Here is the final chapter to the stranded arc!
Another new character will be introduced this chapter to add some political drama into the mix.
Once again, thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed my story over the past five days!
As always, please continue to favorite, follow and review.
And without further ado please enjoy!
Recovery – Chapter Fifty-Four
The birds were chirping when she opened her eyes.
And the sun was shining in from an open window.
In the distance she could also hear the sound of a loud horn going off.
She slowly opened her amber eyes only to find herself gazing down at bandages covering her chest and her head resting on a soft pillow.
"What…" Elle trailed off with her amber eyes blinking in puzzlement while she groaned in her bed.
As soon as she spoke, she heard the sound of movement on the other side of the room.
That was when the drowsy girl turned to the side only to gaze on in shock to find herself staring up at Azula looming over her beside.
The princess stood above her with her golden eyes agape in a strange emotion while she smiled up at the older female.
"Ohayō Gozaimasu Azula-sama! At least I think its morning! Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl cried out only to blink in surprise when the much taller woman suddenly plopped down beside her.
"Elle…" Azula trailed off with her golden eyes taking on a subdued tint while gently touched the girl's smiling cheek.
"Yes master? Did I sleep in? Am I late to bring you your morning coffee?" Elle pondered in an adorably confused voice while Azula stared down at her with a graceful smile slowly appearing on her red lips.
And then she blushed when Azula suddenly seized her in her muscular arms.
The teenager smiled in innocent bewilderment while the much taller woman smashed her face into her pillowy breasts.
And then she lay there with a deep blush on her cheeks while the princess lay down beside her.
The royal woman grasped a hold of her face while she shyly peered up into dominant golden pools that softened only for her.
"Oh peasant." The princess spoke in an unusually relieved voice while she held her young girlfriend against her robed breasts.
"Is something wrong Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl questioned in a confounded voice with her gentle eyes gazing up into confused golden eyes.
"You don't remember?" Azula answered with her regal lips creasing into a frown while she drew Elle's smaller body into her toned arms.
"No. I don't. The last thing I remember…is that I was sick…and hungry…you were taking me to find food." Elle admitted with an abashed countenance just as her belly growled while she listened to Azula snort in amusement over her.
"How typical of you tiger monkey. So simple minded." The princess sighed in a strangely fond voice as her head fell back on a pillow while she set her maid's head down beside hers.
"Did something happen Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl asked in an uncertain voice as she gazed directly into her caretaker's golden eyes while the monarch's lips pursed into a thin line.
"I almost…" Azula muttered with a prideful scowl on her lips while she brushed her fingernails against her naïve maid's confused cheek.
"Yes?" Elle replied with a patient smile while Azula turned to scowl at the opposing wall.
"Foolish girl! You almost died! That filthy rebel put a knife in your chest!" The princess snapped with her teeth ground together while her tired maid sunk back into the pillow.
The small girl lay in the bed while she held a hand to her dazed cheek just as the memories began to come back to her.
Now you know how it feels to lose the one you love!
"Oh. Now it's coming back to me." The blonde-haired girl mumbled with waning cheer while the tall woman began to pull her in until they were touching cheek to cheek.
"That was six days ago…just an hour ago a royal barge spotted us on the shoreline. And now we are finally getting off this wretched island." Azula remarked with her red lips curling into a refined smile once more while held Elle's face against her own.
All she could think about was how happy she was to know that her little girlfriend was going to be okay.
Her favorite maid…her girl.
"S-six days ago? S-sumimasen Azula-sama. I have been out for quite some time." Elle stuttered with an innocent smile while she turned an adorable shade of pink when Azula pressed her nose into her cheek.
"Don't worry your little mind over it Elle. It's over now." The princess assured with a heavy sigh following soon after while she clutched her pretty maid against her cheek.
"As you say Azula-sama…always as you say." The blonde-haired girl murmured as she closed her eyes while she felt the royal woman's breath exhale upon her skin.
"That's my girl." Azula commented as her fingernail traced along the smaller girl's cheek while she stared at her maid's lovely face with a possessive golden gaze.
'Yes indeed. It is over.' The princess thought with her lips briefly entrenching in yet another wrathful glower while she recalled the bastard's dying screams.
In the aftermath of the skirmish it was a chaotic scene.
Team Azula knelt in despair over the prone young girl.
Each one of them waited in suspense while the nurse hurriedly listened for a heartbeat.
"I-is she?" Ty Lee whispered in an anguished voice with tears straining her cheeks while she drowned out the shouts of the vengeful man.
Mai sat on her knees in silence while her guilt-ridden tawny gaze never left Elle's motionless face.
It's all her fault!
'I was supposed to protect her!' The markswoman thought with a horrified fist still clenching in her lap.
"Well! Speak!" Azula roared in an unusually fraught voice while she sat trembling in rage with her golden eyes already contemplating all of the horrors that she would inflict on the bastard rebel.
"S-she's alive princess! She just went into shock! I need something to stop the bleeding! Hurry!" Shii shouted in panicked voice while all three highborn women exchanged a look of tremendous relief.
And even Zoe found that she was pleased to hear it.
All of the others stood on the sidelines while the hateful rebel struggled with multiple soldiers restraining his arms.
And Nako shakily gazed around the bloodied battlefield with shuddering golden eyes.
She couldn't wait to get off this damn island!
Without even giving it a second thought Zoe removed her shirt and threw it in Azula's astonished hand.
She gave her leader a quick nod while the princess briefly returned the gesture before they rapidly wrapped the clothe around the small girl's chest.
It tightened tightly while the two noblewomen stared down at the innocent girl's pale face with tears in their eyes.
"S-she's alive Azula! She's going to be okay!" The brown-haired woman blurted with tears staining her eyes while her friend numbly nodded alongside her.
"Yes…she will." The princess muttered in a still shaken voice only for her eyes to narrow in boiling rage when Hoshin defiantly called out to her.
"Look at her! Every single one of you! This is what you three have done to my people! Highborn scum! You are vile people! And you pushed us to this! And this is your penance!" Hoshin bellowed with bottomless fury in his eyes while the two noblewomen shakily turned to meet his gaze.
Mai and Ty Lee sat in a speechless silence with miserable realization in their eyes.
They began to see that they were just as much to blame as Azula.
And now the acrobat couldn't help but tremble as she thought of every rebel that she has helped Azula capture.
And wonder just how much suffering she has caused.
That was when the princess terrified them even further when she howled in a vengeful rage while she rounded around to face the rebel's shouting face.
"I am going to brutalize you!" The princess snapped in an infuriated voice as she gently set the now moaning girl in the markswoman's arm opens.
"A-Azula." The markswoman spoke in a quiet voice as she held the petite girl's head in her lap only to shiver in terror while she watched woman charge ahead in a blind rage.
And Ty Lee swallowed under her breath while she watched the terrified soldiers jump aside to avoid being caught in Azula's war path.
Even Zoe hurriedly sidestepped while she gazed over her shoulder at the enraged woman as she ran toward their captive.
A deafening roar of rage split into the air a moment later when rebel was coldly thrown to the ground on his ass.
"I defeated you tyrant! You lose!" The rebel leader yelled out only to release a cry of pain when a boot connected with his jaw.
The monarch's forces shuddered when a bloodied tooth flew into the air and rolled at before the furious woman's pointed boots.
And then Azula held out two fingers while lightning began to generate at her fingertips as she glared down at her downed enemy with her golden eyes forming an unimaginably imposing glare.
"You have won nothing! Nothing but an agonizing death!" Azula roared at the top of her lungs before she jumped atop the struggling man.
And then she straddled his body with blue fire exuding from her wrathful lips before she savagely struck him in the face with the sheath of her sword.
All across the battlefield people watched as their princess began brutally beating the life out of the rebel leader.
Some gazed on in fear.
Others pleasure.
And just as many without care.
The sound of steel striking flesh resounded in the air while both noblewomen gaped on in terror over their friend's newfound descent into savagery.
In some ways they wanted to see Hoshin suffer.
And in other ways they uncomfortably wondered if Azula is truly responsible for bringing this onto herself.
And their innocent young friend as well.
