It actually didn't take me a month to update this time! Does that mean I'm moving up in the world? Anyway, in this chapter, our two groups merge together, but it doesn't go smoothly. Katara tries to get some relaxation.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
Azula awoke to the morning sunlight streaming unfiltered onto her face. She opened her eyes and winced, looking up at trees that cast shadows around her. To her left was Zuko, lying flat on his back with his left arm draped over his stomach and his right arm behind his head. To her right was Ty Lee, lying on her side with her legs pulled up to her chest and a smile on her face. And after a moment, Azula realized where she was.
In the middle of a forest in the middle of nowhere, lying amidst the dirt and grass with no tent or adequate blanket. In the middle of the forest with her friends lying around her, and off to the side was a huge mass of cerulean scales. Sanjiv. He had stayed with her during the night, and Azula thought that perhaps she slept better knowing he hadn't left her.
It was disgusting though, because she had lain amongst the vile and dirty things of the ground, among what was normally beneath her. It was a new low for her, and Azula was disgusted. But it was morning now, and she had made it through the night, even though she barely remembered landing in the forest. She only remembered crawled off of Sanjiv, her legs sore as she curled up on the ground, and slept. Flying had drained her, and she drew her energy off of the sun. The night had made her tired, and she had slept tor regain her energy.
The princess of the Fire Nation sat up and discreetly wiped the sleep from her eyes. Beside her, Zuko opened his eyes, after hearing his younger sister awake. She looked at him for a long moment, unspeaking, and smirked as she pushed herself to her feet, arching her back in a stretch. She was refreshed and when she conjured a blue flame in her hand, it felt hotter and stronger. Brighter.
"Good morning, Sanjiv," Azula said and put her palm on the dragon's warm noise, pulling it away quickly. His nostrils were hot and alarming to the touch, even for a firebender like her. She looked down at him, at his animalistic golden eyes and smirked. The dragon looked at her and then closed his eyes, as if he was annoyed by her. Azula withdrew, offended, and looked down at the scaled beast. "You don't have to be so rude."
"Are you seriously talking to that dragon?" Zuko said as he pushed himself to his feet, talking quietly as to not awake Ty Lee and Mai. Azula turned to face him and narrowed her eyes. She could feel the jealously seeping through Zuko's skin like sweat. She had a dragon and he didn't. Sanjiv was hers and Zuko had nothing. She was one of the world's greatest firebenders, and Zuko barely passed as a pitiful excuse. She was the younger child and was the more respected one.
If she had been Zuko, she would have been jealous, too.
"Why, yes, Zuzu, I am talking to my dragon." Azula replied and turned to fully face her brother. Her bold grin fell when she saw that Zuko seemed apathetic. For once, she noticed, he hadn't worn his heart on his sleeve and she hadn't been able to strike a reaction out of him. She enjoyed doing so, because getting under Zuko's skin was so easy. Too easy.
"If you guys are going to argue, at least do it quietly." Deadpanned Mai and Azula turned to see her pale skinned companion sitting up, looking down at her clothes with disgust. She was just as choosy as Azula about her sleeping quarters, and she looked as though she wanted to burn her clothes. "Your arguments aren't even that interesting, anyway."
Azula glared at Mai, who returned her gaze with a more leveled-headed one as she rose to her feet, turning her head first to the left, and then to the right. Her narrow yellow eyes focused on Sanjiv, the dragon, before she looked away. Azula leaned on her back foot, and she wasn't surprised when Ty Lee suddenly sprang up, her big gray eyes glittering.
The pink clad acrobat rolled over into a straddle split, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Good morning!" She chippered and Azula didn't know how the girl could be so happy just moments after she woke up. It didn't seem natural, and to normal people, Azula was sure it wasn't. Ty Lee pulled herself from her split and stood up, bending forward to grab her toes. "Why are you guys looking so down? It's just morning time."
"Because, Ty Lee, we aren't unnatural happy like you." Azula retorted and rolled her eyes as Ty Lee grinned in response. Azula didn't understand how Ty Lee could be so happy, when she had every reason to be just as quiet and depressing as Mai.
Zuko cleared his throat and Azula turned her attention towards her brother as he spoke, "We have to leave soon, in order to cover as much ground as possible." He said and Azula figured that he was right. They travelled by day light and in order to go half-way across the world; they would have to utilize their time. That was no problem. Azula could do that. She could get them to Garsai in record them. She could do anything.
