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Starvation and Illness – Chapter Fifty-Two
Team Azula sat around an early morning fire with their gaze focused solely on their young friend.
Elle sat stubbornly with her back turned to Azula.
While the princess clenched her teeth as she demonstrated a rare show of concern for another person's wellbeing when she nudged the smaller girl's back.
The concern was more than shared by the two noblewomen as they watched their young friend in growing worry while the younger girl's belly continued to growl much louder than the day before.
"Eat peasant!" Azula bellowed over the otherwise calm morning air while she sat looming over her petite pet's back.
"Azula…you can't force her to eat it if she doesn't want to eat it." Mai advised in a nervous voice while the acrobat stared down at their food in rising discomfort.
It was hard to work up much of an appetite when they knew that their little sister was beginning to starve.
"No!" Elle shouted with a frown while she turned away only for Azula to hiss over her shoulder.
"This is stupid Elle! Just eat the damn meat!" The princess roared with a snort of blue fire escaping her nostrils just as she prodded her girlfriend's back in a manner akin to a mother would press her child to finish her dinner.
"A-Azula please don't be so mean to Elle." Ty Lee attempted to reason with a sigh while she watched Elle duck her head in revulsion when Azula hung the cooked meat before her face.
"And I said no! Get that disgusting flesh away from my face! I will not eat it! You're lucky that I even cook it for you!" The blonde-haired girl called out with her nose scrunching up in disgust while she turned away from her highborn friends taken aback gazes.
It was readily apparent to both Mai and Ty Lee that it would be impossible to convince Elle to eat the armadillo bear meat of her own free will.
Well…whatever is left of it anyhow.
"I had the soldiers scour the forest for three hours this morning and they didn't find a single fruit! You'll eat it to stay alive until we can find you something more suitable!" Azula growled with a scowl on her regal features while she forcefully pulled her squirming serving girl in.
"No! I don't kill other lifeforms to stay alive! I survive only through peaceful means!" Elle protested in a distraught voice while Azula's strong arms began to restrain her.
While her big sisters stared at the furious royal woman in obvious disapproval.
"Azula! You can't just hold her down like she's a dog for you to discipline!" The markswoman exclaimed in a frustrated groan while the teenager began futilely wriggling in her leader's arms.
"I damn well do as I please! I am the master here Mai! Not you! Damn it Elle! The wretched armadillo bear is already dead! Eat!" The princess hissed with her muscular arms forcibly holding her panicking maid against her breasts.
"N-no! I don't subside off the suffering of other lifeforms! N-no!" The blonde-haired girl cried out when a piece of meat was shoved between her repulsed lips.
Only for Azula to roar in aggravation not a moment later when it was spit out onto the forest floor.
"Elle!" Azula snapped while her golden eyes shook in aggravation when the squirming girl finally wormed her way out of her grip.
"There are limits to even your authority Azula. You can't make her chew something that she doesn't want to eat." The brown-haired woman stated with a concerned frown gracing her lips while her spoiled friend glared back at her.
"G-gross! How dare you do that to me!" Elle yelped in an offended voice with anger in her amber eyes while Azula rolled her eyes down at her.
"Please! All I did was try to get you to eat." The princess snarled with a finger thrusting in her maid's adorably angered face.
"You put meat in my mouth! And now I won't make you dinner! Cook your stupid meat yourself or have someone else do it!" The blonde-haired girl declared with a spark of boldness in her eyes while her big sisters stared at her back in a taken aback silence.
All of Team Azula was shocked to hear the girl openly tell Azula that she wouldn't do something for her.
Once more. It was obvious that their young friend was growing bolder by the day.
"You will cook when I say you to cook peasant. Because I demand it." Azula taunted before taking a smug bite of her cooked meat while her lifelong friends sighed in the background.
"No! I won't! And I won't scrub your armor! And I won't wash your clothes in a river! And I certainly won't massage you either!" Elle insisted with her arms folded over her chest before she adamantly turned her back on Azula's taken aback face.
"You are being ridiculous. This is absurd!" The princess snorted with a narrow of her golden eyes while the two noblewomen rolled their eyes at her back.
Azula's desire to have her endless list of demands filled is 'reasonable'.
And it was 'unreasonable' for Elle to refuse to do them.
"Too bad!" The blonde-haired girl huffed with her back turned to the now scowling older female.
"Alright then! No snuggles for you." Azula announced in a sadistic voice with a finger pointing at Elle's back while her smirk began to return when she watched her pet's angered face transformed into a pout.
"N-no snuggles?" The blonde-haired girl stuttered in a saddened voice while she her master smirked at her back.
"No snuggles." The princess repeated in a victorious voice while she stared down at her sulking pet.
And for the briefest of moments the teenager almost seemed like she was already about to cave into her will.
Only for the acrobat to shatter it not a moment later.
"Aww. You can snuggle with me all you want little sister. Just come to our tent and you can have all the cuddles that you want while Azula's being a snuggle prude." Ty Lee commented with a grin while Azula spun around to glare a hole through her skull.
"Really oneesan!" The blonde-haired girl chirped before she leaped into the grinning acrobat's arms while the princess glared at the scene with dangerously narrowed golden eyes.
And Mai just sighed while she turned away just as Ty Lee pulled Elle into a suffocating hug.
"Ty Lee! That's my pet! Not your pet! As of this moment forward, I hereby decree it treason for you to hug her!" Azula announced with a finger jabbing in the acrobat's direction while the other woman had the gall to cast her a playful smirk.
"Then I embrace treason! She's so cute Azula! I just can't resist!" The brown-haired woman cooed before she smashed the smaller girl's face into her breasts while she cradled the maid in her arms with a warm smile on her lips.
"My breasts only Ty Lee. My breasts only." The princess spoke in a terrifying glower on her face while her serving girl giggled with her face buried in the acrobat's breasts.
"Oh, come on Azula! Elle loves to snuggle!" Ty Lee gushed with a giant grin on her lips while she crushed the smaller girl's face in her muscular arms.
Only for the three highborn women to hear a muffled squeaking sound from the acrobat's bosom that soon had Ty Lee's cheeks turning a guilty shade of red.
"Ty Lee. You're smothering her." Mai informed in a monotone voice just as Ty Lee released Elle from her crushing hug.
"Are you okay little sister! I didn't mean to squash you! I am so sorry!" The brown-haired woman shouted with her hands on the serving girl's shoulders while her young friend coughed ever so slightly.
