Hey everyone.

I want to thank all of you again for the many favorites, follows and reviews since the last update. Please continue to do so.

And as always enjoy the chapter!

Sun, Sand and Punishment – Chapter Sixty-Four

Nearly an hour later.

The three highborn women lounged on their towels once more.

While the pilot now lounged on her own towel with a more at ease smile on her lips.

And Azula now sat scowling over her shoulder as her handmaid dutifully adjusted the acrobat's umbrella while Ty Lee smiled warmly up at Elle's adorable face.

"Is that better oneesan?" Elle asked in a helpful voice while Ty Lee rapidly nodded her head with a large grin on her lips.

"That's perfect Elle! It really is sweet of you to help me out!" Ty Lee exclaimed in a warm voice as she reclined in the shade while the younger girl flushed under her gaze.

"A-anything to help you out Ty Lee." The blonde-haired girl mumbled only to smile sweetly when the older girl pulled her down into a crushing bear hug.

"Ty Lee." Azula hissed in a dangerous voice as she sat glaring at Ty Lee's grinning face while the woman smashed her handmaid into her breasts.

And Mai turned her head to stare at the two as she sighed before she sunk back onto her beach pillow.

"Aww! I think you've earned a reward! How about a snuggle?" The brown-haired woman cooed as she smiled kindly while she held the now squealing girl into her bra.

"A snuggle sounds wonderful oneesan! I love snuggles!" Elle cried out with her face in Ty Lee's breasts while the older female laughed warmly in her ear.

"I know you do Elle. You're so sweet." Ty Lee spoke in a gentle voice as she patted the back of the young handmaid's head only for a fist to slam into the beach floor.

"Get over here peasant! You are supposed to be worshiping me! Not Ty Lee!" The princess barked as she pointed a spoiled finger at her now panicking serving girl while both noblewomen gazed at her in exasperation.

"Y-yes Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl shouted as she broke into a hurried run towards the scowling woman's side while the acrobat now glared back at her girlfriend.

"You're so greedy Azula. Trying to keep such a cutie all to yourself." The brown-haired woman grumbled as she folded her arms over her breasts while her leader just gazed at her little sister with possessive golden eyes.

"Greedy is an understatement." Mai stated in a dull voice as she lay under her own umbrella while Elle rushed past her to wait on Azula.

"I will not tolerate this disrespect! I am your master! And you will serve me before all others! Is that clear peasant!" Azula bellowed from where she sat while she watched in delight when her handmaid bent over in a fretful curtsy.

"S-sumimasen Azula-sama! Sumimasen!" Elle stuttered with her hands tucked in at her sides while Azula scoffed in approval as she lazed in her seat.

"I suppose I'll let it slide. Just this once. Now fix my umbrella!" The princess ordered as she reclined like the most spoiled woman in the world with a growing smirk on her red lips while her loyal handmaid jumped up on command.

"Yes Princess! As you say! Always as you say!" The blonde-haired girl chirped as she spun the umbrella around while her big sisters glared at her girlfriend's smirking face.

"A little more to the left." Azula demanded with a finger under her chin while she sat in the shade while Elle quickly turned her umbrella.

"Let me know when it's to your liking Azula-sama!" Elle piped as she turned the umbrella while Azula smiled up at her.

"Hm. Perhaps a little more to the right?" The princess taunted as she lay on her pillow with a smug smile on her lips while her childhood friends still glared at her.

"Right here?" The blonde-haired girl pondered as she turned the umbrella again while her master feigned a thoughtful look.

"Just a bit more back the other way dear." Azula ordered in a pompous voice with a growing smile on her lips while Elle turned it back as ordered.

"Azula." Ty Lee warned with a sisterly frown on her lips while Azula just smirked back at her.

"You do remember that we were told to make sure that she avoids any strenuous activity, right?" Mai questioned in a deadpan voice with her words prompting Azula to turn to glare in her direction.

"What about here Azula-sama?" Elle asked in a submissive voice as she bit her lip while Azula gazed at her in approval.

"That will do servant." The princess sighed as she twirled a finger in her dark hair while her adorable handmaid beamed back at her.

"I am happy that I could assist you princess! How else may I serve you today!" The blonde-haired girl cried out while her master smiled with her finger trailing through her dark hair.

"Come sit beside me." Azula spoke in a strict voice as she patted the towel beside her with a charming smile on her full lips while her pet happily plopped down beside her.

"If my princess says sit! I sit!" Elle cheered as she pumped a fist in the air while she blushed when Azula pulled her in closer.

"That's my pet. You know who owns you." The princess purred with her little girlfriend under her armpit while her pet shyly fell under her arm.

"You do Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl replied in a content voice while she sunk down on the towel beside her firebender girlfriend.

"Although it would seem that some people around here need a reminder." Azula commented as she lay on her back with her golden eyes glaring in Ty Lee's direction while the acrobat still pouted in her seat.

"Snuggle tyrant." The brown-haired woman complained in a grumbling voice while the royal woman rolled her regal eyes as she lay with the young handmaid under her arm.

"I-I love you Azula-sama." Elle mumbled in a voice akin to a school girl in the arms of her first love while Azula's cold eyes softened after hearing those words.

And both noblewomen couldn't help but gaze at their leader as they both pondered how long it would take for Azula to say those words.

It could be months or even years before Azula swallows her pride and tells Elle that she loves her.

"I…like you very much little peasant. I find your company…to my liking." The princess grumbled with her lips in a proud thin line while she held her girlfriend's head against her breast.

The acrobat grinned as she turned to giggle back at her fellow noblewoman's sighing face.

Even though Mai wouldn't admit it.

She knew that her friend also thought that the two made for a really cute couple!

"O-oh Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl swooned as she hid in the older woman's chest while a strong hand slid down her back.

"Mhm. Mine." Azula purred as her hand traveled down her serving girl's small back while her two childhood friends gazed away when her hand drew closer to Elle's tight ass.

Only to find herself torn from her reverie when she heard her pilot release a startled cry.

She turned her head to notice that a beach goer had kicked a ball into the other woman's towel.

Which just happened to knock the pilot's belongings into the sand.

"H-hey excuse me? Could you please watch where you're kicking that?" Nako requested as she recollected her tools with an anxious expression about her while the owner retrieved their ball.

The owner of the ball of course, just so happened to be a rather rude looking teenage girl.

"How about you move your stupid junk out of our way? What sort of loser brings a tool box to the beach anyway?" The girl retorted in a snotty voice as she smirked down at the royal pilot's hurt face before she ran back towards her group.

Never even seeming to notice that she now had Mai, Ty Lee and Azula glaring after her.

"That was not pink!" Ty Lee growled as she glared over her shoulder at the group as they continued to kick the ball back and forth.

"Yeah. It wasn't." Mai agreed in a cold voice as she too glared after the girls as they kicked their ball back and forth.

And the pilot shakily put her items away with a noticeably depressed countenance that wasn't present moments prior.

The monarch scowled before she finally voiced her mind.

"Are you just going to let her get away with that?" The Princess inquired in her usual authoritative voice with her girlfriend still under her armpit while the pilot awkwardly turned away.

"I-I'm not one for confrontation Princess." The royal pilot answered in a skittish voice as she averted her eyes from her ruler's piercing stare.

"Really? You didn't seem to have any qualms with confrontation when you put a knife in my assassin's back." Azula insisted in a glacial voice as she stared hard at Nako's nervous face.

