The Last Woodbender Chapter 44 (I wish for another Day) (Patreon)

Thank you all for Supporting me and reading my Stories. Leave a Like if you enjoyed the Chapter.

' Long Feng wanted a good night's sleep, but he had to settle for a cup of tea gone cold and a few soggy dumplings that he had left at his desk when the latest crisis meant his lunch was cut short. He ate them, standing still in his dusty uniform. A few food stains wouldn't make that much difference to the uniform's unkemptness; he would be changing soon.

He skimmed the few messages that had been left at his desk this afternoon. They were going to lose the Lower Ring; the question was when. Oh, the generals assured him their engineers could section off the part of the agrarian zone that the Fire Nation army had poured into like a red tide; Long Feng was enough of an earthbender to follow their plans, even if he'd never had to move such quantities of soil and stone. It would slow the advance and keep the enemy from spreading out to circle the Inner Wall.

But they had already lost cropland and would lose more due to the army's need to clear the ground; food prices would spike again. Most of the farm workers were Lower Ring residents. They couldn't help but notice when the military blocked some of their cropland and pasture.

But he'd spent time in the Lower Ring today, defusing protests and rounding up troublemakers. He'd even had to tap into the city's granaries and pass along bags of rice to his merchant contacts in the Middle Ring so the price of rice would fall. It would settle the masses until the food shortages got worse or Iroh's army broke free of the earthworks to assault the Inner Wall. General Iroh was proving to be a canny man; he would know how to use the fear and anger of the Lower Ring residents as a weapon as deadly as fire and arrows.

"Sir?" One of his minders, the cadre of mostly women who officially were clerks and unofficially watched merchants and nobles who needed a delicate touch, was at the door. She was dressed and made up according to her station, moving like she was born to the job. "It's nearly time."

Long Feng nodded. "Thank you." He finished the tea and quickly moved to wash and change into a clean, formal uniform. The Earth King was entertaining tonight, and Long Feng couldn't send just anyone to supervise. A look in the mirror had him take an extra minute to borrow some cosmetics from the woman who had given him his reminder, just enough to lessen the dark circles under his eyes. Kuei might assume that lack of sleep was just part of the job for the Grand Secretariat; some of his guests needed to be more sheltered.

He cataloged Kuei's guests now as he entered the more public wings of the palace, places designed to create the image of eternity, a continuity as lasting as stone. He moved among the guests like a lizard crow among songbirds, noting scraps of information rather than food scraps. It was not perfect -- too many knew to school their faces when they visited the palace, especially when Long Feng was passing by -- but even a mask was a source of information. Who was unafraid; either the bliss of total ignorance or the cocky sureness of those who thought they could ride out the storm or even use it to their advantage. And who was pretending to be unafraid but still had the same dark circles and frown lines that were Long Feng's own constant companions?

He had his own mask, one of unafraid competence. Some of the nobles -- men and women who had seen no reason to acknowledge a war that would never affect them -- deliberately made a point to come up to him, to ask veiled questions and receive reassuring answers. The more skilled merchants- and any merchant able to draw the eyes of those in the Upper Ring who were usually quite good at their jobs- asked the same questions, couched in terms of business and trade routes. They wanted to know that the city still stood, and this was as minor a concern as bad weather. And, like bad weather, it would pass.

He found his seat beside the King when the entertainment started. Kuei looked thoughtful, and Long Feng welcomed the privilege that let him look at the King's face. Not that he needed a clear view to read the man; Long Feng had been shaping him since his birth to be open, and knew Kuei's moods better than his own.

"Haven't we seen this play before?" Kuei asked. "And I know we've had the same troop performing for the past year."

"Ba Sing Sei is a prosperous city, Your Majesty. And a center for culture. It's only natural that the best actors will gravitate to your court." Or those not alert enough to leave before the siege or greedy enough to be bribed. It kept the King and Upper Ring soothed to have their sweets. Poor or rich, common or noble people thrived on comfortable routines and safety. It was the foundation of Ba Sing Sei, the bedrock on which the city was built, and the core principles of the Dai Li.

"But perhaps we could send to Omashu to get whatever is new there? I hate to think that they might have something exciting that we're missing by yet another staging of Avatar Kyoshi."

