"Going to see her again?"
Ty Lee paused in the hall that led to the front doors of the palace, turning toward the voice. A tall, thin figure stood in a doorway, dressed in a red gown with a high, golden collar. The acrobat bowed quickly. "Hi, Mai!" she said cheerfully. "Yeah, I'm going to see Azula."
The Fire Lady's face revealed nothing. "Why do you visit her so often?" she asked.
"Someone's got to." Ty Lee shrugged, avoiding Mai's silver gaze.
"She's still dangerous. You should be careful." The Fire Lady's brows came down just a touch. "You know how manipulative she is! She could twist your mind."
"You haven't seen her." The little acrobat looked at Mai soberly. "The only twisted mind is hers. She doesn't even really talk, Mai. She just sits there, or she cries." She smiled a little and shrugged again. "I'll be okay. Really!" Mai just nodded, then turned and left without a word. The acrobat continued on her way.
It was a fairly long walk from the palace to the prison tower that was now Azula's home, but Ty Lee didn't mind it. She usually found she needed the time to think, anyway. She went over a mental list of things to talk about, in case the prisoner again refused to speak while she was there. The lush landscape of the city gradually gave way to bare and blackened volcanic rock. At last, her feet carried her up the path that led to the imposing prison.
"Lady Ty Lee?" The guard at the gate stepped in front of her as she made to enter. The acrobat stopped in surprise, looking up at him. He looked rather embarrassed. "The warden asked to speak with you before you go to see the prisoner today."
"Why?" Ty Lee asked, a frown crossing her face as she noticed his discomfort. "What's going on?"
"Warden Makoto will explain everything." The guard bowed respectfully. "He awaits you in his office, my lady. If you will follow me?"
Well. This was a bit annoying. Ty Lee sighed and shrugged, slipping into her usual smile despite her irritation. "Okay, then. The sooner I talk to him, the sooner I can do what I came to do! Lead away."
The warden was a fairly young man, approaching his mid-thirties, with dark brown hair and a well-trimmed goatee. He rose and bowed as Ty Lee entered his office. "Lady Ty Lee," he said by way of a greeting. "Please forgive this…inconvenience. I thought it would be best to warn you before you go to see Azula."
"Warn me of what?" Ty Lee's voice was a bit sharper than usual. "What's going on?"
"There was an incident last night," Makoto said quietly. "The prisoner attempted to strangle herself with her own chains. My men had to go into her cage to subdue her, and she put up quite a fight." He paused. Ty Lee's eyes widened. "She has been restrained, and is no longer a danger to herself, but she's still quite…agitated."
"Is she all right?" The acrobat's heart beat faster.
"Oh, yes. She has no physical injuries, aside from a few cuts and bruises. I am more referring to her mental state." He stopped again, watching the acrobat's face. "You may want to reconsider seeing her today. I don't think that the princess is very coherent, Lady Ty Lee."
Ty Lee had to smile at this, albeit wryly. "She never is, Warden Makoto." He began to protest, but she shook her head firmly. "Thank you for being concerned about me! It's very sweet of you, but I'm still going to see her."
He drew himself up. "Very well," he said, rather stiffly. "The guards still have orders to let you in, my lady. If you require anything, let me know."
"Thank you." Ty Lee took her leave. Her footsteps quickened as she headed down the familiar halls to where Azula was held. The guards wordlessly opened the door for her. Steeling herself for what she might see, the little acrobat stepped inside.
The door of the cage was wide open. The prisoner was splayed on the floor of it, her limbs bound with chains. A leather mask covered the lower part of her face to keep her from biting. She lay limply, her face turned away from the door; Ty Lee couldn't tell if she was asleep or not. The gymnast moved forward cautiously to stand at the door of the cage. She could make out dark bruises on the white arms, and she thought she could see blood on her face. "Azula?" she said softly.
The effect of Ty Lee's voice was immediate. Azula's head jerked sharply to look up at her! Her eyes were wide and staring, the pupils almost lost in the yellow irises. "I tried!" she whined, her voice muffled by the mask; her body went rigid as she fought the chains. "Please, Father, I tried!"
