Reconstruction

For obvious reasons, it was unusual for Firebenders to use their gift on the deck of a wooden ship beneath the morning sun. For Azula, that was simply part of the exercise.

From her position at the bow of the Hidden Gem, Azula quickly transitioned from one move to another, each strike sending a plume of azure fire into the air around her. While her body snapped through the performance from its steadily improving muscle memory, she used the bulk of her will to maintain control of every flame so that it merely flowed over the wooden deck without catching. It wasn't easy to separate her mind from her body, even as she pushed both to their limits, while the ship beneath her feet rocked in time with the ocean waves.

But then, if it was easy, Azula wouldn't have been bothering.

Although the fire wasn't the only thing she was holding back right now. Plans of revenge and strategy burned in her brain.

She finished her current set with a final leaping snap-kick and landed in a crouch with arms held out wide for balance. The blue flames drifted on the wind to lick at the ship's sail, but died alone in the air with nothing but a fading impression of heat to mark their passing.

A single clap echoed into that same air. "Good," Meisai said.

Beside her, the Mongke the 'Rough Rhino' grunted. "Eh, it was adequate."

Azula's lips quirked at the difference of opinion. Meisai was (functionally) Azula's first Firebender teacher, and this was the first time that she had seen Azula's skills since those lessons- before Yang City and The Victim, before the Darkness in the mountains, before Ba Sing Se. Azula was pleased that her teacher saw a significant improvement.

Meisai was apparently going to defend her point. "Adequate? Did you see her control?"

"Yes, and it was nothing less than what would be expected of any real recognized Master. The Princess Azula I heard of could have gone toe-to-toe with the Dragon of the West."

"You couldn't have fought the Dragon of the West."

Mongke smirked. "At least I tried, once. And I can't start my own nation, either."

Rising from the deck, Azula started a series of cool-down exercises. "Mongke is right. After what my enemies did to me, I've managed to train up to be good Firebender, but I'm not at my old peak. I'll keep working on it, but that's important to remember. While I have some contingencies in mind to address the situation, honest reminders are never wasted."

Meisai and Mongke both nodded, and then the former added, "Your Qi flow is doing a lot better since the last time I trained you. Before, I sensed that it was... hesitant, and possibly weak. It had me concerned about your Inner Fire. My old instructors used to say that kind of thing could be caused by a lack of fervent belief in the Fire Nation's mission." Her mouth quirked into what was almost a smile.

Azula supposed that in Meisai's position, it was probably pretty funny. "That's an interesting perspective. But yes, I had some issues with my Qi." She stretched her arms up and leaned back in place. "So far, it seems to have been resolved by my three-day deep meditation with Iroh, but let me know if you sense anything wrong again."

"Three days?"

Mongke batted at the dangling ends of his mustache with a finger. "I've heard of such things. Guys like General Iroh, General Sheng, and Admiral Jeong-Jeong were supposed to be able to do that. Something about the Qi slowing the body's functions and sustaining the Spirit, or stuff like that. Never been able to do something like it, myself. I've never liked sitting around. Fire always just came naturally to me."

"It wasn't easy, and I had help." Azula did one last stretch to touch her toes, and then straightened and let out a breath. "That's enough for now. I need to do some thinking about our next move. Meisai, can we discuss something? Alone?"

The Hidden Gem had reached Chameleon Bay in the southeastern Earth Kingdom the day before, and was now moving out to the open ocean. Meisai leaned against the ship's railing, looking at out the new view of endless blue, while Azula was in her old seat at the tip of the ship's the bow. It was a sharp contrast to a similar situation, back when Azula was fleeing Kyoshi Island. Now she had a clear direction to her life, and she no longer had to hide who she was. Now, Meisai was an acknowledged friend.

For the moment, perhaps.

"What did you want to discuss, Princess?"

Azula took a deep breath before speaking. "I've been hiding something from you. As your friend, I regret it, and I want to share that with you now."

Azula could see Meisai's eyes narrowing slightly. "Okay."

"The truth is that I'm not really Princess Azula."

Meisai blinked three times in succession. "Okay."

"I used to be. But the same methods that were used to make me assassinate the Earth King- to make me forget myself for a while- were also used to make me forget everything about my original life. That's why I was pretending to be Suki on Kyoshi Island. I thought I really was."

