Safety in Numbers
It took a lot to shatter Sokka's reality, but there in that demolished Yang City plaza, it had reached that breaking point.
The first time reality was shattered for him was when his mother was murdered in their family's home. The Fire Nation had raided their tribe, and instead of being the glorious battle between good and evil that he had always envisioned, it was a wrenching loss that left him hollow. After that, he had painstakingly built up a new reality based on a hostile world, and the duty and strength of Man, but the Coming of the Avatar (which actually wasn't as fancy as it sounded, since Aang was kind of a goofball) had begun hammering cracks into that reality, and things like warrior women, Water Tribe Princesses he couldn't protect, and a war they wound up winning against all odds had sent flaws racing throughout the whole structure.
A sympathetic Princess of Fire was the blow that had shattered that particular reality.
So even as Sokka had restored that Princess, who was so unlike the first one that he had loved, he developed a new reality, a world that had turned out to center on the Fire Princess, against all expectations. The new reality had weathered doubts. It had weathered persecution. It had weathered secrets and lies and guilt and the most uncertain of futures. Somehow, it had been enough to sustain Sokka when his Fire Princess had run away and he chased her across the colonies. To find her, he had uncovered the secret history of the Dai Li in the archives of Ba Sing Se, and hunted down the organization's global connections: the city where their first uniforms had been made while Ba Sing Se recovered from its uprising, the remote region where their fighting style had first been developed and taught to Avatar Kyoshi, the universities that had contributed to Professor Dong Min's studies of the mind, and-
-Yang City, where the small and intricate metal components of the old Dai Li's wrist-mounted chain-cuff launchers had been manufactured and assembled.
-Yang City, where Sokka had taken Ty Lee to investigate a loud disturbance not far from the inn where they were staying, and walked out of a crowd to find his Fire Princess ripping out the throat of some woman with a blade made of blue flame.
"SUKI, NO!"
That was what he found himself shouting as his reality shattered once again, and the woman of his dreams revealed herself to be a figure from his nightmares. And yet, when she turned to him in surprise, she didn't look like the malevolent warrior who had once nearly killed Aang. She looked like a tired, bedraggled woman who could barely stay on her feet. She stared at Sokka like she couldn't figure out if she was really seeing him, dripping water even though as a Firebender she should have been able to dry herself off quickly.
The sight was surreal, colored by the light of the full moon with the soaked plaza glistening like ice. Sokka could almost believe that he was looking at Yue again, but he had already failed to save her from the Fire Nation. Was Suki lost now, too?
Then a young man in Fire Army armor interposed himself between Sokka and his Princess, and said, "Who are you?"
Sokka shook his head. This close, he was not going to let anyone stop him from taking care of Azula (whatever that entailed). "Buddy, I need to go talk to Azula over there. This is important. I'm big on avoiding trouble, and I'd like for you to work with me on that. Please don't be the typical aggressive bodyguard guy."
Ty Lee leaned over and whispered, "Actually, I think that's a lady."
"Oh." Sokka squinted at the soldier's really short hair for a moment, decided that no matter how long he spent away from the South Pole the world would continue to surprise him, and then put on what he considered his most endearing grin. "My mistake?"
"It's okay, Meisai. You can stand down." Azula stepped around the soldier lady and met Sokka's gaze without flinching, although her eyes were those of an animal hunted across a plain of ice until it collapsed from exhaustion. "I suppose there's no running from this. Not now. Not anymore."
Sokka found he didn't know quite what to say. She seemed so much like the Azula of old, the one who was so dangerous that everyone agreed her Firebending should be taken away even after her mental collapse. Yet, he couldn't help seeing the shape of the woman he guided back to life. Her weariness was the same he had seen when Suki was being plagued by nightmares. The set of her jaw was the same stubborn look she pulled whenever he had playfully poked at Suki's pride. And her voice-
It had commanded both Kyoshi Warriors and Firebender Invaders.
Why couldn't he hear that before?
"Suki... what are doing? Why are you killing people? Please, this- this isn't you-"
He was interrupted when a spear was thrust into the space between them. Sokka instinctively reached for his boomerang and turned to face his attacker, but no further attacks were forthcoming. Sokka found himself facing a member of the City Watch, holding the spear at ready and wearing an especially fancy hat. "All of you are under arrest! You're going to see the Governor about this." Sokka took a quick look around, and found his little reunion party surrounded by additional Watchmen, all holding their spears with grips that were a little too tight. A few more of the soldiers were herding the crowd out of the waterlogged plaza.
