Hello friends, and welcome to Chapter 5! I have to say, this chapter was my favorite to write so far. I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I did. Please like and review, it would mean the world to me. In the mean time, please enjoy!
I still do not own Avatar!
Chapter 5
"Alright, is someone going to explain to me what the fuck I'm reading and how the fuck I didn't hear about this earlier?"
"Well, my Princess, it is a report that we got from a village a couple day's travel from Ba Sing Se. It reports that one of the Avatar's traveling companions was spotted in the village buying supplies for a trip," an Earth Kingdom minister stated. "The report also says that she was spotted leaving on a sky bison. We have reason to believe that they are heading towards Pohuai Stronghold."
"Do we know of any reasons as to why they would be traveling there? Or are you that incompetent that you don't have a reason?" Azula said while sitting behind a desk in the palace.
"We have reason to believe that they are following a prisoner transport carrying one of their allies: a girl by the name of Suki. She is the leader of a group named the Kyoshi Warriors. They have been known to work with the Avatar on numerous occasions."
"Huh, it seems that you can in fact do your job," Azula responded. "Is there any way that we can catch up to them? Or slow down the prison caravan?" she continued without looking up at the minister in front of her.
"We have two options: one is the train that usually takes cargo to the fortress which will get you there either the day before the prisoners arrive or the day of. There is also the use of eel hounds which will get you there a day in advance. Which would you prefer, my Princess?"
"How long will the trip be?"
"It will be a three to four day train ride or a three day eel ride, Princess."
Azula sat in thought for a moment before giving her answer. "Ready the eel hounds. We will leave at 4 PM." Azula sighed. She had expected that something like this would happen...just not this fast.
"Yes, my Princess. It will be done." The minister left the room leaving only Azula in it.
This should be fun. I finally get another chance to possibly see the filth that is Zuko. Azula smiled, exited her study, and started to walk down to the dining hall. It was almost time for lunch and she had to inform the group as to where they were going to go. Shit, how am I going to explain it to Aang? Oh well...I'll just lie.
While Azula was in her meeting, Aang was out on the palace grounds sparring with Mai. Aang liked to take advantage of his time and spent most of it training. His injuries had mostly healed from his time as a prisoner and he was starting to get back to his normal form. Mai, on the other hand, was just thankful for something else to do. Ty Lee was getting far too predictable for her liking and she needed a new challenge, so she was more than happy to spar with the Avatar.
"Your maneuverability seems to be back to normal, Aang," Mai said as she dodged one of the head-sized rocks that was being hurled at her. "It seems like your injuries are almost healed."
"Thanks," he replied, stomping his foot against the ground and simultaneously flicking his fingers, causing a ripple effect in the earth beneath Mai's feet, making her off balance. "I guess all I needed was some rest and food."
Mai jumped to stable ground and began to pelt the boy with sharp wooden stilettos which he blocked by making a stone barrier in front of his body. Aang then pushed the barrier into Mai, knocking her to the ground.
"Yeah, I guess that is all you needed," Mai commented while still being on the ground. "But you should always be on your toes."
Before Aang could react, Mai had already flipped to her feet and had thrown several different sized blades at him. Instinctively, Aang jumped into the air, utilized his Airbending and sent a torrent of air towards the assassin causing her to slam into a nearby wall. Seeing that his opponent was incapacitated, Aang used Earthbending to encase Mai in a tight rock grip.
Seeing that she couldn't move or get out of this rock, Mai was forced to admit defeat. "Alright, you got me," she spoke in a defeated tone. "Now, let me out of here before I actually kill you."
Aang smirked, released her from her restraints, and started walking towards her. "Are you saying that for the past twenty minutes you weren't even trying? Jeez, Mai, you're worse than Azula." He helped her up and they both started walking towards the palace.
"You know, I'm actually shocked you haven't tried to escape. Why is that?" Mai spoke as they walked into the palace.