"That was different! You're my monarch. Your life was in danger and I…couldn't just watch you die. So, I acted. It was just a spur of the moment rush of adrenaline. Nothing more." Nako muttered as she sunk back in her seat while Azula sighed from her position.

"So, you're not going to do something?" The Princess pondered with something akin to boredom in her voice while the pilot continued to act as if she was shrinking away.

"I-it was just a small comment. Nothing worth getting in a fight over." The royal pilot assured as she hid the hurt in her eyes while her ruler glared at her back.

"Azula…just leave the girl be." The brown-haired woman advised in a sigh of her own while her prideful friend scoffed.

"I see. Then I suppose it falls on me as your sovereign to act in your stead." Azula sighed as she lazily sat up with Elle still cuddled against her chest while all but her handmaid suddenly shivered in fear.

"Azula…what are you going to…" The markswoman trailed off only to shudder when she noticed a spark of lightning was now generating from the royal woman's fingertip.

But before anyone could so much as voice a word of protest.

Crack!

A small lightning bolt exploded behind them while the girls screamed in terror as they fell down on their asses in the sand.

And smoke now arose into the air from charred remains of their beach ball.

That was when a callous voice called out to them as the group paled in fright when they found themselves gazing back at their Crown Princess's utterly merciless face.

They had been so caught up in their game that they never even noticed that the woman was sitting with Princess Azula herself!

"Try that one more time and you girls will find yourselves resembling that beach ball. Am I understood?" The princess announced in an unforgiving voice as she smirked back at the now trembling teenage girls.

And Nako sat in a stunned silence as she gazed at her leader in shock to see that she spoke up in her defense.

And just like that her admiration for her Crown Princess grew even further.

She truly was a ruler worth following!

"Y-yes Y-Your Highness! I-I apologize! I-it won't happen again!" The girl blurted out as she began to back away with her friends behind her while her Crown Princess glared after her.

"See to it that it doesn't. Now get out of my sight before I destroy you!" Azula barked in a strict voice as she stared coldly after the three girls as they broke off in a terrified spring in the other direction.

Once the girls had ran off the two noblewomen turned to gaze at their leader's scoffing face while a wide smile appeared on the acrobat's lips.

Azula really was learning to treat her people better.

She just had a peculiar way of showing it.

"My princess! Thank you!" Nako exclaimed as she sat up with her head in a bow while Azula turned to sigh in her direction.

"Think nothing of it. I can't really allow such an insult against one of my peasants to go without rebuke." The princess spoke in a spoiled voice as she lounged on her pillow while her childhood friends sweatdropped in their seats.

"Rather ironic. Since that too is an insult." Mai stated in a mildly entertained voice while Azula plopped down with Elle borrowing into her body.

"You're so amazing Princess. I admire you more than anyone in this world." The royal pilot confessed in a voice of bottomless admiration while the royal woman's smirk grew even larger.

And both noblewomen just sighed once more as they sunk back onto their towels.

"Humph. Of course, I am. There is no one better." Azula boasted with a conceited huff while she sunk back on her posterior while her handmaid snuggled up to her breast.

"That's right Azula! You're the pinkest person there is." Ty Lee exclaimed as she smiled back at Azula's smirking face only for the sound of a soft snore to fill the air.

All eyes were soon drawn to the royal woman's chest to see that their adorable young friend had fallen asleep in Azula's arms!

Azula's golden eyes narrowed in annoyance as she scowled down at her snoring handmaid while Ty Lee giggled at the sight.

"Ugh! Who said that you could fall asleep peasant! And why at the beach of all places!" The princess scoffed as she glared down at her little girlfriend's sleeping face while her pet now dozed face first in her breasts.

"Just let the kid take a nap. We were planning on sunning for a few hours anyhow." The markswoman remarked with something similar to sisterly fondness in her voice while she gazed at her little sister's snoring face.

"The girl just slept on me for twelve whole hours last night!" Azula complained as she pridefully glanced around her to make sure that no one was watching them.

"If you have a problem with it Azula she could always come over here to snuggle with me! There's plenty of room on my towel for such a cute snugglebug!" The brown-haired woman called out with a wide grin on her lips while the royal woman whipped around to narrow her golden eyes back at her.

"I own her Ty Lee. Not you. And I don't permit the girl to enjoy any breasts that are not my own!" The princess snapped in a haughty voice as she stared hard back at the acrobat's smiling face while the noblewoman giggled in amusement.

"Right Azula. Your breasts only." Ty Lee stated in a joyful undertone while she lay in the sun sighing in pleasure.

"I have to say Azula. It almost sounds like you…want to snuggle." Mai commented in a taunting voice as she lay on her back with a small smirk growing on her lips just as Azula's eyes burned a hole through her skull.

"Please! The only reason that Elle has a place on my towel is so that she can be close by to serve me if the need should arise." Azula huffed in a dismissive voice as she paid no mind to her childhood friends teasing gazes.

"Of course." The markswoman replied in a sarcastic voice while the royal woman lay back with her little sister dozing upon her chest.

"I suppose I may as well read my book…seeing as this little peasant will be out for quite some time." The princess sighed as she reached over with her left hand to grasp a small book from her bag while she made sure not to wake her young girlfriend.

"What book are you reading Azula?" The brown-haired woman pondered in an interested voice only to find herself blinking curiously when she noticed that her friend was holding looked as if had seen better days.

It was a well-worn paperback book that had even begun to yellow a bit around the edges.

If anyone else was holding the book she wouldn't have even given it any thought.

But for as long as she has known Azula her friend has always insisted on reading only new books.

Being the perfectionist that she is. Only the world's finest copy would do for Azula.

Which is why it surprised her to see her friend holding what was clearly a used book.

"Oh this? It's just a simple peasant book with six stories by H.G. Wells. The one that I am reading is called the Time Machine." Azula remarked in a dismissive voice as she opened the paperback with a skilled thumb while her three friends gazed at her in increased curiosity.

"I have never heard of it. And I am an avid reader." Nako quipped in a piqued voice as she gazed at her monarch's stoic face.

"The Time Machine? Is that a book of Elle's?" Ty Lee asked with excitement in her voice while Azula lazily glanced up from the open book.

"It isn't Elle's. It's mine." The princess snorted with a roll of her eyes while both of her lifelong friends gazed at her for pointedly.

"That's funny. It looks like something of Elle's." Mai spoke in a deadpan voice while Azula rolled her arrogant golden eyes once more.

"Anything that belongs to Elle. Belongs to me by default." Azula declared with a spoiled huff while she continued to read the book.

"In other words, you borrowed it from her?" The markswoman asked as she rolled her tawny eyes while her conceited leader released a loud scoff.

"A princess does not borrow from her servant. Because she owns both the servant and her possessions." The princess answered in a supremely entitled voice while all but the pilot rolled their eyes at her.

Leave it to Azula to too proud to just admit that she asked to borrow something from a commoner.

"Whatever you say Azula. So, I take it that it's about a time machine!" The brown-haired woman queried with a smile on her lips while she gazed at her friend's scowling face.

Despite Azula's best efforts to play off her interest in the book it was rather obvious that the monarch was enjoying it.

"It's about a time traveler who travels 800,000 years into the future. In this future he discovers that humanity has split into two different kinds of people called the Eloi and the Morlocks." Azula explained in a stony voice while her team listened in rising interest.