"I-ignore that! Focus on the girl! I need help removing the knife! Steady her!" The nurse exclaimed in an alarmed voice with her words jarring the two noblewomen back to reality.
"R-right. Sorry." Ty Lee answered in a torn-up voice before she placed her hands-on Elle's shoulders while the younger girl released a pained moan.
As soon as she heard that.
She felt her sympathy for whatever the man went through vanish into thin air while she steadied her adopted sister's dainty shoulders in her friend's lap.
And Mai still gazed down with tears on her cheeks while she helped hold Elle down as the nurse began pulling out the knife.
Only for her tawny eyes to tremble in rage when the girl released an ear-piercing wail of pain.
A cry that only served as fuel to further Azula's rage.
Over and over Azula struck the now brutalized man with the sheath of her sword while her soldiers stood in a paralyzed silence as they watched the scene from the sidelines.
"No one makes my Elle bleed and gets away with it! No one!" The princess hissed with before she pulled back her lightning generated fist while she held onto her savaged victim by the collar of his shirt.
And then she struck!
All the while Elle unconsciously whimpered as the knife was torn from her chest while tears dripped down her cheek.
The nurse and the acrobat put pressure on the girl's wound while they all shuddered when the rebel's tormented cries filled the air.
One after another.
Azula brutally punched the screaming man in his mangled face with a lightning imbued fist.
"That's right you worthless rebel! Scream!" Azula snarled with her enraged fist ruthlessly colliding in Hoshin's face.
Electricity sparked in her palm while she grasped a hold of his shirt while she glared down at his moaning face with hateful golden eyes.
"I have only just begun! I hope that you can handle it…maggot! Because you are in for a long-time suffering!" The princess sneered with her golden eyes narrowing into a monstrous golden gaze while she glared down into his weakening green eyes.
And then her fist pounded into his cooked cheek while she sent a controlled dose of lightning through his body.
Hoshin's shrieks of agony split into the valley air while everyone stared on in a speechless quiet while the royal woman mercilessly tortured her defeated opponent.
And so, it went.
Azula struck one savage blow after another upon her enemy until the man lay maimed beyond recognition beneath her.
She panted with sweat staining her beautiful cheeks while she dazedly stood up with her enraged eyes still glaring down at the mutilated man.
The acrobat sat in a terror-struck silence while held the teenager's crying face in her hands as she gazed back at her friend's maddened face.
The markswoman was just as speechless.
Even the captain herself stared on with her mouth ajar in surprise.
And the pilot had long since begun trembling in fear.
In all the years that Ty Lee has known Azula.
She has seen the princess remorselessly kill in war more times than she can count.
But…
She has never seen Azula like this before.
Even that day with the two bullies was nothing compared to the rage that was coming to the surface in the wake of Elle's stabbing!
"There's your victory…worm." Azula spoke in a callous voice with her red lips pursed in a murderous thin line.
And then she sprung forward!
The princess's roars split the air once more while her bewildered army watched her begin kicking the man's already unrecognizable face in.
Drops of blood flew into the air while even the hardened members of the Dai Li stared on in a spellbound silence.
Again, and again Azula's boot collided with Hoshin's cracking skull.
Thud!
Azula's vengeful voice thundered into the air while she towered over Hoshin's prone body.
And then she raised her boot with her golden eyes narrowing in contempt as if she were about to step on a bug.
And then she stomped her boot down on his face with every fiber of her being.
And then…
Crack!
Silence reigned over the small army.
The princess stumbled away with her face dripping in sweat while her golden eyes honed in on her betrothed's tear strained face.
She breathed heavily before she stomped forward with an exhausted gasp escaping her throat.
Her sole thought was her maid's wellbeing.
The haze she was in was so great that she didn't even notice her two childhood friends staring at her in a horrified quiet.
The only one who had recovered from her surprise was Zoe herself.
If only because she was familiar with what it was like to go through dangerous bursts of rage.
"My Elle…give her to me." The princess ordered in a parched voice with her terrifying eyes causing the three women to cower under her gaze.
"O-of course p-princess. J-just be careful not to push on her wound." The nurse answered in a terrified stammer before she fearfully backed away.
And then Azula dropped down on one knee while she stared back at Mai's beyond intimidated face.
It didn't take long for the noblewoman to quickly comply.
The two noblewomen watched in a shaken silence when Azula tenderly scooped Elle's small body in her open arms.
And then she stood up with the young girl's face against her armored breast.
She held the girl's fragile body close to her breasts and then she wordlessly began walking.
Her friends and her people gazed after her in a confused silence while they watched her walk off.
And soon enough the two distraught noblewomen took off after their leader.
Two days later.
The teenager lay unconscious in a tent with the back of her head laying against pillowy breasts while golden eyes gazed down at her unmoving form.
The older female held a wooden bowl in her hand.
And in the bowl was fresh pureed orange.
The princess spooned the mashed orange out before she slid the spoon between her maid's coughing lips.
"Eat peasant." Azula commanded in a voice of fondness while she gently steadied her girlfriend's moaning head.
All the while her cold eyes watched closely while the small girl swallowed the mouthful in her sleep.
And her callous golden gaze flickered with something akin to relief to see that the girl was recovering.
Even if it was slow. She was recovering all the same.
Elle released a pained moan as she sunk back into Azula's lap while strong womanly arms wrapped around her bandaged chest.
"You'll be okay Elle. I'll protect you." The princess spoke in an unusually subdued voice with a regal frown on her lips while she held the moaning girl in her arms.
She cradled the small girl in her lap with a growl escaping her lips when her serving girl whimpered against her bosom.
She'll protect this one.
And that was a promise.
The next morning…
The exhausted princess stood with a crew of people while her eyes grew wide in rage after hearing the news that her scouts had just brought her.
"What do you mean the rebel boats were burned?" Azula demanded as she stared hard back at Nako's nervous face while the pilot shifted on her feet.
"It's just as I said princess. We found what remains of the rebel boats. But they won't be of any use to us. By the look of it...someone set the boats on fire before they left the island." Nako explained in a dejected voice while Azula's clenched fists fell down to her hips.
"That damned puppeteer. She'll pay for this." The princess hissed under her breath as she turned away to glare off into the crashing waves while her subjects stood in an unsettled silence behind her.
And her wretched fat uncle as well.
Anyone involved in this will suffer by her hand.
And that too…is a promise.
Later on, that very same day…
The princess stood with a furious hand on a tropical tree while the acrobat's emotional voice split into the air.
"You can't keep doing this Azula! You can't keep treating people like they're less than human and then wonder why so many people are after your head! And now gentle Elle almost paid with her life because of you and your father's cruelty!" Ty Lee shouted with tears in her eyes while she gazed imploringly over Azula's shoulder.
She knew with every fiber of her being that Azula was truly trying to be a better person.
But her friend was still stuck in her brainwashed war mentality!
The royal woman clenched her jaw as she glared out at the crashing waves while she gazed down at their new encampment.
"His wife was probably just some rebel fool who couldn't accept a more efficient change in government! It's not like I go around the Earth Kingdom hunting peasants! The only people I've overseen the sentencing of are rebel soldiers! Loyal citizens prosper under my reign! And the traitors are punished! The commoners are better fed under my rule than they were under Long Feng!" Azula retorted with her teeth bared in her anger while she spun around to meet the other woman's tearful gaze.
"I…I know Azula. It's just that you seem to have this false belief that we as nobility and royalty are something akin to gods…and people like Elle are lesser beings!" The brown-haired woman insisted in a distraught voice with the other woman rolling her golden eyes back at her.
"Please Ty Lee! You're putting words in my mouth! I have never declared that I was a God!" The princess snorted with her cold eyes gazing into the sunny distance.
"Y-you act like it. All the time. There's nothing different about your genetics and a commoner. We're all the same Azula. And I…I really think you need to pull your head out of that nonsense that your father instilled in you." Ty Lee declared with a brief spark of bravery in her voice that wavered when Azula rounded on her once more.
"Nonsense? You dare to call my father's teachings nonsense!" Azula barked with her eyes trembling in anger while Ty Lee boldly stood her ground.
