Elyrie and Iroh travelled in a companiable silence for the next days. They left the wastelands behind them and continued their way to the more mountainous areas of the Earth Kingdom. Again, Elyrie was amazed by the variety of one country. She knew how many different places the Earth Kingdom had since the vast size stretched from ocean to ocean, yet seeing the natural environment in front of her change in an instant was nothing short of marvellous.
The mountains welcomed them with their sheer beauty and calmness, a welcome change after the scorching drought of the wastelands. She had grown up in a city which was built literally on a volcano, so it wasn't as if she was new to this kind of landscape. But the cool blue tints and the snowy tops had a completely different sort of beauty: a cool, icy form as compared to the scorching heat and the dry ground.
Amidst the mountains, they followed the trail of Zuko and his ostrich-horse. Secretly, she was now glad he had taken two ostrich-horses, even though she and Uncle had to share one. She had never been a good rider, so she let Uncle take the reins as often as possible. But, she had to admit to herself that she was getting better at it. She had to be, otherwise she would have been a very sorry excuse for a travel if she was still not able to manage.
They had set up their camp for the night in the middle of a pinewood forest. It had been a long day of travelling, but now with the full moon shining above her, Elyrie didn't sleep that night. Every full moon, she had something her mother would refer to as 'moon-sickness', since she could never sleep well during those nights. Her mother had experienced the same issues. She grinned as she laid on her back and let her eyes glide over the dark canvas of the night where the stars twinkled. Even now did she feel the Moon giving her energy, despite bending a different element. The opposite element, she thought as she gazed at the beauty of Yue in the sky.
She had asked Zuko once if he suffered from 'moon-sickness', but he had looked at her with bewilderment, as if he didn't know what she meant. She pondered with the question why she never thought her family any different compared to others, but then again: what child ever saw their life as extraordinary? The only one she could truly compare it to was Zuko's, and it was not as if his life was 'ordinary'.
She kept turning and thinking about Zuko's lonely figure as he rode off. As she rolled over from side to side, she kept turning like the thoughts in her head. More than anything, she wanted to push the blankets from her hot body – a rarity – and run away. Run to Zuko and tell him he was not alone. That he would never have to be alone.
She had been too late when she had the chance. He had already gone off, probably feeling completely alone in the world. Her heart cried for him, but she noticed that her eyes joined after a while. Angry, she wiped her eyes as she sat up and threw her blanket away. No one would be helped if she started crying. With a sigh, she looked at the improvised camp. The charred wood was burned out. Next to her, she heard the soft breathing and heavy snoring of Uncle. In the dim light, she could just make out his silhouette.
The last weeks, she had slept as light as a little bird: the faintest sound could wake her. It didn't help that most of the time they slept in caves or under the stars. The nature had all sort of sounds and she was on permanent alert.
The last time she had slept soundly, was their first night in the Earth Kingdom. She smiled wryly as she remembered why: Zuko had held her while she drifted off. She had felt so safe when he had put his arm around her. She felt a familiar wave of affection going through her as she remembered his gentle caresses over her hair. Despite everything, she smiled at the memory and realised she missed him terribly, even if he was as stubborn as cow-pig.
As are you, her inner voice said to her in a stern tone. She mentally smiled at her own repercussion, but she knew it was true. She was as stubborn as he was, which is why they would clash as hard as they did.
With a sigh, she turned her head away as she saw dawn approach in the distance. The sky painted a soft pink tone with orange colours the more she looked at it. Uncle probably be up soon, she mused as she stood up and stretched her tired muscles. Around her, everything was unusually silent: not even the bird made a sound to disrupt the calm of the early morning.
In the dim morning light, Elyrie walked over to the river and cupped her hands to fill them with water. Splashing the water in her face, she felt more refreshed. She had a disoriented feeling, since she was never up this early. Usually it was Uncle who would wake her. She sat down and let her arms rest on her knees as she looked at the changing colours of the sky. Maybe this was a good time to watch a sunrise, since she could so rarely enjoy one.
An unfamiliar sound startled her as it seem to ripple through the morning air. The birds, who had been silent until now, flew in a haste to get away from here. It brought her out of her pondering as she saw the flock of birds flying just over her head.
Elyrie ducked in a reflex and started shaking uncontrollably, but it was not her own doing. It almost felt as if there was a small earthquake, that was how much the ground beneath her was vibrating. The smoke above the trees betrayed that it wasn't a natural occurrence, but she had no idea what it could be. Trying to make out whether she was in danger, she saw that the trees started shifting uncontrollably beside her. Leaves and needles flew from the trees and the barks moved uncontrollably. "What the..?" was all she managed to say before she was cut off by the loud rumbling sounds that sounded closer and closer.
