Though she lacked their companion's ability to detect the smallest changes in their environment, something which she suspected had been an ability Toph possessed to some degree even before she learned earth bending, the tan skinned water bender was able to quickly determine that Aang's current mood was caused by more than just his initial inability to learn a new bending art.
In truth, Katara had expected the young air bender to display the familiar signs of frustration and self disappointment that usually resulted whenever he met an obstacle that could not be immediately dealt with, but this was far worse than she could have anticipated.
Thus, it was with a calm, supportive tone of voice that she broke the silence of their water bending session to try and discover the source of Aang's less than calm demeanor.
"Soo…you want to talk about what's bothering you? Or should I attempt to be like Sokka and make an educated guess"?
His lips twitch upward at the mention of how the only non bender of the group would try to use logic to explain things that clearly could only be understood by those who devoted themselves to more spiritualistic pursuits, Aang nevertheless quickly fell back into his less than happy mood as he answered his friend's question.
"It's just some issues I'm trying to work through. No big deal".
Frowning at Aang's rather obvious attempts to change the topic, and making a guess as to what one of those issues might be, Katara decided to answer her question with another one.
"Do you remember when you first tried to waterbend for the first time"?
Though suspecting where his waterbending teacher was going with this, the young Airbender nevertheless answered the question with only the barest hint of suspicion.
"Yeah. You taught me a couple of things you taught yourself, and then you began to get a bit mad since I picked it up quicker than you".
It was testament to her new found control that the mention of that…incident did little to break her concentration over her element. Otherwise the large sphere of water would have found itself exploding in the face of her still naïve student.
As it was, Katara merely grimaced slightly before expanding on the lesson she was trying to teach the Airbender.
"The point I'm trying to make is that I was unable to improve further until I came to terms with my insecurities. Which is probably why your struggling with earth bending. Your mindset doesn't allow you to grasp it as quickly as waterbending".
Conceding the point with a nod of his head, for that had been one of the things that Toph had mentioned after his failure to bend the giant boulder, Aang allowed a slightly dejected expression to cross his face as he added to his friend's answer.
"It's not just that. I mean, yeah I get it, to be able to earth bend I have to adopt a way of thinking that's different from the way the Monks taught me, but that's only part of it".
Sensing that it would be unwise to interrupt since she could tell that such an admission was difficult for the young Airbender, Katara remained silent as Aang shared a rather startling admission.
"It's just…for the first time since Roku told me about Sozin's comet….I'm...afraid".
Allowing a soft smile to spread across her face as she proceeded to envelop Aang in a hug, something which to her astonishment was accepted without a single word of complaint, the tan skinned waterbender decided to share with him a piece of wisdom that her mother had once told her.
"Its ok to be afraid some times. Fear is just the spirits way of telling us to be careful".
Having expected her words to sooth the young monk, Katara was more than a little shocked at Aang's reaction to her words.
"And that's why I'm afraid. I'm the Avatar. Its my destiny to bring balance to the world. But I'm afraid that trying to fulfil that destiny will get you all ki...".
Eyes widening at this admission, for she now had the suspicion that Aang's issues were caused by more than his inability to quickly learn earth bending, the sole remaining waterbender of the Southern Tribe held her tongue as the young Avatar revealed the depths of his insecurity.
"Back in the village, I knew that I wasn't strong enough to take on Azula, even if Zuko helped to keep her distracted. But I at least had the option of leaving when she was distracted. But Ketsueki. What he did? What he threatened to do? If it hadn't been for Zuko and Toph, I, and more importantly you and Sokka would have been killed".
Eyes widening in sudden realization as she listened to Aang explain the cause for his emotional state, Katara adopted what she viewed to be a confident tone as she sought to bolster the young airbender's confidence.
"Then it's a good reason that when we face him again, we'll be together. For as powerful and scary as our enemies can be, remember that its only by working together that we can stop their evil from spreading".
Taking Aang's suddenly relaxing posture to mean that he accepted her advice, Katara allowed the moment to continue as she considered the dark haired assassin they had met in the ruins of the Earth Kingdom village.
Power. Confidence. And the guts to treat the crazy blue firebender like she wasn't a threat.
She wouldn't say it out loud. But Aang was right to be afraid.
For just as they could accomplish anything by working together, their enemies, if they managed to put aside their egos, possessed the same potential.
Which was a truly horrifying thought when one considered what those two monsters were capable of.
…...
Though I recognize that earning loyalty out of respect rather than fear is far more likely to ensure a lower risk of betrayal from ones subordinates, it is far less time consuming to get people to treat you with deference if they believed they were inches from enjoying a painful death.
