Chapter 15: The Straw that Breaks the Donkey-Camel's Back (is as Heavy as Lead) – Part 3: The Interloper

Summary:

There is a monster in the palace.

"What you are dealing with is someone who is willfully Cursed."

There was a heaviness to Abaia's words.

A/N: Thank you for all the support! At this point I might as well not try and plan out X-number of chapters because stuff keeps expanding and I have to avoid massive info dumping. A lot of explanation will have to be carried over to the next chapter, and then I'll finally be able to get back to Zuko and Iroh in Shūsàn and the numerous OCs that'll come with them. Yay.

Previously:

"Did you know, Mushi... Khóc Ra Máu has significant history behind it." Ten-Yu took in a breath, and exhaled, the smoke rising and disappearing into the night sky. "It used to be a rich, green valley. I've been told that it was beautiful. It used to be an area safe to travel – people used it all the time to reach other towns. But not anymore. Nearly thirty miles of forest simply gone. Shame, really."

He tapped his pipe.

"The valley was one of the first real battles against Sozin's troops when he decided to just start burning everything. It's said that the Earth Kingdom troops basically used the place as trap, again and again, trapping and crushing the Earth Scorching hordes that came through.

"They didn't bother to burn the bodies, because why should they offer such rites to the enemy? They left them to be a lesson. But then dark creatures attracted to the death and suffering converged upon the valley and the land became Wild. Thankfully, those creatures only come out at night. People started calling it Khóc Ra Máu. "

Ten-Yu lit a small flame in his palm, his expression was thoughtful as he studied the flame.

"How tragic it is I suppose that people who once cherished the light now abhor it?"

"What is that handprint on his face?" Pedang suddenly spoke up, sounding eerily calm. "I've never felt something so twisted as that…"

"Handprint?" Toru questioned. "What handprint?"

"He has a handprint on the left side of his face –" Mairi started, but was cut off by Pedang.

"He's not Cursed, is he? Or willfully Cursed, I've only ever heard stories-!"

"Pedang, calm down-" Mairi said.

Ten-Yu looked at Iroh in horror. "Did you Curse him?! What exactly are you trying to bring to Shūsàn?!"

Panic rose through Iroh. If they thought Zuko was Cursed, child or not, they would most certainly kill him. He almost jolted in his growing desperation. Thankfully, it seemed that he didn't need to speak up.

"HEY!" Eshika yelled. "All of you calm down now, or I swear to the Brothers I will bury you neck-deep until you can think straight!"

"Seriously, you three!" Mairi scolded. "He's not Cursed! You've heard enough of the stories to know the difference! And it would be obvious."

"But that energy – "

"Listen to me." Mairi said. "Someone who is Cursed is deformed in some way – or there are signs of it. Have you noticed anything about Zuko that would indicate he's deformed?!"

"I think…we need to go back to Kameunagi." Azula said.

"What's going on?" a servant asked, coming around the corner into the training yard just moments later. "I just saw Răng-Sên run out of here."

"You mean you didn't hear it or see it?" Dai, one of the guards asked clearly incredulous.

"Hear what?"

"That – that thing! Răng-Sên is some weird creature!"

"You shouldn't be talking about the Fire Lord's esteemed guest in such a crude manner, Akio. Really, I thought you were above such immature jokes."

The servant suddenly had an odd sharpness to her tone.

"Seriously, he screamed!" Dai said, "And that smell! How can you possibly think he's a welcome guest?!"

Of course, they had just somehow overlooked Răng-Sên's oddities and completely missed the blatantly obvious.

"There's no way he's Human." Heo-Lin added. "That creature-"

The servant's face morphed into something dark and twisted for just a few seconds, but Azula saw it. The servant's fingers twitched ever so slightly.

"Why are you saying such things?"

There was a prickling danger there – almost like Father, but not quite. Azula recognized it from her years of trying to interpret and placate Father's moods when he chose to not be direct with her.

She felt increasingly uneasy why this servant was setting off warning bells. This woman couldn't exactly be considered a threat. Her hair was graying, and she was often cleaning or doing laundry or some other mundane tasks. Maybe at most, she carried a knife for protection, but still. This woman wasn't a Bender, and there were the two guards, Heo-Lin, and Azula herself.

The odds were stacked against this woman.

There was no reason to attack them.

So why…?

"Why would we joke about something like this?!" Akio argued.

The servant's expression was so unlike anything Azula had ever seen her wear before. Darkening into an increasingly vicious scowl as the others desperately insisted that Răng-Sên was a monster.

There was a looming, unspoken threat.

