Chapter 20
4 Years after the Hundred Year War
Royal Palace of Ba Sing Se
Azula grinned under the dark hood of the Dai Li robes she was wearing. Her plan was working out even better than she had hoped. Having made her voice as hoarse as she possibly could and using it to inform the real Dai Li agents about possessing critical information to share with Long Feng, they were quickly admitted into the heart of the Dai Li headquarters, a large command room that Azula remembered well, having made good use of it during her stay in Ba Sing Se. Maps were spread all over a massive table and a group of robed men clustered around one such map, showing a detailed layout of the capital.
And there, amidst the other agents, stood their quarry, still the same confident looking and scheming mastermind behind the scenes, Long Feng himself. For a moment, Azula regretted not having dealt with him in a more permanent fashion during her occupation of Ba Sing Se. It was always a bad idea to leave someone influential with a personal grudge in a position from which they would be able to retaliate. Azula had thought that Long Feng was done for, exposed and fallen from grace, but it had been a mistake. One that she fully intended to correct now.
"My Lord, these two agents bring the news you requested," one of the men who had accompanied them inside spoke aloud to attract Long Feng's attention.
"What?" Long Feng was alerted immediately, staring impatiently at her and Katara, but not recognizing them under the Dai Li robes, their faces dirty and smudged with dust. "You have information on the whereabouts of Princess Azula? Tell me where the bitch is hiding!" Long Feng demanded.
Before replying, Azula took stock of their situation. If her estimation of the passage of time was correct, then it was a very early hour, with the dawn just starting to break. This was a stroke of good luck, because while Long Feng undoubtedly had everyone on high alert during a crisis, many of the agents were clearly taking breaks for sleep and resting, and there were a lot less people around the headquarters than there would be during daytime. Long Feng had five other people in the room with him, eight altogether if she counted the men who had showed them inside. The numbers weren't on their side, but surprise still was, and Azula believed that this was the best opportunity they could have hoped for.
While Azula was tempted to verbally slap Long Feng with a witty and cutting response, it was a frivolity they could not afford. Instead, the princess simply exploded in action, fire leaping from her outstretched fingers and engulfing Long Feng and his men. While the leader of the Dai Li managed to avoid the blast, not all of his men reacted fast enough, two of them crashing to the ground, screaming as they tried to roll around and extinguish the flames, to little avail.
"We are betrayed!" screamed one of the men by the doors.
"It's Princess Azula! Help!" another man echoed nearby. Katara turned to deal with them, grabbing them both with her water whips and smashing their heads together, knocking them unconscious.
"You deal with Long Feng," the waterbender nodded at the princess. "I'll watch our backs against reinforcements."
"Gladly," Azula smirked, immediately going on the offensive. Fiery inferno enveloped the side of the room occupied by Long Feng and his remaining cronies, the Dai Li earthbenders struggling to protect themselves from the blazing fire. Taken by surprise, the Dai Li found themselves at a strategic disadvantage, having to defend themselves in this tightly confined space.
Only one lackey remained at Long Feng's side as the leader of the Dai Li emerged from the blazing inferno, their bodies protected by a second layer of skin made from rock. They launched their rock gloves at Azula, following it up by throwing other projectiles, but Azula's fire lashes easily swiped them out of the air, while at the same time cutting through the rock armor of her enemies and making it crumble. In the meantime, Katara had dealt with the agents who had escorted them to the command room, and two more of the arriving reinforcements. No others seemed to be coming, and Azula liked to imagine that the terrified cries mentioning her name had scared them from trying to assist their besieged leader.
Long Feng was giving as good as he got, however. Having ran out of projectiles to throw at Azula, in his desperation the Dai Li leader began to pull rocks from the very walls, hurling them at Azula, every throw accompanied by a scream of rage and hatred. Sore and exhausted, the princess was forced to run around the room while ducking and dodging the projectiles, and only when Katara finally came to her aid, they finally managed to subdue Long Feng, Katara freezing him to the wall, rendering the despicable man helpless.