It was something that all three of them noticed.
"It's fine oneesan! Really!" Elle cried out after regaining her breath while Ty Lee still blushed with her arms around her neck.
"You should be sorry Ty Lee! Only I may squash Elle! That is…if I choose to do so." Azula boasted with a pompous smirk before she took another bite of her meat while she chewed it in a content manner.
The two noblewomen just cast their leader an exasperated glance while they shook their heads in unison.
"Well I am happy that you are alright! And just as happy that you love my hugs as much as I love hugging you." Ty Lee remarked with a returning smile while she patted the smiling girl's back.
"I-I love you Ty Lee." The blonde-haired girl mumbled in a bashful voice with her words earning her a gushing gaze from the older female.
"You're so sweet Elle. I love you too." The brown-haired woman assured with her hand on the small girl's shoulder while the young maid sat close to her.
"I won't say it again Ty Lee. Hands off my pet." The princess declared in a spoiled voice with a smug smile while the acrobat finally sighed.
"You know I could watch over her for you Azula. It's not like I can walk very far on this broken ankle." Ty Lee offered with a nod while Azula quirked a brow while she swallowed her mouthful.
"That reminds me Azula. Are we staying here? Or are we going to continue further on?" The markswoman pondered in a curious voice after swallowing her most recent bite of her meal.
"No. We are going to walk to the shore so we can find food for our pet peasant." Azula commented with a snort while she stared at her pet's blushing face as the acrobat patted the girl's shoulder.
"Azula…she's not our pet peasant!" The brown-haired woman scolded in a sisterly voice only to sigh when the small girl cried out in joy.
"I'm the group pet peasant! I serve Princess Azula, Lady Ty Lee and Lady Mai with pride!" Elle chimed with a sweet smile while Azula's smirk grew by tenfold.
"Humph. The girl knows her place." The princess spoke with a charming smirk while her lifelong friends gazed fondly down at her small maid.
"You're not our pet Elle. You're our friend. But if being a servant makes you happy. So be it. But don't you worry! We'll take good care of you." Ty Lee responded in a softened voice with her arm over Elle's shoulder while the much shorter girl began to lean into her belly.
"Oneesan…" The blonde-haired girl murmured in a happy voice with the acrobat's muscular arm sliding around her shoulders.
She didn't mind being the servant to her highborn friends.
Truth be told she enjoyed it!
"Little sister." The brown-haired woman stated in an affectionate voice with a grin while the other two women gazed at the serving girl in their own fond fashion.
"Yeah shorty. You're our favorite servant." Mai commented with a twinge of affection in her voice while Elle blushed under their combined attentions.
"I should think that's obvious by now." Azula scoffed with a roll of her eyes while she eyed the acrobat in a mildly jealous manner.
"Is there anything I can do for you while you're recovering to help you oneesan?" Elle requested in a helpful voice with her gentle eyes peering up at Ty Lee's grinning face while the older female patted her head.
"Well I don't know little sister. I am a difficult woman to please. Perhaps…you could snuggle with me while I am off my feet?" Ty Lee announced with a growing grin while she rubbed the underside of her chin only for Azula to glare daggers at the back of her head.
"I'll be your snuggle servant oneesan! How's your blanket cast working out for you?" The blonde-haired girl chirped with her innocent eyes peering up at the acrobat in admiration while her big sister smiled down at her.
"It's working out great Elle. Thank you." The brown-haired woman answered with her palm ruffling the small girl's hair while her little sister lay underneath her armpit.
Only for the growling of the teenager's belly to cause all three of them to glance down at the red-faced girl.
While the two noblewomen adopted a guilty countenance once more as they gazed down at their full bellies in revived shame.
Here they sat eating Elle's cooking while the poor girl had yet to even eat today.
"Foolish peasant! Let's see how long you can keep this up before you cry for a meal. Meat or not." The princess taunted in a crueler voice with her lifelong friends casting her disapproving stares.
Just as the smaller girl turned away from her domineering eyes with another childish huff that invoked another puff of flames through her nostrils.
"I would rather die than eat that rotten flesh." Elle retorted in a stubborn voice just as she unzipped her backpack while her big sisters gazed down at her in rising concern.
And Azula narrowed her callous orbs at the girl's small back while she glared at her maid as her girlfriend dug into her infernal bag.
Only for her golden eyes to take on an incredulous expression when her pet small bottle of green liquid.
"What are you doing?" Azula demanded in an aggravated voice while she watched the girl unscrew the lid.
"Cleaning out my mouth with mouth wash because you put gross meat in it." The blonde-haired girl replied with her three friends now staring at her in surprise.
Just as she took a drink while she started swishing it around in her mouth while her princess grasped at the grass below her in an infuriated manner.
"Elle…I didn't know you abhorred it that much." Ty Lee sighed in a worried voice only to find herself jumping in fright when Azula pounded her fist on the ground in anger.
"Whatever! Starve for all I care! It's not like I care if you die!" The princess bellowed before she stood up with her fists clenched at her womanly hips while her young girlfriend turned away from her cold gaze.
"Azula…" The brown-haired woman trailed off in a noticeably unnerved voice just as the royal woman released a snarl of contempt before she turned to stomp down the hill.
"Stupid peasant! You can just eat the grass when you get hungry! Or don't! It's all the same to me!" Azula scoffed with an uncaring wave of her hand while her boots stomped down the hill.
Mai and Ty Lee sat in an unsettled silence while they watched Azula march into the morning camp below.
And then they turned their attentions back to their young friend when Elle stood up and began to walk back to the royal tent.
"Elle…Azula didn't mean that." Ty Lee attempted to assure while she watched the small girl pad off with her backpack over her shoulder.
"I know. It's fine. I'm just going to lay down for now." Elle mumbled before she vanished through the flap of the tent while her big sister's frowned in sisterly concern.
"I'm going to go sit with her." The brown-haired woman said before she stood up with walking stick in hand while the other woman nodded.
"Good idea. If Elle needs anything. Let me know." The markswoman replied while she stared after the acrobat as she walked on her stick towards the large tent.
Ty Lee approached the tent only for her eyes to overflow with soaring worry when she heard the girl gasping into her inhaler.
'Somethings not right. She's only been away from her breathing machine for a day…so why is so getting so bad so quickly?' The brown-haired woman thought with apprehension in her eyes before she stepped into the tent.