For a moment, the gymnast hesitated. She's bound – she can't hurt me. Ty Lee stepped into the cage, moving slowly. "It's all right, Azula," she soothed. "It's all right…"
"It wasn't my fault. It wasn't!" The prisoner was thrashing in her bonds now, her voice rising to a hysterical shriek. "It was that Water Tribe bitch. It was her!"
"It's okay, 'Zula! It's okay." Ty Lee knelt down and began to brush her fingers gently against the captive's arm. "Shh. It's all right." Azula flinched at her touch, shying away like a spooked horse. "Shh," Ty Lee whispered. Her hand continued to stroke lightly over the captive's arm. Gradually, some of the tension drained from Azula's body. The acrobat looked at the young woman's aura. It was still churning with red and black, but the turmoil was slowly beginning to die down.
After a few minutes, Ty Lee spoke again, keeping her voice soft. Her hand never paused in its work. "This kind of reminds me of that one day back when we were kids. Do you remember, Azula?" She smiled a bit as the staring golden eyes looked in her direction. "I'm sure you must remember…"
It was one of the bittersweet memories that Ty Lee held onto. There weren't many of those in her life, not when it came to Azula. Theirs was a strange friendship! Most of her memories involving the Fire Princess were tinged with fear, or pain, or drab and colorless duty. But there were a few moments of genuine tenderness, too.
This was one of them.
It was during a Spring holiday from the Academy. She and Mai and Azula had been playing together on the palace grounds all that day. Azula, in fact, had even skipped her daily firebending lesson in order to continue a game of hide-and-seek that they were playing. (Azula was always the seeker, and, by unspoken agreement between the three, always won.) Then Mai had gone off in search of Azula's older brother, leaving Ty Lee and the Fire Princess alone together.
They had just been getting into a rousing cartwheeling contest when a servant had appeared, calmly announcing that Fire Lord Ozai had sent for his daughter. Ty Lee saw Azula's face turn pale. "You'll be busy. Should I go back home?" the acrobat asked innocently.
"No." The young princess's voice was sharp. "Wait for me in my room, Ty Lee."
"Okay!" Ty Lee hugged her friend and cheerfully headed into the palace. She walked down one hall on her feet, and the next on her hands, flashing wide smiles to all the guards that she passed.
She waited in Azula's room for nearly an hour. Ty Lee passed the time in stretching, and in trying to touch the top of her head with her toes. The golden light of the evening sun was beginning to turn red by the time the doorknob turned. The little acrobat looked up to see Azula standing on the threshold – her heart sank.
Azula's hair, usually in faultless order, was mussed, and one eye was puffy and red. Without a word, the princess shut the door behind her, walked across the room – her feet padding on the plush carpet – and threw herself face-down on her bed. Ty Lee couldn't help but notice that she had been limping. As the little acrobat sat there in dismay, she saw the princess's shoulders start to shake.
Even at the tender age of nine, Azula never whimpered. Ty Lee had never seen the princess so much as tear up! To see her lying on her bed, her face buried in crimson silk cushions, actually crying, was nothing short of mind-boggling! Impulsively, the little acrobat sprang up and threw herself on the bed beside her friend, wrapping her arms around her. Surprisingly, Azula didn't push her away. Even more surprisingly, she actually turned herself into the embrace, burrowing her black head into Ty Lee's shoulder. She was still shaking with silent sobs.
Neither of the little girls spoke. Ty Lee held her until the sobbing stopped. Still, neither of them moved. Eventually, two tired children lay asleep on top of the flame-colored bedspread, while brown hair mingled with black on the pillows.
Ty Lee stopped talking, looking down at the shackled prisoner. Azula was still staring up at her, but her eyes were no longer wild and glazed. She looked almost sane! The acrobat smiled reassuringly. "Do you remember, 'Zula?" she asked. "It was a long time ago…"
"Ty," Azula whispered, her voice cracking in her throat. "Ty…"
And, just as she had six years before, the little acrobat stooped down and hugged her.
Author's Note: If you want to see an illustration for this chapter, go to nikipinz./art/Broken-Dragon-Ch3-Illustration-95593407