Chapter 42: The Flames of Command
A tense silence lingered in the command tent after Zuko's declaration echoed against the thick canvas walls. The flickering lanterns overhead did little to warm the chill that swept through the room, born not of the cold morning air outside, but from the weight of what the prince had just committed them all to.
"Attack now?" Admiral Kuvak asked, leaning forward. His dark eyes scanned the rest of the officers present. "With all due respect, Your Highness, it's barely been four days since the last incursion. Our numbers may be there, but our readiness is not guaranteed."
Zuko didn't sit. He stood tall, arms behind his back, the old Fire Nation uniform he now wore catching the glow of the lanterns with every shift of his posture. "The men who are injured will remain here. The dead… we've already buried them. That leaves us with over a thousand active troops from the original garrison," he began. "Add to that the five thousand Kuvak brought from the capital, we outnumber General Fong's current position by almost two to one, even if King Bumi returns before we strike."
Lieutenant Commander Donji ran a gloved hand across the tactical map spread across the table, fingers tracing the makeshift firepits marked in red stones and enemy positions etched in charcoal lines. "Our scouts reported at least four thousand men under Fong massing across the river bend, just outside the cliffs to the northeast. Bumi's forces remain unconfirmed in number, but he's likely returned to Omashu."
"According to Sergeant Rin," Zuko said, turning to the older man standing near the entrance, "those reinforcements from Bumi have not yet arrived."
Rin nodded. "We've seen no signs of new troop movement. Earth Kingdom banners are being raised, but their number hasn't changed. Our spies say King Bumi is still gathering allies and materials back home."
"There won't be a better opportunity," Zuko continued. "Every day we delay is a day the Avatar and the northern tribes gain traction. Every hour is another soldier they can add to their ranks. If they take Nan-Hai, the entire southern line collapses."
"You speak of urgency," Kuvak said calmly, "but urgency cannot outrun exhaustion. Your Highness, your men were crushed under Bumi's first attack. Many still recover. Entire divisions have been fractured. I lost two full platoons in the chaos and have been integrating replacements since then. You're demanding the same men who buried their brothers three days ago to march at dawn?"
Zuko turned toward Kuvak now, his amber eyes flaring with something deeper than irritation, it was conviction.
"Yes," he said. "Because if we don't strike, they die anyway. If General Fong and the Avatar manage to take this province, their morale will skyrocket. The Earth Kingdom will smell blood. The northern tribe is already sending envoys, and we know what that means. If word reaches Ba Sing Se, and the Earth King decides to act, we won't be dealing with four thousand men anymore, we'll be facing forty thousand in a month."
There was a murmur among the officers. The mention of Ba Sing Se never failed to stir unease.
Azula, seated a few chairs down from Zuko, tapped her fingers against the table. "The crown prince is right," she said finally. "We've underestimated the Avatar long enough. He's no longer just a spiritual figure, he's a rallying symbol. And symbols are dangerous."
"Assuming the Avatar is still in the province," Donji added.
"He is," Zuko said with certainty. "Or he will return. Mark my words. The moment the northern water tribe gets involved, the boy will come back. This means more to him than you understand."
"But the soldiers…" another officer began.
"...will be ready," Zuko cut in. "We organize around the healthy, rotate the wounded into reserve camps, and structure our attack around the five primary divisions the Admiral brought with him. They're fresh. They're trained. And they weren't here when Bumi's madness scorched this land, they're not carrying the same trauma."
Rin spoke now. "I've already begun identifying officers from our local units that can lead effective detachments. My men are compiling readiness reports as we speak. The base is damaged but still functional. Supply lines remain intact thanks to the coastal landing from Admiral Kuvak's fleet."
"I've also ensured ammunition and rations were fully restocked," Kuvak confirmed. "The fleet brought enough food and weaponry for a two-week siege. But you want an open field assault, not a defense?"
Zuko nodded. "If we let Fong choose the battlefield, we lose. He knows these hills better than we do. I want to take the fight to him, force him to commit early. We have the numbers, the mobility, and for now… the initiative."
