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I am back with another chapter.

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Of Fugitives and Poison – Chapter Fifty-Nine

Two carriages sat before the palace gates.

Elle sat in the carriage leaning against Mai's shoulder while the older female gazed down at her with protective tawny eyes.

The small girl was snoring against the noblewoman's elbow while the acrobat grinned at the scene from the seat across from them.

And Nako just continued to gaze at the two with ever present astonishment in her eyes.

'I still can't believe that these noblewomen and the Crown Princess take such loving care of their serving girl.' The royal pilot thought before she turned to gaze out the window.

"Aww. That's so cute Mai. Elle really enjoys cuddling with you." Ty Lee giggled with her hands in her lap while Mai offered her a small smile in return.

"Yeah. I know." Mai replied with a sigh as she slipped her arm around the smaller girl's shoulder while the exhausted girl snored against her chest.

It was quite shocking to see that Elle was this drained just from using her strange powers for two short moments.

'She's…a good kid.' The markswoman thought as she held the snoring girl in a hug while the acrobat still smiled at the two of them.

Zoe was overseeing the loading of armaments and weapons for the war to come.

While Azula stood on a staircase above the two carriages with her arms folded over her breasts.

All the while she stared down at Yoko as the older woman arose from her respectful bow.

"If that will be all Governor Yoko. I have other matters to attend to." The princess stated in a dignified voice as she briefly gazed over her shoulder at her carriage.

"Before you go. I have a gift for you." Yoko spoke in a composed voice while Azula tilted her head in curiosity as she turned to face her.

"You have a gift for me? Well, why didn't you just say so." Azula commented with a hint of spoiled intrigue in her voice as she watched the woman reach into her robed pocket.

And then she observed as the governor extended a closed fist before her face.

"Take this with you." The older woman commented just as she opened her hand while her monarch gazed down at the tiny vial in her open palm with inquisitive golden eyes.

"Is that…poison?" The princess questioned in a lazy voice while she gazed back into the noblewoman's ruthless hazel eyes.

"Your destructive techniques are all well and good Your Highness. But ultimately there are better ways to end the Avatar than a bolt of lightning. This poison is a hundred times more lethal than the voltage that you dealt him over six years ago." Yoko explained as she placed the vial in Azula's opening palm.

"Really? Is it now?" Azula purred with a flicker of sadism in her cold gaze while her fingers wrapped around the tiny vial.

"Hold it with care. If the poison gets into your skin you will die." The older woman instructed with her hand falling back to her side while her monarch now glared at her through the corner of her eye.

"You would be so careless as to hand your future Fire Lord a poison and not say so ahead of time?" The princess demanded as she the vial more carefully between two fingers before she placed it in her breast pocket.

"If you were so incompetent that you couldn't figure out how to handle a vial of poison then that would mean that you aren't fit to be Fire Lord." Yoko quipped with a twinge of sass in her voice while Azula turned to cast her an aggravated scowl.

"I am going to ignore that. And instead tell you to finish up so we can leave." Azula ordered with a moody scowl on her impatient lips while Yoko gazed back at her.

"There is no cure for this poison. So, be certain that you hit the Avatar himself. Once you hit your target his internal organs will shut down. From his heart. To his brain. To his lungs. It will all fail simultaneously." The older woman assured in businesslike voice while the younger woman's lips began to curl up into a cold smile.

"I am impressed Governor Yoko. You've thought this through." The princess remarked with an approving smirk while she crossed her arms over her breasts.

"It has many names. But I like to call it…breathless." Yoko declared with her palm before her face while Azula's lips curled into a grin.

"I like the name. Breathless it is then." Azula spoke with a contemplative smile while she held her fist below her chin.

"Just…try to remember one thing princess." The older woman began in a cool voice while her monarch tilted her head.

"And that would be?" The princess questioned in an equally composed voice while the older woman surveyed her intently.

"Wars and extended occupations cost a great deal of gold and manpower. Foolishly overspending your gold reserve puts your country in debt. The longer you occupy the more troops you deploy. The more troops you deploy the more you weaken yourself at home. And that my princess is how nations fall." Yoko announced in a fearless voice with a hardened expression that never winced when Azula's smile gave way to a furious glare.

"You dare to threaten me not once…not twice but thrice?" Azula responded in a vicious voice her golden eyes narrowed into murderous slits.

"I don't threaten you Princess Azula. I educate you. If you are the intelligent woman, I take you to be. You'll take it." The older woman answered in a blunt voice that had the royal woman glaring daggers through her skull.

"And what if I don't?" The princess almost snapped with her fingers grasping at her bicep while the older woman tilted her head.

"The greatest rulers in history listened to their advisers. Considering that your own father is planning an extravagant coronation ceremony behind your back. I should think it obvious that Fire Lord Ozai has no intentions on doing so himself." Yoko retorted with an undaunted countenance while Azula gritted her teeth in rising rage.

"You know? Did my father tell you? Or did you peruse his private writings?" Azula barked as her golden eyes shook in renewed rage for her father.

It had to be Chancellor Terak!

There was no way that her father would bother keeping this a secret only to tell Yoko just so she can deliver word back to her!

"Tell me Your Highness. What would happen if you encountered if an assassin challenged you to a duel? You would kill him of course. But what if there were ten? You would have to focus over a much greater terrain to achieve victory. But I have no doubt that you would win. But what about one hundred? Or three hundred even?" The older woman queried in a brilliant voice while the monarch pursed her lips into an aggravated scowl.

