To a chill P.E. teacher who pretended not to see when I couldn't do something...
oooooooooo
So this chapter is really two chapters wearing a trenchcoat, or in other words, I refused to cut anything out of fear of things happening too fast, so here you go…
oooooooooo
Chapter 5
"Azula, it's an emergency!" Mouse yelled as soon as the bell marked the end of Math class.
Azula stood up and whirled, searching for the girl. She didn't really want to think about how she ended up as the girl's protector, but that was essentially what it came down to. It was like Miss Omori said, it was cowardly to prey on the weak. It would have been no problem for Azula to intimidate Mouse, the girl was harmless, but to intimidate the older girls who picked on her, well, that was fun. And actually, a challenge.
"What is it, Amaya?" Azula turned again and found Mouse standing in front of her desk with her sleeve drawn up, revealing the drawing of a dragon she dubbed Sparky yesterday when Azula drew it.
"I was careful, but it got smudged anyway… I smudged away his eyes. Can you fix it?"
"I wouldn't exactly call that an emergency."
"Azula, he can't see like this!" Mouse looked genuinely distraught. It was just a few weeks ago when this girl wouldn't even look at Azula and now she felt comfortable to yell. Nothing like a mouse anymore… Amaya, then.
"You are aware he isn't real, right?"
"He can still hear you!" Amaya covered the drawing's head.
"Let me see what I can do…" It was nothing really. Just a dot and two lines of her writing brush. It wasn't a lot of trouble. It just took a few seconds.
Yet, when she was done Amaya looked at her like she'd changed the world.
"Oh, thank you, Azula! I'll be so much more careful this time," the girl said, then turned around and walked back to her seat talking quietly to her drawing the entire way.
That girl really was strange…
Azula smiled slightly, watching her go.
"You like that she's your friend now," Ty Lee blurted out.
"No." Azula made the smile disappear. "I just do it to see her talk to that thing. It's funny."
"No… I think you like making her happy."
"That's ridiculous."
"Hey, Princess…" They were interrupted by Crooked walking by with a book. "I have a question."
"Is it an emergency?"
"No, but I promise, it has nothing to do with personified dragon drawings…" She got a nod from Azula. "Any idea what a schism is?"
"It is a division of a group into opposing factions."
Crooked nodded and quickly jotted that down into the book. "Thanks."
"You're on chapter five then, I presume?" Azula asked, noticing the book was the one Miss Omori had given to the both of them.
"Yeah… But you're probably already finished with it." Crooked looked down. Sora. Sora looked down.
"Sora." Azula made her look up. "I did, but five's a good one. And if you want to ask anything else, I'll probably know."
Sora nodded and walked off, but not before giving an awkward smile. No one besides Amaya was really used to the new Azula yet.
"Oh, I knew it!" Ty Lee threw her arms around the Princess and squeezed. "You do like them…"
Azula moved her gaze over to Mai.
"Don't look at me, this is what you get when you're nice to people."
Ty Lee pulled her into the hug as well. That's when Miss Omori burst into the room and closed the door after her. Everyone looked to her, including the Math teacher who was still there, gathering his books and supplies.
"Mr. Shig, we have a sort of an emergency on our hands," she said.
"What kind of-"
"Code Yellow Phenix."
"What's going on, Miss Omori?" Sora walked up to the teacher, but all the girls waited for the answer.
The only exception was Azula who stared at Mr. Shig as he tried to remember what the code meant. Then suddenly, his eyes went wide and he gasped involuntarily.
"No, no, no… Not like this!" He grabbed his hair.
"What's wrong?" Amaya asked.
"I need you to stay calm, girls. There is an armed intruder in the building. He was spotted minutes ago, but we have protocols for this and if we all follow them everyone should be fine."
The girls took it better than the teacher did.
"What do the protocols say?" Sora asked. As a firebender, it made sense she'd be calmer than the rest. She could defend herself if it came to it.
"It's simple." Miss Omori put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You'll follow your teacher to the lunchroom and out of the building."
"And where will you go?"
"I'll be escorting the Princess out of the building by another route."
"Why?" Azula walked forward, past Mr. Shig who was having some kind of a nervous breakdown.
"Because we don't know what the man's aim here is, but we do know the Fire Lord's daughter is a likely target."
"Zyra, don't you think…" Mr. Shig finally managed to get a few words in. "Don't you think we shouldn't separate?"
"I think everyone would be safer if we removed the most logical target from the rest of the population."
Miss Omori took Azula's hand and started leading her towards the door. In any normal situation, she would have found the gesture patronizing, but weirdly, she found it comforting. If she was going to be with anyone during this, it was best to be near the grown-up firebending master with a military background.
"Wait, I just thought-"
"There is no waiting, Shig… Can you get those kids out through the lunchroom, or must I do everything around here?!"
He nodded, and Miss Omori pulled Azula through the door. The last thing she saw were the scared faces of her friends as she was taken away.
They'd be fine.
Of course…
She was the only reason they were in danger in the first place. Remove her and they'd be fine.
"Are you doing alright, Princess?" Miss Omori asked when they were a few steps into the hallway.
"You might not want to call me that now."
They were alone in the hall, but Azula couldn't help but think there was someone behind every door, just waiting to jump her. Now that she thought about it, there could be more than one attacker. Yes, it made sense that the first one would just be a distraction to draw her out and then…
She hoped Miss Omori couldn't see the panic starting to overcome her.
"You do know this isn't about you personally? As the princess people will always-"
"And we're absolutely sure he's here for me?"