Suddenly, something that looked like an enormous metal snake emerged from the woods with enormous speed. The dark smoke put a veil over the upcoming sun, shielding it as a fog and watering her eyes. The trees that had hidden it were thrown aside as if it were twigs snapping in the wind.
With a surprised cry, Elyrie threw herself to the side to avoid the enormous metal construction which didn't slow down and was heading right for the spot she had been standing. A small fireblast gave her the last push to avoid a collision as she flew over the metal monster. Landing on the hard ground, she coughed as when the smoke and dust filled her lungs.
As she lay on the ground she heard a screeching sound, indicating that the metal train stopped. The ground stopped vibrating as Elyrie coughed a last time to clean her lungs but before she could properly do it, a voice came from the metal monster.
"Well, well, well." she heard a familiar female voice snarl behind her, which made the hairs in her neck rise, "Look who we have here."
"Oh, no." Elyrie mumbled under her breath as she turned around to look into the familiar amber-coloured eyes.
"I can't believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu." Katara said as she repressed her third yawn in five minutes. The cool wind kept her awake, even though she felt her eyelids grow heavier by the minute. High in the air on Appa's back, they at least had a few moments of peace before those three women started chasing them again.
"I still think we could have taken them." Toph answered gruffly. The blind earthbender was tired and cranky, and she would have loved to take her frustrations out on those three crazy women.
"Are you crazy?" Katara asked in disbelief, before she realized that Toph hadn't been there when they first met them. "The crazy blue firebending and the flying daggers are bad enough, but last time we saw them, one of those girls did something that took my bending away." Katara remembered the cold feeling that washed over her when the brown-haired acrobat had attacked her. With a few swifts punches, she had her rendered completely helpless. "That's scary."
Toph didn't answer as she rubbed her eyes. She was too tired to respond, so she let her eyelids close as she drifted off. The cool breeze of the air told her that it was very early in the morning, even if she couldn't see where they were going.
Before she even finished her though, she heard Sokka groan. "Oh no, the sun is rising!" he complained in a rumbling voice, "We've been up all night with no sleep!"
"Sokka, we'll be okay." Aang sighed from Appa's head as he tried to stifle his own yawn. He shielded his tired eyes from the bright rays of sunshine that peaked over the mountains.
"Are you sure?" Sokka said nervously as he felt his eyes twitching in anguish, "I've never not slept before!" He held his hands up and looked at them with a panicked look. "What if I fall asleep now and something happens?! And something ALWAYS happens!"
Not that far from the flying bison, Elyrie was agreeing with Sokka's statement when she found herself imprisoned in the metal machine. Something. Always. Happens.
She had been brought into the belly of the metal contraption, where half a dozen chairs were assembled with small pillows for comfort. Small lanterns lit up the dark interior, since there were no windows to let in daylight. Entirely made out of metal, it was as if she was brought back below deck on a warship. Elyrie felt her blood run cold as soon as she stepped inside and resisted the urge to scream out in her panic. Luckily, her thoughts were interrupted by an enthusiastic cry.
"Elyrie!" Ty Lee exclaimed happily as she jumped up and down, her long braid bouncing behind her like a ribbon, "It has been such a long time!"
"Hi Ty Lee, Mai." Elyrie nodded to her old school friends. Mai only nodded to her, not unkindly but with a bored expression. Nevertheless, the small smile the woman send her was somewhat apologetic as if she truly was sorry to have caught her. Ty Lee's enthusiasm was almost infectious, had the situation not been so grave.
The four of them had been classmates at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls since the time they were eight years old. However, she had mainly been friends with Ty Lee and Mai. Even as a child, Azula had given her an uncomfortable feeling, although she was slightly prejudiced because of the stories Zuko had told her when they were younger. She had avoided the Princess as much as she could.
On the other hand, Ty Lee's bubbly personality made her instantly popular and easy to be with. Mai's silent composure was more distant, but Elyrie had always liked talking to her. She was surprisingly perceptive and although some mistook her silence for boredom, Elyrie had instinctively felt it was to hide her true feelings.
"Oh no!" Ty Lee said as she extended her hand to Elyrie's short curls, "What happened to your hair?" The wide-eyed shock of the acrobat made Elyrie almost smile. Like herself, Ty Lee's appearance had been unusual in the Fire Nation. With cinnamon-coloured long hair and beautiful grey eyes, the girl had been a favourite amongst the boys.
"Ty Lee," Azula ordered her friend as she stepped into the sitting cabin, not one moment sharing her enthusiasm, "Block her bending."
