Ok, first off, I mega-ly apologize for the ridiculously long wait. It should never have taken me this long and I'm sincerely sorry. Brightside, if you guys have been reading my profile, I've got some new ideas coming up that I'm very excited about, so keep an eye out for those because this story will be ending soon. But not too soon. So thank you guys for sticking it out for this uber-long wait and enjoy the chapter.
PART THIRTEEN
I. It had taken Azula at least two days of being back in the palace, but she had finally managed to force herself to look at every last report scroll that had accumulated on her table during her absence. From the large stack she learned very little that interested her. Of the notable was a small faction of rebel peasants that was being put down by a squadron of her soldiers, and complaints that the soldiers responsible for collecting taxes were pocketing money for themselves. She would deal with them personally. It mattered little to her that they were stealing from the poor—or so she told herself—but they were stealing from the Fire Nation and her father.
Just as Azula was beginning to contemplate writing to her father, Falc entered the throne room.
"Just the man I wanted to see," Azula said. "I was about to send for you. I need you to get me a scribe."
Falc nodded. "Yes, Princess."
"But you clearly have something to say since you came uncalled," Azula observed. "What is it, Falc?"
"Well, Princess, I know your courting ceremony will not take place for another week, but I was wondering if you would like to go for a walk… after dinner," he added.
The expression that passed over Azula's features was unreadable. "Of course. I will see you after dinner. Now, if you wouldn't mind, the scribe, Falc."
After the initial shock of her acceptance wore off, Falc nodded jerkily and bowed before leaving the throne room. Azula chuckled a bit at the man's behavior, then began to think of how she was going to phrase the letter to her father. A brief explanation of her absence and a promise to tell him the full details upon her return… yes, that was a must. Perhaps a small summary of the city's affairs was in order as well.
A short and rather squat man entered the throne room. "Lord Falc sent me, Princess," he said humbly, kneeling before her.
"Yes, you are the scribe I called for. Good. Well, get out some parchment, fool," she said impatiently.
"Yes, Princess," he said, fumbling with the tools and implements of his trade.
Finally, the scribe had a stylus poised above the paper. "About time," Azula said scathingly. "Hmph. This letter is for Fire Lord Ozai," she told him. She waited briefly while he copied out a heading, then began to dictate: "I deeply regret that I was unable to respond to your latest letter. I was by utter misfortune temporarily captured by a band of rebels. I, of course, escaped from them and now hold them prisoner. I still have not decided what form of torture I wish upon them. There are so many options." Azula paused to take a breath and continued: "I will of course regale you with more details when I return home. And on that note, I look forward to the arrival of Commander Khan. In respect to the destruction of the prison, it is most regrettable. I have Dai Lee agents and soldiers abroad who will hopefully be able to round up some of the more dangerous prisoners as well as continue to track the Avatar. Admittedly, the loss of New Ozai complicates matters, but I assure you that Ba Sing Se is firmly in our control. And in respect to my traitor of a brother, you of course deserve the honor of bringing about his death, father. I shall see you soon." Azula paused and turned to the scribe. "Do you have all that?"
"Yes, Princess," he said quickly.
"Good. I must sign it."
II. When Jet woke in the morning from his feverish dreams, he was angry. He had dreamt about Azula and he wished his subconscious would stop tormenting him. And as he persisted to yell at his accursed subconscious, he noticed something strange. Normally it was incredibly dark in his cell and yet he could see its every detail. Upon further pondering, he realized this light was due to the flaming torches on the wall.
Jet's already parched throat went drier if that was at all possible. Those torches had been lit by a firebender; there was no doubt about that. Which meant that a firebender had been in the cell while he had dared to sleep. But who? And why? He felt a very uncomfortable sense of déjà vu.
Azula was dressed simply for the occasion. Her attire was informal, moveable, and certainly weather-appropriate. She was a practical and logical girl. Displaying wealth was a sign of cowardice. She remembered seeing Zhao's home once in her childhood. He was as cowardly as they came.
Falc too was not overdressed, though Azula wanted desperately to laugh at his awkward mannerisms. And after a few minutes of standing around, exchanging pleasantries, and going nowhere, Azula decided to give him a nudge in the right direction. "So where are we walking? We are walking, right?"
