Chapter 21: Plans and Flyers

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A celebration later - dance, feast and waking up Ty Lee from her fainting episode. After braving any other nobles boring eyes, then the celebration was a success. Next on the list of things to do, the next day: was dealing with the Invasion and the occuring earthbender rebellions.

"We can easily deal with the Invasion. Their little planned attack at our Nation was doomed to fail, the moment they revealed their plans," spoke Azula, in the gathered War Room. Several high-ranking generals and admirals gathered too, the Firelord' military advisor. Along with her fianceé. "We lure them in, tugging gently - until they reach their sought after prize, and then...BOOM! We annihilate them!"

"Your plan authorizes us to let these...rebels...set foot in our homeland?!" asked General Lee.

"I understand your concerns General, yet this way - we can eliminate all of them at once," said Azula, knocking away the pieces symbolizing the Invasion force. "And make sure these savages, never touch our land again!"

"And what of the Avatar?" asked General Shinu, earning him a metal-on-metal cracking from Zhan and a twitchy eye from Azula. The Avatar had been confirmed alive, by a Fire Nation guard post - aswell that they were deep in Fire Nation territory.

"The Avatar, might bring some hinderance to the plans, yet it's best we keep-up the status of ignorance," said Zhan, supporting Azula. "As far as they know - the Avatar is dead to us. We keep enforcing the watch-over in the towns, for any parentless kids. They don't know our fauna or flora, and they'll be hiding from us aswell. We keep the pressure on them, so they don't suspect a thing, until after the Day of Black Sun. Against our new weapons, they won't stand a chance!"

That last statement, earned them an applause - pleasing both the advisors and the Fire Lord, something even Azula had difficulty achieving...but this suited her just fine.

"Now that has been concluded. Our other agenda..." said Ozai, as Azula took her seat next to him. Zhan standing right next to her; a very untraditional move by Azula, demanding that he could partake in the Fire Lord' meetings. Although being somewhat against it, Ozai had finally agreed but only on the terms that - Zhan was her advisor and nothing more in the War Room: speak only when asked or spoken to. "General Shinu, your report."

"Thank you, sir," replied General Shinu, as he started to explain about the rebellions. "Ba Sing Se is still under our control. However, earthbender rebellions have prevented us from achieving total victory in the Earth Kingdom."

"What is your recommendation?" asked Ozai.

"Our army is spread too thin, but once the eclipse is over and the invasion defeated, we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom," said General Shinu.

"Hmm. Lord Zhan, you have fought against earthbenders close-up. What is your opinion?" asked Ozai.

"My advice?" asked Zhan, his thinking face hidden behind the skull-mask. "The earthbenders are a resilient bunch - their entire Kingdom is their battlefield, their land is their protection. As long as they have solid rock under them, they won't give up - a bunch of hopeful people, who don't know the meaning of surrender."

"Yes, you're right. We need to destroy their hope," said Ozai, thinking about the statement.

"I think you should take their precious hope and the rest of their land and burn it all to the ground!" said Azula, suprising some with her suddeness.

"Yes...Yes you're right, Azula," said Ozai, liking Azula' idea. "Sozin's Comet is almost upon us, and on that day, it will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us."

"What are you suggesting, sir?" asked General Shinu.

"When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads," spoke Ozai, walking on the large folded-out map, smiling the entire way - the ultimate plan thought-out. "Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom...permanently. From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands, a fire that will destroy everything; and out of the ashes, a new world will be born, a world in which all the lands are Fire Nation and I am the supreme ruler of everything!"

That statement had gotten the entire War Room to erupt in applause, generals and admirals alike.

"What do you think?" asked Azula from Zhan, over the applause.

"Extreme, effective, very demoralizing. This event will in a sense, burn away everything the Earth Kingdom has..." replied Zhan, his emotions hidden behind the mask. "...breaking any rebellious thought in half. Leaving the entire Earth Kingdom...in ashes."

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After the meeting had concluded Zhan had Azula to a more secluded area in the Fire Nation, a few lengths away from the Capital.

"Where are we going?" asked Azula, having no idea, where they were heading. Only that he had dragged her into a carriage, and told the rider to go...somewhere.