"First you threaten me and then you ignore me. And now you attempt to lecture me as if you were my mother?" The princess remarked in a callous voice while the older woman extended her hand to point to the city below.

"The more opponents you have and the wider you spread yourself the easier target you'll be. Until they eventually land a fatal blow once you spread yourself too thinly. The point that I am trying to make my princess. Is that rulers throughout history sometimes make the mistake of forgetting about what they have back home in their pursuits to have the entire world." Yoko stated with her finger pointing at the massive city in the distance while Azula turned her head to stare at her in annoyance.

"You don't think I already know this?" Azula asked in a guarded voice with her fists tightening over her biceps.

"All that I am saying princess. Is that if you are going to occupy a larger nation is that you should take care of your rivals before they grow too powerful. I speak of course about Princess Ling." The older woman continued with her arms folding over her chest.

The mere reminder that there was a survivor of Earth Kingdom royalty rousing a campaign against her was enough to shatter any good mood that she gained from spending a brief few moments with her handmaid.

"I will crush this princess like an ant beneath my boot." The princess sneered in a merciless voice with her red lips expressing a margin of sadistic delight over the prospect.

And if nothing else it was a fantastic way to show off her strength to her little intended.

What better way to show the girl that her will is absolute than to squash this rival princess before her serving girl's own eyes!

"I have no doubts that you will Your Highness. Let it be known that House Song will stand behind you should there be a succession war between you and your father…or even your brother." Yoko informed her monarch as she turned to face Azula's calculating eyes.

"Do you now?" Azula questioned as she eyed the matriarch's face with intelligent golden eyes.

"We do. Here at House Song we pride ourselves on strength more than anything else. You are stronger than your father. Blue fire will always be stronger than orange fire. Your flames burn with a brilliance unlike no other. And for that reason alone, we stand with you." The older woman declared in a respectful voice with her head inclining ever so slightly while the royal woman began to smile once more.

"Of course. My strength has no rival." The princess boasted with a growing smirk while she swelled in pride over the praise to her flames.

"House Song is the strongest house. Our name would easily give you a great advantage. This I offer to you. Whether it be the Earth Kingdom or a war for the crown. Just give us the order and we will proudly fight beside you." Yoko spoke in a serious voice while Azula's golden eyes shone in delight.

"You please me with your words Governor Yoko. But I presume that you want something in return." Azula commented in a cool voice with her full lips curling into a confident smile.

"Just one thing." The older woman admitted in a perfectly stoic voice while the monarch rose a brow in curiosity.

"And that would be?" The princess asked in a pressing voice while she followed the matriarch's eyes until she furrowed her brows in curiosity when she noticed that the woman's fell upon her captain.

"I want Zoe back." Yoko stated with a flicker of aggravation in her voice while Azula offered her a questioning glance.

"You already have her. I have not taken her from you." Azula snorted with a roll of her eyes while she gazed down at the woman loading the carriage.

"Ah. But you have. When the war is over, I want you to honorably dismiss Zoe from the Imperial Guard. And then she can take her seat as the head of House Song." The older woman announced just as the royal woman spun around with an incredulous look in her eyes.

"The Imperial Guard is an oath to serve the Royal Family for life." The princess reminded in a harsh voice with her eyes narrowing at the older woman once more.

"I am well aware. But you can dissolve it with but one word and then she will be free to receive her inheritance." Yoko insisted with her hard eyes still gazing back at Azula's displeased face.

"You already have a second daughter." Azula nearly snapped with her gaze taking on an increasingly irate stare.

"Sia is a nonbender. A nonbender is unfit to rule House Song." The older woman retorted with distaste in her eyes while her monarch's lips curved into an aggravated frown.

"You ask me to dishonor and enrage my greatest soldier?" The princess questioned with anger in her voice while she glared daggers a hole through the woman's skull.

"I ask you to do so honorably." Yoko replied without delay while Azula released a snide snort.

"Any dismissal from the Imperial Guard is viewed as a stain on a warrior's honor." Azula scoffed with a deep scowl on her regal lips.

"Zoe has this absurd notion that if she dies in the glory of the battlefield that she will become 'immortal'." The older woman grunted with displeasure in her eyes while the younger woman shifted on her booted feet.

"I am well aware. She has already told me as much." The princess spoke with an edge to her cold voice while she still glared at the other woman's scheming face.

"Princess Azula. I request that you return my daughter home to me alive. Restrict the amount of battles that she is permitted to participate in. And then bring her back to me upon the wars end so she can take her rightful seat as the heir of House Song." Yoko concluded in a determined voice while Azula still stared at her with angered golden eyes.

"You want me to shame and disgrace my best warrior?" Azula hissed with her fists falling down to her hips while she cast the other woman a pointed glare.

What sort of fool would go into war and purposefully make a point to dishonor their greatest soldier!

"I ask that you keep her alive." The older woman responded in a colder voice while she clenched her fists at her hips when her ruler began to walk away.

"You do not give me orders Governor Yoko. I suggest you remember that." The princess called out as she walked down the steps while the matriarch stared down the steps in anger.

"I will. And I can only hope that you give my words some thought." Yoko replied with her hazel eyes watching as Azula turned to briefly glare up at her.

