Author's Disclaimer: I don't own a thing belonging to "Avatar: the last Airbender!" Nada damn thing.
Author's notes: Here we go….and boy are we getting to stuff. Stuff! And the siege…..
Maraghoul: You are right…..it's all unraveling for our princess as you'll see… thanks yet again for helping me form this story's outline. When I hit corners, you were able to steer me out.
QueenTyzula: Dedicated to you also. And we know Ty Lee loves Azula! 😝 The Avatar being in the other corner doesn't spell good news for Azula….
NeverFoundandLost: Hopefully your questions will be answered. Enjoy this one ^_^
Harley Quinn Davidson: In some way, mine too 😝 Azula for the win!
Guest Z: Well, we'll see…..
"Stoking the Fire"
Chapter forty-two "Abandonment and Siege"
Ty Lee was forced to march faster to keep up with the Kemurikage. Her heat was almost over, and cold twinges that may have been regret were beginning to set in. Her feelings for Azula had been amply re-flamed with their coupling, but the closer they got to the capital, the more dread Ty Lee felt. For one thing, her responsibilities started to crush her with their weight, and the anxiety was like to kill her.
As the vestiges of her heat shook off, Azula pushed everyone harder and harder. They were a day or two from the palace, and skirted the capital city's borders, staying in the woods. Azula had Zirin place a sack over Ty Lee's head, to keep her from seeing their location. She would have gagged her too, but Zirin had protested, rightfully claiming that Ty Lee wouldn't be able to breathe. Ty Lee could only be grateful to the woman, despite almost tripping over her feet all day. She had to rely on Zirin, and both knew it.
By night, Ty Lee was rolled into a sleeping bag in Zirin's tent. Zirin wouldn't allow herself to speak much to the omega, and only took care of her needs. Azula had wisely stayed away from the omega, after sating herself that one night. It was night now, and Zirin helped Ty Lee comb and re-braid her hair. Her red tunic and trousers were impeccable despite the traveling, but no one could miss the pinched worry on Ty Lee's face.
"You won't be brought into the palace. Not right away…." Zirin murmured. She tied off the end of Ty Lee's braid ad adjusted her clothing. The restrained woman watched her, dark circles under her eyes. "I don't want you tipping us off. But you'll be brought in immediately after Azula gains the throne…."
Ty Lee swallowed heavily. Zuko…. Mai…. Izumi….everyone was in grave danger. She had managed to send a messenger hawk off…. At least she got a warning off to Zuko. They had to know Azula would attack at some time! "She can't do this…. she may not live long enough to claim the throne…"
Zirin frowned, although all the troubling fears of the past few months were catching up to her. After spending so much time with the omega, she was inclined to think she was right.
"That's not for you to say, woman," she growled. But Ty Lee could see trace echoes of doubt in the woman's dark eyes. Everything was on shaky ground, and the soldier's whispered worries were only part of that instability. At the start, they had supported and cheered on Azula's plans. Now, they were barely holding it together, even this close to besieging the royal palace. It was considered extremely dishonorable to abandon one's lord, but the fact that the fevered whispers were happening at all didn't spell anything good for Azula. Zirin had been doing her best to instill morale and loyalty, but it was all falling apart before her eyes.
The closer they got, the more surly the soldiers acted toward Zirin and Azula. After having had only a taste of Ty Lee's heat, Azula responded with rage. That may have been her right as a royal, but the feeling was downright bristly in return.
Azula surprised both of the women by pushing into Zirin's tent. The casual smirk was back on her face, even if her eyes were somewhat crazed. "Start branching off some of the soldiers. I want the Kemurikage with us before we split off completely."
Zirin wasn't surprised. They were so close to the capital city, one feared to sneeze or yell out loud. She nodded. "It will be as you say."
Azula turned her predatory smile toward the shaking omega. She inhaled deeply and made a point of exhaling as raggedly. "Your heat's over. So sorry not to have fulfilled your every wish." Azula etched a mocking bow to Ty Lee. "After I ascend the throne, you can have all my attentions. Maybe right there in the throne room."
Ty Lee shook; whether in fear or desire was to be seen. "Please, Azula…please, don't do this…"
The anger returned to Azula's eyes. She exhaled blue flames and caught hold of herself. "You don't hold sway over me. You'd do well to be quiet…."
Ty Lee's wide brown eyes pleaded with hers. Azula laughed aloud abruptly.
