Mai woke with a sore back and a stiff neck. She sat up as best she could in her confined space, stretching out her muscles. She winced and groaned through her teeth as the cuffs around her wrists scraped against tender skin. Damn. Bloody prison…if I could just get my hands free and around Azula's neck -! It was dark, darker even than her former prison had been. Look as she might, she could find no pinpoint of light. Agni! I'd even welcome a sunset right now.
How long she sat there, she didn't know. She shifted her weight every now and then, trying to straighten her back and stretch out her neck, but there wasn't enough space. Once or twice she tried to meditate. It wasn't very successful. Loneliness set in. Blast it all…I think I'd even welcome Ty Lee's company, she thought miserably. Zulie… Picture after picture rose in her mind of her little daughter – sleeping, eating, laughing, crying, playing. She wondered if she'd ever hold the child again, or run her fingers through her soft black hair, so like her own. Would she ever lie down with the little girl in her arms again, or listen to her sweet breathing as she slept? She could feel her eyes misting.
Stop it! Stop it, Mai! She rubbed at her eyes impatiently. Don't you dare cry. Don't you dare give up! You're a survivor. Zulie, I will come home for you!
To Mai's intense annoyance, the door chose just that moment to open. She turned her head away from it in time to save her eyes from the assault of the light. "Ready for something to eat, Mai?" came Ty Lee's quiet voice. Squinting, the captive looked toward the sound. "Here, I brought you some bread and cheese. It's not so good as…" The voice stopped abruptly. "Mai, have you been crying?"
"No," Mai snapped. "Of course not!"
"Okay." Ty Lee didn't sound as if she believed her. The door of Mai's cage opened, and she felt a loaf and a lump of cheese being thrust under her fingers. "Here, eat. It'll make you feel better."
The captive took the food listlessly. She heard the door of her cage closing again. There was a pause; she made no move to eat. She heard Ty Lee sigh. A moment later, a soft hand was resting on her forearm. "Mai, what's wrong? Tell me."
"It's nothing you don't already know about," Mai said. "Being who and what you are, I don't think you can help me much."
"Are you missing Zuko?" Ty Lee's gray eyes glinted in the dim light like those of an owl-wombat.
"And my daughter," Mai said bitterly. "Now leave me alone!"
Ty Lee sucked in her breath and let it out. "I'm…I'm sorry, Mai." The captive was silent. "If I'd known that I'd have to go against you…" She stopped. "I'm sorry."
Mai gazed at her for a while in silence. "Ty Lee," she said finally, "you're going to have to choose sides. You can't serve Azula, and then flutter over to me and be my friend."
"But she's not going to hurt you! She promised!" the acrobat protested, wringing her hands. "And I don't want to hurt you, either. I never would! Why can't we go back to the way things were, Mai? Why do you want to be my enemy?"
The Fire Lady looked grim. "I'm not making you be my enemy, Ty Lee. You are." The young woman's face blanched. For once, she was speechless. "You have to make a choice. You're either on my side, or you're on Azula's. And I think you've already made that choice, Ty. The consequences are yours."
Ty Lee's eyes misted, and her lip quivered. There was a long silence. Finally, without saying a word, she turned and left the cell. The door closed, and all was dark.
With a sigh, Mai rested her head on her knees. Oh, gods, I want out of here. Zuko, you dumb ass, where are you? She could feel the prickling heat of anger. I swear, when I get out of here I'm going to punch you in the nose! Her breathing deepened. She regulated it, counting her breaths carefully, trying to meditate again.
There was only the stillness.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
She was awakened by light. Blinking, she lifted her head from the metal slats as the door of her cage was unlocked. "Wake up, Mai," came the curt order. "It's time for a little more correspondence!" The voice was like a bucket of ice water dashed in Mai's face.
Azula looked at her down the bridge of her aristocratic nose. Mai glared at her openly, not bothering to disguise her hatred. "What do you want?" she growled.
"Oh, don't worry. I won't take up much of your precious time, Fire Lady Mai." The former princess smiled sweetly. "Your humble servants just need another letter from you to your husband." She held out the writing materials. Coldly, Mai took them. Her hands were steady as she laid the rice paper on her knee and dipped the calligraphy brush in the ink. "Ready to take dictation?" Azula asked, clasping her hands behind her back. Mai jerked her head in assent. "Good. My dear Zuko…" The prisoner wrote in silence. "Azula, the Avatar of Agni, leader of the Earth Kingdom Freedom Fighters, has set the following conditions for my safe return."
Mai stopped, glowering up at her. "I am not calling you the Avatar of Agni," she said through her teeth. "That title is reserved for the Fire Lord!"
"Mm-hm." Azula smiled, showing her white teeth. "That's why you're going to use the phrase, my dear Mai. After all, we both know that I am far more worthy of the title than my worthless brother! And I intend to prove that." She reached down and tapped the paper with a slender finger. "Now write, or I'll have to get unpleasant."
The Fire Lady's lips shrank down to a thin line. She considered resisting for a moment or two more, then sighed and resumed writing. "Good girl," Azula said coolly. She waited until Mai had finished the line. "First – all Earth Kingdom troops must be removed from the Outer Ring of Ba Sing Se." Mai smiled grimly as she wrote. "Second –all Fire Nation troops must withdraw from occupied cities on Earth Kingdom soil."
"Azula, you're insane!" Mai snapped. "There is no way he'll ever agree to that! The cities he kept belong to the Fire Nation."
"He will, if he ever wants to see you again." Azula's eyes glittered. "Write!"Tight-lipped, Mai obeyed. "Azula will inform you of the rest of their demands once these two conditions have been met. You have forty-eight hours to comply. If these demands are not met, you will receive a packet containing the fingers of my left hand." Mai's writing faltered, just a bit, before resuming its normal flow. "Excellent. Now, if you would be so kind as to sign it, we'll be through."
The captive signed. Then, with great coolness, she capped the ink bottle and gave the implements back to Azula. Smirking, the former Fire Princess rolled the paper into a scroll and slipped it into her pocket. "A pleasure doing business with you." Azula's voice was full of mockery. The cage door slammed, and the ex-princess headed from the cell. She paused in the doorway, turned back to Mai, and dropped a graceful bow. "May you live long and burn brightly," she said sweetly. Mai ground her teeth. The cell door closed.