Before she turned away just as quickly as she strode straight to her carriage.

Soon enough Azula seated herself in her seat while she turned to glare at Mai as soon as she took note of her handmaid's chosen place of rest.

"I can't help but notice that my girlfriend's face is quite close to your breasts," Azula commented with a deep frown of disapproval on her lips while her two lifelong friends sighed in frustration.

"Yeah. And?" Mai asked with a tiny trace of annoyance in her voice that earned her a possessive glare from Azula while Elle still snored upon her breast.

"Just let Elle sleep Azula. She's so tired." Ty Lee stated in a cheerful voice while she smiled at her little sister's drowsing face.

"If you are looking for a pet to keep you company in Zuko's absence then select Nako. As far as I know she's single. But this one is mine." The princess declared in a spoiled voice while the two-noblewoman cast her an exasperated glance just as the pilot turned red in mortification.

"B-but I uh thought that my position was the royal pilot?" Nako questioned with a flicker of pink on her cheeks while Ty Lee patted her shoulder.

"Azula! That's just rude! Nako's our friend." The brown-haired woman exclaimed with a frown while the royal woman smirked back at the red-faced pilot.

"So, she is Ty Lee." Azula remarked as she lounged back in her seat while she continued eying her snoring pet.

"Just ignore Azula. She tends to ramble from time to time." Ty Lee explained with a giggle while Nako shrunk in her seat under Azula's cold stare.

"Yeah. You'll get used to separating the important bits from the insanity sooner or later." The markswoman added in a deadpan voice with her arm over her little sister's snoring back while her friend now turned to glare at her.

Only for Azula's scowl to give way to a smile when Nako adamantly shook her head no.

"I can't ignore the Crown Princess. That just doesn't seem proper." The royal pilot insisted while her monarch smirked back at her.

"Ignore Mai and Ty Lee. You've got the right idea." The princess assured with a pleased smile that had the pilot swelling in pride under her stare.

It was obvious to Mai and Ty Lee just why Azula had taken such a strong liking to Nako.

The girl was immensely respectful and above all loyal.

As seen by the pilot's quick reaction time at taking out princess's assassin.

Soon enough they all heard Zoe's footsteps approaching the carriage knowing full well that if the soldier was concluded that they would be leaving soon after.

Only for Mai to instinctively shiver when Yoko's voice cut through the air.

"Zoe." Yoko spoke as she came to a stop behind her daughter's turned back.

"What mother?" Zoe responded with irritation still dripping from her voice as she turned to face her mother.

It truly angered her how her mother so carelessly shoved her sister aside.

And on top of that Sia ran off on her.

Every moment that she wasted here at this miserable palace was another moment that she could be spending with her sister.

"Safe travels daughter." The older woman replied as she set her hands on her daughter's cloaked shoulders.

"Thank you." The captain answered in a slightly calmer voice while her mother grasped her shoulders.

"I need you Zoe. I need you to shape yourself into the leader that you are meant to be. Not tomorrow. Not two or three years from now." Yoko remarked before she wrapped her arms around Zoe's shoulders while her daughter stared ahead with conflicted hazel eyes.

The soldier stiffly stood there with her mother's arms around her shoulders before they separated mere seconds later.

"Yes mother. I understand." Zoe assured as she turned away while Yoko gazed at her with proud hazel eyes.

"Farewell daughter. I shall see you soon." The older woman said as she turned away while she watched her eldest walk away.

"Farewell." The captain replied with a nod before she quickly walked towards the carriage.

The matriarch turned away with a sigh escaping her lips before she strode up the staircase to return to her study.

Moments later she watched her daughter step inside the carriage before she resumed her walk and never looked back.

Soon enough the carriage was riding down the road while Zoe sat beside the window with a noticeable scowl on her lips.

"Trouble in the family Zoe?" Azula taunted with her arms folded over her breasts while Zoe cast her an annoyed glare.

"You're one to talk princess. Your family is just as dysfunctional if not more so than mine." Zoe scoffed with her usual sass while Azula now directed her a mild glare.

"Please. We are a perfectly normal royal family. The only flaws in my family is the weakness that my mother infected Zuko's mind with." The princess declared with a proud countenance while all but her pilot gawked at her incredulously.

A moment of silence passed in the traveling carriage only for the silence to be broken when Zoe erupted into boisterous belly shaking laughter.

The other three women wisely kept their mouths shut while Azula's golden eyes narrowed into a truly imposing glare.

Alas it did not work on Zoe.

"Of course, princess. And House Lin has a successful marital life." The captain quipped with a chuckle while the markswoman glared daggers through her skull.

"Does she have to ride with us Azula?" Mai complained in a moody voice while she sat with Elle snoring against her robed breasts.

"Considering that Zoe is now your superior for the next three years. You may as well get used to it." Azula commented in an unsympathetic voice while she gazed smugly at Mai's humiliated countenance.

The acrobat just gazed at her fellow noblewoman with sympathetic brown-gray eyes while the soldier sat beside her with a victorious smirk on her lips.

"We're going to have a lot of fun together you and I. Who knows…you may even grow to like me?" Zoe taunted as she lounged in her seat while her hazel eyes gazed back at Mai's rightfully wary face.

"I doubt that Zoe." The markswoman snorted before she gazed away with her arm still resting over the slumbering girl's back.

