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Being raised as she was, careful attention was given to every aspect of her education. She had the best tutors, trainers, and healers. Her mornings were filled with Fire Bending drills before bathing and dressing for Court. When the other noblewomen retired for an afternoon nap or tryst depending on the woman, Azula was hard at work learning Fire Nation history, war strategy, and other subjects deemed important by the Fire Lord. The evenings would be filled with awkward dinners, meetings with ministers, and other more clandestine academics the Fire Lord saw fit for his daughter to learn.
By the time her brother is banished, Azula already knows a thousand different ways to make a man beg for mercy and countless other ways to prolong his suffering. The Fire Lord set a high standard for the Princess and was mildly pleased when she surpassed his expectations.
Smirking to herself, she thinks how Ozai must be cursing his obsessive attention to her education as she evades his soldiers yet again. Princess Azula has effectively slipped through the tight net of the Fire Nation patrols.
Her childhood was lonely but she has never truly been alone until now. The forest canopy is thick and the unfamiliar noises surround her. A bird whistles and she pauses at the trilling sound. An answering call raises the hairs on the back of her neck.
They see their quarry. A woman garbed in Fire Nation clothing walking alone in the forest is an unusual, though welcome, sight. He alerts the others to be ready and to claim their bounty. When they answer, he grins and bites down on the piece of grass in his mouth.
It is a coordinated attack as they swoop down on their prey and surround her with ease. A lone girl cannot take several boys; this Jet is sure of. Before he even has his mouth open to demand her money, her golden eyes are flashing at him, identifying him as the leader. He is surprised at the ferocity of her attack so much so she knocks him to the ground before rounding on Pipsqueak as the next most threatening member of the group.
For a moment Jet can only watch as she systematically takes out the other Freedom Fighters with a combination of kicks and strikes. He doesn't stay stunned for long and is soon on his feet. He has no problem playing dirty if he has to.
Trying to ward off multiple attackers can be difficult, especially since Azula is striving to not use her Fire Bending, never mind the injuries hidden under her clothes. With every twist and turn, the rough cloth rubs on the open wounds. Sapphire flames will be a dead give away to anyone with half a brain. The last thing she wants to do is attract the attention of soldiers. This group is not composed of soldiers although they move like them. They are tough, practiced and well-coordinated.
The injuries she earned for her disobedience are far from healed and the pain has been nearly unbearable. She decides this is what is clouding her thoughts and allows the leader of this surprisingly adept fighting force to get the drop on her. Pain explodes behind her eyes as he delivers a solid blow to the back of her head. She reels from the strike, struggling to stay on her feet, but is unable to counter the tackle knocking her to the ground at last.
Jet drops the rock in his hand. The sharp edges are coated in blood. Their prey lies underneath him face down, stunned. The others stare at the sight of the red liquid quickly coating the forest floor.
"Head wounds bleed more. She's okay." Jet says to quell their fears. "Help me get her tied up and we can take her back."
They look at him questioningly.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" The Duke eeks out. The woman put up more of a fight than what they are used to.
"We can't leave her here." Jet argues. He won't say that this woman has piqued his interest.
The others know better than to keep arguing. They can't stay on this path for long either. With careful maneuvering they cover the signs of the battle and it is as if it never happened. Quickly they bind her hands and feet and gag her before whisking her away to their hideout.
Jet takes her to his room, telling the others that he will keep a close eye on her himself. They look at him with relieved eyes as she was by far one of the most difficult opponents they have encountered.
He leaves her bound. Those golden eyes flash in his mind. The way she looked at him, the curl of her lips. This woman is more than she seems and Jet is intent on finding out as much about her as he can.
Pain is everywhere. Her thoughts are slow and fuzzy. Her head throbs. Without moving she can tell she is tied up and gagged. She lies peacefully, feigning unconsciousness as she waits for her senses to return to her. Her ears pick up the sound of someone moving around in the room with her. The light, quiet footsteps are across the small space as if he is wary of coming closer. Straining her ears, she tries to discern if there are others around. All she hears is the nighttime sounds of the forest.
Jet has never been one to give into fear and let it stop him so he tells himself to quit being silly. He's not a kid anymore. He's a leader with responsibilities. Slowly he approaches her prone form and kneels down beside her.
She really is a sight to behold. Plump lips are parted by the gag which only serves to highlight her high elegant cheekbones. His eyes are drawn to the full curves of her breasts stretching the fabric of her shirt with every deep even breath. Pushing her long shiny hair to the side he feels for the injury. It has long since stopped bleeding and is dried and jagged.
Sliding his hands down her arms he feels for anything hidden. He tells himself that he is only searching her but he pauses longer than he should in the valley of her breasts. He sits back and stares at her. She has a small knife and a few coins but nothing much. Surely a woman that looks like she does would have been carrying more supplies on her travels or at least more coin. Even her clothes are higher quality than what most peasants would be wearing yet not quite something nobility would don. Something seems out of place so he searches her again.
