It had been a week.
Seven days of captivity. Seven days of sitting with her back against a tree, with her hands tied together. It was tedious, it was uncomfortable, and it was beginning to make Mai very irritable.
Toph came to release her every morning for a swim. Mai took some pleasure in these little moments of freedom. She was even starting to enjoy the child's prattling; it reminded her a bit of Ty Lee's, sometimes, although Toph was much more abrasive than Ty Lee had ever been.
Sitting in the ocean up to her waist, Mai was scooping salt water in her hands and pouring it over her arms and shoulders, listening idly to the story Toph was telling. "..And then the sea serpent broke the ice bridge, and I fell in! I couldn't swim at all. If Suki hadn't jumped in and saved me, I would have drowned! That's when I asked Katara to teach me how to swim." The earthbender grinned, squeezing the water through her long hair. "So now I can go in the ocean by myself without worrying about drowning."
"Mm." Mai nodded seriously. "I learned when I was five."
"No way! Really? That early? I wouldn't have thought firebenders would be so into the water thing."
"We aren't," Mai said blandly, rinsing off her neck and splashing her face. "However," she continued, "we do have a navy. Children of the Fire Nation begin training for war at about five years old, particularly if their parents are nobles. It's just how it's done."
Toph stopped splashing and frowned, her eyes staring blankly at a spot over Mai's right shoulder. "Five years old!" she said. "Damn, that's cold. Were…were you throwing knives already at that age?"
Mai looked down. "I got my first set of throwing knives on my fifth birthday, from Princess Azula," she said quietly. "I started my lessons the next day. The Crown might have set that up, too." She shrugged. "I think it had to do with Fire Lord Ozai. He…well, he wasn't Fire Lord then, but I think he already knew he was going to be. Since he'd chosen me as his son's wife, he chose which fighting skills I would be taught, as well."
The earthbender nodded and made a face. "Arranged marriage, huh? Yeah, I know the feeling. My folks shuffled me off as a baby to the son of some nobleman from Ba Sing Sei." She kicked her feet in the water, grinning. "But that ain't happening, babycakes!"
Surprised, Mai looked at her. "You have an arranged marriage?" she echoed. "I thought only nobles did that kind of thing."
"Don't remind me." Toph turned up her nose. "My folks are nobles. I'm Toph Bei Fong, of the Bei Fong family, dontcha know." She smiled. "You shoulda heard the servants in the estate. Let me get that for you, Lady Bei Fong.' Shall I fetch you some lemonade, Lady Bei Fong?' I will fetch you a softer cushion, Lady Bei Fong.' It was pretty sickening, really." She lay back on the beach, her legs still in the water, and rubbed at one of her toes. "I like where I am now better."
"You. Are a lady." Mai looked over the earthbender, from her boyish hairstyle to her bare feet and oversized clothes. "Really?"
"Uh huh." Toph turned over on her belly and turned her sightless eyes in Mai's direction, grinning. "I can do the lady thing, Sunshine! I just choose not to." She giggled. "Oh, I can charm and dainty with the best of them!" She cocked an eyebrow. "So how 'bout you, Sunny? You have some Fire Nation title, right?"
"That's right," Mai said primly. "Lady Mai Tsang. My father was governor of New Ozai, and my uncle was warden of the Boiling Rock."
"Heh. Who knew?" Toph chuckled. "I never would have thought that. Then again, I don't usually wonder if whoever is trying to kick my ass might be a lady!"
The Fire Nation girl shook her head and sighed. "It doesn't matter. I'm not. Not anymore." Her voice was low.
Toph rolled onto her stomach. "Do you really think Azula hurt your folks?" she asked softly.
If the earthbender had dared to ask that question a week before, Mai would have been livid. Now, though…she gritted her teeth against the wave of pain. "Azula," she said quietly, "doesn't make idle threats."
"No," the earthbender agreed. "She probably doesn't." There was a pause. At length, Mai rose out of the water and stepped onto the beach. Toph joined her, and they slipped back into their regular clothes. "C'mon, Sunshine," the earthbender said, her voice gentler than usual. "Let's go."
They headed up to the cave together. Zuko was awake, crouching by the fire. He looked up as the two girls appeared. His eyes lingered on them as Mai was retied.
The two of them hadn't really talked since she had snarled at him the week before. He had still been polite during that time, and had still made sure that she was fed and as comfortable as possible. But he hadn't talked to her – not really. She supposed she didn't blame him. Things were much more complicated than they once had been.
Soon after, the members of the group gathered around the fire and spoke in low voices. Mai knew what they were discussing; they had been planning it all week. They were going to try to rescue the waterbender, Katara. They'd questioned Mai about the layout of Azula's private dungeon – even Zuko had never gone down there – and Mai had drawn them a crude map. "I don't know if she'll be there," Mai had told them. "Azula could have put her anywhere!" In the end, they'd decided to take the gamble.
"What? No! No way!" Suki's angry voice caught Mai's attention. The girl had risen to her feet and was glaring around the group, her fists clenched. "No way am I staying here to babysit that Fire Nation bitch while you all get to fight. No!"
"Suki," Aang said gently, "we'd leave Toph, but we need an earthbender for this. And Teo, Chit Sang, Haru and The Duke are heading out to help with the Earth Kingdom resistance movement. We need Zuko because he knows the palace. Who else can we leave here?"
"I want to help rescue Katara!" Suki's face twisted. Mai thought she might cry. "I want to fight, Aang. Please!"