"Akio!" Azula spoke up with an urgent, commanding tone. "We have to go." She then bluntly told the servant, "We're going out if anyone asks."

Would anyone ask? Would Father? Should they worry?

Akio, Dai, Heo-Lin and Lilin followed after Azula. Glancing back almost felt like a risk, but she still did. And like the extinguishing of a candle flame, the servant's expression was back to normal.

She smiled and waved, "Have a good time!"

The hairs on the back of Azula's neck prickled with the feeling of being watched, and it took all the years of practice looking like the perfect doll for her to stand straight and not glance around for the threat.

Just keep walking.

Walk quickly, but don't run.

Even though every honed instinct was telling her to run.

Don't run – don't draw unnecessary attention.

Be normal – what was even normal anymore?

Calm down. Breathe.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye – were people staring at them? Watching their every move? Waiting? If so, for what?

Maybe it was just her. Maybe Azula was just imagining it.

But then Dai and Akio both moved to stand just behind on either side of her, as if they could feel it too. That suffocating sort of tension that no-one realized was actually there until they were made painfully aware of it.

Lilin's hand brushed Azula's shoulder, as if trying to assure her. But it obviously wasn't just for that reason. She visibly stiffened and her hand gripped tight, as if Azula would suddenly disappear.

Heo-Lin brought up the rear. Azula glanced back, and he looked ready to fire off an array of attacks.

He glanced to the side, and Azula followed his gaze to a pair of guards who were watching them for an unnecessarily long time. Their heads didn't move, but their eyes followed.

Her gaze went straight ahead.

Breathe. In. Out. Repeat.

It wasn't Azula's imagination. That fact wasn't as comforting as it should have been.

No-one accosted them as they left the palace.

The only reason Azula was wearing her training uniform was because of anticipation. Wanting to be ready early and prepared because she knew that she'd be staring at that tapestry and didn't want anyone to wait. Didn't want to be an inconvenience.

Wanting to be ready in case Father called on her.

After realizing Răng-Sên was anything but Human, the last thing on Azula's mind was her clothing.

No-one outside of the palace had ever seen Princess Azula look anything but her best. She had always been like an expensive porcelain doll on display showing off patterns and accessories.

Seeing her now, though: her hair was out of place, and her clothing – while certainly a fine silk, a training uniform was not exactly the epitome of fashion.

But of course, there was Heo-Lin, also wearing a training uniform. And it was rather unusual to see a palace instructor accompanying their student.

And then there was Lilin, who wore a palace servant's uniform, but it wasn't the one that servants normally wore out in public. One might consider it to be very improper.

And then the guards, Dai and Akio, who most certainly weren't up to the norm of the expected professionalism.

The last thing on any of their minds was their appearances.

They all huddled together by the railing on the ship that was taking them to Kameunagi.

"Um, excuse me, Princess Azula…" the captain of the ship said. "Are you alright?"

"I…I don't…" Azula swallowed. What would she even say? Everything about Răng-Sên made her feel like she was crazy. Telling someone else who didn't experience it; remembering the strange reaction of the servant; it sounded crazy. If Azula hadn't been there to experience it for herself, she wouldn't have believed it.

"There's a monster at the palace." Dai responded flatly, and his expression admittedly looked wild, as if he hadn't slept for several days.

"It smelled." Akio added. "Like…rotten sewage, but worse. Like…like burning, rotten sewage."

"It had two voices." Lilin muttered, her expression and voice were dazed.

"Oh… Okay?" The man looked like he regretted asking. If anything, he looked even more concerned.

"We're fine, thank you." Azula finally said, and the man didn't look like he believed her. He seemed relieved that he was dismissed as he walked away.

Arriving in Kameunagi just a few hours later, the others followed after Azula, and she found Abaia outside hanging pelts with a tall, large man. His shirt was sleeveless, allowing his muscles and tattoos to be on full display

They were both laughing about something. Whatever.

"Abaia!" Azula called out.

"Oh, afternoon, Little Fire," she glanced at their group. "I didn't expect to see everyone so—"

Several voices cut Abaia off, trying to explain that there was a monster in the palace, and he smelled and had two voices. (Ashamedly and embarrassingly, she would later note, Azula's voice was among them.)

"Silence!" Abaia demanded, and all of them obeyed.

"I am Abaia. This is Aapo. My husband and fellow Shaman."

Introductions forced everyone else to be quiet and brought a sense of focus.

Aapo nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet you folks."

"Explain what is going on." Abaia requested simply.

