The Captain couldn't hold back a sigh of relief as he gazed at the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. After what had felt like ages of traveling and withstanding hardship after hardship, the Royal Guards had finally arrived to the city's doorstep… empty-handed.
The Captain didn't want to imagine the Princess's reaction upon seeing him again. Would she fire him from her Royal Guards without a second thought…? He wouldn't be surprised if she did. He sighed again, this time with resignation instead of relief, and he climbed off the ferry, followed closely by the rest of his men.
Entering the large city would never be an easy feat, not even if you were one of the Princess's sworn soldiers. People were sitting on benches, as they waited as patiently as they possibly could for a train to arrive into the monorail station. His men were exhausted, and they dropped on the first available seats they could find. The Captain made a quick head-count, making sure everyone was there… save for Bao. He gritted his teeth at the thought of their fallen comrade, murdered by the Rough Rhinos in cold blood. The guards could have had the upper hand in their fight against the criminals if only they had known their surroundings better. The Rhinos were well accustomed to the Si Wong Desert, and it was an advantage they knew just how to exploit. Their top-notch firebending techniques had been of little use even before Ogodei had slammed one of his ball-and-chains into Bao's head. Mongke's skill as a firebender made it easy for him to fend off most the fire sent his way. The former Yu-Yan archer had gotten out of the guards' reach, yet he had proved able to shoot deadly, poisoned arrows at them. Their komodo rhinos had been daunting as well, fierce protectors of their riders. Mongke's rhino had trampled over Bao's lifeless body, distorting the man's features as it stomped on him savagely…
The diverse fighting styles of the Rough Rhinos matched one another quite well, and they fought in perfect synch, no doubt because of all their years of working together. The Captain had meant to press on despite knowing this, hoping to bring Mongke down, at the very least… but the explosives master, Yeh-Lu, tossed a bomb at them just as the Captain had started to become a threat to them. With that, the combat had ended far more quickly than it had begun, and all five Rough Rhinos had fled on their mounts, their flight covered by smoke and sand. They left behind a disheartened and weakened group of Fire Nation Royal Guards, who performed an improvised memorial for the man who had served as their companion and died while trying to accomplish their mission. The guards had vowed that his sacrifice would not be in vain.
The Rhinos managed to put a great distance between themselves and the guards, but the Captain and his men tracked the brigands down eventually. Just as the Captain had predicted, the Rhinos had decided to run off to Ba Sing Se until all danger had passed. There hadn't been anything to give away the guards were Princess Azula's men… save for the fact that the Captain had yelled at the Rhinos that, by decree of Fire Lord Ozai, they were to be captured and brought back to the Fire Nation. The Captain grimaced as he recalled his pathetic mistake. He had blown their cover, on top of all his blunders…
"How long is this going to take?" groaned Fei Li, one of his fellow Royal Guards. "Waiting for a train seems to take an eternity…"
"Patience," replied the Captain. "We'll be back with the Princess soon enough."
"Is she still in Ba Sing Se?" asked Fei Li. "Isn't she supposed to be at Garsai by now?"
"She ought to be…" said the Captain, sighing. "But she sent word to me that she wouldn't leave the city until we caught the Rough Rhinos."
"In this damn huge city? Tough chance of that… they could hide in there for years and we'd never find them," said Fei Li, sighing. "And to make things worse, we can't start looking for them yet because the damn train still hasn't arrived. Why couldn't we just bring our mongoose dragons with us? Would have spared us the hassle of waiting here…"
They had been forced to relinquish their steeds before climbing aboard the ferry, no matter if they were the Princess's men or not, because foreign animals weren't allowed in Ba Sing Se. The woman who had cleared their passports for the ferry had been strict about that, refusing to make any exceptions.
The Captain frowned at the thought. Foreign animals weren't allowed in Ba Sing Se, no exceptions…
He stood up and made to approach the soldiers guarding the monorail station, as he began considering several possibilities that he hadn't pondered before.
"Where are you going?" asked Fei Li, confused.
"I'll be right back," the Captain exclaimed, as he kept walking.
The nearest soldier, clad in green, raised an eyebrow when he was approached by one of the city's newest visitors.
"What do you want?" the man asked. "The train's still far from here. You have to wait a few more minutes."
"That's not what I came to you for," said the Captain. "I wanted to ask you a question. Did a group of men dressed in red and black pass through the wall recently?"
The soldier raised an eyebrow.
"I don't think so…"
"They call themselves the Rough Rhinos," the Captain insisted. "They should have passed here some days ago…"
"N-no… I don't think so," said the soldier, but the Captain noticed a glint in his eyes this time.
"That name rang a bell, didn't it?" said the Captain, glaring at him.
The soldier grimaced at the menacing stare, and the Captain raised a fire-coated hand to worsen the man's fear.
"Tell me everything you know, guard. Now," the Captain commanded.
"W-why should I say anything to you?!" squealed the man, terrified.
"Because I'm one of the Princess's Royal Guards and I demand that you speak this instant!" shouted the Captain, pushing the soldier against a nearby wall. "Answer me, or you'll be charged for treason against the Fire Nation!"
The soldier began sweating before he nodded, terrified after discovering the identity of the visitor. The surrounding people fled at the sight of the firebender's fist, and the other soldiers in green rushed towards them, meaning to restrain the Captain, but the Royal Guards jumped to their feet right away, forcing the soldiers to fall back.
"Get your hands off him!" yelled one of the other soldiers, before being stopped by a Royal Guard.
"Don't come any closer!" Fei Li shouted back.
"We've caused quite a ruckus, haven't we?" said the Captain, sighing almost dramatically. "Will you speak already and spare us from a pointless spat between our men, or would you rather face the Royal Guards with your comrades?"
"I… I'll talk!" said the man. "Stand back! I'll… I'll talk…"
The Captain lowered his fist, yet his grip on the man's collar remained firm and steady.
"The Rough Rhinos… t-they don't take the ferry," said the man. "T-they have other means of transportation…"
"What kind of transportation? And who provides it for them?" the Captain growled.
"I'm not sure," said the soldier. "All I know is that they have a ship, and they use it to bring the Rhinos across the water… but they don't actually go into the city."
"They don't?" asked the Captain, frowning. "Why? What do they do, then?"
"Those who help them get here… they bring them to the Agrarian Zone," squealed the soldier. "I think they… they take them to Lake Laogai…"
"Lake Laogai?" the Captain repeated, dumbfounded. "What on earth are you talking about? And how did you find out about this?!"
"I've seen them do it!" said the soldier. "I mean it! When I've guarded the wall, I've seen men riding ostrich horses, leading others in komodo rhinos towards Lake Laogai! It can't be anyone but them, can it?!"
"Then… they're not in the city itself, but…" said the Captain, thoughtful. "Then Lake Laogai is where we have to go."
"It should be… but they're not there anymore," said the soldier, making the Captain frown again.
"And how do you know that?"
"B-because they passed right in front of the station a few hours before you came here… headed east," said the soldier, gulping at the sight of the Captain's angry eyes. "I've heard there's a town beyond the Kuaisu River, deep in the mountains' forests… brigands and criminals gather there… I think that's where the Rhinos would go to. Every time I've heard them pass through Ba Sing Se they've done the same thing: they head to Lake Laogai and then east… probably because they're trying to…"
"To shake off pursuers like myself," grunted the Captain, releasing the soldier at last. "Is this the full extent of your knowledge? Is there anything else I should be informed of?"
"I… I don't think so, sir…" said the man. "At least, I don't know anything else about the Rhinos…"
"If that's the case, then…" said the Captain, glaring at him again as he made his last demand. "I need a messenger hawk."
