Chapter Three: Tell Me Your Worst Fear

Katara enters, cracking her knuckles repetitively. Nervous habit. Hama always told her it would make her arthritic, and then how would she bend? How would she one day dethrone the Fire Nation's leaders and make every person here bleed out? Katara does, now see that the royals are not better than she, and that the people of Caldera have faces and names.

That makes Hama's strong beliefs harder to swallow, but Katara is still angry about her life, her situation. She is still angry about her mother's death and being sold three times in her life like she is an object. She is still angry about Princess Azula's treatment of her yesterday even though Katara had helped her so much.

Azula is sitting on her bed, not lying there like she was when Katara first healed her. She looks less weak, but, all the same, it is evident that her body is gradually breaking. Katara may hate the people who destroyed her life, but she does want to help Azula. She does not want to see anyone suffering, even if they are Fire Nation.

They are mostly alone, save for two guards lurking, keeping an eye on Katara. But, given Katara's last experience with Princess Azula, she probably does not need the guards. Or maybe she needs her pet wife to fight her battles. Maybe her bending isn't as famous as it is known to be.

Most things Katara learned about Princess Azula have turned out to be propaganda and outright lies.

"I'm here," Katara announces and no one reacts.

"You two may wait outside," Azula purrs confidently, and it is strange to Katara that such a powerful, commanding voice can come from a pale, skeletal form.

"Are you sure, princess?" inquires one guard as they both stand, hesitating.

"I gave you an order," Azula replies and they both slowly, cautiously leave the room. Katara can hear them stop directly outside of the door, and she knows that they will be prepared to burst in at any moment. "I've never been healed by a waterbender before... save for yesterday."

Katara clears her throat, trying not to feel so uncomfortable. Perhaps Azula does not intimidate her, and Katara is aware that the consequences will probably not be dire, but she is not entirely sure who the princess is and what she wants. Katara just knows that if Azula dies, Katara dies, and Katara wants to hold onto her life for as long as possible, thank you very much.

"I'm the last one," Katara says as she walks towards Azula, her feet soft, padding against the cold wooden floor as if she is ghost. She moves to Azula and finds the water that has been laid out for her, and she thinks, yet again, about attempting to escape.

Hama taught her a good deal. Katara is gifted at waterbending. She could escape. . . She probably could escape.

Azula starts removing her clothes, which hang loosely over her frame. Katara's eyes widen and she leans back, nearly knocking over the bowl in the process. She does not know where she is supposed to look, but the princess does not seem to care as she winds up in just wrappings around her breasts and hips. Just covering sensitive areas, that now are invading Katara's imagination more than her inability to look away from the exposed skin in front of her.

"I know I look like a corpse, but gawking is quite rude," Azula purrs as she studies Katara closely. Katara's cheeks heat up as she shakes her head so quickly that her neck makes a popping sound.

"I was... you're... you're very attractive is all," Katara says smoothly and Azula gives her one disdainful glance before lying down on the bed.

"Mhm," Azula responds. "I'm well aware."

Katara grimaces at Azula's delightful narcissism and takes control of the water in the glass bowl. She slowly rises, feeling it on her fingers, connected to her element. Azula looks at her and can see a slight, weaker rendition of when Azula bends lightning.

It is the only time Azula feels powerful. Perhaps, Katara being a slave, using her element is the only time she feels powerful as well.

"So, when did you become a slave?" Azula inquires as Katara tries to figure out where to start on her body. Pain relief, Katara decided upon, because she still has no idea where she is supposed to go next.

"I was twelve," Katara says sharply and Azula's eyes flash.

And Azula became a slave and twelve as well, although she would rather die right now than admit it to the waterbending girl.

"Is it hard being the last of your kind?" Azula inquires as she feels the touch of water against her skin, and soon the gentle relief it brings her.