"There's a monster in the palace." Heo-Lin said carefully. He spoke as if afraid Abaia wouldn't believe him. "I don't understand how we didn't even notice it – he – it? The way it smelled, and – it had two voices. It screamed, and suddenly we were aware of it? And I know it sounds crazy, but I swear that I could hear its eyes moving…"

He genuinely sounded as if he were begging, now, for Abaia to believe him.

"He ran past one of the servants, and she just didn't believe us! The smell, the voices – how could she not realize?!" Dai added, with barely contained panic in his voice.

Abaia looked at them with a strangely intense expression. She shared a glance with Aapo, who also looked particularly serious.

"A few things just to be sure, and it is very important to make distinctions." Abaia said. "Do you know if it attached itself to anyone at the palace? Did anything in particular happen – such as people messing around with potentially cursed items they shouldn't have been? Was it invited in or not?"

"I don't know… From what I heard, Răng-Sên just showed up one day." Dai said.

"One of the guards inexplicably quit after he arrived." Akio added. "He couldn't even explain why he was quitting."

"It has a name?" Aapo asked, his voice held a sense of urgency. "Do you know if it came with the name, or did someone at the palace name it?"

"Uh, he introduced himself." Heo-Lin said.

The expressions on the Shamans' faces began to make Azula uncomfortable and more worried.

Abaia stood straighter. "Have any of you ever seen what it looks like?"

"He always wears a mask…and armor. He's always completely covered."

"…What's the first thing it did when it arrived at the palace?"

"He met with Fire Lord Ozai and offered to train Princess Azula-" Heo-Lin started to explain.

"It taught you firebending?!" Abaia rushed forward and grabbed Azula's shoulders before anyone could react. "Show me your flames!"

Hesitantly, Azula pulled back enough to cup her palms, and lit a small, tinted purple-black-blue flame in her hands. Azula stared…had…how long had her flames looked like that?

"Come with me now, Little Fire. You need to be cleansed. And then I will tell you exactly what you're dealing with. The rest of you, go to the Hut of Meeting – it's the one at the edge of the village there with the shark-leopard carvings outside – and wait for us there."

Aapo suddenly started shouting at someone – demanding that they bring him supplies or something – help him with a ritual –

Abaia didn't give the others time to respond as they hurried off to a different part of the village.

The two times Azula had met Abaia, she'd been calm and sometimes wore a small, mysterious smile. But now there was an intense sense of urgency in her voice that made Azula anxious.

Abaia gripped Azula's arm as she walked, and Azula had to jog to keep up. She heard running behind them and glanced back, seeing Aapo hurriedly catching up to them.

The last time someone had held onto Azula like this, she had been seven and Father had slapped her. Was there somehow a difference in the same action? Because she was scared and worried, but not like she had been with Father.

Because there was no threat to her?

"You!" Abaia was quite authoritative, as she shouted orders to a teen. "Get me one of the robes and bring it to the sanctuary!"

The teenager didn't even argue as he hurried off to do as requested.

Abaia took her through a carved tunnel in the side of a mountain, to a room filled with more decorative elaborate tapestries, various bone and wooden masks, and carved-bone wall hangings. Some of them vaguely reminded Azula of the items in Grandfather's personal collection.

There was a hole above them where sunlight filtered in through thick tree branches.

There was a pool of near-glowing crystal-blue-green water in the center of the room.

Azula was given a simple robe, which she changed into.

She watched as Abaia and Aapo prayed in front of a small alter that had those two fish on it. They then cleansed their hands with some nearby oil and ambergris. They then gently poured water over Azula, getting rid of dirt, and sweat. They then helped her lower into the pool.

The water was pleasantly cool as she sunk down into it.

Abaia reached her hands into the water, and said with a gentle tone, "Close your eyes, and breathe out each time you feel the water wash over you."

Aapo also reached into the water, and muttered words under his breath.

Behind her eyelids, Azula could tell that the water began to glow.

Breathe in – the water was slowly poured over her head – breathe out.

The process was done seven times.

Afterwards, Azula felt a sense of calm she hadn't felt in years, and it was an oddly unfamiliar yet welcome sensation. It was something she didn't know how to properly describe. Her mind felt calm and quiet, and the shadows were just that: normal, boring shadows.

They helped her out of the pool, pulled the water from her robe, and then gave her privacy to change back into her own clothes.

Once Azula was dressed, Abaia motioned that she follow her.

They settled onto cushions in Abaia and Aapo's house and were given cups of tea with sides of rice cakes and seasoned dried fish.

Aapo sat before a small shrine that had a carving of two fish, and he was muttering under his breath. There were a few more people there, sitting next to him with a bowl of water. The smell of oils and ambergris washed over them.

"Didn't he just cleanse and all that?" Azula whispered.