Mai raised her leg and looked up before turning to look back at Azula and Zuko. "I'm hungry." She said simply and put her hands in her billowing red sleeves, staring at them with her hard yellow eyes from beneath her ink black bangs. She rolled her eyes and flicked a leaf off of her robe, glaring at it. "This place is dirty, and stupid."
"I want to explore a little, first." Ty Lee chimed in, looking from Mai, to Azula, to Zuko, and then back to Azula. It was then that Azula figured that they had silently elected her to be their leader. Even though Zuko was older, and a boy, she had made a better candidate for leader. And she wouldn't have it any other way. While Azula was sure Zuko was good at something, leading wasn't it. Firebending wasn't, either, but she wouldn't embarrass her dear brother today. Not yet.
The forest was covered in leaves and dirt, and grass and bugs and other things that Azula couldn't stand to be among, but she admitted that exploring did catch her fancy. She was intrigued by the way that shadows fell so naturally on the ground around them, and how the sun's rays fell onto her even though she wasn't in the open. She was curious about the sounds beyond them tiny camp, and she couldn't help but feel the need to know everything about the forest. A person who knew many things was destined for greatness. It was a fact, because she had learned it herself.
"Fine." Azula said finally, "We'll explore for a little while, and then we leave. We're leaving at noon, so the sun will be at its highest point." She knelt and tugged at her boot, making sure that it was fitted properly, and then she took a step forward, calling to Sanjiv. The dragon turned his amber gaze onto her and then rose to his feet, his cerulean scales shimmering as he swung his great tail to the side and extended his wings. Zuko leaped aside before the dragon's wings could knock him off of his feet, and Azula smirked.
Putting her hand on Sanjiv's side, Azula took another step deeper into the forest. She could hear the others following behind her, because she was their leader. One day, Azula thought, she would be more than just the leader of a small group of teenagers. One day, she would lead the Fire Nation into greatness, and usher the rest of the world along with it.
Summer was Azula's favorite season. It was when the sun burned brightest and fire was strongest. It was hot, and when she trained, the sunlight would give her more energy and her flames would burn brighter. And this year, Azula knew, was the year that Agni's Comet came. It was the year that the Fire Nation would fight back and defeat the Water Tribes once and for all, and then change civilization as the world knew it. It was the nature of fire to spread and consume. It was only natural that they would spread their greatness.
Summer, Azula decided as they walked, couldn't come fast enough.
The grass underneath her feet was soft and the shadowed morning light was cool on her neck as she walked. Zuko was behind her, she could see his shadow moving almost parallel to her own as they match their footsteps, and behind him, Ty Lee and Mai followed side by side. Sanjiv's great shadow, though, drowned theirs in a majestic sort of way. He was above them all, even Azula.
"I wonder what Prince Lu Ten is doing." Ty Lee said quietly, and Azula looked back at her acrobatic friend. Surely, she thought, Ty Lee hadn't focused her affection Lu Ten. Ty Lee was rather peculiar with her "crushes", but Lu Ten couldn't have caught her eye. He was Azula's cousin! And besides, he was too…old. And as if she had felt Azula staring at her, Ty Lee grinned and scoffed, "Of course I don't like Lu Ten!" She cried and waved her hand as though it was unimportant. Which it was, Azula had no time for frivolous things such as crushes. "But he made us leave, and those earthbenders could come back!"
If it hadn't been for those green robed earthbenders who had attacked them yesterday, Azula was sure they would have remained in the water surrounded city of Ba Sing Se, waiting and watching the division wall in hopes that another Water Tribe princess would appear. Maybe Azula could kill that one, too.
The sound of the river, quiet and substantial, grew in Azula's ears as they drew closer to the running water. She had seen it when they were flying over the forest and she knew that all rivers ran to the ocean. There was a small chance that the river would lead them to the coast of Garsai. This stretch of water was probably a small tributary, flowing to meet a much wider, greater river.
From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something that was a dusty white color, small enough that she would have missed it if she hadn't been looking. Azula stopped and narrowed her eyes as the mass of white moved and grew larger, become more defined. The texture of the moving mass looked like fur.
