I'll Walk You Home pt. 58

Chapter 22

Home At Last

Sokka unrolled Suki's letter and began to read.

"Sokka" It began.

"Thank you for your letters. I always knew you and Toph would have exciting adventures, even without trying. You two were always a good team. You and Toph, Katara and Aang, I was always the one on the outside looking in at you four.

"Your new adventures in the Serpent's Pass were particularly interesting. You must ask Toph to tell you the story of what happened when I pulled her from the water the first time we attempted the pass. I'm sure you will find it very interesting."

"You wrote that you planned to visit Kyoshi after dropping Toph off at her home. Please don't. Things here on the islands are very different than they were the last time you were here. There would be nothing for you to enjoy, and I have too much work to spend any time with you. You would just be a distraction from what I must do.

"I hope that doesn't sound too harsh but you must understand that the war was very cruel to my homeland and I really have no time for distractions. It will be years before the islands have been restored to the home they once were.

"What would be cruel would be for me to ask you to wait those years for me. Things have changed not only on Kyoshi but between us as well. I know you felt it just as I have. I think it would be best for both of us to move on. You have your life to live and I have mine. I will always remember our time together as a special time. And I hope that we can still be friends, even if we never see each other again, which seems the best course we can take at this time.

"Please don't write to me again. I know a clean break will be best for both of us.

"Goodbye.

"Suki"

Sokka just stared at the letter for a time.

"Wow…" He whispered finally.

He just felt numb staring at it. Then the hurt began, which moved into anger after a few seconds. But the anger quickly subsided and became remorse.

Odd… He thought. I should be relieved.

But he wasn't. Mostly he just felt guilty.

He looked at the letter again. There was no mention of anyone else. He had not been replaced. Suki was just through with him. He was the problem. One more failure to add to the long and ever growing list he had already accumulated.

He couldn't blame her. It was all his fault. He had never really been a boyfriend for her. He had tried. He acted the way he thought a boyfriend should act. But that was the problem. It had always been an act. It had always been false, and Suki had always known it, even if she was only admitting it now in this letter.

He let go of the scroll and watched as it rolled itself up, closing itself to him. He placed it on the pile of finished letters, and sat for a moment. Eventually he pushed himself away from the table, stood, and walked out towards the patio.

Lao looked up at the noise of the chair scrapping along the floor. He watched as the young man walked toward the window.

"Is everything alright?" The Grand Duke asked, seeing the boy's face.

"Fine." Sokka lied. "Just need some air."

He opened the window/door and walked out onto the cold stone patio.

Lao returned to his work.

A few minutes later the Grand Duke looked up to see Hong and young Shen come into the library carrying scrolls.

"The morning mail your grace." Hong said with a bow.

"Thank you Hong." Lao replied.

The butler approached the desk and deposited the small bundle of scrolls in the IN box.

"Is there anything you need, your grace?" Hong asked.

The Grand Duke glanced toward Sheng were he stood by Sokka's work place on the long table.

Hong followed Lao's eyes.

"That will be all Sheng." The butler instructed the younger servant.

Sheng bowed, picked up the outgoing mail from Sokka's tray and left the room.

"Hong…" The Grand Duke said holding out a small slip of paper. "I was hoping you could help me with something."

"Of course your grace." The butler replied taking the note.

Hong unfolded the slip and saw that it had a name written on it.

"She was a servant, a young servant, who worked at the house in Gaoling, many years ago." Lao explained. I was hoping you might be able to find out what happened to her."

"Oh… Yes your grace." The butler replied remembering. "It must have been almost twenty years ago now. A pretty young thing as I recall. But she got herself into some trouble and had to be let go."

"Yes." The Grand Duke agreed. "I wanted to know where she might be now."

"Of course your grace." Hong told him. "I believe she was friends with Chuntao in the kitchen. I'll see what I can find out."

"Thank you Hong." Lao said. "I would prefer it if you did not mention why you are inquiring into this young woman."

"Certainly your grace." Hong replied with a bow.

The butler handed the note back to the Grand Duke, picked up the outgoing mail from the desk and with a last bow left the room. Lao tore the note up and dropped the pieces into the waste basket. He stared at the pieces for almost a minute before returning to his work.

"Sergeant Gok!" Minh called as they were coming up to the first of the inner walls of the great city.

"Ma'am!" The sergeant dutifully replied.

"Go back down the column and bring up Sergeant Truong and his squad." The general ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" Gok answered, wheeling out of line and taking off down the line of troopers, carts, and wagons at a gallop.

Lieutenant Ho looked to Minh, a question on his face.

"Buildings." She told him in answer.

Recognition dawned in his eyes.

"I'm glad you're in charge." He told her.

"I'm not." Was her sardonic reply.

This earned her a laugh from the lieutenant.

"Sergeant Hu!" Minh called out.

"Ma'am?" The new first sergeant answered.

"Tell the carriage driver to slow down a little. I want to open a gap between us and the rest of the column for Sergeant Truong's squad."

"Will do, ma'am." Hu replied.

The First Sergeant wheeled out of line and rode down to pace the carriage, talking to the teamster.

When he was finished the sergeant rejoined the group around the newly promoted general. Soon a gap began to form between the staff and the monarch's carriage.

"Ma'am that girl's back." Sergeant Hualing called from the head of the column.