Only to find herself staring down at the younger girl curling up on the floor with her inhaler in hand.
"Are you alright Elle?" Ty Lee asked in a protective voice just as she sat down beside curled up girl.
"W-will you hold me Ty Lee?" Elle inquired in a soft-spoken voice with her amber orbs gazing at the tent while she felt the acrobat's taller body sit down behind her.
"Of course, I will little sister." The brown-haired woman spoke in a kind voice with strong arms grasping a hold of the small girl's shoulders while she stared down at the maid crawling into her lap.
Not even a moment later the young girl set her head down on the acrobat's womanly thigh while she curled up with the older female's hand gently patting her head.
"I-I am so happy to have you as my oneesan Ty Lee." The blonde-haired girl muttered with a shy smile while she pressed her face into the acrobat's toned belly.
"So am I Elle. So am I." Ty Lee agreed with a sigh while she drew Elle into her arms before she lay down beside the younger girl.
And soon enough the acrobat was laying on her side with the teenage resting against her breasts.
All the while she frowned when the blonde's stomach continued to loudly growl.
Yet Elle ignored it in an almost practiced manner.
It was obvious that the girl was trying to ignore her hunger pains by moving as little as possible.
And that saddened her.
Her young friend has been hurt in ways that they still don't understand.
Azula strode through the camp in a foul tempered manner with the entire camp population bowing their heads in respect as she walked by.
While she gazed around with her arms folded over her breasts in an aggravated fashion.
"Nako!" The princess barked in a moody voice just as she stormed up behind the pilot while the girl was eating her breakfast.
"P-Princess!" The royal pilot sputtered just as she nearly dropped her food while she spun around to face the royal woman's demanding gaze.
The monarch's golden eyes rolled above her just as she sprang to her feet to bow only for the woman to wave a hand in the air.
"You may stay seated. Where is Zoe?" Azula questioned with her fingers tapping on her bicep while the pilot sat staring up at her.
"She's doing her morning workout princess in a clearing over there." Nako answered with a finger pointing towards a small path in the woods while the princess rose a brow in curiosity.
"Morning workout?" The princess asked in a calmer voice with amusement in her golden eyes while she watched the pilot shrug her shoulders.
"I don't know much about it. She just said that she's doing her crunches and whatnot." The royal pilot commented while she gazed up at the royal woman just as she turned to walk away.
"You can return to your breakfast now Nako." Azula concluded with a lazy wave of her hand while she began to walk off.
"Yes princess! Thank you again! For the many promotions!" Nako called out with a grateful countenance while Azula wordlessly walked off.
The princess's regal lips pursed into a scowl while she stepped into the brush.
And her callous golden eyes flickered with renewed annoyance just as she inwardly kicked herself.
She really needed to stop going soft on peasants. It was starting to become a bad habit.
Her father wouldn't approve.
The captain lay on the ground clad in nothing more than a bra while she pulled her body into the air with her dark hair sticking to her face.
Many burn marks from the prior explosion now adorned her upper body.
Along with many scars from her countless battles over the years.
Her muscular stomach rose with her every breath while she performed her crunches a rehearsed manner.
All while a large rock rested on her stomach just as a shadow stepped over her.
"You're working out. When we have a many days long hike to the shoreline ahead of us?" Azula inquired with her graceful brows rising in curiosity while she stared down at her most skilled soldier in amusement.
"I am a warrior. I must maintain my regimen…. otherwise I'll become dull like your so-called elites." Zoe responded with sweat dripping down her brow while Azula now glared down at her.
"You should be searching for food. Not doing crunches!" The princess complained with her fingernails curling on her bicep while the older firebender continued her routine.
"There is no fruit. I looked. Fruit trees do not typically grow on such slanted, rugged terrain. And it is not apple season. It will be many months before that tree produces a bountiful harvest. It would be unwise to feed her unripe fruit…she could get sick." The captain grunted with her hands behind her head while the royal woman scowled down at her.
"I am well aware Zoe." Azula stated in an aggravated voice with a growl emanating from her regal lips.
"I did find a berry bush…but there is a fifty percent chance that it could be poisoned. Either I continue to look closer to the camp…or we'll have to depart on a hike to find fruit." Zoe explained just as she sat up with her hand moving the rock from her lap while Azula turned to glare off into the tree line.
"Search every corner close to the camp. And if you should find nothing. Then search further and report your findings back to me." The princess ordered with a callous expression while she watched the older female wipe her face off.
"Understood. Worry not princess. We'll find your little lover something to eat. But in the meantime, if she gets too hungry…perhaps you have something that she can-" The captain joked only for a pointed boot to cruelly kick her in her side.
"Silence Zoe! I have no patience for your childish jabs!" Azula snarled with her fingertips grasping around her toned bicep while Zoe smirked up at her.
"Of course, not princess." Zoe chuckled with a still present smirk while Azula's eyes narrowed down at her.
And then Azula began to turn away but not before her cold eyes swept over the other woman's injured arm in mild annoyance.
"I thought you weren't supposed to be using your left arm." The princess commented in an irate voice while the soldier stubbornly met her gaze.
"I do as I please princess. I thought you would know that by now." The captain retorted in defensive voice with her hazel eyes twitching in annoyance while the royal woman started to walk off.
"Put your arm back in the cast Zoe! You're no use to me if your limbs start rotting off." Azula commanded as she strode away with a sigh escaping her red lips while she vanished into the short pathway.
This was such a miserable ordeal.
And it was all her uncle's fault!
The mere thought of her fat uncle caused her expression to contort into one of pure rage while she spewed fire through her full lips.
He will suffer for this!
And that is a promise!
The following morning.
The sound of coughing and a growling belly permeated the royal tent while Azula glared down at Elle with angered golden eyes.
While Ty Lee sat beside Elle with her arm over the younger girl's shoulder and Mai gazing down in concern alongside their leader.
"Zoe searched the entire forest until the sun began to go down and now it has been two whole days since you've eaten. On top of that now your body is beginning to weaken as a result of your foolishness." The princess snapped with her boot furiously tapping on the tent floor while her two friends stared down at the small girl in growing apprehension.
"S-sumimasen." The blonde-haired girl groaned in mid cough while her stomach continued to loudly complain while the acrobat held her in her arms.
"Azula! Now is not the time to be yelling at her." The brown-haired woman urged in a defensive voice while the royal woman scowled down at them.
