Azula's head hurt when she woke up. She couldn't quite remember what she had done the night before to make her head hurt this much. Her training had gone smoothly, not that the fools her father employed could ever really challenge her. It must have still been night, she couldn't see a thing. She exhaled a small burst of fire. She was not in her bed. She was in a small dungeon cell. Even worse, she was completely naked. She flexed her foot; it was chained to the wall. Azula was frustrated. How had she let herself get captured? Where was she? She was going to obliterate the person responsible for this. Surely Zuzu or her fat uncle weren't behind this. Unlikely, they was too incompetent. Plus, this wasn't Zuko's style. He would much rather try to fight her face to face, complaining about his honor the whole time. Neither would he have had her stripped. There were old Fire Nation legends of the first Fire Lords marrying their sisters but it was highly unlikely Zuko wanted to restart that tradition. She saw a light appear in the darkness. A lantern bobbed down a set of stairs.
"I see you're awake," a young man said. Azula was unimpressed with her jailer. He was ugly, big-boned and slope shouldered. His skin was oddly pale and pink. His hair was long and dark, but freely flowing around his shoulders. His lips reminded her nothing more than two crocodile worms. Azula should have killed him right there, but something gave her pause. A look of expectant cruelty in his eyes perhaps. She was not worried about being in any real danger. Even if he was some kind of bender, she doubted he was skilled enough to give her any trouble, even if she was naked and chained to a wall. "What interesting eyes you have." His eyes were small and close-set, and looked like ice Azula had seen that had been peed on by an otter penguin. "Do you know where you are?"
"Ba Sing Se?" she asked. His crocodile worm lips curled in disgust.
"You're in the Dreadfort," he smiled. "What is your name?"
"Azula of the Fire Nation," she said, waiting for him to recognize her name. When he didn't, she was slightly irritated. Did this peasant think he could imprison Princess Azula and not pay for it with his life? He also did not return the courtesy of giving his name to her.
"We're going to play a game, Azula," he said. Azula now knew how Mai felt all the time: completely and utterly bored.
"I hope it's not pai sho," she said, suppressing a yawn. "I've never liked that game."
"Stop blathering, wench," he said. "I'm going to let you go. And you're going to run. If my dogs and I catch you…I'm sure you can fill in the blanks."
"I'm sure I could," she said, raising an eyebrow.
"If you give me good sport, I will name one of my dogs after you," he continued, apparently missing how bored Azula was. She would let him release her, and she would run…for a little bit.
"And what happens if I win?" she asked. He looked taken aback, as if shocked that she wasn't crying or afraid at this point.
"If you win," he whispered, his rank breath hot in her face, "you live." He turned around and strode out. "I'll see you in twenty minutes, Azula of the Fire Nation." When he left, a filthy man hobbled in with a key. She could smell him before she saw him
"Who are you?" she snapped.
"R-r-reek," he said. She could see his teeth had been broken and a few of his fingers had been removed. So crocodile worm lips had been busy before he found her.
"Who is holding me?" she demanded.
"You don't know?" he asked. "This is the Dreadfort."
"What a perfectly stupid name for a fort, you might as well have named it Murdercastle," she said. She could feel her patience running out and she was ready to have her clothes back.
"Don't say that in front of him," Reek urged. "He wouldn't like it."
"Who wouldn't?" she asked.
"Ramsay," he said. "Ramsay-Bolton not Snow!" Killing this creature now would be a kindness to him. Ramsay Bolton-not-Snow had clearly done most of the work. Still, he saved her the trouble of undoing her lock.
Ten minutes later, she was still naked, but blinking in the sunlight. It was much, much colder than the Fire Nation ever was. How cold had Zuzu been when he went to the North and South Pole? No matter. She would be warm soon enough. She heard the baying and howling of dogs.
"He normally gives you a half day's start, but you have angered him. Run, m'lady," Reek urged her. She did. The exercise felt wonderful on her stiff joints. The dogs were close behind her. Nine, by the sounds of them. She almost couldn't contain her smile. Suddenly, she leapt up, swinging on to a low branch.
"Azula, did you think you could climb?" Ramsay taunted. She could, she didn't see why he sounded so surprised. Well, now was as good of time as any, she supposed. She dropped down to the ground.
"Do you think you can fight?" he asked, laughing.
"No," she said. She flipped her palms over, exposing the fire she had been cradling. "I know I can fight."
"Is that fire?" he asked stupidly. "How can you do that?"
"I am Princess Azula of the Fire Nation," she said, casually throwing fire through the trees to his left. His dogs whimpered, and some of them ran. "Fire is in my blood." She burned every tree around him now, careful not to burn him. She wanted to see the terror in his face. She wanted to hear him cry out as his dogs ran away from him. She wanted to see those stupid crocodile-worm lips twist in fear and anger as he saw the forest around him burn. Finally, when the trees around him were ashes and he stood alone among the cinders, she came for him.
No, please, don't do this. I'll let you go," he said. A coward to the last. He had stripped her naked and dared to presume she would be afraid. He deserved a special death. She summoned her lightning. He didn't die as slowly as she had hoped. It only took twenty seconds for his coward's heart to cease. Unfortunately, his clothes were too charred for her to take. She was still naked in the forest. She saw a motion in the distance and ran towards it. It was Reek. He looked aghast at the catastrophic damage she had inflicted.
"You…you…you killed him," he said.
"Yes, obviously," she said, showing him her fire. He leapt back.
"How can you do that?" he asked. "How can you make fire?"
I'm a fire bender," she said. For the first time, she felt a twinge of uncertainty. "Don't you have fire benders?" He shook his head. Damn. "Where am I?"
"The North," he said. "Westeros," he amended, when she shook her head. Well, this was unplanned for. She wouldn't conquer Ba Sing Se like she had planned, but she was a princess. She would adapt.
"Give me some clothes," she demanded. He handed her his cloak. This would do for now. "What is your real name?"
"Reek," he said, frightened "Reek, Reek, it rhymes with freak."
"Agni above," she snapped. "Surely your mother did not give you the name Reek. What is your name?"
"Reek," he said, more insistent this time.
"It is not Reek," she said, again. She wrapped her fire around him, pressing the flames closer to him. "Tell me your name."
"Theon Greyjoy," he said.
"Well then, Theon," she said. He was certainly no Mai, or even Ty Lee. But he would do for now. "Where is the capital of this wretched place?"
"King's Landing," he said. "That's where the Iron Throne is." She smiled.
"You will bring me there," she said imperiously. "Do you know what the best part is about iron?"
"You can make swords of it, m'lady?" Theon ventured.
"No," she said. "It melts."
"WINNER: Azula
"LOSER: Ramsay Bolton. (Also Westeros)