Chapter Five: Forgiveness
Dropping a breadcrumb into the pond, Mai watched without expression as the turtle-ducks furiously fought over the morsel of food. Ravaged with boredom, Mai lay down on the lush grass and looked up at the intricately shaped clouds, looking for a semblance of a simple, geometric shape. Suddenly, the serenity of her sky-search was interrupted by the looming sound of a familiar voice. Rising from the ground, Mai found the girl before her.
"Bored?" the girl asked, sounding as though she already knew the answer.
"Of course," Mai returned dryly.
"I hope that means you're up for something not boring," the girl replied as she placed her hands on her hips. Mai's face revealed her curiosity as she stepped closer to the girl.
"Depends. What qualifies as not boring to you?" Mai questioned with sarcasm as she smiled. The girl did not return a smile.
Her head and arms hanging off the bed, she stared with irritation at the ceiling of her cell. The constant milieu of the four walls around her was like the taunting stare of fate spitting in her face, humiliating a former icon of glory and regality. At that moment, she heard a knock at her door, and she rose to her feet in response. In walked the girl with a nervous look on her face. Moving loose hair behind her ears, the girl walked up to her and offered a brief smile.
"So, so. What do you have planned for this evening's festivities?" She asked cynically as she crossed her arms and leaned against her bed. Her demeanor quickly changed as Mai walked into the room. Her face expressed longing and sorrow, but her eyes depicted anger, hurt, and animosity. Mai slowly glided closer to her with only a blank stare. Looking her up and down, Mai finally grimaced.
"You look terrible," Mai said as she turned her nose slightly up in the air. She glared at Mai with feral wrath and put her hands into fists, squeezing them tightly. Steam was rising from her fists, matching the temper she was quickly loosing control of. The girl read her body language and realized she was ready to attack Mai. The girl stepped between the two, pushing Mai back with her hand.
"Azula, calm down!" the girl ordered with annoyance. She turned her unrelenting gaze upon the girl, and the heat she was summoning from her hands erupted into full-fledged blue fire.
"What are you doing here? So eager to die so young, are you?" she muttered like a hiss. With a flick of the wrist, Mai pulled out three shurikens from her sleeve while remaining silent. The girl dropped her arms and turned to face her.
"Mai is only here to talk, Azula. That's all," the girl said, sounding frustrated. The fire raging from her fists dimmed a bit, then went out all together. It was clear that she was still irate, but she was more in control of herself.
"Please. How much did you pay her to come here?" she asked sarcastically, still staring daggers at Mai.
"Four Silver Pieces," Mai returned, smiling slightly. She clenched her jaw and growled slightly as she tried to leap at Mai, but the girl held her back by grabbing her. She turned and looked at the girl with a wrathful gaze.
"Non the less, she's here. And we're going to talk," assured the girl, placing her hands gently on her shoulders. She relaxed only slightly.
"And talk about what exactly? There's nothing that needs to be discussed," she stated with harsh confidence. Mai glared for a moment, then turned toward the door. Before Mai could walk out, the girl put her hand on Mai's arm.
"Where are you going?" the girl questioned with an earnest tone. Mai looked sadly at the girl.
"I just can't do this…I just can't talk to her," Mai replied as she looked down. The girl closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Wait. Both of you need to hear each other out. This isn't about trust or understanding. It's about forgiveness," the girl said, looking back and forth between the two arguing girls. Mai looked at her to find her looking back. She was glaring, but it wasn't a glare of hate, it was a glare of reluctant compromise. The girl relaxed and took a moment to compose herself.
"When one of you talks, the other will listen. Nothing more," the girl stated with authority.
"Azula, you go first," the girl said, staring at Mai to note her reactions. She thought for a moment as she sat down on her bed. Looking back up at Mai, she found that she couldn't look her in the eye. Turning away, she began to speak.
"Mai, how could you? How could you betray me?" she struggled to say. She then sighed and rolled her eyes. Realizing she had nothing left to loose, she began to reveal all.
"How could you do that to me? I thought we understood each other! I…" she yelled, unable to finish her sentence. Her voice lowered almost to a whisper.
"I thought we were…friends," she said in monotone. Mai looked shocked for a moment, but shock was suddenly replaced by anger.
"Friends? FRIENDS? You dominated me through fear! There's nothing friendly about that! Ever since I met you, you installed fear into me so I would heed your every word! The only reason you care about me betraying you is because someone finally stood up to you! You don't care about me. You don't care about me at all," Mai said in passionate anger.
"And why should I? You just admitted yourself that you never actually liked me! It's clear now that friendship was just hopeful wishing on my part. You want forgiveness? Well forgive me. Forgive me for being naïve," she said as she bowed in an act of spite.
