A/N: It practically killed me to get this up on schedule. A really busy week at work coupled with a family gathering weren't very conducive to writing. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Avatar is owned by Nick, Viacom etc. Not me.
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Azula turned a sharp heel at the shrill whistling behind her. No sooner had she come into an extended dragon stance, than a stinging whip coiled around her outstretched right arm. Before she could look for the whip's source, a sudden force pulled her into the shadow of a nearby outcropping. A stiff knee impacted with Azula's gut, before she was thrown backwards coughing up some blood.
Azula's dark haired assailant came out of the shadows. Her dark clothing, and jet black hair still hid the woman quite well in the night. Her sanguine painted lips, and the deep red tattoo on her left arm were the only features that stood out.
Damn! Who the hell is she?! The former princess's entire arm turned blue as she melted the coils snaring her. Not bothering to stand yet, the princess twirled into a sweeping kick, sending a low wave of flame at the bounty hunter. At a safe enough distance, Jun saw the move, and jumped forward to evade. Just then, the princess rose, middle and index fingers extended, as she caught the airborne attacker with an azure blast to the chest. The impact propelled Jun a little higher into the air before she promptly hit the ground.
Not wasting any time, Azula threw her hands behind her, jets of flame rocketing her forward. Angling her hands downward, Azula was thrown into the air by her flames' thrust. She brought her hands forward, preparing a final barrage against the downed woman. The former princess managed to strike off one fireball, which met the ground beside Jun's head, before a rush of brown and black sped in from her left.
Jun's shirshu tackled the fire princess mid-flight. Azula was thrown several feet before falling against a rock strewn slope and sliding unceremoniously the rest of the way down to the base of the hills outside Ba Sing Se. The rocky landscape tore at Azula until she came to a stop as her head and back collided with a boulder. Trying to regain her breath, Azula winced at the cuts covering her, particularly the sharp gash at her head. These peasant's clothes are useless. I would've never taken so much damage in my old armor.
Whoosh...She heard a pair of invisible stiletto's slicing toward her head. The blades clanged sharply against granite, as the princess rolled off the boulder. She sprang to her feet, but Jun quickly closed the distance between them, catching Azula with a hard kick to the spine. Letting the force of the kick carry her, Azula front flipped, shooting a blue flame at her attacker with a kick. Jun toppled back, receiving the fireball to side.
Azula flipped onto her feet with just enough time to dodge the spiked tongue of Jun's shirshu, as it bound down the hillside. Not good. One strike of that shirshu's tongue and I'm as good as dead...I can't handle both of them at once. Time for a change of plans. Throwing together a quick wall of fire between herself and the beast, Azula sprinted toward Ba Sing Se's outer wall a few hundred yards away.
Crack! Azula heard Jun's sharp whip marshaling her shirshu as the assassin mounted. That damned girl was proving to be more trouble than Jun had bargained for. She was nowhere near as injured as the the fire princess, but hadn't been left untouched either. Jun's stomach and side were bloody and scorched where Azula had struck, and her hair was badly singed where a fireball had nearly struck her head. "Where are you going? Don't tell me you're done. I was hoping to see more of your blue flames," Jun taunted as her shirshu closed the distance between itself and her prey.
Azula looked back, and extended a hand, threw some stray blue wisps behind her to dissuade the pursuing shirshu. The beast howled as patches of cool blue flame flared up along it's orange, brown fur. A stern whiplash brought the creature's attention back to the chase, but the fire princess had already made it through the jagged ravine scarring the outer wall.
Uggh. Jun would have preferred killing the girl outside the city. Still, the outer ring housed primarily cropland, holding only a few huts. She could count on killing the princess without attracting too much attention. The pungent smell of onions filled Jun's nostrils as she led her shirshu through the nearest field. Her shirshu moved forward uncertainly, unsure as to where their prey had gone.