"Princess. I have something to discuss with you." The captain stated in an abrupt change of topic while she turned her eyes to her monarch's callous countenance.

"And that would be?" The princess asked in a lazy voice as she still glared down at her snoring handmaid with greedy golden eyes.

Only to turn her gaze back to her soldier as the other woman reached under her cloak for multiple rolled-up posters.

"I saw fit to take affirmative action on your fugitive uncle and your brother's new friends. And I created wanted posters." Zoe announced as she extended her hand to her surprised leader.

"You are quick to take action Zoe. I like that." Azula purred as she grasped ahold of the rolled-up posters before she began unrolling the first poster before her curious eyes.

"Let me know if you approve." The captain commented as she sat back gazing at her leader's increasingly taken aback face.

The other members of the party gazed at Azula in curiosity as they watched her sit back with an unraveled poser in her right hand and the others resting in her lap.

The princess now stared down at her uncle's wanted poster with a surprised yet pleased expression in her cold eyes.

It read as follows:

Wanted:

Former General Iroh, also known as the Dragon of the West and Mushi.

Eleven days ago, the Crown Princess Azula nobly led her forces in battle against the Avatar.

Our great Princess Azula's forces nearly achieved victory on that day. Only for the traitorous former general Iroh to launch a murderous assault on her royal airship.

Iroh is wanted for the following crimes.

For eighteen charges of murder, conspiracy, treason, and royal larceny.

The names of the fallen are listed as follows:

Doren, twenty-six, occupation; engine worker. Cause of death, fully body immolation. Survivors, wife and two-year-old daughter.

Imem, twenty-two, occupation; soldier. Cause of death, broken back and possible brain injury. Survivors, both parents.

And so on.

And so on.

They served in the name of their nation only to be betrayed by one of their own.

And now it is up to their Crown Princess Azula to deliver their killer to justice.

If you see this man, do not attempt to apprehend him. Behind his kindly exterior is a very deadly man who will stop at nothing to fulfill his treasonous ambitions.

Any and all sightings of this man should be directed to your local authority.

If you happen to see him passing through your village, or your city. Alert everyone you know as quickly as you are able.

And above all keep your children and the defenseless away from him.

There is no telling what such a dangerous man will do to your children if they fall into his hands.

Any individuals caught aiding and abetting former general Iroh and his cohorts will face capital punishment!

And any individuals who should play a significant factor in his capture will receive a generous reward from House Song and Princess Azula herself.

And finally, at the bottom was an artistic depiction of her uncle.

Azula turned to Zoe with her red lips curling up into an approving smile while the others now gazed down at the poster in a stricken silence.

"Good work Zoe. You even listed their names." The princess remarked with her fingers grasping at another poster while the acrobat wiped a tear from her eye.

"Of course, I listed their names. I was the one who sent them off." The captain stated in a hardened voice while she gazed out the window as the others aside from her ruler shivered over the reminder.

"I-it still tears me up to know that our people died so brutally. And some…even had kids." The brown-haired woman muttered as she sat back swallowing down her sadness.

"Quit your crying Ty Lee. I will see to it that their names will be avenged." Azula commented in a callous voice with her lips already entrenching in yet another scowl.

The acrobat just shakily nodded while she still gazed at her leader in no small margin of awe.

It might seem like a cruel remark.

But for Azula to even announce that she would avenge them spoke volumes over how far Azula has come.

And not a moment later the princess gazed down at yet another poster with her harsh eyes reading over it with great attention to detail.

Wanted:

Former Prince Zuko, also known as Lee.

He is wanted for aiding and abetting in the theft of Crown Princess Azula's royal airship.

Which ultimately led to the obstruction of medical treatment for the wounded and the death of eighteen of our own.

Had Zuko chosen country over self some of them may still be alive today if he had assisted his sister in capturing his uncle.

But he did not.

Zuko chose self over country.

If you see this traitor, shun him. Alert your local authority and tell everyone you know.

He is no longer one of us. And he never will be again.

And any individuals who should play a significant factor in his capture will receive a generous reward from House Song and Princess Azula herself.

And lastly, at the bottom was an artistic depiction of her brother.

Azula gazed on with callous golden eyes while Mai and Ty Lee gazed down at the poster with a shared look of defeat in their eyes.

The markswoman could only gaze away as she wrapped her arm around the snoring handmaid's back.

'I can't help you anymore Zuko. And you can't say that I didn't try.' Mai thought with a small spark of pain flashing in her eyes that she soon buried in favor of a peaceful hug with her adopted sister.

The ruthless royal woman set her brother's poster aside with her regal lips still adorning a scowl.

Zuko chose this fate. Each of their deaths are on his head. Not hers.

'I tried to save them! I got as many out as I could!' The princess thought as she sank back in her seat with her fist gripping the next poster.

And then she tore it open with a cold glower as she began to read the next.

And the one after that. And so, on until she was finished.

Until finally she rolled up posters aside before she turned to appraise her most skilled soldier.

"Post these everywhere and anywhere. Spare no expense Zoe. And I mean none. Produce a million posters if you must. I want the people to see them for the traitors that they are." Azula declared in a merciless voice with her strict eyes staring ahead at her nodding subordinate.

"Yes princess. And I trust you'll distribute the lifetime payments that we promised?" Zoe questioned in turn with her words earning her a questioning stare from Azula.

