Chapter Twenty-One: Friendship Bracelets
Ty Lee wakes to the sound of Zuko screaming. Mai leaps to her feet, kicking Ty Lee in the ear as she bursts through the tent. Ty Lee winces, her eyes fluttering as she tries to register what is happening around her. Azula slowly, groggily sits up as the howling in pain of her brother does not cease.
As Ty Lee walks outside, she sees Zuko with a bleeding back, his shirt torn off and in his bloodied hand. Katara is trembling with panic as she realizes she cannot heal him. Her heart races as she stares at the motionless water and bursts into tears. Mai runs to them both and sets her hand on Katara's back, all the while gazing at Zuko in terror.
"What happened?" Mai demands vivaciously as Ty Lee grabs Korra and tries to distract her. The child has seen enough without witnessing this.
"Soldiers. The next town might as well be a fortress," Zuko chokes. "I'm fine. I really am. Not all of it is my blood."
"They saw us?" Azula exclaims, kneeling beside her brother. She has no care for his wounds; they are not life threatening and the sound and sight of those in pain has never bothered Azula. "They know we're here?"
"They'll come for us." Zuko breathes in through his teeth, wincing. He looks about to cry but fighting back the tears. "I got in a skirmish. They recognized me. They might have followed me but I had to warn you guys. I had to."
"Thank you, Zuko," Katara says feebly, speaking as Azula's mouth opens. "It's going to be okay. I... I can't heal you... but..."
"Korra can," Mai says abruptly and Ty Lee scowls. She was doing a good job of distracting the little girl.
"She doesn't need to see this," Ty Lee snaps but Korra is tugging at Ty Lee.
"Katara's teaching me," Korra squeals and she runs to show off. Zuko is laughing faintly, despite the pain as Korra carefully lifts the water. Katara's eyes are streaming with tears that she does not bother to control as Korra looks to her waterbending master for instruction.
Katara helps Korra, although it wounds her soul to do it. The wounds are minor, thankfully for both Zuko and Korra. But Azula is having none of it and Ty Lee can tell Azula is about to burst.
"We have to assault the town before they assault us," Azula says sharply, standing up with vivacity. Mai sighs as Zuko's wounds start to knit back together.
"I'm with Azula on this. How many soldiers were there?" Mai says, averting her eyes from Zuko's body.
"Sixty or seventy," Zuko says earnestly and Katara's eyes flash. Not good.
"We're competent enough. At least competent enough to dole out enough damage to keep them from burning down the forest," Azula says fiercely. Katara agrees, despite her lack of bending. Zuko is less certain.
"We need to liberate the town," Katara says and Azula grimaces.
"Not what I was going for," the princess mumbles, but no one is listening.
"We'll liberate the town then." Mai is surprisingly firm in her opinion. And no one argues.
As soon as Zuko is healed and his back and hands cleaned from blood, the group meets over what they should do.
"Katara, you protect Korra," Mai orders.
"Without bending?" Katara shakes her head slowly.
"Just hold her. Zuko and I will stay at your sides. But you hold onto her, okay?" Mai orders and everyone is startled at her taking so much initiative. "Azula, you can head the assault, you're good at crowd clearing. Ty Lee, you stick with Azula, okay?"
Ty Lee's fingers twitch towards Azula's when she is told to stick with her.
She is not losing her. Ever.
Ty Lee's Story
Upon Ty Lee's arrival after the executions, Azula tells her that her day begins the same way every morning. She wakes up. Throws up. The tears do not force themselves from her eyes like they once did, and no longer does she murmur for her father to help her. She would be far more likely to curse him for doing this to her. It becomes increasingly more difficult as her muscles are reduced to bones and any comfortable position for vomiting is rendered obsolete by her baby bump.
As Azula lies in bed crippled by the nausea that never leaves her, despite hurling her up half of her internal organs ─ or so it feels like ─ she now has someone pacing back and forth. When she wakes up and vomits she has someone rubbing gentle circles on her back and holding her hair and helping her clean her face and lips and mouth.
