A/N: Yes, the ending of the last chapter was inspired by Pocahontas. Savages Pt1 and Pt2 are my FAVORITE songs from that movie.
Chapter 39
Friends
Mai woke up to a flurry of movement within her household and the sound of voices carrying from the streets outside of her home. Her first thought was to panic. The rebels had reached the main city and were going to destroy everything. Picking herself up she called to her maids as she began throwing on her clothing to speed the process.
"What's happened?" Mai snapped as they rushed in and began to help her dress. "Is Zuko alright?"
"Oh, it's terrible, my lady. There is talk of war." Her maid Nuharoo informed her.
"Another war! Exactly what we don't need." Sa-Shi her other maid added.
"And what's worse, the Princess Azula…" Nuharoo said sadly.
"What's happened to Azula? Did they find her? Is she alright?" Mai asked rapidly.
"It's terrible, my lady." Nuharoo whispered.
"She has betrayed his majesty. She has killed the Ba Sing Se king, King Kuei and launched us right into war." Sa-Shi explained.
"No!" Mai gasped.
"Yes, the report came in just last night."
"No! No, I don't believe it. I won't believe it and Zuko won't either. Azula has changed. I could tell. She wouldn't do something like this. She looked happy." Mai shouted.
"But the Fire Lord does. He has already mobilized the navy for war and soldiers are taking up position throughout the city." Nuharoo continued.
"Aren't they going to try peace talks, surely this can all be explained." Mai breathed.
"The earth kingdom has made it clear. The time for talking is over." Sa-Shi said, as she tied Mai's sash tight.
"I have to go." Mai said, breaking away from them.
"Go? Go where my lady? The city might not be safe." Nuharoo called.
"I have to see Zuko. This is madness." Mai called from the hallway.
- -
"What? What? Tell Zuko no! Absolutely not, we cannot go to war with the Earth Kingdom and Azula has done nothing of the sort. She's my friend and I know it's new but I trust her. She wouldn't do this. She loves her brother, she loves having friends, this doesn't make any sense." Katara shouted, pacing in her study. She hadn't been able to see Zuko at all yesterday and now the reason why was finally out. She wasn't just mad, she was furious. He wasn't thinking any more, he was just acting. "Kaili, you have to find a way to get me in to see him."
"My hands are tied even I can't get in to see him." Kaili said shaking his head.
"Well think! Think of something. Anything!" She cried.
"He will have to come to you." Kaili said.
"To me… to me? How do I make him come to me?" She paced back and forth thinking about it. "The baby!"
"The baby?" Kaili frowned.
"Yes, yes. I tell the healers, they'll tell him, and war or no war he is obligated to come and see me at least briefly and then I will use his attention to beat some sense back into his stupid head." Katara proclaimed.
"No." Kaili said.
"No? What? Why not?" Katara frowned, thinking over her plan, it was perfect.
"You can't. That's not how you wanted to do it, don't change that. That kind of news is an intimate thing." Kaili said.
"Well what else am I supposed to do?" She cried.
"We'll think. We have to think. Something will come to us."
- -
"Good morning princess. Ready to die?" Kawamura laughed as Azula was jerked to her feet.
"You just wait…" Azula threatened.
"Until what? Your brother comes for you? He won't, even the Avatar is on our side. You will die here alone."
- -
"Nephew be rational about this." Iroh tried to gain Zuko's attention for the umpteenth time today.
"And who is leading their men?" Zuko asked, ignoring his uncle.
"It is their General Kawamura with the power of the city advisers behind him." A general said.
"Kawamura? He is the one who was opposed to this from the start." Iroh said suspiciously.
"Then he will not fight fair but from greed." Zuko surmised.
"Zuko look deeper than that." Iroh pleaded.
"If his troops set foot on Fire Nation soil, destroy them. I have no more patience for that man." Zuko commanded.
"What? Zuko?" Iroh demanded.
"I will not be soft with them any longer. Don't ask me to be weak." Zuko shouted. He turned with a flourish and slammed open the doors of the meeting room, storming out.
- -
Mai ran into the palace and smack into a wall of guards.
"I need to see the Fire Lord." She demanded.
"The Fire Lord is busy." Someone told her.
"I'm sure he is but he'll make the time to see me, I know it, now please inform him of my arrival." Mai said.
"I am sorry, Lady Mai, but he is not to be disturbed."
"This is urgent, get out of my way." Mai snapped.
"I'm sorry but that simply cannot be done."
"What? I command you to get out of my way and let me see Zuko NOW!" Mai shouted.
"The Fire Lord will see no one."
Mai wanted to scream in frustration. What was she going to do?