Meisai's eyes drifted down to her feet, and her face was blank. "Okay." She looked back up to Azula and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm still working on accepting the whole bit about you being a brainwashed assassin. I don't disbelieve you, but I've never even seen a Spirit, never mind this kind of thing. It's a bit much to take in."

Azula barked a single laugh. "You're telling me? Since Kyoshi Island, I haven't experienced anything that I find believable. This whole absurd thing would make an awfully contrived story." She sighed and laid herself down on the deck, head resting where the railings met at a point. "But the main issue is that I'm an Azula who's pretending to be myself. I have to put up a front of being the genuine article, but all I know is what the stories tell me."

"Why can't you be honest about that?"

"The Rough Rhinos think they're following the one true Princess Azula. What would they think if they knew they were following a failed Kyoshi Warrior Firebender with delusions of grandeur?"

"Hm, good point." Meisai walked over and sat down next to Azula. "So what are you thinking?"

"I need to figure out how to be Azula. I am her, and I have all the same tendencies, and even some shadows of flashes of memory, but I need to figure the real Azula out. I have some ideas about that, though. What- I know you couldn't have known him personally- but what was Ozai like? As Fire Lord?"

"Ozai?" Meisai's face twisted. "He was our Fire Lord. And... General Iroh was disgraced before I joined the Fire Army, and there were a lot of bad feelings about how he dishonored every soldier who had fought for him by abandoning the siege of Ba Sing Se. But Ozai was never beloved by the Army or the colonies. He was just our Fire Lord. It wasn't discussed, but the feeling I got was that he was Fire Lord only because Iroh had abandoned everything just before Azulon died. Ozai didn't prove himself, you know? Admiral Zhao was his hand-picked man in the military structure, and we all know how the Siege of the North Pole went. We were really starting to doubt him until... Ba Sing Se."

Azula grimaced. "Ah."

"Yeah. But, really, it wasn't Ozai that got the boost from that. It was his kids. Princess Azula- um, you- was the one who was supposedly the mastermind, even if Zuko helped." A frown began tugging at Meisai's lips. "Then Sozin's Comet came. I'm from the colonies; I joined up because I wanted to make the world as nice a place as my home. And then Ozai went out personally to burn the Earth Kingdom instead of pacifying it. He not only betrayed what we were supposed to doing, but he also wanted to destroy the lands that the existing colonies depended on, even if the colonies themselves were spared from the fire, which... well, the Fire Lord's will is sometimes mysterious. That's why there's been no strong, unified movement to overthrow Fire Lord Zuko. People like me don't like him, but we don't like what came before, either. It's a messy situation."

"Hence the whole thing with the former colonies standing alone." Azula thought about holding back, but decided that Meisai deserved the truth- or, at least, this truth. She was still undecided another certain truth. "The sources may not be reliable, but I was told that I was the one who gave him the suggestion to burn the Earth Kingdom. Evidently, the great Princess Azula apparently didn't believe in the pure reasons behind the war, either."

"And you don't remember that?"

Azula sat up and tugged her legs in close to her body. "Not in the slightest. I... there is something, now that I think about it." Azula let her mind follow the thread of the matter of burning the Earth Kingdom with the Comet's power, and was surprised at the lack of physical pain or discomfort in her mind. More than anything, that told her she was finally on the right path. "I recall sitting somewhere high, in a large, harsh room that reflected the light of fires somewhere outside of my vision. I was watching Ozai walking below me, looking very pleased with himself, and there was excitement racing through my mind. I was happy with whatever he was pronouncing, and I was admiring him. It was a perfect moment, but also filled with anticipation for the future."

Azula waited until the warm sea air brought her back to the present before continuing. "So Ozai was the type of man who commanded obedience from his subjects, but not loyalty. Deferment, but not respect. Except for me. But he nearly killed me making me remember my name, and then he expected me to be grateful. I hope... I hope he didn't have a solid reason to expect that to work."

"It didn't get around much before..." Meisai response was slow, as if she was reluctant to say it. "But now pretty much everyone knows what happened to Fire Lord Zuko's face."

"Yes. There is that." Azula nodded slowly, and tried not to picture what she had done to Ozai's face in a fit of combined anger and inspiration. At least she regretted it, although she couldn't be sure the same thing wouldn't eventually happen to Long Feng, when she got her hands on him.