Azula never liked being cared for. Not once, mostly because her mother abandoned her and she took it upon herself to only care for herself and not allow anyone else to. But Ty Lee is forgivable to her, because she needs someone on her side when everyone and everything has betrayed her.
"It was an act of betrayal," Ty Lee says as Azula tries to sleep but is plagued by the fact that her vengeance has taken upon itself to wake up every time she wants to drift off. "The worst act of betrayal. You're not a traitor, he is. And everybody sees it."
Azula does not need to be reassured, but Ty Lee says it for both of their benefit. She thinks they could both use some reassurance in a world that is ruled by Ozai's iron fist. They both have given up at this point, but Ty Lee tries to put a positive spin on things for fear of Azula spiraling into a descent.
It has been one month since Azula traded her supporters for Ty Lee. Since they have been playing house in a prison with invisible bars. But it feels like it has been years. A thousand years to Ty Lee. Maybe it is shorter to Azula; Ty Lee never discusses time.
"It's moving," Azula murmurs, and Ty Lee thinks she is talking to herself, but she cannot help but overhear.
Ty Lee does not know how to react. She does not want to be overly excited, because that upsets Azula. But she does not want to react negatively either, because that also upsets Azula. Ty Lee finds the baby to be an incredible mess, and she knows it will be used against them.
But she also takes responsibility for her promise. Before Ty Lee knew everything, before she wound up in the Fire Nation again as a prisoner, she promised she would treat Azula's baby as hers. And so help her, she will.
"Good or bad?" Ty Lee finally asks. Azula's opinion will be easier to agree with than trying to formulate her own and hoping it goes over well.
"I don't know anymore," Azula sighs, pulling the expensive ruby blankets further over herself. "I really don't."
"So, I was thinking about baby names," Ty Lee attempts, finally gathering the courage to mention it. "Because I really don't want to name our baby 'vengeance', as much as you keep calling it that."
"What's wrong with vengeance?" Azula is snickering.
"It is a terrible name, Azula. Okay, Mai."
"No. We are not naming our child after anybody alive. What if they betray us or something? It's stupid."
"Alright, fine, that ruins about half of them. Asami?"
"Peasant name."
"Kazai?"
"Sounds too much like my father."
"Meiyo?"
"Too Earth Kingdom."
"Rei?"
"Peasant name." Pause. "Why are these all girl names?"
"I'm hoping for a daughter, okay?" Ty Lee laughs.
"Well, we're at serious odds then, because I'm hoping for a son."
"Alright, you can name it if it's a boy, and I'll name it if it's a girl."
"Deal. Although, I did promise Katara I would name it Zue."
"Ugh. Bleck. That's terrible." Ty Lee sticks her tongue out in disgust.
"But it's a little Water Tribe and a little Fire Nation. It pays homage to part of my vengeance's heritage."
"That's cute. You consider the Water Tribe part of you, don't you?" Ty Lee pokes Azula, sniggering.
"Yes. They've done more for me than my own family ever has," Azula says earnestly and Ty Lee is surprised. She did not expect such a passionate answer from Azula, who is becoming more jaded, sarcastic and snide as days pass.
"I really like Kazai. Or Azusami. It'll be one of those two if it's a girl whether you like it or not."
"Can't you just name her Azula II? There, perfect name for a perfect little girl." Azula's lip twists into a small smile.
"You said deal. Now you come up with some boy names," Ty Lee orders and Azula sighs, not bothering to argue.
"Ugh. That sounds like a lot of work. Can't I just name him Sozin and be done with it?"
"It's your choice. It will only reflect on you and your dynasty for the rest of time," Ty Lee replies in a sing-song tone.
"This is difficult." Azula closes her eyes and realizes she is no longer distracted. Her vengeance is still stirring as if in distaste of all of the names. "I don't think I can sleep."
"I can't either. We did sleep almost all day."