Katara swallows the angry words she wants to spit at her owner and remains calm. She focuses on the coolness of the water beneath her fingertips, and inhales as she thinks about that. Sometimes she tries to imagine the sound of the ocean, but Katara can barely remember it, save for fragmented memories of her childhood.

"Yes," Katara says curtly as she continues the healing session.

"Hm. It must be." Azula lies back, closes her eyes, and, thankfully, says no more.

xXx

Things that are disgustingly frustrating to hear when you are told you are going to die before the cusp of adulthood: Everything happens for a reason, you're so perseverant, it's a journey, let me take care of you...

Azula has a deep and passionate loathing for the way she is treated, the way she is referred to as fragile and the way her father is so overprotective. She also does not like this waterbending girl, which Azula hates to think about, because this is the most relief from chronic pain she has felt since she was twelve years old.

She is currently being taken out to eat with her father, whom is extremely glad that Azula is able to even leave the palace at this point. He seems so pleased with his waterbender, and how she will heal his daughter, but Azula does not think that even the waterbender can stop the death Azula is condemned to.

Ozai is guiding Azula into the private room a little too forcefully. She does not struggle against him because, while her pain may be relieved from a while, she is not strong enough in her current state to do much without the use of her bending.

"I don't need help," Azula says sharply before realizing who she is talking to. Not that it even matters; she would honestly rather be executed by her own father than slowly be consumed any further by her own body.

"Of course," he says coolly, but he does not release her arm and waist as he gently sets her in her seat. Azula allows him to treat her like a piece of brittle glass because she has no energy to fight against it.

Eventually, he will get tired of hearing I'm sorry for your loss. Or maybe he will simply outlaw any mention of Azula's existence, like he did with her mother.

Azula sits at the table, trying to look dignified, and not so tired. She despises how much he worries about her, and how he treats her like she is fragile. Azula is not fragile and she refuses to be. Agni, all she wants is to not be treated like a glass flower developing cracks.

"How has your week been?" Ozai inquires and Azula simply shrugs. She does not know what to say, except, perhaps I wallowed in my shadowy bedroom and occasionally got up to practice firebending, only to get humiliatingly exhausted.

"The same as usual, father," Azula responds calmly, struggling to swallow and trying to hide that fact from her father's watchful eyes.

He studies her for a while before looking away. "Do you intend to eat anything?"
"I suppose." And the conversation continues, cold and making Azula sore and angry.

She does love her father. She loves him, and she knows that his worst fear is losing her, in the end. But that does not make his actions any easier for Azula to swallow.

xXx

Mai meets Katara in her personal rooms, having called on her to serve. But Katara instantly can tell that Mai did not order Katara for the purposes of using her as a slave.

"I want to help you," Mai repeats, hating how the words stick in her throat. This is not something she wants to do, but it is something she thinks she has to do, if it will help Azula. Not to mention, when Mai saw Katara stand up to Azula despite being a slave for years, it made Mai think that Katara was the kind of person who...

Who in another world, might have fit right in. If there were no war, would have been close with them. Mai hides that, of course, because she is unfeeling, cruel and void of compassion or desire for friendship. All the same, she sees herself in Katara, and also sees Azula's only hope at a cure.

Katara swallows and asks, "So where do we begin?"

Meanwhile, in the shared chambers of the three princesses, "Why is your face on my legs?" Azula demands as she is suddenly joined in her bed-prison of misery and hatred.

"Mmm... I'm a kitty," diverts Ty Lee, who is certain Azula is about to lecture and rage at for the simple act of lying down beside her. To sell her point, she makes very adept and talented purring noises and rubs her face on Azula's bony legs. The soft fabric of the blankets makes Ty Lee's bangs fuzzy, but she pays it no mind. "Why aren't you petting me?"

More ferocious purring, until Azula at last relents and strokes her neck once. Ty Lee then grins and sits up.

"Was that so hard?" she asks playfully before lying beside Azula. Ty Lee examines Azula for a moment, trying to keep her face as unreadable as possible. It is easy for Ty Lee to maintain a very small emotional range, yet still be pleasant, unlike Mai.