"Well, to be honest, not absolutely. People sometimes… They sometimes don't really care who the people they hurt are, they just want to prove they can-"
"I know what terrorism is."
"Of course, you do." The woman squeezed her hand a bit tighter. "I remember Ozai going through this a few times. The people are mostly just here to threaten, they're not really dangerous. But we have to treat them like they are every time."
"And my dad was fine?"
"Every time. It was scary at first, but you get used to it as the Fire Lord's son."
"Zuko!" Azula remembered suddenly.
"Please, stay quiet."
"No. What about Zuko?" Azula pulled her hand from her teacher. "What if it's a coordinated attack? What if they're going after him too? We have to send someone, he's totally useless, he can't protect himself! And he doesn't have you, all his teachers are idiots like Mr. Shig."
"Shh, I promise you he's fine. We have to worry about you right now." Miss Omori stopped when the Princess did, but looked desperate to keep moving.
"Think. Why would they go after me and not go after the Crown Prince?"
"Because… They have five times the guards at the Boys' Academy and actual security protocols. We don't because all the targets here are-"
"Girls."
"I'm sorry, I know it's unfair that you're in danger right now, but I swear, both you and your brother will be fine. Now, let me get you out of here, Azula."
"Hey, you there!" A voice came from behind them. They both whirled and spotted an angry looking man, holding out his hand and clutching something in his palm. Azula soon realized it must be an explosive he could trigger with just a bit of firebending from his hand. That must have been why he hadn't been overpowered yet.
Of course, Miss Omori realized this sooner, and swiftly placed herself between Azula and the strange man.
"Who's this?" He gestured to Azula.
"My niece. I wanted to get her out as soon as possible." Miss Omori made her voice sound weak. Azula could hear it was fake, but the way the woman clutched at Azula's uniform, firmly keeping her behind herself, seemed real.
"I heard you call her Azula."
Miss Omori didn't even flinch. Azula hated herself for it, but she did. She squeezed her teacher's hand on her uniform. If this man set the bomb off, what would her father do during their tutor time on Saturday mornings? Who would finish the painting on the wall? Who would push Zuko into the pond with Mai and Ty Lee? Who would fix Amaya's dragon when it got smudged again? Who'd help Sora if she didn't understand something in the book?
"This is the Princess, isn't it?" The man took a step forward.
"Please." Miss Omori was looking straight at him. "You don't want to do this. If you leave now, it's like it never happened."
"Step aside."
Azula flinched again at the thought of Miss Omori leaving her.
"No."
"Step aside! I don't want to hurt you."
"But you would hurt a child?" Miss Omori relaxed her grip on Azula, as she relaxed her expression. "That's what she is, you know? Just a nine-year-old who did nothing to deserve this."
"No! She's not just a child! She's his child! The child of the monster who killed my son!"
Azula didn't even doubt for one second her father was really responsible for the death. Chances are it was true. She couldn't believe this was how she died…
"Killed how?" Miss Omori asked.
"He sent my son's whole division into their death for a little battlefield advantage," the man explained.
"A little battlefield advantage can sometimes save millions of lives. What happened to your-"
"Sometimes, yes! But not here, he and his can keep dragging out this war, because they send us to die in it! We don't want it no more!"
"A Royal Prince recently lost his life in-"
"That's one!" He waved the hand that held the device. "One of theirs for how many of ours?! I gave three of my sons to Azulon, the last one to Ozai, I have none left!" He screamed the last word as loud as he could.
"And I suppose that is this little girl's fault, is it?!" She paused a bit to think, since he was listening to her finally. "Just as your sons could not be faulted for what you're doing here, she should not be accountable for her father's actions."
"I have to show him! I have to show him what he's doing to all of us! Now get out of the way!"
Once the man started screaming again, Azula couldn't take it anymore. She yanked herself free of her teacher's grip and stepped forward, towards the man.
It was time for it to end.
"If you want me, then at least fight me! I'm a princess and am therefore not scared of some-" It was all Azula managed to get out before Miss Omori grabbed hold of her again and pushed her behind herself. Azula was a bit relieved, since the bomb looked quite a bit scarier once she had a clear view of it, even though it the case of an explosion it would make almost no difference.
"You protect her now," the man started. "Yet she will be just as much of a monster as he is, in a few years."
"She will, if you already decide she's guilty before she even has a chance," Miss Omori squeezed her hold on Azula slightly. "That's why you'll just have to kill me if you want to hurt her."
The man stepped forward again, looking like he'd made a decision, but then faltered again.
"You know what I think?" Miss Omori spoke again. "I think you don't want to do this because you know it won't stop the war. It will make him hurt for a while, but he'd only treat us worse after. In truth, you'd only be saving one person from a death in the war, a little girl who wouldn't even get a chance to grow as big as your boys were."
The man was weeping by the time she was done, Azula couldn't believe it. He was lowering his hand.
"Then how do I stop it?" he managed, quietly.
"I don't know... But you could start by giving me the bomb and walking out of here." Miss Omori stepped forward without Azula and put out her hand slowly. She remained almost completely still as the man reached the bomb out to her. The moment it was in the woman's hands completely, Azula felt like she could finally breathe again.
To her surprise, the man looked relieved too. He looked to Azula with something other than hate, for the first time. Guilt, maybe? He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't get out even one word before an arrow went into his eye and straight through his skull.
Azula turned and saw Mr. Akagi at the end of the hallway with a bow. Soon a few of the other teachers peeked into the hallway and gave approving nods to the man. That's when Miss Omori marched past Azula and straight for the man who fired the arrow.