Of course this only works if you provide clear evidence that your abilities dwarf those who would question your authority. But since the majority of the camps soldiers are inferior in power and training compared to an Imperial Firebender, let alone a member of Sozin's line, my little 'demonstration' ensured that I was treated with the proper amount of deference.
Something which served to upset the golden eyed princess since it had been rather obvious that the act of setting a man on fire paled in brutality when compared to having one's limbs ripped off.
Which is actually quite amusing now that I think about it.
For while painful, having one's body pulled apart is less intense than having one's flesh and bone consumed by the element of their nation. Especially considering the increased potency of the princess's flames. But I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised at their reaction.
The act of watching a man burn to death, while gruesome, is something that happens on a near daily basis for those tasked with fulfilling the territorial ambitions of a tyrant with an inferiority complex. It truly is fascinating to how one can become desensitized to acts of violence.
However, to give her credit, Azula probably did set the record for the fastest immolation in Fire Nation history. Although I'm not sure if she would be pleased or saddened at that little tidbit.
Because on one hand, her flames are hot enough to reduce a man into a smouldering pile of ashes within seconds. But on the other hand, she can't enjoy the pleasure that usually stems from watching the prolonged suffering of an incompetent underling.
Oh well.
I'll keep that observation to myself for the time being.
Cause as much fun as it is to rile up the blue flamed fire bender, I regretfully needed her to show some signs of cooperation if I am to satisfy my curiosity about her companion.
….
Sighing in annoyance as her father's agent decided to once again disrupt her concentration with his mere presence, Azula found her already less than cheerful mood darkening as the black garbed man addressed her less depressing companion.
"Forgive me for asking what may be a personal question Ty Lee. But can you tell me how you came to possess your…skill set"?
Scowling at Ketsueki's attempt to integrate himself further with her group, especially after his little stunt in preventing her friends from being reminded what happened to those who displeased her, Azula nevertheless found herself listening with feigned interest as her acrobatic companion divulged the reason for her abilities.
"Well, most of what I knew I learned in the circus. I mean, the Royal Fire Academy for Girls taught me how to hone my talent, but all the advanced stuff I learned from other performers. Except for…".
Surprised at Ty Lee's sudden display of nervousness, for the daughter of Ozai had never seen the usually bubbly girl react this way except for the odd occasion where she believed she had displeased her fire bending friend, Azula soon sported a frown as the pink wearing girl reluctantly continued her explanation.
"You guys are going to laugh at me. But years ago, like 1 or 2 years before my family sent me to the academy, I came across this woman who gave me the inspiration to be what I am today. I mean there she was, surrounded by at least 8 men, and she took most of them down without even breaking a sweat. And the amazing thing was that it looked like she was dancing with them as she dodged their movements before paralyzing them with a single blow".
Doing her best to contain her annoyance at this rather obvious case of hero worship, for she had always hated it when her friends cast looks of envy on those who were not her, Azula's mood became worse as Ketsueki ensured that there would be no change in topic anytime soon.
"This woman you saw that day. Did she have long black hair, blue eyes, and had a light scar running down the side of her face"?
Though surprised by the assassin's unmistaken interest in Ty Lee's story, Azula hid it behind a glare as the pony tailed acrobat nodded her head.
"Uh huh. She was amazing. Not as much as Azula of course, but considering this woman performed moves that didn't require any knowledge of bending, she was my first role model. Why do you ask? Do you know her"?
Somewhat placated by her friend's near unconscious acknowledgement that she was her superior, the princess of the Fire Nation was unable to maintain her scowling composure as Ketseuki answered Ty Lee's question.
"Considering that woman was both my teacher and my mother, I can say that I do".
...
Enjoying the looks of astonishment that had come over the trio of women, though the knife thrower's expression was only slightly more expressive than it normally was, I soon sported a glare of my own as Azula allowed her own mommy issues to direct her response to my answer.
"Really? I find that surprising considering what you've shown us of your abilities. I mean, if your mother possessed your power, I would have assumed that she would have dealt with those thugs with a simple wave of your hand. But I suppose that it is every parent's dream to have their offspring surpass them".
Resisting the very real urge to strangle Ozai's daughter at her insult towards my late mother, I forced a smile of false sympathy to cross my features as I responded with my own parental influenced comment.
"You have a point your highness. A parent should be proud of having their children secure their legacy. I hesitate to think what would have happened if my mother thought she had given birth to a monster. Probably would have turned into a psychopath with control issues instead of the reasonable person that I grew up to be".
