99 A.G
Lin and Azula had taken over one of the bunkers that had previously belonged to the Earth Kingdom reserves. They luckily didn't have to fight anyone so far, and they only saw a few scattered groups of soldiers retreating as fast as they could, without paying any attention to them.
Lin was happy that they had enough time with General Sung to get everything they needed from him. He was currently tied to a chair near the opposite side of the bunker, exhausted and barely conscious after everything Azula and her had done to him.
They had gotten from him reserve positions, supply locations, and anything else that could help their army finish destroying the remaining defenders. Sung had resisted for some time, while Lin softened him up, but resistance became null once Azula added lightning to the mix.
They had obtained enough useful information and had corresponded with her soldiers via hawk a couple of times. It seemed the attack was a success and they expected to be able to encircle the enemy directly east of their position, and Lin was waiting on that to move on.
What bothered her was the refugee situation. According to Sung, tens of thousands of them had been pulled into the army as emergency reserves, and while it was understandable as Ba Sing Se became more desperate, what did not make sense was their behavior.
Sung had told them that all the people the Dai Li had sent their way, wouldn't retreat in any situation, and that even some of his soldiers feared them as they had a blank expression on their faces, as if they felt nothing at all.
Although refugees were not soldiers, for them to disobey orders unless the orders themselves were to charge the enemy was extremely odd. Even desperate people usually wanted to survive, especially people with families waiting behind them.
They might fight if their only place left to live was in danger, or if they were under threat of punishment, but throwing themselves forward without any concern for their own survival was different. There had to be some explanation that she was missing here.
There was a possibility that the Dai Li were threatening their families. That would make sense, especially if the secret police controlled the records of where refugees had been settled. A man might charge into a hopeless battle if that gave his wife or children a chance to live.
Money was another possibility. The Earth Kingdom could have offered compensation to families for every enemy killed or for the death of the volunteer himself. People who had lost their homes might accept terrible bargains if they believed their deaths could secure food or shelter for the people they loved.
Lin had seen desperate people make worse choices through her short years alive, and knew firsthand how dark it could turn for most people living through a war. The problem was that desperation did not make thousands of individuals behave almost exactly the same way.
Some would have fled, others would have frozen, surely some would have surrendered once officers died or communication broke down. Instead, she had already spotted the same behavior from her time in the front and the reports from her own frontline: No refugees surrendered.
There was an easy way to identify them as well, they were not wearing armor like the rest of the army. With Sung confirming that they were the ones delivering those people to the army, now she knew that the Dai Li were involved somehow. It was concerning.
Lin would have to investigate it once they reached the inner city. If they had found a way to coerce so many people into marching mindlessly against the enemy, getting through the lower rings of the city would be problematic and bloody.
Obviously they could just bombard the city until there was nothing left, but that was not the goal of the campaign.
"What are you thinking about so intensely?" Azula's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Lin turned and found the princess leaning against the wall with a pleased expression. She had rinsed the blood from her hands, though there were still dark stains on her sleeves.
"I'm thinking about the refugee situation." Lin replied. "Their behavior does not make sense."
"Mmm, but they are useless, why would it be a concern?" Azula asked.
"Well… if they have a method to make people charge at us mindlessly, they could use the lower rings of the city to resist us for a long time, depending on how much food they have. Or it could be an absolute bloodbath and we could end up with a dead city in our hands. It goes against our objective here. We want to be able to use the city after we conquer it." Lin replied.
"Peasants do not concern me, but I don't like delays, I can see how it would be problematic." Azula acknowledged.
Lin nodded then glanced toward the tortured general. "You think we have everything out of him?"
"Yes, he sang beautifully." Azula said with a smug smile. "I think that was all he had to say."
"Great, we are done with him then. He is not useful anymore." Lin said, then quickly pulled her knife out of her armor, and swiftly ended his life. Once he went limp, she moved away and packed her tools.
"I would say I performed exceptionally well." Azula said seductively, approaching her gently.
"You did." Lin nodded
Azula's smile widened. "Then I think I deserve a reward."
Lin raised an eyebrow. "What kind of reward do you want from me?"
The confidence on Azula's face remained, although Lin noticed that she took a moment before answering.
"A kiss."
Lin stared at her for a moment, prompting Azula to cross her arms. "What?"
"That was simply not what I expected you to ask for."
"It's been a long time since the last one." Azula stepped closer. "I want more experience with you."
Lin felt her own face warming slightly. The princess looked delighted with herself now, so much so that Lin considered refusing for a moment, though she could not find much reason beyond her own embarrassment.