"I…I just want to lay down. I…don't feel so good." Elle mumbled with her head falling down onto the acrobat's thigh while Ty Lee cradled her closely.
"Foolish peasant! That's because you're not eating!" Azula exclaimed with her fists at her hips while Elle shrunk into a ball in her friend's lap.
"Stop it Azula! Just go find Elle food! I'll sit here with you until you return." Ty Lee declared in a voice much like an older sibling protecting her younger while she held her palms over Elle's paling face.
"Ugh! Fine! Mai! Let's go!" The princess shouted with a wave of her hand while the other woman nodded just as she followed after her.
But not before the markswoman stopped to gaze back at the younger girl once more.
"Hang in there little sister. We'll find you something." Mai remarked with her stoic tawny orbs softening in worry before she turned away while she walked after her leader.
"I-I love you Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl called out in a weakened voice with her innocent words prompting her princess to pause near the exit of the tent.
The acrobat's brown gray eyes began to mist up while she gently stroked the younger girl's hair with a compassionate hand.
"You are so fortunate that I am fond of you tiger monkey. I wouldn't put up with this nonsense from anyone else!" Azula scoffed with her beautiful face contorting into a glower before she stomped out of the tent while her maid's-tired eyes watched her exit the tent.
And her childhood friend followed after her while they were able to hear the acrobat speaking soothing words to the whimpering girl.
"It's going to be okay little sister. We're here for you." The brown-haired woman cooed in a compassionate voice as she drew the smaller girl into her toned arms while the maid hid her face in her chest.
And then her arm snaked around the serving girl's back while she held the coughing girl into her bosom.
"O-oneesan." The blonde-haired girl whimpered with her face turning white while she coughed into her big sister's breasts.
"Just lay down with me Elle…and I'll hold you. You don't have to talk. All you have to do is cuddle with me." Ty Lee spoke in a loving voice with a gentle look in her brown-gray eyes while she clutched the young girl into her chest.
"Y-yes Ty Lee. As you…command." Elle murmured with another cough while she smiled shyly when Ty Lee's strong hand ruffled the back of her head.
"You're such a sweetie Elle. Don't worry. I'll protect you." The brown-haired woman assured with her hands in the blonde's hair while she gazed down at the smaller girl seeking haven in her chest.
Any smile that was growing on her lips vanished when the girl released another heavy cough into her breast.
She couldn't fight the growing frown on her lips while she cradled the teenager into her bust.
That doesn't sound good.
Not good at all.
It wasn't too long afterward that three people were hiking down the forest path.
Azula's callous golden eyes grew more and more aggravated by the minute while Zoe and Mai continued casting one another hateful stares.
"Why do you have to bring her Azula?" Mai complained with loathing lacing her voice while Zoe spat at her boots in contempt.
"Because I am stronger than you Mai. Because I am the greatest warrior in this nation." Zoe remarked in a tone of upmost confidence while Mai rolled her eyes at her back.
"Please. You've clearly let your fame go to your head." The markswoman answered with a scowl while her bruised face gazed down the walking path that winded on ahead.
"Have I? That's rich. Coming from a woman that is weaker than me even when I only have one working arm. Even if I had all of my limbs cut off, I would still be stronger than you House Lin. Because you are shit." The captain taunted with a growing smirk while the other woman's tawny eyes pierced her skull only for her monarch's voice to sharply cut through the forest air.
"Enough! What are you two? Children!" Azula boomed in a supremely authoritative voice with Zoe still smirking at her right while Mai gritted her teeth on her opposite.
But she had to admit.
In all of the years that she has known Mai she has never seen anyone quite get to her like Zoe does.
Even she couldn't get this delightful of a reaction out of her.
But she mused that was most likely only because Zoe regularly took shots at her failed romance with Zuzu.
"Do you have any other talents Zoe? Other than cutting people up?" Mai questioned while she gazed at Zoe through the corner of her eye.
The princess studied her fingernails with a spark of amusement in her eyes while she watched her soldier's smirk grow even larger.
"Of course, I do! I am not only the greatest soldier in the Fire Nation but I am also the most popular noble. The people adore me…because I give my gold to the needy." Zoe commented with a sage nod while Azula's brow rose in entertainment.
And even though Mai didn't want to admit.
She couldn't help but gaze at the tall woman with a degree of surprise in her tawny orbs.
Once again, she never would have expected that Zoe would give money to the poor.
"You run a peasant charity Zoe?" The princess snorted in a mocking voice while the soldier in question nodded her head.
"I do princess. And you should do. Otherwise the resentment the people hold for you will continue to grow. Commoners don't tend respect a ruler that doesn't care if they die of starvation." The captain answered without delay with her arm in her makeshift sling while the princess's golden orbs now shone in anger.
"That isn't a talent Zoe. That just means that you have money. It doesn't take talent to toss coins to the hungry." The markswoman stated in a retorting voice while the soldier closed her eyes with a smirk still on her lips.
"I am also a…skilled lover with both men…and women. Which is more than can be said for you…given your pathetic romantic life." Zoe insulted with a smug wave of her hand while rage overtook Mai's face only for Azula to chuckle cruelly in returning amusement.
"Shut up. Cunt." Mai snapped in a pissed off voice before she stomped ahead of Zoe while the firebender laughed at her expense.
"Tell me princess. Zuko's your brother…he must have shared some tales with you about their relationship over the years." The captain quipped with a small smile while she stared after the weapons experts tensing back in delight.
And Azula just couldn't resist her red lips curling into a smile at the other woman's expense.
"Well…Zuzu has told me a thing or two." Azula drawled with a finger under her chin while Mai rounded around to glare back at her.
"Azula! Don't you even think about it!" The markswoman exclaimed with her eyes shaking in anger while her friend smirked back at her.
"Ah. Let me guess. She doesn't swallow." Zoe remarked with her boots crunching on the leaves below while she listened to Azula break out into an entertained laugh alongside her.
All the while Mai clenched her fists at her hips just as she began walking ahead at a much faster pace.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. My dear brother never really cared much for sex. He was always too obsessed over his honor. I suppose he and Mai have that in common. They both enjoy being miserable." The princess replied with a sophisticated smirk on her full lips while the soldier rose a brow in amusement.
"Well you know what they say princess. Misery loves company." The captain spoke with a never fading smirk while the nonbender stormed down the forest past ahead of them.
"Forget the both of you. I'll go search for food for Elle on my own. I don't need either of you to search for a fruit tree." Mai called out in a livid voice before she vanished over a hill while the two gazed after her.