Falc flushed a deep scarlet that was very unmanly. "Uh, yes. Would you like to go into the gardens?"
"Wherever," she said nonchalantly.
"Right," he said, holding out his arm to her as custom dictated.
Azula consented to loop her arm around his and Falc led her outside. The night was warm and clear. Azula could see—and name for that matter—nearly every star in the sky.
Azula settled into her normal topics of conversation with Falc, which seemed to reassure and disappoint him all at the same time. "So I hear that the peasant rebellion was put down today," she said.
"Oh yes," Falc said eagerly, knowing he could please her with the success of the soldiers he commanded. "They were quite successful."
"That's excellent. What happened to the rebels?" she asked.
"Sentenced to hard labor on the local farms," Falc replied.
"Yes, that might do some good," Azula mused. "And if that teaches them nothing, there are always alternatives," she added.
"Do you mean physical punishment, Princess, or the Dai Lee brainwashing system?" Falc inquired.
"Both are excellent options," Azula said.
The dirt path they were walking along opened up into a circular courtyard at the center of which was a sparkling fountain. "I suppose the Earth Kingdom scum do know how to make a garden," Falc said appreciatively.
Azula unlooped her arm from his and walked out toward the fountain. She dragged her fingers through the cool water. "This is nothing compared to the gardens at the Fire Nation palace," Azula said.
Falc edged a bit closer to her. "However beautiful those gardens may be, they can't possibly be as beautiful as you," he told Azula.
"Am I just a flower?" she asked critically. "Something beautiful to look at?"
"What—no, I meant… You are beautiful, but there is far more to you than beauty," he floundered.
Azula felt more merciless and cruel in that moment than she had perhaps ever felt in her entire life. She wanted nothing more than to tear apart this man in front of her. Jet never called her beautiful. He hadn't needed to. She'd known by the way her looked at her.
Jet… why was she thinking of the peasant? Azula had a strong desire to destroy something, but now was not the time and here was not the place. She withdrew her fingers from the water and turned to face the deeply confused man behind her. "Goodnight, Falc."
"Princess, I did not mean to offend you," he stuttered.
Jet never called her 'Princess' when he got to know her. Bah! That peasant again! She ought to go murder him and be done with it.
"Goodnight, Falc," she repeated and proceeded to abandon him.
III. Aang was tired of flying Appa, so Sokka had volunteered to take the reins, leaving the monk sitting next to Toph and Zuko. Iroh sat across from him and suddenly a question sparked to life in his mind as most questions do.
"Iroh, will I be able to make fire blue like Azula?"
Iroh paused to consider his answer. "It requires a lot of power and a lot of control. Even Roku never made his fire blue. But of course, he was also much wiser than my niece," he replied.
"But how does she do it?" Aang asked.
"My brother says Azula was born lucky," Iroh began.
Zuko interrupted. "I've heard this one before."
"Not exactly, you little booger," Iroh scorned. "And if you had a little patience and listened—"
"Little booger?" Zuko echoed. "Why I—"
"Oh, shut up, booger," Aang said, impatient for answers.
"I—"
"I may be your dear sweet uncle," Iroh said. "But I am also your master. So listen like a good little boy," he said, fluffing Zuko's hair like a toddler.
Zuko flattened the tousled locks and glared at Iroh, but kept his mouth shut.
"Now where was I?" Iroh said. "Oh, yes. My brother says that Azula was born lucky. And he's right… to a certain extent. If you can call it luck, that is. Azula was born with an absurd amount of control. It plays out in her life and in her bending. She can command a situation and she can harness the energy around her into concentrated, electric fire. It is very difficult. They energy must be compressed and I believe Azula can do it because of her control."
Aang pondered this for a moment. Control truly was the way to power. His thoughts were interrupted when Sokka shouted from upon Appa's head. "I can see the Pass!"
With resounding cheers—although none of them particularly loved the Serpent's Pass—Appa's other occupants peered over the edge of the saddle to gaze at the bleak, craggy path and the mass of soldiers gathered near it.
"Sokka," Aang called, "land near the soldiers."