Azula's stay in Ba Sing Se had been dragged out, despite her plans. Desperate to track down the Rough Rhinos and bring them to justice, she had sent all her available men into the city in hopes that they would find their enemies at last, although she knew it would be useless. The Rhinos had been ridiculously clever to hide inside Ba Sing Se… she could spend years searching for them without success. Despite knowing this, she sent all the guards she had left on the quest to find the group of outlaws as soon as she read the Captain's letter. Every effort counted in this mad chase for the Rough Rhinos.
She was perfectly aware of how she was jeopardizing her situation in the Superior Gladiator League. By delaying her stay in Ba Sing Se, her trip to Garsai seemed ages away. Sokka was supposed to fight his last match in the Fire Nation Colonies in two weeks, and she was already certain that they wouldn't make it on time. She wasn't pleased by these developments, and neither was Sokka, but there was nothing to be done about the matter. She had stated it time after time: The Rough Rhinos were her main priority.
Tiang had inquired over her guards' whereabouts after Azula sent them away to search every corner of the city for the Rough Rhinos. Azula had been as evasive as possible while answering his questions, never revealing the true intent of her visit to the Former Earth Kingdom. Tiang had been surprised to hear she would be staying in town for a little longer, but he had smiled at her and told her his house was hers. Azula clearly didn't feel the same way, still bothered by the Earth Kingdom cuisine, as always, but she was genuinely grateful for his kindness.
And so, the only members of her Procession left in the Palace were the palanquin bearers and Sokka. Many of her guards had protested about leaving her unprotected, but she didn't allow them to question her authority. They had no choice but to obey her and accept that she could fight for herself if need be.
Sokka had watched the latest developments quietly, a subtle frown on his brow. Azula had noticed his strange demeanor, suspecting it had been born from their latest squabble… but there was something else in those blue eyes of his, something that had been missing lately: a glint that betrayed his wit. He was thinking. What was on his mind, she didn't know and she wasn't going to ask him about it, yet she couldn't help but feel slightly curious about the thoughts that coursed through the gladiator's head.
A week had passed since the Captain's letter had arrived, and no further messages had arrived since. Azula would spend most her time pacing in the Palace's rooms, waiting for word of any kind from her guards, be it the ones searching for the Rough Rhinos in Ba Sing Se or the ones who should be arriving to the city soon.
Sokka had been relaxing in one of the many sitting rooms of the Palace, sharpening his boomerang carefully when Azula entered the room in the middle of her new routine of walking back and forth through the Palace. Sokka raised an eyebrow and watched her quietly as she headed to the window, stared off through it for a minute or so and turned around to leave… and she jumped when she caught sight of him sitting near the door.
"S-since when have you been there?" she asked, surprised.
"Since way before you came in, in case you're afraid I'm stalking you or something," said Sokka, smiling a little.
Azula didn't seem to find his joke amusing.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she grunted.
"Well… how am I supposed to look at you?" said Sokka, confused.
"Not as if you thought I was descending into madness and you were enjoying the show, I believe," said Azula, glaring at him.
"That's ridiculous," said Sokka, getting back to sharpening his boomerang. "All I'm doing is hoping, for your sake, that those Rhinos are really here so you can find some peace of mind…"
"Since when do you care so much about my mission, or about my peace of mind for that matter?" Azula asked, before frowning and stopping on her tracks. "But… wait. What do you mean you're hoping, for my sake…? Do you doubt the Rhinos are here?"
"Uh…" said Sokka, gulping. "Which question should I answer first?"
"Never mind the first ones!" said Azula, shaking her head. "Tell me, do you think there's a chance the Rhinos aren't here?"
"Well… why would they be?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you mean, why would they be?" said Azula, rolling her eyes. "This city is a perfect place for them to hide. They'd be able to conceal themselves in plain sight by coming to Ba Sing Se. It'll take ages for me to find them here."
"Would it, really? A group of brigands in komodo rhinos, with weird getups, I assume… would they be able to hide in plain sight? Common folk would be able to hide in plain sight here, but criminals who garner that much attention…? I don't think so."
Azula stared at Sokka intently, annoyed by his level-headedness but also curious… what else had he reasoned so far?
"The whole 'heading into Ba Sing Se' idea is weird," Sokka continued, shrugging. "If I were the leader of an evil group of criminals, I wouldn't go there unless I had a good reason to do it, and hiding in plain sight isn't one of them."
"Perhaps you're right about that," said Azula, frowning. "Yet this isn't the first time they do this. They've taken refuge in Ba Sing Se before…"
"And… how did they do it?" asked Sokka, frowning as well. "Have you ever thought about that?"
Azula frowned and glared at Sokka in irritation. Of course she had…! Though, actually… she hadn't. She had all the pieces of the puzzle, but she had never taken her time to figure out what they meant in the bigger picture. She began blinking rapidly, her gaze heading down to the ground as she thought about the possible options…
"This means…" she muttered, her hands balling into fists. "D-doesn't this mean that…?"
"I've thought about what the Captain said… about what I've heard of this mission," said Sokka. "Being locked in a cabin with a bunch of lizards gives you a lot of time to think. And… why do you think the Rough Rhinos have become as reckless as to even kill people in their raids? They didn't use to do that, did they?"
"No, they… they didn't" said Azula, frowning. "They had always targeted small towns and villages… but suddenly they attacked Yu Dao, and from there on they've grown deadlier…"
"Huh, I had no idea about Yu Dao," said Sokka, surprised. "But that just confirms what I feared…"
"And that is…?"
"That the Rhinos think they're ready for a higher form of rebellion," finished Sokka. "The pattern of their attacks has changed, they're suddenly more dangerous than they used to be, even engaging in a fight with Fire Nation soldiers when they used to flee from them… they're sending a message, I think."
"But how can they be ready for a higher form of rebellion?" Azula asked, confused. "The Captain engaged in battle with them… he said they were the same group of men we had been briefed about, he didn't mention a new member or anything we hadn't known about them. Five strong men riding komodo rhinos… why are they more confident now? What makes them think they can oppose the Fire Nation's authority more openly than before?"
"I don't think they have new allies that travel with them…" said Sokka. "But I do believe there's someone backing them up. Who…? I don't know, but I'm suspecting it might have to do with the reason why they keep running to Ba Sing Se when things get a little complicated."
"Of course…" said Azula, frowning and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Those bastards have been a step ahead of me at all times… Mongke is much smarter than I gave him credit for."
"I guess so," said Sokka, sighing as he watched her pace again.
"And… now what?" she said, exasperated. "Yes, I admit I read the signs wrong, but what am I supposed to do now with what you've told me? I still don't know where the bastards are! I don't know who's supporting them, I don't know if they're hiding or on the run… I know absolutely nothing!"
"And ironically, you know more than you did before," said Sokka, with a weak smile.
Azula glared at him, making him freeze and grimace. She walked towards him, as fierce as ever.
"Since when have you been thinking of all this?" she asked.
"W-well… quite a while now, truth to be told," said Sokka, rubbing the nape of his neck with his left hand.
"And you didn't say anything until now?" Azula grunted, between gritted teeth.
"Hey!" said Sokka, jumping to his feet while giving Azula a glare of his own. "You haven't been exactly in the mood for listening to me lately, so I figured I'd do best to shut my mouth and let you go on about your business! That's what you told me to do anyways!"
"Exactly!" shouted Azula. "I told you to focus on your fights, yet here you are, revealing theories on the Rough Rhinos that you were hatching while you should have been doing what I told you to!"
"Oh, please. Putting my mind to the task would have made no difference. You know well enough I wouldn't have been able to beat those guys no matter what," stated Sokka. "I'm not strong enough to fight earthbenders yet."
"You've never been stronger than your enemies, Sokka," Azula growled. "But you've always been smarter than them. Yet you've been investing that brain of yours in what shouldn't concern you. Small wonder that you've failed to beat your rivals."
Sokka shook his head and dropped his gaze, discouraged.
"And what am I supposed to accomplish in the Arena now anyways…?" he muttered. "We're not even going to Garsai anymore. Even if we left today, there's little chance that we'll get there on time for our fight."
