Avatar Chapter 47
I do not own Avatar the Last Air Bender
When Azula returned to the patio she found Arkrez devouring what the savages here called 'food', the colony girl was dazed and looked as if she had been through a storm and her Ty Lee had that…thing, on her lap, making strange faces and weird noises.
Azula knew she had a problem with jealousy but had no intention of changing anytime soon, the world around her would change instead, by force or by excessive force.
But for now she would bend a little, it was just an infant after all, a small, insignificant little whelp who had somehow tricked Ty Lee into a false sense of security so it could-
"Hey Zula! Have you eaten anything yet, if you don't hurry Arky will gobble everything up." Ty Lee's big round eyes and bright face were almost perfect, except for the little twerp in Azula's field of view.
"It's alright Ty Lee, Arkrez seems to be enjoying himself and he deserves a reward for today's actions."
"Oh, yeah." Ty Lee's eyes dimmed slightly, Azula did not like that.
But it did not last, her face lit up as she stood. "In that case, do you want to hold Tom-Tom?"
Ty Lee walked forward with the thing and Azula almost took a step back, it was so messy, small and unappealing.
"I don't thin-." Ty Lee was not listening and moved the infant forward into Azula's personal space
"Come on Azula, he's so cute!"
"Yeah Princess, he's a bundle of blubbering joy." Mai was mocking her even if she didn't change her tone.
Azula looked at the baby and hesitantly stuck her arms out, the thing was looking at her with big dumb eyes, eyes that had tricked her Ty Lee. "I will not be intimidated by you, you crafty interloper."
She grasped the infant and held him at arm's length, he kicked his stubby legged and giggled.
Ty Lee smiled at her. "See, he's an awesome little guy."
"Who spits up half his food." Mai added.
Azula brought the blubbering infant closer to her face and examined it, its nose was messy and there was drool coming from its mouth. "Unsightly, undignified and unhygienic you are beneath me you cretin, I shall not be taken in by your innoce- it has my hair!"
Tom-Tom had grabbed one of her bangs and was pulling on it, laughing like a psychotic.
"Ty Lee it is touching me!" She tried to move the attacker away but it had a firm grip.
"He likes you."
"It. Is. Touching. Me!"
"I wonder if steam will come out of your ears if he pulls hard enough?" Mai looked unconcerned.
"This is not the time for you quips Mai, get this-." Azula heard a strange noise, she turned her eyes away from Mai and to her horror she saw the little demon had her bang in its mouth.
"Whoops." Ty Lee looked apologetic.
Azula was shaking in silent fury, her head was bent at a strange angle and she could hear the thing chewing on her meticulously prepared hair.
"You know the legend of the man whose enormous strength came from his hair? Maybe if Tom-Tom eats yours he'll gain your enormous ego."
Azula tried to glare at Mai but even she realized the difficulty of looking intimidating right now.
"Tom-Tom! Spit that out, I'm so sorry Princess!" Thankfully the things mother rushed over and somehow got him to spit her hair out.
As Azula straitened her neck out the drool covered bang hit her in the face and stayed there, Ty Lee gigged and Mai stared.
Composing herself Azula spoke. "That's alright, children are meant to be curious little… darlings." Azula wanted nothing more right now then to take the grinning sack of drool and kick him over the railing but restrained herself. "I will not forget this you little cur, one day you will regret this moment and despair."
She plucked the ruined bang from her cheek only for it to swing right back and stick again, she bit back a growl.
"Thank you Princess, Tom-Tom is a good boy he just likes to put everything he can in his mouth." The little devil looked so smug in his mother's embrace, he then put his fist in his mouth and chewed on it, Ty Lee looked enthralled…again.
Azula held back from launching a fireball into the pukes face.
Mai walked behind a steamed Azula and a skipping Ty Lee, they had bade farewell to her mother and brother, the latter of which had put Azula into a very bad mood. "I'll give the little snot points for that at least."
She was supposed to be giving a tour but was not standing with her back to an angry Princess, better to be back here with the colony girl and the beast. The giant scaly fur bag apparently liked Kori and was nuzzling her as they walked, which due to his size nearly knocked her over each time.
"Do large animals often shower you with affection, or is this a colonial ritual I have yet to learn about?"
"This is not normal my Lady, I promise you! He just smells something on me I swear it!" Kori tried to push the feline's large head away but to little effect.
"I see." Mai found making he colony girl uncomfortable very entertaining.
"Maiiiii, which way now?" Ty Lee asked as they came to split path.
"Straight for yet another sitting room, right for everything else."
"Ok, so which way is your room?" Ty Lee looked so completely honest.
Mai gave her a blank look. "Come on Ty Lee, you can do this."
