The day seemed to last forever.
It had followed the same pattern as the previous day, starting with breakfast, then training, then wandering around and feeling distinctly bored.
On the whole, life in the barracks was far less exciting than Azula had hoped. The only thing she could look forward to were her training sessions with Malfon, but he hadn't yet returned from whatever mission he was on. She was left to practice by herself, finding the stares as she bent more annoying than encouraging. She was used to her classmates staring. She had expected better from trained soldiers.
But night had come at last, as it always did, and Azula was excited.
She had raided the armory for a nondescript-looking cloak and tunic, and had somehow managed to sneak out of the main barracks without being seen. She was waiting in the stables, half-hidden in the straw and the dust, waiting for Hu to appear so she could follow him.
A moon shone brightly overhead, and even if the moon was a symbol of waterbending prowess, Azula thought it was energizing her. She didn't know if her excitement came from how boring the past few weeks had been, or with the thought of bringing someone down.
Maybe it was both.
The door to the stables slid noisily open, and Azula held her breath. The cloak blended in well with the walls, but the faintest noise might give her away.
Hu was evidently trying his hardest for silence as well, but he was so large that moving without noise was next to impossible. He crashed into one of the stables and swore loudly, covering the sound of Azula's nearly silent laughs.
His ostrich-horse was one of the largest in the stables, with a crooked beak and a gleaming, wicked-looking eye. If Azula wasn't such a novice rider, she would have wanted to try riding it, if only for the experience.
Hu led his beast out of the stables before mounting it. Azula heard nothing but a series of faint grunts before the quiet sound of talons stamping. She counted in her head before standing up and crossing the stables to her own ostrich-horse.
She managed to mount (mercifully) without falling this time, and she could clearly see the prints of where Hu's ostrich-horse had gone. That was one good thing about the sandy ground.
Azula kicked her steed into full speed and then she was flying across the desert, out of the post and into a stretch of barren land, and with the full moon overhead and her black hair streaming in the wind, she didn't know if she had ever felt freer.
Before too long she saw Hu on the horizon. He was moving slower than her, one of the disadvantages of his much larger steed. Azula slowed, careful not to let the sound of her ostrich-horse drift up to him. She was determined to stay hidden.
The ride lasted less than an hour when Azula began to see buildings on the horizon. The village appeared tiny compared to the capital, but then what wouldn't?
Hu began to slow as he reached the town as well. Azula stopped altogether, watching him from a distance, careful not to make any sounds lest he notice her. He had dismounted and was leading his beast to a hitching post, where he carefully tied the reins. He pulled his hood to cover his face and disappeared behind a building.
Azula edged her ostrich-horse slowly forward until she was close enough that she felt comfortable dismounting. She tied her steed to the post as well.
The village was mostly quiet but for the loud sounds of laughter and yells coming from a well-lit pub at the edge of the town. Azula was willing to bet that was where Hu had gone, and it was where she was going.
She checked her cloak to make sure her face was well-shadowed. Azula had purposefully not worn her usual shade of crimson lipstick in an effort to hide her identity. She wasn't worried about the Earth Kingdom villagers, but she didn't want Hu finding out about her.
She couldn't deny that she was nervous as she marched up to the tavern and pushed the door open. The smell of alcohol and urine instantly assaulted her senses, along with the roar of sound. She shook her head, trying to clear it, before going further inside.
"Kid, what're you doing here? Go home." A bald man, presumably the bartender, grabbed her by the shoulder. "This isn't a good place for kids."
"Let go of me!" Azula said irritably, shaking him off. "I can handle myself!"
He laughed. "You're determined, at least. Well, you want to stay, don't blame me. Not serving you anything except water, though, so don't bother asking. If I see anyone giving you something to drink, I'll kick you out. Got it?"
"Yes," Azula said impatiently. It wasn't like she wanted to drink anyway; she was only interested in spying on the wayward Fire Nation general. The stench of alcohol was already reminding her too vividly of Ozai.
She caught sight of Hu at one of the rowdier tables in the corner. A whole gang was gathered around the table, watching five men play a game with alternating dice and tiles. Azula was willing to bet that they were the gamblers.
