Azula faces Ty Lee and prepares to fight. Headmistress Kompeki stands by, reading off a set of sparring rules for the Royal Fire Academy student lei tai. She finishes quickly, mainly because there are none. That is, except for one—take down your opponent and end the fight by any means necessary. A crowd of Azula's classmates surrounds the arena raptly watching the match. It was rare that the two best hand-to-hand combatants were matched together at the beginning of the bracket—in last month's tournament, they had only met in the final round. Most of the crowd rooted for Ty Lee, if only out of self preservation. They all know that whoever wins this first round is more than a match for everyone else there. Still, it's less painful to lose to a pressure point than to a gut punch.
The two girls had sparred everyday during hand-to-hand combat training at the Academy, adapting to each other's fighting styles and learning to exploit each other's weaknesses. Don't let her hit your pressure points, Azula reminds herself. Keep your hands forward to deflect any attempted strikes. Stay agile and try to grapple her arms.
The headmistress slams a heavy metal gong. The fight begins. Azula closely analyzes Ty Lee's stance, deducing that she would either go for a forward somersault or a short jab as her opening move. She's entirely unprepared when Ty Lee opts instead to tackle her. Before she knows it, Ty Lee had her pinned to the ground. Once Azula gets past her initial shock, she feels this pleasant warmth flow over her. She can easily escaped the pin—her legs are still free, and it would be a trivial matter to simply knee Ty Lee in the groin—but she doesn't want to.
"Get up, Azula!"Headmistress Kompeki barks."Not even Earth Kingdom scum give up that easily!Get up!"Yet Azula ignores her, choosing instead to stay pinned on the lei tai. Part of her wants to fight, but the warmth is nice, calming, beautiful even. Why move?
Kompeki is furious. "Is that how you plan to fight for our nation? Lying down?" she roars. "You are a disgrace to the throne! Get up!Get up! Get up get up get up get up—"
"Get up, Azula!"
The world spun like a multicolored soup being stirred about a cauldron. Azula's left cheek was pressed against the metal floor of the tank, the cold stinging like a fresh slap to the face. Her head felt like someone had spent an hour stomping on it. She moved her hands across the floor in a feeble attempt to crawl her way to a chair, railing, something she could use to right herself, hissing in agony as broken glass dug into her arms. She could hear the clamor of rocks being hurled against the metal armor of the tank. A hand appeared in front of her. She clasped it with her own bloodied palms as years of combat training rushed back. Stand. Get on your feet. A fallen soldier is a dead one.
There wasn't anything else to grab onto, so Azula latched onto the arm that was outstretched before her, climbing it like a vine until she was back onto her feet. She stumbled forward. She could see the ground hurtling towards her, a million tiny shards waiting to tear into her flesh. She instinctually stuck out her hands and braced for impact, but two arms wrapped around her waist and steadied her. She looked behind her.
"Can you stand?" Mai asked. Azula gave her a blank stare. Mai shook her, but was met with no response. The tank rattled as another rock was slammed into it. Azula can't fight, Mai thought. Leave her in the cockpit. Take out the enemy yourself. Azula's face was utterly blank as Mai lowered her back to the ground, sweeping aside glass with her boot to create a bare patch where Azula could lie down. Rocks continued pounding at the tank. They were trying to bust down the doors. Mai walked off to their personal quarters.
"Wait…Mai…" Azula coughed out, too softly to be heard over the din of battle. She…left? It was an understandable decision; the more urgent matter at hand was taking care of the soldiers who were hammering the tank. She slumped over. Alright, Mai will deal with the mudslugs and help us out later.
Us. Wait, what about Ty Lee? Azula looked at the driver's seat, and saw Ty Lee's limp body in the chair. Bleeding was minimal, but she appeared to be unconscious. Or worse. Azula began to crawl towards Ty Lee. Glass dug into her skin. She didn't care. Finally, she reached the driver's seat. She put her hand on Ty Lee's forehead and wiped away the blood. Luckily, it seemed to only be a surface level injury, though infection was always a risk. She then grabbed Ty Lee's right arm and felt the inside of her wrist. She could feel the pulse of blood being pumped through her veins. She's still alive. Azula exhaled in relief. Her eyes traveled to Ty Lee's hands, and it was then that her stomach turned. Ty Lee's index finger was bent in an unnatural angle and her thumb appeared to be dislocated. Azula didn't even want to look at the other hand. She must have put her hands in front of her when the rock hit. Azula shuddered with the knowledge that Ty Lee's hands would become crippled if they didn't receive help soon. I need to get her care, fast.