Typical. There were always complications. Sokka was about to play his cards and claim to be a representative of the Avatar, the Fire Lord, and the Earth King (even though he kind of technically wasn't anymore), but then Suki- no, Azula- straightened and calmly pushed a wet strand of hair out of her eyes. "Really," she said in an absolutely controlled voice, and Sokka shuddered at the sound. "Normally, I would respect the sovereignty of a colonial city-state, but I'm afraid there's a bit of a conflict of interest. You see, the last time I visited this city, your Governor sold me out to the Waterbender who I was just fighting. As a result, I was injured and a friend of mine died. Then that woman managed to bribe her way past some of your colleagues. So, I hope you'll excuse me if choose not to place myself in your power. Not that you have a choice. Do you really think you can make us do anything we don't want?" She smiled while showing teeth, but Sokka could see in the moonlight that it didn't reach her eyes.
It didn't need to, though. The Watchmen were trading glances, and more than a few spears were wobbling in the air. Once again, Azula's words were enough to make even her enemies bow before her. "Oh, forget it," Sokka grumbled. "Ty, can you deal with this? Azula and I need to talk."
Ty Lee just nodded, and then she was nothing more than a pink blur in the night, dodging in and out of the Watchmen as they grunted in pain and fell. Azula's soldier- Meisai- also attacked, shooting fire out from her fists with concussive force to keep them from ganging up.
Sokka and Azula just stood in the eye of the storm, eyeing each other. Sokka decided to be the one to break the ice. "So, that... Waterbender... killed a friend of yours?"
Azula glanced over at the body lying in the mud and blanched momentarily, but then she took a breath and worked her face into a scowl. Her eyes glistened gray in the night. "Would you believe me no matter what I said? I don't know why I should even answer you." She raised her chin and somehow managed to look down her nose at Sokka despite being shorter than him. "Who are you to judge me? You're not responsible for me. You don't own me. I'm who I want to be, now. Not who you want me to be. My identity is my own."
"I guess you're right." Sokka couldn't hold back a sigh. It was everything he had been dreading. "Suki is gone, then."
The slap she landed on his face rocked his jaw and cracked loudly in the night. As the stinging faded, Sokka realized that the other fighting had come to an end. Ty Lee and Meisai were looking at him and Azula with surprised gazes.
Azula only had eyes for Sokka, though. "Don't you dare speak about 'Suki.' I am Suki. You don't own her anymore. I am Suki and I am Azula and I am me. Don't you understand? Your little toy has been taken from you. You don't get to just walk up now and take it back without asking."
"I know you're not a toy! I'm trying to save you because I love you!"
His shout echoed across the plaza. He hadn't meant to scream like that.
Azula looked at him with half-lidded eyes, apparently unmoved. "And what do you think you're saving me from?"
"From... from..." Sokka squeezed his eyes shut, and forced himself to take a breath. "From... Long Feng, I guess. He's... turned everyone against you. He- he arranged for your father to get to Kyoshi Island, and then you... but that was part of Long Feng's plan, and Iroh told us about the Earth King and your freaky hand trying to kill you and... and... I don't want you to be taken away and put to death for something that wasn't your fault. Because... because... I..."
Azula leaned forward, and when she spoke, her breath splashed over Sokka's face. "Because you think you saved me once already, and you don't want all that effort to go to waste because of sabotage. You don't want your toy taken away from you." She stepped back again, and wrapped her arms around her armored body. "And what are your plans for Long Feng? Why was it so important that you come and save me?"
"I was hunting him, too. I just happened to find you first. Once Aang and Zuko finish up in Yu Dao, they can probably-"
"Yu Dao?!" Azula's eyes were wide open again, and her posture had lost all its hardness. "They're in Yu Dao now?"
"Y- yeah, they-"
"I surrender."
Sokka blinked. "What?"
She held out her hands to be tied up. "I surrender. Take me as your prisoner. I'm ready to answer for my crimes."
Sokka could only continue to blink. Was Azula going crazy again? A minute ago, she was acting all hostile and Azula-like, and now she wanted him to take her prisoner? Was this Suki talking now?
Off to the side, Ty Lee finally spoke up. "Wait, I thought we beat up Zuko's guards because we didn't want to arrest Azula. I'm getting really confused." Seeing everyone staring at her, Ty Lee smiled and looked over at Azula. "Oh, hi. Good to see you. Sorry I drugged you on Kyoshi Island. That was wrong of me. I hope we can still be friends." Beside her, Meisai gave Ty Lee a look that Sokka could completely understand.
