Chapter 8
4 Years after the Hundred Year War
Fishing Village, South-Eastern United Republic
Katara woke up the following morning to find herself alone in the fishing hut, the straw mat used by Azula empty. Her first instinct was to become alerted and assume the worst, but she quickly managed to set her fears aside, and having done the bare minimum to fix her morning hair, Katara stepped outside into the bright sunshine of the not so early morning.
"Good morning," she greeted the two fishermen, working nearby to mend the holes in their nets. "Have you perchance seen my friend up and about?" she asked.
"Sure did, she went that a way," one of the men pointed vaguely southwards. "Behind those dunes over there. Scared the wife something fierce, she did, throwing her fire around like that. Now, you seem to be a nice girl and all, but we don't really like having firebenders around, so... maybe you shouldn't stay here for too long. If you catch my meaning..."
"Don't worry, we hadn't planned on staying," Katara smiled at the two slightly spooked looking fishermen, then stopping at one of the other huts to exchange a few words with the fisherman's wife who had offered them the spare hut for use. Once she had made all the necessary arrangements, Katara set out to find Azula, following the fisherman's directions.
Having circled around the tall dunes, Katara came upon the scene of Azula's firebending practice. Since they were not in an immediate hurry to leave, Katara saw no reason to interrupt Azula's workout. Instead, she decided to settle in against the trunk of the lonely tree overlooking the sandy field Azula had chosen as her training ground. She could not immediately tell whether Azula had noticed her presence or not, because the princess continued going through her paces, never breaking her routine.
Katara observed Azula's practice with undisguised interest. She had watched Zuko training Aang, had watched Zuko working out on his own, and they had sparred on many occasions, but Katara could immediately tell that Azula's technique was very different from her brother's. Her style was very much fueled by her anger and passion, but the result was not intended to overwhelm with its brute strength. No, her anger was tightly and precisely channeled through carefully measured and controlled moves.
Before Zuko had changed his ways and joined Team Avatar, Katara remembered how aggressive he had been with his firebending, always trying to overwhelm them. Even after Zuko had joined them and had readjusted his technique, it still retained some of his early attacking style. Azula was very different in her approach. She did not favor the quick and aggressive jabs, kicks and punches. Azula was all about elegant and graceful movements, channeling her blue flames in concentrated jets and powerful long arcs. Every purposeful, almost artistic movement seemed to be designed to conserve as much energy as possible while generating maximum power. It appeared frighteningly effective, as long as Azula maintained a tight control over her style.
The longer Katara looked at and studied Azula's movements, the more it became apparent to her that in some ways, Azula moved almost more like a waterbender than a firebender. Azula would no doubt be outraged by such a suggestion, but to Katara it was obvious that some of the moves she performed with her firebending were quite similar to Katara's own stance when she fought. Especially the technique where Azula formed a lash of blue fire and struck out with it from a distance looked almost identical to Katara's water whips. Obviously, the similarity of their techniques was not perfect, as Azula's bending was still accompanied by a great deal of movement and acrobatics, while Katara mostly preferred to hold her ground and conserve her energy.
Eventually, Azula decided that she had had enough practice, coming to a halt and turning to approach Katara, suggesting that the princess had been aware of being watched all along. Katara was rather amazed to see that Azula had barely broken sweat during this intense looking practice. In fact, the princess appeared nearly as perfect as always, making Katara wonder just how did she manage to accomplish this feat. All of their belongings had been taken by the Dai Li, including Katara's emergency makeup kit, hair clips and brushes, as well as all other bare necessities which they had no hope of restocking until they reached a larger town. And despite lacking all these supplies, Azula still managed to maintain her impeccable appearance, making Katara greatly impressed and just a tiny bit jealous.
"So," Azula said, having caught up with her. "Studying my style for weaknesses, are you? Let me assure you that there are none."
Katara chuckled at that. It was such an Azula thing to assume. "Believe me, Azula, I've had enough experience fighting you back during the war to have any interest in repeating it," she smiled at the princess. "I was just... impressed by your intensive routine. Do you practice like that often?"
"That was nothing, it barely even warmed me up," Azula shrugged her shoulders. "You should have seen what my firebending instructors put me through at my father's instruction. Now that was intense. Or did you think that just because I was a firebending prodigy, it meant that I didn't have to work very hard to become the best at what I do?"