"Don't tell me you're going to insist that we leave him alive," Azula snorted, her arms raised, ready to end it all for good.
"We have to bring him before King Kuei, Azula," Katara insisted, predictably.
"Ugh, that idiot will just send him back to the chicken farm," Azula groaned in frustration. "In a couple of years, Long Feng will be back in charge once again."
"This time we'll think of something that will stop that from happening," Katara suggested with cheerful optimism that failed to resonate with Azula.
"You'll have to forgive me for not-..." Azula began, her trail of thought freezing when she regarded the cruel, vengeful smile on Long Feng's lips, an expression that did not befit a beaten man. That was when Azula noticed that even despite Long Feng's arms being frozen to the wall, his long, spider-like digits were still moving, weaving earthbending patterns.
"Katara, watch out!" Azula exclaimed as soon as she heard the sound of rocks shattering directly above them. The princess gave Katara a hard shove to push her out of the harm's way as she herself leapt to safety, massive chunks of the ceiling crashing down on them, the stone weakened by Long Feng while the two of them had been bickering like a pair of idiots.
There was a price to pay for this foolish mistake. While Azula managed to roll away safely, a large chunk of fallen rock struck Katara's left shoulder hard, and she collapsed with a cry of pain and the sound of breaking bone. Anger flashed hot before Azula's eyes, making her see nothing but red as she rose from the ground, seeing that Long Feng had managed to free himself, coming at her protected by an armor of solid rock.
Azula decided that it was time to end this charade. Long Feng was a skilled earthbender, but he was nowhere near the best she had faced... and she was the best firebender of her age. His paltry defenses had no chance against her offense, and augmented by her growing rage and mounting anger, Azula unleashed one devastating blow after another, her fire lashes destroying Long Feng's armor in a matter of moments. Before he could recover to save himself, lightning leapt from Azula's fingers and struck the treacherous leader of the Dai Li square in the chest. Twitching and convulsing, Long Feng hit the ground, and soon enough, the disgusting smell of charred flesh filled the room, rising from the mortal wound in his blackened chest.
Azula turned around to regard Katara, wincing when she saw the waterbender gingerly rising from the floor, clearly in great pain as her left arm hung limply at her side. She started walking towards Katara, then stopping when she noticed three more Dai Li agents arriving on the doorstep, peering inside and looking indecisive. "Your leader, Long Feng, is dead!" Azula shouted at them. "Come, and share his fate! Or turn your tails and run, like the cowards that you are!" Unsurprisingly, the Dai Li agents chose the latter option, too demoralized to put up a fight now that their leader was gone.
"I don't think they're coming back," Katara managed. She was clearly having a tough time even talking without breaking into pained sobs.
"That looks like it would hurt a lot," Azula remarked, wishing there was something she could do. She felt like she should have done a better job making sure that Katara wasn't struck like that. "Can you heal yourself?" she asked hopefully.
"No, I can't bend at all," Katara shook her head. "But our mission to remove the Dai Li threat to you has been completed... if you wanted to turn on me, now would be the perfect opportunity. I am literally helpless."
Azula blinked at the waterbender's words as they took her by complete surprise. Sure, it had been her initial plan to betray Katara at this point, but that plan had been devised several weeks ago, and so much had changed since then. Azula could not deny that a small part of her still wanted to follow through with that plan, but... she also knew that she would not be able to do it. Still, Katara's words stung. They made her feel as if after all they had been through, Katara still expected nothing but betrayal from her... and perhaps it was unsurprising considering her actions in the past, but the words still hurt her. They hurt her so much that Azula actually felt tears starting to well up in her eyes and she quickly looked away, unable to face Katara.
"Azula... I'm sorry," Katara spoke up quietly, fighting against the immense pain she was in. "I shouldn't have said that, even in jest... I didn't mean it, not like that."
"Well... you're not exactly wrong, to betray you at this point was my initial plan," Azula managed a reply, having swallowed the lump of emotions in her throat. "But I don't think I can do it. I don't know what has happened to me, betraying you and claiming my freedom would make the most sense in this situation!" Azula exclaimed angrily. "I blame you for this, you know," she pointed at Katara, the waterbender smiling despite being in pain. "You have afflicted me with this soft weakness, and now I can't even pull off a strategic and logically sound betrayal."