Gyaaaah! Jun's attention turned to her right. A blue flaming whip coiled around her shirshu's wolf-like mouth. The creature's neck jerked side to side in a vain attempt to escape. Jun was forced to dismount as the beast charged forward, toward the whip's source. A good twenty feet before reaching Azula, the raging shirshu plowed into a wall of flame. The creature shrieked horribly as it broke off the attack, running further into the city. Crop fields lit up sporadically as the shirshu stampeded through them, until finally running into a patch of isolated huts.
"Now then you said something about wanting to see some more firebending?" Azula feigned battle-readiness. A day of arduous training coupled with the hits she'd taken, and the harsh display she'd just put on, was wearing heavily on her. I'll finish her off quickly, her shirshu was the only thing that saved her before. But now, it can't detect me among these onion fields.
Wordlessly, Jun withdrew a katana she'd managed to pull from her shirshu's saddle before dismounting. The sleek blade glistened through the air as Jun charged at Azula. In kind, the princess ran to meet the bounty hunter, striking off streaks of flame at her. Jun dodged and sidestepped the blasts, and swung at Azula's midsection when she was within range. Azula pulled her legs up, jumping a good three feet in the air just as Jun's katana came around. Jun was ready with front kick to the chest as Azula landed. Bringing her hands across her front, Azula shielded herself from the blow. The princess then delivered a quick low kick hitting Jun behind the knee, and knocking her on her back. Taking advantage of her position, Azula moved in with a fire punch. Jun blocked with the flat end of her katana, and kicked Azula backwards.
On her feet again, Jun noticed that a large portion of the fields was now covered in a blue blaze. Her shirshu lay amid the rubble of a few buildings, but seemed alive. It wouldn't be long before someone noticed their presence; she needed to end things now. She took up her blade again and made another dash toward the princess. Azula felt the need to end their death match quickly as well, her hands were gloved in blue fire as she stood her ground. Jun let her katana fall, going for the princess's shoulder. At that moment, Azula turned her body sideways, winding back her right arm while attempting to block Jun's attack with her left. Azula's right fist lunged forward catching Jun with a flaming punch to the mouth. At the same time though, the fire princess felt Jun's pristine blade carve its way down her left arm. Jun flew back several feet as Azula fell on her knees clutching her bloody arm. Rivulets of blood flowed freely from the trench Jun's katana had dug.
The bounty hunter had fallen back hard, her head spun as she vaguely heard some far off voices. "Hurry the fields are burning, we need some water. Move it!" Azula saw the men's lanterns in the distance. This ends now, she thought picking up Jun's dropped katana. She stumbled slowly toward the bounty hunter, who was struggling to get up. "I would have liked to show you some lightning bending," Azula spoke. "Too bad I don't have the energy for it. Oh well, I'm sure you'll enjoy this anyway." Crackling streaks of raw electricity circled the katana, painting it's blade a violent blue.
Jun eyed her shirshu in the distance; it was her only way out, she hadn't any weapons left to continue. She let off another shrill whistle, and the heap of burnt fur and rubble clambered up, trotting quickly toward its master. She caught one of the saddle ropes and pulled herself up the shirshu. "Sorry, but today was supposed to be your funeral--not mine."
Azula was still staggering toward Jun, ready to plunge her heart with electric steel, as the bounty hunter's beast carried her into the night. "You cowardly bitch." A set of bellowing bull antelope interrupted Azula's thoughts. The city's volunteer fire marshals squad had been called in, using bull antelope to cart water onto the scene. Azula lurched away from the fires, and made her way toward the city. Keeping off the principal streets to avoid being seen, she made it home at last. After quickly wrapping some dirty rags over her slashed arm, she fell face first onto her bed and slept.
Azula felt an ethereal sort of tranquility as she slumbered dreamlessly. Her body's pains and aches dissolved, and for a while she truly didn't want to wake. It was a sort of sleep she hadn't gotten in a long while, much less so after her banishment.
That feeling was short-lived, however, as in the early hours before dawn her front door was broken in half by a group of men dressed in brown and teal. One of them pulled up the still groggy princess by the shirt. "Lady Azula of the Fire Nation, you are hereby under arrest for arson and damages to the city's food supply and residences."