"Zuzu may be a great lay for you, but he's in my way. Don't worry, I'll make sure to deliver you his head so you can kiss him goodbye."
Ty Lee cringed at the mention. To think of Zuko as dead was unimaginable….but Azula could very well die as well….just like her dream, the siblings sprawled opposite each other, limbs spread in distorted angles…..no, that couldn't come to pass!
"PLEASE, AZULA!" Ty Lee pleaded. Zirin winced as Azula slapped her. A bright red mark appeared high on Ty Lee's face. And her bruises had just started to heal. Zirin felt suddenly sorry for the slumped omega. "Please…."
"You will be begging once Zuzu's dead," Azula grinned. She adjusted her stance, spreading her feet wide. "Begging for me to give you leave to rest after all the attention I'll be giving you….."
Ty Lee shuddered. The coupling Azula had fallen to during her heat had been mutual, but she feared Azula would attempt rape in her rage.
As the princess stalked out of her tent, Zirin offered Ty Lee water and a few rolls for dinner. She unfurled her chi toward the omega in as calming a way as she could, but Ty Lee was too distraught to notice.
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Zuko waited for the wet nurse to finish feeding Izumi. The infant took her mouth off of the woman's nipple and sighed against her breast. The woman handed her to the Fire Lord who took a rag against his shoulder, raised the baby, and patted a burp out of her. Mai curled up against his side, both of them gazing down at their sleepy daughter.
"Aang looks regretful lately," Mai noted. The wet nurse cleaned up and bowed, heading to the small spare room in the royal apartments. Relatively alone, the Fire Lord collected Mai into one arm as he reclined on his back on the sofa. Izumi shifted her tiny feet against his chest.
"The Avatar is supposed to be neutral, but he's placing his friendship for us first. He'll do what he can to help," Zuko said. Mai raised an eyebrow.
"He's an Air Nomad. He won't kill Azula unless he has to, will he?" she asked. Zuko sighed. Azula loomed, as scary as the monsters of his childhood and her lies, but the fear was very well and palpable.
"I won't put that on his shoulders. If Azula won't surrender, I will handle her. I'll be the one to deal with the consequences….." Zuko swallowed, feeling guilt wash through his aura. Izumi fidgeted at the negative feeling, small mouth working against the fabric of his tunic.
Mai rubbed a hand down his side, trying to soothe him. Azula may be a displaced heir fighting for the throne, but she was still Zuko's little sister. She ran a hand through her husband's bangs and turned his face toward hers. Zuko blinked, taking in her sad eyes.
"You won't face her alone. Granted, I'm not letting you do much of anything without me," Mai murmured. Zuko gave a small smile, though it was strained.
"I just want it all over with. I just want this all to be finished, so we can live in peace. We have our daughter. We should be able to enjoy the small moments," Zuko fretted. Mai leaned down. They kissed softly. Izumi cried out beneath them and Mai leaned down to kiss the top of her downy head. Izumi hiccuped.
"It will be over, one way or another…." Mai murmured. Zuko's arm tightened around her. Mai pressed closer into his side, settling one hand along their infant. The sad look in Zuko's eyes echoed hers. If only they knew Ty Lee was okay… The not knowing of her fate was enough to slay them.
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The Gaang were put up into a series of apartments that were linked by one main sitting room. Aang made a point of taking a separate bedchamber from Katara, but he knew she would sneak into his bed after everyone had settled down for the night. It may have been naughty behavior, but they were engaged, after all. Monk Gyatso had stressed to always take the time to be happy, and whether they were joined or not, Aang was happy to hold his fiancée in his arms, alone from the rest of the world.
Suki had joined the others, and was helping Toph comb out her long black hair. Sokka watched the two girls, idly sharpening his whale-seal bone club. He tested the edge, then pulled out his boomerang. He juggled it into the air, catching it nimbly each time it came down. Suki gave him a wry smile and helped comb the snarls from Toph's hair. The girl winced, bare toes digging into the carpet.
"Ow!" she complained. Suki gave a small chuckle and gently pulled the silver comb through.
"Better?" she asked. Toph gave a grunt.
"You don't have to do this for me," she said idly. Suki smiled.
"I want to. Besides, with Katara hung up with her fiancée, you need another girl's touch. It's not like Sokka will do this for you." Suki raised an eyebrow. Sokka paused mid-toss.
"I would if she asked!" he insisted. Toph blushed, lowering her head, bangs covering her face.