Fur?
"What's that?" Zuko asked as Sanjiv made a hissing sound. Azula looked at her brother and then at her dragon, and shook her head. Only animals had fur, but she had never seen something so large and so pale, especially not in a forest full of greenery. It stood out just as much as a firebender in the Water Tribes.
Azula didn't reply, because it was a stupid question, and really, she didn't know. The Fire Nation princess stepped towards the white animal and sparks of blue fire flickering at her fingertips. If the thing was dangerous, she would kill it. If the beast wanted to kill her, she would end it, first.
There was a great snarl from the white beast and Azula lunged forward, fire bursting from the palm of her hands. Sanjiv let out a ferocious roar in response to the white animal's challenge. Then, there was a shout and a spray of fire.
Yue looked up sharply as she heard Appa, the giant flying bison, roar loudly from further in the woods. She had ventured closer to the river in order to wash off her face while Aang had remained behind to pack up their meager belongings. The water she had been holding to her face fell back into the river as she heard a shout of surprise, and she leapt to her feet. She shouldered the canteen of water that she had found after rummaging through her pack. Was that Aang? What was wrong? "Aang?" The former Northern Water Tribe princess called, narrowing her eyes. "Aang?"
There was another roar, but this one, Yue noted, was not as defined as Appa's. It was more serpentine. Elegant, in a twisted sort of way. There was no time to think about what it sounded like, though, for then there was a flash of fire that glowed bright enough that even Yue could see it from where she stood. A shorter, smaller burst followed it, and she saw that this one was disturbingly blue.
She ran, then, because there was something that wasn't right. What if Aang was being attacked? "Aang!" Yue cried and raced back toward their camp, her eyes wide with a mixture of both surprise and fear. If Aang had been hurt, she wasn't sure what she would do. He was the last known airbender. He was the Avatar. But most importantly, he was her friend. "Aang!"
A shape slipped through the dark shadows of the trees and Yue let out a cry of surprise as she came nearly face to face with a tall, dark clad girl whose skin was nearly a ghostly white. She skidded to a halt as the girl narrowed her eyes at her. They were gold. Fire Nation gold. Before Yue could speak, though, the pale young woman had somehow produced three thin, wickedly sharp blades and as her sleeve settled back into place Yue saw that her wrist was adorned in a black band.
The white haired princess let out a gasp and ducked as the blades flew by her face, nearly grazing the skin on her cheek. She bent backwards as the girl, suddenly her enemy, smirked. Yue retreated several steps, eyes glittering. If she ran, she would make it to Aang. But she had a feeling that the girl would give chase, and Yue had a feeling that she had very good aim. If she fought, would she be fast enough?
Before the girl could through another dart at her, Yue slipped through the trees and skirted around her, nearly tripping over an upraised root in the process. There was another burst of simultaneous orange and blue fire, closer this time as she approached what sounded like a battlefield.
It was.
Yue burst into the clearing and immediately leaped back as Appa swung his great tail. Beside him, she could see Aang, facing two firebenders. One of a girl and the other a boy, and from where Yue stood, she could almost make out their features. The girl looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she knew the girl from.
There was no time, for Yue suddenly discovered where the roar had come from. Facing Appa, she could see a large blue and silver beast, with huge wings arched upward as it prowled around the bison, lashing its tail dangerously close to the two firebenders. Yue felt her jaw drop. It was a dragon, in flesh and scales. She had never seen one before, but she knew what it was. She knew what it was, and she felt her stomach turn.
"Aang!" Yue exclaimed and pulled the water from her canteen out, guiding it to her hands. The Air Nomad boy looked briefly at her before the female firebender lashed out at him with her blue fire, to which Aang retaliated with a sweep of the air around her, pushing both of the firbenders backwards. "Aang!"
"Yue!" The young Avatar called back to her, "You're okay!" And then it seemed that he stepped up to his full potential. He kicked out with his right foot and thrust out his right palm, sending a gust of air at the female firebender once more, sweeping her out of her stance.
It was then that Yue knew. It was the Fire Nation girl from Ba Sing Se! The one who had been with her when she had been captured! She couldn't remember her name, but she felt as though she could remember her hair and face if she tried hard enough. And she had. She had known the girl, and when the firebender looked at her, it was as if she recognized Yue, too.