"Under...arrest?" She'd barely heard the man's barking. "Who the hell are you?"
"We are the prefect corps third squad. Do not resist," another answered. Feeling weak and tired, Azula made no move to stop them as she was dragged out of bed, and irons were placed on her hands. Still in her bloodied and ragged clothing, the former princess was thrown at the back of a lightly armored ostrich-horse and carried away. She vaguely noticed the stars still hanging brightly in the sky as she tried to make sense of what was happening.
The ride was a long one, through many of the city's levels. Were it not for the dreariness cast upon by the pre-dawn sky, Azula would have taken pleasure in the noble homes of the inner ring. As it stood, she had no idea where she was being taken until the imposing form of the Earth King's palace came to view. Two enormous arms stretched from the main structure at the front entrance. The adobe red of the palace took a deeper crimson hue in the dark. The green and yellow Earth Kingdom insignia alone decorated the entrance. On the whole, the establishment had a rather boring rigid architecture--like the kingdom itself, Azula thought--with only the gold painted rooftops adding a regal flair.
"The Earth King will be presiding over your trial in a couple of hours," two prefects threw Azula into a palace cell. The coal-colored metal cells reminded her a little of the Fire Nation as she fell asleep on the floor. She wasn't likely to receive anything along the lines of a fair trial, so why bother staying awake to come up with a defense?
Zuko's side burned terribly as Mai passed a soft but poised hand along his upper body tending to his wounds. He'd hardly been able to stand when Uncle Iroh, and Aang brought him into the newly constructed Fire Lord's summer home on Ember Island. Fire Lord Zuko had ordered the construction of the new residence not wanting to perturb the traditional one his father had built. Too many memories were locked away there. Memories of times long past, before his family had been broken; leaving him with only an uncle and a wayward sister.
"General Senshurei will act quickly," Iroh took a cup of seven blossoms tea as Ty Lee passed around. "Messenger hawks can reach any part of the Fire Nation in little over a day from the capital. That's about how long he will take to have the nation's reserve units under his thumb, and make a hasty coronation."
"The lower classes might have misgivings about such a breach in the coronation of someone with no ties to the royal family, but then again, we've turned a blind eye to worse things in the past." Mai observed, cleaning the gash at Zuko's neck.
"Indeed," Iroh assented. "The nobility might have offered some resistance, but for all practical purposes they are now Senshurei's hostages. His troops secured the capital rather efficiently."
"So we have no allies left in the Fire Nation..." Zuko turned to the others, sitting cross legged in a circle at the home's living room. "What do we do now?"
"We'll have to find hope in the other nations then," Aang offered. "The Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes could help."
"Its possible," Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully. "But I don't think the general was completely lying when he said the other nations might not trust us. "
"Well, yeah, but we have the Avatar with us," Ty Lee beamed. "They'll have to believe him."
"In either case," Zuko countered. "It's likely that everyone will soon have their hands full protecting their own homelands to be of any aid to us. With Senshurei now in command it won't be long before Naru's ships start hounding the Water Tribes. The Western Earth Kingdom is already inhabited by Kuma. We can expect him to go on the offensive as soon as he receives word from the others."
"It sounds like you're saying those lands are already lost," Mai spoke. Iroh and Zuko nodded. "Does that mean our only chance is in the central and eastern parts of the Earth Kingdom?"
"As terrible as it might seem to admit, we have no other choice," Iroh sighed. "Even Omashu and Kyoshi cannot be saved in time. Given a week the western waters of the Earth Kingdom will no longer be traversable. We ourselves must flee while we can. From the east we have a chance to push the generals back and cleave a path back to the capital. It will be arduous, but we have no other way. Ba Sing Se will be critical in this war."
"No," Aang spoke firmly. "We can't just abandon all those people. Why do we have to leave when we could end it all right now?"