A sigh escaped Azula's lips while she observed her friend angrily walking ahead of them.
All the while they continued to follow the up-hill path out of the heavily shaded forest.
About three long hours later.
The beyond aggravated princess finally planted her boot at the top of an overlook while she gazed down with observant golden orbs at the sloping landscape lain out before them.
Beside her stood the warrior stood with her fingertip pointing over the horizon.
The weapons expert was still marching ahead of them by at least a half hours pace.
And her lips once more pursed into a tight scowl while she stomped a boot in the grass below her.
Why couldn't that girl just eat the damn armadillo bear meat!
"The walk to the shore is that way princess. I posit this. We find enough fruit for Elle to survive on for maybe two days. And then we bring it back to her. And then we immediately the entire camp should embark on a hike to the shoreline. This will give us the optimum chance to flag down reinforcements." Zoe explained with her arm extended out before her while Azula turned to her in grudging approval.
"Whatever! Let's just get this over with!" Azula snarled while she rapidly resumed her stride into the valley below.
"Certainly princess. We can't allow your little girlfriend to go hungry." The captain answered in a playful voice with ever present sass in her voice while the royal woman's golden eyes now shone in great anger.
Mere moments later a bolt of lightning exploded over the otherwise calm forest air while many birds flew away in fright.
And then the princess stomped off ahead while the captain still stood smirking in knowing amusement behind her.
Three hours later.
The trio had walked at a speedy pace with the weapons expert still in the front just as they came upon another overlook.
The three women stopped with a look of relief flashing in their eyes when they saw an ever so slight hint of water in the far distance.
"The ocean." Mai spoke in a calmer voice while she gazed at the sight before her.
"I speculate…that it's about a three to four day walk from here." Zoe announced with her darky hair swaying in the breeze while Azula folded her arms over her breasts.
"We'll continue for three more hours!" Azula declared in a short-tempered voice before she brushed past the soldier while she strode on with her callous eyes glaring ahead in anger.
"Sooner or later we'll find a fruit tree of some sort." The captain offered in a helpful voice that only angered the royal woman even further.
"Damn you uncle! You will suffer for this transgression!" The princess shouted with her fists clenching over her armored chest.
And for once Zoe and Mai didn't argue.
Most likely because the two were just as fed up as she was.
About twenty minutes later the unlikely trio continued down the tropical pathway.
Only for Azula to gaze at Zoe in a questioning manner when the noblewoman held out her arm to halt her.
"Wait princess." Zoe stated while the other two women gazed at her oddly when she knelt down to eye the forest floor.
"What is it?" Mai pondered in a sighing voice while the soldier's hand cleared some leaves from their walking path.
That was when Azula and Mai's eyes narrowed when they saw what the other woman was inspecting.
A human footprint!
"We're not alone on this island." The captain remarked in a colder voice while the princess scowled down at the footprint.
'It's just as Nako suggested! Someone is trying to pick us off while we grow weak and hungry.' Azula thought with her red lips now entrenched into a scowl.
While Zoe remained crouched over the grass with her hardened hazel eyes staring down at her fingertips.
That was when she heard it.
The familiar subtle swishing sound of an arrow cutting through the air!
A sound that only a veteran soldier like herself would notice!
The trio jumped back in startlement when a steel arrow almost tore open the princess's throat.
The royal firebender had just barely side stepped in time to avoid a fatal injury!
All three of them tensed up with their backs turned to one another while their paranoid eyes scanned everything in sight.
"More assassins! When I find you, I will tear you apart limb by limb!" The princess called out in a malicious voice with her beautiful features adorning a wrathful scowl while she spun around in a maddened circle.
Only for her soldier to take her by surprise when she the warrior leap for the tree line.
"I've found you." Zoe spoke with her right hand swiftly unsheathing her sword while her companions watched her run towards a tall section of trees.
Another steel arrow bolt fired through the air only for the warrior's sword to rapidly block it before it was sent hurtling to the ground at her boots.
"You asked me why I brought her Mai." Azula commented with a returning smile while she stared on in approval while Zoe effortlessly deflected another bolt from her assassin.
Mai was silent as she gazed on with widening tawny eyes while she watched Zoe block a third bolt with her sword in awe.
'This is insane! It's like she isn't even tired!' The markswoman thought with reluctant astonishment in her while the berserk soldier caught a fourth bolt with the brunt of her blade.
"Is that all you've got!" The captain yelled out with a roar while several more steel bolts plunged through the trees.
Only to be swept aside with a meticulous swing of her sword while her hazel gaze narrowed before she sprang high into the air.
And then the captain flipped through the air with astounding agility before she tore straight through the green leaves of a towering tree.
Not a moment later her two companions stared up with narrowing eyes when a figure jumped from the tree.
Five more bolts fired from the steel cross bow while the sniper leaped away in fright when he saw that the monstrous soldier cut aside his arrows with frightening accuracy.
'Impossible! I was told that she would be significantly weakened by her injuries!' The sniper thought with his green eyes widening in horror while he jumped from tree branch to tree branch.
Only to find himself gazing ahead in terror to see the abnormally strong woman descending above him.
"You're dead!" Zoe shouted in a murderous voice with orange fire exploding from her body that knocked the terrified assassin off his balance.
And then…
Not even five seconds later the mighty warrior gracefully jumped past the stunned sniper with her blade now stained in fresh blood.
Crash!
The wounded man plunged through the tree branches below right before Azula's boots.
The monarch turned to her astonished friend while she gazed down at the kneeling man with a cruel smirk on her crimson lips.
"That…is why." The princess concluded with a smug smile just as she lazily brushed her hair from her golden eyes.
And just like that the soldier elegantly dropped through the trees as she landed on her feet before them.
"Tell us who you are and who sent you." The captain demanded with her right hand holding her bloodied sword while she gazed hard down at the blood-stained man as he fearfully attempted to crawl away.
Only to find his back hitting the tree and an ominous figure now looming high above him.
Azula stared down at the assassin with penetrating golden eyes that were already making the man sweat in horror as he futilely tried to back further away from her.
That was when they all three of the highborn women heard it.
A rustling in the trees above.
At first, they thought it was another assassin.
They tensed up in wariness only for a circular object to fall down at their surprised feet.
The red fruit rolled to stop while Mai gazed down at it with widened tawny eyes.