Minh craned her neck to see around the large banner ahead of her and saw the same young woman who had ridden out and then returned to the outer gate earlier in the day. She was just standing up from where she apparently had been sitting by the road side waiting for the procession, the reins of her orse held lightly in her hand.

The general saw that the civilian and her mount had obviously had a very busy morning. They were both covered in dust, and even in the cool morning breeze the sweat on both the rider and orse were plainly visible.

The young woman smiled and waved at the column. She then mounted her animal and took off at a tired gallop for the gate into the lower ring.

"Ma'am?" Hualing called.

"Let her go sergeant." Minh answered.

Even from here the officer could see that there were troops on the wall that must have seen the column and its long line of civilian followers long before now.

The sound of a group of riders at the gallop coming up from behind made Minh turn her head in time to see Sergeant Gok leading Truong's squad up the line.

With a hand signal the general showed the new unit where she wanted them, and they pulled into line. Truong moved up beside her on her right.

"Sergeant Truong reporting as ordered ma'am."

"Sergeant, when we move into the city I want you to think of it as liberating a town that has been occupied for some time." Minh told him. "Hopefully the people will be happy to see us, but the enemy may have left some nasty surprises for us."

"I understand, ma'am." The sergeant answered.

"And remember, we'll be up against earthbenders not fire benders. So be ready for some heavy shit going down." The general told him.

"Will do, ma'am." Truong replied.

"Your first, last, and only job is to protect the king." She explained.

"Yes ma'am." The sergeant affirmed the order.

"Any questions?" She asked.

"No ma'am." Truong answered.

"Take your post." Minh told him.

"Thank you ma'am." The sergeant said bowing in his saddle and falling back onto his squad.

Minh turned to say something to Lieutenant Ho but was stopped by the look on his face. He was staring at her with a look of unalloyed admiration.

"What?" She asked.

Ho seemed to catch himself and his expression became that of the dutiful subordinate again.

"Nothing ma'am." He answered.

Minh felt her face heat up. She cleared her throat and looked to the front, Ho seemed to be looking off to the left.

"Third squad, string you bows!" Truong called out behind them.

Doing this on the march wasn't easy. The bows the soldiers used were composite re-curve bows, made of wood, horn, and sinew. They were so powerful that the troopers had to use a stringing aid made of heavy silk cord with a special device on each end. The cord was looped around the foot of the archer so they could use the strong muscles of their leg and back to pull the bow enough to slip the string on.

The bows were from the steppes tribes far to the north and west. Minh had drawn one once. She remembered that it was like doing a one armed pull up. She could do it but not all day the way Truong and his troopers could.

About half the squad were from the steppes tribes, the other half were mountain people like Truong. All had a long tradition of archery. It was said the mountain people could shoot from mountain top to mountain top and always hit their target.

The steppes people were said to be conceived, carried, and born in the saddle, and when they dropped from their mother's womb they came out with a bow in one hand and arrows in the other, dropping right into the saddle ready to fight.

"Uncap your saddle quivers." Truong ordered.

Each trooper had a quiver strapped to his or her back and two quivers hanging from their saddles.

"I want one on the string and three in your hand." The sergeant commanded.

"You all know the drill." He went on once the squad was ready. "We are liberating an occupied town that may contain collaborators so be on your guard. Windows and roof tops. Keep your heads on a swivel and your eyes up. You all know your quadrants. When you see something sing out. When in doubt shoot, we can apologize later."

"He is our king." Truong said pointing toward the carriage, he then pointed to Minh. "And she is our general. Nobody does anything to them without our permission. Is that understood?"

"Yes sergeant!" the eight troopers called out.

"Who are we?" The sergeant asked.

"FLYING DEATH!" The squad shouted.

"That's right!" Truong told them. "We're the real thing. And the Yu Yan are just a bunch of Fire Nation…?!"

"PUSSIES!" The troopers shouted.

That last got a smile from Minh and Ho who looked at one another and then immediately looked anywhere else

Aang had his chin on the back of his hand again. General Sung was droning on about the history of the monarchy in the kingdom. Aang sighed, and with his right hand curled the sigh around his fingers. He then directed the sigh toward one of Minister Chen's dry pens which were neatly laid out on the table in front of him.

The Airbender sent the small sigh up against one of the pens and started it rolling, slowly at first, but then with increasing speed, until it rolled all the way across the table to fall in General Fong's lap.

The General looked up in surprise. His mind had been somewhere else. Aang, remembering the note, thought he knew where the general's mind had been.

The Airbender sighed again and looked at the next dry pen set before the minister.

"Here Momo." Katara called, holding out the small slice of melon.

The lemur chittered nervously and flew to the back of a chair farther from the waterbender.

I never should have worn him as a hat! Katara told herself.

Sokka could do it anytime and Momo didn't seem to mind, but she did it once and the lemur never forgave her, or really trusted her again.

"Com'on Momo." She said wiggling the melon slice. "It's for Sokka."

The lemur chirped, thought a moment, then flew to the table and took the piece of fruit.

Toph moved through the forms of the dance her mother had shown her. There was no music yet. That would come later. The dance was supposed to represent a flower rising up and coming into bloom. It was very stylized, every movement, from how she tilted and turned her head, down to how she pointed her toes was dictated by her mother.

To Toph it was very tedious. Just rote memorization. But she put up with it for her mother and for the freedom she had been promised this afternoon.