"Thanks," Toph mumbled. Aang met Katara's eyes. She nodded. Both rose to their feet and excused themselves.
"I wanted to meditate on today, but I feel a healing session. Good night, guys," Aang explained. Sokka rolled his eyes.
"Can't you wait for that until AFTER you're married?" he complained. Katara huffed as Aang blushed.
"We're not doing THAT! Aang does have a late effect injury, you know!" she insisted. Aang gently took her hand and led her to his bedchamber.
After shutting the door, the two shared a long hug and kiss far from everyone's eyes.
"Are you sure you don't need to meditate first? I can be quiet," Katara said. Her arms were slung around Aang's neck. Aang shook his head, gazing down into her face.
"I feel the Avatar State riling within me. If you could just look at the burn mark on my back, I think it would help," Aang said. Katara blushed as he disrobed to the waist, letting the sleeves of his shawl and tunic fall around his middle. He sat cross-legged, waiting for Katara to gather a bowl of water and healing salts. She poured the salts into the water and mixed the contents of the bowl with a few practiced flicks of the wrist.
"Relax, sweetie," Katara said. She rolled up her long sleeves to the elbow and picked up half the water with her bending. It floated in midair opposite the hideous burn mark between Aang's shoulder blades. Katara exhaled evenly and pushed the water toward the mark. Aang sat upright, rigid, as the old injury was met with the cool water flexed by Katara's soothing chi. He inhaled sharply and exhaled, letting his wide shoulders slouch down.
Katara let the water fall back into the bowl, and gently massaged the area around the mark with her fingertips. She pressed a kiss to the back of Aang's shoulder. "When Azula attacks, will you really strike her down?"
"I hope I won't have to," Aang admitted. "The Avatar isn't supposed to finalize problems of state. And I don't want to kill her. I didn't kill Ozai, after all."
"You found a way around it," Katara agreed. "Maybe there could be another way around bringing Azula down. Better she be a prisoner than dead."
Aang silently agreed that that would be a waste. Despite himself, his mind went over her hauntingly beautiful features, so utterly different from Katara's looks. He nodded.
"Being a prisoner is one thing... it would be something if she were to actually be at peace."
"I don't think she'd know what that is," Katara lamented. Despite the national crisis brewing, she couldn't help feeling sorry for the princess.
"No…. but luckily we do," Aang said. He slung an arm around Katara's waist, letting her lean into him. Katara sighed.
"I can't imagine what Zuko's going through with all of this looming over him. We have to help him however we can."
"We will, sweetie," Aang said. He kissed the top of Katara's head. "And I think he's rather used to it. He DID grow up with Azula, after all."
"Still…. she is his sister. It's got to be rough for him." Feelings of pity for her friend swept through Katara. Aang's arms tightened around her.
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The soldiers were whispering together and it was making Zirin uneasy. Everyone was packing up their tents and repacking their bags, but the huddled soldiers weren't a normal occurrence. Azula waited, tapping one boot on the slushy snow.
"Well? Hurry it up, you lot!" she cursed. One of the soldiers, a middle-aged man turned to face Azula. He bowed his head, and fell to his knees.
"My princess, may I speak frankly?" he asked. Azula sniffed.
"I have a feeling you will, whether I will it or not," she snapped. A dangerous light filled her golden eyes.
The man nodded, keeping his gaze averted to the ground. "We have followed you faithfully, and would forever. We believe you're the rightful Fire Lord, but at the rate we're going, we won't stand a chance to win. The imperial soldiers at the palace are trained for every contingency, and they may outnumber us as it is. I am sorry, Princess Azula, but we can't go with you."
Azula waited, seemingly calm. The flickering orbs of madness in her eyes belied her stance. "Is that all? Well, don't take it so hard, soldier. Come, take your just reward….."
When the man lifted his head, Azula lit his face on fire with a harsh gesture. The man screamed in agony, falling to put his face out against the slush and snow. Azula growled and amped her blaze, setting his entire body alight. The man's limbs flailed in the inferno, but soon stilled as he burned to death.
San gave a harsh laugh and toed the still leg of the soldier with her boot. A few of the Kemurikage pulled the fire back in with their bending before it could spread to the trees.
The remaining soldiers either kowtowed before the enraged princess, or scrambled to run away. Azula snapped a finger at the running soldiers. "Get them," she ordered her Kemurikage. Some of the soldiers were grabbed up, but several got away in the trees. The bowing soldiers were met with blows and fire. A litter of bodies fell across the slushing snow. Some lived; several died.