"If I tried to escape, there wouldn't be anywhere for me to go, or a way for me to get there," Aang explained. "My staff was destroyed, and if you've noticed, I don't exactly keep a flying bison in my pocket. If I did escape, I would just be captured, and I really don't feel like having lightning coursing through my body or being burned alive again."
"Hm, that would make sense," Mai said, looking at the Avatar and trying to read him. Finding nothing that pointed to his statement being a lie, she accepted it. "I would also guess that it has something to do with Azula."
This statement caused the boy to blush, earning a smirk from the assassin.
"W-what about her?" Aang asked timidly.
"Oh, nothing. It's just the fact that you always blush when you're around her or someone even mentions her name. It's quite funny."
"Wow, that sounds strange coming from Ms. Doom-and-Gloom. I didn't even know you cared," Aang said, beginning to laugh at his joke but suddenly stopping when he saw her clutching a knife at his side. "Alright, point taken: don't laugh at the girl who carries sharp knives."
Satisfied with his resolve, Mai put her knife away, but not before twirling it around her finger.
The pair reached the dining hall and saw that only Ty Lee was there. They said their greetings and took their seats at the large table.
"Where do you think Zula is?" Ty Lee spoke from her seat. "She's usually not late."
"Maybe she got held up in a meeting or something," Aang replied while Airbending the silverware in front of him.
"See, there you go, blushing again," Mai said from her seat, looking at Aang.
"Oh my gosh, you are blushing," Ty Lee exclaimed, pointing at him and gawking.
"Why do you guys care so much?" Aang asked the two girls.
"Aang likes Azula! Aang likes Azula! Aang likes-"
"Ty Lee, can you please not say that so loudly!" Aang interrupted, blushing a deeper shade. "I don't like her like that. I don't know if we are even friends." He sounded and looked defeated.
"Aww, don't look so sad, Aang," Ty Lee spoke in a comforting tone. "I'm sure she thinks of you as a friend."
"Or, at the very least, she probably sees you as an acquaintance," Mai added, trying to lighten the mood.
"I guess," Aang muttered. "I haven't really done anything bad in the past..." Suddenly, a thought came to him. "Wait, how long have I even been here?" he asked, looking at his fingers, trying to count the weeks.
"You've been here for maybe a month and you've been staying in a room for two weeks," Mai answered in her usual monotone voice.
"Wow, I've really been here for a month," Aang said. "It honestly doesn't even feel like it's been that long." He sighed and looked down at his hands. " And I guess I'm not getting rescued by my friends because they would have tried to do it by now...they probably forgot about me."
"Well, Aang, you don't have to worry about them anymore because at the very least..." Ty Lee grabbed his hand and held it. "...I'm your friend and so is Mai."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever," replied the assassin.
"Aww, thanks, guys," Aang said, looking at the two girls with a sparkle in his eyes. "You really mean that?"
"Of course I mean it, silly!" Ty Lee exclaimed while she hugged Aang. "And so does Mai."
"Aw, well, isn't that just touching."
Azula was walking through the room and took a seat next to Mai. "I guess you've warmed up to everyone rather quickly. Even Mai is enjoying your company, Avatar," Azula added, smirking at the boy sitting directly across from her.
"Yeah, I guess I have," Aang replied feebly.
After a few minutes of waiting, servers began to bring out lunches for everyone. Aang received the same food as everyone but put his meat on Ty Lee's plate. Doing this caused Azula to frown, but she moved past it.
After everyone was settled in, Azula decided that now was the time to announce that they were leaving soon.
"We have been needed in Pohuai Stronghold," Azula said, looking at the group in front of her.
"Why are we going there?" Ty Lee wondered, looking at the Princess. "That's, like, super far away."
"There seems to be concern of a prisoner being broken out by some rebel forces," Azula continued. "Therefore, I have elected to have us four go and make sure that doesn't happen. We will leave in two hours after this meal is done."
"How are we going to get there?" Aang asked while continuing to eat his food. "I don't have a staff or Appa, so I can't transport you there."
