The 7 Nation Summit: In the Baclonies

Lahija

As the battle raged about her, Lahija lost track of time. She was everywhere and nowhere. Her single blade was not nearly enough, so she, just like the other benders, had started to use her element. There was fire everywhere, lashes of water, even bumps of the floor from far down beneath them, from the throne room. One time the wind seemed to fortify a flame, having it lash out angrily, another time her fire got almost extinguished because of an airbender's attack.

They had never been trained to fight alongside benders from other nations, and so their elements seemed to waste a lot of energy battling each other instead of the wilderbeasts before them.

The firelord's siblings fought bravely beside them, other royal family members did so, too, but there were still those who could not stand up for themselves. Lahija tried to be everywhere at once, but it was just impossible. People were dying. Everywhere around her, innocent people were dying.

She could see another royal guard of the Fire Nation rush in through the doors, at once charging one of the wilderbeasts that had been about to kill a young couple at the far end of the balconies.
The beast turned around to her comrade, and suddenly spit fire. Lahija did not waste a lot of time. She jumped forward, attempting to get there, to help her comrade, whoever he was.

She could see him roll over, evading the flames, and extinguishing those that had hit him with some rolling on his back. He was obviously not a bender. As he stood up, his armour partially charred, his face smeared with ash and sweat, the beast tried to hit him with its tail. He danced around it, and almost sewered the tail with one hit of his doubleswords. But he seemed to have forgotten the battle around him, only concentrating on that one beast. That was his mistake.

Behind him, a second wilderbeast towered up, ready to run its claws through his thorax. It would surely kill him!
Lahija did not think twice. She screamed angrily, jumping forward and performning a swift, angry bending move. All her anguish and hate fuelled that fireball as it launched towards her comrade's face. He let himself fall flat down to the ground, and the fireball met it's destination: The wilderbeast's soft belly. With a painfull scream, it took of on it's wings, swerving in mid-air, and then fell over the parapet, downwards into the throne room.

Lahija did not waste time to look what her fire attack had done. She had already turned around, and burried her sword handle-deep in the first wilderbeast's throat. It, too, fell to the ground twitching and bleeding.

Lahija got over to her comrade, and was just there in time to help him up.

"That was completely reckless, and stupid!" was the first thing she heard him say. Anger flushed through her like the fire of a newly lit torch. "Look who's talking! If it weren't for me, you'd still be lying on that floor, but with your entrails on your outside!"

They stared at each other, panting, furious. Something about that look was oddly familiar.

"Clear the balconies! Everyone on the dragons!" Someone shouted, and they both turned to face the other far end of the balconies. Two dragons had appeared there, and people were climbing on their backs to be brought to safety.
Lahija felt relief, but then she realized something.

"They can't take us all," she said to the man next to her, and felt him nod. "No, we're too many." They rushed over to the others, and realized they were not the only ones who had seen this dreadful fact. A lot of people had died on these balconies, but there were still too many survivors to fit on merely two dragons.
"Whoever is capable of another fight, follows me!" The man who spoke now was the one Lahija had been on guard-duty with throughout the entire summit. She had almost forgotten about him, but she nodded and saw that several other guards agreed to his instructions and his leadership as well without questioning his authority amongst them for even a minute.

They helped to get mainly the wounded and the defenseless on the dragons, and saw them off. Then they turned for the exit, a group of sixteen fighters, and headed for the corridors. They would have to fight their way out of this palace.