Azula sighed and took a few steps away from him.
"I'm not thrilled about the thought of forfeiting a match, but we have no choice. I've said it a thousand times… this was only meant to be a smokescreen. My main priority is the capture of the Rough Rhinos, and it will remain that way until we secure them."
"I know, I know…" said Sokka, nodding.
"If we secure them, actually…" said Azula, shaking her head and rubbing the bridge of her nose once more.
"We'll figure something out, no need to fret," said Sokka, positively, making Azula raise an eyebrow and stare at him in mild confusion.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she muttered.
"What?" Sokka asked, confused as well.
"Who's 'we'?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Isn't it obvious…?" said Sokka, staring back at the Princess, who seemed about to spout one of her usual responses… when their conversation was interrupted by one of the Palace servants.
"Princess!" he exclaimed as he entered the room, beaming and extending a scroll in her direction. "I've been searching for you… this arrived only a few minutes ago, and it's addressed to you."
Azula's eyes widened and she snatched the letter right away, startling the servant with her harshness.
"Leave," she ordered the man, who grew very nervous under her glare and bowed to her, scrambling off the room as fast as possible.
Sokka decided not to lurk over her shoulder this time, staring at the Princess with expectant eyes nonetheless as she opened the scroll and revealed its content.
"It's the Captain," she said, gripping the paper firmly. As she read the message, her eyes gained a quality that made Sokka grimace… and against his better judgment, he figured he'd look over her shoulder after all.
He was pleasantly surprised to discover she didn't care this time around. Her attention was devoted entirely to the letter, and she was growing paler as she read it.
"No… no…" she said as her eyes glided over the words. "No!" she shouted, tossing the letter to the floor as her hands ran through her head. She had been clinging to the faint hope that Sokka's suppositions would be completely wrong… but now the Captain had confirmed they weren't. He had been spot-on.
Sokka picked up the letter and finished reading it. He looked at Azula worriedly as she paced again, with an angry snarl on her face.
"All along they've been playing with us, those assholes!" she shouted, startling Sokka with her use of a crude word. She only ever spoke that way when she was truly upset. "They knew that coming here would serve as the perfect cover for their actual movements! And now they're hell knows where, east to the city, and I can't do anything about it!"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say…" said Sokka, shrugging. Azula turned on her heels and glared at him furiously.
"If you have something to say, say it! Quit keeping important stuff to yourself!" she shouted.
"Okay, okay! Calm down, woman!" he said, grimacing. "I'm just thinking that you're not exactly as powerless as you were before!"
"How am I not?!" asked Azula "Fact is, I'm even worse off than I used to be! I have no guards to chase them with! I sent my remaining men into the city to search for people they won't be able to find because they're not there! The Captain said he would be coming to the Imperial Palace for further orders as quickly as he could, but he won't be here for hours! How exactly am I not powerless, Sokka?!"
"I think you're forgetting something important…" said Sokka, making Azula's eyebrows twitch.
"Oh, really? And what's that?" she asked, holding back the urge to yell at him to quit being so mysterious and talk for once and for all.
"You," said Sokka, simply.
Azula frowned before she grasped what he was trying to say.
"The Rhinos are headed east of Ba Sing Se, into a town beyond the river and in the forests…" said Sokka. "Your men are scattered, yes, but seeing how that's the situation, you could find them and catch those Rhinos with your own hands."
Azula's eyes widened at Sokka's suggestion. She took a few steps back as she assimilated his words.
"That's insane," she said, shaking her head. "I'd be a fool to face five strong fighters on my own."
"Well, then, I'll go with you and that way you won't be so foolish!" said Sokka, smiling and startling Azula with his impulsive idea.
"Huh?! Taking you along will only make me even more foolish!" shouted Azula. "What makes you think I trust you enough to bring you with me?!"
"I… I guess you don't…" said Sokka, grimacing at the thought. "But you don't have to trust me in anything except for helping you to beat up those guys, right? And beating people up is my job!"
"You haven't been any good at it lately, though," Azula growled.
"If those Rhinos aren't earthbenders, I'll be able to fight them properly," said Sokka, defiant.
"Why do I have such a hard time believing you…?" said Azula, squinting.
"Look, this isn't a matter of trusting me or not," said Sokka, staring at her. "These Rhinos are the reason you came here. It's only logical that you'd be the one to catch them. I know you wish you hadn't sent your guards to chase after them, I know you wish you hadn't made up this smokescreen, I know you wish you had been the one to face them head-first in battle. You want to put an end to this, don't you? And who's better suited than you to do it? You'd be able to catch those jerks, avenge your fallen guard and make your father prouder than he's ever been…"
Azula looked straight into his eyes. Oh, how she hated him… and how she hated the fact that every word he had uttered was true.
"Well, then…" she muttered after staring at him for a while. "What are we waiting for?"
Sokka beamed and nodded joyfully at her positive response.
"That's the spirit!" he exclaimed.
"I'll have to leave a note here for the guards in case they return before we get back…" said Azula, sighing in resignation. "And I should also tell the Captain what I'm going to do. But before I get started with that… tell me, how exactly do you propose we get to where the Rough Rhinos are?"
Half an hour later, Azula wished she hadn't asked that question. She stared at the building in front of them, horror reflected in her eyes at the thought of what Sokka was trying to drag her into.
"Y-you honestly don't expect me to use public transportation… do you?" she asked, looking at him almost pleadingly.
"How else do you plan on getting to the eastern end of the city?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "The monorail is the only thing that will get us there fast enough."
"B-but… this is ridiculous!" she squealed. "You can't make me ride that thing! You won't! Amongst so many commoners and filth of all sorts… there must be another way! There has to be!"
"What, you'd rather take the palanquin?" asked Sokka, raising his eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure a group of palanquin bearers will be of great use chasing down criminals…"
"I can't ride that thing! I won't!" shouted Azula.
"Then we're going on foot?" asked Sokka, skeptical. "You want to walk all the way there? Your feet might end up getting blisters… unless you plan on having me carry you on my back all the way to our destination?"
Azula's eyebrows twitched at the thought of such close physical contact between them.
"In my worst nightmares…" she grunted.
"Well, then…" said Sokka, gesturing towards the station.
Azula grimaced before shaking her head in utter disgust.
"I hate you," she muttered.
"I'll try to live with that," said Sokka, smiling and leading the way into the station.
The main station of the Upper Ring wasn't too crowded, to Azula's relief. Yet walking amongst these people made her grimace in disgust. She didn't mind walking in the Fire Nation Capital, her hometown… but this place was completely foreign for her, and she was walking amongst Earth Kingdom commoners… yes, perhaps these weren't actually commoners, maybe they were noblemen, but she could scarcely tell the difference. But even though she was horrified, she did her best to keep herself together. She walked right behind Sokka with her head held high proudly, glaring at anyone who came too close to her.
A few people realized she was the Fire Nation Princess and they stopped on their tracks to gaze at her, awestruck. Sokka made way for them through the crowd, some people colliding with him as they rushed to leave the platform, but since he was walking in front of Azula he managed to protect her from getting crashed into by thoughtless passersby. But even though Sokka was watching out for her, the Princess's stress levels were climbing to unsuspected levels over being so close to common folk.
Sokka led her towards the train that would take off to the eastern side of the city, and he ushered her to walk to the end of the platform, which wasn't as crowded as the center. Azula seemed at the edge of a nervous breakdown by the time they stopped to wait for the monorail.
"I can't believe you talked me into this…" she gasped, her golden eyes glinting with anger as she glared at a nearby kid. The child was reduced to tears by her harsh stare, and he ran off calling for his mother. Azula was satisfied by his flight… now it was only her and Sokka. She could trust Sokka. No, wait, she couldn't… well, at the very least, she knew him. And for now, it was just the two of them in this end of the platform. Of the filthy platform that would lodge and send off so many people with every day that went by…
"Are you alright?" asked Sokka. "Your eyes keep moving in all directions…"
"What were you expecting?!" Azula asked, hysterical. "Y-you brought me to… to the monorail station! The monorail station! What's the matter with you?!"
