For the past fifteen minutes Aizon had dutifully followed Princess Azula down the corridors of the palace. It was sepulchrally quiet. Unnervingly so. He had yet to hear another sound besides the soft crunch of their footsteps on the luxurious burgundy carpet that lined the length of every hallway.
One thing Aizon had noticed immediately was the fact that there were no windows in the palace. Leaving only the massive torches placed every few feet as the sole source of light.
They flickered waveringly as Princess Azula passed them by, forming long shadows that stretched on forever. It was as if the very fire was prostrating itself in deference to the princess. But that was impossible, right?
Right?
If you had asked Aizon yesterday, he would have certainly said yes. But ever since entering the palace, he had had this queer feeling in the back of his mind. It was hard to describe, but the best way he could put it was that he felt like someone was always watching him. Someone just out of sight.
But whenever he turned his head, sure he would find a pair of eyes staring back, there was never anyone there…
It all made for quite a chilling atmosphere, something that Aizon thought was quite ironic for the capital of the Fire Nation. For some reason, he had always imagined the royal palace to be a warm and sunny beach house.
His thoughts of the royal ambiance came to an abrupt halt when the princess stopped before a bare stretch of wall.
She looked both ways down the hallway, as if checking to make sure the coast was clear, before she reached a out hand to one of the torches on the wall and turned it sideways. An indistinct clunking sound emanated from somewhere in the wall and then suddenly, inexplicably, a doorway appeared. Where there had once been only a wall, a shadowy passageway was now revealed.
"Princess, what is…"Aizon began, only to have himself thrown up against the wall. The princess pressed two soft fingers into the crook between his neck and head.
"Speak of this to anyone, absolutely anyone at all, and I'll have you removed from the Imperial Guard. Permanently. Do you understand me Lieutenant?" she asked in a deadly serious whisper.
Aizon had to physically force himself not to flinch. The way she spoke in such a commanding tone - as if she had years of experience of bending others to her will - it was shocking to say the least. If this was what she was like now, at only fourteen years old… Aizon shivered at the thought of what she would be like when she got older.
Still, Aizon didn't hesitate to nod affirmatively. "Yes Princess Azula," he managed to say without quailing under her intense golden glare. After all, his job was only to protect her. It wasn't his business what her personality was like.
For a few moments they simply stood there, gold staring into silver. What she was searching for, Aizon couldn't hope to explain. But then, something passed between them. Almost like a look of understanding.
But whatever it was, Azula must've been liked it, because a second later the princess released him and stepped back to brush some nonexistent dirt off her gleaming armor.
"See to it that you don't forget that, Lieutenant," she said, before turning and marching down the passageway. Aizon followed only a second later.
He jumped slightly when the passage abruptly sealed shut behind him, plunging them into darkness. "Princess Azula? Are you there?" Aizon cried out in alarm.
The face of Azula suddenly appeared above a handful of fire, her pale face almost glowing in the darkness."No need to be afraid Lieutenant. Your princess will protect you," she said with a smirk.
She swiftly turned on the spot, her dark bangs swaying as she swiveled. She held her hand aloft, the blue flames of her makeshift human torch cast grotesquely shaped shadows that danced demonically on the roughly hewn walls of the passageway. "Follow me," she said, before continuing on, not waiting for a reply
Aizon swallowed deeply before gathering his courage and following after her. He held his own hand up as a makeshift torch, but his regular red and orange flames didn't seem to dispel the darkness anywhere nearly as efficiently.
When he finally caught up, Aizon noticed something strange. There were small lights on the floor of the passageway, and they lit up as Azula passed them by, like small blue beacons of fire. Their pale-blue glows bursting into life and extinguishing themselves every second as she passed them by.
Aizon became alarmed when he realized that the floor of the passageway was sloping steeply downwards, but he was reassured when he saw that the princess seemed unconcerned. Together they descended further and further, their fires guiding them in the darkness.
Then, suddenly, Aizon saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Moments later they emerged into an enormous cavern filled with colossal crimson crystals. Their ruby red radiance shimmered and sparkled with a bloodlike glow. A lava-fall cascaded from the roof of the cavern down to the ground, forming rivers of fire that smoked and smoldered.
So amazed at the sight was Aizon that he was startled greatly when the voice of the princess reached his ears. "This way Lieutenant," she said, voice echoing in the deep. He followed her through a doorway in the rock wall, and saw to his enormous surprise a room filled from floor to ceiling with huge maps of every city in the world.
