Hey everyone!
I decided to post this one sooner than later.
As usual I want to send a shout-out to the people who have favorited, followed and reviewed my story over the last few days.
As always, please continue to favorite, follow and review.
If you see any significant grammar errors please let me know.
Without further ado, please enjoy the chapter.
Retribution – Chapter Fifty-Three
Yet again the sound of the teenager's stomach growling resounded into the royal tent while Elle lay on her side refusing to face the woman kneeling over her.
And the two noblewomen exchanged a dejected glance while Azula prodded their adopted sister's back with a frustrated hand.
"Eat it peasant!" Azula commanded in a voice akin to parental with her palm on the girl's back while she held the cooked meat before her maid's paling face.
"No." Elle answered in an adamant voice as she turned away from Azula's glowering face while the much taller woman hovered over her.
"Do you have any idea what I went through for you yesterday? I walked for twelve hours to search for fruit! And now I have to do it all over again while we carry your feeble body on our back!" The princess complained with a regal scowl entrenched on her red lips while the teenager shrunk under her glare.
"You know Azula. It might help if you said all of that without insult?" Ty Lee suggested with her hands on her hips.
"Waste of breath." Mai stated as usual with a heavy sigh while she gazed down at Elle's back.
That puppeteer has been spying on them for quite some time.
She's toying with Azula.
She burned the apple tree and tricked Azula into walking back just so she could get the satisfaction of pissing the princess off.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama…but I will wait for…fruit. I'll be alright…really." The blonde-haired girl assured in another cough while she held her hand over her chest while the princess tightened her grip on the meat stick in her anger.
It went without saying that all three women were taken aback by adamant Elle was about never wavering in her beliefs.
Even at the cost of her own health.
"Azula. This is a waste of time. We should just pack up camp and leave." The markswoman advised as she turned to stare down at the royal woman's crouched back.
"Ugh! You're a real thorn in my ass Elle! I hope you know that!" Azula snapped before she stood up with her golden eyes glaring down at the curled-up girl at her feet.
"Sumimasen Azula-sama." Elle murmured with the barest hints of a blush on her cheeks while she listened to Azula release a snort of contempt above her.
"Good. I have said it before and I will continue saying it a thousand times over. You are lucky that I like you Elle." The princess scoffed in a haughty voice before she turned around and strode past her two childhood friends.
"I know princess." The blonde-haired girl answered in a quiet voice while the princess glanced back at her one more time before she exited the flap of the tent.
The two noblewomen exchanged an amazed glance while they watched their leader walk away.
And then they turned their attentions back to the younger girl while the blonde continued to produce noisy coughs that worried them greatly.
About twenty minutes later.
The nurse stepped out of the tent before she made her way back over to where her monarch stood awaiting her diagnosis.
The princess stared back at her with cold golden eyes while she sunk into a low bow on all fours before her pointed boots.
"Well, Shii! Out with it. What do you make of the girl's condition?" Azula questioned in a stern voice with her hands on her hips while she gazed down at the nurse's prostrated form.
"W-well I can't speak for the cause of her lung condition Your Highness. I agree that she should be taken to the Fire Nation Medical Center for further evaluation. Her breathing is worsening because she is away from the oxygen machine that you supplied her. Quite simply put. You need to get her back on her nightly oxygen until her condition is adequately diagnosed." Shii explained in a serious voice while Azula stared down at her with her lips pursing into a thin line.
'It's only been three days and it's this bad?' The princess thought with a snort of blue fire escaping her nostrils while she scowled down at the intimidated woman.
"Due to a combination of that…and not having any food for what's going on three and a half days her immune system is starting to decline. If you want my honest opinion…" The nurse trailed off in an uncertain voice while the royal woman still gazed down at her.
"Go on. You may speak." Azula commented with a wave of her hand while Shii nervously met her stern golden gaze.
"I…wouldn't worry about it…considering that reinforcements are bound to arrive within a day or two. But I don't think that she will survive three weeks on this island." Shii responded as she gazed up into Azula's taken aback golden eyes with a grave countenance.
For once the princess stood speechless.
Any words of response swiftly died in her throat while the young nurse stared up at her.
"She just can't handle it. The girl is just too sick. And I don't mean sick from hunger princess. She's terribly ill. If you really want to keep her around…then I suggest you do everything you can to find out what's wrong with her." The nurse concluded as she averted her eyes from the monarch's taken aback gaze.
Azula stood in silence while she grasped at the hem of her pants with a strange emotion briefly flashing in her hardened golden eyes.
For some reason the prospect of losing her maid sent made her heart twist up in apprehension.
After all that she and this peasant girl have been through together.
She couldn't stand the thought of being without her cheerful servant.
"Your counsel has been received Shii. Now go and get ready. We depart for the shore in one hour." The princess ordered in a rigid voice while she turned away to glare off into the trees.
"Yes, my princess. As you command." Shii answered as she arose with her head bowed in respect.
And then she walked off.
Azula did not respond.
The monarch still stood gazing away with something akin to an unsettled look in her cold golden eyes.
And then the regal woman clenched her fists with flames spewing from her lips while she began to stomp towards the camp.
She isn't going to lose this one.
Two hours later.
Azula's forces were now trekking across the distant horizon.
While the princess herself walked with the captain beside her.
The royal pilot nervously followed after the two powerful firebenders while soldiers and workers strode ahead of them.