Ty Lee smiled at her with an apologetic look as if to say "I am sorry, but I can't refuse." Elyrie simply nodded and extended her arms to allow her easier access. There was no point in running or fighting. She couldn't fight the three of them off alone. A simple firebender was no match for a firebending prodigy, a master knife thrower and the fastest acrobat who could block your chi in three seconds. As she summed up their specialties in her mind, she felt her heart sink at the danger of it.
These three women were a dangerous team. This had been Azula's plan: a small elite team for swift operations. And with her, they had caught the first one. Zuko had no idea she had been here and Uncle would miss her only after a few hours. By then, Azula could have easily executed her.
Not allowing herself to give into panic, Elyrie tried to observe the situation as objectively as she could. Was this metal thing build to track Zuko? She doubted it: it had been pure luck – or bad luck might be a better description – she had crossed their path.
So what was to happen to her? Captured and burnt to a crisp at this instance? It did sound like Azula, but somehow, she felt that was not the Princess' intention. She was most likely going to use her as bait for the more prized culprits. It had it's advantages some time to be the least notable among your peers.
"What a luck to have found you!" Ty Lee babbled on as she caught the auburn-haired girl after four swift punches to block her bending. Elyrie was glad she did, because the impact on her body made her feel dizzy. It was as if her inner fire was blown out like a candle and only a small whisp of smoke was left. "We are chasing the Avatar and his team."
Just my luck, Elyrie thought as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Surprisingly strong, Ty Lee helped her on a metal chair. For such a frail-looking person, she lifted her as if she weighed nothing. But then, she remembered that this girl was capable of standing on just two fingers, so this was nothing to her.
Elyrie was surprised she could still move her limbs. Ty Lee had only blocked her bending, but allowed her to use her normal functions. It could have been worse, Elyrie mused as she tried to think of possibilities to escape, They have bigger prizes and at least they do not treat me like garbage.
But she was wondering why Azula had been so overly quiet. It wasn't like the Princess to be so forgiving after she had burned her clothing. Hell, she had tried to practically burn her hair after she had let her stumble as a child. She didn't think for one moment that Azula was being generous now. However, Azula had barely spared a glance in her direction after she had lifted her inside.
She hadn't asked about Zuko or Uncle. She had not spoken to her, not tortured her for information, no threats on her life. Yet.
What game was she playing? Luring me into a false sense of security? She surely couldn't think I am that naïve. Elyrie observed the Princess as she disappeared in another cabin, probably where they could manoeuvre this enormous metal contraption. Ty Lee waved at Elyrie before she jumped to her feet to follow Azula.
The Princess was, for a lack of a better word, 'a people person'. She was incredibly perceptive and figured out most intentions within the blink of an eye. With Uncle and Zuko, Elyrie hadn't felt a twinge of fear because she could hide behind the two men. Now, she was Azula's only prisoner and probably her main focus if she wanted to find out more.
Yet, like most people, Azula had her blind spots. Truth be told, there were few. The combination of prodigy, intelligence and cunning made her a dangerous adversary. But her most obvious flaw was that she simply disregarded things she couldn't understand. Elyrie had seen it in her relationship with her mother. She had interpreted her Mother's scolding and reprimands as acts of failure on her part. The young Princess had been convinced her own mother hated her because of her stern demeanour, instead of her Father's praise whenever she excelled in something. Something cruel, she added in her mind.
She probably thought Elyrie didn't return to the North Pole because of a strategic move. Most likely, she would never have considered her motivation to be love for people she just met. Please, let underestimating me be the reason she hasn't ripped my head off, Elyrie silently prayed, because then I have a shot at winning. How she would win, or even escape, that was another problem entirely. But, one thing at a time.
She had been placed next to Mai, who played with her throwing knives with a bored expression on her face. She slouched in the chair, not sitting upright like they were taught as children. She gave Elyrie a curd nod, but didn't stop playing with her small knives.
For some time, Elyrie said nothing as she watched Mai swiftly move the knives between her fingers, throwing it up and catching it without injuring herself. It was fun for some time, but after a while Elyrie began to move in her seat nervously. She had never been uneasy in smaller rooms, but this closed off room made her want to cry out again as she tried to repress the images of Zhao's sadistic smile when he had looked down at her in the cells below deck.
"So," Elyrie finally said as she needed to distract herself, "What have you been up to?" Mai was not a particularly talkative girl, but everything was better than sitting here in silence.
"Nothing." was her short answer as she threw a knife against the wall, hitting it right in the middle of two metal plates.