"I honestly hadn't thought about it, Azula," Katara confessed. She suddenly felt very curious about that aspect of Azula's childhood. She had never asked Zuko about their firebending training. "Did you and Zuko train together when you were young?" she asked.
"Ha! No... father gave up on Zuko early on," Azula smirked. "We were supposed to train together, but father decided that Zuko would just slow down my progress too much because he always lagged behind and the tutors had to spend extra time with him. So, from that point onwards, the best tutors worked with me, while different teachers were assigned to Zuko."
"Your father must have been very proud of your talent," Katara said, even if she had trouble imagining Ozai as a caring father even to his favored child.
Something shifted in Azula's expression, a shadow creeping across her face. "He had a strange way of showing it," she frowned, but then quickly shook her head. "Well, enough about that. We need to be on our way from this dismal village."
"Agreed, but we should have breakfast first. Who knows when our next meal will come after we depart?" Katara said. "I've already made arrangements in the village, so let's go."
"I'm not having any more disgusting fish stew," Azula's expression turned into a pout, which made Katara smile to herself.
"It's a fishing village, Azula. It's safe to assume that any meal here will involve fish," she sighed patiently. "Though... I also hope that it's not fish stew."
In the end, they were both pleasantly surprised when the fisherman's wife actually served them very skillfully prepared sushi that even Azula struggled to find fault with. As they ate, the princess pulled out her map once again, starting to examine the road ahead of them. "If we make good time on the road, we should be able to hit the tip of the peninsula come the evening," she said, pointing at the map.
"That sounds good," Katara nodded. She then pointed at the small town on the other side of the water from the tip of the peninsula. "And then I can get us both across and we should be able to find lodgings for the night," she smiled.
"Why, it's like you could read my mind, waterbender," Azula smirked. She seemed to be in an unusually good mood this morning. Katara could only hope that it would last once they hit the road again.
Several hours later, the two girls were walking down the coastal road, their journey thus far pleasant and uninterrupted, allowing them to keep up a fast pace since they were not burdened by any supplies. Sun shone brightly above them, but the weather remained tolerably mild, the refreshing sea breeze keeping them energized. They covered most of their journey in silence, and when they exchanged a few words, Azula did not snap at Katara or act unpleasant in any way, and the less hostile attitude from the princess encouraged Katara to ask something that had been preying on her mind for a while.
"Azula, I'm going to ask you a question," Katara said in a determined voice.
"If you must," Azula yawned, feigning indifference. In truth, she appeared to be grateful for the broken silence.
"I wanted to ask you about the future," Katara said. "And where do you see your place in it."
"Why, obviously I see myself having a grand time at the North Pole with you as my keeper," Azula rolled her golden eyes. "I just can't wait. Or have our plans changed?"
Katara sighed. "Alright, maybe I phrased that poorly," she admitted. "I am simply curious if you still believe that you deserve to rule the Fire Nation."
"Of course," Azula shrugged, giving Katara a look which suggested that the waterbender had to be crazy to believe anything else. "That is what being a Crown Princess means, Katara. And I was given that title by my father. Also, he left me in charge as the Fire Lord when he went to conquer the rest of the world. So... obviously, to rule the Fire Nation is my right."
"I understand why you feel that way, but Azula, you... didn't exactly do a great job as the Fire Lord," Katara pointed out carefully. "Don't you think that the Fire Nation citizens would reject you if you tried to force your rule upon them now?"
"It doesn't matter what they think or what they want!" Azula exclaimed, Katara noticing how she clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white. "My blood dictates my right to rule! That's all there is to it!"
"How would you keep your people in check?" Katara wondered. "If your subjects did not want you as their ruler, they would rise up in rebellion. You could try to crush them, but... I think it would just make you more and more hated."
"My father was never the popular choice to become the Fire Lord," Azula replied. "People on the street were always singing their praises to Uncle Iroh. Dragon of the West and all that," she made a disgusted face at that. "But my father still managed to keep everyone in line when he became the Fire Lord. If he could do it, then so can I," she added stubbornly.
