So, with this chapter, we meet another character. A little late for New Year's, but hey.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
For the last few days, Azula had seen nothing but pale colored dirt and ugly trees. Her eyes were heavy and she felt dirty. She felt dirty and she was tired. Riding on Sanjiv had been exciting when she did it for the first time, but her legs were sore from being curled up for so long. The Fire Nation princess did not complain, for she was a warrior and a warrior carried their own burdens.
But when she looked over at the white-haired Water Tribe Princess, the one called Yue, riding so comfortably in the saddle of that "flying bison", she felt a pang of red hot anger burn through her, tainted with mild jealously. The girl was pampered and the airbending boy was doting on her, whimsy when she smiled at him. The Water Tribe girl was pampered more than Azula, for even though they were both princesses, Yue happened to be born into the aggressor's side. The girl looked well-treated, so Azula wasn't quite sure why the girl would flee from her own country. She wouldn't question it.
It was a long, long way to Garsai, Azula thought as she straightened her back and rolled her shoulders. Behind her was Ty Lee, the only one of their group to remain cheerful and laughing. But then again, Ty Lee was always like that and Azula wasn't quite sure if she could hold the acrobat's emotions to merit. The pink clad girl made a comment about the puffy clouds above their heads and Azula rolled her eyes.
"Are we there yet?" Mai deadpanned from behind Ty Lee, her quiet voice carried over the wind to Azula's ears. Mai, though the quietest of them all, was the most vocal of her discomfort, always proclaiming to be bored, and Azula couldn't help but agree with her sometimes. "I'm tired of this."
Really, Azula was, too. But the girl swallowed her annoyance and urged Sanjiv to fly closer to the airbender's bison. Azula had no doubt that her dragon would defeat the lumbering beast if there ever came to be a fight between the two, for Sanjiv was her dragon, and he did not fail. The scaled beast obeyed and angled his leathery blue wings towards the bison that flew just below them, off to their right.
The Air Nomad boy, Aang, looked up at Azula with huge gray eyes and Azula narrowed her own before turning to face the Water Tribe princess. The blue eyed girl looked at her and a thin, shy smile fell across her lips. Azula smirked before speaking, "We have to be approaching Gaoling, soon. The distance wasn't very far on the map." It had been drawn to scale, Azula remembered, and they had travelled for a long time.
Yue, the Water Tribe princess, nodded and her hand moved to the necklace at the base of her throat. Azula followed her hand and tilted her head in stifled curiosity. It was more like an amulet, shaped almost like an icicle-or how Azula imagined an icicle to look like, for she never seen one-with a clear liquid sloshing around inside it. Surely the Water Tribe heathens weren't so obsessed with water that they carried amulets of it around with them!
"You're right. We should be coming upon it, soon." Yue said quietly and Azula found the girl to be too quiet for her tastes. Yue looked to be the same age as Zuko, but she seemed even more reluctant than Azula's failure of a brother. Azula looked hard at the princess and then back at the necklace. Catching the firebender's golden gaze, Yue smiled lightly. "It's for sentimental reasons," She said as if that explained everything.
Only weak people kept things for "sentimental reasons" Azula decided and raised her eyebrows. Behind her, Ty Lee had stretched out to touch the bison's thick white fur, running her hands along the beast's flank. "Feel it, guys!" The chipper girl cried and grinned, "I've never felt anything like it before!"
Azula watched as Zuko reached out and gingerly moved his hand across the bison's side. Mai wrinkled her nose and said, "I'm not going to touch that…thing. It probably has fleas." Azula looked at the pale skinned young woman and nodded in agreement. She saw the child Avatar whip around to face the teenagers on the dragon, narrowing his gray eyes.
"Appa does not have fleas!" The boy vehemently retorted and Azula thought she saw Ty Lee wince. He glared at Mai and the pale skinned girl looked back at him with apathy, her thin lips pursed. Azula could hardly believe he was the Avatar, for he was younger than her. Still a child with bright eyes and a child's temper. She could hardly believe he was an Air Nomad, if not for the blue arrows that appeared from under his dark hair and on his hands. His eyes were gray and she thought they were similar to Ty Lee's, bright and innocent, but also knowing so much.
There was a quiet, rumbling noise, muffled by cloth, and Azula froze. She looked down at her stomach and discreetly pressed a hand to her side. She was hungry. Their food for the last few days had been leftovers from their packs and disgusting nuts that the boy Avatar had found. Azula was a princess of the Fire Nation, hunger was beneath her. Being poor was something she would never had experienced. She did not rely on pitiful scraps and insect ridden berries, not when she was a member of the greatest family on earth.
Really, Azula was tired and hungry. But she refused to show weakness. She refused to complain. She wasn't weak. She wasn't Zuko. The Fire Nation princess pursed her lips and swung her other leg across Sanjiv so that she was facing the flying bison fully, her right hand still gripping Sanjiv's neck tightly. Yue had turned towards them, on her knees with her arms resting on the side of the saddle.
Ty Lee, who was the most flexible of them all, grabbed onto the side of the saddle near Yue's hands and with Azula thought was pure luck, dragged herself off of Sanjiv's back and heaved herself into the saddle next to the Water Tribe girl, grinning broadly. "This is so much more comfortable." The acrobat said cheerfully and threw her arm around Yue's shoulders, causing the white haired waterbender to flinch. "Your aura…" Ty Lee said and Azula resisted the urge to shake her head, "Your aura is a bright royal blue color…we're going to be great friends! All of us!"
Azula thought she saw a flash of what looked like horror in the Water Tribe princess's eyes before the Air Nomad boy spoke, "I hope so." He said and Azula studied the airbender once more. The boy was twelve and according to what she had been taught, he had been gone for a hundred years. The Air Nomads had been slaughtered-by the Water Tribe savages-and all of them presumed dead.
But here was the boy, the Air Nomad, who was a child. And the Avatar.
Beneath them, Azula could see a small dirt road and a tiny house placed next to it. She was reminded of their tiny leaning house back in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se and her thoughts then travelled to her older cousin, Lu Ten, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. What was he doing now, she thought, while they travelled with the very girl Azula had thought she had killed? Had he breached the inner ring and was now plotting to infiltrate the palace? Or had things not gone as planned? What if he was killed?