"Try to calm down, will you?" said Sokka, surprised. "It's not like you're going to die here…"
"For all I know, I might!" shouted Azula. "This is downright horrid! I can't…!"
"Think about why you're doing it, and calm down," Sokka told her. "I promise you we won't take the train when we return, alright?"
"Huh, that is, if we survive the crowd…" said Azula, shaking her head.
"Interesting… so you like crowds when you're above them, but you hate being amongst them," said Sokka, thoughtful. "Is that what sets noblemen and royalty apart from us regular people?"
"I've lived my entire life in the Fire Nation Capital…" Azula growled. "I know it perfectly well. It's my home. But this… this is madness. I don't know anyone, and I don't want to know them either. This place is filthy, it's low and disgusting and I would rather to be anywhere but here!"
"Is it because you're on the same league as everyone else?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"You don't get it," said Azula, shaking her head. "If my problem were to be on the same league as other people, I wouldn't be able to live anywhere! I don't care about walking in the Fire Nation because it's my rightful place, but this is… this is completely foreign, and I want nothing to do with it."
Sokka raised an eyebrow and stared at her in confusion.
"Huh… you lost me. Isn't this part of the Fire Nation now?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Azula cringed and glared at him.
"Don't get me started on this crap. It's been bad enough a day for you to make it worse," she growled.
Sokka shrugged and sighed.
"Fine, fine…" he muttered, just as the train finally arrived into the station.
The doors of the train were opened by the people who would get off on this station. Azula glared at the gray vehicle with disgust, disapproving of how filthy it was both on the outside and the inside.
"You're not really going to make me do this… are you?" she asked Sokka one last time, her eyes pleading instead of angry this time around.
Sokka's response was to bow his head down and lean forward, his right arm extended towards the train's gates.
"After you," he said.
Azula did her best to hold back the urge to punch him. She huffed in irritation before stepping into the train, startling some of the people who were sitting within the wagon. Sokka was right behind her, smiling now as he walked towards the vacant seats by the door.
Azula folded her arms across her chest, her feet firmly planted in the ground as she glowered at everything in sight. The people nearby shrunk under the weight of her glares, terrified and in mild disbelief. That hairpiece revealed her as the Fire Nation Princess… but there was no chance that they would run into the Princess in a monorail! Why would she need to take public transportation in the first place? It made no sense…
"Uh… aren't you going to sit down?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.
Azula's eyes widened as she stared at him skeptically.
"Me? Sit… here? Where all these commoners and peasants have placed their bottoms and hell knows what else…? You really expect me to sit on those filthy, pathetic seats?"
Sokka's eyebrow lowered again and he shrugged, dropping on the filthy, pathetic seats Azula had been complaining about.
"Alright, then" he said, moving over on his bench as if he were waiting for someone to sit next to him.
"What are you doing?" asked Azula, frowning and glaring at him in distrust.
"You'll see, you'll see," said Sokka, leaning back on his seat and staring at Azula nonchalantly.
Once again, Azula felt a nigh unbearable urge to punch him. What was he waiting for? Why was he leaving room by his side, as if he thought she would grow tired of standing in the train for too long? Oh, if only to antagonize him she would stand on her two feet through the entire journey. He would learn soon enough not to underestimate her…
A few more people hopped on board before the train began moving again. The last passenger to join them closed the door behind him. Azula's scowl remained as powerful as it had been… until the train started moving with a jolt.
The Princess was thrown off balance by the unexpected motion of the floor beneath her. The train had moved so brusquely that her momentum forced her to spread out a hand into the air, yet that wouldn't be enough for her to keep her footing… she was coming closer to that disgusting floor in which all the peasants from Ba Sing Se had treaded time over and time again…
Her horror froze on her face when a strong arm caught her, surrounding her waist powerfully before lifting her and placing her in the spare room Sokka had left on the bench next to himself. Sokka released her from his grip quickly, knowing she would be anything but pleased about him touching her as he had, no matter if he had saved her from falling face-first on the floor. He folded his arms across his chest, not looking at her to try and spare her the awkwardness. Yet once she unfroze and registered what had happened, she snapped at him, as ever.
"W-why did you…?! Who told you to…?!"
"Nobody," said Sokka, simply. "After falling on my face many times while we were riding the train tank, I figured what would happen if you didn't sit down. No need to thank me, not at all…"
"Why would I thank you?!" she shouted. "You've made me…!"
"Place your bottom where so many other bottoms have been before?" asked Sokka. "Well, sorry. I didn't have a handkerchief of any sort to keep you from getting your clothes dirty, but I figured you'd rather place your butt where the butts go than place your face where the feet go, am I right?"
Azula's impulse to hit the man next to her only seemed to grow by the minute. Her spite at him increased even further when she realized he was right. She fumed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"So… I'm not going to get a thank you…?" Sokka asked, inquisitively.
"Keep pushing your luck and you'll see what you're going to get," she growled back, making Sokka pout.
"You know, that's really unfair. All I'm doing is helping you out to achieve your…!"
"Shut-up!" Azula commanded between gritted teeth, making Sokka jump. He had forgotten completely about the people around them, who were regarding them with grimaces and confused stares.
"Oh… oh. Sorry," he said, gulping and deciding to keep his mouth shut for now.
The train sped up, and the houses of the Upper Ring began scrolling past them in a blur. Azula couldn't deny it anymore, traveling on this monorail would get them to the east wing of the city in a fragment of the time it would have taken them either on foot or on the palanquin. As much as she hated the thought of traveling on public transportation, it came in handy in a desperate situation like hers. Yet there was a question that kept bugging her…
"And… what's next?" she asked, after the train had stopped two or three times in stations of the Middle Ring.
"What do you mean, what's next?" asked Sokka, puzzled.
"We've come all this way on the monorail, yes… but we're not going to reach the town where the Rhinos are hiding on a train, in case you didn't notice," Azula stated, glaring at him.
"Uh… well, I didn't think that far…" Sokka admitted, rubbing his growing stubble with his thumb.
"So you brought me all the way here without thinking things through?" Azula asked, growing desperate.
"Who was the one who dragged me through the Earth Kingdom without thinking things through either?!" Sokka squealed, his voice cracking in a silly manner as he defended himself by attacking Azula.
The Princess huffed again and shook her head, sinking in her seat as she furrowed her brow and gripped her arms tightly with her hands, her legs crossed. Unknowingly, Sokka mimicked most her movements, albeit his legs remained uncrossed. They both stared pointedly at another side of the train, determined not to speak to each other for however long it took them to reach the edge of the city.
Their wagon grew more crowded as they reached the most populated areas of the city. People came and went, some staring at the unusual pair by the door, others too lost in their own affairs to take notice of their presence. Sokka had remained grumpy for a while, but as the train made its way through the city, he grew to forget why he had been mad at Azula in the first place. Evidently, her short-term memory wasn't cleared as quickly as his. Sokka glanced at her worriedly occasionally, noticing she had kept her uptight position through the entire time they had been on the train. He rather doubted there would be something he could do to make amends for what he was putting her through… but he knew that, once they caught the Rough Rhinos, she would likely grow to appreciate him dragging her into the train. She wouldn't thank him for it, most certainly, but he didn't need her to.
By the time they arrived to the eastern end of the city, all the way to the outer wall, the wagon they were traveling in was empty but for the two of them.
"This is our stop," said Sokka, standing up. To his surprise, Azula seemed calmer after fuming for around an hour. He opened the train's doors for her, and Azula walked into the platform while gazing at everything coldly.