"I think that a part of you just doesn't want our journey to end... and truth be told, I don't want it either," Katara spoke softly at her. "I know a lot of things feel really confusing right now, but I want to help you figure everything out. I'm not done standing by you, Azula. I'm not done helping you. You only have to make the choice to accept my company, and my help."
"I..." Azula hesitated, unsure what to say. But no, that was not true. If she was being honest with herself, she was more than certain of what she wanted. Freedom as a lonely fugitive suddenly seemed completely unappealing, if Katara was not by her side. She did not want to give up this... thing that had developed between them. Was it a relationship of sorts? Whatever it was, it also frightened her a great deal. The closer they became, the more and more power Katara seemed to have over her. It was intoxicating, yes, but it was also scary, so very scary.
While Azula was still pondering her response, another development suddenly took place. As they were standing there, in the middle of the ruined Dai Li command center, surrounded by the corpses of Long Feng and his lackeys, a group of armed men suddenly appeared at the entrance to the room, pouring inside with concerned, but grim and dutiful looks on their faces as they drew their weapons.
"Don't! Stand down!" Katara exclaimed in panic upon seeing that Azula had slipped into her bending stance. "These are not the Dai Li! They're the palace guards, we don't want to fight them!"
"That's right, you don't want to fight us," the leader of the guards spoke up, trying to assert authority, but sounding slightly nervous all the same. "Now... I have no idea what happened here, all we know is that the Dai Li rats suddenly all scurried away from the palace, screaming in panic about being under the attack."
"That part is true," Katara admitted, coming to stand next to Azula, who still felt very tense. "We infiltrated the Dai Li headquarters to confront Long Feng. Unfortunately, violence became inevitable."
"Long Feng? Are you kidding me?" the leader of the guards blinked, appearing shocked. "But he was barred from holding any government office! In fact, he was barred from politics for the rest of his life! Just what is going on here?"
"I will be happy to explain everything," Katara offered.
"Oh, you will, don't worry," the guard captain nodded at her. "There's only one thing to do. We will launch a full investigation. Until it is concluded, you two are under arrest."
Azula felt herself twitching nervously, lightning crackling at her fingertips, one flicker away from mowing down the group of guards. "Azula, no! Please... listen to me," she relaxed slightly upon hearing Katara's impassioned words. "Stand down, I beg you, and I will get us out of this situation safely. I promise that no harm will come to you, but you need to trust me."
Once again, Katara was asking Azula to trust in her. Could she? She had trusted Katara not to get her killed under Lake Laogai, and the waterbender had not let her down. Now she was asking for Azula to place even more trust in her. Azula felt very uncertain about all of this, but... hadn't Katara earned her trust by now? Perhaps... perhaps she dared to take that risk. If there was one person in the world that she felt might be free from any deception, it was Katara. If she couldn't trust the waterbender, then she would never be able to trust anyone... and Azula felt that she had to start somewhere, or else she'd be condemned to forever remain distant and lonely, something that she now found insufferable after having spent these past few weeks on the road with Katara.
"Very well... I will stand down," Azula lowered her arms, relaxing her posture, quietly hoping that she had not made a huge mistake.
"Did you say, Azula... as in former Crown Princess Azula of the Fire Nation?" the guard captain asked worriedly. Katara and Azula both nodded at him. "We thought we overheard the name through the screams of the fleeing Dai Li, but we weren't sure," he remarked, watching the two girls with increased suspicion and wariness.
"Please, you need not be alarmed," Katara spoke in a soothing voice. "Perhaps some of you will recognize me," she said, using her healthy right arm to pull away the hood covering her face. "My name is Katara, and I used to travel with Avatar Aang."
"Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, hero of the Great War?" the guard captain gasped, as did his entire entourage. "But why would you be consorting with the enemy?" he asked, pointing at Azula.