"I guess you're lucky I was-" The woman shut him up with a fire fist to his bow, which went flying out of his hands and continued burning on the floor. "What-"
In less than a second Miss Omori had him pinned to the wall, holding a fire dagger at his neck.
"He gave over his weapon! Did you see that?" she asked, and the man nodded as hard as the dagger would allow him. "Of course, you did… And where were you while he was armed? Hiding? You like it when one person is helpless, don't you?! This is how that feels like!"
Azula didn't see anything change, but Mr. Akagi screamed so that meant Miss Omori pressed the dagger forward. The woman dropped him quickly, and the man was obviously more scared than hurt, since Azula could only make out the tiniest burn on his neck.
"And you can all stop gossiping, I did go to see the Fire Lord!" Miss Omori turned around looking at each of the confused and terrified teachers. "And there are going to be some changes around here, since he decided he's giving me this school."
After saying that, the woman paced out of the hallway and out the building.
oooooooooo
It was horrible, really…
Only days after seeing Ozai again and Zyra was already back to this.
She sat on a bench outside the school, watching as the soldiers searched the building and garden for more explosives. It had to be admitted, they came quickly. Quickly after the danger was gone. She was sure they would be happy there's a corpse to blame. Easier than a breathing, talking man who could be yelling all kinds of things about the Fire Lord. Now, they could say he attacked because he was mentally ill, or because he was sent by the Nation's enemies. They could pretty much say whatever they wanted.
But that wasn't the worst thing... She lost control. She attacked a colleague for killing a man who walked a bomb into a school. Zyra truly thought she'd buried that side of herself, but it turned out you never really got over who you used to be.
"Miss Omori?" Azula stood not that far from her now, a worried look on her young face.
Why?
That's when Zyra realized she'd allowed a few tears to escape. Perfect…
"I'm fine. How are you, dear?" She wiped her runaway tears in one quick motion and gestured for Azula to come closer. She took the girl by the shoulders and looked her up and down.
"I'm alright." Azula opened her mouth to say more. Then closed it. Then opened it again. "Are you crying?"
"I guess, I am."
"Why? We won."
It was moments like that when Zyra felt like she'd gotten nowhere with the girl. No matter what she taught her, the princess couldn't seem to come to empathy naturally.
"A man died today, Azula. I can't be happy about that."
"But he wanted to kill me. Did you want him to succeed?"
"Of course, not." Zyra shook her head. "But I prefer to solve my problems with words, not cowardly shots behind someone's back."
Easy…
"Sometimes death is a mercy," Azula said meaningfully. "My father says that."
"If the man had stayed alive, he had to go to prison, definitely, but he could've told his story. Sad thing is, just because someone's methods are despicable, doesn't mean their point is wrong. He unfortunately ruined his message by endangering all you girls."
"So his kids died in battle…" The girl shrugged. "Lu Ten did, too. It happens in war. That's what it's for."
"You know how you miss your mother?"
"I don't-" Azula stopped when she got a look from Zyra. "Yeah."
"Well, losing a child is like that, just a lot worse, since it's not really supposed to happen. You're supposed to die before your children, it's natural, but the other way around is just wrong." Zyra took one of the girl's hands to get as much of her attention as possible. "That's why you can't do what you did today ever again."
The girl looked like she got what that was referring to.
"But I-"
"None of that… Your father would've been crushed if he'd lost you. Your friends too. You have a precious, young life, please, promise me you won't throw it away for family honor or some other imaginary thing like that. I once chose my life over their honor and I would never trade back. Promise?"
"I promise…" She took in a big breath. "To think about it…?"
"Azula."
"I don't want to lie."
"That's alright, then. Please, think about it. Was there something you wanted to ask?"
"Just… I wanted to thank you for… You know. For stopping me when I gave myself up. And standing between me and the bomb." The girl sounded like she didn't really like the words that were coming out of her mouth. Gratitude did feel unnatural coming from her, and it must have felt unnatural to talk about, but Azula was still doing it. Zyra felt meaning again, realizing the girl would have not done that a month ago.
"Of course… If it happened a hundred times more, to any of you girls, I'd do it again."
"Let's hope it doesn't." Azula smiled.
"Yes." Zyra smiled back, then realized she couldn't not tell her after the girl was so honest. "And Azula, about my behavior after the man went down… It was wrong what I did. I was a-"
"Bully?"
"I'll go and apologize to the teachers later, but I wanted to apologize to you too, for having to see it."
"I was surprised by it. I think…" Azula sighed deeply. "You earned yourself a week of detention."
"I deserve that." Zyra chuckled. "But listen, it's like I told you. You make a mistake, you have to own up to it. You did with yours, and I'll do it with mine. It's a bit different when you're an adult, though… Adults don't get forgiven so easily. Sometimes you make just one mistake and you're this bad person to everyone forever…"
Zyra looked down, wondering if she managed to get her message across or if she has to add anything, but then she felt the little girl hug her and she immediately knew her answer.
How could she ever have doubted she was making progress with Azula? The princess was clearly trying to comfort her, since that was what Zyra did to her when she was crying. She was learning and growing and becoming a better person, and that made Zyra want to start crying all over again.
oooooooooo
Azula woke up just before noon.
It was her birthday, and it was already turning out better than her last one for a variety of reasons. Firstly, today she turned ten, which was more than nine, which immediately made it better. Secondly, she got to sleep in this morning since her father told the servants to forget her wake up call. That kind of thing was impossible during her previous birthdays, seeing how her mother made sure to wake her at six in the morning every year. It was this sappy tradition she had, since she gave birth to Azula at six, she wanted to congratulate her daughter at six every time. Azula despised it for years, especially since Zuko's birth hour was four in the afternoon so it never interfered with his sleeping.