"There's not much else to do. We are prisoners," Azula sighs, toying with her hair. She studies the shadows in her room, trying to distinguish every object obscured by night. "This is certainly inhumane. He can't just lock us up in here with nothing to do all day."
"What would you like to do?" Ty Lee asks, cocking an eyebrow.
"Hm. I mean, toys, evidently, we need. Maybe some arts and crafts. We can make a dollhouse out of household objects like we used to when we were children."
"And friendship bracelets!"
"Definitely friendship bracelets. I'll put in a requisition at once." Pause. "Actually, there are lots of useless things in here with thread..."
Azula gets up and Ty Lee's heart races. She was doing her best to distract the princess and now Azula has leapt up. She could start hyperventilating any minute and then what would Ty Lee do. But Azula simply lights the three lamps in the room and opens a drawer, withdrawing three shirts in different shades of red.
"What are you doing?" Ty Lee asks, sitting up on her knees.
"We're going to make friendship bracelets," Azula replies with a small smirk.
She makes quick work of the clothing, tearing it down to threads with a combination of fire, fingernails and meticulous navigation. Ty Lee leaps out of bed and helps Azula sit down, both of them beneath the window with laps of thread.
"This is the most interesting thing that has happened all month," Ty Lee says, grinning. Azula nods and starts twisting the thread.
They have about ten times as many friendship bracelets as they have friends by the time the sun comes up. The lamps are burning low, almost out of oil, and Ty Lee is simply grateful that Azula is distracted. The less busy Azula is, the more scared Ty Lee gets.
"This one is for Zuko. It's a little bit deformed. It'll fit in with him," Azula declares, setting aside a lumpy bracelet that got snagged on her nail.
Ty Lee giggles.
"They're going to come rescue us and we'll be able to reward them with friendship bracelets. It's wonderful," Ty Lee says, still shaking with laughter.
"We've gone completely insane, haven't we?" Azula asks, now laughing as well. "Look at us. We're sitting on the floor of my room covered in friendship bracelets."
"We could be covered in worse things," Ty Lee says and Azula nods in assent. They both burst out laughing for a few more moments before it slows.
They have gone flat fucking crazy. But it was only a matter of time, locked up without being able to leave, only brought food once a day. Occupying themselves has become a lot of ridiculous conversations and games that they make up on the fly.
Ty Lee often feels regret that she and Azula are playing while Zuko and Katara are imprisoned and possibly dead, but they do not have it easy either. She worries constantly and can only keep it together by the games and conversations.
All she and Azula have left are each other. Mai has disappeared. She used to visit. Fire Lord Ozai has not checked on them personally since the second night of Ty Lee's stay. They see no one but each other. One would imagine they would loathe each other by the end of it, but Ty Lee thinks they have only fallen more in love.
Days pass like years.
"I couldn't sleep last night." It's a game. Ty Lee initiates it with those words.
"Why?" Azula asks, playing with balls of blue fire that illuminate the room in swirling shadows and light.
"Because you were being chased by animals. They were released and they were all dangerous," Ty Lee says slowly, the words true but phrased like the game is structured. "And I couldn't stop them because you were surrounded by fire."
"I couldn't sleep last night either," Azula replies, though her voice cracks slightly.
"Why?" Ty Lee asks, rubbing her toes on the silky blankets.
"Because you were drowning. We were on the ice and you dropped your necklace and the ice cracked around you and you drowned," Azula says, her voice reflecting her hollow sensations.
"I couldn't sleep last night either," Ty Lee continues, though she is slowly breaking down.
"Why?" Azula asks, although she does not want to play anymore.
"Because you could go away at any minute," Ty Lee murmurs. It is not a story, not an image, not how the game is meant to be played. "And the thought of living without you revolts and terrifies me."
"I'm not going anywhere," Azula says softly, although she is not sure if she believes it.
"Oh come on, even you're not that good of a liar. We're dangerous together. He's going to tear us apart as soon as he can afford to." Ty Lee is crying and Azula does not know what to say. She simply sits there and feels her vengeance stir as if it mocks her.