"And," Meisai continued, "Azula- you- chose to rename Omashu to 'New Ozai' after a visit there. You were known as the extension of your father's will here on the front, once you joined the fighting. That's... indicative."

"Yes." Azula let out a heavy sigh. "With his defeat came mine, and also the loss of my sanity. I think... I think I was very dependent on my father. I think I would have done anything he asked of me. That's probably why my first instinct is to act without restraint, except for my immediate goal."

Meisai gave a half shrug, but the muscles in her shoulders and arms still made it a significant motion. "I'm dependent on my father, even though I didn't grow up with him. The Air Nomads may have believed otherwise, but the Fire Nation knows that family pulls at us in ways even we can't perceive. I'm not saying that to excuse or explain or even condemn whatever Ozai had with you, but there's still only so far any of us can resist."

Azula worked to keep a wince off her face. Despite all this talk about Ozai, her interest in him was still purely academic. But Meisai's father... Meisai wasn't a demonstrative person, but within those bounds she evidently had considerable regard for Toru. How would she react if Azula turned him into a weapon to be used against Long Feng?

It was something to think about, at least.

The whole crew- Captain Toru, Meisai, Azula, and the Rough Rhinos- met later to make their long-term plans. They gathered beneath the afternoon sun, around the table of maps that Toru kept next to the ship's tiller, and the Captain himself started things off with, "Well, the most immediate question is the usual. Where should we make sail for?"

Everyone, of course, looked to Azula, and she moved her eyes around so that they wouldn't settle on Toru. "Despite the damage Long Feng attempted to do to my mind, I remember the general location of his base. However, I also survived his attempt to kill me after I assassinated the Earth King for him, and Ba Sing Se isn't attempting to hide that they're looking for me, so I expect that Long Feng either knows I'm alive or soon will. He'll abandon his base before we can reach it. I told my Uncle all about it, and perhaps he can have the Avatar and my brother do something, but I'm not expecting much from them, either."

Mongke frowned. "So we have no idea where this Long Fong is? Then we know nothing."

"Tut tut, Colonel." Azula smirked at him. "You don't truly mean that I know nothing, do you? I also happen to have knowledge of other parts of Long Feng's organization, and so we'll focus our campaign on the ground-level and work our way up. It makes more sense, anyway, since so many people in the colonies are looking for leadership, especially those being recruited by Long Feng's front organizations. I know where I made contact with some of those elements, and Meisai had her own encounters with them. I have one or two other leads I want to check on, as well."

Toru nodded. "So it's back to the colonies, then. Considering what we all did in Ba Sing Se, I'll have to break out some o' the false papers I keep for this ship, and I suppose we'll have to hide you again."

Azula couldn't keep her smirk from turning to a toothy grin. "Thanks to Long Feng, I have now have an official passport that proclaims me as 'Shingyung' of the Independent Former Colonies, and has passed stamped inspection at Ba Sing Se. I think the colony custom officials will accept that."

"Aye, Princess, I suppose they will. Well, the colonies are a general direction I can make for, and we can finalize our first stop as we get closer. What were those specific areas where you encountered the rebels, then?"

Azula named a list of settlements where she had heard first-hand news of the rebel attacks, including the place where she had first been recruited to join Shingyung's gang. What Azula did not name, though, was Yang City. The Waterbender's home was not a target Azula wanted to aim at just yet. As much as she wanted to kill that woman as painfully as possible, Shingyung traveled too much, and Azula didn't want to tip her prey off by being seen in Yang while she was away.

After Azula finished speaking, Mongke added, "It'd be good to pick up my boat, too. This ship is well enough for long voyages and cargo-hauling, but the Rough Rhinos' steamer can move faster, and can fit on smaller rivers. It can be a big help if we need to move around the colonies a lot."

Azula nodded. "An excellent suggestion, Colonel. And if we pick up more recruits, some additional transport will be of considerable help. That also brings up the matter of supplies. We'll be commandeering whatever we can take from Long Feng's forces, of course, but we'll need something to start us off. I'd appreciate it if the Rough Rhinos could assemble a list of equipment we would need to become a worthwhile fighting force- assuming we'll be using precision tactics- and then work with Meisai to figure out what kind of a budget that will require."