"Lifetime payments? You promised the families lifetime payments? The survivor's families usually receive only one payment." The princess stated in a rigid voice while both of her childhood friends stared at her incredulously.

"Come now princess. Lifetime payments are only fair. Considering that those eighteen sacrificed their lives for you. But if you prefer…I could just tell the families that you need it more than they do." The captain replied in a stoic voice while the pilot scooted away from her.

"I caution you to watch how you speak to me Zoe. You forget that my bending far exceeds yours." Azula spoke in a frozen voice with her callous eyes never leaving Zoe's relaxed face.

"Azula…Zoe has a point. They gave up their lives for you." The brown-haired woman agreed with her words causing her royal friend to turn to briefly glare at her.

She never thought she would see the day when she began to agree with Zoe.

But as unpleasant as the woman can be.

She now saw that the noblewoman was not without her positive traits.

"And you forget that I am a greater warrior than you." Zoe retorted with her hazel eyes staring back at Azula's now angered face as golden eyes turned to glare a hole through her skull.

The carriage fell silent save for the soft sound of Elle snoring while Azula leaned forward with her eyes narrowing into a penetrating golden glare.

"You think that you are a greater warrior than me?" The princess questioned in a guarded voice with her gaze conveying her anger over the boast.

And her brilliant mind was already running over all of the ways that she could prove the other woman wrong by becoming even stronger.

"I do princess. Because being a warrior and being a bender are two completely different things. For you bending is your primary weapon. But to me…firebending is secondary to physical strength and to my sword." The captain responded in a proud voice with her muscular arms crossed over her breasts while her monarch still glared back at her.

"I don't know what angers me more. Hearing a fellow firebender dub bending as 'secondary' or the fact that you think yourself better at hand to hand than me." Azula stated sternly with her cold voice causing all but her soldier to flinch.

"How long have you been practicing with that sword? A few months? I've been doing it since I was nine. I don't need bending to tear open a man's throat with sword and spear. I have more stamina than anyone in all of the Fire Nation and you know it. That's why I'm here." Zoe announced in a sanguine voice with her head sinking into the cushioned seat while the others still sat in silence.

And as much as Azula loathed to admit it she knew that Zoe was right.

The royal woman leaned back with her golden eyes flickering with another spark of anger while she glared down at her well-muscled arms.

And then she discreetly glared at the other woman's arms through the corner of her eye.

Zoe's muscles were thicker than hers.

With a scowl on her lips she decided to speak once more.

"Fine. Lifetime payments it is. But you just boasted that you were better than me. And I will not let such insult go unpunished." The princess hissed in a powerful voice with her fists in her lap while the soldier rose a brow in curiosity.

"In one area princess. You well exceed me in both lightning generation and in your range of firebending techniques." The captain assured in a calm voice her leader's eyes narrowed into slits.

"I demand that you become my sparring partner!" Azula shouted as she pounded a mighty fist in the seat cushion while her growing group of friends gazed at her in puzzlement.

"A sparring partner Azula?" Ty Lee asked with surprise in her voice while she gazed from her lifelong friend to the soldier seated beside her.

In all of the many years that she has known Azula this is the first time that she has ever heard her declare that she wanted someone to be her training partner.

"Your sparring partner? Very well Your Highness. I accept." Zoe agreed with a small smile on her lips that had all but Azula shivering.

"You won't be smiling for long Zoe. I am going to use and abuse you until you scream out in despair. Your tears will only serve as fuel to strengthen my flames. All while this one here stares on wide eyed in awe of my divine might." The princess explained with a violent smirk on her lips while she gestured to her little handmaid's snoring face in the noblewoman's breasts.

The three noblewomen and the pilot turned to the catnapping serving girl while they sweatdropped when the blonde gasped in her sleep against Mai's chest.

"That is so adorable Azula." The brown-haired woman cooed with a hand over her giggling mouth while her spoiled friend rolled her eyes back at her.

"Humph. Only marginally Ty Lee." Azula scoffed with a finger twirling in her hair while she gazed at her young girlfriend's sleeping face in a possessive golden stare.

"Yeah uh actually that is pretty damn cute." The royal pilot commented after a period of silence while the acrobat grinned in agreement.

"It is." The markswoman stated with a fond grin on her lips while she tenderly patted her exhausted little sister's back.

"She certainly is. I must say that girl is prime marriage material." The captain commented with her hazel eyes blinking at the teenager's snoring countenance only for the others to tremble in terror when her monarch spun around to glower at her.

The carriage fell into an eerie silence while even Mai and Ty Lee trembled in fear when Azula's terrifying eyes formed a truly monstrous golden glare.

Azula's royal lips ground together before she growled out her reply.

"Marriage material? You think my serving girl is marriage material?" The princess demanded in a foul tempered voice with her icy eyes never leaving the soldier's seemingly interested face.

"Do you really have to ask? Any soldier would be ecstatic to come home to her after a hard day's battle. Dinner on the table. Someone to keep their bed warm at night. And to top it off…she's…quite the looker." Zoe answered as she reclined in her seat with her hazel eyes still watching Elle snore in her sleep.

The others wisely kept their mouths shut while Azula's domineering eyes still stared back at Zoe's intrigued face.

"She isn't allowed to get married. Do you understand Zoe?" Azula asked in a threatening voice with her boots pushing onto the floor of the carriage while her heartless eyes pierced the other woman's skull.