"I will never let him do that," Azula snarls, surprised at her own vehemence.
"As if you're in control," Ty Lee sobs and Azula's lips open and close but no sound comes out. "We're just shoved aside for now until he can deal with us."
Silence. There are no games that can heal the wound that just opened.
"You can name our baby. I'm not doing a very good job at the boy names," Azula says softly, walking to the bed and sitting down beside Ty Lee.
It is the first time she has referred to her baby as theirs or a baby. Ty Lee tries to be cheered by that but all she can think about is the impending doom. It should not be doom to her, even if it is likely Ozai would kill her if he could. She should not feel so strongly about just one person, but Azula is all she has, and not just in their mad, mad, mad little birdcage.
"I can't pretend to be happy anymore," Ty Lee chokes through sobs and Azula does not know what to say. She simply sits there weakly.
"It's going to work out. We're going to go to Ba Sing Se and─"
"You can't genuinely believe that, Azula!" Ty Lee shrieks and Azula recoils. "We're going to die here. Or at least I am."
Azula touches Ty Lee's arm and says nothing more. She leans forward and presses her lips against those of her fiancée.
"When you're Fire Lady, you're going to laugh about that time we made fifty friendship bracelets and all the ridiculous games we played," Azula whispers and Ty Lee does not protest. She knows that Azula is doing the best she can, and that is more than Azula ever would have done in the past.
The next day, Azula is torn from Ty Lee. She is escorted out by soldiers and Ty Lee flies into an anxiety attack, gasping, heart fluttering. She makes friendship bracelets. She undoes the ones she already made and makes more of them as Azula is gone and Ty Lee wonders if she is ever coming back.
When Azula returns, she is shaken and in worse shape than Ty Lee. The acrobat abandons her crafts and pulls Azula into her arms. They lie down, Ty Lee holding Azula as she bites back tears and gasps for breath.
"Where did they take you?" Ty Lee asks, stroking Azula's neck. Azula does not respond at first.
"Make me feel better," Azula orders fiercely as Ty Lee holds her trembling body.
"Uh, okay," Ty Lee murmurs, swallowing. "What color do you want to paint the dining room of our lakehouse?"
"Our what?" She is slipping fast.
"The house we're clearly going to build by that lake in the Earth Kingdom. I want the dining room to look out over the lake with big windows. I'm not budging on that whether you like it or not. I mean, once you restore balance to the world, we could have such great Earth Kingdom vacations as Fire Lord and Fire Lady. But I don't know what color I'd paint it," Ty Lee says, trying to keep her voice as soothing as possible but feeling about ready to burst.
"Hm." Azula takes a deep breath. "Well, what color is the kitchen?"
"Yellow."
"Ew. Yellow? Really, Ty Lee?" Azula asks snidely and Ty Lee tries to laugh, but just makes a coughing sound.
"Nice yellow. Like the sun."
"Alright, I think orange. Like the sunrise. We could go for a whole sun theme. It would be airy, I think. I'm not really that informed about home decorating. As you can see, my room has been the same since I was a baby," Azula says, gesturing at the dim bedroom.
"Accents of gold, I think. I saw these curtains a few years ago in this shop and they would be perfect," Ty Lee says in the cheeriest tone she can manage.
"You really think you can find them again?" Azula drifts away towards her agony once more.
"I think as Fire Lord you are going to find them for me," Ty Lee states fiercely and Azula smirks. She is reeled back in and Ty Lee can breathe.
"You are such a tyrant," Azula says with a small laugh. "People are going to fear you." Pause. "That's a good thing. I don't want some wimp of a wife."
Azula relaxes slightly in Ty Lee's hands and she breathes a sigh of relief. Better. It's better. Better for now, Ty Lee hopes.
"You're burned," Ty Lee whispers, feeling guilty she only just notices the marks on Azula's neck.
"I'm a firebender; they'll heal fast," Azula murmurs, shaking her head slowly. Ty Lee's stomach turns to stone but she says nothing.