"I do! Your father brainwashed you Azula! He doesn't know anything about the people he rules! He hasn't even ever led a military campaign! All he does in sit in an isolated palace!" The brown-haired woman yelled with rising emotion in her damp eyes while the monarch angrily glared a hole through her skull.
"Brainwashed! I am not brainwashed!" The princess answered in a furious voice with her fists balling up at her womanly hips.
"Yes, you are Azula. Your father does not have your best interests at heart. Elle has helped you step out of the delusions of war that he has placed in your mind. And the time will come when you have to choose." Ty Lee explained in a compassionate voice while she set her hand on the other woman's angered shoulder.
"Choose what Ty Lee?" Azula hissed in an icy voice with great fury in her regal voice while Ty Lee's tear-filled eyes stared back at her.
"Elle…or your father. You can't have both. He will never accept your relationship with Elle. He will hate her. And he will hurt her." The brown-haired woman instructed in a worried voice while the taller woman scowled back at her.
"I have already told you that I will never let that happen." The princess scoffed with her full lips pursing into a tight scowl.
"Please Azula…If you really love Elle…if you really want to share your life with her. You will only be able to do so if your father is completely removed from power." Ty Lee declared in an urgent voice while Azula regarded her through the corner of her eye.
The monarch gritted her teeth while she crushed the tree trunk beneath her hand.
"You ask me to betray my father?" Azula asked in a frigid voice with her dark hair sticking to her sweating cheek.
"I ask you to stand up to him. And tell him that you are stronger than him. Tell him that you love Elle and that the throne belongs to you now. Tell him that you are taking control…whether he likes it or not." The brown-haired woman announced in a comforting voice while the other woman gazed at her with something akin to recognition in her golden eyes.
The royal woman was silent for the better part of a minute before she pushed her body off the tree trunk.
And then she turned around to fully face her shorter friend.
"I will give your words some thought." The princess grumbled in a still foul tempered voice only to find herself tensing up when the acrobat threw her arms around her shoulders.
She gazed down with uncertainty in her callous eyes while her friend pressed her face into her neck.
"I-I was so scared Azula. So scared that we were going to lose her. I…just don't want that to ever happen again. Okay?" Ty Lee stuttered in a heartfelt voice with tears still dripping down her cheek.
"It…won't." Azula muttered in a tone of finality before she awkwardly put her arms around the acrobat's shoulders.
"Good." The brown-haired woman responded with a returning smile on her lips while an arm slid over her shoulder.
"If I have to leash her and put her in a cage for her own wellbeing then so be it. It's for her own good anyhow." The princess remarked in a possessive voice with the hint of a smirk on her red lips.
The other woman sweatdropped before she replied in a sigh.
"Please no leashes and cages Azula." Ty Lee sighed in an exasperated voice while Azula disconnected from their embrace.
"I make no promises." Azula remarked with her fists on her womanly hips while she smiled back at the shuddering acrobat.
She would keep a much closer watch on her intended from this moment onward.
There will never be another opportunity for that to happen again.
Never again.
The princess lay on her side with her boots at the bottom of the bed while she held her maid against her cheek.
Their arms were wrapped around each other's neck while the older female continued to gently brush her fingernails across her young girlfriend's cheek.
The teenager smiled shyly just as Azula took hold of her cheeks while she flushed under the royal woman's domineering gaze.
"O-oh Azula-sama…" Elle trailed off in a lovesick voice just as warm lips suddenly pressed against her own.
She laid there with a pleasurable shiver traveling down her spine when the powerful woman growled against her lips.
"Mine." Azula growled with her hands cupping Elle's trembling cheek just as she slid off her maid's lips.
"M-my dominant." The blonde-haired girl murmured in a bashful undertone while the captivating woman leaned in to hiss against her cheek.
"My pet." The princess purred in a tone of absolute authority while she reached out to brush her maid's hair from her eyes.
The small girl lay there in her arms as red as a tomato only for the door to open without warning.
The couple turned their heads to find the two noblewomen staring back at them with moved emotion in their eyes.
"Elle!" Ty Lee shouted in an overjoyed voice before rushed with no regard for her broken ankle.
"Oneesan!" Elle answered in an equally excited voice just as she sat up beside her sighing master.
"How are you feeling little sister?" Mai greeted in a softened voice with great relief in her tawny eyes while she rushed forward after her friend.
"Quite well! I woke up to hugs from a princess!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed in a cheery voice while her girlfriend rolled her eyes down at her.
The two noblewomen just smiled back at the girl before they took hurried seats at her bedside.
And soon the young girl found herself blushing a deep shade of red while the three highborn women smothered her with attention.
Quite literally!
"We were so worried about you!" The brown-haired woman yelled out with her arms around the smaller girl's neck while the held the serving girl's face in her breasts.
And her spoiled friend now glared at her with a sliver of envy in her cold eyes.
"Ty Lee! I have already told you! My breasts only!" Azula huffed with her arms folded over her breasts while the acrobat ignored her.
"S-sumimasen Ty Lee. I…didn't mean to worry everyone." Elle spoke in a timid voice just as she blushed when Ty Lee placed a sisterly kiss on her cheek.
An action that had the princess already shoving her elbow between the two of them.
"Get your lips off my pet." The princess demanded in a beyond entitled voice while her two friends cast her annoyed glances.
"Don't worry about it shorty. We're just glad to see that you're okay." The markswoman stated in a tone of fondness with her hand on the emotional girl's shoulder.
That was all it took for the young girl to leap into her open arms while she found herself sighing gently.
She really was a sweetheart.
"I-I am so happy. I have never been this loved before. Not since my…p-parents died." The blonde-haired girl stuttered with her face in the noblewoman's breasts while tawny eyes softened above her.
All three women gazed down at their young companion with appreciation in their eyes.
"We know Elle. We know." Ty Lee assured with a giant grin on her lips.
"Elle…I want you to know that I am sorry." Mai spoke with her arms around Elle's back while the smaller girl blinked in confusion.
"What for oneesan?" Elle asked in a puzzled voice while Mai guiltily gazed down at her.
"I didn't protect you." The markswoman replied in a remorseful undertone while the younger girl smiled warmly up at her.
"You certainly didn't." Azula snorted with a trace of judgement in her cold voice while Mai flinched under her gaze.
But even so.
There was much to be learned from this 'incident'.
This was all the confirmation that she needed to know that the girl's power had limits.
'The girl might be the Avatar's weakness but she couldn't fend off a knife wielding earthbender.' The princess thought with a scowl on her regal lips.
"Azula." The brown-haired woman scolded with a frown while the spoiled woman just still stared at her friend in disapproval.
"It's alright Mai. It wasn't your fault. Please don't blame yourself oneesan. Because I don't." The blonde-haired girl declared with an innocent smile on her lips before she placed a platonic kiss on the smiling noblewoman's cheek.
"If you say so little sister. Then I won't." Mai assured with a grin growing on her lips only for Azula's hand to push the girl away from her face.
"What do you think you're doing kissing Mai?" Azula demanded with fire exuding from her nostrils while she narrowed her eyes down at her maid's adorable intimidated face.
"S-sumimasen Azula-sama." Elle murmured in a lovable voice while a greedy hand grasped a hold of her shirt as she was pulled back beside Azula.
"I will let it slide this time. But if you ever do so again, I will imprison you for all time!" The princess announced with a glower while her friends rolled their eyes at her back.
"You should have seen it Elle…Azula was worrying nonstop until you woke up." Ty Lee stated with a giggle while the prideful woman turned to scowl over at the metal wall.
"R-really Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl asked with an adorable shade of pink on her cheeks while she wrapped her arm around the older female's bicep.
"No. I was not. You were nothing but a pain in my ass." Azula scoffed with a haughty snort while her lovely maid still smiled up at her.
"How touching." The markswoman commented in monotone while the acrobat still giggled alongside her.
"She's just too stubborn to admit it Elle. Azula was hovering over you the entire time. She even pureed fresh oranges and fed them to you in your sleep." The brown-haired woman informed with an affectionate smile.
The small girl peered up at the scowling woman with a moved flush on her cheeks just as she grasped onto the older girl's robes.
"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama." Elle stammered just as she pushed her face into Azula's breasts while she listened to the beautiful woman sigh above her.