"Suki." Mai glanced at the Avatar with interest. He had spoken the girl's name in the same way Azula had sometimes spoken hers – firmly, with command. She thought of the legends she had heard about the Avatar. He's not what he seems. He's hundreds of years old! They say this boy has seem a thousand lifetimes…
Her face working, Suki slowly lowered her head and unclenched her fists. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay. I'll do it."
Mai bit her lip. She wasn't so sure she wanted Suki to stay behind, either. The Kyoshi warrior hadn't exactly said anything to her since she had surrendered, but she had definitely felt a lot of hostility from her. Well, I guess she can't be any worse than Azula.
It didn't take the group long to make their final preparations; most of them had already been made the day before. The war balloon left first, carrying the group that was headed out to shore up the Earth Kingdom resistance. Then the others headed for the air bison. Mai sat up against her tree. "Zuko!" The prince turned back, his troubled eyes finding hers. "Wait. I need to talk to you."
"What is it, Mai?" He moved to stoop down beside her.
A lump rose in Mai's throat. She choked it down, willing her face to remain impassive. "I think Ty Lee might be in Azula's dungeon, too," she said quietly. "That is, if she's still alive. If…I mean, while you're there…"
His hand rested on her shoulder. "I'll check, Mai. If she's there, we'll save her, too."
Her belly twisted at the thought of what they were walking into. Azula, and Ozai, and…she looked up at him. "Zuko," she whispered, "be careful!"
He glanced over his shoulder in Appa's direction, then looked down at Mai again. He moved closer, and Mai felt his lips lightly press against hers. "I will," he said quietly. "I promise." He looked her in the eye. "I'll come back." Then he was gone.
Mai watched until Appa had disappeared into the blue sky. She felt cold. Azula's expecting them. She'll have prepared. They're walking right into a trap. Gritting her teeth, she slammed her forehead down on her knees. Why the hell wouldn't they listen to me? Tears stung her eyes. Zuko - ! She didn't even want to think about what Azula could do to him – or to Toph, the brash child she was just beginning to appreciate. She squeezed her eyes shut. Spirits…
Footsteps approached, crunching on the stony ground. The Kyoshi's coming. Great. She struggled to crush the wave of emotions that had struck her. Then, slowly, she raised her head to look at her.
Suki was glaring down at her, arms folded across her chest. Mai suddenly was very aware of the ropes that held her helpless. She pressed her lips together and waited. "Maybe it's good that they left me here," Suki said coldly. "After all, I've been wanting to get you alone." Metal rang as she drew her sword.
The young noblewoman looked from the blade to Suki's angry eyes. "Are you going to murder me in cold blood?" she asked drily. "Nice to know you're so different from Azula."
Crack! Mai's head snapped to one side as the flat of the sword whipped her across the face. She gasped softly, feeling warm blood flow down her lips and chin. Eyes wide, she slowly looked up again. Suki was snarling, her weapon still raised. "Don't you ever, ever say my name and that bitch's in the same sentence again. Do you hear me?" Mai didn't speak – the tip of the sword jabbed under her chin, forcing her head back. "I said, do you hear me?"
Even with a mouthful of blood, Mai smiled a little. Did this Kyoshi girl think that she – she, who had spent six weeks at the tender mercies of Azula – would be afraid to die? "I'm not deaf."
"Don't you push me!" Suki bared her teeth. "It's because of you that my girls are dead or in prison – you, and your psychopathic, murdering bitch of a princess!"
This was true. Mai nodded, as best she could for the blade under her chin. "Guilty as charged," she said quietly. Then, with genuine curiosity, "Are you going to kill me?"
The blade pushed forward, its sharp tip nicking the skin of Mai's throat. "If I had my way," Suki said coldly, "we'd be giving you a taste of exactly what I suffered in prison – what the Kyoshi warriors are still suffering." The sword slid sideways; Mai felt a new trickle of blood slowly make its way down to her collar. "You," Suki hissed, "have no idea what I went through because of you!"
The irony. Another smile twitched Mai's lips. "Actually, I think I have some idea," she observed. "Treason generally results in some sort of punishment."
"Bullshit." Suki jerked up on the sword, forcing the prisoner's head farther back. "I don't think you really surrendered at all. I think you were planted here to lead us all back into Azula's hands! Admit it – you're a spy, a mole!"
Mai raised a brow elegantly. "Since the fact that what you just said isn't true won't have any bearing on whether you believe it or not, I don't any point in denying it," she said. "So why don't you just beat me, or do whatever it is you feel you need to do to make yourself feel better, Kyoshi?"
"Ugh!" Suki roared through her teeth, throwing her sword to one side. It clattered on the stones. An instant later, she had kicked Mai, hard, in the side. The Fire Nation girl couldn't restrain a grunt as her ribs caved under the blow. "Do you think I'm not serious? Do you think I wouldn't hurt you? I'm a Kyoshi warrior! I've probably killed more people in my lifetime than you!"
The prisoner looked up at her with something like contempt. "Given that I'm trying to pin people down most of the time, as opposed to killing them," she said coolly, "that's very likely true."
"Damn you!" Suki's face worked. Abruptly, she turned away and went to pick up her fallen blade. Mai watched as she rubbed the dust off it and slapped it back into its sheath. "I'm not going to kill you," she said over her shoulder. "Aang asked me not to. And besides," sneering, "you're not worth my effort!"
Mai bit back her retort, turning her face away. Her nose ached, and her ribs throbbed from the second blow. For all of Mai's bravado, Suki had reminded her disturbingly of Azula – the clenched teeth, the hissed words, and the pain. The Fire Nation girl shuddered, pushing the thought away. I don't want to remember. I won't remember!
They passed the rest of the day in hostile silence.
