Chapter 14.1- And so the Dragons Danced

“And that’s the third town” Toji said to name as we marched through the village, doing our best to keep attentive as we carried out the orders of supervising the men as we made sure the village was truly undefended. The village’s spokesperson had been waiting for us at the border and had levelled an unconditional surrender to our mercies, but like with the two other villages we’d ‘taken’ in the last three weeks, this one was also suspicious. 
First of all, all the men aged 13 to 70 were gone. Just gone. In the first village, the story we’d been fed was that the Earth Kingdom Army had given up on defending the smaller villages and had retreated to the cities to make a stand. Not before taking all the men of an age to be in army, of course. Not just the men too. The spokesperson had not mentioned it of his own volition but somehow Sung had been able to sus out that all of the earthbenders were also gone. Not just some of them. Every single man, woman, or child able to move so much as a grain of sand had been taken. And this fact had the Major General on edge. Our orders were to be the tip of the spear, taking the land that the fire nation had once held and leaving it to those who marched behind us to assume possession and begin integration with the fire nation. These were to be the new colonies after all. 

But because of what our individual jobs were, we were the ones expected to face true, harsh combat. We were supposed to absorb the losses against the Earth Kingdom here, and push them back. Them retreating on their own was, on the face of it, a good thing. And I’d been happy enough about it until the Major General had pointed something out. 

“What happens if they haven’t truly retreated and are instead taking the long way around to strike at General Han’s division?” He asked me when I made my point to him and I was shocked into silence. I’d never even considered that. “All warfare is deception” he’d said immediately after he saw that I got the point he was making. I’d nodded, thinking that was it until he’d suddenly begun requesting my presence more often. As an officer, I was given the right to attend all strategy meetings, but even beyond that he had me present at briefings that would probably have been for his ears only. Tal said I was being groomed for leadership, and I couldn’t understand his enthusiasm about the prospect. Why would he be happy about his underclassman being promoted before him?

Besides, even if I was being promoted, surely it would be to the rank of Major. I wouldn’t have to deal with the kind of shit Sung did for quite a while. Hopefully, not too long though. 

“Indeed. With every one we take it gets more and more eerie” I said to him as we passed by a woman and her child that glared at us with such hatred that I swore half of me was expecting them to get up and actually attack us. The hatred in the boy’s eyes. That was the kind of shit that one couldn’t read about in a book or even describe in words. He stared at us like we were physical representations of all that was wrong with the world. 

“The looks too” Toji said, unknowingly voicing my very thoughts on the matter. 

“They look like they’d rip out our throats with their teeth and drink all our blood before eating us raw if they got the chance” He observed. 

“That’s a strangely specific imagery. Slightly disturbing, even for you.”

“You’ve not forgotten the rumours, have you? Earth Kingdomers eat pretty boys like you for breakfast, after all’ He said, drawing a chuckle from me that was only mostly forced. Toji was an expert at lightening the mood whenever he felt like. 

“But jokes aside, they make me feel dirty” He said, looking at me. I sobered up instantly. There was something in his tone that told me he was being real with me now. 

“I mean, I know we’re doing the right thing. These people are suffering. Most of them are malnourished, and wallowing in poverty. It would be selfish for us to just sit back in the fire nation and let them suffer. We had to help. Sozin had to spread our prosperity. But when they look at me like that, I find it hard to see the justification. I mean we’re doing it for their own good but…”

“But nothing” I interrupted, stopping my walk and turning to face him. He mirrored my movements, looking down on me. He wasn’t quite as tall as a freak of nature like The Mountain, but Toji still dwarfed nearly every man in the camp. 

“We do this for them. They don’t know any better right now, but look at the Island colonies. Look at how much prosperity they have thanks to the Fire Nation. We are doing the right thing, Toji. If they hate us for it, then so be it. They won’t hate us forever” I assured him. Not just him, if I was being honest. 

“Besides, can’t let some dirty looks from unwashed savages get under your skin” I said, trying my own hand at lightening the mood. 

Toji cracked a hesitant smile but I could see that my attempt wasn’t even as effective for him as his had been for me. Sometimes I hated my lack of true social skills. 

“Let’s just finish up and head to camp” I finally said. We weren’t going to take residence in the village. Doing that was just courting quick deaths. If the populace decided to try something stupid like slitting our throats while we slept, that could get messy fast. Sung was smart enough to just sidestep the entire issue. 

“Sureeee. I can’t wait to get back to Pinhead” Toji said, making me almost miss a step as we both broke into laughter at the nickname for his immediate Commanding Officer.

A/N; Here ya go. First half. How's it looking?