"You just be sure that you make it up to me peasant. I am your master…I shouldn't have to put so much work into keeping you alive. It is beneath me." The princess sighed in a pompous voice while she slid her arm around her maid's small back.
"You are so full of yourself Azula." Mai muttered with another roll of her eyes while Azula smiled smugly when Elle began to crawl in her lap.
"Yes princess! As you command! I'll be a good peasant!" The blonde-haired girl cried out with an adorable smile while the royal woman smirked down at her.
Only for the sound of a loud growling belly to flow into the air while the three highborn women gazed down at their young friend's reddened face with amusement in their eyes.
"Sumimasen minasan." Elle mumbled in a soft-spoken voice while Azula rolled her eyes down at her.
"You are such a naïve peasant. You would rather starve to death than eat meat." Azula grumbled with returning annoyance in her voice while Elle blushed under her gaze.
It was a disconcerting detail that bothered all three of them.
They never would have figured that Elle would have been so insistent on her diet even under such grueling conditions.
"That's so Azula-sama. I'm just a butterfly in the breeze. That's how I live. It's how I'll always be." The blonde-haired girl declared with a sunny smile before she coughed lightly into her hand.
"We really need to get that cough checked out Azula." Ty Lee advised in a helpful voice.
"Wrong Elle. You're a butterfly in a cage. A cage that I hold in the palm of my hand." The princess boasted with a conceited smirk while her lifelong friends shivered once more.
Only for the young girl to cry out in delight while her big sisters gazed at her oddly.
"Yes! And I eagerly wait for when my beautiful princess will take me out of my cage for a snuggle!" Elle cheered with a radiant expression while the two-noblewomen shuddered in renewed pity.
"Y-you really shouldn't start talking to Azula about cages little sister." The brown-haired woman stated with a wince while the princess's red lips curved into a pleased smirk.
"Silence Ty Lee! If my pet longs to be in a cage. Then she will be caged. Who are you to deny her that pleasure?" Azula ordered with a thrust of her finger while Ty Lee just gazed at her flatly.
That was when they all turned to notice that the injured were being led up the ramp of the massive royal barge.
"Oh, that reminds me Azula. Have you spoken with that chancellor yet?" Ty Lee asked as if it had just come to her while she smiled over how Azula didn't want to leave Elle's side.
"No, Ty Lee. I have not. I just spent the last nine days wandering that miserable island. And now I finally have a chance to sit down. So, I would much rather not be pestered by nagging politicians right now." The princess snorted with a snide roll of her golden eyes while her two friends stared at her pointedly.
"Uh Azula. But this 'nagging' politician is the one that rescued us." The brown-haired woman answered with a sigh while the spoiled woman held her little sister against her breast.
"I know. It has only been an hour and I have already been told so five times." Azula complained with a finger lazily twirling through her hair while she sighed as if it was a great hardship to bear.
In that very moment they all turned their heads when they heard a sudden commotion outside.
Only for their eyes to widen in unison when they saw the injured captain step onto the upper deck only for four guards to move forward to block her advance.
The noblewoman was now wearing a new plain white long-sleeved shirt as replacement for the one she gave to Elle.
And now the soldier was staring up with narrowed hazel eyes while the admiral stepped up to stare back at her in contempt.
The admiral's hair was grey and as per usual his hair was in a small bun.
His golden eyes stared at the captain while she defiantly continued walking forward only for the soldiers to aggressive take combat stances.
"I would prefer it if you wait for the next ship Generalkiller." Raken announced with a distasteful expression on his lips while Zoe regarded him lazily.
Inside the royal chamber princess sat up with aggravation in her cold eyes while her friends mutually gazed on in bewilderment.
"What is that fool doing?" The princess asked in annoyance while her golden eyes began to form a callous glare.
"Apparently this admiral hates Zoe about as much as Mai." Ty Lee answered with a shrug.
"I wonder why." Mai stated with only marginally less hate than before.
"And I would prefer if you died in a pile of shit old man. Sadly. We all can't have what we want in this world." Zoe responded with her usual sass while Raken's eyes flashed in rage as he glared back at her.
"Ugh! Move Elle. Only one hour and I am already babysitting." Azula commanded with a regal frown on her composed face while her maid obediently slid out of her lap.
And then she stood up with her arms folded over her breasts while the two noblewomen still gazed out the window.
"I…can see why he doesn't like her." The brown-haired woman muttered in a sigh.
"You will not speak to me that way butcher!" The high admiral snapped with his hands folded behind his back while the noblewomen watched from above.
"Is this guy stupid?" The markswoman pondered in a baffled voice while the injured captain glared at the surrounding guards.
"Ty Lee! Get this tiger monkey something suitable to eat! Something vegetarian." The princess ordered as she strode towards the door while the acrobat smiled at her back.
"Of course, Azula. Mai and I will go get Elle a meal." Ty Lee exclaimed with a large grin on her lips while she ruffled Elle's hair.
"O-oneesan." Elle stammered with sweet laughter lacing her voice while the two noblewomen smiled down at her.
"I will return shortly." Azula remarked in a stern voice before she opened the door and closed it behind her.
And then she walked down the halls with a regal scowl gracing her red lips.
The irate monarch swiftly strode down the corridors of the ship with her arms crossed over her breasts.
Only to find herself pausing when her cold eyes took note of a man approaching from the other side of the hall.
Her golden eyes widened ever so slightly when she watched the man quickly stride towards her with an amicable countenance.
'Ty Lee didn't say that it was Royal Chancellor Terak!' The princess thought as she turned to face the approaching official.
It went without saying that she has seen the man here and there. But he was not someone that she regularly acquainted herself with.
He was a member of the royal court.
A heavily disliked one at that.
The chancellor was in his early thirties.
He had sharp golden eyes that conveyed his quick-witted nature.
His face was slightly narrowed, and he wore his short dark hair in the usual top-knot.
He was wearing traditional red robes as he moved forward to greet her.
He was shorter than most men…and as far as she could recall his atrocious firebending made her brother look like a prodigy in comparison.
"Chancellor Terak." Azula greeted in a curt voice while she watched the official bow with his right arm held over his chest.
"Princess Azula! I am overjoyed to see that you are unharmed." Terak responded with a friendly smile on his lips.
Azula regarded the man with an almost lazy glance before she spoke once more.
"You were the one who deployed the royal barge?" The princess questioned in a curious voice with a dismissive wave of her hand while she gestured for the man to rise.
"I was Your Highness. I hope you find the ship to your liking. I tried to fit the décor to your tastes…" The chancellor quipped in a mildly excitable voice while folded clasped his hands together just when the royal woman resumed her walk.
"So, I see. You shall be adequately rewarded for your service." Azula remarked in her usual icy voice while she watched the official began to follow after her heels.
However unlike when her maid scampered after her it only served to heighten her irritation.
"You honor me princess. You will be pleased to know that I brought a handful of maids to fulfill your every need." Terak spoke with a hurried nod only to find himself gazing on in confusion when Azula shook her regal head.
"That won't be necessary. You may dismiss them at the next stop. I brought my personal servant with me. The girl is fully trained to serve to my liking." The princess declared in a tone that she hoped was devoid of affection while the man tilted his head in perplexity.
She could already tell that he would be testing her every last nerve.
"Just one? Ah very well. I will send them off at our first stop." The chancellor agreed in a cool-headed voice while the royal woman turned to glance down at him.
"If there is something you wish to say then say it." Azula commented with her fingernail tapping her toned bicep while Terak still offered her an amicable grin.
"You wouldn't believe how ironic it was for me to come upon you princess. You see I set out to bring news to you personally. Only to receive a disconcerting report of the disappearance of your royal airship." Terak conversed in a sly undertone almost similar to Azula herself while the woman gazed down at him with her elegant eyebrows raising curiously.
"Really? Is that so chancellor. What news might that be?" The princess pondered in a slightly intrigued voice while the official hurried after her.
"Several things. Things that are best not spoke in open halls." The chancellor answered evasively much to the monarch's increased aggravation.
"I just spent the last nine days shepherding nearly one hundred starving people across that wretched isle. I am in no mood for political subterfuge." Azula snapped in an imposing voice as she glared down at Terak as the man hastily bowed once more at the hip.
