Façades [A Zuko x OC Story]

38 - Reclaiming Ba Sing Se

I shake my body nervously as we get closer to the large walls of Ba Sing Se, "Is it normal to be this anxious?" I ask Iroh.

"Those anxious feelings only make you stronger."

"Good because I think I might pass out from fear. So I must be really strong right now."

"Do not worry, Li Mei. We are stronger than them." Iroh looks forward to the large Fire Nation flag hanging over the wall.

"I know that... It's just that we are extremely outnumbered." I see dozens of Fire Nation tanks approaching.

"Strength is not always found in numbers."

"But isn't the phrase 'strength in numbers'?"

"Not in this case." Iroh replies, walking to the front of the group, "Ba Sing Se, the Order of the White Lotus is here." King Bumi says.

"Here to set you free." Master Pakku adds.

"Only once every hundred years can a firebender experience this kind of power." Iroh breathes in and out and the fire surrounding us grows with each breath.

Iroh thrusts his arms forward and the fire around me becomes a large ball that launches at the wall, creating a large hole.

From beside me, Bumi jumps down and makes the rock platforms that we stand on move towards the large hole. I jump down off the platform once we get through the breach.

A hoard of Fire Nation soldiers come charging at me but they get wiped out by waves of water. I look up onto the buildings to see Master Pakku bending the water into ice. I wave to him in thanks and head off in the other direction of him.

I stomp down, sending a ripple of flames at a group of soldiers, knocking them down.

"Help me!" I hear a voice cry and I stop in my tracks. I run towards the sound of the voice and I realize that I am in a very familiar part of Ba Sing Se. The Lower Ring where I used to live.

"Help!" The voice cries out again and I am able to lock onto its position. A small house has collapsed and someone is stuck inside.

"I got you!" I blast the rubble at the front of the house away and I creep in, to not cause anymore more damage to the already very fragile home, "Where are you?"

"I'm under here!" I see a large pile of rubble in the corner of the house, where it looks like the entire structure has fallen apart. I push up some large planks of wood and clear away some crumbled earth and I'm able to see the trapped person.

"Jin?" I lift up another large plank of wood.

"Do I know you?"

"Uh... I'm from the tea shop. I worked there with Lee." I explain.

"Oh! I remember you!" I finally reach her and am able to pull her out, "Can you walk?" I ask, holding her up.

"I'm not sure." She tries to take a step without my help, but she stumbles and I catch her, "I'm going to get you to safety. Get on my back." I order.

"Are you sure?"

"Just do it!" I respond. I help her climb onto my back and adjust her weight on me before walking out of the crumbled building. I walk down a back alley until someone calls out, "Jin!" A woman with dark hair runs over to me and helps get Jin off my back.

"Thank you!" the woman hugs me tightly and kisses both my cheeks. I push her off of me gently, "It's no problem, really." I look over and see that at the end of the alley a group of people huddle together in fear, "Everything is going to be okay." I say to them.

"Are you sure?" The woman with the dark hair asks.

"Yes... Help is here. Ba Sing Se will not be the property of the Fire Nation any longer."

I zap a few soldiers along the way to the Middle Ring. I blast myself into the air with a spurt of fire and I create a large wall of flames and push it through the streets filled with tanks. I land back down on the ground and duck out of the way of a large plume of flames.

I poke my head back out around the corner of the building I hide behind and send a strike of lightning at the stray Fire Nation soldier.

I keep running but someone grabs my arm and pulls me into a backstreet. I struggle out of their grip and raise my hands to attack but they drop when I see who it is. It's just a civilian, "Do you need help? I ask.

"There's a woman who wants to see you."

"Wants to see me?"

"She says she knows you." The man replies and gestures for me to follow him. We walk

past rows of bodies covered in tarps before reaching a few people who seem to be treating injured civilians.

"Here." The man points to a woman who is sitting propped up against a destroyed house. I recognize the woman instantly as my own mother, "Mother!" I rush to her side.

She pulls me into a tight hug and I start crying, "I'm so sorry." I say into her shoulder.

"Where have you been?" She pushes me back and holds onto the sides of my face with concern written on her own.

"Prison." I choke out, "I was in a Fire Nation prison."

"Oh, Li Mei." She pulls me back into a hug, "I was so worried about you. You never came back home to visit and I never got a word about your disappearance... I assumed the worst."

"It's okay. I'm right here."

"Why are you here?" Her voice becomes stern, "You should not be here. It's not safe."

"I'm here with Iroh. We're reclaiming Ba Sing Se." She runs her hands up and down her arms, "You and these people should move down to the Lower Ring, it's mostly cleared of Fire Nation soldiers and will be much safer than here." I advise.

"And where will you go?"

"The Upper Ring."

"Be safe, Li." She kisses the top of my head, "The next time we meet you better still be alive."

"I promise." I hug her one last time, "Don't you die either!" I wave to her as I run back through the scorched streets.

I reach the Upper Ring and my legs are starting to get exhausted from all the running and on and off fighting. I knock a few more soldiers down and blow up a few more tanks before making it to the very centre of Ba Sing Se. The Royal Palace.

Bodies of soldiers from both sides are scattered everywhere along with craters and large blast marks. It seems that the White Lotus has already cleared through this area.

I see Iroh standing before the large Palace, "Iroh." I say as I walk up to him. He turns and smiles at me. I can still hear the battle raging behind us.

"Shall we." I look at the large Fire Nation flag hanging off the Royal Palace. Iroh and I lift our arms simultaneously and two large bursts of fire burn the flag away, revealing the Earth Kingdom symbol underneath.

I collapse to my knees, "It's over. It's finally over." Iroh rests a gentle hand on my shoulder.

-

"Mother!" I run up and hug my mother with all my remaining strength.

"You better get going." She says in my ear. I let go of her, "What for?"

"The new Fire Lord's coronation." She smiles and my jaw drops to the floor and then a massive grin grows on my face and I hug her again, laughing with my excitement.