Azula, in turn, was looking at Sokka. "You attacked Zuko's guards. To save me?" Her brow creased, and she eyed him with unmistakable suspicion. "So what were you planning to do when you caught up with me?"
Sokka could only shrug. "I have no idea. But I didn't want to have to bring you back to Ba Sing Se to be hurt for something that isn't your fault."
"My fault." Azula gave a sound that was half-laugh, half snort. "Now there's something that will make a good debate. But regardless, getting me to Yu Dao will be enough. That's where Long Feng is, you see. And only I can stop him." She proceeded to explain what she had learned of his plans, and by the end, Sokka was ready to do her will.
Perhaps his reality wasn't so shattered after all.
In the lands that produced Earthbenders, "a stone's throw" was considered no small distance, yet still well within sight for all but the oldest and the blindest.
A stone's throw from Yu Dao, the city itself could not even be seen.
Once merely an adjunct to a thriving mining operation, Yu Dao had been founded on the flattest piece of ground that could be found in the mountainous land around it. Giant pillars loomed in the mists that frequently surrounded the city, and cliffs looked down as though in judgment of Yu Dao's inhabitants. Roads and paths twisted around the outcroppings of the Earth's bones, shielding them from the view atop the ramparts of the city's outer walls.
A stone's throw from Yu Dao, Long Feng took advantage of this to make another public appearance.
As his voice rang out in the nighttime mists, the people emerged from the legion of tents that had sprung up on the roads and paths around Yu Dao and ambled over from their campfires, following the flow of their fellows to see what all the fuss was about. They had come to witness and influence the convocation that would decide the fate of the former colonies, and even that proactive sense of citizenship was a flaw that could be manipulated. It was often said that the larger the group, the easier the people were to lead around, but that wasn't necessarily true. Smaller groups, and even individuals, simply needed different techniques. Long Feng may not have been able to throw a stone as far as some Earthbenders, but he knew those techniques of manipulation and used them to great effect. Manipulating entire populations was like playing with a favorite old toy.
"And that raises the question of what Safety truly is," he projected from his spot on one of the pillars a stone's throw away from Yu Dao. He had been speaking for about an hour, listing various ways that people around the world were currently suffering and fearing for their safety. None of it was particularly important, although the connections he was implying between the current world leadership and all that hardship only helped the case he planned to make. The main purpose for that part of the speech was simply to draw the attention of everyone who had been camping a stone's throw or more from Yu Dao, because people who believed in their own suffering loved it when others talked about them. The hour was time enough for word to spread farther than a stone's throw and gather a sizeable crowd for him.
Too long, though, and the wrong kind of people might start showing up. Long Feng was just a stone's throw from Yu Dao, after all, and the Avatar could Earthbend with the best of them. It was time to get to the point.
"In the Earth Kingdom," Long Feng bellowed, "safety is the protection of Kings! It is faith that the Kingdom has thrived since before the time of the Avatars, and will continue to do so when the Avatars are no longer remembered. It is the security that no matter what happens to the rest of the world, Ba Sing Se can endure anything without failing. It is the knowledge that The Earth King is no man, but a vessel- a vessel for the strength of the Earth itself- that once wore a human name."
Hidden on the stone pillar some distance above him, an Earthbender shook loose some of the dust and gravel and sent if floating down to Long Feng's left like a small mudslide.
"In the Fire Nation, safety is strength! The Fire Lords rule because no one can challenge them and survive. Conflicts are tested and settled in duels, and the winners can bask in divine confirmation of their righteousness. When the Fire Nation united and made war, it could not be defeated until the ultimate strength, the Avatar, returned to defeat the Fire Lord. It is from the Fire Nation that the new technology has sprung, creating an Age of Metal that will endure to the ends of time itself."
A flare of fire exploded to Long Feng's right, shot out by a Firebender also hidden high up on the pillar.
"Here in the colonies, safety is peace! We have no heroes of our own, no armies to protect our resources, our borders, or our homes. We are at the mercy of the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom; one day they wish to conquer us, and the next they claim to protect us. Our own villages and cities compete with each other for people, for resources, for technology, and for alliances. For us, safety is no more than the lack of conflict, and no less than the presence of justice. We can only have peace when we unite into the nation we deserve to be, but that will not be the source of peace.