However, waking up so late, she couldn't help but feel a bit wrong. It didn't really feel like her birthday if it didn't start with her yelling at her mother and squirming out of her hug. Azula, of course, knew her mother wouldn't come to wake her. If the woman did ever return, she definitely wouldn't return for Azula. Yet she couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of disappointment as she got out of her bed and got to dressing. There was another better thing… For the first time, she got to wear whatever she wanted to her birthday celebration. In previous years, her mother prepared some kind of silk dress for her to struggle in for the entire day, but not this time. Her father had been clear with the servants, Azula was to wear what she wanted.
She stood in front of the mirror and regarded her outfit. She looked like it was any other day in her shirt and trousers… Maybe it wasn't too late for a dress?
"Daughter," she heard from the door.
"Daddy!" She turned and ran to the Fire Lord, who lifted her up as she put her arms around his neck.
"At ten, I think you might be getting a little old for this," he said as he was putting her down. "Happy birthday, Azula."
Too old for what? Getting picked up, or for the hug, or calling him Daddy maybe?
Azula didn't think about it since she didn't feel ready to give up any of the three yet.
Maybe he meant too old for a birthday celebration?
"Now, this is nice." He tugged slightly at the shirt over her shoulder, sliding it into place. "Not the blasted dresses she had you parading around until this year. Don't you think?"
He turned her towards the big mirror again. She nodded without even looking up at herself first.
"Of course." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "This is what you're for…"
He was right. Of course, he was. She was training to be the best firebender in the world, dresses weren't for her.
"I must leave you now, since I'm having a political gathering tonight, but I'll see you before bed."
"You won't be at my celebration, Father?" She didn't like how the word tasted in her mouth.
"I have some matters to attend to with the parents while you children play, but we'll see each other afterwards. I'll… I guess, I can spare an hour to train with you. I'll find you tonight."
"Alright." She looked down.
"And to make up for it, I'll forbid Zuko from going down to your celebration. I'll ground him to his room. How would you like that, Princess?"
"No, I want him there. I…"
She didn't really have an explanation. Not a rational one, anyway. She thought about Zuko staying inside another day, crying about Mom, and she just didn't want it. The woman didn't deserve his misery. But her father wouldn't take that as a reason.
"Why?"
"The girls and I need someone to tease." She forced a little smirk. He chuckled.
"Far be it from me to ruin your fun, then." He squeezed her shoulder slightly and walked away.
The celebration. That was the fourth reason this birthday was going to be so much better than the last one. She always invited all her classmates, as was expected, since it gave their parents a chance to fraternize with her father, but this time, those girls actually liked her. Or at least, tolerated her.
She was actually excited for a day filled with running around in the sun and playing games, without worrying about keeping up her appearance as the powerful and scary princess. That was probably the reason she wanted Zuko there. She wanted him to see her new and improved way of getting people to like her. The one that actually worked.
Azula hadn't really spoken to him a lot since she met Miss Omori because he didn't come out of his room much since their mother left. And even worse, when he did, he didn't look up unless he had to. The one interaction they had about it consisted of her teasing and him screaming at her that she was the reason Mom left.
Was she?
There was a knock on her door.
"Come in." Azula turned from the mirror to see Miss Omori. The woman got to her knees and spread her arms just in time for Azula to run into them for a hug.
"Hey, Birthday Girl!"
Azula didn't know why, but she had a hard time letting go of Miss Omori. She knew that the woman would kneel there and hug her for as long as she needed, but she made herself let go anyway, way before she was ready.
"How are you here?" she asked.
"Your father invited me to a boring adult thing, but since I was already at the palace, I thought I'd come and congratulate you in person. So are you excited for the party? You feeling older and wiser?"
"A bit excited. And I think I'm already plenty wise."
Miss Omori chuckled.
"You know, I was secretly hoping to catch you in some kind of traditional dress or something out of the ordinary like that…" The woman smirked. "Guess, I'm out of luck today."
"It's my birthday, I can wear whatever I want…"
"I know, and you should… I just loved dressing up formally when I was your age. But I also liked wrecking the dresses by playing in the garden."
"I would wear a dress, but… It's not what I'm for. I'm a fighter."
"Don't say that." Miss Omori frowned instantly. "You're a person Azula, you're not for anything."
"I know that…" Her father obviously didn't.
Miss Omori took a step back to draw attention to the long red dress she was wearing.
"I'm wearing one and I swear none of my firebending knowledge is compromised."
"But I don't have to?"
"Absolutely not. Now I need to get going, or I'll be terribly late and not just fashionably late." The woman cracked the door open. "But before I leave, I have something for you."
She whistled and three men came running, each carrying a box.
"How did you get this into the palace? You have to leave all gifts with my father first…"
"My last name's Omori and money talks." The woman threw a bag of what appeared to be coins to the last man as he was closing the door on his way out.
"What is it?"
"Why don't you go and check?" Miss Omori gestured to the closest box and Azula carefully took off the lid. There were fresh paints in there.
"I can't have that here!" It escaped before Azula could think. "Thank you, but I can't-"
"I had them put in boxes used for candles, I paid the men to be quiet, and your maid to ignore them. I also gave your father an official gift for you. Several old paintings you can hang in your room and use the back side of their canvas for your own paintings."
"That's…" Azula wanted to end the sentence with insane, but it really wasn't. It was actually surprisingly thought-out.