"Really? Because as far as I understood it servants are allowed to marry as they please." The captain quipped with a smirk on her lips while the royal woman gritted her lips together.

"Not this peasant! She's the team pet. In order for her to serve us to her fullest she must dedicate every aspect of her life to us." The princess snarled with her fingertips tapping her muscular bicep while she glared down at her handmaid's snoring face.

"She's not the team pet Azula." Ty Lee sighed under her breath while Mai rolled her eyes at their insane leader's controlling face.

"Waste of breath." Mai snorted with her hand on Elle's small back while she allowed the girl to snore into her chest.

"Yes, she is. And we say that she is forbidden to get married. Don't we Ty Lee?" Azula inquired in a harsh voice with her dominant eyes now glaring at Ty Lee's sighing face.

"Uh yeah. Whatever you say Azula. No marriage for our adorable servant. None at all…" The brown-haired woman agreed with a giggle while the royal woman smirked once more.

Leave it to Azula to be too proud to just say that she wanted to marry Elle…

"Is it common talk among nobility and royalty to discuss peasants as pets?" Nako asked in a confused voice while Ty Lee turned red in shame as she sunk back into her seat.

"No. But it is for Azula because she's insane." The markswoman answered with a shrug while she lounged back in her seat while she held the smaller girl in her lap.

"Isn't that what peasants are for?" The princess questioned in a pompous voice with a smug smirk on her full lips while the pilot squirmed under her stare.

"Azula!" Ty Lee chastised as she leaned over to lightly smack the spoiled woman's knee.

"Worry not Nako. Not all nobility radiates that aristocratic snobbishness that the princess and her friends possess. Some of us are more down to earth." Zoe remarked with a stoic nod while Azula released a snide snort.

"Please Zoe. Not having any class isn't really something to brag about." Azula snorted with a roll of her lovely eyes just as the carriage hit a bump.

Her golden eyes flickered in annoyance as she turned her head to glare out the window only to gaze back down at her boots when she heard a slight thump.

She found herself gazing down with her narrowed eyes at the open flap in her handmaid's backpack.

All eyes turned to the floor to see that a small book had spilled out of the partly open zipper in the girl's bag.

'That girl needs to learn how to close her stupid bag! Must I do everything for her?' The princess thought with a spoiled sigh as she leaned down to put the book away.

Only for her cold eyes to narrow dangerously when a hand grasped ahold of the book before she could.

"What's this princess?" The captain queried in a mischievous voice while all eyes but the pilot turned to glare at her.

"That's Elle's diary. Put that away. It isn't any of your business Zoe." Mai spoke in an ice-cold voice while she glared at Zoe's curious face.

"Mai is correct. Give it to me Zoe." Azula ordered with her palm extended for her subordinate to return the diary.

"Her diary princess? The title reads…the Princess Azula Reference Book." Zoe stated with a playful undertone while Azula sank back with the barest hint of pink on her prideful cheeks.

"Eh? You have a reference book princess?" Nako inquired in a baffled voice while Azula just audibly scoffed back at her.

"Of course, I do! She's my worshiper. It's only natural that the girl would have a diary detailing her love for me." The princess huffed with a haughty smile while her childhood friends rolled their eyes at her.

"Hey! You can't just open Elle's diary! She might be a servant but she's entitled to her privacy just like everyone else!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a sisterly growl as she snatched the book from Zoe's hands after she caught the woman attempting to peruse the book.

"Yeah. Who do you think you are Zoe?" The markswoman queried in a defensive voice as she narrowed her eyes at the soldier's intrigued face.

It was then that the book dropped into the acrobat's open lap while she gazed down at the contents with a blush on her cheeks.

And the captain leaned over her with her mouth in the shape of an o as she too marveled at the girl's artwork.

"What are you two…Ty Lee! Give me the damn book!" Azula barked as she tried her hardest to squash her small blush while Mai turned red as she too gazed down at the book.

And even Nako caught a glimpse of its contents as she blushed in her seat.

"Such an interesting little drawing. It appears to be a woman's ass." The captain muttered with a hand under her chin while the acrobat blushed beside her.

The subject in question was a small drawing of a woman's robed posterior.

It even looked as if the drawing was inspired by the person walking behind the woman in question.

All eyes turned to the pridefully scowling monarch as she glared back at their gawking eyes.

"That's definitely Azula's ass." The brown-haired woman mumbled while she scratched her blushing cheek.

"Yeah. It is." Mai agreed with a suppressed snort just as Azula's eyes pierced her skull.

"It's…round…in a good way of course." Zoe teased with a small smirk on her lips just as Azula snatched the diary from the acrobat's lap.

"Of course, it's round. My flawless shape is simply divine. And I must say that it pleases me that the girl finds artistic inspiration in my perfect posterior." The princess scoffed just as she closed the diary with a conceited smirk on her full lips.

"Ugh. Your head is way too big for your shoulders Azula." The markswoman said just as the younger girl snored in her arms while the acrobat giggled over at the scene.

"She has quite an impressive array of artistic talent. It seems like she could be drawing more than your ass princess." The captain commented with her arms folded over her breasts while her leader still smiled smugly.

"The girl should be honored to even have the privilege of sketching my goddesshood." Azula announced in an arrogant voice with a refined smile on her red lips while her two lifelong friends rolled their eyes once more.