"We're going right Ty!" Unfortunately Azula had no patience right now and walked on, Ty Lee had a look of understanding. "Ohhh, that makes sense."
"What in Agni's name do they talk about?" Mai was baffled, there must have been another Lee sister with bit more brains, if even just a little.
"Lady Mai, is it okay that the Crown Princess seems upset?" Kori looked frightened, which meant she had some brains.
"Kori, if you want to stay in the same city as Azula and remain sane, then accept that she is upset about fifty percent of the time." That was a lie, the true number was just shy of one hundred but Mai thought that would be too discouraging.
"Oh Agni protect me in your brilliant light." She heard Kori mumble a prayer, she would need more than that.
After wandering around for far too long in Azula's opinion, which was not helped by Mai's less then helpful directions, they somehow wound up back in the main hall, where the Governor was talking to some guests, looking very pleased with himself.
"Good, he found Xizan's plant… I think." The man the governor was talking to at the moment looked the part of a military man, ornate armor, arms like logs and he was over a head taller than the governor, but his face was far too… pretty.
"If his hair was not done up it would be longer than mine, and his lips are far too big for his face." Azula was not sure if she tolerated or despised the man right now.
"Wooow… he's handsome." Ty Lee was staring, Azula felt an angry twitch in her cheek.
The governor turned to them with a smile on his face, as if he were a child who just learned how to say his first word. "Your majesty! I have excellent news concerning the rebels, General Oukun here is a renowned military commander and has graciously offered his services in expunging the pests."
Azula stopped cursing the handsome general's entire family for a moment upon hearing the name, she had memorized the name and accomplishments of every military commander of note in the Fire Nation and General Oukun was easily in the top five.
He had joined the army when he when was barley into his teens and over three decades since he was still here, he had won countless battles and captured whole provinces for the Fire Nation. "Now if only he was ugly I would be happy." Azula was beginning to wonder if she should have left Ty Lee back home in a secure location, in the middle of nowhere, served by a bunch of eunuchs.
The General walked past the governor and stopped in front of them, giving both a salute and a smile on his overly large lips. "Your majesty, it is wonderful to finally meet you and your lovely companion." Azula internally screamed, his voice smooth and hypnotic on top of everything else.
"That it is, I must say it is surprising to find a man with such an extensive military record so far from the front lines." She glanced to her left, Ty Lee's eyes were transfixed on the Generals face as if she were stargazing.
"I was in the area on a personal matter and I decided to stop by to see the fabled mountain city."
"Of course, the Governor is quite fortunate then that you made your way here on a whim, few commanders would bother with such a delicate manner."
"Yes getting rid of city rebels is quite the endeavor but I will take care of the matter shortly." Now that he was closer Azula noticed the man's huge lips seemed to grin all the time.
"I have no doubt, General." Azula was pondering if this really was Xizans agent, the General did not seem like the kind of man who take orders from any noble.
"Also I feel it is my responsibility to aid the city after I removed its only other option."
"…which was?"
"Hm? Oh General Zang was out in the work camp when me and my men arrived, an eager man but with a bit too much bluster, and whatever intoxicant was affecting him at the time. He challenged me to a duel in the nude and I'm afraid I had to remove his head, a pity really." Oukun let out a hearty chuckle despite his apparent 'regret'.
Azula felt a twitch in her face, General Zang was a perfectly adept commander, not great but better than nothing and this man had removed his head! Best of all Zang was rumored to be uglier than komodo-rhino filth which would have suited Azula perfectly.
Oukun turned to Ty Lee who seemed unnerved by the talk of decapitation. "Oh my, forgive me Princess such conversations are unsuited for ears such as yours, sometimes I forget myself back her in civilization." The General bowed, took Ty Lee's hand and… kissed it.
"N-no problem." She was blushing and Azula wanted to vaporize everything in the room. "Breath, just breath, I need to get through the day without killing anyone."
Azula managed to not to kill or maim or burn anyone that day, though only just. To her displease General Oukun was actually competent and had a masterful plan for the rebels, involving large amounts of fire and smoke, two of her favorite things.
Competent commanders were one of few classes of people she, and more importantly her father, respected so she had to curb her desire to push him of the nearest cliff along with that snivelling parasite Mai called a brother.
She really thought she would snap at dinner, the Governor insisted Ouken stay for a feast of thankfully real Fire Nation food. Azula had to endure Ty Lee's attention being pulled by the handsome commander and the adorable infant.
When she and her Ty Lee finally retired to the royal guest chamber, every noble house had one, she finally allowed herself to relax. "Finally."
"This is a really nice room, and look they brought all our stuff from the train-tank thing!" Ty Lee was now enthralled by the room and Azula had a sudden desire to burn the whole building down.