Even more surprising was the ten uniformed soldiers sitting around a rectangular table.
They turned to look at him, and Aizon could feel their stares burning a hole on the side of his head. Trying to be polite, he nodded in acknowledgement at them, but was met only with stony silence. Getting a gesture to sit down from the princess, he sat down at the only empty chair to the right of the head of the table.
"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce Lieutenant Aizon. He'll be joining our war council from here on out," Princess Azula announced. She sat down in a throne made from solid ruby, the same gemstone that littered the cave they were sitting in.
"Princess Azula, I must protest. An imperial guard? And only a lieutenant at that? This is highly irregular," said a soldier sitting at the opposite end of the table. Murmurs of agreement sounded from the others.
Aizon almost made an angry reply, but then he took a look around the table. He was surprised when he saw that the soldier was right. He was by far the youngest and lowest ranked person present. Sitting to Aizon's right was an Army Major with a shiny medal on his chest, and across from him was a Captain of the Fire Navy.
Azula held her hands up, and instantly the table fell silent. "I am well aware of the... irregularity of admitting one so young to the war council. But my reasons for doing so are my own. I'll hear no more on this subject." She turned to the Captain across from Aizon.
"Now, Captain Shen, tell me about the newest intelligence says about what is being reported from the blockade."
And so it went. No one dared to try to argue with her. Instead, they all listened quietly as the Captain with a thick, walrus-like handlebar mustache droned on and on about suspected enemy movements in and around the north pole. It was mostly old news. For months now the Fire Navy had been blockading the water tribe at the North Pole.
It's effectiveness was hotly contested, especially as the people of the north pole seemed especially adept at running the blockade. Their small sailboats dodged and weaved so fast, that they almost always maneuvered away before than the Fire Nation cruisers' giving chase could fire at them.
Occasionally, a few boats would sunk every now and then. But most people said that was just luck more than anything else. In either case, the blockade didn't seem to make much of a difference.
Aizon tried to pay attention to everything that was said, he really did, but there was just too much information to process. He felt his admiration for the princess grow as she seemed to have no trouble at all absorbing everything that was said like a sponge. Nevertheless, as his thoughts began to wander, he did make a few interesting mental observations.
There were soldiers from both the Fire Navy and Army present, five were from the navy, and another five from the army. There also was no one above a colonel, yet none were below a captain either. The one thing everyone seemed to have in common was that they were all highly decorated. Aizon felt almost naked with his bare uniform lacking in any ribbons or medals at all.
That small observation just highlighted the strangeness of the meeting. Everyone knew the Fire Lord held a war council, to be a member of it was a great honor. But Aizon had never heard of anyone else in the royal family having a second, entirely separate council all unto their own.
And even though Aizon was no legal expert, he was pretty sure the princess wasn't allowed to be doing so. In fact, it might even be called treason, had anyone but the crown princess herself been the person in question.
The royal family was pretty much above any laws that applied to anyone else. That was the way it was supposed to be. Their divine right to rule had been unchallenged for millennia.
No one, including Aizon questioned that the royal family were the absolute rulers of the Fire Nation. But war powers, and convening war councils were supposed to be the exclusive domain of the Fire Lord himself. No one else. But that only begged the question of why these men agreed to come in the first place.
They had to know that if they were caught they could be sentenced to death. So why did they risk their lives so? And for a fourteen year old girl at that?
It was more perplexing than that even, because Aizon knew there was simply no way none of the guards palace guards ever noticed them. The regular coming and going of so many semi-highly ranked military officials, who had no business being in the palace otherwise, would be sure to raise eyebrows.
Aizon could only think of two explanations. was either that the guards were in on it, something Aizon was skeptical of, since they were loyal to the Fire Lord first, not the princess. Or Azula had somehow managed to figure out a way of smuggling them in, all while maintaining complete secrecy.
But that wasn't possible, right?. Someone would've noticed at some point, right?
Just when Aizon found himself wondering why he had started questioning the impossible so much recently, his attention was suddenly brought back to the meeting. An argument had broken out between the Captain in front of him and the Army Major to Aizon's right.
Looking closer at the Major, Aizon noticed a distinct scar running down the side of his face, all the way from his eyebrow to his cheek.
