It was an interesting thing, to treat with a boy almost young enough to be her grandson with all the respect and protocol of a peer. But Hwa could admit without any resentment that Colonel Xing was far, far more accomplished than her, even if he was comfortable in not claiming all of it. And he was far more polite than he should be for someone who had bested King Bumi twice and killed a dragon.
There was no swagger in Xing’s movements, no sense of superiority in his expression. Everything about him exhibited a sharp focus and dedication to the Fire Nation’s cause to waste time on petty things like showing contempt at his peers. Oh, he had his limits though. General Meng’s unfortunate Agni Kai came to mind, as were the lesser duels conducted against other commanders during the retreat from the poorly planned First Campaign of Omashu.
The colonel was a model soldier through and through; in battle he only cared only about winning with as little losses as possible, and out of it he only postured to keep his command and duties unimpeded.
Like many others, Hwa had initially frowned on the Young Dragon’s preference for underhanded tactics, but unlike the others, she learned to shut up after seeing the results. Her 51st Grand Company’s numbers were very well below expected casualty rates, simply because the 11th methodically broke most of the enemies that were in their way.
Constant night raids kept the enemy tired and paranoid, while displays of terror or overwhelming force sent conscripts and even enlisted Earth Kingdom soldiers running before the fighting truly began. The other commanders might complain about the dishonorable fighting, but people like Hwa were forced to appreciate just how much manpower the Defiant 11th was saving them.
Hwa canceled two scheduled reinforcement shipments thanks to the 11th’s unorthodox warfare, and the grand company was actually enjoying a novel period of being close to full strength even after a long campaign.
Additionally, adopting the 11th’s brutal fighting style kept earthbenders from reaping their usual tally of casualties, even if it meant that her soldiers often suffered a higher number of broken equipment. No wonder the 11th’s supply train was so laden with extra daggers and spear heads.
So when Colonel Xing came in with a request, Hwa felt that she owed it to him to at least hear him out.
“Thank you for your time, Colonel Hwa,” the Young Dragon began, offering a respectful bow upon entering Hwa’s temporary office outside of Chenbao. Really, how this polite colonel was supposedly close friends with the uncouth Dao was a marvel in itself, especially that neither brashness from the latter nor the decorum of the former rubbed off on one another.
“Think nothing of it, Colonel Xing. We are colleagues, after all.” Hwa offered the reserved boy a seat and poured them both a bowl of tea. The good leaves, of course. This was a respectable commander, and he probably knew his tea since he and Prince Iroh were acquainted.
“I know that neither of us are the types to give simple social calls, so allow me to be blunt to ask: What can I do for you, colonel?”
As she expected, Xing flashed an appreciative grin as he picked up his bowl of tea and sipped from it. “Oh, Gaoling Black. Premium stuff.”
“I do what I can,” Hwa replied wryly.
The other colonel gave a nod before setting the bowl back on the table between them and straightening his back. “Well, to be blunt, I’d like to ask for a rather…hefty favor.”
Hwa raised an intrigued eyebrow. “Hefty?”
Xing waved circles with one hand. “If it goes wrong, you’d likely be court-martialed at the least.”
Her other eyebrow went up. Court-martial? Now she was really looking forward to hearing his proposal.
“As you know, there is an invasion of the Northern Water Tribe coming up.”
Ah, and the 11th and its closer allies were not requested to join. An obvious snub, that one. “I do not have the influence to aid in your petition,” Hwa stated, preempting his question.
She assumed wrongly, because Xing was shaking his head. “I’ve checked with General Sho and Crown Princess Azula, there is no use in petitioning. So instead I’m going for the next best thing.”
“And that is…?”
Xing’s polite facade melted a little to reveal a sheepish boy making an awkward request, like asking for another box of sweetcakes. “I’d like to request an…unofficial transfer to your 51st Grand Company. Just me and my bodyguards.”
Hwa found herself blinking mutely for a few seconds before she found her voice. “You want to stowaway to join the invasion?”