"No," Azula says coolly before returning to gazing at the ceiling. She has a blanket draped over her that she received as a gift for her wedding, her wedding to two people, her wedding that was joyous to everyone except those who knew the reasoning behind it and therefore could feel the poison and sadness in every step.

"Is Mai with that waterbender?" Ty Lee asks and her syrupy expression becomes sour.

"I don't know, nor do I care," Azula replies, offering only a shrug to Ty Lee. The former acrobat scowls momentarily before dragging herself up onto the miles of pillows and lying beside her bride.

"It bothers me," Ty Lee says, pouting like a child as she twists blankets in her angry and tense fingers. "It bothers me that she'd rather be... you know it just bothers me that she would fuck a slave."

Azula wavers for a second before declaring, "Firstly, we have no idea if they've even touched each other. Secondly, I'm fairly certain that's what slaves are for."

"Would you?" Ty Lee asks, hoping she does not sound too demanding. "Would you sleep with someone other than me or Mai?"

Princess Azula runs her tongue over her teeth. Hm. She thinks of the way cobalt eyes followed her as she stripped out of her clothes, or how the water felt against her skin. But she also knows what answer Ty Lee wants to hear, and Azula is not stupid enough to ever be honest.

"Of course not," Azula replies with a deep, calm breath. "You are jealous, aren't you?"

"I get jealous of Mai, of course I'm jealous of─"

"You get jealous of Mai, or get jealous of me when I'm with her?" Azula inquires as an unintended smirk sneaks onto her lips.

"Jealous of you maybe..." Ty Lee immediately blushes bright red, Azula's small and superior snicker feeling humiliating.

"What happened to polyamory?" Azula keeps smirking and no longer cares to hide it. She does quite like the flush on Ty Lee's cheeks.

"It's not like jealousy just disappears..." Ty Lee says quietly, seeming to be trying to permanently sink into the mattress. "I'm allowed to like you better if I want to. And-and I deserve you more than anybody else because I'm... I care more."

Azula seems to ponder that, as if it is not certain.

"People don't always get what they deserve," Azula says quietly, suddenly very aware of the aching in her legs. "Take me for example. I sometimes have no idea why these things continuously happen to me."

Ty Lee rubs her face and wishes she had not started this conversation. She feels very selfish for complaining about her romantic feelings and discontent while Azula is dying, when Azula was told when she was twelve that she is dying.

It must hurt.

Ty Lee wants to move next to her, to feel her heartbeat, but she is not stupid enough to piss Azula off.

xXx

Azula does not know how to face Mai or Ty Lee with this news. In fact, she has no clue how she is supposed to inform anyone. She just feels tired, sore, unwilling to get out of bed despite anyone's attempts. It feels so strange and so agonizing to know that she has not even lived and she is dying.

She gets out of bed one night, although she is not supposed to, because she has vomited until all that was left was lime green and burned, burned like fire. Perhaps worse than fire because it is still eating away at her esophagus.

Even if she is embarrassed and hates admitting her illness, she knows she needs to find her father. She does, truly, want to hold onto him as tightly as she can and not let go. To maybe cry at last, like she has not since the day she was told of her imminent destruction.

She finds herself outside of a meeting room, after checking for him everywhere.

"I don't think it's possible," says a nervous, unfamiliar voice inside. Azula presses herself against the wall and slows her breathing to make it silent.

"Well, make it possible," says Ozai coldly and Azula quickly figures out that they are talking about her. Of course they are; Ozai seems to care about it more than the war at this point.

"There are matters I think you should attend to first─"

"Like what?" Ozai demands and Azula's eyes flicker wide. He sounds angrier than Azula has heard him in a long time.

"Like the meeting with advisors and the preparations for the comet─"

Ozai clears his throat loudly and the man is silenced. "I would gladly burn alive all of my advisors if it would save her. I would gladly sacrifice the power of the comet to have the power to keep her from dying."