Ting rode up to the NAT Enterprises shop just inside the gate to the lower ring. Yang was there standing outside his stall, looking very nervous.

"They're almost here." Ting told the young man, the excitement evident in her voice.

"Oh dear." Yang replied.

"What?!" The orse woman asked, still in her saddle.

"It was too well guarded." The frightened young man answered, pulling a large porcelain bottle out of his robe and handing it to the young woman.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Ting wanted to know, taking the heavy bottle.

"I don't know!" The shop keeper declared throwing up his hands. "Hide it or something."

The orse woman stuffed the bottle into her robe.

"Send out the message!" She ordered. "You can at least do that.

"Yes, yes, of course." Yang answered, going back into his shop.

After a minute, and to her relief, Ting saw a hawk fly off from the back of the shop toward the middle ring.

"Enter!" Captain Zhao ordered, responding to the knock on his office door.

He looked up to see First Sergeant Chung come in and march, almost as if he were on a parade ground, up to the company commander's desk and bow.

"Yes sergeant?" Zhao asked.

"It's that column sir. They'll be here any minute."

Zhao nervously played with his academy ring. He had been receiving reports from the company on the top of the wall for the last couple of hours about a strange column, or parade, that was coming up out of the fields of the outer ring.

The reports were sketchy but apparently it was some kind military column, but with banners and flags and followed by a large number of civilians. Almost as if it were some kind of festival.

The captain checked his morning orders from battalion and from regiment. There was nothing about a festival or parade on the schedule. Captain Zhao didn't like things that were not on the schedule.

"Still no report from Lieutenant Wu at the outer gate?" The captain asked.

"No sir." Was the sergeant's terse reply.

"Well we better go take a look." Zhao told Chung reluctantly rising from behind the safety of his desk.

"Ma'am?" Trooper Tam called, riding up to the two officers. "His majesty would like a word before we enter the city."

"Thank you private." Minh answered.

Tam wheeled his mount and rode back to his place at the head of his squad behind the carriage.

Minh turned to Ho with a question in her eyes. Ho shrugged in reply, and the two turned out of line and rode down alongside the carriage.

The column was nearing the gate into the lower ring. The road they were traveling had widened and was now lined with hundreds if not a thousand civilians, all staring and pointing to the leading banner or to the man and woman riding in the carriage.

"Your majesty?" Minh asked.

Kuei continued to wave to the people lining the road as he spoke.

"General, once we enter the city I will need to speak to the people if we are to get them onto our side." The king told her.

They had talked about this before, almost every day they had been on the road to the city.

"Of course, your majesty." Minh replied. "It will depend on the reception we get once we are through the gate. But as soon as we find an appropriate place we'll halt the column for you."

"Yes… The reception…" The king mused still waving and smiling to the people lining the road.

"We'll just have to trust the general's boyfriend." Ho said with a smile. "He's done right by us so far."

"Who?" Yun Hee asked.

"The Water Tribesman." Minh explained, shooting Ho a dirty look. "Forgive the lieutenant, miss. It amuses him to call a teenager my boyfriend."

"But I thought you were her boyfriend." Yun Hee said, pointing to the lieutenant, confusion evident in her voice.

"Oh no miss!" Ho replied turning his face away to the side.

"Impossible!" Minh cried at the same time, looking down at the ground.

"Why?" Yun Hee asked.

"It would be contrary to proper discipline, miss." Ho explained.

"We can't even be friends, miss." Minh told the young woman.

"I don't understand!" Yun Hee said in frustration.

"It's the army way, miss." Minh told her. "We should be returning to our places, your majesty. We'll be entering the city soon."

"Yes, yes." Kuei agreed. "May Oma and Shu guide us all."

The two officers bowed in the saddle and then galloped back to their place in the column.

"Civilians." Minh said shaking her head.

"They never understand." Ho agreed.

The two smiled at each other, but then quickly looked away.

Captain Zhao saw the royal banner coming through the passage way that served as the gateway into the lower ring.

"Sergeant Chung, fall in the company." The officer ordered.

"Yes sir." Chung replied with a bow, and jogged off toward the barracks.

As the banner passed the captain and the men on duty bowed.

"Hold up there sergeant." Zhao ordered the nco riding just behind the royal banner.

"Sorry sir…" Sergeant Hualing replied with a respectful bow in her saddle as she rode past the officer. "Orders from the general, we're not to stop the column."

"What general?" Zhao called, playing nervously with his academy ring.

Hualing just pointed behind her down the line of troopers.

The captain looked and sure enough he could see a general and her small staff riding ahead of an ornate carriage. An officer and a sergeant detached themselves from the general's retinue and rode ahead approaching Zhao.

"Morning Captain." Lieutenant Ho said bowing from his saddle.

"Lieutenant." Zhao answered returning the bow.

The captain noted the gold aiguillette on both the lieutenant's and the sergeant's right shoulders, designating them as aides to a general. Zhao tried to count the number of coils of gold rope. He thought he counted five loops; a full general's aide only wore four. That meant that these two were aides not to a general but to the king himself.

Zhao unconsciously played with his ring.

"What unit is this?" The captain of the guard asked.

"The king's own household cavalry." The lieutenant answered.