"We will be traveling on eel hounds," Azula responded promptly. "The trip will take two nights, so pack light. We leave in two hours. Each of you will be getting your own hound. Is that ok with everyone?"
"Yeah, sounds like fun!" Ty Lee answered, smiling. "I'm just excited that I get to get out of this stuffy palace."
"I don't care," Mai said bluntly while placing her silverware onto her plate. "As long as I get to do something."
Aang was quiet. He didn't know what he should do. He didn't want to upset Azula, but he also didn't want to seem left out of the group.
"Well, Avatar," said Azula, "what's your opinion? Not that you really have a choice in the matter."
"Oh, I, um..." Aang starts to blush, earning a giggle from Ty Lee and a smirk from Mai.
Azula, on the other hand, also blushed and got up from the table, walking away before he could answer. "Just be in front of the palace gates in two hours," Azula said quickly as she exited the room.
Man, he is adorable when he gets flustered like that, she thought. UGH, what am I thinking? I can't think about him like that.
She walked through the palace towards her room, thinking about Aang and how this mission was going to affect him.
Ugh! Why am I thinking about his emotions? All that matters is that that stupid girl doesn't end up with his friends. His emotions mean nothing…right?
As she entered her room to start packing, the words of the old lady started ringing in her ears:
Sometimes our greatest weaknesses can turn into our greatest strengths.
Azula sat on her bed and thought to herself about what that lady could mean. She sat there thinking until a servant came to let her know that the eel hounds were ready for them. She walked down to the palace gates and saw that Mai, Ty Lee, and Aang were all there.
"Well, I say we get going," Ty Lee said while getting onto her hound. "We don't want to be late."
"You would be correct, Ty Lee," Azula said as she hoisted herself onto the lead hound.
"How do you ride one of these things?" Aang asked while struggling to get onto his hound.
"Wow, Avatar, you are the most powerful person in the world and you can't even figure out a simple anime," Azula retorted as she started moving forward on her hound.
"Yeah, well, I've never really ridden on anything other than a sky bison before," Aang reasoned.
"Just hold the reins and hit them," Ty Lee explained. "He should just move with the rest of us." She tried to show Aang how to ride the beast that he was sitting on.
Azula was at the front of the group leading them but turned around to look at Aang being helped by Ty Lee. Their eyes met for a second, causing Aang to blush and Azula to smirk. Turning back around to face forward, she sighed while also blushing. "Maybe he is my greatest weakness."
Sokka and Zuko were moving through a crowded market place. They were looking for some extra food because they had lost some along the trip and needed more.
"So much for not needing to buy supplies," Zuko mumbled under his breath as he moved around people in the market.
"Well, it's not my fault you decided to practice your Firebending in the middle of the fucking night," Sokka replied while holding a list of foods that Katara said they needed to replace. "Especially this close to the end of the trip. We only have two more days till we get to the Stronghold. You just HAD to blow up our food."
"Hey, I said I was sorry, okay?" Zuko said. "I couldn't sleep last night."
"Any reason as to why? You usually wake up early," Sokka said while paying for some of the things on his list.
"I don't know," Zuko replied while looking for some rice. "I guess I just had a lot of things on my mind last night."
"A lot of things like what?" Sokka asked after thanking the merchant. He started to leave his stall and moved towards where Zuko was in the stall next to him.
"I don't remember anymore," Zuko admitted. "I kinda just blocked it out and focused on my breathing and technique for my bending." He handed the bag of rice to the merchant and paid for it. "I don't know what it would have even been about."
The pair were walking towards the exit of the market when an old man from one of the last stalls started shouting at them.
"GENTLEMEN, GENTLEMEN, PLEASE COME OVER!"
"What's his deal?" Sokka asked while pointing to the man.
"I don't know, but we should probably go see what he wants before we draw anymore attention to ourselves," Zuko replied while walking towards the man.
When the boys arrived, they were greeted by an old man in his mid-seventies wearing very expensive robes and multiple rings. He smelled of very high-end fragrances and had his gray hair covered in a golden head covering made out of expensive fabrics.
