The Golden Wolf Warrior
By: Agent-Ayu
Chapter 15: Princess of the Fire Nation
Note: This is the last chapter we'll see of Cazu for a while. It is also an early birthday gift to my sister. Who was helping me find the proper Chinese characters for Cazu's name while I was writing this chapter. This chapter has had several name changes and rewritten several times. I hope I didn't disappoint you.
Disclaimer: Disclaimer from Prologue still applies.
"Are you sure you want to leave your family back in Omashu?" Azula asked Mai.
Everyone was waiting for Cazu to return. Cazu had volunteered to return Tom Tom back to Mai's family.
"Yeah. They'll be fine. I was bored there anyways." Mai said bluntly her focus was on twirling some of her kunais.
Azula stared at the assassin. "This is going to sound really weird, but I swear I've met you before. Did we know each other?"
"I don't know. We'll find out when we meet up with Cazu's girlfriend. She'll be able to tell. You do remind me of someone I knew when I was little. I'm just not sure if you're really her."
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"We need to land." Cazu spoke suddenly.
"But we're not at the port yet." Aang replied.
"Let's see. I have the Avatar, and a Fire Nation traitor. Sure, let's walk into a port controlled by the Fire Nation." Cazu sarcastically responded. "We're landing just outside the circus. I know someone there who we can trust."
"Okay… Appa, yip yip."
Once they landed Cazu jumped out of Appa's saddle. "Stay here. I'm going to grab her and bring her back here. Don't unpack. You might have to make a run for it."
Cazu quickly made her way through the forest down to the circus. People were just leaving the big tent, telling Cazu the show was over. The Fire Nation princess stayed within the edge of the forest towards Ty Lee's tent. When she was close to the acrobat's tent, Cazu slipped through the opening and waited in a corner for her girlfriend.
It wasn't long before the acrobat walked into her tent. Cazu stayed quiet as Ty Lee began taking off parts of her costume. The princess tried to sneak up on her girlfriend, but failed.
"I can see you in the mirror, Cazu."
"Damn it!"
"Not that I'm not happy you're here. But I know you wouldn't be sneaking up on me again, if you weren't trying to keep me quiet. What did you do?" Ty Lee asked as she took of the last of her costume leaving herself in her underwear.
Cazu picked up a pair of Ty Lee's pants. "First, you need to get dressed. I have a surprise for you. We also need to stay quiet. We can't allow anyone to follow us."
Quickly and quietly, Cazu guided Ty Lee back to where she left the others. "Okay, now don't get too excited. Remember we need to be qui-"
"MAI!" Ty Lee ran past Cazu, completely ignoring what her girlfriend was saying.
Mai barely got her arms opened when the acrobat glomped her. When Ty Lee broke away from Mai, she noticed the others.
"Oh my goodness… AZULA!" Ty Lee tackled the Water Tribe firebender to the ground.
"Oof! Ty Lee, get off of me!"
Cazu and Mai stood shocked. Not once had they ever mentioned Ty Lee's name to the Avatar and his friends.
"How did you know her name?" Cazu finally asked.
Azula and Ty Lee both looked up at Cazu. "What do you mean, Cazu?"
"Not once had Mai and I mentioned your name to them. Yet Azula knows your name."
Everyone looked at Azula. "I remember there was this one girl I used to play with when I was little. She always wore pink and her name was Ty Lee. If I remember correctly, you have six identical sisters right?"
Ty Lee just squealed and hugged Azula harder. "Azula, I thought you were dead! It's so good to see you again."
"I am so confused." Aang mumbled.
"Me too." Sokka second.
Appa groaned agreeing with the two boys.
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Once they set up camp, everyone, including Cazu, Mai, and Ty Lee, sat around eating an impromptu meal while chatting with each other as if they have all been friends for years.
"And then Cazu, fell over the edge dangling by the lasso on her ankle reaching for Tom Tom in the cart." Sokka animatedly re-told what happened in Omashu. "She's crazy for doing that!"
Ty Lee giggled. "That makes me crazy too, because I'm the one who taught her that trick."
"You're joking, right?"
"I work at a circus. That is some of the basic stuff." Ty Lee countered as she leaned onto Cazu's shoulder.
"Where do we go from here?" Azula asked, changing the subject.
Mai and Ty Lee looked at Cazu. "I can't speak for Mai nor Ty Lee, but I have to return to the Fire Nation."
"Why? So you can tell Fire Lord Akuzo about us?" Sokka challenged.
"If I wanted him to know about you and your friends all I would have needed to do was send a messenger hawk from Omashu. Or are you going to accuse me of doing just that?"