Azula strode over, ignoring the laughs as she passed other men and women who were easily twice her size. If worst came to worst, she was more than capable of defending herself.
"You're blocking my view!" one of the watching men said impatiently, pushing her before he noticed her stature. "Hey, you're just a kid. What're you doing in a place like this?"
"I just wanted to watch," Azula said. "What are they playing? How do you play?"
"Watch and you'll catch on," the man said, losing interest in this strange girl and turning back to watch the game.
Indeed, Azula was beginning to see the gist. One of the gamblers would throw down an initial bet before rolling a handful of dice. The numbers he rolled determined the number of tiles he could take from the pile. The tiles were inscribed with different images, each representing an increasing number. After everybody rolled, they compared tiles to see which player was in the lead. The money was redistributed, the bets were thrown again, and a new round started.
It didn't seem particularly difficult at all. It was, essentially, a game of luck, though more than once Azula saw the players exchange their tiles with ones hidden up their sleeves.
She couldn't understand why they were throwing their money away on luck until the end of the game, where the play changed entirely.
Each player was now hiding what tiles they had. If a player withdrew from the game, they kept their current money. The play went in a circle for two betting rounds until they showed their tiles and collected their winnings.
A slow smile crept onto Azula's face. It was bluffing.
She pushed through the surrounding watchers, ignoring their protests and shock at seeing a nine-year-old in their tavern.
"I want to play," she said, adopting a slight accent in the hopes that Hu wouldn't recognize her voice.
As one, the players roared with laughter. One of them leaned over and patted her on the head.
"Maybe tomorrow, with the other kids, but at this table we bet using real coins."
"So do I."
Azula pulled a sack of coins from one of the pockets of her cloak. It paid to be royalty—literally. Ozai had given her and Zuko a liberal sum of money before they left. What exactly he expected them to spend it on was unclear, but Azula was willing to bet their father didn't imagine she would be gambling it away.
The looks on the players' faces changed as Azula produced the gold. Money seemed to negate her age. If she was willing to gamble, they seemed to think, they would be more than happy to take her gold.
"If you really want, kid," Hu finally answered. "But don't expect we'll go easy on you."
Azula smiled, and the game began.
She bet five coins the first round, more than anyone else. The watchers were roaring with laughter at this little girl, clearly not knowing what to do with her money.
It is luck, but if I can bluff the others…
They bet, they rolled, they swapped tiles and money. They bet, rolled, and swapped again. At the end of the third round, they started drawing tiles and keeping them hidden.
Azula looked at hers. She didn't have a winning hand, and her tiles weren't high enough to give her a chance of victory.
She inspected them more closely and smiled. The highest tile, the sword, was identical to the lowest, the reed, but that the sword had a line across the middle. Azula had five reeds and no swords.
Holding the tiles loosely in one hand, Azula concentrated with all her might. She drew her finger across the reed, focusing fire intensely at the point of her finger. Slowly the wood burnt away, leaving the gouge that signified the sword.
The only evidence was the slight smell of charred wood, a scent that was undetectable to any nose but hers. Azula smirked on the inside and repeated the process with each of her reeds.
The betting round came. Azula threw nine coins into the pile, to much laughter and general amusement. Nobody folded. Clearly they believed that the size of her bet was due to inexperience, not her tiles.
Then Hu doubled her bet, and the two men before her folded.
Azula paused a few seconds, appreciating the dramatic increase of tension, before laying her tiles down in front of her. Five swords.
Hu's eyes widened in disbelief. For a few seconds he looked as if he was going to snap at her, but he simply shook his head slowly, laughing to himself.
"I never thought I'd see the day. Never. How old are you?"
"Nine," Azula said.
"Beaten by a nine-year-old." Hu threw his hands up. The watchers were all laughing now, no longer at Azula but at Hu's obvious discontent.
"Does that mean I win all the money?" Azula asked innocently, reaching forward.
"Yeah, it does," one of the other players said, shaking his head and laughing to himself. "That was something! Beginner's luck, I'd say. Want to play another round and see how good you really are?"
"I don't know if I should," Azula said. "I think it's past my bedtime. I don't want my parents to worry about me."