"That's it!"
"Ty Lee we need to talk."
"Ok about what Zula?" Ty Lee spun around and had that big grin on her face, which was a twitch to big.
Azula immediately switched her intention and decided to dig. "What's wrong?"
Ty Lee's smile faulted slightly and her eyes, her big bright eyes, dulled a fraction. "Nothing's wrong."
"Don't lie to me Ty Lee." Azula took a step forward and Ty Lee looked at the floor.
"I don't want to talk about it." She mumbled.
"Irrelevant! Was is the rebels, the captain said you were unharmed."
"I am"
"Then what, you're obviously upset and I do not like it!" Azula wanted answers and she would get them.
Ty Lee looked up with tears in her eyes and threw her arms around Azula, she began to sob into her shirt.
"Drat." Azula hated dealing with crying and Ty Lee cried a lot, it was even worse when she was not the cause.
She awkwardly patted her consorts back while she cried and mumbled something incoherent, this was a rare instance when she was at a loss for words.
After what was at least ten minutes of crying and awkward patting and rubbing Ty Lee settled down and raised her head, she had tear streaks down her face, her nose of running and her lip was quivering, which made her kind of cute in a weird way.
Azula pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and gave it to Ty Lee, who wiped her face and blew her nose, which was less cute.
"Sorry Azula."
"Its fine, now tell me what I want to know."
Ty Lee started snivelling again and Azula rolled her eyes. "Fine sit down and tell me when you're ready."
They sat down at a small dining table and Azula waited patiently while Ty Lee traced the designs with her finger.
Azula was about to burn her own designs into the wood when Ty Lee spoke. "The rebel who talked to us, he…said things, not very nice things."
"He was a rebel Ty Lee, they're not nice."
"But he said such horrible things, and he meant them!"
"Of course he meant them, but you've dealt with people like this before, why has this cretin upset you so much?"
"Because he hated me, I saw it!" She was crying again.
"…You saw him, hate you?"
Ty Lee slouched. "His aura was so twisted and dark, they all were, I'd never met any of them before in my life but they hated…, me so deeply, they got angrier the longer he talked and then… and then Arkrez…" Ty Lee blew her nose.
Azula sighed. "Ty Lee, it is not you they hate, it is what you represent."
The girl looked confused, Azula leaned forward and touched the crown on Ty Lee's head. "That crown is not a fashion accessory no matter how many jewels are tacked on to it, it is a symbol of our nation and as long as it sits on your head you, are also a symbol." Azula realized she probably should have had this conversation before they stepped into enemy territory.
"B-But-"
"No buts, being royalty means being the human face of this country, if those rebels hate our country then they hate our country's citizens anyone, royalty or not, who wears the Fire Nation colors or flag outside our borders knows that, understand."
"…I think so, I shouldn't take what people like him say personally, right?"
"I guess that's one way to look at it, another way to look at it is that you crush anyone who even thinks they hate you with the full military might of our country, but I suppose that's a bit much for you." Aaula stood up.
Ty Lee finally smiled, a true smile. "Thanks Azula, you're the best."
"I'm aware, now no more drivel about what some backwater rebel says, you should no-umf." Ty Lee had silently gotten up and embraced her.
"You really are the best." Ty Lee kissed her deeply and pushed her backwards until the back of Azula's legs hit the bed.
Ty Lee broke the kiss and gave her another smile, a very impish smile.
"Don't you dare!"
Ty Lee simply batted her eyelashes and gave her a push, leverage was not on Azula's side as she fell onto her back with a thud, they had obviously cheeped out on the mattress.
Ty Lee climbed onto and straddled her, looking far too smug. "You're so beautiful."
"That I am, now what do you think you're doing?"
"I promised you a reward earlier remember."
"I forget very little, but now is really not the time, we have things to accomplish tomorrow and I have not even brought my latest manual and-." Ty Lee put a finger to her lips. "Zula you think a lot sometimes." She was giving her that look again, Azula both despised and adored it.
Ty Lee leaned forward with a fire in her eyes. "You know, I've been reading up on some neat stuff I can do with my fingers." Ty Lee's hands began creeping their way underneath Azula's shirt.
"I'm sure you have, but are you sure you know what you're doing?" Azula realized that without a plan ahead of time she had no idea what to do right now, Ty Lee was in charge and that both terrified and thrilled her.
Ty Lee grinned and then brazenly stuck a hand down the Princess's pants, Azula nearly jumped. "I have a good idea." Ty Lee started nibbling Azula's neck and the Fire Bender finally stopping thinking about infants, generals and fancy rooms stealing her Ty Lee away, for today at least.