She could see it clearly in his eyes.
This man was…too smart for her liking.
She didn't want him around her recovering betrothed.
"Of course, princess. My pardons. I will be brief then. Apparently, there have been several small rebellions in the far east…in the name of a…Princess Ling." Terak began with a hand under his chin while Azula's golden gaze took on a wrathful stare.
"I've heard. I encountered a band of fifty something marauding rebels who had the foolish notion that they could kill me. And now they are rotting in the ground. And the rest will soon join them. Along with anyone else who had a part to play in my ambush." The princess hissed with fire exuding from her nostrils.
"You speak wisely my princess. After the shameful way that they desecrated your image. They deserve nothing short of death." The chancellor answered with a shake of his head while the tall woman paused in her step.
"Desecrated my image?" Azula asked in a malicious voice while she turned to gaze down at Terak as the short man fished for a paper in his robes.
"Here is the…artistic depiction." Terak replied in a flinching voice while he held out a rolled-up paper in his hand for Azula to take.
As soon as Azula heard the words 'artistic depiction' her blood had already begun to boil.
She quickly tore the paper from the man's hand.
All the while the thoughts of all of the gruesome ways that she would punish the rebels began to circulate in her mind.
Only for her golden eyes to widen into a wrathful glare when she finally gazed down at the wrinkled paper.
Her jaw clenched while she stared down at the drawing with the flames of war already beginning to burn in her infuriated golden gaze.
"After they recaptured Nakagata. The rebels killed Colonel Dogo. Sad. Yes? But the filthy rebels did not stop there. No. The dirty rebels tore down your statue…and well covered it in platypus bear excrement." The chancellor explained as he gazed away at the wall while the royal woman trembled in rage with the paper in her hand.
"I am going to crush every last one of them. No one mocks me and lives to tell about it. No one." The princess spoke in a seething voice just as she crushed the paper in her clenched fist before it lit up in blue flames.
"Crush them yes. I agree wholeheartedly. That is why I came to see you. I would like to help you." Terak announced with a returning crafty smile while Azula glanced down at him incredulously.
"You help me? I recall that your firebending is utterly abyssal. You're not even a general." Azula scoffed in a callous voice just as she resumed her walk.
The chancellor's smile briefly wavered into a scowl that he directed at the statuesque woman's turned back.
"Hm. You speak true. I can barely even produce a flame. But I have something better. Something…more powerful than firebending." Terak responded in a sly voice while Azula snorted in snide amusement.
"And what would that be chancellor?" The princess inquired in a mocking voice before she turned to gaze back at the official's smiling face.
"A strategic mind." The chancellor answered with a growing smile just as he pointed at his head while the royal woman paused as if she was considering his words.
"You came to offer me your mind?" Azula pondered in mid stride while she regally walked ahead of the politician.
"Zoe's strength is all well and good. But hacking and slashing will only get you so far princess. If you will allow me…I would apply a more…subtle touch." Terak stated as he rushed after Azula while she held a contemplative hand under her chin.
"What do you have in mind?" The princess questioned with an increasingly devious smile on her beautiful face while she surveyed the man.
Perhaps…this man would be of more use to her than she first thought.
"At your convenience I will run the details by you in private. And then do as you will Your Highness. It is up to you…as always." The chancellor quipped as he bowed at the neck while the princess's red lips curved into a larger smirk.
"You know your place chancellor. That pleases me. So be it. We shall speak tomorrow morning. After I have gotten my rest." Azula ordered with a commanding smile while she placed her fists on her womanly hips.
It was good to have people around that understood that her will was absolute.
None more so understood this than her lovely little serving girl.
"Yes, my princess. One more thing. The injured workers and staff from your party. Shall I make space in the utility rooms for them?" Terak queried as he tilted his head with a curious countenance.
The royal woman paused yet again with her smirk giving way to an uncharacteristically considerate expression.
If it were ten days ago, she would have responded without delay.
But now…
"No. Make room for each one of them in the military quarters." The princess remarked in a strict voice while the official blinked in astonishment.
"Hmm. Very well. I shall begin making the arrangements shortly." The chancellor informed in a still puzzled voice while the tall woman still walked ahead of him.
"And one more thing chancellor. There is a young pilot…her name is Nako. Place that one in a chamber beside Mai and Ty Lee." Azula commanded with a lazy wave of her hand while Terak froze in disbelief.
His golden eyes flashed in confusion but he knew better than to openly question Azula's will.
Most especially with how her cold eyes were staring down at him as if she were daring him to oppose her announcement.
"Understood. It shall be done." Terak concluded with a nod only to tilt his head when they heard the sound of more shouting up above.
The princess's lips pursed into a scowl once more before she wordlessly strode ahead of the man towards the upper deck.
It was like the entire world was testing her patience to see how long she could go before she started killing people at random!
The royal woman just growled under her breath before she vanished around the next bend.
While Terak now stood holding a finger under his chin with a crafty smirk growing on his lips.
"My…it seems as if things are about to become…interesting." The chancellor stated in a sly voice before he rushed after his monarch.
The famous soldier stood at the very top of the barges deck while glared at the gathered guards while she placed her good hand over her sheathed blade.
All the while the two noblewomen gazed out the window with rising curiosity in their eyes while the admiral returned her glare.
Down below stood her soldiers and the young pilot just as they began to walk up the ramp.
"I have nothing against you brothers. But if you don't get out of my way. You will never see your families again." Zoe spoke as she dropped into a crouched stance with her palm over her blade.
The captain's soldiers and the pilot shuddered while they watched the growing standoff with wary eyes.
The admiral's soldiers tensed up in alarm as soon as the warrior said those ominous words.
Yet the admiral refused to back down.
"You do not give me orders here Generalkiller." Raken retorted before he nodded his soldiers forward.
They exchanged a brief look before they stepped forward in their heavy armor while the noblewoman stared up at then with glacial hazel eyes.
"Can you even fight without your toys Zoe?" The high admiral taunted in an arrogant voice while the woman glared up at him.
And her soldiers just shook their heads while they stood motionless at the bottom of the ramp.
"You dare call out my honor?" The captain almost snapped with her hazel eyes shimmering in rage while she removed her sheath off her waist.
"What honor?" Raken responded in a sneering voice while he watched smugly as ten soldiers began to surround the female soldier.
"Have it your way old man. I'll play your little game. And then I will teach you a lesson that you won't forget." Zoe declared just as she slid her sheathed blade down the ramp.
It rolled to a stop before Saro's boots while the man gazed down at it before he gazed back up at his commander with a patient gaze.
At this moment all eyes were on Zoe as she stood gazing around at the encircling guards with determined hazel eyes.
That was when Azula terrified the admiral by clearing her throat behind him.
"What are you doing?" Azula inquired in a cold voice while Raken fearfully turned to bow at the waist.
And that was all it took for the soldiers to stop in their tracks while the Crown Princess glared back at the frightened admiral.
"N-nothing princess! It was…just a brief exchange of words. Nothing more." The high admiral assured in a hurried voice.
All the while Terak stepped out to gaze upon the scene with a hidden playful gleam in his golden eyes.
"I am sure it was." The princess snorted with a roll of her graceful eyes only for her captain to take her by surprise when she tore off her arm sling.
"I don't need to be coddled. Least of not from an aging old fuck like you. Bring it on." The captain declared with her wounded fist falling to her hip while her monarch gazed at her in mild annoyance.
But even so Azula just sighed as she waved in hand in the hair before she took a step back.
And Raken seethed in offense once more while he hatefully glared back at the infamous soldier's fearless face.
"Very well Zoe. Do as you please." Azula commented in a bored voice before she leaned back against a wall as she watched the soldiers begin to advance once more.
She scanned her fingernails on her clenched fist with a trace of amusement in her eyes while they surrounded the noblewoman.
"I suggest you watch your mouth lest you find yourself at my mercy Generalkiller. You heard the princess. You may begin." Raken called out with a returning smirk.
And so, it went.
Within seconds the soldiers sprang for the surrounded woman all at once.
Mai, Ty Lee and Elle watched from the young girl's window as they shared a knowing glance.