"No doubt Your Highness. But I was thinking that if she is as good at drawing faces as she is your ass that she might be able to help me fine tune our wanted posters." Zoe advised with a finger rubbing the underside of her chin while Azula's controlling eyes sparked in approval.

"That is a wonderful idea Zoe. Perhaps I'll put her to work on the matter later on." The princess purred as she turned to peer down at her handmaid's adorably dozing face.

"Just don't overwork the poor girl Azula. You said that she just fainted in the shower a few hours ago. And she still hasn't recovered from her wounds yet." Ty Lee attempted to reason with a frown while Azula scowled back at her.

Only for the sound of a mumbling voice to instantly gain her attention.

Azula turned her head when she heard her little handmaid mumble her name in her friend's chest.

"Azula-sama…" Elle murmured only to snore again not a moment later while Mai's cheeks turned a slight shade of red when Azula glared back at her.

"Does she…think that you are me?" Azula questioned in a callous voice as she turned to face her embarrassed friend with a sliver of jealously in her eyes.

"It would seem so princess. It would appear that she thinks that House Lin's breasts are yours…judging by that smile on her face." The captain quipped with a taunting smirk while the acrobat sweatdropped beside her.

"What would you like for dinner Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl spoke in her sleep while the markswoman turned red as she gazed down at her with incredulous tawny eyes.

All eyes turned to Azula's now pridefully smirking face as she reclined in her seat with her approving eyes still gazing down at her lovely girlfriend.

"Is she seriously thinking about cooking you dinner in her sleep? By Agni Azula. You really have brainwashed her." Mai remarked with a frown while Azula just scoffed as she waved her well-manicured hand in the air.

"Please! The girl is simply loyal to her master. That is all. She knows who she serves." The princess snorted with a still present sophisticated smile on her regal lips while the acrobat sighed.

"We know Azula. Elle serves you." The brown-haired woman agreed with an almost exasperated sigh while the royal woman still smirked down at the mumbling girl.

"Humph. Damn right she does. And speaking of dinner…I am getting rather hungry." Azula commented as she sat back just as her belly rumbled loudly.

Only for everyone to gaze on in bafflement when Elle jerked her head up so suddenly that Mai almost jumped along with her.

Ty Lee's jaw dropped open as she turned to Azula's now broadly smirking face in disapproval.

And Zoe for her part almost seemed to be gazing on with an impressed look in her hazel eyes.

"Azula-sama did you need…sumimasen…" Elle mumbled in an abashed voice as she turned an adorable shade of red before she lay back against her sighing big sister's chest.

"There you are servant. Did something wake you?" The princess greeted in a purr as she scooted closer until she loomed over her small girlfriend while her friend cast her an irate stare.

"I thought I heard your belly growl…oh it is!" The blonde-haired girl cried out in a halfway yawn while her master smiled down at her.

"Hm. It was good of you to notice." Azula purred as she planted her hand in her innocent handmaid's hair while her two childhood friends eyed her in annoyance.

"You should be ashamed of yourself Azula. Programming the poor girl to wake up just because your stomach growls." Ty Lee scolded with a sisterly frown while Azula still smirked as smugly as can be.

"Hush Ty Lee. My stomach is her alarm clock. There is no shame in it. It simply means that this one is truly the perfect servant." The princess declared with a charming smile on her lips while she gazed down at her sleepy handmaid leaning in to rest against her chest.

"I am glad that you think so Azula-sama." Elle spoke with a tired yawn as she propped her head up against Azula's bosom while she smiled contently.

And Mai just sighed as she gazed at her adoptive sister with fond tawny eyes.

She enjoyed holding the girl while it lasted.

Brief as it was.

"Elle." Azula commented as she lounged back like a true queen while her loyal girlfriend peered up at her as soon as she spoke.

"Yes Azula-sama?" The blonde-haired girl answered in a still sleepy voice just as her monarch lowered several rolled-up papers before her curious eyes.

"Given your artistic talent. I want you to give me your input on these wanted posters." The princess announced with her arms resting over her serving girl's head while she stared down at the girl with a cold golden gaze.

The fact that Azula sought Elle's input was just another reminder to all present of the girl's high standing in their princess's eyes.

"Wanted posters?" Elle mumbled as she rubbed at her tired eyes while Azula stared down at her with possessive golden eyes.

"I created wanted posters for each of the rebels. After hearing about your impressive skill at drawing the female body I thought that you might be able to give me some pointers on their artistic depictions." Zoe explained with her arms folded over her breasts while Elle blushed in embarrassment.

"T-the female body?" The blonde-haired girl stuttered while her princess lounged above her with a regal smirking gracing her red lips.

"Don't pay any mind to their teasing little sister." The brown-haired woman instructed in a supportive voice with a soft grin on her lips while she gazed at her little sister's reddening face.

"Just look at the posters Elle. You can draw more of my divine ass later." Azula commanded just as she placed her elbow in her petite girlfriend's hair while she smirked down at the adorably confuddled girl.

"Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed with her boot tapping on the floor while her friend just smirked back at her.

"B-but I…" Elle protested lamely as she turned red under Azula's powerful gaze while the older female pressed her elbow down into her hair.

"No buts. Other than my own." The princess purred with a conceited smile while she watched her handmaid shakily unroll her uncle's poster.

"P-please have mercy on me Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl stammered in a lovable voice while her big sister's sighed.