They had already spoken enough about where their relationship might eventually go, and Azula was clearly asking rather than simply assuming Lin would agree so it was a step in the right direction.
"Fine, you deserve it." Lin said.
Azula's smug expression weakened once Lin actually moved closer. She leaned down and kissed her gently, keeping it brief at first. When Azula relaxed, Lin rested one hand lightly against the side of her neck and kissed her again with more confidence.
When Lin pulled away, Azula remained close, looking considerably less smug than she had a few seconds earlier.
Lin smiled at her reaction. "Satisfied with your reward?"
Azula cleared her throat and recovered some of her composure. "Yes, that felt different than last time, I'm content."
"That's good to hear." Lin said, cheerful.
"For now at least." Azula threatened jokingly.
Lin chuckled and returned her attention to the task at hand, preparing everything to depart soon. Azula remained beside her looking much happier than before. She had successfully stopped her from worrying about anything for a moment.
----0000----
The messenger hawk returned while Lin was fastening the last pieces of equipment to her armor. Captain Kaida caught it when it landed near the bunker entrance and carefully removed the note tied to its leg before handing it over.
Lin unfolded the paper and immediately smiled, for the attack had succeeded and they could now move back to base. With the collapse of the center and the following operation to encircle the enemy, the Earth Kingdom forces were retreating across most of the front, and the southern push had advanced far enough that their units were beginning to close around what remained of the defenders.
Shinu estimated that they would control the area directly east of Lin's position soon, giving the strike team a safe route back without having to cross enemy territory again. Lin felt herself relax for the first time since they had jumped from the gliders.
"Finally, we can head back. We've won." she announced.
The soldiers around the bunker immediately turned toward her.
"This is it gentlemen, we are going back east of our position, we estimate we will reach friendly forces instead of the enemy."
A few of the soldiers cheered, while Kaida grinned and hit one of the men beside her on the shoulder.
"It was only possible because of us." Azula said proudly. "I'm glad the good general didn't mess things up."
Lin folded the message. "I had a little more faith in him than you apparently did."
"While I had faith in your plan, Shinu was a questionable part."
"I had full confidence in him, sometimes you just have to trust your fellow comrades in arms."
"He succeeded, so now I can pretend I believed in him all along." Azula replied, undeterred.
Lin laughed and motioned for everyone to start moving. They had spent long enough behind enemy lines, and now that their army had opened a route, there was no reason to remain there and risk stumbling into retreating units.
They moved east through trenches and abandoned defensive positions, keeping their weapons ready in case they encountered resistance. Most of what they found suggested the Earth Kingdom had left in a hurry.
Spears, shields, discarded packs, food, and pieces of armor had been abandoned along the path they took. A few wounded soldiers were scattered among the ruins, but none tried to stop them.
After almost two hours of moving carefully, Kaida raised her fist and pointed ahead. Fire Nation banners were visible through the smoke. Lin initially thought they had reached an isolated advance unit, but as they continued forward, she realized there were far too many soldiers for that.
Tanks had already crossed the area, their tracks leaving evidence all over the place, infantry companies were occupying the old Earth Kingdom trenches, and firebenders that clearly had just rotated out of the lines were resting all over the place.
"This was faster than I expected." Lin admitted. "We will need to plan what to do with the amount of prisoners we will take with this maneuver."
"Why would you let them live?" asked Azula.
"The second army is not trained mentally to kill all of them off, just the reports of crucifixion operation was enough for some of them to desert. Besides, earthbenders were very handy to have in our army. It would only be in our best interest if we offered them a way out." Lin replied.
"How generous of you." Azula smirked.
Their group was noticed before reaching the first occupied trench. Someone shouted Lin's rank, then another soldier recognized Azula beside her. Within moments, soldiers were gathering along the sides of the route as the strike team passed. The first cheers were scattered, but they quickly spread through the units nearby.
"General Renshi!"
"Princess Azula!"
Lin raised one hand in acknowledgment while continuing forward. Azula seemed far more pleased by the attention, straightening beside her as the soldiers began chanting both their names.
News of the headquarters strike had clearly traveled quickly, probably exaggerated several times already by the time it reached these units. Lin expected the story to become ridiculous by tomorrow, probably something to do with spirits.
It took them another few hours to return to the main camp. The battle was still continuing in isolated areas, but the situation was controlled and the Fire Nation was now advancing on all fronts.
Officers were reorganizing units rather than preparing desperate defenses, and engineers were already discussing where the railway could be extended next. The Earth Kingdom army would lose most of the agrarian zone.
Reports arriving throughout the evening confirmed that organized resistance in the south part of the front they had split in two had nearly disappeared. Most regular soldiers had fled toward the inner city or surrendered once the encirclement was completed.