The acrobat leaned on her walking stick while a spark of pain flashed in her eyes every time that she stepped down.
She wore her boot once more on her broken ankle.
She had no choice but to shed the blanket cast so she could make the hike.
Truth be told the blanket cast didn't work all that well. But that wasn't the point.
What mattered was that her little sister made it for her.
Her warm brown-gray eyes flickered to the young girl on her fellow noblewoman's back while a small smile formed on her lips as she gazed at the two.
The stoic markswoman now walked with the teenager hanging onto her back while she braced the young girl's legs as she carried her down the pathway.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu oneesan." Elle mumbled with her face pressing into Mai's hair while she hugged the noblewoman around the neck.
"It's nothing little sister. You're family. And I take care of family." Mai spoke with a small smile on her lips while she gently held onto Elle's feet.
"I…love you Mai." The blonde-haired girl declared in a lovable voice with a bashful smile while she hid in the tall woman's neck.
"I love you too kiddo." The markswoman answered with a fond smile while gazed at the younger girl's adorable face through the corner of her eye.
Elle's arms hung over Mai's chest while the serving girl retreated into the crook of the noblewoman's neck.
And her big sister continued to carry her with relative ease while tawny eyes occasionally gazed down at her in unconcealed concern.
And Azula found herself unable to resist gazing back at the teenager with a sliver of jealously in her cold eyes.
But she knew well enough that she couldn't be seen carrying a serving girl in front of her army.
Soon enough a soft snoring sound filtered into the air while Mai gazed down at Elle with fond tawny eyes.
And Ty Lee giggled while she gazed at the adorable scene with a loving grin on her lips.
And not one person so much as dared to say a single word about how Elle got to sleep while they walked.
Most likely because everyone was cowering in fear while Azula's callous golden eyes still swept about in a way that made most present feel as if they were about to piss their pants.
"That's so pink Mai." The brown-haired woman stated in a quiet voice while the taller noblewoman walked with a slight grin on her lips as the small girl snored in her hair.
"It is." The markswoman agreed with her hands carefully bracing the girl's feet while her little sister's face hid in her dark hair.
'I'm going to miss this kid.' Mai thought with a momentary flash of sadness in her eyes while she savored the way that Elle slept on her back.
It was…pleasant.
Having someone so innocent to protect.
Many hours later.
Zoe's hazel eyes were on the look out while she stared up at the trees as they made, their way through the mountain valley.
In the distance the oceans waters seemed to be slowly growing closer and closer.
They had already walked further than they had the day before.
Yet she knew well enough that it was at least two days walk away.
The expedition continued on as they made their way through the flattened valley.
The hike seemed to be going smoothly.
Until one man cried out to Azula while she turned around to gaze in the soldier's general direction.
"Princess! The ground here…it seems…soft." The soldier called out while he gazed down at the slightly softened grass.
While the princess's golden eyes peered down at her feet with her brows furrowing thoughtfully while she pushed down on it with her boot.
And that was when it happened.
Suddenly her golden eyes widened when the ground began to shake beneath her boot while she spun around to yell out an order to her Dai Li.
"Dai Li! Earthbenders! Negate them now!" Azula bellowed with a furious countenance while the men yelled out in agreement.
"Yes princess!" The Dai Li Leader shouted just as they slammed their hands into the shaking earth.
Only for their eyes to widen when an erupting sound exploded from the ground beneath their feet.
"What's going on Azula!" Ty Lee asked in a worried voice while the ground still tremored beneath her boots.
Not a second later her eyes grew wide in fear when magma began to bubble onto the surface from an open hole.
She began to back away with Mai alongside her as they stared down in fright.
Mai steadied the sleeping Elle on her back before they sprang ahead while the ground continued to crack beneath their feet.
And the princess turned in a circle with her golden eyes now agape in anger while the pilot stared at her in terror.
"They are trying to trigger a volcanic eruption princess!" Nako exclaimed in a panic while Azula glanced down at her before waving her ahead.
"I can see that Nako!" The princess barked as she took off with her forces making a mad dash to escape the collapsing valley.
All the while her wrathful eyes never lost sight of her prone maid on her the noblewoman's back.
Just after the group made it out of the range of the burst of magma the ground continued to shift underneath their feet.
And the Dai Li continued to negate what they could by bending the earth closest to them.
But even so a great many of Azula's people were injured or non fighters.
The ground sunk below them before it finally came to a stop.
And Azula now stood with her boots entrenched in the dirt while she turned to glare up at the raised ground with callously narrowed eyes.
The entirety of the monarch's forces now gazed up at the mound of dirt while Zoe now stood with her sword in hand.
The workers with no combat ability whatsoever like Shii could only tremble as their heart raced while they turned to Azula for guidance.
The two noblewomen stood back to back with the teenager on the weapons experts back.
Only to find themselves staring up at a large guerilla force of earthbenders gazing back down at them over the raised mound of earth.
"Your orders princess?" The Dai Li Leader pondered in an unfettered voice while the royal woman held out a hand to signal him to wait.
"You are going to regret obstructing my path." Azula hissed in a murderous voice as she glared up at the apparent leader as he stepped forward.
The man was of average height, and he wore green robes with a tan trim.
He wore his hair in a bun and he had had a large beard that accented his features.
He gazed down at her with hateful green eyes.
To which she gazed back up at him with a cruel sneer on her full lips.