"You know what? I'm actually sorry. I'm sorry that you can't get past your pride long enough to admit when you made a mistake," Mai said as she turned and proceeded to walk out the door. She stared at Mai as she walked away. It felt as though time had stood still as she searched through her thoughts for answers. Finally, she felt something within her let go, like something had released her. A tear rolled down her cheek as se got off the bed. Mai was halfway down the corridor before she yelled.
"Mai! Wait!" she screamed as she ran towards the door to her cell. Mai turned around to hear what she had to say.
"I tried searching my heart for a part of me that's sorry for what I did. And you know what I realized? I'm not sorry. I wouldn't take back what I did for a moment," she said sternly. Mai appeared irritated.
"But my time in this prison has given me clarity on some of my actions. I've done some bad things, things that I should be apologizing for, and for whatever reason, I can't yet. But I do know I should be," she said, still looking at the floor. She looked up at Mai and glared. Turning away from her, Mai thought on her words for a moment.
"Well, when you are sorry, don't bother asking for my forgiveness," Mai said, looking at her through the corner of her eye. A pause of words ensued.
"I forgave you a long time ago. Katara's right. It's about forgiveness. But you don't need mine. You need forgiveness from yourself for your mistakes," Mai finished, walking away until she was out of sight. She found herself tongue-tied, unable to speak. Pushing Mai's words from her mind, she turned toward the girl.
"Well? Where do we go from here?" she inquired to the girl with a look of concern.
"Come on. We have places to go," the girl said vaguely.
"What do you mean places?" she asked with bewilderment. The girl only waved her hand, signaling her to follow. Before she walked past the guards, they crossed their spears together, blocking her path.
"Is there a reason you're in my way, or are you in a joking mood this evening?" she said with sharp wit and authority.
"I'm sorry, Princess. You…uh…can't leave…please don't hurt me, I'm only doing my job," a guard said with a quivering voice.
"It's okay. The Fire Lord has given me the authority to move the prisoner. I'll take it from here," the girl replied to the guard with an assuring tone. The guards bowed, and the girl escorted her out of the prison. Waiting outside was the Avatar's flying sky bison, referred to commonly as Appa. As the girl hopped on the creature, she offered her hand to her in aid.
"Where are we going on the bison?" she asked in strong skepticism.
"We're going to see a friend," the girl replied with a smile. She took the girl's hand and jumped onto Appa. After the girl shouted "yipp, yipp," the sky bison took off into the air.
A few hours later, high in the sky, she sat in thought with the wind blowing through her lengthy hair. Still not clear with the purpose of the flight, she broke the silence.
"So, why is Ty Lee on Kyoshi Island?" she questioned, sounding bored.
"After the war, Ty Lee joined the Kyoshi Warriors," the girl returned, shouting over the rushing air.
"Oh…them…great," she said with sarcasm.
As they drew close to the Island, she began to feel unsure. She didn't know what she would say to Ty Lee when she saw her again, but she hoped that Ty Lee wouldn't be as angry as Mai.
Swooping down with silent grace, Appa landed in the outskirts of the town. The duo hopped off Appa and proceeded forward. Not even ten steps from the bison, she stopped the girl in her tracks.
"Wait. Someone's watching us," she said with cold certainty. Suddenly from behind the trees and bushes, a dozen female warriors adorned in green kimonos, brown plate armor and geisha like make-up sprung out in front of the two girls.
"We've got trouble guys. Princess Azula's here!" one of the Kyoshi Warriors shouted. The same warrior pulled out her golden fan, and with a flick of her wrist, hurled the weapon at her.
With impressive agility, she executed a middle split, ducking under the razor-sharp fan while simultaneously attacking the Kyoshi Warriors with a large burst of blue flame summoned from a punching motion. The group put their shields together, forming a phalanx like unit, but the concussive force of the flame sent the warriors flying, a side-effect of her fire's ability to superheat the air.
As two more warriors attacked her, she maneuvered into a roundhouse double kick from her middle split, sending wide arcs of azure fire towards the warriors. They tried in vain to use their shields for protection, but they too were sent airborne by the force of her fire. The fight would have continued if not for the intervention of the girl, who summoned a massive wall of water between her and the warriors with a few graceful, fluid movements.
"Stop attacking! Azula isn't here to fight!" the girl said with sternness. The warriors just looked back and forth at each other, unsure of whether or not to continue their assault. At that instant from the same bushes came the group's leader, the Kyoshi Warrior named Suki.
"Not that it's not nice to see you, Katara, but what is her business than? I mean, you can understand why we attacked, right? This is Princess Azula we're talking about, after all," explained Suki with a hint of astonishment.
"We only need to speak to Ty Lee," the girl answered as she released her hold on the wall of water, causing it to fall harmlessly to the ground in a splash.
"But, um…how is she even here? Isn't she a…criminal?" Suki inquired with uncertainty.
