Long Feng

The first assault had been a resounding success. For us, that is I thought, smiling to myself. Everything had gone as I intended. The Fire Nation had been repelled. Supplies was flowing back through the city, the citizenry was restful once again, and the last of the leaks from the failed defense of the listening post had been plugged. No news of it would ever reach the people. All that must be on their mind is complete and absolute victory. Nothing less.

And now, I had my meeting with my dear friend, the Earth King. He was not currently holding court, this was a private meeting. Well. Private in his eyes. Unfortunately, the walls here are made of Earth, and the Earth here speaks. It whispers. All that matters is who controls those whispers. And now, that was me. So yes, this was a private meeting. No news of this would reach the ears of the most curious mouse unless I willed it to.

I bowed before the King after I was summoned and heard those impressive steel ornamented doors close behind me.

"You summoned me, your grace? I asked, with the feigned respect I had been forced to deliver for 17 years now, since I was a young man in my prime with the only misfortune of lacking combat training. In those early years, I despised my position, even when promoted to grand Secretariat. I had desired a military position until I became acquainted with the Dai Li and assumed control and came to realize that the softest whisper could topple the hardest army. So here I kneeled, in front of a man I despised who was all that stood between me and absolute control over this Kingdom.

"I did. I would like to congratulate you on your assistance and that of the Dai Li towards the defenders of the city. You've been an instrumental weapon in this war and I would like to know if there was anything I could do to reward you for your service."

'Your Throne' was the answer I would have spoken had I been a foolhardy Idiot. This wasn't the first time I'd been offered such rewards, but not even he could give me what I wanted. His 'honor' would forbid it.

"The pleasure of serving you is enough reward for me, your grace."

"I am glad to hear you are so devoted to the protection of your Kingdom. It is a rare thing to find such loyalty now a days. I am pleased that I can find it in you, my closest advisor and Grand Secretariat. It is an honor to have your undying loyalty."

"The honor is all mine, your grace."

"Please. You may go. I will not take any more of your time."

I bowed, and as I turned to leave, he said one last thing to me. "Oh. And Long Feng. I have approved your request to have more Dai Li on hand. However, rather than 100, I grant you tenfold that number.

I was forced to contain my shock and my proceeding smile before I turned to face him and bowed once more, concealing my still obvious smile as I said "I accept this gift with humility, your grace. Thank you."

Still bowed to avoid contact, I turned and left through those doors until they closed behind me, and I stood. The fool. Was the first thought to come to mind. Day by day, he helped me to seal his own fate and that of this Kingdom, but now, there was more to deal with. That being a still very much alive hostile force outside these walls.

I walked through the doors to the wing of the Dai Li and entered, stopping in front of my secretary, at her small desk, smiling at me saying "Good evening, sir. How was your meeting?"

"Excellent. Thank you, Joo Dee." I replied, leaning on her desk in my usual fashion. "Are there any messages for me?"

"None, sir. All quiet tonight."

There was a pause until we both chuckled at that ridiculous notion. One aspect of the Dai Li was that, to us, there was no such thing as a quiet night.

"And you, Joo Dee? How are you?"

"The healers say it'll be a difficult pregnancy, but I've made the appropriate offerings to the spirits, so my husband and I have hope."

"That's good to hear. You may leave now if you wish to. I will be retiring for the night, it's been a long day."

"Thank you, but I'll stay here until the end of my shift. It's the least I can do."

"Very loyal of you. A good night to you, Joo Dee."

"And to you too, sir."

I then walked past her and through the door that led to the corridor that eventually took me to my 'public' office, and by that, I mean the one not situated in non-existent facility based under an insignificant lake in the outer ring.

I was fond of Joo Dee. She had been a loyal servant of mine for a near decades now, helping me in nearly every way imaginable. She was loyal too. It was 5 years until I deigned too bring her into my sphere of influence after I had deemed her trustworthy enough. And I would be lying if I said my personal opinion of her didn't play a role in that decision all those years ago, before she had been married. She was what many would refer as "cute", with an innocent face, curly black hair, and a wonderful body figure that made me surprised she had been married so late at the age of 24. Her husband was a lucky man, but their marriage had no effect on my opinion of her or her use to me. I had more important concerns than the silly preoccupation of romance.

I sat at my desk and saw it was clear save one document. No night was ever truly silent. I opened it and saw the report, reading through it quickly, and knowing this siege was nowhere near over.

My informant had come through and his information was more vital than any army was. The Dragon's Host was reorganizing with Lu Ten in command of the new Crimson Army, but Iroh still commanding the siege. They were preparing an attack on the city, but of details unknown to me.

A pitiful document, but all the same, better than nothing. I had 1,000 official new positions available. I was already thousands over what my technical limit was, but these were now men I could openly put in my service which was always more useful than those forced to stay in the shadows at all times.

In a way, I pitied Kuei. He wanted to believe so badly I served his interests, but day by day, he buried himself a deeper grave. This siege would be over soon, and when it was, I would make sure this city knew who it was that saved them. I already had men spreading news of my role in the battle through mediums of information. Contrary to the tactics of the Fire Nation, I would win this city, but I would win it from the inside. Because one thing was true of this city. It could never be taken from the outside, but it was always most vulnerable at its core, at the heart of this city and the Earth Kingdom. And it was from there than I would take this city and this Kingdom, all for myself. And there would be nobody to blame but those who stood by ignorantly as I made my moves, day by day.

This city, tho Kingdom, would be mine.