Zhao saw that the officer was old for a first lieutenant, and that he wore no academy ring, which meant he had earned his promotions coming up from the ranks, in battle. He saw all the campaign ribbons stitched to the breast of the lieutenant's uniform. There were years of operations and battles recorded there.

So unfair. The captain told himself.

He had joined the army with dreams of being a hero to his nation. He had done well in the academy. He had family connections. Yet he had spent his war years guarding this stupid wall, just to be betrayed by the Dai Li and forced into a humiliating surrender to the Fire Army and an even more humiliating internment in a prisoner of war camp.

This lieutenant, really just a jumped up sergeant, was nearly equal in rank to him, all because he had been in battle, had actually had the luck to be a combat soldier. Zhao unconsciously twisted his academy ring again. It just wasn't fair.

"Attention Company!"

Sergeant Chung's command brought the captain out of his reverie. The soldiers were lined up on Zhao's right in platoon order.

Zhao looked back to the mounted lieutenant, behind the cavalry officer he saw the mounted sergeant that had also ridden up from the column. The man had one of those new note books out and was writing in it using a dry pen.

The captain longed for the old days, really only a couple of months ago, when everything had to be remembered, which meant that it could just as easily be misremembered, or better yet forgotten. But now with these stupid books and easy to use dry pens everything could be written down, and remembered forever.

Zhao could see the sergeant looking at the company guidon being carried by corporal Gong. It had the company name, battalion and regiment emblazoned on it.

Fuck! The officer thought. He's writing it down for the general!

"CO's name?" Sergeant Gok asked the corporal bearing the guidon.

"Captain Zhao." The corporal dutifully answered.

Zhao saw the look flit across the lieutenant's face. He had seen it all his life. His family was as old as any other in the Earthkingdom, but that look always said.

Zhao isn't' that a Fire Nation name?

He had been apologizing for it his whole career.

And that sergeant was writing it down in that fucking book of his.

"Problem captain?" Ho asked.

"What?! No, no." Zhao answered.

Fuck! Fuck! Double Fuck! Zhao cursed in his mind.

They had his name in a fucking book.

Behind the lieutenant the captain could see the column continue to move through the gateway, the general fast approaching. He snuck a quick look at her face. She had a hard ass look about her. She even had an old, small burn scar on her cheek. And she had just as many combat ribbons on her chest as the lieutenant had.

"Long live the king!" Someone shouted down by the carriage.

Zhao looked and saw what he took for one of the college students who lived in the area. He was even holding an official print of the king's portrait for all to see.

The little fucker probably has one of those fucking books and double fucked dry pens on him! All those fucking college kids have them! They started this whole dry fucking pen thing!

For the first time the captain saw that the passageway was crowded with civilians all bowing and waving towards the occupants of the carriage. If he tried to stop the column to ask questions he might have a mob scene on his hands, or worse yet a riot.

"Captain?" The lieutenant asked solicitously.

Zhao looked up at the smiling, yet hard face of the junior officer mounted on his ostrich/horse. Near by the cavalry sergeant waited his book and pen poised to make a new note. Behind them the hard assed bitch of that fucking general was nearly even with the captain and his company.

Fuck! Fuck! FUCK! They've got my name in their book!

"Company salute!" Zhao ordered.

Corporal Gong swung the company guidon down and Zhao and his company bowed in unison as the general rode by. She answered with a small nod of her head. The captain held the bow until after the carriage had passed.

"Two!" Zhao ordered.

The soldiers came to attention. For the first time the captain could see the occupants of the carriage and sure enough it did look like the portrait.

And the king's aide has my name in his fucking book!

Inspector Wong of the Ba Sing Se Metropolitan Police Force walked into the squad room of her precinct house looking for her sergeant. He was there surrounded by most of the patrol officers. Since the liberation of the city, the police force had been confined to their stations by the Earth Army.

It was galling to the senior officer. First to be betrayed by the Dai Li, and imprisoned in their own jails by the Fire Army, and now to be confined by their own military. The entire force was burning with shame and frustration.

"What's going on, Tian?" She asked the sergeant, noting the murmurs and quiet discussions going on around her.

"Not sure, ma'am." He answered. "Just rumors, people coming in and asking about what's going on down at the lower gate."

"They're asking us?" She remarked.

"Old habits." The sergeant observed ruefully. "They think we know more than them, like in the old days.

"Well perhaps it's time we found out." Wong said. "Officer Fan!" The Inspector called out.

A young man in civilian clothes detached himself from a group and presented himself to the Inspector. He was a plain clothes officer that Wong had used many times for surveillance operations. He was good at blending in. The way he was dressed now he looked like any subject of the lower ring. He was smart and good at his job.

"Ma'am." The officer said, bowing.

"Fan, find out what's going on down at the lower gate." Wong instructed him. "And don't use the front entrance."

A full smile spread across the young man's face as he received the order.

"Yes ma'am." He answered with delight, and hurried off to a side window he was very familiar with.

Katara sighed with relief as she watched Momo fly out of the back yard heading towards the north.

"Your turn Appa." She said rushing to the great beast's head.

The bison gave a moan of assent and lowered his head to her. With her running start she jumped as high as she could onto the shaggy mass. Appa raised his head sliding her back onto his neck. She grabbed the reins and straddling the animal as best she could called out,

"Yip YIP!"

"I have to compliment you on the book thing, sergeant." Ho said as they rejoined the column.

