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6 months before the peace meeting
Fire Nation: War Room
Azula; Age: 17
Zuko; Age: 19
Hard gold eyes pierced the Fire Lord Ozai. Princess Azula was not pleased. Unpleased would be an understatement. She was furious, seething with hatred. Her fists were clenched so tight that the nails she filed into dagger points were digging into her palms. Blood dripped onto the table surface. Her father was giving up. Father and daughter had shared the same dreams, no goals. Dreams are never actualized. Goals are. They had both wanted to rule this world. Their nature demanded it. But here he was talking about meeting with the Avatar and not crushing the foul little boy under their boots. She was in a state of shock, rage, and disbelief, all mixed into one.
"I shall meet with the Avatar and his rag tag group of allies. We shall come to agreement on what needs to be done. The Fire Nation will not back down." Ozai's normally clear voice was shaking. What had he seen to make him say these treasonous words. "We will keep our power, but appease those we dominate." A cruel smile surfaced on his lips. At least he hadn't changed in that respect.
Azula, however, was not appeased. Despite the collective murmuring and agreement of the generals. Her eyes narrowed and she continued to glare at her father. She would not embarrass him here, in this setting. No, the favored Princess was much too cunning for that. She would bide her time. The Fire Lord adjourned the meeting and sent the generals and the fire prodigy on their way. She kept all words in her mouth and filed out of the War Room.
Same Time
Earth Kingdom: Town of Dao Jian
Katara; Age: 17
Toph; Age: 15
Sokka; Age: 18
Aang; Age: 15 (115)
Sighing, Katara set herself into a low position. Her Water Song Sword securely tied to her hip. There was another slow expulsion of breath from her chest. Slowly, she raised her hands and stood straight, then settled back into her stance. Another slow breath, and her heel struck as her arms made a circular motion forward. Her hips swooped down and all her balance moved to her back leg. Slow breath. Katara's deft hand snapped forward, in a motion that could all be seen when she makes a water whip. She inhaled, then exhaled. Freezing water. Opening her eyes, she drew her sword. Her grip was looser than a normal swordman's.
Her feet moved and Toph could follow the movements. Katara moved slowly. It didn't seem like she was doing anything. Sticking her pinkie in her ear, she waited for it to be over. Katara's weight shift forward as she switched stances. There was a slow exhale and Toph could feel the metal vibrating from the swift push forward. Even though it wasn't touching the ground, she could sense the movement, and almost hear it singing. She, after all, made the sword. That and Sokka's second boomerang and Suki's Naginata and Aang's Cloud Sword and Zuko's Dao Sword. Katara and Aang were the hardest to convince to use them. Toph had to convince them that their styles were too defensive for a war. Those conversation were a war in itself.
"Are you done 'centering' yourself?" Toph groaned whined after a while.
Katara opened her bright eyes and finished her form properly, despite Toph's whining. Glaring at someone who couldn't see you do it (and who was oblivious to any kind of scolding) was a waste of time, but Katara did it anyway. "Not everyone is a prodigy and can just do whatever they feel like and move mountains."
"I have a form too, you know!" Toph shot back and stood up. "Just because I don't spend time breathing and flinging swords around, doesn't mean I don't have a form."
"You made me the sword!"
"Yeah, yeah" Toph shook her wild hair, allowing it to fall into her face. "I'm supposed to be pounding you into the ground. I mean sparring."
"Haha." The darker girl rolled her eyes, and set into a high stance. With an Earthbender opponent she could not be defensive. Toph was already taller and more muscular. On top of that her style was a Praying Mantis. All she did was sit and be unmovable.
"Don't cheat and make the ground muddy."
"I do not cheat," Katara growled. She knew this was a 'Toph' tactic: goading her enemies into making silly mistakes. It gave the Waterbender practice on her focus. When she found herself breathing raggedly, she centered herself again.
"Are you going to attack or just breathe all day?" Toph asked with a whine. At times, Katara wasn't sure if she could stand Toph. The disrespect for any other styles than Earthbending was grinding her nerves. Her argument was that the Earth Kingdom fell too. Toph would come back with the fact that they were the last to fall.
Katara snarled and lashed out with her sword, closely followed by a swinging high kick aimed at Toph's messy head. The earthbender, seeing that Katara was vulnerable, struck out with a short and low kick, while bending back to avoid Katara's kick. Regaining balance, the older girl sidestepped quickly and set back into the comfortable low position. Sword raised over her head and hand held out into front of her, she waited. Her face twisted into a snarl when she saw the crooked grin on Toph's face.
"What are you laughing at?" She growled.
"Why are you so upset? This was supposed to be a fun little practice." Toph replied sinking into her own stance. "You take stuff to seriously."
"You don't take stuff seriously enough, Blind Bandit." Katara scoffed, and moved into a series of fast paced attacks. The sword spun in circles, a trick she adapted from Aang. When the circles stopped the attacks became more whip like.
Toph was unperturbed and read the attacks in the way that the Waterbender moved her feet. Circular sword attacks came when she was standing straight up. Whip like attacks came when her feet were wider apart. The blind girl just laughed and reached out snatched Katara's wrist. "Too tense for a Waterbender." She noted. "You've been awfully moody since the Prince left."
"Shut up, Toph. You don't know anything about it." Katara snatched back and dropped down in an attempt to knock the girl off her feet. Toph bent backward, something completely out of her style, and once her hands were on the ground, lifted up her feet. Katara didn't wait and lunged forward with the sword aiming at one of the supporting arms.
Lifting up one hand and setting down a foot, Toph continued to evade the barely controlled attacks. "Cool it, Sugar Queen. I might think that you are actually trying to hurt me."
"I'll mend you up."