"The Eloi and the Morlocks?" Mai questioned with just a sliver more interest than before while she gazed fondly at Elle's relaxed face.

"Hm. Yes. You see the Eloi are for all intents and purposes much like this tiger monkey here. They are a small, naïve and helpless vegetarian people." The princess responded in a snide voice while her companions sweatdropped in their seats.

"They sound snuggable!" Ty Lee exclaimed with a still happy countenance that was only partly put off by Azula's cruel smirk.

"Oh, I doubt that Ty Lee. But apparently they make for a suitable meal." Azula purred in a cruel voice as she smiled darkly at the acrobat's now unnerved face.

"A meal Azula?" The brown-haired woman inquired in a nervous voice as the dark meaning of her friend's words began to hit her.

"The other group of people. The monstrous Morlocks raise the Eloi as livestock and harvest them by nightfall." The princess admitted in a sadistic voice while her three friends now shivered in disgust.

"It figures that it would have to be something sick for you to enjoy it." The markswoman stated in a monotone voice yet even so she couldn't deny that the story sounded intriguing.

"Why don't the Eloi do anything to resist being taken away for slaughter?" Ty Lee pondered in a bothered voice with a lessened smile on her lips.

"Now that is the interesting part Ty Lee. The Eloi have no survival instincts of their own. They literally have evolved into livestock. They don't even understand that they are being herded away for slaughter at night." Azula spoke with an amused smile on her full lips while Ty Lee sunk back in obvious discomfort.

"That's rather bleak." Mai muttered as she blinked in interest while Elle still cuddled up against Azula.

"I suppose so. But the most fascinating detail…is that the story speculates that it was nobility and royalty that devolved into the Eloi over time. And that it was the peasant class that devolved into the brutish Morlocks." The princess revealed in a cold voice while the three women blinked in amazement.

"Wait princess. Are you saying that people of your social class devolved into helpless livestock to be eaten by peasants like me?" Nako asked in a bewildered voice while the two noblewomen sweatdropped as they pondered over such a thing.

"Isn't that what I just said Nako? Apparently, the book posits that the upper class were too pampered to survive on their own without their peasants to serve them." Azula replied with a wave of her hand while Elle still snored atop her breast.

Mai and Ty Lee exchanged a knowing glance as they mulled over their leader's words before they gazed at their sleeping friend in fascination.

"Maybe there is a moral lesson to be learned from this Azula. Maybe you should get rid of the servants and pick up after yourself." The markswoman teased as she leaned on her side gazing back at the royal woman's now scrunched up face.

"That's ridiculous! I could care less if the upper class devolve into livestock 800,000 years from now! I insist that my servants wait on me hand and foot!" The princess scoffed with her hand gripping her book while her subordinates sweatdropped.

"Well…I suppose there is no point in worrying about what may or may not happen 800,000 years from now…" The brown-haired woman trailed off as she lay on her back with her smile returning as she gazed at her adopted sister's peaceful face.

"But in any case, this is a stupid book. Thus far it has been a complete waste of my time." Azula sneered as she turned a page while both noblewomen stared at her in amusement.

"I'm sure it is," Mai commented in a dry voice as she lay back on her beach pillow.

"I think it sounds like a really good book." The royal pilot stated with excitement in her voice while her monarch rolled her eyes back at her.

"I suppose you would say that Nako." The princess snorted in a pompous voice as she reclined with her small girlfriend tucked under her armpit while her cold gaze flickered down to the teenage girl resting upon her bosom.

And then she propped her arm up upon her handmaid's snoring head before she began to read the book once more.

And every so often she would sweep a fond fingernail along her pet's dozing cheek.

All the while beach goers stared at their Crown Princess from afar in amazement to see that the young blonde was being held so intimately in her arms.

Some were even jealous of Elle.

After all, Azula was known far and wide as one of the most beautiful women there was.

Albeit extremely cruel.

Even so.

There were even a few people who were envious of Elle's sleeping position…

Not that anyone would ever have the bravery to say as such in front of Princess Azula herself.

One hour later…

"Wake up peasant! I have need of you!" Azula barked in a demanding voice while a smirk grew on her lips when her pet sat up in a panic.

"Azula…" Ty Lee sighed under her breath from her resting position while Elle adorably rubbed at her eyes.

"Did I fall asleep Azula-sama?" Elle pondered in a lovable voice as she yawned while Azula glared down at her.

"All you do is sleep! You've slept enough servant! I demand that you serve me!" The princess ordered as she thrust a spoiled finger in her pet's fretful face while her smirk grew even larger when her handmaid dropped into a hasty bow on all fours.

"What can I do for you Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl chirped in a cheerful voice as her big sister's gazed at her back in fondness while her master smirked in approval down at her.

"Go purchase me a cherry smoothie from the food stand." Azula commanded in a supremely spoiled voice with a hand in her lap while she smirked down at her prostrated girlfriend.

"Yes Azula-sama! At once!" Elle cried out with infectious cheer in her voice as she sprang to her feet while Azula's red lips curved into a broad smile.

"Be back within ten minutes peasant or…I will have you sent to the dungeons." The princess grumbled in a prideful voice as she twirled a finger in her hair while her little admirer bounced in a joyful curtsy.

"Sure, you will Azula." Mai said with a smirk on her lips while Azula glared at her through the corner of her eye.

"Fear not Azula-sama! Your loyal girl is here to serve you!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed in a devoted voice with her hands tucked in at her hips.

While Azula sat with a tiny sliver of pink on her proud cheeks while she fiddled with her dark hair.

And Ty Lee grinned at them with a hand over her mouth while she giggled over how adorable her two friends were together.

"Just…don't let me down peasant." Azula snorted in a snobbish voice as she turned to pridefully scowl off to the side only to find herself stiffening when a blonde blur assaulted her belly.

"I would never Azula-sama. I serve you with pride. On this day for all of my days. Until my last day. Because you are my home." Elle spoke in a lovesick voice as she hugged her older girlfriend's muscular belly while she heard Azula growl dominantly above her.

"Aww." The brown-haired woman cooed with a warm grin on her lips while she watched her friend plant a protective hand in her little sister's hair.

"So, I am. But don't go thinking that I am going soft on you servant. Because I'm not!" The princess growled with her hand in her pet's hair while she scowled down at the small girl hiding face first in her tummy.

"A-Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl stuttered in a worshipful voice with her face in her master's toned belly while the older girl pushed down on her head.

"Humph. That's my handmaid." Azula muttered in a possessive voice as she stared down at her little girlfriend with beyond dominant golden eyes that took delight in the girl's submission.

"H-Her Highness's favorite handmaid." Elle mumbled with a bashful flush on her cheeks only to find herself pouting when Azula's stern hand abruptly pushed her to her feet.

"That will be all for now peasant. If you complete your task on time, I may consider letting you have more." The princess remarked in a controlling voice as she smiled at her handmaid's blushing face before she placed her coin purse in her girlfriend's open hand.

"As you say Azula-sama. Always as you say." The blonde-haired girl agreed in a cheerful voice as she smiled brightly as she bent over in yet another curtsy.

All the while her two big sisters gazed at her with a shared sisterly fondness in their eyes.

Azula's red lips curled into a giant smile of approval before she reached out to pat her handmaid upon the head.