"Thank you sir." Gok replied. "I saw them at a stall at the outer gate and I remembered that tribesman always making notes in his and that gave me the idea. So I picked one up."

"You didn't happen to pick up a map at the same time." Minh asked.

"No ma'am, sorry." The sergeant answered, chagrined.

"I should have thought of that." Ho remarked.

"We all should have thought of it." Minh told them both. "Well the next time we plan a coup we'll all remember to get a map so we'll know what's ahead of us. But right now we'll have to do it the old fashioned way. Gok ride on ahead, not too far, and hurry back. I'm looking for an open area where the king can address the people."

"Yes ma'am." The sergeant said, taking off at the gallop.

"Ho, we'll need to rest the mounts…." The general began but was interrupted by sergeant Truong.

"Hawks, ma'am!" The archer called from behind her.

Minh looked up and saw three messenger birds flying north over her head.

"Do you want us…?" Truong began.

"No let them fly." The general told him. "There'll be plenty of others soon enough."

Sokka sat down at the table and pulled a blank piece of paper towards him. He thought for a time staring at the page. He didn't know what to write. Suki had told him not to write to her anymore.

Sergeant Gok rode out of the broad avenue into the large open plaza. The open area was a large circle bounded by two, three, and even a few four story buildings. The ground floors contained shops and various eateries.

There were four wide avenues leading out of the plaza, the one he had just ridden up from the south, its continuation directly across leading off to the north, a third going to the east, and the fourth off to the west. Between the main thoroughfares were many smaller streets and alleys radiating out of the plaza like spokes on a wheel.

In the center of the open space was a simple fountain with a large raised pool around it, probably the main water source for all the people in the area. Even as he cantered up he could see people dipping buckets and large vessels into the water to take it back to their homes.

The plaza was busy but not crowded. Most of the people just seemed to be standing around, as if they were waiting for something, or someone, he realized. Word must have spread through at least this part of the city that the king had returned. He noticed that a number of the younger men and women were even carrying signs or the official print of his majesty, more of Dark Skin's work, no doubt.

Good place for an ambush! The soldier thought looking around the circle.

With the carriage and the large wagons the column really could only use the broad avenues, and maybe one or two of the larger streets leading out of the open area. A large enough enemy force could trap them here by barricading those exits.

He was still checking out the tactical situation when his eyes landed on a familiar sight. It was an ostrich/horse. The young woman standing beside it holding the reins and talking to some of the sign holders was also familiar. She had been the one who had ridden ahead of the column as it had approached the city gates.

Gok's eyes lingered on the woman. She was young, early twenties he thought, and attractive.

She has some meat on her bones. The sergeant told himself with an appreciative smile.

One of her companions pointed to the cavalry trooper. Gok waved when she looked his way. She waved back. He nudged his mount with his heels and trotted over towards her small group by the fountain. She mounted her own orse and rode up to meet him part way.

The trooper was pleasantly surprised at the way the woman handled her mount. From what little he had seen of her he could tell that she was a good rider. Her mount was in good condition, well cared for and good in the crowd of the plaza. Her saddle and harness were used but in good condition. He was really starting to like this young woman.

As the two approached their mounts became restive. The two ostrich/horses eyeing and sniffing each other. His stallion snapped its beak at the mare.

"Easy Fang!" Gok commanded the orse patting his neck.

"Fang?" Ting asked stroking the neck of her own mount.

Fang fixed an eye on the woman and gave a little squawk of annoyance.

"Oh… sorry Mister Fang." Ting apologized to the animal with a little bow. "Fang is a fine name for a bird with no teeth."

"He likes it." Gok told the woman with a smile.

"I can see." She answered. "And this is Blaze."

The sergeant noted the shock of white feathers on the animal's forehead.

"I can see where she gets her name." He told the other rider.

"I'm Gok of The King's Own Lancers." He told her with a little bow.

"I'm Ting of Northern Air Temple Enterprises." She told him with her own nod.

He gave her a quizzical look.

"We make dry pens and books and a lot of other stuff." She told him.

"Like signs?" Gok asked nodding towards the young men she had been talking to.

That earned him a smile, he was glad to see.

"Yeah, like signs." She answered. "Where's everyone else?" She asked looking over his shoulder.

"They'll be here soon." He told her. "Will you be off on another hard ride, when they get here?"

"Maybe…" She said with another smile. "I like hard rides."

"In the cavalry we ride hard all day and half the night." He told her with some pride.

"Just half the night?" She asked with a disappointed little pout.

"All night, when we have a good mount under us." He told her with a grin.

"I like a good hard night ride." She replied.

The sergeant, surprisingly, noticed that the crowd around them was beginning to turn to look to the south. The banner must be coming into view.

"I need to get back to the column." Gok said looking over his shoulder. "Maybe once this is all over we could have a ride some night?"

"Maybe…" Ting answered.

The sergeant gave her a nod of a bow and turned his mount to return the way he had come. Then he stopped and turned in his saddle.

"You don't happen to have a map of the city, do you?" He asked the young woman.

"I can get you one." She answered, a little too eagerly.

"I would really appreciate that." Gok told her with another bow.

Ting watched as the soldier rode off to the southern avenue. She fanned her face for a moment.

The man knows how to sit an orse. She thought as she watched him ride away.

Ting turned Blaze and rode through the growing crowd towards one of the shops.