The refugees they found in the way had indeed been killed off. Almost none surrendered, and those trapped in the southern pocket continued attacking until they were killed. That only increased Lin's concern about what Sung had told her.
For now, however, the army had room to breathe and reorganize. Their next objective would be securing the entire agrarian zone and surrounding the inner city of Ba Sing Se before deciding how to proceed.
Military police units were already being requested from across the colonies, along with administrators, laborers, engineers, and agricultural workers from both the colonies and the Fire Isles.
Someone would have to guard prisoners, restore roads, repair irrigation systems, and work the enormous fields. Conquering territory was easy compared to using it to their advantage, which is why Lin believed they should move fast.
When Lin reached the center camp, General Shinu was waiting for her outside the main tent. His golden armor was filthy, one side of his helmet was dented, and he looked far too energetic for someone who had apparently spent hours leading an assault personally.
Lin stopped in front of him. "I hear you did well, General. I commend you."
Shinu immediately straightened. "Thank you, General! But without you taking out their commanders I'm sure it would have been very different."
"Each of us have their own task, General. You did excellent work and is appreciated. I was expecting to have to fight our way through the enemy back to our lines."
His expression brightened enough that Lin almost regretted praising him so openly.
"Thank you, General. The men fought magnificently."
"They did. Make sure they know I said so."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Lin glanced briefly toward her team still following her around, especially Azula who looked tired even if she tried her best to hide it. The others looked ready to collapse right there.
"Good. I need you to remain in charge for a little longer. With the southern pocket dealt with, we continue as we planned. Send most prisoners to our facilities far away from here by train. Then I need you to reorganize the units to turn our forces to the north front, it should be collapsing as well. Let's move to secure the agrarian zone and siege the inner city." Lin said
Shinu saluted again. "Understood."
Lin turned toward the strike team.
"You are all dismissed. Eat, wash, sleep, and report tomorrow unless someone is bleeding badly enough to require the hospital first. You earned the rest."
The soldiers saluted before dispersing toward the camp, all except Azula, who remained beside her. Lin looked at her and gestured toward her tent. "Want to come rest with me?"
"Oh, sure." Azula seemed happy enough with that suggestion and followed her without complaint. At the entrance, Lin stopped the two royal guards that were following them from a distance.
"You will guard the door. No one comes inside unless it is General Shinu himself. If anyone else has a problem, they can give it to him."
One guard hesitated. "Only him, General? What about the princess attendants?"
"We don't need them at this moment. Do not let anyone else enter unless it's the general, that's an order."
"Yes ma'am!"
Lin entered the tent with the princess following close behind. She then locked the cloth door, something that made Azula raise her eyebrows at her.
"No one will enter today, the General wouldn't disturb us." She explained "I will take care of you."
Azula was too prideful to show how tired she really was, but with their relationship developing, maybe it was time to see if she could help her relax in her presence at least.
"Oh, that sounds nice." The princess said with a smile on her face.
Lin had never been intimate with another person before. Azula wanting her to kiss her made her realize that, so far, the princess had been the one to initiate any form of affection, and that didn't look fair in her eyes.
For any relationship to work, she believed that both should put in the effort. Besides, her tired mind figured that if the princess was already of age to torture and kill people, she was already an adult in this twisted world.
'Besides, the kiss felt quite good.' She mused.
----0000----
Azula did not think much of Lin inviting her into the tent to rest. They had spent more hours awake than she cared to count, so she did feel exhausted. Being somewhere private with Lin sounded wonderful after everything they've done.
She expected food, sleep, and perhaps another kiss if she was lucky. What she did not expect was for Lin to return carrying a bucket of warm water, two cloths, soap, and a pair of bowls balanced against one metal arm and for her to start undressing without a care in the world.
"I thought we were resting." Azula said warily, trying to look somewhere else once the heavier parts of her armor came off.
"We are." Lin said slowly. "But we both smell terrible."
Azula frowned. "How romantic."
Lin laughed and began removing the lighter pieces of her armor without any embarrassment. She had already taken off her coat and weapons, and now she worked through the straps holding the remaining clothing around her body as casually as if Azula were not there only a few steps away.
She had seen Lin's naked back but it had only been briefly while getting her a bikini to wear at the beach. It felt so much different in this situation. They were alone now, and there was nowhere to hide.
Lin then removed her prosthetics arms and replaced them with her black ones, leaving the worn ones aside. Lin noticed her watching and raised an eyebrow.
"Are you alright?"
Azula recovered quickly. "Yes, it's just that I usually wait for my servants to help me."