"You boys look like you both go home to beautiful women. Maybe you should pick them both up something, hm?" The merchant suggested as he gestured to all the high-end jewelry that he was selling.
"I mean, we are seeing Suki for the first time in months," Sokka admitted, examining the jewelry. "Maybe I should buy her something nice."
"I think I'll pass on buying jewelry," said Zuko. "I don't really have anyone to give it to." He walked towards the exit of the tent.
"Aww, come on man," pleaded Sokka. "There's gotta be someone you can buy something for. Maybe you should buy something for Katara...I'm sure she would like it," he added smugly, making the Prince blush.
"No," Zuko said flatly while leaving the tent. He decided to sit on a rock outside of it.
Maybe I should go buy her something, he reckoned. I mean, what should I even get her? Maybe a new necklace or something? She doesn't seem like a ring kind of person. Ugh! What would Uncle do?
Zuko sat on the rock for what seemed like hours. He was only pulled out of his trance-like state by Sokka shaking him.
"Dude, you okay?" Sokka asked with concern on his face. "I've been calling your name for the past, like, eight minutes."
Zuko looked at his friend and sighed as he got up from his stop. "Yes, I am fine. Now let's go back to camp." He started walking back to the group's campsite, not waiting for Sokka to follow him.
They returned to camp to find that Katara was cooking them dinner and Toph was out practicing her Earthbending nearby.
As soon as Katara saw Zuko, she blushed and looked back at what she was originally doing. Ugh I hate how hot he is. No, he doesn't like me like that. I have to get him out of my head.
Zuko looked at Katara who was blushing and also slightly blushed. He walked towards his tent, but was brought out by Sokka who informed him that dinner was ready. He got out and ate the food that Katara had made.
The group was relatively quiet; only talking about what they all did today. Zuko found out that both Katara and Toph spent most of their day training with the other. Sokka told them all about the necklace that he had gotten for Suki and showed it to them.
It had a very thin chain and had a green gemstone on it. It was perfect for someone who moved around a lot.
After dinner, they all went their separate ways. Zuko went back to his tent and sat there, trying to focus on his breathing. He was waiting for everyone to go to sleep.
Once he was sure that everyone was sleeping, the Prince got out of his tent and started walking back towards the market.
Alright, this merchent had better still fucking be there, or I'm gonna be fucked.
Zuko walked for a short while until he saw the shop he was trying to reach. When he finally reached the tent, he sighed as he saw that the old man was still there, seemingly waiting for him.
"Ah, my friend," The merchant said as Zuko entered the tent. "I had a feeling that I would be seeing you again."
"Yeah, I guess," he mumbled, looking for the right thing to get for Katara.
"So, who are you shopping for today?" The merchant asked while looking over Zuko's shoulder.
"A girl I know," Zuko replied while scanning over the necklaces. "She really likes shades of blue, if that helps any."
"Shades of blue, huh?" The merchant rubbed his chin before walking over to the back of the shop. "I think I have just the thing for you."
He moved a few crates and pulled out a ring. The ring had a dark blue gemstone wrapped around a sliver band. The ring itself was very small but was also very elegant in its design. "This ring was created in the Northern Water Tribe," he explained. "The stone in the center is said to have belonged to a beautiful princess of a forgotten age. This ring is very old and there's only one like it in the entire world."
The merchant gave the ring to Zuko who held it in his palm.
"It's absolutely beautiful," Zuko said, as he took a closer look at it. "How much would something like this cost?" He started reaching into his pocket and started pulling out the coins in his pocket. He accidentally dropped some, one of which was a White Lotus tile piece from a Pai Sho game his Uncle Iroh gave him.
The merchant saw the tile and instantly knew who gave it to Zuko.
This must be Iroh's nephew. I owe the man my life. The least I can do is give him this ring.
"Hmm," The old merchant said, stroking his chin, seeming lost in thought. "I would normally sell something as rare and exquisite to someone for 800 gold pieces. But, for you...I think I'll give it to you for free."