Ty Lee thinks at this moment that if Azula does not succeed at killing Ozai, Ty Lee will be forced to do it in her stead. And she will love every second of it.
Life goes on. Days pass like years. Azula and Ty Lee play games.
Then Ozai demands Azula's presence at what he declares to be a special dinner with Zuko.
Ty Lee clings onto Azula's hand until she is forced out of the room.
No.
The alliance ascends on the town with fervor. Their things are packed and with them in case of a necessary escape. Katara protects Korra with a blade that Zuko taught her how to use over the course of a few days in the other hand. Mai has arrows drawn already and Ty Lee has her fists clenched. Azula has a look in her eyes that could kill and Zuko is twitching with a slight nervousness.
When they reach the town, they realize that it is more of a city. Some of the buildings are old and made of wood and rock, clearly from the original town. But more buildings are constructed from steel, jutting up. Mines are in the near distance, and it seems to have been fortified and built on by the Fire Nation likely due to being rich in coal or other metals.
There are a few pedestrians in the street garbed in green, but the rest of the roads are flooded with soldiers. Far too many for the town, despite its significantly large size. It is the biggest city Azula has seen that is not major and equipped with a palace, like New Ozai City.
"How do we take them on?" Mai murmurs, toying with small arrows in her hands. They watch from a small hill, looking at the blackened ground and grey buildings as far as the eye can see around. It is far more than they anticipated having to fight.
"Let's just run at them," Azula says and her companions are startled by her lack of a detailed plan. "We just need to strike."
And they obey. The attack starts with the watchtowers. Azula lighting them ablaze with lightning from both hands, striking two places at once with a loud crash. As the soldiers pour from the towers, Katara slashes a few and uses a variety of evasive maneuvers, Mai slits throats, Ty Lee keeps them at a distance and Zuko takes two down at a time.
Their life force has returned after imprisonment as they run towards the center of the town, on a high from the fight. Ty Lee realizes that Azula is going for the mayor or governor, whoever is in charge. It will end the fight before it truly begins as Katara, Zuko and Mai take on the soldiers, picking them off at a rapid pace.
Azula makes it to her destination with her companions close behind. She clears her way with powerful whirlwinds of cerulean as she kicks down the door of the only expensive house in the town. Clearly the man or woman who is in charge of the miniature mining city is lurking inside.
She passes two cowering children and ignores them as she advances through the house. Delicate decorations of the Fire Nation mainland adorn the walls and shelves. Azula finds the man and takes him down as he conjures a single spark of fire.
Azula has him in one hand as she walks to the center of the town. On a bulletin in the middle are wanted posters and information. Her face stares at her from one of the sketches and she tears it from the board, burning it to crisps of paper.
"You stay here," Azula orders the mayor as a crowd is gathering. Katara lowers her bloodied sword, simply holding Korra. Ty Lee and Mai glance around, ready to strike as Zuko is catching his breath.
Azula walks towards the soldiers who are gathered with hesitant weapons.
"Bow," Azula demands, to the confusion of her friends. The soldiers simply stand. "Do you even know who I am? You should recognize me. I was formerly Fire Lord. Formerly Fire Lord Azula. So when I say bow, you bow."
Her tone even makes Katara's stomach turn to jelly. The soldiers bow, slowly, hesitantly, looking nervous as if someone will strike them down for obeying her. She glances at the people of the town, who look terrified.
And Azula walks towards the burning buildings, plucking Korra from Katara's arm. Katara does not even move to fight, stunned and even more exhausted from having to fight without her bending. Ty Lee watches with anxiety inside of her, knowing Azula is only going to get herself hurt.
Azula stands before the groveling soldiers and glances with contempt at the mayor.
"I've come to liberate this town from the grasp of the Usurper, Ozai," Azula says. And before Ty Lee can shield her eyes, the mayor falls dead from lightning to the back of the neck.
Azula glances at her audience.
"I'd like to say a few words."