"I knew this was a bad idea taking you with us. Soldiers could be headed right to us! Aang, Katara, Azula we're leaving now." Sokka ordered.
"No."
Everyone turned to Azula. "Sokka, you can call me insane, but I trust Cazu. If she really wanted Aang and I captured we wouldn't be sitting here right now. She had the perfect opportunity in Omashu."
"That's what she wants us to think. She's trying to gain our trust and then backfire on us."
"Ye of little faith." Cazu replied. "There was Omashu, there's a Fire Nation circus not far from here, and a port controlled by the Fire Nation, I am so trying my absolute hardest to capture you."
Sokka glared at Cazu with her sarcasm.
Cazu glared back. "Not all members of the Fire Nation are necessarily fighting in the war. Look at Mai, she just wants to be entertained, and apparently the only thing capturing her attention is for chaos to spread through the Fire Nation."
"That's true." Mai quietly agreed.
"And then there's Ty Lee and the circus. They're not entertaining only those of the Fire Nation. They have Earth Kingdom citizens also enjoying the performances of the circus as well. There are citizens of the Earth Kingdom who are also working in the circus." Cazu stopped to let what she said sink in.
The fire in the pit grew and shrank with each deep breath Cazu made. "Then there is me. I want this war to end more than anything. The only way that is going to happen is if the Avatar isn't captured. Are you satisfied with my answer yet?"
Sokka sat back down on a near by stump. "Whatever." He mumbled.
"Why do you need to go back to the Fire Nation?" Aang finally asked.
"To keep Fire Lord Akuzo off your trail. He assigned me to find Azula. Never once did he tell me I had to capture her. Even though her wanted poster did say I have permission to kill her on sight." Cazu smirked towards Azula.
"Thank you for not killing me."
Everyone laughed.
"But Cazu, what are you going to tell your father?" Ty Lee asked innocently.
Cazu froze. She forgot to tell Ty Lee not to mention her status in the Fire Nation.
"Wait!" Katara said loudly. "Your father is Fire Lord Akuzo? You're the Princess of the Fire Nation."
"Only because he crowned himself Fire Lord. I've been to many war meetings, including the one about the Siege of the North. Which as I predicted ended in disaster for the Fire Nation." Cazu replied, quickly taking the topic off of her.
"Do you trust her now, Azula?" Sokka snapped.
Azula didn't answer. Her mind was racing of what she had just learned and her memories of the siege. For years she yearned for any chance for her to get her revenge on Akuzo, and now an opportunity presented itself. Knowing Cazu was Akuzo's daughter, Azula couldn't help but trust the Fire Nation princess.
"Yes and no. I'm not sure if it's a firebender thing, but my heart is telling me I can trust her. However, my judgment is conflicted by the recent information, especially since Akuzo betrayed his Fire Lord and my family was murdered. I'm only one of many victims in this war, and it's only right for Aang as the Avatar to decided whether we should continue to trust her." Azula explained.
Aang sighed. "I think we can trust her. She had many opportunities to capture us and she hasn't."
Cazu nodded towards Aang. "You're a victim in this war too, Ava-."
"Aang. You can call me 'Aang'. I'm not a fully realized Avatar yet." Aang innocently explained.
"Very well. You're a victim too, Aang. You're the last airbender. I'm also a victim in this war." Cazu looked towards the fire pit.
"How so?" Katara asked.
"Before my father overthrew Fire Lord Azulon, he was a general for the Fire Nation army. My mother was a commander. In the previous Year of the Monkey, Fire Lord Azulon ordered a legion to attack at the outer walls of Ba Sing Se. In a legion of roughly three thousand men and women, only one hundred returned. The one hundred that did return are either dead or severely disabled. The worst part is that Fire Lord Azulon knew his legion would not make it out alive. My mother died in one of the first attacks. Everyone is affected by this war. Including the royal family."
Silence fell upon the group again.
"I want everyone to come see our show in the morning." Everyone turned his or her attention to Ty Lee. "There's a lot of negative energy here. Come watch the show tomorrow, it'll lifts everyone's spirits."
Azula smiled. "That sounds wonderful."
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As Ty Lee promised, the negative tension between the teenagers dispersed watching the circus. Cazu and Azula were off to the side talking to each other.
"I'm curious." Cazu started. Azula looked over at the Fire Nation princess. "How much of your life in the Fire Nation do you remember?"
"Not much. I don't remember the names to my family, except for Lu Ten. I remember a few of the firebending lessons my uncle gave me before the coup. And by some miracle I remembered Ty Lee's name and that she has six identical sisters."