Another outbreak of laughter. Azula thought of her parents—one missing, one far away and thinking of conquest. They wouldn't worry about her no longer how late she stayed out, would they.
"But I'll come back," she promised after a pause, smiling. "I had fun."
Outside the tavern, in the abruptly cold night air, Azula's good mood passed quickly. The town was silent, and suddenly she felt lonely and shallow, not victorious. The added weight on her hip, where the bag of coins now rested, seemed like a shackle.
And abruptly, Azula imagined her mother.
Ursa's likeness in Azula's mind was perfectly clear as she frowned in worry down at her daughter.
Not only gambling, but cheating to win? I'm disappointed in you, Azula.
Shut up, Azula thought, trying to silence her imagination. You have no right to tell me you're disappointed. You weren't there when I needed you.
I'm always there, dearest. Just because you don't see me…
You weren't there!
Azula almost screamed her last words aloud, and then came to. She was standing outside an Earth Kingdom tavern having an imaginary conversation with her missing mother.
…Maybe I really do need some sleep.
The ride back to the outpost seemed twice as long. Once or twice Azula's eyelids drifted shut, only to snap open when her ostrich-horse stumbled over a twig or a piece of rock. By the time she reached the fortress's gates, she was exhausted.
The smallest gate in the back was left unlocked for Hu. Abruptly Azula remembered the true purpose of her excursion. What was the use in gambling? She had all the money she could need. The only reason she had followed him was to find everything indicting she could. Azula could have punched herself. How could she have forgotten the mission in the heat of the moment?
When she reached her room and changed slowly into her silk pajamas, she ran her nails again and again and again across her bare stomach as punishment.
"Why do you look so tired?"
"Oh, no reason, Zuzu," Azula snapped. "No reason that's any of your business, anyway."
He shook his head from across the breakfast table. "I was just asking, Azula. You really shouldn't bite people's heads off just for asking you questions. It's called conversation."
"And I'm sure you're an expert at that, hm? Little prince Zuko with his friends and his mother and his perfect life." Azula scoffed and looked away. Just looking at his face seemed to incense her. His expression reminded her too much of Ursa.
"What are you even talking about?" Zuko shook his head. "No. You know what? I don't care. Never mind. I'm done."
He stood and threw his napkin onto his plate before storming away.
Azula stared at her own food, suddenly not as hungry anymore. She was feeling sorry for herself. She was exhausted from her previous late-night journey and still hadn't forgiven herself for getting distracted and having fun gambling.
Yet some part of her was urging her to return that night, to talk more and be the center of attention for something other than being a princess.
Azula wondered what her father would say. She didn't exactly think he would approve, but neither did she think he would be entirely opposed to the idea. She could imagine him throwing his head back, roaring with laughter as he pictured his daughter gambling.
Azula didn't want to think about Ozai any longer. Even in her imagination, her father laughing at her hurt more than strangers laughing at her.
Hi, Azula!
It was great to get a letter from you. Messenger hawks are really fast, aren't they? I wouldn't know, since I've never sent a letter by one before! It would make a good pet, I think, except the one you sent is kind of mean-looking and tried to bite me when I petted him.
What are you up to over there in the Earth Kingdom? I don't like sand except on beaches. It's hard to get out of your clothes. I hope you're managing okay getting the sand out of your clothes. I know it's tough. But you have servants to do that for you! By the way, I'm writing this letter with Mai looking over my shoulder. I think she wants to write something too. I'm using her brushes and pens.
Hey, Azula. Mai here. Things are too calm without you around. I've almost started missing the sparks and random fires ruining my favorite clothes.
Just kidding. Kind of. It is nicer to have you around. You make things interesting.
Bye, Azula! Write us back soon, okay? I don't want to be stuck alone with Mai forever. Things are too grey with just her!
Mai and Ty Lee
The days in the Earth Kingdom stretched into weeks. Before she knew it, Azula was used to the heat and the sun. Her skin was gaining some color—she had an awful sunburn across her shoulders. Zuko wasn't as pale either, though he was constantly complaining about his new skin tone.
