Chapter 31

As the investigation into the attempted assassination ran into dead end after dead end, Azula simmered in frustration. It was bad enough that she had been forced to huddle under a fire dome, rather than leaping into action to challenge a man who had tried to kill her. She was used to attacking, not defending! But if she had tried to shoot back at her attacker, she could have burned down the entire shrine, or injured a spectator. It was strange for her to consider these kinds of things, like avoiding collateral damage, instead of simply destroying her enemy as efficiently as possible. But she had done it without hesitation.

She felt even worse about staying in that defensive position, back to back with the lieutenant, when she found out about the four guards who had been killed, and the danger the captain had braved to take down the attacker. She wondered if the guards' families would blame her for their deaths, since they had fought to protect her, and since she had provoked the attack with her bold (and correct) policy changes.

She dismissed the idea, but congratulated herself for thinking it, because she realized it was exactly the thought Aang would have had in her situation. He always did blame himself for things that weren't his fault.

Azula had never been particularly impressed by combustion benders. They were secretive and culty, keeping their specialized knowledge to themselves. She'd heard their training involved torturous near-drowning exercises, which horrified her. The small advantage the skill gave did not seem worth the pain involved in acquiring it. It seemed especially pointless for Azula to learn, when her regular attacks were every bit as powerful, as she had proven by deflecting her assassin's fireballs. Her experience with this mercenary only cemented her conclusion: combustion benders were needlessly flashy, and just as easily defeated as any other bender. After all, he had been killed by an arrow from a non-bender. Besides, those forehead tattoos were ugly.

She hadn't defeated him herself though, and that rankled her. The captain was the one who ran after the assassin and took his shot, while she'd been stuck under that dome. The combustion bender didn't impress her, but Captain Raiden did. She kept her praise muted, though. No need to let it get to his head. He already knew exactly what a great shot he was.

Besides, she was annoyed with the captain, because his investigation was failing to uncover the conspirators, and because he kept insisting she couldn't leave the palace.

"I only have your safety in mind, my lord," he insisted.

"But if I stay inside, I'm doing exactly what they want me to do!" she argued, aware she sounded like a petulant teenager.

"They?" the captain asked dumbly.

"The people who ordered this hit want nothing more than to force me to stay locked away in the palace," she explained. "I have to show them-–and the rest of the country—that I remain uncowed."

"I admire that sentiment, my lord, but without proper preparation and attention to security protocols, your guards will be endangered," he cautioned.

That shut her up for a minute. She didn't want to sacrifice any more guards. It had been bad enough presenting those four mothers with posthumous medals. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What would Aang want me to do?

"I have to respond to this attempt on my life, and not from a place of fear," she finally declared. "If the conspirators are hiding, I must tempt them to come out. If I can't leave the palace, I'll bring the assassins to me."

The following day, a proclamation appeared in the newspapers across the realm.

It appears that parties unknown are willing to pay large sums and endanger thousands of my innocent subjects in a vain attempt to to remove me from office. The outrageous attack on my life in the Caldera Fire Shrine Courtyard represents how far peace-hating extremists will go to perpetuate a war that has finally been ended. Four brave guards lost their lives in this despicable assault. Those responsible for this attack profaned our sacred space with violence, demonstrating their lack of concern for our traditions and for human life, even the lives of their fellow citizens.

The paid assassin himself perished in his attack, but those who conspired to hire him remain at large. I invite the parties responsible for the attempt on my life at the shrine to come forward. If the culprits freely admit their guilt, I will be merciful and spare them from execution. But if they are caught and proven guilty of this attack, their lives will end much more slowly and painfully than they tried to end mine.

If anyone would like to strip me of my authority, I invite them to attempt to do so in the traditional way: challenge me to an Agni Kai. I will accept all challenges, and to prove my sincerity, I am even willing to negotiate the terms of these challenges to handicap myself. As the world's greatest living firebender, I understand that without making some allowances for my opponents' lower skill level, no one will take up this offer. Surely every citizen of the Fire Nation will agree that such matters are better settled with a one-on-one contest than by unexpected attacks that threaten to harm common people in the public square.

If anyone opposes me, but is not willing to put their life and honor on the line in single combat, as I am, then they clearly care less about this country than I do. Therefore, I advise my cowardly critics to comply with our laws, and respect my divinely granted authority. It is the people's place to cooperate meekly with the rule of the Fire Lord.

As all of those who heard my speech in the Fire Temple Courtyard know, I have wonderful plans for this country that will bring peace and prosperity to all. With the participation of my people, I will achieve such success that even those who vehemently disparage me today will soon become my most fervent supporters.

Your fearless leader,

Fire Lord Azula

Piandao greeted Raiden warmly upon his arrival at his estate, ushering him into the cozy study. Again, he broke out the celebratory whiskey. "Congratulations on your daring kill, Mr. Golden Arrow." The older man raised his glass to his mentee.

"Thank you, sir." Raiden looked down modestly into his drink, pushing away the picture of the assassin's blank eyes, his arrow through his skull.

