A story that goes backwards
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The lingering sun sent steady rays down in to the private royal garden of the Fire Nation palace. The shadows were beginning to threaten the middle area of the gardens, the day retreating from its strongest point but yet to show true signs of becoming night.
Two girls were engaged in largely differing activities. One was going through stances with militant determination, the other lay bonelessly on the ground purposefully engaged in nothing at all.
"Ever since you found out that Mai and my brother liked each other you've been distant. I can't stand you moping Ty Lee, every second that you do I fear the world could implode in on itself." The girl synchronised the words with kicks and punches devoid of the flame that would make them dangerous.
"I'm not moping." Her tone made it clear that she was in fact moping. Her face turned in to a heavy pout, and her eyes grew big as if about to cry.
"All he does all day is whine and fail. You're pretty, competent and full of life- you deserve better."
"You're a good friend Azula." A faint smile crept across Ty Lee's face as she said the words.
"Of course I am." Azula completed a quick flurry of jabs, snapping back in to a rest stance so she could better see her friend. "I believe Mai to be happy- she's doing that nervous hand thing that she does."
The young acrobat seemed partially rejuvenated by this, the sadness that pulled at her almost completely dissipating. "Has she been smiling?"
Azula considered this for a moment. "No."
"Then she probably is."
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Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation stood in the middle of a large room clearly designed for sparring. The walls were adorned with weapons of every kind, braziers of rolling flame, and targets for throwing practice. His exact position was the very centre of the circular room, he was shirtless and in deep concentration.
Suddenly a stream of fire shot from each hand. The whips extended and began blazing throughout the room to cover nearly the entire area with flame. As the whips disappeared he shot his hands behind him sending a giant fireball towards the back wall, his stance was not ready for the backlash and his body was thrown away from the blast- crashing hard in to the stone floor.
He stood back up as if nothing had happened and rolled forward sending another large fireball towards the far wall. Using the momentum from the blast he executed an airborne twirling roundhouse flame kick. Coming to land gracefully in the centre of the room.
The Prince clearly sensed someone's presence but could not locate its source.
"Whose there?"
A girl stepped out from the shadows, her posture restrained- clearly that of noble training. "Prince Zuko. I am Mai Bo Feng. It's-
"I know who you are Mai." The Prince had walked over to his equipment, a slight annoyance creeping in to his tone. "Is Azula around?"
"I was meant to meet her here." The girl was awkwardly attempting to explain the intrusion.
"She knows this is when I train." Cold anger filled the young boy's voice, tempered by years of petty annoyance.
"I did not mean to disturb you my Prince." Mai's tone was filled with a strange mix of embarrassment and impudence.
"It's not your fault." Zuko's voice was distant, he was no longer fully engaged with the present.
After several seconds Mai broached conversation once more, the obvious option of retreat for some reason absent from her mind. "Your display was impressive."
This snapped Zuko's attention back in to the present. His face burst in to a small laugh of disbelief. "I tripped and fell halfway through the routine."
Mai's face turned towards concern. "Strength is not based on how well you perform, but rather on the ability to persevere regardless."
The Prince really looked at Mai for the first time throughout the conversation, spending several seconds doing so before replying. "You remind me of my uncle." His tone was soft and full of remembrance. Mai's eyebrows rose in a questioning look- and the Prince's words finally registered in his head. "Not that you look anything like my uncle- you're beautiful." At this they both increased in their respective expressions. "Not that I think that- but in general. Not that I don't think that-"
"I think that I get your meaning Prince Zuko." They both stood in silence, the corners of Mai's eyes were slightly upturned- the only visible sign of her trying to keep from laughing.
In the shadows of a distant corner of the room, a large grin spread itself across Azula's face.
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"I didn't even want to go to the stupid dance anyway. It would be nothing but a boring gathering of try hards and apprentice windbags." Mai was clearly dejected; the knife that she was holding was mercilessly biting in to the bark of a nearby tree branch.
"And yet you've consumed the past half an hour whining about no one inviting you. Sometimes I think that you and Zu-Zu would make a perfect couple." Azula's tone was filled with the annoyance and disgust that would be expected from such a statement.
"My family name alone should have resulted in people clamouring for favour. The whole situation feels off somehow." Mai was speaking more to herself now than to her friend.
"Paranoia doesn't suit you Mai." The Princess clearly hoping the statement would end the conversation.
"Paranoia?"
"It doesn't matter- you didn't want to go anyway. Count your blessings when they come."
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Riu sat on a wall outside the Fire Nation War Academy, waiting patiently for his friends to finish their classes. A wandering mind meant the recognition of the approaching danger came far too slowly for him to anything about it.
" What do you want Azula?" The Princess' eyes shot in to a deadly glare. "Princess Azula, I mean Princess." The young boy had begun to drown without even knowing that he was swimming.
"Nothing much Riu. I just wanted to say 'hi' and compliment you on a strength of character that was previously unknown to me." Azula spoke in a friendly manner that should warn anyone who knew her of impending danger.
"What?" Unfortunately for Riu he only knew Azula in passing.
"Well it's just that I heard that you were going to ask Mai to the summer festival-"
"And you have a problem with that?"
"Me? No- of course not. Mai is smart, and strong, and one of my closest friends- but..."
"But? But what?"
"Well- it takes a remarkable man to want to court a woman in such position that Mai finds herself. Heir apparent to the largest fortune in Fire Nation history- comes with a lot of responsibility. The man attached to such a person would be inconsequential, perhaps the only man in the Fire Nation with less power than his companion."
The Princess could see the gears slowly creak along in the boy's head.
"It's not like I'm marrying her, its one date."