"That pass won't fit a few hundred soldiers," Toph called to Aang. "The ferry isn't an option either."
Aang grinned. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Make a bigger pass?"
"Exactly."
"Well, we'll see if that ragtag army has earthbenders up to the challenge," Toph said. "I mean, I'm amazing and you're decent, but even we can't do that alone."
"Right," Aang said, grinning.
It turned out that all their attempts to make the pass bigger failed miserably. The sandy rock around them crumbled too easily. The pass would stay the size it was.
"Are you sure the ferry isn't an option?" Iroh asked.
"Azula will be watching the ferries," Toph said resolutely.
"She won't be watching for more refugees," Iroh countered. "What if we split the army? Send half by the pass and half by the ferry. The ferry goes directly into they city. They can let us in. And Azula will underestimate us if she sees us at the head of a smaller force."
Aang rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It might actually work," he said. "I think we should scout out the ferry port first, though."
"Zuko and I will go," Katara said brightly.
"One, thanks for asking. And two, I'm a bit noticeable, Katara," Zuko said, pointing to his scar.
"Bah, men," she muttered. "I've got a good disguise ready." When Zuko looked at her strangely, she mumbled something about always being prepared.
"Ok, then. You go scout it out and buy tickets," Aang told them. "Take Momo with you and send him back to us if it's safe. But leave him outside or they'll recognize him. That's right, Momo," he added to the perky lemur. "You're a wanted lemur."
"Right," Katara said, nodding. Then she took a firm hold of Zuko's arm and propelled him toward their luggage.
IV. Azula had never truly understood how being alone felt in her nearly fifteen years—at least not as much as she knew now. One was never completely along in the palace. There had been few occasions when Azula had been left to her own devices. And yet that was not the solitude Azula experienced right then and there in the empty throne room of Ba Sing Se. It was almost as if she had lost something.
She had never felt the pain of loneliness, but Azula felt it clearly now like a knife in her heart. The worst part was that the one thing she knew would alleviate that pain was the one thing Ozai would never want her to have. "Damn him," she muttered under her breath, not truly knowing whom she referred to.
The door squeaked noisily as a messenger entered. "Princess Azula," the boy said bowing.
"Yes?"
"Commander Kahn sends his regards and says that he shall arrive at the palace by nightfall."
"Thank you. You may go."
A flame flickered into her hand in frustration. "Damn him," she repeated. "Agni damn him to your fiery pits of hell like the bastard he is," she cursed. Azula pushed herself to her feet and stalked out of the throne room.
She stomped farther down the familiar hallway and took the spiraling stairs downwards to the prison. Her eyes took a few moments to adjust to the dim light. The guards bowed to her as she took keys off a hook on the wall. Azula fit the key into the lock she wanted and opened the cell door.
Jet was awake this time. His gaze hardened when he saw her. "You." He spat at her feet.
Azula shut the door and stood before him. "The Fire Lord has picked a new governor for Ba Sing Se. I'll be going home soon."
"Good riddance, bitch."
"I kissed Falc," she told him.
"Good. Go marry him, why don't you," he replied bitterly.
"It wasn't like kissing you, Jet."
"Didn't make you want to vomit? Good to know."
"No. I liked kissing you better," she admitted.
"Well, tough luck. That's never happening again."
"No? I don't have to go, Jet. I can set you free. Get rid of the new governor. You and I can rule Ba Sing Se together. Then the Earth Kingdom. The world if we want to." She was getting hysterical, he could tell.
Jet looked her in the eye for the first time since she came in. "I think you should go."
Azula felt her cheeks grow hot. "You have to forgive me."
"No. I don't," Jet said coldly.
"I command you to forgive me!"
"You aren't my Princess. You aren't the Azula I loved. I'm staring to think she never existed," he said.
"Of course she existed. But I can't be that Azula. I have duties!"
"Right. Daddy's little princess. Forget about your people!"
Azula flung her first into the wall in rage. "Ahg! FOR! GIVE! ME!" she screamed.
"No. You didn't learn anything," Jet said. "You don't have to do what your father wants. Don't you remember what our plan was?"
"I do," she said breathlessly.
"It's time to choose. Me or your father?"