"It's…a bigger apple tree with…ripe fruit." The markswoman muttered in a stunned voice before turning her gaze down to the panicking man.
How unfortunate for him she mused before she bent down to collect the apple with an open palm.
The princess gazed between her cornered attacker and the tree with her anger giving way to pleasure before she turned to smile down at the trembling sniper.
"We've been looking for apples. And you led us right to it. How kind of you." Azula purred in a smug chuckle with her arms crossed over her breasts while she watched more apples rain down from above.
The sound of unripe apples hitting the forest floor dominated the forest scenery.
Yet in the midst of it was the occasional luscious red apple.
The princess observed the delightful scene with a wide smirk on her lips while she gazed down at yet another apple rolling to the ground at her boots.
That was at least ten apples!
Enough to feed her girlfriend for over a day!
It was a strange thing. To go to such lengths for a serving girl of all people. And yet…
She couldn't help herself.
"Some…only some House Lin. But enough all the same. We thank you. As a show of gratitude. Perhaps…we'll let you live if you talk." Zoe quipped with sass in her voice while she gazed down at the cowering man only for Azula to gaze at her in a questioning manner.
And once more the markswoman couldn't help but shudder in pity for the downed assassin.
"Perhaps. But only if you speak." The princess responded in cold voice before she stomped her boot on the sniper's face while he shook in terror beneath the sole of her boot.
Her golden eyes narrowed into slits while she crushed her foot against his trembling face while he shook under the weight of her death glare.
"I-I'm already mortally wounded! Short of a doctor…I won't be walking away alive. So…fuck you cunt. Y-you're not the Earth Queen. You're…just some dumb bitch…that can't see the forest for the trees." The sniper declared with a brief burst of bravery while the princess's golden eyes glared down at him in unfathomable rage.
Mai visibly winced as she shook her head.
Only a fool would think that Azula couldn't make their passing more painful.
Not a second later a scream of pain resonated high into the treetops when Azula's boot sparked with blue fire in the now wailing man's eyes.
Azula stomped down harder on the screaming man's face with the sole of her boot now heated like a steaming hot iron.
"I am the Earth Queen. And you are just a peasant…I presume. Now tell me who sent you!" The princess snapped in a frightening voice while she stooped over the howling man as she used his face as a footstool.
And then Zoe knelt down on the sniper's other side while she gazed back into his trembling green eyes with a callous gaze that rivaled Azula's.
"Princess…this weapon is a modified Earth Kingdom crossbow." The captain commented in a cool-headed voice while she peered up at her leader's intrigued face.
"I see. So…you're a dirt peasant." Azula spoke with a superior undertone in her arrogant voice before she ground her searing sole into the screaming man's eyes.
And Mai had already long since turned away while she gazed off with a flicker of disgust in her eyes.
It was beyond her how Azula could think so low of every other commoner but Elle.
And then look such a nice girl in the eye and not be sickened with herself.
'And you wonder why assassins are after your head Azula. And not mine. And not Ty Lee's.' The markswoman thought with a scowl on her lips while the princess still stood on the shrieking man's face.
"I-I'm a mercenary! I'm…a part of a larger band! We…w-were paid to kill you!" The assassin confessed in a terrified voice while the tall royal woman still smirked down at him.
"Really? Well you're not a very good mercenary. And not very smart either. Who hired you! Tell me! Or I'll castrate you with a heated blade!" The princess bellowed in a furious voice with a hand resting on her knee while she pressed down on the wailing man with the bulk of her weight.
The doomed man collapsed in despair under her boot while she continued grinding her heated sole into his now sobbing face.
Zoe remained crouched before the whimpering man with her blade still in hand while she watched him scream with pitiless hazel eyes.
"Speak peasant! Or I'll burn it off!" Azula roared with her golden eyes forming a soul piercing stare that had her captured attacker releasing a delectable scream.
"I-I…I w-work for-" The sniper attempted to admit only for a projectile to pierce his throat before he could go say another word.
The three highborn women stared down with surprised eyes while the now lifeless man slumped to the ground beneath Azula's boot.
The princess gazed up into the trees with dangerously narrowed golden eyes while she listened very closely for any signs of movement.
That was when an explosion pierced the forest air while the trio sprang backwards in shock to see that the apple tree had erupted into a blazing inferno.
The three stunned women dropped to the ground in a state of shock while they gazed up at the burning tree with a shared rage in each of their gazes.
And they all knew that it was done on purpose.
Whoever did it only did so because they witnessed their joy upon finding the apple tree!
"The tree…it's gone." Mai spoke in a voice with rage in her voice while she gazed down into her palm in shame to see that she had dropped the apple in her panic.
And for once the royal woman was stricken into an enraged silence.
Azula clenched her incensed fists at her womanly hips while her entire body trembled in unimaginable outrage.
It took over six hours to find that apple tree! And now it's all gone!
Zoe stood in a combat stand beside her while the warrior watched with a narrowed hazel gaze while a figure began to slowly emerge from the foliage.
"Was that tree important to you? My apologies. Well. If it's any consolation. There's a lot of trees on this island…maybe you'll find another." A distorted voice called out in a taunt while the three highborn women listened in rising anger.
The infuriated princess turned to watch an odd heavy figure step into their view.
They all stared at the peculiar figure with bafflement in their angered eyes while a white mask now gazed back at them.
The figure was hunched over with a black cloak covering the rest of his body.
While blue eyes now stared back at their faces in an almost disregarding fashion from behind the wooden mask.
"What…is that?" The markswoman inquired in a mutually furious voice with a blade in hand while the soldier crouched alongside her.
"It appears to be…some sort of…large puppet." The captain stated with her sword pointing at the expressionless wooden face.
"I look forward to hearing you scream when I pull you out of your little toy." The princess hissed as she began to walk forward with menace in her step.
Just as the bizarre contraption turned to follow her movement with the owner's eyes staring back at her intently.
"What a useless sniper. I should have killed him more painfully." The puppeteer complained with its bulky head moving to gaze at the royal woman's callous face once more.
While the other two women began to surround it just as cold blue eyes still followed their movements with the upmost care.
"In any event…we'll be killing you shortly." Zoe spoke just as she strode forward with her hazel eyes staring at the oblong puppet while it seemed to tilt its head back at her.
And then the soldier took off in a sprint jumping straight at their strange opponent.
While Azula gazed on with icy golden eyes that widened in slight fascination when the contraption drew a built-in blade with astonishing precision.