"I'll speak to the company manager." Long Feng promised. And a few contacts at the university who could put something together and would need help finding the contrast between the Lower Ring's unrest and the Upper's decadence too jarring.

As they watched the play, Long Feng said nothing and watched. He wished to return home; his son would be back soon, and with the thought of talking to him again, Long Feng allowed himself a small smile.

When the play ended, Long Feng easily put on his mask and said goodbye to everyone, including General Qi Jiguang. The man reassured him that he was working on a plan to crush the Fire Soldiers. Long Feng believed his word; the man had yet to fail. But as they were discussing the soldiers that would be part of his hide-and-seek plan, he brought up a name that made Long Feng's blood go cold like ice.

"I'm sorry, Jiguang. I must have missheard you. Did you say that Mujitsu will be part of this plan?" Long Feng questioned, his voice quivering for a brief moment as he tried to keep the mask from slipping.

The man looked at him strangely before nodding, confirming his worst fear. "That's right, your son came to me last week. He showed me his talent with Earthbending. He has talent, Feng. More than you know, and I figured there's nothing wrong if he plays a part in this plan."

"He's only been in the army for a week. Surely he's not ready to fight in the frontlines with soldiers who have years maybe even decades of experience" Long Feng questioned, trying to keep his calm, but the man looked at him unimpressed.

"I understand your concern, Feng, but fear nothing. The plan 'Hide and Seek' will barely include any fighting. I'm not foolish enough to send my youngest and newest recruits on the chopping block in the first month or even the first year. He will be safe." Long Feng heard him, but he could not believe that his own son would not talk to him first before making this decision; he was supposed to be the newest King Guard, but instead, he was sending his life away.

"I will talk with him, Jiguang. I think you should try to find a replacement right now. My son made a mistake," Long Feng said determinedly. He didn't wait for the man to question him; instead, he walked away in a hurry.

Using his Earthbending, he jumped from roof to roof until he reached his home. Soon, he landed in front of his house; their servant put down her broom when she noticed him approaching the house.

"Good Evening, Lord Feng. How did it go?" The servant asked with her welcoming smile.

"Joo Dee. Is my son here?" Long Feng questioned, ignoring her question.

The servant looked slightly dejected, but her smile quickly returned. "Yes, my Lord. He seemed in a hurry, though. I hope the young lord is not in any trouble," Joo Dee said concerned, losing her smile as she noticed the deep frown on Long Feng's face.

"Thank you, Joo. You can go back to your home now," Long Feng said dismissively before pushing up the noren at the door and walking inside.

"Mujitsu...Mujitsu... Where are you? I know you are here." Long Feng shouted as he walked through the hallway. He entered the common room, and his son stood there, his back facing him. He was busy packing his backpack, and Long Feng could see him holding the Earth-bending scroll his teacher had given him for his birthday.

"What do you want, father?" his son said in a neutral voice, still not facing him, as he put a notebook inside his backpack.

"I just talked with the General, and you won't believe what he told me." His voice quieted down as he talked, and he walked deeper into the common, his son still not looking at him. "He said that you went to him a week ago. You have joined one of his squads. Why?" Long Feng demanded with a hard look, but his son ignored him as he kept putting things in his backpack.

"Mujitsu, I will not allow you." Long Feng said with a final voice.

"I'm afraid this is out of your hands, father." His son said as he turned to face him for the first time, and Long Feng felt a burning pain in his throat.

"General Qi Jiguang has already signed the letters. The only way you can do anything is to talk with the King himself, but I'm afraid this is something that will take too long, and by the time is done. I will already be out there." His son said with a blank look on his face.

"Why didn't you tell me that you wanted to serve the army instead of being a captain for the King?" Long Feng questioned. His son used to tell him everything.

"So you can move your threads again and ruin everything for me again." his son scoffed, sounding bitter.

Long Feng swallowed thickly; why couldn't his son smile at him like he used to do? Where did it all go so wrong? "...I'm your father, and I'm ordering you to stay here. Jiguang will understand. I will talk with him, and tell him that you don't want to—" "That's where you are wrong, father. I do want it, you simply never cared for what I wanted. You only cared for what You wanted."

