Avatar: The Book Of The Phoenix

Scorched Earth

The air in the Earth King's palace was thick with the stench of fear and the cloying sweetness of jasmine tea. King Xuo, his face a mask of fury, slammed his fist on the polished marble table, the sound echoing through the opulent chamber.

"Your majesty," his advisor, a wisened old man with a long white beard, began, his voice trembling slightly, "the reports from the south are dire."

Xuo glared at him, his eyes narrowed. "Speak, man! Don't keep me in suspense!"

The advisor cleared his throat, "The Fire Nomads... they are relentless. They are systematically destroying every village and town between Xanadu and Yu Dao. A scorched earth policy, it seems. Khan Rokkun...he will stop at nothing."

A low murmur of unease rippled through the assembled court officials.

"And the refugees?" Xuo demanded.

"They are pouring into Ba Sing Se, your majesty. Thousands of them. Desperate, starving..."

"This cannot continue!" Xuo roared, rising from his throne. "General Fong!"

The burly Earthbending general stepped forward, his face grim. "Your majesty, we must assemble the army. We must crush these barbarians once and for all!"

"But the Fire Nomads... they are far too numerous," another advisor, a frail scholar with a nervous twitch, piped up. "We have already suffered heavy losses."

"Silence!" Xuo thundered, his voice echoing through the chamber. "Do you think that when that impudent brat Zuko deceived my brother, King Kuei, that Kuei stood down in the face of great treachery? No! He fought back! And we will too!"

Xuo paced furiously. "We will not be cowed by these savages. We will not allow them to destroy our homes, our people! We will fight! We will fight until every last Fire Nomad  is driven back into the sea!"

The Earth King knew that the war was far from over. In fact, it seemed to be just beginning.

Just then, a young messenger ran up to the King, hastily handing him a bundle of wrapped parchment. King Xuo opened the letter, his eyes beaming with shock.

The air in the Earth King's palace grew heavy with a silence thicker than the dust kicked up by a thousand galloping horses. King Xuo, his face a mask of grim determination, crumpled the letter in his fist.

"Khan Rokkun... he has crossed the Great Divide," he announced, his voice low and dangerous. A ripple of fear ran through the assembled nobles.

"Fifteen thousand men strong," he continued, his voice barely above a whisper, yet it echoed through the chamber. "He is coming."

General Fong, his face grim, stepped forward. "Your majesty, I will assemble the army. Every able-bodied man in Ba Sing Se will fight."

"Good," Xuo growled. "We will meet this so-called Great Army head on. We will not surrender our homes, our land, our freedom. We will fight for every inch of the Earth Kingdom!"

The nobles exchanged worried glances. Two hundred thousand Fire Nomad warriors out for blood. It was an overwhelming force. But the Earth King's resolve was unwavering. He would not be intimidated. He would not be defeated.

As the court officials began to disperse, Xuo turned to his advisor. "Inform the citizens of Ba Sing Se. Tell them that the Fire Nomads are coming. Tell them that we need their help. Tell them that we will fight together, as one."

The advisor bowed his head. "As you command, your majesty."

Xuo watched him go, his eyes filled with a grim determination. The war had come to Ba Sing Se. And the Earth King was ready.