Ignoring the looks of mild confusion that were currently being sported by the 2 non bending females, though I could tell that Mai wasn't exactly surprised by this little reveal, I sported a not so subtle smirk as I watched Azula sported an expression that swiftly shifted from shock to outrage.
For while she had earned the position of being Ozai's favorite child through her bending prowess and disregard for morals, this had resulted in her older, and less violent sibling securing his role as their mother's preferred child.
I honestly couldn't tell which pissed her off more.
The fact that I dared to remind her that Zuko had something she never had. Or the fact that I had managed to deliver an insult that was far superior to hers.
Though judging by the way her face shifted from that of murderous rage to one of cold amusement, it was clear that she was going to continue this verbal sparring.
"I suppose there is some truth to your words Ketsueki. However, I believe the manner in which one loses a parent helps to influence how it affects the child. If a mother had chosen to disappear in a misguided attempt to protect her child, then said child will either benefit from the lack of molly coddling, or most likely prove to be even a bigger disappointment than originally expected. However, if a parent was lost through...more violent means, perhaps even caused by the child itself, I think its safe to say that said child would be even more emotionally unbalanced than one that had been labeled as a monster".
Oh it would be sooo satisfying to wipe that smirk off her face. To show her that all her abilities, all her skills, were nothing when compared to what I could do.
Sadly, I doubt Ozai would appreciate having his daughter crippled to the point where she is unable to take the throne. If only because that would force him to consider placing his comparatively weaker child on the throne.
Though that being said, there is a third option that he had probably never occurred to him. If only because the responsibilities of leading a nation at war robbed him of the chance to consider it.
But since I could not share such an idea with the Fire Lord, at least not while I remained in the Earth Kingdom, I took great pleasure in sharing it with the one who dared to tarnish the memory of my mother.
"Perhaps. However, it must be said that an orphan, even one whose parent had died through violent circumstances, has something that a child who has been labeled a monster will never have".
Smirking in amusement as Azula once again adopted a less than pleased expression, I fought the urge to cackle as she tried to answer my rather obvious riddle.
"Oh? And what would that be? Denial of power? An abundance of poverty? Hardly something to be proud of I would think".
Shaking my head at her pathetic attempts to describe what my fate would have been if my family had lacked their ties to the Line of Sozin, I allowed my eyes to shine with undisguised malice as I shattered her confidence in her position.
"All true your highness. However, an orphan at least doesn't have to deal with the fear of having their position stolen by a...younger individual. Whereas a monster has to deal with the fear of being replaced with a sibling whose parentage is more...acceptable than what they possess. Or do you deny that a child born of 2 proven bloodlines is stronger than that of 1 proven bloodline"?
...
Eye's widening in shock at the audacity that this...mercenary would dare to suggest that her position was less than secure, Azula prepared to deliver yet another scathing insult. Only to fall silent as her prodigal mind considered the validity of Ketsueki's words.
While a member of Sozin's bloodline, Zuko's lack of growth, at least compared to what was expected of the royal family, was proof that their great grandfather's blood had been tarnished by the introduction of a clearly weaker lineage. Whereas she was proof that if properly educated, the superiority of Sozin's line could reach newfound heights of power.
However, her father's assassin had reminded her that such a position as the Fire Lord's favorite was far from secure if he ever decided to remarry. And since as Fire Lord he now had the authority to select his own bride, Azula was sure that if he did feel the urge to further secure his legacy, his new children would have a mother whose strength, whether it be in bending or willpower, would far surpass Ursa's.
And since it was more than likely that her father would forbid her from treating her hypothetical younger siblings the same way she had treated Zuko, she would have to work harder to ensure that she was still seen as the preferred heir to the crimson throne.
A task that was somewhat more difficult when one of the key supporters for her family's rule took such delight in being an insubordinate imbecile. Albeit one that was strong enough to fight, and potentially win, against the Avatar.
Which meant that if she was to convince him to support her claim to the throne, or at the very least remain a neutral party, she would have to develop different methods of getting him to bow to her wishes.
The use of fear didn't work. For who could be afraid of someone who had proven to be their inferior in combat?
And each of her insulting remarks had been turned away or surpassed.
Which meant that there was only one other method to try to get him to accept her as, if not her superior, than at least someone deserving of respect.
And while she had no doubt that such methods would cause her friends to wonder about her slight change in personality, she also had no doubt that she would be successful.
For she knew that men where attracted to either beauty or power. And she had both.
….
Annd going to end the chapter here.
Apolgises for the long delay, the first scene was causing me issues, but finally overcame them XD
Pleased with the direction of this story so far, and hope to have another chapter out relatively soon.
Hope you all enjoyed this.
Plz review, no flames.