Sokka didn't know what to write, or who to write to for that matter. He wanted to make things better, he just didn't know how. Better for Suki, better for Toph, better for himself. Then an idea struck him. He began to write.

"Hey Zuko ole buddy, I need a big favor. A really big favor."

"All right." Minh said after hearing Gok's report. "Ride up and tell sergeant Hualing to guide on the right hand side of the plaza. I don't want anyone between us and the buildings on that side."

"Yes ma'am." Gok replied riding for the front of the column.

"Good place for a speech." Ho observed.

"Good place for an ambush." Minh replied. "First Sergeant, pass the word that we will be stopping in a plaza up ahead, and the king will address the populace. The troops are to be on their best behavior and more importantly engarde."

"Yes ma'am." Hu answered, as he turned and rode down the column.

Soon Minh could see the avenue open out ahead into the plaza. Gok returned to his place just behind her. She could see the column, guiding on the banner, begin to curve around the right hand side of the plaza.

As she entered the open area she could see the crowd that had gathered there. People were holding up placards that read 'Long Live The King'. Others were holding prints of the official portrait of his majesty. As the carriage entered the plaza the crowd began to cheer.

"Movement!" One of Truong's squad called out. "Roof top, left front, four story."

Minh looked and saw across the plaza a small movement of someone on the roof of the building just to the left of the northern exit.

"Chu stay on it." Truong ordered. "The rest of you keep your…"

"Movement." Another trooper called out. "Roof top, Left rear, four story."

"He's yours Yag." The sergeant called out.

The private's name was Batkhuyag but that was a bit of a mouthful for the mountain born squad leader.

"The rest of you don't stop looking." Truong ordered.

Minh looked around her nervously. The few people they had spotted on the roof tops were a bad sign. If there had been crowds on the roofs that would have been better. Families with children waving were one thing. A few men just watching was at best an observation party, but more likely an ambush.

This is so fucked! She told herself.

There were people everywhere. There were faces in all the windows. The crowd in the plaza was growing, as more and more people came streaming in from all the streets and avenues. Who knew how many of them were collaborators? There could be troops out of sight up any of those same streets and avenues just waiting to come down on her small company. Plus she had a company of possibly unfriendly infantry behind her at the gate they had just come through, who could cut off the rear of her column.

She turned in her saddle, her left hand supporting her on the cantle looking to see how much of the command had entered the plaza. They hadn't even gotten all of third platoon, which was second in line just behind the carriage, into the open area. Behind the third were the civilians with all their slow wagons and then first platoon bringing up the rear.

The company was all ass backwards, with second platoon in the lead, then third platoon and finally the first platoon at the end. She hadn't even done that right.

"Possible." Another of Truong's squad called. "Roof top across the plaza, just to the left of the avenue."

"What do you mean possible?" The sergeant demanded.

"Can't be sure." Private Solongo answered. "I saw something but then he ducked down below the ledge."

"He's yours." Truong told her.

"Right sarge." The private responded.

That's three of them. Minh thought. One at each of the main exits. So there's probably a fourth nearly over our heads, and we just haven't spotted him yet.

She looked ahead. The banner was nearly up to the eastern avenue. She looked back. All of second and about half of third platoon were into the open area. His majesty was standing in the open carriage, holding the hand of Yun Hee for support as he waved from the slowly moving vehicle.

He's a perfect target! Minh told herself.

"The company is ready, ma'am." Sergeant Hu said riding back into his place behind the officers.

"Thank you sergeant." The general told him.

"First Sergeant…" Minh called out. "Pull a squad from…"

She hesitated for a moment. She had already pulled one squad from third platoon as the personal guard for the king. If she pulled a squad from the second that would weaken the front of the column. If she sent Hu all the way back to the rear to get a squad from the first platoon that would take too much time. They were already passing the eastern avenue. She made up her mind.

"Pull a squad from third platoon." She told the company sergeant. "I want them as road guards. Just on the main exits. Half here to the east and the other half up at the northern exit. They are to hold up traffic coming into the plaza. I don't want any civilians moving through our lines."

"Yes ma'am." Hu responded wheeling his mount around and heading down the column again at a gallop.

I should have thought of that before we got here. She berated herself.

Now she had the First Sergeant riding up and down the column playing catch up. It would look bad to the troopers and to the crowd.

She surveyed the crowd again. The civilians were keeping a respectful distance from the troopers and his majesty. It looked like the sign and picture carriers were forming a kind of line holding the rest back. But they were such a small number, only about a score of young men and women, and Minh knew that as the crowd continued to grow it would press in closer and closer, and twenty or so sign carriers would not be able to hold them back for long.

She looked back at the carriage, planning to pass an order to Tam but the ex-corporal had already anticipated her and had moved his squad up from behind the carriage to the side so they were between the king and the crowd.

Minh turned back to the crowd. Most were smiling and waving at the king. Some were calling out.

"Long live the king."

Some were just cheering.

One person caught her eye. It was a young woman on an ostrich/horse, moving along at the far side of the open area. She looked familiar. She was keeping pace with the head of the column.

Minh watched nervously as the woman reached into her robe and pulled something out. It looked like a small book. With the book another object slipped out as well. Minh couldn't tell what it was but it looked long and heavy. But the rider quickly pushed it back into her robe, then she waved the pamphlet at someone in the column.