Sokka led the way through the station again, guiding the Princess down flights of stairs that would lead them to the city gates. There was a metallic door wide open at the bottom of the wall, allowing people in and out of the city. Sokka and Azula were about to pass through them when a soldier clad in red stopped them.
"Hold it. Where are your permits to leave the city?" he asked, without even bothering looking at them.
Sokka noticed a vein in Azula's temple pulsating dangerously. Sokka stared at the guy in disbelief and muttered.
"Hey… are you serious? Don't you know who this is?"
"Don't I know who…?" said the man, rolling his eyes and finally getting a good look at Azula. He froze in place before bowing his entire torso down in quite a ridiculous fashion. "P-Princess! B-by all means! Go ahead, go ahead!"
"That's more like it," grunted Azula, storming out of the city with Sokka following her dutifully.
To Sokka's surprise and relief, there was a small market on the outskirts of Ba Sing Se. People were selling articles and objects that would come in handy to travelers that were about to leave the city; they also sold food and water for those who were only just arriving. Sokka gazed around eagerly until he found what he was looking for, and he ushered Azula to follow him as he ran towards a stall, the largest one nearby.
An old man sat on a short stool before a set of corrals that held several kinds of animals, all of them beasts of burden. He lifted his head when he caught sight of the two travelers, and he had to rub his eyes, dumbfounded, when he realized one of them was none other than the Fire Lord's daughter.
"Hey there," said Sokka, lifting a hand in greeting. "We need mounts, if you may…"
"W-why… why of course!" said the man, squealing and jumping off his seat immediately.
Azula cringed when she saw the filthy rags the man was dressed in. He probably hadn't shaved in months, maybe even years, and some of his teeth were missing. She didn't feel like borrowing her mount from a man like that…
"I have the finest ostrich horses you'll find in over twenty miles!" he declared, proudly, gesturing at the animals while beaming at them with his toothless grin.
"N-no, thank you…" said Azula, revolted at the sight. "Do you have mongoose dragons?"
"Oh! Naturally!" said the man, walking past the ostrich horses and a few other creatures before finding the enclosure that held a group of green reptiles. "I grew these babies myself! They're fine creatures, yes they are! Not many travelers pick the mongoose dragons, but I'm sure you know what you're doing!"
"Clearly enough…" grunted Azula, her eyebrows twitching.
"Can you give us two of them?" asked Sokka, as the man released one of the lizards.
"Ah? Well, of course…" said the man, allowing a second mongoose dragon out of the enclosure that held the animals. "I was certain you would be riding Her Majesty to her destination… never mind an old man's assumptions! Thank you for choosing us!"
Azula found it unusual for the man to speak in plurals, yet she decided to ignore the matter. Soon enough, the beasts had been saddled and they were ready to take off.
"It would seem he takes better care of the creatures than of himself," said Azula, caressing the lizard's neck before climbing onto its saddle.
"We should be grateful for that," said Sokka, chuckling as he imitated her and jumped on top of his steed.
Sokka waved the man goodbye after they paid him for his services, and they were finally ready to leave.
"See? I just improvised and it worked wonders!" said Sokka, smiling proudly as they sat next to each other on their mounts. "We'll find the Rhinos in no time!"
Azula rolled her eyes. It was slightly annoying that things kept going so well for him…
"Do you know how to ride?" she asked, deciding to change the subject.
"Oh, please," said Sokka, rolling his eyes and chuckling. "I spent weeks on end living with lizards just like this one, in case you've forgotten. I've gotten to know these creatures oh, so well…"
Azula raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Oh, really?"
"Of course!" said Sokka, confident. He pulled at the beast's reins, to usher it forward…
And the mongoose dragon stood on its hind legs unexpectedly, causing Sokka to drop on the ground with a thud. Azula couldn't hold back a small smirk as Sokka stared blankly at the sky, completely confused about what had happened.
"I'm going to assume you actually wanted to get the mongoose dragon to do that…" said Azula, smiling at him as she shook her reins slightly and her mount began walking slowly.
Sokka groaned before standing up and climbing on his beast again, feeling quite foolish. He shook the reins just as Azula had done with hers, and effectively, the lizard stared walking.
"Okay, okay… it's not as simple as I thought it would be," he said, when he finally caught up with Azula.
"I learned how to ride these creatures when I was ten," Azula told him. "You shouldn't need much practice to learn how to do it… unless I'm overestimating your brain capacities, that is."
Sokka groaned but said nothing. His submissiveness this time wasn't of the latest kind, though… their strange relationship seemed to be returning to its rocky ways now. He wasn't allowing her to get away with everything she said in hopes to atone for his mistakes anymore… which was all Azula needed to know that he had no idea how to reply to her this time. She allowed herself a small smirk as the animals progressed east through the landscape.
Azula gave Sokka a few tips on how to ride the mongoose dragon in a sprint, driven by her eagerness to find the Rough Rhinos as quickly as possible. In normal instances, she would have rather watched him struggle and fall off his mount as many times as possible, but time was of the essence. They needed to be as quick about their business as they could be.
After Sokka understood how to ride a galloping mongoose dragon, they began advancing much quicker. After an hour of riding they crossed a bridge over the river, and not far from the running water stood an impressive mountain range covered by a blanket of trees. Azula led her dragon towards the road into the mountains, this time in a walk instead of a sprint, experiencing a strange sense of foreboding just by staring at the mountains ahead of her. Why did she have a bad feeling about it, she didn't understand… but it wouldn't stop her regardless. She had a mission to accomplish, and to do so she had to find the town the Captain had mentioned. There was no point in questioning it, she had to get the job done and uncomfortable feelings wouldn't stop her from achieving her goals.
Sokka followed her, growing wary as the road twisted and turned, leading them deep into the heart of the mountain range. Often there would be a deep and deadly slope at either side of the road, and Sokka couldn't help but grimace at the thought of what would happen to them if their steeds gave the smallest misstep. He gulped and tried to keep his imagination under control as he followed Azula, hoping to find a trace of the Rough Rhinos eventually.
They had been traveling through the mountain for about another hour when they found an unexpected fork in their path. The road split in two ways, one to the right that led higher and higher through the mountain, and another to the left, which seemed to move towards a small valley instead.
Azula stopped her mongoose dragon and stared at both roads, frowning.
"Which way are we going to take?" asked Sokka, catching up with her and making his mount halt as well.
"Why do you think I've stopped?" Azula growled. "It's because I have no idea. The Captain didn't mention anything about this…"
"I don't know how he would have known about it in the first place…" said Sokka, frowning and stepping down from his lizard.
"What are you doing?" Azula asked, confused.
"I'm going to get a look at the road," said Sokka, kneeling on the ground and staring at the ground beneath him. "I'll try to track down the Rhinos by their mounts' footprints."
Azula raised an inquisitive eyebrow, surprised by Sokka's initiative.
"Seems like your savagery will be of some use for once," she muttered, making him cringe.
Sokka didn't reply, busy as he was trying to discern the tracks on the ground. He didn't spot the prints of the rhinos, despite staring intently around him, but he knew it didn't mean the Rough Rhinos hadn't passed by these pathways. He couldn't find their prints because other creatures had stepped down the same road, and their footprints had overlapped to the point that it became downright impossible to recognize the tracks of any animal.
"It's… it's no good," said Sokka, studying both roads. "They could have been here, but other people have passed by as well. I can't tell which prints would belong to them."
"And so, your savagery was no use, as ever," said Azula, sighing. "I shouldn't have expected otherwise."
"Yet… most footprints lead to the route to the left," said Sokka, scowling. "I'm figuring that's where the town is."
"But you don't know for certain," grunted Azula. "Do you?"
"It's hard to tell," said Sokka, sighing. "But I've got the feeling that the town must be this way. It's my… my savage's instinct speaking, if you will."
"And I'm supposed to believe in your 'instincts', am I?" asked Azula, skeptical.