"It's completely reckless! The fleet will be completely destroyed! They have no idea what the avatar is capable of," the major was arguing.
That got Aizon's attention. He had, of course, heard the rumors that the Avatar had returned. It was all anyone seemed to be able to talk about these days. But this was the first time he had ever heard confirmation of it more than hearsay and speculation.
Being a loyal Fire Nation citizen, Aizon held nothing but contempt for the Avatar. Yet, he also knew that the Avatar was a fearsome opponent. He was not someone to be underestimated. Or at least, according to legend he was.
The fact that he had returned just as the Fire Nation was on the verge of victory did not sit well with Aizon. Couldn't the meddling old man have just drowned himself in the in the ocean or something?
"It doesn't matter!" Captain Shen replied heatedly. "We have no idea if the avatar will even be there! The evidence he's back is still circumstantial, at best. Besides, we have no other choice. Though I know if it was up to you, Major Sun, we would never attack, and simply try to starve the filthy water savages to death!"
The scar faced man, Major Sun, went red in the face. "Sieges are a proven tactic!"
Captain Shen crossed his arms, raising a pair of unimpressed eyebrows. "They didn't work at Ba Sing Se, did they Major?"
"Only because of the death of Prince Lu Ten!" Sun said with a forced calm that seemed to be quickly vanishing.
Shen scoffed. "The untimely demise of Prince Lu Ten was only a pretext. Everyone knows the siege of Ba Sing Se failed because of Iroh's weakness."
Sun jumped to his feet. "You take that back right now! General Iroh was twice the man you'll ever be!" he shouted.
Like a bomb went off, a shouting match erupted between the two sides of the table. But just as soon as it started, the shouting was silenced when Princess Azula slammed her gloved fist down on the table.
"That's enough. My uncle's failures are not the subject of this meeting. Captain Shen, Major Sun, sit down! Now!" with the last word, they both sat down quickly and quietly. But Aizon could still feel the tension in the air.
Suddenly, Princess Azula turned to him, and gave him a curious look. "Lieutenant Aizon, what are your thoughts on the matter?" she asked politely.
Aizon gave her a look of disbelief. "Me, Princess? I'm not sure exactly what I could add that these two distinguished officers haven't already said. I was drafted only a few days ago after all," he reasoned, happy to note approving nods from around the table.
Azula smiled at him like a shark. "To the contrary, Lieutenant Aizon. Your inexperience is exactly why your opinion is invaluable here. You can give us an outside perspective."
Reluctantly, Aizon nodded his assent, that made sense, but still, he didn't give an answer immediately. One of the lessons that had been drilled into him over and over under the tutelage of his former master Jeong Jeong was to think his answers through. It was always better to give a slow, good answer, compared to a fast, wrong answer.
He glanced around the table and noticed all the eyes on him, from both the sailors, and from the soldiers. Aizon had never realized there was a rivalry between the Fire Navy and the Army.
It suddenly struck him the brilliance of the princess to bring him here. He was the tiebreaker. Being in the Imperial Guard, he was free from the bias of the apparent rivalry between the Fire Navy and the Army officers.
It also suddenly dawned on him that he stood to make either a lot of enemies, or a lot of allies, depending on how he answered. One thing that was clear was that he had to cut a line somewhere down the middle. To side completely with either side would gain him nothing.
"Well," he began slowly, choosing each word carefully. "If the Avatar has truly returned, and he is anywhere nearly as powerful as the legends say, we must tread lightly. An enemy of that strength can only be defeated with careful planning."
A small smile came to the scarred face of Major Sun. "Wise words lad."
Aizon nodded gracefully, but before he could say anything else, Captain Shen interjected. "And what would you have us do then, boy? Sit back and allow the Avatar to undo everything the Fire Nation has bled and died for for over one hundred years?"
Aizon was quick to shake his head in the negative. "Of course not. In fact, I think a full scale invasion of the north pole is not only wise, but of the utmost importance if we want to have any chance of winning this war."
Now there was looks of confusion from everyone. "What do you mean, Lieutenant? You seem to be saying both yes and no at the same time. Which is it?" asked Captain Shen.
Aizon glanced over at the princess, but her face was inscrutable. Only an amused smirk let him know she was listening.
Swallowing, Aizon clarified. "I think we need a full invasion. The very existence of an independent city of waterbenders is a threat to the Fire Nation, and cannot be allowed to continue. At the same time, I also think that a naval invasion won't be enough. I've seen the smoke that our ships produce. There's no way they won't know we're coming."
