Chapter 9

"So...you're the prince?" began Ty Lee skeptically, squinting her large eyes as she studied the figure seated at one end of the long dining room table.

"Yes; my -"

"I see, I see. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself. You know; your name, your age, how much you're worth..." Azula cringed at Ty Lee's behavior. This wasn't how she'd meant for the prince to get to know her. She'd been hoping Ty Lee would just stay out of the situation, but obviously it was too late for that.

"Uh, well, my name is Tsao-Chih, I'm eighteen years old, and I don't really know -"

"Eighteen, you say? Interesting. So, would your father by any chance be the king, then?"

"Yes, he is. Actually, he's -"

"Does that mean when he dies, you're going to be king of the whole Earth Kingdom?!" Ty Lee shrieked excitedly, leaning across the table a bit and staring wide-eyed at Tsao-Chih.

"Well, not the whole Earth Kingdom; I mean parts of it belong to the Fire Nation, and other parts are -"

"You know, Azula, I think you were wrong. I don't think he's not that bad at all; I mean really - you're going to be a queen!"

Again, Azula found herself grimacing as she smiled sheepishly back at Ty Lee. This was humiliating. But she supposed she deserved it for being foolish enough to bring Ty Lee along...

Tsao-Chih laughed, and the whole room seemed to brighten up a bit. Even in the stark white surroundings, Azula couldn't help but feel a little cheerier at the pure humor in his laugh. "Azula, your friend is charming. What's her name again?"

"Ty Lee." Oh, so Ty Lee was charming? Well, maybe he could just marry her instead. Azula turned toward Mai, who was sitting quietly, eating her lunch as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Tsao-Chih also turned his attention to the silent teen.

"And your name is...?"

"Mai. Pleasure to meet you." Azula smiled; there was no pleasure in Mai's voice. Obviously she'd had enough of Earth Kingdom life.

"The pleasure's all mine. You know, Azula, I never pictured you being friends with such...characters," grinned the prince, his dark eyes sparkling comically.

"Really," answered Azula, secretly agreeing. She hadn't ever imagined herself with such "characters" either, but she had to be friends with someone...

"So what kinds of things do you do for fun, Princess?"

Nothing. "Firebending, mostly. And you?"

"Oh, whatever I can find to do. Archery, some sword fighting, a bit of Komodo rhino riding...nothing specific."

"There are Komodo rhinos here?"

"Well, not everywhere in the Earth Kingdom, but I've managed to get a hold of a couple from a Fire Nation friend of mine. I suppose it pays to be well-connected," he explained with a smile.

That statement angered Azula; was she just another trophy to show off his connections? "I guess it does."

"Do you read any?" Tsao-Chih asked suddenly. "Because I read a lot; I've loved it since I was a child. There's just so much out there to learn if you're willing to read about it, you know?"

"Of course." Reading was for housewives with nothing better to do all day than sweep floors and tend to screaming children. Definitely not for her.

"What's your favorite book, then?"

"Oh, um..." Shoot. "There's...just...so many I can't hardly decide..."

"I know exactly what you mean." Why was he so excited? They were talking about books, for goodness' sake. "Ty Lee, Mai, what about you? What do you girls do for fun?"

"Ooh! I'll answer first, Mai," volunteered Ty Lee energetically. "I'm an acrobat for a huge circus, so I do all sorts of gymnastic stuff. And sometimes I help Azula practice her bending."

"Oh, you bend?"

"Well, no...but I let her shoot fire at me so she can improve her aim and speed and everything. It's really fun when she's careful not to burn me too badly." Azula closed her eyes and took one deep breath, counting silently to ten. Stupid Ty Lee. Making her sound like some crazy pyromaniac trying to roast her.

"That's...that sounds like fun," chuckled Tsao-Chih, obviously unfazed. "Mai?"

Mai sighed and shrugged. "I follow Ty Lee and Azula around when they're in town; that's about it. There's absolutely nothing to do here."

"Oh, I have to disagree with you. The Earth Kingdom is full of all sorts of fun things to do."

Ty Lee giggled. "You talk funny. Doesn't he, Azula?"

"I...didn't notice, Ty Lee."

Once again, Tsao-Chih didn't seem bothered by Ty Lee's odd statement. "I hear that a lot, actually. I don't understand it. But I guess it doesn't really matter."

"So how many kids are you two planning to have?" asked Ty Lee loudly, " Two? Five? Thirteen? I always thought twelve was a good number, myself, but that's just me..."

For the first time since the meal started, Tsao-Chih didn't seem to know how to answer. "I don't...um...see, we haven't really been..."

"Ty Lee, your hand is in Mai's food," interrupted Azula abruptly. Ty Lee gasped and threw her hand in the air, then calmly cleaned it off with her napkin.

