I had listened to enough war councils and had enough lessons with old soldiers to know that if things were going too well, it was likely because somewhere else something was going horribly wrong.

So when Sha Wujing, Zhu Wuneng, and Chi Song approached me two days after our operation with content if not happy expressions while Captain Mako returned with a scowl I knew something hadn’t gone exactly to plan.

Not wanting to ruin my good mood immediately in the face of bad news I decided to have the city events reported first.

The capture of all the insurrectionist groups we knew about had gone off without a hitch. I had personally captured the leader of the group along with several of the highest ranking members. The others had been captured at other sites throughout the city in smaller raids on warehouses and hideouts. We might have missed a few overall, but nowhere near enough that the local guard couldn’t deal with them. Especially if they were assisted by the swelling numbers of the port guard.

The raids also had the benefit of unearthing some additional locations that would need to be checked out. I was sure Sha Wujing was already putting together more teams to investigate those on top of going through what we already had. From the summary reports he had already submitted most of those would be small groups of less than ten people.

For all intents and purposes Danyuan had been cleansed of the insurrection.

Zhu Wuneng and Chi Song had slightly less positive news for me.

The talks with the peaceful and law abiding Earthbenders had gone well, as expected really. I wasn’t asking them to do anything they already weren’t doing so there was no detectable reaction in the city.

Though I was also having the guard watch out for some idiot trying something just to spite us. There always seemed to be the one person out there that would be totally fine under Fire Nation rule, but the second you reminded him he was under Fire Nation rule he pulled some ill thought out stunt in the name of ‘rebellion’.

Thankfully there had been none of that yet.

Unfortunately none of them had decided to come forward and join my forces as of yet. Not surprising at all. Two days was not enough time for someone to make such a risky decision like that, but I was still a little irritated by the lack of progress. It’s hard to demonstrate the inclusion of a subset of people when those people refuse to be included.

Problems for later. There's nothing I could do besides track down a few of them and force them into service. Which would destroy not only my credibility but it would ensure anyone I convinced to work with me would betray me the second they had a chance.

And that meant I had stalled as long as I could.

“Alright then. Captain Mako, your report?”

“We successfully captured the port the suspected Water Tripe were using.”

“Don’t you mean Water Tribe?” Sha Wujing asked.

“I know what I said.”

“So what was the issue?” I cut in before this could devolve into an argument.

Captain Mako huffed, “They weren’t there.”

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Everyone at the table blinked.

“What do you mean they weren’t there?”

“Exactly that, earth girl. My boys had the ocean under watch the whole time we were prepping for the attack. One day they’re there, the next, gone without a trace.”

That was...incredibly concerning.

The small port to the north had been boxed in by seven Fire Nation war ships and the Water Tribe managed to escape unnoticed? No wonder Captain Mako was in such a bad mood. It was one thing to see your opponent and for them to escape by some clever maneuver or tactic, it was something entirely different when you managed to lose a fleet without a clue how it happened.

It was a very good thing that capturing the Water Tribe specifically was not a priority or this operation would have been considered a failure despite the success in the city.

“Did you have any trouble with the locals then?”

The Captain shook his head. “Nah, they are all incredibly ‘grateful’ we managed to drive off the Water Bandits with our mere presence. I left a couple soldiers behind to keep an eye on em but it's a small fishing port. If we pulled out tomorrow and a bandit group rolled up they would thank em for driving off the tyranny of the Fire Nation or something like that.”

I nodded in understanding. For the powerless, the easiest way to survive was to rely on the support of the closest group stronger than them. The Fire Nation might be the mightiest nation in the world, but without a clear presence in the area those small villages wouldn’t hesitate to bow to someone else.

“Have some of our Port Guard stationed there on a monthly rotation. Even a small garrison should be enough to keep them in check.” I smiled, “And it isn’t like we have a shortage of troops for it at the moment.”

“I’ll make sure it’s done, Princess.” Sha Wujing saluted and made a note on a piece of paper.

I nodded once again and moved on to the final point of this meeting.

“Now that Danyuan is solidly back under Fire Nation control I have one more task I want to complete before I return to give my report to the Fire Lord.” I stopped and looked very closely at the four people in the room. “Make no mistake...if a hint of this makes it back to my father being, locked up in the darkest hole you can imagine would be a blessing. If you have no intention of swearing total loyalty to me you are free to leave.”

Chi Song laughed. “Oh yeah, that’d be great. ‘Hey Fire Lord, two earthbenders have something to tell you. Oh by the way, one of them is technically Nobility’. Don’t worry about me.”

“Same for me.” Zhu Wuneng agreed. “You’ve done the most for earthbenders in Fire Nation territory in decades. Keep it up and I’ll follow you.”

That was both excellent news and horribly depressing at the same time.

“You saved my entire command staff, your Highness.” Sha Wujing said. “When the first rebellion occurred, the Colonel in charge of Danyuan fled to the home islands. I, along with my subordinates, would’ve taken the blame for the saboteurs and insurgents if you hadn’t rooted them out. All of us are willing to pledge ourselves to you.”

All eyes turned to Captain Mako, who had tuned out the rest of us in favor of preparing a pot of tea. When the Captain noticed he negligently waved a hand in the air.

“Your Uncle’s a good Pai Sho buddy of mine. Least I can do is make sure his niece is taken care of.”

Not exactly the pledge of undying loyalty I was hoping for, but considering who I was asking that was probably the best I was going to get without causing some dissatisfaction.

“Hnm...I guess that will do.” I murmured. “I admit I’m taking a risk with all of you. But if things continue unchecked I predict the Fire Nation will collapse around itself in as little as five years.” I said in a stronger voice. Suddenly I had everyone’s complete undivided attention.

“So I am going to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’m going to use the four of you to start forging a new strength for the Nation in the colonies. And by the end of it...I will end the war.”

Captain Mako started choking on his tea as the others burst into a storm of questions. I just smiled at their expressions. If this was how they reacted to just a hint of my larger goals, how would they react when they learned the full picture?

-o-

I wasn’t expecting any major changes in the Capital during the few months I had been away. The political upheaval I accidentally engineered ensured that none of the more influential officials would make any big moves while they were busy figuring out the new political scene.

So besides a rather ceremonial parade welcoming me back to the capital I was free to move about unhindered by petty schemes and plots.

Well, at least any that would be important enough to need my attention.

In fact the only political move that really caught my notice was a marriage between two noble families a week prior to my return. And it wasn’t because it was some mismatched union between a high and low family or between political factions, but rather because I, and nearly everyone in the capital, had been convinced the bride and groom hated each other.

Apparently not considering the gossip sweeping the city.

The two had been almost sickeningly sweet together since the wedding and had been seen in each other's company almost constantly. An odd turn of events but it stood out simply because it was one of the few happy marriages between nobles.

I also found out that Azula and her friends were visiting one of the historical temples with the rest of her class so I likely wouldn’t see her for a while. Shame. I wanted to introduce her to my new handmaiden.

With those thoughts in mind, I began the lengthy process of reacquainting myself with the projects I had left behind when I went to Danyuan as well as catching up on the latest war efforts. I had my audience with my father tomorrow. It wouldn’t do to be ignorant about the current state of affairs.