Chapter 5: On Kyoshi Island

The sound of a metal gauntlet rapping lightly against a steel door sounded in the small cabin, and Azula's eyes snapped open.

"What is it?" she demanded, sitting up.

"We have reached Kyoshi Island, princess," the soldier on the other side of the door said. "We'll be anchoring in the harbor shortly."

"Tell Captain Shin I will join him on deck presently." As the soldier's footsteps receded, Azula rose from her bed and quickly dressed in her travel clothes. The princess was used to having servants help her in such mundane tasks, but she'd always made certain that unlike some noblewomen, she could do them herself if the need arose. After slipping her flame hairpin into place and taking a final quick look at her reflection, she hurried out onto the deck.

The sun was just rising over the horizon as the ship anchored itself in the natural harbor nearest to the main village of Kyoshi Island. Captain Shin stood on the bridge directing operations, and Azula came to stand next to him.

"You'll be able to go ashore shortly, princess," the captain said without looking at her. "I recommend that you find your friend as quickly as you can so that we can leave. There's some sort of giant eel in the water around this island, and though we managed to scare it off with firebending, there's no guarantee it doesn't have friends."

Azula doubted that- in her experience, large and powerful beings were not generally inclined to share territory with potential rivals. Still, she agreed wholeheartedly that dangerous monsters were not pleasant company, and vowed to complete her business here quickly.

The ship slowly turned its metal bulk towards shore and the pointed prow was lowered to the beach, forming a ramp. Azula strode down onto the beach, accompanied by Captain Shin and two of his firebenders and they began to march inland.

A statue of Avatar Kyoshi, perched on the top of a wooden pole, was the first part of the village that Azula saw. The former Avatar was depicted dressed in a green robe, holding her battle-fans in a familiar pose. Having encountered the Kyoshi Warriors before (and briefly impersonated one, for that matter) Azula could most certainly see the resemblance between the female fighters and their source of inspiration. To the princess's eyes, though, the statue held itself with an elegant poise that outclassed any of the current Warriors- this was an opponent Azula found herself quietly glad she'd never had to face.

They walked into the heart of the village and the people stopped and stared, some of them retreating into their homes. Azula had heard that Zuzu and his men had largely wrecked the place during his search for the Avatar- clearly, these people were still leery of firebenders. One man appeared to be so flustered that he collapsed to the ground foaming at the mouth, and Azula had to repress a smirk. Even at the worst of her madness, she never drooled on herself.

A bearded, dignified older man stepped out of the crowd and strode towards the firebenders. "You're not wanted here," he said. "The war is over."

Azula stepped forward and raised her hands. "We're not here to fight," she said. "I just want to talk to the Kyoshi Warriors. Where are they?"

The old man scowled. "Why do you want to know?"

"One of them is an old friend. I want to talk to her. Is that a crime on this island?"

The village leader sighed. "Very well." He pointed deeper into the island. "They have a dojo in that direction. They'll be training there now."

Azula turned and began to walk in the indicated direction, not sparing the old man a second glance. Behind her, Captain Shin scowled and walked over to the leader, thanking him for his help in a quiet voice. Then the captain and his men followed after the princess.

The Kyoshi Warriors' dojo was not hard to find- it stood at the end of the path, right at the edge of a small forest. Azula paused as she approached, remembering her last encounter with these girls and formulating something to say that would allow her to avoid an attack long enough to talk to Ty Lee.

That choice was taken from her when a girl wearing the distinctive dress-armor of the Warriors stepped outside and began to walk towards the village, apparently needing to fetch something from the locals. She noticed the firebenders almost immediately and stopped, stunned- then her eyes widened with recognition as they fixed on Azula.

"Suki!" the warrior shouted, drawing her sword and war fan and holding both weapons at the ready. In an instant the other warriors were hurrying outside, all of them looking ready for a fight and glaring daggers at the princess. Ty Lee was nowhere to be seen.

Suki, the Kyoshi Warriors' leader, stepped forward. "You," she said, glaring at Azula. "I heard from Aang and Katara that you'd been released, but I never thought you'd come here. Looking for a rematch?"

