Avatar Chapter 33
I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
Li and Lo waited in the training hall for their students, today's lesson would be a very special one. They would begin to teach Azula lightning generation, one of the greatest techniques within the art of Fire Bending. They had no doubt that the Azula had the skill needed for the unique art, it was the mental and spiritual side they feared she lacked.
The Princess entered, as always Ty Lee followed behind along with a hulking mass of fur and scales. The Princess was in good spirits, eager as always to learn new forms or techniques. Ty Lee was cheerful, her only mood it seemed, and was chatting up Azula with glee.
The young couple were an odd pair, but Li and Lo hoped that Ty Lee's calming influence would make both this and future lessons go smoothly.
"Greetings, are the two of you ready for today's instruction"-
"It is one of great importance, particularly for you Azula."
The Princess looked at them with a critical eye, she obviously knew this would not be a normal session, Ty Lee was tugging her braid and looked slightly nervous, Arkrez… was licking his paw.
"With the Avatars return and your ascension Princess, the duties expected of you will undoubtedly include facing new threats"-
"Which means you both must be prepared to handle whatever situation fate brings upon you."
"From the outside world"-
"And within"
Azula nodded "Of course, I will be ready for any threat that dares come my way." While the arrogance and pride was there they both noticed her quick glace to Ty Lee, the twins glanced at each other.
"Well then, come here Azula"-
"This scroll will be the start of your training."
Li and Lo pushed forward a wooden stand with the sacred scroll atop it, the Princess came forward and they saw her eyes widen ever so slightly as she read the characters.
"The art of lightning generation is a beautiful"-
"And dangerous ability, it requires peace of mind"-
"Absence of emotion"-
"And the greatest of skill."
Azula picked of the scroll and seemed to comprehend just how much information was contained within the very thick roll of parchment."
"Within are the forms, the breathing, the exercises."-
"The philosophy, the mechanisms behind it and most importantly"-
"The state of mind required"
"Begin by reading the scroll, memorize and perfect the movements, only after they are satisfactory will we allow you to bend." They knew Azula was not used to being told she could not do something, her frown told them as much, but they had to take precautions, lighting generation, if done incorrectly, could blow up in ones face, literally, and with deadly consequences.
Azula did not look happy but nodded none the less, she was smart enough to know what was at stake. She stalked off to the study area, a corner full of thick carpets and plush pillows.
The twins turned their attention to Ty Lee, who suddenly straightened up and fumbled with her braid.
"Ty Lee dear, as you are involved with Azula romantically"
"By the way good job sweetums, we were worried all the young men in the country would turn celibate before long."
A snort came from a grumbling Princess.
"But this means you are no longer someone who can simply vanish into a crowd."-
"Especially now that the Avatar has shaken things up, many eyes will be upon you."-
"Some of them will not be friendly"-
"The political environment is a dangerous place"-
"Especially for nobles with connections"-
Li and Lo looked at Ty Lee and examined the blank expression on her face, they suspected most of what they said had gone in one side of her head and out the other.
"They mean you're in danger Ty, don't talk to strangers, don't accept candy, that kind thing." The Princess lazily added.
"Oh! Ok…oh, that kinda stinks, can't we all be friends." Ty Lee's innocent face and big eyes reminded the twins she was a relatively simple and kind-hearted souls.
"Unfortunately not my dear, as such your safety."-
"Must be paramount"
With a quick clap the doors opened and a large group of specially picked volunteers steeped in. Unlike the others these were hired mercenaries, some of the best in the world who had seen combat most of their lives. Guards were fine but they needed people who could cut loose, if the pay was right of course.
"These fine men and women will test if your current protection is adequate."
Ty Lee looked at the rough looking crowd with a nervous eye, the cruel smirks and insane looks some of the mercenaries gave her were unnerving.
"So… I am fighting them?" she asked nervously, the group chuckled at that.
"Oh Agni no you're a future royal, and every royal knows."-
"To let others take care of menial things."
Lee was simple guy, he got up in the morning, strapped on his boots, grabbed his spear, went out to kill, rob, cause mayhem, and then went to bed drunk as could be. Being called to the Royal Palace to fight some rich noble was an odd job but he would take it. He wondered why someone would want him and a bunch of other rough characters to fight a little girl with obnoxious clothing but it was not the weirdest job he had taken.