"So what if they know we're coming?" interjected someone at the far end of the table.
Captain Shen nodded in approval. "That's right. The water savages can't possibly compete with our battleships. And we'll outnumber them man-to-man by at least three to one."
But Aizon shook his head. "No matter how large the invasion force, we still can't account for the avatar. He's the wild card. If he's there, and he probably will be seeing as it will be a major battle, it could change the course of the war."
He took a deep breath to get his thoughts together before continuing.
"In my opinion, humble that is, in order to ensure victory, we must have a ground invasion force. And it must come from somewhere they could never expect. It might all come down to that. The element of surprise."
Here Azula finally spoke up. "Not a bad idea Lieutenant. Actually, that would be ideal. There's just one small, or rather, quite large problem."
She got up out of her throne, and with graceful steps walked over to one of the maps hanging on the wall. She pointed to a map of a city with three walls surrounding it.
"The north pole is surrounded on three sides by these vast walls of ice, here," she said indicating with her finger. "They're hundreds of feet tall. Not climbable for anyone but a waterbender.
She paused for a moment before continuing. "Such an enormous barrier could only be brought down by an intense, and prolonged artillery bombardment. And that could still take days, maybe a week even. The city is only approachable by sea, and the waters are extremely treacherous at the best of times."
She turned back to Aizon. "Simply put, there is no land route with which to land a ground invasion force, not until we breach the walls at least."
But Aizon wasn't convinced. He got the feeling that maybe they were overlooking something. So he too got up, and walked over to examine the map more closely. For a few minutes he simply stared at it silence, before he was suddenly struck with inspiration like a bolt of lightning.
"What about over here? On this side," he asked, pointing to the rear section of the city.
Princess Azula bit her lip in what looked to be deep concentration. "That's the rear flank. It's completely unapproachable by sea… But... it is lightly guarded. A small force of say, twelve, could theoretically slip past the perimeter guards…
"Begging your pardon, Princess Azula, but the very idea of gathering any force to attack the rear flank is preposterous," said Major Sun. "There's a reason it's lightly guarded. The north of the city is regularly beset by blizzards that could bury you alive, and the ground is constantly covered in thick ice that makes it impassible for all but the most rugged of our tanks."
Azula opened her mouth to reply, but then curiously shut it. She had a look of someone who was thinking hard and fast on her face, before she turned back to the table of watching military men. "That's all for today. Meeting dismissed," she ordered.
Many seemed confused by the abrupt dismissal, but if anyone thought anything of it, they said nothing about it. One by one they bowed deeply before leaving the room. Finally only Aizon and Azula remained.
"I'm surprised Lieutenant," Azula said, breaking the silence, and startling said lieutenant who jumped at the sound of her voice.
"Oh?" he asked faintly, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
She looked at him contemplatively, before nodding. "Yes… You have an inclination for strategic thought, it seems. You quite talentedly surmised a flaw in our attack plans that not even I saw. And you did without any help, or offending any of the hotheaded members of the war council. I can tell you that is no easy feat, not at all."
Aizon's composure broke slightly, and an embarrassed smile stretched out on his face at the compliment. "You honor me, Princess," he said, before bowing in acknowledgement. When he straightened up, he looked pensive.
"Permission to speak freely, Princess?" he asked nervously.
"Granted."
"Why did you bring me here Princess? I suppose I understand how it could shake things up, and bring fresh ideas… But you could have done that with any of the other guards. Wouldn't it have made more sense to bring someone more experienced? Someone like Captain Masao?"
Azula was silent for a few seconds before she waved him closer. "Walk with me Lieutenant."
He quickly fell in step with her, his silver eyes expressing confusion as they slowly walked down the tunnel back towards the exit.
"These meetings are held in secret for a reason, Lieutenant Aizon. Neither my father, my brother, my uncle, the palace staff, or even Captain Masao know about them. I intend to keep it that way, Lieutenant Aizon. My father would notice quite quickly if any member of the Royal Procession disappeared at random intervals. He's quite paranoid like that."
Aizon's look of confusion increased. He had to force himself not comment on that last remark. "But I am a member of-"
"Of the Royal Procession? Not yet technically. If I were to say that you failed my inspection, no one would bat an eye. Your name would be stricken from the guard roster, and you would be banned from the palace."
