the-most-opportune-moment-stint somewhere he might dole out a great deal of damage to the Fire Nation while he waits. Oh, and if I manage to get something coherent out of him regarding ideas about working on the minds of Fire Nation citizens and soldiers, that would be magnificent! Changes, changes.

...

Our first order of business is to confirm Aang's status. Is he still fighting, or have he and Bumi gotten away somehow? If so, where are they? Where is Azula? She must have plans for capturing Aang. She must also be aware of the unnatural mist by now. It has probably made her more cautious.

Since the chutes are sadly too conspicuous a mode of transportation, O-Ting takes us to where they end and which one he thinks Aang and Bumi ended up taking. The fog is less thick down here and as it is, we are incredibly lucky to immediately find their trail. The two aren't far, but the ease with which we track them worries me. Aang needs to be a bit more cautious.

"… I'd have really liked for you to be my teacher", Avatar Dejected says.

There is a beat of silence before Bumi yabbers, "Your teacher will be someone who has mastered the third Jin. They will be someone who waits and listens before striking."

"But I already know someone who does that!", Aang protests and I can feel a sneeze tickling my nose.

We round the corner and find them having a conversation where Aang sits on top of Bumi's coffin. Has Bumi revealed his facebending skills yet? And where is the princess?

"Who? Them?", Bumi asks shrewdly, one eye widening as he zooms in on us, the other narrowing. It's quite a sight. As his eyes pass over O-Ting, Sokka and Katara I wonder what he is basing his conclusions on. Certainly, most teenagers won't be the ones to wait and see, but O-Ting is an earthbender and he will have been in enough combat situations to know when and where he can best strike. Me, though? I've got the baby strapped to my chest and so, don't look even vaguely threatening, even with the mask on.

For a long moment, our eyes meet. Then he grins insanely, "Him! But no! He hasn't mastered the third Jin! He mastered the twenty-fourth!"

What? Can he see my stats? What level am I?

"And what is the twenty-fourth Jin?", Aang asks.

"Pre-emptive striking!"

That does fit me. I used the sequence Aang showed me to create the means to repel some of the Fire Nation fleet before the invasion. Instead of allowing General Fong to put horrible ideas in Aang's head, I argued with him in a way that made Aang question everything the man said. When we went into that ambush today I was careful to give us some advantages.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, King Bumi", I manage to say over my thoughts.

His grin widens, "Likewise!" Oh spirits, I did not anticipate how creepy he is in real life. I need to learn that eyebrow-thing to freak people out.

"It's good to see you again", Katara says, smiling warmly.

"That it is, young waterbender!" So polite. I suppose, being a King and all, he can be cordial if he wants to be.

...

Don't forget to throw some power stones :)

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