Azula exhaled a stream of blue fire, as she tried to reign in her rising ire. She failed; with a shout, she raised her fist and struck one woman across the face. She went down, more out of shock than pain, and crawled away from Azula's firebending.
Zirin stood guard at the flaps of her tent, and by default, at guard over Ty Lee. It took her a moment to realize the princess was muttering something. Finally, her voice rose, awash with scathing hatred.
"Does no one remain loyal anymore?!"
Zirin winced. The soldier that had spoken for the others had masked their true fears, she was certain. It wasn't the possibility they could fail or die. It was that they would needlessly beneath Azula's increasingly erratic mind. The princess looked confused and perhaps a touch hurt. She was cleaning blood from the back of her right hand, scraping away at her knuckles with her left hand. She stood still, hissing beneath the cold sky.
"No one….no one…."
San and a few of the Kemurikage turned to plead wordlessly with Zirin. A cold shiver of dread ran up the woman's spine. Azula would let her speak, but hopefully she wouldn't meet the same fate as the man who had spoken. Zirin regrettably moved from the front of her tent, feeling Ty Lee's chi rise and fall in rhythms of fear. She paused by Azula and touched the edge of her cloak. Azula's head snapped up and her golden eyes fell onto Zirin with a sharp look.
Zirin finished adjusted her cloak, making sure the hood fell back from the princess's head.
"What say you, my princess? We can still continue. Our plants have told us they killed enough of Zuko's guard; we could very well strike a blow to the center of his rule even now."
Azula paused, golden eyes flicking to the snow beneath their feet. She sighed raggedly. "The soldiers would have helped deliver a decisive blow….."
"I know," Zirin agreed. "But a token force can still win a siege. We just have to go in smartly, and take down key targets."
"Zuzu especially." Azula's eyes lit up. "Not to mention Uncle Fuddy Duddy. If the rest of the family gets in our way, I want them destroyed as well."
"They will be," Zirin agreed. "We can't bring the prisoners with us. We'll have to leave them tied up with a few of our girls."
"Yes…." Azula's eyes were dancing, despite the rejection from the soldiers. She had exacted her brand of punishment, and they could still press on. She darted a glance to Zirin's tent.
"San. You and three others stay with this worthless lot. If anyone tries to escape….kill them." These words she directed toward Ty Lee peering from the flaps of Zirin's tent. The omega wilted back into the tent.
Zirin sighed. She unpacked her tent, and adjusted Ty Lee's restraints. She gave the chain to San, who blinked tired eyes, but kept the omega tethered to her side.
"No. Half bury them; sit on them if you have to…" Azula ordered. She demanded a shallow pit dug. Less than four feet down in the slushy wet dirt, and in went the restrained soldiers that remained, and Ty Lee. The concubine couldn't help a gasp of fear when Azula gestured and San and the others began to push in the dirt and slush. The mix piled up around the sprawled bodies, and Ty Lee half rose up, leaning on one man's shoulder to keep her face high. The shoveling in of dirt stopped just at her shoulder level.
"That will do," Azula laughed. She strode over an area of the tamped dirt and paused by Ty Lee's upper torso. She leaned down and caressed the omega's cheek with one hand. Ty Lee turned fear-filled eyes up toward her.
"Only a matter of time. Wait right here," Azula taunted. She rose to her feet and laughed.
Zirin got one last look at Ty Lee and the "grave" before turning to disappear with her princess. Ty Lee was pale, the bruises on her face prominent. She watched Azula with wanton want, pleading with widened eyes. But the princess was already gone.
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Toph grunted. She swung her legs off of the bed of her chambers, and set her bare feet to the stone floor. She was about to get up, when she rested her feet where they were, flexing her toes. There was extra vibration happening on the far side of the palace. It may have been the palace soldiers, but the motions she was picking up were sparse and fast. This would have to be addressed.
Toph moved from her bedchamber, pajamas askew, to the hallways. She found Fire Lord Zuko with his wife, both of them stealing a private moment. Toph coughed with annoyance, jarring them.
"I hate to break up your little party, but there's something we should check out. I'm picking up extra movement on the other side of the palace. It could be nothing but…."
"It could be Azula." Fire shone in Zuko's eyes. "Let's get the others and go."
End for now
End notes: And it's going down. Like it, smash that button and do that review thing! Stay strong, my lovelies ^_^ Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Sincerely, pen 5/5/2017