Azula's expression became one of shock and horror. "Surely you don't mean what you are saying- to court a lady with no intention of eventual consummation is on par with murder in civilised society. To even consider going to the festival you will need to formally present yourself to the Bo Feng family for consideration-"
"Look I don't know what you heard about me wanting to ask Mai but you shouldn't believe rumours- and- I need to go. Goodbye Princess Azula."
The girl filed 'fear of personal assessment' away in her head for potential future use and silently congratulated herself on a job well done.
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"He's so handsome- and manly." Ty Lee said the words while hanging upside-down from the tree by her feet.
"I'd prefer not to spend yet another afternoon listening to you gush over Zu-Zu. He can't even properly firebend." Azula said the words with a mild distaste that was the standard tone she used for talking about her brother.
"Not everything is about firebending Princess Azula." The tone suggesting that Azula was being short sighted- a crime likely punishable by death coming from anyone other than the contortionist.
"Only everything that's important." The mild anger behind the words was completly ignored by Ty Lee.
The acrobat's voice was distant and dreamy, full of future hopes. "If we got married then the two of us would be real sisters ." The sentence was accompanied by a beaming smile that could melt the coldest heart. "Does he ever talk about me?"
"He wouldn't say anything to me if he did."
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Contained within one of the many palace studies were two siblings. One was desperately trying to avoid failure and the other was desperately seeking secrets yet untold.
"What do you want Azula?" Zuko was becoming increasingly annoyed by the second.
"Is it so strange for a loving sister to want to spend time with her brother?" The pleasant sarcastic undertone was well known to the Prince.
"What do you want Azula?"
"Ty Lee has run off and I'm bored. " The boy took this as the end of the conversation and went back to his scrolls. "I'm sure she'll be back soon."
Zuko looked up from his scrolls with a perplexed expression on his face. "Who?"
The reaction caused a frustrated anger to spike within the girl "Ty Lee."
Now certain that his sister was trying to annoy him he set off in to a rage filled spiel. "I'm certain that you've completed these exercises decades ago- years before either of us were even conceived and it's an absolute mystery how anyone could possibly need an ounce of concentration to solve such rudimentary material- but I am trying to study so leave me alone. And if Ty Lee does appear, make sure you keep the hyperactive fuzzball out of my hair."
The Prince ducked a blue firebolt that whizzed towards his head. When he emerged from the desk Azula had disappeared. With a sudden burst of anger he slammed his fists in to the desk, an exasperated sigh escaping his chest.
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It was the first day at the Fire Nation Academy for Girls for Azula and Ty Lee. Before classes had even started they found themselves in a secluded area of the playground being towered over by two girls from the higher grade.
"-weak little princess and her slave girl." One of the larger girls said to the other.
The other one started in a conversational tone. "It must be tough- being alive for the sole purpose of being married off and breeding. Like some farm animal-"
A tiny Ty Lee stepped forward, an indignant expression on her face. "Shut up."
"Don't you dare speak to me. It's a joke that they've allowed a peasant in to this school- dragging the rest of us down. Looks like you need a lesson in respect." One of the larger girls began to approach on the youngster.
The young Princess Azula stepped forward and positioned herself in front of Ty Lee like a shield. Despite her selfless act she was clearly terrified, it would be several months before she would realise the power that lay within her. "Stay away from her." The small high pitched voice staggered out of the young girls throat.
"The mouse speaks. How do expect to save your friend- little mousy- if you can't even save yourself?" The girl began to raise a fist above her head, ready to strike.
A shadowy figure suddenly appeared behind the older girls, the voice was young but it carried an assured confidence behind it. "I can't imagine what Senator Hoi and Councillor Jung will say when they find out that their daughters have been harassing royalty."
The girl that was standing back snorted in disbelief. "Mai? You're defending these losers? Get lost."
The young girl's voice became deadly. "Say that again."
"I... Mai... fine- whatever. Let's go Jo Ling." The larger girl reluctantly dropped her arm and trudged off after her companion.
A warm smile spread across Mai's face that failed to affect her eyes. "Being sole heir to the largest private estate in the Fire Nation has its advantages."
The future acrobat darted towards their savoir and enveloped her in a tight hug. "Hi, I'm Ty Lee- thanks for that- I was worried for a minute there."
Mai's tone remained restrained and respectful, almost rehearsed. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Mai Bo Feng." The girl's eyes drifted towards the silent girl, their gaze meeting.
"This is Princess Azula- my bestest friend in the whole world."
"I am indebted to you for your assistance." Azula's first words to Mai were said in a way to suggest annoyance rather than the thankfulness one would expect.
The Princess gave a slight bow and left the area to head to class. Ty Lee quickly followed her after giving a quick glance to the rapidly retreating back of Azula, and a thankful smile to her newly found friend.
Moments later the two larger girls returned. "Was that what you wanted?"
"It'll do. From now on you will never speak to me again." With another small bow to each Mai began her walk towards class.
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AN: Sorry if this just doesn't work, I'm cut off from my avatar episodes so I'll blame it mostly on that. Every since my PC decided to blow itself up I've been in a funk so if anyone could berate me on what specifically I'm doing wrong in this it'd be very much appreciated- otherwise I'll likely just continue to spin my wheels.
Don't comment on OOCness without first understanding that this is written before many life changing events for characters (Mai's loss of self worth due to no longer being an only child, Azula and Zuko shift due to banishment) it'll just colour the rest of your comments for me. OOC comments despite taking that in to account are more than welcome, I'm sure I've overlooked some things- the voices may even be a bit too bland.
Does the story actually make sense? It makes sense in my head I assure you all.