That would solve the tensions in the Fire Nation royal family, but part of Azula didn't think she could bear losing her eccentric cousin to savage water and earthbenders, even if he died with honor. Father belonged-no, deserved to be on the throne, but Lu Ten didn't deserve a death at the hands of waterbenders.
They passed more houses this time, clustered in a small ring. Azula had a feeling that they would be in Gaoling, soon. The signs of civilization were becoming clearer and clearer and even Sanjiv began to flying just a tad bit lower to the earth. Finally, she thought, finally, we're getting somewhere. The sooner they crossed the Earth Kingdom, the sooner they could get rid of the Water Tribe heathen and her pet Avatar. And then, the war would end.
But when Azula looked at Yue, whose brown face was clouded in thought, she found that the princess looked too pathetic to be any threat. Under Ba Sing Se, she had given up easily and Azula had thought she had killed the girl when she fell through the floorboards. Yue looked too pathetic and the Avatar looked too innocent to do much harm. Besides, they were seemed to be running away from Ba Sing Se.
"There it is!" Ty Lee suddenly cried out and Azula heard Zuko jump behind her. The acrobatic girl stood in the bison's saddle, pointing frantically beyond the furred beast's nose. "Look, it's Gaoling." She grabbed Yue's hand and moved her arm to point forward. "Look at that road."
Azula craned her neck and saw that Ty Lee had spoken the truth. Under them, there was a stone paved road on the edge of thinning forest and beyond it; she could see the beginnings of a city. There were buildings, though small, and a small post that Azula couldn't read on the edge of the tree line. Gaoling. They were in the Earth Kingdom now, away from the Water Tribes and away from the Fire Nation where no one had the upper hand.
"Maybe we should land in the woods and walk in." The Air Nomad boy, Aang, said to Azula and pulled on his bison's reins, circling back towards the thicker part of the forest. Azula narrowed her eyes and leaned down over Sanjiv's neck, pointing after the boy. They had Ty Lee with them and she couldn't lose her teammate. She couldn't lose her friend.
Sanjiv swung his sinewy blue body around and flew after the bison, lashing his tail. Azula smirked and tightened her grip on the dragon as he descended towards the trees, folding his wings closer to his body. The princess of the Fire Nation narrowed her eyes as they slipped amongst the branches and leaves, gritting her teeth as a sharp branch scratched her arm.
The dragon landed, though, and stooped down to allow his riders to slip easily off of his back and onto the undergrowth. Azula leaped down and landed in a crouch among the leaves. She straightened and brushed her clothes off before reaching up to adjust her hair. Feet away from them, she could see Aang, Ty Lee, and Yue climbing off of the bison. All in one piece.
Not that she cared. The Avatar and the Water Tribe girl could have been in ten pieces and Azula wouldn't have cared.
"Stay here, Appa." Aang said and affectionately patted the bison's nose, grinning. "We'll be back soon, I promise." He told the animal and rubbed its muzzle once more before stepping away, moving closer to Yue. He was the princess's shadow, her loyal pet. Her puppy. Yue put her hand on his shoulder and Azula wrinkled her nose.
"Let's go." She said and stepped forward, picking her away over the dead and fallen leaves. Behind her, she could hear Sanjiv wrapping his long body around himself and their supplies, obviously intent on resting his wings after flying for so long and so hard. His body would protect their meager belongings, for only a fool would try to steal from a dragon.
Azula could see the beginnings of the city, shining brightly after the shade of the forest. The others fell into step behind her, for she was the one who emanated leadership. She emanated good fortune and pride, and prosperity and strength. She deserved to lead.
So she did.
"Do you think we'll find an earthbending teacher?" Azula heard Aang ask Yue and she looked over her shoulder. His gray eyes were looking up at the waterbending princess and there was a certain type of hopefulness in their depths that made Azula sick. He practically worshipped the princess, as if she was his savior. As if he owed her.
Yue lifted her shoulders and Azula pursed her lips. "I hope so…" She said quietly in reply and then said, "I think we might." She looked up and met Azula's gaze, her blue gaze shining in a mixture of excitement, hope, and fear. Of course, Azula thought, Yue had every right to be afraid of her.
Kicking a fern out of her way, Azula conjured a tiny blue flame in her hand. It felt warm in her fingers and she stared down at it for a moment, slowing her pace just a bit. She was a firebender, who drew power from the sun and heat. She was a firebender; she could create her weapon with just a deep breath and a steady mind. Fire was the superior element. Firebending was the greatest discipline of them all.
The post that had been set on the edge of the forest was a directory of sorts, Azula saw as they came upon it. It had four sides and the symbol of the Earth Kingdom engraved at the base of it on either side. On one side, there was a dark arrow pointing forward with the word Gaoling written above. That was obvious. On the second side, there was a sloppy assortment of posters and wanted notices, even a banner for the next "Earth Rumble", marked with the day's date. The other two sides were overrun with useless nonsense and Azula wrinkled her nose.
"What's an Earth Rumble?" Ty Lee asked, looking over Azula and Yue's shoulders. The princess of the Water Tribe turned and shrugged. Azula didn't know either, but she assumed it had something to do with earthbenders, who worshipped the earth almost as much as waterbenders revered puddles.
Azula cleared her throat and took the next few steps that would take them officially into the city. The ground underneath her feet turned into stone pavement, well-worn but maintained so that the streets of Gaoling looked appealing.
There were buildings lining the street, with arches painted in a very pale green. There vines draped over the arches and underneath them were pots filled with flowers, including star roses and dragon lilies. Azula furrowed her brow. There seemed to be no one about, at least not in this part of the city. "So…" Azula said and couldn't help but wrinkle her nose. Gaoling was prettier than she had thought. This place was nothing like the great capital city of the Fire Nation, but it was a step above the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. "This is Gaoling."
Yue thought that Gaoling was very pretty, if she was to judge by just the small street that she had seen so far. It was quiet but peaceful in a way, as if war had seemed to skip over the city. She would have believed it to be true, but the name of the city had been familiar to her. She had heard it before, but she couldn't remember where, or who said it. It was beautiful either way, though, and she could almost enjoy it, had it not been for her company.