"Tell, me, young hero, with all of your insight from your work in the heart of the palace: what do you think will happen next?"

Raiden shifted, a bit uncomfortable at the scrutiny and the grand expectation. "Well, the protests have died down," he observed.

"Yes," Piandao nodded. "The question is whether that's because those who oppose the Fire Lord are afraid of making themselves a target for the investigation, or if public opinion is actually shifting."

"Everyone associates the protesters with the assassination attempt. And that's only fair, because they were literally calling for the Fire Lord's death." Raiden's jaw clenched at the thought of the hecklers at the palace gates, and his voice hardened. "Whether or not they're the ones who contracted the killer, they can't pretend their words didn't matter. They can't play innocent."

Piandao raised his eyebrows. "Your investigation is targeting them, then?"

"Not exactly." Raiden sighed in frustration. "I'm uncomfortable with the idea of silencing dissent on principle, but their violent rhetoric is dangerous. Even if I thought mass arrests would be an effective way to find the conspirators, the protesters haven't given me an opportunity to bring them in. They're keeping quiet."

"Is the Fire Lord pushing for you to round them up?" The swordmaster wondered.

"She's not happy with the lack of progress of the investigation, but she hasn't made any specific demands about how I conduct it."

Piandao shrugged. "Based on the latest editorials, the pro-war sentiment is becoming less popular, anyway."

"Maybe the assassination attempt gave a dramatic demonstration of what kind of country we'd be if we embrace the anti-peace philosophy," the captain speculated.

Piandao actually snickered. "You mean, what kind of country we've been for the past century."

"Exactly. It was easy to ignore that kind of violence when it was on the other side of the world, happening to people who don't count. When it erupts in the Fire Shrine Courtyard, that's an entirely different matter."

The old master raised his glass at this astute analysis. "It's a beginning. Turns out there's nothing like surviving an assassination attempt to improve the popularity of an unpopular leader. Azula has gained the saintly sheen of near-martyrdom, thereby promoting the positions that made her into a target."

Raiden agreed. "At the least, it makes her ideas seem more acceptable, by demonstrating how extreme their opposite is, and how ugly things will get if her opponents get their way. That's why political violence can only ever achieve short term victories. Most people instinctively abhor such tactics." He couldn't help feeling annoyed that this is what it took to show the Fire Nation that war is hell, but his gratitude for the long-overdue change outweighed his annoyance. He was ready to move on to a less depressing topic. "What did you think of her Agni Kai challenge?"

"Phrased like a master of strategy." Piandao shook his head in awe. "I didn't expect that any of the…boldness that made her such a strong commander and military tactician would carry over into making her a decent leader in peacetime."

"She's in this paradoxical position where she has to defend peace with violence. But it actually works for her, because she gets to be a benevolent ruler without being a coward. It's part of this contradictory, transitional moment we're in right now," Raiden observed.

"She's using the honor culture to destroy the honor culture. Rhetorically, it's a brilliant deflection. I was able to observe Avatar Aang practicing airbending in the palace training ground once," the swordmaster recalled. "All of his moves were like this: circular, redirection, using the opponent's strength against them. Maybe Azula learned something from him after all."

Raiden shook his head in admiration. "I wish I'd seen that. You're right: this Agni Kai challenge uses her opposition's strength against it, and brings it out into the open. There's nothing the Fire Nation respects more than a confident, capable fighter, and nothing it enjoys more than a spectacle. And this way, the world's greatest living firebender gets to lean into her strengths."

"Is she getting her confidence back after that disaster with the earthbending champion?"

"I think so. Her training is on track again; she looks as fit and powerful as ever." Watching Azula training was the highlight of Raiden's day. He pictured one of her graceful flying spin kicks, the fire on her foot tracing a curve in the air. "I'd bet my pension on her against any firebender, even if she handicaps herself. I think the loss against Beifong was a fluke."

"I'm not so sure about that, although she was certainly off her game," Pialdao allowed. "Toph Beifong is perhaps the best fighter in the world, second only to the Avatar. For Azula to lose to her is no shame. The question now is, will anyone take up the Fire Lord's new challenge?"

"Who knows?"

"You don't think anyone will really admit responsibility for the attack, do you?"

"That part of her announcement was mostly a bluff," Raiden admitted. "None of us expects anyone to come forward. The conspirators know that if they hadn't been caught by now, they never will be. No reason to surrender to a lifetime sentence when they're likely to get away with it completely."

"I thought as much." Piandao nodded, then changed direction. "One thing that I thought was odd about her speech. Why did she pardon the Avatar? And her brother?"

"I think the situation with the captured soldiers paralleled Prince Zuko's banishment, which made her rethink her father's decision. And she's lonely."

"Yes, but it was unnecessary for her to admit that she lied about what happened to her father. Not to mention counterproductive, in a speech intended to gain her support among the people." Piandao pointed out. "I noticed she was careful not to say that Aang killed her father in self-defense. Do you think that means she did it herself?"