So when the two old bags made it seem as if they would not be fighting the girl he was confused, that was the job description. There was a lot of murmuring and gesturing to the side, where Lee nearly gagged at the sight of the Crown Princess, arrogantly smiling them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you are for coming, you are here today to test our student's guard."-
"As such anyone who can get past her protector."-
"Will be paid triple." The old twins declared.
Lee refocused, forgetting smirking Royal, and grinned this was a well-paying job and triple that would last him the year.
"You may begin when ready." The twins said in unison.
Lee looked to his right and left, they said nothing about there being only one winner so there should be no reason for a stab in the back, though he knew this crowd and one could never be sure.
"Alright, I just need to get past her…wait." Lee looked around, where exactly was this guard? He took a step forward and actually bumped into something, which seemed to hiss back at him. The air in front of him shimmered, and Lee found himself looking into the eyes of an enormous feline.
Azula held back a laugh as the degenerate with the crooked nose screamed in terror, it was a high pitched wail that was beyond annoying, Arkrez appeared to agree with her as he proceeded to swat the screaming man, into the wall, on the other side of the room.
"Incredible strength indeed, and to think he still has more growing to do." Currently Arkrez, pacing in front of the wary mercenaries, came up to about chest height of a tall man. None the less he had sent one man across the room with a single swipe and his long scaled tail waved back and forth menacingly.
One large brave, undoubtedly stupid, man stepped forward and levelled an enormous sword at Arkrez. Azula watched in interest as her pet sniffed the blade, ran his whiskers over it, before suddenly biting down.
She raised an eyebrow as the sword shattered in his jaws, and with one part fascination and one part disgust, watched as Arkrez seemed to chew and then swallow the metal.
"Of course he'd eat it, though I imagine he'd find it distasteful." A tail slamming into the flabbergasted man's side again proved her right. "Well that was interesting." Azula watched as the beast tore into the group, biting, slashing and sending people flying with his tail.
Though a wonderful sight Azula was drawn to the scroll in her hands, containing the technique she had dreamed about ever since she could bend flame. The art of lightning generation was a closely guarded secret, for both its power and dangers.
She had read the stories of otherwise powerful Fire Benders being seriously maimed from the backfire of an improperly executed bolt. But she had also heard of how it could bring the strongest stone wall crumbling down, and how it could singularly end the life of even the toughest foe.
Azula looked at the section describing the motions, they were unlike most Fire Bending sets, lots of circular motions, unfamiliar hand gestures and seeming simplistic stances. "Two fingers? Well at least that's familiar, to me anyway." None the less Azula knew she could master the forms and positions in no time, she moved on to the actual generation theory.
This would be far more difficult, for her, Fire Bending had always been about emotion and passion, the desire to destroy whatever was in her way had always fueled her bending. Thus the idea of having to be absent of all emotion, to empty and clear her head of anything and everything was strangely foreign to her.
Contrary to what she knew some people thought she did feel things, not the way other people did she knew now, but she was not some unfeeling demon who cackled as she sacrificed babies. "Stupid spy reports, I should tell them to bring me things of use not rumors of what I do at night… though the cauldron of boiling blood is a good image, I know a few ministers whose heads would look wonderful floating around in it."
The Princess shook her head, she was trying to temper her behavior and all these outlandish images were not helping. She went back to her studies, determined to learn everything there was in this scroll and then some, she already had ideas on how to improve to the techniques.
She studied for a time, the screams of terror and roars from her pet were soothing to her. "ARKREZ! SPIT HIM OUT THAT IS NOT FOOD!" Azula nearly jumped and looked up in curiosity, Ty Lee never yelled, she squealed and screamed but Azula could not remember the last time Ty Lee yelled.
She nearly laughed at the sight, Arkrez had unhinged his jaw and had the top half of a man in his mouth, the legs kicking behind him. "Arky, drop him." Ty Lee stamped her foot in an oddly authoritative way. The big cat whined "Don't give me that look, you don't know where he's been, put him on the floor and I will get some of that Fish-Squid you like." At the mention of better food Arkrez gagged and spit out the man, who immediately assumed the fetal position on the floor, and made his way to his pink clad master.
There were a few more mercenaries standing but none seemed willing to take another step, on the floor were dozens of moaning, and in some cases crying, warriors who had been battered around like human balls of string.
After a closer look Azula took notice of something interesting, none of the fallen bodies was anywhere near were Ty Lee had been standing, it was as if Arkrez had drawn an invisible circle around his master, Azula smiled "Good boy."
"Well, that gives us something to work with."-
"Indeed it does sister."