Minh turned, looking over her shoulder and saw Gok waving back.

"Sergeant Gok!" She called, acid in her voice. "Your job is to find possible enemies not civilian pussy!"

"Yes General." The sergeant replied suitably chagrined.

General! Minh thought. What a joke!

She was a First Sergeant. She was a joke as an officer, let alone a general. She was leading her company into a massacre, because she didn't know what she was doing. This entire enterprise was going to be a complete disaster with her getting all her troopers killed and the king as well. It would probably start a civil war and it would all be her fault.

"Good call, on the road guards." Ho said.

Minh's head shot around to look at the lieutenant. He was smiling at her. She felt like punching him.

"This is a good spot." He added without a hint of sarcasm, looking around the plaza. "We've got open ground and four large exits if we need them. The road guards will keep the way clear for us. If anyone tries to attack from them they are broad enough for a squad to charge them and stop them. The plaza is large enough that if we needed to we could mount a charge right here. If anyone tries to throw up a barricade our earthbenders will blast it open and the lancers will clear anyone who tries to stop us."

"Bringing Truong and his squad up from the rear was excellent." He went on, still in the sincere appraising tone. "His people are good. They'll take out or suppress anyone on the roofs or windows. If it comes down to a fight this would be the place I would want to fight it out. All the advantages will be ours. If we were on one of the avenues we'd have no place to go and no room to maneuver."

Minh looked around the plaza again. This time thinking of attack instead of being in a trap. Ho was right. There were advantages. Plenty of exits. Plenty of ways around any force that tried to barricade the main roads. Room to use their mounts.

The civilians would be a problem, but not for long. Civilians were terrified of cavalry and they had plenty of places to go if fighting started.

She began to relax.

Ho who had been watching her the entire time began to relax as well. He knew Minh. He knew just how good she was. But he also knew what it was like to be given a huge responsibility and to doubt your own abilities. He was glad he had said something.

"Horns of the lion/bull." Minh said looking at the plaza.

"What?" Ho asked confused by what she had just said.

"Horns of the Lion/Bull." The new general said making an enclosing gesture with her arms. "This will be perfect for it."

Ho understood. It was a classic cavalry attack. The two wings circled the flanks of the enemy driving them into the main body or head of the Lion/Bull. This circular plaza was perfect for that kind of attack.

"If they try something we'll make a Cannae of it." He agreed, smiling and nodding vigorously.

He was referencing an ancient, some said, mythic battle in which a smaller force wiped out a larger one using this tactic.

"Gok?" Minh called.

"Ma'am." The sergeant replied.

"Ride up and bring sergeant Hualing down to see me."

"Yes ma'am." Gok answered and galloped off.

Captain Zhao was pacing back and forth by the gateway into the lower ring. He had sent out his reports to the higher ups and technically his job was finished, but he had just received a report from the company on the top of the wall that a crowd was gathering at the plaza just down the road.

Any gathering of more than three civilians was illegal under the martial law that had been imposed on the city. But that was a job for the internal security forces commanded by General Fong. Zhao's company was part of the wall division commanded by General Sung, so the crowd was none of his business.

Except for that fucking sergeant, of that fucking new general, from that fucking combat unit, who had Zhao's fucking name, written in that fucking book. If anything happened…

"Sergeant!" The captain called out. "Fall in the company!"

"Inspector Wong!" Officer Fan called out as he crossed the squad room.

"That was fast." The senior officer commented turning to the undercover officer.

"This couldn't wait ma'am." The young man apologized out of breath. "The king has returned to the city. He's in the plaza with a company of lancers from outside of the city. There are maybe three or four hundred subjects gathered in the main plaza to the south east."

All the officers crowded around the two to hear the report.

"The king? Are you sure?" Wong asked him.

"Yes ma'am." Fan answered with certainty. "I've never seen him but he looked just like his portrait, which was one of the weird things going on."

"What do you mean?" The inspector asked.

"There were about twenty or so college kids in the plaza." The officer replied. "And they all had prints of the official portrait, or placards painted up saying 'Long Live the King', or 'Welcome Home Your Majesty'. Stuff like that. Like they were expecting him. And I also noticed they were checking these little papers, and were talking to anyone who would listen all about his majesty. I managed to snatch one from this one kids pocket when he wasn't looking."

The undercover policeman handed over a crumpled slip of paper to the inspector.

To Wong's eyes it looked like notes for a class. At the top was the header;

"Discussion Points"

Below that was a series of lines of hurried writing. The first was;

"1. The king has been traveling the kingdom disguised as a commoner. He's had to earn his living by hard work and his own wits. He now has a true understanding of the life of the people, in a kingdom at war"

The next was;

"2. The sword he carries is a standard issue soldier's sword that he used to defend a small village from deserters, at the risk of his own life. He carries it now to show that he will defend all the people from any foe."

There were about five more after that about justice, and rights, and peace.

"And this group was telling people these things?" Wong asked the constable.

"Yes ma'am." Fan replied. "Also, from the way the troops were deploying I think the king may be planning to give a speech."

"I'd like to be there to hear it." The inspector commented. "I've never seen the king, let alone heard him speak."

"Neither have I." Sergeant Tian said.

"And one last thing." The undercover officer said, foreboding entering his voice for the first time. "I saw at least two known Dai Li agents in the crowd."