Everyone's stares turned a little more intense at that, and it was Mongke who gave voice to the silent speculation. "So, are you saying we'll have enough to properly arm ourselves? Weapons, armor, rhinos, and everything?"

"Soon, Colonel, soon." Azula gave a tight little smile. "Regarding that, I need to speak to Captain Toru alone. The rest of you are dismissed. Meisai, you may as well join us, this will probably concern you as well."

Everyone was curious, of course, but Azula kept her eyes on Toru. He didn't seem to be nervous at a casual glance, but she could detect a little tightening of the skin around his eyes that betrayed his anxiety. It would have been interesting to get Toph's impression of the Captain right now, but then, Toph was probably still an enemy.

"We can go down to the cargo hold," Toru said evenly.

"Away from the sun. How appropriate."

The Hidden Gem's hold wasn't even close to full, but there were enough boxes- all bearing the stamps of the Jasmine Dragon teashop- to break up what would have been an intimidating stretch of space. Toru sat down on one of the crates, and Meisai took a position standing at his right hand as he said, "How can I help you, Princess? I'm afraid that if you're expecting this cargo to bring in the money you need, we'll be operating on a pretty tight budget. Have to keep enough coins for berthing fees, after all."

"Oh, it's not the cargo that I expect to profit me, but first I wanted to go back to discussing our immediate destination." Azula licked her lips as she paced slowly in front of the Captain. It was time to put on another little show. "Actually, Captain, you're going to pick our landing point." It was odd; even though she was no longer lying, she was still working and strategizing how to make people behave according to her plans. Was this how she used to treat everyone with whom she dealt? No wonder her mind had cracked, if she was constantly exhausting herself this way.

"Me?"

"Of course. We're going to visit your contact in Long Feng's organization, after all. Now, why don't you tell me where exactly that person would be, traitor?" Azula glanced over at Toru, and saw exactly what she expected to see. First he stared dumbly, not comprehending what she had just said. Then his eyes went wide as the realization set in that all his worst nightmares had suddenly come true, followed by his skin suddenly going pale as the true depth of the danger he was in stabbed as a spike of terror into his heart. Toru's whole body gave a lurching twitch, and Azula suspected it was trying to flail about in panic, but he maintained just enough control yet to stop himself.

Eventually, of course, he elected to lie. "Tr- traitor? I- I- There's no- I don't- Dai Li? No, I- they- Princess, please, I- no!"

"Father?" Meisai was leaning over Toru, and moved to catch him when his body suddenly slumped in place. "What's happening to him? What did you do?"

Azula shrugged and pretended not to care. "I expect he's having a panic attack. It's one thing to constantly hide even the strongest anxieties, but to have them exposed so suddenly must be a powerful shock. Weak hearts might not even be able to take it."

Meisai turned to Azula and blinked with obvious confusion. "But he doesn't know Long Feng! That pile of dragon droppings had us kidnapped!" Leaning forward, she added, more slowly, "Are you feeling okay? In the... in your mind?"

Azula just nodded, feeling a little sinking sensation in her chest at the thought that her only friend was so ready to believe that she was being overcome (again?) by paranoid delusions. But then, Meisai was defending her father and benefactor. Letting her 'Fire Princess' facade slip for just a moment, Azula met her friend's gaze with as much openness as she could. "I'm sorry. I understand your reaction, but think about it. Why did Long Feng know about you if he needed to wait for me to find him? And why did his people treat you the way they did?"

Slowly, Meisai's eyes widened, just as Toru's had, but that was the only similarity in their reactions. Meisai's mind was working too hard, putting the pieces together, and unlike her father, she was trained to handle shock and sudden attacks. "Daddy?"

"I- you don't- no, I- you don't understand- I-"

"Let me assist you," Azula cut Toru off with a tone like a knife. "You had visited Ba Sing Se throughout your career as a sailor. Meisai explained this to me when we were developing a plan to smuggle me out of the city. I presume that's where you met the Dai Li? Or was it Long Feng himself? Regardless, you established a relationship with the organization. You sold news of the outside world, or tips on your fellow smugglers. Perhaps you were able to break free when Long Feng disappeared, or maybe you were the one to get him out of the city during Sozin's Comet. Either way, when Long Feng put his plan into action, you were recruited to come to Kyoshi Island and spy on me. You passed the visits off as business trips, the perfect cover."