Azula and her friends weren't so bad, Yue thought, once she got over the fact that they were firebenders. Ty Lee and Mai weren't, but the two girls were strange enough. Mai was the most depressing, pessimistic girl Yue had ever met and Ty Lee was so happy-go-lucky that it almost made Yue's teeth ache. The whole lot of them weren't as bad as she had thought they would be, but she wasn't ready to put her trust in them yet.
Maybe she never would.
They were in the Earth Kingdom now, out of the Water Tribes and out of Katara's ruthless trap. She had no more power over them, not when they were in the Earth Kingdom. Here, they were safe. Here, Yue wasn't the banished princess of the Northern Water Tribe; she wasn't the girl who had been touched by the Moon Spirit. To the people of the city, she would most likely just be the girl with the white hair.
Yue was hungry and tired, and maybe a little scared, for the travelling had been hard. They had no money in a foreign land and while it could be worse, Yue couldn't help but feel apprehensive as she walked behind the firebending girl, Azula. The girl unnerved Yue, for she remembered her clearly. Too clearly.
Back in Ba Sing Se, what seemed like so far away and so long ago, she had been the reason that Yue had fallen through the floorboards and landed in the underground passages of Ba Sing Se. Yue supposed that she owed it to Azula, in a way, for if it hadn't been for Ty Lee chasing her and Azula pushing her over the rotten wood, she wouldn't have never gotten to Aang in time. If it hadn't been for them, Katara would have succeeded in making Aang the perfect Water Tribe Avatar. It all would have been over, then, before it even started.
There was the strong scent of cooking foods, mainly meats, coming from one of the buildings. Yue passed by it and stopped, one foot half-way off of the ground. Her mouth watered at the aroma of smoked meat and she looked at Azula. The Fire Nation girl had stopped, too, and Yue could see the hunger in her eyes, even though she tried to suppress it.
"Maybe," Yue began quietly and six golden eyes met hers. Four gray ones flashed in her direction and Yue could feel a tinge of heat rising in her cheeks. "Maybe we can stop for just a bit, and see what's going on in that building…someone might help us." She said and looked off to the side. "Maybe."
Azula looked hard at her for a moment, and then the firebender's lips turned upward in the beginnings of a smirk. "So, the Water Tribe princess speaks." She said, "I agree, why don't you lead the way?" And Yue wasn't sure if the younger girl was testing her or being genuine and she looked at the others, who were watching her.
Testing her.
"Okay." Yue said with a smile. She took a step forward, moving towards the building. Aang trotted to her side and the waterbending princess felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. Perhaps, she thought, she relied on the child Avatar too much. But she had found Aang in the iceberg and she felt connected to him. He was her best friend, who had stayed with her when everyone else had left her.
Like Sokka, wherever he was.
The entrance of the building had a sign held above their heads by the stone arch. Yue raised her head to looked read it, trying to distinguish the characters from the awkward angle. Come dine with Gaoling's Finest, it read and Yue looked aback at her companions. They had no money, but they were all hungry. They were foreigners in this place.
As Yue stood under the arch, the door to the dining place opened. There was a woman, dressed in an elegant green and silver kimono with her brown hair done up in an elaborate style high on her head. She looked at the large crowd of teenagers standing outside of her door and her eyes widened. These weren't Earth Kingdom people. These were strangers.
"Um, hello." Yue began and held up her hand in an awkward wave. The woman looked at them and Yue swallowed. "We smelled the food and we were wondering…" She glanced at Azula, silently pleading for the fierce golden-eyed girl to take over for her. "We were wondering…"
"If you could seat us." Azula finished for her, putting her hands behind her back. There was something intimidating about the friebender, even though her voice had been calm and her stature at ease. The woman in the kimono appraised the girl; as if she was wondering why a girl with Fire Nation features was travelling with someone obviously from the Water Tribes.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, the woman-the hostess-cleared her throat and said in a tiny voice, "Oh, of course!" She stepped backwards and stuck her hands in her sleeves. Her lips were painted red, Yue noted, and her skin dusted with white paint to make her appear paler. Every bit of a lady. "Step inside and I'll see if there is room for you." She pulled open the door and held it open for the teenagers, her bright lips glistening.
The hostess led them into the large room where Yue saw what lit by paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, their dim flames flickering. There were tables, set low with cushions set around them. Some of these tables had people sitting at them, eating their assorted foods quietly without looking up. The hostess made her way around these tables, leading the teenagers towards the back of the room.
"Fancy." Aang remarked and inhaled deeply before releasing the breath in a sigh. He walked beside Yue, his footsteps matching with her own. They had no choice but the stick together in this strange, yet elegant, city of Gaoling. "It smells nice, too."
"Here you are," The woman said and stopped by a table that had enough cushions for all of them. She stepped back as Yue took the cushion on the corner of the table and Aang sat on the one next to her. Next to him was Ty Lee and on the other side of the table, Azula, Mai, and Zuko sat.
The place really was sophisticated, Yue thought as she looked around the room. The nearest table was several feet away from them, where two men sat across from each other. The Northern Water Tribe princess craned her neck and looked at their plates, biting her bottom lip. What they had been eating looked good enough and it had smelled good. Really good, or maybe she was just hungry.
Azula cleared her throat and raised her eyes to look up at the hostess. "We all want your finest meal." She said and lifted her head so that her chin was raised defiantly. "After all," She turned her golden gaze on Yue, "You only live once." Her arms were crossed in front of chest and Yue couldn't help but feel as though she was looking at Katara. But there was something about Azula that Katara didn't have. Azula was not quite her enemy and she thought she could trust the firebender just a little.
"I'm a vegetarian." Aang said and Yue watched as the firebending siblings, Azula and Zuko, looked at him. Zuko was quieter than Azula and he didn't radiate power like his sister. "Do you have anything for me?" The child Avatar asked and took Yue's attention from the two siblings.
The hostess nodded and looked at the teenagers one more time before turning away, her kimono ruffling over her feet. Yue turned to her companions, who weren't quite her friends, and resisted the urge to clasp her hands together and duck her head.
"We don't have any money to pay!" Yue whispered fiercely and glared at Azula. "How are we going to pay for the finest meals?" She asked and Mai, the bland voiced girl, glanced up at her from underneath her ink black bangs. Ty Lee leaned across Aang with a look of concern on her bright face.