"I will be happy to explain, but..." Katara said, then pausing for a moment. "As you probably know, Earth King Kuei and I are on very good terms. I would very much appreciate if you would take me and Princess Azula before your king, and then I would gladly answer all of his questions."
"Well..." the guard captain hesitated. "I suppose that King Kuei would like to be informed about these developments." He then gave Azula another stern look. "But we can't bring her before the Earth King unless she is shackled. Come to think of it..." he appeared very apologetic as he looked at Katara. "Since you are both here under very suspicious circumstances, I should insist on shackling you as well, until further orders from King Kuei."
"I understand your concern, my good man, but shackling me is quite unnecessary on the account of my injury," Katara spoke, pointing at her smashed shoulder and the arm hanging limply by her side. "In fact, I would be very grateful if you could send for a healer. The pain is… quite crippling."
"Oh... I'm so sorry for not noticing, Master Katara," the guard captain apologized, red-faced. He turned to bark an order at one of his underlings. "You there! Get a healer and meet us by the entrance to the throne room! Quickly!" The soldier scurried off as fast as if a pack of rabid animals were after him.
"Thank you," Katara smiled while Azula watched the exchange guardedly, still a little worried about possibly having made the wrong decision. Katara likely intended to use her leverage with Kuei while pleading their case, but the king most certainly held no warm feelings towards her. She had no reason to expect fair treatment from him. The circumstances were forcing Azula to once again place her trust in Katara and hope that the waterbender would not let her down, and nothing unnerved Azula more than being helpless while relying on others for her very survival.
"My apologies, princess, but we will have to put these on you," the guard captain approached her together with two of his soldiers, one of them holding the shackles to be put around her wrists. Azula nearly lost her nerve at the last moment, but fortunately Katara noticed her growing anxiety just in time, stepping closer and putting her healthy right arm around Azula's waist to calm and steady her. The princess let out a deep sigh as the heavy shackles snapped in place around her wrists, making it near impossible for her to bend.
"There, now we can be on our way," the captain stated, sounding relieved once Azula had been pacified and rendered close to harmless.
Having climbed countless staircases and escorted through many a corridor, Azula and Katara were finally brought to a small antechamber adjacent to the throne room. There, their Dai Li disguises had been removed and the palace servants had done their best to clean them up a little. The Earth King's personal healer had tended to Katara's shoulder, and though there hadn't been enough time to fully heal the injury, at least the healer had made sure that Katara was no longer in constant pain. With all these preparations complete, they still had to wait a nervous extra half an hour until King Kuei had finished his royal breakfast and was ready to receive visitors.
Finally, they were led inside the throne room. Azula remembered the first time she had entered it, wearing the disguise of a Kyoshi Warrior, about to carry out her masterful coup to take over Ba Sing Se. Now she was led into the throne room in shackles, like a criminal. Of course, in the eyes of the Earth Kingdom's citizens, she most definitely was a criminal.
Earth King Kuei received them while sitting on his throne. He seemed to project slightly more confidence than when she had first come across the clueless ruler four years ago, but overall, Kuei still appeared befuddled and incompetent in Azula's eyes. The massive bear lazily lounging at the king's feet, fat and happy, did not exactly project the image of focused professionalism from the ruler of the Earth Kingdom.
"Ah, Master Katara! You are always welcome in Ba Sing Se, even when your arrival is so… unorthodox!" Kuei smiled at the waterbender, looking fondly at her over the top of his spectacles. His smile faded into a frown and he seemed to shrink into his throne upon noticing Azula, while the bear let out a disapproving growl in her general direction. "Princess Azula… you, on the other hand, are not welcome here. Master Katara, I ask that you explain what are you doing here, in the Royal Palace, accompanied by this young woman who most definitely is not a friend of the Earth Kingdom."
"King Kuei, allow me to explain," Katara bowed her head at the king. "After the Earth Kingdom diplomats started to apply increased pressure for Fire Lord Zuko to hand over his own sister, we became suspicious that someone with a grudge might have manufactured this whole event to exact revenge on Princess Azula. That's why we came to Ba Sing Se to investigate in secret… and ended up discovering that Long Feng had once again assumed control over the Dai Li."