Azula tapped a chin and pretended to mull over her next thought. "I suppose it's possible that you smuggled Ozai onto the island, but I don't think so. Long Feng is too organized, and this ship is too small to have hidden a passenger from Meisai. I believe that you arrived first, verified that I was continuing my life as Suki- perhaps confirmed the details of my schedule- and then gave the go-ahead to bring Ozai in so that he could strike at me." She clasped her hands behind her back, and offered a sweet smile. "It must have been a fortunate coincidence when I sought to escape the island on your ship. You were able to tip Long Feng off as to exactly where and when I landed in the colonial territories. But if I were Long Feng, I would have been paying most of the other ship-owners who were on Kyoshi at the time, although I expect that none were in as deep as you."

The light had gone out of Meisai's eyes, and the hollow tone with which she spoke nearly broke Azula's heart. "But... they kidnapped us-"

Azula nodded. "And then let you go completely unharmed, while paying for the Hidden Gem to remain docked and guarded while you were used against me. That was part of your father's price for helping. He was still enough of a free agent to need his real livelihood protected against his work for Long Feng. I expect your father wasn't happy to be used this way, but Long Feng is a very stubborn person, and a terrible boss."

"Not just th' coins," Toru mumbled. "...said he could save my daughter... a fugitive no more..."

That brought Azula up short. It didn't change her plans for Toru, but- if it was true- then... then confronting him like this was a little bit more cruel. To both Toru and Meisai.

But that was what being Azula was all about.

The former soldier herself was looking at her father with tears in her eyes. "How could you?"

"...for you..."

"I was fine!" Her scream was so loud and sudden that Azula actually jumped in place. "I didn't care about being a deserter! Yes, it was a worry, but the whole reason I came to you was because I didn't want to hurt people anymore. I could have stayed with the rebels in the colonies, but I just wanted to be safe here with you!"

Toru couldn't meet Meisai's gaze. He just lowered his head and shook.

Meisai straightened and turned away from him. "I can't believe- those guys kidnapped me from my bed and locked me in the dark! I just-" She tried to walk away, but the random direction she chose just led her to a stack of crates, and she had to stop short to avoid a collision.

Azula's heart finally broke. "We're not done yet. I have something more to say." Both father and daughter turned to stare at her with identical hollow stares. Ignoring the weight of their gazes, Azula crouched down in front of Toru and took his hand in her own. Finally, she could stop performing. "Captain, I forgive you."

He blinked at her.

Azula nodded. "I've done awful things, too. I've betrayed people. I know how awful it feels. So I forgive you. Whatever your reasons, you brought your ship to Ba Sing Se to help me, even knowing who I am. You allowed me to escape, even though it means you can never go back to the city. It definitely wasn't part of Long Feng's plans. How could I not honor that? So, I forgive you. I just want your help, now."

Toru's reply was a wheezing, "What?"

"I want you to betray Long Feng. Tell me everything you know, including who you met and where, when you wanted to pass on information or get instructions. That's going to be where we strike first." Azula looked over and up at Meisai. "All of us, I hope."

Toru continued to stare, and then he shook again. A laugh worked its way up his throat, and his face broke into a smile. More laughs followed, and he struggled to speak over them. "You're... you're not going... to kill me?

Azula smiled, and shook her head.

Toru then turned to look at his daughter, the laugher suddenly dying. "And you?"

Meisai took a while to find the words. "I can't forgive you yet. I'm... I'm still just too mad. I need to go do some Firebending." She stalked off, this time with clear direction towards the steps to the main deck, but slowed to a halt when she was only halfway there. "I... understand why you did what you did. I've done bad things, too. But I need time." She started to move again-

"Wait," Azula called out. When Meisai turned again, Azula continued, "We still have that other matter to discuss, about needing money if we're going to start a little war against Long Feng. I still have some from my own supply from Ba Sing Se, and my uncle gave me what he could, but that's not going to be nearly enough for what we need. So, it's only fair that you both hear this. It's Meisai's home, too, after all."

Azula swallowed, and turned to Toru. "I forgive you, Captain, and I want you to sell your boat to finance my private war. Please."