"Good girl. Now go get me my smoothie. And pick yourself out whatever you want. Okay?" The princess instructed in a strict voice with her palm patting her servant's soft head while her admirer adorably averted her eyes from her gaze.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama." Elle murmured in a timid voice as she shyly kicked at an imaginary pebble before the palm in her hair pushed her away.

"Now run along now servant." Azula purred as she sunk back on her towel with a domineering smirk on her full lips as she watched her pet scamper over to Ty Lee's side.

"What do you want me to get you oneesan?" The blonde-haired girl asked in a loving voice as she stopped before the grinning acrobat only to find herself smiling bashfully when her big sister reached out to muss her hair.

"You are such a sweetie! I would like a raspberry smoothie." Ty Lee commented in a gentle voice as Elle smiled back at her from beneath her hand.

"I order you to purchase Ty Lee cherry." The princess spoke in a smug voice from her seat while the two noblewomen rolled their eyes in her direction.

"If my big sister wants raspberry, she gets raspberry!" Elle cried out as her hair was patted once more before she rushed over to Mai while Ty Lee smiled after her.

The stoic markswoman turned to watch her younger sister approach while her cold tawny eyes began to soften as soon as she saw the handmaid running her way.

"What flavor would you like oneesan?" The blonde-haired girl pondered after coming to a stop before her big sister while the noblewomen's stern countenance gave way to a ghost of a grin.

"Blueberry Elle." Mai responded as gazed at Elle with appreciative tawny eyes while Elle exuberantly nodded her head.

"Will do oneesan! Blueberry it is!" Elle exclaimed as she still smiled even brighter when strong womanly arms wrapped around her neck.

"Thanks kiddo. I appreciate it." The markswoman assured in a thawed voice as she briefly hugged the smaller girl against her shoulder.

And Ty Lee found herself unable to resist smiling from ear to ear.

"I-I would do anything to make you happy oneesan." The blonde-haired girl stammered with her head on the noblewoman's shoulder while she felt her big sister's hand pat the back of her head.

"I know Elle. And I would the same for you." Mai stated with her usual trademark expression before she let Elle go while her little sister smiled back at her.

And then much to the pilot's surprise the teenage girl turned and rushed over in her direction.

"What can I get you Nako?" Elle asked as she smiled warmly down at Nako's taken aback face.

The acrobat gazed at her fellow noblewoman's face before they both turned to stare fondly in their little sister's direction.

It was just like Elle to make sure that no one felt left out.

"M-me? But I'm not royalty or nobility. I'm just a commoner like you. You don't have to wait on me!" Nako protested in a baffled voice only for Elle to kindly shake her head.

"That has nothing to do with it. You're my friend. And I want to get you something." The blonde-haired girl explained with bounce in her step while the pilot slowly registered her words.

And then the previously depressed expression on the woman's face gave way to a happier smile.

"I would like orange. If they don't have it. Just get me whatever you want." The royal pilot answered in a soft voice while the younger girl happily nodded her head.

"Orange it is then!" Elle chimed as she smiled at the pilot before turning to run off.

"Thank you, Elle." Nako spoke with a grin on her lips while Elle turned around to beam back at her.

"No problem!" The blonde-haired girl replied before she started to run off only to pause when her master's strict voice called out to her.

"Elle." Azula called out in a stern voice while Elle turned to smile back at her.

"Yes Azula-sama?" Elle answered in a chipper voice while her master's flowed into her ears.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" The princess questioned in a cold voice as she waved her hand down at her girlfriend's backpack while her handmaid turned red in embarrassment.

"O-oh. I forgot…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off in a bashful voice just as her backpack was tossed into her open arms.

"Foolish tiger monkey." Azula sighed as she shook her head while Elle blushed as she slid her backpack over her shoulders.

"I'll be right back minasan!" Elle cried out as she waved at her four friends while they all gazed back in her in varying levels of fondness.

"We'll see you soon little sister!" Ty Lee shouted as she waved back at the adorable girl while Elle scampered away.

"And don't forget! Ten minutes! Or I will destroy you!" The princess barked as she scowled after her little girlfriend's retreating back while her handmaid smiled back at her.

"Wakarimashita Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl yelled out before she vanished out of her friends' sight while they watched her run off.

And then Azula plopped back down on her back while she ran a fingernail through her dark hair.

All the while trying to squash the tiny blush on her regal cheeks.

"Such a naïve peasant." Azula snorted in a pompous voice as she traced her finger along her cheek while the two noblewomen gazed at her in amusement.

And then she sighed as she found herself unable to fight the growing smile on her full lips.

Her little girlfriend truly is the best pet there is.

Of that she had no doubts.

Soon Elle had left the beach and she was now walking towards the resort market.

As she passed by a section of waterside picnic tables, she was unaware that two boys were eying her bathing suit as she approached their table.

That was when she jumped in surprise when a male voice called out to her.

And then she spun around to find herself gazing at a noble boy seated just a few feet away from her.

"Hi there." Han greeted with a small smirk while the nervous teenager hesitantly turned around to face him.

She was a strange sight to be sure.

Running around in a handmaid stylized bathing suit with a backpack over her shoulders and little bow tie and necklace hanging around her neck.

Yet very lovely all the same.

He already knew that she would make for an amusing time or two.

"H-hello." Elle answered in an apprehensive voice as she shifted on her feet while she gazed away in discomfort when she noticed that he was ogling her body.

"You sure are quite the looker." The noble boy commented with a whistle while the petite girl shivered unpleasantly as she gazed around for an excuse to escape.

"She certainly is." The other boy whistled in agreement as he watched from his seat with a perverted look in his eyes.

"T-thank you for saying so. But I have to get going." The blonde-haired girl explained as she turned to walk away only to yelp in surprise when the boy seized her by the wrist.

"Where are you running off to so suddenly? Do you even know who I am?" Han questioned with a small trace of anger in his voice while Elle shook her head.

"No. I don't. But I really must get back to my friends. So, if you'll please excuse me." Elle answered in a mousy voice as she felt another unpleasant shiver trail down her spine.

"I am nobility. And by the looks of you...you're a peasant is that right?" The noble boy pressed in a demeaning voice while the small girl quivered as she swallowed down her apprehension.

"Y-yes. But my friends are highborn…." The blonde-haired girl trailed off in a fearful voice as the boy sneered over her.

"Of course, they are." Han taunted as he placed a hand on Elle's cheek while the teenage girl squirmed in his grip.

"P-please stop!" Elle exclaimed as she pulled back with her amber eyes widening as she began to have flashbacks of her brother's torments.

"A peasant girl like you should be happy get a kiss from a noble boy like me!" The noble boy exclaimed as he breathed over the trembling girl's face while her struggles intensified.

"Yeah she should!" Yun mocked with a snicker as he watched his friend lean in to kiss the intimidated peasant girl.

"I don't want to kiss you!" The blonde-haired girl protested as she quickly recoiled when the boy tried putting his lips on her face.

And that was all it took for the noble boys' teasing demeanor to take on an even crueler side as he now glared down at her.

She gazed around with fearful amber eyes when she noticed that the people walking by weren't paying her plight any mind.

They were acting as if she wasn't even there!

"I wasn't asking you ahh! You little bitch!" The noble boy wailed in pain when the girl's foot suddenly impacted between his legs.

And within seconds her palm impacted into his cheek while he shouted in pain as he dropped to the ground on his ass.

"Han! You're going to pay for that peasant!" The other boy yelled out as he sprang from his seat while the small girl mustered her best attempt at bravery.