"Yes, but he's now doing a ritual with the others so that they can help him with something else."

Abaia sat with a serious expression and spoke with a clear voice.

"What you are dealing with is someone who is willfully Cursed."

There was a heaviness to Abaia's words.

"'Willfully Cursed'?" echoed Heo-Lin.

"Hm. The best way to explain them is…" Abaia said slowly, "is comparing them to be somewhat similar to Death and Rot Spirits, but closer to parasites in nature.

"You need to know that there is a big difference between Cursed and willfully Cursed. Being Cursed, the person is always deformed. Think…animal or elemental traits marring the skin. What separates the willful ones from those who ran afoul of the Spirits is how they are able to hide themselves amongst regular people."

Abaia held up two fingers.

"There are two different kinds of willfully Cursed. I will tell you of the one you are dealing with." Abaia's voice was very solemn. "They are extremely dangerous. It is like a deep splinter that slowly begins to fester. This rotten willful one cannot hide its deformities, so must always cover itself. This one is created when someone has died under the direst of circumstances and has terrible resentment for their death. That is when the Dark Spirit approaches them and promises them justice, and the person accepts, and so they have not passed on."

She shook her head.

"It's why people often have to be so careful when surrounded by death; Dark Spirits flock to it like cicada-moths to a flame. People must go so far as to bless the land itself before the funeral rites take place."

She took a drink and set down her cup.

"You've been conversing with a corpse all this time."

Abaia looked at them, and her eyes were sorrowful.

"I am so sorry. This willful one, by all the unfortunate luck, has an obsession that has something to do with the Fire Lord."

"So…he's like…possessing his own body?" Dai asked, looking equally disturbed and disgusted.

"I wouldn't exactly describe it like that, but yes."

"Can you do anything?" Azula asked.

"Unfortunately, no we can't." Abaia looked at her. "If we had encountered it before it had entrenched itself into your lives – it would have taken some effort, but yes, we could have Purged it. But the willful ones – you need a special form of bending to fight them. You can only use the Element they wield, and you can only use weapons that were forged using that special form of bending – and even those weapons have to be designed for that purpose."

She pointed to the hairpin in Azula's collar. "Whoever made that hairpin would know someone who knows Purging Fire – to destroy it – and Purifying Fire to undo any damage it may have caused."

Abaia looked thoughtful. "I have to wonder how your brother even managed to have such a thing made…it has an incredible amount of an odd, Spiritual Energy. It's no wonder the willful one reacted the way it did. My advice would be that you always have that hairpin on your person no matter what."

Azula brushed her fingers across her hairpin. Hopeful, she asked, "What if we somehow exposed him? Just like how he reacted to this hairpin?"

Aapo walked up then with the others that were with him, and he set down a polished, wooden box. The people with him handed Azula and her servants Water Tribe charms made with bone, bound leather, and sea-glass.

"Not a good idea. Even if you'd managed to expose it to the Fire Lord, it would have just gone on to become someone else's problem. The Fire Lord is still connected to other people." Aapo said. He then added, "These are for you. For protection."

"You should ask your brother who made that hairpin for him."

"I…I can't." Azula said. She looked away. "He…became…deaf. He was sent away. I don't know where he is."

She overheard Dai whisper to Akio, "That's what happened to him-ow!"

Dai grunted painfully when Akio elbowed him in the side.

"I see. Then you'll have to track him down."

They needed a plan – and – they needed to deal with Răng-Sên, somehow.

"Until then," Heo-Lin said, "What can we do?"

"I will tell you everything about this willful one – and you must be very careful when it comes to Dark Spirits."

Abaia's tone showed how serious she was.

A tragic tale: a metaphorical warning of what the rotting willful one is capable of.

A long time ago, before bending and the Avatar; when the world was Wild; people lived on the backs of roaming Lion-Turtles. It was said that on the back of a Lion-Turtle was a great wall; it did not allow people to leave. But they were not prisoners, you see. The wall kept the terrible dangers out.

The people were at peace; protected from all the wandering Spirits, and wild animals. They wanted for nothing in their peaceful monotony. Food was always abundant, and they did not need to do much to maintain the land.

One day, a Stranger managed to clamor its way up, up, up, the Lion-Turtle's leg; gripping the stones and vines of the wall; and entered the city.

There were those who were curious of course, wondering who this Stranger was. Having never known danger, they welcomed the Stranger into their homes. There were those who were suspicious; either they completely rejected his friendly attempts at conversation; or they eventually welcomed him in. There were those who could not place exactly why they did not like him, but drove him out every time.

So, they demanded, 'Leave this place! You are not welcome here!'