V. Zuko and Katara looked dull and bland in Earth Kingdom brown, but it suited them just fine. They didn't want to be noticed. When they had gone to put on disguises, Katara produced a pale, creamy substance from her pack. And when she spread it over Zuko's red flesh, it looked like an ordinary scar from a painful laceration, not the horrific burn it truly was.
Katara, after a good five minutes of arguing, had been convinced that she ought to wear her hair down. Her braid and hair loops were too signature. And with the help of Ty Lee's stage makeup expertise from her circus days, Katara's eyes were a bit less noticeably blue and both Zuko and Katara looked a little older.
And finally with Momo hidden in their pack while they approached the ferry port, the couple set off on foot. The day was clear and bright, perhaps prophetic—they hoped—of the circumstances to come.
Their hands wove together neatly as Zuko and Katara walked. They truly looked like a married couple. "Zuzu, what are our fake names going to be?" Katara asked.
Zuko grimaced. "I wish you wouldn't call me that."
"But it's so fun and catchy," Katara protested.
"Yech," he responded.
"Now about the names," she prompted.
"I don't know. You come up with something," he said. "Girls think about that stuff with babies and all that, right?"
Katara shoved him into a bush. "Sexist ass."
Zuko glared at her while he pulled twigs and leaves from his hair and the folds of his shirt.
"You can be Carru and I'll be Bida," she said, continuing on as if she had not pushed him into the surrounding shrubbery.
"Better than Li Junior," Zuko muttered.
"That's right, Zuzu," Katara said smirking.
"Bleah," he said.
"Hey, I see the port," she said, grabbing his arm. "Get Momo out of my pack."
Zuko pulled on the ties that held Katara's pack shut until the top flap was sufficiently open for the winged lemur to pop his head out. Aang had explained to Momo what he was supposed to do since he was the only one who could get through to the creature.
Momo chattered excitedly and flew off into the bushes. "We'll be back soon, Momo," Katara called after him.
Zuko took her hand and pulled her closer. "Come on, let's go."
They came into a main road now with a steady flow of travelers and pedestrians heading to and away from the port. The port itself was very much unchanged since the last time they'd been. The main difference was the absence of the Kyoshi Warriors, but they had never worn their make up whilst guarding and it was not so noticeable.
Zuko and Katara got in line behind a long queue of refugees. Zuko slid his arm around her waist and tugged Katara a bit closer. Katara looked at him questioningly. "You never know how dangerous places like this can be, Bida," he said. "And your brother threatened me before we left," he added.
"Ah, so you're only protective because you fear my brother's wrath, Carru," Katara replied.
As they continued to banter back and forth, anyone could have believed they were husband and wife.
After they had waited for a good half hour in line it was Zuko and Katara's turn to buy tickets from the bitter, old lady. She was a bit more pleasant than last time as they presented their passports and money, but she still eyed their young love with disdain. "Ferry leaves in an hour," she said shortly. "No refunds if you miss it. Next!"
They were ushered out of the way and Katara grabbed Zuko's wrist tightly so they did not become separated in the crowd. It was only after they escaped the oppressive mob that they could truly breathe again. "So should we send Momo back?" Katara asked.
Zuko shook his head. "The ship. We should check it out first. Make sure it's Azula-free."
"Hmm… that's a good expression," Katara muttered thoughtfully, following him to the dock area where there were at least a hundred families camped out on the beach.
Crewmen patrolled the decks of the ferry and the surrounding docks. "Are we going to have to get closer?" Katara wondered aloud.
"No need. Not a single one of those men is a Fire Nation soldier," Zuko said.
"How can you tell?"
"They way they walk. Soldiers walk like… well, soldiers. And Fire Nation soldiers even more distinctive," Zuko told her.
"Oh, you mean that kind of swaggery thing you do?" Katara asked smiling broadly.
"Swagger, excuse me?"
"Oh, yes. That attractive little swagger. Very manly."
"Uh, yeah… We should go take care of Momo."
More apologies for the wait, but I hope this chapter made up for it. By the way, I started a humor drabble series called "Booger Bending" so check it out. Beyond that, I'll try to be a bit timelier with my next chapter. So leave a review if you please and hopefully you'll see another chapter next week. Toodles.