It's the least I can do, my old friend.
Shock took over Zuko's face. "For free? You can't be serious. I can't accept something like this for free. I just can't do that."
The merchant just laughed as he saw the Prince fumble for gold to try and compensate for the ring that he was giving him. "Oh, young man, I'm giving you this ring. I know this is a surprise, but please take it. I only ask that you tell me who you are going to give this ring to."
Zuko looked at the merchant and blushed slightly. He had never really thought of Katara like that. Sure, he thought that she was extremely nice and she cared a great deal for him. Hell, she even attempted to heal his scar. She had only met him and she had offered to heal him. Not to mention she was the one who got Sokka to stop Appa so that he could get away from his crazy sister. Katara was the only one who accepted him into the group with no hesitation. Sokka hated the idea at first but eventually warmed up to him. Toph just acted normal and didn't really care, but Katara accepted him from the start. She was the one who believed in him...the one who knew that he could change.
"Actually, don't even say anything," the merchant decided, causing Zuko to snap out of his thoughts. "It seems like you care about this girl a great deal. You haven't even said anything, you look like a tomato, and you have the biggest smile on your face." He smiled, too, and handed Zuko the ring in a small black box. "This is for you. Treat it well, young man."
Zuko looked at the small box in his hand and placed it into his pocket. "Thank you. Thank you so much." Zuko shook the man's hand and started walking out of the tent. He walked for a while before deciding to head back to the camp where he and his friends slept.
After walking for a while, Zuko neared the camp and smiled.
"Well, well, well, look who it is."
Zuko stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the voice.
"Who's there?" He raised his hand, casting a small flame which illuminated the area around him. "Show yourself. I don't want to fight."
"You better keep your voice down, Sparky. You don't want to wake up everyone," Toph stated while walking out of the shadows in front of him. Her arms were crossed and a smirk was on her face.
"Toph? What the fuck are you still doing awake?" Zuko asked as he looked at the girl in front of him.
"Well, it seems like I've caught everyone sneaking out of this fucking camp except for Sokka," Toph said as she started walking towards the camp. "My only question is: what were you doing going to the market? It's well past closing time."
"I had some business I had to take care of," Zuko replied while following the girl back to the camp, "and you still never answered my question of why you're awake."
"When you've been blind for the past 16 years, and seeing with your feet for the past 12, you learn to be a very light sleeper," Toph said simply, sitting on a rock around the dying fire. "I saw you walk out of camp and decided to follow you from afar. I also saw you walk towards the market and bent a path underground to follow you."
"So you heard everything that was going on inside of the tent? You heard everything about me getting the ring for Katara?" Zuko asked as he re-lit the fire in front of them.
"Nope. I guess I don't need to, now, do I?" Toph said, smiling.
Zuko groaned into his hands. "I fucking hate you. I hate you so much," he said through his hands.
"Haha, I know," Toph joked. "But in all seriousness, when are you going to give it to her? It's not like you're gonna be alone with her. Sokka won't allow that at all."
"Yeah, I guess I haven't really figured that part out yet. I'll figure something out," Zuko replied, looking at the black box in his hand.
"Yeah, I'm sure you'll figure something out," Toph said, patting the Prince on the shoulder. "In the meantime, I recommend going to sleep. We have a long day of flying tomorrow." She walked away from the fire and entered her earth tent. She got settled in and sealed the entrance with a slab of earth.
"Yeah, I guess I should get some sleep, shouldn't I?" Zuko said to himself aloud as he continued to look at the box in his hand. He was wondering when he would give Katara this ring. He sighed deeply.
Smothering the fire, he walked over to his tent and placed the ring deep inside of his belongings so that no one would find it. He climbed into his sleeping bag and started thinking of a life after the war; a life of peace and serenity; a life with Katara by his side. He smiled at the thought and drifted off into a pleasant sleep; a sleep filled with dreams of him and Katara together; dreams that he hoped would one day be a reality.