The admiral was a fool if he thought that Zoe would be so easy to humiliate.
Everyone gazed on in a suspenseful silence while the admiral's soldiers attacked the injured warrior.
For a brief moment Zoe's dark hair hung in her eyes before she released a roaring battle cry just as a flaming fist nearly scorched her face.
Only for her the captain to catch the man at the wrist with a grunt just as she drove her knee into his plated belly.
The man stumbled backwards while two of his fellows attacked the captain from behind.
All while the princess watched with callous golden eyes.
'They actually think that Zoe is nothing without her sword? What fools.' Azula thought with rising entertainment in her eyes while she noticed the chancellor stepping up beside her.
'Hmm. Admiral Raken's men are eager to claim Zoe's glory as their own. I can't help but wonder…' Terak thought with a crafty gleam in his eyes while Zoe evade another strike to the jaw.
Only to tripped the man on his ass with her sliding boot.
And then the noblewoman stepped backwards while she gazed all around her with observant hazel eyes while the lead soldier smirked back at her.
"Is that all you got Generalkiller?" Shagok taunted as he made his way forward in a bending stance while his comrades surrounded the woman.
"Not hardly. I just don't want to break too many of your bones." Zoe retorted with a small smirk of her own before she rapidly sidestepped and caught a soldier by the arm.
And then she roared while she sent him soaring to the steel floor with a pained grunt.
"A lifetime of pay for any soldier that breaks her arms!" The high admiral announced with his words spurring the soldiers into action.
The monarch glanced at him through the corner of her eye before the shouting soldiers soon leaped upon her most skilled warrior.
And with that the battle took on a more violent turn.
"You heard Admiral Raken! Get her!" A soldier shouted while he swung at the captain's face just as a comrade struck at her back.
The wounded warrior just barely dodged while she elbowed the same man in the face before she spun around to block another strike.
Only to hiss when a fiery boot struck her in her torn pant leg.
All the while Azula stared at the scene with a flicker of puzzlement in her eyes while Zoe stumbled backwards.
Why isn't she using her bending!
"There's no way those fools can defeat her." Mai muttered in a deadpan voice while the other two girls watched from behind her.
As much as she despised Zoe.
Even she couldn't deny that her combat prowess was like no other.
"Probably not." Ty Lee agreed with a nod of her head while she sat on the edge of the bed with Elle under her arm.
The panting warrior staggered backwards as she spun around to avoid another punch.
Only to receive a fist her jaw from a soldier from behind.
And then she fell to the steel deck with a new burn mark on her cheek while she lay there panting.
Everyone gazed at the scene in a speechless quiet while the princess found herself unable to resist her lips curling into a regal from.
'Is she too exhausted? Or is it something else?' Azula thought with returning frustration in her eyes.
The soldiers began to mock and jeer the kneeling woman while they continued to encircle her like hungry sharks.
It was just grating watching her most prized warrior lay there and take such insult from lesser benders!
"It looks like her only skill is putting a sword in her superior's chest!" Shagok yelled out in a laugh while Zoe panted with her hair in her eyes.
'Idiots.' Saro thought with a pitiless shake of his head.
"So much for the great Zoe and her special elites!" Izom laughed raucously as he sneered down at the captain's sweating ace.
"But it's not really much of a surprise given how pathetic her sister is." The lead soldier chuckled with the others all joining him in roaring laughter.
The princess just rolled her eyes while she sighed as she leaned back against the steel wall.
If Zoe doesn't punish these fools she will.
That was when the soldiers sprung forward once more while two made a fiery swipe for the kneeling woman.
Only for the captain to duck out of the way just as their fists struck each other in their helmets.
The two men soared to the ground on their asses while Azula's lips began to purse into a smirk once more.
That's more like it.
Not a second later Shagok's boot impacted with Zoe's chest while the warrior fell to the deck once more.
Raken smiled at the sight while he chuckled under his breath.
And once more the princess stared on with her lips in a thin line while Zoe began to push her exhausted body off the steel flooring.
All eyes were on Zoe as the determined warrior braced herself on one hand before she arose while she momentarily made eye contact with Azula's annoyed gaze.
And then she gazed down over the rails at her subordinate Saro as he nodded up at her.
And then she turned to gaze about the ship before her eyes swept over the chancellor's amused face.
"It looks like I'll be getting that gold." Shagok boasted with a victorious smirk while Zoe's ruthless hazel eyes turned back to him.
And then he leaped forward while Zoe sprang towards him.
Zoe's sonorous roar overtook the air when she astounded her audience by brutally catching Shagok's fist.
And then exploding a great burst of orange flames in his face.
The audience's jaws dropped open while they watched Zoe begin savagely beating Shagok in the helm.
And then she slammed his stunned body against the rails.
They stood speechless when Shagok's screamed pierced the air as he was thrown off the rails of the ship and into the ocean below.
The two noblewomen and their adopted sister shuddered as they shook their heads.
"Like I said." The markswoman stated flatly while the acrobat nodded in fear alongside her.
"Wow. Remind me never to piss Captain Zoe off." Nako mumbled with a gulp while Zoe screamed as she sprinted at her next victim.
And Azula found her red lips curving into a smug smirk while Zoe mercilessly approached the frightened Izom.
The man took a burning swing at her only for the warrior to quickly evade his strike and ram her right fist in the man's helmet.
Five times over.
And just like that Izom dropped to the deck crying in pain only to be greeted by Zoe bringing down both of her burning fists into his helmet.
The high admiral took a step back in shock over the captain's brutality while he watched with widened eyes.
Several small specks of blood splattered on the metal flooring while Azula still wore a pleased smile on her red lips.
"W-what the fuck? Is she a monster?" A soldier asked in newfound fright as he nervously stepped backwards.
Zoe clenched her teeth together before she opened her mouth in a piercing battle cry while powerful flames sparked from her body.
And once more the princess stared on with surprised golden eyes.
This is the second time that she has seen this.
How are her flames getting stronger than when she fought the Avatar!
"You want to play brothers! Let's play!" The captain shouted as she sprinted forward towards her stunned opponents.
Zoe flipped through the air while she nimbly avoided a flaming strike before she planted a boot on a soldier's armored face.
And just like that she threw the screaming man over board into the water below.
Splash!
One by one the soldiers were sent soaring into the ocean below.
Until the captain stood panting with her hazel eyes gazing about while the princess smirked in approval.
"And there you have it. The boast has been proved." Terak commented in a pleased voice while Azula smirked in agreement.
"So, it has. Well done Zoe." Azula spoke with a refined smile while Zoe turned around to face the now pale admiral.
"Now then. I do believe that I made you a promise Admiral Raken." Zoe remarked as she advanced on the now intimidated old man.
"W-wait Zoe it was just a game! That's all!" Raken exclaimed as he took a nervous step backward while Azula cast him a disgusted glance.
"Pathetic. You start a fight and then you cower when you can't back it up." The princess commented with her glacial eyes staring at the admiral's sweating face.
"Oh, believe me I understand completely. No hard feelings." The captain answered with a playful smile while the man relaxed ever so slightly.
"That is good to…what are you doing!" The high admiral cried out just as Zoe seized him by his plated chest and slammed his frightened back against the rails.
"But if it's all the same to you. I would prefer it if you wait for the next ship old man." Zoe announced with a growing smirk on her lips before she threw the screaming Raken overboard.
The soldiers watched in noticeable terror as their commander splashed in the waters below.
Azula's lips curled into a smile of sadistic amusement while she watched what remained of her people make their way up the ramp.
"You can't do this to me! You'll pay for this!" Raken protested as he flailed in the waters while Zoe gazed down at him over the railing.
"If you get hungry, you'll find an orange grove about five miles into the woods that way!" The captain called down with her hands on the railing while she smirked even wider as the man screamed up at her.
"I'll see you bleed for this Generalkiller!" The high admiral screamed as he splashed about while the warrior turned away with a smirk.
And then she held her right hand over her back while she flipped her middle finger down at the sputtering admiral.
"Eat shit old man." Zoe remarked with her hand held high in the air while Azula quirked a brow over her unrefined language.