From the corner of her eye, Yue saw a flash of pink and brown. She turned quickly and brought up her water in a wall of protection, flinching as her assailants fists were halted by the water. Yue remembered her, too. It was the girl who had chased her through the city and then immobilized her with those quick light blows to her limbs and back.
The girl looked at her and Yue saw that her eyes were gray, almost like Aang's. A smile crossed her face and Yue couldn't tell if it was genuine or false. Before Yue could react, the girl had whirled around her shield of water and was now on the opposite side of her. Yue yelped as the gray eyed girl's hands nearly delivered one of her devastating blows to her shoulder.
Yue breathed deeply and brought her water into a whip, gritting her teeth. She then forced her muscles to relax as she swept her arm down, striking the pink clad girl in the side and knocking her away from her, just long enough to duck as a wild blast of orange flame from the boy firebender nearly took the top of her hair off. It was then that Yue took note of how outnumbered she and Aang were. There were two firebenders and the pink clothed girl along with the blade-throwing one, along with the dragon. To combat them, there was only her, Aang, and Appa.
Slipping her water back into its pouch, Yue held up her hands and stepped forward. She wasn't above surrender, not when her life was in grave danger. Not when she had so much in the world left to fix. She looked at Aang and he frowned before putting his hands above his head.
For a moment, there was silence. In that minute, Yue saw that they had nearly burned the clearing. Several trees were scorched and still smoking and the grass underneath her feet felt brittle and had been blackened by the fierce firebenders. They had nearly destroyed it in their rage.
"We surrender." Yue said as the female firebender stepped forward, her golden eyes gleaming. She watched as the dark haired girl crossed the distance between them, a look of distrust on her face. "If you let us go peacefully, we'll never cross paths again."
The girl laughed, "You got away the first time, why would we let you go another time?" She looked at Aang and Yue thought she saw a look of disbelief flash over her features. "You're an airbender…I guess that means you really are the Avatar. You're the Avatar, and she's Princess Yue." She had remembered Yue's name, even though they had only seen each other in passing.
Yue nodded and lowered her hands. "You know who we are, now who are you?" She asked and the firebender smirked. "After all, you and your group attacked us. Twice. If we ever meet again, I think we should know who's who. And where are you going, so we know not to go in that direction."
"I'm Princess Azula of the Fire Nation and this is my brother, Zuko." She pointed to the taller, quiet looking boy. "That's Ty Lee and our other friend is Mai." She looked towards the dragon and smirked, "That way, if we are ever unfortunate enough to meet again, you'll know who to run from."
"We're going to Garsai!" The happy looking girl, Ty Lee, cried. "Across the Earth Kingdom." She grinned as Azula shot a look of anger at her and shrugged. "Are you going to the Earth Kingdom, too? Maybe we could travel together." She glanced at Azula and then at Yue. "Wouldn't that be fun?"
No.
But then, Princess Azula's brother tugged his sister's sleeve and leaned down to whisper in her ear. She listened intently for a moment and then narrowed her eyes, clenching and unclenching her fists. The dragon behind her snorted. She looked at Yue, then, and the corners of her mouth twitched.
Yue flinched.
Ty Lee, Azula thought, had a very big mouth.
Azula had remembered the girl from the moment she had seen her. Even though her hair was cut short in an unattractive style, she remembered the white hair and brown skin. She remembered her name, too, even before the Air Nomad boy said it. It had confused her, for a moment. Hadn't she been killed? Hadn't she fallen through the floorboards of the old house to her death?
She hadn't and when Azula looked at the white haired princess, she thought that the girl was cleverer than Azula gave her credit for. Had she staged the whole thing? No, she couldn't have. She would have remained in Ba Sing Se with her clan of heathen waterbenders. And the boy…he was an Air Nomad. The last. And the Avatar. Azula wasn't sure if she believed it or not.
Zuko leaned down to her height and Azula ground her teeth as her brother spoke quietly, "If we call a truce with them, maybe we could make it through the part of the Earth Kingdom that has Water Tribe influences. Think about, and besides, we outnumber them."