Elle hung on Mai's back with her eyes now opening up while she gazed up at the scene with her eyes widening in concern.
And then she turned to her master for guidance.
"Azula-sama? What's going on?" Elle asked in a cough while Azula glanced at her from over her shoulder with her domineering eyes softening for just a moment.
"Just stay with Mai servant. This is nothing but a brief roadblock." The princess spoke in a strict voice before she turned to stare back up at the man's angered face.
"It will be alright Elle." Ty Lee stated in a voice of reassurance while she held a hand on the coughing girl's back.
Saro stood behind his captain with his fellow soldiers while they waited for Zoe's order to attack.
"We don't recognize your rule Azula. You're nothing but a vile monster. The Earth Kingdom denounces you and your father!" Hoshin declared with his green eyes narrowing back at Azula's sadistically smirking face.
And Mai remained silent while she glared at Azula through the corner of her eye.
It always goes back to Azula.
Now assassins are trying to kill almost one hundred people just because of the woman's cruelty.
The princess's forces stood together while the injured and the nonfighters stood in the back shielded by the able bodied.
"Do you now? How heartbreaking. I'll just have to make an example of the lot of you then. I imagine that will end your little…rebellion quite handily. Don't you think so Ty Lee?" Azula remarked in a pitiless voice while the acrobat stared away in discomfort.
"Yeah Azula…. I do." The brown-haired woman answered in an apprehensive voice while her friend's golden eyes briefly flashed with annoyance before she gazed back up at the rebels.
'So…my uncle not only ambushed me. But he left a band of marauders on the island to besiege and murder us. How noble.' The princess thought with a small puff of fire exuding from her nostrils while Hoshin's voice rang out into the valley air.
"Hear us now tyrant! We don't serve you! We serve Princess Ling! Heir to Earth King Jaran!" The rebel leader roared with a finger pointing down at the now stunned gathering.
A speechless silence spread throughout the air while even Zoe gazed up with her hazel eyes flashing in disbelief.
And Elle continued to gaze between her family and the rebel forces with rapidly disconcerted amber eyes.
Azula's golden eyes flashed with a spark of surprise while she gazed up in disbelief.
That's impossible!
She already knew that Long Feng killed off the previous Earth King's family when he took the throne with his puppet king!
"The Earth Kingdom Royal Family was slain by Long Feng over ten years ago." The captain called out with her sword in her right hand while the rebel still shouted down at them.
"Princess Ling survived! And now she has already begun retaking the Earth Kingdom! We are going to kill you Azula! And anyone who stands beside you! This island is your grave Azula!" Hoshin announced in a wrathful voice with the ground rumbling beneath his feet while his band of forces moved into position.
The ominous statement terrified the noncombatants such as Shii.
The princess stood with her lips agape in both shock and anger to hear that an heir to the Earth Kingdom throne was stirring up a bigger rebellion.
If this…princess is going around from town to town. It won't be long before she inspires a much bigger rebel army than the one commanded by her fat uncle!
She clenched her jaw in her fury while she spewed flames from her lips.
"P-Princess I am not a fighter. W-what do I do?" Shii inquired in a frightened voice while Azula turned to regard her with a cold stare.
"Those that cannot fight stay in the rear! Do as I tell you! Obey my every order! And you will leave this island alive!" Azula declared ordered in a harsh voice before she gazed up to regard the rebel army in cold anger.
"That earthbender…he is skilled." Zoe stated as she gazed at her monarch while Azula released a snide snort.
"Compared to our skill Zoe. It is nothing." The princess replied in a sanguine voice with her palm falling to her sheathed blade at her hip.
All the while knowing that she couldn't afford to use her defensive ability again so soon.
It was too great of a risk to chance her chi burning out again for a second time on this isle.
With that in mind she grasped the hilt of her sword before she bent over in a sword drawing stance while her cold gaze never left the rebel leader standing above her.
"Kill anyone and everyone down there! And above all…even at the cost of all our lives! Kill that monster!" The rebel leader shouted with his hand pointing down at the royal woman's furious face.
The two noblewomen exchanged a worried glance while they stared pointedly at the other woman's back.
It was obvious to both Mai and Ty Lee that even though Azula wasn't letting it show.
That it greatly angered her being openly denounced in such a virulent manner by the rebel leader.
That was when the teenager's voice split into the air much to the shock of her friends and the princess most of all.
"I-isn't there a way we could all settle this peacefully? Perhaps if you listened to their grievances Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl pleaded before she trailed off coughing while many stared down at her in bewilderment.
The young girl hugged the noblewomen's neck while Mai sighed softly under her breathe.
And the acrobat just gazed at her with fond brown-gray eyes.
While Azula now glared over her shoulder at the girl's coughing face.
"Shut up peasant! Why don't you just focus on breathing and I'll focus on commanding!" Azula bellowed with a pompous wave of her hand while she turned away from Elle's pitifully sulking face.
And the two noblewomen gazed at her back with mildly scolding eyes.
"Azula doesn't listen to anyone Elle. If she did, she wouldn't have so many people after her head." Mai answered in a monotone voice while Azula glared at her out of the corner of her eye.
"My wife is dead because of that bitch! There is no talk to be had! The only thing that will sate me is her death!" Hoshin bellowed before he waved his hand in the air while Elle gazed up with saddened amber eyes.
The announcement was a jarring one to those with compassion such as Elle, Ty Lee and even Mai.