"That's just it,"Zuko turned to Aang. "We can't end it all right now. Against all of Senshurei's firebenders even you couldn't prevail. At least not without being able to use the Avatar State. And what about the rest of us? We had the advantage during the Day of Black Sun precisely because my father and his men couldn't bend. This time around we have no such luxury."
Aang glared at him for a second before closing his eyes in frustration. What Zuko and Iroh said made sense, but he'd be ignoring his duties as the Avatar if he didn't help those people. Then again, of what use could he be to the world, dead? They were right, without his Avatar State he had little hope of handling so many. It had been all he could do to rescue Zuko and his uncle a few hours ago. "Fine," Aang spoke through gritted teeth. "We'll head east then. We can find a few people in Gaoling. Toph's there. And I'll bet Haru and his dad would be more than happy to help." The Avatar perked up noticeably at the thought of meeting some old friends again.
"As long as we've made up our minds then," everyone turned to Zuko. "I'd like to go to Ba Sing Se first."
"What? Why?" Ty Lee asked.
Zuko looked at his feet. "Need to find my sister."
"Our city graciously accepted your arrival, and in return you have shown open hostility toward the citizens of Ba Sing Se." The Earth King sat at his golden throne adjusting his spectacles. Azula glowered up at him from the forced kneeling position a trio of guards had her in. Several more guards lined the wall on each side of the Earth King. She still wore the tattered and blood caked clothes they'd brought her in. "Arson to the city's food supply, and gross property damages are your charges. You have the floor to offer whatever defense you might have on your behalf."
"I've already told you," Azula scoffed. "I was attacked. The woman and her shirshu were hell bent on killing me. I had no choice, but to fight back. Otherwise I would have died, then and there. I gave you the sword she dropped. If you go to the fields, you'll find plenty of shirshu tracks, and other signs. What more evidence do your rock brained investigators need?"
"Evidence, which you surely could have fabricated. None of the fire marshals reported seeing anything else to corroborate your story. All they found was the fields alight in blue fire and the trail of blood leading to your residence. The tracks and everything else could have been meticulously laid out to confound us."
"Well then, I must have been pretty 'meticulous' to have used my characteristic blue fire instead of orange flame to burn up your crops. And leaving a bloody trail straight to my house? I'm amazed you people were able to find me out at all." The guards tightened their grip around a fuming Azula. "Look at me, do you think I would do this to myself? I was attacked, and used whatever means I could to defend myself."
"You are to treat the Earth King with respect," the monarch spoke. Admittedly, she'd pointed out a gaping hole in the logic of the reports his underlings had given him. That mattered little, however. Whether out of self defense or not, she was still responsible for the damages, and reparations needed to be made. "In the past, the fields of the outer ring have been the only thing allowing us to endure any siege safely behind Ba Sing Se's walls. These crops allow the city near self-sufficiency. Any threat to them, much less damage of the magnitude you've caused, is considered an act of high treason."
He paused for a moment, Azula glared at him like a caged raven-eagle. He could see in her eyes that she knew where this was going. The Earth King sighed. Azula had been directly responsible for the fall of Ba Sing Se, and the coup against him. Still, in observance of his new mantra for responsible, efficient and just rulership he'd tried to hear her case fairly. It just wasn't much of a case to begin with; no matter which side was taken, the final verdict would be the same. "On the other hand, you claim to have acted out of self-defense. Given this were true, you would be free of treasonous charges...but under the terms of your banishment, you would be guilty of an equally grave offense--attempting to hurt someone using firebending. In either case, your sentence would be the same. You are to face public execution ten days from today."
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A/N: I mentioned earlier in the story that the Dai Li were imprisoned after Ba Sing Se fell out of Fire Nation hands. That being so, the prefect squadrons briefly mentioned above are now tasked with maintaining the city's order. Prefects sort of acted as the law enforcement officials of ancient china. Employed either by the emperor or by local magistrates. At any rate, I sort of borrowed a similar scheme for my story, though the prefect squadrons won't really play a major role in this story's development.
My next update may be a little late, since I'm looking at another busy week to come. As always, thanks for reading!