"I'm surprised you don't remember more than that."
"There are a few other things I remember, but they're private. There are some information I haven't shared with my friends either and it's going to stay that way."
"Fair enough." Cazu looked up towards the sun. "I can't promise that I won't run into you or your friends again. If I'm with other soldiers I have to act the part of the Fire Nation princess and attack you. If I'm by myself I will try to assist you as much as I can. Though I do expect a rematch the next time I see you."
Azula laughed. "Only if you work on your breathing pattern. You also lack a drive. You'll be a worthy rival once you find your drive and work your breathing pattern."
"You need to stop thinking like a waterbender. You're a firebender, you can't change that."
Before Azula could respond Katara walked up to the two firebenders. "Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but we really need to get moving."
"Okay." Azula turned her attention back to Cazu and held out her hand. "Till next time."
"Till next time." Cazu grabbed hold of Azula's hand and shook.
The three Fire Nation girls watched as their new friends walked through the forest. They waited until the faintly saw the flying bison fly away from the circus.
"Oh, Mai, I can talk to the ring leader, but I think we can fit you in as well with your knife throwing skills!" Ty Lee announced.
"Sure, at least it's something to do."
"YAY!" The acrobat bounced in excitement.
Cazu smiled seeing Ty Lee happy. She would do anything to keep the acrobat happy. For the second time, Cazu felt the world shift around her. The princess looked up at the sun, her inner fire felt warmer. She held out her hand and produced a fireball in her hand.
The fireball in her hand was bigger than it originally had been. Cazu could also see a faint tint of red and pink in her fire. She finally understood what Li and Lo were trying to tell her, and what Azula mentioned about needing to find a drive.
"Cazu?"
Ty Lee and Mai were waiting for their princess. The princess just smiled and continued to walk with them back to the big tent.
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"KATARA! SOKKA!" Azula yelled deep into the swamp. "AANG!"
She's been traveling for nearly half a day through the swamp looking for her friends. The firebender was about to yell again until she saw a young boy.
"Hello?"
The young boy laughed and ran off deeper into the forest.
"Hey, it's not safe for you to be here!" Azula chased after the boy.
The boy continued laughing and ran up to a woman who was holding a small child.
"Mommy! Mommy! Let I want to play with her!" The little boy exclaimed while tugging on his mother's robes.
"Zuko. Azula is sleeping. You can play with your sister when she wakes up." The boy's mother reassured her son.
Azula stood frozen as she watched what was happening in front of her. She was seeing her brother and mother for the first time in many years, at least from what she could remember of them. The light was beaming down on their faces just right, preventing Azula from seeing their faces.
She climbed up one of the thick branches to get a better look at her families faces. The firebender was able to make out her younger-self sleeping against her mother's shoulder while her mother held her. Once she got on the branch her mother and brother turned to look up at her. Azula barely saw their faces before hearing a scream and being knocked down.
The world was spinning as she and two other bodies continued tumbling down. At some point they hit something else and continued rolling until they finally stopped.
Azula groaned as she felt two bodies under her and one on top of her.
"What do you guys think you're doing? I've been looking all over for you!" Sokka exclaimed as he shoved his friends off of him.
"Well, I've been wandering around looking for you!"
Aang airbended himself to his feet, "I was chasing some girl."
"What girl?" Katara asked as Azula helped the waterbender to her feet.
"I don't know. I heard laughing and I saw some girl in a fancy dress."
"Well, there must be a tea party here and we just didn't get our invitations!" Sokka responded sarcastically.
Azula backhanded the Water Tribe boy in the chest. Hard.
"OW!"
Katara looked down, "I thought I saw Mom, Gran Gran, and Dad together."
Sokka looked down as well. "Look, we were all just scared and hungry and our minds were playing tricks on us. That's why we all saw things out here."
"You saw something too? Azula, surely you saw something as well." Katara asked Sokka.
Sokka responded first as he turned away from the group. "I thought I saw Yue."
Everyone turned his or her attention to Azula. "I saw my mom, and my brother. But, I also saw a younger version of me. It was as if I was seeing a memory played out in front of me."
"But, that doesn't prove anything." Sokka continued. "Look, I think about Yue all the time. Azula, you always think about your family. Katara, you miss Mom, Dad, and Gran Gran a lot."
"What about me? I didn't know the girl I saw. And all our visions led us right here." Aang began looking at their surroundings.
"Okay… where is here?" Katara gestured around them. "The middle of the swamp?"
"Yeah…" Aang trailed off, "the center."