“Eh, sort of? I’d like to…ah, observe. I’ll not partake of the invasion…not unless I have to anyway.”
What did he mean by that? Hwa quietly wracked her brain for his reasonings, but couldn’t find a satisfying answer.
Why only him and his bodyguards? No matter how daring he was, it wouldn’t garner any significant prestige if he aided the invasion.
Maybe that’s the point, to not be seen as trying to steal glory? If so, why the need to join the invasion as an observer at all?
Deciding to stick to the theme of being blunt, rather than wasting time trying to fathom the boy’s intention, Hwa fixed him with a soft glare. “Tell me honestly, Colonel Xing. Why do you feel the need to hide with my soldiers to…observe the invasion?”
His gaze did not waver, but instead Hwa found a mysterious flicker of resolve in it. “I…suspect that Admiral Zhao is using the invasion of the Northern Water Tribe to further a hidden agenda. Whether we win or not is irrelevant if he succeeds in what I think he’s aiming for.”
“And what is he aiming for?”
The boy’s gaze finally faltered as uncertainty seeped into his eyes, but he didn’t break from her stare. “He’s…” Xing paused, and then closed his eyes as he drew in a breath before he answered with some resignation. “He’s going to kill the moon. Or the ocean.”
Hwa found herself lost for words again, but she quickly crushed the impulse to lambast the other colonel for spouting nonsense. This was a boy that was heavily rumored to be guided by unseen patrons towards unlikely victories and feats. Spirit touched, the whispers said. Even General Sho, Colonels Koda and Yashen, and several colonial governors believed it. Supposedly, even the Fire Lord and the crown princess acknowledged that as fact.
It was rather satisfying to see Xing surprised when Hwa gave a thoughtful hum. He clearly expected to be screamed out of the room.
“Killing the moon or ocean,” Hwa said slowly, and then regarded him seriously to show that she wasn’t mocking him. “Are you certain of this?”
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To his credit, he gave a shrug. “Almost. Like I said, if I’m wrong and I get caught, you could be court-martialed for hiding me.”
“But that’s all the information you have?”
“It’s the most coherent one I have,” he corrected evenly, and Hwa was humming again.
“Does Crown Princess Azula know of this?”
As an answer, the young colonel gave a thin smirk as he produced and unrolled a scroll bearing the princess’ royal seal. “Her highness reluctantly approves of my idiocy.”
Hwa didn’t take the scroll from him to confirm the words. Even from this short distance, she could make out the stream of invectives written on the scroll, before it ended with conceding approval. At the end of it all, the crown princess was willing to trust the Scorpion Dragon on this crazy notion despite her own skepticism.
And if the brilliant, unfailing princess believed in him, then what argument did Hwa have to do otherwise to such a stalwart ally?
“Tell me your plans,” the colonel of the 51st Grand Company said with a relenting sigh. “If you’re to come with us, I need to at least know what you’re going to do and how you’ll be doing it.”
Hwa hammered out the ‘itinerary’ with her colleague, and they were working out the extent of the involvement of Admiral Daeyang - unsurprisingly, the admiral was also willing to play a part in smuggling Xing onboard the invasion fleet - when a messenger came bearing horrible news.
“Through yet unknown means and intentions, the ship of Prince Zuko was destroyed while docked in the colony of Hai Sin. Prince Iroh has been confirmed to be safe as he joined the rest of the crew on shore at the time, but the search is ongoing for Prince Zuko, who was in his cabin during the incident.”
As horrified as Hwa was at the news, her opposite number was genuinely shocked and reeled in his seat with wide eyes and an audible gasp.
“Who confirmed the report?” the boy asked the messenger with surprising coldness.
The soldier gulped at the intense attention on him before he answered with a glance at the paper in his hands. “Sir. The report bears the seal of Governor Kyong, along with Admiral Zhao and Garrison Captain Chuo as witnesses. Prince Iroh has been noted to be…busy in continuing the search for Prince Zuko as of the message’s delivery.”
