Chapter 18
4 Years after the Hundred Year War
Inner Wall Monorail Station
"I must commend you on your creative thinking and disguises," a smug looking Dai Li officer walked up the stairs towards Azula and Katara, the two girls assuming defensive bending stances. "But it certainly helps to have a single access point to the city, doesn't it? Once we were certain that Ba Sing Se was your destination, we no longer had to waste our resources on tracking you all across the Earth Kingdom. We could simply wait until you showed up at the immigration checkpoint. I'm afraid that you really didn't stand a chance."
"You don't stand a chance at preventing me from wiping that smirk off your face," Azula threatened the man, pleased when she noticed him flinching slightly.
"Exactly the sort of thing I would expect you to say, Princess Azula," the Dai Li officer spoke, then turning towards the other girl. "Master Katara, our quarrel is not with you. Please, stand aside and allow us to apprehend this dangerous criminal."
"I'm not going to stand aside," Katara replied resolutely. "Instead, I demand that you reveal who gave the order to apprehend Azula."
"I am not authorized to reveal such information to you, Master Katara," the Dai Li stooge replied with fake regret in his voice. "I can assure you that the order came from the very top."
"Am I supposed to believe that King Kuei himself ordered it?" Katara scoffed, looking very skeptical. "No, he would not have authorized something that could threaten the relationship between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation." Azula gave the waterbender an appreciative stare. She didn't think that Katara had the head for politics, but it seemed as if she had definitely picked up a thing or two.
"It is not my duty to convince you, Master Katara," the Dai Li agent replied. "But it is my duty to carry out my orders," he added, pointing at Azula.
"Illegal orders from Long Feng, no doubt!" Katara exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the Dai Li agent. His slightly surprised expression spoke volumes. "Ha! I knew you were under his thumb once again!"
"And why wouldn't we be? Long Feng made the Dai Li as powerful as we have ever been!" the Dai Li officer retorted angrily. "And he will make us great again! Dai Li! Get them!" he finally gave the order to attack, and the two girls instantly found themselves under the attack of more than a dozen earthbenders, trying to outflank and surround them.
Projectiles of stone and the rock gloves of the Dai Li were whizzing through the air, and the two girls had their hands full dodging, deflecting and destroying the incoming missiles, having to spend all their time defending, with few opportunities for counterattacks. Katara was using her octopus form, the watery tentacles snatching the flying rocks out of the air and launching them back at the Dai Li. Azula mostly stuck to defensive use of her blue fire lashes, destroying whatever was being thrown at her, trying to at the same time nick some careless Dai Li goon if they came too close to her.
Still, the numerical superiority of the Dai Li put the two girls at a distinct disadvantage, and they both already had been struck rather painfully on a couple of occasions. As much as Azula wanted to throw caution to the wind and unleash utter destruction on the Dai Li, she was painfully aware that if she were to mow down a couple of earthbenders with her lighting arc, she would leave herself exposed to be struck repeatedly by the stone projectiles, most likely ending up shackled by the rock gloves. Gritting her teeth, Azula resolved to remain patient and prevail in this epic battle of endurance, even if she would be covered in bruises by the end of it.
"We need to fall back!" Katara grunted, having taken a solid blow across her chest that had nearly knocked her prone.
"Fall back where?" Azula snapped irately. The Dai Li were pressing in from both sides as well as the stairs leading down to the Lower Ring, which left only the stairway to the Agrarian Zone as a direction to fall back to, but it wasn't exactly the direction they needed to go.
"Doesn't matter!" Katara cried out. "Reinforcements!"
Azula cursed under her breath, also having noticed the worrying development. They had taken out only three of the Dai Li earthbenders, and now a larger group of the dark robed benders was assembling at the bottom of the Lower Ring stairway. If they were to join the fight, Azula knew that her fate would be sealed.
Having given Katara a quick nod, the two began to fall backwards, across the monorail station and towards the large stairway leading down to the Agrarian Zone, all the while being under heavy fire from the earthbenders. Fighting bravely, they managed to keep the Dai Li attackers at bay, but when the reinforcements arrived and the rain of projectiles intensified, disaster struck. Several flying stones slipped past Katara's defenses in quick succession, pushing her towards the edge of the stairway, and the final blow threw her right over the edge, sending the waterbender into freefall from great height.
Normally, Azula would have expected the other girl to save herself just as she had done before, bending a slide of ice to lower herself to the ground safely. However, Azula had no idea how badly injured Katara was, or whether she was even conscious. It was a split-second decision, but ignoring the stones pelting her back, Azula dived right off the edge of the stairs, jumping after the falling waterbender. Blue flames flared at Azula's feet and the fire jets allowed her to swiftly catch up with the falling Katara, gathering the other girl in her arms. Just before they both hit the ground, the fire jets kicked in again, allowing them to touch the ground gently upon landing.
"How badly are you hurt? Can you stand?" Azula asked frantically, forgetting to be embarrassed about holding Katara in her arms.