This hurt more than a sword in the heart, but Long Feng kept a stoic look as he stepped closer; it was clear that trying to order him wouldn't work. "Son," he said softly, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Think of Huana, think of her. Do you really want to leave her alone? Think of her, son." Long Feng reminded him, but his son showed no empathy. Instead, he frowned deeply, shrugging his hand off his shoulders.

"I know what you are doing, father. But I'm not changing my mind; Huana understands me. All my friends will be there, and I'm not changing my mind. I will fight alongside them to protect my city. You always told me, 'Keeping the City Safe is more important than desires and soldiers' lives,' so that's what I am doing. Huana knows I'm right." His son said determinedly before grabbing the backpack and holding it by the leather strap he put around his shoulder and armpit.

He walked forward, but he grabbed him by the shoulder before he could pass Long Feng.

"Son. As your father. I'm ordering you to stay here. You will not take another step." Long Feng played the last card he had, speaking with the same tone he used to speak with his son when he was younger and got in trouble for doing stupid things.

"Mom would be disappointed with you," his son said with a disappointed shake of his head before walking past him towards the door. Long Feng quickly followed him behind, stepping into the hallway as his son reached the threshold of the door that led outside.

"Do Not Take a Step Outside, Son. If you do, I will not approve of your marriage with Huana and will no longer consider you my son. Are we clear? Do not take a step outside." Long Feng ordered, but his son kept walking and stepped outside.

"...From all the men she could have fallen in love with. The gods punished Mother and made her fall for you. This is their cruelest joke yet." His son said before walking away, leaving behind Long Feng, who had fallen on his knees.

His son was gone.

One Month Later

"The Fire Nation is retreating."

"We are saved!!"

"Ba Sing Se beats them once again."

"I heard General Iroh ran away like a dog."

Everyone around him celebrated, but not Long Feng. The King drank wine with the captains and the officers, and they all celebrated, having toasts in the name of victory. Feng's eyes briefly flickered at the King; the man drank wine like a pig. Why can't you choke on it? Feng wished the man, their King, had done nothing to contribute to this war, yet he was the one celebrating the most as if he had been out there fighting alongside his men.

Long Feng kept a stoic look as he looked around, trying to see him amongst the sea of faces; the more he looked, the harder it felt to breathe. The castle's garden was wide and often used by the King for parties.

Where are you? Come on, where are you? He mumbled under his breath when the garden doors opened, and inside walked the General. The man's nose was missing, and his right hand's skin had blacked like coal. Long Feng leaped onto his feet, and his legs moved on their own toward the large man.

"General, it's so good to see you. You brought us another victory for our nation," the King said with a wide smile as he walked up to the general, a bottle of wine in his hand, before reaching up and patting him on the back for a job well done. But the man did not smile back. His eyes were blank and dead.

"We lost too many soldiers." The General told The King with a grave voice.

"Such a shame. We will remember their sacrifices, my friend. But tonight. We should Celebrate!!" The King cheered as he drank more wine, and the officers and the captains cheered along with their King.

Long Feng ignored the moron and looked at the General. He knew that Squad Eleven and Seven had been wiped out completely, and Squad Nine had lost many of its soldiers, but the biggest loss was the complete annihilation of Brigade Three and Brigade One.

"Jiguang, can we talk?"

.

.

"What is that you wanted to talk about?" The general asked as they walked into Long Feng's office.

Long Feng turned to face him, feeling a lump in his throat. It was difficult to talk. "...My son, Mujitsu...Where is he? It's been a whole week, and I haven't heard any news from his squad. Did you order him to guard the outer wall, or did he tell you? My last talk with him was... it didn't end well, so I would understand if he doesn't want to see me yet, but I need to speak with him. Where is he?" Long Feng asked with hopeful eyes, looking up at his friend.

But the man's expression fell, and Long Feng swallowed thickly. "Where is he?" He prompted with a hint of desperation.

"Feng. I'm really sorry. His squad was never supposed to engage with anyone. They were supposed to cause a small distraction, but General Iroh's plan, the spy we had, had been wrong; his plan was to attack the New Squads, the ones with less experience. Someone...someone spoke to him, and told him where the new squads were places. Your son. He fought to the bitter end. I'm sorry."