- -
Azula stood on a platform surrounded by dozens of earth kingdom civilians. She clenched her jaw to keep from letting any emotion show as a noose was draped easily around her neck. Her eyes subtly searched the crowd for Aang but she couldn't find him. Her mind was clear enough now that she ought to be able to see where he was but he was blocking her out. She tried not to let it worry her. Perhaps he needed the element of surprise even from her for his plan to work. Or perhaps he had abandoned her.
'Of course he abandoned you.' Her father's voice rang out in her head. 'You are weak and useless now. How easily you fell into this trap, you are pathetic. That general is right. The world would be a better place without you.'
She squeezed her eyes shut. 'Shut up!' She commanded the voice.
'You are going to die Azula. You are going to die as nothing. You use to have worth but now you are a complete failure and utter disappointment.'
'Shut up!' Her breath was shaky as she exhaled. She needed him out of her head.
"Good bye princess." Kawamura's mocking voice came to her as the hangman stepped up to the lever.
'Aang where are you?' Azula thought desperately. If her hands were bound so specifically she could bend right now but Kawamura was smart enough to not leave that as a possibility. Aang didn't respond and she felt utterly alone.
"Any last words?" The hooded man asked her.
She glared at him but said nothing. She raised her head high determined to be regal to the last. He shrugged and tugged on the lever. Her eyes went wide as the floor disappeared from underneath her. She snapped them shut waiting for the moment her neck would snap.
Instead she felt a yank on the rope around her neck and then she hit the ground. If she hadn't been so happy to be alive she'd had realized the best plan was to jump up and run, however, she took a moment to stare at the fraying ends of the cut rope.
'Azula RUN!' Aang's voice commande.
She didn't need to be told twice. She tucked her legs in close to her and looped her arms from behind her back to her front. She bit at the ropes tugging viciously until they came free. She shook her hands free of the rope and then looked up. 'Where am I running to?'
'The beach, get to Appa.' Aang's voice came once more.
'Right!' Arching her back and then bouncing off her hand she was up in an instant.
She dashed from below the platform and was at once not so sure Aang had thought this plan through. She was now in the crowd of people who wanted to kill her. She drew her hand up ready to defend herself when a gust of air rushed through, splitting the crowd and creating a perfect ally for her to run through. She began to race down it but the people were already swarming back in on her. Sweeping her hands back once again she prepared to blast her way through when walls flew up on both sides of her.
'Crap! Earthbenders!' She thought.
'No, keep running. It's Toph and Haru.' Aang's voice came.
She glanced up and saw the two running along the top of the ways on either side of her and their hands moving in rapid bending forms to keep the other benders from breaking down their barrier.
'When did they get here?' She wondered.
'I sent Appa and Momo last night and I don't know after that.' Aang said. 'Jump up on the wall, now!'
Azula didn't dispute it. Thrusting her hands down she used a burst of blue flames to aid her in reaching the top. She heard Appa's groan before she saw him.
"Ready?" Toph shouted.
"For what?" She asked. Toph didn't answer. She stomped hard on the ground and suddenly she and Azula were flying through the air along with Haru. The landed hard in the saddle on Appa's back.
"Hang on." Aang shouted, as he pulled tight on Appa's reigns, now trying to avoid the boulders being launched at them.
"Apprehend her!" Sokka's voice shouted.
"SOKKA!" The occupants of the saddle shouted.
Azula looked around shocked. Toph and Haru weren't the only ones with Aang. She was nearly knocked out of the basket by Ty Lee's hug, Teo was sitting next to Aang, and Suki had just hit Sokka over the head for his comment.
"What are you all doing here?" Azula gasped.
"Well, we were all still in the Earth Kingdom because we were planning the wedding when Appa and Momo showed up. We read the note that Momo was carrying and took off at once." Suki explained.
"You all came to help save me?" Azula asked, a strange feeling overcoming her. She had never felt like this before. She couldn't explain this emotion that came with the anxiety of waiting for their answer.
"Of course." Suki said. "We're friends now, remember."
Sokka snorted and Toph through a rock she'd been saving at him.
Azula looked around at the people surrounding her and felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She clenched her teeth together. 'I will not cry. I will not cry.'
She jumped when she felt a hand on hers. Her eyes traveled slowly up to see Aang smiling at her. 'It's alright you know. Sometimes you just need to let it out to feel better.'
She looked around at the friendly faces surrounding her and couldn't deny the tears for any longer. She blushed as they leaked down her face and she tried to turn away to hide them but she was quickly enveloped into a group hug. She was comforted by Ty Lee's giggle and Suki's smile. Aang patted her hand and then let go to resume urging Appa to fly as quickly as possible back to the fire nation.
A/N: Please review!