"Well, it's better to go down one of these roads than to stay here debating forever about which way to go!" exclaimed Sokka. "Come on. If we find nothing down this way, you win. If we find the Rough Rhinos, you still win. So how about we get going?"
Azula sighed in exasperation, feeling like she wouldn't win at all if Sokka happened to be wrong. Yet she steered her mongoose dragon to the left, making Sokka run to climb on his mount as quickly as possible, attempting to keep up with her.
The road was long and twisted, and it descended amongst trees and wild vegetation. It grew extremely narrow until it suddenly grew wider, revealing a group of houses huddled in a small valley below. Azula raised an eyebrow as she eyed the town with distrust.
"Seems like you guessed correctly," she said, and Sokka smirked proudly behind her.
"I told you to trust my instincts, didn't I?"
"They'd better be here for real…" muttered the Princess, steering her mongoose dragon through the road until they finally reached the town's entrance.
The town was comprised by a set of old, wooden houses that looked like they were about to collapse. Both Sokka and Azula stared around in disgust when they saw men splayed on the ground, some seemingly asleep, others clearly dead, given the pool of dry blood that surrounded them and the number of flies hovering nearby. Empty bottles of alcohol were lying around in the same manner as the men, and grass grew wildly around the houses.
A couple of men sitting outside their houses leered at them as they entered the village, and Sokka glared back at them warily, the weight of his weapons reassuring him that, if worst came to worst, he would be able to defend both the Princess and himself from them.
"Do you see anything?" Azula asked under her breath, leaning slightly towards Sokka.
"No. There's no sign of them," said Sokka, frowning.
"Where are the rest of the people?" she asked, looking around herself in irritation. "Is it they're all drunk, dead or asleep?"
"No… look," said Sokka, pointing at a tavern ahead of them. Noise was coming from the small shack, and he could see through its windows that the establishment was somewhat crowded. "Looks like most of them are in there. Maybe… maybe the Rhinos are in there too."
Azula's eyes narrowed at the thought. She ushered her mount forward, her chest burning with determination… until Sokka put his lizard in her way, stopping her drastically.
"What are you doing?" she asked, staring at him in confusion.
"I'll go," he said, staring at her earnestly. "You stay here."
"Uh… you'll go? You expect me to let you go in there to look for the Rough Rhinos on your own?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow.
"Chances are, they're not even here," said Sokka, sighing. "Else the komodo rhinos would be around."
"I thought the same thing…" whispered Azula, feeling slightly distraught. "But if there's the slim chance that they're in here somewhere, I have to go see for myself."
"No, you don't," said Sokka, shaking his head.
"What's with you?" asked Azula, shocked. "Are you trying to stop me from finding them, by any chance?"
"No, I'm… look around you," said Sokka, sighing. "See those guys lying around, see the horrid state of this town… this used to be an actual village, people lived here. But these guys… these criminals took over the place. And that tavern is full of them. We're in their territory, and if you walk in there…"
"You think they could get away with anything they'd try to do to me? Really?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow.
"No, I don't think they would get away with it," said Sokka, rubbing his forehead. "But I'd rather they don't even try to do anything to you in the first place."
"Are you… protecting me?" Azula asked, grimacing.
"Well… at least I'm trying to," said Sokka, sighing and feeling quite foolish. "It's safer for you to stay outside, Azula. I'll deal with these guys. My time in Hui Yi taught me how to handle men like these. For your sake… let me do it."
Azula frowned and rolled her eyes in resignation.
"Fine, then. Find them, and if they're not in there, find out where they went. Got it?"
"Yeah. I'll be back with you in a heartbeat!" he said, steering his mount towards the tavern.
Azula followed him, and she climbed off her mongoose dragon right after Sokka had entered the rugged establishment. Azula patted the creature's neck before looking around, distrustful of her surroundings. The village seemed mostly deserted except for the noise coming from the inside of the tavern and those two men who had glared at them. Azula looked at the building once more, somewhat worried about Sokka. Could the Rhinos be inside…? She rather doubted they were. If they had been here at some point, they were most likely long gone by now.
An unexpected scream cut across the town, startling the Princess. She turned to where she heard the yell, cautious of whatever might be going on… was it her imagination, or were those the low groans of a creature or some sort? Could it be a komodo rhino? The sound was coming from behind a building… whoever was responsible for it was blocked from sight. Azula's common sense told her to wait near the inn, Sokka would come back any second now and she would be free to leave the wretched town, never mind the noises. Yet she heard more whimpers from where the shout had originated, and more sounds that no human could utter…
Azula frowned and walked away from her mongoose dragon, her gaze fixed on the building behind which she was starting to suspect she might find the Rough Rhinos… or, if she wasn't so lucky, at least one member of the group. She would be grateful for anything at this point. The eagerness was making her nervous, but she also felt a twinge of fear over what might hide at the other side of the building…
She was holding her breath when she finally caught sight of what there was behind the building. Yet, to her disappointment, it wasn't the Rough Rhinos or anything related to them.
Instead, she found a large creature with brown fur and no eyes, snarling at an ugly man who was lying on the ground, whimpering and squirming. It seemed the man was paralyzed and unable to move. The creature was unlike anything Azula had seen before. Its nose was star-shaped, the claws at the end of each of the four legs were sharp and deadly. There was a saddle on its back, and a woman was just climbing off it, approaching the man on the ground menacingly.
"Hope you realize this is no game now," she said, her hand wrapping around the fabric on the man's shirt and pulling him up with such ease Azula was impressed. She wouldn't have guessed the woman would be strong enough to lift a grown man with only one arm, given her delicate complexion. Her jet-black hair scrolled down her back, although part of it was tied in a high knot. Her clothes were of black leather, and she had a snake tattooed on her shoulder. Her lips and eyelashes were highlighted against her extremely pale skin through the makeup that darkened them. "I'm not even going to ask you to come quietly… it's not like you have a choice."
The man whimpered a little more before the woman threw him over her shoulder; she was hardly fazed by carrying all his weight. She was turning to place the man on her steed when she took notice of someone's presence through the corner of her eye. She raised an eyebrow as she regarded her unexpected eyewitness, whose red clothes and high-born demeanor were completely out of place in a town overtaken by criminals.
"Enjoying the show?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow.
Azula blinked rapidly when the stranger spoke to her. Intent as she had been to discover who was behind the building, she hadn't noticed she was standing in plain sight right now.
"What's that thing…?" she whispered, frowning.
"Who, her?" asked the woman, surprised by the question. She walked towards her companion and slung the man she had defeated over the saddle, having him dangle with his head and legs in the air. "Nyla is my shirshu. She could smell your pretty royal scent all the way to the center of the earth if need be. But you see…"
The woman finished tying her hostage down on her beast's saddle before turning around to face Azula directly.
"We're not the ones who should be getting questioned here," she said. "What business could bring a bigshot like the Fire Lord's daughter to these territories? Are we trying to catch a few criminals to impress daddy?"
The woman's condescendence made Azula cringe. It bothered Azula that her identity would be given away so easily, but there was no use denying who she was.
"My business is of no concern of the likes of you," the Princess stated. "Who are you, anyway?"
"Who, well, that ought to be my business and mine alone, just as your business is yours and yours alone," said the woman, smirking.
Azula didn't need to hear another word from her to be certain she disliked the woman. Yet she seemed to fit in this place, whereas Azula didn't. Perhaps she had been here long enough to see the Rough Rhinos, she might know where they were hiding…
"I could change my mind about that, then," said Azula, with a small frown.
"Oh, really?" asked the woman, raising an eyebrow. "And you think that will make me change mine?"
"Truth to be told, I don't need to know who you are," said Azula. "I don't even care for whatever it is you're up to… though given your attitude, what you just did and the creature you have with you, I'd say you're a bounty hunter of some sort."