Yet it was apparent that the princess didn't care.
Not in the least.
"Kill these rebels! Every last one of them!" The princess commanded with a ruthless countenance while her soldiers rushed forward on order.
Explosive arrows were launched in the air down at her and her people while she swiftly drew her blade.
The Dai Li quickly bent the earth as a wall of rock arose from the ground to shield the defenseless.
The remnants of the airship's workers, from medical staff, to kitchen help, to the engine workers huddled in fright alongside the injured from many days prior.
The arrows exploded over the mound of rock while the captain and her squad watched earthbenders slide down the wall from above.
"Up there beyond the horizon is the ocean! And beyond that is the glory that we seek! These fools are brave enough to impede us! Let's go repay them with an honorable death!" The captain yelled out with an expression of determination in her eyes while she thrusted her blade high above her head.
The bold declaration prompted all eyes on the monarch's side to turn and stare at the soldier in astonishment.
Including Azula herself.
Ty Lee could only marvel at Zoe's back with a spark of renewed amazement in her eyes.
When Azula gave an order, people obeyed out of fear of the power that she wielded.
When Zoe gave an order, the soldiers became emboldened to win!
"You heard the captain! Let's go!" Saro shouted before he and his comrades began to run up the slope.
Walls of rock emerged left and right while a brutal melee began to unfold.
And the acrobat and the weapons expert continued to back into a corner with the distraught maid still hanging onto the latter's back.
"W-why? Why does everyone have to kill each other? This is archaic brutality!" Elle cried out in a distressed voice with sadness in her eyes while the two noblewomen gazed at her in pity.
The girl really was too gentle for this world.
Azula's eyes sparked with aggravation while she gazed over her shoulder at her upset girlfriend before she unsheathed her flaming blade just in time to block an earthbenders strike.
"Elle! Cover your eyes!" The princess ordered in a callous voice while the young girl sunk into the markswoman's hair on command.
Her golden gaze instantly hardened as soon as she saw that her girlfriend's eyes were closed.
And then her lips creased into a merciless snarl before the flame on her sword sparked to life with even greater ferocity.
Not a moment later her attacker released a guttural gurgle when her heated blade plunged through the earthbenders throat.
The man dropped to the ground lifeless while Azula's roars were heard by all as she sprang into the heat of battle.
"Ty Lee! Stick closely to me!" The markswoman called out while the injured acrobat nodded as her back pressed against their little sister's.
The acrobat's usually kind eyes hardened when several rebels charged towards them with swords in hand.
"Leave and we won't kill you! Come forward and I will show you no mercy." The brown-haired woman warned in a stern voice with a blade in hand.
And so, it went.
Several rebel soldiers soon fell to the ground lifeless while the two-noblewomen stood with the smaller girl protectively smashed between their combined bodies.
The young pilot drew her blade with an anxious look in her eyes while a large swordsman pushed her back.
'Why me! Doesn't this misery ever end!' Nako thought with a panicked gulp before she swiftly side stepped her way out of the swinging sword.
Arrows rained down from above while she watched in horror when a soldier was struck in the neck by the exploding arrow.
Only for his maimed body to flail backwards while all eyes gazed at their dead comrade in horror.
Azula spun around to stare down at her lifeless subject with boiling rage in her eyes.
"You can regret your insolence in your death throes!" The princess roared before she stabbed her most recent attacker with her crackling blade.
The shouts of war continued all throughout the battlefield while the leader stared down at the princess with disbelieving eyes.
How can she conduct fire and lightning through her sword?
The two noblewomen continued ferociously defending their innocent friend while their grim eyes also took note of the slain man.
The pilot cried out in fright when her blade fell from her shaky hand while she began to back away with her eyes agape in terror.
"N-no! I don't want to die! Please! I'm just a p-pilot!" Nako yelped only for her eyes to close in fear when the blade began to lower over her face.
Mere seconds later she lay there with her heart racing only to find her eyes opening in curiosity when she heard the sound of electricity sparking above her.
The young woman gasped as she gazed up in shock to discover Azula standing over her with her sword dripping in blood while cold golden eyes gazed back down at her.
"P-Princess Azula! You…saved my life." The royal pilot spoke in an honored voice while Azula rolled her eyes down at her in an almost fond manner.
"So, I did Nako. As you did for me. Stick close to me." The princess stated in a glacial voice while the still taken aback girl shakily stood up.
"Yes, Your Highness. I shall follow you with vigor!" Nako cried out with her blade in hand while Azula gazed at her in approval.
And then just like that she found herself following Azula when the mighty firebender darted at the nearest enemy.
The others can think what they like.
But Princess Azula is the leader that she will follow!
As far as the eye can see Azula's forces were savagely engaged with the equally voracious rebel fighters.
The Leader of the Dai Li, Tadao mercilessly cut down a rebel fighter with his jagged gauntlet.
While his green eyes stared on just as more explosive arrows were sent soaring down at them.
And every time they tried to collapse the wall the earthbenders atop it would negate their action.
Even when it shrunk the wall still stood high above them.
"Where's the puppeteer! He said that he was going to back us up!" A rebel fighter called out with his words incurring a curious glance from Azula.
It is just as she thought.
That puppeteer is the one who armed and organized this little attack!
"Forget him! Just blow it all up!" Another earthbender shouted back before he fired off another arrow.
