Fool's World: Aftermath (ch. 36)

The battle had been a bad one. We spent the night going through the wreckage, dragging people out of the ocean. The Water Tribe waterbenders helped a great deal, but the wave had hurt us about as much as it had hurt the Fire Nation. And we had been prepared for it. In terms of people, we lost a few hundred. Two hundred and thirteen people. Of which thirty were earthbenders. In terms of ships, we lost nearly exactly half of the fleet that we had set out with.

Of the half remaining, little more than half were in working condition. My grand fleet had paid a heavy price for saving the Water Tribe. Wasn't like we were going to find shipyards to fix the damage done in the North Pole.

Which naturally meant that we would be looking to refitting ships that we took from the Fire Nation fleet. It was a little early to tell in terms of solid numbers, but we gained at least twelve battleships. It still put us down seven since we lost about twenty, but at the very least, it lessened the blow. We had a lot of prisoners. A couple of thousand. They were quickly taken in by the Northern Water Tribe, but I knew that they were clueless on what to actually do with them.

In short, throughout the night, I assessed the damage done to my grand fleet and rapidly came to a conclusion.

"We lost too much," I voiced, standing on the deck of the GáeGay Bulg as it rested in the doick of the city now that the massive wall that protected itthe city was gone. It was a pretty city -- stark white because everything was made of ice. The damage that had been done to it was swiftly being undone by dedicated waterbenders that worked through the night.

Rin and Nobara stood behind me, looking at the city they helped save with satisfaction. "It was worth it," Nobara decided, crossing her arms over her chest. "We saved a lot of innocent people and prevented a genocide. We all knew the risks and the costs, and we paid it. Too late to complain that the toll was a little higher than we were expecting."

She wasn't wrong, but it was an issue. "This is an opportunity. Zhao pulled together a lot of the Fire Nation Navy into this attack. It'll take the Fire Nation time to account for the losses here, but we don't have the strength to properly exploit that opportunity," I voiced, scratching at my cheek in mild frustration. It was annoying. If the losses and damages were even a little less severe, then we would have the strength necessary to project power in the seas. We could raid the coastal towns that had more than a sparse garrison since we wouldn't have to worry about a response fleet.

Or, even better, we could try to attack the Fire Nation directly when they reshuffled their defensive fleet to deal with the fact that they just lost a hundred battleships. A huge loss by any metric, but unlike us, the Fire Nation could take those losses. They could lose another hundred ships, and they would still have enough of a navy to control the seas.

"No point crying over spilt milk," Nobara continued, overruling me and my could have beens. She was right, of course. What was done was done. We couldn't undo it and we simply had to make do with the circumstances that we had.

"Oh, there's Katara," Rin spoke up, pointing out the dark-skinned young woman. Like the rest of the city, she was sporting dark bags under her eyes, telling that she had stayed up all night with the rest of the waterbenders. Unlike most, however, she had spent her time out at sea rescuing survivors of the battle -- people trapped in half-sunken ships, or desperately clinging to debris that floated. Even after they were rescued, they needed care.

It went without saying, but the North Pole was cold. The water was colder. Those rescued were dealing with hypothermia, at least they would be if it wasn’t for a team of dedicated healers that took care of my people after rescue. Of which, Katara had been a member of that team.

She gave the three of us a tired smile. Our last parting hadn’t exactly been great -- she had some strong opinions that clashed against some of mine, but swooping in at the darkest hour certainly bought some goodwill with her. “I’m glad that you’re all okay,” Katara stated as she came aboard, looking at all of us individually. “I… want to thank you. All of you. For coming. The Chieftain wants to as well, but… I wanted to do it first. Aang said that you would come, but I had my doubts and I’m really glad that you proved me wrong.”

I offered a small shrug of my shoulders, shaking off the thanks, “I didn’t do it for a thank you, and I’m not the one that paid the price for coming here.” Katara seemed saddened by that, casting a look at the ocean, as if looking at all those that were lost. Most of which, we both knew, came from the wave that swept over the ships.

“Did the Chieftain send you?” Rin questioned, cutting to the chase and breaking the moment. She planted a hand on her hip and cocked it, not at all pleased that we had been forced to wait to meet the Chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe. Because, in the end, we were still notorious pirates and despite what people may think, a single good deed didn’t rectify a pile of bad onesdeeds.

Katara nodded, “Along with the rest of the Elders. I think they want to talk to you about what comes next?” Katara offered, sounding like she had no idea. I glanced over at the palace, sensing the evil thoughts that came within. I couldn’t sense the good thoughts, I reminded myself, when I felt my influence tempt the leaders into betraying us or using us against the Fire Nation.

“Good. Because that's exactly what I want to talk about,” I decided, striding forward and Rin and Nobara followed behind me. Katara nodded, deciding to lead us there. I saw that the damage within the city was comparatively light, and the little that there was seemed to be quickly repaired. By tomorrow, I doubt there would be any trace of the battle. Though, it may take a little more time to replace the wall. Hopefully with a better one.

