𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 ꩜ prince zuko

⁰⁴

CHAPTER FOUR

        YAN VOWED NEVER TO set foot on a Fire Nation airship again. The journey was mind-numbingly dull, and with no earth to bend beneath her feet, she was convinced she was losing her mind. There was nothing to do onboard except stare out the window or sit in miserable boredom; at its current pace, the airship would take at least two days to reach the Fire Nation. After several more weeks of training, the Earth Kingdom commander finally declared the regiment ready to move out. Their transport? A stolen Fire Nation airship, the same kind that made Yan airsick. How her fellow soldiers could tolerate the ride was beyond her.

        "Please tell me we're almost there," Yan groaned, dropping her head onto the mess hall table with a dramatic thud. Boredom gnawed at her and all she wanted was to get off this miserable hunk of metal.

        "We'll be there by this afternoon. Just be patient and keep an eye on your sword," said Arnaaluk, a non-bender from one of the Water Tribes as he checked his sheath to ensure all his weapons were in place.

        Yan sighed, propping her head against her hand. "I double-checked before we left camp. I just want off this flying metal coffin; I swear I'm about to lose my breakfast." she groaned, rubbing her temples in a futile attempt to ease the nausea churning in her gut. Arnaaluk stood up without a word and quickly moved to another seat; getting puked on would definitely ruin his day, and probably everyone else's too.

. . .

        After three long days aboard the airship, the Earth Kingdom army finally arrived in the Fire Nation. Both benders and non-benders suited up, donning armor, checking weapons, and gathering supplies in tense silence. Yan cracked her knuckles and positioned herself between a group of men standing at the ready near the lowering ramp, a mix of nerves and resolve coiling in her chest. She stood shoulder to shoulder with the other non-benders, prepared to fight and reclaim her freedom.

        The airship touched down at the base of the caldera, and with a hiss of steam, the hatch swung open. The benders surged out first in a tight formation, their footsteps echoing against the scorched earth. Yan remained behind with the non-benders, watching as the earthbenders raised walls of stone and carved a wide tunnel through the rock. The march through the tunnel was brief; in no time, they emerged on the far side at the edge of the Fire Nation city where the true battle would begin.

        Yan didn't hesitate; as firebender soldiers launched blazing attacks, she moved quickly to support her comrades. Behind her, earthbenders hurled volley after volley of stone, forcing the enemy to fall back. With the pressure mounting, Yan and the other non-benders pressed forward, seizing the momentum. Surprisingly, the coordination between benders and non-benders was holding strong; the benders took the high ground, blasting down any firebenders perched above while the non-benders handled the ground troops with blades and blunt force. Every step brought them closer to the royal palace and victory felt just within reach.

        "We need more benders up here!" someone shouted, panic threading through his voice as the small force struggled against a wave of firebenders. Yan barely dodged a blast of flame, the heat licking dangerously close until a blur of muscle and speed burst into the fray. Her shirshu — somehow having tracked her all this way — charged into the battlefield, flattening several soldiers with brutal force.

        "What are you doing here? I told you to go home!" she shouted, ducking just in time to avoid a sword slashing toward her head. Xian growled and lashed out, his paralyzing tongue snapping forward and dropping the attacker instantly. Yan pointed west toward the cliffs, ordering her pet to retreat to safety. The shirshu hesitated for a heartbeat, then sprinted away from the chaos as Yan and the non-benders surged toward the palace. Somewhere inside those walls, the Fire Nation's true power waited; Fire Lord Ozai ruled with cruelty and fire, his armies spreading fear across the world. Yan had never faced the man or his deranged daughter, and truthfully, she never wanted to.