And then the soldier's sword made the puppet's blade while the firebender pushed back on it with growing intrigue in her eyes.
"Azula…I have never seen anything like that before. Who…fights in a puppet?" Mai questioned in a bewildered voice with her eyes flickering to her leader's emotionless face.
All the while they watched closely when the strange thing jumped away with agility one wouldn't expect from something so heavy.
"You…I've seen you before. I saw you fight Jaran." The puppet master declared in a disguised voice while the swordswoman piqued a brow inquisitively.
The statement took the three fighters aback while the firebender eyed their attack with narrowing hazel eyes.
"And what of it?" The captain inquired in a frigid voice before she sprang into the air with blinding speed while she descended over the now stationary contraption.
And then an explosion of orange fire lit the clearing while the other two women covered their faces as they gazed on through the heavy smoke.
The contraption sat with sear marks on its face while its head turned around in search of the unseen firebender.
Only for the sound of cracking wood to fill the forest air when the captain caught the puppeteer unawares.
Countless wooden pieces flew onto the forest floor while the princess still watched with a sliver of intrigue in her golden gaze.
And now the puppet sat with its cloak cut into shreds while its body began to crack in a thin line down the length of its entire surface.
"Your toy is broken. Show yourself!" Zoe exclaimed with her blade pointing down into the cracked wood just as a feminine chuckle sounded off from within.
Only for a smoke bomb to detonate in the captain's face while she covered her mouth in practiced ease.
Azula held her sleeve over her mouth while she stared into the giant smoke cloud while the voice continued to tauntingly laugh back at them.
"Get back to your…tiger monkey Azula. She needs her princess charming." Silah spoke in a taunting voice with an amused smile on her lips while the royal woman's golden eyes now boiled over in unfathomable rage.
The markswoman flinched when Azula's jaw clenched in fury like she has never before seen.
A rage so great that she feared that the princess would shun any and all future affections to the innocent young girl.
And just as quickly as the mysterious woman arrived.
The trio now gazed into the clearing smoke with frustration in their eyes to see that there was no sign of their attacker.
"Get back here! I'm not done with you yet!" The princess bellowed in an infuriated voice with her regal lips pursed into a tight scowl.
"She escaped." The captain grunted before she wiped the blood of her blade and then swiftly sheathed it at her hip.
"I can see that Zoe! And she burned the damn apple tree too!" Azula snapped with her teeth clenched in her anger while her golden eyes swept over the burned ruins of the tree.
Over six hours of walking! All for nothing!
Just so she can go back to hear the girl cry about how she refuses to eat meat!
"This is probably going to make you even angrier. But we should just go back…sleep a few hours and trek back with the whole camp. It's best that we stay together with assassins lurking about. And the more people we have…the quicker we'll find her food." Zoe advised as she turned away while her two companions looked furious over the day's efforts having all been for nothing.
Without even replying the princess stomped past the dejected markswoman while she clenched her fists at her womanly hips.
"All of this! All for nothing!" The princess called out in her fury while she exhaled blue fire through her nostrils.
Yet even though she wouldn't admit it aloud.
This encounter with two more assassins made her concerned for a possible attack on the camp while they were away.
She knew well enough that her forces were more than capable of fending off any assault.
But yet she found herself pondering if her girlfriend has been attacked while was away.
"I can't believe that this was just a waste of time." The markswoman groaned as she angrily took off after the other two women.
Just before she gazed back at the destroyed apple tree with a flicker of guilt in her tawny eyes.
Only to turn away a moment later while she released a sigh under her breath.
Later on, that night.
The acrobat slept in an uneasy sleep with younger girl's face resting upon her toned stomach while her palms sat in her adopted sister's sleeping hair.
In between the girl's snores the serving girl would erupt into noisy coughs like clockwork every few minutes.
Ty Lee's brown-gray eyes opened up the moment she heard someone open the flap of the tent.
She turned her head around to find herself gazing up at Azula's utterly exhausted face while the royal woman glared down at her.
Golden eyes stared down at her in such a foul tempered manner that she couldn't help but shiver under the monarch's wrathful stare.
"H-how did it go Azula?" The brown-haired woman asked only for her stomach to drop when the princess looked as if she was about to burn down the tent in her anger.
"Just marvelous Ty Lee." Azula spoke in a livid voice before she lazily plopped down on her ass beside the other woman.
The acrobat swallowed while gazed between her young friend's coughing face before she voiced her mind.
"Is…there food for Elle?" Ty Lee inquired in a nervous voice to find herself shivering when Azula's narrowed into a penetrating glare.
It looked as if Azula was doing everything humanly possible not to blow up while the girl was asleep.
"The same food that there was when I left twelve hours ago." The princess answered in a beyond infuriated voice while the acrobat gazed back at her in disbelief.
"You…didn't find anything?" The brown-haired woman inquired in a terribly distraught voice while the royal woman grunted in anger.
"We were attacked by an assassin. And then we found an apple tree right in the very same spot that Zoe cut the fool down. Just as I was torturing the information out of him…another assassin delivered a fatal blow…" Azula trailed off with tremendous anger in her voice while Ty Lee shivered as she gazed back at her curiously.
"Oh. What happened to the apples?" Ty Lee queried with sisterly worry in her protective eyes while Azula gritted her teeth in humiliation.
"The wretch burned the tree and every ripe apple into ashes." The princess revealed with cold anger lacing her regal voice while the acrobat's mouth sunk into a thin line.
The usually kind woman was gazing on with shared rage in her eyes just as the girl coughed on her belly once more.
"I…see." The brown-haired woman muttered in a tone of soured spirits while she lay there on her back.
"Give her to me. Without waking her up." Azula ordered in what she hoped was an aloof voice while Ty Lee turned to her in surprise.
And despite Ty Lee's great concern for Elle's well being and her own building frustrations.
The acrobat couldn't help but sigh as she nodded with the hints of a smile on her lips.
"Alright Azula…she missed you." Ty Lee informed before she gently grasped a hold of Elle's shoulders while Azula eyed the smaller girl with a seemingly cold gaze.
And then the petite girl's head was set on Azula's robed belly while a warm palm lowered into her hair.
"Of course, she did. An acrobat doesn't compare to a princess." The princess scoffed with a tired roll of her eyes while she gazed down at her young girlfriend curling up in her lap.
"Right Azula. How could I? What are we doing to do now?" The brown-haired woman sighed with frustration in her voice while gazed on at the adorable scene.
