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XXIII: Devastation

For Scotland, Falkirk was the most damaging loss in the war. Out of 15,000 troops, more than 11,000 were killed. A few miles from the battlefield, the Scottish found safe haven along a small riverbank, where they treated their surviving soldiers who were wounded. It was the end of the day and the sun was setting.

Although many close to William were injured, including himself, the worst happened to Bastien. Everyone surrounded him. William was holding his head up as he laid down on his back.

"I'm dying...Let me be.", he told William.

"No...I won't leave you."

"Today, I meet God...and tell him how amazing you've done. You've made Notre Dame proud...You helped us become what we are...I'm glad to call you my friend."
Bastien then took his last breath and died.

William began crying as everyone else's faces turned sad. Toph put her hand on William's shoulder. He then got up and gave her an emotional hug, to which this time, she responded by hugging him back.

Meanwhile, on Falkirk Field, women, children, and elderly civilians were dragging off the dead bodies of fallen soldiers. Zuko walked through and realized what his betrayal had costed him.

Although Zuko betrayed William and the others, it was kind of forced. At York, a civilian that was in the middle of escaping spotted and recognized a Fire Nation soldier. The red and black kilts worked, but one of the soldiers made the mistake of wearing a pin on it that had the Fire Nation's insignia. When he made it to London, he managed to get into Westminster Palace and tell Longshanks.

Longshanks, now knowing that the Fire Nation had a secret alliance with Scotland, ordered his inland forces to invade the Colonies. All of them, except one colony named Yu Dao, where coincidentally the Harmony Restoration Movement ultimately failed, became enslaved to England. Longshanks threatened to Zuko that he would capture Yu Dao and kill all its civilians if he didn't betray William. Zuko, fearing for the Colonists' safety, reluctantly agreed.

After he walked off the battlefield, Zuko traveled to Roslin, a town just two miles south of Falkirk. There, Longshanks had relocated Ozai to another prison, more for his safety than for punishment. The building was the same as the last. Ozai was on the top floor, had relative freedom of movement, and the room was rustic looking.

"You've done it, son. Now you know what it means to be Firelord. You need to make hard decisions."

"The Irish were never on England's side."

"True. But Falkirk was a great loss for them. If they choose to remain allies with Scotland, they've chosen their own demise."

"I don't want them to be demised...William was nothing but welcoming to me and I stabbed him in the back. His men bled the ground red at Falkirk. And Stephen. Stephen and the rest of Ireland don't deserve to suffer because of my wrongdoing."

"You sound as if you didn't make the right decision."

"Of course I didn't!"

"You did if you want Ireland. You did if you want more lands, riches, and influence."

"Lands, riches, influence...nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I have nothing now. And William has the one thing I don't have: courage. The courage to fight for freedom. I have never met a man more determined to give freedom to his people than William MacKay. He fights with passion. More than I could ever know. And I betrayed HIM of all people!"

"All men betray. All men lose heart."

"I don't want to lose heart!...I want to know what's like to fight for something greater than myself...I want redemption. I want to amend my mistakes."

"Zuko-"

"I will amend my mistakes...and I will never be on the wrong side again."

Zuko then left, determined to redeem himself for the third time in his life.