"I'm badly bruised, but I should be able to stand on my own..." Katara replied. The waterbender also didn't have the time to feel embarrassed, being in too much pain and too concerned about their safety. "Try lowering me down, please. We need to be on the move... look, they're already coming after us," she pointed at the wall behind them. Azula let out another curse as she watched a group of the Dai Li agents quickly scaling the wall, trying to catch up with them.
"Time to teach those fools a lesson they won't forget," Azula growled, gently lowering the other girl to the ground, relieved that Katara managed to remain upright, even if she did allow a pained gasp to escape her lips. While scaling the wall, the Dai Li agents were utterly vulnerable, and a cruel smirk settled on Azula's lips as she cracked her fingers, preparing herself to let loose with a lightning strike. A massive arc leapt from her fingertips, hitting the Dai Li agent slightly ahead of the others, the lightning then jumping to three other targets before fizzling out. Badly injured, the four earthbenders plummeted to their deaths, slamming heavily against the rocky ground below. Upon seeing this, the other Dai Li agents turned their tails and ran, not keen on experiencing Azula's lightning firsthand.
"Well done, thank you," Katara managed. "Still, we shouldn't linger here... they'll come after us eventually."
"True," Azula nodded. "Still, perhaps you better patch yourself up a little. I need you to be able to walk, so that we can put some distance between us and the Dai Li. Then we should stop and rest... and decide on what to do next."
"Good idea," Katara nodded. She quickly used her waterbending to heal the worst of her injuries, standing up much straighter once she was done. "That will do in a pinch," she said grimly, casting a quick glance at the princess. "Do you need any healing?" Katara asked.
"I'm fine for now," Azula shook her head defiantly. She most certainly was not fine, but her injuries could wait until they had reached a safe hideout. As they began to hobble away from the scene, supporting each other, Azula quickly became aware of all the hits the Dai Li had scored. The worst was definitely the blow she had received to her right side, it made drawing deep breaths very painful. The impact against her hip had left her badly hobbling, while the blow to her left shoulder had nearly dislocated it, leaving it very sore and painful. She was only too happy to accept Katara's arm around her waist, as she placed her arm around Katara's shoulder, the two bolstering each other as they made their very slow escape, sticking to the orchards of fruit trees as they walked, trying to keep themselves unnoticed by the Dai Li.
Having walked a good while with their teeth gritted in pain, the pair eventually felt comfortable to stop and rest properly, having put enough distance between themselves and the inner wall. They chose a comfortable spot among cherry trees, Azula plopping down in the grass with a relieved sigh. With the adrenaline no longer coursing through her veins, she began to realize just how badly battered her body was. It felt like the Dai Li had worked her over with a giant drill.
"Alright, tell me where it hurts the most," Katara spoke up, coming to sit next to her with a concerned look on her face.
"Oh no," Azula quickly shook her head. "Fix yourself first."
"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Azula, but-..."
"Thoughtfulness has nothing to do with it, Katara," Azula interrupted the other girl. "It's simply a rational and strategic decision. My injuries are not critical, so as a healer you should see to your own injuries first before tending to me. It's only logical."
"Of course, Azula," Katara smiled warmly at her. That smile alone felt like it somehow eased some of the pain Azula was feeling, as silly as she found that thought. "Thank you," the waterbender added before starting to heal herself.
Azula continued to lay in the grass, occasionally stealing a glance or two at Katara, observing the fiercely focused look on the waterbender's pretty face as she meticulously healed herself. The amount of healing that Katara required, however, made Azula experience some unpleasant emotions which she at first failed to identify. Azula knew that she was both the cause and the initiator of this mission, and it had led to Katara getting badly hurt, nearly costing her life. In a way, this had all happened because of her, so... was she feeling guilty? Or responsible?
"Alright, tell me where it hurts the most," Katara's voice interrupted her thoughts as the waterbender crawled closer to sit next to her. Azula wordlessly pointed at her right side, then letting out a relieved sigh as she felt the soothing touch of Katara's healing waters starting to mend one injury after another. Occasionally, Katara's hands would brush against her, and Azula found herself desperately yearning for more and more of this contact, even if it was through the cloth of her Earth Kingdom dress. Azula actually felt disappointed once all her injuries had been tended to, briefly considering faking a few more, but then deciding against such trickery, deeming it beneath her.
"All good?" Katara asked a while later. Azula responded with a quick nod, feeling all jittery and tingly from the experience. "And Azula?" the waterbender spoke up again, surprising the princess by taking her hand and squeezing it softly. "I'm... not sure I could have saved my own skin while falling. You very well might have saved my life back there. I know, I know... it was only logical and strategically sound. After all, I am a valuable asset."
"Uh... yes, exactly..." Azula managed, the blush burning her cheeks as Katara's cerulean orbs fixed upon her.
"Still, I thank you," Katara smiled at her. "To know that I can rely on you... it feels... well, it feels very nice."