Azula smirked. "Don't worry about it." She told the tribal princess and laced her fingers together calmly. "It's already handled." She didn't say anything else and Yue bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to say in response to the firebender.
Yue's nerves were fraying and she let out a breath, turning her head to the side. The men at the next table were deep in conversation and though she knew it was wrong, the princess couldn't help but feel intrigued. "Have you heard about the Earth Rumble tonight?" Asked the brown haired man to his companion. His hands were constantly flicking imaginary dirt off of his clothes. "Are you placing bets?"
His companion shook his head and tugged on his beard. "Why should we?" His voice was damp with sarcasm and Yue straightened a bit. "We all know that the winner is going to be the Blind Bandit. The champion has never lost a match, I've heard. I'm still going, though. There's nothing like an Earth Rumble."
"Agreed." The first man commented and Yue looked back at her own tablemates. They had fallen silent as well, trying to catch a bit of exchange. They had all seen the sign detailing the Earth Rumble and Yue guessed that it was a big event in Gaoling.
Yue cleared her throat, "Do you think we could find Aang an earthbending teacher at the Rumble?" She asked and Aang sat up, suddenly interested. There was bound to be someone who was willing to teach the young Avatar. There had to be, especially at such a place.
"If it'll keep me from getting bored, I say we do it." Mai commented and it was the first time the girl had spoken since they entered Gaoling. Zuko and Ty Lee nodded in agreement, looking towards Azula-their leader-with expectant gazes.
The firebender really had no choice but to agree, however, before she could open her mouth to speak, the hostess appeared around the table. She was holding a tray out before her and Yue lifted her head to see what the woman had been carrying. The smell of vegetables and meat reached her nose and the Water Tribe princess felt her mouth water again. It was food that they couldn't afford, but her stomach didn't care at the moment. Not now.
"Steamed vegetables and rice for the boy," The hostess began and took a plate from the tray, setting it before Aang with flourish. The plate had been covered with rice and bright green and orange vegetables, still steaming hot. The hostess smiled at the airbender before setting the next plate of food in front of Yue. Oh, Yue thought, that looks good.
Really, it did. Aang's food had been served without meat, but Yue had been given a plate that was heavy with rice, vegetables, and pig-chicken. The waterbender inhaled deeply, taking in the warm scents that drifted from her plate. She couldn't wait to taste it, really she couldn't.
Once everyone had their food before them, Yue looked up. Everyone except Aang had been given the same thing, but it all looked equally delicious. The princess reached for the chopsticks at the side of the plate and brought a bit of the pig-chicken to her mouth, chewing slowly. She would savor the taste; she would savor the warmth of the food on her tongue. She would savor this stolen meal. It might be her last, she thought.
And as she ate, Yue could almost pretend that the people sitting in front of her weren't her enemies. She could almost forget that she was a foreigner in this city, eating a meal that she had no money to pay for. Almost.
Almost.
Katara bent the water into a great whip of water and lashed out towards Hama, her eyes narrowed in concentration. The ship underneath her swayed with the movement of the currents that carried it and the Southern Water Tribe princess imagined it to be the tides, pulling and pushing. She brought more water towards her with a sweep of her arm and sent thick blades of ice at the elderly woman.
Despite her age, Hama was not a slow moving woman, and she held her small hands out before her, halting the water and turning it into a disk of ice. She sent it back at Katara, aiming for her midsection. "Just because you are a master," Hama called out to the dark haired princess, "doesn't mean you know everything!" She laughed then and Suki, who was watching from the sidelines, shuddered.
Eyes widening in alarm, Katara sidestepped. Somewhere behind her, the ice disk fell to the ground and shattered loudly. Hama's training was stern and relentless, scary at times, and Katara couldn't help but feel afraid when she saw the disk flying towards her. She stopped and looked at Hama with round eyes. Hama always made her feel like a child. Hama always made her surrender.
"Why did you stop?" Hama asked her and Suki leaped to her feet, moving easily across the deck towards Katara. She looked at the Southern Water Tribe princess with pale eyes that were filled with disappointment and anger. "How to you expect to amount to anything if you stop when you're scared?" She asked and Katara couldn't help but wince. "Just because you are a master now doesn't mean you stop because you're scared. There is no such thing as being scared when you're trapped in prison!"
Katara stepped back and from the corner of her eye, she saw Suki reach slowly for her fan. Really, though, Katara had forgotten how short fused Hama could be, and she narrowed her eyes at the elderly woman, having gathered her words. "I wasn't scared," She retorted, "I'm never scared." That was a lie and she knew it, because everyone knew that Hama made her feel like a child. "I'll do better next time."
This seemed to satisfy Hama and the woman smiled softly, nodding her head. "I should hope so. If you are to be the best you can be, you can't shy away from things that make you uncomfortable. You can't run away from what you are scared of." She smiled endearingly at her student.
At Hama's words, Katara was reminded of Yue. Cowardly, cowardly Yue. She had never liked Yue and when she found Sokka, she would find Yue and make sure she lost everything. Part of Katara had secretly hoped that Yue would remain in the Water Tribes, secretly believed that Yue wasn't so much of a coward as she had once thought. Then, she would fight someone worthwhile instead of a treasonous coward. Then, she could humiliate her by showing the whole world what the white-haired girl really was.
Underneath and all around the ship, the water danced in its primal performance. The moon, Katara recalled, controlled it all. The moon controlled the tides, and thus controlled everything that relied on the ocean. Did that mean, Katara wondered, did that mean that Yue controlled the wellbeing of the Water Tribes as well? She had been touched by the Moon Spirit when she was born in the North Pole, at least that's what her mother had told her, and it had turned her hair white. But just because Yue had been spared by the Moon Spirit did not equate her to the great being and Katara would rather die than let Yue rule over her.
Where was the exiled Northern Water Tribe princess? Was she in the Earth Kingdom by now, spreading her malice behind her false façade of innocence? Was she spreading her lies with her soft voice, calling people towards her and lying to them with her blue eyes gleaming? Was the child Avatar with her, agreeing to her words as though they were ones spoken by a sage? How many people had she corrupted?