"Impressive!" Elyrie said when she saw that the knife didn't even vibrate from the impact. Mai had thrown it with such precision that it stopped in the wall. She was truly impressed: the precision with which Mai could aim and throw her knives was terrifying. She could throw three knives at once at a person without injuring them. A small part of her cringed at the idea that she could aim just as easily for someone's heart, but she repressed the thought.
Mai simply shrugged at her response, but Elyrie saw the small glimmer of pride in the yellow eyes. She tried her luck and pushed further on the subject. "Don't act like it is nothing!" she said, trying to sound as cheerful as she could, "I don't know anyone who can aim as well as you can."
"Maybe you just don't know a lot of talented people, then." was Mai's seemingly bored answer, although she sat up a little straighter and turned to the blue-eyed girl.
"Ouch, that hurt." Elyrie remarked with a smile she plastered on her face. It didn't reach her eyes, but Mai didn't seem to notice. She actually let out a sound which could be a chuckle or a scoff. "You know, sweet talking me doesn't help you with Azula."
"Oh, I am well aware that it doesn't help me," Elyrie replied seemingly breezy, but inward she stored this small hint, "But you truly are talented."
Even though Mai was a cynic, she had known Elyrie long enough to know she wasn't insincere. Ty Lee, Azula and herself had always been a trio, with Elyrie occasionally playing along if Azula wished it. However, Elyrie was more a friend to Zuko than she had been to Azula despite the age difference. Mai had always been sort of jealous that the auburn haired girl got along with the Prince that well, but she couldn't hate her for it.
Elyrie had been a quiet girl whenever they played together, but Mai always admired her surprisingly quick wit, always finding the humour in situations. She had enjoyed her company when they were younger because of her calm demeanour. Azula had always wanted to play games she could win and Ty Lee had been too enthusiastic for her at times. She, on the other hand, much preferred to look on and stay quiet. Elyrie had been more like her, sitting together in companiable silence as they watched Ty Lee and Azula perform their tricks.
Even now, when they hadn't seen each other in at least five years, was she looked just as calm as she had been as a child. But before Mai could answer her, they were interrupted when Ty Lee came back with a summersault.
Ty Lee graciously jumped through the small space and landed in the seat opposite Elyrie. Her big grey eyes were twinkling as she looked at Elyrie. "We are getting closer!" she said happily as she played with her long braid. It was as if the shock of Elyrie's short hair made her cherish her own cinnamon-coloured locks even more. "They are so tired because we keep pursuing them!" she added as she continued to stroke her braid with loving caresses.
"I see." Elyrie answered, although she had no idea what the acrobat meant, "But how did you get here? I thought you joined the circus?" She tried to keep the conversation casual as she steadied her own nerves.
"Oh I did!" Ty Lee exclaimed as she started babbling on about how she had run away to join a travelling circus and was hired as an acrobat. Somewhere between her tricks as an acrobat and the description of a platypus-bear did Elyrie lose the point of the story, but it was enough to smile and nod to encourage Ty Lee.
"So, that is how I ended up here!" Ty Lee concluded after she told her how Azula had requested her help. Elyrie nodded sympathetically, but didn't miss the slight crack in Ty Lee's breezy tone. It wasn't that difficult to piece together what had happened: Azula had asked Ty Lee to accompany her, Ty Lee had initially refused but Azula had made it inexplicably clear that she wasn't to be refused.
"And you?" Elyire asked as she turned to Mai when Ty Lee was finished. What kind of manipulation would she have used on the stoic, sleek-haired girl? Mai was entirely different from Ty Lee, so it might fruitful to understand how Azula manipulated her in joining this mission.
Mai looked up in surprise when Elyrie asked her a question. "Imprisoned in Omashu." Mais answered. Elyrie's lips curved in an actual smile this time at her answer. "Imprisoned?" she repeated, "That sounds rather harsh."
"There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for that place." Mai replied stoically as she threw another knife under the first one. "So that is why I joined this mission, because nothing ever happened there."
Something always happens to me, Elyrie thought wryly, Want to trade? She wanted to ask more, but before she could they sloped over when the machine came to a stop. Azula came into the cabin and motioned for the two girls to follow her. "Take her with you." she added with a passive hand gesture to Elyrie.
Obeying, Elyrie rose from the seat and was wedged between Mai and Ty Lee as they were walked outside. When she stepped outside, she squinted her eyes at the bright sunlight. Her eyes had been used to the darker room, so it almost hurt when she stepped outside. After blinking a few times, she was able to register her surroundings. They had stopped in front of a river and Azula knelt down to grab something from the water.
"Wads of wet fur." Mai said as Azula lifted them from the water, "How delightful." Elyrie peaked over her shoulder and saw that some clumps of fur were left in the water, as well as on the grass.