"Enjoy your gift, Azula. And your birthday. I really need to go."
oooooooooo
Zyra was relieved none of the guards on her way asked her where her husband was and if she was lost, because she was really not in the mood. Someone would end up getting a fire fist to the face, and it wouldn't be her.
She finally went through a big, ornate door and entered a room filed with people standing around in conversations. Only, once she came in, everyone turned to stare at her. She felt compelled to speak.
"I'm sorry, if I'm late. I was just congratulating the Princess." She searched the crowd for the Fire Lord, but came up empty. Then she heard him.
"My Ladies and Lords, Zyra of the Omori family, the woman who saved our Princess' life in the recent terrorist attack."
The Fire Lord's proclamation was followed by a loud applause. Zyra bowed slightly to the crowd. It was amazing how all the dumb rules of good, noble behavior came back to her the second she was back.
The guests started walking to her in small groups and introducing themselves. Only then did she notice that almost all of them walked in pairs. Married couples. Suddenly, she felt like she didn't really belong there anymore, no matter how good her palace etiquette remained.
"Evening, Lady Omori," the first man said. "I'm General Ito, and this is my lovely wife, Aki."
The woman next to him bowed. Zyra mimicked her.
"You must be Sora's parents. How nice to meet the both of you…"
"We've actually met already." The General looked to his wife, who giggled a bit to herself. "We went to school together at the Boys' Academy."
"Ravi?" Zyra squinted slightly, trying to compare the handsome man in front of her to the little boy with a pimple problem she remembered. "General Ravi Ito? I can't believe it…"
"Well, believe it. And you can probably remember my wife too, since you went with her to the girls' school before you transferred."
"Oh, of course…" Suddenly, like by some Spirit magic, she remembered a little stuttering girl she used to know with the same name.
Zyra looked around the room and realized she used to know almost all the people there. These people who were still little kids and silly teenagers in her mind were all heads of their families now, and parents several times over. She knew time didn't stop here while she was away, but it hurt more than she expected to whiteness how everyone's lives went on without her like she never existed in the first place.
She spoke shortly to each of them, laughing at old memories and forgotten grudges, then circled back to the first couple.
"I apologize for not recognizing you right away. It's been a while, I didn't mean any offense."
"It's alright." The woman, Aki, smiled. Zyra remembered stuffing her into an arts' supply closet.
"Really, we mean it," her husband added. "Would you like to sit next to us?"
Zyra was about to enthusiastically agree, when someone spoke up first.
"I already had a spot in mind for her." The Fire Lord appeared out of the crowd. "Next to me."
Zyra took Ozai's offered hand and let him lead her to the two chairs at the head of the table.
What was he playing at?
Everyone looked at them as they sat down and only then joined them at the table. Then before the meal, Ozai made sure to make one more proclamation about her bravery and toast to it. Everyone was talking about it for the entirety of the meal, so at one point Zyra felt compelled to weigh in.
"Thank you, everyone, for your…" She coughed slightly. "Kind words. But it really was not such a big deal. All those children were in my care, I just did what anyone would have done in my place."
"Nonsense." Another man she recognized from her school days spoke up, raising a glass. "I heard you placed yourself directly between the Princess and a bomb in a mad man's hands. Is that not true?"
"It is, however…"
"The Lady Omori is too modest, by far," the Fire Lord cut in. "She even disarmed the man by herself."
"It's not how it sounds like," she spoke to the room. "I only used my words…"
A loud applause broke out. Zyra quieted down then and took it, realizing that as long as Ozai painted her as a hero, there was no way these people would accept anything else.
"Everything alright?" the Fire Lord whispered, since apparently everything on her mind was clearly visible on her face as well. Obviously, she'd lost some of her poise and unreadability in the last decade.
"It's been a long time. That's all."
"I can make them all go away if you'd prefer." Not a hint of joke in his voice.
"That won't be necessary, my Lord."
"Are you certain?"
"Remember who you're speaking with." Zyra forced herself to smile.
Then she took one look at Ozai smiling back at her at it was enough. She excused herself quietly and, instead of going to the restroom, snuck into the children's celebration.
She just needed time to think about this whole thing Ozai was doing. She needed to figure out how she felt about it and, more importantly, him. This whole night was obviously supposed to be some weird kind of love proclamation only he could come up with, so he'd demand an answer sooner or later. And judging by the few things Zyra did know about who he was now, it would be sooner.
But she couldn't think about that right now, not until she knew Azula was doing alright. The girl had come an amazingly long way since they'd first met, but a party of this kind was always a challenge. Zyra could think of at least a dozen examples of the top of her head of how it could go wrong. She believed in Azula, of course, but she just didn't believe it was the right time for her yet.
By the time Zyra was going through the garden to where the children played, she found herself running, not simply pacing. Then she saw them.
Azula and Sora were running around, holding hands, while the other girls tried to get away from them. Sora managed to catch Mai's shoulder with her free hand, so the third girl held on and the three of them ran around, hands clasped, trying to catch the others too. Zyra couldn't help but smile when she saw Azula ignore Amaya, who'd fallen to the ground and couldn't run in time, and instead go for Ty Lee giving her little friend enough time to get back up and into the game.
They were all giggling and had bare, muddy feet. Coming closer, Zyra noticed their fancy, ladies' slippers were all neatly arranged in a corner. She was sure Azula had something to do with that. Carefully, Zyra took off her own elegant slippers and placed them in the pile. The grass felt good under her feet. In fact, so good that she took out the ornamented pin that held her braid in a bun and placed it in one of her slippers. It was indeed a beautiful day.