"And right now, we are not safe."
Long Feng looked up and around at the crowd around him, all staring in rapt fascination, and smiled in the light of the full moon and the torches that beat back the mists. Now, his hidden and carefully trained Firebender would be stoking the Inner Fire of every other Firebender here, raising their emotions and bringing out their passion. The same couldn't be done for anyone else, not even the Earthbenders, but it was unnecessary. That was the beauty of herd behavior; all it needed was a beginning, and a little push. It would spread by itself from that. "My brothers, my sisters, only I can bring you safety. Only I can bring you peace. Here in the colonies, safety is Long Feng!"
There was a pause, just long enough for everyone in the crowd to digest that but not long enough for them to form an opinion on it, and then a voice cried out, "You just want to rule us! Like you wanted to rule Ba Sing Se!"
Long Feng dropped his smile, and bowed his head just enough to convey humility without actually hiding his face. "No," he said with less aggression but no loss of volume. "It is true that I sought to control Ba Sing Se, and that I drew too much power unto myself, but that was to keep the city safe. For as long as I served the Earth Kings, the Fire Nation could not reach the city, could not infiltrate our society, could not disrupt our way of life. As the rest of the Earth Kingdom fell, people streamed towards Ba Sing Se, because for all our faults, no one could question the safety we provided. And when the Avatar forced me out of power, made his ploy to seize the city's resources so that he could make an impetuous attempt to invade the Fire Nation, Ba Sing Se fell to the enemy almost immediately!
"But don't think me infallible." Long Feng looked up here, and let his gaze travel over the crowd. "I tried to rise up against the Fire Princess, and she forced me to retreat from the city." He paused again, but then quickly continued, "She conquered Ba Sing Se where all the rest of her dynasty failed. She killed the Avatar once, thwarted only by the magics of the Water Tribe's greatest healers. She won back her Firebending and escaped from the Fire Lord's most devious prison. She destroyed a village on Kyoshi Island. She made fools of the Avatar and the Fire Lord by traipsing around the colonies and avoiding all their attempts to find her. She returned to Ba Sing Se and murdered the Earth King with her own hands and fire, a man I watched grow up only for him to cast me away! And she made me... retreat."
Long Feng smiled once again. "I give you no false modesty. I withstood the Princess Azula when everyone else failed or was killed. I have studied her, in the time since I saw her last. I have analyzed her methods. I have assembled forces tailored to eat away at her power and destroy her for her crimes. I have devoted my life to providing Safety, and I wish to serve you now in the same way."
Another voice in the crowd called, "You say 'serve,' but you mean to rule us!"
"Your rulers should be the people you choose," Long Feng countered, not directing his gaze or voice at any one place. "If you wish the Governors to retain their power, then that should be. If you wish the rich and the powerful to share their abilities by leading you, then that should be. If you wish to raise a King or a Lord or a Divine Emperor then that should be! But leadership is never vested in a single entity. Kings and Councils may decide, but their servants are tasked with executing their will. Those servants need to be people of the greatest skill, people just as devoted to the nation- no, more devoted- than the Kings and the Councils. I task you, my brothers and sisters, that when you make your voices heard and decide who you want to lead your new nation, you ask for servants to keep you safe. And I humbly submit myself for consideration as the executor of your safety. As the Chief Executor of your safety. Thank you for your time, and your attention."
The crowd raised their voices, most of them in cheers from what Long Feng could hear, and his hidden Benders once again sent down flames and dust clouds to cover his escape. Obscured, he crouched and punched the ground beneath his feet, sinking the platform into the tunnel that had been dug out before.
The cheers were good, but it would be better if they lasted. Just like the 'hecklers' in the audience had been his own soldiers feeding him scripted lines, the first of the cheers would be coming from those already loyal to Long Feng. It was all about setting a mood, making people think that they were already part of something greater than themselves. They would fall in line like the herd animals that humanity often emulated. But that didn't require Long Feng's attention, now. Everything was set up so that it could run with minimum guidance. He only had to be himself. His sliding descent came to an end in one of the old mining tunnels deep beneath the ground. He was soon followed by his Earthbender and Firebender servants, the former of whom closed the access tunnel behind them, and the latter quickly summoned a flame to act as a torch. Such efficiency. Long Feng rose from his crouch and smiled at the pair. "Good work, boys. Now, we should hurry. I still have that meeting with the Mayor, and he gets so anxious when I'm running a few minutes late. It's almost as if he doesn't trust me."