The captain slashed a man dead while she side stepped only for her hazel eyes to watch in alarm as more arrows rained down above them.
She slid backwards with her eyes narrowing dangerously just as her back touched her monarch's.
And beside her was the skittish pilot gazing at the two of them for guidance while Azula snarled in rage.
In that very moment a mound of earth shielded the princess and her companions just before an explosive arrow hit the rock wall.
And then the ground began to tremble once more while the pilot frightfully took cover between the two powerful women.
The three stood in the crumbling earth dome while the soldier and the monarch gazed back at one another.
"Azula! Up there!" Ty Lee advised with a pained grimace while Azula turned around to gaze up only for her eyes to widen.
An earthbending powered tank was now rolling down the slope!
"Kill Azula! No matter what it takes! I don't care how many people you must crush to get to her! Kill that monster!" Hoshin belted out in a voice of such hatred that had Ty Lee swallowing a lump that was in her throat.
"I'm the one that's going to be killing you rebel!" Azula shouted back in an equally hateful voice with her eyes narrowing into slits while the tank sped down the slope.
"T-they have a tank!" Nako cried out in terror while Azula groaned over her.
"Yes Nako! We know they have a tank!" The princess barked with a snort of fire escaping her nostrils while the intimidated pilot gulped behind her.
Soon cannon fire began to fire down on them while Azula and her people jumped out of the way of its explosive rounds.
The defenseless members of her party were ushered away while the markswoman leaped away with the terrified teenager hiding into her neck.
The acrobat jumped back alongside her while the Dai Li bent the earth as a makeshift trench arose to shield everyone from the canon fire.
"Damn these wretched peasants! And damn my fat uncle too!" Azula growled as she gritted her teeth as the tank tore into the wall of rock.
"I'm scared oneesan." Elle murmured in a congested cough while Mai tensed up with her arms over her shoulders.
"It's going to be okay Elle." Mai spoke in a momentarily softened voice with Ty Lee nodding alongside her.
"We're going to get out of this Elle. Azula will figure something out." Ty Lee assured in a gentle voice before she flinched when a hole erupted in the earthen wall.
"Princess! I think I have an idea to take out the tank." The royal pilot announced to the surprise of her monarch while she glanced back at her with curious golden eyes.
"Really Nako? And what would that be?" Azula asked in a furious voice before she released a bolt of lightning over the eroding rock wall.
Curse these dirt peasants for besieging them when they are worn down!
The lightning exploded over the surface of the tank while her eyes narrowed once more when the machine continued to plow forward.
And the remaining earthbenders sprinted towards them through the destroyed valley.
"It's too risky for even you to go out there with explosive arrows and canon fire. So, I was thinking…we still have a small stash of your royal liquor do we not?" Nako conversed with a contemplative gleam in her eyes while Azula's golden eyes now regarded her in soaring approval.
"We do." The princess purred with a finger underneath her chin while she eyed her subordinate in a gratified gaze.
The girl is more resourceful than she took her for.
"What do you have in mind?" Zoe inquired as she sat against the rock wall while Nako offered them a shaky smile.
All the while the exploding projectiles still thundered into the trembling earthen shield.
"The alcohol will be our exploding arrows." The royal pilot answered to the surprise of many while soldiers exchanged looks with one another.
"Go get the crate!" Azula exclaimed with a devious smirk on her lips while a soldier ran off to pull the food crate forward.
And then it was set down before her while she gazed into the pilot's eyes with fondness in her cold gaze.
"Alright. What next?" The captain questioned with her soldiers kneeling behind her.
"We need someone with flawless accuracy to detonate the bottles." Nako replied with a small smile while she peered up at Azula's regally smiling face.
The two noblewomen knelt with their eyes gazing between the royal woman and the pilot.
Azula really was learning how to respect her people.
But the problem was she wasn't learning fast enough to dissuade these people from trying to butcher them!
"It is clear that I am the optimal candidate. Very well Nako. I will go along with your plan." The princess remarked before she gasped ahold of a bottle with her left hand.
And then just as the earth wall fractured, she gazed out with brilliant golden eyes while the rebels advanced closer.
"Wait for them to get as close as possible for maximum effect." The royal pilot advised as she peered out alongside the taller woman only to flinch when she realized that she kind of gave the monarch an order.
But to her relief the princess didn't seem to mind.
"Hm. I like the way you think Nako. I see I was right about you!" Azula answered with an amused smirk before she threw the bottle into the air.
The bottle spun in the air before her fingertips crackled with lightning.
And then the Fire Nation forces watched in bated breath when their beautiful monarch expertly struck the spinning bottle with a lightning bolt.
And just like that an explosion of fire and electricity rained down upon the rebel forces while Mai shuddered as she gazed away.
Piercing screams resonated into the air while Ty Lee gazed away with a shiver traveling down her spine.
And Azula's full lips curved into a victorious smirk just as she grasped ahold of another.
All the while she allowed the pilot to kneel with her face against her sleeve while the girl began to count under her breath.
"One…two…three!" Nako shouted with momentary bravery while Azula threw the bottle high into the air before it rolled to the foot of the rolling tank.
And then Azula's fingers generated lightning once more while they all watched as it flew into the air.
And then impacted with the tank with a second explosion of fire and lightning raining down on the vehicle.
The remaining rebel forces inside the tank were shouting left and right when their tank tipped over onto its side.