"They're not wads," Ty Lee said thoughtfully, "They're more like bundles, or bunches?" She scratched her head as she tried to remember the word, "It's got and 'uh' sound."
"Clumps?" Elyrie said helpfully.
"Clumps!" Ty Lee exclaimed, her braid bouncing up and down, "They're clumps!" She embraced Elyrie quite abruptly. Elyrie's eyes widened in surprise as she crossed looks with Mai, who rolled her eyes.
"The trail goes this way." Mai said when her eyes found the trail of fur on the grass. It seemed to go into the direction of the steppe area, away from the forest.
Azula's eyes narrowed as she turned around, away from the trail as she lifted her gaze upwards. The treetops appeared to be broken, Elyrie noticed as she followed Azula's gaze.
"The Avatar's trying to give us the slip." Azula said as she pointed to the trees, "You two head in that direction and keep your eye out for the bison." She then walked over to the fur trail on the ground, "I'll follow this trail."
Elyrie wondered what was to be expected of her as three mongoose-lizards were led out of the metal machine. But before she could even finish that thought, Azula seemed to have read her mind. "Take her with you." she said without bothering to look at Elyrie, "I don't need her getting in the way when I face the Avatar alone."
A little relieved, Elyrie stepped to Ty Lee who gracefully mounted the green, lizard-like animal. Frowning, she looked at the enormous reptile-like animal as his eyes twitched from side to side. It was probably an amphibious creature, judged on the fins on it's feet. A ride on an ostrich-horse was something entirely different from this and it wasn't as if she was a talented rider as it was.
"You ride with me." Mai said to Elyrie as she extended her hand to pull her onto the animal. Gratefully, Elyrie wanted to take her hand.
"Oh before I forget," Azula said suddenly, "Ty Lee, do paralyze her, will you?"
Because just taking my bending isn't humiliating enough? Elyrie bit her tongue because she wasn't about to enrage Azula in any way until she knew what game the woman was playing.
Within seconds, Ty Lee had punched her and she felt an unpleasant feeling spreading throughout her limbs. It was as if her bones were ice, dripping in the scorching sun and melting in a rapid speed. With no way to support herself, she might have fallen on the grass. Mai had been quick enough to catch her before she touched the ground.
With little effort, Mai swung her over the saddle in front of her so she could steady her when the lizard-like creature started moving. With her limp arms in front of her, her body on a saddle and no use of her legs, Elyrie didn't like her chances that day.
"That really hurt my tailbone." Iroh moaned as he rubbed the soar spot on his back. The impact had thrown him on the ground as he tried to see whether the young woman had been the one he was looking for.
Traveling with Elyrie was like traveling with a child, even worse than with Zuko. She seemed attract trouble even more than his nephew did by accident. First she managed to almost get robbed, then she found herself in the midst of Zuko's confrontation with the Earth Kingdom soldiers and now she had disappeared with something that was almost like a tank, probably used for warfare.
Nevertheless, it was fairly easy to track her now. The tracks of the metal contraption were easy to follow, but it had stopped when he reached the river and found it empty. He had no idea where they had taken Elyrie, so he had scanned the surroundings. He had hoped that she was the young woman who he had seen walking alone but as he had peered from a safe distance, the earth had moved beneath him and thrown him on the ground. Still rubbing his back, he looked up at the young woman standing on the rock.
She was petite and young, probably a few years younger than Elyrie. Her black hair and green clothing betrayed she was an Earth Kingdom citizen, but her eyes were not looking at him. If anything, they seem to gaze at something just beside him.
"Why were you stalking me?" the girl asked, her voice surprisingly blunt. Iroh paused a moment as he observed her. He noticed she was barefoot as she stood steadfast on the rock, not seeming to be able to knocked over. She was an Earthbender, he realised.
"I apologize," he answered as he pushed himself back up, "I thought you were someone else." He felt his aging body protest at the movements. The girl mumbled something in response as she jumped down and landed next to him. Now that she was closer, he wanted to ask her more but he noticed that her gaze was not fixed on him. Rather, it was again as if she was looking at something beside him again. He frowned for a moment before he noticed the milky-green colour of her eyes. This girl was blind.
She started to walk away before Iroh called her. "Miss?" he said as he wiped the dust from his tunic. The girl stopped, but didn't turn to look at him. He now understood why, but he had also seen that she was exhausted. He felt like he could use a small break as well, so he simply asked: "Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?"
This is the first part of the episode 'The Chase'! The second part will focus more on Zuko's point of view as we get the big battle scene (which is conveniently one of my favourites in the entire serie!)
Hope you are all well and stay safe! Xx.