People watched us as we walked -- I couldn’t imagine strangers were a common sight in the North Pole. Especially ones that looked like me. I ignored the looks that we got as we approached the palace -- it was a grand building, especially considering that it was completely made out of ice. Several stories tall, a courtyard in front of the building that was surrounded by trenches of flowing water.

The large ice doors were pushed open as we neared, revealing a large open room made out of ice but the shadows colored the white ice. Sitting cross-legged on an elevated platform was Chieftain Arnook based on the looks of things. Long dark hair, blue eyes, and seemed to be in his late forties or early fifties. His expression could best be described as tired. Flanking him were a man and a woman -- an older man in his sixties at least, grayed out hair and a thin mustache, and an elderly woman that smiled warmly at Katara.

There were a few others in the room -- a young woman with white hair. Sokka was next to her and Aang, who openly waved at me with a wide smile on his face, while Sokka seemed conflicted. Others were a handful of younger men and women that seemed to be of some level of importance. The air in the room could best be described as tense. The leaders of the Northern Water Tribe didn’t seem to know how to react to my appearance, and most of them seemed uncertain if they should look me in the eye or not.

Then Arnook bowed his head to me as I came to a stop, “You have saved our people, Angra Mainyu.” Arnook spoke, making others bow their heads. “Without your intervention, the losses would have been much greater for the Northern Water Tribe.”

“More than that,” I replied, catching everyone’s attention. “Zhao’s goal was to put an end to waterbending altogether,” I informed, making a lot of heads snap up with wide eyes. I’m not exactly sure how he was going to do it, just that was his plan.

“Then it is not just us, but the world that is indebted to you,” Arnook stated and the gray-haired old man next to him seemed shaken up while the white-haired girl -- Princess Yue, if I had to guess -- seemed outright scared.

At least he was being aware of it. “I hope you’re prepared to pay that debt,” I told the Northern Water Tribe outright, making Rin facepalm before she dragged the hand down her face. “We took some hard losses saving your asses. Most of which was because of that wave you sent at us.” I remarked, my gaze meeting Arnook’s, who had the decency to look ashamed.

“We had to!” Some punk dumbass spoke up, his tone combative but not in an angry way. His knee jerk reaction was to defend his home from criticism from an outsider. Understandable, really. Just completely misplaced.

I actually didn’t disagree. We had still been outnumbered in terms of manpower against the Fire Nation fleet. If that fight had turned into a straight slugging match, then our losses would have been a lot higher. However, it was inconvenient for me to acknowledge that point, so I decided to ignore it.

“That doesn’t make the people that came here to save you any less dead because of your actions,” I responded, making the young man with dark hair and eyes flinch at my tone. “You sent the wave at the both of us, and because of it, we lost good people.”

“You are correct, Angra Mainyu,” Arnook decided, the tension in the rooms swelling at my words. People wanted to argue the point, or at the very least call me out for being socompletely blunt about it, but it was hard to call out someone that was both right and had just saved their asses. So, they had no choice but to swallow what I said as they were confronted with a harsh truth. “It is unfortunate that you suffered losses last night and, on behalf of the Northern Water Tribe, I wish to make amends.”

“Perfect. You can start by giving me a team of waterbenders,” I started and I heard Nobara facepalm right next to Rin. Or Rin facepalmed again. Either or. “And make preparations for an invasion into Fire Nation territory,” I continued and, savior or not, you really only could push so much before you got a little push back.

“You want what? Our waterbenders aren’t a prize to be won! They belong here, protecting our home that was just attacked!” The old man stated, his lips thinning at me. Not so much as a glare, but he was clearly unhappy with what I was asking for. What I was asking for wasn’t unreasonable if the Northern Water Tribe hadn’t narrowly escaped genocide. It was only natural that they would want every single waterbender and soldier here, ready in case the Fire Nation tried again.

There were a few exchanging looks, some agreeing with the statement, others disagreeing, while most seemed to be on the fence.

“The Fire Nation just suffered a huge loss. Since I helped you, I can’t capitalize on it. Because, believe me, it would have been far more convenient for me if I ignored the hundred odd ships here and exploited the massive holes in the Fire Nation's coastal defenses," I spoke up, sensing their annoyance. I'm sure that they were all very grateful, but gratitude could be measured by how quickly it ran out rather than how much they might have. Being an abrasive asshole? That was a good way to find out how far I could take this.

I could feel several of the people in the room thinking dark thoughts -- wanting to teach me a lesson for my blatant disrespect, and so on, but I wasn't sending anything violent in nature. Nothing that hinted that they intended to leave me out to dry the moment it became convient.

"But you wouldn't, though," Aang spoke up, sounding so certain of it that it was almost uncomfortable. It wasn't often that I had complete and utter faith invested into me. It was kinda hard to deal with, to be honest.

