Chapter 7
"Ty Lee, you have a visitor."
"I'm packing right now Mother." Ty Lee called from in her room.
The door slowly opened and Ty Lee's Mother glanced around the chaos in the room. There were eight large suitcases lined against the wall with three large shoulder bags. Clothing of all shades of pink littered the floor, the bed, and even the windowsill. Ribbons and tassels were wrapped and tangled around everything and there stood her daughter in the thick of it arms filled with clothes.
"Ty Lee do you really need all those clothes." Ty Lee's Mother asked softly as she walked gingerly into the room and toward the closet. "It appears your taking everything." Glancing in the closet she pulled a red dress out. "But left this."
"I don't care for red." Ty Lee said with a wrinkled nose.
"Well you were born in the wrong Nation than weren't you." Ty Lee's Mother replied as she hung the dress back in. "Oh dear I forgot you have a visitor, let your maid finish backing."
Ty Lee danced across the room lightly landing in front of her Mother with a smile. "Who is it?"
"Princess Azula, and you know we never keep royalty waiting."
"Of course Mother." Ty Lee said brightly as she hurried to the receiving room.
Ty Lee smiled as she walked in to see Azula leaning forward to get a better look at Ty Lee's family portrait.
"Can you spot me in the portrait?" Ty Lee asked.
Azula turned around and gave Ty Lee one of her half smiles. "Third on the left all covered in pink?"
"You know me so well Azula." Ty Lee said as she hugged her friend.
"Kind of hard not to you're the only one in pink." Azula said sarcastically.
"I haven't seen you in a long time." Ty Lee replied as she let Azula go.
"Being royalty and all I have a very busy life." Azula explained as she brushed her sleeves off as if Ty Lee had contaminated her. "I don't expect you to understand."
"Of course you busy, especially since Prince Zuko has been gone you probably have much more responsibility." Ty Lee replied as she sat down.
Azula's hand stilled and her eyes narrowed. "What did I tell you about bringing up my Brother?"
"Not to mention his name." Ty Lee asked.
"Correct! Really Ty Lee I didn't come over here to talk about myself, I came to congratulate you on your marriage." Azula said as she gave Ty Lee that half smile again that never reached her golden eyes.
"Oh." Ty Lee said softly trying to think of something to say.
"Just think you're the first to be married…even if it's to such an old man like Commander Zhao." Azula mussed her eyes glittering. "You are truly lucky."
"Yes I suppose I am." Ty Lee agreed staring at her hands.
"Well I came with a wedding gift." Azula said proudly in a loud voice, than her face turned ugly as she stared at the closed door. "I said 'I came with a wedding gift.'" Azula practically screeched.
Ty Lee watched as the door swung open and one of Azula's numerous servants ran through carrying a large wall tapestry. Another quickly helped unroll the beautiful silk and hold it up for the girls to look at.
"I don't know why I bother to keep these two, they rarely get anything right." Azula accused with a wave of her hand toward her servants.
Ty Lee gazed at the silk tapestry in awe; her eyes began to mist up. The picture portrayed a lovely garden full of Pink Roses, Pink Ayame's and the equally rare Pink Fire Lilly a crystal clear pond reflected the flowers in watery pink colors and the sunset was darker shades of pink streaking across the sky.
"What do you think?" Azula asked as she studied the wall hanging herself. "I for one think there is too much pink but…" Ty Lee cut her off by throwing her arms around Azula in a show of emotion.
"I love it!" Ty Lee cried as tears filled her eyes. "It is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever given me!"
Azula patted Ty Lee on the back and gave an uncomfortable cough. "Well it's nothing to cry over." Azula said gruffly as she removed herself from Ty Lee's grip.
"I will hang it in my room and every time I look at it I will think of you." Ty Lee said overly emotional.
Azula gave her a weird look. "You can't hang it in your room I have special packaging for it to be stored until you move into your new home."
"Oh well of course." Ty Lee said as she gazed at the tapestry once more.
"Well don't stand there gawking at us roll it up and package it back the way it was." Azula snapped.
Ty Lee giggled as the servants rushed to do her bidding.
"So I also came over to tell you I am heading to Ember Island for Fire Bending Lessons with relatives." Azula said with a sigh as she examined her nails.
"Sounds exciting." Ty Lee replied.
Azula looked up and gave Ty Lee that half smile. "Actually no it's going to be quite boring, but I suppose for someone like yourself who is married it might be exciting. When do you start your role as a wife?"
"Sooner than I would like." Ty Lee mumbled.
"Well I wish you luck on your marriage, I must be going, I do hope we are able to visit each other, even if you're a married woman." Azula said with a wave of her hand.
"Of course." Ty Lee said brightly as she walked Azula to the door and waved goodbye.
Sighing Ty Lee sat down on the couch until her Mother sat down next to her.
"What is wrong?" Ty Lee's Mother gently asked.
"Azula…she can be so kind one moment and then be so nasty the next."
"So she is the one who gave you that lovely Tapestry."
"Yes and I love it." Ty Lee said with a sigh.
"Be patient with the Princess. She grew up without a Mothers love, all she wants is a friend."
"I know and we will always be friends, even if we don't always see eye to eye nothing will break the friendship I have with Mai and Azula." Ty Lee said adamantly.
"That's the spirit, now I think you have another wedding present that just arrived. Do you want to open it?"
Ty Lee smiled as she followed her Mother out of the living room.