Azula furrowed her brow and glanced at her brother. Oh, Zuzu, when did you get so clever? She smirked. It would make sense that they traveled together, Azula thought. Even though she had just met the girl and the Avatar, who didn't look at all like a hundred year old man, she thought she could bear travelling with them. The girl was the princess of the Water Tribes, she would have access to any Water Tribe city that they passed by, and the airbender was the Avatar. Azula was an opportunist. There was no way she was passing this one, up.
"Let us make a truce," Azula said and the white haired princess looked at her. "We're from the Fire Nation and you're from the Water Tribe." She held out her hand and smirked, casting a glimpse at Zuko. Perhaps she didn't give her brother enough credit. He was smarter than she thought. "Yet both of us are trying to get across the Earth Kingdom. Let's travel together until we reach our destinations."
The white haired girl looked down at Azula. She was taller than Azula but shorter than Mai and Zuko. She held out her hand and her eyes seemed to bore into Azula's, searching for a sign of a lie. She wouldn't find one, though, and Azula thrust out her hand again. She wouldn't hesitate to strike down the waterbender and the temptation to rid the world of just one Water Tribe princess was appealing.
Azula met the waterbender's eyes as she gingerly placed her brown hand in Azula's pale one. "Don't worry; the Fire Nation is built on honor. We keep our promises, Princess Yue." She smiled as the taller girl pulled her hand away from Azula's and stepped back.
"I don't trust you," The girl, Yue, said and her voice was quiet. "But…I guess…I guess you might be our only allies until we get to the Earth Kingdom." Her blue eyes flickered over the supplies that had been shaken from Sanjiv's side. Azula wasn't sure why the princess of the Water Tribes would be without allies in her own territory, but she hadn't exactly told them why they were going to Garsai, either.
The Fire Nation princess nodded and looked towards the boy who was supposedly the Avatar. He was an Air Nomad and everyone knew that the waterbenders had slaughtered them all over a hundred years ago. The boy couldn't have been older than twelve and on top of that, he was an Air Nomad. She didn't think the Water Tribes would've spared the last of the race of people they had tried to exterminate. Azula knew she would find the answers soon enough, even if she had to force them out.
For a moment, there was an awkward silence. And then, the giant white beast that belonged to the airbending boy growled low in its throat. Sanjiv hissed in response and Azula's eyes widened as she looked at the two huge animals. If they fought again, there would be no way to stop them. But then the gray eyed boy put his hand on his pet's flank and the beast was hushed.
Sanjiv settled his wings against his sinewy body and Azula reached up to put a hand on his side. There was no way she could have controlled the dragon if he had attacked-she knew that, even though she hated that it was true. Why couldn't she command Sanjiv like she treated other animals? But then she remembered that the dragon had found her worthy to be his master. She was worthy. And she would make sure that he never left her again.
The second princess of the Fire Nation turned her attention back towards the tribal princess, Yue. She could see the tension in the white haired girl's shoulders and when she lifted her eyes to meet Azula's, she saw apprehension. Perhaps, Azula thought with an inward sneer, the princess was shy. Shy people were weak.
Just look at Zuko.
Then again, her dear brother had shifted her opinion just moments before. Azula looked at her brother from the corner of her eye. Maybe she didn't give him enough credit sometimes. But his own clever remark wouldn't be enough to sway her overall opinion of her brother. He was still soft and weak and deserved to be in the back, as the second child. She should've been born first, if just to save the little bit of dignity that Zuko had.
"So," Azula said and lifted the corners of her lips upward into a smile. "If we're going to travel together, don't you think we should get going?"
Katara was in a particularly bad mood. She glared at the servants as they carried supplies towards the front gate of the palace, where they would be gathered by the soldiers that would serve as the ship's crew. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned against the wall.
Sokka had left her. He had abandoned his own sister for Yue. He trusted Yue more than her. He liked Yue and the boy Avatar more than her. His own sister! He had thrown away everything to go find that treasonous princess and her puppy-dog Avatar. It didn't make sense. He knew how she felt about their family being torn apart. He knew it, and he had still left her. He had stolen away on a westbound ship without a word to her or Suki or Hama or even Bato.
That had hurt the most.
He had left without telling anyone, and like a good little sister, she was going to find him and bring him back home. She would find Yue and Aang in the process and then they would be charged for plotting to overthrow the government.