There was another pause, long, heavy.
Lieutenant Commander Donji folded his arms. "You'll need to inspire the troops. Most of them have never seen a prince on the frontlines, let alone leading an assault."
"They will," Zuko said. "Tomorrow, at dawn, I will lead the vanguard myself."
This time no one spoke. Not even Azula, who glanced sideways at her brother with unreadable eyes.
Kuvak slowly rose to his feet, saluted, and gave a single, sharp nod.
"Then I suggest we start organizing the battalions immediately."
Zuko sat down at last, but his gaze never lost its edge. "Let's begin."
---
Zuko stepped out of the command tent, the lingering voices of the council muffled as the heavy flap fell shut behind him. The crisp air outside hit his face, the faint tang of salt from the distant coast mixing with the earthy scent of trampled grass and soldiers' campfires. His boots crunched against the gravel path as he started the slow walk back toward his quarters.
Two days. That was all the time he had to prepare his men before the march. Tomorrow morning, they'd move out, a column of steel and flame cutting through Nan-Hai's hills. A day later, they'd meet Fong on the battlefield. Zuko estimated the fight would last two, maybe three days at most, less, if he could force the general's hand early.
And if everything went according to plan… he would have just enough time. Two days after victory to make it to Crescent Island for the winter solstice, to stand before Avatar Roku. He would make certain Aang was there too. There were questions that could no longer wait, about the black abyss, about the airbender Yogan, about that cloaked figure whose presence still clung to his memory like a shadow that refused to fade.
He turned a corner into the main building when a familiar voice called after him.
"Zuko."
He stopped, his shoulders stiffening before he looked over. Azula stood a few paces away, her posture relaxed but her eyes sharp as ever.
"What do you want, Azula?" he asked, his tone clipped. "I only have time for a quick lunch before I meet again with Kuvak and the captains."
Azula, however, strolled toward him with deliberate leisure. "Then we'll have lunch together." It wasn't a suggestion.
He exhaled through his nose but didn't argue, falling into step beside her as they entered the building. The clatter of distant mess tables echoed from below, but Azula's voice cut through it cleanly.
"You're in quite the hurry all of a sudden," she said, her gaze flicking toward him as they walked. "Care to explain why?"
"It's part of my plan to capture the Avatar," Zuko replied without hesitation, his words even. "I accelerated the timetable. I thought you'd be pleased to hear that."
Her lips curved, but not in a smile. "You expect me to believe you're suddenly rushing the assault just for that?"
"That's the truth."
"No," she said simply. "You're up to something else. Helping me get my status back, whatever… arrangement we have…" her eyes narrowed slightly, "…that's not your real goal. You think I'm naive?"
Zuko glanced sideways at her. "I never thought you were."
They ascended the staircase, boots dull against the wooden steps, the tension between them thickening in the narrow hallway. When they reached his room, the door stood slightly ajar. Zuko pushed it open…
…and paused.
Inside, seated at the low table, was Iroh, steam curling up from a porcelain cup in his hands. The aroma of ginseng tea filled the air.
"Ah, nephew," Iroh said warmly, his smile deepening the lines at his eyes. "And Azula. What a pleasant surprise."
Zuko stepped inside, shutting the door behind them. "Uncle."
Iroh gestured to the cushions set around the table, where a tray of food had already been laid out, grilled river fish, steamed vegetables, rice, and a pot of tea still steaming beside him.
"Join me," Iroh offered. "It seems the perfect time for a shared meal before the storm comes."
Azula's expression smoothed into polite composure, though her gaze lingered on Zuko as if she could read his mind through the steam rising between them.
Zuko lowered himself onto the cushion opposite Iroh, his movements still carrying the stiffness of recent injury, though he masked it behind a calm face. Azula took the seat to his right, hands folded neatly in her lap before she reached for the tea pot without asking, pouring herself a cup.
The steam drifted lazily upward. Iroh poured for Zuko, then topped off his own.