And a piercing shout of anger mingled with the explosion while all turned back to the captain springing over the walls of the earthen barrier.
"Rebels!" Zoe roared with her good arm clutching her sword while Azula stared after her with a smug smile on her red lips.
And that was all the momentum it took for the princess's forces to leap back into battle while Saro's battle cries rang out in unison with his leaders.
"Good work Nako." The princess commented just as she slapped the blushing girl's shoulder while her childhood friends stared on in awe.
It was a rare feat to not only get a compliment from Azula.
But a pat on the shoulder!
Elle was undoubtedly the only other person to receive both!
"Thank you…my princess." The royal pilot spoke softly while she smiled up at the taller woman's smirking ace.
In that very moment the pilots of the tank screamed out in terror when Zoe tore the damaged door off its hinges.
And impaled the first man that she laid eyes on.
And just as quickly all three men inside were slain by the mighty soldier's hand.
"To glory! Take it from their cold dying hands! It's yours!" The captain bellowed as her boots slid in the dirt just as she backflipped out of the way of exploding arrows.
The two noblewomen sat with their young friend protectively shielded by their bodies.
While they watched with shuddering eyes when Zoe sprinted towards the last batch of rebels.
The rebel's high ground was now sinking into the earth while the Dai Li charged forward with their earthen gauntlets slamming into the dirt.
The wall of clay and rock sunk back into the earth while the earthbenders were cut down one by one.
Without adequate earthbenders to maintain the wall of rock they simply could not keep it going.
Zoe elegantly flipped in the air with her sword cleaving straight through a rebel soldier's neck.
And then she spun around to impale another in the neck while both men dropped lifeless at her feet.
"The captain is amazing…" Nako trailed off in awe while she shivered in slight pity for the doomed rebels.
"Good Zoe. Very good." Azula stated with a smile of cold approval on her red lips only to be taken by surprise when a smoke bomb exploded in the air over her.
A thick smoke poured into the air while the small army coughed with their sleeves over their mouths.
The princess gazed around with a hand over her mouth while the pilot coughed alongside her.
That was when Mai released a cry of surprise when she savagely barreled aside by an earthen armored fist.
The noblewoman dropped to the ground on her ass while she groaned only for her eyes to widen as she coughed in the smoke.
In that same very moment, the acrobat was kicked in her bad leg while she fell to the ground with her unusually furious cry ringing out into the air.
"Elle! Elle! Let her go!" Ty Lee shouted in a piercing voice as she hacked in the smoke.
That was all it took for Azula's golden eyes to widen in bottomless rage.
Without even giving it, any thought she sprinted through the smoke with fury like never before in her callus gaze.
The earth shook once more beneath her feet while the smoke finally began to clear on all sides.
The entirety of Azula's forces stood motionless when they saw that the rebel leader now held a knife to Elle's whimpering throat.
The affect was almost unanimous.
Mai sat up with her mouth ajar in horror while she tightened her guilt-ridden fists.
Ty Lee too gazed on with stricken brown-gray eyes while she froze up at the sight of Elle coughing in pain in Hoshin's arms.
Zoe spun around with her eyes widening in shock while she gripped her blade in her right hand.
And Azula stood with her golden eyes shimmering in unfathomable wrath while she turned around to face Hoshin's equally hateful face.
"Does she matter to you? Would it upset you if I you had to watch her die before your very eyes!" Hoshin yelled out with his arm crushing Elle's neck while the small girl writhed in his arms.
No one moved a muscle.
The two horrified noblewomen stared at their leader's back as if they were silently pleading Azula to choose her words carefully.
"Release that girl right now…or I will have you torture for the next fifty years to come." The princess hissed with her bangs hanging over her sweaty face while she glared at the rebel's vengeful face.
"A-Azula-sama…help me." Elle stammered in a fearful voice only to cry out in fear when the man began smashing her wind pipe.
The acrobat stumbled to her feet with her mutually terrified friend while they gazed on helplessness as the man tried to suffocate their friend.
And then the ground began to shake yet again.
They barely even noticed it.
But Nako turned around with widening eyes when lava burst forth from the earth.
"He can bend lava! Somehow…he can bend lava!" The royal pilot announced to the astonishment of her companions while the princess gazed over her shoulder at the erupting ground in shock.
Never in all her life has she met anyone that could bend lava!
"Your words…mean nothing to me! You and your monster father can rot in purgatory! You killed my wife! You sent her to a labor camp where she was worked to death! Vile bitch! You have done nothing but cause suffering on the people of the Earth Kingdom! Why do you think that so many of us were willing to give up our lives just to kill you! Now it's your turn!" The rebel leader screamed in an emotional voice while the young girl gazed at her girlfriend with a confused look in her rasping face.
The hateful condemnation of Azula took them all by surprise.
And the acrobat just stared at the princess's pridefully angered face with shame and disgust flashing in her eyes.
Ty Lee gazed down at the blade in her hand before she numbly dropped it to the ground below.
"You do that. And I will flay you alive." Azula snarled with her teeth clenched together while her fist grasped the hilt of her sword.
That was when more lava spat forth from the open earth while the defenseless in the group ran ahead in terror.
They didn't even ask Azula for permission.
The acrobat turned away while she watched a handful of people flee the battlefield.