Azula was seized with a burning desire to take Suki up on her offer and leave the non-bender warrior a smoldering husk on the ground. She'd learn then not to talk to a princess of Sozin's blood in that manner then. The Kyoshi warriors were good, true, but Azula knew from experience that she was better. A nagging voice in the back of her mind told her that she'd had Mai and Ty Lee with her last time and she was no match for them all by herself, and that this wasn't what she was here for anyway, but she ignored it.

The princess's fists clenched and flames sprang into life around them. Suki stepped back slightly, and Azula smiled. "You should have learned your lesson last time, peasant," she hissed. "Apparently you need to learn it again."

"We'll see about that," Suki snapped back. Both girls dropped into crouches, flames and weapons at the ready- and then Captain Shin stepped between them, hands outstretched.

"This is meaningless!" he said in a tone that brooked no argument. "You did not come here to fight, princess, and you should remember that." He looked over at Suki. "And I think you should at least listen to what she has to say. She did not come here to harm you."

Azula felt her anger fade as suddenly as it had arrived, and she stumbled back and leaned against a nearby tree, feeling drained. Suki watched her carefully, and then, apparently decided it wasn't a trick, she lowered her own weapons. The other warriors relaxed somewhat, but remained tense. "All right," Suki said. "I'll be civil if she will."

The princess shook herself and stepped forward again, now every inch the controlled royal warrior. "My brother has allowed me to leave the Fire Nation on a mission," Azula said. "Our mother, Ursa, was banished to the Earth Kingdom by our father. It is my intention to find her and return her to the Fire Nation. I came here to ask Ty Lee to join me."

Suki's eyes widened in surprise and she shook her head. "I can't believe you," she said. "You actually expect us to trust you? To help you? Most of us spent the better part of a year in prison because of you! And after the way you treated her and Mai, do you really think Ty Lee wants to leave and go with you? Because I don't."

"I don't need your help," Azula snapped. "I just need to talk to Ty Lee herself – she can make up her own mind."

"All right," a voice said from near the back of the Kyoshi Warriors. They parted as a figure with a bouncing step and perpetual perky grin came out from behind them. "Here I am! Oh, hi Azula." Ty Lee paused and looked around at the other warriors, and then at the firebenders. "Was everybody fighting out here or something?"

"Where were you?" Azula asked incredulously.

"I was out back, practicing acrobatics. They have the best trees for climbing and jumping around here, you know." Ty Lee shrugged. "Then I heard the commotion and came over here to check it out, and I heard my name, so here I am! Did you want to talk to me?"

The last time the two had met face to face, Azula had been lying paralyzed on the ground after Ty Lee used her chi-blocking ability to keep her from killing- or possibly, Azula had to admit, being killed by- Mai. In spite of that, the acrobat was still talking to her old 'friend' in what would be, in most people, an unnaturally upbeat and friendly tone. Still, there was something more guarded in Ty Lee's eyes than there had been before. She might not be holding a grudge against Azula, but it was clear she no longer trusted her.

"She wants you to help find her mother," Suki said. "I guess she does care about something."

"Don't be mean," Ty Lee said. "Azula cares about lots of things- er, very deep down." The acrobat turned to look at the princess, and her expression was sad. "But I can't go with you, Azula. Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors are my friends too, and right now I still have a lot to learn from them- and most of them haven't picked up how to block chi too well, either. But I do hope you find your mom. She was nice."

At Ty Lee's words Azula shivered. She remembered a dark cloak and merciless violet eyes, and a hand that could deflect lightning as easily as air. "Ty Lee," she said, "If you come with me, I'll let you come back to Kyoshi Island when everything is done. But there are things about this that I haven't told anyone, and- I need your help." The last was a whisper.

Suki looked stunned, and Ty Lee uncharacteristically thoughtful. "Let me talk to Suki," she said.

/

Suki allowed Ty Lee to pull her aside behind the dojo. "You're not actually considering this, are you?" she asked. "I mean, I'm all for second chances- I teamed up with Zuko to escape the Boiling Rock even though he nearly burned the village down, and even Sokka was a bit of a jerk the first time I met him. But Azula? There's just something creepy about her. You of all people should know that!"