But while the Stranger may have left them alone, he did not leave the back of the Lion-Turtle.

To those who welcomed the Stranger in, he told them of a great many things that existed outside of the wall that surrounded them. There were grand rivers and wonderful cities! There were so many wonderous things!

And oh, how the people wanted so desperately to see them! But it was only an impossible dream, a faraway unobtainable goal.

One day during their many discussions, the Stranger said, 'Surely you realize that the Lion-Turtle isn't letting you leave because you are its prisoners.'

Someone said, 'No, no, good sir. The Lion-Turtle has promised to deliver us somewhere where we can live off the land and prosper.'

The Stranger responded, 'Why hasn't it happened yet?'

They could not answer.

'How long must you wait?'

Again, they could not answer, for it had been many generations that they had lived here. One might think the Stranger had a very good point.

Someone else replied, 'The Lion-Turtle has promised us it would happen in due time.'

The Stranger said, 'How do you know the Lion-Turtle has said such a thing? I tell you, it's an empty promise!'

The people disagreed.

The Stranger said, 'You are being manipulated. Have you heard the Lion-Turtle's promise from him directly? Or were you told by someone else who was also deceived?

'I tell you, there are many wonderful things out in the world, and the Lion-Turtle is keeping you from them. The land out there is already sustainable and far more abundant; so why is the Lion-Turtle forcing you to wait?'

For the first time, the people had doubts and they questioned the Lion-Turtle's intentions.

There was someone who suggested that they should at least ask the Lion-Turtle directly.

But the Stranger was quick to say, 'And how do you know that the Lion-Turtle would tell you the truth? You would only receive placating empty comforts.'

And so, the people doubted that they would be told the truth and began to not trust the Lion-Turtle.

The more the Stranger told them about the outside world, the more they so desperately longed for it! The more the Stranger told them of the Lion-Turtle's likely manipulations, the more they doubted that it ever had their best intentions at heart.

The Lion-Turtle could not be trusted. Anyone who disagreed with the Stranger had clearly been taken in by the Lion-Turtle's deceptions. Those deceived fools were in the way of the end goal.

The people began to wonder how they could even climb the wall surrounding them. They lamented that they were trapped. 'How will we even escape? We do not have the means!'

The Stranger comforted them with sweet words. 'Do not worry, friends! I assure you that you do! If you cannot fly or climb out, you can always go down.'

And so, the people began to dig; down, down, down, desperate for escape from their prison. And even after they reached their finger bones, they continued digging.

And so, the Stranger convinced those foolish people to devour the Lion-Turtle.

Azula took a deep breath as they approached the palace. It had been early afternoon when they'd fled to Kameunagi. But now, it was late evening, and the Sun was almost done setting.

She was ready for people to ask questions about what they were doing and where they were; ready to make excuses – what if Father demanded answers?

But no-one approached them and asked. Father didn't demand her presence wanting answers. The guards and the servants all smiled and greeted them like absolutely nothing was wrong.

Azula's fingers brushed across the hairpin tucked into her collar. It brought a sense of safety and assurance. The special charms and tags the Shamans had given them were securely tucked into their pockets.

Carefully, and trying to mind her words, Azula asked Orin, "Has the Fire Lord requested my presence?"

"No, he hasn't."

That was equally a relief and worrying.

"Has the head guard been looking for Dai and Akio?"

"No…why would he?"

"Just in case." Azula said. "I didn't want them to get in trouble because they were with me."

"That's very considerate of you, Princess Azula."

Breathe.

"…Where's Răng-Sên?" Azula asked carefully, trying to sound casual.

"The Fire Lord's honored guest has been visiting with Admiral Bujing. Why do you ask?"

Orin simply sounded confused about why Azula was asking, and not like there was worry of a threat.

"I was just curious, because I didn't see him when we came home." Azula said carefully.

"Well, if you like I could go get him for you."

"No!"

Orin startled at Azula's shout.

"Oh, alright…I don't…have to?"

"No. No need."

Azula reached and gripped her hand, squeezing it tightly. Orin looked at Azula curiously, her expression slowly turned to a mix between concern and confusion.

"Princess…? Are you alright?"

"Orin. Please…" Azula's voice sounded pathetic, she was sure. But still. "Please…"

Don't leave her – not like –

"Just…please be careful."

She wished she could unleash and tell Orin to stay away from Răng-Sên, but that was too risky.

"Oh. Okay. I will. Thank you, you your concern, Princess Azula."

Azula was determined. She would not let Răng-Sên take anyone else from her.

A/N: And now you know what Ten-Yu and Pedang were so afraid of.