Ozai and her used to play in these gardens too. They were always alone, though, but mostly through their own fault. They both always had to be better than everyone, with the one exception of each other. Somehow, not being the fastest runner was acceptable to Ozai since Zyra was, and not being the strongest firebender was fine with her, because it was Ozai. That worked well if there was just the two of them competing. Zyra remembered this one game they made up that sadly led to a whole row of bushes being set fire to. She moved to look for that exact place when she thought she saw young Prince Ozai sitting on a bench not far from her. Unbelievably, after she blinked a few times he was still there. Then she realized, it might not be Ozai, but it was a prince. Crown Prince Zuko.
The boy sat on the bench with crossed hands, trying really hard to face away from the girls and their game, at the same time as trying really hard to seem offended and generally unentertained by everything. Zyra actually found it adorable until she remembered that, quite like Azula, the boy was probably acting out because of his mother's abandonment.
"My Prince." She offered a little bow, since she didn't really know what Zuko was like, so she just imagined him like a young Ozai. And that boy would insist on being bowed to.
"Who are you?" He barely spared her a glance.
Ozai's blood, alright…
She moved her braid to her front and sat down on the bench too, but kept her distance from him. She turned her gaze to the girls, so the boy wouldn't feel like he was being attacked. Too much eye contact could do that to a preteen, she'd learned.
"I'm Azula's teacher, Miss Omori."
There was a long moment before the boy spoke, but Zyra let it stretch out for as long as he wanted it.
"Are you the one that saved her?"
"Yes."
"So you're the one that killed that guy, then?"
"Actually, I disarmed him. Someone else felt the need to end his life after that."
Now Zuko looked at her.
"You don't look that dangerous," he concluded.
"Well, that's how I get them." She made eye contact, smirked briefly, then continued looking at the girls' game that was just starting over.
Zuko didn't quite smile, but he uncrossed his arms, and shifted so he could look at the girls too. Probably had to check what she found so interesting there.
"Don't you like… Want to go in there, spend time with Azula or something?"
"Don't you?" Zyra looked sideways to him and he returned the gaze.
"She wouldn't want me to, and it's her birthday and everything."
"I think she would."
Zyra briefly remembered Azula saying, no, screaming that they needed to check on Zuko while her life was in danger. The boy couldn't be more wrong.
"Besides… They're all girls. What would I do with them?"
"You can just join the game. Just run right up and help them chase each other around…" Zyra noticed Azula waving and waved back, distracting the Princess enough to get her captured by Ty Lee.
"It's a stupid game."
"So what if it is? They seem to be having fun with it. I'd join too if it was remotely fair. Believe me, I'm supposed to return to my grown-up party up there and I wish it was half as fun as this. Enjoy it while you can…" Zyra stood up, but didn't yet start leaving.
"They'd just pick on me because I'm the only boy."
"I will bet you, more of them will listen to you than to Azula, so if you don't start anything, they'll be nice."
"Why? I don't even know most of them…"
"You're the Prince, Zuko. Most of them have major crushes on you…" With that Zyra started walking away. Barely a few seconds passed before the Prince caught up with her.
"You can't know that," he said, yet continued to walk by her.
"I'm their teacher, I hear them talk… You're very popular. You and some boy named Sen."
"Sen? Sen's a bully. I'm better than Sen…" He sounded so invested already, Zyra had to stop herself from smiling. "So which ones? Which ones like me?"
"I'm afraid, you're just going to have to go play with them and find out."
"But-"
"Trust me, do it now while it's still easy to tell. They'll learn to hide it better in a few years and then you'll be in trouble."
Zyra stopped and gestured to the girls with her head. Zuko opened his mouth to object, but then simply sighed and ran from the woman into the clearing where the girls were just finishing their game.
"Can I play too?" he asked.
"Of course!"
"Yeah!"
"Come on!"
Zuko ignored the agreeing girls for a moment and looked to Azula. She didn't look so sure, so Zyra gave her a meaningful look from the back.
"Sure, why not. You can start, Zuzu."
Zyra knew she had to return to her party, but it was just too tempting to watch them running around in circles and giggling without a care in the world.
oooooooooo
Zyra was running through the garden ever since she noticed how much time had passed since she left the Fire Lord and the other noblemen. She carried her slippers in her left hand, because she'd always been faster barefoot. She knew this garden like it was her home, so it was a surprise when she almost ran right into someone coming from behind a row of trees.
She looked up, ready for a quick apology when she recognized Ozai.
"Fire Lord. My apologies, I-" She was cut off, when he stepped forward and kissed her. She couldn't find it in herself to resist anymore, she threw her arms around his neck and leaned in closer. It was all so right, they were in this garden again, their garden, and she was barefoot and not where she was supposed to be and now neither was he because of her.
And she didn't feel it. No matter how long the kiss lasted, and it was a decent kiss, it felt wrong, because it felt like she was kissing a complete stranger.
She pulled her head away slightly, but remained in his arms.
"We shouldn't." It sounded terribly convincing, but Ozai didn't look convinced.
"Where were you? I've been looking around for half an hour."
"I'm sorry. I went to check on Azula and the girls."
"You two really like each other, don't you?"
"You could say so. We've bonded ever since the first day… She's an amazing child." Zyra removed a hand from his shoulder to brush back the stray hairs that got loose from her braid. "Oh, and I met Zuko. He's a nice young man, too. I never imagined he'd look so much like you."
Ozai let out a dismissive huff, instead of answering.
"I'm serious…" She smiled. "He even has that little, adorable pout."