"Don't you ever touch me again! If you do, you're going to regret it!" Elle cried out with tears in her eyes before she turned around and sprinted away as fast her feet could carry her.

"Get back here!" Han shouted after her as he seethed in rage while his friend helped him to his feet.

Yet the young girl did not turn back.

She rushed down the street with her hands grasping at the straps of her backpack while another tear dripped down her cheek.

All the while asking herself why people were so cruel.

"Where is that girl? I told her ten minutes! It's been twenty!" Azula complained in a spoiled voice as she scowled while both noblewomen rolled their eyes at her.

"Have you ever considered that it might take her ten minutes just to walk to the food stand?" Mai questioned in a monotone voice while Azula turned to glare at her.

"Mai has a point Azula. We should just be grateful that Elle went to get drinks for us." Ty Lee stated as she lay on her towel while Azula's lips still pursed into a regal scowl.

"The girl is never late. If I tell her to get a chore done in ten, she does it in eight." The princess insisted with a moody shake of her head before she abruptly pushed herself up.

Her three friends just watched her begin to stand up in confusion.

Until the acrobat started to follow suit as she gazed at her leader in concern.

"Where are you going Azula?" The brown-haired woman inquired as she stood up while the royal woman turned to scowl back at her.

"To look for my handmaid and see what's taking her. What else?" Azula snapped as she placed her fists on her hips while all three women began to look concerned.

"She's probably just walking back Azula." The markswoman reminded as she too sat up yet even so she knew that her leader had a point.

Elle was always punctual.

And it was highly irregular for her to be late.

"Whatever. Then we find her on her way back if that is the case. Nako!" The princess spoke as she turned to gaze down at her pilot while the woman sat up.

"Yes, Your Highness?" The royal pilot asked in a hurried voice as she inclined her head in a show of her reverence for her ruler.

"You stay here and watch our spot. We'll be back in a few minutes." Azula commanded in a strict voice as Nako quickly nodded her head.

"Understood princess! If you need me to do anything else just let me know." Nako exclaimed as she watched the three highborn women begin to walk off in search of her friend.

The acrobat and the weapons expert exchanged a shared look of concern before they followed after their tyrannical friend.

"I'm sure she's okay Azula." Ty Lee assured in a sisterly voice as she smiled at Azula's scowling face while they walked up the dunes.

The fact that Azula was willing to go look for Elle spoke volumes about how deeply she cared about her little sister.

Azula wouldn't do that for anyone else! Not even her!

"Humph. The last thing I need to deal with is another of the girl's breathing episodes." The princess snorted as she strode with her arms folded over her breasts.

Mere minutes later they made their way out of the beach area.

And then they began to walk up the street towards the resort market.

Only for all three of them to stop in their tracks when they spotted a familiar figure trudging towards them.

"There you are peasant! It took you long enough where's my…" Azula huffed only for her words to die in her throat when she noticed a tear streaming down her handmaid's cheek.

And just like that the three highborn women were rushing forward to comfort their sensitive young friend.

"What's wrong Elle? Why are you crying?" Mai questioned in a caring voice with a frown on her lips as she made her way over to the saddened girl's side.

"Did something happen little sister?" Ty Lee inquired with a worried countenance as they came to a stop before the uncharacteristically downcast girl.

"S-sumimasen…" Elle trailed off with a sniffle as she wiped her eye while Azula hovered over her with a scowl on her regal lips.

"Why are you crying! Did someone hurt you?" The princess demanded in an interrogative voice with her fists on her womanly hips while she loomed over her unusually sad girlfriend.

The trio crowded around their young friend while they all frowned when the teenager continued to sniffle in sorrow.

"I-I bumped into some really mean boys." The blonde-haired girl admitted in a hesitant voice that provoked a profound shared anger from her highborn family.

The three women exchanged an angered glance with one another before they protectively huddled around their delicate young friend while they each set a hand on the blonde's small shoulder.

"Mean boys?" Azula repeated in a glacial voice with her golden eyes already conveying her protective instincts.

"Some boys hurt your feelings kid?" The markswoman asked in a stern voice with her tawny eyes already narrowing in anger as she held a comforting hand on her adopted sister's shoulder.

"Where are these boys' little sister?" The brown-haired woman growled with her hand on her saddened sister's back while the shorter girl chewed on her lip.

"O-one of them stopped me on my way to the smoothie shop. He told me that I was pretty and t-then he tried to give me a kiss. I told him that I didn't want to kiss him but he tried anyway." Elle mumbled as she peered down at her bare feet while an ominous aura swept through the air.

If the trio was angry before.

Now they were furious!

"What?" Ty Lee asked with her teeth clenched together while she balled up her fists in her anger.

"Show us where they are. We'll set them straight." Mai assured in a pissed off voice as she with her eyes fist clenched in her fury.

Only for both noblewomen to flinch when they gazed over their shoulder at their leader's utterly murderous face.

"He tried to kiss you?" The princess hissed with a puff of blue fire spewing from her lips while her golden eyes narrowed into a penetrating glare.

"H-he did Azula-sama. And then when I tried to walk away, he grabbed ahold of my wrist. He told me that he was a noble boy and that I had no choice in the matter." The blonde-haired girl explained in a timid voice as she grasped at the straps of her bag while her three highborn friends all shared an enraged glance.

"Did you tell him that you belonged to me and that you were not to be touched?" Azula snarled in a callous voice as she placed a hand on her girlfriend's small back while her pet still wiped at her eye.

"I said that I had highborn friends but he didn't listen to me. S-so I kicked him between the legs and then I struck his cheek just like you taught me to do. And then I ran back." Elle confessed as she shifted on her feet while the three women gazed down at her in approval.

"Good." The brown-haired woman said in a wrathful voice as she scowled angrily while she watched her royal friend express her rare tender side when she began to usher her young friend forward.

"Lead me to them Elle and I will mend it." The princess spoke in a smooth voice as she gently nudged her serving girl forward with a protective hand.

"Yeah. We will." The markswoman agreed in a furious voice as she stomped forward with anger in her step.

"Is that the way it works Azula-sama? Can people of noble status just abuse those of lower status however they want?" The blonde-haired girl pondered in a noticeably upset voice while she gazed up at the royal woman's taken aback face.

The two noblewomen were silent as they tried to suppress the uncomfortable sensation that traveled down their spines while they both gazed back at their leader's surprised face.

Both of them were well aware that Azula only cared because the boy made Elle cry.

If it didn't involve Elle the noble boy truly could have indeed just done as he pleased without rebuke.

"Don't you worry your little mind over it. Just show me where they are and I will administer punishment personally." Azula remarked in a strict voice only for her scowl to deepen when her pet averted her eyes from her gaze.

"But if they tried to force themselves on any other peasant girl would you punish them Azula-sama?" Elle insisted as she bit her lip while she trudged along beside her frustrated master.

"Tiger monkey…" The princess grumbled in a prideful voice as she fixed her pet with a disciplinary stare while the small girl plodded along beside her.

"I don't think that's fair Azula-sama. I don't. There have been multiple countries throughout the history of my Earth that have introduced bills of rights which prohibit the ruling class from abusing their people." The blonde-haired girl mumbled in a disconcerted voice as she padded along while her big sisters gazed down at her fondly.

"Bills of rights Elle?" Ty Lee queried in a sisterly voice as she turned to gaze at Azula's annoyed face while the royal woman glared back at her.