"Sometimes I wonder if you are truly noble born Zoe." Azula snorted with her arms folded over her breasts while Zoe now gazed at the mass of soldiers.
"I am now the admiral of this ship. Does anyone object?" The captain declared in a strict voice with her eyes glancing over every last soldier.
The two noblewomen just turned away never truly caring what happened to the foolish admiral.
They saw all of this coming the moment he tried to pick a fight with Zoe.
The meaning behind Zoe's announcement was as clear as day.
She was claiming the position and the only one who could say otherwise was Azula herself.
The princess just smiled with a finger underneath her chin before she shrugged.
All the while the soldiers cried out an answer in unison.
"No Commander Zoe! We do not!" The soldiers agreed in a cacophony while the captain smirked in approval.
"I am pleased to hear it! You may bring your injured comrades back on board so long as they understand that there has been a change in leadership. But leave old man Raken below would you?" Zoe commanded with a small smile on her lips before she turned away.
In that moment Saro, Nako and the others walked up while the soldiers gazed at her in admiration.
"Nice one captain." Saro stated with a grin while he gazed at Zoe in admiration.
The noblewoman nodded in appreciation before she gazed out of the corner of her eye to note the chancellor gazing down over the rails.
"Hmm. How sad for you Admiral Raken. But if you weren't such a simplistic brute you would have considered this possibility when you set sail to rescue our dear captain." The chancellor spoke with his hair swaying in his eyes while the monarch gazed at him in surprise.
"Chancellor! You didn't say anything about the Generalkiller! You only said that we were going to rescue Princess Azula!" Raken shrieked as he floated in the waters while he trembled in rage as he watched his injured subordinates limping back on board.
"Did I now? Silly me. I forgot." Terak responded as he pushed himself off the rail while Azula smirked with a hand under her chin.
'Interesting. He orchestrated this by withholding details from the high admiral? Perhaps this one has his merits after all.' The princess thought with a still present smirk on her lips.
"Terak please! Help me! Say something in my defense!" The former high admiral called out as he swallowed the water that was in his mouth.
"Let me think about it…hm. No!" The chancellor taunted before he turned away with a noticeably happier countenance than before.
All the while smiling as he listened to the older man's hateful shouts.
"You are one spiteful bastard Chancellor Terak." The captain stated with something akin to amusement in her eyes while the man smiled back at her.
"You purposefully refrained from telling the high admiral that Zoe would be here. Why?" Azula questioned with her hands clasped behind her back while she eyed Terak closely.
It was a rare day where she met someone that had a penchant for manipulation as much as her.
"Not for myself. It was a gift for House Song." Terak answered in a crafty voice while Azula released a snort of amusement.
"A gift for me?" Zoe asked with a trace of humor in her voice while she began to walk alongside the man.
"Of course. We are friends are we not? You intend to make your return to court. You needed to make an example of one of your detractors to silence their mockery. I provided you with your example." The chancellor explained in a smooth voice while the captain paused to consider his words.
"You make a valid point. I suppose you want something in return." The captain commented as she came to a stop before her monarch.
"No. As I said. It was a just from one outlier to another. That is all." Terak insisted with a nod while Zoe directed him an unconvinced stare.
"I find that hard to believe." Zoe scoffed with still present humor in her eyes while Terak now eyed her burned arms.
"Such nasty burns. How bold of House Lin." The chancellor quipped with a shake of his head while the female soldier's amused expression began to contort into returning rage.
'What…is he trying to do?" The princess thought with a slight trace of annoyance returning to her eyes.
As much as this one entertains her.
She knew that she would have to keep him away from her maid.
"I caution you to refrain from mocking me. Unless you want to join the old man overboard." The captain warned with her hazel eyes narrowing down at the official's still amicable face.
"I don't mock. I express concern. I am happy to see that you are alive…and well. Nothing more. Nothing less." Terak assured with a finger under his chin while Zoe relaxed her posture.
"Enough of your talk chancellor. We are going to retrieve what remains of our supplies in the wreckage of our airship. And then we depart for Fire Mountain." Azula declared in an authoritative voice as she gazed at the two.
The official's eyes gleamed in curiosity after hearing that they needed to retrieve supplies.
If only because it was a strange thing to say.
Given that the princess would have no need to scour for supplies when she simply could order more.
But even so. It was not his place to question the princess.
At least not openly.
"As you command princess." The chancellor replied in a bow while the royal woman gazed at him with a gratified countenance. About an hour later.
The downed airship rested upside down in the distance.
Before it stood a team of soldiers pulling supplies from the wreckage.
Azula stood with a large book in her hand just as she gazed down at it with a spark of relief in her golden eyes.
Just why was it that she was so relieved to discover that Elle's artbook had survived the fire?
Even she couldn't truly say.
But as she flipped the book open, she found herself unable to fight the barest traces of a pink blush on her cheeks.
It was a darling sketch of her sitting on her throne.
Her right arm was resting on the sides of the golden throne.
And sleeping at the foot of her throne was her pretty maid.
The girl slept with her head upon her robed thigh while her left hand remained planted in her serving girl's golden hair.
Without even realizing she began twirling a fingernail in her hair while her full lip pursed into a fond smile.
It was only when she heard footsteps approaching behind her that she slammed the book shut while she instantly tried her best to harden her facial expression.
She turned around to find herself staring down at her pilot now bowing before her boots.
"Princess! I came to report that we are all finished." Nako informed in a voice of profound respect while she bowed with her face in the barren ravine ground.
"Good. Stand Nako. I want you to take a walk with me." Azula ordered with her hands falling to her sides while she discreetly hid the artbook from the pilot's view.
"Eh? A walk?" The royal pilot asked as she arose with her golden eyes blinking in confusion only to find herself gulping when the taller woman glared down at her.
"Are you defying me Nako?" The princess questioned in a taunting voice as a smirk formed on her lips when the pilot rushed ahead in a panic.
"No, Your Highness! Of course not!" Nako exclaimed just as she hurried after Azula with her hands folded before her.
Never in a million years would she have imagined that she would have earned such an honored place by her Crown Princess's side.
"In recognition of your actions over the course of this expedition. For the remainder of our trip I have placed your chambers in the same hall as ours." Azula announced with her cold golden eyes gazing ahead while the pilot almost tripped in disbelief.
The pilot stumbled ahead with her short hair hanging in front of her astonished eyes.
She just couldn't believe that the princess liked her so much.
"I-I don't know what to say Your Highness. You honor me." The royal pilot replied as she bowed at the waist while the royal woman gazed down at her.
"So, I do. I must admit you've impressed me with your resourcefulness." The princess commented with a curt nod while she continued on.
Nako quickly hurried after her princess with a grateful grin on her lips while she gazed up at the taller woman.
Sure, she can be cold.
And sure, she can be cruel.
Just thinking of how Azula brutally killed the rebel leader still sent a shiver down her spine.
But in her experience the princess treated the loyal well.
Others may not think the same. And they are free to do as they see fit.
But as for herself…
She is happy to stand beside Princess Azula.
And with that in mind.
She steeled her nerves while she straightened to meet the royal woman's stern gaze before she voiced her mind.
"I thank you for your praise princess. May I…make a request of you?" Nako asked in a nervous voice while Azula's golden eyes flashed in slight surprise.
"Hm. You may speak Nako." Azula spoke with a trace of curiosity in her strict voice.
If only because it has been nine days since her pilot saved her life in the climb.
And the girl has yet to ask anything of her.
She couldn't help but wonder what the pilot would ask for.
For the briefest of moments, the pilot found herself hesitating to speak in fear that she was pushing her newfound relations with the monarch too far.
However, for the sake of her family she found the courage to voice the words that were forming in her throat.
"M-my village Your Highness. There…there is a great deal of poverty and…" The royal pilot trailed off in an anxious voice as she averted her eyes from the royal woman's golden gaze.
"And?" The princess answered as she turned to face the skittish woman's surprised face.
"There is a food shortage…and people are going hungry. And…the officials overseeing the town refuse to take care of the problem. And…I wanted to ask if you could look into the matter for us." Nako admitted as she shifted nervously on her feet.
Azula turned to face the other woman with a sliver of something akin to concern in her icy gaze.