"It might." The captain shivered. Surely the entire world was better off with Fire Lord Ozai dead, and he certainly believed the part of Azula's statement that emphasized the late leader's imminent threat to someone's life. He felt bad for Azula, though, at the thought that she might have had to kill her own father. "I know that she consulted lawyers about it."

"That was a waste of time. There's no such thing as legal consequences for the Fire Lord. And that means there was no need for her to address the matter at all." The old master shook his head, forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"Maybe she's really taking Szeto to heart. All of those precepts about honesty," Raiden speculated.

"Perhaps," Piandao shrugged. He seemed doubtful that Azula's conversion was that complete.

Raiden finished his whiskey for an extra bit of courage. There was one more thing he needed to talk to Piandao about.

"Apparently there are rumors about me and the Fire Lord," he began awkwardly.

"Oh, I know." Piandao raised an eyebrow and continued delicately. "Do they have any…."

"Of course not!"

"It would be understandable. On both sides." Piandao prodded gently, inviting a confession. He seemed to mean his words as a compliment, as if to say it was only natural that any woman would be interested in the captain.

But Raiden rolled his eyes modestly at the idea that the Fire Lord would ever want him. "Don't be ridiculous." He could tell when a woman was looking at him with that kind of appreciation. It had happened to him plenty of times. There was none of that in Azula's gaze, when it fell on him. She was always perfectly businesslike. She saw him as exactly what he was, a guard in her service. One who sometimes had interesting ideas, who had her trust and a knack for cheering her up, and who had acted heroically to kill the man who tried to murder her. Perhaps he had surprised her by shaving his head—when she thanked him for that unexpected vote of confidence, there had been a new openness in her expression—so maybe he had her gratitude as well. But that was all.

"I'm not being ridiculous, I'm being realistic," Piandao insisted. "I always thought you had plenty of luck with women. You're the kind of man who never has trouble finding a date. But if you say there's nothing there, at least not on her side, I believe you."

"And on my side?"

"I can tell when a young friend of mine is falling." Piandao's expression was grave, but with an unaccustomed hint of kindness.

Raiden closed his eyes in embarrassment and rubbed his face with his palm. "I could have kept it in check if she hadn't…."

"Started turning into exactly the leader you always dreamed of serving?" Piandao guessed.

"Yeah." He sighed. "Will the rumor create any problems? For her, for my career, for my mission?"

"Possibly. For her, the only danger is if it prevents her from some other advantageous match. And of course she could easily put the gossip to rest by reassigning you. Do you think she's aware of the rumor?"

"No. She's oblivious to…certain aspects of interpersonal relationships." The captain was somewhat grateful that Azula seemed unaware of his crush as well.

"How do you think she'd react if she found out?"

Raiden forced his shoulder to shrug. "Perhaps she'd think it's a joke. Or she'd feel insulted. I think the only partner she considers worthy of her is the Avatar." He couldn't blame her for that assessment, as he basically agreed.

"Does she still hold out hopes for him?"

"I don't know. He turned her down pretty firmly when they met in the desert, as far as I could tell. She was broken up about it for a while, and then she stopped wallowing after her fight with Toph Beifong. However, she certainly hasn't moved on to any other suitor."

"How would you feel if she did?" the swordmaster challenged.

"Fine," he answered, teeth gritted in defiance like a petulant teenager.

Piandao delicately raised a single eyebrow at this display. "Well, until she settles down with some young nobleman, the rumor could paint a target on your back." It already has, Raiden thought, remembering Colonel Karai. The older man went on, "However, if you had an actual relationship with the Fire Lord, she could keep you safe from jealous courtiers. As it is, you have all of the liability, none of the protection, and none of the….perks. Since there's no way to fight a rumor, you might as well ignore it. Or…" he grinned. "Make the best of it."

"Now you're telling me I should try to seduce her, or something," Raiden accused. He could only imagine Piandao's machiavellian thoughts: the White Lotus in the Fire Lord's bed, influencing her in the most intimate ways. The idea of beginning a relationship that way, with an intention to manipulate, repelled him. He could never use Azula like that, not even for laudatory political aims. It made him wonder if Piandao had chosen him for this role with that kind of plan in mind. The older man was obviously aware that Raiden had a reputation as a bit of a lothario.

"I advise you only to follow your heart," Piandao stated, touching his chest.

Raiden assessed his mentor. He actually seemed sincere, which was weird for him, especially when saying something so sentimental. Was Piandao trying, in a roundabout way, to persuade him to make himself consort to the Fire Lord, and make him think his sexual ambition was his own idea? He had to disabuse the older man of the thought.

"My heart respects her too much to treat her that way. I'm a professional," Raiden answered firmly.

"You feel that way now. But the longer you spend in daily contact with a woman you're this strongly attracted to, the more difficult it may be to maintain that professional distance," Piandao cautioned.

"I'll deal with that if it happens," Raiden vowed. "But I think you underestimate my capacity for restraint."

Author's Note: If you don't want to wait a week to find out what happens next, let me know in a review! I'm looking for a beta reader. Thanks for reading!