We reached the capital only two weeks later—first we had to go around the Paw from the east, then enter the proper strait…
What can be said about the heart of the Fire Islands archipelago? It's a rather majestic city, one that would look perfectly at home even in the old world. The Fire Lord's palace overwhelmed with its monumentality and, in my opinion, could easily rival something like the Taj Mahal. The harbor was astonishing in both size and—what bordered on pure fantasy—cleanliness.
The industrial district reliably supplied both the populace and the military with all manner of goods—from needles and thread to battleships and tanks. The absence of sooty smokestacks and the filth typical of early twentieth-century heavy industry on Earth (and in terms of overall development, the district operated at roughly that level) went beyond even that same fantasy. But firebending, combined with sitting atop a controlled volcano, provided enough heat and steam to avoid turning the surroundings into a polluted wasteland.
But what impressed me the most were the Great Gates of Azulon, which blocked the only strait leading to the capital's harbor. A massive statue held a blazing net in its hands, forming a wall of fire some thirty meters high. The ends of the net were anchored in the jaws of two dragon statues carved into the rocky shore. A majestic sight, born of our architects' skill and the power of firebending.
Mesmerizing.
After dropping anchor in the section of the harbor designated for military vessels, we promptly engaged in battle with the most ruthless enemy of all—bureaucracy!
Yes, arriving by invitation of the Fire Lord did make things easier, but damn it—even the bare minimum turned into a slog: logging our arrival, getting listed for provisions for our stay in the capital, formally transferring the prisoners, signing off on requisitions for food, ammunition, coal, various consumables, and replenishing drinking water…
I wasn't free until evening, even though we had arrived only in the early afternoon—and by then I was ready to kill. Preferably bloodily, brutally, and starting with the clerks!
I'd barely had time to sit down and think about letting the crew go ashore—leaving a couple of unlucky souls on watch—when I had to jump back to my feet.
My dear parent had decided to pay his child a visit.
"Admiral on board!" the first officer shouted, and the crew quickly formed up. Tandao took his place in line, while I was forced to stand in front of him, embodying… something. In any case, embodying.
"At ease," the admiral said, in high spirits. "Men, command extends its gratitude for the brilliantly executed operation to capture enemy saboteurs. All participants will receive monetary rewards, and those who distinguished themselves will be awarded state honors."
The crew responded with approving murmurs.
"Captain Chan, I need to speak with you."
"Right this way, Admiral." I turned toward the cabin. "Dismissed!"
The sailors hurried off to their duties before command could invent new ones for them.
Inside the cabin, Admiral Chan changed completely and allowed himself a brief moment to embrace me and show his satisfaction.
"With each of our meetings, you manage to pleasantly surprise me more and more," he said, clearly pleased as could be.
"It just… sort of happened. I had no desire to die in the prime of my life, and after enemy saboteurs attacked us, I started to suspect something was off."
"And your suspicions proved almost entirely correct, praise the fire spirits. In any case, Lord Ozai was deeply impressed—both by the extent of the moral decay among certain officers and by your personal courage, as well as your capture of enemy benders and their supply base."
Judging by his satisfied expression, some of the "deeply fallen" were people the admiral hadn't particularly liked.
"Ahem… yeah, I'm not even sure what to say. I just wanted to get back at those dirt-diggers for the night attack. And as for what happened next—you already know from the letters. But never mind that—you know my side of the story. What about what was going on at Headquarters, and how much it affected you?"
"Oh, heh-heh, there could have been trouble. But considering that I personally uncovered the leak, and that its roots lead all the way to Central Command, where most of the informants had been assigned from, we actually came out ahead. You know," he added, leaning in conspiratorially, "there are already rumors going around that this was practically a planned operation under the Fire Lord's personal oversight—and that you're his trusted agent, groomed for it since the age of six…"
"W-what?" My eye twitched. "Who would even believe such nonsense?"
"That depends entirely on who's spreading it..."
Alright, now I really want to punch that smug face of his. Never mind that he's supposedly my father and outranks me.
"For what?"
AAfter a moment's thought—and deciding to hell with propriety—I rummaged in an inconspicuous cabinet and pulled out a bottle of wine and a glass.
"The Fire Nation needs heroes!" the admiral declared theatrically. "And besides, it'll help shut up all those wagging tongues going on about the 'golden boy with his gifted little ship.' Isn't that what you wanted? Hey—what about me?" he added, eyeing the glass as I poured.
"And you… ahem. I'd better keep quiet—otherwise I might go straight from the awards ceremony to a court-martial."