Chapter 12: Trouble in the forest: part 2

Toph created a path and Azula walked up it. Once out of the hole she went around the bush and headed towards the soldiers. I peeked to over the bush and saw two Fire Nation soldiers holding Ruikei, three more Fire Nation soldiers on Komodo Rhinos (one wore different armour than the others), and a fourth Komodo Rhino with a metal box on wheels attached to it (the 'carriage' they mentioned). When I asked Toph how many soldiers were out there she said there were two soldiers on the ground and nine Komodo Rhinos (one with a cart attached to it). I hope Azula knows what she's doing.

As Azula headed towards the soldiers one of the soldiers on a Komodo Rhino shouted at her to stop. She obeyed. The soldier who shouted at her rode over to Azula and said something and Azula responded (we were too far away to hear what they were saying). Azula then walked towards the 'carriage' where the other soldiers had just thrown Ruikei. She then stopped, turned to one of the soldiers on the ground and said something. This annoyed him and he began shouting and pointing inside the cage. Azula then laughed, said something, then walked into the cage. The soldiers then closed the door and locked it. Then one of the ground soldiers went over the mounted soldiers and said something, then moved where I couldn't see him. The carriage then started to move and the soldier in different armour followed it, while the three remaining soldiers on the Komodo Rhinos stared at the forest. I was trying to figure out what Azula was planning when the soldiers suddenly started shooting fire balls at the forest around them. When it caught fire they quickly rode away.

It took me a few second to realise what had happened. Azula had let herself get captured and had used the soldiers to try to kill us. I don't know why she'd done this to us but now was not the time to wonder about this, now was the time to run before we're burned alive. We all ran away as fast as we could, in the opposite direction Azula was travelling in.

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As I saw the forest burning through the small viewing hole in the back of this cage I knew everything had gone according to plan. I was free from that group and heading towards a rebel army base. I first suspected something when the soldiers insisted on capturing that girl even though it would be fairly easy to determine whether she was me or not. It was as if they didn't care who they captured as long as they looked like me. Someone working for Zuko wouldn't do that because capturing the wrong person wouldn't stop me. But if the soldiers in the rebel army had been ordered to find someone who looked like me they'd want to capture as many look-a-likes as possible. Being captured by the rebel army would be the perfect was to escape this group and learn about the rebel army. I couldn't let this chance slip by.

Once I'd convinced the others to let me go talk to them I headed for the nearest soldier. As I approached him I noticed that that this group had a scout with them (they wear lighter armour so they can travel faster and move easier). As scouts are trained in tracking this would explain how the soldiers kept finding us. Their specialised nature also indicates that this group was specifically designed to hunt people, rather than rob them.

When I got near enough to the guard he told me to stop and came over to examine me. Since there couldn't be two Azulas if he was working for Zuko he'd become confused and try to determine which of us was the real Azula. But when he saw me he didn't seem surprised that there was another Azula, so it was highly likely he'd captured other girls who looked like me. He then told me to get in the 'carriage' and I responded by asking where I was being taken. When he didn't tell me I knew that he wasn't working for Zuko. Someone working for Zuko wouldn't try to hide what they were doing since their actions were legal, but those acting outside the law are naturally secretive because they know what they're doing is illegal.

Of course there are several groups involved in questionable activities and I needed to be sure this was the rebel army and not slave trader. As I approached the 'carriage' I said to a soldier that "When the Fire Lord learns that you're working for Azula your punishment will be severe". The look of shock on his face told me that I was correct (if I was wrong he's look confused and ask why I'd said such a strange thing, since he claimed to be hunting Azula not working for her). Now that I'd found what I was looking for and a way to escape I just needed to punish that group for poisoning me. As I entered the 'carriage' I told the same soldier that I was travelling with a group of Earthbenders who wouldn't let any harm come to me. As I predicted they set the forest on fire to kill any Earthbenders and to ensure that they couldn't be followed. One soldier even mocked me, claiming that no one would come to 'rescue' me. That fool, I don't need rescuing.

Now for the final part of my plan, changing clothes with Ruikei. Ruikei had broken down by the door and was sobbing uncontrollably (she looked so pathetic). Though my first instinct was to shout at her to shut up (her whining annoyed me) she was a similar size to me and was wearing Fire Nation clothes; if I wanted to convince her to exchange clothes with me I'd need to act friendly. Given how upset she was this would be easy as I just had to convince her that I could get her out of this. I walked over to her, sat down on the floor beside her and said.

"There's no need to cry."

This didn't make any difference to Ruikei but I had to get her attention focused on me somehow.

"Well I guess it's different for me, since I'm from the Earth Kingdom they'll probably realise that I'm not Azula and send me home."