"Y-yeah. A constitutional provision that remains in affect even when a new ruler takes over. This way the public is protected from a potentially abusive ruler or ruling class." Elle spoke in a meek voice as she walked with her big sister's gazing back at Azula's scowling face.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to worry about the state of this world or any other?" Azula questioned while she gazed down at her annoyingly glum pet with annoyance in her golden eyes.

"When you become Fire Lord Azula-sama are you going to do something about this?" The blonde-haired girl requested in a bothered voice as she frowned up into her master's frustrated golden gaze.

Neither Mai nor Ty Lee never said so much as a single word.

Mostly because they were afraid of hurting their adopted sister's feelings even further.

But they both knew that the likelihood of Azula creating a bill of peasant rights was about as likely as Zuko surrendering to Azula.

"Ugh! Elle! Just take me to the stupid boys and I will take care of it." The princess commanded with a spoiled huff while she growled down at her adorably innocent handmaid.

Damn these stupid boys! They ruined their day out!

And for that she will see that they suffer severely.

"O-okay." Elle murmured as she chewed on her lip while Azula still growled over her.

"Don't worry little sister. We'll teach them a lesson about picking on girls like you." The brown-haired woman cooed in a tender voice with a hand on the young handmaid's back while her little sisters finally smiled shyly once more.

"Sumimasen…minasan. For not bringing back the smoothies." Elle commented in a bashful voice while all three highborn women gazed down at her incredulously.

It was just even more proof of their young friend's unwavering loyalty to all three of them.

Even after being cruelly bullied by two noble boys she was still worried that they would be displeased for failing to complete Azula's order.

"Elle…we don't care about the smoothies. Right now, our only concern is you." Mai informed in a protective voice while her gazed down into her little sister's moved amber eyes.

"Foolish peasant. Forget the smoothies. You can resume waiting on us after we punish these boys. Brutally." Azula sighed with a fist clenching before her face while her two childhood friends hardened their gazes in agreement.

And with that the three highborn women continued following their young companion into the resort market.

It wasn't long before they paused in their walk when Elle fearfully stepped behind them just after two boys rounded the corner.

And just like that the very airy itself took on an ominous feel while the trio glared icily at the two approaching noble boys.

They didn't even know that they had just unknowingly ran towards their own possible doom.

The two noblewomen gazed over their shoulder at the princess's beautifully murderous face while a shudder traveled down their spines.

They could tell just by the look in Azula's enraged eyes that these boys may not survive their friend's wrath.

But they would be lying if they said that they truly cared what Azula did to the noble boys.

As soon as the two noble boys turned around the bend they froze up in their tracks.

They had found their target alright.

But they never could have predicted that she would be with Princess Azula of all people!

"Princess Azula!" Han exclaimed in a surprised voice as he quickly bent his neck while Yun did the same unaware of the fate that was in store for him.

"Hello boys. I heard that my servant gave you some trouble." The princess greeted in a menacing voice as she stared hard at the two boy's suddenly unsettled faces.

All the while both noblewomen directed the noble boys with a glare so frightening that it would make most men and women piss their pants.

However, the two-boys seemed to recover their composure quick enough as they straightened to meet their monarch's icy gaze.

"I wasn't aware that she was a royal servant." The noble boy replied in a careful voice while he stared at the young girl hiding behind the ruler's back.

"She is." The markswoman stated in a voice that was much colder than usual as she gritted her teeth while her adopted sister hid behind her tall back.

"That peasant has no respect for nobility. She struck me twice!" Han proclaimed as he scowled over at Elle's hurt face while the three highborn women struggled not to roll their eyes.

"Really? I wasn't aware of that." Azula spoke in a smooth voice as she turned to scowl down at her handmaid's timid face while the young girl still frowned back at the two boys.

"It's true princess. She kicked my cousin in the balls and hit him in the face." Yun explained as he sneered back at the young girl's increasingly frowning face.

"Oh wow. I hope she didn't hurt you too badly!" The brown-haired woman scoffed with her hands on her hips while she stood protectively in front of her upset little sister.

She was so pissed off that she didn't even care that it hurt to stand on her still recuperating foot.

"Shame on you servant! This is unacceptable behavior!" The princess yelled as she rounded on her little admirer while her handmaid bowed at the hip.

"Sumimasen Azula-sama." Elle mumbled with her hands on the straps of her backpack while her big sisters tried their hardest not to explode in anger.

Yet Mai and Ty Lee were well aware that Azula was simply lulling the boys into a false sense of security.

"You will be punished for this. Is that understood?" Azula questioned in a frigid voice with her hands behind her back while the two boys listened in sadistic delight.

"Yes master." The blonde-haired girl agreed in a quiet voice as she bowed at the hip while the two noble boys snickered over her way.

"Well then. Seeing as the girl hit you twice. I suppose it's only fair that you return the favor. Does that sound fair to you?" The princess purred in a lethal voice as she turned her cold gaze back to the boy's cruelly delighted faces.

The hatred that both noblewomen already felt for the two boys only continued to increase by the minute.

It took every fiber of their being to restrain themselves from giving away Azula's game.

"It does Your Highness. And be assured that I thank you for being so understanding." The noble boy answered as he bowed with a smile on his lips while the royal woman smiled darkly back at him.

"Come. That back alley over there will be the perfect place to punish her." Azula announced as she strode with Elle padding along beside her while her golden eyes shone with a murderous tint.

Ty Lee ground her teeth together as she gazed over her shoulder while the two noble boys eagerly followed after them.

'Idiots.' Mai thought as she snorted with her icy tawny eyes gazing back at boys as they followed after her leader.

And then not a moment later Team Azula stepped into the isolated alleyway while the two noble boys strode in after them.

Han turned to face Elle with a cruel look in his perverted eyes while the young girl hung her head with her bangs in her amber eyes.

"I told you that you were going to pay for striking me peasant." The noble boy spoke in a cold voice as he walked forward to hit the young girl while she finally gazed up from beneath her bangs.

To his confusion she was staring back at him with shockingly calm amber eyes while the sound of approaching footsteps flowed into his ears.

"And I told you that you were going to regret touching me." The blonde-haired girl responded in a quiet voice with her words taking the two boys by surprise.

Then and that very moment the two boys turned around only to find themselves gazing on in fear and puzzlement to see that the exit to the alleyway was now blocked off by both furious noblewomen.

And then to the complete shock of the two boys they watched their Crown Princess step up beside the young girl with a simply ruthless expression in her cold eyes.

"You just stay right there. I'll take care of them." The princess assured as she placed a comforting hand on her small girlfriend's shoulder while her handmaid cracked a grateful smile.

"Arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama." Elle murmured as she grasped at her wrists while the two bullies stared in disbelief at her advancing girlfriend.

"Princess? What's going on?" Yun asked in a fearful voice while Azula's monstrous golden eyes penetrated his skull.

"How stupid are you two dipshits?" The markswoman pondered in a merciless voice as she gritted her teeth while she glared back at the taken aback noble boys.

"What did you do to my handmaid? Did you touch her?" Azula demanded in a seething voice with her feigned indifference giving way to great rage while the two boys took a wary step backwards.

"Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off as she gazed on in boundless appreciation while her girlfriend approached like a wrathful predator.

"What?" Han blurted out in astonishment as Azula's callous golden eyes burned with a tremendous fury while her lips pursed into a regal glower.