Even days later, Meisai could barely look at the Maiha docks beneath the late-day sun. It was here that she and her Father had returned after their kidnapping, to the happy and unexpected sight (at least for Meisai) of their ship still waiting for them despite all their fears and hardships. That had all been poisoned now. Father was a liar who had endangered Meisai and deceived her, and soon the Hidden Gem would be sold to whoever could cough up the coins Azula wanted. It wasn't that Meisai thought Father's actions to be a real betrayal; she believed him when he said he was trying to look out for her amidst it all. It was just hard to know that the one person she thought she could trust and depend on had this hidden side to him.

With the world so dangerous and chaotic, it hurt to know that she could be so wrong about the identity she had in her head for her Father.

Of course, Meisai had used deception, too, pretending to the outside world to be the male First Mate on the Hidden Gem. The Hidden Gem, now having taken on a new identity itself because of Meisai's actions. If she could hurt so much from her Father's actions, what did that mean for her own lies? What did that make Meisai?

Maudlin and self-loathing, apparently.

She didn't even want to be involved in selling the ship or the cargo. Father could handle that. Meisai just accompanied the Rough Rhinos on the mission to fix their steamer. Once Azula had her money- and she looked into Father's information about his employment with Long Feng- they could buy their supplies and get on their way.

The muscular dark-skinned Rhino with the braid- Ogodei- looked over at Meisai as the group made their way across the docks to where they had berthed their steamer. "You okay?"

Meisai nodded. "Just dealing with the costs of war. You know how it is. To win, first you have to lose."

"Huh." Ogodei clenched his fists at his sides as he walked. "No explanation needed. I'm just hoping we can win at the end. This isn't going to be an easy campaign, but if there's any chance for us to live like real people instead of dogs, it's Princess Azula."

Yes, Princess Azula. Another admitted liar. The Princess, like Father, was up front about her lies. Like Meisai as well. They were all liars, really. The only honest people in this group were the Rough Rhinos, men who had burned farms with their owners still in them. What a crew. Why was Meisai even working with these people? Shouldn't she be trying to find something better?

The only possible answer came to her as the group neared the Rhino's metal ship. No, she shouldn't be trying to find something better, because there wasn't anything better. The world had just come out of a war, and everyone had done what they had to for survival. Everyone who wasn't now condemning the rest of the world as dishonorable monsters, of course. Given the choice between those people and the monsters, Meisai would choose monsters who helped her and cared for her and tried to make up for their lies and mistakes. That was friendship, and friendship was what kept soldiers alive in the thick of battle. Tactics were good, and equipment was good, but it was your friends who looked out for you and risked their lives for you when you were in trouble.

Friends weren't a liability, but they could sometimes be a weakness. Meisai would just have to hope that it didn't lead to her own downfall.

But for now, it was time to see to the tactics and equipment. Meisai turned to Ogodei as they walked up the steamer's ramp and said, "Okay, I showed you how to tie good knots. Now you show me how to fix engines and keep this floating tank on top of the waves. I promise I'll be a quick learner."

Toru motioned in front of him towards his destination. The low building was of obvious Fire Nation construction, complete with the red roof, but stood out from other such buildings thanks to the Hawking Tower nestled up against one of the corners. The entire tower was covered in square holes, in which trained messengers hawks rested and waited for deployment. "That's the place. I'd go inside, ask for a certain clerk, and give him the message to pass on to Long Feng, or whoever the next link in the chain is." He couldn't help but cringe, half-expecting his companions to react poorly to the reminder of his betrayal.

But Princess Azula just gave a smirk from her spot in the shadowy alley. "I can work with that. Here." She pulled a rolled-up piece of paper from her sleeve, and handed it over to Toru. "Send a message to Long Feng, that you encountered this in an Earth Kingdom port, and that it serves as proof that I escaped Ba Sing Se alive."

Unrolling it, Toru found it to be one of the Wanted posters that the City Watch in Ba Sing Se had been pasting up all over the city. A sketch of Azula's visage stared out at him with dead eyes, and Toru had to suppress another cringe. Azula had said that she would forgive him, but even assuming she was telling the truth, fear was not an easy thing to leave behind. "But I told Long Feng I wanted to be done with him. This will tip him off that I'm still involved."