"It's a place..." replied Zhan, having removed his elite black armor, for his usual leather attire.

There wasn't much found on the western-part of the island: it was off-limits to regular people - there were the factories, secret shipyards and other military facilities. So Azula knew that it had to do, with some larger invention of his or the new airships.

"We're here!" said Zhan, removing the curtain, so they could see outside.

What catched Azula' eye made her speechless - atleast a dozen of new, very peculiar and large contraptions - the new airships, that were sitting in a row on the plain field, infront of a paved floor. All of them looked like massive war-machines, that could strike fear into an enemy; holding a certain beauty to Azula.

"Don't blink. Or you'll miss out the other eye-candy," he replied, turning Azula' head a little left - the other thing, that even made her gasp.

Three dozen, crimson colored metal made constructs, that looked like birds with the Fire Nation emblem on their sides - the Firebirds.

"You...you finished it!" exclaimed Azula, seeing the gathered flying machines and array of soldiers, exercising around them.

"Indeed. Once I had returned, everything was finished, re-checked and produced. Currently about thirty-seven Firebirds and twelve airships constructed - with another four more almost completed," he replied, stepping out of the carriage.

"I count only thirty-six Firebirds," said Azula, having mentally counted every ship. "Where is the last one?"

"Over there!" he gestured, at the end of the paved road, stood a single Firebird - more colorful than the others, like it belonged to the Royal Family.

"Is that?" asked Azula, speechless.

"That's the first...the first thing we flew in - remade and...reintroduced," he said, leading them to the end of the road. There stood the first Firebird, as carefully crafted and built as his first gift to Azula. A crimson-black color, with a golden half-dragon image, painted on either side, the dragon' wing matching over the flyer' wing, the image meeting in the middle of the nose.

"It's magnificent!" said Azula, examining each part of the Firebird.

"Shall we try it out?" he asked, sliding open the glass panel.

"Is it safe?" replied Azula. "Last time we tried that, the engine blew out."

"Last time - I didn't have Royal funding, nor an excellent tester," he said, climbing inside and extenting his hand out.

"Oh fine!" she exclaimed, getting hoisted up and crouched inside. The dull gray metal feeling was gone, along that it had more space...and more comfortable seating.

"Strap-in!" said Zhan, closing the glass-panel.

"What?" asked Azula confused.

"Strap...in..." he repeated, pulling some leather straps from under the seat, that he attached around Azula' waist. "So you don't go flying around here. Start-up!"

"Alright!" replied Azula, firebending into the engine, her signature blue fire lighting up the cabin and started to move.

"More...and hold on!" he said, pulling the lever, as Azula firebended. Then suddenly she felt detached, from the ground- they were flying.

"Don't just feel it - see it!" he said, removing a couple of side-panels, revealing a glass panel and a breath-taking sight.

"Its..." awed Azula at the sight, vast amounts of ocean beneath them, and nobody could touch them.

"Hold on, and fire-up! We're going higher!" he said, pulling the plane higher, which prompted Azula to firebend more fire into the engine. They were climbing, higher and higher until they past the clouds and until they leveled-out. "We gotta a few minutes, come on!"

"What are you doing?!" asked Azula, as he undid her strappings, and pulled her closer to the nose.

"This..." he said, sliding open the glass panel, a wild gust hitting Azula in the face. "Look!"

"What is the mean-" said Azula, as the last words got stuck in her throat. Over the clouds and in the horizon shined the sun, in all its power - Azula had never felt this close to the source...the source of firebending.

"A fitting gift to a Princess, no?" he asked, holding Azula. Then he noticed the first fobble. "Sorry. Our fun ends here."

Azula was pulled back inside, as Zhan closed glass panel, and the Firebird started to shake a bit.

"Strap-in and hold on!" he said, pulling a few levers, as the Firebird started to dive back towards the land. They soon touched down at the Fire Nation, Zhan pulling the Firebird to a stop.

"So...how was i-" he said, before getting interupted by Azula' sudden lip-lock. "A warning maybe?"

"Just shut up and kiss me!" replied Azula, going for a deeper kiss.

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