"Yes she is, but I'm trying to help her. I didn't mean to cause such a commotion," the girl replied, sounding friendly. Although she was certainly aware of her legal status, she had to admit it hurt to hear she was a criminal out loud. It was almost the antithesis of the tiles she was familiar with. Prodigy. Princess. Heir to the Throne. Dominator. These were titles of familiarity, not this criminal business. She could feel her stomach turn as she repeated the repulsive word in her head. I'm a criminal, I'm a criminal, I'm a criminal…her mind was set upon this horrible truth, sickening her.
"I suppose it's okay, I mean if you can vowge for her," Suki stated, rubbing the back of neck, unsure of her decision. Suki called out Ty Lee's name, and from a distance, the sound of someone cheering in glee echoed in the air. In the blink of an eye, a Kyoshi Warrior jumped from a treetop, performing a double front tuck, and as she landed, the warrior executed a round off, finishing off with a back handspring, landing right next to Suki.
"Hey Suki! Is there something you…" The acrobatic Ty Lee started to say. Mouth wide open in shock, she stared at her, unable to comprehend the sight before her.
"Azula?" Ty Lee said in disbelief.
"We'll just give you guys some privacy. Good luck," Suki said as she motioned the other Kyoshi warriors to leave. A moment later, the three were alone, all awestruck.
Looking upon Ty Lee, she almost didn't recognize her in her Kyoshi Warrior uniform. But she was happy to see that Ty Lee didn't seem particularly upset, just a bit shocked.
"Azula, is that really you? How come you're not in prison. I thought you were a criminal!" Ty Lee exclaimed with loud inflections in her voice. She rolled her eyes with annoyance.
"Yes, I'm a criminal. I'm pretty sure we've already established that," she replied in a rush of frustration. The girl stepped up closer to Ty Lee.
"I know you're probably a bit shocked to find Azula here, but I'm trying to help Azula change. And she's going to need your help, also," the girl said to Ty Lee.
"But how can I help?" Ty Lee said with a distant look.
"Right now, you just need to listen. Azula has something she has to say," the girl said with a smile, simplifying her words for the ditsy Ty Lee. The girl nudged her, forcing her forward, bring her and Ty Lee closer. She hesitated to speak for a moment, but then found her words.
"I understand that you don't really want to talk to me right now. I also understand that what I did to you was a bit uncalled for. But I want you to know I understand if you can never forgive me. So…that's really all I have to say. You know me, I'm not one for such intimate conversations," she said as she crossed her arms, looking out to the horizon instead of into Ty Lee's eyes. Suddenly, Ty Lee embraced her in a fierce hug, picking her up off the ground in the process. After the hug, Ty Lee placed her hands on her shoulders and looked at her straight in the eye.
"If that's your version of an apology, I forgive you!" Ty Lee said with enthusiasm. She could only express disbelief.
"But, how can you forgive me without even a second thought?" she asked, taken back by Ty Lee's response.
"Because. I value our friendship over holding grudges, in part because grudges weaken your aura! But mostly, I'm glad that you're trying to change, and that's reason enough for me to forgive you!" Ty Lee responded with a bright smile and a twinkle in her eye.
Ty Lee then proceeded to hug her again. Before long, she placed a hand on Ty Lee's back, patting it, not quite hugging Ty Lee back, but attempting to show her gratitude. Katara shook her head and smiled, pleased with the sight.
After a few good-byes to the Kyoshi Warriors, the two girls left on Appa, feeling strangely relieved. Staring at the Island, she watched as the strip of land became smaller and smaller until finally it was out of sight. Hugging her knees, she smiled to herself, but forced the smile away before the girl would notice.
"Back to prison, I suppose?" she questioned, raising her voice to be heard over the passing winds.
"Not quite. We have one more stop," the girl answered.
"Where are we off to, then?" she asked with a more pleasant tone.
"Ember Island," the girl returned, whipping the reigns, causing the bison to fly faster.
Appa landed on the beach of Ember Island, with the waves pounding into the shore with an aria of relaxing and rhythmic sounds. The girls jumped off Appa, landing on the smooth, cold sand, with the setting sun shining its remaining light in the west. Before them stood a lavish beach house, enormous in structure. She felt her stomach drop at the familiar sight.
"Why are we at my Family's beach house?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.
"You'll just have to go inside and find out for yourself," the girl answered, her hair flying over her face from the evening air dancing past her.
Taking one last look into the purple and orange sunset sky, she took a deep breath and walked into the beach house. Wandering through, she felt the haunting presence of benevolent memories stained on every section of the house. As she came to the parlor, she felt her heart skip a beat and her stomach drop, matching the feelings of her world collapsing before. On a sofa sat a woman, staring out the window at the flora surrounding the house.
As her foot caused the floor to creak, the woman turned around to reveal her features. She had eyes of intense amber-gold, and beautiful, silky dark hair, similar to her own. The woman's hair was prim and nicely done, with a topknot on top of her head. Holding the topknot in place was a hairpiece of unmistakable design, appearing to be a flame. The woman's face showed surprise upon the sight of her.
"Mother?"