"Wow, seems like daddy's girl knows how to put that mind to work," said the woman. "He must be beaming with pride."
"I wish I could say the same for your father, but I rather doubt he'd feel the same way about you," said Azula, sick already of the woman's attitude.
"Indeed, Princess…" said the woman. "My father wouldn't be proud of me because he would die of envy all over again if he knew that, with the shirshu he handed down to me, I've managed to catch five times the men he handed over to the authorities in his entire lifespan."
"Why, congratulations for your grand achievements," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "I didn't come all this way to hear you brag about your meaningless accomplishments."
"Given you didn't even know I existed until just a few minutes ago, I figured not. But why exactly should I care for what you came here for…?"
"Didn't you ask about it just a moment ago?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow.
"People have slip-ups from time to time due to curiosity…" said the woman, climbing aboard her mount. "… but now that I've mulled it over a little more, I realize what brought you here has nothing to do with me."
"Well, now it does," Azula grunted. "As the heir to the Fire Lord, I command you to answer my questions."
"Oh… this is how you're going to play it?" asked the woman, amused. "I'll break it to you, then, seeing how you haven't got a clue of how the world works outside your palace's golden walls… I don't care for who your father is, or who you're supposed to be, because I have no allegiances to your nation or to any other nations for that matter. The only thing I owe anything to is money. Everything else is meaningless. So, unless you've got a sack of gold with you, which seems quite unlikely, I don't see any reason why I should give you the answers you seek."
"So you're not going to help? Your collaboration comes at a price?" Azula asked.
"You catch on quick," said the woman, smirking approvingly.
Azula rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"All I need to know is if the Rough Rhinos passed by this town, and if they did, then I want you to point out which way they went. That's all there is to it."
"And?" asked the bounty hunter, waiting for her cash eagerly. "Where's the money? No money, no information. It's that simple."
"I… I don't have any money on me," Azula growled, becoming painfully aware that she was wearing a very expensive hairpiece… but she wouldn't give it to the bounty hunter, not even to put an end to her goose chase.
"Well, that's too bad," said the bounty hunter. "I've got a big fish to deliver to Ba Sing Se, and this conversation won't get me there any faster. Good luck in your future duty as a ruler… you'll need it if this is the extent of your skills as a negotiator."
Azula snarled as the woman took the reins of her beast in her hands and pulled them, making the animal lift its head and turn around to leave…
"Wait!" said Azula, her fists clenched.
The bounty hunter stopped on her tracks and gazed at her curiously. Azula began lifting a trembling hand towards the hairpiece that crowned her head, knowing she would come to regret this decision thoroughly… damn, she was regretting it already…
"Azula!" Sokka called out suddenly, startling the Princess as she was about to take the hairpiece out of place. "There you are!"
Azula stared at him in surprise as Sokka approached, sprinting towards her.
"The men at the pub weren't exactly helpful…" he admitted, staring at Azula without paying any heed to their surroundings. "But I confirmed the Rhinos were here not long ago. So maybe if we find someone a little easier to persuade we might… Azula?"
Sokka blinked a few times as Azula dropped her hand, only realizing now that she looked quite distraught. He stared at her in confusion, wondering what she was doing behind this building as he gazed about in curiosity…
His eyes widened when they found June's.
The bounty hunter had been staring at him in utter surprise from the moment he had showed up, having expected anything but to find him here. She frowned as she eyed him warily, and then she looked at the Princess that stood right next to him. Realizations began striking her with the force of an earthquake, and suddenly everything she knew about Sokka started to take a different meaning…
"Of course…" said June, chuckling slightly. "Of course. The Princess… it all adds up."
"J-June…" said Sokka, growing paler as he stared at her.
Azula came out of her daze when she realized Sokka had called the strange woman by a name… her name. She looked at Sokka in confusion, wondering what that expression on his face could mean.
"It's been a while," said the bounty hunter, her smirk growing more prominent with every passing moment. "I'd ask if everything's faring alright… but I suppose things worked out just fine for you, huh?"
"W-well, I… I wouldn't say that." Sokka gulped, growing more nervous with every passing moment.
"No? Then I hope you learned that alcohol doesn't help to clear a man's mind, at the very least," said June, smiling.
"What…?" said Azula, making Sokka freeze as she spoke. The worst nightmare he could have ever had was coming true… "What's going on here…?"
"Oh, you mean she doesn't know?" asked June, growing even more amused. "Why, that's not a very solid foundation for a relationship, Sokka. You shouldn't be so secretive"
"What is she…? What are you talking about?!" Azula said, staring from one to the other with uncertainty. "Do you know each other?!"
"Oh, we know each other just as well as any man and woman could get to know one another… if you catch my drift," said June, winking at Sokka suggestively.
The meaning behind June's words struck Azula worse than a jolt of lightning. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at Sokka, her stare locking with his just for a moment… but it was long enough. Sokka looked back at her, aghast, before she lowered her unfocused gaze, because staring at him was growing too painful to bear. Azula's unfocused eyes were set on the ground below her, her two fists clenched so hard that her nails were digging into her skin. No… no… this couldn't be right. It had to be a lie. It couldn't be true…
Sokka kept looking at her worriedly, knowing she had understood what June had implied. This was no good. This was definitely no good. But how to soothe her? How to talk to her? What was he supposed to say…? Well, for starters he had to get rid of the woman who had ruined all the progress of their relationship with a single sentence…
"J-June…" he said, almost begging her with his eyes to leave.
"Ah, I was just about to take off anyways," said the bounty hunter. "But I suppose I can give you what you guys want… for old times' sake, huh, Sokka?"
Azula began shivering in anger at the woman's words, her chest heaving as she found it harder to breathe. Old times' sake… she'd had sex with Sokka. They had slept together. And recently, most likely… because she came to a realization about Azula upon seeing Sokka again. She had spoken about the solid foundations of their relationship… oh, no doubt she was mocking them. June already knew there was absolutely nothing going on between the Princess and Sokka. But she had also mentioned alcohol… to Azula's awareness, Sokka only had alcohol in one particular night ever since they had struck their deal…
The day in which she had kissed him.
The very same day in which he had dated Kyoshi's Heir and gotten in the sack with her… the very same day in which he had gotten involved with the woman before them right now.
Tears began burning in her eyes before she knew it. She wanted to hurt him. She wanted to slay him, to make him feel as miserable as she did right now. How had he dared…? Why? Why had it come to this…?
"The Rough Rhinos were here alright," said June. "They returned through the way they came, and they ran uphill. They like terrorizing the towns by the high road, and they were boasting about taking off to do it while they were in the pub. If you're quick, you might catch them before they strike the first town."
Sokka nodded slowly, grateful for the information but too concerned about Azula's reaction to say another word to June.
"Well, then, I guess that's it for today. I take my leave now, gladiator, Princess," finished June, striking her shirshu with a whip and making her bolt down between the huddled houses, vanishing from sight quickly, but for Sokka she hadn't been quick enough.
Sokka stared at Azula worriedly, afraid of saying anything. The way she was shivering, the way her eyes were wider than he had ever seen them before, the way her fists shook as she tightened them even more…
"Azula…" he said, stretching a hand towards her without a clue of what to do…
Azula jumped out of reach as quickly as she could, her eyes gleaming as she glared accusingly at him. He could see it, the betrayal in her eyes, the pain that seemed to be strong enough to split her entire being…
"You… you scum…" she snarled, blinking rapidly to dissolve the tears on her eyes. "You lowly, pathetic, disgusting…!"
"Azula, I can… let me explain!" he started, but he was forced to shut up with a jet of blue fire flew straight at his face.
Sokka ducked and nearly fell over himself to avoid the blow, and he stared at Azula in horror as she prepared to strike another blow, punching the air in front of her and producing another fistful of flames, which sparkled most unusually before striking him on the chest.