"Katara," Suki said and Katara turned her attention to the auburn haired Kyoshi Warrior. She had dressed in her normal attire which consisted of a long, dark green skirt and black armor. Her face was covered in white face paint and kohl had been swept around her eyes. Her fans hung proudly at her belt, polished and ready to use. "Hama wanted to see you. She asked whether or not you were alright."
The Southern Water Tribe princess smiled lightly and nodded. She had been so used to seeing Suki in her more casual uniform that she had almost forgotten the true Kyoshi Warrior outfit. Suki was her friend and Katara liked the girl. At least she knew for a fact that Suki wouldn't leave her.
Unlike her own brother.
Maybe, Katara thought, Hama could make her feel better. There was no one in the world like Hama, Katara remarked as she moved away from Suki and walked towards the room where Hama had settled. And while she knew she could never be as great as the woman who taught her, Katara one day hoped that she would be just as well respected. Or feared.
The floor underneath her feet was lucent and shimmered brightly after the servants polished it. She could almost see her reflection looking back at her and it was only then that Katara noticed she was frowning. She looked…disappointed. It was so unlike her.
She was going to find Sokka and bring him back home. She would bring him home again, but she would make sure that Father knew of his brief desertion. He had run away from the Water Tribes to join a pair of traitors. The Southern Water Tribe couldn't have a chief that chased after sneaky, treasonous, lying princesses and Avatar. They couldn't have a chief that was so immersed in building and fiddling that he couldn't notice his people were starving.
Katara loved her brother, really she did. She loved him enough to save him from a path of self-destruction. But she didn't love him enough to stand by and allow him to destroy everything that their ancestors had built. She just couldn't.
The room that Hama was staying in was on the left and Katara reached up to knock on the door, only to halt awkwardly as the door opened. To avoid holding her hand up like a fool, Katara dropped her arm and cleared her throat as Hama stood before her. The small woman smiled kindly at her and Katara dipped in a respectful bow to the old waterbending master.
"Suki said you wanted to see me," Katara said and Hama stepped back, sweeping her arm to invite Katara into the room. She could see a bowl of water sitting on the table and she raised one eyebrow in question. "A waterbending lesson?" She asked and she couldn't help but feel her heart quicken. She was a master of her element already, but there was still so much she could learn. So much she could discover. So much that Hama could teach her!
"Of sorts." Hama told her and smiled at her former pupil, "Sit down." As Katara obediently did as she was told, the old waterbender took the bowl of water and sat it next to her, moving around to her shoulder. "Honestly, princess, you seem so stressed lately."
That was the truth.
Katara nodded and Hama went on, "As you know, waterbending can be used for healing, too. Did you know that?" Of course she did! Her mother was a healer and while Katara didn't have much patience for the art, she understood it and respected. There were many times her mother's cool hands had smoothed over a scrape or cut from a mishap.
She heard the water from the bowl move and then there was something cold against her temple. Katara froze and looked up at Hama. "This is a form of healing," Hama said, "It's a mental cleansing to relieve stress." Her pale eyes met Katara's and the Southern Water Tribe nodded her consent. She had been stressed out and it wouldn't hurt to start her journey at ease.
The princess closed her eyes and sighed as the cool water began to move along her skin. She could hear Hama humming and the girl was yet again glad that her old mentor had returned so suddenly. The water shifted from a comfortable temperature to a more chilling one and Katara opened her eyes a crack.
When she found Yue, she would make sure the girl would pay for everything she had done. Yue was a traitor. She had betrayed her whole tribe. She had plotted to overthrow her own family and she deserved to go down. She was a monster.
"I don't think it's working." Katara said and pulled away from Hama, shaking her head. Well, she thought, it had taken some of the tension from her shoulders, or maybe she had been imagining it all this time. Maybe it had only been a figment of her imagination. Really, she didn't have the patience to sit still and wait for the water to take effect. They would be leaving soon, and she didn't have time to get mental massages.
Hama shook her head as she dispensed the water back into the bowl. "You didn't give it time," She retorted and Katara winced at her mentor's biting reply. The old woman pushed the bowl back onto the table and cleared her throat. "You always think you pick things up on the first try. Perhaps," Hama said, "Perhaps healing isn't for you. Perhaps I can't teach you anymore."