The snoring girl curled up with another cough while she grasped at the older female's robes just as her face buried her face in her girlfriend's shirt covered belly.
"I am going to sleep for a few hours. And then…we're going to pack up and start walking to the shoreline. We're bound to find more food for this tiger monkey along the way." Azula announced as her legs sprawled out on the tent floor while she held a hand in Elle's hair.
The other woman looked noticeably relaxed as soon as she heard that.
All the while she found herself cracking a smile over how Azula was already tending to Elle in a protective manner very unlike the firebender.
"Good. I am glad to hear it. What about your attackers?" Ty Lee asked with a trace of worry in her voice while Azula scowled once more.
"That infernal woman made it sound like the camp was under attack while I was away. And so, I came back to check on this one here. Only to find out that there was no attack…and that it was just a stupid game to waste my time." The princess replied in an icy voice with a snort while the acrobat listened with understanding in her eyes.
'I still can't believe that Azula did all of that for Elle! It's…nothing short of astonishing!' The brown-haired woman thought with awe in her eyes while the young girl lovably snored on the royal woman's robed belly.
"The next time I see her…she is going to die tasting the ashes of despair. Along with anyone else who should be foolish enough to stand in my way." Azula snarled in a wrathful voice with her full lips pursing into yet another malicious sneer.
"Of course, they will Azula. Do you want me to go back to my tent?" Ty Lee questioned in a soft voice so as to avoid waking her little sister up.
"No. You can stay. Just don't wake me up…. or I will destroy you." The princess spoke in a yawn while she stared down at her young girlfriend's grudgingly adorable sleeping face.
"Got it Azula." The brown-haired woman assured in a chuckle while she yawned herself before she took to sprawling out on her side.
"Azula-sama…" Elle murmured in an asleep voice with a cough while Azula gazed down at her just as her palm grasped at the back of her head.
"You stay right where you are peasant…" Azula trailed off with her fingers dancing in her maid's hair while Elle sleepily curled up upon her belly.
The acrobat closed her eyes with a smile on her lips despite all that they have been through since they became stranded on this island.
And soon enough the princess herself closed her eyes while her red lips curved into a softened smirk when the teenager in her lap resumed her adorable snoring.
Such a difficult girlfriend this one is.
But to her liking all the same.
Somewhere far away on the island.
A shadowed figure sat on a ridge gazing down with a deranged smile on her lips.
The puppeteer ran her tongue along her lips while she gazed down at the forest below with maddened interest in her eyes.
"I can't wait…to go to this new world and see what wonders await there. I just have to be patient. All things are possible…in time." Silah spoke to herself just as her emotionless blue eyes turned to gaze at the tall robed figure standing lifelessly behind her.
The former Earth King's deceased green eyes stared on ahead while his long pony tail swayed in the wind just as it had when he was alive.
"Isn't that right Jaran?" The puppeteer remarked with a deranged smirk while she turned her eyes back to the forest below.
Yes, indeed.
All she had to do is wait.
And she will find what she seeks.
Good things come to those who wait.
AN:
First off, allow me to get to Agent Banana's question. To be honest I hadn't really thought of that yet but I might.
I have mostly been considering writing an Elle Gaiden which will show how her life went from being joyful to many years of misery with the death of her parents. This would allow us to see the terrible pain that she went through, and come to understand why she fears her brother so deeply.
But even though it will be highly depressing at times, it will end on a hopeful note. Because we know that she eventually finds her home in Team Azula.
A few things to go over.
First, a very big character was introduced this chapter, the puppeteer, Silah is going to be a very powerful antagonist over book one and possibly into the other books. The story will have many villains and antagonists.
In some ways you could even consider Azula a villain protagonist for the time being. And the Gaang hero antagonists. But that said.
Silah is more definitely a villain, and a very demented one at that.
Now, while she isn't necessarily an ultimate big bad, she may well end up being one of the strongest villains over the course of the series. There are dark secrets to her peculiar power and her odd style of fighting. As we will find out later on.
And yes, in case anyone was wondering. The figure at the end with the puppeteer was the former Earth King Jaran.
You might be wondering, he's dead. So, how is he standing beside her?
That too we will find out later. As I stated earlier about Jaran. He is a prominent figure in the story, even though he is already dead. He was one of the strongest benders from the timeline before the story began. And that is why it is so significant to the White Lotus that they now have his daughter as their ally.
Secondly, let's go over Elle's diet.
Elle may be naive and she may be innocent but she stands true to her beliefs. Even if it ends up costing her very life. Her mother Lana, raised her to follow a path of love and peace. And despite her mother dying when she was only five years old.
Elle took those words to heart and she refuses to go back on that.
Now, there are obviously complications to such a belief system. Most notably when the woman she is madly in love with is a known war monger who has no interest in such pacifistic notions.
This puts Elle in a difficult situation. She understands that Azula hurts people but she still loves Azula. And she doesn't want to lose her newfound happiness. For this reason she will help Azula oppose Aang and the others.
But that doesn't mean that Elle is down with killing. Just like Aang, she will go to pain staking efforts to avoid taking anyone's life, and try her hardest to convince people of authority, such as Azula and Zoe to show mercy.
She also sees fighting for Azula as necessary for her own survival. There are people that are after her and without the security of Azula's powerful protection she knows that she will be powerless when they come for her.
So, that said, she takes this very seriously and she is just one of those people that would never eat meat of any kind.
When writing this story, I tried my best to keep Elle's beliefs from all of the sudden causing Azula to change her own.
So, while Elle isn't going to lecture Azula, or anyone else to live the way she lives. If Azula puts cooked meat in her face, even with the intention of helping her. She is going to react in disgust and refuse to eat it every time.
But anyhow.
Regarding Silah, her presence will be felt throughout the coming chapters as Team Azula feels that they are being watched at times. But it will be a long while before we see her in detail.
When she does make an appearance, it will be brief like in this chapter but it will showcase her aura of power and ominous nature at the same time. We are going to be building her up for a while before she officials enters the story more frequently.
And in case anyone else is wondering. Yes, Silah is partly inspired by Sasori from Naruto with some key differences, and partly inspired by other characters through out several manga and anime.
So, anyway.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!
The next chapter will mostly bring the stranded arc to a close and we will cover the final details in the following chapter afterward. And then they will finally leave the island.
Stay tuned next time.
For chapter fifty-three! Retribution!