"Yes, so the guards have told me," Kuei frowned, looking deeply concerned. "Still, I don't see why it was necessary to infiltrate the palace this way. Why resort to all this… violence? You could have just come straight to me. I thought we were friends." The bear growled again, as if to understate the king's point.
"Please, I hope that my words will not offend you, King Kuei, but…" Katara spoke, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I was a little concerned about the extent of Long Feng's influence."
King Kuei frowned, but didn't say anything. Azula certainly thought that Kuei had no right to feel offended by Katara's words, she hadn't said anything that wasn't true. He had been duped by Long Feng before, and now, it had almost happened again. Long Feng had been operating freely in the Royal Palace, running the Dai Li from their headquarters in the bowels of the palace, with the king none the wiser. As far as Azula was concerned, Kuei deserved to feel extremely embarrassed for his lack of awareness.
"Hmm, perhaps that is understandable," Kuei eventually nodded, smiling again. "My guard captain informs me that they plan to launch a formal investigation into these recent events. Until it is concluded… it is customary procedure to have you both detained. Although, in your case, Master Katara, I believe we can make an exception. As for you, Princess Azula, perhaps it will be fitting for you to find out firsthand the comforts of the palace dungeons."
Azula swallowed heavily, glancing at the waterbender by her side. Katara nodded at her, stepping forward to address Kuei once more. "King Kuei, I most humbly beg you to reconsider," she spoke with reverence. "It would be a great personal favor to me if you were to release Princess Azula into my care. I would bear complete responsibility for her actions during the time of your investigation."
"That is… surprising," Kuei blinked. Even the bear looked confused. Well, more confused. "I might be persuaded to agree to this, but I cannot simply allow her to walk around Ba Sing Se freely. It would be a great injustice to the people she has wronged."
"Perhaps Azula could be confined to guest quarters here at the palace?" Katara suggested.
"Very well, that is acceptable. The servants will see to it," Kuei gave his order, happy to agree on a compromise. "She must remain confined to the guest quarters until the investigation is concluded."
"I'm sure this investigation will be completely fair and unbiased," Azula whispered only for Katara to hear, the waterbender giving her a quick nod in understanding.
"King Kuei, if I could implore you for one additional request?" Katara asked. Kuei looked momentarily frustrated, but his smile returned quickly as he nodded at the waterbender. "I know that Fire Lord Zuko takes keen interest in his sister's wellbeing. And while I wholeheartedly believe that the investigation will be fair and unbiased, I know for certain that he would greatly appreciate the opportunity to be present for it."
"That is… a good idea," King Kuei nodded, having pondered about it for a moment. "We most certainly want to be good friends with the young Fire Lord, don't we, Bosco?" he petted the bear's head, Bosco giving a soft, approving growl. "There, Bosco thinks it's a great idea. I will send a message to Fire Lord Zuko immediately, asking him to come to Ba Sing Se."
"Thank you, King Kuei, you are most considerate," Azula watched Katara bow again, resisting the urge to frown. The princess felt a powerful urge to throw something derogatory and insulting at the weak ruler of the Earth Kingdom, but she just about managed to keep her mouth shut, realizing that Katara was putting on all this show just so that she would be treated more favorably. And Azula most definitely appreciated the lengths to which Katara was going for her.
"Quite so," Kuei nodded to himself thoughtfully. "But now, I place you in the care of palace servants," he spoke with authority. "I have been made aware that you require more attention from the healers, Master Katara. Once you have regained your strength, I would like to speak with you again. In private this time."
"Of course, King Kuei," Katara nodded, then allowing the palace servants to escort herself and Azula away. The princess felt rather alarmed by this final exchange, wondering if Kuei planned to turn this entire investigation into some kind of staged witch hunt. Once again, she asked herself whether trusting Katara had been the right decision after all, but now that she had made her choice, Azula supposed that she might as well allow it to pan out. Maybe then she would finally receive her answer whether trust truly was something for the weak and the foolish.