Azula did not quite know how to respond to that. Was she supposed to say that she relied on Katara as well? Did she? There was a growing part of her that wanted to rely on Katara, but... there was still that other part of her which warned against trusting others, no matter how noble or selfless their motives appeared. "We should probably think about what to do next," Azula said instead. Whenever she felt emotionally compromised, she forced herself to push these feelings aside by refocusing on their mission.
"I imagine the Dai Li will be watching that monorail station and any other entrances through the inner wall," Katara mused. "And they will probably send search parties to comb the Agrarian Zone."
"Yes, so we need to stay on the move," Azula nodded. "And find some way to get inside the inner wall."
"Hmm..." Katara mused, looking as if she had an idea. "I wonder..."
"Well?" Azula gave her an impatient look. "Spit it out, already."
"You wrestled control of the Dai Li from Long Feng for a while," Katara said. "Did you ever learn anything about the secret Dai Li facility under Lake Laogai?"
"They flooded it completely, I thought you knew that," Azula frowned at the other girl.
"Yes, but... that doesn't really hinder me," Katara shrugged, pointing at her chest. "Waterbender, remember?" Azula blushed at that, realizing her gaffe. "We never learned if Lake Laogai was connected to other Dai Li facilities, but... I imagine it would have been?"
"It was," Azula nodded. "They sent a lot of people there for brainwashing. They definitely did not transport their victims through the city out in the open. There are underground passages that… we could use..." she finished in realization.
"Exactly!" Katara exclaimed excitedly. "There's our way inside the city! The only problem is..." her face fell a little. "Lake Laogai is almost on the other side of the Agrarian Zone. It'll be dark already by the time we reach it."
"I'm not sleeping under the open sky while sustaining myself on fruits and berries," Azula scowled. "Besides, can we truly rest with the Dai Li after us? We must not give them even more time to track us down."
"Mhm... I am not looking forward to walking so much. Even with all the healing we are both going to feel extremely sore," Katara sighed. "But I have to agree with your assessment of our situation, princess. Time is of the essence, so... I guess it has to be a night trek to Lake Laogai."
"Glad you agree," Azula smiled at Katara before quickly getting back up to her feet, feeling much rejuvenated. "Then let us be on our way."
The still waters of Lake Laogai looked particularly ominous in the dark of the moonless night, as the two girls stood at the shore, preparing themselves for the next step of their journey, one that would lead them to the bottom of the lake and through the flooded Dai Li facility.
"Ready?" Katara asked, giving Azula an encouraging smile as she waited for the princess to give her a sign.
"I guess," Azula replied, hating how insecure she sounded. With every step taken towards Lake Laogai, Azula had been growing increasingly uncomfortable with the plan that Katara had proposed. Perhaps it felt completely natural to a waterbender, but for Azula, to be trapped in an air bubble as she traversed flooded passages under the lake bed, with no way of escaping should something go wrong... she hated to admit it, but it frightened her immensely. And worse of all, she would have no control over the situation... her fate would be completely in Katara's hands.
"Alright, here we go. Stick close to me," Katara nodded, starting to bend, parting the waters close to the shore and walking straight through the opening. With her heart thrumming, Azula kept close at Katara's side, but as the waterbender allowed the water to close in on all sides, leaving them in a large and comfortable air bubble, Azula lost her nerve. This required too much trust than she was capable of extending. Perhaps it was completely unreasonable, but Katara might still decide that Azula deserved to suffer for everything she had done during the war, she could pop that air bubble and leave the princess to die a horrible death down in those flooded dungeons underneath the lake bed. The very thought of such awful fate proved too much. Azula turned and fled back to the shore, kneeling and panting heavily, dripping wet as she was completely overcome by a crippling panic attack.
Katara quickly returned ashore as well, kneeling next to Azula and placing a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong, Azula?" she asked softly, but the princess did not reply. After everything they had gone through, it felt stupid to harbor such paranoid thoughts towards Katara, but she simply could not rid herself of them completely. "Ah... I think I understand," Katara spoke up eventually. "Azula, look at me. Look me in the eyes," she asked, soft yet demanding, Azula having no choice but to obey. She found herself staring into those impossibly deep sapphire blue eyes, finding all sorts of swirling emotions there, but never anything resembling deception.
"I will never allow you to come to harm, Azula," Katara spoke gently, maintaining their eye contact. With disbelief, Azula felt Katara's soft palm cupping her cheek, so very tenderly. "I know how hard this is for you, but I want you to look into my eyes and see that you can trust me. And I think you know that you can."
"I..." Azula began to speak, but found it hard to choose the words to continue. Maybe she wasn't ready to trust Katara wholly and unconditionally, but she did trust Katara to not get her killed under Lake Laogai. For now, that was enough. "Let's... let's try again. I think I should be good now."
"Are you sure?" Katara asked, smiling as she removed her hand from Azula's cheek.
"Yes, I'll be alright," Azula nodded. "Thank you, Katara," she managed a small smile. "Let's do this. Let's infiltrate Ba Sing Se."