"Are you sure." Wong asked sharply.

"Yes ma'am." Officer Fan replied. "They weren't in uniform but I recognized them from the old days."

"Yes…" Wong said ruefully. "After their betrayal of the kingdom they don't wear their uniforms much anymore."

She stood holding the list and thought for a time.

"Were there's one Dai Li there are usually ten." She finally said almost to herself. "And any assembly of more than three citizens has been outlawed, so the Military Police will be showing up soon, if they know about it."

"They know." Fan told her. "The sky was full of hawks."

"And here we are confined to the precinct house." Sergeant Tian groused.

"We could go out the side window." Fan offered with a grin.

Inspector Wong thought a little longer, then she handed the scrap of paper back to the plain clothes officer with a smile.

"Zhu!" The inspector called.

"Yes ma'am." An officer said rushing up.

"Zhu write up a report to headquarters telling them that the king has returned to the city by the south eastern gate, and that known Dai Li were seen in the area." The inspector told her secretary. "And get it out right away. Better yet send two, one to headquarters, and one to the Ministry of Justice."

"Yes ma'am!" The policeman said with a bow. "Right away."

"Tian…" She then turned to her sergeant. "It is true that we may not leave to perform our duties as police officers." The commander of the precinct stated in a loud clear voice. "So I might as well take an early lunch. I know of a great noodle place in the grand plaza just down the road. Won't you join me?"

"It would be a great pleasure." The sergeant said with a genuine smile.

"Let's all take an early lunch." Wong called out to the assembled patrol men and women around her.

That was met with a cheer and laughter. They were finally going to stick it to the army, at least in a small way.

"And if we happen to see any Dai Li while we're at lunch" Officer Fan asked.

"Well… technically they are all outlaws, with outstanding warrants. We would just have to do our duty." The inspector answered as she walked to the front door.

Aang wiggled his finger again and watched as the dry pen rolled off the table into General Fong's lap.

The general, who had been speaking passionately about how only a certain class of people are born to rule, snatched up the writing utensil and broke it for interrupting him, and threw the pieces onto the table. Aang smiled and began looking for another dry pen to send across the table.

The Avatar was interrupted in his search by a scratching at the window. Since the council chamber was on the fourth floor, it made the scratcher much more interesting. Everyone sitting at the table turned to look.

"Momo!" Aang cried in delight.

With a gesture he sent a concentrated gust of air against the latch, unlocking the window. Another gesture created another gentler gust to blow the window open and send the lemur into the room.

Momo landed on the table in front of the one hundred and thirteen year old, chittering animatedly, as it tried to pull a leather pouch off, that was tied around its neck.

Aang helped while the rest of the council looked on. Once free of the pouch, the lemur flew over to the side buffet where it helped itself to some of the fruit laid out, to the disgust of General Fong.

The Avatar looked in the pouch, pulled out a folded piece of paper, read it, and jumped up from his seat.

"I have to go!" He told the rest of council. "Come on Momo, we have to go!"

The lemur chittered mournfully, stuffed a bunch of grapes in its mouth, and flew towards the window.

Aang ran to his staff leaning against the wall, snatched it up and threw it out the open window, diving out the window after it.

"Good!" Fong declared. "Maybe now we can get something done."

Before he could say anything else the door behind him opened and his aide rushed in, followed by others. Soon every member of the council was reading a report that had just been handed to them.

"I move that we adjourn for lunch." Minister Yao cried rising from his chair.

"Second!" General Fong called rising himself.

"Discussion?" General How asked rising.

"I call the question!" General Sung said.

"All in favor?" How asked.

There were a chorus of ayes as the council members walked hurriedly to the exits. The secretary recorded the vote, still sitting in his chair. He was the only one in the room who had not received a note.

To be continued

Disclaimer:

"Avatar the Last Airbender" the characters and the world were created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and owned by Nickelodeon and Viacom or Paramount or some huge corporation. This is purely a work of fan fiction because I wanted to play in their world and I love the characters that they created.

Author's notes:

Hi All,

Once again thank you for all the very generous, and sometimes not so generous reviews for this story. You guys keep me going, and I am very grateful.

Thanks so much for reading.

XXXXXXXXXX

NEW FANART! YEAHHHHHHHHHH!

That's my impression of Kermit the Frog.

I love fan Art inspired by my story. It is a huge ego boost and honor for me.

Here is some new art done by Ask Nekole on Tumblr

post/77512564993/toph-and-sokka-inspired-by-justthisguyyouknows

And they are also on DeviantArt

Please check them out.

FanArt; Sicksketch has done some wonderful sketches over on Tumblr. Please take a look, just search under the tag "ill walk you home" and you will find them.

Fanart on Deviant Art; There is fanart for the story on DeviantArt; Totalfanboy21 has a great picture of an older Toph and Sokka inspired by the story and Abi-chan14 and Cutubulla as well as Kawayui-Kage have created Fanart for the story. I am really honored that talented artists have liked the story so much that they have actually made art based on it. Please check them out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Thank you all so much for sticking with my story.

xx

Once again thank you to all those who have added this story to their alerts and especially their favorites, and a very special thank you to all who have added me to your author alerts and favorites. That is a real honor for me. I hope I have not disappointed you with this chapter.

Thank you to all for reading

All comments and/or criticisms are more than welcome.