"Monster! You are no beloved ruler! Your own people despise you! Your friends don't like you! Even your own family hates you! You are not liked anywhere on the face of this planet! You aren't loved by your own brother! And you are nothing more than a tool for your father! You are nothing but shit Princess Azula!" Hoshin howled with pure venom in his voice while Azula's face shook in murderous rage.
The two-noblewomen stood in a terrified silence while they watched the princess begin gazing around at everyone around her with paranoid fury flashing in her eyes.
And the most terrifying thing of all was the fact that she was gazing at them with the most anger of all.
"I would like to see how bold you are without a hostage!" The princess snapped just as she took a step forward while she ignored the lava bursting to the surface around her.
"You are going to die alone! Screaming at shadows in an empty palace! Because in all of this world there is only one person that cares about you! And I am going to take her from you!" The rebel leader roared with his arm crushing the writhing teenager's throat while he watched the enraged woman spring to make a grab for his knife.
Only for all eyes that cared about Elle to watch in horror when the vengeful man stabbed the knife into the gasping girl's flesh.
"Elle!" Mai called out in despair with a hand held out in the air while tears dripped from her tawny eyes.
"N-no." Ty Lee murmured with a hand over her mouth while tears streams down her face.
The princess dove through the air with shock like never before flashing in her callous eyes.
Suddenly every single joyful moment that she shared with her innocent servant was flashing before her eyes.
In that very instance Zoe's muscular body slammed into Hoshin before she tackled him to the ground.
The teenager fell through the air with a knife in her chest while she gasped in shock as she was caught in a pair of strong arms.
"Now you know how it feels to lose the one you love! Whenever you long to hold her in your arms and ease her tears! I want you to think of me!" Hoshin cried out in a beyond hateful voice while Azula trembled with her arms holding Elle's rasping body in her arms.
"Shii! Shii! Get her now!" Azula commanded in an uncharacteristically unsettled voice while she held Elle's trembling face against her armored breasts.
The two noblewomen had already dropped down before her while they stared down at the teenager's pained face in bottomless guilt.
"I-I…love you Azula-sama. A-all of you." The blonde-haired girl spoke in a barely perceivable voice while a warm hand lowered to touch her cheek.
Mai and Ty Lee were so shocked that they found themselves unable to speak.
In the background they heard the sound of the nurse rushing closer.
"Just…stay with me Elle! Elle! Stay with me!" The princess protested with her eyes as wide as can be while she gazed down in something akin to despair to see the girl's eyes close shut.
Her enraged cry rang out over the burned valley while she cradled the prone teenager against plated chest.
"No…no! Stay with me! I said stay with me!" Azula bellowed as water stung her eyes while she sunk to the ground with her arms holding the bleeding girl into her bosom.
The two noblewomen sunk to the ground in speechless sorrow with their eyes never leaving Elle's unmoving face.
The princess hung her head with a single teardrop dripping down her cheek.
She clutched the maid into her breasts while she ground her teeth together.
And then she screamed again with fire spewing from her lips.
And then she slumped over with her shoulder plating trembling in despair.
AN:
Before I get to my afterword, allow me to answer Agent Banana's question. Yes, Silah received some inspiration from Sasori from Naruto.
I am not a big fan of Naruto, I read the manga because it was something to read every week but by the time I got to the end I found it to be one of the most disappointing and lackluster series I have ever read.
That said, I liked Sasori, and a few other characters, most of the characters though I didn't like.
Silah uses puppets like Sasori but she is more patient than Sasori. She is willing to wait years to get what she wants.
There are several other characters that play a factor into her creation, so her inspiration was basically a blend of three or four different characters.
She also has some similarities to Karasu from Yu Yu Hakusho. In that she takes great joy in stalking and killing her chosen target. In this case, her two chosen targets are Azula and Zoe.
Now then onto the afterword.
Alright, so...
That was an emotional chapter wasn't it?
I want to take a moment to clear up any confusion before any of my readers out there start to panic.
I can understand if some of you might be confused, wondering how the rebels got to the island. The conspiracy is many levels deep, and their intention was to wipe out Azula and Zoe, as well as their entire military force. This will be covered in the story as Azula pursues the truth behind the island their stranding.
However, for the time being I will state the obvious. It all started with Iroh.
As we all know, Iroh plotted out an assault on Azula's airship.
And Zoe and Nako speculated back in chapter thirty-four that Iroh had spies at court.
Iroh does indeed have inside allies that are working deep in the Fire Nation government. Keep in mind that there are ten high noble houses.
This means that it could be one of hundreds of people that work in sync with the Royal Family and the ten houses.
Someone with high clearance aided Iroh and provided the traveling coordinates of both Azula and Zoe's airship.
And the unknown second party, contracted Silah and the band of vengeful rebels in hopes of killing both Azula and Zoe.
Now Iroh being the 'saint' that we know him to be would never openly agree to such a blatant assassination attempt.
But I could see him basically taking a stance along the lines of 'I don't want to know the details. Just do what you have to do.'
As an analogy, let's say that there are two friends who owe a large sum of money. And they are panicking because they have to pay it off. The first person may be more righteous like Iroh and refuse to engage in robbery.
Whereas the second person will have no qualms robbing a bank to get the money that they need so badly. And despite their initial objections, as long as they 'don't know about it'. The first person would gladly take the money to pay off their debt.
That is how I see Iroh. He didn't want to know what would happen after the traitors in the court moved to dispatch his niece. This serves to clear Iroh's conscience, so he can tell himself and Zuko that he had no knowledge of what happened after they fled.