"Only so you can do it again." Toph cackled and set herself. This time for the offense.
Three days later
Fire Nation: Throne Room
"Azula, I have no patience for your old childish games." The Fire Lord boomed inside the room.
With a grin, Azula pushed aside the hanging curtain where she and Zuzu had hidden many times before. "Good, I'm glad you haven't lost all your faculties, Old Man." Azula said with a sinister sweetness. Stepping forward, she didn't even bother bowing to him. As far as she was concern his reign was no longer.
"Will you not pay the proper respects to the Fire Lord?" some insignificant fly asked.
Gold eyes fell on him, followed a blue light directed from the pointed fingers of the Fire Princess Prodigy. "Father, you must find better servants."
Ozai's graying brow rose. "That was General Lao."
"In any case, I've come to speak with you about the farce of a peace meeting." Azula drew in a sharp breath and blew out, allowing flames to flow. "You cannot be considering allowing those renegades to come into Fire Nation and not punish them." The words were calm and even, but the rage was evident. Fearing the Princess's and the Lord's combined wrath, the room cleared out. The puncture wounds into Azula's hands had healed up rather nicely. She was content to cause much torture to the servants who tended to her, rather than hurt herself.
Ozai's face twisted into a hot rage. "Do not question me, Daughter. The time for war is over. We've conquered the world. These meaningless -"
"Those meaningless rebels have evaded us for three years. This war should have been over." Azula interjected. "I fear that you've become to feeble for this, Father." That was a laughable though. Fire Lords ruled well into their nineties if not hundreds.
"Dare you commit treason?" The cruel smile reappeared "Like your Mother?" Fear of his daughter was becoming apparent, so, like viper, he stuck at what he thought was a weakness.
"Don't compare me with her. Soft hearted and idyllic, are things I am not." Azula stood before him, hardly moving anymore than it took breathe. "You claim we've won, but until we have the Avatar we have nothing. Zuko has come back and confirmed that he, himself, taught the Avatar what little he knew about Firebending."
"Sounds like you are scared." There was a derisive laugh from the Princess. "You forget, Child, who is the master here. I've taught you everything you know."
"Perhaps, it's time to show you want I have learned, without the help of a fool." Azula murmured.
"Where is your brother?" Ozai demanded harshly.
"Oh, Zuzu is safe. From our harsh and cruel father, who banished and burned him." The Princess began to pace in front of the Fire Lord. Looking much like a tiger waiting for the pounce. "You have done nothing but fail. Perhaps Iroh should have been Fire Lord. Had I known you to be incapable of finishing this war, I would have never followed you."
"Vicious as the tigress may be, she will never eat her own cubs." Ozai recited as warning to Azula. Whatever she was planning wouldn't work.
"Tiger Father begets Tiger Daughter." She retorted calmly. "Of your crimes Lord Ozai, you've disobeyed the Fire Lord, made your wife murder said Lord, banished your son, the Fire Nation heir, and failed in capturing the Avatar. Even the King of Fire must be punished for this scale of crimes." At that moment, an acrobat dropped from high ceiling of the room and proceed to jab the Lord. "Your Chi has been jammed." A glint of silver shot past Azula's head and cut through the crest on the Fire Lord's head. The Princess didn't even flinch. "I will ask you once, Fire Lord Ozai. Step down and allow a true leader to ascend and finish this war."
"Azula." Ozai's eyes widened.
"No, Fire Lord Azula." she murmured.
"Azula!" He said sternly.
"Ty Lee," she murmured.
The unspoken command was followed out. Azula and her 'friends' exited the room. Ty Lee from the way she came in. Mai disappeared into the darkness. "Guard, send for the doctors, my Father is unwell." It didn't need to be said frantically. All of the Fire Nation knew that the Princess was emotionless and cold.
Tch, Peace Meeting...
Same Time
Dao Jian
"Aang, are you sure this meeting is what Zuko said to do?" Katara asked, fretting once more. The smallest things seemed to be setting off the Southerner more and more.With Zuko's departure months before, she hadn't been at ease. And when Sokka left, she felt completely lost.
Ramen hung from Aang's chin. He looked over at Toph, who rolled her sightless eyes and tugged at the braid Katara had forced on her. Bobbling his head, slurped the rest into his mouth. "Zuko went back to talk to his father. You read the letter. And the invitation by Ozai's hand himself." This was Zuko's plan. They would negotiate terms for peace and Zuko would take the throne and Fire Nation would relinquish control over the Earth Kingdom.
"You especially must know, Master Waterbender," Iroh said from the kitchen, he carried a tray of tea. His drooping gold eyes kind and smiling. "You cannot fight fire with water from far away."
Staring blankly at the old man, Katara waited for a further explanation. "Does that mean we go into the fire and risk our lives?" She asked harshly.
Iroh just gave a solemn smile, he hoped that Katara would let her wisdom appease her fear. He resolved to speak with her soon. Katara rubbed her chin. She was looking awful thin and pale. Toph was growing increasingly worried. Her feet on the earth were lighter and ragged, from what Toph could see. Worry had caused black circles to form under her eyes. She was uneasy. Azula had proven to be quite a manipulator. While she had any control in the Fire Nation, they were endanger. "Have some faith in Zuko." Toph muttered. "He's a master bender."
"His sister is a prodigy. Zuko can't master lightening, and Azula can do it with a snap of her fingers." Katara reasoned. Although he could redirect, there was still considerable risk. She couldn't fathom why they were all so relaxed. Sokka was on Kyoshi Island preparing for the meeting, she couldn't confide in him and his tactician mind. He didn't think like Azula, but he could grasp some of her saner ploys. Any insight would have soothed her.
Even if it came from Sokka.