Where was Sokka? Katara turned her attention towards the water that moved around them, gleaming with the warm sunlight that streamed down. It had been several days since they had left the great lake city of Ba Sing Se and the ship that her brother had left on was bound to the west. While it would test boundaries if the Water Tribe boat crossed the border, Katara had no doubt that her wayward brother would slip into the Earth Kingdom and disappear.
She would not allow it. Sokka would not destroy their family. Yue would not destroy their family. Everything Katara had done, it had been for a purpose, and she refused to let treasonous princesses, child Avatars, and confused brothers ruin it. The Silver Moon was months away and then the world would be recreated in the image of greatness.
The auburn haired Kyoshi Warrior, Suki, cleared her throat and Katara looked up in surprise. She had realized that she had been staring out into the serene water, lost in her own thoughts while Hama had been waiting for her to reply. The Southern Water Tribe princess cleared her throat and felt her cheeks light up just a bit in embarrassment. She had been so caught up in her own goals that she had realized Hama had been speaking. "Sorry."
Hama smiled thinly at the young princess, her eyes glittering, and her frail hand appeared from her robe. She didn't comment on Katara's wayward mind and instead she moved her gnarled fingers in a graceful motion, turning her wrist and bringing her fingers together. There was the sound of liquid moving and Katara's eyes widened with surprise. Water had appeared above Hama's fingertips, as if she had pulled it out of thin air. In fact, she had.
"How'd you do that?" Suki asked her eyes wide. She was not a bender, but the feat had impressed even her. She looked at Katara and then back at Hama. One did not have to be a waterbender to understand the skill that it had taken to pull water from the air. "That was…"
"Incredible." Katara finished for her and she looked pleadingly at Hama. "You have to teach me that!" She cried and clasped her hands together near her chest. "Please, oh, Hama! Please teach me how to do that!" Hama was an aged master and Katara had never seen such a move done by any other master she had met before. Then again, Hama wasn't like those masters.
Hama looked skeptically at the young princess and tapped her chin. "Perhaps," She said and the water in her other hand, dancing it along her fingertips. "There is so much you can learn, Katara, but in the years I've last seen you, you've changed so much. You're not as patient as you were when you were younger."
I wasn't as strong as I am now. Katara thought and she looked sharply off to the side, catching Suki's gaze. The warrior was silent, her hands clasped behind her back with her back straight and her elegant chin raised. She looked strong and confident, and oh so professional, even though she wasn't much older than Katara. "I know," Katara said, humbled. "I understand."
"Be on the deck at dusk." Hama said to her and flicked her hand, causing the water she had been manipulating to disappear into the sea. She tucked her childishly small hands back into her sleeves and brushed between the two teenaged girls, heading back towards the staircase that led to the belly of the ship. She had braided her light hair, grayed with age, and it hung down her back, swinging as she walked. "Don't be late."
Katara looked after the woman, dumbfounded, and grinned at Suki. "Isn't she great?" She looked at the Kyoshi Warrior, who raised her eyebrow. "Hama taught me when I was younger," the princess explained to the old girl, "And then she left…but she came back and now…I feel like a little kid again."
Suki looked at her hard for a moment and cleared her throat. "If that works for you." She said simply and brushed a strand of bright hair out of her glittering eyes. "If that works for you."
Oh, it did. It really did.
Azula found that stolen food tasted better than bought food. Or perhaps it was simply because she was hungry. The princess of the Fire Nation pushed her now empty plate aside and brushed off of her clothes, even though there wasn't a crumb anywhere on her form. She felt refreshed and refilled, her stomach no longer protesting.
Yue, the Water Tribe princess, had stopped protesting when her hunger had overtaken her morals. The girl was still weak, Azula thought, for she let her conscience ride her every decision. She would make a horrible liar, if she ever tried to. Liars ignored their consciences. Azula knew this for a fact.
They had no money, but Azula had already mapped their escape. She was a firebender and when in a foreign land, she knew how to use her resources. The princess looked at her travelling companions and then leaned over the table, taking them all in her golden gaze.
"I have an idea." Azula began and then pointed upward at the paper lanterns. "When I give the signal," The firebender explained and her companions listened, intrigued, "When I give the signal, we all get up and run as fast as we can, further into the city. If this works-which it will,-then they'll never figure out it was us." She smiled slickly, "Trust me."
Zuko, her dear sweet brother, scratched his chin. "Alright," He said after a moment and looked at the lanterns, piecing together what his sister had been implying. "What's the signal?" The prince of the Fire Nation asked and Azula thought that perhaps her brother wasn't so stupid after all.
Azula wrinkled her brow and let out a tiny shriek. "Of course," She said and smirked deviously. "It will be louder to get everyone's attention." Zuko and others began to slowly lift themselves from their cushions and the firebender inhaled deeply, looking up at the paper lantern. With a flick of her wrist, cobalt fire shot from her fingertips and licked at the lantern, casting it in flame.
"Fire!" The princess cried and shrieked, resisting the urge to smirk. Really, she had been too clever. She sprang to her feet and let out another shout as her companions scrambled up, climbing over each other. They were good actors, she decided, almost as good as her. Almost. "Fire! Get out of here!"
Her screams rang across the room, orchestrating the chaos that erupted. The Fire Nation girl leaped over a table, grabbing onto Mai's sleeve. It was brilliant, Azula thought, and she had thought of it herself. As the other diners scrambled to their feet, their voices rising, the airbender boy pushed open the door and led them back onto the street of Gaoling, panting and excited.
As the door closed behind them, Azula inhaled deeply. They were crowded onto the street, their eyes flickering over each other. It was Ty Lee who laughed first, though, her gray eyes shining. She laughed and slowly, the other joined in as well. It had been funny, really. Funny and admirably clever.
"I feel really bad for doing that now." The Avatar, Aang, said. He still smiled, though, and Azula though he sounded disgustingly hypocritical. "It was really fun, but really mean at the same time." Azula rolled her eyes as Yue, the Water Tribe princess, put her arm around the boy's shoulders. She almost expected for her to agree, but instead the girl said nothing.
"So…" Ty Lee said and tugged at her braid, "What do we do now?" She leaned on one foot and then straightened suddenly. "The Earth Rumble!" The girl cried and her eyes brightened. "Let's try and find the Earth Rumble, maybe we could see some of the people."