"Eat," the older man said, gesturing toward the spread. "Even the sharpest blade is useless if the warrior holding it is too weak to lift it."
Zuko picked up his chopsticks and reached for the fish. "I'll be ready," he said.
"You sound certain," Iroh observed, watching him carefully over the rim of his cup.
"Certainty," Azula said smoothly, "is usually the sign that someone knows something the rest of us don't." She glanced at Zuko, her eyes narrowing just enough to be noticeable. "And my dear brother has been very certain about many things lately."
Zuko kept his gaze on his food, taking a bite before answering. "I'm certain because hesitation loses wars."
"Hesitation," Azula replied, tilting her head slightly, "or caution? There's a difference. One of them prevents mistakes. The other makes them."
"Caution wastes time we don't have," Zuko said, his tone flat but deliberate.
Iroh set his cup down. "Time for what, nephew?"
Zuko didn't look up. "Time before the enemy gains momentum we can't stop. Fong is already consolidating his forces. If we wait, they'll have Bumi back on the field and possibly even more allies."
"That's the official answer," Azula said, her voice light but edged. "But you don't take sudden risks without reason. And you've been accelerating your plans without consulting anyone, including me."
Zuko's chopsticks paused briefly in midair before lowering to his plate. "Plans change. The battlefield changes. You adapt."
"That," Azula said, "is the sort of thing people say when they don't want to give the real answer."
Iroh leaned forward slightly, studying his nephew. "Azula's not entirely wrong. You've been… different, Zuko. More focused, yes, but also more, how should I put it, guarded. As if you're keeping something close to your chest."
"Or hiding something," Azula added without missing a beat.
"I am hiding something," Zuko said, finally meeting her eyes. "I am not denying that, I would be stupid to do that. Just as you are hiding things and uncle has many things about his past that he wishes to keep hidden. What I'm doing, I'm doing for the Fire Nation. For all of us."
"That's a very noble sentiment," Azula said with a faint, knowing smile. "But nobility doesn't suit you unless it's tied to ambition. You always want something, Zuko. So tell me, what is it this time?"
He took a slow sip of tea, letting the warmth wash down his throat. "Victory."
The single word hung between them for a moment, heavier than it should have been.
"Victory at Nan-Hai?" Iroh asked carefully.
"Yes," Zuko said. "Everything else comes after."
Azula's eyes lingered on him, searching for a crack in his composure. If she found one, she didn't show it. Instead, she shifted the conversation with calculated casualness. "So… when the council marches tomorrow, you'll be leading from the front?"
"Yes."
"That's dangerous," Iroh said, though there was no criticism in his tone, only concern.
"That's necessary," Zuko countered. "The men fight harder when their commander bleeds with them."
"And if you bleed too much?" Azula asked, her smile curling just slightly.
"Then uncle will take command," Zuko said, looking to his uncle. "And you'll do what you do best, turn the chaos into opportunity."
Azula arched a brow. "Flattery now? How unlike you."
"It's not flattery," Zuko replied. "It's trust."
Her expression shifted just enough for him to see the flicker of doubt behind her eyes—whether doubt in his sincerity, or in her own interpretation, he couldn't tell.
Iroh broke the moment with a genial tone. "Well, I, for one, am glad we're sharing this meal. It's been too long since the three of us have eaten together without daggers, literal or metaphorical, on the table. I must however mention that I will not be joining you on your excursion with General Fong. I have a certain place I need to be within the next few days."
Zuko looked at his uncle suspiciously. He guessed that his uncle would be meeting with his supposed contacts in the Order.
"Give it time," Azula murmured, taking another sip of tea.
Zuko didn't respond, instead refocusing on his plate. The meal continued, quieter now, each of them turning their thoughts inward even as they remained seated together. In that silence, the air between them was thick with unspoken calculations.
[A/N: Can't wait to see what happens next? Get exclusive early access on patreon.com/saiyanprincenovels. If you enjoyed this chapter and want to see more, don't forget to drop a power stone! Your support helps this story reach more readers!]