Katara spun around, her eyes wide. "What?" She cried her mouth agape. "I didn't say that!" She had to be kidding. She had to be. There was no other explanation. There was so much she could learn from Hama! "You can teach me," Katara said and Hama looked at her with skepticism. "You can. I promise. It's just…it wasn't working and we have to go soon and…"
Hama had always made her feel small and young.
The supposed healing hadn't worked for her. It hadn't made her feel any better. And really, Katara thought as she moved back towards the door, hearing Hama moving around behind her, she just felt angrier.
Yue wondered how fast she and Aang could get away before that girl with the braid, Ty Lee, would immobilize them with her sharp punches. Not very far, she guessed, for she had discovered that Ty Lee was very fast and very efficient. She was really worried about their leader, the Fire Nation princess Azula. There was something about the girl that unnerved Yue.
Perhaps because her fire was blue. Yue had never seen fire that bright and that hot before, not from a firebender. Then again, she hadn't seen many firebenders before. Or maybe it was her eyes. They were gold and glinted when she smirked. Or perhaps, Yue thought and she sure she was right this time, it was because her pet was a dragon.
Really, it was the dragon that made Yue's hair stand on end. The firebenders and their friends were unusual and somewhat frightened her, but she knew they were people just like her. She just didn't trust them. The dragon was almost something beyond her comprehension.
The dragon, Yue was certain she had heard Azula call him Sanjiv, was terrifyingly majestic and as Yue looked at the great blue and silver beast, she was suddenly aware of how small humans were. Appa was big, but the dragon was elegantly long with delicate wings raised above his shoulders. She was scared of the dragon and she was scared of his master, too.
Yue watched biting her bottom lip as the Fire Nation princess walked towards her. Behind her, her companions seemed busy with recollecting their scattered supplies. Yue's own pack had been placed on Appa's saddle yet again, for they would depart from the forest soon. The firebenders would be accompanying them, but they would journey on the dragon.
As Azula lifted the corners of her lips into a smirk, Yue swallowed. She didn't trust the firebenders and she felt as if she had every right to feel that way. They were Fire Nation. And they had been part of the reason why she couldn't get to Aang fast enough, back in Ba Sing Se. It seemed so long ago. So much was different.
"We'll be leaving soon." Azula said to her and her golden eyes met Yue's blue ones. Yue still found the girl startlingly beautiful, even though she didn't trust her enough. Even though they were working together, they were still enemies in the sense of the word. There was something about Azula's eyes that made Yue stand on edge. She had a certain look that Yue had seen before.
In Katara's eyes. Yue had seen that same glint of cunning in the Southern Water Tribe princess's eyes. She had seen it under Ba Sing Se, when she had forced Sokka to pick between them. But Azula, Yue noticed, had a sense of calm about her. She was quiet and cunning like Katara and Yue was certain she was just as ruthless as the Water Tribe princess. Yue wondered what other similarities the two girls shared. But she didn't really want to find out.
Yue nodded and when Aang came to her side, she hid her sigh of relief underneath a cough. The child Avatar was her friend and she wanted him to be safe. If any of the Fire Nation teenagers tried to hurt him, Yue promised herself that she wouldn't hesitate. She would stop at nothing to make sure her dear friend was safe and happy.
Because, if Aang was happy, then she was happy. Yue looked down at Aang and then back at Azula. The firebender girl seemed to be staring at Aang, as if she was trying to decide whether or not the twelve year old boy was really the long lost Avatar. Yue knew it was true. She had seen it with her own two eyes underneath the great city of Ba Sing Se. She had witnessed the true return of the Avatar and if the world hadn't known before, they knew now.
"We're ready." Yue said to Azula and the firebender nodded stiffly. Over her shoulder, Yue could see Ty Lee leaning over the dragon's back, talking animatedly to the blade throwing girl, Mai and Azula's brother Zuko. Perhaps it was for the best if they travelled with the firebenders. It would be extra protection. Then again, Yue thought, it wouldn't be extra protection if they had to protect themselves from the Fire Nation teenagers. "We need a place for a stopping point."
Azula nodded and as if she had been two steps ahead of Yue, she pulled out a labeled map. As she held it out to the Northern Water Tribe princess, Yue could see that it had been marked with several large cities. Squinting, Yue placed her finger on the red ink that had been placed on Ba Sing Se and she felt a tiny pang in her chest. The closest city was in the Earth Kingdom, a place called Gaoling.