"Sorry, Mai. Didn't know you were so close," she giggled. Mai's expression never changed.

"It's fine, Ty Lee. I wasn't really that hungry anyway." Azula felt sorry for her quietest friend; Mai was obviously hungry. She'd never seen her eat that much at one time, and at a stranger's house, no less.

Tsao-Chih laughed again, and Azula felt her heart skip a beat. He sounded so happy; like no matter what happened, he'd always be this lighthearted. She was pretty sure she'd never heard her father laugh like that; maybe she'd never heard him laugh at all. She certainly couldn't remember if she had. "You three are charming," he chuckled, "and it's been very nice spending some time with you. I hope I get a chance to meet your parents sometime, Mai."

Mai nodded, obviously not quite as excited.

"Well, then, I must be off," he added. "Lots to do today; so sorry to have to leave you all."

Out of the corner of her eye, Azula saw Ty Lee swoon a bit as the little acrobat smiled up at Tsao-Chi. Azula frowned. "It's been lovely talking to you," she sniffed, locking her eyes on the window at the far end of the room. Ty Lee liked Tsao-Chi? Even now that she knew Azula was going to marry him? There was something seriously wrong with their friendship, and Azula promised herself she'd find a way to illustrate this to Ty Lee. Maybe sometime when Mai wasn't around. Because Mai would defend Ty Lee, and Azula wasn't about to tolerate both of them turning against her.

"You know, Azula, you're really lucky," sighed Ty Lee once the prince had left the high-ceilinged white room.

"Oh really? Why is that?"

"You get to live in a beautiful castle and be a queen and marry him..."

"And spend the rest of my life trapped in the Earth Kingdom. You forgot that part." She'd been getting much too content with this place. It was definitely time to re-evaluate the situation.

"You know, I don't really mind the Earth Kingdom. I actually think it's really pretty. Have you seen the flowers? There's nothing like that in the Fire Nation." Azula didn't like Ty Lee's tone when she said Fire Nation. There was something scornful about it; something slightly insulting in how she referred to her home country. And that was something Azula found hard to endure.

"Ty Lee, it's been nice having you here, but I really think it's about time you were getting back to the circus," snarled the firebender.

"Wh- what? Back to the...but Azula, I thought you said I could -"

"Well, things just aren't working out. And I'm sure your slovenly little band of carnival freaks will be glad to have you back." The words felt good coming out of the princess's mouth; long overdue reprimands that she'd kept quiet for much too long.

"Azula, you know just as well as I do that they're not freaks or involved in any carnivals," snapped Ty Lee. "But I guess it doesn't really matter. I was getting ready to leave anyway." Ty Lee walked briskly out of the cavernous room, wiping her large eyes on her sleeve letting out one muffled sob. Azula smirked. That had been easier than she'd been expecting.

But Mai didn't look too happy. "Why did you do that, Azula?" she asked coldly, her expression still emotionless but her voice burdened with anger.

"Mai, she was getting to be bothersome. And I just don't like her new attitude towards the Fire Nation."

"What's her 'new attitude'? She seemed normal to me."

"Well then maybe she's normally a traitor and I simply haven't cared to notice." Why was Mai so upset? If she really wanted to, she could go with Ty Lee.

"Ty Lee is not a traitor just for being happy in the Earth Kingdom."

"It's not just that. She obviously has no appreciation for the country that's given her everything."

"The Fire Nation hasn't given her anything. It gave you everything. But not Ty Lee. She may've been better off never even living there."

"Then maybe she should just move." Azula stood up and shoved her chair against the table. "And maybe you should go with her." And with that, she stormed out of the dining room.

Stupid Ty Lee. Stupid Mai. The Fire Lord had probably planned this; planned for them to betray her like they had. He wanted her to be unhappy - the prince probably hadn't even asked for her. She'd just been given to him because Ozai hated her.

But that was fine. She didn't need him. And she certainly didn't need Ty Lee or Mai. She was fine on her own. And if it was the last thing she did, she'd find a way to show them all.

A/N: sigh I've done a bad thing...now Azula has almost no one to talk to...and that means more description. Can't have that. I'll find a way to make it work...hang with me...next chapter on Friday!! :)

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And please read My Blutara and Ahoy! The Zutara Drabble Series by appa-appa-away. Those stories are awesome.

And so is my story Keeper of the Sun which is suffering greatly from lack of reviews. Uncle Sam wants YOU to review that story...and this one...

Not really. But stupid patriotic stuff like that gets me every time...:) God bless the U.S...and all the other countries, too...and my stories...oh my gosh, my prayers are going to take forever tonight...

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