Long Feng didn't hear anything; he didn't even feel the floor as he fell to his knees. All he could think of was his son. The first time he saw him, so tiny and innocent, and the last time he saw him, so angry and righteous. He was Gone.

.

.

"Today, we gather to remember the members of Squad Five. They might not be with us any longer, but they fought for all of us. The people you see outside when you walk out of your home. They all are alive because of all these soldiers that gave their lives. We will—" Long Feng stopped listening to the General speaking, his eyes looking at his son's coffin. His name written on top. He knew the General was still talking but remained numb and didn't say a word; even when the General asked him to say something to the grieving people, Long Feng remained in place and said nothing.

The Gravemakers stomped the ground with their feet, and a row of square holes three meters deep suddenly appeared throughout the Field of Memories, where all the military troops who lost their lives were always buried in Ba Sing Se.

Long Feng remained numb, but he could still hear them cry. One of the girls cried for her father to wake up, and another boy cried for the Gravemakers not to put his father inside, saying he didn't like dark places. Another cried, saying his father had promised they would go to the park together.

Yet, Long Feng's eyes remained dry; he hadn't cried for Joana, and he wouldn't cry for him. The tears can never bring back anyone, Long Feng reminded himself.

One hour later, after everyone had already left, Long Feng remained, staring at the cross where his son's name was written. Three flowers—one yellow, one blue, and the last one always red—decorated the grass and dirt of his grave.

He heard the faint sound of footsteps but didn't bother looking behind when he heard a familiar voice. "Pap."

He turned around, and before him stood Huana, her green eyes red and puffy.

"Why are you back here?" Long Feng questioned, hearing a thunder from far away; the dark clouds had gathered, and the sky itself would soon mourn their death.

"Aina. Mujitsu always talked with her during this time." Long Feng looked at her in confusion until Huana rubbed her belly. It couldn't be seen yet, but Long Feng realized what she meant, yet he couldn't allow himself to feel joy.

"I will leave you to it." He said quietly before side-stepping. She walked past him and stopped before Mujitsu's grave. She kneeled down and placed a white flower right next to the cross.

"Mujitsu, I'm sure you didn't forget, but you always want to talk with your daughter. Always on this time. I brought her to you this time, but don't get used to it. I heard her kicking tonight. She will be an earthbender just like you. I'm sure she will. We will see you tomorrow." Long Feng watched as she stood up, turned on her heels, and walked towards him; the smile was all gone, and she looked heartbroken.

"See you later, pap." She said quietly as she walked past him. Long Feng realized that he could not leave her like this.

"...Where do you live?" Long Feng abruptly asked with a hushed tone, but Huana heard him and turned around to face him.

"Second Ring."

"Not anymore. I...I have a second house in the Upper Ring, there's staff there that will help you. You don't have to live alone." Long Feng said as he turned around to face her, looking down at her belly for a brief moment, knowing his granddaughter was growing. He would never allow his granddaughter to be raised in the second ring. She deserved the best.

"I...I appreciate pap, but won't you be too busy with the upcoming war?" She questioned, and this caused Long Feng to furrow a brow.

"Coming War?" He questioned, not liking what he was hearing.

"Yes. I heard from an officer. Now that the army of the Fire Nation was pushed back. They want to start liberating the other cities near Ba Sing Se. Saying this was the best opportunity to regain lost territory, and to reunite the Earth Kingdom, they want to send more soldiers out there."

Long Feng wasn't sure how reliable this officer was, but as he looked down at her belly again. He knew he had to make a decision. This war lost him everything. He wouldn't let it happen again. If he allowed it, more people would die until the entire Ba Sing Se is a huge graveyard.

"You don't have to worry, my dear. I will make sure my granddaughter will be raised here. In Peace. And she will never have to fear the Fire Nation coming back....Because they never existed."

.

.

After that day, Long Feng met in private with the General, and they reached an agreement. Ba Sing Se would not fight again. Their troops would be sent to battle only if they were attacked directly by enemy forces, with orders from the General. Troops from nearby cities were taken to increase the defense of Ba Sing Se, but they wouldn't be returned. The cities were all conquered by the Fire Nation, and the troops needed to stay in Ba Sing Se and defend the city.