"Yeah, she can be pretty creepy," Ty Lee admitted, suppressing a giggle as she remembered a young nobleman on Ember Island who'd gotten more than he bargained for when flirting with the warrior princess. "But I've known her for years, Suki, and what she said to me there isn't why I'm thinking about changing my mind. It was what she looked like. She was scared, Suki- and Azula's not afraid of anything."

"Your point?"

"If something's so bad that Azula's afraid of it," Ty Lee said, "then she's in trouble, and she needs help. She's my friend, Suki- I can't just turn my back on her, even after everything she's done."

"Friend?" Suki asked. "You were her tool, from everything I've heard you say. You told me yourself that she bullied you into helping her chase Zuko by setting a bunch of wild animals loose. Why do you want to go back to that?"

Ty Lee suddenly turned a half a cartwheel and was now standing on her hands- Suki had noticed this distracting tendency to do acrobatics while talking before and didn't let it faze her. "She may not have taken friendship seriously, but I do. And her mom never hurt anybody, so if she's in trouble she needs help too." The acrobat leaped back to her feet and gave Suki a hug that was almost painful- Ty Lee was stronger than she looked and managed to throw all of it into displays of affection. "You've been a good friend too, Suki. I'll be back- I promise."

/

Azula looked up and saw Ty Lee and Suki coming towards her. "Well?" she asked.

Ty Lee beamed. "I'm coming."

/

The shadow crouched near the prow of the ship, hidden to all but the most attentive eyes. It had been child's play for her to sneak on board, and easier still to keep the crew from discovering her. People, she had found in the last year, could be shockingly unobservant.

Her violet eyes focused on the shoreline. The princess was returning with her warriors and a perky girl who must be the one called Ty Lee. Looking at the acrobat's jaunty walk and perpetual grin, the shadow was forcibly reminded of another girl who had once taken delight in all things she saw in the world around her, before it all fell apart…

Cursing, the shadow pulled herself out of her memories as the princess mounted the ship's ramp. Azula was observant- the shadow had to give her credit. She couldn't run the risk of being noticed now, so she pulled swiftly away from the prow and crept down into the bowels of the vessel.

The plan was working, so far. Azula was desperate enough to admit she needed help, but Ty Lee would not save her. For years the Fire Nation and its princess had lorded over the weak, reveling in the terror they inspired- but no longer. Now the tables were turned, and Azula would be the one feeling fear. She would come to know that her royal birth meant nothing, that all her power and ingenuity could not save her- and then, when she was completely broken, she would die.

It wasn't the sum total of the shadow's revenge- far from it. There were many wheels to be set in motion yet. But, with perhaps one exception, it would surely prove to be the most enjoyable.

/

Ty Lee is probably the most important character connected to Azula who plays no role in Heart of Fire, and so I knew I wanted to rectify that in Path. The two of them have a complex, often contradictory relationship in the show – one that Azula is willing to mercilessly exploit – but things have definitely changed in the interim, even if it's not immediately obvious. Of all the people who knew Azula, I decided that Ty Lee would be one of the few to forgive her without reservation, if only because holding a grudge isn't really something she's capable of – honestly, Ty Lee likes everybody (Mai, by contrast, is probably never going to fully forgive her). Furthermore, she doesn't really get what makes Azula tick. She knows there's a darkness there, sure, but it it's something she's rather out of her depth at understanding. She used to be equal parts fond of and scared of Azula, but after hearing about her breakdown, she doesn't fear Azula any more – she pities her instead. I don't think Azula has fully appreciated yet how that will change their dynamic.

On a smaller note, I figured that Azula would be capable of arranging her own hair (seriously, she was always immaculate when travelling across the Earth Kingdom with only Mai and Ty Lee for company, and I don't see either of them as royal hairstylists). Of course, she made a real mess trying to do her hair after banishing everyone in the finale, but by that point she was barely in a fit state to do anything, and I don't think it reflects on the capabilities of an on-her-game Azula.

-MasterGhandalf