Aizon stopped dead in his tracks, a feeling of deep dread filling his stomach as he connected the dots.
"It all makes sense now… you needed someone from the procession to join your war council, to cut through the deadlock. But at the same time, it couldn't be someone who was already known as a member. People would notice their absence and grow suspicious..."
He looked at with accusing eyes. "That's why you insisted on doing the personal inspections of the new guards. It had nothing to do with checking for impostors. That was just a pretext so you could recruit someone, and make them disappear at same time, all without anyone being any the wiser."
Azula laughed delightedly and gave him a few sarcastic claps. "Well done Lieutenant. I couldn't have said it better myself, truly. You've figured it all out. Now the only question is what you're going to do about it…"
Aizon's mind raced. The princess had checkmated him before he even knew they were playing. It was a lose-lose situation. If he accepted, it was like Azula said, she would have thrown him out in the blink of an eye. And he was giving into what basically amounted to blackmail.
But at the same time, if he refused, he would still be thrown out. But that was slightly worse, because then Aizon would be sent home. He didn't know how he would be able to face his mother. The shame would be unbearable.
He thought about begging her, pleading for a chance to stay in the Royal Procession, but he discarded the thought as soon as it came to him. She didn't seem like the merciful type, and even if she was, he seriously doubted she would be swayed by anything he said. Aizon himself wouldn't have been persuaded for all the money in the world.
In fact, if it had been someone else in his position, Aizon would've gone so far as to compliment her. As much as he hated to admit it, the princess's scheme had been ingenious.
It was underhanded, deceitful, and even cruel. Yet it was ingenious. Artfully so.
He now understood why the decorated soldiers on the war council obeyed the illegal orders of a fourteen year old girl without question. Aizon had underestimated her before when he thought she would be scary when she got older. Princess Azula was already the most terrifying girl he had ever known.
"Well Lieutenant Aizon? What'll it be? If you don't make a decision soon, I'm afraid I'll make one for you," she announced, cutting his ruminations short.
Aizon hesitated a second longer, before he stood up straight and came to a decision. A defiant look sparkled in his silver grey eyes. "I could challenge you to an Agni-Kai. There's no way something like this is legal. I'd tell Captain Masao, and he'd… he'd…" Aizon trailed off when the princess broke out into harsh laughter.
"Then he'd what? Captain Masao wouldn't dare to stand against me."
She walked closer to him, and Aizon backed up until he hit the wall. A sense of deja vu came to him. The Princess had a sadistic gleam in her golden eyes as she approached within a handsbreadth of him. Well, at least she was enjoying this.
"Do you really want to make an enemy of me? Think carefully about your answer, Lieutenant…"
The defiant look in Aizon's eyes faltered. Did he? Making an enemy out of a potential future Fire Lord didn't exactly sound like a smart. But putting that aside, it was still a big gamble to challenge her to an Agni-kai.
She was rumored to be a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy of firebending, and her amazing blue fire lended that theory a lot of credence in his mind. Something as rare as that didn't come to just any firebender.
Not to mention the fact that she had no doubt trained under the best teachers alive. Even if Aizon was confident in his skill and the training he had received, it might be biting off more than he could chew.
She suddenly came even closer, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be, Lieutenant. It's no use fighting me. It's okay to admit defeat when you're outmatched."
His shoulders slumped, all the fight going right out of him. She was right. He wasn't foolish enough to refuse her out of wounded pride. "A wise man knows his limits, and exceeds them with practice and hard work. A fool flies past them without any regard for the consequences," Jeong Jeong had always used to say.
"What would you have me do?" he asked softly, looking at her with begrudging respect. He might not like how she was treating him, but she was still the crown princess. And no matter what she did, Aizon would always respect her for that at least.
Oddly enough though, Azula apparently hadn't expected him to cooperate, as a genuinely astonished look appeared on her pale face for five whole seconds, before slowly morphing back into what seemed to be her default look. A smug smirk.
"My my Lieutenant Aizon, you continue to impress me. First you bend lightning. Then you work magic on the war council. And now you agree to do as I say without me having to force your hand. I think I may be beginning to like you, Lieutenant Aizon… Don't let it go to your head though."
Despite the added on comment, Aizon couldn't help but blush at the backhanded compliment. It wasn't everyday that the beautiful princess of your nation told you she liked you. Maybe he could charm her into changing her mind…
"If you like me, perhaps you could reconsider throwing me out of the Royal Procession," he said with his best smile.