"Did she give your permission to touch her!" The princess snapped with her golden eyes wide in anger as she stalked closer to the now terrified boys.

"I…just tried to give her a kiss princess! That's all." The noble boy exclaimed as he backed away while the statuesque woman bared her teeth in her rage.

"Did she give you permission to kiss her!" Azula roared in a beyond furious voice with blue fire exuding from her nostrils akin to a protective dragon.

By now the two boys knew that they had been tricked into following the trio away from the scrutinizing eye of the general public.

"N-no." Han blurted out as he took another step back only now realizing just how enraged the three women were with them.

"So, you just tried to force yourself on our friend?! That is not cool!" Ty Lee yelled out as she stepped up beside Elle while the young girl gazed up at her with moved amber eyes.

"F-friend?" The other boy queried in a shaken voice as he backed up only to find his back suddenly hit the wall.

Right then and there they began to realize the gravity of their predicament.

They may be nobility but they were only minor nobility!

Minor nobility couldn't dare raise a hand against high nobility like Lady Mai and Lady Ty Lee!

To do so was a literal death sentence!

Which was to say nothing of what would happen if they so much as raised a finger against their Crown Princess!

"Yes! Our friend! Our servant is our friend and we have a bit of a problem with people that pick on her!" Mai shouted with her fists at her hips as she protectively stood over Elle's much shorter form while the smaller girl held onto her swimsuit.

"O-oneesan." The blonde-haired girl stuttered with a bashful smile while the growling noblewoman placed a protecting hand in her hair.

The two minor nobles cowered against the wall while enraged royal woman took another furious step closer.

"And yet you tried to do so anyhow!" The princess boomed as she breathed fire out of her seething lips while the two boys continued to tremble in terror.

"I didn't think that it mattered! Because she's…she's a…" The noble boy answered in a frightened voice with his words dying in his throat while the three women cast murderous glares at him.

"She's a what!" The brown-haired woman thundered in an unusually angered voice as she ground her teeth together.

"A-a peasant!" Han cried out with his back against the wall while Azula's lips pursed into a bloodthirsty snarl.

"Yes. She is a peasant. Our peasant! And you two are just minor nobility by the look of it. Isn't that right Ty Lee?" Azula hissed as she tipped her head back in a menacing manner while the two noblewomen nodded in agreement.

"They certainly aren't from any of the ten great noble houses. They must be from a teensy-weensy house that is so small that the name escapes my memory." Ty Lee taunted with a mocking smile on her lips with her braided hair swaying behind her as she stalked forward.

"Yeah. Insignificant and beneath our notice." The markswoman snorted as she held her adopted sister under her muscular arm while the petite girl clung to her toned stomach.

"W-we're from House Yi." Yun sputtered as he cowered against the wall while Azula red lips curled into a cruel sneer.

"House Yi? Never heard of it! Like I said teeny weensy!" The brown-haired woman called out with a hand on her womanly hip while she stared hard at the frightened boys.

"Pointless and irrelevant." Mai stated in a cold voice with her icy eyes never leaving the two boys intimidated faces.

"You boys were right about one thing. A peasant is unable to raise a hand against minor nobility. However, the same logic would apply to your situation right now." The princess mocked with her fists on her curvaceous hips while her two friends walked up behind her.

"And now we're going to flaunt our status over you and beat the shit out of the both of you. And you won't be able to do a damn thing to stop us." The markswoman declared after she gently pushed her young friend out from under her arm as she stomped forward.

All the while the small girl held a moved hand over her chest with heavy emotion flashing in her amber eyes.

This is why she will always be loyal to Team Azula.

This is why Team Azula is her home.

And this is why she will always serve them.

Because they…protect her.

"You should have listened to her when she warned you that she had highborn friends." Ty Lee spoke in a scarily cheery voice as she cracked her knuckles while the two boys cowered in their approaching shadows.

"My family." Elle whispered with a happy tear trailing down her cheek while her three highborn caretakers now stood before the frightened boys.

"Look princess I-I'm sorry for-" The noble boy attempted to reason only to be silenced by a savage punch across the jar from the enraged monarch.

The other boy stood in a terrified silence as he watched his cousin slump against the wall with blood dripping from his lip while the Crown Princess now stood towering over him.

"No. No you're not. But then again…I'm not either!" Azula bellowed in a vicious voice before she seized the trembling boy by the collar of his shirt and began savagely punching him in the face.

And just like that the boy was pinned against the alley wall while the princess repeatedly slammed her heated fist into his heaving stomach.

Elle could only watch with her mouth open in an awe while her naïve eyes gazed at her girlfriend's back as Azula snarled in fury while she struck the screaming boy over and over.

And Yun stood frozen in terror while he watched his cousin receive an utterly savage beating only to cry out in pain when Mai's powerful fist collided with his cheek.

"You shouldn't have touched our little sister." The markswoman spoke in a low voice as she held the terrified boy against the wall while her little sister gazed on in a grateful silence.

"Yeah. You really shouldn't have done that." The brown-haired woman remarked in a vengeful voice before her barefoot connected with the boys bleeding cheek.

While this occurred Elle still stood with her heart racing so wonderfully as she watched in a spellbound silence as her three friends brutalized the boys.

It should have horrified her.

And yet it moved her to know that they cared so much for her.

"A-arigatou minasan! Arigatou!" The blonde-haired girl cried out in an innocent voice as she watched in a transfixed quiet while her sisters turned to nod back at her.

Somehow the teenager's pure hearted cry simply motivated the three highborn women to increase the severity of their blows.

Azula's full lips curled into a wrathful glower before a fierce roar split echoed into the air when her fists suddenly caught fire.

"No one makes my Elle cry and walks away unscathed! No one!" The princess rumbled with her burning fist now slashing against the sobbing boy's brutally bloodied cheek.

As soon as Elle heard those words, she found that she was unable to fight the heartfelt smile from growing onto her lips.

"A-Azula-sama…my hero." Elle stammered in a touching voice as she sniffled with another joyful tear trailing down her cheek.

Even though she felt a sense of regret at watching the boys get such a savage beating.

That was overshadowed by how disturbed she was over their almost Felixlike behavior.

They reminded her far too much of her brother.

Mere moments later Yun collapsed in a broken heap at the feet of the two tall noblewomen while they stared down at him with a pitiless look in their cold eyes.

And then they turned their head back to their enraged leader while they shuddered as they watched Azula continue to punch the boy in the jaw.

Over and over.

The princess was looming over her victim with her golden eyes trembling in rage as she pulled her fist back for another cruel strike.

It was only then that everyone's eyes widened in surprise when an authoritative figure intercepted the blow.

The alleyway turned quiet when Azula ground her teeth together to find herself staring back into Zoe's fearless eyes after the warrior had caught her final punch.

"Zoe! What do you think you're doing! How dare you impede me!" Azula barked with her eyes narrowed in anger while the older warrior held onto her fist.

And then Mai and Ty lee spun around when they watched House Song guards rush into the alleyway to flank their leader.

"I thought I had already advised you against making a public spectacle. You can't just beat two boys to death in the street." Zoe responded in a cool-headed voice as she released Azula's fist while the royal woman glared back at her.

"I can do as I please! And you would do well to remember that!" The princess snapped as she scowled while the guards rushed in to apprehend the boys.