"Not if you frame it the right way. Have a message passed on with this, that you fear I may try to contact you or Meisai now that I'm free and out in the world. Also, tell Long Feng that if you do encounter me and have to deal with it, you'll expect more money." Azula crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Would that satisfy his sense of paranoia?"

Toru swallowed against the implication that he knew Long Feng well enough to tell. "Aye, that will do it. Hold on."

His heart hammered the whole time he was inside the Post Office, even worse than it usually did. Toru had never liked being a snitch, not even when he had simply passed some tips on to the Dai Li for a few coins, and he had certainly never liked Long Feng. The man gave off the same vibe as a shark that had tasted man flesh. But sometimes Toru had just needed the money too much, and as he quickly learned, there was no such thing as a casual relationship with either Long Feng or the Dai Li. Once they knew of you, you were always nothing more than a resource to them. But was Princess Azula any better? Meisai thought so, and now with his ship gone, she was the only valuable thing that Toru still had in his life. If she wanted to follow this course, he had no choice in the matter.

Just because he hadn't been there to watch her grow up, just because he hadn't really loved her mother, did not mean that Toru did not love everything about his daughter.

It didn't take long to arrange things as Azula had instructed, and the clerk in the Post Office hadn't so much as blinked at Toru as he took the message and the Wanted poster for delivery. Toru left as quickly as he could without hurrying and joined his companions where they waited in the alley across the street.

Azula nodded at him. "Well?"

Toru turned back to the Post Office, directed his gaze at the Hawking Tower, and motioned when he saw what he was looking for. The clerk had emerged and was setting up a hawk with both Toru's message and the Wanted poster. "There. That's him."

Azula turned to their other companion on this little task, the Rough Rhino Vachir- who wore the tattoo of the Yu-Yan Archers on his face- and whispered, "Do you have it?"

Vachir just gazed at the clerk and the hawk, and followed the latter when it took off into the sky. "Yes."

Toru still didn't understand how that was possible. "Are you sure? How can you track a bird in the air?" He didn't mention that had no desire to re-initiate contact with Long Feng for no gain.

Vachir didn't even look at Toru. He just followed the flight of the messenger hawk with his yes. "Yu-Yan were Qi Hunters, before they became a political tool. We can track anything we know, and I know Fire Nation hawks well enough. My skills caught up with General Iroh, once."

Azula nodded. "Good. I hope you're curious, Toru, about who was reading your messages. We'll probably be meeting them, soon enough."

Toru couldn't help but cringe again. Fear was not easily left behind.

Beneath the setting sun, on the dusty outskirts of Maiha, Azula reviewed her army. It was a small army, made up of just Toru, Meisai, and the Rough Rhinos, but it was hers, pledged to her agenda and trusting in her to deliver on promises and the bonds of friendship. She had no idea who she was supposed to be- compared to who she actually was- but the expectations of these people would have to be clues enough for her. With luck, she would be able to keep that system going until she had destroyed her enemies and won justice for the wrongs committed against her.

The army was assembled on the deck of the Rough Rhinos' steamer, a small and decrepit cast-off of the Fire Navy. The Rough Rhinos themselves were sorting the last of the supplies with professional expertise and distributing the materials onto the komodo rhino beasts all saddled up for travel. It was easy to see the Fire Nation influence on the whole scene, especially with the red light of the dying sun shading the proceedings. Azula would have to keep that in mind for when they encountered some of Long Feng's rebels; she didn't want to make it look like she was trying to revive the tyrannical side of the Fire Nation's rule in addition to its ideals.

Azula stopped in front on Mongke. "What kind of armor did you get, Colonel?"

"Princess," he said with a bow. He must have been feeling pleased with himself. "As instructed, I have standard combat armor for all of us, plus the same number in spare sets for storage here on the ship. I was able to get good stuff from Yu Dao, but they don't produce the traditional Firebender armor anymore. It's been mixed with designs from Ba Sing Se. From what I can see, it's no worse than the old stuff. We'll see if it's any better."

"Well done, Colonel."

"Oh ho, that's not all." Mongke gave a rare genuine grin. "Take a look at yours. It cost a little extra, but I figured you'd find it worth the price."

