Dear Beloved Readers
Thank you for your patience. I know I haven't updated for a while so I'm trying to redeem myself by giving y'all 2 chapters at once. Appreciate all the reviews and I quite enjoy the hits I received for this story. So notice that my take on Azula's mental state is not that she is totally gone. I like to think that she has bouts of depression every now on then stemmed from the perfectionist nature of her personality and also at that time of the last Agni Kai, she was faced with different issues with her Dad and bestfriends and her brother coming to kill her and the that fact she is still only 14 and alone. It happens to all of us once in a while. I realise also that there hasn't been much actual Tyzula so far. I'm building up to their eventual meet so, be patient with me please. Ok so on with the show.
Don't forget to review. It means a lot to me.
XOXO
Chapter 7
The Link Up Part 1
As Azula walked down the gangplank, stepping foot onto solid ground for the first time after more than a year, she could only think of how freedom never smelt so good. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as the combined putrid smell of fish, bile and dirt finally hit her nostrils.
"Can't complain – I am among peasants after all…. It could still have smelt a lot worse. At least peasants still smell the same. Good to know the world has not changed that much," She thought to herself.
The sun was not out in the skies, a common occurrence in Korinensho where the days are short and the nights long. Although most Firenation cities are known for their warm climate, the island of Korinensho is an exception. Located about an hour away from the island on which the Firenation Mental facility is located, it thus also shares the same freezing climate though comparably more bearable that the aforementioned. Its temperature could dip as low as -8 degrees in winter and as high as 25 degrees in the summer although the nights are still longer than the day.
Due to the extreme cold conditions, most of its residents are either those without bending abilities or bend elements other than fire. The Princess had never before set foot on this island since throughout most of history the running of the island is largely neglected by the government for its lack of utility; its dearth of useful resources, high rate of anti-social issues with streets controlled by factions of street gangs and the majority of residents being fishermen. Some redeeming factors for the island are the facts that it supplies roughly 30% of the Firenation's menial workers and that some of the most exotic fishes mainly used to cook dishes for royalty or noblemen can be found near its waters.
Azula was starting to feel like her old self again as she felt her body react to the feel of tinges of heat from her surroundings though she knew it was still far from enough. How she longed to once again feel the electrifying effects her God-given ability to bend could give her; the rush of adrenaline in her blood and the reassuring heat that ran through her veins, altogether magnifying her senses and making her feel whole again.
Now though, she took refuge in the constant thrumming of a beat in her heart that had allowed her to see that this could be the beginning of something great. A reminder of her Father's lesson to her when they were planning the events that were to unfold on the Day of the Black Sun: Sometimes failure can be a disguise for a great phenomenon.
This is it Father, this failure will only unveil something great. You just wait, Father. Patience. . . patience . . .
Walking through the town, blending in almost too easily with throngs of peasants going about their daily lives made the Princess feel so insignificant and she hated it with a vengeance. If it wasn't because of her desperate situation, she would have created a fire-whip, ablaze with her signature neon blue flame that stretched across the town ultimately revealing her identity. Then these peasants would not have a choice but to start worshipping her. Unfortunately, her precarious situation forces her to just tread her path carefully. Surviving right now is her main priority and all other things just have to wait. Ironic how her blue flames that was once a distinguishing character that had elevated her from among the ranks of firebenders is now the very thing that could threaten her survival.
Right at the edge of town, Azula finally found the perfect place to rest her still weary limbs as it undergoes an agonizingly slow recovery process from having been languished by sedatives for a year; a small dilapidated teahouse with a quaint interior became a refuge for the Princess. There weren't many people there and it was just the right place for her to maintain obscurity. She just needed a place to get more daikon tea before she moves on to her next destination. The sorry excuse for a teahouse was even smaller in the interior than Azula had expected. It was even smaller than the pantry back in the Firenation palace. If she was feeling appalled by this and the fact that the teahouse upon entering it, looked even less fit for humans, Azula did not show it.