Azula thought that their stop in Gaoling to simply get supplies was turning into much more. They didn't have time to stop and play around, but she did want to see what type of barbarian games the earthbenders played. Perhaps, she thought, if they had paid more attention to their surroundings instead of the dirt, the Water Tribes wouldn't have been able to overtake them.
They continued down the street, walking in a cluster. There was another street that intersected the main one and when Azula looked down it, she saw that it had been blocked off by a gate. She wondered what had been so important down the path that it had been restricted, but she didn't question it. The earthbenders were a strange people. Really, they were.
There was the sound of laughter as they came closer to another cluster of buildings. There was the chatter of children and the hum of many voices speaking at once, mingling together in an alluring song of excitement. Of humanity.
As the group of teenagers approached, Azula saw that the noise came from a line of people standing in front of a very large building. It was so big that it went onto the next street, its domed roof painted in a glistening dark green. There were two doors, several feet away from each other, where people crowded around. It intrigued Azula, for it reminded her of a stadium. An arena.
"I guess we found the Earth Rumble." Mai said and her lips twitched. She stuck her hands in her opposite sleeves and lowered her head, looking out of the world from underneath her black bangs. "Must've already started."
A passing girl, who couldn't have been more than eight, looked up at Mai. "Nope, it's starting in a few minutes! Everyone's trying to get the best seating spots!" She had a horrible gap between her two front teeth and several on the bottom seemed to be missing. Mai shrank back, as if she was horrified by the sight of the child.
Whether the Earth Rumble was the most action the city got or it was simply a tradition so ingrained in Gaoling's people that they all attended, Azula would never know. She smoothed down her clothes and reached up to make sure her hair was still in place before crossing her arms in front of her chest. Impeccable. Perfect.
The line shrunk a little as people were admitted into the arena and Azula stepped forward. As they drew closer to the building, Azula heard the sounds of rampant shouting and screaming from within it, loud enough to reach the outside world. She wondered what kind of barbaric festivities were going on in the place and she wrinkled her nose.
Yue, standing beside the Fire Nation princess, took a step back, nearly stepping on the Air Nomad boy who stood on her heels. "Are you sure we should go in there?" The blue eyed girl asked slowly and Azula thought she had never seen such a timid girl. "I know Aang needs an earthbending teacher but…" Yue worried too much, Azula decided, and she was far too nervous to ever be a warrior in the Fire Nation.
Azula lifted her brow at they came upon the entrance of the building. There wasn't much to be excited about, she thought, as the teenagers stopped into the first door of the arena. The ceiling over their heads was curved and the ground seemed to slope gently, slowly, upward as they continued to walk, pressing against the citizens of Gaoling as they rushed forward.
Someone grabbed onto Azula's sleeve and the firebender turned around, narrowing her eyes. She was ready to give the person a verbal tongue lashing, but then she froze. The hand that had wrapped around her arm was small, childishly so, and Azula's glare met the eyes of yet another child. A boy, his face was still round and his hair fuzzy. "Sorry!" The young boy cried and stepped back, disappearing into the crowd again.
The long, crowded corridor smelled of perfume and sweat mixed together and Azula held her breath to keep from gagging. It stank and the feel of strangers brushing against her added to the Fire Nation princess's repulsion. She was grateful when the long hall opened up.
They were standing on the outer edge of the area, where there was a large earthen ring in the middle of the area, separated by an empty pit. The rest of the arena was made of up seats set up in tiers, the highest being further away from the ring. Already people were filling the lower seats, pushing forward to get closer to the ring. Azula had never seen anything like it.
Clearing her throat, the princess of the Fire Nation moved towards the lowest tier, where she had spotted just enough seats for all of them. She wanted to be close to the ring, to see what type of savage games these earthbenders played. Plopping down on the long bench of seats, Azula watched as her companions filed in after her. Yue sat closest to her, followed by Mai and the others. The constant hum of a thousand conversations was deafening and overwhelming and Azula pursed her lips. She didn't have much patience, not here. Not now.
Beyond them, the seats were finally almost full. Azula's eyes widened as the earth underneath her feet shook and the firebender thought that perhaps too many people had been stuffed into the seating tiers. But then, there was a great roar and the earth under the ring split. Azula watched in amazement as two great beasts appeared from under the ground. They were black and brown, with stripes of white going down their huge backs and Azula thought they looked like ferocious, for their claws were wickedly sharp. Sitting on the spine of the creatures were women, waving enticingly at the large crowd. Standing in front of the animals was a man. Even from where she sat, Azula could see his long dark hair and his intimidating build and she had no doubt that he was an earthbender.
"Welcome," Shouted the man and the arena seemed to fall silent at his words. "Welcome to Earth Rumble Six!" Azula clenched her teeth. So, she thought, the earthbenders did enjoy playing in the dirt for a prize. She stifled a sigh. Why did Ty Lee have to talk them into watching this?
Beside her, Yue seemed to sink into herself, obviously feeling the same way that Azula did. "This doesn't seem like fun." The Water Tribe princess whispered, leaning in so that her face was close to Azula's. "Just look at those guys!" She said and pointed towards the side of the ring that was across the arena, where several huge, lumbering shapes stood. "They're huge!"
Really, Azula thought, they were. She wrinkled her nose in disdain as Zuko and Aang leaned forward, obviously interested when the first contestants moved forward, facing each other. Zuko was a prince, he should know better than to be interested in such a thing, Azula mused, and rolled her eyes.
The first man was frighteningly large in height and girth. When he spoke, his words seemed to come out in a harsh, animalistic mumble. The man he was facing seemed equally as heinous, but where the taller man's bulk came from a disturbing huge belly, the dark haired one's was made of muscle. They stood before each other; both feet splayed in what Azula supposed were an earthbending position. Beside her, Yue squinted as the larger man leaped into the air and landed again, shaking the arena.
Azula let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh," She said and crossed her legs, "How pleasant." It was a lie, really, because she had never seen something so hideous and savage. It was a lie, but it wasn't like she had never told one of those before.