There were two small windows on each side of the sleeping coach, each one guarded by steel mesh. Most of the windows in the tank had mesh instead of glass, one of the safety precautions the engineers built in to protect against earthbender attacks. Of course, they conveniently forgot to also mesh the windshield. Then again, there was some rationale to making the front window out of glass; Mai would burst a vein if they kept falling into ditches because Azula and Ty Lee couldn't see through the metal screening. Through the side windows, Mai could see two earthbenders in front of the door. They had fashioned a crude battering ram out of rock and were presently trying to bust down the door with it. Three nonbenders stood outside, ready to rush in with their spears once the door fell. One of them, presumably an engineer, knelt by the tank treads. At first, Mai figured he was injured, maybe run over but she saw that the man was still moving, his hands busy inside of a sprocket. He's sabotaging the treads. Smart. At that moment she realized that she somehow didn't think of the most obvious solution to the problem at hand—just drive away. If Azula were conscious when they were attacked, she probably would have thought of that before the treads were sabotaged. Well, we can't drive away now, so we're gonna have to fight.
Twin knives slid into Mai's hands. Assuming they weren't anything more than simple foot soldiers, she figured she could take them all. She moved over the bottom cots, revealing a secret escape hatch at the bottom of the tank. She shoved away some provisions to make way, then stopped. She noticed a small, inconspicuous box on the floor. On the top there was a label: Chi Enhancing Tea, Natural Stimulant. Maybe I don't have to fight them all by myself after all.
It was the oddest sight; while the Earth Kingdom soldiers hammered at the tank, Mai was looking for a teapot. She foraged around the kitchen pantry, eventually finding the cast iron tea pot they had packed for their journey. Based on the intricate dragon designs and lotus blossoms that were carved on its surface, Mai figured it was a gift from Azula's uncle—she couldn't think of anyone else who would invest in such an extravagant object, not that it mattered anyway. She placed the tea kettle on the stove and lit it with a match. While she was grabbing the tea leaves, she heard a clattering noise. Apparently, the force of the battering ram had caused the kettle to topple over. She mentally thanked Iroh for getting them a teapot made of cast iron instead of porcelain. She picked it up, put the leaves and water in and left it to boil.
"Wait, are you brewing…tea?" Azula had finally clawed her way out of the cockpit and was now flopping her way towards Mai. If it were any other circumstance, Mai would have loved seeing the dignified princess wiggling around like an oversized worm. Right now, she was grateful that Azula could move.
"Uh, yeah. The tea's a stimulant, should give you enough energy to fight," Mai said.
Azula allowed herself to chuckle. Drinking tea before battle? Uncle would approve. But there was still a more pressing issue at hand. "We'll be able to get care for Ty Lee, right?"
Mai pursed her lips. "I hope so. We're too far into the Earth Kingdom to go to a Fire Nation infirmary. We'd have to find an Earth Kingdom village and get them to help." Tears wet Azula's eyes. Mai reassured her, "Don't worry Azula, she'll survive, she was just knocked out by the rock. We can help her after." She poured out a small cup of tea and handed it to Azula. After gulping it down, Azula jumped to her feet.
"Alright, time to make them pay for what they did," Azula said.
Mai chuckled. "Wow, the tea really kicked in fast, didn't it?" she remarked dryly. "Now let's sneak out the escape hatch and—wait, what are you doing?"
Azula walked over to the door—the same one that was being rammed—and swung it wide open. The three soldiers waiting outside tried to rush in but were quickly dispatched by a couple well-placed knives from Mai. Okay then. If the door is open, I guess we can go out that way… Still, it was better to scout through the window first rather than catching a boulder to the face. Apparently Azula didn't share Mai's prudence, opting instead to saunter out the door. Apparently she also forgot that there were still two men with a giant stone battering ram waiting outside.
"Now!" one of the men shouted. The two earthbenders hurled the ram forward at the emerging princess. The ram disintegrated into an opaque cloud of dust. "Did we get her?" They walked closer and fanned their hands to clear the smoke. Static electricity filled the air, then a blast. Both men were flung several feet back. Azula stepped out of the dust cloud and wiped her eyes. The engineer who was sabotaging the tracks ran, only to be pinned to the ground by a knife. Mai reached into her sleeve and grabbed another knife, flinging it at another soldier. Four men looped around from the other side of the tank. Azula sent a blast of blue fire their way, which they blocked with a stone wall. The wall crumbled. The soldiers built another wall and cowered behind it, earthbending more and more walls until they were surrounded by a MacGyvered bunker. Cowards, Azula thought. With its rounded roof and smooth walls, the bunker almost looked like an igloo from the Southern Water Tribe. Azula hurled a couple fire fists at it, but the walls held.
Azula snorted. If they were going to hide in their little rock igloo, fine, stay in there. Her first impulse was the kill them all with a large blast of lightning, but she restrained herself. If she killed all the soldiers, there wouldn't be anyone to tell her where she could get help for Ty Lee. Better to keep them alive for interrogation. Azula had a different idea.
"Hey Mai," Azula called out. "Would you mind getting me a chair?"
Mai shrugged. "Uh, sure." She went into the tank and dragged out a wicker chair. Azula sat down. She lazily extended her right arm and spewed a stream of cerulean flames at the bunker.