"Take them off to the cells!" The captain commanded in a strict voice while she watched with callous hazel eyes as the boys moaned as they were pulled to their feet.

"Yes captain!" The guards exclaimed in a devoted voice before they hauled the two away while the Crown Princess still glared back at her strongest soldier.

"We weren't finished with them!" Azula complained with a growl while her childhood friends sighed behind her.

"Azula. I am just as pissed as you are but I think that was a lesson that they won't forget for a long time." Ty Lee advised in a soft voice as she turned to watch Elle dart over to thank them.

"Then by all means continue princess. In the cells." Zoe answered with a lazy wave of her hand as she walked ahead with a shrug while Azula scowled at her in annoyance.

What annoyed her the most was that she knew that her soldier was right.

"Oneesan!" Elle cried out as she suddenly hugged Ty Lee's belly while the acrobat smiled gently down at her.

"Hey there little sis! I hope we didn't scare you too badly!" The brown-haired woman cooed as she smashed the smaller girl in her toned arms while the royal woman turned to scowl at her.

"I could never be afraid of my family…t-thank you everyone…for sticking up for me." The blonde-haired girl mumbled in a mousy voice as her hair was mussed by the acrobat's strong hand while her friends gazed at her fondly.

"It was our pleasure Elle! How could we let anyone pick on a cutie like you?" Ty Lee assured in a sisterly voice as she began to walk forward while her little sister smiled shyly up at her.

"Yeah. They got what was coming to them." Mai muttered in a stoic voice as she cracked a small smile while she gazed down at Elle's gentle face.

"Please! You belong to me peasant! And only I may kiss you!" The princess huffed with her fists on her hips while she smirked when her handmaid gazed back at her with starry eyes.

"O-oh Azula-sama…" Elle swooned with a hand on her cheek only to find herself hurrying forward when her master loudly snapped her fingers.

"Elle! Come!" Azula ordered with a spoiled flip of her hair while all three noblewomen stared at her in a deadpan silence.

"She's not a dog Azula!" The brown-haired woman scolded as she strode along while her gaze briefly fell on the captain's back as she strode ahead.

If nothing else Zoe wasn't quite as terrible as she had first taken her for.

"If my princess says come! I come!" The blonde-haired girl chirped as she still wiped at her damp cheeks while her master gazed down at her in approval.

Only for a prideful scowl to form on her lips a moment later as she gazed away with proud golden eyes.

"Are you…okay Elle?" The princess grumbled out in a stubborn voice while eyed the younger girl as she wiped the wetness off her face.

"Mostly. I'm just sad that the world is such a cruel place. Maybe Rieko was right after all." Elle spoke as she chewed on her lip while her girlfriend and her big sisters gazed down at her in puzzlement.

"What did she tell you Elle?" The markswoman asked in a concerned voice as she glance down at her young friend's unusually bothered face.

It was obvious that Elle's experience with the two noble boys put a damper on her mood.

Just thinking of that made her glad that they left them black and blue!

"Rieko said that the world is a rotten place. She said that I must stare into the abyss and cry a thousand times over. She says that once I do…I'll understand that the world is rotten." The blonde-haired girl confessed in a depressed voice as her friends listened in a taken aback silence.

It was an overwhelmingly bleak statement.

And they were even a good bit pissed that this woman had tried to fill their innocent friend's head with such dark thoughts.

"Elle…" The brown-haired woman trailed off in a sisterly voice as the smaller girl bit her lip.

"I didn't want to believe her. But all of my life people have been so cruel. I guess it really is a rotten world…" Elle trailed off in a glum voice only for her eyes to widen in surprise when a warm hand grasped a hold of hers.

And then she gazed up at her girlfriend's sighing face as they began to walk hand in hand.

"Naïve peasant. I have told you time and time again not to worry about the state of this world." Azula sighed with her palm holding her girlfriend's own while she gently tightened her grip on her handmaid's delicate hand.

The two noblewomen exchanged a glance before the acrobat smiled at the backs of her two friends as they walked together.

"Sumimasen Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl replied in a sheepish voice with her cheer slowly returning while she blushed adorably when her girlfriend squeezed her hand.

"Pay no mind to what this Rieko says Elle. Just heed my absolute will and you will find that things will work out in your favor." The princess instructed with her palm over her serving girl's own while the smaller girl smiled bashfully up at her.

"Yes princess. Forever as you command." Elle agreed in a timid voice as she was pulled along by Azula while the royal woman's lips curled into a fond smirk.

"Hm. My peasant." Azula scoffed with a tiny sliver of pink on her regal cheeks as she twirled a finger in her hair while she gazed down at her adorable young admirer's blushing face.

"My fire queen." The blonde-haired girl mumbled in a sweet voice as she peered shyly up at her girlfriend's captivating smirk.

And with that the odd couple resumed walked ahead with their hands intertwined as one.

No more words needed to be said between them.

The warmth of each other's hand was all that they needed in this moment.

And for the princess and the peasant.

That was enough.

AN:

So, Team Azula had a nice day at the beach, until those two boy's made Elle cry. And once Elle starts crying all hell is bound to break lose.

A couple things to address.

In case anyone is wondering how Azula can read Elle's book. I promise that I will eventually go into the similarity with languages between the two worlds later on.

Ultimately, language in Avatar is a complicated subject that is never explained. From my research, I came to the conclusion that there are two possible explanations for language in canon.

The first is that they are actually speaking Chinese, and that it is simply being translated to us in English.

The second, is that they write a type of Chinese and that they speak a common tongue English. I have decided to go with the second one. Because it makes more sense and it fits better into the story.

Elle's Earth, is more akin to an alternate Earth with slight fantasy elements in the form of newly emerging people with powers and other beings. The two worlds are intricately connected. And I can assure everyone. That there is a valid plot explanation for the two worlds sharing a similar language.

Basically, it comes down to a question. Is Elle the first person from her Earth to visit the Avatar Earth?

Something to ponder as the story goes on and events unfold.

And we also saw that Azula is not only willing to defend Elle. But that she stood up for Nako as well by threatening those girls.

Now, as for the two nobleboys. I decided that I wanted to briefly show another social class, the minor nobility.

While I feel bad for having the beach day end on a negative note. I wanted Elle to experience some discrimination to get her pondering if the Fire Nation is as wonderful as she has come to believe it is by associating it as her new home.

I also wanted her to ponder Rieko's words more. Elle has lived a life of cruelty and suffering. And Rieko is basically telling Elle that the world is a horrible place, and that the peace that both Elle and her mother believed in is not possible through normal means.

Because people will always find a way to be cruel and terrible to each other. Rieko is a different kind of tyrant in comparison to Azula and Ozai. She's still a tyrant. But she believes that her rule is what people need.

We'll get to see Rieko more later. In the next arc we will finally get to meet the next big character Naoki, who like Elle has been tormented all her life. But unlike Elle, has turned into a monster.

And we'll also get a few glimpses of Rieko in the next arc as well.

But I hope everyone enjoyed the scene of Team Azula unleashing their rage on those boys. They are lucky that Zoe stepped in. Because Azula was likely going to kill them on the spot if not for Zoe.

Zoe, unlike Azula understands that public spectacles are a bad idea. And she also knows that Yoko would be displeased if Azula, Mai and Ty Lee started a scene by beating two boys to death in the street.

Anyhow, that will be all for now.

Stay tuned for next time.

For chapter sixty-five! Continued Travels!