Yue opened one eye and dared to look down at the ring. The fighting below had been almost been too much for her to watch, for one man had been slammed all the way into the audience across the arena. It was the final round, though, according to the longhaired announcer. The last round was between the longest lasting contestant-a man dubbed The Boulder-and the reigning champion, whoever that was. The Northern Water Tribe didn't think she could bear fighting against any of those earthbenders and they seemed too fierce to ever teach Aang.
"Now," said the announcer and Yue saw a ripple move through the large crowd. "Now for the moment you've all been waiting for! The final round! The Boulder versus the longest reigning champion, the Blind Bandit!" He thrust his hands into the air and let out a loud, echoing yell as the earth in the middle of the ring split. He man stepped back as the grand champion of the Earth Rumble appeared, robed in green and yellow, standing with a dark green cape over their shoulders and a crown on their head.
Eyes widening, Yue leaned forward. The Blind Bandit was a small, dark haired girl who seemed painfully tiny compared to the bigger, fiercer competitors. She looked to be the same age as Aang-only twelve. There was no way, Yue thought, she could be the champion. There was no way. There couldn't be.
"That's a girl." Zuko said on the other side of Mai and Yue saw that his eyes were narrowed in disbelief. Really, Yue thought, there was no way the little girl could be the champion of the Earth Rumble. She looked as if she would be crushed by a pebble. But when Yue looked at her again, she saw that perhaps that wasn't true. There was a certain swagger about the girl, though, that seemed to demand respect. She seemed familiar, too.
Ty Lee, the pink clad acrobat, let out a shout of surprise that caused Yue to jump. "Look at her eyes!" The girl cried and pointed frantically, nearly leaping from her seat. "She really is blind!" The Fire Nation girl gasped and clasped her hands together, her lips turning down in an expression of pity.
It was then when it struck Yue. Her mouth fell agape and she struggled to force the words on her tongue into the air. "I know her!" She cried and Azula, sitting beside her, narrowed her eyes. "I know her from Ba Sing Se!" Of course, the little blind girl from the celebration! Her family paid taxes to the Water Tribes so they wouldn't be invaded. The girl called Toph, who had inspired her to tell Aang the truth of what happened to his people. That had been the moment, Yue remembered, that caused everything else to fall into place. It almost made sense. It was all coming back, now.
Toph, the Blind Bandit, smirked as she faced The Boulder. Her smile, Yue noted, was faintly reminiscent of Azula's-full of cunning and self-assurance. "This isn't even a fight!" She cried and laughed loudly. The whole arena was watching her, now, even though she couldn't see them. All eyes were on her, even Azula's. Even Mai's.
To Yue, it happened too quickly. She could barely follow as Toph flicked her wrists, her fingers extended outward. The earth in the ring shook as the earthbender slammed her hands down and a crack appeared at The Boulder's feet. A smirk on her face, the Blind Bandit bent a slab of earth and raised it so that it was behind her opponent. She bent another rock, holding it above the man's head.
Yue couldn't help but look away as there was a resounding crack. When she opened her eyes, she saw The Boulder flying through the air, screamingly wildly as he smashed into the pit at the bottom of the ring. The crowd erupted into chaos around them, a symphony of shrieks and howls. Many of the spectators had risen to their feet, leaping and dancing in excitement.
"Impressive." Azula said to Yue and her eyes were wide. "Very impressive." She had uncrossed her legs and was leaning forward, her face flushed with exhilaration. Yue nodded and they both watched as the two women rode out on their huge beasts again, each holding one side of a gold incrusted belt.
"More than impressive." Yue said softly, "She didn't even pull a sweat!"
Toph, the Blind Bandit, raised herself on a pillar so that she was standing level with the two women. She took her prize and nodded. "The Blind Bandit," cried one of the women atop the striped beasts, "She steals your pride!" Toph smiled and held her belt in the air, nodding and urging her fans to cheer louder. Which they did, and Yue found herself cheering along as well. She really was great. Really, she was.
Aang reached around Zuko and Mai and tugged on Yue's sleeve, causing her to turn her attention away from the girl in the ring. "Yue," He said and pointed down at the girl, "I think that's her. I think she might be my earthbending teacher. Just look at her, she was awesome! We have to meet her, Yue."
There was no pointing in telling Aang that she had already met Toph, a long time ago. "We'll try to." She wondered if Toph would recognize her. They had only passed each other and Yue didn't think she had left a big enough imprint on Toph to be memorable, even though she was the Northern Water Tribe princess. To the earthbender, she probably wasn't very important.
"I think we should be going now," Azula said and rose to her feet, dusting off her clothes. "We still have supplies to get, you know." Her golden eyes flickered over Yue as she moved around the Water Tribe princess. Yue knew that Azula was right; they did have to get supplies. They hadn't entered Gaoling to have fun; they still had to cross the Earth Kingdom.
"But," Aang began as the firebending princess squeezed by him. "We have to meet the Blind Bandit first, so we can find an earthbending teacher." He looked up pleadingly at her and Azula froze, as if she was contemplating staying just a while longer.
Yue cleared her throat. "Come on, Azula, it won't take very long. I promise." She looked back to the arena and saw that the Blind Bandit had exited the ring. Two beasts, similar to the ones earlier, were snuffling around the stage, pushing the excess slabs of rock into a pile. One of the fighters from earlier was moving towards the opposite side of the ring after he had pulled himself out. "I promise!" The princess said and began to move towards the other side of the arena, trying to keep the fighter in her sights despite the throbbing crowd.
Aang leaped over the others and scrambled after Yue, coming to her side. Behind them, the Fire Nation teenagers were scrambled to their feet to follow the Northern Water Tribe princess. Azula was leading them; Yue knew this without looking back, because Azula was their leader. They always followed her.
"This better not take a long time." Azula told Yue as she shoved a middle aged man out of the way. The firebender pursed her lips as Yue led them towards the back of the arena. There was a door near the back of the place, opened and exposing a thin ray of light. As Yue came closer, she saw that it was the reddish glow of the evening as the sun set.
Then, they were outside. Beyond them was a small courtyard, blocking in by a small stone wall. The fighters from the Earth Rumble were milling about, rough housing each other and conversing. Yue narrowed her eyes, searching for the tiny earthbending champion.
She saw her then, pulling off her crown and belt. She handed them to the woman who was obviously her attendant and then she reached up to pull her black hair from its bun. It was at that moment when Aang approached, holding up his finger.