The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Yue couldn't quite remember where she had heard it before. "Here," She said, "This sounds like a good place." It was out of the main Water Tribe territory and she was sure there were earthbenders that could teach Aang what he needed to know. He needed to master all of the elements before summer and he still had two to go. "Gaoling."
"Fine." Azula said to her and snapped the map closed in front of Yue's face, rolling it and tucking it under her arm. "Let's go." She walked back to her family and paused, looking back at Yue. "You and the airbender can lead," She told them. Perhaps, Yue thought, she had said that because she wanted to know that they couldn't escape.
Yue wasn't exactly sure how she felt about the dragon flying behind them, but it was too late to protest. With a sigh, Yue turned towards Aang and lifted the corner of her lips into a very brief, very light smile. "Let's go," She said, "When we get to Gaoling, we can find you an earthbending teacher and then we can ditch those firebenders."
As they moved back towards Appa, Aang shrugged. "They don't seem so bad," He replied and Yue was silent as she scrambled onto Appa's saddle, heaving herself up over the side and falling rather unceremoniously near her bag. She hadn't yet mastered the art of climbing into Appa's saddle gracefully. The princess picked herself up and cleared her throat, feeling the heat of embarrassment warm up her cheeks.
Aang was sweet enough to wait for her to settle herself in the saddle before he leaped up behind Appa's neck, snatching the reins up in his right hand. He looked back at her and grinned and Yue reminded herself to give him a kiss on the cheek later. Aang was so sweet, even though he had every reason to be rude. His people had been killed-by Yue's ancestors-and the role of being the Avatar had been forced upon him.
Just beyond them, Yue could see Azula leaping onto the back of her dragon. The scaled beast snorted and smoke flew from his great nostrils as her companions climbed up after her. Yue blinked slowly and she thought she felt Azula's golden eyes on her, but then Aang had moved his shoulder to hold the reins and her view was obscured.
"Yip yip!" The boy cried with a sense of glee and Appa let out a low growl, launching himself into the air above the trees. Yue flinched as a branch swept over the saddle and then they were in the air above the trees. The sky was lighter now and clearer and the sunlight was warm after being on the ground under the shade for so long.
Behind them, the dragon burst from the trees and Appa roared in what sounded like alarm. Then, the flying bison slammed his huge tail on the ground and flew forward. The dragon followed swiftly and when Yue looked back, she could see Azula looked at her through squinted eyes.
Yue turned her head forward again and gritted her teeth as she reached into her bag, pulling out the amulet. She held it to her chest and it was only then that she realized how important the necklace was to her. It contained the water that she would one day use to fulfill the task that Kya had given her. She also kept a small part of her. She had been granted life by the Moon Spirit in the oasis when she was a child. The Spirit had shown mercy to her and she felt as though she owed it something.
But the amulet was a small piece of the Water Tribes that she wasn't quite ready to give up, too. In a way, it represented what she had been and what she would become. Kya had given it to her and she promised to heal whatever mind the beautiful queen had spoken of. The necklace was Yue's greatest treasure and as she slipped it over her head and onto her neck, she sighed at the familiar and comfortable weight.
There was the leathery snap of wings and Yue looked up in surprise as the dragon, Sanjiv, appeared just above them, his great wings stretched to their full length. His long body cast a shadow over them and Yue could see Azula staring pointedly down at her. Her smirk didn't seem so intimidating this time, in fact, it seemed…friendly in a competitive sort of way. Yue felt a tiny smile spread across her own lips as Azula raised her head to face the stretching sky beyond them.
"Hi!" Ty Lee called down from where she sat on Sanjiv's back, clutching Mai's robes. She waved cheerfully down at the Water Tribe princess and the child Avatar. Her braid blew in the wind and her gray eyes glittered. She reminded Yue of Aang, with her cheerful demeanor and bubbling personality. Yue thought that maybe she could grow to like the girl, even though she had the mysterious ability to render people's limbs useless. Maybe it could come in handy.
Maybe travelling with the Fire Nation teenagers wasn't such a bad idea after all. Maybe…it would turn out good in the end, Yue thought and allowed her shoulders to relax.
Maybe.
Happy holidays if that's your thing.