Lying still while some peasant feels her up is not Azula's idea of a good time yet she bares it and remains still, hoping to lull him into a false sense of security. When his hands run over the cuts on her back, the pain is so sharp that it draws a gasp from her lips.
Jet freezes at the feel of torn skin under his fingertips. When the woman gasps in pain, he pulls his hand back. Lifting her shirt his jaw drops at the sight of angry red marks striping her back in thick layers. He can't imagine the sort of pain this must cause her and he moves away.
Her eyes are open now and golden orbs glare at him. Jet sees anger and pain. Hate burns in her eyes and he feels his mouth go dry at the sight. She is magnificent.
Removing his dagger from his belt, he holds it up for her to see. "If I remove your gag, you have to behave or else."
Azula narrows her eyes at his threat. If they were in the Fire Nation and she weren't in exile, then his hands would be forfeit just for touching her. However, they aren't and she is. Azula is in no position to carry out that punishment..at least not yet. She nods in agreement.
Pulling her to a sitting position, he cuts the gag from her mouth and watches as she licks her dry lips. Those golden eyes never leave him though.
"What's your name?" Jet asks, trying to sound friendly.
She scoffs and looks away, effectively dismissing him. Her eyes flicker around the room taking it in.
People always listen to what he has to say. She shouldn't be any different.
"I asked you a question." He says, voice dropping low with a threat.
She smirks at him. Actually has the nerve to mock him.
It sparks something inside of him, some repressed anger at anything Fire Nation, and he reacts grabbing a handful of hair and bringing the knife to her neck.
"Answer me or I will slit your throat."
Those golden eyes don't even widen in shock but just stare him down with a calculating coldness.
"You have yet to properly introduce yourself to me. I am not the one remiss in manners." Her words have careful inflection in them that speaks of one that is high borne.
It only serves to anger him more and his grip on her hair tightens. "My name is Jet."
"I am Azula." Somewhere in the back of her mind she can hear Iroh chiding her for not using a pseudonym but his voice is quickly overruled by Ozai demanding she be proud and strong.
There is no flicker of recognition on his face and for that she is thankful.
The angry fire in his eyes settles into a smolder as he looks her over.
The knife does not worry her. She has had worse done to her already but the look in his eye sets her on edge.
"You're rather pretty, Azula."
"So I've been told. " She retorts. Men have looked at her with lust and desire before but she never felt concern. No one would dare lay their hands on the Princess of the Fire Nation.
"You're Fire Nation." Jet isn't asking. He doesn't let go of the hold of her hair either.
"I suppose that's a deal breaker." She sneers at him.
"Hmm," he grins, "I've heard Fire Nation women are wild." Jet has spent enough time around taverns to hear more than his fair share of stories.
Azula glares at him."I wouldn't know."
Her sarcasm draws a small a laugh from him. "We may have to find out." He's already let one exotic girl slip through his fingers. He's not about to let another.
She stiffens against him. "Touch me and you die."
Jet laughs harder at this. "Doesn't look like you can carry out that threat."
"You would be surprised."
The heat in the room begins to grow as her anger starts to boil over. Jet senses the change and moves to the side just in time to avoid a blast of fire from her lips. Reacting quickly he pushes her onto her stomach and straddles her back. One hand holds her hair mashing her face into the floor and the other pushes on her back right on the ripped flesh.
Azula gives a small shriek of pain as the white hot fire lances through her back. It takes her breath and she squeezes her eyes shut against the tears that rise in them.
"I told you to behave or else." Jet's calm voice says in her ear. "That's not behaving." He twists his hand flat against her back, wrenching the wounds again.
A strangled sound spills from her lips but she bites back a scream. If she couldn't be broken by the Fire Lord then she will not be broken by some low life peasant.
Lifting her off the ground he drags her to the bed and dumps her unceremoniously face first on the small mattress. He moves quickly binding her hands and feet to the rails spread-eagle fashion. Once she is secured he straddles her backside and takes out his knife again.
The sharp edge slices up the back of her shirt and leaves her bare to his gaze. He blinks at the sight before him. Her pale skin is a crisscross mesh of cuts that overlap and span the length and width of her back.
"How did this happen?" He sees the fresh blood running in tiny trickles from the wounds he tore open while punishing her.
"As if you care." She snaps.
"What if I do?" Jet muses as he runs a finger along the bright red gash.
Azula jerks at the sting of his touch. "If you must know, I displeased a Fire Nation noble and he sought fit to punish me."
"What did you do?" He leans forward hands on either side of her head, enjoying the way her ass feels pressed against his groin.
She looks over her shoulder at him, eyes flashing hatred at him. "I didn't behave."
Jet smirks at this. "Maybe I have use for you yet, Azula."
He never sees it coming. None of them do. That is just how Azula likes to operate. Azula's thoughts soon turn back to finding her elusive brother and she makes her way through the darkened forest illuminated by the blue flames rising from the wreckage of Jet's shattered dreams.
AN: Some may still be confused about when some of these chapters take place so I think I will go back at put an Author's Note at the end of them to clear it up. This one take place after Azula leaves the Fire Nation in search of Zuko and has lost Iroh on the sinking ship.