His hopes were quickly shot down by pleasant, tinkling laughter. "I think not, Lieutenant. " Her smirk widened into a half smile at his downcast look.
"It was worth a shot," he mumbled.
A definitively unprincesslike snort escaped out of her throat. "Indeed," she managed to say in a more dignified voice.
A minute later and they had exited the tunnel into the main palace. Azula turned to look at him and began speaking in hushed tones.
"Because everyone will think that I've kicked you from the Royal Procession, you will not be allowed back inside the palace by the guards."
"Then how am I to attend the war council then?" Aizon asked perplexed.
"Simple. You won't enter the palace." she answered, handing him a scroll from behind her back.
Curiously, Aizon unrolled the scroll and examined it. It was a complex and highly detailed map of all the underground caverns and tunnels beneath the city.
"A map?" he asked.
"Brilliant deduction," came the sarcastic reply. "You'll need that to come to the council meetings."
She handed him a card with a street address written on it. "That's where you'll be staying in the meantime. It's also where I'll be meeting you for our training sessions."
Aizon spluttered. "T..training sessions? Why would you-"
"Train you? Good question. After all, who could ever be worthy enough to receive my illustrious tutelage? Hmmm… I think you can thank yourself for this one Lieutenant."
Aizon's eyes widened at that proclamation. He didn't remember ever asking to be her student. The idea didn't exactly sound like something any man in their right mind would enjoy.
"That's right, your idea about launching an attack on the rear flank of the north pole has intrigued me. With my father's permission, I'll put together a small force to lead through the gap in defenses there. And since it was your idea originally, it's your right to join me."
But suddenly, like the flip of switch, her previously stoic look changed to one of intense - some might even say crazed - passion.
"But you should know that I won't accept just anyone on my team. Only the elite of the elite will have the privilege to fight alongside me. In order to earn your place, I'll need to teach you a few things here and there to get you up to my standard. That is, assuming you want to go?" She asked, raising a razor sharp eyebrow.
It was clear what answer was expected.
Aizon stood to full height and held his head up proudly. "Of course, my princess. I'd follow you to the ends of the world."
Azula rolled her eyes, but Aizon could tell his theatrics had amused her, as her mouth was curved in a half-smile.
"We'll see about that," she scoffed. "By the time I'm through with you, you'll rue the day you ever decided to sign up for the Royal Procession."
Somehow, Aizon got the feeling that she wasn't kidding around.
Two months later
His hunch had been right. She hadn't been kidding. Not in the least bit possible.
And though he still didn't quite feel like he was ruing the day he signed up for Imperial Guard, he did rue the day he had agreed to become Azula's student.
Aizon was almost completely unrecognizable compared to how he had been two months ago. Physically, he had always been fit, his training under Jeong Jeong had ensured that he stayed in shape.
But he had never been positively ripped like he was now either.
It seemed like every muscle in his body had been shred to pieces and regrown double their size. Muscles he didn't even know he had ever had, now ached from the abuse Azula had inflicted upon them.
"Five more Aizon. We're not done yet," Azula said from atop her place perched on his back. He bit his tongue to stop the scathing, sarcastic reply that he desperately wanted to say to her.
Spending so much time around the queen of wittiness and biting snap-back replies had also had a noticeable effect as well.
Aizon was proud to say he developed a bit of silver tongue, enough even to get the best of Azula occasionally.
He paid the price whenever he did. But just seeing her cute, indignant expression when it happened always made it worth it.
But this time he kept quiet, because he knew she would be delighted to take the excuse to punish him more. Aizon was already feeling quite exhausted from his all-day, nonstop training routine, so he stayed his tongue.
Sweat poured down his forehead as he slowly contracted and detracted his arms, completing yet another push up. He had lost count a while ago of how many he had done so far, but he did know it was about a hundred since she had climbed onto his back.
After he had gotten used to metal weights, she had decided to up the ante and make him carry her own weight in of all their exercises. Usually with her armor on, although luckily enough today was not one of those days. Instead she wore a delightfully distracting sundress.
Finally, just as his arms felt like they were about to give out on him, Aizon managed to complete five last push ups. But still, even though he had finished, he obediently waited for Azula to give permission to rest.
"Hmmm… adequate. You can take a short break," she said.