Azula watched through the closest porthole as the torches and glowing buildings of Yang receded into the darkness below her. Not that shadow was limited to the city and the lands around it. The cabin of Sokka's airship was lit only by moonlight that shone through the various windows, as an interior lamp would have cast too much glare, and so everything around her was cast in shades of gray. Sitting in the center of one of those shadows, Azula couldn't help but feel that, as much as this journey was necessary, she was risking her control of her life.
And risking her friends.
When Sokka was finally convinced to arrest Azula, he wanted to get out of the city as soon as possible, but she had one thing to take care of first. Walking far enough away from Sokka and Ty Lee so that they couldn't hear, Azula gave her goodbyes to Meisai and Toru. The father and daughter hadn't been happy about that, of course. "I don't get why we can't come with you," Meisai had said.
Azula glanced back at Sokka before she responded. "Because I have a job for the both of you. I need to go face Long Feng directly and stop him from turning the colonies into his own official kingdom, but I'm not going to be able to do it with just the resources I have on hand. I need you two to arrange some things for me." Then she smiled, one of the few completely stress-free smiles she had indulged in since Kyoshi Island. "I know you'll be able to do it. Everything you both have done, from that first voyage all the way to saving my life here, has been more than I ever could have hoped for when my life became this nightmare. Meisai, you've been my only real friend this whole time. And Toru, you've earned your forgiveness, twice over. Thank you both for everything."
Azula bowed low, but Meisai grabbed her shoulders and yanked her into a hug. "There's no need to thank us. We've all helped each other."
Azula had pulled back, and couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. "Helped each other? I've basically taken over your life, forced you to sell the only home and refuge you had, and dragged you into a war. How has that helped you?"
"You're making a new home for us. A place where we can live without worrying about being arrested for a war we thought we were fighting honorably, or oppressed for how we were born. And you've helped my Father and I start to make a real go of being family. But even that still doesn't matter. Friends don't look for even exchange."
"I know." Azula once again glanced at Sokka. "It's good to have some real friends, but now I have to go. Toru, take care of that shirshu for me, please. It's suffered enough for my mistakes."
He smiled and turned to look at the animal where it was drinking from the still-open aqueduct. "Never really wanted a pet, but I'll see if I can't find it someplace nice to settle down. Smooth seas and warm winds, Princess."
"The same to you, Captain."
And so, after giving Meisai and Toru their final instructions, Azula let Sokka and Ty Lee lead her out of the city to their airship.
Her new allies.
It was hard to think of Sokka and Ty Lee that way, considering what they had done to her. Ty Lee, at least, was guilty of perpetrating the lie that was Suki and drugging Azula to keep it going. At best, assuming Ty Lee had truly believed that her actions were for Azula's own good, she was still a rationalizing manipulator. And Sokka... Sokka was worse. But Azula had already made the mistake of forsaking allies once already. Even though she had Meisai and Toru with her, even though Dong Min warned her against it, she had confronted Shingyung in a one-on-one fight.
It nearly killed her.
Azula had survived only because her friends had taken their own intelligent initiative.
And, truly, were Sokka and Ty Lee any worse than the Rough Rhinos, than the army of murderers she had recruited under her banner? It felt worse, but was that simply Azula's own selfishness at work? Of all the sacrifices she would have to make to defeat Long Feng, a bit of selfishness should be the least of them. Turning to Sokka and trying to keep the edge out of her voice, Azula said, "How far are we going tonight?"
Sokka didn't take his eyes away from the front viewport. "Not too far. The full moon is giving us enough illumination to go by for now, but night-flying is still dangerous. I just want to put a little distance between us and Yang. You... uh, well, they probably still want to arrest you there, and if you're right that the Governor is on Long Feng's side..."
"He is." Azula crossed her arms over her armor and leaned back in her seat. "He was the only one who knew that I was trying to save people during that bombing mission, and yet Shingyung found out and turned the situation around on me. I've been burned quite a bit by trusting people." Azula wanted so much to sleep, her body felt so drained after the fight with Shingyung, but she had to keep going. Soon enough, she would have her chance to get all the rest she needed. "That's why I killed Shingyung. As much as I wanted revenge for the death of my... friends... it was also a way to protect my own life, and the lives of the people Long Feng would hurt. It was justice. The real thing."