Azula did not think it would go so far. Although, perhaps he is exaggerating.

"Of course," says the very unenthused man, and Azula slinks away, no longer wanting to talk to her father.

In the morning, she decides she has to tell Mai and Ty Lee. She invites them over, although her father voices his brief concern about her overexerting herself. But Azula does want to live before she dies, at some point.

It is difficult, nigh impossible to get the words out of her chapped, sore, peeling lips.

"You don't look so good, princess," Mai remarks and Ty Lee squints for a moment, wishing she had commented first. She wishes she were closer to Azula than Mai is.

"I don't..." Azula trails off and clenches her jaw. And then she knows that she must do the brave thing, the action that is best for someone who would have been Fire Lord if it were not for her own body turning against her. "I'm dying."

Mai and Ty Lee are silent, until, at last, Mai speaks up, "You're screwing with us, right?"

Azula is breathless, her lips parted and her eyes wide. She wishes she had not said that, and she starts stepping back subconsciously.

"I'm dying, and that's all you need to know." Quickly, stunning Mai and Ty Lee, Azula runs away and locks herself in her room.

The two girls hesitantly follow and can hear sobbing through her door. They know then that this is a reality, and they are having as much trouble coping with it as Azula is.

xXx

"I had these scrolls purchased for you," says the Fire Lord as Katara is rubbing her eyes and staring at her breakfast. It is surprisingly adequate and well cooked for a slave's food; she imagines it is because, like Mai said, she has a commodity and no one can afford to mistreat her or let her die of illness like many slaves here.

"Th-thank you," Katara says quickly after an awkward bow that gets food in her thick, dark hair.

"I am also aware of a scholar of the Water Tribes, who gave me these scrolls. He is a firebender, but his knowledge of the North and South Pole is beyond adequate. I have asked him to try to coach you in healing, so you can save my daughter," Ozai continues and Katara nods, deciding to keep silent.

The feeling of how much she wants this makes her insides turn into knots.

"Thank you," Katara repeats weakly, unsure what else she is supposed to say. "I was just about to go help her with her pain."

"That's good. You won't be seeing your instructor until this evening," Ozai says before walking away slowly.

Katara swallows the phlegm in her throat and rises to go heal Azula, reluctantly abandoning her breakfast. It is true that she no longer has an appetite after finding out that she will be taught to heal. She remembers constantly begging Hama to teach her, but being refused time and time again.

Azula goes through the same routine today, stripping off her clothes. Katara is less embarrassed and intrigued this time, and is relieved that she can control her thoughts to a better extent. She kneels in front of Azula and picks up the water, gently moving her fingers across Azula's smooth skin.

She has vestige of beauty, beneath her prominent illness. And Katara looks at it with appreciation and a tad of admiration. However, she keeps her mouth shut and reminds herself that she is a slave, and that Azula is the enemy, even if she opens herself for Katara, and bares her greatest weakness.

Azula asks, "What do you fear most?"

And Katara responds, "Are these going to be interviews?"

"Interrogations," Azula replies softly as Katara moves to her ribs. The water on Azula's navel makes her toes curl, and she tries to conceal how her body has clenched with very unwelcome arousal.

"Right," Katara says, shaking her head. This girl is... awful. "My worst fear is... hm... maybe suffocating. Or burning. I guess, dying painfully."

"And the worst painful death you can think of?" Azula inquires, her eyes closed and her expression infuriatingly smug.

"Dying in a cage," Katara says softly, thinking of Hama's chilling stories she told Katara over and over again since she was a little girl barely able to comprehend the cruelty. "What about you? What's your worst fear?"

Azula says nothing, but as Katara briefly stops the relief from the glowing water, Azula says, "Interrogations only go one way."

Katara sighs and accepts that.

Being forgotten, Azula cannot help but think to herself.