"We can help each other."
Azula stared at her. "You want us to wash together?"
"Yes, it will be faster, and then we can get into the same bedroll to rest."
Lin said it with such complete calmness that Azula almost became offended by how little embarrassment she showed. Azula narrowed her eyes at her but said nothing, while she felt her inner fire hotter than ever. Although the princess tried not to stare at her naked body, she found herself ogling her out from top to bottom.
Lin came closer once the last piece of clothing was folded away, and motioned for her to turn around, reaching toward the straps of her armor.
"Come on, let me help." Lin said.
Azula obeyed, although the first touch of metal fingers against the fastenings near her back immediately made her more aware of how close Lin was standing. The armor came away piece by piece, and Lin placed each section aside with care. Then she undid her under aketon, leaving her skin exposed to the cold air.
Azula turned and found Lin still standing close. She then grabbed a clean cloth and carefully guided her to sit in a small wooden stool. She stared at the walls of the tent as Lin carefully rubbed her back first with the wet cloth, pausing at times to sink the cloth back in the bucket.
She then got closer and rubbed the front of her body from the back, and Azula could hear her beating heart in her ears. Still, it felt nice after the initial awkwardness and slowly felt herself relax after focusing on her breathing.
"Better?" Lin asked after a few minutes.
"Much." Azula admitted, her muscles finally relaxed.
Lin looked her over for a moment, and this time Azula was certain the attention lingered longer than necessary. That helped. If she was going to spend the entire situation embarrassed, she at least wanted Lin to suffer with her.
"Your turn." Azula said.
Lin nodded. "Alright"
She then helped her up and sat in the same stool, letting Azula grab the piece of cloth. Azula took her time cleaning her body, partly because the mechanisms around Lin's prosthetics got in the way and partly because having an excuse to run her fingers along Lin's body was considerably more enjoyable than she wanted to admit.
Lin glanced back at her once. "You are doing a nice job, that feels great, Azula."
"Well duh, I may not have done it before but I am a prodigy, you know."
"Of course."
Azula smiled behind her running her hands through her firm and strong back, feeling her well worked muscles through her fingers. When Lin motioned toward her front, however, Azula's confidence began disappearing again.
Lin seemed amused by her hesitation.
"What?" Azula asked defensively.
"Nothing, amused to see you nervous about this."
"I am not."
"It's okay if you are, I have to admit I am a bit nervous myself."
"Really?"
"Yes." Lin said gently, then turned around grabbed her hands into hers, then gently placed a kiss on her lips.
Azula felt heat rise into her face. "I have never done this with anyone."
"Neither have I, at least not like this."
Azula looked at her more carefully. "That's good to hear, I would hate to hunt down the one you had done this with before."
Lin laughed and shook her head amused. Still, that made Azula feel better. Lin was older and usually seemed to have an answer for everything, so knowing that they were both inexperienced made the situation feel less strange. Knowing there was no one else that had seen her like that as well made her happy.
Lin then let her proceed with washing away soot, dried blood, and dirt accumulated through hours of combat off her body, guiding Azula's hands through her body. For the princess, however, the closeness changed the atmosphere between them regardless of how ordinary Lin tried to make it.
After leaving the cloth behind, Lin then washed her hair gently with a brush while humming a song Azula didn't recognize.
"Now, wait a second in the bedroll while I wash my hair quickly. Using a brush would make it fall and it is not something I want at the moment." Lin explained, once she was done.
The awkwardness and shyness returned for the princess as she still felt exposed sitting there naked. Lin quickly washed her hair while Azula tried to regain a semblance of calmness by breathing deeply and slowly.
She was wondering what Lin had planned now. 'Does she intend for us to sleep together?'
The answer was quick to arrive as Lin came back having put together the cleaning tools. She sat next to her in the bedroll, then gently guided her down onto the bed.
'Oh, spirits! She really does.'
Azula's mind was racing, wondering if Lin would take it further. The princess didn't know what to do exactly, or what was expected of her, and although it hurt her to admit it, she was internally panicking at the unfamiliar situation she found herself in.
Lin then calmly positioned herself behind her, cuddling her. Then she carefully caressed her arm and started humming again, soothing her gently. She could feel Lin's breathing in her neck and she had never felt this warm inside before.
Slowly though, she was able to relax, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation. Although she couldn't really explain what she was feeling, for the first time in her life, Azula felt that she understood a little better what being loved meant.
For some reason her eyes teared up under her eyelids and they stung but she paid it no mind. It was a testament to how exhausted the princess was that she managed to fall asleep shortly after.
----0000----
Art by Mochi_the_innocent and Aurora