"If you say so…"
"Now, what are you doing?" She grabbed hold of his collar, and fidgeted with it as she talked, like she remembered she used to. "You should have just stayed at your party, Fire Lord."
"Not without you. I called all of them here, for you." He leaned in and touched their foreheads together like she remembered he did their last night before she was banishment. "Because this is what our life was supposed to be like. If everything had gone…according to plan. Parties with our friends, while we watch our children play in the garden."
"That's a nice thought, except it didn't go like that…" She pulled back to get a good look at him. "I'm still a woman without honor and those people are definitely not my friends and the children are yours, not mine."
"All true, but it can be fixed. I called all those people tonight, so they'd see you how I see you."
"I get it… So you plan on manipulating and bullying them into liking me again?"
"With your charm, I probably won't need to."
"If I was the same person I was, I'd kiss you now." Zyra chuckled to herself.
"Marry me." He blurted out once there was silence between them.
"Did you somehow get drunk up there after I left…" She patted his chest, like it was a joke. Spirits, she hoped it was a joke.
"I'm serious, we finally have a chance to make it all how it was supposed to be. Think about it… We only lost a decade, and I'm Fire Lord now. If I say your honor is restored, it's done. They'll have to respect you, especially if you're my wife. The kids are not yours, true, but you seem to be getting along well with them. We can have a couple more if you insist, but that's up to you completely…"
"Ozai, I…" Zyra pulled away from him. "I'm not going to marry you."
"Why not?" It probably came out louder than he wanted it to.
"Excuse me, but I don't even know you anymore, Fire Lord."
"I thought you'd be happy for me. I only did it, because I had to get rid of him finally."
"Oh, so you could do what? Become him?"
"What is that supposed to mean?!" He looked immediately sorry he yelled. Zyra didn't care.
"You've been Fire Lord for what? Two months, and everything is the same. Like he's still here, only it's you, leading the war, telling me who I'll marry and where I should be."
"That is the most revolting thing anyone's ever said about me. I'm nothing like that man!"
Zyra didn't think striking or insulting the Fire Lord was a good idea, so she did the only other thing she could. She started walking away. He, of course, followed.
"He was a monster, I'm your friend!"
"I guess, I just figured you made up at some point." She kept walking, but she was interested to see how he'd deny her claims. "For Spirits' sake, you named your daughter after him!"
Then before he could provide her with an answer, she saw they weren't alone on the stone path. Azula and Zuko stood a few meters away, staring at them with confusion in their young eyes. Ozai saw them a second later and stopped walking too.
"Father. Lady Omori." Zuko was the first one to speak.
"Is something wrong?" Azula looked concerned. She was too good at reading people to miss it. Besides they weren't exactly subtle, yelling at full force out in the open.
"Not at all. We're just taking an evening stroll through the gardens," Ozai said.
"Didn't you have guests of your own, Father?" Zuko asked.
"You keeping my schedule now, boy?" Ozai snapped. "Should I ask you before I do something?"
"Apologies, Father." The boy looked down and Zyra wanted to blow something up.
"And why aren't you kids playing with the others?" she asked. Yes, she could still keep her face falsely polite as it would seem.
"We are. We're all playing hide and explode," Azula explained.
"I found Azula first." Zuko cheered up saying that.
"Revel while you can, Zuzu."
"Fire Lord," Zyra started. "How about we take this somewhere inside. So we're safe from foreign spies." She let her eyes dart over to Azula for a second. He understood her immediately. At least they still had that…
They left the children to their game and he led her up to his study. She was relieved he wasn't so forward as to take them to his bedroom. She didn't think her reputation could take another hit…
"Azula was listening then, last time?" Ozai asked as he made sure the door was closed.
"Just the part in the throne room, but yes." Zyra looked around at the mess in the study. "I don't think I've ever visited this room before."
"Sure, you have. We sneaked in here to check where my father would send me to serve. Then we made out in that closet." He pointed.
"Only I could forget committing treason."
"Where were we then?" He came closer and gestured to one of the chairs. She shook her head.
"You asked about Azula's name," he continued.
"You don't have to… It's none of my business."
"No, I want to. I never made up with my father. I hated him right till the end, and I'm pretty sure he hated me right back. Azula happened because… Well, Sozin's dynasty doesn't produce daughters."
"What?"
"Sozin and my father only had sons because if they had daughters, they were… Taken care of."
Zyra could not conceal her shock as the words sank in.
"Iroh?" she asked immediately. She spent years taking care of young Lu Ten with Iroh's wife, not knowing he might have been killed had he been born a girl.
"No, he was just lucky like always. But Iroh and I should have three sisters between us, only they were deemed unnecessary." He paused, for her sake. He was closer with every sentence. "Naturally, as soon as my daughter was born, I pleaded with my father for her life, thinking he was more likely to spare her if she was to carry his name."
"Good thinking." She breathed out heavily, then threw her arms around Ozai. "I'm so sorry, he did that to you… All of you."
To think about little Azula never even getting a chance to grow up or even…
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, before pulling away, but just slightly. "There was a time we were planning on having children together and you didn't think I needed to know this information?"
"Iroh told me when we got engaged. I would have told you. I was weak then, I was afraid you'd go and blow something up…"
She chuckled slightly at his words, and it almost set the tears free. Almost. He probably noticed since he leaned it to kiss her cheek.
"I used to think we lost our chance at a happy life the day he found that woman," she said. "But we never had a chance to begin with, did we?
"We have one now that he's dead. If you'll just marry me, please, finally…"
"But he's not dead, really. You're keeping him alive." She felt him let go of her and she took a step back. "If you really want to kill him, you should stop the war. Like we talked about before, if you became Fire Lord."