And it was. Azula felt this, in her heart. She felt sick and guilty about what she did to Ozai's face, berated herself for the mistakes she made that lead to the Earth King's death, and she was weighed down by the burden of the soldiers lost to her cause and the lives that The Victims would never be able to recover. Yet she only felt a grim sense of completion for Shingyung's death.
Sokka and Ty Lee both wore pained expressions. The latter ran a hand through her short hair and said, "You hate us, don't you? You want justice against us, too. You're really Azula again."
Azula quirked an eyebrow. "Would your conception of Suki really be okay with accepting any more tea from you? I'm not attacking you. I surrendered myself to you, remember? Just because I don't want to let myself fall asleep before you two, or accept any of your food, doesn't mean I've become some kind of demon Fire Princess."
Ty Lee looked down and tugged nervously at her circus outfit. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. "I was trying to help. I still think of you as my friend."
Azula ignored her.
Sokka shifted in his chair. "I appreciate your cooperating, and I'm glad you know that Long Feng is the real enemy. I know it seems bad from your perspective, but we all were doing what we thought was the most right thing we could. I- we- we all love you and want the best for you. The best we could manage."
Azula hated how her heart skipped a beat when he talked of love. She was doing a good job keeping her emotional distance, of keeping the anger and resentment just buried enough to work with her new allies, but she also still had feelings for Sokka that weren't so acrimonious. She still had all of Suki's memories and experiences of the times they spent together, the times he supported her. They still fueled feelings of... well, putting a name to it didn't matter. Her mind- finally healed, or as healed as it could get- knew what he was really like beneath his caring, love-struck exterior. Just like Long Feng had hurt and created The Victims, so Sokka had created Suki. Even though she needed him as ally, she couldn't help but ask, "Is that why you did it?"
"Um-"
"Is that why you made me love you? Did you think it would help me? Or was it for your own benefit? Did the old Azula intrigue you in some special way?"
Sokka's grip tightened on the airship's steering wheel, and he obviously struggled with the urge to turn and face her. "No," he eventually bit out, his voice strained. "My whole plan was supposed to help you. You were hurt, and they said you were dying. I couldn't save everyone I wanted to, but I thought I could save you. I tried to create a life for you that would make you happy, but... something happened that I didn't expect. We... kind of just happened. Dong Min moved some of the history around so that it would build up your- Suki's history, but it was real. Real enough. I just tried to make it all work. There was so much going against us..."
"Is it any wonder?" Azula leaned forward in her seat, and even though her body protested with weariness, her thoughts shook off any sluggishness. "You killed a woman and used the pieces to put together a fake."
Ty Lee burst out with, "You're not fake!"
Sokka protested, "I didn't kill anyone, I was trying to save you!"
Azula just shook her head at them. "Neither of you know what you're talking about. The real Azula was a full person with a mind and a history and a lifetime of choices. Maybe she made bad choices, maybe she was evil, and maybe she was dying. I don't know. That's the thing. I don't know. What you did... it killed Azula. It wiped out who she was. All those memories are gone forever. That history might as well not have happened. The changes you made to her were retroactive; you didn't just cover up a history, your work crept into the past to destroy it. Even now, I don't really know myself. I don't know what's natural and what came from Suki."
Ty Lee quirked her head to the side as if questioning, a motion that reminded Azula of Shingyung. She turned away from the sight and let the view of the stars through the porthole fill her vision before she spoke again. "When I first escaped from Kyoshi Island, I tried to be the real Princess Azula because I thought that would save me. Heal me, maybe. I couldn't trust my memories, but the stories I knew about Azula were very clear about the type of person I was. I tried to be hard like that, and I hurt people, but... it hurt me, too. It's just gotten worse since then. I feel guilt, now. I'm less and less sure about what Azula would do, but I have to be her in order to win this- this war. So I'm guessing, and presenting the image that people expect of the Fire Princess. I give life to the identity that the world formed for her. I live her legacy."
Sokka's reply was as soft as the moonlight that blanketed him. "But you don't know the old Azula. You just know the changes we made to her history. You've heard the guesses from people who knew Ozai's idea of his daughter more than they knew the person herself. Yourself. I guess Long Feng used that against all of us."
"What do you mean?" Azula looked over at him. "What changes?"
"Azula wasn't as bad as we told you," Ty Lee said, leaning forward. "Yes, she hurt people. She liked hurting people. Maybe she was just like that, or maybe she was taught that way. I'm not smart enough to know which of those is right. But Azula had other moments. We left those out of the new history so that you wouldn't get confused. Like... like when we captured the Kyoshi Warriors!"
