Carved In Rock || ATLA

Blackbird

The Crossroads of Destiny - FIN

"No place big enough for holding all the tears you're gonna cry, cause your mama's name was lonely and your daddy's name was pain. And they call you little sorrow, cause you'll never love again." - India Jean Jacques

TW: Depictions of violence and resulting themes that may be upsetting to some.

🌊 ⛰ 🔥 🌪

"Absolutely not! I don't give a damn how tough you think you are Murata Hazenoki, you're in no shape to fight anyone right now!" The Captain's mother objected as the Water Tribe boy continued to plot and plan to throw her baby right back into the fray. "Over my dead body!"

"Mom please," Murata glanced down at the woman that loved and raised him. "I have to do this. If not for the crown and our Kingdom, but for myself. If I don't do something, that guilt sitting inside of me from whatever part in this mess that I played will eat me alive. Please, trust me to atone in my own way and save our King."

"You're asking too much of me," She cried, eyes damp with worried tears. "I just got you back Murata. That vile man came for you when you were barely old enough to be called a man yourself and he promised me that you'd be able to come home and look what happened? I barely saw or even heard of your existence for years until those brothers sent you back to us. And now look at you," She gestured to his battered, disheveled state. "I don't care how old you are or how many fancy titles you acquire, you will always be my son and I will not lose you again."

"Exactly Mom," Murata said as he reached out to take her hand in his to give it a reassuring squeeze. "You won't lose me because this time I'm the one promising you that I will come back home to you and everyone else and when this is all said and done, I'll tell the Prince to find me some cushy, boring job around the palace just to give you the peace of mind."

To her credit, Murata's mother stifled her tears and simply pulled her son into one last embrace, telling him rather hoarsely that she'd be holding him to that promise before turning to offer soft words of encouragement to the rest of the terrified staff. The Dai Li Captain looked to Smellerbee and Longshot, trusting the two to take the lead on the evacuation.

"Hang a left once you leave here and keep going until you reach the end of the corridor." He explained. "Follow the stairwell on your right down and until you can't go any further, you'll find yourself at the entrance to the crypts. There's a tunnel there that no one's bothered to seal yet that will lead you somewhere into the heart of the Upper Ring."

The archer nodded in agreement, arrow already knocked in its quiver. Despite Sokka's insistence that they had already done more than enough, Smellerbee promised that they'd be back as soon as the others were somewhere safe, both she and Longshot adamant to see things through and stick to their promises to Jet and one another that they'd do things right this time. They gathered the group between them and set out into the dimly lit corridor, disappearing with one last fleeting glance back from Murata's mother. As soon as they were out of sight, the remaining trio split to go their separate ways, the Dai Li Captain taking Bosco with him to the closest path leading down to the Crystal Catacombs, Sokka and Toph headed for the throne room.

"So what now?" Toph asked as they ran down the halls. "What's our big distraction plan?"

"I haven't gotten that far," Sokka answered honestly, his club already in hand. "Make some noise I guess and then we'll go from there."

Make some noise they did. Ty Lee and Mai could hear the sounds of fighting somewhere outside the throne room long before they could see the source of the madness. The girls had already dismissed the bulk of the agents that had been waiting with them on standby, the presence of the silent men suffocating. The two cast glances at one another, both silently determining as long as they were together there would be no need to worry, the acrobat not even bothering to rise from her back bend as the throne room doors burst open.