As soon as she said the word "break", Aizon collapsed onto the ground. In another sign of how much he had changed, he completely ignored the surprised squawking sound Azula made as she tumbled off his back.
Two months ago he would never have dared ignoring her. Now he closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath, completely unconcerned.
"You great oaf!" He heard her yell as she got back to her feet. "This was a new dress!" He pretended not to hear her until she angrily poked his side. "You better get me a new one Aizon," she said threateningly.
Quicker than a viper, Aizon rolled over to his side and swept her off her feet. Or, he would have if she hadn't seen it coming from a mile away. She jumped over his kick in an expert dodge. "It was a nice try Aizon, I'll give you that. But you're going to have to try harder if you want to see my knickers."
Of course, the thought of Azula's knickers predictably made Aizon splutter and blush, which she immediately used to her advantage to launch a lethal bolt of lightning straight at him. Naughty thoughts disappeared from his mind as Azula's training kicked in instinctively.
His pose changed to a more open stance. Then, as easily as someone else might've caught a Kuai ball, Aizon caught the shaft of arcing electrical fire with his left hand's index and middle finger, then gracefully turned, planting one foot behind the other, and shot it out his right hand.
He breathed calmly the entire time, never flinching as he channeled the roaring, pure, almost endless energy through his body. The bolt of lightning that came out was twice as bright, and nearly three times as big when it exited his outstretched fingers.
For a few adrenaline inducing seconds, the night sky was lit up as bright as day in a dazzling flash of light.
Aizon huffed and tried to catch his breath as he stared a little amazedly as his slightly smoking fingers. Channeling lightning was always exhilarating, but for some reason, that time had felt much more euphoric than usual.
His distracted state cost him when he felt himself get tackled from the side and slammed into ground. A split second later and his arms were pinned behind his back by what felt like a knee.
"I grow bored of endlessly repeating myself, Aizon. Tell me again what the first rule of battle is?"
"Never let your guard down," Aizon recited dutifully, before trying unsuccessfully to escape her powerful pin. "Azula please. We've been going at it all day. Can't we stop for the night?"
Azula hummed, completely unbothered by the captive Aizon squirming beneath her. "Alright. But I better not ever hear you say that I'm not a merciful master."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Aizon replied from his spot beneath her knee.
"Hmm. See that you don't," she said, before finally releasing him.
He rolled onto his back and rubbed his wrists. They were a bit sore from the tight bind she had put on them. "Damn Azula. I would've thought that after that light show that I put up for you that you'd go a little easier on me."
Suddenly she was on top of him, and his sore wrists arms were pinned once again. He hissed in pain. "Go easy on you? Is that what you want?" she asked with a dangerous gleam in her entrancing golden eyes.
Aizon was quick to shake his head. "Not at all. C'mon. You know what I meant, Azula," he said frustratedly.
It had been happening less and less recently, but occasionally, every now and then, she went a little bit... mad. Nothing too mad mind you, but she would become erratic. And an erratic Azula was not someone you wanted to mess around with.
"No, I'm not sure what you meant…" she finally said. Then an unreadable expression spread on her face. "You know when I first met you, back at the palace, I thought you were a bit like my brother."
Aizon raised an eyebrow. Coming from anyone else, that probably would've been a compliment. But coming from Princess Azula, it was anything but so.
"I hope I've redeemed myself in your eyes since then, your highness."
"Oh quite. You're nothing like Zuzu. Better in every way, in fact."
Aizon tried not to blush, but it was hopeless. He had admitted to himself a month ago, but even she probably knew by now that he had a huge crush on her. He would've had one just after seeing her every now and then in the palace, she was that pretty in his opinion.
But having her near with close, even intimate contact, practically everyday, all but guaranteed a deepening of those feelings.
He tried to ignore them. There were plenty of reasons not to feel that way. She was way above his station, for one. It was also beyond inappropriate to have thoughts of that kind about the crown princess. He was sworn to protect her. Oh, and she had also freaking blackmailed him.
But none of that seemed to matter for some reason. Maybe he was a bit daft. Maybe he was going mad too. But whatever it was, there was no getting around the fact that he was head of heels for the crown princess of the Fire Nation, the one and only Azula.
Clearing his throat, he tried to think of anything else besides how pretty he thought she was. But try as he might, he just couldn't.
"I- I'm not sure what you mean," he finally managed to say after a few seconds of prolonged silence.