Zhao had finally returned along with Malfon, and the trip had become more exciting. As promised, Malfon resumed his training sessions with her, until Azula could at least hold her own against him in a hand-to-hand match. She practiced her bending daily, of course, but there was also something fulfilling about being able to defeat an enemy without needing bending. It was a skill that would come in useful someday, she was sure.
The gambling trips continued. After the first time, she swore not to go again, and after the second she promised herself that she would wait a week, and soon she was going nearly nightly. The bartender learned her fake name—Tei-Nan—and soon nobody was blaming her victories on beginner's luck.
Her grudge against Hu faded slowly. Looking back, she thought it was stupid of herself to have hated him so quickly. He was a skilled firebender, she learned, and a genius field commander. He had stood beside Iroh at Ba Sing Se.
"The troops were swarming everywhere. The breach in the outer wall crazed all of us…we could see victory in sight then. I was charging forward, ready to kill any soldier who got in my way, when this crazy yell came from the side. The Earth Kingdom army was sweepin' back around, and they caught the flank unawares. He was in my unit, you know, Lu Ten. I was fightin' to the front lines as best as I could, but I saw him get cut down. I remember bringin' the body to Iroh. I've never seen a man look so broken," Hu relayed one night at dinner, to a varied audience. The other generals looked as if they'd heard the story a thousand times, which they probably had, while Zuko leaned in attentively and Azula only feigned disinterest.
As she grew used to the sand in the shoes and the calluses on her feet, Azula's first month in the Earth Kingdom passed away. Her bruises healed. Her burns faded into scars. For hours at a time, Ozai became nothing more than a distant nightmare, something far away that couldn't really hurt her.
But never for longer than a few hours.
It was on an unusually cold day that Azula saw the real signs of the war raging in the Earth Kingdom. There was smoke, smoke in the distance. The scent carried on the breeze, along with ash.
Surely signs of fire were good news for the Fire Nation, but the generals seemed uneasy.
"Do you think they're burning an Earth Kingdom town?" Zuko asked Azula eagerly. The two were sitting outside, watching the activity as soldiers rushed back and forth. For once the sun wasn't scalding; the thin layer of smoke served to shield them well.
"I hope so," Azula said. "But if they are, why is everyone getting ready as if there's going to be a battle? Maybe it was a signal fire or something."
"If it was, we won't know," Zuko sighed, leaning back. "Nobody tells us anything."
It was true. At the camp, the rule of thumb seemed to be to tell the royal siblings everything they absolutely needed to know, and nothing more.
Zhao interrupted their conversation by pulling up beside them on his ostrich-horse. He looked unusually grim. A red-feathered messenger hawk was perched on his shoulder.
"There's news from north of us. A squadron of our troops has been routed. We're going to provide reinforcements. I'm leading the charge. You shouldn't lead the fort, either of you, until it's safe again."
He pulled away before they could ask questions or even get a word in edgewise. Azula frowned after him.
"How many of the soldiers do you suppose they're taking?"
"A lot?" Zuko shrugged. "I guess we'll know after everybody leaves. It's taking a long time for them to leave, though."
"How do you know what a long time is?" Azula asked. "Have you ever seen soldiers prepare for a quick mission before?"
"No, but—"
"No, nothing. Think about it, Zuzu. We've seen that they're short on certain supplies, so they have to consider rations and packs and how many supplies to take with them and how many to leave here. Everybody needs an ostrich-horse, armor, and weapons. These things take a while. I would know." Azula crossed her arms and closed her eyes.
"How would you know?" Zuko asked crossly. "Like you've ever seen battle mobilization before!"
"Maybe I haven't, but it's really just common sense." Azula sat up and met her brother's eyes. "Besides, I read."
It was easily another hour before the signal finally came and the troops began the move out, with a great stomping of talons and huge clouds of dust. Azula and Zuko watched them go, Zhao at their head. A majority of the soldiers at the fort were heading out, it seemed. If not exactly the shiny-armored, brave warrior horde from the stories, they at least made an impressive sight as they disappeared into the distance.
"I hope they come back," Zuko said after a pause, voicing the thought they had both been thinking.
Azula picked at a dead plant beside her. "I hope they win."
A/N: Happy Father's Day, everybody! Nothing much to say today, but I hope everybody has a good day. See you next week, and be sure to leave a note!