A waiter came to take her order and she was surprised at the sound of her own voice as she told him, "Hot daikon," Her voice was clear though it lacked the lustre she was most famous for. She pushed the white radish she had taken out of her cloth bag into the waiter's hands. He nodded, understanding her means of barter, and took the radish with him as he left her table.
She had stolen the radish from the ship, amongst other things she knew would be useful for her to use for trade. She had no money and she doubt anyone else around here has much of that either. Fortunately for her, barter trade is a very common method of transaction for the people on Korinensho Island. The service at the teahouse was surprisingly fast as the same waiter that took her order served her tea. Without a thought, she took it in one gulp only to start choking and gasping, grabbing at her throat for the sudden intrusion of searing heat down her mouth and into her stomach. She had forgotten that she could no longer properly regulate the temperature of the food or drink she takes in.
So much for not attracting attention . . great thinking Azula!
She did not bother to look around to see who was looking at her. Instead, she focused on trying to regulate the temperature of her body, though that was not giving as much effect as she would have liked. Right at that moment, a silly looking peasant boy with his two front teeth jutting out of his mouth, burst in through the door announcing, "Patrol officers! Patrol officers on the streets! They said they were looking for an escaped fugitive!"
Low whispers erupted into loud gasps as the tenants in the teahouse began turning to each other, guessing names, putting bets on how soon the said fugitive will be caught. From the looks of it, Azula was quite surprised that they did not seem panicky or worried about news of an escaped fugitive. In fact, they seem to revel in the information, going so far as to try and make money out of it. She on the other hand, could feel her panic slowly start awakening though she too tried her best to make nothing out of it. Slowly, she rose from her seat when no one took notice; too busy exchanging information and pieces of IOUs. Stepping out the door, she turned once to look at the heart of town, grateful that she was not the only one who did. There were others standing outside the other establishments lined across the town, all eagerly looking to get a glimpse of the patrol officers and if they had caught the said fugitive.
Azula began walking in the opposite direction, towards a forest that no doubt would lead her away from the town centre. She kept looking over her shoulder to see if anyone had followed or took notice of her retreating figure. When she got far enough, she surprised herself when her legs began to pick up pace, slowly but surely increasing in speed. All of a sudden, she was running! So happy was she with her body's new found energy that she never knew she had, she did not even notice the big and awkward grin that had graced her lips. She felt so happy she didn't care where she was headed; her focus now on her legs, marvelling at their speed. Until that is, she collided into a tree.
"Ouch!" Azula cried out as she fell onto her back, her head colliding with the leaf-littered ground. She was panting, slightly out of breath from the run and from the double shock of knocking into a tree and the hard floor. As she lay there, catching her breath, she was once again surprised that she was not annoyed by these series of unfortunate mishaps. If anything, she was simply overjoyed! Ecstatic! Thrilled!
I can feel my body. I can feel my legs. I can feel the throb in my head. I can feel!
A soft laughter escaped her lips as she took in the rebirth of her senses. This was cut short however, when she heard a noise from a distance. Slowly she turned her head so that her ear was flat to the ground, trying to listen for more sounds. She hears it again and this time, surely, whoever the intruder was was getting closer to her. Her mind immediately went into strategy mode. She rolled over on her side and ducked under some bushes for cover. She knows her intruder was coming diagonally from her position. She took out a small knife from her satchel, ready to defend herself should the need arise. She still could not trust her firebending just yet as she knows she was not in form. Patiently she waited in the bushes, listening out for any sounds that would indicate her intruder's position.
There's only a singular sound I heard which means only one person is here. That's odd! He could not be one of the patrol officers. These guys rarely travel alone. Who is he then? I didn't think anyone would come here! It's a forest for Agni's sake!
The thumping sounds were coming closer to her. Still, she could hardly see anyone through the brush. Her eyes were still adjusting to the rush of dark green colours and she was staring too intently trying to find the intruder she did not realise until he ran right into her! The sound of bones crushing, twigs breaking and distinct cries of pain was heard.