Azula nodded. "They were sent to prison instead of killed. I assume the whole part where Suki was sent to the Boiling Rock was a fabrication."
"Yeah. But there was a time when we had the Kyoshi Warriors as prisoners at the camp where they made the big drill thingy outside Ba Sing Se." Ty Lee stood up, and began pacing back and forth across the small cabin, passing from light to shadow as she spoke. "One night, you'n'me'n'Mai were trying to sleep, but then a soldier guy from your retinue came up to us and said the shift captain was going after the Kyoshi Warriors in their holding cells. For... um, you know. You rushed down there before things got bad. The Kyoshi Warriors were using their little prison cell like a castle, and they were holding the doorway. When you got there, you just went wild on the soldiers! You fought so well, just like you always did, and beat them all up. Mai and I didn't have anything to do. And then, you said that any man who wanted to hurt your prisoners would... how did you word it? 'Lose his ability to infringe on a woman ever again.' And they listened, because you could be so scary. The burn you gave the captain on his thigh probably helped, too. I couldn't figure out any reason for you to help the Kyoshi girls like that, because we were done questioning them by then. You just helped.
Sokka was smiling in the moonlight, and added, "That's why Kyoshi Island agreed to help you, too. They wanted to give you a home for protecting their daughters."
Azula could barely bring herself to process that. It almost made her doubt her own mind again. That was far too similar to what happened when she first visited Yang, before meeting Shingyung, when she almost casually protected that room of women in that flophouse from a drunk. She hadn't really thought about that, but now that she examined it, it seemed more like something Suki could have done. Yet Ty Lee was saying that Azula was the one who established the precedent. Had that been lost from Dong Min's brainwashing, and re-established? Or had she never been as far from the true Azula as she thought? Or was the old Azula just possessive of her victims, not wanting to share them. Yet she had apparently done nothing too bad to the Kyoshi Warriors, if that was their defining memory of her. "So you killed that person to- what? Set free the good person you saw within?"
Ty Lee sat down in her chair and curled up so that she could hug her legs against her chest. "But Azula- you- were going to die if we didn't do anything. We had to."
"If you say so. Maybe I would have died, but maybe I would have gotten better. There were a number of times, after Kyoshi Island, when I thought it was certain that I was going to die, but I wound up surviving anyway. Sometimes I had help, and sometimes I found strength within myself that I didn't expect. If some part of me is still the real Azula, then she must have been the same way. Maybe she would have recovered, and found a way to contribute positively to this world you're trying to shape. Maybe she would have tried to destroy it and you would have stopped her, but then at least her end would be a result of her own actions. We'll never know."
Silence reigned in the cabin for a while after that. Eventually, Sokka adjusted some controls and the airship began descending slowly. "I meant well. If I was wrong, I'm sorry."
Azula nodded. "I think I believe you." And she found that she really did. Despite the hurt of his lies, despite the implications that Ozai and Long Feng made, despite Azula's own embarrassment at giving of herself so fully to a man who couldn't truly see her as a person with a right to her own life... she believed him. Maybe she wanted to. Maybe that was just another part of the brainwashing. But, in the end, it didn't matter. "Even Long Feng means well, in his own way. And we see how that has turned out. Sometimes, meaning well means trusting and taking your chances. Just like I'm trusting you to help me save the world. But I- Azula, or the closest thing we still have- can't trust you as my friends. Not anymore."
Neither of the other two said anything to that. Azula glanced out her porthole again, and saw a dark stretch of ground that she quickly identified as a forest in the moonlight. That would be their shelter for the night. They had to hide from the light in order to get where they wanted to go. Or perhaps it wasn't such an apt metaphor, and Azula's weariness was finally catching up with her mind. (She hoped she didn't dream of Shingyung.) Either way, it reminded her of one last thing she needed to say.
"You may not be my friends, but we're allies now, against a common foe. I'm taking a calculated risk by giving you a certain amount of trust. If you want to defeat Long Feng... if you want to show that you truly regret what you did to me, you need to give me your trust in return. Don't question my purpose. Don't let others turn you against me with lies or distortions. Let me be who I've forged myself to be.
"And do exactly what I say."
The airship shuddered as it landed, and when Sokka and Ty Lee turned to face her, their eyes were glistening.