I just wanted to be clear on this, so everyone understands that Iroh does NOT know of Silah and her strange power.
The one thing that the traitors at court could not have predicted was that Silah was as duplicitous as she turned out to be. Not many people know about Silah and her power, or what her goals are. They assumed that like everyone else, money would keep her loyal.
The rebels went into battle with Azula's forces because they thought that Silah was going to back them up. Only to receive a rude awakening when she never showed on the battlefield.
As we can see, Silah is a very manipulative person who enjoys playing sadistic games with people. And in a way, she was just getting a kick out of playing both sides.
I also want to state that if Silah had showed on the battlefield almost all of Azula's people would have died and given how worn out Azula and Zoe were. There is a high chance that one of the two would have fallen in battle.
So, why didn't Silah show?
The answer without spoiling anything. Is that Silah is interested in their power, and she simply wasn't ready to kill them yet. She would prefer to kill them later, for reasons that we will discover as the story goes on.
Silah fully intended to kill Azula when she arrived on the island. But she stopped when she saw Azula's new level of firebending. But the biggest factor of all that caused Silah to hold off was Elle's awakening.
Silah was hoping for a second showing of the Component, and when that never happened. She departed from the island.
Now that we have a basic understanding of the various levels in the conspiracy. Let's move on.
I apologize for the brutal cliff hanger but I felt like Azula needed a ruthless wake up call.
Azula is making genuine attempts to become a better person, but to some people she isn't trying fast enough. The people that she has hurt, like Hoshin will never forgive her and they despise her down to their very bones.
The general backstory for the Hoshin situation was that after Azula took over the Earth Kingdom that she encountered some resistance on her travels back to the Fire Nation.
Obedient Earth Kingdom citizens were for the most part safe, but those who resisted, were sent to prison camps where they became slaves to build war machines for the Fire Nation.
Ever since Sozin the Fire Nation has been selling their enemy prisoners into slavery and using them as a workforce to continue their war effort. The Water Tribe and many Earth Kingdom people have suffered this fate over the last century. Most notably we have seen this with Hama.
To the Royal Family, they believe that they are superior and that these people are inferior, and therefore it is divine right that they serve them.
Azula is only just now beginning to change her view on this matter thanks to Elle.
So, to sum up the ordeal with Hoshin and his wife. His wife was a rebel who tried to save her country by ambushing Azula, only to get sent away to the prison camp.
For whatever reason, Hoshin was separated from his wife, and after receiving news of her death. He was stricken with grief, and from that moment forward he only lived to kill Azula.
I decided to make Hoshin a lava bender, just to make the battle a bit more interesting and to add a layer of suspense. If he had enough time he may have been able to cause an eruption but thanks to Silah abandoning him he never got to finish with his preparations.
And the reason why Azula's forces won so quickly was largely because of the Dai Li. They had earthbenders to counter Hoshin's earthbenders. If Azula hadn't have had the Dai Li with her, she would have lost a lot more of her people.
I also hope that everyone enjoyed Nako's little moment of genius. Slowly but surely Azula is learning how to appreciate commoners in ways that she never did before. And as the story goes on. We will get to see more of Nako's ingenuity.
I also thought it was a good moment of character growth for Azula to return the favor and save Nako's life.
And the last topic at hand is Elle's emotional stabbing.
I feel that Elle being put in harms way was necessary for Azula to come to understand that there are dangerous consequences to making enemies of every person that she meets.
All over the Avatar world, there are people that want Azula, Ozai, Iroh and even Zuko dead. The Royal Family has made far too many enemies. And the people they have wronged will never forgive them.
From this point forward Azula needs to reflect on what happened and consider that the people that are after her will use Elle to get to her.
I just want everyone to understand that Hoshin's rage and vitriol is completely justified. Azula is not innocent, and neither is May or Ty Lee.
But I'm not excusing Hoshin either. He turned into what he hated the most, and no longer cared if he harmed the innocent.
He was watching them interact on the island, and he witnessed them bonding together. He knew that Azula and Elle shared a deep bond, and that is why he went for poor Elle.
It was also symbolic for how far he had fallen. He literally stabbed the only person in the entire party that cared about what happened to him and the other rebels. Even Nako isn't going to be bleeding with sympathy when they are trying to decapitate her.
But don't worry!
Our Elle will be okay!
If she wasn't. Then the story would be pretty much over!
From this moment onward Azula, Mai and Ty Lee are going to be even more protective of Elle. And less hesitant to show their affections to Elle even when other people are around. This will ultimately serve to bring them closer as a team.
Despite Azula's rage over Mai's treason, and Mai's sorrow over Zuko, and Ty Lee feeling caught between both of her childhood friends. They all want the best for Elle and they don't want to lose her.
In any case. I believe that about covers it.
Next chapter is the final chapter of the stranded arc and they will be leaving the island behind for good.
This begins the Fire Mountain Arc, which is admittedly going to be a much slower paced arc. Four to five chapters will focus on Yoko's fury over her daughter's near death experience, and we will get to meet Zoe's sister Sia. And in turn we will learn more about Zoe's life outside of the war zone.
We will also touch on Elle's medical problems, and there will be a whole lot of fluff!
The following arc, the Sage Arc will be faster paced, which also ties directly into Naoki's introduction arc.
Stay tuned next time.
For chapter fifty-four! Recovery!