When the King learned that Long Feng had forbidden the talk of war in the city, had taken troops from neighboring cities, and had commanded that no troops be sent to help, the King confronted Long Feng about this, and Long Feng did what needed to be done.

.

.

"I won't allow another life to be lost. Your daughter will grow happy here. What happens outside? What happened to Omashu will never happen here. I will make sure no more soldiers die needlessly. Son. I will make sure she never knows what it's like to fight in a war." '

Azula

Mai sighed. "I'm tired of wearing this girly disguise. I don't know how anyone could fight in this."

"Maybe that's why it was so easy to beat the Kyoshi Warriors and take their clothes," said Ty Lee, practicing her chi-blocking forms.

"Ugh," said Mai. "How much longer do we have to serve the Dai Li?"

Ty Lee leaned back onto her hands so she could face Mai. "Azula said we'd go back to the Fire Nation as soon as we capture the Avatar. We just have to be patient." Just then, she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. "Wha—?"

That was all she managed to say before stone slabs went flying at their heads, knocking the girls unconscious. Several Dai Li agents appeared and put them in stone cuffs.

One of them looked toward the pillars surrounding the royal palace's entrance. "You can come on out, Princess."

Azula frowned. She was expecting the Dai Li to wait to take action, but she could work with this. She ripped off her uniform's gloves and conjured two flames before making herself visible.

"Are you quite sure you want to fight me?" she asked. "We both want to defeat the Avatar, so our mutual cooperation is clearly beneficial."

"No." That's all he said before trying to grow spikes around the Princess. Long Feng had told them to capture her alive.

"You will pay for not accepting my deal." Azula shouted as she jumped away in a hurry, throwing two blue fireballs at one of them, but then, from the corner of her eyes, she saw ten more Dai Li agents surrounding her.

Azula knew she could not win this, so quite reluctantly, she directed a lightning strike at the roof, causing the hard rock to crack and fall. The Dai Li agents chased after her, but Azula jumped away through a window before releasing a torrent of fire from the sole of her boots, gaining enough distance before landing on the ground.

Azula knew this was bad. She had just lost two of her friends and was getting further away from capturing the Avatar. Her mind went back to her talk with Naruto. She knew she had no other choice at this point.

Long Feng

"Sir, we lost the Princess, but we captured her two friends." One of his officers informed him, but Long Feng showed no sign of anger as he sat in a crossed-legged position; before him stood his spy, the officer at the door kept the door open, waiting for him to give new orders.

"That's not a big problem. Soon all of our problems will be over. Ba Sing Se will never have to worry about attacks from the outside ever again, as for the Princess's friends. Take care of them." Long Feng ordered, and the officer respectfully bowed before leaving the room and closing the door.

"You have new information for me?" Long Feng questioned, looking at his loyal servant.

"Yes, my lord. The Avatar and his group plan to cause a scene in front of the Palace. They intend to sneak into the palace during the chaos and execute you and all your captains, my lord. Once this is done. They intend to free the King and use his power to convince the General to hand his army to the Avatar's Hand. During the Eclipse, or as they call it. The Day of the Dark Sun, the firebenders cannot bend for ten minutes. They intent to attack the Fire Nation, and hopefully kill the Fire Lord, and put an end to this war." The servant told him, bowing his head until his forehead touched the ground.

Such foolishness, Long Feng scoffed, knowing the Fire Nation was already too deep into this war; even if the Fire Lord dropped dead right now, the Fire Nation would most likely not stop their war. They had lost too many of their soldiers; many families wanted retribution for them to just 'Stop' right away if the Fire Lord was defeated.

Not that it mattered to Long Feng; soon, the Fire Princess would be on his hands. The Fire Lord will never try to attack Ba Sing Se ever again in fear of losing his children. Long Feng will make sure he knows the consequences if he does, and once that deal is reached. The City will be truly safe, and Melina will grow up happy and in peace. But not just her; the people in Ba Sing Se will never have to fight again; they will be safe and alive. That's all that mattered.

"You have done a good job, now go back before they get suspicious of your absence...my loyal servant." He told the boy with the twig in his mouth.

"As you wish, my lord."

I like reading your comments. Let me know what you think about this Chapter, and don't forget to LIKE if you enjoyed the Chapter.