Long Feng met with Mayor Morishita deep beneath the city, in a stone chamber carved off from the main mining tunnels. As he entered, the Mayor took a moment to stare at the furniture and decorations placed around the room, obviously taken aback by the touch of taste of sophistication. Long Feng remained sitting at the table in the center of the space and said, "Yes, you don't often see this level of comfort so far underground, but I have been forced to spend these last few years in the dark-" Azula's angry face flashed through Long Feng's mind- "thanks to my persecutors, so I like to make it as pleasant as possible. We just recently had to abandon our main base in the Chubang Mountains, so we needed a place to store these things, anyway." Morishita gave a little shudder, but Long Feng ignored it. He supposed the idea of living underground for so long must seem like torture to a Firebender, but Long Feng couldn't complain about the arrangements. As a Firebender, Azula would be weaker underground. "So, what report on the Convocation?"
"The talks continued today, but the Avatar is still opposing the idea of a Council of Governors until they will agree to a guaranteed set of laws defining their power. He fears corruption, and a ruling body that will perpetuate itself even beyond the power of monarchs. The Earth King and the Fire Lord also have their own objections to allowing certain of the Governors to remain in office with official approval, but they're both holding back for now, probably in hopes of forcing a compromise somewhere down the line."
Long Feng smiled. "And, of course, your own Governor is one of those objectionable men. When Zuko and the Earth King make their big push, the other Governors will withdraw support for him, and one will propose you as a replacement. That will be seen as an opening to a compromise, one that Zuko will no doubt welcome, given your history together. After all, that little crisis ended with you remaining in power, so he must see something in you. Perhaps your family-"
Morishita scowled at the reference, but on his chubby face, it looked more comedic than intimidating. He shot back, "And you think that compromise will convince the Avatar and his friends to accept you in a position of power?"
"No, but that will be just one of the factors adding pressure to the situation. My agents in the camps are reporting that my speeches have made me quite popular already. And then when Shingyung produces Princess Azula's head, I'll have my buy-in to the convocation. I can handle the situation from there."
"And is that all you truly desire? To serve a council of people you helped put into power? Or is that merely a stepping stone for you?"
Long Feng leaned back in his seat. "A bold question."
Morishita stared back. Mentioning his family did rile him up so.
"But, I suppose, a valid one." Long Feng stood, and looked around at his little headquarters cave. Painted scrolls had been hung on the walls to provide a little color, images of glowing sunsets. It was tempting to say that Long Feng's enjoyment of such things was symbolic, but he was too self-aware for such trite speculation. Endings and beginnings were a part of everything in life. Azula's ending would be Long Feng's own beginning. "Well, Mayor, your concerns are unfounded. I never truly dreamed of ruling. Perhaps you don't understand here in the colonies, but the Earth King is like a god to my people. Gods, though, can be foolish. They can even be killed. To be a god is to be defined by an identity owned by the entire world. To rule like that would a burden, a weight that would keep me from truly achieving the best for the world. I prefer to remain the shadows, to shape the will of the public icons to be more efficient, more practical, more suited to the world upon which they can only look down."
"You want your old job back, but for the whole colonies instead of just one city." Morishita looked skeptical. "Having served under strong Fire Lords, I imagine that all it would take to check your power is a strong leader."
Long Feng turned away from the painted sunset, to face his pawn. "We are beyond the age of strong leaders, Mayor. The Avatar has broken the power of the so-called gods, and plants his friends into the leadership of all three nations. It's a good lesson, that no matter how high you climb, there's always someone looking down on you from another peak. History shows us that it is better to set up shop further down the mountain, where you can control how the water from the melting snows flows down to the villages below. And history, I think, will find that the Chief Executive of the United Geniocracy was the one with the true power." All he had to do was steal that power from the icon that was Princess Azula. He knew that he could rely on Shingyung, but Long Feng could not help but feel his patience draining away. It was all coming together; all would be finished so soon. "On that note, I think it's time for me to start making appearances within Yu Dao itself. Have you completed the tasks I gave you?"
Morishita nodded. "The tunnels that run beneath the city have been expanded in accordance with your requirements, and the weapons factories are running their machine presses all day and all night. We haven't been able to test the idea that they'll block the Bei Fong girl's senses, but..."
"Don't worry, Mayor." Long Feng rose, approached Morishita, and put an arm around his rotund shoulders. "I've been planning this for a long time. Nothing has been left to chance. Not my allies, not my enemies, and especially not the people caught between the two.
"Nothing."
TO BE CONTINUED