"Shut up," Ruikei shouted at me. Now I had her attention.

"Don't worry I'm sure you'll survive, prison isn't that bad."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Unless you can buy your way out."

"What are you talking about?" Ruikei was still crying and was looking at me a little confused.

Now I had her attention. I lowered my voice and said.

"If you can pay my price I'll sell you my clothes, then you'll be the one who's released," the way her eyes lit up told me that she believed every word of this, "How much do you have?"

"I only have 30 copper coins on me but my parents can pay you more," Ruikei whispered, she sounded frantic.

"It'll cost you 30 silver coins," I doubted I'd get the money but it would seem odd if I sold my clothes for so little money.

"What! My family doesn't have that kind of money."

"If you don't want my clothes…"

"Alright you'll get your money. I don't know how but we'll manage somehow. You have to trust me."

"Glad we could reach an agreement. Okay, first we need to swap clothes, then I'll need to know about you so I can fool the guards."

We then swapped clothes. I kept my underwear because I didn't want to wear a peasants underwear, my belt because her clothes were too big for me (even with the blanket wrapped round my waist), and my shoes because her shoes were all worn out. Changing clothes had three benefits; firstly I got rid of those poisoned clothes, secondly I got a new disguise, thirdly the guards would mistake Ruikei for me and torture her for information about spying and Earthbenders in the Fire Nation Colonies. Now I just needed to know about her and I could establish a false identity.

"Now that we've changed clothes I'll need to know all about you; such as where you live, the names of your close family members and friends, where you've been, and whether you have a job."

Ruikei told me all about herself, her family (mother, father, older brother, and younger sister), the village she lived in (Kusa), and that she was training to make medicine (she was going to take over from her grandmother). This was all dull but I'd need to remember it if I was going to pretend I was her. Since she wasn't lying it seemed obvious that she believed that I really was going to help her escape in exchange for a small amount of money. She was a fool trusting someone she'd just met and thinking that they were her friend. She'll soon learn the hard way that no one can be trusted and that in the end they'll always betray you.

Once Ruikei had finished talking she asked for information about me so that she could pretend to be from the Earth Kingdom. Given that she would tell this story to the guards I decided to make it confusing and threatening. I said my name was Joo Dee and I was working with a group of Earthbenders called Dai Lee who were hunting bandits. I also gave her some details of fake bases near Nanjing. If the guards thinks she's telling the truth they'll search for these bases rather than guard me (the fewer soldiers at the base the easier it will be for me to get to the leader of this group). Next I explained that Fire Nation interrogations may seem harsh but if she just kept repeating what I told her she'd be fine (I didn't want her to tell them that we'd changed clothes before the soldiers had left to search for the fake bases). That fool Ruikei believed every word of it. When I was done explaining I told her that if the soldiers see us talking they might suspect we'd exchanged clothes (this was to keep her quiet for the rest of the trip).

The trip didn't last much longer and eventually the 'carriage' stopped. I heard a large door open then we started moving again. Since we'd soon be taken out of the 'carriage' I whispered to Ruikei that she should insist on being interrogated immediately because she'll get released quicker. This was to ensure that the soldiers knew about the fake bases and we weren't together when her Earth Kingdom clothes didn't result in her being immediately released.

The 'carriage' stopped, the doors were opened and we were ordered out. As I stepped out I looked around to try to determine where I was. I was in some sort of stone fort run by Fire Nation soldiers. There were two things wrong with this; firstly almost all Fire Nation forts were made out of metal, stone was used in Earth Kingdom forts; and secondly this fort didn't look like an old Earth Kingdom fort it looked new. Had the Earth Kingdom given Zuko forts for the colonies? No that seemed unlikely, since the Earth Kingdom wanted the colonies returned to them. So who built this fort?

"Let's go," a male voice said.

I looked at the soldier, who was pointing towards a door in the central keep. I looked round and saw Ruikei being lead off in another direction. Since I didn't need to give Ruikei any more instructions I followed the soldier into the keep, through a barracks, and down into a cellar. As we approached the cells I asked one of my guards why my hands hadn't been bound (prisoners hands were always bound when they were outside their cells). He responded that he had been ordered not to bind the hands of anyone who looked like Azula. This puzzled me for a second, then I realised the logic behind it. As my blue flames are easy to recognise they were leaving the hands free of all the Azula look-a-likes in the hope that the real one would reveal herself. Clever but not clever enough.

When we got to my cell the guards opened the door and I enter it. I wouldn't be here too long. Once Ruikei admits that she changed clothes with me they'll come and get me for questioning. That's when they'll open the door and I can escape.

Notes:

1) A Keep is the central tower of a castle.