"What the hell!" Azula cried out. Her eyes were shut and her hands are up, instinctively hovering over her upper body and face as the intruder fell right on top of her. As the initial shock and wave of dizziness started to ease, Azula finally pushed the intruder off of her, immediately coming up to her feet, looking around to find the knife that had been knocked out of her hand. Realising she must have lost it somewhere in the bushes and there was not going to be enough time to find it, she immediately took up a fighting stance that seemed so natural to her.
The intruder was slowly coming around as he turned over and sat down on the ground with his one knee to his chest. His right hand was massaging his right temple and Azula could already see a bruise start to form. He looked at her with one squinting eye and grunted in pain when he pressed a little too hard on the bruise.
"Jeez…relax why don't ya! You've got a head as hard as a rock ya know that!"
Azula stared at him as she quickly sized him up. She was surprised at how laidback his demeanour was. He was obviously like her, running away from something or someone. So why is he acting like he was not in a rush all of a sudden. He was an average sized, lean man with hair down to his shoulders. His eyes were brown and they seem to twinkle each time he smiles.
"Looks like the gullible, stupidly honest type," Azula thought.
"Ya runnin' away from those ape-rats ain't ya?' he asked her casually, waiting for her response. When he was only met with a confused stare from Azula, he continued, 'don't worry, they ne'er bother to comb this area. Too much work fer' 'em,"
"Excuse me,' Azula asked when she finally found her voice. 'What are you talking about?"
"Woah,' the stranger replied, looking at her with a grin on his face. 'Ya got a nice voice there, goes with the pretty face," he winked.
Azula frowned before bending down to slap his face. It wasn't a hard slap, just a slight one with a purpose to snap him out of his daze.
"Ouch! Feisty much!" he growled as his grin turned into a frown, mirroring Azula's. "What the hell was that for?"
Azula merely stared at him, her gaze more intense that before. "I asked you a question and I expect and answer. Now just in case you missed it due to that lump you attained from our collision, I repeat my enquiry. What are you talking about?"
The eyebrows on his forehead went as high as the mountains can go up into the clouds. "Woah . . . you're not from around here are ya? You sound so . . . I dunno . . . like a book. "
"What?" Azula said again, her frustration at where this conversation is going was clearly showing. She was about to lean in and smack him again when he suddenly caught hold of her forearm and brought her down to the floor so that they both sitting.
"I just said those patrol officers don't- won't come here. These kinds of things happen all the time here to the point they don't even bother going the extra mile. For them it's good enough if they can chase off fugitives like us for one day. What were you in for?"
Azula notice his accent had changed. He was speaking now in a language that she could better understand. Although now she thought that it would be better if she had not been able to understand him. Azula's frowned did not subside as she continued to stare suspiciously at him.
"Aren't you going to answer me?' he asked, tilting his head slightly to peer into her eyes. 'Look, I'll be honest. I broke out of that damned prison because I was wrongly accused. Don't get me wrong. It's not like I've never been imprisoned before. I have and hell I don't mind it one bit. But not this time cos' it was not fair to me. I was framed by that turd Chil-gu,' he looked down to his feet while shaking his head. 'I swear I'll get him back for this," he muttered under his breath. Sighing, he looked up to Azula, noticing that the girl hasn't flinched once even when he has openly admitted his frequent residency in the state prison. "I'm Wook. What's your name?"
Azula debated this in her mind for a few seconds. She did not trust this guy but somehow, she found that there was truth in what he had revealed to her. She still couldn't tell him her story though. It would be extremely foolish if she did. The people may not all have seen the Royal Princess, but they sure have heard of her name and definitely about her signature blue flames.
"Azalea. My name's Azalea," she answered after a while, her voice soft and unsure.
"Nice,' was all Wook had said. With one hand on her arm, he pulled them both into standing position. 'We should stick together. It's getting dark and with you not being from around here, you'll get lost for sure. So you better stick with me. I'm used to this part of town, even more than the town centre itself," he chuckled as he motioned for her to start following him. 'So uh . . . what were you in for?"