"We were kids, Zyra. It was a fantasy."
"And now you could make it real. I remember you telling me, even as a young man, how stupid you thought your father and brother were for pushing forward with that war. How unnecessary it was… How they should focus on our own nation that had enough of war… And now you could say one word to end it, and you don't. You won't."
"It's not that simple. It never was, I just didn't realize it." He pointed upwards. "If I went up there right now and told them I'm stopping the war, you know what would happen? I'd be found dead in the morning. The Fire Sages would crown Zuko, and whisper into his ear and manipulate him into keeping it going. It's not that I want it to go on, the whole Nation does!"
"I knew a man who was ready to kill me and your daughter for the slightest possibility he could stop it. Admit it, you just like the power…"
"I do like the power! If someone has to have it, why not me?! With it, I can protect my family… Us."
"Azula wasn't very protected that day at school!"
"Zyra…" He took her hand and she found it hard to pull back. "You know I grew up knowing I'll never be Fire Lord. I was fine with that, but then they took you from me. And the reason he could do that is because I was weak, but now, I'll never be weak again! With this power no one will ever be able to force me into anything. And when I win my grandfather's war, no other nation will ever be able to overpower us."
"No!" She pulled her hand away finally. "Don't make this, who you became, about me. I was weak too… Weaker even, but I still said no. It was an impossible choice they gave us, but it was a choice." Almost a full minute of silence descended on them. "And you're forgetting a very important fact. I loved that weak boy so much, I was prepared to give up everything for him."
"Well, he loved you so much he had to get strong for you."
It clouded Zyra's judgement that this tyrant in making reminded her of her best friend. The friend she held in her arms as he cried after his mother killed herself. The friend who even during her worst plans stayed right there by her side. If she was to think about this, really think, she had to leave.
"So that's your answer, Lady Omori?" Ozai spoke, quietly now. "No?"
She nodded and started walking towards the door. He stopped her.
"Come on, Zyra, I've loved you since I was ten years old!"
"I'm sorry."
"No!" He closed the distance between them, this time not for a kiss, but to grab her arm. "You will marry me, you understand?! I am your Fire Lord."
"Is that how you always imagined it? Having a prisoner as a wife?"
He already had that for more than a decade…
"It's temporary… You'll… You'll remember. You'll be yourself again. You'll love me again."
"I only ever loved one man." She looked down to where he was squeezing her arm. "And this isn't him."
"We'll see."
"You know me, Fire Lord." She didn't even try to pull her arm free, but instead shoved even closer to him and stared up at him. "I'll kick and scream the entire way down the aisle."
He smirked dismissively.
"I know you spent the last thirteen years pushing that farm girl around," she added. "But let me remind you of who you're dealing with. I'm the eldest member of the ancient Omori family, a master firebender and a scholar. Since we last stood in this room together, I've been shamed, exiled, beaten, and starved. None of it's broken me yet. I'm as dangerous as I ever was."
Zyra couldn't deny how familiar threats felt in her throat. The tone, the severity and face expression, it all came back without her even having to try. She never did that in the colonies, but there seemed to be something about this city that made it all too easy to fall back into her old habits. On some level she knew she shouldn't push Ozai, but she couldn't stop herself.
"Oh, really?" He let go of her arm. "How about this then… You marry me, or I'll take away your job."
"You can hurt me however you want, but-"
"Oh, but you misunderstand, my love... It's not to hurt you. You're right, I do know you. Even now. I know what you care about. I know you've been teaching Azula some bad habits. It's nothing I can't fix yet. Now, if you were her stepmother, of course, you'd have a say in how she was raised. But if you refuse my proposal, I will send you far, far away and I will tell Azula you left her."
Just like her mother did…
"You wouldn't do that… Not to your own daughter." Zyra tried hard to calm her mind and with that, her voice. It had to be just a manipulation.
"Wouldn't do what? Take back control over my own heir?"
"You are just like him!"
Ozai smiled then, and in that smile, she could see the one Azulon had when she came to him years ago to plead her case. Ozai, the boy, was dead. Azulon's work and her disappearance killed him long ago, it would seem. And something needed to be done about Ozai, the man…
"And you have a day to decide."
oooooooooo
So, first part, Azula starts thinking of her classmates as real people so she loses the nicknames.
Then the birthday part, my mother used to do that thing with congratulating on the hour of birth, so I kind of stole it from the woman who'd still be waking me every year at five in the morning if I let her.
I don't know what else to say, I hope I didn't go overboard with the Ozai / Zyra stuff, I sometimes just blast sad music and forget myself… XD
Anyway, the next chapter will be the last.
oooooooooo
Julyza – I'm glad you picked up on my 'lost friends' twist, I was making Zyra mention the boys' school and her best friend A LOT. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy what I have in store for you all next.
JHLZ. NTL – I'm so happy(relieved) people like the twist, so thank you. I was afraid it would be annoying or something… Anyway, yeah, as you probably read by now, I was planning on bringing Zuko in as well to meet Zyra. She didn't change his life or anything, but it's something.
And to answer your question: YES, I do outline my fics in detail beforehand, usually because when I think of a good idea, I'm already in the middle of writing something else. I really believe it does help me with pacing and avoiding plot holes whenever possible, but it's worth mentioning that I sometimes make it to the end of my outline while writing and just think "What absolute idiot thought this was a good idea?" so I have to make up the rest… Also, thanks once again for complimenting my pacing, I put a lot of effort into that because pacing issues really turn me away from books/shows.