Hwa saw how Xing frowned at the mention of the admiral’s name in particular being mentioned, and she didn’t like the uncomfortable series of questions it raised.
*****
“Until the body is found, he is not dead.”
Ren reached out to stop the princess from pacing and soothe her. “No one is saying otherwise, Azula.”
“No one is saying it, but that doesn’t mean they’re not thinking it,” came the girl’s retort. “Father might not say much about it, but the officials are already ready to make a martyr out of him.”
The captain gently held onto Azula’s shoulders and slowly reeled the princess in as the girl seethed. “Then they’ll be bigger fools once Zuko is found alive and well.”
“He’d wish he was dead,” Azula snapped as her arms wrapped around Ren and she buried her face in the woman’s shoulder. “Stupid Zuzu is causing me a lot of trouble with this sort of stunt…” she continued to mutter through the embrace. “Making me look like a fool who can’t keep the colonies safe…”
Ren knew it was Azula’s way of coping with the news, that she didn’t really mean to reduce her brother’s potential loss to a mere political inconvenience. The way her voice cracked, and the way her breath choked up was more than enough proof of that. The girl might have seen her sibling as an inferior rival before, but this sort of tragedy had a way of revealing how tight family bonds truly are.
Even if Azula was just coming to terms in expressing her genuine concern for her brother.
“Don’t worry Azula,” Ren comforted, “Once we find the mooks who tried to hurt your brother and make a fool of your rank as Colonial Minister, we’ll make them pay.”
“I’ll have them strung up as firebending targets.”
The captain chuckled. “It’d be a waste of our trainees’ time. Maybe for the flammenwerfers instead?”
Azula leaned back from the hug and managed a faint smile. “It’d be good to see how far they can run before the flames rain on them…” The smile wavered, and then the princess pressed her face against Ren’s shoulders again. “He better not be dead.”
“Zuko’s a good firebender, an explosion like that shouldn’t be enough to take him out.” Ren didn’t mention that she was assuming the prince was awake during the explosion. Though if he was asleep, his corpse (or the remains of it) should have been found by now.
Judging from the damage the ship took, assuming the reports were accurate, the explosion couldn’t have flung his body from the cabin so far that it couldn’t be found.
After Azula huffed and vented for a while longer, she finally broke away from the embrace and quickly schooled her expression to a neutral state, as if nothing had happened. Ren felt a pang of sympathy for her, knowing that as crown princess mired in the dirty game of politics, there were expectations Azula had to meet.
Expectations like not showing too much emotion from the news of her brother’s potential death, for fear of being seen as too weak by those she had been cowing into submission up until now.
The young princess brushed and straightened her dress, and then gave Ren a nod. “Thanks, Ren.”
Ren smiled and helped tidy up Azula’s hair. “It’s the least I can do.”
The younger girl sighed. “It’d be nice if you weren’t an instructor captain…”
With how it was said, Ren couldn’t help but cock her head to one side. “Why’s that, Azula?”
Azula’s gaze was one of steely resolve, as if she already made her mind on something. “It’d be nice to have you along with me to deal with the…mooks, as you put it.”
“You’re planning on investigating?”
Azula feigned offense. “Obviously. As Colonial Minister, it’d be irresponsible of me if I didn’t personally look into an attack on the royal family. My royal family. It’d be good to have more than just officials to rely upon though.”
Ah. Hunting down her brother’s kill- attackers while proving herself as a minister. Ren couldn’t help but smile at Azula’s multitasking. “You’ll need reliable people. Talented too.”
“And I can’t use anyone from the 11th, not with Xing’s…plans.” Azula paused to think, and then her lips curled up in a faint smirk. “I suppose I’ll have to find my own little entourage.”
“You know some people, I’m guessing?”
The princess gave a nod, but then her mask cracked a little, revealing some doubts. “I’ll probably need to do some apologizing…” she sighed.