Sokka rolled on the ground instinctively, trying to stiffen the flames, yet Azula wouldn't stop. She unleashed a series of fire fists on him, pushing him further and further away from her, and setting other of his clothing items on fire as she did.
She spoke no more words, since there was nothing she could say to express the indignation coursing through her body right now. Before she knew what she was doing, she ran towards the mongoose dragons and jumped on the nearest one, not even caring if it was the one that had brought her here in the first place. She shook the reins too harshly, almost causing the lizard to lose balance, yet she forced it to move straight to the road that had brought her here in the first place. Sokka was left behind, still fighting against the fire she had set on his clothes, and Azula half-heartedly wished she had stayed to watch him squirm in agony… but she knew that wouldn't have made her feel any better.
She forced the lizard into an all-out sprint as it ran through the pathways of the mountain, and she made it take the right turn when she arrived at the fork again. Even though she had been too shocked to speak, she had heard every word June had uttered. She would catch those Rough Rhinos even if it was the last thing she did. She didn't care for what Sokka had done, or for what he would do in the future… he was as good as dead to her now. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.
Tears dropped from her eyes, and she snarled as she wiped them away. Why did it hurt so much, why…? She already knew he was a worthless asshole! Why would this new revelation make things any different? She didn't know, and knowing probably wouldn't have made her feel any better either way. She pushed the lizard further, not caring for how dangerous it was to run at such speed when there was a deadly cliff opening at the left side of the road. But she didn't care. She wished that by running like this she would manage to leave her grief behind… She wanted to forget. She wanted to have nothing to regret. She wanted to erase her story with the gladiator and start anew, this time without being as gullible, this time knowing what the jerk was capable of…
The road had been winding for a moment, but it suddenly grew straight for a few meters… and to Azula's surprise, she spotted a group of men in front of her. A group of men, dressed in red and black clothes… riding komodo rhinos.
"I told you to get your water done in the town!" yelled Mongke, glaring at one of his teammates. Ogodei was crouched by the slope, trying to pee and apparently failing at it.
"It's hard to get anything done when your boss is nagging you!" Ogodei shouted back and Vachir shook his head disapprovingly at the man's response… when he caught sight of an unfamiliar figure at the end of the road, glaring at them with enraged eyes.
"Boss…" said Vachir, frowning.
Mongke was surprised by Vachir's call, and even more so when he saw what Vachir was looking at. His lips formed a smile as he caught sight of the Fire Nation Princess riding an exhausted mongoose lizard. Princess Azula looked like she was in quite a disarray, her hair out of its proper hairdo, her chest heaving and her eyes unfocused and red.
"Well, well… look what we have here," said Mongke, ushering his mount to bring him towards the center of the road again. Ogodei zipped his pants up quickly before jumping back on his rhino, turning to look at whoever their new visitor was. "Did Ozai send you? Were you the one who set those lousy soldiers on us?"
"It's none of your business…" growled Azula, allowing her rage to fuel her fighting spirit. Oh, at last… at last she was before them. Finally, she would set things right. She would do what she had to do. She would catch the criminals, bring them to justice and make her father proud… and after that, she would forget about Sokka. She could forget about him. It wasn't so hard to accomplish…
"I'm just thinking he's downright nice, sending us his little girl so that we can get our own share of fun… in more than one sense, if you know what I mean," said Mongke, smirking. "He should have sent his son, we wouldn't have wanted to do anything but butcher him up good. But you… it would be a shame to hurt such a pretty flower, don't you think, boys?"
"Oh, damn right…" said Ogodei, smiling.
"Indeed, it would be a shame," said Azula. "There's nothing to fear, though. I'll be more than capable of destroying you without breaking a sweat and without getting hurt by any of you in the process."
"Such confidence… got it from your father, no doubt," said Mongke. "You really think you can take on all of us? You sure you won't end up like that guard we trampled to death?"
Azula's eyes blazed with even more fury upon those words. She released the reins of her lizard and jumped off her steed, unleashing an incredibly potent array of fire at her enemy with a spin kick. Mongke struggled to bend his way around Azula's attack and counter her with a few fire balls, yet Azula struck all his attacks down with larger ones of her own.
But Mongke wasn't the only thing she had to worry about. Vachir lifted his bow and aimed at her, releasing an arrow straight towards Azula.
The Princess noticed the projectile before it reached her, and she shot a powerful fire fist to destroy it… but the flint tip made it through Azula's inferno, and to her horror and pain, the tip lodged itself between the knuckles of her middle and index fingers.
She stopped attacking shortly to remove the stone from her skin, unable to muffle a shriek as she did. Ogodei threw his chained ball at her, and Azula jumped out of the way just as she finally pulled out the projectile, her blood smearing the ground beneath her. Her right hand hurt horribly now, and she still had five grown men and their steeds to worry about.
If only she could bring forth lightning… but she couldn't. Her mind was in such a state of chaos right now that she couldn't consider attacking through such means. She jumped again and twirled around in midair, unleashing a powerful bolt of fire straight at Ogodei, to avoid having him toss his weapon at her again.
The man wasn't injured by her attack, but his rhino's saddle was set alight with flames. Ogodei jumped off him and the rhino seemed to lose its composure as he felt the flames licking at its skin. Azula continued attacking, with her left arm and her legs, but Mongke was stopping her every attack. The trees nearby were set on fire as they exchanged blows, but Azula didn't spare the vegetation much thought as she defended herself from her enemies.
"Restrain it!" shouted Kahchi, referring to the rhino on fire, which was starting to grow wilder and wilder as it attempted to relieve itself from the burning pain.
Mongke and Vachir continued attacking Azula as the other three members of the Rough Rhinos tried to appease the animal to no avail. Azula jumped out of the arrows' way, but by doing so she found herself in a most perilous position near the slope. One slip up and she was a goner…
She was about to come up with a plan to get back to safety when she realized the rhino on fire had suddenly started a desperate dash, trying to flee from the fire he couldn't be relieved from. And the rhino happened to be headed straight towards Azula.
Without knowing why, the Princess froze as she stared at the three horns that would pierce her body sooner than later… her mind kept yelling at her to move, her common sense told her to jump out of the way one way or another, but her body would not respond. She was unable to do anything as the komodo rhino threatened to kill her right then and there.
The Rough Rhinos were also staring at Ogodei's rhino, watching it as it was about to ram into Azula… which was why they failed to notice the newest arrival to their strange reunion in the mountain road.
Sokka pressed his mongoose dragon to run as quickly as possible as soon as he saw Azula struggling on the edge of the cliff, and he thought he would reach her on time to save her… but once he saw the rhino, his common sense told him it would be impossible. She was about to get killed by the animal, and afterwards she would spiral down into the slope, getting lost forever in the wilderness…
He couldn't let it happen. It didn't matter that she had set him on fire, it didn't matter that his logic told him he wouldn't be able to save her from the Rough Rhinos or from the burning komodo rhino that was running straight at her… he had to do something. He couldn't let it end like this. He wouldn't let it end like this.
He pressed on the mongoose dragon, and hardly knowing what he was doing, he jumped off the mongoose dragon's saddle once he was as near to her as he could get. For the second time on the same day, he draped one of his arms around her waist and pulled her away from the deadly peril…
Yet even though he had saved her from being rammed into by the rhino, the momentum of their fall forced them right down the mountainside. Azula had no idea of what had just happened, her mind seemed completely unable to process what was going on. She didn't even realize it was Sokka who had saved her, that it was him who was surrounding her body with his own to keep her safe from any possible injuries as they rolled downhill, crashing against trees and rocks alike. Sokka gritted his teeth, determined to protect Azula even though the pain caused by every injury he had received so far was becoming increasingly unbearable, to the point that his body didn't even know how to react to the blows anymore. The slope turned completely vertical and gravity reclaimed them, with a promise of nothing but blackness once they crashed into the ground…