"Getting toasty in there?" Azula taunted, yawning afterwards to further rub in their inevitable defeat. They'd have to come out at some point, and if they didn't—well, it would be rather amusing if they got cooked alive inside an oven of their own making. The method also had the added bonus of keeping the soldiers alive for interrogation. The girls needed a doctor for Ty Lee, and one of the soldiers probably knew where to find one.
The rock bunker was now taking on a grim red hue from the heat, its dome a crimson eye staring into the heavens. Beneath the crackles of the flames, one could hear the faint sound of the soldiers hacking their lungs out. Although their fortified rock walls kept the flames out, it also blocked their only source of oxygen. To avoid a painful death by suffocation, they had opened up a small hole for ventilation bringing in air and along with it, smoke.
These soldiers have a lot more stones than I gave them credit for, Azula thought. She smiled, saving the line for Ty Lee when she recovered. Ty Lee might not understand the innuendo, but the pun was too good to pass up.
Finally, the soldiers surrendered. A hole opened in the side of the bunker and four men tumbled out. Mai pinned them all with knives, though it was hardly necessary—three of the men were unconscious and the fourth was heaving his rations out onto the ground. Azula prodded his head with her boot once he finished vomiting. Upon receiving no response, she flipped him onto his back.
"Where is the nearest place I can find a physician?" Azula asked, putting on a fake air of sweetness.
The soldier spat on the ground. "My name is Sensu. I am a corporal in the Earth Kingdom army. My designation is—"
Azula coiled up a bolt of lightning. Sensu cringed and curled into fetal position, hoping that somehow his arms could shield him from a direct lightning strike. The strike never came. Instead, Azula redirected her arm, causing the lightning to scorch the ground right in front of Sensu's face.
"My friend needs a physician, and you're going to tell me where to find one," Azula menaced.
Sensu sat up and in the most dignified tone he could muster, he said, "I don't talk to fire devils."
Azula created a ball of fire in her right palm and held it an inch before his face. "My friend has multiple broken bones in her hands, and I'm going to get her help no matter what it takes. So speak up, or I'll turn your face into fried katsu. Your choice."
Sensu stared into Azula's eyes through the flames. "My name—" He trembled. "My name is Sensu. I am a corporal in the Earth Kingdom army. That is—" Azula pushed the flame closer but he persisted. "—I won't betray my people, nor will I betray the Earth King."
Azula chuckled. "Really…you're willing to die for some king you've never met before." She scoffed. "Your blind obedience is pathetic. Whoever is running the Earth King's propaganda division must be laughing at you right now."
"I'm not a traitor," Sensu said doggedly. "And I will not talk."
Azula sighed. "Ah well, guess I'll have to get the information from someone else." She spun up a bolt of lightning and aimed it at Sensu's chest. "Goodbye, Corporal Sensu."
Sensu closed his eyes, accepting the inevitable. Memories of his family flowed through his mind, happy memories: mother teaching him to feed the pigs, father helping him earthbend his first rock, Lee—a tear ran down his face. Mother, father…Lee, I'll see you in the next life.
"Wait!" another soldier cried. Climbing to his feet after regaining consciousness, the soldier stumbled towards Azula. "There's an army hospital in that direction." He pointed south. "Go that way—West! Yes, west!—through Zhulu Pass. You'll find it there. Please, don't kill him."
"Thank you for your cooperation," Azula sneered. "Very well, he'll live." She aimed her arm towards the sky. Lightning crackled into the clouds, bathing the night sky in electric blue before fading away. Thank the spirits, Azula thought. Initially, she was afraid that none of the soldiers would talk and that they'd have to search for a village themselves. Now they had a location. Zhulu's Pass wasn't particularly far away from their current location; she could probably bring Ty Lee through the pass within an hour.
The camp was mostly occupied by the wounded, with very few soldiers who could actually fight. Azula could easily ride over and coerce the doctors into helping Ty Lee. "Mai, I'm going to take Ty Lee to the encampment. We'll be back by late dawn. Fix the tank and wait for us until then," Azula ordered.
Mai creased her forehead. "Listen, I know you really want to make sure Ty Lee is safe but—"
"But what?!"
"The tank treads were sabotaged," Mai explained. "The sprockets are deformed, and we need a firebender to remold them." Mai placed a consoling hand on Azula's back. "Don't worry, I'll take Ty Lee through Zhulu's Pass. She'll get help, okay?"
Azula knew that Mai cared about Ty Lee as much as she did, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she should be the one to take Ty Lee to the encampment. Don't worry, Mai will get her hands fixed up. She'll be doing cartwheels in no time. Still, Azula worried. If something happened while she wasn't there…no, nothing will happen, Ty Lee will be fine.
Mai went into the tank and hoisted Ty Lee's body onto her mongoose-lizard. "She'll be fine, Azula," Mai reassured Azula. They rode off into the night.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! This is the first time I wrote an extended flashback so feel free to leave a review on how you think I did. Also, I'm not particularly enamored with the current title of the story and am open to suggestions from y'all in the comments. Anyway, thanks for reading!