"I think you are a better person than your father," Katara said, but Azula's expression remained unmoved. "In any case, I think I know why your father managed to hold on to the throne. He kept the war going and enabled the elites of the Fire Nation to become even richer from war profiteering. If the tides had turned against the Fire Nation... if we had succeeded on the Day of the Black Sun, it's possible that your own people would have overthrown him."
"Well, thank you for giving me a brilliant idea, Katara," Azula grinned at her. "Now I know exactly what I must do once I topple Zuko from the throne and assume the title that is rightfully mine. I'm just going to start another war with the rest of the world."
"No, I don't think you're that crazy, Azula," Katara shook her head, certain that Azula was merely baiting her. "You know that you would never get away with that, not now when Aang has unlocked his Avatar State and has such power at his disposal. He would just take you out without much thought." Azula frowned at that, but said nothing as they continued walking in silence.
"There's one more thing that I believe you should know, Azula," Katara spoke up a while later. "There is a rather large faction among Zuko's supporters who view you as a genuine threat to his rule, and as a threat to the stability of the Fire Nation."
"They're right about me being a threat to Zuko," Azula nodded in agreement.
"This is no joke, Azula," Katara shook her head. "Since you would be next in line should anything happen to Zuko, these people want you gone, Azula. And when I say gone, I mean… they want you dead. I know that the Kyoshi Warriors have thwarted multiple plots to assassinate you, Azula... mostly by poisoning."
Azula actually came to a grinding halt at that. "Are... are you serious?" the princess looked distressed as she asked the question. Katara nodded severely. "They really hate me that much, do they..."
"Is it really such a surprise, Azula?" Katara asked softly. "Actions have consequences. And your actions in the past have upset a great deal of people."
"They don't seem to have upset you," Azula gave her a deeply intense stare.
"Of course, they have," Katara sighed. "You've hurt the people I love the most. You nearly killed me... you would have killed me if not for Zuko's sacrifice. You've done terrible, contemptuous things to me and my closest friends."
"Then why are you pretending to be helping me!" Azula shouted angrily, clenching her fists again. Katara did not reply, instead crossing her arms on her chest and staring down the fuming princess. "Alright. Fine..." Azula caved in as she slowly calmed down. "Then why are you helping me?" she rephrased her question.
"Let's make one thing clear first," Katara spoke sternly. "I'm not doing this to get into Zuko's pants, as you so crudely put it earlier. Can you get that through your stubborn skull, princess?"
"I shouldn't let you get away with insulting me," Azula glared at her, then frowning when Katara once again easily held her gaze. "Ugh, fine. Alright, so maybe you're not sweet on my brother. Let's suppose I agree with that premise. Now, explain why you're helping me. You said you didn't want the Avatar to take away my bending... fair enough, but once you stopped him, you didn't have to do anything beyond that. You didn't have to take me on a road trip to the North Pole."
"It's not an easy question to answer, Azula," Katara replied thoughtfully. "When we started out on this journey, I was mostly motivated by my desire to help Zuko, because he is a dear friend to me. But now that I have spent time with you on the road... I feel that my motivation has changed."
"Explain," Azula demanded, looking at her curiously.
"I'm not sure if this is going to make much sense to you, but... I feel that I want to help you because despite all that you've done, you still deserve to be helped," Katara tried to explain. "I think you have the potential to be something else... something more than even you think you could be. It's like... you are trapped thinking that there is only one singular path before you. To rule the Fire Nation and nothing else. Am I wrong?"
Azula hesitated for a moment. "You're not wrong," she eventually admitted. "To rule the Fire Nation is my destiny."
"I don't believe that," Katara shook her head resolutely. "I think that you have multiple choices before you, Azula, choices that you are not allowing yourself to see, and thus, not allowing yourself to make."
"If there are other choices before me, then I don't see them," Azula shrugged.
"That's exactly what I hope to show you, and why I feel so motivated to travel with you, princess," Katara smiled at her. "I want to show these other choices to you."
Azula gave her a weird look, suggesting that she thought Katara was a little off her rocker. "Well, good luck with that, I suppose," she smirked, shaking her head.
"Don't worry, princess... we're still only at the very beginning of a long road ahead of us," Katara chuckled as they resumed walking once again. "And soon you'll see that I can be extremely stubborn and determined once I set my mind on something..."