Raising her eyebrows, Azula moved to the thin crate that the leader of the Rough Rhinos motioned at, and pried off the lid. She couldn't help but remember how The Victim- the poor woman Mianju who had been forced to wear Azula's face- had gifted her a set of cheap, common armor, but this new set was as far from that memory as could possibly be. Azula recognized, laid out in the straw, a style of armor that wasn't unlike what Zuko wore when he went into battle. It was Officer's Armor, and this set specifically had apparently been made for someone with a slight build; it looked like it would fit Azula well enough. What was unusual about it was the coloration: Officer's Armor was typically highlighted with reds and sometimes even gold, but this armor was all black.

Devoid of color. A nothingness awaiting expression. Azula couldn't help but wonder if Mongke was a secret poet, or if she herself was simply seeing ghosts. "Very well done, Colonel. All I need is a crown, but I'll wait to see if the people of my new nation will make one for me." She didn't mention that she still didn't know how to put her hair up in a top-knot. She couldn't even remember how she had transitioned from Azula's hair style to Suki's. "And the other supplies?"

"We're pretty much finished loading, and the rest of the supplies have been stored in the cargo hold. Ogodei will sail the ship to meet us at whatever location you decide. It will be slow going with just a pilot, but he won't have trouble."

Azula glanced over at Toru. "Vachir said that the hawk we had dispatched was flying northeast, so that's our direction. Along the way, of course, we'll see who we can recruit from the less strictly-managed rebel cells. I expect most don't even know who they're working for."

Mongke nodded, and after a brief consultation with Ogodei, offered the name of a large river settlement some a journey's distance towards the northeast. "Ogodei can park the steamer there and await further word from us."

"Very well. Let's get things moving, shall we? Just in case Long Feng has more than a just a clerk in a Post Office on his payroll, I don't want to remain in this city."

Mongke gave a sharp whistle, and the Rough Rhinos immediately mounted up on one of their namesake beasts. Ostrich horses might have been faster and cheaper, but Mongke's crew had their preferences, and riding a Fire Nation animal wouldn't do Azula's reputation any damage. Any more damage. Azula stepped over to her own komodo rhino, and found herself hesitating as she approached the addle. "Um, Meisai, do you think you could-"

"No problem."

Meisai was over in an instant, and with her help, Azula was soon seated in a saddle atop the lizard mount. "Okay. My first official command is to move out, and to find victory. Yes, that sounds pleasant enough. Ride!"

And so Azula's army took off, riding down the ramp from the steamer, and into the streets of Maiha. People got out of their way, and soon enough they left the port city behind. A dusty road stretched on ahead of them, and a motion from Vachir confirmed they were on the tail of their messenger hawk. Azula spurred her rhino faster, and the group rode off beneath the light of a red sun.

It was dark, and despite the pleasant molestations of the moon's pull, Shingyung was getting ready to stop for the night and make camp when the shirshu slowed and began trying to turn off the path. "What's the problem, dear mount? Does our lovely little Azula no longer wait for us in the east?"

The Shirshu whined, pawed the dirt, and settled onto the ground, although it kept glancing back towards the northwest.

Shingyung shook her head, setting her ponytail swaying behind her to tickle her neck. "Oh, you're being a bad boy again. Here, let me help you." She slid out of the saddle, and approached the shirshu's head. It growled at her, but she waved a stream of water out of one of her skins, and pulled it into a pair of glowing blue orbs around her hands. "Nice shirshu. Niiiice..."

She struck like a snake, planting her glowing hands on each side of the creature's forehead. It went rigid and stopped struggling, and Shingyung grinned in the dark. "Yes, let me heal your memory. The silly, silly men in the mountain made you forget your master, that lovely woman June, but I can bring healing. Remember her. Remember your loss. Remember how the blood leaked out of her cold body. Remember how alone you felt in the world. Remember!"

Eventually, Shingyung stepped back and let the water drop to the dirty road. The shirshu writhed in place for a while, whining the whole time like it bore a physical injury, but soon enough it ran out of energy and lay shivering in the dirt.

Satisfied, Shingyung climbed back into the saddle. "Good boy. Now, take me to my delicious little Azula."

The newly obedient shirshu stood up, and ran off into the night, pointed back towards the former colonies.

TO BE CONTINUED