Only for long fingers to fall into her line of vision as she gulped down her nervousness when she found herself melting like butter under the royal woman's touch.

"The posters servant. Look at the posters." Azula ordered with a giant smirk on her royal lips while her palm remained planted in her trembling handmaid's hair.

"Y-yes princess." Elle mumbled in agreement with a bashful smile on her lips while she held out the poster before her eyes.

'That's my girl. When others disobey you obey.' The princess thought with a pleased smile on her full lips while she gazed down at her innocent serving girl with her little nose buried in the poster.

"The last time I saw him he had two eyes." The blonde-haired girl stated with the poster before her face.

"Not anymore he doesn't. I cut the other one out." The captain commented in a brutal voice that had all but her monarch shuddering over the gruesome reminder.

"This is a good depiction…" Elle spoke with her amber eyes still surveying Iroh's face while Azula glanced down at her.

"Would you put it on par with your work?" Azula questioned in a rare voice of acknowledgment with her hand still sitting in her young girlfriend's blonde hair.

"I-I think I could probably fix it up a little." The blonde-haired girl admitted in a timid voice while the others watched her master hold a hand under her chin.

"Hm. Go on." The princess urged with a wave of her hand while her controlling golden eyes surveyed her handmaid closely.

"Well from what I recall your uncle had more lines in his face…here and here." Elle answered with a finger pointing at the poster while Azula's smile grew even larger.

And the others sweatdropped for the old man's sake.

"It is good of you to notice. He also has a rather large bulbous gut." Azula remarked with a smug smirk while her fingers began kneading her handmaid's hair.

"A-and there are a few other details that I would suggest improving but overall, it is still a pretty good rendition." The blonde-haired girl muttered in a bashful voice as she relaxed like a puppy under her master's petting hand.

"Write each one of them down and I will see the changes implemented. And then I will have Zoe distribute the posters." The princess announced as she sat with her arm resting in her serving girl's hair while her handmaid timidly nodded her little head.

Mai and Ty Lee shared a knowing glance before they turned back to their adopted sister.

All Elle had to do was but speak and Azula would listen.

They couldn't say the same for anyone else.

It was just even more proof of the power of Azula and Elle's bond.

"As you say Azula-sama. Always as you say." Elle agreed in a soft-spoken voice before she yawned once more while Azula rolled her eyes down at her.

"Sleepy peasant. You can't even keep your eyes awake for five minutes." Azula snorted in a haughty voice while she watched with dominant golden eyes as her handmaid laid down against her belly.

"That's so Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl yawned as she sunk in with her head propped up on the royal woman's robed belly.

The acrobat smiled softly at the scene as she watched the younger girl curl up with her head on her friends' belly.

They certainly made for a super cute couple!

"Oh, very well. I…suppose that I could permit your head in my lap." The princess sighed as she placed her palm in her handmaid's hair once more while she reclined with her pet's head on her stomach.

"Azula-sama…" Elle muttered under her breath with her face buried in Azula's belly as she closed her eyes while her girlfriend petted her hair.

"Elle…" Azula trailed off with a growing obsessiveness in her callous eyes while she stared down at her pretty handmaid breathing contently against her belly.

This girl was all hers.

Her little handmaid.

Her little love.

Her little lady.

And there wasn't a damn thing that anyone could say to change her mind.

Nothing at all.

This one here is her girl.

And that…she decided that she liked the sound of that.

AN:

Alright, so that is it for this chapter.

I am not quite certain how Yoko's poison will work out yet. Given that it is Elle's job as Azula's loyal servant to help her take down Aang.

But it does show what sort of person Yoko is.

She is ruthless, and cruel. But unlike Ozai also pragmatic. She wants the war over with. And she isn't interested in wasteful battles that cost countless lives and fortunes of gold.

Yoko would rather waste no time with the theatrics of innovative firebending techniques. She would prefer to simply shoot a poisoned arrow into Aang's back.

And yes, Zoe and Azula will begin training together. This is the first time that Azula has met someone that could be considered her equal in overall might.

And I hope everyone enjoyed the scene of Mai cuddling Elle. I enjoy writing little adorable Elle snuggle scenes.

And poor Naoki is finding that it takes time getting used to hanging out with her Crown Princess and three high nobles.

And as for how Yoko's request will work out. I am not quite sure of that yet myself since we haven't gotten to it yet.

We'll find out though.

And lastly we saw that Zoe is not going to let the deaths of her comrades go. She even remembered their names, and even went as far as writing down their cause of death.

And the way she wrote the wanted posters was specifically designed to tear Zuko up from a far away distance. It wasn't Zuko's choice to shoot down the airship.

And he likely wasn't giving that any thought when he fled from Azula and Zoe.

But as we saw when Zoe slew a score of rebel soldiers in her pursuit of the commandeered airship. In war people die on both sides. There is no side that is immune to casualties.

And Team Avatar is going to have to accept that they will have unintended casualties no matter what they do. Because that is just the way war is.

And in case anyone is wondering. Azula openly expresses her desires in front of Zoe, Mai, Ty Lee, and Nako because they already know about it. And it is pretty much an unspoken rule that if they ever tell anyone that she will have them killed. Hence why they keep their mouths shut.

Anyhow, that is it for now. I leave for my hospital trip in two days. And I will post another update when I return the following week.

Stay tuned for next time.

For chapter sixty. The Fire Nation Medical Center!