"Stealing," was her one word reply as she followed him from behind. Her eyes still focused on his back and occasionally her surroundings to try and mark her own bearings.
"Oooohhh . . . you got in for that? Damned! I didn't know they still bothered with petty stuff like that? You must have hoarded some crazy stuff huh?" Wook responded, not looking back to Azula but focused purely on his route ahead. He had along the way picked up a broken twig to swat off leaves and vines to make their access easier. Azula did the same but more to ensure he was not the only one armed.
"Something like that," she responded in a muffled tone.
"You're not exactly the chatty type are you?' he said and Azula could tell he was grinning without even having to look at his face. 'That's fine by me. People tell me I can do all the talking for 3. Where did you say you were from?"
"I didn't," Azula's reply was curt. Honestly, the day had been one rollercoaster ride and she was starting to feel the slow ache in her bones from the exhaustion of today. She was also definitely not one for small talk. That was more of Ty Lee's department.
Ty Lee . . . that pretty little tart. Of course she can talk and smile and walk and sommersault and dance her way into anybody's heart. That treacherous . . .
She was broken away from her thoughts at the droning sounds of her chatty companion's voice. " . . . you must be from the capital. Those people there never have the time for small talk. They're always so . . . busy. Running around, chasing things, planning invasions and all the what-nots. I heard now that the war is over, unemployment is high everywhere and people are just hanging around not doing anything and it's driving them crazy!' he chuckled at his own statement though Azula could not understand what the joke was. 'You should learn to relax, live a little. Just sit back and let life take its course. Why bother chasing for things? If it's meant to be, they'll be yours in the end. No worries!"
"I do not need an opinion from someone who clearly knows nothing of what he is talking about," Azula said in one breath, feeling her annoyance going up a tad higher than before.
"Uh huh!' he turned around so abruptly and Azula was glad she had her twig in hand to keep from crashing into him. 'So I am right. You are from the capital city. Should've known you folks really do have sticks up your asses,' He grinned widely this time and Azula could already imagine how his lips would look like after being burned off. Her nostrils were flaring and yet she could not utter a word in response. Her brain was not functioning as well as she hoped it would, otherwise one of her witty remarks would have flown out of her mouth and punched him right in the nose.
Seeing her state of agitation, he relented. 'Ok ok. Relax, I was only joking," Turning around again, he continued to lead them on into the forest. 'It's just that you don't sound like one of them from town. You certainly don't look like anyone in town, especially your eyes. I've never seen anyone with those eyes before."
Azula noticed softness to his tone as he mentioned her eyes but decided to ignore it. "Where are we going?" she finally asked.
"We are going to my shelter. There's food and drinks and you can stay and rest for the night. You don't have to worry; we have no business with the patrol officers and they definitely will not find us . . . here,"
Noticing that Wook had emphasized on the word "here" and had stopped in his tracks, Azula looked around to find a clearing with nothing that looks remotely like a shelter.
"Alright . . . lets count. The last I was here was uhmmm . . .5 days ago and . . .' he was starting to mumble to himself, discarding his twig while looking around to the 8 trees that surrounded the clearing, giving a show of counting with his fingers, scratching lightly at the barks of the trees and then deciding on a path. 'Alright, come on! Shelter should be down this path.' He beckoned Azula to follow him. 'Since we don't want to be found, it's important that the shelter changes location every few days," Although she still felt uneasy even after his explanation, she still kept on his tail as she had no other choice and the thought of food and drinks and a warm blanket as a reward more than appealed to her at this point. Keeping a safe distance behind him with her twig in hand, she willed her legs to keep trudging along.
After a while, she distinctly whiffed the aroma of food in the air and her ears perked up when she heard the sound of soft laughter in the distance. Wook was also looking in the same direction as his feet began to take lead towards their destination. A surprise met them however when an arrow was shot near Wook's feet! Another step and it would have gone through his foot!
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