"Um…Miss Blind Bandit…" The boy began and Yue nearly slapped herself as the young girl turned, bending a sharp bit of rock and aiming it at the boy. Aang stopped, eyes wide with surprise and fear, a single bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face and disappearing into his shirt. "Sorry!"
Toph, the Blind Bandit, pointed at the airbender's general direction. "You thought you could sneak up on me, just because you have light feet, Twinkletoes?" The girl said accusingly and shook her head, wrinkling her nose. "You thought you could be all prancy dancy on me?" She jabbed her finger forward, where she thought Aang was. "No one sneaks up on me!"
Yue swallowed and walked towards Aang, putting her hand on Aang's shoulders. "Aang didn't mean to sneak up on you. We really have to talk to you, Blind Bandit…" And as an afterthought, "Toph." She thought she saw Toph freeze and flinch before she stepped back.
"I know you." Toph said and wiggled her toes. "I remember you from when we were in Ba Sing Se. I remember your heartbeat, too." She cleared her throat, "Tell your friend to leave me alone!" She suddenly snarled and turned her back on them, stepping away.
Aang took a half-step forward. "But I need an earthbending teacher!" He said and grabbed onto Toph's shoulder. "I need an earthbending teacher and I think that you should be it. Please!" His gray were were wide and glistening as he tightened his hold on the girl's side.
Toph froze and reached up to pry the child Avatar's fingers off of her clothes. "Look," she said, "I don't care. Now leave me alone!" The girl cried and threw Aang's hand away from her. As she took a step forward, thought, a blast of blue fire nearly graze of her feet, hitting the stone ground in front of her. Yue turned to look at Azula, who was studying her nails nonchalantly.
"You don't understand." Yue said softly, "Aang is the Avatar. Really, he is. He's the Avatar and he needs an earthbending teacher if he is to end the war. Think about it, Toph, what would stop the Water Tribes from going against their word and invading your city? If you come with us, you'll get to travel the world. You'll get to…be a hero!" They weren't very heroic now, at the moment, but she had no other choice.
The blind earthbender dropped her head, her bangs falling in her face. "No…I can't go." She said in a voice that was barely a whisper. "I mean…I want to. But I can't. You wouldn't understand." At her words, Yue remembered how Toph's mother had treated her, as if she was a precious doll. Which led her to question why Toph was in the Earth Rumble.
"If you really want to be with us," Azula said, setting an ultimatum, "You'll be at the edge of the city at midnight, on the edge of the forest. Don't be late." She sniffed and turned on her heel, jerking her head. "Come on, we have better things to do than stand here. We can find another earthbending teacher."
As the firebending girl led them back towards the door, Yue took Aang's hand and looked back at the Blind Bandit. She had hung her head with her hands hanging limply at her sides. Yue felt pity for the girl, but they had supplies to gather-to steal-and places to go.
It was dark when they finally returned to their steeds, laden down with packs filled with pilfered supplies. Azula was a good thief when she wanted to be and she thought that perhaps her brother wasn't so bad, either. None of them had been caught, but there had been a close call once, when Ty Lee had tried to steal a large blanket.
Azula couldn't help but smirk as she appraised their ill-gotten goods. She was a good thief, but then again, she was good at everything. Their stolen supplies were being placed in the bison's saddle by the Avatar, for the beast seemed to be better equipped for the burden when compared to Sanjiv.
Yue, the ever so docile Water Tribe Princess, hadn't even complained when they stole and Azula had even seen her pocket an item or two. Perhaps, Azula thought, the tribal girl wouldn't pretend to be so high and mighty any more. It was about time she stepped off of her pedestal.
"That was so exciting!" Ty Lee cried as she bent over backwards, grinning wildly. "I want to do something like that again, guys! Today has been such an exciting day." Really, it had, Azula thought. They had stolen a meal, at least a week's worth of supplies, and had attended the Earth Rumble.
Azula would dare say it had been fun. And that she had enjoyed it. Which she had, but didn't dare say such a thing. Not now, not when they were still within reach of Gaoling. She would never admit it, because she was Princess Azula. She showed no weakness.
The firebending princess pressed her hand against Sanjiv's side as she pulled herself onto his neck, scrambling for a hold on the dragon's side. Behind her, Zuko heaved himself up before reaching down to grab Mai and Ty Lee by their hands, helping them onto the scaled beast. They lurched forward as Sanjiv rose to his full height and Azula smirked.
Beside them, the Air Nomad boy and Yue had climbed onto their bison, seated comfortably. Azula could see an expectant look in the older girl's cerulean eyes and she knew that Yue was waiting for the girl. The young girl who had won the Earth Rumble, Toph.
It was almost midnight and Azula had decided that they would leave then, so that they could make good time to Garsai. It was almost midnight and the earthbending girl hadn't arrived yet. Azula had a feeling that she wouldn't. She had a feeling that Yue would be sorely disappointed. Not that she cared.
"Is she coming?" Azula heard Yue ask quietly, almost to herself. She had sat up in the saddle, looking out towards the city as it grew quiet. It was night time now and the people were returning to their homes to rest. It had been a long day.
Azula shook her head, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "No. She's not going to come, Yue. She's probably at home, sleeping in a bed. She's probably forgotten about you." She did roll her eyes, then, because Yue had a pathetic look on her face. "Let's go."
It was Ty Lee who spoke up, then, surprising everyone. "Wait! There she is!" She jabbed her finger forward and pointed at the figure moving through the trees from the city line, moving quickly towards them. "There she is!"
Suddenly, the girl came running, carrying a bag with her. Azula narrowed her eyes. The girl, Toph, panted heavily as she skidded to a halt in front of them. "I thought you had left already!" She cried and let Yue take her pack from her, placing it in the saddle. "Do you know what I'm giving up for you guys?" She said and Azula could hear the sarcasm dripping from her tongue.
"No." Yue said and helped pull the earthbender into the saddle. "But I'm glad you did."
"Can we go now?" Mai asked, not one for sentimentality, and Azula couldn't help but agree with her. She urged Sanjiv into the sky with a smirk on her face, hearing the bison follow, and Azula decided that she could get used to having the others around. They weren't so bad.