I simply crossed my arms and looked at the Chieftain, "If you don't want to put any of your waterbenders under my command, then you're free to commit to the war yourselves. The Fire Nation has already come for you once. Sitting back and kicking your feet up isn't an option any more. Either you go for them or they go for you. Those are the only options you have left," I told the room, ignoring Aang's remark. "Zhao was going to put an end to waterbending. Forever. You're facing annihilation. If there was ever a time to commit to the war, then it's now, when your strength can mean something."

A lot of them were still annoyed with me, but they couldn't deny that. Vengeance was a natural desire, even if it was an evil one. It was natural to want to hurt those that hurt you. And while the situation wasn't nearly as devastating as it could have been -- without warning, the Northern Water Tribe found their entire way of life under threat. It was easy to become desensitized to war when you lived it everyday for the past hundred years, but these people didn't. They had just coame under attack for the first time since nearly the start of the war, and they were scared. And angry. And they wanted payback.

"What you ask for is not unreasonable, nor willdo we refuse to give it. Your points are well made, Angra Mainyu," Arnook inclined his head at me. I did sense that he was thinking about using the waterbenders he may give me as spies to see if I was too good to be true, but it was an idle thought. He didn't trust me explicitly, not yet. It was too early to tell exactly what he would decide to do, but I tipped the scales in my favor. "They have given us much to consider." I could hear the request in his tone.

"Then I will give you time to do so," I replied, turning around and leaving the building just as quickly as I had arrived. The doors began to swing shut behind me as I thought that went as well as it could have -- they all clearly didn't know how to handle me, but all signs pointed that I would get the strength needed to make up for my losses here.

What I didn't expect was for Aang and Princess Yue to follow us out, the door closing behind them. I glanced down at Aang, who aimed a beaming smile at me. "You seem happier, Majima," Aang remarked, making me cock an eyebrow. An odd remark all things considered.

I offered a shrug before Nobara grabbed my arm, "He has more reasons to be happy." She decided, offering a sweet but sharp smile at me, as if daring me to contradict the statement.

Princess Yue blushed at the very mild and very tame display of affection. She really needed to get out more. "Erm, Lord Angra Mainyu-" she started, but I shook my head.

"Just call me Majima," I decided. I didn't correct Arnook since using the title had its advantages when dealing with powerful leaders.

Princess Yue seemed hesitant, but a quick glance at Aang seemed to sooth her concerns. "I wanted to ask… how did Zhao intend to…" she trailed off, as if she couldn't even speak of it.

I cocked my head at the question, finding it interesting. Searching my memory of Zhao's desires and for his current evil desires for a moment, my brow furrowed. "Something to do with fish? I think?" I was missing context, but as much as Zhao wanted to kill me right now, he also really wanted to kill a fish.

It seemed to be right on the mark because Yue gasped dramatically, a hand going to her lips. Rin frowned deeply at her, "I'm guessing this fish is of some importance?"

"It's not a fish," Yue replied, "it's a spirit. One that's responsible for the moon, the source of all waterbending." She answered and Aang tightened his grip on his staff. I'm guessing that hit home with him. I had learned that he was considered the last Airbender because the Fire Nation had eradicated his people at the start of the war. Humanity really didn't change. "I need to make sure it's okay!"

And by that, she meant right then and now because she promptly turned on her heel and seemed to go straight to wherever she was going. Where the spirit fish were, presumably. I watched her go for a moment, Aang following right behind her for her own protection. I was content to leave it as none of my business -- I was getting what I wanted, and rocking the boat wasn’t smart. However, I felt a hand grab me by the wrist and Rin eagerly pulled me and Nobara along.

“This is an opportunity to finally interact with the spirit realm. I’m not missing this. Not on your life, Majima,” Rin stated, her tone brimming with an innocent joy that really shouldn’t sound so innocent. With that decision made for us, and Nobara stifling a giggle at my expense, we followed along with Aang and Yue to find that there was an unofficial entrance to the spirit fish. A dangerous thing considering that everything was made out of ice and any waterbender could stroll right up to the source of all waterbending.

But, we followed along all the same, Yue quickly slowed down due to running out of breath. She didn’t have much in the way of endurance, it seemed. The progress slowed, but when a wall of ice was melted into water with a wave of her hand, my eyebrows rose ever so slightly when I saw what stood at the other side. A small grove was nestled in a hole, completely surrounded by tall walls of ice.

In the grove was a small patch of startling green grass, a small bridge going over the flowing water, while a wood temple sat back with a small pond in front of it. After seeing nothing by white ice, it almost made my eyes hurt by the sudden assault of color. Yue stumbled forward, racing over the bridge and not giving anyone any time to properly appreciate the grove.

“I feel Od here,” Rin remarked as I crossed the bridge, seeing Yue let out a huge sigh of relief. Looks like everything was okay. I approached her and Aang, who were looking over the pond with an expression of relief and one of wonder. Standing above them, I looked over as well to see that there were two fish in the small pond. One white with a spot of black, and one black with a spot of white, circling each other in an endless loop-

My head started to feel light while my body began to feel heavy. The strength suddenly gave out in my legs, and just before everything went dark, I had a single thought.

I really hoped someone caught me before I fell in the pond.