The twins clapped their hands and training hall doors opened, various guards and medical staff hurried in and started to haul away the defeated mercenaries, or on case of those still standing urging the obviously traumatized individuals away.
Li and Lo stood up and made for a side room used for private study.
"Come along Ty Lee, we have other things to discuss with you."-
"And Azula has much to study."
The Princess smirked, she would have this memorized by midday and then she could actually start physically training, when the blood and various other fluids were washed off the floor first.
Ty lee stopped petting the purring killing machine and nodded "Ok, have fun Zula, good luck with the lighting…stuff." Her girlfriend waved and even blew her a kiss
Azula smiled as she watched as Ty Lee walked with Li and Lo, genially curious as to what they would be talking about, but the scroll once again drew her in and Azula began reading, becoming more excited as she delved deeper.
In the small study Ty Lee sat across from Li and Lo, noticing they were far more serious than normal. They always took their duties seriously but often had a playful, if somewhat odd, sense of humor.
"Ty Lee we have trained and instructed you for well over a year now."-
"We are both impressed with how far you have come, even if the complexities of politics and the court escapes you."
Ty Lee pouted, she was an airhead who had no idea how the government worked, something she had accepted a while ago.
"But no matter, you are obviously not meant for political intrigue, your destiny lies elsewhere"-
"And we can confidently say that it involves Azula, who you have changed greatly my dear, the Princess is not the same person she was before you broke into the Palace."
She blushed, how they knew about that she would never know.
"We believe these changes are for the better, you have… tamed her more extreme personality traits."-
"And more importantly given someone she can trust, something many great leaders dismiss, to their peril."-
"We feared her mind, as brilliant as it is, would begin to buckle under the pressure and isolation of her status."
Now she was blushing for different reasons, Ty Lee never set out to change Azula, she just wanted to be with her friend, and then some as it turned out.
"But we have also seen how she has changed you dear, you are more confident and assertive then we thought you could be."-
"Azula herself seemed surprised at your outburst earlier, something we did not anticipate."
Ty Lee tugged at her braid, she had not thought about it but that was probability first time she had ever forcefully spoken to, well, anything. She did not mean to yell at Arkrez but he was going to eat the man and even if he was probably a scumbag he did not deserve that fate.
"This new attitude will you serve you greatly, we were not jesting when we mentioned the dangers you will be in."-
"Which leads us to ask, Ty Lee, do you love the Princess?"
"Of course I do" She replied without any hesitation.
"Even knowing she may be unable to truly return your feelings?"
Ty Lee thought about it "No one else will love her, or has really ever loved her" She sighed "I know I can't expect Azula to feel like I do anytime soon but I know she cares about me, and even if it's not love it's the best she can do and that's all I need."
The twins looked at each other, their silent way of communicating was something that neither her nor Azula could figure out.
"Well you certainly are an odd match for Azula, but perhaps that is what makes your relationship work."-
"And with luck the Princess will truly return your feelings on day, imperfection is not something she tolerates."-
"In any field."-
"However regardless of the details of your relationship the fact that you are likely to be Azula's consort one day means your life will change."-
"Tell us Ty Lee, are you aware of the destination your current path leads to?"
She blinked her again, they had lost her once again.
"Mmm, how about this, you are aware that as it stands Azula will one day"-
"Hopefully not one that comes soon"-
"Replace Fire Lord Ozai as Fire Lord."
She nodded, a little nervous at where this conversation was going.
"And as her consort you will become our fair Fire Lady."-
"And that my dear can be a burden nearly as heavy as the position of Fire Lord."
Ty Lee thought she understood "Sooo, I can't just be Azula's consort, I have to be more than that right?"
The twins looked surprised, but pleased. "Correct, as time passes your responsibilities will change, you will have power that many would kill for, and they may in fact try."
Ty Lee frowned, she had thought about this before but the reality of it was a bit much for her to take in. In a sense she would have to be more like Azula, which was something Ty Lee doubted she could do.
"Now don't get discouraged dear, we will be here to guide you and it is unlikely Azula sit idly by."-
"She is still your Princess and will help you, as we are sure you will let her."
She smiled, Azula would likely step in if she made so much as made a spelling error.
"Now that you understand what you have gotten yourself into let's begin with lesson, you must learn to wield the power as your disposal."-
"This may be tricky as there has not been an official Fire Lady since Lady Iiah, who set quite a precedent."
Ty Lee sat and listened, nervous and unsure of herself but determined to do well, if Azula could do this so easily she could at least try.