She wiggled on his lap, which had some unfortunate side effects that he was sure she could feel. Her knowing smirk made his blush deepen embarrassingly. "Oh? Do you want me to count the ways? You're smarter. More subtle. Stronger. Both physically and with firebending. You're funnier. Funner to be around. And much, much better looking."
Aizon closely resembled a tomato by now. "Well I could say the same thing about you!" he blurted out.
She raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "What, that I'm better looking than my brother? I should hope you think so, because if you didn't…"
Aizon couldn't help but laugh at that, and he was happy to hear Azula laugh as well. Some of the invisible tension in his shoulders bled out of him at the sound. Most people would never think of her, with the way she ordered everyone around, but Azula's laugh - if you were lucky enough to hear it - was one of nicest sounds in the world in his opinion.
He couldn't help the adoring look in his stormy silver eyes as they fell quiet again. He gathered up as much courage as he could and plunged head first into what could either be a terrible mistake, or the greatest decision he had ever made.
"I meant it you know," he began with conviction. "I like your confidence. I like the way you carry yourself, as if you could take over the whole world. I like your smile. Your laugh. Your cute bangs. Your pretty eyes. Everything about you. I like you Azula. Like, I like like you."
As soon as he had finished his confession, he noticed immediately that something was off. There was something in her eyes. Something warm that paradoxically sent shivers down his spine.
"Uh.." he swallowed uncomfortably at the predatory look she was now giving him. "So, um," he cleared his throat. "Has the Fire Lord given permission for our participation in the invasion yet?"
"Not that it matters right now, but yes, actually, now that you mention it, we'll be leaving Wednesday morning."
"Wednesday?!" Aizon cried in alarm. "But that's tom-" A soft finger muffled whatever he was going to say next.
"Like I said, it doesn't matter right now. All that matters right now is your reward."
Aizon's blush returned with a vengeance as she leaned closer. So close he could feel her minty breath on his face. "Reward? What are-"
His babbling was silenced when what must've the softest lips in the world mashed against his. All at once, Aizon's world seemed to come to a complete halt, and then raced up to ten times normal speed as he realized what was happening.
His panicky thoughts disappeared in a haze of pure happiness. He didn't know what he had done to deserve it, but Aizon didn't really care about anything else in the world right then, as his only thoughts were of what to do with his hands.
Eventually, a few blissful mind-numbing-in-the-best-possible-way minutes later, after his hands had settled happily on her hips, and after they broke apart panting, huge, uncharacteristically large smiles blossomed on both their rosy faces.
"A..Azula.. N..not that I'm complaining.. Because I'm definitely not, but what in the world was that for?!" Aizon asked in bewilderment.
He had never seen her smile so widely before. Ever. It made for quite the surreal sight to see the normally deadly serious Princess Azula positively glowing with happiness.
"That, my dear Aizon, was your reward for all your months of hard work and dedication. Consider it a graduation present."
"A graduation present? So if I'm not your student anymore, what does that make me?"
She leaned in again, and for a few more minutes Aizon completely forgot he had even asked a question.
"How's that for an answer?" she asked, her usual smirk back in place, looking extremely pleased with Aizon's stunned expression.
He blinked, and then blinked again. Trying to refocus on anything besides how much he wanted to pull her down again for more. "I'm not sure. I think the message hasn't quite sunk in yet," he said dazedly.
But to his childish disappointment, Azula hopped up off of him. "Sorry Aizon. But you need your rest. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning, and I want you up and looking ready to take over the world. Not like you just got hit over the head."
Not without a small amount of grumbling, Aizon got to his feet. "Why are we leaving tomorrow anyway? The invasion isn't supposed to begin for another three weeks, I thought?"
"Because we'll need two weeks to get to the north pole. And another week to trek around to it's rear flank undetected." She pecked him on his cheek. "Pack lightly and bring only what you don't mind getting destroyed." A quick hug and she was on her way.
Aizon watched her go until she disappeared in the distance, his head leaning on the fence post. He was having one of those feelings again. But this time he had a feeling things were about to change. He just hoped it was for the better.
A/N: OMG. 12 pages. That is by far the most I have ever written in my life. And all in one day. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor, because I enjoyed writing it. I'm thinking about changing to M rating, for obvious reasons. Bad idea? good idea? What do you think? Please review, fav, like, subscribe. Yadda yadda. Thank you!