Nine days ago, she wouldn't have even batted an eye over the matter.
And yet after spending nine days with her loyal subjects she found herself feeling a strange compulsion to mend her people's situation.
It was a curious emotion but she felt it all the same.
"So be it Nako. I will look into it for you." The princess remarked with a regal nod while she gazed down at the pilot's overjoyed face.
"T-thank you princess! Truly for everything!" The royal pilot cried out with a cheerful grin while the royal woman sighed alongside her.
"Well at least you are appreciative." Azula sighed as she clutched her maid's artbook while Nako raced along beside her.
"I really mean it princess. In all my life I have never been so terrified as in these last nine days. And yet you led me through it. You led all of us to safety." Nako declared in a grateful voice with a relieved smile on her lips.
The princess turned to the pilot with her golden eyes flashing in a taken aback emotion.
There was something about those words that seemed pleasing to her ears.
Was it because her own mother and the rebel soldiers had decried her a monster?
She wasn't certain.
But she decided…that she was coming to enjoy the feeling of being beloved by her people.
"And I will never forget it. Thank you for your leadership Your Highness." The royal pilot stated as she bowed her head in respect while the royal woman turned to gaze ahead.
"Hm. You are fortunate to have me Nako. There isn't anyone that could have done better." The princess responded with a sophisticated smile returning to her lips as she nodded knowingly.
"No, they couldn't princess." Nako agreed with a still present grin as she gazed up at the royal woman in boundless gratitude.
Azula's lips curved into a regal smirk while she resumed walking alongside her peculiar pilot.
Indeed.
It turns out that there are benefits to being loved after all.
Elle sat in her bed eating a bowl of curry with fried tofu while she smiled as brightly as can be.
The two noblewomen sat at the foot of her bed while they gazed back at her with fondness in their eyes while they themselves ate their own.
"Yum! This is so good." Elle exclaimed in a jovial voice while Ty Lee grinned back at her.
"I'm glad that you like it little sister. And just as happy that you are alright." Ty Lee spoke in a tender voice as she spooned out another mouthful.
"I told Azula-sama that there was no need to worry about food. It came to me eventually just like I knew it would." The blonde-haired girl commented in a sunny voice while the two noblewomen sweatdropped.
Both Mai and Ty Lee knew that if Azula were present that she would surely be making some sort of snide remark right about now.
About twenty minutes later after that.
The acrobat had gotten up to take their dishes back to the kitchen.
The young girl now yawned adorably while the markswoman still sat at her bedside gazing at her with an affectionate eye.
"Oneesan?" Elle asked in a sleepy voice while Mai tilted her head attentively.
"Hm?" Mai responded as she gazed at the girl laying against her pillow.
"Would you snuggle with me?" The blonde-haired girl requested in a gentle voice while the noblewoman nodded in agreement.
"If it will make you happy kid. Sure." The markswoman agreed in a sigh before she scooted up on the bed just as she lay down beside the serving girl.
And then she offered the younger girl a small smile while she pulled the petite girl into a protective hug.
The aloof woman lay back with something akin to a fondness in her tawny gaze while she gazed down at the younger girl curling up into her chest.
"I love you oneesan." Elle spoke in a tired voice with her eyes closing against Mai's chest while the older woman put an arm around her back.
"I love you too Elle. We all do." Mai stated with a sisterly smile on her lips while she held the smaller girl against her robed bosom.
And soon enough…
The sound of quiet snoring emanated from Mai's chest while she gazed down with softening tawny eyes just as she slid another arm around the serving girl's back.
Come to think of it.
A nap sounded welcoming.
Thirty minutes later the noblewoman slept with the snoring teenager in her arms while her two friends stared on from the middle of the doorway.
The acrobat giggled softly while she turned to grin back at the princess's jealous scowl before she quietly closed the door behind them.
"That was so cute Azula." Ty Lee stated with another giggle while Azula glared at her through the corner of her eye.
"No Ty Lee. It is not." Azula snorted as she walked ahead of her smiling childhood friend.
"It is and you know it. I am so happy that she is alive and well Azula…" The brown-haired woman spoke in a softer voice with her brown-gray eyes turning to meet the other woman's prideful golden gaze.
The royal woman turned away with her golden eyes glaring at the nearest wall while her pointed boots walked down the hall of the royal barge.
"I confess that it pleases me as well." The princess grumbled in a proud voice with her fingertips curling around her toned bicep.
The acrobat smiled warmly back at her unsocial friend.
There was no doubt about it.
Azula has really fallen in love with gentle Elle.
And it was the sweetest thing that she has ever seen!
"What ever would I do without my royal cherry picker?" Azula sighed with a shake of her head while the other woman grinned back at her.
And then she walked ahead of her friend with a refined smile returning to her full lips.
Indeed.
Just what would she do without her little tiger monkey?
AN:
So, Elle finally come to! And she is going to be okay!
Under normal circumstances she would be dead. But Hoshin's anger was so great that he aimed poorly. Hoshin was a very strong earthbender, he could even bend lava.
But his hatred for Azula had blinded him to the point where he wasn't anywhere near as efficient as a more stoic assassin would have been, like the Dai Li or Silah.
And yes, his end was quite gruesome.
Regardless of his legitimate grudge against Azula I wanted to show just how scary Azula can be when Elle is harmed.
Basically, all of the ways that Elle has been making Azula slowly transform into a slightly more compassionate person go out the window as soon as Azula watches Elle get hurt.
And then Azula becomes even more ruthless than before.
So, while his death was quite violent. I wanted to show just how far Azula is willing to go to protect Elle.
Also, the fact that Azula took the time to puree oranges for Elle when she was asleep really shows that she is starting to take on nurturing tendencies towards Elle. She could have just given her meat but she respected Elle's beliefs instead.
This experience serves as a huge awakening for Azula. Now that Elle almost died because of the way she treats people. She is starting to question herself and her father. This is about the point in the story where Azula will start to doubt Ozai.
And yes, Silah burned the boats and left. She'll start to reappear in about ten or so chapters. As for what she wants, we'll have to wait and see.
And despite the strife between Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. We also saw how Elle brought them together even when she was asleep.
And we also saw how duty bound Zoe is. Elle gave the shirt off her back for her. So, Zoe didn't hesitate to give her own to Elle.
As for Zoe and High Admiral Raken. She is the most popular noble in the Fire Nation and most soldiers admire her. But the commanding officers despise her and some of their soldiers are eager to defeat her to claim her fame as their own.
I enjoyed showing just how badass Zoe can be even when she is about to collapse from exhaustion. Later on in the story we'll delve into the mechanics behind her insane stamina, there's a reason for it. But I am not going to reveal it until the time is right.
Which brings us to our new character Chancellor Terak. He is a conniving politician, and just as skilled with manipulation as Azula. He neglected to mention that Zoe would be there, so he could watch Raken make a fool of himself and get thrown overboard.
He is going to play a very important role in the war plots to come. He is a long term adviser of Ozai but he has recently fallen out of favor with him. So, he is searching to see how far he can get under Azula. He is a person who has no real loyalty, except to himself.
Much of the inspiration for his character has come from the various famous traitors in fiction. Starscream, and many others. And also the Chamberlain from the Dark Crystal.
He is a dangerous person to be around Elle because he will instantly take notice that Elle is no ordinary serving girl. And unlike most people, he wouldn't hesitate to use that against Azula if it came down to it.
But Azula has no choice but to reside on the same ship as him until they reach Fire Mountain so she has to watch how she behaves around Elle in front of Terak until then.
We'll learn more about him later on and just what it is that he wants.
And finally, we saw a great change in Azula in this chapter. Instead of demeaning her people by overcrowding them in the cargo area. She placed them in the military quarters with the soldiers.
And Nako and Azula are also becoming friends, as seen by how Azula placed Nako's room beside Mai and Ty Lee's!
And she was even willing to hear Nako out. She's learning to listen to her people and for Azula that is huge.
Well! That's it for now!
Next chapter is going to be a short one, and we won't see Elle in it either. The only characters that will appear are Azula and Terak.
Stay tuned next time.
For chapter fifty-five! The Chancellor's Scheme!